I handed him one and sat down at the edge of the visitor’s chair, unable to relax in the presence of the Admiral. The recent events were also heavy on my mind.
He opened the bottle with a flick of his thumb and raised it. "Prost!"
I struggled with the cap but finally twisted it off and drank a sip after him.
He put the bottle down, looked straight at me and then he said, "You can be frank now. This is off the record and for this conversation I am not an Admiral and you are not a Midshipman. We are just two men. Let me have it, don't be shy. I won't hold it against you."
"Sir, it gets tiresome to be the plaything of forces I can't control. First that errand with the empty case, then I am made Captain. I know you explained it all to me, but a lowly Midshipman getting command over the Devastator, no less, and now I am back being... what? A mass murderer? I killed probably half a million Dai and you tell me I could have ended it without killing them all."
"Do you have doubts? If I make you Captain again and we face a Dai fleet tomorrow, would you act differently?"
"Sir, I had no idea about the magnitude and power of this ship until it was over." I paused and thought for a moment. "No, Sir, I would do the same, only this time I would not launch torpedoes. I lack the experience to evaluate the Dai and while it bugs me and probably follows me for the rest of my life, I would rather be guilty of killing them than being responsible for even one death on my ship." I straightened out."Yes, Sir, I would do it again."
Stahl put his bottle down. "I hoped for, no, I expected, this answer from you.
"Tonight you are back being a Midshipman and it will be tough, others will ridicule you and there will be officers and instructors who resent you because they are jealous. But this year will be over before you know it and your true career begins. If you had a choice, where would you want to be posted?"
"As long as it is a ship, Sir, and not a station or base I'll be fine."
"Well we will see what your future holds." He got up and took down one of the strange-looking weapons and handed it to me. "Here, I want you to have this as a personal gift from me. Do you know what it is?"
"Thank you, Sir." I examined the steel object. It looked like a gun but had no fusion chamber and no familiar controls except for the trigger.
"It appears to be a weapon of sorts."
"It's an antique. A Colt was given to me a very long time ago before I knew there was such a thing as a starship. It fires chemically-propelled projectiles and it is quite a dangerous weapon unless you're behind a forcefield or wearing armor. In a few hours I will be that immortal semi-god again that you say I am. But before that happens, I want you to know that I am very proud of you and there is a special bond between anyone who has ever commanded this ship. Captain Harris was one of those who did the same thing as you, getting command over the Devi as a Midshipman that is, and so did your friend Captain Zezz. Many others failed completely, so know this: my door is always open for you. As your superior officer, I will have to give you orders you might not like or agree with, but I would like you to see me as a friend too and if push comes to shove, I want you to know that I am still human and capable of friendship."
Of all the things that had happened to me until now, these words of Stahl were the most memorable and stirring. I tried to find adequate words but could think of nothing but, "Thank you, Sir."
He opened a drawer and handed me a green box and something that looked like a holster. "That's a box of ammo for the gun and a shoulder holster. Engineering can replicate more ammo for you. The gun works, in case you want to try it."
"Thank you Sir, I will!"
"After I dismiss you, go to Deck 56 and report to Lieutenant Andreas Merkus. He is your instructor and supervisor."
"Deck 56, Aye, Sir!"
"Before you begin your regular duty, find your quarters and relax. I order you to find your bunk and sleep for at least 10 hours. You earned it. Now finish your beer and tell me about that flying submarine of yours and what happened when you met the Y'All."
***
The Devastator was an enormous ship and the outer corridor of Deck 54 circled the ship at the horizontal equator of the main hull. It was almost 70 clicks long. There were IST (inter ship transport) stations in regular intervals, every 20m was a safety door, open during normal operations but could be closed in an eye blink and reinforced with forcefield curtains. Two slide belts were in the middle of the hexagonally shaped corridor, one for each direction.
