Enter Into Valhalla

by Michael Anderle

  >>Let me get a look at one of those,<< ADAM requested. >>Hold it up to the light again.<<

  Bethany Anne shrugged. “Sure. What are you thinking?”

  ADAM zoomed in and started chuckling. >>I think I can read these with some assistance from Izanami and TOM. No special equipment needed. We have to be on the primary bridge.<<

  Bethany Anne got to her feet, snagging the wrist-holo with TOM and a brownie on her way to the hallway. “Let’s get there already.”

  Izanami wasn’t too happy about vacating the HLP. “What am I supposed to do, inhabit the viewscreens like a ghost?”

  Bethany Anne raised an eyebrow, her hands dropping to her hips. “You’re supposed to take your lumps like the rest of us. Maybe you’ll be less inclined to be careless with your mobile drive after a few weeks of this restriction.”

  Izanami rolled her eyes. “Fine.” She glided over to the hard light projector and floated over the lip of the collection pool. “This won’t take long.”

  She dissolved into golden light, which dropped heavily to pool in the collection tray. The light lapped the edge of the tray with the consistency of honey for a few moments before dissipating suddenly.

  Izanami reappeared on the viewscreen at the same time the collection tray began moving up to meet the light spindles. “I have input the program you sent, ADAM.”

  >>Thank you, Izanami. We’re going to start slowly,<< ADAM instructed once the collection tray came to a stop at waist height, leaving a three-foot space for the spindles to work in. >>Bethany Anne, put the chip in the center of the collection tray.<<

  Bethany Anne placed the chip on the tray as ADAM directed. “What now?”

  “Now we begin the transformation,” Izanami told them as the spindles moved into place. “This is a two-step process. First, we extract the nanocytes from the crystal. Then we extract the data from the nanocytes.”

  Bethany Anne stepped out of reach when the spindles came to life. She watched with interest while the umbrella-like appendages angled their thin nozzles over the collection tray.

  Liquid light poured from the eight nozzles and dissolved the wafer-thin crystal, exposing the nanocytes trapped within. The nanocytes were cocooned in the pool of light for a moment, then they too were gone.

  “What just happened?” Michael asked as the spindles came to a stop.

  >>The extraction is complete,<< ADAM informed them. >>We can take a look at what we have just as soon as I’ve isolated the reader I’m using from the rest of the ship’s systems.<<

  Bethany Anne waved her finger in a circle. “How long?”

  The HLP whirred again, and the ceiling projectors filled the bridge all around them with layers of holowindows.

  >>Now,<< ADAM replied. >>This is…<<

  “It’s incredible.” Bethany Anne didn’t hear him. She lifted a hand to interact with the nearest window, scanning the stored information with growing hope. “This is all written in Yollin.”

  Bethany Anne swiped the window away and pulled the next to her with a crook of her finger. “This looks like an Ixtali trade agreement.”

  “Over here,” Michael called. “I’ve found something.”

  “There’s a hell of a lot to be found.” Bethany Anne turned from the map she was examining to see that Michael had enlarged a ledger page. “What have you got?”

  Michael pressed his lips together. “It’s a record documenting the species this Kurtherian has taken for their genetic traits. We might have stumbled on the recipe for Ooken.”

  Bethany Anne left the map and walked over to inspect the document. “There, Bakas. Another check mark in the ‘We’ve got an evil megalomaniac on the loose’ box. This is like every creepy stalker basement I ever saw as an agent times infinity.”

  Michael pointed out a line where the number of taken was in the millions. “Whoever the Bl’kheth were, I feel for them. I don’t see how this is anything except genocide.”

  Bl’kheth

  Bethany Anne’s mouth tightened as she turned in a slow circle to read the evidence. “All this evil, and this is just the first chip. We haven’t even scratched the surface.”

  TOM’s voice came from somewhere around her waist. “Bethany Anne?”

  She glanced at the wrist-holo she’d forgotten she was wearing. “Sorry, TOM. What’s up?”

