Chapter 24: The Favor of the Gods

"Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." –Harold R. McAlindon (also attributed to Emerson and others)

The Queen raised her massively crowned head and screeched with joy at the news delivered to her by the runner. One of the triads of creatures who remorselessly hunted her children had been downed. Taken alive, they were now encased within the wall of the hidden egg room. Their body heat had awakened the dormant carriers of tomorrow who had already assaulted the barren faces of the enemy, boring deep into the lined facial cavity until the embryonic larva could be allowed to slither down the passageway into the form that would house and nurture it until it was time to emerge.

She lowered the great crowned head even as she stroked the runner with her face and hands, marking it with chemical messages that would be read by her children when this one returned to the group. The perfume would be inhaled and inform them of her pleasure at their accomplishment and convey her encouragement to strive on with the mission. Perhaps this time I will succeed, was her undying hope. To found a new colony, to escape this prison frozen in place and time, to pay back the brutal creatures who piteously murdered her children for mere sport – she outlined her goals again. As the Queen, it was she who thought about the future. It was she who planned and directed her workers. If enough of them could be hatched and given time to molt into adults, then perhaps this time it would be SHE who climbed to the top of the structure and called forth her victory to the universe! Her body trembled in excitement at the very idea! Soon. Soon my children. You are the extensions of my will, my hands, my jaws. More cocoons must be implanted.

"Observe," signaled Jack to his fellows as they watched the warm prey figures move through the pyramid on Jack's wrist hologram. "Intercept here," he pointed to an overhead passage. If they were swift, they could take on the murderous aliens and perhaps even have the advantage of surprise. The things seemed intent on something and it didn't seem to include coming after them at the moment.

The Hunters moved silently toward the place the holo map had indicated. Fortunately, the huge stone structure had stopped reconfiguring itself. Jack surmised that something had been altered by the three of them completing Chiva and the other team's demise. No unmarked Yautja were scouring the hallways for prey, so the shuffling reconfiguration of the rooms and passages was no longer needed. It made locating the remaining Kiande Amedha easy.

Jack's raised arm called his team to a halt just outside a circular room. The scent of corpses and grown Hard Meat, along with what he suspected were hatchlings, was strong here. He instructed the others to stay back as he ventured into the sickeningly acrid stench and was confronted with the rotting remains of six sacrifices still lying in repose upon their individual altars. Stuffing down the repulsion that threatened to erupt from his throat, he quickly scanned the entire space. Nothing alive was in the room. Only the emptied spider-like shells on the floor and the mostly stripped bones of the forfeited unfortunates told the tale. Jack motioned for the others to follow. They filed into the room, their curiosity nearly as sharp as the smell that almost choked them.

Ever curious, D'agan set aside his repulsion to examine one of the skeletons. "There is very little flesh left," he whispered. "See where it burst out? Jack, …had you noticed? All the sacrifices are ooman."

He had not noticed. And the reality of it hit him hard, ripping his vision back to fix on the resting remains. He carefully placed the dead shell of the once living embryo delivery system, that he had been scrutinizing, on a jutting stone and went over to D'agan. Nodding his head, he took in the smooth cranium with upper and lower jaws. There was no doubt in his mind that these victims had been people. Why? Why all human – no hybrid, no Eta? Were the sacrifices for the other group also human? There was no more time to dwell on it. The mission must go on. He gave the order to move and the three began to softly jog down the passage. They had shed their metal-soled footware and ran with naked feet which hardly made a noise as they proceeded. Stealth quite possibly meant life in this situation and the clang of metal on stone was enough to give you a headache, Jack had previously decided. He had ordered their sandals off as soon as the decree to hunt down the remaining Hard Meat had come.

