A Fine Mess

Chapter 14 - Detours

Everyone on the clan ship did all in their power to avoid High Elder Kh'alik the next day. His roar at such an early hour preceded a rampage that they had never seen from him before. Several unsuccessful attempts to contact either his aide or the Arbitrator had resulted in Kh'alik throwing the communications technician through a wall, not only severely injuring the tech but damaging several vital conduits as well. After such a display the Elder had sequestered in his chambers, though several hunters who passed could not avoid hearing him raging through the door…thereby revealing exactly what had him so agitated. The information spread quickly throughout the clan ship, and soon everyone knew that the Firstborn was on the run with a human. The news did not cause the world-shattering cataclysm that Kh'alik feared, but it roused enough questions to reach far into space, and he was unprepared for the communication he received near midday.

"Grand Matron! Wha…what a pleasant surprise!" Kh'alik tried in vain to appear untroubled. "To what do I owe this honor?"

Grand Matron Sh'aan was silent for some time, her golden eyes studying the High Elder. Finally she nodded in greeting. "Kh'alik. It has been long since we last spoke." She waited patiently and noted the small tics under the Elder's eyes, testament to his discomfort.

"Yes, yes it has." Even High Elder Kh'alik could not escape the feeling of complete exposure under the power of her stare. "How may I help you?"

Grand Matron Sh'aan wore a sinister smile. "You may start, Kh'alik, by telling me why I received a transmission from the Council concerning your recent behavior."

Her words sent him reeling. "The Council, Grand Matron? I do not understand." Kh'alik knew that he was losing ground fast but could not bring himself to confess. Her eyes flashed over the feed.

"Do not patronize me, Kh'alik. That the Council of Elders contacted me at all is enough to immediately depose you. Do not force my hand. I asked you a question."

The High Elder hung his head. "Forgive me, Grand Matron for my indiscretion." He tried to think of anything other than the truth but the gods denied him the knowledge. Finally he huffed and met her eyes. "Kh'aan has gone rogue; he is cavorting with a soft meat."

The regal female nodded, her gaze softening. "I know."

Kh'alik's color paled slightly before he came back to himself. "With all due respect, Grand Matron, how could you know? None are aware of the circumstances but those searching for him."

"And those who heard you ranting in your chambers this morning, and those they told, and those who heard the rumor and ran with it to the Council…need I go on?" She allowed a small laugh to escape. "Really, Kh'alik. How long did you think that you could keep this a secret from me, or from everyone for that matter? The Announcement Ceremony is fast approaching as you know."

Kh'alik could not contain his annoyance at falling for her trap. "I had hoped to have him back by then, but he is being most difficult. I…"

The Grand Matron raised a hand to silence him. "Spare me, Kh'alik. We will discuss this at length when I arrive."

The Elder balked. "You are coming to the clan ship, Grand Matron? Surely that is not necessary. There is no need to concern yourself." She can not come here! He was unprepared for the snarl that vibrated through his bones as though she were standing behind him.

"Not necessary? You lose the heir to the seat of High Elder, send Arbitrators after him like a common bad blood, abuse half of the clan in your frustration and then dare to tell me that it is not my concern!"

Kh'alik tried to interject his authority. "Now see here…"

Grand Matron Sh'aan reined in her fury. "Need I remind you, Kh'alik, who BORE your Firstborn? From this moment on all decisions concerning his situation will be brought to me for approval." Her eyes flashed again. "I will arrive in three days."

The communication ended abruptly leaving the High Elder in a worse state than when he awoke from that disturbing nightmare.

"This can not be happening."

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Kayla finished a morning workout in the training room before heading to the bathing chamber to wash up. The hunter had not shown her how to use the giant bath yet, and though it appeared simple she chose not to attempt, instead opting for the standing basin of filtered liquid. Once refreshed she shuffled down the corridor to the tiny 'kitchen'. The door hissed open and she stepped through, at first heading straight for the cabinet where the bread was kept before her mind caught up with her eyes and she turned around. Right in the center of the table was a smaller version of the bread pyramid that she had prepared for Kh'aan. It was on the same plate and she assumed that he had left her the rest. Kayla slid the platter in front of a seat and sat down only to see Kh'aan's smeared reply underneath. The sight made her smile, and after eating she was careful to clean every smear of berry juice from the table so that it would not stain the light surface.

Kh'aan sat back from the console and rubbed his eyes. He had been monitoring the scanners for hours and felt as though his head would explode through the sockets. He rose and left the control room, intending to see if Kayla would spend the day avoiding him when she suddenly emerged from the meal chamber and they collided.

"Oh, hi." The marine looked up with just a small amount of reservation in her gaze. "I…um…I cleaned that mess off of the table."

