Oria, his brothers, and his father watched as many of the Susquehanna warriors took turns raping his mother and sisters. In the end, they brutally beat his mother and sisters and Oria watched them die a painful death. The warriors then began to torture Oria, his brothers, and his father. One of the warriors was having a particularly good time harassing Oria. He carved big cuts into each of Oria’s arms and his legs. Oria was repeatedly beat between the legs. One warrior took burning embers and jammed them into Oria’s eyes and ears. Oria, his brothers, and his father never screamed in pain from the torture. It was against the Stoneax tradition. Towards the end as Oria approached death, one of the warriors took a knife and scalped him. Oria could feel the warmth of his blood oozing down over his face.
Life was quickly fading from Oria. The Susquehanna had lit the piles of wood around his stake and he could feel the flames starting to singe his flesh. Oria was grateful for the life he had had and looked forward to death and the end of his pain. Just before passing out, Oria heard a loud sound and sensed a bright light through his burned out eyes. Oria thought that was the end.
Sometime later, Oria woke up in a small room with strangely dressed men standing over him. Oria did not feel any pain and was wondering if he had just entered the afterlife. He was quickly beginning to realize that he was not dead, but a prisoner on a vessel which was beyond his comprehension. The injuries that he had suffered at the hands of the Susquehanna had all mysteriously disappeared.
Oria’s captors began to pull on him to force him out of bed. They were yelling at him in a strange language. Oria had no idea what they were saying. His captors picked up clubs and beat him. Oria fought back pinning one of them to the floor. One of the other men shot something at Oria and he felt his whole body go numb.
Oria realized that his captors exercised considerable control over him. They forced him to scrub and clean the ship and to do other chores. It slowly began to dawn on Oria; I am slave!
When Oria left his small room, he entered a larger room and saw various dials, flashing lights, and pictures emitting strange displays of lights. Towards one end of the room was a large window. Outside of the window, he saw stars. At that moment, a cold chill ran down his back as he realized that his captors were from the heavens and not from Earth. Ever since his early childhood, the tribe elders taught Oria that only the spirits lived in heaven and that, those who lived good lives were able to make the spirit journey to heaven. Oria did not understand much about his current predicament, but he knew that his captors certainly were not good spirits; at least not like any spirits, the tribe’s elders described!
Creyte Exploration Ship (1 year prior to Hercules departure from Azortec)
Labasto and Shalustra approached the Creyte war ship slowly. They had just left an Azortec Council meeting a little over a week ago. In that meeting, they were successful in forcing President Shalat to transfer Admiral Oria and his fleet out of the 3rd Quadrant and into the 4th Quadrant. This was the sign that the Creytes had demanded prior to allowing them to meet face to face.
Commander Retilia of the Creyte Exploration Ship Yasinomot welcomed Labasto and Shalustra aboard. He hated dealing with humans and felt it demeaning for any Creyte in good standing to deal with them. He was still mad at himself for not keeping closer control over his son. Retilia’s son had failed to show up on several occasions to the Community Service Board. Everyone was required to serve the community and report their services to the Board. The failure of Retilia’s son to report to the Board forced his entire family into disrespect. As a result, the military command demoted Commander Retilia and stripped of his starship command. His new commission was a mere exploration ship responsible for securing new food sources and the herding of humans. Retilia desperately wanted to regain command of a starship.
Retilia led Labasto and Shalustra to a small conference room. Labasto was well muscled and looked particularly appetizing to Retilia. Shalustra was an attractive woman and looked like a good breeder. Unfortunately, for Retilia, he could only think about satisfying his appetite and not fulfilling it with his current company.
Labasto started speaking in a serious tone, “Commander, as you requested, we have succeeded in getting Admiral Oria removed from the 3rd Quadrant. That reduces our forces there by over 50%. You should have an easier time taking the 3rd Quadrant fleet, which should open gateways to the 1st Quadrant for you. This, of course, will provide us the basis to hand over a dozen 3rd Quadrant planets to you.”
