Chapter 13

After we had witnessed the end of Duke Donheer and had returned to the ship, I had one more grave and sad duty to perform.

I tugged at my completely black uniform jacket after I stepped out of the Auto Dresser. This uniform had no patches, no ribbons and did not have the white lining, only three golden rings around the cuffs of my sleeve. I did not look forward to what I had to do, but he was one of our own and it was a good and old tradition to take care of our own. The good and the bad. It was my duty alone and it would be on my consciousness alone. I straightened my posture and walked into the empty Hangar bay.

The entire crew except those who had to keep the most essential duty posts were assembled.

At my sign, two Marines brought in Wintsun. He had been dressed in a Midshipman uniform but all rank insignia had been removed.

He looked around and then he recognized Krabbel and I was sure he now realized that the Saturnian without his flashy helmet and arena armour was Hans. His green face paled as he saw Narth. Then his eyes found me and he spat on the floor. “I have nothing to do with your fleet anymore. I quit and I am going my own way. This is Freespace and your jurisdiction ended 1300 light years from here.”

I said. “Wintsun can you explain to me why you have changed so much, Limbur, Galmy, Olia, Narth and I were your friends. What made you go this way?”

He squinted his eyes. “I don’t remember ever seeing you before. Who are you?”

I answered him. “You knew me as Eric Olafson and we were friends.”

He looked me up and down and said. “I thought we sent you to the Kermac? What’s with the chick outfit? Did the Kermac turn your mind or something?”

I sighed. “The plan of Dent and his cronies did not pan out as they thought it would. They have all paid for their crimes and for their treason. I have your Mind Dump file and could check it, but I want to hear it from you.”

He shrugged. “I never liked that creepy Narth, you and him becoming buddies and all that, but it started on Perryton during our first leave right in the Data Head shop. That arrogant chick Galmy showing us all how rich she was and making me feel small by paying for my data head equipment. Then a guy approached me and asked if I would be interested to become rich on my own by doing a few favors for the Worm. In turn he promised me a prestigious spot at the Newport academy, fast promotion and lots of credits. Looking back at it, it might have been a bad decision, but it was fun for the most part.”

I didn’t really know what to say to that but I did say.”Galmy did that, not to put you down, but to show you her friendship.”

He rolled his eyes. “I spit on you all’s friendship. I wanted Olia but no, she only had only eyes for that brute Limbur and he was supposed to be my best friend. I spit on them and I spit on you,”

Then he made a disgusted face and said while looking at me. “I guess you posed as Black Velvet and that means I almost raped my own academy buddy, and a transvestite at that, what a hoot.”

I straightened my stance and said. “And now you will pay for all your deeds according to our laws and traditions.”

Wintsun shrugged. “So what? I know my rights, we are in Freespace. You have no jurisdiction to arrest me here or even be here with a warship and be in uniforms on Union business.”

I noticed the steel edge in my voice as I said. “You are a deserter. You have been found guilty in absence of treason and murder by a Military Court. You escaped Newport stealing a military transport, murdering two officers and four enlisted and selling Union Military Technology. In your short criminal career you really out did some who do that their entire life.You are board a vessel fully commissioned by the United Stars of the Galaxies and thus Union ground.”

I held up his memory chip. “I know it was you who whipped me at the post. I promised you then justice will prevail and now it has.”

He laughed. “Yes it was me and I enjoyed it. It took me a little but you cried and squealed like the pig you are at the end!”

I took my gloves from my belt and put them on. “Everything that needs to be said has been said and you show no remorse and therefore I deny you the mercy I could give.”

With a gesture I signalled the crew and everyone put on their hoods and I said. “No hand shall be soiled by the task of exterminating you from our society and no face will show sorrow for you. By the laws and traditions set forth in this our United Stars of the Galaxies Navy, you are a traitor to your society and it has been judged that you shall hang by the neck until you are dead.”

