What the Frell did you do this time Erpman?!
Disclaimer: See chapter one
Author's Notes: Thanks for all the reviews. Sorry for the delay RL is overwhelmingNow on to the next fun crossover:)
Rating: PG13, this chapter contains strong language and violence.
Chapter 35 Whistle while I work...
Machiko Noguchi and the remaining survivors of the Weyland Yutani Xenomorph Hunter Killer MAX team sagged in relief as the docking ramp of the shuttle they were on retracted and the door closed, cutting off their view of the three way battle between 'Wolf boy', the Hunters and the Xenomorphs.
"This needs repeating, thanks for saving our asses back there," Jess said as he slid to the floor with his back against one of the bulkheads, cradling his burner across his lap.
"You're a fucking miracle as far as I'm concerned," remarked Lara as lid down next to Jess.
Noguchi merely nodded in agreement, still awed by the spectacle she had seen on the planet.
The scarred man smiled rakishly and said, "Heh, you're welcome, the names Commander John Crichton formerly of IASA."
"Martin Jess," the black man introduced himself, he pointed at Lara, "Lt Katherine Lara, formerly of the Colonial Marines."
Crichton arched an eyebrow questioningly, "Colonial Marines as in, the Twelve Colonies of Kobol?"
Lara frowned, "The What?" she asked in confusion.
"Never mind...what about you?" Crichton waved off the question and turned to face Noguchi.
"Machiko Noguchi," she answered succinctly.
"Heh, ok, now that introductions are over, you mind telling me what the heck kind of alien war I just dropped into the middle of?" Crichton asked inquisitively.
Jess and Lara shared a glance but didn't answer.
Machiko answered him, "The Hunters, they call themselves Yautja, the armed aliens, seeded the planet with Xenomorphs. The turned the planet into a giant hunting ground. For sport."
"And we humans just got caught in the crossfire," Jess spat, "Damn fucking luck."
Crichton frowned and threw her a sceptical look, "All this just for fun? Sheesh, we got to introduce them to something less violent."
Lara looked at Crichton speculatively, "I've got a question, what's IASA? And more importantly, what are you going to do with us, now?"
Crichton shrugged, "IASA is the International Aeronautics Space Agency...I used to be a part of it way back when in my own dimension, now I'm just a citizen of the Multiverse-as for you, well is there any where in particular you want me to drop you off?"
Lara frowned, they were all looking at him strangely now, "What do you mean your own dimension?" she asked simply.
"It's a very long complicated and complex story-one I'd rather only explain once, if possible," Crichton answered in a long suffering tone, "After we pick your friend we'll all sit down and have coffee and brownies, and I'll tell you all the gory details."
"Friend? What friend? Did you find Ellis?" Jess suddenly asked excitedly.
"If he's short, scrawny and with glasses then that's a yes," Crichton retorted smartly.
Jess sighed and felt his body relax, "Yeah, that's him."
"Is he all right?" Lara asked quickly.
Crichton nodded, "We're going to be picking him and Vos up in a few minutes."
Jess and Lara shared a smile, each one feeling much better, losing Ellis would have been too much for them after everything that had happened.
Ellis followed in his tattooed saviour's wake in disbelief the man-if he was truly a man walked through the forest as if he owned it. His blazing blue blade in one hand cutting down any Xenomorphs that came to close to them, his other hand holding a ray gun that was eerily accurate in picking off more of those invisible monsters that started off this bloodbath.
The fact that the man usually picked them off while they were still invisible was more than a bit unnerving for Ellis.
Ellis clutched his pulse rifle in hands, slowly surveying each side of the path they walking down.
His saviour pace slackened off and he raised his hand to stop Ellis.
"Uh...what is it?" Ellis asked as they came to a full stop.
"Quiet!" the tattooed man barked.
Ellis slowly scanned the trees around them searching for whatever had caused the man to stop.
Ellis missed the action as the man moved faster than humanly possible to bring his blue blade up to bat away a pulse of blue energy that was hurtling towards them.
The blue pulse was reflected back at the shooter and green phosphoric blood spatted across a tree branch. The shooter slowly became visible as his cloak shorted out and with a large thump he fell off the branch he had been standing on and hit the forest ground.
Ellis stared in opened mouthed shock.
"Come on we're almost there," the man gestured forward.
Ellis swallowed slowly and followed wondering just what the man was, and were he was leading him.
