Eric Olafson, Neo Viking Vol. 02

Sif crossed her arms and shook her head with a smirk in her face. "There are a centillions of beings in the Union but it is you who ends up right in the middle of things."

It was a recording so it was no use to answer.

Egill continued."The reason I am calling was actually to see how you are doing and to tell you that Sif has been accepted at the University of Pluribus and starts her Political Science studies in a few weeks. I am still learning all this Representative business myself but it is a great experience and I am getting the hang of it, if you can call us in a few days. Sif and I are going to Sares Prime for a visit."

The second call was from the Ancient and the Burg. Elkhart stood before a huge box. Posters, high res images and a mountain of t shirts and souvenirs piled all around him." I supposed to be thankful, yes ... but you didn't have to buy every souvenir there possibly was.

"Well the funny part is your father is wearing a t shirt for the first time of his life. It is a foolish thing to wear a t shirt during long night but you know how stubborn he can be. Well everyone says hello and I hope you are at Arsenal by now. Awful thing with all that war and space battle business. I hope you arrived save. Elena, little Exa and the others wanted me to say hello for them. Elena took Exa to the mall shopping. Your big white friend is still sleeping of course. Sigfrida is going to marry Carl and Midril is actually going off planet for 3 weeks. She won a cooking competition and is going to New Sweden. She was so excited she cut herself and is at the Clinic at the moment. I think that is all from Nilfeheim. Talk to you soon."

I deactivated the GalNet terminal and turned as I heard something behind me. It was Dawn; she wore a clingy black dress glittering and reflecting light from thousands of tiny dots. She had her red locks gathered in a similar glittering snood on the back of her head that matched the dress and she wore long gloves and held a small purse."I am ready when you are."

The Concierge in the lobby recommended the Bubble Top restaurant and managed to get us a table. After an elevator ride to the very top of the floating city we were seated on a small table with a spectacular, somewhat disturbing view into the chaotic swirling storms outside. The restaurant was filled to almost the last table and had a very upscale flair.

At first our conversation was nothing but small talk but then after we had eaten appetizers, little fried morsels of some kind of delicious fungus. She said. "Do you think killing should be a man's job and a woman should not do it, or do you oppose capital punishment in the first place?"

"To be honest I haven't thought much about this subject. My world really is not very big on keeping tabs on Union laws and events. When I was a kid I dreamed about the day when Union judges would convict my father and I could see him hang, but much has happened since then. Yes I do believe there are crimes that deserve the offender to be put to death, but I am much more careful to judge. I learnend that the hard way."

She raised her shapely eyebrows." I don't think this is an answer I expected at all, especially not from a young man. Why is it you wanted your father hanged if I may ask?"

"He has beaten my mother to death." I ended up telling her much of my story. I was not very hungry anymore after I remembered my mother but when I was finished telling we had eaten and she ordered a brandy for desert and I had a cup of coffee. It was her turn and she started. "I wanted to be a lawyer, a famous legal eagle when I was a kid. My mother was a federal judge and my father also worked for the Justice Department, I did not know what he did for the longest time, but then live happened and I became involved with a medicine student and changed my career and became a forensic pathologist and was working as medical examiner for the Union Police on Pluribus. I saw the victims of violent crime on my examination table every day and one day my fiancee was the victim of a violent mugging and I wanted revenge. I told my father about that and he told me that he was a federal executioner. It is not a job that is advertised and even though there are individuals every year specifically applying for this, most are rejected after psychological examination. Anyway when the murderer of my husband was caught and sentenced, the Justice Department was short of an executioner to fulfill the sentence. You must know by union law a death sentence has to be executed within 1 month or it is commuted, so I volunteered and I am an executioner ever since. It is not a nice job or something I dreamed about doing, but the law prohibits machines to do it and so someone has to. So we the Justice Department executioners travel from Union court to Union court and fulfill the sentences. I am sure you understand why we officially keep our identities secret and usually don't tell what we do. While almost everyone wants the death penalty, no one wants to be friends with the hangman, or in my case the hang woman."

