A/N:

Hello there.

Those who read my latest update on "And more heroes it will have" probably knew this was coming. In the midst of cutting one project off the wish list, a new one had to take its place.

And this has been on my mind for a while. On the search for new work, I went back to the past. There I found an old passion. One of monsters and hunters. Both of them being from out of this world.,

Be it their comics, games, or movies. They always held a space in my heart.

With that set, no doubts left for me. Now here's the first step. As for the franchise beside them, well, find out at the chapter's end.

Enjoy.

Grey, armored hands hovered over crimson controls and panels. Booming warnings constantly roared across the large ship. From the cabin to the cargo haul and the chambers. The noise did nothing to calm his growing rage.,

In depths of space, a merry hunt turned battle took place. On both sides, two members of the same race, a long way from their home-world, had their piloting skills put to the test as they traversed the infinity of stars.,

A rare and deadly spectacle that one was. Few could actually state having witnessed two Yautjas facing each other in combat.

The largest of them, clad in a full self-made enforcer armor, safe for his mask, snarled and grunted lowly as he made sharp turns left and right to dodge the barrage of plasma blasts aimed at his ship. Sharp tusks pressed close as his scarred red eyes watched the enemie's ship's moves through the holographic monitor as it stayed on his tail.

It was a premature decision that placed him there. He broke a fatal personal rule. To never undervalue a foe's talents.,

In letting eagerness to take over, he believed that a surprise attack on a smaller vessel would be a quick solution to the task. Not once did the thought of it being faster, sprier, and holding firepower just as advanced as he came to mind.

Now he was the prey in the game. With shields slowly losing their integrity, as the shots were more and more finding their target. Countless cycles training to keep a level head got him through plenty and more dangerous trials between his brothers and sisters in their clan. From when he was a youngblood to an elite and now enforcer.,

On this last hunt, out of all of them, he allowed pride to blind his senses. And he was paying the price for it.

"Cjit!" He growled both at even more shame of himself and as his ship trashed after taking a critical hit from one projectile. Sparks and Red lights lighting in the cabin made Noc'Ture call a new screen to analyze the impacts after math.

He barked at the status report. Debris spilled out to space from what remained of the left thruster, and smoke started pouring non stop from inside. Part of the hull had scratches from the explosion, but nothing major to cause a rupture and open a hole in the ship's interior. That luck, as the humans called it, may only last so long.

So it did when Noc'ture took a look at his powers cells.

A good portion of them were damaged, and just there, he could mildly feel the ship losing its speed. Soon enough, all the functions would cease working. Darkness and lack of oxygen were what awaited if that came to be.

Inner jaw opening as he puffed deeply, Noc'ture now had time also against him. Should he continue on, the fuel would wear out, and he would end up stuck in place for the other Yautja to finish him when desired. Such a notion was an offense almost.,

Perhaps use the pod ?

What of question. That would mean being more vulnerable. And the pods couldn't outrun any kinds of heavy ships. And Noc'ture would be dammed should he consider escaping like a coward.

Just as he began to delve deeper into how to get the upper hand, he froze for a bit, remembering a familiar event to this.

"You said it yourself. We are full of tricks, Dude. Don't know why your guys don't do the same,"

That occasion involving that moment was one which Noc'ture would never forget. Not until the day he joined the final hunt in the black hunter's embrace. As bizarre as it was, to him, it proved to be an eye-opener.

A shadow of a grin formed across his maw.,

Preparing to take action, he set the plan in motion. Even if the victory was his to claim, there weren't any planets nearby to land case the fuel went dry. So he had to use all of it at once to win and escape a slow death.

And that was his only chance.

A fast search in the database later, he found the nearest planet. Near as it being millions of light-years away., The risk of the ship falling apart during the travel had to be one for Noc'ture to take. Typing the coordinates in the console and reading the ring bridge, he activated the communications terminal.

A short screech went over the cabin as his prey accepted the call.

"Begging for my mercy, abomination ?" The Bad blood taunted.

Noc'ture's grip on the controls tightened. "M-di," He replied plainly, counting the right time. "I'm here to hear and watch you die,"

He pulled the controls back. A bust of energy flowed through the pipes and systems, and the ship rocketed upwards.

