When Phoenix successfully left Vannes' airspace, Sora slouched in his seat as all the pent up tension gradually left him. “By the stars,” he said, heaving a huge sigh of relief. “I can’t believe that actually worked as well as it did.”
“We did have a bit of luck on our side,” Crow said. “And this ship’s cloaking systems are beyond anything I’ve ever seen.”
“Yeah you’re right. Her engine’s as silent as a mouse and she hides her heat signature perfectly. I don’t know who they planned to use her against but we just saved them from a world of hurt.”
“That we did... We now have a ship. What’s next?” Crow asked after a spell of uneasy silence.
“Off to space!” Sora cried, raising his hand to the sky in excitement.
“Idiot!” Crow screeched as it pecked his head ferociously, resulting in some large bumps. “We still need a few crew members and we don’t have anything stocked up yet!”
“I know, I know,” he mused and winced as he rubbed the sore bumps. “I was just kidding.”
“Good, so what do we do now... Captain?” it asked sarcastically.
“Well, before we make plans, let’s get to know her better,” Sora replied, elated at being called captain. “Pull up a model of the ship.”
A 3-D hologram of the ship floated and spun in place slowly in front of them and Sora smiled in thought. He sat upright on the chair and dragged the hologram close to him. With deft movements, he separated the model into many smaller compartments.
“Unreal,” he exclaimed when he saw the design.
Phoenix’s body was based off the shape of a bird. She had a small raised ‘head’ which was where the bridge was located. Its long slender back housed three main floors, each holding a different section. The top floor was the recreation area. It had a gym, and a lounge where soldiers could take a break. The kitchen and mess hall where also situated on this floor.
The second floor was the residential area. There were rooms with double beds for about one hundred soldiers and workers, give or take, the captain’s room being the closest to the bridge in case of emergencies.
The ground floor was where all the systems that made her move were situated. The main computer could be found in this area together with her generator. If the bridge was her brain then this area was her ‘heart’ in a sense of the word.
The hangar was situated at her rear. This was where the fighters and mobile suits were parked and also where visiting ships came in through. The cells for POWs were also found in a section of the hangar. According to the ship’s scanners, there were currently three Falcon class jets and one Coach already parked there.
Her most notable physical feature were her retractable wings. When she wasn’t flying or she was diving underwater, she could retract her wings, which formed a wide surface area on her back to help with floating on the surface of oceans or seas.
There were many other things Sora could have found out but he didn’t want to finish all the surprises there and then so he shut down the hologram with a laugh. Phoenix was everything and more than he could have hoped for.
“Sora, we have a problem,” Crow said, cutting into his thoughts.
“Hmm, what is it?” he asked.
“I detect signs of life in the holding cells.”
“I thought you gave an evacuation order?” Sora asked as he stood up and Crow perched on his shoulder. He looked at his uniform and grimaced; he was going to have to find some clothes soon.
