RPG - END OF THE LINE
Deathdrop, Yautja, 15 years ago
The bomb just hit. The ship has begun its fall from orbit. Chunks of debris are already landing on the planet. Let's see what happens next...
*For the third night in a row, Deathdrop was sitting on his hill, watching the sun come up. The carnivores were more common at this hour, and he was in a bad mood, very much needing to kill something. He took a long drink from his vial, aimed his specially modified plasma-caster, and prepared for a fun morning...
"Do you come here to think?"
Damn that female! She was young, annoying, and worst of all, enamored with him. In the haze of the drugs, he had considered shooting at her, but decided against it. The others might not appreciate that.
"I come here because the sun causes interesting hallucinations. Now go away."
She didn’t take the hint.
"Do you do those drugs because you hold hatred in your heart for what happened to the others on the queen hunt? It isn’t your fault. You were a great warrior once, and if you would only-"
Deathdrop held up his hand. "Are you... attracted to me?" he asked with some disgust.
"…Yes." the wide-eyed idiot swooned.
First thing was first; he lifted his loincloth. "This should cure you of that."
Her excitement turned to disgust. "What... What happened?!"
"One of the motherless cretins in my group switched my acid-proof armor with the normal kind. I shot a Xenomorph, and the blood dripped where it didn't belong. I’m disgraced because I can’t reproduce, not because the rest of the fools got themselves killed.â€Â
"But I-"
Just as he was reaching for something to throw at her, she fell silent. He looked into the sky, and saw why: it appeared to be a ship falling toward the north. A rain of debris followed behind it, but some was falling towards them. Had he been a hundred years younger, he would have flipped out of the way. As it was, he just barely ducked in time.
And then there was a lot of noise followed by a bright flash, and he felt heat on his back as he was knocked away. When the “storm†had settled, he looked around what was left of his hill: Blood and splattered organs out of what was left of the female. She'd been hit by what looked like a rather large chunk the debris.
A being so full of life, now dead…
There WAS a God! Deathdrop fired his weapon into the sky several times and screamed "HA! You MISSED, you stupid bastard!†Then he made a hand motion he'd learned on Earth and ran for the base, laughing the entire time. Today might provide some entertainment yet…*
*For the third night in a row, Deathdrop was sitting on his hill, watching the sun come up. The carnivores were more common at this hour, and he was in a bad mood, very much needing to kill something. He took a long drink from his vial, aimed his specially modified plasma-caster, and prepared for a fun morning...
"Do you come here to think?"
Damn that female! She was young, annoying, and worst of all, enamored with him. In the haze of the drugs, he had considered shooting at her, but decided against it. The others might not appreciate that.
"I come here because the sun causes interesting hallucinations. Now go away."
She didn’t take the hint.
"Do you do those drugs because you hold hatred in your heart for what happened to the others on the queen hunt? It isn’t your fault. You were a great warrior once, and if you would only-"
Deathdrop held up his hand. "Are you... attracted to me?" he asked with some disgust.
"…Yes." the wide-eyed idiot swooned.
First thing was first; he lifted his loincloth. "This should cure you of that."
Her excitement turned to disgust. "What... What happened?!"
"One of the motherless cretins in my group switched my acid-proof armor with the normal kind. I shot a Xenomorph, and the blood dripped where it didn't belong. I’m disgraced because I can’t reproduce, not because the rest of the fools got themselves killed.â€Â
"But I-"
Just as he was reaching for something to throw at her, she fell silent. He looked into the sky, and saw why: it appeared to be a ship falling toward the north. A rain of debris followed behind it, but some was falling towards them. Had he been a hundred years younger, he would have flipped out of the way. As it was, he just barely ducked in time.
And then there was a lot of noise followed by a bright flash, and he felt heat on his back as he was knocked away. When the “storm†had settled, he looked around what was left of his hill: Blood and splattered organs out of what was left of the female. She'd been hit by what looked like a rather large chunk the debris.
A being so full of life, now dead…
There WAS a God! Deathdrop fired his weapon into the sky several times and screamed "HA! You MISSED, you stupid bastard!†Then he made a hand motion he'd learned on Earth and ran for the base, laughing the entire time. Today might provide some entertainment yet…*
Stalker, Yautja, 15 years ago
Several hours earlier...
Grains of cold sand whipped up in a frenzy, small particles stinging like needles as they contacted flesh. The wind howled a somber tune on this desolate, isolated stretch of barren rock as daylight began to fade. It looked like another frosty night in Hell was to come.
This wasteland had been all but abandoned by time. Almost nothing lived on its surface. A vast, lonely space where a strong mind could be the only thing standing in the way of holding onto one's sanity, or slipping into madness. The last ship had left several months ago, dropping off a new colony of workers & relieving the worn-out former ones of their duty. The next change-over was not scheduled for several years, & calling in any kind of transport to the planet could take days or weeks, since very few are keen to make an unscheduled stop in this part of the system.
Amongst the batch of faces & forgotten names which made up the new mining crew, young-lings strived to prove themselves as capable individuals through dedication & hard work. Mixed in with the crowd, a few older, world-weary faces show their scars. Most of them are former criminals, some are even bad bloods who have chosen to repent. They were given a fate worse than death: to spend the rest of their waking hours here, tirelessly mining the mineral that keeps the predator society going.
Over-seeing the mining colony were two formidable clans of predators known as Balatu & Hunter's Moon, alongside several other individuals. Stationed here primarily as peace-keepers, it is their duty to watch over the miners & ensure that none of the former bad bloods attempts an escape, & that a general rule of order is constantly maintained. Essentially, they act as prison guards inside & around the facility. As if the hostile conditions weren't enough to do some of the weaker-minded workers in, the hard-as-nails enforcers would be the final nail in their coffins if they stepped too far out of line.
_____________________________________________________
A small crew of predators braved the elements several miles from the core facility. Standing out on the barren, desert plains in the ice-cold winds, they worked tirelessly to harvest as much mineral as possible in the last few minutes of daylight. As the shadow of the evening began to fall upon them, one of the guards, a large individual stepped forward into the small quarry, speaking in a booming voice in the yautja native tongue, he brought attention to the crowd. "Alright everyone, it's been a hard day's work. Pack up your gear & we will travel to the nearest outpost for the night. Rest well, for tomorrow will be even more tiresome."
The guard, known to his clan as "The Doctor", was a formidable elder with a lengthy reputation. His status & history in combat kept the workers in-line. Even most of the hardened bad bloods would not want to rebel against their extremely dangerous overseers.