From his own ship, the bad blood stared in shock as the enforcer's vessel twisted in a backflip over him., The improvised maneuver was so sudden that what it meant dawned when it was too late.

Their weaponry was equal in power. But Noc'ture had much more with him. The bad blood's death scream held as long as his ship did against the full force of plasma canons.

Noc'ture didn't allow himself a moment to bask in his success and quick thinking. Without wasting further time, he smashed his palm on the activation terminal. From under the ship, an orange, fiery ring flew out in the open space.

The Yautja always prided themselves on their superior engineering. Long before any race could travel beyond the stars, they had already found ways to twist and bend the cosmos at their will. And none held more pride in that than the dark blade clan.

Noc'ture watched the ring as it got a few meters ahead. End it stopped, a rift was cut open in the void. A portal formed, clearing the way to a new part of the universe. Pushing the ship to the limits, he beam lined towards it.

Upon slippering in, going through the leftovers of the traitor's ship, the outside became white as all-around shook and trembled. Noc'ture paid no mind to the cracking and ripping sounds, staying focused on getting out of the light tunnel.

One last punch forward with a roar, he came face to face with his destination just as the left thruster gave out. For a few spare seconds he had, the Yautja was mildly confused, as the planet seemed to resemble the human's main world, earth.

It couldn't be, he reasoned, the earth was one of the planets his kind most visited. And it was in a completely different galaxy. Yet, for it to be in the data, another hunter must've ventured there beforehand. He would've to investigate that issue later.

The portal got the ship close enough to the planet's gravitational pull. Adrenaline spiking up again. Noc'ture prepared himself for one more obstacle.,

Landing on it.,

With just one thruster to guide the fall, there was no room for mistakes to where he ended up landing. Using all the tools at his disposal, he calculated a suitable trajectory and locked into it. It was near the planet's sea coast, in the south region. The lack of knowledge of sentient life made him consider camouflaging the ship.

He gave up on the idea quickly.

Activating the cloaking right there would be idiotic. The damage of entering the atmosphere taking it off was a certainty. Better chances of hiding on land.,

He could only pray to Paya that the habitants weren't so curious to travel looking for a comet essentially. IF, and only if there were any.

Tremors started once more as the ship began its descent. The hull was ablaze, blocking most of the view ahead. Noc'ture held the controls still, keeping the vessel from turning sideways from the course. The explosion caused by the left thruster losing the rest of its integrity made it even direr to balance the ship's weight.

Soon enough, the flames and heat cooled. A process helped when the ship speared through dark grey clouds in the night sky. Bellow them heavy rain poured in the land, with lighting and thunders in every direction the eyes could see.

Helpful conditions.

Noc'ture quickly found the landing zone. Even from a distance, the barren land was a clear picture. With a great desert filled by dunes and no sight of civilization for miles., And right beside it, a portion where earth and sea met. A "beach," as some called, in the shadow of a sharp and thick rock.,

"So be it," Noc'ture braced for the impact.

The ship bounced radically as its peak struck the ground first, with the rest following suit on the hard contact. Sand spread everywhere as it dragged. Noc'ture would've been thrown out of the command chair had he not been ready for the ship to crash against the stone wall with a loud bang all around him.

As violent and damaging as the crash was, it did help stop the ship from continuing in the sand path. Now no longer airborne, each warning ceased echoing in the cabin.

Noc'ture leaned backward in his chair, breathing a sigh of relief while closing his eyes and running a hand through short dreads. A quick laugh/bark escaped from his throat.

He made it, Paya, he made it.

The feeling of relief ended for a split second. In the calming silence of the dark ship, even in the middle of a storm, came a realization. Eyes opening and adopting a solemn look, Noc'ture raised his right arm and, ever so gently, grasped a small medallion hanging around his neck.

It's over. Itwas a phrase repeated again and again within, almost like a prayer. The hunt was over. His duty was over.

His promise fulfilled.

"Go on now...You're free,"

All things considered the ship endured pretty well. It was severely damaged, sure. But not the worst kind of damage.

