"You guys it sounds dangerous." Marissa said as she looked at her friends. Her three friends just shrugged. "You're dating huge aliens that fight and hunt for a living. Just let them handle it. Why do you need to help?" She stated. "They're not immortal, Marissa. As badass as they are, they can't handle everything alone all the time." Nadia defended. "And I don't want to lose him again." She added. Marissa sighed. "I get it, girl. You all love your alien boyfriends. But why does that require you all to put yourselves in danger? Their women are even tougher than them, and they aren't doing this so why do you have to?" She argued. Roxy huffed. "We don't have to, and they don't want us to take the risk either. But we have chosen to and we aren't going to take no as an answer." Roxy said. Marissa just shook her head. "We can't just sit back and do nothing, Marissa. We aren't like that. If you had one you'd understand better." Claire said unapologetically. Marissa just shook her head and went back to reading, clearly worried and even more disappointed. The trio sighed and just walked out to meet the Yautja at the command center.
"This time a large unit is ill-advised. We have too many places to be and not a whole lot of time to get there. As such if you are not alone, then you will be in a trio. şoc will be solo. Seară you will be paired with the mates of Gheaţă and Zgură. My sons you will be with Seară's mate. Prepare yourselves. Your destinations will be determined and sent to you soon. You may all go." Noian said. The group dipped their heads and Noian reciprocated before turning. The group left. "Why can't we go together?" Roxy said with a frown. "Noian has his reasons I'm sure. It is not our place to question." Archer replied and then flicked Roxy's forehead. She rubbed her forehead as she pouted. "But how am I supposed to watch your fine ass if we aren't on the same team." She grumbled. Archer just chuckled. Each coupling returned to their rooms. The Yautja grabbed their armor and began to get dressed in it. Claire walked over to Blade and began helping him put it all on. Blade trilled at her and she smiled. "How long do you think we'll be separated?" She asked quietly as she snapped his breastplate down. Blade tilted his head and he looked at her. "That depends on where we are sent, and the situation." He signed. Claire frowned. "Don't be afraid. Archer and Blaze will take care of you." he signed again and Claire sighed. "I know they will. I'm not really afraid. I'm just sad I won't be with you, and worried because I won't know anything about your situation. What if you guys get taken or hurt or overwhelmed or something?" She questioned. Blade tilted his head again and placed a hand on her cheek. He gently stroked her cheek with the blunt claw of his thumb, and he cooed at her. Claire wrapped her arms around his waist and she hugged him. "I know Roxy and Nadia will take care of you too... But armored suits or not, we are still human and not as skilled as you guys." She went to say more, but Blade put one of his fingers to her lips. She looked up at him, tears were brimming her eyes. "We will be okay. Focus on yourself. Don't let your guard down." He signed. Claire nodded and hugged him again, but tighter. He nuzzled her and chuffed as he hugged her too.
When everyone had their armor on, armed themselves and had their masks ready they all went to the docking area. şoc among others had already departed for their missions. Only the six remained. Roxy hugged Archer, making sure to grope his ass with both her hands as well. He scoffed and hugged her too, but slapped her ass causing her to jump. Blaze shook his head although clearly amused. Nadia just grinned as she snuggled into Blaze's side. Archer and Roxy really did match each other's energy always. After all couples exchanged one more hug and brief kisses, Roxy and Nadia boarded Blade's ship with him. Claire followed Blaze and Archer to the vessel they had been given. Though she kept glancing over her shoulder at Blade. "You worry too much." Blaze said and Claire looked at him. "Aren't you worried?" Blaze tilted his head and then shook it. "No I'm not. I know what my mate is capable of. Just as much as I know what your mate can do. Believe in them, mate of Seară." He replied. Claire nodded. Once all six were boarded and ready, the ships departed. Before everyone left they all recieved a briefing on where they were going. Blade's unit was heading towards a planet occupied by pirates, traders and merchants mostly. Archer's unit was heading for a planet that was home to international criminals, and black market dealings. Claire knew it all too well. She wished now more than ever, that she was with Blade. She knew Blaze and Archer were just as reliable. However, she'd be needing the sweet coos and the gentle trills of her Blade more than ever there. As they journeyed, the groups were studying their destinations. They were learning its geography, and strategizing their best chances, while also configuring the most likely places they'd find the sold Kiande Amedha. They had to rid these planets of them, but also had any been sold or taken from the planet, they were required to find those as well. It meant these missions could very well take weeks or even months to complete, especially with as far as they had to travel. The group hated the idea of being separated from their mates that long. Communications were even limited for fear they'd be found and tracked somehow. It was going to be torture.
