A0tgs1



Adventures of the USS Tigershark (c) Vanessa Ravencroft 2018

(Volume 7, GC 32 ) Galactic Chronicles Book 33

Foreword

The Year is 5022 (Old Terran Time). The Milky Way Galaxy is teeming with life and sentient species. Earth is now known as Terra and part of the United Stars of the Galaxies, a multicultural mega civilization that by now stretches across two-quarters of the Milky Way Galaxy and has a foothold in the Andromeda Galaxy. There are over 5030 distinctive member civilizations calling themselves members of the Union. The United Stars Space fleet protects this mega civilization against external threats.

Eric Olafson, born on a cold world called Nilfeheim raised under harsh conditions of a very traditional inward-looking society of Neo Vikings left his planet to fulfill his dream to become a Starship captain.

He had reached that goal much sooner than he expected and is now the commanding officer of a unique Starship, the USS Tigershark. The ship is state of the art and incorporates the finest technologies of the most advanced civilizations of the Union.

Eric used to be 198 cm tall and weigh almost exactly 90 kilos. He still has gray eyes and some say he moves with the same purpose and grace as a Tiger or Nubhir Wolf.

Like everyone from Nilfeheim he has a greater tolerance to freezing temperatures and is able to stay submerged under water for a very long time because of gills and eyes that are adapted to see well underwater thanks to a second set of clear eyelids. His muscles are denser than that of a standard human, allowing him to swim longer and deeper. Due to that he has great endurance and is much stronger than he looks.

He loves fish, has a very clear sense of honor and hates unfair situations. Even though he doesn’t like to admit it, he carries the same short temper of his father and is more often than not ready to face a challenge with his fists or weapons.

But much has changed. Eric now lives as Black Velvet, a female pirate captain of mysterious background and feared by merchants and other pirates alike.

Currently, he appears to be a gorgeous female with beautiful long blonde hair and a killer body. His greatest wish fulfilled and his secret desire no longer a secret, still he isn’t so sure anymore what or who he is.

That he now looks like the fairer sex has done little to change his general approach to problems, head-on.

He is no longer oblivious to the fact that his final transformation has yet to occur.

Together with his truly unusual crew, he is sent into Freespace to hunt Pirates and Criminals.

In order to hunt Eric and the Crew of the Tigershark pose as Pirates themselves.

On their journey so far they encountered a ship full of human body parts, destined to the meat markets of Togr; met the supreme merchant of the Golden, who more or less blackmailed himself into the crew.

They encountered a lost tribe of Terrans, shrunk to an average size of ten centimeters; tackled pirates and slavers. Rescued the Gray Nul and thus created a foundation on which peace is possible and followed the Red Dragon to the bleak world of Itheamh.

It is here on Itheamh where Erica gets herself and the crew mixed up with the freedom fighters and rebels.

While Erica is on her way to the Smelter Moons, Har-Hi, the Dai remains on Itheamh, in temporary command of the Tigershark and on its way to investigate what secret weapon the evil magistrate and the chief of the secret police want to unleash on the rebellious population...

--""--

PRELUDE

The United Stars of the Galaxy, commonly referred to simply as the Union is a multicultural society that started out, about three thousand years ago.

The Union had grown tremendously since its official founding in the year 2220 OTT. Back when the Sarans, the Pan Sarans and the Terrans decided to unite under one government, no one could really foresee this development, not even as they welcomed their first official Union member society, the Ult who joined the Union the very same day.

Since then almost 5000 species and societies had joined the Union. I was spreading to other galaxies of the local group and while there was much-unexplored space in the Milky Way galaxy, much of the Upward sector of that galaxy was considered under Union control.

A Union citizen could make a GalNet call, to the furthest outpost in the Andromeda galaxy and be instantly connected without time delay and talk to a friend millions of light years away for a few credits. Or that citizen could actually travel there, on heavily subsidized space bus lines. A farmer on a planet near the Downward sector could offer to produce on the XChange and a citizen on a planet in the 3rd region of the Large Magellan was able to buy that product for an affordable price and receive it in less than five weeks.

There was great diversity within the Union. The smallest citizens being no bigger than a rice corn and the biggest one, an actual matter cloud of almost a cubic light hour in size.

Union citizens lived on stars, Jovian gas giants, planet surface environments of every kind and space itself.

All united by common laws and fundamental rights inherent to every sentient being. The right to life, self-expression, freedom, and liberty without restrictions, except if restricting or denying those rights to another sentient being.

It was the commitment of all to defend and thus guarantee those fundamental rights, that defines the core of Union law and philosophy. The other side of this philosophy was service to the community. Being a Union citizen came with tremendous benefits, but they were free and granted only to those who also served the Union community.

It was both incredibly simple and very complicated, but this and the lack of a ruling elite; the Union was ruled and governed by its citizens was the source of a very tangible commonly expressed pride.

Union citizens were seen as aloft, demanding and spoiled by others, but they were content and it showed. You can only live free and safe if you are strong enough to defend yourself.

The Union was not without enemies and fought many wars since it was founded. To defend itself it had developed branches of armed services, chief among them the mighty  Union Spatial Navy.

All this was expressed by the Assembly of the United Stars of the Galaxy on Pluribus Unum, where representatives of all Union members came together to discuss and then vote upon all aspects of Union life.

The end of 5021 brought many surprising and unexpected developments. It was just a week before the celebration of Union Week and thus the official end of the Union year; when the high representative of the Saresii stepped into the alcove of Nilfeheim planet, carrying a decorated gift box.

The planet rep alcove was located high up and near the apex of the Assembly sphere.

As usual this close to the end of the year, almost every alcove was occupied and the final points of the List were discussed before it was officially published for Union citizens to vote upon.

The List was an accumulated list of issues that were raised to Union-wide status, meaning all Union citizen were to vote upon these. It included the budgets for all Union services and departments, including armed services, Union Schools, Space Bus subsidies and civil services. Union citizens would also vote on the next Speaker of the Assembly and other important and annual reoccurring issues.

Currently, the representative of the Xandrao, one of the very latest Union members and the first member civilization located in the vastly unknown and unexplored Downward sector of the Galaxy, addressed the Assembly. The representative of that civilization very much resembled a very muscular upright walking cow, complete with horns and spoon-shaped ears. He delivered a speech of thanks and appreciation as his civilization just received the so-called Welcome Wagon. An enormous fleet of transports with gifts and essentials. CITI machines, GalNet terminals, Union school equipment and teachers. A huge number of GalNet enabled PDDs, libraries, space bus terminals and defense equipment. As it had become tradition, the Welcome Wagon also contained gifts of other member civilizations to the new member.

The Xandrao was just describing how overwhelmed and how euphoric his people were as the Welcome Wagon arrived and brought home to everyone, that the Xandrao were indeed Union members.

The Nilfeheim alcove was already occupied, by Egil Skallagrimmson the representative of this small and quite unimportant world and by the deeply shrouded representative of the Narth.

Alegar the Saresii smiled as he saw both his friends reclined in their seats and said."So they made us official, who would have thought the entire Union was interested in our opinion."

Egil responded in his usual grumpy style."Teaches me to leave my peaceful secluded life as a hermit. Being the rep for those stubborn Neo Vikings of mine was already more than I really wanted and now I am supposed to be a wise man and deliver learned advice about things I have no clue about."

The hooded face of the Narth turned, physically switching his focus from the Xandrao to Egil. "One expected such a vote, considering the exposure our small group has received. A column in the Assembly Observer entitled 'The Three Wise Men' and our repeated participation as a group rather than individuals."

Alegar sat down in his accustomed seat on the other side of Egil, who now was in the middle of the other two.

He opened the box and held it open before Egil but in such a fashion indicating that he included the Narth. "I brought Saresii Foam cookies, deliciously decadent and sweet."

Egill fished one of the insubstantial things out of the gift box and complained after eating it."It's like chewing on a piece of sweetened fog really. Nothing a Neo Viking would ever consider buying."

Narth had telekinetically selected one of the foam balls and it disappeared into thin air after it had floated near where his mouth would be behind his hood. "Experiencing flavor, textures, and tastes of solid sustenance for a considerable time now, one tends to agree with Egil. It seems however that the consumption of one feels inadequate and one is compelled to try another."

Egill who had put the third one in his mouth rolled his eyes."Seems you can never have just one cookie."

Alegar popped one into his mouth himself and chewed without losing his grin."You are hypocrites, both of you."

The Saresii placed the box in front of them for easy reach and after listening to the Xandrao who was just coming to an end.

The Speaker of the Assembly, this year a massive Boloth addressed the Assembly after he thanked the Xandrao welcomed the representative of the Dolbarian, a species distantly related to the Holdians. The Dolbarian had joined the Union at the same time as the Xandrao and had been an unwilling Kermac Thrall species before they were liberated and immediately applied for Union membership to prevent the return of the Kermac.

Alegar was making sure the privacy fields of the alcove were active before he said."The Mini Terrans, the Golden, the Conck, the Xandrao, and the Dolbarians. They are all Union members because of actions your grandchild took. That is without question the most impressive contribution to the Union by anyone, you should be proud of her."

"The Golden would have joined anyway; the Conck and the Oolur have joined because of the Takkians."

"You are such a nitpick. If I understand, the Supreme merchant himself travels aboard your granddaughter's ship and has become a friend of hers."

Egill's eyes glittered with pride and mischief as he said."You better stay seated then, I think Admiral McElligott is next and he has something to say that even I would consider historical." Egill then turned to the Narth. "And you don't spill the beans."

"One has no container or vessel containing legumes that could be spilled. Because of this one assumes this is yet another matter of speech."

The Narth pointed with his flat hand towards the center of the Assembly, where a small group of beings, a Shiss, a Klack, two humans, an Ult, and a Botnaar walked to the Focus point."One, however, is compelled to point out that it is not the Admiral of the Fleet who is speaking after the Dolbarian."

The Speaker introduced the group as docket number 12 and as the elected committee of a Union citizen group.

It was the Ult who turned out to be the one addressing the Assembly. "Members of the Assembly, fellow citizens we come before you with a complain that has in the name of politics been ignored for too long.

I am Worr Stumt, I was an aquatic farmer on Nistru, a nice wet world no one of you probably remember hearing about. It is a colony far down the Upward sector in an area known as the Union-Freespace Fringes. Yet our planet and many planets have been mentioned in reports to the Assembly. It has been raided by pirates and slavers. I myself ended up on Alvor's cove, as a slave and almost dying unable to replenish the water in my tattered and malfunctioning moisture suit."

A field screen established behind the group and it began showing recordings of brutal planet raids, pirate attacks on civilian ships and recordings of Karthanians buying slaves. Other recording showed Togar haggling with slavers over the price for humans. Images of a ship full of human body parts destined to Togar meat markets repeated as well.

We have been freed by an unknown entity and returned to Union space, but many Union citizens remain in slave capture, are being sold for food and a fate unthinkable. Yet every time the subject of slavery and pirate raids come up, the councils and advisors to the Assembly say that it is only a very small number of Union citizens each year that fall prey to slavers and pirates."

The Klack stepped forward. "In the name of galactic peace you say, must we honor our commitment to the Freespace treaty. You called the attack on Checkpoint 96 a mere pinprick just a few years ago, yet 943 Union Citizens died that day. The culprit Red Dragon still at large."

One of the humans held up a PDD and read aloud. "Assembly resolution 59 of the fifth October 5019- Given the de facto declaration of war on the Union by the pirate Red Dragon and his associates with their attack on Outpost 96, it was proposed to put to a vote by Union Citizens the following question: Given the use of Freespace as a safe haven for pirates which can use it to regroup after attacking locations and ships within Union Space, it is proposed to temporarily ignore the terms in the Free Space Treaty and remove that safe haven.  Doing so will risk a war with the other signers of that treaty, a war that is judged to end with a likely Union win, but not without the cost of billions of lives and ships.  Vote "Yes" for decisive military action including ignoring the Free Space Treaty or "No" for a tempered approach that will respect the terms of the Free Space Treaty while doing everything possible without violating existing treaties.

The proposal was defeated by a much narrower margin than expected with 48% of the Citizens voting for decisive military action, while 52% voted for a tempered approach."

The other human put much accusations in his voice as he said."What exactly was that tempered approach? I have been captured and sold as a slave. I was rescued by an incredible brave RaVE agent. RaVE does a tremendous job but should not even exist. We demand justice and revenge for those who have died. I did not sign that Freespace treaty but I was told in Union school that freedom and liberty are our highest values and that all the Union will defend the rights of everyone. This seems to be an inconvenient promise when it comes to galactic politics!"

That address caused a tremendous stir among all the representatives.

The representative of the Petharians was the first to speak."They are quite correct, I too want to know what tempered approach actually means. Does it mean we simply ignore the pleas of a few for the safety of many? Why are we not listening to the Immortal Warrior and send every ship and every fighting being into Freespace and eliminate everything and everyone standing against us?"

The Vantax representative was next and called up a recording of a mass execution. "Six hundred raiders captured alive by Union forces were executed. Several notorious pirates including Captain Swift were hanged just recently. That tempered approach is not an empty promise. We all voted to give NAVINT more authority to operate in regions where regular Navy can not. Due to very understandable classification restrictions, we are not told how Pirate Swift, Dentar Bloom, The Cruel one and several others met their fate, but we all know why all these pirates and slavers suddenly were taken out of the game. Sin 4 is no more." He spread his long arms. "We also voted to ratify and respect the Freespace treaty. I know many think of us Vantax as cowards and pacifists, but we too are Union members and we will fight just as the Petharians, maybe not as effective but just as dedicated. However, we decided to abandon presidents and leaders and vote on all issues. We are thus responsible for all our decisions."

The Quadiped representative managed to be next."We don't have leaders, but just yesterday we voted overwhelmingly to hear the opinion of the Three wise ones. Why don't we let them weigh in on this?"

"I was afraid of this," Egill said as the visual pickups focused on them. Without the usual courtesy greetings, he went right at it."You just mentioned that you don't want leaders yet you decided you wanted to listen to three unimportant guys. There are much wiser and more knowledgeable, more intelligent beings available for that. Mothermachine, her majesty the Klack Queen, the Narth Supreme of course"

Egil was interrupted by the Narth."One likes to point out that none of the entities you mentioned are members of the Assembly and that the Narth Supreme rejects all leadership roles."

"Yet you find it okay that all of them think we should be?" Egil snapped back in front of the live pickup.

"One finds it perhaps illogical, but it is the will of the Assembly and in an extension of all Union citizens. That one is cast in such a prominent opinion making position is not a desirable position, but a position it appears to be."

The Saresii nodded."They made me the Saresii representative because of you, grumpy old Viking. I was perfectly happy as an observer. So what is your opinion on all of this?"

Egill snapped back."No one forced you to become a friend of mine you know! Besides it is the other way around, they only include me because of you two."

This banter was of course seen by billions and it had quickly become a Union-wide institution, citizens actually turned in on Channel One to see and hear that interaction between those three.

Egill faced the Assembly and thus the visual pickups."If I don't like the practice and behavior of a business, I simply don't buy anything from them. We as the Union do business with Karthania. Maybe not buying Karthanian products will make them think twice, using Union slaves to make those products."

It was the speaker of the Assembly who commented. "A boycott of Karthanian wares and stop doing business with them. Not a bad idea at all."

The Assembly decided to ban all Karthanian imports and put a heavy fine on anyone ignoring it.

The Speaker thanked the Three Wisemen and announced the Admiral of the Fleet.

Admiral McElligott did not come alone, the being walking alongside the immortal admiral across the insubstantial force field bridge to the center of the sphere which was called the Focus, caused quite a stir of anticipation. The being was huge gray Nul.

After the usual words of welcome and greetings exchanged, the kilt-wearing admiral said."With feelings of great honor and pride, I am introducing the All-Leader of the Nul society to the Assembly of the Union. His Excellency has expressed his wish to address all of you."Mighty Union, proud citizens. It is the second time I am standing before you. I come before you to officially request Union membership for all that is Nul. Please begin the PUMA process on our behalf."

It was technically a routine request, made by delegations or leaders of non-Union societies before but this request coming from the Nul leader was indeed a historical moment. The Nul had been a hostile society until very recently and were considered a serious and potent adversary.

The Nul leaders request was met with an enthusiastic applause and the request to begin the Potential Union member approval process was voted on with a 98 to 2 vote.

The Nul leader thanked them and then held up a PDD."I am making this request for my society, I myself am a Union citizen since this morning."

--""--

When the Assembly returned ten days later and the official calendars displayed the year 5022, the Assembly anticipated the appearance of another immortal Admiral. The one called the Eternal Warrior, perhaps the most respected and beloved Union entity there was, Admiral Richard Stahl.

Stahl did not appear very often before the Assembly, but when he did almost everyone in the Union watched or listened in.

The Admiral delivered his annual Union military report and ended it with a request to send the First Fleet on a show of force to visit Xandr to put the Togar, the Karthanians and the Dai on notice and remind them who's tail they kept pulling.

The Pan Saran representative asked to speak and proposed to send not just the First Fleet, but all fleets assigned to COWACOM. To demonstrate the true power and might of the Union to Dai, Togar, Karthanians, Oghr and those who thought to be too distant for Union retaliation.

It was overwhelmingly approved. A Union armada of such enormous size was just one of those projects that put a smile of pride on Union citizens faces, this was how the Union dealt with problems and challenges after all.

The Nul observer, not a real representative yet got up and said."The Nul All Leader who is following this Assembly session has just authorized me to commit the first and second Nul Armada to take part in this show of force. It is hoped it will show all the players in that region how deeply committed we Nul are to our Union allies and soon fellow Union members. On an unrelated note, I like to say that the PUMA process is advancing even better than anticipated."

The Assembly authorized the official formation of a new Sector command, the  DOWACOM (for Downward Command). The Union Armada was to establish a few armed outposts and relay stations to enable unrestricted GalNet and space bus traffic to Xandr and its twelve star systems, to engage any hostile or potential hostile contact and openly remind the Togr and Karthanian leaders how dangerous it was to deal with Union slaves.

Admiral Stahl left the Assembly with a deep grin on his face.

--""--

Togr

The messenger that very undignified ran into the throne room of the Queen was no other than the war minister herself. She ignored the surprised and disapproving hisses of the court members that were present. The queen herself, who just received gifts of province leaders rose from her throne branch and hissed even louder."Have you no respect for your sovereign? What is it that makes you disregard any courtesy and respect. Be quick with your explanation and it better be good!"

The war minister wiped her snout and gathered her tail. "Your Highness, the Union fleet is coming this way."

The queen lost much of her haughtiness and kept standing. An entire fleet with all battle groups?"

"No your majesty, an armada of over 100,000 ships, alongside with thousands of Nul ships. The Devastator is leading it."

"Malmoru help us. Alert all units, return to Togr."

"A province leader said with unveiled criticism. "Maybe you should not have made the Lightspirit angry by trying to kill his daughter! we all know the reasons for those accusations and the mock trial."

The queen motioned to the guards. "Arrest this traitorous person and prepare for her execution."

"Maybe I die by your hand, maybe I am rescued but you will face Union executioners and you will hang. The Terrans will remember every human we ate. You really think you can stop the Eternal warrior?"

--""--

Karthania

The High guild master of the Hull Builders who served the guild chambers as chairperson was just discussing the recent troublesome developments on Itheamh; the festering little group of dissidents that never been more than a local nuisance suddenly grew into a planet-wide revolt. He agreed with the intelligence analysis of the local Drak secret police chief, it had to be the Togar who was behind it, how else could the defeat of Ognyx walkers and the shutdown of the sky punisher net be explained?

Aloud he said."The cats of Togr getting more aggressive every rotation, but the five regiments we ordered from King Fithark of the Orkh-Oghr will restore order, Togar influence or not. It would take  Togar troop deployment and thus open war. Will they risk that?"

The engine builder master was not a friend of the Hull builder and despised the hull builder guild for keeping the lead chair occupied with their master, instead of rotating it as it used to be done. However, reverting to the old days would mean an active First Engineer and an end of the guild masters reign of power.

"Five regiments? King Fithark never sends a single brute without being paid first. Who paid all that Polonium?"

The small but influential Weapon builder guild was led by a shrewd Karthanian who was known to keep a tight lit on government expenses opened a field screen. He made an angry sound and said."Did you authorize the payment of 12 million Fullweights to the Orkh-Oghr? Twelve million without consulting us all?"

"Oh, be silent, weapon maker. It had to be done, whatever the rebels got from the Togar defeated Ognyx walkers. We install an Oghr military tribunal as we did on Moghd. Besides King Fithark is your best customer, much of the Polo spend will end in your guild's coffers."

One of the guild master's aides rushed to the engine makers side and spoke silently. The engine maker switched feeds on his terminal. Now more aides approached their respective masters and then someone turned on the big field screen above the guild chamber table.

A Karthanian intelligence officer reported with a breathless voice."There is an immense Union fleet coming this way, over 100,000 ships along with at least two full strength Nul armadas. An Orkh-Oghr commandant did not reply to Union hails quick enough and spoke insulting to a forward Union destroyer. According to reports, all five Orkh transports have been destroyed. Instead of declaring war or retaliate, King Fithark was quick to issue an official apology. Some call him a coward, but most agree it was a very wise move."

The engine builder hissed."Do we have Union slaves at the moment? The Union embargo is cutting deep into our profits already."

The Hull Builder sounded much less forceful and self-confident than usual."Several thousand and it is no secret."

"I always warned you all, using Union slaves." The weapon builder accused them."There is no one short of the Kermac able to engage such an enormous force. It looks like their Assembly finally listened to that mystical warrior of theirs and he comes to make us pay."

"We must contact their Assembly and see if we can not make amends." The Engine builder said.

The Hull Builder fell silent and hoped the Union Armada would not sweep into Karthanian space and find his special secret, seven thriving planets of Freons, that survived the United Earth initiated genocide so long ago and waited for their chance of revenge. If the other Karthanians found out, his career, his guild, and his very life were over.

--""--

CAM ELF-NA

"How many did you say?" The self-elected leader of the Dai Than asked the scout that had just returned to the massive Dai Mother of the Na tribe.

"I can not say for sure my liege, but I estimate over 100,000 capital ships and many more support ships. Among them thousands of Nul battleships and new Union Dai carriers, we heard rumors about."

"They are Okthi Dai!" Cam Elf-Na screamed. "Okthi scum, not Union Dai." Then he stopped and realized what he just heard. "Did you say 100,000 ships?"

"At least, my liege."

"They are hunting for us, no doubt! Quick give signal to all units. We must hide in Karthanian space."

USS DEVASTATOR

Captain Harris got up from his command seat as he saw the huge being standing on the bridge access lift platform.

It was certainly a historic moment, as the All leader of the Nul stepped onto the bridge.

While the leader of a very powerful society was officially greeted and welcomed by admirals, high officers and of course by him, aboard the USS Devastator a day ago was of course the official historical moment with all the military traditions, but to him seeing the gray leader coming onto the bridge without a big entourage, just a Union lieutenant giving him a tour and being allowed to do so was the real significant event.

Harris came down the ramp and greeted the Nul leader."Welcome to the bridge of the Devastator, your highness."

"I am deeply impressed, Captain Harris. The ship is magnificent and mighty, but it is the discipline and

the dedication of its crew that is the real power of this ship and the Union spatial fleet."

"It seems we have more in common than things that set us apart, your highness."

"Do not use this address, Captain Harris. On this ship you are the highest authority, call me Xux. We always believed this ship was commanded by the Immortal Warrior, yet I learned it has a long history of commanding officers."

Harris smiled."You are not so wrong, Xux. This ship is part of the Union fleet, it is commanded by me at the moment, but there is no doubt it is Stahl's ship."

"Where is he?"

"Admiral Stahl is currently aboard the USS Shadow Hawk, a destroyer sized ship that is part of the advanced spearhead."

"His reputation is not based on myth and propaganda."

"No Mr. Xux, he is always at the front and right where the action is. He has been like this since the beginning."

"And it was the misfortune of the Oghr-Orks to cross the path of this particular destroyer. No wonder they were destroyed. I had a feeling that this was not just any destroyer."

Harris sighed with a smile."Indeed your highness, the Oghr, didn't believe it was Admiral Stahl and insulted the Eternal Warrior and even fired upon the Shadow Hawk."

It sounded like someone was gargling gravel, as the Gray Nul leader was laughing."Not even during the height of our animosities could you have found a Nul brave enough to do that."

--""--

CHAPTER 01: STAR DEMON

Har-Hi watched as the Kartanian transport climbed into the sky and disappeared moments later. Then he activated atmospheric flight modus on his battle suit and flew south. He checked on his tactical readout and saw five marines, Shea, Hans, Krabbel and TheOther doing the same thing.

He didn’t know exactly where to go, as the NAVINT officer who was posing as the First Magistrates pilot chauffeur had not yet transmitted any coordinates or directions.

Shea came on and said. “It is nice to be on a mission and not stuck in the ship all the time, but I wish we could have gone together.”

Har-Hi responded. “Don’t worry, the Captain can take care of herself. The Karthanian slave lords have no chance.”

He could hear breathing for a moment and then she said. “I know, I am still worried, Erica is changing and I don’t mean how she gets more comfortable being female.”

He said. “I just think she is growing up. We are all growing up. We were just kids when we met.”

But while he said that he knew what she meant. He had very briefly seen what was sleeping inside his best friend. There were no words he could describe it, but he who rarely feared anything still could feel the sheer terror he had felt as he noticed the black flames in the eyes of Erica.

The chirping sound of a Comm-request interrupted his thoughts. The Computronic of his suit identified it as a NAVINT short burst scramble. It was just a set of coordinates, not a voice transmission.

He blinked the received data onto a global map and microseconds later changed his course and increased his speed to ten times the speed of sound.

The coordinates were almost on the other side of the planet and belonged to a mountainous island that stuck out from the only open water body the planet had an immense salt lake.

About hundred kilometers out they dropped to subsonic speeds, as their cloaking shield could not hide the streak of glowing air molecules their high-speed flight generated.

Shea, always the scientist cooed over the immense salt lake and said. “According to my readings, the lake water has a salinity level of over 48 percent, no wonder it is still liquid despite the freezing temperatures out here.”

One of the Marines reported almost simultaneously. “ Sir,  there are no life sign readings within 200 miles, except at the target zone.”

Har-Hi acknowledged both and told them to reduce their speed further and to approach with the greatest stealth possible. He sends two marines three miles up and right over the island, so they could give sniper cover.