Deciding to save rest for later, Noc'ture, facing the hard rain outside, made a lengthy perimeter around the landing zone while also cloaking it at last., No life form would get a mile close to it without him knowing of their presence.

That was hours ago. And the last drops of water had gone out.

Now with the sun's light rising, he had been evaluating the hull's exterior. A few dents and scratches around the front. Nothing major. Then there was the back. For obvious reasons, there was nothing to be done for the thrusters. Left totally gone, as if a basilisk had taken a full bite out of the ship.,

The right was only better at first glance. The force of jumping across the portal and the fall had burned/fried the engine and components inside. Noc'ture's clan was known to be experts in manufacturing, but even they couldn't work miracles without resources to replace and fix parts of any kind.

For now, it was a matter of focusing on what he had ways to work with.,

After finishing examining the outside, he proceeded to the inner sections. First priority was seeing if the power cells could be salvage. Thankfully, a part of them could. With the welding going smoothly, he wouldn't run out of power anytime soon.

Next came the supplies.

Looking at them, Noc'ture made a discovery which would provide a severe scolding from both his trainers and, father had either of them known. Call it an iron drive or an obsessive need. But since the hunt's beginning, he hadn't touched a third of the food lent to him.

Precarious diet aside, he had enough to last a couple of moons. Only really having to worry if there was consumable water and game to hunt on this planet.

The rest of the inspection went with good results. The armory, bathroom, quarters, hangars, control grid, and trophy rooms were intact and operating in total capacity.,

Yet, for the second time, lucky was swift to leave his side.

Sitting again at the cabin, Noc'ture ardently altered the ship's programs to make communications start up. Since the source stayed at the front of the vessel, it was the one who took the most punishment during the fall.

Try as he might, there was no success in reconnecting with his kin on Prime or others in the galaxy. Leaving only the short-range communications on the bio masks with him.,

Accepting that it was of no use to continue, he slumped into the chair in weary.

Stranded. That's what Noc'ture was.

Was it some form of further punishment? Had Paya been unsatisfied with his strive for redemption and decided to throw a new challenge? One he couldn't face in combat but put his skills to test nonetheless?

Usually, it would be a statement of irony. Not now.

Looking over his shoulder, he spotted a separate chamber on the ship. One that he would put what was stoled. The armors, weapons, and heads of the unworthy. Those who dared break their honor and drew blood from their own.

After so long, he was ready to return home, allow ghosts to rest, and take upon his new responsibility. In the back of his mind, Noc'ture still thought himself not fitting for the latter. But it was set and done. There was no running from it.

And he would not.

It was bound to be complicated., After all, this planet was unknown to him.

Well, time to do what he did best.

Learn.

Noc'ture brought up an overall view of the world, along with a list of information about it. Who knows, maybe it had a -

...

...

...

For some good minutes, he sat there, just staring at what was on display in the screen.

The resemblance to the earth started to make sense. Humans lived in this world. Yet, it was unlike the colonies Noc'ture had toured before. It was so - outdated.

Humankind had long since evolved beyond its limits centuries ago. They, too, had mastered the ways to travel space. Learned to occupy other solar systems or even live in the infinite void in their great stations.

And with that progress, they became better at fending off against the Yautjas, or more dangerous species. It made even the most prideful hunters begrudgingly see them as worthy prey and equals. So seeing one of their civilizations now, looking like it was in the primordials age basically, was rightfully off-putting for Noc'ture.

Hell, not even the automobiles called cars existed.

At the same time, it explained much. With countless other human strongholds across the galaxy, why would any Yautja waste time with a distant and underdeveloped planet?

It was a shared notion, it seemed, as there were but only two visit recordings and two updates on the maps. These being almost a millennia apart from the other.

The oldest, made by O'bek, spoke of the northern region. The simple yet strong people that lived there, along with their beasts. It also mentioned Legends of the past and deadly ice. The hunter only collected two trophies in his time there. Stating that the winter season scared away any challenge from him and complicated the hunt.,

Noc'ture snorted. One clan would've no problems with that kind of weather.

Passing a clawed finger on the screen, he read the last report. Made by Zo'rur.