Standing at his side, two other menacing figures flanked him. Equally infamous & deadly in their own right. The trio of elders were collectively known outside of this planet as the leaders of the Gods of Death. The Doctor, PREDATOR, & Stalker.
The darkness was almost upon them, the main mining facility was too far away now to trek back to. The plan was to head for the nearest outpost, only a couple of kilometers away for the remainder of the night.
Glancing out of the corner of his eye, Stalker caught sight of a small "flash" in the sky. It was a long distance off, probably nothing...or so he thought.
Grains of cold sand whipped up in a frenzy, small particles stinging like needles as they contacted flesh. The wind howled a somber tune on this desolate, isolated stretch of barren rock as daylight began to fade. It looked like another frosty night in Hell was to come.
This wasteland had been all but abandoned by time. Almost nothing lived on its surface. A vast, lonely space where a strong mind could be the only thing standing in the way of holding onto one's sanity, or slipping into madness. The last ship had left several months ago, dropping off a new colony of workers & relieving the worn-out former ones of their duty. The next change-over was not scheduled for several years, & calling in any kind of transport to the planet could take days or weeks, since very few are keen to make an unscheduled stop in this part of the system.
Amongst the batch of faces & forgotten names which made up the new mining crew, young-lings strived to prove themselves as capable individuals through dedication & hard work. Mixed in with the crowd, a few older, world-weary faces show their scars. Most of them are former criminals, some are even bad bloods who have chosen to repent. They were given a fate worse than death: to spend the rest of their waking hours here, tirelessly mining the mineral that keeps the predator society going.
Over-seeing the mining colony were two formidable clans of predators known as Balatu & Hunter's Moon, alongside several other individuals. Stationed here primarily as peace-keepers, it is their duty to watch over the miners & ensure that none of the former bad bloods attempts an escape, & that a general rule of order is constantly maintained. Essentially, they act as prison guards inside & around the facility. As if the hostile conditions weren't enough to do some of the weaker-minded workers in, the hard-as-nails enforcers would be the final nail in their coffins if they stepped too far out of line.
_____________________________________________________
A small crew of predators braved the elements several miles from the core facility. Standing out on the barren, desert plains in the ice-cold winds, they worked tirelessly to harvest as much mineral as possible in the last few minutes of daylight. As the shadow of the evening began to fall upon them, one of the guards, a large individual stepped forward into the small quarry, speaking in a booming voice in the yautja native tongue, he brought attention to the crowd. "Alright everyone, it's been a hard day's work. Pack up your gear & we will travel to the nearest outpost for the night. Rest well, for tomorrow will be even more tiresome."
The guard, known to his clan as "The Doctor", was a formidable elder with a lengthy reputation. His status & history in combat kept the workers in-line. Even most of the hardened bad bloods would not want to rebel against their extremely dangerous overseers.
Standing at his side, two other menacing figures flanked him. Equally infamous & deadly in their own right. The trio of elders were collectively known outside of this planet as the leaders of the Gods of Death. The Doctor, PREDATOR, & Stalker.
The darkness was almost upon them, the main mining facility was too far away now to trek back to. The plan was to head for the nearest outpost, only a couple of kilometers away for the remainder of the night.
Glancing out of the corner of his eye, Stalker caught sight of a small "flash" in the sky. It was a long distance off, probably nothing...or so he thought.
PREDATORv2, Yautja, 15 years ago
PREDATOR stood beside his brethren,
he’d been shoved off to this small forgotten world a few months ago a glorious assignment or so he was told, time seem to pass excruciatingly slow here. He had been fortunate enough to be stationed with his fellow brethren, dangerous warriors in their own right. The doctor leader of the mighty and well respected Balatu Clan and Stalker a skilled hunter an elder of Balatu an equal to PREDATOR. PREDATOR examined the mine laborers as they threw their mining equipment aside, gathered their belongs in response to the doctor’s order.
They began the long trek to the small mining outpost located furthest north from the main predator mining facility. The outpost was quaint, far too small to accommodate the number of predators it housed. It would be a distanced before the large group of laborers and guards reached the outpost, PREDATOR would have to find something to bide his time. As the three of them followed behind the large group of workers, like predators stalking a herd of prey.
PREDATOR approached and walked beside Stalker, nudging him with his hand, Stalker turned his head in response. “Did you see the flash?†PREDATOR questioned. This world was located near the shipping lanes of the humans species, although expertly hidden, discovery was always a thought on PREDATOR’s mind.
However as much as the thought of human discovery concerned him, it would also be the undoing of this assignment. Battle was life, without it everything seem dull and lifeless, much like this rock they were forced to oversee.
he’d been shoved off to this small forgotten world a few months ago a glorious assignment or so he was told, time seem to pass excruciatingly slow here. He had been fortunate enough to be stationed with his fellow brethren, dangerous warriors in their own right. The doctor leader of the mighty and well respected Balatu Clan and Stalker a skilled hunter an elder of Balatu an equal to PREDATOR. PREDATOR examined the mine laborers as they threw their mining equipment aside, gathered their belongs in response to the doctor’s order.
They began the long trek to the small mining outpost located furthest north from the main predator mining facility. The outpost was quaint, far too small to accommodate the number of predators it housed. It would be a distanced before the large group of laborers and guards reached the outpost, PREDATOR would have to find something to bide his time. As the three of them followed behind the large group of workers, like predators stalking a herd of prey.
PREDATOR approached and walked beside Stalker, nudging him with his hand, Stalker turned his head in response. “Did you see the flash?†PREDATOR questioned. This world was located near the shipping lanes of the humans species, although expertly hidden, discovery was always a thought on PREDATOR’s mind.
However as much as the thought of human discovery concerned him, it would also be the undoing of this assignment. Battle was life, without it everything seem dull and lifeless, much like this rock they were forced to oversee.
the_doctor, Yautja, 15 years ago
The mighty Elder pushed along side his trusted brothers, He loathed this place yet had some sort of kinship with the planet. The endless years of battle had made him forget about life without such conflict and adventure. The cold wind hit his skin with a strike of a dagger and for a second untill the sensation became a memory.
His two closest brothers walked with him on this wasteland and that was enough to keep him content, being able to remember the glorious days gone was excitement enough. together they had faced such opposition and worthy prey and yet also together they faced the labour of the planet.
He saw PREDATOR nudge Stalker and inquire if that flash of light he saw was real or just him going insane from the days a boredem.
