Guardians of the Galactic Sentinel 1: The Deimos Artifact (23 page)

"There are three more people on this ship," said Zack, earning him yet another glare from Ariane.

"Well, let's get them rounded up. Is Cliff Bernard one of them?"

"Yes, he insisted upon staying on when I took over the ship," said Zack.

"That sounds like the Cliff I know. Get him up here, if you please."

Ariane called Cliff on the intercom, "Engineering?"

"What is it, Cap'n?"

"You need to lock things down. It looks like we're all leaving the ship for a while." She looked over at Tvedt, "There's someone up here asking about you."

"Way ahead of you," replied Cliff, "I figured something like this might be goin' down. We'll be up right away."

"Was Marv's death mixed up with this artifact business?" asked Tvedt, while they waited.

"We're pretty sure it was," replied Zack, "but we don't have much to go on. Marv was alone late at night in the warehouse district on Haven and someone ran him down with an aircar."

"Nasty business," said Tvedt, "but then bad luck and violence seem to follow that damned thing around!"

The discussion was cut short by the arrival of Cliff who was holding up the end of one of the weapons cases. Arnold was carrying the other end. They gently set the case down on the floor of the receiving area. Kathryn cautiously followed them in.

"Cliff Bernard, you old hound," said Tvedt as he grabbed the
Capri's
engineer in a bear hug.

"It's good to see you too, Holger," Cliff replied, his voice somewhat strangled by the intensity of the big Viking's embrace. "You got any of that wicked Viking mead on hand?"

"I don't know that I'd call it 'wicked,' but we've got plenty of it!"

"Before I forget," said Cliff, "The Professor wanted you to have this…" He gestured towards the weapons case.

"What is it?"

"I think he wanted it to be a surprise," said Zack.

"Well, bring it on board and let's get going," said Holger, as he retrieved his helmet.

Cliff and Arnold picked up the case again and headed into the airlock.

Within a few minutes, the entire complement of the
Capri
was on board the Viking shuttle and on their way to the battered but still quite formidable orbital station that Tvedt had referred to as
Midgard
, home of the Viking colony. None of them knew quite what to make of the Professor's plight. The Vikings had handcuffed him to a cleat on the main bulkhead of the shuttle. He looked a bit uncomfortable but, for the most part, seemed to be enduring the treatment stoically.

Chapter 27
. Home of the Brave.

Midgard Colony, Sol System, July 13, 2676.

The shuttle made its way back inside the station through the same open bay that it had emerged from in the first place. After a docking procedure similar to the one that had been used to attach the small craft to the
Capri
, the shuttle disgorged its occupants into the interior of the station. There were at least a dozen of Tvedt's people, men and women, waiting for the
Capri's
crewmembers. Most of them were armed. Apparently Holger Tvedt was not in the habit of taking any chances, even with people who were probably friendly. Arnold and Cliff set the case they were carrying on a table that ran along one of the walls.

"There're some things that I must attend to," said Tvedt. "I'll be leaving you in just a few minutes. In the meantime, my people will help you get settled. Gertrude? Will you see to the women?" A tall, statuesque and strikingly beautiful woman with piercing blue eyes stepped forward. True to the Viking stereotype, she wore her medium-length, honey-gold hair in a single braid that extended from the back of her head nearly down to her shoulders. Though slender, even willowy, she was obviously in superb physical condition, with well-defined muscles visible under the skin of her exposed arms.

"If you would come with me, please," she said in a husky alto. Ariane and Kathryn followed her through the hatch in the bulkhead of the airlock receiving area. A pair of armed female guards departed right behind them.

The big Viking leader took a hard look at Professor MacPherson.

"We have a gift for you, Holger," said the Professor, before the Viking could say anything. "Have a look inside the case that Cliff and Arnold brought with them."

Two of Holger's men went over to the case and removed the lid. Inside were the neatly racked pulse rifles, pulse pistols and the supply of grenades, just as they had been when Ariane and Zack inspected them back at the Central Planets. Holger's expression changed to one of astonishment, "These are top of the line Federation hand weapons!" he exclaimed.

"Yes," said the Professor, "and they're all brand new."

Holger was uncharacteristically speechless.

"Call it a peace offering if you wish," added the Professor, "I figured it was the least I could do."

Holger's expression softened and he shook his head, "I was hoping to draw this business out a little longer, MacPherson, make you sweat some more, but it looks like you've taken the thrust out of my engines. Besides, things seem to be getting a little too complicated for games. Let him go boys, I've harassed him enough. Just remember I've still got my eye on you, Professor."

