Chapter Eight: Shisari and the Yhi
"We're stopping," Gui'Yata declared bursting in on Courtney's quarters. He stopped short realizing that she was not dressed. This was the first time he had really taken notice of her body. She was shapely and well proportioned, things considered attractive in a human female. It did not seem to him that it was built for fighting, however. The muscles were not of proper development. He was used to seeing females such as the Soua, who were larger and generally heavier than the males. Courtney had already proved, however, that mass was not important, only the skill involved, and how it was used.
She seemed undisturbed by his intrusion, slowly drying her long hair in front of a mirror that Quarta had fashioned for her. Mirrors confused him, she had told him that it was so she could see her reflection. But all he saw was a ghost image of himself, for it reflected only a fraction of his heat back, hardly enough for him to detect.
"Why are we stopping?" she asked casually.
"They have prepared a hunt on Shisari, you are to be in the party." there was a nervous edge to his tone.
Her brows furrowed, "Why are you uptight about that?" she said watching his reflection in the mirror, "I thought you were eager to let me 'get my feet wet' with a hunt?"
"They have not assigned me to the hunt." he said slowly, twinging it with annoyance and confusion to sharpen the point.
Courtney stopped drying her hair, wrapping herself in the towel, "I thought I was not allowed to hunt, but under your supervision, until after my Raya." she tried to sound calm.
He shook his head confused, "That is the way, but the council has made an exception in your case. They are rewriting law for you, or maybe against you. They say that they are not sure of your loyalty to the pack. They would test you with a team you are unfamiliar with. They wish to see that you are able to work in unison with strangers." He took a deep breath, "The hunt will be led by Yaha, this is a test for her as well, to see how well she leads a party. Your other huntsmen are, Arsu, Nobaya, Yalsa, and Basa."
Courtney knew them only by reputation, having only run into them a few times in the corridors. They were all well known for their various skills. Nobaya was a noted tracker, having a reputation for following even the oldest trails to quarry. He was extremely intelligent, and was proficient at bringing down quarry at a distance. Basa was a fighter, grimly determined to win even a hopeless hunt, he had made his mark at infighting and weapons use. Yalsa was about Gui'Yatas height but was thinner, and more agile than the rest, he was skilled in not only astral navigation, but could find his way to the ship from half a continent away. Arsu was not spectacular, just an average hunter, but knew a little information about a lot of things, including species and habitats on over three hundred worlds. Overall an impressive group. Yaha now that choice puzzled her, she was openly rebellious, going so far as to lose a spot in the Noora clan. Courtney was not sure of Yahas leadership ability, who would respect her authority when she respected no one else's?
"But these are all Taura, does the council expect me to match their skill? Do they have that much faith in my ability?"
Gui'Yata just shrugged, a habit that he had picked up from her, "This confuses me too."
Her eyes lost focus. Gui'Yata raised her chin to look at him.
"Are you alright, Raha?"
"Yes" she whispered, "I hope there is not more to it than just a hunt, is all."
He nodded solemnly, "I hope you are right. I wish you luck, and good hunting. I will be back to take you to the staging area."
"I will honor you this hunt." she said strongly as he reached the door, he turned to look at her. She was standing tall, her face was framed in the long lengths of her hair and the same determination he had seen during her fight for honor, reflected in her stance.
He gave her what passed as a Soua smile, and slipped out the door.
She began to go over her inventory of supplies, checking everything to be sure that it was in good repair. Given the equivalent of an hour to be at the staging area for brief, she dressed. This would be the first time she used the armor in a hunt. She ensured that each seal was secure. She made sure that the breather was functional, and did a complete diagnostic on her battle helm functions.
She looked like some space harlot she remembered seeing on old space flicks, when she was little. She laughed at the thought, "Soua solicitor" rang jokingly through her head.
There was a knock at the door and her laughter turned to nerves. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she answered the door.
"It is time." Gui'Yata said as the door slid away. Gui'Yata looked at her appreciatively. She looked like a proper Soua, her armor was properly donned and he could see that the seals had been freshly cleaned and softened. He sighed, knowing that he had done all in his power to prepare her for this hunt. But he still felt edgy, at least it was comforting to know she had absorbed his lessons.
Courtney grabbed the last of her weapons from the floor and stepped into the hall. He escorted her to the staging area. The rest of the party had already gathered, several looked at her with disdain, the rest just ignored her. Yaha began the briefing immediately upon her arrival.
As the briefing progressed Courtney's eyes wandered to the other faces in the group the ones she would be spending the next twenty hours hunting alongside. Only part of her attention remained on what was being covered.
Her eyes were automatically drawn to their towering leader. Courtney had never seen a Soua so tall. She had heard that Yaha was eight foot three, but it was something that you could not appreciate unless you saw it. Now she knew why her hunting name was tree. Courtney might come mid-thigh to her. Her overall color was almost lime green, and the normal darker stripes accented her skin. She always wore a dour expression as if she expected an argument at any moment. Courtney looked away when Yaha noticed her staring, but the large creature did not even pause in her brief.