"Asteriod" said the doctor coldly
PREDATOR and Stalker looked towards him
He followed on "If it is anything else...well then we just might have found some fun finally"
It was a long trek back and the Elder did not want to run off an a hunch, if it was humans they would smell them soon enough
His two closest brothers walked with him on this wasteland and that was enough to keep him content, being able to remember the glorious days gone was excitement enough. together they had faced such opposition and worthy prey and yet also together they faced the labour of the planet.
He saw PREDATOR nudge Stalker and inquire if that flash of light he saw was real or just him going insane from the days a boredem.
"Asteriod" said the doctor coldly
PREDATOR and Stalker looked towards him
He followed on "If it is anything else...well then we just might have found some fun finally"
It was a long trek back and the Elder did not want to run off an a hunch, if it was humans they would smell them soon enough
x_saysell, Yautja, 15 years ago
On the marine ship...
It had been several months since Saysell and Ullip had gained entry to the marine ship, they had snuck aboard on its last fuel docking. Since then they had relative ease getting about as the marines who where awake only seemed to stay in one part of the ship. The cargo hold had been their home since then. They only came in when they changed the guard and that was once a month, even then however they only went in to get food. Saysell's time aboard the marine ship was far from glamorous, but he had been given a mission.
They had to remove the queen and set lose the Xenos, and after they had killed the marines the D.B.O could come aboard take control of the hive and take anything they wanted from the ship. But the mission had changed soon after they got onboard; they lost contact with the Melanie and Xeuss. As far as they knew the Melanie was following the marine ship in its slipstream making it undetectable and always in contact with the pair onboard, but for some reason they seemed to just vanish from contact. Also quickly after gaining access to the ship and exploring Saysell realised he knew these marines, he had served with them many moons ago, when he was still human. As such he had no desire to bring their demise, he may not of been human but he was still held back by petty human emotions at times.
None of this matter however, as the guard changed for the final time. On the second day of the new watch a thunderous boom was heard throughout the ship, loud enough to be heard on the unsuspecting planet below. Followed within millisecond by a flash so bright it would have illuminated even the darkest reaches of dead space.
The ship instantaneously began to tear apart, and splinter. Huge pieces of metal tearing away from the sides and smashing into other pieces. The cargo hold door smashed shut and went into dead lock, the ships defence against attack. The cargo hold would seal itself off and self eject and be pulled to the closest gravitational field. So that’s what it did.
Badly damaged the cargo hold hurtled down towards the planet below, with its two occupants inside being thrown around like marbles in a bag. Until finally the hold smashed on the planet below, quickly followed by the debris of the ship breaking apart in the atmosphere.
"Ullip! Ullip!?" Saysell shouted until a murmur was heard from below a pile of storage crate.
"Grab your equipment, and lets get out of here. God only knows what just happened up there, but I know we will get the blame if they find us here." At that Saysell gather what equipment of his he could find. His knives where already in their place hanging from his side. His shotgun and USP pistol weren’t to far from him, his Pulse rifle was nowhere to be seen other than fragments of its carbon fibre undercarriage that has broken away.
"Lets move!" He ordered Ullip as he grabbed what he could find of his equipment and they hastily emerged out of the cargo hold, to see a sight that would of brought lesser men to their knees.
The ship was in fragments all around them and surrounding that was countless miles of sand. Saysell crouched down and filled his palm with sand and let it sift through his fingers.
"Just my bloody luck!" He laughed as he glanced at the wreckage, Fire raged in some parts and other where so imbedded into the floor they looked as if they had been there for centuries.
"Come on, we better get out of here." Saysell beckoned to Ullip as they began to move out of the cargo hold and into the unknown.
It had been several months since Saysell and Ullip had gained entry to the marine ship, they had snuck aboard on its last fuel docking. Since then they had relative ease getting about as the marines who where awake only seemed to stay in one part of the ship. The cargo hold had been their home since then. They only came in when they changed the guard and that was once a month, even then however they only went in to get food. Saysell's time aboard the marine ship was far from glamorous, but he had been given a mission.
They had to remove the queen and set lose the Xenos, and after they had killed the marines the D.B.O could come aboard take control of the hive and take anything they wanted from the ship. But the mission had changed soon after they got onboard; they lost contact with the Melanie and Xeuss. As far as they knew the Melanie was following the marine ship in its slipstream making it undetectable and always in contact with the pair onboard, but for some reason they seemed to just vanish from contact. Also quickly after gaining access to the ship and exploring Saysell realised he knew these marines, he had served with them many moons ago, when he was still human. As such he had no desire to bring their demise, he may not of been human but he was still held back by petty human emotions at times.
None of this matter however, as the guard changed for the final time. On the second day of the new watch a thunderous boom was heard throughout the ship, loud enough to be heard on the unsuspecting planet below. Followed within millisecond by a flash so bright it would have illuminated even the darkest reaches of dead space.
The ship instantaneously began to tear apart, and splinter. Huge pieces of metal tearing away from the sides and smashing into other pieces. The cargo hold door smashed shut and went into dead lock, the ships defence against attack. The cargo hold would seal itself off and self eject and be pulled to the closest gravitational field. So that’s what it did.
Badly damaged the cargo hold hurtled down towards the planet below, with its two occupants inside being thrown around like marbles in a bag. Until finally the hold smashed on the planet below, quickly followed by the debris of the ship breaking apart in the atmosphere.
"Ullip! Ullip!?" Saysell shouted until a murmur was heard from below a pile of storage crate.
"Grab your equipment, and lets get out of here. God only knows what just happened up there, but I know we will get the blame if they find us here." At that Saysell gather what equipment of his he could find. His knives where already in their place hanging from his side. His shotgun and USP pistol weren’t to far from him, his Pulse rifle was nowhere to be seen other than fragments of its carbon fibre undercarriage that has broken away.
"Lets move!" He ordered Ullip as he grabbed what he could find of his equipment and they hastily emerged out of the cargo hold, to see a sight that would of brought lesser men to their knees.
The ship was in fragments all around them and surrounding that was countless miles of sand. Saysell crouched down and filled his palm with sand and let it sift through his fingers.
"Just my bloody luck!" He laughed as he glanced at the wreckage, Fire raged in some parts and other where so imbedded into the floor they looked as if they had been there for centuries.
"Come on, we better get out of here." Saysell beckoned to Ullip as they began to move out of the cargo hold and into the unknown.
delta-boy, Yautja, 15 years ago
A klaxon alarm bleeped round the cyro bay, the emergency cyro de-freezing began. Delta awoke in the cold drab calamity of the cyro bay, he peered into the harsh lighting on the roof and his eyes adjusted.
