Lex was brought to a hospital of sort by several armed guards. Inside the facility, injured Yautja warriors were carried through the halls on metal platforms. As she went through the halls, she saw some Yautja that looked severely injured, some had lost limbs, and others looked a different color than they should be. There were several elder looking Yautja that seemed to be the physicians. On occasion, she would see one of the elders inject a substance into an injured Yautja.
Lex was summoned into a room; a lone guard kept watch over her while the others stood outside. The doctor was an elder but one wouldn't notice by his dress. Like the others, he was well equipped with various instruments.
"I require blood from you to determine your genetic history," the doctor said taking a sample.
Lex winced as green blood was taken from her arm. The doctor then turned away from Lex and entered the sample into a computer. The computer showed different red combinations that made up the Yautja language. Despite the universal translator, she couldn't determine it. The doctor waited as the computer showed her genetic structure.
The doctor seemed to peer at the screen for a long time and then furiously worked on the computer. Lex noticed that the same result was resurfacing on the computer screen. The doctor turned to Lex and then at the screen. Finally, he walked up to Lex and looked her over.
"Strip," was all he said.
Lex simply stared at him. "Do you understand me? Take off your garments," he ordered.
Lex looked at the guard in the room; he didn't make a sound. Lex relented; she was half naked anyway as it was. She unhooked her metallic bra that protected her breasts from attack. Putting it aside she then stripped the rest of her garments and threw them aside. The doctor inspected her body and then cupped her breasts as if determining their firmness. Lex would have been embarrassed if not for the strangeness of the situation. The doctor then touched her mandibles on both sides of her face.
"Open your mouth," he ordered.
Lex complied opening her mouth to its fullest extent. Her mandibles became extended outward as she did this. The doctor looked into her and examined her teeth and jaw structure. Satisfied he turned back to the computer screen. Lex looked around the room uncomfortably. In a sense, she was in an alien skin, like a Halloween costume. On the other hand, she was completely naked in front of this guard. If the guard had any enjoyment from her torment he didn't show it.
The doctor then inputted information on the computer through a touch screen. His fingers were quick as he formed symbols on the screen and sent it to another facility. When he was finished he turned back to Lex.
"You are to be sent to the tribunal," the doctor informed her.
"What for?" Lex demanded in guttural English.
"Your transformation was not authorized by the High Council. As a human, you are the prey and have no rights to life," the doctor told her.
"The tribunal will decide your fate," the doctor concluded.
"Can I least have some clothes?" Lex asked annoyed.
The doctor nodded and reach for a compartment next to his equipment. It was a white two-piece garment. One garment wrapped around the hips like a belt and acted like a cape or skirt down the legs. The other crisscrossed over her shoulders and covered her breasts. The doctor then locked a collar around her neck that resembled a necklace.
"For monitoring purposes," he told her.
Lex was led by the guards to a transport vehicle outside the hospital and forced inside it. The transport vehicle hovered above the ground and its front resembled an animal skull. The top of the transport looked like a spine that curved the vehicle upward. Once she was inside, she could not help but think that the transport was a living organism.
The transport sped across the desert environment toward another building. It was a large pyramid among smaller pyramids around it. The pyramid was made of a black jade material and reached heights surpassing the largest pyramids on Earth. The guards led Lex toward the pyramid and then proceeded to lead her into a large circular room.
The room held seats on all sides with a large podium towards the end of the room. There was a circular floor cleared of seats. As Lex looked over the room she found that it resembled a court-room of a sort. The guards sat her down and then went back towards the doors to guard the entrances.
Soon, more Yautja entered the room. They were all unmasked but heavily armed with plasma cannons, wrist blades, and other various weapons on their belts. Most looked like elders but some were warriors; none were female. A large elder Yautja took to the podium and stared down at Lex; he was the acting judge. Within a few moments, the room was filled with Yautja males looking down on her.
Suddenly a hand grasped her shoulder. Lex jumped and spun around. An elder Yautja appeared before her and stared down at her. Lex looked up at the elder fearfully wondering what he would do.
"I am to represent you during these proceedings," he told her.
Lex felt relieved, at least she was going to receive some help. As she looked towards the other side of the room, she saw another Yautja who was apparently her prosecutor.
"Begin the memory extraction," the Judge ordered.
Lex was pulled away from her seat and placed in a seat next to the Judge's podium. A helmet, of a sort, was placed on her head covering her eyes. There was a hum as the helmet became activated. Lex suddenly saw images of everything she had seen in the last few days. Once the machine was done reading all of her recent memories, it deactivated. The helmet was taken off her head and then she was led back to her seat.
In the center of the floor, a red holographic projection appeared life size. The Yautja Judge and the audience began to view Lex's memories of what had occurred. There were some random clicking around the room as events took place in the projection. The projection showed only previews of her memories, as it would take days to review all of her memories. The tribunal was only interested in the relevant information.
When the projection finished, the lights went back on. "Are you satisfied with the review?" the Judge asked both the defense and prosecution. They both nodded their approval.
