Alliance Hunter
Chapter 23

We hurried down a seemly endless corridor. Or it seemed that way to me. We passed more doors some showing signs of disuse. I began to wonder exactly how big this place was and how no one knew it was here. I suspected this was the secret base that the Elders had been looking for. It made sense I did have that thought earlier. But the more I looked the more I suspected that was the awful truth. Yet I couldn’t be certain. I was loath to ask Monica she had enough trauma to deal with. Monica suddenly halted and pointed to a door immaculate compared to the ones that surrounded it. On a brass plaque it spelled out ‘Director’ in Galactic. It seemed to me that this Director was too puffed up with her own importance. I’d certainly disabuse them of that notion when I got my hands on her. I shook off that thought it wasn’t helpful.

“That’s it,” Monica said her voice sounding scared.

I knew she would be. This ‘Director’ sounded like a sadist. On the wall next to the door was a code entry panel. It was similar to the one in the room I woke up in. I disliked what I was about to do. I didn’t have the choice and each minute we hesitated brought us closer to danger, closer to being discovered.

Wincing I picked the scab on my face and wiped the blood on the panel. I caught a glimpse of Monica’s shocked face. “Don’t ask,” I told her abruptly.

The door slid open and from my position I got a good look at the room. It was a square room the concrete walls had been painted white. I could see a number of display cabinets showing the things I’d expected to see in a sadist’s room. At the back of the room were two doors. In the centre of the room facing the door was a desk and terminal combination. A T’Arni with long dark hair was behind the desk. She had half risen from her chair her hand reaching to her side. Seeing a T’Arni as the head of this sadistic prison was a surprise I hadn’t planned for. I think she looked more surprised to see us. She reached to her belt. I guessed she was too used to using the transmitter to shock her victims than the gun she had holstered to her hip. It was a mistake and fatal mistake at that.

I leapt over her desk and stuck out hard. My fist connecting with her chin. She flipped backwards over the chair and hit the floor hard. She recovered faster than I expected and reached for her gun. As fast as she was I was faster. I kicked it out of her hand and followed my move up with another punch. She reeled back bouncing hard against a display cabinet. That still wasn’t the end she snarled and attacked. I lashed out with my foot to her stomach. She folded over my heel her breath coming out as a pained gasp. Finally she was down and I wasn’t about to let her up. I used my superior weight to hold her down until she ceased struggling. I knew quite well how it was to be crushed and be unable to escape.

“Quick, Monica I want something to tie her up with before she wakes!” I said as the T’Arni went limp under me.

I saw Monica look around and then walk up to a glass topped cabinet. She bent down and picked up an item off the floor. I immediately recognised it as a stun baton. I had been on the receiving end of one when I fought those two Valkyrie outside Kelli’s medbay. She lifted it up and smashed in down on the cabinet and carefully picked out several sets of handcuffs, which she threw to me. I caught them easily. They were the old fashioned type that operated with a key. I’d seen them in old vids and one detective in the precinct I’d worked in had them. His was in a frame. I got off the T’Arni and checked her breathing. It was ragged but she was still alive if unconscious. I picked up the gun and put on the desk out of her reach. I was surprised by how light she was when I picked her up and stuffed her into the chair behind her desk. It was a swivel type chair with coaster wheels and a piston barrel to adjust the height. Mindful of what I had done to Jervic when I awoken after being captured by the team. [I still hadn’t got that down pat as to how they had got me into their hotel room without the staff raising the alarm.] I cuffed the T’Arni’s legs to the barrel of the chair eliminating that threat. Then I cuffed her arms behind her back to the seat back. Satisfied that she wasn’t going anywhere I turned my attention to the terminal on the desk.

She had managed to lock it. I needed a password to get in or failing that an Ezaran. I heard the T’Arni stir behind me. I turned to regard her hate filled eyes.

“Bitch!” she slurred as blood trickled out of her mouth.

I must have hit her harder than I’d thought. “Really that’s the best you can come up with?” I asked her sarcastically.

“Terran whore!” the T’Arni snarled. “Your snivelling Empire won’t have us!”

