Keeper Hunter

The sudden appearance of the ATV terrified the T’Arni. They all looked frightened. In that moment I felt sorry for them. There was a dirty dishevelled woman my boots covered in mud confronting them and now there was a hulking great ATV. The door opened and Copper climbed out. I don’t know how she did it but she was wearing a pale green jumpsuit the type issued to Imperial forces. On her sleeve close to her shoulder was a badge containing a silhouette of a Human and a T’Arni. Around her waist was a utility belt the kind that was issued to Security but without a weapon holster. She took a brief scan of the situation and marched over to the T’Arni.

“What are you doing here this is a prohibited location?” Copper demanded mercilessly.

Even I shivered at her verbal assault. “Miss Cuivre?” I said to her trying to sound like the voice of reason.

“I’m the authority here, Miss Hampton,” she replied. “Valkyrie like you,” she added. “Shouldn’t be poking their noses in Imperial business?”

I caught her drift. She was playing it up for her audience. She was making out I wasn’t Human, which was true in a way. Then I had spoken to the T’Arni in Galactic.

“Vaihdokas only,” I reminded her playing her game. I was the good cop to her bad one. That I did understand. “Come on now best you co-operate,” I said still speaking Galactic.

The T’Arni’s gaze switched between Copper and I. He was trying to decide who was the safer option.

“Come on I’m waiting for you explanation here?” Copper said in a voice that could have frozen a river.

The T’Arni turned to me deciding I was the lesser of two evils.

“Ma’am?” At least he was being respectful. “We are refugees, the Human Separatists burned us out of our home.”

That explained the ground car piled with belongings. I noted the female T’Arni and her children kept looking around the ground car timidly. I couldn’t blame them. I looked Human but that was the lie I kept telling myself.

“And so you decided to settle here in a prohibited location?” I’d have to ask Copper about that later but for now we had to deal with the refugees. “Do you have a name?” I asked the male T’Arni.

“I’m Zenobio and that is my wife Iris and my sons Baccio and Yuri.”

“Ok so why stop here there’s nothing here?” I asked him.

“We thought it would be safe?”

I snorted at that and pointed to the bonfire in the square dark smoke curling out from it into the sky. “Is that safe advertising your presence to anyone out there. You do realise that smoke can be seen for kilometres. That’s hardly hiding now is it?”

Zenobio winced at my statement. He knew I was right.

“Best you leave,” Copper told him.

I decided to let Copper talk to him she’d probably have better luck than I she was half T’Arni. I walked back to the ATV, The driver’s door was open and the binoculars were on the seat. It was obvious that Copper had been watching from the edge of the forest. I picked up the binoculars and closed the door. Glancing up at the cloudless sky I saw a glint of light in the distance.

“Copper,” I said softly. “We’ve got company.” I raised the binoculars to my eyes. There was definitely more than one thing out there. “How many shuttles do your friends have?”

“One and I haven’t called them yet?” She sounded worried.

“Get civilians out of here.” I had a feeling they weren’t friendly. I don’t know what made me think that it was a hunch I couldn’t sake off.

“Glenda?” Copper asked.

“Get them out of here you know the roads get them to safety.”

“Yes,” Copper answered. “Zenobio get your family into the ATV we need to go.”

Zenobio babbled in fear. “We can’t leave our stuff!”

“Get into the damn ATV idiot!” I snapped. “You can’t have them if you are dead!”

“What…” Zenobio stuttered.

“Zeno, “ Iris said. “Please my heart we must go.”

“What about you?” Copper directed her question to me.

“I’m staying.” I pulled out the Seven Double ‘M’ in my pocket. There were fourteen rounds left if I was careful it would keep the enemy pinned down here. I was certain they would come here that fire would be the thing that brought them in. I was just glad the enemy was taking their time. “Copper get going!”

“Yes ma’am, “ she said helping the family into the ATV cramping them in between the supplies in the back.

