One of them got up and even though he had nothing on but his own fur, he wore his rank like an invisible aura. I knew he was Roghor the Commander, though that he had singed fur was not a distinguishing feature as it appeared many of them had burns and obvious radiation injuries. He was at least two heads taller than me and covered with short golden fur, except around his muscular neck and all the way to his round ears, where it was dark brown and longer. It framed his head like a massive halo of longer coarse hair, almost like a hood around his wild-looking face. He had a broad triangular nose and the sides of his muzzle were gray, making him look older than most of the other cats present. His eyes were bright yellow and his tail was thick and whisked the air in a somewhat nervous and almost independent fashion. It reminded me of my costume I wore with Deepa.
He crossed his broad paw-like hands before his muzzle and bowed slightly then he took his long tail with one hand and held it like that. “It is not common for my kind to ask for help and especially not from other species. Now that I survived the demise of my ship, I will face death by the hands of my superiors once we reach Kaliment, but it is a price we pay when we take command. Is that something a pirate can understand?”
I had to admit he kept surprising me. Why would such a commander only command a destroyer and not a battleship? Instead of answering his question, I said, “I have seen a ship full of Human body parts not so long ago, Togar. I haven’t forgotten this, and I most likely won’t ever forget it. I know some of your warriors right now don’t feel very thankful or cooperative, so there will be zero tolerance on my side. If one of your cats even so much as twitches a muscle in a way I find aggressive or makes any kind of trouble, I’ll space the lot of you.”
I was unable to read his face or sense his emotions. His voice sounded like an angry growl no matter what he said. “You will be rewarded for your decision on Kaliment; you will receive much polonium, which will make this a profitable venue.”
“I came to find out why you were chasing a Dai ship.” I looked him straight in his eyes, even if I had to look up to do so. “This region is awash with rumors about a huge Dai fleet. You would not have information on that?”
He said very loudly, “No, pirate, I am not in the habit of sharing any Togar reasons with you!”
He really tried to whisper as he growled. “My life is over no matter what happens, but I am not a traitor and will not share Togar intelligence. However, I am willing to share with you whatever I know that is not classified. I cannot do so right here; there are those who have ears and eyes for others than the Fleet.”
I said as loud as him, well, almost as loud, “Then I have no use for you!”
I turned and said to TheOther, “Paralyze the whole bunch, stack them in stasis boxes if we have enough left, but keep them asleep until we know what to do with them. Then bring that commander into the Den, but have Cateria and Shea check him out for any real or artificial bugs or any other surprises.”
TheOther declined his entire upper body as he had no neck to mimic the Human nod. “Aye, captain!”
While the ship was finally in Quasi Space and traveling toward Itheamh, I left Krabbel in charge of the Conn and took a detour to sickbay before I made my way to our Den.
The rescued Dai warriors had been critically wounded and two of them were still in the ReGen tank where nanites and tissue weavers replaced and restored them.
Har-Hi stood next to our recent crew addition, the white Togar female and our med tech turned Garbini. My red-skinned friend stared inside the greenish goo-filled tank where two still partially maimed and crippled Dai warriors hung suspended by hoses looking alien, pitiful, and fragile at the same time.
“All four are of the Vun tribe,” he said in a toneless voice.
“I only see two.”
“Cateria managed to save both of the ones you see, literally in the last moment. The other two perished before we could put them in stasis. We Dai never developed the same marvelous space suits where the wellbeing of the wearer was the paramount core of the design. No auto-docs and no spacesuits equipped with stasis capability.”
“Do you know them?”
“I know the Vun tribe. The Dai floating in the left tank is Rur-Vun; he is the oldest son of the tribal leader Tar Laf-Vun. I fought him the last time I was on Thana Shoo for the title of Champion of Thana Shoo. He was very good.”
He turned to look at me. “The Vun tribe was second in size only to ours. I am certain Tar Laf-Vun decided not to follow my father back then because I had beaten his son. I am a Union citizen now, I am an officer but have the feeling I am witnessing the demise of the Dai culture. Why did the Togar chase their destroyer; where is the rest of the Vun tribe?”
