Eric Olafson, Midshipman 67

Part 67: ERIC

A week had passed since the big event on Pluribus and Union Week was over.

I did spend a very strange and special night at the Saran compound, emerging myself in a dark and not openly discussed aspect of Saran society and culture, but I did learn a lot and I had been my female self.

But I was glad we were back on the ship. While I enjoyed meeting my family and thrilled to see Narth again, the big party was not really my cup of tea.And what happened at the Orgie were memories for a different time and space.[1]

Lt. Merkus was still gone and not even the ships rumor mill had any details as what happened to him. Lt. Clusen acted strangely as he tried to be friendly and did not even trytry to find something unpleasant for us to do.

It was late Friday evening as Har Hi and I returned to the 54th deck had just finished a shift in the engineering department were we received training in damage control procedures.

To our surprise the others were still up.

Wetmouth sat in the lotus position on her bed and was deeply focused reading something on her PDD.

Mao and Krabbel were playing chess at the table. Circuit was in his bed, but for a chance he was not sleeping. Instead he was watching some GalNet program on his PDD. Knowing him I was certain it was one of the many shopping channels.

Elfi stood behind Shaka, who was sitting on a chair and she was doing something with his hair.

Only Hans was absent but we heard him singing in the showers as he always did, ancient German Opera as he called it.

“Why is everyone still up?” Har-Hi asked,” Isn’t it late to still being awake?”

Elfi put the brush down, she was holding. “I guess you didn’t check the schedule board yet. We all got a day of R & R, so we can relax before we have our field evaluation test. It is an important test and they commence it the day after tomorrow.”

“This is the first time I hear about this. What kind of test?” I asked.

Elfi answered.”I don’t know exactly what it entails, but Lt. Clusen said every group is leaving the ship and has to solve a field challenge.”

Wetmouth looked up and added. “I was just reading logs of past Field challenges, the tasks vary greatly. One group last year had to observe a primitive pre space flight culture without being spotted and deliver a detailed report on that culture. Another group had to survive for a week on a desert planet. Yet another was tasked with surveying a star system using a sturgeon class ship. It seems our instructors go to great length to prepare these tests and there seems to be no real pattern, but it appears as if survival challenges occur more often.”

I got me lemonade from the Serv-Matic and sat down. “Well I guess we will know more tomorrow. Surviving on some extreme planet might not be very pleasant, but I am certain we make it.”

Har-Hi leaned forward. “I find this game of chess very intriguing. Who is winning?”

Mao smirked. “Krabbel as usual.”

“That is not true. You had me Check mate two times tonight!” Krabbel protested.

“Yes but once I was certain you let me win on purpose and the other time you where distracted watching something on GalNet with Circuit.”

Wetmouth had left her bed and looked over the board from behind our tattooed friend. “Mao your defeat is by no means certain. I see eleven ways to defeat Krabbel.”

“No offense Wetty, but you could probably beat Centron in a game of chess so your analysis of the game does not necessarily mean I see even one way to get out of his trap.”

Wetmouth hugged Mao from behind. “Oh you big oaf, don’t sell yourself short. You play very good!”

Mao blushed and smiled at the masked girl. “That means a lot to me!”

“I know how you feel, Mao.” Krabbel said. “I play against her and it never takes her more than three minutes to defeat me.”

Wetmouth padded one of Krabbel’s legs. “You, my eight-legged friend have great potential. I bet you could become a grandmaster.”

Krabbel balled his legs around his body, as he often did when he liked something. “Your compliment is perhaps a bit exaggerated but it still makes me proud!”

I sipped my lemonade and observed Elfi. “What in Odin’s name are you doing to Shaka’s hair?”

“I put extensions in. He wanted long hair!”

“I think you wanted it and talked him into it! He now looks like Prince Valiant, a very dark Prince Valliant, that is.”

“Who is that?” Shaka wanted to know.

“An ancient picture story about a Viking prince, I loved it as a kid. He wore his hair much like Sarans do.”

Shaka called for a mirror and looked at his reflection after the computronic established a reflective field before him. “I think I look rather handsome!”

“So do I!” Elfi agreed. “I can do the same to you Eric!”

“Maybe at some other time, I doubt long hair will be on my priority list for a while. I had long hair but they made me cut mine short during the first year.”

Hans finally came out of the showers; he too was no longer bald headed. He had hair in the same style as Shaka, except his was blonde.

“Loki the trickster was very busy today!” I exclaimed. “What in the world is going on here? If that continues we all look like sisters and brothers!”

