by Charra Loon
Rating: PG-13 for violence and conduct (plus a pretty dirty joke near
the end)
Part: 3/3
Disclaimer: See "Wrath of the Hunter"
Summary: The epic conclusion to the Hunter Trilogy!! An important
decision will change everything.
Time/Setting: Kathra's fortress, after the events of "Secret of the
Hunter"
Author's Notes: Did I remeber to thank everybody who gave me permission
to use their fanfics as references? Penny, Laura, Annette, I couldn't
have done it without you. Now, on with the story!!!
*****
The Hunter stopped dead in his tracks the moment he heard D'Argo shout.
The blade's point was only inches from its intended target. "What did
you say?" he asked. John let out a sigh of relief when he saw the
Hunter had stopped. "He told you 'don't'." he replied.
"No, not that." the Hunter replied. He turned his attention to D'Argo.
"That name you called me. Jothee? No one has refered to me by that name
for cycles. Only Kathra ever uses that name for me."
"It is you, isn't it?" D'Argo said. "Jothee. After all this time, I--"
"Who are you?" the Hunter asked. "Where did you hear that name?"
"It's your birth name, the one I always called you."
"It can't be." he replied. "Kathra told me you were dead."
"Apparantely, she lied." John replied. "Just as she lied to you about
everything else."
"She couldn't have been lying about the PeaceKeepers!" the Hunter
snapped. "I know what they did. They may fool everyone else, but I know
the truth."
"The truth?" D'Argo asked.
"I know it was the PeaceKeepers who murdered my mother."
"Jothee-"
"And I know you abandoned me on that planet." he snapped.
"I had no choice." D'Argo pleaded. "Listen to me, Kathra, by some
strange coincidence, was telling the truth about your mother."
"You sent me away!"
"Because I was afraid that same PeaceKeeper would come for you! I was
trying to protect you, just as always."
"Things have changed." the Hunter said. "I'm not a little boy anymore.
I will kill every PeaceKeeper there is to avenge my mother's death, and
you can't stop me." At that moment, several soldiers began to flood the
dungeons. John knew they had to get out, and fast. "D'Argo," he said.
"Let's go."
"I'm not leaving him again!" he shouted as he went towards the Hunter.
A gas began to fill the room as the helmet came on, covering the Hunter's
face once more, protecting him from the gas as John and D'Argo fell
unconscious. "Take the human to the laboratory." he ordered as the
soldiers carried John out of the dungeons. More surrounded D'Argo.
"What about the Luxan?" one of them asked. The Hunter looked at him,
stared at him, uncertain at what to do. "Toss him out of the fortress."
he said. "I'll deal with him later." The soldiers carried D'Argo to the
door and threw him out as the Hunter followed the ones carrying the
human.
*****
At the rebel base, D'Argo began to regain consciousness. He finally
awoke to see Zhaan looming over him. "D'Argo?" she asked. "Can you
hear me?"
"Zhaan?" he replied. "What in the hellmanza happened?"
"We found you unconscious outside the fortress." said Elysia as she
entered. "We figured you had breathed some of Kathra's homemade sleep
mist, so we brought you here to recouperate."
"Crichton!" D'Argo remembered. "Where is he?"
"I'm sorry," Elysia replied. "Kathra has him. Barros has gone off to
see if he's still alive." Aeryn came in soon after.
"D'Argo, I heard
about Crichton." she said.
"Aeryn, you're looking better." he replied.
"I was lucky Elysia and John found me when they did." she answered. She
then noticed D'Argo's mournful look. "D'Argo?" she asked. "Is
something the matter?"
"Jothee--" he began.
"You found him?" Aeryn asked. "Does the Hunter have him?"
"It's worse than that," D'Argo replied.
"Jothee....." He was
relcuntant to finish. "Jothee is the Hunter."
"You saw the face of the Hunter?" Elysia stated.
"Are you certain, D'Argo?" Zhaan asked.
"I'm positive." he replied. "It's him, after so long."
"You know the Hunter?" Elysia said. "D'Argo, I understand that a Luxan
can make many enemies. However, since you know this one, I think it's
best that you battle him when we try to rescue Crichton."
"I can't." D'Argo said.
"Please, D'Argo." Elysia went on. "This may be our only chance of being
free and rescuing your friend. It will take a strong warrior to defeat
the Hunter."
"But it takes a monster to destroy his own son." D'Argo responded.
"I don't understand," Elysia said. "All of Kathra's soldiers are
genetically engineered."
"There's more to this than you know, Elysia." Zhaan replied. She
explained the situation with D'Argo and how he lost his wife, a Sebacean
woman, to a PeaceKeeper's wrath. "But not just any PeaceKeeper," she
went on. "Her own brother. D'Argo sent their son to another planet to
protect him and he's been trying to find him since we escaped."
