Chapter 52

The Clan

Vai'dqouulth was lounging on his sleeping pallet lazily. He had awakened long before Katja, and while he could wake her and get started, he was instead… indulging.

During the sleep cycle, it seemed he had unconsciously shuffled toward her; and once he reached the middle of the pallet, he dragged her over to himself. Likely because he sensed the heat and was instinctively drawn to it. Currently, she was twisted up in the pelts, and using his bicep as a head rest.

His aforementioned indulgence was imagining what this would be like for the rest of their lives – fantasizing, really; something he had rarely, if ever, did or had done. Waking to her in the pallet instead of alone, going out to hunt together, coming back to share meals and stories, attempt pregnancy, rest, and finally repeat with possible exceptions should offspring come into existence. Perfection to him.

The path to that point would be the challenging part. The other difficulty would be parenting pups; human or otherwise. Even he wasn't sure if that was a learnable skill for a male Yautja. But Katja clearly expected her males to be involved in the child-rearing process, and Vai'dqouulth was determined to try. It certainly wasn't an unwelcome idea, playing a part in a pup's development.

Adjusting himself without waking the human, Vai'dqouulth moved back to his side of the pallet, then gave her a light shake.

"Hmm…?" she hummed before finally rising with a stretch. Were it not for Adrien's oversized covering on her, he would've gotten an excellent view at her form. Such a pity.

Vai'dqouulth was mostly dressed for sparring by the time she had blinked away the sleepiness. With his mask secure, he discreetly made another check for pregnancy. Nothing to indicate as such yet, that he could tell. Maybe the medical mask would be able to pick it up, but he was starting to think that injury had indeed prevented fertilization. Perhaps permanently.

However, he had already realized he desired her for more than just offspring. She was his lifemate, for better or for worse. And that spoke volumes considering his cultural background.

"Morning. Or whatever. I guess in space, that's subjective," Katja mumbled a laugh.

"Ready yourself for training," Vai'dqouulth told her simply. They could eat 'breakfast' after sparing. Filling up would likely result in cramps, expulsion, and ultimately, her being bedridden.

On second thought, that may be an excuse to confine her to the ship while he hunted the hard meats.

"Got it. Exercise first, then eat. Would hate to get sick," Katja agreed with a yawn.

Sometimes her intelligence was an agitating feature. A sign of worthy prey? Yes. And he certainly didn't want a human that couldn't critically think. But it also often thwarted his plans, and it had since the moment they'd met.

After their respective post-sleep cycle routines were finished, Vai'dqouulth ushered her to the training room. He gave her outfit a once-over. The leg coverings were longer and looser fitting than he preferred for mobility, but the top he could work with.

"Kehrite," he said the word for the training room very slowly, spreading his arm around for emphasis. Best to start acquainting her with the language of his people, as speaking in a foreign language in the presence of others would not be tolerated.

"Kehrite," Katja repeated. Her accent left much to be desired, but it would be recognizable as a word if she spoke it to any Yautja.

" 'Training or sparring room'," Vai'dqouulth gave the definition.

"Kehrite. Training or sparring room. Understood," she said. He could tell she was assuming that she would end up on his planet as well. Perhaps she was coming to terms with the fact that Adrien may not survive. Or that the clan may force them into servitude, regardless of his survival.

Moving to the wall, he grabbed training combisticks, which were made of a highly resilient yet flexible wood. The shield training would be more difficult, as that was a tool not commonly utilized, and had no training counterpart.

He handed her the training weapon and immediately got her into fighting position… of course, he was a little more particular, since it offered the excuse to touch her. That smooth, soft meat skin…

Focusing, he readied his computer for speaking. "You will repeat the strike pattern I demonstrate."

"Ok," Katja agreed.

Using a multi-limbed wood target, he slowly tapped each protrusion he wanted her to hit. Vai'dqouulth repeated this many times, until he gradually moved her in place, and she was striking the limbs. She was moving slowly, and her form wasn't the best. But it took the unblooded a large passage of time to become proficient. He'd settle for her being able to just adequately defend herself until she became more proficient.