It was Enlil's turn to run point. The Hunters traded off frequently, each sharing the glory of being the first to encounter danger. He searched again, on high alert, straining for any sight or fresh scent of the quarry. Following the path laid down on the dimensional map of the temple, he unerringly led the way through the darkness trailed by D'agan as Jack brought up the rear. Turning into the next hallway, he was startled to see a faint light ahead. Slowing, he stopped their forward progress. "What is it?" he silently queried the others.

"Unknown," signaled Jack, closely examining the map. "Map shows an opening – into the surrounding dirt and rock! This is not part of the original structure." His whisper carried a sense of shock with it. An unknown part of the pediment was a true lure to all three of the Hunters. "Look! The Hard Meats are gathered there. Come on, guys – we go in hot!" D'agan and Enlil had teamed with Jack long enough to understand his excited jargon. They knew he was ordering them to be ready with their shoulder casters and not wait for his command to fire.

The three of them crept toward the dim light but stopped dead in their tracks as the first horrible roar of rage and pain blasted them from the end of the tunnel. Breaking into a dead run they quickly covered the distance but stopped short at the end. To the left, a hole had been dug through the stone wall and into the ground. They could see that beyond the entrance the hole enlarged to form a large cavern and there, dotting the cave floor, rested Hard Meat Eggs, neatly spaced out like cells in a honeycomb. Each one was cradled in a nest of dirt that held it upright. Next to a nearby wall, some of the eggs were open and the Hunters could see the unfortunate end that had befallen the other team.

Each of the Yautja was encased within the wall in the hardened drool that also served as a building material for the Hard Meat. Each one's head sagged forward in death, hanging above the gaping bloody chest hole where a juvenile Kiande Amedha had exited and then began to feast upon the body. Their small pale forms were currently crawling over the carcasses consuming flesh at an astounding rate. Below them, a group of adult Hard Meat crowded to guard the growing youngsters during their vulnerable exposed state. The guardians immediately sensed the presence of the Hunters and twisted to confront them with death-dripping grins.

"Light 'em up!" yelled Jack, loosening the first bolt of plasma from his shoulder. His yell was quickly accompanied by the roars of his team as they joined him in loosing blue hell upon the enemy. Two of the Hard Meats went down, squealing in pain, while the remaining ones scattered. Jack and his team ran deeper into the room, each chasing down the skittering prey as they scrambled over floor, walls and ceiling. High pitched screeches and screams punctured the air along with the roars of the team. Flash after blazing blue flash bounded through the cavern, splattering Hard Meat bodies and eggs into cooked globs of shell and protein that littered the floor even as the alien acid ate through everything it touched. In only a few moments it was over. Every adult Hard Meat was left sizzling on the ground. The immature feeding ones had been cooked within the cocooning bodies they had sought shelter within when the fight began and many of the eggs had been damaged or destroyed. The team stood in the middle, each one with his back to the others, facing outward at the carnage.

"Got 'em!" stated Jack, breathing hard but pleased with the outcome.

"We have a problem," answered Enlil, pointing to just beyond where the broiled Kiande Amedha parts ceased. "There are more eggs and they have sensed us."

"So? We just cook 'em in the shell!" a still hyped Jack had flicked his gun back to life.

"Look before you attack," warned Enlil, showing a wider range view of the dimensional map sitting on his wrist. The cave stretched back under the planet's crust farther than any of them had realized. A seemingly endless number of eggs were warming to life and appearing on the map as they felt the heat of the battle and of the remaining three Hunters. "There are too many, Jack. We cannot risk becoming hosts!"

"I will kill myself before that happens," vowed D'agan, looking toward the bodies of the roasted team still hanging on the wall.

"Your orders?" Enlil asked.

"Bombs," Jack growled. "Let's see any of them get past our bombs!"