Nobaya was leaned nonchalantly against the wall seeming to only pay a little attention to what was being said. He was average height, for a Soua, seven four and he was built for quickness and stealth. She nodded to herself that matched his style, after all he was the tracker in this group. He was almost creme in color. The crosses surrounded by diamonds on his skin blended from chocolate to creme so that no sharp contrasts could be seen, it was an interesting visual effect.
The only one more visually stunning was Basa. Where as most of his companions markings were small and sharp, his were very large almost like a pinto horse. The color was unusual also, being grey-on-grey. He would be hard to see in the twilight hours, even without his camouflage. He was listening to Yaha intently, testing the sharpness on his blade like most men would caress a woman.
Yalsa, their astro navigator, seemed anxious to go, for he fidgeted almost nonstop with the skull at his belt. He was just taller that Gui'Yata, though his build was much thinner than her teacher. She had been informed that he studied in balance, and force-counter force, making him quite an acrobatic hunter. Gui'Yata had said he was fun to watch in a battle. His skin was darker, and slightly more yellow than Nobaya, and his patterning looked like a diamond back rattlesnake.
Compared to the others Arsu was almost bland, he stood very still, and she knew he was listening. But his eyes had a kind of glazed look that told her he was thinking about something related, but not necessarily the subject at hand. He looked like most of the Soua she had seen, seven foot three inches, medium green with dark green spots, with a few but not many stripes accenting his skin.
As she finished her visual tour of her hunting companions the brief was over, and she quickly reviewed what her brain had culled as she pitched in with the loading.
They were coming in on the dark side of the planet, and would set up scouting before the dawn. They would locate the conflict and begin to cull their trophies.
The shisi would not be easy prey, their intelligence was considerable. They had achieved space travel some hundred year's prior. But they were a warlike race, and their civilization was beginning to crumble under the pressure of a civil war, which had been ongoing for fifty years.
Shisi weaponry matched or excelled the Soua technology. They had developed technology to counteract the light refracting equipment the Soua were so fond of using, out of necessity. Their enemies had developed a similar technology, and countermeasures were developed quickly, to prevent an overwhelming edge to be gained by the other side. There was not much of an edge on this hunt, it would be hard going. Only their cunning and stealth would give them an advantage.
The briefing was over quickly, and they began loading the landing vehicle immediately. Courtney made sure to give her all in loading, so that her hunting mates would not have any undue excuse to discount her.
"Gui'Yata worries for you," Quarta said in Courtney's head, "He thinks very highly of your ability, and wants you to know, you own a place in his soul."
In this culture, owning "a place in the soul", was regarded as a high degree of affection and comradeship. Courtney smiled to the befuddlement of her companions.
"Thank him for me," she thought, "He owns a place in mine as well. I will honor him this hunt, no matter the cost." she thought as she seated herself in the vehicle.
A pang of nerves constricted her throat, and she swallowed hard fighting the feeling as the shuttle door shut.
Gui'Yata walked back to his quarters solemnly, trying to dispel the ominous feeling that this hunt would go bad, those feelings of his were seldom wrong. He stepped through the door as it opened to his presence. He had no sooner sat down to meditate than his door buzzed.
He opened the door to find Quona there, he did not look happy.
"Quona, you honor me." Gui'Yata said in traditional formal greeting.
"I have grave news." He said, stepping through the door, "I fear that our party may not be returning."
Gui'Yata looked at him with a clearly puzzle expression, "What do you mean?"
"The planet is infested," Gui'Yata eyes went wide, "Our party walks into a difficult situation."
"Why then were they sent?" Gui'yata said trying to sound detached, fear rising like a black tide inside him, his feeling becoming a knot in his stomach, "Why would you send our best Taura and Raha into a situation that will probably cost all of them their lives?" He was trying to make sense out of a senseless situation. Six hunters against hundreds of Yhi, it was a lost battle and they both knew it.
"I have been too trusting of my council, they seem to have their own agenda for your Raha. As you know, in order to win my approval, there must be no overwhelming danger to the party, being that this is a training ship. The council has... altered the report of Shisari, to gain my favor. The document was a week old." He was clearly upset about this, "I have relieved them of their stations, which however will not save our party. And I can not send another group to help them out... if the party is able to come back... if Raha lives through this experience, it will qualify as her Raya. Yaha knows that, and will mark her passage under your line. I am sorry, I know of and understand your relationship with Raha, I can only hope that time is forgiving for them."
Gui'Yata nodded, lost in the thought of losing the strange woman who was his charge and friend.
The shuttle shuddered slightly as it settled onto Shisari's surface.
"May time favor us." Yaha commented her greeting to the hunt, which was their signal to prepare. Masks were donned and weapons readied.
The hatch opened and a rush of cool early morning air washed over the party. Courtney set for infrared, allowing for ease of movement in the dark.
She remembered how hard it had been to interpret what a heat signal meant. But under Gui'Yatas intense teachings she had learned fast. Now she was just as comfortable as she was seeing the visible spectrum.
