Keeper Hunter

Reluctantly I headed back into the house. There was a drying pool of blood on the floor and the air was heavily scented with perfume. It didn’t quite mask the stench of shit and piss.

“Ok who’s been using my perfume!” Sindara announced seeming to make it an offence punishable by death.

“I didn’t think you wanted to smell a Human’s voided guts,” Inkassi said. “I couldn’t find anything stronger.” He was studying the holo map his expression distracted.

Hlanhildr’s gaze was on me. “Initiate take a seat on the couch we have a lot to discuss?”

I sat on the couch making room for Sindara who was casting a baleful gaze at Inkassi.

“Did you really have to do that?” I pointed to the bloodstain on the plastic flooring.

Hlanhildr sighed heavily. “Fear is a tool we use to make our task easier.”

She seemed to be including me in that. It wasn’t a thing I wanted to be involved in.

“Do I like using it?” Hlanhildr appeared to be questioning herself. “Mother, no. You saw what I was dealing with a fanatic willing to die for his cause. I deprived him of that so he has a long time to reconsider his actions.”

“But you did you have to cut off…” I found myself blushing at a loss for words. “Cut off his balls and dick?”

“It was the only option. I wanted to make an example for the others. He wasn’t going to talk no matter what I did to him. I had to make it visible and dramatic. More than anything his chauvinistic male attitude needed a good kick.” Hlanhildr shook herself. “We have the info you needed and it isn’t good.”

I took a look at the holo map, Inkassi had added a lot of detail to it.

“Based on the info and it was good info.” He never looked at Hlanhildr. “This is what we are up against.”

I peered at the holo it had changed a lot from the last time I’d seen it.

“Is this accurate?” I asked Inkassi.

“As we can make it.” He expanded the view of holo zooming in on the transport hub with its landing pad. “Look?” he said pointing to a section nearest the northern gate. I was surrounded by several narrow elongated rectangles. “These are automated metal barriers too high for a MRECV to climb over.”

I knew what he was talking about my mind on an ambush on Alfheimir. The roads had been blocked with rubble. I never got to find out what had happened to Captain Korja Svertingdottir’s team after I’d been captured. I hoped they’d escaped, tackling that Prowler with the weapons they had would have been fatally futile.

Inkassi continued. “Ideal defensive positions if attacking the gate. The barriers can be dropped and the attackers would be in the open.” Inkassi indicated the wall. “Inside the wall is a walkway defenders can pour down fire on any attackers and a series of auto turrets would turn the area into a killing ground.”

“So an assault from that side is a no go.” I hadn’t been planning on using the transport hub to access the brewery anyway.” I waved to the east gate. “The main entrance?”

“Not enough space to effectively manoeuvre and then there’s the possibility of civilian casualties. Admiral Katares wants to avoid that at possible.” Leo added.

“Why not get a search warrant?” I said.

“It would be easy in the Terran Empire. Here we have to go to a local judge to do that.” It was clear what Hlanhildr thought of that.

“Which wouldn’t happen,” Leo said unhappily.

“The locals don’t like outsiders,” Sindara stated. “You saw what we had to deal with?”

“That does complicate matters,” I said thoughtfully. “And the south gate?”

“Is a possibility but they are probably expecting that,” Inkassi said.

The more I looked at the defences around the south gate the more I saw it as a trap. I couldn’t get around how the Confederacy allowed things like this happen. Then looking from the Confederacy standpoint all the worlds in the Confederacy were independent only their Senate and military had any cohesion. It was a mess to me an outsider. Then the Empire was less than perfect I had to admit that. It allowed things like the former Emperor Augustus get away with what he had done. “So the river side is our only option?”

Inkassi shifted the holo map until it showed that side of the brewery. “The top of the embankment is at least fifteen metres above the river surface. There are about a dozen outflows into the river the diameters of the pipes too small to crawl through.” Inkassi glanced at Sindara. “Even for a T’Arni or an Ezaran.”

I had another chilling thought. “Anything in the water we should worry about?”

Inkassi looked at me with a puzzled expression on his face. “I’m not sure what you are on about?”

“Predators?”

“Nope I’m still not getting it?”

“They have fish in the rivers of Paranova called Sharptooth, huge fish the size of a ground car and extremely viscous.”

“Now there’s a challenge,” Hlanhildr said enthusiastically.

Trust a Valkyrie to say that. It was the reason Frigga was at the river the day Copper’s town was destroyed. Copper had jumped into the water taking a chance with the Sharptooth rather than let herself be taken. Frigga had dived in and saved her Copper couldn’t swim and still couldn’t. Phedra had told me of Copper’s fear of water she could stand to shower but a bath or anything like that was out of question.

“Sharptooth?” Sindara asked.

Her question startled me I had already given an explanation. “Carnivorous fish,” I said patiently.

She glanced at Inkassi her lips pursed. “We don’t have anything like that here do we?”

“Nothing like that in the Confederacy,” Leo told her. He frowned. “We’re getting of point here?”

I had to agree with him, “Inkassi can you show me the west side by the river in more detail.”

“Certainly,” Inkassi responded.

I studied the holo intently. Finally I had a plan or a sort of plan. Whether it was a good plan or not in remained to be seen. It was our only option the western side that abutted the river was the easiest way in which also made it the obvious trap. Nor could you amount an assault from that side too many obstacles in the way. But the was another problem that was more urgent. “What are you going to do with the Security Officers you have prisoner?” I asked Hlanhildr directly.

“Kill them of course!” she replied in an off hand way.

Shock ran through my body and I felt sick in my gut. From the looks of it I wasn’t the only one. Everyone in the room stared horrified at Hlanhildr.

“What!” Leo barked.

“Joke,” Hlanhildr laughed.

I wasn’t so sure about that this was a Valkyrie saying it.

“No I’ll hand them into the GF.” Hlanhildr chuckled at her jest.

“GF here?” I asked her.

“I have four companies of GF with me. They’ve got this town on lockdown. They are also maintaining the comms blackout. I’m sure they’ll take charge of our guests and any other undesirables we come across. The fact you’ve been classed as terrorists played nicely into our hands.”

“How so?” I found myself saying that.

“The locals declared you as terrorists. Which played the ball in the GF court. The Davenport Government placed all terrorist related activities into GF hands.”

“Ball, court?” Leo looked puzzled.

It was a typical reaction to Imperial colloquiums by someone from the Confederacy.

“Terran words our Initiate knows what they mean,” Hlanhildr said.

I nodded there wasn’t much more I could add to that. “Well we’ll should be planning our course of action,” I said trying to stay on topic.

“You’re coming with us?” Sindara asked tentatively her eyes on Hlanhildr.

“Someone has to keep an eye on our Initiate.” Hlanhildr winked at me.

I winced.

“Any objections?” Hlanhildr’s expression brooked no dissent. She stared at Leo who looked dejected. “Good we can proceed.” She turned to me. “I’ll assume you have a plan?”

“A part of one. I need to study the holo more.”

It was going to be a long day.