They moved unmolested for a few hundred meters until they reached a clearing in forest, they stood in the middle of the clearing.
The man pointed upwards as a strange shuttle descended down to come to a hover right over there position. Ellis looked quizzically at the man for a second before opening his mouth to speak.
He was cut off when a series of rings suddenly descended around them.
"What the hell?!" Ellis managed to cry out before there was a blinding flash of light. He blinked furiously to clear his eyes. Once they were clear he blinked again, just to make sure that they were open and properly working.
His jaw dropped, gone was the forest landscape filled with a quick death at a Xenomorph's claws or a slow suffocating death in a facehugger's embrace. In its place was metallic room filled with people.
It took a second for Ellis's mind to catch up with events as he recognized the people around him.
"Jess! Lara!" he cried out in relief.
Jess grabbed Ellis in a bear hug, glad to see that the geek was still among the living, "Damn boy! What the fuck did you think you were doing going off like that?" he demanded after breaking their embrace.
Ellis gave him a sheepish smile, "I was going to save you all again."
Jess gave him a sharp look, immediately understanding how Ellis had intended to save them-using the MAX suit again. The same suit that had nearly lobotomised him the first time, "Kid, that's fucking insane..."
"But we appreciate the gesture Ellis, this time Fate sent us a guardian angel of sorts," Lara cut in with a smile and a jerk of her head towards Crichton.
Crichton gave Lara lopsided grin, "It's always nice to be appreciated."
"So are you going to explain what you meant by your own dimension?" Lara asked again.
Ellis frowned, giving Lara a confused look, "What do you mean his own dimension? Dimension of what?" his scientific mind wondering just what the heck they meant.
Crichton smiled, "You look like a geek, I'm guessing you know what an alternative dimension or reality is? A parallel dimension is?"
Ellis's jaw dropped in disbelief, "No way that's impossible!"
"I'm John Crichton, I'm lost in the multiverse. Welcome to Wonderland, Alice..."
The Hunter known to Machiko Noguchi as 'Shorty' crept stealthily through the forest, butchered Xenomorph parts scattered across the landscape; an elongated head there, a arm here, and a bisected torso handing from a tree branch.
The Hunter in him revealed at the level of butchery surrounding him, but another part of him was chilled because it wasn't just Xenomorph parts that littered the landscape around him. Splashes of phosphoric green blood, ripped remains of camouflage netting, discarded disfigured broken spears and other Yautja equipment intermixed with Yautja body parts.
Shorty knew what did this.
He'd seen it wading through the hordes of Xenomorphs protecting the Queen, the giant armoured monstrosity, who's every move was death. It's strange guttural language sounded human, but no human grow to such proportions.
The gun in its hand had barked death and the blade in its other hand had sung dismemberment for all who dared approached it. The swarms of drones had attacked but their black carapaces had exploded, acid blood splashing everywhere ineffectually causing the giant's armour to smoke-but nothing more.
As the ranks of drones had thinned and the Queen fled from the onslaught, the giant had attacked the Hunters with just as much gusto. Shorty had been amazed at the speed and agility the giant exhibited, dodging spear shots, plasma caster blasts and deflecting thrown discs with such lethal ease.
To Shorty's shame, as the other Hunters had continued to fall around him, he'd fled in terror. He'd deserted his companions and clan, without a thought of where he was fleeing to. Staying and facing the giant in the clearing was suicide.
Shorty paused to stand and stare at a Yautja body that was pined to a tree with what looked like it's own spear. Shorty immediately recognised the mangled form as he approached-Topknot, the current-or rather now former clan leader.
Shorty hissed in shock.
Silently a shadow arose behind Shorty.
A whistling noise reached Shorty's ears and he felt something slice across his neck, then he felt nothing at all.
Slowly as if in slow motion, Shorty's head tumbled off his shoulders and a gush of green blood erupted from the severed arteries of his neck, showering his killer and Topknot's corpse. The body then tumbled to the ground with thump that reverberated in the quietness of the night.
The giant grunted in disgust, "Too easy, much too easy," he said in low gothic, before walking away to find his chosen prey, the Xeno Queen.
They were gathered in a mess hall on board the Farscape 3 with the man calling himself Commander John Crichton and Ellis's mysterious saviour, now introduced as Jedi Master Quinlan Vos.
