Chapter Text
For all the times people have asked Elaine Andrews where she would be in life by the time she was fifty, her answer was never entering diplomacy negotiations with a semi-hostile alien race.
And yet, here she is.
This is crazy. She feels crazy. Everyone else would say she was crazy. Maybe she’s crazy.
Oh, well. Most of the best ideas are crazy.
For obvious reasons, she and this creature – a Yautja, not that she’s ever successfully pronounced that name so far – are meeting in a private but neutral place. The conversation will be held in English for the benefit of Earth’s population, because apparently this Yautja understands and speaks fairly fluent English, and the race itself has tremendous translation technology so that the Yautja won’t miss out on it.
Every word is going to be recorded, which only serves to make Elaine more nervous. What if she says something stupid or accidentally offensive or trips over her words? Her superiors would can her in a second for fucking this up. It’s important. She needs to be at the top of her game.
The door closes behind her as soon as she steps inside, and there’s no going back now.
There are no windows in the room, but it’s not exactly dark. It’s spacious. There’s a table and some chairs… and an extraterrestrial sitting in one of them, looking for all the world very casual.
Elaine balks immediately and almost wants to run right out that door. This thing must be about eight feet tall! Even in the heels she’s wearing, she’s dwarfed by over two feet. One of her icebreakers has suddenly become, “How’s the weather up there?” and there is no way in HELL she’s saying that. The only way she’s saying that is if she wanted to start a Goddamn intergalactic war. For a second she even considers that it might be better for her not to say anything at all.
“Uh, he – hello,” she greets as she slowly walks over toward the table. So much for taking a vow of silence. “Good… afternoon, I think it is. It’s, uh, it’s very nice to meet you. My name is Elaine Andrews. Uh – of, of Earth – the, uh, United States of America. The people of Earth are honored to… to be talking with you. And – and, of course, I’m honored personally!” God, she’s flailing already. What is wrong with her? She’s gonna blow this.
The creature looks at her, and the mandibles on their face click together several times. Even though she’s not quite sure what that means, it reminds her of someone chuckling. “Thank you… Elaine.” Her name is said haltingly, as if it’s some kind of exotic abomination. “The people of Yautja Prime are honored to be talking with you, as well, as am I personally.” The voice is surprisingly deep, which leads Elaine to suspect that this is a male Yautja. Unless she’s corrected, that’s what she’s going with. “I am Nau’tui, Leader of the Uata Clan and one of Yautja Prime’s Elders. Please sit.”
She nods, feeling like she’s in a dream as she lowers herself into the seat across from him. He commands so much authority, it’s like following orders from one of her bosses. When she sits, she realizes that the table isn’t very big, so there’s only a few feet of distance between them.
This guy is massive. He has tight muscles with muted chartreuse skin stretched over them, and what she can only describe as dreadlocks sprouting from the top of his head. They’re black and abundant and hanging halfway down his back, decorated with silvery rings that have various designs carved into them. He’s wearing some kind of mesh outfit that exposes his broad chest, though thankfully his lower half is… suitably covered. Elaine isn’t sure how she would handle staying composed while talking to a naked alien.
Poorly, probably, based on how she’s handling talking to a mostly clothed alien.
She clears her throat and folds her hands on the table in front of her. “So, mmh… how’s your day going so far? Well, I hope?”
“Well, yes. Thank you.” Her coworkers seemed to not think much of the Yautja’s English skills, but clearly Nau’tui is fluent. She doesn’t hear any difference between his speech and someone who’s been speaking English all of their life. “And yours?”
“Not bad, uh, I’m… I’m sorry if I seem – I’m a little nervous.” She might as well put it out in the open, after all. “It’s, uh… not every day that I meet an alien. Whereas, uh, I understand that, well… the Yautja have a lot of experience with races other than your own. So, uh, yeah. My apologies.”
The same sound, that clicking, meets her ears again. He seems amused by her. “Please relax. Apologies are fine, and accepted, and to tell you the truth, I myself am not immune to nerves. But you are too anxious. You act like prey. If I may offer a piece of advice; you never want to act like prey around Yautja.”
She can feel the blood rush to her cheeks, and she gives him what she hopes is a placating smile. “Of course. Thank you for the advice. Like I said, this is all… really new to me. I’ll try to relax, though. You seem nice.”
That’s the truth. When her bosses were talking to her about this, they told her to be on alert and even gave her a week-long course on self-defense just in case things turned bad. She’s been sent in with a concealed can of pepper spray. They all have said that the Yautja are terrible, violent creatures. The humans have nicknamed these aliens Predators.
