He raised an eyebrow. “My name, Lieutenant?”
“King Nebuchadnezzar had three men thrown in the furnace for not bowing to a golden idol, One of the men was Shadrach. It is all in the book of Daniel.”
He looked at her as confused as I was and he said. “I never heard of King Nebuchadnezzar.” Then he got up, “Well as it might be, I do have a station to run and then there is the imminent visit of the Admiral of the Fleet. ” He grinned weakly.
“He was never here before and I want everything in tip top shape before his inspection!”
***
The station was a full sized Gigamon. We learned that almost forty percent of the base was geared towards shield generators and gravitation management, but even then it was a big place with an all military intelligence community.
We found ourselves in a real Officer’s lounge a little later and sat on a table by a large simulated window displaying a beautiful mountain scene with meadows and snow capped mountains.
Shea tried to explain to us what she meant with her comments about Nebuchadnezzar and the Commandant.
He might not know the significance of his name, but I am sure he was picked for this station partially of it. Admiral McElligott likes these things. ” She then told us the story that was part of an old religious book from earth, called the Bible.
A server came to our table and pointed at our drinks and my empty glass,
“Captain Olafson, would you like another Holsteiner?”
I smiled .
“Yes I like another. ”
Then I glanced to Narth who nursed a glass of water.“You would not want to try again?”
“Oh no, I made quite a spectacle out of me,the last time I was intoxicated.”
Har-Hi quaffed a swell of beer in his glass and said. “Narth was drunk?”
We had to tell them about the incident in the officer’s lounge at Camp Idyllic. Shea and Har-Hi where laughing and tears were streaming down my Dai friends face.
This simple gathering in that lounge was perhaps one of the finest moments so far.
Here in the company of my best friends. Beings I considered closer than family.
Krabbel and Mao, Elfi and the rest, beings I would not hesitate to lay down my life, but these three: Narth, Shea and Har-Hi trans descended friendship by magnitudes that could not be described or put in words and I realized just how deeply I loved these three.
Har-Hi and Narth decided to return to the ship so Elfi and Mao who had stayed behind, could go. Regulations required that the Conn of a Union ship was occupied regardless of the ship’s location.
The ship could only be completely abandoned if it was decommissioned.
So with no particular goal in no hurry to be anywhere, I strolled with Shea down the main concourse. I did not notice at first that we were holding hands.
This was not Richter Base with a crooked base commander, but an efficient, secret Union Outpost with an efficient Commander.
We noticed even here was a small civilian population, most likely family members of service personnel and shopkeepers.
We walked past a Project-A-Sign that hung over a row of concourse facing windows and a sliding doors. The sign read : Union School Neb 2 and through the windows we saw Klack, Ult, Spindlars, two Blue several Humans and a Takkian sitting in neat rows before a Shail on a hover sleed facing that class.
Shea said.“Even here far from Union Side, deep in hostile space and underneath the surface of a sun there is orderly Union life. I think this is the real secret of Union success.”
“Yes I think so too.”
Now I consciously noticed her hand in mine and I loved how it felt.
She looked at me. “I would have loved to go to a school like that, the Sojos and especially Mother Superior did the best they could, but that seems such a nice way to learn.”
“School was a wonderful escape for me, to get away from the Burg.”
We went on and slowed down at the window of a fashion store, displaying dresses and other fashion items. She pointed at a dress and said. “You know we could go in, this time you don’t have to hide anything.”
She wanted to say something else, but she stopped and then she looked at me . “Something bothering you? Your eyes usually would light up seeing things like that.”
I shrugged.
“I don’t know. Everything seems perfect. There is a Union School , shops, Officers club. Our crew is enjoying their first shore leave and we are safe inside a Union station. The Admiral of the Fleet himself is on his way...”
She said nothing and kept looking at me waiting for me to say more
I sighed. “I can’t put it in words. It is like something just outside my field of view. I guess it is nothing really. I can’t put my finger at it but we have an old saying on Nilfeheim :There is something rotten in Denmark.”
I looked past her down the corridor. “Something just doesn’t feel right.”
I squeezed her hand. “Ah it is probably nothing. Yes let’s go in and buy that dress. It will look lovely on you.”
“Is it because we are in a Sun? As unusual it might be,it is not the only construct the Union operates near or on the surface of a star. Sol Castle exists for nearly 1000 years now and Bright Star City is there almost as long. Sol and Bright Star are much hotter and more violent than this old red star. Besides I seen four Wurgus Engineers just a few moments. That means they most likely worked on the design and keep it all running, there is no species with more experience in such things.”
“No, that is not it.”
“Do you have doubts again because of your gender?”
“No, I am quite content right now and I haven’t even thought about it recently.” I looked down the concourse once more that circled all around the equator of the station and foe many kilometers. There were trees, isles with grass and benches. People of various species strolling like us. Others sitting on the grass or on chairs before Cafes. “It’s nothing.”
