Chapter 42
Please pass the tea
Returning to the social area, Vai'dqouulth found the humans… asleep. They were either incredibly foolish or trusted him fully.
Or, maybe they were just tired.
Looking at his gifted watch, he found they were resting too early for their sleep cycle. He suspected stress coupled with the safety, comfort, and warmth of his ship had induced this. Making a choice, he decided it would be best let them rest. Maybe not for the usual full cycle, but they wouldn't be effective if they were exhausted, either.
It had surprised him when they hadn't automatically followed him into the ship. They were perfectly welcome. However, it did give him an opportunity to change the atmosphere from his to Earth's so they could breathe properly.
He also reduced the climate to a duplicate of one he had encountered during a hunt. It should be simulating a hot and humid jungle of Earth. Somewhat like his bearer's home on Yautja Prime's jungle biome and what he was used to, but cooler. Humans did not bear the extremes of climates well, as he had come to learn.
Vai'dqouulth was more grateful than ever to have opted for a yacht explicitly to have the extra sleeping quarters. Most hunters procured small ships that had one or two sleeping areas. His had four, as he often did group hunts. If needed, his brethren could double up for an even larger hunting party.
Unfortunately, that usually led to violence, since males just could not get along and often goaded each other into fights. Fights that left his ship a destructive mess.
Even though the slaves and servants allotted to him would service and sanitize his craft upon his return to the clan ship or his home planet, he decided he would take Katja to the master sleeping quarters and regulate Adrien and Alexei to a shared room and sleeping pallet to avoid the extra work for them.
Surely, they couldn't be too destructive. Plus, he just didn't want humans contaminating rooms unnecessarily.
Going over, he observed Alexei resting his head on Katja's shoulder. He gave a low, steady growl at the sight, but refrained from relieving Alexei's torso of his head. The little fool was still in possession of the nest's true location.
Instead, he carefully picked up Katja, determined to redeem himself for waking her in the communal dwelling by not waking her now. So far, he was doing much better this time around.
Walking to his personal sleeping quarters, the biometric scanners above the door automatically opened the portal to his presence.
Inside, he pulled back one of his handcrafted pelts on the sleeping pallet and slid Katja underneath it. This sleeping ritual humans did, of always needing a covering over themselves for sleep, was a phenomenon he wanted to better understand sometime in the future.
Katja made a small, sad whimpering noise before rolling over and compressing her body into a small circle underneath the pelt. Vai'dqouulth hesitated, troubled, but was too reluctant to wake her. Instead, he quickly made a few soft purrs, until she quieted.
He had now probably used this ability on her more than any other female. Not once for copulation either, it's intended purpose; which was to tranquillize, so he, the male didn't get bucked and tossed during the act.
All it had been used for with Katja was relaxation and reassurance. An odd and unfamiliar feeling passed through him at the thought. Not unwelcome. Just strange.
He chuckled, though. Doubtful Katja could buck and toss him. Then, he became more serious as he considered what Jade had told him not long ago. He'd have to train himself in extreme restraint. In all matters, not just copulation. Katja wasn't delicate, but certainly less durable than even a weak Yautja. Any activity he considered to be normal might be hazardous to her.
Deciding these were thoughts for later, he stepped away and began to make a mental list of things needing to be done with his remaining guests.
First, he went and retrieved all of Katja's belongings and moved them into his room. Why they all had taken off their protective footwear was strange to him. They hadn't done that in the recreational dwelling, except for certain obvious occasions. He had decided not to question it. The ship's automation would clean up the mess they tracked in soon enough.
Next, he went to his equipment room and got a proper wrist gauntlet, although he kept the hybrid one. He would turn it over to the instructors along with the footage to train young ones on how to improvise in the field. Not all Yautja were engineers or technology experts. Often, they outsourced that work to the enslaved species who were.
Returning to Katja, he did a scan of her and entered the data into his ship, granting her certain permissions and access. She could enter his room freely now, including the hygienic refresher within his room. The ship's defenses also wouldn't reduce her to particles. Should she awaken needing to relieve herself, he would teach her how to use the waste disposal system.
