The Phoenix Rising by Richard L. Sanders

officers. “Set up a thorough pattern and
commence a sweep. Destroy anything large enough to be
detected.”
    “ Yes, sir.”
    “ And Mister Jorgensen,” said
Nimoux to his Ops officer, “if you happen to identify any of the
debris before it’s destroyed and make a log of it... I won’t hold
it against you.”
    “ Yes, sir,” replied the ops
officer.
    Something very strange had happened here.
Something Intel Wing was desperate to keep a lid on. Nimoux
couldn’t help but wonder what. There was obviously more to the
story than he’d first anticipated.
     
    ***
     
    The bridge of the Nighthawk felt like home
in a way that no other place could. Now that they were leaving
Gemini and returning to where they truly belonged—the stars, Calvin
felt a surge of energy. felt excited.
    “ Sarah, put in a departure
request,” he said.
    “ Yes, sir.”
    “ Miles, get a status report
from every deck. Let’s make sure all hands are aboard and we’re
secure for launch.”
    “ Way ahead of you, Cal,”
said the round-faced man at the defense post. “All crew is aboard
and all decks report go .”
    “ Very good.” Calvin looked
over his senior staff—his friends—and smiled. It was a good moment.
No matter how many dangerous, uncertain roads lay ahead of them, he
felt he could weather any storm with friends like these. Only one
person was missing to make the picture complete.
    “ Ops, give me a status
report on all critical systems,” he looked at the man who sat where
Shen should be. The newcomer was human, about middle-aged, and thin
as a tree-branch.
    “ Sir, all systems are
functioning within expected parameters.”
    “ Excellent. Sarah, as soon
as we get the word, let’s get out of this behemoth and into open
space.”
    “ You got it,” she said. Then
she spoke into her headset. “Confirmed, Control. Initiating launch
sequence.”
    Out the window Calvin could see the massive
metal doors that separated the drydock from open space. An alarm
was flashing, warning all personnel to clear the deck. Once all
hands were safely on the other side of the airlock, the massive
chamber depressurized.
    “ We’ve decoupled from the
deck. Lift thrusters firing.”
    As the Nighthawk separated itself from the
deck, the massive door—like tremendous jaws—opened, revealing the
blackness of space.
    “ Firing forward thrusters,”
said Sarah. “Ten mc’s per second and accelerating.”
    They approached the open door quickly and
plunged into open space.
    “ We’re clear of the
drydock.”
    Calvin saw a projection of the mighty Gemini
conglomerate on the 3d display. Their ship looked tiny, like an
infinitesimal wasp, as it flew away from the station. “Take us a
safe distance from the planet and then commence alteredspace
jump.”
    “ Aye, aye. What is our
destination?” asked Sarah.
    “ Yeah, Cal, what kind of a
wild goose chase are we on now?” asked Miles. “Gonna meet up with
Raidan?”
    “ No,” said Calvin. “Set
course for the DMZ, most direct jump. Ninety percent
potential.”
    “ Yes, sir.”
    “ The DMZ?” asked Miles. His
face beamed with excitement. “What are we going there
for?”
    Calvin’s officers obviously expected him to
tell them everything he knew. They had proven trustworthy, and none
had been more loyal than Miles.
    “ Don’t worry about it for
now,” said Calvin, noting a look of approval on Tristan’s
face.
    “ If you say so,” said Miles,
looking confused and disappointed.
    Calvin looked back at Tristan and shot him a
scowl. He’d keep Tristan and Raidan’s secrets for now, but consoled
himself that he wouldn’t keep Miles and the others in the dark
forever. “Once we get inside the DMZ, Tristan will provide flight
instructions to our destination.”
    “ The werewolf?” Miles looked
at Tristan with disdain, and perhaps a little fear.
    “ That’s right,” said Tristan
with a slight grin.
    “ Jump distance reached,
commencing alteredspace transition in three, two,