Chapter 8: Checkpoint 96

Non Union ships wanting to do business in Union space have to stop at one of these Checkpoints that dot the imaginary border between Union and Free space to get Customs clearance and a transponder code.

While civilian ships could freely enter Union space, they could only land on Union Worlds with the proper Customs documents. Detected warships of other civilizations would result in a border alert and cause an immediate response from the fleet.

Checkpoint 96 was a small ice planet with a rock core approximately the size of Sol systems Pluto. It orbited along with five other similar small planets around a very old bloated red sun named Herman’s Star that probably swallowed most of the bigger planets as it expanded.

We had made it. I was back in Union space. The dark gray inhospitable looking ball we approached looked better to me than Netlor which was a a garden world.

It appeared our transport had received landing permission as it descended fast.

Now we could see the first details of a sprawling space port, vast Duro Crete surface, modern looking sturdy surface buildings.

There at the other end, as big as a mountain and shaped like wedge; sitting on enormous ISAH pods, a Union Fleet Battle ship. Seeing this beautiful symbol of Union might caused a knot of pride in my throat.

Octo-bots rolled busily around and brilliant flood lights bathed everything in cool bluish light, separating the space port from the stark darkness of the rest of the planet’s surface. There was an orderly business-like, efficient atmosphere over everything.

A mechanical arm took our transport like a toy and guided it with machine precision past a force field curtain into a passenger unloading terminal.

I could barely wait until the doors were opened.

Moments later we stepped on a spotless clean surface and at that moment as if a weight was lifted off my shoulders, I felt free again.

Working slide belts, advertising signs for McDonald’s, Arthur’s Swine and Dine and Fat Eddies Stir Fry made my mouth water. Outside on the landing field a fleet destroyer descended. It was a new Barracuda and a platoon of Marines stomped in perfect military precision towards the waiting ship. Even out here, far from Union core everything was in perfect repair and working order.

Never in my life was it clearer to me, that my decision to become a Union service man was the right one. It was my calling to join the fleet and defend all this and our way of life against Slaver scum, Pirates, scheming Kermac and whatever else out there trying to do us harm.

She said standing next to me.”It does feel nice to be back home, does it not?”

I could barely contain my excitement and said after giving air to a deep sigh. “I never thought arriving on a little Outpost would feel so good. I have to restrain myself not to get o my knees and actually kiss the ground. There were times in the past month I thought I would never return. It makes me realize how fortunate we are to be Union Citizens.”

She pointed towards public rest rooms. “Before we go through customs, we need to get changed.”

She didn’t wait for a response from me but walked briskly to the busy restrooms, deposited a few credits to secure a stall and said to the system. “Human Females.” The facility adjusted to the needs of human females and she basically pushed me into a roomy stall with her.

I said. “Can I not rather use my own stall? I don’t mind being frugal but I got millions.”

She giggled. “Silly goose.” She pressed her hand against a wall tile and the tile lit up. A voice said.” Deepa Lydaa NAVINT Commandant recognized.”

The entire floor of the bathroom stall turned into an elevator platform and lowered us fast through a metal shaft and stopped at the entrance to a short corridor. A beautiful Saran woman that reminded me of Elfi wearing a tight black velvet jumpsuit with only a stylized silver pin in the shape of a human brain on her collar greeted us. “Welcome back Admiral Deepa, it is such a rare pleasure to greet you here on this side, Admiral.”

“I am glad to be back Commander Alena, even if it is only for a while. I am bringing a wayward midshipman that is in need of his uniform and his other belongings.”

I was still processing what just happened. Not that I was surprised to find that a public restroom was also a secret entrance to a NAVINT post, but that Mother Superior was not just member of an old Saresii intelligence service, but the actual Commandant of NAVINT, and carried the rank of an Admiral. No wonder Stahl knew her.

Speechless I followed the two women through a slide door marked NAVINT into a typical Navy style Union Lobby with the same mustard colored carpet, the same wood paneled reception desk and the NAVINT logo illuminated behind it on the wall. There even was the obligatory pseudo leather seating group with a few magazines and a potted rubber tree in the corner.

