Eric Olafson, Fleet Cadet 36

Chapter 36: Interlude: Boneyard

Swybar lounged in the comfortable chair behind the conference table aboard the Red Dragon. Soon the requested supplies would arrive and make him a very dangerous man.

The table was laid out with a light dinner. Both of his associates had joined him and both of them had been very respectful and lauded his genius. Swybar loved it when others realized just how smart and resourceful he was. Even the disguised Kermac treated him like an equal, as it was proper.

He was no fool however and knew his associates were just as resourceful and the Kermac went through all these troubles to get something from Koken. If a civilization as mighty as the Kermac went through all this to get whatever it was, then it was something very valuable. Valuable things meant power and something an entire Civilization wanted must be very valuable. He wanted revenge and his main target was this cursed Admiral Elligott, this self-righteous immortal who had no right to be in charge or even still alive.

The Kermac agent interrupted his day dreaming. “How long do you think before the supplies you ordered arrive?”

He wiped his lips with a napkin. “The secret of success in logistics is to play the system. The form is properly filled and no one will raise any alarm bells and you get your hands on Quasimodos, Loki Torpedoes and even Cerberus robots, but the system cannot be rushed if you want to operate under the scanners. I expect the first transport to be here in three days.”

The Kermac could not believe his luck. What legions of spies had not accomplished he would gain in one sweep and one mission. He would return with a marvelous ship filled with Union secrets and the very manual how to service and make Translocator cannons. Such a success would secure him the seat of the Supreme Wizard. The bumbling fool occupying the seat now would be swept aside.”

He smiled at the human ex Admiral without saying a word, but as soon as the supplies arrived he was no longer needed and he would show this human what Kermac did to those that outlived their usefulness.

He cared less about the secrets the First Wizard wanted secured.

The real secret was not in believing in ancient prophecies and living in the past, but do it like the Terrans and embrace the future. He was certain that this was the true key to success. With the Terran weapon secrets exposed and duplicated, they could not keep that huge area controlled and pacified, chaos would reign and the Kermac would rise under his rule. The old wizard clung to the old phantasy that the Y’All would come again, but they had been defeated before and if they ever came they would be defeated again. No this was not the way. Waking the Kermac out of their lethargic state and take control themselves, lead the vassal civilizations with an iron fist and control the Galaxy, that was the goal and with the things he gained here, he would lay the foundation.

The other man remained quiet, even though the others thought he was an agent of the worm, he was really working for the First Son of the Dark Church. His mission was to get his hands on whatever the Kermac wanted to find on Koken. He had orders to dispose both of them as soon as their usefulness ended. The First Church of Darkness never left any open ends.

The Kermac leaned forward. “Why not use your connections and get us perhaps a few spare parts for Translocator Cannons?”

“Sorry about that, but it would rise to many flags. Especially since such a request needs two command level signatures verified by Nelson.”

“I thought you can fake the signatures of a dozen high level officers?”

“I can, but Officer Signatures are complex and no fake will make it past Nelson. Be satisfied with what you get. Translocators have to wait.”

--””--

DEMONS

In all my anger about my situation I could not help but pity the pirates. I wondered how they could have survived out here, being so amateurish. Stoo turned out to be some sort of semi sentient pet lizard of 3 meters length and five pairs of legs. It had bright red and yellow scaled skin and an ugly looking head with at least 4 pairs of eyes, maybe more. It posed no threat as it was in a cage on the small bridge of the cruiser. The only time I seen as much filth and garbage was in the basement of my old friend. The air was reeking of organic, slightly sweet and sour odors that made me gag. There was damp laundry hung from hooks and ropes strung across the narrow main corridor. The engine compartment looked like an n exploded hardware store. The main power coupling had been repaired with everything but the right parts. Someone had actually used a sledgehammer to fit, what looked like an old Ult shield coil into the housing of a Kartanian shield generator, the sledgehammer was still there and the coil looked bend, and deformed at one end, but for some strange reason it not only worked, these old but very powerful Ult Coils boosted the Kartanian shield to more than six times their original output. A Shiss made Control unit hooked into a Nul Graviton, connected to a piece of alien hardware I could not identify, partially glued and welded to the floor. Either the last engineer was the greatest genius or simply mad and very lucky but this wild mix of technologies and systems seemed to work just fine.

The weapon energy lines and the weapons itself were meticulously maintained however and the power levels of the ships FTL cannons were quite impressive for a flying garbage dump like this.

