Chapter 12: Q and A
Vaughn followed Ka-jeal past another set of Vanguard, and into a huge room. Dozens of predators lined up in two lines, forming a runway of sorts. The grand arbiter stood at the end, two Vanguards on either side of him. Both Vaughn and Ka-jeal walked down the middle of the rows of predators. The grand arbiter smiled as they approached (as much as something with no lips could smile). He put one massive hand on Vaughn's shoulder and spoke to him in a rather cheerful tone. "Ooman! You have passed the trials! But I knew you would! To be honest with you, it was all just a formality." Vaughn wasn't sure what the grand arbiter meant. "A formality? I don't understand..."
"Ooman, you have already proved yourself to be more than worthy for our games..." the grand arbiter turned around and picked up two predator masks that were sitting on a chair behind him. "These are what I mean ooman." He held up the two masks, one had three bullet holes strafing across it, with one eyepiece shattered. Vaughn recognized the two masks almost immediately. "Those... those are the masks that I took from those two...your two monsters..." the grand arbiter seemed confused at first. "Ooman I... ah, those that you met were bad bloods, outcasts from out society." Vaughn thought about that for a second. "I don't care, anything that could kill all of those people, all of those scientists weren't even armed! Anything that could kill so readily doesn't become that way from getting outcast..." the grand arbiter gave the masks to one of the Vanguards beside him. "We do kill your kind ooman, this is true... but we are an honorable race, those that hunt, live for it. We kill only the combat worthy, and would never harm someone who wishes not to fight. Those that you met, the bad bloods, they have betrayed our honor, and their own... and you have slain them. Your divine judgment was handed down by your own hand; you have done the job of an arbiter ooman. And that is far more than any ooman could be expected of, you would bring us victory in the games, and great honor!" The rows of predators cheered as the grand arbiter finished his last sentence. Vaughn looked at Ka-jeal, who had taken off his mask and participated in the cheering. The synthetic man then looked back at the arbiter. "Ka-jeal has mentioned these games, and I heard you mention them before too I think... tell me what you're talking about" the grand arbiter seemed more pleased than ever.
"The games!" He shouted as another cheer erupted from the predators. "For many years, we have held our great games!" "We?" Vaughn interrupted. "Yes ooman, almost all of the clans participate in the games... they are a series of duals, between each clan's representative, a tournament that decides great honor!" Another cheer. Vaughn felt like he was at some kind of alien pep rally before the big game. "Like gladiators?" Vaughn asked the grand arbiter. "Yes ooman, shortly after one of the greatest oomans ever to fight in the games was returned to his home, he spoke of the games, and a coliseum was built. We thought it wasn't a bad idea, a place were oomans trained was a good place to find candidates for the next games..."
Vaughn stopped listening about half way through, all he needed to hear was "returned to his home" and he was already thinking that he might not have to fight his way out of here after all. "...But in time their civilization fell, and no other oomans seemed to have their thirst for glory, at least not on such a grand scale." Vaughn decided right then and there that he was going to win these games, and go home. "So let me get this straight, I beat some other people and get a free ticket home?" The grand arbiter looked at him with a little disappointment. "Yes ooman... You may... But to stay and receive the training the winner deserves is a much better honor." Vaughn almost laughed, but he caught himself since he figured pissing off these guys right now wouldn't end in anything good. "Well... I've never really worried that much about honor...but I guess that ill give it a thought" the predators all grew silent. "Ooman, honor is what separates the brutes from the elite, the divine from the heathens; honor is the glue that binds us all." The grand arbiter stood tall in his bronze armor among his clan. "The trials are over now ooman, your training will begin soon..." the arbiter took back the masks from the vanguard beside him and held them out to Vaughn. "These are yours ooman, let them be your first lesson in honor."