“I am on my way to the Den to ask that very question to the Togar commander. I am sure these two will recuperate and maybe give you the answers you seek.”
Jolaj had her hands folded before her short white skirt. She, too, seemed troubled. “I am the reason the Togar have attacked you, and I put everyone in danger.”
“It was my decision to purchase you so openly at the asteroid base, not yours. What I said to you when we met holds true now and in the future. You are part of this crew now and the entire Togar Empire could not make me sell you out.”
The Garbini wiggled her tail and said, “That holds true for everyone aboard and extends to the entire Union. Now let us check on the bio-printer; I am sure the liver for our Dai patient is ready.”
While our Togar girl left with the Garbini, I was moved by my own feelings about the Togar and remembered my recent apology
The Togar commander sat across me at our big table in our Den. He looked clean and his singed fur was gone, replaced by patches of almost-white fur. Cateria looked at her PDD and said, “Our feline guest has been treated and is as healthy as I can make him. I fixed his burns and treated him for a nasty worm infestation of his stomach and intestines. I guess too much raw meat from an unclean source. He had nothing in terms of bugs or spyware, neither biological, psionic, or technological.”
He looked smaller now, sitting down and across the massive table. He blinked by closing his black-lined eyelids and I assumed that was how Togar acknowledged something. He kept looking around at all our treasure that Sobody, Mr. Warner, and my crew had piled up, and the colorful decoration with bits and pieces from perhaps every corner of the Galaxy. Of course, he also noticed Hans and TheOther flanking him, while Xon stood behind me, giving no reason to doubt what he would do if our new guest decided to become aggressive.
Cateria leaned closer to me and whispered in Seenian, “He is also under a lot of stress and while we don’t have much data on Medical Central on Togar Psych conditions, I think he is close to a nervous breakdown.”
The Togar commander wrung his hands nervously and then said, “You have an amazing ship and a truly formidable crew.”
“Yes, commander, I think I do. I gave you my word and you are not a prisoner. I will take you and your crew to Kaliment, but I don’t have the resources to deal with a potential Togar riot so I think they are better off sleeping.”
“I understand, Captain Black Velvet. The ship must always come first. It makes no difference to my fate if I arrive at Kaliment or not, but I thank you for my crew.”
“Tell me, commander, this is an unusual move, calling us for help. Could you not have waited for Togar aid? We are not that far from Togar space, and I noticed you chasing a Dai warship, perhaps all that was left after your fleet dealt with the tribe it belonged to? There isn’t perhaps someone important in your crew that needed saving?”
“Yes, your conclusions are quite correct, captain. Normally, we were just an attack cruiser with no concerns about our own safety, but both of my children, my son and my daughter, are among the crew. As a Togar, I am proud they have chosen to become space warriors and follow my lead. As a commander, I was worried to have my own offspring among my crew, affecting my command decisions. As a father, I had no second thoughts to do anything for their
survival. I broke all traditions and rules. I lost my honor, forfeited my life to save their lives.”
“All right, commander, let us believe that for the moment and pretend I buy your story. Tell me more about your mission and the violent end of a chase we witnessed. I have other things to do than to sit here and talk to a Human-trading, man-eating Togar commander.”
While I spoke to him, I had to admit he was a magnificent-looking member of his kind, but I also vividly remembered the ship full of stacked Human body parts and whimpering slaves and wondered just how many Humans had to witness other Humans being butchered and eaten, knowing they were next. I wondered how many times he had sunk his formidable teeth into a Human thigh or laughed as they tortured a Human prisoner just for entertainment. Ever since we had found that ship of horrors, I had collected other reports off GalNet and knew they loved to play with their victims before they did the actual kill. There were many stories about the hunt parties on Togar worlds. Naked slaves released into fenced parks only to be chased and killed by Togar hunters. I also remembered the slave pens of Alvor’s Cove and the Togar buyers picking Human slaves like groceries for their meat pots.
