The humans waved to each other one last time, before half disappeared into the invisible Yautja ship, and the rest went to the space port. "Well... Since you are going to be with us for quite some time. You each have your own room. Except for you Nadia. You of course will be with my brother." Archer said. Blaze trilled, and Nadia smiled clinging to his waist. "Why are you guys in your armor again?" Claire asked. "We don't set foot outside of our ships without it. This is our code, and also for our protection. We have a breathing apparatus. Without it we wouldn't be able to survive your environment. With it, we can't stay longer than a week at a time. Hunting is slightly difficult when you cannot respirate. Also we have been assigned a mission we are going to now." Archer replied. All three females were in shock. The heavy breathing after fighting the serpents at the camp was truly them starting to be unable to breathe. They were on that planet for more than a week. Roxy smacked Archer's arm. "You could've suffocated!" she lectured. "We had a mission to complete." he replied matter of factly. "You guys are the craziest, most suicidal, biggest bastards I've ever met." She scoffed. "We are not crazy, nor suicidal. We are bound by honor." Archer said defensively. "Yeah yeah, honor this and code that. Can you guys consider our hearts before you go blowing yourselves up and sacrificing yourselves though? Broken hearts are a true cause of death in any living species that has one... Or several." Roxy said. "We will consider... But we do not make promises we cannot keep." Archer said flatly. Roxy huffed and looked at Nadia. "Are you sure you want to mate into this family?" she asked, and Nadia tightened her grip around Blaze.
Archer guided Roxy to her new room, while Blade took Claire to hers. Before he left Claire grabbed his arm. He looked at her. "Is it dangerous?" she asked and Blade tilted his head. "The mission that Archer was talking about." She specified. Blade just shook his head no. She let him go. "Then good luck." She said and she smiled at him. Blade's eyes seemed to light up and he trilled at her. He then left her in her room. Claire watched him leave smiling to herself. His eyes always seemed to light up anytime he saw her. She felt that somehow if they could smile he would smile at her too. But since they physically could not smile or make any expressions, their eyes and their actions revealed everything. It made her feel very special; the way his eyes brightened at her presence, and the way he protected her even in the simplest situations. The reason she had decided to come back was because she knew she'd never see that look again or feel the same comfort. She'd have spent her whole life missing it and wishing for it. She didn't want that, so here she was. Her wrist communicator beeped and she looked at it. Someone had sent her a map, and it looked like it was of this ship. Claire smiled again. She didn't have them in her contacts so she knew it had to be one of the Yautja, most likely Blade. "Listen, this time for every scratch you get I will sing Henry the eighth for an hour each scratch. You nearly die and go comatose on me again then I will scream it all day every day until you wake up." Nadia threatened as she looked sternly at Blaze. He growled and she smiled as she watched him type something into her comms device. "I'm giving you a map of this ship. I've programmed it for a few places specifically. You can find your way to the rooms of your friends and anywhere on this ship. It's what we were using to manuever through the pyramid. Just stay away from the scientists in the lab." He said, and he handed her comms device back to her. Nadia nodded as she put the device back on. The view screen lit up in all their rooms and an image of Noian could be seen staring back at them. "We are going to hyperjump again, humans. Get ready." He said. His image was then replaced by the same countdown they had displayed earlier. The girls all got ready as the countdown ended. They would never get used to the feeling of leaving their guts millions of miles from their bodies.
Once they were out of hyperjump Archer, Blade and Blaze all put their masks on. Outside of their rooms windows they could see a planet. Whatever this planet was it wasn't beautiful like Earth. It was lifeless, and looked like the surface was just one harsh wasteland after another based on its colors from here. It was making Nadia nervous. There was white which meant it was frozen and cold in places. Otherwise it was brown. Nothing about it said it was an environment that benefitted the Yautja. Whatever the mission was they were at a disadvantage. Nadia turned and looked at Blaze, who had his mask on. Nadia wrapped her arms around him hugging him tightly. He hugged her too. Standing on her tiptoes, she made him bend down and she pressed her lips to the mouth part of his mask. "Come back to me again." she said softly and Blaze trilled. Meanwhile Roxy felt the same unease. "There are no trees. What about you?' She asked Archer and Archer shrugged. "There are still elevations and peaks. I'll be fine." he replied, his helmet on as well. "Can I ask what this mission is?" she looked at him. "You have met Seară yes? You call him Blade. He is... Different. Looks unique, acts unique, dark eyes when we are predominantly gold or brown eyed?" he said and Roxy nodded. "Would you care for a story before I go?" he asked and Roxy nodded.
