Awkward. Jasmine wished there was a stronger word for this situation, but she couldn't think of a single one. Two more yautja and two human women, one deceased, had joined their merry band. Right now she was sitting across from the human whom she recognized from the clan ship. Nia. She looked worn, thin, in less than good health, and absolutely miserable. She kept her head down, not saying much except one word things to the large female who was also seated at the table. The female, Dteinou Jasmine heard her called, only gave her hard stares as if she were trying to figure Jasmine out. She hadn't said much, and Jasmine wondered if she could talk at all. T'chnde was the only one who introduced himself properly after having stored the cadaver in the ship's only single occupancy cold storage. Now they all sat in silence with one another, made awkward my either not knowing what to say or trauma.
"Does anyone want anything to eat or drink?" Jasmine asked tentatively, remembering her manners now that they had all taken off from that dreadful planet.
Dteinou did not even blink in response, Nia gave her a barely visible nod in the affirmative, and T'chnde replied that he was very hungry after all that fighting.
"I will help you sister," Lijia offered and Jasmine was grateful. Quickly they put together a platter filled with dried meats, a few fruits and veggies, and a large container of water.
"Everyone can help themselves. Kujhade, would you help me check on the babies?" Jasmine asked, summoning Kujhade into the room with her and letting the door slide closed.
They entered the small room quietly, careful not to wake the twins. Jasmine had gotten them to sleep and they had miraculously stayed that way even as the ship shook from the bomb blast at the trading post. Kujhade stood at the doorway, waiting for Jasmine to state why she had really called him in there.
"So, this ship is like filled to capacity. What's the deal? Are they gonna stay with us indefinitely or something? Our ship is too small for all of us Jhade," Jasmine fired off. Kujhade was expecting anger, but he could tell by the tone that she was simply concerned over the crowd they had now. In truth, he was also concerned over it.
"T'chnde's ship was damaged by the sands there. Got into the turbines and damaged one of the main engines beyond repair. I couldn't leave them. However, we have not determined our next move yet," he said to her. He had his arms folded over his large chest, and he looked perturbed. Jasmine came closer and wrapped her arms around him, making him open his arms so she could lay her head on his chest and listen to his thunderous heartbeat.
"What's going on? Tell me what has you so worried, and don't say you aren't because I know that look," she said softly into his chest. At her words he relaxed, and held her closer.
"We haven't talked about it, but there is only one thing left to do. We have to kill Setg'in. We already know where he is, it's just a matter of getting there and ending all this. In fact, it's my duty to rid our race of the likes of him, and I will be pleased to do it. First, I want to get you and our pups to a safe place. I can't have you in danger as I…" he was saying before the look on her face stopped him.
"Danger? Jhade I've been in that since day one. Besides, there is no safe place. We're in this together, all of us, babies or no babies. In any case where the hell would I go? I don't know anyone, and to be completely honest, I wouldn't trust them if I did. Nope, we're all going. Setg'in started all this shit, so I'm down for being present when he has to face what he's done to us. I wouldn't have it any other way, you know that right?" She said, and he couldn't help a grin. Of course she wasn't going to leave his side.
"I thought about taking you to Yaut Prime anyway, and having you stay under the protection of the matriarch," he said, but Jasmine shook her head.
"Stop trying to get rid of me. The matriarch doesn't know me, and doesn't owe me anything. It would take too long anyway I assume. We'll have time later for you to show me where you come from," Jasmine said, snuggling into his warmth. He thought for a moment before he spoke again.
"You're correct once again. However, we will need a bigger ship. One with a place to truly spar and train. Too many yautja in a tight space like this always leads to fighting and possibly serious injury or death," he mused to himself as much as to her.
"Where will we get one? There's not like a space ship dealership just floating around is there? Or is there?" She asked, genuinely curious now that she'd thought about it.
"I know where to get a larger vessel. A day's travel and it won't take us away from the target," he said as he gripped her a little tighter. He wanted to run his mandibles through her hair like he usually did, but today she had it different. She called it 'cornrows', although he had no idea what that even meant. He would have liked it better had she left it wild.
