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

by Vanessa Ravencroft

  The festivities continued and during the late afternoon the games began. Warriors would demonstrate their skills with axe, spear and harpoon throwing. For this, the kids and youngsters were allowed to sit at the tables with their parents and see the spectacle close up. It was then when I met Sif for the first time. She was the granddaughter of another Elder and she was the prettiest girl I ever seen, the thin veil she wore before her face did little to hide her beauty and somehow even enhanced it. Not that I had paid much attention to girls before. She had long golden hair; she wore openly held back by two small braids and a circlet of gold that also held the veil. She wore the traditional dress of a noble girl that fit her quite nicely, that her dress was maroon and had golden seams, however caused me much pain. As she noticed me looking she gave me a shy smile. It was then I learned that a girl could smile and show she did even wearing a veil. Now she managed to sit down in a graceful manner and watch the competition. Again she smiled at me for a moment and then actually spoke to me as she said." I love the watching the men compete. One day a warrior will throw his axe to cut my braids."

  Her comment was overheard by the Union captain and he said." Is that an actual ritual or just a saying?"

  I turned to answer." She will not be allowed to answer you, Sir unless her father has given her permission to speak to a stranger and an adult." Then I said." She was refereeing to our courting ritual at the night of the wedding where the future husband will show his skills by throwing an axe to cut one of the woman's braids which is fastened to a wooden target for this."

  "This is not dangerous for the woman?"

  I shrugged. "I suppose it can be dangerous, especially if they do that ritual late at night when much beer and meet influences the accuracy of the thrower."

  An adult Viking with his massive arms crossed before his chest said. "The son of Isegrim speaks true and there have been cases were the bride was hurt or killed, but that is as dangerous to the thrower as it is to the woman."

  "Why would that be dangerous to the one throwing the axe?" The Captain wanted to know.

  "Because if he misses the target he gets ridiculed and if he hurts the girl he challenged by the brothers or the father of the bride and such a challenge usually ends up with one of them being dead."

  The Union captain simply nodded.

  The Viking added. "It rarely happens; even our youngsters learn to use our traditional weapons and can throw axes from early on."

  The girl said. I wonder how skilled Eric of the Olafson clan already is."

  I had not noticed him being suddenly so close, as I paid attention to the Off-world Captain, my father bellowed right behind me."My son has been challenged by a maid!" The other man obviously the girl's father kept his arms crossed nodded." Indeed Isegrim she has! Other boys and youngsters immediately challenged me. No one however asked to a challenge with the sword and as I stood, resting my hand on Mördaren, partially because it was there and offered a convenient hand rest and partially because deep down I wanted to emulate Grandfather a little. Two youngsters paled visibly.

  Father pushed Lothar into the circle and said." My best son will of course compete as well of course!"

  Uncle Hogun somehow noticed it all, perhaps he was watching his brother the entire time and abandoned his grills and handed me his very own throwing axes. I was sure he had planned to partake at the skill games, and padded my shoulder. "Forget the others, forget Lothar and Isegrim. All that matters is the target." I glanced towards the girl and her lips barely visible under that translucent veil parted for another smile.

  I was not certain if it was Hogun's words or the smile the girl gave me but I never threw better and every throw was true. There were few things Neo Vikings loved more than these challenges, except challenges during festivities with food and drink. The men started chanting, rising mugs every time an axe hit the target. There were nine others who competed with me and every one managed to hit the target. But when the target was moved further away three guys failed much to the disappointment of their fathers and I felt sorry for them. Finally only three of us were left, Lothar, Sven Swenson and me.

  Now the target was put into a swinging motion. I glanced just for a fraction to see if father was watching but instead of him I noticed the girl and again she smiled and made a double throw, my axes hit with a resounding thud into the center of the swinging target. Much later I was certain I was showing off for the girl and only afterwards realized that again I risked way too much. I promised myself to curb my own cockiness and doing things before I was thinking them over. I improved but never really learned to do completely follow my own advice, ever.

  Sven's axe chipped the rim and Lothar's throw missed completely. My father's angry bellow made me shiver. I knew what would happen to Lothar after we went home. On the other hand he getting his due for once and not I was actually a quite satisfying thought.

  One of the Elders said."You trained your sons well; both showed fine skills and your firstborn outshone them all and won!"

  "I do not accept failure!" But this time he glared in Lothar's direction.

