Eric Olafson, Fleet Cadet 05

Chapter 5b: Commander Ebor Letsgo's Office Interlude

Continuation...

“What was that all about?” I wondered aloud and De la Lup e said.

“I think they thought you both are Narth and since even Eric’s eyes glow as much as Narth’s since this morning I am almost convinced as well.”

“We conducted a Narth ritual and Eric’s eyes will return to human standard in a short while.” Narth explained.

As we walked past huge mirrored window panels I checked myself and while I did look quite uncanny and I was glad the robe and hood did look differently from the Executioners robes, I saw only my own eyes behind the slits in the smooth material. I was a little disappointed that I did not see them glow.

Narth whispered with an amused tone in his voice. “You can not see your own PSI shine and in time you will cease to see mine as well and when this happens, I no longer need to wear the hood when you are present.”

I smiled as I saw the waving pig of an Arthur’s Swine and Dine and I hoped we had time to eat there before we left.

The Lieutenant walked determined across the space port sphere, it looked like he knew where to go. We left the main sphere opposite the landing field and we followed him to Taxi stand.

Moments later we flew in an open floater only a few meters across the sparkling surface of a deep blue ocean and I had to restrain myself from not simply jumping over the side and plunge deep into the water, just to dive and swim once more.

Narth leaned closer. “I now understand your desire to dive and swim. Your emotions make sense. To see the world through the eyes of a human is more fascinating than expected.”

“Whenever I dive and I am under water I feel like I belong there.”

“I do understand and it now and I am sure your love for water has to do not only with your genetic alterations but with the fact that you humans have evolved from water borne creatures on Terra and for all its land masses, Terra is almost a water world.”

“Do you have oceans on Narth?”

“There is a body of a substance that can be liquid and it is as vast as an ocean but it is not water. It is an essence.”

“Narth sounds like a very unusual place.”

“There is no similar place in the entire Universe.”

“And I am really allowed to see it?”

“Narth will be your home, Eric. All Narth welcomes you.”

“I might even fit right in. Hooded robe, mask and glowing eyes.”

“We do not wear these robes on Narth. There is no need for them. Besides you are not radiating anymore.”

“I was so looking forward to freak out Galmy, Wintsun and the others.”

“I am sure we can find a way to make them glow again. I too think it might provide a comical situation.” He cocked his head to the side and then said. “I believe Lt. Aurelius is right. I am developing a sense of humor. The concept of a comical situation is no longer completely alien to me. This is a day of achievement.”

“Speaking of comical situations, if you do not wear your robes back at Narth Prime, you are all float around in your birthday suit?”

“Birthday suit...” He paused. “A way to describe nakedness. Yes in a way Narth are naked when not with other beings. I also realize how much you need to learn about Narth before you understand what Narth is, but it will be a pleasant task to educate my friend about Narth. I also see you begin to understand.”

“I will do my best to understand.” I handed him the hood. “It is odd how fast I got used to it. It makes me feel somehow exposed suddenly.

“The process of touching the inner shell is not a one way affair. The more you open to Narth the more you share my Inner Shell as well. This feeling is of such nature. Maybe you should wear it a little longer then.”

Lupe turned to us.”Why are you both so quiet. You didn’t say a single word since we left the Space port.”

I said. “We did talk Sir, just quietly I guess.” But In realized I was talking to Narth no longer using my voice at all.

“Oh okay I thought you have second thoughts about the duel.”

“No not at all.”

Lupe had to talk to the human pilot and returned to his forward facing position.

The taxi carried us towards a green island with white beaches and between the foliage almost hidden a few buildings, designed in an ingenious way to blend in the surroundings without being camouflaged. They simply looked as if they belonged there.

The Taxi dropped us off on a sandy beach. About fifty beings awaited us next to a raked, round arena marked with rocks.

De la Lupe turned to us before we got out the taxi. “Remember to let me do most of the talking. You are welcome to answer questions but you do not have to reveal anything you so not want.

