Meetings

Rundas couldn't help but feel a little sorry for the smaller being in front of him. The Vhozon were such idealistic creatures that it almost crippled them. And this one had to be one of the worst. Still, he did admire them sometimes, the way they didn't think of themselves, but of others, and of the "greater good". This time, however, it wasn't pity or admiration, it was more like amusement.

"Listen Noxus, I don't really care, I bring the mark down anyway I can, and that's why I'm the best and you'll never be."

"It's not about being the best! Don't you understand that? It's about bringing justice and peace by removing those that have disrupted it!"

Rundas simply shook his head. "Look, what if I was to cut you in on the bounty, would you stop nagging me then? I mean, you did figure out where this scum was hiding just like I did, you just didn't get here as fast as I did."

"Have you been listening to anything I've told you!? The money isn't what this is about! You like to pretend like you're not one of us, but we're brothers, you and I, and there's nothing you can do about it! When you do this kind of thing, bringing a fugitive in through treachery, you bring shame on all of us!"

Now the littler one was starting to get annoying. "Look, I'm not your 'brother' and I'm happy to say it. We Phrygisians don't follow your codes, and we don't live by your rules; we have our own ethics that we follow. So why don't you just go find some other poor working man and bug him with your high ideals?"

"But people don't understand that, they equate us as brothers, they see us as such, and if you want me to really analyze it, I can prove that your race should be bound by the same rules as ours, as should all races! You bring shame on not only my race, but yours as well!" That struck a serious nerve with the arrogant hunter.

"Alright, now you're going too far! I bring honor to my race, and to myself. I have done great things for this galaxy, and the galaxy recognizes it! Now go away, leave me in peace, or this discussion won't be friendly anymore." Rundas turned and began stalking away, back to his ship. He was both surprised and relieved when the smaller hunter didn't attempt to continue the argument. Who was Noxus to be telling him what he should and shouldn't do anyway? He had used a viscous trap to ensnare a bad man, so what? The man was a killer, had robbed several people as well. A pirate essentially; he needed to be taken down hard. Rundas had seen to it the surest way possible, and all that little creature Noxus could talk about was how he wasn't being fair to the prey.

As he reached his ship, he turned back once more to see Noxus already in his vessel, lifting off into orbit. As he watched him fly away, Rundas noticed that the other hunter had taken a trajectory that led out into deep space. Strange, he thought to himself. Noxus usually liked to return to his home world, for some kind of meditation or something after every bounty he took down. Oh well, Rundas thought, what do I care what that guy does? As long as he's not around me. Sometimes, he really wanted to just smash that obnoxious little hunter and be done with it. But he couldn't just kill another like that, not without good reason; He did have his own code which he followed. That much was true. For now, he would just have to try and forget about him.

He climbed aboard his vessel and began moving towards the cockpit. He passed by the steel and glass coffin that held the remains of his prey. He didn't even give it a second glance; he did what was necessary to survive, and that's what mattered. That's what he told himself as he sat down at his ship's controls, and began setting a course back toward the Galactic Federation core planets, and a sweet payroll.

...

"Now go away, leave me in peace, or this discussion won't be friendly anymore!" Noxus watched as the larger hunter turned and began walking away. Normally, he would have called after him, to continue the argument, but at the moment, he had more important things on his mind. While he had been arguing with his brother hunter, he had noticed something that the other obviously hadn't. A message, quiet and low, but getting louder, was being whispered to him. He could tell that Rundas should have been hearing it too, but he forced his mind, with all of his concentration, on stopping the message before it reached the arrogant hunter. It obviously was working, for Rundas was now walking away, without even twitching in acknowledgment of telepathic transmission.

Noxus turned and began sprinting back to his own ship, still concentrating on the message. It was now loud, unbearably so, but still he fought to keep it from Rundas. And suddenly, it stopped. The message was gone. He breathed a sigh of relief, easing his concentration. The message told of an ultimate power, and when he had heard it, he had instantly decided it would be best if Rundas didn't hear it. That hunter was arrogant, and dangerous when provoked. He fancied himself the most dangerous person in the galaxy; the last thing he needed was ultimate power dropped in his lap.

No, this was for Noxus to discover. Ultimate power wasn't something that a crooked hunter should get; Noxus would have to track it down himself. When he found it, he would have several options. He could keep it, to try and use it to bring galactic peace. But such notions are dangerous, he reminded himself. Ultimate power might be too great a temptation for even him; no, he couldn't keep it. He would have to destroy it, or at least return it to the safety of Vho if he could not. He had intended on heading back there himself, but something like this would not wait. There was no telling how many other people may have heard that message. As he reached his ship and climbed aboard, he silently told it with his mind to power up, and chart a course to the Alimbic Cluster.