"Come my mate. We all need to discuss how we will go about killing this bad blood," he said, taking her by the hand and leading her back out to the group.
Setg'in stood in the large main hangar of the ship and took inventory. There were few left. Most of the hunters had left for hunts and never returned. He only had a small number of hunters who were loyal to him. Anara slithered her way around counting the dead warriors and directing a few others to pick up their remains. Setg'in had gone on the warpath again. He had called all the hunters to the hangar just a little while before, promising a choice to all those who wished to leave. When the vast majority went for their ships, he blew them to pieces with his two plasma cannons mounted on each shoulder, and destroyed their ships. The rest who opted to stay understood that the only escape was death. A few more opted for that choice, unwilling to be part and parcel of a bad blood and his workings. At that, Setg'in had Anara and a couple more of her Shirxa sisters take care of them.
It was tough, but he finally convinced her to call upon a few of her wayward kind. She reluctantly obliged. As soon as they arrived, he was trying to mate with them and set them as his personal guards. This made Anara angry and jealous, but he plied her with lies about how much he truly loved her, to keep her docile and compliant with him. It was barely working. She grew more distant from him as the days and weeks passed, and he became very wary of her in response. She had taken to disappearing on the large ship, and then showing up just as he would become concerned as to her whereabouts. Shirxa were cunning creatures, prone to jealous rages and possessive behavior over mates, but Setg'in had yet to realize just how much they were driven by such instincts and urges. He didn't understand that it didn't take much for a Shirxa to feel betrayed, or let down, or discarded, or in any way wronged. They were sensitive in the extreme, and vengeful. He would soon come to know, but at the moment it was a mild distraction only. He had bigger fish to fry. He had to unify his small clan under his rule unquestioningly, and he hadn't figured a way to do that aside from inspiring fear. The only issue with that, was that yautja were difficult to keep in line this way. It would have been easier to simply command respect, but Setg'in did not have that luxury. For all his wit and ambition, Setg'in did not possess any real leadership qualities, so fear it would have to be.
As he surveyed the carnage he had wrought in the hangar, his eyes brightened. He had one of his best ideas yet. There was only one other being in all the star systems which could give even a strong warrior pause; Berserker Yautja or super predators as oomans called them. It would be dangerous work, but he knew of a planet where a clan of Berserkers usually hunted, and it wasn't too far from where they were now. The berserkers did not take kindly to what they thought of as weaker yautja. He would have to tread lightly, and bring one of the Shirxa with him. Maybe Anara. She'd been acting weird as of late. Perhaps, he thought, if she were killed while trying to convince some Berserker yautja to fight for him with the promise of fresh meat for one of their hunting reserves, it wouldn't be such a horrible thing after all. He was formulating the details of an escapade like that, just as the Shirxa in question slithered her way towards him. She motioned her sisters to start picking up the bodies and throwing them out of the hatches into the void of space.
"Are you done Ssssetg'in?" She asked with an attitude, as she crossed her scaly arms over her breasts. He gave her a once over before he answered. He was really going to miss her in bed.
"Whatever would you be talking about Anara my love?" He asked feigning innocence. She narrowed her eyes at him, and let out a low hiss.
"You know well of what I ssspeak, do not play gamesss with me Sssetg'in. I do not fear you. If you kill all of your sservants, who will you rule over?" She challenged. Instead of replying, Setg'in turned and headed to the ship's main bridge. He was almost out of the hangar when an arrow whistled by him and landed just at his feet. With a low growl he turned slowly in Anara's direction.
"Do not walk away from me when I'm ssspeaking to you!" Anara warned.
"Or else what?" He retorted, delighted at the prospect of this sort of challenge.
"Or elsssse the next one goesss between the eyesss," Anara hissed as she raised her bow once again.
"You've gotten beside yourself Shirxa. Do not forget who gave you a life worth living. It was I who liberated you from that filthy den of criminals. You would still be there if it weren't for me," Setg'in said, approaching her and extending his wrist blade.
"I wasss fine where I wasss. I came with you because the sssex was good, and I thought you had sssome honor. I sssee now that you are nothing but a liar," she hissed out, as she swayed back and forth in clear agitation.
