Keeper Hunter

The contents of both the two red leatherette cases turned out to be a bit of let down. Several sets of clothes jeans, blouses and dresses with matching underwear sets and shoes. The only thing of note was a comms bracelet with the bio for Glenda Hampton on it. I guess I would have to memorise that. I swapped the comms bracelets and put away the clothes in the closet. The cases and my holdall I stored in the lockers under the bed. I sat for two hours with nothing to do. We were in hyperspace and the terminal was still inactive. I began to get bored and for a moment I contemplated on finding the captain but I nixed that and decided to go and train. I was determined to keep myself fit. Changing into a green vest top with dark brown shorts and black sneakers I left my quarters in search of the gym. If this ship’s layout was the same as the Valorous Star then I wasn’t that far from the gym. I had a wishful moment thinking of my friends in the Confederacy even thinking fondly of Jervic. But that was what it was a moment I had to get real. I had things to do.

The sign on the door read B-17 and not the ‘gym’ as it had been labelled beside the door on the Valorous Star. I opened the door and stepped through instantly regretting my decision. It wasn’t a gym, in place of the gym equipment were rows of bunks with lockers. In the centre where the exercise mat was, was a rectangular table surrounded by benches. On one of the benches sat two women in tan coloured shorts and T-shirts. Both women looked in my direction as I entered.

“Can we help you?” one of the women asked.

She was pale skinned with short black hair and a scar on her chin. Her companion seemed taller with olive skin her hair as dark as the other woman but cut shorter.

“You lost,” The olive skinned woman said her tone harsher.

“Sorry thought this was the gym, on the last ship I was on it was,” I apologised.

“Well clearly it’s not?” olive skin remarked earning a grimace from the other woman.

“You want to do some training?” the first woman enquired.

“Yes if you can direct me to a gym I’ll be out of your hair?”

“If it training you’re after come train with us. By the way I’m Claire Jenner and little Miss Grumpy goes by the name of Silivia Dacatti.”

“Glenda Hampton,” I said using my alias.

“You don’t mind training hard?” Claire asked me.

“The harder the better,” I replied. I was looking to blow of steam, training on your own didn’t do that.

“Ok lets get out of here. Coming Grumpy you don’t want Sarge chewing your ass again?”

Silivia grunted something intelligible.

We ended up in a shuttle bay I’m not sure which one. There were dozens of tan clad men and women. I guessed I was with some military unit, Marines by my best guess. They seemed to be gathered in platoons each around an exercise mat. There seemed to me different activities on each mat some combat training, some doing regular training. Claire led me to the nearest a tough looking dark skinned man stood beside that one sergeant’s stripes on the sleeves if his T-shirt.

“Jenner where the hell have you been!”

“Found a stray that will be happy to train with us.”

The sergeant turned to regard me. “Who the hell are you?”

“Glenda Hampton,” I replied. I did want to add lieutenant in the Alliance but I was aware that might not be the wise thing to say here.

“She says she doesn’t mind hard training,” Claire said.

The sergeant regarded me dubiously. “You certain?”

“I’ve trained with the best I think I can keep up. They were the toughest you can get.”

“Oh yeah there’s no one tougher than us!” A male voice interjected.

I gave the speaker a look. Like most of the men here his hair had been cut to a fine fuzz it was difficult to tell the colour.

“Those I’ve trained with would eat you for breakfast,” I replied rising to the challenge.

“Yeah they can snack on this!” He pointed at his crouch.

“Butt out Malcolm,” Claire said to the man. “You’re a moron.” She turned to me. “He’s a deadbeat ignore him.”

“Your funeral,” I said to him.

Malcolm seemed to bristle at that. “Put your money where you mouth is bitch. And I’ll have the silver bracelet to give to my girlfriend, Hey Claire.”

“Fuck off jerk!” she replied.

“Are you all mouth and no action?” I taunted him.

Malcolm looked at the sergeant. “Sarge?”

“I’m not responsible for this I don’t want the paperwork.” The sergeant said and walked away shaking his head and waving his hands.

Malcolm took this as an oppitunity to attack. He lashed out with his fist I stepped out of his way my quicker reflexes coming into play. I grabbed hold of his arm as he sailed past me shock on his face. He hadn’t expected me to move that fast. In fact I hadn’t expected to move that fast either. I flipped him over so he landed on the mat face first.

“One to me I think.”

“Damn it girl you’re fast?” Claire said admiringly.

“Shit you weren’t kidding,” Silivia added.

Malcolm scrambled to his feet his face red. “I’ll get you for that bitch!”

