There are some religious-type notes in this one, so beware if that's not your thing ^.^

Thanks and enjoy!

Translated Yautja: Bold (because that's how we like our Yautja, yes?)


My hair was plastered to my face, neck, and shoulders, rivulets of water running down my skin and from my top and loincloth. I dripped water onto the floor and watched as Luar'ke-de's laughter faded off to a few chuckles. He grinned at me, eyes dark with what was undoubtedly some form of revenge, and he tossed his wet dreads over his dark green shoulder. He stood in the bath whereas I would have been unable to touch the bottom without my head going underwater. The water came up to his shoulder and I had no doubt, judging by the smirk that pulled on his upper mandibles, that he was rubbing in the fact that he was taller than me. The bastard. I was not fool enough, however, to assume that just because he was that deep in the massive bath, that that somehow meant he would be slow to action.

I tensed, readying myself for flight out of the still open door, and Luar'ke-de's grin became positively evil, "How far will you get, Mei-jadhi?"

"As far as I need to, Luar'ke-de."

We stared at each other silently, neither making a move, and the moment seemed to stretch out indefinitely. It shattered like so much glass when we both launched into action as one. I heard the sloshing of water behind me as I darted out the door and down the hall. Unfamiliar with this part of the ship, I was forced to guess my way around because I didn't have time to punch up the holographic map on my computer; Luar'ke-de was behind me and, judging by the sound of it, he was gaining fast. I realized that the last time he chased me, he had let me get away. Considering our height difference, there was no way I had out-run him otherwise. Not so this time, though. His legs were much longer than mine and he was simply, naturally faster. There was no justice in the cosmos.

I ran as fast as I could, though; darting down corridors until I came to an area that I knew. The dining room/kitchen/whatever-it-was-called flew by on my right and I only had a little farther to go to my room. I ran, not sparing energy on anything other than that, and was focused soley on staying ahead of Luar'ke-de. It didn't work, though. His huge hand slammed down on my right shoulder and that was the end of running. I did everything that I could think of to escape his hold, but he anticipated all of it. Finally, I ended up hunched over with both arms at a painful angle behind my back; my teacher chuckling evilly over my head.

"Good for you! Staying ahead like that. Faster than before! But not fast enough. Yes, Mei-jadhi? So! What will you do now?"

He cackled and I huffed, "Aww, come on, Luar'ke-de! Let me go. You made your point!"

"Have I? Doubt it! Did you know? Had you gone the other way, would have been faster to your room?"

My jaw dropped, "No way!"

"Yes way, Mei-jadhi. Bad choice, going left!"

Again he laughed, finding this situation hilarious, "Come on, Luar'ke-de. Let me go!"

"Ahhh, what do oomans say? What- oh yes! Say 'uncle', Mei-jadhi! You want freedom, must say 'uncle'."

"What? No one does that anymore!"

"Ahh, yes? What do they force each other to say now? Ohhh! No! Good idea! Beg me! Beg me and call me "Almighty Master'! Yes. Call me this and will let you go!"

He cackled and I almost laughed. How ridiculous! "Like hell, I will!"

"Will be here long then, Mei-jadhi!"

I tried to struggle, but he increased the pressure on my arms and the sharp pain shooting up along the nerves immobilized me. I refused to make any sound that might be taken as pain, though. Irritation, on the other hand… "Damn it, Luar'ke-de! I swear I'll get you for this!"

He laughed as though he'd never heard anything funnier. Probably hadn't, considering the circumstances. This sucked on so many levels. I racked my brain, trying to figure out some solution that wouldn't leave me in pain with two broken arms or dislocated shoulders, but came up with nada. Zip. Zilch. Nothing. Damn it all.

A loud tone echoed briefly through the hallway and we froze. I blinked, "What the hell was that?"

The tone sounded once more and Luar'ke-de let me go. He took off running toward the main control without a word, leaving me hunched over and confused in the hallway. Standing up and rotating my shoulders, I blinked and stared off in the direction my teacher had gone. "What just happened?"

"Message from the High Elder, probably."