"Continue. I will prepare hydration refreshments," Vai'dqouulth stated.

She nodded, but stayed focused. He knew humans cooled themselves by external perspiring, which often dehydrated them. This perspiration increased when they exerted themselves, as she did now.

In an emergency, the ship had the ability to draw in ice crystals from space and melt them down into water. When on a planet, even a dry one, it could still employ water collection options. Siberia, as he had heard it called many times now, was one of the easier collection methods – for obvious reasons.

Filling jugs, he returned to find Katja was… twisting? Stretching?

"Thought about it and decided to wait for you. There's a saying that one should never train alone, because all that does is reinforce and ingrain the mistakes or bad habits that one is making. Plus, I'm stiff. Needed to loosen up," Katja answered his unasked question.

That was sage reasoning. It was why Yautja typically trained in pairs at minimum.

He also enjoyed that they were bonded enough that she could intuit his thoughts. "Proceed," Vai'dqouulth prompted.

He watched idly, occasionally correcting her or explaining why a technique was superior. When he was mostly satisfied with her progress and the increase in her speed, Vai'dqouulth decided to move on to the next part.

Accessing his computer, Vai'dqouulth had the training room project a sole hologram of a hard meat drone.

"Apply what you have learned to the training simulations," he explained, stepping off the sparing floor.

Katja got into position and nodded a confirmation that she was ready. Unrealistic, as a hard meat would not wait for its prey to be ready; but this was training, after all.

He started the simulation, and the creature charged. Katja, unsurprisingly, faltered and backed up in retreat. When it pounced, she fell on her flank.

He paused the program, having expected this. The training was radically different from her version of setting up dead, static hard meat drones as they had done at the recreational dwelling.

"I… panicked. Wasn't expecting how realistic it would be," Katja spoke uncomfortably.

He pulled her up without comment, and she returned to her stance.

Vai'dqouulth reset the program. The drone charged again; but this time, his earth mate stood firm. When it pounced, she seized the opening and stabbed it, dissipating the hologram.

"Better. Remember, that weight will not disappear. You will need to dislodge your weapon before it takes you down with it. You will be left vulnerable otherwise," Vai'dqouulth advised.

Katja nodded, her heart rate spiking in anticipation.

"Again," Vai'dqouulth ordered. He would monitor her heart rate and temperature, to be sure her illness did not overwhelm her body; but otherwise, he wanted her to continue training until her progress was sufficient for one day. The key was keeping her frustrated enough that she wanted to improve, but not so frustrated she wanted to walk away. It was a fine balance. Much like the relationship he sought with her. Balance.

They progressed as much as they possibly could, at the rate they could. Katja was taking down two drones at a time, but three seemed to be too many. While on occasion she did best three, too often she did not win. Her technique definitely improved, but wasn't exceptional by any means. With time, he was sure it would improve and the number of drones she would be able to engage with would also increase.

She also lacked the physical prowess of a Yautja. Any human would. Still, she was at a point that left him with confidence she wouldn't die in minor encounters. He'd also be with her if larger numbers of hard meats gathered.

Now for the shield.

This training was easier in a sense; he simply locked the fanned plasma in place and had her block incoming attacks from the drone holograms, including bite, tail, and even their acid. No limbs were lost, or even scratched, thankfully.

Their time running out, he then tested her on both tools at the same time. She performed better than expected, but the serpents out there were real. He'd still need to be very close and attentive to her.

Once past this outbreak, they would have a lifetime to train her on weapon proficiency. Looking her over on the trichromatic spectrum, he saw a bright sheen on her body. The perspiration, no doubt. She was bent at the knees, panting heavily from the exertion; but her heart rate was not at a dangerous level.

"We going a round now?" Katja asked.

Well, that was certainly an invitation he would enjoy taking her up on. But, they had used much of their hunting time already, and she was tiring. Best not to use all her energy before the hunt.

"Another time," he promised instead, motioning her to toss the training combistick; which she did.

