Inatra looked similarly shocked as she wiped the blood from her forehead and walked with her mate. Arina glanced back at Kate with a childlike look on her face. “Can we keep him?”
Kate's laugh sounded like silver chimes to me as she chuckled. “You better ask Father that. Who is going to feed him, and clean up after him?”
I finally smiled at the sight of the Little One leading a dinosaur through the main gates of Valhalla. Only her pure heart could have even contemplated that. I glanced back at Kate as I pulled her around in front of me and looked into her eyes and whispered, “I'm sorry.” I always felt shame at the joy I was taking in the battle lately.
She shut me up with a kiss then said, “You have nothing to be sorry about.” Then she led me back into the gates.
Chapter 6 – Demands
We retired to the barracks after being checked out in medical while Arina stayed with Tiny. The healers had wanted Inatra and I to spend at least a day with them but we politely refused. Back in the day, we took more damage than this fighting the Ragnarok hordes. I snorted at the thought of comparing a flood of rampaging prehistoric beasts to the Ragnarok. Inatra slapped the back of my head as she gently hissed at me. Kroth, I was broadcasting again.
I turned toward the cafeteria with my sisters in tow, mumbling, “I need mead.”
Artemis snorted this time and said with genuine mirth in her voice, “Of course you do.”
Us Valkyrie started almost inhaling multiple plates of food and copious amounts of alcohol to give our nanites biologicals to repair the damage to our bodies. The krothing archer made a show of just snacking on a little cheese with a self-satisfied grin on her face. Showoff. I gave her an indignant look and said, “You are eating for one, I am eating for over a few million.”
She chuckled as she popped a grape into her mouth. “Your Verr don't require sustenance, they get their power from the citadel. You're just a little piggy Valkyrie.”
Kate took a huge bite of her beef brisket and spoke with a full mouth, “She's got you there love.”
I smiled and took a matching bite from my plate. Inatra cocked an eyebrow at Artemis in challenge, but the Olympian held up a hand in surrender. “I would never presume to call you a pig, Fox.” Then Inatra grinned with satisfaction and hissed softly at the smug looking Olympian.
Kate was staring at her hands as she was tearing a chunk off of her bread. “Has anyone given it any thought. To what Arina said? That the Jotunn beasts we have been fighting here on Ragnarok are just enslaved and fighting against their will?”
We were all silent at that, indicating that like me, they couldn't get it out of their heads. I know the hybrids were not evolved creatures but were they truly innocents? Were they no different than the Olympians or us Asgard? Created by the Frost Giants to fight the Titans for them? And like the blunt weapon I am, I have been slaughtering them since we arrived here in Ragnarok without a thought.
I spoke barely above a whisper, “We will need to adjust our strategy when dealing with them in the future.”
Everyone nodded silent agreement then we finished our meal in silence. We went to the showers to clean up then met with all the available Valkyrie and Einherjer to discuss rescue options.
Tyr joined us there and shared casualty numbers. Besides the three Ragnarok warriors we had lost, fifty-three were wounded. Seven humans and one Vanger were on the injured list as well. Two Valkyrie, Sigrdrifa, and Rota, were trampled and sustained significant injuries, it would be a week or possibly two before the healers cleared them for duty again.
Two of the main shield projector nodes suffered some minor circuitry damage from the warping of the frequency rotation of the assault. But the secondaries held, it would be a day before the primary projectors were replaced.
Clean up crews of Einherjergeir were using heavy equipment to clear away the huge carcasses of the slain Hybrids. Two were still alive but heavily wounded. One, a giant mantis creature was trying to attack the men and was put out of its misery. The other, a winged cross between a pterodactyl and a giant bat, Arina ordered brought through the gates. There the healers would examine and make sure the remains of the battle computer grafted to the base of its skull were extracted.
