Chapter 16: Back Up is Here

Disclaimer: I do not own Alien/Predator series or any characters and may not follow all customs and cultures found in Alien/Predator movies.

The Bad Blood's ship from above exploded in a ball of blue light, turning into flames. Shards of metal fell like meteorites but all I could see was the shocked expression of Hakr'ouh. It felt great to see him realize that he's not in control of everything.

"C'jit! We're under attack!"

I couldn't tell who it was but there was no doubt that it was a Bad Blood. More blue shots soared across the sky, hitting more ships that were hovering nearby. Soon, several ships fell from the sky, raining down on anyone unfortunate enough to be in the way. The Bad Bloods tried to restrain the kainde amedha that began to panic like animals, pulling on the chains desperately. Some escaped from their captors and began to target anyone in their path, tearing chunks of flesh while blood sprayed all over. I heard Rory calling out weapons-free and bullets were added into the mix. The chaos was all I needed to get out of my predicament.

With Hakr'ouh distracted, I reached for the knife on his belt and plunged it into his arm. He jerked suddenly and his grip on my throat loosened. Now's my chance! My body changed to Yautja in an instant and I headbutted him as hard as I could, followed by an undercut to his chin. The teeth from his lower jaw were forced into his gums, creating puncture wounds and oozed blood. Hakr'ouh flinched, yelping in pain. I curled my back and moved my feet under his belly, thrusting him off of me. I was glad how far I threw him, almost several yards on top of him crashing into his buddies. I got up and roared in satisfaction.

Serves you right!

But then, I heard Lar'ja roaring. I looked and saw him getting pushed into the ground by Qut'suak's tentacles. It was so bizarre in a way to see such a sight. He must have genetically hybridized himself. Pauking asshole. He slammed him on the ground once more and Lar'ja did his best to fight back, slicing some with his blades. I rushed as fast as possible but with no weapon in my hands, I had to ram myself into Qut'suak before he could attack again. He goes flying across the battlefield, skidding across the ground like garbage that he was. As much as I wanted to finish him off, my concerns went to see my mate's welfare.

"Lar'ja!"

I picked him up from the arm and got him on his feet. He didn't look too terrible but I knew he was hurting by how every time he grunted. His right side was covered in abrasions but nothing too serious. "Are you alright?"

He nods, shaking himself off. "I'm alright. Did he hurt you?"

His hands and eyes searched my body but I stopped him. "Don't worry about it."

When I was sure Lar'ja was okay, I searched back to see where Hakr'ouh and Qut'suak were. Sure enough, they were taking off in the opposite direction. Hak'rouh snapped at one Bad Blood that got too close and smacked him. He wasn't too happy so my guess was right. Whoever came was not on their side but there was no guarantee that they were our allies.

I got a moment to look up and see if I knew them. My eyes widened in shock and awe at the impressive gathering of ships in the sky. It was like an armada. A huge, mothership like the ones docked on Yautja Prime hovered, firing again and again on the Bad Blood ship that threatened to shoot us down. It fell far enough that we weren't out of danger but the impact sent shockwaves on the ground. I had to hold on to Lar'ja to keep my balance. Following behind, a dozen or smaller ships swooped past and began their barrage. Shots fired but only targeted groups of the Killer Yautjas and kainde amedha. Those who escaped being blown to smithereens scattered like flies.

This is crazy . . . I didn't expect a bunch to come.

I looked to Hakr'ouh arguing with Qut'suak before his red eyes gathered to me. He's not happy alright. His eyes glowed a burning red, displaying his rage mixed with disappointment. I smirked, letting my mandibles twist as much as they could. Suck on that, you dick. My joy, though, was gone when I saw him turn around and run off into the forest followed by Qut'suak and several of his followers. Oh no, you don't!

"We have to go! He's escaping!"

I tugged on Lar'ja for a moment but released his arm when he didn't go fast enough. But I only got several steps before a kainde amedha with his pauking master got in the way. They didn't want us to pass. I was losing precious time. If I didn't get Hakr'ouh now, this war won't be finished before more lives are lost.