So focused on taking her in, he missed the training combistick, and it hit his wrist computer before clattering to the floor.

In response, the hologram of a hard meat switched to a human.

Humans. Adrien and Petrov.

The computer had downloaded these two males' information to the ship's database from the footage in his mask. All battles were recorded, so all Yautja could learn how to become better, win or lose – and then the enemy could be simulated through holographic projection. Not perfectly, but somewhat.

Right now, they stood statically, waiting for activation. Katja approached them both, the scent of her sadness heavy on the air.

Of course, she first went to the deceased weak warrior, staring at the facial features intently. The weak warrior's projection stared off in the distance, not taking notice of her at all. It was, after all, a computer program. Lifeless.

He watched her cover her mouth with a hand before going to Adrien. Again, she just stared into the hologram, as if expecting something from it.

Without warning, she broke away into a fast walk. Instincts to chase kicked in, and he followed after a delay of processing. He was unquestionably faster; but she had a head start, and didn't have far to go.

Katja sealed herself in the nearest hygienic refresher. Vai'dqouulth wanted to override the door, but refrained, not knowing how she would react.

Instead, he tried the human method he had seen performed many times in the communal dwelling. He rapped his knuckles against the door.

"I-I'm fine! I just… need a minute to myself," Katja said from inside. Her voice sounded awful. Shaky, cracked.

Vai'dqouulth stood at the portal, deciding what to do now. Clearly, she was distressed. Switching over to a sort of x-ray setting, he mapped her sitting on the waste disposal unit, head clutched in her hands.

He wanted to render aid, but he was unsure how to do so. The culture barriers, emotional differences, and the fact that they weren't the same species were now a full force issue that needed to be battled. It made him feel inadequate, and all the worse with the ugly truth that she was the creature he intended to stay with for life – yet he was woefully uneducated about how to care for her needs.

Defeated, he went and sat on his sleeping pallet. As he had expected, her grieving period had not passed and it was degrading, not improving.

Would she mourn him if it were his death? If he was in the healing tank? She had hinted to the fact back at the recreational dwelling before. It festered a sort of guilt in him. Yautja desired to die in glory, not upon a pallet of old age or sickness. Katja would need him on Prime to thrive, not just to survive. But she would also not want him to die. What a radical difference in philosophy between them.

Briefly, he went through audio clips of the weak warrior or the veteran to try and lure her out, but did not play them. It seemed these moments were caused by any reference to them. Playing one may exacerbate the problem further.

Having no plan for the appropriate way to handle this, Vai'dqouulth opted to wait her out, though what he was supposed to do when she emerged, he hadn't any idea.

While mulling his failure to properly respond, Katja did eventually emerge, her face streaked with dried fluid.

He stood swiftly at her reappearance, but deliberated. Vai'dqouulth had been thinking what he should do when Katja did finally come out. Unfortunately, no useful solution had presented itself.

"May I assist?" was all he could offer.

"You already have," Katja answered, trying to wipe her face clean.

"Do not understand," Vai'dqouulth stated. How he hated using the phrase, over and over again.

"Just being here. Offering to help. It's enough," Katja answered, placing a hand over his wrist.

None of that made any logical sense to him. Presence should not dictate helpfulness without action. "How long do humans grieve?" Vai'dqouulth asked instead.

"My brother died about two years ago. He was the only real family I had, if you hadn't guessed from some of my accounts already. I haven't gotten over it, and I likely never will," Katja explained.

That did not sound like a pleasant proposition for the future.

"The pain has faded, somewhat; but those we connect with on a social and emotional level, we never truly get past it. We just… learn to live on, you know?" Katja continued.

No, he did not know, that was why he was asking. Still, it seemed her grief may lessen in intensity as time went on. "How fade?" Vai'dqouulth further questioned.

"By remembering those still alive who need me, even if I'm not much," Katja answered.

Vai'dqouulth couldn't be sure, but he thought she meant him. Or at least, he hoped she meant him. Now, Katja rubbed her arms up and down with clear tension.