“Very good, Labasto, as you know, we will require you to keep Oria out of the 3rd Quadrant and to divert weapons supplies from the existing fleet.”
Shalustra spoke up “Yes, Commander, we understand your needs. You must also understand our requirements to perform these services for you.”
“Yes, my pretty one, in your communication you said you wanted several of our older planets to be set up for your own mining operations using whatever humans are left as slaves. Then, you want free passage back to what remains of Azortec.”
Labasto replied, “Yes, that is our agreement; plus you recall the additional accommodations that I requested?”
“Of course Labasto, you can have your pick of some of our ladies that we have stored near the galley.”
Shalustra shot an angry glance at Labasto. “I don't believe you! Can't you control yourself for even a short trip? We're here to talk about our futures, not how you can achieve a momentary gratification.”
Retilia loved this exchange. It cost him nothing to let Labasto relieve his passions with one of his breeders. Besides, it would improve the mix of future stock. The fact that it was part of the overall bargain meant that he could also reduce his cost in completing this trade. Of course, Retilia would have preferred not to have to deal with these dirty humans at all.
Retilia only permitted the argument between his new partners to last only a short time before breaking them up.
“Humans, please, we came here to negotiate a trade. The ‘piece’ requested by Labasto is something I'd give him anyway.”
Shalustra exploded with Retilia's last comment “What! Labasto, is that what you call women to Retilia, a piece???”
Retilia quickly responded. “No that's not how Labasto put it. Forgive me; I'm not quite familiar with your language. I was referring to only a small part of the deal. Letting Labasto have his way with one of our breeders benefits us.”
Retilia knew by extending an olive branch to Labasto that it would put him further into his debt. A debt that Retilia knew he would collect. He then continued speaking. “Labasto and Shalustra, my most important requirement is taking Oria's home planet Earth. You must try to keep Oria and his fleet out of the Azortec 3rd Quadrant.”
Shalustra calmed down and replied, “Yes we know. I believe you will find that substantial progress has already been made on that account.”
“Yes, however we all know Oria will manage to find another way back to Earth. However, don't worry about it. I'm counting on him finding another way back to Earth. We will be waiting for him there with a large fleet ready to eliminate him once and for all. When Oria is finally destroyed, you can have your mines, and your partners in the Azortec High Command will become further indebted to you.”
Shalustra replied. “Yes Commander, you're right. Labasto and I can settle our differences elsewhere. They should not be part of this deal.”
“Agreed, Labasto, my Chief will take you down to the galley. Have fun; and Shalustra, is there any way that I can serve you while we wait?”
“No, definitely not! Besides, Labasto is too much of a jerk to take very long.”
Retilia laughed. “Yes, I believe you're quite right.” He added in his thoughts “yes, Labasto is a weak wimp”.
True to Shalustra's prediction, Labasto returned in less than 20 minutes. The two then departed the Yasinomot and started their return to Azortec. Commander Retilia gave orders to head to Earth. He would drop off some of his crew trained to sabotage human political systems and begin the pr
ocess of taking control of the planet. He would meet up with the Azortec traitors in another year when his plan would go into full action.
Oria’s Heritage
It was a bitter cold October morning as Olaf Stoneax stood in the doorway of his lodge looking towards the Oslo Fiord. The last few weeks were a blur. King Fairhair was deceased and his son, Erik Bloodax, was ruthlessly expanding his own kingdom conquering his brothers. Bloodax was given his name because he slayed 7 of his 8 brothers. After killing each brother, he took over his Kingdom.
Olaf had served under King Fairhair and had no desire to get caught-up in the family feud between his sons. Unfortunately, for Olaf, King Bloodax planned to smite Olaf and his family. Olaf had not submitted himself exclusively to Bloodax, and Bloodax was not about to let that crime go unpunished.