Then I pulled up the new holo-tank that was installed after the battle against Ymir. The huge display made the one in father's workshop seem small. The tables in the room had been rearranged in concentric circles around the display. Three rings of white Einherjer tables on the outside surrounding the single ring of black Valkyrie tables The table where I sat was a red, so dark it almost matched the black tables on either side.
Here sat three First Valkyrie of three different races. Kate, Inatra, and myself, representing Earth, Ragnarok, and Asgard. Artemis sat with us, representing the Olympians. Interspersed around the outer ring of Einherjer tables were some yellow tables where any Ragnarok, Vanger, or Human warriors who wished, could sit in.
I grinned at Intark who didn't care about protocol and just sat at the primary Einherjer table with Tyr and Jeffery. That man would never miss any planning that might involve violence and a chance of something blowing up while protecting the innocents of any of the allied races. My daughter, Essa, chose well.
We spent the rest of the afternoon in frustration, trying to come up with a plan that wasn't a suicide mission. My last suicide mission, where I had actually died, was burned into my being, leaving a scar inside of me that would never heal. I preferred not to repeat the experience.
We had a risky extraction strategy that could possibly work. But the huge glaring flaw was that we had to somehow first board the Star Killer before we could put it into effect. Their main cannons and closer in, point defense weapons, would shred any incoming vessels. Our Hornets and the Sky could take any of the point defense energy weapons fire without blinking. But those main cannons, the Sky could take one, possibly two hits with Arina's beefed up energy shunting units onboard. The Hornets would be lucky to survive a single strike.
The Hornet's main defense was their random evasion course programming that could get them in strike range momentarily to strike at the gunports on the Jotunn vessels that were a known weakness. They then swoop back out of the main cannon's effective firing envelope. We doubted it was good enough to get them all the way through to the point defense weapons envelope that was below the main cannon's line of fire.
I checked in on father to see if there was any news on the diplomatic front. He relayed, “They have not accepted any of our hails as of yet daughter.” I sighed internally. Kroth! Of course, there wouldn't be a peaceful way to do this. Then he added, “Inshak told me that someone accessed the Ragnarok databases at the Ragnarok embassy spire and did a mass data dump minutes before the attack. One of the enthralled men must have initiated the transfer.” The implications of that were chilling. That would be every scrap of knowledge and history of the Ragnarok race. It wouldn't have any technical or strategic information about the Asgard, but what the Ragnarok had learned on their own.
I put that information aside, then we in the warrior caste redoubled our efforts in finding a solution that wouldn't end in everyone passing to the ages. There was also the sobering truth that it was entirely possible that the Titans would just kill all of the hostages out of spite when we began our assault. I saw no distinction between good and evil in Rhea's aura, the two mixed freely, just like Ymir's. They held no moral distinction between the two. It would be just like tuning on a light to Rhea to kill them all, and it wouldn't be of any more consequence than flipping that switch.
We calculated the spacing and placements of the main cannons. They had a virtually three hundred and sixty degree sphere covered with the seven cannons. Six spiraled around its axis and one forward cannon. There was a small cone directly astern that was unprotected but was impossible to approach. With the engines powered up, anything in that zone would be vaporized. Leaving the only weak point, going head on, only the forward canon could protect a similar cone at the bow of the ship.
So we concentrated on any boarding party rescue missions utilizing that approach vector. Kate at one point sat back in frustration, running her fingers through her hair and pulling it tight against her scalp. “Why does it look like we'll all be wearing red shirts on this away mission no matter what we do?”
Then she sat up straight. “What if we do what you and Intark did? Ride an asteroid in? The deception worked against Ymir's people.”
Intark growled like a wolf from his seat behind us. He said in his deep baritone, “They would be looking for that exact deception. They have our Ragnarok records now. The entire assault on the Ginnungagap would be in them.” Kate nodded and my heart fell.
I changed my line of thinking. What is it that Rhea wanted from those men and Asgard women? An army to use as a weapon against the Frost Giants. And why was she still in the system now and not bringing her vessel in range to destroy the entire world like Ymir had tried on Folkvangr? I exhaled, it was because she still wanted our men, but we had denied her all but a few when she fled the citadel. I grinned, she wouldn't attack until she had what she wanted. Our people were safe until then.
