Chapter 6: Boiling Dust

The scarred woman that came up the stairs with the disfigured face looked horrible, only a few strains of her coppery hair had remained. She was accompanied by two men. They all were armed. She sat down into one of the lounge chairs touching her burned face and then looked at me.”You didn’t expect to see me again, didn’t you, hero?”

I shrugged.” I did not expect to see you at our first meeting, so it’s not a big thing.”

“You are one arrogant citizen bastard. Before this is over you will plead on your knees for mercy.”

The governor hissed. “How did you escape?”

“Your jack-boots aren’t Union police and I had to be treated. Friends of mine crashed the clinic. They had to kill the medics and interrupted their work.”

Her companions tied the governor to his seat and took his PDD.

She kept pointing the gun at me.

“Let’s see if your people are more inclined to listen to our demands, now that we have the Governor as hostage.”

One of the men racked the barrel of his gun across the governors head.

Mr. Reynolds groaned and blood trickled on his white shirt.

“You idiots don’t get it do you? This is not Gore and even if you kill me and half the planets population, it is Twilight. We have no influence over Gore or any other planets government.”

“No you don’t get it Mister politician. If we kill enough of you, public awareness will rise and put pressure on the corporations thinking they own Gore. It is still in Union space and under Union law.”

“You said it, terrorist. This is still the Union, killing innocent people will have the opposite effect.”

I asked. “Can someone explain to me what the problem is with this Gore Planet?”

The woman gasped.”You really don’t know don’t you?”

“Either they did not cover it in Basic school or I was sick that day. I didn’t even know about Twilight until a few days ago.”

“Where are you from, hero boy?”

“Nilfeheim.”

She looked at her partners and said.”A Neo Viking, that explains a lot.”

She then turned her attention back to me.

“Gore is the most unusual planet in all the Galaxy. It has no equal because it is not a planet.

Gore is a being. A planet sized organism.

It lives and breathes and thinks. It is tortured by human maggots mining its flesh, draining its blood. It is the greatest crime committed by the Union.”

Reynolds snorted. “You are as wacko as they say you people are. It is not sentient. The Saresii and the Narth have confirmed that. It does not breath, what would it breath? Vacuum?”

One of the men whacked him again.

“Silence you are as guilty as anyone doing nothing.”

The woman raised her voice with a fanatical tone vibrating in every word.

“The Saresii are in of it of course. Paid off by the Corporations exploiting Gore. Gore is a god. It cannot be measured with or by any of our standards. And the Narth, don’t make me laugh. These clowns are like kids. They know nothing.”

I was pushed forward by the other man as he tied my hands to my back and took my PDD.

I looked at her. “I guess it is everyone’s own business what they consider a god, but would a god by definition not be able to defend or protect itself? Why does it need you? Has it talked to you?”

“Because Gore sleeps. One day Gore will wake and then it will tell us how to live and why we are here, but Gore is murdered by Corporations. They are hired by the Evil One to prevent Gore to wake up.

Gore is as old as the Universe and knows everything.

There are eleven more like Gore throughout the Universe and they together form the Spirit of Creation itself. Gore was sent to protect us from a Dark Spirit that is coming”

She raised her fist.”Yes Gore has spoken to me in many dreams. I have heard his cry for help and I will not rest until I am dead or Gore is free and so will all of us.”

“That’s some pretty detailed information you got there from Gore. Why are you the only ones hearing it?”

“Because the Servant has heard it and written it down and he opened our minds to Gore and his pain.”

“Well I am not one who puts down someones believes and their religion, but it sure sounds to me like every other religion with Darkness this and evil that and some guy proclaiming to be chosen and makes others follow him

I always wondered why Gods would need priests to talk to us, could they not do that themselves?

“Blasphemer. You must be chosen to hear Gore.”

I closed my eyes and acted as if I was listening to something and then said.”Uh, oh. Yes I can hear you Gore right now. Wow. Really?”

She stared at me with an open mouth.

I nodded “Yes Gore. I tell her. No problem. Talk to you soon.”

