Eirik was training hard. He had been training hard ever since they left the smuggler station, only taking short breaks to sleep and eat. Even Freja was being put on the sideline in favor of training. Within the first 2 days, none of the soldiers wanted to spar with him anymore. He was leaving injuries bordering that bordered on long-term sick leave for those affected and had trouble keeping himself in check. His anger was a roaring fire and his focus was as sharp as a razor's edge.

As they approached Terra, a message was sent to them, informing them of the diplomat being delayed by several days. So, in order to pass the time, Eirik brought those that were willing, down to Terra to go hunting. Fresh meat was always preferable and Eirik needed something to do that was either training or something like it. It was almost summer on Terra and the forests were teeming with life. Even Las'Tai and Trasti came down to hunt, although they only hunted small game on Terra. Anything bigger than juvenile deer were simply too much of a challenge for them without backup.

As the days passed and they still heard no word of the diplomat arriving, Eirik was starting to get restless and frustrated. This culminated in him receiving an incoming call at the worst of moments, scaring off the boar he had been stalking most of the day. After missing 2 shots while it ran away, Eirik accepted the call and bellowed "WHAT?"

"Eirik, we had word from the Diplomat. He will be arriving within the hour." David's voice rang out from his communicator.

"You tell him that he gets to sit around and wait for me to kill something out here, otherwise I might just kill him when I return to the ship!": Eirik didn't bother waiting for a response and cut off the call to continue hunting. Knowing that searching for the boar would be useless at this point as it would be spooked, he set out to find some easier game to hunt.

Half an hour later he reached a small lake and stopped for a moment to gather himself and pinpoint his location from the landmarks of the Swedish forests he preferred hunting in. That's when he noticed the silence. complete and utter silence. Without showing his sudden alertness he shifted the grip on his rifle so he was ready to fire. Forests only became silent when a predator was actively hunting. Then he heard it. Huffing and aggressive grunting from the undergrowth mixed in with a strange shuffling sound. Eirik knew those sounds and suddenly felt sick to his stomach. A wolverine.

Those hell weasels the size of dogs were a force of nature fueled by hatred and bile. His combat knife would be more or less useless. Wolverines were known to shrug off machete attacks. With a knife, only stabs would work. His rifle was a good choice, but again, his opponent was a member of the weasel family. While clumsy-looking, it was deceptive. Wolverines were quite capable of hunting their own meals, unlike their honey badger cousins from the hotter climates.

Eirik turned around, making as little noise as possible while scanning the treeline only a few meters away. The noises grew louder and he saw the undergrowth moving around before a wolverine trotted out into the open, eyes locked on him. This confirmed to Eirik that it was hunting him and he didn't hesitate. He hoisted the rifle, took aim, and fired. It was a bad shot that missed the target and sent the wolverine on the offensive. It flew forward, trying to bite Eirik's leg but he managed to jump out of the way.

It did claw him on the way, Its semi-retractable claws fully extended and swiping across his thigh, where they left 5 deep cuts. Eirik cursed as he scrambled to reload the rifle but the wolverine jumped at him again and he was forced to block the bite with his rifle. His jacket was being torn to shreds under the claws of the beast and he gave up on all notions of fighting off the furry tornado of death currently trying to maul him and let go of the rifle with one hand while reaching for the combat knife he had deemed useless not long ago.

The rifle end that he let go of fell to the ground, making him hold the wolverine at bay at an odd angle and when he got the knife free from its sheath, he had no clear war of attacking the throat, so he settled for the stomach. He thrust the knife upwards and started gutting the animal on top of him, which only made it intensify its efforts to kill Eirik.

Soon, he heard a wet splat as the intestines of the wolverine started falling to the ground, but it was still attacking him, blinded by pain and fury. But the strength of the attack quickly started fading, as it bled rapidly to death on top of Eirik. When it finally stopped moving, Eirik shoved the carcass off of him and stood up, left leg shaking underneath him. He was bleeding rapidly as well, the cuts being deeper than they had felt like

He pulled out his communicator and called the ship. "Yes, Captain?" David's voice rang out, a note of relief in it. The diplomat was most likely riding his ass, trying to get him to force Eirik back.