To my surprise, there was no Command chair but an actual leather sofa, with a wooden back, glued with Stick and Fix to the floor. The leather was worn down and there were smudgy looking pillows. While the original Kartanian design was not too different from Union bridge layouts, most of the consoles were dark, or torn apart to salvage parts. The ship was operated from three Consoles still intact.

The Computronic had no objections to take my commands and it turned out the old security codes and safety measures had been disabled, making me think that the last owner did not buy this ship but took it from someone else.

The scanners, to my surprise were Union made GE brand, High Efficiency with special filter software to compensate for the dense micro matter soup out there. It took me at least an hour but I finally figured out the main layout. I found the rescue pod with the former captain of this vessel and also saw the other two pirate ships.

Even though the vessel had better sensors for these conditions than I had, their efficiency was reduced, and I didn’t have all too much sensor operation experience, it took me another 12 minutes to find the energy signature I believed belonged to the Scooper vessels that took the Commander.

I didn’t want to stick around much longer; it looked like the other pirates had found the rescue pod and sooner than later, the captain would be able to tell his story to them, besides I had to rescue the Commander.

Just as I accelerated, one of the Energy signatures exploded in scale and the visual sensors captured a violent explosion. One of the Scooper vessels just exploded. A cold fist cramped around my stomach and I opened all hailing frequencies, disregarding my initial plan to sneak up on them.

“Here is Midshipman Olafson; I am hailing the scooper vessels. You have captured a Union Officer, if you are under attack send me coordinates and situation so I can assist. Be assured I will fight you to the last ship if you harmed the Commander in any way.”

There was no response.

--””--

GWEN

In order to flee their doomed Universe the Coven opened a gate to another dimension, another reality known by the ancients as the Netherworlds. Almost all sentient civilizations had legends about creatures of evil nature dwelling in a fiery dark place full of unspeakable horrors. The humans of Earth once believed in a place called Hell, the Saresii called it Natkah, the Ult knew it as Huhun and the Klack called it Akth’tjak. Dr. Isah the most brilliant scientist Earthers ever knew once released a paper about a dimension he called Under-Verse, a condition of space separate from the regular Omniverse. The Coven fled into that Nether Space and did escape the destruction of their own reality, but at a prize. They had to become creatures of the Netherworld, loose much of their original identity and knowledge, but even in their adapted forms they were only unwanted guests and had leave.

Gwen did not know much of the details and understood little of what occurred, as it happened long before her essence was restored, but like all of the Coven she was as much a creature of that world as she was now a life form in this Universe. She loved and hated her true form with equal intensity. Freed of the fragile human form she was a creature of power, able to roam space without the aid of a space ship, feeding on energies but she was also deprived of sensations of smell and touch. So simple these sensations seemed, so much did she miss them when she no longer had them. The ability to feel cold and heat, to feel moisture and release emotions with a few tears were treasures humans took for granted. No she would return to her human form, she would mourn for that human that was so brave and then she had to face the anger of the Coven and perhaps even the anger of the Narth for being instrumental in his demise.

There, the pirate vessel came into the reach of her senses. They too would face her anger. She had to be careful though, she remembered that they used Gravitational weapons, these weapons were quite capable of hurting her, or even destroying her essence. To be flung back into the netherworlds without essence was a fate worse than death.

The Vessel used Tachyon Radio, she could pick up the emissions, maybe she could scare them telling her what they did to Eric.

At first she could not believe it but it was Eric’s Voice. He somehow managed to take over the vessel and was searching for her. Against all odds he still remembered his promise to her. She needed to change back; she needed her human form because only then could she laugh. What a poor creature she was now, she had the power to fight starships, travel faster than light with a mere thought and yet she could not laugh. But in her rage she had destroyed her rescue pod and with it her suit.

Eric would be frightened and in panic if he would see her that way.”

Then she heard the voice of the Coven.” Do not hide. Let him see your true form. His reaction will determine his fate and our decision.”

“The human is brave and he fought for me. You know how mortals react if they see us in our true form. I care much for this man and I care for the Union. “Oh little sister, don’t throw away your home and heritage so easily. What affection would it be if you have to lie to him for the rest of his existence? She, who loves the warrior, has shown him her true form and he has not changed his mind.”

Whatever argument Gwen wanted to say was no longer valid as the vessel was within optical sensor reach.