He retracted his blades and raised a hand to caress her face. She snatched away, but he only reached out again. Anara stopped swaying long enough for him to soothe her. Eventually, she slung her bow on her back and relaxed, but she was giving him a blank look that he couldn't readily discern.
"If we leave, could I trust one of your sisters to keep things in order for a little while?" He asked, in his most gentle tone.
"Miyaz is the eldest of us, she is trustworthy. Why?" Anara asked, a hint of suspicion in her voice. She'd seen his tricks, and was wary of his mood change.
"I was thinking you and I could take a little trip. I know there's going to be some consequences for killing Dteinou, so I have a plan and I want you to help me like you always do Anara," Setg'in said, taking his hand from her face and waiting on her response. After a second or two, she nodded.
"What are you going to do, and what do you expect?" She asked, slithering behind him as he placed his hands behind his back, and started out of the hangar.
"I expect that the Matriarch might send someone to look for her. If so it will be one of her arbitrators and most likely more than one. Since Dteinou is gone, the matriarch will take no chances on my escape or continued existence, so she will send the best. If they suspect you, my dear sweet Anara, I can expect quite a meeting which would only end in my death," he told her as they made their way slowly through the large clan ship.
Anara was listening but she was uneasy. The ship seemed much eerier now. There were very few, less than a hundred adult yautja left on the ship, she surmised. His footfalls echoed and bounced off the walls, and the lack of life and spirit seemed to twist in every dark corner. The corridors seemed longer somehow, and it felt colder even though the ship was maintained at a warmer temperature. He was still talking when she focused on him again. They had made it to the more private hangar where he now kept his ship.
"Are we leaving right now?" She asked. She hadn't told her sisters she was leaving, and she simply didn't trust Setg'in's intentions anymore.
"Not at the moment, no. We haven't told Miyaz we were leaving yet," he said absently as he got into his ship and began to look for something. Anara waited. No way she was getting in that ship right now.
"Good. I imagine the place we're going is highly dangerous," she said. He had disappeared inside, but came into view and gave her a smile that sent chills down her scales.
"Very."
"Well then I guess we better have a little fun before we go. We have not enjoyed one another in quite a while Setg'in," she offered. He gave her a seductive up and down, nodded, disappeared again, then reappeared. He had nothing in his hand, and a pit formed in her stomach. What did he just set up?
"I thought you were no longer interested in mating with me. What changed your mind?" He asked, reaching up and grabbing one of her breasts in his hand and squeezing it.
"A Shirxa is always interested in mating," she hissed, as she slowly coiled herself loosely around him. He smiled again, this time a little less chillingly, but just a little. She began to head to his private quarters when he stopped. Anara turned to him with a questioning look.
"No time like the present," he said as he stripped his clothing right there in the hangar.
It seemed super early in the morning although that was quite impossible to tell. Jasmine got up anyway, grumpy due to lack of rest, and headed towards the boys whom she could already hear running amuck in the room. She had to step over T'chnde and Dteinou who could almost have been said to be cuddled up, with Nia not too far away. They had simply laid down on the bare floor, having nowhere else to be. Jasmine slid open the door only to be greeted by two little faces smiling up at her from right at the entrance.
"Hey you two, what're you doing up huh?" She whispered to them as they gurgled happily at her.
She picked them up and took them to the bathroom to change their diapers. When she came out, she was startled by Dteinou who was sitting up and looking directly at her. Jasmine made her way back into the babies' room. She didn't want them to wake up the whole ship. Marcus looked ready to play, but Mili was cranky and only wanted to be fed. She'd just gotten comfortable when Dteinou appeared in the doorway. Jasmine only watched her. From everything she'd heard, Dteinou would not do harm based solely on her honorable reputation, but Jasmine was still tensed and ready to defend her own. Earlier at the 'meeting' they all had to discuss what to do next, the new additions to the crew looked at her and her children as if they carried a disease. Jasmine had expected that from the two yautja, but got much of the same from Nia as well. Nia was just as disgusted if not more so, but was too emotionally drained to really do much more than turn her nose way up in the air at the appearance of the twins. The familiar feeling of being ashamed of her choices and her children, crept over Jasmine but she fought it as much as she could. She may not have initiated the whole thing, but it was her life now, and she loved her husband and her children with everything inside of her. She would defend that love in many ways, she was now coming to understand.
