by G. K. Scott
Marcus eased on his glasses watching Carlos rub his hands together with pleasure. The being moved through the smoke all he could see was armour silver armour and some kind of headpiece. He stopped noticing wavy brown hair as the being stopped in front of him. He swallowed as it slowly lifted its hand to its helmet causing the marines to pull up there guns. Carlos stopped short this wasn’t a predator! It was dressed like one but it wasn’t a hunter, or was it? It looked human he eased up his hand eyeing the marines. “I think it’s taking of it’s helmet.” It was hard to make out the form because of the smoke with in the ship rising but he swore it looked female. He watched as the pipe to helmet was pulled causing a spray of air. Julia found herself staring in utter surprise, as the mask was slowly pulled free. He heart suddenly missed a beat only to hit her stomach in half disappointment and shock as a human face came in to view. It was a woman who looked in to in her mid twenties with very long wavy brown hair, which had metal bolts in places.
Her long fringe hung down while her piecing green eyes stared back. She could finally make out the rest as the woman stepped out of smoke. She was about 5.6 in height wearing this strange armour. That almost seemed to wrap around her on the lower and upper half only leaving her stomach bear. She could see some kind of dagger. They’re where other things including blades that came out of some kind of wrist armour. The rest she wasn’t sure what was armour and what was weapons. The only things she was sure of was the two parts of metal hanging that hung down the front and back covering her underwear. As well as the braced metal armour that covered her chest. Leo blinked just staring he wasn’t the only one. Just about everyone in the room and behind the glass looked surprised. He looked at the woman who was just looking at them waiting for someone to say something. He stepped forward grinning, “Well know there’s something you don’t see everyday! Welcome to the Iron Year.”
Emma blinked before smiling “It’s nice to see people again.” She knew that was such a lie. Carlos grunted pulling Leo back before moving forward himself. “Yes welcome to the Iron Year, my I can’t believe your signal was really human sent by a human. You see we just thought it was some alien using our technology.” Emma narrowed her gaze, idiot did he have any idea how rude he sounded? Wasn’t he even going to bother asking her name ether? Carlos put both hands behind his back “I trust the aliens are all died and you got that ship and armour from them?” Marcus moved forward. “I’m sorry our head of science is very rude, may I we ask what your name is?” Emma eased the staff free clicking it watching as it went to her height. She watched as the marines pulled up their guns suddenly. She ignored them leaning on the weapon slightly. “Emma, Emma Wingates.” Lucy folded her arms in annoyance watching as Lexington came closer to the woman. She turned to Julia “How annoying I wanted a fringing alien.”
Lexington moved a little closer. “Now I know you’re a guest but your weapons are not permitted here.” He moved closer “You’ll have to give them to as.” Emma looked at the tall marine. “No! There my weapons marine!” Lexington smirked moving closer. “Now look here lady its just procedure. We do it to all the people on colonies and space craft.” Emma sneered at him. Procedure the same procedure that had cost so many scientists there lives on Callisto. Even if half of them couldn’t fire a gun it might have saved their lives against the hard meat. They had died bloody deaths because the jack assed marines wouldn’t give them anything to fight with making them sheep to the slaughter!
She growled at him “I know your procedure and you can shove it up your ass!” Carlos moved forward. “General Lexington leave the girl in peace you have no idea what she’s been through.” Lexington turned sharply until he was face to face with the woman “Give me your god damn weapons!” Emma twitched her shoulder causing her shoulder gun to unlock its three red beams aimed at his forehead. She moved it slowly down to his chest stopping dead centre. “You want them you can pull them from dead fingers.” She turned slightly hearing all the guns load. Lexington pulled up his gun hearing the cries of horror from all the scientists. “You’re an annoying one! Did the space go to your head? Or have you always been a hard assed bitch looking for a fight?”
