Valkyrie Chronicles 4 & 5 Bundle

by Erik Schubach

  Then finally, Intark began relaying all the information he knew of the Frost Giants. At the central holo-display, he pulled up visual records of the Frost Giant first contact on Ragnarok, of The Culling with those organic matter disintegrators, of the Stand of the Seventy, and Kenrotar's Stand. All of the data they were able to assemble of the Frost Giant's weapons and of their hand to hand fighting techniques.

  I stepped aside and watched the battle against Ymir. I watched his strikes and technique from all angles. My nanites have figured out how to display things in my vision, as a heads up display. They started throwing up overlays with force and vectors, mass calculations and energy dispersal over his form. I understood what they were saying. He was delivering more force than his mass should be capable of. His armor must be some sort of reactive armor, reflecting force back to augment his apparent strength.

  I paid more attention to his foot placements and his stances before each attack. A computer must be assisting his movements since almost every attack was almost at the perfect vector for his strikes... almost. He seemed to have a finite number of attacks... programmed in. It is all just a parlor trick!

  My Verr were chattering in my head, there was something they wanted me to see I didn't understand. I looked at my wrist console and the word “heat” was displayed.

  I looked again at the battle, surface temperatures on his suit were stable except for at his left hip, where there was a slight bulge. The power source? The armor was self powered, its energy was not beamed to it? A weak spot? I praised my nanites in my head and cleared my throat.

  I said, “My Verr have found a weakness in the Frost Giant's hand to hand fighting.” I pulled up the visual records and threw up a thermal overlay. “Look as he fights. There seems to be a power source located on his left hip here.” I circled my finger through the holographic image and the bulge was highlighted. “It appears the Ragnarok very nearly succeeded in overloading it. That is why he had left his culling device and retreated back to his ship. If only the battle had lasted a bit longer.”

  Intark looked angry at this revelation and I continued, “Their show of strength is but a ruse. They are formidable yes, but they are not unstoppable like they try to project. See here...” I pointed out force calculations. “They are countering with technology in a way that disguises their actual ability. Some sort of force and kinetic energy reflection. Plus their attacks are limited to a few types of strikes or combinations. They seem to be programmed into that armor they wear. It is the armor fighting not them!”

  Intark exhaled as he started seeing what I was pointing out. “By the grace of the war gods! You could see all of this so swiftly?”

  Before I could say anything Inatra said with a voice full of pride, “She is Valkyrie. The Demon.”

  I winced at the name, but I knew Ina used it to punctuate his views of the Asgard, and he nodded in appreciation at her then me and muttered, “Truly.”

  The rest of the delegation left us warriors to our analysis. Before he left, Odin asked Intark, “Please, feast with me and my wife tonight before you retire.” Intark nodded once and just turned back to the display and started watching the attacks in slow motion with Tyr, Inshak, and us Valkyrie.

  I looked at my hands and activated my nano-lattice, thinking about its ability to absorb energy and to some extent, kinetic energy too. I wondered if I could somehow counter the Frost Giant's force reflection technology with it. My nanites assured me that they were thinking about it too.

  Finally, we all retired to our rooms to eat and relax until the morning. I was distracted from my obsession with coming up with a defensive plan against the oncoming storm by Kat's lips on mine.

  She smiled at me and made me eat then whispered hotly in my ear, “Let me take your mind off battle, my love.” Then I willingly let her lead me to our bed where she fulfilled her promise. Kroth do I love this woman. I would die for her...

  Chapter 4 – Planning

  The next day was filled with preparation. I marveled at the sight in the courtyard by the main gates. Three races, five if you counted the Verr and Sky, labored in cooperation toward a common goal. Not to just defend the weak and innocent of Valhalla and Folkvangr. But to fight for the very existence of all of our races against a superior enemy.

  Father was taken off guard by an offhanded comment by Intark, when he asked, “Are all eight worlds under Asgard protection?”

