To celebrate my registration here, it's fanfic time!!!!
PT I: Betrayal/Chapter I
The four of them stood around a hologram projector, eyeing their drop destination: a temple in the middle of a barren wasteland on a frozen planet. They were about to take part in their rite of initiation. It would be the first hunt for each of them. They were ready.
Their names were L'vresha, The Strong; Je'dena, The Keen-eyed; Tre'shedan, The Fast; and their leader, the only one amongst them who had completed the rite of initiation, the one they only knew as Hunter.
Hunter stood in the corner of the room, next to a rack of helmets, making mental notes of everything the initiates did. Each of them had successfully completed the Trials, and each had surpassed all expectations. It was time for them to become adults in their society. Time for them to become Predators.
L'vresha checked his wrist-mounted computer. With a grunt of satisfaction, he turned to Hunter. "We're ready, sir. Are you?"
Hunter simply grunted and took his helmet from the rack. It looked like most helmets of their kind, except for the long scratch that ran down from the top left corner of the forehead to the bottom left corner of the chin. Apparently, he had gotten it from a Xenomorph, who had slashed at him with it's barbed tail and missed. Missed anything vital, anyway. Hunter had had it painted bright crimson, so it always looked fresh. He then tossed L'vresha his helmet, standard issue, nothing special.
The other two took their helmets from the rack as well. They put them on wordlessly and checked their weapons and visor status. When the green letters reading Arms check complete. All systems nominal flashed in front of their faces, the hunters turned to their leader. Without saying a word, he put his helmet on and rotated his neck in a complete circle before heading for the launch bay. The initiates followed.
"You ready, strong boy?" Tre'shedan asked, playfully jabbing L'vresha in the shoulder. He ignored him
Instead, L'vresha focused on his unyielding jealousy toward Hunter, who was locked in an embrace with his mate, M'eria. Someday, tought L'vresha, he would have a beutiful mate. He would be the one leading the Initiates, and someday....someday he would challenge Hunter to a pitched duel to the death for his status as clan leader. And he would win.
"Someday..." He though aloud.
"Pardon?" said Je'dena, passing by. Again, he ignored the jibes from his so-called comrades. He didn't need them. He could take on the Xenomorphs. Even without Hunter.
Hunter touched his forehead to M'eria's, a sign of respect. He then strode to the initiates, eyeing them carefully. He nodded and began to speak.
"Today, you begin your rite of initiation. Today, you become predators. Today, you will become waht you were destined to be: a fearless warrior, or a tale to be told to children as bedtime stories. The challenge you face will be difficult, and some of you may not survive. You may not see your families for weeks...or ever again. Are you ready?"
Je'dena and Tre'shedan rose their fists to the air and roared. L'vresha just sottd there, arms folded in fornt of him. Hunter looked right into his eyes.
Without anything left to say, the four boarded the landing craft and headed for the frozen planet.
The planet was cold. Very, very cold.
Hunter was ahead of the main group, scouting. But what for? The Xenomorphs they were to hunt were inside.
The hunting party walked effortlessly through the thick snow, toward the massive pyramid in the distance. There, they would let loose several Xenomorphs, and hunt them throughout the pyramid, mark themselves with its blood, and return as heroes to the clan.
Heroes. The word floated around through L'vresha's head.
Suddenly, Hunter stopped walking and his head snapped to the right. The initiates turned to look in the direction of their master.
L'vresha stepped foreward. "What's wrong, Hunter? Jumping at shadows?"
Impossibly fast, Hunter clapped his hand to L'vresha's mouth. He made a shushing noise.
There was a pause, then Hunter removed his hand from L'vresha's mouth and turned to face him. "The pyramid has ruptured. Xenomorphs are roaming free throughout this land. Once we have finished the rite, we will return home. Do not make this anything more than this has to be, initiate." He spat the last word. "And you will address me as sir, L'vresha, or you will find yourself buried alive on this planet. Understand?"
Without waiting for his answer, Hunter continued on. L'vresha froze in place for a moment.
No master ever called an initiate by his first name. Ever.
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PT I: Betrayal/Chapter 2
Hunter stood over the motionless corpse of a Xenomorph. There were no wounds on it, so the creature must have died from the cold.
