Winters Beginning Ch 3 on the twelfth day of Christmas my good pred gave to me, 12 Navi skulls, mwahahahaha.
Sitting inside the briefing room aboard ODP 11, Striker gives his story.
"As I was saying Elder lance the story of Pandora is a long one, while I wasn't the first to find the planet, I did become one of the first to study it." Started Striker
" This isn't going to be one of your famous rants about your hatred for Pandora is it,?" Elder Lance asked.
"Listen and you will understand For I may not be an Elder yet, I do know how to keep my self inline. Let's see where to start oh yes, It started after my father was killed by a bunch of snake-like vermin. The vermin were killed by the water of all things and their tech was pathetic. As such my father decided to meet them in open combat on dry ground and was so confident he could wipe them out with such ease that he took minimal equipment and armor. He died from their poison after wiping out a few hundred of them."
" I don't need to know your life's story Striker on how you chose the way of the weapon engineers! I need to know what you did on Pandora as records show you were on Pandora multiple times, each one lasting between half to a full Planetary cycle and with multiple clans. Is that correct?" Asked Elder Lance
"Snort... very well Elder Lance I'll start when I first Landed on that low gravity acid ball.
Elder Lance facepalms, the council should have asked Nova to do this, while he's done wonders in improving combat and defensive systems. Strikers' lust for making new war machines has caused many to question his sanity as the Yautja haven't fought a major war since the conflict with the Engineers. Whatever the cause of the War, the dishonorable method of using hardmeats as weapons to keep lesser species, from advancing could not be allowed. It was during that war that the Council of the Ancients decreed a new code, one that can only be used during times of war and even then only activated with their approval.
The code of Total War, while similar to the standard code that we all live by, the Total War protocol allows an anything-goes approach to eliminate the enemy without repercussion. While millions died, the added flexibility allowed us to bring the Engineers to the brink of extinction and gain the title many civilizations know us by, Predators.
"Elder!" Striker roared, "Watch your tongue, whelp." "Snarl, my apologies Lance, you zoned out for half a cycle" "I was only reminiscing about past conflicts nothing more, continue Striker, and this time, leave out your childhood." " Very well Elder Lance".
Location Pandora, Home of the Na'vi. 10 years before Winters birth, 10 years after taking Kima as his lifemate. The age of Striker at this time is 125.
Upon first stepping foot on its soil, I thought I had hit the greatest discovery in history. An outpost was set up inside a large mountain overlooking the jungle and planes so that I could monitor and study the local wildlife and the sentient race that called this world home.
"Strikers log, it's been ninety cycles since coming here and so far the discoveries are mounting. The Na'vi as they are called, worship something called Eywa, so far I have yet to determine if this is just faith-based or real. Size indicates odd evolution, scans reveal a bone density, capable of supporting higher gravity worlds, yet have an appendage linked to their brain. Observations have shown these appendages are used to interface with the local wildlife, very impressive. It is unknown at this time just how much control the Na'vi have over the creatures, end log."
"It has now been half a planetary cycle, I've collected various samples from every prey I can hunt, so far the number of trophies accumulated Is enough to make Kima proud. The supposedly dominant species is not so dominant, upon traveling to the other side of the planet, I hunted a group of five strong male Na'vi. Taking the time to kill them one by one with my wrist blades and combi stick, even blasted one of their Ikran with my plasma caster when it was attempting to flee.
One attempted to challenge me, The blue subject showed incredible aggression and ferocity but showed little in the ability to adapt to a new challenge. As such the subject's skull was mine in just three moves. I sliced his arm off, stabbed his lower thigh, anchoring him to the nearby tree, then proceeded to rip his spine and skull through his abdomen. Despite being as large as an engineer they are clearly not as strong as their bone structure would lead us to believe.
Not all was lost thankfully, observations of one subject upon the death of his Ikran showed acute emotional trauma. Detailed scan of the event with just face mask sensors showed the nervous systems of both Na'vi and Ikran to be linked in this bond. Impressive but stupid as it creates an exploitable weakness.
The local tribe upon discovery of the bodies simply played it off as a hunt gone wrong. Pathetic, even soft meat humans are more superstitious than these primitives, end Log."
