Ancient Hunter

I must have walked at least ten kilometres to reach this point. I had to wonder how the Ezarans knew where to go. I did see them put their faces close to numbers on the walls. If I had to guess taking Earth animals into account they were tracking their way via scent. Although I’d never seen Denassi do that I wondered if it was just these Ezarans. It was a long way from where I’d watched Martha and her group leave. Hopefully they made their way safely to the freighter. One of the four Ezarans with me had gone ahead up another set of stairs. I reckoned I’d climb more stairs in this ship than I’d climbed at mountain during my training on Alfheimir. The Ezaran scout stopped at the top of the steps and waved us to be silent. I crept up to the Ezaran who pointed to the alcove ahead. As quietly as I could I edged past him into the alcove. The alcove opened out into a wide corridor that stretched far into the dim emergency lighting. Not too far from our position where at least a half dozen Humans dressed in various clothing and were wearing holsters around their waists. It must contain something important for them to be there.

“What going on?” I whispered to the scout. The comms were still down and I had no way of contacting the Valorous Star let alone my team. I hope they had survived the creature’s attack and they were faring better than I was.

“The prisoners are in there.” The male Ezaran replied matching my whisper with his voice in low tones.

“Certain?” I surveyed the situation formulating a plan risky at best but I had no other options.

The Ezaran nodded without speaking.

“You think they know we’ve released the others?”

“Hard to say,” The Ezaran replied.

“Wait here!” I told him. My plan was dangerous but I couldn’t think of a way past. My enhanced vision from my helmets HUD told me that the opposition did not have anything heavier than the pistols they wore. I was reluctant to kill them out of hand. I knew they’d attack as soon as I revealed myself but I let them surrender if I could. I was sure that they wouldn’t my accent would betray my Imperial origins. They hated the Empire with a fanaticism that was scary. I stood and stepped into the corridor.

“Drop your weapons and surrender!” I yelled at the top of my voice.

My words had an opposite effect they drew their weapons. I had no choice but to defend myself.

The filters in my helmet muted the sound of gunfire. I lowered my Seven Double ‘M’ it’s magazine depleted. The opposition were dead and I’d got away mostly unharmed due to my armour. The Black Stripes weapons ineffective against my Alliance issued armour. I approached the bodies with caution. I had to make sure they’d all were dead. I wasn’t sure that they were it could be like the Orsini pretending to be dead so they could get closer to the enemy. I heard the Ezarans exit the alcove and follow me. I ignored them focusing on the bodies.

“Ancients,” one of the male Ezarans exclaimed. “You really are a one Human army?”

I wasn’t about to correct him that I wasn’t Human. “I did what I had to do to protect myself.”

“You’re bleeding,” one of the female Ezarans said pointing to my arm.

A bullet had punched through the joint in my armour. I hadn’t even felt it hit. “It will heal.” I told her. I wasn’t being blasé I could feel my nanobots repairing the damage. A moment later the bullet popped out. I felt the stares of the Ezarans on me. I just shrugged.

“I doubt Sandra Locke could do that and they say she can shrug of injuries that would down a lesser being?” one the Ezarans said.

I knew who that was I wasn’t totally ignorant. She was a considered a hero by the Confeds. To the Empire she was the Duchess of Mars the person other nobles feared and loyal to her cousin Constantina the Empress. “I’m just me,” I replied trying to say anything else was too complicated.

The Ezaran nodded thoughtfully and began to loot the dead. They picked up all that would be useful. I let them the dead weren’t going to need them anymore. One of the Ezarans a female picked up something that looked like a box that fitted into the palm of her hand and had wires sticking out of it.

“Ooh!” The female said. “I haven’t seen one of these in a while?”

“What’s that?” I had to ask.

“Electronic lock picker,” she told me putting it in the satchel she was wearing.

I stepped across the bodies to the door panel beside the door. It had been damaged.

“Here let me look at that.” The Ezaran female pulled at the panel revealing the circuitry underneath. Fishing out the device she had pocketed she attached it to the circuit board and an amber light blinked on the device. After a while it turned green but the door didn’t open. She regarded the device perplexed.

“That should have worked?” she said as she started to disconnect her device. “The door should have popped open?”

“Let me look?” a male Ezaran said to her.

She moved away if reluctant to give up. The male ignored her and examined the panel carefully.

“It not going to open in this life time the cables are fried.”

“Is this going to be a problem?” I asked mildly I needed to get in there and I didn’t want to wait while the Ezarans fiddled about with the wiring.

“Without the cables feeding power we can’t open it.”

“There has to be a way around it?” I asked them.

“I can cut through the door with the laser.” The Ezaran who been quick to take the laser welder said. “I just need to alter the setting and narrow the beam.” I watched as he did something to the laser. “Cutting now!” he declared.