“Captain Velvet, I am guilty of being Togar. I have been demoted from section commander to be the shipmaster of a simple cruiser because I am male and dared to question the queen, and I have been guilty of thinking and voicing my critical opposition too much. I am thankful for what you did, and I know I have no honor left but I won’t sell you the last shards of whatever dignity I have left.”
I said, while getting up, “I tried to be civil. You haven’t told me what I wanted to know—”
Cateria, still standing close, said, “Maybe we should simply drag him over glowing steel rakes and then have TheOther beat a confession out of him before we do a brain dump just to make sure he knows you hate Togar. We’ll then have him skinned alive and add his pelt to our trophies.”
I snapped at her, “Have you seen—” but I stopped myself in mid-sentence. She was right and, truth be told, I didn’t want anyone to judge Neo-Vikings on the actions of my father or the things we did during the pirate years. The Y’All did much worse things and on an entire different scale than the Togar, and I’d never blamed TheOther because I was not alive when they had invaded. I didn’t trust that Togar commander but I was not even giving him a chance and again judged an individual by his association to a species. I realized that there was a dark unforgiving hateful spark deep inside myself. Part of my motivation for coming down here and seeing him was indeed just to find an excuse to torture and mind dump him, just as Cateria said. I wanted to kill him with my own hands, and that was a dangerous slippery road my own emotions were leading me on. I took a breath and promised myself once again to be as Egil wanted me to be, judge every situation and every being from all sides. Especially since I still hated unfair situations, and he certainly was in an unfair situation right now.
He was a big cat and a strong individual, yet cared more for his crew and his offspring than a Togar was supposed to do. He had lost his ship and was on his way to be prosecuted and executed by his own kind for accepting help.
I gave Cateria a long look; our CMO was not afraid to speak her mind and for that, she rose quite a few notches in my personal opinion. After all, I had treated her quite similarly when I encountered her the first time. I gave her a thankful nod. “Thank you for reminding me who I am, who we are.”
The Seenian woman who had become my CMO had also disguised herself in civilian clothing and what she thought a pirate would look like. Her always stern and cold face did not change expression but her voice lost the usual edge. “You are welcome, captain.”
I returned my attention to the Togar. “Maybe we need to start over. Before I ask you what I want to know, I would like to know what I can do for you. Maybe you can remain aboard and not leave on Kaliment. We will reach Itheamh later and maybe you can find a new life and a new career away from the Togar Empire.”
He looked down on his big paws and they were shaking, so I got up walked around the table and took a seat next to him. Without really thinking and following an impulse, I put my hand on his arm. “Commander Roghor, some Humans drink a hot cup of tea to calm their nerves, others like a shot of alcohol. I personally prefer coffee and a cigarette. Is there anything you Togar consume while collecting thoughts? I doubt one of my Human crew-members will volunteer so you can have a snack but is there anything else?”
He made a deep rasping sound that appeared to be the Togar equivalent of a sigh and again, I was taken aback by the intelligence and the Humanity in those yellow non-Human eyes. “We don’t just eat Humans, and most male Togar don’t ever have the chance to even try. There are 600 billion Togar, and I doubt there are more than 5,000 to 6,000 Humans reaching our markets during a standard year.”
He spread his fur-covered arms. “I am not defending our ways, I just wanted to illustrate how rare and expensive Human flesh on Togar markets is. Since it is so rare, it is reserved for the very rich and very important females.”
I actually believed him. “So, what is it you want?”
He returned to stare art his paw-like hands. “I don’t know, pirate. When my ship was about to explode, it seemed to be a good idea to ask and accept help. Now I am not sure if I doomed my son to live with his father’s shame.”
“How about your daughter?”
“She is female and already on her way to the upper echelon of command; her father’s deeds or name mean nothing in our society.”
“So, if it isn’t Humans, what do you eat?”
