Chapter 1: Shattered Honour

"Hey dad, what's honour?"

"Honour? Why do you want to know about that kiddo?" The boy's father asked as he poured himself a steaming cup of coffee. Taking a long drink the older man sighed contently. Supplies, like his son's favourite cereal, were sometimes hard to come by out in the fringe colonies but there always seemed to be plenty of coffee to go around.

"Well Mrs. Kowalski mentioned it yesterday during class. But I didn't really understand her explanation. Then I tried looking it up myself… I think that only made it worse" the boy responded sheepishly as he took another bite of cereal.

"Hmmm, well kiddo let's see… Honour doesn't really have a single definition, it varies from person to person" the boy's father said taking a seat at the kitchen table beside his son. Seeing the confused look on the nine year old's face the older man tried again. "Ok how about this? Honour is a person's idea of what is honest and fair and the integrity that a person puts into their beliefs and actions… Does that help?" The man asked uncertainly.

"Not really dad" the boy giggled at the uncertain look on his father's face.

"Well that's why I'm colonial security and not a linguist kiddo" the man chuckled ruffling his son's sandy brown hair. After a few moments of easy silence between the two the older man looked up from his cup of coffee and glanced at his son who was now drinking the last bit of milk from his bowl. "How about I try one last time?" The man grinned at the milk moustache his son now sported. Getting a small nod from his son the man grinned before taking a second to compose his thoughts. "So honour is what a person believes is respectable, when they're doing something honorable it's because, to them, it's the right thing to do. That's kinda why it's so hard to explain because what someone might see as honourable another person might not… So how was that?" The man asked.

"Hmmm… Nope, still don't get it" the boy laughed as he put his empty bowl and spoon into the dishwasher.

"Alright you little rascal get your arse moving and get your teeth brushed" the boy's father laughed giving him a playful nudge. "And don't forget to make your bed!" The father called after the boy as he left the room. Leaning back in his chair the man drained the last of his coffee as he mentally prepped for the rest of his day. He had been slotted for monitoring duty for the next ten solar rotations and while the job itself was easy it was also incredibly boring.

Tellar's Prospect was just a tiny mining colony on the very edge of Colonial Space and while the planet was incredibly rich with rare and expensive minerals it was also so far out of the way that nothing of interest ever really happened. "God I hope something interesting happens today, I don't even care what" the man sighed getting up to refill his mug.

Just as he put the mug into the coffee machine a shrill beep echoed from his hip. Looking down in confusion at the short wave communicator, the man reached down before popping the device into his ear. "Hey this is Terry, what's up?" Terry asked cautiously, these communicators were only supposed to be used in case of an emergency and the security officer seriously doubted that anything of the sort could be happening way out here.

"Hey Terry, it's Mich look I know you don't start for another hour but can you grab your gear and head into the station?" The gravelly voice was definitely Mich but what could possibly be so important as to use the emergency lines?

"Sure thing Mich but what's going on?" Terry asked as made his way to his office. The man could just hear the sound of his son milling about in his bedroom as he passed by it.

"Ship just dropped out of lightspeed way too close for comfort, Gavin tried hailing them to give them an earful but he's gotten no response" Mich replied on the other end as Terry opened up his weapon's locker.

"Maybe they're all still asleep, what's the ship's designation?" Terry questioned while he slipped his harness over his shoulders.

"That's the thing that's got me worried man, scans show it's designated as the USS-Cubic, one of the Colonial Marines warships, but the database says that ship went missing… Uh just a sec. Hey Gav how long does it say it's been gone for!?... Yeah Gav says over three years now" Mich said over the sound of alarms going off in the background.

"Shit, ok… Tell the others to suit up and prep for anything, I'll be there in ten minutes max ok?" Terry asked clipping his belt together with a satisfying click.

"Sure thing Terry but hurry if you can, I got a bad feeling about this… Hey tell Tommy I said hi will ya?" Mich asked, the small waver in his voice giving Terry and idea of how just nervous the man truly was.

"Will do, just keep a level head got it?" Terry stated before clicking the communicator off. "Fuck" the man sighed leaning his back against the weapon's locker.

"That's a dollar for the swear jar!" Tommy giggled as he made his way into his father's office.

Glancing down at his son's smiling face also brought one to the security officer's. "It sure is kiddo" Terry chuckled hoisting up his son into his arms. "Was just talking to Mich, remember the man I told you about from work?" Terry asked while Tommy fiddled with one of the straps on his father's weapon's harness.

"Didn't you say he was the fat one that got chip crumbs everywhere?" Tommy asked, scrunching his face in concentration trying to remember the people his dad worked with.