The Judge then turned to Lex. "Human: you were transported by a Yautja ship on the southernmost continent on the planet you call Earth after a successful hunt of the Xenomorphs. This should have not occurred. I do not agree that they should have killed you as you proved your abilities by killing one Xenomorph and assisting in the killing of the Xenomorph Queen. However, you should have been left behind on Earth to survive on your own," the Judge said.
"I would have frozen to death!" Lex protested.
The Judge gave Lex an annoyed look for interrupting him; other warriors and elders also clicked in disapproval. "A true warrior would have found a way to survive but in any case, it was not a decision that should have been made. Despite this, we do not hold it against you," the Judge told her.
"The transformation of one species to a Yautja is extremely rare and not taken lightly. Only three known species are able to survive the procedure but humans are the most tolerant of the genetic changes. We assume you gave a powerful impression to the captain or he would not have given you the procedure," the Judge continued.
"But the decision to genetically change a prey to a predator is to be made by this Council and not by a single captain," the Judge said sternly.
There were clicks of approval by all involved in the room. "Now that she is genetically a Yautja she must receive the same rights as any citizen of the empire," the Elder for the Defense spoke up.
"For having a Yautja genetic structure the accused is granted a category 1 rank," the Judge allowed.
The Elder for the Defense seemed satisfied with this ruling. "The charges we seek…," the Prosecutor spoke up.
"Yes, the charges are as followed: The accused faces the charge of exposing herself to human prey, improperly disposing of Xenomorph bodies, assaulting a fellow Yautja warrior which led to his death, and allowing the human prey to confiscate our weapon technology," the Judge listed off.
"How does the accused plead?" the Judge asked.
"Innocent!" Lex pressed to the Elder to the Defense.
"Innocent by reason of ignorance," the Elder for the Defense answered.
"What is your argument?" the Judge asked the Elder for the Defense.
"The accused cannot be expected to know the traditions, laws, and customs of our society. She was never taught this by the captain on board nor could she appreciate the consequences of her actions," the Elder for the Defense reasoned.
"She was taught our laws concerning the risk of exposing ourselves to prey and disposing of dead bodies by the captain before he died," the Prosecutor pointed out.
"It is true, however, the instruction was not nearly complete. The accused made a good faith effort to stay concealed and dispose of as many bodies as she could with a limited supply of acidic chemicals. The only thing she is guilty of is being stupid and ignorant," the Elder for the Defense replied.
The Judge considered the arguments and then the evidence he had just seen. "I agree. The charges against the accused concerning the exposing of evidence have been dismissed. The fault for these infractions lies with the captain who is deceased," the Judge said.
"There are other charges. She attacked the warrior Wolf in order to save a pack of humans," the Prosecutor argued.
"She still had a strong connection to her former kind; it was completely understandable to defend them against Wolf. In the end, she killed the Hybrid and brought back Wolf's body to us," the Defense pointed out.
"If not for her interference Wolf would still be alive," the Prosecutor pressed.
"Without her assistance, it is doubtful he would have been able to survive against the Hybrid," the Defense shot back.
"Enough. The initial attack on Wolf is canceled out by her later assistance against the Hybrid. Her attachment to humans is also understandable and an unavoidable consequence of not properly training the accused. The charge is dismissed," the Judge ruled.
There was a murmuring among the crowd as the Judge ruled. "Lastly, she allowed our technology to be confiscated by the humans. This is expressively forbidden in the codes," the Prosecutor said angrily.
"Codes of which the accused knows nothing about. I request that the Court consider reparations instead of punishment," the Defense asked.
"What kinds of reparations?" the Judge asked.
"I request that she be sent back to Earth to find the weapon and bring it back to us," the Defense suggested.
"If she is allowed to come back to Earth, she will allow the humans to confiscate more of our technology," the Prosecutor objected.
"Then she should be supervised. Among all the Yautja in this room, she knows the most about Earth and how to best secure the weapon," the Defense offered.
"She will have to take the warrior's test," the Prosecutor stalled.
"She has already achieved that with the kill of the Xenomorph," the Defense said.
"The kill, although honorable, does not qualify her as a warrior," the Prosecutor reminded the Defense.
"Agreed, she must complete the trials," the Judge allowed.
The Judge then turned to Lex. "I am giving you a few choices that will define your future from now on. Since your genetic change is permanent and irreversible you will become one of us. As such, you must prove yourself in one of two ways: You may face several trials that will put your skills to test and then you will lead a squad to reacquire the weapon you lost. Or you may be transported to the homeworld where you will be established as a breeder," the Judge told her.
"What does he mean by a breeder?" Lex whispered to the Defense.
"You will mate and produce offspring the rest of your life," the Defense told her.
Lex gave him a stunned look. "I am going to go with the first option," Lex said in poor Yautja.
The Judge gave her a look of impatience with her. "In addition, you will learn our language and customs," the Judge said irritably.
"I request that the acquitted be subjected to the trials immediately," the Prosecutor said zealously.
The Judge gave the Prosecution a look of irritation and then activated a hologram of a planet. The hologram was considerably detailed in features and was red in color. There were oceans and what seemed like forests covering the planet.
"Your trial shall be in the Scorpion system," the Judge announced.