There was frantic shouting, something that the controls where gone and they where descending at a high speed.
Shit... Delta thought, what about the Xeno's, he considered, so maybe I'm not the only sabtouer on board, this could work to my advantage.
Pulling on his Russian Partizan BDU's, he braces for impact. "God... This is gonna be one hell'of a night "
Although, the pay would be worth it, even if he had to befriend a lot of old pals.
There was frantic shouting, something that the controls where gone and they where descending at a high speed.
Shit... Delta thought, what about the Xeno's, he considered, so maybe I'm not the only sabtouer on board, this could work to my advantage.
Pulling on his Russian Partizan BDU's, he braces for impact. "God... This is gonna be one hell'of a night "
Although, the pay would be worth it, even if he had to befriend a lot of old pals.
Sam-Jack-Dunn, Yautja, 15 years ago
"Xavier mate, where'd I put the Phillip's again? It's bloody gone walkabout." The voice cut through the cold air of the Conestoga's armoury like a warm knife through soft human flesh, the Australian accent rebounding off the cold metal walls like an echo in a cave, though the effect was muffled slightly by the smoke that was rising steadily from the cigar clamped in between pearly white teeth. The tip of the cigar flared for a moment as it's current owner inhaled, then returned to a light smoulder as he exhaled the smoke, looking around for that bloody screwdriver.
Sam Jack Dunn, Quartermaster of Alpha Draconis and leader of the All-Aussie 'Outback' squad, looked down at the grated metal floor around his tan-coloured army boots, his synthetic red eyes scanning the floor in search of the tool that he'd carelessley misplaced. He scratched the stubble on his chin with a gloved hand as he tried to think back to where he'd left it, and turned to look at the table behind him.
He felt a sharp jab in his thigh, and grinned as he realized where he'd left the bloody thing after all. "Never mind mate, I found it. Bloody thing." He added with a sigh, the grin never leaving his face as he reached into his pocket and withdrew the old-style screwdriver. The metal glinted in the artificial light cast by the lightglobes overhead, along with Dunn's teeth as his smile widened. He paid good money to have his teeth whitened. For some reason, he pulled recruits like a Bushranger pulling flies in the desert, so he had to keep up appearances.
He peeled back the skin around her neck and stuck the screwdriver in, tightening a bolt over a panel that he'd just recently fixed the wiring for. A few twists of his wrist and elbow, and the planel was on good and tight. "I don't know what the blokes in Corporate Security did to this Synth, but they sure fucked her up thoroughly." He added with a slight chuckle, knowing perfectly well that 'sex toy' was NOT a part of authorized uses for an artificial person. Still, you never knew with the boys in Corporate.
He withdrew the screwdriver and smoothed the skin over the wiring and mechanics, changing the android's appearance in a moment from a robot to a person with a slit throat. Sam wasn't really sure which was more disturbing to him, but he didn't mind. He'd had a lot of experience with Androids, and he was pretty mechanically minded, though Xavier was far better at the whole electronics and programming part than him. Sam was more of a mechanic than a Commtech. That was Xavier's job.
"Okay, that's the wiring fixed. Reckon we should start ér up now?" He asked, deferring to his comrade's greater experience in this particular field. He adjusted the brim of the Akubra hat he was wearing with the screwdriver, and used the back of his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead. It was some pretty hard yakka repairing an Android, especially one as damaged as this one, but Sam and Xavier had been bloody bored. Sitting for months cooped up in a ship watching a bunch of sleeping bugs were not thier idea of a good time. That was why they'd taken on this job as a pet project.
He placed the screwdriver back in the toolbox that rested beside his right foot, and grabbed a hand welder, nodding his head to the soothing tunes of Aussie folk music that were playing from the radio earbud that he was wearing. He'd put it on Outback Squad's personal channel so that they could listen, and 'Poor Ned' was the song that was currently playing. He'd have whistled, but the cigar was in the way.
"Right, that's me done. How's the programming coming along?" Sam asked, looking over at Xavier to see that his old friend was writing something on a scrap of paper with an archaic lead pencil.
"About bloody time. I finished up ages ago, wanna see the Christmas list I've been working on while I was waiting?" Xavier retorted, his eyebrows raised, showing the scrap of paper that was held lightly between scarred hands. Sam glared at it, and nodded.
"Who doesn't want one of those? Strewth, I'd give my eyes for one of those. Should we start ér up and see if it worked?" He replied after a few moments, getting off the ammo crate he'd been sitting on before.
His oldest surviving friend nodded, and pressed a few buttons on the PDA that he was holding in his other hand. The Personal Data Assistant was linked to the synthetic through a wire stuck into her skull through a needle. As he pressed the 'Boot' button, the floor below thier feet rocked, and the sound of an explosion tore through the ship.
"STREWTH! That wasn't me!" Xavier exclaimed as Dunn was knocked clear off of his feet, falling forward into the synthetic's arms. A synthetic who's eyes were now open.
He immediately got back to his feet and gave an embarrassed grin. "Sorry about that luv. How're ya feeling? He asked, but before he was able to get a reply, another explosion slammed him into the wall, and alarms started to blare throghout the ship.
"MOTHER! What the bloodyéll was that?" He shouted to the ship's AI, but he didn't get a response. The deck shuddered again, then began to shake like a tourist in a Tassie winter. He was undoubtedly not impressed. He was even less impressed when the ship flipped clean over, and the toolbox that he had been using clipped him on the back of the head and knocked him clean out.
-=AFTER THE SHIP HAS SHAT ITSELF AND LANDED ON THE PLANET=-
It was dark. Way too friggin dark for Sam's liking, at least. His back hurt like Ned Kelly's neck in the Melbourne Gaol and he had a headache the size of South Australia. He raised his head, and lowered it again quickly as it bumped against something hard. He reached for his shoulder lamp and flicked it on, bathing the room in a cold yellow light. Ah, it was the table that'd just headbutted him. He cursed fluently for about ten seconds, before crawling out from under the table.
As his eyes adjusted to the light that his shoulder lamp gave, he spotted Xavier out cold under a pile of Pulse Rifles, and the Synthetic looking around blankly. He got to his feet and leaned against a seriously dented wall. He had to think, to take stock and figure out what was going on. Okay, there had been an explosion, and there was still gravity. The air wasn't the typical stale self, so the life support and artificial gravity was out. He wasn't dead, though.