"What!? No, no, no that's Leo… Also don't mention that around him ok kiddo? Let's keep that between us" Terry chuckled as he grabbed his M41A Pulse Rifle from the weapon's locker, carrying it in one arm and his son in the other. "No Mich is the one I said sounded like he's constantly gargling marbles… Well anyways he says hi" Terry chuckled nudging open his son's bedroom door with his foot. Placing his son down on the bed Terry leaned down so he was face to face with his kid.

"Alright Tommy, daddy needs to head into work a little early ok?" Terry said ruffling his son's hair absentmindedly.

"So you're not going to walk me to school today?" Tommy asked putting on the best puppy dog look he could muster. Those usually worked on his dad even when he was in a really grumpy mood.

"Well I got good news for you kiddo, you're getting the day off!" Terry exclaimed putting on his best smile to mask the growing sense of unease in the pit of his stomach.

"Wow really!? Sweet does that mean I can go to the park?" Tommy asked excitedly bouncing up and down in his bed.

"You sure can but only once I get back, once I take care of the thing Mich called me in for I'll be right back and we can spend some time at the park, how about that?" Terry asked smiling at his son's exuberant attitude.

"That's awesome dad!" The kid exclaimed standing up on his bed before jumping up and down excitedly.

"Perfect, but there is one thing I need you to do for me ok? I just need you to stay in your room until I get back, ok?" Terry asked standing up so he was now somewhat level with his still bouncing son.

"Sure thing dad!" Tommy exclaimed excitedly, this was turning into the best day ever for him.

"Atta boy, now I got to go, you take care and I'll be right back" Terry leaned forward planting a small kiss to his son's forehead. Closing the door behind him Terry let out a long sigh as he fixed his pulse rifle to the back of his harness. That uneasy feeling in his gut refused to go away, he could only hope that this whole situation would blow over quickly.

Fire and death, that was all that could be seen by the towering figure as he strode purposefully through the flames and bodies. Surveying the ruined colony brought a series of angered clicks to the mysterious figure. "Too late again…" The figure thought to himself as he strode into the light of the raging fires around him, revealing the emotionless metal mask that obscured his facial features.

At over seven feet tall the Yautja would cut an imposing figure anywhere, but amongst the bodies of the butchered colonists he looked like something straight out of a nightmare. The Yautja's torso and legs were covered in a traditional net mesh that hugged the muscular hunter's body but still revealed his mottled brown and olive skin tones. Covering his shins, shoulders and left pectoral muscle was stark grey metal armour, worn from decades of fierce battles and glorious hunts. Upon each forearm the hunter bore a sophisticated pair of gauntlets that flickered dangerously in the fire.

Around his waist was a light brown loin cloth held in place with a belt adorned with serrated talons and a metal codpiece that stretched halfway down his muscular thigh. The hunter always snorted at the thought of the codpiece, given to him by his late father he would always remember the day it had been bestowed upon him.

"Wear it well Hanta, this is one piece of armour you should always have on you regardless of the situation" his father had told him as he handed a young Hanta the battle scarred armour.

"Isn't it a little large father?" He had asked as he accepted the gift with a furrowed brow.

The throaty laugh that emanated from his father after that would resonate with him for the rest of his days. "True it is a little larger than what you are use to but it also gives the females an idea of just how much there is to protect" his father chuckled throatily, clapping his only son on the back playfully. His father had been a monstrously imposing being and the simple action of a playful slap on the back had almost buckled the Young Blood's knees from the force of the impact alone.

As fond memories of his late father ran through his mind the hunter ran a muscular hand over his bio-mask solemnly. He had born the mask ever since he was an Un-Blooded. Now marred by years of battle the solemn hunter wore the mask with an overwhelming sense of pride. The gouges from claws and the dents from bullets were badges of honour and testaments to those he had faced that had been worthy enough to push the hunter to his limits.

A soft clicking emanated from towering figure as he continued his trek through the carnage of the ruined colony. Under normal circumstances he would have cloaked to conceal himself from prying eyes but that was unnecessary, there was no one left to see him, there never was. Sweeping his head from left to right the Yautja snarled in annoyance, all this fire was interfering with his infrared vision making seeing clearly an impossible chore. Taking a second to cycle through vision modes until he found something more suitable, the hunter took the time to really look at his surroundings. Looking around the Yautja could now clearly see the bodies strewn about in the streets forcing a vicious snarl from the imposing alien.

