The Ultimate Predator Respect Thread

The predator came out of the spaceship again, in full armour. Gustat had a clear shot, and the ArmaLite AR-50 wasn't a joke. He would probably make a dent in the Predator's armour, maybe even several dents. Possibly kill him, although the creatures reflexes were so freakishly fast that Gustat doubted it, not without a chance at a headshot sans helmet.

- South China Sea

The spear was snatched from his back by a shadowy, indistinct figure and the second man let loose with his AK-47, spraying bullets at the barely glimpsed spear-wielding killer.The thing moved so fast it almost seemed to be dodging the bullets as it turned and ran back down the canyon. The Russian charged after it, bellowing.

. . .

The creature holding the spear seemed to side-step the bullets easily.Then it jabbed the spear forward, and Gunin no longer worried about spikes or bullets, or anything else as the thing cut his heart out with a single quick gesture.After that, the alien disappeared, blurring into invisibility

. . .

"Those things are fast enough to dodge bullets, if they see them coming," Schaefer explained, "and even if you hit them, they're damn near bulletproof.”

- Cold War

As he did, the ruined door slammed open, and there were those things. Buyanov moaned.

"Devil!" Anatoli said.

Then, without warning, moving faster than human eyes could follow, the foremost of the three creatures rammed a spear through Anatoli's chest. Anatoli crumpled. With his lung pierced, he couldn't even manage a dying scream.

. . .

One of the creatures ran after him, moving inhumanly fast, so fast Buyanov could not properly follow the motion. As Dmitri's hand reached for the alarm handle, the thing's hand slammed down on the top of the Russian's head.

- Cold War

Coming from a different angle, the bullet entered the Predator's body. This third bullet lodged deep inside, coming to rest only after it had cut through several vital organs.

. . .

"The demon isn't dead yet," said Sukhon.

"The 'demon' will be dead if it doesn't get some expert medical attention. I put a bullet with an exploding tip right through its back. No exit wound."

. . .

Still, the Predator's condition did not yet warrant self-destruct. He had been hurt worse and emerged victorious. Once on a planet half a galaxy away, a venomous metal worm twice his size had shot up through the earth and pinned him through the chest armour. The Predator had chopped its head off, cut off its tail, and gone on to fight for another four hours with the rest of the worm inside his chest, before withdrawing to repair the damage. The wheeze as its breathing grew worse indicated deep-tissue damage, but nothing irreversible. Medical care on board its ship would allow it to recover.

- South China Sea

Gkyaun howled the war cry and jumped. He landed amid the hissing drones and moved among them like the setg-in, deadly and quick. So easy! He spun and slashed, burned and cut at the same time. Two bugs fell with one slice of his spear. A drone from behind lost its head; he gutted yet another. He was Paya, the conquering warrior! Thwei ran at his feet, the Hard Meat shrank in terror-! More came at him, a relentless flow of fury and sound. He pivoted, Hunted, his every movement was an arc of doom and pain. Noguchi gulped air and pushed herself backward, toward the top of the shield wall. The warrior was a dervish of wild energy and prowess-the nightmare creatures fell all around him.

- Prey

Dachande heard the Hard Meat and spun around. He sprinted past the two ooman strangers toward the threat, staff forward. He was dimly aware that the small warrior was right behind. It shouted something at the other two. They came in a single-file stream, flowed from around a structure, ten, maybe twelve. Dachande leapt to greet them. Two arrived first, angled in from the sides. Dachande spun, swung completely around, cut them both through their midsections in one strike. He didn’t watch them hit the ground; there was no need—they were dead and all he need do was avoid the throes. He extended his ki’cti-pa and slashed through the throat of the next drone nearest, to his right. The drone’s death cry was garbled through its own thwei. A split second later, he jabbed the staff point through the jaws of another, twisted the sharp blade and dug a hole through the top of the skull. The weapon’s metal was proof against the Hard Meat’s thwei, but there was no time to hesitate and enjoy the kill—when you fought the ten thousand, you did so one at a time, but you also had to do so quickly—He thrust the spear’s butt back, hard, and knocked one behind him down, then turned and slashed its gut. Digest this, foolish creature! The ki’cti-pa blurred again, jammed backhand into yet another Hard Meat chest. The drone howled, fell, did not die but did not rise again. Acid pumped into the dark air, pooled, smoking. Dachande jumped forward, stabbed the throat of yet another, and then spun to meet the next. Death fell all around his feet as he and the Hard Meat danced.