This is a private affair and the ranks of any present Navy member mean nothing to this duel. Most of them are here to observe the bout and to witness it. I suspect there is a reporter here for Squadron News and over there I am sure you will recognize that Ult to be Admiral Webb Stokes of the Arsenal Academy but he is here just like we all as private person. He was accepted by both sides as the Impartial.”

De La Lupe shook both of our hands.” Thank you for coming with me and good luck to both of you.”

We followed Lupe through the fine sand and approached a group of beings, standing separated from the rest. One of the beings was an Ult but without De La Lupe pointing it out it could have been any Ult, but I assumed it was indeed Admiral Stokes. Instead of a uniform he had on a colorful shirt, like the tourist at the space port, and nothing else. His fishlike skin and huge hind legs exposed.

Next to the Ult stood a tall sandy haired man with a three point beard wearing a dark gray advanced Flex armor suit, we had learned about those form fitting flex metal suits developed and marketed by the X101 in Xeno tech class. He was flanked by a four legged being of at least two meters to one side and a Spindlar to the other.

Spindlar had very long arms and thin legs they could extend in a telescopic fashion. I had seen Virtu-Documentations in school about the amazing race competitions they held each year on their home planet.

It could tell Lupe was very concerned as he saw our opponents. “A Spindlar and a Quadiped, I should have known you could not play fair.”

The man in the armor suit I was certain was Milieu, sneered. “You are piling insult upon insult. I might not be satisfied with first blood if you insist on questioning my honor.”

“You are going to fight in that armor suit?”

“Of course, no stipulations have been made regarding armor or dress. I fully expected you to show up in a Quasimodo.”

“The Spindlar and the Quadiped are your best students?”

“What better sword fighters can you think of? Quadipeds train the art of edge weapon fight from the moment they can walk, and being four legged they can walk right after birth. They are strong and can lift swords of tremendous weight. Spindlars are the fastest beings alive with a reach both of us can only dream of. Yes they are my best fighters. I wager they might be the best bravado fighters in the galaxy already. This is in no small part due to my instructions of course. That they will also use their naturally given abilities in the coming duel is something you can hardly hold against them.”

It was Webb who spoke.” I recorded your conditions. The natural abilities of the combatants are allowed in the duel.”

“Yes, yes. Now introduce us to your hooded men you brought along. A nice show effect I must say.”

Lupe smiled.”You heard the opponent, Narth you are welcome to use your abilities.”

Milieu lost his smile and gasped. “Real Narth?”

A Saresii bystander bowed deeply. “Yes, without a question. I can sense a vast Psionic presence, Narth without a doubt.

“Psionics are not allowed.”

Narth spoke with his deepest voice. “You declared that natural abilities are permitted. Do you say my abilities are not equally natural as those of your contestants? Shall I demonstrate to you the full extent of my natural abilities right now? Perhaps I disembowel you, from the inside out? Do you wish to examine one of the local stars from the inside? Perhaps I simply simulate pain to your every nerve ending. I cannot guarantee how long you will last, but you will learn to appreciate the natural abilities of a Narth. I shall not stand here and have you insult my honor and those of all Narth.”

Milieu looked suddenly very frightened and tried to back up. The Ult agreed. “You did question the Narths abilities. So it will only be fair if he did demonstrate them to you. You did question his honor and heritage.”

Narth stepped forward and Milieu and both of his students where pushed by an invisible force through the sand.

The Spindlar cried in fear.”Master, what can we do against that?”

Narth put his hand on Lupes shoulder. “To show you how well our Master trained us. I shall refrain from using my natural abilities and fight your student with the skills learned from Master De la Lupe alone.”

I took my hood of. “I am not Narth. I am just dressed that way since I was short on civilian clothing at Camp Idyllic. I have no Psionics whatsoever. I am just a Neo Viking from Nilfeheim and there is too much talk. Let’s get this thing over with.”

