Ancient Hunter
Chapter 36

Outside I followed Joyce to a crowd gathered around a dead Orsini, Dead was dead and I rather not view another body but there must be something in it if they were making a fuss. The crowd mostly Joyce’s team and a couple of Marines were around the body. I did note that the Marines were on the periphery of the others and weren’t looking at the corpse they had their eyes on the surroundings. That I approved of.

“What’s going on here?” Joyce demanded.

The crowd parted to let Joyce through I just trailed in her wake. What struck me, as odd about this Orsini was the lack of macabre decorations on his armour. Orsini decorated their armour with the bones of their enemies. That would have been my fate had they decided that I was a legitimate kill. It was going to be Monica and Alicia’s doom once the Orsini had finished torturing them. I spoiled that by not being dead and having Solstrid’s knife. I didn’t have that any longer Thirika had that, I had given it to her after Solstrid’s Clan Mother had refused to take the bangle that had housed Solstrid’s soul. Which was why I considered it important to return the souls of the long dead Landottir back to Alfheimir. Then there was my promise to Thrira to take a wooden carving to her daughter on Alfheimir. I returned my attention to the corpse. He was wearing that odd armour that all Orsini wore with spikes on its pauldrons.

“You’ve got to see this!” Derek announced. He removed one of Orsini’s gauntlets.

Instead of a hand a greenish brown goo seeped out. I instinctively stepped back I wasn’t the only one.

“Get back!” Joyce ordered. “It might be some sort of bio-toxin. I want a full decontamination crew here STAT!”

A T’Arni Marine with a blood drop on her pauldron stepped forward she had a medkit strapped to her combat armour harness. In her hand was a scanner. She ran it over the Orsini. We held our collective breath while we awaited her pronouncement.

“I’m not getting a reading Professor Neilson?”

“What do you mean by that?” I interrupted.

“Nothing toxic just I’m reading all sorts of silicates. Like in sand and stuff with organic components mixed in with it.”

Joyce regarded the crowd. “No matter that, you will stay away for this and all Orsini remains!” she said sternly.

“Yes Professor Neilson,” everyone said including me.

“Gwen,” Joyce addressed me. “We need the forensic team from your tunnel.”

I noted she had said my tunnel. “What about here?” As I said that a handful of shuttles roared overhead bearing the Demeros logo on their hulls. They hovered and landed to the east.

“That will be the militia backup,” Joyce said more for her team than for me.

“Sgt Imbert?” Joyce called over a T’Arni male with a sergeant’s stripes on his pauldron.

“Ma’am?” The sergeant saluted.

“Get my team inside until the town’s been secured and make sure no one touches the bodies that clear!”

“Yes ma’am,” Sergeant Imbert replied.

I watched as the sergeant herded Joyce’s team inside the Administration Building. Joyce turned to me her face serious.

“Gwen we should go.” She paused and held up her finger. “If we encounter any Orsini pull back and let the Marines handle it. They’ll be close at hand. ”

We walked back to the dais. I was on full alert but we didn’t encounter any Orsini although I did see squads of militia making sweeps through the ruins. Inside I was seething the Orsini had deliberately scattered the bones of the fallen Landottir.

“What were they doing,” I all but snarled as I viewed another disrupted skeleton.

“Stay calm,” Joyce told me. “Getting angry does not solve anything.” Joyce put her hand on my arm. “We’ll get to the bottom of this,” She assured me.”

She was right and deep in my heart I knew that so did the logical part of my mind. I’d have to put on my investigator’s hat to solve this. What was that gunk the thought occupied my mind until we reached the dais. I halted and stared at the devastation around the dais. The bushes that had hidden it had been torn apart to reveal it in all it glory. I hurried over and examined the surface of the dais. Not a mark marred its surface. I began to think nothing could have destroyed this. Which made the Forsaken’s digging through the wall of the cavern under Saros all the more troubling.

We stepped onto the dais and I activated the panel. We fell I still couldn’t get used to the feeling ending up on the dais in the passage. It was pitch black the same as the last time I didn’t know why I thought it would be any different. I turned on my flashlight and it illuminated our surroundings. Joyce climbed off the dais and stopped by the door out staring at the remains of the floor.

