Half Knife
New Member
Here's something I started working several months ago as a Predator series novel. Maybe not a good movie, but an idea. It is just a set up for the book of course. Lots of bugs to work out still.
The summer sun baked the landscape in all-invading light and heat. On the vast plain below the small mesa, grazing animals of many sizes and descriptions fed on the grass, bushes and trees, always alert for the numerous ambush predators which were never very far away. Even the herd of huge pachyderms constantly tested the air with upraised trunks for any dangerous scent. Directly below the mesa, looking cool and inviting in the heat, the watering hole beckoned to thirsty animals, both predator and prey.
Atop the mesa, the ship sat immobile, the crew working to repair the damage caused by the small meteorite that had collided with it. The Leader paced and flexed his mandibles in disgust at the slow pace of the repairs, and at the fact that there was nothing else to do. The journey would be a long one, and the repairs must be done right the first time. He periodically surveyed the terrain and immediate surroundings out of habit formed from a lifetime of hunting and because he knew that the young ones were in constant need of monitoring. Several were too young to know of the possible dangers outside the campsite.
Barinde was an excellent Leader, and was now on his way to the homeworld with his entire immediate family to join the rest of his clan for the weeks of festivities leading into the Great Hunt. He and his family had agreed to relocate completely to one of the Tribe Worlds and decided that this would be the perfect opportunity for it. As he watched the agonizingly slow repairs, he had begun to wonder if this was a bad omen. Then again, he was Barinde, the Queen killer, hero of hundreds of successful hunts and only recently chosen to lead his entire clan. His fame had spread to many of the Tribe Worlds and as Clan Leader, he planned to add many more successful hunts and raise his clan to the very highest pinnacle of Yautja society. In good time. Never appear over anxious. It was good to be excited, but to lose sight of the ultimate goal for the sake of the moment would be greedy and dishonorable. Not the mark of a good Leader. The Clan must come first.
The leader resumed his meticulous inspection of the ship while the repairs progressed, careful not to miss anything. When he had satisfied himself again that all was well except for the damage being repaired, he re-entered the ship to inspect the computer and all controls for the dozenth time. He often told his subordinates that a good leader must know all that there is to know about his ship and those under him, and he demonstrated that philosophy on a regular basis. He made his way to the control bridge and sealed the door behind him. Accessing the main computer files on his subordinates as he had done many times since he was named Leader, he called up all information on each one from oldest to youngest, one by one.
Granetha – Senior blooded. Barinde examined his best hunter’s image on the screen, remembering countless hunts beside him, watching his back and knowing that his own was always safe when they were together. “Granetha of the swift knife” the Leader called him. Solid and dependable to a fault. None better to have with you on the most dangerous hunts. Twice the two of them had helped steal Hardmeat egg layers from their nests and transported them across space to establish training facilities. Barinde remembered the pride both had felt when Granetha’s eldest son had earned the mark of the clan. Moving along, Barinde called up the file on the next ranking hunter.
Tuganesh – Senior blooded. The Leader examined the image of his most powerful hunter. Here was a hunter among hunters. Taller and heavier than most other hunters Barinde had ever met, this one was a true colossus. Famed for his strength, his youth consisted of an endless series of challenges. His reputation had begun long before his first hunt. “Tuganesh Hammer Hand” had fought more challenges than Yautja twice his age and never lost. Many skulls had split under the force of his great fists, both Yautja and Hardmeat, as well as many other adversary species over the years. He had accompanied Barinde and Granetha on the last raid to steal the Hardmeat egg layer and had held off the hive almost single-handed. Barinde ranked him as equal with the older Granetha.
For hours Barinde scoured the files of all his sub-ordinates, even those who had died, remembering them as they had been in life, both good and bad. A good Leader must do this to be a good Leader he told himself. The clan is everything and a good Leader must be the living embodiment of that clan and all it stands for. All hunters are assessed through the strength of their Leader, and weak Leaders reflect weak clans. Finally he closed the files and left the ship to give the hull one more examination.
