The Phoenix and the Servants of the Gods

By James Monaghan

The Phoenix is a cursed ship.

Exiled to the Darkland Expanse, on the fringes of the known galaxy, its captain and crew have spent the last decade struggling just to stay alive. In a galaxy full of cruel gods, terrifying monsters and treacherous allies, though, survival is far from an easy task.

The Phoenix has recovered from the attack of the Hunters of the Hall and have recovered their ship’s cyborg mechtech engineer. Continuing on their journey towards the space station Bastion Twilight, the crew believe they have left many of their troubles behind. When a vicious attack on a new member of the crew leaves the ship’s chief medic in a coma, however, tensions rise and paranoia threatens to pull the ship apart. Ship’s Second Esther Gray is charged with investigating. Will she succeed in stopping the culprit, though, when faced with ever growing suspicion amongst the Phoenix’ disparate crew as well as the very real threats of the gods themselves?

The Phoenix and the Servants of the Gods is the fourth episode of the Phoenix Odyssey, an ongoing serial of adventure amidst the stars

• Language: English
• Publisher: James Monaghan
• Release date: Mar 27, 2016

James Monaghan

James Monaghan is a writer living and working in Lyons, France.

Book preview

The Phoenix and the Servants of the Gods

(Episode 1.4 of the Phoenix Odyssey)

James Monaghan

Published by Mirrormask Fiction at Smashwords

Copyright 2011 James Monaghan

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Mirrormask Fiction books can be obtained either through the publisher’s official website:

www.mirrormaskfiction.com

or through select, online book retailers.

Contents

Author’s Note

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Author’s Note

My first experience with serialised fiction came through Star Trek. Although I first discovered the universe through the adventures of Captain Picard and the USS Enterprise in Next Generation, my real love affair with the universe began the moment Captain Benjamin Sisko – a damaged, haunted man – set foot on the former Cardassian space station Deep Space Nine. Although not a direct serial, the show explored the final frontier in a new way. Instead of a new brushfire every week ending with a reset button, Deep Space Nine introduced the concept of consequences.

Almost every single episode tied in to the others in some way. Civilisations and races were explored and deepened through the use of secondary characters who returned and fleshed out their storylines. In Season Six, the show broke the rules for a Star Trek series entirely, presenting the viewers with an arc of six completely serialised episodes. Every week ended with those tantalising words:

To be continued

In the years that followed, serialised television shows became the norm rather than the exception. From Babylon 5 to Lost, from The West Wing to Breaking Bad, from Buffy the Vampire Slayer to Game of Thrones, many of us have come to love the form. How many of us tuned in week after week to watch Lost and screamed at the television when those four letters appeared in the dark?

And yet how many of us loved it? The wonderful, frustrating, maddening sensation of having to wait a week for the next instalment. It sill gives me shivers. Episodic TV and cliffhangers. You’ve got to love it. I did, anyway.

Episodic, serialised fiction has long existed on TV. In comics as well. However it had rarely been done in book form. Stephen King experimented with it in ’96 with the Green Mile. Since then? Nothing.

Enter the indie publishing revolution

eBooks and the Kindle have changed the way we read and write. Suddenly, the boundaries of written fiction expanded. Short stories returned with a vengeance. Novellas have begun a major resurgence. Epic fantasy trilogies and series can be enjoyed after a few months or a couple of years instead of decades. The wonders and fun of pulp fiction have been reborn.

And serialised fiction? The format is there, but so far the content is missing. There are a few exceptions. Shadow Unit, a collaborative series written by such speculative writers as Elizabeth Bear, Sarah Monette, Amanda Downum and Emma Bull has been ongoing since 2008. Yesterday’s Gone, by David Wright and Sean Platt, is a post apocalyptic serial currently doing very well on the Kindle. However, so far, that seems to be it.

Until Mirrormask Fiction and the Phoenix Odyssey.

The Phoenix Odyssey stems from my love for space opera science fiction and many of the shows I have come to love over the years – Babylon 5, Farscape, Stargate SG1, Doctor Who, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine to name but a few – as well as the great myths of Ancient Greece. What can you expect? Great characters, intriguing mysteries and kick-ass space battles!

What is the plan?

As of this writing (1st November 2011) the first four episodes of the Phoenix Odyssey are available.

Then, from the 1st January 2012, the Phoenix Odyssey will be released on the basis of one episode every month. Each of those episodes is about 100 pages long and will tell a self-contained story, which also advances the main plot and develops the characters. At the end of the twelve-episode first season (the last episode should be available next summer), both the characters and the readers will have uncovered secrets and mysteries that will completely change the way they view the universe of the Phoenix Odyssey.

And the story is just beginning.

Please let me know how I’m doing. Leave a review wherever you bought the book or stop by www.mirrormaskfiction.com and leave a comment. Or email me: [e-mail]. The same goes for any minor mistakes you may find while reading – although much time has been spent editing and formatting these novellas, there will always be some that have been missed.

