FROM THE BOUNDS OF IMPRISONMENT THE DEMONS RISE UP

Location somewhere in the galaxy, trying to find some way out of the central ventilation shaft on the Iron Year science vessel.

Do the hard meat care? I know it's a stupid question to ask but it's just stuck in my head. I was wondering if these hard meat despite there intelligence and large brains care. Do they only care about the species like their queen? Or do they comprehend their own existence as predators. I mean if the queen dies where do they sit in the fabric of life? I only ask this question because Jeuki's race comprehends their existence just like the human race. So who's to say that these soldiers left to there own devices with out a queen wouldn't have there own. As much as they're my prey there intelligence puts them on a level with both our races which is strange and frightening. I'm just thinking this because as much as the prey is there to be hunted it must still be respected. I guess I can now say that the humans who worked in the lower levels had no respect for the hard meat. Now because of their ignorance and delusion what they thought they could control is now in control of them and the sad thing is they won't escape from it.

There are hundreds of soldiers crawling these rigging vanishing in to ventilation shafts they're even pulling away and bending piping so they can get in. I know what they want; the want food but they also want hosts. I know I shouldn't care, but there are a lot of innocent people here who don't deserve this and did nothing wrong. It will take the hard meat a while to get to them but I still believe they should be given a chance to flee. No ones set of the alarm to flee and just like on Callisto the gun racks for emergency and civilian use are locked up tight. I mean this ship is still attached to the Sirun battle cruiser; the people can flee there and be protected. Why oh why are you thinking about this Emma Wingates? You're not even in the same world as them anymore. I guess I'm just thinking that maybe I should do something this time around. I've been where they are, I know the terror they'll go through and that none of them will live. I know the nightmares they'll have and how long it'll take them to get over the event.

If they ever get over it at all, it's not like I ever really got over the nightmares they still haunt me. Maybe when I find a main panel I can help them. I mean if I hack I can give them at least a fighting chance. I mean I'd be doing to save them, it's not like they can save themselves. It's crazy to think that they'd ever thank me but I would still do it. Emma looked up as one of the opening came in to view. It was from the smashed bridge, which Oni Jui had destroyed. She could see the door at the far end was now open. The two marines who'd both died had, had that door closed when she'd landed on the bridge. All the other bridges doors had been slammed shut. Emma turned slightly as Jeuki moved up the rigging. "We can go through that door." Jeuki turned slightly looking at the half open door. He watched as Erisoki turned looking at where she was pointing. Adarmi jumped on to the remaining bridge his gaze turning to the door. Idosoi follow him he turned slightly. "Why would the oomans leave this door open?"

Adarmi grunted aloud. "Ask Emma." Idosoi snorted aloud. "Ask the ooman, please the ooman female might be a warrior but that doesn't make her one of as." Adarmi turned sharply. "Shut up! I'm tired of your stupid comments! Your last in this line because you where dishonored by Jeuki. His ooman is a warrior so get over it!" Erisoki landed on the bridge. "Silence!" He watched as Emma walked up to the door. Jeuki looked at the half open door. "Strange that this door would be open but none of the others are." Emma looked down she could still hear the screaming bellow. She leaned forward eyeing the panel before typing in to it. "This door wasn't hacked maybe its open because of the power fluxing." Jeuki cocked his head to one side. "Trap maybe." Emma carried on typing watching the door move. "No probably Julia, or Oni Jui." Jeuki watched it creak open fully. "I thought as much." Emma pulled up her hand to the other hunters. "Go through!" She watched as the elder ran through the two younger hunters following him.

Jeuki moved through the door he watched as Emma moved through. His head turned as the screeching got louder the hard meat where coming! Emma turned as black-clawed hands appeared on the riggings. Those sons of a bitches had been following them! She moved forward typing in to the panel this was great just great! She carried on typing watching as the door started to grind as it moved slowly downwards. She growled aloud punching the panel watching as the hybrid soldier moved towards them. Five others who all hissed in her direction followed it. She growled aloud typing faster as they started to come towards them. The first of the hybrid soldiers came forward it pulled up its tail hissing. It's four mandibled jaws opened, as it got ready to pounce. Jeuki raised his spear he could see the door was moving to slowly at least one of the hard meat was going to get in! Emma punched the control panel with her fist, why wasn't it working faster!

