(( A/N: oh my! Aspergian Mind! You made me go o.0 I couldn't have gone with the friend plot, even if only because of the fact that said friend would have been mentioned earlier then. It wouldn't fit. As for the rest of your ideas, the plot for this sequel already holds several of those, or similar ideas at least. I wouldn't have mentioned the humans starting to meddle with El'is life again otherwise. I believe we've found another telepath XD
Also: it's fun to notice that APS has 10 reviews, and APH has 110 XD ))
Chapter One.
Vi'can observed as his mate taught the youngsters how to make a proper spin-kick. They were more than capable of it already, but El'is required perfection. He admired her for that. She had such a strong spirit. Sure, she had moments when she longed for Earth and when she wasn't happy with her life being extended as it was, but she never gave up. And she was his. All his.
He smiled. He loved her incredibly much. Ever since they had very carefully started dating as she called it, his feelings for her had only grown. He had been delighted when F'gath had told him he could ask her as a mate when he wanted the warriors approval. Even more so when F'gath had offered his own house as a home for them, as he knew Vi'cans situation when it came to family.
He sometimes missed them, and he cursed their short-sightedness. He had no regrets however. That question had resulted in the best changes possible. He doubted they wouldn't accept her now if he asked them, because of her rank and her general status in society, but he wasn't interested anymore. He didn't need them. El'is, F'gath and M'rids horde had proven themselves a worthy family. He watched as she ended the class for today before going to her, wrapping his arms tightly around her from behind after checking if the students had gone already.
She turned around in his arms and smiled that dazzling smile of hers at him as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
"I didn't expect to see you until later," she commented, but her eyes betrayed that she didn't mind it at all. After almost six-hundred-and-fifty years, he figured they were doing pretty good, since they were still together. He leaned down and rested his forehead against hers.
"F'gath and the council have asked for you," he said. "They didn't want to share what was going on, but they seemed dreadfully serious."
He moved his hands down, grabbing her butt and heaving her up against him. She giggled and wrapped her legs around his waist as he started walking. He loved to hear her laugh. It was a bright and clear sound. He barely watched where he was going, drawn towards her eyes as always when he was close to her.
"You're quite extraordinary, my dearest," she complimented, leaning in and kissing one of his tusks softly. He let out a soft growl, the Yautja equivalent of a purr. "Did you enjoy the classes?"
"As far as I've seen it, yes. They're making quick progress," he said, then slowly let her down as they neared the door leading outside. "You'd best not keep them waiting long."
"Aren't you coming with me?" El'is asked, tilting her head as she regained her footing. She slid his arms from around his neck, letting them rest on his armoured chest a moment.
"I wasn't invited," he said with a shrug, stepping around her and opening the door for her.
"But they didn't tell you not to come either," El'is said, grinning as she stepped out. She took his hand, pulling him outside with her. He sighed, but didn't resist, letting her take him along. She smiled at him, getting into the vehicle that was waiting for them. Completely automated, she gave in the destination and it sped off. She rubbed her thumb on his hand lightly.
"I've got a present for you when we get home," she shared with him. He looked at her and quirked an eyebrow. "No, I'm not going to tell just yet."
He chuckled lightly.
"Then I hope for both our sakes I won't get too curious too quickly," he said. His curiosity was one of the things that had drawn her to him, he knew. He didn't shy away from learning alien ways and doing alien things. Especially not with her. Though he had to admit, he was still very curious about what R'van had told her. She had been completely ecstatic afterwards, but she still hadn't shared with him why. All he knew was that they had made an appointment which was yesterday. And that she had promised to tell him tonight. He figured it was part of the present somehow.
It didn't take them long to reach the biggest building the planet held. The school in which El'is taught was nearby it, as was F'gaths home. It showed what a tremendous amount of honour his, -their-, family had gained. They got out of the smooth vehicle. It waited a few seconds before speeding off as the couple started up the stairs.
Fittingly, the building was shaped like a gigantic pyramid. Huge statues stood in front and around it, seemingly guarding the pyramid. The pyramid itself was void of any decorations though. The sides were smooth except for the stairs, the sunlight often reflecting on the polished stone. El'is always felt a sense of awe when she came here. Two stones retreated into the pyramid before sliding to the sides, forming the entrance.
Inside was the nerve-centre of the entire race. The council held its seat here, and all news from other worlds came in here, along with communications with teams that were deployed all over the universe. El'is and Vi'can walked right towards this pyramids version of what was called the Queen's Room on Earth. Being in the centre of the pyramid, it had been called the Heart here. It was the main room for the council, with connections and screens showing most incoming information.