Wintsun stopped laughing as the Marines started the drum roll and he was dragged to the raised platform that was actually a Landing tank elevator. I followed and said to the Marine Sergeant, echoing Stahl’s words: “You may stand back, Sarge. I must do my own dirty work.”

“Aye Captain!”

Wintsun now saw the noose hanging down and his facial expression changed. His hateful expression left and now he looked just like I saw him the very first time. “Please, don’t do it. You always knew a solution to a problem. Can we not talk about it?”

I answered. “I would have tried to find another way but not now, since I know it was you who shot Narth. I gave you a chance to show remorse moments ago. The time to talk has passed. You are now paying for your crimes according to our laws.”

He struggled but the Marines manhandled him without problems and I said. “Do you want a blindfold?”

He nodded with tearful eyes and I placed a black hood over his head and then the rope. His breath was moving the fabric of the hood. I knew this image would follow me for the rest of my life. “May whatever God you worship have mercy on you.”

I stepped of the elevator platform and pressed the control that lowered it away from his feet. He kicked a few times and then hung still.

Gray Nul

CH 12: GRAY NUL

I could not even think about sleep after executing a living being. This was completely different than a combat kill. So I went to the pool and took a long swim. The clear cold water, as always did wonders to my state of mind. While I was submerged I wondered if there was something like an immortal soul and if that was so, did I add to my eternal damnation by executing Wintsun? I certainly hoped the visions I glimpsed on Coven were not the hell of sinners after all. If such a place existed, Hel might have already prepared a very special place for me. I was about to close my eyes a little and simply drift when SHIP’s voice reached me. “Sorry Captain, but you are needed.”

So I surfaced and Har-Hi stood by the pool holding a towel.

He said. “There is a situation outside the ship; I thought you’d want to know about it.”

I climbed out of the pool and dried myself and said. “SHIP give me a field screen, please.”

My Dai friend explained while the view screen established itself before me. “There is a grey Nul outside our force field and it looks like he is badly wounded. As you can see there is a gang of other beings hunting him.”

I saw the Nul, his left arm hung from his body and he was oozing yellowish blood from several wounds. He threw rocks and pieces of Duro Crete towards a horde of twenty beings mocking him and taking pot shots.

I jumped into the Auto Dresser and dialed for my Pirate Outfit.

Seconds later Har-Hi was running beside me to the next IST and said. “He is a Nul, Captain. They are our enemies. They have never shown any mercy. Remember Lt. Voglgard? I thought you wanted to see him die.”

I turned my head as we stepped into the IST. “Yes I remember the two Wolfcraft pilots and I know Voglgard was killed while he was in space. I was there, but that does not mean we have to be the same way. Let’s see what he wants. He did come here for a reason.You would not have come to the pool if you think the situation was as simple as you now make it sound.”

The IST shaft extended to the ground and released us below my ship. I ran towards the force field border where the Nul stood.

Below my ship and without a slide belt or other transportation I realized just how big the Tigershark really was. So I increased my running speed, of course Har-Hi had no problem keeping up and he said with grin on his face to me: “It is an unfair situation the Nul is in and that’s why you fought for him at the arena as well.”

He could not see my grin as I said. “I guess I am predictable after all.”

Har-Hi responded. “You are one of the biggest mysteries I came across in my life, but yes in certain situations I think I know what motivates you.”

We had almost reached the edge but there was time for me to say. “That is a strange thing to say. I thought we were getting to know each other pretty good by now.”

He chuckled and said. “True enough, but for one I can’t figure out how you manage to run in heels like that, I would break my neck and I know you didn’t have a lifetime of practice like Shea. And then there is this whole female part of you. I knew you as Eric and we served many months together and now you are a woman. You are still my best friend and I accept you like that just as I have before, but I don’t understand it.”

I slowed down as we were almost there and said. “I don’t think about the heels, I almost tripped as you mentioned them and for the other part, I can’t even answer that to myself. I feel guilty somehow every time I talk to Admiral Stahl.”