"I don't select my friends by their occupation and one of my teachers tried to make me understand there are always two or more sides to any story. I am not sure what life holds for me, but I am trying to become an officer in the Union fleet, but during my short time off planet. I made some unusual friends. I don't mind to count a Union executioner among them."

"I think you had a very good teacher. Seeing such insights in one as young as you are surprisingly refreshing."

Part of me was very attracted to this older but good looking woman and her dark occupation did little to distract me form this attraction, but as much as I tried to ignore it I felt also a little envy of not being able to wear a dress like that, or those sexy gloves. I was at a point where I even considered psycho surgery, despite the warning of my friend the doctor.

There were several couples dancing. It was the first time I actually seen dancing like this outside a Virtu adventure, no one on Nilfeheim danced like this. Except the Dance of Axes at the great meeting, but that was something completely different. I also saw her face as she watched them and I could see her longing.

I said." I am sorry that I am not more of an adult and an appropriate companion. I would then ask you to dance but I don't know how."

Her green eyes were perhaps the most beautiful feature of hers, they sparkled like only the eyes of a woman could and her red lips parted to a sad smile. "You are very appropriate, Eric. I am greatly enjoying your company. You are tall and very handsome. I would love to dance with you."

The restaurants host who had just approached our table to see if we needed something else said." Please let me apologize for hearing your last words, but I am a Pelogian." He touched his large ears." We do offer Cerebral Upload and it takes only ten minutes and you should be able to ball room dance."

"I am glad you listened in," I said to the semi human being with the coppery fur and the large pointed ears." I would like to take you up on that offer."

So I went over to the Upload couch and twelve minutes later I asked Dawn for a dance. At first it I had to follow the instructions in my head and concentrate, but after a little it became repetitious and easy.

Holding a woman was something wonderful. I could feel her warm body under the thin fabric, smell her perfume and see joy she felt in her face. I felt very much like a man at that point and enjoyed the moment but even now I was also jealous of her and the other women. As much as I felt confidence and certain that I was a man attracted to women, as much I felt confused and angry about my own strange desires.

It was late when we returned to the suite and after the door closed she said."Thank you for a most memorable and lovely evening." then she stepped forward snaked her arms around me and after a moment simply looking in my eyes she kissed me. It was not the way Elena or Sif had kissed me before. It was completely different. I could feel her tongue inside my mouth and I somehow did the same and knew exactly what to do. It was like nothing I had ever done or felt before.

Finally she released me, looked a little embarrassed and whispered." Thank you."

Then she rushed into her rooms.

I could not go to sleep now. I was excited in a strange new way. Somehow reminded me of the way I felt when Sif was sitting on my lap.

I wished I could talk to someone about it.

I decided to take a cold bath and submerge myself, and clear my head. The suite had a private little pool and I spend a good hour under water but it didn't help. Freya wanted to get out, more than ever.

So I stepped into the auto dresser and dialed up the female selection and became Freya once again. The machine added length to my hair, removed the spotty beard whiskers and expertly applied make up, with the right padded foundation and finally a nice evening dress with long gloves. After the transformation was complete I once more felt as if I had moved out of a shack and into a palace.

Completely made up like I was, I sat on the bed in the darkened room and looked out the big view port and the wild atmosphere. I watched a flock of those strange local life forms dancing in the storm, but I was thinking about myself and my future. I was so sure what I wanted to do, joining the Union Fleet that had not changed only increased after my experience aboard the American Dream. I had a male body and I was more than attracted to Dawn. I loved holding her while we danced and when we kissed it was exciting in a way I never thought possible. Yet I felt incomplete, somehow trapped and only when I shed this outer expression of my gender and appeared female, felt free and right. As much as I trusted Dr. Dwyer I decided to get a second opinion. I needed to come to some decision and find an answer. Why was it so easy for Uncle Hogun to be a man, why did father, the Ancient and Egill have no problem? Elena, Sif and Astrid had no desire to be male and yet I could not find an answer.

Suddenly I knew I was no longer alone. I turned and saw Dawn standing by the door. Wearing only a skimpy negligee she walked over, as she noticed me seeing her and sat next to me on the bed. Her voice was barely audible as she said." I didn't want to be alone tonight."

