xXx
The two fallen Warriors from the Triple Moon Clan lay in the medical room. They were in the pods, but their wounds were not life threatening, so they waited until they were strong enough to walk on their own. Yautja scientists went between the warriors, giving them shots of vitamins and such. The neon green blood covered many rags and used bandages.
The automatic door to the room opened, revealing Aleris. She walked in slowly, checking every part of the room for scientists. She learned that you never come between a Yautja scientist and his work. You'll get thrown across the room if you do that. Aleris would know. That has already happen once.
She saw the two Yautja Warriors. She only guessed that because of all the neon green within the room. She skittered across the floor quietly towards the warriors. She stood beside one of the tables. The table itself went up to her shoulders. She looked the warriors over. They were still asleep.
Xerxes walked into the room behind Aleris. It startled Aleris slightly, but she wasn't fazed. She was almost worried about the warriors. She might be worried more if she knew what was going on.
One of the warriors started to move. Aleris took a step back, bumping onto Xerxes. The warrior sat up painfully slow. He propped himself up with one arm and rubbed his head with the other. Aleris noted the strange scar on his forehead that had two silver dots around it.
Xerxes clicked to the warrior. "How do you feel?"
"I…feel…" Was all he managed to get out
"What happened to the others?"
The warrior couldn't think straight, much less speak or remember anything. Xerxes decided to try another approach.
"What's your name?" He asked smoothly
"Eryx" He said flatly. He looked around the room and found his fellow warrior. He looked him over blurry eyed. "He's Tangoroa"
"Well, Eryx, you can rest now and become strong again. I can wait until you're strong again to explain what happened"
"Who saved us?" He asked quickly. He was about to pass out
"This Pyode Amedha female did most of the work. She killed several Kainde Amedha to make sure you two got out. When you're better, you can have a more formal introduction"
Eryx looked the female over. She was so small and pale. Surely the elder of this Clan could not be telling him the truth. He fell back onto the table, out cold.
Xerxes set his hand on Aleris' shoulder. He knew the two warriors would not fully understand what had happen, but they would know and may become violent towards the female. Until he could straighten everything out, he would have Hiram stay with her at all times.
xXx
The warriors were awake now. They stood on the bridge with Xerxes. Eryx stood higher than Tangoroa and was bigger physically, showing he was older and stronger. Eryx and Tangoroa both had the same symbol of three lines scarred into their foreheads. The only difference was that Eryx had two silver dots on his and Tangoroa had none.
Xerxes informed them that the entire Triple Moon Clan had died on the infested planet except for Eryx and Tangoroa. Neither warrior was talking very much.
"What about the Pyode Amedha you were talking about earlier?" Eryx asked Xerxes
Xerxes went into great detail about Aleris. He explained how she was of both Pyode and Kainde Amedha blood and how she risked her life to save them without any training and little warning. The Moon Warriors voiced their doubt about a Pyode Amedha saving them from Kainde Amedha, much less a female Pyode Amedha. Xerxes would have none of this. He said that they would have to meet her before they would continue this conversation.
The automatic door behind the trio opened. They looked to who walked into the bridge. It was Hiram, walking in slowly. Xerxes noticed immediately that Aleris was following him. He was going to have to lecture that girl sometime in the near future. That was, once he informed her that she was a warrior and was worthy of being scarred. All in due time.
Hiram stopped a few feet away from the warriors. Aleris slowly walked around Hiram, but kept more distant between her and the warriors in case of an attack. Hiram had warned her about Yautja warriors and being saved by Humans. They may attack her, so she tried not to act intimidating.
The two Moon Warriors looked the girl over. She was not scared, just cautious.
"Are you sure she helped save us?" Tangoroa asked
Xerxes nodded slowly. The Moon Warriors continued to study her. Eryx walked over to Aleris. Hiram moved his foot between Eryx and Aleris, threatening Eryx silently. Eryx nodded his head to Hiram, telling him that he understood his gesture. Hiram moved his foot and took a step back.
Xerxes watched this scene play out. He knew that the Warriors from the Triple Moon Clan would not accept the female as their savior if she could not prove herself to them. Funny thing that was. The female had to prove herself to everyone that she met.
Eryx walked towards the Pyode Amedha female slowly. Her body language told him that she was becoming uneasy from his presence; maybe even scared. She stood strong, back straight as he came near. He stopped about a foot from her. He raised one hand and made a fist with it.
Hiram hesitated to move in to help her. She would have to assert her authority has a warrior to new Warriors if she were to survive on the ship.
It happened in a split second. Eryx charged his fist towards Aleris with all of his strength. He wanted to know if his honor had been diminished by being saved by a Pyode Amedha female. She dodged his fist with fluid motion. With no hesitation, she attacked. She hit him hard with a upper hook to his chin. He was caught off guard by the punch and stumbled backwards, eventually falling onto his back.
No one in the bridge moved or made a sound. Eryx slowly got back on his feet, rubbing his chin. Hiram walked up to Aleris and patted her shoulder and nodding to her.