Now for the males. He did a quick scan of both before waking Adrien. The marine took a big inhale before his eyes fluttered open, clearly confused very briefly as to where he was.
"News?" Adrien demanded once he orientated himself.
"Rest first. Will wake and discuss," Vai'dqouulth quipped from the wrist device. It was much faster to do from a fully Yautja one.
Nodding, Adrien went over and kicked Alexei awake, to the runt's whining. Vai'dqouulth directed them to grab their shed equipment, then led them to one of the extra quarters. Discreetly, while they moved in, he added them to the ship's database as well, granting them permissions for this room and exempting them from termination by the defenses.
He also made sure to lock every other door for everyone but himself, minus the ones he designated personally.
Before letting them rest, he showed them the hygienic refresher and how the waste system worked. Being groggy from sleep, he guessed there was a slim chance his floor might be defiled by one of them; but again, the automation could take care of it. Still, slightly unsettling to think about.
"Where's Katja?" Adrien asked. Vai'dqouulth turned to him and caught a glimpse of the runt, who was already passed out on the sleeping pallet.
"With me. Asleep," Vai'dqouulth answered.
Adrien narrowed his eyes, with… suspicion? Vai'dqouulth still struggled with human expressions, particularly when they involved the mouth area, due to its biological dissimilarity to a Yautja's. "Why not group her up with us? Bed looks big enough to hold a few of your kind, even."
"Do not want humans defiling my ship with more mating," Vai'dqouulth shot back.
"But it's ok if you do it?" asked Adrien, and the challenge was clear.
For a moment, Vai'dqouulth stayed silent. Did… Adrien know of his interest, or was this more humor? The human had certainly hinted at this before. It wasn't that he desired to cover it up; in fact, he was proud to flaunt it. But he did not want Katja to find out prematurely.
With Yautja females, one generally wasn't permanently rejected as a mating partner – though it wasn't an impossible feat to achieve, either.
Human females, however? He had no idea if rejection was permanent, or how many opportunities a male was given. That was why he was determined to not let her know his intentions before he was ready. His plan was to give his best 'offering', for lack of a better term, upfront. Whatever that may entail.
"Is my ship," he finally answered Adrien, not wanting to stall too long. The phrase had been chosen carefully. Either it could be taken as humor (something he'd quickly discovered humans enjoyed) or it could be taken as literal. Neither of which were wrong, both were right.
Cocking his head, as if internally debating something, Adrien finally said, "Fair point," not commenting one way or another as Vai'dqouulth was hoping. Curse their deception and cunning. He really wanted answers from Adrien. But he simply walked off to the pallet and laid down, the door closing in his wake.
For a moment, Vai'dqouulth just stood in front of the portal, debating whether to open it and demand answers; followed by possibly disemboweling Adrien to maintain that silence. If the human suspected, it seemed he hadn't revealed anything to Katja. Yet, anyway. Perhaps it was better to not escalate the issue.
Deciding that was the best course of action, Vai'dqouulth retreated back to the master quarters. The doors slid open, and he got to observe the little bundle of human asleep on his pallet. And very suddenly, the current situation really sunk into his mind.
Katja, the one female he truly would pay any price for, was in his pallet at this very moment. Not the pallet in the recreational dwelling, his sleeping pallet. He couldn't help but feel dignified, possessive, and flat out ecstatic. Some of the most primitive instincts and feelings a Yautja could experience.
He was now seriously considering locking himself out of his own room and sleeping in the social area or another set of quarters – it wouldn't be the first time, certainly. He hadn't done anything really worthy of courting other than fighting, and all of the fights of his she'd witnessed were awful shows of prowess. First, getting pinned; second, the impregnator. But most importantly, he didn't want to unintentionally end up offending her, injuring her, or crossing her boundaries. Like through the act of 'rape', the concept of which he still didn't really understand.
Again, Jade's words came to mind.
