The four of them stood around a hologram projector, eyeing their drop destination: a temple in the middle of a barren wasteland on a frozen planet. They were about to take part in their rite of initiation. It would be the first hunt for each of them. They were ready.
Their names were L'vresha, The Strong; Je'denna, The Keen-eyed; Tre'shedan, The Fast; and their leader, the only one amongst them who had completed the rite of initiation, the one they only knew as Hunter.
Hunter stood in the corner of the room, next to a rack of helmets, making mental notes of everything the initiates did. Each of them had successfully completed the Trials, and each had surpassed all expectations. It was time for them to become adults in their society. Time for them to become Predators.
L'vresha checked his wrist-mounted computer. With a grunt of satisfaction, he turned to Hunter. "We're ready, sir. Are you?"
Hunter simply grunted and took his helmet from the rack. It looked like most helmets of their kind, except for the long scratch that ran down from the top left corner of the forehead to the bottom left corner of the chin. Apparently, he had gotten it from a Xenomorph, who had slashed at him with its barbed tail and missed. Missed anything vital, anyway. Hunter had had it painted bright crimson, so it always looked fresh. He then tossed L'vresha his helmet, standard issue, nothing special.
The other two took their helmets from the rack as well. They put them on wordlessly and checked their weapons and visor status. When the green letters reading Arms check complete. All systems nominal flashed in front of their faces, the hunters turned to their leader. Without saying a word, he put his helmet on and rotated his neck in a complete circle before heading for the launch bay. The initiates followed.
"You ready, strong boy?" Tre'shedan asked, playfully jabbing L'vresha in the shoulder. He ignored him
Instead, L'vresha focused on his unyielding jealousy toward Hunter, who was locked in an embrace with his mate, M'eria. Someday, tought L'vresha, he would have a beutiful mate. He would be the one leading the Initiates, and someday....someday he would challenge Hunter to a pitched duel to the death for his status as clan leader. And he would win.
"Someday..." He though aloud.
"Pardon?" said Je'dena, passing by. Again, he ignored the jibes from his so-called comrades. He didn't need them. He could take on the Xenomorphs. Even without Hunter.
Hunter touched his forehead to M'eria's, a sign of respect. He then strode to the initiates, eyeing them carefully. He nodded and began to speak.
"Today, you begin your rite of initiation. Today, you become predators. Today, you will become waht you were destined to be: a fearless warrior, or a tale to be told to children as bedtime stories. The challenge you face will be difficult, and some of you may not survive. You may not see your families for weeks...or ever again. Are you ready?"
Je'dena and Tre'shedan rose their fists to the air and roared. L'vresha just sottd there, arms folded in fornt of him. Hunter looked right into his eyes.
Without anything left to say, the four boarded the landing craft and headed for the frozen planet.
The planet was cold. Very, very cold.
Hunter was ahead of the main group, scouting. But what for? The Xenomorphs they were to hunt were inside.
The hunting party walked effortlessly through the thick snow, toward the massive pyramid in the distance. There, they would let loose several Xenomorphs, and hunt them throughout the pyramid, mark themselves with its blood, and return as heroes to the clan.
Heroes. The word floated around through L'vresha's head.
Suddenly, Hunter stopped walking and his head snapped to the right. The initiates turned to look in the direction of their master.
L'vresha stepped foreward. "What's wrong, Hunter? Jumping at shadows?"
Impossibly fast, Hunter clapped his hand to L'vresha's mouth. He made a shushing noise.
There was a pause, then Hunter removed his hand from L'vresha's mouth and turned to face him. "The pyramid has ruptured. Xenomorphs are roaming free throughout this land. Once we have finished the rite, we will return home. Do not make this anything more than this has to be, initiate." He spat the last word. "And you will address me as sir, L'vresha, or you will find yourself buried alive on this planet. Understand?"
Without waiting for his answer, Hunter continued on. L'vresha froze in place for a moment.
No master ever called an initiate by his first name. Ever.
Hunter stood over the motionless corpse of a Xenomorph. There were no wounds on it, so the creature must have died from the cold.
Hunter scanned the vast, barren land, finding nothing. He knew they would be out there. But where were they? He stood up and headed toward the pyramid in the distance.
L'vresha could now see the whole pyramid. It was a massive, triangular structure, with a large staircase that lead to the entrance at the top. There were also massive cracks in the stone, revealing the innards of the structure.