Hunter scanned the vast, barren land, finding nothing. He knew they would be out there. But where were they? He stood up and headed toward the pyramid in the distance.
L'vresha could now see the whole pyramid. It was a massive, triangular structure, with a large staircase that lead to the entrance at the top. There were also massive cracks in the stone, revealing the innards of the structure.
They ascended the structure with ease, stepping over the various crevices that would be the portal to their doom, would any of them step into it.
The top of the staircase was littered with dozens of dead Xenomorphs. How they had died was beyond the knowledge of any present.
Hunter eyed one of the corpses. "We're heading in now. Gather yourself, this will not be easy."
As they entered the pyramid, Je'dena thought he saw one of the Xenomorphs twitch.
L'vresha examined a Space Jockey. It's ribs were bent outwards, a sign that the Xenomorphs were active again. As if to prove the point, opened eggs layed scattered about.
They came to another staircase, this one leading to a dead end.
"Well, now what?" Said L'vresha. "There's no door."
Hunter shook his head. "Look carefully, young one."
He strode to the left side of the room. As the initiates watched, he pressed one of the stones in. A panel rose from the ground in front of Tre'shedan, a glowing red button in its center. He pushed it.
Suddenly, the wall in front of them split in two. Each side slid away t oreveal a doorway. Hunter walked up to it, the initiates followed.
At a touch, the door creaked open in front of Hunter. The room beyond was amazing.
It was a massive chamber, massive columns held up the ceiling, intricate designs were etched into the walls and floors. In the center was a massive, translucent chamber, but none of the hunters could see in, as the glass was covered in ice on the inside.
"Behold, the birthing chamber," said Hunter. None of the initiates responded, struck with awe. "Here is where we will release three Xenomorphs, and you three will hunt them. Once you have killed the Xenomorph, you will mark youselves and return here. Then we will leave. But be warned--You may stumble into more Xenomorphs, as someone has set them free. Are you ready?
"I am ready" they responded in unison.
"Good. Then let the hunt begin!"
As soon as the words escaped his lips, something large and black knocked Hunter off his feet. Three more of the hideous black forms appeared over the side of the wall, hissing and spitting. With a shock, the initiates realized they had been ambushed.
Hunter unsheathed his wrist-mounted blades and stabbed them into the Xenomorph's mouth. Quickly, he threw it off of him and over the edge, enjoying its death screams. He thought himself lucky that he had his blades treated to resist the Xenomorph's acidic blood. The initiates, however, had not.
L'vresha grappled with one of the creatures, it's face inches away from his own. Staring into it's mouth, he saw the thing's inner jaw ready to strike. He ducked his head just as the jaw flew out of its mouth. With amazing speed, he grabbed the alien's inner jaw and ripped it out of its mouth. He then spun it around and kicked its head into a wall, killing it. He then kneeled next to it, took its tail in one hand, and marked himself.
The pain was excruciating, but necessary. He could now return to his family with honour.
Je'dena kicked one alien away and slammed another's head into his armored knee. He felt no pain, thanks to an adrenaline rush. As one creature began to get up, he fired his shoulder-mounted plasma caster, and the creatuer exploded in a mass of black chitin and acidic blood. Being careful not to step in any acid, the picked up the creature's severed tail and marked his forehead.
Je'dena stood and let out a roar of victory. He then spun around to finish the other alien off, but Tre'shedan was already smashing its head into the ground. He then got up and marked himself.
"Not as hard as you thought, was it, Je'dena?" The two then turned to watch Hunter as he effortlessly killed the leftovers.
He slashed left and right, each swing striking true and spilling Xenomorph blood. As he removed his blades from the chest cavity of one creature, he spun around and fired his plasma caster into another, which was coming up the stairs. He turned again and flung his smart disc at a group of the creatures, using telekinetic abilites to decapitate them all.
When the battle was finally over, Hunter turned to the initiates. His words were filled with pride.
"Well done, hunters. You are no longer initiates. You have sucessfully completed the trials necessary to become a Warrior. I am truly proud of all of you. Now, let's leave this godforsaken place."
As they turned to leave, L'vresha spoke the one most damning word a Warrior could say to his superior.
