Alliance Hunter

I woke early both Miri and Kelli were still asleep. It was a little crowded in our prefab with just enough room for five bed and lockers. I rose quietly from my bed and dressed as quietly as I could. I glanced over to the other occupied bed. Sheila the young Imperial girl was sleeping. I knew she was from the Empire as soon as she spoke. She was as reluctant to share with us as we were to have her here. Joyce seemed to think it would nice have someone near her age with her. Kelli and I hardly counted in that. I think Joyce was thinking about Miri, they were nearly the same age and possibly someone she could talk to. I looked at my bed reluctant to leave it but I couldn’t stay there too many thoughts were whirling around my head. I needed time to think to be on my own and clear my head.

I walked to the exit from the Archive glad an energy field was keeping the heat in. The blizzard was blowing fiercely no one was going out into that. I turned and walked back. It was still quiet in the habitat none of the prefabs showed any sign of movement. I crossed the habitat and entered the Archive no clear destination in mind. I just wandered the columns not really concentrating on anything. I reached the far wall and sat down on the cold floor and stared at the wall trying hard to centre myself. Most of my thoughts were on my relationship with Jervic. I had made a mess of that and dinner last night had been awkward but I still hadn’t told him the truth I was too much of a coward for that. I felt depressed torn between keeping Jervic safe and everything else that was going on within me. Finally I stood the cold was starting to get to me even though I was wearing a thermal suit. I guess I’d have to go back and face the music I just wished that it hadn’t had to be today. It was never a good time to tell someone you cared about something he didn’t want to hear but I had to do it.

As I started walking I saw a tunnel. I was momentarily confused. I know I had been wandering but I hadn’t realised I was this close to the habitat and yet something about the tunnel bothered me. It wasn’t until I stepped into the tunnel that I remembered what it was. The entrance to the habitat tunnel opened directly onto the index column and I couldn’t remember seeing that as I entered the tunnel. I abruptly turn and stared. In front of me was a blank wall were a wall should not have been. I turned to see the tunnel had turned into an endless corridor with doors set at regular intervals along it. Standing in the corridor were two figures my heart leapt at the sight of them. It was my parents as I’d last seen them.

“Mum, dad?” I said hesitantly. It was impossible they couldn’t be here.

‘Mum’ spoke, as soon as she did I knew I wasn’t her I felt my anger flare.

“You will leave!” The voice was male and talking in Galactic something my real mum would not know how to do.

“Or die!” the ‘thing’ with my father’s face said.

My anger notched up another level. How dare they take on the appearance of my parents. “Yeah, you bunch of murdering bastards!” I shot back at them my hands curling into fists.

“Do not try our patience,” the one with mother’s face snapped.

“Oh yes you’ve already tried and failed to kill Runa and blame it on me. The Valkyrie know it was you.”

“Then you will die!” the other told me.

I tensed ready to fight. It was unfair they had taken on my parents form I guess they already knew that and would use my reluctance against me. I felt a presence deep within me the soft gentle touch of a Keeper. I felt something emerge from me. In a blink of an eye Mouse stood between the impostors and me. She stood tall and firm her odd cloak at her back. I hadn’t paid it much attention before but it seemed to be covered with jet-black feathers. I felt frightened for her, it tamped down my anger. I knew she would not fight them. I didn’t want her to die I felt if she did part of me would die along with her.

She spoke in a voice that vibrated to my very soul. “You who you have called yourselves Guardians are called to account!”

“You!” the impostors growled.

Suddenly Mouse shrugged and her cloak flipped out to reveal wings.

“Wings!” I shouted shocked. I cursed myself for not seeing the obvious. I’d stupidly assumed they were cloaks but all the time they were wings. I began to see a connection with some ancient stories. But now wasn’t the time to speculate on that. I had to save Mouse even from herself.

“Later Little One,” Mouse said to me without taking her eyes off the impostors.

She must have known what I was thinking more than possible or she had heard my comment about her wings. She made a gesture and the rod appeared in her hands. I wasn’t sure how she did it but I was certain it was the same rod that I’d given Joyce.

“You will die!” my father’s impostor said without any emotion.

Mouse merely waved the rod at them. “This is a message from the First Ones. Disregard it at your peril.”

I saw both impostors step back I’d been sure they had been about to attack. Mouse spoke again but it wasn’t Galactic or USE. It was some unknown to me that is language. It seemed to consist of bleeps and whistles sounds I could have never reproduced with my throat. Little wonder Mouse had told me I could have never pronounced her name. Suddenly both impostors shifted their form becoming reptilian. I was glad that they didn’t look like my parents anymore. The conversation continued the words if I could call them that flew between the Guardians and Mouse. Suddenly one of the Guardians leapt towards Mouse. I tried to intervene but some unknown force had me in position unable to move. Before I could do anything the scene wavered and I stood facing a wall. Shock filled me worried about Mouse. No matter what her computer had done to me she’d tried to make amends they all did. I angrily I thumped my hand against the wall feeling it solid under my fist. Ignoring the pain I raised my fist to try again.