I growled in fury. "Get out of my way!"

The Bad Blood snarled under his cold mask. "You won't stop our Leader and I won't let you pass!"

With a click of his mandibles, he lets go of the chain in his hand and the kainde amedha does his bidding. It charges like a raging bull, snapping its jaws when it lunges at me. I was ready to fight without any weapons. The thought of tearing it apart with my bare hands was somewhat satisfying. I'm not sure if it was like this with everyone but knowing that you had the strength to do such a thing was . . . incredible.

But a blade comes flying across and hits the kainde amedha's shoulder, throwing it off balance and misses me by a few inches. The next thing I knew, Lar'ja slams into it, slicing his blades into its neck and decapitating it with ease. The acidic blood sprayed on the ground and the burning smell was back again. Pauk . . . I hate it.

The Bad Blood saw this and roared in fury. Now, he had to do the dirty work that his 'pet' couldn't achieve. He pulls out a spear and charges, swinging it in a circular formation like a helicopter. But he didn't make it one step when a cannon blast shot into his chest, leaving a gaping hole where his arteries and veins hung like vines now that the heart was destroyed. His body falls hard like dead weight.

"Are you out of your mind?"

Rory stomps over with Xen'ork, holding my twin swords. He didn't look happy but I didn't have time to think about it. I looked back but I knew Hakr'ouh and Qut'suak were far gone, even if I ran as fast as I could. Disappointment filled my chest, turning my body back to ooman form. I grunted in frustration and turned to face Rory and Lar'ja who were coming to me.

"I had no choice. I was going for Hakr'ouh and Qut'suak."

I couldn't see his reaction due to his face covered in a mask but he shook his head. I wasn't sure if he thought I was an idiot or there was no use in arguing. He throws my twin swords and I grab them easily. "It doesn't matter now. We've got bigger problems to deal with."

I heard hissing from behind and saw that more kainde amedha had appeared. It seemed like the more we killed them, they got replaced in a split second. There was no time to take a breath. I thought my chest was going to burst from exhaustion. The only thing keeping me going was my willpower to protect my loved ones and the urge to hunt. That had ingrained itself into me and has now become an instinct. And I wasn't going to deny it now. I bent my knees and readied my swords. Lar'ja, Rory, and Xen'ork came to my sides and armed to the teeth. The leading kainde amedha screeches into the air and leads the attack.

But all of a sudden, some clouded figures jumped from the trees and slammed on the kainde amedha, killing them instantly with invisible blades. Or somewhat at least. I scurried back, wary of what they will do next. Everyone else did the same. Lar'ja kept close to me. Despite taking out our enemy, we still didn't know who they were. One stood up straight but still had the silhouette of a blade out and it doesn't seem like they were about to drop it.

Oh pauk . . . more?

The figure clicked. "I never would have thought we would meet again like this, Ta'kasa."

Huh?

The voice was all too familiar but deep down, I knew right away who it was. My mouth opened wide but nothing came out. The silhouettes suddenly materialized and appeared as full armored Yautjas, masks and all. The two on the outside I didn't recognize but the one in the middle I recognized straight away. Only one Yautja has golden specks on their skin like that.

"Sa'iye?"

Lar'ja and Xen'ork gasped in shock. Rory, on the other hand, was confused. The only person out of our little group that wasn't caught up in the details. But it was good to see her. Sa'iye chuckles and takes off her mask, revealing herself to me. My heart leaped in joy for that brief moment. "You're alive."

"And you as well. Although, I wished our union wasn't in the middle of a battlefield."

All of a sudden, she growls and her body tenses. It wasn't until I noticed she was staring behind me. I only had to turn my head slightly to the left to realize a Bad Blood was about to stab me with a knife. He was too fast for me to react and I was for sure going to get stabbed . . . or worse. But the Bad Blood roars in agony. His chest bursts with green blood as I saw two serrated blades had cut through. I had to get out of the way when the body fell to the floor. Holy c'jit.

"Sa'iye. You should know better to keep your guard up. You almost got our Leader killed."