The Admiral recognized me. “I must say I am not surprised to see you here, Mr. Olafson.”

The Ult then said even louder. “I agree with you, let’s get started.” He held up a PDD and read aloud the article in question and then Lupe’s response. After that he repeated the cartel and introduced each of us. By drawing lots it was decided that I had to go against the Quadiped and Narth would have to face the Spindlar.

My mind suddenly filled with detailed information about the Quadiped. I knew it was Narth feeding me that information and I was glad he did.

The monstrous alien cadet stalked towards me and said. “You are but a weak human, so I will make it quick. Now choose your weapon”

“I can choose any weapon?”

“Yes Humans.”

“I see boarding axes over there on the weapon rack. So ax I choose.”

“Do not blame me if first blood means I kill you. I am simply strong.”

Lupe held up his hand in protest and said to Stokes. “First blood was agreed upon. Why is that Quadiped talking about killing?”

The Ult’s face was unable to display any emotions I could read as he responded.” Cadet Amboo-du are you intended on killing?”

The Quadiped laughed. “It is hard for me to control and measure my great power and a little tab of mine kills those weak and fragile humans like Tilsis. Besides it does not say how much first blood is to be spilled. I just spill all of that weakling’s blood and if he dies it’s his fault. That human should simply give up and I will accept this as satisfaction.”

My old rage started to boil and was once again overwhelming any common sense.

I jumped into the fight ring. “Just quit talking and get it started. I never give up without trying my best, so bring it on Four legs.”

Stokes made a sound that sounded very much like a human sigh and he said. “Let the first duel begin. The Contestants have accepted the conditions. You must cease all fight activity if I call to do so or after the first blood is drawn from either opponent.”

The Quadiped stepped into the other side of the fight ring. Stokes dropped his arm. “Let the fight begin.”

I yelled.”Hey Amboo-Du is that a Quadithaal behind you?”

The giant turned right away as I hoped he would and I threw my ax as hard and as fast as I could. The Blade hissed true and sliced a nice chunk of flesh out of his upper left leg, blood sprayed.

From the information I got from Narth I had learned that a Quadithaal was a sexual aroused female Quadiped on a rampage, I was certain he would turn. If I mentioned that.

Stokes yelled.”Cease all fighting. First blood has been drawn. Duel was decided for Olafson.”

The Quadiped yelled in pain and roared. “I am going to kill you, Human. You tricked me.”

He was about to stomp forward but a bolt of plasma peppered the sand before him. It was Stokes holding the blaster.” The Duel is over. Continue and you are in violation of the Duel condition.”

“I don’t care about Duel conditions. I will kill this human. Interfere again and I kill you too, Ult.”

Milieu yelled too. “Get back here at once you dumb brute. If you attack now you hand them the Victory.”

Only now the Quadiped stepped back and towards his master.

Lupe padded my shoulder.”Quick thinking there, Eric.”

Narth was next and he chose Saber.

This time no words were exchanged between the combatants. Stokes dropped his arm and the Spindlar extended his legs and arms rose to almost 3 meters and approached Narth with great speed. The Spindlar attack was lightning fast and his saber made a hissing sound as it whisked through the air, aimed at Narths neck. It was clear the Spindlar too was not out for first blood but to kill. Narth bend backwards equally fast and only so much as to avoid the blade by the fraction of a centimeter, as soon as the blade passed him he stepped forward took the wrist of the Spindlar and added his own weight to the tall aliens move. The Alien could not fight the momentum and was sent flying. Narth didn’t let go of the wrist and leaned back. The Spindlar screamed in pain and his saber fell into the sand. Narth stepped close and slashed his own saber across the arm of the alien and cut it right behind the alien’s glove. Dark blue was the blood of this alien and this contest ended just as fast as mine. The entire attack and Narths incredible fast counter lasted no more than maybe half a minute.

