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He closed the file, sighing inwardly at himself as he patted the rather large report. Indeed, it had been so long since such creatures were first found, and considered unintelligent, he knew otherwise. He sighed heavily, grabbing his shirt and put it on as he got a video call from some other crew member. Answering it, he stared at the scientist of the crew, wearing the traditional lab coat and glasses, the otter looking rather displeased.

"Well soldier? You're the Security Captain. What do you make of the Ripley Report?" the otter asked in a nonchalant tone.

"Doc, I'll tell you what I think. What you are doing is pretty stupid. Instinct drives these creatures, and they only need minimal intelligence to plan stuff out. They have chitin-hide exoskeleton armor, allowing for more muscle growth like that of insects, thus rendering them stronger than any other living orgasm we have encountered. They are also quite dexterous, almost acrobatic. That means they are strong, fast, and since they rely on instinct more than intelligence, they are highly dangerous."

"Soldier, need I remind you that it is because of those qualities, as well as the highly corrosive blood, that we should be studying them for medicinal research."

"Go fuck yourself Doc," was the last thing the security captain said as he stretched, feeling his muscles ripple underneath his fur, looking at the low reflection of his tiger face after he turned off the monitor, the scar over his eye showing he had the respect as a hunter of another alien species.

Alien, the term made his stomach churn, when the appropriate term was extra-terrestrial. He had read the reports of the other species he had earned the respect of, and they were deemed as Predators. Earning their respect was an achievement, considering he was a Private at that time. And now they had Xenomorph eggs on board in stasis chambers. He knew the Ripley report and had classified at least three different categories of such species.

The eggs they had now harbored what were considered Facehuggers, which upon hatching, would lunge at the nearest living host possible, wrap around the face, and shove a probuscis down the host's throat, planting one egg inside the host near the heart. He always preferred to call them Facefuckers, because that was their one instinct, attach to a host and breed, because after laying that egg and making sure that it was safe, it would detach and die. The crew number they had would give the Facehuggers a rather large number of targets if they escaped containment and entered the ventilation system.

Of course, after staying in the host, like a parasite, the new egg would hatch and force it's way out of the host's body, normally killing the host. These 'newborns' would be considered Drones after they shed their initial skin, gaining the exoskeleton shell that made them resilient and extremely strong. And aside from the claws and incredibly dexterous tail, they had a tongue with a mouth on the end. These were considered highly lethal due to their instincts. No known eyes could be seen, which means they must have had some other form of sight. The tiger really didn't wish to come face to face against one, much less a swarm.

And finally, only one Drone would be chosen to become a Queen, which laid multiple Xenomorph eggs throughout the rest of it's life. Sometimes rather large, these Queens usually stayed attached to an egg sac like an ant, laying eggs over and over, making millions of them over the course of their natural life span, which was undetermined. When threatened, they detached from the sacs and go on the offensive, and are harder to kill because of the motherly instincts to protect the children it spawned. One other major characteristic of the Queen was the shield-like fin over the back of the head, almost like a Triceratops.

He got another call on the monitor and answered it, it was his second in command, dressed in light combat fatigues and flashing a smile as the raptor nodded in the typical greeting between proven warriors. The tiger nodded back lightly before lighting a cigarette, keeping an eye on the screen.

"Captain, what is the best case scenario with our cargo on board?" the Lieutenant asked.

"Well Lt. Dobbs, the best case scenario is that none of the Facehuggers escape. The worst case scenario is they escape and attach to multiple crew members, resulting in a new Xenomorph Hive and we get overrun."

"Captain, what do these scientists hope to achieve?"

"Well Lieutenant, are we paid to ask such questions?"

"No Captain."

"Good, I'll meet you and the rest of the detail in the Mess Hall. I'll brief you all then."

With that, the Captain turned off the monitor and groaned, popping his neck. Too long has he been assigned and reassigned already, and this was his fifth detail under his command. As he geared up in the typical vest and pants, all lightweight, he thought back to when he distinguished himself to the Predators. He was given something rather old as a trophy, and he kept it as an antique. Records identified it as a Six Action Army, and said that it was capable of still firing. Of course, the bullets weren't as reliable.

