Eric Olafson, Captain Black Velvet (Vol 6)
Copyright© 2018 by Vanessa Ravencroft
Chapter 7
HAR-HI
Har-Hi still felt groggy as he came around. He found himself wrapped in plastic tape. A strong-looking green-skinned Oghr of one or the other subspecies stood before him, holding the Jooltar mask in one hand and a Kermac Neuro Ripper in the other. “Since you’re awake, you can hear me, Dai. I want answers.”
Now that his head began to clear, he saw Elfi, still unconscious, also unmasked and, to his great dismay, a Kermac, who stood behind the Oghr. This Kermac was more gray than white and did not wear an artificial beard; still, he was certain that evil-grinning hairless man was a Kermac.
They were still in the Tullerman, from the looks of it.
The Oghr wore some kind of space suit, from the looks of it, quite old and repaired and patched several times. The Kermac wore something quite similar.
The Oghr held the Jooltar mask before Har-Hi’s face. “I don’t know if I can make a Dai talk, even with a Neuro Ripper, so I might revert to old-fashioned torture and rip you and your companion into small pieces. Before I discovered that you are not at all what you pretended to be, I wanted to know why a mangy-looking Jooltar and a Black Nogoll came into the possession of the Yukitri.”
He waved his weapon. “You see, we hoped to run into you ever since you appeared at the port.”
The Kermac spoke for the first time. “They were good friends of ours, Vaokk and Fundr—scavengers like us—and missing for many months, and now you show up in their Tullerman. We knew right away you weren’t scavengers, and now what do we find?”
The Oghr shook the mask. “A Dai and a human woman disguised in fancy costumes. Tell me, Dai, who are you and why did you come to Brahma Port like that?”
The Kermac hissed.”Just like the Nul, disguised spies you are—Union or perhaps eyes and ears for Cam elf-Na, most likely!”
Har-Hi was angry at himself; he had been way too relaxed about his surroundings, way too preoccupied about the Captain to pay attention. In his own Dai Suit, he would have had a dozen ways to escape his current situation, kill the two, and return to the ship. But right now, he was as helpless as a Dai woman during her first bedding. He growled at them.”You let us go, and I won’t kill you.”
“Letting you go? A real-life Dai? Even if you don’t talk and survive my questioning, you bring a pretty profit at Dyne. Someone will buy you and take you to Sin 4 or Alvor’s Cove.”
The Kermac shook his head. “I can’t read him. He is well shielded, and the woman is still unconscious, but I am sure she’s Saran.”
A beeping sound from the ship’s control deck interrupted them, and the Kermac said, “We leave you to think about it.”
They both left, and Har-Hi could hear the Isah Pods of the Tullerman whine louder, and then the tone changed to a deep vibrating hum. He was certain they just went Translight.
Elfi opened her eyes, showing that she wasn’t unconscious after all. “I think this time it isn’t the captain who’s in trouble, Sir.”
Har-Hi successfully managed to shift his position so he could see the door and said, “Are you hurt?”
“Yes, the effects of that cursed Neuro Ripper are fading fast.”
Har-Hi looked around to see if there was anything he could use to free himself; to his dismay, the small cargo hold was completely empty.
ERICA
Mikesh and I drove in a wheeled contraption down a long, winding corridor carved into the rock of the asteroid. This vehicle was basically a frame with six wheels, a cargo bed, and two seats. It apparently had its own Arti Grav, because the natural gravitation of that roid was almost nothing.
Mikesh drove the thing at considerable speed, and I was sure we covered at least ten kilometers or more before the corridor widened into a big cavern and a dead end. Here, he stopped.
A big, tough-looking machine on tracks with an articulated arm and a saw-tooth-covered, ball-shaped drilling tool at the end stood there, bathed in floodlights glued to the cavern walls. He said with a proud grin,”This is a truly ancient SII – Tunnel Borer, almost 500 years old, and it never let me down. I know you and I don’t like the Union much, but they sure built the nicest things.”
“I have to agree with you on that, Mikesh.” I climbed out of the vehicle and looked around. “I guess that deep brown strada is the Kalium, right?”
I was anxious to see what he had found so I could return to the ship, but I had to admit this so far pretty eventless trip was quite interesting, and I learned how a Roid Mine looked from the inside.
He chuckled. “Keen eyes you have behind that spooky mask of yours. Yes, that is the Kalium, but this is not what I wanted you to see.”
He walked up to the wall where his machine had dug or drilled, as it appeared, only recently. I followed him, and now I could see the machine had uncovered a door frame of sorts. Made of a gray metal. Mikesh went right past the frame and disappeared inside.