I jumped, a startled oath escaping me, and spun to stare up at Lar'ja who aimed a mildly confused look at me, "How do you know?"

He shrugged, "Began a hunt. Who else would contact? Maybe Grand Matron, but unlikely."

I blinked up at Lar'ja, then frowned at what he was holding in his hands, "Lar'ja?"

"Yes, Baby Jess?" his head tilted and I was reminded that only about thirty minutes had passed by since I'd last seen him. I was a little wary, but he seemed ok…

"What is Pouncer covered in?"

"Ahh, not my fault, Baby Jess. Was working and he knocked over the oil."

"My cat is covered in machine oil?" I frowned, "Why was he even in your work room to begin with? Wait... Did you bring him out here for me to take care of?"

Lar'ja shuffled his feet, then shook his head, "Ahh... No, Baby Jess... And goes where he wants. Disrespectful, but will not change unless killed. Luar'ke-de finds him amusing and you would not be happy with me."

"You're damned right I wouldn't. And you are going to wash him off, Lar'ja. I mean really, leaving machine oil out like that and then blaming poor Pouncer."

Lar'ja drew himself up, offended, frowning down at me, "Not my fault! Was where he shouldn't be! And 'poor Pouncer'? Yes! Will wash him off. But was not my fault!"

I rolled my eyes, "He's just a cat, Lar'ja."

"Just a cat…" He frowned with a huff and a shake of his head, mandibles closed tightly together. Squaring his shoulders, his dreadlocks gave a swish when he turned and walked in the direction that he'd come from, as dignified as someone carrying a cat covered in oil can be. I followed, though he said nothing, as he made his way back to his work room and its many little gadgets, finished and unfinished, as well as the imager in the corner. Pouncer gave an annoyed little meow, tired of being held immobile, but Lar'ja ignored him. Carrying him over to a large basin built into the side of one wall, he set the cat in it and pressed one of the small, red glyphs on a pad above and to the right. The sink never seemed to fit with the rest of the room no matter how often I looked at it, so I tried not to.

A mixture of water and some pale blue substance poured into the basin and Pouncer tried to escape, yowling pathetically. Lar'ja, much like how Luar'ke-de anticipated all of my escape attempts earlier, kept the cat securely in the sink and always managed to avoid Pouncer's claws while beginning to work the mixture into the cat's fur.

"Is that safe for him?"

"If not safe, would not use." He almost sounded offended.

"Ok, sorry. Didn't mean to imply anything. So what had you been working on when Pouncer messed everything up?"

The cat clawed at the side of the basin, yowling pathetically, but Lar'ja turned the smallest of pleased smiles toward me, "Idea from your gift. Do not always want to wear a mask. Will attach to the side of my face. Will have a sensor and relay information verbally so I may hear. Cannot see, so it will see for me instead. And no mask!"

He seemed so pleased with himself, and well he should be, I supposed. Blind, but still able to effectively play with his inventions; some of them practical and utilitarian, others were beautiful works of art. Like Beethoven and his music, but there was a set to his face that made me think there was more to it than that and I had a feeling I knew what, "You have every intention of unnerving as many of your fellow hunters as possible, don't you?"

His smile turned into a wide, evil grin much like Luar'ke-de's and I shook my head with a smirk. He chuckled, turning back to the very unhappy cat in the sink, "A few Young Bloods would be funny… Might even think me Cetanu himself."

I rolled my eyes, grinning, and leaned back against the wall with my arms crossed so that he wouldn't have to keep turning toward me, "But you look nothing like him. He's taller than Luar'ke-de, for Heaven's sake."

He paused and Pouncer yowled again, looking to me to save him from the wet stuff. Since my hair still dripped water, I wasn't exactly sympathetic. Lar'ja's face, wiped clean of any expression, angled toward me. He tilted his head with a roll of clicks in his throat, "How would you know this, Baby Jess?"

Oops.

"Uh… Just, you know… Wild guess…"

"None but the dead truly know what He looks like… We have a concept, but is not the same as knowledge. Voice and scent, Baby Jess. Both say you meant what you said."

"Uhh…"

"When would you tell me this?" his face was angled toward the miserable cat in the sink.