"Seară is not of this clan, and he is also a prodigy of my age. We generally do not unite clans through marriage. But to form an alliance with Seară's clan, it was agreed that either I or my brother would mate with Seară's sister. But there are enemies who do not wish our clans to become stronger. They attacked Seară's clan. Killed many, and captured more, to include Seară's sister. They sent a distress signal to us. But we arrived too late. Seară was the only survivor left when we arrived, and even he almost didn't survive. The scar on his neck is from this. We agreed to help him find what remained of his clan. In order to go on the missions to save his clan, Seară attempted his Chiva years before he should have. Not only did he prove himself to be Blooded, but he also took the head of a Kiande Amedha queen alone. He was sixteen years old by human standards at that time. We do not attempt until we are at least 18 by your standards. My people found his sister first. He went to rescue her, but she had already ended herself. For the past couple of years all we have been doing mostly is trying to find the remainder of his clan. If we are too late again, Seară will be the last of his kind. They are being held prisoner or enslaved on this planet. This mission is our final chance to free them." Archer explained. "So this mission is basically a war. The three of you are all that is being sent!?" Roxy yelled. Archer tilted his head. "No. Many of us will be involved. The three of us are to scout ahead. Find their exact location, get a head count: plus or minus taking a few heads along the way, and seeing what they have as far as weapons and resistance." Archer stated calmly. Roxy sighed in relief. Archer nodded. "To your wrist device I have sent a map of this ship. Like what I gave you at the pyramid. You can find your friends and learn this ship. Stay away from those scientists. If they try to talk you into anything do not listen." Archer warned and Roxy nodded.
The ship landed on the surface of the planet. It made no sound, and didn't even shake the surface of the planet. They kept their cloaking on, and made sure the ship was sealed. Only Yautja were able to come and go. Blade, Blaze, and Archer all exited. The females of course all gathered in the same room. Together they decided to go to the command center. Noian turned to look at them when he heard them come in. They all bowed their heads to him and he dipped his head in return. He was fully dressed in his armor as well. It was reassuring to know the entire mission didn't rest solely on their three big guys. On the view screen was actually a first person point of view of the planets surface, and it was moving. "This is a drone?" Nadia asked. Noian shook his head. "This is my son Gheaţă. Everything is recorded through the eye shields of our helmets. But it can also be live feed." He replied and Nadia nodded. Noian tapped a few buttons and the view screen showed three different point of views. "Can we watch too?" Roxy questioned. Noian nodded his head once before turning back around. The females all gathered and watched with him.
Gheaţă had turned on the mechanism inside his mask that allowed the mother ship to see everything. This way if the commander saw anything suspicious, or something he'd like to know more about, he could communicate and they'd investigate immediately. So far there was no such request, but they had only just begun and were still far away. The terrain of the planet was rugged, and much of the surface was frozen. It was fortunate they had found somewhere flat enough to land the mother ship. The three hunters remained together for now, but once they got closer they would divide. They also adjusted the temperatures of their armor. They needed to hurry. No doubt the enemies had deprived their captives of their armors. It meant Seară's clan had no choice but to persevere on their own. Through the view screen there was a series of clicks. The hunters were communicating with each other. Not long after it was clear that they had all began to jog and leap through the rugged and rocky terrain. Considering they weren't used to cold, or rocky, they were doing a great job maneuvering the land. The silence and the ease with which they moved was nothing short of extraordinary. The humans felt a little humble. If they moved this way even through an unfamiliar environment like this, they must have been slowed down significantly back on that serpent infested planet. At this moment all females decided that once they returned they'd request to be trained by them. They didn't want to hold them back anymore, and in fact they wanted to be able to help them. Despite their speed, and the amount of leaps and bounds, they never wavered. They didn't even show any signs of exhaustion. It was truly surreal. Periodically they glanced at the 3D maps on the gauntlets as well. The humans were not sure how long they ran for, but they seemed to be covering a lot of ground with all of their long strides and jumps. Nadia could only compare them to the Hulk, however they were stealthy and deadlier. A very dangerous combination.
