(This is it the last chapter enjoy)

Kathryn and Skylark walked for most of the day without saying much. They had covered 15 of the 20 miles and were exhausted.

"I'm impressed." Skylark said. "It's not easy going."

"I'm in good shape." Kathryn said taking

The sun was going down and they took shelter in some rocks. They didn't start a camp fire because they didn't want the Xenomorphs to know they were coming. In the night they heard several Facehuggers go past the rocks they were hiding in heading for Crimson Palace. Kathryn was afraid for Jane's safety and really wanted to go back but knew that is she did that they all would die. The Facehuggers soon passed and Kathryn breathed a sigh of relief. But it was soon over come by fear.

"What is wrong?" Skylark asked.

"I'm afraid for Jane." Kathryn said.

"Who is that?" Skylark asked.

"She's my girlfriend." Kathryn said.

"What is girlfriend?" Skylark asked.

"She's my mate." Kathryn said in terms that he would understand.

"She is female is she not?" Skylark asked.

"Yes she is." Kathryn said.

"I don't understand." Skylark said. "Two females can have offspring?"

"No." Kathryn said. "It's just a sexual preference."

"I don't understand." Skylark said. "But it is your business."

With that he lay on the ground and fell asleep. Kathryn looked over the rocks towards Crimson Palace and asked God to look after Jane and her friends. She continued looking for a few more minutes before laying on the ground and falling asleep herself.

Morning

Kathryn was still sleeping when Skylark kicked her softly in the ribs.

"We move on get up." He said.

"You could have done it nicer." Kathryn said rubbing her ribs.

She grabbed her weapon and stood up. She whished that she had brought some water and food but there was none. Skylark turned his head when he heard her stomach crawl. He walked up to one of the large rocks and kicked it aside. Small bugs that were indigenes to the planet started running every which direction. Skylark removed his mask with his back to Kathryn and started eating some of the bugs. Once he had curved his hunger he put his mask back on and stood up.

"Eat." He said looking at Kathryn.

Kathryn looked at the bugs and felt her stomach turn at the thought of eating them but she walked to the place where the rock was and started eating. She gagged a few times before hunger got the better of her and she didn't care anymore. She had probably eaten a good handful of the bugs before she was ok to continue.

"Now if only we had some water." She said.

"That I can not help with." Skylark said. "Let us go the cave can't be far."

They started walking again and after a few minutes Kathryn felt lightheaded. The ground was almost moving to her eyes and she stopped.

"Something's wrong with me." She said.

"Me too." Skylark said. "It's was one of those bugs."

He pulled out his med-kit and pulled out a syringe. He injected half of the drug into himself then handed it to Kathryn.

"It will rid us of the toxin." He said.

Kathryn nodded and injected the serum. Almost instantly she felt better. They rested fore a minute before continuing on. Kathryn felt fully energized and was shaking with energy. Skylark also looked like he was wired and was walking rather fast.

"What was that?" She asked.

"I don't know what it is." Skylark said. "All I know is that it will rid your body of almost any toxin and give you energy."

"I like it." Kathryn said.

"We are moving to slow." Skylark said.

Without saying anything Kathryn started running at a full sprint. Skylark ran after here and was soon right beside her. They ran full out for almost 15 minutes and they had covered the rest of the distance to the cave. They stood at the mouth of the cave and looked in.

"I can smell them." Skylark said. "No more talking."

They started walking into the cave and were soon in a room full of empty eggs. There were bodies on the wall with their chests ripped open and looks of pain on their faces. Skylark unfolded the spear and Kathryn readied her rifle as they walked. They could hear movement but they couldn't lock-on to where it was coming from. They kept walking and soon they heard something breathing as if it had just run a mile.

"The Queen." Skylark said softly.

They stepped out into a large room in the cave and saw the Queen standing just feet away from them. It had heard them coming and was ready. All 5 drones that were left in the nest attacked from all sides. Sara shot 3 of them before they were close enough for Skylark to use the spear. Once they were within reach he took them down with minimal effort. The Queen had watched the last of her babies get slaughtered and roared loudly as she charged. Kathryn quickly raised her weapon and squeezed the trigger but the gun was jammed. Skylark pushed her out of the way just before the Queen bowled him over. He fell to his back but rolled back to his feet and turned to face the Queen. She turned around and charged again swinging her tail at him. He was blacking it with the spear but being tossed around from the sheer force of the blows.

Kathryn slowly got to her feet and cleared the chamber of the gun and loaded a new round into it. She watched as Skylark fought the Queen and looked for a clean shot. Skylark continued to block the attacks with the spear until he had almost no strength left in him. Finally the Queen landed a blow to his midsection sending him flying. He dropped the spear and lay on the ground unconscious. Kathryn saw her moment and started shooting.

"Get away from him you BITCH!

The Queen turned and faced the new attacker and charged. The bullets were doing damage but not enough.

'I have to get it away from Skylark.' She thought.

She turned and ran for the exit of the cave with the Queen in hot pursuit. Once she was out of the cave she stood to face the Queen on an open battle field. She loaded a grenade into the launcher and looked at the Queen.

"Your move bitch." She said.

The Queen hissed at her and rushed. Kathryn dodged out of its path but was hit by her tail and sent flying. She kept hold of the gun and sat up. She fired the grenade and it hit right in front of the Queen. The Queen was tossed to the ground from the percussion but was soon on her feet.

"Come on!" Kathryn yelled and unloaded the rest of the bullets.

The Queen was starting to stumble from all the hit's she had taken but still wanted to fight.

Meanwhile Skylark was slowly getting back on his feet. He looked at his surroundings and saw over a thousand eggs in a corner of the cave.

'Not good.' He thought.