There was a positive commotion from the announcement among the crowd present. Lex looked up at the Elder in confusion. "The Scorpion system is known for lethal wild game," the Elder said vaguely.
"You will hunt with a group of youths and when you have completed the kill, you will hunt on your own. If you survive and manage to complete a kill, you will have passed the trials," the Judge told her.
"You will be granted every resource given to any other warrior," the Judge added.
A Yautja cruiser descended on the Scorpion system, a forested planet with no known civilizations. The cruiser didn't bother to cloak itself as no sentient being would be able to see it. The ship easily went through the atmosphere and then gracefully landed amidst the forest trees. Unlike Earth, these trees were massive reaching heights three times that of a normal Earth tree. Their trunks were massive, and their branches reached so far that the planet's sunlight faced difficulty getting to the ground.
The Yautja cruiser hovered above the trees for a moment, as the warriors inside prepared to drop in. Lex was among those warriors. She had been given the same amount of equipment as the others; a mask, plasma cannon, knives, cloaking device, spear, net projectile gun, and a medical kit.
The trip to a new planet was beyond her comprehension; she was now the first human to have visited two different planets. She considered herself an explorer, not much different than her previous profession. With any luck, she would be able to find new cliffs, mountains, and glaciers to climb and conquer. These were the thoughts that went through Lex's head as she prepared for almost certain doom.
She was terribly nervous and frightened as to what she was supposed to do. However, her new physiology did not permit her to show this openly. Her hands did not shake and her new face held no expression especially behind a new mask. Some of the other warriors looked at her curiously with their masked faces. Lex could not tell if they knew whether she was scared or not; she could not tell what they were thinking. Of the dozen or so on the ship, she was the only female.
Suddenly, an elder stood up among the others and began to click. It was an explanation as to what they were doing, what dangers awaited, and what to do during an attack. It was a speech of enthusiasm and determination. Lex could not help but feel confident in her new leader even if it was for a brief time. Her enthusiasm greatly changed as the floor began to open up.
Lex hugged the walls firmly, as the floor opened revealing the trees below. The drop was rather long; it would easily kill her if she fell. The wind immediately rushed into the room making it difficult for Lex to hold on. The other warriors seemed to know what they were doing; they attached a rope cable to their gear and prepared to drop down. Lex imitated them and successfully attached the cable to her belt. It wasn't all that different from when she went climbing.
As soon as the cables were attached, each of the warriors dropped down into the forest environment. Lex was the last to go, but she finally brought herself to drop down. The fall was quick and short. As soon as she landed on the ground she detached the cable and looked up as the cable disappeared into the ship. Looking up, she could no longer see the ship as the sky had been blocked out by the tree branches.
Following her training, she immediately cloaked. The sensation of being cloaked was different and a little weird for Lex. The sensation was similar to static electricity buzzing above her skin. It didn't burn nor was it painful, but it was different. Lex did an immediate scan and couldn't detect the others; they must have cloaked as well. She was alone.
Lex cautiously walked among the trees in cloak. Her task was to bring back the skull of a giant beast she couldn't pronounce. The task seemed barbaric and crude to her when she was first told of it. It was an ironic twist that a race of aliens with superior technology would still resort to hunting and killing of other animals. Lex was no vegetarian, but she expected more from a race that prided itself on collecting skulls.
Finally, her scanners found something. It was small, and she had difficulty telling what it was. She used her mind to change her vision scanners so she could get a better look. The scans gave her the image of what could resemble a frog. It was amphibian, had three legs, and had three eyes on both sides of its face. Lex's first reaction to the creature was that of disgust but some curiosity. She knew she had to be careful with this frog, as she knew all sorts of poisonous frogs found in the Amazons back on Earth.
The frog seemed to stare at her and then croaked loudly. Lex wondered if the frog was able to see her with its six eyes. As the frog began to stick its tongue at her, Lex felt an instinctive need to kill this creature. Instead, she decided to walk past it.
However, the frog had other plans as it opened its mouth. Its mouth was full of razor-sharp teeth that resembled a piranha or a shark. The frog shot out its long tongue and attached itself to her wrist blade. It then jumped up and engaged her with its large mouth filled with teeth. Lex instinctively extended her blades and sliced the frog's mouth in two before it could reach her. The broken frog fell to the ground dead. Lex sliced off the frog's tongue off her wrist blade and stared at the dead frog. Had her vision not been changed dramatically, she would have been disgusted by the mess.
Walking past the dead frog, she heard some more croaking noise ahead of her. Lex tried to concentrate as the croaking became louder. Within a few moments, dozens of frogs were hopping towards her with their mouths open. Lex immediately extended both wrist blades and activated her plasma cannon. The frogs flooded the forest and were now after her.
Lex ran through the forest leaping over dead trees, brush, rocks, and uneven ground as the frogs pursued her. Lex could not hesitate to consider the ridiculousness of being hunted down by a pack of meat-eating frogs. Despite her efforts, the frogs were gaining on her as they knew the terrain much better than her. For some reason, they were able to see through her cloak.