"May I help you?" Jasmine asked finally, getting tired of simply being stared at. She knew Dteinou couldn't speak, but that was no excuse to be rude.
Dteinou stayed where she was, eyeing Mili with a look Jasmine didn't like at all. She readjusted him on her breast and stared back at Dteinou defiantly.
"He looks like his dad doesn't he?" She asked, figuring that was at least part of what was on the big female's mind.
Dteinou nodded, then tilted her head to the side as if to ask permission to come closer. A tad bit surprised by the show of at least a little bit of manners, Jasmine beckoned her inside. She stepped in, and now that it was just the two of them Jasmine could see clearly fresh looking scarring and bruising on the female's face. She would have to ask Kujhade later to see what he knew about it, although when the subject came up earlier, all three of them were tight as clams. None of them said more than what was necessary about Dteinou's capture, and that was decided by said yautja herself when she abruptly and forcefully changed the subject.
She kneeled down on one knee, an arm propped on the other as she continued to stare at Mili, then over at Marcus who had ripped the feet out of his Onesie in an effort to examine his toes, and possibly eat them if he could. They were certainly more than halfway into his mouth.
"I guess you wanna know why a) a human is life mated to a yautja, b) why we had babies, and possibly c) why we kept this one who is so clearly deformed, right?" Jasmine asked, unable to hide the sarcasm. By Dteinou's grunt, it wasn't missed.
Indeed, she wondered why the albino suckling had been spared. Dteinou stared at the pup, who seemed in every way like a yautja, and nothing like a human. Cycles upon cycles of tradition were ingrained in every fiber of her being. This was disgusting, abominable, and should have been made unlawful cycles ago. A hybrid could never be accepted, least of all one afflicted like this. Kujhade seemed a capable hunter, but surely he understood the life this pup would have to lead? His own life should have been all the justification needed to mercifully kill this pup before its life could be ruined. With all of those thoughts running through her mind, she couldn't seem to take her eyes from this ooman bearer and her pups. It seemed so strange that this small female would care for her young with such….tenderness. It reminded her of her clan sisters. Many of them were bearers, and they behaved in much the same way.
"I had to beg him not to kill his son," Jasmine said, bringing Dteinou out of her thoughts. She looked up to find Jasmine with a faraway look on her face.
"He'd taken him out of the ship while I was asleep. I had a terrible dream, and that's what woke me up," she said as she absently stroked Mili's face. He was purring in his sleep with a line of milk drool connecting him to his mother.
"He told Lijia to keep me away, but I didn't listen. I found him just as he was…just as he was about to drive a knife through his little heart. I had to beg him not to kill him because he was convinced that Emilio would not have the love of any clan, or any female, and that his life would be lonely and neglected like his father's," Jasmine said, sniffing back tears as she continued to caress Mili's face.
Dteinou waited for the human to continue. It was obvious she loved her pups, natural for any bearer she supposed, but the sire had been correct. This was the problem with mating outside the species. The bearers often did not and could not understand the very sound reasoning behind the choice to do away with a suckling like this. It may have seemed cruel to others, but then again others didn't understand a yautja's life. How fraught it was with peril nearly from birth. In all of the chaos, a clan was all a yautja had, all they could count on. A yautja without a solid clan was lost, and destined to a life suited only for a bad blood. Dteinou wished she could express this thought, but ultimately felt it would be lost on the human sitting before her.
Gently Jasmine lay Mili down asleep, next to his brother who had finished eating his feet, and was rubbing his eyes. She covered them and rose to her feet, making her way to the door. She turned when Dteinou did not immediately follow. The big female seemed lost in some kind of thought, until Jasmine cleared her throat to get her attention. Dteinou got to her feet as well, and went to the doorway also, casting one or two glances back at the pups. She was about to leave but Jasmine stood in her way.
