Chapter 35: Invasion (Part 1)

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

I stood strong with my chest high, posed as any Leader would on the front deck. Xen'ork was the lead pilot of the Mothership but a few controlled other parts like the engine, the wings, and even the guns. I can't imagine not having anyone on that, especially since we'll be going into Hell. Lar'ja, Za'hir, and Daugo were by my side along with McKenna. The others, along with the ooman soldiers, were split into pairs with other Motherships in a coordinated formation. The plan was going to jump right at the front of Yautja Prime but surround it so that we wouldn't have any surprises. Scouts were sent ahead as ongoing merchant ships of some kind, informing me that there wasn't anyone waiting. But then again, they might be somewhere else.

"Are we ready to take off?" I asked Xen'ork, seeing him grunt and pressing buttons for a few moments.

"Everything is set with our ships. Waiting for the others to confirm that the pod ships are as well."

"Good. We don't want to head into battle without preparation."

I reached for my neck and pressed on a button. Prior before we headed to the ships, I had Arkarb make small choke collars with a small speaker for those that need it and are critical to keeping the army going. Along with the leaders of CHPS and my Elites, I gave others like Lord Ca'sea, A'ni-de, and Lord Raith. So when we are split apart, we can still communicate.

I cleared my throat. "Lord A'ni-de, Nei'hman-de, and Yeyinde. Is your squad ready?"

Crackling came with his voice following. "My fighters are ready."

"Good." I changed channels to Brackett and Lex. "Is your squad ready?"

"We're as prepared as we can be." I could hear she was smiling. Happy when we might die at any moment? I chuckled. Of course, you would.

"Dutch . . . make sure to keep watch over our forces. It's not going to be pretty what all the c'jit goes down."

He grunted. "Of course."

"Royce and Izzy. Make sure you keep watch of your backs in case we have a surprise visit. The Bad Bloods are infamous for that."

Royce cleared her throat. "Don't worry. We'll make sure we give them a welcoming present." I heard a click of a gun loading and then someone yelling. Izzy no less. She was the next person I would hear.

"Sorry about that, Anya. He's much too eager to fight."

I chuckled softly. "Like a Yautja . . . It's fine but keep it together for now. He'll get his chance."

I checked with everyone else, making sure that all was ready to take off. There was, however, one last call I had to make. I looked at Lar'ja uncertainty for a split second but he nodded, smiling as his eyes looked down to my stomach. I know, Lar'ja.

I changed channels and coughed a little to clear my throat. I paused for a moment. "Sa'iye?"

"Loud and clear, Ta'kasa."

Her chirpy voice echoed in my ears. "How's it looking?"

Arkarb spoke this time. "Good, so far. The modifications on our ship are almost ready but you don't have to wait for us."

"How long will you take?"

"About 5 minutes." Rory suddenly interrupts. "I had to hack into the mainframe of the Bad Blood's communications to find the generator. It was more difficult since I had to cover my tracks."

As planned, the idea of sending a small pod when the barrier around Yautja Prime opened was still up. After all, it was the key to giving up access while we distracted the enemy. But we needed volunteers to take such a dangerous mission. One wrong move or the Bad Bloods might notice they are the enemy when they enter the planet.

We needed to send someone who could hack the system and deactivate the barrier but also have a guard to keep that person safe and operate the ship. I had Royce and Xen'ork in mind but Sa'iye volunteered, saying that Rory is the better choice. As reluctant as I was to send my best friend who is also pregnant, she was a warrior and Rory knew what was at stake. At least Arkarb will be with them to control the ship. Strange since he never likes to head into combat. But then again . . . this is different.

I let them do as they please so they decided to make the small pod they would use look like one of the enemies. If that succeeds while we take care of the aerial battle, Rory would have to locate the generator that Arkarb described that powered the shield. Once that is done, we would invade Yautja Prime.

I sighed. "Then we'll go on ahead. But stay out of sight under one of the Motherships at the flank. Understood?"

Rory chirped. "Understood. Over and out."

The communication was shut off and I raised my shoulders as I inhaled through my nose calmy.

"Everything alright?" Daugo asked.

"I'm good. A little nervous but I can afford to feel like that."

Daugo understood and it reverberated in Lar'ja as he held my shoulder, purring. I wanted to keep Daugo out of the fight with Arkarb but he is a Leader and they never stay behind when a war is about to break out. Adorned in his heavy armor and red cape, he towered over me like a dinosaur and little with Lar'ja. But he stood back, knowing I was regent and in control of this as he gave me full support.