Emma didn’t get a chance to reply as the marine, was suddenly grabbed by the throat. He was lifted high above her then slammed in to the ships side. She watched Jeuki appeared his invisibility cloak disappearing as he held the marine up. Her gaze widened as he leaned forward until his helmeted face was level with the man’s. His mandibles underneath made threatening clicks which could be heard Jeuki held the male ooman up he could see the interred skull through his helmets vision. How dear he! The little bastard! Trying to force her to hand over her weapons then threatening her with his weapon because she wouldn’t do as she was told. He could hear the male’s gargling through his helmet. He turned seeing the oomans raise their gun while hearing commotion all around.
Samantha eased up her gun “Oh god there’s an alien on board! Shoot it!” Emma pulled up her hands watching the head marine’s gun fall out his hand. As he struggled against Jeuki’s grip. She eased up both hands “No please don’t shoot! He’s not your enemy he’s with me!” Se turned sharply watching Jeuki red helmeted gaze meet hers “Jeuki! Drop him!” Julia watched as the huge gleaming armoured alien dropped the marine on the ground. The general got up grabbing his gun half choking as he moved away. This woman was with this alien? This terrifying looking thing was friendly? It all seemed so unbelievable. Lucy turned grinning. “Finally something to work with.” Leo sneered at her. “You disgust me.”
Jeuki pulled the pipe free. He eased of his helmet ignoring the other oomans looks of horror and disgust mixed with panic and fright. His gaze turned to Emma as he raised up his clawed hand. “Did he hurt you?” Lexington pulled up in surprise. “Did I hurt her, you’ve gotta be kidding me? Wait you can talk like a human?” He pulled back as the ugly crab like face opened roaring at him. Its four mandibles flaring outwards and it’s inner razor jaws opening. The yellow eyes glared at him from under the crested head. He watched the ugly mouth close “You’re ugly as fuck.” Jeuki turned tapping his upper left mandible “So are you male ooman, you’d win a prize for ugly.” He slowly started to laugh mocking the male ooman.
Lexington snarled in anger. “Son of bitch is mocking and laughing at me!” Samantha leaned down “Sir you did just call him ugly.” Leo moved closer “My god that’s amazing he understands the human language and speaks it perfectly.” Lucy moved forward “A human and an alien interaction. This is so great, studying this will win awards back on earth.” Marcus cleaned his glasses “Well I can see why you tried to hide him Emma he is rather scary.” Emma folded her arms. “ It’s not he, his name is Jeuki.” Marcus smiled “Jeuki it is then.” He moved closer to the towering alien who dreadlocks huge down “Pleased to meet you Jeuki.” He took the aliens hand shaking it he noticed the alien’s confusion.
He grinned hearing all the guns lower. “Human handshake it’s like a greeting.” Jeuki cocked his head to one side. “Oh ooman greeting.” He took the ooman males hand shaking it slightly. Lexington growled aloud “I can’t believe you people! That asshole just tried to strangle me and your just greeting him like he’s human.” Emma turned slowly meeting his gaze “The only reason I’m alive is because of Jeuki.” She walked past the head scientist who was grinning at the situation. “I owe my life to him you should show some respect. He only harmed you because he thought you were trying to harm me.” Jeuki pulled up his clawed hand “As if he knows respect, he doesn’t have a code of honour.” He shrugged his shoulders “Ugly ooman male.” Lucy clapped her hands together “Oh this is so great, he’s a perfect specimen he talks perfect English and understands as, this is better than we could’ve hoped for.” Leo rolled his eyes walking up to the huge alien he turned to the Emma “Did you teach him to talk in our language?”
He watched her nod he could see the guns above slowly being lowered. He looked up at the huge alien “Strange face though.” He eased up his hand
s “Not that you’re ugly in any sense of the word Jeuki. The general just has a narrow mind he can’t see the impressiveness of your faces design.” He looked up at the two scars “Are your scars something you were born with?” Jeuki shook his head he turned slightly looking at Emma who still looked nervous. He wasn’t sure he liked this so many oomans all crowding him asking questions. It was funny the ones in the white cloth like Emma used to wear seemed nice but the others with there weapons seemed horrible. So willing to hurt another ooman just to get what they wanted. It wasn’t honourable behaviour from a warrior even if they carry a gun. What had that asshole meant by procedure anyway? They weren’t prisoners they had come as guests through another oomans invite. Yet these ooman warriors had been rude and vile putting guns on them. He didn’t come here to hunt oomans he was here because he cared about one.
