"Well, speak your mind then and I shall tell you if it is within my power to grant," Eirik said to Jensen.

"I would like for you and your crew to take over as my guard when I request it. It would not be often, and only when I would go places where danger is a true possibility. and you would of course have the chance to say no. I merely request that I can contact you in the future if needed." Jensen outlined his proposition and looked expectantly at Eirik.

"I do not mind you contacting me, as long as we are both in agreement that I am not obliged to accept, no matter what. The choice remains mine." Eirik wanted to stress this point, unsure if Jensen was fully understanding.

"That goes without saying, Captain. If I learned one thing from this trip, it is that you have a mind of your own. I do not plan on trying to change it for you." Jensen smiled as he spoke "But I learned more than one thing. and if the video footage from the helmet cameras is to be believed, you and your men will be the greatest protection I could get my hands on."

"I can understand wanting the option available, but why this sudden interest in protection?? You are a diplomat, Jensen. That affords you a level of protection that no amount of money can buy." Eirik was intrigued. Was this man dirtier than he had let on?

"Because, Captain, when the brass back on Terra gets your report, chances are they are going to send me on more difficult tasks. More difficult tasks mean higher danger. If my success keeps up, soon I will be having meetings with some of the fiercest and most savage warlords of the outer systems." Jensen frowned as he explained himself to Eirik. "It's not that I am complaining about it, but I would be much more comfortable, knowing I could reach out to you if needed."

"It is agreed then. You can message me anytime. just.. give me 24 hours to reply. I might be on assignment"

They shook hands and Eirik left the room.

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The stop at the smuggler station was a short one, only enough time to resupply what had been used, Lasse being reunited with the rescued brothers and then they were on their way to Terra. Being back in friendly territory made the trip uneventful, even more so as the gear of war had finally turned enough for the first steps of a major offensive to be undertaken. Ships were gathering in ever-increasing numbers, Fleets were being put together, soldiers were forming up in their divisions, and supply lines were all but established, all the way to what was designated as the future front line once the fighting began in earnest.

This also meant that the Terran military would be too preoccupied with the coming storm, to worry about draft evaders. So he could operate in Terran space again, more or less safe. He just had to avoid direct contact with the military, which was fairly simple when posing as a smuggler. Smugglers were infamous for their distrust of governments and everyone connected to them. So if he was a bit reluctant to talk to anyone while traveling, no one would find it strange.

As they approached Terra, Jensen said his goodbyes to Eirik and boarded a shuttle with his entourage.

After seeing them off, Eirik gathered his brothers, Las'Tai and Trasti, and boarded a shuttle of his own, setting the course for his land in Sweden.

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As the shuttle touched down, Eirik's brothers gathered at the ramp, eager to feel Terra under their feet again. Las'Tai and Trasti could sympathize. They missed their homeworld as well but knew they could not return until after the war. Unless they wanted to be labeled as traitors, of course.

As the ramp was lowered, Peter, Jonas, Mads, and Matthias all hurried outside and stopped a little ways away from the ship. Las'Tai and Trasti followed them, noting the increased gravity but also the sheer amount of life present around them. It was summer, the birds were chirping in the pines, the insects were buzzing lazily around the tall grass and a group of deer could be seen in the nearby woods. On the edge of the clearing, a couple of wild hares were sprinting away.

Mads and Matthis lifted their heads with closed eyes and breathed deeply. Peter fell to his knees, scooped up some detritus from the forest floor, and smelled the foliage and dirt in his hands. Jonas slowly spun around, taking in the woods around them.

Eirik came up behind Trasti and Las'Tai and stopped next to them. "What are they doing, Eirik?" Las'Tai asked

"They are remembering. breathing in the scents and taking in the sights of freedom. Almost a decade of being a prisoner will make you miss the smallest things. Look at their tears. They are from happiness. Seeing and smelling this place have cemented in their brains that they are truly free again. What begins now, is the easy part. fattening them up and having them regain their strength.

Also, make the blades for you and Trasti. And when all that is done, we will go back and face our grandfather. My brothers are eager for questions, but they want to stand tall and strong when they demand them. It's going to take at least a month to get them back into something resembling good physical shape, so there will be plenty of time to make them. My question for the 2 of you is this: Do you wish to make them from scratch, melting down the ore to make the steel, or do you want to just use some of the steel I have in stock?"

Without hesitation, they answered as one, "From scratch!"

"Good," Eirik said, "that will make the blades more personal when you have extracted the ore yourself. Let me get my brothers' situated in the cabin and we can start right away, We still got 6 hours of daylight left."

Eirik went over to his brothers and led them into the main cabin. Soon after, he came back out with a couple of pickaxes and 3 empty burlap sacks.

"I was wondering what he meant by extracting the ore ourselves. Guess we just found out..." Trasti murmured low enough for only Las'Tai to hear.

"I have learned to just go along with it when I don't understand what Eirik is going on about. He usually explains himself sooner or later." Las'Tai murmured back, "Strange as he is, he does like to explain his actions."

"Come on then, let's get going. Once you know where the iron deposit is located, I expect you to be there from sun up to sundown, until we have 60 kilos of ore. Might as well stock up since we are gathering ore." Eirik said in a chipper tone as he handed a sack and a pickaxe to each of them. "It's only a 2-kilometer hike before we get there. Do not worry, I have travel rations with me and there is a freshwater spring at the ore deposit."

They all got moving as smoke slowly started wafting up from the small chimney on the cabin.

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Back on the ship, Freja heard Eirik's datapd ping. He must have forgotten it when he was saying goodbye to Jensen. She picked it up and decided to take a shuttle to the surface so she could give it to him. She glanced at the screen as she walked towards the door.

Message from Ulla

"Bodybuilder Ulla?" Freja thought to herself. Should she read the message?

With trembling fingers, she opened the message.