A Yautja cruiser descended on the Scorpion system, a forested planet with no known civilizations. The cruiser didn't bother to cloak itself as no sentient being would be able to see it. The ship easily went through the atmosphere and then gracefully landed amidst the forest trees. Unlike Earth, these trees were massive reaching heights three times that of a normal Earth tree. Their trunks were massive, and their branches reached so far that the planet's sunlight faced difficulty getting to the ground.
The Yautja cruiser hovered above the trees for a moment, as the warriors inside prepared to drop in. Lex was among those warriors. She had been given the same amount of equipment as the others; a mask, plasma cannon, knives, cloaking device, spear, net projectile gun, and a medical kit.
The trip to a new planet was beyond her comprehension. She was now the first human to have visited two different planets. She considered herself an explorer, not much different than her previous profession. With any luck, she would be able to find new cliffs, mountains, and glaciers to climb and conquer. These were the thoughts that went through Lex's head as she prepared for almost certain doom.
She was terribly nervous and frightened as to what she was supposed to do. However, her new physiology did not permit her to show this openly. Her hands did not shake and her new face held no expression especially behind a new mask. Some of the other warriors looked at her curiously with their masked faces. Lex could not tell if they knew whether she was scared or not. She could not tell what they were thinking. Of the dozen or so on the ship, she was the only female.
Suddenly, an elder stood up among the others and began to click. It was an explanation as to what they were doing, what dangers awaited, and what to do during an attack. It was a speech of enthusiasm and determination. Lex could not help but feel confident in her new leader even if it was for a brief time. Her enthusiasm greatly changed as the floor began to open up.
Lex hugged the walls firmly as the floor opened revealing the trees below. The drop was rather long; it would easily kill her if she fell. The wind immediately rushed into the room making it difficult for Lex to hold on. The other warriors seemed to know what they were doing. They attached a rope cable to their gear and prepared to drop down. Lex imitated them and successfully attached the cable to her belt. It wasn't all that different from when she went climbing.
As soon as the cables were attached, each of the warriors dropped down into the forest environment. Lex was the last to go, but she finally brought herself to drop down. The fall was quick and short. As soon as she landed on the ground, she detached the cable and looked up as the cable disappeared into the ship. Looking up, she could no longer see the ship as the sky had been blocked out by the tree branches.
Following her training, she immediately cloaked. The sensation of being cloaked was different and a little weird for Lex. The sensation was similar to static electricity buzzing above her skin. It didn't burn nor was it painful, but it was different. Lex did an immediate scan and couldn't detect the others; they must have cloaked as well. She was alone.
Lex cautiously walked among the trees in cloak. Her task was to bring back the skull of a giant beast she couldn't pronounce. The task seemed barbaric and crude to her when she was first told of it. It was an ironic twist that a race of aliens with superior technology would still resort to hunting and killing other animals. Lex was no vegetarian, but she expected more from a race that prided itself on collecting skulls.
Finally, her scanners found something. It was small, and she had difficulty telling what it was. She used her mind to change her vision scanners so she could get a better look. The scans gave her the image of what could resemble a frog. It was amphibian, had three legs, and had three eyes on both sides of its face. Lex's first reaction to the creature was that of disgust but some curiosity. She knew she had to be careful with this frog, as she knew all sorts of poisonous frogs found in the Amazons back on Earth.
The frog seemed to stare at her and then croaked loudly. Lex wondered if the frog was able to see her with its six eyes. As the frog began to stick its tongue at her, Lex felt an instinctive need to kill this creature. Instead, she decided to walk past it.
However, the frog had other plans as it opened its mouth. Its mouth was full of razor-sharp teeth that resembled a piranha or a shark. The frog shot out its long tongue and attached itself to her wrist blade. It then jumped up and engaged her with its large mouth filled with teeth. Lex instinctively extended her blades and sliced the frog's mouth in two before it could reach her. The broken frog fell to the ground dead. Lex sliced off the frog's tongue off her wrist blade and stared at the dead frog. Had her vision not been changed dramatically, she would have been disgusted by the mess.
