While the on-board chronometer was calibrated to OTT and it was close to lunchtime, it was already late at night on Alvor’s Cove.
Elfi’s voice reached me just as I was on my way to the Den for a light lunch. “Captain, Har-Hi is calling. He wants to talk to you on a secure channel alone.”
“Secure channel? Isn’t his comm unit about as secure as we can make it?”
“Yes, captain, but I received his personal code for you to contact him on the local communication network.”
The hair on my neck rose, and I had a funny feeling about it. Har-Hi was in trouble. Maybe he got robbed or mugged and could not make it to the ship on its own without being confused for an escaped slave.
I turned on my heel and returned to my quarters. “Elfi, make that connection to my terminal.”
The connection was made and it was audio only. It was Har-Hi’s voice all right. “Captain, could you meet me at Nurg’s Cut Tavern at the east wall in Nurg’s Canyon in an hour? It’s about Cam Elf Na and please come alone. I gave my word to come alone.”
“I’ll be there, but why are you contacting me this way? Is your comm unit damaged or something?”
“I left it behind. It is not Dai, if you know what I mean.”
I did not completely know what he meant, but perhaps he was worried it would be seen and identified as Union equipment or something. I knew it was foolish to go alone, but Har-Hi gave his word and I would honor it as if I had given it myself.
I instructed Elfi that I would leave the ship. Narth was still resting after he had struggled with Suit.
Elfi also held the Conn and she said. “This seems a little strange, captain.”
“I am somewhat surprised by this myself but I think it has to do with the Dai Than issue and that crazy clan lord. The whole affair is affecting our friend, and he is torn between loyalty to his clan and the Fleet and his fear that his kind is doomed under the hand of that clan lord. Now he met another Dai and there are still many details about the Dai culture I don’t know. I hope he didn’t make any decision that is not compatible with our current orders or something like that.”
Elfi agreed. “Yes, you are right, this situation has caused him distress, and I know he had a few foolish ideas. Maybe he needs you to talk him out of something. You are the only one who can.”
Huddled in a cloak that was more or less local fashion and hitching a ride on a local flyer, I reached the location Har-Hi had mentioned.
The tavern was not hard to miss, even without the flyer pilot pointing it out. A bright red sign glowed in the dark advertising the business.
I went in and found that the place was not much brighter than the street outside. About 16 or 20 patrons hunkered around various tables, and a pelted Humanoid looking like a sibling to the primate I had met in the Local Lord’s office behind the bar filled glasses and mugs with liquids from odd-shaped bottles.
Almost everyone wore brown or black cloaks, and many had the hoods drawn deep into their faces. It looked like the annual convention of an assassin guild.
A hooded person at one of the corner booths waved his arm and the waving arm was covered with Har-Hi’s distinctive dark red armor.
I made my way to that table and sat down.
He whispered, “Thank you for coming, captain. You did come alone?”
“You asked me to, so yes, of course.”
“You are dumber than I thought!” He threw some kind of powder in my face and all went dark.
***
Yes, it had happened again. I, Captain Erica ‘The Fool’ Olafson, had found myself with my hands tied in what looked like the covered cargo bed of a freight skimmer.
The worst part of the matter was that I’d had the strong feeling something was wrong since I got the call. I should have taken precautions, informed the others instead of storming all by myself into the night and yet another avoidable situation.
The man across me looked and sounded like Har-Hi but I was convinced that this was not my friend. “I don’t know who or what you are, but you are not Har-Hi. Whatever you did to obtain his armor and his likeness will be nothing compared to what I will do to you.”
The Dai across from me laughed. “Well, perhaps not, but it matters little. My charade was good enough to get you out of your ship and here into the desert.
“You see, there are regions in this desert that are more dangerous than others. This region, for example, leaks an invisible, almost undetectable gas and this gas has a wonderful effect on most oxygen breathers. It causes hypnotic hallucination effects and as my servant brought your first officer out here, it was quite effective on him. It will seep into your mind as well and soon you will tell me all I want to know. Since it is a biochemical process, psionic shields and safeguards won’t matter.”
