xXx
Xander sat at a large round table, still in the poorly lit bar. To one side sat a small, elderly man. His long peppered hair hung down over his face. The deep wrinkles on his face shown through his hair, showing his old age. His eyes were much likes Xander's, a bright green, surrounded by puffy red skin and dirt.
On his other side was another much older man. Looking like he was middle aged, but wise nonetheless. His hair was slicked back and his eyes a deep brown colour. All three wore cloaks that covered their bodies and all three stared intently forward.
Aleris was on the other side of the room from them, sitting at a table with an older man, a young boy, and Euphoria. Each of them had cards in their hands with several more cards lying on the table. They were teaching Aleris how to play a card game and she was winning for some reason, which angered the boys.
"You think this girl is a God, Xander?" The middle aged man asked
"Maybe not a God, but she may walk with them. She can control the aliens and she has the technology of the great hunters!" Xander said
"That doesn't mean she is a God. It could be nothing more than coincidence. We would have to see her powers at work before we could make our final decision" The elderly man said intelligently
Aleris stood up and squealed. The other boys threw down their cards angrily. Yes, she won yet again. She walked around the table, trying not to gloat, and walked up to the round table where Xander and the other two older men sat.
"Is it ok if my friends come back here? They're lonely and can't stand to be apart from me for very long" She asked nicely
"You're friends?" The old man asked
"The aliens" Xander whispered to him. "Sure, it's ok. Just make sure they know what their place is here among us" Xander smiled at Aleris
She smiled back at him and ran out of the bar to find her friends. The middle aged man turned to Xander.
"She's bringing the aliens into our safe house?" He said angrily
"She has complete control over them. Don't worry about it, Mao"
Aleris returned again and walked back to the table and sat down with the boys and Euphoria again. They were determined not to lose to her again.
The Kainde Amedha stood outside the door to the bar. They were warned by their Queen not to make a scene and not hurt any of the other Pyode Amedha in there. One by one they slowly crawled into the dark bar.
One immediately crawled up one of the walls and took refuge in a dark corner. Another ran to Aleris' side. She gently placed a hand on its long shiny head and stroked it. The third jumped up onto the round table where Xander sat. It stood menacingly, surveying the bar. It hissed at the men at the table before jumping down off the table.
"I don't like this one bit" The middle aged man said
"It's ok. You can talk to her in a little bit. After her game" Xander smiled again
xXx
It was bright daylight now. Aleris was outside bright and early. She hadn't smelt the crisp, clean air in the morning with the dew heavy in the air for almost half a year. Her three Kainde Amedha followed close behind her. They weren't going to leave her if they could help it.
Xander followed some distance behind them. He was watching Aleris and the aliens she controlled. He watched the way she walked almost effortlessly and how her aliens watched her carefully. If she stumbled forward, they were there to make sure she didn't fall. They were on alert at all times.
They climbed up a small hill next to the road. Beyond the hill were the rolling hills of the country side. Fences closed off patches of land. Just barely in sight was a small opening in the ground that was surrounded by a strange grey solid. Aleris knew that this was the opening to the Kainde Amedha Hive.
Xander came up beside Aleris. He looked over the landscape with her.
"What are you looking at?" Xander asked
Aleris pointed out towards the Hive opening. "There. It's the opening to the Kainde Amedha Hive"
Xander looked at Aleris. "Kainde Amedha?" He asked
"Oh, um…the black aliens and my three friends. It's the Yautja name for them." Xander still had a confused look on his face. He really didn't have a clue what she was talking about. "The hunters have their own language and that is their name for the aliens and Yautja is the name for their kind" Aleris corrected
Xander shook his head. He understood now. She not only possessed some of the great hunters' technology, but she also knew their language. She had to be some great being if she had been able to mesh so much with them.
"How is it that you and the others have been able to hide from the Kainde Amedha? They should have taken you for implantation by now…"
"Well, there is a cellar that we hid in. They never found us there. But lately they haven't wanted us. They've just stayed there, by their home" Xander informed her
"That's because they're preparing for war" Aleris said as she turned her back and walked back to the small town
"War?" Xander asked surprised as he chased after her
xXx
Aleris and Xander were now back in the bar. Light shown in through the dingy windows and illuminated the rickety room. Xander sat at the round table with the other two men as he had the day before. The three men talked intently with one another. Aleris was busy teaching Euphoria how to cook in the back as well as the two boys she had played cards with. Aleris had sent her Kainde Amedha off, away from the bar so a fight would not break out.
"So, you're telling me that the aliens are preparing for War?" Mao man asked Xander
"That is what Aleris said"
"How do we know we can trust what she tells us? How do we know she isn't trying to kill us?" The elderly man asked angrily
"She's not trying to kill us!" Xander yelled out. "She's trying to save us!"
"I agree with Xander on this one Yuy" Mao said to the elderly man. "She has control of the aliens. Xander said she can speak the language of the great hunters"
"We would have to hear her speak of it" Chang said
A door swung open and out of it came Aleris and Euphoria. Euphoria carried one plate of food in while Aleris carried two. Euphoria gave her plate to Mao while Aleris gave hers to Xander and Chang.
"What is this?" Chang asked skeptically
"It's Chicken!" Euphoria said happily. "Aleris showed us how to make it taste really good" Euphoria looked up to Aleris, looking for her acceptance. Aleris nodded to her and Euphoria started to bounce slightly
"All I did was show them how to cook the chicken so it was tender and didn't waste any of it" Aleris said calmly
Chang and Xander began to eat the chicken, but Mao hesitated.