I stopped less than a meter from the Nul, all that separated us was the insubstantial, barely visible barrier of the shields. “SHIP can you make the shields transparent for sound where I am?”

She responded right away saying: “Yes Captain, you can talk to the Nul now.”

Before I could say something to the huge alien, a blaster shot hammered into the shield right before me, perhaps even aimed at me but only a few centimeters away from the Nul, his grey skin discolored from the intense heat to a scarred black.

I said into the same audio pick up I had addressed SHIP and said: “Tactical, fire a warning shot at those goons and I don’t mind if you singe a few of these cowards.”

Mao responded with a crisp Aye and an eye blink later, an arm thick bright white beam of energy pulsed from somewhere above us and converted a long trench of liquefied Concrete and trash into white hot glowing magma. Whoever was left of the now considerable smaller mob scrambled to find cover.

Having the pause I needed, I addressed the Nul. “What do you want here?”

He looked horrible, not because he was a Nul, but because he was injured all over his body and was barely able to stand. He said with a voice that was inhumanly deep but sounded weak. “I know you are human and we are enemies...” The Nul stumbled and it appeared he kept on his feet by sheer will power. “I have no place to go; the entire planet’s population appears to hunt me because I am Nul. You are an enemy but you are a warrior born as I have seen you fight and heard what you said to the Pertharians. I do not want to die by the hands of rabble and scum, so I am here to challenge you to a fight. I will die by the hands of an enemy that has honor.”

His pillar like legs buckled, and he groaned as he pushed himself back up.

I said. “SHIP, Med Bots to my position, stat. Also, alert two Marines in full Battle Armor and make me a structural gap where I am.”

Har Hi drew a sword and a blaster at the same time as SHIP responded to my orders.I stepped through the hole in our shield and said to the Nul. “I accept your challenge but there is no honor to fight you in this condition. My Med Staff is on the way and we will treat you.”

He groaned something I did not understand and then collapsed. The Med Bots arrived along with the Marines and to them I said. “Bots take the Nul to sick bay and you marines do not let him out of your sight. If he shows any hostile intentions, constrain or terminate him.”

DIMON

He finally got a break and came across a small crowd standing by several mangled bodies of various beings. He heard the word Nul and a Oghr pointed in the direction of the space port. “That Nul isn’t too fresh anymore. I think that monster went in circles before it decided to go towards the port.”

Dimon had to kill twice, as it was not a good idea to be on foot at Sin 4 at any time of the day.

He didn’t dare to go to his ship or some other resource to properly equip himself for the fear he might lose the trail.

This was the reason he didn’t hire a Taxi either, he had to follow the Nul on foot and hoped he would reach him in time. Sin 4 was a deadly place no matter what race you belonged to.

The Nul did first turn north and away from the port, but why was he running to the port? May trying to commander a spaceship.

Nul were neither common nor much liked by anyone, and the chances someone opened fire just to kill was very likely.

In all this he had to agree with his Nul contact. The Seer of Narl Gatu was right, the Nul was alive and in Freespace, but the chances he remained that way were very slim.

Dimon feared intergalactic war and the death of the Gray Nul on Sin 4 would almost guarantee it.

He also knew that he was far to self confident. He could have not bested that Dai, not with any weapon. That Dai was no mere Dai Than but had the training and even more the skills of a Juth-Ni. That Dai could have cleared the arena on his own, against them all. That this Dai Than warrior god followed her, was even more alluring to him.

A badly aimed pot shot burned a hole in the wall of a building only a handswith away from his head.

He had to concentrate on the situation at hand and tried to put his thoughts about the pirate lady into the back of his head. Dimon returned fire with a Kermac line blaster, he had taken of an Arena guard.

His shots were equally poorly aimed, as he did not even see who had fired at him. He just returned a few blasts into the same direction, while he ran across the street and up the stairs that led to the shallow crater rim, where the Gorotolah space port terminal used to be, most of it had been turned to ashes by a Union corporate security ship. Dimon wasn’t here but he had heard the story. Fools with a DE turret actually opened fire on a Schwartz security ship.