Bending down to inspect one of the victims the soft clicking only grew louder as he inspected the dead man. "This human was old, far too old to fight back. One who has lived as long as they have should be venerated as an elder not butchered like a rodent!" True to Hanta's thoughts the elderly human had been mercilessly cut down, his knees had been shot out from under him and he bore a grizzly knife wound starting from the man's left shoulder to his right hip. It was a sloppy kill and the man no doubt suffered greatly before his body inevitably expired.

Closing the dead man's eyes the hunter had to take a deep breath to let his anger abate. It was a human custom to close the eyes of their deceased and while the reason escaped the Yautja he had learned to respect the customs of other races. Leaving the body behind to be consumed by the steadily spreading fire the hunter continued on through the ruins of the colony.

Looking up the hunter spotted a sign emblazoned with the words that he couldn't quite make out. Swapping through the vision modes took a few seconds but he eventually settled on one that gave him a better view of the billboard. "Tellar's Prospect where the future is ours for the taking…" Looking around at the carnage surrounding him, Hanta had trouble stifling a macabre laugh. These humans had not taken hold of their futures, they had them snatched away.

Sighing to himself the hunter ran a hand through his long dreadlocks and continued onwards. The Elders had always told them that the humans were lesser beings who long ago discarded all sense of honour in favour of their own unnatural technological progression. The words resonated with many of the clans, after all, the 'growing scourge' that was the humans had achieved technological advancement that would have taken most other races ten times as long to accomplish. But to the lone hunter he saw it differently, such aggressive expansion and advancement were signs of intelligence and ingenuity, traits that made for excellent prey.

So while most clans abandoned the prospect of hunting the humans, leaving them to their own self-destructive devices, the lone hunter as well as a select few had banded together and, against the Elder's wishes, continued the hunts. The results were some of the most thrilling and challenging hunts of his long life. So engrossed had he been in the humans at the time that he actually went as far as to study them and their lives, knowing one's prey was the most important aspect of a hunt and there was much to learn from the humans. He had even gone as far as to learn various human languages and while none of them were suited for the vocal cords of a Yautja the knowledge still proved to be invaluable.

That had been years ago and now here he stood alone, detached from his clan, his brethren and those that had originally stood by his side. Now he stood alone amongst the ruins of a destroyed human colony filled with a deep sense of sadness. In truth he didn't even understand why he touched down on this planet in the first place, he knew what he would find long before he entered the system, he had seen it far too many times before.

Ignoring the intense heat of the burning colony around him was easy but it didn't matter where Hanta looked, he only saw more bodies. Men, woman and children cut down in droves, the bodies of their men didn't faze him, the Yautja could see many of them had been armed and looked to have put up a fight before their untimely death. They had died defending their clan and those who could not fight. "A respectable death one most of us could only wish to live up to."

It was the state of the women and children that was gnawing at the back of the Yautja's mind. The females of his own race had proven time and time again that they were exceptional warriors not to be trifled with and while many human females had proven their worth as fearless combatants it was not the norm. Many of the women he passed along his solemn trek did not look fit for battle, most were unarmed, and many were still clutching their children close to them, trying to shield them with their own bodies from their assailant's weaponry. "Fallen trying to keep their young safe, but there is no honour in their sacrifice, they never should have been forced into this situation."

Hanta's attention was then drawn to the children and the towering hunter could feel an intense burning hatred well up in his chest. The clicking of the Yautja's mandibles grew louder and louder as he stared at the tiny bodies. "Pups, most not even mature enough to have tasted the thrill of their first hunt."

A sudden crash grabbed the hunter's attention, whirling around with wrist blades extended from his right gauntlet the Yautja eyed the shattered remains of the house the noise had emanated from. "Possibly just the dwelling collapsing upon itself… But I would rather not leave a stone unturned." The hunter was now on full alert as he crept forward silently until he was just in front of door to the domicile. With a quick flick of his eye the Yautja brought his plasma caster to life. Keeping his head on a swivel the Yautja entered the ruined house cautiously, his laser designator, built into his bio-mask and linked to the plasma caster, swept slowly across the room.

*Clunk!*

Whirling around towards the source of the noise the Yautja let out a small click as he headed through the half collapsed hallway. "Did they leave someone behind? Or perhaps a trap…" Those responsible for this massacre had a habit of booby trapping some of their victims, layering them up with explosives and turning the wounded into living bombs. An ingenious tactic to say the least, if it wasn't for the fact they tended to use children Hanta may have commended them for the devious ploy.

