108Disclaimer: The usual one that states I am just playing around in somebody else's sandbox, building my own little sandcastle.
Summary: The Ultimate honor lies in death, it's the highest Yautja commandment but Lex can't accept it. Rushing aboard the Yautja ship, an act of animalistic rage succeeds where pleas had failed, only to find herself consumed by an alien culture. Their punishment finds their lives unwillingly intertwined and to regain their taken honor, trust is only the first of many challenges that await.
Honor
Chapter 01 – Rejected
Lex stood at the edge of the ocean and watched the black nightmare that was the Xenomorph Queen vanish through the ice in a cacophony of hisses and screeches. Her heart pounded in her chest from the rush of narrowly escaping death once more and a relatively calm entered the ghost town that once was a whaling village. Even as the wintery cold bit at her face, Lex barely felt it as the adrenaline was still keeping her primed and ready for a potential further surprise. Lex spared the icy cold water below her one last glance before she turned around and began to look for her alien companion.
As her eyes wandered over the destruction surrounding her, a slither of fear coiled around her beating heart as Scar was nowhere to be seen. Quickening her pace and keeping her eyes constantly roving over the icy fields, her walk turned to a quick jog as she was passing the whaling village center.
"Scar where the hell are you?" Lex questioned her mind as her feet carried her further away from the icy bluff where they had stood their last stand against the Alien Queen.
Her vision finally zeroed in on a prone form lying a short distance away from the cave in crater that had been created after the bomb had gone off deep beneath the ice to wipe out the infestation. Running towards what her mind had already deemed to be Scar, Lex fell to her knees as she reached him and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.
"Scar…" Lex softly spoke his nickname in the hopes of receiving a reaction from her companion.
She breathed a sigh of relief as Scar's eyes slowly opened and a pain filled trill rumbled deep from within his chest. A soft sad smile briefly flashed across Lex's face as she watched Scar spit up some of his neon-green blood. She wanted to help him, but with no knowledge of his physiology, Lex was degraded to be a helpless bystander as his life slowly dimmed. Hating herself for feeling so useless, Lex could only study his stomach wound that was caused by the Queen's tail. Unable to stop herself from comparing his injury to an identical one on a human, Lex knew it was hopeless without immediate medical help.
Helpless, tears edged at the corners of her eyes and she quickly took one of his massive hands within her own and moved it carefully to lean against her chest. "I am sorry," Lex whispered and almost choked on the grief that was welling up from the deepest pit of her stomach.
Scar's free hand slowly rose from the snow and as he tried to reach for her face, Lex realized that he couldn't quite reach her due to his waning strength. To help him, Lex leaned forward to edge closer and as she felt his calloused hand cup her face, she closed her eyes as his thumb gently tracing the markings on her cheek. Swallowing a sob, she felt the warmth from his hand on her face and in an attempt to show him how much he meant to her, she gently leaned into it.
"I am going to miss you," Lex mumbled as she bathed in his warmth and remembered the few moments of reprieve that they had shared inside the temple. The image of him roaring into her face sans his mask kept repeating inside her mindscape and Lex couldn't help from smiling weakly. "So strong" Lex thought, "So much pride."
"…F…d" Scar growled in between another cough of blood.
"What?" Lex asked in surprise as her eyes shot open and landed upon his pain filled orbs that were slowly dimming.
"Friend," Scar rumbled again in very broken English and Lex couldn't help but give him a toothy smile.
"Friends," Lex repeated with a single nod of her head and almost jumped out of her skin as soft clicking and an electrical discharge reached her ears. Eyes instantly looked up at the form materializing in front of her and she quickly squashed the slither of fear and yelp of surprise that tried to escape from her throat.
"Oh," Lex mouthed in surprise at seeing not only the old looking alien that clearly was of the same race as Scar, but also watched in half-awe a massive ship along with more of the Hunters materialize in front of her. Hope soared through her as she quickly got to her feet to address the older looking Hunter.
"You have to help him. There is still time to safe him." Lex almost screamed in a hurry as she wildly gesticulated with her hands towards Scar and then to the ship.
Lex watched the older looking alien tilt his head in what she had seen Scar use multiple times, an expression she had attributed to them expressing their curiosity. And as four fellow Hunters stepped up and placed Scar on a stretcher and were moving him towards the ship, relief wiggled through the tight embrace of sorrow and fear that had held her heart in a violent embrace.