He'd have to think about it later. He wiped the sweat from his brow, and looked at it. There was no way it should be that damn hot in space, his glove was literally damp from just one wipe. What the hell was going on? He looked around, and saw that the armoury was a mess. Weapons and gear was littered everywhere, and the walls were dented clear out of shape. Obviously, something bad had happened. Really bad. Really fucking bad.
His first thought was to check if his troops were okay. He sprinted over to Xavier and checked his mate for a pulse. There was one, he was alive. His breathing was steady, too. He raised a gloved hand and slapped Xavier across the face -hard.
"Wake up, ya lazy mug! We're in the middle of a FUBAR and you're sleepin on the job?" He said, the grin on his face gone. The shit had hit the fan.
What about Bazza and Gene? He immediately checked that his earbud was working. It wasn't. He looked around. This was the goddamn armoury, there would be a replacement somewhere. He headed over to where they were normally stored, but that didn't help as the crates over there were scattered all over the place. All in all, it took him five minutes to find another earbud radio and set it to his squad's frequency.
"Outback Squad, this is Sam Dunn. Report in, are you okay?" He asked, before noticing the Synthetic.
"You alright?" He asked, his head still spinning from the crash. Only then did he detect a foul stench.
Oh christ. He'd shat his pants.
Sam Jack Dunn, Quartermaster of Alpha Draconis and leader of the All-Aussie 'Outback' squad, looked down at the grated metal floor around his tan-coloured army boots, his synthetic red eyes scanning the floor in search of the tool that he'd carelessley misplaced. He scratched the stubble on his chin with a gloved hand as he tried to think back to where he'd left it, and turned to look at the table behind him.
He felt a sharp jab in his thigh, and grinned as he realized where he'd left the bloody thing after all. "Never mind mate, I found it. Bloody thing." He added with a sigh, the grin never leaving his face as he reached into his pocket and withdrew the old-style screwdriver. The metal glinted in the artificial light cast by the lightglobes overhead, along with Dunn's teeth as his smile widened. He paid good money to have his teeth whitened. For some reason, he pulled recruits like a Bushranger pulling flies in the desert, so he had to keep up appearances.
He peeled back the skin around her neck and stuck the screwdriver in, tightening a bolt over a panel that he'd just recently fixed the wiring for. A few twists of his wrist and elbow, and the planel was on good and tight. "I don't know what the blokes in Corporate Security did to this Synth, but they sure fucked her up thoroughly." He added with a slight chuckle, knowing perfectly well that 'sex toy' was NOT a part of authorized uses for an artificial person. Still, you never knew with the boys in Corporate.
He withdrew the screwdriver and smoothed the skin over the wiring and mechanics, changing the android's appearance in a moment from a robot to a person with a slit throat. Sam wasn't really sure which was more disturbing to him, but he didn't mind. He'd had a lot of experience with Androids, and he was pretty mechanically minded, though Xavier was far better at the whole electronics and programming part than him. Sam was more of a mechanic than a Commtech. That was Xavier's job.
"Okay, that's the wiring fixed. Reckon we should start ér up now?" He asked, deferring to his comrade's greater experience in this particular field. He adjusted the brim of the Akubra hat he was wearing with the screwdriver, and used the back of his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead. It was some pretty hard yakka repairing an Android, especially one as damaged as this one, but Sam and Xavier had been bloody bored. Sitting for months cooped up in a ship watching a bunch of sleeping bugs were not thier idea of a good time. That was why they'd taken on this job as a pet project.
He placed the screwdriver back in the toolbox that rested beside his right foot, and grabbed a hand welder, nodding his head to the soothing tunes of Aussie folk music that were playing from the radio earbud that he was wearing. He'd put it on Outback Squad's personal channel so that they could listen, and 'Poor Ned' was the song that was currently playing. He'd have whistled, but the cigar was in the way.
"Right, that's me done. How's the programming coming along?" Sam asked, looking over at Xavier to see that his old friend was writing something on a scrap of paper with an archaic lead pencil.
"About bloody time. I finished up ages ago, wanna see the Christmas list I've been working on while I was waiting?" Xavier retorted, his eyebrows raised, showing the scrap of paper that was held lightly between scarred hands. Sam glared at it, and nodded.
"Who doesn't want one of those? Strewth, I'd give my eyes for one of those. Should we start ér up and see if it worked?" He replied after a few moments, getting off the ammo crate he'd been sitting on before.
His oldest surviving friend nodded, and pressed a few buttons on the PDA that he was holding in his other hand. The Personal Data Assistant was linked to the synthetic through a wire stuck into her skull through a needle. As he pressed the 'Boot' button, the floor below thier feet rocked, and the sound of an explosion tore through the ship.
"STREWTH! That wasn't me!" Xavier exclaimed as Dunn was knocked clear off of his feet, falling forward into the synthetic's arms. A synthetic who's eyes were now open.
He immediately got back to his feet and gave an embarrassed grin. "Sorry about that luv. How're ya feeling? He asked, but before he was able to get a reply, another explosion slammed him into the wall, and alarms started to blare throghout the ship.
"MOTHER! What the bloodyéll was that?" He shouted to the ship's AI, but he didn't get a response. The deck shuddered again, then began to shake like a tourist in a Tassie winter. He was undoubtedly not impressed. He was even less impressed when the ship flipped clean over, and the toolbox that he had been using clipped him on the back of the head and knocked him clean out.
It was dark. Way too friggin dark for Sam's liking, at least. His back hurt like Ned Kelly's neck in the Melbourne Gaol and he had a headache the size of South Australia. He raised his head, and lowered it again quickly as it bumped against something hard. He reached for his shoulder lamp and flicked it on, bathing the room in a cold yellow light. Ah, it was the table that'd just headbutted him. He cursed fluently for about ten seconds, before crawling out from under the table.
As his eyes adjusted to the light that his shoulder lamp gave, he spotted Xavier out cold under a pile of Pulse Rifles, and the Synthetic looking around blankly. He got to his feet and leaned against a seriously dented wall. He had to think, to take stock and figure out what was going on. Okay, there had been an explosion, and there was still gravity. The air wasn't the typical stale self, so the life support and artificial gravity was out. He wasn't dead, though.
He'd have to think about it later. He wiped the sweat from his brow, and looked at it. There was no way it should be that damn hot in space, his glove was literally damp from just one wipe. What the hell was going on? He looked around, and saw that the armoury was a mess. Weapons and gear was littered everywhere, and the walls were dented clear out of shape. Obviously, something bad had happened. Really bad. Really fucking bad.
