Chapter 4 : Aseir

“The Rundiranz?” I repeated. So what do you know about all this?”

“Lize Biz, Captinz.” Meeze said, looking at the greenish goob of organic substance in one of his small hands. He took a bite.”Iz baaz Captinz buz maybez I puz the salz or ze strawberriez onz ze Rundiranz.”

“Mr. Meeze can you pause your culinary experiments for a moment and tell me what you know?”

The worm creature gave the green glob a last look and then tossed it back into the cracked open cryotube.”Meeze knows lize biz. The Rundiranz anz ze otzers travelz from ze planez zo ze planez anz changz ze lifez. The Rundiranz noz likez ze otzers.”

I tried hard to understand, but the worm’s explanation made little sense.

TheOther stepped next to me and exchanged sentences in an alien language with Meeze and then said to me.”Meeze thinks, the beings in these cryotubes were ready to be seeded but somehow had not been deployed or released by the Life changers. Meeze remembers Mora legends about two distinct life seeding mega societies. Each trying to spread their particular brand of life and opposing the efforts of the other society.”

I digested the information, even though it was much clearer, I was not sure how it applied to our situation, but it was more than we had before. “You speak the native language of Meeze?”

“Yes captain, I believe Meeze and Y’All are related somehow, we share basic genetic similarities. The other Yehaa aboard have taught me Mora language.”

Luitenant Bergdorf one of the Mini Terran buzzed close and hovered at eye-level before me.”Captain, we discovered tanks full of these.” He held up a plastic container and inside was something that reminded me of a tiny organic shaped throw dart.

He continued, “Shea examined our scans and we think these things are rained onto a planet by the billions, then they sting lifeforms and inject an aggressive gene code changing virus. Captain, I think we discovered a Seeder ship.”

Our expedition to the alien wreck was un-eventful and while we now had the outline of an idea what we had encountered, there were lots of unanswered questions.

I had returned to the Tigershark and went to Circuit to check on the progress of the repair work.

My X101 Centmac engineer told me that everything was progressing nicely. The Dime-Tap was almost ready to go online and that the Janus device was also close to being restored. The science department had completed a planetary survey and reported the existence of a stone-age society of lizard beings on another continent, unable to cross the oceans. Open contact with a primitive culture was strongly discouraged and if at all to be avoided.

I permitted Shea to lead an excursion to the alien wreck to give it a closer look.

All this activity kept my crew busy, but there was little I needed to do. So, after an extensive swim, I decided to take the opportunity for a leisure day and a nice long sleep.

I just closed my eyes and was ready to catch a few zees, when I found myself inside a dark glowing shapeless environment without clearly defined ground or any other solid boundaries. I felt my brother’s mind, more substantial than before. Whatever he was, he was gaining awareness and with that, he began to separate himself from me. The distinct feeling of him being a completely separate person had grown.

“I am indeed growing and becoming more and more aware of what I am. The bonds that tie me to this body and you are weakening.”

“Does that mean, I have to fear you? I am mortal and tied to this body, unlike you, there aren’t mystical trinkets for me.”

“Sister, you need to listen to our friend Narth. I am forever tied to you, you are more than a temporary vessel. Even without me, you will be a powerful psion user. It was you who the Narth Supreme invited.”

“There is a reason other than some weird mental sibling chit chat we are talking, right?”

“Yes, sister, the pace of my ultimate awakening is quickening and the Omniverse is preparing for that. Some forces fear my coming, some believe they can affect my essence and become the vessel. Others believe it can be prevented. The closer we approach this time, the more powerful and potent these forces will become.”

“That means exactly what?”

“Nothing can harm or stop me, but until I am what must be, you can be harmed. If you, my vessel is harmed or killed. I can not incarnate as pre-ordained and the Decision can not be made. Sister, we must seek out the remaining tokens.”

“You know, I am a Starship Captain, no matter what. I can’t just go on a quest of my own.