Deck 54 was divided like a pie into 70 segments. From the main outer corridor, passageways led like the spokes of a wheel to the center. Experienced crewmembers always started from the center to go to whatever destination they needed to go, that was something I learned much later, however. Each deck was divided into sector, sub sector and segment. Each sector had ten sub sectors and each sub sector had 10 segments. All very logical, marked with signs, pictograms and color-coding. You could ask the ever-present Computronic for directions or request a direction light, and a small projected ball of light would hover before you and get you to where you needed to go.
IST connections could carry you close to your destination. All this was great, but not with seven or 12 beers and a few aquavits to top them off on an almost-empty stomach. I had to tell Stahl about the Y'All first, then about my time aboard the Hyperion, then about Nilfeheim and basic training. While I wasn't really drunk, I was certainly not sober anymore. No, I had to correct myself, I was drunk. That bottle of aquavit was empty when I left. So it took me almost an hour to find "Midshipman Country". That was a segment of Deck 54, officially designated Sector Nine, Subsector Nine, Segment Blue Four but commonly known as Noob Country.
Before I could find my quarters and my bunk, Lt. Merkus found me, displaying carefully coiffed locks and a leather chestplate, he was without a doubt Pan Saran. The leather chest plate meant he came up from the ranks before becoming an officer. He eyed me disapprovingly. "Ah, His Excellency Ex-Captain Olafson decided to show up after all. Wearing Captain’s gold illegally, and you are intoxicated too. Looks like you needed the entire width of the corridor to navigate! You are neck deep in trouble, Mister."
That somewhat helped to sober me up. "Sir, I had no opportunity to change my uniform yet. I had a beer with Admiral Stahl and I am off-duty, Sir."
"Oh, you're drinking buddies with God now and you think rules don't apply to you. I have news for you, Mister. Down here I am God and I make the rules as I see fit and you will follow them or spend the rest of the year in the brig!"
I didn't say a word. I knew he would not listen and had found a welcome target in me. I simply stood at attention and waited for the things to come. I had a hard time to suppress a giggle that stuck in my throat; oh Odin let me pass this test. I am drunk!
Merkus’s comm. unit beeped and I heard Stahl's voice. "Mr. Merkus I have relieved Midshipman Olafson from his temporary assignment commanding the ship. He is on his way to you. Give him at least 14 hours’ rest before you begin regular training."
Merkus pressed his lips together. "Yes Sir. He is right here. I was about to send him to the brig. He appears to be heavily intoxicated and parades around in Captain’s gold, Sir."
"That was my fault, Lieutenant, but he is off-duty and wears that uniform from his last assignment. So why is he being sent to the brig again?"
"He is not being sent to the brig, Sir. I thank you for clarification and I will see that he gets rest."
Merkus was not happy with that development, I could tell, and he said, "Follow me. I guess the little prince needs a beauty rest! Enjoy it while you can!"
My quarters, so it turned out, were a dorm with nine beds and nine lockers. There was a hygiene facility attached to the dorm. A table and a collection of chairs completed the rooms' inventory. No one else was here. To my surprise, I found my space-bag sitting before a locker labeled Olafson and one bed was also labeled with my last name.
"Want me you to wipe your nose or perhaps tell you a bedtime story? Nothi
ng is too good for the drinking buddy of the Man!"
"Sir. I know whatever I say to you will make things probably worse but let me say this, Sir. I did not ask for what happened to me. It simply happened. On my honor, I do not intend to disrespect you or disobey your orders. I will do my best to satisfy your training requirements and accept punishment as you see fit."
He gave me a cold look but his tone was less harsh. "Maybe you didn't get enough sleep up there. So hit the rack. Besides, your rest is Admiral’s orders!"
"Thank you Sir!" I saluted, and he left.
I was more tired than I realized as I climbed into the bed after arranging my locker according to regulations and taking a shower.
How long I had slept I couldn't say, but a noise woke me. I felt groggy and exhausted. I could not have slept very long. Board lights were still in day mode and I went to bed around 14:00 hrs. Then I was shocked into bright alertness, as if someone threw a bucket of ice eels at me because a red-skinned Dai-Than walked through the door!
They had boarded the ship was my first thought! I had overlooked another Dai force or perhaps they had used some way of fooling our sensors and managed to board and overwhelm ship security!