Holstering his side arm and shouldering his primary firearm, he stepped out of his quarters and headed to the Mess Hall, where he saw the fifteen soldiers finishing their meal. Lt. Dobbs was the first to announce his arrival as they all stood and swallowed what they had in their maws. After nodding to them all, they sat back down as he sat amongst them, almost feeling like a warlord or something at a banquet hall.

"Alright, finish your meals Soldiers, and I'll get right to the point." was all he said as he looked at his fellow Marines.

When they finished, they proceeded with roll call, all in all, there was one Lieutenant, the raptor Dobbs, two Sergeants, a stallion and, ironically, a Predator, and the rest were Privates of varying classes. Nodding to them all, he got to the task at hand.

"As you all known, our cargo are Xenomorph eggs, containing Facehuggers. For you Privates, that means lifeforms that have highly acidic blood, a chitin-like exoskeleton, and their primary purpose is to attach to a face and plant an embryo in your body. We are carrying roughly fifty eggs on board, and we have a crew of around eleven hundred, including us. I don't know any of you personally, except for Lt. Dobbs, and I don't know how long I will be stationed here with you. I've read all your files, and I know you via your records, but not as individuals. That being said, I expect you all to be on your best behavior, and not cause trouble while under my command."

"Sir, I don't know about everyone else, but what I gained from reading your file, it seems you and the Lieutenant are kinda cursed, losing almost everyone else from your previous stations." one of the Privates, a komodo dragon, spoke up.

"Ah, Private Sahn. Interesting you brought that up. I'm sure you also read that we were overwhelmed when dropped on those locations, and Lt. Dobbs and I were able to escape before we were part of the departed as well. Make no mistake, we're not cowards, but we also aren't stupid either."

The Predator stood up and made the salute that is part of their culture, to which the Captain saluted back. "Sgt. Hunt, please speak."

Though gutteral, Sgt. Hunt was capable of being understood, not used to speaking English due to his skull structure. "Honored Hunter, it is an honor to hunt alongside you."

"That is an honor in itself, but our primary objective is to ensure that the Facehuggers are properly maintained within their stasis chambers. Should we fail that, we must ensure the security of the crew members. If we are unable to do that, THEN do we hunt, is that understood?"

"Yes, Honored Hunter."

The Captain nodded, the Predator retaking his seat, wearing the mask that many Predators wear when on a hunt, showing how serious this mission is. The tiger knew all too well that if the Predator was wearing a mask, they all should be on high alert. He looked at the rest of the Marines, noting how confused they looked.

"Marines, understand this, Sgt. Hunt is a Predator. Predators wear their masks when they are on The Hunt. These Xenomorphs are considered the Ultimate Prey for their culture, if that shows you the gravity of the situation. Complacency when on duty will not be tolerated. Complacency leads to improper execution of orders, leading to worst case scenarios, usually with massive casualties, is that clear?!"

"SIR YES SIR!"

"Good. Now, since we only have sixteen of us total in regard to the large number of crew members, if there is a riot, we will not be able to use a show of force to keep them calm. I already talked to the pilot, and he agreed that should such a situation, or any situation with one or more Facehuggers escaping, he will close down the affected areas and lock down all ventilation shafts, thus limiting the catastrophic chaos from getting anywhere. Panic leads to a loss of many lives, and we are to keep that from happening. Now for duties."

---

The Captain sighed. It had been several hours already, but he left Lt. Dobbs in charge of security of the General Population. He hated being spread so thin, but he made sure to take Sgt. Hunt with him as he overlooked the chambers of the Facehuggers. Of course, the head scientist was not happy with him, but the tiger reminded the otter that he was to ensure the safety of the crew, not help out with whatever experiments he wanted to do. Even Sgt. Hunt grumbled at how stupid these scientists were.

"Captain, this is Private Sahn. Everything is clear in Medical."

He sighed heavily. "Private, there's no breach, no need to keep saying that repeatedly. You are there with PFC Crow to make sure that no one has a mental breakdown and attacks the medical team. Understood?"

"Yes Captain. It's just dull, and I hate dull."

"Be glad you weren't with me and Lt. Dobbs when were on Mars. You want action, right?"

"Yes Sir!"

"Well what happened on Mars wasn't action, it was a massacre. Almost no one survived that, and be glad you got this job. I just hope Hell doesn't break loose here."

"Yes Captain, just hating the waiting and guard duty."

"Private, that's your post. You want to complain, complain in your video diary."

