Aliens/Predator 1. Chapter 1

_**Chapter I**_

_**Disclaimer:**_

_**This story has been written purely for entertainment purposes, and in no way, shape, form, or fashion means to impede, or infringe upon any copyrighted material whatsoever. I do however retain credit and claim responsibility for the creation of names and character statistics of any and all characters within this publication. These characters are based on copyrighted ideas and or characters of the respective owners of said material within the entertainment industry. No money will be attributed to the author of the following publication in any form. Definitions and wording used to describe devices, and other such items are derived from other literary works involving these types of characters. This publication was created for the sole purpose of entertainment and the expansion of a concept formerly copyrighted by an individual or individuals as a group.**_

_NOTE: By the way, I will try to have a glossary at the end of every Chapter. Each Chapter's glossary should include only the words that are in that Chapter. If you are several chapters into the story and see something not defined please check the earlier chapters. If you still don't find something defined let me know and I will try to correct the error. As you may not already know, this is the re-written form of this story, (still done without a beta), so let me know if you find any mistakes, errors, and such via a review please. Thanks, and enjoy._

_**Chapter I**_

_Pok'de it'ktse _entered the dimly lit room noticing the deep cast of shadows filling the area. Even his quarters were never left this dark considering that no _Yautja_ really needed any light to see by, but in the cold metallic surroundings of an interstellar ship, light was needed to create just the right amount of heat in order for them not to be blind. This room was different though, it was even less illuminated than most _Yautja_ would prefer. It was almost startling to him that anyone could utilize such a low degree of heat to their advantage, or even be comfortable with.

The visitor scanned the room and casually looked around for what was probably the first time in quite a while, and was overwhelmed with the vast amount of trophies and weapons that adorned the walls of this domicile. It was common knowledge that even the visible trophies and weapons that were displayed here were not at all the complete collection based on his memories and stories amongst the crew of the ship. The rest of the items in question were undoubtedly hidden away in storage areas, they were obviously the least of valued items collected and saved by this hunter of hunters. There were rumors though, that even the unseen items were more prestigious than that acquired by most _Yautja_. Of course, _Pok'de it'ktse_ was already aware of this, for it was he and this hunter friend of his that had been on many hunts together and he could recall the moments affiliated with most of the trophies in this room.

He stood in the doorway and remained there not wanting to disturb or offend the one whom resided within these quarters. Amongst the _Yautja_, one's privacy was held in high regard. It was offensive to enter another's domain without explicit permission, with the exception of an emergency, or a prearranged appointment. Even then, during such an appointment, the visitor was to take up a stance of reverence towards the host by finding the most open and visible place with which to rest, or sit. This would allow for the host to have the advantage during what could always potentially be a hostile situation.

It was then that he heard a voice from the shadows on the opposite end of the room.

"Come in my friend."

He was again startled by the lack of any evidence of someone being there. His vision should have picked up even the slightest trace of a heat signature, but there was nothing.

Then suddenly and without warning a figure rose from the shadow he had been scanning for the last couple of seconds.

There was then heard a bit of laughter from this same figure that approached him, only to be followed by another invitation to enter the room.

"What is the problem old friend, are you afraid to enter the domain of such a revered warrior?"

It was then that _Pok'de it'ktse_ had sighed almost unnoticeably, and further made his way into the room, towards a table with a chair on each side.

"Why do you mock my courage?" asked _Pok'de it'ktse_, as he sat in one of the chairs.

"Only to make you stronger, and remind you that in these days courage can be forgotten. And I would never want to know that you forgot about it."

"You are fortunate to be my friend and that I hold you in high regard for your skills as a hunter, or I would have to rip your throat out at the very mention of my forgetting the essence of what makes me a _Yautja_." Replied _Pok'de it'ktse_.

"It is because you tolerate my taunting of you that I admire that much more, the friendship we have forged. Of course, I am named _Hulij-Thwei_ for a reason. Perhaps it is fear of my name that keeps you at bay, and explains your lack of action against me."

"You are not the _Crazy Blood_ that everyone thinks you are…I know you better than that." Replied _Pok'de it'ktse_ in the most mocking of tones he could muster.

"Well, aside from all of the taunting that I think you can handle for one day, you must have come by for a reason; it is not like you to just wander the ship aimlessly." Stated _Hulij-Thwei_.

"Yes, it is true, I have news of the upcoming hunt."

"I was already aware of the circumstances involved; I thought you would have already known that?" Questioned _Hulij-Thwei_.

"I was already aware that you knew, but what you do not know of, are the changes that have been made to this upcoming hunt, regarding your involvement."

_Hulij-Thwei_ turned his head slightly with an inquisitive look about his face, as if silently asking his friend to finish relinquishing this news.

"Ah, so you are curious as to what I know? Well, perhaps I now have something to taunt you with…your lack of knowledge, to be exact." _Hulij-Thwei's_ response was immediate and held within it a slightly amused tone.

"_Ell-osde' pau_k_, ka ooman Lou-dte Kalei_"

_Pok'de it'ktse_ began to laugh triumphantly, as his friend chuckled inwardly at having been mocked so well.

When the laughing had stopped _Pok'de it'ktse_ looked over at his friend and questioned him seriously.

"Why is it that you insult your own kind in such a way? Have you forgotten that you yourself are human?"

A stern look washed over the face of _Hulij-Thwei_ as he stared back at his friend with near contempt in his eyes.

"I was raised as a _Yautja_, and I will always be a _Yautja_, nothing less. If the humans were so highly regarded, then why did my surviving relatives not commit themselves to contacting the _Yautja High Council_, and attempt to locate me?"

"I don't have the answer to that. I will say though, that perhaps it was for the best. Think of who you are, and what you've accomplished with us, no other human has ever gained so much as you within a _Yautja_ clan."

"Maybe so, but then again no other human has had to endure a lifetime of feeling betrayed or unwanted by his own kind."

Moments passed before either spoke again.

"Have you ever asked _Gon'tok-de_ if he ever did the same in return? Did he not try and return you to your relatives; he could have very well contacted Earth or its colony worlds and found them for you, or at least assisted in doing so."

"No, I would never have betrayed him that way. Just asking would have offended him. He was like my father all these years, and treated me as such. I would never bring shame on him that way."

"Then it is your fault for feeling this way. I have known him for only a few years now. But what I do know of him, leads me to believe that there is a way you could inquire of this subject without disgrace on either behalf. He is partial to the humans, or he would have never taken you in as his own."

Another few moments passed before either of them again spoke.

"By the way, what was it that you came to tell me concerning my involvement in this hunt you spoke of?"

_Pok'de it'ktse_ laughed in relief at the disappearance of the awkward silence and seriousness of the recent conversation.

"I did not think that part of the conversation was over yet. It just so happens that you have been chosen to lead a special group of _Unblooded_."

"That's not anything I haven't done before, at least not officially. Why is it you kept it from me before?" Asked _Hulij-Thwei_.

"Because the _High Council_ feels that you need to again be familiar with training the _Unblooded_ in preparation for future combat situations against the _Kin'chen De'ok_."

"Again, I say, why have you made such an issue of this situation?"

"Because the future training of these _Unblooded_, you will be in charge of, will include humans."

"WHAT?"

There was both anger and disbelief present on the face of _Hulij-Thwei_ at that very moment and it didn't take having to see like a human to know that this was the case.

The increased heat signature of his facial muscles flexing was all that _Pok'de it'ktse_ needed to see to know this. It was only after years of being friends with this human that he was able to decipher the intricate subtleties of his facial expressions, based on the changing heat signatures of his facial musculature, to know when his friend was nearly beyond rage concerning this news.

_Hulij-Thwei_ walked as calmly as he could towards the wall of his chamber where his most valued trophies were kept and looked over them carefully, as if it were a ploy of self-distraction concerning the recent news.

Without turning to look at _Pok'de it'ktse_, he spoke.

"Would you mind meeting me in the training room shortly?"

"Why?"

"I will need to relieve myself of some frustration before I can lead this upcoming hunt."

"I fail to understand why you are upset my friend, this is an opportunity that should have been afforded to only the most revered of _Yautja_."

"I am not upset at the opportunity, in fact, I am honored. It is the presence of humans that bothers me."

"I think you are afraid of how your kind will react to your being raised as a _Yautja_."

"Despite the reason, I am still wary of humans interfering in _Yautja_ affairs, and I would have rather had the experience be more on my own terms, rather than having it forced upon me."

"You would rather defy the orders of the _High Council_?"

"No, so will you meet with me in the training room later?"

"Of course, it will give me the opportunity to show you what a real _Yautja_ is made of." _Pok'de it'ktse_ replied laughing.

_Hulij-Thwei_ responded with his own form of verbal torment.

"Perhaps you would be interested in gathering together the _Unblooded _in the hopes that maybe they will learn something from watching you lose."

"I will be there. And so will they...to watch YOU lose." Replied _Pok'de it'ktse_.

"Hmm, I think you are becoming delusional." Said _Hulij-Thwei_.

It was then that _Pok'de it'ktse_ left the room snickering and clicking his mandibles ever so slightly.

Not too long after _Pok'de it'ktse's_ departure, _Hulij-Thwei_ left his quarters and traversed the aisles of the great ship. His destination was the bridge. Once there he would see the _Elder_ of the clan to which he belonged. It was apparent by his demeanor that he was in no mood to be bothered. Several of his clan that would have otherwise acknowledged him, were now silent and said nothing as they passed him. It was more than apparent that he was fully immersed in _zazin_ and had no desire to communicate with anyone.

He had reached his destination, and stood silently off to the side of the entrance of the bridge and waited patiently for the _Elder_ of the clan to notice his presence. It was out of respect for his _Elder_, that he stood there, not interrupting the activities of those on the bridge. It was well known that any hunter deemed lower than another _Elder_ had no right or reason to speak to an _Elder_ unless spoken to first. Of course, not all _Yautja_ practiced this outwardly and were occasionally reminded of the need to have respect by receiving a heavy hand from the _Elder_ himself. It was something that _Hulij-Thwei_ had learned early on in his life, and never again could he ever remember a time when he forgot these guidelines, and it was for this reason that he was highly respected in return. His _Elder_ had even once made the comment as a lesson to other young _Yautja_ that '_Hulij-Thwei_ is sometimes more a true _Yautja_ than any _Yautja_ breathing today.'

_Hulij-Thwei_ had at one time thought this to be almost a punishment of sorts, for there were many young _Yautja_ that were offended by this statement, and made something of an issue out of proving themselves against him in battle for honor. Unfortunately for them, he had bested them all, and survived only to find later that the _Elder_ who spoke those words had truly meant what he said.

It was during a hunt early in his life that he had been paired with the _Elder_ on a raid of a _Kainde Amedha_ hive to capture a queen. This pairing was most likely the result of the _Elder_ having some doubts as to the abilities of a human hunting with them, and under his supervision he would either find _Hulij-Thwei_ to be worthy or worthless. During this raid the _Elder_ had revealed to him that he was indeed impressed with his skills up until then and that on that day he would truly need to prove himself in order to keep the _Elders_ faith in his abilities. It was a test unlike any other, and for that matter it was like nothing that any _Yautja_ had ever had to endure before.

To his surprise, the _Elder_ had almost reluctantly instructed the young _Hulij-Thwei_ that not only would he have to help with the duties of capturing an _Alien_ queen, but that it was also his duty to protect the _Elder_ in the process, and that the _Elder_ would do nothing to even protect himself. Being a nearly impossible task, he was almost sure to have failed. In the end though, _Hulij-Thwei_ was not only triumphant in his goal but had received one of the greatest honors that any _Yautja_ could ever receive. He was marked with the sign of the clan on his forehead, not only by the _Elder_ himself, which is a great honor alone, but he had also received the personal mark of the _Elder_. This additional marking symbolized that he was to be recognized as one of the _Elder's_ trusted few. He as a human was never even expected to have more than the mark of the clan placed upon him, although, after proving himself on more than one occasion in the most strenuous of conditions he was awarded, so to speak, with not only the mark of the clan, but the mark of the _Yautja_ that had served as his father figure, and even more astoundingly the mark of the _Elder_ of his clan.

It was after receiving each of these three marks that even more challenges began to arise from the ranks of natural born _Yautja_ against him. Yet time and time again he was challenged and won, each time gaining more and more experience in battle, not to mention, a greater degree of honor each time.

Less than a minute had passed when the _Elder_ had noticed _Hulij-Thwei_ near the back of the bridge. With almost what could be perceived as arrogance about him, he turned to face _Hulij-Thwei_ and stood there. Even through the elaborate mask that he wore, _Hulij-Thwei_ could sense that this stare was meant for him and no other. A mere moment had passed when the _Elder_ breathed deeply and slowly released as a sign that he was calm and ready to engage in conversation with this young _Yautja_ _Warrior_. Only then did this great leader motion for him to proceed further onto the bridge and stand at his side.

The _Elder_ was a large creature even for a _Yautja_, and his presence was intimidating even to some of the strongest and most prominent warriors of the clan. There was no mistaking him for an old useless warrior of political stature. The _Elder_ was never seen without his staff, wrist blades, and other various weapons. The most noticeable of weapons not carried by the _Elder_ was the _Plasma Cannon_. _Hulij-Thwei_ had learned long ago that the leader of his clan felt it was not as honorable to kill prey from long distance, and that only during times of full fledged war with another race would he ever utilize these types of killing devices.

_Hulij-Thwei_ considered himself lucky just to be allowed within the presence of such a great and powerful leader. Even more astounding was that he was allowed to speak to the _Elder_.

Both the _Elder_ and _Hulij-Thwei_ stood beside one another and appeared to be staring out of the front view port of this massive ship. It was then that the _Elder_, without moving, spoke.

"I am sure that by now, you aware of your being part of my lineage within the clan, perhaps not by blood, but more importantly by honor."

"Yes, and I am honored to be a part of that lineage. Although, I sometimes wonder if I am deserving of that honor."

"It pains me to hear a warrior of your stature, and accomplishment to speak those words; you have endured great hardship to gain your present rank within the clan. Why do you doubt yourself?" replied the _Elder_.

"I was merely exaggerating my modesty in order to show you respect."

"A warrior of your status need not be modest. It is the _Elders_ position within the clan to encourage strength, and honor among his people. You are to express, without modesty, your attributes, and demand respect from all others within the clan, especially from me, with limitations of rank of course. Is this understood?"

"Yes, _Elder_."

"Good." He paused for a few seconds; perhaps thinking of an appropriate way to change the subject towards what he thought may be a concern on the behalf of one of his trusted few. "I can assume that you are here to discuss an important issue."

"I was…curious, _Elder_ about why I was chosen to lead this upcoming hunt to serve as training for the humans and some of our very own _Unblooded_ youth?"

"It is because I have faith in your skills as a hunter, and you are one of the few that I trust with my life and the survival of this clan. There is also the obvious fact that you are human and will most likely have more success in bridging the gap between our two races during these stressful times. The humans will be more accepting of you, diplomatically speaking. It will then be easier for them to understand how and why we train our _Unblooded _the way we do_, _and later go into battle with one of their own, rather than having to deal with an individual outside of their own species."

"So, I have gone from being an _Honored Warrior_ to being nothing more than a political game piece simply because I am human?"

At that very moment, the _Elder_ had grabbed _Hulij-Thwei's_ left wrist with his powerful right hand and held it up at eye level in front of him, and for the first time since their conversation started the _Elder_ peered directly at him.

"Look at yourself, you are human, and yet you are more than that. You are _Yautja_. You may look human, you may even bleed as a human does, but you have the soul of a warrior, of a _Yautja Warrior_. You are the embodiment of the greatness that comes with the advantages of both races. It is no secret that I have learned to respect the humans for their resourcefulness and cunning in battle, and it is for those reasons that I have gained much respect for their kind. When you learn to embrace what it is to be both human and _Yautja_ in spirit, you will have then accomplished something that no other creature can boast of. As far as being given this duty, it may very well be something of a political move on behalf of the _High Council_, but in my eyes it will be nothing short of an opportunity for even greater honor within this clan."

"Your wisdom is beyond words _Elder_. I will serve the clan with honor."

"I have no doubt of that." Replied the _Elder_.

"I will not fail you."

"The thought never entered my mind, for you are too great a warrior to be doubted in such a way."

"Thank You, _Elder_."

"Now, is there anything else needing to be discussed?"

"No, _Elder_."

"Good, I'm sure you have duties to attend too, am I correct?"

"Yes."

"Just to show you the faith that I have in your skills, I will be observing your training sessions of the _Unblooded_ _Yautja_. Would that be acceptable?" _The Elder_ knew, according to the records on the computer, that someone had recently requested use of one of the training rooms for a previously unscheduled session, and after seeing as to whom it was he was that had done so, he was compelled to honor _Hulij-Thwei_ with his presence at the event.

"I would be honored."

"It is I who would be honored." Said the _Elder_.

_Hulij-Thwei_ then left the bridge and headed for the training room where he was to meet _Pok'de it'ktse_. Whilst on his way, he was confronted by one of the _Yautja_ from the bridge and two of his comrades. It was just this sort of confrontation that he once thought had come to an end some years ago after proving that he could not be bested in _Jehdin/Jehdin_. Apparently one of the bridge crew was offended that a human would be so trusted by the _Elder_, and received such an honor in regards to his higher rank. _Hulij-Thwei_ knew that this _Yautja_ was of a lower caste and sought to further his own standing within the clan, by way of challenging _Hulij-Thwei_ in combat.

Fortunately for both of them, they were both bound by the rules governing the clan in respect to these types of challenges, and neither were willing to duel within the confines of the ship anywhere but the authorized training rooms.

'The _Unblooded_ are sure to be pleased with the additional course they will have in this afternoons training sessions.' He thought to himself.

Not only were they to train with one of the most feared of all warriors, but now they will get to see him in action against a foe, and have a first hand look at how the ritual challenges are conducted.

_Hulij-Thwei_ neared the room where this challenge was to take place, and the training he had authorized for the _Unblooded_ earlier, when the calling of _Ka'rik'Na_ surprised him, via the announcement over the communication system of the ship. The _Ka'rik'Na_ was to take place in the very _Kehrite_ that he reserved earlier. This in turn led him to believe that news of the recent challenge he would be involved in had already spread throughout the ship.

Something about another _Yautja_ challenging him over a matter of pride just didn't settle well with him, and he could feel the rage dwelling deep within. There were only two ways that this would end. His opponent would have to both submit, and accept being dishonored by a human. Or, _Hulij-Thwei_ would have to kill him outright. This was not much an issue in his mind, for it was not the first time he had been challenged by another _Yautja_, nor would it be the last. On the same token, it was not the first time he would have to kill a challenger either. Again, he knew ahead of time, that he would not be bothered by this fact, if it were indeed to occur. 'How dare this _Tarei'hasan Pauk-de _have the nerve to think that he could best me in _Jehdin/Jehdin.' _He thought to himself.

It was at that time that _Hulij-Thwei_ became nearly oblivious to his surroundings as he mentally prepared for the combat he was about to partake in. Nothing would keep him from teaching his adversary a lesson in the form of a beating not soon forgotten. The thought of losing this challenge never even entered his mind.

Upon reaching the entranceway of the _Kehrite, Hulij-Thwei_ slowed his pace so as to further immerse himself in a self-absorbed state of pre-conceived victory. In his mind he had already won. There would be no stopping him from thoroughly pummeling his victim to as close to death as possible.

It was just as he passed under the threshold of the hatchway of the _Kehrite_ that he stopped and glanced around at his fellow _Yautja_ warriors. He could smell the odor of musk emanating from his comrades just as he always did as they became eager for the hunt, or just before battle of any kind. With arrogance nearly unmatched by any _Yautja_, he stood in position and raised his head and spoke.

"My brothers…you will now witness how a true _Yautja_ dominates his enemy and conquers those whom would challenge his position within the clan." _Hulij-Thwei_ then paused more than likely to further intimidate his opponent. "Not that this insignificant pest will be much of a challenge."

Most of his fellow clan members that were present started clicking their mandibles, some in agreement, and some out of contempt. It was no secret that there were still those who were against the idea of a human being within in their midst, but most were unwilling to admit they were afraid to face him in combat after having knowledge of his skills, and accomplishments. Not to mention, there were even more of them, not willing to risk being beaten in combat by a human.

He then began to remove his armor, and the few weapons he wore as a symbol of his constant readiness to go into battle as he walked toward the center of the room. This would be where he would face his opponent, who was already standing and poised in the middle of the arena.

_May be a bit before getting the next chapter up, and as if you hadn't already assumed as much, there will be action in the next chapter, maybe boring now, but I had to let you get familiar with the characters. _

_**Ell-osde' pauk**__** ka ooman Lou-dte Kalei- **__Loosely translated means: F**k you, you human female_

_**Gon'tok-de- **__Hulij-Thwei's adoptive Yautja father figure._

_**Hulij-Thwei- **__A human found at a young age, by a Yautja Honored Warrior and raised as his own. His name means Crazy Blood._

_**Jehdin/Jehdin- **__hand to hand combat._

_**Kainde Amedha- **__means Hard Meat, or a specific type of extraterrestrial known Alien to humans_

_**Kainde Amedha Chiva- **__A trial in which the un-blooded Yautja become initiated into the clan with blooded status, and to be Blooded, means to have survived the Kainde Amedha Chiva._

_**Ka'rik'na- **__"The summoning, of other Yautja, or warriors together for a meeting, or any reason."_

_**Kehrite- **__battle arena, or training facility, or room_

_**Kin'chen De'ok- **__An ancient enemy of the Yuatja that existed before the discovery of the Kainde Amehda._

_**Pauk-de- **__f**ker, f**king_

_**Pok'de it'ktse- **__Yautja friend of Hulij-Thwei_

_**Plasma Cannon- **__Typically a shoulder mounted weapon that emits a bolt of charged plasma. Although other variants have been utilized and or customized by the user to be either more compact or larger in form and hand held. Usually used for long ranged attacks or defense._

_**Tarei'hasan- **__small, insignificant, insect, unworthy opponent_

_**Yautja- **__Predator species_

_**Yautja High Council- **__should be self-explanatory, but, ruling council over the Yautja home world._

_**Zazin- **__Completely centered; within one's self; state of meditation at any level._

_**Order Of Rank:**_

_**Unblooded- **__youths or member of any race that have not been 'blooded' by hunting the Kainde Amedha (Aliens)._

_**Youngblood- **__Youths or member of any race that can prove their kills of a Kainde Amedha._

_**Warrior-**__ One who has passed the Kainde Amedha Chiva, finished successfully a solo hunt of a Kainde Amedha, and one solo hunt of any other species at minimum_

_**Honored Warrior-**__ One who has passed the Kainde Amedha Chiva, finished successfully a solo hunt of a Kainde Amedha, successfully finished a solo hunt of a Kainde Amedha Queen, and at least one solo hunt of any other species. As well as served a minimum of what is the equivalent of ten Earth years as a Warrior._

_**Leader-**__ Same as an Honored Warrior, except that they are allowed to train Youngbloods, their rank officially is the same, and only has different privileges in regards to training of others._

_**Elder- **__Chief of all clan affairs for that clan, there exists only one Elder per clan._


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter II**_

_**Disclaimer:**_

_**This story has been written purely for entertainment purposes, and in no way, shape, form, or fashion means to impede, or infringe upon any copyrighted material whatsoever. I do however retain credit and claim responsibility for the creation of names and character statistics of any and all characters within this publication. These characters are based on copyrighted ideas and or characters of the respective owners of said material within the entertainment industry. No money will be attributed to the author of the following publication in any form. Definitions and wording used to describe devices, and other such items are derived from other literary works involving these types of characters. This publication was created for the sole purpose of entertainment and the expansion of a concept formerly copyrighted by an individual or individuals as a group.**_

OK, so now I hope that you've figured out that Chapter 1, as well as the rest of the chapters here have been re-written. I have no beta so these are as good as they are going to get and again, as I said before, this is only fun practice for me not my actual published work so there might be some mistakes, flaws, errors, and/or discontinuity. PLEASE point them out to me in reviews so I can go back and make the necessary repairs. Thanks, and enjoy.

_**Chapter II**_

_Hulij-Thwei_ slowly but confidently strode through the crowd and made his way towards his adversary in the center of the _Kehrite_. As he moved through the thick crowd of spectators, they began to withdraw from their positions in front of him as if he possessed the power to split them apart by sheer will. The scene closely resembled that of an Earthly boxing event, as the combatants walk through the aisles and people disperse from their current locations, to allow for the ease of movement, in regards to the individuals doing battle that day.

There was simply nothing more satisfying than being the victor in a contest, aside from a good days hunt, according to _Hulij-Thwei_. He viewed these ritualistic events as more than just a challenge; they were his way of blending in to the _Yautja_ society nearly as one of their own. His position of rank within the clan was actually a direct result of these challenges, and the unspoken fear that most of them felt at the mere mention of his name had also been a product of these confrontations. As much as he disliked the idea of injuring or even killing one of his fellow clansmen, it was a necessary evil, in order to preserve the integrity of discipline throughout _Yautja_ society. In many ways, these challenges, and the various reasons behind why they occurred, were mainstays of _Yautja_ life.

It was as _Hulij-Thwei_ neared the edge of the _Kehrite_ that his long time friend _Pok'de it'ktse _had stopped him in his tracks.

"I would wish upon you good fortune in this event, but I don't believe that you will need it."

"I appreciate the thought, but I have no doubt that I will punish this _Tarei'hasan_." Replied, _Hulij-Thwei_. "He is undeserving of the right to challenge me."

"Consider yourself fortunate that you did not have to face me, as was the case earlier this day." Said _Pok'de it'ktse,_ as he clicked his mandibles in laughter.

"You are the fortunate one my friend. For it is now that I grant you the honor of guarding my weapons in the meantime." Stated _Hulij-Thwei_ laughing, after reaching up and gripping the shoulder of his closest ally, and then handed all of the removed weaponry he had been wearing to his loyal friend. He then confidently walked away and into the open expanse of the arena floor where the lessons in behavior and respect, would soon begin for his unworthy foe as well as the _Unblooded _youth that were watching.

_Hulij-Thwei_ had finally seen his challenger since arriving at the scene, and he appeared to be ready for the forthcoming fight. His mandibles were flared wide in anger and arms spread outward in a pose that typically preceded the _Hiju_. He was the larger of the two, and looked as if he could rip through solid steel. His muscles rippled with activity, and the strands of sub dermal tissue, that were the source of his strength, now appeared as fine lines on the surface of his leathery skin. Any species unfamiliar with the _Yautja_ would surely be intimidated, and recognize the menacing form of this creature as a sign that they were about to visit the afterlife.

It was _Hulij-Thwei_ that looked out of place. Being the smaller of the two, one would swear upon sight, that his days were numbered. For a human he was only of average height, rising to only around five feet, ten inches tall, and as a result he was left with a less than intimidating form. That is until noticing his stature, and the mere shape of his muscle structure, along with the width of his shoulders, and torso. In his defense though, his muscle mass, by comparison of overall dimension and size, was far greater than that of his rival. It was due to his origins of being both conceived and birthed on a planet with immense gravity that contributed to his thicker, sturdier frame, and musculature of superior density. He was beyond the perfect human specimen, in respect to his overall shape and appearance and instances where that may have been a concern. Stronger, faster, sturdier, and more resilient to physical injury was he, than any human he had ever seen on the viewable radio signals transmitted by Earth a hundred years or so ago.

His adoptive _Yautja_ father had found him when he was approximately five or six Earth years old, and he had already began to exhibit signs of superiority over other examples of human physiology, according to _Yautja_ scientific records. It was the first several years of life with these _Yautja_, that he was on occasion studied for his unique attributes, and unbelievable displays of strength, and speed even by _Yautja_ standards.

These extraordinary abilities would serve him well in his youth, and more so as he grew into the warrior that he had become. It would benefit him even more often during events such as challenges from his comrades, and _Kainde Amedha_ hunts, where he could easily break an _Aliens_ neck with little effort.

He would come to find that his superiority would be beneficial in the confrontation about to take place as well.

The _Elder_ was then seen parting the crowd from one side of the arena and entered into the empty space between the two combatants, and the entire collection of warriors that had been gathered, were suddenly silenced, as his presence alone had demanded.

"I, _Itu're Kra'a_, _Elder_ of this clan, will judge this combat as I see fit. Any one of you who disagrees with this, challenge me now, and suffer the consequences." He paused for a moment as if to give time for any would-be challenger to speak his mind.

"For those of you who may not be familiar with our combatants, the challenger is _K'tek-de'Sa_, a respected member of our bridge crew, and a seasoned warrior. It is he that has been marked with the symbols of both the clan and his progenitor" It was at this that a good portion of the crowd had noisily shown their appreciation of his having challenged this human.

"He, who has been challenged, is perhaps one of the most honored of warriors that ever lived, and has been marked with the symbols of his clan, his founder/instructor, and my own. He is _Hulij-Thwei_." The crowd seemed to be split, in regards to which of the two, they would like to see as the victor. Although, it was perhaps those that preferred to see _Hulij-Thwei_ as the winner of this match, which made the most noise, even with their existence being fewer in number.

_Itu're Kra'a_ then peered at each of the contestants for but a moment, spun around to face the direction from whence he came and raised a hand in the air as he again spoke.

"Let this begin!"

_Hulij-Thwei_ had long ago mastered the _Yautja's_ native language and even learned to mock their bodily expressions, which was a large part of their communication between each other. This being the case, he was able to read the opposition like a book and counter the foe's movements with his own unique, but comprehensible, brand of intimidation. In no way did he give any indication that he was unsettled by his adversary, and this action, or rather the lack thereof, would be perceived as an insult, which was exactly the intent. This would serve him to better judge the temperament of the one he was about to face.

Yet again _K'tek-de'Sa_ flared his mandibles wide, and produced audibly a combination of a hiss and some low pitched growling. It was with hope that this would distract, if not intimidate _Hulij-Thwei_ into submission.

_K'tek-de'Sa_ was the first to initiate any kind of aggressive behavior, and quickly approached his competitor.

_Hulij-Thwei_ slowly took a step or two forward in his direction, then stopped and stood with only a slight bearing of tension upon his muscles in preparation of what was to come. His facial expression gave no indication that he was even concerned for what his challenger was about to attempt.

_K'tek-de'Sa_ had applied great force in attempting to launch himself at _Hulij-Thwei_ in the attempt to punch him square in the face. It was unfortunate for him that _Hulij-Thwei_ was faster and reacted with a speed that was sure to have surprised his giant attacker. In reaching outward with his left hand _Hulij-Thwei_ blocked the punch, and caught his assailant's fist directly in the center of his open palm, then with nearly no effort, began to twist the offender's arm outward and away from them, as he stepped into closer range. Upon doing this he reached up with great force and released his right fist with fantastic energy, making direct contact at the space between the two lower mandibles, which to the _Yautja_ was like having a chin.

There was heard a great screech from _K'tek-de'Sa_, as he was sent into mild shock. His body flattened and spun sideways in mid-air adjacent to _Hulij-Thwei_. Like most _Yautja_ though, his ability to recover from such a blow was astounding and he quickly adjusted his body position so as to land in a somewhat aggressive stance that was half defensive and half offensive. He then rose cautiously and strategically and began to circle around the confines of the _Kehrite _as Hulij-Thwei did the same.

They took their time to analyze each other and potentially formulate how the next few moments would proceed.

Simultaneously, they leaped at one another, both of them displaying their skills as an agile and spirited _Yautja Warrior_.

It was during the split second of flight that each had maneuvered into their strike positions and at the peak of their mutual airborne attack, contact was made. A loud thud of a sound was made as _Hulij-Thwei's_ elbow and forearm slammed into the thick hide of _K'tek-de'Sa's_ chest consequently knocking the wind from his powerful lungs.

Despite having done damage to his opponent, it was _K'tek-de'Sa _that served the most punishment in this particular volley. For at the same moment that he struck, _K'tek-de'Sa's _right arm was outstretched and effectively contacted Hulij-Thwei across the throat. It was a matter of height that allowed his opponent to have such an advantageous blow as _Hulij-Thwei's_ body was flung upside-down and flipped through the air. His body let out a loud, fast, choking sound as it occurred.

Fortunately for _Hulij-Thwei_ this wasn't the first time that he had been hit hard or seemed to have made a mistake in judgment when it came to combat. To him it was all an advantage. Mistakes taught him what he knew today and how to recover from them. He recovered in the air and twisted his body so as to land in a controlled manner. He landed on the floor with both his hands and feet and was immediately ready to rise again to face _K'tek-de'Sa._

Again the two combatants faced one another after regaining their composure and began to circle each other, getting closer with every revolution around the _Kehrite _ring. When they became close enough, _K'tek-de'Sa _attempted a combination of hardened punches; one to the ribs and the other to the face. The first made contact, and _Hulij-Thwei_ seemed to buckle over from the pain. This reaction of _Hulij-Thwei_ is what partially saved him from _K'tek-de'Sa's _second swipe at what would have been his face.

What _K'tek-de'Sa_ did not know though, is that Hulij-Thwei reduced the effectiveness of the blow by purposely bending his body with the incoming force of _K'tek-de'Sa's _giant clawed hand. The second advantage of this was to cause his opponent to miss with the second strike of the combination and side step a bit past him.

