The Yautja ship comes across another vessel, and a life debt is repaid. Don't own AVP, just having some fun. Enjoy!
When an enemy becomes a friend chapter 7
It was several days after their hunt, and Lex was happy to see that Scar had healed very quickly. He had taken the paw, removed one of its claws and polished it to a bright white. He added it to the necklace Lex always wore now. This time, the trophy was hers as well. Did the Yautja look at her with new respect? Maybe it was all in her head, but she didn't care.
Today, as she exited their quarters, and was walking through the corridor, she noticed more activity than usual. She headed for the training room, searching for Scar. He found her first, as she was going to the observation room. Grabbing her by the arm, he led her to the control room, where several elders and warriors were working instrument panels or looking out the viewscreen. Lex joined them, Scar close behind her. What they saw surprised both of them, and apparently the rest of the crew.
Although space is vast, most of it is empty. But there before them was another ship. It just seemed to be floating in space, unguided by any crew within. The size was smaller than the Yautja vessel, but still formidable.
"A derelict?" asked Lex, to no one in particular. Scar heard her and recognizing the word, nodded.
Everyone in the control center waited. An elder clicked harshly at the Yautja pilot, who brought the ship in closer, but not so much. Inertia might carry them too close, and a collision would be inevitable.
The control room was filled with sounds Lex couldn't decipher, not yet completely understanding the language of her hosts. Scar got her attention, and pointed out the viewscreen. He tapped his chest and pointed to some others, and again, pointed out at the ship.
"I'm coming with you." Lex was so curious about this other ship, that any thought of potential danger never entered her mind. If it had, no doubt it would have been sublimated by the knowledge that Scar and other warriors would be with her.
Scar knew better than to try to leave her behind.
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Before entering the ship, a scan was taken and shown for everyone to familiarize themselves. Lex watched as a holo-image appeared in the air, tracing the decks and corridors of the alien vessel. One warrior indicated where they would be entering, and clicked out instructions on where they would be going. There seemed to be a larger room dead center of the ship, possibly a control room. That would be their goal, to reach that room.
Dressed and armed, the party of Yautja warriors chosen to go, including Scar and Lex, entered the derelict ship through a hole blown in the hull. An air-lock tunnel was jury rigged through which the warriors entered one by one, their best fighter taking point. Everyone was on constant alert, scanning the corridor they were entering, listening for any sound.
Lex was armed with her now-favourite arm blade and combi-stick pairing. She walked behind Scar, keeping an eye out for any movement. The corridor was hot and moist from steam venting from several conduits peeking out from holes in the walls. Wiring hung from the ceiling, and minor damage was everywhere. Apparently, some sort of armed battle had taken place here.
The party leader indicated for three of the warriors to head off down a side corridor. This area didn't seem so damaged. The rest continued onward.
Though damage seemed high, there were no bodies to be found, not of any species. The group continued scanning the corridor, looking inside any room with an open door. Nothing, nobody. The ship seemed completely abandoned.
Suddenly, several of the warriors started chittering at once. Lex tried to understand what the excitement was about. She followed Scar as he moved closer to the noise. There on the deck, were obvious acid burns. Lex's heart stopped. It couldn't be! Not here! It seemed that this investigation was now a hunt. Lex remembered her last encounter with the serpent creatures, and her blood ran cold. She had to remind herself that she survived that, and with no training, as she now had. Her only weapons, a makeshift shield and spear. Now she had more sophisticated weapons, as well as a fully armed escort of sorts. She decided to banish her fear, but it wasn't easy.
The party headed for the large room they thought might be the control center for the entire ship. Lex wondered about the three warriors sent off on their own. Surely they would be warned. She felt frustrated that she couldn't understand more of the Yautja language. Why didn't the scanners show any lifeforms?
