Eric Olafson Midshipman Vol 4 Part 31 DECK 54
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Here I was treated like a part of the crew. Aboard the Hyperion the only difference between enlisted personnel and officers was more or less only the rank pin on your collar. Captain Zezz treaded and acted the same around the lowest First Class Starman as he did around his bridge officers. He told jokes with them, participated in games and on board sporting events and most unusual. The ship used only one mess hall. Officers and enlisted ate in the same place. There wasn’t even a specific seating order. Even the Captain sat down wherever there was space and not at a separate Captain’s table. I also noted the fierce pride and love every crew member expressed about Zezz and their Hyperion. Men went out of their way to make him proud. One day I noticed two First Class Star men scrubbing an already clean looking corridor and I asked them what they did to be punished that way and they looked at me like I was insane and one of them explained to me that nothing but a spotless corridor would do, it’s how the Captain would like it, and they went on with great effort.
I did not have much free time. When I was not on duty, I was studying books or using the simulator, but every now and then I did have a few hours of leisure time. I used the excellent swimming pool facilities of the ship or used an unoccupied gym to practice my sword play. A Petharian Sergeant who belonged to the ships Marine contingent, his name was Throok often sparred with me and instructed me in the ancient fighting technique of his four armed society. They used swords that looked very much like oversized dinner knifes, with long handles and bean shaped serrated and incredibly sharp blades. Gripping the long handles to maximize the fulcrum effect on the blade, Petharian warriors used two at the same time. It was complicated and very stylized. Every attack had a name and a number and it was not unusual to go through all of the 3000 attack and 4000 defense moves in a single training session. I could of course only handle one blade as I missed the second arm pair. Even just using one sword was exhausting because the weapon was heavy and I barely felt my arms when we were done. He spoke little and told me next to nothing about his kind or his family, but he kept on showing up for training and patiently showing me their moves.
A security officer from Earth and master of Terran martial arts called Kung Fu dazzles us with spectacular fighting moves. Almost like an aerial dance, he too taught a class and I wished I the day had more hours so I could train with him more intensively.
The Hyperion did routine duty and most of it appeared to be boring, but I enjoyed every moment and there was not a minute time to get bored. Zezzh did run regular drills and the time it took for a ship to get ready for battle was diligently recorded. Fleet standard for a Battleship was 8 minutes and 9 seconds. That was not much time for a ship and a crew of that size to go from All Green to All Red. From Zezz I learned there was an unofficial contest between all Captains of the Fleet to beat these times and Captains would often exchange and compare the times for bragging rights.
The Hyperion’s best time was 2 Minutes and 16 seconds. Zezzh said that this was acceptable and put the Hyperion near the Champion time of 2 Minutes and 1 second, recorded aboard the USS Shetland.
We just finished such a drill and my battle posting was the OPS station on the bridge. The Alarm had caught me twenty decks down, in a swimming pool. Thanks to Auto Dressers that automatically switched to emergency mode during alert and a complicated Inter Ship transport allocation program, I made it in two minutes and four seconds. As the acting XO I reported an overall ship readiness time of two minutes and fourteen, a new ship record. Zezzh was pleased.
He addressed the crew and promised a party to be held in one of the big Cargo holds. He didn’t finish his address as the Sensor Operator interrupted him. “Sir, eight Shiss Mehgar Class Cruisers under full shields and weapons appeared on the scanner horizon.”
Reports came in moments later from a colony within our patrol area that had been attacked with high casualties and damage.”
The situation seemed clear and straight forward. Shiss raiders had crossed the line and attacked a Union Colony. They had taken a chance and went much deeper in Union space. Most likely because the Colonies and Outposts near the border were better defended. Now the eight ships high tailed it back to Shiss territory. It was unfortunate for them to run into the sensor bubble of a Union Battleship.
Eight Shiss cruisers, even the feared Mehgar Class was no real match for a Union Battleship and they knew it, changed course and tried to outrun us. Six month ago it would have worked, but the Hyperion had new and faster engines and was catching up. The standard procedure was to hail and ask them to surrender so it came to a surprise to me as Zezz ordered his new Translocator Sniper canons to take aim and to take them out. Sniper Translocators were the latest and newest weapon development of the Union. These canons could only fire very small loads, siphoned twice the energy of the big batteries, but they had ten times the range of any previous TLC. Translocators had one major flaw; they could not be fired while the ship was in Quasi-space. With normal TLC’s it was possible for an enemy who travelled FTL to escape. The usual procedure to intercept was to launch Wolfcrafts or Loki Torpedoes and engage the enemy with Energy weapons to force them to drop out of Quasi-space and then engage with the main batteries as soon as they were in range. The tactical officer had have his firing solutions ready and fire the Snipers the very microsecond we dropped, or the enemy would be so far out of range we would never catch them.