Nau’tui does not seem like a terrible, violent being. He’s quite calm and pleasant, as far as Elaine is concerned. As huge and obviously dangerous as he might be, she doesn’t think she runs the risk of being hurt here. He even gave her advice about interacting with his people.
Every muscle in her body uncoils in gradual sync. It’s okay. Everything is fine. She doesn’t need to be ready to run away or defend herself because he’s not going to hurt her. “Sorry,” she finally breathes. “I think I’m okay. I’ll try not to, uh… act like prey again.”
“My apologies if I sounded harsh. This is not an arena where you need fear for your safety, nor I for mine. Now, I believe this will be a productive meeting.” His claws gesture toward her, which makes her near-panic for half a second. They’re so sharp! “Out of respect and gratitude for the humans accepting our offer for negotiations, I would like you to begin the official talks if you have topics prepared.”
Alright, no big deal. Of course she has things prepared. There’s an entire sheaf of paper she brought in with notes, questions, and discussion topics. Her hands shake slightly as she thumbs through them, though after a second she manages to get that under control. “Right, right, of course. I, uh – thank you for that, uh… Mr. Uata…?”
She’s cringing at herself. He’s addressing her by first name; maybe she should have done the same thing. “Sorry again, um… would you prefer that or… just your, uh… first name?”
That clicking sound is starting to become familiar to her. Is that the equivalent of a laugh, then? “Simply Nau’tui.”
“Of course! Nau’tui, then. So, ah, thank you, Nau’tui.” His name sounds so foreign inside her mouth, and she can only hope she isn’t completely butchering the pronunciation. “I’m honored to speak first, and there are a few topics I have ready.” Looking through her notes, she can see that some of her bosses have given her good topics and bad ones. A question of what the Yautja’s weaknesses are must have come from her cutthroat superior, and it makes her roll her eyes. Instead, she settles on a tactful way to approach the question that’s very likely on the minds of everyone listening.
She clears her throat again. “Okay, well, there’s an elephant in the room here, I guess.”
The ridge above Nau’tui’s eye arches as if in curiosity, and the clicks he offers this time sound different. “Oh, is there?”
“Yes, uh, well… I’ve reviewed reports in the past of – of all the contact between humans and Yautja.” Which isn’t a lie, because to take on this assignment, she had to be educated. There aren’t an obscene amount of reports. However… “In the past, some Yautja have come to our planet and, for lack of a better word, hunted down humans. I understand that, statistically, you probably had nothing to do with these incidents, and it’s, uh… it’s very likely that the majority of Yautja had nothing to do with them either.”
The room suddenly feels uncomfortably warm, and Elaine shifts in her seat. The last thing she wants to do is offend this man. “But, unfortunately, I do have to bring it up. If humans and Yautja are going to be able to get along, then we humans need to know why some Yautja have killed some humans, and we need to be assured that we’re safe. Were these Yautja rogues who you don’t approve of, or is this kind of hunting behavior typical among Yautja?”
Hopefully that was a gentle way to broach this particular subject. After all, she can’t truly imagine that he would take it well if she called him and his entire race a bunch of murdering psychopaths. It’s just hard to find a way to ask about this without doing that.
Things are quiet for a moment, though Nau’tui doesn’t seem upset – and with what her superiors have told her, she’s fairly certain she would know if he was pissed. Initially, he gives her a slow nod as he steeples his hands on the table. As far as she can tell, it looks like he’s thinking just as hard about how to answer her question as she thought to ask it.
“Mostly, this is typical Yautja behavior. However, the Hunt as we call it is a ritual that is integral to our culture.” He leans forward, arms resting lightly on the table, the weight tilting it at a slight angle toward him. “It is how we define our warriors, our soldiers, our personal value. Please know that it is complicated, but I can tell you that we do not specifically Hunt humans. If a Yautja has decided to Hunt a human, it is because they have decided the human is a worthy kill… and therefore trophy. The Hunt itself is central to a Yautja, but the Hunting of humans is not.”
His mandibles click again, in that same curious way they did before. Like he’s considering his words very carefully. “Because we are seeking an alliance with you, certainly I will bring up with the other Elders and the Ancients the importance of changing our laws to forbid Hunting humans entirely. I cannot promise that the law will change, and it may be met with resistance. But I do understand that an alliance where your people fear for their lives will be tenuous and short-lived at best. So after this meeting, I will talk to the others about the possibility of changing the law.”
Huh, he understands exactly how to navigate a political setting… and he knows the points she was going to cover before she even plainly brought them up. It strikes Elaine that perhaps he’s had to have discussions like this with other races, or even spearhead mediation between members of his own family.