_Hulij-Thwei _quickly reacted as _K'tek-de'Sa's _momentum forced him forward and left him off-guard. Without even the slightest bit of hesitation, _Hulij-Thwei _reached for his adversary's legs when he turned back around to once again face the fight head on. By lurching backwards he managed to pull _K'tek-de'Sa's _legs out from underneath him. As his body fell to the ground _Hulij-Thwei _rotated around to build some speed and used his body weight to force an elbow downward into the face of _K'tek-de'Sa._

While _Hulij-Thwei _had done some damage the fight was not over and each had rallied their full efforts to best the other. It was only getting started though as the two were only now beginning to truly begin the combat they came here for. Up to this point they were only testing one another's abilities; neither of them really showing what the other was capable of.

From this moment on, the combat between the two had taken on a much more serious atmosphere. The striking and maneuvering had sped up to an unbelievable pace and keeping track of the traded volleys between them was nearly impossible.

It wasn't long into this newly energized period of the fight that it became apparent that Hulij-Thwei's skills were superior to those of his opponent. Yet it was obvious that _K'tek-de'Sa _was no average Yautja either. He had displayed enough skills to impress even those that doubted him before and this was a sign that perhaps he may have once been an _Honored Warrior _rather than the lower ranked Warrior that they currently thought he was.

There was no doubt that _K'tek-de'Sa _was more than just a member of the bridge crew. _Hulij-Thwei, _despite being upset at being challenged by what he thought was a lower class Yautja was now impressed with his opponent and knew there was something more to _K'tek-de'Sa _than met the eye. _Hulij-Thwei_ then decided he was going to find out.

It was now time to end this and move on to his regular duties. Yet with what he learned about this supposedly lower class Yautja and his combative skills, he would no doubt have an additional self-appointed task of figuring out how _K'tek-de'Sa _could have gained such abilities.

_Hulij-Thwei _slowed the pace and separated from _K'tek-de'Sa _just an extra foot or two so as to throw his attacker off balance as he attempted to strike. _K'tek-de'Sa's _large clawed hand came swinging with great force towards him as he dodged the blow and lined up for his own counter strike.

With speed rarely witnessed by a Yautja before, he reached out for _K'tek-de'Sa's _arm as it passed close by his head by only an inch or so. Violently he grabbed his assailant's still moving arm and rotated around while maintaining his grip and swung his own right arm up and over the front of _K'tek-de'Sa's _head and face. In an instant _Hulij-Thwei,_ used a good portion of strength and heaved his body forward pulling the giant opponent's full weight off the ground and over his head. _K'tek-de'Sa _landed hard in front of him with a thud and in a rather prone position. Still holding on to his opponents arm he lifted his foot and smashed it down onto _K'tek-de'Sa's _face, snapping off one of his mandibles in the process. _Hulij-Thwei _took only a moment to assess his opponent's condition and decided that one last move was in order to ensure that this was the end of the battle. He reached down with his right hand and gripped _K'tek-de'Sa's _unprotected throat.

Unfortunately for Hulij-Thwei, there was more fight left in this Yautja then he perceived, as _K'tek-de'Sa _mimicked his actions.

Each of them squeezed violently. They both hoped that the other was more winded or worn from the combat and would starve for air first.

Nearly a minute went by silently to both those in the Kehrite, and to those watching as this was by far one of the strangest bouts of _Jedhin/Jedhin_ they had ever witnessed.

After what seemed like an eternal moment to _Hulij-Thwei_, he realized that he may have the advantage and shifted his weight downward with a thrust of his entire upper body putting even further pressure on his opponents windpipe, but knowing it still wouldn't be enough to finish him off, he took a risk of losing his grip by freeing his left hand from the one _K'tek-de'Sa _was holding it with_,_ thenput his full force into a blow straight into the face and mandible of the Yautja below him.

While it didn't necessarily knock his opponent out cold, it stunned him enough to lose what valuable air he had left and began to choke violently under the weight and strength of _Hulij-Thwei's_ equally strong grip. The blow also caused him to lose his grip on _Hulij-Thwei's_ throat. A few seconds of struggle on behalf of _K'tek-de'Sa _ensued while _Hulij-Thwei _kept tight his grip. With their free hands the two jockeyed back and forth for dominance until _K'tek-de'Sa _ran out of oxygen and his body became too weak to fight off his opponent.

This match was over as far as _Hulij-Thwei_ was concerned. Leaning in over the face of _K'tek-de'Sa_ he spoke.

"You will listen to what I say, or cease to breathe, as it is that I can remove your windpipe faster than you could react. Are you listening?" _K'tek-de'Sa_ motioned ever so slightly in affirmation of this.

"It is because I feel that you are still valuable to _Yautja_ society that I will let you live, if you agree to submit the victory to me, and swear your allegiance to the _Honored Warriors_ above you within the clan. Do you yield?" Again, _K'tek-de'Sa_ agreed with the terms.

"And one last thing, never underestimate your opponent."

_Hulij-Thwei_ rose and stated that he would spare the life of his challenger and the reason as to why this was to be the case.

It seemed to be that in the course of watching the event, more of the _Yautja_ had earned a respect for _Hulij-Thwei_, maybe not specifically for what he was, but in the very least for his skills.

"Let no one challenge my reason for sparing his life, and let no _Yautja_ show any disrespect to this challenger beyond this day; for he has shown great courage in challenging me, for I am _Hulij-Thwei_, _Honored Warrior_ of the clan." He raised his fist in the air and turned to look at the recently defeated _K'tek-de'Sa_, noticing that he too had gained a respect for his decision and combative skills.

_Itu're Kra'a_ then entered the _Kehrite_ a second time, and announced _Hulij-Thwei _as the victor.

It was then that _K'tek-de'Sa_ saw the _Elder_ approaching him with a stern look upon the face, and bowed his head accordingly as is typically done when being addressed by a an _Elder_. Those in the immediate area of his presence quickly backed away as was customary to show respect for ones personal business with an _Elder_, where as ironically, a _Yautja's_ personal business was never his own, and the manners in this regard were merely a formality left over from a time long ago. This practice was also done, if for no other reason, out of respect for the _Elder_ and his presence alone.

_Itu're Kra'a_ stood staring at the defeated _K'tek-de'Sa_ and visually examined without care, the accompanying wounds, courtesy of _Hulij-Thwei's_ brutal style of combat. Only after he was satisfied that _K'tek-de'Sa_ was fully alert and had been patient enough to keep his head lowered for as long as he had, did the _Elder_ decide to speak.

"You still breathe, consider yourself fortunate. It is not often that _Hulij-Thwei_ sees the value in letting a challenger live. Although, I must agree with him in the fact that you displayed incredible courage to face a warrior with a reputation such as his, although, your lack of skills in battle may still be the death of you."

"I am honored that you would even speak to me _Elder_ after such a pathetic display of _Jehdin/Jehdin_." Replied _K'tek-de'Sa_.

"As both _Hulij-Thwei_ and I have stated, you showed great courage, and for this reason alone you live, your fate lies in the hands of _Hulij-Thwei_ now. You are aware that by clan law, he has the right to decide your future and that only I can approve of his final decision?"

"Yes _Elder_."

"You will wait here, while I speak to him."

"Yes _Elder_."

Again, _K'tek-de'Sa_ bowed his head in respect, as _Itu're Kra'a_ departed from his present location and proceeded to cross the expanse of the _Kehrite_ towards _Hulij-Thwei_. Once the _Elder_ was out of earshot and was a respectable distance away _K'tek-de'Sa's_ supporters circled around him so as to discuss the recent events and his potentially grim future.

From the crowd and spectators here to witness the event, came a low grumbling sound much like that of a beehive of Earth. Various comments were made concerning the outcome of this particular _Jehdin/Jehdin_. Some were of the opinion that _Hulij-Thwei_ should have killed his opponent outright, others were fascinated by his prowess, and yet were impressed to see how a human could be so concerned for a _Yautja_, considering what they had been previously taught of humans, and how the _Yautja_ used to hunt them. Others, more than likely, the _Unblooded_, were pleased to finally see combat between two seasoned warriors, with little regard for the fact that _Hulij-Thwei_ was human. After all, they were raised during a time when humans were finally gaining a respect from the _Yautja_ after all the years of being hunted; and combat, regardless of the race involved, was more important than anything else in their lives.

_Hulij-Thwei_ was being congratulated for his victory by some of his supporters, when _Pok'de it'ktse_ had revealed to him the news that the _Elder_ was headed his way. At that moment he turned and bowed accordingly to his leader, and awaited acknowledgement from _Itu're Kra'a_.

"Face me _Hulij-Thwei_." Said the _Elder_.

"Yes _Elder_." Replied _Hulij-Thwei_.

"Why was his life spared, for the need to feel some satisfaction at seeing him dishonored, while still alive?" asked _Itu're Kra'a_.

"No, _Elder_. I was simply taking into account that due to his great courage in facing an opponent such as myself, he may yet be useful in this upcoming war. I hope that I was not mistaken in thinking that we will need to have as many _Yautja_ at our disposal when the time comes?"

"You were thinking of the survival of the _Yautja_ race you say?"

"Yes _Elder_."

"A truly honorable reason." _Itu're Kra'a_ then paused for a moment of thought in regards to the outcome of this _Jehdin/Jehdin_. It was then that he again addressed _Hulij-Thwei_.

"So, what exactly is to be the fate of your opponent?"

"He must be trained further in all areas of combat, then and only then do I see him being a valuable member of _Yautja_ society. It is again because of his courage that I believe he has potential to become an _Honored Warrior_, and regain what honor he may have lost here today." Stated _Hulij-Thwei_.

"And so it will be. Follow me, and stand at my side as I inform him of the conditions he will be subject to from this moment on."

"Yes _Elder_. I would be honored. Though, my suspicions lead me to have to inquire of you something I feel is important regarding your approval of my decision."

"Speak." Replied _Itu're Kra'a._

"I can't help but to think that _K'tek-de'Sa _was not always a low ranking _Warrior_, but perhaps something more; an _Honored Warrior_ maybe?"

"You suspicions are correct. He was once one of the most revered of _Honored Warriors_ among the Yautja. In fact, he was once a great _Leader _in another clan."

"How is it that he…?" _Itu're Kra'a _quickly cut him off in mid-sentence and spoke.

"That is something that I will leave up to him, and only after he has told you will I confirm to you what he tells you of his past."

"Yes, _Elder."_

_Hulij-Thwei_ followed _Itu're Kra'a_ over to where his former rival had been waiting, as instructed by the _Elder_, for his return. The crowd continued to communicate moderately, patiently awaiting the decision of the _Elder_ concerning the future of _K'tek-de'Sa_.

It was upon reaching _K'tek-de'Sa's _position that the _Elder_ spoke.

"Are you prepared to accept the terms of your future as deemed necessary by _Hulij-Thwei_?"

"Yes _Elder_."

"So it shall be that you will endure further training in the art of combat, and assign your loyalty to _Hulij-Thwei_ and those whom he deems to be above you in rank."

"I live to serve the clan and your wishes _Elder_." Replied _K'tek-de'Sa_.

"Good." The _Elder_ then addressed all those in attendance and stated the terms by which _K'tek-de'Sa's _life would continue. It was also announced that anyone who would disagree with this arrangement would face the punishment of the _Elder_ himself. Also, to the surprise of everyone present, the _Elder_ proclaimed that _Hulij-Thwei_ was to be the newest _Leader_ in the clan.

One by one, the crowd began to file out of the arena, still voicing their opinions to themselves about the outcome of today's event, and during this time the _Elder_ too had taken his leave.

_Hulij-Thwei_ had been discussing the issues surrounding his newfound position with his closest supporter _Pok'de it'ktse_, when _K'tek-de'Sa_ approached him, bowing his head and spoke the appropriate greeting afforded to those who were _Leaders_ amongst the clan.

"_Leader_, may I speak?" Asked _K'tek-de'Sa_.

"Please do." Replied _Hulij-Thwei_.

"Perhaps I was too judgmental in regards to your position within the clan and of doubting your skills as an _Honored Warrior_."

"Your courage in having faced me in battle is enough to make up for your error in judgment, and all that I now expect of you is to serve the interest of the clan and _Yautja_ society as a whole."

"You do realize that despite what warnings the _Elder_ and I have given to the others, that they will become more creative in the ways in which they remind you of your loss here today, do you not?" Stated _Hulij-Thwei_.

"Yes _Leader_, I am aware. I am also prepared to defend the clan, you as my new _Leader_, and the _Elder_ with my life."

"Then you are a true _Yautja_…I understand that you possess many trophies, is this true?"

"Yes _Leader_." Replied _K'tek-de'Sa_.

"I would like to see them; it will give me a better understanding of the kind of hunter that you are."

"Of course, _Leader_…" He was quickly cut off by _Hulij-Thwei_.

"You will refer to me as _Hulij-Thwei_ except during times where formality is needed, do you understand?"

"Yes, _Lead_…_Hulij-Thwei_." _Hulij-Thwei_ and _K'tek-de'Sa_ both, along with _Pok'de it'ktse_ and a few others gathered around had shared in what was various clicking of the mandibles and mild grunting, which was the Yautja equivalent of laughter, for a moment before the two spoke again.

"I will now go and prepare for your visit _Hulij-Thwei_."

"Excellent, and by the way, _Pok'de it'ktse_ will be accompanying me to your quarters to help assist me in determining the future of your training, is that acceptable?"

"I would be honored."

"As are we, and one more thing. See the _Healers_ before going to your quarters."

"Yes, _Leader_."

_K'tek-de'Sa_ had left the area with some of his immediate associates that had been waiting on him to finish speaking with his new _Leader_, _Hulij-Thwei_.

In the meantime, _Hulij-Thwei _had further surrendered to the rest of the crowd that waited to congratulate him on his newfound position within the clan, while both he and _Pok'de it'ktse_ continued to speak. It was only after most of the crowd had exited the _Kehrite_ that a small group of _Unblooded_ appeared in front of him and seemed to be quarreling amongst one another about the particulars of the match they had witnessed.

_Hulij-Thwei_ glanced side-to-side cocking his head in a somewhat confused state. He then peered at _Pok'de it'ktse_, who then reached out with a slight grip on his shoulder and leaned closer so as not to be heard by the _Unblooded_ in front of them, and spoke.

"They are like children, are they not?" _Pok'de it'ktse_ chuckled a bit and clicked his left lower mandible.

"They seem more interested in the details of the match than having proper manners, wouldn't you say?" Spoke _Hulij-Thwei_ with a grin on his face.

"Perhaps you could scare them straight, oh, great _Leader_." _Pok'de it'ktse_ had mustered all the sarcasm possible into the grisly tone of his voice.

"Ah, yes, I almost forgot." Without speaking another word to his friend, he then turned his attention back towards the _Unblooded,_ still preoccupied with their excitement of seeing a true _Jehdin/Jehdin_.

In as deep, and authoritative of a voice as possible, _Hulij-Thwei_ spoke loudly, addressing the _Unblooded_.

"WHAT…IS…THIS…RUCKUS?"

At that moment every _Unblooded_ was startled nearly out of their skin and became silent as they stepped forward to meet the demand of _Hulij-Thwei's_ question.

What was obviously the older of the _Unblooded_ was pushed forward from behind by one of his comrades as a sign that he had been chosen to speak for the group.

"_Leader_, we are the group of _Unblooded _that were to be trained by you today in the _Kehrite_."

"Is that so?"

"They are." Replied _Pok'de it'ktse_ as he walked around them and noticed that not a single one of them had their head bowed in respect for the new _Leader_.

He then approached _Hulij-Thwei_ on his right side and spoke, while facing the _Unblooded_ so that they would purposefully hear his words.

"Their lack of respect is unacceptable. What will you do with them?"

It was then that the _Unblooded_ as a group looked around at one another for a sign as to what they had done wrong, when the oldest of them said, 'Bow.' Each of them then quickly bowed their heads in fear, and respect.

_Pok'de it'ktse_, and _Hulij-Thwei_ both looked at each other and grinned, as it was the latter that spoke quietly.

"I could get used to this."

With a slight chuckle, _Pok'de it'ktse_ replied.

"I am sure that you could."

"You will have to get used to it as well my friend. I am going to name you my new second in command." _Hulij-Thwei_ was smiling widely as he spoke.

"WHAT?" Replied _Pok'de it'ktse_.

Maintaining a sideways glance, as well as a sharp grin, toward his friend, _Hulij-Thwei _addressed the _Unblooded_ and gave them their first set of orders in regards to the punishment they would receive for ignoring the rules of respect, and simultaneously avoided answering _Pok'de it'ktse_.

Upon receiving the commands of their _Leader_, the _Unblooded_ filed out of the _Kehrite_ in preparation for the up coming training and hunt they were to be involved in. _Hulij-Thwei_ and _Pok'de_ _it'ktse_ left the Kehrite as well and began casual conversation of their own while traveling the passageways of the ship.

"I know that you are curious as to my naming you second in command." Stated _Hulij-Thwei_.

"Yes, I am. There are others far more qualified than myself to fulfill that position."

"True, but none that I would trust with my life if need be. Besides, I truly believe that you have earned more than your fair share of rewards within the clan to deserve such an honor."

"Perhaps, but you will still have to seek the _Elder's_ approval. Not to mention, the Unblooded are unruly, unskilled, they lack maturity, talk too much, and they smell."

"They smell?"

"Yes. Perhaps you're inferior human senses can't detect it but I can."

"They _have_ been stuffed into very tight quarters below deck, and they weren't given the opportunity to bathe before finishing their training planet-side, before coming here. You remember how it was for us during those years do you not?" Replied _Hulij_-_Thwei._

"Yes. Unfortunately I do; _only_ because you reminded me." The sarcasm in _Pok'de_ _it'ktse's _tone was more than apparent as he continued to speak. "I suppose the smell of the un-bathed _Unblooded_ couldn't be as bad as when I had to endure your wretched _ooman_ stench back then."

"You Yautja don't smell any better to the human senses either you know." _Hulij_-_Thwei_ paused for a moment before speaking. "Admit it; you think that in having to train these _Unblooded_ you will have less time for the _Hunt_."

"That thought had occurred to me. But they still smell."

"Do not worry my friend I will see to it that these _Unblooded_ will not interfere with the _Hunt_. We will be bringing them with if necessary. That should make them the best _Yautja_ they can possibly be. As for their smell, all I can say is that I allow you to be as creative as you want in forcing them to have to bathe."

"Do you think the Elder will approve of your decision?"

"He knows of your skills, and he values those around him who he can trust. He will understand exactly why I chose you as my second in command."

They had arrived at the hatchway entrance of _Pok'de it'ktse's_ quarters, when he grabbed _Hulij-Thwei's_ shoulder and thanked him for the opportunity.

"You may not want to thank me just yet; hunting with me may not be in your best interest, unless of course you think you can keep up the pace."

"Have I ever failed to keep up with you on a hunt before?" Asked _Pok'de it'ktse _sarcastically.

"No, you have not. Though, a little competition is healthy. Perhaps a friendly wager as to who brings back the better of trophies on the next hunt will bring to light as to who is the better hunter." Said _Hulij-Thwei_.

"Agreed." How will it be judged?"

"We will let the _Unblooded_ decide who has bested the other in regards to the more distinguished of trophies."

"This will be interesting. Speaking of the _Unblooded_, have you forgotten the training they were scheduled to have today?"

"No, I have not, I thought it best to surprise them, and wake them from their sleep, and we will then see which of them are best prepared."

"A wise decision…I will meet you later at _K'tek-de'Sa's_ quarters."

"Yes. In the meantime, I will speak to the _Elder_ about naming you as my _Second_."

"Until then." Replied _Pok'de it'ktse_ as he reached again for _Hulij-Thwei's_ shoulder.

"Until then my friend." Said _Hulij-Thwei_, as he returned the gesture.

_I hope that this chapter was a bit more satisfactory. Please read, and review._

_NOTE: words that were already defined in other chapters will be listed in those particular chapters._

**Glossary:**

_**Hiju**_**- **_fighting position, combat stance._

_**Itu're**_ _**Kra'a**_- _The Elder of this particular clan._

_**K'tek-de'Sa- **__The Yautja that challenged Hulij-Thwei in hand to hand combat._

_**Ooman- **__The Yautja slang term for human, this slang is more of a result of their having difficulty pronouncing our consonants, although they can over time learn to pronounce it correctly they purposely mispronounce it in this way when wanting to insult a human._


	3. Chapter 3

_**Chapter III**_

_**Disclaimer:**_

_This story has been written purely for entertainment purposes, and in no way, shape, form, or fashion means to impede, or infringe upon any copyrighted material whatsoever. I do however retain credit and claim responsibility for the creation of names and character statistics of any and all characters within this publication. These characters are based on copyrighted ideas and or characters of the respective owners of said material within the entertainment industry. No money will be attributed to the author of the following publication in any form. Definitions and wording used to describe devices, and other such items are derived from other literary works involving these types of characters. This publication was created for the sole purpose of entertainment and the expansion of a concept formerly copyrighted by an individual or individuals as a group._

Well, after having trouble uploading the last chapter I think I may have gotten the hang of getting this stuff onto the site. Correct me if I am wrong please, I can use all the help I can get. **Please Read and Review.**

**Silvermoonlight GJ** - Thank You, I'm glad someone liked it, and the critique helped a bunch, I promise this chapter will not be so **BOLD, **if you catch my drift.

**Chapter III**

Hulij-Thwei had arrived at his own quarters to make some last minute changes to the schedule, in relation to the training of the Unblooded, before again seeing the Elder.

He then traversed through the bulkhead door that was the entranceway to his quarters, and visually absorbed all there was to see, despite the nearly absent amount of light available.

Only he and the few privileged of Yautja had earned themselves a living space as luxurious as what he now utilized as a temporary dwelling while on board the ship and away from the Yautja Homeworld.

The walls shone with a slight shimmering of metal of different shades dependent on the volume of existing light. These shades were varied in several different metallic colors also based on obtainable illumination. Upon further examination, one could see the few objects in the room standing out as if they had been placed there for purposeful viewing. Most of these items were that which would typically be categorized as trophies, or souvenirs, from some far off place.

It wasn't until browsing the contents of the room that one would discover several panels on the wall. These panels, having a surface identical to that of the adjacent walls, were well designed so as to hide or protect the more prestigious of trophies within. In general, these panels were left open for display, as a way of proving one's stature within the clan. Only during times of strategic maneuvers, or long periods of time away from the ship, were these panels closed.

Within the prominent trophy case were mounted the skulls of every kind of creature that Hulij-Thwei had hunted. Most noticeable were two of the several large skulls stored here. These were the skulls of the Alien Kainde Amedha. To be more precise, they both once belonged to queens of separate hives of Kainde Amedha. Even more amazing, was the fact that Hulij-Thwei had killed one of them with nothing more than Ki'cti-pa, otherwise known as wrist blades, and the other was killed with his bare hands. A feat not accomplished by even the most skilled of Yautja warriors, and he had the scars from their acidic blood to prove such a claim as well.

He often stood silently just inside the threshold of the doorway examining the dwelling that lay before him. It was a ritual that he frequently practiced so as to remind himself of what he had accomplished within the clan. It was this act of remembrance and self-appreciation that allowed him to be thankful for what he had.

A few moments afterward, he found himself with the overwhelming desire to perform his duties, and approached one particular corner of his residence with unspoken mental directivity. It was there that a very desk-like item stood, with smooth edges molded directly into the wall. It was the surface of this object that appeared to have a dark translucence to it. Barely visible to the naked eye were somewhat illuminated symbols that, by appearance, seemed to be floating just under what should have been the surface of this desk.

Hulij-Thwei then manipulated several of these icons, literally giving rise to yet other symbols that now hung in the air a few inches above the surface. This module of sorts was apparently the equivalent to the human version of a computer terminal. As he further touched the airborne contact points hovering in front of him, images of humans along with statistical information beside them began to appear. He carefully studied the images and the associated information without any real admiration or interest, and only felt the need to do such because of his sense of duty.

It wasn't until he discovered one image in particular that he caught himself feeling a strange tug on his emotions. It was almost bothersome to him that this human female would have such an effect on him. It was almost as if nothing else existed in his mind but the image of this one woman. He then became intent on researching every bit of information about her he could find. After staring for what could have been a bit too long by Yautja standards, he felt he needed to know her name, and was quickly awarded that privilege after visually scanning the statistics accompanying her image.

The screen read: 'Morgan Maddison.'

Hulij-Thwei then tried to pronounce it, and though Yautja raised him from a young age, he had still learned the human language of English and other closely related languages fairly well by then. Luckily for him he had studied the old Earth transmissions from a hundred years or so ago while back on the Yautja Homeworld. He would often times repeat out loud the appropriate responses to what he would watch and further educate himself in the intricacies of human interaction. It was this curiosity he had of his own kind that allowed him to more easily pronounce human words and phrases with just the right accents and tones than any other Yautja he had known.

"Moor'gn M'ad-ds'son…Moor'gan M'ad dis'son…Moor gan Mad di son …Morgan Maddison." He repeated this name over and over until he felt that his pronunciation of it was proper, or would be in the very least, impressive to her with his attempt, once they met.

Suddenly, he came to his senses, and realized what he was doing. He had lost control over his emotions and felt far to distracted to be comfortable. He had even neglected his duty in regards to scheduling the use of the Kehrite for the training of the Unblooded.

To his relief, a chime had sounded on the console of his workstation, and upon hearing it he reacted.

"Enter."

The portal serving as the door to his room slid open with a 'hiss', and lodged in place with a slight 'thud' after traveling the maximum distance allowed. Through this entryway strolled an anxious, and somewhat irritated Pok'de it'ktse.

"What are you doing? We are to be at K'tek-de'Sa's domicile not too long from now."

"I am quite aware of that."

Pok'de it'ktse noticed that his friend had been acting strangely nervous upon seeing him, and casually made his way towards where Hulij-Thwei was sitting. He then glanced at the image hovering over the workstation module and watched it disappear as Hulij-Thwei disengaged the projection device.

Saying nothing in return towards Hulij-Thwei's answer, he quietly observed as his comrade shot a confusing look in his direction, just before getting up out of the chair. As Hulij-Thwei crossed the open floor to the opposite side of his room to retrieve the more ceremonial garments used in formal meetings, Pok'de it'ktse took it upon him self to click one of his claws across the luminescent symbols on the control surface of the workstation.

What had been revealed to Pok'de it'ktse was the image of a human female and the written records supplementing the projection. Checking the recent history records of the device, it was revealed to him that Hulij-Thwei had been exploring this file for quite a long period of time. In fact, he thought it suspicious that his friend would need to do such a thing without proper cause. His recognition of Hulij-Thwei's odd behavior only continued to spark his curiosity as to what his friend may have been doing all this time. Further interested in seeking out the truth he again checked the records and found no sign of his friend even making an attempt to reschedule the use of the Kehrite.

He then retrieved the image of the human female, and stared for a few moments waiting for Hulij-Thwei to realize what he had done, and react to the projected image. It would be Hulij-Thwei's reaction to seeing this that would guide Pok'de it'ktse's next move in deciphering as to why his friend may be acting so out of the ordinary.

His assumption was accurate. Hulij-Thwei started his return from the other side of the room when he began to speak.

"Are you…" He paused after seeing Morgan's image projected above the workstation, just past the slightly rotated head of a smiling Pok'de it'ktse. "…ready?" It was clear by the changed tone of his voice that he had been caught off guard by what his friend had been doing at the computer module.

Pok'de it'ktse turned completely to look at his closest friend and inquisitively spoke.

"Is this what you have been doing the entire time?"

"I have been performing the duties required of me." Hulij-Thwei should have known better than to try and cover his obvious interest in the image displayed by the projector device.

"Yes, that is obvious. But, what is not so obvious is why you took such a special interest in this file here."

The two Honored Warriors just stood there for a moment staring at one another until each had cracked a hint of a smile.

"You checked the history records didn't you?"

"Yes. I did." Replied Pok'de it'ktse.

At that point, Hulij-Thwei felt defeated in the fact that he did not cover his tracks well enough, as he looked away from his friend, and started for the door. He was almost embarrassed, not by the fact that Pok'de it'ktse knew of it, but that he had taken an interest in her to begin with. She was a human female; they were considered weak, and unworthy of such a prize as he for the purpose of mating. There was something about her image though, that caused a stirring of emotions within Hulij-Thwei. Something he could not simply explain, and that further confused him.

"Have you nothing to say for yourself?" Asked Pok'de it'ktse, as he followed Hulij-Thwei out of the lodging.

"She is a human female."

"The simplicity of your answer tells me that you are trying to convince even yourself that you do not find her attractive. When in fact, you do."

"That is not what I said." Replied Hulij-Thwei without so much as a glance in his friend's direction.

"You didn't need to."

"And just when did you become a telepath?" Asked Hulij-Thwei.

"The moment I checked the history records on your workstation." Replied Pok'de it'ktse with a humored tone to his voice.

"Ell-osde' pauk!" Said Hulij-Thwei.

"I think the human female is more your type, perhaps you should go back to your quarters and study her physiology a bit more and gain some insight as to who Pauk-de is done with in your species." Said Pok'de it'ktse laughing.

"Have I told you lately that you are annoying?" Asked Hulij-Thwei.

"With those actual words, or merely implied?"

Hulij-Thwei then glanced sideways at his friend and responded with something less dignified than what was expected.

"Please continue to taunt me so I have sufficient reason to break off a mandible and shove it violently up your urk'do."

"Would that be more or less painful than a tail whip from a Kainde Amedha?" Asked Pok'de it'ktse humorously.

"I don't know. Would you like to find out?"

"Is that a hypothetical question?"

"No, it was rhetorical"

"Well, I guess either way I don't have to acknowledge it in the first place."

Hulij-Thwei shrugged away the conversation with a smirk, knowing full well that his friend was only trying to pry the 'real' Hulij-Thwei out of whatever mindset he had gotten himself into, when mere seconds later they had arrived at the quarters of K'tek'de'sa. Pok'de it'ktse had no sooner notified the occupant of their presence outside, via the communication panel on the wall, when the bulkhead door had slid open and the two entered casually.

I know, I know…it lacked action. Well, I felt I needed to get another chapter up, since I have a better idea as to where the story is going. And I apologize if it seemed a bit to out of character for them to be as sarcastic as they were. I have my reasons, or maybe they are theories, or maybe I just felt that the story needed a bit of comic relief to it. Yeah that sounds good; I'll go with that. Anyways I hope that the introduction of a female interest on Hulij-Thwei's part wasn't too overboard, again I do have my reasons for that too. In all actuality, it's not as simple as just an interest in her, there's more to it than that, you'll have to read to find out though. I didn't want his character to be too stiff, and he needed a weakness anyhow. I figured what better than to introduce a woman into his life huh? Oh, and I also know it was a short chapter as well, forgive me, or…don't, either way, I hope it was in the very least entertaining. And don't ask me where I came up with the term: urk'do? **Please Read and Review.**

**Glossary:**

**Ki'cti-pa- **wrist blades

**Urk'do- **rearend, anus, rectum, a**, (I thought it may have been self explanatory)


	4. Chapter 4

_**Chapter IV**_

_**Disclaimer:**_

_This story has been written purely for entertainment purposes, and in no way, shape, form, or fashion means to impede, or infringe upon any copyrighted material whatsoever. I do however retain credit and claim responsibility for the creation of names and character statistics of any and all characters within this publication. These characters are based on copyrighted ideas and or characters of the respective owners of said material within the entertainment industry. No money will be attributed to the author of the following publication in any form. Definitions and wording used to describe devices, and other such items are derived from other literary works involving these types of characters. This publication was created for the sole purpose of entertainment and the expansion of a concept formerly copyrighted by an individual or individuals as a group._

_I'm back, so now the world can rest easy knowing that I have returned. For I am the Icon of Coolness, of all that is cool, and ever will be cool, amen. I should have my own cult following, whaddya think? Anyway, I recently moved and only recently have I gotten settled in enough to sit and write anything, so without further delay, here is chapter 4. And by the way I hope that the Glossary at the end of each of the chapters will make things easier to understand and make reference to. And thanks a bunch to all those who reviewed the last 3 chapters, I will in return, review the work of those who review mine. Thank you, please drive through._

_**Chapter IV**_

_Hulij_-_Thwei_ rested for a while after returning from both his meeting with _K'tek_-_de'Sa_, and speaking to the _Elder_ about making _Pok'de_ _it'ktse_ his second in command.

It was then that the ship around him shuddered and convulsed violently. What was obviously a large explosion had breached the hull of the ship and woke him literally knocking him out of bed.

He picked himself off the floor wearily and looked around to see what damage had possibly been done to his immediate surroundings. Fortunately, whatever harm there was to the ship had not affected his living quarters and from what he could tell the hull breach was a few decks above and to the rear of the craft from his present location. Nonetheless, he was duty bound, as were all _Yautja_ onboard a vessel, to investigate the source of the problem and provide any assistance to those in need.

He bolted from his domicile and sped down the causeway of the massive ship toward where he thought the problem might be. After a short run, he had ventured across a communication panel on the wall near a cross section of corridors. As he reached for the controls another loud explosion rocked the hulking craft like nothing he had ever felt before. His body slammed against the opposite wall with great force, and he quickly shook off the weariness he felt from the blow he had received. Reaching for the communication panel once again, he realized that another hull breach alert had sounded, telling him that some inner section of the ship, yet unknown to him, was beginning to depressurize. Realizing the urgent nature of the warning claxon, he hurriedly manipulated the controls on the wall, and accessed the damage report that was sure to have been instantly recorded by the ships sensors. To his surprise there was nothing. In fact, it only now dawned on him that he never heard an alert claxon after the first explosion, and the alert after the second detonation was far too delayed to think that things around here were normal.