Lex suddenly found herself facing the older alien fully as he had stepped in front of her, blocking her path as her feet had unconsciously followed Scar towards the ship. Lex mentally frowned at the fact that she had apparently tried to follow Scar but was forced to give the old alien her full attention as he once more tilted his head as his eyes studied the markings on her cheek.
Lex's eyes wondered to the old alien's head and found the same mark as the one Scar and she wore and Lex instantly categorized the humanoid to be a superior to Scar, perhaps his father but definitely family. "Is… is he going to be alright?"
The alien trilled in amusement and held his spear out in front of him as if to offer it to her. "A gift?" Lex mused as she eyed the spear and then the alien. A soft click followed as the spear shortened and collapsed in on itself. Studying the compact form of the spear, Lex realized that the old Hunter wouldn't leave until she accepted his gift. She slowly reached for it but froze before taking it into her hands.
"Is he… Are you…" Lex stammered as she looked past the alien and towards the ship. Frowning slightly at seeing Scar being casually carried towards the ship as if his wounds weren't major and Lex began to worry. "You… you are going to help him right?"
"H… honor… in… death," the humanoid growled.
"No," Lex whispered as her eyes grew wide and she tried to walk around the alien and run towards Scar, only to find the offered spear thrust in front of her once more.
"Take," the Hunter growled and Lex could have sworn that she heard a hint of irritation in between his growls and clicks as he formed the single word in her language.
Lex made eye contact, disobedience flashing within her brown orbs as she shook her head, "Not if it'll cost him his life."
"Take," the alien growled again, this time they were deeper, more aggressive.
"I won't," Lex replied and quickly ducked under his outstretched arm that held the spear. Running quickly towards the ship and the open landing dock, she suddenly found herself stopped in her endeavor to reach Scar, as two more Hunters materialized in front of her and grabbed her.
Finding herself lifted into the air by her arms, Lex started kicking and screaming as if possessed. "Let me go you monsters," She yelled in desperation. "If you don't want to help him, I will."
Clicks and growls where Lex's only response as she was being carried back towards the older alien that once more had his head tilted to the side as he watched the spectacle in front of him.
"Let me go," Lex bellowed and tried to free herself by controlling her frantic kicks. Aiming for the knee of one of the Hunter's that was carrying her, a satisfying grunt was her reward as her foot connected with its side. However, instead of letting her fall, the alien turned on her and let lose a bellow of anger, mandibles flaring in fury.
Lex couldn't help herself but tilted her head as if to mock him and muttered, "What makes you think that I am scared of that? I fought my way out of that damn tomb and killed the big bitch. Now let me go!"
Lex was suddenly unceremoniously dumped into the snow as she was once more facing the old Hunter. This time his eyes were looking towards the direction where once the old water tower had stood and not at her. Following his vision, Lex quickly realized that neither the old one, nor the two younger ones that had brought her back to him were paying her any attention as they seemed to be listening to the old Hunter's musings as he growled and trilled in contemplation. Seeing her chance, Lex got to her feet and her eyes fell upon a familiar container she had seen Scar use before. She quickly realized that she was looking at one of the med-kits the Hunter's usually carried and a plan was already formulating.
Using their distraction to her advantage, she dashed forward, slipped past the three Hunters, while swiping the med-kit at the same time and ran for her life towards the spaceship. A furious bellow lit up the snowy fields and Lex was praying to whatever deity was listening, to let her reach Scar safely and help him survive, since his own species were refusing help due to some twisted ideal of honor.
"Stop!" A single growl from the eldest Yautja froze the two Hunter's in their steps as they were going to give chase to Lex.
"But Elder," the one whose med-kit was taken trilled in disbelief. "She will bring great dishonor to Swift Spear by keeping him from u'sl-kwe (final rest)."
"Let the lou-dte kale (child-maker) proceed," the Elder growled again and inhaled sharply as he clicked his mandibles together. "Paya must be at work tonight. Why else would a Ooman female bare the symbol of our Clan and show us defiance in order to protect a single Hunter?"
The two younger Hunter's lowered their heads and eyes to show their submission, "As you command Elder."
"Yes," the Elder trilled as his eyes studied the battlefield before him. "Cetanu must have been appeased by the battle with the kiande amedha (hard meat) Queen. Come, let us return to the ship and help the female in her endeavor to keep Swift Spear from enjoying his u'sl-kwe (final rest)."
As the three Hunter's turned to join the rest of their clan inside the ship, Lex was already aimlessly running through the massive corridors as she desperately searched for Scar.
