Dark Space 49: Invasion

by G. K. Scott

  Emma jumped up fast dodging the claws of the huge desert like wolf creatures; they were ugly gits that's for sure. I'm not good at this! I have no idea how to do this! The first time was out of fear. Emma ran forward trying to take down the heavy beast. She watched it pulled back trying to bite at her spear. She turned swinging the weapon with all her might slamming it in to the beasts head. She watched as blue blood sprayed out of its mouth it was more like a leather bag with claws and teeth than a wolf. She watched it shake it head then try to bite the spear again; she pulled the weapon back watching as it jumped up. This was a chance she slammed the weapon forward watching it go right through the chest and out the other side. That was what Jeuki had shown her with this re sized weapon, which he'd altered slightly.

  She felt the blue blood wash over her hands. All she could hear was the howls of the ugly beast as it died on the spear which she was trying to hold despite the weight, she let go watching the huge beast slumber in to death. She turned quickly, hearing the howls as Jeuki killed two more of these ugly things. She turned but not quick enough as one slammed in to her armoured back. Its claws racking across her back the pain was horrible. She'd got burnt as a child and that wasn't that bad but this was awful. She slammed her wrist blades back hearing a yelp of pain as they went right through the creature's head. She watched it hit the floor behind her, her gaze turned to Jeuki. Who was pulling the air ventilation free of his silver framed helmet. She watched as it came free showing his mandibles and gentle amber eyes. He turned quickly looking at her kill, he pulled back his head she watched in surprise as he let out a roar that shook the earth or at least it felt that way. He looked at her clicking his upper right mandible then raised a clawed finger "You…try." Emma eased her helmet free looking at him trying to ignore the pain in her side.

  She looked at him "I can't roar." Jeuki raised his brow "Try it…come try you like it." Emma gulped slightly all she could do was scream. Okay so she'd scream she needed to scream anyway her back was killing her. She pulled back her head feeling the air rush out of her lungs as she screamed for all she was worth. Jeuki turned slightly "Feel good…Emma?" Emma looked at him "Great…" She put a hand on her side feeling the cold as her blood began to flow from the wound; she leaned on the spear painfully. Jeuki took a slow step forward there was something wrong with Emma the ooman was leaning on her spear in pain. Her stomach muscles tensed painfully he could see it through the silver armours opening "You hurt?"

  Emma wanted to cry she wasn't just hurt she was in pain. Oh this was so humiliating her first hunt and she'd been a failure getting clawed by a dog…a stupid leather assed dog with teeth. She found herself kneeling down holding her stomach she wanted to be sick. It wasn't the air she could breath this air it was more oxygen based and even then it still wouldn't have mattered she was wearing the thin silver collar ring which was just above the black armoured collar, she could breath any air. It just looked like the armour anyway, she knew she was going to fall over it was the light headiness. She didn't get a chance to complain as a pair of cream clawed hand pulled her down to ground before she fell over. Jeuki turned the human over he noted the blood running down her back red blood. This was the first time he'd really seen ooman blood and it was strange to him, he turned slowly "Your wounded."

  Emma winced painfully "No kidding." She watched in surprise, as he un slotted a large piece of his back armour then flicked his hand pushing the wrist blades on his other back in. He pressed his finger down quickly on it; she eyed it as it opened up in to what looked like a med kit of sorts. She watched as he pulled out a long syringe his amber eyes looking at her as he pressed the end causing a clear liquid to fly free. She didn't like the look of it, she'd never liked needles she'd been a wuss in school. "You’re not seriously going to put that in to me? Are you?" Jeuki looked the needle. "For the pain." Emma pulled up her hand only to find him pulling it down "Look at the size of that thing! How do you know it even works on my species?" Jeuki looked at her. "Take it." Emma looked at him "No!" Jeuki snarled oh why was Emma having on her difficult moments again? She had these on the ship from time to time. It was like an ooman female thing where she'd get stressed and started acting funny or have a shout or kick something. He didn't mind so much it was just her way and she still came up and sat with him later cuddled up to him almost in a desperate manner.