That was unmistakable. It wasn't just the voice that told me who it was but rather the tone of it. It was full of seriousness that reminded me of one person that always nagged me about protection on Yautja Prime. I rolled my eyes in the back of my head as I turned around. But when I got a good look at him, the annoyance I felt disappeared. Despite our past times together, it was good to see another familiar face or body for that matter. His green and black stripes shined under the light of fire coming from the aerial battle above.

"Za'hir."

He didn't take his mask off but I could hear the relief in his voice. "It's good to see you again, my Lord." He turns his head to Lar'ja and Xen'ork. "Same goes for the both of you."

Lar'ja nods. "Same here, Za'hir."

"Umm . . . pardon me for the intrusion but we're not done here yet."

Rory calls, pointing to a horde of Bad Bloods and kainde amedha that were heading towards the others. The soldiers were doing their best but I could see fatigue was starting to get to them. Dutch, Dallas, and Lex were holding their own but they wouldn't last much longer. It looked like it got to the point that Brackett had to fight whilst keeping guard of Mike who was still not on his feet, shooting a handgun to keep the kainde amedha at bay. Guess our reunion will have to wait until this is taken care of.

"Alright. Let's take care of this then. How many are left?"

Za'hir answered. "No much is left. Our surprise attack took them off guard. Some are retreating though when we landed. Olgoth and T'uark are taken care of it. All we have is a few remaining preys and Bad Bloods left."

I grunted. My gut gave me a bad feeling that the few who were retreating was Hakr'ouh and Qut'suak. Cowards. I should have known better that they would leave to let others do their dirty work. The desire to kill them grew immensely. But on the bright side, I knew that Olgoth and T'uark were also here. My Elites had returned to me. Everyone I knew was alive and with me now. My heart grew in warmth, even in a dark place like this.

"Then let's give them something to remember when we send them to their deaths."

When I spoke those words, I could feel the joy in each of them. I looked up to Lar'ja and I could see the lust to kill in his eyes. It would have scared oomans easily but it was the opposite effect on me. Rory nodded in approval and brought his wrist blades to his chest. I turned to our allies still fighting and I roared with all my breath. "Time to end this!"

With the roars of my Elites combined with Lar'ja's and Xen'ork's, we charged on the kainde amedha and the Bad Bloods like death coming for them. I cut down the first one in my sights, feeling the tearing of flesh run through my blades of a kainde amedha. I didn't hesitate to find another to kill. I heard the grunts and growls from my sides but I didn't bother to look. I knew my friends would fight and win the battle. That's how much confidence I had in them. The shocked expressions of Lex, Dallas, and the others when they saw us fighting were expected but at least they didn't attack us right away.

I couldn't blame them. It's confusing from their point of view.

Still, it didn't matter. There was a battle that we needed to finish, regardless of what everyone wants.I swung my swords over, again and again, cutting all who were my enemies as the battle went on through the night.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

My breath was erratic, fighting to slow down my heartbeat as I slew the last of our enemies. It was a Bad Blood that almost caught me by surprise but wasn't fast enough to dodge the chain that wrapped around his leg and pulled him under. He was dead in a second as I stabbed him hard in the skull, feeling it shatter like a grenade. I pulled my sword out but I didn't move away. I scanned around me, examining the overall damage that the battle left behind.

Other than the massive count of dead bodies being piled up on Dutch's order for disposal later, the worst was seeing the injuries sustained on our side. There were oomans with missing limbs, crying out for anything to stop the pain. Others were unfortunate to get some kainde amedha blood on their skins, leaving gaping wounds that would never heal. My eyes had to see one soldier dying from his stomach ripped open and his organs half-eaten. There was no saving him. I stepped away to get some air. The smell of blood fumigated the entire area and it started to turn my stomach.

"Are you sick?"

Lar'ja checks on me, moving his hand on my stomach since he saw me holding it. I shook it off but pressed my body against him. "I'm fine. Don't like the smell."

"That's understandable. It stinks like a D'urong corpse left out in the sun to rot."