Walking past the dead frog, she heard some more croaking noise ahead of her. Lex tried to concentrate as the croaking became louder. Within a few moments, dozens of frogs were hopping towards her with their mouths open. Lex immediately extended both wrist blades and activated her plasma cannon. The frogs flooded the forest and were now after her.
Lex ran through the forest leaping over dead trees, brush, rocks, and uneven ground as the frogs pursued her. Lex could not hesitate to consider the ridiculousness of being hunted down by a pack of meat-eating frogs. Despite her efforts, the frogs were gaining on her as they knew the terrain much better than her. For some reason, they were able to see through her cloak.
Lex turned around and sliced a frog in half as it tried to bite her back. She then kicked another one away, the frog splattered as it hit a tree trunk. Finally, Lex was cornered among several trees. Lex looked up at the tree and found it to be climbable. Taking her wrist blades, she sliced into the tree trunk and attempted to climb up to escape the frogs.
The frogs huddled around the tree trunk and croaked at her. "Can't get me up here, can you?" she mocked to herself.
The frogs then opened their mouths and shot out their tongues. Their tongues went through the air and grabbed onto her ankle. Lex struggled with her foot as the frogs collectively tried to pull her down. Lex used her mind to activate her plasma cannon. Arming it, she centered the target on the frogs and fired. A blue blast of plasma hit the frogs causing them to explode in blue blood and guts. She continued to fire at the ground until the last of them were destroyed or had escaped into the forest.
Lex felt rather pleased with herself until she realized her plasma blasts had created a rather large fire beneath her. The smoke was rising rapidly up the tree trunk. Lex looked upward and began to climb to escape the fire and smoke. In the distance, other warriors saw a smoke form. Three of them decloaked and turned to look at the new forest fire in curiosity.
Lex used her new muscles to climb up the tree as fast as she could. Her mask was assisting her in filtering out the smoke but it wouldn't be long before she was consumed in the fire. Climbing up on a branch, she then jumped to another branch on another tree. Her landing was less than graceful, she barely hung on to the new branch. Finding her projectile cable gun, she pointed and fired at a tree in the distance. A strong cable sprung out and sliced into the tree trunk. Lex tugged at it to make sure it was firm and then connected the other end of the cable to the tree she was currently on. Sufficiently connected, she flew through the air on the cable until she reached the next tree.
For the next few hours, Lex went from one tree to the next. Her endurance had been greatly improved with her new body. With the planet's sun going down, Lex decided to set up camp. Taking out a small device from her gear, she activated it on the ground. The device opened up revealing a small tent, the cloth became rigid due to a flow of static electricity through it. Rooting the tent into the ground, Lex went inside and went to sleep.
It was no long before, Lex woke up to discover something very wrong. Centipede-like creatures and other types of insects were crawling on the roof of her tent. Lex wondered at first whether they would be able to get inside. Within a few moments, the insects began chewing into the cloth and puncturing holes into the tent. Panicked, Lex fired at the insects with her plasma cannon. The blast tore open the tent and splattered several large insects. Other insects immediately fell through the hole in her tent and began attacking her.
Lex tore at the insects as they got on her. Finally, she ripped her tent to shreds to get out of it and then found herself surrounded by various insects. Some were able to fly while others crawled. Most of them were two to three times larger than any insects she had seen on Earth. Lex extended a shuriken blade and began slicing at all the insects around her. Despite her efforts, she quickly became overwhelmed and buried in a pile of hostile insects.
Several hours later, Lex emerged from the fires and smoke of the forest fire she had created. Her skin had been stained in the blue blood of frogs, insects, birds, and other types of creatures. She suffered several scrapes, bruises, and cuts. But despite all of this, she was more mad than injured. She wanted to kill this creature and go back home.
With one thought on her mind, she came to a cave that held the creature she was to kill. Normally, a hunter would use bait or some other technique to encourage the creature to come out. Lex targeted the entrance of the cave and fired. Plasma blasts went into the cave causing blue light to shine outward as it impacted. Lex continued to fire constant bursts into the cave hoping that a few of them would actually hit the creature.
