New chapter time...

Queen of the Red Skittle: hehe I love writting for the aliens, dunno why. Maybe because they see nothing wrong with all the carnage they cause, its just growing up and living for them!

Greenleaf7: welcome back, hope you had a nice hols : )

The young chestbuster slept.
It had not noticed its exterior hardening, or played any part in initiating the change. Such things where beyond its control.
And it was more than asleep really, unconscious would be closer yet in truth its condition was more serious and potentially deadly.
Its brain had been shut down.
There was a good reason for this, as to be conscious while its entire body was broken up and re-arranged would be traumatic and painful to say the least. Even being unconsciousness was not enough, for one can shake off the condition and wake up…
So all of its mind had to be stopped for the time being, while everything, including the brain which housed its fragile, young mind, was taken apart and re-forged.
New organs materialised from the strange soup contained in the cocoon, vague structures where created, then coated in layers of hardening chitin and at the end of the nubs that would become its hands, talons began to stretch and hone.
Its short, tranquil childhood was almost over.

D'ran finished his furious combo of punches with a roundhouse kick that sent Cth'ctchi sprawling. He roared at his opponent, leaping to the fallen figure and kicked Cth'ctchi straight in the face. Satisfaction pulsed through him as he felt another of Cth'ctchi's mandibles snap off and heard Cth'ctchi hiss in pain. Such underhand techniques D'ran was normally reluctant to use but right now, having watched Cth'ctchi deliberately kill a defenceless, weakened female, the Bad Blood lying before him deserved to be put through hell.
He kicked at Cth'ctchi again, but the predator caught his foot and spun it around, bringing D'ran to the floor while he got to his feet quickly. Cth'ctchi wasted no time in delivering a few of his own blows, one downwards kick landing painfully in D'ran's right calf muscle, damaging it badly.
D'ran rolled over and away from another blow, but swung his legs around in a sweep that once again knocked Cth'ctchi down and hurriedly got to his own feet, clenching his jaws against the pain that rippled through his lower leg when he did so. Before Cth'ctchi could get up or strike at him D'ran brought his foot down hard onto Cth'ctchi's unprotected throat, pinning him there while stamping down on his blade arm with his other leg so Cth'ctchi was helpless. Looking down at his opponent, D'ran couldn't hold back his laughter. Cth'ctchi would never be able to speak again. His mandibles where too badly mangled for even surgery to fix them now. He was a disfigured mute!

Cth'ctchi let loose a vague bellow at the cruel, mocking laughter and D'ran. In response D'ran only laughed harder.

"I wish you could see yourself Cth'ctchi." He said, grinning widely, "I wish all those on this ship could see this! The real you, a worthless pathetic wreck!" D'ran paused and spat a wad of glowing blood onto the floor, "I knew you where truly unfit to be the commander of this ship, but I had not known the depths you where willing to fall to. I wouldn't even suspect those pitiful youngsters of disobeying the code by taking the life of such a feeble creature, yet you prove you are beneath even them!"

Cth'ctchi just glared at D'ran.

"I could kill you now Cth'ctchi." D'ran said, leaning down, closer to the others blood-splattered face, "but you know what? I'm not going to. I'm going cut you up so you can't move an inch, then throw you in a containment cell. So after the hunt everyone can come see and have a good laugh. And then we'll see what the real elders have to say about what you just did, once everyone's been cleared of their past failings that is. This hunt of yours, I must admit, was a good idea. No one will be able to say we're dishonourable after the trophies this hunt will give to us. All thanks to you." D'ran smiled once again at Cth'ctchi, who had still said nothing.

"Whats wrong Cth'ctchi? No intelligent remarks? No psychic comeback? You always did rely on your head to get you out of trouble. Damm stupid if you ask me." D'ran extended his wrist blades to their full extent, preparing to mangle Cth'ctchi's limbs.

