New Edit: Chapter 35: Women

Chapter 33: Women
I did not let go of the Harpoon gun but pressed the button that recalled the seats. "Is it true one of you has killed an Elder?"

Snøfrid undid the cloak and sat down and said to the others. "Take off your masks and lower the weapons." Then to me she said, after crossing her legs and folding her gloved hands in her lap, "Yes Eric one of us did and it won't be the last!"

She made a deliberate pause probably to see a reaction in my face then she said, "We are an underground organization. We want equality for women and end the system of Low Men and Lords. We want Union law and Union rights on Nilfeheim, but as long as these Old Men and the Clan Lords hold all the power, nothing will ever change."

"It is not my fault I was born into a Clan family and if you knew even the smallest thing about me, you'd know I give anything for not being my father's son!"

"I know much more about you than you think, Eric. Sif made contact with you on purpose the day your grandfather got his funeral. You are of a very important family."

Elnna interrupted her. "You are the same male scum. I thought you be different as you became Freya, but you don't remember me. Servants are simply not registered in the eyes of you Lords. You saved my life but you failed to save the life of my mother!"

"I know I have seen you somewhere before, but you wear masks and wigs for the most time I knew you. I seem I do not remember who you are but you don't know me either. You would know that the lowest servant in my father's house has more rights and more freedom than me."

She threw the spear gun away and with a tearful face she lunged forward, but not to kill me or hurt me she threw her arms around me and cried bitterly. "I do know everything! I have seen you get beaten so many times, I saw when he broke your fingers beneath the heels of his boots, and I saw when he poured boiling water down your back. Yes Eric I saw it! You killed the Fangsnapper in the kitchen! You saved my life and that of Aunt Midril but you came too late to save my mother! I hated you so much for not coming earlier and save her too, yet I knew you were but a child like me and did more than anyone could ever ask."

I was floored by her revelation. "You are Elena. The daughter of Gudrun. No wonder you knew Harkun!"

She cried again. "Of course I know him. He raped my mother, he is my father!"

I had not realized that I had cried too. "I am so sorry I failed you! I was not fast enough I am sorry!"

She caressed my face. "No don't! I am sorry. I was so silly blaming you. I should have told you when Sif brought you in."

Sif lowered her head. "I don't like boys' period. I was told to use you to get us weapons and free access to your Burg and as your future wife gain access to all the riches and the power your name and family holds. What your grandfather left you is enough to buy real weapons and you can buy armed help that would sweep this planet clean, but when you became Freya I fell in love with you! I am sorry as well for using you."

Snøfrid the older woman said. "Where did you disappear too? We know of the Attack against your Aunt and we saw the footage they showed on Nilfeheim Radio what you did to the attackers. We should praise ourselves lucky that you gave us a chance to talk."

"I am with the Eldest. He prepares me for the Ancient Challenge, or that was the plan at least before I started to clean his burg."

"I wish we could blow up his rock and the old Disease with it!" Astrid hissed with hate glittering in her pretty eyes.

<p class="MsoNormal">"I don't think he will be around for very much longer." I said.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Is he finally dying?" Sif wanted to know.

<p class="MsoNormal">"I am fairly certain he will die eventually and I partially know what keeps him alive, not that I understand it of course, but I think he will leave Nilfeheim."

<p class="MsoNormal">"Liar!" snapped Astrid. "He would never leave!"

<p class="MsoNormal">Sif finally got up from the floor, Elena still sitting on my lap, her arms around me, and said while putting her hand on my shoulder. "Astrid he is one of us. You said yourself that Freya is way more than a disguise and perhaps the real person! I know he would never lie!"

<p class="MsoNormal">I looked at Astrid. "You used me and played me like a fool, then dumped me and I am tired of being the plaything of others who use me for their own purposes. I give a Nubhir’s pile of poop what you believe or not. I set you off somewhere you like and that is it. If you want my help or anything from me ask me straight ahead. Let me make this clear to you Astrid. The next time I find out you do something that even remotely involves me without my knowledge, I prove to you just what a male savage I can be."

<p class="MsoNormal">Astrid stared back and then nodded."I guess we have been somewhat unfair, but our cause is more important than you or anyone of us."

<p class="MsoNormal">Snøfrid raised her hands. "We did hear that big Uncle of yours declared in public, well in front of the Elders that he has stepped back from any responsibly concerning you or that of your Grandfather's Old clan."