The creature roared in irritation as the plasma blasts went into his cave. Storming out of the cave, Lex realized what she was up against. The creature was twice the size of an Earth elephant. It walked on four large trunk-like legs; it had a long tail with barbs at the end of it, its back was full of sharp spines, and its head had a hard bony forehead. Its mouth was full of sharp teeth; it held at least three tongues, its face had three eyes on each side, and it held sharp tusks on its bottom jaw.
Lex backed up a few feet as the creature roared at her. "No problem, I will just blast it," Lex thought. She aimed and fired at it.
The blast hit the creature's skin but it only made a small wound. The creature roared more in an annoyance than pain. Lex attempted to fire again but it was the same result. The creature used its tail to swat her sending her to the ground with a thud. Lex got back up and extended her wrist blades. The creature attempted to stomp her with its front legs. Lex got out of the way before she could be crushed and sliced at one of its front legs. The blades caused the creature to bleed, but it made no significant damage.
Lex flipped up to her feet and ran away from the creature as it chased after her. Lex climbed up a tree thinking that this would stop the creature's pursuit. The creature hugged the tree and attempted to grab her with its long tongues. Lex fired on the creature and accidentally blasted its eye out. The creature roared in pain and continued to try to get at her.
Realizing the creature's weakness, she shot at the creature's eyes. The blasts hit the creature's other eye, blinding it. The creature, however, was quite strong and pushed the tree over. Lex fell off the tree and landed hard on the ground. The creature then blindly tried to get at her by using its sense of smell. Lex extended her spear and threw it at the creature. The spear sank into the creature's side but it didn't stop it. Lex then took a shuriken blade and threw it at the creature. The blade whirled through the air and sliced into the creature's face causing it to bleed. The blade then came back to Lex, but before she could grab it she was flung through the air by the creature's tail.
Lex gasped as she tried to fill her lungs, the blow had knocked the wind out of her. The creature charged her and then extended its tongue. Its tongue wrapped around her ankle and pulled her toward its mouth. Lex struggled against the tongue and tried to used her blades to dig into the ground. But the creature was too strong and it continued to pull her in. Lex sliced at the tongues but they were too thick.
The creature opened its mouth wide to eat her whole. Lex stopped struggling and targeted the creature's mouth. Just as she was about to be eaten, she fired into the creature's mouth. The blast went through the creature's mouth and caused its head to explode. The creature fell to the ground dead and Lex was completely covered in blue goo.
Four Yautja suddenly decloaked around her including the ranking warrior, an equivalent to a squad leader in a human army. Lex waved her arms in a pathetic attempt to flick the blood and gore off her body. It became apparent to her that they had been watching the fight the entire time and did nothing. Lex faced the four warriors; her irritated expression hidden underneath her mask. "Pick up your equipment," the squad leader ordered.
Lex gave the squad leader a mock salute and then began picking up the weapons scattered all over the ground. The Yautja warriors eyed her as she assembled her equipment and then worked to attach them to her belt and armor. When she was done she addressed the squad leader who gave her a look over. "Continue with your hunt," he ordered.
"I killed it," Lex protested pointing to the mess that once was the beast.
The squad leader clicked furiously with the other warriors; she couldn't tell if they were laughing or angry at her. "The skull must be intact," the squad leader said.
Lex simply stared at the squad leader and then looked back; the beast's skull had been blown to pieces. "What's the difference?" Lex complained.
"The skull must be collected as a sign of your success. It will be a great honor for you to have in your possession," the squad leader answered.
"I don't care about skulls," Lex said disgusted by the very concept.
The squad leader advanced upon her to indicate his seriousness. "You treat the hunt as a burden instead of an opportunity. You don't see the hunt as a way of life," the squad leader growled at her.
Lex's shoulders fell as she got lectured; the squad leader was right. She was a hunter only because she wanted to avoid being a "breeder." Lex looked around into the forest and then turned to the squad leader. "I'll get the skull," she told him.
The squad leader stared at her and then disappeared as his cloak became activated. The other three warriors became cloaked as well and followed the squad leader into the forest.