I turned to Za'hir who was still as a statue. Although he's like this all the time, he was much quieter than before. A small tremble in his fingers told me what I knew.

"Za'hir." He turned his head to me. "She'll be fine. Sa'iye is with Rory and they'll make it."

He didn't answer right away, looking back through the window at the ship decks of the planet. "I know, my Leader."

His words were sincere but I didn't feel like he was completely at ease. But I knew that no matter what, there was nothing I could do to ease his anxiety over his mate. And he knew that just as well. I turned to face the front, seeing the vast amounts of ships reviving up their engines.

I made the announcement. "Everyone ready!?"

A unison of cries and roars came. "Ready!"

I turned to Xen'ork and he looked back, nodding. "Send us off."

With that, Xen'ork ordered the pilots to get the Mothership going. Slowly, then engines came to life and we began our ascent into space. As we rose, many others joined and any noise that we heard before was drowned by the symphony of engines coming to life. The next thing I knew, our entire fleet was moving into the darkness of space.

It was such a sight to see. I watched, through the windows of our ship, the vast numbers of our force. Hearing the total was pale in comparison to actually seeing it. Our ship led the charge but we were surrounded by pod ships and Motherships alike, many varying based on clan. Some designs were small and rustic while others were glamorous. It served to remind others of the clan's power in the entire Yautja society. The greater the numbers, the stronger you are to others . . . and worthy competition.

But in this war . . . no one is safe.

Our ships moved forward and far enough that we made it out of the planet's orbit and almost across the border of the Udar system. Once across it, we would be in place to make one last jump . . . one of which there's no going back. I watched the stars shining around us with no care in the world, oblivious to what is going to happen. In some ways, I wished we were the same.

It wasn't long before our fleet was in position. The ships hummed in waiting and I could feel the eagerness of the Yautja warriors and the few ooman soldiers behind us. Well . . . mostly out of fear but who's counting? But patience is key to win this war and I wasn't going to let anything get the best of me. I will have to keep reminding myself when Hakr'ouh shows up. That bastard.

"Everyone is in position." Lord Ca'sea answered. "Waiting for your call."

I sighed deeply, feeling my stomach drop inside. But with Lar'ja holding my hand, I squeezed it for comfort. I nodded when he looked at me. A silent communication between us. I looked back and gave the call.

"Activate wormholes."

Simultaneously, each ship activated them along with Xen'ork doing ours. The small rings flew out of the bottom of the ships and zipped fast until stopping a few feet away if I guessed it right. The ring slowly opened, revealing the hole that led to the other side where it was set to arrive on the doorstep of Yautja Prime. Adrenaline and uncertainty drilled into my heart, imagining what my home would like after being away for so long. But again, I had to focus on now.

As soon as I saw the wormholes have finished, the window was small before they closed. Right as the rim of it stopped, I gave the command. "Lets go!"

The roars and cries of war were heard through the speakers of the ship as we blasted towards the wormhole in such acceleration. Our fleet joined in as all of us passed through the wormholes with no problem. At least it wasn't like last time I had to do this. The stupidity in using it for the first time almost made me laugh.

As soon as we crossed the point of no return, we were met with a sight that took me by shock and surprise. Mostly the first as I saw things were much different than before.

There it was . . . Yautja Prime.

As Arkarb warned, a massive blue shield covered it entirely. The biggest shield that almost everyone has seen. But the poor condition of the planet is what shocked my core. The vibrant red color was almost nonexistent. Patches of black spots covered most of it in different shapes. It looked like the planet was dying, sick with some disease. I didn't think a planet was capable of looking as such but it should have been expected. The Killer Yautja was like a virus that killed anything in its path, alive or not.

"Look at what they have done to it."

Daugo spoke for everyone. Lar'ja growled deeply while McKenna was too shocked to move. I didn't know what to say to make them feel better, only wondering if everyone else felt the same way. No doubt they are.

The rest of the ships had come through, surrounding the planet. The pod ships moved around in formation to protect the Mother ships but also kept tabs on outside forces. So far, it seemed too good to be true that we didn't jump into any passing ships.

"Any signs of Bad Bloods?" I asked Xen'ork.

"Nothing so far. The shield appears to be still on. I hate to admit but I'm curious how they manage to keep a shield that large powered."

"It could be the generator."

The communications turned on with Rory's voice. "From what Arkarb and I gathered, they modified it so that they used the planet's resources to keep it going. But at the cost of the planet starting to die off . . . hence the dark blotches."

