The Phoenix Requiem (The Phoenix Conspiracy Series Book 7) (2 page)

CHAPTER 02

It had been just over two hours since they’d passed through the mysterious shroud the Polarians called the
Veil
. In most of that time, Calvin had remained relatively silent at his seat in the command position, thinking to himself how strange and surreal the experience had been, passing through the Veil, and wondering what other untold mysteries Polarian Forbidden Space held.

To his curious mind, being here, in this region of space, was a dream come true. And yet the very profound, unknown nature of Polarian Forbidden Space made it equal parts captivating and dangerous. As much as he wanted to explore each of the small clusters of stars that existed within the Veil, he knew he had to remain true to their mission. Besides, the mission was taking him to the Forbidden Planet itself, and really, wasn’t that the crown jewel of all the unanswered questions that surrounded Polarian Forbidden Space?

Calvin suspected the greatest mysteries, and the greatest dangers, lay ahead of them. He knew things were going to get ugly, one way or another, and in those split seconds when a choice needed to be made—one that might be the difference between life and death—his crew would need him to be ready. He only hoped he was up to the challenge. Fortunately, he had Rez’nac by his side. Calvin had insisted that the Polarian remain on the bridge, so he could benefit from whatever knowledge Rez’nac had regarding their cryptic destination. For that matter, he’d kept all his senior staff on the bridge, knowing they were fast approaching their destination and, once they got there, there was no telling just what they’d be up against.

“Status report,” said Calvin, mostly to break the silence. By his estimate, given the course Rez’nac had provided, they would be arriving soon.

“Weapons and shields are currently disarmed,” said Miles, “But I’m ready to activate them at a moment’s notice.”

“Good. And the stealth system?” asked Calvin.

“Operating like a champ, as usual,” Miles grinned.

“All systems and power levels are running within expected parameters,” said Cassidy from the Ops station.

“All flight controls read normal,” reported Jay from the helm. “Currently we’re in alteredspace following the course given to me by our Polarian friend here,” he gestured toward Rez’nac, who sat in the 2O’s chair on Calvin’s right. “Jump depth of ninety-five percent potential, stable and holding. ETA fifteen minutes.”

Calvin felt a jolt of nervous energy at the announcement of their ETA. He knew his crew depended upon him to be ready to handle anything—and he could scarcely imagine just what would be waiting for them. Definitely something. That much he was sure of. He wondered if the
Nighthawk
’s famed stealth system would protect them, or if it would fail, as it had so many times in the past, in the face of newer scanning technologies. Despite their many marvels, the Polarians tended to lag behind on basic tech, and Calvin hoped that stereotype held true at this the heart of hearts that was the Polarian Forbidden Planet.

“Very good,” said Calvin. “Cassidy, have any of our long range scans revealed anything about the region of space we are targeting?”

“Negative,” she said, after looking at one of her many screens. “It seems that even inside the
Veil
the Polarians have some way of scrambling long-range scans.”

“Or at least scans of the Forbidden System,” mused Calvin.

“Jay, let me know when—” Calvin begin to say, before being suddenly interrupted.

“Wait a minute, sir, I think I’ve got something,” said Cassidy.

“What is it?” asked Calvin, practically jumping to his feet to go and hover over the Ops terminal. It was difficult for him to make sense of the outputs on the various displays.

“Hard to say,” said Cassidy. “It should be our first earnest glimpse of the Forbidden System, but there appears to be a large, ring-like structure surrounding the star.”

“A ring?” asked Calvin, trying to imagine how massive such a structure would be. A mere speck when compared to the Veil, but for it to be an artificial construct, it would defy even the most modern marvels of engineering, considering the amount of materials that would be required to surround a star.

“More like a matrix of rings,” clarified Cassidy. “The system is surrounded by something.”

“A Dyson Sphere?” asked Calvin with genuine intrigue.

