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  I had a sudden thought. With the Bifrost now functional, we could at least reunite the Folkvangr Ragnarok with the Earth and Outcast Ragnarok in the Earth system, Sol. I'll have to share this thought with father when I return.

  All too soon, I could hear Kate calling in my head, “It is almost time for the Ragnarok transmission, love.” I grinned and assured her I would be there. We would finally get some answers. I stood and Thor and Loki stood with mother.

  I looked to Thor and reached up and ruffled his hair. “I was hoping to meet your mate, baby brother, face to face, but Kat calls me back to Valhalla. How is my new sister, the second Valkyrie of Earth?”

  I smiled at him. The first human to develop Valkyrie Sight on Earth, Sif Kane, had volunteered to become Valkyrie almost sixty years hence. She was titled Sif, the Gathering Tempest. Her fiery temper and razor sharp wit had endeared her to Thor. Less than a cycle... I mean year later, they were bonded. Technically Kate was the first human to have Valkyrie sight, making her Earth's first Valkyrie, but that was brought upon by my nanites not by natural evolution as Sif's. Where Earth’s Valkyrie had numbered, but three, they now stood four strong.

  I smiled at the fact that so many humans were giving their children Asgard names ever since Saellifor was constructed on Earth for humans and Asgard to live in cooperation.

  He blushed at my insistence of calling him baby brother; he often tells me it does not befit the ruler of Saellifor. He typed something at the console on our way out of Mother's quarters. I still see him as a baby that Mother brought into the world, not as Thor, Hammer of Asgard. Then he said, “I sent word for Sif to meet us at Bifrost control.”

  I nodded at him with a smile.

  Word had somehow spread throughout the citadel of Saellifor that I, Kara the Wild One, had made this historic transit, stepping through the quantum tunnel, the Bifrost. It seems that words travel just as quickly here as in Valhalla. Humans, Asgard, and even a couple Ragnarok were gathered in the corridors of the central spire to cheer at me as we made our way to the Bifrost control room. It was odd to think that all human or Ragnarok citizens of Saellifor were now given Asgard nanites if they desired.

  I hate being in the spotlight, it is not my place, I belong on the battlefield, defending the weak. I still felt a small amount of pride as we walked. I chastised myself for my hubris as we stepped out of the chaos of celebration and into the relative quiet of the Bifrost control room.

  I had to shield my eyes, beside a couple technicians, in gleaming Valkyrie armor with the crest of Saellifor on it instead of Valhalla's, was Sif, the Gathering Tempest. Her brilliant blue aura was almost as bright as Kate or Arina's. There was a cloak of dark swirling red trailing behind her aura like it was preparing to strike. I smiled, the title Mother bestowed upon her was fitting.

  She straightened up when she saw us enter the room. She shielded her eyes with one hand as she struck her chest plate with the other in the salute to heroes. She blurted, “Geiravor, Spear of Asgard... First Valkyrie of Valhalla, Kara, the Wild One!”

  I stepped directly up to her and clasped her forearm and said softly, “Please do not do that. Well met sister! It truly is a pleasure to finally meet the woman who has tamed my baby brother. And Odin's beard woman... call me Kara.”

  I blushed as she pulled me into a tight hug, I had to remind myself she was human like Kat. These types of public displays of affection were to be expected and they didn't mean what they mean to us Asgard, an intimate expression. I just stood stiffly. She released me and stepped back and shook her head, her eyes sparkling with a mix of intelligence and mischief, “Kroth, you Asgard and your weird touching rules.” She gave a lopsided grin and placed the back of her hand on my cheek and said, “There, is that better? Well met Kara, you can call me Sif, sister.” I snorted, I liked my new sister, she was playful and had a wicked sense of humor. Thor chose well.

  She shot a wink at me then greeted mother and Thor. I looked at her and said, “I look forward to meeting you on a future visit Sif, but duty calls. I am needed in Valhalla.”

  She nodded and I laid the back of my hand on each of their cheeks in turn. Then I took a deep breath and turned toward the Bifrost. I could see Kat and Inatra waiting. I chuckled inwardly, Inatra most likely came as soon as she heard what her bondmate Arina had done earlier.

