Eran was holding onto Aki, the wind tugging at his large head. They were blasting along the plains, the engine howling at top speed, heading full on into the light of the new day.
The two bikes that had followed him were still in pursuit, but it was hard to see them through the dust kicked up by the turbine. Eran heard them, though, in the distance. They were closing in.
Aki had changed the course a few times, each time in long, fluid motions, and Eran had a vague idea where the yautja was taking them. He wanted to ask, rather, to dissuade him from the idea, but the wind ripped any clicks and hisses he tried to make from his mouth, making any communication impossible. His talon was still wrapped around the yautja's chest, holding on to him. He felt the large, warm muscles move under the shirt, and it made him slightly dizzy, being this close to Aki. The courageous Yautja was so different to him, so strong and upright, and he knew he would find a way to get them to safety.
And yet, at the back of his mind, he knew that this was not entirely true. Of course, Aki would work to escape the thugs on their machines behind them, but, in his strange ways, he would lead them into a danger, that was much worse.
He hoped he would be able to dissuade the yautja, not to face the Blood Moon, but deep inside him, he knew that this wouldn't work. He was trapped, no way to go. He would not live if he stayed, but going with Aki would probably lead to their doom at the many hands of the Blood Moon. But why did Death scare him so much now? He had welcomed the blades of the Yautja when they came, as he had welcomed the wrath of his queen when she re-claimed him. And yet, both times, his life had been spared. He did not know why.
He had sought out death, but never found it, only more pain, reminding him that he was still alive. Only once had he felt the velvet embrace of death so close, but he had not been allowed to follow the sweet scent. He had been brought back, screaming, into the glaring light of this life, torn away from the peace he might have felt.
But now, it was different. He didn't feel uncomfortable about dying himself, he just didn't want to leave Aki just yet. The yautja had, for the first time, treated him not as an object, but something that could feel, just as he could. He might have been rough, but his hands were kind.
His words were hard, but the mind behind it was soft, and it sparked Eran in a way he had never thought possible.
His voice lifted the veil of hate Eran felt for himself, and made him feel … alive in a way he had not felt before.
Yes, he would gladly sacrifice his insignificant life, if it succeeded in making Aki'ru continue his.
He would come with him, no matter where their journey led, even back into the darkness of Blood Moon.
He hugged the yautja tighter, feeling his heart beat under those layers of muscle, soaking up the warmth his body exuded.
Aki felt the Eran hug him tighter as they raced along the dried ground, and it felt good, the smooth, hard form of the xenomorph pressed up on his back. But he could not afford to lose his mind in reverie, he had to navigate the rocks and clumps of trees that made up this part of the plains. They were close, nearing the cave-in where they had camped just a day ago. This was the part of the plan he didn't know about, but he would just have to take his chances.
He re-checked the hover bike's engine status. If it were to fail, they'd be in literal deep trouble. But
He doubted it. The bike looked well-maintained.
He had not yet told Eran about his plan, and he didn't intend to. He just hoped the xeno would keep hanging on to him. It was hardly as they could talk during the flight, the wind was just too strong.
The Cave-in appeared before them, nearing rapidly. Eran tightened his grip around Aki's chest so much it almost hurt. "HOLD ON" Aki roared, as he de-throttled the hover bike, swinging it in a wide arc, and pointing it down the rubble-strewn ramp towards the river. To Aki's relief it had not increased in flow.
He accelerated, and shot down the ramp, towards the water's edge. The hover bike bumped as it travelled over the undulated surface, the anti-grav engines growing hotter by the second. With a large splash, it hit the river, forcing the water to the sides, and throwing up steam, but it did not sink and almost instantly levelled itself again. Aki expertly angled the bike into the tunnel leading down towards the waterfall.
It had looked much larger when he was in the water, only his head bobbing above, but now he realized it was almost too small for his purpose. He ducked down as low as he could, as did Eran, and killed the engine.
As expected, the hover bike did not sink. Energy still saved in the anti-grav coils would keep them above the water for a few minutes.
The stone roof was closing in, but the bike had slowed down sufficiently that Aki could hold it in position just by pressing his hands against the roof.
Eran copied his position, lessening the strain somewhat.
Below them, the water flowed on, reminding Aki how close they had been to death only days before.
"Eran, you all right?" he whispered over the sound of the rushing water.
"Don't do that again!" the xeno replied "You could have told me!"
"Sorry, no time. We have to stay quiet-"
A loud crack resounded in the tunnel, and a bullet impacted the wall, just feet from them.
"That is hardly going to work!" Eran complained
Aki'ru re-started the engine, the roar sounding much louder in the confined space of the tunnel. "I'm open for ideas now!" he hollered, as a second bullet cracked over their heads. Eran could see the two hover bikes floating over the water at the entry of the tunnel. "The WATERFALL!" he shouted.
"Are you insane?" Aki retorted.
A third shot showered them in stone fragments
"WE ARE GOING TO DIE!" Aki exclaimed, but turned the bike nevertheless.
"NO WE ARE NOT!" Eran shouted back, crouching low behind the yautja, who accelerated down the river.
