She kept holding his hand."Amazing your hand is not cold as I expected. I am keep insulting you am I? But you are the first X101 I actually meet."
"We keep our outer skin level at exactly 37 degrees Celsius. It makes interaction such as hand shaking with humans more agreeable, besides I don't like touching cold things either, and everything is cold outside on Factory. And you are the first human I meet in Union Teacher was a Garbini." He shook his head. " And you are really not offending me at all. I am quite aware that I am a machine and I know many of the X101 jokes Terrans tell and most of them are quite funny."
"I don't know any X101 jokes but they have plenty of Irish Jokes where I am from."
"How many X101's does it take to change a light bulb?"
"I don't know. What is a light bulb?"
"It takes only one one but seven hundred years till Mother Machine designed the right one for the job." Then he shrugged in a very human gesture. "I have no idea what a light bulb is and I checked GalNet."
A terrifying Centipede across the Isle clacked with his mandibles and said." Sorry I overheard your conversation. A light bulb is a very ancient pre Astro Terran device to make light. It is part of a lamp."
"Wow! You should put that on GalNet How did you know that?"
"I am sure it is on GalNet somewhere. There are plenty of collector sites. I collect Pre Astro Terran Relics, mostly replicas though as the real stuff is so expensive. That's where I am going. Pre Astro Collector Convention on Ulta, after bolting and bonding space fort frames for twelve month I needed a break."
"I can imagine!" Cirruit responded. Watching the Space bus lift off from the port plat form and accelerating right away." They are working on that system ever since I was assembled 16 years ago. Aren't they done soon?"
Seilagh shook her head." My dad is an engineer there, he says, they won't be done for another 200 years. The Sun will be back to G III type in about 2000 years if I understood the Wurgus correctly."
Before anyone else could say something, the attendant robot came floating by and announced with loud voice." All passengers are asked to return to their seats and put on safety restraints and keep all limbs and body parts inside the yellow line around your seats. "The engines of the space bus audibly hummed much higher, it was now flying at maximum speed.
The woman next to him had turned on her GalNet set and a news announcer sat with a serious face behind a desk and said." This is just in: A massive space battle is fought at this very moment at the Prometheus Five Sun Nebula expanse between Union forces, the largest Dai than Fleet ever seen and it is confirmed Nogoll Forces have crossed through Free Space into Union space. Nogoll are Thrall civilization of the Kermac. All Union space is on highest War alert! Intergalactic war is imminent!"
The girl looked frightened. We are in the middle of the corridor! I bet they increased speed because we are pursuit by Kermac!"
The Centipede raised four of his leg and arm pairs." No worries young lady. Factory is well defended and there are three space forts in the Corridor!"
A strong tremor shook the Space bus and the lights went out!"
The American Spirit was nothing I expected a space ship to look from the inside. It was more like a luxurious villa, complete with garden, swimming pool and green lawn. We stepped through a glass sliding door under a blue sky with a single yellow sun and on the green plant surface he called grass, was a table with umbrella and a few garden chairs. Rolling hills with forests in the distance," All simulated of course," Alex explained. " The walls are actually only 30 meters from us, but I like it that way. Care for a drink?"
"This is amazing you would never know you are in a space ship sitting here. Do you have coffee?"
"Sure do!" He ordered some and then he gestured around." This is only the private deck of course. The rest of the ship is more traditional if you will."
He sat down and I followed suit. Then as the Coffee was brought out by an older man with white gloves part of the sky vanished and a huge field screen appeared. A voice said." Mr. Enroe there are Gal News you might want to see, Sir!"
"Put it on!"
A news announcer said:" I repeat Intergalactic war imminent. Nogoll forces have violated the free space treaty and are engaging Union ships. A fleet of more than 500,000 Dai Than Units is fighting with Nogoll forces against Union Fleet units in the Prometheus Five Sun Nebula area. First reports of casualties have been confirmed."
The CEO of Enroe Industries sighed. "They say war is good for business and in a pure profit sense that is true, but I wish our generation could have been spared. I feel sorry for the lives that are going to be lost!"