With that, the tiger shut off his comm link and shrugged his shoulders. The otter came up to him then, still wearing that scowl on his face. The Captain rolled his eyes and looked at the head scientist.

"What now Doc?"

"Captain, I do hope you understand that you are being paid by me. Therefore, in order for you and your men to get paid, you will do as I order, understood?!"

"Doctor, let me make this clear. We are Marines, we get paid by our higher chain of command, and in the end, we are paid by the President of the Interplanetary Colonies of Earth, or ICE for short. You do not dictate our pay grade, or pay, or order us. We are here to ensure the safety of the 1100 crew members, and should shit hit the fan, deal with the situation with the proper amount of force that is necessary. If that doesn't get through your naturally thick skull, you can kiss your cargo goodbye, cuz I have a couple of plasma grenades that can clear out that nest in three milliseconds. Are we clear?!"

The otter balked at such a clarification and threat, then stormed off, leaving the tiger groaning a bit. He looked over at Sgt. Hunt, who nodded in agreement at such a statement, knowing that the Captain would carry out such a threat without a second thought. After taking a seat, the Captain looked at the Predator curiously. "So Hunt, tell me why you decided to join the ICE Marines instead of staying with your culture?"

"Honored Hunter, I wished to fortify my planet's alliance with yours. Thus, it seemed only fair that I join you as a fellow Hunter in your own right. That way, if I am able to distinguish myself on a Hunt to earn my Mark, then I can go back home with my head held up in pride."

The tiger nodded in understanding. Though highly intelligent with combat tech, it seems they were having some language issues still, but that wasn't an issue. "Well Sgt. Hunt, I'm glad to see a familiar face, other than Lt. Dobbs's. I hope we don't have a catastrophic event before this is over."

"How long will this Hunt last?"

"Well Sergeant, this isn't a Hunt, it's Security. I know it's hard for you to enunciate, but that's what it is. If somebody gets a wild hair up their ass, then it might become a Hunt, though a small one. If one of those Facehuggers gets out, then it's a big Hunt, understand now?"

The Predator just nodded, the mask staying unchanged, most likely reading different wavelengths from Infrared to Ultraviolet. He knew about those masks, and opted to Hunt without one during one of the masks while on the Predator Planet. And surprisingly, he had won the Hunt by using the environment around himself as camouflage, and even managed to kill a concealing beast without that enhanced vision. He earned that scar over his right eye the hard way, and was even greeted by the High Predator with a kneel. He didn't go there to prove he was better, he went there for the invitation and wanted to strengthen the alliance.

A call came over the comm, to which the Captain sighed heavily. "If it's Private Sahn, I'm gonna send him to the brig."

After answering it, he heard some screams and gunfire, raising an eyebrow. "What's the situation?! Come in, who is this?!"

"Captain! It's Lt. Dobbs! Are all the eggs intact?!"

The tiger nodded to Sgt. Hunt and they went to check personally on the Facehugger Chambers, finding them all intact rather quickly. "Yes Dobbs, all Facehuggers are accounted for!"

"Well, then I guess you need to get to the Mess Hall, PFC Thanatos is down..."

It was then that he nodded to Sgt. Hunt to send out the mass call as he went to talk to the otter. Upon finding him, he grabbed the scientist by his labcoat and lifted him off the floor, pinning him to the wall with a loud scowl on his face.

"Did you clone one?! Did you clone a Facehugger?!"

"Wh-what do you mean?!"

"One of my men is down, and I was asked by my Lieutenant to see if one of the chambers was compromised! All are intact!! Did you clone a Facehugger!?!"

"Y-yes... but with several changes."

"YOU SON OF A BABYLONIAN WHORE!!! DO YOU NOT REALIZE WHAT YOU HAVE DONE!!! SGT. HUNT! PLACE THIS PIECE OF DOG SHIT UNDER ARREST, THEN GET TO THE MESS HALL!"

With that, he dropped the scientist and rushed to the Mess Hall, seeing everyone there, and Thanatos, a bird from Earth itself, with a Facehugger tightly gripping his face. He looked to his Lieutenant, who looked like he was about to unleash death himself. The tiger moved to the bird's side, gripping his talons like a true brother-in-arms, like telling him to hold on.

