Chapter 7: Netlor

We managed to reach Netlor without incident or pirate attack, which would not have been unlikely in this region of space.

As we debarked the Velorian ship seven days later, we were greeted by a warm yellow sun and the surrounding area beyond the landing field was green. Netlor so I learned had its own life and had oceans. The temperatures hovered around 28 degrees on the c scale and that felt nice compared to the baking oven conditions of Alvor’s Cove or the freezing winds of Kaliment.

Netlor was, just like Alvor’s cove in Freespace, but it was so Mother Superior told me well organized. While there was no real government, it was run by a consortium of several syndicates and a council of temple and faith leaders.

Here on Netlor was the head quarter of a religious sect called the Church of the Golden Whispering Spirit of the Universe. It had according to the Mother Superior several million members not only on Union Side but also among several Kermac Thrall species and Freespace Civilizations The members of that church had to travel at least once in their life to this place and bathe in the light of the Whispering Statue.

On special dates advertised by that church, the light of the statue was in alignment with the Heart of the Galaxy and during these times, believers and pilgrims by the hundred thousands arrived on Netlor and participate in a number of religious events, culminating in a light bath.

Visitors by the millions were big business. The syndicates that ran the Hotels, shops and restaurants in the planets only town, as well as the Church leaders made sure Pilgrims could travel relative safely to and from Netlor and enjoy their practices and worship activities in safety on the planet itself as well.

Pilgrim convoys were well protected. Pirates usually stayed away from the planet as well.

It was risky business to make these syndicates and the Church your enemy.

All this I had learned from the Mother Superior on our thankfully quite event less passage to Netlor.

The landing field belonged to a small space port, the field was clean Duro-Crete and there was a fleet of open top flier taxis waiting for passengers.

We managed to hire such a taxi right away and flew the short distance into town.

Only a few buildings looked permanent, most of the town consisted of stacked prefab containers and tents.

Mother Superior in her Oghar disguise acted a little as a tour guide and explained. “The actual light bathing ceremony only occurs during a special season of about a standard month. During this time the sun is perfectly aligned with a hole in this world’s tallest mountain.

According to this religion the sun of this system is then also aligned with the center of the Galaxy.”

“Isn’t every star more or less always aligned with the center of the galaxy?” I asked. It doesn’t make much sense.”

“Do you know any religion including ours that ever really made sense?”

“I am not a real religious person, but there are situations I like the Aseir approach. I really do ... not that ice giants, thundering hammers make much sense either.”

I was certain she smiled even though her Oghar face translated a toothy grimace.”All that sugar and spice of your female side can’t really erase that Viking inside you.”

“Vikings and Neo Vikings have always come in male and female.”

“You are correct of course. Well to finish your little education regarding Netlor and the local religion I have to point out that it all centers on a gigantic statue of great age an unknown origin. When said alignment happens, light from that mountain hole hits the head of that statue and the color prism installed in its head. The believers of this fate then stand in that light and receive the blessing by the Spirit of the Universe.

Some even believe this light has curative effects and they can hear the Universe whisper to them.”

I shrugged. “To each its own I guess.”

The Taxi dropped us off before one of the permanent buildings. I estimated it to be about 70 meters high and was made mostly of glass and Duro-Crete. It had neatly groomed grass surrounding it and a water fountain right before its main entrance.

A modern multi language sign identified it as Hotel Netlor’s Light and welcomed guests and pilgrims.

Check in was simple and we received a clean double bed room with a view over the make shift looking town.

She put the one bag of luggage down she was carrying and said. “Go ahead and enjoy the bath and order room service.

She produced a black Credit Strip Box and said. “I think that belongs to you and they do take Union Credits here.”

It was the same Credit box I had found in the damaged flyer on Sin 4 and I thanked her for keeping it for me. She touched her tusks in a typical Oghar habitual gesture and said.

“I am going to do the same and then we are going to visit the local Sojonit Temple to make a few calls and change our identities one more time. We should be on our way to Checkpoint 96 and Union space in about two days.”

“Those are the best news I heard in a while.”

Refreshed and feeling much better we left the hotel and took another Taxi flier. Leaning closer she explained.

“The last pilgrims for this season will leave soon. The last light bathing ceremony takes place later today. After that the believers go back to their respective planets and we will be among them, then this town shrinks to one third of its size. Most shop keepers strike their tents after this season and return with the begin of the next. But a core population remains, because besides being the center of a religion, this place is also a playground for probably every intelligence service in this Galaxy.”