"I need to go to Arsenal then Sir! I will do my part!"
"I have no doubt you will, Eric. I may call you Eric?"
"Yes of course."
"Call me Alex then."
The News announcer said." This is just in. Union is put on highest alert. Pluribus Assembly just called for an emergency session. All civilian craft are asked to avoid border areas and return to the closest ports if possible."
"Well that chancels your plans to get to Arsenal for a while, Eric. Arsenal is deep in Enemy territory and I bet there won't be any space bus traffic in the Arsenal Corridor. He got up. "I can drop you off at the next Union planet where you can wait for space bus traffic to resume or you can come along with me to Galveston."
"Galveston?"
"I am sorry Eric but I got to give you a rain check on the visit to Gore. Enroe Industries will do its patriotic share. We do have a substantial fleet of our own and I am planning to mobilize it and see if we cannot do our part to shorten that war."
"Galveston is not too far from the Prometheus Five sun nebula and it is one of our major dock yards. I am sure we could find something for you to do until Arsenal opens again."
"If we are at war then I want to do my share, be it as a Fleet cadet or as civilian. Count me in Alex."
I was allowed on the bridge of the Spirit. In the subdued light I saw men and women behind duty stations and a furry cat like being sat in the Captain's chair. Axel introduced me:" Captain Letrah this is Eric Olafson a very resourceful young man I had the pleasure to meet. Eric this is Captain Calia Letrah, she is Togar."
The feline Captain extend her claw tipped hand and with a gnarling sound to her voice." Nice to meet you Eric and yes I know what you are thinking. I am Togar but I can be trusted and won't eat human flesh."
"I don't think it is my thoughts you are reading, Captain Letrah. I never seen or heard of the Togar. They eat humans?"
A man next to her laughed." Our captain can get very agitated at things not done her way, but she hasn't eaten any of us, yet!"
Axel said." Take us to Galveston."
"Yes, Mr. Enroe."
Axel leaned over and said in a quiet tone." Togars are a very elusive civilization clear across Free space. There is no direct Union Contact and they are one of the so called Free Space Independent Neutrals, but they don't like the Union much and it is said they buy human slaves for food."
"They also have very good ears!" Said the Captain." True the Togar Empire doesn't like the Union but Togar also don't like the Kermac, the Nul, and the Shiss or in other words the Empire likes no one very much, with the exception of Axel perhaps. Yes many Togars like human flesh, we also eat Shiss and Kermac. I personally prefer Terran Style pork; it is similar in texture to humans and much less rancid."
Then she laughed with a roar." It smells like war and who knows if there is a Free space after that, or a Togar Empire. If that Admiral Stahl is on a roll, he might not stop until he reached the other side of Downward!"
***
It was a private Yacht, a very big one but just a civilian ship, yet the flair of efficiency and professionalism was addictive. It was a real space ship and this was its bridge! I had the same feeling I had back then when I saw the USS Ragnarsson. This is where I really belonged, in space and on the bridge of a space ship. Not that my chances ever getting there looked very good at the m
oment.
The Togar female got up from her chair and stood beside me." What fascinates you so? You look like a Togar cub standing inside a meat shop."
"All this!" I made a gesture around the bridge." It is where I want to be."
"Yes I was the same way ever since I was a Cub. I did not belong to an important family so I would have never been allowed to become an officer in the Togar Fleet. Enlisted yes but Command, never! When Enroe Industries started to deliver Pork meat to our worlds, I sneaked on one of his freighters. Long story short, I was allowed to become a Union Citizen and Alex made me the Commanding Officer of this Yacht. Enroe Industries is the only indirect contact Togar has to the Uinon by the way"
"Why aren't there more Union contacts with Togar?"
"I told you, most Togar don't like humans…other than minced on a platter that is, but Axel fought our queen in personal combat. He lost, but only by little and survived and for that our Queen respects him, even likes him and all Togar loves Enroe bacon!" Her Tail twitched as if independetly alive. "How about you, Human. You appear young. What are your plans?"
