Eric Olafson Series Boxed Set: Books 1 - 6 (The Galactic Chronicles Series)

by Vanessa Ravencroft

  The grey Nul, as big as Hans, was wearing a slave collar. It blinked and I knew someone was causing the Nul pain, perhaps controlling him via remote controlled shocks or something of that kind and they had glued something over his only eye, making him blind.

  The huge Nul staggered through the sand while he tried to get rid of the gooey sticky mess over his eye.

  I kicked the nice open toed heels of my feet, and ran as fast as I could towards the pile of weapons. Barely escaping the Stompers attack I came close to the Perthanian and said. “If you want to see Union side again make your way to the spaceport and find the Silver Streak as soon as the lights go out.”

  I didn’t wait to see if he understood and in my ear I could hear Elfi say: “The Golden has just popped out of thin air and now Narth is here as well.”

  I asked “Is Circuit ready?”

  “Almost, he needs 5 more minutes to hack into the power grid.”

  The Stomper collided with the Nul and grabbed him with his tentacles. I never liked the Nul but even he wasn’t here on his own free will. I threw a Vibrosword as hard as I could into my XO's direction and Har-Hi jumped and elegantly took it by the handle out of mid-air and swung it immediately against the Insecto severing its right claw arm right off.

  Hans had just shown what he could really do, grabbed the tail just behind the dangerously sharp stinger of the other Insecto and with a groan ripped it right out of the poor animal and used the tail like an oversized club beating the wounded animal with it.

  The spectators exploded in a frenzied uproar and chanted his name even louder. I threw a sword to the half Dai who was just as agile catching it as Har-Hi and attacked the Sauron.

  With a grim satisfaction I took a long handled battle axe with two sharp looking blades and swung it around. The weapon was not high tech. I did not have any Vibro or other function but it was made of a tough metal and had a razor sharp edge as I found out after slicing it through the upper thigh of the attacking Togar. The majestic looking cat warrior screamed and his shiny brown fur was dulled by his own dark blood.

  I was no longer Freya or female. I was Eric, child of Nilfeheim, Neo Viking by blood , savage warrior by heritage and all layers of my complicated personality peeled back as I put every ounce of my strength and anger into the second blow decapitating the Togar and sending his head flying.

  Har-Hi was fighting the Insectosaurus and he clearly had the upper hand but the yellow throat Shiss, who wore a costume much like Hans, appeared to be an experienced Arena fighter and ganged up on my friend, was about to attack him from behind. Normally I would not have thought twice, in my opinion Har-Hi could clean the whole arena by himself, but he most likely was still fighting the effects of the Paralysator shot, and I knew out of my own experience how that felt. To all this he could not rely on his own swords and weapons.

  I was bringing the axe down along the spine of the first four armed lizard that effectively took this Shiss out of the game and tried to reach his attacker in time. The costumed Shiss turned and almost decapitated me, but Har-Hi had evaded the Insecto so skilfully that the sharp stinger of the beast hammered into the side of the Shiss head, there was no doubt this was a calculated move.

  There was no need to help Har-Hi. I looked around and saw the Nul, still unable to see clearly, being tossed through the air by the stomper and he would certainly die during the next attack. The Stomper uncoiled his tentacles and one of them snatched the Nul. He struggled against the pull of the tentacles. Any lesser being would have long ago died between the maws of the Stomper. I ran towards the Nul and yelled. “Nul Warrior lean as far back as you can to put more tension on these tentacles, I cut you lose!”

  I ducked at the last moment as one of the barbed tentacles whipped towards me.

  The axe was a primitive weapon indeed, but I would not have wanted anything else at that moment. I drove it through the first tentacle, it proved to be razor sharp. Stinking ooze sprayed over me as I hacked through more tentacles like a maniac. The Stomper had forgotten about the Nul and now focused on me. I had to duck, jump and slice with the heavy blade, sticky with the rancid smelling blood of the Stomper.