"Scar, where are you?" Lex whispered in fear and anger as she ran along another corridor that looked just like one of the many others' she had already used. Lex's imagination was running wild as she looked for her friend and defeat was slowly waning into her mind as she turned yet again into another corridor that seemed to lead her nowhere.
In her fear and anger, Lex bellowed his name in the hope of receiving any form of a response from him but was only met with silence and intriguing stares of the many Hunters that were studying her as she wildly ran within the ship.
"Damn it," Lex muttered in defeat as her running turned into a jog, only to stop altogether. Tears were running down her cheeks as she leaned against one of the corridor walls and slid down to her knees as she folded her arms over her head while still holding the med-kit. Quiet sobs escaped her as the last of her hopes crumbled to dust.
A pair of legs eventually stopped in front of and her Lex slowly lifted her head up, to see who dared interrupt her in her grief. Her eyes widened at seeing the old Hunter standing in front of her again. The spear he had offered her was attached to his back and his head was once again tilted in curiosity. In yet again broken English he ordered her to follow him, "Come."
Lex shook her head, "I am not leaving until I see him."
"Come," the Elder repeated and motioned with his hand.
"Will you bring me to Scar?" Lex asked as her thoughts instantly turned to the possibility of betrayal. "You won't force me away?"
"Come," the Elder insisted and began to walk deeper into the ship or what Lex hoped was deeper into the ship.
Scrambling to her feet, Lex jogged after the Elder as he took powerful long strides. They came to a t-intersection and the Elder turned right. The short corridor opened up into a massive room with a giant viewport on the far end that was currently showing a moving snowy white landscape. Lex frowned as she looked out the window from the entrance of the room but quickly forgot what she found disturbing about the outside view when the arm of the Elder pointed towards some stairs that lay snug against the walls of the room and were leading to some sort of balcony.
"There," the Elder clicked with his mandibles.
Lex didn't hesitate and instantly ran towards the stairs and took two large steps at a time as she rushed to the top. Upon reaching the upper level, she froze as she saw Scar lying on top of a table centered on the raised level with a perfect view out of the giant viewport. Hearing the Elder Hunter arriving besides her, Lex took a single hesitant step forward before breaking out into another mad dash.
She arrived next to her friend and with trembling hands propped the med-kit by Scar's head. Carefully placing her right hand over Scar's mouth, Lex closed her eyes and let go of a breath she had been unexpectedly holding as she felt a faint brush of air against the palm of her hand.
"He's still alive," Lex whispered in relief and quickly with trembling hands fumbled with the medi-kit. A storm of curses escaped her mouth as she fought with the small metal box, "How the hell does this thing open up?"
A soft trill of laughter next to her whipped her head towards the Elder. "How about some fucking help here?" Lex growled in frustration as her fingers once again slipped as she tried to pry the metal top open.
The old Hunter only shook his head in amusement and carefully grasped Lex's hands in between his own and with the experience of an old teacher, moved Lex's fingers against the sides of the metal box. Using his thumb, he lightly pressed into the lid and simultaneously pushed it away, while all the time carefully moving Lex's fingers with his own to teach her.
The med-kit popped open with a soft snap-hiss and Lex briefly looked at the old alien, "Thank you."
Her eyes studied the med-kit briefly and her brows crinkled in frustration as she was unable to identify anything that looked even remotely helpful to her. Another chuckle from beside her only worsened her irritation and she turned her anger and frustration at the only person that was around. "This isn't in the least bit funny. Either help me or shut the hell up."
The chuckling trills stopped abruptly and Lex's eyes widened as the Elder's mandibles flared dangerously. However, before Lex could even attempt to apologize, a sudden sound of tearing flesh and breaking bones was heard by both Lex and the old Predator. Their eyes moved towards Scar as the giant Hunter's upper body slightly shook and their eyes widened as they watched Scar's chest cavity suddenly push outward and with a shrieking shrill, the black form of a serpent poked out into the air.
"Motherf…" Lex yelled and her hands instantly snapped forward and wrapped around the tiny alien that was covered in Scar's neon-green blood as it screeched in victorious freedom. If asked what Lex was feeling at that very moment, she would have answered that her veins were suddenly on fire as a blinding rage tinted her vision red as she watched the chestburster emerge from Scar's chest.
