Only after two Marines took the captured Shiss officer from Zezz did he calm down and brush back his helmet. His face was alien to me and I was certain I could not begin to read the emotions displayed, but there was a wild, savage glow in his eyes. His small black tongue flickered back and forth. Now he noticed me and made a sound like a submarine blowing air. "It is the second time I had the fortune to see you fight, Mr. Olafson. We certainly showed that cursed breed how costly it is to raid Union colonies!"
I looked around. "Yes Sir, we certainly did."
"Let us go back to the Hyperion and see if we can assist the raided colony."
"Yes Sir."
This time I had no trouble following him and as we flew back he said, "You question my actions, don't you?"
"Sir, I am not …"
"I told you we are past those things and I have begun to know you. You would not be part of my bridge crew, even temporary if I thought you wouldn’t question what happened."
"Well Sir, I did wonder why we boarded those ships and why you participated. It is not very common I think, for a Captain to lead a Marine boarding action."
"I told you about the 33rd colony lost. About the injustice done by caste Shiss to those with purple throats."
"Yes Sir, I remember, and I did follow up a little on that, but …"
"I know personal feelings and vendettas have no place on the bridge or should be the reason for command decisions of a Captain. Yet when it comes to colony raiders I can't dismiss my history or my emotions. These red throats raided the colony, not for riches or plunder as pirates do. They did it to drag the Union into a war. There is nothing I hate more than the lofty white throats, but another war against the Union would mean the end of the Shiss Empire and cost the lives of many on both sides. You see the red throats attacked without the consent or the knowledge of the Shiss High Command. They want to overthrow the white throats and restructure the caste system with the reds on top. Since they lack the political and military muscle to do it openly, they try to drag the Union in. Proof of this I could only find by boarding."
We had reached the Hyperion and tractor beams collected us and dragged us inside. He added as we passed the energy curtain, "There are regulations, yes indeed, and I agree it is highly unprofessional for a command officer to leave the ship, especially during any sort of hostile situation. I am sure once you become a captain you will understand that there are times you must act by following your convictions and feelings and not what the printed regulations say."
I nodded, not really knowing what to say.
He stomped towards the next auto-dresser but turned and added, "As I said, I know personal feelings and vendettas have no place, but knowing it and following it are different matters."
INTERLUDE: EGIL
Egill punched his PDD and tried to call Sif. He wanted to take her home as well. The girl must also feel homesick. The system, however, responded, "Receiver PDD is not active. Account Arnske, Sif has been deleted."
A sudden hot flash of guilt and a feeling that something was very wrong came over the old Norse. He called Sif's aunt, and this time the connection was successful. As soon as the woman saw him she started. "Don't even get me started on that brat! She took over 12,000 credits from me. The police were here searching the place. She is wanted for Califerm dealing! Haven't seen the girl in weeks!" She added a few more sentences complaining about the girl and then simply disconnected before Egill could really say anything. Now the guilt of his neglect felt like a big clump of ice in his stomach pit. He had tremendous Psionic abilities, but Pluribus was too big and too busy with billions of minds, Psi shields and even Psi-beamed commercial messages for him to isolate the girl’s mind.
Almost simultaneously the Narth and the Saresii reached for his hands and the Narth said, "Let us share our abilities and add them to yours."
The old man lowered his barriers and defenses and felt the minds of the other two. The mind of Algear was familiar and he had often shared thoughts with the Saresii, but the Narth consciousness was more alien than anything he ever felt. He instantly knew he would only be able to share a minute fraction. The Narth mind simply took over and took the lead. For a brief instant it was as if he was thrown into the middle of a dark room with billions of voices screaming at the same time. The Narth, so it appeared, was scanning every mind on the planet in less time than a heartbeat using Egill's mind and the familiarity with Sif's mind.
The Narth retracted his hand and leaned back. Both the Saresii and the human never felt more exhausted in all their lives. Algear tried to remember how to breathe and then swallowed dry. "Until now I thought we Saresii were powerful and talented, this glimpse put it in perspective. We are nothing more than insects compared to that!"
