Ancient Hunter

I sat in my quarters still dressed in the white paper suit and booties feeling very hard done by. Lieutenant Gant had been curt but followed his orders. Thorda’s opinion of him had been right on the money. Two human Marines in full combat had escorted me from the shuttle bay to my quarters. It was the same quarters I’d had when I was working for Xenai before my life crash-dived. All I had with me was the Landottir Guardian sword for some reason Joyce was reluctant to let anyone else touch it. Not because it was contaminated but for what it was. She had told me it was valuable because it was made of kovettunut a metal only found on Alfheimir. I’d been here two hours and in that time I hadn’t heard anything from anyone. I could understand why Xenai and the others hadn’t come but there were other races. Someone could had come and told me something, anything. I felt like a pariah shunned by everyone. I jumped a bit when my door chimed.

“Enter!” I called out.

The door slid open to reveal Francine McAlester the woman who called herself a seamstress. She’d made the dress that nearly got me killed. I worried she was here to make another of those dresses. She had later made amends by making some others to my tastes. I saw she had several packages in her hands.

“There you are?” she said in her distinctive USE accent. “Good thing I saved your measurements.

It had been a long time since I heard someone speak in my home language. My mind did a back track. What was that about measurements? “What?”

She pointed at my paper suit. “You’re not going to wear that monstrosity all day? I hope you’re not trying to make a fashion statement?”

I managed to crack a slight smile Francine’s bluntness was a refreshing change. She passed me the packages.

“Strip!” she said abruptly. “And wear these!”

I stared at her perplexed. “Now?”

“Yes!” Then added. “You haven’t got anything I haven’t seen before.”

I was forced to strip naked in front of her. I was certain if I hadn’t she might of done it herself. I opened a package to find rose coloured matching bra and panties. A second package revealed pair of blue slacks and a matching top. Finally I had a pair of practical heels in blue. I had thought she’d made the clothes but the shoes were a different matter. There was no way she could have made those from scratch. I dressed aware of her scrutiny.

“You’ve lost weight?” she said once I was dressed. “Those pants look too loose on your bum?”

It was a splash of humour that pulled me out of my spiralling depression. A thought filled my mind. My bum definitely wouldn’t look big in this. I felt slightly better than I had for a long time.

“If that’s all if that all I’ll get back to work.”

“Thanks,” I said that was heartfelt.

Francine left the door sliding closed behind her.

With renewed vigour I turned away from the door to see a red light blinking my terminal. I was surprised by that that no one besides Xenai and my former team knew I was here. The only other one that knew I was here was Joyce. I powered the terminal on to see Mother Ronja’s face staring out of the holo screen. To say I was surprised to see her would have been and understatement.

“Mother Ronja?” I said.

“Good to see you well,” she replied. She was in a formal gown showing the red and silver of Clan Martin. Despite her warm welcome that was a hint of anger in her voice.

It wouldn’t have surprised me if she had been informed of my bout of stupidity.

“What is this about?” I asked her dreading her reply. Clan Mothers didn’t call you up to say hello there was a purpose behind her call.

“The Landottir,” Ronja said.

I wasn’t sure but I heard sympathy in her words. I had a sinking feeling I wasn’t going to like what she was going to say. It evaporated the little bit of self I had left.

“Freyhilda Hollen has accounted for five hundred of the Clan.”

I wasn’t sure where this was leading so I let her continue.

“The Elders after pushing have revealed they had accounted for fifteen hundred more. Then there were the handful of survivors.”

I began to see where this was going and I didn’t like it one little bit. “I was told five thousand Landottir settled on Demeros.” I avoided that my information had come from Miranda. She was something we couldn’t discuss on an open channel.

Ronja bowed her head at my statement. “Yes I confirmed that with my source.”

Her source being Cinders her daughter and Miranda’s companion and bodyguard.

With cold in the pit of my stomach I saw the discrepancy in the totals. “That’s not all of the Clan accounted for?” I couldn’t keep the fear out of my voice.

“We’re well aware of that!” Ronja sounded angry although not with me. “We’re pushing the Elders for answers this can’t stand.”

I didn’t want Miranda’s Clan wiped from the records. “If you push too hard they may destroy your Clan?”

Ronja nodded her mouth tight. “I know. Be aware it’s not just our Clan pushing for answers. We don’t leave our dead behind no matter what happened to them.” She sighed her expression like a heavy burden was on her shoulders. “The most shameful thing is we don’t abandon any search for our missing.”