Sgt. Hunt came in shortly after, with the otter in tow, letting out his natural purr of frustration at the sight. The Captain looked up, panting through his own rage and sorrow, grabbing the cuffed scientist and pulling him in close.

"Tell me what modifications you did to this cloned Facehugger Doc, or I will personally see to it that Sgt. Hunt gets to skin you alive and string you up over your lab!"

"W-we made it so that... the embryo... would be more docile... more intelligent... capable of speech."

"At the cost of one of the crew? One of my men!?"

"We were intending to use it when we got back to Planet Thrace! We never wanted this!"

"For all our sakes Doc, you'd best hope your little pet doesn't become a Queen, otherwise Sgt. Hunt will have fun with you."

---

Several hours had passed, all of them on their toes for the slightest change in Thanatos and the Facehugger. The Captain sighing heavily, already having him moved to the medical wing, the otter being watched over by a very diligent Predator, the mask still on to hide whether he wished for the worst to happen so that he can have fun with the scientist, or scowling angrily at an easy job made much harder.

A thud is heard as the Captain watched the Facehugger drop off of the bird, it's life ended with it having bred at last and he nodded for the resuscitation of Thanatos to commence. While the medical staff worked to revive the unconscious bird, the raptor stepped up, sighing heavily. "Unbelievable. A docile, intelligent Xenomorph? Can there ever be such a thing."

"Possibly, but because the Doc failed to tell us about the clone, we have to use one of our prisoner cells to watch over the Drone."

"Why not kill it Cpt. Flame?"

"I want to see just what kind of intelligence this Xenomorph is capable of. That, and if it proves hostile, it's already contained. Also, after Thanatos is revived, the medical procedure to remove the Drone can begin so that we don't have to lose him."

The raptor only nodded, hoping the scientist's little experiment proved right. The bird gasped as he awoke at last, flailing about as if trying to get the Facehugger off, but quickly restrained as the tiger rushed up, trying to calm the Private First Class down to talk to him.

"Listen! You were bred by a Facehugger. The containment cells were not breached, it was a cloned one. The scientist is under arrest right now, and we are going to preform surgery to remove the Drone in you, okay? You have to stay calm Marine."

"I'm sorry Captain... I saw it, called out, and fired... it got past me an-"

"Quiet Marine... we're fixing this. Just gonna give you some morphine for the pain and then they are gonna get it out of you, okay?"

Thanatos nodded as the tiger patted his head, stepping back so that the medical staff can get underway with the surgery, giving him something stronger than Morphine to knock the bird back out and start the surgery. Cpt. Flame walked back to the scientist to get more answers out of him, lighting a cigarette to calm himself.

"Are there others? Any other clones?"

"No... just the one."

"Better not be lying to me."

"I'm not."

"Good. Sgt. Hunt, take him to the prison cells, then get back here."

The Predator nodded and proceeded to escort the otter to the holding cells, the Captain sitting in a seat with a heavy sigh. Dobbs sat next to him, puffing a cigarette of his own, looking weary from it all. After awhile, they snubbed out their smokes, looking at the operating room before each other.

"Think he'll pull through Cap?"

"Yeah Dobbs... he'll pull through. Just tired of shit hitting the fan after only a small amount of time is all."

"Well, it's not as bad as Mars."

"It easily could have been Dobbs."

The raptor only nodded as the other sergeant came up, making the proper salute. After being saluted back, he introduced himself as Sgt. Badoo, and offered to sit with them. When told to drop the formalities, he sat beside them both and groaned his own frustrations at the situation.

"Sergeant, calm down. At least it hasn't gotten any worse than it already has."

Sgt. Badoo nodded in agreement, then pulled out a cigarette of his own and smoked it, groaning from how tense his body already got over the short time period. Cpt. Flame just patted him on the back, then proceeded to wait out the surgery. They all were stressed out and trying to calm down when Sgt. Hunt walked back in, groaning from all the activity that had happened since shift started. They all wished that this didn't happen to begin with, but it did, and now, Thanatos was in surgery to have a Xenomorph drone being removed.

"Sir, how long until the embryo becomes adult?" Private Sahn asked.

"In the Ripley Report, from the time it 'birthed' to the time it was first seen as a large Xenomorph was roughly two hours."

"So... it can be lethal in that amount of time?"

"Yes."

All the Privates groaned at this news before the Captain stood up, popping his neck, "Listen up Marines, only rank will keep an eye on the Drone. The rest of you will continue with your assigned posts. Understood?"