  Odin had told him there were but six that rotated below the Asgard plane. Intark had chuckled. “You mean the Ragnarok know something the mighty Asgard do not? He pulled up a star chart and highlighted the six planets. They were all on a perfectly circular disc. This much we knew. There was, impossibly, no stellar drift in their alignment. He then typed in some parameters and an icon for Asgard appeared, he showed it orbiting an axis, where it passed over each of the inhabited planets.

  He looked at father then said with a smirk, “It is not the planets that are passing below Asgard. It is Asgard that orbits this central axis here.” Then he added two icons. “At the apogees of the axis, above and below the ecliptic, there are two worlds, exactly ten thousand light years apart. One orbiting a type G yellow star, and a dark planet that orbits an almost cold, type M, red dwarf. We originally thought Asgard to reside at one of those locations. Our first generational ships were sent to those two planets and disappeared, lost to the ages. Not even a radio transmission has ever been received after they entered those star systems. Our physicists figured by the frequency of Valhalla's transition to Ragnarok, that we were only in range at certain times. That brought about the realization that Asgard was somehow orbiting that axis.”

  Father was doing calculations that verified everything Intark had said. I had a suspicion that the dark world may be the origin of the Frost Giants, simply judging by the projected surface temperatures on the display. We were all in a general consensus about that. Odin added a designator, Jotunheim, on the chart. Then for the other, he simply added, A1, for Axis 1, until a more suitable designator could be applied.

  The two Folkvangr Ragnarok generational ships had left Folkvangr space weeks ago to hide in the asteroid field at the far fringes of the system, seven light hours away.

  As the hour of the Frost Giant vessel's arrival was approaching. I started dispatching Einherjergeir and Ragnarok volunteers to hasten the arrival of the latest batch of Ragnarok refugees of the continent. There were too many and time was getting short. I feared innocents would be outside the gates when the enemy vessel arrived in orbit.

  Then there were the Ragnarok that refused the protection of the Asgard as it would be cowardly to accept. They formed a contingent force outside the gates. I shook my head. They had seen the same visual records of the Frost Giant attacks. It was suicide for them to be out in the open like that.

  The countdown on the display above the main gates reached zero. I looked out across the sea of armored and armed Einherjer, Valkyrie, and Ragnarok. Knowing Aunt Freya was doing the same in the citadel of Heildfine just miles to the north. The entire might of Valhalla was here, just over four hundred men and women, and five thousand Ragnarok soldiers.

  When volunteers were requested, every single able-bodied Ragnarok stepped forward. I do not know why, but I took pride in the fact that our former enemies were so brave. We had the Ragnarok men and women draw lots to see which five thousand in Valhalla would help us stand against the Frost Giants if it came to that. There was a similar lottery in Heildfine as Freya had informed me that her entire Ragnarok population had volunteered as well.

  I pondered this for a moment. I had multiple conversations with Inatra centuries back, and I think I understand now. All her race had ever known were the lies and misinformation they were taught about us as children. That the Asgard were a violent race bent on conquering all. All they have ever known was that they were fighting for the very existence of the Ragnarok race. So here, in the face of danger, they would do what they have always believed they were doing, and once again fight for their
survival.

  One hour passed, and nothing. Then two hours. The troops were getting fidgety. Then three. Father was preparing to return to his workshop to wait and take readings, or to see if he could communicate with the Frost Giant vessel when alarms started wailing.

  A beam of raw power shot down from above directly into the middle of the Ragnarok gathered outside the gates. Almost half of them were vaporized by the torrent of energy as it slammed into the ground, sending the rest tumbling away as rag-dolls.

  A moment later an eight foot tall man stepped out from the beam of energy then it dissipated. I recognized the man from the visual records, it was Ymir! I know I had watched the battle records countless times and he dwarfed even the largest Ragnarok, but seeing him with my own eyes... he was huge! His aura was the most confusing, it was a bright purplish haze, as if his blue and red were freely mixed, as if he had no moral distinction between good and bad.

