Predator: Colonial Marine Chapter 6: With My Honor, an aliens/predator fanfic

WITH MY HONOR (6)

The alarms began to blare as Mei-ek'li treated her wounds. One of the oomans must've finally alerted the others of the outbreak. She growled in frustration as they rang; they were giving her a headache. Irritating as they were, they became nothing more than an afterthought when compared to the excruciating pain she was in. The oomans simple medicine didn't help much either. Although it wasn't as strong, fast, or painless as yautja medicine was, it would have to do. It was better than bleeding out all over the floor.

Once she was finished patching up her stumped arm and the cuts on her body, she began looking around for armor and weapons. The oomans had taken hers, as well as several others from her dead peers fifteen years ago. There was bound to be something here for her to use. There were no kiande amedha in the immediate area, but judging by all the bodies, the gunfire, and screams of death echoing throughout the hallways, she'd need it soon or else she was going to end up like the rest of these oomans.

As she was searching, she heard a screech coming from the corridor to her right. She saw the shadows of four beasts that quickly multiplied into eight as they turned the corner.

Quickly she turned to the hallway to her left, and was about to escape through there when she saw four more of them snacking on some of the dead bodies. She turned back around towards the path she'd come from and saw another five.

Cjit!

With no place else left to turn to, Mei-ek'li ran for a blocked off door, removed the debris from in front of it and tried to open it but it wouldn't budge. She turned around when she heard the monsters screeching. They'd seen her.

Angrily she punched the door denting it allowing for her to move her fingers through and force the door open enough for her to slip inside. She attempted to force it shut but it wouldn't budge. One of the beast's heads shot into the room along with its arms. The kiande amedha attempted to claw at her, but she kicked at it. Finally the resistance on the door broke and the door slammed shut, slicing the monster's arms and face off. Unfortunately for her, the beast's acidic blood quickly began burning through the doors. Mei-ek'li ran to the other end of the room, forced the door on that side open, and closed it before locking it shut. That would buy her some time.

She turned to her left and saw her weapons and armor along with several other pieces of yautja technology held inside a display case. The alarms inside the case began blaring when she broke the glass to retrieve her belongings. Those were more irritating than the ones outside.

Mei-ek'li took her time carefully piecing her armor together as the kiande amedha outside began banging on the door. Text flooded her bio-mask's screen as she gently moved it onto her face and activated it with the tap of her mandibles. Her wrist-computer buzzed as the plasma-caster cannon on her shoulder came to life.

Once she was finished gathering her weapons together, Mei-ek'li flashed through the mask's multiple vision modes until she found the one that she wanted. She turned to a large metal pipe to her side that was highlighted on her mask that read, DANGER: FLAMMABLE SUBSTANCE. She tore into it with her wrist blades causing a foul smelling liquid to pour out of it. Mei-ek'li then threw the rest of the yautja technology there into the puddle before blasting at it with her plasma-caster engulfing it in flames. The oomans would no longer use their technology for their purposes.

With that taken care of, Mei-ek'li turned her attention back to the kiande amedha. Taking one of the proximity mines she swiped from the display, she set the explosive up against the door right as they began to tear through it. She quickly took shelter behind one of the slabs before detonating it. The monsters screeched in pain and surprise when it happened.

Mei-ek'li charged out from behind the slab with her combi-stick in hand as she shifted to the vision setting that allowed her to see the monsters. From what she could see three of them had been taken out in the explosion. Two of them hissed as they jumped at her, but she took them both out with a blast from her shoulder cannon.

With a challenging roar, Mei-ek'li threw herself at the rest of them, impaling on in the chest. Another one tried to attack her from behind, but she pulled back stabbing it in the gut. She threw the one she impaled off, and effortlessly eviscerated another two with a skillful spin of the spear. One of the kiande amedha attempted to attack her from the side, but she anticipated the monster's attack and stabbed it in the head with her wrist-blades. Another tried to attack from behind while she was distracted but she trained her plasma-caster on it, and blew it away before it could even move. Mei-ek'li threw the body of the one she stabbed at another creature as it attempted to charge her, before finishing it off with a quick stab to the head with her combi-stick.

One of the monsters took that opportunity to claw her in the back. Thankfully her backplate took most of the damage, but the blow forced her to the ground. Mei-ek'li managed to roll over just in time to see the beast jump on her. She moved her spear up, and the monster bit down on it as it clawed at her. Mei-ek'li was able to get her foot under it and kicked it back, before slitting its throat open with her blades. As she got up, she heard one of them hissing behind her. She attempted to move her spear around, but the monster grabbed it and ripped it out of her hand while another pounced on her.

