Seasons

Just as they'd set foot upon the ship the long loud noise began to sound, regardless of the fact that the female had attempted to muffle it. Tzukra watched with interest as she sat down on the slab in the corner of her designated room and continued making that noise. Unsure of how to handle the situation, he hooked his guard-stick onto a contraption on his back and approached her slowly. The mission had gone rather well, K'tch raising a brow at his quick success. It would appear that he might in fact have a chance at being a more successful warrior. K'tch had silently acknowledged his praise before returning to his own quarters to plan. Apparently there was still work to be done, human facilities to infiltrate and evidence to dispose of. In the meantime, it was understood that Tzukra could do whatever he pleased. K'tch had even offered him his small one-man ship if he felt like hunting anyone. Apparently there was a lot of strife on the other side of the planet and he was certain he'd have time to collect one skull if he truly wished it.

Only...

The younger warrior looked down at the sobbing human female before him. Such a strange phenomenon once he really had a moment to observe. She was shaking as though she were in pain, although he was certain her physcial damage was healing nicely. He found himself wanting to speak, wanting to ask, but was not fluent in her language. At least, not as fluent as K'tch who although knowledgeable, simply chose not to speak very often for reasons unknown. His thoughts briefly flickered to the older warrior. He really was a strict breed.

He leaned closer to the woman, reaching forward and touching the top of her head, surprised by the softness and smooth quality of the strands growing from her head. He kept his hand there a moment before spreading his digits and slowly running them through it. Fingers of his left hand still entwined, he kneeled to her level and peered into her face, trying to decipher the expression.

A warm liquid was dripping from her eyes and he reached forward tentatively, rough index of his right hand following the path the tear had made before drawing back and rubbing the moisture with his thumb.

Sharon sighed. What was he doing? It was obvious neither one of them knew. Either way, she wasn't in the mood for his curiosity and she grit her teeth, turning to him angrily. She wasn't an object for him to play with or a tool for his kind to manipulate and study. She swallowed. His expression was softer than K'tch's somehow, his handling of her much more gentle. Almost immediately she softened her expression in response.

Even so, they were both from the same mold and quite frankly efficient killers. Where was there room for tenderness in a civilization such as theirs?

Contrary to her thoughts, the younger warrior continued to sift his hand through her hair, petting her soothingly, until the tears stopped altogether, the young woman's gaze lost to the hard floor. All the while he was making that odd gurgly clicking noise, something she could only translate as a purr. Oddly enough, it calmed her.
After a long moment, she turned to look up at him. His pale eyes betrayed nothing, right pincher lifting just a little as though contemplating speaking. She found herself wishing he did speak more. Being in the company of creatures that couldn't readily answer her was proving discouraging and depressing and she found herself longing for the normalcy of a pleasant conversation. She cleared her throat, voice quiet.

"Are you going to sit here and keep watching me?" she spoke slowly. He cocked his head, purr steady.

She sighed. "Guess so..."

He was silent.

"...Do you mind if I lean on you a while? I need to lean on someone... anyone..." There was a small pause before he grunted and nodded visibly, but slowly.

Staring into his frightening facial features, it was a surprise even to herself when she carefully slid off of the slab to sit beside him and turned her cheek to him before slowly, very slowly resting her head against his chest.

It was weird, it was stupid, it didn't make any sense, but it was comfortable and somehow she knew that unlike, K'tch, the shorter warrior Tzukra would not scold her for her actions.

"I don't expect you or any of your kind to understand..." she sighed. "Just pretend like you're a person for a little while, before I go insane."
The shorter warrior continued to pet her in fascination, amused by her reaction to it. He'd gotten her to stop making that annoying sound, for the water to stop dropping from her eyes. Almost proud of himself for making the woman comfortable, he grunted as he brought his other hand up to hold her.

In no time at all, her breathing had calmed, pulse slowing as she dozed off to the quiet purr of the creature embracing her.

__________

The rain had begun to pick up, but neither seemed interested in avoiding it as the Gary followed the taller man to the small base-trailer set up several hundred blocks from where the Weyland experimental facility had once existed. After exiting the dark vehicle they paused before the heavy metal door, the younger man reaching up and typing in a code. Seconds later, they were entering the trailer where they were met with a set of white stairs laid out before them that disappeared down a dark passage. The shorter man laughed.

"How many monsters are in this basement?" he raised a brow, the younger man turning to him, unsure how to answer.

"Monsters I doubt, but something you'll need if you're prepared to fight 'em."