The island was no bigger than maybe ten acres and had a collection of surface buildings. A single scaffold-like tower stood over a concrete rimmed hole. It was part of an elevator system or hoist mechanism. Har-Hi’s optic sensors had no problem zooming in on the black flyer limousine that parked next to the collection of buildings. There were dozens of well-concealed pillboxes all around the compound and each of them registered two life forms and a high energy signature, most likely a blaster weapon.

Whatever the Drak were hiding there, they did not want to share it with anyone else.

Har-Hi felt confident in the Atlas suit technology and the cloaking and flew closer. Shea was now floating right next to him. “Whatever it is they are hiding, I guess we have to go down there and check it out, my suit sensors are unable to pick anything, they must be quite deep under the surface.”

Har-Hi agreed and said. “Hans you and the Marines stay out here and form a perimeter guard. Shea, Krabbel, and TheOther go down and check what they are hiding. If you do not hear from us after two hours, you come after us.”

Har-Hi could almost hear the frown in the face of his friend as Hans responded. “Yes Sir, but you could simply send me down first.”

“Sorry Hans, I am sure I need Shea’s scientific expertise and I need you out here to make sure whatever they are brewing or launching is stopped, in case we don’t make it in time.”

Har-Hi then took the lead and dove head first into the concrete-lined shaft.

The concrete was replaced by natural rock as they descended. Har-Hi could see lights far down and his suit sensors told him that the shaft floor was almost 2456 meters below him.

Shea said. “That rock is heavily laced with magnetite and other minerals, no wonder our sensors are not really penetrating deeper.”

Har-Hi slowed down and signaled the others to do the same, then he asked. “Will it interfere with our communications?”

“No, it is simple three dimensional this side of normal space interference. I think we should still be able to reach Erica unless she is already past GalNet reach.”

Har-Hi kept his eyes on the elevator cage he could see sitting all the way on the bottom and said. “Let’s not worry the Captain. If we call she will be concerned and turn around.”

Shea agreed. “Yes, we should be able to solve a little mystery on our own.”

They reached the bottom of the shaft. There was no one,  the elevator cage was empty and so was the cavernous hall that could be accessed from the elevator shaft. The light came from elements that had been attached to the reddish rock in regular intervals. The floor was smooth. A set of metal begun right by the elevator cage extended into the cavern and after about twenty meters it split into two and each track disappeared into a tunnel. Both tunnels looked identical.

Har-Hi grunted. “That is just great, it appeared they had some sort of tracked vehicle and went down one of those tunnels. Question is, which one?”

Krabbel said. “We are four, two of us for each tunnel and whoever finds something first, calls the others. Come on we are wearing Atlas Battlesuits and we are armed to the fangs, there is nothing the Karthanians or the Drak have that could seriously harm us, besides we have Hans and Marines for back up.”

Shea said. “You are a Dai Warrior, Union trained. I am not just a pretty door stopper in the science lab, I can hold my own. I even brought along my sword.”

Krabbel added. “Come on, Erica would already be done down here.”

Somehow it was that statement that made Har-Hi decide. “Alright you two go down the left tunnel and Shea and I take the right one. Remember if you come across old-fashioned atomic weapons, they can be very powerful, especially in a confined space like this. While our shields should be able to handle the heat and radiation for a while. We are far below the ground and if the bombs are big enough they can overwhelm even our shields. Krabbel held up an egg-shaped device. “We got plenty of EMP grenades.”

Har-Hi said. “As soon as you come across something you call us, you stay cloaked and let Shea have a look.”

They were eager and confident. Krabbel and the towering Y’All hovered away and disappeared into the left passageway.

There was nothing else for him to do but go lead Shea into the other. He had never been afraid of the unknown and his warrior nature wanted to charge ahead and find hundreds of opponents he could fight, but now he was a leader. His best friend and his Captain had put her confidence in him to solve the mystery and bring back everyone. Har-Hi was in charge before when they won the Reagan Trophy and he was the XO of the Tigershark. He knew every soul on board that ship would follow him without question and without hesitation. Yet even a relatively small, primitive Atomic warhead would be a serious challenge to the shields and the armor. He did not believe it was anything small since the Drak hoped to defeat the rebellion and the approaching Oghr warriors. The Drak were light-years behind Union technology and no old-fashioned atomic weapon could do much damage to modern equipped Oghr troops in the open. He was certain it was something more sinister.

His Suit systems told him where Shea was, but he could not see her not even with the advanced sensor optics of the suit he was wearing. She was right behind him.

They both hovered just a few inches off the ground and progressed down the featureless winding rock corridor at about the same speed as a running Attikan. He didn’t dare to fly faster, even invisible the suits displaced air and thus created sounds,besides flying much faster would mean to rely on the suits computronic for steering and he simply wanted to stay in full control.

He checked on Krabbel and TheOther, they both made similar uneventful progress but were now over 12 kilometers apart. He also got a clear connection to Hans who told him, that the actual compound the buildings apart from the concealed pillboxes were completely empty.

Shea said. “We are now far below the salt lake and progressed 8.5 kilometers from the entrance area. Krabbel and TheOther are now progressing steadily into a northeastern direction while we more or less going south now and I think we are following a natural lava flow that has been smoothened into a passage. This would explain the winding nature.”

Har-Hi could not really explain his anticipation and nervousness as he checked his weapon systems for the tenth time and made sure his main TKU was fully charged and set to the highest discharge rate. He acknowledged the ever curious Shea with a short grunt.

She asked. “What is bothering you? Would you rather have Hans with you or maybe Erica?”

He slowed down a little and said. “No, Shea I really wanted you with me. If we come across something alien or ancient technology, you have a better chance to identify it than anyone. I just can’t shake this feeling that we going to face something very dangerous. I don’t think that First Magistrate is a fool, he knows what is coming and yet he is certain whatever is down here will vindicate them.”

She said. “I analyzed the conversation between the Magistrate and the Police Chief and you are right, they might have questionable morals and base their existence on ethics we do not like, but they are both not quite intelligent. I came to the conclusion that they have no control over whatever they will set in motion down here. I further analyzed any available data on that second planet, their planet of origin. I could not detect or verify any excessive radiation regions. A nuclear weapon exchange that turns a planet into an inhospitable wasteland must be quite substantial and such radiation should be measurable even now. I also reject the idea of a biological weapon, since the survivors came here and did not bring it along. It is almost impossible to maintain sterile conditions in a mass exodus as they described. I am confident to say with 89 percent probability that whatever weapons they used was not biological, at least not in the classical terms like bacteria or virus.”

Har-Hi never claimed to have the same analytical intellect as Shea, but he always had a good portion of common sense and without putting it in percentages or detailed conclusions, he had the same ideas ever since he watched the First Magistrate talking. To Shea he said. “All the more reason for us to find out what it is and keep our eyes wide open.

The tracks ended and the corridor widened into a big cavern. The walls were smooth as metal and had a dark gray color and completed a perfectly hemispherical room of fifty meters in diameter.

The floor was equally gray and smooth. In the enter were four towering objects made of the same gray metal. Har-Hi estimated them to be at least twenty meters tall,  sickle-shaped with the curved side tapering to needle-sharp ends and almost touching, forming something like a stylized cage.

He saw the Magistrate and the police chief standing right in the center of the room and right underneath those inward bend talon shaped columns.

There was no one else.

Both Drak had cast off their leather coats and wore dark red long robes with wide sleeves. Both aliens had their arms stretched out and just then a bright spot of light appeared floating between them.

Shea said. “I lost contact to the others!”

Har-Hi also noticed that the ComLink indicators in the upper right of his retina display had gone from green to red and no matter how much he looked at them, to tell the system to establish contact, they remained red and the Computronic said. “Current location blocks all TransDim communication. Contact request failed.”

At first, he thought only the four talon shaped like columns started to turn, but then he realized it was the entire floor that started to revolve around that center. As he looked around he could no longer see the entrance. It was simply gone and the wall was gray and smooth.

Shea whispered out of instinct and said. “The material of this chamber resists my scans, but from the reflection rate, I am certain it is a form of Neutronium.”

Har-Hi cursed silently knowing that nothing he had along would cut Neutronium.

Shea was still talking and said. “Whatever they do, it creates TransDim conditions far beyond my comprehension of…”

The white ball of light turned color and shimmered in a dark red. And it started to grow.

Har-Hi wanted to raise his weapon and shoot the Drak, maybe that would stop whatever they were summoning when his Suit system warned him. “Unable to maintain cloaking field. “

From the side, he saw Shea appearing and he knew he too was no longer invisible. He fired, but the TKU bolt was deflected sideways before it reached the men, the bolt hammered into the Neutronium wall of the cave and dissipated.

Har-Hi could no longer see the two Drak, and the red light completely filled the inside area of the four talon shaped columns and from within a form became solid. Something immense, surrounded by flames. Monstrous arms with burning reddish black skin appeared, with razor sharp looking yellowish claws. Har-Hi wanted to step back, but he stood his ground. More arms appeared, the Dai counted six and then he saw the Drak, held like playthings in two of this gnarled oversized blistering fists, they were no longer alive, squeezed like a sponge, blood dripping from between the monster's fingers. Har-Ho was almost feeling the heat coming from the beast and now it came into full view.

Never had he seen anything like it and his mind reeled trying to find images, words to describe to himself what he saw. He noticed  Shea, just as brave was holding out her scanner.”

Har-Hi fired at the things head, that shifted and moved inside a ball of fire. The monster roared as its head was split by the powerful blast, but right after the bolt had passed through the head formed anew and was unhurt as before. The Monster was fast and grabbed Har-Hi. His suit instantly establishing a force field., the Hand of the monster singed away and the being screamed, but just like with his head, the injured hand re-appeared and this time it took Shea. She too was shielded but to Har-Hi’s horror her energy shield collapsed and he firey demon-like monster snatched her up! Har-Hi threw an anti-matter grenade pellet. It detonated with force, his suit had to compensate so he would not be thrown into the wall. The Demon had lost an arm but it too regrew!

Before Har-Hi could even come up with a plan how to defeat that thing. It stepped through the wall, with Shea and then it was gone!

Har-Hi jumped with is augmented muscle and collided with a solid wall. With a glimmer of hope, he noticed that the also neutronium coated claws of his suit left deep scratches in the wall.

He clawed like a maniac and actually made progress, and was able to tear of a sizeable piece, only to be faced with solid rock. His suit sensors capable of penetrating the rock told him that there was solid rock as far as he could scan!

Just outside his field of view, he noticed white light and he turned. There in the center of the room another field of light appeared, this time it was white and a humanoid shape appeared. The light faded and a muscular human man stood in its place. He wore some kind of metallic armor, quite similar to an ancient knight. Over his armor, he wore a white overcoat girded at the hips. A wide billowing cape also of a bright white material around his shoulders. His head covered by a close-fitting chrome silvery helmet that had only a T shaped slit to see. The being also held a long sword-like weapon and the blade itself appeared as if it was made of brilliant white light.

The being slowly looked around and then spoke with a thunderous voice, “Speak, mortal why have thou wakened the Star demon?”

Har-Hi decided not to pretend and he said. “I am Lt Hi, United Stars of the Galaxies. I have come here trying to prevent the Drak from releasing whatever that was. It has snatched a comrade of mine and disappeared.”

The armored being stepped closer, “I am Lord Lumis, I have come to slay the Dark One. To send this vilest scion of death and darkness into oblivion so light and life may reign supreme. This is one of the gateways placed where the veil that separates many planes of existence is weakest.” He looked around and nodded. “A Pree construct, I see. Those meddling mortals have been dealt with and yet their cursed handiwork still exists. “

Har-Hi said. “Whoever you are you seem to know how this works. Can you open the passageway so I can go after my comrade, I fear the worst!”

“Indeed you must fear. What mortal could stand against the child of a living star? The White Knights have guarded this beast for eons. It does not belong to this Universe. The Star demon could have gone to a thousand places, for this is a nexus.”

“Just open the door and let me out. I am sure the thing is tearing Itheamh apart as we speak.”

“I know no such place, but then I have traveled this Universe for a long time and there are so many places. This place however I know. You are at the Nexus. “

A passageway opened and instead of looking into a tunnel, Har Hi stared onto a crater-riddled surface and a star gleaming sky. Har-Hi said. “Where are we?”

“You are at the Nexus, Dai-Than. I know of the World Thana-Shoo where your kind dwells. It is in a nearby Galaxy if I recall correctly.”

--""--

CHAPTER 02 NEXUS

Shea tried to catch her breath, her suit was in restore and repair mode and the system assured her that it would be fully functional in less than an hour. Krabbel was not so lucky and her Archa friend was missing a leg. Hans and the Y’All and the marines were unharmed, except for a few bruises.

The island was destroyed, and the shaft leading into the deep had collapsed.

Hans was sitting by Krabbel who assured her that the Auto-Doc of his suit kept him pain-free and that losing a leg was not the same to an Archa as it was for a human.

Hans raised the shield of his helmet and said. “Can someone tell me again what actually happened?”

Shea collapsed her helmet and wiped her tears. “We lost Har-Hi, I saw him fight the Energy beast before it snatched me and raced through the corridor. It emitted so much gravitation and so much heat, it collapsed the caves and passages below. At last, you heard my warning and made it out in time.”

Krabbel gestured to the spot where his leg was missing. “Just barely.”

Shea looked at him. “Cateria is on her way she will grow you a new one in no time.”

Shea sniffed and said. “Energy weapons were the wrong approach, of course, to fight a being that was very like our own Ensign Three-Four and he came as fast as he could and drained much of the beasts energy, our EMP grenades then killed it. Just as a strong EMP pulse would kill a Non-Corp.”

Hans nodded. “Yes that part I understand, we know how to kill energy beings, but what was it? And where did it come from?”

Shea pulled her PDD, it was a tough combat version and despite its partially melted housing it still worked fine. She projected an image of the cavern so they all could see it. “There was something like a trans-dimensional gateway down there. I am certain it was from an ancient high tech civilization and the Drak stumbled on it while mining Magnetite crystal. I do not know how they learned how to use or activate it, but they summoned that energy being. It would have been devastating and quite capable of destroying every living thing on this world, including us. It was even feeding of my TransDim shields so I turned them off. Luckily my suit was tough enough to handle the fiery grip. I still almost cooked me alive.”

Hans also wiped a tear from his eyes. “Maybe Har-Hi is still alive.”

She looked up. “I wish he was, but how could he be? Buried underneath millions of tons of rock? Not even his suit could handle that much pressure.”

They saw the Landing tank approaching and land nearby. Hans got up and said. “We going to dig him out. No matter how long it takes. He is a Dai and deserves to have his final resting place in space, not dirtside.”

--

Har-Hi had stepped outside and fired survey satellite into orbit. Moments later he knew he was on a lifeless dry world with a thin atmosphere, that circled alone around an immensely bloated and weak red sun. TransDim worked fine now but he got no connection, no receiver and no relay station in range.

He went back inside and the strange armored knight was still there. He said. “if you know how this thing works can you not send me back to where I came from?”

The being said. “Everyone can use the Nexus, all you need is to speak to it in the language of the Pree, but wherever you came from is destroyed. The Star Demon has no sense other than to destroy. It is an old being and very angry at everything alive.”

Har-Hi said with an angry tone. “If that thing harmed my friends, I will find a way to kill it!”

“You are Dai-Than. It is the purpose of the Dai Than to be the warriors and protectors of Tana-Shoo. It is how you have been made by the lost sons of the Saresii and the Seenians. But mortal you are and to stand against a being that calls a star its home, is beyond you.”

Har-Hi held out his finger and said. “Do not speak of that. It is forbidden! Thana Shoo is lost and my kind roams the heavens. The faded legends of the time before Thana Shoo was destroyed are forbidden. No one shall speak of them.”

Har-Hi went back to the sickle-shaped columns. “Tell me Lord Lumis, how does this work. I must go back!”

The White dressed being said. “I told you how it works and I already gave you the gift to speak the old Pree language, but the Star Demon has drained its energy. It will take two revolutions of this planet around the old sun Rohardoor before it gathered enough energy to allow another passage. These constructs are old and the sun from which it takes its energy is old and tired.

Har-Hi fed the information into his computronic and co-related it with the astronomical data his satellite gathered. “You are telling me I have to wait 903 days before this thing can send me back?”

“Your computation is quite correct, Dai, but you are small and it might gather enough energy before that to open a passage.”

Har-Hi wanted to scream and at the same time, he was near tears as he heard that. He could go into stasis sleep and bridge the time without suffering the passage of time, but by then his friends would be surely dead and he would return to late even for their memorial. Erica would have completed her mission and be gone for many light years with a new XO, blaming him for not protecting Shea.

He touched his chest, underneath his armor he wore his Clan glyph. Without him, Erica could not go to Tana Shoo and warn the Pale Ones of the cursed Cam Elf-Na.

In all his frustration he suddenly smiled and aloud he said. “No, Erica will find a way to defeat that Star Demon, oh yes! She promised him she would go to Tana Shoo and even if the Universe was against it, Erica would go. He just regretted that he could not be there when Erica killed that traitor.

As he thought about his best friend new hope filled his mind. "Erica will turn every rock to find evidence of demise and then without fail search for him. Oh no, he was far from a hopeless state. He had the best friends in the Universe.

He was not just Dai-Than, he was also a Union Officer and he would not give up. Maybe he could figure out how this thing consumed energy. He did have twelve TKU energy packs and the finest Zero Energy generator in this marvelous Atlas suit, not to mention antimatter rockets and a genuine Translocator micro load cannon. His suit would provide him with food and water for quite a while and take care of everything else as well. And there was this white dressed Alien. He needed to find out more about that being.

He said to his Computronic. “Suit, retask satellite for high-resolution detail mapping of this planet. Launch second satellite drone. Detail star mapping mode, co-relate data to all known pulsar signatures.”

The armored being watched him and said. “What is this? A Dai-Than warrior engaging in such strange tasks fit for Fair-spirits and thinkers?”

“I am first and foremost a Union Officer, White one. I must gather data on which I will base my next course of action. From the looks of it, I am very far from Union space and perhaps the first being out so far. The scientific data I can gather will further our understanding of it all.”

Silently he was doing it in Shea’s spirit and hoped against all hope she found a way to escape.

The being said. “Tell me of Thana Shoo. I have not been to that realm since the cursed Hordes of the Dark Ones tore through that spiral galaxy to search for the twelve tokens. I have fought many of their horrors and chased after them and tell me of that Union you speak of.”

Har-Hi openly scanned the being and said. “Why don’t you start and tell me who you are and how you ended up here?”

The strange being put his left hand on his chest and said: “I am Lord Lumis, protector of Light and Life. I was once a humanoid like you. My race was among the very first in this Universe that reached the stars. Have you ever heard of the Narth?”

Har-Hi said. “Yes I have, one of my best friends is Narth.”

This obviously surprised the being and he said stepping back. “You speak the truth. I was ready to dismiss such impossible boast and yet you speak the truth. Narth are quite introvert and have to my knowledge never sought out contact, ever since they merged with the Arth.”

The man in the gleaming armor finally put his sword away and then said. “My civilization was among very first life forms in this universe that gained consciousness and built a star-spanning civilization. Even before the Nnnth left their original world. The Nnnth you must know were a species of very intelligent, very Psionic talented beings that did not explore space in ships but rather by thought constructs and they sought to find a way to transdescent time and space of this universe. Finally, they succeeded and met with an entity of a different reality and Universe. An entity of pure intellect if you will and they merged, entered a symbiosis and the result was the Narth.”

Har-Hi had forgotten to check on his satellite. The man before him knew the Origin of the Narth.

The being’s armor was made of a gleaming metal armor with many ornamental details, and it was fitted to his body like a second skin and reminded Har-Hi of Circuit’s flexible chrome metal skin. The being who called itself Lord Lumis continued. “My species, we once called ourselves the Zophim."

--""--

Har-Hi was certain this place, the Zophim called the Nexus was still in the local group, and if the Pulsar information was correct, which of course it should be. He was somewhere in the Sculptor galaxy and about 12 million light-years from Pluribus.

The planet he was on, had a breathable atmosphere and judging by the satellite images, once was the home of a civilization.

Not much had remained, other than almost completely obliterated ruins. It also appeared that the world was without life.

The temperature near the equator, where he was, hovered just above 5 degrees on the C scale.

What the white stranger called the Nexus was inside a monolithic temple structure, built at the side of a smooth looking mountain, and so far appeared to have only one room, the hall with the gate device, that looked identical to the one they had found on Itheamh.

The apparently human or at least humanoid stranger who called himself a Knight of Light had watched him do his assessment of the situation and again the man expressed his surprise seeing a Dai doing such things.

“The Dai Than have changed so it seems and reached an impressive level of technology, but it might be the influence of the Narth. A fact that also still amazes me to a great extent.”

Har-Hi turned. “I am Dai by birth and nature, but I am also a Union Citizen and an officer of its spatial navy. We are a community of many species, races, societies, and cultures of which the Narth are one. Now can you show me how to operate this gate? There must be a way to energize it faster.”

“Do you know where you want to go?”

“I told you, I want to go back from where I came. If that is not possible, I identified the galaxy I need to go, and if I make it there, I find a way to get into GalNet range and call for help.”

“I use these gates, I do not know their intricate workings, but it appears a transmission will soon be possible. It is I who will pass through first. The importance of my task is infinitely greater than those of a mortal Dai with no other desire to return to a place that has been obliterated.”

Har-Hi squinted his eyes. “Did you just suggest that I remain here while you use this Nexus? Aren’t you some sort of entity?

“I am the servant of a god. My tasks are beyond your understanding. Now tell me everything about the Dai Than. Who survived the onslaught of the hordes sent by the Uni? Most of all you say you know the Narth. I must know where they are. The Uni failed to find them.”

Har-Hi was not certain how to take this. At first, the being seemed benevolent, but he became increasingly arrogant and demanding. He decided to go by the book. ”I am Lieutenant Har-Hi of the United Stars of the Galaxy. We are a Multicultural society and our intentions are peaceful. I am representing a Union of almost 5000 distinct individual societies and species and we seek friendly, peaceful and open contact with other life forms. Let me assure you our intentions are peaceful. We are explorers, traveler seekers of knowledge first and foremost. I invite you to continue communication with us so we may share knowledge and learn from each other. Please also be advised that I am not prepared to share information with you that could harm or have negative consequences for any or all members of the Union. Please share your origin and intention so we can establish a base of understanding.”

“Such a society does not exist. No society would allow Dai to be part unless Dai either rule them or are their servants. The Narth are never part of anything. I grant that you may know the Narth, even had contact with them but I simply reject your notion that you are friends with Narth. You spoke of one Narth. Narth are not individuals but then you have a limited mind as all primitive life forms have.

There is nothing to share. I felt pity for you and granted your suits data device the knowledge of the Pree language so you might escape this lifeless place, but that is the extent. Now provide me with every information I ask of you. Be quick and recognize your place as a servant to the light and thus to me.”

“I serve the Union, our fleet and my captain and nothing and no one else. I do not need your pity, for all I know it was you who released that thing. Since you seem to know about Dai, you must know how dangerous it can be to anger one.”

The knight drew his sword and pointed it at Har-Hi.“How dare you. Not all Dai together could stand against me.”

Har-Hi raised his arm and the barrel of the rocket launcher started to rotate. “You stand against me, Zophim. I am not defenseless. We can still find common ground and defuse an escalation to violence, this I say as a Union officer. Continue on this path and my next answers will be that of a Dai indeed!”

The knight laughed arrogantly, primitive weapons against the herald of Lord Lumis?”

"Did you not just claim to be Lord Lumis himself?"

"I am his surrogate and travel the universe in his name."

A blinding beam of light hit Har-Hi without warning. Yet the marvelous Atlas suit, the pinnacle of Union tech established shield at the same instant. Still, the force of the blast threw him off his feet and the intensity of the blast had vaporized rock all around him and liquefied a sizeable section of the floor.

“What manner of technology is this?” The Knight loudly marveled.

A burst of Anti Matter missiles was Har-Hi’s answer as he struggled to his feet, his shields holding but being strained.

The first burst of missiles simply vanished in an almost invisible energy barrier of sorts that engulfed the Knight. “See how impotent your children’s toys are against one that stands against deities.”

But the suits combat and threat evaluation routine switched the missile payload to Transdim shield breaking and the second swarm of missiles hammered into the floor before the knight. This time they detonated with elemental force.

Har-Hi was thrown all the way out of the cave entrance, his shields now at their limits, showered with debris and the scorching temperatures of a nuclear fire. In the swirling inferno he created he saw the outlines of the knight getting on his feet. The self-proclaimed god slayer, struggled and then stomped through the dissipating cloud of energy and fire and roared in anger.“You insolent creature! No mere mortal has ever managed to make me fall. Crea and Lord Lumis bestowed powers and might upon me beyond the tools of primitives. ”

In all this and quite out of character for a Dai, Har-Hi snickered. “Surprise, surprise! Here is another one!”

This time he used his translocator cannon. It fired the smallest translocator loads developed. He could not get a lock inside the target. Whatever shields the Knight used were impenetrable even for the transdimensional displaced bombs. He fired one directly above the knight into the ceiling of the cave entrance and aimed the second one directly at the left palm of the knight. It was where the first blast had originated and he suspected the second one to be imminent.

The effect was tremendous. The knight was rained on by tons of debris and a sun bright sphere of energy forced his suit to set his face shield completely opaque.

The Suit AI warned him that the shields were gone and the emitter heads burnt out, beyond the ability of the suit Nanite repair capabilities on the fly. A combat retreat and a Suit blacksmith was recommended.

He swiped the face plate control to manual and turned off the visual filter.

His enigmatic opponent was still there, but his forcefield flickered and he was missing his left arm. The light knight howled in anger an perhaps pain and approached Har-Hi with his sword raised to decapitate the Dai. “Foulest creature, what have you done? ”

"If one Dai gives you so much trouble, I doubt you last seconds against two, let alone all of us!”

Har-HI evaded the blade, but it still gauged a deep cut into his chest armor. The Knight was fast, but so was he. With his augmented muscles he jumped and performed a spin kick against the head of the raging alien.

Whatever forcefield he had, destroyed much of the outer boot armor, but collapsed and Har-Hi’s foot hammered with such force against the man’s helmet, it threw the big man to the side and to the ground. “Yield, knight of light or I finish you off right here and now.” He blinked the translocator active again and wanted to place a load right inside the beings helmet. This close and without shields it was most likely suicide.

An invisible force got hold of his arm, the being appeared to be telekinetic gifted.

