Sorry for the delay. A bit of writer's block, combined with revision and organising my Freelancer clan…
Oh yes, to put you out of your
misery, miikaawaadizi, the pronunciations for the Pred names are:
Othar'a cha: oh-tar-ah-cha
Kal'Arak'e cha:
kal-ahr-ak-eh-cha. Happy now?
"Good grief, what happened to you?" said Elysa, staring at Shadow.
>I don't know. I didn't know she was serious… and now…>
"You're not making any sense!"
Shadow walked up next to the girl, and flopped on the log. >Spiketail just gave me an ultimatum.>
"Which was…"
>She wanted me to make my choice. A choice that I thought that I had made months ago.>
Elysa considered this. "From what I've heard about you –"
>Have you been asking about me?> Shadow interrupted.
"Yes. You don't mind, do you?"
He mentally shrugged. >I'm quite flattered, I suppose. I'm sorry, I interrupted.>
"As I was saying, from what I've heard, I can guess what that choice is. And I can also guess that you won't tell me what it is."
>Probably right on both counts,> he said morosely.
"And the ultimatum was about being separated from the Hive?"
>Also right.>
They sat in silence for a while.
"So you decided to stay with us?"
Shadow snorted. >No decision on my part. I was exiled. Abandoned. And now I'm condemned to be stuck with people who always have one eye on me and the other one on the nearest pulse rifle. Joy.>
"Well…" Elysa hesitated. "Admittedly, I've only known you for a couple of days. But I trust you."
He smiled mentally. >That's nice to know.>
CALCULATION COMPLETE
COMMAND ASPHODEL 212-GAMMA HAS HIGH PERCENTAGE CHANCE OF PRODUCING NEGATIVE RESULTS
CREATING NEW COMMAND SEQUENCE
ACTIVATING IMPLANTS
COMMAND RAPHAEL-H 2430-LAMBDA CREATED
COMMAND RAPHAEL-H 2430-LAMBDA TRANSMITTED
INITIATING OBSERVATION
CALCULATION ENDS
"Perfect," snarled Othar'a, staring at the sheer black construct below them. "Another hive."
"That's the one that the Elder said was in the wreckage of an ooman vessel, isn't it?" said Kal'Arak'e. He pulled out the combistick, ready for action, and gestured towards the rusted metal protruding from the hive.
Othar'a nodded. "Looks like a designation on the side."
Kal'Arak'e squinted at the letters, calling their sounds to mind. "Ar-ah-eeh-peh… the rest is submerged."
Something screeched from within the hive, and several drones leapt out from the dark entrance. They climbed the trees in a frenzy, avoiding whatever was behind them.
Othar'a remembered with a lurch how the Hard Meat absorbed the DNA of their hosts. If this hive had infected some of the larger predators…
A terrifying monstrosity lurched from the hive. Its jaws were much longer than usual, and the body was more filled out than the usual bony creatures. Two pairs of long, wickedly clawed arms swung out from its chest, and the surprisingly spindly legs powered it far faster than any animal that size should move. The tail, unusually, was rigid, and stingless, but the thing looked deadly without it.
Following close behind was another creature. This one was quadrupedal, had three tails with long stings, and also had huge jaws.
A small swarm of winged monsters screeched as they flapped away from a chimney-like opening in the hive. Their tails were almost twice as long as their bodies, and their limbs all had huge claws.
More and more Aliens of every possible configuration flapped, leapt, scuttled and strode from the hive opening. This was clearly a big one, which had thrived here.
The two Predators didn't even dare breathe. If they remained absolutely still, the kainde amedha might dismiss the electrical signature of their shiftsuits as unimportant.
Might.
Kal'Arak'e counted almost a hundred of the creatures moving past the their lookout position, but evidently they were not interested in the watchers.
They waited for a while after the last one left, and then Othar'a abruptly dropped to the ground.
"Are you mad?" her brother hissed.
"Don't you remember the other detail of the zazin tjau'ke chiva? If we are to return with any sort of honour from this, we must bring a great trophy. If we're good, we might be able to get one in there. Most of them have left, we'll never get another opportunity like this!"