Then I opened my eyes...”You are so right, lady. Gore speaks. I could hear him just now and he wanted me to tell you that he doesn’t need your help, and you can all go home now. He also recommended that you quit this silly terror number and crime spree and instead use the money you spend on weapons to buy a GalNet Commercial. He says you reach much more folks that way. That’s how the Big Religions always do it.”

One of her companions hit me with his weapon. “Shut up.”

The woman interfered. “Stop that. He is mine alone. I also say there is some truth in what he says.”

She got up and asked me “Why are you not afraid? You look no older than maybe sixteen and yet you insult us, talk like there is nothing to fear. I will kill you, you know that right?”

“Lady you can’t claim higher moral ground in one sentence and then show with your actions that you are not better than any of us. I was raised with fear. You got nothing on my father, Lady and it won’t do me any good if I shiver in fear.”

She snipped her fingers.

“Well then I will give you a reason.”

Her companion handed her a white hood with red blood or paint splatter and another produced a little Hover Cam.

After she put on the hood, she spoke into the hover cam.

“We are the Gore Defenders and we have captured your Governor, his guest of honor and four crew members of this Dust Bouncer.

We demand the complete evacuation of Gore a. We further demand that Alex Enroe the 7th and Rex Schwartz are arrested on torture charges. Torturing a helpless sentient and unique being that is here to protect us all. If these demands are not met, we will kill the hostages.

Don’t bother searching for us. If we notice anyone coming within visual range of this Bouncer we will blow it up.”

She lowered her gun and killed the steward.

“This is to show you we are serious. Our own safety means nothing.

The little Hero is next. I expect your response within the hour.”

The governor staring at the dead man howled. “You will hang for this. I promise.”

She laughed. “We don’t expect them to fulfill our demands and they will try some Para military stunt to free you, but that doesn’t matter, this Bouncer is rigged to explode anyway. With you in it.”

Something rocked the Bouncer and she looked around.” Didn’t you kill the driver?”

One of her associates nodded.”Yes I did. It is one of us driving.”

The entire Bouncer slowly leaned forward.

“What the fuck is going on. Go check on him.”

The Governor said. “Your man driving the bouncer is obviously not a local. He drove straight into Lake Talcum.”

She got up pressed the gun against his temple. “Speak up. What are you talking about?”

“That we all are doomed now. Bomb or no bomb, We will sink to the bottom of Lake talcum. The reactor will over heat and we will all die either suffocating or melting.”

Her associate looked at his PDD.”Our flyer is not responding.”

“Go check on the flyer and stop the bomb. I keep an eye on these two.”

The bouncer bopped again this time in the rear.

I said to her.”I know something.”

She came over aimed the gun at me.”Speak up”.

Again the floor sacked away a few inches. She made a step to regain her balance. I had waited for that and I pushed myself up as fast as I could hitting her chin with my head.

I could hear a grinding crunch, my head hurt, but she was thrown back. I jumped up and I kicked her against the side of the head for good measure.

“I know you should always wear a hood. Your face is nothing to be bragging about.”

Then I rushed over to the Governor. “I got a knife in the back of my shirt. Can you reach it?”

“I will try.”

He managed and to cut my ties, not without slicing into my arm as well.

I was bleeding but I was free.

I cut him loose, grabbed the gun of the woman and said to him. Tie her up real good and then use her PDD to call for help.”

I put on her white sheet and the hood and said.”I take care of the others.”

Without waiting for a response I rushed down the stairs.

One of her associates came running.”As soon as they landed, the flier sank. The flier is almost completely gone. We can’ t reach it.”

“Teaches you idiots to land on the dust.” I fired.

I had a hard time keeping my lunch down as I dragged the now headless torso with a still smoking neck into one of the little cabins...

Inside was a man tied up,.He appeared to be the cook. He starred at me in sheer horror.

“No worries he won’t bite anymore. I be right back”

I headed forward to the Drivers compartment and found the driver dead on the floor in the open door and one of the Gore Defenders behind the controls. He turned and whined.

“Whatever I do we keep sinking deeper.”

I pressed the still hot muzzle against his head.”Then do nothing. How many of you are there? I ask will ask only once then I start roasting body parts.”

‘You aren’t Helen.”