“No, I don’t think so,” said Cassidy. She adjusted her scan, clearly trying to get better data. “Ring was the wrong word, as was structure; I can’t explain it, but there is something surrounding the Forbidden System. That is why we cannot get a proper scan.”

“
Something
?” asked Calvin. He turned to Rez’nac. “Can you explain this? Is it another Veil?” Calvin tried not to estimate the astronomically minute odds that a phenomenon such as the Veil could exist twice in nature.

“It is not like the Veil,” said Rez’nac, remaining in his seat. He folded his arms. “What your scanners are detecting are the Forbidden Planet’s many defenses.” He stopped there, as though that was sufficient explanation.

“ETA seven minutes,” said Jay.

“Many defenses?” asked Calvin. “Like what kind of defenses?”

“I do not know them all,” said Rez’nac. “But I would say
all
kinds of defenses.”

“That’s still too vague for me,” said Calvin. “If we’re about to arrive and have to contend with these defenses, I need some clue as to what they are. Surely you can help me out more than that.”

Rez’nac nodded, “I will try. The Forbidden System hosts several planets, but only one of them can support life; that is the Forbidden Planet. Around the Forbidden Planet is a spherical debris field of rocks and asteroids, even some minor planets. These objects orbit the Holy Star as certainly as the Forbidden Planet.”

“So the structure Cassidy detected, that was really just a bunch of rocks and debris?” asked Calvin.

“Four minutes,” said Jay.

“Lower us to eighty-percent potential,” said Calvin, knowing that, although time was of the essence, he couldn’t just fly the
Nighthawk
into this system without extracting everything he could from Rez’nac regarding whatever opposition they were about to face.

“Yes, there are many rocks, as you say it, very rich with ores and metals, and quite densely packed. Unlike most asteroid fields, where the asteroids are many kilometers apart, these are closely packed, and dense,” said Rez’nac.

“Too closely-packed to get the
Nighthawk
through?” asked Calvin.

“No,” said Rez’nac. “Ships come and go to the Forbidden Planet—but only according to the wishes of the Council of Prelains.”

“Are these asteroids manned, or do they house automated weapon systems, or something?” asked Calvin, remembering what Rez’nac had said about defenses.

“Many of them, yes. Though it is the small planets and moons that are the main concern,” said Rez’nac.

“These planets and moons, they are part of this debris field?” Calvin wasn’t quite sure how that was possible, thinking the planets and moons would have been pulverized by meteor impacts over the many billions of years.

“Many are,” said Rez’nac. “They are inhospitable for life, but some of them have defense stations. Those stations are what power many of the traps.”

“I’m sorry,” said Calvin. “Traps?”

“Yes, there are many guns, mines, and traps, all spread throughout the meteor sphere, with only a few safe passages through.”

“But you know what those passages are?” asked Calvin, seeking reassurance.

“I do not,” said Rez’nac.

“But the
Nighthawk
’s stealth system should help us avoid being recognized and targeted by these guns, mines, and traps,” said Calvin, again seeking reassurance.

“It might,” said Rez’nac. “For the guns. As for the mines, it depends which type of mine—some of them are set-off by proximity—”

“Fine, we’ll just steer clear of those,” said Calvin.

“Easier said than done,” said Rez’nac, “Since many of them are designed to be as undetectable as this ship.”

“Stealth mines?” asked Calvin, feeling his stomach turn over.

“Nothing this ship’s scanners couldn’t detect,” said Cassidy, sounding skeptical.

“More like camouflaged mines,” said Rez’nac. “You’ll know what I mean if we strike one. Pray we do not.”

“I thinking praying is your department,” said Calvin. “What I need is a safe course—or at least a projection of what is the likeliest safe course—through this debris field, so we can reach the Forbidden Planet.”

“Sir, ETA five minutes,” said Jay.

