Chapter 10
Hard Meat
Amelia was running fast but no matter what she did she could not lose the two black snarling beasts chasing her through the forest.
From glances she could make out the thin skeletal frame with long ridged tail that whipped around dangerously while the long oddly shaped head with no eyes but plenty of teeth that dripped with ooze seemed laser focused on every turn she made.
The initial fight on the ground had been tough. The first one had emerged like a ghost from the forest but luckily Amelia's biomask had alerted her before the creature had made it's move.
She'd dived sideways and swung back in an upward stroke that left a nasty gouge in the creature's side. The blood that spurted out burned everything in it's path to nothing.
The creature itself screeched and howled in pain, dragging a responding call from its partner to echo from the forest where it was still hidden.
Amelia had taken off at that point, desperate to reach the more defensible position she'd set-up shortly after Kaz had left her.
One of these things she'd just thought she could handle out in the wilds but two... well that required a bit more forethought.
Not that she could lose either of them. The pair now hounded her through the thick brush which Amelia ran headlong in to.
The cycles of training had worked wonders for her stamina as she pushed her legs to keep going at the pace it was. The main reason she was still alive was the head start she'd gotten and the fact she hadn't slowed.
Not that the two creatures were not eating into her lead with every second. Her mask began to beep in warning and displayed how close they were to her.
Amelia realized that they'd soon be within striking distance with those wicked tails of theirs.
To her eternal relief, the small thicket she'd set up came into view.
Amelia reached what was an innocuous enough leaf, threw herself over it in a dramatic roll before getting to her knees and readying her combistick.
The pair of kiande amedha were immediately upon her and as the first touched off the leaf the trap she'd set earlier was sprung.
The screams from the creature were deafening as it was hauled up into the air by the hardened mesh netting. Its partner stopped in surprise, a rare moment of weakness before it realized its mistake.
Amelia charged with a roar and shoved her combistick clear through it's throat. She jiggled it slightly before managing to remove the kiande amedha's head entirely. It's blood spilled out messily to the floor, eating it's way through anything in it's path before finally it began an almost bottomless pit into which the blood flowed like a fountain.
Amelia took a moment to breath before glancing up at the creature howling in the net. She quickly took her combistick and rammed it into the bony protrusions that seemed to make up it's spine.
She ripped out her weapon then jammed it again, doing it over and over until the movement had ceased and only the acid blood poured from net that resisted it's touch only briefly before the entire thing collapsed and tossed the lifeless body to the ground.
She sank to her knees with relief. She'd thought it was all over when the second one had arrived.
But Hil'rak had thought her well in Kaz's absences and she'd make sure to buy her fellow human a drink once they got back to the mother-ship.
If she got back, Amelia thought darkly as more roars came from the canopy. She quickly got to her feet, weapon in hand to fight to her last breath as other kiande amedha, drawn by the noise and smell, bore down on her in a frenzy.
"At least... at least I'd won," she muttered to herself before bracing to take on the seeming countless horde of black that approached.
Suddenly Kaz was there at her side. The yautja just seemed to emerge from the air itself with all the weaponry at his disposal ready.
His own more impressive armory opened fire at everything that moved. Amelia kept a watch on his six while Kaz's shoulder mounted plasma caster set the jungle ablase.
His wrist blades opened up as one stray creature got too close but found that instead it was Amelia who shoved her combistick straight into its head.
Before long the jungle was silent once more.
Amelia, covered in dirt, sweat and some of her own blood from the desperate fight earlier, had never been more happy to see her master.
"Killed three. Most impressive!" Kaz thrilled.
"I would have died if you hadn't shown up," she murmured before sitting on the dirt with a sigh.
"But you didn't. You were smart. Took on two kiande amedha with only your wits and a combistick. Few yautja can say the same."
He lifted up the head of her first kill and handed it to her. "Your first trophy. Two more to go with it. Start to a fine collection."
Amelia took it from him and stared at the unsettling eyeless face that was in her hands.
"Master?"
"Yes, A-me-lia?"
"What becomes of me now?"
Kaz said nothing to that. Instead he got to work removing the last two heads of her kills and started to drag them and Amelia out of the jungle.
The beach was nearly empty by the time they arrived.
Only the giant Gur stood watch and from the many clicks and thrills he gave Amelia guessed he was pleased to see that they were the first out from the jungle.
"Three? Not a bad start, new blood."
Amelia nodded and bowed slightly before she attempted to start the long process of stripping the heads.
Kaz quickly realized what she intended on doing and stopped her. "Special way to clean these! Will show you. Leave them there and I'll-"
He came to a halt as another larger ship arrived to the planet high above them, booming loudly as it entered the atmosphere, before it started to descend.
Amelia glanced at Kaz. He clearly knew who owned the vessel from the way he openly snarled and his very skin prickled up.
"How did he find us?!" Kaz roared to Gur who turned his attentions back to the fire.
"You best speak with him."
"A-me-lia!" Kaz suddenly barked.
"Yes, master?"
"You stay here. You do not leave Gur's side. Understand?"
Amelia, who really didn't have any idea what was going on, merely nodded her agreement before watching Kaz stride away to the now landing ship further up the beach.
"Come. Sit by fire. This will take time."
She glanced at Gur who hadn't looked away from the flames. Amelia sat down cross-legged before it, grateful for the feeling of security she had here in this little cove surrounded by the yautja's many defensive weaponry. No kiande amedha would be straying into camp here.
"Who has come to visit?" Amelia finally asked the hulking yautja.
"Kaz's sire. Best you stay away from this. Stick with me. Do as I say."
"But-"
"But nothing. Promised Kaz I'd make sure you were safe. He can take care of himself."