Jeuki watched as the soldier ran at them it slid under the still half opened door. It rose up its tail screeching Jeuki pulled up his spear slamming it around its face before it could react. The hard meat hit the floor near Emma's feet only to rise up swinging its tail causing her to duck it raised its head hissing. It pulled back getting ready to jump it's feet felt the floor as it leapt clean over Jeuki. It hit Idosoi full force knocking the young hunter over. He swung his head as the tail came down; he tried to move only to be scratched across the chest. The next moments caught him be surprise as Jeuki grabbed the hard meats legs. Jeuki roared as he swung the heavy hard meat with all his might slamming its head in to the walls. He watched the metal buckle with the force. He turned seeing Emma standing by the closed door which was being hit on the opposite side. He narrowed his gaze as her shoulder cannon went up getting ready for his next movement.

He swung the huge hard meat again watching its head hit the walls before turning in her direction and tossing it. He watched it fly thought the air screeching its arms flaying. Its whole chest blew apart in mid air as the Emma's shoulder cannon fired. The hybrid hit the floor full force its head twisting with the impact. Its body tumbled coming to stop near Emma's feet she looked down watching as its mandibles twitched in death. Emma slowly stepped over the dead kill, she eyed it before looking up. Erisoki looked up slowly he could see the two young hunters staring in shock at Jeuki and the little ooman. He had not expected that. Perfect teamwork, he'd seen hunters work together many times but he'd never seen anything like this. Hunter teams who worked together didn't always click but these two did, they worked like a perfect hunting unit. It was like one knew what the other was going to do before they even did it. No wonder Jeuki wanted this ooman so badly as a mate.

He grabbed Idosoi pulling him fully on to his feet. He patted the young hunters shoulder he was lucky. He watched as the door was hammered again they didn't have much time. Soon this whole place would be swarming with hard meat soldiers. The odds where very much against them normally whole clans of Yautja went in to hives not five individuals. He pulled out his long double-edged sword walking up to the dead hard meat. The ooman wasn't really looking at him she was typing in to the lock. He sliced the head then pulled it free watching as the slime and insides spilled out. He wasn't sure whom this kill belonged to. Since both hunters had done it. He turned slightly thinking. He turned sharply throwing the head at Jeuki he watched him catch him. His gaze turned as he snapped one of alien's long fingers off. His ooman had earned this right. He grabbed her armour plating pulling her away from the panel so she was facing him. He watched her try to pull away. The reflex was more confusion than fear.

Emma tried to pull away she watched as Jeuki came forward the head was hanging from his back plating. Jeuki stopped sharply he took a step back. He wasn't allowed to interfere in the right of passage ritual. He looked at his armour he could see his clan's symbol burned in to his upper chest plate with hard meat blood. This right was only given to worthy individuals. Only elders wore the clan symbol on their helmets, while lesser carried it on there armour plating. Emma looked up sharply, what was this guy doing! She felt the pull as he moved her closer he pushed the alien finger in to her chest plate. She could hear the hissing of the acid as it started to melt he began to move it drawing in one of the two curves. He pulled it away the pressed in the dot, before making the other curve. He let go of her armour plating tossing the finger aside, before nodding to her. Jeuki moved closer seeing that the elder had finished. He could see Emma's utter confusion. He took her hand moving her away from the door. He'd have to explain this later to her.

No doubt Erisoki had done this so that she could rank up with him permanently. If she had a rank symbol it would also keep other clans from harming her in anyway. Since to touch someone of high rank was considered a serious offence not only would you be dishonoured, but also the punishment for it was very server. He watched as the others broke in to a run. He narrowed his gaze as Erisoki smashed the double doors on the far side open then went through. His gaze turned as he noticed the door shut behind them. He swung around watching in shock as everyone went through the other doors. Which slammed shut in front of them. What was going on! Emma pulled back watching as the bolt slid across the door behind them. Then the bolt moved across the doors in front of them. She heard the hunters on the other side roar in anger at the situation. This was great just great they were trapped between two doors! She watched Jeuki pull his helmet off. He looked up slowly. "What just happened?" Emma pulled the panel away looking at the controls. "Stupid doors! They've got locking problems!" Jeuki walked up to the door. "Can you fix it?" Emma slowly started typing she found herself growling in anger as the mini screen brought up a message. "What the hell? What does it mean I need a key code? This isn't a key coded door!"