The roof rushed past them so close, that Eran would just have to raise his talon, and he would touch it. They passed the bend, and the roar of the Waterfall mingled with the howl of the engine, making the walls of the tunnel resound in a deafening crescendo of noise. Eran wanted to clamp his talons to his ear holes but he had no choice but to hang on to Aki, who was determinedly racing for the waterfall. He was unsure if it was a good idea.
"WHEN I PULL YOUR DREADLOCKS YOU STOP!"
Aki nodded, barely hearing the Xenomorphs frantic clicks.
The edge of the fall came nearer, and suddenly they rushed over the cliffs, and into nothingness. Eran pulled violently at Aki'ru's dreadlocks, and the engine's roar subsided. They hung suspended above the masses of water rushing downwards for a moment, and then, the hover bike dropped.
The water rushed past them, soaking them from head to toe, as the ground closed in fast.
"NOW! START START START!" Eran shouted frantically, and Aki worked the throttle frantically. The xeno hoped Aki had understood what he wanted to do. Hell, he didn't even know it would work, but even if it wouldn't, they'd probably survive the drop down in the lake the waterfall had created.
The deceleration slammed into Aki's belly like a fist. With a dangerously hot engine, the hover bike slammed into the water at the foot of the falls, throwing up large fountains of spray. With the sound like a swarm of angry hornets, it raised itself out of the water, a dripping wet Aki still in the driver's seat, and a slightly dazed Eran hanging onto him.
"We-are-never-going-to-do-that-again" Aki coughed.
Eran extracted himself from the uncomfortable position, and re-seated himself behind Aki'ru. Spray from the waterfall, thundering down to meet the lake was coating the xeno's dome, and completely drenching Aki's clothes. The sun glittered off the droplets, turning the world around them in one of falling glass.
The engine had settled itself at tick over, slowly cooling down again. One by one the warning lights on the control panel extinguished. "Nobody would dare follow us down here!" Eran exclaimed, wiping the water from the front of his dome.
Aki took in a deep breath, and stretched, trying to supress the pain stinging in his backside. It had been an uncomfortable impact.
"Are you all right?" Eran asked, a trace of worry in his voice
"Yeah, I'm bloody all right, you idiot."
Aki noticed that Eran wanted to say something else, but he supressed it.
"You are one bloody crazy person, Eran. We'd best get on our way."
He did, grudgingly, admire the Xenomorph's quick thinking, and was surprised by the way their minds complemented each other. It was crazy, he knew it, but working together with the xenomorph had a certain ease to it. He didn't feel like there was a competition, more like their thoughts and actions added up to form a whole.
And this even though he only knew the xenomorph for no more than a week.
It wasn't a bad feeling though.
Slowly, Aki accelerated off the river above which they were hovering, and through the small clumps of trees out onto the plain. It was much greener down here than on the table top mountain, he wondered why the humans had not settled here, but maybe they stayed where the ore was they were mining. There was much less dust here, and the air was softer, less dry and stingy.
The waterfall reared up behind them, huge, with mist forming at its edges, and rainbows spanning down to the water, slowly fading in the distance as the bike sped away, drawing a fine line of dust on the ground behind it.
Aki felt the Eran shift his balance, and uncoil his talon from his chest, holding himself down to the framework of the bike, not clinging onto him that much anymore. Somehow, he longed for the xeno's touch again, as soon as it had left him. It made him feel awkward, and slightly uncomfortable within his own skin, but he had enjoyed the closeness they had shared.
Gah!
The sun had climbed to its zenith, and was already starting its journey down the other side, as the path which they had been following suddenly turned, and joined a larger dirt road. Aki slowed the bike down, to a speed where they could converse without strain.
"What do you say, Eran?"
"I'm hungry" the xeno replied petulantly.
"No, about the road I mean."
"It's a road. It will eventually lead to settlements, containing humans."
"I'm counting on it, I'm actually counting on a spaceport."
"Hmm yeah"
"What do you say, we continue along it?"
Eran stayed silent for a second. "I'd rather prefer to do so in darkness."
It dawned on Aki that Eran was quite aware of the situation his race caused in human settlements. It surprised him, but he tried not to show it. "You do realize that I can't ride in the dark. Without my mask I can't see a thing."
The xeno fiddled with his talons "You… I could … you know"
"Sorry?"
"I could ride…?"
"Are you serious?"
"It can't be too hard."
"Well... it's not… You really want to?"
"Sure…"
After a moment of silence, Aki sped off the track, and headed for a small outcrop of rock, a few hundred metres away from the road.
"Eran, if you want to continue in the dark, I guess we'd rather take a short break now."
The xeno nodded, as Aki drew up the hover bike behind the rocks, away from prying eyes.
He shut down the engine, sudden silence enveloping them, after the roar of the wind and the howl of the engine. Eran got off, slightly stiff, only a small limp betraying the pain his injury must still cause him. Aki set the bike down on the ground, and extracted himself from the driver's position. His legs felt cramped and he stretched them.
"Now, Eran, care to accompany me on a short hunt?"