I asked. “Why? What is so special about Netlor?”

“It’s a neutral ground for one. Services can meet, exchange caught spies, watch each other and use this place as a gate into the territories of each other.”

She pointed at a tent with a sales stand attached to it. Sacks and boxes spilled out all around the front of the tent and a bluish cloud of smoke hung over it all.

“That incense and spice dealer is also the field office of NW3 or more precisely of the Shiss Intelligence service Naxxxtuu-www.

The dealer is human and he does good business with his incense and spices, but he and his crew also send regular briefs to the palace of the First Nestling, among other things.”

She laughed as she made me look to an impressive modern tent with force field reinforced Intelli-fab canvas walls, neatly stacked wares and project-a-sign advertisement showcasing fruits, bread and meat products.”Can you guess who is hiding behind that grocery merchant’s front?”

I rolled my eyes and said. “Naval Intelligence, even I can guess it, would that not be a little too obvious?”

She nodded. “You got it right, it is the front for the NAVINT service, but then seven minutes ago all these tents were just tents to you.

I am sure NAVINT has other operatives around, and they receive Intel from me and the Sojonites in a roundabout way. But sometimes it is just as good to loudly proclaim your presence and thus attract lots of eyes and ears while you have friends of yours do something very quietly.”

What she said made sense and I pointed out a stack of three Universal Containers towering over most of the other tents and temporary buildings around. “This is probably the Kermac outpost, right?”

She padded my shoulder. “Very good indeed, my young student, tell me how you figured that out.”

For one it is taller than the others, it is a building rather than a tent. It is close to the Union Outpost and tall enough to overlook and watch the NAVINT tent.

The keeper sweeping the front is a Turotonk. They are, if I recall correctly a Freespace species leaning towards the Basil who are in turn a Kermac Thrall species.”

I could not tell if she smiled or wanted to eat me with her big Oghar maw. “Lots of conjecture but all correct. The Kermac, the Shiss and many others cannot afford not to keep watch on the fancy and flashy tent of NAVINT.”

I sighed. “All I wanted to be is a Star ship captain, not a spy or Counter Intelligence officer and I find myself sliding down that path, being involved in more clandestine stuff than Nubor Santini.”

She asked. “Who is Nubor Santini?”

I watched her as she gave the Taxi pilot a few coins and explained. “He is the hero of a GalNet show that comes on every Thursday on the Action-Teen Channel and he catches Kermac spies and such with his Ultra Power Team from Planet T.”

She seemed amused and motioned me to get out as the flier had landed in the middle of an alley way between those rows of tents and huts and after we stepped off she said.

“You might not be Nubor Santini, but consider all what you experienced as school of life and maybe one or the other thing you learn now about the Universe will help you later when you are a Starship Captain.”

I really missed pockets where I could shove my hands. This Togar costume of course had none, at least none for the hands, so I crossed my arms instead and said a little gloomy. “Right now I simply hope I graduate or if I am lucky they let me repeat the month I missed chasing through Freespace.”

She took my hand and padded it.

“No worries my Soja, Richard is keeping taps of everything you do and I don’t think he misses much even if he pretends otherwise. Even if you and I think he does not know about it, he does.

He let you command that big tub, and I am sure there is a Ship Command for you somewhere down the line. You are still young, very young and it might take years sometimes decades before they offer you a command chair and you got to fill the time till then doing something.”

“You know the Admiral well?”

Her voice had a solemn quality to it as she said. “No one knows the eternal Soldier well I would think.With the exception of Alycia perhaps. He is as much an enigma as he is the rock and the unshakeable foundation; there is no one in this universe I respect more.”

I liked her even more after she had said that.

We walked not very fast and without apparent hurry along the gravel paved alleys between tents and huts were merchants praised their wares with coarse voices and pilgrims in golden cloaks and frocks rushed in every direction. She explained to me that a running person or someone in an apparent rush would draw more attention than a relaxed strolling person.

I looked at her and said. “What made you decide to become a spy? I mean besides being the Sojonit leader.”