I rolled my eyes. I figured Xen'ork had to put in a word that would make things worse and seem like it was nothing as he tended to clean his mauls. D'urongs are the worst prey anyone could hunt in my opinion. They were the equivalent of a stink bug but ten times bigger with an addition of legs that could make it run faster. I'll never understand why Yautjas hunt them. Maybe to show they can stand it.

"But at least they're dead."

"For now."

Rory was right. This wasn't the end of them. I'm not sure if Hakr'ouh or Qut'suak escaped but there's no guarantee. Some way or another, they would have gotten out of this situation using their followers as leverage. The behavior reminded too well of Traeger who did the same thing. Still the same in both species.

Walking slowly to us, Rory unsheathed the Protector while Lex and Dallas followed. His body was sweating profusely. Many would have thought he came out of a sweat lounge rather than a life-or-death fight. Lex and Dallas appeared to have gone through a meat grinder, covered in cuts that bled a little. They didn't seem serious but it was better to check in case.

Lex nudged on Rory's shoulder. "Everyone seems to be okay but we lost almost half of the main forces. The rest are either on death's door or have serious injuries."

He nods. "I see. Make sure they get proper medical treatment as soon as possible. Use whatever supplies we have left."

"But it may not be enough."

"Just use them. Do whatever it takes to help them."

"I can help with that."

Everyone turned and saw Sa'iye approach us with Za'hir on her side. If I didn't know any better, Za'hir seemed more attached to Sa'iye than before. Even during the fighting, he stayed close and it was similar behavior with Lar'ja and I. Hmmm . . .

"We have supplies that are more effective and faster in treating the wounded."

But as soon as Sa'iye came too close, Lex and Dallas stepped back in fear. Sa'iye, noticing the change in behavior, stopped in her tracks. Oh right . . . They don't know. I decided to start the greetings between the two species.

"My apologies. Lex . . . Dallas . . . Rory . . .This is Sa'iye and Za'hir. They are my Elites and friends of ours."

I switched to Yautja's speech and dealt with the other side. "Sa'iye and Za'hir . . . This is Rory, Lex, and Dallas. They are also friends of mine."

"Rory?" She takes a look at him. "Is he the ooman you spoke about?"

I slowly nodded my head. "Yes."

Back on Yautja Prime, I told the time I've spent on Earth with Lar'ja and the others. With Sa'iye, I didn't hide anything. She was my best friend and I told her much about Rory. At the time, she began to admire him. Now, she was here . . . face to face with the ooman himself.Her head whips so fast and her mandibles clicked in curiosity. Rory was just as stunned as I was, glancing at me like I did something bad to him. Before anyone else could think, Sa'iye comes straight up to Rory, almost too excitedly.

"It's an honor to meet you." She bows her head in respect. A sign of great importance in the Yautja culture. Rory knew what it meant and I was glad when he smiled, bowing back to her as well.

"It's an honor to meet you as well."

Sa'iye's head pulls back in surprise. "You know how to speak Yautja?"

He nods, almost chuckling. She looked to me for an explanation but I raised my shoulders. "Why does everyone get shocked that I could speak?"

"How should I know?"

We went back and forth for a bit before we heard the one person I rather not deal with at the moment. "So . . . you brought more of your 'friends' with you?"

Everyone's attention turned to Royce coming but stopped when he was only a few feet away with Izzy on his heels as usual. Instantly, Lar'ja and Xen'ork growled in warning. Sa'iye and Za'hir picked up the message and like bees in a disturbed hive, they went into defense. Oh great . . . Why does he have to come? I sighed. Guess I have to break up another fight. But before I could get to work, Lex and Dallas took command and stepped forward, blocking Royce's view of us.

"Get out of here. They came to help us. Stop acting like a child with a tantrum."

Lex stood strong. She looked like a true warrior who had faced many enemies and survived. I couldn't hear what Royce was saying but his angry expression confirmed that it wasn't good. Dallas moves around and grabs him on the arm, pulling him away. The bad air went with him as Dallas took Royce away and everyone else in our group calmed down. Lex sighed and gave me a look of apology. I understood and nodded my head, giving her permission to go with them. She turned and began to treat the injured, going to Brackett for orders.