A raging roar escaped Lex as she tightened her hold on the little serpent. She twisted her hands and with a satisfying snap, broke the chestburster's spine. However, still blind with rage, she took hold of the tail and started flocking the serpent against a metal beam that stood to her left. After several swings, the alien landed with a soft thud on the ground and Lex lifted her right foot high and slammed with all her might onto the head of the Alien.
As she lifted her foot for another pounding, a terrifying roar momentarily froze her in place. The roar was instantly followed by a painful grip on her shoulder and a strong tug. The pain that suddenly shot through Lex's shoulder pulled her out of her blinding rage and she quickly turned around and threw herself into the old Hunter's chest and a sorrow filled wail escaped Lex as she pressed her face into the Predator while muttering about the unfairness of it all.
xXx
Stunned, the Elder watched in disbelief as a kiande amedha fledgling emerged from the single Hunter the female Ooman was trying to safe. Astonishment followed instantly as the female's eyes turned ice cold as a roar escaped her tiny frame that shocked him to the core. Never before had he heard anyone other than his own race issue such a terrifying outcry. And apparently he still wasn't finished with being surprised by the tiny female as she reacted even before he could with her hands shooting forward and capturing the abomination that had spawned in between her small soft hands.
The violent display of the female as it utterly crushed the fledgling in between her weak claws made the Elder's heart skip a beat as a feeling of respect snaked its way into the picture he had formed of the woman. Quickly he added pride to that as well as the female voraciously ensured the demise of the abomination and an inkling of understanding dawned on him as to why this female was wearing the mark of the Clan. However, to clear his suspicion, the Hunter that had marked her would need to be questioned.
Coming to a decision, he quickly bellowed forth a mighty roar that would summon his warriors. He then approached the Ooman female and pulled her from the bloodlust she had succumbed to. Having to actually assert some force into his attempt of pulling her from the haze of rage, he once again questioned his defined image of the pyode amedha (soft meat), for he had never heard of their race to succumb to it this strongly, if even at all. And as the female threw herself at him, as her body shook from what appeared to be grief, he instinctively reacted and tried to comfort her as he would a female of his own race. Deep within him, plates of bones that were rarely used began to vibrate and the air surrounding him was filled with a gentle soothing purr.
The sound of heavy footfalls alerted the Elder of the arrival of his warriors' and as his shipmaster approached him, the Elder tilted his head forward in a show to give permission to come closer.
"You have summoned us Elder?" The honored warrior and shipmaster asked as he lowered his head and eyes in submission.
"Call for an immediate ship-wide search for kiande amedha (hard meat)," the Elder growled softly as he listened to the sobs from the female that was still leaning into him for support. "If it weren't for this female, the birth of a z'skvy-de (chestburster) of a kiande amedha u'darahje (hard meat abomination) would have gone undiscovered."
He watched the eyes of the shipmaster widen in shock but received an affirmative nod as the shipmaster's eyes fell upon the dead chestburster. "I'll lead the hunt myself Elder."
"Leave the abomination," the Elder mentioned as he saw the shipmaster approach the serpent corpse. "The female has claim to its trophy."
"As you command Elder," the shipmaster responded and turned towards the assembled warriors below and while doing so, manipulated several buttons on his wrist computer. He was quickly awarded with a high ping from his portable computer that signified he had opened a ship wide channel. "By the command of the Elder Bakuub (Strong Spear), an immediate kiande amedha hunt is to be conducted aboard this ship." Instantly roars of rage vibrated through the ship as the Predators began to tear apart the ship with their sensors looking for any unwanted stowaways.
"Where the hell is my nest brother?" the Elder growled in irritation.
"Ask for me and I shall appear," a Yautja that looked almost identical to the Elder appeared behind him.
The Elder turned to look over his shoulder and motioned to the prone form that was Scar. "Is he still alive?"
Confused at the question, the Yautja that was dressed in an informal light desert crème colored tunic moved besides the mentioned body. As his hands moved over the mouth to check for breathing, the questioned Hunter frowned as his lower mandibles flared, while the upper ones were pulled inwards. "He barely holds onto Paya's veil. Cetanu's hold on him is strengthening."
"Then deny Cetanu of this warrior's soul," the Elder growled. "I want you to heal him."
The Yautja looked at his leader, "You want me to heal this honored warrior? Elder, you will call forth Cetanu's wrath by denying him what's rightfully his."
"I do not believe Cetanu will have much to complain about brother," the Elder turned his speech more informal and less authoritative as he usually did when speaking with his nesting brother. "It is my belief that this warrior is blessed and watched over by Paya herself. For hadn't it been for this female, the discovery of the abomination would have gone unnoticed and brought eternal shame upon this Clan."
