Scar has a new training pupil in Lex. But reality hits her hard. Will she be able to maintain her focus and do what she needs to do to survive?
When an enemy becomes a friend chapter 5
Lex awoke from a pleasant sleep. After stretching, she reluctantly got out of bed. Ugh, training day. She proceeded to wash up and quickly donned her clothing. How easy it was, when you didn't have much to put on. She looked down at herself, smiling at how she must appear in the skimpy material and chain mail clinging to her slender body. She turned to see Scar, who was already dressed in equally skimpy clothing, peering at her appreciatively. He was clicking softly, turning his head first to one side, then the other.
"Stop that!" Lex said, smacking him on the his bare chest. It was a good thing his kind didn't know about blushing.
Finishing, she took the tieback she'd made from a piece of old fabric cut from her worn-out shirt, and braided her hair so that it wouldn't get in the way when she trained. What was she going to be doing, anyway, she wondered. She sighed heavily, and looked up at Scar questioningly. It was time to go.
They entered the corridor and proceeded to the meal chamber, before heading off to the training room. Right now, it was empty of any of the other hunters. Lex preferred it that way. She was beginning to get more than annoyed at the treatment they were giving her, which made her all the more determined to prove herself to them all.
Scar used his translator to give Lex instructions. He wanted her to start out first with some moves that could be more classified as acrobatic. His kind were not as flexible as humans, and he had an idea that he wanted his pupil to try. If she could manage what he had in mind, this could prove to be an asset in the field. But first, he wanted her to run the length of the room, not an all out sprint, but fast. Lex nodded and did as he asked. Scar watched and analyzed her speed. He made her do this a few times, and then walked over to her. He clasped her shoulder and nodded approvingly.
"What exactly am I doing?" Lex asked, confused. She was going to do what he asked of her, of course, but what would that entail?
Scar took a clawed hand, pantomimed with two fingers in the air, until Lex understood what he was showing her. He seemed to want her to run across the room, do a flip in the air and land on her feet, but what else was he trying to convey?
Scar walked over to the weapons rack and took a combi-stick, bringing it to her. He repeated the finger actions, and after he whirled his hand in a circle a couple of times, he took the combi-stick, extended it and thrust it forward in one smooth movement.
Ok, Lex thought, I know he wants me to run, do a flip with weapon in hand, that's going to be fun, and attack? She exhaled, puffing her cheeks out, causing Scar to look at her sharply. He held the combi-stick out to her. "Take it," his translator said. The look on her face told him she didn't understand, or so he thought. "Take it."
Lex grabbed the weapon, turned on her heel and went to the far side of the room. Scar stood where he was, and waited. Lex started running, and just as she launched herself into the air, Scar was there, placing his arm beneath her, gently pushing her over. She landed on her feet in a crouch, and seeing that she managed not to lose the combi-stick, yelled out "whoohoo!" Of course, she had help, but it was a good start. After many tries, she was finally able to land on her feet and extend the combi-stick simultaneously. Lex would then thrust it at some invisible enemy, dramatically yelling "yahaaa".
Amused by this, Scar would chuckle at her antics. Lex really got into it and started to whirl around, twirling the weapon, crouching down, then jumping up, thrusting it into the air. After awhile she started to tire. Her breath was heavy, but recovery didn't take very long. Fortunately, she was in pretty good shape. She just needed to practice more.
This last time, she decided to try it herself. She pushed Scar, with his cooperation, until he stood by the wall, extending her hand palm out, indicating to him to stay there. She took her place at the end of the room and started her run. She flipped over, extended the combi-stick, and landed on her feet in a partial squat. She threw the weapon at the target wall, where it stuck not quite in the middle of one of the targets. For her, that was a triumph. She ran to Scar and hugged him. He returned the embrace and picked her up, spinning her around. Her laughter made him happy. He knew what the sound was, and that it was a good thing to hear. His dreadlocks flew with him, as he kept turning, just to hear Lex laugh. Finally he put her down. It was a good start, but there was so much more work to do.