The Plutonian was as good as Zezzh said he would be and six micro loads detonated inside the fleeing ships engine rooms. Even a very small Anti matter explosion inside the engines was devastating. Two of the Mehgar, lost their Quasi Space bubble instantaneous and both ships were instantly converted in pure energy. The others managed to drop controlled into Real Space, Zezzh still did not hail the ships but ordered his tactical officer to continue.” Take out their Command Decks. Leave me one or two for boarding and pound the rest to ashes.”
Zezz got up and barked.”Mr. Olafson, I am going to join the boarding party. Care to tag along?”
This was highly unusual. A captain joining marines boarding an enemy ship, it was more than that. It was against the rules as far as I knew. “Yes Sir”
He waited for me until another officer showed up to take my duty station. I never found it easy to keep up with the fast Lizard, but now it was almost impossible. I had to run, really run to keep up. There was no chance and no breath to ask him questions. Decks fourteen and fifteen were Marine Country and they all waited for him, all already wearing Destroyer Suits, with Deep space packs. The Captain didn’t even slow down as he virtually jumped into an auto dresser. I had to look around for another one, but one of the marines grabbed me and more or less stuffed me into another unit.
Moments later I stomped out wearing the heaviest, most advanced individual armor developed by Union Tech. We all looked alike and only identifiable by tactical symbols superimposed over the others inside my helmet. All suits were currently colored dull white and would chance colors adapting to their surroundings as soon as we went into battle mode, except Zezz’s. His suit was deep purple, just as his throat and on his upper right shoulder was the logo of the Union Marine Corps, but below it the number 33.
The Hyperion approached Arsenal IV just as Captain Zezz said with only eight hours to spare before I had to report for my third year posting. The extended time of my stay aboard the battle ship appeared to have gone by even faster. The Klack XO touched my face with his antennae. “You have been outstanding at the OPS station. I have seen many others struggle with that position.” “Thank you Sir. Your guidance and the tutor ship of the other bridge officers was the real reason I managed.” To...
Midshipman Suppor or actually Namamir of the Suppor Clan was not at all pleased with the development so far. All the things he had done and all the preparation to be her at this event, had not lead to the result he had hoped for. The famous Diamond Ball was nearly over and many of the VIP’s had already left. Emperor Soron, the Fifth was still here and so were other important members of the ruling noble houses of the Thauran Empire, but he had no idea how much longer they would remain. He...
“I think it is safe to say, the Nul took the bait and there is a security leak as NAVINT expected.” Captain Harris said looking at the massive Nul fleet of no less than eighty carriers and sixty Nul Battle ships entering the Algeri System, already releasing their fighters. Stahl standing next to him, grunted.” Yes information about the convoy was sent to the Nul and the culprits have been identified, but the Nul responding with the largest strike force I have seen them dispatch since the...
Midshipman duty was not just intensified learning but we also rotated to different duty stations on the ship. Security, Navigation, Science, Medical, Engineering and so forth and worked alongside experienced officers who instructed us often by example. This was almost like my time on the Hyperion and what we called the real Officers, Chiefs and Crew members of the Devi were professionals through and through, proud to be good enough to be on the Devi. They were patient and if you did your job...
Stahl got up and Alycia said. “Are you leaving?” He smiled at her. “Not just yet, I thought now that most of the big wigs are gone and the band plays nice old Earth tunes I know, I decided to get up and ask you for a dance.” She got up just a little too fast to appear dignified and with a deep smile. “You truly are a master tactician, old man. A simple offer and all my defenses are obliterated.” They joined a few other couples already dancing, almost all of them humans knowing the old...
Harris watched the young man disappear in his quarters and then went back to Stahl who was still there. “You know this was an exceptionally cruel test. I felt like an idiot acting that way.” “And he had the guts to tell you.” Stahl responded. “That is a first one.” “He is the first one I know off who went to the end, all the way to that triple rotten Light gag. I would have pissed myself without those Saresii Sonics, looking in a TKU and suddenly seeing a light.” Stahl raised an eyebrow....