"Can we go before I think about this too much?" she requested.

He nodded and directed her to get the rest of her equipment on while he landed the ship. Because of their time use, he decided to go back to the human fortress in the mountains and start there. Plenty of hard meats should be in close proximity to the former nest.

With artificial intelligence-assisted piloting, Vai'dqouulth stood and went to his quarters. Katja was inside, sliding her slightly more effective human/Yautja hybrid armor on, followed by her head protection.

"You're going out again?" a voice cut in.

Alexei.

The runt came ambling in arrogantly, as if he owned the ship.

"Yes. There's still plenty of serpents out there, and Blue's people haven't arrived yet," Katja explained, but wasn't really focused on him. She was testing the balance of her spear.

"But, Jekaterina," the runt moaned, removing his spectacles and wiping them on his upper covering. "You were just out yesterday!" He placed the spectacles on his nose and sighed loudly.

At last, turning to him, Katja flicked some hair out of her face. "Do you miss us, Alexei?" There was much more patience and kindness in her voice than the pathetic excuse of a human deserved.

"Well, I'm bored here, and scared. If you both die, I don't know what to do. And if Blue's friends show up here and I'm all alone…"

Alexei was likely picturing himself being slaughtered. Vai'dqouulth was picturing it too, and deriving great enjoyment from the visualization.

Walking over to Alexei, Katja ruffled his hair. "You're going to be fine, don't worry. And we need you here to look after Adrien."

The runt grumbled, but Katja ignored him, leaving the sleeping quarters with Vai'dqouulth right behind her.

Using the override, the ramp dropped while they were still airborne, giving them a good view of the terrain. They'd once again be fighting deep, loose, snow; but Vai'dqouulth was counting on the hard meats being close to the destroyed nest.

Now on land, the two of them stepped off the ramp and immediately sunk into the snow, as predicted. "Bet you won't miss Siberia when you get home," Katja remarked with a shiver.

Vai'dqouulth grunted in agreement, purposely not commenting on the fact that she would be leaving Earth with him.

Taking the lead, he began walking, creating a trail in his wake to lessen her exertion. As he did, he noted that another snowstorm was beginning to blow in.

It would be useless to try and convince Katja to turn back. She would fight until she was physically unable to do so. A hunter, a warrior, in the purest form of the term. If it came to it, he'd carry her back to the ship.

Wisely, he had landed them fairly close to the human subterranean structure, so the travel was kept to a minimum.

Now at the main door, Vai'dqouulth began looking for tracks, while Katja took a seat on a rock.

He was determining if a fading imprint in the snow belonged to a hard meat or not when he heard Katja suddenly ask, "Vai…?" The tone suggested worry, and the shortened use of his name didn't reinforce his confidence.

He turned quickly and found his female with several IR targeting designators dancing on her body. No mistake, Yautja weapons.

Switching vision modes quickly, he found several Yautja heat signatures close to her, ready to fire.

Vai'dqouulth almost let loose a roar. Idiotic, slaughter-obsessed young bloods for sure! Three of them, targeting the same creature.

That was not how hunting worked. Three Yautja versus one injured, sick, and possibly pregnant human was not an honorable hunt. Even healthy, it was an unfair fight. No doubt the fools forgot to even do a scan to check for variables.

Pulling his bow and three arrows simultaneously on the draw, Vai'dqouulth let them fly, striking the three Yautja in the back – but not aimed to kill them, and be branded a bad blood. He'd probably just saved them from that fate, too.

As they turned and roared in challenge at the pain, Katja wisely made her escape toward his ship rather than fight.

Vai'dqouulth roared back, but it carried the force of an older, stronger, male. The pups backed down in surprise. Surprise at hearing another Yautja; no doubt because they hadn't thought to check for others. They were getting dumber every generation. Interfering with another's hunt could potentially be grounds for death.

Ignoring them, he broke into a dead sprint after Katja; and it was a sound choice that he did, as she was suddenly lifted up by an invisible, likely cloaked, force.