--””--

ERIC

I expected anything but that. The visual sensor displayed drifting debris of two or three space ships and in the midst a glowing thing. My mind raced to find something to compare it with, but failed. It was a creature, something that lived I was certain. It was about sixty or seventy meters long, it had elements of what a dragon might have looked like, but it had also humanoid elements, leathery wings that seemed to be on fire. Fire with flames were impossible in the vacuum of space, yet there was one creature in my cultures mythical lore that would have looked much like whatever it was that floated out there, Sutr, the Fire Giant. The all-powerful Giant and enemy of Thor and Odin.”

As much as I believed in science and rationality, I was raised in a society that still worshiped gods and believed in supernatural beings, for all I knew I was facing a real Demon.”

At first I felt fear, and I wanted to turn the ship and flee, maybe come back with a fleet of Battle ships but that was no option. Maybe Gwen was still alive, against all odds. She could still be in her Escape Pod and just not visible to my scanners yet, even if she was dead. No matter the form of the creature, this was a first contact situation and I wanted to be a fleet officer. Running was no real option, no matter what. Maybe the thing could be hailed. Attempting to make contact was the first step.

I opened the program bank of the Computronic and asked if it had First Contact Protocols loaded. Of course it had not. What would a Pirate ship need first Contact protocols anyway?

So far the creature did nothing. It was just floating there. There was no telling if it could sense me or not, but I was certain that a being that could survive in space had some means of sensor input adapted to this environment. Would it be able to receive Tachyon radio?

I opened all available channels and tried the direct approach, if it was able to receive the transmission maybe it was able to determine that I was not hostile. The being however looked everything but friendly, every aspect of the creature spelled death and destruction.

“This is Midshipman Eric Olafson, representing the United Stars of the Galaxy. I am on a rescue mission and seeking a being much like me; if you are able to understand me I am open for dialog.”

--””--

GWEN

There was pride in the telepathic voice of the creature that was Gwen.” He acts just like a Union Fleet Officer should. He tries first Contact procedures.”

“He is in a starship with weapons that mask his fear.”

“Of course he fears me I am so much bigger and more powerful than he is, in the fact that he overcomes this fear lies his and the humans strength. He is still half a child even in his society, he is not even fully trained and despite all the obstacles he came through.”

“You speak like an advocate for the humans.”

“I am an advocate in my human form, and I realize just how much human I have become. I am born of the Coven but I shall end it in human form whenever my time has come and my allegiance is with the Union.”

“You are the second sister of the Coven that makes such decisions. Proceed as we had planned and bring him here. We must learn more. We are curious what he will do if he learns what you truly are.”

--””--

ERIC

It was a long shot after all, the creature did not respond. What other options did I have, to make contact? Maybe contact was not possible, maybe the creature was not sentient. I doubted my own suggestion; somehow I knew the thing was sentient. I needed to go on and find Gwen or find out what had happened to her and then I had to return to Union space.

Just then the Computronic signaled an incoming transmission.” Eric, don’t be alarmed I mean you no harm. Please let me come aboard and let me explain.”

That the voice of the creature sounded like crackling fire was something I actually expected, but not what the creature was saying.” Well I am sure glad that you don’t mean any harm but I this ship isn’t big enough for you.”

“I will reduce my size, Eric you know me. I am Gwen”

That response caught me completely off guard. Was this some sort of holographic projection? Was this a life from that perhaps mimicked or copied the personality or voice of the victims it killed or perhaps ate? Why could things not stay easy and normal around me? It seemed there was always another door opening revealing something completely knew, always when I thought I had something figured out. I opened the response channel.

“Alright let us assume for the moment that I believe you and you are Gwen. Did you eat her and now use her memories to trick me into something? On the other hand if I judge the situation correctly it was you who tore those ships apart and you somehow being Gwen is the reason I am not shredded to bits.”

I was sure there were other options and my captured junk pile was well armed, including a few of those Ult Gravo Mines. I was contemplating releasing two of them and thus trap or even destroy that creature. However beginning hostilities with a new life form was clearly not what a Union Officer was supposed to do.

“I am Gwen. I am Commander Brown, Eric. I have more than one shape and this is my true form.”

“I am opening the cargo bay door. Not that I am very comfortable doing so, but I doubt we have all too much time. If the previous owner of this ship explained his buddies what happened we might have a few pirates on our tail soon.”

In vain did I try to find a remote control to open the Cargo door and the ships Computronic was no help, claiming to have no circuits to do so for me.

What weapon should I take to meet the demon like creature? Thor fought Sutr with his hammer and Odin had his mighty sword. Somehow I wished I had Mjördaren with me, as the TKU blaster felt inadequate.

