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

by Vanessa Ravencroft

  I also leaned forward and put my hand on his arm.

  “If it is important to you we go there. I know what motivates you, the possibility that this will end the lives of so many Dai.”

  He nodded and squeezed the Orange ever so slightly and like a blossoming flower the skin of the fruit peeled away in perfectly equal petal shaped segments. He said. “I had a long talk with the Gray Nul. He told me how the Shiss betrayed them, using an elaborate alliance treaty to lure the Nul fleets in a terrible trap that cost the Nul dearly.

  The Nul are much more numerous than we Dai and were able to recuperate. The Dai are a space born race of much fewer numbers and if this is something similar, then there won’t be any Dai Than outside of the Union.

  I know that the Dai Than that are not in the Union are our enemies. You know I would not hesitate to fight them, but so much of our species heritage and culture would forever vanish and our already small Gene Pool would be further diminished. Somehow I was hoping...”

  He paused and finished peeling the orange and then continued saying:

  “I mean since I am with you, you always somehow managed to do something and I have a feeling this is an unfair situation. I am convinced Cam Elf-Na is blinded by hatred and drunk of the new found power and leads what is left of the Dai to their certain doom. I just wish I could do something about that. Maybe if we can find out that this is a trap, a rouse, then we could convince more Dai Clans to see the light and make the decision the clans around my father had made.” He parted the fruit segments and offered me a slice.

  “I don’t want you to make that decision and disobey orders. Finding that Depot is vital and slaying that Red Dragon is no less important.”

  Har-Hi ate a slice and continued his monologue.

  “What I really wanted is to talk to you and, now that I did, I feel better about it. You really have become a beautiful woman, it is obvious you are changing in more ways than outer appearance and I must often remind myself as I still see Eric in your eyes and features and I know my best friend is still there.”

  I nibbled at the slice and said,

  “For now we will continue to do what we are told to do, but if there is even a slight chance we can go to Thana Shoo, we will. I am glad you still think of me as your best friend. I realize that being what I am now is more than a costume or a disguise and my decision to appear female might be more complicated for you than expected, but I, too, need to talk to a friend other than another girl or Narth who has a different way of understanding things.”

  He nodded. “Yes, I have feelings for Elfi and I think she does have similar for me, but I also love you and Shea. I know you have secrets ever since you came back and I don’t mean your desire to be a woman.”

  I said: “SHIP, who has the Conn at the moment?”

  “Shea does. We are back in Freespace and there is nothing unknown on the scanner horizon at the moment. We should arrive at Alvor’s Cove in 48 hours.”

  “Thank you ship, please secure my quarters according to Blue-Blue-Red protocol.”

  Neutronium shutters closed the view ports, and a heavy plate slid before the already strong door.

  A TransDim field engulfed the entire room and isolated us.I knew outside Marines and robots would guard the door and corridor.

  “Security protocol initiated, facilities secure.”

  I got up and paced a few steps up and down and said.

  “Har-Hi, I was told I am going to be one of the Immortals. I have some sort of purpose and mission that is beyond fleet and Union.

  I don’t know what it is or when it will take place. I remember vaguely that I asked the Narth Supreme to make me forget until I need to know, but I can’t shake the feeling that it is something I don’t like, that I am becoming something else. You knew me first as Eric and now as Erica, but I don’t think that is the end of my transformation.”

  He had followed me with his yellow eyes and then he said,

  “I know, Erica. I have seen a glimpse of what is inside you when we fought on the Devi before the Daoine delegation. It was as if I looked into a pit of dark flames and for a moment I was certain I was done for. It was as if I stared death in in the face. I don’t mean danger or imminent mortal demise. I mean something personified, like as if Death was a person.”

  What he said made me feel ashamed and I too remembered that event well and that I tried to cut off the head of my friend.

  He got up and took my hand. “I told you that I will follow you to the gates of hell and nothing has changed and if in your case I really have to go to these gates, I will do it without hesitation. I will be right behind you and fight with and for you, no matter what you turn out to be in the end.”

  First I hesitated as it was highly inappropriate but I simply hugged him in a brotherly fashion even knowing that this term was not really applicable anymore.

  Having been able to talk to Har-Hi made me feel right as rain again and we both stepped on the bridge. Shea said: “Whatever you did in there, you should do more often. The Captain is smiling for the first time in over a month.”

  I said to her: “What I did in there I will do with you all as well. What I did made me realize that you all are more than friends to me, you are my family. I am on a strange journey and there is something profound and significant at its end. But I am not making this journey alone, I have you and that makes it much easier.”

  I told them more or less the same things as I told Har-Hi and after I was done it was very silent on the bridge, but then Krabbel said, “As long as you don’t decide to change into an Archa I am fine with that.”

  I felt an unstoppable deep grin creep into my face and I asked,

  “Now why is that? Do you think I could not pull it off?”

  “No the opposite, Captain, you could decide to become a female Archa and I would have to share my ice cream all the time as I can’t really say no to a gorgeous Archa girl, they also do tend to rip out legs if they don’t get their wishes .”

  As if a spell was broken the bridge echoed with our laughter and mine too.