8

Lucy looked at the panel again. "What is going on here? I mean first the lights and now this!" Marcus put a hand on her shoulder. "Calm down, look we can handle this…yes it's an issue but we can get around it." He slowly leaned forward taking off the computer panel's side covering. His gaze wandered over to the docked ships bellow. "All we have to do is reroute the power." Lucy grabbed her pad typing in to it. "Eddy you had just better be there I or I swear I'll…!" Eddy's voice hit the air. "I'm here…there's no need to get mad." He laughed slightly. "I was just watching from the main room you've lost power in your sector." He paused. "It's happening all over the ship, at present. I almost lost power here myself." Lucy breathed in heavily. "I was just wondering if you knew were the best place is to reroute power is?" Eddy laughed slightly. "Oh I'd just reroute it from Oran's office." Lucy pulled back slightly. "Are you serious?" Eddy laughed slightly. "Oh yes I'm serious I mean with all that's going on. I doubt he'll notice the drain."

Marcus looked at the controls pulling the wires free. "Fine then we'll take it from his office." Lucy raised an eyebrow. "Yeah I mean it's the least we can do considering the suffering he's put as through." Eddy's voice hit the air. "Yeah I know what you mean by that." Lucy smiled slightly. "Tell me where is Emma now, is she still alive?" Eddy's voice hit the air again. "Oh yes she's very much alive." Marcus pulled back as a spark flew as he redid the wiring. "Glad to here that." Lucy narrowed her gaze. "Your quite Eddy you gonna tell me what your up to down there?" Eddy laughed again. "Oh I'm just keeping Lexington from getting up here the main doors can be so annoying." He laughed again. "You know the bolting ones which for no reason need a code to open." Lucy found herself sniggering. "Let me guess. Lexington not being that bright its hard work for him." Eddy grunted aloud. "Yeah he seems to think shooting the door will work." Lucy grinned widely. "I have to ask what is his IQ rating?"

Eddy laughed slightly. "Oh he's bellow average it's a shock he ever made general." His voice hit the air again. "Still I've had to lock two doors just to keep Emma and Jeuki in." Lucy pulled back. "Why?" Eddy's voice hit the air again but more serious. "You know as well as I do that they need to work things out. I just wish Emma would stop trying to hack. I hate having to block her hacks." He grunted aloud. "She's just being a pain, she very good at hacking things. It's making it more work to block her." Marcus laughed slightly. "Why Eddy it sounds more to me like you've met your match." Eddy sniggered aloud. "Oh please she's good but she can't get around me. I just see it as a welcome challenge personally." Marcus pulled another wire grinning. "Tell me Eddy what are you going to do? I mean are you going to catch a ship out of here?" Eddy laughed slightly. "Now you'll just have to wait and see, although I highly recommend you get off this ship as soon as the clamps are free." Lucy smiled slightly. "We will I promise you that." Eddy breathed out heavily. "Sorry about this Lexington just blew up another door, seems I'll have to hack a few more doors." Lucy sighed aloud. "We understand." She listened as the pad shut down. Her gaze drifted to Marcus. "Can I help?" Marcus looked up slightly smiling. "Sure you can, you can help with these wires."

