6
Nracha'var dodged the young Yautja male's swings easily enough spinning a leg behind his knees sending the pup to the ground on his back. He scoffed at the young blood. "I cannot believe you are from my blood line." he stomped on the young blood's stomach before he could roll away, his grunt in pain only amused the larger male." I think you deserve a new name, a name to symbolize just how worthless you truly are." Nracha'var laughed hole heartedly at the idea. The young Blood rolled to his hands and knees coughing up blood. Nracha'var landed another kick under his chest sending him in a barrel roll to the wall. "Too bad your bitch of a dame had to go and get herself killed. You wouldn't be here now. Zabin." He laughed again solely amused with his own joke. "Aw..." he paused narrowing his eyes at the young blood struggling to get to his feet. "That will be a good name for you... Zabin. Yes. Be back here again tomorrow for more training." He turned to leave but then turned back. "And clean the blood, I don't want it staining." He laughed again as he left the room, leaving the newly named Zabin to scrub his own blood from the floors.
As the doors to the training room clicked behind him a crew member he only recognized in passing approached him. "Sir."
"What?!" Nracha'var hated to be approached in the halls of his ship. He liked to receive information from his cockpit.
The Yautja that had approached him flinched, but spoke clearly. "Sir you asked to be informed immediately if anything of interest pinged on the scanners."
"I did indeed." he growled. "So what is on the scanner?"
"A habitable planet."
"That is indeed interesting. Bring me the read outs. " He shoved the warrior out of his way and headed straight to his cockpit. He liked being at the helm of such an imposing ship as a marauder. Quirking a mandible in amusement, if only Kwei-kv'var would have accepted his invite to join his crew. They could be here investigating a new planet... but no he had declined. Nracha'var growled audibly causing his crew to flinch. Jumpy bastards. He thought.
He sat at the helm barking orders to bring the read outs up onto the screen. As the information began to play, the planet was the size of a small moon. They could encircle it within minutes is they wanted to. Judging the land mass read outs, most of the planet was above water with rivers etching its face from every direction. He noticed some life forms detected. River Ghosts, and than'syras, even some bird life... but nothing of significance. However an odd new thought crept in. They were on the furthest reach of Yautja territory and this planet was just outside of their unseen boarders and really too small for the council to give much thought to. What if they did not report this finding? What if he kept this planet secret for himself and his crew? He knew they were itching for a hunt.
"Let us prepare a scouting party. Perhaps a few good hunts will do you all good." Most of the crew present roared with approval. He turned to the records keep. "Strike this finding from the record. I think this planet should be ours." The record keep's eyes widened, it was illegal to not report to the council all their findings. Nracha'var slammed his fist on the console. "Do you question my orders!?" he roared.
The record Keep shook his head and began removing the data and placing it on a record cube, handing it quickly to Nracha'var. "No Sir." He stammered nervously keeping his eyes low and his mandibles tight.
"Good." Nracha'var growled. Snatching the cube and marching back to his quarters. He was itching to kill something or someone... He entered his personal quarters. The record keep was getting on his nerves. Always reporting everything, he needed a keep that would follow his orders without question. Nracha'var hated the council for always hovering over his whereabouts. He had begun to notice a pattern, if he tried to go into space on the other side of Prime the council would get very jumpy and reorder him to an opposite course. The council must be unseated! He slammed his fists against a wall sending an echo through his room. He would have to take care of the keep or his secrets would be reported. Soon they would go back to Prime for mating and fornicating. He had a young female he enjoyed a good rut with, and as he recalled she desired a seat with them...perhaps that fact could be used to his advantage as she was always keeping tabs on them.
But this keep could be a problem if allowed to report his illegal order to the council. The hunter after all was one the council had chosen to be part of his crew. There were about ten on board that he had not been allowed to hand select, but instead the council had chosen them. Snarling with irritation he slid his combi-staff into its sheath on his back and a few extra blade on his belt. Then an idea struck him, those he had chosen were from a more undesirable group. Soon to be exiles, or trouble makers. They followed him without question and he knew three in particular that treated him less like a chief and more like a god. They were just who he needed to help him cleanse his ship of the council's eyes.