Scar grasped her shoulder. He tapped the side of his head, using their own unspoken sign language, telling Lex to be more alert. She could have kicked herself for letting her mind wander like that. She took out her knife from its sheath. Holding it gave her a sense of security the shuriken did not, as trying to use that in this corridor, surrounded by the warriors, could mean a error in throwing and a Yautja injury.
They'd finally reached the large room. A couple of the warriors entered and spun around, searching every direction, looking for any sign of living beings. When it was deduced that the area was clear, the rest followed. There on the floor, very near what looked to Lex like some kind of flight control, lay a body. The thing that struck her the most was the gaping hole in its chest area. Her mind went back to the pyramid and Miller and Sebastian, the embryonic serpentcreatures bursting out of their had seen that Sebastian hadn't fully suffered the effects of that tortuous death, but she had witnessed the others pinned in the alien goo, bloodied holes in their chests.
Lex's thoughts were brought back to the present asScar again, tore her from her reverie. He growled at her in warning, by the tone she had become used to in their training, to let her know that her alertness was essential. She nodded, her face warming in embarrassment. Keep it tight, Lex, she told herself.
Sudden growling and screeching sounds caused everyone in the room to stop what they were doing, and head out to the corridor. The now combat-ready party ran for the side corridor where the three warriors had been sent, and headed for ths sounds of fighting. In a large, machine filled room,Lex saw a full out battle was going on between the three Yautja and several of the serpent creatures. The newly arrived warriors extended arm blades, combi-sticks and entered the fray. Lex circled around the room to sneak up behind a serpent fighting with one of the Yautja, and thrust her combi-stick into its side. The creature swat at her with its tail, sending her flying across the floor. Her weapon clattered to the floor, and was picked up by another Yautja, who tossed it to her. She grabbed it mid-air and stood, looking to where she was needed most. She saw a warrior on its back, about to be speared by the tail of a serpent, and she threw the combi-stick through the air, aiming for the shiny black body. It penetrated and brought the creature down, flailing and hissing. The Yautja it was fighting finished it off, and looking at Lex, growled his thanks. At least she thought he was thanking her.
A hand pulled Lex roughly out of the way, as a combi-stick went flying past her head, only to embed itself in the body of a serpent. She looked up into Scar's amber eyes. He picked her up from the deck, and hoisted her over his shoulder, carrying her to a safer position.
Lex felt indignant, but had little time to show it, when a serpent flew at Scar, forcing him to drop Lex unceremoniously onto the hard deck. She scooted back as the pair fought, one with weapons, the other with its own body. Claws versus blade, tail versus combi-stick. Scar roared his triumph, as the creature he was fighting went down in a spray of acid. He had to jump back to keep from getting splashed with the corrosive liquid. He turned to Lex and held out his hand, lifting her up. She saw the other warriors fighting the serpents, until none stood alive. For their part, two warriors had been killed in the fray. There were a few injuries amongst the rest.
Some of the Yautja began to pick their trophies from the dead serpents bodies, but Alex did not take anything. There was no part of one of those horrid things she would ever want to keep. Just then, from behind a large piece of machinery, a lone serpent flew at Lex, taking her down and tried to pierce her face with its inner mouth. The other Yautja turned as one, to see the ooman female fighting for her life. Scar grabbed his prey's tail, yanking it off Lex. He swung it against the hard metallic machinery, smashing its head, and although this did not kill it, it lay stunned. As it started to rise, Scar used his shuriken, sending it flying at the keening monster, slicing its long, misshapen head from its body. Both parts collapsed to the deck, the acid blood already eating into the metal plating beneath the creature. Scar waved his returned weapon in the air, as the other warriors howled their approval. Scar again picked up the fallen Lex, who was getting rather tired of ending up on her ass. She brushed herself off, not that the deck was dusty, but for dignity's sake, she needed to do something.