As a practiced unit, the trio set and threw their wrist devices out into the darkness - one right, one left and one straight on. Then they turned and ran like hell. Suddenly Jack understood the depth of the problem that Enlil had known and not fully explained. All three were barefoot and the ground was littered with acidic melting Hard Meat and egg bits. It hurt. It hurt like somebody putting shards of hot coals to your feet, only worse. But it could not be avoided. They sped from the cave and back into the pyramid with Jack consulting the image on his wrist. There was no quick way out. The only plan was to put as much distance as possible between them and the bombs before they detonated. Only he knew, they all knew, it would not be enough. Powered by the knowledge of what was about to happen, the Hunters ran on burning feet as fast as they could.

Jack's brain was in overdrive as they ran. Not enough time to make it out before the bombs blow. Alternatives? How to survive? Suddenly, as though possessed, Jack made an unexpected turn and ran DOWN a hallway deeper into the pyramid.

"What are you doing?" Enlil roared.

"Follow or die," was all that came from Jack. Two trusting Hunters ran on the heels of a more human-looking hybrid. If they died on the Hunt, a lifetime of stories told them it would be a glorious end. With no way out, they had been expecting to stand together to meet their honorable fate. However, Jack had shown no interest in such a plan and seemed intent on keeping them alive. Deciding he was not opposed to that, Enlil followed, signaling D'agan to go with him. Deeper into the temple Jack ran, giving D'agan and Enlil no breath or time to question where they were going or to question the goal of their leader's crazed plan.

An opening appeared in the floor ahead and Enlil saw Jack jump and disappear down it. He followed, as did D'agan. They fell some distance but not enough to injure themselves. Landing on the floor with a thump the three scrambled to their feet. There, right in front of them was a still chained, enraged and huge, snarling Kiande Amedha Queen. None of them had ever seen a live one before.

She was enormous, and shone with that same smooth blackness she bequeathed to her children. Behind her huge head an organic plating rose, forming both a queenly collar and crowning glory for her magnificence. Her eyeless face looked at them, fully aware of what they were – more predators intent on the destruction of priceless offspring!

The chains groaned as she leaned into them, intent on testing their strength again although she had done so countless times.

"Under her!" yelled Jack. "There is a room under her!"

Jack was first to dive beneath the thrashing squealing creature. She grabbed for him with her bound hands, and tried in vain to bring her hind feet forward of her egg-heavy belly to catch him with a claw. Her tail whipped wildly and tore fruitlessly through unbleeding air. Agilely, Jack slid beneath the chain-hung platform she stood on and fell into the darkness under her. He heard the cries and scrambles of his brothers right behind him. The solidity of the bottom came up to meet him quickly and nearly knocked his mask off. There was no time to ponder it. Jack's adrenalin forced him immediately up, scanning all around the dark room. The ice chamber! This is the Queen's ice chamber. There should be a door somewhere. Aha!

"Follow me!" he shouted, hoping that both his brothers had followed and were capable of getting to their feet. A quick glance brought him the sight of D'agan helping an injured Enlil walk. Jack ran to them and put his shoulder under Enlil's other arm. "There is a door – we have to get to it!" Just then they felt the room shake around them as the first of the bombs exploded. It continued to shake as the other two bombs went off. "Come on!" Jack screamed, pulling Enlil along. He reached for the smallish door which opened at his touch and they fell inside, landing on a floor crowded with some kind of immobile chairs. Behind them the doorway closed, automatically latching with a heavy metallic sound. They were left in total blackness.

"Where are we?" whispered D'agan as if a louder spoken word might trigger something.

"This is the power hub for the Queen's chamber and the entire temple. It is the deepest and most shielded part of the building. We will either live through the energy blast or cook in here."

They waited in the dark; huddled together they waited for the shock wave. Jack thought about his Mom, Theron and Chance. Would they ever know that he had won his mark? Enlil thought about his unfinished plans for the future and D'agan wondered if he would ever get to have his own planet. They waited until they were overtaken by a groaning rumble so low that it was more felt then heard. The room responded with a violent shaking as the Hunters crouched low, finding it impossible to keep their feet.

"It is getting hot in here," observed D'agan, perhaps a small tremor in his voice.

