The Search for Gram (5 page)

“Five minutes to the Gliese 676 stargate,” reported the helmsman.

“Good luck in your quest,” said Emperor Yazhak from the front view screen. “Remember, you promised to bring my fighters back without a scratch.”

“I’ll do my best,” said Captain Sheppard.

“I would also like it if you brought my grandson back in a similar condition,” the emperor added, looking over Captain Sheppard’s shoulder to where Lieutenant Rrower stood. As he had during the
Vella Gulf’s
previous mission, the Mrowry would serve as the ambassador for his civilization. In addition to his diplomatic status, he had also proven his skills in a number of other tasks, including fighting alongside the
Gulf’s
platoon of space marines when he was needed.

“I will do my best,” Captain Sheppard repeated. “
Vella Gulf
, out.” The screen went blank as he terminated the transmission. “Duty Engineer, sound General Quarters!” Captain Sheppard ordered.

“Aye aye, sir!” said the engineer, who was seated next to the helmsman at the front console. Responsible for all of the damage control systems, he was also in charge of the General Quarters alarm. “
Bong! Bong! Bong! Bong!
” sounded the bell. It was followed by the engineer’s call of “General Quarters, General Quarters, all hands man your battle stations!” Setting General Quarters prior to transit was standard practice; the air crews also manned up all 12 of the ship’s space fighters. You never knew what was waiting on the other side of a stargate.

“Helmsman, full speed to the stargate!” Captain Sheppard ordered. Under his breath he added, “Once more unto the breach.”

“Entry into the HD 69830 system,” said Steropes. The journey had taken 10 days, crossing through the systems of Gliese 676, Mu Arae and Epsilon Indi, but they had finally arrived at the Aesir’s home system. “HD 69830 is a yellow-orange dwarf star that has a mass of 86 percent of Sol’s, 89 percent of its diameter, and 45 percent of its luminosity. There are three large Neptune-like planets in the system that all lie fairly close to the star, with a large asteroid belt in between the orbits of the second and third planets.”

“And this is the home system of the Aesir?” asked Captain Sheppard. “Which planet do they live on?”

“None of them, actually,” replied Steropes. “The third planet, Asgard, has a mass of about 18 times that of Terra. Although the planet isn’t Earth-like, it does have a moon that is.”

“The moon’s name is Golirion,” said Captain Nightsong, “That is our birth world.” He paused and then added, “It is good to be home.”

“Didn’t Steropes say there was an asteroid belt close to the planet?” Captain Sheppard asked. “Don’t you have a problem with asteroid impacts?”

“Not anymore,” replied Captain Nightsong. “The frequency of asteroid impacts throughout our history led us to have a very close relationship with nature, and it was the primary reason we became a space-faring race. Each asteroid impact set our culture back hundreds of years; we had to get off our moon so we could keep the asteroids from hitting us.”

“We are approaching the third planet,” said Ensign Sara Sommers from the science station. She gave a puzzled look to the Aesir who had come onto the bridge to watch their arrival at his home world. “Captain Nightsong, I don’t get it. Where is your civilization?”

“Are you looking at Asgard?” asked Captain Sheppard. “Our civilization is not there; it’s on the moon.”

“No,” replied Ensign Sommers, “I know that. I’m looking at the moon, and I don’t see any signs of habitation. There are some shipyards in orbit, but it looks like it’s completely uninhabited.” She put the long-range visual onto the front view screens. The bridge crew could see the planet Asgard as a backdrop, with its moon Golirion in the foreground. From space, the moon appeared very similar to Earth although a little smaller.

Captain Nightsong smiled. “You mean, where are all of our major cities? Where do our people live?” Sara nodded her head. “Most live below the surface of the moon,” he said, answering his own question. “Our civilization developed there to protect itself from the asteroids which often hit our world. By the time we made it to space and could ensure the safety of our world, our civilization had adapted to living below the surface of the planet. Those of us who moved back to the surface live in harmony with nature; we enjoy its beauty and do not want to see it spoiled with the buildings and factories that pollute other races’ planets.” The Terrans could hear a large measure of pride in his voice.