As for her, this isn’t her first political discussion, but it’s her first one with an alien. It’s impressive to her how he seems to be totally confident and know exactly what she’s going to bring up. Even though she’s good at reading ahead as well, he seems to think on his feet. He doesn’t waste any time.
“A… ah, I see,” is what she comes up with as an answer. She swallows and gives him a nod along with a smile. “This is fascinating and – and definitely a welcome insight to your race. I can’t imagine I don’t speak for a lot of humans when I say we’re curious about your culture. Plus, it’s a great comfort to us that you’ll discuss this with them. I’m sure this is something my own superiors will want to discuss as well.”
She supposes it’s a compliment that any of them would consider a human a worthy kill. It’s still unsettling, though. Thinking about a Yautja tracking down a human puts Elaine in the shoes of the prey, and she can’t imagine anything but pure terror.
Remembering Nau’tui’s words, she reminds herself that she can’t act like prey around him. She takes a deep breath before continuing. “So, you don’t hunt humans in particular. Can I take that to mean that you hunt other kinds of creatures? Would you mind listing some examples? Do you hunt sentient life, non-sentient life, or a mix? Do you prefer hunting certain kinds of creatures?” Her face flushes slightly. “Well, I mean, I assume all of this may vary, but, you know… in general terms.”
His mandibles click together, and he offers a thoughtful nod. “In general terms… the Yautja hunt any who we think of as worthy prey. That can mean sentient or non-sentient beings. Clans and individuals may have a favorite prey. If we do not feel inclined to any other prey, we go on a Hunt for Kainde Amedha, which we breed specifically for Hunting.”
“Kainde Amedha…” Elaine’s pen is out of her pocket by now, jotting notes on some of the blank paper. Even though the conversation is recorded and it means her bosses can take their own notes, she’s truly interested in the Yautja culture. She’s sure some Earth cultures place emphasis on hunting for sport, but… not to the degree where it’s one of the cornerstones of their way of life. As terrifying as the Yautja seem, she can’t deny that she wants to learn more about them. “So, what exactly are Kainde Amedha? Is that a creature that only exists on Yautja Prime, or is that a Yautja word for some kind of other alien, or…?”
“The latter.” Nau’tui tilts his head at her, his claws tapping lightly against the table. “Kainde Amedha is our word for… ah… I believe humans know them as – Xenomorphs, is your word for them?”
Immediately, her eyes get wide. “Xenomorphs?” Now, those she actually has some knowledge of. Among the files of Yautja incidents, her bosses also gave her reports that covered every other major incident of humans’ encounters with aliens. Those included Xenomorphs; a violent hive mind of extraterrestrials who seemed to have no goal besides using other species to birth their horrifying young. What little she knows of humans’ relationship with them boils down to a simple fact. That fact being, even the division of a gigantic corporation called Weyland-Yutani that’s devoted to reverse-engineering weapons and products from the Xenomorphs couldn’t fully control them.
Is Nau’tui telling her that the Yautja breed those things? That the Yautja hunt and kill them on a regular basis? When numerous humans are required to even incapacitate a single one, and sometimes still lose their lives in the process?
That’s impossible. That’s insane.
“W… wow.” She has to blink a few times as that information processes in her mind. The Yautja have somehow started to breed a species of alien that has posed a threat every single time they’ve come into contact with humans… and they hunt them for fun. What… the fuck? “So, you’re telling me that the Yautja breed Xenomorphs and then use them as prey for Hunts?”
“Yes, especially if they do not feel the pull to any other type of prey, and especially as prey for a Yautja who is not yet Blooded.” For a race who apparently pride themselves on strength and glory, he seems awfully nonchalant talking about killing creatures who have overpowered entire teams of humans. “We also sometimes Hunt them before going after prey that we think will be difficult to take down… to ensure that our skills are sharp.”
Practice. The Yautja use these aggressive beasts who are fully capable of slaughtering humans and willing to do so… as… practice. A shiver runs up Elaine’s spine as she considers what they’re Hunting, exactly, that a Xenomorph is considered a training exercise.
The way her pen clicks seems to reverberate through the entire room. “That’s, uh… that’s… impressive.” She doesn’t know what else to say. What the hell else can she say to that?
A round of trilling comes from Nau’tui, and that expression of his almost looks like a smile. “Of course humans would think that. We have been doing this for a long time, whereas you struggle with defending yourselves from the Kainde Amedha. No offense meant, of course, but you’re a young species.”