"As you command," the brother responded and signaled for several healer apprentices to immediately prep surgery.
"Do not fear for my honor brother," the Elder spoke up knowing that his nest brother was worried of the repercussions by denying a Yautja his earned death, for there was no higher honor than dying during a hunt. "The Council of Ancients' are a just embodiment of our race. No dishonor will befall our Clan."
"From your lips in Paya's ears," the Healer replied and briefly spared the woman a brief glance from afar. "Shall I take her along to the medical facilities? She is bleeding rather heavily from her injuries."
"C'jit (shit)," the Elder growled as he realized why the woman had suddenly fallen quiet. Quickly giving her a once over and seeing her losing a lot of blood from her hands, he lifted her still form into his arms.
His brother stepped up and pulled Lex out of the arms of the Elder, "I have her brother. Why don't you pick up the abomination and prepare the trophy so when the female wakes, you may present her with her small, yet honored trophy."
"Thank you," the Elder grumbled as he picked up the dead Xenomorph abomination that had been killed by Lex. "Contact me as soon as things changes with either the Ooman or the warrior."
"Of course Elder," the healer lowered his head in deference and quickly left the observation room to operate on the dying Hunter as well as patch up the fragile female in his arms.
Elder Bakuub stood vigilantly at the viewport and watched the majestic blue planet grow ever smaller as his ship was slowly leaving the star system to return to Yautja space. Shaking his head, he eyed the dead Xenomorph fledgling in his hand and briefly questioned Paya what would have befallen his Clan, had he prevented the female Ooman from invading his ship and convincing him to do the unthinkable, dishonoring a fallen Yautja by bringing him back from the clutches of the Black Warrior Cetanu.
"Paya will guide us and hopefully watch over you little warrior," the Elder trilled as he studied the shrinking blue planet that was the Oomans' homeworld.
xXx
Darkness – that was all that surrounded Lex as she opened her eyes. Not a single source of light could be seen as she was greeted with a solid wall of black. The cold claws of fear instantly slammed into her heart as it pounded away in her chest. Her pulse thrumming hectically away inside her ears, drowning out her terrified and labored breathing as her eyes darted violently back and forth. Closing her eyes in an attempt to shrug off the bone chilling fear, Lex carefully tasted the air with her nose, only to smell nothing.
Dejected, Lex wrote off her sense of sight and smell and carefully began to put one foot in front of another as she aimless stumbled through the blackness. Tripping over her feet, Lex yelped in surprise and fell even as she pushed her arms out in front of her in order to catch herself from impacting the ground face first. Cursing, Lex carefully pulled her legs under herself and slowly stood up. Briefly concentrating on the pounding pulse in her ears, she banished it into the back of her mind as she tried to direct her hearing to anything that could give a hint to where she was.
"Hello!" Lex frightfully called into the darkness only to hear an echo respond.
"Shit!" Lex thought as the echo slowly diminished. "What the hell is going on?" She questioned herself quietly and uselessly turned several times around her own axis.
As fear clawed itself deeper into her heart and despair clouded her mind, thoughts of surrendering to the darkness were slowly suffocating her.
"Why does this happen to me?" Lex asked herself and was shocked to receive an answer from her mind as the image of Scar roaring into her unflinching face banished the creeping cold from her soul.
"No," Lex growled in anger at her betraying thoughts. "Never give up! Never surrender!"
"Thank you father," Lex mentally thanked her deceased parent as she had repeated his famous words that he had uttered to her on his dying breath at the top of Mt. Everest. Finding new strength, Lex picked a direction at random and started slowly walking further into the darkness.
As what appeared to be hours past, Lex eventually paused as she still found herself surrounded by the pitch-blackness. Sighing and feeling thirsty, Lex's resolve began slowly fading once more.
"A kingdom for some light and water," Lex muttered and stretched her arms and back in an attempt to ease the tension that had been building up since waking up in this nothingness. Deciding to risk it once more, she cupped her hands around her mouth and inhaled sharply before letting everything out, "Hello! Is there anybody?"
As only her echo once again responded, Lex let her head drop to her chest and sighed. "Damn."
