Having been introduced to the members of her new yautja team; Dr. Boyd sets off for the communications wing with her two alien companions. Once again armed with her rifle and flamethrower, she angles the rifle in front of her. The flamethrower is strapped securely to her back.

N-Vorl, the large grumpy yautja, follows closely behind her. She can only guess that his shoulder cannon is aimed squarely at her back. This particular alien’s level of distrust is more than unsettling. Will he find a reason to kill her? Or will he simply manufacture one?

P’taal, the more patient yautja, walks confidently in front. His weapon of choice, the combistick, is poised and ready as she suggested. Any sudden moves may prematurely alert the Judases of their presence in the corridor.

An unexpected rush of air above Teresa’s head causes her to glance upward. Suspended between two metal beams is a juvenile Judas. But something about this Judas is different. Not only is it wearing the misshapen face of a yautja; it also uses a form of camouflage Teresa has never observed in all of her time studying the Judases many stages of evolution—past and present. While still partially visible, portions of the Judas are almost see-thru; allowing Teresa to view the metal beams surrounding it.

“Nooo!” Teresa cries aloud, as the Judas lunges at N-Vorl—whose head is turned to look down an adjoining corridor.

She can ill afford to have the big dumb bruiser killed on their very first expedition. His death might not go over so well with the other yautjas. Right now, Teresa's main goal is to live through this hellish nightmare. So keeping her alien partners alive is a top priority.

Teresa pushes N-Vorl with all of her miniscule weight. Shoving him out of the Judas’s path. N-Vorl instinctually reaches to grab what he perceives to be his attacker. He yanks on Dr. Boyd and she stumbles; the added weight of the flamethrower throwing off her center of gravity. She reaches for the only thing to steady herself with-- N-Vorl, and drags him down along with her. They both fall heavily to the floor. Which turns out to be a good thing.

The murderous juvenile insect lets out a loud screech, gliding over the jumble of human and yautja, and then comes around again. It is as if the Judas does not notice P’taal at all. P’taal uses this to his advantage. He pulls back his arm and aims his combistick at the offensive bug. When he does throw the combistick, it flies true, spearing the insect and pinning it to the opposite wall.

P'taal barely has time to rejoice in his kill, and reclaim his combistick, before a second Judas careens around the corner. This specimen is much larger, an adult, and wears a human face. That of Chief Engineer Theodore McAvoy. Complete with a long gash along the same line on which Theo’s head was severed by a Judas’s forearm.

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Teresa lets out a loud gasp. Partially because N-Vorl’s weight is once again crushing her; but, mostly at seeing Theodore rise from the dead in the form of a Judas imitation.

"How can this be?" Teresa's mind screams. "Theo has only been dead for a couple of hours? Or is it much later? How long was she unconscious? And what kind of mutation is this?"

N-Vorl repositions to get off of Dr. Boyd and his clawed hand presses down on the left side of her chest. Teresa fidgets at the somewhat familiar touch, inhaling sharply. N-Vorl either doesn’t notice her discomfort or doesn’t care. He swiftly climbs to his feet and retrieves his own combistick from his excessively decked out implement belt. Standing back to back, P’taal and N-Vorl remain perfectly still—willing the cursed beast to come at them.

The Judas paces as if confused. Its wings flap, and then fold back up, multiple times. The insect’s head, adorned with a hideous copy of the dead chief engineer’s face, whips back and forth. It's insectile mandibles open and shut menacingly. Teresa's eyes gleam with excitement.

“It doesn’t know where we are,” she says in her mind. “As long as we don’t move, and it can’t smell us...It won’t be able to find us. Save maybe bumping into one of us. I was right.”

Teresa cups her hands around her mouth and risks a tiny whisper. She calls to P’taal.

“Activate your cloak!” she says as quietly as possible.

Big mistake. N-Vorl's shape dissolves from view, but P'taal remains visible. The brave warrior is focused exclusively on the Judas, as it whirls in Teresa's direction.

“Oh hell!” Dr. Boyd exclaims.

She crawls backward on the floor for about a foot and then flips over onto her stomach in order to push up and stand. The Judas opens its wings and prepares to take flight—its focus solely on Teresa. Thanks to their scent baths, and N-Vorl's cloaking; the two yautjas aren’t even a blip on the Judas' radar.

The Judas is only half a foot in the air when P’taal cracks its carapace with a forceful blow from his combistick. The combistick goes straight through the insect’s head; the pointed tip slamming into the metal floor. Teresa yells out a warning a split second before the Judas lashes out with a razor-sharp forearm. P’taal draws back his leg and is only nicked by the Judas’s forearm. Green blood leaks from the wound, but Teresa knows it could have been much worse.

“You have to completely immobilize it!” Teresa yells. “A roach can live for many days without its head. It isn’t dead!”

At this point, N-Vorl rematerializes. He readies his shoulder cannon and fires unceremoniously into the Judas. Insect fluids fly everywhere. With a sweep of his arm, N-Vorl retracts his combistick, and allows his shoulder cannon to power down. He pivots in Dr. Boyd's direction.

Teresa rolls her eyes and levels her gaze at N-Vorl. The big yautja is obviously proud of himself, his legs spread wide apart in a defiant stance.

“Are you happy now?” Teresa says rhetorically.

“Yes,” N-Vorl responds.

Teresa is sure that underneath his mask, N-Vorl is wearing the biggest yautja smile. In fact, she'd bet her life on it.