"Thanks, Holger," said the Professor, "I've learned my lesson. You won't have any more trouble with me. Besides, we need to get the mystery of this artifact worked out as soon as possible."

"On that we agree," said Tvedt, "but surely it can wait until after dinner?"

"Of course," replied the Professor.

"I'll see you there, then," said the Viking. He turned to another of his soldiers, a tall, barrel-chested, red-headed man, who also wore a short beard and mustache. "Show them to their quarters, Erik. I'll see you all later."

The Viking leader strode purposefully over to the hatch, squeezed through and left the compartment.

"Please come with me," said Erik.

The male crewmembers of the
Capri
fell in line behind the Viking and exited through the same hatchway. They too were afforded the honor of a pair of armed guards. After a short walk, the entourage came to what must have been one of the visitor areas of the vast old station. Each of them was assigned to small but well-equipped private quarters.

"These will be your quarters while you're here," said Erik, "You'll find an assortment of clothing of various sizes in the closet. Take some time to get freshened up and change your clothes. I'll be back for you in half an hour."

Zack followed Erik's advice and took the time to refresh himself. He used the ultrasonic shower and changed into a fresh one-piece coverall. Unlike the utilitarian garments normally used for everyday wear, this outfit was of a more formal design and really quite elegant. He had been reveling in how much better he felt after the shower and the change of clothes when, true to his word, Erik returned for him and the others thirty minutes after he had left them. Their Viking guide had also changed into formal attire.

Arnold and Professor MacPherson had put on clothing similar to Zack's. The Professor looked right at home in the upscale outfit. Cliff had somehow found or had been issued something formal in the same dark green color that seemed to be his trademark. The group fell in line behind Erik who led them through the station to a large open area that had been converted into what Zack thought must be the modern equivalent of a Viking Great Hall. There were twenty or more large, round tables, each of which could seat eight to ten people. One of the tables, up at the far end of the room near what had to be a stage, was even larger. At present, that particular table was the only one that had been set for dinner.

Ariane and Kathryn, accompanied by Gertrude, made a grand entrance. Like the men, all of the women were dressed in some very elegant and very flattering clothing. It looked like Ariane had done something different with her hair again. Zack's eye lingered a little longer on her than absolutely necessary and she caught him looking at her. He was reprimanded with a glare similar to the ones he had been treated to while they were being interviewed by Holger back on the
Capri
. Zack countered with a shrug. At that moment, Holger Tvedt joined them.

"Please be seated," said Erik, "Gertrude and I will be joining you."

The crew of the
Capri
followed Erik's instructions and all went to take a seat around the large table at the front of the room. Erik and Gertrude each sat in amongst the
Capri
crewmembers that had been assigned to them. After everyone was settled, with Holger at the head of the table, the Viking leader called for food and drink. A small army of serving people appeared. The Vikings served up an unexpectedly sumptuous repast that consisted of several courses. The food was served on large platters and there was plenty of it. Unlike their ancient counterparts, the Vikings and their guests all loaded portions of food off from the platters onto plates and ate using silverware, just like people did on all of the civilized worlds.

All of the food and drink was delicious but what was remarkable was that all of it appeared to be genuine. Having served on a number of colony worlds, Zack was familiar with real beef, and real vegetables like the potatoes, carrots and onions the Vikings were serving; but, for some reason, this particular meal was a cut above anything he'd ever had before. Apparently, Zack concluded, being a Viking was a fairly prosperous occupation, unless Holger had pulled out all the stops in an effort to impress his guests.

"This is some of the best beef I've ever tasted," said Zack, "and all the vegetables are top notch too. What's your secret?"

"All of this stuff was grown in one or another of the radiation free areas on Earth," replied Holger, "and it tastes good because this is the way it's supposed to taste. We have a supplier under our protection who has connections back down on the planet."

Zack went back to enjoying the excellent meal. Cliff savored a mug of the 'wicked' Viking mead he had asked about. Zack allowed himself two glasses of what turned out to be an excellent wine which was, of course, also sourced from someone down on the planet. Across the table from him, he noticed that Ariane had also sampled the wine, but she had stopped after a single glass.
Probably adhering to her Intelligence training,
he thought, and found himself approving. Finally, the meal was over and the very efficient serving staff had cleared away all the serving items.

