"You still think this is best? You would be welcomed among us," said Kal'Arak'e hopefully.
>I doubt that,> said Spiketail with a laugh. >Humans, maybe, but kainde amedha? Hardly. No, this way is best.>
"Stranger things have happened," said Othar'a. "You have shown me a new way of thinking about the world. Before I came to Hades, I considered all creatures that were not Yautja as merely prey, something to act as a challenge. I knew of humans as very rarely showing prowess enough to join the ranks of the Hunters, but… now I see that there is a potential behind everything. Even such ruthless killing machines as the kainde amedha."
"It's a generous offer, but Spiketail is right. We wouldn't fit in," said Elysa. She looked around towards the distant lights of the city, and brushed away some of the grass in the field. "Our place is here. Tyrion and I now know enough about Xenomorphs to help the military clear out some of the infestations. Maybe even reclaim Earth, who knows?"
>And we're just going to hitch a lift at the spaceport and head for some remote place that we won't be noticed,> said Spiketail. >The feeling is mutual, Othar'a. The world is different to me now. Thanks to all of you, the planet, even Tartarus.>
Kal'Arak'e clicked sadly, and then brightened for a moment. "I nearly forgot." He picked up his mask.
"You took the mark off it," said Tyrion in surprise.
"It didn't seem adequate, somehow. We six… and Shadow… have achieved something not even dreamed of by most Yautja." He looked at Spiketail and Talon, and pulled out a small dagger.
Spiketail bowed her head, and the Predator carved a three-pointed star into the carapacing. Talon leaned forwards, and he repeated the procedure on her.
Using the acid on the blade, he carved out the symbol on his own forehead and his mask, and then passed it to Elysa.
The human winced pre-emptively, and pressed the blade against her cheek, carving out the same three-pointed star.
Tyrion did the same, and passed the blade to Othar'a.
The Yautja marked herself and her mask, and handed the dagger to her sibling. Kal'Arak'e carefully attached it to his belt to be repaired later, and the six looked at each other.
"Good luck in the universe," said Othar'a softly.
The two Predators walked back into the ship, and it slowly took off from the field before vanishing from view.
Elysa looked at Spiketail.
"This is goodbye, I suppose," she said. "For good. We're not likely to run into each other again."
>Like Othar'a said, stranger things have happened,> said Talon. >Considering your choice of profession when you get back to civilisation, maybe it's better if we don't meet again.>
The four chuckled. "We'll keep a sharp eye out for any Queens with that triple-pointed star," said Tyrion. "Will you lose it when you Transform?"
>We'll recarve it if necessary. Even if we never see you or Othar'a and Kal'Arak'e again, we'll still be connected in that way.>
The two Aliens vanished into the night, leaving Elysa and Tyrion alone in the field.
"I hope they'll be all right," said Elysa wistfully. "They were good friends. Are good friends."
"What now?"
Elysa pointed to the lights of the city. "Into the future," she said.
There we go. The Hades Chronicles are now complete – it's been a wild ride, and I hope all of you enjoyed reading as much as I did writing it.
For those of you who do not visit the forums here, let me assure you that this is not the last you will hear of Elysa, Tyrion, Spiketail, Talon, Othar'a and Kal'Arak'e. A follow-up is planned, along with a sketchy plot already set – look out for (in the far future) 'The Rising Darkness'.
You'll have to wait a while for that, though, as before that I have Empires Collide and Rise of the Falcons to finish, and a prequel to the Chronicles to write that tells the history of the war between the Cythera and the Old Ones/Pilots, leading up to the rebellion by the Yautja and Xenomorphs.
So until then, fare well wherever you may travel, and remember, the Queens are watching…