Extending his replacement combistick, Vai'dqouulth held nothing back in smacking the hidden figure, yet another young blood male, breaking his leg in the process. Katja fell from the young blood's grasp into the deep snow.

Two more Yautja came from behind, attempting to tackle and subdue Vai'dqouulth. He simply rolled forward, vaulting them off and breaking some more limbs to incapacitate them.

Before Vai'dqouulth could recover, several more Yautja brought him down with sheer weight and numbers alone. He howled in anger, which crescendoed when Katja was grabbed again, blades shooting out from the cloaked young blood who had captured her.

"Cease!" a voice bellowed before the situation could get even more out of hand.

It was the Yautja language, not English. Somewhat jarring to hear after spending so much time around English-speaking humans.

"Clan leader," the young bloods greeted in unison, fists crossing their chests, and their heads lowered despite their various injuries.

Katja was dropped and made to run, but was immediately snatched by the throat once more. The figure who'd grabbed her dropped his camouflage as he strolled in causally.

Arbitrator Thell-Thwua'sou.

"Shit," Vai'dqouulth mumbled. This was… a problem. The clan's law enforcer had it out for him. Rumor had it that he only took the position so he could have a legal precedent to hunt and kill other Yautja… and his sights seemed to be set on him. No doubt this would extend to Katja.

"I see you are still attempting to become a bad blood, Prince Vai'dqouulth. Beating on and attempting to kill young hunters far below your skill level?" Thell-Thwua'sou scolded before motioning the youngbloods to let him up.

"They are interfering with my hunt. I am well within the law to terminate them for this transgression. Not to mention their dishonor in hunting wounded and sick prey. In groups, no less," Vai'dqouulth argued.

"Indeed?" Thell-Thwua'sou mocked before lifting and looking almost curiously at Katja, as if assessing her. Most likely doing health scans to try and subvert his claims. She was struggling to free herself from his grip without actually fighting. Vai'dqouulth didn't like the visual in the least, and it fueled his motivation to get her back to him.

"I have the recordings. The failure must be with the trainers, and they should be ashamed. Absolutely no situational awareness or assessment was utilized," Vai'dqouulth stated, closing the gap between himself and the arbitrator.

While still shorter than most Yautja females, Thell-Thwua'sou was much taller than the average male – including him – but Vai'dqouulth would be damned if he was going to back down from anything involving his lifemate.

Clan leader Aku finally stepped into the mix, and Vai'dqouulth turned to him.

"I have warned you repeatedly that the young bloods needed to be reined in. Mass slaughter is not hunting, and these bastard pups tend to kill anything and everything that moves all in the name of a quick trophy worth nothing," Vai'dqouulth growled, growing more and more concerned about Katja.

The young ones snarled back with indignation.

He had trained the young before. It was a rotational duty for elites to impart knowledge to the next generation, so his grievances carried weight.

"So you did. But this is not a true hunt. It is containment. The rules of engagement are different, you know this," Aku answered.

"Remand the human to me," Vai'dqouulth ordered, decidedly tiring of the debate and wanting Katja back with him.

Thell-Thwua'sou deliberated, but eventually put her down and pushed her to him.

Katja, for her part, staggered and tripped a bit, but gladly rushed back to his side.

She quickly sheltered behind him, and he maneuvered so he would be between her and every other Yautja. He was thoroughly ashamed of his inability to properly protect her.

"Stay," he quietly told her in English.

"You did not mention… this… in our communication," Aku finally pointed out.

"Because it was not relevant at the time. I assumed when you arrived, you would contact me to meet and I could explain the situation in depth," Vai'dqouulth countered, but with a respectful tone. This was his clan leader, after all.

"And we assumed you with the black hunter already. Instead, we find the nest purged and you out here tromping about with a prey creature," Aku stated.

"That creature has assisted me to her own detriment to summon you here. Knowing full well her death by the clan's hand is likely," Vai'dqouulth hissed, implying respect should be shown.

"You have violated many long-established rules, not just clan specific," Thell-Thwua'sou warned, almost pompously, while crossing his arms.