The only sound was the churning of the waves. Stokes dropped his arm again and announced Narth the winner.

Now Milieu and Lupe stepped into the ring, both with rapiers and it soon became apparent both men where supreme experts in that style of fighting. Lupe was better and he had slashed the other man several times but always hitting the armor and no blood was drawn.

The clanging and screeching of steel filled the air of the now darkening beach. Torches were lit and their light cast long shadows of the fighters as they danced feigned and attacked, parried and counterattacked. The fight must have been on for almost 30 minutes now. Both fighters sweating and starting to slow down, especially Milieu looked fatigued as his armor suit, as flexible it was, was not good at exchanging heat or moisture. Something the X101 engineers had no experience with and the reason flex armor suits were not adopted by the Navy as official personal armor. Lupe however seemed to enjoy the entire thing. A collective scream of disappointment and anger went through the watching crowd as Milieu kicked sand in Lupe’s face and used the distraction to cut Lupe. The sharp blade sliced through the shirt Lupe wore. And Milieu stepped back, lowered his blade, bowed and said.”First blood.”

Lupe ripped the shirt off to show his body.” You didn’t even scratch me, only sliced the shirt.”

With these words he stepped forward, before Milieu could react and with a flick of his wrist cut an L shaped wound into Milieu’s cheek, this time there was blood.

Lupe stepped back and curtsied to the on lookers. Stokes declared Lupe the winner.

Milieu howled with rage and was no gentleman at all. “You cretin and your abominable escort only won through cheating.”

I had enough of that guy and my temper got a hold of me once again. “You better quit calling me or my friend’s names. You’re the one cheating from the start. Simply go away.”

“You whelp dare to insult me?” He raised his sword and pointed it at me.” I should skew you like a rotten fruit.”

I grabbed a rapier from the table and stepped back into the ring.”Bring it on Loudmouth. You and me right here.”

I wasn’t certain I did the smartest thing, he was an expert with that blade and while I considered myself a decent fighter and I trained endless hours I was not sure if I was in his league, but I couldn’t help it as much as I tried to deny my heritage, deep down I was a true child of my planet and a hotheaded Neo Viking just like all the others.

We fought and I stopped trying to fight as elegant as Lupe taught, but reverted to my own Nilfeheim style. Hard powerful and with the intent to kill.

Lupe at first trying to prevent me from fighting became as quiet as the others.

Milieu was good, but not better than Curt. He was sweating now, the Armor was cookig him slowly I was certain and I let loose. Our blades screeched as they deflected each other. The blade instructor from Newport clearly showed fear in his face as I drove him across the fighting area. With a precise flick of my wrist and a lightning fast attack I sliced through the fastening control of the flex armor and the whole thing reverted to its semi liquid metal state and fell of Milieu into a metallic puddle to his feet. He was so shocked of his sudden loss of the armor and his complete exposure to the night wind that he forgot to fight. I poked the blade of my rapier under his chin. For a brief moment I wanted to kill him and the very thought of running the razor sharp blade through his throat seemed a very good one. I think he saw what I was contemplating in my face as he paled and cried.” Have mercy.”

I growled at him.”You will now loud and clearly apologize to Mr. Lupe and Narth for your insults or I start cutting and poking.”

He gasped and gawked, his rapier fell out of his hand.

I heard Narth behind me. “One further step, Quadiped, I will consider this an attack on my friend.”

“You can’t stop me. Narth are not as strong as we are.”

The Quadiped attacked or wanted to attack and flew in a wide arch over our heads. I could hear him splash into the ocean behind me and put a little more pressure on the rapier drawing blood.”I can’t hear you.”

“I, I apologize. I recognize Mr. De La Lupe as the better fighter and accept his critique in the magazine to be justified and correct. I apologize for insulting you and the Narth.”

He swallowed hard and then with a begging and miserable face he said. “May I please get out of the light and put pants on?”