“We eat any kind of meat, and we usually drink only water. Alcohol is dangerous to us; even a little makes us very drunk and can be lethal. We Togar don’t share much of our culture with others and what others know about us is only a shadow of the truth. There is a Human, his name is Alex Enroe, and he managed to become friends with the queen herself. He sells us bacon and pork meat, but he is from the Union and not Freespace.”
Cateria said, “I’ll check the galley and see what we’ve got in terms of bacon.”
The commander rattled his Togar sigh again. “You are an enigma, Captain Velvet. You hide your face behind a mask and even we Togar have heard rumors of you. Your ship is an old Karthanian, yet it sports the finest Nul weapons and genuine Union Isah Pods. Your crew includes a Y’All. They say you are a ruthless pirate, dealing with slaves yourself, and we know you captured another known pirate vessel, yet your crew acts like professionals, not like the throat-cutting dregs usually to be found on pirate ships.”
I shrugged. “We all have our own styles, I guess. I prefer professionals running my ship over the dreg kind you mentioned.”
He returned to answer my original question. “Maybe I can make my way into the Union region somehow. There is a rumor Alex Enroe helps Togar. But Union Space is far, and I am without any means.” He licked his chaps in a nervous, unconscious way. “The Empire is still looking for you and a pirate by the name of Curtis Profit. It is about the white-furred Togar you purchased at the Bennett’s Rock.”
“Why would a single female Togar justify all this effort?”
“I am male and do not know all the details, but white fur is sacred to us, and this particular one was white as snow. Not only was she the most beautiful of all, she was, according to the temple, born under the magnificent spirit Malmoru. This birth was foretold in our most holy scrolls. In a very public trial, she was accused of bleaching her fur and obscuring the real story of her birth. She was charged with high treason, crimes against the spirit, and plotting to kill the queen by acting as an agent to the Dark Spirit.”
Narth, who had silently joined us moments ago, said, “I am often amazed by the amount of superstition and illogical religious reasoning that motivates societies that advanced technologically so much they opened the door to the stars.”
I said, “But that still does not explain why the Togar queen puts so much effort into finding her. She was sold as a slave and, from my experienc
e, slaves sadly don’t survive for long in captivity.”
“Because all Togar is at the brink of revolt. That she escaped hiding on a slave transport is not believed by the public. Many believe she has been rescued by the spirits themselves. Some say it was Marmou himself who took his daughter only to return her one day with great powers and to take her rightful place as the true queen. The queen knows that if the White Fur returns, the revolt will tear the Empire asunder and certainly doom her and the reigning families. The news that a white Togar was sold on Brhama Port caused deep concern in the ruling families and, of course, for the queen.”
Suddenly changing the subject, the Togar commander said, “The reason why our queen protects the Bassetts, and why the Dai want control over the system, is the secret back door.”
“The back door?”
He blinked his eyes again by squeezing them. “There is a stable artificial wormhole nearby. We Togar believe it has been created artificially by a long-gone civilization, perhaps the Celtest. It leads deep into Union Space and is used by the Bennetts to smuggle Union mil-tech, slaves, and other prohibited tech out, and drugs and other illegal things in. The old Bennett owns an ancient alien device that controls that wormhole. They kept it secret for many decades, but our queen knows about it and in return for restricted Union tech, she made a pact with the Bennetts to protect them. Our high command believes the Vun Dai tribe has known this secret for a long time and also had a deal with the Bennetts and this is why we have standing orders to engage the Vun tribe, preventing them from sharing this with Cam Elf Na.”
I could not contain myself, cursed and said, “So, any Fleet built up at the border won’t do any good. How big is that wormhole?”
He made a wide gesture. “Big enough for the largest Dai Mother, and perhaps even for that tremendous Demon ship the Union has.”
“Do you know where it terminates?”
“I never went through and its existence is supposed to be a tightly guarded secret.”
Eric Olafson Series Boxed Set: Books 1 - 7 Page 130