Suddenly her ears picked up on soft clicking and her head instantly snapped into the direction it was coming from and she couldn't believe her eyes as a soft cone of light slowly arose in the darkness. Eyes widening in elation, Lex quickly scrambled towards the source of light that appeared to be at quite a distance away. As she neared, a large humanoid shape stepped out of the darkness into the light and as it stood there, with its back towards Lex and his shoulders squared stiffly as if to keep vigilant watch, Lex's heart wished with all its might for that shape to be someone she knew, someone special – a friend named Scar.
Sweating from the sudden exertion, she hasted towards the waiting shape and as she stumbled into the cone of light, calmness flushed through her as she stood panting next to the familiar shape of a Hunter. Catching her breath as she stood hunched over with her hands resting on her knees, she eyed the alien next to her with a soft smile on her face. Recognizing the mask, Lex straightened and stepped in front of the humanoid with a bright happy smile.
"Scar," Lex whispered in fear to not break the spell and she watched as the head of the Hunter lowered slightly to study her. "You're alive."
She was greeted with a soft trill of acknowledgment and Lex anxiously watched as Scar's hands fingered with his helmet. She listened to the distinct snap hiss that signified he had interrupted the pressurization of his helmet and watched him slowly take it off. Giddy like a child, Lex couldn't wait to see his strong face again, couldn't wait to bathe in his expressional eyes, and watch his two upper mandibles click in curiosity as they always did when he studied her.
And as the silver mask was slowly lifted away from his face, Lex's hope filled eyes turned wide in panic and fear. Scrambling backwards, away from Scar, she suddenly found herself frozen place and watched in horror as Scar shortened the distance between them. Her eyes firmly locked onto the area that should have held Scar's visage but instead she was forced to look into the eyeless shape of a grown Predalien.
Lex's terrified scream was muffled as the Alien roared into her face, quickly swallowing her face with his own. She struggled desperately to get away from the abomination only to freeze rigid as she felt something slimy push down her throat and settle deep within her. And as quickly as she was captured, Lex was released and she could move again.
"W-why?" Lex stammered in fear as she fell to her knees and watched as the Predalien studied her with a tilted head that reminded her so much of Scar.
Another screech that reminded Lex of a cold lethal laughter rumbled forth from the massive alien in front of her. She watched in dreaded fascination as the alien began to shed Scar's frame as if it were a second skin and Lex realized that the real body of the Predalien was even more intimidating.
Questions, questions she knew she wouldn't get answers to, died on her lips as her chest suddenly painfully hurt. She could feel something pushing against her sternum, something strong and powerful, trying to free itself from the confines that were her chest and Lex instantly knew what fate awaited her.
"No, no, no…" Lex repeated several times only to end in a pained scream as her flesh and bones exploded outwards as a single lithe black head popped out and screamed a victorious screech into the darkness. Lex felt her soul slowly slipping, leaving her body and as her eyes became heavy, she looked up into the single light source above her and she suddenly felt her body being lifted up and dragged towards it.
Lex gasped in shock as her eyes flashed open and were immediately assaulted by a bright light that shone above her head. Feeling movement within her chest, Lex lifted her head to see one of the giant Hunter's that was Scar's species, hands deep within her chest cavity.
Lex wanted to scream but was overcome by a sudden pain within her throat that instantly forced her head to fall back onto the table she was lying on. Her entire body shook once as the Hunter was doing something within her and from the movement of his arms, Lex imagined that he was violently shoving something into her chest.
Tears ran freely from her eyes as her mind tried to understand what was happening to her. And as she continued to helplessly watch the alien abusing her body as it rummaged through her as if she was a box of lost and found items, Lex was slowly returning into her dark mindscape where a grown Predalien was waiting for her, all in an attempt to keep her sanity.
xXx
A soft gentle murmur was the first indication to Lex that she was slowly waking again. Still addled by sleep, she opened her eyes and took in her surroundings. Adrenaline slammed into her, shaking her violently awake as her eyes landed on the humanoid alien, who had cut her open the first time she had woken up.
Lex screamed in fear and tried to get away from the alien and without knowing where she was going, she suddenly found herself weightless as she was falling from the table she was lying on. She impacted what she assumed to be the cold metal flooring of the ship and a rush of air escaped her lungs as she landed on her side. Crawling as quickly as she could away from the alien, she failed to realize that nobody was attempting to stop her; and as Lex backed away into a corner, her frightened eyes quickly scanned the room for any signs of danger. Fixing her vision upon the alien, she watched as his head was tilted while studying her. Confusion was clearly written across his mandibles as they flexed uncontrollably.
