Eric Olafson Series Boxed Set: Books 1 - 7

by Vanessa Ravencroft

  Their bodies rocked back and forth whenever the crawler rumbled over something other than soft sand. The wayward Dai had tried his best to make his passengers comfortable. He had put thick mattresses on top of a wooden bench he had screwed to the cargo bed and even placed the hard-shell canopy on it. He hadn’t used it since the crawler was brought to this world and they had purchased a real air conditioner of Union manufacture with a ZP cube that would last for decades. For the price they paid for the air conditioner, you could buy a luxury skimmer or a nice apartment on Kermac Prime, but without it, neither one would have made it that far. Everything was dirty, dusty, and hot. Everything smelled and sweated, and to their own disgust, they found out that Kermac, too, still had sweat glands.

  Vinacvier, the slightly older of them, said, “It works!” He tried to put as much of the annoyance he felt into the tone of his voice, partly because he could not find the balance to meditate and partly because he felt insulted by his partner’s constant checking of his beard, where the mind shield was hidden.

  He rolled his eyes and added, “Leave your beard alone. I will not probe your mind!”

  Haforneun did not let go of his beard and touched the little hidden contact, to run another diagnostic cycle, and he said, “How would you know my shield is working or not if you had not tried to probe my mind?”

  Vinacvier shifted his position, trying to find a more comfortable one and said, while checking his own, “Because it is of finest Kermac technology, and it is just like my shield. I know of only three cases where they have failed in recent years.”

  Haforneun was not convinced, and a little paranoia was always a good thing. For all he knew, his partner could really be an Agent of the Ministry of Control. There were rumors that they had ways to deactivate psi shield generators remotely. It was them who oversaw the manufacture of all Kermac Psi Beards anyway. Haforneun knew of those whispered stories no one dared to think about, for one innocent thought, overheard by a MOC agent and wrongly interpreted, could send someone like him to the mind-eraser chair and all his years of loyal service to the Ministry of Information would mean nothing. That about forty percent of those sent to the mind-eraser did not survive the procedure was seen by most as a blessing.

  Like everyone, Haforneun was forced to witness a ME sentence carried out, as it was mandatory for all Kermac. He had seen intelligent men turned into drooling empty shells that were incapable of even speaking a single word. Mind-erased victims never lasted long and died after a few months.

  Vinacvier, his partner on this mission, was, like him, from the Ministry of Information-Field Activity division. It was a big ministry but still, he had never seen Vinacvier before. He sometimes wondered how the Saresii, the only other civilization he knew where everyone was a Telepath, got along so well, and as far as he heard completely without mental shields.

  The former Wizard of Information, the one who so suddenly went into retirement, told him once that the Union had strict laws that prohibited the unwanted or uninvited active probing of another mind and that offenders were severely punished. Haforneun was interrupted in his musings by his partner, who used several low life curse words as the crawler bumped over another obstacle.

  He then said, “I sure hope this coward of a Dai knows where he is going!”

  Haforneun had monitored most of the Dai’s thoughts and nodded, “He does. He knows this forsaken environment like few others and his mind is clear and open. He accepts Kermac superiority and does not even question our reasons to come out here.”

  Vinacvier raised his head and looked through the dirty little window from where they could see the driver. “We will eliminate him after he serves us!”

  Haforneun was now certain his partner was not of the Ministry of Information. No seasoned field agent would say that. He objected to that, saying, “It would be unwise. The local lord has warned us not to engage in any activities we have not paid for, and you were too cheap to buy the kill license!”

  Vinacvier snorted his words in the most arrogant tone as he said, “I am not paying one million in Polo Chips to some totally inconsequential lower life form on a similar inconsequential planet. I will punish this local lord and make him dig out his own innards for his insolence before we leave!”

  Raising his hands, trying to temper his partner with the gesture for patience, Haforneun said, “This world might not be as inconsequential as you make it. There are Celtest artifacts out here, and it is here we going to meet the Purple Worm. I doubt he chose this world at random for this meeting.”

