Chapter 6
Shara sighed softly as she watched the snow drift slowly down and settle around her. Three days it had been snowing, a three days, they hadn't heard anything out of the ordinary...
Something was wrong; she could feel it in her gut.
And she didn't like it.
Shuddering and scared, she moved into a room she knew she would at least help calm her nerves and sat down, one hand gently brushing the gathered dust from the plack the name read 'Kelly' and dates printed in it.
"Hi Mom..." Shara smiled a little and removed her necklace and rubbed her thumb against the dog tags. "I guess it's silly... but I really wish you were still here..." she said. "You'd know what to do..."
"You speak with the dead?"
Shara chuckled. "No... I aren't gifted with that ability." She said looking back at Lil'th. "But I like to think she hears me, even if I know she's not here physically anymore."
"You believe in a second life?" Lil'th asked.
"An afterlife as we Humans call it," Shara nodded. "I've always believed we go somewhere else when we die, be it to another body to live another life or linger to watch over our children and families... But there are so many people believing that death is the end of it all and with all that's happened it's hard to keep that belief." She admitted. "And you?"
"We life and we die, if we have earned it, then our Paya will grant us right to come back." Lil'th said. "When I die, I hope I have earned the right to come back... this life is a challenge and I know I may never see all there is to it in one life."
"That is true." Shara said smiling.
R'ka watched with a smile as I'ka took her first few steps from her mother's arms to where Striker was sat with Ghost and Tracker, talking and clicking to each other, once I'ka reached Striker she clicked and growled up at him and then burst into giggles as she was lifted up and praised.
"She's learning faster than I thought she would." Rha-n chuckled as I'ka tried to chew her way through Striker's armour.
"I thought all children learned fast?" Jessica asked as she came in with several large crates of food and water.
"Some," R'ka said. "On our world every child must first learn to walk and talk before they are given their first armour and start training."
"Sounds a little harsh." Jessica said.
"Better they learn to at least defend themselves young then become laxed and relay on others to always protect them." Nagara said, "Harsh but our way."
"I guess." Jessica said as the base began to rattle. "What the-?"
"YES! It works!"
Everyone looked down the hall and into the work shop as Dart and Martha Mary came out, covered in dirt, grime and mess but both looking rather pleased with themselves.
"What was that?" Nagara asked as she held I'ka up off the floor.
"The jet Jackal was working on, we finished it! It's working and ready to do us all a world of good." Martha Mary smiled.
"When can it fly?" Shara asked looking at the Jet.
"Well, first we need to add the Plasma bombs and set her ready to fly, but mostly we have to wait for the snow to melt." Martha said.
"Who'll fly it?"
"The controls are Yautja but the readings are Ooman." Dart said. "It'll take two to fly it, one Yautja and one Ooman." He added.
"Striker and Shara will fly it." Rha-n said. "This hunt ends when the snow is gone."
Everyone nodded.
Shara smiled and looked up at the jet again, Jackal's plan had worked, now all the needed to do was make sure the Plasma hit the targets.
She could sense something was wrong...
She knew it...
She had to protect her children...
She had to insure their survival...
"Come... Come my daughters... Come my sons... Come..." she called.
She would save as many as she could and she would do all she could...
She would have the earth.
Or no one would.
Shara smiled as I'ka tried to copy Bull Dog and Big Guns as the two sparred, trying to imitate their roars.
It was hard not to smiled as the two might Yautja glanced down when a high pitched roar filled the room after their had made the room vibrate with their own roars.
"It would seem my daughter is becoming quite the noise maker." Rha-n chuckled as I'ka roared up at him, "she will be a powerful warrior if she chooses to follow that path." He smiled.
Shara chuckled as I'ka tried to climb up her father's leg while the two larger Yautja continued to throw each other around the mats until Big Guns tossed his brother off the mats and into the wall. "Are you ok Bull Dog?" she asked.
"Yea... just a minor bruise..." Bull Dog said using the wall to help himself get up.
"Shara." Mark called from the door where he stood with several black bags. "Raid." He stated and Shara nodded.
"A raid for what?" Rha-n asked.
"We're low on food, water and some other things and without a raid we'll be starving before the week is out." Mark explained as Striker and Lil'th headed past him with Shara close behind. "Care to join us? The more hands to grab food and water the less time we're out." He said.
Rha-n smirked. "Lead the way."
She hissed softly as her daughters and sons gathered around her and their unhatched sister.
"We must protect her... until the time is right..." She said to her children.
/"How? Even if we give ourselves... how do we know she will survive?"\ the eldest daughter asked.
"She will live in her egg until she is awoken." The Mother said. "Go now, all of you. Fortify this hive... make it stronger... make it better... make it so only she may find it again..."