“Wrong answer. One more chance.”

“Five we are five.”

“Get up.”

He did and I shoved him out in the narrow corridor. While doing that, my eyes fell on a Tool box and while I kept him checked I opened it and silently thanked the mechanic who stocked it.

There was a can of Stick-n-Fix.

I swore to myself that I would from now, I would carry a can with me at all times.

Just as I did with the off world assassin, I encountered on the Poseidon, I glued his hands to the steel frame of the door and put a generous helping of the goop over his mouth.” This stuff is the greatest, don’t you think?”

His response was sentence consisting of “m’s” but I was sure he meant something much less flattering.

Two to go.

I systematically went from cabin to cabin and but found only one back in the Engine and reactor room.

One of the sheet wearing goons knelt by some kind of metal box, that I was certain was the bomb. He turned and said.”It’s off, but we are screwed, that moron drove us straight in a micro dust lake. Hey you are not Helen.”

I pointed the gun at him. “What gave me away?”

“Your chest is to flat.”

“I am working on that. Now where is your buddy?”

“He tried to reach the flyer before it sank. He is stuck out there.”

“Good for him. Now turn around and put your hands to the wall.”

After he to was securely attached to the wall with the last of the Stick-n-Fix. I

The Bouncer sacked forward in slow motion tilting the corridor.

I took off the sheet and the hood and went carefully back up.

Hoping the Governor had secured the woman. She was still where I had left her. Reynolds held the PDD and my knife and said. “Her PDD needs a Code. I can’t activate it.”

Looking out the panorama windows, the dust had already reached the upper deck. “How long do we have?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know for sure, but since they stopped trying to move we gained a little time. Maybe 30 minutes. The problem is the reactor. If it can’t exchange heat it will overheat and shut down. Without reactor we will run out of air.”

“Won’t they not search for us?”

“Once we are under the dust, it is virtually impossible to scan for us, the metal and the radiation will mask our location. We lost Dust Bouncers and equipment before and have found none.

“I will look for the other PDDs. They have mine and yours and the Bouncer is bound to have GalNet.”

“I tried the GalNet terminal already. It is dead.”

I checked on the lady. She was alive, then I double checked her bonds and tied the knots myself.” You need to learn to make better knots Mr. Reynolds.”

He laughed nervous.”I will do that and you need to walk very careful. Any vibration will send us down faster.”

I moved as carefully as I could and checked on the Defenders but could not find a working PDD. I sprayed some release over the glued mouth of the one in the engine compartment.”Where are our PDDs?”

“We threw every working PDD and the on board module over board.”

“That was a brand new Pro Dat, with my Credit chip inside.”

I padded him down. “Where is yours?”

“I don’t have one.”

“How did you plan to get over to the flyer?”

“The same way we came. With protective suits. We are all going to die aren’t we?”

“It’s a bit late to think about that. Mr. Gore Defender, but your future isn’t very promising in any scenario.”

The entrance hatch was underneath the dust already and even with the Protective suits we would sink. This wasn’t water and was fairly certain I couldn’t breathe boiling radiated dust.

I put one of the suits on anyway and took one to the Governor.

“Say aren’t you a VIP person with body guards and all that?”

“We never needed that on Twilight. Despite how it looks, Mr. Olafson, our planet is usually very quiet and such events are very rare.

I am sorry that I convinced you to take part. I am so sorry.”

“We are not dead yet and they did transmit that demand video. They are bound to search for us.”

He smiled.”You seem to have an unquenchable optimism. You don’t give up. You are indeed a hero.”

“Nubhir Poop. I am no hero. I just hate unfair situations and this one sure counts as one.”

The dust had reached the view ports and I looked at him “ Didn’t you say those balloon tires are meant to float on this stuff?”

“The Bouncer is designed to drive across the waste deep sand and dust but it is too heavy to drive over these micro dust lakes. Experienced drivers can see them and avoid them of course. The tires alone would of course float on it.”

“Well then that is what we are going to do. I can see a spare tire mounted on the back. We blast it loose, then we sit on it and row the thing to shore. It’s big enough for all of us.”