"What did you do to me?" Lex wanted to shout but could only get out several croaks as she found her throat parched and in extreme pain. Her hands instantly went to feel her throat and her eyes widened even further as her face paled as her fingers traced fresh new vertical scars that went along her entire throat.
"What the hell did they do to me?" Lex choked in her mind as her trembling hands slowly went to lift her shirt as she remembered her nightmare in which she had birthed a black serpent. However, her hands froze as she realized that she was completely naked.
"No, no, no…" Lex rasped again as she look down at herself. A fresh pink scar traveled from her belly button up to her throat and a case of nausea overwhelmed her at the implications. Her imagination was running wild for she was certain that it had been a nightmare, however, as her mind froze on the terror of the situation, Lex almost missed when the Hunter asked her a question.
"W-what?" Lex stammered at last as her fingers fearfully traced the fresh new scar.
"Do not fear little one," the Hunter warmly offered. "I must apologize. Your physiology is vastly different of our own and I was afraid I would unintentionally harm you when I tried to fix your hands, therefore, I deemed it necessary to sedate you."
"You speak English?" Lex asked dumbly. "Wait, what was wrong with my hands?" She asked and looked at them but at first glance didn't see anything wrong with them.
"Turn them over," the Hunter spoke.
Lex did as she was told and hissed in shock when she saw her palms shredded by pink scars. Tears welled up once more, "How… what happened?"
"You killed an u'darahje (abomination) with your bare hands," the alien explained.
Images briefly flashed in front of Lex's eyes as she remembered what she had done to the chestburster that had tried to escape out of Scar's chest. Her thoughts instantly went to her friend, "W-what happened to Scar? Is… is he alive?"
"The one called Swift Spear is recovering in the next room," the Hunter growled lightly and pointed towards a door to her left. "But more importantly, how are you feeling? Are you experiencing any symptoms? Is everything working as it should be? Are you suffering any Headaches perhaps?"
Lex's alarm bells instantly became alert at the questioning and her hands went up to her head to see if anything had been changed as she clearly remembered having that alien's claws inside her. Finding a small patch of missing hair right behind her ears, Lex's eyes briefly widened, only to narrow in anger at the doctor. "Or whatever he is," Lex finished quietly in her mind.
"What did you do to me?" Lex seethed in annoyance as her fear was pushed to the back of her mind.
"I regret that I had to perform several invasive surgeries in order to protect your life," the healer replied as he pointed with a clawed finger at her large scar on her chest.
Lex's left arm consciously covered her breasts and she quickly pushed her legs together to keep some form of modesty. "What," she swallowed in part fear and curiosity. "What did you have to do?"
"I feel foolish," the Hunter answered and Lex could hear some level of regret in his voice. "I had forgotten about your species inability to breathe our atmosphere for an extended period of time. You were suffocating as I mended your hands and had to act fast. Luckily our technology allows us to implant a small device within your lungs that filters our atmosphere, making it breathable for you without the need of a hunting mask."
"Was that when I woke up?" Lex asked and received a small nod of confirmation. "Then what about my throat… and the back of my head?"
The Hunter sighed as he briefly looked towards a computer screen. "Have you not realized that we are holding this conversation in Yautja?"
Lex blinked several times in surprise, "We what?"
"To ensure optimum conversation and keep miscommunication to a minimum, I felt it necessary to implant another small device within your throat that would be able to read the vibrations from your vocal chords and translate them into our language automatically. At the same time, two more devices were installed behind each ear canal that would translate our speech to yours." The healer briefly paused as he studied Lex. "Are you not satisfied with this development? Does it not make it easier for you?"
"No, I mean yes," Lex corrected quickly. "I am sorry this is quite a lot to take in. So I am speaking your native tongue now?"
"Indeed."
"Um… what happened to my clothes?" Lex finally asked after an awkward lull in their conversation.
"Neither I, nor my apprentices had any idea how to remove your soft protective armor from your body and were therefore forced to cut them off of you. I apologize for our inexperience with human armor," the healer stated offering a short bow of his head as an apology.
"Oh," Lex muttered. "Well can I get something to cover up though? I am not cold," Lex quickly added as she watched the alien's head tilt in curiosity again. "However, for my species, we prefer to be covered up and… well… at least some parts…" Lex rambled and fell silence as her cheeks flared up in embarrassment.
"Peculiar," the healer muttered as he watched the shift in temperature in Lex's face. He turned away from her and walked towards a small counter and opened one of the overhanging containers. Lex watched as the alien pulled out two pieces of what appeared to be leather and placed them onto the table Lex had woken up on. "I hope this satisfies your need to cover up. I apologize if this isn't satisfactory to your wishes; however, our hunting ships are rarely equipped for female needs."
