Memories gone, the lost souls fight for the one thing they know: peace, hope, and victory. What happens when they can't win every fight they engage in? Can they solve the mystery of the world they were made to defend?

Title: Bred For War (may change if something better comes to mind)

Author: My Broken Dreams

Rating: Overall T to M (PG-13 to R), as of now, specific chapter ratings may vary.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything that has already been established in the Alien/Predator/AVP world. I'm not making any form of profit off this work.

All original characters and plots belong to me, however. The Dreys and Nada, and now the Vlaxan, are mine. Don't take them without permission, please… who'd want to take them anyways?

Muse: The role playing game I joined earlier today. Odd, I know.

To the Reviewers:

Stormseer88: … how do people always know what's going to happen! Am I that obvious? Maybe me muses aren't working correctly… And the reason for such small numbers of the Nada is explained briefly here. In a later chapter, I'll revisit the actual incident.

olgite the squidgal: Well, no flying tomatoes yet. I try to make things as original as possible. Meet the bishoujo race of the Vlaxan!

I'm glad both of you enjoyed the first chapter. I'm still experimenting with character designs, so bear with me as I go through all the fine-tuning stages. I'm also struggling with my writing style, so sometimes it might seem that the words don't flow just right. Once everything is established, it should be more… complete. Blargh, bad choice of words…

Chapter Status: 2 of ? Complete

Individual Ch. Rating: T (PG-13), for language, and the Vlaxan sex education… what? Some things just have to be explained! Oh, yes, also rated for the femme slash theme…

Chapter Title: Finding The Way Home

Everyone in that dome facility was getting quite annoyed. Reports were coming in off the walls and even the mildly tempered Drey would've trashed some of the more important equipment by now.

"Notification from the Vlaxan that their deep-space sensors have picked up another approaching vessel," someone said.

"You've got to be kidding," came a comment from one of the lowlier attendants. He was reprimanded promptly.

"Friends of the Yautja?" Kallima mused quietly to herself.

"If it were allies with the Yautja, they would've most likely been able to bypass the Vlaxan's technology. That's why we weren't alerted when the first craft entered the atmosphere," explained the taller brunette.

"Damn, why can't we find a way to penetrate those blasted cloaking shields?" was the moaning reply.

"Hell if I know. But whatever they did, not even the most advanced tracers could pick them up," Trelandi said with a sigh.

"The Vlaxan are sending us some of their trained… men to assist, and more will be ready if it gets… bloody," was the next announcement. An exchange of information collected would happen next between the Drey and Vlaxan computers. In less than an hour, they would have backup.

Chesna cocked her head slightly, staring up at the flashing screen. "Do you think we'll see Nika this time?" she wondered aloud.

Nika was a Vlaxan and had almost been altered as well, however, some already mutated gene of hers prevented it from being possible, along with an unfortunate lab accident that destroyed all pure Nada samples, which inhibited the alterations of any other beings. With the originals gone, they would risk extreme mutations, even possible death, if they attempted another change. The Vlaxan were good friends with the Drey, however, also starting out as a nomadic species until they settled on a planet not too far away from their own.

(flash)

Vlaxan were a healthy species of humanoid females that live in a distant solar system on the outskirts of the Milky Way until the Xenomorph destroyed their world. With their technology, much more advanced than the Drey's, they had made a cloaking device that shields their existence from any prying eyes, but failed when it came to the Aliens. They were an isolated and lonely colony, yet peace-loving and gentle, with a love for music and the arts. They were vegetarian and believed eating meat was atrocious. Their vocal cords were not capable of human speech, so they formed a type of universal telepathy to communicate between themselves and other creatures. Younger Vlaxans called their elders with the prefix Honored-so and so. The typical Vlaxan name ended in a vowel.

Mating was not impossible among them. Each female, once they reach the climax in puberty, had hormones that produced both, as humans would put it, egg and sperm. It depended on which female was the dominant one in the relationship. The one dominant, in the height of sexual activity, produced the 'sperm' hormone through her pores and the non-dominant one absorbed these hormones, so the 'sperm' fertilized the 'egg,' which was produced in the non-dominant female. Childbirth, there on out, was very similar to that of humans.

