Yay! Another update! Enjoy and review lots! Don't know if I remembered all the translations, I miss some sometimes, but they are usually on other chapters. I have a fictionpress account now! Same username and some stories I intend to publish someday, so get 'em free now!
Kehrite: Arena for battle or practice.
C'jit: Damn.
H'sai-de: Curved sword.
Kainde Amedha Chive: Hard Meat Trial.
Ki'cti-pa: Wristblades.
Chapter 12
Guan-Thwei watched Setg'in-kwei and Matt spar, examining them critically. He winced as Setg'in-kwei broke through Matt's defense and thumped him hard on the collarbone with the flat of his h'sai-de. The sword was dull and he wore padding, but a bruise would be left after that. Pain would teach to be more careful, though. The two Youngbloods laughed and readied themselves again. Guan-Thwei growled and stalked over.
"M'aat-hew, your stance is wrong again! Don't hold your sword so low, crouch more and hold your sword so it is tilted. That way you will be better able to block. Setg'in-kwei, stop holding back! If he is careless, don't be afraid to strike to blow! It is a bad habit to get into, the Kainde Amedha Chiva is drawing nearer and both of you must be in top condition if you are to survive." The older warrior began heading back to the edge of the kehrite. "If I catch either of you making those mistakes again, the backslider gets to fight me." This was a good punishment as both of them knew that he would not be careful if a body part presented itself in an opening. He threw himself down on a chair at the edge and listened to the rhythmic clash of swords.
Later the three headed down to Thwei-Tjau'ke and M'yin-de's rooms for armor fitting. Setg'in-kwei had most of his finished and just needed his mask and netting suit. Matt needed much more. He had been measured for the mask but the wiring had to be done. Thwei-Tjau'ke was waiting in the main room, holding Matt's helmet. He inclined his head slightly at them as they entered. Setg'in-kwei made a bee-line for the large rack that dominated one entire wall. Dozens of helmet designs hung on it. He began running his claws gently over them and taking down his favorites to examine more carefully. Matt picked up his own mask. It was not as large or pulled forward as far as a normal one. The design was quite simple, unlike Guan-Thwei's or most of the ones that Setg'in-kwei was looking at. They had suggested that a simple one would be best to prevent unnecessary attention from being drawn to him. Later, he could always decorate it.
"M'aat-hew, I have a problem. I will have to put most of your controls on your wrist gauntlet since you do not have mandibles." He clicked his for emphasis, and then picked up his helmet. "See? Inside are controls for vision modes, laser sights, recorder, sound amplifier, zoom and the trigger for the plasma caster. The vision most used to be on the wrist, but I redesigned them to fit in the mask." he said with a touch of pride. "Not all warriors have the vision modes in their mask, many of the older ones prefer it on the wrist." he added. Thwei-Tjau'ke rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I can fit it in the wrist gauntlet, but yours will have to be larger. I might be able to put the trigger on your ki'cti-pa so you can fire it one handed and without looking…" His voice trailed off as he turned the mask over in his hands a few times. "The zoom, amplifier and sighter should be in the mask though."
"Why not put them on the side? I can just reach up to use them." stated Matt.
"You may need to use them while in battle and it is best to have free hands. You can use your lips to operate the controls." He dug through a pile of wires and drew out several. Using a tiny tool, he began to fish them into the mask. He muttered to himself, "C'jit. The self-destruct device will take up room…" Matt's eyes flew open.
"The WHAT?!?" he shouted "What self-destruct device?!? I didn't know about this!" Guan-Thwei looked surprised.
"All warriors carry one. If you are on a solitary hunt or separated from the rest and are mortally wounded or trapped with no honorable way out, then you are expected to destroy yourself and all your equipment. It's to prevent intelligent prey from discovering us. If your Chiva is doing badly and you will all die, then you blow yourselves and the Hard Meat up to prevent them from spreading. Any warrior that chooses to die that way rather than revealing us is brave and dies honorably."
"So I'm expected to blow myself up if the going gets tough?!? Just for honor?!?" Setg'in-kwei turned.
"Yes. It is better to die with honor than to live with none."
"What if I don't want to?" Thwei-Tjau'ke dropped a tool with a clink and they all turned to stare at him.
Quietly, Guan-Thwei said, "If you do that then you are a Badblood. You have no honor and will be hunted down by Arbitrators until they rip your head from your body. Or, you could be forced to perform suicide in front of hundreds of Yautja. If you can't even do that, then the Arbitrators will do it for you. No Yautja ever wants to end up as a Badblood. Even if the infraction is not intentional, you die. Is that what you want? Meh'ket did not mean to lose his honor, he just lost control and he died anyway. To die by your own hands is always honorable. If you ever become a Badblood, I will hunt you down myself." Matt was speechless, he worked his mouth a few times like a fish. "Go back to the chambers." Matt cringed out, followed by Setg'in-kwei.
"Wow. I didn't expect anything like that! Why did Guan-Thwei get so worked up about that?" Setg'in-kwei gave Matt a look of disapproval.
"He knew a warrior that became a Badblood. Most of us on this ship know about it. Meh'ket was in the same Chiva as Guan-Thwei and Nihkou'te. On their first ooman hunt, Guan-Thwei discovered Meh'ket raping and killing unarmed ooman females. He had to report it to the Elders on his hunt. They helped each other survive the Hard Meat Trial, and then he sentenced him to death. It was difficult for him. He never wants to do it again, but he will if necessary. Guan-Thwei does not want you to become a Badblood. He really would kill you if you ever became one. He'd see it as a personal betrayal. I was quite young Meh'ket was killed. I watched them do it. He couldn't even salvage a bit of honor by killing himself. The Elders had to do it for him. He took ages to die." They walked in silence back to Guan-Thwei's chambers. Guan-Thwei practically killed his own friend, Matt thought wonderingly. Poor him.
