Chapter 29

When we gathered at the tables in the community room, I told my friends to be careful with the served meat. I politely declined the meat and asked for porridge only.

Across from me sat the human boy and while I had little time in the last hours, I did notice his continuous stare. By now he should have been getting used to another human being and I said, pointing the spoon at him. “Listen, buster, I know you have not seen another human and I tried to ignore your staring until now, but it is getting ridiculous, you even forget to chew. Either say something and get it out of your system or get over whatever is bugging you!”

He blushed deeply to both his ears as he lowered his head and stared at his plate.

Shea giggled and I watched Narth as he actually held a spoon with a piece of the horrible meat. He probably didn’t want to scare the locals with an open display of Psionics.

I almost gagged as I saw Mao helping himself to a big chunk of the meat while he chewed with full cheeks. “Captain that stuff is delicious. It tastes like the most intense goat I ever tried.”

Mao instantly became the center of attention of several Ithe.

Shea leaned over and whispered. “That poor kid, you scared him half to death. He isn’t much older than you were when you left Nilfeheim.”

I pushed the plate away and sipped at the tea mug and said to her. “Yeah, maybe I was a little rough, but he keeps staring at me with an intensity that creeps me out.”

Shea padded my hand and said. “Pirates, monsters, generals and aliens don’t creep you out, but a teenage human boy does? I am sure he could care less if you were your old Eric self, you are not only the first human he has ever seen, but the first girl and just a few years older than him. You know yourself you look drop dead gorgeous and your choice of dress leaves little to the imagination.”

I got angry and felt the blood rising to my cheeks. “I didn’t pick this outfit. It was you and Cherubim, and besides I am not...”

I stopped as she looked at me with a deep smile. “Yes you are. You no longer refer to yourself as he and you haven’t used your old name. I think your transformation is almost complete and what you have called your old problem has vanished.”

“There is too much on my plate right now to think about all that. I have a mission and we are straying further and further away from it. Next stop is Tana Shoo and it is not where the Red Dragon wants to go.”

She wrinkled her nose and pushed the plate away. “That is worse than anything I remember eating even as a girl on Sin 4.”

To the boy I said. “I think your name is Mel right?”

He nodded without looking up or saying anything and I felt rotten for what I had said. I asked him. “So how did you end up here?”

He spoke with a meek tone as he answered my question. “I was able to hide on an ingot transport from Olx and it stopped here.”

“Olx is a smelter moon, right?”

“Yes.”

“So escape is not impossible?”

He shook his head and said. “No it is not impossible, there are scrap and ore transporters coming and going and there are now too many slaves and not enough overseers.That is how Ninety and the others escaped as well.”

I now felt even more guilt for snapping at him and tried to sound friendlier. “I guess I don’t mind if you stare at me.”

He did not move his head.

I sighed and said. “Now that explains how you came here to Itheamh but how did you come to Olx. From what planet did you come originally?”

He did raise his head now and looked at me with sad eyes and he said. “I was born on Olx, I think. I was raised by several slave women and I think one of them was my mother. When I was old enough to work the overseers pulled me out of the breeding cages and stuck me to a work gang unloading scrap metal and sorting the bad pieces that not supposed to go into the smelters.”

I could not completely hide my feelings and felt a tear roll down my cheek. Compared to this boy, my childhood was paradise and I remembered Egill saying to me that there was always someone who had it worse, when I complained about my lot in life. Back then it was just another saying of a grumpy, wise old man. Now it became reality.

Being female had not only positive sides, it seemed to affect my emotional balance somehow and I hoped no one saw the tear.

When I was a kid I knew Viking boys didn’t cry. Now it was imperative that as a Captain I would not show such displays of strong emotion, at least not in public.

To Mel I said. “We will find out where you belong. I am sure there is family for you somewhere and we will find it.”

He cramped his fist around the wooden spoon utensil and actually broke it doing it. “My home is Olx and I will return there as soon as I can.”

That statement surprised me even more. “Why in Odin’s name would you want to return?”

He said while he touched his neck. “I am still getting used to walking without restrictor cables attached to my feet. I still can feel the steel collar scraping my neck sore, even though it is gone. I am still amazed about open sky and I can’t believe how big and clear it is.”