There’s so much to unpack here, Elaine doesn’t know where to start. It’s all she can do not to drown. Her bosses would never forgive her if she didn’t ask the obvious question. “W-well, uh, honestly, we would probably benefit from a lot of your techniques on controlling them. As you said, every time humanity has run into these… Kainde Amedha… they’ve proved a problem to us, and you guys have no trouble with them. Would you, uh, consider maybe sharing some of the ways you control them the way you do? Is it your advanced technology or is it something else?”
“Mmh.” In an instant, his maybe-smile is gone. Now he just looks grim, like the last few sentences eroded the trust he had in her. “I am afraid I cannot speak on any of that at this time. The Yautja guard our technology closely. Were we ever to share any part of it with another species, the other Elders and the Ancients would need to hold discussions at length first. My apologies.”
She shakes her head, making quick notes of all of this. This isn’t quite what she expected when she woke up this morning. There’s a ton of new information that’s now available to her and her bosses, as well as it’s going to be available to any of Earth’s public who are tuned in to the broadcast. This is nuts in a way she doesn’t know how to even begin to describe. “No, no, you don’t have to apologize. I understand and I’m sure my superiors do as well. Switching topics… you mentioned something about… Blooded? Is that a rank? Is it like Leader, Elder, Ancient–?”
Nau’tui seemed on alert for a moment, but now his muscles relax. “Yes… similar. Blooded means that a Yautja has been successful on their first Hunt. Before this, they are referred to as either Unblooded or a Young Blood.”
“Is there any difference, or are those terms interchangeable?”
“No, they are not. An Unblooded is a young adult who has yet to complete their basic training to become a Hunter. A Young Blood is one who has been training for some time – usually years – but has not yet been on their first official Hunt.” He shifts slightly, his claws carefully adjusting the small microphone that’s attached to his outfit. “As I said before, we use Kainde Amedha for the Hunts of our Young Bloods. Once they Hunt and kill one, they mark themselves with the blood of it, and they are considered Blooded.”
Elaine gives a small chuckle; that seems self-explanatory. “Oh, I get it. That makes sense. Are there any ranks after Blooded?”
He nods, and as far as she can tell, he’s happy that she’s genuinely curious. “Yes, several. A Blooded can become a Leader – a Clan Leader like myself, or a Hunting Captain who is in charge when a team goes on a Hunt or any other mission. They can also become an Elite, and Elites handle the more challenging Hunts and missions. Eventually, after much experience, an Elite can become an Elder… like I am.”
“Oh, okay…” Her hand is moving so fast to note all of this down, she swears it’s going to start cramping. “And the only rank beyond Elder is Ancient, right? That’s the Yautja who have been around longer than any of the others?”
Something in his dark-set golden eyes sparkles at her. It almost looks like he’s… impressed. Is that because she’s taking all the things he’s been telling her and making her own conclusions? Sometimes she thinks politics is just a giant game of connect the dots, and they’ve both obviously been doing things like this for a while, so why should he be impressed by her? “You are clever. ‘Catch on quick’, is that expression?”
Her face heats up again. “I… yeah, that’s it. I’m, uh, I’m just trying to understand, you know?”
“You are still very intelligent. An admirable quality.” He leans back slightly. “To answer, yes. Ancients are leagues older than any other Yautja. Some of them have helped to create the very laws our society is built upon. We honor them above all else aside from the Hunt. If an Ancient tells you to do something, you do it. No questions. No debate.”
“So, in other words,” Elaine grins, “if an Ancient tells you to jump, you say, ‘How high?’”
Nau’tui makes that clicking noise with his mandibles again; except this time, it’s rapid-fire and clearly meant to be an equivalent to laughter. Something about the fact that she made him laugh ignites a small spark of pride in her belly. “Yes, exactly:”
She joins in with him, giggling, for a moment before both of their laughter dies down. A joke like that seems to have gone a long way in making both of them feel much more at ease. Not that they weren’t getting there already, of course.
After they recover, Elaine straightens up slightly, glancing at her watch. “I’d ask if you have any questions about human culture, but… it looks like we’ve reached the time where the meeting’s over, unfortunately. However, I think my superiors and yours will be setting up another one so we can continue to work on relations! This… went pretty well, though, I think. What do you think?”
“Ah, I agree. This was very pleasant.” Nau’tui moves to get to his feet, taking a helmet that was apparently sitting under the table with him. “There is a long road ahead of us, to be certain, but this was the first step, and I believe we will make great progress. Let us disable our microphones, then allow me to escort you to your ship so you can return home for the time being.”