When they got closer to their destination the trio spread. Archer saw a hidden perch within the rocks of an elevated area and knew that was his mark. He had the perfect view of the small town nestled inside of a crater. He kept his eye on the town. He also pin pointed and counted the guards outside. Sending numbers and locations to Blaze and Blade. Scanning his fields of vision he began finding out all of the hidden heat signatures and sent those updates as well. The humans were enthralled as they saw exactly what he was seeing. In one field they could see the figures of Blaze and Blade approaching the guards. The lookouts remained completely oblivious of their impending doom. Archer had found where the Yautja were contained. If they weren't in that containment unit, they also had them chained up to poles in various locations. Although it was clear that some of the ones in chains were deceased. A pained yell drew his attention. He looked towards it and saw that a group of the enemies had surrounded one of the chained Yautja. This male resembled an East Indian Leopard Gecko. The yell came from a captor, who apparently got too close and now his hand was stuck in the male's mouth. By the time they freed their hand a few fingers were missing. The Yautja spit them out and roared, sounding pissed off and in pain as the rest of the group had begun jabbing him with what looked like electric cattle prods. You could see the electric charge, the amount of voltage had to be intense. After pulling them away there was green blood and some burnt flesh on the male. However the group did not stop, and continued to electrocute him. The living chained Yautja were now getting angry as well. They roared and had begun ripping on their binds. Of course the enemies just snickered and sneered at their fruitless struggle. Meanwhile the Yautja they were torturing was quiet and his head hung low. The three males couldn't tell if he was dead or merely passed out.
During the commotion, Blaze and Blade had killed the guards on the perimeter of the town. They had done it so swiftly that even the females watching didn't realize it. The enemies were currently working on removing all of the dead Yautja from their posts. "Jesus Christ they're heavy." One of them complained. "500 pounds. Don't know if that's before or after armor." Another replied. The groups disposing of bodies were just unceremoniously throwing them into a pit. Even more corpses were inside of the pit. It looked exactly like how they disposed of bodies during the holocaust. It was a terrible sight. The women felt nauseous as they saw it through the hunters eyes. The three views then turned into dozens. The rest of the Yautja were on the move now. All of them moved with the same speed and agility unfit for beings of their size. It was nighttime when the Yautja had the place surrounded. They all began closing in on the town. The enemies at this time had begun to move the body of the Yautja they had electrocuted. They began unbinding him. When he was free rather than landing in a lifeless heap he popped up. Snatching one of them by the throat he squeezed until their esophagus was crushed. Another who tried to run away, but not fast enough, he stabbed his claws into the back of their neck. With a mighty pull he had torn their spine from their body with the skull still attached. He roared the same ground shaking roar they always did. At this time every hidden Yautja sprung into action as well. Archer was nocking and loosing his explosive arrows. Blaze had his forever favorite throwing star and was launching it. Meanwhile the surviving Yautja in cages were joining in the cacophony of screams, roars, battle cries, and explosions. The observing females guessed it was very similar to how the Roman Coloseum must've sounded way back when.
Claire's eyes were glued to Blade's point of view. It looked way too similar to Beat Saber when it was in Expert+ mode. The difference was that instead of catchy songs and boxes, it was screams and the bodies of their enemies. The others being so afraid of him made a lot of sense now. Claire knew how gentle he was with her and even she was afraid. The amount of bodies he was dropping compared to the rest was stunning. "I see you survived, little toad." A voice cut through in Blade's feed. The image changed as he turned his head to a man standing there. "Your sister, and the rest of your family certainly didn't." The man sneered. Blade's only response to that was a growl. "I wouldn't say such things if I were you." The man snickered. He pressed a button on his wrist. There was a God awful screeching roar. Every predator looked to the sound. When the screens showed what caused it, Noian tensed. The beast shown was ghastly. It was some kind of humanoid canine-like creature. It walked on four legs, but it also had two arms. It could be compared to a centaur, however the lower body was that of a canine instead of a horse. Also the humanoid upper body was grotesque, not entirely human. However it didn't end there, it even appeared to be crossed with those horrible serpents, and was easily twelve feet long. "Drukathi..." was all that Noian muttered. Blade turned his gaze back to the man with a growl. Dropping his stance into something offensive. The man wavered for only a moment. "You take one step, little toad, and you can kiss your people goodbye. You think I didn't prepare for this exact scenario? You see we gave your friends a little accessory. One push of a tiny little button, and they all die. Not painlessly." He smirked, pulling out a remote of sorts. He pushed a button on it. Every Yautja captured was wearing a metal collar. When the man pushed the button. the yellow light on the collars turned red. The collared Yautja all went wide eyed grabbing onto the collars. They all began dropping to their knees, acting like they were suffocating. "Of course I can also unleash my friend here." Blade glanced to the beast and back to the man. His brain was running a thousand miles a minute. He was vaguely familiar with the race, and he knew they were even more prideful than Yautja. Without some form of mind control they'd never be used. If he could break that link, the beast would turn in his favor, angered about being controlled. The only problem being how? By this time the rest of the hunters had already slain all of the enemies. The only one standing in their way of victory was this asshole. Blade looked to what remained of his clan. The man had since released the button and they were all catching their breath now.