"As you all say, this is not a typical hunt, it calls for unorthodox methods. It was lose the planet or forge an alliance," Vai'dqouulth retorted defensively. Would they rather he left Earth to be overrun and useless to them?

"Enough. I will not have my prized elite and arbitrator killing each other over this... prey female. We will discuss this matter at length on the clan ship. Bring the human," Aku ordered.

"By your word, clan leader," Thell-Thwua'sou stated.

"Very well, but I demand oversight on the young bloods and unblooded. The ecosystem has been decimated enough in this region. I'm sure I speak for many in saying I'd like something left alive to hunt here in the future," Vai'dqouulth jumped in.

Aku tapped his gauntlet a few times. "Send in the trainers. Tell them to keep overwatch on the young hunters. Remind them there are plenty of hard meats for the pups to stalk, and to leave everything else alone unless absolutely necessary. Is that satisfactory?" Aku posed the last part to him.

Vai'dqouulth just nodded. Older hunters were conservationists; Aku, Thell-Thwua'sou, and the trainers, understood that a fragile ecosystem was just that. Youngbloods? Kill it if it moves, doesn't matter if you extinct the population for everyone else. He could, however, do without the condescending tone.

"Then let us be off," Aku waved.


Katja was still trying to come down from her flight or fight response. Being ambushed by Blue's kind had not been an experience she'd been craving her whole life.

The 'big one' had been the worst part. As terrifying as it had been when Blue was hunting her, the moment the 'big one' looked at her, even with the heavily detailed mask blocking its face, she knew – if this one was on your ass, you were already dead. It was just a matter of when it decided so.

That one also had to be between 2.5 and 2.75 meters, dwarfing even Blue. He was primarily white, with black rosette patterns filled in with a darker grey color. The camouflage didn't extend to the same areas as Blue's striping. It made for a camouflage pattern that perfectly disguised him in a frozen wasteland like Siberia to the point the cloaking technology would almost be redundant.

It reminded her of a snow leopard. Beautiful pattern and colors, to be sure; but most things that could kill you were visually stunning. With the amount of scarring, which rivaled Blue's, it was clear that one was a very efficient killer. The most pronounced scarring was around the throat; though it was hard to see with the armor brace covering it. Vocal damage, for sure. Blue hardly had a smooth voice, but the 'big one' sounded much more gravely, even pained.

It all piqued her interest, but she wasn't about to try and ask him about it. As a matter of fact, she didn't want anything to do with that one.

Thankfully they'd parted ways for now, with she and her hunter currently trudging back to the ship. Mercifully, they were mostly alone. It became apparent very quickly that the smaller ones were following them with curiosity.

On occasion, one would appear and address Blue. She didn't perfectly know his body language, but more often than not, she picked up on annoyance. It was confirmed for her when he actually pushed one of the littler ones – most of whom were still taller than Adrien – into a snow drift, and motioned her on.

When they arrived back at her companion's ship, there were even more of the smaller hunters, clustered in a group and waiting for them. Hopefully, that meant they couldn't get inside and at Alexei or Adrien.

She could almost see the steam coming off Blue at the sight. Still, he soldiered on, and she fell back behind him, trying to fade into the background.

As she feared, they were here to see her. Because she was a novelty. Fading into the background would be impossible.

They both came to a stop, and she could see them leaning to try and get a glimpse at her from behind her hunter friend. Her only hunter friend.

There was much clicking, growling, and chirps; but the last one was exclusive to the group, not Blue. Blue devolved into more aggressive growling, and even snarls or hisses. He was not a happy man… alien… whatever.

Unexpectedly, his blades shot out, and he roared. The gathered group turned their heads to the side. A sign of submission? With one final grunting growl and a head motion from Blue, they left.

"What was that about?" Katja asked, too curious not to know.

"Word has spread to the young ones that a human female warrior accompanies me. They demanded to see you up close. I declined. Some wanted to challenge you. I accepted those challenges on your behalf. All of them rescinded, because I am an elite, and they are inexperienced fools," Blue explained.