<p class="MsoNormal">"He did that to protect his wife. I can't blame him. He is not like my father."

<p class="MsoNormal">"So what are you doing when you return from the Eldest? You still have school!"

<p class="MsoNormal">I shrugged. "I don't know. I hope I can do the Challenge as soon as possible, kill my father and cleanse the Burg of all the garbage, but someone said to me, Plans don't always work out and in my case they never have."

<p class="MsoNormal">"Maybe we can work something out. Our Leader is a very smart and resourceful woman."

<p class="MsoNormal">"Don't do me anymore favors. One thing I do know is that I am going to leave this planet and join the Union Academy as soon as I can and granted I am alive then. To Hel's darkest pits with Nilfeheim!"

<p class="MsoNormal">"Don't you care about our world? Astrid asked.

<p class="MsoNormal">I didn't answer her and said. "Where do you want me to drop you off?"

<p class="MsoNormal">Snøfrid answered. "You can take us to Five Clan cluster and drop us of at our burg."

<p class="MsoNormal">I found the location on the Sat Map viewer, touched it and the Auto pilot changed direction. Elena finally got off my lap and I asked them. "It is not really my business but planning an assassination without planning for a reliable escape isn't exactly resourceful or smart if you ask me."

<p class="MsoNormal">Snøfrid's face changed as she tried to suppress anger or some similar emotion. "We were let down. We trusted the wrong person, but we will deal with this."

<p class="MsoNormal">It became silent and I took the time to take advantage of the onboard Serv Matic and got myself a cup of Coffee. "Help yourself girls. This is a fast flier but your destination is on the other side of the globe and it will take us some time to get there."

<p class="MsoNormal">They did, Sif stepped behind me and kissed me on the cheek. "We missed you ... I missed you."

<p class="MsoNormal">I had dropped the girls off at a strangely deserted burg in the West Sea and then returned the rented flier. Since the Old man had sold his and the Rental flier was gone, I had no real means to return to the rock pillar, the only even remotely suitable vehicle for sale in the entire town was, according to the off world mechanic, this Banzaii Sky Cycle I was now sitting on. Basically a big turbine with a seat on top and Arti grav. Its cargo capacity was reached with 2 bags of food and a gallon jug of Vodka. It did have a wind screen and Navigation systems but no Auto Pilot function, but boy was it fast! It almost blew me of the seat as I tried to shift my position and raised my head a little over the windshield.

<p class="MsoNormal">The old man was just where I had seen him last. Sitting in the High Hall before his GalNet terminal. He looked more like a ghost than a living person, lit by bluish light from the terminal screen, but he noticed me and stirred. "You did show initiative and brought Vodka on your own. That is an improvement. The next time you see your Sif, bring her here."

<p class="MsoNormal">He turned to look at me. "Odvar Bendixen was a bad man and he deserved what came to him, but how they did is the wrong way. Didn't I tell you not to make any stops?"

<p class="MsoNormal">How did he know all this? I wondered and said. "I had no plans to make any. It happened that way."

<p class="MsoNormal">He turned off the GalNet Set. "It was only a matter of time until someone would try to change things with methods like this on Nilfeheim. Underground and Terror groups, revolutions and uprisings of suppressed groups of society are after all a common theme throughout all ages and societies, but especially human history. There is, or should I say was, a Female teacher in the girl's side of Union School who took it on herself to educate the girls. Not impartially as a teacher should, giving students the chance to develop their own ideas out of the samples and teachings given, but instead give them hundreds of examples of Human Terran history, of other planets and civilizations where a part of society was suppressed. She selected only examples where females struggled or fought for freedom and systematically and quite purposeful made the girls in her classes hate men as the source of all evil, instead of the conditions. She instructed them how to become Underground fighters, how to create cells and organize. How to use their bodies and positions to gain weapons and other materials. That teacher had a reason for her hate and actions of course as she saw many cases of abused and hurt girls in her classes. And of all those things she spoke to her girls with great fire and passion. Women love to talk with passion, Eric.

<p class="MsoNormal">And she did that now for almost twenty years with increasing intensity. She could have changed this planet for the better if she had done it more subtle. Nine out of ten revolutions fail, especially if they rely on a purely passionate and not methodical approach."