  “You need to see this,” he told her in a tight voice.

  A window moved forward, the map Bethany Anne had been about to inspect before Michael distracted her. “Yeah, what is this? I don’t recognize the language.”

  “It’s Kurtherian,” TOM whispered. “It’s a galaxy map, as in, a map of all known galaxies. I never thought I’d see one again, but there it is.”

  Bethany Anne lifted her hand to touch the map. “ADAM.”

  >>Already sent a copy to the Admiral,<< he replied. >>I also left one in the dead drop for Lance.<<

  Bethany Anne smiled at his thoughtfulness. “Thank you. Now, how do I work this thing?” She waved a hand to clear the space and enlarged the window.

  >>You ask your friendly neighborhood digital entity for some help,<< ADAM told her.

  “Or she just dives in,” TOM grumbled as Bethany Anne began opening the tabs on the map’s side menu.

  Michael had his attention on the star chart presently showing. He pointed out a marker buried in a thick cluster of nebulae just off-center. “What is this marker denoting?”

  Bethany Anne blinked when the map moved of its own accord. A tab popped up with some Kurtherian writing that resolved into English. “A restaurant. Not the secret lair we were hoping for. But the map is a huge win. It’s telepathic?”

  “Not exactly,” TOM clarified. “It does scan the user’s brain waves to discern the location they require, but there is no further exchange.”

  Bethany Anne’s mouth tipped at the corner. “Intriguing. Can you find anything that lists the location of the previous owner?”

  “That’s what I was trying to tell you,” TOM replied. “This map. It’s marked with hundreds of thousands of locations.”

  “Great,” Michael grumped. “We can find a place to eat wherever we go to kick out the Ooken.”

  “Local amenities are not the only things marked on the map. Look.” TOM flashed locator marker tabs, slowly at first and then increasing in speed. “There are companies, factories, tributary planets, you name it. This is priceless.”

  Bethany Anne’s eyes began to glow. “Michael, he’s right. We’ve stumbled on the holy fucking grail.”

  FINIS

  Turn the page to learn about an exciting new entry on The Kurtherian Endgame timeline.

  A Coming Soon Note from N.D. Roberts

  August 27, 2019

  Hi! Nat here. Are you crying? I’m still crying, and I knew it was coming! Goodbye, Addix.

  But I’m not here to waffle (for a change!). I have a book for you. Well, two! They are part of The Kurtherian Endgame timeline. The series title is ‘Out of Time,’ and book one is called Keep Your Friends Close.

  How about we call this practice for the real thing? It’s been a while since I sat to make an author’s note. Book one will be heading to editing in the next couple of days as I’m writing this, and I’m so nervous!

  For those who don’t follow me on Facebook and missed the story, there was a moment around the time Enter Into Valhalla was being written when a certain Mr. Anderle made the mistake of asking me to do something to take care of the twins’ time in the Vid-docs.

  What he thinks he asked for is a little addendum, a very short adventure for the back of this book and the next. What I’m sure I heard was an invitation to divert from my current writing project over in the Age of Madness to go play video games with Gabriel and Alexis.

  The whole very amusing story aside, we ended up with a miniseries that we weren’t expecting. What’s a few thousand words between friends? *snicker*

  In all seriousness, it’s an honor to see Bethany Anne and Michael’s children through their coming of age.
I’m having the best time writing their adventures in the gameworld. You can guess it’s unlike any other gameworld with Eve in charge.

  As always, the characters were completely in charge of what happened. I did start with a firm plan of how things were going to turn out. The twins just happened to have a better idea. All I had to do was listen to the story and get the words onto the page.

  I can’t wait to share the first book with you all! Thank you for taking time to read this, and I hope to meet you again very soon in my author notes for Keep Your Friends Close.

  Ad Aeternitatem,

  (I will never not love typing that!)

  Nat

  Turn the page for a preview of KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE.