He injected another shot of the serum and looked at his wrist computer and started to enter the code for self destruct. Once the final countdown started he disconnected the computer from his wrist and threw it into the middle of the eggs. He ran to his spear and ran for the exit.

1 minute ago

As Skylark was activating the bomb Kathryn was dodging the Queen's every attack. The Queen was really starting to move slow and Kathryn knew that all she had to do was keep out of reach and she would live. She had loaded another grenade into the launcher for a last ditch effort. She would shoot it into the ground at her feet as soon as the Queen got close killing them both. She didn't like the idea of suicide but would do it if it meant that Jane would live. The Queen summed up all the energy she had for one last charge. She broke for Kathryn at full speed she opened her mouth wide and roared as she approached her target. Kathryn knew she couldn't get out of the way and fired the grenade from the launcher when it was still at her hip. She didn't fire it on purpose but more out of fear. The grenade spiraled through the air and went right into the Queen's mouth. The force drove it deep into her throat just as it exploded. Kathryn ducked as the head and Acid blood flew over her. She stood up and looked at the body of the Queen and smiled just before collapsing from exhaustion.

Just thin Skylark ran out of the Cave at a full sprint. He grabbed the Queen's head as he passed by and grabbed Kathryn at the same time. He kept running but he was carrying so much that the serum wasn't helping and he was slowing down. They hadn't nearly gotten far enough but he kept running. However right in front of them a Yautja ship uncloaked and lowered its ramp. He ran up the ramp and the doors closed and the ship was airborne. Kathryn slowly got to her feet and looked out the window as the bomb detonated destroying the cave and thousands of yards around it. She looked at her surrounding and saw that they were leaving the planet.

"Hey wait." She said. "Let me off."

"I will see if I can get you off." Skylark said. "Come with me."

They walked into the cockpit where a Yautja was sitting.

"This Ooman wants to go back to the planet and join with her species." He said.

"The Oomans have left the planet and have destroyed the compound." The pilot said.

"Your mate and the others have left the planet." Skylark said.

"Well can't you bring we to my ship?" Kathryn asked.

"No." Skylark said. "Your people would shoot this ship down out cloaking is useless."

"So I'm stuck?" Kathryn asked.

"Yes." Skylark said.

"But…I can't survive." Kathryn said. "I don't know the language and I do not know anyone."

"I am the son of the leader of my Caste." Skylark said. "It is like a family. He will let you stay with us when I tell him that you saved my life."

"How did I save you?" Kathryn asked.

"In the cave I was knocked out." Skylark said. "You distracted the Queen and saved me. And on top of that you are a great warrior. You killed the Queen and you have her head as proof."

Kathryn didn't say anything instead she walked out of the cockpit and into a large room with a window. She stood at the window and looked at the planet. She saw the large Marine ship above the planet and saw a small ship dock with it.

"Goodbye Jane." She said as she started to cry. "I love you."

"Tears is not something a warrior let's fall lightly." Skylark said.

"I have just lost my mate." Jane said.

"That is understandable." Skylark said.

He picked up the Queens head and walked it into a trophy room. Kathryn walked in behind him and he set the head on an acid proof tray. He removed his mask and looked at Kathryn. She was shocked to see what he really looked like but she wasn't afraid of him. He picked up a tool that had a simple on it. He diped it into the acid blood that was pooling in the tray and stamped the symble into his mask.

"What are you doing?" Kathryn asked.

"This is the mark was a hardened warrior." Skylark said. "It means that I have killed a worthy pray."

He thin reached into a cabinet and pulled out another mask and stamped the symbol on it. He set the tool down and picked up a smaller one that had the same symbol but smaller. She dipped it into the acid and stamped his head. Kathryn cringed at the sight. Next he looked at her.

"This is yours." He said handing Kathryn the Mask with the symbol on it

"I have to do that don't I?" Kathryn asked pointing to his head.

"Yes." Skylark said.

Kathryn swallowed and nodded. Her hair was covering her forehead because she hadn't put it in the bun after the shower with Jane. She moved the hair away with both hands and let it fall to her hack. Skylark placed the stamp on her forehead and she shut her eyes. She could hear the acid eating at her skin but to her surprise there was no pain. The acid worked so fast it killed the nerves on contact. Skylark removed the stamp and looked at the newest warrior of the Yautja race. She was the third Ooman he had ever heard of receiving such a gift. All the others before her were all female but now neither of them was living. Finally he skinned the head and placed it on the wall for all to see.

"This also belongs to you." He said handing her back the spear. "It is an elder's spear but I don't know how it got into your possession. All I know is you had it when I saw you so it is now yours."

Kathryn took the spear and put it in her lap.

"It's kind of hard to breath." She said.

Skylark pulled an air filter from another cabinet and placed it in Kathryn's mask.

"This will help you breath." He said. "He have special filters incase an Ooman somehow is awarded a place in our world."

Kathryn put the mask over her face and took a few deep breaths.

"How do I wear this?" She asked.

"My father will get you all the armor you need as soon as we get to the main ship." Skylark said.

Kathryn smiled and stood up. She looked at the Queen's skull and smiled brighter. She was always a tough woman. But now she was a warrior among an alien race that she knew nothing about. She was frightened of what might lay ahead but she would face it and she would conquer it. She looked out the window with the Spear in her hand. She put the mask over her face again and saw that she could see heat through the mask. She smiled and lowered the mask and continued looking at the planet as the ship headed for the main ship one Yautja and one Human warrior heavy.

(Well that's it. I finished this story with just over a day to go before I head off to Basic Combat Training. It's 23:13 now on Sunday. I leave home at 18:30 on Tuesday. I have a sequel in mind for this story and will start it first thing in the morning so I won't forget it in Basic. There in no way I will finish it before Basic but I will give you a good start.)