They ascended the structure with ease, stepping over the various crevices that would be the portal to their doom, would any of them step into it.
The top of the staircase was littered with dozens of dead Xenomorphs. How they had died was beyond the knowledge of any present.
Hunter eyed one of the corpses. "We're heading in now. Gather yourself, this will not be easy."
As they entered the pyramid, Je'dena thought he saw one of the Xenomorphs twitch.
L'vresha examined a Space Jockey. It's ribs were bent outwards, a sign that the Xenomorphs were active again. As if to prove the point, opened eggs layed scattered about.
They came to another staircase, this one leading to a dead end.
"Well, now what?" Said L'vresha. "There's no door."
Hunter shook his head. "Look carefully, young one."
He strode to the left side of the room. As the initiates watched, he pressed one of the stones in. A panel rose from the ground in front of Tre'shedan, a glowing red button in its center. He pushed it.
Suddenly, the wall in front of them split in two. Each side slid away t oreveal a doorway. Hunter walked up to it, the initiates followed.
At a touch, the door creaked open in front of Hunter. The room beyond was amazing.
It was a massive chamber, massive columns held up the ceiling, intricate designs were etched into the walls and floors. In the center was a massive, translucent chamber, but none of the hunters could see in, as the glass was covered in ice on the inside.
"Behold, the birthing chamber," said Hunter. None of the initiates responded, struck with awe. "Here is where we will release three Xenomorphs, and you three will hunt them. Once you have killed the Xenomorph, you will mark yourselves and return here. Then we will leave. But be warned--You may stumble into more Xenomorphs, as someone has set them free. Are you ready?
"I am ready" they responded in unison.
"Good. Then let the hunt begin!"
As soon as the words escaped his lips, something large and black knocked Hunter off his feet. Three more of the hideous black forms appeared over the side of the wall, hissing and spitting. With a shock, the initiates realized they had been ambushed.
Hunter unsheathed his wrist-mounted blades and stabbed them into the Xenomorph's mouth. Quickly, he threw it off of him and over the edge, enjoying its death screams. He thought himself lucky that he had his blades treated to resist the Xenomorph's acidic blood. The initiates, however, had not.
L'vresha grappled with one of the creatures; its face inches away from his own. Staring into its mouth, he saw the thing's inner jaw ready to strike. He ducked his head just as the jaw flew out of its mouth. With amazing speed, he grabbed the alien's inner jaw and ripped it out of its mouth. He then spun it around and kicked its head into a wall, killing it. He then kneeled next to it, took its tail in one hand, and marked himself.
The pain was excruciating, but necessary. He could now return to his family with honour.
Je'dena kicked one alien away and slammed another's head into his armoured knee. He felt no pain, thanks to an adrenaline rush. As one creature began to get up, he fired his shoulder-mounted plasma caster, and the creature exploded in a mass of black chitin and acidic blood. Being careful not to step in any acid, the picked up the creature's severed tail and marked his forehead.
Je'dena stood and let out a roar of victory. He then spun around to finish the other alien off, but Tre'shedan was already smashing its head into the ground. He then got up and marked himself.
"Not as hard as you thought, was it, Je'dena?" The two then turned to watch Hunter as he effortlessly killed the leftovers.
He slashed left and right, each swing striking true and spilling Xenomorph blood. As he removed his blades from the chest cavity of one creature, he spun around and fired his plasma caster into another, which was coming up the stairs. He turned again and flung his smart disc at a group of the creatures, using telekinetic abilities to decapitate them all.
When the battle was finally over, Hunter turned to the initiates. His words were filled with pride.
"Well done, hunters. You are no longer initiates. You have successfully completed the trials necessary to become a Warrior. I am truly proud of all of you. Now, let's leave this godforsaken place."
As they turned to leave, L'vresha spoke the one most damning word a Warrior could say to his superior.
"No."
Hunter stopped dead in his tracks and turned around. "What did you say?"
L'vresha just stared at the Queen's chamber. "No. We can't just leave! There's an outbreak here. We have to contain it!"
Hunter stepped up to L'vresha. "As long as we don't get impregnated and none of them get on our ship, the situation in contained. But the longer we stay here, the more likely that's going to happen! Now, let's go!"
Je'denna and Tre'shedan walked up behind Hunter. "He's right," said Tre'shedan "we need to leave."
L'vresha lowered his head. "So, you agree with him? Interesting....Very interesting."
