Shadow and Ghost

Chapter 19: Getting Back…

As Bhu'ja knelt by the ashes of her former hunt sister she reached down and pressed her hands into the soot. The unmistakable clicking of a Yautja stalking its prey echoed softly behind her. Smiling behind her mask she causally sat back up and dusted the ashes from her palms before gripping the handles of her whips positioned tactically at her chest. The clicking came closer, Bhu'ja tilted her head and taunted. "Took you long enough to show up."

The Answering roar was the only warning she received of the Mar'cte's charge. She threw herself to her back, the momentum sliding her under the shimmering blades of his wrist guard. Lashing out with one of the whips; the elegantly dangerous lash coiled around one of his ankles, as Bhu'ja finished her slide she rolled swiftly to her feet yanking the whip hard. Her new strength aiding the pull, sending the Mar'cte with a surprised yelp to the ground his head bouncing with an audible echo through the court yard. The impact disrupted his camouflage and he flickered into full view.

With a practiced flick of her wrist Bhu'ja released his ankle and then pulled the second whip. With a fluid movement it uncoiled to join its counterpart in a reticulating pattern around Bhu'ja as she stared at the fallen male. Flashing her visor at him she taunted again. "I thought you'd be bigger."

With a low cautious growl he smoothly got to his feet and postured at her. "You are nothing but an abomination and my sire will have your skull for a trophy."

"That would require parting it from me." She flashed her visor at him once more. "And I don't see that happening today."

With his wrist blades out and a dagger in the other he snarled, "Time to find out." His slashes came fast and calculated. Each move deflecting the blade tipped ends of her whips.

Bhu'ja stepped lightly around him keeping a measureddistance. Her whips lashing their deadly ends towards her attacker sending sparks flaring out as the blades raked against his chest armor or as they were deflected by his own blades. He darted in and back out from the reticulating coils in a fashion similar to a mongoose with a cobra. She knew he was testing and baiting her in an attempt to give her a false sense of the upper hand. Bhu'ja knew this tactic; it was one she used quite often. Tricky bastard. She thought as he came in towards her in another barrage of strikes and deflections.

On this assault he got close enough to duck under her whip and scrape a blade along the armor of her ribs. Flicking her other whip in a spiral around herself she caught the Mar'cte under the chin. He staggered back giving her the needed room to flick her whips back around her chest. Extending her dominate hand wrist blades out and unsheathing a dagger with her other hand Bhu'ja postured at him as he wiped the neon green blood from his chin. Growling he asked in a sneering tone. "Do you truly believe you have a chance against me?"

Bhu'ja shrugged. "Let's find out." She darted in and struck low at his belly, as his height made it impossible for anything higher. He snickered as he deflected her blades effortlessly.

He swiped downward and was stunned as she solidly blocked him. Cetanu's gift pulsed through her muscles as she threw off his attack and spun out of range, bolting towards a garden wall with the Mar'cte fast on her heals. Bhu'ja hit the wall and in three strides used the wall to vault up and backwards over his head, swiping her blades across the back of his shoulders, spraying blood out across the ground. As she landed he had spun and charged. His speed and force caught her by the wrist blade entangling it with his. His knife hand disarmed her other hand, Bhu'ja heard her knife hit the ground as he spun her back against the wall.

The impact with the wall cracking the stone behind her as the Mar'cte sank his wrist blades into the stone above her head pinning her blades. He brought up his knife hand ready to strike. He paused, leaned in and with a winded laugh scolded. "You are a fool, little hybrid. You backed yourself into a corner..." He gave a disappointed growl. "I thought you would be smarter prey."

She grinned behind her mask. "I am." Bhu'ja upper cut him in the chin with her free hand releasing her second set of wrist blades upon impact through his chin, the tips of the deadly blades crowning the top of his skull. The Mar'cte's gurgled shock echoed through the court yard followed by the hollow clink of his knife dropping. His body going limp as it now hung from his wrist blades.

Bhu'ja re-sheathed her off hand wrist blades as Set'rath materialized from the shadows next to her. "I thought you were going to toy with him all night." He grumbled as he sliced his own blades through the Mar'cte's wrist allowing the body to fall to its knees unceremoniously. Bhu'ja re-sheathed her dominate hand wrist blades as Set'rath pulled the amputated limb from the wall.

"Don't be Jealous." She teased as she kicked the lifeless body to its back and retrieved her knife and re-secured it. Set'rath just snorted in response. Shaking her head at him she asked. "Any signs of the drones yet?"