"Elite? That sounds impressive. You never told me that," Katja said. The alien hunter visibly puffed up.

"Elite is a high-ranking title. I did not divulge because you did not ask," Blue stated.

"You have made it abundantly clear you don't like to answer questions about yourself or your kind," Katja argued lightly, almost teasing. That seemed to stump him; he just looked back at her, as if trying to think of a counter. Poor Blue, always caught between duty and pride.

"Why did they want to challenge me?" Katja switched subjects. She really did find it odd. Maybe they weren't Yautja 'elites', but they all still looked like they could easily kill her in unarmed combat.

"Any being that travels with a Yautja must have impressed them. This is even more impressive if the Yautja carries a title, such as elite. The young ones are constantly falling over themselves to prove their mettle to everyone. Challenging a human female warrior who accompanies an elite is an opportunity, like any other," Blue continued.

"Ugh, sorry you had to deal with that. I'll go hide on the ship and stay out of trouble while you… save the planet?" Katja apologized.

"That option is not available to you," Blue answered. Somehow, his computer tone sounded weary.

"Why?" Katja asked, fear creeping in again. She didn't want to face off against any of the Yautja. She knew even her Krav Maga would be useless. Was she a coward? She didn't think so. But she was prudent, and fear was healthy. Fear could dictate that going down a city alley in the dark was an unwise decision, not cowardly.

"The clan leader and arbitrator have… requested our presence," Blue answered hesitantly. He was probably trying to be diplomatic, but having been in the military herself, she could read between the lines of the phrase 'requesting one's presence'. It wasn't a request; it was an order and one that would have serious consequences if disobeyed.

"This is the part where they kill us, isn't it?" Katja summarized.

"I will put in requests for you and the others to be slaves immediately. You cannot be hunted or killed until the requests are processed, and a verdict is reached," Blue assured, for all that was worth.

She tried not to be bitter; slave was the most likely position to be approved, per their chat in the apartment. It still didn't mean she had to be happy about it.

"We must be off," Blue prompted.

"They aren't meeting us on your ship?" Katja questioned.

"No, we will congregate on the clan ship," Blue answered.

Great; no way that being in an enclosed floating city with more aggressive alien hunters could possibly end poorly for them.

Neither did she want to leave Adrien behind.

But she guessed that the clan ship wasn't Blue's first choice, either.

"Come," he prompted.

Back on the ship, she immediately began trying to prepare herself for a meeting, much like she would with higher-ups in the Russian military.

"You're back already?" Alexei complained the moment he spotted them. He was busy stuffing his face from the ceiling plant fruit, his mouth stained from the juice.

Was there no pleasing this kid?

"Alexei, this is important. Blue's people are here, and they are not happy to see us. I really need you not to be a problem. It means our life, for real," Katja stressed.

"Ok, ok, what should I do?" Alexei bounced nervously.

"Stay on the ship and be bored. Bored is safe," Katja ordered.

"Bored is safe. Right." Alexei nodded. "Bored is safe. Bored is safe. Bored is safe," the kid repeated as he walked back to his room.

"We need to train," Blue suddenly interjected.

"I realize your society is based on fighting, but I don't think I stand much of a chance in one," Katja said as she tried to comb her hair out to something acceptable. Down, or braided? A single braid was her standard, but it seemed too informal for what they were facing.

"Training in Yautja etiquette," Blue clarified.

"That's a good idea," Katja nodded. Her face was a disaster. It wasn't about being pretty; it was about looking like a professional. Instead, she looked exactly how she worked. Like she had done a tour in a hot combat zone.

"Your appearance will have little to no bearing. We may need to accentuate scars, but nothing else," Blue stated.

Katja breathed in and turned to Blue. "Ok, maybe I should listen to you first."

"Do not have fear, they will smell that. Do not make eye contact unless directed to do so. Show deference to me. Do not interact with any sentient–"

"Slow down," Katja requested.