“No use. The entrance is already below the dust.”

“Oh shut up with that pessimistic we can’t do attitude, Sir.”

I freed the cook and told him to go up and put on a protective suit.

The bouncer so it turned out had enough even for the remaining terrorists.

I had them put on the suits and used a roll of sealing tape to tie their hands to their backs.

I told the woman who seemed still unconscious. “You can either put on a suit, Helen or go down with the Bouncer. Your breath is way to irregular for someone pretending to be unconscious.”

The bouncer sacked forward again lifting its back further up while the front windows of the panorama lounge were now completely under that brown stuff.

She moved. “I am going to kill you. You bastard.”

“We don’t have much time, Lady and I am sure as hell not waiting on you. So suit up or stay.”

She did and I tied her up again.

“Close your helmets.” I said and fired the blaster against the rear view port.

The material was tough and it took the charge of one blaster to make a big enough hole for us to climb through.

There was a simple lever mechanism to release the huge tire and I herded everyone on it.

The almost water like dust was already to my hips. The suits as I found out had radio links as I heard the ladies voice.

“You are a fool Hero. You should have killed me when you had a chance. Do you think I let them get me alive again? The bomb is connected to an implant in my head.”

She couldn’t say another word.

I had pressed the trigger and turned her head to ashes. She was talking way too much.

I climbed onto the tire with the help of the cook pulling me up.

The Bouncer slipped completely under the dust and seconds later the powdery surface had settled as smooth as before and there was no trace that something had happened here.

The big tire floated on the stuff just like a boat. Then a huge tremor rippled through the sand, and a fast moving wave pushed the tire forward in a wild ride.

“I guess she managed to activate the bomb after all.”

The governor shook his head laughing.” I will make it a point and visit Nilfeheim. You saved all our lives again.”

“Well I don’t mind doing that, Sir, but I am taking the next bus out of here.”

Even with the limited range of the Helmet radios, he was able to contact a dust miner camp and moments later a small fleet of flyers appeared.

We were flown back to Dusk and after we had been checked out by medics.

I was invited to a reception at the Governor’s penthouse on top of a tall sky scraper. Not that I had much of a choice to decline.

They had dropped me of at the Super Lux hotel and in its priciest suite.

There I was actually glad to take a bath in cold water.

Not that I really touched the dust, but seeing it for that long made me long for a long soaking in cold water.

The Auto dresser was like the one at the Crystal Palace of the latest kind and was able to fix my hair with molecular extensions as it used to be. I wondered if the dresser had any female selections and I resisted the urge to indulge myself as I found out it had a very extensive one.

The suite came with a real Butler, that was a fancy name for a man servant and he organized a new PDD for me. A courier of the local branch of the Union Bank delivered a new Credit Strip.

My Chain sword I had left behind for the tour was brought to me as well.

Out of a whim and a promise to myself I ordered a can of Stick-n-Fix and put it in my shirt pocket. Hoping I would not need it of course.

At Mr. Reynolds greeted me at the reception and introduced me to a host of people I immediately forgot after they had shaken my hand. “Sir, I really would like to go back to be a face among many, take the next space bus and be out of here.”

“Well I can’t blame you. Mr. Olafson but I assure you Twilight is not like this usually. The Day and Night wars are over for a long time and since both towns are connected now with Mag Tubes they have put their differences aside, except for the local Vaccu Ball matches of course. I wish I could show you some more of our world.”

A man with a white hat, and white suit came over. “Mr. Olafson, I am Alex Enroe the seventh of Enroe Industries. Your fast action has saved us much headaches and I would love to invite you to see Gore II. It is a very unusual place and a big tourist attraction. I can personally guarantee there won’t be any more terror activities. That group was small and thanks to the intelligence we gathered, the Union Police and the PSI Corps are here to roll up that little problem.”

“It wasn’t so little to me, Sir. They stuck guns in my face, twice and that was only the tip of the iceberg.”

He frowned. “I am sorry, Sir. I chosen the wrong words. What I meant to say is how grateful I am for what you did.”

“Is it really a living planet?”

