Chapter 9

Jaka 4

The Hunters

They had traveled through the day and finally set up camp a short ways outside of the Diomos territory.

There was a small fire going and they were roasting some small animal that Sir Hammerlock had bagged on the way. A few small devices were set up that would keep most of the smaller predators away while they ate and slept and they were settling in when Hammerlock made a declaration.

"We will now partake in the old hunter's tradition of swapping manly stories over the fire. Not that you're manly, or that you would be mistaken for a man. Oh dear, I'm afraid I've made a bit of a mess of this."

Jinx looked at him "K, but what'd you mean by manly stories? I mean do the stories have to be
about men?"

"No no, it's just an expression. It's just a tradition that when two hunters share a fire, they swap hunting stories, usually exaggerated and full of bravado."

"I don't lie about my hunts, defeats the purpose if no one believes you."

"Not lie, embellish. But since that doesn't seem like something you'd want to do, let's instead tell about a hunt that changed us in some way."

"And I suppose I'm to go first?"

"Well it is polite to let the lady go first."

"I ain't no lady, but a hunt that changed me. Huh."

"Well you are at least female, but you should work at being a lady. It has many uses, or so I'm told. Not out here of course, but back in town. May not be the worst thing to learn. Perhaps it would even amuse Gaige."

"She'd prefer me to be who I am, and leave her out of this."

"Touché. So on to the story. Can be any hunt. And the change doesn't have to be physical, maybe a time you saw something beautiful, or a time you were afraid. Anything."

"Afraid huh."

"Everyone gets afraid, there's nothing to be embarrassed about, I could tell you some stories of times I was terrified. None more so than on my wedding day, ho ho, what a story that was, but I'll save that for later, now's your turn."

"Never said I didn't get afraid, was just thinking of a time, now this would have been about a year ago? Little longer maybe. I was on Gralin, it's a moon around Nelia 9. It's a frozen moon, lots of ice, and I was hunting for Mitrith, which is about the only thing that lives there, well other than Mites, but they're not worth hunting. Anyway, I was hunting Mitrith and…what?"

"Well, it's just that your story telling needs work, you need to elaborate, expound upon things."

"I told you I don't lie."

Hammerlock shook his head "No no not embellish, elaborate. Describe things more."

"Oh, is that how it's pronounced."

"What?"

"It's just, well, I've read a lot, but I don't really know how things are supposed to be, you know, pronounced, so I kinda fumble around sometimes." he could tell even in the firelight that she was blushing from embarrassment.

"Ah, is that what that was, no worries, I had been wondering, because it seemed like you had an expansive knowledge of verbiage, but seemed to stumble over them sometimes." he said but quickly switched tact to save her from shutting down in embarrassment.

"What I was meaning about elaborating, was to try and get your audience to feel what you felt. An example would be you described Grailin as a frozen moon, but that doesn't really tell me much. How cold was it, was there wind, what formations did the terrain take and so on and so forth? By telling me these things, I get a better feel for what you went through. Also never assume that your audience knows what you are talking about, so unless you know that they know, ask. For example, I myself have never hunted Mitrith so I am unfamiliar with their physiology and dynamics."

"Oh, um, K. Let's see. I was hunting on Grailin, an ice moon around Nelia 9. And it was cold, really cold, with winds constantly blowing throwing little bits of ice and dust at you, so I was wearing goggles. You know those protective kind, over my eyes, and a mask over my lower face. Let's see, there were cliffs and these cracks in the ice fields wide enough to walk down."

"Didn't your cybernetics have problems, I know mine does if it gets too cold?"

"No, I had installed a heating element into them."

"Ah, then try this next time 'It was so cold that if I hadn't installed a heating element in my cybernetics, I would have had frostbite in less than a minute' or something like that. See how it creates an evocation of the atmosphere."

"K, so yeah, it was that cold. I was there to hunt Mitrith, which are these crystal crab-spider things. Um, let's see, they have six limbs, usually and are about two to three feet in diameter, made out of a clearish blue crystal, usually, with like a pinkish core thing in the middle that has veiny things branching out. They live in these warrens, I think they're called or maybe dens, or nests or something. But they live around a queen and mostly eat Mites or often other Mitrith, which is super gross if you think about it. Anyway, they've got these warriors and their front legs are like huge, with these pincers that could crack most cybernetics.

"So I was hunting, looking for an entrance into their, we'll call it a warren for lack of better terms, when the entire sheet of ice I was standing on cracks and gives way, and woosh, down I fall. Turns out I was walking on top of a warren the whole time. Anyway, I fall into a tunnel, and bounce around hitting things, getting beat up and then splat crack I hit the ground and all these ice chunks hit around me. I come to in a world of pain, I mean I hadn't felt pain like that in years. Turns out my leg had got tangled with my rifle as I fell and ended up breaking both, my leg in two places and my rifle is bent and the stock is busted into these splintery shards, meaning it's useless. And to make things worse, I look around and find that I've landed in the middle of the Mitrith nest, the little ones are scuttling around freaking out because ice just rained on them. Lucky for me, they haven't found me yet, ice chunks had made a bit of a ring around me. But I'm in a bad way, legs busted, guns busted, I can't run, and to fight, I'm down to my back up pieces, a pistol and a SMG, a Maliwan fire-caustic one, don't remember the name. And I realize I'm gonna die, or at least most likely."

She paused, trying to figure out how to continue for long enough that Hammerlock was beginning to worry that she had ended her tale, when she spoke in a small voice that was barely audible over the fire. "Here's the thing though, it wasn't that I was gonna die that really freaked me. It was the sudden knowledge, the realization that no one knew I was there. That I was gonna die, and no one would know. No one would care. That's what had an icy fist around my heart. I mean, this place is in the middle of nowhere, like edge of the map, and I didn't have anyone to tell that I was off to, or where I would be, so there is no rescue, no help coming. And I'm seized by this exta-stren-tal, no wait that's not right."

"Existential" Hammerlock ventured softly.

"That's how it goes? Existential dread. I'm gonna vanish from the galaxy and not only will no one morn, there won't be anyone who knows. I'm just gonna be gone, poof that's it. No more me. And I'm nearly paralyzed with it. But that's actually what got me through, I didn't want to be forgotten before I had anyone to remember me, so I take the ruined rifle and tie it to my leg as a splint. And I proceeded to hobble and crawl my way out. And if you ever find yourself hunting Mitrith know that they dislike caustic much more than fire. Melts the little buggers to goo.

"Truth is, even after getting off that moon, the dread kept coming back, late at night, and especially on a hunt. But I went back out, got back on the horse as they say, though I don't know who says that. Nearly died. My first hunt I mean. Held back, was too cautious. I can't say I'm over it completely, but I will say I no longer hold back on the hunt."

"And you are no longer alone. I am sure that Gaige would miss you if you were gone."

"We've only known each other a couple days, so I don't know about that."

"It's not about the length of time, but the quality of the time you're with someone that matters."

"Why do you seem so interested in me and her?"

"Because, when I saw her earlier today, I thought that was the happiest that I have ever seen her. Like the shadow that has hung over her since the day I met her had retreated, it was still there, but almost gone, and that made me happy for her."

"Well that probably has more to do with her being almost out from under that massive bounty on her head. Can't be easy living like that."

"That might be part, but when you were together it looked like she was alive with you, not in spite of. Which is why I think you should tell her that story."

"Why?"

"Because it would help her to understand you a bit, and what frightens you, even if it's only to a small extent. Anyway, I suppose it's my turn to tell a story. So let me tell you about the time I had to survive with only a spork and unripe Guana fruit. Which in the theme of the stories, is also where I met Winny." And so, they told stories into the night.