I guess she’d picked up my Imperial accent. Even now after all the time I’d spent in the Confederacy I still had an accent. “That’s fine then, the Empire didn’t want you in the first place.” I told her adding. “Oh and for the record I’m not an Imperial.” I didn’t like ridding myself of my heritage but I wasn’t going to tell her that. “You idiots pissed off more than the Empire. Did you think the Elders would take an attack on them and not respond?”

“I don’t care what you call your scum driven Empire.”

It seemed this T’Arni had a fixation on the Empire. I didn’t know what the Empire had done to cause this and I really didn’t care. “I’ll pass that on to the Valkyrie Elders on Alfheimir.”

“Liar!” she screamed, blood frothing her mouth. She fixed her gaze on Monica trying to hide in a corner. “You I know.” The T’Arni glared at Monica. I’ll hang you out for the insects to feed on your corpse!”

Monica stepped back in fear.

I spoke to the T’Arni making her turn her gaze on me. “No you won’t you have betrayed the Confederacy,” I declared.

I saw her jerk the handcuffs she realised she was in a helpless position. “Go ahead and kill me I’ll never submit to the Empire!” she said defiantly.

I shook head. “I really don’t care what your beef with the Empire is but it’s the Valkyrie I be more worried about.”

“Liar!”

I glance across to Monica her back pressed against the wall putting as much space between her and the T’Arni. “Stay frosty Monica.”

I saw her nod perceptively.

I looked down at the gun I had placed on the desk. I wasn’t a cold-blooded killer no matter who deserved it. Defending yourself in the heat of battle was one thing. Killing an unarmed prisoner was beyond me. I found myself looking at the silver bracelet on my wrist. I had promised to free the prisoners here and to do that I needed into her computer. I doubted my blood would work on a holo terminal. “I will get you out of here Monica.”

She nodded as if afraid to speak. I guess the trauma this T’Arni had inflicted on her ran too deep. I glared at the T’Arni and held out my arm with the silver bangle showing. “Do you know what this is?” I saw her glance to one of the doors at the back of the room. A cold feeling took hold of me. “Monica watch her!”

I walked towards the door seeing a look of consternation on the T’Arni’s face. Dread washed over me but I knew I had to see what was there. The door slid open to my touch to reveal a fully equipped operating theatre. More akin to any with in the Empire than to the Confederacy where the use of cell stitchers eliminated the need for such rooms. I could only think the T’Arni had put the room to perverse uses. In the centre of the room was a operating table. I froze blood draining from my body. I scrabbled to hold myself up and to stop myself puking. On the table lay a Valkyrie the table red with her blood. It was silent in the room only my breath sounded harsh in the silence. I stumbled over to the table and beheld the face of the Valkyrie lying there. She was breathing through a mask. Every breath she drew was shallow. It was the face of the Valkyrie had me unable to turn away. I recognised the figure on the table.

“Damn it Yngvara why did it have to be you?” I had considered Thirika’s initiate a friend. The never speaking Valkyrie woman had trained with me never once disparaging my pathetic efforts to emulate Thirika’s teaching. A sudden rage burned though me I turned and stormed out.

“Monica see to Yngvara?” I said to Monica as I exited the room trying and failing to keep my voice calm and level.

Monica took a gauge of rage on my face and hurried into the other room. I felt like murder just then. It took a huge effort for me not to wrap my hands around the T’Arni’s neck and throttle the life out of her. Slap! I didn’t know how but I’d hit the T’Arni. I felt a sting in my fingers and saw a reddening mark on her face. For once I saw fear in her eyes.

Luckily for me Monica returned before things could escalate beyond my fraying control.

“She’s in a bad way,” Monica said to me carefully trying to judge my mood.

I nodded bleakly keeping my eyes on the T’Arni. “Do the best you can.”

“Gwen?” I heard a warning note in Monica’s voice. “You seem to be making this personal?” She paused. “You called her Yngvara. Do you know her?”

She was right I had to be better than that. I realised that she was asking if Yngvara was my girlfriend. Considering Monica had been trying to be mine. I had to set the record straight. “We trained together on Alfheimir. She was an initiate with the Silver Guard.” I squared myself thinking of the worst. “Please do your best. I’ll have to contact the Commander.”