The Yautja that was chained and tortured, named şoc, made a series of clicks. Blade tightened his grip on his katanas. şoc dipped his head and so did the clan. Blade turned his attention to the beast. He hated to admit it, but they needed it. Fortunately the device was an easy one. It seemed it was as simple as a collar on the beast as well. Archer from his perch loosed an arrow that struck nearby, his intention to distract the man and the beast. It worked, the man laughed. "Hey you missed! What sort of useless hunter are you!" As the man arrogantly taunted, Blade sprinted forward at inhuman speed. He pulled out a knife as he leaped. He landed on the creatures back. After slipping the knife under the collar, blunt side to the skin, he used it as leverage and managed to break the collar, ripping it from the creature's neck. He slipped off its back then, narrowly missing the creature's claws. The creature roared in frustration that its claws missed the target, but then it got eerily quiet. "Kill that, little toad. The one too cowardly to show itself too." the man ordered. The beast didn't move. The man glared at it. "I said kill them you stupid beast." he snapped. The creature simply grabbed the man by his throat, lifting him off the ground. He struggled as his eyes went wide, yelling obscenities, kicking and slamming his fists into the beast. It proceeded to slam him into the ground over and over again until all that remained was a bloody heap. The creature then angled its burning gaze at Blade. Blade tensed ready to defend. However the creature didn't move towards him. It reached down pulling the remote from the mush that used to be that man, and then went to the caged Yautja. Effortlessly it ripped the door off for them. The beast threw the remote and Blade caught it. "5-8-3-9-4-6-2-5." The creature spoke. Blade glanced between his people and the creature. "Deactivation." The creature stated. Blade looked to his people again, the creature snarled. They nodded their heads and Blaze typed in the code. When the code was entered, the lights on their collars turned green and they opened up. The Yautja removed them afterwards. Blade looked to the creature. They both just bowed their heads to each other. The creature disappeared afterwards.
Blade looked amongst the newly freed Yautja expectantly. Meanwhile all of the hunters that had come as back up all gathered; to include Blaze and Archer.
şoc shook his head at Blade and pointed to the pit of Yautja corpses. Blade stiffened, and walked to the pit. Sliding into it; the view screen revealed his eyes had landed on a small Yautja male. One that looked very similar to Blade. Claire bit her lip as Blade approached the body. Based on the size, he was only a child. "...Who is that?" She asked quietly, afraid of the answer. "Seară's younger brother, Rău." Noian replied grimly. Blade knelt down staring at the body of his baby brother. Pulling him in to his arms, it wasn't hard to know he was cradling him. Blade roared for the first time since they met him. The amount of anger, but also grief and pain that laced his roar was sky splitting, and it hurt Claire's heart. She just covered her mouth as tears began to fall. All other Yautja just bowed their heads in respect and also mourning. The humans didn't realize it, but the vessel they were in had begun to move. It arrived to the area of the scene in just a few minutes. After a few moments the Yautja all went to work. The Yautja in the ship even exited, and together they began to prepare all of the bodies for a mass cremation. Claire couldn't help herself and just ran out of the control center. Bypassing everything and everyone, ignoring the confused and curious stares, she went to Blade. Blade was just knelt in the same position as he held onto his younger brother. He wore his mask, so his expression couldn't be seen. Claire however was sure that he was crying.