Chapter 9: Surprise

The Dai fliers had reached the crumbling wall and one of the men stood up, his voice amplified.

“We know you are hiding there, Union wench. My Cam wants you and all must yield to his will. Come out and I let the rest of the scum live.”

Pander-Go yelled before I could respond.

“You are Na. You can not afford any witnesses. She has as much claim to be Patri as you or the Tar of the Hi. What you are doing is not Than. If your Cam wants her, let him come forward and challenge her. Hundreds against one is Okthi!”

A large group of All-terrain vehicles breached the tall grass coming from the west, many hundred Han Man and Ireki also armed to the teeth.

“The female was sold to us by the Hi clan. If she is that valuable to the Cam, we demand appropriate compensation.”

A weapon blast hit the rock walls of the tower base. Pander-Go and the girls were hiding behind.

I aimed and fired too. The shooter right next to the standing Na commander fell of the hover sled with a large burn hole through his head.

Suit shields flickered on, a storm of blasts peppered the rock walls, instantly raising the temperature while rocks melted and cracked. Our cover would not last much longer, I killed another one, shooting him where his shields were transparent for his weapon fire, but most of my shots were absorbed by the shields.

I was only postponing our demise by maybe a few minutes. In my mind I asked Odin to receive me when a sudden warm feeling touched my mind, a black shrouded figure popped out of thin air right next to me.

“It might not be very wise for them to make you any angrier, Captain but I think you will benefit from this.”

Narth handed me an Old style TKU.

Narth was not alone, Har-Hi had appeared with him, wearing the latest Quasimodo Destroyer suit.

One of the Dai skimmers came flying in a tumbling fashion crashing into two others, the entire thing had been tossed by a menacing four armed Y’All warrior. A huge Saturnian held a Dai by its ankles and used the mangled body like a club smashing it across the head of another Dai.

A gray Nul not wanting to be outdone tossed an All-terrain vehicle complete with Han-Man crew into the suddenly confused rows of Dai warriors.

A huge pile of man-sized boulders, once some sort of defensive building perhaps rose into the air and a storm of rock debris pounded armored Dai and armed Han-Man merciless to bloody gore.

The sun white cracks of TKU fire poured into the now panicking Dai. A huge spider holding no less than four SITKUs, joined by the most beautiful sight of twenty marines all in the latest Union battle armor. Eight Fenris robots led by a menacing war machine blocked the uncontrolled retreat.

Har-Hi yelled.

“I couldn’t get my father to move fast enough, so I borrowed the Tigershark and most of its crew...”

“My ship, the Tigershark ... she is here?”

A small Holdian decloaked wearing his version of an Atlas battle suit.

“Yes, Captain, she is!”

Above us, in the clear night sky, something shimmered into existence. No sight in the Universe could have been more beautiful to me. A menacing utmost elegant and dangerous looking spaceship. sunbright floodlights came on rendering the deep shadowy landscape into a shadowless glaring field of white light.

One of the crumbling walls suddenly came to life, enormous hands grabbed the speeder of the Na chieftain like an insubstantial toy, from the walls a frightful golem grew. He was joined by a bolt of bright blue energy that zigzagged in the most unusual ankles and directions between the screaming Man warriors, burning those it touched to instant puffs of fast dissipating smoke.

Four Togar cats, accompanied by a fifth ax-wielding cat flanked from the west and engaged the handful stragglers that tried to escape in that direction.

The massive hand made of dust and dirt dangled the Na warrior right before me.

I slowly got up from my prone position, realizing only a few minutes had passed since Narth appeared next to me. As far as I could see, dead Dai and Han-Man mangled burned and twisted wrecks of fliers and vehicles, a few survivors crawling on all four completely dazed and confused, crying and begging for mercy.

“Here I am, Dai of the Na. I will let you live for now. Go crawl to that Cam of yours and tell him Captain Erica Olafson of the USS Tigershark will tear his mother to scrap and then drag him before the Pale Ones, dead or alive.”

Luitenant Fivcheer stepped up.

“I can read him just fine, and I sense the Cam. We can send him back right away.”

“Not like this!”

Narth understood my mental request and all clothing armor and weapons dissolved in their components and fell off him like sand.

Naked as the moment he was born, the Na chieftain disappeared. Narth teleported him along Fivecheer’s psionic guide right before the command chair of the Cam.