I catapulted out of the bed, grabbed a chair and yelled, "Intruder alert!"
The Dai went into a fighting stance, but too late; my attack was a total surprise to him. The Dai even wore a Fleet uniform!
I slammed the chair across his head and when he stumbled, drop-kicked him in the stomach. I didn't see a weapon or blaster on him. He was taller than me and very athletically-built. My drop kick slammed him against the wall and I jumped to finish him off, but was caught in mid-air by hairy legs!
"Stop Eric!" It was Krabbel the Archa who held me.
"Krabbel! We are being boarded, this is a Dai!"
"No Eric, we are not being boarded. This is Midshipman Har-Hi and he is our and your dorm mate!"
The Dai was a mess! He was bleeding from the head wound and held his stomach as he came to his feet. He coughed. "Who is this?"
Now I saw Mao-Mao was here as well, Cirruit and Elfiatra came through the door after him.
Krabbel said. "This is Eric Olafson, our dorm mate."
I realized I had made a terrible mistake! I stared at the Dai and said. "You are a Midshipman?"
He stiffened and stared at me with anger. "Yes, human, I am!"
I lowered my head. "I am sorry. I am really sorry. I did not know there were Dai in the Fleet. I just came from the bridge fighting a Dai fleet and thought we had been boarded. You may call the Lieutenant now and have me arrested. I will take full responsibility for this!"
"I will not call this half-wit and give him the satisfaction. But it is I who wants satisfaction! We are going to the gym now and we will fight and there, I will kill you!"
I sighed. "Then let's go!"
Mao tried to stop us. "Har-Hi, what he did was awful but an honest mistake. You are a Dai, you are five times stronger than him, you will kill him and that wouldn't be good!"
"No human cowardly attacks me and wounds me and lives! I am Dai!"
The gym was not too far from our quarters and had the usual fitness and exercise equipment.
The Dai pointed at a sparring square for hand-to-hand exercises and said, "I am Dai-Than, trained since birth to be a warrior. I have bested the finest and strongest among my kind. I am stronger than you and am far superior in fighting skills. If you step into that ring I will kill you, but you are just a weak and cowardly human and I will accept your surrender now."
"I am Eric Olafson, Neo Viking from Nilfeheim. You might be stronger and far superior and all that. I apologized for my action, Dai, but if fighting you and dying is the only way to make things right then I will fight you, and perhaps die, but I will not, now or ever, surrender or have my honor questioned by you or anyone. So let's get it on!"
"You value honor I see. I will respect you for that and make it quick!"
He stepped into the ring and if only half of what I had learned and heard about the Dai-Than was true then he was superior to me in every aspect, especially now that I would not have the element of surprise and still felt drunk and groggy, so I had to rely on swift, unannounced attack again. I followed him and hammered my elbow into his neck. "I am sorry but I cannot let you get the upper hand!"
He staggered forward, whirled around and caught me with a spinning kick to the shoulder; he was so fast that I was still trying to block it when he connected.
The kick had been aimed at my temple but hit my upper arm block instead. My shoulder throbbed with pain and his fist that followed the kick was blurringly fast. This time I did not face some bar room brawler, but a trained killer. I blocked it better this time and executed a throw Master Alema would have been proud of. He did not fall, as I expected, but catapulted. He advanced and hit me with his left fist on the chest, barely missing my solar plexus, sending black stars of pain before my eyes. I knew I would not last much longer, the last hit had sent me to the floor with no air in my lungs left. I rolled away from a furious stomp attack that would have crushed my rib cage. I yelled, "Har-Hi, behind you!"
He instinctively turned and I buried my knee with all the force I could muster between his legs, hoping Dai males were as vulnerable as human males. He was, and that anatomical fact most likely saved my life, because he was bending forward in pain, his hands moving to his crotch, and I used my chance and hit him with my head under the chin with everything I could muster.
He stumbled backwards, bleeding from his mouth and spitting a tooth into my direction. I could see he had already recovered and I was not able to carry on much longer. A sharp voice stopped us both. "What in Cesar's name is going on here?"