I stepped back curtsied to him. “Apology accepted. I suggest any bystanders turn now and let him regain his dignity. I will challenge anyone laughing at his predicament and consider it a personal offense.”

Stokes was the first to turn and he started clapping and Lupe stepped into the light offering Milieu a beach towel then turned around.

I did so too and went to Narth. I whispered.” You guided my hand across that armor control. I had no idea I could cut into it.”

“I accessed an article and technical specs and instead of telling you I thought this would be faster. I had to do something you would have killed him otherwise.”

“True enough. I must work on controlling my temper a little better.”

“That is a worthy goal my friend.”

Lupe and the Ult came over to us. The Admiral shook my hand. “Fine display of fencing skills and chivalry, Mr. Olafson.”

Then he complimented Narth as well and said to both of us. “When we meet the next time cadets, I will be Admiral W. Stokes again. This was a private affair and has never happened officially.”

“Yes Sir.”

“However before that happens, I am just Webb, the Ult and there is a little beach party going on and you are of course the guests of honor.”

Lupe simply motioned us to follow the Ult and while we did he said. “You are a true Master fighter, Olafson. You don’t need any more training, at least not from me.”

“Oh yes I do, Sir. I need to learn much in terms of style and every moment of practice will not be wasted”

Narth said. “You never were in much danger being 5.6 times better than him.”

“Five point Six times better?”

“Yes, taking into account his experience, skill level and practice and comparing it to your skills. I also factored in...”

“Five point Six, eh?”

Narth nodded. “You were about to end his existence and sliced him into that Tyranno bait, you were thinking off and I did not think it would have been a good idea if you killed him.”

Lupe blinked his eyes. “I think that is the difference. You fight to kill. I hate to admit it but there is no such thing as style in a real fight, the only score at the end is who is alive and who is not. In any case I owe you both more than words can express and I am deep in your debt.”

“So are we.”

I said taking the glass of beer the Ult offered me. “I mean we are here at least for a night while the other Cadets do something much less pleasurable.”Lupe nodded.

“You’re right of course.”

“How long are we going to be here?”

“Te other arranged freighter passage will leave in nine hours.”

Webb the Ult still standing near said. “There is a fast cruiser leaving tomorrow afternoon. It has to make a stop at Camp Idyllic so you can party tonight. The cruiser captain knows you are going with them and he is waiting on the landing pad.

“Thank you Adm ... I mean Webb.” To us he said. “We will be here all night then.”

“That was all I needed to hear.” The Narth robe was off in a heartbeat.

Lupe raised his arms. “What are you doing?”

“Taking a swim.” I yelled back already running as fast as I could in my Fleet Issue boxers across the beach and then dove head first into the rolling waves. The water was much warmer than that on Nilfeheim, even during Shortsummer but it was a real ocean. The salty water running through my almost dried out gills, feeling the fresh water energizing me was pure heaven. A shape was sliding next to me through the water. At first I thought it might be Narth, but it was Webb the Ult pushing past me with powerful strokes of his enormous legs. I pushed as hard as I could but without fins I could not keep up. Down here the Ult looked completely different than on land. Powerful, fast and I knew instantly they had developed from a carnivorous background. It was clear that water was their true environment.

Narth’s thoughts reached me.” They have food out here and wonder where you are, you and the admiral are gone for two hours.”

“I am on my way.”

I had to swim quite a distance to get back. The crowd seemed bigger than before and there was the savory smell of grilled fish and meat in the air.

Narth stood with the Saresii and was in a deep conversation. Webb came out of the water a moment after me. “You are the most excellent swimmer I have ever seen that is not Ult. You simply must visit Ulta one day. You might like it.”

“And I saw the true element of you Ults. You present quite a different picture when you are swimming.”

His fish eyes looked at me and while his emotions and his face were as unreadable to me as before, he seemed pleased by my observation. “Yes indeed. It appears you are among the few who really understand the Ult.”