  The surviving Ragnarok on the outside of the gate, started to rush the Frost Giant. He fired a weapon at them, instantly the flesh desiccated on a handful of them and they were reduced to carbon dust. I squinted my eyes, he had not used that weapon on their homeworld. It seemed akin to the devices they used in The Culling, but on a smaller scale.

  Ymir must have realized how close the Ragnarok had come to overloading his power systems on their planet, and this was the solution, not to let them close enough to do the same again. Unfortunately, that was our plan here, to overload his systems.

  Our Einherjer were holding back the Ragnarok inside the gates telling them to wait for the order. While the Ragnarok were being slaughtered the Einherjergeir and the last of this batch of refugees made it behind the shield. I couldn't just watch the men out there get slaughtered, and I had no desire to send others to meet the same fate. They were outclassed by this alien, and I feared we Valkyrie were as well.

  I took one look at Intark and then the Valkyrie and ordered, “Hold until I give the word.” I vaulted over the line at the gates and through the shields to the one sided battle beyond. The moment I landed I was struck by his weapon. The air around me crackled as my lattice absorbed the energy, leaving me unharmed, much to my relief. I cupped my hand and sent the power of Thor lancing out toward Ymir. It struck my target, the weapon he wielded. It was flung from his hand and reduced to slag.

  I noticed the burns and gouges on the armor of his glove. I had damaged his armor? None of the Ragnarok energy weapons had any effect, they were all deflected. I yelled at the remaining Ragnarok as the Frost Giant looked at his hand then his destroyed weapon on the ground in apparent shock. “Hold Ragnarok! Do not get between us!” I squared off with the Frost Giant as the Ragnarok started coming into formation behind me.

  I saw Ymir set his feet, my Verr were warning me but I remembered that configuration. Time slowed down for me as he charged forward and did a combination spinning attack with a kick and fist strike. Only... I wasn't there. Remembering that pre-programmed combination I simply side stepped then moved back out of his range. His computer assisted attacks made him faster than a being of his size should be, but that meant nothing if I wasn't there to meet his strike.

  I spoke to him in a growling voice, “What business do you have here? I am Kara, the Wild One, First Valkyrie of Asgard! I will not allow you to bring violence to Valhalla!”

  The man just stepped forward and swung both arms down at me in a pile driver strike. I caught both of his arms. But he was almost twice my size and at least triple my mass. He drove me down to one knee with his power, but I stopped his strike, grasping his arms. I pushed up and forced myself back to my feet, still holding his arms above me. I could hear a sizzling sound and I noticed my lattice was burning into his armor.

  The other thing in the back of my mind was that I HAD actually stopped his strike. The limited kinetic absorption of my lattice had indeed blunted his own kinetic force reflection systems. If it hadn't, I most likely would be dead now. I bared my teeth in a cruel smile at his shock, and at the cheering from the Ragnarok around us.

  He yanked his arms from my grasp and backhanded me, sending me tumbling across the ground, my lattice flaring. I rolled to my feet, at the ready, and the Ragnarok were starting to circle around the two of us in their spiraling attack pattern, now that he didn't have his organic desiccating weapon. They were keeping their distance for some reason, which I was thankful, for as they did not need to lose any more lives senselessly.

  Then I realized looking at the sneers on their faces, that it wasn't in preparation to attack, it was to keep him boxed in and from retreating... from me! Did they put that much stock into their stories about me, about the Demon? Did they believe I could defeat this juggernaut?

  I asked one more time, my tone almost animalistic, “State your purpose Frost Giant!”

  He just growled and charged me and I charged him. I watched how he moved and took a page from Aunt Freya's book and feigned left but went right as his suit's computers started compensating. I wound up under his guard and I crouched and struck with my most powerful blow. Not even Try could match the fury of this strike.

  But the man only staggered back a step. I again saw a burn on his armor where my fist had impacted. What was it about the power of Thor and my lattice that were damaging his seemingly impenetrable armor?

  We exchanged a flurry of blows, I was able to sidestep or slap aside most of his, he was telegraphing which move or combination he was about to use by the stances he took. I had them all memorized.