<p class="MsoNormal">He sighed and turned on the GalNet terminal and activated the screen. Lars the media man stood in front of a Town home and two strong looking Neo Vikings came out with a woman in their midst. Lars commented, "After the cowardly assassination of our well liked and deeply respected Elder Odvar of the Bendixen clan, an investigation led to the culprit and mastermind behind this crime. Off-Worlder teacher Hanna Summers brainwashed young Nilfeheim girls with Off-World propaganda and instructions how to carry out these crimes. Elders closely working with the School principal found class room recordings and other evidence. The Union School Education Board agreed that this was a grave violation of School policies and handed her out to our local authorities. The Circle of Elders found her already guilty and she will be executed tomorrow morning after she was intensively questioned about collaborators." The screen collapsed.

<p class="MsoNormal">Egill said. "This was earlier today." He switched it back on. Lars stood before the Roundhouse and looked into the visual pick up. "The Council of Clan Leaders and the Circle of Elders have just revoked the Union School's right to educate girls until an acceptable compromise is found between Union School and the Circle of Elders."

<p class="MsoNormal">Egill said to me. "Do you realize what damage their ill conceived attack did? Yes Odvar raped that Astrid girl, and yes she wasn't the first, and yes he deserved it. But if she killed him at night and unseen her revenge would be the same, yet with less impact. She and her friends destroyed all chances those Sisters of Nilfeheim had to change our society for generations to come!"

<p class="MsoNormal">I was not sure what he wanted me to say. He pounded his finger against his forehead. "I want you to think. I want you to use that brain of yours! You want to be a Starship captain. I am certainly no expert on Union Officer requirements, but a Union Captain must think and realize that any action, no matter how small and insignificant has a reaction. You know about Psionics they taught you in school about those. I told you I have those abilities and yet you still wonder how I know all these things. Eric I can read your mind! I am so good at it I can read minds over a great distance once I know that mind. I could see through your eyes when you sold the gold and talked to Sif and from there on it was easy for me to piece things together."

<p class="MsoNormal">He spoke angry as if he expected something of me.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Yes, Eric. I expected you to think more and this situation is clearly beyond your abilities and experience. I expected you ask me for advice. I am an old dirty man with lots of garbage and I am part of the Elders you don't like, but I am also very old and that means I have a lot of life experience. Your mother trusted me. She trusted me enough to ask me to educate you! You know your grandfather trusted me and I hoped, no I expected you did as well. I don't want you to like me and frankly I still don't like you, but I showed you that I trusted you from the beginning."

<p class="MsoNormal">He took a deep swig from his cup. "I know you did not tell them to kill nor had any knowledge of the whole affair. I know all that, but don't think for a minute they are your friends. Well that Elena girl, she really likes you now, but they saw you talk to the Xchange manager and knew it was you."

<p class="MsoNormal">"So they lied to me again?"

<p class="MsoNormal">"Yes Eric. They did, women never really speak the truth ever anyway!"

<p class="MsoNormal">"If that is true then all this equality fight is for naught and they deserve where they are!"

<p class="MsoNormal">"Sit down! You make me nervous when you stand there with a face as if the whole world is against you and I will tell you some things about men and women."

<p class="MsoNormal">I sat down and he began. "Ever since man stands upright and maybe even further back, Woman uses us as their tools. They are not as strong as we are, in a modern society it makes little difference but in primitive pre technology societies, strength and endurance has meaning. Since they could not hunt as well, run as fast or throw the spear or rock as hard they developed other skills. They had to be subservient by nature as they are the receiving part in the sexual act. Their endurance and capability to gather food is further reduced when they are pregnant and their bodies are a cauldron of incredible complex bio-chemical triggers and messages. Only that enables them to grow a child inside, a foreign organism. A man's body would reject, fight and try to destroy the foreign invader.

<p class="MsoNormal">Human bodies, as marvelous they are, they are not perfect and a million things can go wrong every second, now think about the hormones and chemical balances in a female body. If one gland produces one hormone with only one single molecule missing, because of a cold, some nutritional element missing or a thousand other reasons, that miniscule imbalance can be felt by a woman not consciously but it affects everything never the less."

<p class="MsoNormal">He held up his hand. "Yes I know about Siegfrieda and I know about your friend Yngve, but those are exceptions. Exceptions stand out and are recognized and then used as example.

<p class="MsoNormal">They developed the skills to wrap men around their fingers and evolution and the passage of time gave women a whole arsenal of skills and tricks to do that. And nature added the pleasure man feels being with a woman. To all this add pheromones, and the primal instinct of procreation and you got a powerful mix.