Sa'iye commented. "What's his problem?"

"Do you need us to take care of him?"

I turned to Za'hir and shook my head. "No. It's complicated and not many oomans are not used to Yautjas walking around. I barely kept Lar'ja and Xen'ork safe from them."

Sa'iye chuckled. "You should have let them have Xen'ork. They could have saved us some trouble for us."

"Shut up."

The bickering between Sa'iye and Xen'ork brought back good memories. At least I still have that in this heap of a mess. But the moment was interrupted when I heard heavy footsteps from behind. Coming through the forest, more warriors pushed through. Again, there were other Yautjas that I had no idea who they came from or what clan they represented. It didn't matter though since they helped but my curiosity demanded an answer. But then, I saw two more familiar faces that I missed so much. The two twin Yautjas with yellow and green spots on their arms and legs take the lead . . . Olgoth and T'uark.

Olgoth stopped in his tracks when he saw me. "Ta'kasa?"

All I did was smile. The next thing I knew, he came running up to us, ignoring that there were others around. He wraps his arms around my body and lifts me in joy. "I can't believe you're alive! You're alive!"

He laughed and threw me around in a circle. I would have been okay with it except that he was crushing my ribs. I gasped, trying to get a breath in my lungs but it was a struggle. It took Lar'ja to yank his arms off and push him aside. He wraps me close to his body, purring to soothe my pain. I couldn't speak yet but patted his hand in reassurance.

I heard a loud smack and saw T'uark giving a slap to his twin brother's head. "Show some respect to our Leader."

Olgoth grunted, rubbing the injured area. "I just miss her . . . that's all."

"You're lucky it wasn't worse. Lar'ja would have you gutted if I didn't pull you away."

Olgoth shook his head, lowering his head in apology. "Forgive me, my Leader. I didn't mean to hurt you."

His voice sounded sincere and I didn't blame him. It has been a while since I've seen this duo of laughter. And you being announced dead made it worse. When I got my lungs back to working, I chuckled. "It's alright. I'm glad both of you are safe and well."

Olgoth was the first to smile, followed by T'uark who came up to me and bowed his head. "As we are, my Leader."

I sighed, glancing around our little group. My Elites were alive and well and I had Rory with me. Never did I imagine that this meeting would happen. Or maybe you just wanted to prevent more trouble from occurring. So much for that.

"Speaking of which, did you manage to get Hakr'ouh or Qut'suak?"

As much as I didn't want to bring it up, I needed to know. I watched as Olgoth and T'uark lowered their heads in disappointment. I knew the news wasn't going to be great.

"Unfortunately . . . no. They got away with a wormhole and we tried to follow but our way was blocked off with Bad Bloods. We managed to destroy them but it was too late. We have some members of the Ma'tu Clan scouting around the planet's atmosphere just in case."

"Ma'tu Clan?"

It was Rory who spoke out first, asking the same question I was going to say but for a different reason. I knew of the Ma'tu Clan. They were one of the most honorable Yautja clans, always following the rules to a "T". So why are they here? Helping us? I waited for more answers as Sa'iye took over.

"They are one of the clans that came with us when he heard your call along with others whose clan were destroyed from the Killer Yautja's attack. I'm sorry if this is a lot to take in. We have so much to tell you."

I raised my hand. "It's fine."

My eyes glanced around for a second, seeing the other Yautja warriors walking around. The only thing that I noticed was that none of them had their clan's symbols on them so I could only assume that they were UnBlooded. They did fight well but had me worried that this is all the support we got. "Are they UnBlooded?"

"Not all of them. There are some Blooded warriors we convinced to come but the others rejected. They were worried about assisting us with this mission, thinking that it would compromise our safety. The Leader of the Ma'tu Clan was the only one who brought his clan to come."

I shook my head. Or is there still discrimination over the fact that I'm a hybrid.

"Where is he now?"

I didn't see him in the fight. It wouldn't be hard to spot a clan leader with armor showing it clearly.

"He's overseeing the ships in space until it's safe to leave a few behind. He'll come to talk to us when he's ready."

