Ah'kaedh walked down one of the many sinuous paths of the council's seat - a vast site with hall-like buildings. You would find people there at all hours, but no one actually lived there but for the keepers of the grounds.
Having elders available at all times surely served well most of the clan - but for Ah'kaedh, that was something else to take into account when back home - having to report to each elder individually was an organizational exercise in arranging meetings and sleeping odd hours.
The Talon was not a small clan; and their council reflected that reality - the Enforcer had yet to talk with nineteen out of the forty-two individuals.
"Ah'kaedh", a female called - there was a group chatting some feet from the path.
"Later", he waved, unwilling to be detained. He had thirty minutes before being called in, but he wanted to review some of the details this elder had explicitly asked for.
No deal. Steps behind him made clear the Enforcer's request had been ignored.
"Are you going to meet my grandmother?"
"Yes", he answered without turning or stopping.
"Can you give me five minutes?" The female insisted.
"Naia, now is not a good time".
One would think not turning nor stopping would convey how unwilling Ah'kaedh was to have any conversation.
"My grandmother is not pleased you brought back a pet, Ah'kaedh", Naia caught up with him, spitting her last attempt. Fruitlessly.
The Enforcer has this enerving ability to make people feel invisible. Like now.
The red female finally quit her pursuit, snapping her mandibles angrily, knowing she would have better chances of succeeding in engaging with a wall.
***
The ample hall was kept in the shadows, facilitating the visualization of all projections on display: maps, graphics, analysis of footage of the Abomination Queen and its offspring hosted by oomans.
There were also blueprints, plans of the major cities, maps of the region where the I gestation occurred, detailed reports with images, and video of the subsequent destruction after the bombing.
Finally, there was detailed info on Thedus population, infrastructure, and what was left there after the evacuation; the elder could see some projected scenarios of new infestations, places where new Kiande Amedha hives were likely to be established.
The more information the Yautja had, the better; taking down that abomination was a complex endeavor - too many variables to be accounted for, a population of Xenomorphs that would only grow even after all oomans were dead (since part of the local fauna could and would serve as hosts).
"Do you have any information on the oomans space station in that planet's orbit?"
"They call it a spacebridge", Ah'kaedh started to key his gauntlet, but the elder stopped him by planning her hand over his.
"I will analyze it later. Tell me how you acquired the data", the female asked.
"Through one of the prisoners under my custody", he offered.
"I read Lar'jar's report about the female Yautja you rescued, and the fetus found at the Bad Blood's vessel. I supposed the ooman responsible for the data is also the one who assisted him, yes?"
"That's correct".
"I also heard what some of the Clan Mothers are saying about this ooman, so I consulted with Jakhar", the female watched Ah'kaedh closely, analyzing his reactions (or, in the Enforcer's case, the apparent lack of any).
YOU ARE READING
Boundless
FanficThirty-nine years after leaving behind the hellhole at Sezei, Ah'kaedh has come to terms with the fact that he will never find his Girl. Moving on is not easy, and his path has been painted with the red of all the human mercenaries he has been hunti...