Coming to a halt in front of a door the hunter prepared to breach the room and deal with any possible threat on the other side. Turning the handle slowly the hunter shouldered the door open and burst into the room, weapons at the ready… Only to find the room empty. Cautiously stepping forward Hanta moved farther into the room, glancing around it became apparent that the small enclosure belonged to a child, no adult would have so many toys in their sleeping quarters.

Slowly Hanta searched the room cycling through vision modes until his foot splashed into a familiar warm liquid. Cursing himself for not smelling the distinct scent of blood, Hanta looked down into the sizeable pool with a frown underneath his battle scarred mask. The pool was still fresh and a small trail was streaked across the floor and continued underneath the bed. Double checking that his plasma caster was fully charged Hanta leant down grasping the side of the bed with his left hand while his right prepared to strike with his wrist blades.

With a small grunt Hanta threw the bed off to the side with a thunderous crash and lunged forward with a vicious snarl, one that vanished almost as quickly as it appeared. Laying their huddled in a tight ball was a small shivering human child. "Just a boy, probably hasn't even had his first hunt and yet he was able to stay quiet enough to evade me." However now that the child's cover had been ripped away from him he was now letting out a tiny whimper much like a wounded animal that had little time left.

Retracting his wrist blades and setting his plasma caster into its idle state Hanta reached out with a clawed hand prodding the boy gently. He had been the first survivor from one of these attacks Hanta had come across but he was wounded and the Yautja needed to see the extent of his injuries. To the Yautja's surprise the boy kept his arms clamped firmly around his waist even as the hunter grew more forceful with his attempts. After a minute of whimpered struggling, the young boy finally stopped fighting revealing the full extent of his injuries, the sight brought with it a menacing growl from the hunter.

The boy's stomach was in bloody tatters, torn apart by what the humans called a shotgun. For most, such a wound would have spelt the end but miraculously this boy had survived. As Hanta leaned in closer to better survey the damage he caught sight of the boy's face causing the hunter's blood to run cold at the sight. Hanta had to actively hold back the enraged animalistic roar that threatened to escape him lest he terrify the boy even worse than he already was.

A single jagged knife cut ran across the boy's face, starting at his left temple and carving its way through the poor boy's eyes and nose, leaving a bloody trench that lead to the boy's right temple. Switching his viewing spectrum to give him an x-ray of the boy's body he let out an enraged growl that felt like it rattled the entire house. The boy had lost his eyes, suffered a gut wound that would bring even a Yautja to his knees and it appeared as if the shells from the human weapon had shattered the lower portion of the boy's spinal column.

"The damage is too extensive, the fact that he is still alive is astonishing, had he been given the chance he would have made a fine huntsman…" Hanta exhaled slowly, he had a basic medicomb on him at all times but there was nothing inside of it that would save the injured child.

"D-dad? Is t-t-that you?" The boy's voice was faint and shaky barely audible if not for Hanta's superior hearing. Slowly the boy reached out towards the hunter with a bloodied hand keeping the other firmly placed over the savage gut wound showing the fortitude that had taken him this far. "Can w-we still go to the p-park?" the sandy haired boy asked softly.

Grasping the dying boy's hand with his own Hanta gave the young one the most reassuring squeeze he could muster. It was difficult with his enhanced strength not to crush the boy's hand with his own but the hunter remained silent as he watched the boy. He was in pain that much was clear, the wounds he suffered would inevitably take him and his end would not be peaceful. So with a heavy heart Hanta placed his fist gently down against the boy's chest, in a way it was best that he could not see what was about to happen.

"D-dad… Tell me what h-honour… Means again…" the boy's voice was fading but did not betray the pain that was undoubtedly coursing through his shaking body. Giving the boy's hand another gentle squeeze Hanta extended his wrist blades and felt the boy's hand go limp in his own. "Sleep young one, may there be no more pain and may the gods watch down upon you until the end of days". Slowly retracting his wrist blades Hanta exhaled slowly, killing an unarmed injured creature was heavily looked down upon, there was no glory to be had in an easy kill.

Slowly lifting the boy into his arms Hanta reached over and grasped the discarded bedframe turning it back over into its original position. Taking the bedsheets he slowly began wrapping the boy tightly in them before laying him down onto his bed. Bowing his head towards the boy Hanta left the house solemnly, the only sign of his burning anger was when he violently kicked open the front door to the house shattering it in the process.

Grasping one of the broken wooden pieces the Yautja walked over to one of the raging fires littered about the ruined colony. The shard of wood took to the flames in an instant and with a snarl Hanta threw the flaming wood into the now open doorway. The proud Yautja stood before the house of the boy as the fire spread through it. "A proper burial I cannot provide, this will have to suffice" Hanta thought bitterly as the house quickly succumbed to the flames.

