Alliance Hunter
Chapter 25

The shack the Confed commander had commandeered was wooden. Which kind of surprised me considering how wet the rainforest was. The wooden slats that made it had been painted green at some time but looked weathered under sunlight. The sun was high in the sky with no sign of the rain and close conditions we had to endure trekking through the rainforest. I noted in places mould had eaten the wood. It was on stilts and there was mesh running between the stilts. I suppose with the rain it had to be on stilts to keep out of the water. Mind you this seemed to be the only dry day but there were still pools of tepid water scattered about the ground. It had a small porch at the front with steps leading up to it. I could see the door flanked by a pair of dirty windows and two guards in full armour. I halted signalling Monica and Alicia to stay where they were.

“Wait here!” I told the two. I seriously doubted that they’d let us all go in.

“Be careful,” Monica said.

Alicia said nothing her eyes on Monica her mouth drawn to a tight frown.

“When am I ever,” I replied and winced. No matter how much I tried to stay safe I always wound up in trouble. With a backward glance to see the two women in deep conversation I walked up the steps. “Well?” I challenged the two guards.

Neither moved from flanking the door. I brushed past them and opened the door. I hate to admit it but the handle on the door had me flummoxed for a moment. I managed to get it open and enter.

The interior of the shack was much cleaner than its exterior. At least the walls had been painted in an off white. At the back of the room was a desk with several holo terminals. Seated behind the desk was a Confed officer in full dress uniform. He was pale skinned with short dark hair. His nametag read Maj. Osward in Galactic. On his high necked collar were a set of leaves and above his nametag was a silver bar. I didn’t know what it meant and I wasn’t about to ask. He looked up his eyes scrutinising the details of my face. I hadn’t washed off the blood and I expect the bruises still showed.

“You’ll need a medic for that,” he said tapping his comms. I noted he hadn’t asked who I was or what I was doing here.

“I’ll be fine,” I replied then got straight to the point. “You have a prisoner. A T’Arni calls herself the Director?”

“We do, and who are you?”

“ Lieutenant Gwen Hunter, I’m with the TCA.” I was going to say Alliance but changed it at the last moment. “She knows what happened to my team.”

Major Osward blinked. “TCA? Aren’t you outside your jurisdiction? There are no Rhosani here?”

“Can you be sure?”

“No?” he said after a pause.

“I still need to talk to the T’Arni.”

“I wish I could help you but it’s out of my hands.” Osward tried to sound sympathetic.

“Then put it in my hands,” I countered. “I have the authority of both Admiral Komana and the Valkyrie Elder Council,” I lied. I hadn’t and I wasn’t going to tell him that.

I heard the door open behind me. I turned to see who it was. I reckon if my jaw could have dropped any further it would have been on the floor. Kara stood behind me her medical glove on one hand and a case in the other.

“Kara?” I stuttered flustered and relieved at the same time.

“Hello Gwen, so you are the medical emergency.”

“You two know each other?” Osward enquired his face bemused.

“Gwen is part of my clan,” Kara told him waving her finger at me to shut up.

“Clan?” Osward stared at me. I expect he was trying to see any family resemblance between us.

“No need to explain,” Kara warned me. “I just glad to see you alive.”

“My team?” I enquired hopefully.

“They aren’t here?” Kara replied looking at me.

I took note of the concern in her voice.

“No we got separated when we were ambushed.” I quickly explained the ambush. “I hoped that they had been rescued?”

“They’re not. And before you ask we haven’t been able to look either.” I saw her glance to Osward when she said that.

“Damn!” I uttered. “I need to interrogate that T’Arni.”

“T’Arni?” Kara sounded surprised.

“The bitch that calls herself the Director.”

“I see, so you are the Terran whore she’s been ranting about. You broke her jaw.”

“Well it didn’t stop her calling me names though.”

“True but she’s in no fit state to talk for any length.”

“I don’t care we need to find a telepath. I’m sure she knows where my team is. I doubt she’s going to tell me she seems stupidly anal in that regard.”

Kara nodded thoughtfully. “We can arrange that.”

I was surprised by that I’d have thought she would object.

“No you cannot!” It was Osward that raised the objection.

“I think you find we can.” Kara waved to me. “Gwen arrested her first.”

“She did?” Osward said his eyes on me. “ I had the report,” he admitted reluctantly.

“Gwen is under my command!” Kara told him. “She detained and arrested Sophronia. You know our deal or do I have to comm Admiral Katares?”

Osward groaned. “Damn it you win, you get first access.”

I wondered what deal Kara had made and who this Admiral Katares was.

“That wasn’t so difficult,” Kara said waving to me. “Come along Gwen we’ll address your injuries and have a heart to heart with Sophronia.”