  I knew the Sojonit body changing process had changed my outer appearance but in order to pack my male frame into a female shape, the additional mass was compacted and the result were denser muscles, I never felt as strong even though I had thinner arms and I marvelled at the agility of the female body that allowed fight moves a male body could only achieve with constant training.

  Somewhere in the back I heard the crowd but I had to focus now, one false step and I was toast.

  I was a warrior again, unrestrained by rules and notions. Listening to my instincts more than to my thoughts, letting my senses guide my muscles even before they reached my mind. The skin of the Stomper was hard as a rock and it took heavy blows to make it even splinter, but there was a thin yellow line of skin between the top and bottom armour where the legs moved, that wasn’t covered by the crystalline armour and the axe blade cut deep into it with each blow I managed to land.

  Something scratched my back and I was certain the barbed tail of the stomper had not completely missed its target. I was bleeding from several cuts, but then I was close and with three strong chops I severed one of the stomper’s legs.

  The sand was trenched with the stomper’s blood and it stuck to my feet. The beast was now screaming and each blow with the axe cut deeper into the side, cutting chunks of flesh out of an ever deeper gouged wound. The last tentacle severed and another leg useless, the Stomper now groaned and his remaining legs buckled! It was finished. I jumped on the still breathing stomper and split his skull open after hitting it several times,ending the poor creatures misery. Only now I paused for a moment, covered in sweat and blood, not all of it from the stomper. Almost out of breath with a heaving chest I raised the axe in the air, and locking for my next oponent. I could suddenly hear the crowd chanting my name in frenzy. “Black Velvet, Black Velvet...”

  Elfi’s voice sounded concerned. “Captain Can you hear me?”

  “Yes I can hear you.”

  “Captain, I was trying to reach you for almost five minutes but you did not answer. Are you alright?”

  I jumped of the Stomper and said. “I think so. How far are we?”

  “Everything is ready!”

  “Do it!”

  The lights went out again. I felt Narth’s presence and the faint pulling sensation of Translocation. As the lights came back on I stood in the Sky Box of the Duke. Four Special Forces marines disguised as Pirates were led by TheOther wearing what looked like a genuine Y’All battle suit. With terrifying weapons in each of his fists, the unnaturally twisted body of a badly mangled looking Togar lay before the feet of the giant and the bloody remains of the other guard not far away. One of my marines held Wintsun, while the Duke was still sitting in its chair but all his flair of power and self-importance was gone.

  The Fat man’s face showed panic.

  A glance down to the Arena showed me only the dead monsters. Hans and Har-Hi were gone and so were the Pertharians, the Nul and the man named Honshu.

  I still held the bloody axe and I could not even imagine how I looked, I stepped forward and he cringed back.

  I snarled as he raised his arms. “Oh no I won’t make it that easy for you!”

  He held up a little device and said with a weak voice. “One push and the torpedoes will launch.”

  I swung the axe and his hand along with the device flew in spray of blood. “Push your button now, if you can.”

  We had returned to the ship, our disguised landing tank was attacked twice, the hits not even registering on the tanks strong shields. Our attackers however were exploding in mid-air as I had ordered to return fire on anything that even appeared threatening. I felt sore, dirty and exhausted and my back started to hurt real bad.

  I visited sickbay and Cateria shook her head as she saw me. “In Gorhum’s wisdom, Captain you look awful!”

 
; “I feel awful too, and why is the ship moving?”

  A med bot caught me and placed me on one of the diagnostic tables. Cateria begun to work on me and she said. “Stompers, like all creatures of Green Hell are poisonous and only because you somehow survived the sting of a Wurgus you are still on your legs and among the living. A little longer though and we would have a Dai for a captain!”

  I was mildly amazed to see that she was assisted by the white furred Togar, she still wore the white dress but this time with the logo patches of the med team.

  While she derma patched my back, I said. “Looks like you found something to do after all.”