Once the warriors were gone, she did a systems check. Her weapons were wet with blue blood and gore but still functional. She activated the hologram giving her a map of the area. She could then see the terrain features, rivers, and lakes. Orientating her map, she found the closest river and then moved towards it. As she cut through the forest vines and vegetation, she activated her targeting system. With a high energy supply for her laser cannon, she decided to use it liberally. Her mask was able to detect motion for her creating a red triangle on the object; she would then fire on the object. So, as she walked through the forest, she began blasting creatures in all directions.
Once she got to the river, she stepped in waist-high; the blue gore began to wash off as the fast-moving water hit her. The water was easy to get used to due to the hot humid environment she was in and due to her tough skin. She immersed herself entirely in the water and washed herself of all the blue gunk on her body. When she was clean enough, she saw some large serpents approaching her from both sides. Noticing them, she scanned both directions and then blasted the river with her plasma cannon killing everything in the river. After several shots, she realized the water around her was becoming too hot. She immediately made her way to the shore as the river turned to hot steam.
With her success at being able to kill things, Lex headed deeper into the forest with renewed confidence. She realized she couldn't fight like a normal Yautja, she just didn't have the training or the experience. She would have to rely on her human intellect which was now computing at a much faster rate. Climbing up a tall tree, she looked over the forest before her. With her mind, she targeted the trees and fired everywhere. Her plasma cannon fired once a second into the trees creating small explosions wherever she hit. Within a few minutes, the forest was ablaze.
Lex dropped down and threw diamond shape devices that stuck to the trees. Upon sticking to the tree, the diamonds glowed red and then created a laser field between the diamonds. Resuming her cloak, Lex waited as animals ran to escape the forest fire. They crossed into the river where they would get stuck briefly while trying to wade through it. Lex fired on them turning the river a dark blue and creating steam. Animals were boiled alive as they crossed into the river. Eventually, the monster she wanted to kill splashed into the river to escape the fire. Knowing she couldn't kill the beast with her plasma cannon, she fired to the right and left of the beast so that it charged a certain direction. As she had hoped, the beast went through the laser field and was sliced to pieces as it crossed through.
Lex cautiously walked up to the beast; its legs had been slashed to pieces as well as deep wounds all over its body. Its head remained untouched but there was a slash to its neck. When it was clear the creature was dead, Lex redirected her diamonds so that they created a perimeter around her. She didn't want to be disturbed while she got her skull. Hesitating briefly, she took her knife and cut into the creature's flesh carefully pulling the flesh away from the skull. It may have been more queasy for her if the blood were red but the bluish coloring looked like food coloring. With a good pull, she disconnected the skull to the spine and then grasped it in her hands. It was heavy, even for her new body.
Even with the skull, there was still work to do. She had to pluck out the three eyeballs, cut the tongue out, and cut off the remaining flesh. When she was confident she had done a decent job, she clicked a button on her wrist indicating her location. Within the hour, a Yautja warrior decloaked and appeared before; the appearance of it still unnerved Lex. It was not too long ago that a cloaked Yautja had kicked her hard to the gut and killed a fellow human right before her. Lex raised the skull so he could see it; the Yautja grasped the skull and looked it over.
"Not finished," he said to her.
"What else?" she asked becoming frustrated.
The Yautja warrior took a seat up against a tree and took out some tools. He then turned the skull upside down and pointed to the place where the skull had been connected; there was now a hole. "The brain?" she asked.
The Yautja simply stared at her and then took out a device that looked like a small handgun. He pointed the device inside the skull and released a liquid substance inside it. Lex watched in fascination as the injected substance liquefied the brain. Within a short time, the contents of the skull poured like liquid out the holes. The Yautja then pointed a tube at the skull which released a very cold gas. The gas was highly pressurized and it worked efficiently in getting the remaining flesh off the skull. When he was finished, he handed the skull back to her; it felt slightly lighter.
"Ship has the equipment to better clean," the Yautja said to her. "But this is good," he complimented.
"What happens next?" she asked.
"We wait," he said vaguely.
Lex folded her arms over her chest in a very human-like expression as they waited. The Yautja would occasionally stare at her with his mask, but she could not tell what he was thinking. Even if he took the mask off, she would probably not know. "When did you become a hunter?" Lex asked.