The Narth sounded apologetic. "You Saresii have still much time to develop and we are sure you might be able to join us in nine or 10 galactic revolutions." To Egill, he said, "The female mind you are searching for is no longer on this planet."
Egill's shoulders sank. "I have lost her!"
"Not so, Egill. Have you not noticed? We have located her mind. She is only 267 light years from here on a planet called Perryton." The Narth paused, then added, "It was easy to miss, one must concede, as the mind is not very active and seems asleep."
It took Egill a while to recover and get a clear thought. "I must postpone our trip to Nilfeheim. I must go to Perryton and find the girl!"
The Narth and the Saresii simultaneously responded. "We will assist you, of course, and come along!"
Algear used his PDD and ordered the fastest Saresii ship to be at his disposal. He said, "The Taigona is on her way and lands in less than six hours."
Egill thanked his friends with a nod, opening his emotions to them, as no words could express the gratitude he felt.
INTERLUDE: SIF
Sif woke, despite the sleep inducer that had been placed over her head. More out of instinct she rolled off the bed she was on and removed herself from the dazing and sleep-causing neuro-feed rays. Her mind instantly cleared and she remembered. She had also felt what had caused her to wake; it was the mind of Egill! She had the clear feeling that he was searching for her and that he was on his way!
He had not forgotten about her! But what would the old man say if he saw her like that?
She had to make sure he would find her. She had to get out of here and get to a GalNet terminal. Just as she tried to examine the room with the clear mind of a warrior, the hunger returned! The pain of the Califerm addiction cramped her muscles, made her skin crawl and her head spin with blinding pain. It was useless, Egill would not find her in time and even if he did, he would have no Califerm. She pressed her teeth so hard together that one tooth cracked and splintered. She was not just some fad kid, she was also from Nilfeheim! The Arnske clan looked back all the way to the landing of the Stockholm. She was the first female ever to make the pilgrimage to the halls of Hasvik. She was the first female to pass the Ancient Challenge. Deep down she was more than those spoiled brats of Pluribus. Her friend Gloria became hysterical after a few drops of rain. They said there was no cure for Califerm addiction, but all the addicts she had met were soft spoiled brats. She wanted to be as tough as the toughest Nilfeheim warrior. She wanted to show them a woman could take it – and now she was losing the battle against a chemical in her blood?
She tried to fight it, she wanted to fight it and yet every fiber of her body screamed and burned for more. She barely noticed that she was throwing up, and nearly choked on the bitter-tasting bile. Just as she was about to give up and think of suicide, she felt a presence. She was no longer alone.
It was not one of her captors. It was not Egill. It was something very familiar, someone she should know but could not remember. A huge white undefined shape was somehow manifesting itself before her inner eyes. The pain completely vanished; there was a warm feeling of love and concern. Still, her mind was numb and unable to put a name to the presence. "Poor child! I tasked my old friend to teach you and
to become the next representative of Nilfeheim, yet I forgot that he never raised children and is so old he forgot the sometimes impulsive behavior of the young. You stumbled, but you have not fallen yet!"
In her state she did not question anymore who was talking to her. Maybe a figment of her imagination, maybe she was dead, there was no pain. "I have fallen. I have let Egill down. I let my family down and I betrayed Eric."
"You are still alive and you are not alone! I wish I could be with you but I must still sleep. I wish I could reveal myself to you but I must remain hidden. You, young lady, must return to your way and relieve Egill when the time for that has come."
"I am a failure! I am as far away from that goal as can be. Why must I become the next representative anyway?"
"So the other child can remain free from obligations towards Nilfeheim. He has an enormous task before him."
"Eric, you talk about Eric!"
"Yes, and he will shoulder the task of representative if Egill comes to the day where he can't. Eric must not be distracted. Everyone shapes his own future my child, but some have to play certain parts and do certain things, so there can be a future!"