  Jolaj nodded. “I am not a very technical person; my schooling was limited to theory, literature and arts but this way of healing appeals to me.”

  After that I had a long shower and felt much better and called for a meeting in the Pirates Den.

  I motioned to Mao first and asked.” You and Pure led the Aqua Team, how did it go?”

  Mao pointed to the two small Terrans who stood on the table before him and said. “Thanks to Lt. Bergdorf we managed who neutralized the sensor grid so we could dive underneath the Donheer Compound shields and we found the Loki torpedoes along with the P Bomb and a cache of other Union Tech hardware. We destroyed everything safely and then detonated one Loki torpedo. The Donheer Island compound is completely destroyed and Sin 4 has one less island. Krabbel was very good at convincing one of Donheer’s deputies to tell us all we wanted to know and finally we set off a much smaller charge in the city to destroy the HQ of the Donheer Syndicate to destroy the hand weapons and other things Wintsun may have stolen.”

  I was very pleased with that and said: “That went well then and I do appreciate the help of our New World Commonwealth crew members.”

  I looked towards Hans and continued. “But I like to be kept in the loop who is sent outside. If we have to leave in a flash I do not want to leave anyone behind.”

  Hans face was unreadable but then he nodded. “Yes Captain, I understand, I should have asked for permission.”

  “Hans we are friends and I rely on all of you to be innovative and spontaneous, we managed to get out of this situation so well because of it. So I should commend you and as a friend I do, but as the Captain I need to know those things. This is not a reprimand or anything like that, but next time it happens it will be.”

  His face now showed relief and he nodded in his unique neckless way and said. “Yes Captain, thank you.”

  I smiled in his direction and then looked over to Har-Hi, Narth and the Golden. “You almost made my heart stop when I heard you were abducted.”

  Narth said. “I did not know I could be affected by Paralysator rays. It severely impaired my Abilities for hours but it won’t happen again. I changed my physiology in that regard.”

  Har-Hi shrugged. “There isn’t much we could have done. That bastard used a F4 Paralysator, and stunned an entire City block. But I am sore having lost all my weapons and my suit."

  Narth shook his head. "I retrieved your equipment. The guards made me take off my mask and cloak and were unable to remain among the living. I took this moment to secure what was taken."

  Har-Hi sighed a deep relieve. "Thank you."

  I added a thankful thought directed at Narth and said aloud. “I am not blaming you for anything either of course. I am however trying to express how glad I am you are back and safe.”

  Har-Hi placed his hand on mine. “When I said I follow you to the Badlands I meant that. I know you don’t like to send us in harm’s way but you will have to do it again I am sure and you simply can’t do everything by yourself. That you are concerned about our safety, be assured we know that, but that must take second place to our mission and your position being the Captain.”

  The Golden added: “We never were in much danger, Captain. Narth recovered fast and told us your plan and Hans was there as well. They did not know we knew him. He could have freed us anytime.”

  Hans nodded. “They never considered the Golden or Narth in his disguise as material for the Arena and wanted to sell them.”

  Then he spread his mighty arms and said. “Sorry Captain I have to say it. I never have seen anything like you attacking that Stomper. You were the only standard human in that arena and yet you were the most dangerous creature of us all.”

  Har-Hi looked at me. “I keep saying that. And not just a Stomper, a Togar and a Shiss and doing it all while barefoot and in a dress.”

  I tried to ignore them as I wondered about that myself. Of course I knew of the norse legends telling of warriors going berserk, but some believed it to be legend only or somehow drug induced .It was almost like a drunken euphoria while fighting that Stomper I felt an animalistic satisfaction,that was actually a little disturbing.

  I said: “You should talk, Mr. Terror Hammer, ripping the tail out of an Insectosaurus.”

  He smiled and wanted to say something but I gave him a scolding look and he swallowed whatever he wanted to say. Then I looked down at my feet: “I liked those sling back pumps and I ruined a perfectly good dress as well, no wonder I was a little agitated.”