"Three of your Earth years," he said.
"You still think of me as human?"
The Yautja sighed as if uncertain of how to answer. "That is a start," he said pointing to her animal skull. "But many creatures can kill a simple beast. The way you hunt is not like that of a Yautja but that of a human," he said.
"Yet, you helped me," Lex noted.
There was a long pause. "I knew the three that went to Earth, they were of the same class as me. I heard what you did for Scar," he said. "If only I could have been with them."
"You would have died," Lex said as she recalled that icy hell and proceeding crash.
"We do not fear death but invite it if it's honorable. Scar died an honorable death," he said. "The Xenomorph Queen is worthy prey."
"Is there another reason you helped me?" Lex asked suggestively. She wasn't sure why she was thinking odd thoughts or why she was antagonizing the young male. The Yautja stared at her before answering.
"We are taught to be helpful and respectful of the female," he said finally.
Lex found herself a little disappointed by the male's answer. Suddenly, the trees began to sway and leaves began showering down on them. The Yautja ship instantly appeared above them. Ropes fell down to their level. The Yautja male hooked the rope to his gear and then assisted Lex. The two were then pulled up into the ship.
The Yautja squad leader looked over the beast's skull and then turned to the other male warriors beside him; Lex was in the room but not a part of the conversation. "How was this kill accomplished?" the squad leader asked.
"The female created a forest fire that provoked all living animals to cross a wide river. The female then proceeded to fire upon the animals as they crossed the river; the target was directed by her fire into an energy field that crippled the beast," one of the males reported.
The other two males brought their fists to their chest armor confirming the story. The squad leader then turned to Lex. "You managed to kill two beasts and bring back the skull of one of them. That was all you were required to do. But be mindful of proper technique. In an otherwise normal environment, it would be unlawful to create a forest fire of this size. It creates attention to our presence. Also, you are to hunt the prey, not bring the prey to you." the squad leader lectured.
"The female did form a trap for the prey, did she not?" the male that had assisted Lex spoke out.
"That she did. It made a rather routine hunt...interesting," the squad leader allowed and then turned his back on the others as he walked off.
Lex took off her equipment and thoroughly cleaned it with a substance more powerful than human-made chemicals. Once her equipment passed inspection, she took a shower once the males were done. The latrine on board the ship was not gender-specific due to a lack of females usually on hunting ships. The comforting water washed away all the dirt, blood, and plant life off her. The soap used by the Yautja was a liquid soap that acted like an acid eating away any non-organic substances on the body. Lex heard a hissing sound as the soap dissolved away the grime. Within a few minutes, the soap made Lex's body perfectly clean and smooth.
With her body no longer covered in dirt and blood, Lex was able to take a good look at herself again. She felt her soft skin that looked reptilian but was as smooth as a dolphin. Her body was entirely hairless except for her scalp which gave her a long mane. Her hair had yet to be braided and was a complete mess; just like when she was human she felt the split ends and tangles. She immediately went to work on her hair so that it would resemble her human appearance. When she was finally done, she stepped out of the shower and looked herself over in a mirror. She closed her mandibles tightly so she could look slightly human-looking but even so her face was still very alien. Her forehead was large, her face although feminine compared to the males was very animal looking. She looked at her fingers that now resembled claws instead of nails.
She opened a compartment and took out some clothes. They were designed for males but after a few adjustments, she was able to cover herself. She used a cape designed for an Elder and used it as a skirt and then clasped her metallic bra around herself. When she was finished, she went outside the latrine and met with the others for a meal. The squad leader and the three other males stared at her for a few moments and then proceeded to eat their meal. The squad leader stood up and assisted her with dinner; it was a small alien leg, a vegetarian paste, and a fruit fluid. Lex considered the meal with some suspicion but then looked over at the other males at the table. The table, like everything else on the ship, looked dark and organic.
"Sit here," the squad leader ordered her.
Lex sat down next to the other males who were trying their best to ignore her. The squad leader eyed the males to keep them in line and then sat across from her. Although the squad leader never showed any empathy towards her, she could tell that she was being included with the group. She took up the alien leg and ate a chunk; it tasted fairly similar to raw fish. As a traveler of the world, Lex was able to eat the meal down without too much difficulty.