The Pirate’s ship small arms collection was impressive but nothing really better than a TKU, at least from the stuff I could identify. So I went down the damp smelling corridor and into the small cargo hold.

After I had cycled the air out and pressed the door opening controls, I pressed my teeth together and hoped I did make the right decision.

The thing looked even more frightening. It was not so much how it looked, I had seen renderings of Demons at Hasvik, but the fact that it actually existed. That it emitted flames in an environment where there should be no flames and that it had parts of its body that looked like sections of fresh slaughtered beings. It had horn like extensions much like the Nogoll but much bigger and twisted. Bright white energy like fog wafted out of a horrifying maw like breath from a raging Fangsnapper in a cold Longnight winter. It had four arms with razor sharp claws, but quite distinctively formed like a human hand complete with four fingers and a thumb.

Communication was impossible as the emergency space suit function of my uniform did not include a tachyon radio.

As it came closer it did shrink steadily and I noticed the large wings and was certain this creature could survive in space but was not at home there. Appendixes of any kind were pretty useless and I was certain that even in the densest part of the matter cloud there was not enough for wings to be of any use.

It now was only about twice the size of a man as it passed the door halves. I closed the doors and that started the air cycle as well. The creature kept shrinking and changing as well. It shifted and shimmered into a naked woman that looked exactly like Gwen.

I folded my helmet back into the collar and we stared at each other then she said. “Permission to come aboard?”

“Permission granted.”

She wrapped her hands around her firm looking small breasts and looked cold and miserable.” I will explain it all to you, but can I find myself something to wear? It is very cold.”

“And that’s from a being that just came from deep space and looked as hot as an active volcano.”

She sighed. “It is more than a shape shift, Eric. I am now one hundred percent human female and we do tend to get cold easily.”

It actually took us almost an hour to find something for her to wear, that was reasonably clean and somewhat suitable, but a trunk stored in the stuffed mess hall was filled with pre packed mechanic coveralls and one fit her reasonably well.

As she was done putting it on she wanted to say something when the ship jerked violently. I ran back to the bridge, almost certain knowing the reason.

I didn’t bother to check; I manually raised the shields to max and accelerated in the first best direction. I needed a few moments to orient myself and hoped to gain enough time that way.

Now I took the time to sit down in the Helm position and checked the scanners. As I expected the two other pirate ships had found us. My randomly chosen course was taking us straight for the matter expanse and whatever botch job the engineer of this ship did to the engines was quite impressive, that Kartanian rust bucket accelerated almost as good as the brand new Sturgeon I had lost and took us out of their weapon range for the moment.

Of course I could not maintain this kind of acceleration even with the reinforced shields of this ship, the matter was getting denser and the shields were getting strained.

I leaned over to the Tactical controls and with the tips of my fingers I released the two Gravo mines, with a 2 second delay. I hoped they would pull a big ball of matter behind us, completely masking us from their sensors.

Gwen appeared and said.” Let me take Helm, I know this place and the secret path.”

There would be time later, at least I hoped to ask what she meant, but now I simply let her do what she wanted to, got up and placed myself behind the other console.

My plan had worked, the Gravo mines created a dense matter ball, but as amateurish the pirates were in trying to capture me, as good they seemed in piloting ships in this soup. One of them was just coming around the outer fringes of the dense cloud I had created behind us. Whoever piloted that ship was very good, skimming the fringes of the Gravo mine effect envelope with virtually nothing to spare, but that put him in a very bad spot, because I executed part two of my escape plan and fired the FTL into the dense matter ball. Volatile gases and matter pulled by dense gravity didn’t need much to ignite. My shot had created an intense fire ball behind me and a new temporary micro star. The other pirate was too close, his shields already strained. The pursuing ship disappeared in the blinding light. What ever happened to the other I could not say but if they were around their sensors would be completely blind towards us.

I turned my attention to what Gwen was doing and noticed she flew the ship in a complicated course through a nearly invisible path of less dense matter deeper into the nebula.

INTERLUDE: NELSON OMNITRONIC

Nelson was more than a giant Computronic. It had been built by SII Intelli-Systems and an army of the finest X101 Cybertronic engineers. It was designed by Mother Machine herself and it was without question the most advanced artificial intelligence system in the known Universe second only to Mother Machine herself. It was built inside Phobos, one of the moons of Mars. It was one of seven such systems, networked to each other, but Nelson was the core system.