A Vlaxan's anatomy was nearly identical to that of a human's, stirring the suspicion of possible relations. The average adult Vlaxan ranged in our height from five-foot-two to five-foot-eight. The only differences between them and humans were that their skin was pale blue in color, their eyes were larger and rounder, with a crescent moon birthmark on the left cheek, and their ears were pointed at an angle. Eye color consisted of a strict vibrant green, grey, or amber. They had straight hair, which is rarely cut, that could range from white to dark blue to violet to red; curly hair was very rare and unique to them. A sign of aging was that their hair would begin to get darker until it was completely black and their skin got looser. Unlike humans, a Vlaxan with more weight was considered desirable.

Normally a docile species, the destruction of the world they lived on for as long as they could remember stirred hatred for the Xenomorph and Yautja, especially the former. They began special training, teaching the Vlaxan to battle against creatures thrice their own size and survive. Their already superior technology was used to make a variety of weapons, particularly designed to harm an Alien or Predator. After meeting the Drey and finding that they were in similar situations, they joined forces, living on planets close to each other and using their knowledge to help the other. While the Vlaxan's scanners were for tracking unwanted visitors in space, the Drey's were used to detect suspicious activities on and under the ground. There was a selected group of trained Vlaxan that remained on the Drey home world, which they nicknamed Draegan, and helped scout and defend the lands where the Nada were unable to reach.

(flash)

"Perhaps," Trelandi said. She watched as Ki'ersk returned with an agitated look. She raised an eyebrow, but had a good clue to why he was so pissed. The troops.

"They left just a few minutes ago, but they had a difficult time saying their sweet farewells to their comfy quarters. They obviously aren't overworked," he said with disgust.

"And unaware of the situation. You did brief them, didn't you?" asked Trelandi.

Ki'ersk gave a brisk nod. "Of course. They acted almost… drugged."

The three Nada traded peculiar glances, before Trelandi looked directly at Kallima. "You didn't try to make them today's meals?" Everyone was aware of Kallima's enthusiasm to try and create new foods… sometimes it turned out disastrous.

Kallima put on a mask of innocence and whistled absently. "Who, me?"

A heavy sigh passed Trelandi's lips and she pushed herself off the machine behind her. "I'll go snap them out of it…"

"Snap them out, by the means of poisoning them with an un-drugging herb that tastes like shit?" Ki'ersk wondered.

"Poisoning isn't the right word. Curing, perhaps." With that, Trelandi stalked away from them, knowing well that if they were drugged that they wouldn't have made much ground in so little time.

(scene change)

Deirdra wiped the droplets of sweat from her forehead as she made her way around the crash site in the plains; using whatever plant life she could to hide her from view. It had taken her some time to get from the forest to the grasslands and the heat from the sun was beating on her ruthlessly. The hair from her ponytail was tickling her neck and bothered her enough to yearn for a good trim. She simply wrapped it into a messy bun. The Drey were lucky not to be harassed by hair. She envied them. Gods, it drove her insane. But okay, she needed to focus on the task before her.

She was amazed at the speed such a sophisticated shelter could be constructed from the supplies inside the trashed vessel. She wondered if some new Vlaxan technology had knocked their steering out of whack, for the condition the craft was in indicated that they had a rough landing. She wasn't sure.

The Yautja were working on their underground facility, seemingly unbothered by the heat. Their actions were carefully synchronized and a lot had already been accomplished with the little tools they were using. An opening to the earth had already been made, but there was something unusual about it; it almost gave off an aura, like it was alive. Deirdra was trying to figure out a way to get a closer look, but it seemed impossible with all the security. What she needed was a distraction…

Or maybe she should just wait for backup…

Then again…

Decisions, decisions…

Aw, what the hell. If her body was found in one piece, which was highly unlikely, Chesna could probably revive her.

She studied the craft the Yautja arrived in. It was considerably smaller than what she had expected, but she just assumed more were on the way; this was just the welcoming party. Tilting her head in almost a curious way, she wondered if she could cause it to tremble enough to catch the Predators' attention. It was still a very large object, but her training often included lifting heavy things with her mind, as long as it wasn't something valuable.