"You will face the Tribune in a few day's time," the squad leader said to her.
"Should I be afraid?" Lex asked.
"I shall vouch for you," he assured her.
The Yautja ship approached the desert world from where they had come, the colony planet that hosted the Tribune. Lex watched out the windows in awe as she saw the planet become bigger. Even though she had been in space a number of times, the concept of being a space traveler was still foreign to her. The ship entered the atmosphere and docked next to the capital city of the planet. Yautja warriors exited the ship with canisters and were led by the squad leader into the Tribune Hall. Lex followed behind the group.
The warriors walked through the halls of the Tribune building. There were statues of warriors on both sides of the hall. The warriors then entered a large dome structure that hosted the tribune. They were all present at this meeting was expected. The warriors placed the canisters in front of the Tribune and then walked behind their squad leader. The squad leader opened the canisters and then took out the skulls of killed beasts. He raised the skull above his head so all members of the Tribune could see and then placed the skull on an altar or table in front of him. He did this with all the skulls in the canisters until all the skulls were brought out.
For Lex, the scene was surreal. She had seen hunters with large trophy rooms dedicated to their game, usually antlers but occasionally stuffed heads. This, however, was more like a religious ritual. Everything was seemingly rehearsed well in advance. She didn't know the religious beliefs of this alien race; it had never come up in conversation. "Bring forth the female," the Tribune leader ordered.
The squad leader placed the skull of the beast she had killed in her hands. "Kneel," he told her.
Lex knelt down slowly with the skull in her arms before the Tribune. She then stood up once the squad leader had placed his hand on her shoulder motioning for her to come back up. As she got back to her feet, she nearly lost her hold on the skull earning an annoyed look from the squad leader. "Did she complete the trial?" the Tribune leader asked.
"She did take the skull from a worthy prey without assistance," the squad leader answered.
"Show us," the Tribune leader ordered.
Lex's mask was placed inside a machine; a hologram video appeared from the floor and filled the room so all could see. The Tribune watched quietly as video scenes showed Lex's recorded memories of the hunt including her fight with the killer frogs. The Tribune also saw how Lex began firing on all living things with extreme prejudice as well as creating a large forest fire. Finally, they saw her kill the beast and take its skull.
The hologram shut down revealing a disgruntled Tribune leader. "What do you call yourself?" the Tribune leader asked her.
"They call me Lex," Lex answered.
"Lex, you have completed the requirement we have asked of you. You are hereby promoted to Category 2 citizenship and can now be called a warrior among our people," the Tribune leader said.
There was some murmuring and muttering as the Tribune leader made his decision. "The humans of the planet Earth are in possession of one of our weapons, a plasma cannon. Humans cannot be allowed to replicate this technology. Thousands of years ago, we created human civilizations. We taught them how to build, how to create a written language, and how to hunt. But after the last civilization died out as a result of our interference, we forbid ourselves from directly interfering with the development of humans. They may use the weapon they have collected to wage war against themselves or threaten other worlds in their sector. If the weapon is not retrieved, the High Council on the home-planet may decide to exterminate the humans."
When the Tribune leader had finished his speech, the hall was filled with chatter composing of clicks, grunts, and growls. Lex couldn't catch everything they were saying, but she could detect that many of them were unhappy with the idea of humans no longer being on the list of hunted creatures. If humans were exterminated they reasoned, they would lose out on a popular game. Although Lex appreciated their support for humanity, their motivations disturbed her.
"Take your squad to Earth to retrieve the weapon according to our laws. We do not want humans to know more than they already do. Lex, you will provide your unique perspective on this hunt. Although you may not yet understand our values and traditions, our success will ensure the survival of humans. Do you understand these orders?" the Tribune leader asked.
"I do," Lex answered resolutely.
The rest of the ceremony included promotions and awards of honor to the other warriors for their success. Lex had collected one skull but the other warriors had collected several skulls each of various beasts. When the ceremony was over, the squad leader and the other warriors went back into the ship and blasted off towards Earth. The ship lurched forward, as it went faster than light.