She did not know what the voice was talking about, however she somehow understood and she wanted to return to her path.
"That is the spirit, my child! I must return to my sleep and when your mind clears you will remember little of this, but the poison that cripples you will have no power over you anymore and you will find the means for your escape and your revenge!"
Sif found herself lying on a cold Duro-Crete floor, in a puddle of reeking body excrements. Yet her mind was crystal clear. The pain and the Califerm was nothing but a memory! She did remember that someone, something had helped her but that was all.
She was in a small room with a vaulted ceiling and naked, crude-looking Duro-Crete walls. There was a bunk bed and a sleep inducer suspended above it. There was a single Lumi Plate giving cold light and there was a solid-looking metal door. She was completely naked. Her eyes fell onto a bundle on the floor; Nilfeheim warrior leathers, boots and a fur-brimmed cape. As she took up the cape there was a broad belt with a broadsword and not just any, this was Mjördaren!
Either Egill had more secret powers, and the rumors that he was a wizard were true after all, or perhaps the gods themselves had intervened. Yes, perhaps Sif herself, the goddess with whom she shared the name, had taken pity.
She began to dress and each piece she put on seemed to strengthen her and give her a little more confidence, connecting her with her roots and her home. With a shiver not caused by the cold air of her prison, she girded the sword. She had just closed the buckle when there was a sound from outside the door. Someone was coming. The door moved to the side and the dark-robed, bald-headed man carrying a plate of food stopped in his tracks and stared at her with disbelief. It was the last thing he did. First, the plate of food dropped to the floor and then his head, the eyes still wide open.
Sif did not wait to see the body collapse. She was out in a corridor and she hoped there were more! She was eager to find the gray-dressed man before she would escape this place. Yes, she was a woman, but she was a Neo Viking, a Norse. A cold rage had taken hold of her and she thanked the gods who had delivered her. She would not let them, Egill or her world down again. Sif the party girl was no more, she had died lying in a puddle of vomit. In her place was once again Sif Arnske, first female warrior of Nilfeheim. It was not she who had to adapt to the life on Pluribus, by Thor! No, Pluribus had to adapt to her, and woe to whoever tried to take her off that path again.
INTERLUDE: FIRST SON OF DARKNESS
Larthop had reached the bottom of the stairs and followed the narrow corridor chiseled out of the rock. The corridor was part of a burial site. Catacombs left by the same civilization that built the city now lay in ruins around the statue. Not many knew of these catacombs and he knew Union Xeno archeologists would give their eyeteeth to examine this place. There were alcoves in the walls and in it the dry rotten bundles and shapes of a dead semi-humanoid species. This was unimportant to him and he had no intention to speak to the dead. He made many turns, descended several stairs and finally reached a larger room. Dozens of candles and lanterns had been placed around a small version of the huge statue. It was cruder and made of rock instead of indestructible Uni metal. For most, the path ended here and the members of a secretive sect worshiped this statue, but not to him. He approached the statue, reached around its back and pulled a hidden lever. The sound of sand grinding over rock followed almost immediately and part of the seemingly solid rock wall swung open. He passed through, using his Psionics to push the door shut.
He had covered almost two more kilometers of narrow corridors before he emerged in a cave with a smooth Uni metal floor. A small band of a different, whitish glowing material formed a perfect spherical ring around a hip-high metal column in the center. He dropped his golden robe, revealing his black cloak with the white skull on his chest and stepped onto the Uni metal platform. Then he waited patiently until the sun above aligned with the mountain hole and the statue. While somewhere above him pilgrims bathed in the light, a shadowy figure appeared next to the column. It had no real substance, but it spoke to him. "You come again, Saresii. Speak then, the Brotherhood awaits your reports."
"I was unsuccessful obtaining the Narth. He died in the attempt. No other Narth was near to receive and save the Hughavh."
