Free The Phoenix Project by Kris Powers Page B

until only the Interplanetary News Network remained on the
airwaves. At first they were convinced that the mass evacuations and panic
across the states of Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado
were deliberate fakes to scare them. Once the power was shut down and the last municipal
employees left, there was a sudden outcry for help. Fear gripped the remaining
populations as reality began to sink in. Frantic calls went out by wireless
devices to the government for a rescue.
         With the civilian vehicles now
on their way out of the system, the government realized all that was left were
the fleet ships to evacuate them. Maria had to break orbit and land under the scrutiny
of Coalition destroyers tracking their every move and twitch. Now she watched these
refugees boarding her ship with the same resistance as before. They wanted to
survive but resented being taken from their homes and saw the military as being
somehow responsible.
         Maria couldn’t blame them,
though. If she was ordered from her childhood home or any other place she
cherished she would probably have put up a fight as well.
         “Quite a pretty sight isn’t
it?” Benjamin Phelps asked from behind her.
         “Except for the smoke. How did
you know where to find me?”
         Her new first officer smiled
at the question as he joined her in looking out on the horizon. The thirty
decks of the ship only partially obscured the crowds waiting to board the Excalibur .
         “I’m a good first officer and
your earpiece is still on.”
         “Oh,” Maria said and thumbed
the device at her ear off. “What’s the situation?”
         “We should be able to take off
in another four hours.”
         “Have you ever been there?”
Maria said while she looked at the distant city of Omaha.
         “I was stationed there when I
was a Lieutenant for a few years.”
         “What is it like?” Maria
inquired.
         “A little smaller than a few
of the cities I’ve been to. Have you ever had a Reuben Sandwich?”
         “A what?” Maria asked.
         “They’re good, so are the
people. I didn’t think I’d ever get around to visiting the city again just
because of life. I never thought that I wouldn’t go back because it wasn’t
there anymore.”
         “There may be more than a few
cities that end up like that in a few hours.”
         “Ma’am, may I speak off the
record?”
         “Yes,” Maria replied.
         “You’re an admiral. Have you
heard anything more about this alien weapon? Is it really going to hit Earth?”
         “Our scientists have revised
their data. They’re saying that the amount of energy the Moon can absorb is
beyond their ability to calculate,” Maria replied.
         “What does that mean?”
         “It means that they don’t
know.”
         “I think half the population
is thinking that,” Phelps said. He took his hat off in the strong breeze and
briefly checked his dark curly hair to ensure that it wasn’t tousled.
         “What about the other half?”
         “They’re probably pissing
themselves right about now,” Phelps replied.
         “I don’t blame them.”
         “Just as long as you don’t
join them, Ma’am.”
         Maria smiled at the remark and
turned to the middle—aged officer. “I think we just might get along,
Commander.”
         “Thank—you, Ma’am.”
         “Why aren’t you a Captain by
now, Phelps? You should be.”
         “Who ever said that I wanted
the job?”
         “Well, I guess it’s not for
everyone,” Maria said.
         “That doesn’t mean that I
couldn’t do it, Ma’am. I just never wanted to.”  
         “Now that’s an interesting
statement,” Maria said.
         “I just don’t know why anyone
would want to make decisions that end people’s lives on a scale like you do. It
just doesn’t hold any interest for me.”
         “I