The dark brunette observed them in a detached way, silently gathering up the psychic energy that waited in the depths of her existence to be released. She focused her thoughts solely on the vessel, channeling her energy through the strings of her mind and to her target. Her eyebrows twitched slightly as her concentration heightened to a more spiritual level. She struggled and strained to gain movement control over the ship's frame, but to no avail.

It was just her first try. Little energy was released on the failed attempt, but was already directed to the craft. She loosened her mind and tried again, visualizing it lifting just slightly off the ground. Her eyes were fixed on the craft, although the expression in them almost seemed like she was seeing through it instead.

Third time's the charm, they always said. Unfortunately, she needed to be hasty because a few Yautja had noticed the slight trembling off the pebbles around their craft and were becoming suspicious. And it wasn't easy to rush a very difficult mental process.

Her nails were digging into her palms nearly to the point of drawing blood, but at the same time, the craft gave a shuddering jerk upwards before thudding back to the ground. The slight, yet noticeable movement surprised even Deirdra. The Yautja's immediate response was to draw a weapon and approach the ship cautiously.

Now that her mind was successfully linked to the vessel, she was able to move it with less effort. The hull trembled and groaned as it hovered just an inch above the ground before diving sharply to the side, raising a cloud of dust and sand as it made impact with the earth. As it made random jolts, Deirdra took the opportunity to creep closer. Her training also included stealth, and the Nada seemed to just have a natural ability to blend in with their surroundings.

She went on unnoticed, the wrecked craft holding the Yautja's attention for the most part. She was a mere few feet from the opening when she heard a sudden whoosh and the tip of a vicious looking blade buried itself into the ground millimeters from her left ear, causing her to stop in her tracks and lose control of the vessel. Ah, shit, was her first coherent thought, silently cursing her luck for holding out on her for so long – she was so close – before giving her away.

A deep growl reverberated inside the Yautja's mask as the blade slid out of the ground in a painfully slow motion. The point tickled the back of her neck dauntingly. She stared at the Yautja's shadow, which loomed boldly in front of her, and watched as the blade was drawn back, knowing that it would only be a few seconds before it came down again, but this time with much more force, severing her head from her shoulders like a hot knife through butter. She wasn't going to let that happen, however. She snaked her hand along her side, aiming for the dagger on her belts to block the blow with.

A heavy foot crushed her wrist down just before her fingertips could brush the hilt, followed by more growling. Her weapons were extracted and the foot applied more weight against her wrist. More Yautja had joined the one who caught her and they clicked at her furiously. Like she understood anyway.

Her hair was grabbed in the merciless grip of a firm hand, yanking her head up to an agonizing angle. She tried to support herself with her free arm, but another foot kicked it back. She hissed in pain, her skull throbbing. Damn it, why did her head have to be so sensitive?

A masked face was lowered in front of hers, dreadlocks swinging around it. By the shifting of the foot on her wrist, she quickly figured that it was the same Predator. She stared back with her trademark hollow gaze, making her eyes seem lifeless. But that look was lost at what happened next.

"You have no business here, Ooman," a rumbling voice told her, raspy and dangerously low. And in English, too, what a surprise!

Deirdra gave a small croak, unable to produce any logical noises with her throat in such a strained position. The Yautja seemed to understand, however, and gave her some slack. The reply he got, needless to say, wasn't what he wanted in return for his… compassion.

"You are the one who has no business here," she spat, only to gasp as her head was pulled back again.

"You speak foolishly, but you may be of some use to us," the Yautja said.

She gurgled as her saliva dripped down her throat, muscles pulled so tightly that she couldn't swallow properly. She was allowed a little leeway again.

"Go to hell." Colored dots were beginning to dance in her vision. It seemed as though she wasn't as invincible as she thought she was.

Her remark was shrugged off and the Yautja continued. "We have attempted to visit this planet before, however, something prevented us from successfully entering this atmosphere until now. I want to know why."

Control freaks, the lot of them. No wonder they didn't kill her on first sight.

Wait…

What?

Cue utter confusion. Enter stage left, please.

"I have no-" She couldn't finish; her head yanked back once more.

