Eric saves Gunnar Peerson

Event Eric saves Gunnar Peerson (5011)

Eric kills two Rock Sharks to save Gunnar Peerson. Sigvard Elhir threw Gunnar into the ocean.

The Cafeteria's viewports were underwater, and for the most part, you did not see anything but the same greenish water and the occasional fish. I just had finished half my pizza when collective awe made me look. A Rock Shark swam past the viewports. Everyone tried to give their expert opinion on the sex and size of the fish. Mr. Walters and another teacher, whose name I didn't know, stood almost next to us and he said to Walters." I am teaching Neo Vikings now for almost eight years on this planet, and I have never seen a Rock Shark in the water like that. Walters said. "I am new here, and I am stunned by the size of that thing." “Its a big aggressive fish alright, only second to this worlds Tyranno Fins .”"Is there a man in the water?" Mr. Walters asked, and as he pointed it out we saw it too, there was a swimmer in the water, and he was unarmed.

Annar came screaming on top of his lungs down the stairs. "My brother!  Sigvard has thrown my brother into the ocean, and he poured Bait scent in the water too!" From the green depths, the gigantic shadow appeared again. Like everyone else I rushed to the top across the schoolyard and climbing the shoulder high Duro-Crete wall and then crawling up the piled up tumble of boulders that closed the open end of the "C" against the sea.

There on a big rock stood Sigvard holding a Slayer harpoo n in the right, laughing and yelling against the stiff breeze. "This is an ancient tradition!  A tradition that deals with traitors and cowards!" Mr. Walters was the first teacher that reached the top. Sigvard lowered the Slayer harpoon. "I am also dealing with you off-worlder! The way we should deal with all space scum that pollutes our ways."

All this was going on while Gunnar was in the water with a Rock Shark! I never liked Gunnar, but that was no way to die, without having a chance, I had to do something and do it now! Things happened rather quickly. Sigvard was about to shoot, he could not miss, and the explosive tipped two-meter long harpoon would undoubtedly kill the teacher. This speargun was magnitudes more prominent than the weapon of the mysterious woman that almost killed me. I grabbed a rock and rushed as fast as possible across the rugged boulders to cover the 20 meters that separated us and threw the rock as hard as I could.

Sigvard fired the spear gun the same time my rock hit him against the upper arm. I was close now, I didn't want to look back, and I could hear the explosive crack of the harpoon hitting something, I had reached Sigvard. He was taller and much stronger than me, but he held the huge 2-meter long slayer weapon and instead of dropping it to fight me. He worked the reload mechanism to rotate the second barrel into the firing position. Not to give him any chance I kicked him as hard as I could between the legs. His eyes bulged like a Silver flicker fish on land, and his hand dropped from the rotating lever. I had to remain on the offensive and not give him any chance to retaliate, and as he bends forward I rammed my knee under his chin, his head snapped back, and he fell hard on the ground. The Slayer harpoon rattled as it dropped to the ground. Gunnar was probably long dead. Like all Neo Vikings Gunnar had gills and could breathe underwater.

I did not know what possessed me other than I hated bad situations and Gunnar's situation was as unfair as could be, being unarmed in the water with a Tyranno. I grabbed the slayer and jumped. I hit the water about twelve meters below, even though it was still Shortsummer the water was very cold. My gills opened allowing the cold water to rush inside me. After breathing air, it was always an exhilarating and intense moment to switch to water breathing. It was an act of will to stop breathing with nose and mouth and use the gills. We all learned to do this from very early on so it was a natural change without hesitation.

Along with the gills we Neo Vikings had a second eyelid that allowed us to see well under water. However I neither saw the Tyranno fins nor Gunnar, I struggled with my vest, it was not easy to take it off under water while keeping the big slayer harpoon, but I managed. I swam as fast as I could, wishing I had my fins. We had seen Gunnar from the Cafeteria Viewports.

I cannot explain what it was that warned me, but the sudden feeling of something huge made me turn as fast to the right and towards the rocks as possible. My heart made a double take and fear cramped my throat like an invisible hand as the pointed nose, and the enormous maw of a shark shot past me, not farther than an arm's length!

The rush of his propelling tail-fin send me into a tumble and away from the rocks. Then I saw Gunnar, his hands were tied, but he was almost by the rocks. If he could make it, he'd be safe, but the shark was already turning. I completed the reload on the slayer and swam holding the weapon ready and aimed before me. While the Slayer harpoon had been used and made for precisely that purpose: to hunt and kill these big fish. I had done it before and not so long ago with Tyrannos. Rock Sharks were somewhat smaller but very fast.

Gunnar and I were only alive because we were so close to the rocks; he would have had no chance further out. Rock Sharks did not rely on their eyes but electrolocation that told them the position of prey. The surge above us hitting the rocks and the rocks itself masked our presence somewhat, but not entirely. The other reason was the sheer size of the fish. Here close to the rocks, the fish had to swim a full circle to realign his teeth filled jaws for small preys as us. Again in open water where the shark could use it full speed, Gunnar would long be dead.

I still cursed the stupid impulsiveness that got me into this mess. I am trying to save the life of a guy who hated me, but a strange calmness came over me. I spotted the mark. Unlike the yellowish skin on a Tyranno, it was the gill flaps on a rock shark. At the same time the shark turned to look directly at me, and for a split moment and of course only in my imagination, I believed to see some bit of understanding, a recognition in that dark eye now fixed at me. The shark changed directions with a flick of his enormous tail, the distance was not perfect, and the angle was off and in another heartbeat would be out of reach. I fired!

The almost two-meter long shaft of Ultronit steel with a razor-sharp tip darted virtually too fast to see through the water leaving a thin streak of bubbles pieced deep past the gills. The shark now completed its turn and opened his maw, coming closer. Then the fish was less than two meters from me, suddenly arched and a thick cloud of blood and air bubbles came out of its maw!

The savage elation of the kill was filling me with pride, and at the same time, I could not shake a feeling of guilt. I saw the fish now dead slowly floating to the surface. Gunnar had reached the rocks and moved towards the surface. Being distracted by all this, I almost became prey to a second shark that suddenly up from beneath. It was sheer luck and perhaps small size that saved me.

When you are underwater, and not built like a fish for this environment moving fast without any artificial aide was impossible. The maw of the fish rushed past me so close I could see down its throat, and the horrifying sight of the many rows of dagger-sharp large teeth and something scratched me painfully down the side.

The Slayer had one shot left, so I rotated the last barrel as fast as I possibly could into firing position, almost losing the weapon as I had found no time to strap it to myself as I should have done. The shark snapped its head to the side as it noticed it had not caught me. It twisted its entire enormous body but almost plowed into the rocks and moved again to avoid a collision. It presented its side and the gills, and I could not miss, the barrel barely in the position I fired, the side fin caught me as it rushed by and the impact made bite my tongue, I saw nothing but darkness and felt crunching pain. I almost inhaled through my mouth, and that would have drowned me as surely as any off-worlder without gills.

The Slayer was now useless and empty, so I released to settle tothe bottom ofthe ocean. The fear of being torn apart or being swallowed whole somehow kept me from passing out. I swam as fast as I could towards where I remembered the rocks. My vision was still blurred, and I felt the numbness coming over me from the loss of body heat. Even though I could stay underwater without the need of air, the exposure would too cold water without an insulating suit was just as limiting.

Hands, human hands grabbed me and heaved me aboard a floater hovering close over the water. I gasped at first, and someone slapped softly with the flat hand across the face and yelled. "Open your mouth and breathe!"

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