Set'rath shook his head. "They are around though."

"How do you know?" She asked looking up to the skies.

"Thar'n-thwei is missing." He said flatly.

Snapping her attention back to him she asked. "What do you mean 'missing'?"

The wrist computer on the dead Mar'cte began to make a tiny beeping noise. Unlike a no trace bomb, this sounded more like an alarm. Set'rath tilted his head. "That doesn't sound like a detonation…"

"No, it doesn't." Kneeling down Bhu'ja flicked it open and quickly scanned the images. "C'jit!" She jumped up and grabbed Set'rath around the waist, his arms reflexively wrapping around her.

"Wha…?" He began to ask before she cut him off.

"Don't let me go!"

His arms tightened. "Never." A dense net wrapped around them and pulled them forcibly into the air. The whirring sound of a motor became louder as a hard shell clicked into place around them, holding them claustrophobically tight together in a hard cylinder compartment. Set'rath growled. "At least we found another drone."

"There were two tracking beacons on his wrist com, I assume if Thar'n-thwei has been caught then this was the last drone available to take "you" to the planet." Bhu'ja sighed. "I believe he did not think a third drone would be needed…this is going to be a tight ride."

"At least we know what happens next." Set'rath's voice held an edge that clearly said he was not looking forward to the involuntary sky dive ahead of them.

Bhu'ja gently squeezed him. "At least this time you won't be falling alone."

Clearing his throat he teased her. "To bad there is not more room in here…"

Bhu'ja chuckled. "Yeah they really are inconsiderate." An audible hiss and a fog-like gas began to billow into the chamber disrupting their uneasy humor. "What do you think that is?"

"Sleeping gas." Set'rath answered matter-of-factly. "Perhaps even a memory loss agent to prevent the captured from remembering this part of the travel to the game planet."

"If that is the case, I guess we'll be sleeping soon." She grumbled.

He grunted. "No such luck, I designed our masks to filter air impurities in foresight of something like this happening." He tightened his hold around her. "There will be no surprises or waking up in free fall."

"Oh…Good."

xxxXxxx

Nracha'var scanned the last report that was sent from Zabin's wrist com. He gave a snort in disgust at the end of life readings and focused on the drone readings. They had verified pick up and where in route to the planet. His quarry was on its way to the hunting grounds. The second drone seemed to have odd readings…two life stats…he grinned. Clever little hybrid.

Turning away from the console he sneered down at the trembling ooman that two of his hunters had brought to him. "Ooman, is it done?"

The wiry wisp of a man pushed his glasses back up his pointed nose and nodded. "B-but there have b-been unfore-foreseen developments, m-my lord… p-possibly dangerous ones, s-specimen 591..."

"Silence!" Turning his gaze towards his hunters. "Return it to its cage…I wish to look at my new pets."

They bowed and yanked the little man up and out of the room. Nracha'var left the bridge of his ship and headed down to the research deck. His scientists where busy with the data that pathetic little ooman and his research team had given them. Nracha'var smirked at the memory of taking the research station. These oomans had been doing things on a genetic level to the Kainde Amedhas and a dead Yautja that even made him shiver, but as he entered an observation room his eyes fell on the mutilated bodies of two oomans lying on a cage floor. He grinned at the shiny black bodied creatures that stood over them.

Turns out the oomans had found a way to combine his species with these animals and create a highly useful creature for his hunts. As he watched the two specimens, they turned their heads towards him. Their Yautja features where a sharp but elegant contrast to their long limbs and whip like tail, he turned on the intercom to the room. "You've done well my pets; it is now time to go hunting." They screeched in pleasure.

"My Lord?" A female voice came from the doorway.

Turning off the intercom Nrecha'var faced the female yautja that had entered the room. "What?"

"Here is the data collected from the ooman's experiment. Those two have passed all the tests you have asked be preformed and they should respond to orders during the hunt just as well if not better than the hounds." She paused eyeing the creatures.

"And? I assume that is not why you are here." Crossing his arms over his chest he narrowed his eyes at the female.

Bowing her head slightly, she brought her attention back to the clan leader. "No my lord, it is the specimen 591 that has me concerned."

"And you are sounding like the ooman! Deal with it, I have what I need. 591 is not my concern."

"Yes sir." She stepped out of the way as he stormed out.

Has everyone around here lost their pauking mind? He had the perfect hunt to attend and no time for crazy conspiracies.