Slowly the black shadows slunk away and began to fore fill their mother's wish.
Rha-n, Striker and Lil'th watched as Shara, Mark and Ben forced the door to a large warehouse open and began to rip open boxes and crates taking all they could out of them and putting them into the bags they had brought with them, other boxes and crates were loaded into the Old Tanker.
"Something's wrong," Shara said looking around. "Why haven't we been noticed by the Xenomorphs yet?"
"Maybe they're not interested in us after the last attack?" Ben suggested though his tone said otherwise, he was worried.
"They sense something is going to happen soon, as we do..." Rha-n said. "I advice we get what we can and leave." He added.
Mark nodded.
In a matter of minutes they were heading back to base and Shara couldn't help but feel uneasy.
She wished she knew what was going to happen to everyone, not knowing meant there was a chance one or even all of her friends would be hurt...
She didn't want anyone else to die.
Suddenly a terrible pain ripped through her body, from her head to her toes she felt as if she were being burned alive...
Faintly she could hear Ben, Striker and Lil'th calling to her but it all faded into the pain as she felt awareness slip away from her grasp.
He placed charges everywhere he could. He set traps everywhere he could. He rested only when he had to and he moved everywhere he knew would give him an advantage.
Kujhade growled as he wondered the snow covered land, taking shelter in his make shift 'camp' as he saw movement in the hive a few miles from him... but they took no notice of him, so busy in their work.
He wanted the trophies this hive could offer him, no matter what his so called family said, he was a warrior and he would prove himself.
No matter what the cost.
Wake up.
She wanted to wake up.
She HAD to wake up.
/I see you are still connected to the hive, soft blood.\
She couldn't see... she couldn't move... everything was heavy... everything was cold and she was frightened, she knew this voice.
She wanted to leave this dark place... she wanted to go back to her friends.
/You are safe, I will not raise harm to you soft blood.\
Who...?
Where...?
/You truely don't know who I am or what you are doing here.\ the Predalien's voice said and she felt like she was being held by someone...
No someTHING... She tried to move away but her eyes wouldn't open, her body refused to move.
/Be still soft blood.\ the embrace grew tighter not enough to hurt but enough to restrain, /I wish only to give you a gift.\
A Gift?
What gift?
/This is what you will need to survive the future my soft blood.\
Slowly... very slowly she began to see things...
Lines... flows... shifts... everything was outlined in a greenish blue light...
/This is how we see, my soft blood and in time it may yet give you some aid,\ the Predalien's voice said as something cool was placed over her eyes. /Perhaps in another life time, soft blood, we could have been friends.\
Friends?
With a being that had killed her friends and family...
She doubted that.
/Think what you will, but remember my soft blood, you are and always will be part of this hive and thus, part of something wonderful, if you had accepted your fate.\
...Shara...
Shara...!
"Shara!? Shara Kelly! Wake up!"
Shara gasped and sat bolt upright slamming her head into the masked face above her, knocking Bulldog back out of surprise while she sat clutching her head. "Ow, ow, ow, ow... damn it I forgot how hard those masks are." She whined rubbing her sore head.
"Are you alright?" Jessica asked as Shara rubbed her face and eyes.
"Yea, I think, yes, I'm fine... What the hell happened?" Shara asked. "Last I remember we were on a raid."
"We were." Mark said, "On the way back I thought for sure you'd been hit by something, you collapsed dead weight on Ben and we've been trying to wake you up for almost an hour." He explained handing her a glass of water.
Shara drank the whole glass. "I have no idea what happened..."
"I do."
All eyes turned to the High Priestess as she came into the room. "The mental barriers that were around you to stop the Queens getting into your mind were attacked, the strain on them would have drained you rapidly in order to keep you safe." She explained.
Shara nodded in understanding.
"Then we should prepare to attack the hive as soon as we can," R'ka said.
"We need a few hours to fuel up the flier," Martha Mary said and Shara saw her sat rapidly taping at a key board. "Six hours, twenty minutes to be exact." She added.
"Sun rise." Ben said.
"Then you two need rest." Rha-n said to Shara and Striker. "The sooner this is done, the sooner this world is safe."
Shara and Striker nodded before leaving to the main hall to sleep.
Nagara watched Shara as she removed her coat and shirt leaving the vest top she was wearing on as she washed her face and hands in the kitchen area while Striker sorted out their beds.
Shara reminded Nagara so much of her son Cuh'tor, every small habit Shara had seemed to echo in some way Cuh'tor's habits, every move and gesture... Cuh'tor had left an impression on her, Nagara knew that and if he were still here, she knew her son would be asking for permission to have Shara as his mate.
