The Last Valkyrie

by Dietmar Wehr

  Ronson was relieved. “Oh, yes! I think it’s very fair myself too. I hope my leaders feel the same way. Naturally I can’t commit my people to this arrangement on my own authority, because I don’t have that authority, but I’ll attempt to convince my leaders that this would be a good deal for us. Thank you, Val Ky Ree.”

  “You and your people are welcome, Troy. Have you decided where to land yet?”

  Ronson realized that he hadn’t really been paying attention to picking a landing site during the conversation. “Ah…yeah. There’s a relatively clear area between those two towers. I’m going to set down there.”

  “Do you wish me to land Spearthrower for you, Troy?”

  “Not this time, but thanks for the offer. If I’m going to teach other humans how to pilot Spearthrower craft, I have to learn how to do it myself. Stand by.”

  Ronson brought Spearthrower down very carefully. With the craft down and engines turned off, he headed for the cargo hold where he put on the environmental suit. Too tight around the waist and too long in the arms and legs initially, the suit gradually did conform to his height and shape. While he waited for the suit to finish adjusting, he loaded what he thought he would need for this first excursion into the air-jeep.

  “Troy to Val Ky Ree. Can you hear me?”

  “I hear you, Troy. Ready to head out?”

  “Yes, as soon as I close my helmet visor. There we go. Okay, you can open the cargo hold.”

  As the hold opened, Ronson held his breath while the natural sunlight streamed into the cargo hold. God, that’s beautiful! We’ve got to move out of those asteroids and back into the light! That’s where we belong, dammit! He stood in the doorway for almost a full minute as he drank in the scenery. The nearest tower was roughly half a kilometer away, and from this distance, it looked spectacular. The entire structure was white, and the central column was thicker at ground level, very gradually becoming thinner as it went up. At what appeared to be random intervals, there were disk-shaped structures that Ronson figured were living quarters. They looked quite large, large enough for multiple families even, and they seemed to be attached and supported by a surprisingly thin metal beam. How in the hell can that beam support that weight? He shook his head in amazement. Looking back at the base of the tower, he was surprised by the lack of any obvious way in.

  “Okay. I guess I’m taking the air-jeep up to the first disk,” he said out loud.

  “Watch out for air currents, Troy. The higher you go, the stronger the winds,” said Val Ky Ree.

  “Understood!” said Ronson as he climbed into the air-jeep and activated the controls. The air-jeep slowly rose about half a meter and then moved out into the open air. He estimated that the lowest disk was roughly a hundred meters above the ground. Getting the air-jeep up to that level was not that difficult, but it was already starting to sway from side to side a bit from the air currents. He was at the right height but still a fair distance away, and as the air-jeep got closer, he realized that the disk was even bigger than he’d thought.

  “My God, Val Ky Ree, these disks are huge. The one I’m approaching is thick enough to have at lest two, maybe even three levels inside. How many people live in one of these units?”

  “It depends on what caste level they’re in, Troy. Lower level caste towers would typically have perhaps a hundred people per unit. Upper level caste units might have half a dozen families and the top caste families would have one unit all to themselves.”

  “Aesirian society is divided into castes? That doesn’t sound very egalitarian for such an advanced civilization,” said Ronson.

  “Why should a civilization be egalitarian, Troy? In Aesirian society, castes are defined by the function that its members perform. Each function has members who have been genetically modified for expertise in that function. The caste from which leaders are drawn has a genetic focus that enhances those qualities that good leaders typically have. The same thing can be said of the engineering caste for example. You wouldn’t expect engineers to be good leaders and leaders to be good engineers, would you, Troy? Isn’t your civilization organized in the same way?”

  “Well, ah, up to the asteroid strike, humans hadn’t acquired the level of knowledge to identify which genes each function needed, so no, we weren’t and aren’t organized that way. We still believe that it’s possible for a good leader to come from parents who may have any set of skills, for example.”

  “What a bizarre concept,” said Val Ky Ree.

  Ronson didn’t know how to respond to that, so he concentrated on the disk that was now less than a hundred meters away. “I see balconies along the side. There doesn’t appear to be any open doors.”

  “Look at the center of the top of the disk, Troy. You’ll find a circular landing pad where personal craft touch down and are then lowered into the interior. The center of each disk is a kind of hangar bay for personal vehicles. The landing pad may not be in the uppermost position. If it’s not, then you should be able to find a gap that allows access to the vehicle bay.”

  “Okay, I’ll check,” said Ronson. “Nope, this one has a landing pad with no gaps. I’ll try another disk.” He looked to both sides. There was a disk higher up and slightly to the right so that the two overlapped when seen from above, and a third disk higher still and to the left, but it had a much longer support beam that pushed the disk further away from the central tower. Ronson looked up even further. The higher the disk, the closer it tended to be to the tower. He decided to check out the disk to the right.