  He'd found it odd at first but had just got used to it and put an arm around her, she always calmed down after he did it. He narrowed his gaze clicking his upper right mandible "Take It." He pushed her down stopping her from getting up "It makes you feel better." Maybe it was pain she didn't like…still he was going to get her to take this no matter what. It would help her feel better his race had tried this on most species it normally worked. He looked at her it hadn't been tried on oomans but it had been tried on a species similar and worked. On his home planet there were places where this type of thing was made and tested by his race. These where just tests mostly to find out how good medicine was. Emma felt the hand push her down "Get of me Jeuki!" The next moments hit in horribly as the needle was suddenly shoved in to her midsection, causing a horrible jolt of agonizing pain.

  She felt her body spasm in agony she watched as the needle was pulled free Jeuki slotted it in to the med kit "Better?" He suddenly felt a sharp stab of pain as she slapped him across his upper felt mandible he turned in annoyance "What that for!?" Emma groaned slowly feeling the pain go and her wounded area became numb "Christ do you how much that hurts!" Jeuki turned her slightly "Yes…I done it to myself." He slowly pulled a liquid pot free with glowing blue liquid. Normally this would have a compound added, but he'd seen that oomans didn't burn to cauterise wounds. They used ointments at first, then other things it was not as brutal as his races med kit. He could use this mixture like one of her races ointments to kill the germs in the wound. It would also heel it with out burning, as it hadn't been mixed yet. He put some on his finger rubbing it. Then slowly rubbed it in to the flesh wound he watched her tense moaning to herself. He pushed the brown flowing hair out of her face, which had a few metal bolts and dreadlocks in places "Good hunt." Emma looked at the fallen desert wolf "No bad hunt I screwed up."

  Jeuki looked at her in surprise "No good hunt you kill two." Emma turned slightly "But I got wounded…isn't being a hunter about not getting hurt?" Jeuki shook his head pointing to his two scars on his face "I hurt…I hunter… scars are pride of hunters…show courage." He paused "You courage…you kill that make you hunter." Emma winced again she watched as he suddenly clicked out his wrist blades cutting the dessert wolf’s head she'd speared clean off. He picked it up looking at her "You earn Trophy! You hunter!" Emma looked at him for a moment that was her prize it's head. No it's skull she'd seen his trophies. She knew it would end on a wall near by. She looked at him again "Sorry I slapped you…that needle hurt." Jeuki looked at her slowly closing the med kit and putting it back in to his armour "I understand you hurt…I know it hurt body a lot." Emma felt him grab her pulling her to her feet "I feel like hell." Jeuki turned he leaned down feeling her still holding him. He slowly tied the legs of the fallen prey with a long rope. Which he held fast he slowly pulled then tied the rope to his front plating bracing it with his arm. He pulled watching the dead prey move slowly it wouldn't a far walk back to the ship Emma could make it despite her pain she was strong ooman.

  8

  Emma lay on the large bed she used to sleep on the floor of the main control room. Her head was still floating from the drug she'd felt the ship as it had left the planet. Jeuki had managed to get it up okay on his own. Once they'd been sky born he's taken of her armour and laid it near by on its holder in the room. His was placed right next it, it used to placed in the main control room but now in here. There were two rooms but she'd never bothered to use the other one it was only used for storing spare armour and other items. She didn't like being alone in the cold of space. Even in the control room she used to sleep alone trying to block out the nightmares, before she had,
had the armour or a sheet or even a pillow. Just trying to block out the queen alien's face or the hard meat queen so Jeuki had called it, she could only remember running and pulling the ventilation shaft free.

