Ancient Hunter

Joyce’s data rod was certainly taking its time. Perhaps as she had said it wasn’t up to the task. It had come from the computer on Saros I knew first hand how capable that was. Capable of ensnaring me in harness and making me fill up empty data rod as it counted down to Doomsday. The citizens of Saros unaware they had a ticking bomb beneath the surface of the planet. A bomb that would destroy half the planet without warning. The First Ones had slowed the computer by making reset but even that wasn’t going to be enough until I got there and woke the Keepers. Mouse the leader of the Keepers helped me with the computer. At the time she’d only been a hologram. Later I learned they had taken on my likeness by harvesting my ovaries to remake themselves in a physical form. Which technically made me their mother. I turned my attention back to the rod to stop the errant way my mind was going. “Get a grip of yourself Gwen,” I growled at myself under my breath.

Without warning a 3D-holo map of the galaxy appeared above rod. I breathed a sigh of relief thankfully my pessimism hadn’t come to fruition. Amongst the myriad of stars were two blinking lights one blue the other red. I stared at it aware that Xenai and her crew were doing the same.

“Quick I need the co-ordinates of these!” Xenai ordered.

Joyce reached out and touched the holo. It expanded under her fingers the image zeroing in on the blue light. The area of the holo kept expanding until it showed a star system several planets revolving around a sun.

“The blue light is Demeros,” Xenai said.

I hadn’t known that Jennifer had dumped me here and vanished.

Joyce waved at the holo and it resized itself to show the galaxy again. She reached up touched the red light. It expanded to show another star system. This time with a star at the centre more red than yellow and a ring of asteroids.

“The Graveyard,” Xenai’s chief engineer stated.

“Graveyard?” I didn’t like the sound of that.

“The place we send old ships to die,” the Chief told me. He turned to Xenai. There are over four thousand Ezarans and eight relays in the Jemso system.”

Xenai was on her comms instantly. “Comms?” she said to a blonde haired male T’Arni.

“On it ma’am.” The Comms Officer spoke into his comms device rapidly relaying instructions. I couldn’t hear his answers he was wearing an earpiece. He glanced across to Xenai his face concerned. “Ma’am I’m not getting a signal back it’s like the system doesn’t exist.”

Xenai’s expression flickered. “Message Admiral Komana and Com Ops. Inform them of what we’ve discovered.”

“Aye ma’am.” The Comms Officer spoke again to his device.

Xenai regarded her Fandaren navigator. “How long will it take us to Graveyard?”

“Thirty-five hundred hours,” the Fandaren stated without hesitation.

I winced at the time it would take to reach there. I wondered if there were ships closer. Xenai must have been thinking the same thing.

“Closest Confederacy Navy ships to Jemso?” she asked the Fandaren.

“Five hundred and seventy three hours.”

“What about wormhole travel?” Joyce asked.

I agreed it was how the Valorous Star reached Demeros from Saros so quickly. Admittedly not as fast as a First One did. Between on eye blink and another we were on Demeros.

“I don’t know any routes that would take us anywhere close?” Xenai said.

“Let me help,” Joyce said to her, her hand hovering over her data rod.

“Go ahead.”

Joyce spoke to her rod her pretence of actually having to touch the rod. “I need a wormhole route to the Jemso system?”

I wasn’t sure how I knew it but the rod seemed to understand what she was asking it.

Lines appeared on the holo map. There were several gaps but I could see the route clearly.

“Navigation?” Xenai said to the Fandaren.

“One hundred and fifty-seven hours,” the Fandaren said promptly.

I really shouldn’t be surprised how fast he answered that the reptilian leathery skinned Fandaren were the foremost Navigators on Confed ships. A thing the Empire didn’t have and because of it Human centric ideals and unlikely to change. Which made the xenophobia I’d encountered with Copper on Paranova all the more reverent.

“Chief how long will it take us to be fighting fit?” Xenai said taking command.

“Ten hours,” the Chief replied.

“Make that eight.”

“On it ma’am.”

Xenai turned her attention to the rest of her crew assembled in the conference room. “I want a meeting of all my department heads in an hour. With proposals as how we can avoid taking damage we received?” she looked around. “Dismissed!” she ordered her crew. “Lieutenant Hunter please escort Professor Neilson back to her shuttle.”

“Yes ma’am.” I saluted knowing in was under scrutiny for the rest of Xenai crew.

Freyhilda and her Valkyrie squad wouldn’t have cared. To them I was a Clan Mother for a dead Clan.

I led Joyce out of the conference room. Freyhilda and her squad trailed after us.

“I’ve been wanting for this chance to speak to you,” Joyce said to me directly.

“About what?” I asked her.

“How are you holding up. I worried about you?” She sounded concerned.

“That I’m on the edge close to a breakdown?” I snapped back Xenai’s ‘special’ coffee seemed to be wearing off.

“Yes,” Joyce answered bluntly. “You’ve had a lot thrown at you, more than any normal person.”

I was shocked by her answer but she was right. The logical part of my brain told me to quit worrying and focus on the task ahead. “Sorry, that was uncalled for.” I shouldn’t have been so sharp with Joyce. She had helped me. She didn’t have to but she did. “I’m still shock over the revelation that these creatures. The ones that attacked the ship have Landottir DNA.”

“That would shake even the best of us.” Joyce frowned. “Well not quite my niece Sandra she’d plough through like she always does. She did go off the rails when her father was killed a few years ago. But she recovered, she’s as blunt as she is loyal to family.”