Then I frowned, but then why the attack with that huge group of Jotunn sentinels from the planet? Arina chose that moment to walk into the room and said in her sweet voice, “A test maybe sister?”
I grinned at her. “It isn't polite to listen in on my thoughts Little One.”
She grinned cutely and looked like she just wanted to hug herself as she said, “Then stop yelling.” Then she stood behind Inatra and laid a hands on her shoulder, in plain view of everyone. I blushed for her. Then she said as she swept her gaze around the room. With an almost mothering look at some of the most deadly warriors in the galaxy and said with a smile, “It is very late, you all need to eat and retire. You will all think better on the morrow, with fresh minds and body. You are all no good to the innocents if your minds are dulled by exhaustion.”
She placed her hands on her hips and cocked her head as if in challenge. I almost chuckled as I said, “Yes Arina.” A murmur of chuckles sounded throughout the room. None of them would talk back to the gentle Arina, our first Valkyriefrior, Valkyrie of Peace, either.
I looked around. “Ok everyone, get some rest. We will have at the problem on the morrow with fresh minds.” Everyone mumbled assent as we all stood and started filing out.
After everyone filed out it was just us at the First Valkyrie table, Intark, Tyr, Jeffery, and Mist. Mist reached out and grabbed the hands of her mates, Tyr, and Jeffery and dragged them toward the door calling, “On the morrow ladies.” We all murmured a good night.
Intark loomed over us all and gave a tired smile and addressed us as he bowed his head slightly. “Ladies...” He beamed a sarcastic grin down to me as he tugged on the scarf tied to my left arm. “Itty bitty Ragnarok.” He was already jumping out of the way when I tried to backhand him in the gut.
That left the five of us. As we walked out Inatra chuckled at me and said in a childlike mocking tone with an Asgard accent, “Yes Arina!”
I rolled my eyes and shoved her into the door frame as we left the room with an, “Oops.”
She hissed and chuckled. “I will end you Valkyrie.”
“You shush love,” Arina replied.
And we all broke out in boisterous laughter when Ina said in a resigned tone, “Yes Arina.”
Artemis opened her mouth to chide us all for being softies around the Little One when Arina raised a finger at her and cocked an eyebrow expectantly. Artemis shut her mouth and we all shared another bout of laughter. We all knew the laughter broke the tension of the daunting task of what lay before us, but it still felt good.
As we sat in a wind rider on the way back to the Central Spire, I had to do a double-take at our adopted pseudo-sister from Olympus. “Artemis? You have been smiling ever since we left the barracks, what has you in such jovial spirits?”
She shrugged and replied like it was common sense, “My brother is alive.” This brought a smile to all of our lips.
Kate assured her with undeniable surety. “And we will make sure to bring him, and any Olympian who yet lives on Rhea's vessel, home along with our people.” We all added in our yeas of agreement.
After landing, we made our way into the spire and up to our quarters. Inatra and Arina said their goodnights, and shared touches with us, then retired to their quarters next door. I almost chuckled as Kate and I started dropping armor across the floor as we peeled out of it and made our way toward our bed chambers. I heard Artemis' bow then arrow sheath clunk on the ground too as she headed for her and Samantha's room. I chuckled inwardly, we were acting like old ladies.
We all knew we should probably eat, but we were tired, we could have a big breakfast instead. Kat had just gently pushed me back on the bed and straddled me, leaning in to lay a wanting kiss on my lips when an incoming message started pinging from a wall console.
In mid-kiss we both sighed and chuckled, our lips still connected. I backhanded the air and accepted the call in audio only. “This had better be good, or by the Tree of Ages, I will hunt you down.”
I sat up straight when father's voice came through. “Daughter, we have an incoming transmission from Rhea's vessel. It is coded for you only.”