Yashuna and Treskande sat on the edge of the mesa observing the many different strange animals below. Treskande kept a close eye on her young brother, keeping him from straying too close to the edge as he strained to make out details of the many alien beasts on the plain. He slapped at her hand on his shoulder.
“Enough sister!” he turned to face Treskande as she stood up to tower over him. “Am I a defenseless sucker to be watched over by an un-nested female?” Almost before he had finished, Treskande’s fist intersected with his forehead and he was flat on his back before he realized what had happened.
“You are not a defenseless sucker.” She stood with her hands on her hips triumphantly. “But I AM an un-nested female, and until I have suckers of my own to tend, I shall tend to you!” She flared her mandibles in mock anger.
Yashuna sat up and tried to glare at Treskande, but he had noticed the veiled affection in her words and smiled instead. He stuck out his hand as he had done countless times in his short life, and his sister grasped it and hauled him to his feet as she had done countless times since he could get around on his own. She examined his forehead, and after satisfying herself that no permanent harm had been done, she helped Yashuna brush himself off. A slight sound from the trees a short distance away instantly caught her attention and she froze. Instinctively, Yashuna did the same and they both listened and slowly backed away toward the ship. Another slight sound and another. There was a slight breeze coming from behind them and they couldn’t scent whatever it was that was moving in the trees. Steadily, Treskande pushed her young sibling toward the ship without hurrying, but with grim determination. The sounds still came, and they were getting closer and less cautious. Finally, the creature became barely visible in the underbrush. Treskande saw that it was a large furred animal, somewhat like a Zaban, a great feline native to another planet. This one was much smaller, but large enough, and possessed huge canines. And it was eyeing them intently. She whistled a distress call.
Back at the ship, Barinde snapped out of his musings instantly when he heard the distress call and bolted in the direction from which it came, followed by all others within earshot. A few strides brought him within sight of the young ones and he picked up his pace. Seeing the others approaching, the sabertooth launched itself from the underbrush straight at the young ones. For an instant, Treskande held Yashuna tight and suddenly pushed him to the ground and screamed at the great cat, which was nearly upon them, throwing her arms wide. Momentarily startled, the sabertooth flinched and Treskande dove at it with all her strength at an angle, nearly slamming into it. Following her movement, the monstrous cat started to lunge at Treskande, but Yashuna suddenly leaped onto the cat’s back and dug all four mandibles and all his sharp teeth into its shoulder. Screaming in pain and rage, the sabertooth dislodged Yashuna, sending him smashing to the ground. Before he could recover, the cat swiped at him with a massive, razor taloned paw, sending him over the edge of the mesa in a shower of dust and iridescent blood.
Barinde launched himself at the sabertooth in the same instant that Yashuna was falling over the edge of the mesa. The Leader slammed into the great cat with the force of a plasma caster on overload. The Leader and the sabertooth rolled in the dust as the others rushed Treskande to safety and formed a ring to keep the cat at bay. The giant Tuganesh stood close to the battle, ready to dive in should his assistance be required.
“Yashuna! We have to save him!” Treskande pleaded. Two of the party had broken off as soon as they saw the young one fall, and were already making their way to the pool below.
Barinde dislodged himself from the sabertooth and roared at the fearsome beast, who roared back, sizing his prey up for another lunge. The two adversaries made the decision simultaneously and met head-on with incredible force, locking in deadly combat. The sabertooth was opening gaping wounds in Barinde’s back and limbs, but the Leader was carefully avoiding the massive canines, knowing that they were where the most serious threat lay. As he struggled against the powerful beast, he found an opening and worked his way to the cat’s back, while still holding the deadly canines away from him. Pummeling the beast with all his strength, the Leader was finally rewarded with the satisfying snap of bone as the cat’s ribs started to give way to the assault. Gripping the enraged beast’s sides with his bleeding legs, Barinde was finally able to wrap himself around the sabertooth’s torso, out of reach of the canines, and wrapped both arms around the roaring animal’s neck.