"I know you can't say what you're thinking, but I already know. I don't have to justify anything to anybody about my life. Me and Kujhade are married, and we have two beautiful boys who will be great hunters like their dad. It doesn't matter to me how you or anyone else feels about it. You don't have to like it, you just have to accept it," Jasmine said and walked away, not caring to see any protest or funny looks. She got back into bed with Kujhade, and he immediately grabbed her in his arms possessively. Stunned, Dteinou also made her way back next to T'chnde, but unlike her human counterpart, Dteinou didn't sleep at all.
About two days later found Kujhade and his clan of misfits docking into another huge trading station. He'd asked Jasmine and Nia to stay within the ship, as the yautja in charge here was extremely averse to humans, and any other life from he deemed beneath their race. Kujhade had been sent to him before to obtain a smaller vessel for use on shorter trips, and was at least that much familiar with him. He, Mar'cte, K'var, T'chnde, and Dteinou walked abreast through the main hangar, right up to just before the doors to the ship proper. A large yautja materialized before them. He crossed his arms before him, and gave them all a severe glare, until his gaze fell upon Dteinou. Her katana and very expensive looking aw'usa gave her away. His look softened, and he raised a gnarled tusk in a smile.
"Dteinou Thei-de! It has been a long time since I have had the honor of your presence. Are you here to purchase a vessel for you and your friends?" he asked as he began to walk off. Dteinou nodded and followed. Everyone else traded surprised looks as they followed as well.
The yautja who seemed so happy to see Dteinou appeared to be an old warrior who could no longer hunt. The left side of his body seemed to had been burned or even melted away somehow, from the top of his head to his leg. His eye was blind on that side, his tusks gnarled and all but gone as well. His arm had been amputated, probably in an effort to save his life. He boasted a plethora of scars and old badly healed wounds, all of which he kept proudly on display. His deep gravelly voice rung through the hangar, his eagerness to please Dteinou evident in not only his tone, but in how he kept his eyes respectfully cast down whenever he addressed her.
"What size do you need Dteinou? You've caught me at a good time, I have plenty. If you all are traveling together, you might want a ship equipped with a kehrite and private quarters," he offered. They walked over to a panel over by the far wall, and he'd opened up 3D images of his inventory for her to peruse. As she was looking he turned to take stock of Kujhade, who pushed his chest out, and stared at the salesman.
"I am too old and worn for any challenges, but word of the pale hunter has reached even the far reaches of our clan ships. Some good and some bad, but if Dteinou Thei-de is tolerating your presence then the bad news was a pile of hard meat c'jit wouldn't you say?" He asked with a chuckle. Kujhade grunted, and with a shake of his dreads went to stand next to Dteinou to choose a suitable spacecraft.
"No, not that one. It has enough room only for us, but you forget my mate and pups. We need a larger vessel. Two kehrites at least," Kujhade stated, then watched to make sure she made the right choice. She nodded, then pressed a few buttons on her gauntlet. It might not be perfect, but she would try it anyway. Her mask had a pretty advanced translator and she wondered if it would translate her garbled speech, and repeat what she said into it. It was worth a try. All this forced silence was eating away at her daily.
"Ship, give to me this one," the translator said out loud as they all turned towards her. It was a generic yautja voice, certainly not her own. The salesman frowned deeply.
"I don't run a pauk'de give away, this is my business. I will not 'give' you anything. You'll pay with your credits like every other hunter or get off this ship!" He bellowed, but then took a step back when Kujhade growled and stepped forward.
In truth, Kujhade came prepared to pay. He didn't know why Dteinou was insisting on getting it for free, but assumed she had her reasons. He extended his spear and slammed the tip into the floor, coming close enough to make his intent known, without coming close enough for it to be an open challenge.
"Give, not pay. Saved life yours, owe me life debt," Dteinou's mask said calmly, and all of a sudden the salesman deflated. He would have been dead on that hunt had Dteinou not saved him, although at that time he wished she had let him die.