The ATV roared off just in time as the first of a dozen shuttles roared over my head. My heart sank seeing the ‘XI’ symbol on their sides. I had been right I just wished I’d made a mistake. One hovered overhead appearing to survey the scene. The others landed in a field behind the town. Turning I hurried to the Security office even without glass in the windows and a door it was the most defensible building in the ruined town. The inside was a stark contrast to the smoke stained exterior. It had been swept clean although not recently from the looks of things. The windows on this floor were small and high. I could see two exits the door to the square and a back door. I suspected Copper used this building when she came here. There was a comms terminal unpowered on a concrete bench. Surrounding the bench was a concrete barrier or counter at about stomach height for a Human or chest height for a T’Arni. It extended towards the door to the square. Behind the door were two rooms and a set of stairs up to the second level. One of the rooms looked like a bathroom and the other a storeroom of some sort. The second door out had been barricaded piled high with burnt and smoke damaged equipment. It was would be a long hard job clearing that.

It was trap sort of with only one exit but it meant the enemy only had one way in. I knew it was a hopeless situation but every minute I delayed them here was another minute Copper and refugees had to escape. She knew the territory and was more than likely to escape. On the second floor it was more open and the windows larger. Up here the floor was cleaner I suspected Copper used the floor up here when she stayed here. I guessed she made an annual pilgrimage to this town. She had told me the very Empire supposed to defend it, had destroyed the town. I felt a sudden flash of anger I guess my inner VHT was calling for justice. I moved to the window overlooking the square. The second floor gave me an ample view of the town and fields beyond it. Six shuttles had landed in the middle of the fields the crudely painted XI on their sides visible. A number of people Separatists by my guess were milling around the shuttles as if waiting for orders. It seemed very confused to me I began to wonder if the Separatists were an actual threat or a pathetic bunch of Rhosani controlled rebels.

As I looked out a head appeared around the wall of a ruined home. I drew back and readied my weapon. The figure seeming to think it was clear stepped out and sauntered towards the refugee ground car as if he had nothing to fear. It was a man in miss-matched Security armour. My Valkyrie blood surged I would make them fear make them regret their action. I felt powerless to stop it. Some vestige of humanity held me back. I had to give a chance to surrender. Hopeless I know but my Security training made me want to do it.

“Drop you weapons and surrender!” I yelled.

A fusillade of shots peppered the building. I had my reply for some strange reason I felt better for that odd how it may seem.

I leaned out of the window fired and dropped the man. A risky move on my part. A second appeared and fired at the office. I returned fire adding a second corpse to the first. I regretted that I wasn’t a cold-blooded killer. My Valkyrie side was warring with my Keeper side and the Valkyrie in me was winning. Three more appeared in miss-matched armour and ran towards the office, I had the height advantage and shot them down before they could cross the square. I knew I was at a disadvantage here. I was only one against many. All they had to do was attack from all sides and I would be dead. Another group made a dash for the building I cut them down aware I was nearly out of ammo. What I couldn’t fathom was their dedication to attacking from one location it didn’t make any sense.

Suddenly a woman appeared dressed in white two heavily armed guards at her side. She strode into the square like she thought she was bullet proof. My blood froze and boiled at the same time. I recognised the figure he was Prophet. He may still look like a woman but it was hard to forget the person that killed Mother Sophronia with a flick of her hand.

“For Alfheimir!” I yelled. Reckless and stupid I know but I couldn’t help myself. I fired. The Prophet fell to the ground blood staining the white cloth, red. There was a stunned silence before his guards dragged him away. It was the second time I’d shot the Prophet and like the first time I’d only wounded him. I felt sick to the bone I should have killed him. I wasn’t sure how he survived and watched helplessly as they took him back to the shuttle. It would be only a matter of time before they resumed their attack. I pulled out the magazine from the Seven Double ‘M’ two rounds left. That was it I was finished. I had to go and I had to go now.