The group fanned out, Basa, and Yalsa taking to the trees, Nobaya scouting ahead, and Arsu, Yaha, and Raha slowly moving across the forest floor. They reached a certain distance and stopped, waiting and listening.
Their helmets relayed each other's position, so they would not end up hunting each other. There was not much more information than that coming through their information net. There was no animal heat present, no one else had a reading either, as was proven by the subvocal reports coming from the others. It was extremely quiet, not even the trees dared whisper. It was as if they were alone in these woods.
Courtney switched to visual light as the sun came up. It was a pale sun, not even half of the strength of Terra's sun. But Shisari was closer to its sun, therefore able to support life. Vegetation was thick, the leaves were plump and fleshy, and were various hues of blue. Looking toward the sky she had a hard time discerning between sky and forest, they were practically the same shade.
She switched back to infrared when faint rustling reached her. The visor told her it was part of the party, probably Nobaya returning from his scouting.
He reported immediately to Yaha, "There is sign, but it is all at least a week old. What the tracks tell me is even more confusing."
Yaha signaled for convergence, and Nobaya took them to the clearing of mystery.
"There was an army here, marching in close military formation... but here." He pointed out a spot several feet forward, "Something happened, they fell into a state of confusion. They scattered, most headed back for the city. But there are spots, here near the trees where some of the tracks just end. I would have said that they had been attacked, but...' he shook his head, "There is no evidence of a battle, no bodies, no shells, and...No other tracks leading away."
"This makes no sense," Yaha confessed her confusion, "We should have seen something. As you say there is a major population center just over the rise." she paused a moment, "There was supposed to be a major conflict here!" she burst, suddenly angry.
"Also," Arsu added, "We have seen no evidence of the lower forms of life which flourish in this ecosystem."
Yaha thought for a long time, coming to a decision she turned to Nobaya, "Follow the trail to the city, we will see how the city fares. We may go home empty handed."
If she knew what they were up against, she would have been happy to go home with no trophies.
Nobaya's reports on the way to the city were always the same. The number of trails that just ended increased exponentially, but as always there were no bodies, and no signs of a fight. It remained deathly quiet as they trekked toward the city.
Courtney froze as she heard rustling from behind them, the sound seeming loud as thunder in the silence. With a horrid scream, a shisi lunged from the bushes, plasma sword gripped tightly in its hand. Its slit eyes were fully dilated, clearly showing his unstable state of mind.
It was only slightly greener than the surrounding undergrowth. They were definitely reptilian, with a wide snout along the lines of an alligator. A crest the hue of blood rose from between its wide set eyes and disappeared again between the shoulder blades. There were two sets of fingers opposing each other the claws were dulled. As though this one had a hard life. It's tail was short and thick, probably used for balance. The legs were one joint longer than a human ending in a foot with four toes, three forward and one opposing, also for stability, she surmised.
As the creature rushed through the group and past, ignoring the party, Courtney and Arsu both targeted. Before they were able to fire the creature tensed and dropped to the ground. It lay there writhing, wailing as if in intense pain, the sound set Rahas teeth on edge. Slowly, cautiously the party approached the down shisi.
Another spasm racked it, as it went stiff there was a cracking sound as something pounded on the ribs from inside. Yaha hissed menacingly, flicking the blades of her sraha to full extension, the rest of the party backed away from the creature. Courtney was frozen in place in horror and fascination, watching the death throes. Its chest ruptured after three more tries from the force within. There in the bloody remains of the shisi's chest was a creature out of a nightmare. The small black head was smooth and eyeless, its lips curled back to more fully reveal the crystalline teeth grinning menacingly at them, emitting a bubbly metallic growl. There were four underdeveloped stubs positioned where arms and legs would be.
Yaha struck it down before it had taken its first breath.
"Yhi?! Here?" she said with considerable disgust. Raha remembered now something Gui'Yata had told her about Yhi. They were used in limited numbers to test young Soua in the hunt. If a Soua lived through Raya they were moved up to the status of Fausi.
Yhi, instinctive killers, intelligent, but not intellectual. They killed to survive, they transformed worlds to their liking, infesting them easily, and having no natural predators to keep their numbers in check. They were considered an almost perfect race, having no conscience, no remorse over killing, armored with silicone based cells. Their defense included blood that was as caustic as formic acid. They used their dead to fortify their nests, silicone reinforcement. They wasted nothing.
Yaha sighed, "We must find out if this is a limited infestation or whether a queen has migrated. We may not live through this, but our recordings will hold valuable information for the Soua." Soua would never be good politicians, they were way too straightforward, Courtney decided silently.
The hunters entered the streets of the city with extra caution. Shisi corpses littered the streets, carrion eaters and insects were thick, taking advantage of the decaying feast. Courtney found herself glad that her mask did not allow her to smell the stench of so many dead, knowing full well what death smelled like.