We didn’t stop there and ended up in an office with a large shipping crate sitting on a table and an auto dresser.

The Commandant of NAVINT said. “You will find some of your belongings in the crate and the Auto Dresser received its uniform assembly program from the Devastator so you should be fine. I’ll meet you in ten minutes in the lobby. “Without waiting for me to say anything she left chatting with the Saran PSI Corps officer.

A few minutes later I had used the Auto Dresser and looked at myself in the mirror field. All the female things were gone. No Bioflex mask, but my own face, I was me again. Wearing a crisp black Uniform with mirror shine polished boots, the Uniform blouse diagonally parted with the white lining forming a triangle across my chest. My ribbon read out on the left and my name tag to the right, on the wide black belt a low slung holster with a Union TKU Hellbore Type VI side arm. Over it all, my leather jacket with the Fighter patch, black gloves and a black duck bill hat with the Navy logo at its center and white circular top completed the outfit.

I checked the crate and to my delight there was the brown leather holster with my Colt 45, the H & K Missile rifle and the Kermac Line Blaster I had found on Sin 4.

I put my 45 back where it belonged and TKU Side arm in an fast draw low slung hip holster. I felt right as rain, but I could not help but miss being female, that part of my adventure I had to admit to myself I enjoyed very much. However it was time to be Eric again.

Out in the lobby Mother Superior was gone as well, in her place stood a Union Admiral without any insignia that would tell what she was responsible for.

I saluted and stood in attention.

There was an Admiral on deck after all and this time I even felt joy in this simple military protocol routine. “Midshipman Olafson reporting as ordered, Ma’am.”

She smiled and returned the salute. “Seeing you like this makes me realize that you are also a very handsome young man. I guess I won’t be able to call you Soja anymore, but I think we still can forgo the military protocols. I am sure you heard my name and you can call me Deepa and as our time together draws to an end, let me say I feel blessed to have met you both, Eric and Erica your female side. I have enjoyed your company and I hope you can see past the Admiral and past the things you know about me and we can remain friends.I will answer your calls when I can.”

“Yes, Ma’am, I mean Deepa. I have no words I can use to express the gratitude I feel for all you have done for me. I am very proud I was allowed to be your Soja, to be Nightshade and to be allowed to call you friend.”

She stepped closer and simply hugged me. “I’ll keep an eye on your career and you, I promise and I am certain we will see each other again.”

I didn’t know if I should return the hug but I did and then we stepped apart and she said. “I will remain here to take care of a few things and then I must return to Sin 4. You however will take the elevator back up, pass through customs and report to the Fleet Office. They have standing orders for you.”

Ten minutes later, I resurfaced in the passenger terminal and with a purposeful swing in my steps almost tempted to whistle.

At the security custom point to access the concourse I swiped my CITI and the customs officer said. “Welcome back citizen. Did you bring any luggage, weapons or illegal wares?”

“No luggage but I carry weapons.”

He checked them and my readout.” The Kermac Line Blaster needs to be registered or disposed. The H & K cannot be carried loaded but other than that you are cleared. Your duty side arm is of course permitted.”

I simply left the Kermac weapon with him.

He pointed down the terminal and said. “Officers and fleet personnel do not have to go through civilian customs. Next time you can use the military terminal down there.”

I thanked him and joined the people and beings in the busy space port terminal. The golden robes were everywhere, mostly queuing at the space bus terminal for connecting flights to their actual home destinations, but there were also other civilians and service members of many different Union species. There was a Takkian merchant talking to a tall Spindlar and a Saran. Two flawless Saresii beauties with long silver hair and skin tight cat suits sitting at a Café in the company of a Klack and a Terran, discussing something, the Terran of course recognizable by his sunglasses.

A giant Petharian in police uniform and his robot partner giving a group of tall Andorians directions.

Six Union Army soldiers with planetary defense patches laughing at jokes a Three-Ozian made.

This cauldron of species and individuals dressed in a myriad of colors and fashion choices, shopping walking, traveling in a bright environment that was despite all these beings, clean and free of trash was such a stark contrast to Sin 4 or Alvor’s Cove.

