Ancient Hunter

Silence reigned about the bay after Skerifa’s pronouncement. I sincerely doubted that she spoke for the Elders.

Xenai interrupted before anything could go further. “Captain Skerifa thank you for you aid.” Xenai nodded to Jedra. “And thank you Jedra Martin for agreeing to the DNA test.” She was acknowledging Jedra’s part in this and her connection to me through our shared heritage. My family history was complicated. A far distant ancestor was the brother of Miranda Marsha Martin founder of her Clan. And also my great, great grandfather was a Landottir. A Clan that had separated itself from the Martin Clan and went to form a colony on Demeros. The destruction of the Clan afterwards was the reason I was here investigating. All that had lead to this point, an autopsy of an attacking creature that had Landottir DNA if my guess was correct. I hoped I was wrong but the facts were showing me the terrifying truth. One of the few things I was still yet to solve was how the Elders tracked down my great, great grandfather Theo and changed not only his DNA to make him test as Human. Not only that wiped his memory and left him on Earth as the last Landottir. All the other survivors were reabsorbed back into the Martin Clan their DNA altered to make them Martins. It made me wonder about what the Elders plans for me were. I suddenly realised I’d missed a lot of what Xenai was saying.

“Sergeant Cole,” Xenai said to one of the female Marines on duty guarding the piles of body bags.

“Ma’am!” the sergeant saluted her captain.

“Please escort Captain Skerifa and her companion back to her ship.”

I could see Xenai’s ploy by sending a female Marine to escort the Valkyries she wasn’t going to offend them.

Xenai glanced at me her expression fixed. As a telepath she could have read my mind. Her ethics wouldn’t let her read the minds of her friends. But in my case she couldn’t anyway. The Keepers had effectively blocked anyone from reading mine or even trying to influence it.

“Lieutenant Hunter you are with me,” she said to me.”

I saluted like the Alliance officer I was pretending to be. Until Admiral Komana had officially reinstated me I was in limbo not knowing what I was supposed to be. Xenai treated me as her sister and a member of her crew.

Xenai turned to Doctor Jennings the Human male conducting the autopsy. “Carry on doctor.” Next she addressed the Ezaran standing close to me medical equipment. “Palassi, see if you can analyse those crystals they must have some function?”

I shivered at that thought. Jennings had opened the corpse to find a number of crystals attached to it vital organs. She turned back to me and gestured for me to follow her. I followed her out of the bay Freyhilda and her squad trailing me.

In the corridor outside the bay we halted. Xenai turned to regard me carefully her eyes searching for answers.

“Gwen that was unexpected?” Xenai said to me.

I understood what she was saying. I had been taken aback by Skerifa’s statement. As a Samdar that was the last thing I’d expected her to say. Her Clan Mother had refused to take back Solstrid’s bangle. That had been Solstrid’s last request to me. It was to return her bangle back to her Clan. It had been refused and it was now in the hands of the Elders. “As it was to me.” I noted that Freyhilda or any of her squad had commented on fact. I felt as if they seemed wholeheartedly behind this bout of Valkyrie stupidity. I wasn’t sure what alarmed me more their lack of response or mine. I had been an emotional wreck before and now I was uncomfortably calm and thinking clearer. There was bound to be consequences later.

Xenai frowned. “I wish I could read your thoughts, your mind is still a blank to me.”

“I am still me,” I said to her.

Xenai looked thoughtful. “Gwen go and find your investigation team. My last report them was on deck three sector five.” She checked her comms. “They are still there.” She turned to Freyhilda. “Sergeant Hollen this crisis is far from over. I’d like you to continue escorting Lieutenant Hunter until ordered otherwise.”

Freyhilda saluted Xenai. “Yes ma’am!”

“And Gwen I want a full report on your findings.” Xenai grimaced. I’ll have to inform Admiral Komana about this mess.”

I did feel for her. Komana was Xenai’s mother and was a harsh taskmaster. She had had me exiled back to Earth and she wasn’t happy I’d come back and that Xenai had taken me in. I saluted Xenai as if I was her junior officer. “Yes ma’am.” I headed out with my escort.

We passed along corridors still showing signs of battle and crew repairing the damage. I hadn’t realised how much of a rampage those creatures had been on. The ruined blast doors were the most eye opening. They had been torn apart, doors that were supposed to protect the ship from internal damage had been treated if they were made of paper. Somehow it reminded me of a similar sort of door in the tunnel that lead to the Joining Pool. I had at first thought that they’d been blasted by explosives now I wasn’t so sure. I found my team in smaller bay. It was a smaller version of the bay that had the autopsy in. They were examining a huge dark crystal twice the length of a shuttle. It tapered sharply into a point. I assume to punch a hole through the hull. The texture of the crystal kind of reminded me of the Stepping-Stones it seemed to have been made from the same material.