“Yes it was in a sense. It is a space born life form of approximately the size of Earth. It has a crystalline, silicone like surface and is in permanent orbit around the sun Gore. No one knows its origin or how it developed. Underneath that crust it has a thick layer of what we call Gore Tissue. It is a flesh like substance and it does have other similar tissue layers of different consistency all the way to the core, where something akin to a heart can be found. The heart has stopped beating or pumping a very long time ago. The creature or the planet is technically no longer alive, but since it is so big it takes a while to die completely, so some of the outer tissue regions are still active or alive if you will. It has very unique range of small life forms of both plant and animal origin, but nothing that could remotely be called sentient. Space born organisms are very rare but not unheard off. I assure you the Saresii and the Narth confirmed that Gore is not sentient or has even the weakest brain or neurological function in any way shape or form.”

Alex Enroe offered me to sit with him and then said. “Big Corporations are often painted as the bully and the evil incarnate, but I assure you if the Narth confirm the life form is neither sentient nor alive anymore you can take that to the Union Bank. No amount of money, not even my famous rival Mr. Schwartz could make the Narth do anything they don’t want or make them say something that is not so.”

It did sound interesting. “So what are you doing there? I mean as a corporation?”

“First and foremost we do research.

The leading Xeno Biological institutes have branches on and inside Gore. Then we harvest small amounts of a special biological liquid that has a host of pharmaceutical uses. Mind you that there is more of that stuff than water in the oceans of Nilfeheim and we harvest about 300 to 400 liters a year. Schwartz does about the equal amount.”

“Well I guess I would not mind seeing it. It sounds like an interesting place and unless that Helen woman is right there aren’t any others like it.”

He shrugged.”The Gore Defenders and the Church of Gore claim that there are 11 others like it. In other galaxies of course and without any definite locations, but then the whole mythology of the Gore Planet was dreamed up by an unsuccessful play write named Steven Dunham. He served his twenty two month citizen service as a helper with the science corps on Gore II. He claimed the planet had spoken to him.

He wrote a book and decided to found a religion. I think he thought it would be more profitable than writing plays no one wanted to see.

That wacko adheres to the Gal Drift society and gets his followers from that same society.

Union Police found his notes and PDD during his first arrest and he admitted to have invented it all, to gain fame.”

I nodded. “That Helen woman sure swallowed it hook, line and sinker. I guess it is just an outlet for them to blame someone else for their problems.”

“Exactly, Mr. Olafson. Now if you like we can actually leave in an hour or so. My private Yacht is standing by and I have a feeling you are not the big reception kind of guy.”

“No I am not.”

“Splendid. I shake a few more hands and then we are ready to go.”

My PDD buzzed and I saw the Olafson Wolf Logo on the preview screen. So separated myself a little and activated the full field screen.

It was Elena who called. She waved and smiled, then the visual sensor pulled back and I saw she was at Uncle Hogun’s Inn with little Exa and she in turn was standing close to Aunt Freydis and my big Uncle.

Her sad expression was gone; she beamed with a broad smile on her small face.

“Eric, everything is wonderful here. There is lots of snow and it is cold but I had a snow ball fight with other kids today and it was great fun.”

She swallowed and inhaled and went right on. “Do you know what is best? My biggest dream came true. I am going to be adopted. Really. I am going to be an orphan no more, can you believe that?”

Uncle Hogun’s usually so stern face looked at her with the greatest affection.

“Eric you have made us the biggest gift you could possibly have made. We love that little whirlwind.”

Aunt Freydis also smiled warmly. “We got a child of our own now. Little Exa, and she is hardly stealing anything. She is really good.”

I finally managed to say something.”I am glad it worked out, for all of you.”

Elena said. “We miss you all. Even Father misses you but of course he doesn’t say it right out but they delivered the new boats today and he named them Eric and Elena. Right now he is over at the Exchange Cafe bragging with his new boats and telling everyone that his son paid for them just like that.

I miss you Eric.”

“I miss you too, Elena.”

The Old Keeper came into the view field and to my surprise he wore Olafson Red.

“Don’t look at me like that. I think I look good in red. I am officially the Eldest now. I was beating your grumpy friend by a few thousand years anyhow.