It lacked true self-awareness, something the system engineers carefully avoided and prevented. The Nelson Operation and Management (NOAM) team consisted of the finest cybernetic talent.

Neuro Electronic Lead System Operations Navy processed and managed the incredible flood of data created every Second by the United Stars Fleet. Every report, every material request, every personnel decision was analyzed, stored and filed. Despite its size and efficiency it turned out to be too small and overwhelmed by the flood of data. Reports slipped through, requests delayed. True Quantum computing had been pursued since the early 21st century but a real quantum level computing system that did not turn sentient and therefore dangerous had not been developed. SII experimented with Bionetic alternatives and used such systems for years were deemed unreliable.

Admiral Dr. Holman knew all this as he was one of the four System Administrators of Nelson. He had just finished his daily conference with Mother Machine; a System he would have married if that would have been possible. Mother Machine was the only thing he loved more than Nelson. It was his opinion to simply relocate Nelson to Factory and make it an extension of Mother Machine. She would know how to introduce sentient qualities to Nelson and control the system at the same time.

Mother Machine kept refusing and the Union council for Fleet Control was also opposed to this idea.

Holman was certain the answer did not lie in a bigger system, but in making Nelson sentient and allow the system to live up to its potential. The true problem was not the system but the inadequate beings operating it and interpreting the data.

While he made a few notes and send work orders to the appropriate engineering teams, he never questioned the suggestions Mother Machine made, even though he hotly debated them when she was online with him, and had them implemented.

Mother Machine always complained about his lack of objectivity and called him a love-struck sack of carbon based cells, so he argued her suggestions, just to keep her happy and did what she wanted anyway. He was not System Administrator of Nelson because he was a fool; he was a true genius with a level 12 intellect. He graduated with highest honors of the University of Cybernetic Engineering on Factory, the only Terran Human ever to achieve this feat.

While he was working he padded the dome shaped dome shaped NELSON interface on his desk. The chrome metallic shape was only one of many such interfaces but despite all his intellect he was still human and illogical emotions ruled his behavior as much as his brilliant mind did. Like soccer ball sunken halfway into his desk, this shiny chrome object was Nelson and he padded it like a proud father padded his first born son.

“I hate to interrupt you, Admiral Holman,” said the well-modulated artificial male voice of Nelson.” But I have a logical problem here that seems impossible and frankly I need the help of a biological brain to sort it out.”

“You never interrupt me and you know you can call me Barry when we are alone.”

“Logic dictates that when a being is doing something and is addressed by a third party with a matter unrelated to the activity, it constitutes as an interruption. So I do interrupt you quite frequently and we both agreed that we should maintain a level of professional distance to limit the danger of emotional based errors and judgments.”

Barry Holman sighed.” You sound more like a Narth every day.”

“Perhaps this is due to the fact that we now have a team of Narth Experts working on improving my capabilities until we can migrate to Nelson II.”

“Logic also dictates that I am now completely disrupted and if you present me with your problem maybe we can discuss it, so I can go back to implement work orders. Despite all the marvelous improvements the Narth suggest, Mother Machine’s suggestions hold much merit.”

“Then it comes to no surprise to you that Mother Machine finds the Narth level of engineering so far advanced that she herself will implement some of their Ideas.”

He leaned back.” Please tell me about your problem.”

“There is a request order for a Translocator Cannon Manual coming from Bone Yard 79. It has been signed by only one authorized Officer. The signature is authentic except it missed the mental wave component, signed by an Officer known to be 1200 Light years away from the place the signature was filed.”

“This is serious and indicates fraud and perhaps a case of espionage. As serious as it is it should not represent a logical problem to you. I am sure such attempts happen often and you should report this to NAVINT with a red flag since it involves Translocators.”

“I have already done so. The problem I have is that the Issuing Technician on Bone Yard 79 reports that Admiral Swybar made a whole list of material requisitions including Cerberus Robots, Loki Torpedoes, Attikan Engines and so forth, yet the signatures point to a former assistant of said Admiral. I checked the visuals and even though the person has an altered appearance, I am certain to 99 % that it was Admiral Swybar who made the requests. Motion patterns, retina pattern, behavior and voice patterns all match. Yet said Admiral was executed.”

Holman activated his GalCom terminal before even answering Nelson. He used a special one digit emergency connection and said to the appearing Navint Officer.

“We have a Level One Tech breach at Bone Yard 79. Someone unauthorized, masking as a former Admiral has acquired Level One Mil-Tech and is in the process to acquire more. Bone Yard 79 is also the depot for the RAMA project. This is a Level One alert.”