I sighed and closed my eyes for a second, feeling the pleasant warmth of the arousal I had experienced with my mate just moments earlier ebb away. Another thing Rhea will answer for. Kate climbed off of me and started grabbing some of our discarded armor off the floor as I responded, “We will be there momentarily father.” I made a dismissing gesture in the air and cut the transmission.
Kat's eyes were glittering in mirth as she handed me my chest plate while bending to retrieve her's, “Once more unto the breach love?” I rolled my eyes, she knew I didn't like Shakespeare, I had met the man and he was a positively insufferable little man. Though he could indeed hold his alcohol, I did give him that much.
Artemis poked her head out her door as we trudged through the main room scooping up our Valkyrie armor and gearing up. She didn't say a word, she just disappeared back into her room to appear a moment later back in her cloak. She smirked as she grabbed her weapons and slung them back over her back.
I smiled at her, she always wanted to be where we were, always having our back. I said, “You should sleep sister. We don't even know what is happening yet.”
She shrugged. “Would you?”
I lied. “Of course.” Which only got a surprised burst of laughter from Kate. My lips twitched into a smile. “Fine, you wouldn't be able to keep me away.”
The archer grinned in triumph and said, “There you have it then. After you sisters.”
A minute later we arrived in father's workshop. A tired looking Tyr at his side at the tactical console in his green Einherjergeir armor as always. I wondered how many others father contacted about this mystery transmission.
He motioned to the ceiling and the main holo-display bloomed to life and I yawned then cracked my neck, waking myself up entirely. I could feel my Verr causing a small amount of adrenaline to enter my system to make me fully awake and sharp. I silently thanked them. They sent an image of a smile through my head in response.
Then I took a deep breath and exhaled then made a beckoning motion with my finger and accepted the transmission. It was the same Halfling from before, and we could see Eros at his station beside the man. I said, “This is Kara, the Wild One.”
The man said, “You have audacity making our Queen wait. She requires you to exit your little village for transport to the Elivagar.”
The man was serious. I laughed at the fact he appeared to believe I would just do it. Like it never occurred to him that anyone would deny an order from his queen. What a messed up society the Jotunn and Titans had. I chuckled and said firmly, “I would have to say no to that. But thank your queen for her hospitality.” I made a slashing motion and cut the transmission.
Tyr looked at me. “Was that wise?”
&nbs
p; Father looked to be in thought then a smile bloomed on his face when he realized what I was up to. He looked at Tyr. “No old friend, she is like the Terran fox.”
I nodded. “We will get nowhere speaking with a lackey. We won't know what Rhea is up to until we speak with her ourselves.”
We were being hailed again, I accepted it and it was the Halfling again. He started saying, “You dare defy...” I cut him off. “Yes I do.” I cut the transmission again.
Kate looked positively pleased with my actions, I was acting like a human here, manipulating the situation. A long minute later we were being hailed again. This time we listened to the chime for a good two minutes, Artemis was now rolling her eyes in humor and I winked at her then put on a bored look on my face and accepted the transmission.
This time, Rhea's long armored mask appeared on the screen. I cocked an eyebrow and feigned innocence. “Rhea?” A hand reached up to grasp the mask and there was a clicking sound and she removed the mask, revealing her feminine features. I gave a slight nod of acknowledgment and then said as sweetly as I could manage without bile forming in my throat, “Well met Rhea. What could I do for you this spectacular evening?”
To her credit, I couldn't hear any of the annoyance in her voice that I could see burning in her eyes. “Salutations Kara. I require you on my vessel, I didn't believe the impossible stories your people were telling me about you. Then I saw the Ragnarok records of you in battle, it was beautiful to watch. I believe you are the instrument of the Frost Giant's defeat. At long last, we can be rid of their arrogance.”
I smiled cruelly at her. “I think I will decline your offer, but I give you thanks for the offer.”
Her eyes suddenly got hard as a slight smile crossed her lips. “You believe that was a request? You will soon learn to follow my orders Asgard.”
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