I did not dress again. I sat down wearing a dressing gown and made a log book entry when the door chime announced a visitor. I expected Shea, but to my surprise it was Mr. Eeeryt carrying a tray and he said. “SHIP told me that you haven’t eaten in days, so I made you this Tyranno Fin steak. I have a few portions in my stasis freezer saved for you.”
“Mr. Eeeryt, how thoughtful of you.” The savory smell of fried fish and mashed seaweed buds wafted into my nose like the finest scent in the Universe as he uncovered the dish and put the tray down. “You must take more care of yourself, Captain. SHIP and I are concerned.” He rushed to the door saying, “enjoy”, just before he left.
I doubted Odin and the Aseir ate better food at the eternal banquet of Valhalla than the fish that was just melting on my tongue. There were few pleasures more satisfying than the simple act of eating one’s favorite food after not having it for a long time. The taste conjured images and memories of Uncle Hogun, Elena,father, old Egill, the Elkhart the first keeper and of course of Midril and the kitchen of our burg.
SHIP, we are still in regular GalNet range right?”
“Yes Captain, especially since Alvor’s Cove just came online with a transponder station a few days ago.”
Only my AI would add such small talk information and I was very glad it was so. I said. “See if you can tune in on Nilfeheim Radio. It is almost yuletide and they play nice old music around this time. I think Egill told me in his last message that Nilfeheim Radio now has a GalNet channel
“Yes Captain he did and I saved the info.”
The sweet music of an old Yuletide song filled my quarters and I allowed myself a bottle of beer and felt quite content for the moment. I knew it would not last of course but that didn’t bother me right now.
After finishing the plate and leaning back with a cigarette and a glass of Aquavit. I reflected on the recent events and developments. Yes there was something happening to me, but as I listened to the music and remembered Nilfeheim, sitting here as Erica and even though I would not return to being Eric as he was; I knew Eric and Nilfeheim would always be a part of me, the part that defined my core. It was a good realization and as I lay down to sleep a few hours, I did so with a contented mind.
“Welcome,” said a deep voice that came from nowhere and everywhere at the same time. The last thing I remembered was going to bed and falling asleep. Maybe I was dreaming standing on a mirror like dark surface that stretched to all sides as far as I could see. As I looked up, the view I saw took my breath away. It was a crystal clear projection or representation of a galactic super cluster and I was almost certain I could identify our own local group.
One of these lights was the Milky Way galaxy and the other slightly larger one right next to it was Andromeda. I knew many of the others from astronomy class. Yet I was certain this was no artists impression, this was as it looked like for real, yet not one of the known species had ever sent out a space ship so far as to make a picture like that, not even the Seenians as far as I knew.
I saw my own reflection in the floor that had a glass like hardness. I was wearing a black shroud like garment, similar to those the Narth wore but different. This shroud had the hood attached, more like a hooded cape that left the face open and not like the mask like hood with eyeholes the Narth wore. It was cut like a floor long dress, girded with a dark metal belt that had neither buckle nor any other distinctive features.
I could see my own face underneath the shadow casting hood. This had to be a dream, I would never look that arrogant, that lofty and somehow I could not think of it as anything else but utterly beautiful, cold and evil. It was not the face of a warm and loving woman, but more like the unmoving sculpture of a stone statue. Yet I recognized my features and my eyes.
Another hooded figure was suddenly there and despite its mask and hood, I knew it was the Narth Supreme.
He said. “Don’t be alarmed Erica, time and space has as you understand it have no meaning here.” He actually laughed with a warm tone in his voice. “I should say as you currently understand it, there will be a point where you understand it better than all Narth ever hope to comprehend.”
“I am dreaming all this?”
“Let us pretend you are for now and then who can say what the dreams of a God may be?”
“Please don’t call me a God, I am not and I don’t want to be a god.”
“Very well then, should I call you Erica or should I call you Imperia Regina Cerperum Orcus, Death and Darkness incarnate the devourer of life and light, the incarnation of eternal darkness and death? It is difficult to put it in human words what you are. The day will come when you have powers so far beyond mortal comprehension that there will be those who will call you a God or a Goddess perhaps. Entities with omnipotent power are often called that way.”
If I have to be something like that, why Dark One? Can I not rather be the Light One or the Nice one?”
He actually sighed. “This is a very serious problem. Because you do have the choice and if Darkness itself choses to be light, the balance that keeps the Universe as it is will forever be destroyed. What is a Universe without darkness? Light would have no meaning. Without death, there would be no life. Yet all Narth does not know if it might be possible and if a Universe could exist without balance.”
“Why is it I feel like a fish out of water? All this is so beyond my level of comprehension. If entities like I exist, does it not make the struggle of the Ithe, the plans of the Union and all this useless. If Gods can snap their fingers and snuff suns, move Galaxies or simply change reality to their liking?”
“These are all questions that are beyond Narth. We are very old and comprehend on levels humans cannot, compared to you, however, Narth are like newborn children, but we are certain that the actions of everyone counts. That even the life of bacteria has meaning and contributes to the sum of it all.”