  The girl's father approached me while Father and the Elder were still there and said. "Fine display of skill, young Olafson. I will allow you to court my daughter; you are of good blood and old stock!" Without anything further he clasped my father's underarm and father said." It shall be so. I will make the pact of courtship of my firstborn with the Arnske Clan and your daughter. If they come of age and all is done the proper way they shall be joined!"

  "It is a good omen such events end a day like this!" The Arnske Clan Chief said. "I vow she who is my firstborn daughter and much beloved child will be delivered a Virgin and with a Dowry without compare on that day when Eric has passed the ancient Challenge so he may throw his axes and seal this Union between them and our Clans!"

  I was completely surprised by that. I never seen her before and did not spend any thought on girls and now he was talking about courting! I knew enough of our customs and traditions to know he was quite serious and now he was talking to my father and they were making pacts! Still stunned by this totally unexpected development it was my father who surprised me even more by pound his big hand on my shoulder and smiling." You did right tonight. Sif is of a very influential and very wealthy family. Her grandfather is the speaker of the Inner Circle. After you become a man you are going to marry her. Her father agreed and the dowry he promised will raise the house of Olafson to be the first clan in might and power"

  As stunned as I was. I wondered how Sif felt about this. Knowing well my father saw himself already asking of Nilfeheim and elevated into the Circle of Elders. After all there was the ancient pact, older than even the book of Traditions that if a Clan chief could unite the majority of the old families they would elect a new Leader for all Nilfeheim. Every Clan chief dreamed of it, including my Grandfather to be the one who sat upon the chair of Leif Ericson still kept in the caves under the Halls of Hasvik.

  I did not see the Union Captain and noticed that most Off-World guests had left.

  Chapter 26: Swine and Dine

  The eating and drinking, mostly the drinking went on well into the early morning hours.

  As the guest of honor I had to remain of course until the very last guest finally left, was carried away or slipped under the tables. It was always windy on Nilfeheim, now during the height of Shortsummer less than usual but a sudden surge of wind made me turn and I saw the enormous ship slowly climb into the sky! Even though I knew about Arti grav, our flyers used it. To see such an enormous object defy gravity and climb like an air bubble was something was almost incompressible. I wondered why it climbed so slowly, and there was no sound associated with it. The Starblazer in the Virtu would always blast off riding on a plume of fire. I must have said my question aloud as Hogun who was finally sitting down and eating said." The Volume Eric! Do you feel this surging wind? It is caused by the sip. Can you imagine the volume of air something like this displaces? Even moving slowly it causes
this strong surge. Now think what would happen if it leaps into space under full engines. The storms caused would destroy much of Halstaad Fjord and burry the rest under a flood wave of water." After over an hour it had shrunk to a small point and there was a flare of bright red light and the dot was gone. After long moments an enormous boom, just like I imagined Thor's hammer would sound, struck us. Hogun said." Now she's under full Isah thrust of the main engines and I imagine she be reaching the Transluminal threshold by now."

  "For a Neo Viking and a Tech hating Nilfeheim warrior you know an awful lot about spaceships." A Man I recognized to be Carl Lindgren said. He looked different now wearing a hooded leather vest that hid his bald head and cast a shadow over his evil looking face.

  "Since you spend more time in the Brigg than anywhere else I am sure you would not know shit!" Was Hogun's strange answer.

  School had been canceled because our teacher was one of the few Off-worlders who had stayed till the end. I was certain he was just as drunk and hung over as the rest. Not so Uncle Hogun. As the sun came up he and me and four of his helpers I knew only by their first names Jan, Class, Hein and Pit were left with quite a mess. First we loaded the sleeping guests in flyers and they were brought either home or to guest houses around town. Then we gathered empty mugs and tankards, picked up plates and knifes, put tables and benches away. Extinguished the still burning grill fires and gathered trash.

  I knew he had emptied more than a few tankards but my Uncle appeared as fresh and good spirited as always. He never ceased to amaze me with his enormous strength as he carried two of the heavy stone wood tables, each one on a shoulder to his cargo flyer. His helpers were not small or weak by any standard and two of them struggled with the weight of one of the tables. I was barely able to lift one of the benches and I said." One day I want to be as strong as you!"

  He bellowed laughter and set down the tables on the flyers bed and said." I guess I am strong, but strength means little without control. Do you remember that off worlder, that Starship Captain?"

  "Of course Uncle, he is what I want to be!"