"I am sure I can manage," Lex smiled still embarrassed. She quickly got up from the floor and walked towards the table while still trying to cover herself up with her arms and hands. "Could I get some privacy?"
"Privacy?" the alien asked in surprise and Lex wondered whether this species even understood the meaning of said word. Lex knew that they apparently loved to get into your face, so privacy might be a foreign concept to them.
"Yes, um… just if you could wait outside for a few minutes and leave me alone," she added helpfully and received a quick nod of affirmation. "Thank you," Lex added as the healer exited the room.
Taking a quick look at the garments that were in front of her, Lex quickly realized that the Hunters appeared to have an entirely different definition to clothing than she had. Holding two identical pieces of leather garments in her hands, Lex couldn't help but snort. Here was a technologically advanced space fairing race that loved to fight terrible monsters and they apparently would wear a few scraps of leather that would only cover up their privates to a bare minimum. Sighing Lex quickly took the first garment that could be described as a loincloth and tied the two flaps around her waist so that one would cover her front, while the second flap would barely cover her derrière.
Making sure the strings of leather that connected the two pieces were secured around her and holding, Lex quickly confronted the second garment and wondered how she could manipulate that one to protect her modest chest from the curious stares of the Hunters. Deciding in cutting the garment apart, Lex briefly looked around the room and took hold of what appeared to be a scalpel. Quickly freeing both flaps from the connecting strings, she took hold of the wider of the two flaps and cut small holes into the top two corners. Threading the thin leather strips through each hole and securing them by tying a thick knot at the end, she lifted the piece in front of her and quickly adjusted for the proper height and maximum amount of cover. Guiding the two leather strings to the back of her neck, Lex finished by tying them together and her make shift leather cover bra was finished.
Moving towards one of the many reflective surfaces, Lex observed her clothes and shook her head in disbelief. "I look like a cave woman," she muttered dejectedly and twirled once to see how much movement would reveal her body. Seeing that the leather barely moved, Lex immediately felt more comfortable knowing she was covered enough to not feel overly embarrassed.
Estimating that she probably took long enough, she walked towards the door the healer had left through. She had to fight her hands from nit picking at her new outfit as she still felt self-conscious but luckily found a prompt distraction as she realized she was bare footed, yet the metal beneath her was relatively warm and comfortable. Wondering about the implications, she promised herself to ask the doctor immediately.
She stood in front of the closed door and wondered why it wasn't opening. She remembered when her eyes fell upon a small button that the doctor had pushed as he had exited the room to give her some privacy. Repeating what she had seen, the door hissed open and Lex stumbled backwards in surprise as the doctor stood mere inches in front of her. "Creepy," Lex thought.
"Does the clothing satisfy you?" the alien asked immediately as he inspected her tiny form.
Lex nodded, "It's different that's for sure but for now it should suffice. Thank you."
"Very well," the alien responded and stepped past her as he entered the room. "My nest brother will be with you shortly and answer any questions that you may still have. Until he arrives, feel free to explore the room."
"Thank you," Lex bowed and began to slender throughout the room as she took in the many strange instruments. Her eyes briefly flashed to the doctor to see whether he was wearing any covering over his feet but found them to be bare just like hers.
Nodding in understanding mostly to herself, Lex eventually stopped in front of the door the doctor had indicated Scar was behind. She briefly wondered if she was allowed to see him but went against her better judgment and simply pushed the small button that would open the door. Lex heard a short buzzer as the door didn't budge.
"I am afraid I can't let you see Swift Spear yet," the doctor responded from across the room.
"Why is that?" Lex asked as she turned towards the alien.
"He has yet to wake from his operation."
"Will Scar… I mean will Swift Spear survive?"
"He will live," the doctor replied and stopped as the other door opened and Lex saw the old Hunter that had first tried to keep her away from Scar, only to lead her to him later, enter.
"Hello," Lex greeting him timidly.
"The same to you little one," the Hunter offered and came to halt half way towards Lex. She watched his head tilt to his side and Lex slowly began to wonder if the species had perhaps a weak neck. She swallowed a snort at the ridiculous thought but couldn't hide her smirk.
"So…" Lex said as her eyes looked at everything but the Hunter. "What happens now?"
A/N: Thoughts? Suggestions? Flames? Praise?