The triumphant fighters headed back to their ship with the dead warriors, while a few stayed behind to examine the control room. A taped recording of some sort was found and played. No one understood the language, but the pictures showed all. Lex watched stunned, as an alien spoke, panic in its voice. The vessel must have inadvertently picked up some serpent eggs, which lay their embryos, and hatched within their newfound hosts, killing the entire crew. The alien recording showed bodies of the crew lying about, gaping holes indicating the cause of their deaths. They must have lay in other parts of the ship, since none were found by the Yautja.
The serpents could not fly the ship themselves, and would have floated harmlessly in space, until found by another ship or had crash-landed on some planetoid. The party leader ordered the destruction of the ship, now that the Kainde Amedha were all dead.
Lex saw the Yautja code a wrist bomb like the one Scar had used in the pyramid, and leave it in the control room. Once the party was back aboard their own vessel, it moved away to a safe distance. While in the control center of their own ship, the Yautja and Lex watched the derelict ship explode in a blinding white light. Lex exhaled in relief, glad to see the back end of that experience.
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As Lex and Scar walked from the control center to their quarters, many of the Yautja warriors who had been with them on the derelict, growled as they passed, in what Lex thought of as a salute. The looks she was receiving from them now held no animosity, no challenge. Was she one of them at last? She held her head up higher as she passed.
Scar walked by her side, proudly. In his mind, he felt that he had paid the life debt he owed Lex. They were again equals. And his people were gifting her with their respect. He hoped she knew that.
Once in their quarters, the day's sweat washed from their bodies, Lex lay next to Scar, thinking back on the near-death experience she had. She fingered the necklace with the tooth and claw on it. Was she a warrior too? A lone human, amongst so many aliens, on a ship speeding to God knows where. Perhaps now she had earned enough respect, that she would be able to walk the corridors without worrying that she would be harassed by any of Scar's people.. If they did not wholly respect her, maybe they would at least leave her be. She heard the gentle trilling next to her and rolled over onto her side. "Did I thank you? You saved my butt out there, Scar."
"Save Lex. Not lose her," came the reply, in his choice of English words. He keyed something into his wrist computer, which he didn't wear, but merely lay between them while he was learning Lex's language. "Combat....partner. Will fight...together...............again."
Lex lay against the warm naked body beside her. She wondered when or where they would be fighting. How can anyone make a life of fighting and dying? It didn't seem productive, and yet his people created ships and weapons. Why not do something more peaceful? She wasn't sure how long this lifestyle would work for her. And if it no longer worked, what then? What would become of her? Scar expected her to fight by his side as his combat partner. What if she didn't feel like fighting anymore?
Scar felt that something was wrong in Lex, but if she did not try to tell him, he was not going to push her to talk to him. He needed to learn more of her language, but he would not force her to help him. He preferred she do it of her own free will.
Lex felt Scar's arm drape over her body, pulling her closer to him. She was probably going to be aching tomorrow, but for now, she enjoyed the heat from Scar's body penetrating her skin and muscles. When did lying next to someone feel so good, in a practical sense? She suddenly felt very sleepy. The trilling in her ear was lulling her to sleep. Before completely nodding off, she felt his hand rubbing her back, and sliding down to her naked buttocks, then back up again. What he was doing didn't feel sexual to her so much as if he were giving her a massage. Perhaps he knew she would be hurting by morning. If it was anything more, she was too tired to care, and it felt so damn good. Later, she would ask him about this. She sincerely hoped he was not expecting anything along those lines. Why would he? Lex wasn't like him. Wasn't he repulsed by her? She was grateful to him, she even liked him. But he was alien to her. Yet......
Lex opened her eyes, told Scar good night as she absently caressed his face and mandibles, closed her eyes, and let herself be lulled to sleep.
Scar, on the other hand, looked at the slight ooman female with curiosity. After the battle, he had smelled her scent, and found it arousing. His kind were always aroused after combat. It was this natural attractant that drew their females to them, choosing only the strongest mates. If a female fought side-by-side with a male, it was expected she would allow only him to mate with her. This ooman was not a Yautja he could mate with. So, what was she? If only he could speak more words of her language. For now, he let the tiredness and darkness take him.