Monica looked at me then at the T’Arni and disappeared back into the other room.

The T’Arni decided to speak. “Liar!” she snorted.

I held up my bracelet. “I was given this by the Elder Council. The Elder Council your morons tried and failed to destroy. I am of the blood.” I hated admitting that but there was no going back. I might only be a vaihdokas but that still made me Valkyrie. Then again I was part Keeper. I began to wonder if I’d ever been human. I closed my mind to those dismal thoughts and concentrated on the present.

“You are no Enari!” The T’Arni tried to spit in my direction.

I shook my head. Her attitude was one I’d encountered on Earth. One of the reasons I’d walked away from Security. Fanatical bigots here or on Earth I’d treat with the same disdain. “You really are stupider than you look.”

“Liar!” the T’Arni screamed at me blood spraying from her lips. It gave her quite a grotesque appearance.

“And they pull me up for repeating words, “I said sarcastically. “I can’t wait to see your expression when the Elders put a rope around your neck and twist the toggles.” Thirika had once told me that it was the Valkyrie preferred method of execution. And then laughed on seeing my horrified expression. It was one of those urban rumours the Valkyrie had cultivated to make other races think how barbaric they were. They may have done it once but no longer. “Oh that is after a telepath has leached all the secrets out of your mind.” I knew T’Arni were resistant to mind influence but from what Xenai had told me not impossible to read.

“Impossible!” the T’Arni stated but I could see her wavering. “No T’Arni would do that to me. I will resist!”

I was wasting time trying to convince this T’Arni to co-operate and I didn’t have the time to muck about. She believed what she believed typical of someone with fanatical behaviour. I needed to get Yngvara out of here and free the prisoners. Find the fate of my team and call in support. Ignoring the T’Arni’s rant I focused on the terminal on the desk. It was a standard terminal, screen holo combo. I’d already established that my blood probably wouldn’t work on the holo system. I need help, I wasn’t certain I’d get if I asked but I had to try.

“Scout?” I called out in my mind.

I was answered but it wasn’t Scout. My heart swelled with relief on hearing a more familiar voice.

“Scout, has been reassigned.”

“Mouse!” I said glad to hear her voice. I had my doubts she was still alive after she confronted the Guardians. Albeit too late to stop the damage they had caused me.

“I’m sorry about what happened,” she apologised. “It took me too long to get back to you. I’m glad Digger saved you. I don’t know what I would have done. We have a lot to discuss but that is for another time. I was busy arranging things with the First One and we had to move to our new home. I think you’ll like it. Our haven was oppressive to you but the new place… I digress what is your problem?”

“I need to access the system. We need to unlock the shock collars and free the prisoners?”

“Ok,” Mouse said.

“Ok? I’d thought you would object?”

“Object oh I see. I’m here to help.”

“Sorry.” It was my turn to apologise.

“Don’t be you were badly hurt. We are working hard to fix that.” Mouse paused. “You won’t like it but I need to work through you.”

“What do you need?” I didn’t like the way my mind was going.

“I have to take control of your body. It will only be briefly but I am aware of your fears.”

“Just do it!” I snapped letting my fears control me.

I felt myself detach from my physical being seeming like a visitor in my own body. Mouse took over her movements a blur as her fingers raced across the keyboard. The screen lit up showing dozens of icons some more familiar than others.

“There you are Gwen the rest is up to you.”

I felt her withdraw from my body her touch almost tender. I examined the icons knowing what some of the symbols meant. Standard security applications I was certain that’s what they meant. I’d used the same what seemed years ago when the galaxy was less complex. There were some I was not so sure of. I concentrated on the ones I knew and began to disable security lockdowns. I unlocked all secure doors and disabled the shock collars. The sadistic guards were about to get a surprise if they tired to use them. I turned off the barriers surrounding the complex and shut down the holo field disguising the base as jungle. The last thing I did before I disabled the computer system was to send out a distress signal to the Karki.

I saw the T’Arni staring at me consternation written across her face. “Now where is my team?” I had looked but couldn’t replace any mention of my team on the system.