“And what Captain Nightsong is leaving out,” said Steropes, “is that very few outsiders have ever seen the surface of the moon. Usually, visitors are discouraged. When the Alliance of Civilizations moved off my planet, the Aesir were the only member nation that didn’t want to host its headquarters.”

“Look at our world,” said Captain Nightsong. “If you were us, would you want that group of thieves and incompetents to come here and destroy its beauty? Many of the nations have no respect for nature or culture; they are only interested in what will make them the most money or gain them the most influence. We desire neither of those things. We desire peace and the opportunity to appreciate the finer things in life. Unfortunately, peace is often obtained only through strength of arms. We joined the Alliance of Civilizations, not because we wanted to, but because we wanted the peace we thought we would get by being part of a large defensive alliance. Other than that, we are content to stay out of the bickering and squabbling that goes on at Alliance meetings.”

“You didn’t want the prestige or monetary benefits from having the headquarters on your planet?” asked Sara.

“What is prestige when compared with the colors of a perfect sunset?” asked Captain Nightsong. “What is the value of artificial currency when compared with a still lake in the early morning before the fog burns off? We have no desire for anything the Alliance has to offer, aside from a galaxy-wide peace that would let us pursue our quest for knowledge and beauty.”

“What is your society like?” asked Calvin. “What can we expect?”

“Unlike the other races I have met, we value our individual freedom more than anything else. We tend to be more solitary than the other races; even our cities are small. Most Aesir are very locally focused. We follow a local mayor, who follows a regional leader called a reeve, who owes allegiance to the king and queen who rule the planet. You would not be comfortable in our society; there are very few rules.”

“How do you keep people in line then?” asked Captain Sheppard. “What if someone infringes on the personal freedom of someone else.”

“Normally, most laws aren’t needed,” said Captain Nightsong; “most of our citizens don’t do anything to harm anyone else. When someone goes rogue, which is extremely infrequent, the group will band together to modify his or her behavior.”

“How do they do that?” asked Calvin.

“In whatever manner it takes,” said the Aesir. “We try to be minimally invasive, but if the citizen refuses to change, stronger measures will be used.”

“We’re getting a communication from the planet,” interrupted the communications officer, her voice full of confusion. “It’s from someone called…the Thor?”

“That is our king,” said Captain Nightsong.

“On screen, please,” said Captain Sheppard.

The picture of Golirion on the front viewer was replaced with a male and a female Aesir; however, they were very different in appearance from Captain Nightsong. Where Nightsong’s hair was blond and his skin green, the king and queen had dark hair and pale blue skin. A thin circlet was all that marked them as royalty; neither wore any other regalia. Nightsong bowed deeply.

“Greetings, people of Terra,” said the king.

“Welcome to Aesir space,” added the queen. “Thank you for coming so quickly.”

Following Nightsong’s lead, the Terrans who were standing on the bridge bowed as well. “Thank you for your words of welcome,” said Captain Sheppard. “I am Captain James Sheppard. We are happy to come to your aid.”

“Lieutenant Commander Hobbs is the hero we were looking for,” said Captain Nightsong. “Although he is not the commander of this ship, he is the leader of their space marines and their space fighter squadron. Captain Sheppard is the commanding officer of the ship that supports them.”

“That is…interesting,” said the king. “Interesting and unexpected.” He looked at Captain Sheppard. “Queen Farseer and I would be honored if you would join us for a strategy session in an hour. We will send you the coordinates of the closest transporter platform.”

“I’m sorry, but I’m not sure what to call you,” said Captain Sheppard.

“You may call me ‘Thor,’” said the king.

“I’m sorry, Thor, but we are unable to transport down,” said Captain Sheppard. “We haven’t been scanned. The only way we can come down is via shuttle.”

“I will have our technician send you the coordinates of a landing site. Please make it as soon as you can, but limit the number of people you bring to five, including your shuttle crew.”

“Yes, Thor,” said Captain Sheppard. “We will see you shortly.”

The front view screen returned to the picture of Golirion as the transmission was terminated.

Captain Sheppard turned to Captain Nightsong. “The king and queen seem…dissimilar…to you.”