For Olaf to escape the wrath of Bloodax, he knew his family would have to flee their home and travel to the distant land. It was not likely Olaf could find any place close to settle his family and members of his clan. The French in the south had grown stronger and no longer would welcome anyone of Viking descent. England, Scotland, and Ireland had also built defenses up against the Vikings. Olaf had the misfortune of living at the end of the Viking era when neighboring countries growing weary of Viking raids built stronger defenses against them.
It was the wrong time of the year to start an ocean voyage. The Atlantic Ocean and North Sea became extremely rough during the fall and winter months. However, it still offered Olaf’s clan the best chance of survival. If Olaf and his clan attempted to stay, Bloodax would certainly catch them and slay his clan.
Several days ago, Olaf ordered his clan to prepare both of their war vessels for an extended voyage and permanently leave their homes. All preparations were now complete and everyone was ready to board the vessels and set sail the next morning. Normally, the night before a voyage, Olaf and his clan would throw a huge party. There would be plenty of drinking and good times. This night was different. Everyone felt emptiness and a growing fear of the future. No one, not even Olaf, could predict where would finally end up.
Olaf came back inside his house as others from his clan arrived and entered the great hall for a final breakfast together. It was a small meal since nearly everything was packed and on board one of the boats. Even the children knew something big was up. They were much quieter than usual. The only sounds came from the cries of the few infants that were part of the clan. Once the boys reached two or three, they knew not to cry. Viking men did not cry.
Olaf and his clan sat down and started breakfast. They were only eating for about 10 minutes when several of Olaf’s scouts returned with bad news. Olaf had been sending out scouts for several days to keep an eye on King Bloodax and his gang of marauders.
“Olaf, King Bloodax is only several hours away by water. They are making great haste to get here.”
Olaf roared to his fellow clansmen, “We need to board the boats immediately. Jon, take your crew and burn the town and destroy the livestock. We need to be under way in less than an hour.”
Immediately everyone began scurrying about the hall taking whatever was not already on the boats.
Olaf sat down with the scouts and received the rest of the report. One of them looking at Olaf and said, “We could see a fleet of two heavily armed boats and almost a dozen boats about the same size as our own or smaller. It looks like there are several chieftains in full armor with steel axes and swords. There may even be a few archers in some of the boats.”
Olaf knew from the report that his clan’s only chance for survival was to get immediately underway. If they could get far enough out to sea, Bloodax would be unable to find him. Even if Bloodax could see Olaf’s boats, he wanted as much as a lead on them as possible. The larger war vessels would never catch his faster boats. However, the fleet of smaller boats might be able to catch up and slow his boats down enough for the rest of Bloodax’s fleet to catch up.
Olaf finally got everyone aboard the two boats. As they began to row out to sea, they watched as their village burned to the ground. Olaf had everything either destroyed or taken in one of the two boats. Olaf did not plan to leave Bloodax anything of value.
Stoneax’s fleet had traveled about 2 miles from the shoreline when one of the lookouts spotted Bloodax’s fleet. It was only several miles from their boats. Olaf hoped Bloodax would not spot them. However, Olaf knew that the clearly visible flames from the burning village would be sufficient for Bloodax to know that Stoneax was already out to sea. Bloodax would fan his small and faster vessels out to search for Olaf. It would not take Bloodax long to find Olaf and his two boats. At almost the exact moment Olaf considered Bloodax’s next move, he saw Bloodax’s fleet turn straight for him.
Olaf immediately ordered all sails raised and to increase the pace of his rowers. Immediately the drum beat quickened and the men increased the pace of their rowing. Olaf would not surrender without a fight. He ordered his men to rig special nets equipped with pig’s bladders filled with air. His warriors would throw the nets overboard when and if Bloodax’s ships were able to close the gap on him. The nets would foul up the rowing of the men on the enemy boats.
Bloodax’s fastest ships came within several hundred yards of Olaf’s ships after 6 hours of hard rowing. The medium size boats were still several miles from Olaf with the larger vessels no longer visible over the horizon. The smaller boats hoped to slow Olaf down enough to allow the larger boats time to close the gap.