  Based on their absence in the room, I figured that Odin and Arina must already be in father's workshop, preparing for the transmission. I looked back at everyone then stepped through the Bifrost.

  A couple seconds later I stumbled back into Valhalla, Kate steadied me. I turned back to take a last look through the gateway when mother stepped through unexpectedly, stumbling, just to be steadied by Inatra. My Ragnarok sister hissed like a cat at her in anger and then chastised, “Mother! What were you thinking? Why did you attempt that?! I expect this sort of recklessness from Kara but not you!”

  Mother straightened up and we watched her nanites heal her cold compression burns. She smiled like an Earth loon and said, “Why indeed? Well, so I could do this of course.” She pulled Inatra and Kat into a human style group hug. They hugged back enthusiastically. Being Human and Ragnarok, they had no qualms about returning her affection that way. I still blushed in embarrassment for them all.

  Then she grinned as only Mother could. “Well met daughters. Now, where are my grandchildren? The Tree of Ages knows that Thor and Sif are slow about providing me some on Earth. Do not inform Odin of this, I wish to surprise him after you finish your business in his workshop. Maybe I can see Freya on this visit. I hear Heildfine is a remarkable sight.”

  She shooed the scientists that were running diagnostic paddles over her and me. Inatra concentrated for a second, locating the girls, then she said, “The Three Embers are in Brunie's quarters visiting with Talia.”

  Mother smiled then spoke toward the Bifrost to Thor, “I shall return on the morrow son. Wipe the concern from your face. If Kara the Wild One can survive the transit then so too can Geiravor, Spear of Asgard. I am Valkyrie.” Sif was nodding in staunch agreement. Thor was just shaking his head. I heard him murmuring one of father's favorite lines, “The women of this family will be the death of me.”

  Mother bid us farewell then went in search of her granddaughters. I felt sorry for Talia. Now that she was bonded to Brunie, she would have to suffer the affections of Mother, now that she could get her hands on her. I snorted at my thoughts. Kat was smiling too, I'm sure she was feeling my amusement through our link. She suddenly looked at her wrist console then snorted as well and said, “Our nanites are thinking the same thing Kara.” Then she took my hand and we made our way to father's workshop.

  Chapter 2 – Arrival

  Once we arrived at Odin's workshop, the atmosphere was thick with anticipation of the impending Ragnarok transmission that was just a few kalts... minutes, away. Each day, the repeated transmission came in clearer and more data packets have been recovered the closer the ship got to Folkvangr.

  It was shocking, this message from a long dead captain of the vessel. How many generations has this message been playing? Were there even any surviving Ragnarok on the ship?

  I greeted everyone in the room. Father, Arina, Aunt Freya, Inshak the current Ragnarok commander on Folkvangr, and Latalia as the Vanger representative. Kat would be the human representative present when the ship arrives. For the two new races of artificial intelligence that have attained sentience, my nanites would represent the Verr, and Pegasus would represent the Sky.

  When we were able to finally communicate with our nanites, Odin had asked them how they would like to be addressed. They responded on my wrist console in Old Asgard, Verr, or Protectors.

  Arina's valiant wind rider, Pegasus, was communicating in the same manner now, she and the three other wind riders based on Pegasus' computer core, that Loki and Arina were able to construct were found to be sentient as well. All other attempts have failed. Pegasus sees the other three as her children. The Sky, as they like to be called, e
ach chose one of the Three Embers to adopt. Winger, Swooper, and Looper. The Sky had a more childlike intelligence when compared to the Verr, but they were sentient.

  So with them, six of the nine known races in the galaxy would be represented when the damaged Ragnarok vessel arrives. Ten, I reminded myself as I thought of this new Frost Giant race contained in the message. The people of the other three planets we transition to are still too primitive, almost at a Neanderthal level of evolution. Still a transition or two away from civilized societies.

  We all turned to the holo-console as the audio only message started again, with new data packets being detected and displayed below the readouts. I have heard this message thousands of times now, but this time it sounded ominous as the actual vessel transmitting it will arrive on its heels.