Despite the peculiar events, he took it upon himself to try and locate survivors among the wreckage that was sure to be quite a serious issue by now. He had surely hoped that he was not the only one in the area that was prepared or able to help.

During all this, his mind silently questioned as to whom or what had attacked them, when the answer finally hit him. It had to be the _Kin'chen_ _De'ok_; at least that's what the _Yautja_ called them. This answer only gave him more grief, as he knew that they were not supposed to be in this area of space according to recent reports.

Desperately, he searched the area of the ship where the damage had been done and saw one dead _Yautja_ after another. Some of them his friends and some of them he barely knew. At this point the only thing that really bothered him was the fact that that his allies had not even had the chance to fight to an honorable death, their lives had been taken from them without warning, but despite his feelings he continued his search, and discovered something that bothered him even more. The bodies of the _Unblooded_, and the _Youngbloods_ were scattered amongst the wreckage, and this affected him even more profoundly, as they had never even had the chance to experience the glory of being ranked as a _Warrior_ or better. He had never experienced emotions such as this previously in his life and it only proceeded to make him angrier at the current situation. 'Someone must have survived.' He thought.

It was then that he was surprised by a noise getting nearer to his location. From around the corner of a nearby corridor came his friend _Pok'de_ _it'ktse_. He appeared to be injured, and was accompanied by two humans carrying him from what seemed to be a much more damaged part of the ship. He spoke to the humans, inquiring as to what had happened, and physically he heard no reply, although their mouths moved as if to answer him.

He recognized one of them as if he had known her for some time now, and even sensed that he may have had trusted her. It was _Morgan_, and she looked as if she had just been through a fiery battle. The other human was covered with the same sooty substance, but appeared to be unharmed. He leaned down over his _Yautja_ friend, who was just now reverting back to consciousness, and turned his head slightly to one side he asked _Morgan_ if she knew what had happened to him. Again, there was no audible sound from her moving lips. Nonetheless, he somehow knew what she was speaking. He traded a few words with _Pok'de_ _it'ktse_, and after confirming that he was merely knocked out for a short period of time, he turned his attention toward _Morgan_ with great concern, and grabbing her by the sides of the arms, he asked her if she had been injured.

She didn't even get a word out when another nearby explosion had occurred in an adjacent wall sending a large piece of metal careening through the midsection of her body, effectively slicing through her like a finely sharpened blade. Her lower extremities fell to the ground in a bloody heap, as the upper portion went completely limp in his arms, and slipped thorough his grasp to the flooring below. In his peripheral vision, he could see the bodies of both the other human, and his friend _Pok'de_ _it'ktse_, bleeding profusely as their bodies were also mangled by the twisted shards of metal that tore through them at lightening speed.

As he scanned the area realizing that he had not been harmed in the least, he heard _Morgan's_ voice as well as all of the voices of all of the dead call to him in his head. He spun to again look at her remains and the others around him, hoping he was not losing his mind, when shockingly enough, her mouth moved and spoke to him; only this time he could hear every word as plain as day and again as before, the many voices of the dead around spoke in unison with her creating sort of a delayed echo.

"Do not let fear guide you." Spoke the voices of _Morgan_ and the other dead.

It was then that he realized that he had succumbed to the visions of a nightmare. Sitting quickly in his bed he looked around to make sure that it was over and that he was not still sleeping. It was only on rare occasions that he had experienced such awful thoughts while asleep, and they were never typically as vivid, or uncontrollable, or more importantly, never as real.

The chime at his doorway had sounded alerting him to the presence of someone outside his quarters, and he rose hastily as he answered appropriately the greeting that would allow the entry of his guest into his domicile.

He was almost at the entryway as the hatch slid into its fully open position, revealing the existence of his friend _Pok'de_ _it'ktse_ stepping into the room. Uncontrollably, _Hulij_-_Thwei_ stared at him with an oddly twisted expression, although he felt as if he had hidden his strange behavior well, or so he thought.

"Are you going to just stand there in the way for the rest of time, or are you going to invite me in to have a comfortable seat? Spoke _Pok'de_ _it'ktse_.

"Oh, sorry. I was preoccupied with thought." Stated _Hulij_-_Thwei_.

"Oh, well that explains it. For a minute there I thought perhaps you had seen the _Shadow_ _of_ _Death_."

"Well, what I did see was close enough, and I don't really care to talk about it at the moment."

"Oh, I see. Well I hope that it has something to do with the scheduling of the _Kehrite_ for the training of the _Unblooded_, because I took it upon myself to make sure that it was done when I was in your quarters last."

"Thank you." Spoke _Hulij_-_Thwei_, as he took up a position adjacent to _Pok'de_ _it'ktse_ in the common area of his lodgings. He sat on a large, lavishly decorated chair of significant size. It was covered in fur, as were most of _Yautja_ belongings. It was typical to construct furniture from many different parts of their kills, thus rendering them to stand as near trophy status all by themselves.

"It must be something serious that bothers you. You haven't done as usual and offered me anything to drink."

"To be honest, it's not as bad as my distraction may lead you to believe, but either a good sparring, or meditation will surely relieve me of the problem."

"Never mind, I'll get something to drink myself." Said _Pok'de_ _it'ktse_ with a humorously annoyed tone.

"Oh, sorry. Anyway, what time did you schedule the use of the _Kehrite_ for?"

"About half a _kerev_ from now."

"That would be about twenty minutes from now, in Earth time I suppose." Said _Hulij_-_Thwei_ as he glanced at the timepiece on the wall.

With a chuckle, _Pok'de_ _it'ktse_ responded accordingly. "And why are you concerned with Earth time, might I ask? Does it have something to do with that, human female?"

"Yes and no. It more or less concerns all the humans. If we are going to have them observe the training of the _Unblooded_ or hunt or fight with us, then it might make it easier to communicate with them if I developed the habit of communicating in ways they are more familiar with."

"Oh, for a minute there I thought you were beginning to dwell a bit too much on just her." Spoke _Pok'de_ _it'ktse_ with the _Yautja_ equivalent of a grin to his mandibles, as he handed _Hulij_-_Thwei_ a drink and sat down a few feet away on an adjacent chair.

"Don't be ridiculous. I know where my priorities lie, which reminds me, you are now officially my second in command." Stated _Hulij_-_Thwei_, with a slight hint of a smile.

"I am already aware of that. The _Elder_ made it a point to make sure I was informed immediately after you spoke to him. And by the way, I am impressed with how you suddenly took advantage of the conversation in order to change the subject, simply impressive, I must say." Laughed _Pok'de_ _it'ktse_.

"You just don't quit, do you?"

"Quitting is not the _Yautja_ way."

"Leave it to a technicality of our culture to allow you the means to annoy me further."

"Truth be told, as your friend, I simply want to see you live as a _Yautja_ should. That means that when there is a chance to enjoy life with a female, than you should do so, and besides, how long has it been since you've done so? Well, that's too long."

"You didn't even allow me the chance to answer."

"Exactly my friend, exactly." Replied _Pok'de_ _it'ktse_.

A few moments passed before _Hulij_-_Thwei_ stood and spoke.

"If you will go and wake the _Unblooded_, I will take a few minutes to prepare the _Kehrite_ for use, and meet you there."

"Of course, I will relish the opportunity to give them as much grief as possible."

"I knew you would." Said _Hulij_-_Thwei_ smiling.

_Pok'de_ _it'ktse_ left the room and headed in the direction of the lower levels of the ship where the _Unblooded_ were bunked.

After staring at the door for a few moments, for reasons of focusing his thoughts, _Hulij_-_Thwei_ then turned toward the wall where he kept his armor and weapons, and relinquished them from their resting places. Upon putting them on, he caught a glimpse of himself in one of the mirrors he had placed around the room for study of strategic purposes. It was to his surprise that by placing these objects in certain areas, the room would appear larger, and made him feel a bit less cramped.

It wasn't long that he stared at himself before any doubts of his confidence as a _Yautja_ _Leader_ had gone away. He was instantly filled with enough pride to conquer any enemy, and he would make sure that these _Unblooded_ trainees would know his name, and learn to respect the ways of wisdom that he would teach them. He would make sure that they attained all the necessary skills to survive a _Kainde_ _Amedha_ _Chiva_, and what's more, he would try to instill in them the ability to not only survive this hunt, but also bring back a trophy as well.

It was well known amongst the _Yautja_ that _Hulij_-_Thwei_ was one of the more successful of trainers that any _Yautja_ had ever set eyes on, even though he wasn't officially able to do so. It was when he was assisting in the training of earlier groups of _Unblooded_ youth that his _Leader_ at the time gave him free reign as to how they would be trained. While the credit officially went to the _Leader_, most still recognized his accomplishments with former _Unblooded_. It was also these facts that made others jealous of him, on more than one occasion, and often lead to more and more challenges for position within the clan. He had a flawless record of never having lost a challenge to anyone, except once, and that was to his _Elder_ when they were first introduced. Although it is still rumored today that the _Elder_ himself believed that _Hulij_-_Thwei_ had held back some during the course of combat with him, he just couldn't prove it. Of course this was just a rumor, and all rumors are quite possibly exaggerated.

Still one couldn't help but notice that even considering _Hulij_-_Thwei's_ smaller stature compared to the _Yautja_, he remained an imposing site, his armor was carved with some of the most elaborate of designs, most of them signifying death to challengers, or representations of strength according to _Yautja_ beliefs. What's more is the fact that any exposed area of his body rippled with muscled intensity, even when relaxed. There was no doubt that he was in perfect shape and was superior to all who would stand before him.

Upon being satisfied with his current state of mind, he turned to exit his quarters and brought himself to the _Kehrite_ in which training would begin for the _Unblooded_, and prepared the various weapons he would allow them to use. While checking each individual weapon for flaws or damage during their last use, he began to remember back to when he was a youth and first used these items himself. These were the same weapons he now possessed; only less advanced as far as the technology was concerned.

How he so enjoyed the memories of hunting his first kill. It was in the _Yautja_ culture the same as it was for the humans; the first time anything was accomplished was considered to be an important marker in their lives to be remembered. He thought back to his first use of a staff, and wrist blades, as well as other assorted items in use by the _Yautja_. He even remembered his first use of what the humans called a gun. _Gon'tok_-_de_, the _Yautja_ who raised him as his own had given it to him after his first kill of a _San'tak_, a creature the size of an elephant, with only his extendable spear.

It wasn't until standing there for a few minutes when he suddenly realized that he missed training the younger generations of _Yautja_ to come. Of course, being independent and having the freedom to hunt where he wanted, and usually when he wanted had its appeal too. Either way, he realized that for the most part he was content, and was genuinely satisfied with his life, there was but one thing missing, and what that one thing was, was as big a mystery to him as he could fathom.

Without warning his thoughts were impeded upon by the thunderous approach of _Pok'de_ _it'ktse_ and the young trainees entering the _Kehrite_. He turned his head quickly to see them piling in with complete disorganization. Despite their lack of unity, they all possessed that look of utter determination, and hunger for the hunt, or anything that would make them better hunters in the long run. The _Unblooded_ were like a sponge, soaking up anything that would eventually allow them to be _Warriors_, or more. It would be to their advantage seeing as to how _Hulij_-_Thwei_ was nearly ruthless when it came to training, and his persistence in training the way that he did had paid off for many of his former students, especially when it came time for the _Kainde_ _Amedha_ _Chiva_.

_**Glossary:**_

_**Kerev- **__A standard Yautja unit of time equal to about one Earth hour represented by a circle with a number inside to represent the number of these Kerev passed._

_**San'tak- **__A large elephant sized creature native to the Yautja Homeworld. This creature is covered in bony plating similar to our rhinoceros of Earth and has no trunk, but does have the large tusks similar to our extinct wooly mammoth, where they curve outward and then back inwards towards the centerline of the mouth. Along the sides of the legs grow large bony spikes that curve slightly downwards toward the ground. It has a long reptilian tail also covered in plates and spikes and can be swung in defense. Like the water buffalo of Africa these creatures are docile until angered and they live in packs of hundreds. Defense of the pack is shared by all, if you anger one of them you have angered them all and they will charge. Victims continue to be mauled and stepped on, and spiked repeatedly sometimes for hours after the victim is dead._


	5. Chapter 5

_**Chapter V**_

_**Disclaimer:**_

_This story has been written purely for entertainment purposes, and in no way, shape, form, or fashion means to impede, or infringe upon any copyrighted material whatsoever. I do however retain credit and claim responsibility for the creation of names and character statistics of any and all characters within this publication. These characters are based on copyrighted ideas and or characters of the respective owners of said material within the entertainment industry. No money will be attributed to the author of the following publication in any form. Definitions and wording used to describe devices, and other such items are derived from other literary works involving these types of characters. This publication was created for the sole purpose of entertainment and the expansion of a concept formerly copyrighted by an individual or individuals as a group._

_**Chapter V**_

"Aaaaaggghhhhhh, ha, ha, ha, ha! I DO…LOVE – THIS - RIDE!" Yelled Specialist Dave Decker, as the seat he was tightly strapped into shook violently. His face was painted with an expression of pure joy, almost wickedly so. Decker enjoyed the rush of adrenaline that these old 'death trap' dropships supplied him. The corner of his mouth was cracked open in an almost hysterical shape revealing an aggressive smile. He was truly in his element.

Others around him had various expressions of sorts plastered to their faces while strapped in similar seats aligned in rows along the two adjacent walls of the landing craft they were in.

Sp. John Parsons saw the current state of affairs through shaky eyes as the view around him bounced and convulsed in front of him in a blurry haze of silhouettes, that only moments before, were his fellow combatants. He still wasn't sure if he liked this part of military operations, but it was something to brag about once back on the ground. It wasn't often that the military used this kind of drop ship anymore, but with the coming war ahead, most of these outdated craft were re-commissioned back into service. At least that's what he tried to convince himself of in regards to the reason he was on this pile of space junk. Or perhaps it was the fact that most of the members of his squad were misfits, and the military viewed them as expendable; not worthy of such luxuries as a craft fitted with the latest technology. Most of the newer craft had been designed with anti atmosphere dampers allowing a craft to slip in and out of atmospheric environments without a trace of turbulence whatsoever, and how he so wished they had use of one right now. Whatever the case though, he was here, and the so-called 'ride,' would be over in minutes.

It seemed that Captain Kevin Andrews found the 'drop,' to be the same as all the others he had ever experienced; extremely boring. His squad members had gotten quite used to having to wake him up after landing planet side, as was usually his request to anyone within earshot, just before strapping in, and being dumped out into the void of space.

It wasn't long before the craft had reached its maximum velocity downward towards the planet's surface, as the rest of the crew aboard seemed to be reaching their maximum tolerance of said excursion. Each of them had their own way of dealing with the 'ride.' Fortunately for most it was short lived due to the high speeds attained by ever increasing gravity as they neared the planet's surface. Nonetheless, everyone uniquely displayed their own feelings concerning this type of drop through various facial expressions and vocal emissions. While one of them used the opportunity to get some well-deserved rest, another relayed nervousness, while others just appeared completely bored. It wasn't until the landing thrusters were activated that the occupants would more or less assert the more relaxed configurations their bodies were accustomed to.

The pilots were then heard over the communications systems each individual wore.

"Touchdown in five seconds…four…" The pilot discontinued the count to concentrate on the intricacies of having to land this bucket of bolts, and just as well, considering it was expected that everyone aboard knew how to finish the countdown for himself.

The craft landed with a clang of metal, a chug of strain on its frame, a hydraulic hiss and a thud from the landing pads contacting the somewhat soft ground.

It wasn't long before the present crew began to disengage the safety devices; it was like a scene at an amusement park when the ride is over on some thrilling roller coaster.

"Ohhhh…I gotta learn ta stop drinkin' tha night before a drop." Said Sp. William "Billy Bob" Roberts, as he wobbled and weaved his way across the flooring between the opposing seats. He was rubbing his forehead with one hand, perhaps trying to squeeze out whatever was making him feel not so well; and the other was unconsciously held outward and away from him for balance and to keep from bumping into anything he could be injured from. Ironically, it was that same hand that would be the cause of his most recent bout with pain. He stumbled a bit as he approached the gear hold on board, and reached out for something to grab onto. It was then that he realized something soft and flesh like was caught within his grasp.

Just as First Lieutenant Morgan Maddison had picked up her gear, she turned to leave when the still inebriated form of Billy Bob, came lunging at her in a stupor and latched on to her breast. This wouldn't have bothered her so much, except that it seemed as though he then had a hard time removing it quickly enough, causing her to respond in a manner he would not soon forget.

It was only as he was able to truly focus on the situation at hand, that he realized what had happened, and was far too slow to respond to the oncoming blow he would receive for his lack of physical aptitude.

Without saying a word, Maddison dropped the gear she had been holding in one hand, fiercely doubled up her fist and released a perfectly aimed shot to Billy Bob's forehead.

It was as he landed on the deck of the craft that everyone within earshot turned to see the commotion. It wasn't uncommon for Billy Bob to be offensive towards someone and regularly get knocked down because of it, especially when he had been drinking. This case was no exception. Most of them just snickered a bit and went about their business.

It was of Maddison's opinion Billy Bob was a likeable guy; he would just say or do some really stupid things every once in a while without thinking about the consequences. In light of it all, and despite the crew's opinion of Billy, she still thought it was appropriate for him to be knocked on his ass. She wouldn't hurt him that bad, he was a tough guy, or at least big enough to handle the fall without taking much damage. Besides, she was the medical specialist of the group, and would make sure that whatever injuries he sustained, would be taken care of promptly.

"Wh…what…what the hell was that for?" He asked, as he was getting up off the floor and again holding his head in pain.

"It was an accident." He continued.

"I know." Replied Maddison.

"Then what'd ya hit me fer?"

"The smile on your face…"

He immediately began to grin even bigger now, remembering full well what she was talking about, and surprised that she had noticed him enjoying his hand on her breast mere moments ago.

It was at that moment that Maddison struck him a second time, even harder, only this time in the jaw and then proceeded to ignore him. She then leaned into the gear hold and grabbed his belongings. It was as she turned around that she forced the gear into his chest as he took hold of the bulk of the load, and looked at her as if awaiting another explanation for the second outburst of violence.

"Learn to handle your alcohol…asshole." She said, as she picked up her fallen gear and proceeded to walk away.

"That's one mean bitch." He muttered to himself, smiling as he spoke of her admiringly.

It was at that point that Sergeant Major Samuel Garvin walked up to him and gripped his shoulder in regular fashion as he usually did when he had something to say. It wasn't often he said anything at all.

"You sure have a way with women don't ya?" Said Garvin, as he released his grip and walked away with a stride that spoke of pure confidence and strength.

"I like to think so." Spoke Billy Bob with a smirk, as he followed Garvin out of the exit hatch and on to the planets surface.

The planet was loaded with a multitude of vegetation. Everything from large trees stretching hundreds of feet into the air, to small shrubs that seemed to move under their own power, as if they were tracking the movements of prey. There was nothing about this planet that appeared normal. It was like every bit of the planet was alive with some version of nature, dangerous by comparison to what they were used to on Earth, or even some of the planets they had colonized.

A red hue was cast across the sky in a way that could only be described as a beautiful painting of landscape done with the wrong colors. In contrast to the brilliance of the atmosphere, there were mountains seen in the background, reaching upward possessing the same grandeur of those found on Earth and its many colonies. It's what covered the mountains in even layers of various shades of green that amazed them. It seemed that there was no limit of how far up the mountainsides that vegetation could grow, and henceforth every inch of the mountains nearly glowed with a faint green luminescence.

Williams, Cantwell, Devi, Wallace, Carter, and Thatcher were the last out of the ship and stared in awe, as did the others already on the surface, at the complexity of the ecosystem and the beauty it exclaimed vibrantly.

Lieutenant Colonel Alan Cantwell spoke up first addressing the issue to his immediate subordinates about the Yautja representatives not being there to greet them on time.

"Do we have the correct landing coordinates?" He asked Maj. Jesse Williams.

"Yes sir, I double checked them myself." He replied.

"Any sign of the Yautja yet, Captain?" He was referring to Capt. Aaron Thatcher, a relatively new member of the team assigned to them for his expertise in alien cultures.

"No sir. But there could have been some confusion as to the translation between our languages." Stated Thatcher.

"I don't think so. If there was a screw up, and we were here at the wrong time, I'm sure these Yautja would have let us know one way or another." Replied the Colonel.

"I'm sure you are correct sir, but I would feel safer if I double checked my self." Said Thatcher.

"Be my guest Captain."

It was at that moment when Capt. Thatcher had requested a copy of the coordinates over the radio, from one of the pilots on the drop ship. Along with the coordinates, he had also asked that he receive the translation data as well.

Lt. Col. Cantwell surveyed the area from his position and determined that he would have his team set camp here until hearing from the Yautja representatives. Before he could belt out the order to do so, his second in command had seen it fit to place his opinion.

"Sir, do you think we should send out a scout party to see if maybe this is a trap, or look for any signs that they may have been here and gone already?"

"That may be a good idea Major. Tell the squad to search the area for any recent activity, and immediately set camp afterwards."

"That may not be a good idea sir…" Replied Capt. Thatcher.

"And why is that?" asked Maj. Williams.

"The Yautja, are not very accepting to strangers, especially strangers that used to be considered prey. They may view our scout party as an aggressive move on our behalf, that wouldn't be good for us on any terms, especially on their home turf."

The Lt. Colonel mulled it over momentarily until deciding that the safety of his troops could very well be at stake since relations with the Yautja were still on shaky ground.

"As much as I would like to trust them, I can't sacrifice the safety of my troops to a mere concept that seems to change merely to suit the needs of any particular species, even one we are presently allied with. But I will take your advice into consideration when deciding how to deploy the scout team. That'll be all Captain."

"Major. I want you to keep the teams small, and close to the camp, no more than half a click in any direction outside of the clearing, stay in radio contact, have them set their bio gear to the ambient temperature of the area, it'll be harder for these Yautja to see us that way, make them report their positions every five minutes in standard clockwise formation from the north, and if they find anything unusual, or find any signs that our Yautja friends have been in the area recently, I want to know about it immediately. Understood?"

"Yes sir." Replied Williams.

"Captain. You will stay with me in case anything is found that requires your expertise."

"Yes sir.' Answered Thatcher.

The two of them would meet up a short time later with Williams in the command center of the dropship. From there they would be able to monitor the situation with every piece of technology that was available to them.

On board the ship, there was a commotion brewing as the _Unblooded_ trained in the _Kehrite_ with _Hulij_-_Thwei_, and _Pok'de_ _it'ktse_. The brutality of these training sessions was beyond what most humans could ever expect, or even consider safe and had continued for the last five weeks since _Hulij_-_Thwei_ had become their newly appointed _Leader_. What was worse was that here was a human being that was even more brutal than most _Yautja_ when it came to training the _Unblooded_. His schedule for them was an almost impossible task of beatings, sparring, physical exercise, and non-stop movement from the time they started to the time they stopped, or passed out, which for _Yautja_ of any age, could be days, even a week if they were well prepared.

It was as _Hulij_-_Thwei_ watched his trusted friend and second in command, _Pok'de_ _it'ktse_ thrash one of the _Unblooded_ in the _Kehrite_ for being too slow to react, that he was distracted by another _Warrior_ with a message for him from the _Elder_. He quickly recognized the _Yautja_ as _K'tek_-_de'Sa_, the newest _Warrior_ under his command.

_K'tek_-_de'Sa_ kept his head bowed out of respect for _Hulij_-_Thwei_ and the position he held.

"_Leader_. May I speak?"

"Of course." Replied _Hulij_-_Thwei_.

"The _Elder_ has sent me to you with a message."

"And what is this message?"

"It is on this info-chip, I do not know the contents." Spoke _K'tek_-_de'Sa_ as he handed the device over to _Hulij_-_Thwei_.

After studying it for a few moments, he was satisfied with the expediency with which _K'tek_-_de'Sa_ relayed the information to him and gave him further instructions.

"You will no longer bow to me out of servitude, except when formalities of rank are being recognized within the clan. From this day forward you will assist me in the training of the _Unblooded_ and will be afforded the rights of _Honored_ _Warrior_ status. You have earned those rights in the past and will maintain those rights as long as I breathe. It is out of respect for your courage and past accomplishments that I do this."

"I am not deserving of such treatment, _Leader_." Answered _K'tek_-_de'Sa_.

"Your confidence is lacking…but we will remedy that. I know your history, and it is unfortunate that an incident from years ago during a hunt with the _Elder_ is what ended up seating you at the helm of this great ship, which is an honor in and of itself. Although, I feel that much time has passed. I believe that your accomplishments since then have made up for that incident and that you are deserving of retaining your status as an _Honored_ _Warrior_. In short, I believe you are simply out of practice. Although, I warn you now, do not make me regret my decision!"

"I am honored and grateful that you would afford me such an opportunity _Leader_."

"I am nothing less than fair. Do not forget that, and NEVER, take advantage of it." Stated _Hulij_-_Thwei_ sternly.

"Of course _Leader_."

"Now go and take over for _Pok'de_ _it'ktse_ in the _Kehrite_. Teach the _Unblooded_ how a true _Honored_ _Warrior_ treats his enemies in combat."

"Yes _Leader_."

_Pok'de it'ktse_ strode over to where _Hulij_-_Thwei_ stood and shot an inquisitive glance at his long time friend as to what the interruption was all about.

Their conversation began with _Hulij_-_Thwei_ questioning the fact that _Unblooded_ of _Yautja_ origin would be trained under observation of the ranks of _Oomans_ that had already been '_Blooded'_ so to speak, against the _Kainde_ _Amedha_.

"Perhaps the _Council_ still feels that even the '_Blooded'_ _ooman's _are in need of observation of our training methods." Replied _Pok'de_ _it'ktse_.

"Perhaps, but the way I see it, if any of them have killed _Hard_ _Meat_, then they have accomplished something, and should not have to be dishonored by spending idle time merely 'observing' the training of those who know nothing of taking a life." Stated _Hulij_-_Thwei_.

"While I agree with your opinion, it's what the _Council_ has ordered."

"I'm well aware of that. And speaking of the _Council_, I have just received word form them that the humans have arrived and are awaiting our presence as we speak. Additionally, they have given me permission to approach the situation in any way I see fit."

_Pok'de_ _it'ktse_ merely clicked one of his mandibles in the most devious manner he could muster, knowing full well that his friend would waste no time with diplomacy in regards to meeting these humans. Rather, he would test them from the very beginning.

"Do you have a plan in mind?" Asked _Pok'de_ _it'ktse_.

"Don't I always?" Replied _Hulij_-_Thwei_.

"Truthfully. NO!"

"Just because I didn't have a map of the _Kainde_ _Amedha_ _Hive_, and lost my bearings somewhere inside for over a kerev, doesn't mean I didn't have a plan."

"Killing everything in sight is not a plan; it's an act of desperation."

"It's not considered desperation, when I 'planned' to kill everything in sight."

"Did you 'plan' on getting lost once inside the _Hive_?"

"Well…no." _Hulij_-_Thwei_ mumbled in quite a low voice.

"Then you can't say you have you have a plan for everything."

There was a short pause before either spoke again. Though, as suddenly as the conversation had ended _Hulij_-_Thwei_ again revived it with what he thought would be the last word, as he humorously added his fictional opinion.

"I'm beginning to regret naming you my Second in Command." Spoke _Hulij_-_Thwei_ as he began to walk towards the _Unblooded_ trainees.

"Why? Because you know that having me as a trusted friend means that you will almost never have the last word, or that I am a better _Warrior_ than you, or that…should I go on?"

"No. It's because you annoy me. Now can we continue with the important issues at hand and begin our mission with the humans as well. That is if you consider that enough of a 'plan.'"

"It'll do…for now." Replied _Pok'de_ _it'ktse_, laughing.

"Just get those _Unblooded_ prepared for the meeting with the humans!" Spoke _Hulij_-_Thwei_ with a look of exasperated humor.

Without saying a word _Pok'de_ _it'ktse_ turned to face the minions of _Yautja_ under his authority and began belting out orders in the meanest, nastiest voice he could muster as Hulij-Thwei turned around and walked away with a purpose.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Chapter VI**_

_**Disclaimer:**_

_This story has been written purely for entertainment purposes, and in no way, shape, form, or fashion means to impede, or infringe upon any copyrighted material whatsoever. I do however retain credit and claim responsibility for the creation of names and character statistics of any and all characters within this publication. These characters are based on copyrighted ideas and or characters of the respective owners of said material within the entertainment industry. No money will be attributed to the author of the following publication in any form. Definitions and wording used to describe devices, and other such items are derived from other literary works involving these types of characters. This publication was created for the sole purpose of entertainment and the expansion of a concept formerly copyrighted by an individual or individuals as a group._

_Ok, so here it is, the sixth chapter, and as some of you had requested, it now has more action. Be patient please there will continue to be some filler chapters from time to time, for this is not a short story as most on this site are. I have a tendency to write longer novel length fiction and to make a story this short is sort of…well…might I say, disturbing. I realize that with the long period of time I have been away from writing this I may have lost some readers, but please read and review, and I will do the same for you. If you have questions regarding translations, please see the former chapters posted they have just about all the definitions in regards to this particular version of the Aliens/Predator world I have conceived of, and new defs will be posted as they are created. _

_**Chapter VI**_

All he knew was that he was being yelled at for what he thought was his duty. Being too far out of position from his standard patrol formation couldn't possibly be a serious enough infraction to warrant being embarrassed like he was at the moment. Especially if he was correct about what he thought he saw. Of course, he could have been endangering not only his life, but the lives of his fellow combatants if he were to give away their position without first alerting the others as to what he thought was moving in the trees.

It was as he was standing at attention in front of Sgt. Garvin, when again he noticed something in the trees. Something moving. Only there was no logical explanation for this, there was no wind to speak of, no other biological life signs registering on their equipment, and no member of his patrol should have been that high up in the trees. The only autonomously moving vegetation on this planet resided near the ground and not a hundred feet up in the trees.

Just as Specialist Steve Carter was about to apologize, and further explain his findings to the sarge, there was a slight glimmer of light dancing behind and to the right of where Garvin was standing. Without warning Carter quickly pushed his Sergeant out of the way in order to avoid the shot fired from the trees. Unfortunately, it was now he that was caught in the netting fired from the unknown source. To make matters worse, the netting was shrinking at an unbelievable rate cutting into his skin deeply. He could see that others in the small clearing were suffering the same fate, and that no one would be able to help him out of his current predicament.

Sergeant Garvin had taken advantage of his situation, realizing that the netting Carter was now entrapped by was originally meant for him. He rolled away purposefully towards the large base of a tree and stood against it rigidly as he scrolled through the different vision settings on his helmet, when finally he found one that seemed to help him with locating the source of mayhem his comrades were now having to endure.

A second or two went by as he raised his plasma rifle at a _Yautja_ holding one of his men by the throat at arms length, feet dangling free in the air below him. He was about to fire when he noticed the _Yautja_ had also noticed him, and dropped the soldier straight to the ground. The _Yautja_ did nothing after that, just stood there and almost mockingly at that.

Sergeant Garvin hesitated in pulling the trigger. He had been in combat long enough to know that this _Yautja_ somehow meant no harm. It was like he was playing a game. He then panned around to see the other _Yautja_ in the area in similar scenarios. One of them was bent down in front of what appeared to be a balled up bag of netting around one of his subordinates, and just happened to sound like he was laughing, or at the very least what he perceived to be the _Yautja_ equivalent. Yet another two were standing side-by-side and seemed to be communicating a congratulatory expression to each other, as one of them was dragging a half conscious soldier behind him. That was confirmation enough in his mind to know that these creatures were merely testing them.

Slowly he put his gun down after again making eye contact with the _Yautja_ closest to him. Still keeping a firm grip though, he cautiously, but rather confidently stood up and paced his movements towards the _Yautja_ gazing at him.

Suddenly, a crack was heard from the branches above his position, as he then knew there was nothing he could do but submit fully to the three _Yautja_ that landed in a circular pattern, surrounding his position.

He raised his hands slightly in a white flag effort to appease these powerful and cunning creatures. Just then he was shocked out of his mind to see a human being clothed in what appeared to be _Yautja_ armor, dropping from out of a nearby tree. He couldn't believe his eyes. He had heard the stories that on occasion humans had been taken by the _Yautja_ and lived somewhat prosperous lives, or at least safe ones. But never had he seen any, not to mention one that had achieved the apparent status as this one had. Garvin had deduced that he must be the one in charge based on the elaborate carvings and designs etched into the human's armor. If that weren't enough, the others seemed to act differently in his presence. Even the one he first made eye contact with had seemed to show him some reverence, although his actions were a bit more confident, yet casual around this human. 'It must be that the human is in charge, and that one there is his next in command.' Garvin thought to himself.

_Hulij_-_Thwei_ dropped from the tree to see that all the humans in the area had been subdued in some way, shape, or form. He was happy and unseen behind his mask he expressed a smile, which as of late, was only on rare occasions.

He first approached his friend _Pok'de_ _it'ktse_ and discussed the fact that the only human having a chance to kill a _Yautja_, and requiring more than one of them to truly be subdued, must be their leader based on his apparent skills in deciphering the non-threatening stance that _Pok'de_ _it'ktse_ had displayed by releasing one of the humans from his grasp.

After quickly discussing the matter they approached the unusual human and _Hulij_-_Thwei_ did his best to remember what he could of the human language from when he was a child.