“Indeed,” said the Aesir. “They are of the Drow, or the underground Aesir; I am of the above ground clan, the Valir.” He paused, gathering his thoughts. “When we emerged from our stay underground and took to the stars, there were those among us who chose to stay below. It was what they knew, and what they were comfortable with. Most, in fact, no longer desired the wide open spaces. Over time, those who stayed below ground lost the pigmentation from being in our star’s light. Their hair grew dark while their skin became pale. Most of the Drow would look like I do if they chose to spend some time in the light; however, only a small percentage come up to tend our world’s surface and take to the stars.”

“What can we expect when we meet your king?” asked Captain Sheppard.

“I expect he will meet you in Reeve Hall,” replied the Aesir. “As I mentioned, our regional leaders are called reeves. When the situation warrants, the king and queen will meet in Reeve Hall with the Council of Reeves to discuss important events. I expect the king and queen will meet you there, as you will be the first off-world visitors we’ve had in over three centuries. I imagine that qualifies your visit as an important event.”

“
Sir, this is amazing,
” commed Lieutenant Bryan ‘Hooty’ Hooten, the shuttle’s pilot. The ship was descending vertically toward the landing pad, a tiny sliver of metal in the middle of a continent-wide forest.

“
The trees can’t be more than 20 feet away on any side of the shuttle,
” said Lieutenant Larry ‘Grocer’ Albertson, the shuttle’s weapons system officer (WSO). “
It’s incredible how they’re able to keep them trimmed like this.
”

“
The trees aren’t trimmed,
” said Nightsong. “
We just ask them nicely to keep this open. This pad is one of only two that exist on the continent.
”

“
What if you need to bring a larger ship down to the surface of the planet?
” asked Hooty.

“
We don’t.
”

“
Wait,
” said Calvin, “
you
ask
them to keep it open?
”

“
Yes,
” replied Captain Nightsong. “
We have a very close relationship with nature…and some outstanding nanobots to assist us with the process.
”

The shuttle touched down gently on the pad, and its boarding ramp came down, allowing the shuttle’s occupants to see two Aesir waiting for them. Calvin was the first person out of the shuttle, followed by Captain Sheppard and Night. Although the Aesir smiled as Calvin exited the shuttle, Calvin had also seen their faces before they masked them with smiles. He wasn’t sure whether it was distrust or displeasure, but neither had looked pleased to see the Terran shuttle. “For a welcoming party, they didn’t look very happy to see us,” he said in an undertone to Nightsong, who was behind him on the ramp. “What’s that all about?”

“It could be a number of things,” replied Nightsong. “They might be unhappy about the shuttle. You are the first non-Aesir to land here in several centuries; some of my people are probably unhappy with this.”

“I don’t think that was it,” said Calvin, who could tell the Aesir was being evasive. “What else could it have been?”

“Not everyone is happy we went off-planet in search of aid,” said Nightsong. “Some of my people wanted to solve the problem ourselves and avoid becoming entangled with the Alliance again.”

“But I thought the Alliance was no more,” said Captain Sheppard, catching up with them.

“It’s not,” replied Nightsong, “but try telling that to my people. We have long memories, and there are a number of people who want to avoid any off-planet obligations ever again.”

“Forever is a long time,” Calvin noted.

“That is true,” agreed Nightsong. “Let’s hope they never come to power.”

“Never is just as long,” said Calvin.

“Indeed.”

Calvin shook his head as Nightsong stepped forward to embrace the two Aesir waiting for them. Strange fragrances filled his nose. One smelled like pines, but not quite; a second smelled of lemons and a third had an odor of oranges. None were quite like the corresponding Terran smells, but they had one thing in common; they all smelled clean. The forest pressed in on all sides, its foliage almost every shade of green in the spectrum. Lit by the warm sunlight filtering through, the leaves appeared to dance in a light breeze.

Captain Nightsong turned from his embrace to introduce his countrymen, both of whom were pale blue with dark hair. They were slender in build, like all of the Aesir Calvin could remember seeing, and remarkably similar in appearance.

“This is Senior Reeve Foron and his deputy Elhael,” Nightsong said. “Foron is in charge of the Council of Reeves.” Both of the Aesir bowed, and the Terrans returned the bows.

“Welcome to our world,” said Senior Reeve Foron. “If you would follow me, the Thor and his queen are waiting with the rest of the council.”