She wrestled with the creature, its inner jaw snapping at her. Mei-ek'li moved her hand up, grabbed the monster's inner jaw and tore it out. The monster recoiled in pain, allowing her to move her arm up and stab it in the head. She sprang to her feet as quickly as she could and faced the remainder of them. The kiande amedha hissed in preparation, but at the last moment they turned around and skittered away. The queen was calling them, no doubt. Mei-ek'li took a short moment to look at the bodies around her, and smiled. Payas, she had missed this badly.

Mei-ek'li picked up her spear and turned towards the room to her right. It looked like there was an exit that way. As she went in though, something off to the left caught her attention. Five cylindrical glass chambers filled with a yellow substance inside. Also within them were the rest of her children. Her eyes widened at the horrible sight of her disfigured pups. The oomans had not only killed her children, but they continued experimenting on them even after they were dead. They hadn't even had the decency to bury or burn their bodies after they were finished!

Mei-ek'li removed her mask and placed her hand gently on one of the canisters as she looked up at it with grief stricken eyes. For a moment she bowed her head down low in mourning. How much pain did they suffer? How much had they put them through? Why did they do this to them? These questions and a million others ran through her mind as she sobbed over her children.

Mei-ek'li abruptly began slamming her fist on the cylinders attempting to break them open ,roaring angrily the whole while she did so, but they were too durable for her to crack. She then backed away and shot at them with her plasma-caster. She did her best to catch them as they fell. Gently coddling them in her arms, she continued to grieve as she thought about the great hunters and huntresses they would've become. But it was too late for her to do anything about it.

Just then, she heard a panicked screaming coming from behind her. It was the head scientist ,Bogs. He looked beaten, there was blood all over his garments, and he was hobbling around. There was a deep gash on his leg. Behind him were kiande amedha, four of them. He managed to make it inside the room and lock the door shut before they could reach him, but he hadn't seen Mei-ek'li on his way in.

Her mandibles flared with rage when she saw him. This ooman had taken her children from her, killed them, and used them for his sick observations. She knew it was him.

Bogs turned around just in time to see a blue ball of energy soar towards him before landing on his leg, tearing it off the rest of his body. He screamed in anguish as he fell, holding at the wound as spirits of red spat from the stump. He looked at it in disbelief, before looking up and seeing her. He could see the rage in her eyes.

"H-Help! Help! Somebody, please! Help me!" Bogs called out as she approached slowly. Unfortunately for him no one was around to eat his cries. "N-No... Please... Please don't." He begged her, but she ignored his useless babbling. Even if she could understand what it was he was saying she was too enraged to care.

Mei-ek'li gave out with a low growl as she flexed her wrist triggering the blades on her gauntlet. She didn't just want to kill him, she wanted to make him bleed. He should know what it was like to suffer before he died, just the same as he had made her children!

Just as he was about to strike him, she heard a shrill chirping. To her right were four kiande amedha parasites ,the ones that made hosts for z'skvy-de. The arachnid creatures hissed as three of them jumped at Mei-ek'li. Instinctively she moved her stump arm up, swatting one of them away before cutting the other two in half a split second later. The one she smacked recovered quickly and leapt at her face again. Mei-ek'li moved her hand forward, catching the parasite just inches away from her face. The bug's tail tied itself around her throat, choking her all while attempting to pull itself closer for it to wrap its fingery legs around her head. Fortunately Mei-ek'li was able to rip the parasite off of her, throw it away, and blast it to pieces with her plasma-caster.

She turned back to Dr. Bogs and saw him struggling with the last parasite. The arachnid was latched to his arm, he was only able to hold it away from his face by grabbing its tail, but it was slipping.

"Please... Help... me..." He said as he looked at her longingly.

Mei-ek'li huffed a frustrated growl as she put her mask back on and walked away. She was angry that she wouldn't be the one to kill him, but the parasite would do worse than what she would. That put her at ease, knowing he'd suffer before he died. She smiled as she heard him make one last straining scream before he fell silent.

Now it was time for her to find a way out of here.

Mei-ek'li ran as fast as she could towards the marine's hangar. All the other exits were locked and guarded by auto turrets and combat androids. That and she needed to get as far away as she could if she wanted to have the best chance of escaping.

It wasn't too much farther now. Just another couple of turns down the hall then she'd be there. As she bunt the first corner a kiande amedha leapt at her. With quick reflexes, she grabbed the monster by the arm and threw it over her shoulder, slamming it to the ground before stabbing it in the chin. Mei-ek'li turned around to see three more of them. She snatched her smart-disc from its pouch before throwing it at the creatures. The disc cut through one upon release and cleaved another in half upon return. The third managed to avoid the disk shaped weapon. The monster launched itself off the wall at her, but Mei-ek'li smacked it to the ground with her telescoping spear before impaling it. She would've liked to have taken their skulls for trophies but there was no time for it, so she continued.