“Do you think such a hair cut would make me look like a brother of yours?” asked Krabbel.

“Naa, you don’t need a haircut you already look like a brother of mine.” I replied

“You aren’t serious!”

“But I am! All Vikings are born with eight legs and eight eyes we just cut them off during the first year, so we fit into our breeches, it’s an old custom.”

Wetmouth laughed at Krabbel. “Go right ahead and get a wig of mine, I am sure no one will ever be able to tell us apart.”

The Arachnoid stretched out one of his legs. “Well maybe I should dye my leg hairs pink too, what do you think?”

Har Hi shook his head. “Not that there is anything wrong with pink, but red is the royal color! You should dye them red!”

Our conversation was interrupted by Lt. Clusen entering our dorm.

Shaka saw him first and yelled.” Officer on deck.”

“Ah the Olafson gang is completely assembled.”

I had the strong notion that something fishy was going on.

He smiled like a cat that caught a fish.” You are to report to Hangar Deck Seven and with standard field gear at 0500 tomorrow. You are to meet a research team on a garden world for a routine survey mission.”

After saying that, he left.

I was certain I heard him whistling while the door closed behind him.

“Even though he has cut short our R&R, that mission doesn’t sound too bad.” Mao concluded. “I expected him to send us to the roughest extreme world for our field test.”

Har-Hi crossed his arms. “I am not so sure about that, Lt. Clusen hates us; I bet he went out of his way to find an especially difficult task.”

“Or simply a boring one, so we hardly gather any points.” Mao suggested.

“I tent do agree with Har-Hi. Something smells wrong about it. I heard him whistle.” I said.

Wetmouth opened her locker.” How standard do you think we should pack?” I shrugged and said. “We can’t prepare for every possibility, but I think we better request weapons and maybe they allow Destroyer suits to be issued.”

A Lieutenant we never seen before acted surprised to see us when we reported to him, arriving at the designated hangar deck. He called for a field screen and shrugged. “Everything looks alright. Those orders came from Fleet HQ.” He mumbled, checking the read out. Then he gestured towards a D14 Shuttle and said.” Your equipment is loaded and the pilot is standing by.”

“Sir, would it be permitted to request Destroyer Suits?” I asked.

Clusen appeared in the shuttle door and stepped down the short ramp. He said to us.”No, I cannot authorize Destroyer suits; your equipment is already loaded.”

“Your orders are to make contact with the research team on the planet. After you made contact, you are then to assist them to collect specimen and make a standard planetary survey. Furthermore you must deliver the equipment requested by the research team. Now get aboard we only have a short launch window! The Captain would be very angry if he had to change flight plans because of you!” We boarded the long range shuttle; the hatch had barley closed behind us as the Shuttle already accelerated down the launch tube.

The Shuttle was a plain cargo version and had only rudimentary seats in its cargo bay, other than us the cargo consisted of two standard containers. The flight deck was separated from the Cargo-bay by a door and the red light above it indicated that it was locked.

“I think we just walked into a trap.” I said.

“Sure feels that way.” Har-Hi agreed with a gloomy note in his voice.

The flight only took two hours and I could feel the characteristic movements of a shuttle entering a planet’s atmosphere.

At that point the shuttles Intercom came on for the first time since we had boarded it. “Here we are,” the unseen pilot said,”Planet Quagmire Bog.”

He then added while the intercom was still active. “I sure wonder why they send a team of Midshipmen to this cursed world, but then I am only a shuttle pilot. Anyway I have to return to the Devi right away. I drop you of at the old campsite and unload your equipment. I sure don’t want to stay there longer than I have to and besides I do have orders to return as fast as possible.”

“Sir can you double check that we are supposed to be here?” I asked.

“Already did that, because I could not believe they send me down here without an armed escort and make me drop of Midshipmen. However orders were confirmed to drop you and the equipment of right here.”

“Can you do us a favor, Sir and contact Captain Harris and tell him where we are?”

“Sure will! Now get out and let me drop the containers.”

We stepped on a swimming dura plast platform that was surrounded by brackish greenish water. The water belonged to a foul stinking lake the shores heavily forested.

A robot activated and carried a smaller box onto the platform, put it down and returned into the shuttle.

The shuttle lifted off turned on its end and the two containers slid out its back and splashed into the water, close to the platform, almost dousing us with the muddy green water.

The shuttle then accelerated fast and disappeared into the cloudy sky.

[1] This episode is part of Eric Olafson, Memories. GC Volume 44

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