I put on the robe again just as I was done a plate of roasted meat and a mug of beer was floating before me.

Narth waved from where he was standing and said. “This primitive roasting of raw meats over open fire is quite delicious.”

Taking the plate and the beer I thanked him and started eating like a starved Tyranno.

STAHL Interlude

Webb walked away past the fire, and wanted to get himself a real Utlanese. He was Ult and didn’t really have a sense of taste or smell, but he heard the Island Bars here served good Utlanese shakes with the right texture, to cater to the frequent Ult tourists when a man stepped out the shadows.

“It is quite a sight to see a Narth here among other beings. Eating solid food and using his telekinetic abilities to serve a human.”

The man speaking to Webb was of above average height, very athletic built and human but he did not recognize him. Webb lived most of his life among humans and could differentiate their faces and he was certain he knew this man from somewhere.

“Yes it is.” Webb wanted to keep going but the man held a drink bowl of greenish Utlanese before his face.

“I think you wanted to go to get some of this, right?”

“Yes but I rather get my own, if you don’t mind.”

The stranger laughed. “It’s Utlanese, Huglan style with squiggle worms in it. Your favorite brand I believe. I also think you have no idea who I am. I had no idea shorts and a colorful shirt to be such an effective disguise.”

Webb’s big fish eyes got even bigger. “Admiral Stahl?”

“No one around here wears uniform and neither are you. You know my first name.”

Webb took the bowl. “It certainly is a surprise to see you here, but you’re right this is my favorite. I truly wonder where you found real squiggle worms.”

“I got a few Ult friends on the Devi and I knew you would be here. I just came from Green Eden, you know.”

Webb wiped his snout after he had drained the bowl. “That was real pleasure. I think I shouldn’t be such a credit pincher and pay the outrageous prices they charge for shipping them to Arsenal.”

The Ult pointed across the fire where the Narth and the Neo Viking stood. “I think you are here because of them.I doubt the Narth would serve anyone else, those two are close friends.”

“You know I am. After Letsgo told me a Narth was among his Cadets I really wanted to see if it is true. Not to mention my surprise to hear he actually went to fight a duel.”

“Did you see the fight?”

“Yes I did. It takes a lot to impress me nowadays, but that duel did. The Viking is a beast, but seeing a Narth engaging in a physical fight was the biggest surprise.”

“Haven’t you been the only man ever to set foot on Narth Prime?”

Stahl nodded. “As far as I know at least. The Narth are around for an awful long time.” Stahl gestured towards the two cadets. “This is why I am so interested and quite stunned by the recent development. I was on Narth. It was the most alien place I ever visited in all my life and during those few hours I felt like an insignificant insect that was allowed to see glimpse of something so far beyond my ability to comprehend. I simply can’t adequately describe it.”

“They treated you that arrogantly?”

“No, nothing like that, the Kermac are arrogant, the Saresii are often seen as arrogant when dealing with others. It was more like...”

Webb said. “More like a first year Cadet meeting Admiral Stahl aboard the Devastator eh?”

Stahl sighed and smiled. “Actually that’s a pretty good analogy. I was not very long on Narth mind you, a few hours at most, but the Narth is not the only reason I am here.”

“Oh you still look for those special Cadets and I bet the Neo Viking is on your scanner screen? What is it actually you try to find?”

Stahl sat down and waved a Serv bot. “It’s a long story actually.”

“I am the Commandant of the Spatial Navy Academy. To get new insights from an immortal who has a track record of finding the special ones would be beneficial.”

Stahl sighed. “I know it seems that way and I thought at least you could look past the Immortal part. We know each other for quite a while, old fish face.”