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Scar had gone off and left Lex to her own devices. She was tired from her first full day of training, so decided to find her favourite haunt. The room she lightly thought of as the observation lounge, was often empty, and with the large viewport, it was the perfect place to hide out for a bit. Her one refuge from rude stares and attempts to what, tease her, anger her?
She went over to the window. No one ever seemed to be here, but then, they were probably used to being out in space, and it held no fascination for them. It was all very new to her though.
She looked out into the blackness, which had no depth. The stars were there. But they didn't sparkle like she was used to seeing on dark nights when she camped out ....back on Earth. There were no cities out in the country, no light pollution, and each one was like a diamond. The song "Twinkle, twinkle, little star" came into her mind. Suddenly, she was hit with the pain of loss. Tears started to flow down her cheeks. How did this happen? Will I ever see Earth or home again? What's going to happen to me? Her mind became cluttered with thoughts of the past weeks. The disastrous expedition. The loss of Mr Weyland, Sebastian and the others. The fear of the serpent creatures and yes, the hunters too. Her longing to be home again. She had never let herself really mourn the deaths of her short-lived companions. She was so busy just trying to survive, she had no time to think beyond each day. Now, her very life would be in danger once more. She had no choice but to fight. It was that, or possibly be abused at the hands of the hunters, should anything happen to Scar. With him around, no one touched her. With him gone, if she had no place here, she would die. Or worse.
She wrapped her arms around herself, leaned her head against the glass-like material, and wept. A myriad of emotions flew between her brain and her heart. Fear, anger, anxiety. She missed home, her planet, and her friends. They probably thought her dead, along with everyone else on the expedition. What a shock it would be if she were to suddenly turn up alive. But she was, lord knows, how many miles away from Earth. Maybe to never see it again.
She raised her head and backed up a step, wiping the wetness from her face. As she took another step back, she bumped into Scar, who had been behind her, silently watching the ooman female he had taken under his protection.
What was she doing? He didn't know the noises she was making. Water was dripping from her eyes and running down her cheeks. He was wholly puzzledat her behavior.
Lex turned around, looked up into the strange visage she was now used to, and leaned against the alien body. Slowly wrapping her arms around his body, she let the tears run again, and held on to Scar tightly. Her body shook in rhythm with her sobs.
He held her carefully, her smallness emphasized by her vulnerability. He didn't know what was wrong, and he felt helpless to do anything. He had never seen the ooman this way before. She had seemed strong, willing to learn, and was able to stand up to him when she chose. He may be young and inexperienced with the females of his kind, yet this ooman female was special to him. He felt that something wasn't right, but how could he help her? This behavior shocked him beyond any knowledge he possessed. He felt her shaking and heard the sounds she was making, and didn't know what it meant.
Finally, Lex pulled back and looked up at Scar. She peered into the golden eyes that were the one thing about this creature that conveyed a personality hidden by the horrific features. Oh, she was used to him now, but in the beginning, it had taken all her muster to keep from screaming when he had removed his mask back on the ice. His eyes and the quiet clicking he was making now comforted her. She turned and looked back out into space, leaning against the warm body behind her. She felt him placing his hands on her shoulders, squeezing gently so as not to puncture her skin with his claws. Lex wiped her eyes and sniffled.
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Lex was lying on the sleep mat, refreshed from a warm soak. Her body ached in places she wasn't aware of before. Muscles never used were crying out for relief. Scar had given her a drink of something that seemed to be relaxing her. Maybe it's got a sedative quality, her foggy mind thought. She tried to stretch, but it hurt too much. Instead she curled up against her companion's body, and let the drink do its work.
Scar was proud of his ooman. She had performed admirably considering she was not Jautja. She complained only a little as she started to tire, but did everything he asked of her. Now, as she lay beside him, he picked up a lock of her hair, and caressed it between his fingers. Ooman hair was strange, but pleasant to the touch. He brushed it away from her face, lightly running a claw along her cheek.
She wrinkled her nose, but did not wake up. She murmured "dear friend" and laughed softly to herself in her sleep. She snuggled closer to Scar, who heard what she had said. He just wasn't sure what to make of it. Soon, he fell asleep too, a lock of Lex's hair entwined in his fingers.