  Totally ignoring the subtle hand signs, Vinacvier made a brushing commanding gesture and said, “All the more reason we should set up a base of operations here, take over the local crime lord’s control, and search for the Celtest artifacts with modern equipment and tear this dustball apart.”

  Haforneun was almost tempted to openly ask his partner if he was a MOC agent; they always talked that way. Blind to the fact that the universe included others, not just the Kermac; again he objected by saying, “It is unwise to provoke a war. We know for a fact there are agents of the Nul and the Shiss operating here and it would be foolish to assume the Union has no eyes and ears on this planet.” To Haforneun, it was frustrating to hear the response of his partner, who was full of ignorance.

  Vinacvier said, “I extended my mind, and I have not sensed any Shiss, Nul, or Union spies. The only shielded minds I encountered were a few Sojonit priestesses, and I have a good mind to visit the temple after we are done with this. Now that would be Polo coins well spend!”

  Haforneun actually raised his voice a notch as he protested, “The funds made available to us are meant to pay for information gathering, not personal indulgences. I should report you!”

  Vinacvier touched his beard and said, “No one really pays much attention to a 67th tier Kermac Information Field Agent. The Grand Wizard is quite displeased with your Ministry and the recent failures, and there were a lot of necessary personnel adjustments lately. On the contrary, a 58th tier Kermac Control Ministry Agent with direct orders from the Grand Wizard will find open ears. So keep your constant objections to yourself, or it could happen you find yourself free of all thoughts and personality. I heard a good mind wipe can ruin a fine career permanently.”

  Haforneun said, “So you are a MOC agent!”

  “Naturally, do you think we let you bumblers of the MOI mess up even more?”

  Haforneun smiled coldly. “Fortunes turn quickly since our Wise Grand Wizard has declared himself the voice of the Democratic Party. It is success and results the Grand Wizard counts and not attempts.”

  Vinacvier wiggled his finger. “You walk on dangerous ground, my subordinate MOI agent.”

  The MOI agent kept smiling and said, “Do you know what we at the MOI do better than you at MOC?”

  Vinacvier made and insulting gesture. “Nothing of course!”

  “We gather information, and it is clear to me now that you have not heard the latest news or information that is. The Grand Wizard is not pleased at all that Project Conck has failed. Was this not a project the MOC was conducting all on its own, with trillions of GDP and resources lost? I wonder what the Grand Wizard will say to that. Perhaps some necessary personnel adjustments are in order.”

  Vinacvier could not keep his mouth from gaping. “How do you know this?”

  Haforneun lost his smile and said, “I am of the Ministry of Information; it is our business to know things.”

  Vinacvier knew his partner didn’t lie or make this up and he was quite right; it could mean personnel changes. Ever since the Grand Wizard had returned from his secret trip to Koken so much had changed.

  He said much less arrogantly, “What happened? The project went so well!”

  “I have not heard many details, but it appears that Takkian Civilians discovered the Conck and found it to be their kin and their god. A delegation of the Big Four is on their way to confirm that the Conck is related to the Takkians and this area of space will become
Union.”

  Vinacvier could not ask any more questions as a sudden jolt shook both Kermac to the bones and the crawler came to a sudden stop.

  They both realized they had not paid any attention to the thoughts of the driver and now the driver was gone. He could no longer sense him anywhere.

  They grabbed their weapons, dialed their psi power amplifiers too high, and with activated personal shields, they went outside.

  There was a single being, and it wore a purple cloak over a deformed-looking body. The figure said, “I decided to change the location of our meeting. Instead of the mountain, we can do it right here. Especially since you have a Special Strike team landing at the mountain as we speak.”

