Viking Raids & Blue Booty 2

“Are all ships reporting in?” I asked as I reclined on my Command Chair on the bridge of my flagship, Sleipnir. It was time for us to head to the Centauri System, and I had a lot of plans.

“All ships reporting in, Captain,” the main pilot reported after a moment.

Nodding, I gave the order, “Engage the Bifrost Drive.”

The Bifrost Drive, the culmination of five years of research and development on my part. I’d had the theory behind it figured out a long time ago, it was a version of the sort of space folding FTL drives I’d seen in sci fi for years before being yeeted to this reality. It used a mix of magnetic and gravitational fields to pull the fabric of spacetime to shorten the distances between the drive and the space in front of it.

The issue I’d been running into for years was rather simple: even the most efficient versions of the damn thing I’d been able to build were gods damned gluttons for power. The Sleipnir had four antimatter reactors powering it, and even with that the ship would be dead in space before it reached the halfway point to the Centauri System.

Which was why I’d pressed the UN on getting unobtanium for the fleet in order to accept their offer to leave. I and the major captains under me had been in talks about going to the Centauri System anyway, and the biggest hurdle had been getting information on where the RDA and UN were keeping their stockpiles of the special gray rock. But with the UN’s offer, well, plans were altered in light of changing circumstances.

Gazing through the viewscreen as the drive engaged, a small smile found its way onto my face. We were heading out, and no one was going to stop us. Josephine was passed out on my bed from our activities this morning, and she had missed her opportunity to return to the UN. Such a shame. Oh well, their loss was my gain.

In a flash, the stars vanished. We were now traveling through the spatial distortion tunnel, which would last the trip to the Centauri System. Once there, we would begin the long, arduous process of mining some asteroids for additional resources as construction on an orbital station around Pandora. The whole trip would take several months, but it was better than the six year voyage the RDA was limited to.

Sending a message to the various captains, informing them that we had entered the tunnel and were underway, I decided that it was time to check up on some of the crew. First up would be the medical staff, the head of which was also part of my fleet’s R&D division. The man was undeniably brilliant, but on more than one occasion he had also made me feel like he wanted to cut me open and have a look at my insides.

The man himself was currently doing inventory on the medbay, his assistant helping him while he was working. The former was in his late forties to early fifties, just over six feet, with black hair that was just starting to turn grey and had a pair of glasses on his nose as he read through an inventory list, while the latter was a much younger woman with her blonde hair tied up in a mix of bun and ponytail.

“So, Doctor, how goes the work?” I asked, startling the doctor and his assistant, both of whom turned to face me.

“It goes well, Captain,” the doctor said, smiling slightly, his German accent shining through.

Nodding, I continued, “I want the two of you to work on a genemod that will allow our people to breathe the air on Pandora, at least for a time. Ideally I’d like it finished before we arrive in the Centauri System, but you’ll have until six months after our arrival in the system.”

The doctor scoffed, “Please, I can have that done before the trip is half over. The only question is if the nanites will be able to handle the genetic modification. If not, I may need a sample of the native biology so that I can use the genemods already created to replicate the necessary proteins and what not. You wouldn't happen to have such a sample, would you?”

“No, but you have the tools needed to grow samples along with all of the data on the Avatar Program that the RDA so generously ‘donated’ to us,” I shot back with an amused grin, one that was returned by the doctor.

“Excellent, come, Assistant! It is time to practice medicine,” the doctor said, the last two words having a rather sinister note to them.

I took the opportunity to leave. I knew he’d have the genemods finished, but that didn’t mean I wanted to stay when he gave off that kind of air.

[hr][/hr]

The trip to the Centauri System went as expected. No major disasters occurred, and as the doctor had declared the genemods were finished within the first three months, and from what he reported if all went as he expected the recipients would be able to breathe the Pandoran atmosphere so long as they sweated at least half a liter a day to expel the elements that the human body couldn't breathe. All the crews were bored and looking for a chance to stretch their legs. But, given all of the reports on how the RDA had been kicked off Pandora, I didn't want to have the entire ecosystem turned on us.

So for the time being, I kept the crews focused on the plans. There would be time in the near future to walk on solid ground and breathe non-recycled air, but first there was work to be done to lay the groundwork. Asteroid mining was something we’d done in Sol, and were old hands at it.

The construction of the orbital station on the other hand was something that we didn’t have as much experience with, but it progressed more or less on pace. As the station, unanimously agreed to be named Asgard, neared completion, I composed a message to send to any humans that might still be living on Pandora.

“To whomever is in charge of Hell’s Gate, I am Captain Sigurd Thogersen, head of the Children of Midgard. In one month, Earth time, I will be coming to Hell’s Gate. I wish to speak to the leaders of the humans that have lived on Pandora as well as Jake Sully and whomever leads the local Na’vi tribe.”

With the message sent, I returned my focus on current matters. So many things required my attention, and the last thing I wanted was to miss anything. I knew the RDA wouldn’t give up their control over Pandora without a fight, but I had no doubt we could win. After all, despite the sheer wealth of the RDA, not only were they obsessively focused on Pandora and ignoring the available material resources throughout the rest of the system, but in the Centauri System they were isolated from the majority of their wealth.

Asgard was completed a few days later, and my people immediately moved to start expanding the facilities to eventually include a shipyard. If we were going to make the Centauri System our home, we’d need a lot more ships to transport people and goods back and forth. And while the RDA and UN had 'given' us some ships over the years we'd been active prior to coming here, we needed more, much more.