"So, Kathra was coincidentally telling the truth." Elysia said. "She
always said the PeaceKeepers would destroy their own kind at a moment's
notice, but their own family--"
"The PeaceKeepers forbid inter-species unions." Aeryn added. "They do
what they can to keep the bloodline pure."
"And now the Hunter is trying to avenge himself and his family." Elysia
finished. "By commiting genocide."
"Elysia," D'Argo began. "What did you say about Kathra's soldiers being
genetically engineered?"
"Kathra isn't only a warlord, she's also an expert genetist." Elysia
explained. "She's, in some ways, like the PeaceKeepers, but believes
there's no way to achive perfection and keep the bloodline pure as well."
"So she mixes some genes together to form instant soldiers?" Aeryn
asked.
"She always makes sure there's at least some part of Sebacean DNA so the
race could have some credit. Only Kathra herself is pure Sebacean."
"What about the others?" Zhaan asked.
"Completely random mixtures, but the generals themselves have certain
mixtures." Elysia continued. "Zathros is half Hynerian for aquatic
domination, Ta'Cara is half Delvian for spritual power, Ma'Rone is half
Vocarion for the blood-tracking ability and Yorita is half Nebari for
natural inconspicuous activity. I am certain that Crichton is alive."
"How?" Aeryn asked.
"His genetic formula is similar to Sebacean, but as a scientist Kathra
will be curious." Elysia replied. "Is there a way to tell a human from
a Sebacean, without resorting to a genetic scan?"
"Only one way like that," Aeryn started. "Humans are more tolerant to
heat than Sebaceans."
"Of course, heat tolerance for a hybrid Sebacean would make the perfect
saboteur to use against the PeaceKeepers!"
"Is something wrong, Elysia?" Zhaan asked. Elysia went to an old
communications set and started to set a frequency. "Arron, status
report." she said.
"Elysia, what is it?" he asked.
"It's Kathra," she replied. "I have reason to believe she intends to
use the human's DNA to create spies to infiltrate High Command!"
"How is that possible?"
"I have just learned that a human is more tolerant to heat than a
Sebacean is. We have to get into that fortress before it's too late!"
She looked around the screen. "Where's Barros?" she asked. "He
should've been out by now."
"That was what I was about to contact you for," Arron explained. "He's
dead."
"Kathra caught him?" Arron nodded. "Assemble your troops, Arron." she
went on. "We end this now!" The holomonitor went blank. She then
turned to her visitors. "Elysia, what is going on?" Aeryn asked.
"We're going for your friend, and for our freedom!" she answered.
"Follow me, we're heading to the rendevous point where we'll join with
Arron's troops in battle." They exited the base, D'Argo following them
with doubt in his head.
*****
Meanwhile, John was beginning to awake in a cell with transparent walls.
He discovered the walls after being shocked by the invisible electrons
producing the wall. "Where the hell am I?" he asked. It was then that
Kathra entered. "So, this is the human I've been hearing about." she
said. "You don't look much, but I'm known to adapt."
"I take it you must be Kathra." he said. "The warlord enslaving these
people."
"Warlord?" she laughed. "So that's what your rebel friends describe me
as. I'll have you know I'm a scientist first and a warlord second,
fortunatlely for you."
"Don't tell me, let me guess, you want to study my genes and see if you
can create some Sebacean hybrids to infiltrate and destroy the
PeaceKeepers."
"Well, John Crichton, I must admit for a species which is technically
inferior, you catch on quickly."
"Well, you're not exactly the only scientist around here, in case you
didn't know."
"Then you understand the importance of my research." she replied. "For
cycles, the PeaceKeepers have destroyed millions of races whose genes
could have improved our society. Those fools at High Command believe in
acheving perfection while keeping the race pure. I say sacrifices must
be made for the greater good."
"Good as in getting your genes sliced and diced?" he asked.
"Precisely," she answered. "Look at yourself, John. Hated by the enemy
and shunned by your friends, if you should call them that, all beacause
of your incompitence. I don't blame you, though, you are a rare species
indeed."
"Rare?"
"It is not often I see a species which can find pleasure on its homeworld
alone, pure from the technologies which have corrupted this galaxy.
Indeed, we have much to learn from each other. Join me, Crichton. With
your species' genetic code and my technology, we can rid ourselves of the
PeaceKeepers once and for all."
"What makes you think I'll join with you?"
"You have no choice. It's only a matter of time before you find your
homeworld. Suppose the PeaceKeepers follow you there and destroy
everything? Your people will be terminated for your crimes and enslaved
for their pleasure, just like Delvia. I can help you protect your people
from them, John. All you have to do is join me."
"When hell frezees over." John replied. Kathra pressed some controls
which caused a large claw to grab John's head. "You do realize I could
destroy you anytime I please." she said. "I already downloaded your
entire vocabulary from your translator microbes into my own enhanced
versions."