Gazing into the roaring flames of the burning domicile Hanta let out a series of clicks of irritation from his mandibles. "This has become far too routine…" In truth Hanta had lost track of how many times he had done this, all he could do was add the demise of Tellar's Prospect to the ever growing list of sins that he would have to atone for. By his honour he would not stop until those responsible for this atrocity, as well as all the others, were put down like the animals they were. It was the Yautja's responsibility, after all he was the reason they still roamed the stars.

-15 Earth months ago-

Looking down at his weaponry before him one last time, Hanta let out a content series of clicks with his mandibles as he began gearing up for the coming hunt. He had been planning this outing now for weeks and today was finally the day he would challenge himself against one of the most heavily armed human outposts he had ever laid eyes on. Weeks of observation told him it was some form of weapon development complex nestled deep in the secluded jungles of Nox.

It was not the first time he had run across one of Weyland-Yutani's secretive projects and the unflappable hunter had a feeling it would not be the last. In any case the human corporation mattered very little to Hanta, he couldn't care less what they actually got up to, so long as they didn't intrude on sacred Yautja territory. There was however one caveat to the company's presence, wherever they went they brought some of the most heavily armed, well trained mercenaries human money could buy. Just the thought of the fortress of a research facility sent a rush through the hunter's body.

Leaping from branch to branch with deft ease Hanta double checked his position with his bio-mask's positioning system. He was closing in on the human's perimeter defense and would be within range in about a minute at his current pace. The perimeter defenses in this case were a series of well positioned auto cannons all laden with sophisticated targeting technology that allowed them to even see through the Yautja's cloaking. Running a hand across the latest dent in his armour the hunter gave a soft chuckle those damn turrets had almost ended the hunt before it began.

As impressive as the defenses were they were far from infallible, weeks of study and careful planning had found a small chink in the human's otherwise robust armour. Dropping from the trees just as the first cannon came within view Hanta hit the ground running with a tremendous thud. Up ahead was a small riverbed and a quick scan showed the human's had yet to find this glaring weakness in their defences. Ducking into the rocky crevice Hanta could feel his cloaking begin to short out as he splashed through the trickling stream.

What made this little piece of jungle geography so essential to infiltrating the human's perimeter was the solid stone ceiling that obscured most of the tiny riverbed. The ceiling provided cover from the auto cannons that not even his cloak could provide. The sprint through the rocky crevice only took a minute and upon exiting the riverbed Hanta found himself on the other side of the tower perimeter, all of the auto cannons were facing outward as they never expected anyone to be able to sneak past them. "A prideful oversight, one that will cost them" Hanta chuckled as he leapt back into the trees with the ease that came from years of practice.

Leaping from bough to bough Hanta double checked the status of his equipment one last time. "Plasma caster… Fully charged, medicomb… Prepped if I should need it, shurikens… Both ready for use, wrist blades… Sharp as ever, excellent everything is perfect." Admittedly for such a dangerous hunt he was going in somewhat lightly armed but in his experience with the humans it was better to be as agile as possible. All it took was a moment of concentrated fire and no amount of armour in the universe would be able to stand up to the human's weapons.

Reaching a tree of massive proportions Hanta quickly made his way up the towering structure. He had specifically chosen this tree to be the kicking off point for the hunt as it gave a strategically impressive view of the compound he was about to infiltrate. Leaping into the cover of the trees Hanta looked down at the human outpost with a scrutinizing eye and a small scowl. "Their patrols are still far too predictable… they're far too comfortable, I will need to change that" Hanta's thoughts were interrupted by the sudden deafening roar from above.

Breaking through the cloud cover, half a dozen ships raced towards the facility at furious pace. Pausing to study the approaching ships Hanta felt a peculiar sense of unease. These ships didn't belong to Weyland-Yutani and the hunter knew well enough that the corporation had little patience for those who found their way into the company's territory.

As if on cue the approaching ships began taking fire from the mercenaries on the ground. "Small arms fire, just a warning then" Hanta thought taking note of the Weyland-Yutani armaments. Though the mercenaries' attack had simply been an aggressive warning the approaching ship's retaliation was far less kind. Opening fire in unison the ships unleashed a heavy volley of rockets that raced towards the compound at blinding speed. The Yautja in the tree could only watch as the devastating bombardment swept the mercenaries' defences away in a fiery explosion.