He came closer and took my hand. “I tried to ease your mind by taking your memories of all this, but how can I influence what is coming alive in you? I called you here to ease your mind, to tell you that you have time; the Dark One will not come into its own until twelve pieces are united. Your axe, this shroud, the sword your friend Tyr is guarding and your very body are parts of this. I am also certain that once you have found all the other pieces and you are the Dark One, you will not be the same Dark One that destroyed many Universes before. I am confident you will make the right decision.”
“How can a normal human being function in everyday life if she knows she will ultimately become something evil, look at my reflection, she looks like me and I know it is me, but she looks worse than a Kermac and Thauran combined.”
“You were born on Nilfeheim as Eric, a human boy. Now you are an adult and appear female. That is what all beings do, they grow and become adult. Their outlook and comprehension develops and changes. The same holds true for your true self, you are still at the beginning of a very long journey and even an entity must grow and learn and develop.
This is the very reason you reincarnated, I am certain of it. My advice to you is, do not dwell on it. Don’t try to run when you can barely walk. Don’t think of the future as set in stone as many events can and will happen that could change everything. For now you are not the Dark One, you are still Erica Olafson, Captain of a Union Starship and that is your current destiny and that is where you are needed.”
Simply talking and listening to the wisdom of the Narth Supreme made me feel much better. He declined his head. “I can no longer make you forget things, but you can if you want. You are in control and it is you who decides what you will become in the end; that is what the decision is all about.”
“Yes please help me to put all this in the background, it fills me with doubt and fear and I should not be distracted from my duty.”
“What is in you can no longer be be silenced, or manipulated by any force known to Narth, except you. Because it is you, but I can show you how it is done. Concentrate and relax at the same time. Get into
a state of meditation like you do when you practice your martial arts, now you can adjust the balance…”
I had slept three good hours and got up despite the mild mothering complaints of SHIP that this wasn’t enough sleep and that it was still five hours before dusk. Local days were six hours longer than the Union standard day after all. I also remembered that I had talked to the Narth Supreme in my sleep. I knew that the strange axe was part of me and that it would come to me whenever I called it, no matter where it was. I remembered some of the advice and also knew there was more we had spoken about that I could not recall.
However all this brooding of my possible future was fruitless and I decided to let it all develop as it may. All I could do was try my best and be a good Fleet Officer.
I felt refreshed and I knew I would not be able to find real rest until I was sure my job here was done.
Har-Hi and I had disguised ourselves as Ithe, very tall Ithe, but Ninety assured us that tall Ithe were rare but not completely uncommon. Ninety insisted on going along, despite that he was now a crucial figure in the movement. How could I argue his decision, when my real place should be aboard the ship at the bridge and sending someone else?
I decided to let him inside so he could use one of our Saresii Auto-dressers making him look like an Oghr. He was simply too tall to even remotely be a convincing Ithe.
We had used Grythers to fly the 500 kilometers distance to the Capital city of the planet and landed not far from the Tavern where we had met with the pirates. The sun was already behind the horizon and it would soon be completely dark. With us were Ninety, the Karthanian who I learned listened to the name Nefkin and Jutika the former Drak Commander. Ninety in his Oghr disguise chased our ride animals back into the sky and assured us the animals were used to this and would find their way back to their stables.
He then pointed to the city in the distance and said. “We will walk until we reach the Croi district, there we will get additional disguises to blend into the general population so we can use the Underground train.”
We started walking.
Har-Hi catching up to me said. “That was exciting, riding those flying beasts. If this place ever becomes Union, I bet they could make a fortune selling them as pets. I certainly would buy one.”
Jutika must have overheard him and said. “I spend a lifetime here and I too rode a Gryther for the first time. They are native to this world and only mountain tribes have learned to tame and ride them.”
Ninety turned as he was walking point. “Your captain already earned hers and she is welcome to take her Gryther along, I am sure we can get you one too, Mighty Dai prince.”
Har-Hi chuckled, amused and said. “Just what we need another flying dragon in our hangars, I think it would be cruel to perch up those animals in a space ship, they need room to fly. I will however return to Ithe once it is free and when we have completed our mission and take you up on a ride for sure.”
The disguised Togar said. “This is what I admire most about you, this unshakeable confidence, Mighty Dai Prince.”
We reached a wider road that was paved and had sporadic street lights. The buildings on each side looked industrial and desolated. Har-Hi said. “I think I would prefer you simply call me Har-Hi, the whole Dai Prince thing is a tad too overbearing.”
While the two continued to talk about Grythers, the Ithe commander said. “These are the outskirts of the Croi district. It is where, until about ten years ago, a thriving private industry flourished. Then the new Magistrate came into office and forbade most private enterprise because all profit should go to the state and private enterprise would make demands and be a possible hotbed of dissent. Only small cottage industry, bars and small shops are still allowed to be in private hands.”
I said, as we walked past a boarded up warehouse like structure. “This Magistrate sure sounds like a piece of work.”
“I was raised to believe the Drak can only survive with the magistrate suppressing any notion of Ithe independence”
“I still don’t understand the difference. You look like an Ithe to me and the Ithe look like Drak.”
