Lex and Scar meet old friends, sort of, and have to battle their way from a certain death.
Note: read this from the top. Do not start at the bottom, please. You'll mess up the surprise if you do. Be warned.
I do not own AVP, just borrowing the characters for a bit.
When an enemy becomes a friend chapter 14
A warning klaxon blared loudly, as the ship was rocked by more firing. Lex had no real duty station, so she remained in the control center. Every time the enemy ship fired on them, the deck heaved beneath her feet. Elder Prime ordered return fire, and Lex watched as the other ship was surrounded by light, the Yautja weapons making direct hits on their hull. They didn't seem to be having much affect however.
Scar sought to get Lex to a safer location, but in truth, he felt that these attackers were superior, and there would be no safe place anywhere on the ship. He decided to keep her with him instead.
Several of the young-bloods found the pair as she and Scar were heading for the weapons room. Scar took immediate command, ordering everyone to get their weapons. If the attackers tried to come aboard, the warriors would be waiting for them.
It was with surprise, that the warriors heard a voice throughout the ship. Somehow the enemy was transmitting a message inside the Yautja ship. Everyone stopped to listen. The message was oddly understandable to both the Yautja hunters and Lex.
"Your ship is under attack by the Nemarian Federation vessel Ecktaris. We received a distress call from one of our colonies, before it was destroyed. Our brothers were pacifists and only wanted to live in peace. You denied them that by your presence on their world. We, on the other hand, are not pacifists, and for your wanton act of violence against their way of life, you will be destroyed."
Lex was startled. Were these the same people she and the Yautja had encountered on the planet? Proclus had never mentioned being part of a Federation, only that they had chosen to live apart from the accepted lifestyle of their world. If these were hunters who had retained their desire to kill, then the Yautja could very well be in more danger from these aliens than by any creature they'd ever fought against before.
The deck shifted beneath Lex again, as the Nemarian ship fired at the Yautja vessel. The shields were at full, but their weapons were getting through anyway. The damage to the outer hull increased with each volley. A group of the young-bloods, who sided with and respected Scar, talked with him about going over and taking the ship out from within. While it was suicidal, it was their only chance.
Grabbing plasma grenades and the hand weapons they already had, Scar led an attack party, including Lex, to a shuttle. They left the ship and headed for the attacking vessel. Not a single burst of fire was aimed at the shuttle, as if it was too small for any sensors to see them. The shuttle pilot found a docking port, and the Yautja party entered the enemy ship, careful to make sure they hadn't been detected.
"We must reach the engine room. Make sure the detectors are on full. We have to find the power source and shut it down." The Yautja warriors scanned the area, seeking energy emissions that would show them the way to an engine room.
"This way!" came a shout. Everyone followed the warrior who'd detected the readings, while Scar carried the plasma bombs. As soon as he found the power source, he was going to destroy it.
Lex kept a watch as the party made their way along the corridors. As she made her way around a corner, she heard sounds behind her. Turning, she saw several Nemarians coming toward them. Using her combi-stick, she adopted a defense position against one of the attackers. Several young-bloods backed her up, keeping them busy, while Scar and the others continued on to the engine room.
Meanwhile, the Yautja ship was being pummeled by the alien vessel. Maneuverability was almost non existent, as the engines had been damaged. All they had were thrusters. Repairs couldn't be made fast enough, as the enemy circled the Yautja ship like a hungry animal waiting for its prey to die. And that was a change for the Yautja, to be the prey instead of the hunters.
Various systems began to shut down, while breaches in the bulkheads resulted in decompression leaks throughout the ship. The crew did what they could, but the Nemarian weapons were too powerful. Little by little, they were eating away at the Yautja, leaving them no other recourse but to abandon ship. The shuttles and transports were readied as those warriors who remained alive sought escape from the constant barrage. They knew the ship wouldn't take much more. The transports were armed with plasma weapons and perhaps, just perhaps, they would be able to use them to surround the alien vessel and disable it.
On the alien ship, Lex and the young-bloods sympathetic to her, headed down the corridor that Scar had been heading. They caught up with them just as the group was entering what appeared to be the engine room. The room was being manned by several of the Nemarians, which were quickly dispatched by the young warriors. Scar saw Lex and nodded to her. He was happy she was alive and uninjured, but he had to concentrate on the mission at hand.