Kh'aan inclined his head slightly in gratitude. "Eat?"

Kayla nodded. "Yes I finished what was left, though I wonder…do you have anything else that I can eat?" She shoved her hands in her pockets and leaned back against the wall, trying not to think about the growing knot of indigestion. After spending half her life eating strict military rations, her body was not adjusting too well to the new conditions. "The bread and berries are fine, but at some point I'll need some protein or I'll be living in your bathing room."

Kh'aan pondered what he had in the cooling unit – mostly preserved rations from previous hunts, berries and other plant stuffs, and c'ntlip – before motioning her back into the meal chamber. "Much to try."

For the next few hours they occupied themselves with a taste test of all of the food he had on board. After sampling a modest collection of fruits and vegetables and determining that she could stomach about half of it, Kh'aan began pulling out wrapped lumps and revealed several different types of meat. Though she had no idea if she could eat any of his stash, the sight reminded her of the synthetic steak dinners on Jurnada and made Kayla's mouth water.

The hunter sliced off small bits for her to test. Kayla took a bite of the first – a stringy piece of dark flesh – and seemed to be able to tolerate it when suddenly she started to cough and abruptly shot to her feet, running from the room. The marine barely made it to the bathing chamber in time and her color was pale when she returned to the table.

"Well, that one was no good."

Kh'aan thought a moment, realizing that they could not test the meat this way if she had such a reaction – it could kill her. He held out another piece. "Do not eat."

She looked confused for a moment before nodding in understanding. For the next piece – a greenish lump with a pleasant scent – she placed it on her tongue but did not swallow. At first nothing happened and she was about to chew it up when her tongue began to burn, and the sensation traveled down her throat making her gag. Kayla swiftly spit the morsel into her hand, coughing before shaking her head.

"Strike two."

They repeated the process through the other packs of rations only to come up empty. Kayla gulped down a full jug of water to wash the acrid burn from her mouth, but the taste lingered even after a generous helping of a flavorful root that had been added to her list of 'edibles'. With their current stores Kayla was reduced to a vegetarian, a concept Kh'aan found hard to believe existed in sentient species when she explained it to him.

They cleaned up the meal chamber and went to the control room to check their progress. After an extended silence Kh'aan got an idea. He turned to face her, clicking to draw her attention away from the loose strings in her leg coverings.

"Go hunt?"

Kayla looked up, thinking she'd misunderstood him. "Hunt? As in for food?" Humans had stopped hunting for their food centuries ago.

"Meat not new." He watched the confusion cross her features, and felt as though he could see her human brain grinding up his words in an effort to understand what he meant.

"Not new, you mean not fresh?" Kayla thought it over some more. Not new, not fresh…old…preserved. She looked up abruptly.

"Preservatives? You think that I'm reacting to your meat preservation chemicals or whatever you use?" When he nodded she felt rather pleased with herself. She stood and walked to his side, peering down at the sensor grid. "I suppose it's worth a shot if you think we can spare the time. Where can we hunt?"

Kh'aan entered a few sequences into the computer and the grid changed to indicate several planets nearby. He looked up at the human. "Much life to hunt".

A shiver traveled down Kayla's spine and she wondered exactly what kind of 'life' he meant. "Sentient?"

He entered a few more commands and then grunted. "No." She was not certain but he seemed disappointed.

"Good." She turned back to the wall seat. "I don't know if I could eat anything that I could relate to…unless I had no choice." She did not miss another disappointed grunt from the hunter as he set a course. Makes me wonder who your rations used to be.

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Far across the next galaxy Shl'nar and his crew retraced their steps, scanning for the Arbitrator or the Firstborn and finding neither. They were quickly losing hope that they could find Kh'aan before Kh'val did, and the thought of failure was more than the aide could take. He finally left command in a foul temper after agonizing over ignoring the High Elder's transmissions.

After resting for several hours, Shl'nar went to the medical bay to check on Mr'aal. The ancient healer had promised to study their sensor readings for any clues, but when the aide entered the room Mr'aal was deeply engrossed in studying a small nebula. Shl'nar could not keep the annoyance from his voice.

"What are you doing? We're supposed to be searching for Kh'aan, not looking at space phenomena! We have no time for this!"

Mr'aal turned abruptly, his shame at being caught evident on his features. He tried to compose himself. "I know, honored warrior, and I was. I searched through all of the sensor archives we have recorded since leaving the clan ship, and have found no clues that would assist us in finding the Firstborn. In the midst of my disappointment I once again noticed this strange nebula, and could not help but turn my attention to it." The healer turned back to the sensors and pointed to a line leading from the gaseous cloud. "If you see here, I have found that it is not following a random course. In fact its path is on a perfect arc, but the orbit is so vast that the gravitational center is off of our known charts. It is truly fascinating that such a phenomenon could remain linked to something so distant."