More mercenaries poured out of the compound itself setting up barricades and prepping for battle while others ran to go assist the wounded. "Efficient and battle hardened, but they're outgunned and outmaneuvered" Hanta thought bitterly as he watched the ships close in once more for another run. This time the ships unleashed a hail of large caliber bullets that tore through the barricades that had been set up by the mercenaries. It looked as if most of the defending humans had been wiped out by the surprise attack and the hunter in the tree could only watch as the ships closed in for a landing.

Taking a chance Hanta leapt from the monstrous tree he was observing from, slamming his wrist blades into side of the trunk to slow his descent. Landing just outside the perimeter wall of the compound Hanta quickly scaled the structure ignoring the flames and wreckage from the rocket attack. The curious hunter reached the top of the wall just as the ships touched down. For a brief moment there was no movement but suddenly the doors to the ships opened with an audible hiss. Rushing out all at once were bands of humans running with a wicked glint in their eyes. The sight of the humans intrigued Hanta, they didn't seem like any of the military or mercenary companies he had come across in his time. They bore no uniforms, their weapons came in various shapes and sizes and they were as uncoordinated as raving cattle.

The new arrivals spread out like a swarm of locusts many of them rushing into the compound while others stayed behind on the landing platform. Those that stayed on the platform yelled and hollered at each other like wild beasts with a manic look in their eyes as they swept across the damaged courtyard. For such an uncoordinated and wild bunch they certainly made short work of the few surviving and wounded mercenaries, executing them with gory brutality.

From his spot on the wall Hanta stayed cloaked studying this new turn of events. It was now clear what these humans were, there was a word for it in the Yautja language but the closest human equivalent would have to be bandits. The cloaked hunter watched for over an hour while the humans ransacked the weapons facility loading up the ships they arrived in with weaponry, technology, food and basically anything that wasn't nailed down.

Part of Hanta, an incredibly large part of him, seethed in fury as he watched this rabble of dishonorable humans ransack the weapons facility. "Weeks of careful preparation and training gone because of this pack of vermin!" Hanta growled angrily sliding his mandibles together as he pondered his next step. He could wipe them out right here and now, a few well-placed shots from his plasma caster would render the ships inoperable and then it was only a matter of picking off these pathetic humans one by one, a little revenge for ruining his well laid out plans.

But the thought quickly passed, revenge was a petty emotion, these bandits would be ill prepared for a Blooded Yautja such as himself. Instead he had a far better idea, reaching into the pouch along his waist Hanta retrieved a small tracking beacon and deftly threw it against the hull of one of the ships with a small ping that none of the bandits seemed to notice. "They have taken from me a golden opportunity I can only hope that they can match the promise these humans had once posed."

Not waiting for the bandits to finish their raid Hanta retreated from the wall heading back into the jungle. Running through the underbrush took little time and as he approached the defensive perimeter of auto cannons the Yautja was surprised to see they had been deactivated. "The bandits doing no doubt…" Hanta's mandibles clicked together slowly as he continued his run through the jungle. Something about leaving those humans to their own devices didn't feel right. It was a confounding position he found himself in, while he could take no honour or glory in attacking an ill prepared force such as the bandits, the thought of letting them go free was gnawing at the back of the hunter's mind. His instincts told him to end their miserable existence now but tradition said otherwise.

Reaching the clearing he had parked his ship in record time Hanta quickly made his way into the cockpit of the ship as it was still de-cloaking. In the distance he could just pick out the roars of the bandits' ships coming to life as they took to the air leaving the atmosphere with surprising speed. It took longer for Hanta to start his own ship but once he had the hunter raced into the sky keeping an eye on his tracker's position which was now firmly displayed in the corner of his bio-mask. Hanta exited the atmosphere of Nox just in time to get a glimpse of the massive warship the bandits had undoubtedly come from just as it made the FTL jump leaving a surprised Hanta to chase after them.

For weeks the Yautja tracked the renegade humans but unfortunately he had severely underestimated the capabilities of their warship. It wasn't long before Hanta found himself days behind his new prey following the steadily fading signal from his tracker and the dwindling ion trails their ship left in its wake. Eventually the hunter's pursuit led him a small world just orbiting a star entering the last stages of its life cycle. Though the signal from his tracker had now moved on the mass of ion trails heading up and down from the planet's surface told him that his quarry had stopped here and made landfall.

Since it was clear that in a straight chase he was going to lose he decided to investigate the planet. With any luck he may have stumbled upon their base of operations and would only have to wait patiently for their return. If not then there might be some clue as to where they were headed next. Ensuring that the ship's cloak was still running Hanta dropped through the dense cloud cover of the planet following the various ion trails left behind by the bandit's landing craft. They all seemed to converge on a single location, a burnt out shell of a city that now lay in ruins.

