On a Black Yautja colony world, spectators watched as new prey was placed in a large stadium arena. The Black Yautja warrior was going to test his skills against a newly discovered alien humanoid. The creature had tan/greenish reptilian skin, talon like feet, claws for fingers, a tail with two spikes on the end, stood at seven feet tall, had a one foot tall neck, and a lizard looking head with a beak mouth with three spikes coming from its forehead. Its wrists, elbows, and knees presented razor sharp blades.
The Black Yautja and the creature were at the same height and similar weight. With those blades it was believed this creature, this Hork Bajir would be a formidable foe. The Black Yautja extended his wrist blades and cautiously approached his prey. The Hork Bajir did nothing and then backed away from the Black Yautja as if fearful. The Black Yautja charged the Hork Bajir who pathetically shielded himself with his arms. The Black Yautja sliced off the creature's head ending the battle. The crowd roared in displeasure.
The Black Yautja stared at the beheaded creature confused. Two other Black Yautja approached in the arena looking over the corpse. "This creature is a herbivore eating bark from the trees. These blades are for climbing and ripping bark from trees. They have no aggression and lack intelligence," the second said.
"A pity. They would have made excellent prey," the first one said.
"There may still be a way," the third Black Yautja said.
A Black Yautja ship approached a dead looking planet. There was little vegetation but there were pools of hydro carbons that could hold life. The ship entered the atmosphere and landed on the rock hard ground. Three Black Yautja exited the ship equipped with their masks and weapons. They scanned the area and saw a monkey like creature. It crawled on the ground like an ape occasionally using one of its arms as a tool. The structure of the creature forbid it from standing up to use both arms.
The Black Yautja scanned the creature's internal organs and saw what they were looking for. The creature's vision was blind so the Leader was able to easily capture it. They then brought the creature on board shielded from the radiation of the star.
The creature's throat was slashed immediately killing it. The slug inside called a Yeerk immediately exited the dying body through its ear. The Yeerk was collected, placed in a jar solution, and then transported to a prisoner bay. A normal Yautja was in a holding cell weak and depressed by his capture. The Black Yautja roared at him while extending his mandibles in a show of dominance towards the prisoner. The Yautja did not respond.
The Black Yautja took hold of the Yautja so he could not move and then pressed the Yeerk inside the ear canal. The Yeerk made its way through and then flattened itself on the ridges of the Yautja's brain. Taking control of the Yautja, the Yeerk stared at his captors for the first time. The Yeerk immediately accessed memories and information on everything the Yautja knew.
"Can you understand us slug?" the Leader asked rudely.
"Yes, I can communicate and understand you," the Yeerk replied in Yautja. "Why did you bring me to this body?"
"You will be the leader of your species. We will transport you slugs to a new world where you will take a different body," the Leader said.
"So, you can hunt us?" the Yeerk guessed.
"Yes, so we can finally have worthy prey. The creature we wish to hunt is stupid and harmless while your species is aggressive and parasitic," the Leader said.
"So, you will give us bodies only to kill us? We require the radiation from our star to survive," the Yeerk said.
"We will provide portable radiation generators. If you cooperate with us you will be allowed to survive," the Leader said.
"You will hunt us and enslave us," the Yeerk realized.
"If you do not like our terms you can go back to the sludge where you belong," the Leader said.
"No, this will work for us. However, I will be the one to lead my species," the Yeerk said ambitiously.
"What do you wish to be called? A king?" the Leader asked rudely.
"No, I would rather be called a Visser," the Yeerk said. "Call me Visser One."
Meanwhile, Lex toured around the Prince's trophy room bored. The Prince entered and watched her intently as she handled an alien skull. "This one doesn't have a mouth. How does it eat?" she asked.
"This creature resembles a centaur from your legends. The legend was created when we brought one of them to your world and hunted it. It managed to escape long enough for ancient humans to spot it in the distance," the Prince said. "It absorbs nutrients through its hooves into its body. The creature must run for an extended period of time to absorb the nutrients from the grass."
"How does it speak?" Lex wondered.
"They use telepathy. It is not a language but the expression of thoughts. They must learn our language but they can speak to any alien race using their thoughts," the Prince said.
"What about these holes?" Lex asked referring to the top of the skull.