“We crossed many light-years stepping over trans-spatial thresholds. We traveled with Luci Fera, bypassing space via the Netherrealms and we traveled with the Narth Supreme, Time and space have a different meaning to us ... to me. We know where the gauntlets are. Let us go to Netlor and retrieve them, we will be gone for less than five minutes.”

I sighed, opened my eyes and got out of bed

“Tell SHIP that we will be back. You are a Starship captain indeed, and able to make decisions, you come to the aid of anyone asking. I am your brother.”

“You know how to get there?”

“In theory sister, as I have never done it before as you know. Take our ax, it cuts everything including the very fabric of time and space.”

“And if it does cut it, how do we mend it?”

“Such cut or tear is not permanent.”

I sighed got up from the bed and it took only a thought to summon the shroud. It appeared out of nowhere and replaced the nighty I was wearing. With the shroud, my boots appeared.

A metal belt girded the loose shroud above my hips.

“Sister, I know this is not your style but it is mine.”

“Let us just hope no one gets a heart attack seeing me like that.”

“SHIP, I will be gone for five minutes or so. Don’t be alarmed, if anything urgent happens, let Har-Hi know.”

I raised my hand, the ax grew to full size. My mind filled with images of Netlor.I knew this was not me, but the growing abilities of my brother able to see a distant world with such incredible detail. These images were so substantial. I swiped the ax in an arch through the air, creating a glowing rift and I stepped through.

Har-Hi sat brooding in the command chair and stared through the front viewport. As usual, the viewscreen had been raised to allow a direct view over the dust-dry desert landscape. He had asked Xon, who was sitting behind the Comm Channel to keep the common channels open, so he could listen to the science team aboard the shipwreck. Their voices were excited in the usual science geek way, but there was no distress or any indication they were in danger. He was still worried, despite the armed marines, half of them conscripted Y’All.

Har-Hi’s lips curled to a faint smile as he was thinking about these terrifying brutes. Beings of a dozen galaxies felt panic like fear, just hearing these brutes were coming.

Yet, in Quarva the hollow asteroid moon in the Leo II galaxy when they faced a whole troop of these genetically constructed warrior beasts, but true to the unexplainable Tigershark magic, fifty revived Y’All joined the crew, then argued and pleaded with the Admiral to have them remain aboard. To the Tigershark crew, they weren’t fear-inducing, of course mainly due to TheOther, who had long ceased to be frightening but was the welcome sight of a dear friend.

But Har-Hi was not just a Union Officer, he was also Dai, boarding ships to plunder them was a way of life. He knew of many stories when inert and dead wrecks and concealed lethal terrors.

He shifted his position. “Of course no Dai boarding party ever had Y’All warriors in heavy destroyer suits, Petharians, and a dozen Cerberus to keep guard.

He was actually glad when the ship bell announced the begin of the next watch. Not that this had been his shift, but like the Captain, he sometimes extended his shift just to make sure everything was running smoothly.

Har-Hi had no words for it, nor did he consciously know he had it, but he too had this unexplainable sense, humans called gut-feeling. Something didn’t feel right, the Tigershark was almost back to normal, but almost was just not good enough for him, until the Dime-Tab was back online, they were sitting Kanthus. Easy prey in other words.”

The Dai got up, so Roghor could occupy the command chair. He briefed the magnificent Togar cat on the status of things and walked to the rear bridge access, He decided to forego the planned meal and do the same the Captain did, take a nap. Even though a Dai warrior could forego days without sleep. If his vague insubstantial feeling of something looming, he might as well find some rest now.

He glanced back and watched Roghor adjust field screens and ask for a mission and repair update, He agreed with Erica, that Togar cat was technically just a Luitenant, without even a month at the academy, but Roghor was, in experience and demeanor a seasoned commanding officer. Captain Olafson kept calling Roghor by its old Togar rank of Commander. Everyone picked to serve as a watch officer and hold the Conn as this particular task was called in the Union Navy was doing an excellent job, but Roghor added an almost feelable element of confidence to it. The Tigershark was in good paws and Har-Hi was certain the day would come when Roghor would wear Union Captain’s gold on his sleeves and command a Battleship.

