Zero Hour 14

The black, armoured shapes of the Hirogen stood aside as the man walked towards the mess table. He was a tall, athletically built human - but, by some margin, the smallest being in the mess hall.

The man threw the object he was carrying onto the mess table. It rolled a short distance, then came to a halt. It was a standard helmet from a suit of Hirogen battle armour, but it was heavier than normal. Its owner's head was still inside it.

"There," said the man. Absolute silence greeted him.

"Your Alpha rose to the challenge," the man continued, "but, as you see, he didn't rise high enough." Behind him, a gigantic hulking Beta touched the wrist controls of his battle armour, and faded into invisibility. "So, unless there is another challenge -"

The man didn't finish the sentence. He moved.

One foot lashed out, connected with thin air; an armoured leg flickered into visibility, and there was a grunt of pain. "Predictable," the man commented, as he ducked. Something passed by his head, close enough to ruffle his dark hair. He reached and grabbed at a briefly visible arm, and used it to vault over his opponent's shoulder - catching the Beta's thick neck in the crook of his arm as he moved.

He landed squarely on his feet, with the Beta's head caught firmly against his chest. He grasped his right wrist with his left hand, twisted, and pulled. There was a grisly snapping sound.

The man released his hold. The Beta's body fell, limp, to the deck.

"So," the man said. "Unless there's another challenge... I take command." His gaze raked the tall armoured figures around him. "Understand this, hunters," he said softly. "You know how to stalk your prey, how to wait, how to take the best chance. Well, your best chance is now. I'm tired, I'm a little bruised, even... you will never get a better chance to take me. Know that." He turned in a slow circle, meeting the eyes of each Hirogen in turn. "Is there another challenge?" he asked again.

The Hirogen did not cringe, exactly, but there was a shift in their body language; they shuffled, and looked... sheepish, almost. The man nodded. Pack mentality. The Hirogen were intelligent beings, but their social hierarchies were ingrained in them; each one knew his place, knew who was above him... and would keep in his place, beneath a leader who had proved himself.

"Very well," he said. "Good. I need this ship, I can always get a crew... but it would be wasteful to kill all of you. Now. Navigation officer. I have business to attend to in the Alpha Peluria system. Set a course."

A massive arm was raised in salute. "At your order, Alpha Thrang!"

Kalevar Thrang smiled.