Dimon was only an identity, he really was the Purple worm. He was a criminal and he knew that, but compared to the secret, hidden evil of the SII corporation, the Worm was a club of saints. Rex Schwartz was much more of a criminal than he ever was.

He was on the right track as he came across two badly mangled bodies.One a Lapdir Oghr and the other looked like a Jooltar both clearly victims of a close combat attack of something much stronger.

The Jooltar gargled and showed that he was still alive. That the Lapdir was dead, there was no question. A heavy piece of duro-crete had rendered most of his head into a gorey mess.

“End it for me.” The Jooltar pleaded with a weak cough.

“The Nul?”

“No two Petharians. The Nul was in no shape to do much, I am sure you find him dead too.”

Dimon did the mercy killing and went on, rushing from cover to cover. Some half molten support beams and larger rubble pieces. He had completely forgotten about the Petharians. If they caught up with the Nul, they had no problem killing the wounded prince.

In the distance a sudden bright flash illuminated a Karthanian Armed Trader, the ship had fired some kind of Thermo plasma weapon. He could hear the loud crack and the screams of those close to be singed but too far from being killed.

Moments later, a wild mob of scavengers and low scum came running and limping. Some of them covered with blisters and nasty burn wounds. He grabbed a Fendrian, who was looking over his shoulder noticing the Half Dai too late.”Have you seen a Nul?”

“We chased that brute all the way to that pirate ship and then it opened fire. The Nul and many others are ashes. Let me go!”

Dimon did let the pelted Fendrian go and he too turned. He had lost, the Gray Nul was dead. Killed by Thermo blasts from the Silver Streak. Their crew probably still waiting for their feisty captain to return, nervous and trigger happy. Shooting at anything that seemed threatening. A Nul appearing running over the landing field certainly presented such a target.

Dimon wondered where the Gray Nul wanted to go, but then tracing his erratic escape path, he was most likely just running without knowing where to go.

Now Dimon faced the difficult task to inform the Nul that their promised new leader was dead.

The Nul was not the only visitor that night; the two Petharians arrived at our shield base minutes later. They too were wounded, but not seriously as far as I could tell. One of them said to me through the shield: “We are here, Pirate woman, you said to us to come here if we want to see the Union again. We are Union Citizens and do not want to be taken as slaves again, but even Pertharians have little options on this cursed world.”

I responded. “On my word I will not enslave you and I meant what I said in the arena.”

Narth spoke into my mind. “Those are first year academy cadets, very young and despite being Pertharians, quite frightened.”

With this information I had ship open the shield and I said to them. “Cadets, get in here on the double!”

They responded before they even realized what they were doing. One of them asked. “How do you know we are Cadets?”

Only after SHIP had the shields opaque to sound I said. “I am Captain Olafson and this is the USS Tigershark. I don’t know how soon we can get you home and back to the academy, but for now you are safe.This is a Union ship and we are Union officers.”

They both saluted and snapped into attention and one snarled. “Officer on deck.”

I sighed with a smile on my lips. “Don’t do the saluting out here, let’s get you inside.”

As they stepped out of the IST and into the main corridor of Deck 5 they saw two Marines waiting for them, one being a Petharian, too.

The slightly bigger one said. “The center be praised, this is a Union ship! Captain, Ma’am, I am Cadet Clubb and that is Cadet Dorth and we were abducted on Planet Perryton just as we went for our first R&R. Dorth and I followed a phony Master Chief who promised us a good time in an Orglatron. Instead we were paralyzed and sold here to the Arena.”

I said. “Sergeant Lemrr here will take you to sick bay, where our MD will check you out. Then you will report to Lt. Neugruber and give him a detailed report and a description so we can send CID to Perryton.”