“Do you think the Orsini took them?” I’d been on the receiving end of that when Vanessa betrayed Monica and Alicia to them. That would have been my fate had they not thought I was dead. It was a terrible fate for anyone they captured. The Orsini tortured and killed them, using the bones to decorate their armour. Which made those that attacked us all the more stranger.

Ronja shook her head. “The Orsini would have killed them on site. They don’t have the patience to take prisoners with them.” She hesitated. “It has been known but we can’t find any concrete evidence for this.”

Monica’s and Alicia’s torture testimony to that. None of this was making any sense and that was making me uneasy about it all.

“When we find the Orsini Clan responsible we’ll wipe them out.”

Unfortunately I could see a war of tit for tat that spirals out of control. “Be careful.” I warned.

“We won’t be alone we have the backing of the Yanik, Hollen, Hrutdottir, Samdottir even the Bondedottir.” Ronja went to name a few other Clans. Most of those were sworn to Silver, which meant they had silver in their Clan colours. It also meant they were pledged to the Elders. I was worried about another civil war, a Valkyrie claiming to be the Prophetess had started one. That was found to a lie and this so called Prophetess was a male Valkyrie in disguise.

“I don’t want to see Valkyrie fighting Valkyrie again?” I warned.

“We’re just withdrawing our services until we can get a satisfactory resolve to our questions.” Ronja added. “They rely on our Clans to provide administration duties for there members.”

“What about the Silver Guard?” I asked.

“They will still perform their duties.”

I had friends and teachers within the Silver Guard and I was worried how this would effect them.

“I must be gone Gwen. I always like talking to you.” She smiled at me saying. “Just to let you know we are all fighting in your corner.” She grimaced. “That is the right Human expression is it not?”

The screen went blank before I had the chance to ask her anything else. There was so much more I wanted to ask her but couldn’t on a open line. I considered my options there weren’t that many. Finally I gave in and called the last person I wanted to.

“Computer person to person call to Thirika Yanik.” I wasn’t sure if I’d get through to her and dreaded what she’d say to me. Thirika’s face appeared on the screen. To my eyes she looked more careworn than when I last spoke to her.

“Gwen of Clan Hunter,” she said.

I shivered a little at that.

“I expect if you are calling something has happened. Now and again I’d like if it you just called me to say hello.”

“I’ll try,” I promised. One I was sure I might not keep.

“Don’t try, do!” she stared at me from the screen. “What kind of help do you need?”

I told her of my conversation with Ronja. I wasn’t betraying her I was just voicing my concerns. I went on to tell her about what had happened in Grunnleggerby. Reluctantly telling her about my bout of stupidity.

“We know that. The Clan Mothers have been very vocal in their search for the truth.”

“I don’t want it to spread into bloodshed.”

“That won’t happen,” Thirika stated firmly.

“I have my doubts,” I said honestly.

“It will be as you say, ok.” Thirika put a hand over her heart. A gesture I’d seen many times before and still didn’t know what it meant. “I must say you were lucky to catch me I was between training sessions. The latest batch are lazy.” With that she ended the call.

Since I was stuck here with no idea of what I was doing I decided to catch up on all the calls I should have made.

“Computer person to person call to Ljufu Weredale, Saros.”

Ljufu face appeared on the screen she leaned forward and stared at the screen a resigned expression on her face. “Juliana?” Her eyes widened. “Gwen?”

I was worried about Juliana I had to leave her to her own devices, after Jennifer decided to drag me to Demeros. “Yes.”

“I thought it was Juliana getting into trouble again.”

A cold shiver ran down me, I was experiencing a lot of those lately. “What!” I almost screamed at the screen. The computers auto tuner would tone down my shouts. So it was completely useless to do that.

“She has no concept of traffic or her own personal safety.”

“She ok?” I briefly thought of sending her back to the unfinished world. Except I had no idea of where it was. Nor was I going to leave her on her own again.

“Yes, although I’ve had to lecture her on a daily basis.” Ljufu stared through the screen. “Where the heck are you?”

“Demeros where Jennifer dumped me. I’m on board the Valorous Star.”

“The TCA ship the was orbiting Saros. A headache I was glad was gone. I did wonder where it had gone in such a hurry. What are you doing aboard it?”

“Long story.”

“They always are with you.” Ljufu looked away for a moment. “Got to go looks like a major incident arising. A robbery and shots fired.”

“Talk to you later,” I said but she was already gone.

The door at the moment decided to chime.