<p class="MsoNormal">Modern societies and technologies erased the need of raw strength. Women on Earth for example, managed little by little to creep into every domain of man. They wanted to wear pants, vote, be part of everything and do the same jobs. They managed to convince society that household work at home is the same as going to work every day. Tending kids is as hard as a day in the mines or in the fields ... That shopping and washing is as demanding as working in a steel mill or in a factory. While there are always exceptions in history, if you look at the whole picture and all man and womankind you will see that women always managed to pull the wool over the eyes of men. Never forget until the advent of Arti Wombs we all had mothers."

<p class="MsoNormal">"You make it sound as if they are the most deceiving, untrustworthy species in the Universe."

<p class="MsoNormal">"But they are Eric and they can't help it. It is their nature as it is ours to fall for the same old tricks for a billion years and counting. It is not that men don't understand women. It is they do not want to understand so they have an excuse for falling for those tricks again and again.

<p class="MsoNormal">Now it only depends what philosophy or set of morals you apply to that concept to see it as bad or as good. One could say if you are good at deceiving then use that skill!

<p class="MsoNormal">I spend ages looking in other people's minds and every time I look inside a woman's mind I get lost. Not that they are smarter by original design but as a whole they had to be smarter. The problem is I have only touched maybe three or four women's minds that could separate intellect from emotion and think logical."

<p class="MsoNormal">"How does it feel to touch a woman's mind?" I asked

<p class="MsoNormal">"It's like a butterfly. Having a firm thought in one second, only to be completely distracted by something else. It's not scatterbrained ... as men can be that just as well, it's more like ... well I don't know! You have a much better chance of understanding women than I ever will!"

<p class="MsoNormal">"I don't have Psionic abilities. And I sure have no idea what a butterfly is."

<p class="MsoNormal">"No you do not have Psionic abilities as far as I know, but you call yourself Freya and feel quite comfortable giggling and chattering with them on the same level."

<p class="MsoNormal">He looked up to the ceiling. "A Butterfly is an insect, but what I meant is the perceived behavior of ... well there are no animals similar on Nilfeheim."

<p class="MsoNormal">Of course he would have known about my secret, since he was able to read thoughts. It didn't help me still felt ashamed and exposed and hoped he would stop poking in my mind.

<p class="MsoNormal">"I would not want to encourage you one way or the other, but I think your condition is quite interesting. Especially from a mind reader's point of view."

<p class="MsoNormal">"There should be laws about that!"

<p class="MsoNormal">"There are, Eric but I am not exactly the most law abiding citizen."

<p class="MsoNormal">I changed the subject. "Is there anything you want me to do about this situation?"

<p class="MsoNormal">"I am working on a solution. In the mean time you need to return to that basement. You are not even halfway through."

<p class="MsoNormal">Nilfeheim was in uproar and Nilfeheim Radio transmitted the post hum execution of the teacher with close ups as the silver flicker fish went into a feeding frenzy on her body after she had been lathered with fish blood and thrown into the water tank. The investigation stalled since the teacher had committed suicide and they could not question her. The Post Hum execution was nothing more than a macabre but actually pointless spectacle. The Elders shivered in rage every time they had a chance to talk and promised the most draconian punishments for the actual killer, however there were no detectives or trained policemen and in all Nilfeheim's history there never was an unsolved homicide, at least none that ever came to trial. Murder was usually done openly and if the victim was a man, the killer was actually proud and let everyone know who and why the other guy had to die (in a fair fight) and since the other wasn't around to dispute the fair part it was accepted. If the victim was a woman no one really cared. A murder or crime committed by a woman was unheard off, till now!

<p class="MsoNormal">Some of the Elders argued for a standing armed force to be recruited out of the second and third born sons of clans. But the clan leaders were against it. They did not want the Elders to get more power and an army to enforce it. Others wanted to call Union Police and argued that they would find the killer in no time. This was strongly opposed by those who feared all Union Law to be enforced then. There were many more than just my father so it seemed.