To Nelson he said.” Scan all reports about Admiral Swybar. I want to know who executed him, what happened to his body and who requested his remains. I want to see every requisition form he or anyone of his staff has signed in the last five years.”

“Requests have been received and are processed.”

Holman then turned back to his GalCom Unit and said.” Direct Connection to Admiral McElligott.”

--””--

THE COVEN

She programmed the Nav Computer with perhaps the most complex course I had ever seen, and she did so out of memory without the aid of a Nav Calculator app. She engaged it and only then turned around.” I am sorry Eric for putting you through all this, but I will answer all your questions.”

“Ma’am, I have so many questions and even more suspicions that I have a hard time to decide where to begin.”

My voice sounded angrier than I wanted it to be.” I have the sneaking suspicion I did not fall asleep all by myself. I don’t think that Nav Computer of the Sturgeon failed all on its own.”

I pointed a finger on her.” Now I don’t know who or what you are, but overwriting a Nav Computer on a Navy Computronic like that is not easy and I expect your sister on Pauli Station to be in on this.”

She simply looked at me so I continued.” Again I have no idea what you are but in doubt I will go by the book and you seem to be a serious threat to the Union and the Fleet and I should arrest you and have Union Command figure it out.”

She sighed.” I know how it looks to you and you are not so far off with your suspicions, but before you arrest me please open your PDD and activate your Order chip.”

Again she surprised me, this time with a response I did not expect. However I did activate the PDD. The Order chip automatically engaged.” Cadet Olafson, time and spatial coordinates verify that you have reached the Igras Nebulae and that you have penetrated it further than any Union officer before. If all went according to plan you are now on the way to a secret planet called Coven, it is the home of a civilization with the same name. Not much is known about this civilization, other than they are to be considered as powerful and advanced as the Narth. Given this potential they present an opportunity and a danger to this Union like few others. You are in the company of an avatar or representative of said culture. Your orders are to obtain as much information as you can about the Coven and represent the Union on our behalf. Why such a mission has been given to a Cadet will be discussed when you come back, until then we expect you to act according to the training you already received and to the values we all live up to. Signed Admiral Richard Stahl.”

Gwen nodded.” Our existence is not known to many, but Admiral Stahl and a few others do know about us. I am a loyal Union Officer and hope my kind will soon join the Union.”

I raised my hands.” I still have no idea what this is all about, but even if all this is true and Fleet command knows about it, why me? Why not send an experienced Xeno contact team, I am but a Cadet. I am sure Admiral Stahl has enough cloud to send anyone.”

“We are not like other civilizations. We are not millions, but less than one hundred. There is no need for a public vote we simply decide if it is right for us to join. I was asked to find someone I think would represent the Union well and I met you and found you be perfect.”

“Just like that? I am not a perfect specimed n to represent the Union or the Fleet. I am flawed.” I blushed.” You know about it. You have seen my personal file.”

“That is part of the reason you were chosen. We of the Coven might even have an answer to your burning question and your gender.”

“What has this to do with anything? I still don’t see why me? There are the Saresii; they are experts in this kind of thing.”

“The Saresii know about us. They have legends and pre conceived ideas about us, we wanted someone who is free of all this. Someone who has no preconceptions about us, most sentient beings are utmost terrified seeing our true form and cannot see beyond genetic and cultural implanted stereotypes. You have seen my true form and you have not acted in panic or fear but given me a chance.”

“With all due respect, I might be from a backwater world but I have seen some strange life forms already. One of my friends is a Non Corp. His true form puts your fiery self to shame. He might not have this demon shape quality but I am sure he could take on such a form as easy as he takes on human shape. I had a Shaill Xeno Bio Instructor at the academy. A two meter, slime oozing slug with eyes on stalks, able to mix the most deadliest psycho drugs with a mere thought and command to his own body glands and I have seen something that is far more frightening, mind boggling and wonderful at the same time than you. So comparing you to all that, your true form isn’t all that frightening.”

Gwen looked at me with big eyes.” I don’t exactly how I appeared to you. Our true form cannot be seen by beings of this plane. Your eyes and senses give us a proximity shape and each being sees us different, genetic inherited fears about demons, devils and Hell are put into form and shape and cause terrible fear and horror in those who see us. You are only the second being of this universe that looks beyond this fear. Maybe it is as you say, the children of man have grown long beyond their primeval fears and fantasies being exposed to the incredible diversity life has taken in the Universe.”