I strained my muscles and tested the bonds; they held fast. Was I already affected by the gas?
He laughed. “Relax, pretty girl, you did save my life back on Sin 4, and I was really impressed by you, so as a thank you, I’ll let you live and I am sure we will come to an agreement.”
He came over and grabbed my chin, forcing my face upward to look into his eyes. “You are exceptionally beautiful, shame to hide such a lovely visage under masks all the time.”
He pulled a hypo-injector from a belt pouch and pressed it against my neck and the last thing I noticed was as sharp hiss.
As I came back to my senses, I sat at a long wooden dinner table laid out with fine china and silverware. The room looked like a natural cave of sorts. The place was elaborately and expensively decorated. The art and decoration was selected by a talented interior designer and the shelves and furniture had been expertly blended into the rough cave walls. Wall sconces and crystal ceiling lights illuminated the place, and a fireplace radiated warmth from what seemed to be burning gas. The place, the books and everything did look like the tastefully lived-in habitat of someone spending much time here. It also had the feel of an old place, the items appeared antique and had the patina of age.
My black leather suit was gone, and I wore a dark-red, velvet, shoulder-free dress that squeezed my upper assets into a deep plunging cleavage. My arms were dressed in long gloves and held in place by metal bracelets to the armrests of the chair I was sitting on.
I was not alone; there was a tall being wearing a long purple cape. Its head looked menacing and ugly as the head of a trench worm that could be found near hot water vents on Nilfeheim. The head shimmered moist and had a moving ring mouth.
The creature said, “I am glad you are awake, and I hope you like the dress I selected for you. I know you are a woman and would rather choose what to wear yourself but I am sure you would have fought the idea with tooth and nails. I’ve seen you fight and so it seemed a sensitive precaution.”
“You better have had a good look while you did that, pervert. I assure you it will be the last time you do something like that.”
He raised his hands, grabbed the ugly head, and removed it. It was, as I suspected, a mask, and he revealed a Human face that a real woman might find handsome. He had black hair that was combed back and silver-gray on the sides, his skin appeared extremely pale and its waxy, almost unnatural shade was enhanced by a neatly trimmed black beard around his mouth. He put the ugly worm head with an almost loving expression and great care on a special stand sitting prominently on the table.
“I am a master of disguise and have many identities.” He held up a bio-flex mask of Har-Hi’s face. “You met me as Damon Honshu, you fell for my ruse acting in the guise of your first mate, but I am indeed the Purple Worm and you are the first living being who has seen my true face since I was chosen.”
“Not much of an improvement, if you ask me. I can see why you choose to hide it.”
His eyes blinked angrily but only for a moment and then he said, “Yes, I can understand why you are angry and upset, but I used an autodresser to change your attire. I picked the dress, and I hope you like it. It fits you very well, I might add.”
The steel clamps held my hands tight, and I noticed similar clamps around my ankles. “Where is Har-Hi?”
“Your Dai mate is a formidable warrior, I am certain, but he had no defenses against the drug in his Thill. Like all Dai, he acted on the rigid rules and customs of his race and he did not refuse the offering of another Dai. They don’t poison or use drugs. I, however, do.”
“Answer my question!”
“He is safe, perhaps not as comfortable as you but he is safe. I will not harm him if you humor me for a while. Have dinner with me and be social and maybe all this will turn out to be a lovely evening that benefits us both.”
I said nothing.
He slipped out of the purple cape, revealing that he was wearing a tuxedo-like suit as I had seen men wear at the Diamond Ball on Pluribus.
“As I have mentioned, I have seen you fight. This is why I can’t let you have your freedom completely, of course, but I think you should be reasonably comfortable even with your legs restrained. I am a patient and civilized man but don’t try anything foolish, I am also quite capable of being ruthless and cruel. I have killed, maimed, and tortured just about any creature that walks or crawls without remorse for a very long time. Just so you know, there is a nasty Kermac device installed in your chair that will flood your neural pathways with pain impulses.”