I bit my lip out of anger. That's what I thought.

"Are there any signs that they might be engaging?"

Arkarb spoke. "Nothing yet. But I have no doubt we know we are here."

I shook my head and Lar'ja noticed, taking over. "We should take a shot at the shield. Maybe that'll wake them up."

He turned to me for a response. I sighed. "What do you think, Daugo?"

"I think we should. If I know anything, Hakr'ouh won't stand back if someone slams on the door."

I nodded in agreement. "Then send a shot."

As ordered, two of the pilots from the side clicked on the panel and the guns began to emerge from the side of the ships. They aimed at the shield and fired two shots. The blasts flew through space and hit the shield. As expected, it disintegrated upon contact and a puff of smoke was the result, fading to reveal that it didn't scratch. Great. I wish the rumors weren't true.

"Pauk. Not even a scratch." Xen'ork growled.

"What do you expect?" McKenna commented. "If what I heard about them were true, they'll be fully prepared for it."

Lar'ja shook his head. "Well . . . let's hope that we get something fro—"

A beeping noise grabbed everyone's attention in the front deck. It came from the communications from the panel. Xen'ork turned around in worry. "It's coming from the planet."

I know that much.

"Hey. What's going on?" I heard Brackett from the collar speaker. "Our ship is getting some message."

"Me too," Izzy answered next.

"Same here as well." From Lord A'ni-de next.

"What's going on?" I moved to Xen'ork's side, leaning over him.

"It seems that whoever is making the call wants everyone to hear."

I bit my lip, realizing what it meant. If he wants to talk, then let him talk to all of us. I straightened myself, brushed off the dust from my armor, and inhaled deeply. "Answer it."

With hesitation, Xen'ork entered the code and the screen popped to us. There was interference at first until it cleared up, revealing a face that I wished I never wanted to see again but knew it wasn't going to happen. Lar'ja and Daugo growled, followed by the few warriors behind while McKenna was somewhat confused but didn't say anything, knowing that it wasn't the best time to answer questions.

Well . . . He'll know.

As if in my nightmares, I could see Hakr'ouh standing on some kind of throne that I had never seen before, made of bones . . . Yautja bones. There was no doubt about that. It made my stomach twist in my gut, made worse when I saw his evil smirk.

"Anya . . . It's nice to see you again. It's been a while since I last heard of you." He grumbled. "And you brought friends no less . . . more like traitors to the true cause."

"You watch your tongue, Bad Blood." Daugo hissed and Lar'ja agreed, making the same noise.

"Ah, Daugo. So you survived." Hakr'ouh shifts in his throne. "I should have eviscerated you when I had the chance."

"Too bad for you."

Hakr'ouh turned his face in McKenna's direction, tilting his head in curiosity and then laughed. "And you brought oomans with you? I should have expected no less from a hybrid like you."

All of a sudden, Lar'ja rams his fists into the screen, scaring Xen'ork a little since he was right below him. "Pauk you, Bad Blood! You have no right to speak to her like that!"

Hakr'ouh laughed. "Hot-headed as usual. Why don't you dip your head in cold water?"

I stopped Lar'ja, grabbing his wrist before he could throw a punch at the screen. It wasn't going to do any good for him to break his hand and will only make things worse. He turned to me in shock as I slowly shook my head. Not now, Lar'ja. I saw him relax and lower his gaze, pulling back and breathed to calm himself.

"So mature, Ta'kasa." I looked back to the screen, right into Hakr'ouh's dark eyes.

"Enough of this small talk. You know why we're here."

"I do but why don't you tell me?"

I sighed deeply. "We're here to take back our home and serve the punishment all Bad Bloods deserve. We have the greater numbers and if you surrender, we might make your death less painful."

I waited as he thought for a moment. But of course, he chuckles as if it was a joke I made. "Do you think I'm stupid? I thought you didn't trust the words of a Bad Blood."

"I don't. Regardless of your answer, you will die by our hands."

Again, he begins to laugh. "You won't be able to get through our shield. Thanks to your work, I managed to make this possible. The future of our technology. Not even your blasts combined can pierce through. And have you forgotten who we have captured?"

Hakr'ouh stands from his throne and moves the screen until I see four Yautjas tied to metal poles that were embedded into the ground with their heads down, surrounded by Bad Bloods with plasma guns. A closer inspection of the surroundings and I realized that they were in the Council of Ancient's chamber. There's no doubt about that. They must be there.