I hope you enjoy this first episode of the Phoenix Odyssey and that you will let me know what you think.

James Monaghan

Prologue

Exotic smells of cuisine from a dozen worlds filled the air as Esther and her companions entered the open-air market. Bright colours and lively conversation completed the scene, created a kaleidoscope of life competing for attention. Everywhere she looked, she saw something new – the entire panoply of the Lyridan Expanse spread out before her. Towers rose around the market, defined by the lights streaming from windows and by the shadows created by the twin moons on Archaia.

She glanced over at Brema and Diane, catching their eyes and grinning. They grinned back, the excitement evident in the turn of their mouths. It had been over a year since they had had any shore leave and it felt good to be away from the Basilisk and the front lines of the war.

The market hunkered down in the centre of Primus City, protected from the gale winds that swept in off the Morvin Sea by huge weather towers. The sprawl of stands and tents and small wooden shops formed roughly divided areas according to type – leather workers, metal workers, jewellers, food vendors, food producers, glass blowers, gold spinners, biomen, mechtechers and others. Throughout larger buildings formed rallying points, most of them given over to taverns, restaurants and hotels.

It was louder and noisier than Esther had become used to, but she quickly reacclimatised herself to it. The longer she spent there, the more it reminded her of Toor, the moon where she had grown up. Gullmare City had been like this, all chaos and thunder.

A group of local men-at-arms held the outer gates, scanning each person who wanted to enter. They recognised the brown leather uniform Esther and her friends wore and gave them winks as they checked their weapons. Esther felt a thrill – it was good to be a part of something larger than herself. To know that these men-at-arms recognised her as one of them. An equal.

She glanced up, trying to see whether she could catch a glimpse of the Basilisk. Difficult to do amongst the dozens of moving lights spinning high above. Still, she told herself that one directly above her might be the Basilisk. Her home for the past five months.

You coming?

Esther looked up to see Diane looking back at her, grinning mockingly. She shook her head and followed her friends into the chaos.

***

Esther split off from the other two, vanishing into the warren of streets in search of souvenirs. They agreed to meet up later at a bar in the centre of the market, one that the other men-at-arms had mentioned as a popular watering hole for those of the crew who had been to Archaia before. She wandered the market for hours, enjoying the atmosphere. It felt good to be back amongst such a wide variety of people – she recognised the types from her time on the streets in Gullmare City. She ate roasted fee-e, a spicy dish – served in a cone of paper – that she hadn’t tasted since she was a child. She brought herself a small spinning glass statuette, which danced in the air when she whistled. Her trek also took her to the armoury district, where she used most of her wages from the past year to buy a brand new short sword. An investment, she told herself, although she bit her lower lip as she handed over the coin.

After, as she began to head towards the centre of the market, she began to notice more and more men and women dressed in military uniforms. There was a lot of talk to be heard, people sharing the latest news from the frontlines and the rumours of worlds far away both falling to and being taken from the cursed Ilonan insectine. Esther felt a thrill when she heard people talking about the Battle of Qiperia – the Basilisk had been involved in that action and she had flown a triwing in the push to retake the primary moon. She also heard about other battles, many of which had not gone as well as Qiperia: Bursa, Patra and Itea had fallen according to the latest scuttlebutt.

When she reached the bar, she spotted Diane and Brema, snorting when she saw that they both had men on their arms. Trust those two sluts to already have found companionship for the night. Rolling her eyes, she went to join them at the door.

The two men were introduced as a navigator and a weapons officer aboard the Lysses, a warship that had been involved in action at Bursa. Both of them seemed pleasant enough, although she noticed the navigator’s eyes took their own sweet time scanning her from head to toe before actually saying hello. Jerk.

Been shopping? Brema asked, irritation eking into her voice as she noticed what her navigator had done.

Esther shrugged. Just a couple of knickknacks. She didn’t want to show them the sword until they got back to the ship.

You ready to go in?

She nodded and they all trooped inside.

The bar was noisy and packed, mainly with fellow warriors. A circular bar stood in the middle, the bartenders safely ensconced behind it with the alcohol. A mezzanine ran around the wall higher up, with tables and chairs already taken. Esther recognised a few people from the Basilisk and her face flushed when she saw Captain Lee and Master-at-arms Bantu sat at a table on the mezzanine. She quickly looked away, but not before Diane noticed her expression. Following her gaze, she sighed dramatically.

Esther, you really have to get yourself laid.

Diane!

Laughing, her friend nudged Brema and nodded up towards the mezzanine. Both of them giggled before giving Esther long-suffering glances.

What is it? the navigator asked, nuzzling at Brema’s neck.

Just Esther and her little crush.

Crush?

Brema, I swear that...

Our little rookie has the hots for the captain.

Esther felt her cheeks flush even more, wishing that she could pull the short sword right there and then