The landing platform was above the clouds, but some of Pluribus architecture was much taller than the cloud ceiling and from the edge of the platform I had a magnificent view. The local sun was setting and produced a deep golden shine across the wispy clouds and the tall buildings. The cloud cover was light and I could see much of the breath taking city below. It stretched as far as I could see and there was flier traffic everywhere. The man in the white uniform said.” Sir, I know how...
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I woke in sick bay and an officer with the med department logo on his chest grinned at me.” Welcome back Mr. Olafson. How do you feel?” “I feel fine. Why is it always me that wakes up in med, while others are fine?” “You had a ruptured liver and internal bleeding, we also repaired a ruptured brain blood vessel, but you are fit for duty.” “Thanks Doc.” “Besides you are not the only one that came to Sickbay, we patched up seventy five casualties and two of your squadron comrades did not...
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Elfi had not been dismissed and waited for the Captain to do so as she watched Eric leave. She too wondered about the Captain. A man she had only seen on visuals stepped into the light. He must have been there the entire time sitting on a visitor’s sofa outside the light cone of the Captain’s desk lamp. Harris first looked at the princess and then at the Admiral. “Even if he doesn’t do anything he ends up in the middle of things. Tell me. In all my years in this Navy I have never, I mean...
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I had followed a direction light to an Auto Dresser. Centron the ships AI said. “It is all set as per special instructions. Please step inside.” I did and the system went through the whole hygiene cycle and as I stepped out I checked myself in a mirror field. The machine had dressed me in the Class A Formal dress, reserved usually for flag officers, with shiny black boots, black pants and high collared uniform jacket. The left side of my chest was filled with ribbons and actual medals, not...
I wished I could have stayed with Egill and the others but my mood could not be dampened not with Narth being back and in full health. I was telling him everything that has happened and he told me that he was fully restored and well, but not able to join us on the Devastator just yet. He had to complete his third year at another posting but he was confident we would see each other after we graduated. Elfi elbowed me into the side and made me pay attention to the events around me. “The...
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Har-Hi sat there motionless with and with expression as hard as stone. Wetmouth’s mask looked the same as ever. But her shaking shoulders told everyone she was crying. Elfi held her close; her thick black Saran style eye make-up she was always wearing had partially dissolved and ran in smears down her cheeks. Mao had his head buried between his fists and he too was crying. Hans held a wadded towel in his fists and his chin kept trembling whenever he looked at the Reagan trophy that stood...
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My life had completley changed. Almost a year had passed and I had not been in any sort of trouble. I had almost forgotten that I was in my second year and this was an Academy field class. We just returned from a diplomatic mission, ferrying a delegation of Union Diplomats to the fringes of Free Space. The Daoine a cautious species of human sized rat like beings considered Union membership, but were afraid of retaliations from other Freespace civilizations who hated nothing more than losing...
Elfi did not fall, Krabbel caught her. “Wetmouth check her out! Hans raise alarm.” I yelled and Har-Hi and I were almost at the same time next to the door leading into our small hygiene facility. Lacking any other weapon I pulled my 45 and Har Hi produced a long knife. Wetmouth said. “She was stung by something. Circuit I need your nanites.” Hans was speaking to the Computronic reporting medical emergency and potential intruder alert. Har-Hi saw it first and pointed it out to me with a...
As they passed through the entrance, she forgot the Narth or Elena and just stared, the interior was breathtaking, a symphony of sparkling lights and surfaces, a silvery bowl shaped hall with intricate swirly columns along the concave walls uniting in a dome shaped roof that showed a view of the local group with the Milky way in its center. A full orchestra floated on a platform of rainbow colored energy fields all across the other side and played strangely beautiful music. There must have...
5009, OTT The days after her death were like a haze. I woke in the Union Clinic. It was the first time I could remember being away from the Burg. When I first regained consciousness I was floating in some kind of gooey liquid, whatever I tried I could not move and through the liquid I could see people moving. I was certain one of the shapes was father. When I woke again, I was no longer in the liquid but in the same room. All was gleaming white and clean. A man with a broad smile greeted...
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The weeks to summer break went by faster than I liked. Mr. Walters came into class this morning and said after we greeted him. “Tomorrow will be your last day of school and you have three month to prepare for the next year. Everyone in class will advance. While your grades and results have much room for improvement, they are satisfactory. Today I want to ask if you know why we keep time the way we do?” He pointed his finger at Yngve.” You will not speak.” Since Mr. Walters gave positive...