Noguchi hurled herself after the warrior. Several of the bugs streamed from behind the shed and toward Broken Tusk. He stepped in to battle without hesitation. Too many of them, ten, twelve. She aimed at one of the bugs—and it was dead before she fired. She took aim again—and again, her target had fallen already. She took a step back, transfixed by the swift movements of the giant warrior. Here was no inexperienced novice; every step was measured, every strike timed and sure. Within the space of a few seconds, most of the bugs were down, dead or dying. She had enough training to recognize a Master when she saw one. This one’s skill had been gained in battle, against deadly enemies. Broken Tusk whirled and jabbed, crouched and slashed with precision and confidence. Never a misstep, never a hesitation. He was no dojo tiger, covered in padding and fighting for points. Wherever he had come from, they had a martial arts more complex and dangerous than any she’d ever seen. It was like a choreographed dance.

- Prey

He'd lost his spear - The snarling bug drove its head downward, opened its mouth,exposed its inner jaws - he plunged his fist into its mouth.The alien gagged and bit down. Dachande felt the dagger teeth pierce his arm but he drove his claws in deeper, dug deep into softer flesh - The drone jerked its talons away from Dachande's throat and clutched at its own. The Leader brought up his other fist and slammed the bug's neck, hard.The drone spilled to the side. Dachande let the weight of the creature pull him over to land on top of it. He grabbed for the burner, that sent a shooting pain through his side - and brought the blunt end down on the bug's slender throat. The drone let go of his arm and died.

He was Leader of the Ne'dtesei, son and grandson of ship leaders and warrior trainers, and he bowed to no one in his skill with blade or burner. His own trophy wall on the homeworld held half a dozen of the Hard Meat skulls, bleached and clean, including the one he had killed with his bare hands, as well as a queen, taken during a hellish hunt in which nine already-Blooded warriors had died. He had killed fifty others, but had kept, as was proper, only those he had thought worthy of his wall. They were fierce, but usually no challenge to one such as himself. If he had occasion to face one on these Hunts, he would limit himself to spear or wrist knife. After all, any yautja could burn the Hard Meat; a Leader had to handicap himself. The females smiled upon a brave male more often than they did others.

- Prey

The humanoids were tall; he couldn't be sure because of nothing to show relative size, and the scaler in his scope was malfunctioning, but he would guess two and a half meters, maybe a little more. More amazing, they appeared to be carrying . . . spears.

. . .

Noguchi saw what she meant about the maleness. She couldn't miss it. The thing was a giant, maybe two and a half meters tall. Humanoid, but its head like some sort of mutated crab. It wore armor, and was bound to the exam table by several thick straps of rhynth hide-its long, taloned arms were speckled, reptilian, but not scaled. Noguchi saw the slight rise and fall of its chest. There was a mask over its face. What was it breathing? she wondered.

- Prey

...four students, the Leader, and two adjutants. The students and Nat'kapu carried only spears; the adjutants carried burners. They were giants, these warriors. Their average height was two and a half meters, and even the shortest, at a mere two meters, had broad shoulders and biceps that strained against their leather jerkins.

- Hunter's Planet

...- most yautja stood two and a half meters, some taller -...

- War

Yeyinde held his head high as 'A'ni-de traced a claw wet with Hard Meat thwei in the space between his eyes. He ignored the sharp sting as the acid thwei cut into his flesh to mingle with his own blood, blood that neutralized much of the Hard Meat's power. The burning mark was proof of his skill and his adulthood, a jagged etched badge for all to see.

. . .

The warrior dipped one claw into the alien blood and then spat on the claw. His own blood mixed with the alien's acidic ichor. That was part of it. His blood would partly neutralize the potent chemicals from the Hard Meat. Moving with great care, he reached out and etched his mark into her pale skin, on the forehead, between her eyes. He managed to keep his hand from shaking long enough to draw his symbol.

- Prey