I'ka growled and clicked as Nagara watched Shara and Striker settle down to rest.
Silently, Nagara prayed to the gods that watched over her people that this Hunt would end and when it did, that all her people and these new, worthy hunters were welcomed to their home world.
"Are you ready?" Striker asked.
Shara nodded though she seemed more focused on her necklace and Cutter's mask. "Do you think they are proud of me?" she asked.
"Jha'kle and Cuh'tor?" Striker asked with a smile. "I'm more then sure they are, Cuh'tor took great pride in you, which is proven by the mark you carry from him and Jha'kle saw you as his own pup. That if nothing else is a show of deep respect and care on his part."
"We're almost done fuelling up." Martha Mary said.
"Shara Kelly." Nagara called from where she stood with I'ka, Lil'th and the High Priestess, "A moment."
"I'll see you in the hanger." Striker said leaving, he knew all too well what his mother planned to do and he had no intention of being pulled into it.
Rha-n and R'ka looked up as he came in and both chuckled as I'ka followed her brother in an attempt to catch him, only to be distracted by Pan as the Goat raced passed them to get at the hay bale and followed her instead.
"Ready?" Dart asked as he and Martha Mary continued to type rapidly and check read outs. They didn't know how long this would last and neither wanted to see this end badly.
"As we'll ever be." Striker said.
"Good, now get in that flier." Rha-n said.
A little roar made them turn and then almost do a double take, I'ka was clicking and growling from her mother's arms while Lil'th and teh High Priestess stood smiling as Shara stood, adjusting her amour.
It seemed however that the females had taken teh liberty of braiding Shara's hair like their own, using Jha'kle's dread-rings and jewels.
"Wow." Rha-n said for a second his eyes showing him not a young Ooman woman, but a very young Jha'kle.
"Let's get this over with." Jha'kle said as they prepared for a hunt.
"Let's get this over with." Shara said as she finished adjusting her armour.
Bull Dog smiled and gave Shara a boost up into the craft while Dart and Martha Mary finished their typing and looked at Striker and Shara. "You have all the fuel we could spare in that thing so you should be able to stay air born for a while." Dart said as Big Guns and Bull Dog lowered the top of teh flier into place and sealed it tightly while Striker and Shara tightly fastened themselves into their seats.
~"Once you get into teh air, you'll have to test the Plasma weaponry, it's the one thing we couldn't test in here."~ Martha Mary explained over the comms. ~"Jackal's instructions said that a Yautja should know how to fly this thing and Human will understand the weaponry so you'll have to work together, or it won't work."~
"Understood." Striker said and Shara nodded.
Striker looked at teh hanger doors as they opened and Shara took a deep breath. "Ready?" he asked.
"As I'll ever be," She said.
"Here we go." Striker stated as the engines began to hum and buzz with power, he used one hand to gently push the control stick slowly forwards, while him other hand carefully tapped and pressed keys on the small panel next to him, Shara checked all weapons were on line and made constant check around the rear of the flier.
Everyone held their breath as the flier began to slowly lift off it's brackets and hover before Striker nodded and pushed the controller forwards.
The flier seemed to hover for just a second and then, like a bullet from a gun, took off into the sky and left behind a trail of fast fading blue light.
I'ka clicked and clapped her hands, roaring after the flier as if it were the most fun thing she'd seen.
General Connelly smiled and began to type rapidly at a console. "Let's give them some ground support."
She let lose a powerful, deep scream as she sensed danger to her hive, summoning the younger children to her were it was safe.
They had to protect the egg.
They had to make sure everything would be safe.
They would not allow this planet to win just because of some soft blood and Hunter.
Kujhade growled as he felt the coldness sweeping over him.
He refused to die here, even as his body began to natural shut down into a coma like state of hibernation, his small lawn dart, salvaged from one of the crash ships he'd found bleeping at him as automated tubes and medical systems flashed to life to sustain him, his thoughts were on the trophies he'd get when he awoke.
He would reawaken when the world outside was warm again.
Until then... he was sleep.
The flier was amazing.
There was no other word for it.
While Striker controlled teh flight paths and stability, Shara was in control of weapons and shields. The perfect hybrid for of flight, Striker faced the front of the flier, and Shara the rear.
The perfect way to kill the Xeno's.
"Ready to test fire?" Striker asked as the passed over the icy sea and a Xeno-whale leaped from the depth.
It could never be said that Shara was a terrible aimer, as he Xeno-Whale blew up from teh sides in a spectacular flurry of green, black and blue.
"Time we end this hunt, once and for all." Shara said.
