Keeper Hunter

I didn’t have to wait long. The door slid open and two men entered. Both we dressed in civilian clothes that seemed to have seen better days. One was dark skinned with wiry hair and stick thin. His companion was a total contrast paler, fat and with sparse hair he seemed to have combed over his bald spot. Both men carried datapads. They took the seats opposite me placing their datapads in the table.

“You’re in some real trouble here?” The darker man said.

“Really?” I replied placing my hands on the table.

“You aren’t in cuffs?” The fatter one exclaimed.

“No, I haven’t been arrested,” I said giving him the eye. I noted neither were armed, then they could have easily concealed a weapon in an ankle holster. I knew from when I was in Security there were those that kept a concealed weapon there. A practice the captain of my precinct had frowned upon.

“Most irregular!” the first one demanded. “These are serious charges.”

“How so,” I leaned forward my Valkyrie bracelet clearly visible. “Some asshole tries to stab me in the back and I defend myself?” Something clicked in my mind from the time before I’d quit Security. I seemed to recognise these two from that time. I remembered the rumours about these two and several accidents that prisoners had. There was an internal enquiry but it had come to nothing. Just one more reason to quit when I did. I hadn’t been involved with the investigation but rumour had it that they had powerful friends. It was the time when Augustus and his xenophobes had free reign to do what they pleased. The same rumour had these two collaborating with the Night Guard. The Night Guard who had been encouraged by the former and I was truly glad he was a dead Emperor. Even the Duchess of Mars was a better prospect then him as an Empress she would be more than he could ever be. I was loyal to the Empire but Augustus’ excesses made me want to puke. I for one was glad we had Constantina she was the breath of fresh air the Empire needed. All this didn’t address the elephant in the room. I was here with two xenophobes, xenophobes that should have been thrown in prison years ago.

“I know you two, am I going to find myself falling down the stairs?” I addressed them directly. “What is it about four years ago. The internal investigation got you out of that but a new Empress rules and she has no time for the likes of you?” I leaned back keeping aware for any movement towards me. I was ready to defend myself. My Valkyrie blood called out for justice. I had to be careful here I wasn’t on Alfheimir where my actions would be justified. There would be no Cell Stitcher to fix my injuries. “Perhaps she’ll let her cousin deal with it. I hear she’s very handy with her fists?”

“You threatening me you piece of alien shit. You aren’t even human!” Fatty growled.

“Why threaten you?” I retorted my temper flaring. I had to get myself back under control. “I know you are with the Night Guard. I expect Imperial Intelligence is watching you carefully. What I find exceedingly funny is that the Night Guard were slaves to the Rhosani. So get that through your tiny mind!”

Fatty half rose from his seat. “You…?”

I saw his companion’s hand drift towards his ankle. If he pulled a gun on me he wasn’t going to be walking out of here no matter the consequences. I had enough people trying to kill me for less. The door opened and an older man skinny and pale faced stood there.

“What the hell is going on here?” he demanded.

“Cap,” the darker skinned man whined.

“Cap nothing the prisoner was going to attack us?” Fatty said.

I snorted at that. “Yeah like I wasn’t.”

“Just drop it!” the Cap said. He looked at me. “You are free to go. Any pending charges have been dropped.” I saw him glance at the two detectives. “Best you come with me.”

I rose and gave the detectives a look. I didn’t say anything. I edged around the table and walked across to the Cap, I assumed it was short for captain. “Captain?”

“Here.” He thrust my comms bangle at me. “Just follow me.”

The door to the interview room closed behind me with the two detectives still on the inside.

“Where are we going?” I asked.

“Out of my precinct.”

I was all for that. I wanted out and back home. I hated that this would taint my memories. So I followed the captain out of the building. The sudden influx of bright sunlight had me blinking. I turned around to thank the captain but he had gone. I wondered what that was about. I doubted my father had arranged that and it wasn’t the Valkyrie. Well I hoped it wasn’t the Valkyrie. As much as I wanted to go back to the Confederacy I wanted to do it on my own terms. The Valkyrie way had too many strings attached.

“Miss Hunter?” a voice asked politely.

I turned to see a man in Imperial uniform the dark green cuffs and purple collar indicating he was with the palace guard. I wondered why one of the palace guards was talking to me. The palace was in California a long way from New York and I certainly didn’t know anyone there. I had only spoken to Lady Camelia once when I was on Melanos. I doubted she’d have taken an interest in a mere mortal like me. I guessed this guard was responsible for my release.

“Yes?”

“Please ma’am someone wants to talk to you?” he made a gesture.