Suddenly, L'vresha spun around and shot his plasma caster right into Tre'shedan's unprotected chest. In a flash, the hunter's chest cavity was blown wide open and he flew backward.
Faster than even Hunter, L'vresha tackled Je'denna to the ground, grabbed him around the throat, and brought him up to his feet, using him as a shield.
Hunter spun around and unsheathed his wrist blades.
"Now what do you say, master? Who's on top now?" L'vresha spat. "Move an inch, and he dies. If you want him to live, you will agree to contain this contamination.
Hunter lowered his hand. He nodded once.
"Very well. We will stop this contamination. Just release Je'denna."
L'vresha smirked under his helmet and dropped Je'denna. He crumpled to the ground and gasped for air. L'vresha walked back to the balcony and looked at the dormant Queen.
"How do you suppose we go about it? Killing the Queen I mean."
Slowly, Hunter raised his wrist blades. "Like this!" He shouted, and plunged the blades into the unprotected backside of L'vresha's skin.
He screamed in pain and grabbed the edge of the balcony for support. He spun around, unsheathing his own blades, and lunged at Hunter.
The blades collided with a loud clang that reverberated off the walls. Hunter then aimed his plasma caster at L'vresha's left arm and fired.
His arm flew off in a gory array of bone, blood, and armour plating. Stunned, L'vresha stepped back, but realized he was cornered when he hit the balcony and nearly fell off.
Hunter stepped up to his former pupil. "Do you know what we do to traitors in our clan?" He mocked.
L'vresha shook his head in disbelief. "No. No! You can't do this to me!"
Hunter shook his head. Instead of saying anything, he just removed the self-destruct device from his left wrist and began to activate it. As the last button was pushed, he shoved it into L'vresha's hands and kicked him over the edge.
Hunter turned to Je'denna and picked him up. "Come on, warrior. We don't have much time!
M'eria stared out the window at the black emptiness of space. She prayed silently for her mate, Hunter.
Behind her, crewmen hurried back and forth, preparing the docking bay for the hunting party's ship to return. She hoped Hunter would be amongst them, for it was common for several members of a hunting party taking the rites of initiation to die on the journey. Even some veterans were killed. Her heart suddenly began to quicken.
The pair had not even been mates for a month, and already she was worrying herself over his safety. She couldn't help but chuckle.
Even she knew that many veteran warriors would take a second, even a fourth mate in life. And they would give birth to a whole new generation of warriors. She shivered at the thought of going through this kind of worry for dozens of miniature warriors. But they would, according to tradition, be accompanied by their father on their rites of initiation. Relief washed over her.
But they would have time for that later. When Hunter came back. If he came back.
Her heart rate began to speed up again.
Je'denna and Hunter sprinted through the temple as it collapsed around them. Now and again, they would encounter a Xenomorph, but it would wither ignore them or get crushed by falling debris. Je'denna hoped they would not be so unlucky.
He saw the exit ahead. Now all they had to do was make it that far…..
He heard a loud cracking noise in front of him. He stopped dead in his tracks and looked down. At his feet was Hunter, a large crack in his helmet and blood pouring down his helmet.
Swearing, Je'denna hauled his elder up and over his shoulder, and kept on going. He had to make it. He wouldn't leave the one who had trained him for this moment behind. He wouldn't. He had to keep on going!
And suddenly he was outside.
With a sigh of relief, he collapsed in the snow. Beside him, Hunter regained consciousness. Behind him, the pyramid finally collapsed.
"Je'denna? You….you saved me."
Je'denna rose to his feet. "I couldn't just leave you behind, could I?"
Hunter chuckled. He had never done that before. "You could have. But I'm glad you did. Thank you, Je'denna."
He helped his pupil up. Together, they headed back to the ship.
M'eria saw the ship leave the planet's orbit. Her heart rate quickened again. Was Hunter alive? Were the youngsters alive? She hoped so.
Warning sirens blared and crews quickened their pace as the ship floated closer. M'eria strode to the balcony overlooking the docking area.
The massive dock doors opened, revealing a blue-tinged shield that kept everything in, and small debris out. The ship pulled into the docking bay.
The hatch opened, and two figures descended from the ship.
M'eria let out a loud sigh of relief when she saw that one was Hunter. But her relief suddenly turned to worry when she saw the wound on his head. She rushed out to greet him.