  Then jumping in as its huge mouth had tried to get her only failing as she'd got away but she couldn't get away from the screaming in her mind. The blood and the chaos then something had happened that she didn't understand. Maybe Jeuki had seen her shaking or something in her sleep. Or maybe it was her whining because of the cold, she didn't really know. All she knew was that she'd woken up one morning being cradled by his huge frame on the control room floor. At first it had sacred her. She thought he might crush her because of his size. That hadn't been the case though. She was so used to him sleeping next to his armour he’s being so gentle was another surprise. She had no idea what had brought on the behaviour or even why. Since then and since they had opened the rooms they had shared this large room sleeping on the bed. Which she could fit on as well as him since it was made for a Yautja who was bigger than ether of them, a nine-foot tall hunter elder. She felt the sheets she had on some lesser clothing, which he'd made for her. A hanging skirt and small top made from the cloth of the bed in the other room.

  She wore it under her hunting gear it never made her sweat oddly but kept her dry and cool. Jeuki had an item like it, which he wore on his lower half. She couldn't say he even smelt bad. Oddly musky but it wasn't a bad smell in the least. She closed her eyes rolling them slightly feeling woozy oh hell. This drug was really kicking in to her system now. It made her feel at peace while numbed the pain in her side completely. Jeuki slowly walked in to the room, the ooman was lying quietly. It was strange he'd never seen her being so placid but then that was probably the drugs effects. He slammed the newly clean skull of the Mui Ji or dessert wolf as she called it in human tongue on the side table. Its skull was completely clean and buffed in proper trophy fashion. Normally he would've let her do it, as it was her first time. She was wounded though and he wasn't really sure that she was in the right frame of mind to carry out such a task. Still there was another skull she could do. The one she'd but her wrist blades through, but all in good time. He slowly picked up the little bowl of glowing blue liquid this was from the bathroom in truth, which was next door it had three pools.

  One was red thick liquid, which you sat in and got rid of waste it had lasers, which disposed of such things. The other was orange protein based which was his races drinking water. This pool continually cleaned itself after the slightest touch. The last was normal water, which was his races water, which was very similar to ooman water but slightly glowing here you washed yourself. It also cleaned itself after being used, but he'd found that she couldn't drink the orange protein liquid. It had made her vomit, which was the strangest thing to watch. He’d never seen an ooman loose their stomach contents before. It was quite horrible to watch. As it was like a painful gut reaction unlike his race that didn't get this but just spat it out with no pain and in liquid form. He'd found she could drink the bath water though with no problems. Okay strange but if it kept her from being thirty then fine by him.

  He remembered this vessel when it had landed on that moon where she'd been; two vessels in total had landed. The other one packed in with thirty youngish blooded hunters of lower rank. He had been on this vessel with two elders but he had been forced to sleep in the front control room with another young hopeful who he hated. A very violent young male about his age he was new aboard and his trophies hadn't been brought over from the other ship of lesser hunters. He was also crested like him and had ranked quickly. Almost to the point of hunting with the elders and soon to gain his own quarters like himself. They'd both never hunted oomans before and nether of them got the chance to because of the hard meat over running the ooman base.

  His gaze travelled to Emma he watched her roll her green eyes her dark brown hair almost black hair falling over her eyes. Her pale skin was very soft to the touch. He breathed in deeply he wasn't sure he could ever hunt oomans now. Even if he'd wanted to since caring for this one had changed his perceptive of them so. As races they looked so different but in truth they were alike in some ways. Oomans didn't like to fail and they also had a lot of pride and were willing to try things. They were tough as a race and real survivors in desperate situations. He slowly looked at Emma again then kneeled down clicking his clawed finger she didn't respond at all. She seemed completely out of it. He brought her head with his fingers slowly bringing the water to her lips.

