by G. K. Scott
He laid down slightly getting comfortable, he wasn't sure that he even wanted to find his race anymore. They would no doubt call him weak for his behaviour. He pulled Emma closer to him screw them he had made his choice. It was his choice and if he ever found any of his own kind they would respect his choice. Being that his right rank meant he could choose. He had been at the point in his life where he could take paths and decide whether to teach younger hunters to hunt. Or become an elder hunter of noble blood and hunt alone. He'd had this talk with the elder on board this ship before it had all happened. After this hunt he was told he could make the choice if he lived. He'd chosen noble blood but also to teach. To teach another to hunt yet be alone in space like the great elder hunters, it was the best of both worlds. He closed his eyes maybe someday they'd find both there races somewhere in space. There was a chance. He wondered whether she'd return to her own race, somehow he didn't want to. He wanted her to stay with him, but then finding anyone in space seemed impossible it would a long time before that came to be if it ever did.
Two months since leaving second galaxy…battle ship Sirun docking with the Iron Year in the second systems outer sector.
Oran turned slowly watching the scientists move around the civilian vessel. He watched, as the head scientist Carlos came up to him "Sir Oran so glad you made it." Oran sneered looking at him "I read the notes I want to look! Now!" The head scientist smiled "As you wish sir, follow me." Oran slowly followed the man until they where close to lifts. He slowly stepped in watching Carlos close the doors. The man smiled pulling away a panel revealing two buttons "As you know the civilians aboard the Iron Yard are unaware of what goes on bellow. We like to keep it that way. He hit button closing the panel "As far as they know there are seventy ship levels going up." Oran felt the lift jolt as it started to go downwards the scientist smirked "What they don't know is the left over levels that go down bringing it to a ninety nine in total." Oran looked at him slightly "Why keep civilians here I didn't pay you for that?" Carlos smiled "Oh they have their use's they only see what goes on at the top levels. They never bother with the lower levels we don't even mark them on the ships controls. Plus the families of male and female scientists live here with their children. Husbands and wives, boyfriends and girlfriends the usual mix of common couples as well as same sex couples…you know how the human race is."
Oran felt the lift stop sharply "Well at least you've done, well at keeping these people oblivious to what I'm doing." Carlos turned slightly "Its procedure sir no scientist in the lower levels is aloud to talk about what we do down here. If so they'll be in serious trouble." Oran looked at him "How serious?" Carlos grinned, "It involves a marine and a pulse rifle." Oran smiled "That's good to know." He slowly walked in to the huge rooms watching as three scientists pulled up a huge case full of human body parts floating in clear liquid." He looked at the table seeing weapons placed in racks as well as a half human that was being fitted with metal area's "Ah so my funding for the part human and android soldiers has survived." Carlos smirked "Oh actuality everything you have survived and more…we have some far more interesting items." He looked at the soldier who was unconscious and having a metal arm grafted on. "This is just all your research which is in about five rooms in total…although we found two items were missing." Oran turned slightly "Which ones?"
Carlos looked at his clipboard "Oh we had a clamp piece that was a kind of cyber arm, a person could put it one their real arm and break metal with it. It was quite light. Where rebuilding one now, the other item, which there were two prototypes of was a breathing device for the marines. So they could breathe any atmosphere. One we’ve found but its broken the others vanished." He shrugged "We found part of the broken arm in the wreckage but not that, which doesn't help. The scientist who worked on it was some girl who’s dead anyway. We couldn't find her electronic board of notes." He shrugged again "Still we haven't been through all the wreckage yet. We put all of it on board and are still shifting through it." Oran raised an eyebrow "just sort it!"