"Hunter! What happened to you? Are you alright? Where are the others?" She said as she threw her arms around him.
Hunter touched his forehead to hers, and then said, "I will be alright. But before I tell you what happened, I need to talk to the other trainers about what happened."
"This is disturbing news indeed." Said the Elder. "Very disturbing news."
Hunter nodded. "He killed Tre'shedan and wounded Je'denna. He wanted to...contain the Xenomorphs within the pyramid. It would have killed us."
The Elder began to pace back and forth. "And this....L'vresha? He died when the pyramid collapsed, correct?"
Hunter nodded. "Correct."
The elder sighed. "There are more pyramids on that planet. I have heard from other hunting parties that have been down to ther pyramids down there. Somehow, the power generator that supplies power to the pyramids' containment facilities has shut down. The contamination is widespread."
Hunter gasped. "Impossible!"
The Elder shook his head slowly. "Take Je'denna down to the planet. Tell him what is happening. The youngster deserves to know the truth."
Hunter nodded and left the room.
Kel'theren drove the ship foreward through the black vaccum of space. The two blooded hunters behind him were silent.
They had been ambushed by Xenomorphs outside the pyramid. Hra'nega hadn't stood a chance against the first alien that came. He still remembered his final words. 'Tell my family I died for the clan. Tell them I love them.' He had said, right before the Xenomorph's inner jaw had pierced his skull.
But that was all behind them now. He needn't dwell on such a depressing subject.
With a sigh, Kel'theren activated his radio and signaled the mothership for his incoming landing.
"Mothership, this is Kel'theren requesting permission to land, over." No response came. He repeated his message. No reply came again. He set the ship on auto pilot and went to check for any shorts in the wiring.
The ship was unusually dark, and he noticed the lights were out. He heard something behind him. He spun around, unsheathing his wrist blades and stepping forward. There was a squelch as he stepped in something clear and sticky.
With horror, he realized it was saliva from a Xenomorph. The last thing he heard was it breathing down his neck.
Yar'utja heard his captain's scream. He grabbed Tel'uthan and rushed to his master's aid.
"Did you hear that?" He asked as they unsheathed their wrist blades. Tel'uthan shook his head.
One of the lights flickered. As it did, Yar'utja saw something big and black standing over the corpse of his dead master. With a shock, he realized that it was a Xenomorph.
Forgetting about his wristblades, he fired his plasma caster, but the creature dodged it and charged. He ducked as its inner jaw shot out of its mouth.
Suddenly, the Xenomorph lunged over Yar'utja and tackled Tel'uthan. He screamed for two horrible seconds, and then was very silent.
With horror, Yar'utja knew that he was alone on the ship. With a Xenomorph. He rushed back to the command bridge to activate the self-destruct, but he was too late. When he arrived at the bridge, he saw the Xenomorph standing in the doorway. It lunged before he could raise his arms to defend himself.
The ship half-crashed into the docking bay. Something was wrong, and Hunter knew it. He blew a hole in the ship's side using his plasma caster and crawled through the hole. He turned on his helmet's thermal vision mode and moved on.
He saw one faint heat signature and moved toward it. It was one of the new warriors, he could tell from his helmet. He didn't know his name.
As he crouched over the wounded warrior, he spoke. "Run. It's in here. It killed my teammates. It'll kill you too."
Hunter watched as the warrior began to convulse. "Run," he said. "Run. Run!"
And then, in a spray of blood, a small Xenomorph burst out of the warrior's chest.
In one swift movement, Hunter sliced his blades through the newborn's neck, decapitating it instantly. Acidic blood sprayed over the floor, making small holes in the floor.
He walked down the dark hallways, hearing bustling crews outside working to try and get a grasp on the situation. He couldn't go out and tell them what was happening. It would waste too much time.
Hunter rounded a corner and found himself on the bridge. Another warrior was there, also dead, face-down in a puddle of his own blood.
Hunter approached the dead warrior and turned his body over. As he feared, there was already a hole in his chest. There was a Xenomorph on the ship somewhere. Loose.
He heard another sound behind him. Instantly, he spun around and fired his plasma caster. There was a loud splattering sound and a thud. That was one less Xenomorph, he thought.
As he got up to search the rest of the ship, there was another noise behind him. Hunter froze as something hit the ground with a thud.
Spinning around, he saw it was another Yautja. Relieved, Hunter lowered his weapons.