<p class="MsoNormal">Egill had found something new he liked, Popcorn! It was a strange food originally from Earth but produced on many worlds that had no equal in Nilfeheim foods. Some sort of wheat or cereal kernel was exposed to heat and it expanded into a whitish bloom. It tasted like ... well nothing really but if you added salt and butter it was good. The checkout girl at the store had given me a promotional package and after Egill pulled the seal and the thing expanded and popped and crackled he acted like a little child and pulled the seals of all five envelopes in the promotional package. Now there was a big box sitting by the stairs and he would tipple over every so often, laugh and cackle with delight as the corn popped in the transparent expanding balloon thing and then curse as he burned his fingers and laugh as he ate the corn. I heard him just doing that as he walked over to the GalNet Set. "You know the girls put a big dent in your plans as well!"

<p class="MsoNormal">"They did?"

<p class="MsoNormal">"Popcorn is hot fluffy and has no substance really, just as your mind!" He tossed a handful of Popcorn at me. "How many Elders are there?"

<p class="MsoNormal">"Twelve in the Inner Circle and Twenty four in the Outer Circle."

<p class="MsoNormal">"Wrong Answer! That is what is supposed to be there!"

<p class="MsoNormal">"How many Elders are there?"

<p class="MsoNormal">"Without my Grandfather and without Bendixen 34"

<p class="MsoNormal">"And without me 33."

<p class="MsoNormal">"What does that have to do with my Plans?"

<p class="MsoNormal">"Do you want more popcorn in your face? Think! I am telling you since you here I want you to use your head and think! You know how to fight and you can recite the Poems alright but you are not thinking! I would not mind if you were stupid you know."

<p class="MsoNormal">I felt offended. "I am thinking. It's all I do most of the time."

<p class="MsoNormal">"Feeling sorry for yourself and thinking how you can kill your father. Feeling so much smarter than the Elders and comparing me with a one finned Fangsnapper that can't keep his nest clean. That's what you use your mind for! That's not thinking!"

<p class="MsoNormal">I was tired of arguing with the old geezer and said. "Fine there are 33 Elders."

<p class="MsoNormal">"Good start! Now every Year after Yule tide there is the big thingstead meeting and young men step before the Circle of Elders and the Council of the Clan Chiefs and do what?"

<p class="MsoNormal">"Ask for the Ancient Challenge!"

<p class="MsoNormal">"Smart kid!" He stuffed popcorn in his mouth and munched while he spoke. "After over a year of arguing they finally elected Elder Heinstin the grandfather of your cold hearted Sif to replace your grandfather, meaning there are suddenly two new elder Seats open and the frenzy has already started. You haven't been down by the boat landing. There is a mountain of gifts and bribes of all the potential candidates to get me to endorse someone."

<p class="MsoNormal">I suddenly had a revelation. "If they are that busy with this they won't take any challenges?"

<p class="MsoNormal">"You did it! You made a connection between two events. The Girls killing Bendixen threw this planet in a political chaos so to speak and the worst thing there is still no one representing us at Pluribus."

<p class="MsoNormal">"I thought Elder Heinstin..."

<p class="MsoNormal">"Only your Grandfather's old seat here..."

<p class="MsoNormal">"You are not expecting me to replace my Grandfather?"

<p class="MsoNormal">"While it would not be a bad thing, I don't think we need you to mess up things there. I will go myself to do that until the person that is perfect for that job is ready to take over."

<p class="MsoNormal">"Who?"

<p class="MsoNormal">"Sif of course!"

<p class="MsoNormal">My chin dropped. "Sif? You mean a girl to be the representative of Nilfeheim?"

<p class="MsoNormal">"For a guy who likes to be a girl you should not be such a chauvinist!"

<p class="MsoNormal">"I don't know what that is, but I think I understood you anyway. I meant a female would never be appointed to such a post or be able to speak for us!"

<p class="MsoNormal">"No not now, but in time she will! I will teach her and I will endorse her! You said I could change things. I had this in mind with your mother before you were born and now I think got another candidate. However that is my plan. Let us go back to your plans."

<p class="MsoNormal">"I am pretty much screwed; without Uncle Hogun I must return to the Burg."

<p class="MsoNormal">"I still don't like you much but you can stay here till the basement is clean and I don't care how long it is going to take you."

<p class="MsoNormal">"Did you not want to travel and all that?"

<p class="MsoNormal">"As a matter of fact I do and I am going to Pluribus after I went to Saresii Prime. I used your advice and would you believe it they do want to see me and think they might be able to help."

<p class="MsoNormal">"And when are you leaving?"

<p class="MsoNormal">"Again you are not thinking! I said you can stay here. I did not say I was going to be here, but there is still lots of time in your summer break and lots to clean, not to mention your training!"