Carlos nodded "Follow me I've got something truly wonderful to show you." Oran followed him through until they came to huge room with a long curtain hanging over the wall. He could see hundreds of scientist doing samples "This had better be good." Carlos grinned, "Oh you'll love this and it's not even the best part sir it's only a taste." He looked up "As you know Utro was working on a form of aliens the Knopf's as he called them. He found the eggs on the planet and had a machine pick them up as well as another alien egg craft which we have in another room but we'll get to that." He slammed the curtain back "When these other alien's ship crashed on the planet we found this inside it and with it we can carry on Urto's research!" The huge curtain fell back showing of a huge ten-foot tall monster it huge crest shadowing the room as it tried to move. Its enormous hands legs and body bolted down. As well and its huge toothed mouth shut which had a mouth- piece. None of it human technology, he watched the huge black monster try to roar. The scientist grinned, "Meet the Knopf's queen beautiful isn't she?"
Oran watched as saliva ran out from under the mouthpiece "Impressive…very impressive." Carlos grinned "We used the other alien technology as it's far stronger than ours and keeps her in place. Dangerous as the bitch is which we found when trying to move her." Oran looked at the black nightmarish monster again "What comes with her? Is she a package deal?" Carlos laughed pressing a button "Well we ripped of her egg laying abdomen part soon after she'd laid the eggs we needed. We don't want another incident like on Callisto." Ten vales slowly came up each with the face hungers, which moved in the liquid. "We have over a hundred of these face huggers in liquid but you see Utro was a man who thought with vision." He smiled at the alien queen "He was making a device to control her and use her as a weapon, which we've almost finished." He picked up a vile watching as face hunger with its long legs and little spiked back moved "Our queen laid three of these face huggers they make queens. Like her but Urto’s great vision was putting one of these queen face huggers on one of our other live aliens species, we have here to see the results."
Oran turned sharply "Other species?" The scientist put the long vile back on the holder pressing the button so they vanished. "Follow me." Oran followed slowly as they went in to another room, which had ten huge aliens strapped to the tables surrounded by scientists. One was already being dissected "What are these?" Carlos looked at him. "Oh these are dead, they where dead when we found them." He shrugged "You've heard the term predator from earth, and the events of 1996 and 1997 and later in 2004 of hunters with great technology devices. Plus other colony stories of hunters who like to kill the Knopf's and our species." Oran turned "There real!" Carlos smirked "Yes and this would be them where currently studying the armour now. Which we stripped from them, their ship had the queen alien on it."
He turned "Please follow me have five more lives ones in the next room. When the Callisto’s base exploded their alien ship didn't leave quick enough and it got torn in the blast. Sending it crashing down about twenty miles from the base…where we found it." He closed the automatic door behind him as they walked through. "The rest which we found were bones burnt to a crisp, these are the five live ones." Oran’s gaze drifted to the four huge holding pens full of stripped hunters their mandibles flaring as they banged on the prison like glass. Carlos grinned "We have to keep them in these pens as the atmosphere is right for them. They can't get out and we feed them raw meat while studying their behaviour." He laughed slightly "They're all male and hung like horses."
Oran looked up sharply "What?" Carlos smirked. "Sorry it's a little joke our female scientists say about them since they have big human like manhood's." Oran rolled his eyes "You said there were five, I only see four." Carlos looked around "Oni Jui! No games now!" Oran watched in surprise as a six-foot tall predator appeared from nowhere behind the bed fully armoured up. Oran took a step back watching as the other hunters hissed and cursed at the smaller one who ignored them. His huge black armour gleamed in the lo
w light with its shining upward rim helmet. Oran watched as he pulled the black helmet free, his four mandibles and jaws coming in to view. The hunter had dark skin and strips, his orange almost fire some eyes beamed.
Carlos smiled "Oh don't worry this young fellow wont hurt you, he seems very nice." Oran watched the taller hunters banged harder on the glass. "They don't seem to like him." Carlos grinned, "Well you see that's because he made a deal with as. He gets to live and in turn he shows as how the technology works…he is very impressive and he speaks our language very well." The hunter yawned his red crest showing with its strips while his striped body came in to view. "Nice to see you." Oran looked at the hunter. "Are you sure about him not hurting me or anyone else." The hunter stared at him "If I want to kill you I'll just kill you…but I don't care for killing your race." Carlos grinned, "He has been very helpful he is looking forward to seeing the new alien we create." He folded his arm "We promised him that he could hunt it in a safe room with the alien offspring that come from the new Knopf queen once she's been born. It helps him hunt and we can study the fight." Oran looked at the hunter again "I see." He watched as a scientist came in carrying a queen face hunger in a liquid vile which he slowly handed to the predator warrior.