8

Emma slammed her fist in to the panel. "It's like someone's blocking me! I can't get this stupid door to open! Everything I try I just get blocked." Jeuki walked forward putting a hand on her shoulder. "Easy now, the others will help they'll smash this door down if they have to. They won't leave as behind it would be dishonourable." Emma moved away from the door she leaned against the wall sliding down. Jeuki slowly sat down next to her watching as she ran a finger over the newly made burnt mark. "It's a mark of honour." Emma turned slightly. "Mark of honour?" Jeuki leaned over slightly. "It means you've proven yourself to be worthy of rank." Emma raised an eyebrow. "Rank?" Jeuki put a hand on hers. "It means you're a worthy hunter, who has privileges." Emma looked at her hands. "All I did was kill a hard meat." Jeuki laughed slightly. "Don't be modest, first you save me and the clan then you help take on the queen." He raised a clawed finger. "Then you help me slay a hard meat soldier. I think that proves your worthy."

Emma smiled slightly. "You know I wasn't going to leave you down there." She stopped meeting his amber gaze. "I'd never leave you…I'd be lost with out you." She looked at her spear. "The only reason I'm even alive is because of you…I can't bear the thought of loosing you." She closed her eyes feeling tears, which ran down her cheeks. Jeuki pulled back slightly she was crying, he hadn't expected that at all. He cocked his head to one side. "Well I'd be very lonely without you…" He felt her hold on his hand tighten. He raised his clawed hand slowly running it through her hair. "I care about you." Emma's eyes snapped open. She turned slowly looking at him. "I'm such an idiot." Jeuki pulled out his lower mandibles in confusion. "What do you mean?" He ran a clawed finger along her cheek. Emma turned slowly meeting her gaze. "I never meant to bring you here, I never wanted to put you through all this." Jeuki pulled back slightly. "I don't blame you for what the other oomans did your not like them."

He turned slightly. "Those oomans are not warriors! They have no honour! But you, your special." Emma kept her eyes locked with his as he came closer to her face. "In what way special?" Jeuki didn't move an inch. "You have a warriors soul." Emma laughed slightly. "Now your just being…" Jeuki flared his mandibles in annoyance. "I'm serious!" He pulled the alien head of his shoulder dropping it near her feet. "Were I come from you'd be prized for kills like this one." He turned slightly flaring his mandibles in anger. "Were I come from males would go on thousands of hunts just to be your mate. Even to speak with you as a honored hunter would be enough for them!" He looked at the hard meat head. "Females of my kind especially ones who can hunt are considered very special." He grunted angrily. "It disgusts me that no male ooman would ever have you." Emma stood up slightly was he trying to say what she thought he was trying to say? She looked at him keeping her eyes locked with his. "Why does it disgust you?"

Jeuki pulled back roaring in anger. "Because I would!" He stopped pulling back realizing what he was about to say. Emma looked at his flared mandibles. "Because what?" Jeuki turned away. "It doesn't matter…it would never happen and I'm a fool to believe it would." He felt Emma put a hand on his face turning his head around. She watched as he started to click his upper left mandible. She put a hand on it running her finger down the tusk. "It does matter tell me." Jeuki suddenly felt nervous. He couldn't remember ever feeling this nervous in his whole life. She was just staring at him waiting for his reply. He breathed in deeply moving his mandible so her hand let go. He looked up slowly. "It disgusts me because…I would give anything for you to be my mate." He closed his mandibles tight not daring to say anything else until he saw her reaction. Emma blinked she could feel her hand twitching which caused her wrist blades to slot back in. She looked down breathing in deeply.

She looked up ignoring the sound of her own wrist blades as they clicked out again. "You want to be my mate?" That almost sounded stupid to ask but she wanted to hear him say it so badly. Jeuki looked down slightly. "Yes." He moved his hand out putting it on her wrist armour to stop her hand twitching. "I don't want you for breeding." He looked up slowly. "I want to be your mate because I love you." He grunted aloud. "I know oomans say that I don't know what love is but I do know what it is." He cocked his head to one side. "I watched you for so long…I wanted you to be my mate." He raised a clawed hand running it through her hair. "I brought you back to the oomans because I thought you'd be happier with your own kind." Emma could feel her heart beat quickening. She slowly brought up both hands running them over the mandibles in a slow gentle motion. "Why didn't you say this before?" Jeuki growled in anger. "Why do you think? Because I'm not one of your species, I never believed you'd want me!" Emma growled in anger. "Jeuki you idiot!"

