Chapter III
Disclaimer:
This story has been written purely for entertainment purposes, and in no way, shape, form, or fashion means to impede, or infringe upon any copyrighted material whatsoever. I do however retain credit and claim responsibility for the creation of names and character statistics of any and all characters within this publication. These characters are based on copyrighted ideas and or characters of the respective owners of said material within the entertainment industry. No money will be attributed to the author of the following publication in any form. Definitions and wording used to describe devices, and other such items are derived from other literary works involving these types of characters. This publication was created for the sole purpose of entertainment and the expansion of a concept formerly copyrighted by an individual or individuals as a group.
Well, after having trouble uploading the last chapter I think I may have gotten the hang of getting this stuff onto the site. Correct me if I am wrong please, I can use all the help I can get. Please Read and Review.
Silvermoonlight GJ - Thank You, I'm glad someone liked it, and the critique helped a bunch, I promise this chapter will not be so BOLD, if you catch my drift.
Chapter III
Hulij-Thwei had arrived at his own quarters to make some last minute changes to the schedule, in relation to the training of the Unblooded, before again seeing the Elder.
He then traversed through the bulkhead door that was the entranceway to his quarters, and visually absorbed all there was to see, despite the nearly absent amount of light available.
Only he and the few privileged of Yautja had earned themselves a living space as luxurious as what he now utilized as a temporary dwelling while on board the ship and away from the Yautja Homeworld.
The walls shone with a slight shimmering of metal of different shades dependent on the volume of existing light. These shades were varied in several different metallic colors also based on obtainable illumination. Upon further examination, one could see the few objects in the room standing out as if they had been placed there for purposeful viewing. Most of these items were that which would typically be categorized as trophies, or souvenirs, from some far off place.
It wasn't until browsing the contents of the room that one would discover several panels on the wall. These panels, having a surface identical to that of the adjacent walls, were well designed so as to hide or protect the more prestigious of trophies within. In general, these panels were left open for display, as a way of proving one's stature within the clan. Only during times of strategic maneuvers, or long periods of time away from the ship, were these panels closed.
Within the prominent trophy case were mounted the skulls of every kind of creature that Hulij-Thwei had hunted. Most noticeable were two of the several large skulls stored here. These were the skulls of the Alien Kainde Amedha. To be more precise, they both once belonged to queens of separate hives of Kainde Amedha. Even more amazing, was the fact that Hulij-Thwei had killed one of them with nothing more than Ki'cti-pa, otherwise known as wrist blades, and the other was killed with his bare hands. A feat not accomplished by even the most skilled of Yautja warriors, and he had the scars from their acidic blood to prove such a claim as well.
He often stood silently just inside the threshold of the doorway examining the dwelling that lay before him. It was a ritual that he frequently practiced so as to remind himself of what he had accomplished within the clan. It was this act of remembrance and self-appreciation that allowed him to be thankful for what he had.
A few moments afterward, he found himself with the overwhelming desire to perform his duties, and approached one particular corner of his residence with unspoken mental directivity. It was there that a very desk-like item stood, with smooth edges molded directly into the wall. It was the surface of this object that appeared to have a dark translucence to it. Barely visible to the naked eye were somewhat illuminated symbols that, by appearance, seemed to be floating just under what should have been the surface of this desk.
Hulij-Thwei then manipulated several of these icons, literally giving rise to yet other symbols that now hung in the air a few inches above the surface. This module of sorts was apparently the equivalent to the human version of a computer terminal. As he further touched the airborne contact points hovering in front of him, images of humans along with statistical information beside them began to appear. He carefully studied the images and the associated information without any real admiration or interest, and only felt the need to do such because of his sense of duty.
It wasn't until he discovered one image in particular that he caught himself feeling a strange tug on his emotions. It was almost bothersome to him that this human female would have such an effect on him. It was almost as if nothing else existed in his mind but the image of this one woman. He then became intent on researching every bit of information about her he could find. After staring for what could have been a bit too long by Yautja standards, he felt he needed to know her name, and was quickly awarded that privilege after visually scanning the statistics accompanying her image.
The screen read: 'Morgan Maddison.'
Hulij-Thwei then tried to pronounce it, and though Yautja raised him from a young age, he had still learned the human language of English and other closely related languages fairly well by then. Luckily for him he had studied the old Earth transmissions from a hundred years or so ago while back on the Yautja Homeworld. He would often times repeat out loud the appropriate responses to what he would watch and further educate himself in the intricacies of human interaction. It was this curiosity he had of his own kind that allowed him to more easily pronounce human words and phrases with just the right accents and tones than any other Yautja he had known.
"Moor'gn M'ad-ds'son…Moor'gan M'ad dis'son…Moor gan Mad di son …Morgan Maddison." He repeated this name over and over until he felt that his pronunciation of it was proper, or would be in the very least, impressive to her with his attempt, once they met.
Suddenly, he came to his senses, and realized what he was doing. He had lost control over his emotions and felt far to distracted to be comfortable. He had even neglected his duty in regards to scheduling the use of the Kehrite for the training of the Unblooded.
To his relief, a chime had sounded on the console of his workstation, and upon hearing it he reacted.
"Enter."
The portal serving as the door to his room slid open with a 'hiss', and lodged in place with a slight 'thud' after traveling the maximum distance allowed. Through this entryway strolled an anxious, and somewhat irritated Pok'de it'ktse.
"What are you doing? We are to be at K'tek-de'Sa's domicile not too long from now."
"I am quite aware of that."