Outside Kara cleaned my wounds. She looked at me thoughtfully. “You are healing fast but I will still keep an eye on you.”

There was nothing I could say to that.

Monica stood where we’d last parted still waiting. I saw she was without Alicia. I followed Kara down the steps Monica hurried over concern on her face.

“Monica?” I gestured to Kara I was yet to ask her about her deal but I was too concerned on finding Jervic and my team. “This is Doctor Kara Martin.”

Kara put on a friendly smile and greeted Monica. “Hello Monica,” Kara said easily.

“I’ve heard a lot about you from Gwen. It looks as if we’re all far from home here.”

“Err hello?” Monica ventured. Kara’s easy manner had put her off stride.

I felt Kara grip my arm a warning to keep silent which I wisely did.

“We’ve got work to do, we’ll see you later,” Kara told her.

Monica went defensive. “Where are you going with Gwen?”

“Silver business I’m afraid. We’ll speak to you later I want to know all you know about Vanessa Tomney.” With that she pulled me way and strode off walking as quickly as possible.

“Oh there he is,” Kara said pointing to a T’Arni in dress uniform. “Lieutenant Prousenos!”

I could see a typical T’Arni but one that looked out of place in his uniform.

“Doctor?” Prousenos answered.

“Under the deal we have need of your services,” Kara said bluntly.

I looked at Kara that was the second time she had referred to a deal. “What deal? What are you talking about?”

“Oh the one we had to make when a fleet dropped unto our laps. It was either surrender of be vaporised.”

I saw an amused look on Lieutenant Prousenos’ face.

“I expect it stuck in Runa’s throat?” I couldn’t see her backing down from any fight.

“Don’t under estimate your blood Gwen. We don’t fight allies.” Kara told me and then turned to the T’Arni. “We need your help with a prisoner. She knows where Gwen’s investigation team is.”

“Oh course,” Prousenos said without hesitation.

I stared at him. “Just like that?”

“Yes,” he said and then squinted at me. “I can’t read your mind at all and when I look at you with my other sight you are flickering almost like I have double vision.” He frowned.

I suspected that a stronger tepe could read my mind.

“Gwen’s not the prisoner,” Kara said. “The one we want is still in the med drop ship. For your information she was the T’Arni running this place.”

Prousenos gave Kara the eye and frowned. “You say a T’Arni was party to this madness?”

“Didn’t you hear me the first time!” Kara snapped.

I guess her Valkyrie blood was coming to the fore. I put a careful hand on her arm. She merely nodded and gestured for us to follow. The med drop ship was painted white with the Confed medical logo on the side. The ramp was down and several armoured soldiers guarded it. The T’Arni was shackled to a gurney. I thought it ironic seeing her there considering what I had been done to me. There were two guards watching her. I saw her turn her head and stare at me.

“You bitch!” she screamed spitting blood.

I ignored her rant I hadn’t expected anything different from her. But I was surprised that she could still talk.

Lieutenant Prousenos stepped close to his attention on her. “So much hatred. Hard to get a good reading,” he breathed.

She stared at him startled.

“Ancients!” Prousenos stepped back his eyes wide shock registering on his face. “This is worse than Complex 19!”

I was in the dark about that but the look he gave us and the guards must have meant something. I saw the guards reach for their weapons. For a moment Sophronia’s life hung on a string.

“This is no T’Arni!” Prousenos declared.

The guard went fully alert their weapons trained on Sophronia.

Kara looked confused. “I’m sure she is when I examined her?” She directed her question to Prousenos.

If there was something here I wasn’t getting it.

Prousenos glanced at Kara his expression apologetic. “I meant to say she’s Proditis!”

I was confused.

“Best not ask,” Kara told me.

I wisely shut up letting the drama play out in front of me.

Prousenos continued red flushing his face anger backing his words. “You are Proditis no punishment is too great for the crimes you have committed.” He stood tall and straightened his uniform jacket. “Those that hear your name will weep. Your actions have made you worse than the Rhosani. Your family name will be reviled for centuries to come. How dare you call yourself T’Arni and do what you have done?”

I was worried about my team none of what was happening was addressing that. “Did you find out about my team?” I wasn’t sure I was going to get an answer but I had to try.

Prousenos looked at me then nodded waving the two guards back. Both guards had their weapons trained on Sophronia. I couldn’t help but note how pale she had become and how silent.

“I haven’t yet Gwen Martin but I will.” Fierce determination crossed his face as he spoke to Sophronia. “I’d kill you now but I need what is in you mind. I don’t care if you suffer it would not go anywhere near to paying for your crimes Proditis!”

He stared at Sophronia for several minutes his expression hard. “No!” he roared suddenly.

