Chapter 4: The Challenge of the Gro'Tek
It was not in the nature of a xenomorph to get cocky with success, and Scarlet was no exception. Every day she tried to make her hive larger. She trained her body and mind constantly to make sure her fighting skills were razor sharp; she'd never no when she'd need them. Scarlet also filled her hive with ravager aliens. Just because she had discovered the pheromone that turned praetorians into these monsters by mistake didn't mean she had forgotten it, and though it tired her out a lot, it was worth the pain. She kept the first four ravagers as her personal bodyguards. She also had twenty-six others which served various tasks: escorting weaker aliens on hunts, second to last line of defense for the hive, and fighting hard battles when the hive didn't need many aliens. Scarlet had also found another pheromone that allowed her to transform praetorians into carrier aliens. These aliens, though weak compared to the ravagers, were very lethal in battle. They were able to carry and feed twelve facehuggers at a time, lead them into the battlefield, and throw them at enemies. The queen could now make effective combatants even without a great host.
The predalien troop had evolved into powerful additions. Not a single member of this division of Scarlet's troop had died, for with every battle they improved in strength. Their hides would grow thicker and their muscles would grow larger with every molt until they had become nearly ungodly in power. It seemed like Scarlet's hive was unstoppable.
Well, nearly. She may have owned the planet, but the universe still belonged to many others. Scarlet and her kin, despite their great intelect, couldn't think of a way to fly. Luckily their prey continued to thrive, through Scarlet's foresight. Scarlet's hive protected the animals on her planet for the sole purpose of devouring them later.
The planet Scarlet lived on was unique. It was small in comparison to earth and had only one landmass on it which was barely large enough to be considered a continent. The rest of the planet consisted of water and tiny, scattered islands. Very few different species of animals lived on the planet; most of which were so simple that they could only produce drone aliens or praetorians. Occasionally Scarlet's children would bring back some of the planet's original predators, but they were dying out quickly.
Soon the true horror stories of the haunted planet on which Scarlet lived had become exaggerated to the extent of legends, including descriptions of Scarlet being "the largest, most viscous xenomorph ever with a cosmic power far beyond the comprehension of any mortal being, her brood gifted with an ungodly strength matched only by their queen". The only thing that truly separated Scarlet from other xenomorphs was her red crest and her intelect.
Nevertheless, these tall tales attracted Masich, a famous xenomorph trainer. He was a human with lots of money, most of which he gained by selling powerful and dangerous biological weapons, including live animals. He was famous for taking monstrous alien beasts, allowing them to be facehugged, and then selling the xenomorph that grew from there. He knew that xenomorphs took the strengths of their prey and then added their own, creating fearsome beasts as a result. He also knew how to subdue such creatures: with the pheromones of their queen. So the famous man hired the best bounty hunter his money could buy and then bought twenty different and savage beasts as hosts. If the myths about Scarlet were true then her children would make him a fortune!
The bounty hunter he hired was named Zumbren. The bounty hunter was clad in space titanium armor, wearing a very sombrero-like helmet. His armor hid his body and thus made it hard to determine what species he was, though his extra pair of arms and his two pairs of translucent wings hinted at some sort of insectoid creature. The bounty hunter was well known for hunting aliens and readily accepted Masich's proposal. Other than this and the many bounties the hunter had received in the past, none was known about Zumbren. He wanted to keep it that way.
Zumbren and Masich arrived on Scarlet's planet only three months after the queen had chased off Hooks' clan. The two quickly unloaded the first and strongest victim: a Gro'Tek, a monster that was sought as dangerous game by predators. Few hunters that faced even one of these monsters survived, and those who made it were considered to be the best of the best. The beast looked like a very, very, very large hairless gorilla. Its head was lizard-like and had five huge tusks at the very front of its mouth. Its claws were strong enough to tear through steel.
Gro'Teks loved to live in caves or burrows, usually stealing those that belonged to others. Nobody had ever witnessed one of these monsters fighting a xenomorph; but then again, few had ever witnessed one period.
Masich tagged the monster so he would know where to look for the hive. They followed the beast as it hunted in the forests of Scarlet's home. Suddenly the animal came upon a herd of kurns, small animals that look like a cross between a crocodile and a pig. The kurns tried to flee the Gro'Tek, but there was no escaping it.
There was also a pack of xenomorphs hunting the kurns. The pack consisted of three warriors, five drones, one predalien, and one ravager. The monsters snarled at this new, huge beast that had invaded their territory. The Gro'Tek was now their new prey item. One of the drones went back to the nest to bring back a carrier, for they were sure that the queen would love to add this new beast to her collection. Then they surrounded the creature, using the forest to their advantage. The predalien signaled for the others to attack, making sure that the ravager stayed behind. They all sprang out at the same time, leaping onto their cumbersome foe.
The Gro'Tek growled and crushed two of the drones with one blow. It grabbed one of the warriors and bit off its head, unaffected by its acidic blood. He proceeded to kill the remaining drones and turned his attention to the predalien and his remaining warriors. The ravager, seeing this moment of peril, ran to the rescue. The creature tried to decapitate the Gro'Tek, but his claw shattered upon impact with the creature's skin. The ravager squealed with pain and shock at his failure. The monster turned towards the wounded blue alien and slashed at it with his claw. The ravager collapsed, his brain majorly damaged. As the mantis-like alien cringed in pain on the ground, the predalien and the two warriors made a daring plan. They had only two advantages against the beast: speed and intelegence. One warrior quickly darted at the Gro'Tek, slashed at a part of its chest, then ran off before it could retaliate. A few minutes later the other alien did the same, then the predalien. The monsters continued to claw at the same spot on the Gro'Tek until the spot was soft and raw.
By now the drone had returned with the carrier alien. They saw the weak spot in the Gro'Tek's chest and immediately knew where to apply the force. The carrier grabbed one of the facehuggers, aimed carefully, and threw it at the weak spot. The facehugger implanted itself, sending a tranquilizer into the Gro'Tek.
They dragged the monster into the hive, unaware that they were doing exactly what Masich and Zumbren wanted.