I looked carefully at the Yautjas. They looked like they were starved for a while. Their ribs were exposed and their muscles were reduced to almost nothing. Dried green blood covered the rest like they were butchered while being kept alive . . . much like what happened to Daugo. I can see the disturbed look on his face from the corner of my eye. But a shiver ran down my spine when I saw the last Yautja hanging from his tied arms, seeing the same blue color over his skin. I knew who it was.

An'tar . . . These are the Successors.

"I have the Successors in my grasp. I have to admit that they are the most stubborn of the whole bunch we captured. Especially your former crush as oomans say." Hakr'ouh reaches for An'tar's chin and pulls it up to show his tired face. "Come on, An'tar. Why don't you say hi."

An'tar grunted in dull pain. He barely had enough energy to open his mandibles to say anything. Scars were covering every part of his face so I had to squint my eyes to see where his own were. My heart stung for a moment. What have they done to you, An'tar?

"An . . ." His head was forced to drop to the floor as Hakr'ouh lets go and then hits his head. I knew what he was doing, trying my patience and resolve. Deep down, I wanted to gut him like fish slowly but I kept my chin high.

"Oops." Hakr'ouh moves back to sit on his throne. "I forgot you only had a few seconds. Too bad."

"Enough, Bad Blood."

He didn't like it one bit. His mandibles twitched and his teeth began to chatter together in anger. I smirked. Look who's losing their patience. You can dish it but can't take it.

"It won't change our resolve to take back Yautja Prime. It has been our home long before you took it. You may have driven us out but we are stronger than ever. And we will save the Successor and destroy you once and for all"

Roars and cheers gathered behind me, egging me on to continue and serving to piss Hakr'ouh off. But I knew it was going to take more than that to break him. He calms down and lowers back into his throne, entangling his fingers in front of me. He taps them for a moment before he suddenly changes the subject, rubbing the handle of his throne purposefully.

"You know . . . this throne was made from the traitors when we first took over Yautja Prime. I never had such a good time killing them off one by one, making them suffer as they choked on their blood." He turns to me. An evil grin, unlike anything I've seen before slowly emerges. "I'll make sure your skull will fit into it as the centerpiece . . . as penance for killing Qut'suak and destroying a valuable ship of mine."

"What makes you think you will win?"

Hakr'ouh stops, frozen as if I shocked him.

I raised my chin and stepped closer to the monitor. "You think that you have power because of the technology you possess and the number of Bad Bloods behind you. But it's only a ruse to hide the fact that you are a coward."

I was trending in deep and dangerous waters. Pissing off any Bad Blood, even Hakr'ouh, was asking to get killed. But I figured it was the only way to get him to lose control. Our goal was to make him open the shield so that he would have no choice but to turn it off and send his lackeys to do his dirty work. Lar'ja looked at me like I was a bit crazy but I can tell he was as much satisfied as I was. Even Daugo and McKenna smirked in delight.

It started to work and Hakr'ouh got up from his throne, stomping to put his face dead to the screen but said nothing. He was fighting to keep himself in check but all I had to do was push one more button . . . and I relished it.

"You hide in the shadows like scum. Even less than an ooman would do." I leaned closer with steady eyes. "You. Are. Nothing."

I let the silence hang in the air as we aired for his response. I watched as Hakr'ouh steps away and begins pacing back and forth, not obvious but I could tell in the slightest details. But then, he stops and laughs again. It grows in volume until he was cackling like a mad man. It lasted for a while until he calmed down, facing me with a smirk.

"You think I'm nothing? You couldn't even protect your Elites like Olgoth and T'uark. They have to give their lives to let you be free."

I bit my lip. He got me there in some ways. My doubts returned a little and I closed my eyes, thinking of those boys I missed so much. But in a vision, I could see their smiles and nods of approval. You're right.

I opened my eyes. "They sacrificed themselves so that I could be here at this moment. But you . . . You force your kind to sacrifice them. My comrades have faith in me. Yours do not."

I smiled. "What do you say about that?"

Hakr'ouh grumbled. "It doesn't matter when you're dead. I can wait forever until you rot to dust with the rest of your army. But if you're so eager to die, then so be it."

He snaps his fingers together. The next thing we knew, the shield that was covering the planet began to disintegrate. Small holes grew larger until there was a massive opening into the planet's atmosphere.

This is it!