"What are you?" He asked bluntly
"Mao!" Xander yelled
"It's ok" Aleris said calmly. Xander looked at her, trying to figure her out, but she sat down across from the men and folded her arms in front her. She looked at each of the men in the eyes. "I'll answer any questions as long as you ask nicely"
"Do you know the language of the great hunters?" Mao asked nicely
"I know some words and phrases. They have translators that help a lot"
Euphoria jumped up onto Aleris' lap. She listened intently to the adults' conversation.
"How is it you are able to control the aliens?" Chang asked
Aleris sighed deeply. She knew this question would come up. She decided to dive right into the whole story. She explained to them about her roots. About the Yautja scientists that came to the Earth and was killed and about how the US government cloned her with Queen Kainde Amedha DNA. She also went on to explain how she met Hiram and how they helped each other get to his clan. The ship and other Yautja, she told in detail.
She then went on to tell them about her mission here on Earth. The fact that the future of the world rested on her ability to kill a carefully guarded Queen and take on another Queen was hard for the men to swallow.
Mao asked how she expected to kill a Queen Alien and live to fight the rest. Aleris said bluntly that she would walk into the Hive and kill her. The room fell silent until Aleris explain that the Queen in control of the Hive not a mile from the house was the daughter of the Queen whose DNA was used to make Aleris. She still recognized Aleris has her queen and Aleris was confident that she would let her enter her Hive. Chang asked how she could be so sure and she answered him saying that she had been keeping in contact with her mentally and that the Queen said she would.
Aleris stood up and Euphoria slide off her lap. Aleris was going to leave early the next day for the Hive.
"Are you sure you are ready for this?" Chang asked
Aleris nodded her head slightly. "As ready as I'll ever be. I have my ki'cti-pa with me, so I'm set" Aleris tapped her wrist blade with her other hand and smiled
She disappeared into the room in back and Euphoria followed close behind her. Xander and the other men quietly ate their food. They sat, trying to digest the information overload hat just happened.
xXx
It was early morning now. The sun had not yet awakened from its slumber and the moon still ruled the heavens. Aleris sat on the roof of the bar, surveying the landscape in front of her. She hadn't been able to sleep all night. She tried to collect her thoughts, tried desperately to make a plan.
Xander came up quietly behind her and set his hands on her shoulders. He knew she was tense.
"You're not ready for the assault, are you?" He asked quietly
"Not really" She returned
Xander slowly began to massage Aleris' sore muscles. His hands were strong and his expert hands found each knot and got rid of it quickly. After not too long, she felt much better.
"Better now?" He asked quietly again
"Yes" Aleris turned her head and smiled up at him. "Thank you"
Aleris stood up slowly and turned to face Xander. Face to face with the young man, she only came up to his chin. She may have been shorter than he, but he knew that the sheer courage and mental strength she possessed outweighed anything else he had. She was no ordinary female to him. She walked with the Gods, she spoke of the Gods as friends, and she controlled the great killers of all mankind. In all respect, Xander considered her a God of her own, sent here to end the extermination of man and lead them into a better future. She was their savior.
"I should be going now, before the sun rises" She said breathlessly
Xander took another step towards her and placed his hands on her shoulders again. He bent his head down and whispered I her ear. "Just don't die on me". She looked at him, unsure of what he meant by this gesture, but smiled.
"I'm not going to" She said
She turned her back to him and took a flying leap off the roof, landing across the street and on another roof. One more leap and she was out of site. Xander took a breath in. There she went. On her own and saving them all. He was going to have to convince Mao and Chang that she was a God, come to guide them. But he decided he would wait to see if she came back alive. He turned very slowly, not wanting to leave, and walked back to the bar.
xXx
There Aleris stood, face to face with the opening to the Kainde Amedha Hive. It looked like roots had formed around the hole and steam came out of it menacingly. Her three Kainde Amedha stood by her side. They could all sense the Kainde Amedha inside the Hive. They were restless and she knew they didn't want them there.
She shook it all off. She couldn't afford to hesitate now. She had to go forward into the depths of the Hive.
She jumped in and slid down a long tube until she hit the very bottom. Her Kainde Amedha were not far behind her. Once in the Hive, she found the millions of Kainde Amedha here. They coated the walls of the huge cavern liberally.
They ordered Aleris to walk down the main hallways to meet the Queen. Several came up behind Aleris and pushed her forward down the great hallway. Further and further down. At times she had to jump down steep tunnels. They had been walking for a good part of the day and Aleris was beginning to tire.
Finally, she had made it to the Birthing Chamber. In the middle was the Queen, a long tube came up of her and she laid the eggs of her kind. The Queen looked up. She growled loudly and the other Kainde Amedha left quickly. Aleris told her own to do the same. They needed to be alone. The Kainde Amedha left quickly.
Aleris took several more steps towards the great Queen. The Queen purred as her Queen, her Mother, came closer.
Aleris was now right in front of the Queen. The Queen bent her head down and rubbed it along Aleris' cheek. Oh how she craved the contact of her Mother once again. She was taken from them prematurely, but that didn't matter now. She was with her now, here for good.
Now was the time. Aleris extended the Wrist Blade from its sheath and with one clean slice, Aleris cut off the head of the Queen. Her head tumbled off to the side. Aleris had to jump backwards as to avoid being sliced by the flailing arms of the dieing Queen.
She ceased to move after some time and it just fell limp. Aleris went over and picked up the head of her Daughter that was almost as big as she was. Something inside of her ached horribly. Her heart sank in her chest. The memories of the Queen came to her now. She was her Mother and she betrayed the trust in her to kill her.
Kainde Amedha came into the Birthing Chamber by the hundreds. They stood silently and still. Their Queen was dead, killed by the one she trusted. But the original Queen was here, still alive. The Queen that brought them to this planet had now taken back the control of the Hive from the Daughter she gave birth to.
Finally, the Queen had regained her Throne.