"Sei," answered Enlil. "Be strong. We are together."

"We are," joined Jack. "And we are marked Hunters! If we die, we go to Cetanu's great hall." He repeated the lore taught to him by Theron, hoping some shred of it were true. He glanced at the temperature readout within his mask and watched the indicator quickly rise. It was reaching the peak of what they could tolerate without damage. He scanned the room for contents.

To his surprise it was outfitted much like a ship. There was what appeared to be an abbreviated galley, doorways to what might be sleeping rooms. He and his Hunt brothers were cowered between the seats and panels of what looked like a control room. He left his crouch and took the seat in the middle. One glance across the not unfamiliar controls made his heart leapt with joy. "Brace yourselves!" he ordered, even as he punched in the sequence to take off.

"This is a pauk-de ship?" he heard the growling duet behind him even as the long-buried vessel roared to life. As the temple crumbled and vaporized around them, a tiny ship blasted through the heat and debris, shooting into space from the apex of the pyramid that was no longer there. They rose up, even as the valley's rocks boiled and evaporated beneath them.

"That was close," breathed D'agan once he realized they had outrun the burning death below. "How in Hel did you know there was a ship buried in the middle of the temple?" His brow wrinkled as he regarded Jack with an awe that bordered on suspicion.

"I did not. I merely recalled from our dimensional maps that there was some sort of small power room just off the Queen's hibernation chamber. It did have an odd shape but I didn't think about it. I was just hoping we could survive the blast down there."

Enlil looked grave for a moment, "I do not think we would have. We are only alive because our Honorable Leader remembered the location of the 'room' and it turned out to be a still space-worthy transport. Truly, the gods bless us!" He bowed his head in supplication for a moment and was joined by D'agan. Even Jack, who was piloting the craft, gave a brief nod of respect and awe for what had just happened.

"Enlil, run a search for our mission transport. We can rejoin our Trainer and his crew."

The Hunter did as commanded. After a few moments he spoke, "I have located the vessel – we have permission to dock and board."

"I assume our Trainer was successful in his mission to destroy the Hard Meats at the other temple where they over-ran a team?"

"I…I do not know for certain, Jack. The one I spoke to on the ship – it was the Healer."

"That is troubling, Enlil. Our honor dictates that we assist any marked Hunters on the planet if they require it. Contact her again. Ask her what the status of our Trainer is."

Jack's Second quickly transmitted the request to the transport, slightly aggravated with himself for not getting all the needed information from the Healer during the first conversation. Her reply was immediate and terse, "My mate and his team are still on the planet. I have been unable to communicate with them."

As the Leader, Jack made the only decision available to an honorable Hunter, "Get the coordinates of their last known location. Tell the Healer we are going to assist them."

C'jit! We are going back down there. Paya and Cetanu, continue to be with us! A bit of D'agan's troubled thought scent reached Enlil, who immediately offered a shoulder shake to his comrade. "We will prevail, brother! Be strong." D'agan grunted his affirmation back to his friend and stowed his dismay. After all, finding their Trainer was the only correct thing to do. But in the back of his mind, the Hunter wondered how long the gods would continue to provide such extraordinary blessings.

The undersized ship ducked back down towards the surface, tracing the path of the new heading even as the crew ran scans and visuals trying to ascertain the status of those below. "The Hunters are located," pronounced Enlil, relief permeating his rough voice. They are fighting at the top of the pyramid and surrounded by a number of the Hard Meat."

"Good!" breathed Jack, "We will hover over the temple apex and I will go down and see if our assistance is invited. Enlil, you are in command during my absence."

The tall Hunter nodded, even as the ship tore through the atmosphere in near silence. It stopped directly over the flat-topped structure where the Trainer, his second and two crew members were in a ferociously desperate battle and did not bother to look up. A hatchway opened in the smooth underbelly of the ship and a length of rope-like dlex was let down. Quickly, Jack descended the rope and stood beside his Trainer who was aiming shoulder-caster shots at the exasperating prey who had somehow become quite good at dodging the energy bolts. Saying nothing, Jack waited for his superior to command him.