Captain Sheppard agreed, and the Aesir turned and began walking toward the forest. Without warning, the ground in front of them began moving, and an opening 30 feet long by 20 feet wide appeared as the ground was lifted up on four hydraulic rams. A ramp was revealed which led below ground, and the Aesir continued down without slowing.

The Terrans followed them below the surface of the moon into a well-lit passageway. As they stepped off the ramp and into the tunnel, the opening behind them began closing as the rams retracted. The opening shut with barely a whisper.

“I don’t know about you,” said Night, “but I sure liked it better when our way out was open.”

“Yeah, me too,” replied Calvin, repressing a shudder. “I’m sure they’ll let us out again…”

His voice trailed off as they came to a doorway about 50 feet along the tunnel.

“Welcome to the real world of Golirion,” said Foron as he opened the door.

The Terrans were amazed as they walked through the doorway. The walls of the tunnel were painted with murals of the surface so lifelike that it was almost like being above ground. The lighting was as bright as the daylight above, but there didn’t seem to be a source; no light fixtures could be seen. Looking up, Calvin felt dizzy as he stared into the blue sky painted on the ceiling of the tunnel. He knew the roof was no more than 20 feet above him, but he was unable to tell exactly where it was.

“That’s amazing,” muttered Captain Sheppard in awe.

“Do you like it?” asked Foron. “Our craftsmen worked hundreds of years to craft a painting that makes you feel like you are on the surface.”

“It’s beautiful. Not only does it look like the surface, but it’s almost like I can feel the warmth of your star and smell the scents of the forest as well,” replied Captain Sheppard.

“Indeed,” said Foron. “With scenes so lifelike down here, why would anyone ever want to leave?” He indicated a small tram sitting at the end of a railway. “This is our ride.”

Calvin could see two sets of rails leading off into the simulated foliage from beneath the two little cars, but they were camouflaged to fit into the rest of the scene, and he lost sight of them within 20 feet.  Each car could have held four Terrans comfortably, so there was plenty of room; Captain Nightsong got into one of the cars with the Terrans while the two Drow entered the other.

The cars started moving once everyone was seated, and they rapidly picked up speed. The pictures on the walls were just as remarkable as the cars sped past them; if anything, they were even more impressive.

“Was that a deer?” asked Calvin.

“I couldn’t tell,” said Night. “Whatever it was, it looked like it was moving.”

After the first deer analog, the Terrans glimpsed a number of other life forms; all seemed to come alive as the Terrans sped past. Strange animals wandered through the underbrush; some stopped to look at the passing cars while others ignored them. Birds and other shapes flew overhead, but none close enough to identify.

All too soon, the tram coasted to a stop.

“We are here,” said Foron as he exited his car.

Disappointed, the Terrans disembarked and followed him to a door, which was barely visible in the undergrowth.

“That was amazing,” said Captain Sheppard.

“I am glad you liked the ride,” said Foron. His smile seemed more genuine than it had on the surface, but then the smile faded as quickly as it had come. “I’m afraid what awaits in the Council of Reeves may be less to your liking.” Before the Terrans could ask what he meant, he opened the door and walked inside, forcing the Terrans to follow along behind him.

Without warning, they found themselves in a giant horseshoe-shaped room with a packed dirt floor. The Terrans entered from the open end of the horseshoe to find two rows of elevated seating extending on both sides to meet at the opposite end of the chamber, at least 80 feet in front of them. The seating was terraced, with an eight-foot wall surrounding the floor of the horseshoe. Calvin looked up; the ceiling was at least 25 feet above him.

Aesir filled both rows on both sides; 15 to a row for a total of 60. Only a couple of seats were empty. Before Calvin could ask, Foron turned to the right and opened a door Calvin hadn’t noticed. Stairs behind the door led up to the two open seats. Foron took the one in the lower tier; Elhael shut the door and mounted the stairs to a seat in the row behind and above Foron. The feeling was surreal; 120 eyes looked at them, but not a voice spoke.

A feeling of dread overwhelmed Calvin as he returned the stares of the Aesir.

“Welcome to Golirion,” said a voice from behind them. The Terrans and Captain Nightsong turned to find the Thor and queen in an alcove above them, sitting on thrones.