I looked to where he was gesturing to. It was one huge hunk of a ground car. All in black with tinted windows it looked more like an armoured troop transport than a ground car. It had large tires.

“Who is it?” I had to ask.

“I’m afraid I can’t divulge that, please ma’am?” He gestured again.

I was torn with accepting and the worry I was walking into a trap. The trouble was that the vehicle was too obvious to be a trap.

I walked to the door and it slid open. I halted shock on my face. I recognised the person in the back of the ground car. I’d only spoken to her once and I hadn’t thought she’d take notice of me what noble did?

“Oh do get in Gwen Hunter don’t stand there gawking I don’t bite. I leave that to Sandra.” Lady Camelia sat there dressed in a long sleeved Imperial dress in cyan, rings glinting on her fingers.

I climbed in hesitant to sit with Lady Camelia. I felt I should curtsy or at least salute. I did that latter. Only to realise that I had saluted her Confederacy style.

“Sorry ma’am,” I apologised.

“Don’t be,” Lady Camelia waved it aside. “People often get flustered when meeting me for the first time.” She smiled. “But this isn’t our first time is it?”

“No ma’am.”

“Please Gwen don’t be so formal. I’ve not given up with Lady Sandra but you don’t need to be so.”

“So what can I call you ma’am?” I didn’t want to be so informal with the second in line to the Imperial throne.

“Call me Camelia, I can call you Gwen.”

“Yes ma’am.”

Camelia chuckled. “We’re going to get along fine.” She seemed pleased with my answer.

I wondered how Lady Camelia found me. I was one amongst billions. All I did was defend myself against an attack and get hauled in by Security. Things would have got hairy if the Precinct Captain hadn’t intervened. Someone must have told her I was there but what was she doing in New York?

“How did you know I was there?” I asked her directly and winced.

“You are a person of interest. Not every Imperial citizen has done what you have done. And of course we’d keep an eye out for you.”

I had no words for that.

“If I hadn’t been in the area one of my people would have picked you up.”

That surprised me I’d passed through customs at the spaceport on the way home without problems.

“It was pure luck that you flagged up on the Security database. Otherwise we’d have a hard time finding you.”

I had to tell her my suspicions. “I think the precinct is run by the Night Guard?” I went on to tell her about the previous investigation that had been suppressed by Augustus.

“I see the Usurper’s legacy has not yet been purged.” She turned to the driver a bald headed bearded man in a blue suit. “You got that Eel?”

I’d heard that name somewhere before. I sort of recognised him as well but for the life of me I couldn’t remember where.

“Yes my lady. I get my special people in on that. We’ll have the truth. And the governor?”

“Proceed.” Lady Camelia turned to me. “Now that’s over we need to talk about you.”

“Me?” I squeaked embarrassingly.

“Certainly. I know Komana had you sent to Earth.”

“Yes I had unfinished business and she decided to exile me. I don’t know what I did to offend her. Xenai made me an officer. If she was angry with Xenai why take it out on me?”

“Komana did what she did because she was afraid for you. She didn’t want to see you ending up dead. You may have stumbled onto a number of conspiracies but she didn’t want to you dead. You aren’t a soldier you are a civilian, a civilian without training.”

“But I have been trained, the Valkyrie trained me.”

“And they own your soul.” Lady Camelia held up her hand to forestall my protest. “You are part of their Silver Guard.” She gestured to my bracelet. “That tells all Valkyrie you are. Komana considered there would be a conflict of interests. And she worried that the Valkyrie would snatch you again.

“I was working on the why. It wasn’t the Elders, a Clan called the Palkkasir did so for money. More unfinished business.”

“What if I told you there’s a military transport heading for Paranova. And you could be on it. It’s only a short hop into Confederacy territory?”

“What’s the catch?” I said and hoped I hadn’t insulted Lady Camelia.

She smiled. “Good you’re thinking. We need you to do that and the ‘catch’ is that we need your eyes and ears in the Confederacy. There’s only so much we can do. These Black Stripes as you call them are getting weapons from the Empire. We done as much as we can but we’ve been unable to trace the destination.” She paused. “What we need you to do is find the destination and we can track that back to who within the Empire is supplying them.”

“You do know Komana threatened to arrest me as soon as I set foot in the Confederacy?”

“There are many ways into the Confederacy. You’ll find a contact on Paranova who’ll get you across the border. Your flight leaves in eight hours if you want to go back to the Confederacy be on it. The details are on your comms.”

The ground car rolled to a stop. I hadn’t even known it was moving.

“This is it your stop.” Lady Camelia shook my hand. “Good luck Gwen.”

I exited the ground car outside my apartment building totally confused by events.