It was much more detailed than the first. With the hunter traveling to two different locations.,

The first was on the other side of the planet, in a land similar to where Noc'ture had descended. Hot, barren for miles. But also home to various conflicts. The armored Yautja eyes narrowed at the mention of savage warriors that roamed the land in their mounts. While fearless and skilled opponents, they held no honor. Killing females, the weak, and the young was normality for them.

At least there was satisfaction at the end. The hunter put in the effort to make an example out of them. Part of the Leaders at the time had their bodies hanged for all to see. It was more than they deserved.

Getting to the last words written, Noc'ture's head tilted in interest, ever having an eye for minimal details. It says the hunter traveled miles ahead to where he was and proceeded to leave. But then, there was nothing more.

Crossing his arms, Noc'ture pondered. Something must've happened in between those travels. Yautja were never ones to hide their exploits for banal reasons. That by itself raised plenty of suspicions.

Find one answer, create many more questions.

But, now, he at least had a foundation to solve them himself. The first step is not staying there waiting.

Standing up, Noc'ture took a glance outside. Night had fallen during the hours he spent sitting. But it wasn't so late as he checked.

Perfect.

Enough hiding.

Transfering the limited data available to his gauntlet, he became eager to see what else this world had to offer. Homesick as he was, this was bound to be a good distraction for a time., Enough for him to search and maybe find a way to make contact again.

(OST- Predicide)

Deeply growling, Noc'ture opened the armory.

With a simple command, a silver mask formed around his head. Completing than the full suit of armor., Red visors blinked to life as the interface started. His shoulder rolling, a large plasma caster rose from behind. It shifted and turned before settling again.

Firmly closing his fist, the two long and sharp wrist-bladescame out, the metal ringing. Plus a net gun.

Then came the rest.

Noc'ture arsenal was composed of the highest quality the clan could give. But a hunt made the weapons, not the other way around. For that, he chose his prime choices.

A pyramid headed combi stickat the lower side of his waist. One single plasma pistol at the belt., And lastly, two personalized long swords. If there was a weapon that represented Noc'ture, it was these blades. They've been made based on the member of the top-knot clan. Whose battles were against ancient warriors of earth.

Noc'ture twirled them in his hands before strapping both on his back.

The hanger was his last stop.

Usually, in normal conditions, a hunter must limit use of transport. More so in an established perimeter. But Noc'ture's case was far from it.

Running those distances on foot would be a waste of energy and time. So it was the right occasion to bring it out.

The walls rumbled with sound as he pushed a bottom at the entrance. From inside, the machine take and place a hoverbike in position, its engines starting automatically a second later.,

Grabbing the handles and placing himself over it, Nocture uploaded the region's map in the navigator. Just as the hangar's doors opened and the cloaking was over him and the bike, the engines gave one more roar.

Soon, he was out, traversing the long desert. The thought of Zo'rur's mystery returned, and it prompted Noc'ture to go faster into the heart of the land, as it's name was written for him.

Dorne.

Yeah, people, you read it right.

The infamous Predator is going to spend some time at Westeros!

Now, I know the series finale left a horrible taste in everyone's mouth. But there's hope on the horizon. House of the dragon will come and conquer all of our hearts once more. And luckily, good Ol'Martin will finish the next book soon.

The same thing can be said for both Alien and the Predator as well. Their last movies burned people out.

Yet the new movie "Prey" and the Tv series are slowly building my hype. Fingers crossed that justice is done for them.

Let's talk details.

Noc'ture is an OC, as I wanted to create a unique storyline for him and the characters he will soon interact with in the story. He does, however, have bits of known Yautjas from the movies and others.

When I mentioned "Armored" for him, I mean it. The idea came from, and please don't kill me, the "Predator Killer,"

I know, I know, how do I dare to do such a thing. But I can't help it, the design is amazing, and the statues of it are bad-ass., I had to use it for this story.

As for the special swords he has. If you've played Hunting grounds, what they look like are is clear as day.,

Oh, and the bike ? Search "Sang Han Hover Bike" It's that, but Yautja style. Funny enough, at first I thought it would be made up thing by me.,

But the predators actually have war bikes, surprise surprise!

Anyway, that's the major stuff. For furthermore, please wait until the next chapter.

Thank you for reading.

See ya.