I tried to concentrate and feel for Narth, and I did feel his mind but it felt inactive. He was still sleeping or resting after his struggle with the Seenian suit, but I was certain I would be able to reach him soon.
To my captor, I said, “You don’t know the meaning of cruelty until after I am done with you, Worm!”
He ignored my threat and came closer. “How about some wine, to ease the tensions, and then I will tell you what this is really all about.”
“Why don’t you tell me right away? I am not particularly fond of wine.”
He poured himself a glass from a bottle that had Terran writing on it. “Very well then.”
He sat down on a chair to my left. “I have seen the recording of you fighting and killing Bloom at Brhama Port. I know my friend Captain Swift left with you for Sin 4. He never arrived, and no one has heard of him since. Now you will tell me that he went somewhere else and got caught by the Togar, but I would wager a substantial amount of money that he met his fate by your hand.”
He sipped his wine, looked at the clear golden liquid in the glass, and then continued as I didn’t say anything.
“The port protectors tried to intimidate you and paid with their lives. That dangerous fool called Red Dragon tried to steal your ship and you toyed with him, despite him having Celtest technology.” He snickered.
“Duke Donheer captured your Dai and you were willing to risk your own life to get him back, and that gave me, of course, the idea for what I did here, but you showed him who’s boss. There isn’t a Donheer Clan anymore. Of course, there would not be one anyway as the Union moved in, but neither you nor I could have foreseen that. Bottom line is, you are a dangerous woman and from what I have seen and heard, you are as cold-blooded and ruthless as can be.”
I smiled at him. “I am glad you see a pattern there and maybe you should consider this as a prediction of things to come for you. If you let my First Mate go and untie me, I will consider listening to you and show mercy. Continue to force me and cause harm to my friends and you will find out what I am for real.”
“Oh, please, Captain Velvet, I am no fool. I know you have some sort of psionic assets in your crew, and I suspect you are connected to the witches that hide in the Igras Expanse, but this place of mine is shielded quite well against psionics and I have been dealing with the Kermac and other talented beings all my long life. I am quite well prepared and took precautions. That you are Human is evident as my drugs worked just fine on you. You will see that, as soon as I ask you questions, you cannot lie or keep anything hidden. The natural gas and the drugs will loosen your lips as well as any Saresii interrogator could. It is quite similar in composition to those wonderful Shaill compounds and drugs.”
He leaned forward and looked me closely in the eyes. “I know what motivates you. You are hungry for power and want to show the men and the world that you are powerful. I am offering you power beyond your wildest dreams. More power than any pirate could ever dream of having.”
He put his hand on mine. “I have been alone for a very long time but finally, I think I have found someone equal to me, someone I can share everything with. I am in love with you, Black Velvet. I was struck by your beauty despite the masks you wear and by the ruthless brutality you dish out with the elegance of a refined lady. I am mesmerized by your voice and now, as I see you unveiled and unmasked, I know I have seen a true angel; a dark violent angel, but an angel no less.”
His confession and statement floored me. For a moment, I had no smart response. Was this idiot serious?
With a careful measured gesture, he put down the glass. “I have managed to conceal my true identity for 3,000 years and built this organization from scratch, but I put all caution into the wind as I saw you. Now tell me who you are and your real name.”
Even if his hypno-drugs and gas worked, I couldn’t answer that question even to myself. I didn’t feel impaired or forced to say something I didn’t want to and so I said, “I am Erica and I am the captain of the Silver Streak.”
If his truth drugs or gas worked, I could not say but what I answered wasn’t a lie.
He pointed to the bottle. “This is a very old and very good wine from Terra and it would be a crime to tamper with it so I assure you it is just wine. You really should drink a glass with me, Erica.”
“I told you, Worm. I don’t drink wine. I simply don’t care for it.”
He poured himself another glass. “I am Hector Vargas and, a long time ago, I once considered myself an Earther, from a region called Spain. Where are you from?”