He took a deep inhale to calm himself, but ended up just taking in the sweet scent of Katja that now permeated the room.
Damn.
But, Vai'dqouulth was determined to prove to her, and himself, that he was an honorable male that could exercise restraint until he had earned her favor.
Walking in, Vai'dqouulth removed some of his equipment before settling in on the far end of the pallet, away from her. His head rests felt irritatingly comfortable. Looking over to Katja next, he assessed her. She didn't seem uncomfortable or fidgety, but her face seemed mournful, even in sleep.
Well, he had slept next to her many times without incident.
He could do it once more.
Katja's nightmares startled her awake. She didn't remember anything about them other than images of Maksim's face, but the leftover fear and pain made her know they'd been nightmares.
If only… if only she could have told him goodbye. Hear him say her name again.
Maksim had started calling her by her rank once she'd surpassed him, and when he'd joined her unit, it was more typically 'ma'am'. She'd given up telling him he didn't have to be so formal many months ago. The past few days had been the first time he'd used her name in years...
Katja shook her head, forcing herself into the present. Finally, she noticed how strange and unfamiliar her surroundings were. But wherever she was, it had the most comfortable bed she had ever slept on. Pillows – or whatever the Yautja equivalent was – included. The only real discomfort? She was hotter than hell.
Next to her, she saw Blue's scarred and stripy back. She was still on his ship, then. This must be his bedroom. Why had he brought her into his room with him? Must be limited on sleeping space and really, she couldn't picture him willingly bunking up with either of the guys whereas they had been bunked for several nights now.
Pulling up her arm to view her watch, she found it to be about six hours after she, Alexei and Adrien had boarded.
A chirp brought her attention back to her bunkmate. Blue was asking something. "What?" Katja rubbed at her eyes, trying to clear her head.
"Needs?" Blue asked, using his computer this time.
"Um," Katja began, noting her dry throat. "Bathroom would be great. A lot of water, too. Please," she finished. All the sweating had made her dehydrated. Was the sweating from the heat, or her dreams?
Blue got up and motioned her to come with him. They headed for a wall, which puzzled Katja until it slid away to reveal another room.
"Wow. Your ship is so cool," Katja praised, clasping her hands together. He made that chittering laughing noise she'd come to recognize, then he gently pushed her forward.
Inside, he showed her a seat that looked… somewhat like a toilet, if she didn't think about it too much. Thankfully, his demonstration of the contraption showed it worked about the same way.
The sink, or whatever it was, was a completely different story. He filled it and then submerged his hands, though it wasn't water. More like a gel. There was no soap or other cleansers that she could see, either.
"Microbes in the liquid will sanitize skin. Keep submerged until it drains automatically," Blue explained patiently to her unasked question.
"I think I got it," Katja nodded.
Dipping his head, Blue left, the door 'closing' behind him. Turning, she took a moment just to take in the 'bathroom', as it clearly was the equivalent of what humans used.
It was bigger than her apartment bedroom. No decorations or even a privacy window. The lighting was dim, like the rest of the ship.
As she pulled her pants down and sat on this… throne? – she idly wondered if the large hole in the floor was a tub, a shower, or some other form of hygienic machinery. Big as a pool, whatever it was.
Finishing, she went to the 'sink', and ran the gel. It stopped before overflowing. She followed the instructions and submerged her hands, waiting and hoping it would end quickly.
It was so strange. She didn't want to be alone with her thoughts, but she instinctively desired to isolate herself.
"Doesn't matter what you want. You have to move forward and see this through. The world is literally counting on it."
Once the goo drained, she stepped in front of the wall, which again slid away, to find her friend waiting. Without prompting, he brushed past her into the bathroom and assessed things.
She was insulted at first, but then realized the level of tolerance he must've had to 'potty train' her. From his perspective, it couldn't have been very enjoyable. It reminded her of Karik when he had taught her the same thing, though she was too young to pull a specific memory. He just talked about all the things she did growing up.