[hr][/hr]

“Jake! Jake!” the voice of Norm called out, making Jake Sully turn from where he was with Neytiri to where his friend’s avatar was approaching the hometree.

“Norm, what’s wrong?” Jake asked. Even ignoring the worry that was in the other man’s voice, his body language and the way he was running was enough to make it obvious that there was something going on.

Slowing to a stop, Norm looked at the couple with wild eyes. Taking a few deep breaths, he finally spoke, “You need to come to Hell's Gate. Some Earth ship is coming. It's apparently going to get here in a month and the leader, a guy named Sigurd, wants to talk. He specifically wants to meet with you. What should we do?”

A grimace crossed Jake's face as he considered the implications. The RDA were on their way back, something that he’d been dreading for fifteen years. But there was something that bothered him about what Norm said.

“Why would the RDA announce their arrival a month ahead of time?” Jack mused aloud, causing Norm to pause.

“Um, he didn’t say that he was with the RDA, he said that he was part of a group called Midgard’s Children,” Norm said, causing Jack to look at him with a furrowed brow.

Jake and Norm spent the next hour discussing the situation, before Norm headed back to Hell's Gate. Jake then spent the rest of the night talking things over with Neytiri and Mo'at. Neither of them were in favor of talking with the newcomers, but Jake insisted.

“I don't trust this, but we need information. It could be that the RDA is just using some other name and attempting to trick us into letting them come back,” Jake explained to his wife and mother-in-law. “We don't have enough information, and it'll be a while before we can get it.”

Mo'at scowled but nodded in agreement. They did not have enough information to act on, and waiting to gather it would be the wise decision. She would have to make preparations, as would the other tribal elders. This new threat could not be ignored.

A month passed, and Jack and Neytiri were at Hell’s Gate. Neither were particularly happy about the Sky People arriving, but the opportunity to gain information was too valuable to pass up. Jake nodded to Norm and Max, while keeping an eye on the multiple Sky People of Hell’s Gate.

Greetings were exchanged, but talk was short. The Sky People that had sent the message had already arrived, the red haired man with fur trimmed clothes approaching the two Na’vi.

“Jake Sully and Neytiri, I presume?” the man asked, a smile on his face. “Your reputation precedes you. I am Captain Sigurd Thogersen, leader and founder of Midgard’s Children.”

“Why are you here?” Jake asked without fanfare.

“Straight to business, then,” he noted with approval in his voice. “A few key reasons, but first let me get something out of the way.”

Without hesitation, the man immediately took off his mask, to the shock of everyone present. Their shock only increased when he took in a deep breath and didn’t collapse.

“The head of my medical division is a bit of a mad genius, and was able to develop a genemod that allows our people to survive the Pandoran atmosphere. We do not intend to destroy your world, and are merely taking the opportunity that was offered to us by the United Nations. But we have no intention of returning to Earth, and the RDA is no longer welcome here. That is, unless you are willing to negotiate with them.”

“Why should we believe you?” Jake demanded, his voice harsh.

[hr][/hr]

All things considered, I think the negotiations went quite well. Not perfectly, but then I was dealing with a people that made even the average jihadist look open and considerate for those not of their group. Still, I had a way forward, and I intended to follow through with it.

I would have liked to have had more time, but the RDA was on the way, and I wanted to ensure that we had an established settlement on Pandora's soil before they got here.

The Na'vi had been very reluctant to accept the offer I had presented, but I had convinced them that the best way to stop the RDA was to have a rival group of humans, and the best way to do that was to establish a settlement on the surface of Pandora. It would take years, but given the resources on the planet it would be worth it.

I smiled as I watched the shuttles begin to ferry people from Asgard to the surface. The first stage would be getting an industrial base set up so that we could get started on building actual houses.

Separate from the Na’vi, many people from Hell’s Gate had expressed interest in the genemods that allowed us to breathe Pandoran air. I allowed Josephine to lead negotiations in that matter for me, and as a result we had quite a few interested people. The genemods wouldn’t be cheap, and most of the things that Hell's Gate had to offer were tools and raw materials, so a work based payment was arranged: any who wanted the genemod would work for us for a month during the initial construction of our own settlement, and the genemod would be part of their initial work payment.

I couldn't help but feel that this was a good start. But it was the beginning, and it would take a lot of work to build up what I wanted.

I looked over at the heavily pregnant Josephine, who was currently sitting on my bed reading a report, and smiled. I was a lucky man. At the moment, I was also a very horny man.

Josephine looked up, sensing my stare. She met my eyes, her own dark and smoldering, and gave me a small smile. She put the datapad aside, and spread her legs invitingly. I was across the room and on her in an instant, my lips pressing against hers and my tongue plundering her mouth. Her hands wrapped around my neck and pressed me closer. My own hands slid under her shirt, finding the soft mounds of her breasts and playing with them.

Josephine moaned, her breath becoming shorter and more ragged. Breaking the kiss, she whispered into my ear, “Please, more, I need more.”

Her words caused a thrill of arousal and lust to shoot through me. Removing my hands from her shirt, I quickly ripped it off of her, followed by her pants. Once she was completely nude, I stopped, pausing to appreciate her beauty. She was beautiful, with long black hair, dark brown eyes, and caramel colored skin, her large, milk filled breasts, stomach swollen with my child, and shapely legs and thighs, all combined to create a body that was a feast for the eyes.

“Are you going to stand there and stare, or are you going to ravish me?” she asked with a sultry smirk.

“Both,” I answered with a smile.