Even though both of them were inhuman Petharians, I could almost physically feel their relief as they followed the Marines. Remembering my first adventure on this cursed planet I knew how they felt.

I ended the day with a late dinner at the Den and then I did find some sleep after all.

Shipmaster Turdin Masab had watched some of the action on the landing field. He saw the bright plasma bolt that dug a deep trench of liquified concrete, rubble and at least a dozen Sin 4 scavengers. He had missed the reason why they were there, but he had seen the results of the last altrucation. He didn’t know exactly what happened to the Hegor and the Tight Squeeze, but it involved agitated scavengers and surface pirate scum. He decided that the Gorotolah was becoming to dangerous for his taste, Sin 4 had other places to land. Although not as big or as convenient close to the upcoming market, but a good distance from the Donheer district.

He figured that the explosion that leveled the Donheer compound might had to do with all the comotion. The small landing field to the east, completely controlled by the Rillo syndicate might be a little more expensive, they did charge a landing fee, and had ways to collect it too. But they had much less of a scum and scavenger problem.

Turdin was an Armosian and didn’t like other species much, mostly because like all Armosian he was jealous about other species success, tech and everything else.

While Turdin Masab was quite a successful smuggler and pirate all things considered, he carried the same collective shame. The Armosians were rejected by the Kermac as a Thrall species for being useless, unreliable and unimportant. This was felt as the greatest insult and the Armosians hated everything Kermac. The Armosians also waited to this day for an invitation to the Assembly and being made Union members. That the Union never invited anyone but waited for applications was an important fact the Armosians overlooked and so they hated everything associated with the Union as well.

Turdin had an all Armosian crew and gave the orders to lift of under Arti Grav, to change landing ports.

At first everything went fine and it was total routine. Even though the Brazen Business had an engineer and several helpers, the engineer didn’t feel getting out of his bunk for a simple Arti grav hop.

As the Brazen Business reached about one thousand meters, dozens of tiny demolition charges went off, cutting energy to all ArtiCoils. The little charges went almost unnoticed, only an engineering helper wondered about the popping sounds behind the wall panels. But he had no chance of investigating or asking someone. A spaceship losing ArtiGrav at this height became basically a big stone and it dropped, reached terminal velocity just before it impacted with the cracked Duro-Crete surface, just a few hundred meters from where it lifted off. An experienced engineer could have activated the ships main engines and prevented that devastating impact, but that engineer never left his bunk.

At the time of impact it made no difference where everyone was, the Brazen Business was instantly reduced to scrap, some of it was neatly spread across much of the space port after a hefty explosion. Not that anyone was alive at that point, but the fire that followed the explosion and engulved whatever was left dashed the hopes of even the most optimistic onlooker to find anyone alive.

That the ArtiGrav failed aboard a sturdy Oghr Combat freighter actually surprised no one and jokes were made about Armosian engineering.

When I woke I realized I had missed the Forenoon watch and said to SHIP as I got up: “SHIP, why didn’t you wake me at 0730 hours?”

She responded. “You gave no specific orders to be woken, Captain and the XO said to let you sleep if you didn’t give specific orders.”

With a mild accusatory tone in my voice I said to her. “You shaded the viewports and dimmed the lights all on your own, so I would not wake on my own and you knew I scheduled myself for Forenoon watch. One of these days, you mother me before the crew.”

She actually managed to make her voice sound a little offended. “Captain, your wellbeing is important to the crew and mission. Sleep is important to humans. You know I follow any order you give and would never be disrespectful.”

I dressed myself instead of using the Auto dresser, since I wore the same outfit day in and day out. I did liked to select what I was wearing underneath and while I knew it was a mild form of narcissism, I liked the way lace looked on this body. I said to SHIP. “I know you were motivated by good intentions and I appreciate that.”

She sounded happy. “Thank you Captain, besides nothing happened that needed your attention while you slept.Other than that the Brazen Business fell out of the sky after lifting of. No one locally was surprised about that and blames it on Armosian engineering.”