The knight came to his feet and attacked again. No chance for the Translocator load, this close.

“Such technology is not of Dai, did the Dark Hordes remain and make you slaves? Is that what this Union you speak of is?”

Har-Hi was held by these invisible forces. His suit system established a new symbol and reflected it in his retina. “System detects a psionic attack, experimental, untested Leedei defense protocol activated. Use of offensive Psionic weaponry not advised.”

He blinked at the symbol marked ‘Mind Spear’. He knew the knights' shield had to be transparent for psionics somewhere. While the only effect he noticed was the symbol going from red to green, the effect on his opponent was obvious. The knight screamed in pain and the invisible pressure holding him was gone.

He needed to get some distance between him and that man. The further then better, so he could use the rest of the translocator bombs, he still had nine left. The new symbol became red again and the suit told him. “Target established effective shielding, preventing the use of offensive Psionics.”

That also meant his enemy could not use his telekinetic powers. Har-Hi jumped and putting maximum energy into the synthetic muscles of his suit. While the battered suit reacted just like a factory new one, he was caught by another energy beam in mid-air and slammed into the side of a big boulder. His suit was partially melted and, the system warned him of imminent system failure. Unable to move, fused by melted material from the legs down. The suits system rerouted all nanite resources to the fused joints. His right arm still in suit armor, but without the artificial muscles, to heavy to really move.

He was trapped, the air was scorching hot and blistered his exposed skin and his opponent came with his sword raised. His voice booming triumphant. “You fought well, for the insignificant insect you are. I shall find my answers elsewhere and you will join the bones and ashes of those who once inhabited this world.”

Yet seemingly completely destroyed the suit still displayed retina symbols. Har-Hi blinked at the last active weapon symbol. The long blade of compacted Ultronit slid out from its underarm compartment and with all his strength he swung and cut of the sword holding hand of his opponent. He knew whatever force field surrounded the man, it could not cover the sword.

The vibrating mono molecule blade of neutronium coated Ultronit sliced through the wrist of the alien's right arm an severed the sword holding hand right off. The self-proclaimed god screamed like raving lunatic in rage and pain.

Har-Hi blinked at the emergency release and directed nano charges along the seams split open what was left of the armor. Ignoring pain and heat and with all his lightning-fast reflexes he grabbed the fallen sword and plunged it past force field or whatever other barriers there were right into the T shaped opening of the still stunned and just recovering knight.

The glowing blade perforated the helmets back, and his mighty and powerful enemy fell like a cut tree.

--""--

CHAPTER 03:  SMELTER MOONS

“Well, we are well past GalNet range.” Circuit said sitting behind his console. He had insisted to come along, as this was a real Karthanian freighter and not my own marvelous ship disguised as one.

I had contemplated taking the Tigershark, as the Janus mask could have been easily adjusted, but I wanted Har-Hi to have all its resources available, as I was convinced he had to face more than just old-fashioned atomic bombs.

“Might be as well, Mr.Circuit. It will prevent me to call back every five minutes and give Har-Hi the impression I am second guessing everything.”

Narth quite fascinated with his first real disguise said. ”I am certain this is what he feels you are doing, regardless of you being able to call.”

“This is a strange thing to say, Mr.Narth, I have full confidence in him and every one of my crew. He is not just my friend, but my XO. I am certain he will do just fine.”

“I share your confidence in him, but I also know him. He looks up to you and will question his decisions, hoping the results will please you. It appears this is the case with almost every one of your crew."

I silently sighed and hoped Har-Hi would not be hampered by that. “Almost?"

"I am not prying into the minds of Union citizens, I am making this observation based on comments and my familiarity with a person. I am not familiar enough with many of our crew to make this judgment on everyone."

"I see, Mr. Narth." Then I leaned forward in my command seat. "How long till we reach that first smelter moon?”

Mao in his Oghr disguise checked his readouts and said.”Twenty-two hours, Captain.”

“I was under the impression those moons were close.”

Circuit responded. “They are for the Tigershark, even for the Silver Streak, but this bucket does not have ISAH pods and in Union terms, we are crawling.”

Sobody, who had been to the Smelter Moons before was also part of my team said. “What are we doing when we reach it?”

“Destroy any means of long-range communication, free the slaves and go back.”

—“”—

The truth was, I did not have a detailed plan. I knew too little about the actual conditions on these Smelter Moons, despite the detailed descriptions of those who had been there before. None of the reports and descriptions were recent and conditions could have changed, but I had a shipload of former slaves, Ithe rebels and ten of my marines. Not to mention Narth, Mao, Xon, Roghor, and Sobody.

The last twenty-one hours had passed without any incident. We were now in Karthanian space and had noticed a few sensor contacts, but none changed course, hailed us or paid any interest in us.

Mel, the human boy and both his Dai friends came on the bridge.

Mel stared at the viewer, the star Liprois now prominent and at its center. It was a Karthanian system and contained three of the Smelter Moons, one of which was called Olx and our intended destination.

He had the youthful features of a human male who seemed to be not even twenty years of age, yet there was also the uncanny appearance of an old man in his facial features. His eyes had the haunting expression of someone who had seen the worst. Having heard his story, I was convinced he did.

“We are almost there are we not?” He asked.

“Yes, less than 50 minutes and we will reach Olx.”

Grtonner, the Karthanian now also appeared. He had dressed into a pink and red uniform like outfit, with finger thick swirling seams all around his upper torso. Before I could ask, he said. “This is a guild member costume, most of the guards are Oghr and to them, we look alike. None of them will dare ask me for credentials. I had planned to do something even before you arrived and help my friends to escape the smelter moon.”

--””--

The entire region of space was in a state of panic. The Togar mobilized every resource and ship.

All nine shattered kingdoms, even the Orkh-Oghr who usually considered themselves the strongest species, tried to remember if there was anything they did in the recent past making them the target of this unprecedented display of military might.

The Oghr troops that weren't lost were recalled and Karthania received an apology from the Oghr king that there was no military unit to be spared at the moment.

Admiral Stahl’s suggestion to show a “little” strength in that previously neglected region of space was overwhelmingly approved by the Assembly and by Assembly decision received additional assets and directives.

What was originally planned to be a joint military exercise with the Nul, was now a full-blown military expedition. The Assembly expressly authorized the Fleet to engage Dai, Shiss raiders, known slavers, pirates and independent planets that were known to be hideouts or safe harbors for criminals.

Union media called it the Day of Reckoning, as this region was technically an extension of Freespace, but not part of the official treaty. Both Karthania and Togr were well known to trade Human slaves.

The Togar queen, the Karthanians and the Kermac had sent envoys to the Assembly after reports of the tremendous armada traveling in their general direction spread like wildfire across the region.

The senior envoy of the Togar was first and called before, the Assembly. While she was the sister of the queen and used to vast power, she felt insignificant and small as she stood at the so-called Focus center of the Assembly sphere.

All reports she had heard and seen about the Union paled in comparison of the real thing.

Nothing in all her life had prepared her for the splendor of Pluribus Unum or the immense battleships that escorted the Togar ship.

And now she stood at that center inside the Assembly sphere and it was the most frightful experience in all her life. The inside walls of this immense sphere were lined with many thousands upon thousands of alcoves and each contained the representative of a Union members society.

As she looked around, she corrected herself. Not thousands, but tens of thousands. This immense hall; it's apex twelve thousand meters above and it's nadir at the same distance below her, was èerily quiet. The air was cool and free, of any scent.

The atmosphere of it all was almost religious and one could almost physically feel the true power of the Union, especially standing here on an almost invisible, shimmering energy platform, at its very center. This spot so she had learned only moments ago was called the Focus. And the focus she was, of trillions of eyes staring at her, from the alcoves as well as of the many Union citizens that had turned in on GalNet.

A laughable, weak Holdian, a member of a species she considered nothing more than a source of tasteful snacks, stood on a force field platform hovering not far from her. The Holdian wore a roble like garment and this rodent vermin was obviously neither impressed nor afraid of her.

She raised her voice.” I am Kulai, sister of the Queen of Togr. I demanded to see a diplomatic representative of the Union. I did not expect to come before this collection of...beings. I also care not to be in the presence of a minuscule rodent. Have you not a more impressive species?”

The Holdian, for some reason, was able to look at her in the most arrogant fashion, despite his small stature and alien face.

“You are seeing the diplomatic representation of the United Stars of the Galaxies, Togar. The Union has done away with special diplomats and ambassadors. Every Union citizen is an ambassador and every Union citizen has a right to decide what contracts, treaties, and decisions are made on behalf of the Union.

Your government sent you with a request or a message. Now deliver it. You are an envoy, disrespect me again and I shall see if there is human or Holdian DNA in your digestive tract and we simply hang you for murder.”

The Holdian hovered a little closer. “I may be a minuscule rodent by nature, but I am the duly elected Speaker of the Assembly and by this grace and calling, my little voice resonates the will and resolve of the Union.

You are not Union and thus I will overlook your first insult. Stature and size mean little in our beloved Union. Be it Camogi or Bandrupo, we are all Union Citizen and that means everything to us.” He mimicked the gesture of her. “Now state your business.”

She straightened her stance and said. “It has come to our attention that there is an armada of Union and Nul origin moving into space that is not Union and will be within range of the Togr realm in only weeks at the current speed. We demand to know your intentions. Is this a prelude to war?”

An alcove was painted with a spotlight and a white Nogoll was getting up. His voice was not amplified yet she was sure everyone could hear it. “I am the chairman of the security council to the assembly and I will answer your question.”

Of all being, she thought it was an insult well planned to have her addressed by a Nogoll. Togar disliked most other beings, but the Nogoll especially. These beings only redemption was their excellent taste.

The Nogoll spoke. “The constant threat of war between the Union and the Nul has ended and our joint governments decided to demonstrate our cooperation to all societies that our focus and energies are no longer directed against each other. Our Union has never started a war, but you may take the following resolution to your Queen. This Assembly is tired of hearing the laments of family members who lost loved ones to slavers and knowing they ended up on Togar markets to be purchased and devoured. Should our fleet come across a vessel of any nation or society that carries Union citizens against their will, it will be considered an act of war and the commanding officer of that Armada has the full authority to retaliate with all force. These are the instructions this Assembly gave to our Spatial Navy ratified by a Union-wide vote.”

The Togar envoy, of course, knew there were many Togar ships in space and some had humans destined for Togr aboard. She also had no illusions what such a declaration would mean.”

“This is not space claimed by the Union or anyone and whatever business our vessel have or whatever freight they carry is not of Union concern. There are other societies that feel equally strong about this situation.”

The light singled out another alcove. The Togar gasped as she noticed a Xandrao.

The bovine shaped representative had a clearly amused tone in his deep voice. “The Togar openly hinted of war against the Xandrao for many decades. The Togar never talked or cared about others and now you invoke notions of common interests with others? The envoys of Karthania are right behind you and so is the delegation of the Kermac. Let us hear from them if they indeed declare to be allies of Togr and deny us the right to do whatever we want in unclaimed space, including protecting the fundamental rights and safety of our citizens, which includes Xandrao.”

The Kermac envoy stepped forward. “The Circle of wizards and the Grand Wizard of Kermac and in extension the Galactic Council is satisfied with the explanation for the Union maneuvers. We disagree on much, but slavery and related practices are not among the subjects we oppose the Union.”

The Karthanian also spoke. “There are no Karthanian ships or interests past our sphere. We do not welcome Union ships within our borders, but what they do beyond is not of Karthanian concern.”

The Togar envoy bowed slightly. “I shall take this to the Queen and extend my thanks to the Assembly and the Union for receiving us.”

The Nogoll was not finished and addressed the Karthanian."No Karthanian product will be allowed to cross into Union space. No Karthanian trader or any other associates of yours will be allowed to do business within Union space. Union Banks will cease to accept Katris and freeze all credit assets held by Karthanians. You make products using Union citizens as slaves until we have clear and convincing evidence that this is no longer the case, these sanctions will remain in place."

The Karthanian was unprepared for this."This is unprecedented, we always were allowed to do business with you."

"Are you denying that Union citizens are bought and put to slave labor by your society?"

"I am not aware of this practice. An investigation will be conducted if your accusations are true."

A thin female got up."Then it will come to no surprise to you that we also conduct an investigation and if this Assembly receives any confirmed report of any Union slaves within Karthanian space, I assure you our battleships will care not if they are welcome or not."

--””--

OLX

“I thought the Trash Island on Sin 4 was hell,” I said while looking over the truly depressing landscape that presented itself on our viewer as we descended towards the landing field. "But this place takes the cake."

Our hail had been answered by an automated system that gave us landing permission. No one actually bothered to contact us.

The surface, as far I could see was covered by industrial buildings. Not shiny, new or clean but dark, covered with sud and grime, belching out of a forest of smokestacks.

There was nothing alive out there, the only bright colors were projected by the many fires and smelter pits.

This place was indeed a moon and it was in orbit around a similar dirty looking rock planet. The fourth one counting from the local sun.

Mel sighed.”I never thought I would see this again.”

Mar-To the older of the two Dai said. “Welcome to Olx.”

Moments later we touched down and I saw a group of Oghr approaching from a nearby building. They all carried prods and whips. Two of them guided a hover platform between them, loaded with arrestor cables and neck rings.

Another being emerged from that building and it was riding some sort of small personal flyer. The being was a Karthanian and dressed just like Grtonner.

Along with Grtonner and the others, we went down into the Cargo hold. There was no stench this time and the cages were not locked and filled with former slaves and Ithe.

The boarding ramp lowered with a high pitched whine.

It hadn’t even opened all the way as the local Karthanian swooped in and landed his little bike sized craft more or less right before me. “Get your cargo out on the double, there is lots of work and this is most likely the last batch we get from Itheamh.”

I asked. “How come? We are loaded to the brim, but there are ten thousands more to be transferred.”

“You stupid Thauran wench, you and your crew will be lynched if you go back. The Drak are no longer in control and there won’t be any Oghr armies to restore order.”

“What splendid news indeed. I guess my friends worked even faster than I could have hoped for.”

The Karthanian was too alien for me to really judge his reaction, but I doubted he felt very good as he saw the cages opening and instead of naked slaves, a stream of beings armed to the teeth.

It took less than five minutes, the local Karthanian and his Oghr overseers were now inside the cages, still not locked, because none of them would ever move on its own again.

I wanted to do it subtle and with as much stealth as possible, but unlike my friends the fighters I had brought along did not listen to my commands, were unstoppable and swarmed like a host of demons out the ship and inside the building.

I cursed myself for not anticipating that. I was used to Union soldiers and the fleet. They might have accepted my command authority back on Itheamh especially with Ninety there, but despite my yelling and warning, they had simply ignored me, screaming with unbridled anger and emotions.

I realized I was not as experienced as I wanted to believe I was.

Narth popped out of thin air right next to me, still holding what was technically my TKU. It's discharging ring glowing bright red.

“One hopes you have another energy pack. I depleted this one.”

I handed him one of my spares and asked. “Your psionics don’t work here?”

“I just located you and teleported right next to you, giving evidence that the crude Psionic dampening they do use here is not effective at all. Thus this evidence should answer your question.”

“First the bunch of ex-slaves ignores me and then my best friend decides to point out my stupid question. I doubt no one ever pointed that out to Stahl.”

“I depleted the weapons energy to melt the local communication facilities and decided to use it to discourage the local operators from preventing me doing this. I never used a TKU outside of mandatory training or at power setting twelve.”

I rushed inside the building complex, with Narth still next to me. Since Narth had my blaster, I carried a Karthanian line bolter, which was more or less a copy of the Kermac main sidearm. It was nowhere near Union TKUs but so far there was nothing to shoot. There were mangled and torn bodies of overseers everywhere.

I said to Narth. “You do know this is one of the old style TKUs, right and level 12 is enough to fell attacking Y’All under shields.”

“I am aware of this now and one is revising his opinion about weapons, they are useful indeed.”

The building was clearly some sort of slave training and induction facility, with rows of concrete benches, attached shackles and a huge view screen. The screen was smashed, and so was everything breakable in sight. The rear of the hall featured four open cage style elevators. All four shafts were leading down.

Just as we reached the shafts, a blood-curdling war cry came from below. It seemed hundreds of voices, all at once. The cry was in Dai Than and meant vengeance.

“Can you get us down there?”

I finished the word ‘there’ while my surroundings had changed already. We were on a metal walkway, with a perforated floor. To the right countless rows of prison like cells, the doors open.

To the left an immense chasm of many hundred meters. I counted 25 tiers with the same long rows of slave cells.

At the ground floor, which seemed an area where slaves were fed as I deducted from the tables and demolished serving counters. Dead, mangled and charred bodies of overseers, guards, and a few slaves were strewn everywhere.

As I looked up, I saw more rows of cells. “How many slaves did they keep here?”

“In this facility, approximately 25,000. The slave population of this moon numbers 6.5 million according to their computronic records.”

“Six point five... million?” It began to dawn at me just how stupid I really was. I cursed silently as my impulsive action to leave my own ship light years away, not even with a real plan. Especially not wasting a single thought on the actual extent of my actions.

--””--

It was over sooner than expected but still took over a day. The Smelter moon Olx had fallen. I learned there had been just a little over one hundred thousand guards and overseers. In itself a big number, but not enough to quell a full-blown slave revolt, supported by an army of ten thousand armed and angry ex-slaves. Narth and Circuit had not only disabled the moon’s communication facilities but disabled the computronic systems that governed the automated slave worker containment and control systems.

Without control over the punishment collars, sentry guns and force field curtains the guards stood no chance.

Among the slaves were more than eight thousand Dai, even some of them had been born on the moon they fought with a veracity that was frightening.

The moon itself was a sizeable celestial body without a breathable atmosphere, very low temperatures, and nothing even remotely in terms of native life.

The actual smelter and factory complex was a sprawling city-sized compound with most of it deep underground.

The guards and overseers, for the most part, didn’t seem to live in conditions much better than the slaves, in a forcefield and sentry gun protected part of this city-sized factory. Only the small portion of Karthanian managers and engineers lived in relatively good conditions, but still in rather depressing surroundings.

Just like on Itheamh there were vast fields of shipwrecks and mountain-sized heaps of stacked scrap pieces. Simple warehouses were filled with salvaged parts, plastics, spaceship parts, and large container sized crates with waste materials.

I stood in the heavily damaged office of the Smelter Moon manager. He was one of the few survivors. Most guards had found their fate thrown in the huge smelter furnaces that gave this moon its name.

With me were Narth, Sobody, Xon, and the Dai, Mar-To.

The Karthanian manager was wounded and beaten up. He wore crude applied bandages and a blinking slave collar around his rigid neck. He had not spoken a single word so far.

Grtonner came in, wearing his Guild member costume, this time the manager reacted. “Traitor! Wearing the regalia of a guild master and collaborating with Xenos, is even more offensive than what has been done to this facility of the Hull Builders. That you are a slave worker, freed by this scum from Itheamh is obvious but where did you get these garments of an Engine Builder?”

“They were bestowed to me. I am Grtonner Icylemh, the rightful Guild Master of the Engine Builders. Yes, I have been a slave on this moon, many years ago. Sent here in bonds and in shame, betrayed by your master. We freed many thousand Karthanians today, all sent here for voicing their content and opposition against the dictatorship that holds our proud and ancient civilization hostage for so long.

In your slave pens and in all my years of exile, I found friends among those called Xenos. The reign of the Hull Builders is about to end and the First Engineer will punish you all for what you did.”

The smelter moon manager was clearly shocked, more so than by his recent ordeal. It was even obvious to me.

“This can’t be! Grtonner Icylemh has been killed, thrown into the smelters. Your name is forbidden to be mentioned.” Then the manager laughed in the strange way Karthanians laughed. “You failed to wake the Engineer back then and it sealed your fate when you attempted it. This is just one moon, there are many. What chances do you have against mighty Karthania?”

“One moon yes, the first to fall. I returned from the dead and Karthania will not fall, but soon be free again.”

Mar-To stepped up to the manager. “You should be concerned what will happen to Karthania when the tribes learn about your dealings with Cam Elf-Na.”

Mar-To held up a control device and pressed a red colored stud. The manager screamed and collapsed.

Mar-To spat and hissed “This is for my mother, you had pushed into the compactor.”

While I should not have let it happen, I did not stop him. I knew how he felt, I too saw my mother killed.

I sighed and turned. “Now what? We have millions of slaves and I am sure Karthania will investigate why one of their moons suddenly fell silent.”

Sobody pointed towards the viewport. “We captured fourteen Ore and scrap transporters. We have enough cargo space to transport them back to Itheamh. It will be crowded and there won’t be food or much water, but I am sure the former slaves will manage for the two days the trip will last.”

Grtonner flicked his black tongue and said. “Why stop here? There are two more smelter moons in this system. We have an army fired up for revenge. It will take Karthania weeks before they react and without Oghr troops, not even able to react at all.”

“I have a mission and a Ship. This excursion was more foolish on my part than I realized.”

Narth said.”I recall General Cherubim saying: Nation building is very difficult, rarely successful and opens a can of worms of problems. “

“I recall that too, and Har-Hi warned me as well.”

He seemed oblivious to the effects his words had as he said.”It might also help to recall the words of The Eternal Warrior as he said: Once you get things like that started it is very hard to find a good place to stop and once events are in motion, be prepared to see them through to the end. You decided to help and that is commendable, but that means you are in charge and responsible for the entire show.”

Narth not only recalled word for word but somehow managed to say them with the same tone and voice of Admiral Stahl.

Narth put his hand on my shoulder. “I am not oblivious to your emotions. I recalled these words to give you strength and confidence, as the Admiral always seemed to evoke in you.”

“It did not work this time, my friend. I have to admit I am out of my league.”

“Erica, he gave you his approval to see it through and he promised to help. I am sure he is doing just that and just now. The ship is in good hands and I have confidence in you to make the right decisions.”

“This time it was not Stahl.” I gave him a thankful look.

I turned to the others and said. “This is what we do…”

--””--

ITEAMH

Shea was suddenly in command. With Narth being the third in command gone with the captain, she was now in charge of the ship. Something she never envisioned to come to pass.

With her emotions still heavy on the loss of Har-Hi, she had returned to the ship and wanted Elfi to make contact with Command.

Elfi, holding the Conn had teary eyes while she gave her report.”The local news are all abuzz about the tremors, they were recorded as a magnitude 4 quake. The remaining Drak leadership has openly invited the Instigators for a meeting under the flag of truce.”

Shea almost flew to her science console, linked her battered science scanner. “SHIP, help me to analyze my last scans. The energy being used a trans-dimensional portal to come here, maybe Har-Hi used it to escape the destruction.”

Shea then tried to pull herself together. She was in charge now and the captain would be back soon, expecting her to have everything under control.

“ Thank you, Ms. Petetis, please establish a connection to command. I must inform them and ask for instructions.”

“Aye, Ms. Schwartz.”

Ensign Fivcheer now acting as OPS officer said. ”Lt. Schwartz we have a visitor requesting to be admitted aboard.”

Shea was distraught by the recent events and snapped. “Tell them we don’t accept any visitors right now and we are very busy.”

Just then Hans called, he was still at the site and Elfi patched him on the Bridge viewer. “Lt. Schwartz, I have important news.”

Shea wanted to dismiss the distraction as she went over her data, but she was no longer just the science officer, but also the acting commanding officer. “Please be quick. Mr.Neugruber. I have important data to analyze.”

“Ma’am. Starman Suit and Three-Four managed to create a passage to the underground chamber. It is not collapsed, like the rest of the underground facilities. The place has a neutronium laced protective shell and we managed to locate the entrance.

We found Lt. Hi’s TKU but nobody or any remains. That gateway this creature has used is also still there and Tyron thinks there is an advanced computronic type system operating it.”

“I am on my way!”

A new voice joined in. It came from the IST. “Do I have permission to come aboard?”

They all turned as Stahl walked past the Nav Tank and onto the bridge.

Shea could not help but feel relieved. Somehow everything would turn out alright, the Eternal Warrior was here.

“Permission granted, Sir.”

“That you are busy, I can understand. That I was denied access, however, is a new one.”

She glared at Lt. Fivcheer and said.”I apologize, Sir. I did not know it was you.”

“Well thankfully this is the weirdest ship in the fleet and your AI granted me access.”

SHIP said. “Sir, I take full responsibility.”

“Never mind SHIP. you are as I understand an officer and carry rank and an officer can and must evaluate every order given. I am actually impressed.”

He stepped before the command chair with a stern face, but his eyes reflected kindness and compassion. “Lt. Schwartz please give me a full report of the situation.”

After she had done so, in an almost breathless fashion. He sat down on the visitor's chair and said. “Lt. Schwartz, go with your team and investigate the alien hardware in that hole. I am assigning myself temporarily to this crew and take the conn. You are a very good officer and I am sure you would have mastered the situation without me, but tying up the best asset we have to get more answers would be foolish.”

“Yes Sir, thank you, Sir.” She felt like a million pounds lighter and rushed to gather her equipment.

Stahl changed seats and sat down in the command chair. ”While I wished for a different set of circumstances, I always wanted to do that.”

Shaka sitting idle at the helm turned. “Sir?”

He smiled. “Being part of your crew, Mr. Ndebele. Sadly it won’t be a permanent assignment but going with your Captain and this ship, stirring up trouble has an allure, old warhorses like I still dream about.”

He straightened. “Mr. Neugruber, what is the current situation locally? I came ahead of the fleet and did not digest any details yet.”

“Sir, with the death of the High Magistrate and the Secret Police chief, the Drak apparatus was without leadership and almost immediately collapsed. There are some riots and protests mostly directed against Drak leaders, but the rebel leader Ninety has been declared interim leader for the entire planet until the situation has been calmed down and elections can be held.

His first official order was to curb violence against the Drak and remaining Karthanians. Then he addressed Karthania officially and declared Itheamh a free planet.”

“I read Lt. Senhadjii’s evaluation of this Ninety and the footnotes in Erica’s report. He seems to be a real leader and might have what it takes to unite this world indeed.”

Elfi turned.”Sir, he is speaking right now on local channels.”

“Put it on the viewer, Ms.Petetis.”

The Togar and former leader of the Instigators stood behind the same lectern, the High Magistrate had used when he was addressing the people. The Drak symbol was replaced by a colorful flag. He was flanked by two Ithe, a Karthanian and a Drak officer, still wearing the gray coat but no rank insignia.

He spread his arms and said. ¨People of Iteamh. Ithe, Drak and every being that has called this place home either by being forced to come here or by choice. We are all Ithe today and race or origin are no longer dividing aspects. I am Togar and it is with great honor and not without a deep sense of modesty I am standing before you as leader appointed by you.