No one here was afraid and tried to hide what they were. No one seemed it necessary to hide from where they came. My good mood observing all this got a serious damper as I saw a group of five smudgy, sloppy dressed GalDrifts, some of them bare feet others wearing beads and purposefully torn clothing.

They were sitting underneath a tree that was part of a grass and fountain area with benches and bushes. One of them was playing some sort of stringed instruments. Two of them smoked; a fourth and fifth simply sat there and watched. As one of them saw me he began to make obscene and loud remarks about the violence loving, government sanctioned murderers of the fleet.

This was Union and everyone had the right to express their opinion and lifestyle they preferred, but it still got to me, especially since one of these derelicts ejected the core on Alvor’s Cove and betrayed us all, thinking he could save his hide that way.

I wondered if that group would yell insults if they were in a slave pen, waiting to be sold. I could already see the entrance to the local Fleet office, marked by two Marines guarding it and below the Fleet logo. My temper had caused me enough trouble and I certainly didn’t need any right now.

So I told myself that there were only a few of them and that the entire GalDrift culture was laughable small. Yet my fists clenched as I saw these leeches.

One of them, with long filthy blonde hair in long dreads got up and actually approached me in strange almost dance like movements. “Hey killer got a few Creds to spare? Instead of killing defenseless aliens, do some good and help out a few free spirits, trying to get of this ice ball.”

I was actually proud of my own self control as I simply ignored him and walked on.

He didn’t give up and danced around me. “Come on, Killer. You love to be called Killer don’t you Soldier boy?” He kept dancing around me. “I know you government slaves got paid today, so how about some Creds?”

His choice of words and seeing that the jacket he wore was a torn, mutilated Fleet issue uniform blouse made me wish I could rip it off and stuff it down his throat, but as far as I knew it was not against any law to wear surplus uniform pieces.

“So what was your last assignment, oppressing a peace loving culture? Or perhaps forcing Union laws upon a civilization that rather wanted to stay free?” Then his eyes went big and he actually poked me with his finger.

“You’re from the Devastator, a Wolfcraft Fighter jock. How does that work out for you, government crook? Getting orders from a non-existent propaganda lie thinking it would impress anyone? If that legendary piece of garbage really existed he should be arrested and turned over to the Kermac and then we would have Universal peace.”

I said slowly and while reciting General orders in my mind.

“Why don’t you take your filthy arse and that ragtag bunch of leeches and go there if you don’t like it here? I also suggest you let me go now.”

“Give me some Creds and I think about it, but you can’t tell me what to do. No one can, that’s what we are all about. No rules, no laws just freedom. Not even if that swine Stahl would exist and be right here, not even he could make me do anything.”

He wasn’t finished ending his sentence when I grabbed him by his collar, twisted it tight and pulled him close. “I say that only once, so listen carefully. If you ever insult the Admiral in my presence again, I will send you on a journey where you don’t need any Credits. Do you understand?”

He spat me in the face and snarled. “Go ahead Government bully, beat me up. I am not afraid of you and everyone will see what you are!”

Despite all my efforts, my stomach begun to cramp and I could almost physically feel my own rage boiling to the surface. He suddenly changed his facial expression. His defiant stare melted away and was replaced by sheer horror.

I had never seen anyone with so much fear. He groaned and cried. “Please, please take it away.” He screamed on the top of his lungs. “The black flames, they burn!”

I let him go and he dropped to the floor crawled backwards, one arm across his face still screaming. “Take it away, please let me go, don’t take me to that abyss, please.”

I wondered what he was seeing or screaming about. The Petharian police men came running, his robot right next to him. “What is going on here, Midshipman?”

I pointed at the GalDrift that was now curling up in a fetal position, sobbing and crying.

“He tried to pan handle money and harassed and insulted me. After he started physically touching me, I took him by the collar and told him to back off. He then started to scream and that is pretty much all.”

The robot said. “Polio-Scan results complete, Citizens statement was 98 % accurate.”