"Our wrist bombs are gone," the Trainer explained, in between shots. "We threw them and the Hard Meats gathered and sacrificed one of their own so that the acid would destroy them. How did they know? Do you have yours?"

"No, we used them all."

"Then, it is now required that you ram your ship into this very spot. The power of the exploding engine should be enough to kill them. We will keep them here until you accomplish this."

"I understand," Jack replied, "But there is another way, Honorable Trainer."

The Trainer was shocked that his underling would present another solution. He was a seasoned Hunter and knew that crashing the ship was the only bomb they had. And where did Jack's ship come from? It was so small! What kind of solution could Jack be presenting? Questions and doubts flew through his mind a light speed. And yet, he had seen from early on that this hybrid possessed a previously unseen talent. A talent for tactical strategy unequaled by any that the Trainer knew or had heard of. Should he trust this novice Hunter to be able to complete this mission in a better way – one that might not require the expenditure of all their lives?

"Sei," he finally answered. "You are in command."

"While your team keeps the Hard Meat busy, I will enter the temple. Beneath the Queen's chamber is a small ship. It is what powers the structure. I will set it to self-destruct and signal you when it is done. Then you and your Hunters may climb up to the ship and return to the transport. Only one Hunter will be sacrificed this way and the Kiande Amedha will be killed."

The Trainer marveled at Jack's plan but had a question, "How do you know a ship powers this?"

"Another hovers above you. It is how we escaped our Chiva temple when our bombs detonated."

The Trainer grunted his approval, while taking another shot at the bounding black figures farther down the pyramid. "Good plan – needs one change. Your willingness to sacrifice is noted, but I will go to the ship below the Queen. Tell my mate and Hunt brothers that I thought of them in death. I will await you in Cetanu's Hall."

"Thought I was in command," Jack gently chided.

"You are too valuable to leave this life at such an early age. If I do not signal you that I am on the ship, then you are to carry out my original plan."

"I will do so!" Jack promised.

"And Jack if your plan is successful, then on board the transport I charge you to read my private journal. There is much to open your eyes there. Act upon that information as you will." He signaled to his crew, who were blazing down the sides of the temple with blue fire that Jack was in command.

"I will tell all of your bravery. It has been a great honor to be your student," Jack bowed to the Trainer.

"My honor was to train you."

Jack took to firing at the prey while the Trainer picked a way down the structure that was hidden from them. In short order he vanished from view.

The clever Hard Meats were caught by surprise when the Hunters stopped firing, and began to climb the rope and enter the ship floating above the pyramid. They screamed their rage and charged up the temple steps but reached the top too late. The belly of the ship resumed an unmarred smoothness before it silently left behind the dark, shining, disappointed faces that were upturned to watch it depart.

"It should explode any moment," D'agan spoke in the barest whisper as the ship climbed away from the planet as fast as possible. All the Hunter's eyes were glued on the enlarged visual of the pyramid below which appeared as a great gleaming whiteness of stone. The assembled Hard Meats were already steadily climbing back down the stairways – probably summoned by their Queen.

The calm scene was interrupted when a blue brightness emerged from the base of the edifice. It swiftly spread out to form a bright halo before collapsing back in and then erupting in an explosion that silhouetted the temple - a black shape encased in light for a brief moment before annihilation.

"A valiant end," murmured the Trainer's Second as they all stood in the now crowded compartment with bowed heads out of respect for the departed Hunter.

"It was going to be me," Jack said quietly. "It was my plan and…he wouldn't let me go."

"Your life must reflect his greatness," charged the Second. "Then his gift to you will not be in vain."

A/N: Thanks to all for their support during a tough time. And life goes on.