Heathen's logs

Fire.


Everywhere was dark, broken by lights flashing, voices screaming orders. The feeling of the icy fingers wrapping him up, the valkyries holding on to me to take me to the great halls.


Images, memories of before. Was it this time? I don’t know, but it’s hurting. Fire again, swinging it’s fire sword at the valkyries. What is this?


Her face, fighting for breath through the blood welling up in her throat. Why? Why was she first?


Ice again, please just take me to Valhalla, I don’t want this anymore. More screaming, what are they saying?


More images, an explosion, blood and pain, feeling like I’m floating. The fire comes back, I can hear them now. The kid, the kid’s pleading, thought the poor bastard hated me.


No, I can’t go now, too much unfinished, this isn’t glorious. It’s pathetic, fight Jesper, you pathetic maggot. You’ve fought harder than this pushing a shit out.


Pain again, the right memories flood through, damn bitches shot me after I won.


Light breaks through. Come on, only a little more.


Heathens eyes opened, letting the light flood into him, he gasped for air. Taking in his surroundings he realised he was in the medical faculty in Leopold. He turned to see the worried face of Muninn, his dark, lank hair falling across his face, obviously not been washed since the fight as there was still blood. The kids face softened, realising his boss was awake.






“How did we get here? Where’s the armour? Huginn? Were you shot?!?!” Heathen frantically sat up, only to be met by a wall of pain as his stitches pulled, the bullet through the back, fuckers.


“Woah Boss, stay easy, you nearly died twice on that table, don’t need to hop straight to battle.” The teenager placed a hand on Heathens chest, gently pushing him down to the bed. “Besides, I don’t speak whatever you speak. I don’t know what you just said.”


Heathen looked in disbelief at the kid, how did he manage to get them out of that shit? He coughed before saying anything, concentrating on trying to remember his learned second language. “I’m sorry, um, how am I here?”


Muninn sat down, looking drained. “I dragged you into the fighter and flew us out, how else? I mean, I had to make some quick adjustments because the jump range was not working and it did my best to patch you up, but you needed help.”


Heathen lifted up his shirt to reveal a red and purple patch neatly surrounding a line of staples. Another tattoo ruined. “Sorry kid, forgot where I was.”


Muninn sat back, looking pissed off. “Why do you call me kid? You’re only 8 years older than me, yet you treat me as if I’m a baby.”


Heathen looked at the look on the teenagers face, weighing up his next response, deciding for diplomacy. “I call you boy and kid cause Muninn in my language means mind, but is also the name of one of the crows that are the All Father’s spies on the battlefield. I felt like you haven’t earned that right, just as I haven’t earned my name and use the titles others give me.”


The kid look daunted by this, almost a little insulted. “However, your resourcefulness in previous situations has… enlightened me. In my room is a pot of ink, a needle, and a lighter. Be a good lad and fetch them for me? I want to give you something.”


Muninn looked puzzled but went off all the same. Heathen sat there thinking of something appropriate to give the growing man, his thoughts only broken by the nurse coming up to him to give him his pain killers.


“That young man stayed with you for 9 hours after you left surgery. I think he was crying for most of it, think he felt almost responsible for you getting hurt.”


The pretty woman said as she injected the drugs into his arms. “But all you need to know, is never give up, not on the boy, the mark and the mission, when you’re done, wait for Pandora.”


“What did you say?” Heathen looked back at the woman after a moment’s thought. However, she was already gone and Heathen couldn’t follow. Muninn back came into the room a few minutes later carrying the requested items.


“Ah, good, the stuff. Now give me your arm.” Heathen ordered. The teenager had a sudden look of shock as he realized what was about to transpire. “Oh get off, it’s a needle, don’t need to be scared.”


Grabbing Muninn’s thin wrist, Heathen started his work. He ignited the lighter and slowly dragged the needle through the flame to sterilize it. He then dipped the red-hot point into the pot of ink, instantly cooling it and allowing the needle to absorb the dark coloured liquid. Muninn flinched as Heathen then started to poke the inked needle into his skin.


“These runes are precious to our people, a blessing. For an outsider to have a marking that blesses, rather than curse, is a high honour. You’ve earned this honour.” Heathen paused as he worked the ink into the skin. “This day, I pray to the Aesir, the tribe of gods who are gods of men and war, to allow this young one to not be troubled by their blessing. For, I do not wish for his life to centred ‘round this.


Instead I ask the rival tribe, the Vanir of Vanaheim, the tribe of magic and peace, the ones we ask for blessings of luck and wealth, to look upon this one with favour. So I give you, The Mind Of Odin, the rune of hope and happiness.”