While I will remain your leader until we have sorted things out, I won’t be your leader after that. We have been under the heel of leaders for too long and I believe our future needs administrators for the technical aspects of a society, it no longer needs leaders.

There is a society beyond the heavens, mightier than the Togar and the Karthanians together, yet it has no leaders. It is governed by all its citizens. Anyone, big or small, rich or poor has the same voice and the same rights.

Many of you know about the Union and some of you recall their visit only a few years back. They invited us to return with our application to join when we speak with one voice.

The day has come, we do speak with one voice. I will not ask you to make this decision lightly, but it is I who recommend it. Our planet is in disarray, we have many sick and hungry.

As free people alone we are at the mercy of the Karthanians who won’t like the events that transpired and may retaliate.

We are too weak to defend ourselves against raids from Dai-Than or Togar. The Jooltar are not to be forgotten, they too love taking what is not theirs.

A fleet of Union ships is approaching this region of space and with their help, we can be ourselves and free of external threads.

So I ask you, all of you to weigh the alternatives and all the facts and make a decision, should we apply for membership, or do we face the future alone?”

While other beings took to the lectern and started to voice their opinion, Stahl said.”She did it again.”

Elfi responded.”Admiral, Sir you already know about the call ?”

“What call?”

“The USS Kilman of the forward scout group is requesting assistance handling approximately 14 million former slaves, crammed to the very limits in twenty-three Ore freighters, scrap transporters and a ragged fleet of other smaller craft. They have just reached unclaimed space and according to this came from the smelter moons of the star system Liprois.”

--””--

ERICA

The most amazing part seemed how easy it was to liberate the other two moons. It had taken us less than three days.

Here on the third moon, the smallest one in terms of the size of the facilities we faced a dilemma. It was, according to Grtonner, the oldest one and had been a prison work colony, operating even while the First Engineer was still active.

The defenses and the guards had fallen as easy as before, and there were enough transport vessels with enough space to take the freed slaves, but there was no one among the slaves that knew how to operate a spaceship.

I also had the feeling that we did not have too much time before the Karthanians noticed all three moons in this system no longer responded or sent materials. Grtonner was confident we still had time, as the Karthanians did not have GalNet or a powerful military.

Xon who helped to herd the last slaves aboard said.“I am able to operate one, Mao and Narth take another."

Circuit said."I have linked the computronics of the other ships to this one. Narth has to jump one of us from ship to ship to get them space born. Once there they all will follow your leadership in close formation, but we can only accelerate as the slowest ship, the connection is not via GalCom and has very limited range."

--“”--

Stahl was different than Erica. Everyone was in awe and deep respect of this living legend and everyone was eager to follow his orders, but the relaxed atmosphere that always prevailed when Erica was there, the feeling that the crew really was a big family was gone. This was not just some other officer, but the Eternal Warrior himself, and with him came his reputation. Crew members did not want to do their best because they loved and respected Captain Olafson, but they wanted to do it not to disappoint Stahl. It was a very minute difference and no outsider would have ever noticed, but someone with intimate knowledge of the crew, like Elfi, could.

Technically and for all purposes, the Tigershark had also become the flagship of the enormous armada that was slowly lumbering through the sector. Elfi and the staff of the communications department were overwhelmed with the constant contact requests, a flood of reports and info blurbs. She actually missed Xon, who in short time had become an excellent communications officer. Thankfully she had SHIP and of course the rest of her staff.

“This is the USS Caligula, requesting Admirals command code verification for deployment of Scout spear mission.”

“Stand by, USS Caligula. Admiral Stahl is in a conference call with the USS Devastator and the First Fleet.”

“Captain of the USS Yellow Star. We transmitting the requested survey results. A suitable system for forward fleet outpost found, can you verify.”

"Please standby, the Admiral will comment on your report as soon as possible."

"USS Pengar, permission to engage identified slave trader of the Mulwhur Trading Company."

"If identification can be verified, disable contact and conduct boarding action."

This had been going on ever since the Admiral had decided to take the Conn. and temporary command five days ago. She was told this was only a small percentage of the communications deluge that was directed to Stahl and filtered by the large Communications department of the Devi.

In all this they had to prevent Stahl, shooting Fafnir who came angrily screeching to the bridge as Stahl took the command seat, explain to the Immortal what Fafnir was."

The Immortal just finished his conference call, gave the Caligula new instructions and while doing it, evaluated a print out of the survey report and listening to at least four info bulletins at the same time and gave detailed instructions to the USS Pengar. Doing all this he still had time to drink coffee and look relaxed as someone relaxing on a cruise ship leisure deck.

He closed the report and muted the multi-voice garble of the news bulletins, and smiled. “Sorry kids, I am not able to completely turn off Admiral’s business. Ms. Petetis, flag all communication requests with orange and reroute them to my staff. Accept only priority Blue requests for now.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“I was just informed your Captain, did not just free the slaves of one moon, but transports of a second have just been received. the freed slaves reported that she went on to the third and final one to do the same there. She and the ones she took along liberated almost 14 million slave laborers so far. Which included over nine thousand Union citizens and almost 14,000 Dai.” He made a pause. “That is perhaps the most heroic result of this ship's mission so far and also the most problematic.”

Krabbel sitting with his new leg, idle at the Navigation console, as he had little to do while the ship was planetside, asked. “I don’t understand sir. I was under the impression Eri...I mean our captain did that with your blessing so to speak.”

“Honestly we thought she goes, frees a handful of slaves and returns. The Karthanians maybe angry to lose a few slaves to what they believed were Iteamh rebels, but not bringing them home by the millions. Of course, sending your Captain anywhere is never turning out to be a simple affair.”

He sighed. “Nine thousand Union citizens is not a small number and evidence that the Karthanians held them against their will. These nine thousand voices will be heard loud all across the Union. Their stories of forced labor, torture and misery will reach the Assembly and I have no doubt, this is will be considered a reason for war. Especially after the very recent address of former slaves."

Elfi said a little agitated. “Is that not what they deserve? Purchasing Union citizens by such numbers is an act of war.”

“Yes, beautiful princess it is indeed. You speak with the pride and force of a citizen and I will carry out the will of our society, but they call me the Eternal Warrior and I have seen war and all the misery that comes with it more than most. The Karthanians are a small power and will fall if we indeed decide to fight, but there are many societies involved. The Togar, the Jooltar, all the Oghr kingdoms. Of course, the Shiss and the Kermac will or perhaps must choose sides. Not to mention many hundred societies and species in this region and beyond. This could escalate to another galactic war.”

He stood up. “I am confident we will prevail against all of them, but there is always a price and always consequences.” His smile this time did not reach his eyes as he said. “But we are the protectors of our Union and that means every single citizen, and no one shall feel safe and secure committing such acts as long as I stand. This is the very reason for this Armada, to put them all on notice. Friend and foe alike."

He then gestured to the main viewer. “Any news from Lt. Schwartz?”

“No Sir, she has not updated her last report from six hours ago. She was successful to locate some kind of control system and requested a portable energy generator about an hour ago.”

“She will call us when she has an update. Mr. Neugruber any news on the Ithe situation?”

“Yes Sir, the news of millions of freed Ithe coming back is resonating like thunder across all local news broadcasts. I also believe the Ithe will overwhelmingly ask for Union help and once they get it to send a delegation to Pluribus. I base this on computronic analysis of the local polling data.”

Elfi interrupted. “I got Lt, Schwartz, she is calling right now.”

“Put her on.”

The angelic looking woman appeared on the main viewer and it was obvious she had good news. “Admiral Sir, Ensign Suit, Lt. Three-Four and I located the ancient yet very advanced controls about six hours ago and we identified it as Pree technology. It is indeed a trans-spatial gateway of sorts. We have not figured out how it works, although we have a working theory that it utilizes space-time symmetry not completely different than the...”

“Ms.Schwartz, I am sure this is groundbreaking science and I will read your findings in detail, but are there any other news?”

“Oh, of course, I am sorry Sir. We just think we might be able to create our own gateways in maybe fifty years or so.”

The containment suit with Lt. Three-Four inside stepped next to Shea. “Sir, we decoded the instruction language of the alien gate generator system. We also have the records of all its previous transmission. There are only two such transmissions recorded recently. One receiving and one sending.”

Shea was highly excited.“We think we can reopen it to the last coordinates. Maybe that is where Har-Hi is.”

Three-Four said.“I am volunteering to go through. If there is another of these Energy entities, I am able to defeat it easily.”

--“”--

Nexus

Har-Hi had never felt that miserable in his life, he had three-degree burns in his face. He was hungry but the lack of water and the dry air had dehydrated him to a point where he didn’t care about the pain of the burns. If he was correct he had been here for at least four or five standard days.

He had stripped the dead knight of much of his armor and had put parts of it on. Inside his own armor, he had only worn the skin tight flex armor base and the layer of Semi-Liquid Matrix Emulsion, called S.L.I.M.E. Without the suit systems, the Slime had reverted to a puddle of blue liquid and the FAB was nothing that could keep him warm.

The alien's armor did not fit him completely, especially the boots and the gauntlets were too big. It had taken him quite a while to figure out how to take it off from the dead man, who was still lying where he had slain him with much of his head gone.

From the remnants of his own suit, he had detached the Comm unit and set it to emit a Union Emergency beacon signal.

He had no hope it would ever make contact with anyone, but its energy cell would work for a few thousand years, and maybe they would find his remains eventually.

He could not even go back into the temple like cave as the entrance was covered by tons of rubble.

There was nothing to do but wait for death. In all this, he was quite proud of his victory over this pompous self-proclaimed god slayer. He silently laughed, if this clown was able to slay gods, the gods were not all that scary or perhaps that knight never faced a real one.

His thoughts drifted back to the time he met Eric, who now was Erica and not only his captain but his best friend. He silently apologized for not being able to safe Shea or complete the mission. Even closing his eyelids was painful but once he had them closed he felt a strange calmness come over him and he somehow knew he would not open them again.

He dreamt hearing a mechanical inhuman voice that was strangely familiar. "Lt. Hi, thank the Everlight we have found you!"

--""--

Chapter 04: Arrested

The Karthanian resource manager who was responsible for all the mines and smelter operations of the Karthanian conglomerate himself had been dispatched by the Guild Masters to quickly erase all Union citizens currently used as forced laborers.

He traveled aboard a Karthanian warship, mostly crewed by Oghr and Jooltar and was more than displeased that none of the smelter moons in the Liprois system answered his requests or responded to the hails.

No landing instructions were received as they approached Olx.

It did not take long to find out why this was so. After they had landed, they found the main smelter facilities vandalized, the entire command center melted to the foundation and thousands of dead guards. Only a very small number of dead slaves painted a clear picture. The slaves somehow managed to revolt and overcome their guards. With the command center destroyed, the obedience collars did not work. The revolt suppression systems were also completely inoperable.

An engineering Jooltar checking the systems suspected an aggressive software attack.

The manager, however, could not explain how all these slaves had left the moon.

As they found similar conditions on the second moon, he was certain he would find only dead and no live slaves on the third.

Yet as they approached the third moon, which was in orbit of the third planet, the mystery of the missing slaves was revealed. His scanner operator detected a fleet of lumbering transports heading for the boundaries of the Liprois system and threshold speed.

The transports were slow and unarmed and he was certain they were packed with slaves.

That, whoever assisted the forced laborers to escape was using ore and scrap freighters seemed evidence to him that this was not a well-planned action, however, he had to admit it was a very successful one.

He ordered his Oghr shipmaster to follow that rag-tag fleet, it would certainly lead them to the escapees of the other moons and then he intended to destroy them all. Dead slaves could not bear witness.

--""--

"We are almost in Open Space," Mao said over our personal wrist com units. The refugees of the first moon already made it."

Narth chimed in. "Almost is another one of these terms that defy Narth understanding. We are still twenty-three light years distant from deep space and thus past Karthanian spheres of claimed space."

Now Circuit linked himself into our conversation."We are also pursuit by what I think might be a Karthanian Romther Class. The ship appears to be under shields and I am certain it is well armed."

I checked our progress and that of the pursuer, Circuit had identified. Thar Karthanian ship would reach us just when we reached open space. I was deeply concerned, the ore and scrap transporters were at their limits in terms of life support, not to mention the hygienic conditions. These old only rudimentary maintained ships were, of course, unarmed and had no shields other than micro matter deflectors.

I had no illusions the Karthanian would turn around.

Not that the sensors of this garbage scow were anything more than the most rudimentary kind."What kind of weapons do Karthanian ships have?

Mao responded over the comm unit."Ship to ship missiles, Kermac style FTL Line cannons. Nothing that could even scratch the Tigershark, but blow us to bits."

"Can we go past red line?"

"We already redlining everything these flying relics have. Life support, engines, artigrav, and sensors."

I started biting my fingernails as I watched the swarm of light dots that represented the last flight of ships with the liberated slaves and at the horizon of this primitive energy-mass detector, a larger dot of light, the one pursuing us.

--""--

Itheamh

Har-Hi was certain he was dreaming or maybe he had died and there was an afterlife. He was completely pain-free and felt as if he was floating. There was someone else, he felt an immense presence. “Am I dead?”

“No mighty Dai, you are already back where you belong.”

“Who are you?”

“We have not met in person, but we are friends. I am the Narth Supreme.”

Har-Hi felt a strange and calming relieve. “Will you help me to get back?”

“No, Har-Hi your friends are already doing that. I am here because you did what no mortal was ever able to do before. You have slain one of the twelve self-appointed Guardians of Light and one of the servants to the one called Lord Lumis.”

“Did I do wrong? Should I have him kill me?”

“No, my child. I was already on my way to assist you.” The warm deep and bodiless voice actually sounded amused.”You have a host of friends, that not only surprise the immortal admirals, but their combined talents give all that is Narth pause.”

He felt a deep sense of pride but wondered why this entity was appearing to him.

The voice continued. “Yes, indeed there is a profound and important reason for this meeting. You stumbled upon an important part of a cosmic conflict, your best friend Erica is the core part of this conflict. I know you have already felt its presence and Erica confined in you about it, as far as she currently knows.”

“Yes I have and while it concerns me, while I do not understand. I am Erica’s friend and will stand with her against anything, no matter what it might be.”

“Erica takes much strength from that, but what sleeps in her is stirring. It is stirring much too soon, and if it awakes before she is ready, the consequences cannot be foreseen, but are of such magnitude that it will affect all reality forever.”

“Gods are real? Erica shares her body with a god?”

“As I tried to explain to the Eternal Warrior, to Erica and now to you, the term God is very hard to define, but even in Narth terms, what Erica or Eric will become is indeed godlike, with powers and ability one can only describe as omnipotent."

“What is she or what will she become and why?”

“This universe is only one of many, but there was only one at the beginning of it all. In this first condition of reality, two concepts took on sentient form. One represented light, life, and creation. The other became the incarnation of death, destruction, and darkness. Together they formed a perfect balance. Because there can be no good without evil, no light without darkness. This balance became THE RULE.

One of these entities was Crea, the spirit of Creation and life. She also became the definition of female, decided to destroy darkness and reshape further universes without darkness and death. In doing so she had to fight and attack the incarnation of Darkness. But the very act of fighting and attacking are not aspects of light but include elements of the other side. As the desired result of that conflict was the destruction of the other side. It sounds simple but on a cosmic scale it is infinite complicated and she disturbed the balance and by doing so broke the Rule.

This first Universe was destroyed and Crea punished for her deed. The Dark incarnation was asked to sleep and not retaliate so the Rule could be restored in the next Universe. However, Crea did not abide by the judgment and attacked the sleeping entity of Darkness. Unable to destroy it, she managed to split and divide this entity into twelve parts.

Again Crea was punished and sent into exile to another plane of existence. Unable to directly influence reality, she raised a mortal being as her defender and agent in the next universe. The mortal became Lord Lumis and was tasked to destroy the Dark One, or at least prevent his incarnation.

Now we are in the final Universe, and it is here where the Dark One will reincarnate, unify the twelve tokens of his power and rise to make the decision. Will he seek revenge and destroy Crea and thus destroy the Rule, will he submit to the side of light and thus also destroy the balance forever, or is there a third way?

I won’t and can’t go in much detail for now, but your Erica is the Dark One. “

Even in this dream-like state, Har-Hi felt completely overwhelmed and quite afraid.”What can mortals, what can a Dai do?”

“You and a few others have very important parts in this. The Dark One will recognize you and perhaps as a friend. He might listen to you or may shape the decision he is to make because of you. Maybe the human part will be able to suppress the Dark One forever. Nothing is set and the future is not known to Narth.

“How can I function as a Union officer, knowing that my best friend eventually becomes a universe-shattering something?”

“This is the reason I have come. You destroyed one of the beings serving Lord Lumis if Erica hears about this the entity that is her might wake and perhaps seek to destroy Lord Lumis and thus making the decision before all the preordained events have occurred. You will wake and remember only fighting another star born being, but what I have told you now will come back to you the day, you must stand with or against the Dark One.”

“Thank you.”

And then he was certain he heard the voice of the Eternal Warrior.”How is he?”

The voice that answered was that of Cateria. “He should be completely recovered and good as new in about an hour. There was not much time to spare, however.”

Har-Hi opened his eyes and looked into the face of Elfi, who could hold back her tears. She smiled at the same time and said. ”Welcome back, Lt. Hi.”

He tried to get up, but Cateria pushed him back. “Stay put, Sir for a little while longer. I am still grafting tissue to your body. You suffered serious burns to almost twenty percent of your body. Not to mention, radiation damage and a small catalog of other injuries.”

“You found me?”

“Yes we did, well technically it was Lt. Three-Four.”

Har-Hi frowned and said with a quieter voice. “I lost Lt.Schwartz. There was an entity that took her.”

“I am right here, we defeated the energy being. But what happened to you?”

“That is what I want to know as well.” Said Admiral Stahl stepping into view.

Har-Hi delivered a detailed account of his ordeal, of him fighting another of these energy beings, but even as he recalled the fight and the details, he could not shake the feeling that something more profound happened.

The immortal admiral smiled. “Well, Mr. Hi, these Star Demon things had no chance, it stood against you. Welcome back in this part of Universe.”

“Thank you, Sir. Can you brief me on what happened while I was gone?”

“The energy being was destroyed by EMP grenades and by Lt. Three-Four. The Ithe have requested Union help and applied for membership, about three hours ago. The science corps is renting the rubble pile with the Pree gate below and your Captain is on her way back. She liberated the slaves on all three Smelter Moons.”

Har-Hi grinned relieved. “I knew she would not just stop at one.”

Stahl sighed. “I should have known as well. Since you are back and soon fit for duty, I can go back and run the big show.”

--“”--

The Karthanian warship did not stop or turn around. I was convinced however that it was only moments away from firing range.

A loud an clear message came over all comm channels."This is the USS Kilman, any and all weapon action against the unarmed transport vessels will be considered an act of war."

The response came almost immediately."These are Karthanian vessels and of no concern to Union ships."

"There are Union citizen aboard, that have been held to perform forced labor against their will by Karthanian enterprises. Add to the injury of even one citizen and we will retaliate with all force available to us."

Captain, the Karthanian is turning around!

I relaxed and thought this was the end of this caper, It was not.

While the USS Kilman was only one of many Union fleet units, including several hospital ships and even a mobile dockyard, taking the transports on his tremendous deck, Union Marines swarmed our ships and three of them busted onto the bridge.

I swiveled around."Glad to see you, marines."

One of them raised his weapon arm."Not for long, pirate! We know who you are under that Thauran makeup, Pirate Black Velvet. You are hereby under arrest."

The other used his paralysator and I lost consciousness before I could say a word.

--""--

CHAPTER 05: TRAITORS

"She has been what?" Admiral Stahl gasped as he looked at the Avatar projection of the other immortal admiral.

"Captain Black Velvet has been arrested by your marines and Commodore Anderson, who you put in charge of the rescue and slave recovery operation is interrogating her now."

"CENTRON, connection to Commodore Anderson. Priority Alpha!"

The sentient computronic of the Devi reacted faster than a regular request to the Comm desk.

"Anderson here, Sir. I am glad you called. We need more transport assets."

"Shut up, Commodore. I am calling you on priority Alpha to give you instructions, not to hear your reports." Stahl took a deep breath. Did you arrest Captain Black Velvet?"

The commodore swallowed hard, having the Eternal Warrior actually yell was not a good thing for certain. "Yes, Sir. She resisted all standard interrogation methods and psionic probes, so I am currently using more conventional methods. This bitch will tell us the location of the rest of her crew. Her ship was a regular slave transporter."

Stahl took a deep breath."Go to blue-blue-blue protocol right now!"

After the necessary motions were taken to establish said security clearance protocol, Stahl said."The woman is a NAVINT asset and not a pirate. She acted in the guise of said pirate to gain access to the smelter moons, her name is Jane Smith. Where are her associates?"

"We keep them in Zero time stasis. There is a disgraced Golden, a genuine Nul. One of them is human; there is a X101 of all beings and the third is of unknown nature, the scan results make no sense. We bathed that vessel with the strongest paralysator settings. It also worked on the Nul by the way."

"If you harmed the Narth you and me are in a world of trouble, Commodore."

"A Narth?"

"Release the prisoner immediately, limit exposure. Provide them with a Scorpion at once! Do not send them to your CMO."

"Aye Sir."

McElligott was still there, his arms crossed."It is the second time we do this to her, you know. And this after she liberated almost 16 million slaves. Togar, Dai, Karthanians, Ithe, a bunch of others and no less than 9,822 Union citizens. Not to mention we might have harmed the Narth."

Stahl leaned back in his seat and made a guilty face, an expression McElligott has never seen in the face of Stahl in all the three millennia he knew the man. "It is on me, I dropped the ball. I should have informed the USS Kilian about the special circumstances."

"Well if it is any consolidation, I too expected her to come back with a few hundred liberated Union citizens, not the entire population of three smelter moons."

"We didn't put into account who went to the smelter moons."

"Your lucky, she worships the ground you walk on. Let us pray that the Narth is unharmed."

--""--

The Narth was unharmed, but for the first time in all Narth existence, he suffered from what he described a headache. He told me that the Narth Supreme recommended that he meditated and rested for a day period.

I didn't feel much better. The Commodore and his goons had done a number on me. I did not reveal to them that I was a Union officer because I was under orders to keep that part secret and my requests to make a GalNet call were denied.

An hour ago, Commodore Anderson came storming into the brig and yelled at the Luitenant who had hit me several times, quite hard and told me that he could do it even harder. "Release her at once."

"Sir?"

"I gave you a direct order, Luitenant. She is not a pirate but a NAVINT asset that used the guise to get access to the smelter moons."

The Lieutenant made a troubled face and gave me a crooked smile."I am sure you NAVINT people understand and it wasn't personal."

The Commodore released the restraints himself.

I got up, kneed the Luitenant in the groin and as he groaned and bend over, I hit him with my knee under the chin, I spat at him."Then you will understand that this was personal. You went beyond the acceptable and enjoyed your position of power over a restrained woman, you pervert, I will put you on report."

I wasn't sure if there would be a report or a follow-up, considering our unique position and mission. I was given a Scorpion and orders to report to Admiral Stahl aboard the Devastator and under the guise name of captain Jane Smith.

The Devi had an X101 health engineer and he was checking on Circuit to make sure he was alright, Mao remained aboard the Scorpion and so did Narth who followed the advice of the Narth Supreme.

It was Captain Harris himself who escorted me to Stahl's office.

As we were in the I.S.T. he said."Welcome aboard Captain Olafson. I don't really know what exactly happened or what your actual mission is, but I am very proud you have been made captain by the Immortals. I knew you would end up commanding your own ship and who knows maybe the big chair of this ship will be yours again one day. We do have a regular steel container kicking tournament now, thanks to your ship's last visit."

I gave him a crooked smile."I can't tell you what my actual mission is, I was just beaten by a lieutenant for not revealing it. However I promise I will keep that tradition, should I ever command the Devi again."

He actually saluted me just before Stahl's office, I returned the military courtesy and entered after the door opened for me.

Stahl got up from his desk and if I didn't know better I could have sworn to see something like a guilty expression in his face, I saluted him."Captain Olafson under the cover of Jane Smith reporting, Sir."

"Sit down, Captain. How is the Narth?"

"According to the Narth Supreme, my friend will recover. Right now he is meditating and resting trying to get rid of what he describes a bad headache."

"I can not say it any other way, but apologies for this. It was my fault for not informing the responding units about your special circumstances. The first batch of liberated slaves told the Commodore about Captain Black Velvet. It didn't help that the slave transport you commandeered was of the same ship type as the Silver Streak."

He spread his arms."I am sorry, Captain Olafson."

"Sir, I understand why it happened. This was a different situation than the one back at Camp Idyllic, but was it really necessary to hit the ship that Narth piloted with the full strength of a ship-mounted F 12 paralysator? The last time, it was an F4 and it did a number on him."

He sighed sounding relieved, then he gave me a lengthy report on what occurred on Ithe and to Har-Hi.

After hearing what my crew had to face, I chastised myself for letting them fend on their own. This was not what a Captain supposed to do. I could have sent someone else to the Smelter Moons and stayed with the ship and my crew, especially knowing that they faced a serious threat.

Stahl pointed to the cabinet where I knew he kept the cold beer."Go grab two of them. Girls do drink beer right?"

"Yes Sir, my tastes have not changed."

While I fetched the beer, he said. "I guess we both are guilty of this, and it is my fault for making it an acceptable exception. This particular way of leading is not very popular and on the verge of prohibited."

"It is not?"

"No, Erica. Every XO, command school and of course Fleet Command will tell you it is against regulations for a Captain to do and don't do certain things, but the number one rule is that the commanding officer makes the decisions and no one else. He or she will be responsible for the consequences of course."

He took the beer bottle and kept speaking. "That does not mean I sanction or encourage your solo missions away from your bridge, where by all common sense you should be."

I lowered my head."I know, Sir."

"I am not reprimanding you or tell you to change your ways. I can't simply because I more often than not do the same. Even after three thousand something years, I can't sit back and sent others into action. I also know your mission is quite unique and conventional approach isn't always possible. You do have an exceptional crew and they did exactly what you wanted them to do. Take care of a situation while you were taking on another."

I didn't drink, the immortal Admiral usually could instill confidence in me and he didn't fail now, but he could not completely dispell my sense of guilt, especially hearing about Krabbel's lost leg and Har-Hi's near-death fight with a Star Demon.