Lex turned around and sliced a frog in half as it tried to bite her back. She then kicked another one away, the frog splattered as it hit a tree trunk. Finally, Lex was cornered among several trees. Lex looked up at the tree and found it to be climbable. Taking her wrist blades, she sliced into the tree trunk and attempted to climb up to escape the frogs.
The frogs huddled around the tree trunk and croaked at her. "Can't get me up here can you?" she mocked to herself.
The frogs then opened their mouths and shot out their tongues. Their tongues went through the air and grabbed onto her ankle. Lex struggled with her foot as the frogs collectively tried to pull her down. Lex used her mind to activate her plasma cannon. Arming it, she centered the target on the frogs and fired. A blue blast of plasma hit the frogs causing them to explode in blue blood and guts. She continued to fire at the ground until the last of them were destroyed or had escaped into the forest.
Lex felt rather pleased with herself until she realized her plasma blasts had created a rather large fire beneath her. The smoke was rising rapidly up the tree trunk. Lex looked upward and began to climb to escape the fire and smoke. In the distance, other warriors saw a smoke form. Three of them decloaked and turned to look at the new forest fire in curiosity.
Lex used her new muscles to climb up the tree as fast as she could. Her mask was assisting her in filtering out the smoke but it wouldn't be long before she was consumed in the fire. Climbing up on a branch, she then jumped to another branch on another tree. Her landing was less than graceful, she barely hung on to the new branch. Finding her projectile gun, she pointed and fired at a tree in the distance. A strong cable sprung out and sliced into the tree trunk. Lex tugged at it to make sure it was firm and then connected the other end of the cable to the tree she was currently on. Sufficiently connected, she flew through the air on the cable until she reached the next tree.
For the next few hours, Lex went from one tree to the next. Her endurance had been greatly improved with her new body. With the planet's sun going down, Lex decided to set up camp. Taking out a small device from her gear she activated it on the ground. The device opened up revealing a small tent, the cloth became rigid due to a flow of static electricity through it. Rooting the tent into the ground, Lex went inside and went to sleep.
It was no long before, Lex woke up to discover something very wrong. Centipede-like creatures and other types of insects were crawling on the roof of her tent. Lex wondered at first whether they would be able to get inside. Within a few moments, the insects began chewing into the cloth and puncturing holes into the tent. Panicked, Lex fired at the insects with her plasma cannon. The blast tore open the tent and splattered several large insects. Other insects immediately fell through the hole in her tent and began attacking her.
Lex tore at the insects as they got on her. Finally, she ripped her tent to shreds to get out of it and then found herself surrounded by various insects. Some were able to fly while others crawled. Most of them were two to three times larger than any insects she had seen on Earth. Lex extended a shuriken blade and began slicing at all the insects around her. Despite her efforts, she quickly became overwhelmed and buried in a pile of hostile insects.
Several hours later, Lex emerged from the fires and smoke of the forest fire she had created. Her skin had been stained in the blue blood of frogs, insects, birds, and other types of creatures. She suffered several scrapes, bruises, and cuts. But despite all of this, she was more mad than injured. She wanted to kill this creature and go back home.
With one thought on her mind, she came to a cave that held the creature she was to kill. Normally, a hunter would use bait or some other technique to encourage the creature to come out. Lex targeted the entrance of the cave and fired. Plasma blasts went into the cave causing blue light to shine outward as it impacted. Lex continued to fire constant bursts into the cave hoping that a few of them would actually hit the creature.
The creature roared in irritation as the plasma blasts went into his cave. Storming out of the cave, Lex realized what she was up against. The creature was twice the size of an Earth elephant. It walked on four large trunk-like legs; it had a long tail with barbs at the end of it, its back was full of sharp spines, and its head had a hard bony forehead. Its mouth was full of sharp teeth; it held at least three tongues, its face had three eyes on each side, and it held sharp tusks on its bottom jaw.
Lex backed up a few feet as the creature roared at her. "No problem, I will just blast it," Lex thought. She aimed and fired at it.
The blast hit the creature's skin but it only made a small wound. The creature roared more in an annoyance than pain. Lex attempted to fire again but it was the same result. The creature used its tail to swat her sending her to the ground with a thud. Lex got back up and extended her wrist blades. The creature attempted to stomp her with its front legs. Lex got out of the way before she could be crushed and sliced at one of its front legs. The blades caused the creature to bleed, but it made no significant damage.
Lex flipped up to her feet and ran away from the creature as it chased after her. Lex climbed up a tree thinking that this would stop the creature's pursuit. The creature hugged the tree and attempted to grab her with its long tongues. Lex fired on the creature and accidentally blasted its eye out. The creature roared in pain and continued to try to get at her.
Realizing the creature's weakness, she shot at the creature's eyes. The blasts hit the creature's other eye blinding it. The creature, however, was quite strong and pushed the tree over. Lex fell off the tree and landed hard on the ground. The creature then blindly tried to get at her by using its sense of smell. Lex extended her spear and threw it at the creature. The spear sank into the creature's side but it didn't stop it. Lex then took a shuriken blade and threw it at the creature. The blade whirled through the air and sliced into the creature's face causing it to bleed. The blade then came back to Lex, but before she could grab it she was flung through the air by the creature's tail.