"You are leader of humans?" He asked.

Garvin was stunned. This human spoke very broken English, but it was still better than any other _Yautja_ he had ever heard speak English based on the info discs he studied before the mission.

"Yes, I am Sergeant Garvin, and who are you?" He stated with a somewhat perturbed tone to his voice.

"Do not disrespect me." Said _Hulij_-_Thwei_ as he planted himself directly in front of the sergeant's face and peered at him through his mask.

"It will not be tolerated. Do you understand?"

"I understand that we are here merely to learn to fight side-by-side in the upcoming war with the, what do you call them? Kin'chen…Kin'…"

"_Kin'chen_ _De'ok_" Replied _Hulij_-_Thwei_.

"Yeah, that's them. And no offense to you or anyone here, but this doesn't look like we're fighting side-by-side right now." Continued Garvin.

"You are correct. You were also unprepared. I was trying to prepare you."

"You don't have much use for diplomacy do you?"

"No. And neither do the _Kin'chen_ _De'ok_." Replied _Hulij_-_Thwei_.

"Good point. Now how about…" It was then that the conversation was cut short by the deep guttural sounds of a _Yautja_ in pain.

Carter had managed to reach his knife in the course of the last few minutes, and somehow cut through the netting surrounding him. In the process of his escape he also deeply wounded the _Yautja_ holding his net. It seems that this one in particular was just as unprepared as what they accused the humans of being.

The netting had caused deep gashes in his shoulders, arms and legs, but didn't seem to make much of a difference now that he was angry and most importantly free of his bindings.

The _Yautja_ quickly turned to pound on what he perceived to be a weak human and soon found that Carter was much faster than anticipated. A personal battle between the two ensued as the other _Yautja_ all began to watch, apparently humored by the situation.

With both combatants now bleeding, it was clear that the human was more of a match than any _Yautja_ had previously considered. Carter was swiftly dodging most the would-be heavy blows his opponent intended to harm him with, though the few that had made contact seemed to batter him significantly. The battle went back and forth with the _Yautja_ seeming to gain some ground ever so slightly. Despite his size and obvious prowess in battle the _Yautja_ too had taken some damage inflicted by his small assailant. Unexpectedly, Carter had used his agility, and speed to his advantage and found a way to kick the _Yautja_ in what was the equivalent to a human jaw. It was then that the _Yautja_ stepped backwards several feet, from the physical shock of the blow. Things were now getting out of hand according to the two highest-ranking leaders present. This was no longer looking like it was a training session, but rather a full-blown fight to the finish.

It was both _Hulij_-_Thwei_ and Garvin that barked out orders to their subordinates simultaneously to stand down. Upon this instance the two gazed upon each other as if perhaps they had something in common after all.

The _Unblooded_ individual whom only a moment ago was engaged in combat with Carter was now approached by _Hulij_-_Thwei_ for disobeying his commands. Those commands being that no _Yautja_ was to engage in any type of physical combat whatsoever with the humans on this day.

Similarly, a few feet away Garvin was giving a tongue lashing to Carter for the second time today. It was while this occurred that the other _Yautja_ disappointedly began to release hold of all would-be prisoners, on _Pok'de_ _it'ktse's_ commands.

_Hulij_-_Thwei_ was quick to reprimand his subordinate for his actions and made short work of his punishment by back handing him nearly into oblivion. It was at that moment that the disobedient _Yautja_ had learned his lesson and _Hulij_-_Thwei_ felt satisfied with his disciplinary measures. To his surprise Sgt. Garvin was still screaming at the top of his lungs at Carter, much like a drill instructor would, and making him do an endless amount of pushups in front of all those present. He continued to show his disdain for Carters actions and didn't stop with the embarrassment until Carter was ready to pass out from the amount of push-ups he had already done.

_Hulij_-_Thwei_ and the other _Yautja_ present were curious about this strange form of lengthy discipline and how exactly it was supposed to accomplish anything. Yet somehow they all knew better than to interrupt the proceedings in discipline.

_Pok'de_ _it'ktse_ strode over to _Hulij_-_Thwei's_ location a few feet away and quietly spoke so as not to disrupt the lesson in human forms of discipline.

"I find this…somewhat entertaining in a curious sort of way." Stated _Pok'de_ _it'ktse_.

"Yes. I agree. Although it does bare some resemblance to the way my _Yautja_ father trained me; not so much with the consistent yelling, but in the form of physical exhaustion through exercises."

"It bares some resemblance towards how you train as well, or have you not noticed?"

"Please. My methods are far superior." Replied _Hulij_-_Thwei_.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that. I've been watching this go on for over five t'em now, and he doesn't appear to be making it any easier on the disobedient one."

_Hulij_-_Thwei_ said nothing, and merely took the time before _Pok'de_ _it'ktse_ would again continue, to closely study this lesson in human discipline.

"Don't forget these humans can be cunning and they are gaining more and more respect from _Yautja_ all the time. Perhaps they are not as weak as we once thought. Not to mention, you yourself are human, and look how far you've come in _Yautja_ society."

"I don't hate them my friend…I…just, didn't want to have to deal with the change of having to be around them I suppose. I am happy where I am in this culture, with this lifestyle, with this kind of freedom and respect. Their presence here means all that I know will change and I will one day have to face those human relatives that I have never met. That is not something I am prepared to do nor do I ever want to do."

"Then don't. It is just that simple. They've lived without you for this long, I am sure that it wouldn't hurt them to not ever meet you at all."

"That's just it though, I promised _Gon'tok_-_de_ that I would one day learn more of my human relatives, and accept them as much as I had accepted the _Yautja_ way of life even if they failed to understand me, and what's more, the _Elder_ seems to think I should embrace my human side equally as much as the _Yautja_ soul I possess."

"Never mentioned that to me before." Replied _Pok'de_ _it'ktse_.

"Never thought I would have to."

"I almost wish you hadn't. It's made me a bit too…sensitive. Let me wipe my tears." Replied _Pok'de_ _it'ktse_ with the most sarcastic tone he could produce.

"You really are a bastard."

"I know, but others seem to accept me that way."

"Well…yeah…that's true. But don't test your luck."

It seemed that no sooner than their conversation was over that Garvin had approached the two of them and began to speak.

"So, I see you've released my men, thanks. Now as I was saying before, I don't care for diplomacy much either, which means I hope we'll get along on that point at least. I am curious though, you caught us, but did you catch the other humans running around your little neck of the woods?"

_Hulij_-_Thwei_ and _Pok'de_ _it'ktse_ both looked at one another briefly and shared a good chuckle, as did the other _Yautja_ in the area. It was then that _Hulij_-_Thwei_ casually raised his arm gauntlet, and manipulated some keys on the facing with his right hand. A moment passed when he finally held out his gauntlet arm, and a small but accurate hologram of his superior officers being held captive by other _Yautja_ appeared in the air at eye level.

Garvin noticed that the hologram only depicted the scene of the clearing where his superior officers and the drop ship were located. There was nothing to indicate that Team 1 had been discovered. This would be an opportunity to show these _Yautja_ that as humans they were deserving of respect, not to mention it would also be an opportunity to see just how prepared the _Yautja_ truly were. He took it upon himself to not mention the existence of Team 1 more or less for strategic purposes.

"Ok. So you took advantage of a situation under the premise of what was supposed to be a peaceful meeting. Once this mutual testing of one another's military strength thing really gets underway, I think you'll find you won't be so lucky." Stated Garvin.

"We will soon see." Replied _Hulij_-_Thwei_, as the entire group of both human and _Yautja_ alike began the short trek towards the very clearing where Lt. Col. Cantwell and the other officers were surprised by the sudden training attack by some _Unblooded_ _Yautja_.

Garvin was curious about this _Hulij_-_Thwei_ character and wanted more information as to how a human could achieve such a high status amongst these unearthly hunters. The group hadn't walked far before Garvin slowly made his way closer to _Hulij_-_Thwei's_ position and began asking some very vague questions.

"By the way, you never did answer my question back there."

"What question?"

"The one about your name, what is it?"

"_Hulij_-_Thwei_."

"Ok, no offense or anything but that's kinda hard to pronounce for a human…is there an English equivalent?"

"Yes. Crazy Blood." Answered _Hulij_-_Thwei_.

There was a silence between them as they continued on their way towards the human camp; all the while Garvin pondered the correct way to word the next question.

_**Glossary:**_

_**T'em- **__A unit of time almost the equivalent to one Earth minute._


	7. Chapter 7

_**Chapter VII**_

_**Disclaimer:**_

_This story has been written purely for entertainment purposes, and in no way, shape, form, or fashion means to impede, or infringe upon any copyrighted material whatsoever. I do however retain credit and claim responsibility for the creation of names and character statistics of any and all characters within this publication. These characters are based on copyrighted ideas and or characters of the respective owners of said material within the entertainment industry. No money will be attributed to the author of the following publication in any form. Definitions and wording used to describe devices, and other such items are derived from other literary works involving these types of characters. This publication was created for the sole purpose of entertainment and the expansion of a concept formerly copyrighted by an individual or individuals as a group._

_Special thanks to mau'indi; for you I have supplied the culture, Veriea Fornnan ,to you I give…banter, Spacefan, here is the chapter where Hulij-Thwei and Morgan meet for the first time, I hope I've done their characters justice. _

_Hello again, and much thanks to all of those who reviewed. The Yautja Elder bows to you, honored by your graciousness to examine his accomplishments. Don't know where I got that crap from, oh, wait maybe it's the fact that I'm in the mindset of writing an AVP story…yeah, that's it, I think. Anyway, the story is finally beginning to gain some substance, which will hopefully keep the interest going for most of you, as well as provide the setting for a bit more action without sacrificing the depth of the characters. In fact I am going to do my best to utilize the action scenes in a way to further build the characters, and provide for the changes that may occur in their personalities along the way. So, if something goes awry with any particular character you happen to like, that seems out of the ordinary for their persona, please don't hesitate to let me know and I will re-examine the situation closely. That being said, I hope you all enjoy, and remember…all those who review, will get reviewed._

Chapter VII

"Hey, boss. We got a problem…" stated Specialist Butch Hastings.

"Yeah…what's that?" Asked Sergeant Major John Parsons.

"We've lost contact with HQ, and Team 2. No response from either, but my readouts show their equipment is still operational and sending out their proximity signals." Hastings hesitated for but a moment when he continued.

"They're simply not answering."

"What the…?" whispered Parsons to himself.

"Alright, listen up troops…"

His voice was heard by the other members of Team1 through the individual communication units each of them carried.

"…crank up your bio gear, be on the alert, and slowly head for the HQ. Go in staggered pairs…visual spread…stay low…and set your camo gear on shadow."

1st. Lt. Morgan Maddison was surprised that this scenario was becoming hostile, considering that they were supposed to be here merely for the purpose of mutual observation of training between both their culture and that of the Yautja.

"Sgt. Are you sure that's necessary, I thought our orders were to remain peaceful and allow them at least a small chance of detecting us, otherwise they might see our approach as an act of aggression."

"Look here lieutenant, we've got no indication that they aren't involved, and besides these creatures hunted our kind for years under the cover of their stealth technology, which we are now capable of ourselves. I think it'll be a good test now that we are on their home turf instead of ours."

"It could just be atmospheric interference you know." Howled Maddison.

"When did you stop bein' a medic, and start bein' an electronics expert huh?"

"About the time you changed our orders." Replied Maddison.

Parsons laughed slightly, and then turned to look at Maddison past a small shrub he was tucked in next to. She noticed the movement a few feet from her and positioned herself so she could communicate with him visually.

"You've always been stubborn Maddison, and I don't care if you outrank me, I'm still in command of the tactical situation, so quit givin' me a hard time, and follow orders."

"Yes sir, oh great leader." She threw a half sarcastic glance at him with a mock salute as she rolled to her left around the corner of the tree she was leaning against, after seeing that the rest of her team mates were already in position and waiting on both her and Sgt. Maj. Parsons.

It was only a few moments when the group had rounded the next segment of thick trees when Sgt. Maj. Garvin again spoke to _Hulij_-_Thwei_.

"So, how is it that a _Yautja_ can appear to be so human?" He was hoping that by assuming this human thought of himself as a _Yautja_ it would be more beneficial to address him like one. It was 'quite a delicate way of asking' thought Garvin, considering he wasn't accustomed to anything but verbally spilling out commands, and speaking his mind in what was typically a blunt fashion. He was almost proud of himself. If there ever was a time for him to start learning about diplomacy this was it.

_Hulij_-_Thwei_ was silent for a moment while he considered the value of releasing this information to the human. After pondering the outcome, he decided to answer the human.

"Because I am human…by birth only."

Garvin wasn't stupid by any means, and knew by _Hulij_-_Thwei's_ tone that any other questions would most likely irritate this human _Yautja_. Besides, he could almost see the clearing where HQ was located through the thick trees. There would be more time later for him to learn of this strange development, whereas for right now there wouldn't be time enough to go into any lengthy conversations.

They were close now to HQ. It wouldn't be long before Parson's gave the order to his forward observers to begin their visual sweep of the area. Not that the group wasn't already reeling with nervousness as it was, but there would be an even higher sense of anxiety when he gave the order.

Specialist Peter Manning quietly scooted up on his belly to some low-lying brush in front of him as he activated the com device. Being the sniper of the unit sometimes gave him a unique view of the situation that even the forward observers didn't always have.

"Hey, boss…Spectre here…" He practically whispered into the headset.

"I have visual on the camp…there's several of these Yautja guys plastered all over the place. Hold for update…"

"Roger." Replied Parsons, as he quickly belted out some orders to his forward observers to move up and confirm their snipers initial findings. The senior of the two observers replied accordingly over the com.

"Boss, I've got one on top of the dropship, a second at the entry hatch and a third right outside the entrance to the command tent…now switching to thermal…hold for update."

"This is Hardcase…confirming Spectre's initial report, boss." Announced the senior Specialist in the two-man team designated as Hardcase.

"Spectre here. One Yautja signature, standing; one human signature sitting on the floor. Both inside the command tent.

"Roger, Spectre…Hardcase, this is Boss, can you confirm Spectre's assessment?"

"Hardcase here…assessment confirmed, we also got some real fuzzy proximity signals from inside the dropship, nothing clear enough to make out a good ID, but the one in the tent matches the colonels. Must be these guys are keeping everyone else inside."

"It's like they've commandeered our ship." Added Maddison, covering the microphone on her com unit, and speaking to Parsons directly.

"Yeah, strange huh? These guys don't normally take prisoners…at least not based on what we were told about them. I'd really like to know what's goin' on here." Commented Parsons shifting his head sideways, letting Maddison know that he was more or less acknowledging her recent statement.

He turned his head back toward the direction of the clearing and remained silent for a few moments to gather his thoughts and plan his next move. He contacted Hardcase again and requested the last known location of Team 2. It wasn't moments later when Specialist Hastings responded back to him with the information.

"Boss…Team 2's proximity signals are moving towards the camp, and it seems they have some company. Signals are mixed together, but steadily moving. No indication of hostile movement on either behalf." Reported Hardcase.

"This is Boss…send out a passive contact signal at them…see if they respond. Everyone else remain in hold pattern."

"Hardcase here…hold for update."

During the moments that it took for Hastings to send out the passive signal to Team 2, the rest of Team 1 held their positions as ordered. Maddison was leaning against a tree in a prepared but relaxed state, and before she knew it she was having some kind of daydream, the likes of which she had been having recently, and disturbingly more frequently.

It was strange how she would see visions of a human dressed like a _Yautja_. Crazier even than that there came a point where he was standing over her firing a weapon, as she sensed in her minds eye that she was on the ground. This wasn't the first time she'd had daydreams like this. In fact the visions were even more intense when she was fully asleep. They weren't happening too frequently, but enough to give her a slight concern over what they meant.

A few seconds went by when Hardcase again announced his findings over the com, startling Maddison out of her daze.

"Hardcase here Boss…I managed to get a signal response from Team 2, no audio, typed and scrambled message, I've confirmed Proteus command code. It says…war game in progress…Proteus en route…take camp after arrival…no live fire."

"Roger Hardcase." Responded Parsons over the com, before continuing to speak out loud more or less to himself but knowing that Maddison could hear him.

"Son of a bitch…these guys have been playin us, they decided to test us without even tellin' us first."

"What!?" exclaimed Maddison.

"Yeah, it's like I said, these guys obviously wanted to test us right of the bat, no introductions, no formalities, nothin'. That's how little they must think of us."

"Did I miss somethin' here? Or have you suddenly become delusional? Cuz I got pills right here on me that'll take care of that problem if you are."

"No, no. Hardcase just relayed a message from Proteus…wait a minute…weren't you listening to the com?"

"Uh…I….it was fuzzy…couldn't make it out."

"Bullshit. You were day dreaming again weren't you? And you had the nerve to call me delusional." Said Parsons with an accusatory expression, and humorous tone.

"Alright, alright…just keep it to yourself. We don't need all of Team 1 thinking their medic's gone off the deep end."

"Well?" Replied Parsons.

"Well what?" She said almost irritated in knowing where he was going with this.

"Are you goin' off the deep end?" The smirk he displayed was now fully present.

"No, but you ask me again, I'll make sure you wind up six feet deep in shit." Joked Maddison as she cocked the slider on her grenade launcher, all the while smiling sarcastically.

"Ooooh! Scary!" Replied Parsons, just before addressing everyone over the com with the latest info and how they were to proceed from here on out. A few minutes went by after he explained the situation to everyone and gave him or her each their individualized instructions.

None of them had waited very long before the sniper in the group, Spectre to be exact, had first seen evidence of Garvin and the rest of Team 2. Hardcase followed up with a confirmation to Spectre's initial survey and when Parsons gave the order, each of them carried out their commands flawlessly.

Team 2 and their Yautja allies made their way towards the command tent on the other side of the clearing, adjacent to the dropship. _Hulij_-_Thwei_ contacted his trainees ordering them to stand down, and that the test was now over.

The colonel was offered a hand up off the floor by the _Yautja_ standing guard over him, as he heard the _Yautja's_ voice for the first time.

"Get up. Testing over." Spoke the _Yautja_.

He denied the help, and to the _Yautja's_ surprise as well. If there was one thing the colonel knew about these beings after watching all the video on them, and studying the codes of diplomacy supplied by the _Yautja_, via his superiors, was that they admired strength. Whether it was strength of character, strength of mind, but especially physical strength. Any sign of weakness and you would no longer have their respect, unless of course you could justify your actions in another way.

Once making it to his feet and straightening his uniform with pride he passed the _Yautja_ without speaking a word.

The colonel's jaw nearly dropped when he saw what was apparently the leader of this _Yautja_ assemblage coming towards him accompanied by one of his trusted sergeants. It was apparent that he held some kind of authority over them by the way the other _Yautja_ acted every time this being had either glanced in their direction or got anywhere within his visual range.

_Hulij_-_Thwei_ approached the colonel from the front of the pack of both his _Unblooded_ trainees and the veteran soldiers of Garvin's team. He was proud of their accomplishments and himself, this being expressed by his mannerisms and nearly arrogant stance.

Of course the colonel quickly recovered his emotional state as he had been in the military a long time and over the years he had seen many a strange things. Stepping forward to meet the _Yautja_ leader, and holding out his arm in a non-threatening position he proceeded to grip _Hulij_-_Thwei's_ shoulder, as any respectable _Yautja_ would do.

"I am Colonel Alan Cantwell."

"I am _Hulij_-_Thwei_, honored _Leader_ in this clan." Spoke _Hulij_-_Thwei_ as he reached for the Colonel's shoulder and gripped it in a welcoming manner, and continuing to speak.

"It is respectable that you honor _Yautja_ customs while here." Spoke _Hulij_-_Thwei_.

"It was the right thing to do."

"I agree." Responded _Hulij_-_Thwei_.

"I would like to apologize up front for any future…problems regarding customs, considering I'm not a politician."

"None of us are…" Replied _Hulij_-_Thwei_ as the commotion of Team 1's arrival and their apparent re-capturing of the base camp rudely interrupted him.

From out of the fringes of the clearing closest to the dropship came several members of Team 1. Slowly they slinked across the ground and around the unguarded side of the dropship towards the position of both _Hulij_-_Thwei_ and the colonel. With their camo gear set to full shadow they were almost as invisible as what the _Yautja_ were capable of. Of course, in this instance the _Yautja_ had no idea that the humans were now proficient with this kind of technology.

To his surprise the humans had somehow penetrated the watchful eyes of the guards and slipped into the area, catching every being in the vicinity unaware.

It was Parsons idea to have both he and Maddison get the closest to the Colonel's position before revealing themselves. Everything was going as planned until Maddison realized that one of the _Yautja_ standing behind Garvin seemed to be looking in her direction as if he knew she were there. With no time to waste she reacted and sprang forward towards the _Yautja_ standing in front of the colonel in a defensively protective move on his behalf.

_Hulij_-_Thwei_ was distracted by the wavy shimmering pattern of light being distorted close to his position, and upon turning quickly to his side in an attempt to confirm his suspicions he was shocked to feel a thump glance off the side of his hunting mask.

Out of sheer anger, an instinctive reaction doused every muscle in his body with an adrenaline rush allowing him to reach outward with his right hand and grip what he discovered to be the neck of a human soldier. It was then that he realized he was in sort of a stalemate position with this being. He could crush the windpipe of a puny human with ease, but whoever this was had managed to keep the barrel of some type of weapon pressed into his neck.

Maddison had moved too swiftly, she had severely misjudged her speed and the reaction of the targeted _Yautja_. As she moved towards him, he moved towards her with his arm outstretched. This ended up resulting in the barrel of her gun bouncing off this things facemask only to find that it had, by sheer luck, positioned at the beings neck, of course, her neck was in no less danger than was his, for it was now that she felt a large powerful hand wrapped tightly around her throat, and she was nearly choking.

Somehow during the incident she happened to have her vision enhancement gear knocked off. While it was obvious that his had come loose on one side from the impact, and caused his head to be turned the other way. Before he had completely turned to face her, his left hand had reached up and ripped away the rest of the hunting mask he wore.

Both of them saw each other for the first time mutually sensing a feeling of familiarity.


	8. Chapter 8

_**Chapter VIII**_

_**Disclaimer:**_

_This story has been written purely for entertainment purposes, and in no way, shape, form, or fashion means to impede, or infringe upon any copyrighted material whatsoever. I do however retain credit and claim responsibility for the creation of names and character statistics of any and all characters within this publication. These characters are based on copyrighted ideas and or characters of the respective owners of said material within the entertainment industry. No money will be attributed to the author of the following publication in any form. Definitions and wording used to describe devices, and other such items are derived from other literary works involving these types of characters. This publication was created for the sole purpose of entertainment and the expansion of a concept formerly copyrighted by an individual or individuals as a group._

_I hope that you readers feel that this is where the story gets even more interesting, as I have tried to incorporate as much intrigue as possible into the situation between Hulij-Thwei and Morgan. Ok, as you can see I have changed this chapter somewhat. Originally it was posted without any dialogue. This change and the changes I have made to others previous to this one have stemmed from having gone back and re-reading all of the existing chapters. It was at that point I decided to make these changes. They are for the better and will allow a smoother transition from this chapter far into the chapters to come. Enjoy._

_Special thanks to those of you who reviewed, Minkutei, swift hunter, Veriea Fornnan, mau'indi, Dachande663, and Spacefan, who's reviews stood vigilantly as an inspiration for me to finally get another chapter of this story posted. Thank you guys. _

_**Chapter VIII**_

Mere seconds stretched into minutes in the minds of both Morgan and _Hulij_-_Thwei_ as they were locked in what was most decidedly the most unusual and confusing standoff either one had possibly ever imagined.

Those around them were confused as well; they were all under orders to keep this meeting between the two races under terms that were peaceful. No one truly knew how to react.

At least three of the more attentive _Yautja_ had raised their targeting gauntlets and locked them onto whatever human soldier they could, with weapons ready. This was apparent by the three red dots that appeared at various points on a few of the humans' chest armor. Others were oblivious to the human soldiers that had only recently switched off their cloaking devices.

The humans for that matter were no better or worse. The members of Team 1 were obviously ready for anything considering they had the upper hand of surprise. It was in fact, the members of Team 1 that in turn had some of the _Yautja_ in their sights and targeted with their laser targeting systems, resulting in several single red dots appearing at various body parts of the unprepared _Yautja_. The rest of the humans other than Garvin and the lead radioman of Team 2 were caught off guard by Team 1 as well, and these inattentive humans displayed equally as much confusion as the _Yautja_ that were caught unaware.

_Pok'de_ _it'ktse_ noticed the seriousness of the situation between the two races, but more than anything he wanted to make the best effort in diffusing the potentially dangerous confrontation between _Hulij_-_Thwei_ and what he recognized to be the woman, Morgan Maddison from the files on _Hulij_-_Thwei's_ computer. If he didn't do something soon this could quickly turn into a horrific tragedy.

Before the situation became a volatile cesspool of death for both sides _Pok'de_ _it'ktse_ belted out the orders to stand down to his _Yautja_ brethren then glanced in the direction of Sgt. Maj. Garvin.

It was Garvin that noticed and surmised that this meant he should do the same. Despite the differences in both culture and command structure the silent communication between the two was apparent and accurately deciphered mutually. There would be no mistaking the intentions of either side after the orders had been announced.

Only two of the many beings gathered on these grounds refused to comply with the audible orders of both _Pok'de_ _it'ktse_, and Garvin.

Both _Hulij_-_Thwei_ and Maddison were holding steadily with their positions and sustained a nearly impenetrable stare at each other. Confusion racked the both of them tightly as they shared similar feelings of recognition for the other. It was perhaps this that kept them locked mutually in a deep gaze. The air around them was filled with the sensation that these two somehow knew each other. It was evident in the fact that they had stared at one another now for more than what was perceived as a reasonable amount of time to be able to diffuse whatever situation they were in. Their mutual feelings of having previous knowledge of the other were most likely the only thing standing in the way of either of them upsetting the situation, and killing each other.

There was no doubt that _Hulij_-_Thwei_ was strong and quick enough to break her neck in a moments notice, or even slice right through her with the sharp blades of his extended _ki'cti_-_pa_, or wrist blades, only inches from the side of her ear and resting on the same arm he used to reach out for her throat. It was in her peripheral vision that Morgan could see the glint of light reflecting off of this particular weapon and knew that it would most likely spell her demise if she made the wrong move. He of course wasn't the only one with the advantage. The gun she carried would equivocally remove his head from his shoulders upon squeezing the trigger.

They somehow sensed the fluctuations of common feelings they shared at the moment. It was as if nothing around them existed at all. No sights, no sounds, only them. It was in this perpetual world of familiarity that they felt a small yet growing bond between them, and still their personal individualities reflected the uneasiness and potential danger present in their current circumstances. It was their conscious minds that still ruled in the area of rationalization in regards to reality. That reality being the fact that neither of them had actually ever met before, and this was truly to their disadvantage in rectifying the situation that the universe had obviously wanted them to take part in.

Morgan was literally up to her neck in trouble. The strength of this _Yautja_…human…whatever he is was incredible by most human standards. She had heard of some humans having this kind of pure raw power, but those were only in cases where the individual was born and raised on a planet with much higher gravity than Earth. She had concluded that this must be the case, and with that being so she would react accordingly so as to keep her windpipe intact and her head upon her shoulders.

Unlike most people, who would most likely opt out of the scenario by giving up and submissively diffuse the situation, Morgan chose to save her own neck with a different strategy altogether. With her gun still planted firmly into the side of _Crazy Blood's _neck she pushed the tip of the barrel forcefully further into the spot where it now began to leave a visible impression. Her options were limited, and from what she knew of these creatures a show of force is something she was betting on that they would respect as long as she didn't carry her actions out so far as to insult the one who now held her throat in his hands.

_Hulij_-_Thwei_ was more than pissed off, beyond the normal limitations of anger he regularly controlled within himself. The simple fact that this human woman was able to get so close without his knowledge was unnerving, and yet somehow intriguing to him. Nonetheless, his overly accelerated feelings of fury dwelled within to the degree that he could feel himself tighten his grip around her small neck as she pressed the gun further into his throat. It was a classic battle of wills, and the two volleyed for the others respect. Much to his surprise he felt himself halted emotionally when pondering the idea of her being dead at his own hand. He was sure that a scenario like that would leave him empty inside for some time to come. Their mutually perpetrated death at each other hands would definitely be honorable, but it was not something he wished to experience at the moment. There had to be some other way to bring this to an end.

He somehow mustered the ability to think rationally about his situation and knew full well that she could pull the trigger of her weapon about as fast as he could snap her neck or cleanly remove her head with his wrist blades. He had studied the tactics and command structure of these humans long enough now to know that when cornered like an animal, that they were vastly unpredictable. Even despite his vast experience in hunting creatures of various sorts, he still felt that these humans were something to be respected in terms of being dangerous creatures.

_Hulij_-_Thwei_ noticed the strength of her will and apparent need to have his respect. Despite her lack of oxygen she persisted with her present course of action and held fast the gun to the side of his throat just under his jaw. He could feel the barrel press ever more firmly as the seconds ticked on, all the while sensing the rising of his pulse, as the flow of arterial fluid was threatened by the object impeding its typical course. He was wondering how much longer she could hold out before going unconscious. Of course he thought the same of himself considering the throbbing pain in his neck.

The air around them was silent and all who watched were nervous with the anticipation of seeing this physical conundrum come to rest peacefully. Neither side wanted hostilities to ensue especially with the knowledge of what they all faced in the months and possibly years ahead.

They both blinked simultaneously and mutually noticed this as a sign that the other was ready to withdraw from their current positions.

As if in slow motion he cautiously pulled her face close to his. They were only mere inches apart when the corner of his mouth began to twitch and tremble, with the slight crack of what could have been the beginning of a minute smirk. A deep growling began to emanate from his throat almost as a warning to her to not try anything stupid, as he released only a tiny fraction of his grip from her throat. It was at that same moment; as if on cue, that she did the same in regards to the placement of her weapon. It would have been impossible to determine which of the two actually submitted first, but both were secure with the fact that they had played their roles well in attempting to bring this scene to a close.

Slowly the pair began to cautiously reduce the amount of tension between them, as if some unknown connection guided them mutually to the next level of submission.

Morgan's feet finally withheld the full weight of her body as _Crazy Blood_ began to free the reign he had on her neck. Consistent with the present understanding the two seemed to have for one another, she also slowly seized the pressure, which she was applying to the gun in the side of his throat.

It was as the barrel of Morgan's gun no longer made contact with _Crazy Blood's_ skin that he fully released the grip he had on her. Still, the two remained firmly cautious of one another. Each of them was still dangerously close in proximity. Either one could easily lash out at the other with the confidence that they would still hit their respective targets.

_Hulij_-_Thwei_ continued to keep his arm at length, and despite the fact that he had let go of her neck, his wrist blades remained a threat to her. It was the same for her in regards to the laser sighted red dot that now appeared squarely in between his eyes.

It was at this point that the two of them began to relax a bit. They again stood silently staring at one another without making a single move as if satisfied in some way with the decreased amount of tension among them. They mutually studied each other in what could only be described as cautious amazement, or maybe respectable curiosity.

Morgan first noticed his armor and took note of the elaborate carvings and etchings spread throughout the entirety of each individually plated piece; they were beautiful and rivaled anything the Earth's best artisans could produce. This armor covered parts of his chest, shoulders, forearms, and shins. Unlike his _Yautja_ subordinates he had large boot-like footwear that was also armored and possessed a more concealing type of lion cloth armor combination. The color was nearly that of dark gunmetal blue on all the highly polished edges without inscriptions. The engraved portions were darker and at some angles reflected an almost charcoal hue with silver inlays. It was under this armor that she noted his skin was well tanned, it was obvious this man spent hours in the heat of the day out in the sun hunting God knows what.

His musculature was not like that of the body builders of Earth, where the ripples of muscle tissue show through the thin layers of skin in a sickly kind of way, his were large, and bulky, and each individual grouping of muscle moved and flexed in a way that was nothing short of captivating for her. His face was an attractive sculpture of pure ruggedness. He was no pretty boy by any means in her opinion; nonetheless there was something about his appearance that was quite appealing.

He had grown himself a fairly lengthy set of four braids along each jaw line, each one being about eight to ten inches in length. His hair was even longer, and reached downward nearly to the middle of his back from what she could tell, and was pulled tightly into what may have been the equivalent of human dreadlocks, only these were shiny and had been adorned with rings that were as eloquently marked as the armor he wore. She finally settled her vision on his eyes and realized that they were unlike anything she had ever seen before. They were bright and cast a light gold, almost yellow reflection in the beaming rays of the sun. She found herself melting into the idea of being highly attracted to him and in no way did she feel threatened by him any longer.

_Hulij_-_Thwei_ first took note of her armor and was impressed with the simple functionality of said item. Though there wasn't much to admire about the plain black color of the armor and its lack of décor. Although, he had noticed that there were smaller patches of material strategically placed in locations about the arms and chest area that must have been symbols of her many achievements. This alone was impressive. If his assumptions were correct than she was quite experienced in battle and he would look forward to watching her train, and maybe get the chance to spar with her in the _Kehrite_, otherwise known in human terms as a training room, or combat ring. It was also apparent that she carried with her several other weapons. She carried two more guns, smaller than the one previously pressed to his neck, each one resting on opposing sides of her hips. Additionally there were the two large knives held in place in some style of sheath that loosely crisscrossed over her abdomen under her breast line.