“Gwen?” Joyce’s voice had me turning. I saw her looking extremely concerned. “Are you ok?” Before I could say anything she grabbed my hand barely glancing at the bruise forming on one and turned my hands so my palms faced up. “Thank God!” She uttered sounding relieved. She released my hand and stepped back seeming to regard me intently. “I thought they’d got to you to.”

“Got to me?” I wasn’t certain I was hearing her right.

“The Guardians carved their symbol into Sandra’s hand and made her a living weapon.”

I heard the veiled anger in her words but I had to ask. “Sandra?”

“My niece.”

I looked at her my befuddled brain slowly bringing the pieces together. This Sandra was the one Kelli mentioned. Was it possible it was the same Sandra as in the Duchess of Mars if that was the case? I shivered at the implications. “Sandra’s your niece?”

Joyce gave a sigh realising she had said more than she meant. “It’s more complicated than that.”

I bet it was. I guessed I was speaking to Constantine’s sister. There had been those rumours that Victor was bit of a lady’s man. Then there were rumours of illegitimate children the former Duke of Mars being one of them. My mind staggered at the implications. I shook myself asking. “What’s that got to do with me?” A dumb question I know but with all the thoughts whirling through my mind it was the first thing to come into it.

“I want to know are you hearing voices. I’m worried they may have forced another entity on to you?”

“I don’t understand?” Which the only possible question in my current state of mind.

Joyce explained that the Guardians had done when they couldn’t control Sandra in the way they wanted. They forced another personality into her, which back fired. “Like a soul imposed upon her.”

That I did understand Kelli had told me how I was on the ship when I knew I was in the cavern and how Mouse and Digger could speak to me directly even taking over when they thought it necessary. “The Keepers do something akin to that to me.”

“What do you mean by that?” she asked.

I hadn’t told her everything just what I thought she needed to know about the Keepers and what had happened to me in the cavern. I hadn’t told her about their use of my DNA and the nanobots in my body. I hadn’t wanted to because she as I suspected was from the Empire although she didn’t have an accent. “I’m certain when the Keepers called me back to the cavern I had a body.” I explained further about Digger and seeing my body and her comments about the ‘helpers’ she as called them. “Kelli says I was on the ship the whole time. How is that possible?”

Joyce was thoughtful. “You say the Keepers were convinced that an ‘Ancient’? That’s a T’Arni term altered them even thought they were streams of data. It is fascinating that the Keepers call them the First Ones I’d not heard them called that before. And you say that this was the same time as the surface of their world was restored?”

“That’s what I was told,” I said to her.

“I’ve had a lot of problems looking into the creation of the ‘Gift Worlds’ the Archive has scant detail on the process or even who was involved. I’ve had to refer to ancient T’Arni texts for the answers.”

“Saros was restored.” I realised while I was talking to Joyce anything could have been happening to Mouse. “Mouse!” I swore. “She’s in there with the Guardians.”

“Sorry there isn’t much we can do beyond hope and prayer. I’ve tried hard to find the entrance to their location but it’s impossible. I think we are talking about things beyond our current understanding.”

Digger spoke in my mind before I could say anything further. “Gwen, Mouse is ok she’s resting exhausted I can’t say anything further. She will talk to you as soon as she can.” With that she was gone.

“You ok Gwen?” Joyce asked concerned.

“Digger contacted me, she say’s Mouse is ok.”

“Oh I did wonder, you did look distant all of a sudden. You will be ok?”

I wasn’t sure what context she was on about. “Digger’s some sort of medical expert. I assume the remaining Keepers are all experts in their particular fields. I’m not sure I’m making any sense?”

“The first thing we should do is go somewhere else somewhere more conducive to conversation. And I want you to tell me everything you know. I not interrogating you I need to know everything we could all be in danger.”

That I did understand.

We adjourned to Joyce’s office and sat down her behind her desk and I on a chair opposite the rest of her room contained a camp bed and several lockers.

“I come up here now and again to rest and think hence the bed.” Joyce said indicating the bed and the rest of her room. “To tell you the truth this is starting to sound like the things that happened to Sandra. Whereas she had Lottie imposed on her by the Guardians yours were already with you.”

“Lottie?”

“You are Terran. Sandra had implant installed. Now don’t give me that look. They took it away, did something to it and returned Lottie as Sandra called her implant as a personality.”

I guess I was still too much of an Imperial not to wince at the thought of having some machine in my head. Then I really shouldn’t be the one complaining I’d got a whole raft of little nanobots in my body. “Sorry,” I apologised. “I wasn’t really thinking.”