"Who are you?" He asked. "I don't remember anyone else coming in here. Are you a survivor?"
It said nothing.
Hunter walked up to the Yautja. "Hey, I know you're probably shaken up, but we'll handle it okay? Just get yourself out of here and to the med-lab so we can run some diagnostics."
Suddenly, it grabbed Hunter by the throat and lifted him up in the air. A light flickered, and Hunter saw that his assailant was no Yautja.
He had thought the tales were just stories, but know he knew they were true.
Standing right in front of him was a Xenomorph-Yautja hybrid.
The hybrid threw Hunter down the hallway, with such force that he bounced off one of the walls. He looked up and saw it walk slowly toward him.
In a second, he aimed and fired the plasma caster at its head. Faster than he thought possible, the hybrid dove forward and the shot missed.
Outside, Hunter heard more Yautja coming to his aid. He tried to warn them, but he couldn't find his breath.
The hybrid loomed over him, spittle falling from its mouth. It punched him once, twice, but as it tried to punch him a third time, Hunter stabbed it in one of its legs with his wrist blades.
It screamed and staggered back, giving Hunter enough room to jump back and aim his plasma caster again.
As he was about to fire, it suddenly broke into a sprint and ran down the hallway. Turning around, Hunter saw a trio of armed Yautja at the end of the hallway.
"No! Turn around! It's a hybrid!" He tried to yell, but all that came out was a loud cough. He wiped spittle off his mouth, but it wasn't spittle. It was blood.
Hunter heard plasma casters fire down the hallway, but he knew it was futile. It was too fast.
Hunter found the strength to stand and aim for the third time. Down the hallway, he saw the hybrid stick its inner jaw down a Yautja's throat. Desperate to avenge the lives of his fallen comrades, he fired.
The plasma bolt tore through the hybrid's left shoulder, spraying blood and bone. The other surviving Yautja took the opportunity and bolted for the exit.
It suddenly remembered Hunter and turned to face him. With a smile on his face, Hunter prepared to fight.
The hybrid dropped to a crouch and lunged at Hunter. In a flash, he hit the button to close the door to the bridge and ducked. The alien flew over him and slammed into the door. Something cracked.
As it fell, Hunter picked the hybrid up and threw it against the closest wall. As he prepared to deliver the finishing blow, it suddenly grabbed Hunter and flung him against the other wall, pinning his arms to his sides. It reared its head and Hunter knew what was coming next. Now it would insert its vile inner jaw into his mouth and implant eggs into his stomach. His body would become the breeding ground for a Xenomorph. He wouldn't let that happen.
Hunter thrust his head foreword and slammed it against the creature's skull. Stunned, it staggered back and held its head in its good hand.
Hunter lunged at the hybrid, using all the strength in his legs. He swung his arm and punched his blades through its cheek. He slashed outward, making two large gashes in the creature's face. He then raised his fist, ready to brain the creature and finish it once and for all.
Suddenly, the hybrid swung its tail and swept Hunter's feet from under him. He hit the floor hard. It grabbed Hunter by the throat and held him up in the air, again preparing to inject eggs directly into his body.
Before it even reared its head, a plasma bolt raked the hybrid's back and tore a hole in the bridge door. The hybrid instantly forgot about Hunter and turned to face his new assailant.
It was Je'denna.
The hybrid crouched and lunged at Je'denna. Almost as soon as it left the ground, one of the hybrid's legs flew off. It fell to the ground with a loud thud.
Hunter snatched his smart disc from the air and pocketed it. He pointed at the hybrid. "Now Je'denna! Kill it!" He called.
Wordlessly, his pupil walked up to the creature, which was squirming around, trying to right itself. He kicked it on to its back and lowered himself. There was a metallic ringing as Je'denna unsheathed his wrist blades. He thrust his arm forward, and there was a loud scream from the hybrid, and then it was silent.
Je'denna wrested his wrist blades free of the creature's throat and yanked its head free of its shoulders. With a cry of victory, he held his new trophy up above his head. Hunter felt proud of his pupil.
Je'denna, clutching the hybrid's head in one hand, walked up to Hunter. He held out his hand. Hunter took it and hauled himself up.
Je'denna's voice was full of pride. "My first trophy! And a hybrid, too. I thought those were only stories?"
Hunter shook his head. "I only wish that were true. And congratulations on your first trophy."