  I had the same thoughts as we dropped out of Quasi-space here at Alvor’s as when we approached Sin 4. I hoped we would not be stuck on this depressing planet for long. As always we had gone to sub light speeds at the outermost orbit and would now slowly approach Alvor’s Cove, which was the second planet of this 12 planet system. The bridge was a hub of activities and all departments were busy doing their evaluations and tasks.

  Narth said: “There is much activity on Alvor’s in terms of energies and transmissions. The two long range telepaths I can detect are sending messages to the limits of their abilities. Ensign Fichier thinks they are already sending erroneous messages, mostly about the takeover on Sin 4. There is nothing reflecting the Dai-Shiss crisis so far.”

  Looking at the main screen, I said. “And they told me you could send coded messages via those Long range telepaths.”

  Narth felt addressed as his voice resonated in my mind . “You can, but it is actually illogical. You go to a telepath and tell him a coded message acoustically while your mind thinks about the real message. It seems quite foolish.”

  “I think the problem is that most people are not telepathic gifted and to them it’s more or less unexplainable magic. I include myself in that group.”

  “I believe this would be the moment a human sighs. Your opposition and distrust to anything psionic is also quite illogical, especially since you carry great potential.”

  “After our mission, I promise to look into that, but right now I rather maintain my own illusion as it would add to all the distractions I already face about myself.”

  After saying that I paid attention to the bridge and the situation again.

  Shea said.“I wish I could send this data to New Wurgus, they could make much more sense out of these readings than.”

  “Don’t tell me this sun is going to flare up too or something?”

  “No Captain, this one already has and that is why
there are no oceans on Alvor’s Cove anymore. However these readings suggest that the flare was caused deliberately and on purpose; meaning an intelligent life form with a considerable high level of technological abilities.”

  Three-Four , who probably came on the bridge after being summoned by Shea, said,

  “I could go and dive to the core and check it out.”

  I turned to my Non-Corp friend. “Maybe if we come back here one day, not that I see any way we can clean up this hell hole as we did on Sin 4. Frankly I don’t want to spend too much time here while there is a war going on back home.”

  Circuit, who was the next to appear on the bridge came ,mumbling to himself down the ramp and went to the Navigator’s seat where Krabbel was sitting. He held up a scanner and said to me. “Sorry Captain, but I the Navigational sensors are off by 0.05 percent to the true course that is selected. I pinpointed the problem to the Navigational console.”

  I leaned forward.” What are you doing is not affecting our plan to land on Alvor’s cove right?”

  “No Captain, but 0.05 percent can amount to many light years off the course. It has not affected us because Krabbel is so good he noticed and compensated. Sometimes I think our Archa friend has a Nav-tank implanted in his body somewhere. What bugs me that the discrepancy is hardware caused.”

  He crawled basically under Krabbel’s seat. Krabbel was visibly proud and basked in the praise of his friend and said

  “I always envision the star charts like the nets we used to make before our industrial revolution; it’s somewhat genetic with us and therefore easy.”

  I got up looked, over Krabbel’s torso and onto his panel and I said,

  “I still think we have the best Navigator, having the Heinemann display open on your readouts instead of the more common Natuuk-Ult display shows that.”

  Shaka piled it on saying. “There is never even the slightest error, we are always down to the meter scale where we are supposed to be.”

  Krabbel balled up and chirped something in his high pitched voice and then said,

  “It’s not even my egg sac crawling day and you are so nice to me. I am so proud.”

  I padded his furry torso and then I said while watching the brownish desert planet grow larger on the screen.

  “Say Krabbel, are you wearing a scent? It smells really fruity and sweet.”

  He produced a pinkish looking spray bottle he pulled from a pocket of his uniform.

  “That is Thomson’s Bubble Gum flavored shampoo, Mao got it for me, and it smells like Vanilla and Strawberry Ice cream to me.”

  “Well you’re taking your addiction very seriously I must say!”

  Elfi giggled. “You haven’t seen his Ice cream cone print bed sheets or his ice cream themed pajamas.”

  I rolled my eyes. “If there was ever a more unusual image before my inner eyes then Krabbel in Pajamas then I sure don’t remember!”

  Elfi became serious and said, “We are being hailed, Captain.”

  I returned to my seat, completed my costume with the mask and Elfi put the caller on the screen.

  A gruff looking Oghar with unusual brown skin color instead of the common green said. “Who are you and what is your business here?”

  “This is Black Velvet of the Silver Streak and my business is whatever I make it.”

  I noticed that both of his tusks were broken and filed to uneven looking nubs. Even for an Oghar he looked particularly unkempt and I could almost smell him even through the visual . He scratched his chin and said.

  “Alright, you are known and if you want you can land here, however there isn’t much space left on the landing field, so put her down anywhere you like. Landing fee has increased to 200 Polo Chips and every day you are here there is a water tax of 50 Polos. Regardless if you have your own or not, you are to obey the Rules of Local Lord Sihoc, the sole owner of this world.”

  He looked at an actual list written on a piece of cardboard and he dragged his long finger claw across the list as he said,

  “We sell fuel for 1400 Polo Full weights per standard Nogto bulb.