Olaf ordered several archers to the sterns of his two boats while the rest of the crew continued to row at the fast pace of the drummer. If Bloodax’s smaller boats were able to slow Olaf’s boats down, it would only be a matter of hours before the larger boats could catch up and crush Olaf and his people.
Bloodax’s smaller boats quickly pulled within the range of his archers. Olaf’s archers and Bloodax’s archers exchanged several volleys of arrows. When the battle commenced, a heavy squall overtook them forcing Olaf to lower his sails. The waves grew in intensity making it impossible for the archers to continue their exchange of arrows. Bloodax’s smaller ships had a much more difficult time in the raging storm, as the ship’s crews focused on the weather more than the battle. The smaller boats further closed the gap. Men on Bloodax’s boats prepared to board Olaf’s ships. Olaf retaliated by ordering the nets overboard. It took only several minutes before the netting tangled up Bloodax’s boats. They lost their ability to navigate the rough waters and several of them ended up capsizing. Olaf continued to monitor the advance of Bloodax’s other boats and saw the squall hampering them as well.
Olaf began to weigh the risk of putting on some sail versus continuing his battle of attrition with Bloodax’s fleet. He knew it was only a matter of time before the chase was back on. The squall would clear and the remaining small Bloodax boats would again renew their assault. Olaf’s son suddenly came up with an idea and presented it to him. He suggested folding the sails and raising them such that the wind would strike only half of the sail area. Olaf liked the idea and gave orders to carry out his son’s idea.
Olaf’s crew quickly placed the reefed sails into position and continued to row the boat at a hard pace. The small ships lost ground to Olaf and were almost a mile behind. Olaf than witnessed some of Bloodax’s ships discontinue the chase and pickup survivors from the capsized boats. He knew Bloodax would force them to pay a price for giving up the chase. Bloodax would have left them to drown and he would have continued the chase.
After several hours, Bloodax’s boats disappeared off the horizon. It looked like Olaf had a clear shot for the mouth of the Fiord and an opportunity to head out to the North Sea. So far, Olaf’s escape had been successful. However, Olaf knew the dangers facing his clan and himself were only beginning. The North Sea had claimed the lives of many a Norseman. This time of year, the seas could be particularly rough. Olaf was hoping to cross the North Sea to the Northern tip of Scotland and get fresh water and supplies. He knew that most likely a landfall in Sco
tland would result in a fight and more danger to his clan. The inhabitants of Scotland had gotten increasingly more capable at repelling Viking raids. Olaf was hoping to avoid a fight, but there was much hatred of Norsemen on Scotland’s north coast.
Olaf’s fleet made it successfully out of the Fiord and immediately entered the choppy seas between the North Sea and the English Channel. There was no clear pattern to the waves as Olaf ordered his boats to head in a Northwesterly direction. The winds were picking up making the boats unwieldy to handy under sail. The winds forced Olaf to order the sails lowered and his men to slow their rowing down to a more sustainable pace.
Several of the men were nearing exhaustion because of their race with Bloodax. Olaf seeing the pain in their eyes and their weary bodies ordered the most exhausted men to rest while the remaining men continued at the oars. He only gave these men an hour rest before ordering them back to relieve the others. It would take a while before his crew was ready for a more normal schedule.
It took several days for Olaf to reach the north shore of Scotland. It was a rough cruise and his men received little rest. As they approached the shore, Olaf had his best lookouts scanning the shore for hostile activity. For the most part the coast was clear. As they approached the shore, his men spotted a small creek. Olaf decided to sail into the creek in search of fresh water and supplies.
Olaf had one of the boats sail into the creek approximately 100 yards in front of the other boat. He felt that was close enough for the trailing boat to assist the leading boat and reduce the risk of a shore-based attack.
Legend of Oria 1: Initial Contact Page 3