The sound of gunfire rang out as she made her way into the hangar. Off to the left were a group of marines holding off the kiande amedha. Their arrival was unexpected, but not unappreciated, as they helped offer a distraction for the beasts. Mei-ek'li growled eagerly as she activated her cloak and sprinted towards the closest dropship.

Once inside she began scanning the controls with her mask, looking for the ones she needed to start it. Her mask quickly highlighted them in sequence, and she activated them accordingly. The airship's engines hummed before the thrusters roared to life, and before she even knew it she was airborne. Mei-ek'li carefully pointed the nose of the dropship at one of the hangars doors. She knew it wasn't going to open on its own, and instead looked for the weapon systems. Once she found it she fired a rocket at the door blowing it open. Quickly but meticulously, Mei-ek'li moved the dropship through.

As she began pushing the dropship up into the air, she saw a black form moving around the top of the aircraft. It was one of the kiande amedha. The monster jumped out in front of the cockpit, hissing and snapping as it clawed at the cockpit window. Desperately, Mei-ek'li jerked the controls from side to side attempting to shake the creature off, but the beast's grip held. She then spun it around to the right, accidentally ramming the side of the hangar hard. Mei-ek'li was forcefully pulled to the side as the dropship bobbed and weaved from the collision. Metal buckled as the ass end abruptly smacked into the side of a tree. As it happened the creature went rolling off the nose of the dropship.

Mei-ek'li then aimed the carrier away from the hangar toward the jungle before engaging the thrusters moving the airship forward. The aircraft gradually built up in speed, and she quickly found herself flying above the jungle treeline. Mei-ek'li was tempted to roar with excitement, but she couldn't help but sigh as she took a moment to look back at the compound where she'd left Asundhe. She would come back for him, that she promised, but it still weighed down on her knowing he'd be alone with the oomans.

Suddenly the dropship thrashed from an explosive force that came from the back of the dropship, and Mei-ek'li was thrown from her chair. Her head hit the controls as her back slammed on the roof, before something slammed onto her and there was darkness.

The first thing that Mei-ek'li felt when she came to was the overwhelmingly heavy pain on her side. Part of the cockpit had fallen on her during the crash. She tried to move it but she felt something crack when she did, causing her to bellow in pain. Steadily she slowed her breathing and attempted to lift the plating off.

As she did so she heard a robotic voice talking outside the ship. She poked her head out from behind the broken frame of the cockpit and saw a squad of combat androids approaching. The machines let out a sudden grunt as they raised their weapons. They'd spotted her.

Without a second thought, Mei-ek'li moved her hand down to her wrist-computer and activated its self-destruct sequence. She couldn't let them capture her again. She couldn't bare the dishonor of it, or the thought of spending another second being locked away like an animal for the oomans to study. It had been too painful.

As the timer on her wrist-bracer beeped faster and faster, her thoughts turned back to Asundhe. He was on his own now. She'd done all that he could for him, and now it was up to him to survive. All she hoped for was that she'd done enough for him, and that he'd forgive her for breaking her promise to him.

With the last few seconds she had left, Mei-ek'li began whistling a soft quiet tune. A melody her mother had sung to her. "With my Honor '' it was called.

For a moment she was completely centered within herself. The pain or discomfort had left. everything around her seemed to fade away. There was a quiet, peacefulness she'd never felt before. It felt like she was floating. When Mei-ek'li opened her eyes she saw an overpowering light, but it didn't hurt to look into it. From it there was a figure standing there. It looked as though it was beckoning her to come to it. As it did so the light around it continued to grow until it engulfed her completely...

Asundhe waited apprehensively as he peered outside through the enclosure's back window. Not much was happening. Every once in a while he would see a shadow that had managed to make it outside crawling around attempting to escape into the jungle. Everytime they tried though the auto sentries and combat androids stationed outside would shoot them.

He could also hear the creatures outside the enclosure, along with the recognizable sound of gunfire. Thankfully none of the shadows had appeared, nor had any more androids. Asundhe guessed they were just trying to escape, and he assumed he wasn't in their direct path. The shadows from earlier must've just been scouts trying to figure a way out.

Asundhe had hoped to have seen his mother by now, but Mei-ek'li was nowhere to be seen. He had faith that she was still alive, but that didn't make him any less worried for her.

As he continued observing the happenings outside the facility, a sudden blast of fire exploded from the marine's hangar. Shortly after one of their dropships flew through the area where the hangar exploded. Asundhe noticed something was off about it, something about the way it flew. He focused his attention on the aircraft's cockpit and saw... Mei-ek'li! Asundhe leapt with joy as he let out a gleeful roar.

As he cheered, something abruptly jumped out in front of the cockpit. One of the shadows. Asundhe hissed in fear and anger as he watched the creature attempting to break into the cockpit. Mei-ek'li responded by shaking the aircraft from side to side, before slamming into the hangar, sending the monster tumbling off the dropship. He raised his voice again ,even louder this time, as he saw it.

