The First Hunter

Celtic

When I received Cet-Khar's signal, I immediately left my station and came to his aid. I'm only summoned when the alternative is dire. I'm Celtic, I finish the job. If it bleeds it can be killed!

There are very few things that surprise me in life but, this...? Zahraun's dwelling is a total clusterfuck. I am not comfortable that I am called upon to intervene on a fight for dominance over a female.

I have rescued many female species from slavery and abuse. I have seen this look many times before. She is frighten. My brothers are not doing a good job at wooing this creature. I understand now why Cet-Khar requested my assistance.

To kill another Yautja intentionally holds severe consequences. The Yautja Honor Code however, excludes self-defense  and killing an opponent in a fight to settle a dispute. I know my brothers won't kill each other, murder is the worst crime and it is not acceptable in this case. Their fight is of no concern to me.
I am called upon for the human, not for my brothers.

"Never harm the innocent" , I repeat to myself.  Those who have done no harm should have no harm done to them. This principle applies to all species in the universe, not only the Yautja.

I move close to the female swiftly and whisper "Come with me, human." She shrink back against the wall, pressing her back to it tightly, she shook her head frantically. "Trust me, human. Take my hand and come with me now." Something in my eyes might have got through her panic and she reached out to me with a shaky tinny hand. My large hand gripped hers, turning to glare at my brothers as they both began to move in our direction. The human seem to have lost her ability to walk, so I yank her forward, half dragging her through the large room to the door.

I open the door and drag her through. Before my brothers could reach us, I place one arm under her tighs and the other supporting her back. She has no time to adjust herself as I press her tightly against my chest, activates my cloak and break into a run.

I reach my Mission Vessel and jump inside. I do not have time to secure the female on her seat. I keep her pressed against my chest as I slide in the pilot's seat and program the computerized dashboard.

The human stare outside the craft in alarm, but I know humans can't see in the dark.

I hear my brother roaring and calling for the female from far away. I ignore it. With my free hand I activate the invisibility system that will render this ship invisible to any form of electronic scanning, and initiate faster-than-light flight.

I have done this many times before. My entire existence revolves around secret missions to rescue sentient life forms from trafficking and exploitation. I am familiar with the wormholes that will take me between solar systems in seconds. The warship will never be able to detect me.

My Mission Vessel is sleek, elongated, and made to sustain significant damage. Externally, it is covered in my ancestor's writings and symbols. The sole purpose of this vessel is to carry out rescue missions on dark planet's surface.

As we exit the warship's orbit, I begin to relax. The human is still on my lap, pressed tightly against me in silence. Her arms are wrapped tightly around my neck in fear.

Many hostage and kidnap survivors can experience shock, numbness, anxiety, guilt, depression, anger, and a sense of helplessness. Yautja's may not experience those feeling, however, we are aware that many creatures do.

Once we are out of reach, I carefully place the human on a seat next to me. She is confused and frightened. I am not good at comforting females. My life is hard. I spend most of my time in harsh environments tracking criminals. I've witnessed more atrocities than I care to remember, and killed more despicable creatures than I can count.

When I was at Bet-Khar age, I was assigned to carry out a rescue mission on a planet called Tazjen. The day after I landed on the surface, the small planet was brutally attacked. Ruthless Space Pirates raided the villages, stealing anything of value - females and younglings included - and burned everything else.

My ship was clocked, near the raided colony. The vessel exploded before I had the chance to reach it. I was knocked out by the blow. When I regained my consciousness, everyone was dead. The Space Pirates were gone. I was alone. I wondered that planetoid for months, surviving off of ashy water and insects. There was no shelter from the harsh desert temperature. The local wild life was dead. Without protein my body was not able to heal itself from the damage. My face may not have been affected since I wore the bio mask, but my body still carry the marks. I have not allowed modern technology to heal me them. My scars will always be a reminder of the life I chose for me.

When my brother Zahraun finally found me, I was an abomination. The only thing alive inside me was my rage.

I eventually tracked down the Space Pirates, extracted the creatures they kept enslaved and killed every single pirate I could find, until the last of their kind.

My greatest challenge in life has been reassuring that the right to choose extends to those whose lack of strength makes them easy targets for stronger species.

The female now under my protection may not know yet but she cannot reside in our planet unless mated to a Yautja, which is unlikely to happen. Yautjas don't mate with off-world creatures.

I will take this female to a safe location. She won't be returned to Zahraun, Bal-Khan, or Bet-Khar, until a proper arrangement is made. The human creature has much to learn about the Yautja. Life is about evolving so, she will learn with time.

I freed a thousand prisoners, but I could have freed many more if only they knew what they really were.