At no time was any part of her body except for her face exposed to the atmosphere, for what lay under the armor was some kind of protective suit that all humans present seemed to be wearing. It also became clear that these humans were capable of rendering themselves nearly invisible to the naked eye and the raised thick lines of material that stood off the surface of the suit and the separate armor they wore suggested that this was the source of their ability to conceal themselves.

He was yet again compelled to examine the structure of her musculature as difficult as it was through the protective suit she wore, but after careful scrutiny he was quite pleased with the curvature of her figure and in fact noticed that the suit hugged her body in such a way that it was truly more revealing than he had originally thought. Her legs were nearly perfectly shaped and appeared to be athletically built but not overly so, and he imagined being able to see her in the more revealing _Yautja_ armor that he was familiar with females having to wear.

Her hips for some reason began to narrow out just above the beltline of her armor, more so than what he expected, and was further engrossed in picturing how that would affect him if he were to get the chance to see more of her. Her breasts were shaped quite differently than most _Yautja_ females and proportionately larger as well, considering a human female's smaller frame. Moment by moment he sensed he was appreciating her presence and physical stature more and more. Her arms were smaller than _Yautja_ females, yet larger and obviously stronger than most female humans. This was strangely appealing to him to the degree that he nearly shuddered inside by the thought of seeing them uncovered.

It wasn't until he set his gaze on her face that he was mesmerized with her appearance. She was…dare he use the word…beautiful. Her skin was perfectly toned, just a few shades lighter than the sand covering the beach near his home here on the _Yautja_ _Homeworld_. There was no _Yautja_ female that he knew of that could compare, or look so innocent, and yet still be so deadly by comparison. Her hair, what he could see of it was pulled back tightly behind her head and cast a slightly blue tint over the black strands that flowed in even lines over the top of her head. Only two small strands of hair seemed attractively out of place as they hung down on either side of her face from just over and to the sides of her eyes. He was then lost deeply in the blue-green aqua color of her eyes, as he became entranced with her overall magnificence.

Both of them set eyes upon one another in chorus and embraced the other mentally as they individually experienced a deep rising shiver up their spines.

_Hulij_-_Thwei_ no longer held his jaw firmly locked in position as it was before. He felt it relax as he slowly lowered his blades to his side and felt them slide back into their mechanical sheathing on his wrist.

Morgan concurrently lowered her weapon and felt her arm come to rest at her side as the gun brushed against her leg in a fully tranquil state. There was no need to have shared any words between them at the moment, as their facial expressions spoke volumes. Their mutual display of acceptance and understanding shown upon their faces without a trace of doubt that the face off was now over, and that hostilities between the two of them would cease here and now.

Without taking his eyes off Morgan, _Hulij_-_Thwei_ spoke addressing Lieutenant Colonel Alan Cantwell.

"Colonel. You and your men will follow in your ship." Spoke _Hulij_-_Thwei_ in a plainly assertive voice.

"I take it then that you are _Crazy Blood_, _Leader_ of these _Yautja_?" Asked the Colonel as diplomatically as he could, while vaguely remembering the mission summaries he had read through.

_Hulij_-_Thwei_ was almost annoyed with the fact that these humans had surprised them the way they had, and it showed in the way that he snapped his neck in the direction of the Colonel in order to more respectfully answer his question.

"Yes." He replied simply.

As far as _Hulij_-_Thwei_ was concerned this initial trading of observation of one another's skills was over and the humans had proven themselves somewhat worthy of possibly fighting alongside the _Yautja_. Still he was bothered by the fact that they were able to conceal themselves so well from _Yautja_ sensors and that his own trainees were so inexperienced that they were caught off guard. He was not at all happy with the present circumstances and no longer wished to conduct any kind of formal introductions between his _Yautja_ and the humans. He merely wanted them to be out of his sight for a while. His instructions to the Colonel were the means by which he would achieve the goal of separating the two species, at least for a while, until arriving back at the city _Ro'Nok_ _Deha_ _Ta'as_.

"With all due respect _Crazy Blood_, what would you like us to follow, your footsteps?" Inquired the Colonel.

"You will follow…that." _Hulij_-_Thwei_ then turned his head and pointed skyward to his left when from out of nowhere appeared one of the great _Yautja_ ships rematerializing from its hidden stature.

It was silent. There was no audible noise to be heard, and yet it seemed to float effortlessly above the ground without strain. It was enormous, and stretched the limits of one's imagination in regards to the very shape and structure that could be built into a craft of this size. Had it not been so strangely beautiful, one might say it was almost demonic looking. If nothing else, it was in the very least monolithically dangerous. There were several blade-like appendages that seemed to be strategically placed along the hull, and were raised away from the main surface of the ship with no apparent means of being attached in any way. The outer skin of the hull was a bronze, black color, highlighted by strips of silver and what may have been raw metal.

The humans were in awe; most of them had not seen such a vessel before. They were amazed, not only with its size, but the odd lines, the colors, and most of all its very menacing appearance.

_Pok'de_ _it'ktse_ then bellowed out orders to the rest of the _Yautja_ that were included in the training session to begin boarding the newly arrived ship. It was as he did so that the craft began its cautious descent towards the ground near the far end of the clearing making the most of its graceful abilities during a turning maneuver, allowing it to avoid any collisions.

Colonel Cantwell then took it upon himself to issue orders to his men in regards to boarding the dropship.

The field formerly containing both the _Yautja_ and human forces was beginning to empty as _Hulij_-_Thwei_ stood on the ramp of his great ship and scanned the area in a rather foul mood. Despite his annoyance over the presence of humans, he watched Morgan as intensely as he could without making it too obvious, as his _Unblooded_ trainees entered the ship.

Morgan was headed for the hatchway of the dropship as she felt the odd sensation of being watched. She turned nervously in _Crazy Blood's_ direction and found that her suspicions were true. Oddly enough it was at the moment that she made eye contact with him that he appeared to lose interest and look away. His actions were almost too purposeful. He turned his head and barked something at one of his subordinates walking up the ramp, in a weak attempt to cover his true motives. Predictably though, as soon as the _Unblooded_ youngling was past him he again stole another glance or two at Morgan who never took her eyes off him until she was through the portal of the ship.

_Hulij_-_Thwei_ perceived her disappearance into the ship as his cue to do the same as the clanking of his boots contacted the metal ramp, and behind him the large hatch closed with a clang of metal and a pressurizing hiss.


	9. Chapter 9

_**Chapter IX**_

_**Disclaimer:**_

_This story has been written purely for entertainment purposes, and in no way, shape, form, or fashion means to impede, or infringe upon any copyrighted material whatsoever. I do however retain credit and claim responsibility for the creation of names and character statistics of any and all characters within this publication. These characters are based on copyrighted ideas and or characters of the respective owners of said material within the entertainment industry. No money will be attributed to the author of the following publication in any form. Definitions and wording used to describe devices, and other such items are derived from other literary works involving these types of characters. This publication was created for the sole purpose of entertainment and the expansion of a concept formerly copyrighted by an individual or individuals as a group._

_To those of you who have had to wait for so long for this update I do truly apologize for the delay. I hope that the length of this chapter will more than make up for my tardiness in updating. Thanks and praise go out Basilisk9466, mau'indi, Veriea Fornnan, Spacefan, Dachande663, swift hunter, Minkutei, and Hattu for the wonderfully dependable reviews they have left and hopefully not being to upset with me for taking as long as it has to update. Be sure to check out some of the changes I have made to some of the previous chapters, it may clear things up a bit for some of you. And by the way, I have already started work on Chapter Ten as well. So with any luck, I will have it posted within the next week or so, and I promise it has action to it. Enjoy!_

Chapter IX

Both ships lifted off for their short journey to the _Yautja_ city of _Ro'Nok_ _Deha_ _Ta'as_. It would be there that the humans and _Yautja_ both would be further prepared for their alliance against the _Kin'chen_ _De'ok_.

During their flight _Hulij_-_Thwei_ stood motionless with a commanding presence behind the piloting consoles as the veteran crew performed their duties flawlessly, assuring the safe return of both he and his _Unblooded_ trainees.

As the ship approached the city with the human's dropship close behind, _Hulij_-_Thwei_ was stunned to see through the view port that hundreds of _Yautja_ had been assembled in what appeared to be a formal welcoming posture. That type of function was typically only reserved for those returning from a successful hunt or some other important task. A few moments passed when he finally noticed that several high ranking _Elders_, including his own, and at least two _Arbitrators_ were present for what was obviously to be an official event.

Aboard the dropship, Lt. Maddison made her way to the front where the Colonel happened to be sitting in his command chair.

"Colonel?"

"Lieutenant?"

"Um, I'm sure you've noticed by now, but there are hundreds of _Yautja_ down there where I assume, based on our flight path, that we are to be landing. Aren't you a bit curious about their intentions?"

"No, lieutenant. I'm not concerned in the least. I was already briefed as to the nature of this gathering. It is basically the equivalent of an honor guard in respect to those of us who have been '_Blooded'_ according to their beliefs."

"What's that supposed to mean, the whole '_Blooded'_ thing?"

"It means we've killed _Xeno's_ before, and they would like to show us some respect for having done so." Stated the Colonel.

A moment had passed as Maddison peered out the window at the impressive display of organization that these _Yautja_ had shown. She was then startled out of her momentary trance as the Colonel once again spoke.

"If you'll go back to your seat, I'll be there momentarily to brief everyone on the events about to occur."

"Yes, Colonel." Replied Maddison.

_Hulij_-_Thwei_ took in a deep breath and let it out slowly as he pondered the reason as to why he wasn't informed of this event. His _Elder_, of all _Yautja_, should have relayed this information to him the moment he knew of it. He had the feeling that the human Colonel knew of it; otherwise he would have already contacted _Crazy Blood_ from his ship inquiring as to why there were so many _Yautja_ present at their landing.

_Hulij_-_Thwei_ despised unexpected events; and _Pok'de_ _it'ktse_ knew this all too well. It wasn't the first time he'd noticed his _Leader_ and friend become defensive at the moment something would happen from out of the ordinary. There was too much that could go wrong without having a plan. Oddly enough, according to _Pok'de_ _it'ktse_, unexpected events were what _Hulij_-_Thwei_ thrived on; it was unplanned scenarios where _Hulij_-_Thwei's_ skills had shown through the most. As much as he hated to admit it, _Hulij_-_Thwei_ had saved his life once or twice at the last second. It seemed ironic that as much as _Hulij_-_Thwei_ apparently enjoyed working under the pressure of the moment, that he would admit to his dislike of the unforeseen.

"_Leader_, were you not aware of these events beforehand?" Asked, _Pok'de_ _it'ktse_.

"What would make you ask that?"

"I noticed the nervous movements you made as we approached the landing area."

"You are correct. I did not know. I also don't know why we weren't informed of this either."

"I suppose it doesn't matter considering there's nothing we can do about it. Although I don't feel any better about the fact that even the _Elder_ didn't manage to inform us." Spoke _Hulij_-_Thwei_.

The both of them were silent for a few moments as the bridge crew maneuvered the ship towards the landing site with ease. Only as they knew that there were but a few seconds left before touchdown did one of them bother to speak.

"Perhaps there is good reason for this welcoming." Proposed _Pok'de_ _it'ktse_.

"Let's hope so." Answered _Hulij_-_Thwei_.

Lieutenant Morgan Maddison sat back down in her seat and sighed ever so slightly awaiting the Colonel to come back to the holding area for the briefing he said the rest of the group would get. She had no sooner closed her eyes, when Specialist Devi spoke, quickly getting Maddison's attention.

"You been actin' weird all day. You ok?"

"Uh, yeah, sure." Replied Maddison.

"You don't sound like your normal self, I think that human…_Yautja_…guy, whatever he was got to you. Didn't he?"

"What the hell makes you think that?"

"Oh, just the fact that neither of you took your eyes off one another since your little stand-off, and even earlier you seemed to space out at the oddest moments." Joked Devi. "In fact, I'd almost say it appeared as if you two knew one another."

Maddison leaned back in her seat and gripped the padded roll bar above her in a feeble attempt to displace some of her confusion and hide some of the anger she felt because of it before replying to Devi's comment.

"You've lost your mind Tammy, how could I possibly know him or have known him?" Morgan replied. "And you had the nerve to ask me if I was ok? Please!"

Devi snickered at Maddison's comment knowing that there was more to their conversation than met the eye. They had worked together and gotten along on past missions for some time now. Tammy knew she wasn't getting the whole truth out of Maddison, but it would do for now. She really only bothered to ask out of concern for her friend in the first place. Knowing her the way she did Devi thought it might be best to add some comic relief to the situation and poke a bit of fun at her far too serious friend.

"You know what I think?" Asked Devi.

"No, but I'll bet anything you're about to tell me." Commented Maddison.

"I think he likes you!" Said Devi in the most annoyingly humorous tones she could muster.

"WHAT?"

"Yup! I saw the way he looked at you…he was all about undressing you in his mind…Morgan got herself a boyfriend!"

Morgan stared at her friend for a long few seconds in shock before even trying to speak. Quietly and calmly Morgan addressed her friend like any self-respecting psychologist would approach a troubled patient just before raising her voice in disbelief over the silliness of her last comment.

"Tammy…" Maddison said calmly. "I believe with every fabric of my existence, that you are certifiably insane if you think for one minute that I would have anything to do with that barbaric, overly muscled, undereducated, dreadlock wearing, freakazoid of a…a…whatever he is." Suddenly her voice had raised a pitch or two. "And where the hell did you come up with that kind of high school bullshit in the first place?" Chuckling slightly as she spoke.

"It got you focused on the moment at hand now didn't it?" Replied Devi.

"I suppose." Spoke Maddison as she smiled slightly, letting Devi know that she was right about her former lack of focus.

"Alright then…maybe you shouldn't question my methods?"

"Alright…alright, I'm focused already. Now can we drop it?"

"Sure." Answered Devi, as she paused just long enough to add to the effect of her next comment.

"I still think he likes you." Hissed Devi in a humorously defiant tone.

Maddison didn't even have time to return verbal fire due to the arrival of the Colonel as his booming voice rang loud through the holding area. He addressed the current set of circumstances and the rules to which his troops would have to adhere to in order to appease their _Yautja_ hosts.

The ship touched down with a thud from the landing pads on the solid ground beneath them, as the Colonel directed a comment towards Maddison, although meant for all to hear.

"By the way Maddison, behave out there please, and don't piss off your new boyfriend, he happens to be one of their high ranking _Leaders_." He smiled at the last segment of his comment knowing full well it would get under her skin. It was something he liked to do to his troops to keep them on their toes, and share in the camaraderie they all felt as a unit.

Her face became twisted with that, 'thanks a lot' sort of look on her face as the Colonel finished his comment. She knew from this moment on that no one in her unit would let her live this down, simply based on the extreme conditions of her situation earlier with _Crazy Blood_. If only she could make them forget. 'That's not gonna happen anytime soon.' She said to herself.

The Colonel was no sooner out of earshot of the holding area, when Devi started to giggle and was quickly joined by the rest of the troops in seeing the humor in the situation.

"You gotta admit Lieutenant, that whole stand-off thing sure did freak everyone out, and our laughing about it is just our way of winding down about the whole thing." Said Devi, as she slapped Maddison on the shoulder.

"If anybody needed to wind down from it, it should've been me. I was the one with my neck on the line!"

"Yeah. True. But you could've killed him too, hence the term, 'stand-off.'" Retorted Devi.

Major Williams voice then quickly cut into their conversation as he commanded the unit to move out. His sudden appearance in the holding area sped them up even more as they gathered their gear and headed out of the now opening exit hatch in the side of the hull.

As the humans filed out of the dropship they formed a neatly organized double line down the ramp. Their weapons were worn and displayed as the Colonel had instructed them to during the short briefing before landing. This new practice was coupled with their own unique brand of military discipline and culture.

Despite having to maintain the orderly fashion in which they postured, the humans were astounded with the size and complexity of the city before them. It appeared as if the entirety of the city was one large piece of artwork. Statues and gigantic carvings were seen everywhere obviously depicting the greatness of their culture. It was now apparent to the humans that this was a culture filled with pride and self respect.

Some of the _Yautja_ _Elders_ took note of the humans and their attempt to emulate their hosts out of due respect.

All continued to go well with the welcoming of the '_Blooded'_ humans as the ceremony sustained its current level of cultural presence.

_Hulij_-_Thwei_ stepped out from the hatchway of his ship followed by his next in command, _Pok'de_ _it'ktse_, _K'tek_-_de'Sa_, and the '_Unblooded'_ trainees under his charge.

Both the human troops, and _Hulij_-_Thwei's_ forces came together next to one another on the field just beyond the landing ramps of the ships from which they exited. The Colonel, stood with all the respect and dignity he could gather, in front of his troops with his second in command at his side. While only twenty feet from him to his left stood _Hulij_-_Thwei_ and his followers. There was sort of a silent battle going on as both sides postured with as much impressiveness as they were capable of. It would be this display of discipline amongst them that would gain the favor of the _Elders_ and other high-ranking _Yautja_ present.

There was a deafening silence that hung in the air just waiting to be broken by even the slightest of sounds.

Only when the _Elders_ were satisfied with the display of discipline would they give the signal to their minions to release what would be an overwhelming roar of pride. As the highest ranking _Elder_ among them raised his spear, those _Yautja_ that were previously gathered on the ground had bellowed at the top of their lungs signifying their religious gratuity for the safe return of their comrades.

When the air was again filled with stillness, both the Colonel and _Hulij_-_Thwei_ raised their weapons high in the air and those under their respective commands released into the air a synchronized din of voices not soon to be forgotten by anyone present. Their volley of verbal recognition towards those who had welcomed them here was the human equivalent to saying 'thank you' for the recognition of my achievements, and for wanting us to be here with the rest of you.

Both _Hulij_-_Thwei_ and the Colonel were given the sign to approach the highest of the _Elders_ among them. _Hulij_-_Thwei_ was welcomed back in the traditional way that most _Leaders_ are afforded by those that outranked him. It wasn't much different than what he was used to, only this time there seemed to be a bit more respect involved on behalf of the _Elders_. Additionally, he was pulled slightly aside by his _Elder_ from the rest of those gathered, and given instructions as to where the humans would be staying as well as the accommodations they were to be supplied with. It was then that the Colonel was greeted and introduced to all that were present in the most formal of ways that _Yautja_ culture had to offer. He was treated much in the same manner, as was _Hulij_-_Thwei_ with only a few human customs thrown in as a sign of good faith on behalf of the _Yautja_.

After all of the official proceedings and introductions were out of the way for both _Hulij_-_Thwei_ and the Colonel, they returned to their respective positions and faced their subordinates issuing the command to disperse in an orderly fashion behind them until arriving at a predetermined point where they would be allowed to relax and await further orders.

It was when they reached a great gathering hall that the humans were ordered to be 'at ease' by the Colonel, until receiving the location of their quarters.

_Hulij_-_Thwei_ approached the Colonel as the _Yautja_ were escorted away by _K'tek_-_de'Sa_ to the pre-arranged living spaces at the clan's visitor residence for '_Blooded Warriors'_. Morgan again noticed that _Hulij_-_Thwei_ had attempted to steal a glance in her direction before quickly turning his attention towards the Colonel.

"Colonel. I hope you enjoyed the ceremony."

"I did, I am honored that your people would go to such lengths, considering the past that exists between our people."

"We are not barbarians Colonel."

"I see that. I can only hope that we have performed our part of the ceremony in a satisfactory way."

"I think the _Elders_ were pleased."

"You sound as if you weren't." Replied the Colonel.

"It was only a ceremony. Honor of a people is seen in battle. Words say little about them."

"Perhaps you are right. But I feel as if you will change your mind about us in the future."

"For the sake of your people, I hope so." He paused for a moment before motioning towards _Pok'de_ _it'ktse_ to come forward. "This is my second in command, _Pok'de_ _it'ktse_."

From behind him the clicking of a set of aged mandibles was heard and _Hulij_-_Thwei_ turned around to greet his _Elder_, _Itu're_ _Kra'a_. A few seconds passed as the two exchanged gestures of reverence for one another when _Hulij_-_Thwei_ translated the words of his _Elder_ to the Colonel.

"My _Elder_ would like to show his respect in taking you to your quarters along with _Pok'de_ _it'ktse_ and myself."

The colonel replied and as postured accordingly with respect as a sign that he would be honored. The _Elder_ then reached for the shoulder of the Colonel and gripped it as he spoke. The Colonel returned the gesture and the group began to move in the direction in which they were led.

Along the way the Colonel and _Itu're_ _Kra'a_ shared information via _Hulij_-_Thwei's_ translations and seemed to be getting along well when _Pok'de_ _it'ktse_ stopped the group in front of a large set of elaborately carved doors which then seemed to open automatically without hardly a sound. They were bronze and black in color and the carvings depicted the features of _Yautja_ males who obviously held some kind of importance to their race.

Once through the vast opening the human troops were astounded by the cultural beauty and artwork lining the walls. The surroundings were grand in scale and characterized the _Yautja_ culture and in particular this clans achievements; in a way none of the humans had ever expected. As they traveled throughout the halls _Hulij_-_Thwei_ kept his _Elder_ informed as to how the humans were reacting to what they saw.

The Colonel was especially taken by the whole scene and made several comments as to the effect it was having on him. _Hulij_-_Thwei's_ translation of the Colonel's statements must have carried with them his feelings as well simply based on the eagerness of the _Elder_ to continue describing the events depicted in the figures and images seen everywhere. To the Colonel this was like walking into a giant life-like history lesson reminiscent of the hieroglyphs found on Earth. It was quite unlike the _Elder_ to speak this much and was beginning to make _Hulij_-_Thwei_ a bit edgy. To his consolation though they had arrived at the rooms in which the humans would be staying bringing to an end the _Elder's_ ranting of _Yautja_ history.

For safety reasons two humans were assigned to each room, with the exception of the Colonel and Major Williams, their rooms were a bit more elaborate out of respect for their ranking privileges. These rooms were down the hall and around the corner, where the more exquisite of domiciles were located, and in order to provide safety for them guards would be posted constantly.

_Yautja_ servants were seen coming and going between the rooms bringing food and drink to the human occupants. In the meantime, the Colonel had called the Major to his quarters to discuss the events of tonight's gathering that the _Yautja_ _Elder_, _Itu're_ _Kra'a_, had arranged for them in honor of their newfound alliance. It would be a celebratory event where information concerning the future of their two races would be announced. Hours had passed and some of the humans rested while others drank the alcohol-like liquid being brought to them.

Less than two hours had passed and the synchronized watches each of them carried alerted them as to the time. Each of them filed out of their temporary domiciles and as a group left their quarters for the celebratory grounds where the tonight's events were to take place. Once they had arrived they had all been seated in orderly fashion at the center table, which according to _Yautja_ customs was a sign of honor. Seated with them was _Hulij_-_Thwei_, his _Elder_ _Itu're_ _Kra'a_, along with _Pok'de_ _it'ktse_. The _Unblooded_ trainees were still as of yet not honored enough to sit with them and were seated elsewhere. It was an outdoor event with only sparse areas of cover serving only to further display religious artifacts and cultural depictions of their history. The lighting chosen for the occasion was elegantly done in red and yellow hues. Live music was the highlight of the affair at some point during the evening, and even without the lyrics that the humans were accustomed to the sounds were absolutely captivating.

The _Yautja_ had vocal cords far different than ours and their singing was more of a collaboration of humming combined with the occasional clicking of mandibles in a synchronized fashion. All in all it reminded one of the unified vocals associated with the monks of Earth, only with more of a variety to the tempo and overall beat. No two songs sounded the same despite the limits of their vocalizations, at least comparatively speaking of course.

It wasn't long before the Colonel and his soldiers were beginning to fit in and let their guard down enough to truly enjoy the festivities in their honor. The _Yautja_ as well were adjusting nicely and before long laughter had broken out amongst the crowd after a few key phrases and stories had been translated. It was fortunate that _Hulij_-_Thwei_ had worked with Captain Aaron Thatcher earlier that day in order to provide small translator devices, similar to the transmitters in the facemasks of the _Yautja_, to several of the key _Yautja_ figures that the humans would be in contact with. The devices worked flawlessly, despite the lag in translation time. It was well worth it though, nothing could have brought together both of these cultures with such ease as the convenience of sharing a common language, short of having this device on hand.

Before the night was over the humans had been introduced to several of the highest ranking _Yautja_ on the _Homeworld_, enjoyed the singing and music they never knew the _Yautja_ were capable of and were entertained by the ritualistic dances quite reminiscent of tribal dances of the American Indians, and other well known tribal cultures of Earth. The food and drink was also exquisite in nature and served to help with the ease at which these two races were now getting along.

_Hulij_-_Thwei_ continued to watch somewhat detached from the crowd, as he was pleased at the harmony that now existed between his people, and well, his other people, so to speak. It was unlike any other time in his life. Before today he never saw himself accepting the fact that he may one day have to associate with other humans in this way. He was happy with the _Yautja_ lifestyle, and any deviation from his plans would most certainly be upsetting for him. Or so he thought. He watched as humans and _Yautja_ shared stories and traded information regarding cultural differences, and similarities. He watched, as they laughed together, and boasted of victories from their individual pasts. Something still bothered him though. It was Morgan that bothered him and it didn't dawn on him until he had glanced around the table and saw that she too was ingesting all that was going on around her. Quickly he shook off his trance-like stare as she caught him glaring at her.

He quickly stood and left the table making his way over to where some of his _Yautja_ friends were gathered discussing the success of the evening and how oddly at ease they felt at having former prey in their midst being treated as equals. Most of them were surprised at how appreciative the humans were of their cultural presentations.

As _Hulij_-_Thwei_ approached, one of them was compelled to ask how he perceived the whole occasion. He stopped for a moment, with drink in hand, and swiftly took a shot of it before answering.

"It's going well, I suppose."

"You suppose? I can honestly say that I never would have expected them to accept us they way they seem to have done so tonight." Replied _Krok'no_-_De'es_, one of _Hulij_-_Thwei's_ friends from years ago.

"Perhaps it's the alcohol making them so friendly." Offered _Hulij_-_Thwei_ in a somewhat doubtful manner.

"And perhaps you need more of it yourself in order to enjoy the evenings festivities." He paused before continuing. "The _Hulij_-_Thwei_ I knew once would never have let this wonderful of a drink or occasion go to waste."

"Your right, I will make it a point to enjoy myself after I attend to some other priorities first. Perhaps we can visit again before you leave on your next hunt and catch up a bit."

"Only if you guarantee me that you will be your old self again when next time we speak."

"Of course old friend."

_Hulij_-_Thwei_ returned to his former mood rather quickly as he slid past another table near the edge of the clearing in which the celebration was taking place. He glanced back to the table from which he came and noticed that Morgan was no longer sitting there. When suddenly a shiver shot up his spine, and a sensation much like the one he had when he and Morgan were locked in the stalemate, had stricken him into a frozen state.

He turned quickly around in a somewhat panicked state and headed for his home as he rounded a corner covered with thick plant life when suddenly both he and Morgan collided almost violently. The two of them quickly picked themselves up off the ground and simultaneously noticed each other. They were practically stunned into frozen positions, each afraid to move or speak.

They stared at one another for a moment in what may have been a weak attempt on both their part to figure each other out. They both made the attempt to speak at the same time and ended up interrupting the other. After a few awkward moments of this they again remained quiet until Morgan spoke.

"Are you gonna tell me why you keep looking at me the way you do?"

"What way?" _Hulij_-_Thwei_ was almost defensive in posture, not wanting her to know of his attraction to her.

"Like…I don't know exactly, that's why I'm asking." She was assertive in the way that demanded information.

"You really must be more specific, otherwise I can't answer your question."

"Nice answer slick. I'm not buying it though, I continually catch you staring at me or in the very least stealing a glance from time to time, and then you act as if you didn't want to make it obvious." She paused for a moment as _Hulij_-_Thwei_ grunted in _Yautja_ tongue what would normally be perceived as annoyance.

"So, what is it, are you attracted to me, or is it that you want to kill me, maybe your just curious about human women…maybe you've never been with one in bed before is that it, cuz then the whole staring thing would make you a perv." As assertive as she felt she was being there was still cautiousness to her voice. Truthfully she couldn't be sure what his intentions were but she sure wasn't going to let him know any of her weaknesses, she only hoped that she wasn't overstepping her bounds either.

_Hulij_-_Thwei's_ eyes widened at the mere mention of his attraction to her, but felt as if he had quickly covered with a look of curiosity as to how she could rattle off such an extensive list of possibilities. He was at a loss for words, and didn't know quite how to answer. No one had ever spoken like this to him before. He wasn't sure as to whether or not he should be offended or take the opportunity to get to know about her and maybe figure out the mystery as to why she seemed so familiar to him.

Instinctively his senses took over and he could read her nervousness through scent alone.

"Who are you?" He said, shifting his eyes to the side in an effort to ask himself where he came up with a question like that. He was now mentally kicking himself for even opening his mouth.

"What kind of an answer is that? Didn't you read the briefing files our government gave you before this mission?"

"Yes, quite thoroughly in fact."

"Then you should know who I am."

"And you should know that knowing someone is not as simple as reading a file."

"Ok, so your not gonna kill me."

"No."

"Well that only leaves the attraction thing, or the perv thing, which is it?"

"I don't have time for this…you are annoying me." _Hulij_-_Thwei_ walked away from her with nervousness to his tone. He made it as far as a few steps away before stopping and turning around to speak with her.

"I am curious as to why I feel like I know you, and yes, I have been with human women so my curiosity is not dishonorable, and are you aware that you make it quite difficult for any one to talk to you when you act like such a _l'ulij_ _ooman_ _lou_-_dte_."

"What did you just call me?"

"Crazy human female."

"That does it…" She didn't even finish her sentence when she reached up and out with her hand and like lightening attempted to smack him across the face.

Unfortunately for her he was somewhat faster and managed to catch her hand in his, desperate to make him pay for his insult she attempted to swing on him again. With her speed and strength she was able to knock him across the face with a firmly planted right hook. To her dismay though, he took advantage of her concentrated effort of swinging wildly and now held her wrist taught in his grasp. Upon realizing this, she became momentarily stunned and he again took advantage of his strength and speed by pulling her closer so as to grab hold of her other wrist. He now held her tightly and gripped both of her wrists close together in front of him and nearly against her own chest.

She could literally hear his thoughts, and the expression on his face proved she was correct. These weren't the eyes of someone who wanted to kill her. He merely wanted answers. She relaxed and stopped struggling to get free. His grip lessened slightly as he leaned closer to her face reading the minute changes in her expression. It was now obvious that each of them had something to share with the other.

Simultaneously they asked each other the same question, and in nearly matching tones as well.

"Who _are_ you?"

Just then they heard a voice from close by. As the two let go of one another, Specialist Devi appeared from around the corner. The two of them were still in rather close proximity as Devi saw them. For a moment it was as if Devi didn't even exist.

Devi was stunned as she witnessed the two of them standing there staring at one another. There was nothing but silence and to Devi, it was as if the two of them were communicating mentally, each of them staring the other down until satisfied with an answer that was never verbally spoken. It was unnerving to Devi that these two could have some kind of unspoken or undiscovered connection. Her eyes shifted uncomfortably when she realized that what was needed here was some form of intervention.

"Excuse me…"

Morgan and _Hulij_-_Thwei_ were startled out of their respective positions and peered at Devi with a rather disappointed look. It wasn't difficult to see for Devi that perhaps she had interrupted something of some importance.

"Sorry, I'll leave you two alone…" She spoke rather apologetically.

Before anyone else could speak _Hulij_-_Thwei_ took the reigns of the conversation and saw this moment as his cue to leave Morgan to her friend. He would find out more about her later.

"No need to apologize. I was leaving." Said _Hulij_-_Thwei_ as he stared at Morgan but for another second before turning to walk away.

Morgan turned to Devi with an exasperated look and hissed at her with a volume she hoped only Devi would hear.

"Thanks a lot!" She spoke as she once again turned in _Crazy Blood's _direction.

He was no more than a few steps away, when he heard Morgan's voice call from behind him.

"I want answers you know. And soon!"

_Hulij_-_Thwei_ stopped dead in his tracks as he turned his upper body enough to see them from his peripheral vision and spoke.

"As do I." He said with enough volume and assertiveness to let her know that he was serious. He turned to continue on his path home and took no more than a step or two before he became engrossed in his own thoughts and spoke to himself, 'As do I.'

It was after returning to her quarters with Devi, her bunkmate, that Maddison was lying on the bed positioned in the room opposite from the one on which her roommate at the moment was resting. As much as she wanted to sleep she couldn't close her eyes without thinking of the day's events, especially those involving _Crazy Blood_. The more she thought of him the more she thought she knew him from somewhere, as ridiculous as she told herself that was. Again and again she stared at the ceiling and tried to force herself to sleep but thought of _Crazy Blood_ continued to plague her. Without realizing it she muttered the words, 'Who are you?' with a half-perturbed, and curious tone.

"Thinking about him again, aren't you?" Asked Devi from under the covers she had pulled up to her neck.

"What? I thought you were asleep."

"I was…well, almost. Until you said something."

"I didn't say anything." Replied Maddison as she sat up to look at her friend across the room.

Devi lifted her head to look back and smiled somewhat with a mischievous grin.

"Well you sure weren't talkin' to me when you said 'Who are you?'"

"You heard that huh?"

"Yeah, I did. Now quit thinking about it all and get some sleep. We've got to be up in a few hours. And by the way, if you snore, I'm gonna throw my combat boot at you!"