"Yeah, but I know you're dying to understand my code." John responded.
Kathra then made the claw force John's eyes to stay open as she
deactivated the walls and brought out an empty syringe. She placed the
needle into the center of his pupil and drew out the liquid. She then
took out the needle and summoned the lab guards who were also assistants.
"Place him in the breeder chambers." she ordered. "Do not engage into
further extractions until I return." She gave the syringe with the
liquid to another lab guard. "Take this and do a full universal scan."
she said to him. She then exited the lab and headed towards the main
corridors. She then spotted the Hunter gazing out the windows of the
fortress. "General Hunter," she said. "You've made me proud today.
The human's genetics will be invaluable to our cause."
She soon noticed
a dissapointing look on his unveiled face. "Hunter, is there something
wrong?"
"Why didn't you tell me my father was still alive?" he finally asked.
"Your father? The Luxan?" Kathra replied. "Are you certain?"
"I know it's him." he said. "After fourteen cycles, he was alive."
"I understand you're upset, but your father was arrested by the
PeaceKeepers after he sent you to me." Kathra explained. "I only
assumed he was executed."
"Arrested? What for?"
"He was framed."
"Framed?"
"Sorry, the human's vocabulary is becoming a habit. It means he was
arrested for a crime he didn't commit."
"What crime?"
"Your mother's murder, of course." Kathra answered.
"I can only guess
he was arrested by the same PeaceKeeper who killed her." He began to
look shocked, but his eyes soon enraged with pain. "Jothee," she went
on. "I know it was your father who gave you life, but it was I who made
you what you are. Remember that."
"Yes, Mistress Kathra." he said. "Shall I aid in dealing with the
human?"
"I have to tend to the inspection of the guards anyway," Kathra replied.
"Guard the human until I return."
"As you command." he said as she left. He headed immediately to the
breeder chambers; he knew Kathra long enough to predict where she kept
her "specimens" as she called them. He went into the large rooms where
there was equippment used for creating minions. He soon found John in
one of the cells. "Leave us," he ordered the guards. They left and
waited by the door. "Alright, I was in the lab and everything was like
you told me." John said. "So, what is this place?"
"These are the breeder chambers," the Hunter explained. "Here, we
remove the sexual organs from a specimen and combine them to make
soldiers to serve Kathra."
"Great." John said. Then he paused, and looked at the Hunter. How is
it that an innocent child like Jothee could become such a murderer?
"Say, we never did get to talk much," he said. "Not after the gas and
everything."
"What is it this time?"
"I'm just curious at how you came to be the Hunter."
He stared at the
human, uncertain what to say. He was always the Hunter, he could answer,
but that wouldn't explain everything. "It started after my father sent
me to that planet." he began. "He said that as soon as possible, he
would join me. After the ship landed, I waited for him, and waited and
waited. No sign of him, I began to lose hope he would ever come. I
explored the world I was on, then came across a campsite surrounded by
soldiers. I saw food there, I hadn't eaten anything for weekens. The
soldiers caught me trying to steal their food, then Kathra came. She
looked at me, asked me questions about myself. I told her my story, and
she told me that my mother was murdered by a PeaceKeeper, who it was, she
didn't know. She also said my father may be dead as well, and asked me
to stay with her. 'Become my hunter,' she said. 'With the training I
shall give you, you can avenge your family, avenge yourself.' For
fourteen cycles, I trained, hard and unstopping, driven by the hatred of
the PeaceKeepers, at what they did to me and my family. After seven
cycles, I went on my first mission, a scouting patrol in an asteroid
camp. I saw what the PeaceKeepers did to other species, torture, enslave
and eliminate. I then attacked their base and destroyed every last
PeaceKeeper there. That was the beginning of my journey as the Hunter.
You were fortunate to have that PeaceKeeper escape, John Crichton, but
mark my word, no one escapes the Hunter for long."
"Jothee, listen to me," he pleaded. "How do you know if Aeryn, if any
of the PeaceKeepers you've killed, was the one who killed your mother?"
"I don't," he replied. "Can't you see? They're all the same;
murderous barbarians who never tolerate others that are different from
themselves!"
"You can't let your hatred control you, Jothee." John told him.
"Because, in the end, you'll become exactly what you hate the most, and
then the PeaceKeepers will have the last laugh." He noticed no sign of
the scowl disappearing from his face, so he went on. "Look, I don't know
what you've been through because of the PeaceKeepers, maybe I can't even
imagine, but I know enough to understand that the killing has to stop."
"I swore on her grave I wouldn't rest until the PeaceKeepers have paid
for their misdeeds."
"Tell me something, Jothee. Would your mother want you to become a
murderer, no matter what?"
"I don't know; I was only five when she--"
"Let's say that she was still alive," John said. "What would she say
now if she knew you were a killer, even if you were doing it for her
sake?"
Onto part two
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