“I am from beyond time when all was void. I am darkness incarnate.”
The man blinked, surprised. “Maybe you are overexposed to the gas. It makes no sense what you are saying.”
Maybe the gas did affect me, after all, because he was right; even I had no idea where that came from. It was certainly not what I wanted to say and made no sense to me as well.
He turned and I saw two beings in dark-brown robes, no taller than maybe 10 year-old children, appear from a well-hidden door in the rock face. “Close the vents of the gas, my faithful servants, and maintain the psionic shielding.”
The two beings bowed and left as silently as they had come.
Turning back to me, he said, “The gas is very complex and affects everyone a little differently, of course, but it matters little.”
He got up and gestured toward the wooden bookcases. Soft violin music began to play. “Let us eat and maybe my proposition will grow on you. Of course, you must remain my prisoner until I am absolutely sure you will not betray me, but your captivity can be pleasurable. As you see, I am a connoisseur and collector of fine things and will treat you well.”
“What about my ship, my crew, and Har-Hi?”
“I haven’t decided yet, but if you treat me right and with respect, I might let them work for me. You see, the Red Dragon is on a quest and one of my associates is already taking part.”
A voice in my head said, “I managed to bypass their psionic shielding. It is quite effective and quite strong.”
I never felt in much danger, as I knew Narth would find a way to contact me, but hearing his mental voice was still very reassuring. I opened my recent memories to him so he knew what was going on.
Narth’s voice in my head responded, “What do you want us to do?”
“Can you locate Har-Hi?”
“He is well shielded like all Union officers, but I am certain I have found his distinct neural impulse activity.”
“Can you get him to safety without them noticing?”
“If you can give me another 10 minutes, so I can familiarize myself more with the psionics of
your captors.”
“All right, let me know when you can.”
The steel cuffs that held my wrists snapped open and the man who was the Worm said, “I will treat you like a princess and all I ask is your companionship. Perhaps you’ll learn to love me along the way.”
Two of the little brown-robed beings appeared from that same door and one of them placed a soup bowl before me and he was served one as well.
I said. “So, you are 3,000 years old and the head of a criminal organization and you think captivity will make me like you eventually?”
He took a spoon and tried the soup, closed his eyes, and nodded in agreement to the robed being and then said to me, “Yes, my dear, 3,000 years ago a strange entity picked 200 Humans from Earth and gave each of them a specific task. I am sure you heard about Admiral Stahl and maybe you even know that the Admiral of the Union Fleet, McElligott, is one of them.
“We do not age and are immune to diseases. That cursed Stahl, for example, was to be the warrior and boy, does he take his task serious. My task was different. I was to be the one who acted in the shadows and the underbelly to make sure the others did not get too cocky and stayed on track.
“I was to act unbeknownst to the others and keep an eye on them. I was to be the Worm, squeezing into cracks where those who dwelt within our own society that opposed the course the Guardian wanted Humanity to go. Humanity always had a criminal element, no matter how shiny and noble it appeared on the surface.”
I sniffed at the soup; it smelled all right but I did not eat. However, there was a nice sharp steak knife among the cutlery and within my reach. “Yes, I have heard of these Immortals, but even if they exist has reality not made them obsolete? Humanity is well-integrated into the Union and part of a galaxy-spanning society? I know of Stahl and he is no longer just a Terran but acts for all the Union and most of all observes the law?”
He sneered and put his spoon down. “That oversized, overinflated egomaniac everyone worships makes me sick with his straight and narrow morals. He hasn’t changed in all the millennia; he still is that same primitive marine soldier he once was. Of course, we are obsolete. There is no need for us to act for Humanity. I am independent, my organization has penetrated deep into the Fleet, and one day I will succeed and get rid of that Eternal Soldier. There is only one place an Immortal should be and that is on top. What do the average citizens know? They live and die and as long as they have plenty to eat and a good program on GalNet, they are content.”
Eric Olafson Series Boxed Set: Books 1 - 7 Page 126