They had the Wolfcraft repaired and it was no longer fleet standard gray but was black with Olafson red trim and the Olafson Seal of the two wolfs painted on each side below the cockpit. Two weeks had passed since our fight against the Nul. There was not much information about the whole incident in the official channels. GalNet News showed bits and pieces of the fight and called it a minor border incident. A force that gave the Devi pause caused 14 casualties sounded more than a minor...
Mr.Flensburger was now gone for a week and we had a new teacher. Mr. Walters was his name and he was much different to the jovial and gentle Mr. Flensburger. He was stern and had a no nonsense approach. This Monday morning, right by the main doors I saw Yngve Lofdahl waiting for me. He had a busted; bleeding lip and his left eye was swelling. Like me he was wearing a fur vest over a linen tunic that reached halfway to the knees, linen breeches and boots. Usually he always looked like he wore...
Shea excused herself from the table to find the ladies room. Her highly intelligent mind analyzed her own behavior and the situation. Elfi was her best friend and so was Eric. She knew he had not asked to guard or accompany the princess, so why was she upset when she saw them like that? Because she realized she cared for Eric much more than she wanted to admit. Mostly her thoughts were influenced from her educatin at the temple. Because she was a Sojonit and trained to think of men as...
Two days later, the Elders placed Ragnarsson flags and a shield with the Falcon symbol in a ritualistic ceremony into the Caves of Extinct clans and had the alcove bricked shut. An Elder smashed my Grandfathers signet ring with a hammer on an anvil and tossed it into the ocean. The Ragnarsson clan was no more. After the Ceremony Hogun took me downtown again, he explained that a lawyer had come to open my grandfather’s will. The building where Hogun landed the floater had three floors and...
Elfi was gone and in her place was a goddess. She wore a shimmering gown of golden pleads hugging her body. Her helmet like black hair was now under a hood shaped head piece of stylized like golden wings. Over her shoulders a cape like mantle also golden and shaped in the pattern of feathered wings as well. Her face was hidden behind a translucent veil. It was like that I saw her standing surrounded by handmaidens in a court yard that with trimmed trees, fountains and flowerbeds. The Queen...
Much to everyone’s disappointment Eric and the princess had to return to the table of the Queen as the official part of the evening begun. Sif was still brooding and tried to get certain about her own feelings. Eric had changed much and at the same time he was still the Eric she knew. Did he still think about the girlish things or had he grown out of it. Did she really hate him? The last days they had spend on Nilfeheim seemed so far away and so much had changed. Perhaps she had given him too...
We had launched the emergency beacon with a pre recorded message two days ago. To make sure my friends would not lose hope I kept them busy, collecting specimen. We had the robots built us a basic freight flier. With it we surveyed a greater area around the base. We had the P4 mounted on the flyer just in case. Har-Hi was piloting the craft and Mao manned the Paralysator. Elfi was sitting in one of the passenger seats, her eyes closed trying to use her limited Psionics to scan for more of...
Prelude Part 6: Naming Day A new egg-shaped stone cut from a single two-ton boulder marked the grave of the little girl. The stone had been dug out from underneath the snow; a stonemason had chiseled the name Freya Olafson and the date into the stone and then it was carried to the cemetery behind the community roundhouse. There, also under a thick layer of snow, were the rock mounds and rock markers of the graves of the most revered. On a planet with so little land, the dead usually...
I found the Halls of Hasvik easily enough as they could not be missed. Next to the huge doors ;which were as I could see now, were made of dark wood with large Ultronit bands holding large timbers together; was a smaller metal door and I knocked there. It did not take long and another man opened, he too was dressed like the other one but he was the stark opposite of the Old man I met the day before. He was fat, Midril would have appeared like a weightless Elf compared to this man. His woven...
Wetmouth ran towards the tall man standing next to the Ultra Lux Flyer and he scooped her up. “Missed you, girl!” “I missed you too, Dad.” She climbed into the Flyer on the pilot’s side and Rex Schwartz took the passenger seat. Wetmouth gunned the 25 million credit Lumina Lamborghini RS exclusive edition through the energy curtain accelerating faster than a Loki torpedo. “Where are we going, Dad?” “Linda waits for us at our Pluribus Penthouse.” She let go of the controls and said to the...