  Haforneun had no idea there was supposed to be a Strike team. Mounting a military operation in this region of space was not a good idea. He was told to normalize relations so cooperation could be achieved. The Worm had deep connections into the Union and even though their last cooperation failed, it was believed that failure was due to missed communication. He glanced over to his associate, and Vinacvier was not surprised in the least.

  “The strike team will make sure you cannot leave this planet, Worm! A few hundred kilometers mean little to the team and they will be here in moments.”

  The Purple Worm laughed. “Maybe that is the real reason your species is on the decline. Kermac always rely on other species to do their fighting for them. Do you know I have a spy satellite in orbit, a wonderful little device recording a Kermac Cruiser in orbit around Alvor’s Cove? I think I’ll broadcast that now, along with a few nice close ups of the strike team all across the galaxy. You might be interested to know that the local lord is already calling the Togar and the Nul for help. I wonder what will happen if the Nul and the Union receive evidence you violated the treaty again.” The Purple Being turned to walk away into the night. “Was nice to meet you two, I guess it will be the last time I see real live Kermac.”

  Vinacvier activated a communications device in his beard and yelled, “Abort mission. I repeat, abort mission and retreat as fast as you can to Kermac Space.”

  The Worm said, “That was a wise decision.” Then the Worm raised his arms and the sand all around came to life with hundreds of heavily armed sand-colored beings rising from the dust. The shrouded beings were totally undetectable, even by the psionics of the Kermac

  Still, they weren’t defenseless and Haforneun said with an amplified voice, “I was sent here to re-open our cooperation and do it on an equal footing and sharing all information. I must apologize for my partner, but we are Kermac, and we are not to be trifled with.” He gathered his psionic energies and created a cutting thought, splitting a nearby boulder. “I can do this to minds and bodies as well!”

  The Worm declined his upper torso and spread his arms. “Then let us converse in more amiable settings.”

  The brown creatures did not move like humans, more like primates, and they began to erect a tent.

  Vinacvier whispered, “I did not know you were one of the few talented ones who could form a cutting thought.”

  “There is much you don’t know.”

  The tent went up fast, and the Worm invited them inside. Chairs had been placed and one of the brown creatures brought in a case of Kermiliq inside a cooler case. Another provided small tables and cups.

  The Worm gestured the Kermac to have a seat. He sat down across from them. “Help yourself to the Kermiliq, it is genuine Kermac. It is cooled, and I assure you not tampered with in any way.”

  Haforneun was still furious that he was kept in the dark and took one of the bottles, opened it, and did not bother with a cup. He knew it was very primitive and without manners, but he was thirstier than he realized. The slightly tart taste and the moisture of his favorite drink did wonders to his mood and condition.

  Vinacvier ignored his associate’s barbaric display and said, “Let us get to the point and leave this inhospitable place so we can enjoy refreshments in more appealing conditions.”

  The Worm made a gesture and said, “You are the ones who again asked for a meeting and paid much to make it happen. I chose the place; here we are. It is you who needs me.”

  Haforneun said with an apologetic gesture, “Our last cooperation was marred by betrayal and misfortune. The traitor we know met a fitting end. We felt his agony while he was dying and it pleased us. The human we tried to obtain died on Sin 4, and it turned out he was of little influence. The Narth have already done what we hoped could be postponed.”

  The Worm conceded with a more hospitable tone in his voice, “Yes, the involvement of the Narth has cost the Worm dearly, and I fear it will cost us even more. Several attempts to assassinate one of the new Narth Agents have failed and were met with such a brutal and swift response even by Terran standards that it becomes quite difficult to even find someone willing to try.”

  Vinacvier was now relaxing a bit, and he, too, took a bottle but demonstrated how it was done properly by filling a cup only a third and taking little sips. He gave his colleague a dismissive side glance as he said, “Kermac Intelligence assets face similar challenges, and we came to the conclusion that it is very likely you are no mere criminal mastermind but that the Worm is a cover for Nul-Nul Intelligence.”

  Haforneun almost choked on his soured water and milk drink. The still Purple Worm laughed or at least that is what they thought the rasping sound was.