  I thought momentarily of Kenatar, of the Folkvangr Ragnarok that were heading toward the Sol system to join the Outcasts. When she had detected a signal from the vessel, she turned her ship to intercept. But her years long journey would be too late. She would hit zero intercept approximately forty eight hours after the damaged ship reached orbit. How old would she be now? Around one hundred and twelve? Middle aged for a Ragnarok. I had nothing but respect for her. She had great honor.

  The most disturbing thing about this was the ship in front of Kena, that has been shadowing the damaged vessel over the years. Kena has sent what little readings she could send us at her extreme distance from it. It massed at least ten times that of a Ragnarok generational ship and was at least five times its size.

  It seemed to be shielded from detection, she had done all her observations by gravitational distortions against the star field. But it seems to have a weak point somewhere on it as she has recently been able to detect energy leakage from a point on its dampening field. A weakness discussed in the repeating transmission. That vessel would arrive thirty hours after the incoming Ragnarok ship.

  I knocked myself out of my thoughts as the transmission began.

  * * *

  This is a broadcast to all Ragnarok deployed form the homeworld. This is commander Hactar of the generational ship Shamir. On cycle 300,210 Post Asgard Contact. A large ship entered orbit around Ragnarok. We could not scan the vessel. A large humanoid being contacted our leaders. He identified himself as Ymir of the Frost Giants. They were in search of their experiment that had escaped containment. The Asgard race.

  We refused to communicate with them and threatened to take their vessel out of the sky if they did not leave our space immediately. When our deadline expired, all of the defensive armaments of the planet opened fire on the vessel to no effect. Their technology is beyond even that of the Asgard.

  Their ship took out all of our orbiting and ground defense stations. Then Ymir himself landed in our capital city of New Ishatak and said that he was to pass judgment on us and to sterilize the contamination that the Asgard had seeded in this universe that the Frost Giants of Jotunheim had created.

  Thousands of our bravest warriors met him in battle. The eight foot tall alien sent them to the ages as though they were naught. His fury was greater than all Valkyrie, I dare say even The Demon would fall against Ymir's might.

  Once he reached the center of New Ishatak, he placed a small device from his hip on the ground and then retreated back to his ship. It was like Thor's Hammer was released upon the Ragnarok again. All biological matter within three hundred grids was reduced to carbon dust. Leaving all inorganic matter intact.

  Other Frost Giants were doing the same all around the planet. We were only able to load four million Ragnarok into the nine hundred completed generational vessels and had them scatter in groups to the other worlds. Three billion Ragnarok were wiped out in The Culling.

  Ymir could only follow one group of escaping vessels. He chose ours, the contingent of one hundred and four vessels on course to Folkvangr. Even at seventy five percent of light speed, his vessel was still slightly faster than ours, he caught us in less than two generations. He again demanded to know where the Asgard were. Again we defied him.

  The Stand of the Seventy was glorious. As many personnel as our ships life support could sustain were transferred to thirty-four vessels as seventy ships commanded by my ancestor Haknir blockaded the Frost Giant ship as the others escaped. They were destroyed one at a time, then Haknir rammed their vessel at one third light speed. Their engines faltered.

  It took generations for the Frost Giants to overtake us again. Haknir's attack must have damaged them enough to slow them down.

  They didn't pause this time, there were no demands, they just opened fire on the remaining ships. Four were lost to the ages in minutes. The commander of the convoy, Kenrotar ordered us all to scatter. Most refused and died valiantly buying us time to escape. There seemed to be a crack in the armor of the Frost Giant vessel on it's starboard side engine pod. Kenrotar repeated Haknir's attack at that weak point and we could visibly see the engine's output drop.

  We were too damaged to stand against them and we pushed our engines well beyond their safety margins. We lost forty brave engineers to radiation in the engine rooms. We were able to attain point nine of light speed for a few days. Then we went dark and coasted on a ballistic course for months before bringing our systems back up.