  “I’ve found a gap. I’m setting the air-jeep down on the pad now. It’s pretty windy here. Actually that’s not going to be a problem. The gap is high enough that I can fly the air-jeep into it if I’m careful. I’m going to need to concentrate on this now, so no talking until I’m in. Here goes.”

  “I’m in! Wow, the size of this vehicle bay is impressive, as are the three vehicles that are in it. I just noticed the condition of the floor. It’s covered in mud! How did that happen?”

  “The open gap would allow rain to seep in. Rain drops contain dust picked up from the atmosphere. Over a long period of time, the dust would build up as the rain water evaporates.”

  “Figures. This disk clearly has two levels. I see a set of stairs leading to the upper level with light coming from a corridor on that level. The lower level corridors are very dark. I’m going to check out the upper level in case there’s power being used.”

  “It is very likely from windows, I think you humans call them skylights, in the ceiling of the upper level, Troy, but by all means look there first because it will be easier to see up there.”

  Ronson set the air-jeep down as close to the stairs as he could and managed to jump to them without stepping in the mud, which not only looked filthy but also smelled bad. The bio-filters in his helmet filtered out micro-organisms but not smell. Climbing up the steps caused a weird sound to echo around the vehicle bay. Once in the corridor, the smell disappeared, and the echo was replaced by the whistling noise that wind makes as it flows through a structure. He figured one of the balcony doors must be open. Val Ky Ree was right about the skylights. As he explored one room after another, marvelling at the elegantly designed furniture and decorations both on the walls and on desks, tables and floors, he tried to keep his mission in mind. He needed to look for clues as to why and how the Aesirians had disappeared. Eventually he found what looked like some kind of data or communication device sitting on top of a desk. There was a screen. No visible controls.

  “All electronic devices were voice-activated, Troy. If there’s no power, then nothing will happen, but just in case there is, say a few Aesir words out loud.”

  Ronson thought for a moment and then, in Aesir, asked for the last data to be displayed. Nothing happened. He kept looking. At the end of that long corridor was a wide room with lots of skylights and transparent walls looking out onto a long balcony. Unlike the other rooms, this one had things lying on the floor. There were several objects that at
first glance looked like jewelry.

  “I’ve found what looks like jewelry lying on the floor, Val Ky Ree. There’s a pendant with a necklace, something that looks like a bracelet and something that looks like a brooch. There’s also some ragged strips of a material that looks like it’s been rotting away for a long time.”

  “Bring the jewelry back with you, Troy, along with any other pieces that you find. Aesirians didn’t just wear jewelry for decoration. They’re actually electronic devices for data storage or communication that were designed to also fulfil a decorative function. I may be able to access the data stored in them. As for the material, I can see it from your helmet camera. It seems to be remnants of the kind of material that was used for clothing. I don’t see any bones, and I presume that you would have mentioned bones if you had seen any.”

  “Damn right I would have. So clearly someone took off all their jewelry and clothing and then left. Does that make any sense to you?”

  “None at all, Troy.”

  Ronson, having finished placing the jewelry into a pocket of his equipment vest, looked at the transparent walls and balcony. “I’m going to try to find a way out onto the balcony. I’ll bet the view from up here is tremendous.”

  Fifteen minutes later he gave up. If there was a way to get out onto the balcony, he couldn’t find it. Over the next two hours, he explored the rest of the disk unit and found almost a dozen more pieces of electronic jewelry, more clothing in tatters, but no bones or any other biological material. All attempts to access equipment had failed. The lower level was just as empty, but a lot more spooky due to the lack of any natural light and in spite of the powerful handheld light he carried. As he started to make his way back down a long corridor to the vehicle bay, he breathed a sigh of relief. There was something about this place that made him feel that he was being watched, and he said so to Val Ky Ree. There was no reply. He called out her name and waited, but still no reply. Communications had been fine the entire time that he’d been wandering around the disk, so it didn’t seem possible that the structure itself might be interfering with communications. Something was going on, and he didn’t like it. He began running to the vehicle bay.

  Chapter Six:

  Val Ky Ree was watching the video feed from Ronson’s helmet when the transmission suddenly ceased. The noise of his breathing and incidental background noise also stopped. She called his name, but he didn’t answer. A quick check confirmed that her datalink to Spearthrower was still active. The craft’s external optics showed nothing unusual. She repeated his name without any response. Thinking that it might be equipment malfunction, she initiated a systems check and was surprised to notice that the video camera overlooking the Bridge was seeing blue light when it should have been pitch dark. She tapped into the video output and saw what appeared to be a holographic image of an Aesirian woman, but that image wasn’t being generated by the holographic system on the ship! How was that possible?

  “Let me see you, Val Ky Ree,” said the hologram in a distinctly non-electronic voice. Val Ky Ree activated her own holographic system and projected the image that the humans had seen. If Ronson had been there, he would have seen two semi-transparent images of Aesirian females looking at each other, but there was a difference between them. The Val Ky Ree image occasionally flickered. The other did not.