M'eria had heard the gunfire from outside the ship and feared the worst. She had watched Je'denna, the only of Hunter's three pupils to survive the rite of initiation, run into the ship after hearing that Hunter was facing a hybrid inside. She now anxiously waited for him to return, hopefully with her mate, alive and well.
Her heart pounded as the ship's bay doors opened. Two forms emerged. M'eria looked closer…..
It was Hunter and Je'denna! She exhaled and realized she had been holding her breath.
Hunter immediately walked up to her and embraced her. She hugged him back. Her arms suddenly felt heavy and she realized Hunter was unconscious.
Je'denna appeared next to Hunter, put one of his arms over his shoulder, and together they took Hunter to the medical bay.
M'eria could not sleep. She would not sleep until Hunter awoke the next morning and said he was feeling well. She watched him carefully, making note of every rise and fall of his chest, looking for anything out of the ordinary.
There was a bandage on the back of his head where it had slammed against a wall. It was stained with dried blood. Even just looking at it made M'eria flinch.
Hunter suddenly sat up in his bed. M'eria jumped back, startled. He turned to face her. He mouthed thank you and collapsed on the bed again. M'eria held her breath until Hunter resumed breathing.
M'eria walked over to the rack which held Hunter's armor and weapons. She picked it up and examined the long red scar coming from the left eye. She still remembered how he had gotten it.
They were on a desolate desert planet, where she was watching Hunter hunt Xenomorphs. She watched in awe as he shot one Xenomorph with his plasma caster. Then another. And another. In a flash he drew his combat spear and flung it at a fourth Xenomorph, decapitating it instantly. Hunter then spun around and threw his smart disc and ripped several more of the monsters in two.
Suddenly, the massacre stopped. The broken and battered corpses of dead Xenomorphs layed scattered around them. She turned to him. He was barely panting.
Suddenly a massive, black Xenomorph--a Queen, broke out of the ground, knocking them both back. She turned to see Hunter already on his feet and engaging the Queen.
No, she thought, he was going to die. No Yautja could match a Queen in combat. But he did. In the span of a few seconds, he lanched himself at the Quen, wrist blades drawn, and stabbed it in one of its massive eyes. He took out a vial of corrosive liquid and empited it into the open cavity. The Queen screamed loudly and collapsed to the ground, its tail thrashing. Its tail slashed Hunter's face and sent him flying away, where he landed next to her. The Queen screamed once more and collapsed, dead, onto the ground.
Hunter had then stood up and decapitated the Queen. He carried its enormous skull back to the ship, with M'eria in tow.
M'eria awoke and realized she had fallen asleep. She checked Hunter once more, just to be sure he was okay, then went to his trophy room.
The Queen's head was still there, amongst countless Xenomorph skulls, each one unique and from a different host species, at the end of the hall.
She studied it, replayed the moment in her mind several times, then turned to leave. At the end of the hallway stood a figure, tall and in full battle dress.
It was Hunter.
Wordlessly, he walked up to the Queen's skull and studied it. M'eria decided it would be best if he was left alone, and walked out of the room to Hunter's quarters. She heard Hunter exhale as the door closed.
M'eria stood by the door to Hunter's trophy room, waiting for something, anything, to happen. Would he come out silently, just as he entered? Or would he try to tell her he was okay? Would he collapse without a sound, for M'eria to find dead in front of his favourite trophy? She shuddered at the thought.
M'eria heard someone coming down the hallway. She turned and found herself face to face with the clan Elder. He nodded at her once and then disappeared inside Hunter's room. She wanted to tell him no, that Hunter wanted to be alone, but she knew better than to anger the Elder.
She could hear voices inside, that of Hunter and the Elder, but she could not hear what they were talking about. After awhile, the door opened and Hunter came out, followed by the Elder. M'eria was glad to see Hunter okay.
Hunter looked at M'eria and said, "I have to go back down to the planet."
Hunter entered the armoury. He scanned the many dozens of long racks with armaments such as the spear gun, plasma caster, combi-spear and throwing discs.
He selected from the assortment of deadly weaponry his specially made, acid proof combi-stick, wrist blades, and throwing discs. He also took a spear gun and several vials of a medical solution, which could cauterize even the most horrific wounds.
Hunter left the armoury as soon as he was sure he had everything he would need. He then paused and returned to take a net launcher. Just in case I want to bring something home, he thought with a smile.