The police officer glared at me from his six yellow eyes and then growled. “I am sorry, Midshipman Olafson. We usually don’t have many GalDrifts on Checkpoint 96 but during the Pilgrim season they come like swarming vermin to panhandle and pick the pockets of pilgrims and travelers.”

More cops had shown up and they rounded up the rest of the GalDrifts, while they protested loudly about police brutality and government oppression.

The robot lifted the still sobbing and almost catatonic dread lock guy from the floor and said. “Medical scan inconclusive, but subject carries a five gram vial of Califerm. Drug induced side effects are likely cause for mental condition.”

The Petharian Officer made a sound like breaking rocks and I realized he was sighing. “Califerm, now that explains everything. Thank you Officer and sorry for the inconvenience, we’ve got enough now to arrest and charge the bunch.”

The robot carried the man away and he was still crying and muttering. “Take it away, please. No more fire. No more black flames, please.”

I didn’t know much about drugs or Califerm, other than it was some kind of illegal and dangerous drug.

With a handheld scanner the Petharian scanned me and said. “Just checking if you got any Califerm on you, that stuff makes you an addict by skin contact alone.”

He checked his read out. “Looks like you dodged the beam, Sir. I still suggest you check with a medical facility for decontamination. You got lots of his genetic material and some body fluids on you.”

That statement made my skin crawl with disgust and had the cop show me the next such facility.

My good mood slowly returned after I had my Uniform deep cleaned and myself showered and decontaminated at a Med Facility. Detailed scans of the attending Med Technician showed I was clean and unaffected, but he diagnosed that I still suffered from badly derma patched sun burns and a developing skin cancer. He fixed me up in no time and declared me fit and healthy.

This time I made it to the Fleet post and reported at the duty desk.

A small furry being, not much taller than maybe forty centimeters, with a long bushy tail wearing Navy Black and the rank insignia of a Lieutenant, sat on a vari-matic chair that looked like a very tall bar stool and looked to at me.

The being had shimmering black button eyes, a tiny snout and long whiskers. I had to restrain myself and not reach out and try to pet the shimmering soft looking fur between the Lieutenants round ears. I said instead. “Midshipman Olafson reporting, Sir.” I swiped my CITI over the reader.

This cute as a button officer scanned over a read out on a screen only it could see and said.

“Yes, Mr. Olafson. There are messages and an order chip for you.” His whiskers shivered and it exposed two prominent yellowish teeth and added. “Midshipman I might be the first Holdian you see in Fleet uniform. Let me assure you I am serving this fleet for six years now and well aware of the strange attraction we Holdians seem to have on humans, but please refrain from petting my head.”

I blushed. “Sorry Sir, I wasn’t even really aware I actually did it. I apologize.”

A document conveyor snapped open and the Holdian took a black dispatch envelope out and pushed it across the counter. “Here are you orders. Please sign here that you received them.”

I pushed my thumb on the presented sign pad and apologized again.

He waved his little hand and said. “Apologies accepted. It happens more often than I can count. Just resist that strange impulse if you meet the Outpost Commandant. She is a Holdian too and hates being cute.”

“I will Sir.”

I went over to the seating group and opened the film cover that sealed the Order envelope. If anyone else but me tried to open it, the message and the Order chip would have been instantly destroyed. I did wonder why I did not received my orders directly onto my Fleet Com PDD I was wearing with my new uniform.

The envelope had the Seal of Fleet command printed on it and a message appeared flashing over the envelope. “Open and receive included messages in secure environment.”

So I asked the Holdian who directed me to an empty office that could be made secure. Once the base Computronic had identified me, it verified that all anti eavesdropping equipment was active and the room secure according to the Blue-Blue-Red protocol requested to be established by the Envelope.

I put the message chip in the desk unit and Admiral Stahl’s Holo appeared across me, the red band below told me that it was a recording.

The message begun.

“Receiving this message means that you made it back to Union space and you have hopefully arrived safe and uninjured. The reasons for these orders to be delivered in such fashion are the details of your rescue that exposed you to the Gray Cats and the Commandant of NAVINT. You are not to reveal any details of your rescue to anyone. Not to your friends, not to Admiral McElligott or Captain Harris. Or putting it in other words, to no one. Even I do not know all the details. The Commandant and I are friends, the nature of her business and her position make it absolutely imperative that you keep those details to yourself.