The platform was perhaps fifty meters in diameter with two prefab buildings made of the same material at its center. Despite the nearly indestructible Duro-Plast the structure was made off, everything looked old and abandoned and in dire need of repair. “Now what,” asked Mao? The buildings were rectangular shaped and about ten meters long and wide in and six meters tall. Like the surrounding platform they were covered with a fine greenish substance, most likely some kind of moss or algae....
Non Union ships wanting to do business in Union space have to stop at one of these Checkpoints that dot the imaginary border between Union and Free space to get Customs clearance and a transponder code. While civilian ships could freely enter Union space, they could only land on Union Worlds with the proper Customs documents. Detected warships of other civilizations would result in a border alert and cause an immediate response from the fleet. Checkpoint 96 was a small ice planet with a...
Lothar’s beam burned through my chest. It felt as if my entire torso was on fire, but I was alive. I did not faint or pass out instead fulled by burning rage I ran towards him, his face was pure horror he still held the small weapon he did not fire a third time. I reached him in mere seconds, buried my knee in his groin and smashed the palm of my hand against his nose with the hope I would shove his nose bone up his brain. Something completely impossible f course, but I was furious and kept...
The image of Ardalf’s face as the sword slipped into his body would not leave me and I dreaded going to sleep even more than before. When I finally was so tiered I had to sleep I would dream and see the scene all over. One particular dream was especially disturbing as I saw my mother standing by the dead boy and shaking her head. Father was busy integrating the Steiner clan and he left me completely alone, even when I was at the burg and he was there. I spend most of my time at Uncle Hogun’s...
Sif was again a prisoner, this time not in a dungeon, but a well-lit, holding cell at the local police station. She had found out that she was on Perryton, a Union world and the place she had escaped was called the Church of Darkness. She had been charged with multiple homicides and Califerm dealing. Her Nilfeheim leathers and the sword had been confiscated and she wore a plastic coverall like the other prisoners to her left and right. She was told her parents were notified what made her cry...
The last thing I remembered was the stinging prick into my neck and then a nauseating spinning sensation that dragged me into nothingness. I was supposed to perform an Orbital assault jump as part of the final challenge and to win the Reagan trophy for the Devastator. My friends and I equipped with heavy battle suits had boarded a Drop ship. Strapped into the drop rack, my suit malfunctioned and nothing worked. At first I believed I was dead, but I felt still nauseas and I opened my eyes....
Even though I had little medical knowledge, my time serving in the Devi’s sick bay and getting basic med training at the Academy I was helping with the triage of wounded and somehow remembered Dr. Dwyer my old Nilfeheim doctor as I derma-patched an eleven year old’s scrape wounds he had suffered falling while running and hiding inside an service crawl. The Casualty numbers were depressing. “943 dead among them many civilians and 1532 wounded of which more than 500 were very critical. Over...
The Vanderstraat nebulae was even more spectacular than I thought it would be. Every shade of red from deepest violet to the brightest orange glowed from the recent Super Nova in the ring shaped nebula and transforming the eternal night of space in something so beautiful that no one looking at it could be completely atheistic, at least in my opinion. OPS was a very demanding post and I had to keep my all my concentration at the tasks at hand and there were many. OPS was short for ship...
Harris sat on a couch not far from Stahl who was behind his old desk. Captain Zezz was there and the Admiral of the Fleet. Not in person, but via Holo-Presence. Harris was sipping on a bottle of beer. “He is doing a fine job and he did put the pieces together about you putting Carrows on the bridge for a reason.” “He did? What was his decision?” “If in doubt, go by the book and the book says court martial. Those were his words.” The old Admiral of the fleet was sitting on a chair that...
It was the last hour of our last school day. Mr. Walters handed out the final grades and said.” This is the last time I am doing this for you. When you return next year, a new teacher will try to pound some knowledge into your thick skulls. I am going to be transferred to another school, still on Nilfeheim but they thought I be best suited to try my hand on the even wilder Neo Vikings of the South Pole.” He then shook everyone’s hand and said a few words to everyone. When he reached me he...
He remembered the last moments of his life quite vividly. They had led him up to the scaffold, after they had removed all his rank insignia. Commander Stone before him actually collapsed and the marines had to drag him to his spot on the scaffold. It took all his will power not to do the same and set one foot before the other. The solemn beat of the drums stopped and the Executioner asked him if he had any last words. He had none, the night before he had written a letter to his son Swybin and...