Full planetary: "It's the planet, the blue meat bags worship the crazy planet! I'm no botanist so as a final goodbye, I detonated a small charge on one of the Tree of voices as the Na'vi call them. Hehe, turns out the Anurai clan went to war against the Li'ona clan, end result was death and confusion until a Na'vi titled Makto showed up to end the fighting. To go to war over a tree of all things is shocking, to say the least, these primitives are tree huggers in every sense of the term.
Still when studying the plant life and seeing the primitives interface with it has caused me to suspect that the entire ecosystem is connected somehow end log."
"After that my hatred grew as one Clan after another used me as a guide, to find the best hunting spots, which critters tasted the best, etc. All the while I was getting the feeling the Planet Ewya was hating me as much as I hated it. Turns out Yautja botanist confirmed my suspicion, the entire planet's ecosystem was linked like that of a brain. The Na'vi didn't advance simply because there was no need to. Even when they war against each other they don't invent new weapons but instead kept using bows and spears, with the occasional knife.
The council of Elders even ordered me to keep doing it and so for nearly ten planetary cycles, I played tour guide gaining the nickname of Nok. As I measured the time of this torture. Kima was about to give birth to our son Winter at this time and I was not going to miss that! For Kima would break my bones next time we mated.
So I decided to test the next generation of wrist computers I'd been working on, notably how to improve its destructive potential." Striker grinned. Lances eyes and mandibles began to widen. "Hehe, yes the planet that I had been stuck with for so long became my prey and as such, the mountain that I inhabited became my target. Watching from my ship a good distance away the detonation exceeded my expectations. With a force of five megatons, the mountain was blown into countless chunks of rock, lighting up the night sky in a beautiful blue and green inferno.
The shock wave was equally impressive and obliterated many large trees and more importantly, one of the Tree of Voices. To say Ewya was pissed would be an understatement. Immediately the magnetic fields shifted in frequency and intensity. Ships sensors became useless and every living creature shy of the Na'vi themselves came in swarms looking for me. Like a Xenomorph, going after an insect, I had become the bug that needed squashing. So flying by visual means I landed right in the heart of the Tree of Souls.
Upon exiting my ship the greatest prey surrounded me, yet did not attack, rather I was greeted by a Tsahik who informed me to touch the Tree of Souls. Why this particular Na'vi didn't run from me is unknown, but upon touching the tree, Ewya hit every spot in my mind and body. Such pain from thousands of memories even those I hunted spoke of anguish, suffering, and pain. The moment the connection was severed I was on my hands and feet from such pain and the message was clear, never come back.
I understood as did the Elders, while hunting was permitted, on Pandora. I Striker was not, at least for a while hehe."
"I see, so that's why the self-destruct function on the Wrist comps was made variable and dialed to a certain limit." Realized Lance " Yes Elder and I'm grateful that I got to see Winters birth, despite my hand being broken by Kima it was worth it". Striker testing his hand at the memory.
"Hmm, Striker, an emotion, that all learn, regardless of species, is anger is a constant enemy, how we choose to handle it, is the difference between becoming a bad blood or Yaujta that needs a good fight." Consoled Lance
"I understand Elder Lance however I must ask since I submitted that story to the Council, why are you really here?" Striker inquired with calculating eyes.
"Simple, I came here to give my clan some time off and to have our ship repaired and upgraded by your technicians. So I figured what better way to pass the time than to hear the story of the Yautja who tried to hunt a planet, only to be hunted in turn by it. I must say Striker the new mountain range that slowly circulates around the planet will forever bear the scars of your explosive wrath." Elder Lance was smiling and trilling, barely holding in his laughter.
"Glad I could satisfy your curiosity Elder, anything else I can help you with?"
"No it's late now so I shall retire for the cycle, in the meantime go home and have fun with Kima as I've heard your son Winter is stuck with Death for a full planetary Cycle."
" How did you hear about that lance?!" Since Striker was careful in putting his new plan into action.
"Ha like I'm going to tell you that, good night Striker." Elder Lances stands up and leaves while waving his hand goodbye.
Strikers mandibles closing,"good night Elder Lance".
Wow, it's amazing what happens when you learn new things.
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