Aleris knew she did good by their standards. If she was going to survive here, she was going to have to kick butt, take names, and be an all around bitch to those who question her strength and Authority. She put her hands on her hips, showing the new Yautja Warrior that she was no longer afraid of him.
Xerxes grinned to himself. The female was now a full fledged Warrior. She killed Kainde Amedha while saving Yautja Warriors from another clan and just showed them that she was unafraid of them. They may be bigger than her physically and stronger than her, but she had something they didn't. She had the courage to affirm her position among the Yautja.
"This is the same Pyode Amedha female that helped save you two" Xerxes said with a chuckle
Eryx stopped rubbing his chin, humiliated by being caught off guard. Tangoroa was scared. If she was brave enough to take on Eryx, then she would have no hesitation to take him on. He was much younger and weaker than Eryx, so he would have to remember to stay on her good side.
Aleris turned her back on the Moon Warriors and walked out of the bridge. She wanted nothing more to do with the new Warriors. Hiram followed behind her quickly.
Xerxes couldn't stop chuckling to himself. Aleris just beat a full fledged Warrior down. Eryx would never live this down.
xXx
Aleris stood in her sleeping quarters with Hiram sitting on her bed. She looked over the Kainde Amedha skull that was given back to her. The only thin that had changed about it was that all of its skin was removed. It was mounted on a shelf across from her bed. She thought it looked strangely adorable, but lonely at the same time. Hiram looked Aleris over. She was of higher rank than him, but she still was kind towards him. He just could not figure her out for the life of him.
The automatic door to her room opened. Aleris and Hiram looked to the figure that entered the room. It was Tangoroa. Aleris only knew this because his body armor was dingy green colour while Hiram's was a brown colour.
He had his head lowered in submission. He did not want to provoke the Pyode Amedha female and be beaten down and humiliated like Eryx was.
Aleris smiled to herself. She didn't understand why this young Yautja Warrior was so afraid of her. He did nothing to her. She decided to try and ease his fears. She slowly walked up to him, trying not to scare him.
"It's ok. I'm not going to hurt you" She said soothingly
She crept closer to Tangoroa. He looked to Hiram; silently pleading for help.
Hiram had to stop from laughing at the young Warrior. He didn't have any reason to be fearful of Aleris. But then again, she did punch a fellow warrior from his clan. But not just any Warrior. Eryx was an honorable Warrior within his clan; earning two silver dots around his scar as recognition. Not only that, but Eryx was at least four times larger than Aleris and she took him on anyway. Tangoroa had good reason to fear her.
But, it's not like she would actually do anything to him anyway.
Aleris stopped a few feet from the scared Yautja. She extended her arm out fully towards Tangoroa. He looked at her hand, perplexed at best, but stood in place.
"It's ok. I don't bite" Aleris said
Tangoroa stood frozen in place. He didn't know what she was doing or what she wanted. He was a Warrior, not a scientist. Did she want his blood or something?
Hiram decided to help the poor boy. Not because he felt sorry for him or because he felt he had an obligation to help him, but because Hiram was about to bust a gut. He stood up from Aleris' bed. He grabbed Tangoroa's wrist and forced his arm up.
Tangoroa tried to resist Hiram, but gave into the wiser Yautja. Hiram took Tangoroa's hand and hooked it with Aleris'. Aleris smiled and gently shook his hand.
"Is this good or bad?" Tangoroa Quietly clicked to Hiram
Hiram chuckled. "She has accepted you among her own"
Tangoroa sighed in relief. At least now he knew he wasn't on her death list now. He would have to make sure to stay on her good side.
The intercom in the room clicked open. "Hiram. Bring the female to the examination room." It clicked off.
Hiram looked Aleris over. She noticed him eyeing her and stuck he tongue out at him like she was a three year old child again. Hiram chuckled t himself. He and Aleris had a strong relationship with one another, despite the whole difference of specie thing.
Tangoroa looked on, not sure what was going on. He was going to have to get Hiram to explain all of this to him.
xXx
Aleris sat on the Yautja examining table in the examination room. The four young Yautja scientists stood next to the table, clipboards ready.
Hiram and Tangoroa stood on either side of the automatic door. Hiram was there to make sure the young Yautjas didn't provoke her and cause her to kill them. Tangoroa was there because Eryx was on the war path and he had nothing better to do. Hiram understood fully and allowed him to stay as long as he agreed to help him if Aleris tried to kill anyone.
One of the Yautja walked up to Aleris. She looked at him with soft eyes, but muscles tense, ready to pounce.
He clicked something to her. The translator picked up on it and the British guy spoke.
"My name is Nex. I'm not going to hurt you"
Aleris raised an eyebrow at his comment. "And that is what Hitler said before he killed the Jews" She said sarcastically
The room fell silent and all of the Yautja stared at Aleris. It was apparent that they didn't get it. She buried her face in her hands and began ranting in Spanish.
The Yautja took notes about her behavior and change in dialect.
Nex set down his clipboard on the examining table. He gently grabbed Aleris' arm and pulled on it. He ran his index finger along her spine, feeling the separate vertebrae as she arched her back.