I kept hugging, embracing and kissing my crew. Even SHIP was here now, her new Ego Center remote was able to leave the ship. Cateria fussed about the bad job the remote surgeon did and the many blister scars I had. Elfi cried openly and told me how much she had missed me.

Then there was an eery cry and a black dragon-like beast, now almost man-sized with huge leathery wings attacked me, only to press its head against me, making the gentlest rattling sounds.

“In Odin’s name. Fenris you sure have grown! I missed you too.”

Pander-Go and the Daiyee came out from their cover and stared with open mouths at the assembly of the most wonderful beings in all the Universe, my crew.

Pander-Go found words.

“So you are a captain and your crew really exists, good spirits. What a crew indeed.”

SHIP said.

“We are being hailed by the Cam of the Na tribe.”

“I am not really presentable and have no idea about the actual situation.”

“He says that he is prepared to lay waste to the entire planet.”

“Alright pipe him to your COM unit, audio only.”

“Hear this lackey of the Union, you have not impressed me with your psionic trickery. I am here with most of my tribes. You can not escape, now surrender!”

“And you hear this, I am sick and tired of you and Dao politics. I don’t care how many ships and Dai Than you got, the next time something appears before your throne it is going to be an antimatter bomb.”

My ship! I stepped on my bridge and knew I had come home. This was where I belonged.

After a moment reflecting and caressing the pseudo-leather of my command seat, I looked at Har-Hi.

“How much trouble we are in? I am not sure what the books say on borrowing a ship, but I am sure it is about as serious as can be.”

Elfi resumed her seat behind communications and said.

“We are at the edge of GalNet. Admiral Stahl standing by to talk to you.”

“Put him on, right away please.”

The Eternal Warrior appeared on our main screen, he wore his usual black uniform and appeared to be aboard the Devi.

“When your friend Har-Hi told me you would be a few weeks with the Dai, I had a personal bet going with Admiral McElligott just how long it would take for you getting mixed up in the whole Dai affair. Then the Tar contacted me, telling me about a certain Neo Viking fighting with Dai warriors, blowing up Battleships and similar things. While we are still trying to get used to your, somewhat unorthodox approach to problems ever since you rammed a Submarine into a space-bus, it is an utterly different story to those not knowing you.”

He sat down in the command seat of the Devi, a seat I knew well.

“Then I was informed you were abducted. Once again I might add. I was concerned about your safety but I knew the ones responsible would eventually regret their actions. When the prince of the Nul and the prince of the Hi tribe called me all upset and urged me to pretty much mobilize the entire Spatial Navy, every marine, ship, and soldier. I suggested they should go to Richter 4 instead. The Tigershark is almost ready and her entire crew keeps flooding Command with constant messages, repair updates, and requests to be assigned back as soon as possible, so my suggestion solved a whole bunch of problems. Now let me have it, your report please.”

I told him everything I knew.

“I am going to forward this to General Cherubim and the Old Highlander. This Pandar-Go might have hit the nail on its head, of all reasons and motivations this one makes more sense than anything else.

“He looked at me.

“You look so nice, so nice and dare I say quite delectable in that skimpy outfit. What demon or God decided to stuff a genuine Neo Viking inside I can’t say but Lord help us. Now get back to the Exer-Hi and go to Thana Shoo. Your crew will wait for you at Richter 4. Your fish is space worthy but the repairs are not completely done. Luitenant Narth will be CO in charge until you and Lt.Hi return.”

“Aye Sir.”

“By then, the rest of the crew will be there as well.

“He sighed, at least you are going to a planet that is already broken.”

“Back on the Devi, Sir?”

“Yes, Girl. The monster you gave us had even more monsters inside so to speak. A tremendous gift for certain, but we just scratched the surface in terms of refit. Heck, we are still building the dock facilities and when she is good and ready I give her to Harris. She might be bigger and all that, but this is my ship. The Devi is like an old jacket you see, I wear it so long it became quite comfortable. Nothing else quite fits the same way.”

“I caressed the handrail of the command balcony.

“I think I understand you already, Sir. I truly love my ship.”

“Godspeed and good luck, Stahl out.”

Har-Hi pointed with his thumb upwards.

“The Admiral said nothing about the Cam and several tribes being up there waiting for our departure.”

Krabbel shrugged with four of his eight legs.