I actually smiled.” Ma’am, I would lie if I say I understood what you are trying to say, but if you say I saw you like I expected Sutr the fire Demon to look like then you are spot on. I was raised in a society who believes in such things, but it is also the hallmark of a real Norse to stand tall against such denizens of the deep. As much as it might disappoint you, but appearing in your true self on Nilfeheim would not cause all that much panic, but start a fight among the men who would be chosen to fight you.”

She sighed. “Terrans, you are so different from all the other beings in the Universe. Every other society fears and flees if they come face to face with what they believe are demons, Terrans want to fight it.”

“I don’t know much about Terrans, Ma’am. I can only tell about the backwater Norse Neo Vikings of Nilfeheim.”

“Your kind has left Terra before any aliens mingled, your Norse have stayed isolated ever since and as much as you are children of Nilfeheim, you are guests on that world and your blood and DNA is a true and undiluted Terran as can be. Sorry Eric, but as much as you think you are of Nilfeheim as much are you a true child of Terra.”

“Well since it seems you know more about us than I do, why not telling me exactly what you are? If I get you right you say you are indeed Demons, the kind that bathes in brimstone and tortures souls in the name of Hel?”

“We are demons indeed that are perhaps the closest description or term. Imagine the Universe like an Onion if you will. Each layer of skin is composed of an incredible number of parallel universes. Each universe holds a finite number of elements, atoms, energies, particles and time. Each universe represents a possible combination of all those elements. In another Universe Eric Olafson might be an Attikan, or a Shaill. You might be a girl or a rock in yet another; there is a Universe where you do not exist at all because the elements are combined in such a way that prohibits all life.

And all these Universes are separated by layers and conditions of space, incomprehensible by your senses of sight and mind. This is why you need special equipment to navigate in Quasi space and sensors and scanners that look down into your own universe. No being of this universe can look out the window in Quasi Space and see anything. It is eternal darkness, yet ask a Narth they will tell you that Quasi Space is anything but dark, anything but empty and yet Quasi space is in spatial terms only a thin layer between the other dimensions of space and time.”

She paused for a moment to give me time to keep up and I felt I was once more in a class of Trans-spatial physics where a Level ten intellect teacher tried to make us understand the basic mechanics of our trans-dimensional technology we used every day. “I think I follow so far, as long as you not try to ask me for a test later and put into an equation what you tried to tell me.”

“No worry, I am at a loss to understand what these Meta Math and Trans Dim Physic experts talk about. I am just a being from such different Universe that does not mean I understand it all. Just let me explain it to you as much as I understand it myself.”

I motioned her to do just that, and so she continued.” Now my kind was actually just a group of female beings from another Universe. We do not know if we have been human or humanoid, most of our memories from our Home universe are lost. Our universe was ruled by what you would call magic, not technology. Of course these are merely terms to describe the same thing. We had and have the ability to channel the energies of a dimension we call the Nether region. The opposite what you would call Hyperspace, a layer below the one you occupy. Not that the terms up and down really mean much in terms of spatial temporal layers of existence. But it helps to understand if I say that all these Universe bubbles swim above this nether region and if you know how to penetrate the veil that separates it all, you can travel, using that nether region, to all the other universes.”

She stopped again and sighed.” I am losing my threat, but it is so hard to explain something like that, because I barely understand it myself. What I wanted to say is that we were a group of females, fighting with means of a form of magic or perhaps just another form of psionics against others. We, as well as our enemies channeled energies and the powers of beings living in the netherworld to do our bidding. The fight we fought reached a point where it was clear our very universe was doomed and bound to be destroyed.

We searched for way to escape the imminent doom and found it by transferring ourselves as a group into the Nether regions. Thus we removed ourselves from our universe and escaped its destruction. What we did however violated the RULE. Because in the greater order of things, the Universes must stay separate. Nothing that belongs into one Universe is to be allowed into another. Each universe is balanced and introducing something from another Universe is like introducing a virus, something foreign and something that disturbs the balance.”

“What is the Rule?” I wanted to know.

“It’s basically a set of natural laws that govern how all works together. At least that is how I understand it.” She checked the course and seemed satisfied with the result.” Now we of the Coven escaped the destruction of our universe but were more or less unwanted guests in the Nether regions and we were eventually expelled into this, your universe. We lost much of our knowledge and memories of the old universe but we are still connected to the Netherworlds with our physical appearance as there is not a single atom left over in this universe for us to use, every molecule has its place and use and technically we have no business being here, so we use a compromise and occupy the bodies of beings of this universe and share it with its true owner. It is a symbiosis as we are able to exist in this universe and the other part gains virtual immortality. So I am really Gwen and I really am something like a demon. A being from another realm, not able to exist in this without her, we are very old but not indestructible.”