She spread her arms and added. “Only a very few chose to be in this business, usually it chooses you. Spies are made by others, it’s not a choice and it is an old game that is played behind the shiny facades of civilization since time begun. I sort of slipped into this business because I started to believe in our Union and I believe if our Union wants to survive and stay on top of things, we have to play the dirty game too. I even want us to play it better, dirtier and more efficient than all the others, do you know why?”

She didn’t really give me time to answer as she said. “I love our Union as much as you do. It has its faults and isn’t perfect, but I am around for much longer than even the Eternal Soldier and I have not seen anything like it, since I left Sares Prime a million of your years ago.”

I gasped. “You were talking about yourself when you told me the story of the Sojonites. You found the Crystal Place, right?”

“Yes I was one of the Saresii that left Sares Prime with our last space ship.”

The realization that she was that old made me wonder who she really was. I didn’t doubt her word one second. In my own short life I had met several immortals, but even the age of everyone I had ever met combined did not come close to her life span.

She gestured to a big pink tent with a large Sojonit Goddess statue about two hundred meters ahead and said. “That is where we are going.”

After walking another hundred meters or so she said. “You are very quiet suddenly. Have I frightened you, it is not often I reveal this aspect of me.”

I answered. “Frightened? No I am not frightened, but deeply in awe and really unable to understand it, to put my mind to it.”

Only now I noticed she had her hand on my back and said with a warm tone in her voice. “You met immortals before, have you not? Egill, Ekhard the ancient keeper, McElligott, Richard Stahl who takes particular interest in you. There are your Coven friends who are older thanb me and of course the Narth. It is very conceivable that you too will go this lonely path eventually. If you do indeed join the Narth then your age is no longer measured in years or even centuries. I think the Narth don’t even count and perceive time as the rest of us does.”

I never thought about that and said as we closed on the Sojonit tent. “Narth is my friend on a level I can’t explain but I am not sure if these Meta physical things he says always mean something to a human. I am a simple Neo Viking of Nilfeheim, how could I possibly become a Narth. I know so little of them and they are so completely alien. And besides Egill does not count, he is only something like 400 years old.”

“After what point do you think immortality does count? Your distant grandfather, especially after he received help from the Saresii can get as old as he wishes to be.”

I listened to her and then said. “You know much more about me then you let on.”

She didn’t respond to that directly but said instead. “You still think in human terms Eric, you barely begun your second decade. Even in human standards you’re just became an adult. Understanding will come when it is time to understand those things.” Then she laughed. “Yes you are a Child of your world but you have long ceased to be simple my young friend.”

I frowned and said. “Not that I mind the company of immortals and all that, but I wish all of you would stop talking in this cryptic fashion. I always feel like I am getting an answer but too stupid to get it.”

She laughed. “No my Soja, not to stupid. To impatient and too young. No worries once you get to be my age you will find there are as many questions and things you don’t understand as when you started. It happens to me everytime talking to a Narth.”

With that we entered the Sojonit temple tent.

Inside it smelled just like in the temple on Sin 4. It was a fresh, feminine perfume not as sweet and thick as the smell of the incense candles I still remembered.

It was cool and a typical Sojonit in the standard pink uniform sat behind a frilly desk and greeted us with a voice as frilly as the desk.

“Welcome travelers. Let the sorrows and tribulations of the outside world behind. May the Goddess Sojo bless you with a joyous journey into the blissful heights of sexual ecstasy and carnal satisfaction we servants of the Goddess will provide to you.”

Mother Superior said in a strange language I never heard yet perfectly understood. “I am the Mother Superior.”

The Sojo got up only to bow deeply. “Your neural patterns are indeed those of our most exalted leader and your aura matched the one on file. Welcome to the Netlor Temple of the Goddess, Mother Superior.”

She touched a flower like inlay on the artfully decorated desk surface and a pink sheer looking curtain flickered with purple energies and vanished. The seemingly wispy curtain was actually a Holo-disguised TransDim force field. This so innocent looking large tent, could probably withstand the onslaught of a large caliber FE-cannon.

The tent was about the size of a Nilfeheim three family home and behind the force field entrance were several separate service chambers arranged around an indoor pool filled with perfumed water and fed by an illuminated color changing water fountain. Two Sojonites bathed with a human customer. He paid little attention to us.

