Valkyrie Hunter

I pulled the trigger. Nothing happened. “Shit!” I swore I seemed to be using that word a lot lately. I glanced at Sylgard she was waiting for me. I stared at the screen time was running out the Prowler was creeping closer. A quick glance at the screen told me I hadn’t disengaged the safety lock. I tapped the screen and aimed again. The red square on the screen turned green I pulled the trigger. There was a flash of fire and smoke as the rocket zeroed in on its target. Another flash and bang as the rocket hit the Prowler. It disappeared in a puff of smoke. I held my breath the Prowler emerged from the smoke undamaged. I felt heart sick the Prowler ploughed on the rocket had done minimal damage to it.

“No! Damn it!” I looked at Sylgard. “We have to reload before it targets us!”

We scrambled to reload the launcher my heart thudding like it wanted to burst from my chest. As we slid the fresh canister into place the Prowler fired. I heard the shell whistle over our heads. Fright ran through me I couldn’t help it I gritted my teeth trying hard to get my fear under control. I aimed and pressed the trigger and fired. In my haste and panic I hadn’t aimed correctly. The rocket landed short blasting a hole in the concrete of the road. That was it we were out of options.

“Get out of here!” I shouted at Sylgard. Those were my last words.

She managed to make out before the whole room collapsed on me. Everything went black as masonry toppled onto me. If I hadn’t been wearing combat armour I would have been crushed.

I woke freezing cold. I wasn’t dead and I wasn’t buried under a ton of rubble. Slowly I opened my eyes the awareness of my situation coming to the fore. This wasn’t the caverns or the ranch house. I wasn’t with the Keepers or anywhere safe. I was in a room the walls made of rough bricks with only one door out at the end opposite. There was enough light for me to see with. The floor was tiled and dipped towards a drain hole in the centre of the room. I realised I was against the wall metal shackles attached to my hands and feet in a cross shape. There were other shackles empty but I could see reddish brown stains on the walls behind the shackles. I was directly opposite the only door out. It was closed at the moment. The rebels had captured me. I assumed that which made me wonder about the fates of Sylgard’s team. Or could this whole thing been a set up. I was confused. The rebels it must be and I had that feeling the rebels had wanted me dead so why the change? Perhaps they didn’t know that it was me? It was then I noticed my bangle was missing. Who had removed it, I couldn’t and I had tried. Although it looked silver it was made of a material stronger than the toughest material the Empire or Confed could ever produce. How did they get it off my hand was still attached? I’d often said that the only way I wasn’t coming off unless the cut my hand off. That hadn’t been an idle boast I meant that literally.

With my back against cold of the wall I couldn’t move. I started examining the room there was no use panicking about the situation I had to find a way out. I pulled at the shackles attaching me to the wall hoping that there was some give in it. They might have been part of the wall for all the lack of movement in them. They were new only recent additions the metal shiny compared to the rough brick walls. I wasn’t sure what my captors expected unless it was that I die of cold? I wondered the fate of Sylgard and her team I doubted they’d been party to this. They had no defence against a Prowler all I could hope for was that they had escaped. With time on hand I began to speculate. Had the Valorous Star seen our signal? Had they sent a shuttle I doubted one could prevail against a Prowler. Xenai wouldn’t let me down I pinned my diminishing hope on that.

The door slid open and three Valkyrie entered. Two were looking like bodyguards for the third. Dressed in what I would call traditional Valkyrie bodyguard gear. Leather skirts and tops, leather arm and leg guards. The hilt of a long sword poking out above their shoulders. They had no cloaks to identify their Clan. The third younger that her two guards stood at the front her hair in a long plait down her back. She was wearing dark leather pants and shirt. A long Valkyrie dagger hung off her belt. The only splash of colour was her large silver belt buckle. There was a sour expression on her face and I noticed a glint of silver in her hand, her other fingering the hilt of her dagger. I assumed she was some sort of leader here wherever here was.

“Who are you?” were her first words. She flicked her hand and two halves of a silver bangles clattered to my feet. My bangle from the looks of it. “Who gave you this?”

“The Elders,” I croaked out my throat dry.

“Liar!” the lead Valkyrie snarled. “You are no Enari!”

One of those I thought. “I’m more Valkyrie than you’ll ever be.” I deliberately used the word Valkyrie.

Her face contorted with rage and in a few strides she was close to me. “Human mato!”

I knew I was pushing my luck but I had to respond. “Which makes you less than one.”

She struck her hand slapping my right cheek hard. The force of her slap almost dislocated my jaw. My vision blurred and my face burned. I suspected that my

cheek had a hand print on it.

“I’ll kill you for that!” she sputtered.

I switched to speaking in USE. “Go ahead bitch!” I wasn’t too concerned about her slap. I had worse Runa and Thirika.

“Speak a proper tongue!” she demanded.

“Where’s your honour not Valkyrie?” I replied.

She glared not understanding the insult. “What did you say?”

“If you missed that then you are stupider than you look.”

A slap to my other cheek was just as hard and I tasted blood in my mouth. I’d probably bitten my tongue or something like that. It hurt like hell but I endured.

“Speak a proper language, human I know you can!”

“Nope not happening,” I said defiantly in USE.

“Insolent!” she snarled and made a sharp gesture to her guards. Who hadn’t moved from the doorway. She pointed to one. “You speak this inferior tongue. Translate what this mato says she’s mocking me.”

The indicated guard stepped forward. “Speak Galactic,” the guard said without feeling.

I fixed my glare on the guard my jaw aching blood trickling from my mouth. “No, you translate for the motherless coward!”

The Valkyrie leader glanced at the guard a scowl on her face. “What did it say?”

The guard repeated my words.

The Valkyrie leader’s face flared into anger. “Mato!” she yelled at me and punched me in my guts.

I nearly puked, I wished I had I doubted I had anything in my stomach to puke out. I took a risk and with defiance in my eyes I spat in her face. The Valkyrie screamed in rage. I didn’t know why I did it I must have had a death wish. It was stupid and at the same time very Valkyrie.

“Stupid, stubborn human!” she yelled in my ears.

I felt her rain down punches on me each brought with it raw agony. I started to lose consciousness, vaguely in the distance I heard a new voice.

“Stop!”

I felt more than saw the guards drag her off me. Dimly I saw another Valkyrie approach. I was in too much pain to make out details but her voice as distinct from the others.

“Even the Palkkasir have more honour than you have!” I managed to mutter through the pain.

I heard the Valkyrie leader growl.

The new voice spoke again with authority. “Don’t kill her the Prophetess wants her alive for questioning.”

I felt the release of my shackles and I pitched forward