--""--

I doubted that it was anywhere in the regulations, not even if interpreted very generously and with both eyes squeezed shut, but as we returned to Itheamh and back aboard the USS Tigershark we were hugged, kissed, our hands shaken and greeted. Eyes that could get moist, were shedding tears.

After a while I said."Guys, guys we are officers and we must return being professionals. Where in the history of the Universe has a Captain ever been hugged by his SHIP?"

I then held Har-Hi's arm in Viking warrior fashion."So you decided to kill a Star Demon all by yourself."

"I am cursed to be a Dai warrior who has a Captain taking on every monster and creature there is, I had to fight something big and dangerous to even the score." He grinned as he said that, but in his eyes, I saw how serious and how dangerous the fight really was. I squeezed his arm and he did so as well. "Thank you, captain."

"Thank you, Har-Hi for being the best XO."

"No, I mean for liberating all those Dai."

"Truth to be told, my friend they did most of the liberating themselves once the control collars were off."

His eyes sparkled."14,000 Dai Than!"

"What will happen to them? If I understand they have no Tribes to go back to."

"My father is with the Union Armada, he is in command of a carrier group. He and other Union Dai are taking care of them."

"They will be okay with the Okthi part?"

Har-Hi's face was full of pride. "Father says we are not Okthi, just because Cam Elf-Na sais so. It has to be the decision of the Pale Ones. The hearts of our mothers would have died if they had done so after all."

"It seems there is still much I need to learn about the Dai society."

"Yes, Erica there is and I found out I myself have not yet learned all there is to know."

After that, we had a little reunion party in our Pirate's Den. Krabbel ensured me that his new leg was just as good as the old one and that he could not even tell which one it was he had lost. I called him a fibber and hugged the big furry spider with much affection.

Then as we arrived at coffee and deserts, I asked."Any news from the Red Dragon?"

Hans shook his head. "Not directly, but I have intelligence from the Ithe and our NAVINT outpost, the Red Dragon is still right here on Itheamh, sitting on a landing field of the Pragh spaceport. With all the Union fleet assets so close by, he won't risk activating his engines and revealing an energy signature that is known ton Union authorities."

I lit a cigarette from Shaka and O'Connell presented me with coffee in my very special and very ugly skull mug."Well, the big armada keeps moving and will be gone in a few days. Only a few ships remain to assist the Ithe and keep guard till the PUMA process has officially started and more permanent protection can be installed."

With a shriek that sounded like a venting plasma valve, Fenris our strange mascot fazed through a wall and into the Den. The bugger was noticeably bigger than before and it landed with clicking claws and flapping wings right before me and squeezed his yellow reptilian eyes close as it pressed its head against me.

Shea actually coed and clasped her hands together."Oh, how cute, Fenris missed you too."

I petted the little dragon and said."Is it just me, or is he getting bigger? Anyone has any idea just how big Fenris might get?"

Shea spread her arms."We do not have any reference data, so to answer your question. No, not really."

Mao had to tell again how we were captured by Union marines. Shea told us about Stahl being in temporary command of the Tigershark.

SHIP chimed in and said."The new interim planet governor, Ninety requests to come aboard."

"Let him in over the landing ramp."

The big Togar was not alone, he was in the company of Grtonner Icylemh, the former Engine Builder. Both were members of species I had little contact, but I could tell they were ecstatic.

"Captain Black Velvet, the entire planet is celebrating. Not just our liberation from the Karthanian overlords but you bringing back all those that had been sent to those cursed smelter moons."

Grtonner agreed and said."Come, all of you and be celebrated. You might be pirates to the Universe, but you are all heroes to Itheamh."

"We truly appreciate the sentiment." I said, " but we rather not be exposed too much. Besides, it was you who was the main factor in all of this. We just tipped the scale, for the changes to take effect a little earlier than they would have anyhow."

The tall Togar shook his mane."Open that door once more Captain Velvet, please. There is someone who wants to see you."

I asked SHIP to do so and outside on the landing ramp stood a little Ithe family. A female, a man and a kid. I recognized Drenc because of Crancy and he came running, not walking or listing to his parents."You brought him back! You brought back my Daddy!"

I always considered myself in control of my emotions, and the kid was not human. Yet I felt my throat constricting. Our actions were validated by this moment.

His mother was not far behind him. "I too want to thank you and I want to apologize for what I said to you. My husband is back and we seeing a new horizon for us and for the entire planet."

Ninety bellowed."It is a small gathering, Captain. Just the ones that know you, let us share a meal and a few drinks. You will go on and do whatever you must do, and my days will be filled with activities to make sure our society stays on the course and until it can elect a new government."

"Alright, I guess we could celebrate a little. There is a little time until the big armada has passed this system and our special friends dare to move again."

--""--

I remembered the entrance to the wreck being covered with a thick tarp to block any light from escaping. It had been rolled away and the light of many torches and light elements illuminated the place. The sun was had set about an hour ago and the moonless night of Itheamh was upon us.

For the first time, I heard Ithe music, singing and laughing.

While I could not identify most of the individuals, to me most of them looked pretty much alike, but I recognized the Dai Than boys, the Karthanian and the Drak commandant who had helped free Har-Hi and Narth.

Mao again became the center of much attention as he asked if more Nuktur stew would be served.

Just as Ninety promised it was a relatively small event.

After the meal where they served the standard fare, much to Mao's delight. Thankfully they had brought food from the spaceport that was more palatable. Not that I was hungry anyway.

The Karthanian came over and said to me."I would like to show you something if you humor me and follow me."

The owner of the orbital dockyards took me outside and to a clearing between grass trees and spaceship scrap. There stood a fast looking spaceship, it was clearly of Karthanian design. It bristled with weapons. I estimated it to be about the size of an old Comet class destroyer, or about 160 meters long.

The underbelly boarding ramp was lowered and he said."This is the Walkarr, and I have designed and built it. It would honor me greatly if I could give you a little tour."

"Sure why not, it looks like a fine ship."

The boarding ramp led to what appeared an actual elevator. A short ride brought us to the bridge or what he called the command center.

To my surprise, the human boy Mel was here already. He didn't say a word but Grtonner did."Captain, Velvet. We have a shipload of Karthanian rebels and your marvelous engineer has the key to activate the ancient ruler. We need to go to Karthania and press our advantage.”

“Grtonner, we were luckier than we should have been and actually ill-prepared for what we did. Going against poorly defended outpost factories is one thing, going against an entire civilization is another.” I said and then I turned and asked. “Circuit has what?”

“He has found the ancient cipher key that is needed to activate the First Engineer. It was hidden in Crancy.”

As I turned I also noticed Grtonner holding a weapon aimed at me and he said. “I am sorry Captain Velvet, but I am Karthanian first.” He fired and that was the last I saw before everything went dark.

--""--

If there was someone keeping records, I was certain I would win. I was certain no other Union officer found herself abducted, knocked out or rendered unconscious as much as I did.

This time it was entirely my fault. I trusted too many and too easily. I trusted Sobody’s judgment and I trusted that cursed Karthanian boneface without investigating him more closely.

But I could not fault our Golden friend, I had Narth with me the day we met the being and Narth did not detect anything.

Maybe I relied too much on the psionic abilities of my friend, he too could miss something.

Truth to be told, I was angry mostly at myself. For getting myself once more in a situation like this.

I did not really feel any discomfort so far and tried to open my eyes, only to realize I had something over my head that prevented me to see. Feeling my body once more I was certain, I was sitting in a chair of some kind, with my hands and feet tied or otherwise immobilized.

I closed my eyes and tried to use my other sense, something I started to develop still back home on Nilfeheim. Dr. Dwyer called it electroreception and considered it some delayed mutation and an unexpected result of the genetic manipulations the settlers of Nilfeheim received so long ago.

While I never really used it much, I grew more accustomed to it.

It did not work well, as the electroreception sensed every active device nearby. It did tell me however that I was still on the bridge of the Karthanian destroyer.

Someone pulled the hood of my head and it was, as I almost expected, the traitorous Karthanian spacedock owner.

“I am terribly sorry, Captain Velvet but you left me no choice.”

“Betrayal of trust is not a choice. Sobody trusted you and so did I, but I won’t make the same mistake again.”

“Captain, I am Karthanian. With your help, we liberated millions of my kind. Yet there are many millions more that will be rounded up, to replace the ones we liberated. Without Ithe and other slaves, the ruling guild will resort to even more ruthless oppression and send more of my kind to the now idle moons. I can’t let this happen. Neither my life or my honor matters. We must try to stop this and you were not willing to commit. As an individual, you will hate me, but I hope as a leader you will understand that we must make decisions of this kind.”

“Forcing me to do something, by kidnapping me is not the right approach. You could have said what you just said to me before you decided to act.”

I then saw the motionless body of Circuit, looking like a human-sized puppet with its strings cut. I knew Circuit was not affected by paralysators. “If you hurt my friend, Grtonner, you will pay for this betrayal like no one has before.”

I remembered Circuit being affected by Tech Stop while we fought the crooked base commander and his pirate cronies at Richter base. Fear that he damaged my friend mixed with cold rage building up. “Untie me now.”

Mel, the human boy from Itheamh came into my field of view. He held a slave collar control in one hand. His face reflected none of the demure shyness he always had when he looked at me before. “We needed you Captain Velvet and we are thankful for what you did, but we don’t need you anymore. Grtonner wanted to get you on our side, he thinks you are resourceful and keep you alive to thank you for all you did for us, but the cause is more important than that. You wear one of the slave collars and it will guarantee your cooperation.”

He pressed one of the studs and my body was flooded with waves of pain.

He hissed, spitting every word. “I lost all compassion while wearing one like this. My loyalty is with them and I hate you for what you make me think.”

He pressed the stud again and the pain was even more intense. I tasted blood in my mouth.

The Karthanian put his long-fingered hand on the arm of the human traitor.”She did nothing to us, but help. We must keep her restrained but we won’t torture.”

Mel twisted away from the Karthanian touch. “She is Union, they let us all suffer. Yet they could have stopped it long ago.” He howled in rage.” She does not leave my mind, she has powers!”The next wave of pain was so intense, my muscles cramped and I fell out of the chair to the floor, my vision blurry from pain and tears.

--""--

"She went where?" Har-Hi asked.

Ninety approximated a human shrug."She followed Grtonner to his secret toy. A destroyer he had built in secret. Maybe they take that thing for a test flight or something. They have taken off a few moments ago."

While this sounded like a perfectly normal explanation, Har-Hi wondered why the Captain didn't say a word."

He tried to call her on her wrist com. Instead of the Captain, he starred in the face of the Karthaninan.

"Why are you in possession of the captain's com unit?"

"Because we are in possession of your captain and your X101 engineer. We did what we had to do, your engineer has the key to wake the First Engineer and he will surely do what we ask of him if we promise to keep the captain unharmed."

Ninety standing next to Har-Hi screamed."Why? We trusted you!"

Har-Hi turned on his heel. "We go and get our captain and then we deal with the traitors."

--""--

I found myself in a dimly lit room, that was without question designed to hold prisoners. I could not detect the faint hum or vibrations, of a spaceship under power and assumed I was either aboard a landed and powered down ship, or perhaps a building planetside. The room was featureless gray most likely some form of concrete and it did not appear to have any furniture

I was still tied up.

The next thing I noticed as my mind begun to clear, was the unmoving body of my friend Circuit. I feared the worst.

I also noticed a second human shape, tied up like me. It was the young man, the traitor Mel.

He noticed me moving and lowered his head, so he did not have to look directly at me.

My heart missed a beat as I noticed Circuits fingers moving.

Mel whispered, “ I am sorry.”

“Sorry doesn’t cut it, buster. I am going to kill you the first chance I have.”

“Grtonner lied to all of us. He doesn’t want to wake the First Engineer, he does not want to help us to end slavery and misery. All he wants is revenge and replace the leading guild with his own. He told me that the Karthanians would not tolerate a human amongst their midst and he locked me up like with you.”

“Shut up! I do not want to hear your excuses, or why a traitor has been betrayed.”

I noticed more movement in the still form of my friend. Circuit’s eyes started to take on a dark red glow and then I heard a faint electronic whisper.

I robbed over to him. “Circuit please be alive.”

“I am Captain, but I still need some time to reset most of my systems.”

“Take all the time you need. I am not sure what situation we are in right now, but I get us home, I promise.”

“I have no doubt, Captain.”

Just then a door opened, I had not noticed before as it was almost seamlessly integrated into the opposite wall, it revealed itself by a faint hum and bright light pouring in the, until now, almost dark holding chamber. The outline of a Karthanian blocked some of the light and made the alien look like a black cutout.

“I see you have recovered from the neural overload, our human friend has exposed you too. I am very grateful for what you have done, and I would not allow him to kill you, besides you are a very valuable element in my quest to return Karthania to its rightful glory.”

“Sobody trusted you and because of him, I trusted you as well. You are the worst traitor and liar I have come across so far and the hour of payment for your transgression is soon at hand.”

“Oh spare me with these hollow threads, Captain Velvet. You are on Arkalon, beyond the reach of the Union. Yes, Sobody saved my life and became my benefactor, but no friendship to a Xeno can trump my desire for revenge and regain what is rightfully mine. I am indeed Grtonner Icylemh. No mere Karthanian but the rightful Guild Master of the Engine builders, denied and betrayed by Gharrhtur Maceuyt and members of my own guild.”

“Why are you telling me this?” Of course I wanted him to give me as much information as possible, to evaluate the situation and find a way to escape, but I didn’t want to appear too eager or interested.

“Because I respect you, as much as a Karthanian can trust a Xeno. You are not Karthanian and therefore only useful as a tool, but I have seen you in action and I know how well this Union of yours trains their officers. Without you, I would still be Fantlemo Brthail, exiled and dreaming about ways to regain what is mine. If you cooperate, I will spare your life and find a way to return you to Itheamh.”

“What cooperation? You seem to have everything and I am just a Xeno.”

“Order your mechanical engineer to reveal all the technological secrets, ISAH pods, Translocator weapons, Loki torpedoes, how to make Ultronit. With this knowledge, the Engine builders will become supreme. With such knowledge, I can walk into the guild hall and demand my seat. I also want the key, with it the First Engineer can be activated indeed or completely shut down forever."

For some strange reason, the bonds that held my hands tied to my back withered away. I could see the tape around my ankles melt away. I did not waste the opportunity by questioning what caused it, but lunged forward and hit the Karthanian with a shoulder tackle.

The alien was pushed with force into the wall opposite the open door he was still standing in. I heard and felt something crack. I did not care and followed up with a right hook and all the strength I could muster, across his elongated snout. He gargled as the rigid mouth tube broke off his head, watery green liquid splashed over my face and arms.

While he slid to the floor and I got to my feet, I knew I had killed him.

There was no one else as I looked around. I stood in a long well lit corridor, with a door at each end, about fifty meters in each direction.

I hastily dragged the body inside the cell.

Circuit was just sitting up. “I think your threat wasn’t as hollow as he thought it would be.”

“No I guess not, but I could only do it because my bonds suddenly dissolved for some reason.”

“I hoped they would work fast enough, but the reason was my nanites. I never leave the ship without them.”

He came struggling to his feet.

I forgot that I was the captain for a moment and simply hugged my friend. “I thought I lost you.”

“I could not leave you alone, Captain, but as you know Tech Stop does a number on me. Luckily it was not strong enough to penetrate my brain shell, but it shut down all secondary systems.”

“Lucky indeed, where would I find a better engineer?”

"Maybe here? We are on a planet full of them if I understand it correctly."

"This is a serious situation and who knows how we get out of here."

"Alright captain, I will try to be more serious then."

I then searched the body of the dead Karthanian and found a control device of sorts, however nothing else. The Karthanian’s outfit would not fit a human being. Not that I could pass as one of them even if I somehow managed to make it fit.

I tossed the device to Circuit. “Can you make sense of this thing?”

“Let me check it out closer.”

While Circuit examined the fist-sized, egg-shaped device.

I turned to Mel, who tried to move away from me but managed only to push himself a few feet further until his efforts were stopped by a gray concrete wall. His eyes reflected fear, but this time I had no pity and felt only cold rage.

He whined. “Don’t kill me, please.”

“I wanted to tear you limb from limb, but that would be effort wasted. No, Mel, I won’t kill you but I will let you rot right where you are. I don’t care what the Karthanians will do to you and won’t lift a finger to stop them.”

Circuit said. “This thing is sort of a PDD. It controls the doors, seems to have a communication component and a data processing element.”

“Well no sense sticking around here, let’s see if we can’t steal a ship or something and leave those bone faces to themselves.”

--""--

CHAPTER 06: The First Engineer

The meeting of the guild masters in the old guild house was not as the usual gatherings where they discussed new business, ore production, scrap processing or the design of a new ship. Not the dissatisfaction of the general population and ways to deal with them were on the agenda. The Union embargo was still new and had just been implemented. Yet it was much more effective than the Guild masters wanted to admit. Union markets were suddenly closed to them, but that was not the worst. The Union Armada had turned around and was now entering Karthanian space.

The Resource manager standing before the big table facing the powerful guild masters. "They are all gone, every single worker has disappeared. I pursued a fleet of scrap scows, most likely filled with the escaping scum, but a Union warship threatened me with destruction if I was to open fire."

The Hull Builder became very nervous. He, like the others, knew of course that there were Union citizens among those slaves, but he knew there were some that knew of his secret, the hidden Freon colonies.

Aloud he tried to be boisterous and said."Send our warships to deny the Union entry into our space. We do not want xeno contamination."

The Ship Outfitter responded ."The Oghr that operate our ships do not want to engage the Union armada and the Karthanians able to operate ships do not know how to fight them."

"We stand no chance against the Union juggernaut, we should negotiate and see if we can defuse the situation by offering reparations and a change in policies."

The Steel and armor master suggested.

Now the weapon master asked."If we have such a weak force, relying on mercenaries that swear to one master only, the one called money and have none of our own that know how to fight, how would we have stopped a Togar invasion?"

--""--

The corridor outside our prison cell was bare bones as the room we had been kept. There were a dozen or so similar doors, most likely leading to similar prisoner holds. The corridor itself terminated on each end with a sturdy looking doors and an obvious visual sensor.

"If someone is watching visuals of this corridor, the subtle way is out my shiny friend."

"Only the one to our right is active. The one of the left is deactivated. I don't think the camera is pointed the right way to see all the way down to where we are."

"That means one entrance is guarded and leads to somewhere while the other is not."

He pointed to small lights mounted above each door."If those indicators are what I think they are, two of these cells are occupied. Shall we burden ourselves with other prisoners or try to get away ourselves?"

"I think we better check on them, we know nothing of this place. Maybe one of the prisoners has more information we can use."

"Give me one moment, Captain."

"For what? Want to kick that piece of work back in there?"

"It would provide me with temporary satisfaction indeed, but the distance to the active camera is quite long for my nanites. If we move anywhere further to the right, we are certain to be seen."

He made sense of course and I was very thankful for the resourcefulness of my Chief engineer.

The active security sensor was now slowly changing its ankle. Circuit explained. "My nanites affecting the positioning drive. All they see now is a gray wall."

I gave him a nod and actually hoped someone would come and check why this camera was looking at a wall, I really felt the need to find an outlet to my anger."

Circuit had no problem using the egg-shaped device to open the other cell doors. The first one held a Karthanian who leaned against the gray wall and grunted."Do whatever you want with me, I am not selling out."

He looked up and with a surprised tone in his voice."Captain Velvet?"

I too found it unusual that a Karthanian would recognize me on sight. The only Bone faced Karthanians I know were Captain Sposhtrah, who was hopefully on Alvor's Cove and that traitorous Grtonner Icylemh, that lay dead a few doors down.

"You know me?"

"I am Grtonner Icylemh, of course, I know you, Captain. You saved all those slaves and freed many Karthanians!"

To call me confused was an understatement. "I am pressed for time as it is, but if you are Grtonner Icylemh, who did I kill?" To Circuit I said."I did kill that bastard, did I?"

"Affirmative captain, this is not some sort of cyber reality. They don't work on my nanites."

The Karthanian got up. "That was my older sibling, no doubt. I shed my secret identity too soon, upon return to Itheamh, I was captured. My sibling Gharrhtur Maceuyt was the one that sent me to the Smelter Moons in the first place. I have not ascertained how exactly he was able to take my place or fool all of you but I am glad he is dead."

Somehow it made sense. It certainly validated my friend Narth. "We don't have much time indeed, are you against Xenos?"

"Captain, I spend more years along Xenos than I did among my own kind. I was betrayed by Karthanians and I keep being rescued by so-called Xenos. I love and respect my friend Ninety as much as a Karthanian can respect and love a Togar."

Circuit said."Do you know where we are?"

"Yes, I think we are in the basement of the old Guildhall. This part is maintained by the Engine builders."

I peeked back out, there was no movement so far."Do you know where these doors lead?"

He also peeked out the door and pointed towards the door with the active, but thankfully now badly aligned camera. "This one leads to the Chambers of the Engine builders and has exits to the surface and the big entrance to the old guild hall. There are sentries, both live and automatic ones."

Then he turned and pointed towards the other."This one leads to the old basements, I do not really know what is down there, other than storage of all sorts of alien tech we captured or collected to be analyzed and if useful copied."

"Let us check what they stored, maybe there is a passage or connection to the sewers or some other exit."

"Why not the other way?" Grtonner asked.

"To engage armed guards we need weapons and I am not sure how much back up they can call."

Circuit pointed to the other door with an active light."Can we check who's behind that one?"

--""--

Stahl stood with his legs apart and his hands crossed behind his back before the large view screen. Those who knew him called this his no-nonsense pose and his most serious responses were to be expected. He was on the verge of exploding, even Captain Harris did his best turtle expression, even though none aboard the ship was the target of the Immortal warriors' anger.

The viewer changed and it showed the image of several Karthanians grouped around a central chair upon which an impressive dressed Karthhanian sat. "I am the High guild master of the Hull builders and demand that you turn around your invasive presence at once."

"I am Admiral Richard Stahl. I care not at what you find offensive. The catalog of Karthanian offenses against the United Stars, however, is extremely offensive to us. I am authorized to use whatever force I deem fit to deliver you our answer. The latest offense by kidnapping a Union Captain of a planet that made an application to Union membership, however, is beyond everything you did so far.

I am going to use Planet busters on every single planet, even considered Karthanian. I will rain Marines on Karthania and kill every single one of you, no negotiations no second chance. If said person is not returned to us within sixty minutes from now, I will demonstrate to all of you how I earned my reputation. There will be war; the war of the ultimate kind. There won't be any Karthanians left."

Stahl gave his Comm officer the sign to disconnect. "You will reject any contact attempts of them unless they call with the coordinates where we can pick up Captain Olafson."

To the tactical officer, he said."Any ship that leaves that planet is an open target. Not as much as an automated drone is to leave that world. Deploy all Wolfcraft! Psionic assets to scan for Union minds in the system. You detect any captured Union citizen use whatever force necessary to free her or him. I am done pussyfooting around these xenophobic seahorses."

--""--

"Nineteen ships have been destroyed! Our sacred system is so thick with Union and Nul ships that we could not evacuate a Juki fly!" The Weaponbuilder master complained."It is their Eternal Warrior himself. We can do nothing but comply! Why did you abduct one of their captains?"

The Hull builder was aware of his many sins and he was already thinking if suicide might be an acceptable solution, but he had no idea about any abducted Captain.

"I did not authorize or order any such action. I do not know what that cursed Union demon is lying about!"

"He is many things, Hull builder," the Ship systems master yelled, "he is a forceful enemy, he is uncompromising and he is hated by many, but the entire galaxy knows he never lies, he does not have to."

One of the aids to the Engine builder stomped forward and pointed his long finger at the Engine builder. "At the dusk of our civilization, I can not remain silent. It was us, the Engine builders. Gharrhtur's son who is our leader now sanctioned what his father did. We abducted the person that initiated the liberation of the smelter moon slaves and an associate of hers."

Hehrrhtur Maceuyt, the current engine builder guild master knew about his father's scheming. It was through those actions, the Icylemh have swept aside and the Maceuyt became the guild leaders. He knew his father kept doing things to maintain that position and worked on gaining the lead overall, but he did not know any details. He spat."Will you listen to the fabricated lies of a doomed aide or my word? I know nothing of any abducted captain."

"We believe the facts. The Union is here with accusations that your aide has just substantiated." The Hull Builder responded."Now for the sake of preventing war, release the captured at once. We have little time!"

--""--

The being in the other cell was completely unknown to me. It had gray skin, a large head with black almond-shaped eyes. The only other being that I saw, looking like that was the stasis frozen Freon in the secret bio lab hidden under the surface of Tabernacle 12.

The being showed signs of torture and looked at us, quite equally unprepared to see someone else than Karthanians.

Grtonner, however, made a hissing sound and said."It is true then, the Hull Builders hiding a Freon colony."

"Freons?" I said disbelievingly." Aren't they made extinct even before the Union was formed?"

The gray being got up."Yes, we were made extinct by the cursed Terrans indeed. Genocide in form of robot bombs rained on every Freon world. Our civilization destroyed in a mere moment."

"Well, that does it for me. You are not an ally." I was about to turn and finally get started on our escape when the being said."Will you leave me here, the Engine builders cannot afford to leave me alive when my existence becomes known."

I sighed and walked out."Try to keep up then, we are not exactly a rescue party but prisoners who managed to escape their cells, but not the prison."

The door with the non-functional camera, looked like it hadn't been used for ages, but the grime and dust-covered door sensor actually recognized Grtonner's biometric and it opened for him.

The door squealed in its tracks as the mechanism pushed the door panel open.

Light elements came on and revealed a downward leading ramp. The air was dry and stale.

As we advanced down the steep ramp, the door behind us squealed shut.

We didn't talk much as we kept advancing down. It was hard to estimate but I guessed we had covered at least a klick before the Duro-crete ramp leveled into yet another corridor. This one was wider and had alcove like storage bays to each side. Filled with crates and machine parts, nothing I could identify or make use of.

The being identified as a genuine Freon of all things had not spoken much either when it yelled."A sentry robot!"

The next instant, a bipedal tall robot with raised weapon arms stepped into the corridor. It spoke in Karthanian first.

Circuit whispered. Captain this is a genuine Cerberus Mark One. Issued to the fleet in 3502!"

I went out on a gamble."The robot, recognize Captain Erica Olafson, United Stars Spatial Navy. Scan MITI"

The robot switched to standard Union lingu."MITI scanned, command authority recognized. Additional software of non SII origin has been installed."