  He watched as she squinted then slowly drank some he put the bowl back on the side table. He’d take it back to the small cooking room later. He laid her head down on the pillow. There was a time when he'd ignored her completely when she used to sleep on her own. At first he'd not even liked being near her she smelt odd. Come to think of it, it wasn't a bad smell now that he thought about it just strange. He'd noticed that she'd just curl up and moan in her sleep, he knew it was bad dreams. He'd even seen it in his own race although no one talked about it. He'd seen very young males in the pit having bad dreams after their first hunt. He'd seen those who had seen their friends or brothers or even whole group die suffer from the same thing. It was a thing a young hunter was forced to get over it was the hunter's way. He'd hated the pit of the ship so much he was glad to leave it; it was just full of males with attitude. Not the kind he cared for. No one cared for anyone much in there it was just about fighting to up rank and knocking out who ever got in the way. He was so glad to move ship, to the other vessel which was a nicer and more comfortable one with its places of quite, where he could think.

  He’d been thinking a lot since the ooman female had come in to his life. Maybe even questioning him self at times. One of those moments where he had truly questioned himself was the night he'd heard her crying in her sleep. Talking to her self saying names of other oomans and whimpering he'd heard it often and had ignored it despite not liking the sound she made. Then one night out of curiosity he'd slowly crawled over seeing that she was a tight ball whimpering. Somehow he'd found himself feeling so sorry for her. It was bad enough that she had none of her own kind to talk to but even worse she was having horrible nightmares which weren't leaving her. Maybe something had clicked in his head making him think about how he'd feel in her position.

  That had been where a true change had come and he'd let go of his foolish pride way of not caring. She needed someone she needed someone to care. It was all very well and good being nice and talking to each other but she needed a little more. Someone she could turn to. Someone she could trust. Someone who could look over her shoulder and making sure everything was okay, he needed the same thing. That was when he'd without thinking about it put an arm around her and cradled her. Only to find that her moaning had slowly subsided she also seemed to sleep better, so he'd carried on doing it. She still had nightmares but not so often. She had also warmed to him a lot more after this which helped them both, he'd then taken it upon himself to start teaching her the hunter's way.

  Making her proper armour when the back sleeping rooms had finally been opened then teaching her how to use the spear she’d used to kill the hard meat with, as well as the wrist blades. Some of his race might have laughed at him doing this, but in his view he didn't care about their thoughts. He'd done the right thing in his view. His conscience was clear, plus it was for her own good. He knew she saw herself as a coward and a failure. He knew she wasn't really over what had happened to her. He had to be taught her to use these weapons so she could feel good about something. He knew full well she was no coward or failure, he'd seen how brave she was. It was just in her mind those thoughts still lingered. If hunting was a means to proving something to her self then it was good thing.

  She'd done well today two kills was a good start, she'd survived the first hunt which was also good. He slowly pulled himself on to the bed lying next to her. He could see she was starting to doze of. He could tell by the slightly glazed expression on her face. He eased an arm around he
r watching as her eyes finally closed and she fell in to dreams. Her body needed time to heal anyway. He tapped his upper left mandible in thought. She'd probably have a permanent set of scars because of the claw marks, but if he could make her see that that was something to be proud of then it'd be good. He pulled his finger up putting it through the dark ooman hair, which was soft to the touch. Maybe he was getting to close to her not that he cared, he liked her so.

  She was nice; he'd never known that a race his race hunted could be so nice. He’d heard a couple of stories about oomans being aboard other clan vessels but it was all stories. Although they might be true, he felt that he was one of few to every truly get this close to an ooman. She wasn't a bad looking ooman ether. She'd looked after him especially when he'd hurt his right mandible because of a computer overload. This fault causing electricity to go through his face when he'd been trying to fix something the pain had been agonizing. He’d watched as she got orange water and a cloth rubbing his mandible to try and stop the pain. Thanks to her he was lucky he hadn't lost his mandible completely. Since she'd pushed him so he didn't get the full overload in his face she'd wrapped his wound up and washed it. It had taken a week to heal fully but had made life hard for him since he couldn't move it and had to keep his mandibles slightly opened. She'd helped him to eat and hadn't made fun of his slurred speech. Or how he looked with one wrapped up mandible, which he couldn't move. He was very grateful for her help she could've just ignored him but had chosen not to and had helped instead.