Valkyrie Hunter
Chapter 16

I crept through the forest as quietly as I could. Hating every minute of what I was doing. I had to take Miranda’s word for it that we were dealing with impostors. I stepped carefully trying to make as little noise as possible a seemly impossible task for a city dweller. I would have been proud of my efforts if it not were for the task I was going to do. I balked at the thought of cold-blooded murder that wasn’t me. I circled around to the left. The brush thinned enough to give me a better view of the clearing. A shuttle occupied most of the clearing I could see that it hadn’t been an

easy landing scorched and broken vegetation littered its path as it landed. I couldn’t see any identification on the shuttle. Martin shuttles had a red and silver band around the door. That was as far as my knowledge went. Mother Ronja’s shuttle had one but didn’t know enough about the clan to say they all did.

Three figures in combat armour stood outside the door of a shuttle talking. One had her helmet off and was definitely Valkyrie her hair coiled onto top of her head. The other two had their helmets on. All three carried those Confederacy coil assault rifles deadly against unarmoured targets. I suddenly felt aware how thin the material of my thermal suit was. With a shaking hand I brought my pistol up and aimed knowing I had to hit a vulnerable spot. Otherwise I might have well be spitting at them for all the effect it would do.

The Valkyrie with without a helmet spoke her voice showing her frustration. “Where in the name of the Mother is she?”

She was the centre of the three the others flanking her all their concentration on each other and not on their surrounding. Overconfidence would be their undoing. I wasn’t sure who they were talking about I had to listen on.

“Quit complaining. We’re getting paid well enough for this!” the one closest to me said.

“Oh, really?” The third one said. “Whatever it is isn’t enough. We’ve lost an entire company to this stupidity?”

“Sixty million credits is sixty million reasons to continue!” the closest to me stated arrogantly.

“What I don’t like,” the unhelmeted Valkyrie grouched indicating the sash around her waist. “Is wearing this. You know the penalty for wearing another clan’s colours. Death will be nothing compared to the torture they’ll put us through. No money is worth that.”

So Miranda was correct they were impostors but that didn’t make things easier for me.

“Just shut up both of you!” the closest to me snarled at the others. “Is your pride worth more the money?”

“It is if we live to collect it!” the unhelmeted Valkyrie shot back.

“Shut up you two,” the third one said her hand went to the coil gun strapped to her chest. “Someone is coming?”

At that moment Miranda stepped out of the trees and my blood went cold. I felt fearful for her safety.

“Hello,” Miranda said as if she was out for a stroll and not running for her life. “I’ve been wondering for days.”

I wasn’t sure if she said wandering or wondering I tensed concerned.

“What?” The unhelmeted Valkyrie said.

The one closest to me stared at Miranda before saying. “It her, the sixty million credits is ours!”

“Dead or alive,” the third one said. “ I prefer dead less trouble that way.” She reached to unclip her gun from her chest.

“I sorry you feel that way,” Miranda replied. “I tried reasonable for Gwen’s sake but you had to spoil it?”

With a flick of her hand she threw a knife I hadn’t seen her hold at the unhelmeted Valkyrie and dropped to the floor. The knife buried itself deep in the Valkyrie’s throat. I reacted instantly my instincts to protect Miranda. Without thought I fired, my shot on target and a fusillade of shots came from the other direction. All three were down. I puked, shock filling my soul I had killed without thought. I almost didn’t hear the sounds of movement behind me. I dropped to the ground as bullets whizzed through the spot I’d recently vacated. I rolled and returned fire as did Ella. I heard a scream and something crashed to the ground thrashing about. Cautiously I stood and crept towards to the sound. A Valkyrie in a green jumpsuit lay on the forest floor twitching, blood covering the front of her suit. She wasn’t in armour and there was no sash about her waist. A coil assault gun lay at her feet. She was badly wounded. Despite my earlier concerns I hurried over to her my gun pointed at her, my old security training coming to the fore. I kicked the coil gun out of the way and bent over her careful to keep out of arms way. It was how I killed the Orsini taking him by surprise. This woman was far too gone for that but I still had to be careful.