I was right behind him.
The room was perhaps twenty meters in diameter, and it appeared to me that it once had to be part of a building or basement. Much of it was empty, and it all had the feel of great age.
In the middle sat a coffin-sized box of the same dark metal.
The tools he used to pry it open were still scattered around.
Inside the box was a machine-like contraption. It looked truly alien, but had button-like controls and several spherical discs that glowed with a dark blue light.
There was writing as well.
Mikesh said, almost whispering. “I don’t know what it is, but if you touch it, it talks.”
“What does it say?”
“It says it is the Key to the Universe. If I understand it right, it can create some sort of gates, and that might be useful to a pirate.”
“Where did you touch it?”
He pointed at the central light, a bluish glowing disk about 20 centimeters across. I reached out against all better knowledge and touched the disk with my gloved fingers.
The voice was loud and not psionic. “I am the Key to the Universe. Many thousand gates can be opened with me. The Gates and I have been created to unite many to defeat you, Dark Lord, and those who come in thy name.”
“I am not a Dark Lord. I am Captain Black Velvet.”
While I was touching the thing, I suddenly remembered my ring. Why was I always forgetting the blasted thing only to remember it in the weirdest moments?
“I am the Key to the Universe; there are many like me. The Traveler came to this Star Island and made gates here. I was given to the Dominants so the gates may be used.”
“What kind of gates?”
“I am the Key to the Universe, and when I am near a Gate, I can open it. Travelers may pass through to reach other Star Islands. What is unreachable becomes reachable.”
“Can you show me the way to these gates?”
“I am the Key...”
“Yes, yes, you are the Key, and whoever created you wasn’t able to give you a little more sense. Well, maybe Circuit or Shea can make more out of it all.”
I removed my hand.
Mikesh said. “Whatever it is, I don’t want it on my rock, but if it can make some sort of gates, maybe it will be useful to a pirate?”
“You are a good man, Mikesh. I learned a lot today, and this is most certainly a priceless gift.”
I returned to a standing position and looked around. The chamber we were in wasn’t a cavern but a created room with smooth walls. Another doorway was blocked with rubble. There was not much in terms of anything else, but something that looked like a control console of sorts.
“Well, Black Velvet. You can have it, and I give you the most beautiful Kalium Crystal on top of it, if you pose with me next to my Digger, for a still visual. So I have a piece of evidence, you really been with me here.”
“Of course I can do that. Did you find anything else like that?”
“No, this is it. If I ever dig out more, I set it aside, and it will give you a reason to come back one day.”
I had made a few visuals with Mikesh and his digger. Then he used a material handler to load the entire coffin-sized box on his vehicle.
Now two hours later we were back in his little ship, and while he was busy getting us underway, I slipped into the small galley and called my ship.
Shea responded. “Captain, good to hear from you. We were almost a little worried, Sir.”
“I told you I am in no danger whatsoever. I found something ancient and alien, and it might be Seenian or something like that. It talks and calls itself the Key to the Universe.”
I sent her my recordings, and she said, “Narth is looking at them too, and we are both convinced it is neither Seenian nor Pree or Uni. I am all excited to examine it, and we should return to that asteroid and examine that place in more detail.”
“That is what I wanted you to do while I am with Mikesh. Go to that asteroid and examine that chamber. Maybe that command console I saw is of significance too.”
“Aye, Captain, but how?”
“The Gilgamesh suits can cloak, and they have deep-space propulsion packs. I sent you the coordinates of that asteroid; it is only three light-hours from the port. Now please give me Har-Hi.”
“Har-Hi is not aboard, Captain.”
“He is not? Where is he then?”
“Sir, he and Elfi went disguised to take the Tullerman out, just in case...”
I frowned. “Of course, I get the picture. Now please connect me with him.”
There was a pause.
“Shea?”
“Sir, I am unable to raise either one.”
“Narth, connect to the Kelpies and locate the Tullerman.”
Again, a pause, and then Narth said. “Captain, the Tullerman went translight sixteen minutes ago.”
HAR-HI
“What a mess,” Elfi said.
“Don’t worry, Princess. I am getting us out of here. I am much more worried about how to explain that to the captain.”
She had to smile. “That is what I meant.”
“I wonder why Narth didn’t notice our predicament.”
“Because he is not a long-range telepath and most likely wasn’t focused on us. I know he can sense thoughts at about 50 kilometers; he can only sense Erica no matter the distance because they shared their souls or spirits or something like that.”