We entered one of the separates, she closed the curtain behind us and I could hear the fine humming sound until another force field was established. The room was filled with satin pillows, rich carpets, the light came through the crème colored canvas walls, giving the illusion they were indeed just thin fabric tent walls. There was kitschy looking, elaborate styled divan with satin sheets and more pillows. The entire divan, big enough to accommodate three Perthanians slowly lifted and revealed a steep spiral stair case.

After descending the stair case for more than five minutes; I got dizzy doing it; and walking through a narrow corridor we passed a solid looking Ultronit door and into a comfortable, cool and modern furnished lounge. Before the Ultronit door hummed shut, I turned and saw the entire corridor shrink and turn to solid rock.

The Oghar female shimmered into the form of a Saresii and the now far too big leather and steel outfit simply fell all around her to the floor.

She motioned towards the now closed door and said. “The power we use to shift forms is not limited to our own bodies. If we are together and link our abilities we can affect other matter too. To affect such vast quantities of matter we use Saresii Psi enhancers and pre determined patterns. That of course is the short version of an explanation how this works.”

Women, so I found had much less inhibitions to undress even before others. She appeared perfectly content being completely in the buff, but then she had a wonderful shaped body. In this regard the Saresii were as human as could be and very attractive to boot.

She waved her hand. “You can take that Togar costume off now. We will take the rest of our journey together pretending to be Union Citizens and Pilgrims on the way back from a trip to the Statue.”

It took a sharp knife and some careful cutting to get this tight suit open. Bioflex was living tissue after all and it did not require buttons, zippers or other closure systems, but like Intelli-Fab the seams grew together and had to be cut open to separate again.

A Sojonit came in gathered the items and said with a nice inviting voice. “If you would like to tend to your bodily needs Sister Nightshade, there is are bathroom facilities if you step through that door.”

I was glad I could leave the room. Despite my recent experiences, I still liked to wear clothing especially in the presence of women.

The Sojonit opened the door for me and said. “If you like company or like to be washed, let me know.”

I blushed and thanked her for the offer but declined.

After the bath I was asked to use an Auto dresser once more and it gave me a golden colored flowing gown and once again female features.

Mother Superior wore the same golden garment. She asked me to sit and listen to the report one of the sisters gave.

“The Worm and the Kermac have stopped searching for the human on Sin 4, a Taxi driver was found who claimed he had seen the human fall to his death.

Luckily no one made the connection with the events on Alvor’s cove. There they believe the ruckus was caused by the crew members of an enslaved mercenary leader who managed to escape with several members of his crew, destroying the personal ship of the Local Lord and leaving his highness behind tied up and lying on the landing field for hours. The Local Lord is furious but no one is looking for a Terran or a Union Officer.”

Mother Superior nodded satisfied. “It seems your friends from the slave pen made it too and provided us with a good cover. I was really afraid someone would associate the events on Sin 4 with the ones on Alvor’s Cove.”

“That is why we didn’t go with him, right?”

“You begin to understand, my Sojo.”

The Sojonit that briefed us glanced on her PDD and said.

“I doubt the Local Lord will make too much fuss as he found out it was Tirkov Steen. He would not want the Steen’s Devils to repay him a visit. Unlike the fleet, private Mercenary units can go anywhere and that one is one of the famous ones.”

I decided to read up on this Mercenary business once I had a chance. Not that I had any plans to ever join such an outfit, but maybe I could send Tirkov a message one of these days and see how he faired.

Mother Superior was pleased as well saying.

“Nothing better could have happened, given the situation. The incident is just one of many like this in Freespace and no one will talk about it tomorrow.”

She gestured towards the PDD. “We have been out of the loop for a while, my Soja and I; any news from home?”

She nodded. “GalNet One transmitted a mass execution of sixty one individuals from a planet called Newport all accused and found guilty of treason. The Assembly officially welcomed the Botnaars into the Union of Civilizations. Those war loving brutes from the Spin-ward section used to be independent Free-spacers after they left the Galactic Council 700 years ago. Also the arrival of 500 Narth at the PSI Corps Academy on Phantas caused big news and was hailed as a momentous historic event. The Narth Supreme addressed the Assembly for the first time just three days ago and finally Alycia Lichfangh and Admiral Stahl announced their engagement and their intent to marry. That is still all over the Talk channels.”

Mother Superior turned to me. “Alycia Lichfangh is the Commandant of the PSI Corps. She and McElligott founded it as a special task force and research group to develop means of Psionic protection and combat Psionic crimes and espionage.