"Hunters Blade" -From within The Serpent

The Enemy of My Enemy

Watching from outside the brig, the two men sat cross-armed, looking at their prize. The dim lights from the room barely illuminated their bare faces. This was the first time they could casually look at her. 

Her black hair shadowed her face and seemed to make her green eyes glow. She was athletic in build, fair-skinned, and yet she was tanned. She must have spent a lot of time someplace hot. Someplace where she didn't wear her armor. They both agreed; even without the perks of the implants she had; she was a very formidable foe.

"What do we do with her?" Jonah asked.
"I believe we have irreversibly done it already," Rhynn said in amazement.
"All of her implants have been completely dissolved, some of her stimulants are wearing off. I am exaggerating here, but, She is as human as you are." They talked in a hushed tone with each other.

Quietly she sat on a makeshift bed trying to figure a way out of this situation. With her strength depleted and her communications device dissolved; she had no form of help. She still possessed her sword, but it was in the hands of Jonah now. She randomly could hear certain syllables of the conversation the males were having.

Thinking about what Rhynn said, Jonah spoke: "Human; I can't tell you how relieved that makes me." Jonah said, looking over her sword.
"Don't worry, Jonak... we will find you some scary aliens yet."
Hearing his name in Jäger make him smile slightly. He frowned abruptly, as he didn't want to be anything like his closest friend.  He continued to have mixed feelings about this as they spoke.

"Will anyone come looking for her?" Jonah asked.
"Ha! No, blacks don't have a shred of moral fiber, never mind caring about anyone." He seemed to know this group fairly well.
"The device you put on her seems to have completed melted the Aegis platform her armor was based on. Everything she was; is now gone. She actually has a new start to do whatever she wants."  Those words found their way to the female's ears. Her eyes widened and she sighed deeply.

The three of them sat in silence for a few moments. They all seemed alone in their own thoughts. The glass doors may have contained her in body, But she silently vowed she would be free.

Jonah feeling that perhaps he needed to check on the bridge of the station; nodded slightly to Rhynn and left the lock-up. Leaving the other two alone, he made his way to the bridge.

As Jonah walked the hallways, he had walked a thousand times before. His mind was busy thinking about the exciting life a bounty hunter like the woman might have. He reasoned she would have very limited relationships with people. Couldn't trust anyone. Couldn't allow love friendships or any other normal feelings to cloud her thinking. She couldn't have anything that was, in his mind, normal. Before he knew it the large double doors to the bridge were in front of him.

Back in the brig, Rhynn was quietly watching the woman had squatted next to the stack of 1-inch mattresses. She looked uncomfortable at first glance. He had to ask her "the question"

"So lady hunter; I have to ask you the big question." 

She remained unmoved and uninterested.

"Sorry, The question is Why? Why do what you do? Revenge? Conscription? Greed Or pleasure?" Rhynn's words hung heavy in the air. He removed his helmet. For the first time, she stood and looked at his face. From where he stood, he could tell she was physically affected by this. All the while he was unaware of why.

"Those are typically the 4 most common reasons a person becomes a bounty hunter. Greed I suppose should be closer to the top." Again, she said nothing. "I was hoping I could figure out why you were hunting me. I was being selfish, I apologize if I made you uncomfortable." He replaced his helmet and began to leave.

The sliding door now opened on its own, as Rhynn approached the threshold.

"Revenge..." She said, almost indifferent if he heard her or not.

Rhynn didn't look back or even formally introduce himself. Being that what she said was directed at his previous actions; he only hung his head slightly.

"Then, you should know; I completely understand." He said and left the room.

Finding his way to the bridge, he met up with Jonah. He seemed changed in a way.

Jonah had discovered that the bridge, as abandoned as it might be, held a small surprise.

It was a cadaver. The body had begun to decay, likely only a few days old. The armor it used was not smooth and seamless like the other armor platforms. It was jagged, sharp and abrasive. Rolling the body over, exposed its face. The face was far from human as it could possibly be. The face was a reptile in form.

There were rumors of this species growing in numbers. This warrior or foot soldier was proof of that. The body was of The Narashti.

This reptile-like race had no love for any human-like race. In fact, they often took humans for sport. To be put on display or used for slaves. It really was up to the Narashti owner.

As he looked on, Rhynn realized he had drawn his sword out of reflex. Placing it in its place on his back, he grabbed Jonah and marched back to the brig. He protested Rhynn's actions profusely.

Pushing Jonah into the doorway, he sealed the door behind the group. "Rhynn? What the heck, man?!" Jonah said loudly.
"I need to think," he said, pacing in front of the other two. All the while their confusion increased.

He turned his helmet towards the female; "Did you kill a Narashti hunter?" He asked quickly, walking up to the glass of the brig. She hardly registered his question. He repeated but this time he smacked the glass with his gloved hand. The glass spidered as a result.

Flinching slightly she stood up, "I did exactly what I needed to Rhynn. I performed my skills to the best of my abilities, I did not falter." She stepped closer to the compromised glass as she spoke. Her defiance was noted. The glass- Began to repair its self.

"What doesn't matter if she killed a 'Rashti?' Rhynn?" Jonah asked, completely oblivious of the answer. Looking at Jonah, the hunter lowered its head. "Because," a very low grumble echoed throughout the entire ship.
"Narashti never hunt without their four-legged companions." He frowned secretly behind his helmet and swallowed; "The Narashti Morder is hunting us now, and I'm pretty sure he knows where we are."

They thought silently of what this mythical being might look like, and exactly how afraid they should be. Having no weapons, both Jonah and the female hunter had more reasons to be afraid or even slightly on edge.

From what they had on file; a Morder was a creature with claws and fangs that could positively shred the Aegis armor. 1000 years ago that was the gossip. A thousand years later and there have been no updates to the file. Other than a few sarcastic notes from a clan of Nevick hunters implying a certain woman in another hunter clan could be such a creature. These comments were flagged as not helpful.

Regardless of what they knew of these creatures; these hunters were now on a collision course with a living myth.