“Mind if I take a sample of the bones,” She asked me.”

“I couldn’t stop you even if I wanted to.” I hadn’t meant to say it that way. I really shouldn’t be taking on frustration out on Joyce.

“Gwen!” Joyce said sharply.

“Sorry,” I apologised. “I got angry I shouldn’t have directed it at you.”

“I know,” Joyce replied softly. “I’ve been there done that.” She hesitated then continued. “Some things still hurt even after all this time. Just don’t make this all about vengeance. It isn’t healthy?”

“It’s that nothing is making any sense?”

Joyce gave a sigh. “Don’t I know it. Come on let’s get the team and head back.”

I let Joyce take her sample. Running Deer was right the dead no longer cared. We carried on and heard talking in the distance. I was worried about getting shot it was tense enough without that added factor.

“Hello!” I called out.

Light illuminated our position.

“Professor Neilson and sorry didn’t get your name?” one of the men called out.

“Gwen Hunter,” I refrained from saying anymore in case I said something I regretted later.

“Where are the others?” another man demanded.

“Grunnleggerby,” Joyce told him.

“Any news about the Axon?” The Marine interrupted.

“What about the Axon?” I asked. I had no notion as to what was happening above the surface of the planet.

“I’ve lost comms to the Axon.”

“We can check back in Grunnleggerby. Sergeant Imbert can tell you himself.”

The Marine visibly relaxed. “Well if the Sarge is there?”

“Anyway I have a conundrum for you forensic boys,” Joyce stated.

We led the team to the dais.

“What’s going on there’s nothing here?” The suspicious man demanded.

“There is,” Joyce told him patiently more patiently than I ever could do. She directed everyone onto the dais. I stood surrounded by the men.

“Gwen?” Joyce indicated to me.

There was that same feeling of falling and the next we were outside. I blinked my eyes hearing gasps of astonishment. I looked around to find Sergeant Hollen and her squad waiting for us. I wondered how she’d known we’d be here.

“I’m glad I wasn’t standing on that.” Were the first words out of her mouth.

To tell the truth I had no idea what would happen had she been. I hoped the system had some safety protocols.

“What are you doing here?” I asked her more politely than I usually did.

“Captain Kyrikia assigned me as your escort,” Hollen replied.

I took that to mean just me I didn’t know why. Joyce was far more important than I ever was. Lady Camelia was her sister in law and the Empress was her niece.

“We’ll head back to the Admin Building,” Joyce said.

Our enlarged party picked its way though the ruins. Half way back a Demeros Militia Patrol intercepted us.

“Halt!” The leader of the patrol called out. The Militia was in grey coveralls and brown boots with a bulletproof vest over the top of the coveralls. On their heads was a round helmet with a flexible back flap. They were all men a fatal mistake when dealing with Valkyrie.

“And?” Hollen said her words mild.

I knew better and winced at her tone.

“Be recognised!” the Demeros Patrol Leader said.

“No that’s not correct.” Hollen gave the Patrol Leader a lazy shrug.

I recognised the danger and stepped forward. “Sergeant Hollen?” I said to her quietly and turned to the Patrol Leader. “I’m Lieutenant Hunter from the Valorous Star.” I waved to Joyce. “That is Professor Neilson who is in charge of this expedition.” I indicated the others. “They are crew from the Axon.” I turned again to the Patrol Leader. “You should know better than to insult one of the Valkyrie. The last one that did that, let’s just say it got very messy for him.” I made a point of looking at his crotch.

The Patrol Leader swallowed hard I noticed his men stand back. “Sorry ma’am.”

He made a gesture to his men. “Let them pass.”

We moved through the patrol they gave us a lot of room I was glad of that.

“Thank you Poi it couldn’t have handled it the way you did,” Hollen told me.

I merely nodded and carried on walking. It didn't take us too long after that to reach the Admin Building. I was surprised by the bustle a mix of local troops, archaeologists and Marines. The archaeologists were glad to see Joyce even Sheila smiled at her. Ignoring them Joyce strode through those gathered there. She turned with her back to the building.

“Right this is where the hard work begins!” she announced loudly.

The rest of the day was busy.

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