  It took months to get readings back from surrounding space. There was no trace of any Ragnarok vessels. We prayed that maybe some had gone in the opposite direction from us, then we wouldn't detect them. But we did detect the gravitational distortion and energy bleed from the Frost Giant vessel from their damage. They turned to our heading immediately. But our calculations show that, by the grace of the War Gods, with their new diminished speed, we should reach Folkvangr orbit before them.

  Our long range communications are damaged beyond repair, we pray this message is received. All Ragnarok of Folkvangr, please abandon the planet and escape, rendezvous at point Gamma Four. Do not identify Gamma Four's location in any transmissions. The future of the Ragnarok race is in your hands. We must survive! My descendants who arrive at Folkvangr will make our last stand there, with the ground beneath their feet.

  * * *

  Then the room went silent as the familiar transmission ended. Father was looking at the new tactical information packets on the Frost Giant vessel that we were able to receive with the transmission this time.

  He sent our daily hail to the incoming vessel. He estimated they were within range of ship to planet short range communications now. But we did not expect a reply, the power levels on the ship were almost not detectable. It seemed all power had been diverted to their deceleration the past year. That did not bode well for their inertial dampening systems if they had to decrease their speed so slowly. It was most likely an automated system. We believed it to be nothing but a flying tomb from another time, coming into orbit.

  We went about categorizing and examining any new data packets we could. Inatra was deftly decoding any of the encrypted packets with her old Ragnarok commander's override key. This went on for over an hour and my mind started drifting.

  I thought about point Gamma Four. The Ragnarok homeworld's last known location of “The Demon," the “Valkyrie of Blood”... me. Demon is the cruel name they had given me hundreds of thousands of years hence to scare their children. My last known location for them was Earth. News of my survival and arrival in Folkvangr would have reached them well after the death of their planet. Why did they choose there? Then a soft voice in my head from Kat came through my nanite link to my mate, “Because my love, you are the only force in existence which they believe can stand against the oncoming storm.”

  Before I could answer, the unexpected happened. There was a crackling response to our hail! Odin's beard!

  We heard a voice over the coms. “War God Odin? Valhalla yet perseveres? Have you dispatched all of our brethren to the beyond or do Ragnarok still live on Folkvangr? I am Intark, commander of the generational ship Shamir. We bring hell on our heels! An alien vessel bent on our destruction rides in our wake.
They seek the Asgard. We ask only to die with dirt under our feet, by your wrath, by the hands of Valkyrie rather than the honorless Frost Giants. But I beseech you, rain down the fury of the Valkyrie upon the wretched aliens after we have passed to the beyond.”

  Odin was immediately responding, looking at the lag time readings, he motioned Inshak to stand beside him. “Commander Intark, this is Odin. Your distress calls have circulated to two other worlds, there is a peace between our races now. We know of the plight of the Ragnarok homeworld and The Culling. I am transmitting the location of the citadels of Valhalla and, Heildfine. Once you reach orbit, transport your survivors to the gates. We are evacuating all Ragnarok on the planet to the safety of the citadels. Well met and godspeed Shamir.”

  Father nodded at Inshak, the huge man, a little thicker bodied than most Ragnarok started speaking, “This is Inshak, commander of the Folkvangr Ragnarok. Authentication code, alpha, sigma, three, sigma, gamma, zero. Odin speaks the truth. We are at peace with the Asgard. Tractor your survivors down immediately upon arrival. The Frost Giant vessel has closed the gap to less than two days during your deceleration burn. May the war gods be with you, I will see you dirt side soon my brethren.”

  Father nodded up at the man who returned the nod and they sent the transmission. Father and Tyr are among the largest Asgard, usually as large as most Ragnarok, but Inshak was huge even for a Ragnarok and was three inches taller than father with his long braided hair that looped back and tied into his belt. He was an imposing man.

  Inatra motioned to me and I joined her at a tactical console as detailed scans of the Shamir were coming in now that they were in range. My breath caught. “Kroth!” I murmured. This brought the room's attention to us and Inatra flicked her finger through the data toward the center of the room. The main holo display lit up showing the Shamir and the asteroid it had in tow. Or to be more precise... what was left of the Shamir.