"I wanted to join the Union Academy to become a Starship Captain."
Her slitted eyes were actually quite beautiful in a wild impressive face with golden , black dotted fur that shimmered like silk." Yes this is a worthy goal if there ever was one. There is no species friend or foe to the Union that does not openly or secretly admire Union Fleet Captains. It is a special breed of beings, regardless of what species they came from. Saresii, Saran, Shiss, Terran,Klack, Ult or any of the many others, the Union seemed to have found the secret to really select and train them. Infinite confident as the depth of space they are. I have met quite a few you know." She gestured around." I am very content with this, it might only be a Yacht to you, but it is a very big one and could easily take on a Togar Battle ship in terms of shields and weapons and out run everything we have with ease, but I would give my tail and my eyeteeth for a Command on a Union Destroyer." She curled her chaps under her black nose with the long whiskers on each side." The American Dream technically is a Super Cruiser, a test platform as much as a private yacht for the latest Enroe tech developments and the Union Fleet operates several thousand of these in a different configuration and layout of course. She pointed at the central seat. We are still deep in union space and two days away from Galveston, if you want you can try it out for size."
You mean I can sit in the Command chair?"
"It's where you going to spend much of your time if you are successful with your quest. You might as well see if you like it."
It was nothing short of a religious expereince for me, to actually sit in a real space ship command chair. It immediately adjusted to my body and she explained. It is all pretty much fleet standard except the classified stuff and we don't have Translocators of course." She took my hand and placed it over a ball shaped object ." That thing under your right hand is the Master Control Panel. From here you can access all bridge functions. Helm, Navigation, Tactical, engineering, Security and Ops. If any of these stations fail, or don't react as you want you can overwrite them from here. It takes only a little to get used to it and then it becomes intuitive. The panel now sliding under your left hand is the Master Access Panel. It directly connects you with Communications to all stations; ship wide, departments and Computronic. You can raise alerts; isolate ship sections, damage control and evacuation procedures. The Pedal below your left foot activates chair controls and the right the Command Monitor bank.
I could somehow feel the ships very power through the leather of the seat. It was as if the ship became a part of my mind. Nothing could be compared with it.
Her whiskers twisted and she exposed her razor sharp teeth and it took me a moment to realize she was trying to smile. "I am not the best judge of human expressions but you sure look like you belong there!"
Interlude
Dai patriarch Ima Win-Do had narrowly escaped the slaughter. He was still shivering involuntarily; most of his Clan including the Ima Mother was gone. He had seen her rupture and disappear inside an antimatter fusion bomb explosion so huge it looked like the birth of a small star. The Devastator breaking like a demon with glowing shields through that cloud of destruction. Only the presence of a second Dai Mother firing upon the Devastator saved his Battle ship and everyone aboard. One of his destroyers had sacrificed itself flying into the path of three Loki torpedoes aimed at the Battle ship. He ordered his Helm to retreat, but the Navigation sensors were damaged and instead of heading for Free space they went deep into Union space. He had nothing to lose. His tribe was gone and from the last images he saw of the space battle, not many Dai would see another day. His mind burned with the shame of retreat and his heart heavy with the loss of everything he held dear. The traitors had lured them into a trap and a trap it was. The Thalim Nebulas always had been a remote Union area frequented by miners and civilian ships and only two star systems with useless ice planets in vicinity. Always had been a good hunting ground and now thousands of Asteroids suddenly turned into heavily armed space forts, with Translocator cannons, Thor Gun boats and batteries of Loki torpedo tubes.
As mighty as the Dai Fleet was it would have been much more of a fight with a well-organized armada, it was utter madness now looking back to do it without any coordination between the Dai Tribes. There was chaos and confusion one side and military precision and tactical guidance by a worthy Admiral on the other side. He wondered if he should have not joined Kar-Hi, but it was too late now! He had fled in the face of the enemy, no matter the fact that 3000 other Tribes had turned and fled as well.
