Ancient Hunter
Chapter 32

I sat on the floor heedless of my surroundings. It couldn’t be true. I remembered Mouse saying that an Exile had visited Earth six thousand years ago. I felt so confused.

“Are you ok?” Joyce asked anxiously.

“I’m still trying to process what you’ve said.”

“I’m sorry to put this on you we have to hurry I need to contact the Elafi about this.”

I stared at her perplexed I was having trouble focusing my mind. “What?”

“That toxin has the same silicate base as the toxins the ATL have been using.”

That got my instant attention my mind becoming focused. “Black Stripes!”

“Yes the toxin has the same structure as the one used on my niece. That one was airborne whereas this one in contact based. Don’t you see there is a link.”

That had me on my feet the fog in my mind clearing. “You’re certain.” I realised I was opening and closing my hand. I hadn’t rid myself of the habit.

“I couldn’t be any more certain.”

“Right this way!” I said.

We hurried down the passage and exited behind the waterfall. Joyce was on her comms as soon as she could get a signal.

“Joyce Neilson to the Elafi. I need to send a priority one message to Com Ops.”

Combined Operations or Com Ops was the Confeds highest military authority. Kind of like Central Command was to the Empire.

Joyce continued. “Sending the details I want a forensics team in full hazmat gear to my location.”

“Sending team and your message ma’am,” the Comms Operator replied.

Joyce looked across to me. “It will be ok Gwen I’ll make sure they don’t disturb the dead too much.” She stepped across to where I was standing and patted my arm. “You may have just saved billions of people. I thank you for that.” She made a gesture. “Let’s get back inside.”

We halted just beyond the damp part of the passage. I considered it dubious shelter at the least. I showed Joyce the skeleton of the Janari woman and her child.

“This is beyond sad,” Joyce commented as she gazed upon it. “Killed while giving birth and I thought we and the Orsini were capable of such atrocities. It is monstrous to think of what happened here. There is no easy way to express my sorrow.”

I didn’t know what to say. So I decided it was time to contact the Keepers. I do so with deep regret. “Moon Shadow!” I called out with my mind.

“Mother!” Moon Shadow instant replied.

“Moon Shadow I found a passage full of murdered Janari.” I hated to say it I could think of any way to say it diplomatically. Silence followed my word it went of for some time I grew worried. “Moon Shadow?”

“Sorry Mother we’re in shock.”

“That’s ok. I don’t know your funeral rights.” I suppose this was yesterday to them not a hundred thousand years ago.

“I need to see,” Running Deer interrupted. “I need to see through your eyes Mother.”

“You can do that?” The only one that did that was Mouse when she hijacked my body to talk to Kelli.

“It won’t be easy for me but I need to see.”

“Ok,” I replied.

I felt my mind shoved aside not in Mouse’s gentle way but roughly. In a couple of minutes I felt Running Deer withdraw.

“Sorry Mother,” she apologised. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“Thanks ok,” I said rubbing my temple a headache forming there. “I just wanted to treat the dead with respect.”

“They are dead their essence is no longer with them. They are just shells what you do with the remains will be for you to decide. We will support you all the way.”

I felt the connection to my mind cut. Looks like this would be all in my hands now I did like that one bit.

“The shuttle’s here,” Joyce said as I heard the rumble of engines.

Exiting the passage I could see the shuttle hovering over one of the platforms, the one closer to the doorway. Several people in grey jumpsuits were off loading the shuttle while another two in full combat armour watched. Their eyes on their surroundings and not on the work. I silently applauded the pilot as they manoeuvred precariously over the platform. At Joyce’s gesture we carefully walked around the edge of the pond. The two soldiers stiffened on seeing us both putting their hands on the butts of their weapons they had strapped to their chests.

“Ma’am?” one of the soldiers said easing his hand off his weapon.