I know you will understand that and you have been exposed to those secrets because we know we can trust you with them. I am aware that no Psionic trickery can make you reveal them; your friend Narth confirmed that with me.

Please be aware that the level and nature of some of the secrets you now keep make it also necessary to deal with you according to Blue-Blue-Red protocol if there is any suspicion you might have or will reveal them.”

It meant that if there was the slightest suspicion that I was compromised, I was to be executed on sight.

He leaned back and continued. “I know your integrity is unquestionable, but I am forced by our protocols to tell you all that.”

I simply said. “Yes Sir, I understand and I will comply.”

The intelligent recording appeared to have waited for that response and he nodded with a smile. “I know I can count on you.

Now as for your current situation, we have dealt with the problems on Newport. Your friends are back aboard the Devastator. It was planned to also extend your team by one person, your Narth friend, however he overextended his own abilities saving us all and has returned to Narth Prime, but he is well and will also soon return.”

I could not help but grin from one ear to the other hearing that my friends were okay. Even though hearing that Narth did something that affected him, I knew instantly and without doubt he was safe and well.

Stahl had not stopped talking to me, so I backed the recording up a few moments and started it again. He said. “ ... return.” and then continued. “The Devastator is on the way to Checkpoint 96 and our current ETA is fifteen days from when I made this recording.” I checked the displayed chronometer date and compared it with actual time and found that the Devi would arrive in four days.

The Ancient Admiral smiled. “Don’t think we making this trip just to pick you up, Mr. Olafson but Fleet Command found it is overdue we show a little muscle in that area as there is increased pirate activity. Your orders are to stand by until we arrive. Take a day of R&R and then report to the Station Commandant for a duty assignment, which should help to keep you out of any unusual situations till I get there. Again welcome back, Stahl out.”

I destroyed the message. Knowing the Devi was coming with my friends aboard were the best news I heard in a long time.

With my personal mood once again completely restored, I left the base office and looked for a public GalNet terminal.

First I called home; the call to Olafson Rock was answered by my father. There was no hello or anything. We just stared at each other for a while and then he broke the silence and said. “It is good to see you son. You look every inch like the Starfleet Officer you always wanted to be.”

“Thank you father, how are things back on Nilfeheim and at the Burg?”

“Shortsummer is still three years away and it is a particularly cold Longnight this season. Ice fishers complain that the ice cover is thicker than usual and the fish even less active.”

He shrugged, “But you know how it is they say that every Longnight around this time. Our Clan is doing well and I am very proud of Elena and I will step down as Clan chief after the next Yuletide meeting and plan to make her officially the first female Clan Chief of Nilfeheim.” He paused and looked down. “You are not opposed to that, right?”

“No father, I made my decision and recent events made me realize that it was the right one. I am proud of Elena too and I know she will be a good Chief. But will she be accepted by the others?”

He slammed his huge fist on the desk he was sitting behind. “I will break anyone’s neck who gives her any disrespect. She is Olafson. Besides most of our associated clans have long accepted her, she has been runing things for quite a while now and she is doing a better job than I could have ever done. We are prosperous and our coffers are full with profit. She is courted by every single warrior, as she has truly become the most beautiful woman on Nilfeheim. I think there will be a wedding soon.”

I greeted the good news and asked. “How is everyone else, Uncle Hogun and Exa?”

“Elena, my brother and his family which includes Exa are off planet, they all went to a place called Para-Para. Ever since the first visit to Pluribus, the spell seems to be broken and everyone travels a little more. The space bus service is now weekly and the bus are always booked.”

We exchanged a few more words and then concluded the call.

Next I tried to reach Egill and got a connection too, but instead of Egill, it was Elena who answered. “Eric!” She yelled.

Then she turned and yelled someone outside the viewer field. “Hurry, Exa tell the others Eric is calling.”

