�What am I watching?� said one of the oomans.
Ryl�Ky remained impassive as he continued to observe an honor duel between a Teer and one of the Halkraths. A mistranslation or a misunderstanding snowballed into an honor duel to the death.
�Diplomacy.� Said the ooman with the red headwear.
�A brawl over a sandwich-Diplomacy, yeah.� Responded the ooman with the white headwear whose gender could not be determined.
The �Synthetic� ooman with the pale face stood completely still, engrossed with the combat before it.
Ryl�Ky�s grip on his fellow hunters� armor tightened. He could be literally anywhere else in the hunting grounds taking trophies or engaging in rich combat. But no, honor demanded he remain where he was and observe what could possibly be the most absurd reason for an honor duel in the history of his clan. Earlier in the hunt, after one of the hunters took a trophy from a ooman warrior, the ooman �Commander� felt the need to negotiate terms where they would stop being hunted. No such terms were agreed to, as the Teer showed up grumbling about being hungry right as a ooman placed some sort of food-based item on the ground. It was five layers of cooked, spiced meat placed in between two discs of raised grain. The Teer found the sandwich to be strangely delectable, as did Ryl�Ky. The Halkrath insulted the Teer�s honor, the Teer stood his ground, and now Ryl�Ky was stuck watching two hot-headed Yautja break each other over a literal scrap of food.
*CRACK*
Another one of the Teer�s bones cracked as the combat started to slow down. He attempted to regain his footing, but too much weight on his bad leg resulted in him collapsing, unable to get up. Halkrath, with not even enough strength to gloat limped over towards the Teer, pulling out his dagger. Kneeling over the fallen hunter, he raised his blade and began stabbing him again and again, as the Teer gurgled on his own blood, unable to even roar in dying defiance, as the white-wearing ooman�s eyes bulged out in alarm and the red-wearing ooman started to make a retching sound-
�Wait. Wait a moment.�
Elder Luar-Ke was looking over the post-hunt report while having Ryl�Ky onscreen through video communication. He tapped a few runes on his wrist bracers with a bewildered expression on his face.
�Where-where are the oomans right now?�
��Right now?� asked Ryl�Ky through the onscreen display.
�Right now.� Responded the Elder.
�We interdicted several pod type structures launched from the main ooman vessel. We have them.�
�We have them? To-to do what with?�
�Signature scans showed there were a few items in high orbit, and I notified fellow clan members to arrive to assist in retrieving the items. However, all of the oomans were in some type of sleeping pod. Don�t know why they were launched from their vessel after the serpents arrived.�
��You don�t know?� Asked the Elder.
�No.�Ryl�Ky responded.
Elder Luar�Ke leaned forward resting an arm on a nearby skull. �Oomans use those as �Escape Pods� to evacuate oomans towards friendly territories, specifically wounded, sick or otherwise incapable of combat.�
��I see. So what should we do with them?�
�For Paya�s sake put them within ooman occupied space!� Elder Luar�Ke angrily rumbled.
�Yes. I understand.� Replied Ryl�Ky, shifting uncomfortably.
�So, the Teer�s dead.� �Yes.� �And the body�?� �Halkrath claimed it after being unable to separate the head. It�s currently in one of the Trophy displays.�
��Very well.� Elder Luar�Ke replied, leaning back.
�However, umm�. There�s�a bit of a�snag.�
�What? What is it?�
�Ah� well, after the serpents attacked the ooman vessel, after a while the uh, vessel, er�crashed into the hunting grounds. Front first into the hunting grounds.� Ryl�Ky explained, doing his best to remain completely still.
�
�
...
�Good. Excellent, is it destroyed?�
�Ah, no, not necessarily,� Ryl�Ky rumbled, as the Elder shook his head in disappointment. �It sustained heavy damage across the exterior with multiple hull breaches, we-we�re pretty sure nothing on it survived the crash.�
Elder Luar�Ke sighed. �Very well, very well. Send a hunting party to retrieve the lost equipment once the biosystem stabilizes. If there�s activity there in the future, we�ll worry about it then.�
Ryl�Ky nodded his head.
Elder Luar�Ke heaved a deep sigh and shook his head on confusion. �What an absolute farce. What did we learn, Ryl�Ky?�
�I don�t know.� �Well I don�t believe I know either.�
A few moments went by in complete silence. The Elder opened his mandibles as if to say something, closed them again, and cut the display.