  The worm said, “It is a good guess, and honestly, I wish it would be so, but Nul-Nul are neither biologically nor ideologically connected to me in any form. However, I will be able to arrange a meeting between you and Nul Intel if you desire, as I think this is the reason for your visit.”

  Both Kermac agents nodded, and Vinacvier said, “Yes, this was one of the results we hoped would come out of this meeting.”

  The Worm held up one of his many-jointed fingers and said, “I must warn you, the Nul-Nul do not play well with others and are opposed to alliances, especially since the brief Nul-Shiss alliance almost six hundred years ago.”

  Again, it was Vinacvier speaking for them both saying, “We would be interested in a meeting with Nul Intelligence. We don’t want an alliance but we all face a common enemy that is becoming stronger by the moment, and we can already see the day when the Union will move against the rest of us and claim dominion over the entire galaxy.”

  The Worm said, “I somewhat agree with your assessment but the galaxy is a very big place, and there are vast areas unknown to all of us. The time when the galaxy must be united to face terrible enemies will soon be at hand once more.”

  Vinacvier slammed his bottle on the little table and barked, “This is the reason the galaxy must be under the firm rule of Kermac, for we have means to communicate with the Y’All and prevent their dominance.”

  “A point only seen by the Kermac, of course, but for the near future, our goals are alike. I shall arrange that meeting.”

  Beginning of Book 7:

  Erica Olafson: Captain Black Velvet

  Prologue

  Freespace was not a natural region, it existed only on maps, in nav-tanks and computronic files.

  Its boundaries had been defined by diplomats and delegates during the last Armistice Conference on the Planet of Intergalactic Peace.

  The Big Four, the Blue, and about 70 independent spacefaring civilizations discussed, argued, and finally agreed on this region. It was to act as a buffer zone between the Big Four and give those who did not want to ally themselves with one of the big powers a place to exist after their own fashion. One of the stipulations was that no official ships or parties of any of the Big Four were allowed to enter Freespace, including military ships, law enforcement, or even science expeditions.

  Freespace was meant to be a Free Trade Zone for civilian commerce and traffic, enabling commerce and slowly bringing lasting peace.

  The Big Four, namely the Shiss, the Galactic Council, the Kermac, the Nul, and the United Stars of the Galaxies watched that none of the others broke t
hat treaty, but they all did, though not openly, of course.

  Freespace did not turn out to be the region of peace where free commerce and civil exchange of culture would erode the differences as the dreamers, diplomats, and Utopians hoped it would; instead it became a breeding ground of pirates and a destination of the lawless from every corner of the Galaxy. Planets like Sin 4, Alvor’s Cove, Kalimant, Drogs, and N’ger gained notoriety as places where law and order meant nothing.

  Most of the 70 societies that signed the Treaty to remain independent regretted their decision as their worlds became the target of pirate attacks and slave raids.

  The biggest independents were the Togar, the Karthanians, and the Shattered Empire of the Oghar.

  The Karthanians hated the Togar and the Togar disliked everything, except for dinner. The former ancient Oghar Empire, shattered into nine kingdoms, were constantly fighting among each other, didn’t get along with the Togar, and considered the Karthanians hostile competition and agitators. To this volatile mix came all the freelancing pirates and the Shiss raiders. Openly condemned by the Shiss, everyone knew they were sponsored by the First Nestling of Shiss-Ta.

  Of course, the Kermac and the Galactic Council used all sorts of clandestine schemes to increase their influence, gain new Thrall species, and agitate against the Union.

  Truth be told, the Union did not exactly stick to the conditions agreed upon in the Freespace Treaty and also operated undercover ships, secret bases, and conducted all sorts of intel operations.

  Of the so-called Big Four—what the dominant societies in this region of the Galaxy were called—only the Nul seemed to actually honor the treaty and showed little interest in Freespace affairs and politics.