"Fine! You don't have to go all male hunter on me, so all of you can back up. Old L'thar still has one fight left in him, and he'll be glad to die with honor today," he growled out as he backed up and pulled a knife from a holster on his side. Chuckling, Mar'cte walked up to him and clapped him on the shoulder.
"There's no need for that old warrior, we don't need to fight today. We just need a ship, and it seems you owe the matriarch's second in command a life debt," Mar'cte said good naturedly. With a grunt L'thar replaced his weapon and motioned towards his inventory.
"Point to the one you want, and I'll send you the coordinates. You can take the pods, they'll come back on their own once you get out of them. Where's the ship you're leaving me?" L'thar asked.
Kujhade stepped forward and pointed towards the other end of the hangar.
"They're over there. Two ships in better than good condition. We'll only take a short while to empty them," Kujhade stated, as they all made their way back towards their own ships.
Jasmine estimated that it must have taken about three hours to do everything. She'd strapped the babies to her back, although they were almost too heavy and active for a sling of any kind. She sung to them to keep them calmed as she made herself responsible for gathering and placing their things and her own. The new ship wasn't as big as a clan ship, but it was huge. It boasted two full sized kehrite rings, more than a few trophy rooms which was what took most of the time to transfer from one place to another. There were also very spacious private quarters, more than enough for the couples, and the babies. They were almost done when there remained only one last thing to transport, which was Nia's sister's body.
Jasmine went over to Nia who was staring at the case her sister was in. It was made of glass, and inside the woman seemed to be only sleeping. Nia had taken the time to clean her, but when it came time to move her to the ship, she refused to do it.
"Are you okay?" Jasmine asked softly. She was surprised at the look of anger and the vehemence in Nia's voice when she spoke.
"Hell no I'm not okay, and what business is it of yours? You've got your perfect little fucking family, but I ain't got nobody!" Nia screamed into Jasmine's face.
"I was just asking," Jazzy said defensively.
"Well don't fucking ask! Get away from me!" Nia said, and turned to seek out T'chnde. Jasmine stared after her, trying not to take it personally, but it was personal to some degree. Yes, Nia was upset over her sister, but Jasmine hadn't missed the sidelong glances, and dirty looks over the past couple of days. Nia had been the ringleader among the women in their ostracism of her. It must have been hell having to now seek help from a woman she openly ridiculed to her face, and the yautja she was mated to. Jasmine decided to let it go for now, but another outburst like that would not be tolerated again.
After a short discussion, it was decided that Nia would hold a small service and burial for her sister on a nearby uninhabited planet. Nia only allowed Dteinou and T'chnde to stand with her over the burial site. T'chnde had taken it upon himself to dig the shallow grave, as he understood the human custom of burial. Nia stood between the only two yautja she had come to trust and care for, as she said her final tearful goodbyes. All three of them turned towards the waiting ship, and the night passed along silently as they made their way towards Setg'in's last known position.
Setg'in and Anara had landed on the planet last known to be a hunting ground for a small group of nomadic Berserker yautja. They had walked and camped for a single day and night, and were now back on the move trying to track down the group. Anara had been silently trailing along with Setg'in. The planet's climate was very hot, and the landscape was made of dense jungles and wide fast rushing rivers and rapids. Anara blended seamlessly within the underbrush as she slithered along, keeping her head low to the ground, and her large hunting bow on her back. He found that Shirxa were excellent trackers among other things, and were the top predators on their own planet. Every time he learned something new about her kind Setg'in became dismayed that they had long been forbidden to hunt them due to their slow breeding.
They had decided to take different vantage points while searching for a group of yautja that Setg'in had doubts were actually present. He took the high ground, leaping and climbing from tree to tree in order to have longer sightlines. He watched as Anara slithered along the jungle floor, barely visible even to his infrared spectrum. Her blood ran very cold all the time, making her difficult to detect by a yautja using his natural sight. He stood up on a branch to take yet another look around. In the distance, he could see signs of a camp. He clicked to signal her, then pointed in the direction he wished them to go. With only a single quick nod, Anara took off quickly but silently through the brush.