"This is unfortunate. Has the Kermac successfully retrieved the Disc from that world called Koken? Have you been successful taking it from them?"
"No, the Kermac decided to postpone his plan in order to secure Union technology. He perished."
"Then you must go and retrieve it. The Disc is the key to summoning the Dualix."
"It will be difficult. The Planet is now under Union control, but it will be done!"
"We expect no other answer. Our sources speak of a human that befriended the Narth. Has he been captured, so we may question him?"
"The plan is in motion. I have the bait and the place and soon he will be yours. However, I must disappoint you. He is not what you hope he is."
"Explain!"
"The reports of the friendship are exaggerated. Narth have no such concepts. However my research showed that the dimwitted Neo Viking has an uncle that is the representative to his world. For reasons unknown, he made friends with the First among the Saresii and both of them often talk to the Narth representative, so often that the Assembly has given them a nickname and call them the Three Wise Men. I know much of the Narth, and as powerful as they might be, their understanding of emotions and interspecies interaction is like that of children. There is no doubt that Eric's uncle asked the Narth representative that the first Narth cadet should make contact with his nephew. It's a human thing to do and the Narth, having no concept of these things, agreed."
There were a few moments of silence and then the shifting shadowy presence said, "We do not completely agree with your assessment of the Narth but we concede that you have shared time with them and you know humans and the Union. Then this human representative and the Saresii must be questioned. We must obtain the Token the Narth possess."
"It is foremost on my mind and yet I have not found a way to accomplish this. I am able to go against one of them I am sure, but not all Narth."
"Then you must find one of the other pieces. With it, not even the Narth can stop you!"
"You speak of other pieces, yet I do not know how to begin."
"Find the Disc and with it, you are able to locate the Cave of Things. The Dualix will obey you when you have the Disc. In that cave you will find one of the pieces, one of the Tokens."
"What is the Dualix?"
"It is, in terms you may understand, an artificial intelligence created at the dawn of time, to represent the Eternal Duality of Existence. It is, if you will, a neutral referee and waits for the restoration of the Rule. The Disc that is still hidden on Koken has been given to the Uni to summon it. They left it for the Ker
after the Uni fled and left this galaxy. You represent us, and therefore imbalance, so the Dualix will only obey you when you have the Disc. Do not lose control over the Disc and you should find the Cave of Things. You will find a collection of the most powerful weapons created since time began, take freely what you like, but use things, don't touch the Token and bring it to us. Do not attempt to attack the Narth and gain their Token without coming here first."
Larthop promised but had no real intention to do so.
The shadow lightened and began to fade. "We know you seek the power for yourself, but heed our counsel. Stay patient and true to the cause and the Dark Lord will reward you. Betray us and the Master and not even the Coven would dare to venture where you receive your punishment."
There was that word again. He had heard that word before, Coven! "What is the Coven?" he yelled, but the shadow dissipated and was gone. The Shadow of the Brotherhood would not return for one local year, until the planet would be at the same spot, perfectly aligned with the sun and the core of the galaxy.
As he made his way back, he decided to do a little more research, and then he had to find a way to get to Koken. This was a task he did not want to delegate.
INTERLUDE: SIF
Sif had reached the surface. Her prison had been three stories deep and everyone she encountered was dead. Now she was in some sort of temple or church. Rows of benches were aligned before a big stone effigy of a white skull. It had wing-like ears on the side and long fangs. The skull was missing the lower jaw and she wondered what being or animal would have such a strange skull. The walls, the ceiling and everything else was painted in a dull black, the floor shiny but black as well and the only light came from oil or gas fires in steel bowls suspended from heavy chains. At the opposite side of the skull was a wooden double door that looked like the exit. She was about to take it when she heard voices. From a well-hidden door in the black walls came two men. One wore a black robe, much like the eight men she had killed coming up, and the other wore a gray suit! His voice she recognized right away. Mr. John.
Eric Olafson Series Boxed Set: Books 1 - 7 Page 11