His first thought was to check if his troops were okay. He sprinted over to Xavier and checked his mate for a pulse. There was one, he was alive. His breathing was steady, too. He raised a gloved hand and slapped Xavier across the face -hard.
"Wake up, ya lazy mug! We're in the middle of a FUBAR and you're sleepin on the job?" He said, the grin on his face gone. The shit had hit the fan.
What about Bazza and Gene? He immediately checked that his earbud was working. It wasn't. He looked around. This was the goddamn armoury, there would be a replacement somewhere. He headed over to where they were normally stored, but that didn't help as the crates over there were scattered all over the place. All in all, it took him five minutes to find another earbud radio and set it to his squad's frequency.
"Outback Squad, this is Sam Dunn. Report in, are you okay?" He asked, before noticing the Synthetic.
"You alright?" He asked, his head still spinning from the crash. Only then did he detect a foul stench.
Oh christ. He'd shat his pants.
FireHunter, Yautja, 15 years ago
FireHunter was awoken by the explosion that made the crate rock dangerously. He growled and leaped out of the container, he was confused, disoriented, and worst of all, angry. He made his way through the shaking corridors, walls came out as the ship fell, burning and disintegrating in it's fiery descent. The ship crashed and sent FireHunter flying face first into more solid metal.
His first instinct was to roar louder than he ever had in his life, which was incredibly loud. The metal walls reverberated and he heard a scream from the next room.
Barry shuddered as he recovered from the crash, his head hurt, and he couldn't feel his legs. He looked down to find that they were in fact crushed under debris. "Strewth..Bloody Strewth!" he groaned as the pain hit him like a slap in the face.
His vision was blurring and he could hear an ear shattering roar that seemed to plant C-4 in his ears and detonate it. He screamed as the pain shot through his head and lingered after the noise "Crikey! what a fucking noise!" he bellowed.
A terrible screech filled the air as a pure black claw ripped through the wall and a monstrous creature stepped through. Barry yelled and the beast's arm stretched forth and picked him up, tearing his legs from his body.
FireHunter lifted the human up and it whimpered in pain, it couldn't make any other noise because it was being strangled. FireHunter reached forward and put his hand in the smaller creature's mouth, the cheeks split and the jaw just hung open, resting against the throat. FireHunter reached further, and the throat seemed to swell and the human's face was turning purple, FireHunter's claws punctured the flesh on the back of the throat. If someone had been standing behind the gruesome scene, they'd have seen the outlines of those daemonic fingers on the back of the human's neck.
Barry could only feel pain and agony as the huge black claw began to tear his spine out through his mouth. His last sight was his spine coming out of his mouth.
Then Blackness.
FireHunter roared triumphantly as the human's spine slid from the broken mouth. He waved it around insanely and just threw it away.
He walked off, searching for more prey.
His first instinct was to roar louder than he ever had in his life, which was incredibly loud. The metal walls reverberated and he heard a scream from the next room.
Barry shuddered as he recovered from the crash, his head hurt, and he couldn't feel his legs. He looked down to find that they were in fact crushed under debris. "Strewth..Bloody Strewth!" he groaned as the pain hit him like a slap in the face.
His vision was blurring and he could hear an ear shattering roar that seemed to plant C-4 in his ears and detonate it. He screamed as the pain shot through his head and lingered after the noise "Crikey! what a fucking noise!" he bellowed.
A terrible screech filled the air as a pure black claw ripped through the wall and a monstrous creature stepped through. Barry yelled and the beast's arm stretched forth and picked him up, tearing his legs from his body.
FireHunter lifted the human up and it whimpered in pain, it couldn't make any other noise because it was being strangled. FireHunter reached forward and put his hand in the smaller creature's mouth, the cheeks split and the jaw just hung open, resting against the throat. FireHunter reached further, and the throat seemed to swell and the human's face was turning purple, FireHunter's claws punctured the flesh on the back of the throat. If someone had been standing behind the gruesome scene, they'd have seen the outlines of those daemonic fingers on the back of the human's neck.
Barry could only feel pain and agony as the huge black claw began to tear his spine out through his mouth. His last sight was his spine coming out of his mouth.
Then Blackness.
FireHunter roared triumphantly as the human's spine slid from the broken mouth. He waved it around insanely and just threw it away.
He walked off, searching for more prey.
Ullip, Yautja, 15 years ago
" Ah shit, my back! ": Ullip yelled as he woke up with incredible headache. Seeing Saysell running in the distance and yelling his name, he tried to push away all the junk that had fallen and broken off the cargo hold.
With the help of Saysell, Ullip stood up from the junk and gazed upon the cold and harsh planet upon them.
"Where the hell are we"? - Ullip asked with a uncertain voice.
"Grab everything you can" - said Saysell - "It would be wise for us to get out of here asap"
With help of Saysell, Ullip took everything he could carry and started to walk towards the scary uknown.
*Hours later...
Ullip and Saysell had both walked in the middle of nowhere for hours now, but for them it started to feel like it had been forever.
"Where the hell are we" - asked Ullip with exhausted voice - "You know we can't keep walking forever"
"You're right - said Saysell - "We should find somewhere to rest and think of something."
As Saysell was finishing up his sentence, an cave spotted on Ullips eye.
"How about there?" - Ullip asked - "It seems like a warm place to regain our energy"
"Are you sure it's deserted?" - asked Saysell
"I don't believe that anything, nor anyone would live on these harsh and cold conditions. I'm pretty sure it's safe to say that this planet is as empty as my stomach"
With the little energy that they had, Ullip and Saysell headed towards the cave...
With the help of Saysell, Ullip stood up from the junk and gazed upon the cold and harsh planet upon them.
"Where the hell are we"? - Ullip asked with a uncertain voice.
"Grab everything you can" - said Saysell - "It would be wise for us to get out of here asap"
With help of Saysell, Ullip took everything he could carry and started to walk towards the scary uknown.
*Hours later...
Ullip and Saysell had both walked in the middle of nowhere for hours now, but for them it started to feel like it had been forever.
"Where the hell are we" - asked Ullip with exhausted voice - "You know we can't keep walking forever"
"You're right - said Saysell - "We should find somewhere to rest and think of something."
As Saysell was finishing up his sentence, an cave spotted on Ullips eye.