Some shisi died, as did the shisi on the outskirts, as host for the Yhi young. Their ribs showing through the broken skin. Most of the dead was the contingency that had tried to beat back the attack and were killed, their bodies left to the weather. Yhi could not use dead hosts, and only so many could be eaten at one time. But as many bodies as there were, it was far short of the reported population of the city. There could be two explanations, either the survivors fled to safer areas, which was highly unlikely. Or, Yaha's presumption was right, and they were under the queens' care, until her young were born in their blood.
The group formed a loose circle, stepping over the rotting bodies, as they methodically moved through the city. All eyes searched restlessly for anything moving outside of their protective circle.
The first attack came from above, and it was Raha who saw the movement. She reacted rather than thought, lashing out as she yelled her warning to the yhi's intended target, Yaha. The impaled Yhi thrashed violently as it tried to get at Raha, from the point of the Raspa. She had to be careful, the creatures sheer weight was enough to crush her. But using the momentum of the Yhi's attack she landed it on the far side of their startled leader. She dispatched it quickly with a shot of plasma, taking care to keep the caustic blood off of her. She let the acid burn itself angrily out against the impervious metal of the raspa. When it had neutralized she pulled the raspa free, and stepped over to Yaha.
"Are you alright Yaha?"
She nodded, "Your hunting name fits you," she motioned to the Yhi, "Take your trophy quickly, there are more, and the hunt is not yet done." she said knowingly.
Courtney did so, severing the head and the razor sharp tail. The tail would make an excellent sasa, but that would come later. She tethered them to a nearby tree, intent on collecting them when the hunt was complete. She needed no extra burden now.
Nobaya led the way toward the center of the city, where the great hall was located. The building was impressive even from a distance. The Yhi attacks became more and more intense, and as they neared the ominous structure, the battles were heated.
"We must be nearing the nest," he panted, fighting off the last of the latest wave, "They are becoming thick."
The last at least was truth, the groups were nearing fifty per wave, and they gained less ground with each attack. The fight began to take its toll.
Three attacked Basa from an alley, and he was working through them, as Arsu took note of another approaching from behind. He took the creature out with a shot of plasma, but blood was splashed on the huntsman he was helping. Basa had turned toward Arsu, and the caustic liquid hit his arm. He fought the pain, much as he fought the Yhi, with grim silence.
Their circle held against that wave, but the next came close on its heels. In the heat of the battle Yalsa became separated from the group, and the Yhi isolated him quickly. His absence was immediately noted and the rest fought to get to him. Yalsa fought valiantly, acrobatically avoiding the Yhi, as he killed without mercy. But the numbers finally had him, he was fighting off a Yhi that had lunged at him, not noticing the one that had moved in behind him. He screamed as the black terror plunged its inner set of teeth deep into the flesh on his thigh grabbing a lager portion with the outer set. The one he had been originally concerned with took advantage raking his head behind the seal of the mask, with its sharp claws. He desperately blew the creature off his chest with plasma, closing his eyes in the hope that its blood would not hit him. The other proceeded to rip a chunk of his leg off and commenced grabbing another, when the group finally reached him. Yaha was the first through and dispatched the creature clinging to Yalsas leg. The jaws locked onto Yalsas' thigh as soon as the head was separated from the body. He fell hard with the sheer unbalanced weight of the yhi's head. He just missed falling into the growing pool of acidic blood. The rest broke through the resistance and fanned out to form a protective barrier around Yalsa. They fought through the last and gathered close for a much-needed breather. They all looked solemnly at their companion, their poise showing feelings of helplessness, as if there was nothing they could do to help, Raha thought.
"Let me through!" Raha pushed past them, kneeling next to the fallen huntsman. She would do something, if they would not.
"Get away from me," he growled, coughing, "Let me die in peace."
"I can help!" she said angrily, changing tact when he did not respond, "Am I to treat you like a saru? You need treatment, if you persist with this attitude you will die, and not honorably! Are you so cowardly that you are afraid of this clusu Yanahara? And I thought you were a Taura."
He started to get angry at her apparent insult. Then he realized what she had been attempting, his expression changed to one of amusement. He waved at the leg, permitting her to work on it.
Courtney first had to pry the jaws of the Yhi open, and Yalsa screamed openly at the pain it brought.
"I need you to explain your kit to me, so that I will use the proper items."
Through his pain, Yalsa guided Courtney, explaining the contents of the kit and the various uses of each item. She proceeded to clean and pack the wound. Once it was tightly packed, she mixed totant and applied it over the packing. It would have to be cut open to get the packing back out but it had to be done. She administered a painkiller for the area, so that he would be able to walk. She looked over the cuts on his face, they were also quite serious. They were going to scar nastily. Several of his hairs had been severed completely, and unlike human hair it was alive. It was fleshy and thick with blood vessels, they were bleeding profusely, and as she understood it they would not grow back. She treated it as best she could then looked at him sternly.
"There will be pain, but I think that you will recover eventually. Can you stand?" he nodded and allowed her to aid him. When he was on his feet, Raha turned to Basa who was favoring his injured arm.
"Hurry up!" Yaha growled, "They are massing again. We need them in this!"