"That's better," said Holger, pushing his chair back from the table. "Now perhaps we can have a civilized conversation. By the way, Erik and Gertrude here are two of my most trusted Lieutenants. Gertrude is also my daughter."

Armed with this new perspective, Zack took another look at Gertrude. Now that the relationship had been pointed out to him, he could see the resemblance between father and daughter. Her regular, and very attractive, features were softer, but the jawline was similar and the same intense and intelligent blue eyes dominated both of their faces.

MacPherson came right to the point. "You know what brought us back here to Sol, Holger. We're here because of Marv's artifact."

"That damned thing?" responded Tvedt, with a snort, "I thought Marv was making a mistake when he bought it off that agent a year ago. I even told him so."

"Marv got the artifact from some sort of agent?" asked MacPherson, "He never told me that."

"That's what the man called himself. I'd say the guy was really more like a roving pawnbroker or, come to think of it, maybe 'fence' would be even more appropriate. The artifact was part of a batch of stuff he claimed had just been taken off from Earth."

"The artifact was taken from Earth?" asked MacPherson.

"Yeah," replied Holger, "the same people who supply us with the food you just ate operate a shuttle system that makes a couple of runs a month down to the planet. They drop off whoever is brave enough or dumb enough to want to go to down there and then pick up a load of people and other stuff and bring them back out into orbit. It's dangerous work, but they make a decent profit, or so I'm told."

"What about the radiation levels on the planet?" asked MacPherson.

"There are some areas where it isn't too bad. It's one or another of those places that the shuttle lands and takes off from. There's still a lot of areas down there you wouldn't want to visit without some first-rate radiation gear, though."

"So the artifact originally came from Earth?" asked MacPherson.

"That's what it looks like," replied Tvedt.

"That actually makes sense..." said MacPherson.

"What do you mean?" asked Tvedt.

"We've just come across some new information regarding the artifact and we're trying to fit all of the pieces together," replied MacPherson. "I would be really nice if we could talk to this...agent or whatever he is."

"I'm afraid that won't be possible," said Holger.

"Why not?"

"We found his ship drifting near the asteroid belt within a week after Marv had bought the artifact and that load of other stuff from him," Holger paused for effect before continuing, "The guy was dead and not in a pretty way. Tortured and then ripped apart by the look of him. Or maybe it was the other way around; we couldn't tell for sure."

The crew of the
Capri
exchanged concerned glances.

Tvedt nodded his head gravely, "Like I've been saying, nasty business."

His comment was followed by a short silence.

"Do you have it with you?" asked Holger.

Zack and Ariane looked at one another and then over at MacPherson. No one ventured any information. Holger continued, "Look, I don't want to have anything to do with it. Your ship is parked less than a kilometer away and right now it's unoccupied. If you have the damned thing and I really wanted it, it would be mine. In my opinion, the thing is way too dangerous to mess around with."

"Yes, we do have it with us," admitted MacPherson.

"I thought you might," said Holger, "Why did you bring it back to the Sol System anyway?"

"Our latest information is telling us that we need to take the artifact to Deimos," said MacPherson.

"Deimos?" said Tvedt, "That Godforsaken place? We've looked that moon over a dozen times or more. I can tell you upfront there's not much there. The gravity is way too low to be anything but a nuisance and the surface is mostly covered with dust."

"Nevertheless, we'd like to go there," said MacPherson.

"Would you, now?" replied Holger.

The Professor glanced around at his companions and said, "We've just come across new information contained in Marvin Pangbourne's notes and we're convinced that some of the answers we're looking for will be found on Deimos," insisted MacPherson.

"There's more," said Arnold. He looked at the Professor as if to get his permission to continue. MacPherson gave him a nod and Arnold continued, "People all over the Human worlds have been having visions."

"What kind of visions?" asked Holger.

"Visions of a small pyramid covered in glowing letters."

Gertrude responded almost immediately, "My daughter had a really bad dream just a couple of days ago," she said, "One where all the people everywhere had been somehow turned into slaves. She said the dream started out with a pointy thing lit up with glowing letters. You mean to say that her nightmare might have had something to do with your artifact?"

We're looking into it," said MacPherson, "to tell you the truth, we really don't know if there is a connection with the visions or not. It seems impossible but, in spite of that, even I am beginning to think that there might be."

"Little Helga was really upset by the dream," said Gertrude, "She hasn’t' had a good night's sleep since. Now that you mention it, she wasn't the only who had bad dreams. At least four or five others claim to have experienced something similar. I didn't know what to make of it, until now."