Then suddenly Cth'ctchi snatched his blade arm from under D'ran's foot, the weakened calf muscle unable to keep it pinned. He dragged the razor sharp blade up through the muscles in D'ran's leg, slicing them to ribbons. D'ran howled in surprise and agony as the leg gave way and he began to fall. Timing his strike just right, Cth'ctchi moved into a crouch as the pressure on his neck fell away. D'ran was dropping to his knees as he tried to stay standing despite the inevitable pull of gravity and Cth'ctchi, moving as fast as he possibly could, struck.
His twin blades met no resistance as they penetrated D'ran's chest, Cth'ctchi aiming just below the ribcage but angling the blades upwards so getting to the vulnerable organs within. D'ran was frozen in shock as Cth'ctchi stared him in the eyes.
He savoured the expression on D'ran's face for a moment, wanting to gloat more but he didn't want to repeat D'ran's mistake. Still, one little jibe couldn't hurt…

>I WIN D'RAN. He thundered, the Queen trying to prevent him from using his mental powers but failing this time. While he was severely limited by her presence he could still get out three words to taunt D'ran one last time with.

And then he twisted his arm around, turning the blades that where already embedded in D'ran's chest so that the predator screamed in pain before he finally died.Cth'ctchi tried to grin, but couldn't.
The sense of triumph he had was dampened by how badly he was injured and he kicked D'ran's body a last time before going to find his hunting mask. He was going to need it.

The Queen roared in frustration as she felt the hated one's triumph. That could only mean he had won the battle. Hissing angrily she consoled herself that her children would have little trouble bringing him down in the poor condition he was in. She would have his life yet.
She reached out to those speeding through the tunnels towards him, encouraging them on. Every one of them was pumped up on adrenalin and the need to bring down this threat to their hive. Here they would prove to their Queen that they were worthy of her love, her protection and with the death of the psychic there would be few truly dangerous things to their Queen. She would be free to concentrate on making this place their own.

Cth'ctchi had found his mask. It was slightly dented but otherwise was working fine. He slotted it back onto his head and looked around the room. The first thing he noticed was that the other, unconscious human was still alive. Cth'ctchi was surprised; he had thought humans weaker than this. He stepped over to the human and looked at him closely, eyeing the various injuries he had acquired until he felt the vicious cloud of hate that was boiling his way.
His eyes narrowed, reinforcements sent by the Queen, he should have guessed she would pursue him after the stunt he'd pulled with D'ran's little one armed hard meat.

Cth'ctchi growled under his breath before making short work of the boy before him. He took the spines and heads of both humans but just the head of D'ran. He could make them into trophies in a moment, when he was sure he was safe.
Dumping his bloody booty in the control room Cth'ctchi went back and picked up the card key the human female had been carrying. He then strode back into the control room as the first of the xenomorphs rounded the far corner. At the sight of him a great screeching sound went up and they all lengthen their strides, trying to reach him…

>Not today. Thought Cth'ctchi as he swiped the card over the pad, closing the door before any of them reached him. Having realised that she could not reach him the Queen hammered down on his mind even more in her rage, and spots swam before his eyes at the intense painful feelings.

>That's enough of that. He thought, walking over to the taser controls and firing as many as possible into the Queen at once. Hitting the voltage up dangerously high, Cth'ctchi relaxed as he felt his mind clear for the first time in a long time. The Queen's high pitched screeching was slightly muted from inside the room, but was still loud enough to prove to Cth'ctchi that she disliked it. He stopped the tasers, to see if she'd caught on, but her mental assault returned, trying to bring him down.
He hit the activator again and sat back to enjoy the screams.

It was quite a while later, but the Queen had finally learnt her lesson. Cth'ctchi brought up a visual of her chamber and of the corridor outside and was glad to see a dejected smoking mess in the first and no aliens in the later. And she had finally got the message that messing with his mind was not a good idea. He then turned those images off and typed a search program into a console. There shouldn't be too many humans left alive by now, but if there where any then he was going to find them. And if one was that accursed girl then he'd have his revenge…
In the meantime, while the program searched, he got to work on his new trophies.
The Queen groaned unhappily. Her black, flawless exterior had been punctured and shatter in many places, and the pain, the searing burning attacks the psychic one was somehow creating…
She had no choice but to stop, and the sharp mental points had withdrawn from her, leaving her in peace.
Several of her brood lay around her, burnt from trying to bite or claw the cables that had attacked. She sent soothing thoughts to them, trying to calm them down as stop their fear.

Then the Queen reached out to her hive, almost doing a role call. She re-established old bonds and forged new ones with the waiting chestbusters or young, fully formed individuals just out of their cocoons. She sent out escorts to bring such young ones to the heart of the hive where it was safe.
And, satisfied that she had missed no one, she settled down to sleep, and to heal.