Mao yelled, "Officer on deck!"
Lt. Merkus approached and I struggled to stand at attention. The Dai could barely stand as well.
He looked me up and down and then he inspected Har-Hi. "Olafson’s face looks like a raw steak and from the looks of it he has a broken arm. Har-Hi has a head wound and looks like he’s been run over by a gang of robots. While there is nothing wrong with my seniors using their spare time practicing or exercising, don't even try to tell me you were in a friendly sparring match!"
Merkus faced Har-Hi. "Were you trying to kill each other?"
"Yes, Sir."
"Let me guess. You were angry at Olafson because he blasted that entire Dai fleet?"
"Not initially but yes, Sir, I must admit it added to my rage, Sir."
"Mr. Olafson, you were challenged and perhaps insulted by the Dai?"
"No, Sir. I started it."
"I might have overlooked the fighting, but I won't allow any bigotry under my watch. Mr. Har-Hi, if you feel that strongly against Olafson for what he did then I suggest you quit this fleet and go back to your own kind. Mr. Olafson, if you insulted the Dai and mocked him because you killed his kind then I will make sure you won't come back for duty because I will have you thrown out of the Navy!"
Mao, still at attention, said, "Sir. Permission to speak, Sir!"
"You witnessed it all?"
"Yes Sir."
"Then go ahead give me a detailed account!"
"Olafson was sleeping like a rock when we came off duty and I ran into a chair making a noise that startled him and just then Har-Hi walks in. Olafson literally flies out of bed, grabs a chair and hammers Har-Hi with it while he yells "Intruder Alert!" They never met before, Sir. When we were assigned to this dorm and introduced to our dorm mates, Olafson was on the bridge. He pounded the Dai pretty hard but Krabbel separated them. Olafson explained that he just came from a battle fighting the Dai and the first thing he saw when he woke was a Dai and he thought we had been boarded. He actually recommended that we call you so he can be placed under arrest and face charges, but Har-Hi wanted to fight and kill him to regain his honor or something like that. That is all, that's what happened, Sir."
"I could check the records but I know you speak the truth, Mr. Mao."
He was not
as angry as before. "Get to sickbay and get fixed up. Since you both had enough energy to fight, you can't be too tired. So after you are cleared from sickbay, I want you both report to environmental services at Bottom Deck and report to Chief Harboro. There are environmental tanks that need cleaning and you both will do that until further notice!"
"Aye, Sir!" We both responded.
"I will leave it at that this time but if I even suspect either of you of trying to do this again I will go by the book, understood?"
"Yes Sir."
Sickbay had us fit for duty in an hour and we went to Chief Harboro as ordered.
We tried our best to ignore each other on our way to Bottom Deck.
A starship of any size had environmental systems. It was here where atmosphere was provided, air recycled and waste processed.
Water was part of this cycle and was among the most important commodities aboard a starship. Every drop of it was returned to the system. Nanites and engineered bacteria processed the waste materials that were taken out of the water in huge tanks, broken down into raw material groups, to be recycled into food, clothing and other things.
The Devastator was no exception and because of its size the Environmental Department was just as humungous and was located at the lowest deck, called Bottom Deck in some ships and Basement in others.
Harboro was a stocky built Ult and he had taken to the Terran habit of smoking. He smoked a big brown object and he was chewing on it at the same time as he examined us. "Ah, Midshipmen, I just love to see you down here. Tank 345 needs cleaning and I think my cleaning bots are otherwise occupied."
We followed him up a ladder and to a round access door. Harboro took the brown smoke thing out of his fish mouth and pointed it at a hatch hat that was opening slowly. "The task is simple. Take a scraper and scrape off all the algae and slime off the walls and throw it on the conveyor at the bottom of the tank. Now I am Ult and don't have any sense of smell, but I was told that humans find the smell revolting. So if you throw up, use the conveyor. Have fun, you two!"
He was not kidding, the smell was the worst stench I had ever smelled and the first whiff of it made me gag so badly I thought I would suffocate.
Eric Olafson Series Boxed Set: Books 1 - 7 Page 20