A male T’Arni with ears jutting out of his long loose blonde hair stepped towards Joyce. He held his hand out in greeting. Not a T’Arni thing if I remembered.

“Professor Neilson,” he said in a crisp voice. “What’s this all about?”

Joyce explained the crystal adding. “Even after one hundred thousand years it is still lethal.”

“Joel” the T’Arni shouted to a tall thin faced Human with short dark hair and a scar above his eyebrow. “Breakout the containment box we’re going to need it.”

Joel was an unusual sight amongst the Confeds where a Cell Stitcher could heal without leaving a scar. Joel pulled out a long metal case with a power unit attached to it. While a second Human with short grey hair and dark skin picked up a pack.

“Now if you just show us that way?” The T’Arni said.

“Gwen,” Joyce said to me.

“This way and be careful the floor behind the waterfall is slippery.”

I led the group back through the passage to the box. I tipped it back over to reveal the crystal. The T’Arni put on a gauntlet the type I’d seen Kelli use, on me mostly. He surveyed the crystal.

“Ancients!” The T’Arni said. “The toxins level are off the scale.” He looked to the man with the pack. “Davis full hazmat procedures.”

Davis began to empty the pack and dress in a hazmat suit.

“Get it into containment ASAP!”

Joel powered up the box while Davis carefully picked up the crystal and dropping it into the box also dropping the in forceps he had used. Joel shut it quickly and typed in a code on a console on the box. The T’Arni ran a scan over the box.

“All clear. We’ll deal with it later.” He looked to Joel. “I want full security on that container and comm Com Ops once it is safely aboard the Axon.”

I watched the two men take the container while the T’Arni talked to Joyce. I was out of my depth here and I knew it.

“Don’t worry Emanaos and his team will have it all in hand.” Joyce put her hand on my arm. “We’ll try and not disturb the dead anymore than we have to. They’ll find the answer you seek.”

“Thank you,” I uttered there wasn’t much more I could add to that.

“Come on Gwen let’s get some fresh air.”

I seemed I was doing that a lot following Joyce around like some lost puppy.

We walked out from under the waterfall to see the shuttle lift off. I noted the two soldiers had stayed behind. I had to wonder what they were protecting. I hoped that I’d get the answers I was seeking. There must be a connection between the Janari and the Landottir. The only link I had were the crystals.

“Now to business!” Joyce announced breaking me out of my musings.

“What?” I said and cringed I kept doing that making my question too short.

“I want to see what that sign says.”

“Sign?” Stupidly I realised what she was saying. I really didn’t want to get wet again the water was freezing. “You want me to wade out into the middle of the pond?”

“Yes,” Joyce said producing a pair of white plastic booties that reached to my knee. “I borrowed these they will keep your feet perfectly dry.”

I grimaced and pulled on the booties over my boots and waded into the pond. Almost instantly the column rose from the centre of the pond. Symbols appeared on the wall.

I stood there like some fool while Joyce took images with her comms. She pulled her data rod from it holder. It glowed green with the same symbols that were projected onto the wall.

“Roddy tell me what these mean?”

A beam shot out from the rod and overlapped the symbols on the wall. They changed into USE. I was kind of surprised by that. I would have thought it would have been Galactic the language of the Confederacy. But it was in Universal Standard English of the Empire. To be honest the translation was a bit underwhelming.

“Congratulations on your joining,” Joyce read out aloud sounding as unimpressed as I felt.

The message faded.

“Is that it?” For a moment I was tempted to call one of the Keepers for a proper translation but decided against it.

“Interesting,” Joyce commented but it was clear she didn’t find it interesting.

I had no words for that. Lately I seemed at a loss for words. I climbed out of the pond and removed the booties. A sudden stiffening of the soldiers had me on alert my hand hovering near my Seven Double ‘M’ ready to draw it.

One of the soldiers had his hand to his ear. “Say again Axon?” his words echoed across to me.

There was trouble brewing but as to what it was we’d have to find out.

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