II
Three Weeks Later
The silhouette of a strange alien craft drifted lazily by one of the two moons of a planet about the same size as Earth. The ship was large in size. It could easily hold two hundred occupants, if not more. However, there were no more than a hundred. Most were hunters, while the rest kept the ship maintained and carried other tasks such as food preparation and organizing inventory. As the vessel left the cover of the moon, a pair of the same insignias could be seen on both sides of the ship. A horizontal curve had a line going in a downward motion beneath it while a small dot rested above the curve, all of their centers were lined up. It was the mark of the Kel'tak clan. Said clan was very well known and extremely well respected. Many fledgling clans amongst the Yautja had high hopes of becoming much like the Kel'tak.
The Kel'tak were revered for their numbers, various combat styles, the abundance of successful hunters, and their strict and excellent training. They were what every Yautja that had hopes of becoming a hunter and/or a warrior aspired to be.
On board the Kel'tak ship, an old hunter observed the planet that would bare witness to his clan's next hunt. A recent spike in hard meat activity had drawn their attention. Scans of the planets surface showed that their was an ooman settlement and that most of the serpent-like creatures were concentrated there. Apparently, the oomans had once again trifled with forces beyond their control and had paid the price for doing so. No doubt that the oomans were all dead by now. Still, this was a perfect opportunity to provide the unbloods a chance to prove themselves all at once.
While organizing hunting parties for the event, the door behind the old hunter opened to let in the ships navigator and one of the high ranking veterans. Both of them kneeled with their right hands to their chests in saluting respect to the Clan Elder. He turned with a Yautja smile on his face. Both of them rose with smiles as well.
The taller of the three was a female of about eight feet, a tan color with small randomly placed spots of a greenish-blackish color. Her dread locks, as well as some of her fingers and both her wrists and ankles, were decorated with gold and silver rings. Her eye brows, or the Yautja equivalent, were small and thin giving her additional female features. Her muscle mass was greater than either of her male counterparts, yet she did not lose her feminine physique. She wore some torso, shin, arm, and shoulder armor. Without the armor she looked intimidating, but with it even the most brave of Yautja males felt a growing need for caution. Her name was Tal'na.
The second one to have entered was the clan ship's Head Scholar, Ta'lik. He wore a simple tunic and loincloth. He had a very light orange skin color with no distinct stripes or spots or anything of the sort. He was about 7'6-7'8 in height, he was actually taller than most males in truth. He held no jewelry say for a pair of bronze colored bracelets, one for each wrist, which identified him as a high ranking scholar. He held a data pad to his side, ready to take down any information he deemed note worthy.
And finally, the Clan Elder in command of the ship was Fal'sho. He looked very old compared to the other on the vessel. He was in fact the oldest of them all. His skin color was a dark grey, he was riddled with scars of all shapes and sizes, and he was blind in his left eye. He wore a full set of body combat armor. He held the respect of everyone on board the ship as well as their loyalty.
"I see you were quick to answer my call. I appreciate you both doing so." said Elder Fal'sho. "As you are both aware, we will begin a hunt soon. This hunt will be a fairly large one, as it will involve all hunters. Blooded and Unblooded. We will use the traditional Kel'tak method. One veteran for every two neophytes with every spare veteran on standby. It will give us all a chance to get out of the ship and hone our skills." He stopped for a moment to allow a holographic image of the area to show itself in the center of his room. An image of the planet appeared, it then zoomed in on a land mass, then it zoomed in on the area in question. While the display carried out its tactical function, Fal'sho could tell Ta'lik had wanted to ask something. Yet he kept it to himself. He would address the issue after the briefing. A scan of the ooman colony turned hive was shown. Hard meat activity was plentiful and sufficient in indicating that this was a strong hive with worthy enemies. "Tal'na, I need you to take a group and veterans and investigate the area. Seek out the hive in question. And be observant; for some reason our scans of the hive failed to detect their egg chamber and the queen. I want to know why. Ta'lik, your expert eyes and great knowledge will be useful in observing the hard meats. Tal'na will require your expert skill to complete her mission more efficiently." Tal'na gave a quick nod in understanding her orders. And was given permission to leave and prepare, while Ta'lik had been asked to stay. He obeyed without question. The large female left the room, leaving her male counterparts to their business.
"Ta'lik, I noticed you had something on your mind while I was briefing you and your sister. Is there something troubling you?" asked the Clan Elder. Ta'lik remained in the kneeling position until he was asked to stand. He sighed thinking of how to put his question. He eventually made eye contact with his leader. "It's about the oomans, leader." And there it was. Fal'sho and everyone else on board the ship was aware of Ta'lik's fascination with the oomans. Every time they had observe the oomans from afar, he was their studying their every move, sound, appearnce, and so on. He could go on for hours about his findings on the oomans, but thankfully he spared others that fate. He, instead, provided information others wanted to know. Mostly weak spots, which ones to fight, their habits, and what made them tick. Though there was still much to learn about them, he had quite some info readily available.
"I take it you want to study what should remain of them. Am I correct?" responded the Elder. "Yes, leader. You showed us what looked to be a settlement of sorts. I was hoping to investigate the remains if it were possible. And if it were not too much to ask, I would like to search for the oomans that may have escaped into the jungles surrounding the colony." Ta'lik showed no signs of it, or at least none he took notice of, but he was holding his breath in hopes of receiving permission. The Elder seemed to ponder this while looking at the display again. The collected information could prove useful in the long run. Oomans have been observed before, but that was only for hunting related purposes. There was still much to learn about the oomans aside from weaknesses, strengths, and the like.
The Elder turned to the Head Scholar with a final decision made. "If the situation permits, you have my approval to examine the settlement. But as for the oomans themselves, I cannot promise anything. Whenever something of this sort takes place it's very rare for us to find any survivors. Still, you may proceed with caution." With that Elder noticed a hint of a smile on the Head Scholar. It reminded him of young Yautja receiving their first Kombi Sticks or a set of Wrist Blades. He barely heard Ta'lik say thanks before he ran out of the room to prepare for the task ahead.