She was surprised to see the doors closed with an energy-barrier. They must be talking about classified stuff if they did that. It kind of worried her. Though the matters the council discussed were always important, it didn't happen often that they did this. Everyone that was allowed to enter this building was sworn to secrecy and had vowed on their oath not to tell anyone that wasn't meant to know.
She placed her hand on a small scanning platform in the wall, Vi'can doing the same moments later. Because of the identification method, the occupants of the room would be able to see who they were and see if they wanted to allow them in or not. The barrier disappeared before them and the doors opened, allowing them in.
The first thing El'is noticed upon entering were the sullen faces she saw, and how some were trying to avoid meeting her eyes. She frowned. Over the years, they had accepted her for who she was and valued her opinion on most matters. They called it refreshing. Behind Vi'can and her, the door closed again and she could hear the barrier being activated again. She looked at F'gath, silently asking for an explanation.
When he pointed towards the main screen of the room, she directed her eyes to that. She blinked as she recognised her home-planet. She knew a few hunters had been send there for training. Over the centuries that had passed, the humans had developed themselves as worthy opponents. They were crafty and their weapons had greatly advanced. They had started space-travel as well, though they mostly stuck to their own solar-system still.
Each team that wanted to go there these days, had to get clearance from the council itself. With humans, discovery was not an option. If any of their technology was copied or otherwise used, they would have themselves a very dangerous race on their hands. El'is had proven to them how insightful humans could be at times. They never did quite what was expected of them.
"What about it?" she asked, looking at F'gath again. They wouldn't have gone through all these security measures without this being big news. She felt worried. She felt Vi'can put his hand on her lower back momentarily, as if to assure her he was still there. He usually did that when her heart rate rose. It more than often betrayed her uneasiness.
"We've got a bit of a situation," F'gath said slowly, pressing a few buttons. The screen shifted, showing the path of the ship that had gone there. "A few hours ago, we learned that the team send there has been stranded."
The screen shifted to show the last footage received from the ship. It was hovering in orbit around Earth. A small white dot made its way towards it, getting bigger and bigger until it was clearly visible. It was a standard Earth-shuttle. Though much more advanced than it had been in the time El'is still lived there, the basic shape was the same. She reckoned it was heading towards the space station from where the ships to Mars took off.
The shuttle neared the ship at crashing rate. For a moment, El'is wondered why it didn't try to avoid the ship, but then she realised that of course, the ship was closed and thus invisible to the shuttle. She gasped softly as the ship and the shuttle collided. The last image showed flames, before the camera showed only static. El'is slowly turned to F'gath, hoping to get information on any survivors.
"At the time, the team was completely deployed on the planet," F'gath shared. "But now they're stranded. And with Earth being as it is, it will only be a matter of time before they're spotted. We've risked sending them a message to hide rather than hunt, but we don't know if it's gone through."
"We need to send someone there," another council-member spoke up. B'lal was nearly twice F'gath's age, as far as El'is knew. He was a calm Yautja, who never did anything without thinking it through, but he was always impatient when he already knew what had to be done. "We can understand what humans say nowadays, because of you. But sending a regular Yautja there might most likely just put him in the same position as the team. As a human, you have more chance at blending in and finding out where they are exactly."
El'is nodded slowly. All Yautja carried a transmitter that allowed them to be found. But such things were forbidden on Earth. Should humans pinpoint the frequency, the hunters might well become the hunted. So the tracking had to be done the original way: by listening, watching and smelling.
"I will go with her," Vi'can said, taking a step forwards. He wasn't about to let her go alone, especially not to such a dangerous place. He knew she was more than capable of looking after herself, but this was Earth, and humans were irrational.
"No," El'is said softly, turning her head to look at him. "I need to go alone. The more that come with me, the bigger the chance of discovery. We can work a camera into my glasses, or earrings, or something of the like, so you can watch with me if you want, but I'm not going to put myself or others more at risk just because I might be lonely."
She saw a hurt look flash over his face. She knew he knew this was the right way, but he wasn't happy with it. Despite the public place, she gently took his hand and gave it a light squeeze.
"I'll send a daily report," she promised.
"Then it's settled," F'gath said. "You'll leave tonight. Prepare your gear. You can take anything you want, if you think it'll be useful there."
The surprise she had for him would have to wait. She knew he would be ecstatic at the news, normally, but with this in their very near future, he'd only worry more. She was glad they couldn't notice just yet. This way, she could work in peace and only she would worry about what could happen to her surprise. Yautja scanners were very accurate, but even they could not yet see the life growing in her belly.