  If you sell slaves, there is 5% slave sales tax. Buying slaves is tax free of course.”

  “Not that I need any fuel at the moment, but isn’t 1400 Polos for a single bulb a little pricey?”

  “Don’t know where you have been Black Velvet, but demand commands the price and we got limited supplies and lots of customers.”

  I said to my helmsman,

  “Take us down then.”

  Shaka landed not far from the Red Dragon. The landing field was crowded with ships.

  He powered down the main engines with an elegant sliding move with his right hand and raised his helmet.

  “Looks like a regular who-is-who of crooks and Pirates out there.”

  Hans was already busy comparing them with Union databanks and said.

  “Eighteen of the ships out there are on wanted lists mostly for acts of piracy and there are twenty one smaller vessels, privateers and scavengers, of which six are known to be operated by wanted criminals.”

  I got up and said,

  “I wonder what they are all living off and why there are so many pirates in Freespace.”

  Har-Hi said: “Freespace is almost as big as our core Union space and there are many independent civilizations, colonies, mining and industrial centers. There is trade and lots of spaceship traffic. Civilian companies of the Big Four do business here, so there is rich pickings for Pirates and of course there is no cohesive or united law enforcement of any kind.”

  Hans added., “Captain there are over three thousand known Pirate ships operating on this side of the Galaxy and that is not counting the Dai.”

  I sighed. “If that is the case we are going to be hunting pirates forever.”

  Har-Hi grinned. “If there wasn’t a war going on, there would be nothing I’d rather do for the rest of my life and I am convinced that the crew thinks so too.”

  Elfi said. “I could be stuck in a boring palace and attend boring state affairs.”

  Mao turned and said, “Or we could be doing duty as first year ensigns somewhere in the bowels of a battleship or even a planetary base or something.”

  Xon who stood in the back growled.”By the rate you are eliminating pirates and criminals, it might not be all that long.”

  I had to admit they had a point and truth to be told. If there wasn’t all this mystery in my own life I would also enjoy this much more.

  Mao pointed to the pirate ships we could see on the main viewer and said,

  “We should simply blast them all, bomb the entire planet and at least this Quadrant of space would be clean.”

  I also looked at the ships out there and said.

  “I am tempted to do just that. I have been here before. This place is worse than Sin 4 in many regards, maybe we can get a few before we leave by picking a fight or so, but for now we going to stick to the plan. Har-Hi, Hans, Sobody and TheOther you’re with me. ’We’re going to pay the landing fee and keep your eyes open. I doubt they have forgiven us for the dinner surprise yet.”

  Circuit had unloaded one of our camouflaged landing tanks and with it we crossed the landing field.

  While Har-Hi sat behind the controls and steered the vehicle across the glaring landing field, I remembered how I ran across it, getting sun burned, trying to escape. To my disdain I actually saw that Velorian Slave trader, among the other ships. I recognized it by the shoddy repair work to its ceramic hull. It appeared to be repaired and I wondered how many miserable, poor souls had been transported to this hell hole of a planet only to be auctioned off and sold to death on Togar dinner plates or to a short life of hard work and misery.

  While I was brooding over that and wondered what I could to do change it, we reached the mouth of the canyon and a collection of buildings made out of local rock. A crowd of beings had gathered under a sun roof extending from the largest building. A collection of flyers, other landing tanks and similar surface vehicles wer
e parked in a semi-circle before that building. A hand painted sign declared this building to be the Alvor’s Cove Port Authority.

  As we got out I recognized the Red Dragon, Crimson Curse and Captain Meateater. Even though both were Oghar, I had learned to differentiate and Crimson Curse looked more affluent and cleaner.

  The crowd parted as we approached and created an opening to the door of the building.

  Red Dragon who was standing with his back towards us, turned and said:

  “Ah the formidable Black Velvet made it out in time as well. I bet the Union would have had a field day with you, having a live Y’All in your crew and all, so I had already feared you fell victim to those Union bastards.”

  I played the uninformed and said,

  “Well I guess with the Union violating Free Space there will be war and this place won’t be safe either.”

  He laughed dryly and said.

  “With all those treasures in your rust bucket, you should invest in some sort of FTL Comm Equipment. It looks like your ship lacks good FTL Comm or you didn’t listen to the right channels. Sin 4 became a Union Planet; the Freespace treaty was not violated. As it looks like a Terran crock who was hiding on Sin 4 by the name of Fusionbeam or something like that managed to smuggle a delegation of Stik Natives off the Planet. They traveled to Pluribus and applied for membership, asking for help. Normally it takes the Union many month to complete the PUMA process, the Stik were declared members basically overnight. That the Union fleet jumped on that opportunity was to be expected. I bet none of our planet bound friends managed to see another day.”

  “PUMA process?”

  “Whoever you are I am now convinced you didn’t grow up in the Union. Potential Union Member Assessment. A whole set of tests and investigations to see if the new member understands what Union membership means; that with all the rights and privileges also come responsibilities. Mind you not everyone is accepted, these Union bastards are very picky who they let in their midst.”