“Of course! Thank you.” She motions to be quiet, then she first reaches to turn off his microphone, then her own. Once she’s certain that they’re both no longer transmitting, she lets out a sigh of relief. “Ah, thank God. Not to say that was a bad experience, but knowing my every word is being listened to is always kind of stressful. Is it like that for you?”
He hums as he heads for the door. “Somewhat, yes. Even though I am used to being placed under high standards, being placed under constant surveillance is infrequent. We both handled things very well, however. You were nervous at first, but I can tell you are fairly calm now. You are used to me, I hope?”
A sheepish smile comes over her face, and she walks out the door, holding it until he’s through as well. “Yeah, sort of. I mean, I don’t know how I’d react to meeting another Yautja, I’m probably not used to you guys as a whole yet, but – but you, I’m used to.”
“Very much understood. Should I ever need to bring another with me, I will see to it that you are informed ahead of time.” He gives her a side look before tapping his microphone. “This is off now, is it not?”
She nods. “Yeah, I made sure they’re both switched off. Nobody can hear us now.”
They near the pod she’ll use to get back to Earth, then Nau’tui reaches to place his hand on her hip. “I apologize, but you brought a weapon with you, and I have left mine. These are peaceful negotiations. To bring a weapon implies you do not trust us or myself. There is no need for it, and it is dishonorable.”
Elaine feels her heart pounding in her chest. What the hell…? How did he know about the pepper spray? It’s completely hidden. “H… how… did you know?”
“The scent,” he replies simply, looking neither happy nor angry. “Yautja have an extremely enhanced sense of smell.”
Her mouth feels dry. “It… wasn’t my idea,” she murmurs. “My boss told me I needed to bring it. He wouldn’t have let me come if I didn’t. I’m sorry, I… I didn’t mean any disrespect. I do trust you, and I only hope you can forgive me. It’s not something I’m going to bring along in the future.”
After a moment that feels like an eternity, he slowly draws his hand away. The tips of his claws drag lightly against the fabric of her skirt as he does. “That is why I did not mention it while we were being recorded. I thought perhaps someone had pressured you into it. Exposing it while we were being listened to may have resulted in your superiors thinking you had offended me, which ran the risk of getting you in trouble for something that was not your fault.”
“S… so…” Her heart is still racing and she’s nearly frozen up. “You’re… not upset or offended.”
He shakes his head, his dreadlocks swaying. “It would be a lie to say I am pleased with this, but I understand it would have happened regardless of who they sent to meet with me. Your word that it will not happen again is enough. Should you break that word–” His eyes narrow a fraction. “– Then we will have a problem.”
Elaine nods in response and reaches toward him, gently placing her hand against his. “I… I understand. It won’t happen again, but I know words aren’t a huge reassurance about this.” She looks up so she can meet his eyes. “Also… if it’s okay with you… is there any way that the two of us can talk in private? This – this is probably really weird to you, but, I mean, I… I would actually… sort of… like to get to know you better… outside of negotiations.”
“Ah…” For the first time since she’s met him, Nau’tui looks truly hesitant. It’s like she’s caught him off guard with a few simple words. “Well, if that is what you wish… I… believe the feeling is mutual.” He cracks another smile in that Yautja way, though this one looks nervous. His claws flip open some kind of device on his wrist, and after he hits a few buttons, he holds it out to her. “Humans use different sets of numbers to communicate with one another, yes? Through… I believe they are called… cellular telephones? Our communication equipment is vastly more advanced, but if you enter your personal number here, I should be able to find a way to work with Earth’s technology so that we can talk.”
Her face brightens up, and she taps her phone number in. Although the marks are different, it comes up on the screen with translation into numbers that she recognizes. “Okay, there we go… so, if I get a text or call from some weird alien number… that’ll be you?”
“Likely it will not show up as a number… but, yes, that is the basic idea.” He closes the device and gestures to the pod. “Now, your people will be expecting you.”
“Oh, right…” She looks to the pod, then, for some reason she doesn’t understand, she reaches in his direction again, this time touching her palm lightly against his chest. “It really was nice to meet you. I’m looking forward to the next one of these, and… also looking forward to talking to you outside of them.” With that, she steps inside the pod and flashes him a smile. “See you later, Nau’tui.”
The look on his face reads as slightly stunned, his hand coming up to hover over the area she just touched. “… Yes… see you later, Elaine. Safe travels.”
She raises one hand to wave at him. “You, too!”
As the pod whisks her away, the sight of him is replaced with stars and whirring lights. Elaine leans against the back of the pod, letting out a soft sigh, but her smile doesn’t disappear.
This is the beginning of something beautiful.
She can just feel it.