As he turned to the armour room, he saw M'eria standing in his way. She looked angry about something. He knew what it was.
"Hunter, your wounds need to heal. You can't work at your best if you're wounded! You might die."
Hunter suddenly realized his wounded shoulder was throbbing with pain. He cursed under his breath and strode into the armour room.
He ignored M'eria's cries of protest behind him. Instead, he took his hard meat armour and his helmet, and put them on.
PT IV: Containment/Chapter II
A wave of icy cold air hit Hunter as he exited the dropship. He had forgotten just how cold it had been.
Je'denna dropped down beside him. "So why are we here, sir?"
Hunter regarded the massive complex before them. He had never seen anything so large, save the Mothership. He soon began to question if this complex was larger than even that.
"At the center of this facility is a huge reactor that supplies energy to the various cryochambers on this planet. Something's causing the reactor to malfunction. We need to find out what it is."
Je'denna nodded as they proceeded into the facility.
If the malfunctioning cryochambers wasn't proof enough that the reactor was not working, the pitch blackness was. There was supposed to be lighting in the facility. Unfortunately this, too, was powered by the reactor. What was next? A weapons malfunction?
The two Yautja were always on the lookout for Xenomorph eggs. No need for another hybrid running around.
Around them were discarded Xenomorph carcasses. Or were they moulting? Hunter didn't care. It was possible that they were eating each other, due to a lack of prey.
"What's with the carcasses? Are they eating each other?" Asked Je'denna.
Hunter shook his head. "I'm not entirely sure. It wouldn't surprise e if they were eating each other, or moulting."
"Oh."
Suddenly, a huge black shape tackled Hunter to the ground. Je'denna quickly kicked off of him. As it rolled away, Hunter pounced on it with amazing speed. In one quick movement, he gutted it with his wristblades.
Je'denna examined the Xenomorph's corpse.
"It's huge!" He exclaimed.
Hunter crouched next to it. "It's a royal guard."
"What does that mean?"
"It means we're close to a Queen."
The two Yautja coninued on, passing discarded Xenomorph shells of varyous sizes along the way. A distant, though loud, humming noise pierced their ears.
"What the hell is that?" Je'denna asked.
Hunter responded, "It's the reactor. That humming is not good. Something is causing it to overheat."
Je'denna suddenly realized he was getting warmer with each step. They must be getting close.
They came to a door with the words, 'Reactor' written in their language above it. There were small holes in the ground, and Je'denna realized there were dozens of dead Xenomorphs on the ground in front of the door.
Their wounds were strange. Small holes dotted their long heads and the door, making them look like...Like...
"Swiss cheese." Hunter noted.
"Pardon?"
"I once traveled to a human planet and in one little building was something I managed to translate as 'Swiss Cheese, 100% real milk', whatever that is.
Je'denna shook his head. What was a human?
Hunter grabbed one of the holes in the door and dragged it to the side. Je'denna covered his ears as the door screeched open.
"C'mon, Je'denna," Hunter said.
The two walked into the massive room. They were on a large, round platform overlooking a huge cylindrical reactor.
"We're in the reactor room." Hunter stated.
They walked forward and were immediately ambushed by two large Xenomorphs. Hunter ducked and drew his spear.
"They're royal guards! This must be what they're using as the Queen's chamber!" He called over the loud crack of breaking bones.
Je'denna fired his plasma caster over the Xenomorph's shoulder, hitting a second one mid-leap, sending it crashing to the ground below. He tried to wrestle with the one on top of him, but it was too strong. He saw the beast's inner jaw poised and ready to strike inside its mouth.
Suddenly, a long, pointed object stabbed through the Xenomorph's leg. It whipped its tail out, knocking Hunter off his feet. As it prepared to lunge, Je'denna fired his plasma caster into its back, sending the royal guardian over the edge of the platform.
There was a loud, menacing scream. Je'denna covered his ears as he looked for the source. Even Hunter could not handle the noise.
The scream stopped momentarily, giving Hunter time to shout, "It's the Queen!" Before it began again.
"What is she doing?" Je'denna yelled.
"She's calling all the royal guards from all throughout the complex to come to her aid!"
Oh, great, Je'denna thought.
Suddenly, Hunter spun around and began to fire his plasma caster at the door they had just entered from. Je'denna turned around and saw dozens, probably even hundreds of the large creatures trying to cram through the door. Hunter ran to it, and Je'denna knew what he had to do.