Lex gasped as she tried to fill her lungs, the blow had knocked the wind out of her. The creature charged her and then extended its tongue. Its tongue wrapped around her ankle and pulled her toward its mouth. Lex struggled against the tongue and tried to used her blades to dig into the ground. But the creature was too strong and it continued to pull her in. Lex sliced at the tongues but they were too thick.
The creature opened its mouth wide to eat her whole. Lex stopped struggling and targeted the creature's mouth. Just as she was about to be eaten, she fired into the creature's mouth. The blast went through the creature's mouth and caused its head to explode. The creature fell to the ground dead and Lex was completely covered in blue goo.
Four Yautja suddenly decloaked around her including the ranking warrior, an equivalent to a squad leader in a human army. Lex waived her arms in a pathetic attempt to flick the blood and gore off her body. It became apparent to her that they had been watching the fight the entire time and did nothing. Lex faced the four warriors; her irritated expression hidden underneath her mask. "Pick up your equipment," the squad leader ordered.
Lex gave the squad leader a mock salute and then began picking up the weapons scattered all over the ground. The Yautja warriors eyed her as she assembled her equipment and then worked to attach them to her belt and armor. When she was done she addressed the squad leader who gave her a look over. "Continue with your hunt," he ordered.
"I killed it," Lex protested pointing to the mess that once was the beast.
The squad leader clicked furiously with the other warriors; she couldn't tell if they were laughing or angry at her. "The skull must be intact," the squad leader said.
Lex simply stared at the squad leader and then looked back; the beast's skull had been blown to pieces. "What's the difference?" Lex complained.
"The skull must be collected as a sign of your success. It will be a great honor for you to have in your possession," the squad leader answered.
"I don't care about skulls," Lex said disgusted by the very concept.
The squad leader advanced upon her to indicate his seriousness. "You treat the hunt as a burden instead of an opportunity. You don't see the hunt as a way of life," the squad leader growled at her.
Lex's shoulders fell as she got lectured; the squad leader was right. She was a hunter only because she wanted to avoid being a "breeder." Lex looked around into the forest and then turned to the squad leader. "I'll get the skull," she told him.
The squad leader stared at her and then disappeared as his cloak became activated. The other three warriors became cloaked as well and followed the squad leader into the forest.
Once the warriors were gone, she did a systems check. Her weapons were wet with blue blood and gore but still functional. She activated the hologram giving her a map of the area. She could then see the terrain features, rivers, and lakes. Orientating her map, she found the closest river and then moved towards it. As she cut through the forest vines and vegetation, she activated her targeting system. With a high energy supply for her laser cannon, she decided to use it liberally. Her mask was able to detect motion for her creating a red triangle on the object; she would then fire on the object. So, as she walked through the forest, she began blasting creatures in all directions.
Once she got to the river, she stepped in waist high; the blue gore began to wash off as the fast-moving water hit her. The water was easy to get used to due to the hot humid environment she was in and due to her tough skin. She immersed herself entirely in the water and washed herself of all the blue gunk on her body. When she was clean enough, she saw some large serpents approaching her from both sides. Noticing them, she scanned both directions and then blasted the river with her plasma cannon killing everything in the river. After several shots, she realized the water around her was becoming too hot. She immediately made her way to the shore as the river turned to hot steam.
With her success at being able to kill things, Lex headed deeper into the forest with renewed confidence. She realized she couldn't fight like a normal Yautja, she just didn't have the training or the experience. She would have to rely on her human intellect which was now computing at a much faster rate. Climbing up a tall tree, she looked over the forest before her. With her mind, she targeted the trees and fired everywhere. Her plasma cannon fired once a second into the trees creating small explosions wherever she hit. Within a few minutes, the forest was ablaze.
Lex dropped down and threw diamond shape devices that stuck to the trees. Upon sticking to the tree, the diamonds glowed red and then created a laser field between the diamonds. Resuming her cloak, Lex waited as animals ran to escape the forest fire. They crossed into the river where they would get stuck briefly while trying to wade through it. Lex fired on them turning the river a dark blue and creating steam. Animals were boiled alive as they crossed into the river. Eventually, the monster she wanted to kill splashed into the river to escape the fire. Knowing she couldn't kill the beast with her plasma cannon, she fired to the right and left of the beast so that it charged a certain direction. As she had hoped, the beast went through the laser field and was sliced to pieces as it crossed through.
Lex cautiously walked up to the beast; its legs had been slashed to pieces as well as deep wounds all over its body. Its head remained untouched but there was a slash to its neck. When it was clear the creature was dead, Lex redirected her diamonds so that they created a perimeter around her. She didn't want to be disturbed while she got her skull. Hesitating briefly, she took her knife and cut into the creature's flesh carefully pulling the flesh away from the skull. It may have been more queasy for her if the blood were red but the bluish coloring looked like food coloring. With a good pull, she disconnected the skull to the spine and then grasped it in her hands. It was heavy, even for her new body.