The Kermac appeared in the doorframe.A friend of ours at Dyne offered a nice sum of polos for both of you. So relax and enjoy the trip.”
He left and closed the door.
Elfi tried to get closer to Har-Hi. “Maybe you can reach my bonds.”
“Would not do much good, Princess. They used memory tape. I am not strong enough.”
“No, but you still have Jooltar claws; they are simulated and sharp as knives.”
Like an inchworm, he moved towards Elfi.”You are brilliant!”
The Kermac came in again. “Now you are going to tell me who you are. My friend wants to rip you apart, but I think the Saran girl will talk after a dose of...”
Har-Hi, due to his inchworm approach, was more or less kneeling, and like a steel spring, he pushed himself up and hit the Kermac square against the chin with his head.
The Kermac fell back.
Still bound by tape, but agile as a snake, Har-Hi was over the dazed Kermac and bit into his throat. Blood gushed; the Kermac gargled a suffocating scream.
Elfi was not a damsel in distress; she barrel-rolled as fast as she could, retrieved the Neuro Ripper weapon the Kermac had dropped with her hands still tied to her back, and immediately fired from that awkward position as the Oghar came through the door.
First, he only shrugged and growled agonized but kept on stomping forward.
Elfi thanked Isis for the weapon training they had received aboard the Devi; her fingers found the power dial. With two fingertips, she dialed it to max, just as the Oghr pulled his weapon.
The Oghr fell in agonizing convulsions as every nerve in his body was overloaded with pain impulses. He died of Neural shock moments later.
It did take them another fifteen minutes or so to find a knife on the Oghr and free themselves.
Har-Hi wiped the blood off his chin. “Maybe we make it in time before the Captain even knows we are gone.”
They both went to the tiny command deck and found the Tullerman was still in Quasi and on an automated course towards a destination. Unfortunately, the Tullerman did not have a great range and was near the end of its fuel reserves.
Har-Hi checked Navigations and said, “Looks like we’re heading for that G-type star.” He pointed at the 3D screen of the tiny Nav Tank.
Elfi, looking over the readouts, said with disappointment, “We won’t be able to turn around; we only got enough fuel to reach that star and whatever planetary destination.”
Elfi cursed very un-princess-like. “We are well past the GalCom range of our equipment, and this primitive bucket only features an old Tachyon radio. I am sending a coded message, and TheOther or SHIP should be able to decode it, but it will take a few days before they get it.”
Har-Hi steeled himself and said with a somber tone, “Looks like we have little alternative and find out what Dyne is after all.”
ERICA
After an antagonizing slow ride back to Brhama Port aboard the miner scull, I made it back aboard my own ship.
“Circuit, button her up. Shaka as soon as the board shows green. Get us going. That Tullerman doesn’t have a terrible range. Krabbel, check for the nearest possible destination,” I said in a calm voice as I came onto the bridge.
While I was worried about Har-Hi and Elfi, and I knew they did not leave the system on their own free will, I was the Captain and had to be confident and assuring.
I also contemplated the probability that our cover had been compromised, as I did not know who or what abducted my friends. Their disguises were good but would not hold up to close scrutiny.
“TheOther, do you pick up any unusual comm activity, maybe talking about a Dai and a Saran?”
“No, Captain, and I am monitoring every channel we know, and SHIP is helping.”
“All Green, Captain,” Circuit reported.
“Shaka, nice and smooth and with no apparent haste.”
“Aye, Captain.”
“Depending on the fuel reserves, there are only three destinations the Tullerman could reach: two Togar outposts and a G-type star with several planets, but there is nothing about it in our catalogs,” Krabbel reported.
“Sodoby, would you know where the Tullerman could have gone to?”
“I think it might be Dyne. A marginal garden world that has or may have had a native civilization. They had so many pirate raids that nothing remained. I am not sure what is there now.”
He pointed to that G-type star.”Dyne is the second planet of that star.”
TheOther said, “I am listening to local chatter for a while now, and the place is mentioned occasionally. It is total anarchy and, unlike Sin 4, no cities and no syndicates. Just low-life gangs fighting each other and infested with every sort of space vermin. At least from what I heard, no halfway successful pirates will go there anymore.”
“Well, that is where we are going. If they aren’t there, we check the Togar outposts.”
Shea sighed.”Let us hope it isn’t the Togars. They might identify our friends for what they are, Union spies.”
Time seemed to crawl as we accelerated well within the limits of a Karthanian and our simulated old Isahs.