He fired his plasma caster as fast as he could at the Xenomorphs trying to get through the door. Hunter was struggling. He had to help him.
Je'denna ran to Hunter's side and grabbed another hole in the door. Together, they pulled. The door suddenly flew to the side and slammed close, crushing all the Xenomorphs inside the doorway.
"Good job," Hunter said. "Now for the other three."
Hunter dropped to the ground as the Queen let out another ear-piercing shriek. He had to stop it, otherwise they would be overrun. But how would he go about it?
A particularly large guard tackled Hunter to the ground. He grappled with it, watching its inner jaw come forth, poised and ready to strike.
Without waiting for the inner jaw to come forth, Hunter reached into the creature's mouth and grabbed the oral weapon. Using all the strength in his arms, he ripped the inner jaw right out of the Xenomorph's mouth. It shrieked, staggering back and giving Hunter enough room to kick it off of him. It flew back, over the platform, where it bonced off the reactor.
Je'denna's plasma caster spat death, not one shot missed its mark. He stood in the middle of a circle of dead royal guards, each one's acidic blood carving a hole in the ground. Hunter saw what was happening. They were throwing their lives away, getting Je'denna to kill them, using their acidic blood to eat a hole in the ground. Soon, Je'denna would fall.
Hunter yelled, "No! Je'denna! Move! You're going to fall!"
His pupil couldn't hear him. Hunter had to act quickly. He sprinted to Je'denna, all the while calling out his name, trying to tell him to move. But he could not reach him. There were too many Xenomorphs, and the Queen was making too much noise. Hunter was being swamped by the royal guards.
Suddenly, there was a loud cracking sound. Je'denna looked at his feet, a look of confusion on his face beneath his mask. Hunter knew what was happening. He hoped his pupil would be okay.
The ground beneath Je'denna's feet gave way, and he fell to the floor below the platform, right in front of the massive hulk that was the Queen. Dozens of eggs lay nearby. One began to open.
The Queen let out a menacing roar, opening its mouth a foot wide. In that instant, Je'denna knew what he had to do.
He plunged his wristblades into the Queen's mouth, keeping it open. With his other hand, he took off his wrist computer and activated it. He threw it down the Queen's massive gullet, the beeping sound fading away.
Suddenly, the Queen's mouth clamped shut, tearing Je'denna's arm off. He screamed and dropped to the floor, and the Queen lunged over him. He roared as loudly as he could, then died.
Hunter froze as he saw the Queen pull herself up over the platform. He knew Je'denna was dead, but he also knew that he had died an honourable death. Somehow, he knew Je'denna had planted his self-destruct device inside the Queen, and he did not have much time.
He turned and ran, with the Queen in hot pursuit. Hunter dodged Xenomorphs, both drones and guardians alike. They could not keep up to the veteran Yautja's amazing speed.
If Hunter had guessed correctly, there was only a few seconds left until the bomb detonated. He dove into a narrow hallway that the Queen could not pass through, crouched and covered his ears.
With an ear-piercing screech, a loud boom, and a spray of blood, gore and bone, the Queen exploded from within.
---Epilogue---
Hunter slowly stepped up to the Elder. His face was full of sadness.
He explained what had happened. Je'denna's sacrifice, the Queen's death, everything. The Elder nodded once. He seemed to be suppressing pride. Maybe not to look strange in the face of the death of a hunter. Hunter could feel it, too. He was proud that a Yautja under his command had died such an honourable death.
He told Je'denna's family. They felt the same way as he did. Pride and sadness at the same time.
He told noone else, not even M'eria. It would find its way to her, eventually.
She found him in his Trophy room, staring at the Queen's skull. He was motionless, save for the rise and fall of his breathing. She did not say anything to him, nor him to her. There was enough sadness, and M'eria knew that. She looked around, at the venerable hunter's many trophies. She walked out quietly.
Slowly, Hunter raised the helmet of his former pupil up to his face. He looked at the large crack down the middle, where the Queen had stepped on it. It reminded him of his own.
Hunter took off his helmet with his right hand and held it up next to Je'denna's. The scars looked shockingly similar.
Forcing back a howl of agony, Hunter placed Je'denna's helm on a podium, next to four others, and left his trophy room.
There the helmet would stay, next to four others. There the helmet would stay, next to the helmets of L'vresha and Tre'shedan, forever immortalized.
--THE END--