A brilliant beam of light hit the door. I saw the laser cut through the steel as if it was paper. As he cut the last section he gave it a kick. The remains of the door fell into the room with a dead waking clang. I passed the Ezaran heading for the door as he said.

“Be careful it is still hot?”

I was certain my armour would negate any heat in the seconds it would take me to enter the room. I checked the clip for my gun and jumped through the hole. Inside was a copy of the Imperials’ room but without the beds. Expecting more Humans I halted in total shock. My stomach churned with anger and horror finding myself confronting hundreds of Valkyrie. They seemed to be staring back at me with fear plastered over their faces.

“Mother of All!” I said out loud. I didn’t intend to say that it just came out. I couldn’t take the words back even though they were too Valkyrie for someone like me.

An older seeming Valkyrie stepped out from behind the others. She wore a tattered shirt a little too tight for her frame. Her pants were ragged and dirty. Her face was a map of scars and anger seethed in her blue eyes. Her hair was grey and braided in a single braid that reached to the floor. I assumed she was an elder by her hair and braid. Yet her face despite the scars was that of a younger woman.

“How dare you utter the name of the Mother here!” The Valkyrie said.

I noticed she was wearing a collar around her neck. Kind of like the ones on Monica and Alicia in the hidden jungle lab on Davenport. It was meant to shock them into compliance. I suspected the Valkyrie was wearing it for the same reason to make her obey. I understood her frustration.

“I’m here to get you out!” I said to the Valkyrie.

“I said how dare you invoke the name of the Mother here!” the Valkyrie demanded.

“I have that right sister!” I felt my inner VHT (Valkyrie Hair Trigger) surge rising to the challenge. I wouldn’t get into a fight here so I glanced across the other Valkyrie noting they were much younger and most of them were pregnant.

I felt my bile rise as the realisation hit me as to what is going on here. They were being used a breeders to create those creatures we’d encountered. Either they were victims of the Civil War on Alfheimir or the worst thing the remnants of the Landottir. I didn’t know which was worse. I had to reclaim these Valkyrie. They despite my inner protests were my kin. The elder Valkyrie stepped forward seeming eager for confrontation anger colouring her face making her scars more vivid.

“Stand down!” I ordered trying hard to control my VHT.

The Valkyrie took another step forward.

“Stand down!” I repeated. “Or face the wrath of the Silver Guard!”

“You dare say that Human!”

I holstered my weapon and removed my gauntlet to reveal my bangle. “This is my right even though I’m vaihdokas.” I held up my arm.

“Silver Guard, where was the Silver Guard when my Clan was taken!” The elder Valkyrie snarled at me.

I had a sinking feeling I knew what Clan she was talking about. “You are a Landottir.”

She blinked her lips parted for a moment shock plastered across her face. “How did you know?” she asked glancing at the other Valkyrie.

“I’ve been searching for the Landottir ever since I learned that not all the Landottir died on Demeros. Some of those that survived were taken back to by the Martins but not all. One ended up on Earth and I am the result of that.”

I don’t think I could have shocked her more. “You’re a Landottir?”

“I am though my blood. I can claim I have both Martin and Landottir blood.”

The Valkyrie flushed pale more paler than she already was. Her skin was pale as someone who hadn’t seen the sun for years or decades even. Since the Clan had been destroyed. I guessed she might be that old, after all Miranda was ancient in years but she looked as if she was in her forties if you judged her by appearance.

“The Martin blood is through my father from the brother of the first Martin. My Landottir blood is through my great grandfather Theo who was rescued by a trader and taken to Earth.”

“Theo lived?” the Valkyrie uttered in disbelief. “My Theo survived. I though him dead all these years?”

With a chill I knew who I was talking to Jenna the Clan Mother of the Landottir. She was supposed to have died in the attack the decimated the Clan. “The Elders hid his existence on Earth, from himself and everyone else. He died not knowing his true origins.” I felt Jenna’s grief and anger over that. “I only found about this after I was taken to Alfheimir.” I quickly told her the circumstances that led to me being on Alfheimir. I put my gauntlet back on and held out my hand to Jenna. Jenna time to bring our Clan home.”

Jenna fell to the floor tears pouring from her eyes she knelt there on her hand and knees. She faced the floor her despair clear in her sobs. “How can I do that they broke me soul and body. I cannot, I just can’t I’m broken.”

“No you aren’t,” I let my voice harden. “Get to your feet Bond Sister your Clan Mother orders it!” I spoke like Thirika did to me when I was feeling sorry for myself. There were a lot of those in the early days on Alfheimir.

Her head shot up she stared at me some of her Valkyrie spirit showing through her despondency. “Clan Mother?”

“You’ll have to ask the Elders when we reach Alfheimir.” I looked down at her but it was difficult to show any expression while wearing a helmet. “Get off the floor Jenna and lead our Clan to safety!”