"SIR YES SIR!"

"Good, now, back to your posts."

Several hours had passed, Cpt. Flame was watching the adult drone, observing it, seeing how it was 'watching' him without the use of any sort of eyes. It was astounding how fast it grew, and the fact that PFC Thanatos was still alive and back on shift already was a plus. The Xenomorph walked to the plexiglass that divided it from the rest of the ship, almost staring at the tiger. Some noticeable changes from the typical Xenomorph were visible, such as the tongue being a tongue instead of a second mouth, as well as the tail the fact that is had noticeable bumps on the chest.

"You look different from the typical Xenomorph." he commented to himself, standing up to the glass.

"Thaaaank youuuuu," was what it said, surprising the tiger enough to cause him to jump back. Though the voice was guttural, like Sgt. Hunt's, it was surprisingly female in tone.

"You can understand me?"

"Yeeeessssss..."

"You promise not to harm me or any other crew members aboard this ship?"

"Unlesssss necccessssaryyyy..."

He watched it, more concerned now that it had enough intelligence to speak and understand Earth language, though the speaking was not very good. It might learn more in time, but he had to be cautious.

"You do realize that, due to you being from a highly hostile species, precautions have to be taken to ensure the safety of the crew."

"Aaaand youuu wishhhh it to keeeep me in heeeere?"

The tiger nodded reluctantly. "Not permanently I hope, only for the time being."

The Xenomorph nodded in understanding, allowing the tiger to himself as it went to the back of the cell, the Captain getting ahold of the Sergeants and the Lieutenant, telling them to come down to the holding quarters, and to do so normally so as not to draw attention to themselves. Once they arrived, he filled them in, all of them balking at the new information, but none so much as Sgt. Hunt.

"Are you sure? Can we trust it Captain?" Dobbs asked hesitantly.

"Right now, I'm on the fence. The fact that the Xenomorph can understand and speak is incredible, but it reserves it's lethal capabilities should it be threatened in such a manner."

"We must definitely be cautious. We almost lost Thanatos back there because of that bloody scientist!"

"Calm down Sgt. Badoo, I called you three here to let you know. I'll brief the Privates when we go to the Mess Hall. Sgt. Hunt, your thoughts?"

"This one is different... would be more lethal during a Hunt... might prove strong ally."

The Captain nodded in understanding, knowing that Predators would take allies over obliteration, if the foe is capable of making such a treaty. He dismissed them as he went back to his post, interested in this modified Xenomorph. He spent the rest of his time talking to the creature, learning more about it as it's speech got stronger and more pronounced, it learning as well.

When his shift came to an end, he stood up, knowing that after this, it would be time for chow. He looked at the Xenomorph, tilting his head, "Are you hungry?"

"Yes. Food does sound good."

"Alright, you want anything specific?"

"Anything with meat will do."

He nodded and stretched, groaning as his joints popped loudly. "I'll bring you back something after chow, if that's alright with you."

It nodded, and gently clawed at the plexiglass as he walked away, almost like it was missing him already. He made his way to the Mess Hall and sat down, nodding to everyone as he began to eat after a small prayer, finishing his meal quickly before the rest of the security detail. He stood up and cleared his throat.

"Everyone, listen up. Several bits of news to hand out, as well as post orders. First off, PFC Thanatos, congratulations on a swift recovery after your ordeal. I'm just glad that you are alive."

"You know the saying Captain, what doesn't kill us makes us stronger," the bird chirped happily.

"It should be wiser, not stronger. Next bit of news, the Xenomorph does seem to be intelligent enough to understand and speak. Don't everyone clamor about at once, please. It's learning curve is steep, meaning that it should be able to do some complex duties, but at the same time, I'm gonna be cautious about it. That's all there is to say about the Xenomorph issue.

"Now that that's said, post orders are next. Privates, you will shift to the next sector on your list, and stay frosty. We don't need to be trigger happy around the crew, okay? Rank and myself will keep looking after the Xenomorph, with myself taking the next shift to look after it. Understood?"

"SIR YES SIR!"

"Good. DISMISSED!!"

With that, the Mess Hall cleared quickly, leaving the tiger alone to come up with something for the Xenomorph. As he worked on the meal, he felt a tap on his shoulder, turning to see one of the scientists from the lab, a little female mouse. As he finished making the meal for the Xenomorph, he turned to her.