He hadn’t wanted to harm any of them. No matter how tempting breaking that rude warrior oomans neck might have been he would’ve never done it. Some of his races elders would’ve killed for such rude behaviour even if not for the same reason. He wasn’t a murder and he wasn’t bad blooded. He would’ve never killed the foolish little ooman male. He looked around hoping they could leave here soon. The faces and the millions of oomans were unnerving him. Emma turned she watched Jeuki click his upper mandible on both side a sigh of nervousness. She turned quickly to the head doctor “I know this is a lot to ask but we need to go somewhere quite and talk about all this.” She looked up slowly noticing the many faces crowding the glass all around. “There’s to many people here.” Carlos smiled “Why of cause, we are sorry this has just been such a shock. I mean a human who’s spent so much time with an alien race it’s extraordinary.” Jeuki turned he was so happy to hear that they could leave he turned hitting the button causing the open bay to close.
He quickly typed in the code noticing that the human’s weren’t paying attention, which was good. No one could get in to this ship and he wasn’t going to allow it. All the elder’s codes had been changed and there was a secondary code that Emma imputed in to the central computer. It also needed his code to activate all the doors and bring the ship to life. If they tried to access the inner ship it would blow up probably taking half this rust bucket with it. Normally he wouldn’t care for all these codes but in a place like this and with oomans all around he was unsure of them all. On top of that the code that locked the door he’d just closed was a not the old elders code but a double code of there making. This was their ship they worked so long to fix it and make it home; he didn’t want anyone getting in to it. The thought of some being nosing around his trophy room disgusted him. Unworthy prey of any kind had no right to see two hunters most honourable and prized items. None of these oomans had gained his respect yet ether.
He slowly followed Emma and the other white cloth oomans. He turned to the disrespectful ooman warrior flaring his mandibles in both disgust and in a half threat. Next time he was so disrespectful to Emma his leg would be broken. Maybe a good dose of punishment was what he needed to learn how to be a better warrior. Lexington snarled aloud “I’m going to go to Oran about this.” Samantha sighed aloud “With all due respect sir, the alien only attacked you because he thought the girl was in danger.” Lexington rubbed his neck. “No human or six foot tall alien is going to undermine my authority!” Samantha shook her head “You go tell him that, I mean come on I wouldn’t threaten that thing.” Lexington shook his head “I would.” He folded his arms “It disgusts me everyone goes by the rules. Yet some little girl can just walk in here with her six foot ugly faced alien and undermine me.” He turned sharply “She’s probably just hiding behind him little coward.” Marshall moved forward from behind him grinning while pulling up his gun “I think the six foot alien is more like a boyfriend.”
Her watched as the others laughed. He grinned, as Fern came up behind him with Eddy “I think she’s a bitch personally, she should’ve listened to the general.” She snorted aloud “I mean she knew the procedure who the hell does she think she is?” Eddy looked up from his pad “No way!” Samantha looked up sharply “What?” Eddy looked at the picture on his note pad “You’re not going to believe this.” Oran folded his arms “What? You can’t be serious.” Luther turned slightly “It’s true sir unbelievable as it may sound.” Neil slowly tapped the screen being up the image of a woman with combed brown hair and a ponytail wearing a lab coat. Who was grinning at them all squeaky-clean “Emma Wingates, level two researchers in to breathing apparatus?” Luther breathed in “Presumed dead after Callisto blew up.” He turned slightly “Something of an idealist, Utro believed the word rebel was more fitting though which is why he was always kept her out of mayor projects. He also ensured that she never reached higher than her level.” Neil folded his arms “Probably wise of him.”