Blue suddenly came back, seemingly satisfied, and offered her a jug of sorts. He pantomimed drinking after she looked at it with confusion. The narrow neck of the jug made sense for Blue's kind given their mouth structure.
Accepting the vessel, she tipped it back, finding it just a little bit heavy. Thankfully, her alien friend helped her hold it stable.
Water. The most fantastic-tasting water ever. Katja guzzled greedily. It was so delicious. Once she had her fill, she handed it back, but noticed she'd spilled some on the floor.
"Oh, I'm so sorry. I can clean that up for you," Katja began, starting to bend down.
"Guests do not do the work of slaves and servants," Blue cut her off. "Not necessary either. Ship will take care of it," he finished.
"Oh, ok." Katja shifted nervously. Her spill was only water, but she still spilled in his ship.
But…servants? Slaves? That was extremely disturbing. Really, she shouldn't be shocked, after learning what Yautja used humans for. That said, even if it didn't sit right with her (or any decent being), this was neither the time nor place for an ethical discussion. Rome wasn't built in a day, and the universe had to be saved before it could be freed.
Truthfully though, there realistically probably wasn't anything she could do about it, at least at a planetary level. The Yautja were top of the food chain in the entire universe, and her opinions to Blue's government were surely less than irrelevant.
It was contradictory and strange that they had slaves and yet, had proudly freed humanity from slavery. Their morals made no sense. Maybe the term meant something different on his planet. Or maybe the enslaved humans were treated so poorly, that the Yautja – who took slaves – were appalled. That last one was a frightening thought.
It also would do no good for her to get angry at Blue himself. It would be self-serving, just a passive way to make her feel better about herself, like somehow it meant she was doing something about it.
No. They were starting from such radically different societies and perspectives, that immediately tearing into him about it would only confuse him and make him defensive. Or get her killed. He was likely following his upbringing and the letter of the law his government had established. If his behavior was anything to go by, he was an extremely upstanding citizen by his societal standards, in her estimation.
Yes, if she was to change his mind, she had to show him a better way, why it was wrong. Not argue. And then maybe he would pass that on, creating a domino effect. Idealistic? Maybe. But things like this always started somewhere.
"Do you require anything else?" Blue asked, derailing her musing.
Actually, she was craving some tea. He did call her a guest, and offered to get her anything. "Do you have tea?"
Blue cocked his head toward the ceiling. "Elder's drink? Do have some. Come," he encouraged. Katja willingly followed the large alien.
He brought her to a large room that she assumed was a kitchen. It was adjacent to the first room they sat in – the living room, for comparison and familiarity's sake. This was also, basically, an open floor layout.
Seeing the first room made her wonder where Adrien was. After her tea, she would ask Blue.
The hunter picked her up and placed her on an elevated surface. Counter? Table? She wasn't entirely sure, but he was making her feel like a kid again.
Katja watched as he tapped the upper wall, revealing more jugs and bowls. Cupboards? Picking a jug, he brought it out and placed it in a device of some kind. This vessel was smaller than the last. Maybe it was child size. Or a sippy jug. Should she be insulted?
Next, he opened a different wall and grabbed a container. He returned to the jug and pulled it from the device. He loaded the contents of the container – which looked tea-like – into some sort of translucent ball and dropped it into the jug.
He walked to her, slotting himself between her legs and offered the jug. Confused, she wiggled backward. His teal eyes were gleaming in the dim light. They looked so… human, in many ways. It was disconcerting.
Katja accepted the jug and took a sip. Hot, but not burning. The flavor was slightly fruit-like, but still very distinctly 'leaf water', as Adrien liked to put it.
"Satisfying?" He asked, his gaze burning into her very soul. It was slightly unnerving.
"It's delicious. You said it was an elder's drink? I take it, you don't drink it?" Katja said, just a little curious about his culture. The elder part made no sense. It was either an age thing or a title.
"If hosting an Elder, I will partake. But not my first choice of refreshment," Blue nodded, seemingly pleased with her interest. Must be a beer guy, if she had to guess.