He pointed at the food bowl, “Or eating food that is not mud soup with ground up bits of brothers and friends floating in it.”

Mel’s eyes glowed with a fierce fire and he said. “I am going back there and kill the Overseers, free all my friends on my work gang that are still alive and then we are going to kill more Overseers.”

I said to him. “This is something we plan to do before we leave.”

Just then my wrist Com chirped. It was Elfi and she said. “Captain I’ve got Admiral Stahl standing by. I told him you are on an away mission. Do you want to take the call?”

The blood that had just rushed into my cheeks now sank to the bottom of my stomach and I said to her. “Yes, Elfi, I am going to take the call.”

I went to one of our landing tanks and took the call in the small cockpit. When the secure transmission was established I noticed it was not just Stahl, but McElligott and the mysterious Cherubim were there as well. It looked like the three immortals sat in Stahl’s office aboard the Devi.

The eternal warrior looked at me with his ice gray eyes and said. “We had a quiet meeting and my old friend thought it might be nice to call you and catch up with our special crew and Captain.”

He gave McElligott a side glance and then added. “Somehow I have a feeling you have quite a report for us.”

I straightened myself in the comfortable seat of the tank and said. “Yes, Sir, I think I do.”

I told them everything that happened so far and I left nothing out. While I spoke I uploaded my log book entries and also the reports of my departments. They did not interrupt and I finished saying. “Sirs, I am in a dilemma and I know it, but I made the decision to help as much as I can. I also must somehow go to Tana Shoo. Har-Hi is more than a friend to me and I could not look into his face if I did not do something to help the Dai Than. I know how important the Seenian depot is and the Red Dragon issue and I assure you I will find a solution to it, but it eludes me at the moment.”

Even though I had finished talking there was silence. The three immortals looked at each other and I was sure there was some sort of communication going on.

It was McElligott, the Admiral of the Fleet who folded his hands before him and leaned forward saying. “We send out a young crew, with untested officers on a mostly untested ship and all under the command of the youngest Captain in fleet history. We did that, mostly because my old friend here saw something in you.”

My stomach knotted as he paused for a moment and then he continued saying. “We thought it would be a nice easy assignment for a young crew. Act like pirates and suppress pirate activity. Little did we know you went out to change galactic history.”

He sighed and then smiled. “Your mission is not set in stone, Captain. You are out there all on your own. You are in command because we trust you to make those decisions and you did. We won’t hang you for that, or strip you of your command.

The Fleet you serve has many reasons to exist and many tasks. Protecting the Union from outside threats is one, exploration is another but our single most important task is to help others.

Your Elly chef was quite correct, that is the true core of the Union and its fleet.

It is not written, not mentioned anywhere in basic training or the manuals you have read so far, because it is expected. You are no longer in Freespace where fleet operations are prohibited. That you are technically undercover is a fact and a problem, but you are doing the right thing by helping.”

Stahl said. “These things are discussed in command school but you did not have the benefit to go there yet. You did not spend years as the XO of another captain and yet you do what we expect you to do. So I am very proud of you, girl.”

Now it was Cherubim’s turn to speak and she said. “Your XO is right, however, when he says nation building is very difficult, rarely successful and opens a can of worms of problems. Not many would try it, and even less on a schedule of a few weeks.”

She held up her hand signalling to me that she wasn’t finished as I tried to say something and she continued, “You are a very unusual individual Captain Olafson with a command and lead style all your own and you have the great fortune of having a crew that is not only second to none, but virtually worships the ground you walk on. Your science officer and your ship AI have prepared the most comprehensive political situation report I have seen in ages. Your intelligence officer and your special envoy from the Golden prepared a detailed intelligence dossier. All this is very helpful for us to develop a course of action.”

Stahl also leaned forward in his seat. “What the shadowy intelligence woman tried to say is that you are not alone in this. I know it must feel like this for you to operate under cover and without the benefits of regular fleet contact. We will discuss this and see what we can do from our end. In the meantime go and contact our intelligence contact in the Itheamh government. We will send him a message and transmit the details to you as well. When you have made contact we will speak with you again and tell you what we can do to help.”