Lex watched as Scar and his team chose the best places to plant the plasma bombs. She wanted to know something before the entire ship exploded, if they'd succeeded. If they'd failed in getting off the ship in time, it wouldn't matter anyway. They'd all be dead. She wandered out of the room, stealthily following a corridor, until she saw a single Nemarian checking instruments. Pressing against the wall, she snuck up on him, her combi-stick ready. As she moved behind him, she pressed the sharp tip of her weapon into his back, saying, "I don't know if you can understand me, but if you utter one word of warning, I will kill you."
"I understand you, murderer! Like all your kind, you destroy for the pleasure of killing."
Lex interrupted his tirade. "Did you know a man by the name of Proclus?"
"Yes, Proclus was the Chief Steward of the colony you destroyed."
Lex spoke up angrily, "Look, I didn't kill him. He found me and took me against my will, thinking he was doing me a favour. He offered to send me back to my home planet Earth, taking me away from the hunters. When they came looking for me, I tried to stop the slaughter, but no one would listen to me. My own people are not, by nature, killers."
"You expect me to believe that? We received their distress call, but by the time we reached the planet, there wasn't much left of the settlement," he replied, attempting to move away from the point jabbing his back.
Lex pressed it a bit harder into his back, making her point clear that he'd better not move. "It's true. Proclus explained to me that his people had chosen not to participate in the hunt anymore and rather, they'd picked that place to live in peace. Your kind are hunters too, like the ones I live with. You don't seem to be incapable of killing. My ship is fighting for its life as we speak. Why not stop the attack and let it go. End the killing now!"
The man whirled on Lex, unconcerned of her weapon. "My brethren chose not to fight, as was our tradition, but we did not hate them for this. They left our system and found a new world, with a way of life that suited them. We are their means of vengeance for the slaughter you perpetrated upon them." He made a grab for the combi-stick, trying to pull it from Lex's hands. She struggled with him, kicking at his legs, trying to twist her body so that he would not get a good grip on the weapon. The two fell to the ground, both fighting for control of the situation. Just then, Lex looked up to see a young Yautja standing over them. The Nemarian stopped moving, a startled look of his face. His body was lifted into the air and tossed to the side. Lex saw a combi-stick in his back. Scar held his hand out to her, lifting her up off the deck. The young-blood to whom the weapon belonged, after retracting the weapon, extracted it from the alien's back. Lex looked at him and smiled. She nodded and in return, he clasped her shoulder. Scar said something to him, and then turned to Lex.
"The bombs have been placed. We must return to the shuttle now." The group took off running in the direction they'd come from, making their way back to the docking port where they'd left it.
Once there, they all waited while the pilot started up the main engines, pulling away from the port. They headed back toward the ship, which now showed extreme damage to the hull. It didn't seem that they would be able to stop the aliens in time to save the ship, but they would pose no threat to them in any escape attempt.
Once they reached the ship, Scar and the others headed for the control room. There were conduits emitting steam, sparking wiring hanging from the ceiling, and the bulkheads were cracked, perhaps in danger of breaching and allowing the air to escape. Several Yautja lay on the deck, dead. The elder Prime was lying next to the control panel. Scar went to him, and seeing he was injured but not yet dead, told him what they'd accomplished.
The elder was saying something to Scar that Lex couldn't understand. He beckoned her over. As she knelt beside him, he said in perfect English, "You were worthy, even when I said you were not. Your feelings for my warrior were causing him to question his way of life. Know that my respect for you, for your strength as a hunter, is unchanged. I only wanted you away from us." His chest heaved with his attempts to speak. Lex lay a hand on his arm, as he struggled to continue. "There is not much time. You and the others must reach the transports and leave. If you were successful, the other vessel will be unable to stop you. Go now."
"Scar, we should bring him with us. He might not be very hurt."
Scar knew otherwise. Besides, a mission commander did not leave his ship, even in defeat. It would bring shame to any leader who did. "No, Lex. We must follow his last orders and go, now." He tugged at her arm, and the group of young-bloods saluted their fallen elder, before turning and making way to one of the larger transports. Many of the Yautja elders and warriors were also heading for transports, while the ship burned and trembled around them, as small explosions went off within the ship. Scar, Lex and their group chose a transport, making ready to leave the all but destroyed ship that had carried them so far. Even Lex felt some melancholy at leaving. It was here that she'd learned about her Yautja savior, had learned to fight like one of them, and had found something her life lacked. As the transport moved away from the ship, everyone aboard watched as the place they'd called home listed, unmoving. The internal damage and fires were unseen out here, but the other damage from weapons fire on the hull was very apparent. How had they'd seen through the shielding, she wondered. They seemed so powerful, as the others had on the planet. Such a waste, for so much power to be geared only toward hunting and killing. Maybe what Proclus had said about the Yautja being like his people was true, that they would one day end up with nothing but the legacy of the hunt. And have no future.