Carlos grinned. "Well Oni Jui which is the most fitting candidate for impregnation from these four?" The young predator tapped his mandibles looking at the tallest hunter then pointing. Carlos grinned evilly "Would you kindly do the honours Oni Jui since this beautiful hunts offspring will be yours once its born." He watched the predator move over slotting the case in the side of the holding pen. The liquid drained as the queen face hugger moved across the floor like lightening. Oran watched as the naked hunter tried to fight it off as it jumped on him. He could see all the other caged predators shock horror at what the younger one had done, but the younger hunter didn't seem to care. He watched as the elder hunter failed as the face hunger attached itself his last roars being dimmed.
He had been screaming at the younger hunter in some other alien language. Before he’d hit the floor and the hugger wrapped its tail around his neck and all became still for a moment. Before the remaining hunters burst in to roars of anger and cursed the younger one. Carlos looked at Oni Jui "Good choice Oni Jui." The young predator slowly walked away following them. Carlos hit a panel slowly opening a glass viewer Oran watched as the huge predator craft came in to view. "As you can see sir we have everything you could ever dream of here." Oran followed his arms looking at the young predator "You've made me a very happy man. I would like though that you keep this Oni Jui in the lower levels out of sight." Carlos grinned, "Not a problem sir he can help as more." Oran looked at the hunter "I would like it though if I could have him as body guard from time to time if necessary." Carlos smirked "I'll talk to him I'm sure he'll be happy to help. He's a good boy unlike he's older friends." Oran looked at the ship. "It'll take me a lifetime to get through all this."
CHAPTER 3
THE HARM OF THE WORLD YOU LEAVE AND THRILL OF THE WORLD YOU’VE COME TO LOVE
Tropical planet location somewhere in the galaxy…four months since boarding the hunter vessel.
So beautiful so rich and warm with trees, which rise up filled with fruit and water falls as high as the eye, can see. I can’t believe we stopped on this planet this strange tropical world. I mean it wasn’t part of the hunt it was just an idea that Jeuki had that we should land here. You can smell the flowers and the trees rich fruit it’s so intoxicating. I wonder if there are more worlds like this. Worlds that are lush like this. Even earth isn’t this lush, maybe it was once but not anymore. It’s cites spoil the beauty of it and trees are few. There are forest but you have to pay credits just to look at them. Stupid lame ass cooperate companies trying to cash in on what lush is left.
It’s stupid how human beings try to put prices on things they don’t own. I mean they don’t own the lush of earth there just loaning it from mother earth who the like the landlady. That landlady could send them her heavy pay check if she wanted wiping them of the face of the earth. I may not have seen an earth quake but I’ve watched the twenty first century video files. It wasn’t like she didn’t have anything interesting to do in her spare time on the Callisto base. In her free time she ran laps with a computerised opponent who always won. The rest of time she buried herself in coffee looking at old earth files which played out against the mutinous screen. Which she pressed to watch any thing she wanted.
Okay it was a boredom habit but the Callisto colony was boring. White wash walls, and a boring routine, which hit in everyday with being woken up by a beeper that she’d wanted to break. This on the other hand was living this was breathing. This was an experience, which couldn’t be priced with credits. And it was one she liked. Emma turned gazing at the world from her lying position on the soft grass. She watched as Jeuki sat down next to her. He pulled up a large piece of wood his amber eyes moving across it “You wanted this?” Emma sat up looking at the lake, she yawned feeling the small top and hanging skirt move against her skin “Excellent you found one.” She watched as he pulled up the wood tapping his upper left mandible, he wasn’t wearing his armour only his hanging skirt, which hid his lower half. He looked at the wood again looking confused. She could tell the look, his lower mandibles being slightly downward were the obvious hint. Emma slowly took the curved wood “Look you’ll like it when I’m done.”