“Thank you for your welcome,” said Captain Sheppard, “but this feels less like a welcome and more like an inspection. We thought we were here at your invitation. Were we mistaken?”

“No, you are quite correct in that you are here at our request,” said the Thor, “and the queen and I are very happy you have come. Our people have a pressing need which must be discussed, and an answer must be found to the troubles we are having. We need to determine what we are going to do about our missing forces; however, there has been a complication.”

“What’s the complication?” asked Captain Sheppard.

“One of our reeves has declared the right of trial by combat,” replied the Thor.

“Trial by combat?” asked Captain Sheppard, not liking where this was going. “Trial by combat
with whom?
”

“With Lieutenant Commander Hobbs, actually,” said the Thor. “The reeve disputes that Lieutenant Commander Hobbs is the hero we have been looking for. He wants to lead the mission and has challenged Lieutenant Commander Hobbs to single combat.”

“
Swina bqllr!
” said Captain Nightsong under his breath. “I was afraid this would happen.”

“With all due respect, Thor,” said Captain Sheppard, “this is stupid. We come all this way to help you and find out we have to conduct some sort of challenge before we can? That is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. C’mon folks, we’re leaving.” He started walking toward the door through which they had entered, underneath the Thor’s platform.

“It’s okay, Captain Sheppard,” said Calvin. “I’ve got this. This feels like something I need to do.” He looked at the Thor. “What is the nature of this combat?”

“To the death,” replied the Thor. “It is the only possible outcome of single combat. Do you accept?”

A momentary wave of panic darted through Calvin, and his eyes jumped from side to side as his body unconsciously tried to look for a way out. Shaking his head, he regained control. He took a breath, held it for a second and then released it. He’d been in worse positions; he’d get through this. He nodded his head. “I do,” he said with more enthusiasm than he felt.

“Bring in the challenger!” called the Thor. A door on the other side of the room opened, and one of the blue Aesir came out, held by two of the green topsiders. “I’ll kill him!” the Drow screamed. “I’ll kill them all! No aliens should be allowed on our world! No more alien obligations!” Spittle flew from his mouth, and he jerked violently, trying to free himself from the two Aesir holding him.

“Thor, he doesn’t…he doesn’t appear totally sane,” said Captain Sheppard.

“I’m afraid he’s not,” replied the Aesir. “He has his good moments and his bad. This, unfortunately, is not one of his good ones. He was exiled to a small county where he couldn’t harm himself or anyone else; however, he somehow snuck back into the capital when he heard foreigners had come.”

“You’ve got to call off the duel!”

“I cannot,” replied the Thor. “Once accepted, it cannot be undone.”

“It’s okay, sir,” said Calvin. “If he’s crazy, he can’t fight very well, can he? I need to do this.”

Captain Sheppard raised an eyebrow.

“Really, sir,” said Calvin with a nod. “I’ve faced worse odds.”

“If you say so,” said Captain Sheppard, not sounding convinced.

The challenger had stopped struggling and had fallen forward onto his knees although the two Aesir holding him maintained their grip. The Aesir no longer resisted, but he had lapsed into a litany of, “I’ll kill him,” which was even more frightening. A trail of drool from one side of his mouth reached the floor.

“Want me to take your place?” asked Night from Calvin’s side. “Killing crazy aliens is my specialty.”

“I have a feeling that, once accepted, there is no way for me to swap out,” replied Calvin. He looked back at the Aesir and saw there were now drool streams from both sides of his mouth. “On the other hand, if I don’t win, feel free to kill him afterward.”

Night put his hand on Calvin’s shoulder and met his gaze. “I will,” Night replied. Calvin could see his eyes were like ice, and he stifled a shudder. If Calvin went down, Night
would
kill the Aesir; of that he had no doubt.

“Bring out the weapons,” said the Thor. Two Drow came through the same door the challenger had used, each bearing a long box. One went to the challenger and the other crossed the open floor to stand in front of Calvin. The Aesir opened the box, and Calvin saw two silver rapiers inside. Although the metalwork on the guards and quillons surrounding the handles was exquisite, Calvin could tell the points were sharp and functional.