Shl'nar tried to remain calm. "Yes, it is very fascinating, Mr'aal, but it does not help us find our quarry." He turned his back and took a deep breath. "Please do me the favor of going over the readings we took when first lost track of the field emissions. There must be something that we missed, and if there is I am sure that your keen eye for detail will find it."

Mr'aal slowly bowed his head. "Yes, honored warrior. You are right; there is no time to waste. Forgive my distraction." He waited for the aide to leave before letting out a deep growling sigh.

"May Paya guide us, or we may never find him now."

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Kh'val was pleased with the simplicity of the pursuit. No sooner did he leave the blue star system than a blip appeared on his sensors, and he reached those coordinates to find another at the edge of his range. He maximized his speed to catch up but for several hours only managed to just keep the vessel in sight. Though frustrated he was willing to be patient, and reduced speed to conserve power. With Shl'nar out of the picture and Kh'aan almost in his grasp, the Arbitrator knew that it was only a matter of time.

As his mind wandered over the events of the past several days, Kh'val suddenly remembered his stashed possessions and quickly retrieved them from beneath the deck plating in the main corridor. Though he would never risk his life by allowing anyone to see them, he kept three precious trophies as a testament to his valor both as hunter and Arbitrator. Within a sealed glass cube he had preserved the eyes of his first Bad Blood; in another, the heart of the leader of the rogue females. Lastly his most prized and most carefully guarded treasure, the skull of a human suckling. Though deemed off limits by law, Kh'val reasoned that the pup had attacked him with a stick when he killed its sire and thus was a valid trophy. Besides, their skulls were more delicate and the challenge of preserving one without breaking it was always a pleasure.

After replacing his trophies in their rightful place the Arbitrator went back to the control room to see an incoming transmission. On an impulse he shut off communications, and was pleased to notice next that he had gained substantially on his quarry. Ah yes, this is no time for interruption. He studied the sensors further and increased his speed to maximum once more; he could taste success like vapor in the air and hoped that this did not end up in another chase.

Kh'val adjusted the sensors as he got closer to the source, pinpointing Kh'aan's position above a small planet with several land masses. His brother seemed to be looking for a particular place to set down, and after a thought the Arbitrator chose to let him. He could more easily cut off their escape if they were on the surface, simply by disabling their vessel from the air.

Soon…

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Hunter and Marine were at an impasse. As far as stubbornness went they were perfectly matched and could not agree on the better course of action. The planet they chose had a variety of life to choose from, but Kayla preferred the idea of some quick fishing while Kh'aan wanted to hunt on land for something more substantial, which would undoubtedly take more time.

"People on the run from the law do not stop to go grocery shopping – they grab what they can get on the go. We can skim across the surface with a net right through that one group of schools and 'poof' it's over. You said yourself that you've done this before on the fly, so why make things more complicated?" After pacing a groove in the floor Kayla had resumed leaning over the console and repeatedly pointing out the schools of marine life, much to Kh'aan's annoyance. Every time her finger touched the image it beeped and zoomed away from where he was looking.

"Large on land. More meat. Less time." He growled and batted her hand away again, frustrated that they were actually arguing about something so stupid. The human groaned her own frustration and stepped away to lean her head against the wall.

"This is getting us nowhere. Your psycho brother is still after us, isn't he?" When he growled threateningly she spun and held up her hands. "Hey, I mean no disrespect but you said he would probably kill you, and brother out to kill brother says 'psycho' to me. Sorry. If it was my sister I'd call her a psycho too."

Kh'aan turned in his seat to regard her, wondering if he could beat some sense into her thin human skull when she held up her hands in submission and shook her head. "It's ok. It's your ship; we'll stock it with what you want. I got a little overzealous with my suggestion. I give, ok. Let's just get it done."

The hunter chuffed under his breath and turned back to the console. He began to set a descent vector when a chill went down his spine and he turned in his seat abruptly. The human wasn't looking at him; she was looking out of the viewport. Why do I feel like I'm being watched? He adjusted the sensors to scan the surrounding space and they quickly revealed Kh'val hiding behind a nearby moon. Kh'aan's bark of outrage surprised the marine, and before Kayla could blink the hunter shoved her back onto the wall seat and strapped a previously unseen harness across her shoulders. He quickly returned his seat and punched several commands into the console. Kayla squeezed her eyes shut when the engines powered to full and shot them out of orbit. The jarringly abrupt motion nearly made her sick and she briefly wondered what kind of stabilizers his ship used, if any. When the nausea passed she opened her eyes to see Kh'aan's hands flying over the controls in an effort to lose whatever made him run.