Landing just outside the ruins of the city Hanta leapt from his ship and took off at a sprint, the feeling of unease he had back on Nox had returned with a vengeance. The sprint across the rocky terrain took little time but still felt like it stretched for eternity. Cresting the hill Hanta came to a halt as he looked upon the destruction before him. What had once been a thriving human city had been reduced to little more than crumbling ruins and ash.

Descending from the rocky outcrop Hanta entered the ravaged city under the cover of his cloak and made his way into the charred ruins. He walked in silence, releasing only a soft click and now then, for nearly ten minutes before he found the first body. Whoever he had been while alive was impossible to tell now as he had been torn to shreds in a hail of gunfire. "No weapon… Was he even able to defend himself?"

Pushing the thoughts of the dead man out of his mind Hanta continued his trek through the ruins of the city, a single dead human was nothing to get worked up over. Turning down one of the city's main streets the stoic Yautja came to an abrupt halt at what now lay before him. Bodies, bodies as far as the eye could see men, woman and children cut down in droves and left lying in piles in the streets. Walking amongst the corpses was a surreal moment for the hunter, while death was certainly not a new concept to him he had rarely seen such frivolous massacres and in those few situations it was on a battlefield.

This… This was different, there was no battle this was a slaughter, these people weren't given a chance to defend themselves before being mercilessly mowed down. Crouching down the hunter inspected the ground and found countless holes from where bullets had embedded themselves into the asphalt. Glancing upwards and cycling through vision modes confirmed his suspicions. "The cowards attacked from above with their ships…Slaughtering people by the hundreds." Looking back into the sky only confirmed his suspicions, ion trails crisscrossed the city skyline over and over. It was clear that these bandits had simply made strafing runs of the streets and anyone unlucky enough to be caught in the open paid the price.

The words of his clan's Elders came back to him in that moment. The human are a blight upon the universe, they kill frivolously without regard for respect or honour. They slay their own kin as if it were sport, they are little more than animals with access to technology they should never have come to possess. It was at that moment that Hanta saw the Elders' perspective, the evidence of the human's capacity for inglorious bloodshed was laying before him. Unprepared men and woman and hapless children butchered like cattle. But the same could not be said for all humans, those that had lost their lives in this city turned tomb could not and should never be lumped into the same category as the bandits.

So Hanta continued his search through the ruined city to… Look for survivors? Was he searching for information on the bandits' next move? In truth he wasn't entirely sure why he was searching the burnt out skeleton of a city. What he was sure of however was that the more the Yautja saw the more he wanted to tear the spines out of each and every one of these mongrel bandits.

They had been merciless in their attack, after laying down a suppressive barrage down on most of the city the bandits landed and spread like a plague. The signs of their own personal brutality now marred what was once a beautiful city full of life. The signs of battle where the few able bodied defenders had laid down their lives to give others time to escape grew steadily less prevalent the deeper Hanta went into the city. The defenders had made the most of what little they had after the initial surprise attack and Hanta felt a swell of pride towards the humans he would never meet. "They fought as best they could, they even took some of these fools with them."

True to the hunter's words there were several bodies of slain bandits littered about the sites of conflict. But alas those too grew fewer and fewer as he made his way into the center of the city and up the steps of what had once been the city's council hall.

Kicking in the door to the council hall Hanta marched into this latest den of human depravity. Clearly the bandits had taken the hall as their own while they occupied the city, using it as a base of operations while they ransacked the surrounding buildings. It was a well thought out plan the walls were thick and easily defendable, it gave the bandits a tactical edge being at the center of the city and having access to just about any record they could ever need.

But all thoughts of tactical advantages and defences left the Yautja's mind as he stared around at the horrors the bandits had left behind in their wake. Even more bodies than before, strewn about the once austere atrium of the council hall in piles and left to rot. But as Hanta glare at the deceased a sickening realisation came to him, there were no men… Only the women and children were found in the hall, the men must have been executed elsewhere.

Moving through the hall with silence unfitting one as large as he, Hanta glared down at the bodies around him. The women were in varying states of undress, their clothing torn away from their bodies or wrapped around bloody wounds. A quick scan of the bodies told him everything he needed to know, he had his suspicions but the analytical part of him demanded proof. And the hunter was right, though he wished he was not, the bandits had forced themselves upon the women shortly before ending their lives… Or perhaps after, it was hard to tell.