"Wouldn't be the first time." Replied Maddison with a slight chuckle.

A minute had not even passed before Devi turned over to face Maddison in the bunk a few feet away and spoke yet again.

"Hey, what do you think Crazy Blood means? Ya think he's nuts, psycho maybe? Maybe it's how he is in battle?"

"I don't really know. But, something tells me we'll find out eventually." After pausing for a moment in thought about what Devi had mentioned, she again found herself thinking about it and when she realized that she had paused for what might have been a sign to her friend that she was thinking about it far too much, she again spoke. "Now get some sleep. That's an order."

_Hulij_-_Thwei_ sat in the gathering room of his home in front of the trophy displays as he pondered the events of the day wondering why he had been so bothered by everything that had occurred. There truly wasn't anything to be embarrassed about. The humans are known to be resourceful, and the most cunning of all creatures ever hunted by the _Yautja_. This alone has earned them the respect they had received today, and in recent years. Add in the technological advances they've made and you've got one hell of a fight on your hands. Physically they still seemed weak, but with their brains and ever increasing ability to overcome odds, well they might just make good allies.

Nonetheless, his life would be simpler without them, and without this recent attraction to the female known as Morgan. She was primarily his main distraction at the moment, and had been for the last several days. Why could he not be rid of her in his mind, and most importantly, where did he know her from.

He was then in deep meditation when the buzzer from his door communicator went off alerting him to the presence of someone waiting outside. He gave the verbal command for the door to slide open and allow entry to whom it was that wanted to speak with him.

_Pok'de_ _it'ktse_ then strode through the door with his usual demeanor and addressed _Hulij_-_Thwei_.

"I see you've been in _zazin_."

"Yes. Analyzing the events of the day and formulating my plans for tomorrow."

"I know you have the habit of over thinking things, but even this is a bit 'out-of-the-airlock' for you." Replied _Pok'de_ _it'ktse_ with a slightly amused tone.

"Nonsense."

"You're thinking about her. It's just as well that you should be, she is human after all, and you haven't really enjoyed yourself lately."

"It's not a matter as to whether or not I am attracted to her, it's the strange feeling of familiarity I have for her, but where could I know her from?"

"I couldn't say my friend, but I do know that you'll never know at all how it might be possible until you approach her about the situation."

"I suppose you're right. Since you're here though, I could use your help in formulating tomorrows activities."

"Of course, I'll have to get something to drink first; I have the feeling that I'm going to need it."

"Since when do you need a reason to drink?" Asked _Hulij_-_Thwei_.

"I don't, but it sounded good didn't it."

It had been over an hour since her last conversation with Specialist Devi, her current roommate, and she herself was almost completely asleep when there was a sudden commotion heard from not to far away, and from somewhere close by in the building.

She leaped out of bed and launched herself across the room to wake up Devi before venturing out into the expanse of the hallway out side her room. Fortunately the noise had awakened Devi as well and the both of them reached for their weapons.

Ready for anything, the both of them had stood on either side of the door and activated the control mechanism to open it. The two of them stepped into the hallway and saw other in their group gathering together in the attempt to figure out what the noise could have been about.

Suddenly there was gunfire and the small group of combatants rushed to the source of the noise only to be surprised by the damaged door of one of the rooms that their fellow soldiers had been occupying.

Upon entering the room Morgan took note of the glass window shattered towards the outside and saw three _Yautja_ silhouettes several stories below in the courtyard round a corner before she could get off a shot.

The picture of horror that lie on the floor before them was a ghastly one even for her. She was used to seeing blood and guts, being in the medical profession of course, not to mention being a military combatant made it that much more common. This though, this was different, it was as if this was done on purpose. The bodies were decapitated and the spines ripped out. There was blood everywhere. They had no time to react when both the Colonel and the Major arrived on the scene along with their respective _Yautja_ guards in tow.

The Colonel was the first to speak.

"Devi…Maddison what happened here?"

"We…"

_**Glossary:**_

_**Arbitrators- **__Elder's of the High Council that specializes in Yautja law and enforces those laws. Their rank is just below that of an Elder seated on the Council but only equal to a standard Elder of a clan. An Arbitrator may have at one point had a clan of their own but has given it up in order to serve the High Council._

_**Xeno- **__Xenomorph, or (Alien from the movie), the Yautja refer to them as Kainde Amedha or translated to English as Hard Meat._

_**Blooded- **__Traditionally the Yautja only considered themselves worthy of being Blooded, but recently the humans have earned the honor of being referred to in this way. Being Blooded is to have proven the kill of a xeno._


	10. Chapter 10

_**Disclaimer:**_

_This story has been written purely for entertainment purposes, and in no way, shape, form, or fashion means to impede, or infringe upon any copyrighted material whatsoever. I do however retain credit and claim responsibility for the creation of names and character statistics of any and all characters within this publication. These characters are based on copyrighted ideas and or characters of the respective owners of said material within the entertainment industry. No money will be attributed to the author of the following publication in any form. Definitions and wording used to describe devices, and other such items are derived from other literary works involving these types of characters. This publication was created for the sole purpose of entertainment and the expansion of a concept formerly copyrighted by an individual or individuals as a group._

Chapter Ten

"We…" Devi suddenly became mute from the tension of the situation and no longer found herself able to speak.

"Lieutenant. I want answers." The Colonel's voice was demanding in tone and Maddison knew that some sense had to be made of the situation.

"We were in our bunks and heard some unusual sounds from outside our room and decided to investigate. By the time we entered the hallway and made our way here these soldiers were already dead. I had enough time to look out of the open window. I counted three _Yautja_ rounding the corner of the far building on the other end of the courtyard through the broken window. They appeared to be running and had weapons still in hand. One of them saw me and then rushed the others even faster out of the area and around the corner." Stated Maddison.

The Colonel was satisfied with the explanation. It was clear and concise as was typical of Maddison in nearly every report she had ever given. The other soldiers as well as the _Yautja_ guards were still gathered at the doorway.

One of the guards had already raised his left wrist gauntlet and made several motions with one of his clawed fingers. This action had resulted in the holographic projection of another _Yautja's_ face appearing nearly in midair. Both the holographic image and the _Yautja_ holding the device seemed to be communicating. It was only moments later when he barked out an order for two of the other _Yautja_ present to go and do what was obviously a search of the area. In the meantime the lead _Yautja_ guard had made his way into the interior of the room and stood by the Colonel quickly beginning a conversation with him in English.

"Colonel Cantwell…" Spoke the _Yautja_ in a heavy rough voice.

"Yes." He said surprisingly as he wasn't previously aware that this guard would have any knowledge of their language.

"I have informed my superiors as to the situation at hand and my orders are as they were before…your protection. Of course, I have also been ordered to get your soldiers back to their rooms as soon as possible. Unless of course you would prefer that all of you be moved to another location."

"For the moment my remaining soldiers are present and accounted for. Although, I agree with getting them back to their rooms to make handling this situation easier."

The two _Yautja_ sent away earlier to do a search of the area had now returned and the Colonel overheard them giving their report to the _Yautja_ in charge. Before too much information had passed the Colonel was smart enough to use the translator in record mode since the _Yautja_ were now speaking in their native tongue.

It was as the _Yautja_ in charge made his way through the remaining human soldiers now on their way back to their respective rooms that the Colonel replayed the audio recording through the translator in English and discovered that there were also two _Yautja_ guards killed further down the hallway and around the corner from where they were presently located. He noticed that the _Yautja_ in charge had left the two guards who had accompanied him since the beginning of this incident here in the hall to help organize the return of the humans to their domiciles.

As the rest of his soldiers slowly filtered out of the hallway he took it upon himself, especially after learning of the deaths of these _Yautja_ guards, to follow the lead _Yautja_. As he passed his loyal troops his eyes locked on to the one person who's assistance he knew he was going to need in the next few moments, and made a bee-line for his second-in-command; Major Williams.

"Follow me." He said quickly, and only loud enough for the Major to hear.

"Yes sir." Replied Williams without even the slightest hint of hesitation.

Williams would soon find that there was no need to ask where they were going after only a short stride down the hall and around the corner. Both the Colonel and Major Williams slowed their pace from a fastidious walk down to a casual yet concerned rate as they saw the _Yautja_ in charge and the two previously investigative guards standing over what looked to be nothing short of an alien homicide. Green blood was splattered in patterns reflective of the stance in which these guards were in at the moment of their death. Chunks of meat and intestinal matter were scattered across the areas where blood seemed to be the most noticeable.

As they approached the scene the lead _Yautja_ took note of their presence and addressed them with as much respect as he could considering his uncertainty as to whether or not they should even be allowed to be there. Of course this situation was unique to all of them. Not only were there murders of respected, non-slave humans on the _Homeworld_, but there had also been the simultaneous murders of some of their own _Yautja_ warriors, and for what was obviously the same cause. To make things even worse these murders were committed by some of their own _Yautja_ people.

The lead _Yautja_ present was far to confused and suffering from the chaoticism of recent events to prevent the Colonel and his second-in-command from attending the scene. It was nearly common knowledge among the Hunters that the humans were very adept at studying death in general and what the multitudes of causes were to those deaths. The lead _Yautja_ present was well aware of this fact and had decided that perhaps allowing the Colonel and his associate to have a look might not be such a bad idea after all.

Major Williams was the first to speak after bending down and positioning himself oddly in front of the grisly scene.

"Colonel."

"Yeah, Williams."

"I think these are burns accompanied by explosive impact. Probably made by the _Yautja_ weapon known to us as a shoulder cannon, or burner."

Before the Colonel could speak the lead _Yautja_ interjected with as much diplomacy as he could muster.

"How could you know that?"

The Colonel then took it upon himself to answer that question with just the right balance of arrogance and diplomacy he could offer considering his militaristic standards of etiquette.

"Your people have been hunting our kind for how many thousands of years now?" Asked the exasperated Colonel before continuing. "Simply stated you've given us experience in the matter."

The lead _Yautja_ merely clicked his mandibles with what was nearly perceived as an aggravated but submissive quality, as he took a step back, clearly letting the two humans have their space to aid in the assessment of the situation.

If he had mandibles they would be clicking uncontrollably out of anger at the news that had just been the reason for his awakening. _Hulij_-_Thwei_ was furious and smashed the console of his computer interface terminal. The face on screen became a blurry, warped, unidentifiable image of some _Yautja_ still speaking to him as he crawled out of his bed with a determination nearly beyond that of rage.

"On your way over there I want you to access the security recordings for that area and for the area at least ten _pe'lrs_ in circumference, and the logs of any craft vehicular or otherwise within a twenty _pe'lr_ range for at least fifteen _py'ev_ before and half a _kerev_ after the incident. Is that understood _Pok'de_ _it'ktse_?" Asked _Hulij_-_Thwei_.

"Of course _Leader_, I'll see you there."

_Hulij_-_Thwei_ quickly dressed himself and hurried out of his domicile, rushing to his airsled. Along the way he contacted the lead _Yautja_ at the scene and was informed as to the presence of the Colonel and his associate as well as the details of the scene as best he could in the short time it would take for him to traverse the nearly forty Earth miles back to the visitor center where the humans were staying. In his airsled the trip should only take less than five minutes, which would be enough time for him to contact the _Elder_ about the matter if someone hadn't already done that beforehand. Either way he would need to speak to the _Elder_ in private about his immediate plans to rectify this situation.

He scanned the instruments onboard his airsled and knew that he was less than a minute from his destination. He had already contacted the _Elder_ and spoke briefly with him concerning his plans and as for now he had nothing else to do but wait until he arrived at the scene. With only about an Earth minute left before arriving he thought for a moment to himself about having been awakened in the middle of the night and seeing the light of three moons dance across the water of the ocean in front of his home as he raced for his airsled not even five minutes ago.

What in the universe could have possessed any _Yautja_ to do something like this, especially when it was well known that these humans were under his care so to speak. Wouldn't his resulting wrath have been enough of a deterrent against this kind of horrid act? These thoughts and more flooded into his mind as he traversed the last minute of the journey back to the central visitor's quarters of his clan. He was stunned to find that the last minute or so of the journey was but a mere blank to him as he realized that he was nearly in _zazin_ about the situation. He was even more startled to find that he hadn't run head on into one of the taller buildings in the area as he sped high above the city streets toward his destination. It was only the proximity sensors that pulled him from his trance-like state and back to reality enough to actually fly the craft the last few seconds onto the roof of the building where the humans were staying.

Once inside the building he moved with rapidity through the vast halls concentrating solely on arriving at the destination where these multiple killings had taken place. He knew that the Colonel would not be happy nor would his _Elder_ take this matter lightly either. In his mind the Colonel and his safety wasn't so much his worry as was his concern about how this would affect the working situation between he and the humans.

Deep in thought, he continued through the corridors until they began to decrease in size and grandeur more or less for the purpose of efficiency. Relatively speaking the intersection of hallways he was in measured out to be about thirty feet wide by thirty feet in length; rather large compared to human standards but then again this was a structure designed by a culture to represent the greatness of their history and for those visitors to be astounded by the artistic value in the way that they lived and died. The size of even some of their smaller locations was still roomy by human comparison. Put simply the area through which he now passed was strategically perfect for ambush. In fact, he was so deep in thought that he hadn't even taken into account the sudden surge of adrenaline he felt at the thought of possible ambush; or the surprise attack he had received from a cloaked Yautja warrior that came up from around a corner and behind him, and catching him off guard. It was only because of the adrenaline coursing through his veins from the stress of the current scenario that he was able to muster enough speed in his defense at the very last second.

Only because of his strict sense of duty and personal need to always be prepared did he dress into full warrior gear before leaving his home. If his attackers were smart they would have known that he never went out in public in anything less than his armor. This he was sure would be the determining factor as to the outcome of this particular fight.

'Attackers…plural…there's more than one!' He thought to himself, realizing that he had only taken this into account upon saying the word. He spun low to the ground avoiding the swinging spear above his head. Whoever this was had significant training in how to fight dirty and without honor. He believed this more than ever when he heard the telltale sound of a shoulder cannons whiny gears directing the path for the soon to be fired plasma bolt to follow. 'At least two of them as far as I can tell' He thought, all the while, leaping up from his current low slung position. It was then that he grabbed what he perceived to be the ringlets braided into the hairy growth on the side of the head of the _Yautja_ closest to him.

Only because he had made some modifications recently did he have the ability to mentally control the helmet visor he wore and manipulate it with mere thought. His vision was changing before his eyes as the visible outline of his opponent revealed the assailant to in fact be a _Yautja_, not surprising, considering the use of a spear only moments before.

After having what he thought was a firm grasp on the head and neck of the primary attacker he turned toward the sound of the shoulder cannon targeting him from close by.

It was far too late for his primary attacker to even react as the pulsation of the plasma blast rippled through his body and exploded with enough force to knock _Hulij_-_Thwei_ backwards. He had dropped the body from the sheer force of the exploding blast and immediately released the trigger effect through mental manipulation of his wrist blades.

As if in slow motion, _Hulij_-_Thwei_ heard them begin to slide out of their resting places within the housing of his wrist gauntlet. It seemed to him as if they were taking forever to lock into position. It was during this slowing of time that his senses went into overdrive and his hearing seemed to be amplified a thousand times over as he heard another shoulder cannon gearing up to be fired from another part of the small intersection of hallways he was in. Immediately reacting to the sound he turned in that direction to face the newest opponent. His eyes were level with the flash he saw coming at him from the barrel of the fully charged burner. With a speed he never knew he had his arm nearly autonomously raised itself to a level in front of his face before the wrist blades were even finished on their outward journey from the housing they were typically sheathed in.

The explosion from the charge of plasma the burner had released in his direction was enough to cause a stinging pain throughout his entire arm. Lucky for him the gauntlet was a recently updated version and kept his hand from being blown off at the wrist.

Nonetheless, he couldn't remember the last time he was in this much pain. It hurt to move his hand. He was sure the wrist blades were destroyed. His eyes searched the intersection of hallways for the rest of these would be murderers, and to his delight he spotted the de-cloaking of a smart disc weapon, as he also realized that the blast of the burner had sent him back against one of the curved walls of this particular junction of halls. His mind quickly raced and laughed internally at his antagonist's idea to blast him into nothingness. It was their poor planning that gave him the advantage. Now that his back was against the wall he knew nothing could come at him from that direction. That narrowed his fighting window down a bit in front of him. From what his visor told him there were only three of them that remained. Would they fight him honorably, at this point, probably not?

The smart disc weapon flew and cut through the air with razor sharp blades accurately making their way towards _Hulij_-_Thwei's_ head. His mental image of the fight again changed in front of him without warning as he felt the time around him speed up and theirs slow down. The contrast was almost sickening. It lasted long enough for him to duck under the approaching smart disc thrown at him. He rolled forward toward the _Yautja_ who had thrown it, and he leaped into the air as he came to his feet, while concurrently retrieving his _ma'auk_, the _Yautja_ equivalent to a human sword, from its attachment point. He flew with a grace and height surprising even to him, almost overshooting what was to be his intended victim. He thought for a moment as he were going to miss his opponent altogether when he felt a slight pressure on the blade of his sword and he looked down to see that it was currently passing easily through the skull and helmet of his former attacker.

At that moment time began again to normalize before him. The confusion he was left with was enough to distract him from the current danger of having two more assailants rearing around towards him. The smart disc then lodged into the wall just above his head, after bouncing off several other walls, as he began to stand. As usual, his sixth sense for this kind of thing caused him to hesitate at the last second before having his head removed and becoming someone else's trophy.

He found himself turned somewhat to the right and one of the two attackers was not in his peripheral vision as he thought should be the case. Being overly cautious, he turned with haste in their direction only to find that one of them had taken the initiative to do battle with him up close and personal. Just as the missing attacker had reappeared in his vision he felt the blunt impact of a spear glance off of his helmet. It was done with some force though; enough to jar the helmet in such a way that the visual screen in front of him had gone blank for but a second before returning blurry and fuzzy. The other remaining antagonist in the corridor had joined his attacker; and they both stood in front of him now. _Hulij_-_Thwei_ heard one of them unsheathing the wrist blades that nearly all _Yautja_ implemented. He was about to raise his sword and realized that there was nothing but empty space to grip. The pain of the blow to the head must have caused him to lose his hold on the weapon. Confidently he said to himself, 'I have others…'

The blades were slammed sideways into _Hulij_-_Thwei's_ upper left arm before he could blindly react or get his helmet off to see again. He remained calm and barely made any audible noise as he shuddered violently; blades still stuck in his arm. He could feel the weight of the attackers body still attached to the blades as well, and used this to his advantage. Knowing that the _Yautja_ attached to the blades was in that close of proximity to him he reached up with his previously damaged right arm and managed to grasp at the throat of his current assailant. His strength, even in the weakened condition he was in was astounding. He knew he was doing some damage solely based on the sounds coming from the throat, and mouth of the _Yautja_ whose life was now in his hands. _Hulij_-_Thwei_ felt the familiar sensation of flesh giving way within his grip as the windpipe of the creature before him snapped shut as if it could no longer endure the pressure of his grip. As soon as Hulij-Thwei felt the flesh within his fingers condense, he pulled with a twist as violently as possible, further feeling the tearing of fleshy tissue stretch until broken away from where it once attached in the neck of his attacker.

_Hulij_-_Thwei_ heard the body fall limp in front of him, giving him a slight sense of momentary relief.

'One more…' he began to think to himself before being knocked to the ground by what he assumed was the last assailant and the spear he was still obviously carrying. _Hulij_-_Thwei's_ head hit the ground violently as his own vision blurred slightly before he finished his thoughts, '…to go.'

He slowly reached up and removed the clasps holding his helmet in place. The familiar hiss of atmosphere escaping filled his ears drowning out whatever motions the last attacker might be making. Realizing this, he quickly began again to stand and look around for what was surely going to be another attack. Somewhat dazed he stumbled from the force of the head blow only moments before and shook his head in an attempt to clear the cobwebs from his blurry vision and hopefully regain enough sight to fend off this last opponent. He turned his body and received nothing less than a spear tip in the side near to his kidney. 'This guy cheats' he thought to himself. 'He knows without my helmet I can't see him in this low of light, yet he doesn't uncloak for the _Honorable_ _Fight_.'

_Hulij_-_Thwei_ spoke aloud the next few words.

"Don't get too close to me vermin…for if I do manage to get my hands on you, the next day's sun will shine only on your rotting flesh."

The idea that mere words would provoke a _Badblood_ to fight fair and honorable were most likely a waste; and _Hulij_-_Thwei_ knew this, but even the slightest hesitation or unplanned reaction by the _Badblood_ would give away his position.

'He's good…no reaction whatsoever.' Thought _Hulij_-_Thwei_.

Suddenly from behind him the shuffling of sandaled feet was heard for less than a second before _Hulij_-_Thwei_ was able to react in time to what he was sure would have been a paralyzing strike to his spine, as the blade of the spear again opened his flesh between some ribs and he was sure that a lung had been punctured at this point.

He feigned more pain than what he truly felt; hoping that it would convince his would be killer into thinking that now was the time to get close enough for a killing blow. He was now more agitated than he could ever remember being. Every thought was a monstrous wave of energy filling him to the brink of his existence with the need to kill this putrid excuse for a _Yautja_.

_Hulij_-_Thwei_ could still feel the point of the bladed spear protruding from his backside and the nudge that its owner gave told him that frustration had now stricken his attacker. He knew that his enemy had planned his most recent attack as being the final blow. This was now the opportunity to turn things around.

The adversary again pulled harder this time at the spear and dislodged it from _Hulij_-_Thwei's_ back. 'Stupid mistake…' thought _Hulij_-_Thwei_. He stood but for a moment listening. Listening closely. His foe made a move towards him from behind and released the wrist blades from the gauntlet he wore. _Hulij_-_Thwei_ could hear the movement of them off to one side as if his enemy was going to reach up from behind and slit his throat.

Instantly, _Hulij_-_Thwei_ reacted and spun to his left leaving only his already injured backside to the oncoming blades. As he spun, the dagger he kept under his forearm was pulled from its resting place and shoved clean into the attackers chest. _Hulij_-_Thwei_ continued to shove and twist spitting in his enemies face; cursing him as the piece of filth that he was. His attacker was strong though, and endured the pain as he bent his longer arm over Hulij-Thwei's shoulder and pierced _Hulij_-_Thwei's_ back with his wrist blades. The two of them separated from the pain.

_Hulij_-_Thwei_ was shoved away with such force it nearly knocked him down. Having the overwhelming desire to kill this insolent _Yautja_ he again decided to lunge at the attacker, when suddenly a shot of plasma shot past both of their positions distracting them into their present state of momentary confusion.

_Hulij_-_Thwei_ slowly turned his somewhat hunched and twisted body in the direction of the blast thinking that this useless dog of a _Yautja_ had somehow brought reinforcements. He forced his body to adopt a more upright stature before speaking.

"Rest assured… some of you will surely die at my hand before I see the _Shadow_ _of_ _Death_." His hands were shaking and he was ready to take on all opponents.

Without warning, a voice from the shadows of the hallway in front of him came across with a clear message, a message he completely unexpected.

"You won't be dying today unless of course you refuse to be treated for your injuries my friend."

"_Pok'de_ _it'ktse_??" Inquired _Hulij_-_Thwei_ in an unnaturally strained voice, as he saw the silhouette of his friend walk through the faded light and settling dust. He wasn't the only one though. The Colonel and Major Williams, as well as a small contingent of his soldiers were carrying their weapons at the ready for his defense, which were also joined by the _Yautja_ guards in charge of their safety.

The stunned sensation of the moment had quickly worn off as _Hulij_-_Thwei_ remembered the _Badblood_ behind him. He turned to face his opponent and realized that he was gone.

There was no more pain, only anger, nothing short of full-blown rage now filled his mind with visions of hatred, visions of the most dishonorable methods of killing and torturing someone coming to life inside his conscience. He was beyond driven. He felt himself walking towards the spot where his former assailant had been only moments before. He was screaming things out loud to those around him like orders.

He was in such a state of madness that no one could muster the ability to move an inch. They were all stunned into silence by his pure rage and his beating on the walls of the hallway around him and the destruction of at least two man-sized statues of Yautja, as he ran back and forth between them screaming insults at the missing assailant and how he was going to make everyone in his family suffer for this indiscretion towards him. He was not in his right mind at the moment. The blood poured from his wounds making the sight that much more astounding to those watching until the _Elder_, _Itu're_ _Kra'a_, approached him speaking some words he thought might calm him down.

"_Hulij_-_Thwei_, listen to me friend. You will never do those things to him if you die of your open wounds."

_Hulij_-_Thwei_ being the man, the _Yautja_ he was, still had control enough of his own mind to hear words of wisdom when they were spoken. It took a few moments of course before his breathing came down to normal levels. He still leaned against a wall and stared at the floor beneath him, as the blood continued to streak his backside.

After what seemed an eternity to those waiting for him to turn around, he revealed himself to those present after gaining his composure. He stood there for a few seconds breathing deeply and obviously holding back the pain that was written on his face in more ways than one.

The right side of his face was torn open from the front of his cheekbone clear back to below his ear and looked as deep as a canyon. Blood still flowed slightly from this wound as well. One look at his arm and it was obvious that the burns were severe and most likely would cause him pain for some time to come. There seemed to be the remains of some broken wrist blades still stuck in his left arm. The blood there seemed to be the only place where the bleeding had stopped; most likely from the blades still being firmly in place.

Devi, one of the Colonel's loyal soldiers had accompanied him along with Maddison to their present location after hearing the commotion of burners being fired from within the building. There were others along too, including the _Yautja_ guards and obviously the _Elder_, along with _Pok'de_ _it'ktse_. It was she that spoke to Maddison as quietly as she could.

"Can you believe this guy? He's standing there with injuries that any one of us would be dead from by now. He's definitely not from Earth." Stated Devi in near disbelief.

Maddison stared blankly with only a slight hint of what might have been labeled as curiosity. She responded to Devi accordingly.

"I think I have to agree."

"About which part? The dead by now part, or the not from Earth part?" Asked Devi.

"The not from Earth part."

" Oh…" Answered Devi in a more than confused fashion at Maddison's answer.

Morgan calmed herself as she realized that her friend hadn't caught on to the true meaning behind her answer. She didn't really feel like sharing her thoughts at the moment anyway. Not in this particular situation.

_Hulij_-_Thwei_ began to step forward from his almost paralyzed stance as he began to stagger towards his _Elder_ and friend _Pok'de_ _it'ktse_. Slowly he turned and stopped again, as if he were looking for something. His eyes fixed upon his dropped sword, which he would hold again in his hands before dying. He bent down carefully, picked it up, and slowly made his way again towards those that waited for him. He had made it past the crowd of people valiantly with his head held high and his shoulders emanating nothing but pure strength. He passed Devi and only slightly turned his head to acknowledge Morgan's presence, at which point he seemed to straighten up even further picking up the pace of his injured stride. It wasn't until he had passed everyone and was alone in one of the corridors with everyone watching from behind that he let himself fall to his knees.

Maddison couldn't stand it anymore. She had to do something before he died, she wasn't going to stand there and let this man do this to himself. She began to rush forward to help him and was stopped dead in her tracks by a looming _Pok'de_ _it'ktse_, who looked at her as if she was insulting him.

Before she could say anything at all _Pok'de_ _it'ktse_ spoke quietly in her ear.

"If you help him now he will have no honor."

"I can't let him die; I've taken an oath as a medic to keep that from happening if I can."

_Pok'de_ _it'ktse_ began to chuckle slightly and again addressed the female who's arm he had a fairly decent grip on.

"If he dies, so be it, it was meant to be. He must walk off the battlefield with his own weapons, under his own power, and continue until no one can see his face until he is either dead or unconscious. He will still have honor this way." He paused and continued almost with what was an afterthought. "He's been through worse though, I'm sure he'll live."

She looked up at him astounded with his words and gaped confusingly at the meaning of his statement.

"How could anything be worse, a normal man would be dead by now."

"As if you haven't noticed…he's no normal man." Replied _Pok'de_ _it'ktse_. "It's been said that even the _Shadow_ _of_ _Death_ fears him. He's far too stubborn to die."

_Hulij_-_Thwei_ had managed to make it back to his feet after collapsing to his knees. Slowly he began to drag his feet under the immense weight of his muscled frame and finally his legs could take no more. His entire body slumped to the ground in front of everybody watching from behind.

_Pok'de_ _it'ktse_ again spoke to Morgan, as he released her arm almost guiding her towards him.

"Now you can go to him!"

_**Glossary:**_

_**Pe'lrs- **__A Yautja unit of measure of distance equal to that of almost an Earth mile._

_**Py'ev- **__A unit of time represented by a triangle or pie shaped segment of a Kerev the amount of which is represented inside the triangle by a number, which is divisible by ten and can be represented by any decimal place up to the whole of the unit._

_**Kerev- **__A standard Yautja unit of time equal to about one Earth hour represented by a circle with a number inside to represent the number of these Kerev passed._

_**Ma'auk- **__The Yautja equivalent to a human sword, rarely used but seen in different styles._

_**M-di'Yut Thwei- **__See Badblood._

_**Badblood- **__Typically any Yautja who breaks their laws, recently this has begun to apply to any species allied with the Yautja. (See also M-di'Yut Thwei)_


	11. Chapter 11

_**Disclaimer:**_

_This story has been written purely for entertainment purposes, and in no way, shape, form, or fashion means to impede, or infringe upon any copyrighted material whatsoever. I do however retain credit and claim responsibility for the creation of names and character statistics of any and all characters within this publication. These characters are based on copyrighted ideas and or characters of the respective owners of said material within the entertainment industry. No money will be attributed to the author of the following publication in any form. Definitions and wording used to describe devices, and other such items are derived from other literary works involving these types of characters. This publication was created for the sole purpose of entertainment and the expansion of a concept formerly copyrighted by an individual or individuals as a group._

Chapter 11

_Hulij_-_Thwei_ felt the impact throughout his entire body, as his right shoulder and face smashed into the cold, hard, polished floor. It had been long ago when he last felt this close to death and he had survived that even without immediate medical treatment. He knew that he would survive this as well. There was no doubt in his mind that his fellow _Yautja_ would have him placed in a healing chamber; not an idea he was fond of.

It was only moments that he had been on the floor feeling the weight of his eyelids slide across the surface of his cornea, and the sting of the blood that had run into one of them. He strained with every effort he could afford to keep them open and not completely pass out. It was his sense of honor that made him so determined to stay conscious for as long as possible. It was bad enough, in his mind, that one day some _Yautja_ would be able to use the knowledge of his having been in a healing chamber against him.

The matter of having to utilize the healing qualities of the chamber was something of an enigma among the _Yautja_. Some would say that having to have been in one was a sign of weakness. Yet others would see it as a sign that a warrior had seen fierce battle far beyond those who had never been healed in one. The argument would most likely endure for years to come.

_Hulij_-_Thwei's_ thoughts became more random as blood loss began to take its toll on his body and mind. He no longer possessed the ability to speak clearly let alone think in a linear fashion, and logic as well seemed to escape him at the moment.

"_Aside from the small one person escape craft that ejected into space from the planet's surface, you are the only survivor that we know of."_ Heard _Hulij_-_Thwei_ faintly through all of the other voices and sounds rippling through his barely conscious mind. He recognized the voice as that of his _Yautja_ father's and felt somewhat more at ease from the comfort that the familiarity of this memory gave him.

Visions of his past flashed before him in random without the clarity of chronological order. Events unfolded before him in a way he had never thought possible. Chaotic memories of being quite young, living with humans on a planet only vaguely familiar to him, flooded his senses and would disappear only to bring to the surface another scene of his life. His perspective and thoughts in regards to these images were changed as rapidly as they emerged and departed.

Only rare moments of clarity studded the onslaught of these mental pictures. One of which seemed to stand out more than others at the moment.

_Hulij_-_Thwei_ remembered being an _Unblooded_ youth at the time, nearly the equivalent of a human male in his late teens when he and his adoptive _Yautja_ father figure were having a conversation.

"_Were there no life signs aboard the craft, did no one attempt to intercept it? Maybe they needed help as I did?"_ Asked a rather young _Hulij_-_Thwei_.

"_The craft was too far for us to get any life sign readings. The sensors were barely able to detect its presence in the first place, and even then the small craft was only within range for less than a hundredth py'ev. We did try and find it later; unfortunately the Kin'chen De'ok had littered the sky with their ships above the planet. Several kerev had passed when we were finally able to fight them off and leave the planet with honor. As soon as we had disengaged from the battle and began to leave the planet's orbit the Kin'chen De'ok did the same. It became apparent to our forces that they simply wanted no human or Yautja; on a planet they considered theirs. A quick search of the area brought no results in trying to find the human escape pod. It was then assumed that it was destroyed."_ Replied his _Yautja_ father.

"_Someone was onboard that craft father."_

"_What proof would you have of that? You were but a mere child no more than ten or twelve revolutions of Earth's sun."_

"_I just know, don't ask me how. I think I sensed it. It is only recently that I have given this subject thought, but somehow I know that there was someone on that craft. Somehow I have known all these years that someone else survived."_

"_Perhaps the answers will come to you one day, I hope that in the meantime my son that you are satisfied with the life I have given you here. If you ever wish to know more of your human side I will not stop you, but that would have to be something you decide for now. Like you though, I have a strange feeling that you will be a great Leader, and perhaps help to bring our two peoples together. Promise me that if the opportunity presents itself, and you will know when that is, that you will do all you can to embrace your human side and learn all you can about your human brethren."_

"_I promise, Father."_

_Hulij_-_Thwei_ blinked heavily while his head still made contact with the floor beneath him. Consciously he remembered for a moment, while fighting off the returning wave of rogue memories, that his father was always as wise as one could ever hope to be. _Gon'tok_-_de_ knew that even then his adoptive son would one day need to know of his human past and insightfully gave him the option to stay or seek out the knowledge of his human side, but only with the promise that he would eventually do so anyway.