The T’Arni just continued staring at me uncomprehending. “Impossible,” she said visibly shaken.

“I’ll ask again. Where is my team?” I was starting to get impatient.

“I’ll never tell you!” she declared her defiance resurfacing.

I took a deep breath getting angry wasn’t going to get me anywhere. “Fine have it your way. A telepath will give me the answer from your mind.”

“No tepe will work with a Terran spy.”

I sighed. “You really do have a single track mind. No matter, you are part of a criminal organisation responsible for plotting to kill millions and that was on Alfheimir. As for Saros I expect they’ll want you blood as well. I’d hate to repeat it the Valkyrie will have you executed.” I narrowed my eyes giving the T’Arni my best glare. “You are too stupid to realise that you are not indispensable.”

The T’Arni opened her mouth to say something then closed it fixing her eyes on me. I ignored her and looked at the display cabinets my revulsion growing. The cabinet Monica had smashed contained a number of handcuffs all old fashioned. Others contained medieval torture instruments. Thumbs screws and the like.

I glanced across to the T’Arni staring at me. “I replace it ironic that you have stuff from Earth considering how much you hate the Empire. Well that just shows your true nature. Any T’Arni would be revolted by your collection. You are just as bad as the Rhosani your people hate. We’ve just fought off the Rhosani to replace they’d left one behind.”

I think my words hit home she was no longer glaring at me. I walked across to her chair and flipped it around until she faced the wall in the corner. I turned and walked into the medical room.

Monica glanced up from her examination of Yngvara as I walked in.

“I’ve disabled the collars and shut down the holo camouflage that hid this place.”

“Good,” Monica replied instinctively touching her neck.

“How is Yngvara doing?” I asked.

“Not good,” Monica said her voice sounding hopeless. “She lost a lot of blood and her hand is missing.”

I instantly glanced at my hand remembering the pain in losing it. “It can be regrown in a cell stitcher?” Mine had, then I hadn’t known about the Keepers little additive.

“Certainly, if we can get her into one soon.”

“They have a full medbay aboard the Karki.”

Monica stared at me. “I thought you were lying to the Director, that’s a Valkyrie name?”

“It is. I was sent here by the Elder Council via the Alliance.”

“Alliance?”

“TCA.”

“We’ve heard things about the TCA.” I saw her look to the door. “We were told things. Lies I expect?”

“Did they ever say it was under the command of Admiral Komana Terran Killer?”

“No. And you are alright with that?”

“Yes. I was on her daughter’s ship, the one these idiots tried to destroy above Saros. Their plan was to have the Planetary Defence system to fire upon her ship and a city in the surface and blame it on the TCA. Making out the ship fired first and the system retaliated.” I think she was asking because I was from the Empire. I didn’t consider it a problem.

“I see that’s typical of what I’ve had endure while I was suffering here. I do remember you telling me that before but not in that much detail.”

“Once we are out of here, we’ll see you all safe,” I promised. I looked at Yngvara lying on the operating table comatose and silent. “Just do what you can until we are rescued. I sent out a distress signal. Runa should be able to pick that up.”

“I’ll do my best.” Monica paused. “Will we be rescued?”

“I’m certain of that,” I lied to her. I wasn’t certain my message had got out. Or even if the Karki had heard it.

I heard a thud that seemed to come from the other room. I hurried out to see nothing had changed. The T’Arni still faced the corner not looking at anything. I picked up the gun I’d stupidly left on the desk and checked that it was loaded. I felt another tremor.

“Monica!” I called out.

“Gwen?” she said from the door looking concerned.

“Are we in a area prone to tremors?”

“No,” she said looking puzzled.

“Get back into the other room and lock the door.”

“And you?”

“Just do it Monica.”

“Her?”

“Don’t worry about her,” I told Monica. “Get inside and lock that door.”

Monica closed the door I was alone with the T’Arni. Another tremor shook the floor. I was certain about tremors. Someone was using breaching charges on the doors. Which seemed a little over the top considering I’d unlocked all the secure doors. I ducked behind the desk. Something told me to do so. Suddenly the door exploded inwards and through the smoke several armoured figures emerged.