Ancient Hunter

We drove out of Ljufu’s garage and onto the road. Ljufu drove her ground car Ana had said she liked to be in control and concentrating on the road kept her mind occupied.

Ljufu spoke her eyes never leaving the road. “The other two things?”

“Monica and Alicia, I need to know if they reached Saros?”

“They did,” Ljufu replied sharply.

I felt relief at that more of the burden I carried was lifted from me. “I did tell them to seek you out?”

“And quite a fuss they made. They said you’d gone missing and local Security on Davenport refused to investigate.”

“I was kidnapped by some Palkkasir.”

“What?” I saw her glance at me then concentrate on the road.

“I think they were after information about a Martin Old One?” I wasn’t about to say anything about Miranda. I still wasn’t sure what it was all about. It could have been just the money they were on about sixty-four million credits.

“Old One?” Ljufu blurted out. “Now I’m repeating your words.” She shook her head. “I’ve never heard of an Old One?”

A thing I was often accused to doing. Frankly I was surprised by her exclamation. “They live in the mountains.” I wasn’t going to elaborate further on that. “The Elders, Clan Mothers and the Silver Guard know.” I grimaced thinking how I nearly froze to death naked in a blizzard. “I found that out the hard way I was dropped naked in a blizzard on the side of a mountain. They injected me with a radioactive substance so they could trace me.”

“They are dead!” Ljufu growled her face twisted in anger.

“It’s ok!” I tried to placate her. It’s been resolved they aren’t hunting me now.” I could still feel the guilt. “I killed one of the Palkkasir in cold blood.” I explained the encounter in the forest and the outcome. I still hadn’t named Miranda nor would I ever.

Ljufu was silent for several minutes her brow furrowed in concentration. “Why such an elaborate scheme there are simpler ways of doing things?”

“I know,” I replied softly. “I’ve been pondering over it for months and I can’t find anything that makes a lick of sense.”

Ljufu gave a sigh. “Will you tell me everything from the time you left Saros to your return?”

I had to be honest with her. “There are some things I can’t tell you.” Adding. “None of it is illegal I just that I can’t, all I ask is a little patience in this. There are things too dangerous to know about and I’m not putting you and your family in the sort of danger.” I grimaced. “I couldn’t live with that guilt.”

“I understand that,” Ljufu said stoically.

“That Valkyrie ship I left in was the one that brought me back,” I said wondering how she’d take the news about the rebellion on Alfheimir. I decided now wasn’t the time for that and stayed to the basics.

“I sense a story here please go on?”

“The ship was only the start of my troubles on Alfheimir.” I went on to explain how the ship was fractured along partisan lines. Those loyal to the Elders and the purists who wanted all non-Valkyrie off Alfheimir. I told her about the attempt on Runa’s life and how it was blamed on me.

Ljufu growled at the clearly angry at such a clumsy attempt to frame me.

“I went and punched a server in the mess hall because she refused to serve us and insulted my team because they weren’t Valkyrie. She definitely wasn’t expecting me to do that.”

Ljufu chuckled at that then went back to her grim expression. “You solved that in a Valkyrie way. I ’m proud of that.”

I went to tell her about our arrival on Melanos and the hardship that we suffered to get to the cavern. I wasn’t sure if I should tell her about the Guardians but in the end I had to.

“Wait a minute!” Ljufu interjected. “Back track how did you get a functioning data rod?”

“Mouse gave it to me.” I had skipped at few incidents in my story and now I knew I’d have to tell her.

“Mouse?” I had to explain how a green hologram handed me a data rod when she’d left me.”

“You mean to say a holo gave you something that is worth hundreds of millions in credits. How can a holo do that it’s not possible?”

I swallowed hard this next bit was going to stretch all credibility. “I later found out that they had become more than holos.” This was hard for me. “Somehow they harvested my ovaries to remake themselves.”

Ljufu pulled the car off the road and sat staring out window her fingers drumming on the steering wheel. “Let me get the facts straight. That computer harvested your body without your say so to make a holo flesh and blood?” Ljufu sounded it she wanted to rip something to pieces.

“More that one,” I had to admit.

“How many are we talking about?” Ljufu demanded.

I could see it from her point of view the Keepers were an unknown. “About two dozen or so.” I hadn’t really taken that into account.

“So we’ve got a number of these aliens running about under Saros?”

“To be honest,” I stated. “I don’t know if the cavern is under Saros.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“You know those three Orsini ship that disappeared the Keepers moved them.”

“Keepers, moved them.” Ljufu snorted then laughed. “I’ve had sleepless nights over where they are and you now tell me this.”

She wasn’t angry with me. “The Keepers are what they call themselves. And they can do that. Mouse assures me that they will protect Saros.” Or would if I could find them I had a bad feeling that it wouldn’t be an easy task. “They were moved too far away to reach Saros in their life time if that’s any help?”

“Did you know this when you left?”

“No it was later when we were in hyperspace. Mouse contacted me then.” It had been difficult at first but the Keepers had found a way to do it.

Ljufu swallowed hard. “If they are capable of that...” her voice trailed off.

“And a lot more.” I wasn’t going to tell her how they swapped my body. While my original travelled trapped in a Cell Stitcher they had transferred my mind to another body. I’d spent eight weeks on world made for them by the Ancients or First Ones, six of them weeks of hell because of Scout’s trauma.

“They going to be a threat to Saros?”

“I’ve already told you that they are protecting Saros. They are pacifists their enemies slaughtered them while they sat and sang songs. Not one tried to fight back.” I would have and I knew Ljufu would have done. Scout’s story of how her parents had let themselves die so she could escape still haunted my dreams. That was only because I had to live with her. I’d wake every night to her screams of terror. In the end the only thing that stopped that was to have her sleep in my bed with me.

“That will be you third request?” Ljufu said softly.

“I tried contacting them and I’ve got no reply. I’m worried. I know I shouldn’t after what they did to me. You may find it strange but in a way I’m their mother.”

Ljufu glanced at me. “I sort of understand I’d be that way if anything happened to Juliet. I’m still angry with the Elders demands. It may be alright for them but Juliet is my flesh and blood.”

“As it should be,” I replied.

“Thanks Gwen, your defiance did some good they’ve left of demanding I turn Juliet over to them until she turns eighteen.” Ljufu frowned. “It hasn’t stopped Mother Hardgera from calling me every chance she gets. I can’t leave Ana and Juliet. I walked away from that life.”

“I know she even pestered me when she helped me escape from Elvby when I was captured and beaten nearly to death.”

Ljufu drew a deep breath her eyes flashing dangerously. “You best tell me everything. I not going to move until you do.”

I ended up explaining how I was captured defending the Loyalist from a Prowler. A damn Prowler an Imperial armoured vehicle that shouldn’t have even been on Alfheimir. Then how I woke up shackled to a wall and the beating I got for being defiant and how Digger healed me. Finally I told her about Mother Sophronia’s death at the hands of the Prophet.

Ljufu sighed. “You have had it hard. You are safe here. It will take me a few days but I’ll arrange a shuttle just be patient.” At that she eased the ground car back into to traffic and headed for the city.