"Wait!" he called, but she was already moving into the darkness. "Dtai'Kai-dte sa-de nau'gkon dtain'aun bpi-de," he commented sadly, and chased after her.
Spiketail swore furiously at the sight of the huge Alien host. She had seen something of a Hive war, back on Earth, and it was only for full-scale war that that many drones were unleashed. And those xenos were heading directly for the Asphodel… there was no way that the Hive could withstand that many, especially with Spineback still in her cocoon. And once they were defeated, the other hive would start on the Asphodel.
Shadow would die.
She hissed again. Her feelings for him certainly included distaste and a small chunk of hatred, but they were friends. More than that, she realised – he was her only friend.
There were two options. The first was to rush back to the Asphodel and the Hive – she could warn them, help in the battle.
There would be no difference in the outcome. There were too many, and they were too big and powerful.
That left option two.
Do something at this end.
She dropped to the ground, and scuttled into the dark walls of the hive.
The moment they entered the hive, the Predators sensed the oppressive atmosphere of the Hive's Queen focusing on them. The anxiety of entering a hive was usually attributed to fear of the Aliens' abilities, but the Tjau'ke Thwei had taught them that it was the Queen's mental influence.
"So much for stealth," muttered Kal'Arak'e. "We might as well lose the shiftsuits and save the power."
At the mental command, the devices deactivated.
With a double click, they opened their ki-its pa to the full four-metre length, and were almost immediately attacked.
Three ordinary drones leapt from the shadows. Despite the extremely quick reactions that were a peculiarity of the Hives on the planet, they were too slow to avoid the scything combisticks. Acid blood sprayed.
The mental pressure changed momentarily, then redoubled. A feeling of the hopelessness of the situation flooded them, but they fought it.
Scanning the hive's walls using their bio-electricity filters in the helmets, they moved slowly into the next chamber.
The chamber was filled with small, spherical objects. Bio-electricity filtered from them.
An egg chamber.
Two eggs opened, and the facehuggers flew, but the harsh training of the Tjau'ke Thwei Elder had prepared them for such an attack, and the parasites were neatly skewered.
"Tarei'hasan," said Othar'a scornfully. "In both senses of the word."
Kal'Arak'e began to chuckle, and then froze.
All the eggs were opening.
"Those pauk-de s'yuit-de!" said Othar'a in disbelief.
"Back!"
They moved backwards, holding the combisticks in the hult'ah hiju, ready for the first attack.
The facehuggers took their time. Their simple minds were desperate to attack the intruders, to latch onto them and complete their purpose, but a greater mind held them in its grip. She knew that to save as many of her children as possible, they would have to be coordinated.
The Queen of the Raphael laughed to herself. She had lived for nearly fifty years, and had existed on this world for forty-nine of them. No puny Hunters would end her reign.
No, they were no threat now. She would have two more children to care for soon.
Spiketail moved quietly through the dark tunnels of the hive, marvelling at the strange beauty of the design. She hadn't been in many hive domes – back on Earth, the Hive had had to be constantly on the move to find new prey; in fact, the only time she had visited one of these structures was during a war with a particularly obstinate Queen shortly before they found the space port.
The faint pressure on her mind that indicated a Queen was nearby abruptly increased, and she felt the matriarch scanning her.
>Have a good look, because it's the last thing you'll see if you don't call off your attack,> she snarled.
The Queen's sense became surprised. ¬Who are you, little drone, that can speak with clarity? All the children I have ever known speak with images and concepts, not words.¬
>I speak for the Hive you are attacking, that is all you need know.>
Scorn edged into the other's voice. ¬What I need to know is not your concern, drone. I will learn from you, whether you wish it or not.¬ At her words, needles flashed through Spiketail's mind as the Queen tried to extract her memories by force.
>Oh no you don't, you bitch.> She responded with a shove of mental force that removed her opponent from her mind entirely. > I'm coming for you, whether you like it or not. Would you treat another Queen that way? I think not. For your insult to my Hive, you will die…>
¬Have it your way, drone,¬ the Queen responded. To Spiketail's horror, there was faint amusement instead of the anger she had been trying to coax. ¬When you face me, then we'll see who has the right to respect…¬