The sabertooth rolled and lurched furiously in an effort to dislodge his foe, throwing up clouds of dust and blood, but Barinde kept tightening his grip and straining his muscles with all his considerable strength. The other warriors managed to keep out of the way, but held spears ready in case the fearsome feline should break away and attempt to escape. Finally, the massive muscles began to weaken, and Barinde continued to choke off the beast’s air, until, with a supreme effort, the Leader managed to snap the screaming predator’s neck. The great cat twitched momentarily and then was still. Barinde held on until he felt the life leave the animal, and then rolled free, dazed and disoriented from his efforts and loss of blood. He sat on the ground only a moment before he staggered to his feet and started to run down to the plain in search of Yashuna.
When Barinde and the others reached the pool, they found Granetha and Tinchor, the two who had gone after Yashuna standing at the edge, covered in oily black mud. They approached their Leader with downcast eyes and expressions of intense sadness.
“Yashuna?” Barinde asked breathlessly. The two only shook their heads. Granetha pointed to the center of the pool and a ring of iridescent blood floating on the water, and then to several animal carcasses at various distances from the edge of the pool. Barinde looked at the deadly tar covering the two warriors and realized what the pool really was.
“Nothing that enters the water can escape.” Tinchor said.
Treskande looked sorrowfully at the pool, the blood, the tar on the warriors. She let out a low moan of grief and loss. Barinde placed a hand on her shoulder as she let out her grief and said good-bye to Yashuna. He had never felt as close to one of his suckers as he did with her. He knew that she would bear great sons and daughters some day to a mate worthy of her. A mate of his own choosing. The party was joined by the others from the ship including Yashuna’s mother, Mashinde. After a brief explanation of the events, they all went back to the ship to mourn Yashuna properly.
That night, the sabertooth’s fine skull was added to Barinde’s trophy collection and he announced that this skull would always be the centerpiece of his collection as a reminder of Yashuna, the young one who had faced the beast in defense of his sister the way only a warrior could. Yashuna’s name would be added to the Clan role as the youngest one to die in honorable combat against a superior foe.
Several days later the ship finally took off, bound once more for the homeworld, but with one less member. Barinde recorded the exact location of the planet in the ship’s log and later entered it into the main computers on the homeworld as a target for future hunts and possible training planet.
The summer sun baked the landscape in all-invading light and heat. On the vast plain below the small mesa, grazing animals of many sizes and descriptions fed on the grass, bushes and trees, always alert for the numerous ambush predators which were never very far away. Even the herd of huge pachyderms constantly tested the air with upraised trunks for any dangerous scent. Directly below the mesa, looking cool and inviting in the heat, the watering hole beckoned to thirsty animals, both predator and prey.
Atop the mesa, the ship sat immobile, the crew working to repair the damage caused by the small meteorite that had collided with it. The Leader paced and flexed his mandibles in disgust at the slow pace of the repairs, and at the fact that there was nothing else to do. The journey would be a long one, and the repairs must be done right the first time. He periodically surveyed the terrain and immediate surroundings out of habit formed from a lifetime of hunting and because he knew that the young ones were in constant need of monitoring. Several were too young to know of the possible dangers outside the campsite.
Barinde was an excellent Leader, and was now on his way to the homeworld with his entire immediate family to join the rest of his clan for the weeks of festivities leading into the Great Hunt. He and his family had agreed to relocate completely to one of the Tribe Worlds and decided that this would be the perfect opportunity for it. As he watched the agonizingly slow repairs, he had begun to wonder if this was a bad omen. Then again, he was Barinde, the Queen killer, hero of hundreds of successful hunts and only recently chosen to lead his entire clan. His fame had spread to many of the Tribe Worlds and as Clan Leader, he planned to add many more successful hunts and raise his clan to the very highest pinnacle of Yautja society. In good time. Never appear over anxious. It was good to be excited, but to lose sight of the ultimate goal for the sake of the moment would be greedy and dishonorable. Not the mark of a good Leader. The Clan must come first.