"How about there?" - Ullip asked - "It seems like a warm place to regain our energy"
"Are you sure it's deserted?" - asked Saysell
"I don't believe that anything, nor anyone would live on these harsh and cold conditions. I'm pretty sure it's safe to say that this planet is as empty as my stomach"
With the little energy that they had, Ullip and Saysell headed towards the cave...
shadowatching, Yautja, 15 years ago
In the cryo-tube…..
The memories consumed her mind, the criminal life and the leisure life.
It was enough to keep her mind awake, to drive the horrors of the once prisoners life at bay. But, it never works; the memories flooded her mind as she slept. Even consumed her and driven her to the point of hate. Hate for the humans and for everything they stood for, but here she is in one of their ships, in space ironic no? She was there not for one reason or another. She was there, because someone took her from all that.
Still asleep, her breathing quickened, the hands curled in a tight fist, almost causing the almost tough skin to break. Shadow remembered the electricity flowing through her body. While in the prisoned life, they caught her once escaping and for punishment, well you can use your imagination.
The brows knitted in pain, tightening them as one would when trying to concentrate on something really hard, something she knew would never leave. The memories, the pain and horror she went through with Wayland from whom she was stealing from and here they are around her. Ticking her off even more, the thoughts of wanting to rip their heads off almost took over.
Shadow did her thing, slipped in and out before she would get caught. A client wanted her to get information from wayland enterprises. Where she was captured and was tortured for what she knew and who sent her. She laughed at them; a pure and simple laughter filled the room they locked her in. Laughter of the insane, but she was sane, purely sane. Just wanted them nervous so they can make a mistake and she would escape.
The man; was something else. When she attacked Kidd; from the nightmares of being tortures; thinking it was them coming back. Kidd kept his ground until he was under her waiting for his blade to be driven up to his brain, via his mouth. Kidd didn't fight back, but defended himself.
Shadow using Sinanju (a martial arts) a style that is more of a fluid movement; striking fast and hard causing those she fights against, rethink on their actions. Days, weeks went by before Shadow understood that Kidd an Alpha draconis commander; was the rescuer, not the inhibiter that caused those years of pain.
Kidd; asked her to help him to help with the unit and the thinning of xenomorphs; she agreed under a few stipulations; never ask how she got the weapons; never ask her about how the money came to be. Or her personal life, what she does won’t go against Alpha Draconis He agreed with a smile on his lips, causing her brow to arch asking him if he heard her correctly. With that same grin and that scent of truth, repeated his answer with another nod his head.
Being in the container (cryo) wasn’t new for her it was rather old and tedious Shadow always thought. Why stay some where, where you can die rather fast, but it was required even though she kept insisting that it as needless.
BEEP
A jumble of the computer’s speech squawked around her, in the room An annoying noise slowly woke her from the cryo-tube, causing her to be aware of her surroundings….
To the present; her head tilted, as the memories thrusting towards the back, her mind. The features twisted in that of anger, which would dare wake her from this slumber of pleasantries, it was getting to the good point the point of her causing death and mayhem on the wicked.
Shadow always will be not a low life scum.†The voice of an old friend rang in her mind, with that memory years before, before the capture and torture. "I am not" She would respond, "I am something more" but she never thought of her as anything but a simple person trying to get through life and have fun with it
Shadow didn’t like the idea of having those things on board, she wanted them off and would try to do anything for that to happen, even shoving them out of an air lock.
Snake eyes; who is a member of Alpha Draconis at the same time; helped Shadow with a mission that Kidd requested. Snake had to stab her in the shoulder, but to make matter’s worse he rescued her even though it cost him his voice.
Nikkie was snake’s younger sister, to make up for the help and rescue. So Shadow saved Nikkie’s life moments before her car was totaled by a drunk driver causing the two kids to be sent to an orphanage, Snake being over 18, he adopted Nikkie as his sister. (A small history of the two.)
So, it was normal for Shadow to walk away for almost 6 years. Shadow was out in the world, wondering how to get back in touch with the criminals and have fun with what she likes... hiding from merc's.
Ellesa finding Shadow out, the girl wouldn’t go back to Alpha Draconis, to many rules and back stabbings. If she anted to stab, she would have gone and done for the shear pleasure and enjoyment of it (that is if someone attacked her). After talking to Ellesa and finding out that Ellesa and Kidd knew each other, the woman didn't go back.
But once kidd requested, nay put a bounty on Shadow that is when she went to him, for the removal of the bounty. Only when she agreed t to help him and his unit out once again, would he then remove it.
Shadow was; what kidd called a shadow
Beeep
Shadow was awake and annoyed as anyone can believe. Shadow growled as the door thrust open, caused by the force of her hand breaking off the hinges.
The ship shuttered again, causing her to land on the hard metal ground like she was thrown on the ground as a child would a used toy.
The fingers dragged on the metal floor, the lips of her mouth pealed back in disgust as she felt as if she was thrown in a cell. Slowly, picking herself up off the ground, the female blinked a few times, push the dizzy spells from her mind, the eyes slowly focussed before she would do anything.
snapping her bones as she rolled her shoulders slowly popping the shoulder's back in to place. Sitting up she rolled her head in a small circle, cracking the bones back in to alignment. Growling as the ship wasn’t feeling like it was floating and the engines that once hummed was now silent. She lifted her body from the ground, after being thrown. She shook her head, pushing the stars from her mind and eyes, as she would swear they were there. Her hands pressed the hard ground as to pick herself up off the ground shaking her head. Something was wrong, the ship wasn't moving. She looked up, & saw the walls were a twisted mess of wreckage. Sunlight blared in through the gaping holes in the ship's hull, hitting her sensitive eyes causing her to wince and hiss in soft pain.
The hand lifted as she stood there, with a soft sigh of anger, the eyes closed and the goggles from her forehead over her overly sky blue eyes.
Shadow, walked outside by the hole by her head interesting no place to get out of, right there where a door should not be.
She watched as wounded men trickled out from amongst the wreckage, she helping them out before they collapsed and laid them on the ground or sat them down. Helping the ones, with the sever injuries, before going to the lesser sort.
Later...
When everyone was outside the crashed ship....
â€ÂQuite interesting†Shadow said with an uneven voice. “The ground is semi-unstable and I don’t like it.†She finished using her own feelings to judge the place. Pure and simple, she felt something was wrong and took an educated guess, while she leaned against the tree, her arms crossed, one foot planted on the ground, before the other lifted and planted on the trunk of the tree that she leaned on. In truth, Shadow didn’t like this feeling or how this place felt. Intuition, that was what it was, her mind felt like a light bulb going off as she remembered the word.