Jeuki leaned over “Did you want a dagger or would you prefer the laser cutter?” Emma looked at the wood “The laser cutter it’ll cut down the time, plus the dagger I can use to shape it.” Jeuki put a hand on his face “What this called again?” Emma slowly eased up her electronic note pad tapping it slightly so an image appeared “A bow an old human hunting devise, you’ll like it.” Jeuki tapped his upper left mandible again he slowly picked up the note pad with his hand being careful not to crush it. His gaze wandered over the image with its strange wood, which was a bent over wood. He really couldn’t see what the deal was with this ooman weapon. Still a part of him was glad she had this devise it made seeing ooman things clearer. He still didn’t understand the ooman concept of soap despite reading it in this weird little pad. He spent most of his time reading from this thing. Which had been in Emma’s other cloth pockets. He was sure that was the right word pocket. She hadn’t really shown it to him until after the fight with the dessert wolves and he’d started reading it.
It had some very strange things in it like human dinner rituals, culture, history and animal species and washing rituals. And something called romance and love rituals. He really didn’t understand that log but he trying to just for the fascination of it. The rest of the log of more scientific and technology based. Plus some new logs about their vessel but these were very formal logs. He slowly tapped his claws on the buttons watching the images change two oomans one male one female with their mouths together. He sat back looking at Emma. This image had, had him going for days he kept on looking at it. He grunted aloud watching as Emma started to cut the wood with the laser “Emma.” Emma looked up slightly “Yes Jeuki.” Jeuki looked down slightly he felt stupid asking this. Truth of truths he’d been too unsure of himself to ask before but he was sick of it burning a hole in his brain. He flipped the note pad “What’s this ritual mean to oomans?” Emma stopped the laser cutter sharply “Oh that…it’s called a kiss.”
Jeuki flipped the note pad looking at it “Kiss?” He turned slightly “What does it mean?” Emma pulled back “Oh it’s just something human’s do to show affection to there partner.” Jeuki pulled up the note pad “Partner like mate?” Emma nodded “Something like that.” She turned on the laser cutter again watching the wood fall away. Jeuki leaned closer causing her to look up sharply “Ooman males kiss you?” Emma felt him turn the laser cutter off with his clawed finger she turned slightly “No ooman males didn’t kiss me I had no partner not on earth or on Callisto.” Jeuki leaned slightly “Ooman males not like you?” He pulled up a clawed hand “They not find you attrac
tive?”
Emma lowered her head “I wouldn’t know I never asked them.” Jeuki tapped his lower left mandible in thought “Are ooman males picky?” Emma looked up sharply “That depends on your perspective some men are nice some are cruel. Not that I can say human females are any better. We can be just as cruel and harsh to our loved ones.” Jeuki looked at he image again “Our races only mate out of being the bigger and stronger do oomans do the same?” Emma watched the final wood fall “Those human’s who believe in power see their partners as trophies sometimes. Not a trophy for your wall but one to show off with. They make out these partners will give them perfect offspring.” She slowly placed the laser down taking the dagger as she started to shape the wood “Powers is an illusion in my opinion. A human being who has nothing but his family and few credits could be truly happy. While one who has a million credits could be the most unhappy person alive.” Jeuki eased up a clawed hand “Strange ooman way.”
He looked at the image before tapping with his claw so it turned back to the strange ooman weapon “My race don’t kiss the rub mandibles, but they just want to breed. A male could have many different females and never be with one long term like an ooman couple.” Emma laughed, “Oh Jeuki don’t be fooled by those notes they are missing things.” She grinned slightly “I mean human’s do that to you know and it’s not like where always good in relationships. Our race messes up sometimes in that area. I mean where no where near perfect.” She looked at the pad in the hunter’s hand “Plus there are a few strange human coupling area’s which aren’t in that pad. I’ll tell you all about them sometime.” She slowly rubbed clear liquid on to the bow watching as it started to bend. This liquid came from the ship but it had other qualities. She turned slightly “Jeuki could you bend this. Just don’t snap it.” She watched as Jeuki began to bend the wood, it was odd how she’d done this all by theory. She’d never made a bow in her life and had been following instruction in her pad.