The tension was high in the air, in our ship, and even around us from the others. My muscles tensed and my fists gripped together. Still, I raised my chest in pride as I watched something come out of the patch in the shield. A whole fleet of dark ships came rushing out like a bee swarm from the nest. They started to form a unit in front of us, keeping a safe distance between us as more came out. I had lost count on how many ships there were but I figured it had to be hundreds or more. But just as I thought it was all, a massive ship comes last, pushing the smaller ships out of the way. It was the same one that had blasted my ship when I escaped to Earth. I knew we were in serious trouble. I remained calm as the Bad Blood fleet stopped in front of us.

"Holy shit . . ."

I couldn't blame McKenna. This is probably what he did not sign up for.

"So Ta'kasa." I turned back to the screen as Hak'rouh smiled. "Let's see who is the strongest. Good luck and die slowly."

With that, the communications shut off. I bit my lip to keep my anger from coming. Coward. Always sending someone else to do your dirty work.

"What do we do now?" Lar'ja spoke, rubbing my back. I swallowed for a moment and looked back at him. My eyes sought Daugo and then McKenna before returning to my mate.

"We fight and give Rory and the others a chance to get in. We won't be scared by a few Bad Bloods."

With that, I clicked on my speaker from my collar and spoke. "Sa'iye, Rory, and Arkarb. Are you ready?"

"We're ready when you are."

"Good. Stay close but out of sight. We don't know how long the shield will be up. Keep in touch."

I turned off the speaker just as I heard plasma cannons revving up for an attack. The Bad Blood's fleet was preparing to charge. Let's fight then. I turned on the communications from the ship so that everyone could hear me. Multiple screens came into view, showing the various clan leaders and such. I could see Lord Ca'sea along with her sisters' clans. I saw Lord Raith with Ya'stih standing beside him. Dutch . . . Royce . . . Brackett and Lex . . . My friends were all here and I didn't see any fear or doubt in them. It made my resolution stronger.

"My fellow warriors. It is time to show the Bad Bloods what we're made for. We will not stop until we have our home back and get the Successors safe."

They cheered in unison . . . ooman and Yautja alike. A proud feeling swept inside me.

"Keep your spirits strong and your weapons sharp. We will win no matter what! For honor!"

The cheers grew louder. Many warriors raised their spears, wrist blades, and other weapons, shaking their heads in triumph. Even Xen'ork and the other pilots roared in victory. I smiled, looking back to Lar'ja and Daugo with such pride. Lar'ja rubbed his forehead on mine, not even hesitant when many eyes were on us. No . . . I needed this. From out of view, his head reaches for my lower stomach as if he could feel our pup inside me. A warmth spread between us, empowered by our scents mixing.

For our future.

I looked back to everyone and then to the window as the Bad Blood fleet started to move forward. They came with such speed and ferocity. If they were going to come with all their might, then so will we.

With one deep breath, I screamed with all our might. "For honor!"

With the cries and roars of my warriors and friends, our fleet charged at the enemy. The adrenaline pumped in my blood as our ship moved with everyone.

For some reason, I felt like I was ready for this all my life. My suffering at the facility . . . my mother's death . . . losing the Loonies and A'kib . . . Olgoth and T'uark . . . Everything was all to prepare me for this moment.

And I wasn't going to let them down.

I roared as hard I could with my allies as we raced to the beginning of the end.

Hello Everyone!

It has begun, my fellow readers!

The time for the war has arrived and Anya is prepared to go full out like a true warrior. I have to say that she has matured so much since I began this story with Twisted Fate. But as she quoted, this is the beginning of the end so only a few handfuls of chapters are left depending on how I sort these chapters. Especially with this one since I wanted to get it right. So with that, I have split this into two parts so I hope you can hold your socks on for the next part to come!

But I'm hating Hakr'ouh even more as I keep writing this. I didn't think I could but he's there now. He's a sociopath that tries to manipulate and torture Anya and others. But it won't work this time.

But will Anya and her army make it through the barrier to save An'tar and Yautja Prime? Or will the costs be too much to bear?

Find out what happens when Part 2 (Chapter 36) is posted next week (Friday the latest) unless changes are posted on Instagram.

BLOOD AND GORE ARE FINALLY ARRIVING! AND THERE WILL BE A LOT OF IT!

Thank you for Anonymous-E, NeverNeverLady, Guest, and IanAlphaAxel for the reviews on Chapter 34. Your opinions matter to me. And I hope I hear from more readers.

Thank you and Good Hunting! Stay safe and healthy! :)))

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