He was never this deep in Union Space. On their long range scanners he saw only three ship contacts and sixteen Star systems within reach. His navigation systems still were not reliable. Navigation relied on exact time keeping and a special sensor array that was drained towards the Galactic center and several known pulsars. A ships position could then easily be established. The Sensor array dedicated to that task had been melted and his navigator established position the old way by comparing star charts and making course calculations. All three appeared to be Civilian ships, two of them from the size and speed most likely space buses trying to reach the next port. Full of arrogant Union citizens. Since he did not know where he exactly was any of the sixteen systems could be fleet bases and approaching them would get him destroyed before he could do something to quench his desire for revenge. The third target was fast, and bigger. Most likely some of the fancy luxury clippers, full of wealthy citizens. A worthy target for a pirate. This time he would not raid it, or give it a chance to surrender. He wanted to cause as much death and destruction before Union Forces would finally get him.
"Charge all weapons! Maximum speed! And fire all weapons as soon as we are in range. Take out its Engines first!"
Chapter 9: Kermac Prime
Interlude: Gal Net Entry: Kermac
Approximately 1 million standard years ago, a human sentient species, the Ker developed faster than light travel. The Ker left their home system somewhere at the outer limits of the Coreward sector and moved their entire society to a Garden world across the Galaxy and 20,000 Light-years closer to the galactic core. It is not known why the Ker moved their society. The Ker were split into five different groups, separated by racial differences in skin color and size. The groups were: the Ker, the Mar, the Mac, the Blue and the Golden. After almost 20,000 years of inter species war, three groups united and called themselves Kermac. The Blue gathered their people and left the Milky Way galaxy. No one knows if they made it across the great empty space between galaxies or whatever happened to them. The Golden began a nomadic existence and became a society of traders and merchants, operating Galactic Trade posts on free wandering moons and large asteroids that can be found all over the local group and in over 10 Galaxies. (The Golden discovered a network of artificial wormhole gates connecting Galaxies) All Ker have Psionic abilities. The Ker are the strongest and the Golden are the weakest in terms of Psionic Powe
rs. The Ker are usually strong telepaths with the special ability to Hypno suggest, that is to force their will upon others. They do not have many telekinetic talents and no teleportation gifted Kermac was ever reported.
The Kermac believe they are the oldest sentient civilization and the only species worth living. They use a special and unique Kermac Device called the Will Amplifier that allows a small group of 20-30 Kermac take and maintain control over an entire planet population. The Kermac feel they are entitled to be served and that they bestow great blessings on those allowed to serve.
The Kermac extended their control and sphere of influence over a great area of space, and at about 20,000 years ago controlled 245 sentient space faring species. Then they met the Ult. It was before the religious event that turned the Ult peaceful and they were still very war like and aggressive at that time. The Amphibians of Ulta proved to be immune to the Kermac Psionic Attacks and the expansion of the Kermac was halted. During that time the Kermac also met the Saresii who were older with much stronger Psionic talents and a very sophisticated Psionic energy based technology. The Kermac hating the Saresii and their interference by nullifying the very power Kermac had over others. Declared all Saresii to be exterminated and war broke out. The Saresii freely shared their Psi shields with anyone wanting it including the Sarans and the Klack. The Kermac-Ult-Saresii war lasted over a thousand years with no real advancements on either side. The Saresii not interested in gaining ground and the Kermac unable to win. Then the Y'All arrived for the first time. The Kermac proposed to put aside all aggression and form a new alliance called the Galactic Council so all galactic civilizations could face the Y'All together. Even though the now combined forces had some success, it still seemed Doom was inevitable. The Wurgus lured a huge part of the Y'All fleet into their solar system and then ignited their own Sun into a Supernova explosion, destroying two thirds of the Y'All armada. The Y'All became even more aggressive and were out for revenge. The Narth revealed themselves and the Y'All seeing the single Narth ship turned around and fled, leaving the Galaxy.
Eric Olafson Series Boxed Set: Books 1 - 6 (The Galactic Chronicles Series) Page 222