Pok'de it'ktse noticed that his friend had been acting strangely nervous upon seeing him, and casually made his way towards where Hulij-Thwei was sitting. He then glanced at the image hovering over the workstation module and watched it disappear as Hulij-Thwei disengaged the projection device.
Saying nothing in return towards Hulij-Thwei's answer, he quietly observed as his comrade shot a confusing look in his direction, just before getting up out of the chair. As Hulij-Thwei crossed the open floor to the opposite side of his room to retrieve the more ceremonial garments used in formal meetings, Pok'de it'ktse took it upon him self to click one of his claws across the luminescent symbols on the control surface of the workstation.
What had been revealed to Pok'de it'ktse was the image of a human female and the written records supplementing the projection. Checking the recent history records of the device, it was revealed to him that Hulij-Thwei had been exploring this file for quite a long period of time. In fact, he thought it suspicious that his friend would need to do such a thing without proper cause. His recognition of Hulij-Thwei's odd behavior only continued to spark his curiosity as to what his friend may have been doing all this time. Further interested in seeking out the truth he again checked the records and found no sign of his friend even making an attempt to reschedule the use of the Kehrite.
He then retrieved the image of the human female, and stared for a few moments waiting for Hulij-Thwei to realize what he had done, and react to the projected image. It would be Hulij-Thwei's reaction to seeing this that would guide Pok'de it'ktse's next move in deciphering as to why his friend may be acting so out of the ordinary.
His assumption was accurate. Hulij-Thwei started his return from the other side of the room when he began to speak.
"Are you…" He paused after seeing Morgan's image projected above the workstation, just past the slightly rotated head of a smiling Pok'de it'ktse. "…ready?" It was clear by the changed tone of his voice that he had been caught off guard by what his friend had been doing at the computer module.
Pok'de it'ktse turned completely to look at his closest friend and inquisitively spoke.
"Is this what you have been doing the entire time?"
"I have been performing the duties required of me." Hulij-Thwei should have known better than to try and cover his obvious interest in the image displayed by the projector device.
"Yes, that is obvious. But, what is not so obvious is why you took such a special interest in this file here."
The two Honored Warriors just stood there for a moment staring at one another until each had cracked a hint of a smile.
"You checked the history records didn't you?"
"Yes. I did." Replied Pok'de it'ktse.
At that point, Hulij-Thwei felt defeated in the fact that he did not cover his tracks well enough, as he looked away from his friend, and started for the door. He was almost embarrassed, not by the fact that Pok'de it'ktse knew of it, but that he had taken an interest in her to begin with. She was a human female; they were considered weak, and unworthy of such a prize as he for the purpose of mating. There was something about her image though, that caused a stirring of emotions within Hulij-Thwei. Something he could not simply explain, and that further confused him.
"Have you nothing to say for yourself?" Asked Pok'de it'ktse, as he followed Hulij-Thwei out of the lodging.
"She is a human female."
"The simplicity of your answer tells me that you are trying to convince even yourself that you do not find her attractive. When in fact, you do."
"That is not what I said." Replied Hulij-Thwei without so much as a glance in his friend's direction.
"You didn't need to."
"And just when did you become a telepath?" Asked Hulij-Thwei.
"The moment I checked the history records on your workstation." Replied Pok'de it'ktse with a humored tone to his voice.
"Ell-osde' pauk!" Said Hulij-Thwei.
"I think the human female is more your type, perhaps you should go back to your quarters and study her physiology a bit more and gain some insight as to who Pauk-de is done with in your species." Said Pok'de it'ktse laughing.
"Have I told you lately that you are annoying?" Asked Hulij-Thwei.
"With those actual words, or merely implied?"
Hulij-Thwei then glanced sideways at his friend and responded with something less dignified than what was expected.
"Please continue to taunt me so I have sufficient reason to break off a mandible and shove it violently up your urk'do."
"Would that be more or less painful than a tail whip from a Kainde Amedha?" Asked Pok'de it'ktse humorously.
"I don't know. Would you like to find out?"
"Is that a hypothetical question?"
"No, it was rhetorical"
"Well, I guess either way I don't have to acknowledge it in the first place."
Hulij-Thwei shrugged away the conversation with a smirk, knowing full well that his friend was only trying to pry the 'real' Hulij-Thwei out of whatever mindset he had gotten himself into, when mere seconds later they had arrived at the quarters of K'tek'de'sa. Pok'de it'ktse had no sooner notified the occupant of their presence outside, via the communication panel on the wall, when the bulkhead door had slid open and the two entered casually.
I know, I know…it lacked action. Well, I felt I needed to get another chapter up, since I have a better idea as to where the story is going. And I apologize if it seemed a bit to out of character for them to be as sarcastic as they were. I have my reasons, or maybe they are theories, or maybe I just felt that the story needed a bit of comic relief to it. Yeah that sounds good; I'll go with that. Anyways I hope that the introduction of a female interest on Hulij-Thwei's part wasn't too overboard, again I do have my reasons for that too. In all actuality, it's not as simple as just an interest in her, there's more to it than that, you'll have to read to find out though. I didn't want his character to be too stiff, and he needed a weakness anyhow. I figured what better than to introduce a woman into his life huh? Oh, and I also know it was a short chapter as well, forgive me, or…don't, either way, I hope it was in the very least entertaining. And don't ask me where I came up with the term: urk'do? Please Read and Review.
Glossary:
Ki'cti-pa- wrist blades
Urk'do- rearend, anus, rectum, a**, (I thought it may have been self explanatory)