Just as we entered the small fashion boutique, I noticed twenty men in black uniforms marching in perfect military precision down the main corridor. Again there should have been nothing unusual about a group of soldiers or navy personnel aboard a secret military base, but they were all human and all appeared to be of the same height. Their bodies in peak physical condition, they all had short almost white blonde hair and they all looked very much alike. Their faces had a stoic bare of any emotion quality. Just a troop of soldiers or navy personnel I told myself, yet for some reason the hair of my back stood on end.
I tried to ignore it and we went in the store. We weren’t the only shoppers; three women , one of them a Stellaris the other two human were also there and a fourth, very fragile looking woman with very large eyes just stepped around a clothing rack. I stopped in my tracks. “Galmy?”
Chapter 4: The Bowels
It could have been any Maltyrian but I was certain it was Galmy. At the same as I said her name I realized she would not recognize me. She still had these inhuman big eyes and that translucent complexion. Her hair was the same midnight black as I remembered.
She said. “You know me, Captain..?”
Her eyes scanned over my uniform blouse looking for my name tag. “Captain Olafson?”
She was out of uniform so I could not see what rank she had attained since I seen her last.
“Yes I know you, Lilliam Dilucca Galmy of Maltyr.”
“There are not that many who know my full name and I know only one person with the name Olafson.”
She stepped back looked me up and down and said.
“So you did follow your heart after all, and you made captain already! ” She then flung herself at me and gave me a warm hug.
“This is not very Maltyrian I know, but I could never thank you for saving my life.”
I was a little surprised that she recognized me. I said. “The last time I saw you, you were carried away by medics, after that bastard Stone shot you. How in the world did you recognize me?”
>
“You look exactly how I thought you might look as a girl and your eyes haven’t changed either. We Maltyrians first identify others by their eyes. Considering the huge ocular organs, nature planted into our skulls this should not be a surprise.”
“You are not surprised to...well that..”
“Captain Olafson, we Maltyrians developed out of an old Saresii colony, I am a fair telepath and an excellent empath. While I can’t read a thing now, you were an open book for me back then. Remember when we went to Perryton together for our first R&R? While the others went into the Data Head shop, you and I walked through the mall. Your thoughts looking at shops like this were quite strong.”
I blushed. “I think the only one thinking this was a secret was me.”
Shea giggled. “Yes It seems that way.”
I turned and introduced Shea to Galmy and Galmy to Shea. Then we went to a cafe across the store and sat down to catch up a little.
Galmy, so I learned was an Ensign now and had chosen Xeno engineering as a speciality. She told me that she was sent to this secret star base, to help analyze and catalogue the artifacts and tech items, Chimera units brought in., mostly from little known cultures and societies of the Downward sector.
Despite she being a friend I could not tell her what we did exactly, but then she understood. This was a clandestine base after all and that is why she didn’t ask for details.
Just as I started on my second cup of coffee, Elfi appeared smiled at us. “Captain, Shea you need to go into that little boutique over there.
Despite the fact that it is in a super secret NAVINT base and far from Union Side, it has a very neat selection of really nice outfits. There is a dress I think would be perfect for you, Captain. The blackest velvet, silver embroidery and a very daring bodice.”
Shea pushed the plate with Andorian cookies she had ordered across the little table so Elfi could reach for one and said.
“I saw it too, and we almost bought it but the Captain ran into a friend.”
I was about to introduce Elfi to Galmi when I saw a walking mountain of packages and shopping bags, it had chrome metal legs.
Shea saw it too and said. “I think we need to get us a bigger ship, Circuit went shopping.”
I had forgotten the strange feeling, I had earlier and completely enjoyed the company. We did shop and it was great fun to try on dresses and things. I almost forgot that we were inside a star and inside a super secret NAVINT base.
The base commander confirmed that the Cimera unit was on schedule and that the Admiral would soon arrive.
I had delivered my weekly report and decided to enjoy some R&R myself, out of uniform. I even had the opportunity to call home. The base was equipped with much stronger GalNet / GalCom equipment or perhaps used a similar secret communication relay chain.
After talking to Elena and my family back on Nilfeheim, I joined my friends at the marvelous real looking beach. The simulated horizon in the distance where an azure colored ocean met a pastel blue almost cloudless sky made the illusion complete. It really felt as if were at the beach and the shore of a beautiful ocean. They were all there and the scene reminded me of the time aboard the Devi, just before we left for Newport.
With no pressing chore or duty looming, I had spend a long time in the water. It was of course a tad to warm and all the sophisticated simulation technique could make me believe I was swimming in a real ocean, it still tasted like ocean water. It was about as perfect as an afternoon could be.
After swimming for more than an hour, I joined my friends and crew.
Once more Hans was grilling meat, this time however Mao was helping.
A group of palm trees, one growing in an odd ankle provided some shadow. The Golden was resting in a flimsy looking hammock made of Archa spider silk.
Krabbel who had made the hammock for our newest crew member however did not, as usual hang from a thread but actually had his belly turned up and all but one of his legs spread out, wearing his eight lensed plastic sunglasses, enjoying the warmth of the simulated sun. In his last leg he held the rest of an ice cream cone waffle.