The kilt wearing admiral of the fleet said. “Carry on then Captain Olafson. We put a big load on your small shoulders and you somehow have the talent to stir up things wherever you go and increase that load beyond anything we had foreseen. Now take care of your business and be assured you are indeed not alone in this and that we are very proud of you.”

They saluted me and the screen went dark.

I rarely felt more release of tension and stress than I was feeling right now. Having the blessing of the eternal guides and more so, having their backing, made me feel a million pounds lighter. The old Admiral of the Fleet was right, it really felt like a big load I had carried.

Shea stuck her head in and said. “Captain, you may want to tune in to the local propaganda channel.”

I did and saw towering machines that remotely looked like mechanical versions of a Karthanian being, stomping through a small town, releasing rays of energy, crushing and burning houses and the clear images showed scores of panicked people dying. Others were rounded up by soldiers. A voice only commentator spoke of the glorious victory of the government law and order against a hotbed of rebellious activity.

Shea said. “That town and many other communities had open protests on the streets. This is the answer of the magistrate.”

I said. “I am done playing it subtle.” I activated my wrist com and said. “Marines, men, saddle up. Full Destroyer Suits authorized. One squad stays here, the rest follow me.”

Without restriction I let my marines loose, but we did use the cloaking technology of our Atlas suits and protected the outer image of Ithe warriors in simple battle suit frames. Of course no initiated observer would believe that the carnage and destruction we dealt out to the Drak shock troops could have possibly done by Ithe manufactured Exo frames.

Despite the fact that I had an incredible arsenal of weapons at my disposal; I mainly used my strange ax. I knew it was not just my Neo Viking roots that made me favor a seemingly simple bladed weapon.

There was a connection between me and that weapon that went beyond preference. This thing was part of me and when I swung it, I felt more complete than ever before. This time there was no black out. I recalled every moment of my fight attacking and slaughtering Drak soldiers and I knew the vicious, intense and brutal way I was ripping through men and hardware was nothing the old Eric would have done, whatever was sleeping inside me was slowly but surely fusing with all other aspects of my complicated self. I did not stop it, suppress it, forget it or ignore it.

I could feel the entity that was inside me and it was colder than the coldest ice winds of Nilfeheim, it had no shape form or name.

It was more like an intense emotion, comparable to a feeling of fear or anger that began collecting somewhere below the stomach. It was as if staring into a mirror in a very dark room and only seeing bits and outlines; the reflection looking strange and alien and yet I knew the reflection was me.

I always liked the crisp clean feeling of cold water, of cold wind and there was a new desire of mine to embrace that coldness and make it rise and come to the foreground.

While I was contemplating my own condition; the augmented muscles of my Atlas suit made me jump on the top of a ten story building. Concrete and brick shattered upon my impact and I jumped again, dispensing a dozen Dragonfly Seek and Destroy Intelli-projectiles from the launcher mounted into the knuckle area of my left gauntlet. The projectiles programmed to seek out and kill anyone fitting the brainwave patterns of a Drak. The SII-Geyser Gatling on my left shoulder obliterated a Drak flier with light speed accelerated plutonium pellets over seven klicks away. At the apex of my leap, my boot thrusters came on and with my ax raised, I collided with one of the towering robotic war machines. Its force field collapsed in a crackling display of lightning.

The Drak soldiers sitting behind the cannon controls of the Ognix, screamed with primeval fear as I ripped the protective armor of their gun mounts to shreds and grabbed one of them by the short throat popping his head right of his shoulders while my ax, spilt the other. From there I fired my Main weapon, the TKU blast of my chest cannon cut to the center of the Ognix with the core heat of a white star vaporizing the command brain and much of the upper structure of the machine.

My battle optics identified Narth floating not far from me. He too wore an Atlas suit. Two of the giant machines abandoned their attack on the civilians and turned to fight each other, while a third one, thousands of tons begun to rise into the air, its armor crumble as if an invisible fist was squeezing it. Then it crashed with force and head first into the ground. It was not just I who was growing and changing. Narth’s powers clearly grew as well

A beam of energy, so bright my optics almost overloaded, zigzagged in an impossible pattern through the chests of three Ognix machines. No weapon beam I knew off could change its direction like that. Narth’s mental voice gave me the answer. “That’s Ensign Three-Four, our Non-Corp. He decided he could do more damage not wearing his suit and it is evident he is quite right.”