“Trivial, if he thought we could not handle them. We got Erica ... I mean the Captain back.”

“We are not completely done here. I need a shower, our sickbay and Cateria’s services. Then I want my own leather suit, not the Laro thing, nothing Hi or Dai. Sorry Har-Hi but I rather have a broadsword or an ax than all these fancy Dai blades. I prefer a fine TKU and my good ol’ .45.”

“Captain I am so deep in your debt and ashamed, I am more than just happy you still talk to me.”

“I would lie if I think you are completely innocent regarding my latest troubles, but I am convinced none was done with ill intent as the motivation. You are a product of your environment, just as I am of mine. I get into things because I can’t turn off that Nilfeheim connection of mine.

“I put my hand on his shoulder.

“Har-Hi, you are my friend and nothing has changed.”

The Cam stared at the naked man getting up from the floor.

“Mor-Na?

The powerful Na tribe chieftain had never felt ashamed like this before.

“My Cam, please let me regain dignity and find garments.”

“No! Deliver your report first. Then we will carpet bomb this miserable world out of existence. Whatever tries to escape will be destroyed.”

“That would not be wise, my Cam. She is a Union Captain and there is a Narth in her crew. As easily as they send me, they can send a bomb. None of our many ships detected her vessel going down, what makes us think we could detect it leaving?”

The Cam had to think and agree. If there was indeed a Union fleet vessel, it had Translocators too. As big as his Mother was, her mighty shields and thick armor were no protection against an Anti Matter load right in his Command center. The Narth who translocated the Chieftain, maybe even reading his thoughts right now.

He turned to another Chieftain.

“Quick set course to Thana Shoo and let us leave.”

I had the best nights rest ever in my own cabin, the only thing missing was Shea, who was according to my friends still on her way to Richter 4, but I had a long chat with her over.

Wearing my old leather suit, technically Black Velvet’s costume, my hair done, bathed and properly groomed, I went to our Den. Pander-Go and the Daiyee girls were waiting there for me.

The Dai merchant glanced over our accumulated treasures which were still there to my surprise.

“By the spirits powers. Compared to you the Merchant of Merchants, legendary Sobody takes second stage.”

“Technically no, he and his furry friend are more or less responsible for most of this.”

With great pride did I notice that there were now properly installed vent matics, The metal floor was now covered with high polished beautiful wood. There were Saran rugs and priceless Saresii tapestries. Central behind my chair, a Nilfeheim tapestry depicting a Viking assault. Large viewports had been added to the left and right of the boarding ramp entrance, dark red heavy curtains framing them. The visible Ultronit panels colored black, while the framework had been gilded.

New mementos had been added. There was Red Dragon’s mask, the Golden Mask. A framed set of Wisdom tokens. Kilkam’s robe and the costume of the Anagoge.

Looking over these souvenirs which included a beautiful model of the USS Dominator I felt pride in our accomplishments. My friends and crew did make a difference.

I turned my attention to the Pan-Pan merchant.

“Without you, I would be dead.”

“I doubt it Union-Erica. It matters not if you have nothing at all, chained in a slave cage or you command this marvelous ship, killing you isn’t as easily accomplished.”

“Knocking me out and rendering me unconscious, however, seems child’s play.

“I grunted.

“Anything I can do for you?”

“Yes, there is something you can do. Take me to Paktaru, so I can reclaim my wares once they arrive and then I want a word with that double-crossing train driver. Finally, I sampled that marvelous beverage you call coffee. If you can sell me some.”

“I take you to Paktaru and give you all the coffee we have. As a matter of fact, I like to be there when you talk to that train operator.”

“Are you not afraid of the many thousand Dai ships out there?” He asked.

“Not to mention the Vexpar Cooperation might send a warship or so.”

“SHIP where is the Na clan?”

“They high tailed out of the system last night and even the lumbering Dai Mother has reached Threshold speed.”

To the merchant I said.

“While this is not a battleship and designed to duke it out with so many capital units and fighters, we got Translocators and the Na’s mother was well within range, being in orbit and all. I am certain the Cam didn’t want to see an antimatter explosion close up.”

He spread his arms.

“I have no idea what you are talking about, but I assume the Cam knew.

“He shook his head now.

“You chased the Cam and all of his might out of the system! I guess the Vexpar will be in for a surprise.”