"Purge all non Union apps, reset to factory conditions. Recognize Union authority alone."

"Please stand by, this unit must reboot."

Just as the robot shut down, six armed guards. Five Oghr and a Karthanian in green and blue uniform leading them came running down the ramp we had just cleared.

Grtonner yelled. "What is this, Hull builders in the basement of the Engine builders. Is the conception and betrayal of cursed Hehrrhtur Maceuyt going even past guild lines?"

I had nothing on me in terms of weapons, as I saw the armed Karthanian aim his line blaster, so I yelled on top of my lungs and rushed as fast as I can towards the alien. My scream and my approach must have affected his aim. He didn't hit Grtonner but burned a sizeable hole in the shoulder of the Freon, who went down with a painful groan while I collided with the Karthanian. Now in close combat, I brought my boot heels in play. Using my toes I had switched the heel profile and razor-sharp ultronit edges had appeared. With my left foot, I swiped across the snout of the first Oghr, while I pulled with all force I could muster on the Karthanian's arm.

Circuit was not far behind me, using his machine speed to avoid the weapon blast of another Oghr and twist the head of the one he attacked, with a rapid and quick move. I could hear the sickening cracking of bones over all the other noise.

The fourth and fifth Oghr, however, had time enough to react and would have been our doom, but a sun bright TKU bolt rendered most of the fourth Oghr's body into molecular ashes. The weapon bolt originated from the apparently rebooted Cerberus. The last Oghr had no chance to even surrender, he too was killed by a weapon blast of the robot.

Circuit tossed the Oghr he had just killed and rushed to the fallen Freon.

The Oghr with the sliced snout had both his hands pressed to his bleeding face but was not making any moves in the presence of the old but still a quite lethal Union war machine.

Circuit shook his head as he looked at me."The Freon is alive but I doubt he will be much longer, he is unconscious but I do not know if it from wound shock or something else."

To the robot I said."Shoot the Oghr if he makes any sort of offensive move."

"Instructions understood."

I gathered the line blaster of the Karthanian, I saw Circuit and Grtonner doing the same.

I now focused my attention on the blue and green dressed Karthanian. He was still alive, but it appeared Karthanian physiology was not the same as that of a human. I had basically yanked its arm right out of its socket. Greenish almost black blood seeped from the sleeve, only now I realized I was still holding the Karthanian's arm that was completely separated from the rest of the being's body.

"I want answers, Karthanian or I tear the other one out too!"

He was obviously in a world of pain, but he mumbled. "The Freon! His existence must be kept secret by all means..."

He didn't say anything else because I realized he had died. Just then another thundering bolt burned the wounded Oghr to ashes. The robot explained."The designated individual made an apparent offensive move."

"Let us barricade the ramp just in case there are more, who knows how much energy that old robot has left after all those years."

"One does know its energy levels."

Circuit checked the readouts and said."I do too, that old timer has twelve percent energy reserves left before it shuts down. Perhaps two or three days worth."

With the help of the robot, we placed heavy machine pieces before the ramp exit, in the hope to slow down any others coming after us.

While we did that, Circuit discovered a well-hidden service hatch, behind a steel shelf. The robot had no problem ripping it right out of the wall, the opening was just big enough for us to crawl through but not for the Cerberus.

"Robot stand guard and prevent anyone from following us."

"Instructions understood."

I crawled through and rejoined Grtonner and Circuit. We had emerged into a cavernous chamber of sorts. The walls lined with blue odd shaped and different sized bumpy tiles. The floor was of a similar bluish almost translucent material. In the middle of that large hall was a huge octahedron shaped object, unlike the dim illumination coming from the walls and the floor, the central thing looked dead.

Grtonner said."We actually made it into the Chamber of the First Engineer. I had no idea there was a crawl way connecting it to our own basements."

I looked around and didn't see anything or anyone else."While we are here, any chance we can wake the guy?"

He has been asleep for over 700 of your years and long before I was born. I know there is a missing chip or key component and it has to be inserted somewhere, but I have no idea how or where. I have been here before trying to wake the engineer somehow, but I was captured."

"You have failed them and you will fail now." A booming voice declared.

I could not locate the source of the voice that apparently came from everywhere.

Circuit held up the little black thing."I think I do have that key. Some of this looks like very old X101 technology. Long before the X101s were Union members or even forced slaves to the Kermac."

The voice became even louder."You must not wake the Engineer! I summoned those who will prevent your attempts."

From opening wall panels, ball-shaped things with many legs appeared. Almost like spiders but with perfectly spherical bodies and no apparent heads or eyes. They had the size of large melons and were bluish in color. I had no desire to find out what these things would do if they caught up with us. Concentrated and with a forced calm I aimed and fired. The weapon blasts did destroy or kill whatever these things were, but more and more panels opened and more of these things kept appearing.

"Grtonner, Circuit go try to wake whatever it is inside that Octahedron. I try to keep these crawlers from reaching us. Go hurry up, there soon will be too many for me to shoot."

--""--

The sixty minutes were almost up as Stahl was informed about a planetary assault already commencing. He was already annoyed and quite concerned about Erica. The USS Tigershark had failed to intercept the fast little destroyer in time before it reached Karthania.

The Tigershark was now sitting in one of Devi's hangars while Har-Hi, Narth, Shea and most of the Tigershark senior crew were on the bridge of the Devi. They had no active function aboard the Devi and had to remain quiet observers.

Stahl responded to the report."Whoever jumped the gun has to answer to me. We still have 11 minutes to go. Whatever the situation. I always keep my word!"

"Sir, those are not Union units. The Nul are here and attack everything Karthanian in sight!"

Stahl formed the words."The Nul?" Silently and then turned to Xon who was like Sobody and several of the new crew members also part of the Tigershark crew allowed on the Devi bridge."The Nul?"

"Sir, I mentioned the details of the situation to my life giver. He declared Erica...I mean Captain Olafson to be a member of our family after she saved my life. We Nul take those things very seriously."

Stahl sighed."In another situation, I would almost feel sorry for the Karthanians." Then he motioned to his Communication Officer. "Establish a connection to the All Gray please."

--""--

The situation was anything but looking good. We had no place to go. The round spider things flooded the room and the only reason we had not been overrun was the fact that they hesitated every time I vaporized a bunch of them. Now I was low on energy, but I could not switch to another weapon, even a few seconds would have been enough for them to overwhelm me. Circuit and the Karthanian worked on something behind me. I could not tell as I did not dare to look and miss one of those creepy things.

They made no sounds other than the clicking of their legs if these things were life forms they died without a sound.

"Hurry up guys whatever you are doing."

Circuit responded. "Almost got it, captain. Someone really went all out to make sure this thing isn't waking. They even gunked up the activation receptacle..."

"Circuit, I got maybe twenty bolts left, and there are still hundreds of them."

"Well the key is in and it appears energy levels are rising fast."

A cracking sound from behind me told me that something was happening. Grtonner spoke in Karthanian and Circuit's voice was not to confidence inspiring, especially as he used it to say."Sweet Mothermachine what in the Galaxies name is that?"

A new voice spoke."Xenos here?"

Again Grtonner spoke in an urgent tone.

Whatever he did made the spider things stop their advance. Not a moment too soon, as I was down to my last bolt and the things were now less than two meters in front of me.

I used the moment to toss the overheated and completely depleted Karthanian Line Bolter and reach for the second one I had taken from one of the dead Oghr.

I risked a peek.

The Octahedron had cracked open like a blue egg and an utterly strange being was rising in its center. Engulfed in slimy white goo, dripping of the creature in honey like drools. The thing was about 12 feet tall and there was a very remote resemblance to Karthanians. The thing was bluish and had some red streaks in its organic shaped body.

The thing had two arms with long thin claws. What I assumed to be its head did resemble at least in shape a Karthanian.

Grtonner stood before the thing in a very devote fashion and kept on speaking in Karthanian.

The thing appeared to be made of a similar material as the wall tiles. Some kind of translucent bluish stuff.

Now the creatures turned his head directly towards me."A soft-shelled Xeno! An intruder bringing doom to Karthania. Tenders will remove you, the mechanical Xeno appears of X101 origin and may stay to render services that I need now that I am awake!"

The spider things kept moving again. I had about enough of this and aimed the gun at the big entity."Stop them, or this soft-shelled xeno will send you back to sleep, permanently!"

"You dare to threaten me? I am the First Engineer?"

A shimmering force field engulfed the being."Your weapon is rendered useless. Now be devoured."

The first spider thing had reached me and I kicked it as hard as I could, a second one replaced the one I had kicked away.

The forcefield collapsed just as the First Engineer finished speaking. I didn't waste the opportunity and fired a bolt into the bluish rubble before the being."Sent your helpers back or by Odin, I empty that line blaster's energy into your head!"

The engineer howled in anger, but the spider things retreated.

"How can this be? I am supreme on Karthania."

Circuit held up his hand."I render services to my Captain first and I got most of your systems under control."

Grtonner now spoke in standard lingu."First Engineer you have been asleep for a very long time. These Xeno's helped me to wake you, as Karthania is under the control of traitors!"

"You are the traitor." There was that loud voice again and this time we could see from where it originated. A dozen or so Karthanians in dark green outfits appeared from an opening wall panel, accompanied by a large number of Oghr and odd looking battle robots. Their leader, prominently leading this force spoke again."You managed to wake the First Engineer, but now that he is exposed we will shut him down forever."

I jumped over the bluish rubble, splashed into the whiteish goo and took cover. A laser blast cooked a piece of the bluish stuff, just as I managed to duck behind.

I aimed carefully and drilled a big black hole right into the blue dressed leader. While he collapsed the loud voice did not fall silent to my dismay."Foul Xeno wench we will..."

The rest of the threat was drowned in an ear-shattering explosion. Much of the opposite wall collapsed into debris and dust. A horde of purple four-armed monsters in battle suits and armed with large Nul Froth casters stormed in, stomped spider things to mush. Nul attacked!

The Oghr turned in a panic, the Karthanian dropped their weapons and the strange looking Karthanian battle robots were rendered to scrap in mere moments.

One of the purple monsters yelled."Are you Black Velvet?"

"Yes!"

"Our prince was very upset about you being abducted by these cowardly weaklings, our All Leader sent us to make sure they will understand the error in their action."

Now Union marines came in along with a platoon of Type XI Cerberus.

The First Engineer, who moments ago wanted me devoured was, despite being utterly alien, quite shocked. However long he had slept, he clearly remembered the Nul. "Is this the day of doom, that has been foretold?"

"I would say this is very likely!"

Through the breach hole, another marine stepped into the chamber of the First Engineer. Wearing a dark red Quasimodo with the letters USMC and an old symbol depicting an eagle, a planet and an anchor.

Coming from an ocean planet with old-fashioned boats, I knew what an anchor was and looked like, but I could not identify the unit that logo belonged to.

The face that stuck past the helmet initiator ring, however, was well known to me, Admiral Richard Stahl!"

"Olafson take your friends and get out of here. You have never been here. We talk later and I take care of the situation here."

"Sir, how?"

"There is a landing tank outside, piloted by a certain Dai. Your ship is in orbit."

--""--

CHAPTER 07: DEPARTURE

After I was reunited with my friends and my ship we left Karthanian space and returned to the

space dock of Fantlemo Brthail. The Karthanian engineer had returned with us. He told us, that with the First Engineer active, the old Guildmasters would be swept away; and he realized that he no longer wanted to be a Guild leader. He rather returned to Itheamh and helped rebuild it and run his space dock. In order to maintain our cover, he reverted to his alter ego of Fantlemo Brthail and only reveal himself after the Dragon and his associates were well on their way.

I took the opportunity to take a long swim and slept an entire eight hours.

Refreshed as can be and quite hungry I went for the Den to have some breakfast.

I found Krabbel, the Golden, Xon, Warner and the Suit there. Apparently, Krabbel was teaching them the game of Chess.

I looked over the board he had set up and explained the others about the moves each game piece could make.

I quietly sat down with the intention not to disturb them, but that turned out to be impossible because Fenris winged down from somewhere and screeched excited, while Mr. Eeeryt placed a covered tray before me."SHIP promised me to let me know when you come for your meals, Captain. You all had us worried once again."

"Thank you, Mr. Eeeryt. I try to do that less, I promise."

The group around Krabbel interrupted their chess learning session and Xon said."We all know how formidable you are, but I must admit I was concerned as well."

"Xon, I am glad to be back as well. Your Life-giver made sure the Karthanians will reconsider any future abduction. Having a platoon of angry Nul doing the complaining, I have no doubt they understood."

Somehow I knew the alien Nul looked pleased."Our All Leader made you a member of the household and technically you are a Nul now."

I uncovered the dish and revealed a bowl of fish soup and fresh bread. While I inhaled the savory scent wafting in warm steam into my face, I said with a smile."That makes me the only Neo Viking- Nul with future Narth aspirations in the Universe, I am certain."

Har-Hi who just joined us made a praying gesture."The spirits of the Galaxy! A Neo Viking Nul barbarian with Narth powers."

They laughed at that.

Specialist Senhadjii, who earned his field commission to Ensign interrupted our conversation as his voice came over Intership, he was for the first time holding the Conn. As he was deadly serious about Helm he spend much time on the bridge and I had Har-Hi put him on the second tier roster.

"Captain, we just received a Myon message from the Red Dragon. He wants to meet everyone that was present at the meeting in the Tavern to proceed to N'Ger. He wants to get his project started."

"So, he managed to get away from Itheamh after all."

--""--

It took us two days to reach Eller’s system. I came onto the bridge after SHIP told me we were about to reach our newest destination.

It was technically not my shift, the bridge officers of the First Watch were there. SHIP holding the CONN, manning OPS and Helm. A birdlike individual I had seen during meetings sat behind the NAV station. I knew he was an Utelle and called a planet in the Andromeda galaxy home. I also remembered his name was Orkis, I had not spoken to him more than a few words since we started our journey.

According to Har-Hi he was dependable and had a decent Helm rating of 604.

The Delicate specialist Brana Noleii was working at the science station. Of course, I recognized Ensign Dybur on  Tactical and realized there was a second Thauran that was part of my crew, also female. She was operating the Comm equipment. A tiny human stood on the Security panel. I was almost certain it was Ensign Salhof.

SHIP's avatar got up from the Command seat and sat down in the empty OPS chair."We are approaching Eller's star captain. The second orbit belongs to planet N'Ger. Do you want me to call the senior officers to the bridge?"

"Not yet, SHIP. I think the First watch can handle it. Mr. Orkis what is our ETA?"

The Utelle did not turn to address me."Captain, we will drop out of Quasi in 12 minutes and will be within thirty light minutes to the Heliopause of Eller's star."

"Ms. Dybur anything noteworthy on the scanners?"

"There are energy signatures of seventeen contacts that appear to be spaceships within sensor range and within the Eller system. Nine are in acceleration towards threshold speed. Two seem to have arrived and are decelerating and six are in orbit around the second planet. The two approaching the second planet and four of the ones in orbit are known energy signatures and belong to starships we have encountered before. There are more energy signatures on several celestial objects. Most of them located on the second planet."

The Delicate said."The star is stable, and a standard GIII. No sensor data suggests the exchange of weapon fire or similar hostilities."

"SHIP do call Sobody on the bridge. I like to know more about N'Ger."

"Sobody is on his way, Captain."

I waited for the subtle glimmer of our optical sensors switching from Quasi-space to real space as we dropped out of this other space-time continuum into our own universe and then asked the other Thauran."I don't think I ever really noticed you."

"I was only recently advanced to Bridge duty, Captain Ma'am. While you are here, I like to express my pride and gratitude to be on this ship. There will be a time I can tell my grandchildren that I was part of all this."

"I am glad you think so, we might just have to follow that cursed Red Dragon half across the galaxy." I leaned forward."What I said to Ensign Dybur goes for you as well. I was serious about this."

"Yes, Ma'am and we all think that is really special, but I am not Thauran. I never felt discriminated. My father was a Blue and my mother comes from Mars." She laughed."That should explain my rather nice blue complexion, but I lack the natural gorgeous coppery hair of my friend Daia, I mean Ensign Dybur of course. Mine is a mousy brown, so I added some color. It matches my nail color too, but I am not so sure what kind of lip color..." She covered her mouth."I am so sorry, Captain. This doesn't belong on the bridge. It is only that..."

Ensign Dybur shushed her and said to me."When she gets started talking, she hardly ever stops."

"Well, it might be a good trait to have, being in communications." I grinned and then focused on Sobody who came on the bridge.

"Sorry to cut your off time short, Mr. Sobody but we are here and I really like to know more about N'Ger. There isn't all that much in our files and we are once more beyond GalNet range."

"No worries, Captain. It is me who wanted be part of this and I am very glad you let me do just that."

He sat down in what became his seat and put his hand to his chin."N'Ger is an independent world for a very long time. Taking the Galactic Core as a reference point and looking at it from the Z plane.

this system is Galactic West. N’Ger, its sun and a handful of stars are located in what they call the Wedmar’s Triangle. The system is more or less wedged between the Jooltar, Togar and the Shattered Kingdoms."

He still held his chin as he was recalling what he knew."Being between three big and expanding space-faring civilizations and within reach of a dozen small ones, N’Ger and two other planets in this region became the focal point of commerce and politics. It became a melting pot of cultures. N’Ger is famous and known through all four sectors of the Galaxy. If I recall it correctly N’Ger is at the innermost limit of Eller’s Goldilocks zone and has a very arid and hot climate. There are two very salty oceans. A rich biosphere developed out of Thiobacillus.

Both stationary and mobile life forms exist. The biggest is the Yellow Hexapod. A three-ton six leg herbivore.

It is used both as a beast of burden and for meat. There are a few thousand tons of that meat going through my bazaar."

I listened and gave the Helmsman the okay to increase speed and to enter the system. Then I said."Don't let me interrupt you, Sobody. I find your knowledge very helpful and your ability to remember all those details quite impressive."

He smiled and went on. "A sentient life form evolved from a smaller six-limbed omnivore life form, the Byki, better known as the Yellow Heads. It is sort of a curse word elsewhere. They don't travel much of planet and are not the most pleasant species to deal with."

SHIP lowered a second screen to the left of the main viewer and displayed the image of a yellowish bi pedal four armed creature. The displayed being was no taller than the Golden.

Sodoby pointed to the image of the being. "Their world, N'Ger derives from their native language which includes a clicking sound.

It was the Ongloran Federation that made first contact with the Byki about 10,000 of your Union years. Most sources agree and think it was the Ongloran who assisted them to ascent.

When the Ongloran Federation vanished, this region of space saw much fighting. It was Emperor Wedmar of the Oghr empire who established a free trade zone, a buffer zone between the Togar, Jooltar, and Oghr. Basically the same idea as Freespace, just in a much smaller scale and protected by Oghr military, it became known as Wedmar's Triangle."

Har-Hi and right after him the rest of my senior officers came to the bridge and exchanged seats with the First Watch officers. It was a quiet and smooth change.

I gave Har-Hi a mocking scolding gaze."I didn't call you guys. I was perfectly fine with the First Watch officers."

"Yes, and regulations require senior officers to be on the bridge if the captain is. We never observe much of any regulations, so I like to maintain the ones you have not specifically circumvented."

"I am not circumventing regulations. I might have a different interpretation to a few of those. Now I am getting scolded on my own bridge by my XO."

He sighed."Sorry Captain, but you started the scolding thing."

Now I sighed."No one ever is going to say something like that to Harris."

"But then regulations are much more seriously observed on the Devi."

"Sit down then, Mr. Hi. Our expert is advising me about N'Ger."

Sodoby was laughing."And I thank the gods that it was you who responded to our distress call. Fate allowed me to be part of this crew."

"Mr. Sobody please keep telling me about N'Gerand don't encourage them too much or one day they disrespect me for real."

Sobody became serious."They rather die than do that."

"About N'Ger?"

He collected himself."Where was I? Ah yes, the Oghar emperor. While Wedmar is long gone and the Oghr feud among themselves, this region is still known as Wedmar's Triangle, it established the region as a sort of neutral ground where trade could be done. It is no longer protected by Oghr military, just by tradition I think."

He waved with his right hand. "Anyway, N’Ger became a trade center and rich in the process. Eleven Merchant House Cities center on the Glaring Desert. This what they call a large salt flat with markets, slums, small communities, and landing fields.

The Eleven Merchant House Cities and the Emperor of the Byki rule the local planets and enforce local law.

Moons Motee and Wesma have been Oghr forts since Wedmar’s time and are still home to Oghr mercenaries who are paid by the Merchant Houses. The most unique feature of N’Ger security is provided by the Ug-Ka Dai. Their Dai Mother has been in orbit around N’Ger (like a third moon) for centuries. Dai Fighters are the main reason, no raid or attack on N’Ger was ever successful."

Har-Hi snorted. "The Ug-Ka are real Okthi. Their Dai Mother's heart died many centuries ago and thus remain here, but they are still Dai. I don't recommend we start a fight with them unless we can expose our true self."

"Alright, let's try to stay on their good side then."

Elfi said. "We are being hailed by one of the ships in orbit. It is the Red Dragon."

Har-Hi handed me my mask and said."Back to business, Captain?"

"Back to business, Mr.Hi."

I gave Elfi a sign to connect me.

The Red Dragon appeared on our main viewer and he said. "Ah Captain Velvet, you got my Myon message and it looks you managed to get your ship out of space dock before the Union goons looked to close."

"Indeed and it looks like you did the same, slipped right under their scanners."

"I think they were to busy with the Karthanian situation. Might come to war between Union and Karthania, but I don't care. I am ready to get on the way, are you?"

"Yes, this is why I am here. I don't really want to stay for weeks on end on N'Ger. Either we go soon or I start hunting on my own again."

"I don't even land. Meateater's Intruder is right next to me and well repaired. Captain Carrhrh arrived only moments before you as did Brathering with the Uhuin. Crimson Curse is just lifting off N'Ger and will join us in orbit momentarily. The Jooltar Basoro is on his way and should be here within the next ten hours. The Shadoom and Captain Rkkkz didn't make it, he met a Union Cruiser and that was the end of him. The rest will be here shortly. Whoever is not by tomorrow stays behind."

"Suits me."

--""--

"It is official now. Captain," Krabbel said. "We are now in unexplored space. No Union Fleet ship has ever come this far Coreward."

I was just walking on the bridge. We had left N'Ger twenty days ago and kept a steady course Coreward and would soon leave the Perseus Arm and fly across the gap to the Cygnus Arm of our Galaxy.

And then we would be almost exactly opposite of the Orion Arm were Earth and much of the Union space was. Still, we had much space to cross before we reached the Downward Sector.

TheOther got up from the Conn finishing his first duty watch on that position. "Specialist Lancaster broke his arm during a Container kicking match in Hangar A, no other casualties. Lt. Neugruber's team 'The Tremor Avalanche' won 3 to 2 over Prince Xon's 'Gray Stompers'. Other than that there is nothing to report, Captain."

The Nul now sitting at Communications turned his dome-shaped head around and said. "A rematch is planned for tomorrow night and I am certain we even that score."

"Just be careful not to kick one of the Hangar doors open by accident. With you guys stomping down there, who knows what could break."

"Only cosmetic damage Captain. The Ship is remarkably well build, very durable even for Nul Standards." "Do I want to know what cosmetic damage means?"

"Hans kicked the ball in one of the light elements but it is already repaired, Captain."

I wanted to add some light comment when he held up his jointless arm."

The Red Dragon is hailing us, Captain."

"Make sure the visual filter is in place showing the bridge of the old Karthanian and not the Tigersharks."

"Aye Captain, visual filter is linked to Janus device and automatically on, Sir."

"Just making sure."

TheOther handed me my mask and then I said."Alright, put him on."

"Captain Velvet we are about to cross the gap and we are low on fuel and decided to land on the next suitable planet and set up our refineries. My sensors picked up a K III star with three planets nearby. How is your fuel status?"

"I think I could have made it across the gap but restocking on fuel might not be a bad idea."

--""--

Our little convoy entered the nameless system identified by the Red Dragon.

I asked."Science, Tactical. Anything artificial around?"

Narth responded." No Captain. Three Planets. One Supergiant, two minor Planets. No artificial energy signatures, no communications. Second planet is within the life distance of its sun and is a Type D Garden world."

Shea added. "Captain, this is an unexplored and non surveyed system. It carries only a number in the catalogs and it is tradition that the Captain of a Union ship names it properly. It will then so be designated in the Star Catalogs of all Union ships. Of course only after we returned home and are back in Communication range."

"Alright. SHIP official log entry: On this date and time, I Captain Olafson name entered star System HIP number whatever herby to be known as ..." I looked around. "Any Suggestions?"

SHIP chirped happily. "New name recorded in Log entry. System now know as Any Suggestions"

"SHIP! That wasn't the name. I was asking for suggestions, you know that."

"Yes Captain I did but you said Official Log entry and sorry I can't do anything else but to go strict by the book then."

I frowned and grunted. "Great, now when the admirals read our log they say."What a moron she is, can't even think of a good name for a Star system."

"It is not so bad Captain."Mao tried to console me. "There are much worse names other Explorers came up with."

"Still, this is awful."

Har-Hi had a dead serious face."One day this conversation might happen. One guy to the other. Hey, mate where are you from? Any Suggestions. I don't know I could not even guess, just tell me! I told you Any Suggestions! " He then grinned. "If they ever settle that Gardenworld, there will be confusion even buying a Spacebus ticket."

I wasn't too amused. Official Log entries could of course not be erased.

The other pirate ships, except the Crimson Curse and us, didn't even bother with an orbit and went straight down.

Shea operated her science scanners."Eighty percent land and twenty percent water, very shallow oceans. I am reading life signs but no neural patterns associated with sentient life. Breathable Nitrogen-Oxygen atmosphere.

Narth said. "I don't sense any sentient thoughts either, but whatever lives down there has strong minds. It's dull like from a non-intelligent life form."

I nodded in acknowledgment and said."Shaka, set her down a little distance from the others, let's say a click or so. Mr. Har-Hi sound General Quarters. Mao shields please."

Shaka sat us down in an environment of very smooth hills near the shores of a huge lake or ocean. In the distance the other ships, they already had started to unpack their fuel refinery equipment.

Red Dragons Ship, the Kermac Destroyer of Shuputz and the Crimson Curse had landed right in the water of the shallow lake which made sense as water was an excellent source for NuGas.