My mind was going over the images of my parents the Guardians had stolen.

“I know you’ve got a lot on your mind.” Joyce paused then continued. “Please tell me everything and start at the beginning. I don’t mean the Keepers I mean before that the reason you came to the Confederacy the first time.”

I knew there a lot to say. So I took a deep breath and imagined I was on the stand at a trial and began. I told her of my working for Vanessa and her betrayal. Then my promise to Solstrid it still hurt even now. My words faltered for a moment but I carried on gritting my teeth and told Joyce about the Valkyrie and how they had altered me in return for training and my pursuit of Vanessa. I went on to detail my encounter with the investigation team on Saros and my inclusion with them at Xenai’s urging. “I’ve already told you about the cavern.” I felt my hand open and close a habit I had to get myself out of. I gripped it with my other hand and continued. I spoke on telling Joyce of my contact with the Keepers and the Guardians trying to strike at them through me and then how I was implicated in Runa’s attack. “The Elder’s seem to agree with the Keepers that Runa’s attack was meant to discredit me. The Keepers also told me that the Guardians had done this before and had been stopped by the First Ones. Hence the war between the Keepers and Guardians and their betrayal by their allies.”

To her credit Joyce listened without comment. Finally my words trailed away and I regarded her intently.

“You’ve certainly been through a lot. I can’t help but feel for you.” She sighed. “I listened and took in everything you’ve said.”

“And?” I wasn’t sure why I was eager to gain her support I just had a feeling I’d made a powerful friend.

“It appears that despite their threats to kill you they were trying to frighten you. I can see a pattern here. I think and this is pure speculation at this point they did intend to make you a living weapon.”

“A living weapon? I remembered too clearly Mouse’s words of that matter. They had been ill equipped to fight against these Avatars as they called them. Yet that didn’t make sense to me the Guardians had been determined to kill me had not Mouse intervened. “I don’t get it?”

“I do unfortunately. You would not be a weapon against the Rhosani as Sandra was but against the Keepers. How better to destroy your enemy with one of their own.”

I ignored Joyce’s comment that I was one of the Keepers. “Yes but they did want to kill me?”

“Probably because they sensed a Keeper in you.”

I shuddered at the thought thinking I had a Keeper inside me watching, watching everything I did, like being under the scrutiny of security cameras.

Joyce must have guessed the way my thoughts were going. “Not in that way. I think your friends were worried about you. From what you said they seem very protective of you.”

“I just wish they’d leave me alone.”

“Well in you own words you did save them. Perhaps they want to pay you back in their way. Did you ever consider that?”

I looked at Joyce realising the truth in her words. “True,” I apologised. “I didn’t think of it in that way. I suppose I was seeing them as human which they aren’t.”

A knock on the door interrupted my thoughts.

“Yes?” Joyce called out.

The door slid open to reveal Reed Walters Joyce’s second in command to use military parlance.

“Joyce just to let you know the storm’s abated.”

“Excellent,” Joyce told him. She rose from her chair. “Coming Gwen? Do you prefer me to call you that?”

“Gwen will be ok,” I replied. “I never liked being that formal.”

“Good,” She said if she was confirming something. “I never liked formal either. Come on Gwen we’ll walk to the comms tower. I’ll need to check the equipment and you need to comm your ship.” She nodded to Reed. “You’ll know where we’ll are if anything comes up.” She stopped Reed before her left. “Let Lieutenant Hunter’s people know she’s with me.”

“Sure thing Joyce, Lieutenant Hunter.” With that he was gone.

I looked at Joyce. “Joyce?”

“You’ll want to contact your family.” I had told Joyce of how the Guardians had taken my parent’s images. “And I need to contact Earth anyway.”

We headed out.

The comms tower was cold albeit warmer than the melting slush outside. It was a large box like room containing the comms gear.

“It can get quite homely once it warms up.” Joyce said as she sat in front to the comms screen her hand resting lightly on the terminal. She tapped a few keys and the screen lit up to show a pleasant faced woman in an Imperial uniform.

“Can I help you?” the woman said politely.

“I’d like to talk to Eel,” Joyce said.

I glanced at Joyce thinking about the odd name she asked for. I guessed that it was some sort of nickname.

The woman on the screen suddenly stiffened her face going grim. “There’s no one here by the name?” I saw her tap on her terminal. “How did you get this comms address?” the woman demanded.

“Cut the crap and tell him it’s Joyce Neilson.”

“Sorry Miss Neilson, I’ll put you straight through.”

The image on the screen changed to show a middle-aged man with a bald head and a beard dressed in a blue suit. “What can we do for you Miss Neilson?”

“Just Joyce please,” Joyce said to the man.

“My apologies, now what is the problem?”

“Vanessa Tomney.”