She said. “I am sure the differences are too subtle for an outsider to see.” She moved her right eye stalk to look at me directly and she continued. “The Drak are somewhat taller and we Drak have uniformly colored stalks while Ithe have spots and ring shaped areas on their bodies that are darker.”
I almost laughed as I said. “That’s all the difference?”
She squeezed the skin over her eyeball closed; I had learned that this was the same as a human nod. “To a being like you coming from this mystical Union it must sound ridiculous, I heard that race and appearance makes no difference there, is that true?”
We were still walking but now we could see an occasional ground vehicle or a flyer. I said to her. “There are over 5000 member civilizations in the Union. We have Insectoid, silicone based life forms, amphibians and humans. In my crew I have an Arachnoid, living machines, Takkians, rodent like Holdians, humans and even a Non-Corp, living energy without a body whatsoever. If we would start making differences because of something so unimportant as appearance we would never get anywhere. Besides, it is thanks to our great diversity that we are as advanced as we appear since we benefit from the advances and the knowledge of others and every new member brings something new to the mix.”
She made a sound that was very much like a human sigh and she said. “What a wonderful place this Union must be. It was the Union delegation’s visit a few years ago that opened my eyes and I started to question our politics.”
She gestured towards an illuminated bill board with the picture of the magistrate in his entire gray uniform splendor. “We all once were Dryak. We came from third planet in this system. At the height of our own civilization we established a colony right here on Itheamh and the colonists were called the Ithe. Then war broke out on Draake our home world and it was fought with terrible and dirty weapons, making our own world inhospitable. The Drak that survived fled to Itheamh. Itheamh barely survived without supplies and help from Draake even before the war and was virtually doomed as it could not provide survivable conditions to the now increased population. We all learned in history classes that it was the benevolent Kartanians, our big friends who then came to help us with food, technology and support. All they wanted in return was use our world as an outlet for their wares and taking our criminals in return as workers. I believed all this for a long time. The truth was that the Karthanians instigated the war on Draake and gave the fighting sites the weapons that turned our home world to toxic wasteland. The truth is that the Karthanian were not satisfied with a few criminals but had need for many slaves. The truth is that all Itheamh business is really in Karthanian hands and that we are nothing more than a scrap yard and service station for broken space ships from other species and civilizations.”
Nefkin the Karthanian had listened to our conversation as it turned out and he said. “We haven’t always been this way. It was the greed of the Guild Masters. They realized that there is a galaxy full of potential customers for our technology and ships, but how to tap that market? We have been very xenophobic ever since the First Engineer predicted our doom from the hands of a soft shell alien. The Guild Masters took charge ever since the First Engineer fell asleep and use planets like Itheamh for their shady business.”
We had walked a good distance now and the industrial area gave way to a depressing housing district, with dark gray concrete boxes, many stories high, dotted with small rectangular windows.
The disguised Togar stopped his conversation he had with Har-Hi and pointed at a simple looking one story building with a few large windows and a cheaply made sign, reading ‘Scraper Gear’.
He said. “There we will buy worker’s coveralls, the Underground trains are filled with thousands of beings wearing work coveralls working on one of the many scrap yards and dismantling companies. As soon as we all wear blue coveralls and work boots, we simply disappear and become
as good as invisible.”
The store smelled of grease, dust and wet clothing. A smell I had not detected since I had left Nilfeheim.
We purchased simple one piece boiler suits of a dark blue, somewhat stiff fabric. The Karthanian handed us thick leather hoods out of tan colored leather and said. “These are Torcher hoods, many wear them when they use torches to cut the scrap, and it will obscure our identities even further
The hoods left the faces open and to complete our look we bought torcher goggles, gloves and a large Tool bag for Har-Hi’s swords and weapons. The shop owner accepted Union Credits strip without hesitation or even looking up. Outside in a dark alley we put the suits on. The Karthanian tossed dust and dirt all over us and splashed the content of a bottle over Har-Hi and Ninety and himself. It reeked of something organic and not very pleasant.
Har-Hi and the Togar had even more sensible noses than I and it was Ninety who complained. “What in the spirits name are you putting on us
His Karthanian friend said. “It’s a liquid so the dirt and dust sticks better to the new suits. We don’t want to look fresh and clean.”
Har-Hi nodded. “Yes, yes I understand that but I haven’t seen you buy any bottles. It sure does not smell like water.”
The Karthanian spread his arms. “I have no nose, sorry, I don’t smell anything. I found a that bottle sitting over there behind that trash barrel.”
I gagged and said to Har-Hi. “Well the bright side is that anyone with a nose will think we are sewage workers and make a big circle around us.”
Ninety clenched his fists and said to his friend. “Nefkin I know it was with good intention, but never, ever pick up any open bottles near trash barrels and give me a shower with it.”
Jutika adjusted her torcher’s hood and said. “It smells just like Oghr…”
I stopped her. “Just pretend you don’t know what it is and don’t tell us.”
Eric Olafson Series Boxed Set: Books 1 - 6 (The Galactic Chronicles Series) Page 148