He leapt at me. I twisted around his lunge and threw him to the mat face down. After a third face down on the mat Malcolm’s friends decided to join in. I sensed movement on my flanks I’m not sure how, it was as if I felt presences that were a danger to me. I dropped, rolled backwards as two men jumped at me their hands out stretched. I regained my feet in a blink of an eye as they clashed against each other shock plain on their faces. I kicked out catching one in the groin as he reeled back. I punched out my fist hitting the other’s chin. I heard a crack as his head jerked back. To my surprise I didn’t feel much pain. Malcolm tried to rise but I hit him and he stayed down. The two others lay on the mat groaning.

“Anyone else!” I snarled. My words shocked me I wasn’t that aggressive. I’d been on Alfheimir too long. Before I could apologise Sarge came to my rescue.

“I think they’ve had enough,” Sarge said, he sounded amused.

“Hell girl where did you learn those moves I’ve never seen anyone move the quick?”

Claire said coming over to me.

“From the Valkyrie,” I replied realising I had drawn an audience from the rest of the Marines. They had surrounded the practice mat.

“And that ladies!” A Marine sergeant boomed through the silence. He was tall with short reddish hair and moustache. “Is how you take down more that one opponent.” I saw him wink at me.

“Ok lets wrap this up,” Sarge stated. “Everyone back to work. And someone get these three idiots to the medbay.” He turned to me. “Well ma’am you certainly livened things up. I think we do some regular training for the rest of this session.” He pointed to his Marines. “I want a hundred out of you now!”

A chorus of groans echoed across the mat.

For some odd reason I felt invigorated and that worried me. I shouldn’t be that aggressive it had me worried.

The rest of the time consisted of press-ups, squat thrusts and star jumps. I exercised with the Marines without further incident.

Claire and Silivia trailed me back to my quarters.

“Can I ask questions?” Claire said.

I thought for a moment and answered. “I’m not sure I’ll be able to answer them through?”

“It’s about the Valkyrie is it true that…”

I stopped her before she could finish I knew where her question was going. “They are not.” Which was a bit of a fib. Ljufu was, as were Anhild and Walla. But they were the only ones I knew of. “And I wouldn’t mention it to a Valkyrie it’s a good way to get pummelled to death.”

“Ok I get but how do they have children if they don’t like men?”

“They have them the natural way. I think you’re too old for a birds and bees talk. What I do know is that everyone in a Clan has to have at least one child.” I paused and continued trying hard to phrase my words correctly. “Some Clans are very strict you can’t fall in love.” I remembered Solstrid she had never strayed far from my memories a ghost that I couldn’t lay to rest as long as Vanessa was still around. “My friend Solstrid.” I found it hard to say her name without a lump in my throat. “Was exiled for falling in love with a man from her Clan.”

“God that’s harsh,” Claire exclaimed with a glance to her friend.

“How did you get involved with the Valkyrie you don’t look like one of them?” Silivia asked.

I was surprised she spoken when she did. “Through Solstrid I promised to take her bracelet back to her Clan Mother before she died. The Valkyrie believe that your soul must return to Alfheimir.”

“Did you?” Claire said.

“You must have?” Silivia answered for me.

Claire nodded to Silivia. “I suppose it can be hard for a Human amongst the Valkyrie.”

“It was very complicated. I was lucky or unlucky depends on how you see it I was related to one of the crew of the ‘Marco’.”

“The what?” Claire looked at Silivia and I.

“The ‘Marco’, jeez CJ. The ‘Marco’ was an early explorer ship. There were also the ‘Polo’, ‘Vadimir’, and the ‘Xin’. The ‘Polo’ and the ‘Xin’ were never heard from again and are thought lost. Didn’t you pay attention in school?” Silivia shook her head.

“Ok I get that,” Claire replied.

Silivia looked at me. “The ‘Marco’ visited the Valkyrie homeworld am I correct?”

“Yes some of the crew stayed,” I told them. “I’m related through Miranda Martin although not directly but through her brother who stayed on earth. Apparently that was enough for the Valkyrie. They classed me as the same because I had the same blood.” I wondered if I’d told them too much. I wasn’t going to tell them about my other Valkyrie blood.

“So what would have happened if you hadn’t this blood?” Claire asked.

“They would have made me hand Solstrid’s bracelet on the orbital station and sent me on my way back home,” I stated.

Claire winced. “All that way for nothing.”

Silivia nudged her friend. “Hey we best go otherwise Sarge will be chewing out our asses. And thanks for dealing with Malcolm he’s one big douche bag.”

“If he’s that bad get a transfer?” I said.

“What and go straight to the frontline. I know we’ve have to go there at some time. I just like to a have a bit more of my life before I go.” Claire declared.

I wanted to tell them about my encounter with the Orsini but held my tongue. Yes I was terrified at the time I’m still unsure how I managed to kill them and walk away uninjured.

“Say why don’t we have a drink later,” Silivia said with a glance to her friend.

“Sure,” I replied it wasn’t like I was going to be doing anything anyway.

We parted and went our separate ways.