Two more doors and three more codes later, they were greeted by the cool air and immaculate steel corridors of what appeared to a very elaborate underground operation. After walking placidly down the long hall, the young man suddenly turned right, grey door sliding open to reveal a room housing several computer stations. They walked up to the one that was not occupied before the older man, turned to him, awaiting an explanation.

"At this base we have a copy of all of the detailed files on these extraterrestrials."

The older man nodded. "The files from Weyland's experimental facility have been uploaded here as well. So, what would you like to know?"

Gary smiled. "Everything. Tell me everything you know, Garber."

_____________


The following week, K'tch had found little use for her, he and Arug'rak still working on a solution to the chemicals behind the darts that had been used to aid in his capture.

Seeing little else to do, Tzukra had taken to spending more and more time with the female. Twice since she was brought on board he had accompanied her on the planet's surface. Once, to retrieve data and once to retrieve items she apparently needed. She hadn't taken too well to raw meat, K'tch suggesting they find a supply of food she would ingest.

Tzukra really could find no fault in allowing her to be close. She'd been scanned for any harmful microbes or substances and had passed all regulations. Whatever possessed K'tch to avoid her like the plague was beyond him. Come to think of it, K'tch had never liked being close to any creature unless it was either absolutely necessary or combat was involved. He pondered this silently as he walked by the human's room before deciding to check on her. She was tracing the symbols on the wall curiously, turning quickly at the sound of his approach.

"Something wrong?" she inquired. Perhaps they were finally done with her. The usual silence greeted her before there was a change.

The young warrior was just about to turn and leave when he lifted his gaze, pausing in mid step and becoming alert.

Something was... different.

He walked up to her slowly, pale eyes fixed on her as she raised a brow.

"So? What's the deal?" she inquired.

Wordlessly, he reached forward, putting his right claw on her shoulder, bending down a little and putting his face close to her left cheek, mandibles tapping gently. He stayed there for several seconds, examining her scent.

Something had changed. Unable to pinpoint it, he continued to smell her moving over her other shoulder.

It was very strange, a scent that was almost inviting and uniquely female. He felt his own breath deepen and he purred. His claw-like hands crept down her shoulders and foward to cup each mamory gland through the thin t-shirt she was sporting, the woman frozen in shock. No, it didn't have to do with anything above the torso. He'd been acquainted with the anatomy of the human female and was well aware that his findings only left one place likely for observation of this peculiar scent.

Slowly, his hands left her mamory glands, curving around slowly to rest on her hips and she felt her breath catch, eyes widening as the mood of the room suddenly changed, color rushing to her face. Her heart immediately picked up the pace. Another arm went around her back as Tzukra took a step forward and there was little else for her to do but take a step back.

All she could do was breathe quickly as her back hit the dimly lit wall. There was no warning, none whatsover, just the frightening feeling of a rough hand pressing against her stomach before wrestling its way down the front of her camoflauge pants and pressing against the very definition of her gender and she inhaled sharply.

"Oh god...what are you-" she hadn't even been aware that she'd uttered the words aloud. All she could do was stare numbly, heart beating fiercely as she found herself pinned against the wall by this strong creature. Unable to find her words, she held her breath as one rough finger slid carefully against the most intimate part of her being. She struggled to suppress a whimper and stiffened, shutting her eyes against the assault, waiting for something terrible to happen. She could feel one long finger caressing in a circular motion, the hand at her back rising to pet her hair and she observed the conflict within her senses with shock. She felt her knees weaken before the hand was suddenly withdrawn. She watched dazedly as the pale-eyed creature brought his finger up to his face to examine it, turning his hand this way and that.

The woman trembled in shock as Tzukra made an indescribable noise as he took two steps back.

Ohhhh...

His pale reptilian eyes widened and he swallowed, struggling to quiet his instincts. The human female was ovulating, her scent permeated with pheromones that a warrior of his age could sniff out a mile away. He took a moment to recall the information that he knew was stored in his personal database. If he remembered correctly, that meant she was in season. He gazed down at his hand for a few more moments before looking back up at her and her bewildered expression.

What could he possibly say to her to assure her that he'd meant no harm? Unable to phrase much else, his mandibles spread just a little, dark voice jarring her from her shock.

"Sorry..."
She blinked thrice before regaining her composure, brain still processing the first request when he added, "Rest..." with that he turned away from her sharply.. This situation demanded his attention. It was essential that he run the mucosa sample through the scanner so that he might better predict her functions. With an unwavering determination he found himself heading for the lab, leaving her to her confusion and steadily surfacing feelings of guilt.