“Meaning I’m none of those?” I moderated my tone.

“You are loyal to your family no matter who they are.” Joyce was hinting at my connection to the Keepers without saying out loud.

She knew about the Keepers and the way they were created using my DNA. She was being cautious around Freyhilda and her squad. Joyce was right in that respect. I’d trust Freyhilda but the rest of her squad I was not so sure. I guess that Regitha’s betrayal had coloured my opinion. There where those Valkyrie I’d trust implicitly and those I couldn’t.

Joyce continued. “I mean you’ll get it together and get to the root of this. Gwen I know you admittedly not as well I should, I know your skill set.” Joyce held up her hand indicating she wanted to say more. “Long ago I decided not to have children and now that’s to late for anything but regrets. I regard you as my daughter. We might not share that physical connection.” She gave me a wry look. “I suspect that a number of others might feel the same way about you.”

Joyce was right about that both Gudbjorga and Thirika had both called me daughter. I wasn’t sure about that significance among the Valkyrie. Then there was Joyce the Empress that never was. Because she had T’Arni blood in her ancestry she’d never be able to ascend to the throne. There was Empire they’d put Augustus on the throne and he had colluded with the Rhosani to bring ruin to the Empire. I was still an Imperial at heart despite my being part of the Valkyrie Silver Guard. I’d have no hesitation to bend my knee to Constantina our current Empress. She was working hard to fix the mess Augustus caused to the Empire’s reputation. She had her mother Lady Broaden and the Duchess of Mars to watch over her. I regarded Joyce carefully. “I’m sorry,” I apologised. I shouldn’t be disrespecting her, she done that best she could for me.

“I truly believe you are. Stay strong Gwen, focus on your goals save us all!”

I wasn’t sure how to answer that. I guessed she was playing to the audience namely to the Valkyrie. “I’ll do what I can,” I said as honestly as I could.

“That’s all I ask from you Gwen. All I ask from anybody.”

We continued of the journey finally reaching the shuttle bay. It was one of the smaller ones. A rather dusty looking shuttle waited inside the bay its door open and its pilot just inside. Joyce nodded to the pilot before turning to me.

“Goodbye Gwen and good luck you’ll need it.” She regarded Freyhilda’s squad carefully. “Take care of Gwen.” Joyce placed her hand to her heart and bowed slightly. "Freyhilda may the Mother protect and guide you and your companions.”

Freyhilda responded with her own bow with her hand on her chest. “You as well daughter of the sun and star.”

The sun and star was the symbol of the Empire. The Confed had their own a ‘U’ and an upside down ‘U’ intersected by a horizontal bar. I’d never understood the meaning of that and hadn’t asked. Joyce entered the shuttle and watched until the door shut on her. We retreated to the safety of the corridor and watched the shuttle preparations to leave from a screen beside the door into the bay. The shuttle powered up as the bay depressurised. I continued my vigil as the hanger door opened and the shuttle launched into space.

I was left alone with my thoughts reflecting on the vagaries of the Empire. I regarded Joyce as a friend I could trust. She could have made a great Empress as the older sister of Constantine. A lot of what happened after Constantine’s death could have been avoided. He died before the succession could be announced which meant the throne went to the scheming Augustus instead of Constantina, Constantine’s daughter. I’d witnessed Augustus and his xenophobia first hand. He publicly endorsed the Night Guard the worst dregs of Humankind. Which was why I quit my job in Security.

Now that Joyce has gone I was at a loss as to what to do next. I regarded Freyhilda she and her squad had remained silently in the background. With the Valkyrie it was often hard to work out their motives.

“So what’s in the plan now?” I asked Freyhilda directly.

“There isn’t much we can do until the ship gets on it’s way,” she replied with a glance at her squad. “I’ve got to get further orders from Captain Kyrikia. We were only assigned to the Valorous Star we’re Confederacy Marines and not TCA. Until then we keep on being guardians to Mother Gwen.”

“I’m sure the Elders would have something to say about that?” I might be the last Landottir but that didn’t make me a Clan Mother. “They haven’t declared that I am a Clan Mother?”

“You were the moment you stepped onto Alfheimir,” Freyhilda declared. I saw her squad nod behind her. Freyhilda jerked her thumb towards her squad. “We all think this. Although I have to say you’ll be the first vaihdokas as a Clan Mother. Not even the Svertingdottir have one.” She waved her hand at me. “You are also an Initiate in the Silver guard. This makes you unique.

“Unique?” I grimaced at that I’d thought I’d stopped repeating words.

“Yes it’s little wonder the Elders are taking so much time deciding.”

“Certain?” I asked her directly.

“We are.”

I wondered how Korja Svertingdottir was doing. I had been helping her team in sorting the refugees from Bondedottir territory. We’d been at the border bridge. The Rebels had got themselves three Imperial Interceptor fighter-bombers. Which were about to attack the bridge crammed full of refugees. Xenai had intervened destroying all three interceptors. I hadn’t asked her about the fate of the prowler an Empire armoured fighting vehicle the rebels weren’t supposed to have. Come to think of it, it was the very thing Lady Camelia had sent me to the Confederacy to find out about. A failure on my part I’d discovered so much else but yet had failed at that. Now it was too late. We were hunting down the First Ones enemy. Slowly I headed back with Freyhilda.