Heavy boots clunked against the ornate floor of the house, and a thick red velvet cape swirled around his feet with each step. He was heavily armored and equipt with weapons. Most notably his wrist blades, whip, and smart disc were his favorites and thus always kept on his person. Besides his spiked bio mask, plated shoulder armor, and long crotch guard he also adorned a necklace of animal claws and a bone ring on his right hand. His mandibles twitched under his mask as his light golden eyes observed the house, taking in the corroded areas of the walls and small holes in the floor.
He followed behind another yautja male, the owner of the house who had happily agreed to his abrupt visit. Most were not eager to find an arbitrator at their door. He was a traditional arbitrator either, in every sense of the word, at how he went about his work or even the way he dressed. First of all, not many yautja would wear a red cape as it was of human design. Still, he knew that capes represented superheroes and royalty on earth and so he found it fitting for himself. He was an upholder of honor and justice, as all arbitrators, yet his focus was not on other yautjas or hunting down and killing Badbloods.
His area of expertise was with aliens-the slaves, servants, pets, and occasional mates of the yautja. At random, he would chose yautjas that owned these aliens and check on them to make sure there was no abuse or illegal activities occurring with the alien. The laws varied throughout each clan for activities such as interspecies sex, rape, or prostitution. Some clans allowed aliens to work outside the house they resided in, some clans did not. Abuse was illegal throughout the entire planet, though the definition for it fluctuated from clan to clan.
The male whose house he was currently in, owned a xenomorph-which was equivalent to owning a tiger for a pet. He would inspect the animal for any cruelty or unhonorable treatment, and if he found the animal in good health he would leave. If not in good condition, he would seize the alien and kill it or find it a new owner. Most yautja kept even their slaves in great conditions, yet he had seen horrible things become of some aliens. He took his job very seriously, though not all yautja did the same.
The male he was following stopped to turn and address him. He was a highly ranked yautja, dressed in a decorative fur loincloth, wearing metal rings around his neck and other jewelry. He looked more than capable of subduing any opponent, especially a xenomorph. The corroded areas of the walls were from xenomorph blood though, and he wondered how well he could handle the pet.
"Stay where you are and I will go get him. He gets territorial over his room." The owner said.
He nodded, allowing it, though he would have to go see the area the animal was kept eventually.
Ien'heru watched the male disappear behind a locked door. He switched the vision mode for his bio mask so that he could see through the walls and observe how the yautja treated the pet. The male grabbed a length of chain off his hip and approached the xenomorph cautiously. Its tail quickly whipped at his head, yet the male saw it coming and caught its thick bony tail in his fist. Then, he threw a loop of chain over its big head and tightened it around its neck.
The xeno protested fiercely, but the yautja pulled on the chain until its head lowered to him. He looked directly at the animals face, a dangerous thing to do when they could pierce a metal bio mask, and the male didn't even have that on. The animal could have killed him in a heartbeat with its inner jaws. Ien'heru was impressed, yet now felt challenged to do it himself. He watched the male pull on the chains to drag the animal out of the room, and then he switched his vision mode back to normal.
At first, with its owner holding the chain, he inspected the animal. Out of its room, the animal did seem calmer. He was quite familiar with the species, as most yautja were, and knew how they were supposed to look when healthy. This xeno looked clean, with a gloss to its black body, healthy, and well fed. They were incredible animals, the yautjas favorite prey. They were not to be underestimated, yet he felt compelled to face death.
He grabbed the chains from the animals owner, and slowly pulled it closer. The xenomorph had its head turned away from him though, so his hand shot out to grab the bottom of its jaw in his fist and forced the animal to face him. He leaned in, watching the xenomorphs top lip quiver just inches in front of him, ready to jerk his head away it its inner jaws came shooting out. The thrill of it faded quickly as the animals mouth did not even open. He let it go, unimpressed, and handed back the length of chain.
"You would dare to look at a xenomorph at eye level?" The owner asked, sounding as though no one else had done what he did.
"You do not seem hesitant towards your pet."
"Yes, but I know that its inner jaws have been surgically removed. It could have killed you if it didn't."
He let out a dismissive huff, then said, "There are corroded areas in your house. How did its blood get on the walls and floor?"
"It went on a rampage after it spotted a small pest animal that had somehow gotten into the house. Weapons were knocked off the walls and the xenomorph harmed itself."
He nodded, picking up no lies from the male and said, "I'd like to see the room you keep it in."
"Go right in. I'll hold him here."
He swept past the hovering xenomorph and its owner to get to the door if the room it had came out of. He slipped inside, quickly taking in the important details. The lights were dim. The floor was clean off any feces. A nest built by the xeno was in the corner, looking like it was made out of a mix of spiderwebs and dried gooey slobber. Overall, the room looked efficient, spacious, a healthy habitat for a xenomorph.
When he came out of the room, the owners hand was touching the xenomorphs side, in an affectionate gesture, and Ien'heru was sure that his inspection was over. The xenomorph was sufficiently cared for, and did not appear to be abused. He swept his hand over the xenos smooth glossy head, which caused the animal to hiss at him, then he showed himself out of the house without another word. He documented his visit, marked the yautjas name off his list, and moved onto another.