It was not dark enough in the room that she could not see how I looked and yet she didn't say a word about it instead she moved close to me and then she nested her head next to mine. Her hands caressed over my body." You do look very lovely. Tomorrow we will go our separate ways and it is likely that we will never meet again, but tonight let us be together."

INTERLUDE 12: KRABBEL

GalNet Entry: Archa

>>> On the outmost reach of Union influence past the Klack Empire in the Perseus Arm is the sphere 18,000 light years past the Upward - Coreward divide, was the region of the Archa. A small spacefaring nation spread over twelve star systems. The Archa joined the Union only recently. Even though being a very small power on galactic scale and having reached a Tech level of seven all on their own, the immensely powerful and reelentless Klack feared the Archa tremendously.

A fact that surprised many, as the were Klack generally known as a species having very limited emotions and no one suspected fear to be among them.

It was the Klack speaking about an unimaginable evil lurking in a region just galactic south of them. The queen herself warning Union survey ships to go near that region and spoke of eight legged night mare monsters roaming that section of space known in Klack legends as K'Nnktyensh (Darkness of Certain Death). This of course had the opposite effect on the Terran explorer captain. The USE David Kirk under Captain E. White shortly thereafter an on the 2nd of June 4991 made first contact with an Arachnid sentient species that very much resembled Terran Tarantula spiders, except that Archa could grow up to seven meters from leg to leg. While the Archa shared similarities with many spider like life forms, especially those found on Earth they were not related or any shared DNA similarities. The Archa were a distinctly different species.

The Archa Spiders became Union in 4995 members and while many Klack still get panic attacks and feelings of sheer terror just seeing an Archa, intellectually they too accepted the Archa as members. (The historic meeting of the Klack Queen and the Sac Mother of Archa was transmitted on all GalNet Channels and caused much less panic and deaths than anticipated on Klack Worlds as anticipated and only and that was seen as a good sign. Still Union hospitals were overwhelmed for month.

Archa developed hand like manipulators on all their legs, can are able to digest solid food in small morsels, but still prefer nutrition in liquid form. They have an Endo- and Exo-skeleton and an adult Archa can produce over 400 different types of spider silks at will. Many types of woven spider silks are marketed with great commercial success and the Archa Silk is considered the most expensive fabric exceeding even Saresii Silk qualities. A Yard of grade A Archa Silk can easily fetch between 12 and 14,000 credits on Union markets.<<<

Krabbel was more than a little nervous. The shuttle with the Exchange student from Guayas was about to arrive. Since the Archa had been admitted to the Union only about four standard years ago, so much had changed. Krabbel was still young and was to be the one of the first Archa finishing Union School. The main space port was no longer on the planet itself but had been constructed on the bigger of the two moons around Archa.

Archa was heavily forested with Authh- Trees and it took Authh trees many thousand years to grow and it was never considered a good idea to cut down trees as they provided housing and prey, not to mention recreation. Previously the Archa had their very little space port and ship yard on the bottom of the largest Ocean. It was more than adequate for the fifty ships the Archa had prior to membership. While Union ships had no problem reaching the underwater space port, those immensely large ships caused huge tidal waves. The new Archa Port was now on one of the rocky moons and connected to the planet via shuttles. The shuttle platforms were mounted on tall towers above the trees.

The Sac Mother and the other elected officials of the Archa government had put much effort in opening Archa to tourism and advertised on GalNet great holiday packages. Complete with free visits to the prey gardens and as much Trexi and Nuflug killing as desired, yet only very few tourists had shown up. But then the Union was such a huge collection of civilizations and offered a mind blowing variety of recreation and vacation spots it was no wonder the tourism traffic had not been more active. Also Archa was very far from Pluribus and the Union Center. The Klack were close neighbors but ever since that little misunderstanding a few millennia ago, where an Archa expedition reached a Klack world and thought it was a world full of wingless Nuflug bugs and went happily for dinner only to realize later they ate sentient Klack. It didn't help either that the Archa looked exactly like the personified death demons of Klack ancient lore. Wile the Klack Queen was very brave and invited the Sac Mother to Klacktic Planet to show her subjects that there was nothing to fear of their new Union partners, but the queen passed out three times and the Klack Honor guard fled in panic at the first two tries. So they realistically did not expect many Klack tourists right away.

