Rise of a Valkyrie

Prologue - Part 1

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High on the shoulder of an alien mountain, Owen Shelden trudged up a steep slope as pain and exhaustion piled on his soul like the snowflakes on his jacket. But neither the harsh weather, nor his burning muscles, nor even his doubts about the expedition would convince him to turn back. It wasn't in his nature.

A life in the colonies had taught him it took more than courage to survive on other planets. Either dangerous weather, disease, or the invisible horror of radiation from an unprotected sky could destroy generations of work. Only a fierce, collective desire to keep going could prevent a colony from collapsing, and tens of thousands from dying.

From his fellow pioneers on the young world of Caldera, Owen had learned to expect trust and loyalty.

But on this climb, he could expect none. The off-worlders who had hired him as a guide wouldn't even tell him what they were looking for, hidden among peaks never disturbed by humanity.

Thousands of feet below the snow blanketed slope lay a glacial valley, a corridor that channeled the wind for miles until it accelerated to shrieking speeds. Cold air bit through Owen's Crylar weave jacket, and the polar fleece below. It bit through his skin and into his aching muscles. Soon, it would begin gnawing on his bones.

A turbulent gust kicked icy powder into his face, and he raised an arm for protection. It was an automatic gesture; his face was already numb, his beard crusty with snow. Ahead on the trail, he caught sight of the dark figure of the expedition's leader—Rayker. She was waiting for him, as still against the blizzard as the rocks around them.

The cold bit deeper. Owen had been climbing for thirty years, but somehow this Earther was leaving him in her tracks. Even from the beginning, her strength and stamina had seemed unnatural.

He lowered his head, summoned a fresh burst of willpower, and pushed himself forward.

She waited where the ridge split, her arms folded, and a contemptuous expression on her gaunt face. Owen stopped beside her and cast a glance backward while he tried to catch his breath.

Behind them, the dozen other members of Rayker's team were still snaking their way up the mountain's treacherous ledges. Their heavy steps showed the toll the climb was taking. Owen glanced at her face again, but saw no warmth there. She obviously had as little concern for their welfare as his own and would probably drag them onward, even if it killed some of them.

But something else bothered Owen. The rest of the team were all male, very fit, absurdly self-confident, and obeyed one of their own—Halloran Reed—without question.

Owen recognized their bearing, plain speech, and blunt manners from his own time in a militia. Earth's empire—the Helvetic League—was weak and aging. What were their soldiers doing so far beyond their own frontiers?

Rayker's voice pierced through the wind. "I thought guides led their clients," she said in a mocking tone, "not the other way around."

Owen felt a little heat return with a flash of anger. She had the arrogance so typical of Helvets.

"Go on ahead without me," he said. "See how far you get. You need more than a map location to climb a mountain without getting yourself killed. I just need a moment—"

"You're slowing me down," she snapped. "I thought I was paying for the best guide in the colony?"

"You're paying for the only guide."

He turned to inspect the ground ahead of them. A gentle snow-covered slope stretched off to the east, while a steep rocky climb awaited them to the north.