As he stepped in the brightly lit corridor of the command deck and the heavy iris doors of the bridge closed behind him, a dark shrouded being peeled out of the air right next to him and kept pace.

While the being looked exactly like his dear friend Narth, he instantly knew this was not Narth, but the Narth Supreme himself.

“Permission to come aboard, Commander Hi.”

“Permission granted. You are the Narth Supreme are you not?”

“Indeed. your senses are developing remarkably well.”

Har-Hi did not know what the Narth Supreme wanted to say with that.”Not that it would do much good denying it, you Narth can appear inside any ship.”

The shrouded being sounded amused.”This ship is transparent to me because our mutual friend Erica allows it. SHIP would never let me pass her defenses if it was not so.”

“I was trying to make a sarcastic joke, Honorable Supreme Narth. You are always a most welcomed visitor. We are not far from our never used Officer’s lounge, can I interest you in some refreshments perhaps? My friend Narth has developed quite a taste for real food.”

“All Narth knows, and there are more and more that embrace food, not as a source of sustenance, as we do no longer require it in this form, but as a source joy through taste and flavor. Let us then proceed to this lounge, a portion of the famous Tigershark coffee would be appreciated indeed. While the venue of your Den would be far more welcome, I came to speak to you.”

Har-Hi sighed.”I was certain you would say that, hot that I appreciate your visit and presence, but you are an entity of god-like level and hardly waste time on a simple Dai if it wasn’t necessary.”

“Har-Hi, I am not a god. Far from it, but you share the vicinity with an entity that will be the closest definition of an omniscient, omnipotent condition able to alter the fabric of space and time.”

“It is about Erica, is it?”

“Only indirect, Har-Hi. She is not aboard, I came to see you.”

They had walked past the Captain’s quarters, his quarters and approached the entrance to the Tigershark’s officer lounge. Har-Hi remembered being here once, back when the Tigershark was given to them, and he made a point to walk every deck.

His chin fell as he heard those words.”She is not aboard? Abducted again?”

“Oh no, she can no longer be abducted all that easily. She used her Ax to split time and space to retrieve things that belong to her.”

The doors slid open with a faint whisper, Instead of the expected unused officer’s galley. They had walked into a food and meat locker. Boxes and bags of all sort of food items, piled scrap metal and system parts.

Har-Hi was stopped dead in his tracks.”SHIP, what in Trauks infected eyeballs is going on here?”

“Midshipman Meeze asked, if he could utilize an unused room to store a few personal items, you approved it by signature.”

“A few personal items? I think I read the request line item. This looks like a ton of things.” Har-Hi’s eyes were caught by a bloody thing in a vacuum seak pack.”Spirit of the Universe, is that a Thauran arm, didn’t we get rid of all that?”

SHIP tried to sound innocent.”This is the least used room of any and there was no stipulation on weight, type or amount.”

Har-Hi wanted to say something when he heard the sound of chewing and a sharp burp. There behind a plastic barrel, with raw gag reflex inducing odor fish and meat bits sat Fafnir, the not so little dragon blissfully chewing on what looked like the thigh of something big. Puffs of black smoke escaped its nostrils now and then between bites.

“SHIP, I am busy with an important guest. When I come back I want Mr. Meeze on the carpet and discuss this, this ... mess!”

Apologetic he said to the Narth Supreme.”I am so sorry, this is not suitable. My quarters include an office, maybe we can go there.”

Never was he more afraid than now. The statuesque med-tech hummed a little tune, while she kept an eye on the read-outs. He was completely immobilized, not a single muscle in his body reacted to his mind. She stepped next to him and padded his cheek.”Ten more minutes and I know where to attach the neuro path scrubbers. Every brain is a little different. A simple mind wipe would be easier, but you going to be a very valuable asset. Just as your friend, Alegar. Through you two, we can control a Narth, how delightful.”