Even with the skull, there was still work to do. She had to pluck out the three eyeballs, cut the tongue out, and cut off the remaining flesh. When she was confident she had done a decent job, she clicked a button on her wrist indicating her location. Within the hour, a Yautja warrior decloaked and appeared before; the appearance of it still unnerved Lex. It was not too long ago that a cloaked Yautja had kicked her hard to the gut and killed a fellow human right before her. Lex raised the skull so he could see it; the Yautja grasped the skull and looked it over.
"Not finished," he said to her.
"What else?" she asked becoming frustrated.
The Yautja warrior took a seat up against a tree and took out some tools. He then turned the skull upside down and pointed to the place where the skull had been connected; there was now a hole. "The brain?" she asked.
The Yautja simply stared at her and then took out a device that looked like a small handgun. He pointed the device inside the skull and released a liquid substance inside it. Lex watched in fascination as the injected substance liquefied the brain. Within a short time, the contents of the skull poured like liquid out the holes. The Yautja then pointed a tube at the skull which released a very cold gas. The gas was highly pressurized and it worked efficiently in getting the remaining flesh off the skull. When he was finished, he handed the skull back to me; it felt slightly lighter.
"Ship has the equipment to better clean," the Yautja said to her.
"But this is good," he complimented.
"What happens next?" she asked.
"We wait," he said vaguely.
Lex folded her arms over her chest in a very human-like expression as they waited. The Yautja would occasionally stare at her with his mask, but she could not tell what he was thinking. Even if he took the mask off, she would probably not know. "When did you become a hunter?" Lex asked.
"Three of your Earth years," he said.
"You still think of me as human?"
The Yautja sighed as if uncertain of how to answer. "That is a start," he said pointing to her animal skull. "But many creatures can kill a simple beast. The way you hunt is not like that of a Yautja but that of a human," he said.
"Yet, you helped me," Lex noted.
There was a long pause. "I knew the three that went to Earth, they were of the same class as me. I heard what you did for Scar," he said. "If only I could have been with them."
"You would have died," Lex said as she recalled that icy hell and proceeding crash.
"We do not fear death but invite it if it's honorable. Scar died an honorable death," he said. "The Xenomorph Queen is worthy prey."
"Is there another reason you helped me?" Lex asked suggestively. She wasn't sure why she was thinking odd thoughts or why she was antagonizing the young male. The Yautja stared at her before answering.
"We are taught to be helpful and respectful of the female," he said finally.
Lex found herself a little disappointed by the male's answer. Suddenly, the trees began to sway and leaves began showering down on them; the Yautja ship instantly appeared above them. Ropes fell down to their level; the Yautja male hooked the rope to his gear and then assisted Lex. The two were then pulled up into the ship.
The Yautja squad leader looked over the beast's skull and then turned to the other male warriors beside him; Lex was in the room but not a part of the conversation. "How was this kill accomplished?" the squad leader asked.
"The female created a forest fire that provoked all living animals to cross a wide river. The female then proceeded to fire upon the animals as they crossed the river; the target was directed by her fire into an energy field that crippled the beast," one of the males reported.
The other two males brought their fists to their chest armor confirming the story. The squad leader then turned to Lex. "You managed to kill two beasts and bring back the skull of one of them. That was all you were required to do. But be mindful of proper technique. In an otherwise normal environment, it would be unlawful to create a forest fire of this size; it creates attention to our presence. Also, you are to hunt the prey, not bring the prey to you." the squad leader lectured.
"The female did form a trap for the prey did she not?" the male that had assisted Lex spoke out.
"That she did. It made a rather routine hunt...interesting," the squad leader allowed and then turned his back on the others as he walked off.
Lex took off her equipment and thoroughly cleaned it with a substance more powerful than human-made chemicals. Once her equipment passed inspection, she took a shower once the males were done. The latrine on board the ship was not gender specific due to a lack of females usually on hunting ships. The comforting water washed away all the dirt, blood, and plant life off her. The soap used by the Yautja was a liquid soap that acted like an acid eating away any non-organic substances on the body. Lex heard a hissing sound as the soap dissolved away the grime. Within a few minutes, the soap made Lex's body perfectly clean and smooth.
With her body no longer covered in dirt and blood, Lex was able to take a good look at herself again. She felt her soft skin that looked reptilian but was as smooth as a dolphin. Her body was entirely hairless except for her scalp which gave her a long mane. Her hair had yet to be braided and was a complete mess; just like when she was human she felt the split ends and tangles. She immediately went to work on her hair so that it would resemble her human appearance. When she was finally done, she stepped out of the shower and looked herself over in a mirror. She closed her mandibles tightly so she could look slightly human looking but even so her face was still very alien. Her forehead was large, her face although feminine compared to the males was very animal looking. She looked at her fingers that now resembled claws instead of nails.
She opened a compartment and took out some clothes. They were designed for males but after a few adjustments, she was able to cover herself. She used a cape designed for an Elder and used it as a skirt and then clasped her metallic bra around herself. When she was finished, she went outside the latrine and met with the others for a meal. The squad leader and the three other males stared at her for a few moments and then proceeded to eat their meal. The squad leader stood up and assisted her with dinner; it was a small alien leg, a vegetarian paste, and a fruit fluid. Lex considered the meal with some suspicion but then looked over at the other males at the table. The table like everything else in the ship looked dark and organic.