I looked over to Shea. "I know you are itching to go out and survey the place and you can but don't overdo it and make sure you stay out of a direct line of sight. No extensive sample taking either."

She smiled and rushed to the I.S.T. "I get my equipment and a survey team together."

I got up as well and said. "I am going to join you. I always wanted to step on a world no one ever stepped on before."

Har-Hi said. "Well, Crimson, Dragon and his goons were first."

"Technicalities. How long do you think they need?"

He shrugged." Setting it up, making enough for five ships. Putting it down. If they work fast with a trained team eight to nine hours. With pirates and old robots I say more like 15 or 18."

"You got Conn."

With those words, Ileft the bridge, wanting to go to my Auto Dresser when Circuit and Suit intercepted me."  Captain, are you planning to go outside?"

"Yes. You too?"

"No Captain but Tyron I mean Suit would feel better if you did not rely on primitive Garments. This is an alien world with potential dangers."

"Well, I am not planning on putting on a full Atlas, just some flat-heeled boots. It doesn't look very dangerous out there."

The Suit said. "Captain it is still an alien world and your safety is important. I think you should always wear me if you decide to go out. No one will be able to render you unconscious if you wear me." "I thought you don't want to be a garment?"

"I am becoming a security officer, Ma'am. Your safety is paramount and I would feel greatly honored to be worn by you."

"Alright, I don't mind if you don't. Not that I plan to be knocked out, but since I just might be the record holder in that regard, go right ahead."

Tyron Suit flowed around me skintight and then turned black and looked like my usual leather suit. My own suit, however, was shredded to pieces on the floor.

"I can mimic any material and look; Captain. Of course, I can make you invisible, move in any known environment and you have a wide array of defensive and offensive choices."

"Good to know but by the looks of it not necessary out there."

Shea, Cateria and three others of the science department. I recognized them of course, Lt.Dunns, Ensign Tallow, and Dr. Ziodo. The three had disguised themselves as they thought Pirates would look like, but they really looked like science geeks in costumes. I didn't say anything but hoped Shea knew how to curb their science enthusiasm.

She looked at her handheld readout." No harmful aerosols or pollen present, no traces of poisonous gases. Temperature 36 degrees. We can safely go outside."

We cycled through the airlock at the bottom of the extended IST shaft. The ground felt spongy but did not leave tracks or cling to the boots. It had an unhealthy pinkish shade and little fissures all over. In more or less equal spaces were black leaf-less plant stalks or something like that. The stalks were about twenty meters tall. I could not help as to think an extremely magnified beard hair would look like that. The pinkish ground with those black plants stretched as far as I could see over the rolling hills and all the way to the water. The air had a sweetly sickly odor to it. Down by the water, the pinkish ground made way to a light brown rock surface. Man-sized crab-like animals scurried around taking no notice of our or the other pirate's presence.

"What a strange world," I said to myself as I watched the Pirates put up the NuGas refinery. Suit magnified my view just as I squinted my eyes to see better and I could see them close up." That is neat. Even on an Atlas, you got to blink for magnification."

"These Atlas suits are actually quite advanced for a primitive culture as yours."

"If you keep saying that I am going to believe it and get depressed."

"I will refrain from it and not all is primitive, Captain."

The pirates had only a few robots to help them and it looked like hard work. I saw them sweating and cursing putting up the components.

Mao walked up to me and said. "If that isn't the weirdest place I ever been to. I never saw a ground like that. No rocks, no dust. Just this spongy ground as of someone had covered the entire area with a padded bed sheet or something."

Narth floated around between our science team.

So I was directing my thoughts towards him. "What do you think?"

"I am thinking on many levels and ponder 54 different and quite unrelated subjects, however, I am certain you wanted to know my opinion on this world."

"I am glad you clarified that to me and I was indeed wanting to know your opinion. Otherwise, you might give me your opinion on the taste of Purple Sparkle Bright. Now I know why Narth shield their thoughts, another telepath would go crazy listening in."

"This is actually one of the reasons indeed. I have not pondered the flavor of Purple Sparkle Bright yet."

He came floating over. "While I still wait on Shea's data to make a more educated statement. I must say this surface strikes me as unusual. I just calculated the energy output of that sun and with the other data, I am certain this is a very old system. There are no significant mountains anywhere on this planet. The entire surface looks like this."

The suit said." Captain, I am linked with SHIP and cross-referenced my scanning data with all available library information. There is a significant level of danger here."

Shea called. "I think we better leave our current landing position and land in the water as well."

"All back into the ship we are changing positions. Shaka prepare for immediate lift off as soon as SHIP verifies we are all in."

"Aye Captain!"

"What is the nature of the danger, Mr. Suit?"

"There is but a single life form on this planet. The ground we stand on is that organism."

"Elfi get me Red Dragon."

"Aye Captain. Establishing contact. You're on."

"Dragon. I think we should leave now. We are all in danger."

"Now can you be more..."

I was the last one, just about to enter when a tremor threw me almost of my feet, Suit compensated and I was able to jump into the I.S.T. while the Tiger shark rose into the air before the door closed.

The entire ship rocked.

General Quarter's alert sounded...

"Report!"

Har-Hi's voice came on. "Outer shields at twenty percent, no damage no casualties yet. Shields just displaced 120,000 tons of matter."

While the I.S.T. was faster than the speed of sound, I had to wait until the decontamination process was completed. No one was allowed to re-enter the ship without a detailed biohazard scan and decon procedure. It was one protocol, I would not overwrite.

The ship rocked twice more.

Har-Hi said."Our disguise shields are barely holding."

I finally made it on the bridge but did not change seats with Har-Hi who had taken the Command seat. I plunged into the XO's and Ship switched Command level authority faster than we could have changed places. I raised the seat into the battle view dome and I saw the entire landscape had come to life. Like a huge blanket or carpet, shaken by an invisible giant. With enormous ripples and wave-like motions it extended folds and each fold engulfed the Tigershark. Our Neutronium hull was unaffected, unlike the shields that had collapsed by trying to displace many hundred thousands tons of matter.

Of course, we still could switch on our real shields but that would completely destroy our disguise.

"Mao you have fire permission but plasma weapons only. Try to cut us loose. As soon as you are successful Shaka get us into orbit, full engines. Circuit can you reset the shields as soon as we are free?"

"Circuit here, the simulated shields are linked to our disguise and can be reset, takes me ten seconds though!"

"Mao you have to keep that carpet off for ten seconds. I don't want to go full engines blasting through atmosphere into space Neutronium armor or not."

"Aye Captain commencing fire pattern now.!"

The beams cut through the folds that held us, but the carpet thing rippled even worse tried to smother us.

"Captain the more I cut the more ripples come and the load is increasing, we are being pulled back. ArtiGrav past Red line."

"I hope the armor is as good as they say it is. Mao, Translocator cannon. Lay a 1 Kilo AM bomb 500 meters into the ground directly under us. that should create a crater and suck the thing in, at least long enough to let us go." Har-Hi said."

But there will be an expanding shock and dirt wave before it collapses."

"I hope the material of the being is taking the brunt of it and our armor is that good. Fire!"

Despite internal ArtiGrav, some of the tremors came through and a huge hole had been ripped into the creature below us and we came free. Shaka didn't have to be told, he put full thrust into our main engines and catapulted us into space.

We cleared the last traces of atmosphere and I demanded. "Damage report!"

Har-Hi responded right away. "Janus simulated hull damaged.

Shield Coil Modulators of the secondary Shields belonging to our Janus mask are burned out. Landing strut Aft 4 is bend. No other damage reported."

"Casualties?"

"No Casualties."

"Status of the other Pirates?"

This time Narth replied. "The New Intruder and the Bloody Mary sustained damage. The other ships sustained no noticeable damage and are in Orbit.

They are within visual range in less than 1 minute."

"Shaka, take us to the Magnetic Pole as fast as possible. Then use gravimetric TransDim maximum acceleration behind that sun."

I hoped the magnetic shadow of the Planet would hide us from their sensors just long enough so we could get out of here and I hoped they had no sensors able to detect Gravimetric TransDim Propulsion.

Staying as close as possible behind the systems sun would give us hopefully a little breathing time.

--""--

CHAPTER 08: DUST CLOUD

The Thauran now known as Red Dragon cursed at the Situation and cursed his Sensor Operator."You said you detected the Silver Streak in Orbit. Where is it?"

"I swear to you it was there one second and now it's gone. I think she went over the Pole. Adjusting for magnetic interference now."

"What a worthless idiot are you? Is she there or not?"

"No Captain I cannot detect her ship anywhere in the system, maybe our Sensors were damaged."

"Of course your sensors are damaged. She can't simply disappear, get them fixed now!"

"Yes, Dragon."

The irritated pirate captain tried to calm down. "Now let's sort things out. Hail the Intruder first." The face of the Orkh appeared on his viewer and he went straight to the situation.

"We are buried underneath whatever this thing is. Shields are gone, the Hull is holding, but my Engineer says that thing is feeding on the metal. Our estimate is that we can survive for a few hours at best and then the hull is dissolved. As soon as you help us get out of here, we might be able to jury-rig her with spare parts for a limb back home. "

"I call you right back. I need to talk to the others as well."

The Bloody Mary was next. Crimson Curse was furious. "I am going to kill that stupid Meateater. It was him who fired on those crab symbiotes and agitated that planet covering organism."

"How is your status?"

"I am still on the Surface but I managed to get the Ship into the Ocean. The thing hasn't followed us into the water.

We lost a few hull plates and one Enticer module is bent out of alignment but I think we can fix that within a day or so. The Refinery is scattered all over and we are trying to gather the pieces."

"Alright, stay put."

The Red Dragon waved at his Communication equipment operator. "Now get me the Puup."

Brathering also responded right away. "No Damage here, just lost four of my crew working on the refinery. I think I scattered it a bit as I lifted off and toasted them in the process."

He acknowledged, cut the Puup off and commanded. "Now get me the Silver Streak."

"Sorry Captain I am unable to raise her. She might still be buried under that thing. Since our sensors are damaged who knows what that Bulfong thought he saw."

The Scanner operator, a Togar extended his claws and threatened the beardless Kermac at the Comm Board. "I will rip you to pieces!"

"Cut it out you two! Or I kill you both! Meateater has now lots of Crew who wants to come with us! Now find that Silver Streak. If she is buried we burn her out. There is plenty of treasure in that ship that makes it worth burning the entire planet to ashes!"

--""--

Circuit came on the bridge and positioned himself before me. "All shields are operational again. She and Narth have fixed and reset the Janus Device and we are the Karthanian once again. That Landing strut is back in shape in about two hours. Our real hull doesn't even have a scratch, captain. Tyron Suit who was still on me said. "That armor of this formidable ship is indeed quite advanced and if we add self-repair capability to it is better than Seenian armor. Your sensors remain to appear to be quite rudimentary and I think we should change that."

Circuit immediately responded."You are one arrogant sack of molecule shifting matter, my hollow friend. Our Neutronium coated hull cannot be repaired with nanites. The coating is the densest matter known to Union science."

"I am not hollow now, I am covering the shape of our Captain, a very nice shape if I understand Derek Simmon and a few of my friends correctly."

I felt somewhat embarrassed. "What are you discussing in those lower desks?"

"Only the best, Captain." Circuit was adding very fast and then he said."Union sensor technology is quite advanced, we are hampered by the fact that we simulating an old clunker."

"We could scale up my sensors, no one below Tech ten would even know we use them."

I was certain the suit could not see my smile while being worn. "Well, you two work on that. Now let us get back to that planet. We need to explain our disappearance convincingly"

SHIP said."The Silver Streak is only a simulation. We have the 'Elfen Cloak' tech and can fully cloak. It won't mask regular engine emissions, but that won't be a problem with TransDim gravimetric."

"You can do that?"

"Yes, you all have been briefed on my equipment, back on Richter base."

"I don't think we covered all the marvelous equipment." I said and then agitated I added."We could have simply cloaked in Orbit."

"You never asked or gave me a chance to suggest, but your solution was quite brilliant, Captain."

"I am glad you approve, SHIP."

"Now work with Narth and get that cloak going."

"Aye, Captain."

"Starman Suit, do you really think we could scale up your sensors. Being forced to fly half blind is one of the biggest limitations we have."

"Yes I think that would be possible, I have some preliminary ideas. I know I am a security officer first, but can I assist Circuit with the landing strut?"

"Of course to right ahead."

A robot stomped onto the bridge and the Suit separated itself from me, taking possession of the robot body again.

"Starman Suit?"

"Yes, Captain?"

"Please next time you separate from me, wait till while we are in private. This is the second time I am in the buff in front of everyone!"

"Oh, I apologize, I had no idea this was a problem."

"I think Circuit needs to explain why we humans decide to wear clothing." I glared at the others." Go ahead and laugh. I know Har Hi is already biting his lip very hard and trying not to burst."

Suit sounded distraught."I truly am sorry. Being a garment myself, I did not make the connection. Seenians wore garments other than battle suits as well."

Shea handed me a science officer lab coat, thankfully covering up I left the Bridge. "I will be right back."

--""--

The cloak worked and we slipped back into orbit, well almost. In order to cloak a ship-sized object in space, reflected photons were the least problem, the biggest one was the constant generated heat that had to be bled into the near vacuum of space, then there was the particle stream that provided the thrust, it, of course, left a trail.

While the Tigershark could accelerate by projecting a gravitational singularity before the ship and thus continuously pull it towards it and thus not leave a particle stream, the excessive heat had to be funneled into hyperspace, a process which was not entirely tested nor working flawlessly. Thankfully the thermal radiation that was not transferred into hyperspace and trailed behind us was minuscule and hopefully not detected.

Shea confirmed the Sensor rays of the other two ships went right through us without sensing anything. Narth said."Ensign Fivcheer made his sensor operator believe he fixed his malfunctioning Sensors."

Har-Hi looked up from his readouts."Our comm department has analyzed and consolidated the pirates' transmissions. All, but one of the pirates managed to escape that continent-sized blanket creature, several suffered light to medium damage. There were several casualties."

He tapped the info bubble to highlight another part of the report he had received. "The pirate captain Meateater and the Intruder received the brunt of the creatures attack. Crimson Curse believes it was Meateater firing on the crab creatures caused the reaction and the mayhem in the first place. They managed to get him out of under that living carpet. "

Hans had been joined by Lt. Senhadjii and they both had their heads together whispering and going over signal data so it appeared.Lt.d then Lt. Neugruber then said."Captain, we have completed our assessment too. Meateater hopes our shields are still damaged. He was closest to us and he has witnessed our struggle, while he too was fighting the creature, and now plans to attack us."

Hans looked at a projection of the Intruder and said."His ship sustained heavy damage and is no longer able to translight. He obtained spare shield parts from Captain Basoro. He wants to lure us close, then fire upon us, because he thinks we have no shields. So he can force us to surrender and take possession of the Silver Streak.

The others will assist him if they think he succeeds."

"Alright, that gives us a chance to take one out of the equation. Narth can you simulate damage on our Janus image the Janus fast?"

"Yes I think so, with SHIPS help I can display some damage, Shea's image manipulation application from our Dolbarian adventure is awesome."

I gave my fiance a thankful smile and explained. "I want them to be able to shoot at us once, then we turn on shields and that gives me a legitime excuse to retaliate."

We waited for them to be out of a direct line of sight and SHIP turned our marvelous cloak off.

"Elfi open me a general channel on Myon."

She made the ok sign with her left and gave me the go signal.

"Silver Streak calling anyone able to receive. We are testing our Communications Equipment, is it working again?"

"Ah, there you are, Black Velvet. We were already wondering where you ended up. So you did manage to get off the planet after all. Meateater was convinced he saw getting away. Our Sensors didn't pick up anything. Any serious damage?"

"Only minor. Our shields are still down and we are fixing those."

He gave me a short report and told me the situation and added. "We burned an area clean and secured the Intruder.

However, the organism is as big as the continent and there is more matter than we could destroy with the energy available. We think it might attack again."

As he spoke the damaged Intruder appeared, from behind the Red Dragon, under shields firing Forced Energy projectors at us. Simultaneous he spoke into the open channel." Captain Velvet, you have no shields. My next shots will vaporize your bridge and your weapons. You can, however, surrender and land. I take over your ship and guarantee your crew will have a chance to work for me. Refuse and we all will destroy you."

"You false bastard. I thought we were all in this together. Are you in with this Red Dragon?"

"Not yet Velvet, this is a private matter between you and him. He is desperate I can't blame him. Whoever comes out on top comes along."

"You guarantee the safety of my crew?"

"I will talk to Captain Meateater and I will take some aboard."

"Alright, I will land."

Shaka took the ship down closely followed by the Meateater, and the rest of the pirates not far behind. We too landed in the water this time.

The intruder was just about to land as well.

"Mao, shields. Target the Meateater's weapons and shield generators and cut his remaining landing gear. Then pound him with Techstop."

"Shields up. Firing now!"

"Elfi put me back their channel."

She made a sign that I was on.

"Looks like my shields are back just in time. They weren't as badly damaged as thought." I put some anger in my voice. "Now, I am going to deal with this scum, once and for all. I had just about enough! Anyone interfering will find out what I took from Duke."

I was certain most of them knew about the rumor that the Duke had Loki torpedoes and all of them knew there was nothing they could do to escape a real Loki torpedo that close.

Narth had an amused tone in his voice."The Red Dragon just found out that his Seenian shields do not come on."

It was the Red Dragon who responded. "As I said it is a private matter, between you and Meateater."

I cut transmissions and said."Hans, take our marines and all members of the container kick teams we are going to board the Intruder and arrest those who surrender and terminate who doesn't. Then we plunder that ship in pirate fashion."

I got up and added."Mao, you have permission to use Lokis on all but the Red Dragon if they interfere. Elfi have you prepared the doctored visuals?"

"Yes, Captain, SHIP, TheOther and I did with lots of input from Mao, who loves the sickest gory horror virtus."

"As soon as we are over there play it on our channels and use easy to hack codes keys as discussed." "It's  ready Captain."

--""--

Red Dragon watched as a small army emerged from the Silver Streak rushed and flew over to the damaged Intruder and boarding her.

His Comm Officer, the beardless Kermac said. "Captain I managed to break into Velvets command channel. She has a visual and audio feed going back to her ship."

"Put it on."

He and his bridge crew saw what a helmet cam of one of the boarders recorded. Black Velvet lead the boarding team herself, in her black outfit with a Nul Froth Caster in her left fist and a boarding ax in her right. She was like a banshee of legend let loose. She was shielded to her left by a real Y'All and to the left by a Nul. Who made sure nothing stopped her while she was dismembering and torturing the crew of the Intruder in the most brutal and inhuman way they had ever witnessed.

She showed no mercy even to those surrendering.

Meateater was the closest thing he had to a friend and to see him tortured like this for the codes of his ships computronics in such a gruesome manner was disturbing even to him. As she finally gouged the eyes out and ripped the throat from the already bleeding and mortally wounded captain, he almost threw up and looked away. Now Basoro called him. "We managed to get into her Comm Traffic. Do you want to see what she does?"

"No, I just did!"

"And I was almost going along with Meateater's plan. She toyed with you again. Her shields weren't as badly damaged as she made us believe."

Now Sandovahl chimed in."I never saw anything like that. Hell has no fury like her."

Lia Bassett joined the conference call. "I did not think she would be that vicious. But then that just confirms all the reports we heard."

Captain Carrhrh already listening from the start said. "I've seen her fight in the arena. She is a savage beast."

"I won't double cross her that is clear." The Jooltar Basoro chimed in. "I was always decent to my prey. Seeing what she does I think she is even worse than you Red Dragon."

Dragon leaned back. He had lost his Celtest shields. They simply didn't activate and his engineer, of course, could not even begin to guess why. He was certain Velvet had the Loki torpedoes from the Duke and her threat to use them was not a bluff; she had become a serious threat.

Only Shuputz had any chance to survive a direct hit in his Destroyer.

He wanted to kill that woman and take that ship from her, but he knew that this was now more wishful thinking than ever and he had to be very smart about that near the end. He didn't want her to find the depot with him. How to get rid of her close before the target was more of a problem than he realized, now with his Celtest tech inoperable. Leaving her behind was also no option. He had committed to the trek and she could simply follow them. Besides he really needed her now since Meateater was gone. The first fuel stop and they already lost one ship. Things weren't going all that smooth at all.

--""--

I cringed in my seat as I watched the doctored recording."By Odin that is the most gruesome gory thing I ever have seen."

Elfi turned it off. "Don't blame me. Mao added details from some of the worst and even some illegal Slasher Virtu Shows, he loves that stuff."

Mao grinned sheepishly. "I just like horror Virtus. I agree maybe it was a little too much."

Narth said. "The human psyche is perhaps the greatest enigma of this universe. That such Virtus find a ready audience is really fascinating."

Then he added."But your plan worked. The remaining pirates did hack into the stream and some really fear you know. They won't be as easily persuaded by Red Dragon to do anything against you as before."

"That was the idea. Now Meateater and those who gave up are in Stasis?"

Hans responded. "Yes, 54 pirates have safely tugged away in security stasis. We can turn them over to the authorities when we return."

I looked around. "I haven't seen the Golden where is he?"

Har-Hi pointed to the I.S.T. "He is in our Lair tallying our loot we took from the Intruder. He took everything of value and is happy as can be."

--""--

The pirates relocated their fuel-making procedure to the other planet in the system. A rocky and cold world but with plenty of frozen water. It too was a good source form fuel, but could not be pumped like a liquid and had to be busted into pieces before they were fed into the refinery. Backbreaking work especially since they wanted to generate enough Nuc-Gas for nine ships.

While they did that we landed back on the carpet creature world. Shea took samples and with her team surveyed the living carpet thing.

It turned out to be some sort of silicone based life form of incredible age and was dormant as it had consumed all it could from its own planet, and without food, it was dormant, with the ships present and a new food source of metal it became more active. The Crabs were, as Shea and her team discovered in a symbiotic relationship with the carpet. The planet was named Carpet and put into the catalogs that way.

My science team was convinced that this might be how Gore II developed.

--""--

Four days later we left the 'Any Suggestions' system and proceeded to cross the gap between the two spiral arms. It was of course not without stars. The gaps between the spiral arms were thinly populated by mostly old and dim stars few far and between. It was in terms of space travel mostly a gaping void of nearly 2000 light years.

The Red Dragon and the other ships dropped out of FTL about half way. The reason was a fuel leak aboard the Executor, the former ship of Captain Nocturna who died on Itheamh. If I understood correctly, it was now flown by her first mate Unwar Brata. He assured us it would take only a day, but he needed to get some fuel from Red Dragon to restock what they had lost.

I just wanted to end my shift and planned to have lunch in our Den and then experience a popular chick virtu with Elfi, Cateria and of course Shea. As much as I got used, and as much as I enjoyed being female, I still found those virtus that focused on feelings, love relationships and more feelings incredibly boring. This particular form of entertainment was made for female audiences especially of the mammalian origin long before the ascent. Even my lovely sister Elena, gruff Sif and motherly Midril enjoyed them. I wondered why even a girl like Shea with an IQ of over 400 enjoyed them so much. I was convinced if I came behind the secret what the allure was I would have completed my transition, so far, however, it eluded me.

Of course, my pride did not permit me to openly admit to that, so I was forced by my own strange personality and pride to participate.

TheOther and the officers of the Afternoon watch arrived and I got up when SHIP raised alert. I plunged back in my seat and said." All hands Battle stations. All station status report."

Narth spoke." SHIP raised alert because a drifting dust cloud of matter just changed course and accelerates towards us."

"A dust cloud?"

Shea analyzing the sensor data substantiated Narth's initial report. "A concentration of cosmic dust, composed of hydrogen, frozen gases. silica, metals, minerals and a host of organic base matter with a combined mass of 14 million tons spread over a roughly spherical shaped volume with a diameter of 2000 kilometers has just reduced its volume and thus density to less than twenty kilometers and changed from a drifting state to increase velocity and it changed course."

Narth seamlessly added. "Fivcheer and I detect a presence. It appears similar to the living mountain we encountered in the Auriga XI system. It is a consciousness none of us telepathic gifted individuals have touched before. I do not understand it nor could I attempt to communicate at this state. The only somewhat familiar emotion is a sense of intense hunger and also loneliness."

The Cloud had already reached the Red Dragon. Streaks of lightning like energies flickered over the ship's hull. The Dragon fired but the energy beams hit mostly nothing and the shots of concentrated nuclear energy dissipated as if absorbed. The Red Dragon and most of the other ships accelerated with red lining engines, barely making it out of this energy leeching embrace.

More alerts rang and SHIP said."Captain, the cloud entity has just increased the gravimetric conditions and created a gravitation sinkhole, we are caught in it. The engines of our simulated appearance are too weak to pull out."

Red Dragon hailed. "Looks like I just made it out. Our sensors detect an intensive gravitation well increasing in strength. Since there is no way I am going to risk my ship to get you. It was nice meeting you Velvet. Sorry, Brata, it was your shitty leak that got us in this mess, so deal with it!"

The Red Dragon still increasing velocity followed the others and went trans light.

Not even waiting for a response.

Shaka said. "Gravimetric pressure increasing. I am not sure if we are still able to escape with our TransDim Gravi Drive as it might feed the entity out there even more. Our regular ISAH drive is only a secondary unit and if my calculations are correct no longer enough to escape fast enough."

The Executor was firing out of every weapon and each shot vaporized a few molecules but its energies increased the power of the cloud.

"Mao shut down Shields and any external drives."

If we don't emit Energies it might simply slip past us and then we can use a few graviton mines to gather it and destroy it with a TL load."

Narth said."Alice and I tried but it is difficult to get a hold of it telekinetically. It is as if you would try to hold water in your hands.

"Hail the Executor and tell those idiots to stop firing!"

Elfi turned."Unable to raise them, their channels are open, but no response."

Circuit raised his voice. "The fuel supply on the other ship is leaking again, affecting the Antimatter storage."

The being lost all interest on us and is now focused on the Executor."

Circuit had come on the bridge and activated his Engineering Station.

"Captain I give the other ship a maximum eight minutes before she goes. It looks like they abandoned their repair and containment activities to fight the entity."

Suit arrived moments later." I analyzed the entity and it clearly shows sentient behavior. I could try to  extend my shields around the Ship to protect it."

"No need Suit. We have very advanced shields as well but we can't use them without compromising our cover. The Red Dragon might still be within sensor range."

I leaned forward ."Keep hailing them, I would like to try to save the crew if possible."

"I am not getting through Captain. But I am getting something from the Cloud on regular sub-light electromagnetic radio."