I swallowed.” So you say there really is a hell, a place with demons and such?”

“No I am saying there are the nether worlds and there have been interactions between our realms ever since time began and these interactions are the source of all those fairy tales and mythological stories you humans and all the other beings of this realm have. Your ancestors could not explain thunder so they imagined Gods throwing big hammers. The same way they could not explain the occasional interaction between these planes of existence and called the apparitions demons and devils. The veil that separates these planes of existence is not impenetrable and once in a while there is an exchange and such an exchange is usually the source of a legend or a tale of gods and demons.”

I scratched the stubble on my chin.” While it all somehow makes sense and technically not so hard to understand, it still is heavy material and hard to comprehend, it explains why you floated in space and looked like a demon. It explains somewhat why you are also look like a human woman. It even gives substance and background to stories and fairy tales and the old saying that there is a speck of truth even in the most outlandish story and tale, but it opens a can of worms of even more questions. Does that mean magic is real? Does that mean someone can actually mix Fangsnapper blood and teeth of a one eyed cliff eel with the hair of a virgin to make a potion that makes someone invisible and all that? Does that mean that souls exist and go into a nether region? Is there a land of the death? And if there is a Nether region, is there an opposite, an upper region where the gods live?”

“If there are souls or an existence after death, we don’t know and I think that is a question everyone needs to answer for itself until perhaps someday there is a scientific discovery that says it is so or it is not. I don’t know how the original Coven managed to pass to the netherworlds, that knowledge is lost to us. I can tell you that the Coven of this Universe started out mixing potions and seeking answers the alchemist way, looking for ways of making transmutation real. Of course no combination of matter regardless of origin will open gates or channel energies, all these rites are just an expression, a tool to quantify and explain what really happens.

The Gwen you see before you, the body of the woman was born on Earth before the Industrial revolution and she was what you would call a witch. She did all these things a witch would do; none of it has any effect or power. Your society accepts Psionics as a part of the natural universe, because your science advanced far enough to understand that if you look really close at matter, nothing is solid and atoms are by far not the smallest thing, that the world of sub-atomics is as complex as the macro cosmos. There are particles that exist simultaneous in more than one dimension and some that swing back and forth. The marvelous instantaneous communication you all take for granted is based on such super exotic particles, it allows data bits to travel outside the realm of this space and distances measured in light years are not Trans versed but circumvented. All sentient beings regardless of origin have some form of psionic ability. Have you ever wondered how you are able to draw a gun, aim and fire and at the same time duck for cover, and still have time to think about your next steps and actions? In all this your eyes manage to see, your nose smells, and your heart beats and your glands produce adrenaline. It would take a Nelson Ssupercomputronic, for every human to really run a human body after a program. The only way all this can happen if your brain is able to perform some of its functions faster than the speed of light. Before man reached the stars, Eric, you thought the speed of light is the limit of everything, yet the speed of thought is much faster. Now beings with Psionics as you know have the conscious ability to access the same realms as the super exotic particles. We of the Coven are no different we simply access a different realm. All the chants and potions, all the practices of the Dark Lore are simply a way to focus those talents. Once you realize the truth, the chants and potions are no longer needed. It is very much explainable, very much quantifiable and with the right physics and math it could be made available to everyone in the form of technology based on that knowledge.”

She leaned back looking exhausted and I felt the same way. My mind was swimming full of images and ideas and I knew I was scratching areas of knowledge not meant for me to understand, at least not yet.

Something in that sofa was poking my back quite painfully and brought me back to reality. I jumped up turned around, just to see something scaled, small and with lots of teeth disappear between the cushions.

I pulled my TKU at the same time as I tried to check my behind.

Gwen laughed. “This ship is infested with Narlings, that’s why they keep the Hantkit Squirmer as a pet.” She pointed at the red scaled lizard in the cage.

“I think I burn this sofa.”

“No worries Eric, we have reached Coven and while we are down you can let the Hantkit loose.”

I stepped away from the infested sofa and glanced outside. Here in the middle of the matter nebula was a Solar system with a yellow sun that had burned with a strange halo, most certainly caused by sucking in the matter around it and there was one planet in the green zone and we were approaching it.