The Phoenix Project by Kris Powers Read Free Book Online

walkway
cutting through the lime coloured lawn to the entrance. The bright entry button
sparkled next to a set of elegant stone—grey doors. Lathiel pressed the button
and Elik answered the door shortly thereafter.
         “Good to see you again.” A
face of grey skin said. Lathiel accepted the invitation with the palm up
welcome and entered into the warm glow of his home.
         “The same to you.”
         “Come on in to the game room.
I’ve already set the pieces up,” Elik said, referring to the game of Scholars .
They both had affection for the complex game played by their society’s elite.
         Lathiel kept stride with Elik
into the game room. The Scholars table sat in the middle of the many curious pieces of entertainment in the
room. Two glasses of Ruby Brandy glowed on each side of the square table. The
two sat opposite to each other and began the game.
         As the visitor party, Lathiel
made the first move.
         He moved his piece through the
north side of a square and into the adjacent place. The Student Piece stood out
in the empty area between the two armies of academia.
         “I heard what happened.”
         “Everyone did,” Lathiel said,
while Elik contemplated his first move. The soft light of the study gave
Lathiel’s feral gold features a more bronzed look accentuated by the small
spots of obsidian.
         “You and your group prevented
the Nevargh from annexing our world and our last colonies as planned.”
         “I don’t think I’ll ever be
the same after this.”
         “No, you won’t,” Elik
confirmed as he moved a piece. “I have to ask, Lathiel: will the cannon fire
again?”
         “You knew the answer to that a
long time ago,” Lathiel replied.
         He launched an attack on a
Professor.
         “I hoped that you would find something
that would allow you to preserve the cannon for a second firing should the
Nevargh return.”
         Elik moved his Doctor.
         “There are no more miracles.
If the Nevargh return, we’re on our own.”
         “Our defence is limited to a
few science ships. There are reinforcements that are supposed to arrive from
the other colonies next week. Only half of them have the upgraded weapons,”
Elik said.
         “What are you going to do?”
         “Up against the one hundred
and twenty thousand warships the Nevargh still have? We will consolidate the
remains of our fleet and make our stand here.”
         Elik took a long drink from
his glass.
         “Do you think that will make
any difference if they return?”
         “They have to protect their
overextended empire now.”
         Elik moved his Department
Head.
         “You hoped this would cripple
the Nevargh fleet?”
         “This gives the other races
who were part of the Old League the ability to rebel. This might give us some
allies.”
         Another piece exited the
table.
         “I wish I was there when the
Wallick confronted the Nevargh fleet,” Lathiel said, thinking of recent history.
         “I thought you believed the
Wallick were too militaristic.”
         “Past experiences have
enlightened me. Can you imagine the Wallick’s Leviathan Class warships
confronting the Nevargh fleet?”
         Lathiel moved another piece.
         “What was it? One thousand
against five thousand?”
         “And they still destroyed
their advance force before reinforcements arrived.”
         “It was the best battle we
had,” Elik said.
         “Until now.” Lathiel moved his
Doctor in for the kill. “Elik, there was something else I wanted to talk to you
about.”
         “Yes?” Elik asked, while
concentrating on the game board.
         “The discharge from the
cannon: I want to track it.”
         “With what?” Elik asked.
         “My ship. Anything else you
can give me would be appreciated.”
         Lathiel moved his Director