"Sit here," the squad leader ordered her.
Lex sat down next to the other males who were trying their best to ignore her. The squad leader eyed the males to keep them in line and then sat across from her. Although the squad leader never showed any empathy towards her, she could tell that she was being included with the group. She took up the alien leg and ate a chunk; it tasted fairly similar to raw fish. As a traveler of the world, Lex was able to eat the meal down without too much difficulty.
"You will face the tribune in a few day's time," the squad leader said to her.
"Should I be afraid?" Lex asked.
"I shall vouch for you."
The Yautja ship approached the desert world from where they had come; the colony planet that hosted the tribune. Lex watched out the windows in awe as she saw the planet become bigger. Even though she had been in space a number of times, the concept of being a space traveler was still foreign to her. The ship entered the atmosphere and docked next to the capital city of the planet. Yautja warriors exited the ship with canisters and were led by the squad leader into the tribune Hall. Lex followed behind the group.
The warriors walked through the halls of the Tribune building. There were statues of warriors on both sides of the hall. The warriors then entered a large dome structure that hosted the tribune. They were all present at this meeting was expected. The warriors placed the canisters in front of the tribune and then walked behind their squad leader. The squad leader opened the canisters, and then took out the skulls of killed beasts. He raised the skull above his head so all members of the tribune could see, and then placed the skull on an altar or table in front of him. He did this with all the skulls in the canisters until all the skulls were brought out.
For Lex, the scene was surreal. She had seen hunters with large trophy rooms dedicated to their game, usually antlers but occasionally stuffed heads. This, however, was more like a religious ritual; everything was seemingly rehearsed well in advance. She didn't know the religious beliefs of this alien race; it had never come up in conversation. "Bring forth the female," the tribune leader ordered.
The squad leader placed the skull of the beast she had killed in her hands. "Kneel," he told her.
Lex knelt down slowly with the skull in her arms before the tribune. She then stood up once the squad leader had placed his hand on her shoulder motioning for her to come back up. As she got back to her feet, she nearly lost her hold on the skull earning an annoyed look from the squad leader. "Did she complete the trial?" the tribune leader asked.
"She did take the skull from a worthy prey without assistance," the squad leader answered.
"Show us," the tribune leader ordered.
Lex's mask was placed inside a machine; a hologram video appeared from the floor and filled the room so all could see. The tribune watched quietly as video scenes showed Lex's recorded memories of the hunt including her fight with the killer frogs. The tribune also saw how Lex began firing on all living things with extreme prejudice as well as creating a large forest fire. Finally, they saw her kill the beast and take its skull.
The hologram shut down revealing a disgruntled tribune leader. "What do you call yourself?" the tribune leader asked her.
"They call me Lex," Lex answered.
"Lex, you have completed the requirement we have asked of you. You are hereby promoted to Category 2 citizenship and can now be called a warrior among our people," the tribune leader said.
There were some murmuring and muttering as the tribune leader made his decision. "The humans of the planet Earth are in possession of one of our weapons, a plasma cannon. Humans cannot be allowed to replicate this technology. Thousands of years ago, we created human civilizations. We taught them how to build, how to create a written language, and how to hunt. But after the last civilization died out as a result of our interference, we forbid ourselves from directly interfering with the development of humans. They may use the weapon they have collected to wage war against themselves or threaten other worlds in their sector. If the weapon is not retrieved, the High Council on the home-planet may decide to exterminate the humans."
When the tribune leader had finished his speech, the hall was filled with chatter composing of clicks, grunts, and growls. Lex couldn't catch everything they were saying, but she could detect that many of them were unhappy with the idea of humans no longer being on the list of hunted creatures. If humans were exterminated they reasoned, they would lose out on a popular game. Although Lex appreciated their support for humanity, their motivations disturbed her.
"Take your squad to Earth to retrieve the weapon according to our laws. We do not want humans to know more than they already do. Lex, you will provide your unique perspective to this hunt. Although you may not yet understand our values and traditions, our success will ensure the survival of humans. Do you understand these orders?" the tribune leader asked.
"I do," Lex answered resolutely.
The rest of the ceremony included promotions and awards of honor to the other warriors for their success. Lex had collected one skull but the other warriors had collected several skulls each of various beasts. When the ceremony was over, the squad leader and the other warriors went back into the ship and blasted off towards Earth. The ship lurched forward, as it went faster than light.
Within a few hours, the planet Earth appeared in the window. Lex now saw the blue planet with her new alien eyes; it was a different experience for her now. She felt a rush of familiarity come to her as she saw the North American continent come into view. Part of her thought of her new existence as an elaborate dream but now everything became real to her again. The squad leader eyed her, as the ship established a stationary orbit with the North American continent.
"Time for class," the squad leader told the others.
The Yautja warriors took their seats in a large trophy room; a hologram appeared from the floor showing the planet Earth. "In the Earth year of 1997, one of our warriors hunted in the urban city environment on this northern continent," the squad leader began.