"Lar'ja…"

"Said you had not fought him. Now you say you saw him. Had to fight, Baby Jess. Not an idiot!" He frowned as though deeply offended.

"I don't think you're an idiot, Lar'ja! And I meant it! I never fought him! I only… I only saw him. He just… stood there and watched me leave."

He shook his head, working the oil out of the cat's fur, "Would not have let his prey escape."

"Maybe he didn't think I would have been a worthy… challenge… yet." my heart dropped into my stomach at my own words. Ohhh, damn…

Heaven was a place for humans, but I was not completely human anymore, and Cetanu… The Yautja God of Death… had stood in Heaven and watched me leave it. Looking back on the experience, it was beyond strange. Why would a Yautjan religious symbol stand in Heaven and watch a human soul? I'm a Christian, damn it! But he'd stood there and watched me. Made sure that I saw him by standing where my mother had been. Let me know that he was watching me.

What if that had been exactly why I had been let go? I wouldn't have been a challenge at all to defeat, and the Yautja crave challenging prey. So he let me go, hoping that later… I'd be worthy of his skill. But I'm a Christian! I shouldn't be anyone's prey! I shivered and looked at Lar'ja who was silently rinsing Pouncer off under plain water. His face was carefully blank, and his scent was a confused mix of many different things so I had no idea what he was thinking.

Touching a glyph on the pad by the sink, the water shut off and he finally let Pouncer go. The cat lept out of the basin and ran out the door, dripping a trail of water the whole way. Lar'ja crossed his arms over his chest, his brow ridge lowering in a frown, "Would say that you are ooman. As ooman, you are very worthy. But am not Cetanu. Do not know what he knows. If he let go, was for a reason. Still young, Baby Jess. True. Not as good now as you will be later. Perhaps why. Likely, even. Though many Young Bloods die and never come back like you did. Maybe because you are ooman? Must take training more seriously."

I frowned. Still young, huh? Take training more seriously? Sounded familiar. I resisted the urge to sigh, opting for a nod instead. Why bother arguing religious preferences? I obviously saw the Black Warrior and he very obviously let me go. For what reason really, I had no idea. Training harder and learning to walk around with a perpetual chip on my shoulder might even be fun for all I knew. And I would have to have that chip on my shoulder when around other Yautja anyway. Those Bad Bloods on Earth hadn't really counted, I guess. I'd been angry at the time and that always made me a certain way. This had to be different.

Lar'ja tilted his head at me, curious, "Baby Jess? No worries. All are prey of Cetanu…"

I was reminded of a line from that old movie, Karate Kid, "Does not matter win or lose. Just make good fight." Only problem with that is that among the Yautja, thinking like that would get your head mounted on a wall and your skin turned into replacement leather.

"Yeah, yeah. Wax on. Wax off. I got it."

"Wax?" he tilted his head, bird-like, and trilled his bewilderment.

I grinned. It was both hilarious and cute as hell whenever I managed to confuse the boys, "Never mind. Just a movie from a little over twenty years ago."

"Movie? Ah! You used to watch…"

"Yup."

He smirked at me, "Miss the commercials. Amusing."

"Lar'ja, I swear it… Don't-"

"Hello, ladies. Look at your man. Now back to me. Now back at your man. Now back to me. Sadly, he's not me."

He laughed and I face palmed, "Really? The Old Spice guy? Seriously, Lar'ja? That was years ago. How do you even remember this?"

"Look down. Now up. You're on a boat with the man your man could smell like!"

"Stop it. Seriously." I said behind my hand.

"I'm on a horse!"

"I don't know why I talk to you…" I growled and headed for the door, trying to ignore the laughing 7'5" Yautja behind me. I'd barely set foot into the hallway though, when Luar'ke-de grabbed my arms and forced me into the previous configuration, "Fuck! God damn it, Luar'ke-de! Really?"

"Should have known, Mei-jadhi! Not so easy to escape. Should have gone to your own room! Or stayed in this one!" He cackled.

Lar'ja frowned, all traces of humor now gone, "What are you doing, Luar'ke-de?"