It was over soon. Looking at the carnage I realized just how formidable the crew was I commanded.

Our Leedei officer connected and said. “The rest of the Ognix are now marching towards their own headquarters and reducing Drak hardware and installations to scrap.”

Elfi’s voice added. “The Magistrate calling Karthanians to stop them.”

Still floating above the burning city I saw Ithe picking up weapons and storm a city square where soldiers had rounded up civilians to be shot and turned the table on the soldiers.

I used the confusion of the local forces to have the Tigershark land among the wrecks. Shea and SHIP had programmed a new Janus mask and the ship looked like a burned out, rusty hulk and looked as if it was lying there for hundred years at least and even I could not tell her apart from the other wrecks and scrap ships.

Ninety walked over and gestured to my ship with disbelieve saying. “You flew with this thing?”

I said. “Remember my story about the Trojan horse? It’s something like that.”

He was still looking at the ship as he said. “After the broadcast you had me do last night, there are open revolts in several cities now and the Drak are holding back. They are afraid that if they act, they will get the same treatment as the troops and Ognix got last night in Craha city.”

I said to him. “That is good news indeed.”

“Karthanians had to to drop their thinly veiled disguise of being non involved benefactors and use ship weapons to stop the turned Ognix walkers.”

He now focused on me. “It is still a different story in the Capital of course. I have heard the Karthanian requested Oghr assistance with ships and troops and the Drak prepare a large shipment of prisoners to the smelter moons. My sources say they have over 10,000 prisoners and want to use them to show the Karthanian that they still loyal and useful.”

“Wonderful, that is what I hoped for and it will help me with the next phase of my plan.”

He spread his arms in a confused gesture. “I used to be a Togar commander and yet I cannot see what you are planning. All I know is that what you did so far worked and I am fully behind you.”

“Do you think it would possible to go to the capital city undercover? I need to see the space port and gather intelligence.”

He said. “It will be difficult and dangerous but not impossible, I am sure. The authorities try everything to play down the events, especially in the capital and surrounding districts.”

The Togar said. “It will be best you go just before dusk so you arrive when it is dark. I’ll organize a guide and disguises for you.”

I felt like coming home stepping into my quarters and I realized how tired I was. I hadn’t slept in quite a while, eaten very little and had only the most rudimentary hygienic care. After checking with Circuit who currently held the Conn and a very short department meeting, I had a long and relaxing bath and almost fell asleep doing it. I could not believe how dried out my gills felt as I rinsed them with fresh cold water and hoped I would find time for an extended swim in our pool as soon as this was over.

I did not dress again. I sat down wearing a dressing gown and made a log book entry when the door chime announced a visitor. I expected Shea, but to my surprise it was Mr. Eeeryt carrying a tray and he said. “SHIP told me that you haven’t eaten in days, so I made you this Tyranno Fin steak. I have a few portions in my stasis freezer saved for you.”

“Mr. Eeeryt, how thoughtful of you.” The savory smell of fried fish and mashed seaweed buds wafted into my nose like the finest scent in the Universe as he uncovered the dish and put the tray down. “You must take more care of yourself, Captain. SHIP and I are concerned.” He rushed to the door saying, “Enjoy”, just before he left.

I doubted Odin and the Aseir ate better food at the eternal banquet of Valhalla than the fish that was just melting on my tongue. There were few pleasures more satisfying than the simple act of eating one’s favorite food after not having it for a long time. The taste conjured images and memories of Uncle Hogun, Elena, father, old Egill, of Elkhart the first keeper and of course of Midril and the kitchen of our burg.

SHIP, we are still in regular GalNet range right?”

“Yes Captain, especially since Alvor’s Cove just came online with a transponder station a few days ago.”

Only my AI would add such small talk information and I was very glad it was so. I said. “See if you can tune in on Nilfeheim Radio. It is almost yuletide and they play nice old music around this time. I think Egill told me in his last message that Nilfeheim Radio now has a GalNet channel

“Yes Captain he did and I saved the info.”

The sweet music of an old Yuletide song filled my quarters and I allowed myself a bottle of beer and felt quite content for the moment. I knew it would not last of course but that didn’t bother me right now.