“Gwen!” Kelli cried out as soon as she saw me. “Thanks the Ancients you are ok.”

She said she’d stopped using the word ‘Ancients,’ after meeting Jennifer who is one. Jennifer looked like a Human but that wasn’t her true form. She looked like a glowing ball of light. The Keepers knew who she was even if she was disguised. Which was how I got her to admit she was a First One or Ancient to the T’Arni. The ones that saved them from slavery to the Rhosani and the builders of the gift worlds.

“Kelli I need you to scan me,” I said to her. That was her normal thing when she met me. A scan with her medical gauntlet just to check up if I was ok. She couldn’t get over when she misdiagnosed me on our way to Melanos.

“Ok Gwen.” She paused. “Didn’t you tell me not to do that?”

“I’m asking you now.” I explained my changing emotions going from an emotional wreck to my current calmness.

“Ok Gwen,” Kelli said putting on her gauntlet. She ran it over my body.

“Well?” I asked.

“Someone dosed you with Xylodrine.”

“Is that bad?” I asked her. I guessed that Xenai had ordered it for me and I had drunk the coffee little knowing what it had contained. I’d have to ask her why the next time I saw her?

“In your case no, I’ve used it one you before. It’s a calmative designed for use on Valkyrie.”

“Was the same stuff you injected into me when I walked out of the Medbay?”

“That was something else.”

I noted she didn’t look at Freyhilda or her squad when she said that. “It was when I failed to diagnose your hormone imbalance. Kara Martin recommended it.”

Jervic walked around from behind the ship. Even though he was encased in his combat armour I’d recognise him anywhere.

“Hi Gwen,” Jervic said.

His words sent a comforting warmth throughout my body. The drug must be wearing off.

“Hi yourself,” I said to Jervic sounding like a schoolgirl on heat. My head was focused on my tasks but my body wasn’t.

“Vic! Mind on the job play later,” Kelli warned him.

Denassi took that moment to appear from behind the crystal. Denassi was the same as all Ezarans with furry skin and looking as if he was wearing a crumpled uniform two sizes too big for him.

“Oh hello Gwen,” Denassi said with a wave of his hand a thoughtful expression on his face.

“When are we getting so informal?” I asked him gesturing to my uniform. When Xenai put in charge of her investigation team I was his superior.

“I really don’t care for that sort of thing.” Besides you’re part of the team and we can be informal to each other.”

I couldn’t answer that. “ So what have we got here?” I said changing the subject.

“Investigating that,” Denassi replied pointing to the crystal.

“I’ve been scanning it,” Kelli added waving her gauntlet at me.

“And I’ve been standing here looking tough,” Jervic said with a laugh.

As much as I wanted to laugh with him I had a job to do. “Your conclusions so far?”

Kelli glanced at Denassi. “You go first.

“We’ve surmised that was designed to penetrate the hull and disgorge troops into the ship. Which it did.”

Kelli spoke next. “I’ve scanned the hull from end to end and can’t find an opening?”

I looked again at the ship if I could call it that it still reminded me of the Stepping-Stones. A thought came to mind I didn’t like it one bit. “What if this isn’t a troop carrier but a door or gateway from the actual troop carrier?” That seemed to make sense as much as I knew it.

My team glanced at each other I could see the consternation on both Denassi’s and Kelli’s face. Jervic stiffened his hand on his weapon. I felt Freyhilda’s squad go into combat mode. I don’t how I knew that but they were Valkyrie so it was a given.

“I didn’t think if that?” Denassi admitted. “Is it possible?”

“The First Ones use technology far beyond what we have.” I knew this first hand with Jennifer transporting me from Saros to Demeros in the blink of an eye. It would take a month or so by hyperspace or twelve hours by the wormhole. Not every ship could use wormhole travel. I was still in the dark as to how they did that. “May it be possible that they used these ships the same way?”

“With the Ancients anything is possible,” Denassi said thoughtfully.

“I have scanned the Stepping-Stones on Saros I couldn’t get a reading off those.” Kelli grimaced, “I getting the same results here.”

“Call Xenai,” I told her my hand going automatically to the butt of my Seven Double ‘M’. My pistol with its 7mm ammunition wouldn’t stop one of those rampaging creatures. But it would be enough to slow it for the Marines to kill.