Lex fingered the necklace Scar had made for her. At least she still had that. She leaned against him, as he put an arm around her shoulders, holding her tightly against him.
A bright light suddenly filled the cabin, as the plasma bombs went off in the Nemarian ship. It hung in space, unmoving, before disappearing in a cascade of several explosions of light. A short time later, Lex and the others watched as the Yautja ship broke apart, the internal damage finanly taking its toll.
"Now what," she asked. Several of the youngbloods headed for the lounge to rest and take nourishment. A few would check supplies, and make lists of any that would be needed. Any suitable planet would be checked for restocking if needs be. The transports were always kept ready, as they could be and were used in emergencies such as now.
Scar answered her query. "What do you want to do?" He remembered that the ship had been headed for her home world. If she wanted to continue that journey, he would tell the pilot to take them there. If not....
Lex turned around to face Scar. She looked up into his amber eyes, and noticed his tightly closed mandibles, belying the simple question. Stay, or go home. If the question was simple, the answer wasn't. How long ago had she been standing in a similar pose, looking up into a masked face, holding the makeshift serpent-head shield and spear. She lowered her head and touched the scar on her cheek. She thought of all that had transpired since that night she demanded to be taken aboard the ship. Who would have imagined any of it. Certainly not she. Yet here she was, living a life unimaginable, yet very real. When she looked up at Scar again, she saw something in his eyes. It gave her the answer she needed. She smiled at him, and encircled her arms around him as best she could. She chuckled inside, wishing that he wasn't so tall. But as she held him tighter, he returned the embrace.
Scar turned to the pilot and said, "Set course for any planet that will suit our needs, so that we can check the transport over, and restock supplies. Any planet but Earth."
"Earth, sir?" He had no idea what world that was.
"The ooman's home world." Scar went back to Lex and together they left for the lounge.
The pilot clicked his satisfaction. So the female was staying with them. Now he would have time to learn her language and speak with her. He was one of many Yautja young-bloods who wanted to know the ooman female but were afraid of what the elders would do. Now that they were alone with Scar and his mate, there would be time to know more.
Unbeknownst to Lex, the seeds she had planted, just by living amongst them, were growing into a healthy curiosity for something different. The Elder Prime had been right in his assessment that she was contaminating his crew. But in the end, it would be for their own good. This ship would look for something more than just the next best world to kill prey. This group of young-bloods would pledge their loyalty to one of their own, who had survived his first test, taken a mate who was not Yautja, and who had proven his strength and courage many times. Scar would become leader of this particular transport, which would travel space, stopping at different worlds, and not just for the hunt. Lex would teach them many things, as they had taught her.
After Scar and Lex had eaten, they went to stand at a window, much smaller than the one Lex used to enjoy looking out at on the main ship. "It's good that you have chosen to stay," said Scar. He placed his hands on her shoulders, squeezing ever so slightly. He felt her lean back against him. "I would not want you to leave...me," he added the last word tentatively.
"Don't worry. I've made my choice. I love you too much to even think of going anywhere without you." She sighed and smiled, as she looked out at the stars.
"Love. You taught me what that is." Scar knew he loved this female, for as she had said, love was just the feeling that you could not live without that part of you that was another being. They would be together and know life and new adventures. It was only the beginning for them.
THE END...............................OR IS IT?
A note to my loyal readers:
writing this story was becoming more difficult, as I was running dry on ideas, and have a couple of other stories I'm writing on. This will end the story of Scar and Lex, and I hope it was an ok ending. Maybe not what some of you wanted, but I felt that to have the elder let Lex stay would mean continuing and I wasn't sure where to go. This way, I can sit back from it for awhile, and if any new ideas strike, I can add a new story that continues the story of our fave couple. I thank everyone who reviewed and gave me encouragement. You're fabulous. Now I can sit back and read some of the other very good stories about Lex and Scar. Salud!