Blade, Nadia, and Roxy reached their destination first. Blade scanned the surface of the planet. After finding a decent area to hide his vessel he dropped into the atmosphere. After landing, he made his ship power off. They cloaked and unboarded. Once unboarded, he began typing into his gauntlet. He made sure his ship had every sort of shield on. He also made sure he had every possible internal radar and beacon turned off, while also blocking the abilities of any radar possibly detecting the vessel. He of course sealed it as well so only he could make it open and access it. After that they began to move. No one was aware of their presence here, and they didn't know exactly where their targets were. So they were able to go at a reasonable pace for now. However, that was subject to change at a moments notice. The current plan was once they reached the town, Roxy and Nadia would disguise themselves and head to a bar. They were after one group of pirates in particular, and the best way to get information as anyone knew was local bars. Blade didn't seem to thrilled with the idea of putting the females in that situation. They managed to convince him however, after explaining the sooner they knew the sooner he may be reunited with Claire. He was going to be hidden on the rooftops until then. As soon as the trio reached the town Blade disappeared over rooftops. The engineers had since made modifications to the females armor. The gauntlet was only a bracelet now, until activated then it transformed into their gauntlet and then the suit activated as well. It was much more subtle and easily concealed this way, and the females loved it because they could wear it whenever and wherever with whatever. After finding a good hiding spot in an alley, they deactivated their armor. Once it was just the bracelet again they walked out of the alley, and entered the bar.
The bar was just as you'd expect from pirates. There was plenty of alcohol and hard liquor, the air was thick with smoke, some tables had gamblers and there were pool tables. Of course a lot of people were flirting, and some were fighting, while others seemed to be doing shady business trades or deals. Nadia and Roxy approached the bar. If anyone knew anything, it would be the bartenders. They took their seats and the bartender approached. "Never seen you two before." She said. "Makes sense since we've never been here." Roxy said and the bartender just grinned. "What do you two want?" She asked. "Some information on some friends of ours." Roxy stated plainly. The bartender raised a brow. "Two things we don't sell here. Information and people." She fired back and Roxy smiled. "I like your spunk. But we aren't buying information. We are taking it. It's really important that we find our friends. See this one is an ex of mine. Cheated on me with a Venusian after stealing something important to me. I just really would like to set his shit on fire and get my precious possession back you know. He took my shit and gave it to the bitch he cheated on me with." Roxy said bitterly. The bartender seemed interested as she tapped her acrylic nail on the counter. "I find it hard to believe anyone would cheat on you." She finally said. "Right!? That's what I'm saying. I'm a fine piece of ass! But apparently nothing compared to that damn Venusian slut." Roxy vented. The bartender nodded pulling out a couple of shot glasses. She mixed up a couple Raspberry Gimlet Shooters and then pushed them in front of Roxy and Nadia. She then made a third one for herself. Roxy grinned. Got her. hook, line and sinker. Roxy thought to herself. "To shitty, cheating exes!" Roxy said as the three clinked glasses and then took their shots. "Who is it you're looking for?" She asked. Roxy slipped a photo in front of her. The bartender looked at it. "Wow... You have a terrible taste in men." She said bluntly and Roxy snorted. "I know he's trash." She replied and the bar keep nodded. "Well, he and his crew of misfits were here last night. Made a hell of a mess of this place. Took me forever to clean it all up. Anyways, they did some business with some people I've never seen before or since. Think they were leaving today. Their ship is landed at a dock east of here, just outside this town. Good luck." The bartender said and Roxy grinned. "You are a legend. How much for the drink?" She asked. The bartender shook her head. "I get it. So on the house." Roxy smirked. "An angel and a true legend. If you need a decent man I could set you up sometime." Roxy said with a wink and the bartender nodded. They even exchanged contact information before Nadia and Roxy walked out. "You did that way too naturally." Nadia said with a giggle and Roxy smirked. "She's going to be depressed when you don't give her a decent guy you know." Nadia said and Roxy laughed. "We live on a ship full of them. From now until forever any girl I meet and like I'm pushing them to team Yautja." Roxy stated and Nadia laughed. "I seem to recall you being very anti-Yautja when we met them." She said. Roxy scoffed. "Well I was young and dumb then. I'm older and wiser now." She said with a wink. Nadia smiled and shook her head.