"They are where the secondary eyes connect to the skull. Two optic nerves and blood vessels go through these two holes," the Prince pointed out.
Lex examined the skull and then felt a sudden spasm in her gut. She dropped the skull causing it to crack into pieces on the floor. "I'm sorry," Lex said quickly recovering.
The Prince stared at the mess and then back at Lex. "Do not concern yourself with it. I will simply acquire a new one."
The Black Yautja ship arrived on the jungle planet of the Hork Bajir. The trees were skyscraper tall and were just as thick. The tree branches were so thick it was difficult to find the surface of the planet. The three Black Yautja fired on the forest to create a clearing. Thousand year old trees fell and burned in the flames. The Black Yautja waited for the smoke to clear and then landed the ship.
They then suited up taking their plasma cannons, wrist blades, mask, medic pac, and other equipment. The Yeerk Yautja was given a mask and nothing else as they walked onto the surface. The Black Yautja then chained the Yeerk Yautja to a tree while they examined a hologram map of the terrain. "We find three and bring them back here for infestation," the Leader told the other two.
"What about this one?" they referred to Visser One.
"He will be last," the Leader said.
In short order, the Black Yautja found the Hork Bajir they were looking for. They captured three of them using their net guns. The Hork Bajir struggled against the net with their blades but the net was too strong for it. They dragged the large beasts back to the ship and then infested them with three new Yeerks.
The Yeerk infested Hork Bajir quickly adapted to their new environment and realized the potential of their blades. "Lead others here so they can be infested," the Leader instructed the three.
"There is one that different from the others. They call him a Seer," the Hork Bajir reported. "He has the same intelligence as one of us."
"Bring him to us," the Leader ordered.
"There is one other thing. There is an Andalite family here doing environmental research," the Hork Bajir added.
"How many?" the Leader asked.
"A father, mother, an adult son, and a younger daughter," they said.
"Do not concern yourselves with them. We will handle them. You will do what we say at all times if you don't want to starve to death of radiation poisoning," the Leader said.
"We understand."
Lex decided to go off on her own to a rehabilitation clinic in the hospital as part of her research on the subject. Once she got there, she was immediately invited in by the head administrator. "We are honored by your presence Princess," he said respectfully.
"The Prince wants me to know everything about this clinic. I am not...from this world," Lex said.
"Of course Princess. Allow me to give you a tour," the administrator said.
Lex looked around in the laboratory where artificial limbs were being constructed. She always wondered how large clumsy Yautja hands could work on small metal pieces. The answer soon became obvious as they moved into a lab that had anti-gravity emitters. Lex witnessed small and larger pieces floating in a force field energy bubble above a table. The lab technician would then use wands to move the pieces in position. The Yautja's large hand would hold a wand handle that would become smaller and smaller at the end.
Lex then visited the patients who were being treated. "We have synchronized the brain implant with the limb. So, when the nerves in the stump deteriorate the limb is still functional," the administrator said.
Lex saw a dozen Yautja warriors going through physical therapy. Along with their limbs gone many of them seem horribly scared from what Lex could only guess. One Yautja was learning to walk on an artificial leg. Another was flexing a clawed artificial arm. The last one was on his stomach as pieces of metal were inserted into his back due to a spinal injury.
"I want to see your worst," Lex said.
The administrator took Lex to the final patient. He was strapped to a chair upright. His legs and arms were artificial, his chest and back were armored, and there were metal pieces on his cranium. "I wonder what part of him is still alive," Lex said upon seeing him.
The administrator worked on a control panel and immediately other machines took off limbs reducing the patient to just a torso and then the metal shielding was taken off. Lex glanced away as she the organ systems housed inside the metal suit. The patient seemed depressed ans well by it.
"I thought a warrior would rather die than become like this," Lex said to the administrator.
"Of course. He is here to provide us research. This is not a reward but a punishment for dishonoring himself," the administrator replied.
"When will he be ready to fight?" Lex asked.
"That is not his purpose. He is only to be used for research," the administrator objected.
"I want to see him fight," Lex insisted.
"Is that the Prince's decision?" the administrator questioned.
Lex showed the administrator a ring with a chip on it. "Make it happen," she said giving him the ring.