“It wasn’t supposed to be this way.” She kept repeating over and over again. She suddenly noticed me her eyes focusing on the bangle on my wrist. Silver guard,” She sputtered through her blood-encrusted lips. “We should have known better.”

“I can help you,” I told the woman. I know she was an enemy but that wouldn’t stop me.

“No, no,” she breathed clearly in a lot of pain. “Leave me to the embrace of the Mother.”

I reminded me of what Solstrid said before she died. It made me more determined to save this woman. “I can help you,” I repeated.

“Please leave me to die!”

“I can’t do that,” I said determinedly. “I have to save you.” It would go part of the way for not saving Solstrid.

“Leave her,” Ella said.

I looked around to see her standing behind me her weapon at the ready.

“I can’t I have to try.”

Unfortunately fate had other ideas. The Valkyrie woman gave a final shudder and grew still a bleak reminder of Solstrid’s death. I felt for a pulse there was none.

Slowly I stood feeling helpless. “I could have saved her?” I snapped at Ella.

“What for her to be executed later. It’s better that she died this way.”

I winced Ella sounded harsh. I felt anger gnaw at my belly. I glared hard at her. “Execute?”

“Did you hear what I said?” Ella snapped at me.

“Yes damn it!” I snarled back. “Why?”

“For impersonating another clan.”

“And me?” I remembered all the time I had worn Martin colours and nothing about that had been mentioned. “I’m not a Martin, yet I have had to wear the clan colours?”

“You are it’s in your blood.”

I had to have my say on the matter at the moment I hated the clans. “I wore Ljufu’s clan colours on Saros you kill me for that!” I felt frustration and rage boil up through me.

“Not if it was given by a member of that clan that makes you a clan guest.”

I jerked my hand to the dead woman. “How do you know they weren’t!”

“Because they are Palkkasir,” Miranda said coming up from behind Ella.

“Palkkasir?” I uncertain that it was a clan name or a name like vaihdokas some used as an insult.

“No other clan would let them wear their colours even as a guest of the clan. They have no morals, no scruples. They work for whoever pays them the most and they will break contracts if someone else pays them more.” Miranda made a sad gesture.

“And you are sure these are?” I fluctuated between anger and sadness the foul taste of bile in my mouth. I took a sip from my canteen swilled around in my mouth and spat it out feeling better for doing it.

“Look at her cheek,” Ella told me.

I saw what looked like a tattoo of teardrop on her cheek. “I see.”

“Come on Gwen leave her. We have to get out of here.” Miranda sounded anxious to get a move on. “We don’t know how many were on that shuttle.”

Which made sense. “Where to?” I said my mind on the shuttle’s range.

“As far from here as possible,” she replied.

I liked the sound of that, what I didn’t like is leaving the dead unburied it didn’t sit well with me. “Aren’t we going to bury the dead. It is the decent thing to do? I know they were our enemy but to just leave them like that?”

Miranda gave a sigh. “Please don’t make things harder than they are. I know you have a heart and as much as I admire that we just don’t have the time.” She gestured to Ella. “We best get moving.”

She walked away from the shuttle I watched her go confused. “Where are you going?” I pointed to the shuttle.

Miranda turned. “Don’t stall Gwen we have a lot of ground to cover.”

“What about the shuttle?”

“None of us can fly it,” Ella said.

“I can,” I stated firmly.

“You can?” Miranda looked surprised.

“I trained on simulators under Thirika’s tuition and I flew shuttles regularly on Saros for the mining company I worked for.”

“Well if that’s the case?” Miranda glanced at Ella. “Change of plans Cinders.”

“It will save us a lot of walking,” Ella stated sound relieved.

We headed back to the shuttle, my biggest regret was leaving those bodies unburied.

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