"Send a shuttle. I need help getting back." Eirik said. He felt drained, the sudden adrenaline surge was wearing off.

"Are you alright, Captain?" David replied

"Wolverine attack, leg got mauled. Have Knud get the suturing kit ready." Eirik finished the call and sat down. while he waited he fashioned a makeshift bandage from his t-shirt and gutted the wolverine. No sense in letting the pelt go to waste. The shuttle arrived shortly after he finished up and, to Eirik's surprise, a man he didn't know left the shuttle at an angry pace, heading straight towards Eirik before stopping as he looked over his injury and the blood all around.

"...What in god's name happened here?" He finally spoke. Eirik noted the pleasant voice and took a look at the stranger. Strong jawline, perfect suit, impeccable smile, soft and delicate hands, shoes polished to a high shine, and a posh British accent that Eirik immediately found ever so slightly annoying. His green eyes roamed over the scene in front of him.

He saw Eirik sitting shirtless in a half-circle of blood, an untreated wolverine skin in his hand, his arms and his leg covered in the blood that had bled through the bandage. and the wolverine blood from the skinning. Eirik had no doubt he was also quite a bit paler than he used to be.

"This little fucker," Eirik shook the pelt in his hand, "Tried to kill and eat me. So I killed and skinned him. I plan to turn him into strips of wolverine fur to line the hoods of my clothes with. The stiff fur doesn't trap moisture the same way as other fur and so they will not become covered in ice, even during snowstorms." Eirik lectured the man. Might as well make the first impression truly spectacular.

For better or for worse, this was a first meeting the diplomat would never forget. When he didn't say anything and just stared at Eirik in abject horror, Eirik continued, "I take it you are the diplomat I am supposed to transport?"

The question made its way through the almost shellshocked man and he finally spoke, "Yes... Yes, that would be me." His voice was regaining some of its strength as he spoke, "How dare you force me to wait for our departure?? The meeting I need to attend is of the utmost importance!!"

Eirik rose and saw that while they were of equal height, he was quite a bit more solid than the slender diplomat."I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name? And I will hear nothing of making you wait for a little, considering you delayed several days in your arrival, otherwise, you can go fuck yourself and find a new ship to travel on." Eirik started limping towards the shuttle as he spoke and didn't see the diplomat's face turning into a grimace like Eirik had shoved something especially soggy and smelly up his nose, at the way Eirik was speaking to him.

"I would have you know, good sir, that you are speaking to one of the ancient noble families! And you will transport me if I say that you will do it! Colonel Holm-Hansen was adamant that this trip needed to happen, and I will happily report back to him that you were unwilling to take care of my passage!!" The diplomat sputtered at Eirik's back.

"Go ahead, call my grandfather, and tell him I'm being a bad boy. As if I give a shit. I am not part of the Terran military forces. I am an independent privateer and as such you have no power over me or my ship, so take your privilege and shove it so far up your ass you can taste your fingertips. Now, are you coming back on the shuttle or are you going to delay this trip even more?" Eirik didn't wait for an answer but just stepped inside and pressed the button to close the door. Moments before it closed, the diplomat jumped inside and almost fell over when he came to a skidding stop.

"THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE!!" He screeched at Eirik who drew his combat blade and limped towards the idiot diplomat who stood his ground, but his eyes displayed his fear.

"Please, be quiet until we have returned to the ship and I have been under the care of my ship's doctor. Otherwise, I am willing to risk being an outlaw to MAKE you shut the fuck up. Nod if you understand me." Eirik was in no mood for this kind of drama queen at the moment and so, certain boundaries had to be crossed. As long as no harm was done, He could talk his way of it... Probably.

The diplomat nodded furiously while pressing his lips tightly together. Eirik smiled a tired smile. "Good. And since you didn't give me your name before, and I want you to shut up now, I name you, Asshat. Congratulations Asshat, take a seat." The diplomat looked like he wanted to protest badly, but his eyes kept flicking to the knife in Eirik's hand and he kept quiet as he took a seat.

Eirik smiled as he took the shuttle back to the ship, the diplomat silently fuming in his seat.