Elena was wearing a dark red bikini and the PDDs visual sensor gave me a very nice look at her well developed chest. Her hand manipulated what seemed to be a small PDD and switched its optical to wide view. Now I could see her sitting on a wooden recliner right at a beautiful beach with white sands and an azure green ocean. There were many others around them; no one wore much in terms of clothing. Like a beaching landing tank making gushing tidal waves, Uncle Hogun came running form the water. I had never seen him just in a pair of swimming trunks, he was truly humongous. Most of his chest and his arms were covered with black hair. Right behind him surfaced Aunt Freydis. I saw Exa hopping up and down the beach and waving at someone to come.

Elena moved the PDD around and heard her say. “Uncle Egill went to the beach store to get ice cream, his Saresii friend went with him, but the Narth is here.”

I saw a Narth in his typical get up, looking completely out of place at the beach, but floating in a very relaxed body position as if he was using a recliner, a few feet of the ground.

Next to him floated a basket like contraption that was partially covered with a blue cloth. Even though Narth looked alike, I knew it was not my friend, but most likely the Narth representative.

I could hear Elena. “Uncle Narth is watching over little Eric. The Narth representative takes his godfather duties very serious.”

The Narth turned his head without changing his position, but now I could see there was also a glass of something orange with fruits and a straw floating on the other side of him. “It pleases one to behold the sharer of what is Narth to be well and safe. One likes to convey that your Hugavh sharer is also well and will return shortly.”

His voice was very low and then he said. “One wishes to ask you all to reduce the level of acoustic expressions perhaps by a factor of 17 percent. One observed that noises beyond this tend to wake my godchild.”

Elena objected before I could say anything. “Eric doesn’t call all that often and he should see his nephew. He never has.”

The Narth did change his position now and got up. “Analyzing human social behavior indicates that you have raised a valid objection, she who is Elena.”

The Narth, most gently took a baby out of the basket. It was a healthy looking boy of about one year of age.

He wore to my surprise a little version of a Narth robe. The boy stretched his arms and clung to the Narth.

Uncle Hogun and Aunt Freydis followed by Exa came into view and the greetings and hellos were heartwarming and I felt blessed to have family after all. After exchanging the usual greetings and news, Hogun took the child from the Narth, brushed back the little hood and said. “Eric, meet Eric Narth Olafson, your nephew. Don’t ask why he looks like a little Narth, but that’s what the little bugger wants, besides this robe is supposedly be nearly indestructible and his godfather is more protective of him than a Tyranno Fin mother of her nest.”

Egill and the Saresii representative arrived carrying a tray of ice cream and I was instantly reminded of Krabbel.

Egill looked completely different now as he had when I saw him first. He was no longer as thin.

While he still looked like an old man, he appeared to be very healthy. His skin had a nice tan and his usual yellowish white stringy beard was now white and full and neatly trimmed. I knew the Saresii was male but there was no telling. He looked as good as any Saresii woman.

After I greeted them too Egill explained that it had been Exa’s idea to take a little vacation on a nice place and so they all decided to spend a few weeks on Para Para.

I had to promise to call more often and come home after I graduated and spend my vacation with them.

These calls managed to push the bad experiences further into the background and Alvor’s Cove and Sin 4 became just another set of memories.

I spent the rest of the day eating at three different restaurants. I even found a fish restaurant that offered something called Clam Chowder, Boston style and it was almost as good as Tyranno Fin stew.

Checkpoint 96 main settlement was right by the Space port.

There weren’t many local attractions worth visiting. The independent tourist development board of Checkpoint 96 praised an amusement park, a large Terran style forest with lake and camping area and an Ice canyon tour. The very word Canyon made me decide against that tour and the amusement park did not really attract me.

So I went to the forest, protected by a large dome from the freezing near vacuum conditions on the outside. It was much better than I expected. Golden sunlight filtered through the green canopy of large trees. Birds made a pleasant noise and I saw a four legged animal with an elaborate horn thing on its head. Little un-intrusive holographic signs identified the trees as Oaks, conifers and birch trees. The animal according to the Computronic was a buck and all the plants grasses, trees, birds and animals came from a Terran region called North America.