I heard Lar'ja sigh. "That's good at least. It gives us time to catch up. We're glad that you managed to find us in time."

"Yeah. We're glad that your friend gave us your location or else we would never have made it."

"Excuse me?" My mind clicked into gear. "What friend?"

Now, the conversation took a weird turn. In an instant, Sa'iye's face turned into confusion along with Olgoth and T'uark. Za'hir remained composed but he knew something was wrong. Sa'iye began to stutter.

"When we arrived, we couldn't get the signal from your message. The Killer Yautja blocked our sensors so we tried to find it again. We got a message from someone, claiming that they knew you and where you were located."

"Did they say who they were?"

She shook her head. Her dreadlocks bounced on her shoulders. "No . . . but he sounded like an ooman and told us that he would be here." She stopped mid-sentence when we heard a gasp of a shock coming from the oomans. Curiosity drew us to turn around and immediately, we saw what the commotion was all about.

I could see Brackett standing up and watch her body shake. Is she hurt? I scanned her body but saw no injuries on her. Lex came to her side and held her shoulder. Everyone stopped what they were doing, staring at someone walking through the aftermath. From a distance, I could only make out a figure covered in an old rag that resembled a worn-out overcoat. His head was covered in a hood so his face was obscured but Brackett must have seen something. Her mouth gaped open and shut like a fish. What did she see? She seemed like the only person with such a reaction. Dutch and Dallas kept a watch on him like a hawk but didn't move. If they thought he was dangerous, they would have acted right then and there.

As he came closer, the figure began to look more like an ooman than a Yautja but his size alone made him look like a tank. Not as big as Dutch but close enough. He kept walking closer to us, which didn't sit well with Lar'ja and the others. Lar'ja pulled me around and growled in warning. Sa'iye, Za'hir, Olgoth, T'uark, and every other Yautja around did the same. The combined noise made it sound like an angry pack of wolves defending their territory. But the figure didn't pause, unfazed by the noise. It wasn't until Rory stepped forward that the figure stopped.

"Can I help you?"

Rory made his voice strong and serious, letting the figure know he wasn't about to mess around. I can't blame him. We just survived a brutal fight and still on the edge. The figure swayed back and forth before his voice rings out.

"You've grown up, son. And not alone anymore."

In an instant, Rory's body froze along with mine and Lar'ja's. Everyone else seemed confused but we knew that voice all too well. Could it be?

Rory answered it for everyone. "Dad?"

The figure lifted the hood over, revealing a face that none of us expected to see ever again but worn with age. The smirk of a smile was unmistakable.

There was no doubt who it was . . .

Hello Everyone!

A chapter with lots of reunions and tension. Despite fighting together, the differences between ooman and Yautja still stand. I mean . . . they've been prey and predator for centuries and it will have to take a lot more to bring them together. Does Anya have the strength and willpower to bring them together?

On the good side, she and her Elites have been reunited and they brought some backup but it doesn't seem good in Anya's eyes. Is the damage that Hakr'ouh and the rest of the Killer Yautja worse than what she feared? Plus, it doesn't help that Hakr'ouh and Qut'suak escaped. Sounds awfully like Traeger in Twisted Fate.

Dicks . . . don't you think?

But who is the mysterious person who brought the Elites in the right direction? Sounds like Lar'ja, Anya, and Rory know who it is. And I'm sure that all of you have a strong guess. Hehehehe . . .

Find out when Chapter 17 is posted next week (Friday the latest).

Thank you for Mariah, Anonymous-E, NeverNeverLady, and Nightroad816 for the reviews on Chapter 15. I appreciate any feedback from you.

And I can say for you Nightroad that Dachande will be in the story. I promise you and I want to make sure that your reviews are not left unheard as for everyone else :)

Thank you and Good Hunting! And stay safe! :)))

Reading notes:

Normal = Anya (human form) or any human speaking English (ooman language)

Italic = Anya (human form) or any human speaking Yautja

Bold = Any Yautja speaking English (ooman language)

Bold and Italic = Any Yautja speaking Yautja language