"Thank you," she told him. "Tea is… well, it's my comfort drink, and I could use that right now."
Blue tilted his head, reminding Katja of a puppy. She couldn't tell if he was confused or inviting her to continue.
"Vai," she began.
"Kaa-ti'ja," he acknowledged with his own voice and in a new way. His pronunciation was much better this time. It seemed this was a new ritual of theirs.
"Have you…" She wasn't even ready to talk about this. Why was she bothering him about it? "Have you lost a comrade before? What did you… how did you move past it?" she struggled to ask.
The problem was, she didn't want to move past it. Mere hours ago, Maksim was alive. And he wasn't just a comrade.
If anything, Blue seemed even more baffled by her questions. "Lost many. Cannot stop duties because clan member dies. One brother or sister dead, unfortunate. Two, worse."
Katja sagged, face leaning over the steam of the tea. "But what if they loved you?" she whispered.
Blue was quiet for so long, Katja lifted her head, wondering if she had somehow offended him.
Three of the hunter's mandibles were closed tightly, practically folded over themselves in that 'T' position, while the top, right one wiggled ever so slightly. Maybe it was like a finger tapping when in deep thought. "Repeat word," he finally requested.
Katja stopped to consider. There was really only one unique word in there. The rest she knew, had been used in common conversation with him.
"Love?" Katja repeated.
He was silent again before going to his wrist device. Was he… looking up the definition? That's all she could figure at this point.
"Do not understand," he finally stated through his computer. Given his pride, that must've been difficult for him to admit.
"What do you mean?" she asked. Now she was the one who was lost.
"Word did not translate. Do not know definition," Blue clarified.
"It's… hard to describe. Love is a strong feeling of affection, attachment, and concern toward another individual. It arises from kinship or close friendship, but like the next step beyond that," Katja tried to answer. Nobody could truly put it into words, though. Either you knew or you didn't.
The hunter continued to ponder. "…Reproductive urges?" he asked.
"It can play a part in the feeling, yes. But that's more of a way to express it than the feeling itself. Have you ever felt that for another?" Katja answered and asked, trying not to be too uncomfortable by his question.
His inner jaw worked to speak, but no sounds came out. She had never seen him at a loss for words. "Humans… feel things much more strongly than Yautja. You bond closely, with deep affections. Such a thing is not… done, heard of, spoken of, in my society. Attachment is a distraction. A weakness. It can kill even the most skilled Yautja. Very survival depends on it."
Katja didn't believe him, except maybe the part about it being taboo. Emotions were practically synonymous with being alive, particularly for a sentient species. There was no way they were truly incapable of love. Sounded more like trained suppression. The Adrien method, but to an extreme where they applied it to everyday life, rather than just the military aspect. "Surely, you love your children…" she began.
"Have not met most of them," Blue told her. "Culture does not allow it."
But, was that a trace of longing in his body and facial language?
"Why's that?" Katja prodded, very interested now.
"Risk of male killing pup that is not his. Favoritism in upbringing also a risk, if male is distinguished," Blue said. She guessed there were probably more reasons than that too, but he touched the ones he felt were most important.
They sounded sort of like a lion pride. A male would kill another male and his offspring before taking over and starting a new lineage with the females. Given their constant risk of extinction, if she had to guess, the Yautja government wanted to mitigate territorial males killing children.
It also sounded like they had done away with being 'born into privilege', as humans would probably call it. Everyone had to earn their recognition in his society. A meritocracy, perhaps? Debatable if it was a good system, like any other, but they were also two very different species.
Katja really wanted to believe Blue wouldn't up and kill a child simply because it wasn't his, but that may have been naivety speaking. Still, it sounded like they raised soldiers that would be as free of emotion as possible. He would have that same rearing, so maybe he would kill a baby? Instincts could also be very strong drives in action and if he was any indication, they seemed to operate on instinct more than a human did.
He'd never understand, then. She felt bad for him. Yes, love could hurt, but it was worse never to experience it, in her opinion.