With the realization that it was _his_ decision to not seek out his humanity he no longer mentally questioned _Gon'tok_-_de's_ decision regarding his welfare. Not that it was much of a factor in his development to begin with, but there was always that nagging feeling of 'What if?' in his subconscious.

Naturally, with the conclusion of one revelation there came another. What happened to the craft, and the person on it? Why did he feel as of there was someone onboard? These thoughts only led to more confusion in _Hulij_-_Thwei's_ overly taxed mind and began to once again pull him down, further into the abyss of unconsciousness.

Suddenly though, there was a slight vibration he felt through the floor, much like those created by someone walking toward him. Someone had kneeled down in front of him and firmly gripped his left shoulder turning him over on his backside. His vision was blurry and the blood that had pooled in his left eye kept him from making a positive identification of the person now tending to him.

He heard a voice that sounded as if they were speaking directly to him.

"Crazy Blood…can you hear me?" Spoke the voice.

To _Hulij_-_Thwei_ the voice was soothing and somewhat familiar to him; although determining exactly who it was at the moment would take a few seconds of having to process through the deep recesses of his mind. Again he heard the voice.

"Crazy Blood, the _Yautja_ say that you're going to be alright."

It was now that he recognized Morgan's voice. There was no doubt about it; he felt a bit of embarrassment at the fact that she had seen him like this; or for that matter that anyone had seen him like this. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do about that at the moment. It was later that he would deal with the consequences of his own pride. Strangely enough though, he did experience some kind of peace of mind with her presence. Her company at his side had almost a calming effect on his psyche. This too was something he couldn't immediately explain to even himself, and wondered if he would be able to explain it at all later on, to anybody, in a way that would make sense.

It wasn't a second later that _Hulij_-_Thwei_ felt the grip of several powerful hands on various parts of his body, lifting him onto the _Yautja_ version of a hand carried stretcher. His senses were still somewhat in tune with his surroundings as he noticed the movement of the board beneath him. His eyes remained closed since feeling the calming effects of Morgan's presence. Despite this he somehow knew that she had remained stationary in the hallway as he was carried off toward the _Yautja_ medical facilities.

A vibrant heat crept over him as he began to feel strength again, and his mind once again became his own. Something was different though, there were more than just his own thoughts gathering in his mind. There were the thoughts of another being along with his. He could sense but not quite see images beginning to form in the ether of his consciousness. It was unclear to him what was happening. There was a voice that spoke without words. Visions of his own body, as if he were seeing himself with someone else's eyes, flashed quickly in and out of focus. Then, as if from far away in the darkness, beyond his own mental vision there came the image of Morgan. Her lips never moved and yet he knew the voice belonged to her. What he heard was more than just a voice it was a language, and even more so than just a language; it was communication on a level he had never contemplated, or had knowledge of.

Soon after realizing the significance of his vision and the presence of Morgan in his mind, he was again filled with an eerie confirmation of his well being; and that he would surely live to see another day. It was upon feeling this latest sensation of inner elation that things changed dramatically for him.

The image of Morgan mentally fell to her knees in front of him as if she were drained of all her energy. He tried reaching out mentally to help and found that even in this half subconscious state he was too weak to move; physically or otherwise Suddenly, a fear like he had never known flushed in on him, filling his entire existence with a trembling sensation that he was sure would be reflected in some physical way that the others around him could see. At that very moment Morgan's image faded, finally disappearing from his mind and he felt his body render itself into a fully unconscious state, knowing that he would soon be placed in the healing chamber only to reemerge with his injuries mostly alleviated. Before falling completely away into the deep passages of his subconscious, he remembered what the voices had said in the nightmare he had not to long ago.

"_Do not let fear guide you."_

Those words helped to guide him through the last moments of conscious awareness before completely releasing his entire essence to deeper functions of his mind. _Hulij_-_Thwei_ concentrated on these words and felt the peace within wash over him canceling out any fear that he may have currently experienced. Mentally he had entered what the _Yautja_ commonly called the _zazin_, or centering of ones mind. Unfortunately for most _Yautja_ the _zazin_ was not commonly achieved. For _Hulij_-_Thwei_ though, he was rather proficient at this practice and use of its advantages in this scenario would most likely be the leading factor in what would end up being a relatively fast healing process.

"That there is one bad ass, mother fucker! If that were me, I'd be dead…straight up fuckin' dead. It's a shame he ain't gonna make it. We coulda' used him against those bastards we'll be at war with." Stated Billy Bob with what was obviously an amazed tone of admiration in his voice.

_Pok'de_ _it'ktse_ appeared quickly in front of Billy Bob and reached out with one hand picking him up by the throat before speaking.

"Ooman…have some respect for our culture…never speak of someone's fate before knowing the outcome. In doing so you risk cursing them to the fate of which you speak instead of the fate they themselves choose in the face of the Shadow of Death."

Fortunately the translator they all wore allowed Billy Bob to understand fully the possible consequences of his words and mumbled as best he could to his captor that he was sorry for not keeping with the guidelines of respect toward his _Yautja_ hosts. No one bothered to stop _Pok'de_ _it'ktse_ from grabbing Billy Bob.

The Colonel had heard the comment and immediately began to intervene, when the _Elder_ _Itu're_ _Kra'a_ placed his hand respectfully in front of the Colonel's chest and spoke to him with confidence.

"From one commander to another, I can assure you that _Pok'de_ _it'ktse_ will not hurt him, he would only bring dishonor upon himself."

The Colonel peered at _Itu're_ _Kra'a_ for but a moment before turning his head to see that what the _Elder_ had said was true.

"Unlike you humans we don't share outwardly our emotions. Rather we act upon them, but without usually ever speaking the words. _Pok'de_ _it'ktse_ and _Hulij_-_Thwei_ have been friends for long years now. He is doing what you humans refer to as 'venting.'" Stated the _Elder_ calmly.

The Colonel more than understood, and he, like the rest of the onlookers merely watched as the huge _Yautja_ expressed his distaste for Billy Bob's earlier comment.

_Pok'de_ _it'ktse_ slowly lowered the human to the ground and calmly released his grip from around his hostage's neck. They both stared intently at one another afterward. Billy Bob acknowledged further that he was in the wrong and _Pok'de_ _it'ktse_ nodded in approval of Billy Bob's submissive stance.

Billy Bob remained where _Pok'de_ _it'ktse_ had set him down on the floor. He continued to follow the _Yautja_ with his eyes, and having gained a somewhat more respectful view of these creatures, he stood vigilantly, curiously watching for the next minute or so until the _Yautja_ stretcher had arrived. Noticing _Pok'de_ _it'ktse's_ curious path towards where _Crazy Blood_ was lying on the floor he realized even further that these beings, despite their ability to hold back any weak emotional expressions, were actually rather honorable toward one another, it wasn't just a code to them. These beings had the same emotional needs as humans; they just went about satisfying them in much different ways. He knew that this creature, this _Yautja_, this fellow warrior either had a deep-seated regard for the one fallen, or had known him for some time.

The stretcher had arrived and Billy Bob could no longer stand there doing nothing. He chose instead to walk briskly over to where _Pok'de_ _it'ktse_ stood next to _Crazy Blood_. Upon reaching that position he peered directly at his former would-be adversary and spoke.

"Can I help?"

_Pok'de_ _it'ktse_ matched his stare and after taking no more than a few seconds he understood that the human had grasped the concept of what it was to have respect for someone. This was acceptable and decided to allow the human to make up for his mistake by indeed helping to carry _Hulij_-_Thwei_ to the medical facilities. To communicate this to Billy Bob, he simply nodded and clicked in what was perceived in to be a passive expression. Without speaking further the two of them worked together in helping to cautiously place _Hulij_-_Thwei's_ body onto the stretcher along with the aid of two healers. They picked up the stretcher and proceeded toward the medical facility when both _Pok'de_ _it'ktse_ and Billy Bob noticed that Morgan seemed to be frozen in place. As they moved away, she remained solid. Her eyes fluttered nearly closed, when without warning she collapsed and those around her quickly rushed to her aid.

Morgan had been kneeling next to _Crazy Blood's_ body for less than a minute when she heard the vocalizations of Billy Bob from back in the hallways large junction. If it weren't for her need to see this man live another day, she would have gotten up and thrashed Billy Bob herself. To her advantage though, _Pok'de_ _it'ktse_ had taken care of that for her. As much as she tried to ignore the ramblings of some southern-bred moron, the part about his dying is what seemed to bother her the most. She didn't know why. In fact she really didn't know this _Crazy Blood_ person very well at all; at least that's what her common sense told her. On the other hand she somehow sensed a familiarity between them. What could explain that?

At present her main goal was to try and focus on his survival. She checked his vitals and all seemed to be quite low but somewhat steady, comparatively speaking. It was unlike anything she had seen before. No man that she knew of could have taken so much damage and still live, let alone the fact that only moments ago he was still standing, doing battle, throwing a fit of rage that surely would have given any normal man a heart attack, and then managed to walk with pride beyond the glaring eyes of those around him. All the more surprising, was that he still remained conscious after falling into the position he was now in.

She had quite easily turned this man's large hulking frame over onto his back before checking his vitals and it was now clear that the extent of his injuries went beyond the physical. He was mentally fighting the urge to fall into unconsciousness. His eyes had blinked heavily and slowly with nearly that of meaningful purpose. It was at that moment that she spoke to him.

"Crazy Blood…can you hear me?"

Morgan paused for nothing more than a few seconds after waiting for some effort on his behalf signifying his response. That was when she again made the attempt to communicate with him.

"Crazy Blood, the Yautja say that you're going to be alright."

She then noticed _Pok'de_ _it'ktse_ standing over both _Crazy Blood_ and herself. He was watching carefully as if to protect them from any further danger. His protective stance was more than welcome considering that they were in a very prone position. Just beyond _Pok'de_ _it'ktse_ were the two arriving healers with a stretcher and joining them was Billy Bob. It didn't take but a quick glance at Billy Bob and then a nod from him in her direction for her to tell that he approved of Billy Bob's presence. She naturally assumed that Billy Bob was here to help. She wouldn't object, somehow she knew she could trust _Pok'de_ _it'ktse's_ decision to let him help carry _Crazy Blood_.

The healers carefully guided everyone's actions in sliding _Hulij_-_Thwei's_ body onto the stretcher and the four of them began to raise it into the air. During all of this she had unknowingly placed both of her hands tightly around one of _Crazy Blood's_ forearms and her eyes fluttered to an almost closed position.

She felt her mind suddenly become cluttered with thoughts that were not her own. Her mind expanded into a large field of nothingness, when suddenly there was an image directly ahead, her consciousness moved toward it and she realized it was _Crazy Blood_. 'What? How?' She asked herself, noticing that visions of ether and smoke colored clouds rushed toward her from beyond and blocked out the image of _Crazy Blood's_ body completely. She felt as if she were absorbing the very meaning behind everything she saw, but one thing stood out in her mind. Find _Crazy Blood_.

She moved forward mentally concentrating on her previous vision of Crazy Blood and suddenly began to see a faint outline of what she thought she was looking for. He was still there.

She attempted to speak and yet no words were spoken. She knew though, that what was being said he was hearing. It was unexplainable this sensation of speaking with thought. How would he understand what she wanted him to know; would he have to understand. Perhaps in this…place, there was no need to understand, you simply did. She only knew that she understood more about him at this point. Perhaps that would be enough.

As quickly as she felt she had arrived here, everything rushed away from her leaving only a darkness that engulfed her minds eye. Morgan then sensed someone touching her. They had gripped her arm with some effort and it seemed as if they were trying to help her stand. What she remembered of the last few moments was confusing to be sure and she wasn't sure if she even knew how to explain it to begin with.

"What happened?" Asked Morgan.

The Colonel stood on one side of her and peered over at Devi who had grabbed her by the other arm opposite the Colonel. This was his way of letting Devi know that he would be the one to do the speaking.

"You passed out. Do you feel alright now?"

"I think I just need to rest." Spoke Morgan. 


	12. Chapter 12

_**Disclaimer:**_

_This story has been written purely for entertainment purposes, and in no way, shape, form, or fashion means to impede, or infringe upon any copyrighted material whatsoever. I do however retain credit and claim responsibility for the creation of names and character statistics of any and all characters within this publication. These characters are based on copyrighted ideas and or characters of the respective owners of said material within the entertainment industry. No money will be attributed to the author of the following publication in any form. Definitions and wording used to describe devices, and other such items are derived from other literary works involving these types of characters. This publication was created for the sole purpose of entertainment and the expansion of a concept formerly copyrighted by an individual or individuals as a group._

Chapter Twelve

The glare off of the copper tinted, silver-gray doors was nearly enough to blind the eyes even in this barely illuminated location. The ornamentation and overly elaborated carvings on them were exquisite and served to mark the area beyond them as a place of great importance among the _Yautja_ people. Cantwell knew simply by the look of this place that he would need to be as reverent as possible toward these people if he were to accomplish his goal.

Both Cantwell and the _Elder_ _Itu're_ _Kra'a_ neared the large, heavy looking doors and they seemed to open without much of an effort. Slowly and silently they opened without even so much as a hint of a signal from either of them. It was obvious that one of the two guards standing in front of the entrance had signaled their arrival.

As the two of them came even closer the guards shuffled into what was apparently an honorary position that still maintained them the advantage of being on the offensive if need be. As they stepped aside and turned toward one another they formed an arch overhead with their spears.

The _Elder_ paused and nodded to them both in reverence for their respected positions and Cantwell followed suit. Upon hearing what could only be perceived as a grunt of approval from the guards did the two commanders walk past the threshold entrance of the great _Council_ _Chamber_. It was here that future events would be decided in respect to recent happenings between their peoples.

It was quickly realized by Cantwell that this was probably as formal of an event as _Yautja_ could practice. He noticed that each of the _Elders_ had donned what he could only figure to be the most elaborate of garments they each possessed. He himself was advised by _Itu're_ _Kra'a_ that his garments would need to reflect the most honorable image available to him without appearing completely defenseless.

Besides wearing his best available uniform reserved for occasions similar to this, he had modified the look by wearing his sidearm in plain view. Furthermore, he strapped his sheathed combat knife around his left forearm. _Itu're_ _Kra'a_ was helpful as well. He explained to Cantwell that in his opinion something else was needed. The _Elder_ gave to Cantwell a large _Ma'auk_, or the equivalent to a human sword, with decorated sheath and all. This would strap around the front of the Lt. Colonel's chest allowing the weapon to rest on his back with the hilt clearly visible over his right shoulder.

Cantwell remembered the moments shortly before he and the _Elder_ left to attend the _Council_ meeting and how he pulled the _Ma'auk_ from its sheath, studying the finely crafted carvings on the object. It was apparent that this was one of _Itu're_ _Kra'a's_ personal and most valuable weapons. As powerful of a leader as he felt he was, he now harbored a slight sense of unworthiness in having to wear such an item. Not to mention that from a strategic point of view he was sure that the other _Elder's_ would recognize this as belonging to _Itu're_ _Kra'a_ and all respect would then be lost.

"I not sure that wearing this is a good idea." Commented Cantwell.

"You will wear it. It will gain you respect among the other _Elders_." Replied _Itu're_ _Kra'a_.

"They will know it is not mine."

"They will know that it is a gift from one _Elder_ to another in respect to the spirit of cooperation and accomplishment."

"A gift?"

"Yes. I have looked into your file provided to me from your government via the _Yautja_ _Council_. They will have no reason to question the validity of my decision."

"I'm not one to usually accept gifts. I rather feel as if I have to earn them first. I am also not an _Elder_."

"According to our studies of your ranking and the structure of your military our culture would recognize you as being the equivalent of an _Elder_. As I said I have read of your accomplishments. This gift is justified. Additionally, it will serve to further aid us both in solidifying the human/_Yautja_ alliance."

"Why is it that you seem more interested than most in allying with us?" Asked Cantwell.

"It is simple really. My most trusted subordinate is human. He is also the adopted son of another _Yautja_ _Elder_ who I have known and been friends with for many of your Earth years. It was during those years that we had many conversations concerning the fate of the universe and of the part the _Yautja_ would play. As the years went on we realized that humans were advancing at an alarming rate. It wasn't long before we had to recognize the importance of human existence and the possible effects it would have on our race. Ultimately, the _Kin'chen_ _De'ok_ and their push toward our part of the galaxy opened our eyes to the need for having to gain an ally. Some of us have embraced this ideology, and others, as you are aware, have not."

The Lt. Colonel also remembered what he could about _Yautja_ politics and replied accordingly to _Itu're_ _Kra'a_.

"I will wear it with honor…friend."

Cantwell brought himself back to reality as he stood vigilantly next to the towering _Yautja_ _Elder_ _Itu're_ _Kra'a_. It was the two of them standing alone in the center of the room with the other _Elders_ gathered around them in a semi-circle in plain view. Each of them stood stoically without regard to personal comfort, until _Itu're_ _Kra'a_ had announced the subject at hand.

"_Great_ _Council_…I invoke this meeting in regards to the matter of rogue _Yautja_ interfering in our alliance with the humans and ultimately the survival of the _Yautja_ as a species."

"I, _Council_ _Leader_ _K'ros_ _K'et_ recognize the need and support this calling of the _Council_. Are there any objections?"

The _Council_ _Leader_ continued after what were only a few moments of silence.

"_Elder_ _Itu're_ _Kra'a_ you are a great and powerful warrior and we recognize the importance of recent events, but what business does the human have here?"

"He has accomplished many great feats involving the killing of _Kainde_ _Amedha_. Additionally, he has commanded several missions against the _Kin'chen_ _De'ok_ and as you can certainly tell by his presence here he has been successful. It was during one of those confrontations that he commanded the forces of his military, saving the lives of several _Yautja_. Most certainly our brothers would have otherwise perished without even the slightest chance of gaining honor or the chance at a fair fight without the Lt. Colonels intervention. I have personally been impressed with the information provided and chose to honor him further by presenting him with a valued _Ma'auk_ of my own."

The _Council_ _Leader_ then directed his attention toward the Lt. Colonel and spoke.

"Lt. Colonel…is it true that you were _aware_ of having saved the lives of several _Yautja_?"

"Yes. We saw that the _Kin'chen_ _De'ok_ would have wiped them out without their knowledge and no chance to even fight back. We could not let that happen to a people who regard honor as highly as you do."

"You speak of honor as if your culture practiced it themselves." Replied the _Council_ _Leader_ sarcastically.

"Our people are different, and we will fight with honor when given the opportunity. Otherwise we will fight to survive using whatever methods necessary, especially when the enemy gives us no chance to fight fairly and practicing honor will mean the extinction of our race. Ultimately, we will adapt to our enemies ways in order to defeat our enemy; In order to defeat ones enemy, one must become the enemy. Is that not a direct quote from one of your very own religious texts?"

_Itu're_ _Kra'a_ swiftly turned his head towards Cantwell in surprise. He wasn't aware that the Lt. Colonel had known of these religious texts, let alone studied them in the least.

The air became still and not a single _Yautja_ even twitched. The lack of motion was not the sign that the Colonel was looking for but the length of inactivity of these beings surely was. He knew that after that long a period of time he had to have struck a nerve in one of them. He was sure that he had gained some respect. Any being that would take the time to study another's culture for the purpose of respect and goodwill and not for strategic purposes had to be honorable to some degree.

"Yes. It is. I am impressed with your knowledge of our ways Lt. Colonel. I will not object to your presence here. Rest assured though that I demand from you nothing short of _Yautja_ practice within this chamber."

"I understand." Replied Cantwell.

The passageways of the _Yautja_ medical compound were dark and damp. Not anything like those found on Earth or utilized by the humans. Morgan noticed the carvings and décor inscribed into the walls were minimal and seemed to reflect more of a religious tone. Even more interesting was the fact that these religious glyphs conveyed more a message of death, or in the very least the honor of a glorious death in battle. Each of them would serve the _Great_ _Warrior_ _God_ in their version of Heaven or Valhalla. According to the inscriptions it was a place for _Warriors_ beyond the physical realm; a place of eternal honor for those warriors that die honorably.

Morgan was led by one of the trusted guards through the medical facility where _Crazy Blood_ was being healed. It was her conclusion that these _Yautja_ were obviously of the belief that once here you were prepared to die. It would explain the lack of visitor's areas, or the non-existent emergency room. These people were more than ready to accept death and relished the idea of being a _Warrior_ in the heavens. Nonetheless, they still maintained the ability to heal others from what they might consider minor wounds or even diseases. Perhaps like any other race they had their share of viral or bacterial infections from time to time and would need to be able to eradicate the threat of having an epidemic spread across their world. If for no other reason, they would most likely want to preserve the healing facilities for longer life. Not because of life itself, but for that extra chance to once more go on the hunt. 'For in the hunt, there is honor.' She whispered as she paused with all forward motion and began staring at one innate carving in particular on the wall.

The _Yautja_ escort that had been accompanying her on her trip to find _Crazy Blood_ halted upon noticing that he no longer heard her footsteps. In turning around swiftly he noticed her attention towards one of the glyphs that all _Yautja_ are familiar with. Calmly he approached her as he took note of her unrelenting focus. His presence seemed to not bother her as he came near and this sparked his curiosity.

"I see you have taken in interest in our _Za'Ar_."

"_Za'Ar_?" Asked Morgan.

"Yes. It means the sum total of our specie's culture, spirituality, art, lifestyle, as well as other facets of our life. You humans merely would call it a record of history, but we have given it a name, a formal one at that. For all those things as one represent the _Yautja_ as a whole." He paused momentarily before speaking as Morgan never took her eyes off the _Za'Ar_.

"Would you like to know what that one in particular says?" Asked the _Yautja_.

Without so much as a doubt in her voice or a hesitation she answered as she turned to look at the _Yautja_ for approval in her translation.

"For in the hunt, there is honor."

The translator device was efficient if nothing else. Proof of this was in the eyes of the _Yautja_ before her as he reacted in a way that she could only interpret as mild surprise.

"You are correct. How did you learn to read _Yautja_?"

"I didn't. I just know what it means. It seems that since the event when _Crazy Blood_ was injured I have been able to read and understand it."

The hulking _Yautja_ just stared down at her from his height and appeared to be thinking of what exactly to say.

"There are those of us who follow the religious teachings more than others. I am one of those _Yautja_. I recall reading somewhere in one of the ancient texts that there would one day be those that would come to us and be not of our kind that would be our salvation against the _Kin'chen_ _De'ok_. It is the only thing that I can think of that would explain your…gift"

"Hold on big fella! That's a stretch. I know right now I have no way to explain how I understand what those carvings say. But to think that I'm part of some kind of _Yautja_ prophesies! That's hard for anyone to believe."

The _Yautja_ turned and reclaimed his original course through the corridor towards where _Hulij-Thwei_ was being held in one of the healing chambers as he continued to speak.

"Is it so hard for you to believe that there are things in this universe that are connected? Who is to say that we aren't all tied together in this physical existence for a reason, or perhaps for each other's mutual benefit? If you can offer me a better explanation I would agree with you. Right now though, it is the only explanation, even if it is remote and as you would say…'a stretch.'"

"Who would'a thought I'd meet a _Yautja_ monk?" Spoke Morgan humorously as she followed the _Yautja_ to their destination.

"How many of the humans are dead, _Lo'bas Rek_?"

"Two of them _Elder_. And two of the guards loyal to _Elder_ _Itu're_ _Kra'as_."

"Good; the fewer _Yautja_ that support this human alliance the better. We cannot afford to become the next victims of the human expansion into the galaxy. It would be the end of the _Yautja_ culture, as we know it. There are already too many of them who believe the humans will play their part in the scheme of things to come. They are but a plague upon the universe that should be extinguished." Spoke the _Elder_ _Po'lut_ _Da'sar_.

"I agree _Elder_. As do the others on board."

"Were any of your identities discovered?"

"Only a human female saw us from a distance and for only a thousandth of a _t'em_."

"That will have to suffice for now. When we return in force we will see to it that none of the humans survive."

"Of course _Elder_."

_Lo'bas_ _Rek_ clicked his mandibles in agreement as he turned away from the _Elder_ and retreated toward the living quarters onboard the ship. His form disappeared as he exited the command center into the darkened passageway.

_K'tek_-_de'Sa_ studied the techniques of one of the _Unblooded_ youths he was training as was his duty in the absence of _Hulij_-_Thwei_ and _Pok'de_ _it'ktse_. The _Unblooded_ were doing well under his guidance but seemed to lack motivation and perhaps even a bit of respect for him considering the reasons he was recently appointed as their superior.

It was as he entered the _Kehrite_ that he grabbed one of the _Unblooded_ youths by the throat and threatened him with a beating that he would remember for the rest of his natural existence for not performing well against his opponent.

The _Unblooded_ youth landed hard on the flooring beneath him and rolled somewhat backwards from the force of being thrown a few feet. He immediately gained his footing and stood; never taking his eyes off of _K'tek_-_de'Sa_. It was as he saw his superior coming at him again that he decided to defend himself as best he could.

_K'tek_-_de'Sa_ lunged violently at his subordinate in the hopes that it would spur his instinct for survival. Swinging his clawed hand at the youth it was apparent that it was going to be a miss. The youth had sidestepped the strike and was now in position to retaliate. Without missing a beat the youth launched his elbow in the direction of _K'tek_-_de'Sa's_ face barely missing his left upper mandible. There was no doubt in his mind that the youth was good and would one day be a great hunter. Unfortunately he noticed that he was only now giving this confrontation his full effort. Why he was not putting forth this kind of skill against his fellow _Unblooded_ competitors he did not know. The truth was about to come out.

_K'tek_-_de'Sa_ reached out and grabbed the arm of the youth after it passed by his face and he then tugged the youth towards him and down, slamming the youth's mandibles into the hard floor. It was no more than a moment when _K'tek_-_de'Sa_ kicked him over on his back and then stomped his foot into the throat of the youth and roared at him in anger. After taking a moment to calm himself he spoke.

"Why do you insist on being lazy against your _Unblooded_ opponents? Yet you let loose with all of your skills against me. Are you afraid to hurt them? Or are you just lazy in general?" He asked with a tone to his voice that was clearly nothing less than irritation.

The youth strained to find his voice in spite of his lack of oxygen and responded.

"I was not as focused as I should be. Recent events have robbed me of my concentration. It will not happen again _Ba'ook_."

_K'tek_-_de'Sa_ let the youth have just a bit of air before continuing with his reprimanding of the _Unblooded_ trainee.

"You are correct, I am your _Ba'ook_; your superior, and your current trainer. You have disrespected me with your lack of effort. I should snap your neck right now and save you the trouble of having been dishonored later. Never be that careless again. Look around you. These other _Unblooded_ youths can challenge you at any time. You must always be ready for the fight. Always be ready for the hunt. If you were to think that holding back with your skills against a weaker, smaller adversary is going to gain you any honor you are wrong. You will be dead and nothing more."

It was then that he stepped away from the youth who immediately regained his footing and joined the other _Unblooded_ outside the boundary of the _Kehrite_ ring. After circling the ring once in thought he turned to the group of _Unblooded_ who were paying full attention.

"I say the same to all of you. For none of you have impressed me at all today. It seems apparent that you have all suffered from the temporary loss of your _Leader_. This is not acceptable. He would not accept this kind of behavior from you. He would expect that you would fight even harder in order to ensure that what happened to him would not happen to you. He would expect victory in all circles of your life. Even now he fights to survive in the healing chambers and will return to us stronger than before, wiser than before, and far more dangerous to those who wish to do any harm to any _Yautja_. For he is _Hulij_-_Thwei_. He will know that none of you are worth training. Now get out of my sight and return to your quarters."

_K'tek_-_de'Sa_ paused for a moment before continuing with the dismissal of the _Unblooded_ youths to their living quarters. He was hoping that giving them this free time under the guise of being punished would allow them to self motivate. Perhaps they would learn something from their own mistakes but also from the mistakes of others around them.

Morgan and the _Yautja_ escort she had been walking with in the healing facility were nearing their destination and finished up their conversation after rounding a corner into an adjacent hallway. It was upon seeing what she thought was _Crazy Blood's_ second in command, _Pok'de_ _it'ktse_, staring blankly at the wall, thirty feet or so away that caught her attention. She became quiet as the two of them approached perhaps to focus on any yet unspoken news of _Crazy Blood's_ condition, when the _Yautja_ guard grunted something at the figure before them.

She was right, this was _Pok'de_ _it'ktse_ and he stood vigilantly, staring through what she now realized was a large pane of glass. If it weren't for his spoken words she would swear he was nothing more than an oddly placed statue.

"He is well, and will recover fully in less than a few of your Earth days." Stated _Pok'de_ _it'ktse_ plainly.

The large _Yautja_ guard placed his hand firmly on the shoulder of _Hulij_-_Thwei's_ vigilant friend as he too spoke.

"I will do what I can to assure that the humans are protected. Of course, if you would like to have some assistance in capturing the renegade _Yautja_ for this crime I would be more than happy to serve."

_Pok'de_ _it'ktse_ returned the physical gesture and responded accordingly.

"Thank you old friend. Your assistance may very well be needed in the coming days, but the decision will ultimately be up to him." Spoke _Pok'de_ _it'ktse_ as he turned his head as if to point back at the tank that _Hulij_-_Thwei_ was suspended in.

"I will now take my leave. The other _oomans_ are still located at the living quarters and I must see to my duties there."

"I will let him know of your good will when he rises once again." Offered _Pok'de_ _it'ktse_.

The two of them nodded in approval at one another ending their conversation. All the while Morgan had taken up a stance of her own. She had been staring through the windowpane at the _Yautja_ medical technicians monitoring the healing tank that held within it Crazy Blood's lifeless looking body. There was no doubt that she had heard the conversation between the two _Yautja_ in her company only moments ago.

_Pok'de_ _it'ktse's_ presence didn't bother her in the least as far as he could tell. Although, he pondered, if only for a moment, as to whether or not she would have any further detailed questions as to _Hulij-Thwei's _condition. He had then concluded that she was content with just being there and seeing through the transparent tank walls the progress with which his injuries were healing.

Like two misplaced sculptures of rock they stood silently watching the slow but progressive activities of the diligently working healers.

"You are quite a fortunate individual Lt. Colonel." Spoke _Itu're_ _Kra'a_ with a rather positive tone to his statement.

"Why is that?" Asked Cantwell.

"You are not a _Yautja_, and yet somehow you handled yourself like one in _Council_ _Chamber_. They found you to be respectful, wise, intelligent, and most of all honorable in your demeanor, as well as with your request for _Vi'roog Nain-de_."

"My request for the _Revenge Hunt_ was for both _Hulij_-_Thwei_ and my men who were killed. Not for myself. I believe that's why they granted it. Would you agree?" Asked Cantwell.

"I most certainly do. They were correct to think that you are wise. I could not have conducted myself better. When will your men be ready for the hunt?"

The Lt. Colonel peered at _Itu're_ _Kra'a_ with a keen expression signifying that he was pleased with the results they had both achieved in the _Council_ _Chambers_.

"As soon as I tell them."

"Good. Keep in mind that _Hulij_-_Thwei_ has several more of your Earth days before being released from the healing facility. That should give you enough time to speak to your subordinates about our laws regarding the _Badbloods_ and our pursuit of them. I will keep you informed as to when we are ready to leave."

"Of course. We will be ready." Offered Cantwell with a miniscule smirk beginning to form on his face. Despite his acceptance of allying with the _Yautja_ and his recently discovered admiration for them as a species; he still looked forward to the chance to hunt one of them after all the years of their having hunted us. It was ironic, and even more so considering that he was allowed to do such by permission of their _High Council_.

_K'tek_-_de'Sa_ was traversing the corridors of the training complex after having a meal in the general refectory. He was on his way to the healing facility to check on his _Leader's_ progress and inform _Pok'de_ _it'ktse_ of his decisions regarding the _Unblooded_ youths.

As he came near to the building that housed the _Unblooded_ he noticed that they were not in their prescribed quarters. Inquisitively he began a minor search for them in the hopes that they would show some initiative by training during their personal time. His decision to check the _Kehrite_ for their presence was solely based on that hope.

It was only a short walk from the _Unblooded_ domicile to the training _Kehrite_ and he had briskly traveled the path there. Before turning the corner to enter the room he began to hear voices of what he recognized were the _Unblooded_. To his surprise they were there, confusingly though, they were not training.

The largest of them, the one in particular whom he had given a thrashing to earlier was speaking to the rest of them as a group.

For the purpose of further investigating the actions of the _Unblooded_ _Yautja_, he quickly activated his cloaking device and set it to mask his heat from their standard unaided vision. Quietly he stepped out into the open area behind the pack and observed their actions for any signs of insubordination. After listening for only a few moments he realized the purpose of this gathering.