Basa had no complaints as she hurriedly treated the burn, and spread totant over it. Other than that he was fine, once the painkillers had numbed the area his arm was again usable.
Just as she had finished with Basa, they were again attacked. Raha was amazed as she watched the two injured hunters jump into the battle with zeal, fighting extremely well, for their conditions. The alternative was to be taken to the Queen, and become hosts for her hell-spawned younglings. Neither would submit to that. When they had finished fighting through that wave they stood in the shadow of the hall.
"Nobaya, Raha... go inside, see where in the hall the queen lies, estimate the number of Shisi that the queen has taken for her own. Avoid conflict if possible and return swiftly, we will need your manpower." the two of them nodded and headed for the looming building.
The Great Hall had been built North to South in the center of the metropolis. It dwarfed the surrounding city. For the rest of the buildings were subdued, with ceilings only six foot from the ground, even though one building would cover several blocks. The Halls ceilings were three stories from the ground. Its length was so great it was near impossible to see one end or the other from the door at its center, a perfect place for a hive. This was a side entrance, the doors at either end were massive arched double doors. The side entrance was open, whether from haste or habit neither of them was sure.
Cautiously they stepped through the doors finding themselves in an anteroom thirty by thirty feet square. It had once been very beautiful, Raha concluded, but the new occupants had remodeled it in their own dark and sinister image. Hardened resin tendrils spiraled out from the shattered frame of the inner door, and the floor was sticky, threatening to trip even the most careful person. The inner door leading to the meeting chamber, lay splintered on the floor, a pale bloated Shisi corpse sprawled atop it, half covered in slime. Its glazed sightless eyes were turned toward the ceiling high above, the half open, toothy jaw bubbled phlegm as bacteria worked to break the organic matter down.
Nobaya and Raha stepped in unison around the corpse and peeked through the frame into the meeting room. She began to start into the hall, Nobaya grabbed her and pulled her back. "Careful Raha, they have a habit of taking prey by waiting above archways. I will go first, we will get our information and leave quickly." She nodded understanding.
"How many times have you hunted Yhi, Nobaya?" She whispered.
"Once." He stated simply, crouching low.
"Oh..." She replied meekly, he really instilled her with confidence.
He took his raspa from its storage, and extending it, thrust it up just inside the hall. The Yhi screamed impaled on the device, Nobaya quickly silenced it. Raha followed him in, met by no resistance. There were leathery eggs and shriveled carriers strewn over the length of the hall. Mounted to the walls were countless Shisi, looking like grotesque sculptures; madman's' art, lifeless eyes stared at them. Those few who were still alive wailed in their native tongue, hissing a warning, Raha was sure, or bemoaning their fate.
She looked to one end of the hall then the other. She tapped her companion. The great doors were barely discernable, the distance so great from where they were.
"There." she said in an awed whisper pointing at the North arch, noticeable even at a distance.
She was hard to see, but her size in relation to where she was gave her away. The queen had nestled herself in front of the doors of the Northern arch, her bulk easily filling its great space. Her high carapace shown dully in the half-light filtering through the partially blocked windows. Her bloated thorax twisted away from her, suspended along the wall, positioned in a space of open floor. Occasionally she deposited an egg and repositioned herself. She was at once beautiful and frightening, Raha thought. Around her flitted countless drones, cleaning her, feeding her, like fussing nursemaids.
"We must at least attempt to kill this brood queen," Nobaya muttered, clearly unhappy with Yaha's instructions not to engage in any fights. He moved further into the gathering place, attempting to get a better shot at her. Raha followed anxiously behind him, not happy but not wanting to get separated from his side.
"But..." Raha started to protest, as Nobaya, finally satisfied with his proximity to the Queen, took aim on the black bulk sitting in the enormous archway.
"Cover me..." he grunted, waiting for target lock.
The queen did not seem to notice their presence in her domain, but her drones were another matter. They swarmed toward the two in the defense of the Queen who was their life.
Raha's eyes went wide as an unbelievable number of yhi, came out of their hiding places. A surging tide of blue-black bodies intent on killing the two presumptuous intruders. She yanked hard on Nobaya, throwing him off balance, "We've got to get out of here!" she was speaking English in her fright and did not realized it.
He had ordered his weaponed fired just as he lost balance, and the aim was sorely off mark. He watched angrily, as the shot only severed one leg and singed her egg sack.
The wounded creature screamed her outrage, joined by the thousands of voices of her equally angered drones. The sound was deafening. The wave surged, attempting to prevent the escape of the assailants. Raha was already backing toward the entrance stunned by the overwhelming numbers. It was still so far away, she just knew that Nobaya and herself were going to die.
"Out!" Nobaya yelled, firing shot after shot into the thick of the swarm as if Raha needed encouragement. Raha breaking the grip of her mind numbing fear covered their escape route, blasting the Yhi that had somehow circled behind them on the walls. The journey back to the anteroom door was arduous to say the least, every drone taken down was immediately replaced. Nobaya was unable to help her clear a path to their retreat, occupied as he was with the surging group coming up fast from behind. Raha sighed audibly when she reached the door.
