Ancient Hunter

The sound of the door chime had me scrambling to my feet I hastily donned my top and hurried to the door, I had it open before my beleaguered brain registered what I had done. Two figures stood there, very familiar figures. One T’Arni and the other half-T’Arni or a Brid’ as they called them in the Confederacy.

“Can we come in?” The T’Arni asked.

“Yes,” I replied.

They moved past me into the apartment.

I turned to them. “Jervic, Kelli.”

Jervic looked as handsome as ever and Kelli was Kelli. Her long dress was perfectly tailored and she was wearing high-heeled boots making her look taller. Jervic was wearing a beige jacket and practical light blue pants and serviceable work boots.

“It’s good to see you,” Kelli said with genuine feeling. She was one of the few that knew the truth.

Jervic nodded and something tightened in my chest. In my current state I wasn’t sure if it was happiness or just fear. I wondered if he hated me, I had said a few harsh words to him the last time I’d seen him?

“I’m sorry,” he said.

I felt my temper flare. I used to be calmer than this. The logical part of my mind assured me I still was. “Sorry doesn’t cut the mustard buddy!” I felt ashamed of my outburst. I shouldn’t be taking my worries out on him.

“Cut the mustard?” Jervic asked his expression confused. “I’ve enough regret to last my life time. I’ve treated you badly. I let you down.”

I opened my mouth to speak then closed it again. I needed to take it slow here.

“Now that’s over,” Kelli interrupted. “Let’s get down to business.” She reached into her satchel and pulled out her medical gauntlet. “Jervic run down to the store and grab a few supplies. I’m sure Gwen doesn’t want us emptying her store cupboards.” It was a very unsubtle hint for him to leave. Kelli wanted to be alone with me I expected she’d want to run a full scan on me.

Kelli waited until Jervic was gone before speaking “Right Gwen what’s wrong. I know you all too well. Something’s upset you and turning rabid at Jervic isn’t you?”

Kelli was right I was taking out my anxieties on Jervic because he was an easy target.

“I’m worried I can’t contact the Keepers.”

“So that’s why you went to the desert ruins?”

“They weren’t there. There were a few of them there none had left the safety of their holos.” That was of a lie Moon Shadow has shown herself as a flesh and blood person. The logical part of my mind agreed with that. “I woke them up but they couldn’t contact the others either. They told me the others aren’t dead just out of reach.”

“I see,” Kelli said looking directly at me. “And what are you going to do now?”

“Find one of the First Ones.”

“Don’t be stupid and throw your life away!” Kelli snapped at me. “If you go to the Core you’ll never come back. No one ever returns from the Core.”

The Core the heart of the galaxy where the First Ones. The Ancients to the T’Arni had retreated after they had freed the T’Arni and exiled the Rhosani. Ships had gone in, none had returned. The ‘Polo’ a pre-Empire explorer ship had entered and had never returned.

“I’m not that suicidal there are two here on Saros.”

Kelli stared at me her mouth open. “Here?” she said with a snap of her jaws.

“There’s a few more avenues to try first.” I hated to admit it I was on very shaky ground.

“I get it I really do,” Kelly said. “The less I know the less Xenai will.”

I doubted Xenai would she had a policy of not reading her friends minds despite what she’d done to me? “She won’t do that to you.”

“Well I still need to examine you. I wouldn’t be a Medtech if I didn’t. I couldn’t do this with Jervic around he worries about you and biting his head off doesn’t help.” She pulled on her gauntlet and ran it over my body. “Elevated stress levels, other than that you’re the same Gwen I know and love.”

“Not quite the same I’ve think I may have grown wings?” I still wasn’t sure myself but with Kelli here I’d be able to put that to bed for good or ill.

“Wings?” Kelli said uncertainly.

I got my original find from Davenport. It looked a little worse for wear and Moon Shadow’s pristine feather and handed them to Kelli. “Can your gauntlet analyse these?”

She looked at me dubiously. “I can try?” She ran her gauntlet over both feathers her expression perplexed. When she had finished she held up Moon Shadow’s feather. “This one contains some of your DNA.” She placed the feather carefully down. “But this one. Is one hundred percent your DNA.” She frowned.

“Sorry I thought you might have been imaging it.” I told her.

I felt shocked to my core. I hadn’t really expected it to be that. “Damn it, so that’s what ripped through my clothes?” I was still having trouble imagining it.

“Take off your top,” Kelli ordered.

“What?”

“Take off your top it’s not like I’ve seen you naked before is it?”

I pulled of my top a little shame faced. Like nearly all Valkyrie I’d gone without my bra. The most that the Valkyrie wore were two strips of material crossed at the front and back. I’d got into that habit on the ship. Gudbjorga insisted we fight the Valkyrie way in the nude. In fact I’d seen several Valkyrie stride around without a stitch on. There were no males aboard so they’d reverted to type.

“Now turn around so I can examine your back.”

I did as was told and presented my back to her. I felt her fingers gently probe my shoulder blades.

“This might hurt,” she warned me. Her fingers probed further. It didn’t hurt but it sure felt odd. “Incredible,” Kelli muttered half to herself.

“What have you found?” I strained hard to keep myself from going into panic mode.

What was I turning into? I shivered at the thought.

“Calm yourself!” Kelli’s soothing voice brought me back to reality. “You can put your top back on.”

I pulled my top back on. “What?” I demanded.

Kelli scratched her head. “I don’t know what to make of it. We’re in uncharted territory here?”

“What?”

“Please don’t keep repeating yourself. I thought you’d broken that habit. It can get irritating.”

“Sorry,” I apologised.

“That’s ok I’d be freaking out a bit if I was you?” Kelli tried to lighten my mood.

“Please tell me what you have found?”

“On your shoulder blades are two flaps of skin. Inside I spied two lines of black the same colour as the feathers.”

That made me feel less assured. “Oh great?”

“The glove’s results aren’t formal since this was only a preliminary examination. To ease your mind you are who you are.” Kelli looked at me carefully. “I suspect they were always there. Despite what you may think there is no alteration to your DNA. The glove’s records and scan are the same. The nanobots in your blood can only fix any damage to your body they can’t alter your DNA. It would take something more drastic to do that Valkyrie aside.” She tapped her chin thoughtfully. “We’ll keep this to ourselves for the moment.”

“You are right,” I told her. I wasn’t sure that she knew what she was telling me. There only one I could ask but she wasn’t here and until I found her I couldn’t ask.

Kelli smiled at me. “Cheer up Gwen we’re here for you.”

The door chimed.

“That will be Jervic just hope he brought the right stuff back.” She opened the door to reveal Jervic standing there.

He slipped past her burdened by a box of groceries.

“I wasn’t sure what coffee you drank so I got one each of all the brands the store stocked?” Jervic said.

Kelli rolled her eyes at that. I smiled at her feeling my tension ease.

“I’ll take that,” I said to Jervic. “You are my guests here.” I made coffee using up my store of mugs. Sitting down it felt like old times it was that feeling I needed to hold on to. The day passed with the three of us catching up on things.