  "Don't let your father hear that. Despite the fact he despises you, he now expects you to marry that pretty Sif of yours."

  "You are not against me leaving Nilfeheim and become a Starship Captain?"

  "No Eric I have nothing against it. I think every man should find his own destiny, be it on a planet or out there in space."

  "That is what Grandfather said, too."

  He turned to get more tables."Don't just stand there and listen to my stories. We can talk while we work. There are still lots of tankards to wash and then we got to sweep the whole place and gather and burn the garbage."

  Duty full I followed him, eager to hear more. He did mention the star ship captain." What about the Off-worlder, Uncle Hogun?"

  "I would not dare to go against him. I am probably three times as strong as he is, and yet he could kill me with his bare hands not losing a drop of sweat and I arrive in Valhalla totally surprised and unable to say how it happened."

  "I seen you fight five men at once, trained warriors and you cleaned house."

  "Because as much as we Norse pride ourselves of our strength and fighting skills, we are just brawlers. These Space fleet officers are trained in the Academy with the combined knowledge and techniques of a thousand cultures. There aren't any Non Humanoids on Nilfeheim, but the Union has many non humanoid species, as it became quite obvious yesterday. Some of them like the Petharian are many times stronger as the strongest human being ever could be. The Shiss are just as fierce and those men are trained to take on such aliens and if it has to be in unarmed combat. Even more dangerous and deadly are the Space Marines, a single one of them could go against twenty Neo Vikings and each one armed to the teeth and that marine naked and bare handed one hand tied to the back. Still the Vikings would all be dead in less than five minutes. I am not over exaggerating either!"

  I had seen Virtu Images of the Nul Nul, Perthartians and the Shiss and many others, but I still was highly skeptical." Even armed with swords and axes?"

  "I told you, strength is rarely a deciding factor in a real fight, even here on Nilfeheim. It is skill and technique. What good is the best and sharpest axe in the hands of a man who never wielded one? You bested that Stoner kid with skill. He was stronger than you. You killed the Tyranno's how much stronger are they compared to you?" What he said made sense but I didn't like to be reminded of Ardalf, his face was never far from my inner eyes.

  I gathered plates placed them in the wheel barrow." Even under water? In fight school, Gunter Eikson offered to train me and he says no one could beat a Neo Viking under water in a fight."

  He stopped and wiped his hands on his apron." Gunter is training you. That is indeed something special. He teaches a very old and almost secretive style of underwater fighting. He and his Clan are very protective about it." He rubbed his chin." Well he could be right of course. I mean no matter how good an Off Worlder is he would have to come up for air. We don't, we have gills."

  Then he grabbed the handlebars of the full wheelbarrow." It would be interesting to find out if the Ult have some kind of underwater fighting. As you may know they evolved from a fish creature and are as we amphibious, but it was Mother Nature that has adapted their bodies to the Water through millennia of evolution and not some Genetic tailors as an added afterthought. I bet an Ult could give Gunter a lesson or two."

  I grabbed a basket of mugs and it was heavier than I thought. I barely managed to lift it of the ground and staggered with my load behind him."

  "It is a good trait for a Norse to be more stubborn than a heavy load, but it is actually quite stupid if you think of it..." He said, taking the basket and putting it on top of the load of dishes." A guy less strong than me, but smarter invented the wheel and soon Someone added a box and long handlebars to that wheel, that act as a lever and a weak man can move a load with ease in his wheelbarrow, even a very strong man could not without one." He grinned. "It is always about technique, but you are right especially here on Nilfeheim it does not hurt to have arms like these. With this words he lifted the loaded wheel barrow of the ground an onto the bed of the now fully loaded flyer

  "Do you think I could be as strong as you one day?"

  "Well there are plenty of genetic options, syntho muscle implants and other cybernetic enhancements to guarantee you could be stronger, much stronger than me, but honestly I doubt you will become as big as I am. You have too much from your mother's clan and they do not grow as massive as the Olafsons but look at their history. They have been the smarter ones. I would not so much think about how strong and big you can become, but instead how good you can be with what you have. There is always someone stronger than you so it is better to use your brain than your brawn."

  We had worked for most of the day but finally the last dish had been washed and put away.

  Uncle Ragnar untied his apron."Well I must say you certainly earned your keep today. That was quite some work you put in."

  I shrugged."It was something to do and it kept me away from the Burg."

  Well sit down and I fry us a Blue Finner or two and you can have all the Sparkle Fizz you can drink."