He departed his quarters quickly heading toward the chow hall where he knew the warriors he needed would be eating. They were taller than him and easily had an 50 to 75 lbs over him, but they never once showed any inclination of challenging him. These three had a penchant for fights and had landed themselves in hot water one too many times with the council and were facing exile, that was until he had offered then a spot on his marauder. Which they had accepted on the spot. They had become his primary scouting party. N'yaka-vor, was an exceptional tracker, Hya'var, had a group of hell hounds at his beck and call, and Gahn'mar, was just a big mean bastard who enjoyed killing with his bare hands.
As he approached their table, they bowed their heads in respect. "Chief." They greeted in unison. "How may we serve you sir?" Gahn'mar asked in a gruff manner.
Nracha'var narrowed his eyes and tapped his mandibles excitedly. "How do you three feel about hunting the greatest prey that could ever roam the stars?"
"We were unaware of Kiande Amedhas on this planet." Hya'var commented.
"No not them..." He quirked a mandible and waved off the idea. "I'm talking about another Yautja." He let that sink in. He'd hate to kill these three if they disagreed with his upcoming plan, but he needed loyal warriors if he was to cleanse his ship of the council's meddling. Kwei-kv'var would totally scoff at his hatching plan, but these three seemed to twitch under their skin in excitement.
"What is the plan and who is the prey, sir?" Gahn'mar asked as the other two cracked their knuckles in anticipation for their chief' orders.
Excellent.
With the three on his heals Nracha'var made his way back to the helm and ordered the ship be landed in the large clearing that came to view when they broke into the atmosphere of the small planet. Once the ship was powered down he gave orders to his crew to bring back a many skulls as they could. He spared a quick look at his three loyal warriors. Who nodded subtly. They knew their orders and where itching to be on the ground.
Nracha'var released his crew to get their weapons and depart the marauder to begin their hunts. Little did they know that once off the ship they would be put to the test. Either help kill the disloyal crew members, the ones placed on board by order of the council and bring him their heads or become a trophy themselves. He expected only half the crew to survive the night.
On the ground Nracha'var ordered his three warriors to find him the record keeper. Hya'var released his hounds with a shrill whistle and the creatures set off in a furry of excited snarls. N'yaka-vor released a drone from his gauntlet and set it searching the skies.
Nracha'var and Gahn'mar followed the other two as they zeroed in on the young record keeper. As they entered a small clearing near the river the hounds where circling in on him blocking all routes for escape. N'yaka-vor's drone seated back into his gauntlet as Nracha'var approached the confused Record Keeper.
"Sir, what is the meaning of this?" His voice betraying his nerves. The three large hunters flashed their visors at him making him jump. Nracha'var clicked his mandibles excitedly behind his mask as the realization of what was about to happen set in on the record keeper. The smaller Yautja brought his combi-staff up and with a shaky growl, "You will not get away with this, the council..."
"The council isn't here!" Nracha'var roared and lunged with his own combi-staff towards the record keeper. The smaller male did his best to parry his strikes but Nracha'var was easily 100 lbs over him and each blow was crushing, and increasingly harder to block. The record keeper tried to back away to gain ground, but the circled hounds nipped at his legs when his stepped to close to them. Nracha'var just roared with laughter as he extended the blade from his staff, spun with exaggerated flare and with ease lobbed the record keeper's head from his shoulders.
Picking up the head he looked at his loyal hunters. "Now let us find the rest."
It didn't take long for the council chosen Yautja to fall, those that Nracha'var had chosen personally all seemed to jump at the chance to kill a council spy. There was only one last Yautja to test. "Zabin!" he roared as he held the dreads of a kneeling Yautja. He ordered Zabin to come forward. Handing him a blade. "Take his scull for your first trophy son." There was no love or encouragement in his voice, and Zabin knew that if he did not kill the Yautja in front of him his Sire would not think twice about killing him. So with a swing that threatened to knock him off his feet should he miss, he aimed for the exposed neck slicing through with minimal resistance. The crew laughed in ruckus joy. They spent the remainder of the evening cleaning skulls and building trophy shrines, as they all knew back on Prime their ship would be boarded and these where not the trophies to show case to the council... Yet. Nracha'var thought. Once unseated each one of those haughty bastards would get a firsthand look at just what a living god was capable of doing.
But first, mating season was coming upon them, they needed to head back to Prime and they where a 3rd of a crew short. He had his navigator chart a course back to a planet that held a formidable predator that was large and fierce and he knew they have to have multiple hunters on it to kill it. Its scull would make a perfect main hall trophy on the marauder plus provide the perfect alibi for his missing crew members.
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