  He was able to grab my arm in a crushing grip as I dodged again. On instinct, I slashed my other hand down at his arm, an Odin Spear of crackling energy extending from my hand. It cut deep into his armor, but not deep enough, and he pushed me away in shock.

  I took his distraction over the damage to his armor to activate my armor's chameleon shroud and I faded from view as my heads up display activated. I ducked to his side then started to execute a roundhouse kick. But his eyes tracked me somehow and he howled and struck me in the chest before I could react. It felt like I was hit by a meteor as I found myself tumbling and skipping across the ground again, the chameleon circuit failing. I faded back into view, I know I lost a rib to that strike, the pain was excruciating. Kroth but he is powerful!

  I twisted back up onto my feet with the last of my momentum, let loose my war cry, and spun through his defense and punched his hip at the location of his power pack with all my might. Only for my fist to thud against him and do no real damage except burning his armor. Ok then, let's see how he can handle the one thing that seems to be damaging his tech! I twisted and knocked away his grappling hands with a sweeping backhand, then cupped both hands as energy started gathering to release the power of Thor, when a booming voice behind me roared, “Enough!”

  It was father! What was he doing outside the gates?! The Ragnarok ranks split to allow him through. I quickly stood between Odin and Ymir with the power of Thor at the ready. Odin spoke with a dangerous tone I had never heard him use before. “You dare bring violence to our doorstep Jotunn? Why do you seek the Asgard and why do you destroy entire civilizations to do so? I am Odin, ruler of Asgard.”

  Ymir said nothing, he was suddenly moving when I was distracted by father and he slammed me aside and was swinging his arms down toward father. I looked on in horror as I scrambled to my feet to try to intercept. But suddenly there was a blinding flash and father was surrounded by a raging torrent of chaotic and swirling energy. Ymir was sent flying back at least fifty feet as he struck at father.

  The Frost Giant tumbled across the ground then came up on his feet, skidding backwards to a stop. He looked at Odin then the armor on his hands that was damaged and melting as the moisture in the air sizzled around the burns.

  I was in shock as I looked at father while I moved myself between him and Ymir again. All of the other Valkyrie had joined me after seeing the attack on Odin. We formed a protective wall between him and Ymir. The energy around father was incredible, even I could see the distortions i
n it... it was near critical mass! It was like he wore a mantle of the power of Thor!

  The energy seemed to fold back into father. I was at a loss. Then he spoke again, his lips set in a snarl, “You dare attack the ruler of Valhalla? You have now learned the folly of such action! The burden of a ruler of the realm is not only to protect the citizens but also to protect the city itself. To do so, we must become part of the citadel and it us as well. To strike at me is to strike at Valhalla itself, and it will protect me as I protect it!”

  I blinked, was this true? Father and the city were one? Why had he never revealed this? Then he said in that measured, dangerous tone, “I will not ask again Frost Giant... what business do you have with the Asgard?”

  Ymir stalked toward father and stopped at the line of Valkyrie, towering over us, and looked down toward father and spoke. It was all guttural tones and a tinny, mechanical toned voice came out from his suit in Asgard, “What power is this you command? My suit cannot identify the energy type.” This was most likely some sort of linguistic translation circuitry.

  He was looking at us and father then up to the Dome Shield of Geiravor. I could see lights flickering in his eyes. It must be some sort of heads up display. Then he looked at me and stared intently, ignoring father as he said, “You! You harbor another race?! I detect an AI.”

  I nodded once and said, “They are my Verr. My protectors.”

  He replied, “We will need to keep you alive to examine these... Verr. The rest of the planet will be decontaminated.”

  I snarled at him, “Many have tried, yet here stand the Valkyrie. And my Verr have a message for you.”

  I read off of my wrist console, “We... Verr... shall... stand... with... our... charges... against... your... evil. Our... flying... friends... too.” I looked up and grinned at him. Pride swelling in my heart for my microscopic friends. Then I said with venom dripping from my voice, “They have just declared war upon your kind. The Verr and the Sky stand untied with the other races and stand against you Frost Giant!”