HAR-HI
Har-Hi knew their ordeal was just starting, as a Jooltar Brute approached fast and demanded they cut their engines. A Jooltar brute was a serious opponent to any similarly sized vessel of the same tech level.
Elfi looked at him.”This is bad, right?”
“Very much so. That Jooltar Brute would be a serious opponent to the Silver Streak. We don’t have enough fuel to even try to outrun it.”
The rough-sounding voice that came over Myon channels repeated: “Tullerman, cut your engines and prepare to be boarded. This is our last transmission before we open fire.”
Har-Hi pushed the engine level to standby.
“Quick, let us get rid of the costumes!” Har-Hi commanded.
They both stripped out of the bio-flex skin and put the costumes along with the dead bodies into the airlock, hoping that these small objects would not be noticed when they jettisoned the whole load into space.
It didn’t take long after that when the Jooltar brute was close enough. A tractor beam caught the dinghy and pulled it inside a cargo hold.
Without any further demands or communication, the outer airlock door was cut out of its frame. Two beings roughly humanoid in shape, wearing battle armor of unknown origin, stepped back, turning off their plasma cutters, while the door clanged to the cargo deck floor. Four more similarly equipped beings aimed blaster weapons at the opening. The same gruff voice, amplified for certainty, barked, “You two, get out. We know one of you is Dai, so leave your hardware behind, all of it.”
Whoever was behind all this was no-nonsense, and Har-Hi knew escape would not be easy. He said to Elfi, “Let us play along until we see an opportunity to escape.”
She nodded. “I am with you, Har-Hi, to whatever end.”
They both stepped onto the sunbright-lit cargo deck, the armed beings reduced to dark shapes.
The harsh voice had an amused and surprised tone. “A Dai and a Saran! Union, no doubt. Welcome aboard.”
We had left the shattered system behind, and I had us drift before committing to Quasi space. Giving Narth and my science officer a chance to make a detailed sensor analysis, hoping we might pick up a trace of the Tullerman. I was just about to order them to light up our real sensors when the Swift Profit dropped into real space and hailed us. “I thought we had a deal and we go together to Sin 4?”
“We never had a deal, and I tend to change my mind.”
“Well, I did too, my dear; you see, you have a mighty nice chest. I don’t mean that delectable rack you got there under thin leather, but the one full of Polos, and I want it. So before we start shooting and all that, please pay attention to your scanners, and you will notice four fighters approaching fast. You see, Ikesh Bassett was very upset that you killed two of his men and helped his rival. It was very easy to convince him to assist me. Your Karthanian trader stands no chance against us. These are genuine surplus Dai Fighters, and the jocks know how to use them.”
I cut the transmission. “ Mao, as soon as they are in range for sniper loads, take them out, and then place a micro load in Swift’s engineering section.”
“Marines, prepare for boarding action.”
Har-Hi and Elfi were treated very roughly and stripped naked. A Jooltar scanned them with a handheld device and growled,”They’re clean, nothing artificial on them.”
Just as Har-Hi was pushed inside a holding tank, the entire ship shuddered, and alarm sounds reverberated all across the alien ship.
Har-Hi took his chance and attacked the Togar warrior that had pushed him with a roundhouse kick to the head. He followed up with swift, powerful fist blows to the stumbling cat. He taught his captors why Dai were considered to be among the most dangerous life forms. In a bestial display of gory violence, he had stomped on the Togar’s head and cracked the cat warrior’s skull. The Jooltar guarding Elfi was only now reacting because the Dai was so fast. Elfi, not letting the distraction go to waste, kicked the Jooltar between the legs. Har-Hi wrapped his strong arms around the neck of the Jooltar bending forward in pain and twisted his entire body, breaking the neck of the second guard.
Again, the ship shook. Someone at least the equal of a Jooltar Brute was attacking. Har-Hi took the blaster of the dead Togar, while Elfi armed herself with the energy weapon of the similarly dead Jooltar. They didn’t waste time or energy on conversation. Neither really knew what was going on, but both were determined to find out and better their situation.
It was not really a fight; out here I did not have to worry about our cover, as I did not intend to leave witnesses behind, and my marines had no problem either.
I stood by the airlock as TheOther carried Swift under one of his arms, like a rag doll.
The pirate was still conscious and cursed.”You managed to steal a Union Translocator! No other weapon could do that.”
“Well, I decided to have one; they come in very handy.”
He looked around, and I saw the truth dawn on him. “You are Union.”
“Yes, Mr. Swift, we are, and the survivors of the Danny Houston will have a front-row seat at your execution. I would love to remain and chat, but I am in an awful hurry.”
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