"Go Mother! Go!" Asundhe applauded his mother as she began to fly away.

His laughter was cut short when he saw the shadow crawling around the back of the dropship. The monster had managed to hold on.

"Mother! The shadow! It's still on the dropship!" Asunde screamed for her feebly, but it was too late.

The monster began tearing into the aircraft's fuel compartment. Some of it sprayed into the thrusters, igniting it before quickly trailing back to the fuel compartment causing it to explode. The explosion blew off the dropship's tail and one of its wings. Asundhe screamed in horror as he watched it descend in a tailspin before crashing.

Asundhe tried to look for the wreckage, but the surrounding jungle concealed it from view. The only way he was able to know where it was at all was because of the smoke trail it left behind.

He continued to watch, waiting, hoping to see some sign that his mother survived. Before he could though, a blinding flash of light followed by an overwhelming rumble sent him falling off the branch he was watching from.

Once he recovered, he looked back outside and saw a dark cloud rising out of the jungle. The cloud began casting a shadow as it ascended leaving the facility in darkness. Blue and white streaks of electricity danced like lighting in a thunderstorm as the facility was overshadowed.

"No..." Asundhe's heart sank as he began to sob. "No... No... No. No. No. No. No! No! No!" He heaved in defiance. He couldn't believe what he saw. He couldn't. For a moment he didn't believe it was real, but it was. His mother had been pinned down, and had turned to her last resort. She would've rather died than be captured again. She'd rather leave this world with what little honor she could than bear another disgraceful defeat. And in doing so, she left him behind as well.

As Asundhe howled sorrowfully, he tried to think of what to do. Something he could do, but there was nothing he could do except cry.

"Payas! Forgive me!" Asundhe called out to the gods. "Please give her back! Let her live and take me instead! Do what you will with me, but bring her back! Please! Please! Please... Please..." He pleaded but they gave him no answer.

Asundhe looked around. Hoping to find something, someone in the dark, but there was nothing. He was alone. At least he thought he was. As he looked around he thought he could see the shadows crawling around inside and outside the enclosure, hissing at him, taunting him, laughing at his pain. Their shrieks coupled with the compound's overwhelming alarms created a horrifying symphony that made Asundhe shudder.

Asundhe scurried into the corner of the enclosure and huddled into a fetal position, and tried to drown out the monster's hellish cacophony with his hands to little avail. The facility's dim emergency lights then abruptly came on illuminating Asundhe's surroundings in a dim red light. The monsters disappeared when it happened, but as the light died back down into darkness they came back. The shadows weren't actually there, but with all the shock he was in and the sadness he felt, he couldn't tell.

"Please... Go away... Leave me alone... Please..." Asundhe begged them, but it once again fell on deaf ears.

Asundhe began to calmly rock back and forth as he hummed a soft quiet tune to himself. It was a melody his mother used to sing to him when he felt scared or discouraged. "With my Honor" she'd called it.

"Wei't Tik-osde' yin'tekai b-eh. Re'muta s-di re-see hma'mi'da. Dto s-di judina kv'var. Mu'minar Tik-osde' yin'tekai h'ko yetunar. R'ei de'guan yin'tai lik-eh..." She began weakly as she coughed up warm thwei. "Wei't Tik-osde' yin'tekai b-eh. Tso payas ,Pakuni s-di Saeturi, Tik-osde' pe'mli'te. Po'so we'sunde, mar'kudi, s-di thar'n-dha mai-ru. De'guan' kv'var lu-arni agekin. Tso payas ,Po'haku s-di Centanu, h'chak po'so Tik-osde' bhu'ja, Ma-osde' h'yekti. Wei't tik-osde yin'tekai b-eh. Po'so de'guan yin'tai seu-ni, s-di lu-arni tar'sro lik-eh. Wei't yin'tekai Tik-osde' ch'jal-a. Tso payas thar'n-dha suya'tar gu-dar. Po'so de'guan s-di guan Tik-osde u'sl-kwe..." (With my honor I will go, through mountains wilderness and unrully plains I train, through forests, rivers, and wild jungles I have hunted. Forever shall my honor never stain. But tonight it is time. With my honor I will go, to the gods ,Pakuni and Saeturi, I will pray, for guidance, endurance, and strength I seek. For tonight I hunt my last game. To the gods ,Po'haku and Centanu, mercy for my soul of which they keep. With my honor I will go, for tonight my time is nigh, and my final opponent approches. With my honor I will cry, to the gods for strength beyond reproach. For tonight is the night I die.)

Once he'd finished everything was quiet. The alarms had gone silent and the shadows were nowhere to be seen or heard. Asundhe then scuttled over to the spot in the brush where he and his mother would sleep together. There, he laid in the dark all alone, and cried himself to sleep.