"You are an inhabitant of this world; it's obvious by the way you dress, the way you move, and the way you defend it. Why haven't we been able to land before today?" he repeated with more venom, quickly losing his patience.

Deirdra didn't answer as her gaze lowered to the opening in the ground, which was partially hidden by the legs of the surrounding Yautja. Her mind was trying to function properly, uncertain of the Predator's real intention after going through the past few minutes of conversation. Were they here to hunt or was something else going on? Something she wasn't aware of?

Oh Gods, why wouldn't they just break her neck already? Couldn't they see that she had no idea what they were talking about? Did she have to write 'oblivious' across her forehead in all the languages she knew… which wasn't very many?

Her mind was about to cross the line that separated awareness from unconsciousness. She didn't know what was going on, except that her head had been released and something was making a lot of noise, as she fell limp on the ground.

(scene change)

Trelandi's blood pumped hotly at the sight of her sister being handled like a rag doll. She didn't know what exactly was going on except that Deirdra was in trouble and that no one threatened a Nada and got away with it. The dozen and a half Drey soldiers accompanying her were trying to form an attack strategy, but she wasn't really paying much attention as she threaded her fingers into the fine grains of earth beneath her.

"Just shut up and get out your weapons," she hissed at them, tired of their petty arguing, curling her fingers so that they dug into the thicker dirt underneath the loose sands. Okay, so she really was just about as impulsive as her older sister. But she couldn't just wait around and watch without doing anything.

A slight tremor in the earth confirmed a successful connection between her mind and nature. The ground shifted under her control and a bulge formed, squirming under her hand like an obedient puppy. She told it what to do without using verbal words, watching as the bulge slowly grew. Suddenly, it barreled forward, making the ground quake beneath it. It separated into smaller bulges and spread through the site, wrecking whatever got in its way.

Chaos broke loose as the Drey lunged forward, drawing the Yautja's attention from the fallen Nada. They were immediately met with furious roars as weapons collided with weapons. Blood was spilt everywhere from both sides. Her friends had certainly been trained well, although they really weren't much of a match for the Predators, but their slightly telepathic minds gave them a little advantage.

But, of course, things like this tended to backfire. Moments later, the quaking increased drastically, and forming splits in the ground that continued to grow and spread. Trelandi's eyes widened in horror; she had lost control over the destruction she was trying to cause. Not only would the ground swallow up the enemy, but the Drey soldiers, Deirdra, and herself.

"Damn!" She immediately barked at the Drey to retreat, trying to gain control of the ground so it wouldn't consume all of the plains, but she wasn't having much luck.

Every creature was trying to reach safety; their greatest enemy was the earth underneath their feet at that time. But Deirdra remained motionless on the ground, her body tossed around by the violent tremors. Trelandi knew she was still alive, she could hear her sister's heart beating in her head, she just had to get to her and pulled her to safety… which seemed impossible because everywhere the crevices were growing, the ground crumbling around them.

She took a deep breath, her mind made up. She could either give it a shot or watch Deirdra be swallowed up in the ground. Finding her balance quickly, she lunged forward, calculating her steps to avoid being swallowed up. She was just a few meters away, when her foot got caught in the splitting earth, sending her pummeling down to the ground. A crunch, followed by a crack, indicated her ankle broke, but the searing pain of broken bones told her first. Her teeth cut through the skin on her bottom lip, the metallic taste of blood oozing into her mouth as she drew in several grating breaths, eyes clenched shut as she tried to maneuver her foot from the fissure without much success.

The thundering bellow of the shuddering earth was nearly deafening. She had created a monster while trying to safe her sister. Now they would both die for her mistake.

She began to sink into the collapsing ground, eyes wide again, frantically clawing in vain at the surface to stay above. She was so desperate in the pandemonium, that she barely noticed a burly arm grabbing her around the waist and tossing her over an armor-clad shoulder. She managed a soft groan as the wind was knocked out of her, finally allowing her lids to veil her guilty eyes.

(to be continued)

Author's Note: I'm working off little sleep, so updates might be slow. Lots of character deaths next chapter and plenty of angst. I'm still not sure how this story will turn out… I've already lost a bit of inspiration… stupid ADD… Okay, I'll stop rambling now.