We reached Tabernacle 12 with next to empty tanks. We were expected and landing controls took over. The small planet looked very much like a dirty snow ball. Its own sun was nothing more than a bright star and its next planetary neighbor was almost eight light minutes removed. The landing beam guided us towards a crater and at its center was a set of large iris doors that opened for us. As soon as we had landed, Marines in heavy Destroyer Suits surrounded our ship. At least twenty Cerberus...
Pluribus was even more crowded and busier during Union week than usual. Egill had returned from Nilfeheim only a few days ago. He stood nor far from the Northern door and entrance into the Sphere of the Assembly, it was entrance he always used. From there it was only a short elevator ride to the Alcove of Planet Nilfeheim. The assembly sphere was a complete ball on the insie and only from the outside it appeared like a huge dome, meeting the ground at its equator. The outside area all around...
The commandant of the Newport Academy stood on the open balcony of his office, his hands wrapped around the railing. As it was his habit at this time of day he watched his Cadets run in cadence at the exercise yard. It was an exceptional well trained bunch this time and they would only need a little of his special brand of help to win the trophy this year. He was a short man, especially to Venusian standards, since natives of this Sol system planet tended to grow taller than the average...
The ‘American Spirit’ was nothing I expected a space ship to look from the inside. It was more like a luxurious villa, complete with garden, swimming pool and green lawn. We stepped through a glass sliding door under a blue sky with a single yellow sun and on the green plant surface he called grass, was a table with umbrella and a few garden chairs. Rolling hills with forests in the distance. “All simulated of course,” Alex explained. “The walls are actually only 30 meters from us, but I...
Richard stood by the view port in his office aboard the Devastator. The Ship was still on its way back to the LMC. The Narth were certain that the next Y’All invasion would come from this direction. He had seen the Narth Sphere during the last Y’All invasion and now that the Narth Supreme had personally told him that the Narth would be on the Union Side and hinted he would share some Narth technology with the Union he was far less concerned as he was before. He smiled at his own reflection,...
Sif woke, despite the sleep inducer that had been placed over her head. More out of instinct she rolled of the bed she was on and removed herself from the dazing and sleep causing Neuro-feed rays. Her mind instantly cleared up and she remembered.In her dreams she thought she felt a probing mind searching for her. In her dreams, Egill had not forgotten about her. But what would the old man say if he saw her like that? It was better he would never see her and besides those were only dreams of a...
Riding the Ammutherathi through the air made me feel, certain that I had ridden something big before, maybe in a dream. There was nothing to ride on Nilfeheim except Fangsnappers. While I was standing in the stirrups I received instructions through an ear peace. Where to go and what to do. The beast was at least thirty meters long and had two enormous set of leathery wings underneath tough looking skin were rock hard muscles worked these huge wings in a fantastic display of raw natural...
A week had passed since the big event on Pluribus and Union Week was over. I did spend a very strange and special night at the Saran compound, emerging myself in a dark and not openly discussed aspect of Saran society and culture, but I did learn a lot and I had been my female self. But I was glad we were back on the ship. While I enjoyed meeting my family and thrilled to see Narth again, the big party was not really my cup of tea.And what happened at the Orgie were memories for a different...
The Bowels It could have been any Maltyrian but I was certain it was Galmy. At the same as I said her name I realized she would not recognize me. She still had these inhuman big eyes and that translucent complexion. Her hair was the same midnight black as I remembered. She said. “You know me, Captain... ?” Her eyes scanned over my uniform blouse looking for my name tag. “Captain Olafson?” She was out of uniform so I could not see what rank she had attained since I seen her last. “Yes I...
The best day in my life was when I turned seven and I could go to Union school being away from the Burg and away from my father was like breathing lighter air. Everyone had to go to Union school. That was Union Law and it superseded local law. Union school was such a long part of our society that it too became an Old Tradition and therefore was good. At school I learned that Nilfeheim was a Water-World and that we all originally came from a Planet named Earth and settled here long time...
I went down the narrow stair case to find out if there was a God living in the Old Man’s basement. Now I had reached the bottom of the narrow stair case and it expanded into a large natural grotto. The old man had a very large, and from the looks of it a natural Sub Pen under his rock. It was cold and moist and without my light it would have been pitch dark. There was no god and no mystery down here. At least there wasn’t any more garbage either. I did for a moment see a movement in the water...