The leader resumed his meticulous inspection of the ship while the repairs progressed, careful not to miss anything. When he had satisfied himself again that all was well except for the damage being repaired, he re-entered the ship to inspect the computer and all controls for the dozenth time. He often told his subordinates that a good leader must know all that there is to know about his ship and those under him, and he demonstrated that philosophy on a regular basis. He made his way to the control bridge and sealed the door behind him. Accessing the main computer files on his subordinates as he had done many times since he was named Leader, he called up all information on each one from oldest to youngest, one by one.
Granetha – Senior blooded. Barinde examined his best hunter’s image on the screen, remembering countless hunts beside him, watching his back and knowing that his own was always safe when they were together. “Granetha of the swift knife” the Leader called him. Solid and dependable to a fault. None better to have with you on the most dangerous hunts. Twice the two of them had helped steal Hardmeat egg layers from their nests and transported them across space to establish training facilities. Barinde remembered the pride both had felt when Granetha’s eldest son had earned the mark of the clan. Moving along, Barinde called up the file on the next ranking hunter.
Tuganesh – Senior blooded. The Leader examined the image of his most powerful hunter. Here was a hunter among hunters. Taller and heavier than most other hunters Barinde had ever met, this one was a true colossus. Famed for his strength, his youth consisted of an endless series of challenges. His reputation had begun long before his first hunt. “Tuganesh Hammer Hand” had fought more challenges than Yautja twice his age and never lost. Many skulls had split under the force of his great fists, both Yautja and Hardmeat, as well as many other adversary species over the years. He had accompanied Barinde and Granetha on the last raid to steal the Hardmeat egg layer and had held off the hive almost single-handed. Barinde ranked him as equal with the older Granetha.
For hours Barinde scoured the files of all his sub-ordinates, even those who had died, remembering them as they had been in life, both good and bad. A good Leader must do this to be a good Leader he told himself. The clan is everything and a good Leader must be the living embodiment of that clan and all it stands for. All hunters are assessed through the strength of their Leader, and weak Leaders reflect weak clans. Finally he closed the files and left the ship to give the hull one more examination.
Yashuna and Treskande sat on the edge of the mesa observing the many different strange animals below. Treskande kept a close eye on her young brother, keeping him from straying too close to the edge as he strained to make out details of the many alien beasts on the plain. He slapped at her hand on his shoulder.
“Enough sister!” he turned to face Treskande as she stood up to tower over him. “Am I a defenseless sucker to be watched over by an un-nested female?” Almost before he had finished, Treskande’s fist intersected with his forehead and he was flat on his back before he realized what had happened.
“You are not a defenseless sucker.” She stood with her hands on her hips triumphantly. “But I AM an un-nested female, and until I have suckers of my own to tend, I shall tend to you!” She flared her mandibles in mock anger.
Yashuna sat up and tried to glare at Treskande, but he had noticed the veiled affection in her words and smiled instead. He stuck out his hand as he had done countless times in his short life, and his sister grasped it and hauled him to his feet as she had done countless times since he could get around on his own. She examined his forehead, and after satisfying herself that no permanent harm had been done, she helped Yashuna brush himself off. A slight sound from the trees a short distance away instantly caught her attention and she froze. Instinctively, Yashuna did the same and they both listened and slowly backed away toward the ship. Another slight sound and another. There was a slight breeze coming from behind them and they couldn’t scent whatever it was that was moving in the trees. Steadily, Treskande pushed her young sibling toward the ship without hurrying, but with grim determination. The sounds still came, and they were getting closer and less cautious. Finally, the creature became barely visible in the underbrush. Treskande saw that it was a large furred animal, somewhat like a Zaban, a great feline native to another planet. This one was much smaller, but large enough, and possessed huge canines. And it was eyeing them intently. She whistled a distress call.
Back at the ship, Barinde snapped out of his musings instantly when he heard the distress call and bolted in the direction from which it came, followed by all others within earshot. A few strides brought him within sight of the young ones and he picked up his pace. Seeing the others approaching, the sabertooth launched itself from the underbrush straight at the young ones. For an instant, Treskande held Yashuna tight and suddenly pushed him to the ground and screamed at the great cat, which was nearly upon them, throwing her arms wide. Momentarily startled, the sabertooth flinched and Treskande dove at it with all her strength at an angle, nearly slamming into it. Following her movement, the monstrous cat started to lunge at Treskande, but Yashuna suddenly leaped onto the cat’s back and dug all four mandibles and all his sharp teeth into its shoulder. Screaming in pain and rage, the sabertooth dislodged Yashuna, sending him smashing to the ground. Before he could recover, the cat swiped at him with a massive, razor taloned paw, sending him over the edge of the mesa in a shower of dust and iridescent blood.