The Arbitrator snickered, "Message interrupted earlier. Mei-jadhi was about to call me 'Almighty Master'. She will do so now. Yes, Mei-jadhi?"

"No, Luar'ke-de. I will not." I knew, I just knew I was going to hate myself for this later, but life decisions were made in an instant and if I really was being hunted by Cetanu, well… This would be the least of my worries.

I dropped and in his attempt to catch me, pulled my left shoulder out of the socket. The pain was incredible and I could hear sounds of shock, but because he released me, I refused to stop. Swiveling mid-drop to my back, I placed a well-aimed kick, using all of my strength, at Luar'ke-de's right knee and it dislocated. No longer being supported by both legs, he staggered and dropped, face a mask of pain and shock. Save for the sound of our breathing, there was no noise. Our eyes met and I huffed.

"The water was more fun."

He blinked at me, then smirked, "But this worked better."

"Huh?"

Lar'ja shook his head, then gave it a toss as though rolling his eyes, "Made your choice. No Yautja would accept. An ooman would. Refused to be submissive, Baby Jess. Means something."

"And will happen again if you forget again, Mei-jadhi. Very little time to make you what you should be."

"This was just some demonstration?" I frowned, "Seriously? Isn't that what training is for?"

"Told you once before, Mei-jadhi. In training. Out of training. Doesn't matter. Am your Master always and you are my student always. Allow friendship because you have proven worthy when it counts. Have seen you strong. Hard. But must do so always. Th'syra will use this against you. Must believe this."

Rolling to his back, he put his hand on his kneecap and pushed. The joint settled into place audibly and he stood, though he favored his right leg a bit. I stood as well, feeling short enough the way it was. I'd seen movies where people just smashed their shoulders into something to put the joint back into place, but I had no idea if that actually worked so I just stood there and stared up at my teacher.

He smirked and hit me on the shoulder hard enough that if Lar'ja hadn't been there to keep me upright, I'd have been on the ground again. Pain blossomed, but my shoulder was back to the way it should be. I frowned up at Luar'ke-de, hoping I smelled as annoyed as I felt, and said, "Thanks."

He grinned, "Now just have to work on not running away and hiding!"

"Hey! I may run, but it's always strategic! Besides, what else will I be doing when acting as bait for you? Master..." I scowled and he grinned. He was yanking my chain, the sadistic creep.

"Being bait and running are different. Ran from Nracha-dte." he crossed his arms and looked down at me imperiously.

"Oh I did not! I totally had a plan before running." I frowned back.

"Would not have needed to run if you had checked equipment properly." He frowned, the teasing light in his golden eyes gone.

Lar'ja huffed, "Young and made mistake. Survived and did well anyway. Learned better. Happens to all. Should let it go. And still with the running? Not ooman, but ooman-sized. Requires different approach. Makes sense."

"Fine. Young and made mistake. But makes sense? Does not." Luar'ke-de scowled at Lar'ja, "To be ooman is to be prey. Prey run. Prey hide."

"What the hell, Luar'ke-de! When have I ever hid? And anyway, you hid behind the door!" I said, insulted. To be human is to be prey? Like hell!

"Was different." He scowled.

"Was not!"

"It was."

Lar'ja huffed again, crossing his arms over his chest, "Yautja run. Yautja hide. Do for our own reasons and when we see fit. Mark of intelligence to pull back and seek an edge when necessary."

Luar'ke-de's eyes widened at Lar'ja before he shifted back to scowling, "Do not hide!"

Lar'ja snorted in what might have been humor, "Shift suits."

Luar'ke-de growled, then huffed with a toss of his head that sent his dreads swinging, " Fine! Have made your point. Fact remains though! Running is for prey!"

"Ran from oomans on Earth. Was Baby Jess that stood and made our running possible. And with many injuries as well."

My teacher grumbled, then looked at me with a grudging nod, "Fine. At least do not run from the Yautja. If challenged, would be pathetic if you ran. Yes?"

"Yeah, sure." I said with a shrug and a nod of my own. Hadn't planned to run, anyway.