"We are _Yautja_, and our _Ba'ook_ was correct. We should always be prepared for the final battle, for the final hunt. Anything less is unacceptable. What we should also realize is that respect should be paid to those with honor, respect should be paid to those who are responsible for teaching us these values. We will take our personal time to visit our fallen _Leader_ at the healing facility. That too will show our _Ba'ook_ that we can be honorable, and recognize the need for respect to our superiors. We will hold a vigil as close to his location as we are allowed. It will be there that we will not eat, we will not sleep, and we will not move from there until we are given orders to do otherwise. Is this understood?"

He paused and looked around for approval from the others, as they all clicked their affirmations toward his idea.

"We will go now my _Yautja_ brothers!"

The group left the _Kehrite_ as _K'tek_-_de'Sa_ remained cloaked and motionless only turning his head enough to watch them file out of the room and down the corridor toward the exit of the building. A sense of pride washed through him as he realized that his words to them earlier might have had something to do with their current plans.

After being satisfied that the _Unblooded_ youths were far enough away he de-cloaked and went straight to his domicile. He clicked his mandibles in approval of his own decision and quickly entered his home. He casually strode towards his personal trophy room and activated a few symbols on a panel near one of the open cases holding some of his most prized possessions, when he raised his gauntlet and checked the time. After activating a few more symbols on the facing of this wrist device he contacted _Pok'de_ _it'ktse_.

"Is our _Leader_ still healing?"

"Yes." Replied _Pok'de_ _it'ktse_.

"Excellent. The _Unblooded_ are on their way to perform _Sau'Des_-_ta_, the honor vigil."

"I know what _Sau'Des-ta_ is."

"I apologize. I meant no disrespect."

"I need no apology, what I do need though is an explanation as to why they are not training."

"They lacked motivation despite my efforts to thrash the oldest of them. I told them they weren't worth training, to get out of my sight, and return to their quarters until further notice."

"Excellent. It will give them time to reflect on their errors. You have done well."

_K'tek_-_de'Sa _finished his conversation with _Pok'de_ _it'ktse _and once again stared momentarily into the secret drawer of his trophy case he had opened earlier. He reached into the finely decorated space and pulled from it's location a rare and elaborately carved knife handle that looked more like a ceremonial object. That was until _K'tek_-_de'Sa_ manipulated the item with a quick twist of his wrist only to reveal a large blade that slid out of the object with a near silent clacking of a sound. The handle had effectively hidden the blade from view and now that it was fully open the knife would easily measure almost two feet in length, including the handle. He clicked his mandibles as the equivalent of a human grin and continued on his way out of his domicile and under the arched structures that spanned the buildings he walked between, as he disappeared out of sight.

_**Glossary:**_

_**Ba'ook- **__Any Yautja designated to train the Unblooded that has not officially received the status of Leader, or Yautja appointed by a Leader to train the Unblooded without having achieved the status of Leader._

_**Za'Ar- **__The sum total of the Yautja specie's culture, spirituality, art, lifestyle, as well as other facets of their life._

_**Vi'roog Nain-de- **__Revenge Hunt, or Hunt of Revenge. Typically associated with hunting Badbloods, but recently this has been expanded to other species as well. Also See M-di'Yu'thwei Nain-de above.__**M-di'Yu'thwei Nain-de**_** – **_Badblood hunt, or hunt for Badbloods usually reserved for those seeking revenge against a Badblood._

_**Sau'Des-ta- **__The Honor Vigil. This practice can take on many different forms depending on the reason it is conducted. It is common to hold it while someone is recovering from life threatening injuries, after someone's death, and other various conditions. Each of the implementations are different and the practice takes on different rituals depending on the reason it is done, which helps to define the reason as to it being conducted._


	13. Chapter 13

_**Disclaimer:**_

_This story has been written purely for entertainment purposes, and in no way, shape, form, or fashion means to impede, or infringe upon any copyrighted material whatsoever. I do however retain credit and claim responsibility for the creation of names and character statistics of any and all characters within this publication. These characters are based on copyrighted ideas and or characters of the respective owners of said material within the entertainment industry. No money will be attributed to the author of the following publication in any form. Definitions and wording used to describe devices, and other such items are derived from other literary works involving these types of characters. This publication was created for the sole purpose of entertainment and the expansion of a concept formerly copyrighted by an individual or individuals as a group._

Chapter 13

_K'tek_-_de'Sa_ arrived at the healing center and as he traveled the corridors leading to where _Hulij_-_Thwei_ was located. Upon his arrival he had found that the human known as Morgan Maddison and _Pok'de it'ktse_ were standing their ground despite the lack of rest that he was sure they needed. Neither of them moved in the slightest. He knew though that they were aware of his approach and only when he was quite close did either one of them acknowledge his presence.

Despite the two _Yautja_ around her speaking in their native tongue and having her translator turned off, she was still able to understand the conversation between these respectable creatures. Since there was still an aspect to their conversation she was not completely knowledgeable of; this _Honor Vigil_ to be exact, she decided it would be wise to ask.

"What is this _Honor Vigil_ the two of you spoke of?"

"It is a ceremony that serves to honor those being healed, those that are dying, or those that are already dead, and on rare occasions to celebrate those who have accomplished great feats of valor, or done great deeds in the name of the _Yautja_ race as a whole. From what I know of your culture, it would be nearly the equivalent of holding a meeting where those involved pray for those in need of healing, or blessings, or a safe trip to the _Land of the Fallen Warrior_. Yet at the same time it is a show of reverence to the one being 'prayed' for, without having to pray out loud. In our culture, 'Praying' out loud during a time such as this can be considered a curse if it is done too early; for it is the ancient belief that 'praying' out loud will cause the evil spirits to take advantage of things simply to spite your intentions. 'Praying' too soon is like accusing the one you pray for of being weak. To do both, is surely to curse that individual. So, the _Honor Vigil_ allows those involved to show respect, 'pray' silently for those in need, and give them strength through our standing vigil. Some have taken the _Vigil_ so seriously that they do not, eat, sleep, or leave the area until that individual has come back, or passed on completely. Of course there are details of the ceremony that change with situation, and are too numerous to go into at the moment. Although, I am sure that they would be available to you if you would like to learn of them."

"You people definitely have an interesting culture."

"We are a proud race, and we feel we have reason to be. We have endured many hardships over thousands and thousands of years. Some of the _Ancient_ texts even suggest that at one point we were slaves of the _Kin'chen__ De'ok. _Since then we have endured near extinction from an asteroid strike, viral infections, bacterial disease, and other forms of death. Which, if I am correct your people have suffered as well."

"Unfortunately our records on Earth only go back, accurately enough to record events within the last thousand years or so. Anything before that is rather vague and inaccurate. Our science and the ability to record permanent, organized records of our history have only been possible for just under the last three hundred. Any history before that has been pieced together by our scientists, archaeologists and such."

"Do you believe your hardships have made your race what it is today?"

"Perhaps. Though, I am sure that some of us would have preferred a more peaceful approach through history to get to where we are now. Or in the very least a history that did not require us to have to war with ourselves as much as we had."

"Who else is there to war with when you think you are the only beings in existence?"

"There was always you guys we could have fought. I mean you can't deny the fact that your kind has been coming to our planet for thousands of years. It is only in the last hundred years or so that we have had indisputable proof of this."

"Your race was primitive and we were superior in strength, technology, and tactics. You would have been annihilated. Not to mention, we chose not to flood your planet with our technology in fear that you would one day use it against us. Of course this was never spoken aloud; it would have been blasphemy to do so. To admit that our 'prey' would one day seize the moment and rise against us was nearly unthinkable. Ironically enough though, here you are standing before me as my equal; fortunately for us, you have become civilized and despite the warring ways of both of our cultures we have attained peace between us. It's enough to make one think that our two cultures are connected by more than just a simple machine that allows us to travel between the stars; or our mutually similar past hardships."

"Are all of you this spiritual?" Asked Morgan.

"Some of us more than others, before the recent events I can honestly say that I hardly ever gave our religious beliefs much credit for the way the universe has turned out. But I may have to rethink my position on spirituality rather soon if things keep progressing the way they are."

"I think I would agree." Spoke Morgan as they both glanced at _K'tek_-_de'Sa _who already seemed to be holding a vigil of his own while waiting on the _Unblooded_ to arrive. They in turn took that as a sign that they should again do the same as they had before his arrival.

_Elder_ _Po'lut_ _Da'sar _gave the command of his vessel to one of the crew of the bridge before leaving for another part of the ship. His long half-graying dreadlocks flipped around with every motion of his head. For a _Yautja_ he was an imposing sight and to them he was considered one of the greatest _Elder's_ of his time. His many accomplishments had allowed him to rise up through the ranks without any doubt as to his skills as a true _Yautja_ warrior. His armor was adorned with many symbols of victory and markings of death over those he had defeated during challenges. Over the years he had fathered many children, most of whom currently served with him aboard this very spacecraft. Those children who were not present either served with other _Elders_ that were loyal to _Po'lut_ _Da'sar _or were serving onboard other ships waiting to launch their secretive attack against those who would chose to ally with the _oomans_. As if the support of his entire lineage wasn't enough there were hundreds more not related to him that supported his views and their lineage would support him as well.

After traversing the long walkways of the great ship he commanded, he entered a room where in the center was a table of sorts with several holographic images floating above and depicted everything from the layout of several spacecraft, to floor plans of the visitor quarters of _Elder_ _Itu're Kra'a's _clan.

Standing around the table were several other _Elders_ of other clans that were apparently in support of his idea to wipe the humans and their collaborators from existence. Or in the very least, disrupt the alliance between the two to such a degree that the alliance would be broken and they would go to war.

"It is my belief my fellow _Elders_ that we are at a turning point in our great history. The _oomans_ have interfered for the last time in _Yautja_ affairs. I am insulted by the thought that mere 'prey' can be considered our equal. We are the _Yautja_, and we have no equal. We must preserve our way of life and eliminate this threat quickly and decisively. It goes without question that there are those of us _Yautja_ that do not see things as we do. They are weak and should be punished for their indiscretions. They should be punished for their mere thoughts and entertaining the idea that the _oomans_ are even close to being as powerful and great as even the weakest of _Yautja_. While I will admit that they have been the most respected of 'prey', the most cunning of all the creatures we hunt, they are still 'prey', and are not deserving of such reverence as those who chose to ally with them believe." He paused for effect before continuing. "What say you my brothers?"

There wasn't a silent _Yautja_ in the room. Each of them agreed with various tones of grunts and clicking of their teeth and mandibles.

"Good, I will now reveal to you my plan for the future of the _Yautja_, and the removal of the 'pest' known as _ooman_ kind."

Again the room was filled with sounds of agreement from his fellow _Yautja_ _Elders_.

_So'lok D'kol_ lead the rest of the _Unblooded _out of their quarters and towards the _Healers_ compound in complete silence waiting for any command to be belted out by the one among them who seemed to take charge.

It was _So'lok D'kol's_ dream to become a great _Warrior_ among his kind. In his mind though, he sought even further greatness as he often thought of becoming an _Elder_ one day. In fact, he thought that perhaps he could become an _Elder_ in his father's lifetime. 'It was possible' he often thought, since his father, _Elder Itu're Kra'a_, was still considered young at the age of 360 Earth years. Considering that _Yautja_ could potentially live well up to around 800 of those years, provided they weren't killed on a hunt or in battle with another race of beings, or through any technological accident; than perhaps his chances of making his father proud would be achieved.

Regardless of the circumstances, he sought to live for the moment and do what he was currently capable of to ensure that he was trained by the best. His father had been impressed with his skills up until now and his determination to prove himself to his progenitor was a large part of the reason as to why _Itu're Kra'a _selected him and only two of his many other children to be trained by _Hulij-Thwei_.

For many years now _Itu're Kra'a _had told his children stories of not only his own accomplishments but of those of one of his most trusted clansmen named _Hulij_-_Thwei_. As _So'lok D'kol_ absorbed the stories told to him by his father and his mother he yearned to be the best, and he was going to be. While he may have made some mistakes in his judgment along the way, he was determined to rise above all his other brethren. He had competition though, two of his genetic siblings a season younger than he, were in his very group of _Unblooded_. They were a bit taller and seemed to be built a bit more sturdily than he was. To his benefit though, he was faster and as past competitions had shown, perhaps more cunning. His father often compared him to _Hulij_-_Thwei_, this may have been because of _Hulij_-_Thwei's_ shorter stature, and encouraged his son to explore all possible techniques in combat especially of those of _Hulij_-_Thwei_.

Unbeknownst to _Hulij_-_Thwei_, this son of his respected _Elder_ held him in high regard and was bound and determined to see his training with the great _Hulij_-_Thwei_ through to the end. Even more to his benefit would be the fact that _So'lok D'kol _often displayed the ability to lead and influence others to his way of thinking. This was apparent in the way that he was able to rally his fellow _Unblooded_ into their current course of action. He would not fail to show respect to such a great _Leader_, and he would not fail to have the other _Unblooded_ show the same respect either. All in all, he felt he was destined for greatness, and in the name of the _Great Warrior God Paya_, he would see to it that his whole life be dedicated to the greatness of the _Yautja_ race and his accomplishments within it.

_So'lok D'kol_ led his fellow _Unblooded_ through the open archways that guided them towards the healing chambers where _Hulij-Thwei_ was located. They had managed to make it a few hundred feet in the building before they were stopped by four large _Yautja_ guards.

"What is your business here youth?"

"I am _So'lok D'kol, _son of _Elder_ _Itu're Kra'a,_ student of the great _Leader_ _Hulij-Thwei_, and we are here to perform _Sau'Des-ta _in honor of our great _Leader_."

"While your intentions are righteous, I can not allow you to pass this point because of the nature of our having to initiate this security."

"This practice can not be refused, it is the law, and it is the right of the stricken to have this ceremony performed. Now let us pass." Replied _So'lok D'kol _rather assertively.

"I will have to contact my superiors, since there is a conflict between my orders and the law. Put simply, I do not want to violate either issue. So, be patient youth."

_So'lok D'kol_ had developed yet another idea. He turned to face the rest of his _Unblooded_ pack and motioned without words for them to gather outside of the healing facility. Upon reaching the outside he spoke to them.

"My brothers we are in need of support from outside sources if by chance the orders of security are held to be more important than our _Leader's_ right to _Sau'Des-ta. _Despite this possibility, we know that the _High_ _Council_ can not defy the will of our people. Go now and spread the word to all in any way you can that the great _Hulij_-_Thwei_ is in need of this ceremony and that he is being denied his rights. I will remain here and stand vigil as far in the building as they will allow for now."

The _Yautja_ were not the type of beings that utilized vast forms of communication like that of Earth where different forms of entertainment were seen on television; for there was typically to much work to be done. Their society relied on the constant improvement or crafting of weapons, and technology, yet this was balanced out with very simple lifestyles where many things were done with pride and by hand. Much of their time was spent on physical work at their domiciles, on the great ships in which they travelled, and for the betterment of the clan to which they belonged. Although, they did have personal information equipment much like our computers of Earth where they could receive updates on their clan and _Yautja_ life as a whole, as well as the weather and other important issues concerning _Yautja_ affairs.

The com equipment back at the _Unblooded's_ living quarters was now activated by two of them and the word was put out about the situation. The remaining _Unblooded_ blanketed the city with verbal news of the situation. To their advantage, the city was largely populated by either those who were a part of the clan and had already known of _Hulij_-_Thwei's_ accomplishments or were members of other clans allied with his. This fact made it that much easier for the _Unblooded_ to gain support for their cause. It was in their favor that _Hulij-Thwei_ was something of a legend already to those who knew of him and his clan was highly revered for its heritage, accomplishments, feats of valor and for the many prestigious trophies its clansmen had brought back from hunts over its ten thousand year history. He and his clan were almost the equivalent of celebrities among the whole of the _Yautja_. News went out around the entire _Homeworld_ and before the end of the day the _High Council_ had heard of the situation at hand.

Something had to be done, as communications poured in for support of the cause of the _Unblooded_. Many reports were that _Yautja_ all over the _Homeworld_ were holding their own private vigils from afar in their own clans and in their own cities and smaller towns and villages; and further reports flowed in from the various ships in orbit and again from afar in support of the vigil and in particular for the immediate passing of the _Unblooded_ into the healing facility. The _High Council_ held a session to discuss the circumstances involved and before long they had reached a decision.

Without a doubt the _Yautja_ race as a whole had come to a turning point. To see so much support for someone not born of the _Yautja_ race, and yet treated as if he were, said much about his character, and proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that things were changing. The _Yautja_ were changing. To know that what was once considered their prey, could now be considered their equal was nothing short of a leap forward for their race.

_So'lok D'kol _waited patiently as the news of their situation spread and the decision was made by the _High Council_ to award them entry into the healing facility. He stood, staring relentlessly down the corridor past the _Yautja_ guards, when there was a sudden disruption of the moment.

The gauntlet worn by the lead guard began to flash, alerting him as to there being an incoming communication. This one in particular was important since it hailed from the _High Council_ chamber.

The guard manipulated the device and held out his arm to better view the holographic image illuminating the space above the gauntlet and bowed his head in reverence to the image of the _High Council Leader_, _K'ros_ _K'et._

The voice of the _Council Leader_ was heard as he addressed the guard.

"Guard, you are to allow entry of the _Unblooded_ into the healing facility for the entire duration of _Hulij_-_Thwei's_ healing process. Under no circumstances is there to be anyone else allowed except those that have already been cleared to pass. Is that understood?"

The guard raised his head to acknowledge his newest set of orders and spoke. "Yes, _Councilman_. I am honored to serve your wishes in this delicate matter."

At that, the holographic image disappeared and the guard then addressed the _Unblooded_ still standing before him.

"Your ingenuity is impressive. With your dedication, I am sure that you will make a fine _Warrior_ one day." Spoke the guard as he grabbed the _Unblooded_ by the shoulder in a gesture of respect.

Without hesitation _So'lok D'kol _returned the shoulder clinch in thanks as he replied.

"I will have a list of the names of the other _Unblooded_ that will need entry into the facility shortly, for I understand that security in this matter is of the utmost importance and the last thing any of us need is more confusion."

"You truly are the son of _Itu're Kra'a_." He said with as humorous a tone as a _Yautja_ could muster.

It was then that the four guards allowed _So'lok D'kol _entry into the healing facility.

His father appeared before him, not his _Yautja_ father of course, but his real father; and it was his real father that called to him.

"Matthias…over here Matthias!"

'How could this be? He is dead, and I have little memory of him.' Thought _Hulij_-_Thwei_. His mind drifted but the image continued to return and stronger each time. _Hulij_-_Thwei_ finally gave in and followed the voice that coincided with the blurry image.

Shadows of light and mild darkness flowed in the ether that were his dreams, memories, and whatever else this place was called. Was he merely in his subconscious, or was this another place entirely? He wondered, as he reluctantly, cautiously, and yet still somewhat willingly followed the voice. He felt as if he were getting closer.

"Matthias. I am here Matthias."

Could this really be his father from long ago? From back before his _Yautja_ father had found him abandoned on that half-destroyed planet so many years ago? He thought he had put all that out of his memory, he thought he had blocked it all out.

"Listen to me Matthias."

He saw the hands of his human father reach out to him as if to lay his hands on his shoulders, as it became clear that this was the father he remembered as a child of ten years old. Suddenly, the background behind his father began to change; like a movie screen 360 degrees in all directions, and no matter where he looked the images of his past flashed around on the walls made of mist and ether. If he looked forward he could still see his father's face before him, speaking.

"Matthias. You are more than we could have ever hoped for; your mother and I. We wish we could be there for you now. But things _are_ as they were meant to be. You have done well and will continue to do so. You are destined for greater things. Things you can't even imagine yet."

His father's words seemed to reflect that which appeared in the images around him, although they were not clear, he was able to pick out moments from his past, from his current state, and some, that somehow he knew were of the future.

"You were meant for this, for all of this, and more. But I warn you now. There is danger ahead. The enemy is on the move, and they will be here soon. Do not fear that which has been revealed to you of your past, embrace it; fear not your present state, it will pass; and fear nothing of what you have seen of the future, for the future has not happened yet, and you have the choice to change your fate, and the fate of others." Again the background all around him flashed with visions of various points of what he could only perceive were events of the future. It was as his father had said.

"Fear nothing my son, for those around you believe that even fear itself, has a fear of _you_. For you are Hulij-Thwei. You are destined to be greater than any _Yautja_ or human before you."

His human father began to fade from his vision and he was once again thrown back into the thick of mist and shadows of his unconscious mind. He held on to the memory of his recent visions of his father and poured out his anger at not being able to speak and tell him that he finally remembered him, he was angry that he couldn't tell his mother or father that he remembered them. He was furious that he couldn't tell them that he remembered that they loved him.

The visions continued as they took the form of his assailants; of the _Yautja_ that were responsible for his being here in the healing chamber. 'Finally, a moment of present clarity.' He thought to himself. It was not to last though, as the visions once again took control.

He once again remembered being a small child on the planet from which his _Yautja_ father had rescued him. He could remember acting a child does, running, jumping, swimming in the green-blue waters near what he remembered as being his home on that planet of his past. He remembered the other children that he played with, some of them bigger, and yet others were smaller, and few of them his same size. Two in particular stood out. There was another boy like himself, and the visions had revealed to him that this was his brother. He saw images that reflected this as many moments of his past had depicted this boy having lived with both he and his parents.

The other child, the girl he only knew as being a friend. He remembered visiting her home, jumping on the trampoline in the backyard, watching drawn figures move around on what the humans called television. He remembered his parents and he, often times visited the home of this girl and her parents, along with his brother.

He struggled to remember his brother's name. 'What was his name?!' He thought to himself. Anger began to flush through him as he desperately wanted to remember. He knew the memories were there. He knew that if he just concentrated hard enough he would find what he was looking for.

He continued to struggle for control. Finally it came to him.

"Gabriel!" His brother's name was Gabriel.

A sensation of satisfaction had then overwhelmed him as the ether and smoke again encompassed him with disarray and confusion.

Once again disturbing visions of death all around him flooded the space that was his minds eye. His vision was blurry and it was difficult to sort out the past from the present and from the present to the future. Or any combination thereof.

He could feel the anger swell within him. He managed to find his voice through the shadows of his mind and he screamed out loudly and howled out his frustrations at not being in control as the mist formed walls of his mind shuddered and resonated from the intense volume of his bellowing.

His body seemed to float in the mist that was his surrounding subconscious. _Hulij_-_Thwei_ thrashed around violently within himself until finally gaining what he thought was even the slightest bit of control. While things had stopped spinning and tumbling he was able to feel something touching him, gripping at him from outside of this state of mind.

The spinning had stopped, the tugging at him from outside had ceased, and he discontinued his loud struggle to gain control. He felt weak, but the upside was that the visions had returned with as much clarity as could be had through the constant mist.

The visions sped around him in almost inconceivable patterns and directions and speeds, yet somehow he managed to decipher all of this information, or at least enough of it to recognize the images for what they were. All of his past battles, all of the death he had seen, all of the hunts he had been on came rushing towards him and again streamed into his subconscious making him feel even weaker than before. That was until he reached the one vision that enraged him more than anything. Everything slowed when the images of his attackers became clear to him. Time in fact, seemed to slow as it did in the reality that he experienced.

He could see each of their masks and made it a point to focus on at least one important detail of each of their armor, since the visions weren't revealing enough detail about the markings on their masks. When the vision began to speed up again it appeared to have jumped to the future. A future where he and the humans among them were hunting together for the _Badbloods_ that had done this to him and the human soldiers his clan was allied with. He saw many more die in this pursuit of the _Badbloods_.

Anger welled; no not anger; fury and even all out rage began to fill him with visions of justice for all those who were affected by these _Badblood_ traitors.

His mind ran over every scenario he could perceive in regards to their fate at his hands. Over and over again the scene changed as he developed new strategies and pictured he and the others on the hunt for the _Badbloods_. He depicted mentally what he would do to each of them once caught.

It was a feeling of pure hatred for these _Badblood_ that drove him to his present state where he felt a physical stirring from outside his body once again.

There was a poking and prodding sort of sensation near the surface of what his subconscious thought would be his skin. Even deeper into his body he could feel a pulling and tugging. It was an odd sensation as he felt more in control than previously since falling to the ground after his battle with the dishonorable _Badbloods_.

The pain began to return and he mentally roared at the frustration of having to be in this healing chamber, when he suddenly became confused.

'We are not supposed to be aware of our time in the healing chamber. We shouldn't _know_ we're in the healing chamber. In fact, we aren't supposed to be able to remember anything of the time that we are in here. Why am I having conscious thought now? What has gone wrong?' He thought.

Again the pain returned and drove him to think of the revenge he would soon deliver to those who did this to him and the humans. He could feel the power within grow to an intensity that he never before experienced. Every muscle was alive with untold strength, every fiber of his being tingled with indescribable energy. This new found strength had allowed him to block out the pain that he knew was still there and he imagined himself controlling the healing process his body was undergoing from within. He could feel that even without the help of the medical nanites, that he knew were present in his system; that his body had begun to heal itself at an unnatural rate. He could feel the larger medical equipment having to pause with the work it conducted as it needed time to reset its programming. The machines were having a hard time keeping up with the rate at which his body healed; the nanites began to flood from his body as their programming determined that his body had managed to heal on its own; and they were no longer needed. Their programming told them that the end of the healing process would be handled naturally. It was time for them to leave. Hulij-Thwei could hear them communicating, he could hear the machines; hear the Healers voices; he could hear the humming of…of…the _Unblooded_? He could hear the voices of those in the city, humming as the _Unblooded_ were doing close by. He somehow knew that thousands were holding vigil wherever they were in his honor.

He could hear the shuffling of sandaled _Yautja_ feet coming closer to him in the healing chamber. It was the same as if one is underwater. A deep rumbling, slower than sound travels through air, or maybe faster; he couldn't tell, and he didn't care. All he knew now was that he had answers. Maybe not all of the answers he was looking for, but nonetheless he had enough for now.

He gathered together his thoughts into one cohesive moment and used all that he had learned here to give him strength as he thought to himself.

"It's time for revenge! It's time for me once again…to HUNT!"

The healing tank which held _Hulij_-_Thwei_ began to show movement inside as the purple colored liquid within stirred and at moments swirled with life as streaks of white bubbles and shadows of the occupant could be seen moving through the clear viewing canopy.

The Healers began to move about in a frenzy as something appeared to be wrong within the chamber. Machines were going offline, and the nanites had already begun to exit his body prematurely. Their computerized readouts were confusing to the very least. The _Healers_ knew that _Hulij_-_Thwei_ should remain in the chamber for at least another Earth day or so and this kind activity from within a healing chamber was uncommon. More than that even, it had never happened before.

_Pok'de__it'ktse_ noticed the unusual activity and while the _Healers_ were distracted he entered the _Healers_ room that contained all of their life saving equipment and the upright standing chamber that contained _Hulij_-_Thwei's_ damaged body. He wasn't alone; for the ever persistent Morgan Maddison had followed him through the open door and they both approached the now motion ridden, healing tank.

"What are you doing? You are not supposed to be in here!"

_Pok'de__it'ktse_ grabbed the _Healer_ that spoke to him by the shoulder in less than a friendly way and applied immense pressure as he questioned him.

"What is happening in there?"

"We don't know, this has never happened before."

"What do your instruments say?"

"I…we…it's confusing. As far as we can tell his body has begun to heal itself exponentially. No human or _Yautja_ can heal from injuries like that in this short a period of time."

"You say he is healing faster than expected?" Asked _Pok'de__it'ktse_.

"Put simply. Yes!"

"That's good, right?"

"I couldn't say for sure, but so far his ability to heal at the moment is previously unrecorded in either of our species history. His vital signs are getting stronger and don't appear to be slowing down. For all we know the nanites may have malfunctioned, or the automated medical instruments may have triggered something glandular within him. We really don't know yet. So, I suggest you let go of me and let me figure this out."

_Pok'de__it'ktse_ then realized what he had done and let go of him. He quickly remembered that it was against _Yautja_ law to injure or threaten a _Healer_. He would most likely pay for this indiscretion later. The reprimanding that was sure to come would be handed down straight from the _High Council_.

It didn't matter though, _Hulij_-_Thwei_ was his friend and he was concerned. Perhaps this concern would be his one and only excuse for his actions. He turned to view the tank in front him and realized that something unnatural was happening.

Morgan stepped up beside him and gripped his arm tightly as she looked up to face the giant that was as human at this moment as any could be. She understood the conversation that took place between he and the _Healer_. She could hear in his voice the concern he had for _Hulij_-_Thwei_ as he spoke to the _Healer_.

Her face spoke many words without sound as _Pok'de__it'ktse_ knew that she understood his need to know of his friend's fate; good or bad. Her presence seemed to have a calming effect on him as he once again peered into the tank and watched closely as the fluids still churned wildly with unpredictable motion.

She too turned to face the chamber containing _Hulij_-_Thwei_. She stared long and hard attempting to see through the thick purple liquid that surrounded this _Yautja_…this man.

Only a few minutes had passed since the motion in the tank began and Morgan found herself losing the ability to maintain clear vision. It was as if she were floating away into her mind and entering a trance-like state.

She closed her eyes; blinking heavily after what was no more than a second and then spoke to _Pok'de__it'ktse._

"Get his weapons, he is ready!" She said aloud.

_Pok'de__it'ktse_ looked down at her and noticed the daze she appeared to be in as she stared at the tank motionless. Somehow it made sense; all the movement in the tank. His mind raced to put it all together and his knowledge along with some very keen instincts drove him to listen.

The _Healers_ hadn't noticed the conversation between the human woman and _Pok'de__it'ktse. _They were in their own little world analyzing data as fast as they could and monitoring the equipment they were stationed behind. They were so busy in fact that they hadn't noticed _Pok'de__it'ktse_ walking past them towards _Hulij_-_Thwei's_ belongings resting on what appeared to be a ceremonial table. It was customary to keep the injured one's property close by for the re-awakening ceremony. It was regular practice after an _Honor_ _Vigil_ to hand the re-awakened their weapons nearly immediately after leaving the healing tank. After that a group of _Yautja_ servants were to dress the individual for battle, or in preparation for a Hunt.

Morgan had since stepped back a few feet from the space in front of the healing tank and watched intently as her eyes grew wide with anticipation of the coming events. Somehow she felt as if she knew what was about to happen.

It was when _Pok'de__it'ktse_ had retrieved _Hulij_-_Thwei's_ belongings and weapons that he began to walk back towards Morgan. She again stepped back another foot or so and _Pok'de__it'ktse_ halted in curious bewilderment as to why, when suddenly she spoke again.

"He is ready!" She stated with a slightly shocked but excited tone of voice, loud enough this time for the _Healers_ to pay attention and look towards the chamber.

What they saw was nothing less than startling to them. They all shared in their collective view something they may have defined as miraculous. What they saw was also accompanied by a thunderous sound against the glass of the chamber.

A loud thud or bang of human fists impacted the glass from the inside of the chamber and _Hulij_-_Thwei's_ hands were now clearly visible against the glass. Those within the _Healers_ room collectively witnessed _Hulij_-_Thwei_ bang his fists against the glass no less than three times, resulting in several cracks that began to leak fluid; when there was a short pause just before the fourth loud noise emanated from the healing tank. This time was different for them as they saw _Hulij_-_Thwei's_ hands and grimaced face peer at them with eyes wide open from behind the glass. There was no doubt that _Hulij_-_Thwei_ was angry. His chiseled, rugged expression shown through even the illuminated purple haze of healing fluids within the tank.

"He is coming!" Stated Morgan with anticipation.

At that moment _Hulij_-_Thwei's_ face and hands disappeared from view and all motion within the tank came to a halt.

Those gathered around stood in awe at the spectacle they had witnessed and stood motionless in shock. Before they could react though, the unexpected happened.

A loud crashing sound was heard as purple fluid rampaged out of the chamber holding _Hulij_-_Thwei_. Those in the room ducked to avoid the crashing glass, while other slipped in the purple fluid while trying to escape the contents of the chamber.

Sparks flew in all directions as the healing fluids, still containing nanites, had come into contact with electrical equipment around the room. Smoke filled the air and an eerie purple hew of mist had been cast about as the fluid burned by electrical current turned it to gas and fumes.

The ebb and flow of the healing fluid had come to level out around various pieces of medical equipment and the purple luminescent fumes of the now gaseous healing fluids had begun to dissipate.

Morgan and _Pok'de__it'ktse_ were the first to recover from their hunched over positions and stood up looking around the room for any sign of _Hulij_-_Thwei's_ body. The _Healers_ too had recovered and suffered what could only be described as confusion.

The group of those gathered in the room were quickly joined by the others waiting outside. _So'lok D'kol_, _K'tek-de'Sa_**, **and a few of the _Unblooded_ that had arrived only hours earlier; had now entered the room. Their body language indicated that they too were confused and concerned for their _Leader_.

As they all stood around attempting to see through the remaining purple fog, there was heard a noise.

The breaking of glass, and footsteps that accompanied each crack they heard. The fog began to swirl around and continued to dissipate as the ventilation system seemed to clear the room rather quickly. There was one spot, close to where the chamber once existed that began to rush around what appeared to be a humanoid form. The figure walked from out of the cover of purple haze and stood naked in front of them without so much a hint of embarrassment.

At his feet were seen small traces of blood that obviously was a result of his walking across the broken glass of the healing tank. He didn't even wince at the thought of pain, as it was plain to see by the expression and body language he presented that he was on a mission, or in the very least was ready for one.

_Hulij-Thwei_ then spoke in a strangely aggressive, angered tone of voice _Pok'de it'ktse _barely recognized as belonging to his friend.

"Where are my weapons?!"


End file.