He was up to something. She'd been tracking them right along with him, and every time it seemed they had gotten close, he would choose a different direction than the one they should be going in. They had arrived on the planet in the middle of its long daytime cycle, so plenty of time to have found this group and done whatever Setg'in had in mind to do, which he managed not to explain except in the vaguest terms possible. From what she was able to surmise there couldn't have been more than four members, six at the most. Setg'in had expressed apprehension about even coming here, claiming that this kind of yautja did not take kindly to his kind, and often ended up killing them. Seemed quite a long shot to come here just to have such a group do your dirty work. She didn't understand the point of risking his own life in this way, when he had her and her sisters who could easily handle two yautja males, a human female with a youngling, and a possible yautja female. Perhaps, it was not his life he was risking. Anger coiled in her guts. He thought she was stupid or worse, in love. Too blinded not to figure that he was up to some sordid scheme. She'd spent enough time with him to learn that he couldn't be trusted at his word, and that his amicable attitude was almost always a cover for some plot he was hatching at your expense.
Just as she was about to turn around to tell him just what she thought about this little excursion, she was suddenly lifted high into the air. She struggled mightily, but that only made the net restrict tightly around her until she could not move at all. Anara looked down to see four of the largest yautja she had ever laid eyes on suddenly appear underneath her. The one who was apparently the leader, sent a shuriken to cut her down. She landed in a heap of coils and right on some kind of rock, as she felt the blood trickle from her side. Anara hissed threateningly, spitting venom to see if it would dissolve the netting, but to no avail. An image flashed at the corner of her vision, and for all his schemes she couldn't have been happier to see Setg'in. He landed silently beside her, and uncloaked himself. His spear was brandished and his plasma cannon already charged and ready. The ring leader stepped forward and roared out, crouched in a challenge and began to stalk closer. The other three cloaked and Anara assumed they were being surrounded. The ring leader rushed forward and it seemed they would fight, but suddenly Anara couldn't understand anything.
Setg'in held his hand out, and the other yautja seemed to pause momentarily. Setg'in was talking, but Anara realized she couldn't understand a single word being said. Shit! Setg'in had shorted her translator. She hissed at him next and clawed at the net furiously, but he paid her no mind. He was talking a mile a minute, and slowly but surely the other one seemed to be halfway listening to it.
"I know I have infringed on your hunting ground, but I was hoping I could find you and your hunting party," Setg'in said, trying to stay the leader's hand before he could strike a blow. Even one on one, Setg'in was at a disadvantage. These yautja were stronger, and more vicious although they were fewer in number overall. With one arm, he was no match, so he needed his wits more than ever if he wanted to leave this planet alive.
"What do you want lesser yautja scum? Speak quickly, and I may give you a fair chance to run," the leader growled out, his voice booming even under the cover of his ornate mask. He was all red with black streaks and covered in every kind of scar imaginable. He was nearly completely naked, having on only a codpiece, a wrist gauntlet, body netting, and shoes. Everything else was draped in small skulls and his various weapon holsters and straps.
"I've come to make a deal with you. I know this hunting ground is almost out of viable prey, but I've come to make it a little more interesting, but I'd like something in return," Setg'in said quickly, trying to gauge the mood on this one. It didn't seem too promising. He roared again in agitation.
"We don't make deals with you, we hunt you like the pyode amedha you are! What could you have that I would want?" He asked incredulously. Setg'in smiled underneath his mask. He asked a question instead of immediately killing him, so there was a good chance this little plan would work.
"Do you see what is in your net? Have you taken a good look at it?" Setg'in asked, inching closer to the net until he received a growl from his right and three triangular dots positioned themselves on his chest from the leader before him.
Anara tried to move away from the large male coming towards her. He walked over and squatted near her head, giving her a very long look as if he were examining her, or maybe trying to figure out what she was. After a long few minutes and a grunt he rose to his feet to tower over Setg'in.