“I wasn’t sarcastic, I really meant that. You appear every so often, no particular pattern and pick seemingly random cadets others might even consider misfits and put them through your brand of more than unusual tests, that sometimes seem out of proportion and inhumane.” Webb actually shrugged in a very human way. “I don’t know what happened to most of them, after you find them, but you found Harris that way who now steers that big boat of yours. Also I remember you picked that Shiss Zezzazzzzz. Nobody believed he would amount to much and look at him now. Then there was Lingodan the Shaill, Ilatora from Pertha and that woman Isadora. These are the ones I can remember right away. Each of them made history and will be remembered for a long time.”

Stahl padded Webb’s side. “I also found you that way and I think you turned out quite alright.”

“Of course I almost forgot. Yes you did put me through your strange process. I think I turned yellow for three month after you wanted me to steer the Devastator. I actually can understand why you are interested in the Narth, but what made you pick me for example? I certainly was not the first Ult in the Fleet.”

“It is not all that easy to explain and not all the ones I pick turn out to be what I expected. For every Lingodan there are dozens I get disappointed. I remember seeing you struggle in a desert survival test. Most Ult I knew asked to be excused from it, you did not. You nearly died and when you were told you failed you insisted in doing the test again and you only failed because you did not want to leave a human cadet who fell behind. After that I staged a few of those unfair and cruel scenarios and tests and you managed to succeed in every one.”

Stahl threw his bottle with accuracy into a waste recycler, five meters away. “The Academy does a great job of supplying our fleet with worthy officers who make this tremendous machine work every day. To do this you use a very efficient method of tests and training to shift through millions of applicants and Cadets and I think the Academy gets a little better at it every season, but to cope with the sheer size of all it is an almost automated process and this process turns out more or less the same flawless well functioning product. Officers that do their jobs and do it well until they retire or die.

However I believe there are those with a special talent. A quality that cannot be taught or measured and has to be there from the beginning. It can’t be explained with genetics, race or gender or be found with Psionics. I tried using Computronic programs to shift through the applicants. You didn’t test any different from any other Ult in any of the Academy tests, yet I knew you were different. I tried you and was proven right. In the same year I picked a Vantax who did something very similar and I thought I found another one and he turned virtually insane as I gave him command over the Devastator and had to be removed by force. Zezz, the Shiss. Didn’t do much out of the ordinary, he simply was one of the first Shiss ever to apply to the Academy and he had a hard stand as he was considered the enemy and no one trusted him, despite all the tests confirming his integrity. When I picked him and put him through my own tests he exceeded every expectation and is now without question one of the finest Captains we have.”

Webb nodded. “Not to mention one of the best Small Craft experts and pilots.”

“Indeed.”

The Ult looked across the fire. “If I understand your method correctly, I would wager that Neo Viking over there would be such a candidate.”

“I think you are getting the idea old Fishface. I checked his background and file. He does have some issues I am not so sure about, but he fits the bill otherwise. I will keep an eye on him.”

Webb tossed his bowl in the recycler and hit it as well. “Since you are here and you tell me I should forget that you are actually one of the Immortals. Do you think I can ask you a question?”

“I am all ears, go right ahead and ask.”

“I always wondered what really happened back then when you did get chosen by this Guardian. I mean all we really know are bits and pieces and mostly just rumors, legends and stories. Most simply accept your existence and don’t ask many questions anymore. A few think you and the others are just propaganda and artificial kept avatars. Unless it is some sort of state secret, I always wanted to know and I probably never get the nerve to ask you again.”

Stahl’s eyes stared into the fire and Webb knew he actually saw something that happened over three millennia ago.

“It’s not a state secret and you should never be afraid to ask me anything. I am not a dictator or anything like that.”

“No you are not and I know you are honorable and trustworthy, but you Immortals do have tremendous influence and power. It is hard for us mortals to really believe or understand what it truly means to be immortal. I was afraid of you not in a negative sense but more like a person is afraid and in awe when meeting something like a god.”

“I am no god and you know that.”

“I do, but you know you are not really human anymore.”

“I feel very much human but I understand. You know before this all started I was just a Marine and I probably would have been afraid seeing an Ult...