Once through the frame to the anteroom the Yhi access was narrowed, though it was not immediately evident. Raha had turned back to face the hall, adding her firepower to Nobaya's, and tripped on the corpse in the doorway. Raha landed heavily on the decomposed chest of the Shisi corpse. She had no time to get disgusted with her position for Nobaya had moved past her and hastily hoisted to her feet, taking out the yhi descending on her. They switched positions, Raha fighting off the advancing horde while Nobaya opened the doors that had been closed by the Yhi drones to block their escape. He leaned his back against it, shooting past Raha at the unending stream of creatures, he mule kicked hard, breaking the resin seal that the Yhi had erected.
"Come on!!", he yelled at Raha, who had not witnessed his act. On his command she retreated, out into the open. She fired one last time and cleared, allowing Nobaya to slam the anteroom door shut and bar it with a piece of wood. The creatures pounded relentlessly on the door and it slowly began to splinter. That limited the source of fighters the Yhi could use, and might buy them some time.
They found their party locked in a battle of their own. Yhi forces summoned from the city ruins by their injured Queens distress call had cut off their path of retreat. The group was fighting to keep their ground. The two of them rejoined their embroiled companions with a battle cry to wake the dead.
Yalsa had finally succumbed to his injury, and lay where he had collapsed on the ground, those remaining had formed a protective circle to deny the Yhi another host. Basa, Raha saw, was holding up, but he was in obvious pain.
They fought hard and dirty for the next hour, and when the Yhi finally stopped coming there were hundreds of their numbers dead. Raha found herself surprised to be alive. She was drenched in sweat and shook uncontrollably from nerves and exhaustion. Her arms, face, and stomach were all bleeding from the yhi that had gotten too close for comfort. The remaining Yhi retreated back into the Hall.
"The Queen has recalled her Cadre." Yaha panted, her hand resting on the fallen Yalsa. They were all bleeding now, but none of them were as bad their unconscious comrade. They all rested uneasily in the shadow of the ominous alien hall.
"Where is Arsu?" Courtney asked concerned, as she tried to deal with her exhaustion. The looks she got in return told her more than words would.
"Raha," Yaha said when they had recovered a little. She stood and approached Yaha, who as their leader began in a loud voice, "Your Raya has come early, an experience that has proven that you are no longer saru. In the absence of your teacher, and as leader of this hunting party, I take authority to mark your passage to the station of hunter, the Fausi." Raha removed her mask knowing what would come next, "I mark you with the symbol of Gui'Yata under the line of Coysa, under whose teachings you were trained. You have honored your line today, and I credit Gui'Yata for your valor and cunning."
There were approving looks as Yaha broke off a Yhi finger and burned Gui'Yatas mark between Rahas brows. All thought her performance was deserving of the passing, whether or not they liked her personally. Without a word Nobaya and Basa gathered Arsu's things laying them in the tarp where they had put his body. Risking another fight, they took the corpse into the main hall. They set the detonator on Arsu's wrist for a delayed destruct.
When they returned Yaha addressed the group, "Let us collect our trophies and be gone quickly. The Yhi are unpredictable and just may attack again." They gathered trophies for themselves and for Yalsa, who could not. To Raha the mood seemed grim, and she retrieved her trophies from earlier in the day, with oppressive silence surrounding her. The sun had begun to go down, and they kept a pace that would take them to the shuttle quickly. Nobaya and Yaha were burdened with the task of carrying Yalsa back, but the added weight did not slow them.
As they topped a small rise the ground shuddered beneath their feet. Courtney turned to watch a cloud of light and debris rise from the site of the great hall and whispered the "Prayer for Those Lost."
As they entered the shuttle, and readied to leave, Raha checked Yalsa on last time. He roused as she gave him another shot for the pain.
"How are you?" Raha asked with a doctors concern. She turned his head to check the scratches on his face and skull.
"Tired, Raha, but I am alright," He grinned at her, more a bearing of teeth than a human smile, when she allowed him to look forward again, "I will not die this hunt. If for no other reason than to spite you, clusu." he told her with conviction. She smiled back at him, realizing his reference was a joke, his strength of spirit would help in his recovery. She stood and moved to Basa's side, his arm was hot and tender, all she could do was give another pain killer, she did not know enough of their physiology to administer any further treatment.
They were asleep before the landing vehicle broke out of the planet's gravity, exhausted from a full day of fighting. Courtney's dreams were filled with hideous shining black bodies swarming over her, their eyeless faces mocking her, sharp claws that caught at her clothing, scratching her skin, and crystalline teeth closing on her throat to stifle her screams. She awoke with a start to a quietly humming shuttle, and her sleeping brethren. She stared across at the oversized skull of the Yhi hanging on the wall across from her, its toothy grin seeming to know of her fear, and it mocked her. She raised an unsteady hand to the scar on her brow. She was unable to sleep the rest of the trip.