Egill is of course our representative now and he was introduced to the Assembly officially only five days ago.”

He then touched the red cloak. “You know I had no clan association of my own and therefore could not be an Elder.”

He looked over to my sister and I could see the old man’s affection for her.”It actually was Elena’s idea. She is a smart girl, you know. She suggested it and your father made me an Olafson and now I am an Elder ... well the new Eldest that is, if that makes sense. I wasn’t associated with anything new the last few millennia.”

I had listened to his report and smiled “I was just surprised to see you in Red, sure suits you well, and makes that shaggy beard look whiter.”

He brushed his beard. “I think I could trim it a bit”

Then he changed the subject. “What is this all about? You being the Hero of Twilight? Aren’t you supposed to be halfway to Arsenal by now? You’re basically still in the neighborhood.”

“Well it sort of happened.”

“Yes we saw the news. Sort of happened. Things like this seem always just sort of happen to you. So where are you now?”

“I am on my way to Gore II. I was invited to check it out. I still have lots of time to make it to Arsenal”

“Oh yes, Gore. I have been there. Amazing place in a disgusting, exciting sort of way. If you there send me a Poster and a T Shirt. I forgot to pick one up and I like to have a souvenir.”

“Sure will.”

“Take care, young Eric.”

They all waved and Elena blew me a kiss. “Next time you call, call from an Avatar enabled GalNet terminal. I want to hug you.”

I promised and terminated the call.

The Governor insisted on handing me a medal and said. “From what I understand you are going to apply at the Academy. So I thought a medal might be a good idea. It’s the Key to Twilight.”

I thanked him and said my farewells, and then I left with Alex Enroe to the Space Port. We rode in an Enroe Excelsior flier of the newest kind and I padded the seats. “I got to admit these are the most comfortable seats I had ever used.”

He grinned broadly. “I am glad you approve of them. Not everything good is made by Schwartz Industries, you know.”

“I am sure that is the case. I bought an Enroe Industrial Recycler and it did everything it promised it would.”

“It is good to hear that.”

“So you are the big boss of Enroe?”

“Yes that’s me. Enroe Industries, second only to SII.”

“I guess there is some rivalry between you and them?”

“Of course there is. There are thousands of Mega Corporations but only twenty that are called Ultra Corporations.

We, I mean Enroe are number two, and I hate to admit that, but we and all the others combined would still be a distant second to SII.”

“What makes them so much more successful?”

“Main factor of their success is Rex Schwartz, their CEO and President, he owns most of the stock of his corporation and he is an immortal. You know belonging to that mysterious original group of about two hundred humans selected by someone or something called the Guardian of Earth. SII and Enroe started out on Terra, even before the Ascent. Then of course the technical monopolies Schwartz Industries controls. You know perhaps that GalNet and that marvelous secret of instant communication is owned by Schwartz. SII licensed this technology to the fleet. SII has all patents on Space Train technology, Owns two of the biggest Space Bus companies and is the sole operator of the new Trans Matter tunnels, another technical monopoly.

Schwartz Industries is the Queen approved and Nest appointed supplier of Nutri-Syrup to the Klack. You cannot even begin to imagine how much Sugar vitamin syrup he delivers to the Klack daily. SII had major trade and commerce with the Attikan Commonwealth for over 500 years, long before they became members. Can you guess who does 90 percent of all business there?”

I nodded. “Perhaps not in quantities but even I know, the Klack are a counted by the Trillions.”

He sighed.”Almost eighty percent of all ships and over seventy-five percent of every supply item delivered to the Union fleet is made by SII.”

He actually started to sound a little defeated. “So it is hard to really compete against that. Not to mention the whole ‘Good and Evil company business’. Something that should be forgotten after all this time.”

“I heard people call SII, the Good Company before. But I don’t really know why.”

“It’s a long story that happened before there was a Union. I tell it to you over a dinner or so.”

“I never really thought about all that. I didn’t have much off world contact to anything when I grew up, but my planet almost became victim to a Mega Corp so I am not exactly a great fan, but my Grandfather was a business-man and left me some money. I am pretty sure it is not a Mega Corporation.”