~"You heard teh lady, my son."~ Rha-n said over the comms, ~"Let us end this."~
"Understood." Striker said and swung the flier around with teh grace and speed of a dragonfly and shot off, heading towards the hive as Shara recharged the Plasma weapons, using the explosive tipped rounds to bring down the winged Xenomorphs.
A loud roar filled the air as they both looked down to the ground as saw two of the Predaliens roaring up at them in challenge.
"Swing us around for another pass." Shara said.
~"No, you two stay focused on the central Hive mass, leave them to me,"~ the General said over the comms and small explosions began to rain down from the sky and away from the hive. ~"A few old friends of mine dusked off teh old World War Relics and modified them, those shells are packed with a few other trinkets and tricks, Jackal thought up."~
"Roger that." Shara smiled. "Striker can you get me directly above the hive?" She asked charging the Plasma cannon. "One blast from the cannon will open the hive and send every one of them up in Plasma."
Striker nodded. "Be ready, it looks like they've realized we'll aim for the central chamber." He warned as the sky around them filled with winged Xenomorphs, each one trying to bring teh flier down while avoiding Shara's aim and the incoming bombardments of explosions.
~"Shara, Striker, they're gathering over the central Chamber."~ The General said over teh comms, ~"We're going to use a larger shell to scatter them, be ready."~
Striker would have answered if not for the he was struggling to keep the flier out of the reach of the air born Xenomorphs and they attempted to force them down closer to the acid spitting Drones below them as Shara opened fire with every kind of bullet she had available.
"We need to get away from them." Shara said.
"Do you trust me?" Striker asked looking over his shoulder and saw her nod. "Then pray this works." He said and forced the control stick as far up as it would go and clicked as the flier began to climb up higher and higher into the sky. The Xenomorphs began to fall way from them as they lost grip on the flier's wings until a blinding bright light caught their attention.
"The sun." Shara said as the sun light peeked through teh clouds and seemed to force the Xenomorphs off. "They can't stand Sun light?"
"The sudden brightness must have stunned them." Striker assumed manuvering the flier back towards the hive. "Ready?"
Shara nodded and flexed her grip on the firing controls. "For those we've lost." She said.
The Flier fell into a steep dive while Shara aimed and waited for the right moment, just like her parents and Cutter had always taught her.
"Shara...?"
"Wait for it." She said.
~"Come on Shara, take the damn shot!"~ Jessica said into the comms.
"Wait for it." Shara repeated as the hive got closer and closer to the flier.
Her targeting systems locked and the Plasma charging up, 25%... 40%... 56%...
~"Shara..."~ Ben said over the comms.
"75%... 87%..." Shara said as the charge finally began to hum loudly. "97%." The Hive chamber roof opened in a flurry of flying Xenomorphs, "All Weapons firing!"
Bullets, rockets and a fully charge Plasma blast descended through the Xenomorphs, like swiftly flowing river water over dry land, forcing the Xenomorphs back down into the chamber as they screamed out in pain and agony.
They Queens screeched and called to their dying children as they remained sealed against each other by their mother as she lay protectively over her last egg, silent and unmoving as she heard and felt the heat of the blast burn and scorch her daughters and sons' bodies, killing almost all of them instantly as the others hissed and snarled in morning and pain but the burning refused to let up and the Queen Mother screamed out as the Plasma blast touched her and ripped what little life she had left inside her away.
With her final breathe she swore the soft blood would pay for this. No matter how long it took.
The soft blood would suffer.
"Did we do it?" Shara asked watching the Hive burn and crumble away with every passing second of teh plasma charge, the blast sweeping through teh hive tunnels and killing everything in its path.
~"The Xenomorph numbers are falling!"~ Mark said over the Comms, teh sound of cheers and claps being heard in the background. ~"You've done it, Kid!"~
Striker looked back and smiled. "It's over Shara. Nothing could survive that."
Shara smiled and relaxed back into her chair, smiling under her mask as she looked out o the window at the blue light. "Jackal... Cutter... Dad... We did it..." she said to herself. "We finally did it."
"Well done, Shara." A voice whispered back as a soft touch covered her cheek. "Well done."
"Shara?" Striker asked and then smiled as he looked back and found Shara had fallen asleep.
~"What's wrong?"~ Dart asked.
"Shara's asleep." Striker said as he stirred the craft homewards, "We're coming home."
Ok so belated Christmas chapter for you all, please enjoy and no complaining if it isn't what you wanted. this isn't the last chapter so please, feel free to let your minds wonder. I can promise you there will be another chapter and maybe another story or two depending on how I feel and what people think of this one.
Review are nice, or just a quick comment on what you think of the story.
Thanks.