Luther eased up a hand “Saying that though she had a clean record, on Callisto all her issues were professional.” He looked at the image. “I mean she wasn’t rude or threatening. I think she once tripped someone with a cord by accident. That’s all the violence I can dig up from her record. I mean I don’t know what’s clicked in her head to make her act so strange.” Neil laughed aloud. “Isn’t that obvious she spent time with the hunter, he messed up her brain.” He clapped his hands “I mean she was even wearing armour like she was trying to be like him.” He put his hands behind his back “She’s disturbed.” Oran slowly lit a cigar. “I watched the recording of the landing I had to sort out an issue with the general.” He watched the smoke waver from his lit cigar. “This hunter doesn’t seem dangerous rather pitiful. Not like our other friend. So I believe we have nothing to fear from him. Plus if I’m not mistaken he seems to like this girl quite a bit, which could work for as.” Luther turned slightly “In what way?” Oran looked at the picture “In a few ways.”
He grinned widely “Once she’s been reintroduced she could help as.” He tapped the buttons bringing up a picture of the girl from the dock, which floated up next to the other image. “I have a project that she could be useful for. If my assumptions are right she’ knows about predator technology. That in it’s self is a gift.” Neil laughed again. “Oh please she’s a level two she’s not smart just average.” He looked at the screen “I mean she was a lazy collage student who has average grades.” He sniggered aloud. “You don’t seriously expect her to be that smart do you? Like a level three or even four.” Oran slowly blew out smoke “I believe that the only reason she’s alive is because of space. The dark of space changes people.” He breathed in his cigar blowing the smoke in Neil’s direction. “Space is black and cold and is like a monster that makes people rethink their lives. It twists you and makes you stronger. I should know space grants me the gift of playing god. On earth I was a no body but here I make my own world. I believe she remade hers.”
He looked at the armoured picture “What an impressive remaking and envisioning of your self it is, no longer a weak scientist with a rebel mind but a human hunter who may hunt like a true hunter.” He leaned back. “That is impressive and in four and half months earth time which may have been longer in the darkness of space, much longer.” He smiled slightly. “I just hope she’s twisted enough to understand how important she could be to my research in the lower levels.” He grunted aloud. “Even with Oni Jui’s help the job is going to slowly on understand predator’s ship technology. Or maybe he’s just holding back information for his own reasons. Still she could fill in the caps.” He leaned back even more “The possibilities are endless.” He switched of the old scientist image “Treat her kindly I want her to be trusting.” He smiled “Oh and do ensure that nothing in the lower levels is found by her. I don’t want this plan going to pot. Other wise Oni Jui will be tearing of both your heads and mounting them. Do I make myself clear? He watched them both nod quickly “Good now get back to work.”
He watched them leave his gaze moving as he brought up the image of the predator who was with her “Jeuki tell me Oni Jui what kind of a name is that?” He watched
Oni Jui appear behind him his orange eyes meeting his. The young predator flared his mandibles “A weak fools.” Oran turned in his chair “So you two have met?” Oni Jui roared aloud “He was on the same ship as me with the elders. The ship he rides in with the weak little ooman female.” Oran smiled “Interesting so this soft hearted hunter was an outcast?” Oni Jui snorted aloud. “No he was going to be made a high rank like me. He was never worthy of his place yet the elders loved him, not me.” Oran smiled “Oni Jui you still owe me information on the huge elders ship the new hybrid queen and her helpers are close to ready I want your final info.” Oni Jui turned slightly “I don’t have the codes the elders didn’t give me them!” He slammed his fist down in anger “Give me my hunt! I’ve been waiting for it for two long!” Oran clicked his fingers “Of cause you’ll get your reward, you’ve helped so much.” He looked up slightly “Just don’t use the upper levels for a while, and stay away from your other friend.” The predator grunted angrily “As you wish.” Oran watched him vanish “Good boy.”
CHAPTER 6
WITHIN A STRANGE WORLD FROM ANOTHER AND MEMORY AND TIME