"So, you don't know any of your kids? Would you even know if they were your child?" Katja furrowed her brows.
"Yes, give off a scent signature to prevent inbreeding. Have contacted some of the males who survived Chiva. Also contact few of my female offspring. Desire to meet more."
The word 'contacted' threw Katja right out of the conversation and back to reality. She scrunched her face up. Blue had contacted his people. She needed to hear what had happened. "I truly hope you get to meet them all, and I'd be interested to learn more; but what happened with your people yesterday? Are they coming?" she asked.
Blue straightened. "Will wake others and then report," he said, and despite the computer monotone, it sounded somber. He stopped when he saw the flag patches on the table. Picking them up, he held them out and cocked his head at her.
"Oh, um… it's symbolic. We renounced our governments. They can't be trusted to do the right thing. We're with you. All the way to death," Katja explained hastily. It sounded absurd to her. The Yautja really didn't need their help.
"We will discuss this matter later," Blue finally stated after a moment of silence, before turning and leaving.
She watched him disappear, taking more sips of the alien tea. It was helping settle her stomach, anyway.
A moment later, Blue returned with a very tired-looking Adrien and a cranky-looking Alexei. The two men, (or one man and one man-child) sat in the common room once more, while Blue prepared some water. Or, that's what it looked like to her.
Katja hopped down and joined the other humans.
"Morning," she greeted.
"Mm," Adrien mumbled. Nobody was a morning person in this group, apparently. Blue returned and placed small jugs of water in front of both Adrien and Alexei.
After a long drink, Adrien spoke first. "News? Reinforcements?"
"Forty-two hours or so away," Blue answered straightforwardly.
"That's too long. The queen is about to make her move," Adrien shook his head.
"I agree," Katja voiced.
"Then Alexei can give me the location and I'll go after her. Nobody else has to come," Adrien said.
Katja frowned. The American Captain hadn't been much of a cowboy out here, despite the stereotype. Why was he doing it now? "I'm coming with you. You're going to need all the help you can get."
Adrien took another long drink before answering. "I think you and Alexei should stay with Blue. Wait for reinforcements. I'm confident I can keep her distracted, at least long enough for them to arrive."
"Not staying. Clan and Warship are honing in on ship," Blue said before pausing. "This is our hunt. And I will see it finished," he declared.
"Hello? What about me?" Alexei cut in.
"Quiet, the adults are talking. And you are coming." Katja said. Alexei huffed, but fell silent for once.
"Ok, but if we're all going, we're gonna be smart about it. Let's resupply guns and ammo from the camp. We're gonna need as much as we can carry, so dump everything else," Adrien said as he stood and walked to the ramp.
"Can't open," Blue said.
"Why?" Adrien demanded.
"Come," Blue motioned.
Too curious to refuse, they all stood and followed him up a short flight of stairs. Katja's breath caught in her throat when she reached the ship's second level. This seemed to be an observation room made entirely of glass or transparent walls. And they were most certainly not on Earth.
Below them was the bright blue ball itself, with the dark expanse of space surrounding it. They were holding orbit just above Siberia, the ship seeming to keep pace with the rotation.
Katja's heart raced in pure awe.
"I'm the first space marine," Adrien said as he dropped to his butt, clearly just as overwhelmed.
There were pictures, depictions, and the like, but it was nothing like seeing it in person.
"That is why," Blue spoke simply.
Even Alexei was stunned into complete silence. No snide comments or rude boredom. Just quiet appreciation.
For a time, they all just watched the planet spin. She was reminded why she fought, who she was doing this for. And that the people around her wouldn't have died for nothing. Katja imagined all the people in blissful ignorance of the danger they faced.
Of the dangers out there in the big, scary universe.
That thought snapped her back to the present. "Can you land us back at the camp? We really need to get to work," Katja said as she placed a hand on Blue.
"Immediately," he answered, and stalked off. She wasn't about to follow. Seeing the landing would surely be amazing too.
Adrien is officially a colonial marine!