Most, if not all Archa approved of the membership, especially since every Archa basically had a money machine built into the abdomen. Archa silk and textile products proved to be an enormous commercial success. His parents who owned a silk waving company went from being of the poorest to becoming very wealthy. A few month ago it was decided by his Ult Union teacher and his parents that, he Krabbel would partake in a Student exchange program.

Krabbel like most Archa loved high places and a great view. He watched a dozen juveniles jumping over the edge shooting trailing silk and most likely swinging to the tree tops below. These shuttle towers were immensely popular and for a few moments he contemplated if he had time enough for a jump dive himself, but a high pitched alarm sounded and bright flashing force field fences established themselves around the platforms center, announcing the approach of a shuttle.

Krabbel knew the Exchange student was about his age and he was human. Of course he had seen humans in Virtus and product buyers but none so far close up and for real.

The shuttle landed silently using its Arti Grav. Krabbel had been warned by his teacher that the human student might react strongly seeing a huge spider. He was told that arachnoid life forms existed quite frequently on many Garden worlds including Earth and often considered to be monsters and were labeled disgusting.

He promised to keep calm but he was not sure if he liked to be considered disgusting.

The shuttle door opened and a massive looking human appeared. For Krabbel it was not that easy to differentiate them or if it was male or female. He hoped he would not insult the human either.

However the human strode right towards him and said with a loud and friendly tone. "Are you Krabbel? I am Mao Mao from Guayas."

"Yes I am Krabbel. I am here to take you to our home and show you around."

Krabbel scurried to the edge of the platform to lower himself, but then he remembered that humans had no silk producing organ and relied on elevators and other contraptions to negotiate vertical obstacles, but Mao went right to the edge of the 600 meter tall tower and looked down. "I guess the first step is the big one. I did not bring a flight belt or parachute, but I guess I could use one of those many silk lines hanging all about."

Krabbel felt embarrassed." I am sorry Mao. The tower has an elevator. We just never use it to go down. Please follow me."

"No need to feel sorry. I should have been better prepared I guess." He laughed." I am sure glad I am not too much afraid of heights."

Krabbel went with the human to the elevators and asked completely surprised."Someone can be afraid of heights?"

Mao stepped into the elevator and said. "Yes there are humans and other beings I guess that do not feel very comfortable high up and there are those who are very much afraid of it. It's called Acrophobia and I think it can be treated with Psycho Surgery I am sure. However most humans with a fear of heights simply stay away from ledges and such and are fine."

"I guess there are lots of things I have to learn about humans and other beings. Do you find me disgusting?"

Mao looked surprised. "No I don't, should I? Is this something you want me to feel or so?"

Krabbel moved his left leg with the no gesture. "My teacher warned me and said I should be prepared that the human student might find me disgusting."

Mao moved the parts where his arms were attached to his body upwards. "I guess there could be humans who might think so but there are equally as many I think who find spiders extremely beautiful then. I don't think there is a generalized human taste or perception on anything. What one guy finds pretty, the next one finds ugly."

The Elevator had reached the bottom and Mao added. "I am in the middle of that until a month ago, I didn't think about spiders one way or the other and we have a few big types on my world, well hand sized and small compared to you."

They both left the tower lobby and went outside. Mao looked around and saw that the buildings and structures of the Archa City was built around and between the huge trees, Attached with cables and wires to the trees. Most of the buildings reminded him of insect cocoons in their organic round shape. Some looked thin and tall and there were sphere and bean shaped buildings between the trees on the ground. There were traditional windows, advertisement signs and light flyer traffic. The forest floor was not paved but a bed out of brownish leaves. He did see a group of Archa workers collect branches and fallen tree limbs and spread fallen leaves to even path ways.