Barinde launched himself at the sabertooth in the same instant that Yashuna was falling over the edge of the mesa. The Leader slammed into the great cat with the force of a plasma caster on overload. The Leader and the sabertooth rolled in the dust as the others rushed Treskande to safety and formed a ring to keep the cat at bay. The giant Tuganesh stood close to the battle, ready to dive in should his assistance be required.
“Yashuna! We have to save him!” Treskande pleaded. Two of the party had broken off as soon as they saw the young one fall, and were already making their way to the pool below.
Barinde dislodged himself from the sabertooth and roared at the fearsome beast, who roared back, sizing his prey up for another lunge. The two adversaries made the decision simultaneously and met head-on with incredible force, locking in deadly combat. The sabertooth was opening gaping wounds in Barinde’s back and limbs, but the Leader was carefully avoiding the massive canines, knowing that they were where the most serious threat lay. As he struggled against the powerful beast, he found an opening and worked his way to the cat’s back, while still holding the deadly canines away from him. Pummeling the beast with all his strength, the Leader was finally rewarded with the satisfying snap of bone as the cat’s ribs started to give way to the assault. Gripping the enraged beast’s sides with his bleeding legs, Barinde was finally able to wrap himself around the sabertooth’s torso, out of reach of the canines, and wrapped both arms around the roaring animal’s neck.
The sabertooth rolled and lurched furiously in an effort to dislodge his foe, throwing up clouds of dust and blood, but Barinde kept tightening his grip and straining his muscles with all his considerable strength. The other warriors managed to keep out of the way, but held spears ready in case the fearsome feline should break away and attempt to escape. Finally, the massive muscles began to weaken, and Barinde continued to choke off the beast’s air, until, with a supreme effort, the Leader managed to snap the screaming predator’s neck. The great cat twitched momentarily and then was still. Barinde held on until he felt the life leave the animal, and then rolled free, dazed and disoriented from his efforts and loss of blood. He sat on the ground only a moment before he staggered to his feet and started to run down to the plain in search of Yashuna.
When Barinde and the others reached the pool, they found Granetha and Tinchor, the two who had gone after Yashuna standing at the edge, covered in oily black mud. They approached their Leader with downcast eyes and expressions of intense sadness.
“Yashuna?” Barinde asked breathlessly. The two only shook their heads. Granetha pointed to the center of the pool and a ring of iridescent blood floating on the water, and then to several animal carcasses at various distances from the edge of the pool. Barinde looked at the deadly tar covering the two warriors and realized what the pool really was.
“Nothing that enters the water can escape.” Tinchor said.
Treskande looked sorrowfully at the pool, the blood, the tar on the warriors. She let out a low moan of grief and loss. Barinde placed a hand on her shoulder as she let out her grief and said good-bye to Yashuna. He had never felt as close to one of his suckers as he did with her. He knew that she would bear great sons and daughters some day to a mate worthy of her. A mate of his own choosing. The party was joined by the others from the ship including Yashuna’s mother, Mashinde. After a brief explanation of the events, they all went back to the ship to mourn Yashuna properly.
That night, the sabertooth’s fine skull was added to Barinde’s trophy collection and he announced that this skull would always be the centerpiece of his collection as a reminder of Yashuna, the young one who had faced the beast in defense of his sister the way only a warrior could. Yashuna’s name would be added to the Clan role as the youngest one to die in honorable combat against a superior foe.
Several days later the ship finally took off, bound once more for the homeworld, but with one less member. Barinde recorded the exact location of the planet in the ship’s log and later entered it into the main computers on the homeworld as a target for future hunts and possible training planet.