  They all laughed at that. After a moment I returned to be serious. “We need to interrogate our prisoners and learn where they got these weapons and if there are any more hidden on this world.”

  Har-Hi said.” What about Wintsun, will we go by the book?”

  I dreaded my own answer and said. “Yes we will. He was a friend, but he killed and is a traitor.”

  Cateria got up. “I think it will be best we perform a brain dump on them and let SHIP shift through all their memories.”

  I agreed with her and then dismissed them. “Let us hope that the Red Dragon shows up on time tomorrow so we can and rap this part of our mission up. I really want to get some vacuum under our keel.”

  The Duke

  Duke Donheer found himself in a featureless white and brightly lit room. He had not imagined things, there stood a Y’All at the door with both his arm pairs crossed before his chest. He tried to move but found himself fixed to a diagnostic chair. A helmet like thing hovered over his head and he was certain he recognized the design of this alien contraption for what it was, a Saresii Mind extractor.

  Every single memory and every secret stored in his brain could be downloaded into a file to be analysed. It was the most efficient interrogation method ever invented, and only the Old Saresii ever perfected it and made it work. Only a handful of these machines survived from that time so long ago, and officially did not even exist but he had heard rumors that the Saresii Secret Service known as the Grey Cat Society still had a few of them. He would have given half of his empire for one of these. He knew the Union had developed special techniques and implants to prevent a mind dump and it was said they equipped their Starship captains and senior officers with such, but they were as impossible to get as these machines.

  To see a real live Y’All was even more amazing to him, even in his current situation he wondered how one of these beasts would fare in his arena. He still felt dizzy and a little numb, perhaps the machine had already done its job.

  Only now he realized the Y’All there at the door wore a black Union uniform. Could it be? Could the Y’All secretly be Union members?

  Everyone believed it was the Kermac who had something to do with the Y’All, but maybe it was the Union after all?

  A sliding door opened and another no less massive figure came in making the floor vibrate. It was the Terror Hammer, but he also wore the uniform of a Union officer and sported Lieutenant rank bars on his collar. A woman with short hair and cold features followed close behind him holding a file chip. No one paid any attention to him, something his ego could not stand so he said. “Hey I am awake, what is going on here?”

  They still paid no attention so he added. “You are Union and have no business here on Sin 4.”

  A female voice behind him said. “Dealing with Union Mil tech and killing Union citizens in your arena makes you our busi
ness.”

  The woman who had answered him had to be in the room all along came into view from a place somewhere behind the chair he was fixed on. She wore a Sojonit Mask and the typical pink hair wig of that sect of prostitutes, she too wore Fleet black and a Lieutenant bar on her collar and took the data chip from the other woman.

  Then she said “Your empire is destroyed and we recovered or destroyed all the weapons you illegally obtained. We have got everything you ever knew on file now and it will take our Computronic very little time to shift through all of it. You are welcome to make a statement but it is not necessary.”

  His mind became clearer and with it emotions of fear. “What are you going to do with me?”

  She said. “You know the penalty of dealing with Union Mil Tech!”

  He protested weakly. “I am not Union and never was. You can’t do that!”

  She patted his cheek. “Our Assembly decreed that anyone obtaining classified Union technology must be neutralized. As you see by analysing your situation, we could do just that, but our Captain had a better idea.”

  The woman with the short hair said. “Making our Captain angry is a very bad idea, there have been many before you who made this mistake and you did a marvellous job of doing just that.”

  Donheer swallowed and licked his dry lips. “What is it you will do, kill me?”

  The Sojonit said. “No, the Captain decided to release you to the local authorities.”

  He started to laugh and said. “That’s more like it and I am the local authority around here!”

  But as he saw three Stik come into the room, all three of them clean and in full feather and leather regalia his laugh became a choking sound and he swallowed hard, saying:” You can’t be serious! That scum is lower than dirt and has no authority whatsoever.”