Startled I stood back.

“Major?” Prousenos commed. “We have a situation they’re the ones making the neurotoxin… Yes you heard it right.” He pointed to the two the guards. “Watch her,” he ordered hurrying out.

I went to follow him but Kara stopped me. “Neurotoxin?” I asked her memories of the gala on Saros coming to the fore. They had used a neurotoxin to try and kill me. I had been lucky that night. My prudishness had been my saviour as my Valkyrie training vest had stopped a knife blade to my gut.

Prousenos had only stepped outside I could see him talking rapidly into his comms.

“Just don’t say anything and listen?” Kara warned me her voice low.

“There’s a hidden entrance inside the labs,” he announced into his comms. With that he hurried off at a run.

I didn’t want to go too far from Sophronia I still had to find my team and she had the answers. I wasn’t about to go down the road of beating her up. It would be counter productive and a waste of my time. With that in mind I turned to Kara asking her question I had not yet asked.

“What happened?” I said to Kara.

She looked confused. “Just now?”

“No, Audbjorg said before we crashed we lost comms with you?”

“I know we heard your distress call but were unable to answer. There were dozens of Confederacy soldiers on the bridge preventing us from doing anything.” Kara hesitated. “Before you ask Runa ordered us to co-operate.” She shrugged. “Like we had that choice.”

“How did it happen?” At least I understood the comms silence and we couldn’t have stayed where we were either.

“Dozens of Confederacy warships dropped out of hyperspace and surrounded us.” Kara grimaced. “We had to surrender.”

I considered what she was saying. “They must have been investigating the same rumours we were?”

Kara smiled. “The Confederacy was prepared for a hard fight. When they released the drop ships you kind of pulled that rug from under their feet. You made the job of finding this place a lot easier.”

“Did you get my distress call?”

“When?”

“After I dropped the holo and disabled the barriers?”

“No but I was glad to find you here. We were worried but we had to toe the line.”

She was using Imperial phrases again.

“All I want to do is find my team get Monica and Alicia off this world. I want to go home.” I hadn’t meant to add that last bit, but all this running about was draining my soul.

“Yes it would be nice to go back to Alfheimir.”

That was the last place I wanted to be yet there was something niggling me.

“I meant!” I said more sharply than I intended. “Home as in Earth back to my parents. I’ve had enough adventure for a life time!”

Kara’s eyebrow arched and she said. “And Vanessa?”

Kara had found my Achilles heel. “Damn it you’re like my conscience. I know I have to get her. If you’d just let me do that I’ll be fine. I made a promise to Solstrid, I just wish you’d let me honour it.”

“You will get her but we can’t let the Black Stripes win.”

“I hate you!” I said to Kara without any feeling to it.

“No, you don’t you’re just feeling frustrated. I do sympathise we must end this. The Black Stripes are a threat to all.”

There was much I could say to that so we waited.

The sun was lower by the time Prousenos returned Osward in his wake. Osward looked fit to bursting while Prousenos seemed the calmer of the two.

“Still here?” Osward said to me.

“I need to find my team and she…” I flicked my hand to the drop ship. “Knows where they are?”

“And we need to where they’re sending the neurotoxin,” Osward stated firmly.

I’d been on the receiving end of a neurotoxin attack. Luckily my vest saved me so I understood his frustration. He gestured to me and walked into the drop ship.

Sophronia was still strapped into the gurney. I caught a whiff on urine and saw a wet patch on her pants. I had no sympathy for her plight she’d none for mine.

Osward walked over to her a stared hard at her. “Now! You are going to tell where you are sending those vials of neurotoxin to?”

“Arouraío, traitors!” Sophronia tried to yell but her voice cracked with pain and dehydration.

“I see what you mean,” Osward said, “I want everyone here to note I have tried to make it easy for her but she refused to see reason. Lieutenant Prousenos?”

Prousenos stepped forward grim determination on his face. He placed his hand on Sophronia’s forehead. Her eyes went wide shock and colour drained from her face.

“No!” She tried to wriggle out of his grip.

“Shut up Proditis.” Prousenos glared at her. “You will tell me everything.”

Sophronia’s eyes squeezed shut and she began to pant rapidly.

After a while Prousenos looked directly at me. “You team was captured separately and taken to a base they have in the town of Ambersville. A museum there it is the front for the base. It leads to a series of tunnels. You will find your team there.”

“Good,” I said and turned to leave. Now I had my target I was focused on getting my team back.

“Where are you going?” Osward asked.

“I’m going to get my team back,” I said bluntly I was getting sick of delays. I continued my steps out not caring about was being said behind me. I had my objective and nothing would stand in my way.

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