Jeuki pulled up roaring in anger. "Why am I an idiot? Tell me that!" Emma looked down slowly. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to call you that. I should be calling myself the idiot. I should've told how I felt about you before we landed here. God I'm so stupid!" Jeuki pulled back in confusion. "How you felt about me?" He leaned closer. Emma could feel the tears as they started to run down her face freely. "I should've told you that I'd fallen for you. That I can't sleep because all I do is think about you." She put a hand to her face. "I put you through all this suffering because of my pitiful denial issues the fact that I was afraid to fall in love with you because you're from another race." Jeuki slowly leaned forward. "You love me?" He watched her nod. He slowly pulled up both hand wiping her tears away with his claws. "Please don't cry." He leaned closer. "It's only your races way of thinking that made you believe that." He raised her head with his clawed fingers. He looked at her for a moment before backing off.

He slowly lowered his spear placing it down then lowered his head putting himself into a kneeling position. "I ask with all my heart that you will be my mate." He picked up the spear clicking it watching the sides fly out. "I will protect you with my life, my honour will be your honour." He lowered his head further. Jeuki looked up waiting, watching. She could deny his request openly just like any female. He breathed in deeply closing his eyes. He felt like the whole world was about to crash around him. He breathed in it was better to try at least to know he'd tried and had given an honorable request. Even if she didn't mean what she'd just said. Emma slowly stood up wiping the tears away full. Jeuki hadn't move a muscle he was stood like a statue waiting. She breathed in again; deep down she knew it was now or never. She turned slightly she wasn't going to go back on what she'd just said, she wanted him. She'd wanted him for so long the species issue didn't matter anymore.

She put her hand his spear watching as he looked up slowly his amber eye fixing with hers. She loved him and he just stated that he loved her. So nothing else mattered anymore. Being together was all that did matter. She smiled slightly. "I would love to be your mate." Jeuki looked up sharply. He slowly lowered the spear watching her let go off it. He wrapped his arms around her waist not wanting to let go. He felt her hands as she ran them over his lower mandibles. He pulled her down slowly maybe this wasn't real. Maybe he was dreaming and was going to wake up. He slowly moved his mandibles moving them gently across her face. He couldn't kiss like an ooman. This was the first thing that sprang to mind, and it felt right. Emma breathed in this was almost an odd feeling she couldn't really describe it. She could feel the lower and upper mandibles moving against her face in gentle motions. The tusks where barely touching her skin He moved the lower ones down moving them across her neck slowly and gently.

She closed her eyes for a moment before feeling Jeuki stop slightly. She leaned forward gently kissing his lower mandibles. Jeuki found himself staring that was an odd sensation. He felt it again as she planted gentle kisses on his mandibles. He blinked it was really nice but strange all the same. He tapped his mandibles slightly. Emma pulled away slightly. "I'm sorry I wasn't sure what to do." Jeuki laughed a little. "No I do like it.." Emma ran her hand over his mandibles. "So were you come from is that how you kiss?" Jeuki nodded slightly. "I know its odd for you." Emma raised an eyebrow. "No it's not odd it feels nice." Jeuki pulled her closer running his clawed hand through her hair. "You know we are both foolish for not admitting this sooner." Emma nodded. "It seems all very foolish to me now." She ran her hand over his arm. He eased up a clawed hand. "Even the best warriors can make fools of themselves. Believe me it's not uncommon." He looked at her neck again noticing that his skull necklace was missing. It was the first time he'd noticed this. "What happened to the necklace I gave you?" Emma put a hand on her chest before lowering her gaze." Lexington took it of me the son of a bitch!" Jeuki snarled aloud. "I should've killed that ooman warrior when I had the chance!" Emma looked down slightly. "I'll get it back mark my words." Jeuki slowly pulled her in to a hug. "I know you will." Emma looked at her chest plate. "You gave it to me as a gift. Once I get it back it won't ever leave my neck again." Jeuki laughed again. "Now there's my beautiful mate talking." Emma smiled slightly hugging him harder.

End of part 18

Silvermoonlight