Arriving at Quarta, the shuttle was unloaded in tired silence. Yalsa was taken off last, and was carried to the Soyara for treatment, Courtney went along, to ensure that he would be alright. Yaha had already left to make her report to the council.
Yaha entered the council chamber, finding it empty of all the members but Quona.
"The council is not in session?" she said with considerable confusion. He gave no response, and she could not ask if he would not volunteer the information. He just looked at her expectantly. She quickly gave her report, and stood silently waiting for the questions he was sure to ask.
After reviewing the recordings from the expedition he finally spoke.
"I am distressed to hear of Arsu's loss. But ubder the circumstances I am pleased that the group returned at all. Raha passed this unexpected Raya intact?"
"Yes, her performance was impressive. Being ill equipped to deal with Yhi, as we were, I would have expected her to balk. She dealt with her fear honorably, fighting well under extreme pressure. She was sent into the hive with Nobaya, a task I would not have given to any other Saru, I fear my prejudice compelled me to send her there. She has more courage than I would have credited her with, before today. It seems I had been listening to Koratan too long. Hers was the first kill, and I have marked her passage under Gui'Yatas line.
"Also, there is something else. When Yalsa was injured, it was something... that we did not know how to deal with, extensive muscle damage." she shook her head, "Under normal conditions, we would have been forced to leave him. Raha insisted on treating his leg, though we could not, Yalsa almost refused her help. She was forced to shame him into taking it. Her treatment was expertly accomplished, and he was able to go on fighting. It is possible that Yalsa may get the full use of his leg again." she paused seemingly undecided whether or not to continue, "Raha may be a good candidate for Soyasa." she said reluctantly, humbly. She knew that her judgement might be taken lightly, for she was not one to listen to orders. But she had to get the point across, it was the first time she had ever felt so strongly about a candidate.
"She will be," he said knowingly, "She treated her own people, in much the same way, from what I have been told. We will approach her with the idea, we have been too dependent on Quarta, and could use a Soyasa, again. It has been too long since Coysa was lost. How is Basa?"
"He is expected to recover fully, the burn was only superficial, and it was treated quick enough to minimize infection. Raha has instincts for it, though she has treated our kind but once before."
Courtney dragged herself to her quarters, intent on dying when she got there. She had never been so tired or sore, ever. At least she knew Yalsa would be all right, It still remained to be seen if he would regain 100% mobility in that leg. Basa was not in doubt, she had seen worse chemical burns in the clinic, but injuries as bad as Yalsas did not often heal fully. Then again, Earth did not have the medical technology these people did. It seemed strange, two months ago she would have thought the Soua barbaric... animals, but they were people. Much different than the human race, better in some ways, worse in others, but definitely people.
She believed that she had made a new alliance or two. That made her feel better. And now that she was a Fausi, she was an accepted member of the Pack.
Once she had convinced Yalsa that she was not the bogeyman he had been willing to talk to her. She had found him extremely intelligent, and interesting in the short while that she was there watching Quarta tend his leg.
Nobaya had been the only one on the hunt who, from the first, did not seem to mind that she was a human. He had been openly kind to her, showing her small things in the lull of the fighting that would help her in the future. He had been angry at her interruption of his shot, but instead of berating her, he had discussed it. He was not condescending, and explained to her that things were not always what they seemed.
There was no second thought when he had saved her in the Great Hall. When she had thanked him, he was puzzled, replying, "You are my huntsman, why should I not help you?" She was Soua to him, and she was glad that he was so willing to accept her.
Basa was at the other end of the spectrum, very reluctant to accept that she was anything but clusu. He had grudgingly recognized that she had passed her test and was now a Fausi. But his conversations remained closed to her, and his looks were still full of contempt. Well, she would win him over if they were meant to be friends, but there was no use pushing it. That was the way enemies were made. Her thought turned to Arsu's loss, and her stomach convulsed. He had not spoken once to her, but that did not lessen her sorrow for the loss of his life.
Courtney's door buzzed, and she jumped, realizing that she had been asleep.
"Come in" she said in English, shortly realizing her mistake. She was about to rephrase it but the door slid open and Gui'Yata stepped inside.
"I had heard of your return," He said trying not to sound relieved, he did not succeed. He stepped up close to her, running his finger over the still tender scar between her eyes, "You honor my line, Courtney." He added quietly, his voice rich with emotions, somewhere between relief and happiness.
"I told you that I would," she said with a smile, "The hunt was not quite what I expected. Hunt, hell, that was a fight for survival." she said, pushing her bangs out of the way of her face, then more calmly, "The prey turned out to be Yhi not Shisi, it was more difficult than I thought."
"I know, Quona informed me shortly after your departure. I was... worried that I might lose you."
A look of shock passed over Courtney's' face, something about his tone was odd. And a thought crossed her mind that scared her more than anything she had just gone through. Was he attracted to her? Gods, no!
He shrugged, "You are, after all my only student," he said seemingly to cover his slip, "Have I said something wrong?" She obviously had not buried her emotion deep enough, for he had picked up on her stress.
"I... I..." she stammered. He looked thoroughly confused, and that flustered Courtney more.