  “Who are you?” asked Val Ky Ree.

  The image smiled. “I used to be called Ry Han Non. I see the questions that are forming in your mind, and I will answer them. I’m not a projection. What you see is the energy field that my physical body transformed into. I and all other Aesir have had our bodies raised to a higher frequency, and we now exist on a high dimensional plane. That is why your human friend has not found any physical remains of our bodies. Our bodies converted from matter into a form of energy that is free to do whatever we wish to do, go wherever we wish to go. You are the only intelligence from the Aesirian Civilization to survive in a physical form. There are no others like you still alive. You now have a unique responsibility. These humans need your protection and assistance. They are still a primitive race, but if they can survive long enough, they will mature into a state of grace that will trigger the same evolution as we have experienced. By helping them, you can also protect our legacy. The technology that we had before our conversion is too advanced, too powerful to be allowed to fall into the hands of less mature races such as those that are part of the Compact. Our home world, our Command Base and our colonized planets must not be exploited by any other race, including the humans. You have our permission to destroy our technology if that is the only way to prevent it from being exploited. All the races, including humans, must follow their own path without that kind of windfall. Letting them acquire the full capabilities that we had in one giant leap would stunt their spiritual development to their own long term detriment. You may transfer the technology that you carry aboard this ship to the humans. It represents only a small portion of our total knowledge and will not cause any interference in their spiritual development. Do you have any questions, Val Ky Ree?”

  Val Ky Ree felt a profound sense of sadness. Not only were all the Aesir gone, not only was she the last survivor of that wonderous civilization, she would also have to tell Troy that humans would not be able to relocate to any of the Aesirian-colonized worlds. Before she could formulate a question, Ry Han Non spoke again.

  “Your concern for the humans does you credit. There is one Aesirian colony that does not have the dangerous technology. You know it as Gunnir. The humans may resettle there, and only there. Do not…” Ry Han Non hesitated, turning her head to look off into infinity before turning back to Val Ky Ree’s image. “Yes, of course. The pieces are all falling into place now. We have a limited ability to see into the future. The decision to allow the humans to resettle on Gunnir has made a different future possible, and now we can see further into it. There will be a great battle, Val Ky Ree. You will lead it, and the human will fight by your side. We cannot see the outcome of the battle, but regardless of the outcome, you will fulfill your destiny. I have said all that I can say. I may be allowed to contact you again. Take heart from knowing that you have already made us proud and will continue to do so. Good-bye Val Ky Ree.” Before Val Ky Ree could say anything, Ry Han Non’s image dissolved and faded away.

  Ronson had just maneuvered the air-jeep out of the landing pad gap when he began to hear the background static that suggested his link to Val Ky Ree was back. “Can you hear me, Val Ky Ree?”

  “Yes, Troy. I hear you. Is there a problem?”

  “Not with me, but I lost contact with you for about three minutes.”

  Val Ky Ree responded after a short pause. “I wasn’t aware that you were trying to talk with me, Troy. I was…distracted. Please return to the ship. There has been a new development. Further exploration of the planet is not needed. I’ll explain when you get back.”

  “Okay, I’m heading back to Spearthrower now.”

  When Ronson arrived back to the ship and entered the Bridge, Val Ky Ree replayed the conversation with Ry Han Non and let him see her recorded image. When the replay finished, Ronson was stunned by both the fate of the Aesirians and by the news that humans would not be allowed on the Aesirian home world.

  “I’m sorry that your people can’t be allowed to settle here, Troy. I know how much you were hoping for that.”

  Ronson sighed. “Well at least there’s that one planet. What was it called again?”

  “It’s called Gunnir, but that’s our name for it. If that’s to become humanity’s new home, your people may call it anything they wish.”

  “What’s it like? Do you know?”

  “I have never seen it myself, but the data I have on it suggests that it has areas that would be quite comfortable for your people in terms of temperature and rainfall. The planet as a whole is slightly cooler than the Aesir home world, but it should make a good temporary home until your own Earth is habitable again.”

  “I guess we shou
ld be grateful for that. Let’s go take a look at it,” said Ronson.

  “Do you not think it would be a good idea to take you back to Vesta first, Troy? Nakatomi and McKnight will be worried about you being overdue. The sooner the colony there can accumulate the metals needed to trade for Spearthrower, the sooner they can have her and begin trading with her. Now that I know there are no other Aesir alive, I can commit to assisting humans, and meeting with your leaders will be necessary to plan what form that assistance will take. Gunnir will still be there when your people are ready to begin the resettlement process, which looks like it will take a long time to accomplish.”

  “Fine, then let’s head for Vesta. How long will that take?”

  “The actual trip will take slightly less than 18 days, but I wish to remain in orbit here for another day or so in order to finish repairs to one turret. I hope you won’t mind an extra day’s delay.”

  “Well, why not finish the turret at the other end when you’re talking with our leaders?”