He moved around the table so he was in front of her, eye to eye. He brought one hand up slowly in hopes of not scaring her. She didn't move at all. Knowing he didn't frighten her, he grabbed her cheek and stretched it out slowly. Then he let it go, allowing it to snap back into place. Aleris tried to figure out what the point of that action was, but couldn't. Then, a devilish though came to her.
She reached out to the Yautja. She grabbed one of his tusks and extended it out fully, then let it go. It snapped back and hit his face, startling him a bit. He shook it off and began to laugh, causing Aleris to laugh along with him.
The other Yautja scientists wrote notes down. Hiram chuckled to himself. Aleris had the ability to befriend other Yautja and not cause them to kill her.
One of the Yautja scientists spoke up. "How are we supposed to study the Pyode Amedha's body?"
The translator picked it up and the British guy informed Aleris of their little debate. She didn't give the thought much thought.
"I think we have to take her clothes off" Another Yautja said
Aleris' eyes grew wide as she made the connection. She moved her body so she sat on her legs. She noticed Nex was looking at her.
"Touch me and I will eat you"
The room, again, fell silent as the translator picked up her threat. The other Yautja scientists became uneasy, shifting their weight from one leg to the other. They knew she would become dangerous when provoked. They weren't that stupid. They heard the stories from the scientists that tried to examine her prior. The last thing the wanted was to get their asses kicked by something smaller than they were. Nex was a little more stubborn.
He heard the stories as well, but he didn't think a female of any specie could beat a Yautja. So what if she a Pyode Amedha and Kainde Amedha hybrid. So what is she was considered a warrior within the clan. She was still just a she.
He reached out and grabbed arm gently. She immediately yanked her arm loose of his grip, but she chose not to move from the table. Nex shook off the obvious humiliation and grabbed her arm again, more harshly this time.
Aleris gave the Yautja the best death glare she could muster. It didn't have the desired effect as he tightened his grip on her arm. She had had enough with being a guinea pig for today.
With one split-second motion, she lunged out at Nex and clamped her teeth down on his throat. He reacted by trying to pull away, but all it did was pull Aleris off the table. Nex hit her with his fists, but he lost energy with each hit. That was when it hit him that he couldn't breathe.
Aleris stood on her feet as Nex slowly fell to his knees. Hiram and Tangoroa observed the unfolding situation. Tangoroa turned to Hiram.
"Should we help?"
"Not yet"
They watched on as Nex lost almost all of his strength. They knew his body was screaming for oxygen. If Aleris held on any longer, they would have to explain his death to Xerxes. That would be anything but easy.
Aleris knew she had proven her point to the Yautja. Sure, she did it in the most animal like way, but if that is what it took with these guys, she would not hesitate to do it again. She understood that they more brutal the show of dominance, the better. She had learned that from watching a few too many nature shows.
With the last bit of his strength, Nex hit Aleris in the ribs. There was little power behind it, but enough to knock some of the wind out of her.
That was it. If Aleris was going to show this Yautja who the more powerful being was, she was going to have to leave a wound. She was going have to give into the instincts that were screaming at her to rip his throat out.
With one strong jerk of her head, she ripped her teeth out of his throat and took half of it with her. Nex fell onto his hands, gasping for air. He held his neck tightly as his neon blood gushed over his hands and onto the floor.
The other scientists pushed each other out of the way as they ran out of the door. They didn't want to end up like him.
Hiram looked on, not in fear or disgust, but with inquisitiveness. He knew she would have characteristics of both Pyode and Kainde Amedha, but he didn't realize until now that she had inherited both of their instincts.
From his textbooks, Hiram knew about Kainde Amedha instincts. They had a hyper evolved form of instincts. Instead of just breathing, walking, the basics, they had memories past down. Since she was half Queen Kainde Amedha, there was no telling what she knew. There was a strong possibility that she could revert to a more Kainde Amedha self. She may take the anger against his kind and act upon it.
She turned her head to see them. Neon green blood slithered down her throat and dripped off her chin. Skin hung from her mouth, covered in blood. She swept her tongue around her mouth and caught the skin. Retrieving it, she ate the skin, chewing it slowly.
Hiram knew what this meant. She ate of Yautja flesh. If a Pyode Amedha ate Yautja flesh, then they would gain their longevity. Reports have been made of Pyode Amedha living hundreds of years like the Yautja. She would almost certainly gain this ability and live hundreds of years, here, with him.
Aleris quickly jumped up into the air and grabbed the ceiling, clinging to it. She reached to the ventilation cover. She ripped it off and threw it towards Tangoroa. He dodged it easily, but in that time that both warriors attention was diverted, she had scurried into the shaft and was gone.
Hiram and Tangoroa loosened when they realized that Aleris was no longer with them. Neither had fully grasped what had just happened. An Ooman eating a Yautja and running away was not a common sight. Nex stumbled around the room, still coughing up neon blood onto the floor.
Hiram and Tangoroa ran out of the room, leaving Nex alone. They were confident that another Yautja would come in and help him. They had bigger things to worry about now. Aleris was loose in the ship and probably remembering some memory that is causing her to be come angry at the Yautja. If they didn't find her quickly, she may find another Yautja and attack him.