It doesn't matter to me when it comes off, as long as it is gone before you step aboard the Shadow Stalker. Yautja walks almost alongside Ayame, but slightly in front. After all he knows what route to take and if any guards have relocated into their path he would prefer to be in a position so that his armour would protect them both while his shoulder cannon had clear line of fire.

As he stepped through the hole in the door his breaching charge had made he glanced around and his caution was rewarded when his chest plate and mask were each hit by a burst of rifle fire before his mask's targeting systems identified and locked on to each of the guards who had taken up position in the throne room. His should cannon fired in rapid succession and the squad of guards were burnt husks within a matter of seconds.

Yautja led the way out of the throne room and started moving through the corridors towards the point he had entered the fortress at.

"Ok." A smile graced her beautiful face with those words seemingly happy and yet with a sense of cold and cunning lying just beneath the surface. She quickly pulled off the garment as her 'savior' started to walk forward once more, wanting to be as far from that human's stench as possible, and let it fall to the floor of the hallway.

Remaining a few steps behind him as he passed through the breached door and into the throne room she heard the rifle shots and their impact into his armor before another shot from his cannon left the room quiet and filled with the smell of burnt flesh. With the quiet returning she followed him through the corridors that were still filled with the corpses of other fallen guards and made sure to stay close behind him as to not get left behind.

No matter the lack of defenses now the castle was still quite large and as such it took them a few minutes to get back through the winding corridors and to where he had entered the place. All the while she had not said a word, not wanting to annoy him and thinking of what she would do with her renewed freedom.

As Yautja stepped through the doorway into the courtyard he raised his left hand and his claws shot out in time to parry a strike by some high tech halberd. Yautja glanced at it for a moment and his mask confirmed that the halberd blade was vibrating several thousand times every second. However against Killith that meant nothing. His blades were unmarked and the only reason the halberd was still in one piece was because he had blocked with the blunt side of his claws. His other hand shot out and the claws impaled the lone guard who had tried to attack him in melee in the throat. Letting the body fall Yautja walked forward into an otherwise empty courtyard. The guards were all at their posts inside the fortress or running around and anyone who could get away with it was cowering somewhere.

Moving to the wall Yautja glanced at Ayame. Climb onto my back and hold tight. When she complied and used his mesh as handholds Yautja started to climb the wall.

With a momentary stop as her 'savior' impaled a guard right through the throat after the guard had tried to attack him physically, Ayame quickly complied with his request and climbed onto his back using the mesh near his shoulders as handholds. When he began to climb the wall her body ended up pressed against his back as she managed to hold on even with the furious speed of the climb. "So how far away is your ship?" was all she asked on the way up the wall, letting him focus his efforts on getting up the wall quickly and safely.

Yautja did not reply to Ayame and instead simply tapped a button in his mask with one of his mandibles and focused on climbing. The weight of the female clinging on to his back was nothing to his powerful muscles and he quickly propelled the two of them up the wall. As he did so he occasionally tapped various buttons in his mask with one of his mandibles.

When the two reached the top Yautja pulled himself over and before Ayame had a chance to let go he simply jumped straight off the wall at the other side. The two start to free fall, until suddenly the interior of a ship appears around them. Yautja taps one last button and the ship blasts into a over-watch pattern over the fortress.

Do you want to watch that fortress become a glass crater?

Recieving no anwser she decided to be quiet and just wait until he felt like talking. But imagine her surprise as soon after reaching the top of the wall her 'savior' jumped right off the other side. Her eyes closed, and her girp on the mesh tightened, as it seemed the ground was rushing up to meet them until suddenly a ship's interior appeared around them. She did not let go of her grip until the ship had blasted up to an over-watching pattern over the fortress and finally anwsered "Yeah! A fitting punishment for those lecherous humans."

When Ayame let go Yautja led the way to the cockpit and settled down into his seat. Switching the auto pilot off he presses a button and a holographic display of the fortress appeared on the main cockpit window. Yautja glanced once at Ayame and pointed at a button. I think you deserve the honours.

When she presses the button a spread of a dozen plasma warheads shot out in a overlapping pattern. Yautja watched as suddenly the sensors monitoring the fortress went dark for several seconds from the automatic cut-offs engaging due to excessive light. When the sensors reactivated the fortress was completely gone. In its place a crater exactly half a kilometre in diameter that was lined entirely with glass. Yautja nods slightly to himself.