She plopped down on the bed, her brows furrowed as she looked again at him, "Are... you attracted to me?" She blurted, with what she hoped was the right degree of incredulity.
Now it was Gui'Yatas turn to be uncomfortable, but he had a more straightforward answer than she expected, "Yes... but I realize that we are incompatible." She threw up her hands in a mixture of exasperation, confusion and anger. "This confuses me too, Raha." he used her formal name to put some distance on the subject, He moved over to the door, "Would you rather I lie to you?" she shook her head once, refusing to look at him, "No, I thought not. There are things about you that fascinate me, things the others have not seen, for they have not worked with you. That is what is attractive, I do not wish to mate with you, the thought never crossed my mind." he sounded almost disgusted that she thought he would consider such a thing.
There were several tensely silent moments, "I..." Courtney started, "I am confused, Gui, because, in spite of my better judgement, I find myself feeling the same." He spun around to face her, the statement had honestly shocked him, "This whole experience has been the most interesting thing to ever happen in my life. You would not believe how paranoid you get living on Earth. Never knowing when death is going to reach out and grab you. Here, I am able to face it, to take some control on it." She paused a moment, realizing that she had just confused the issue, "When you were injured, back on Earth, I felt like my heart had been torn out. I thought I would die when I found you near death in the soyara. It was an immediate attraction to the newness, the danger you represented, I realize that now. It is all the better that you have become the best friend I have ever had."
Again the cabin fell silent, Courtney changed to a safer subject, "I seem to have made some alliances."
He nodded, seeming relieved that she had moved their attention elsewhere, "I had hoped that would happen. Who?" he started dragging her gently by the arm behind him.
"Nobaya was one of them. He was very helpful during the hunt. Where are we going?"
"Come with me, I have something to show you... bring your trophies."
She looked puzzled, but she did as he said, they came to the central chamber.
"It is tradition of the Soua to mount the trophies of the hunt upon a successful return." He picked up her hand and set it to the wall. The doors parted to reveal a display case, denuded of all trophies. "This case is yours, and will only open to your hand. You may arrange it in any way you wish." He took a step back and watched as she slowly pulled the large yhi head from her bag, it had already been cleaned, and was now snow white. Several marks had been carved in it near the crown, showing the actual number that she had actually taken. She put the skull in the very center of the display, facing all that would see it.
"It is an impressive specimen, Congratulations."
She pulled out the yhi tail from the bag, looking to her mentor and friend, "I wish to make this into a sasa, will you show me how?" He nodded.
"Those are very effective," he stated approvingly, "they never dull." he grabbed her wrist, leaning close to her ear, "I am sorry for making you uncomfortable. Thank you for being honest, I know your culture is not strong on honesty."
She put her hand on his cheek and smiled, feeling better now that she knew she was not just being strange. That her blooming affection for the alien was not one way.
A lot changed for Courtney following the hunt, her responsibilities increased three-fold. And shortly after she had recuperated they had approached her about becoming a soyasa, she had agreed, only too interested in what medicine she could learn. That had been the only thing bothering her about being an EMT, she had always wanted to become a fully qualified paramedic. But there had never been time.
She began to think she would regret the decision, she had little enough time as it was, between her continued training, studies on Soua society and hopefully the chance to sleep, and she was hard put to get those studies in as well. She had found that Quarta was only too happy to divulge all it knew. The Soua were unaccustomed to treating their own injuries, except what was needed to survive a mildly bad hunt. They were unwilling to learn the more complicated techniques, leaving the serious injuries to the Soyasa. If one was not availible the responsibility fell to Quarta, or another Taya. This ship had a Soyasa at the beginning of its voyage, an Eesa. He was mortally wounded in one of the first hunts, acting as Taura for the newest group of Fausi. So they had gone on relying on Quarta to tend their wounds. It had taken a lot of digging to find out who the soyasa had been. She went cold when the name was divulged. It had been when Gui'Yata was about six, on a smaller training hunt. The leader had been Coysa, and his death was the result of friendly fire, one of the overanxious youths had fired on him before identifying his target. With the hunting tapes, and the deposition of the other Fausi on the hunt, including Gui'Yata, the youth had been required to take his own life. They had no use for such behavior. Courtney shook her head, wishing she had not dredged up that information.
Quarta had gone over the differences in the medical kits in intricate detail, making sure it was ingrained not to use any of the chemicals in her kit on a Soua, for it could prove dangerous. The mechanical devices could be used for either species.
The mechanical devices included apparatus for holding closed small wounds, scalpels (or an equivalent, they were not like the ones Courtney was accustomed to), syringes, and sressra.
Her totant formula was different as well as the antiseptics, serums and painkillers. She had been rather amazed to find out that the catalyst for totant could be mixed with any chalky substance to form the finished product, a seal that replicated skin, keeping out dirt, bacteria, and germs until the wound(s) could be properly treated.
Her and Gui'Yatas uncomfortable discussion slipped gratefully to the back of both their minds as they occupied themselves with other things.