Even in this situation, I felt pride in my crew. They worked together like a well-maintained machine. Elfi transferred her Data to Shea. Shea signaled with a hand sign she was working on it and SHIP's screen image blinked at her console and I knew it was helping too, without being tasked to it like a regular Computronic. Tyron suit simply joined them to add its sensor data.

Narth suggested. "I think I can teleport 10 or 15 of them before it explodes, but not all."

Starman Suit turned it's open cowl and thus the robots head. "My sensors located the ego center of the being. It is a small dense mass of Matter with synaptic neuroactivity."

The Executor ejected her Reactor Core but it was too late. The Core exploded still within the ejection port and ripped the entire aft section of the pirate vessel to shreds.

Narth said. "There are still survivors. I am getting as much as I can." Our Delicate officer speaking over Intership said."I can teleport as well and will assist."

I nodded and Narth vanished.

Hans got up and ran to the IST alerting his Marines to receive the Pirates.

Har-Hi informed Sickbay as well.

Shea nodded to Elfi and then said."Captain, I believe we can communicate now with the Dust cloud. the creature is indeed intelligent and responded to the mathematical sequence and now we understand it."

"We can talk to it?"

"Yes."

"Let's try it. Make the connection if you can."

Elfi said. "It should be able to receive you, Captain."

"This is Captain Olafson calling the space-born entity. Can you hear me?"

At first, there was only a hissing sound crackling almost like wind.

Elfi said." Sorry, these are radio wave statics I am trying to compensate. It is analog and not digital."

Then a voice came through the statics. "Matter concentration speaks to I. I is not alone now there is other I."

"Why are you attacking us?"

"Attacking...not, no. I was hungry to far from heat light. Little Metal mass came has lots of food. Little mass gives much food. Unaware you have voice."

Fivcheer interrupted via Intership. "Captain, I am getting more and more structure now. His thoughts become more and more structured in an understandable way"

I acknowledged and said to the entity. "We are many voices inside the Metal Mass. Your gravimetric alteration is keeping us and caused harm."

"When I stop mass wave increase you will leave?"

"We must leave. We cannot remain here." "Please not go. I am alone. So alone and now you speak. I am no longer alone."

"If you would not be so big. We could maybe tow you across the Expanse."

"Big? My size variable. Much mass can be discarded is only added mass. Please, I no longer alone. Will not cause harm."

Narth almost sounded like out of breath as he re-appeared on the bridge and said. "It has no concept of lie or falsehood. It also has no aggressive thoughts, violence is unknown to it. It did not know our ships were anything else but dead matter. It never had any contact with another living being and thought it is the only sentient being in the universe. I see images now of stars and constellations from many million years ago. It is unable to travel faster than light. It feeds on energy and out here to far from stars it became weak and hungry and unable to reach the other side of the gap and slowly but surely starving to death."

"How is the rescue operation going, Narth?"

"Brana and I have transferred 79 pirates. The rest is dead. Hans and his team are currently transferring the prisoners into stasis containers and store them."

I had Elfi turn the radio wave channel back on. "We will remain until we find a way to help you."

"I is so happy. Not alone and talk with other much joy! I will shed much matter."

Shaka said. "Gravitational pull is gone. We are fully maneuverable."

And Mao added. "The Cloud center, Tyron identified has separated from most of the other matter. I can easily target it and destroy it now." He added. "Just in case of course."

"Can we tow the rest mass across the rest of the gap?"

Shea nodded. "The Cloud center has approximately less than two tons of mass. We could load that in a big container for all that."

Har-i kept an eye on the long range sensors."The Red Dragon and the other ships have stopped at their maximum sensor range and scanning us. I bet they going to hail us soon."

"Alright, I want to help that being if we can. Do we want to take in, can we contain it?"

Har-Hi shrugged. "I don't see why not. It is only matter and some energy and only two tons of it. We can keep it in containment fields and destroy it too."

"Well, I guess we take this galactic orphan along."

Elfi opened the channel and I said. " We will take you along with us. A door will open and you can enter our sphere. So we can take you across the void."

"One is overwhelmed."

"Shea would you go and make sure the thing is correctly contained and see if we need to feed it or something."

"Aye Captain."

"Shaka, once we got that dust thing loaded, get us going and follow the Red Dragon."

As Har-Hi predicted he called just then.

"We can see you managed to get out of this gravitation trap as well."

"I thought we formed this little Armada of yours so we can assist each other in times of trouble. So I will make this perfectly clear. The next time you are in any sort of predicament. Don't expect me to raise a finger."

"I must admit If I was in your place I think the same way. We lost two ships already and not even in a real fight with anything. If that continues we never make it, none of us. Who would have thought this is going to be such a challenge."

"Just lead the way Dragon. Don't expect any favors or social calls from me. It is strictly business from now on."

--""--

CHAPTER 09:  DOWNWARD

The incident with the dust cloud was now over six weeks ago.

Down here in completely unexplored space, it really hit home how big our galaxy really was.

Back home in the Upward sector with Hyper Highways and Space trains; with known planets and systems and of course with everyone connected to GalNet space did not feel as empty and vast.

We had crossed the gap and now steadily went further down the Coreward sector. Our sensors picked up some space traffic now and then, but in general, this area of space appeared to be much less busy than our Upward sector.

We had made two more fuel stops on uninhabited worlds and this time without incidents.

Until today, we more or less followed a straight line but today the Red Dragon had changed course as we passed a Quasar.

Shea suspected this Quasar was some sort of waymarker for the Dragon.

Krabbel pointed at a star system on his navigation screen. "It looks like he is heading for that KII type star. There isn't much else around."

Mehdi Senhadjii was sitting in for Shaka, he had little to do and had expressed his interest in Helm. For several months he had studied with Shaka, and today was his first watch on Helm.

He was visibly proud of his new position."New course data received and entered, Captain."

"You sure love Helm it seems. I wish I could as easily pick up on your instructions on Combat Psychology."

"But you do, Captain. You are a very astute student with a great natural talent."

Har-Hi groaned with a grin."Galactic spirits have mercy. You learning what Mehdi does is downright frightful."

Cateria who now more often than before spend time on the bridge stood next to Soboby.

"There were always Quasars near Seenian worlds. I was only a medic of course but I think, we once had contact with a very advanced civilization who made them."

"We always wondered about that. I mean many of our scientists believe Quasars where artificially made."

"I am not sure if Quasars are indeed of artificial nature. It is just something I remember."

Shea asked. "Do you remember much of that enemy you were fighting, we only know as the Dark Ones?"

"No, I never saw one and I don't think even our military knew much, but I think It was a space-faring society just like us for the most part." She lowered her voice as if she was afraid to be overheard."There was a persistent, highly forbidden rumor that the Dark Ones were actually Seenians who somehow objected the Queen and were able to obtain an even more advanced tech than ours."

Mao said."Whenever some legend or story is forbidden by official governments there is more truth to it than the rulers like to admit."

Elfi nodded."That is true and there were and are forbidden truths in Saran society."

Tyron Suit who know just like Ak Fective always stood right behind me whenever I was on duty and on the bridge said."It is more than a legend. At the height of our development, a Seenian Prince and son of the last Seenian Queen created the New Dark Ones and declared himself emperor.

The queen was utilizing an artifact of the First Empire that existed not millions but billions of years ago, and the prince somehow found or utilized tech of that era to wage war upon his mother and the Seenians. The new Dark Hordes were no mysterious, relentless foe as official Seenian records show, but Seenians led against Seenians."

His explanation left us speechless, there in a few sentences, Tyron explained one of the greatest mysteries there was.

He went on apparently unaware of our awe.

"I am reading and watching much since I am freed and no longer a thing. This, of course, is the reason there are no artifacts found. They are one and the same. Artifacts of the first Dark Ones are billions of years old and I doubt much has survived that much time."

Shea asked."You would not know more about those opposing Seenians? If they won, where are they?"

"I do not know. I have been deactivated and packed away before the war ended, a fact I learned aboard this vessel."

"Do you know anything about the other, the first Dark Ones?"

"All I can tell you about them, are the legends and myths my former owner was telling and hearing about."

Shea turned her seat."I like to hear about it."

"According to these stories It was said the Dark Empire ruled over more than a thousand Galaxies. They had one Emperor.

One Being on the top who ruled with absolute power. This being or entity was known as the Imperius Invictus. According to these legends, he was not a mere being but a god, a demon perhaps. With powers beyond psionics. Another rumor was that it was the goal of the First Empire and the Dark Ones to find and appease that god, and created that Empire to impress that Dark Entity.

What of it is true I do not know but it was said this Dark One had ultimate dominion of space and time. A thought of this god could move Galaxies and that his power and rule stretched over more than one reality and more than one dimension. There supposed to be a physical of a prophecy that is the source of much of what the Seenian scholars called trans galactical myths and legends."

Cateria was visibly shocked about this."I never believed it but even I heard whispered rumors about that."

Narth added."Perhaps the Narth Supreme knows if these are indeed just stories, but all stories and legends have an origin as we too had contact with the Dark Ones. The Narth Supreme has shared little of that time with Narth. It might be the reason we choose to abandon all contacts  and removed our world from this plane."

Shaka now also took part ."If the Narth met these First Dark Ones and if Suit is correct about the billions of years, then the Narth must be around far longer than the Pree and the Uni."

Cateria said."The Pree were to us what we Seenians are to you, a Lost Civilization. Somehow I have a feeling the age of the Narth isn't counted in millennia but in eons."

Narth declined his shrouded head. "Your feeling is quite correct. We were the very first life form in this Universe that gained sentience and the first to reach Techlevel twelve. We were called the Nnnth and had a corporeal existence. We met an entity, the Arth who existed in hyperspace. We merged and became the Narth, but I must correct you, as one can divide Billions of years into centuries and count them "

I rolled my eyes as I did so often at Narths matter of fact statements and looked at Cateria. You heard him you can count billions just fine...just takes a little longer."

She smiled."This is such an incredible story. I never thought I would admit it but I am very fond of this crew and this Narth."

"As this Narth is fond of you and I even know what the meaning of fondness is."

I turned to Shea.

"That brings me to a question. We do have time so why don't you tell me the story behind that sword of yours. You never actually told us. How come it cuts even a Seenian suit?"

"Why it does it I can't tell you. It defies all methods of scanning. The Material appears the same at any magnification. there is no molecular level, no surface structure, no measurable energy but it cuts through anything except its own scabbard."

"Is it a secret where you got it from?"

"No, I just never really told it to anyone.”

She completely turned her seat around. “I was a young Sojonit. On my way to complete an errand for the order. When I witnessed a fight. A bright almost glowing human-like man in what I can only describe as a very ancient looking armor fought another man in a black armor of similar design. The Man in the black armor seemed to emit black flames all around him and they fought each other with swords. They fought like I never seen anyone or anything fight. Hurling energy beams at each other out of their fists and nothing around them mattered, they simply crashed through concrete walls and steel as if you and I walk through air.

Their weapons cut anything in their way. then the bright glowing one noticed me and thundered something I didn't understand.

The Black Armored one however actually caught a falling wall that would otherwise have crushed me and because he was distracted saving me was stabbed by the white glowing one.

The Dark one was wounded.The white one was about to strike again, I jumped up and tried to stop it by pulling on its other arm.

The wounded Black one took the moment and beheaded the other.

At this the body of the white Knight withered away in a blinding light and the Dark One was looking at me and I saw no face just a mask with nothing behind the eye-holes and he picked up the remaining Sword of the White Knight and handed it to me then he too vanished."

She finished and she sighed.

"They had leveled the entire city block, hundreds had died but no one of the survivors had seen what caused it. No one remembered the fight except me. I have spent much time researching and stumbled on only a few references to the Knights of the Light and it was on a fragmented piece of vellum in the Sojonit Library."

Narth said. "You should come to Narth Prime and show your sword to the Narth Supreme.

Yeoman O'Connell who had been here the entire time took my horror mug from out the Serv-Matic and brought it to me while she said. "I think you have witnessed the clash between a Warrior of the Order and a Light Knight. I know little more, but I know of a Coven Sister who has spent her entire existence on the research on this and I know she had witnessed a fight similar to yours. She might be able to tell you more."

Har-Hi grunted."I can't for the life of me, figure out why this rings strangely familiar to me, but I must admit I don't like this idea of beings with powers and abilities like this. It would mean that there are things out there that make all our struggles and achievements appear pointless and small."

He put in words what I was thinking. Several of these immortals have told me that I too would become something like that. There were undeniable events in my life and recent memory that had no real explanation, but I still clung to the idea, that I really was just a weird Neo Viking with gender issues and nothing more. Aloud I said. "I feel that way when it comes to psionics, but It is actually natural that there are other things and powers out there. Life develops even in the strangest places.

That reminds me how is that dust thing doing?"

Shea looked away and was suddenly busy on her console.

Narth was not paying any attention to me and Har Hi simply stared at the main viewer.

"I was just asking a question, guys."

Har-Hi said. "Who are you asking?"

"Anyone who can answer me that question. Why do I have a feeling that thing isn't in a box and contained in force fields and you all know about it?"

Har-Hi said. "You didn't specifically order it to be in a box. You said to make sure it is properly contained. Shea said it just could fit in a box as I recall."

I got up.

"Krabbel you have the Conn. I think I am going to have a look myself. Is this some sort of conspiracy?"

The Dai shook his head."You know better than that. We would never conspire against you. We simply thought it might not be all that important. You being the Captain having all those other things on your mind."

"Har-Hi, we are flying now for the better of six weeks through space with nothing happening at all. I am running out of ideas how to phrase nothing in the Logbook. Now I am not bored or anything like that but certainly we are not busy. Shea, what is going on?"

She also got up. "Maybe it is better you do come and see for yourself. Dusty has learned a lot in two month."

"Dusty?"

"It wanted a name. Everything has a name. The concept of naming things was alien to it. You don't need names if you think you are the only living thing in the universe."

"You named the thing Dusty?"

"No that was Alice. She named it and Dusty liked it."

"So where is Dusty now? I have a feeling I won't find him contained in a box in our cargo hold."

Narth nodded. "I think you can trust your feelings on that indeed."

While I walked to the IST I said. "You are in on it too?"

"I am in on this ship yes."

"Narth I carried your 'Hug thing' and I think you just tried to act. I told SHIP that isn't going to work and you are certainly even a worse actor than she is."

SHIP giggled and I looked up towards the ceiling as I always did when I addressed her. "Now that you are part of this, surprises me not one bit."

"Honestly Captain we did not do anything against your will or anything that would have harmed you or the ship. We just thought you might order Dusty to be contained in a box. He really was terribly lonely all his existence and he is thirsty for companionship and loves to talk. Dusty was afraid you would order him outside once we reached a suitable star system.

So we sort of promised it not to say much as long as you didn't ask."

"I didn't ask because I was under the impression the thing was contained in a box and would be released so it can feed on a sun or something. So where is it?"

"Playing Cards with Golden, the Holdian Specialist, TheOther and Circuit in the Pirates Den."

"Dusty the Cosmic Dust cloud is playing cards in our Pirates Den. Do you know what the Admiral will say if he reads that in my report?"

I went into the IST and down to the Hangar Deck. SHIP answered. "I am not able to predict what the Fleet Admiral would say."

“He will most likely fall off his chair again.”

I reached the Hangar deck and stepped through the door and the curtains to our Pirate Den.

There on a smaller table to the side of the huge round one sat The Other, our Y'All, my Chief engineer, the Little Furry Specialist Warner and the Golden Merchant.

Two-Three was standing behind something that had the form of a humanoid. It looked somewhat as if a kid tried to form a man out of dark sand. No facial features, just eyes made from different darker colored sand.

I heard Circuit say." Looks like you got a full house, not bad but it won't beat Sodoby's Royal Flash."

Then there was silence. They noticed me.

The huge thing spoke with a mechanical sounding voice. "Now why is no one talking. Is this part of celebrating a Royal Flash?"

Warner lowered is round ears."I guess Senior officers and Captain's can leave the bridge even during shift."

Circuit got up. "Captain, meet Dusty. Dusty this is our Captain."

The thing said. "Captain please do not send me out. I am no longer alone and I found the greatest pleasure in the universe, company."

"I am not going to kick you out. I am just a bit surprised to find you here and not contained as I thought you were."

"Captain. I am not dangerous. I did not know this sphere contains beings. I did not know there was any other thinking and talking being, except me. I cannot remember how I came to be and I never met anyone like me. All I know is I was alone."

"And I am not a monster, you could have told me. You make me sound like some cold heart Fangsnapper. I even allowed Suit to be conscripted."

Alice the sad looking girl I only now noticed came around and stood before me. "Then could you not conscript me and Dusty too? So we can be like the others and not outsiders?"

"I am sure glad McElligott gave me a big enough ship. We might have to weld some containers on the hull to make extra room by the time we return. I can't really conscript you, Alice, you are still too young."

"I am seventeen or at least that old because Dad found me seventeen years ago and that is old enough. Narth said so. Dad would be happy I know."

"Well, what can I say against that if Narth thinks so and if Cloud can play cards I am sure he can find something to do, but I want you Shea and Narth to tell me that Dusty and Alice know what that means to become a member of the fleet. Including the possibility they are being sent to the Academy after we return."

Narth pointed into the group. "Alice has completed Union Citizen education and already studies for her Academy entry. A you know Har-Hi is holding Basic school for Alice, Suit, the Golden, Ensign Xon, our Togars and now Dusty every day in his spare time."

"I  begin to understand what the Old Admiral meant when he called us the strangest ship in the fleet. But alright I sign your Conscription documents and swear you in."

--""--

REACHING DOWNWARD

I sat over my log book and had just noted the conscription of Starman Dusty and Starman Alice Enigma. One was a sentient dust cloud and the other a little girl with alien DNA and the ability to lift seventy-ton landing tanks with the psionic energies she was able to channel. I leaned back and turned a number of pages back. There was my notes on Suits conscription, The Togar Commandant and his children, the Gray Nul, lovely Jolaj, and Sodoby.

A truly unique collection of individuals for sure.

I looked up and said to Fenris, the little dragon. “Well, at least you don't want to become a crew member.”

The creature raised his head an winged over and settled on my shoulder and made a croaking sound.

I scratched his scaled throat and the thing squeeze his yellow reptile eyes.

“Say is it just me or are you still getting bigger?”

Fafnir did not answer of course., but the Intercom blinked and Elfi came on. “Captain we are approaching that orange star system and we are picking up Tachyon communications and substantial space traffic.

“I am right there, go to Condition Yellow”

Elfi who held the Conn got up as I came in and exchanged seats with TheOther at communications. While I had total confidence in all the ships officers, it became sort of an unwritten rule aboard the Tigershark, that the department heads came on duty and took their stations regardless of what bridge watch was on duty, when I called condition yellow or battle stations. Condition Yellow by fleet standard meant that all off-duty personnel proceeded to back up stations. Recreation facilities were closed and battle or a dangerous situation were to be expected, but on the Tigershark, it went a few steps further, due to the Alert condition readiness reaction plan I had worked out with Har-Hi. Sidearm lockers rotated into access mode and all personnel would use battle dressers to get into their BBS (Board Battle Suits) and my Marines went into full armament mode.

These were normally elements of Red Alert, but I felt that this extra level of paranoia was justified as we were far from any help or reinforcements.

My senior officers and friends had found their stations. My seat rose into the battle dome and SHIP populated the 360-degree computronic assisted view of the surrounding space with the info icons exactly in the configuration I preferred. There was a contact icon for Sobody and one for Cateria.

The nine pirate ships left in a straight line formation behind the Red Dragon heading for the fourth planet of this eight planet system. We were the last ship.

Sensor data started to populate the infoboxes next to each planet, the sun and about eighty artificial energy and mass contacts.

Shea, SHIP, and Narth worked faster than even the sensor department of the Devi.

Elfi's symbol flashed red. Prioritized by SHIP and indicating an incoming transmission. The symbol next to the Red Dragon also flashed. “Captain, Red Dragon is hailing us.”

“Put him on, audio only.”

The Red Dragons voice said. “This Cosporus and a local culture hub and trade world. We will land on the fourth planet for fuel, serving our engines and for restocking our ship stores. The local civilization are the Trontigmakader. Don't ask me to repeat that, I am glad I managed to say it the first time. Polos, Iridium and Tellurium are accepted for payment.”

Captain Sandovahl of the Killerbeast chimed in. “Have you been here before?”

“Captain Brathering has, as the Puup region isn't far from here.

We will land on the Mustar spaceport. I have already received landing permission for us all. As soon as we land there will be a meeting aboard the Red Dragon before we interact with the locals.”

After the Red Dragon disconnected, I blinked at Sobody's icon that was flashing with the contribute info symbol, “You know about this place?”

“Only indirectly. I have been here about one hundred years ago.

There is a Golden Bazaar in a nearby system. It is run by my brother Sagodi. There is also a trade enclave on Cosporus. The planet is in character a little like N'Ger. The local authority is, or at least was headed by four Trontigmakader. One is the Broodmaster, one is the Godmaster, one is called the Lifemaster and the last one is the Deathmaster. Each represents an aspect of life: birth, religion, life, and death. Back when I was here last, all four have equal power and say, but is the Lifemaster who's dealing with daily life, with trade, civic and is more or less like a king, unless matters infringe on the aspects of the others.

They are enemies to the Puup and the Yotenen who are also in this region of space. Tech level is around six and their Aggresso Level is also six. They are insectoid in character but have an endoskeleton and communicate by producing sound by rubbing their wings together, they also can hear and understand. The language spoken in these regions is called the Common. I have downloaded it from Golden databanks before we left for these parts.”

SHIP said.”I have created a lingu skill cerebral upload.”

I acknowledged, lowered my seat and had the ship stand down from condition yellow. Then I asked. “Does your brother know the Golden are Union?”

“Yes all nineteen bazaars of this galaxy know. We used Kermac Long range Telepaths for communication. I am sure the Welcome Wagon might already be on its way. As it had to take the long way around Freespace that might take a while of course.”

“What exactly is underway?”

Narth delivered the answer. “Once a new Union member is accepted, the Assembly authorizes a so-called Welcome wagon. While it is called wagon I do not know, but it is a large convoy of freighters bringing PDDs, CITI machines, materials and personnel for Union schools, Union clinics. GalNet terminals and of course deploy GalNet Extender buoys to establish GalNet coverage. The convoy may also include Wolfcrafts or an entire Union Feet. The Convoy contains all the basic things a new member needs to become a full Union member.”

The Golden nodded. “It is absolutely amazing how efficient and well organized the Union is in this matters. The whole PUMA process, you know the Potential Union Member Assessment was done with a level of proficiency honed by accepting thousands of civilizations. That amazed even the last skeptic voices remaining in my civilization. The incredible effort to reconnect all the distant bazaars and even search for the lost ones is not lost to us Golden.

It was always planned to reconnect to some of the more distant bazaars, but we never went past talking about it. It took the Union and their unshakeable can-do attitude to actually do it. We Golden became stagnant and that is one of the reasons I wanted us to become Union. Many societies measure another civilization on technological achievements, but it is these social and cultural aspects that sets the Union light years apart from anything that exists or has existed as far as I know. I mean BoCA who oversees the Welcome wagon program had a tailor-made list of things ready for us Golden within a week and the Assembly appropriated incredible resources to find all Golden. Union citizens did not hesitate to vote on it. My people are deeply impressed by that,"

“If the Bazaar is not too far, do you want to visit your brother?”

“There is a reason he is on a bazaar that many light years from mine and I have been here only once a hundred years ago.”

“So he opposed your decision to join the Union?”

“Oh no, he agrees with that and he is a loyal Golden to the first merchant. Our...let's say problem has female character. Family matters nothing important.”

“I had no idea you had women..”

“How do you think we procreate? You might not like it, but the Kermac, even the Uni before and we Golden belong to what is called the human mystery. We have more in common than what sets us apart.”

I blushed. “I didn't mean it like that. I just didn't see a Golden Female while I was on your bazaar and there are species who get along with one gender just fine.”

“Or three!” The Leedei said. “I mean three genders, captain. Sorry for uh..”

“You should know by now Mr.Fivcheer, that no one gets in trouble on this ship for speaking out, voicing an opinion or forgetting to say, Sir, Ma'am or Captain.”

Har-Hi agreed. “We are a pretty undisciplined bunch in that regard alright.”

--””--

Red Dragon had announced us collectively and we all had landed on a fairly big sized and busy spaceport.

The planet or at least the region we had landed had a very mild climate with a breathable atmosphere, that had only a few percent more oxygen than Standard. The atmosphere was also very humid.

The spaceport was very unusual for the fact that it was basically a wide shallow river delta and the entire landing field was about 2 meters underwater and spaceport buildings were on stilts all around the edges. So were some of the local city buildings

There was a good number of spaceships. None of them even close to the size of Union giants.

Captain Basoro's Hontu and armed 900-meter freighter was the biggest ship and our Silver Streak the second biggest in terms of volume and size.

The landed ships were serviced, loaded and unloaded by barges and boats. It was much less orderly or technical than a Union port, but it was busy for sure.

--""--

Har-Hi and I went flew over to the Red Dragon and were greeted by the Dragon at the boarding ramp. We arrived almost at the same time as the Jooltar captain, the others were already there.

“My ship won't have an impressive lair as your, Black Velvet but let us go inside, this humidity is anything but pleasant.”

I had to agree with him on that one. I was well armed, wearing Tyron and Narth could interfere if there was trouble so I followed inside.

The Red Dragon's lair was just a conference room and distinctive Union in its layout, but then the ship was of Union origin, so this fact did not really surprise me.

Every one of the remaining captains had found a seat. Har-Hi once more stood behind me.

Captain Sandovahl said. “Say what you have to say. My crew is eager to leave the ship after being perched up that long and see what this place offers in terms of entertainment.”

“This is why I called you for this meeting. We are not here just for fun, while we all have crews that are eager to get some fresh air and blow some steam, we must be careful and keep a low profile. Go and give your crews some time off, but keep a tight leash on them. No fights, no looting or stealing.

Sandovahl made a grinning face. "So half the fun is right of the table?"

The Puup said."The Trontigmakader are a peculiar bunch and in this system, they are the masters. You may ruin it for all of us if you get caught stealing."

The Red Dragon said. "We are here for fuel and to service our ships, and then we go on. So go back to your ships, organize some shore leave for your crews and put trustworthy officers in charge, and most of all fuel your ships and do what you need to do to get them space worthy for the next leg of our quest.

--""--