The hologram zoomed in on the city of Los Angeles on the California coast. Lex instantly knew what the squad leader was talking about; she had been to Los Angeles before.
"The warrior was killed, he was a Category 4. He was maimed and killed by his own weapon by a human," the squad leader said disgustedly.
The other warriors seemed to agree with the squad leader's sentiments except for Lex who worked to keep her expression neutral. "In 1987, another warrior, a Category 5 was killed on this strip of land," the squad leader said. The map focused on Guatemala. The Yautja warriors were silent; a category 5 was the same rank as their own squad leader. "We do not know how he was killed. He took off his mask off before detonating himself," the squad leader added.
"He was engaged against worthy prey, human soldiers from this land," the squad leader said highlighting the borders of the United States.
The hologram then showed their weapons: mp5, machine guns, assault rifles, grenade launcher, and a long knife. "These weapons are primitive but not to be underestimated," the squad leader lectured.
"Tell us how these weapons work," the squad leader requested of Lex.
Lex felt uncomfortable assisting the Yautja against her own kind but decided to comply. "The weapons fire bullets, small but quick pieces of metal that can penetrate your armor. They also have small devices that are the size of your fist that upon detonation can blast your body full of holes," Lex said.
The squad leader stared at her to continue. "The weapon has a magazine filled with these bullets. When these bullets are used up, the weapon becomes useless. The weapon hits the bullet hard enough to create an explosion inside the bullet. The explosion is powerful enough to send a small piece of the bullet through the barrel towards the target," Lex added.
"A general description of the weapon," the squad leader allowed "Do not become overconfident with your cloaks. Humans have a tendency to fire upon an area regardless of whether they can see the target. Their weapons can penetrate our skin and cause serious injury to our bodies," the squad leader warned.
"What is our target?" one of the Yautja warriors asked.
"We have tracked the weapon to this location," the squad leader said. The hologram zoomed in on a military facility in Colorado. The weapon's signature was detected in one of the buildings in the center of the base.
"We can infiltrate the building, or we can completely destroy the building with the weapon inside. If we destroy the building, there would be an estimated 5,000 human casualties," the squad leader detailed.
"You can't do that," Lex piped up. The Yautja warriors stared at Lex as if she were crazy.
"I mean, how would killing them from orbit be sporting?" Lex clarified.
Some of the Yautja roared in approval at Lex's clarification. The squad leader growled at his subordinates shutting them up. "I agree. We will infiltrate the building and take the weapon without being detected. If that fails, we will have no choice but to destroy the building from orbit," the squad leader said.
"How can we infiltrate this structure?" the squad leader asked Lex.
Lex had no idea. It was one of the most heavily guarded and fortified buildings in the world. The weapon was probably in a safe locked away. "Even with your cloaks and weapons, I don't think you will be able to infiltrate the building unnoticed," Lex said.
"There was a reason why you were chosen for this hunt, Lex," the squad leader said to her. "You were once human. You can become human again temporarily with an injection. As a human, you will infiltrate this building and give us the weapon," the squad leader said.
Lex felt suddenly overwhelmed. She could become human again! The squad leader eyed her as she seemed a little too giddy. "It is only temporary, your transformation to a Yautja is permanent," the squad leader said dashing her hopes and dreams.
Lex didn't care. Just to be human for a moment would be worth almost anything. "Even as a human, I will have difficulty getting inside. I don't have a security clearance," Lex said.
"How can you get this security clearance?" the squad leader asked.
"I would have to be in the American military and it would take too long. It's not possible," Lex said stumped. "You might as well destroy it," she said defeated.
The squad leader considered the situation and then showed a hologram photo of one of the human soldiers from 1987. Lex stared at the man's face. The squad leader pointed to the hologram.
A Yautja pod detached from the ship and accelerated towards the Earth. The sensation was tense for Lex as her body was hit with sudden G forces. Suddenly, the pod slammed into the ground. Lex was safe inside the structure due to an elaborate shock absorbing system. Lex exited the pod as soon as the doors opened and felt slightly dizzy as she walked out. With her mind, she immediately contacted the ship in orbit.
"I have landed," she reported.
"Head toward the target," the squad leader ordered.
Lex activated a red hologram of her destination. It would be a small hike through the hills of Wyoming. The red hologram showed her a pathway to her destination, a 3D topography map. Lex marveled at the hologram. Such a device would have been useful during her hikes at her foundation. Lex shut down the hologram and activated her cloak.
The trip through the woods was nostalgic. She almost felt like she was human again. In a few hours that could very well be the case; the squad leader had given her a vial that upon injection would make her human temporarily. But she couldn't use it now, no matter how much she wanted to. She had to save her supply for when it mattered.
A few hours later, she reached her destination: a cabin in the middle of nowhere. There was a well outside the cabin. The cabin itself was two stories tall and appeared well built. She looked around the house scanning the cabin with a different type of visual scanners. All the scans came back negative. Her target was not inside the house. She took a step forward and then heard the familiar sound of a gun cocked. She froze hoping her cloak would conceal her.
"Don't move," a strongly Austrian accent ordered her.