Once again the pair slipped into the alley. When they were sure it was safe they activated their armor and randevued with Blade. "We know where they are. But they also did some sort of business with some unknown characters. They're also leaving soon." Nadia told Blade. Blade nodded and the three quickly made their way across the rooftops to the pirates vessel. Roxy leading the way. They made it to the ship just in time as the pirates were loading the last of their goods and themselves inside. Blade was switching his fields of vision to see inside of the containers they were loading. He was also looking inside the ship itself. Nadia and Roxy were doing the same thing. "I don't see them. Are we too late?" Nadia questioned. Now she was the one wishing Blade could talk. Fortunately, the pair had done a crash course on sign language as well. They wouldn't understand as well as Claire, but they'd understand enough. "You two get on with them. Find out where they are or where they sent them if they're gone. I will follow you in our ship. Don't reveal yourselves and do not attack. Recon and intelligence only." Blade signed. The two women nodded. Then they left the rooftop and slipped into the pirates vessel. Blade activated his ship, putting it on autopilot and locking in his coordinates. When it arrived he quickly boarded it. He hovered until the pirates finally took off. When they did, he followed. Once on the pirate ship, Nadia and Roxy wasted no time in exploring the vessel. They searched high and low for a trace of the serpents, eventually finding themselves in the cargo bay. They found nothing but supplies and weapons. It meant the aliens they might've carried were sent elsewhere. Roxy sent the update to Blade. When Blade replied, he told them it was time to take action. He would damage the vessel just enough to force an emergency landing. When it was done they were going attack them fully.
Nadia in the meantime continued to explore the cargo area. She had a suspicious feeling that they had missed something. She began lifting random items, or pushing them for any sort of hidden compartments or switches. One crate in particular gave her exactly what she was looking for: stairs to a lower level. She treaded cautiously down the stairs. When she got to the bottom, lights automatically turned on. She gasped at what was revealed. Bound to the wall was a Yautja with his head lowered. Nadia looked him up and down. Fluorescent blood was splattered at his feet, and trails were sliding down his body from a gaping hole in his chest. Nadia made her mask do a live feed, transmitting it to Blade. "Blade, are you seeing this?" She asked quietly. Blade pulled up the transmission and stared, clenching his hands into fists. He immediately responded, "Do not engage, you are not ready. You and Roxy both get to the pods and get off of that vessel immediately." Nadia turned to leave, but something slammed into her abdomen and sent her flying. She slammed against the wall with a solid slam, the air getting knocked out of her even with her armor. Roxy hearing the commotion, quickly followed the sound. She jumped down into the compartment. "Nadia?" She questioned glancing around. Her eyes landed on her friend picking herself up off the floor. Towering above her was a serpent and yet it wasn't. It was on two legs, and had the dreadlocks similar to Yautja. Roxy held her wrist band up launching one of the blades, and the blade stabbed into the abominations back. It did a combination of a roar and a shriek before turning to Roxy. Roxy then noticed that deceased Yautja, and she gasped. The sick, pirate bastards had impregnated him with one of those awful serpents, and now they were facing off against the result. I'd have preferred just the serpents... Roxy said internally. The hybrid ran at her, but then the ship jarred as they heard an explosion. The hybrid shrieked as it lost its balance. Roxy quickly grabbed Nadia yanking her to her feet and the pair quickly ran up the stairs out of the compartment. Together they pushed the largest and heaviest crate over the opening. Then the pair sprinted towards the escape pods. The roars and shrieks of the hybrid, as well as the sounds of it slamming against the crate echoed behind them. The yells of pirates panicking and scrambling because their vessel was taking fire also filled the air. The women knew it was Blade causing a diversion and at the same time allowing them to get away from that grotesque creature. They had killed serpents, and nearly killed Yautja through traps and tricks. But they weren't prepared for a combination of the two, and a frontal assault at that.