Passing through the mounds of corpses Hanta tried to block out what he was seeing, he needed information he could not allow himself to be distracted from finding his prey. Despite his thoughts he could feel his heartrate accelerate as he took in more of the bandit's atrocities. Children butchered in groups, women strung up by their arms and legs and then used for target practice, it was revolting. Much of the universe saw his own people as violent monsters but the Yautja still had a code that they followed extensively. They did not torture, they hunted only those who could defend themselves and those who were worthy and when it came time to land the killing blow it was quick and as painless as possible. "These mongrels have no code, no honour, no sense of… NO!"

Hanta's thoughts were cut off as his scanner went over the body of a child, he had been doing his best to ignore the bodies of the children lying about with varying degrees of success. But what his scanner had just picked up could not be ignored. Rushing across the room Hanta dropped into a kneeling position beside the body of the now deceased girl. The information his mask was filtering to him sent his heartrate through the roof. Unable to hold back his rage anymore Hanta pulled his head back and let loose a deafening roar that could be heard for miles.

Looking back down at the young girl Hanta felt his blood boil. The girl was perhaps no older than five human years old, still just a young Pup in the eyes of a Yautja. Her neck had been twisted about forcefully severing the spinal column just at the base of her neck but that wasn't what threw the hunter into such a rage. Just like the women he had come across before she too had been taken advantage of. Memories of his own daughter flashed though his mind and a protective instinct born from being a father flared to life. Slamming his hand down upon the wooden floor and shattering it with the force of the blow Hanta tried to steady his roiling emotions to no avail.

"Animals! To do this to a Pup! They will pay with their lives!" It didn't matter that the young girl was a human, there were rules that extended to all races and these bandits had broken them. Scooping up the fragile child into his arms the hunter reached over and tore the curtains from one of the nearby windows. Closing her eyes gently and wrapping her in the cloth he laid the girl down at the center of the council chambers. Using his plasma caster he fired off a series of low yield shots that set fire to the chambers around him.

"To any gods that may still be listening, heed my words… Guide this Pup on her journey into the great unknown. She perished not because of her own failures but because of mine, let me bear her burden and all those that have been cut short due to my own negligence." Hanta's words echoed inside his mind, whether any gods were listening to his prayers or not was inconsequential, he now knew the path he had unwittingly set himself upon.

As the council hall burned around him Hanta strode out of the building ignoring the flames that licked just at his heels. Turning around to face the building from the bottom of the steps leading up to it Hanta watched in stony silence as the flames consumed the once proud building.

-Present Day-

That day would reside with Hanta for the rest of his life. By not taking action on Nox he himself had subjected all those lives to death and the tortures of the bandits. He swore upon his pride and his very honour that he would not rest until he found and destroyed the bandits who had committed that atrocity. Tellar's Prospect had simply been the latest in a long line of sacked colonies but Hanta took heart in knowing he was closing in on his prey. Soon he would catch up them and end their miserable existence and hopefully atone for his past transgressions.

As the house of the sandy haired boy succumbed to the flames and collapsed upon itself, Hanta turned away from the now all too familiar scene. Making his way through the still burning colony towards his ship, Hanta let out a heavy sigh. Many of his clan members would call him a fool, that the humans had no honour to begin with. They would say that this revenge mission was folly and his time would be better suited elsewhere. But they would be wrong, revenge is a petty emotion, one that he felt was beneath him. No this was not about revenge, this was a matter of honour.

Author's Notes: Hello everyone! So we got ourselves a brand new story! After finishing Alien: Are You Afraid of the Dark? I had the itch to delve into the opposite side of the universe and write a story about our favourite intergalactic hunters.

I've always loved the Predators and have always entertained the idea of having one of them become an anti-hero of sorts. To do this I knew I needed to give him an adversary that was just as deadly and yet would cross the lines that not even the Predators would cross, hence the somewhat excessively dark material. We'll be getting a closer look into the bandits in the next chapter as well as a little more action.

I've always felt like one of the best parts of the Predator movies was the slow burning tension that steadily ramps up almost hitting slasher movie levels until the action commences. I tried to replicate that as best as I could. I also needed to give a little backstory into Hanta (points to anyone who can figure out his name… It's actually not as clever as I'd like it to be) not so much to humanize him but more of just to give you an idea of where he's coming from. Also it should be noted that all of Hanta's dialogue is happening within in his own head, lets just say its been 'translated' from Yautja to English for your viewing ease.

Also I've now learned you can't use different fonts which kind of sucks. I downloaded the entire Predator font to give the story a fun bit of, I guess you could call it fan service.

Anyways I hope you all enjoy this first chapter. Until next time everyone! Take care!