  I loved Sparke Fizz Soda and of course it was forbidden in the Burg as "Off Worlder Garbage". Uncle Hogun was not as strict and usually allowed one can a day. He placed an ice cold one right before me and disappeared in the kitchen. The guest room of the Inn was deserted. It was Monday and most men were either out fishing or working and on this Monday many were still sleeping. Since it was a Monday no Miners from our neighbor planet balder would be here either. Occasionally miners and workers from the neighbor planet would come over the weekend, mostly to drink and eat. They weren't really considered Off-worlders, since they were Neo Vikings with no families or otherwise not as traditional as most of the rest. Of course the Locals looked down on them, but The Mining Company even had an office in town as it was owned by Grandfather. That thought stung me and I corr
ected myself, used to be owned by Grandfather. After a week of mourning the Elders would arrive at the Burg and collect my Grandfathers shield and a symbolic flag. Then they would take it to the caves and deposit it in a stone alcove and seal it with bricks. Grandfather signet ring used as a signature seal on official clan business documents would be smashed with a hammer and thrown in the ocean.

  Uncle Hogun came out of the kitchen but not wearing his apron. He looked me over and said." Go wash your face, you got a purple Soda beard and that won't do for what you are going to do next."

  "What exactly am I going to do Uncle Hogun?"

  "There is no school today and you always work around here, so I decided to put out you on the payroll. He put a Credit Strip on the table. This is yours. I need to go to the Exchange and to the bank for some business and I thought you might enjoy an afternoon downtown.

  I actually had never been to the actual downtown area of our Capitol City. I knew Halstaad Fjord had almost 500,000 inhabitants now and was, according to Uncle Hogun growing in leaps and bounds. The Inn was located with several other Inns and businesses that sold nets, harpoons and other fishing and boat gear at what we called the Harbor row. The houses all in a row and before a wide cobblestone area, officially called Oslo Plaza (Uncle Hogun lived at 15 Oslo Plaza, Harbors Row Planet Nilfeheim) that would be under many feet of snow during Longnight. All businesses downtown so I heard were connected with tunnels that would be opened during that time.

  The Plaza was about 60 meters wide and ended at the harbors walls. Hogun's Inn faced the East coast of the Island and if you stepped out and looked down south you could see the large building of the Planetary Exchange. There most locals would sell their wares and products in exchange for Union Credits or products of other planets. Next to the exchange and closer to Hogun's Inn were the docks and repair facilities for fishing boats and subs. At Silver Falcon Inc you could have your boats repaired, buy spare parts or even purchase new ones. Then came the boat berths, at night they would hold many fishing boats, but they were all gone before the first daylight and would return after the last sun ray. They would fix skids to their boats in long night and slide over the frozen oceans to either fish at open spots or hunt for Snappers and Nubhirs. But like Tyranno Hunting there were less fishes now and more of them tended to fish and Nubhir farms. This provided them with steady and consistent catches and quality. Only Snappers didn't really do well in farms, but I knew that some managed to get them semi domesticated in herds and used the word ranch rather than farm. The wildest and most rugged men were the Snapper Herders so I heard. From Uncle Hogun's Inn you could look clear across Oslo Plaza you had a great view over the Sea Harbor and the ocean all the way to the horizon. If you kept following the shore line to the north for about three clicks and then turned inland you could walk to the roundhouse and Mount Asgard. Right behind the Inn was a ridge of piled up rocks and sand that run more or less uninterrupted all along the islands north south axis. Called the Sea wall and was supposed to protect the City from floods, but since Nilfeheim had no moons and no tides, there were no floods. The first settlers believed that when all the Ice melted the seawater would rise. None of them seemed to think about the density of ice and that it would of course not raise the sea levels one bit. Siegfried lane a street a few houses down crossed the hills and you would first arrive at Outskirts that was a residential area after that Siegfried lane would widen and meet with Odin's Path and that was downtown were all the business were. I knew you would turn on Odin lane follow it south and it ended right at Halstaad Port. Not the sea port but our own Class D Spaceport, frequented once a week by Space Bus and twice a week the post ship would come. Of course freighters would also land there but they did not follow any schedule I knew about. Not that I ever been to the space port before. The school shuttle would come from the east as School rock was more or less right before Hogun's in if you could see 200 miles out to sea. Dietmar always dropped me right by the Inn. I was actually a bit excited to actually see downtown.