----------Elsewhere in the Galaxy----------
"You don't think they'd give anyone more than they can handle do you?" Claire asked. Archer sighed quietly. "I wouldn't say that. Elders are rare among us for a reason." Blaze replied bluntly. Archer lightly elbowed him. "Brother. Human. Emotional. Female." He clicked in their language. Blaze just shrugged. He was only being honest. He looked a Claire. "The only one of us you should worry about is şoc. As an Elite he'd have accepted something much more dangerous. Seară may have gotten something troublesome if he went alone. But he is with Nadia and Roxy. So they'll be fine." Blaze tried to reassure. Claire sighed quietly and nodded. Blaze was definitely a straight shooter. "You have an unfortunate history where we are going don't you? Concern yourself with that first." Archer said. Again Claire nodded. She really didn't need that reminder. She was missing her sweet Seară more and more. It seemed Yautja were much more sympathetic and gentle with their mates than the mates of others. She was pretty sure Blaze and Archer would be talking a little differently if Nadia or Roxy were in this situation. Some time later they arrived on the planet. After landing in a safe location they all unboarded. "Best bet to find those serpents is the black market..." Claire mumbled. "I know where it is." She said again and the Yautja nodded. She actually lead the way from there, Archer and Blaze behind her.
The black market was exactly as Claire remembered it. People fighting in the streets, vendors that carried organs obtained illegally, vendors that had live species in cages of all shapes and sizes and for all uses, illegal arms dealers, and all varieties of other goods. Claire remembered the smells, and the sounds too. Her and the Yautja of course were staying undetected above the hustle and bustle. She lead them to the first place they may find the serpents. It was the trafficking area. A place that was the stuff of her nightmares, somewhere she had buried deep, and never expected she'd be returning to willingly. If she had it her way, she'd be using this training to help break the cycle. However, she knew it wasn't what the Yautja did. They were hunters, not heroes. She also knew that if not for that female Yautja, she wouldn't have escaped. If there were no Yautja imprisoned with her, they wouldn't have come. She was grateful to them, but wished they'd permanently end it, similar to how they were controlling this outbreak of Kiande Amedha now. She knew it was just a pipe dream though. However, when they arrived at the trafficking ring, Archer and Blaze paused. Their gazes pointed at the children beaten and trembling in their cages. It was faint, but Claire thought she heard their growls. Although just as quickly as they made them they stopped and refocused. They began to scan the cages for serpents. Before they saw them, they heard the shrieks amd hisses of the Kiande Amedha. It earned their direction more than a few glances and curious stares. This was followed by an undesirable amount of people approaching. Damn them and their noise. Claire thought bitterly. Shortly after the masses arrival, the traffickers took it as an opportunity. They began to show and auction their less eye-catching "merchandise" first. Claire could feel Blaze and Archer tense beside her. The serpents were next, and the males were all-too-ready to pounce. She could even feel the moment Archer began to move, reaching for his bow and arrows.
The serpents were quite popular individually. "I see you all like our newest product very much. But may I introduce to you, the holy grail?" A tarp was then dropped. Revealed bound in chains, was a Kiande Amedha queen. She immediately began hissing. The mature serpents in their cages, hearing their queen began to make distressed and angry shrieks as they slammed against their confines. The crowd gasped at the anger and force behind their actions. The victims of trafficking only cowered and shrunk deeper in their cages. "People this is their queen. They listen to her and protect her. Buy her, and control her and you control them all. You can make your very own army. Or perhaps you can just breed them and make millions. As you can imagine she is priceless and our most prized possession. However, we are willing to part with her for the right price." The trafficker said with a smirk. He didn't name a price, and yet many in the crowd were already shouting massive sums of money. So engrossed in the auction, and overwhelmed by the amounts being thrown around, no one noticed when the caged serpents injured themselves. No one except the hidden trio that is. The acidic blood of the serpents began eating away at their cages and chains. The serpents burst through their cages. The crowd instantly screamed when they dropped on them. Everyone besides the poor souls that got pounced on began to run away. Clamoring to get away faster, knocking down and stepping on any in their way. The traffickers were calling any and all orderlies to get the situation back under control. Meanwhile the serpents rushed to their queen. Again using their blood to burn through her cage. When they reached her they began climbing her. Using their second mouths, they began punching holes into her. Now her blood was burning her own chains. Before anyone could react, the queen was free, and then all hell really broke loose.