Crichton had brought him aboard his flying saucer of a ship that was clearly not of Earth design, they'd met an intimidating woman, he'd introduced as his wife who spoke a language that was all clicks and clacks and guttural sounds. He'd led them through a high tech vessel that looked to the survivors of the Nemesis and Noguchi like some thing out of a science fiction novel.
He'd wined and dined them, the survivors of the Nemesis had been ravenous and had relished the fresh if somewhat strange cuisine Crichton had served them.
When their hunger had abated, he'd started in on his story. They listened in rapt attention, if not for all they had seen around him they would not have believed a single word. His story was fanciful and complicated to the Nth degree.
But the proof of their eyes was hard to disprove.
In return they'd spoken of this dimension's Earth, each one had told him their life stories and the events that had led up to their ending up on Bunda Survey station.
Lara had spoken of how the Company had murdered the inhabitants of space station all in the name of weapons R&D, the death of the other members of the MAX hunter killer team and their harrowing escape.
Noguchi had haltingly told them of here life among the Hunters and how she'd at first respected and been awed by them, though that had diminished over time.
Crichton had listened carefully, anger apparent over the Company's actions, but deep down he'd know and seen things like that more times than he cared to recall.
"What are we going to do know?" Ellis asked them, the question had been haunting him, ever since they'd come aboard the Farscape 3.
"Well we don't really have anywhere to return to," Jess admitted grudgingly, "The moment we turn up on any civilised planet the Company will be on us like a facehugger on a warm body!"
Vos eyed them for a second before giving Crichton a pointed look, "Perhaps you could accompany us."
Crichton shrugged, "The more the merrier, the ship's made to carry a crew of a few dozen."
Lara, Jess, and Ellis shared a hopeful look, before Jess carefully began, "You would have us with you? Even knowing...what I did?"
"I'm firm believer in second chances," Crichton answered simply.
"I think I speak for all of us when I say we accept!" Lara affirmed, for the first time in a long time relief surging through her body.
Crichton eyed Noguchi who had been silent for most the conversation, speaking only her part of the story and answering when spoken too, "What about you hunter girl? You in or should we drop you off somewhere?"
"I have no home. Anywhere. No family. Only enemies. The Yautja will want me dead for my betrayal. I will be safer with you." Noguchi said in a impassively.
"I could disagree with that but...welcome to the journey, the more the merrier I say, the Farscape 3 has more than enough room for all of you," Crichton said with a smile.
xoxoxoxoxxoxoxoxoxxoxoxoxox
He was closing in on his prey, he could practically smell it.
A black body leapt at him from where it had been hidden in the foliage, claws extended and ready for the kill.
He twisted out of its path and backhanded it aside, sending it flying for several meters. It landed heavily but shook itself and turned quickly back towards Russ, hissing and spitting acid uselessly against his armour.
Russ snorted and blasted it with his bolter, its upper body and head exploding into mush.
Russ twisted around as heavy footsteps sounded behind him.
The Queen stood in front of him, it had silently crept up on him. It hissed and backhanded him, knocking him onto his backside, his bolter flying from his hand, the chain holding it breaking and it disappeared into the underbush.
Lightening fast the monster was over him, its arms raised above its head intending to bring them down and crush Russ. He dodged, rolling out of the way and back onto his feet as its arms descended with thunderous power.
With one smooth move he unsheathed his Eviscerator and lashed out catching both of the Queen's arms above the elbows.
It rears back, stepping away from Russ screaming in pain as acid blood shoots from the stumps that used to end in her arms.
Russ smiles wolfishly knowing that his hunt was finally nearing its finale. Before it could recover, he lashed out again, his armoured fist knocking into its face and knocking it onto its back.
It screamed again in anger and pain but it was already too late. With a fluidity and brutality that so characterised Astartes in general and Space Wolves in particular, the Primarch leapt with all of his weight onto the Queen and ran it through repeatedly with his Eviscerator
It's cries turned into death cries as he raised his blade one final time and brought it down with a finality, silencing the Queen forever, and severing the head from the body.
Slowly he bent down and grabbed the Queen's head by its elongated skull, raising the severed head to eye level.
"Glory to the Emperor, this is Russ. Home in on my signal, I am ready for pick up," he commed regally to Farrie as he held up the Xeno's oversized head in his gauntleted hand.
Yes, today had been a most satisfying day, indeed.
Author's Notes: Please read and Review even if it's just to say good chapter.
Next Time: The Last Daughter