"Is it him?" She had to shout to be heard over the alarms that began to go off. An energy blast exploded in front of them momentarily blinding her, and she realized that they were being shot at as well. "It's him, isn't it?"

Kh'aan slid his fingers deftly over the controls but Kh'val stayed tight on his tail firing warning shots that were too close for comfort. He cursed his negligence at being so caught up in their food dilemma when they were still being hunted. And who said we didn't have time to waste…I owe her an apology. His eyes flicked back and forth across the console trying to find some means of escape from the relentless Arbitrator. He heard Kayla speaking behind him but could not break his concentration to answer her and so simply nodded his head.

Kayla kept her mouth shut after that, not wanting to distract him from piloting a sickening course around planets and moons that blurred by so rapidly that she had to look away. She felt as though she were in a one-man fighter instead of a scout ship, and gritted her teeth when he banked again. The vessel jarred beneath her and a light started blinking on the console. Kh'aan snarled and glanced over his shoulder.

"Hit. Hold on."

Her eyes grew wide but she nodded and braced herself. Kh'aan spun the ship around so quickly that she was nearly thrown from her harness. The surprised Arbitrator did not have time to evade them and they skidded over the top of his vessel, the screech of metal-on-metal grating through their bones. The impact bounced both ships apart for a long enough moment to allow Kh'aan to alter course and veer off behind another planet and out of visual contact. All systems had alarms blaring and he punched in several rapid sequences until finally the noise stopped. Kayla sighed behind him.

"Thank you. My head was about to explode."

He turned his head to peer at her. "Not yet. Hold on." He turned back to the sensors to see Kh'val tailing them once again and altered course around another large planet hoping to come up behind him. He glanced down at their trajectory only to see the controls begin to flicker. Simultaneously he heard a gasp from the human, and looked up to see a massive vortex opening in front of the ship – directly in their path.

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Kh'val snarled at his communications array, once again damaged by his brother. He cursed the confounded chase as he pursued them around the planet, and abruptly brought his vessel to an emergency stop. There before his eyes swirled a vortex three times the size of Kh'aan's ship, and the smaller vessel was headed straight for it. He reversed engines against the immediate gravitational pull, and from a distance watched their futile effort to move away, but before the Arbitrator could blink the vortex flared brightly and vanished…and Kh'aan's ship was gone.

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The ship was slammed by the force of the wormhole, its haphazard entry vector setting it into a spin that tumbled the occupants to and fro in the control room. One moment the force tore Kayla from the harness and sent her slamming into the command console and the next it wrenched the command chair from its housing and crashed Kh'aan into the ceiling. The vessel rolled violently through the vortex and they struggled to find a grip on anything around them.

Kayla shook away the stars and looked over to see Kh'aan slam into the floor grating and try to grasp it with his talons, but he kept losing his grip in the shaking chaos. She levered to her knees spotting a secure hold under the console in front of her. Before she could reach for it the ship rocked and she was thrown back against the wall, the wall seat digging painfully into her legs. No sooner did she hit when Kh'aan sailed past her into the side console. The ship tilted again and she fell forward slamming her forehead into the floor.

Kh'aan shook off the impact and again dug his claws into the grating, trying to hang on while the ship bucked around them. He crawled across the floor and grabbed Kayla's arm before she slid into a sparking panel in the wall. He grabbed her around the waist and used what strength he had left to shove her up under the console between the mangled chair support and the panel. The space was too big to hold her tightly and so he grasped the support with one hand and levered up to brace his shoulder against her stomach. The pressure brought the unconscious human around and she looked at him with fearful eyes before she maneuvered to try to hold him in place as well.

Kayla had just managed to wrap her arm under his when the ship lurched and she felt her weight falling out from under the console. Frantically she tried to hang onto the hunter but Kh'aan lost his grip on the support post and slid several feet away. Kayla dropped to wrap her body around the post as the bow tilted precariously higher.

"Grab my hand! Reach!"

The ship shook violently, screeches of metal and internal explosions echoing through the corridor. Kh'aan stretched as far as he could trying to reach Kayla's hands, his claws unable to hang onto the floor grating. He could feel the angle pulling at him and briefly realized one good reason he should have repaired the door to the control room. He had just reached her hand and felt the tips of her fingers when the vessel bucked and threw him from his grip. Kayla watched in horror as the tilt of the ship threw the hunter backwards through the open hatch, and a scream ripped its way from her throat.

"KH'AAN!"

The back of his legs slammed into the railing around the access stairs, flipping him over to crash his chest into the second railing before tumbling him once more down the corridor. The last thing Kayla saw was Kh'aan's body crashing through the door of his chambers, just as the console blew out behind her and everything went black.