The Stellar Phoenix

The three greatest impediments to space travel—distance, gravity, and radiation—are overcome by the works of a more-than-brilliant physicist, who designs a revolutionary space ship; a true flying saucer: The Stellar Phoenix, capable of enormous speeds and safety. Launched in 2019, the Stellar Phoenix and its seven member highly-intelligent, highly-trained crew settle down to the routines of space travel and their two year maiden voyage mission of mapping the Milky Way Galaxy. All was normal and according to schedule until…

A cascade of events disrupts the mission: the unexpected erosion of crew morale; the sudden, unexplained emergency of a hull breach and the resultant deaths of four of the crew; betrayal and abandonment in space; human survival and ingenuity; and an alien rescue. The latter ultimately resulting in an Aesopian Fable: the rescuers become the rescued.