“Decrease alteredspace depth even more,” instructed Calvin, sensing that he clearly needed more time to figure this out—and finding himself wishing he’d had this discussion with Rez’nac earlier. The large Polarian warrior, for his part, seemed annoyingly nonchalant about it. Either he trusted in his Essences to deliver them, or else had accepted his fate long ago—the prospect of being destroyed by these weapons and traps did not seem to alarm him the way it alarmed Calvin.

“Aye, aye, sir,” said Jay. “But we will be arriving soon, unless you order us to a full stop.”

“Stay on course,” said Calvin, “But drop into the outskirts of the system—keeping us well clear of the asteroid orb—and then bring the ship to a full stop.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Rez’nac, can you provide my pilot with the safest probable course through the asteroid orb, so that we can reach the Forbidden Planet?”

“I can do my best,” said the Polarian warrior. “My recommendation is to avoid the most obvious paths—those are likely to be the best defended—and instead bring the ship close to one or more of the minor planets.”

“I thought you said those minor planets had defenses on them,” said Calvin.

“They do, but because of the nature of those defenses,” said Rez’nac, “I anticipate that intruders will be expected to steer clear of them—which means the best laid traps will be far from the minor planets. Just don’t go so close that the ship is spotted.”

That made enough sense to Calvin that he gave the order. “Jay, set course through the space junk as Rez’nac dictates, pass within short range of any minor planet he identifies, but don’t stray into visual range.”

“Aye, aye, sir.”

“If we are meant to succeed at this mission,” said Rain, her voice deliberately soothing. “It is hard for me to imagine that we will have come all this way only to be stopped by some asteroids.”

“The human healer is wise,” said Rez’nac. “Ultimately, we must rest our fate in the hands of the Essences and pray that, though we tread unworthily upon sacred ground, our mission is one of glory and not of darkness.”

Calvin didn’t know what to say except to nod. These religious-types of platitudes may have been a source of comfort to the others, at least some of them, but they felt empty to him. If they were to succeed, they would do so based on their own decisions, their own cleverness, talent, determination, and of course luck, since there was no way to take into account all of the many variables. Calvin caught a glimpse of Summers’ furrowed brow to know she agreed with him. Fate wouldn’t be their salvation today.

“Sir, we’re dropping out of alteredspace,” announced Jay. Then, a moment later, as Calvin watched the window with bated breath, the blackness was replaced by the glitter of stars. In the distance, and seemingly partially obscured, was a large purple star that stood out against all of the others. Calvin knew it for what it was—the local sun. The parent star of the Forbidden System. “We have arrived at the distant outskirts of the Forbidden System.”

“So I see,” said Calvin. “And just how far away are we from the asteroid sphere?”

“Several million MCs, sir,” said Jay. “I kept us as far away as I reasonably could. Like you ordered.”

“No doubt for the best,” said Calvin. “Cassidy, begin a scan of that asteroid sphere and see what our scanners can pick up. In the meantime, feed that information to the helm computer, and Rez’nac, you, Jay, and myself will plot a course safely through the asteroids, defenses, and debris, right up to the Forbidden Planet itself.”

“Aye, sir,” his people acknowledged. Calvin moved to the helm, where he, Jay, and Rez’nac immediately began to discuss their options, just as fast as Cassidy could send them waypoints—possible routes that would allow the
Nighthawk
through the tightly-packed rocks and space-junk. On first assessment, the more formidable-looking routes were those that promised to take their ship near any of the small planets and moons, but, Calvin supposed, Rez’nac was probably right that for that same reason they would prove to be the safest paths.

“I’m detecting several things within the debris cloud,” said Cassidy.

“Protective asteroid sphere,” Rez’nac corrected her.

“Fine, protective asteroid sphere,” said Cassidy. “There are multiple star bases, a few patrol ships—though surprisingly few—”

“That is because most every ship has gone to join the Dread Fleet,” said Rez’nac.

“Be that as it may,” said Cassidy. “There are a few still here. Their patrol patterns seem to be routine, no sign that we’ve been detected.”