I was about to relax when I noticed Narth and Circuit kneeling in the sand and both were working with plastic tools, digging in the sand.
“What in Odin’s name are you doing?” I asked.
Narth directed a floating plastic bucket with water and said. “We are engaged in a beach essential activity called sand castle building. Objective of this human invented recreation activity is to from three dimensional structures using sand that is moistened so it will temporarily retain shape. Circuit suggested that a Narth could not built a sand castle for we lacked the skills. Now we are engaged in recreating the shape of a Nilfeheim Burg. It is a fascinating activity, especially since I am prohibited from using telekinetics, integral part of this challenge is to use my hands.”
I pointed at the floating bucket. “And this?”
“This is peripheral of course.”
Shaka shimmered and gleamed like polished Obsidian as Elfi applied lotion on his back. She said. “If anyone had ever told me I would be part of a group that included a sand castle building Narth, I would called this person insane.
***
Commander Shadrach arrived at the Bowels, that was the unofficial nickname for a facility far beneath the main segment of the secret NAVINT station, hidden inside a sun. The very existence of the base was technically illegal because it violated the Freespace treaty.
While NAVINT operations were sanctioned by the Assembly and the Security Council had approved this base, what was going on here, just above the massive Gravo anchor that kept the station where it was, defiled every Union law and he was sure if it ever became known everyone involved would be hanged or executed.
The Bowels could only be reached by a secret Inter Station Transport tube, that was camouflaged as an energy conduit on the stations engineering systems and construction records. Not even NAVINT command knew this facility existed.
Shadrach did not know the identities of the beings working down here.
He no longer wore his uniform, but a white lab coat over a gray jumpsuit void of any markings or rank insignia. His face hidden behind a bioflex mask, like he was sure everyone else down here wore.
After he passed through an airlock like chamber that somehow checked and verified his authorization to proceed. He did not know how it was done, he knew however anyone not accepted by that system would never be seen again.
Behind the second door that just opened for him and let him enter stood a an older looking Saresii. Silver hair, female appearance and yet in this case, even an uninitiated observer would have seen the male features in that face. Just like him the Saresii was not wearing fleet or NAVINT Uniform, but a plain white scientists coat over a mandarin collared velvet like purple jumpsuit.
The Commander said. “The Tigershark is here and so is Captain Olafson.”
The Sarsii displayed no noticeable emotion. “What do you make of her?”
“It is hard to evaluate her as I met her only once. She seems young for being in such a position, but there is a strange quality to her, I can not put in words.”
“The Tribunal has reason to believe she might be an Immortal. Cherubim was overheard while she was talking to Olafson voicing her suspicion that Olafson is indeed such an entity.
He had travelled to Coven, by invitation of Lichfangh herself. Right after his visit the Coven joined the Union.
Not to mention that he is the high representative of the Narth and rumors persist that he is not just human but also Narth. The Narth Supreme himself travelled to Richter base to affect his recovery from a Wurlag sting.”
The commander agreed. “This is indeed a strong indicator that this being is more than just a Neo Viking, but could it not simply be explained by his friendship to the first Narth that chose to join the fleet?”
“This is of course a possibility, but we know that Egill Skallagrimsson , the representative of his world not only e
xceeded the average human lifespan by a good 400 years, he did it without any Union med science but by repairing his own cells by psionic means. There are less than maybe five Sarsii in the entire known history of that species that such incredible psionic control.
The Leedei know of only one such individual in their history.”
“I never heard of a psionic ability that would allow an individual to halt the aging process and I consider myself an expert in that field.”
“Precisely and this Egill became friends not only with Alegar but with the current Naerth delegate to the Assembly. Of course you know of the three wise men.”
“Yes, I think almost everyone in the Union knows of them.”
“The Tribunal does not believe this to be a chain of coincidences, and does not believe Egill who exceeds the Heidelberg Psi Index of any human ever measured, has been born on Nilfeheim. He is also calling Eric his grandson.”
“Eric?”
“Eric is now Erica Olafson, the captain of the Tigershark.His gender change is part of his file.”
The commander walked alongside the Sarsii, who of course disguised like him and perhaps not even Sarsii as they made their way to the holding section of this ultra secret facility.
He was digesting what he just heard. “What is the opinion of the Tribunal or what conclusion is drawn?”
They had reached a massive looking door, the Sarsii stopped and said. “There are no viable speculations at this moment, but it is felt that there are forces and powers at work with an agenda that has nothing to do with the Union or any known civilization.”
“But not beyond the Tribunal?”
The massive door opened almost silently revealing just how thick it was. A purple energy screen that secured the now open passage flickered off. They both went in and entered an almost featureless white room.
In its center an examination table and on it a human male. He was completely naked and he appeared to be dead.
The Sarsii answered while approaching the table.”I do not know what or who the Tribunal is and because of this I know as much as you about their capabilities.”
Eric Olafson Series Boxed Set: Books 1 - 6 (The Galactic Chronicles Series) Page 101