"So not only are you a pyode amedha, you are a bad blood as well? Do not think that H'chak does not know what a bad blood is, and that your pathetic codes of honor prevent you from hunting Shirxa. I see you have ignored that. I should remove your head from your worthless shoulders and feed it to my yaut hounds, just because you thought you could come here and speak with me as if you were my equal," H'chak stated as he turned towards Setg'in. He stood in his personal space, a clear challenge to fight especially under these circumstances, but Setg'in stood down. It gnawed at his very nature, but he had to back down. They stood there a while until H'chak was satisfied that Setg'in had been completely cowed, and then he remained in his personal space just for the hell of it. If Setg'in moved away or protested, he was dead.
"You are pathetic, but not as stupid as I supposed. What do you want, and be careful what you say next. If I am not pleased, you won't live long enough to know," H'chak said, folding his arms over his chest to wait for the answer.
"I offer you more of these to hunt," Setg'in said motioning towards Anara.
"She has sisters who are right now residing on my ship. They are more than worthy as prey. All that I need you to do is come get them. They will not trust me without her to convince them, and I did not bring them all because if I did, then I could not be guaranteed of your cooperation H'chak," Setg'in said, swallowing his bitter pill of humiliation to get this over with.
"You do not have a guarantee of my cooperation under any circumstance. You also still have not said what you want me to do. Did you come here to waste my time, or perhaps you too would like to be my prey?" H'chak asked, as he suddenly grabbed Setg'in by the stump of his missing arm. He dug into the healed flesh up to his first knuckles, the green blood flowing over his hand. Setg'in let out a muffled grunt, just short of crying out in pain. He tried to wrench away, but H'chak extended his wrist blades to his throat daring Setg'in to keep trying to get away.
"Who is it that you would like me to kill for you? You are obviously a coward. Tell H'chak that he is wrong about that?" He asked as he dug further into the stump.
"I need you to kill a few yautja for me, or you can take them as prey as well. It doesn't matter to me. They also have a human female among them with a suckling. She might prove useful in other ways," Setg'in said, keeping his voice very calm and even considering he had been verbally, and now physically humiliated.
"Just as pathetic and weak as I assumed. You cannot even kill less than a handful of prey without assistance. Fine, I will kill for you and take my prey to do with as I wish. Now, beg me not to kill you," H'chak said as he removed his blood drenched fingers from Setg'in's stump.
"No," came the answer. As much as he wanted things to go a certain way, Setg'in would not be reduced to begging and groveling for his life. H'chak actually grated out his version of laughter judging by how sharp it was and the light clicking. He pushed Setg'in hard, making him stumble backwards while simultaneously placing a tracking device on his skin. He then set the sights of his plasma cannon on his head and began to count.
"Five, four, three…"
Setg'in cloaked and made a mad dash back to his pod. He could hear them as they gave chase, and he could hear Anara's angry hissing as well. He would make his way quietly back into the ship so as not to alarm her sisters of his presence, and her absence. A cannon blast landed dangerously close, and actually felled the tree right next to the one he had made his way into. Setg'in leaped to another tree, then hurriedly climbed down and took to the underbrush. In the distance he could hear a high-pitched whistle. Yaut hounds. He put his head down and churned his legs until he was fairly flying through the vegetation. His pod had landed in a plain right in the midst of the dense trees, and there was nothing but open flat space beyond the treeline to get to it. As he approached the open field, yaut hounds could be seen howling and running full speed towards him from the other side of the field. He had to beat them to the pod, or be partially eaten alive. Now he understood the reason behind making him bleed. That pauk'de bastard! Just a few more yards, he pumped hard, not out of breath but it was a near thing. He slammed himself into the pod just in time to close the small hatch and keep the yaut hounds out. It wouldn't hold long. A pack of hounds was more than a notion to deal with, and the pod wasn't built for withstanding the impact of ten hounds all at once. Setg'in fired up its small engine and took off, leaving the hounds to bay and howl after him. He breathed a sigh of relief, and now there was anger to replace it. He'd had to lower himself just to get things done, but when this was all over he would have a little surprise for H'chak and his little hunting party. A bunch of angry Shirxa would be hardly contained once they realized that he and Anara had been ambushed, and their sister taken and killed. A small smile lifted a single tusk behind his mask, as Setg'in made his way to the clan ship.