"We do not have much time," Blue argued. He wasn't scared or nervous, given what she knew about him, but it was clear he had concerns about how this would shake out.

"Did you commit to when we would meet?" Katja asked.

"No, but it is presumed quickly," Blue told her.

"Then we have time," Katja assured him, knowing full well how this worked in her military with humans.

The alien hunter plotted a flight path to the clan ship, but set the speed to a practical sit-still. In the meantime, she tried to prepare herself, both appearance-wise and listened to Blue's instruction regarding etiquette.

Katja ended up rolling her pants just below the knee inserts to show some scars there. She also tied her tee-shirt off at the midriff to show stomach scars, and the short sleeves would show the ones on her arms.

She learned that the big one was a sort of law enforcement officer, but the job description sounded more like a bounty hunter in a lot of ways. Arbitrator Thell-Thwua'sou. She had to repeat the name several times to get it right, and apparently shortening it like she did with Blue would not be acceptable.

Clan Leader Aku. This one went without saying. He was perhaps the equivalent of a mayor or governor. Basically, he made all the political decisions for his people along with an elder council, whatever that was. A Senate, possibly.

Maybe she could appeal to that. The Arbitrator had to answer to the clan leader, too, unless the clan leader was suspected of being a criminal; so, trying to get on the arbitrator's good side wasn't necessary.

Another upside? Aku wasn't a hard name to pronounce, like Blue's or the Arbitrator's names. If all else failed, she could also say 'honored arbitrator' or 'honored clan leader' as respectful title substitutes as Blue helpfully imparted to her.

The vessel docked with the clan ship, and Blue told her to wait in the medical room for him. While she did, Katja tried to lessen her apprehension, looking at Adrien's pod to calm herself.

This was no different than answering to Russian commanders. The threat of death was just as real with them as it was with the Yautja.

Just as she had calmed herself, Blue decided to reappear with another of his people in tow. Solid greenish-yellow in color, shorter in height, slightly longer tresses with grey tips. Katja immediately lowered her head, as directed earlier. The aliens spoke to one another in that clicking language, occasionally gesturing her way. Then, the unfamiliar one stepped forward.

"Greetings, human female. I am Bhahraadn," Bhahraadn introduced himself in English.

Discreetly, Katja looked to Blue for an ok, which he gave in the form of a head dip.

"Greetings, I am Katja," Katja answered, raising her head, but avoiding challenging eye contact from a 'lesser' species. She also didn't follow any human customs, such as handshaking, and avoided trying to butcher his name by just not saying it.

The new guy and Blue went back and forth in their language some more. Blue seemed pleased about something. Maybe.

"I am a foreign species medical expert. I came at the behest of the clan, and Vai'dqouulth. I am to clear you before entering the ship," Unpronounceable Name explained.

After processing his job description for a moment, Katja involuntarily made a sudden movement, which she had been warned not to do. "Wait… you're a… veterinarian?" she blurted.

"You were not wrong. She is intelligent," Bhahraadn addressed Blue in English, laughing in that odd way the hunters did. The vet then turned to Katja. "Vai'dqouulth did not want to insult you, understand. But a Yautja healer would have trouble doing a proper health assessment on a different species, and they are far more busy with others."

Given how good-natured this veterinarian seemed to be, Katja decided to take the risk, and act a little more human. "I won't take offense, if you don't take offense with the fact I can't pronounce your name."

The doc laughed again, as she had hoped. Blue, however, seemed uncomfortable with her not practicing what she had learned.

"May I call you doc? Short for doctor?" Katja tried to appease Blue with some manners.

"You may," Doc confirmed. "Leave us," he motioned at Blue.

That order did not sit well with Blue. He began arguing in his language with the doc. Whatever Doc said, however, Blue begrudgingly backed down and left the room, closing the door behind him.

Doc clicked a few times, nodding to Katja. "Let's take a look at you."


Being that writer #2 is a Halo fan, when Thell-Thwua'sou came up in the Yautja name generator (before Vai'dqouulth's name did), we had to make him the Arbitrator.