I believe a tour is in order, and we will have to find somewhere for you to sleep, and if there is anything here you can eat or wear. Assuming you want something to wear of course.

Following his lead to the cockpit Ayame watched him setlle into his seat and bring up a holographic image of the source of her torment over the past many years. "It would be my pleasure." she told him, reaching past him and pushing the button. Pulling back she watched as a dozen warheads flew downwards and impacted before the sensors went black. When they came back on she saw that there was nothing left but glass and said "Perfect! Gone without a trace."

She nodded to each thing they needed to do and said in response to the last item "I would like something to wear. You may have seen me naked but that doesn't mean I want anyone else to when I leave."

Yautja presses a couple of buttons before rising out of his seat. With the autopilot now engaged and flying into deep space so that Yautja can prepare for his next hunt, and establish the situation between himself and Ayame. I doubt anything I currently have aboard ship will fit you, the only things currently aboard are designed for me, and as such are a bit to large, and probably to heavy for you to wear comfortably. But I am sure we can figure something out. For now we should work on what we can. I will show you around.

Yautja spends the next fifteen minutes showing Ayame around the Shadow Stalker. He shows her how to operate the various localised computer systems that control the water purifiers, food dispensers, lights ,doors and ship plans. A room currently reserved for maintenance of Yautja's equipment could be easily modified to serve as Ayame's quarters during her stay. To Yautja it was as spacious as his own room, although what Ayame would make of the space was unknown. Since the only real 'bed' in the room was the sterilised work table Yautja did offer her a pelt from a Chiladoh, a huge beast nearly sixteen feet high and covered in soft fur. Finally they end up in the trophy room.

Taking up a full third of the ship the trophy room was massive, filled with numerous racks that were each loaded with skulls and other unique bones of the various beings Yautja had hunted. The lone exception is the human section. It contains a single human skull that is surrounded by tufts of hair. And that is the Shadow Stalker. Any questions?

Stepping back to get out of his way as he rose from his seat Ayame listened to his quick, yet through explanation before responding "True enough. Just as long as we think of it before I leave. But anyways, lead the way." Being naked in front of this 'man' did still bother her but since he had already seen her body she wasn't going to let the situation effect her judgement.

Following closely as she was led around the Shadow Stalker Ayame paid careful attention to the explanations of the various systems as she knew having to ask him again was not an option. With the systems basic workings learned she then followed him to a decently sized room, sparsely furnished except for the large sterilized work bed. To her surprise he offered her a large pelt to use to keep warm. Reaching a hand to feel its fur she sniffed it before thinking A chiladoh?! Quite the impressive kill.

Eventually their tour lead to what appeared to her as a trophy room filled with the different bones of many kills of many different species. With their tour ending at the human section she noticed only one skull, surrounded by tufts of hair, and nodded before asking "It may not be my business but I wonder....Why is their only one human skull? I mean you have so many of the others."

The main reason is that those few humans who I consider worth hunting I prefer not to kill. Humanity as a whole has little in the way of physical advantages, but instead seem very intelligent, and for their age, skilled. It would be wasteful to kill off their best this early, so instead I claim some hair from those I consider hunting and let them go. Of course whenever they are not worth hunting, such as that Lic'Tora who had used you, I do not take a trophy. The final reason is that since those who I consider worthy prey generally try and eliminate any Lic'Tora. The one skull is their as a reminder of the species. Yautja omitted another factor in his choice of trophies of course, his using of their bodies after a successful hunt to further his own sexual ability and control when affected by their pheromones. But he would leave that knowledge for later.

One last thing I need to show you. Yautja walked over to a computer terminal in the wall and demonstrated how to change the order of the various trophies to allow her to reach them all. The rows were all motorised and could swap places, a necessity when the room was nearly three times the height of Yautja. Do you want me to demonstrate how to clean the various trophies now or would you rather get something to eat and drink first?

"Well I guess that's true." she anwsered finally after thinking over the long and through explanation of his motivation. But as he turned towards a computer terminal on the wall she asked "But humans don't live long enough to gain enough skill to do much of anything do they? Their short lifespans would likely leave their peak condition at a fairly young age. And wouldn't that make it difficult to find a human with decent skill at anything when compared to just about any other race?"

Deciding to be quiet after her long question Ayame watched the demonstration of the computer, noting the motorized shelves and the directions the turned. She smiled at his question, the concern for her well being a welcome change for the castle, and said "Go ahead with the demonstration. They never fed me much in that castle so I know how to control my hunger. At least for the time being."