  Preview of “Keep Your Friends Close”

  Alexis and Gabriel

  Gabriel nudged Alexis with his mind. It looks like Mom.

  Sounds like her too, Alexis agreed.

  They continued to listen intently to the conversation in the throne room from the doorway to the right of the throne.

  Alexis wrinkled her nose. But something is off.

  There’s no imitating Mom, Gabriel decided, feeling the same spark missing from the NPC. Eve did a really good job but it’s not fooling me. It’s like…we could say what this Mom would do. Nobody knows what Mom would really do.

  Alexis understood what her brother meant, even if he didn’t. You can’t program true randomness, just like you can’t catch a hurricane in a jar. Mom is her own force, she can’t be predicted.

  There was a break in the monotony of requests for trade agreements, border disputes, and various politicians acting on behalf of independent governments when Michael left Bethany Anne’s side to remove a reptilian alien from the line.

  Bethany Anne watched disinterestedly while Michael and John escorted the ill-intentioned ambassador from the throne room.

  Her joy, Gabriel concluded. That’s what’s missing. Mom always says how much she hated being Empress.

  Not so much the Empressing part, Alexis countered with a wave of her hand that mirrored Bethany Anne’s. Just, well, this.

  Gabriel eyed the never-ending line of people waiting for an audience with Bethany Anne. “This” is a large part of leadership. Do you think you’d be okay with being responsible for whole worlds?

  Alexis frowned while she gave the question its full consideration. I don’t mind the ones who are here in genuine need of our help. But they’re not the only ones asking for Mom’s time. We wouldn’t be able to do it alone.

  Gabriel made a small sound of agreement. Mom has Dad, and our uncles and aunts to protect her. Along with ADAM and TOM. We would be alone, unless we had friends and family we could rely on just the same.

  Alexis smiled, warmed to the bones by the thought of their friends. We have people we can rely on to have our backs. Like K’aia and Trey.

  Gabriel nodded his agreement. Like K’aia and Trey.

  Alexis pressed her lips together. Do you miss Phyrro?

  Gabriel chuckled at the memory of their EI tutor from childhood. Yeah, but I don’t miss his lessons. What made you think of Phyrro?

  Alexis shrugged. I don’t know. I was thinking about Mom having ADAM to take care of everything she has to hold in her mind.

  Gabriel was done watching the action in the throne room. We should get moving. If we’re in an alternative universe then they’re both on whatever planet Devon was called before Mom took it over.

  Alexis grabbed Gabriel before he could go. Wait, I see Eve.

  You think that’s our Eve? Gabriel asked. Why would she create all of these NPCs and play herself?

  Alexis decided that bit of womanly wisdom was best kept to herself. Why not?

  Eve fixed the twins with a smile.

  Gabriel furrowed his brow. No way. How did you know?

  Oh, lucky guess, Alexis returned Eve’s smile with an enthusiastic wave. Let’s see what we can get her to tell us.

  Eve glided purposefully through a door at the opposite end of the room. The twins followed, being careful not to get caught up in the line for the throne.

  They found her waiting for them in the antechamber beyond. She smiled at Alexis and Gabriel, spreading her hands wide as her grin. “Are you impressed?”

  “Completely,” Alexis enthused. . “You rebuilt the whole universe inside a game. I take it we are on the Meredith Reynolds?”

  “Your twist is that the Federation was never formed,” Gabriel mused. “We get it. What does that mean for K’aia and Trey?”

  “What does it mean for Devon?” Alexis expanded, her voice rising with the sheer scale of the changes to everything they’d always taken as a given. “What about the Interdiction? Who is there to prevent the Seven tearing through and killing everyone?”

  Eve returned to her usual composure, meeting their questions with her serene smile. “It means that Devon doesn’t exist, and that the Seven don’t dare come within scanner distance of anywhere the Empress decrees is hers to protect. The game began at the moment in time your parents would have altered Belv’th’s path.”