Muninn slowly pulled his arm away in awe. He inspected the lines on his skin, still raw and wet. “Thank you, Jester.” He went in for an embrace, Heathen smiled and placed his hand on the young man’s forehead.


“One, don’t touch the man who’s just about alive.” Pushing Muninn back his face straightened out. “Two, I’m still your boss, now fuck off, go see your damn family, we’ve been gone months. Think of ya poor Mam. She’d kill me if she knew you were here and I was preventing you from seeing her.”


Heathen watched as the smile spread across Muninn’s face, the first one since Clare dock. “Yes boss.” with that Muninn disappeared, rushing to the civilian quarter.


“Pandora...” Heathen mused.




* * * * *



Muninn rushed through the door, barely sliding shut behind him before he reached the kitchen. “Mum!!! Where are you?” Muninn started wandering the rooms, trying to find his missing family. Finally arriving in his brother’s bedroom.


Jacob was unpacking his uniform. It’s been that long?! “Since when did you finish ‘basic Jake?” His brother looked behind him and smiled. He stood straight, towering over Muninn and pulled him into an embrace, squeezing tight as his warmth radiated into Muninn.


“Not everyone can by-pass training and go straight to working for the 9th. I passed last week, tell you what, they don’t fuck around in Facece. Glad to have some down time before I head out to join the crew of the Cap ship. Took a while to get here in a Cutter coming this way.” He looked about, realising what Muninn wanted. “If you want Mum and Dad, they’re up in the Hangar, trying to get rust buckets main console to work.”


“Thanks… It’s good to see you again.” Jacob seemed to pause, for the first time hearing the new tone in his brother’s voice.


“What happened?” But before he could get an answer, Muninn was already out the door, making his way to the elevators.


Hurrying along, Muninn walked into the box and entered the code for the Hangars way above him. As the elevator made it’s way, Muninn impatiently paced the cube, waiting for the doors to open to reveal the working floor of the Hangars.


Metal frames of all descriptions sparked and engineers stood around examining data consoles, analysing feedback data.


Muninn came to a stop, looking up at an old Python that sat in silence. Space dust still coated the matte-black hull. There were some panels that hung loose off of the frame, but most of the hull seemed to have replacement panels. How this thing flew before, no one knew. Looks better than it did before I left, yet it still looks like shit.


He ducked under the the nose of the beast and ran his hand along its belly. Be good for me, you demon.


Pulling a latch a platform lowered to meet the floor, which Muninn stepped on. Sliding his finger along the holo-keypad, he entered the authorisation code in order for the Python to engulf him into its belly.



As Muninn rose out of the floor, he noticed the mess of cables running everywhere and the missing wall panels exposing the inner workings of this beast. He walked down the main aisle of the ship, looking down each corridor in turn. Looking into the cockpit revealed his dad half under the main control panel swearing and flailing his legs around. His mum standing there passing tools to the set of legs. And Ollie, plugged into the router set behind the pilot seats.


Ollie looked up and smiled at Muninn. “Hey I heard you and Heathen were back, look what they gave me.” Holding his jacket up to reveal the brand new flight leaders epilette. “When Heathen was promoted they decided to push me up.”


Muninn smiled and chuckled. “You? How many times have you had to pay off insurance companies because you couldn’t just stay in formation and hit the enemy with the formation?”


Ollie made a play at looking hurt, but couldn’t keep the face up for long. “I’m just helping your parents start this up and upload B.E.C.K.A and R.O.V.Er.”


Muninn frowned, looking unpleasantly surprised. “Right I get B.E.C.K.A because of calculating long term routes, but fucking R.O.V.Er? Last I heard that was highly experimental and last time you used it, you nearly drove a test Sidewinder into a mountain side.”


Ollie looked at me and smiled. “So?”


Looking awe struck he walked up to the panels and started to adjust the collaborations. “Soooo. If it did that to a small, dainty spacecraft, just imagine this hulking beast?”


Ollie looked at the tablet, accessing the code. “Fine, I allow the pilot to override the system in case of emergencies.”


Muninn’s father slid out from under the panel looking up at his son, excitement in his eyes catching fire. “She’s ready. Go on, power her up, she’s yours.”


Muninn looked up at his dad and smiled and reached over, bringing the beast to life Muninn felt the thrusters scream through his fingers.


“What’re you going to call her son?” Muninn looked over to his dad and then over his shoulder to his mum. Jacob was standing in the doorway, holding up the frame. It’s been so long since the family was whole. Looking down at his arm at the new tattoo, thinking for a moment.


Eyes bright and full of hope, Muninn


“I’ll call it, Skjöldr.”