Yautja pressed a single button on the console and a blank part of the wall opened up. Inside it was a single piece of synthetic cloth. Picking it up Yautja showed Ayame that the two sides were vastly different. It was designed so that you could rest your hand against one side and the cloth would cover your hand like a glove, and remain in place until it was tapped three times in rapid succession. The other side was the side used for cleaning and polishing. While some have Automated systems installed to clean their trophies and equipment I prefer hand cleaning. Something about using a machine on a proof of honour seems sacrilegious to me. Yautja wrapped the cloth around his hand and removed one of the skulls from the nearest trophy rack.

As he started to meticulously clean the skull he answered her question about humans skill levels. The short life span of humans is their greatest weakness, but it is also their greatest strength. A human learns quickly, they are generally very intelligent and are very good at adapting to rapidly changing circumstances. Because of their short life span they have drive to improve, a strong and intense motivation that longer lived life forms lack. It took me nearly a century of training before I went on my first hunt, and I have since encountered some humans who after a few years of training would have been superior to me in skill, intelligence and adapting. They are a young race, but for their age are remarkably well advanced in both technology and military doctrine. If humanity is given enough time they could very well create enough of a technology and tactical difference between themselves and every other species in the galaxy to make them the most powerful race and faction. While Yautja had been talking his attention had not wavered from the skull he was cleaning, and as he finished his answer he nodded at the skull in satisfaction. He could clean them very quickly as a result of long practice and daily cleanings, and when he did he ensured that every inch of the skull had the cloth rubbed over it. Placing it back on the rack he had picked it from he tapped the cleaning cloth three times in the middle of his hand and it detached from his skin. He offered the cloth to Ayame before speaking again. Now you try.

Yautja would stay and watch to make sure she understood, and to point out any spots she missed.

With the push of a button, Ayame watched as a blank part of the wall slid open and revealed a large piece of cloth. As he took it out she saw that its two sides were vastly different with one obviously for cleaning, but she had no idea about the other. "Well Yeah." she anwsered, thinking for a moment before adding "An automatic system wouldn't really show the dead proper respect, and if you bothered hunting them and taking a trophy I think they deserve at least that much."

Finished, she watched him carefully clean the skull in his hands as he responded to her question. After thinking his anwser over she said "That's all true. But while they may be skilled for their age their kind is prone to atrocious acts of violence, cruelty, and many more things that I do not care to name. And all of that for their own pointless reasons and many times against those who could not even defend themselves. Now I don't consider myself innocent but I believe that innocent lives should never be lost. Only those who choose to fight or torture helpless beings should risk their lives."

She blushed slightly as she noticed she had been ranting and he had been holding the cloth out to her for some time. Taking it from him she wrapped the cloth around her hand before grabbing another of the trophys and carefully rubbing every inch of its surface. It took her a little longer then Yautja but finally she held it up to him and asked "How's this?"

If Yautja showed any annoyance at her ranting and not taking the proffered cloth instantly he did not show it. But when she did finally take the cloth and start cleaning another of the trophies he waved his hand to indicate the entire room as he spoke. Every single race here is guilty of that, and I have yet to even hear of a race that does not or did not have any members who would act in such a way. Even my own kind have hunters with no concept of honour. Who act as they please with no adherence to the code of the hunt. Humans are not unique in having twisted and warped beings. In fact in my opinion they seem to be one of the few races where such members are in the very small minority. But of course I have no qualms about making that number even smaller at any possible opportunity.

Yautja than let Ayame finish cleaning the trophy in silence, and when she pronounced she had finished and offered him the skull he nodded once in satisfaction. Good. Put it back and we can get something to eat. Once the trophy was replaced back on its stand Yautja led the way to a dining room.

When they arrived Yautja gestured Ayame to the only seat before speaking. All I have to offer are nutrition cubes. Well that would be safe for you to eat. I doubt your immune and digestive systems are as efficient as mine and as such what I consider food would probably be either toxic or useless to you. Or both. Yautja pressed the button combination and the bland small cubes rose out of the table. If I get the chance, and have the inclination, I can try and find something you can consider food for you in my next hunt. The nutrition cubes could, and did, provide anything the body needed. In theory one could survive on them forever. But as sparse and harsh as Yautja lived even he usually included some meat with his meal. They were just to bland to live off, and without something to provide some flavour one quickly grew sick of them.