  Alexis gasped, the extent of the gameworld becoming clear to her. “That’s… Eve, how long did this take to build?”

  Gabriel sighed at his sister’s innate ability to be distracted by every bit of shiny technology that came along. “Stay focused, Alexis. We need to get to Bel…whatever it’s called in this reality. What happens if one of Trey’s uncles kills him before we get there? Do we all reset?”

  Eve shook her head. “No, you will reset to the moment before you died. There were some concessions that had to be made for your starting positions. Once you are together, any death will trigger a group reset to the beginning of the last quest chain.” She looked off into the distance. “I advise you get to the Gemini sooner rather than later.”

  The twins gave Eve identical confused looks.

  “The Gemini?” Alexis asked.

  “How do we find a quest chain?” Gabriel cut in.

  Eve tilted her head back toward them, the smile in her eyes missing the spark of life from a moment ago. “Hello, children. Is there something I can help you with?”

  Too late, Gabriel groaned, realizing immediately that the real Eve had departed the NPC avatar. She’s gone.

  Alexis grabbed Gabriel’s hand and pulled him out of the anteroom. She gave us the name of a ship. We’ve just got to find out where it is.

  Author Notes - Michael Anderle

  August 27, 2019

  THANK YOU for not only reading this story but these Author Notes as well.

  (I think I’ve been good with always opening with “thank you.” If not, I need to edit the other Author Notes!)

  RANDOM (sometimes) THOUGHTS?

  I’ve been on the road (in either Europe or Asia) approximately 34 days now, and I am writing these author notes after a very rough night on a train from Beijing to Shanghai.

  I admit all of that because I’m sure my sense of balance is off, but the weird random item I want to write about is how different it feels being in Beijing, China from the experience I had in Zurich.

  It’s not to say Zurich is bad or wrong, but rather Zurich feels more insulated and isolated (which tends to be the American news commentary about China and the Chinese more so than in Zurich - at least when I was younger.)

  Walking around in Beijing, China, for the most part, feels the same as when I’m walking around New York or a big city in America ,except we don’t speak the same language.

  That isn’t too weird, I can’t speak the German language in Zurich, either. I mention in another author note how in Zurich I walked a little over a mile, and it was so QUIET that I felt like I was on a movie set, and the director had yelled ‘ACTION!’

  Really unique experience in Zurich.

  In a few days, I head back home, to Las Vegas. It’s past time, I need my ‘fixes’ of Javier’s, Five-50 Pizza, Jessie Rae’s BBQ, and Ping Pang Pong.

  And my bed … and time zone… and solid always-on internet
, that too.

  Travel is nice, but home is nicer.

  AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS

  One of the interesting (at least to me) aspects of my life is the ability to work from anywhere and at any time. In the future, I hope to re-read my own Author Notes and remember my life as a diary entry.

  In a 2 Person Sleeper, Train bound from Beijing to Shanghai

  (About 15 hour trip at the last time provided by my wife. I was told 18 hours at one point… I have no idea.)

  Note: the (very) small room I’m in has bunk beds plus a small table with a chair on the other side. On one side of the table you use the couch/bed as the seat, and there’s a window above the table.

  There is a bathroom.

  Judith pitched me this idea of taking the sleeper train and we both thought it would be a fantastic time.

  Not so much.

  It isn’t bad (far from it if we had to travel this way for so many hours) but it brings all of the enjoyment of apartment living including: Smoke when someone in another sleeping room has lit up, the noises from children playing next to you in walls that seem paper-thin, and plumbing challenges you would probably have to call the manager about if it was going to be a longer ride.

  The plus side should have included the opportunity to see the countryside. But it was pitch black for most of the trip, and I slept through it.

  The time (late at night) was by design. Our jet lag made me think that I would be up a lot during the trip, working. The swaying of the train solved that problem.

  The tickets for the trip were in the $350 range and the hotel we were staying at was in the $220 range. So, we saved a few dollars going at night.