“Vanessa?” I whispered to Joyce.

She waved her hand to silence me. I took the hint and shut up.

“And also a group that use three black stripes as a logo both on clothing and on their skin.”

Joyce surprised me I had told her about the Black Stripes but I hadn’t known she would asking for help in locating them.

“Any reason you are interested or this to do with your guests. We do know a team from the Valorous Star was sent to Melanos. I assume this has something with the rumours I heard about Saros. Funny that I heard the same sort of rumours coming from Alfheimir?”

“So are we on the same page here Eel?” Joyce asked.

“Certainly the TCA was her majesty’s pet project. I wouldn’t want any to despoil it.”

Eel paused. “And as to Tomney?”

“I know of her reputation, a long time ago she was obsessed with immortality. I have no doubt that hasn’t changed. I do believe it was circumstance that she was on Saros the same time that these Black Stripes were there.”

“Black Stripes? I see as good a name for them as any other. I’ll make this a priority and for the Empress’ sake stay safe.”

The screen went blank.

I regarded Joyce carefully. “You didn’t have to do that you know?”

“I do, you need it. You have enough to deal with. Please take the help we are offering.”

I couldn’t disagree with that. “Frankly I could do with all the help I can get,” I admitted.

Joyce smiled and slipped out of the seat. “Your turn. You still want to talk to your parents. You won’t rest easy until you do?”

I sat in the seat she had vacated and tapped in the details to connect me to home. My real home not the one the Valkyrie and the Keepers thought was mine. I waited with bated breath while we were connected. The screen came on showing my mother. I swallowed hard mixed emotions crawled through my skin.

“Hello?” the image said.

I knew instantly it was my mother and not some impostor. “Mum it’s Gwen,” I said as if I was someone she didn’t know. Then I really didn’t know the real me anymore but I wasn’t about to spoil things with self-doubt.

“Thank goodness Gwen we heard things and you made us worried. I’m glad you’re ok.”

I felt a bit of tear trickle out of my eye. I didn’t want to burst into tears in front of a stranger my heart was full to the brim with homesickness. I pulled away from myself and regarded who I’d become. I had to stay the course no matter the hurt but for a moment I just wanted to be the old me.

Mum continued in the wake of my silence. “We’re fine your father is at work. He’d be miffed to miss talking to you. We are very proud of you.”

I resisted asking the question that was bothering me I didn’t want to ask them if anything weird happened to them recently. “Mum did anyone from your side of the family ever leave Earth?” I suppose it was an easier subject that the one I had originally wanted to ask. I remembered Miri’s comments about the Elders. Mum’s maiden name had been in their list. It seemed a good time to ask.

“No,” Mum said then hesitated. “Wait a minute my grandfather, your great grandfather was from the colonies.”

“Which one?” I asked.

“I can’t recall?” mum’s eye’s lit up. “Hang on I have a holo of him.”

She went off for a moment I used the time to glance at Joyce she had remained passive throughout my exchange with my mother. She just nodded as my mother returned with a holo cube. I seemed to remember she always had it. The holo cube was slightly larger than my hand and showed the image it contained in 3D. She presented to the screen for my perusal. It showed the image of a man the close up of which showed his blonde hair and blue eyes. I went a little cold inside. The only people I knew with eyes that blue in colour were Valkyrie. Little wonder the Valkyrie were so interested in me I had more Valkyrie blood in my veins than I had imagined. Yet one thing troubled me. When I’d had blood tests before my blood showed me as full human. The image in the holo cube was definitely Valkyrie. I began to suspect he’d been here for the same reasons as Miri had been. A spy for the Elders but what or who was he was spying on I had no idea and doubted Miri would either. She had enough problems of her own. I began to see the motives behind it. He had come to Earth for whatever reason and married into a local family to blend in why I did not know. I shook myself I had to pretend everything was ok for my parent’s sake.

“Thanks mum,” I said knowing it to be a lie. I had been doing that a lot lately and it looked as if my chickens had come home to roost.

“Oh yes,” mum said. “If I recall it right he was tall, very tall.”

“Ok thanks for the info mum.”

“Oh?” I began to understand where I got the habit of repeating things from. “I just remembered some from the palace was asking about you,” mum said to me.

“Oh,” I said and silently cursed myself for doing it. “Who?”

“I can’t recall but they seemed to think it was important. Anyway he left a contact number I could call if I heard from you.”

I glanced at Joyce she merely shrugged. “The ball’s in your court.”

I took a deep breath. “OK mum send it to me and I’ll talk to them.”

Mum transferred the number to the comms. “Thanks mum I’ll talk to you again.” I turned to Joyce. “Any thoughts?” I felt out of my depth.

“I can’t hurt to find out what they want.”

It looks like I had no choice. I sighed and tapped in the number.