He gave me a firm nod and Lar'ja tossed me a smile behind Luar'ke-de's back. I had to suppress a grin. He was obviously pleased with himself, having a love of showing up or messing with Luar'ke-de, but only at moments of best advantage, and I was surprised that the Arbitrator couldn't smell it. Then again, maybe he could and was ignoring it. Instead, the elder male pulled a leather pouch from the belt at his waist and tossed it to me.

"Dropped those. Lucky bag was sealed."

"Oh! Thanks!" I opened it and looked in at all the beads that Lar'ja had painstakingly made for me. I had to remember to get Savanna to braid my hair later.

Lar'ja tilted his head, "Bag?"

"Your gift to your mate. She had dropped it earlier on accident and I returned it to her. Such things are important."

Mind blowingly cool! I could hear Luar'ke-de speak in his language, but the translator took it and his voice, and changed it to a purring baritone that was still obviously Luar'ke-de. Lar'ja nodded and his voice was a pleasantly rolling base in my ear, "Very important. Thank you."

"Do not thank me, brother. You owe me one, now!"

"Oh, come on, Luar'ke-de. Can't you just do something nice and not expect anything in return?"

He froze, then turned to look at me, completely missing the look of humor on Lar'ja's face. Luar'ke-de leaned in close to me, eyes narrow, "Have you learned our language, Mei-jadhi?"

"What? No. Lar'ja made a translator for me." I tapped the device at my left ear.

He looked at it, then to Lar'ja, "Did not tell me this, Lar'ja-thwei."

Lar'ja tossed his dreads carelessly over his shoulder, "Why tell? My gift to her. Does not involve you."

"But it translates! Why-?"

Lar'ja grinned and I had a feeling that he had purposely not let Luar'ke-de know for the same reason he'd programmed many copies of Mr. Roboto onto my translator. He liked to mess with people. I sighed, but couldn't stop my own grin and a shake of my head. No other words were forthcoming from Luar'ke-de. He growled and lunged at Lar'ja who dodged and tried to escape, laughing tauntingly as he ran down the hall. He was quickly caught and Luar'ke-de wrangled Lar'ja to the floor, sitting on his back. I'd seen this once before and it was just as amusing this time as it was the last.

"I do not hear you laughing now, Lar'ja-thwei! You know I hate speaking that language! I do so only for Mei-jadhi's benefit! But you made a translator for her and did not tell me!"

"Why would I tell you about my gifts to her? It is between me and her alone!"

"Then why did you laugh?"

"I found your reaction amusing."

Lar'ja chuckled and I rolled my eyes. I almost wished they'd stop talking in their language, all the while also hoping they'd keep it up. Their translated voices were audio candy, beautiful and sensual, and if they could package it and sell it on Earth, they'd be rich. I wondered if Lar'ja had done that on purpose when he hadn't needed to. If so, I was looking forward to the eventual break in our celibacy.

"Amusing? And is this amusing, Lar'ja-thwei? You cannot get up now! I hope it was worth it for your amusement." He chuckled evilly, grinning like the psychopath he was, "And this time, you cannot get help from Mei-jadhi! Poor Lar'ja-thwei!"

Luar'ke-de cackled and Lar'ja struggled. I sighed and would have pinched the bridge of my nose if I thought I could do it without accidentally stabbing myself. I wondered if all the Yautja were like this or if it was just these guys. And what about Al'Nagara'di? Was she like this? And she was even bigger than them! And what of the Bad Blood we were chasing? Was she like the ones we saw on Earth? Watching the two boys, I shook my head.

No matter what, I'd find out soon enough.


Soooo much happier with this version! You have noooo idea.

Anywho, the cat-bath was due to a challenge issued by Teddy-wabbitz. ^.^

Also! Fanart! http:/kiyamashoDOTdeviantartDOTcom/art/Jess-Michells-Character-Sheet-179292676 (substitute DOT for the real thing). Done by the very talented Kiyamasho. Check it out! (do it)

If anyone else has artwork (and I know of one other very awesome individual) related to my humble offerings and would like to show it off, please let me know! ^.^

Please review! If you liked it or didn't, I love to hear it and why!

As always, I own nothing.

Happy Reading!