"What's on your mind Doc?"

"Well, I was worried about Doctor Stevens. When will he return to the lab?"

"He's under arrest currently. He'll return to the lab once we reach Thrace, only to move the Facehuggers off board. Until then, no more cloning, experimentations, or anything other than making sure that all fifty containers are intact. Understood?"

She nodded and bounded away, leaving the Captain to his own duties. He headed back down to the prison quarters, seeing the Xenomorph hiss out in an almost happy mood, causing him to stop a bit before moving closer, opening the food tray and putting the plate of food into it, having mashed the meat in with some fruits and vegetables for a healthier diet. After sliding the slot back to the other side, he sat back down and watched it eat the food rather civilized, taking care not to make a mess of it, even licking the plate clean before putting the plate back in, sliding the slot back over.

"You seem like you missed me."

"I did. Gets rather lonely."

Cpt. Flame nodded in understanding, knowing how lonely it can be when hiding, like he did back on Mars. "So, what do you wanna talk about?"

"That... mark over your eye... what does it mean?"

He chuckled a bit, "It's a mark of respect from a species called Predators. We have one on board."

"Predator? Seems... familiar... What do you wish to know?"

"Well... what gender are you?"

"I'm what you call a female."

His eyes widened at this news, shifting a bit in his seat. "Well Ma'am... I'm Cpt. Flame."

"Is that your species?"

"No, it's my name. My species is tiger, like your species is Xenomorph."

"I... don't have a name."

The tiger nodded at this fact, standing up and walking to the plexiglass and looking at her more intently. She seemed to shy away from his gaze, taking this as if she grew attached to him. He ran threw the names that might be suitable for a female. She had a certain appeal to her indeed, but she was still a Xenomorph. "Hm... I don't want to call you Eve. How about Eva?"

"Eva sounds nice, Cpt. Flame."

"Well Eva, I'm glad that you aren't like most of your species. It's a breather for me. Also, the host you were growing in is still alive and back to his duties."

"I'm glad I'm not like them, as well as happy that he's safe."

At that time, he got a call on his comm, taking a few steps back to answer it. "Cpt. Flame speaking. What is it?"

"It's the pilot. We're gonna be entering Thrace's atmosphere within ten minutes and docking. Everything alright?"

"It will be, thank you for the update."

After shutting off the comm, he looked at Eva, sighing a bit. "We have some cargo to unload in about half an hour. I'll be needed there to oversee the delivery. Will you be alright here?"

"I wish you didn't have to go Cpt. Flame."

He nods, but gently taps the glass, moving away to bring out the otter scientist. "Come on, we're almost to Thrace. Time to get up and move the cargo."

"What abou-"

"Don't ask questions. You have a job to do. Now let's hop to it, alright?"

The scientist sighed and got up, being escorted back to the lab as the rest of the security detail grouped up and stood in the lab. The Captain nodded to them all, then got to the stressful part, loading up the stasis chambers and making sure they are intact. They felt the bump as the ship docked and the doors opened, many of the crew members going to make a living on this planet, others only here to get on another ship. Many of them didn't even know about the cargo they carried.

When the bay doors opened, there was another security detail ready to receive the shipment, Sgt. Hall letting out a heavy sigh as the last shipment left the cargo bay. Cpt. Flame handed over the scientist to his assistants, who verbally berated him for forcing the production of a clone. The tiger just rolled his eyes as the cargo bay door closed. He congratulated everyone for a job well done, but heard some loud screams out the door. He looked as saw that several of the other team who received the shipment had Facehuggers on their faces, knocking over the other chambers.

"EVERYONE MOVE BACK! PILOT, TAKE OFF NOW! NOW!!!"

With the other doors closing as they took off, the tiger growling loudly, slamming his fist on the wall. This was the very worst case scenario, knowing that his team would be called to go handle the situation, but he'd rather the main ship be off the planet first to limit the normal Xenomorphs from getting off Thrace. He looked at them all, a scowl on his face as he looked at Sgt. Hunt, getting the call in the form of a message on his PDA.

"Sgt. Hunt!"

"Yes Honored Hunter!"

"It's time for The Hunt to begin... and I think we're gonna have some unexpected reinforcements."