Shadow wearing the traditional BDu's with weapons on her persons (she never goes anywhere without them)
The memories consumed her mind, the criminal life and the leisure life.
It was enough to keep her mind awake, to drive the horrors of the once prisoners life at bay. But, it never works; the memories flooded her mind as she slept. Even consumed her and driven her to the point of hate. Hate for the humans and for everything they stood for, but here she is in one of their ships, in space ironic no? She was there not for one reason or another. She was there, because someone took her from all that.
Still asleep, her breathing quickened, the hands curled in a tight fist, almost causing the almost tough skin to break. Shadow remembered the electricity flowing through her body. While in the prisoned life, they caught her once escaping and for punishment, well you can use your imagination.
The brows knitted in pain, tightening them as one would when trying to concentrate on something really hard, something she knew would never leave. The memories, the pain and horror she went through with Wayland from whom she was stealing from and here they are around her. Ticking her off even more, the thoughts of wanting to rip their heads off almost took over.
Shadow did her thing, slipped in and out before she would get caught. A client wanted her to get information from wayland enterprises. Where she was captured and was tortured for what she knew and who sent her. She laughed at them; a pure and simple laughter filled the room they locked her in. Laughter of the insane, but she was sane, purely sane. Just wanted them nervous so they can make a mistake and she would escape.
The man; was something else. When she attacked Kidd; from the nightmares of being tortures; thinking it was them coming back. Kidd kept his ground until he was under her waiting for his blade to be driven up to his brain, via his mouth. Kidd didn't fight back, but defended himself.
Shadow using Sinanju (a martial arts) a style that is more of a fluid movement; striking fast and hard causing those she fights against, rethink on their actions. Days, weeks went by before Shadow understood that Kidd an Alpha draconis commander; was the rescuer, not the inhibiter that caused those years of pain.
Kidd; asked her to help him to help with the unit and the thinning of xenomorphs; she agreed under a few stipulations; never ask how she got the weapons; never ask her about how the money came to be. Or her personal life, what she does won’t go against Alpha Draconis He agreed with a smile on his lips, causing her brow to arch asking him if he heard her correctly. With that same grin and that scent of truth, repeated his answer with another nod his head.
Being in the container (cryo) wasn’t new for her it was rather old and tedious Shadow always thought. Why stay some where, where you can die rather fast, but it was required even though she kept insisting that it as needless.
BEEP
A jumble of the computer’s speech squawked around her, in the room An annoying noise slowly woke her from the cryo-tube, causing her to be aware of her surroundings….
To the present; her head tilted, as the memories thrusting towards the back, her mind. The features twisted in that of anger, which would dare wake her from this slumber of pleasantries, it was getting to the good point the point of her causing death and mayhem on the wicked.
Shadow always will be not a low life scum.†The voice of an old friend rang in her mind, with that memory years before, before the capture and torture. "I am not" She would respond, "I am something more" but she never thought of her as anything but a simple person trying to get through life and have fun with it
Shadow didn’t like the idea of having those things on board, she wanted them off and would try to do anything for that to happen, even shoving them out of an air lock.
Snake eyes; who is a member of Alpha Draconis at the same time; helped Shadow with a mission that Kidd requested. Snake had to stab her in the shoulder, but to make matter’s worse he rescued her even though it cost him his voice.
Nikkie was snake’s younger sister, to make up for the help and rescue. So Shadow saved Nikkie’s life moments before her car was totaled by a drunk driver causing the two kids to be sent to an orphanage, Snake being over 18, he adopted Nikkie as his sister. (A small history of the two.)
So, it was normal for Shadow to walk away for almost 6 years. Shadow was out in the world, wondering how to get back in touch with the criminals and have fun with what she likes... hiding from merc's.
Ellesa finding Shadow out, the girl wouldn’t go back to Alpha Draconis, to many rules and back stabbings. If she anted to stab, she would have gone and done for the shear pleasure and enjoyment of it (that is if someone attacked her). After talking to Ellesa and finding out that Ellesa and Kidd knew each other, the woman didn't go back.
But once kidd requested, nay put a bounty on Shadow that is when she went to him, for the removal of the bounty. Only when she agreed t to help him and his unit out once again, would he then remove it.
Shadow was; what kidd called a shadow
Beeep
Shadow was awake and annoyed as anyone can believe. Shadow growled as the door thrust open, caused by the force of her hand breaking off the hinges.
The ship shuttered again, causing her to land on the hard metal ground like she was thrown on the ground as a child would a used toy.
The fingers dragged on the metal floor, the lips of her mouth pealed back in disgust as she felt as if she was thrown in a cell. Slowly, picking herself up off the ground, the female blinked a few times, push the dizzy spells from her mind, the eyes slowly focussed before she would do anything.
snapping her bones as she rolled her shoulders slowly popping the shoulder's back in to place. Sitting up she rolled her head in a small circle, cracking the bones back in to alignment. Growling as the ship wasn’t feeling like it was floating and the engines that once hummed was now silent. She lifted her body from the ground, after being thrown. She shook her head, pushing the stars from her mind and eyes, as she would swear they were there. Her hands pressed the hard ground as to pick herself up off the ground shaking her head. Something was wrong, the ship wasn't moving. She looked up, & saw the walls were a twisted mess of wreckage. Sunlight blared in through the gaping holes in the ship's hull, hitting her sensitive eyes causing her to wince and hiss in soft pain.
The hand lifted as she stood there, with a soft sigh of anger, the eyes closed and the goggles from her forehead over her overly sky blue eyes.
Shadow, walked outside by the hole by her head interesting no place to get out of, right there where a door should not be.
She watched as wounded men trickled out from amongst the wreckage, she helping them out before they collapsed and laid them on the ground or sat them down. Helping the ones, with the sever injuries, before going to the lesser sort.
Later...
When everyone was outside the crashed ship....
â€ÂQuite interesting†Shadow said with an uneven voice. “The ground is semi-unstable and I don’t like it.†She finished using her own feelings to judge the place. Pure and simple, she felt something was wrong and took an educated guess, while she leaned against the tree, her arms crossed, one foot planted on the ground, before the other lifted and planted on the trunk of the tree that she leaned on. In truth, Shadow didn’t like this feeling or how this place felt. Intuition, that was what it was, her mind felt like a light bulb going off as she remembered the word.
Shadow wearing the traditional BDu's with weapons on her persons (she never goes anywhere without them)
Gaunt, Yautja, 15 years ago
Gaunt was scratching at the walls of his containment chamber, An orange light suddenly wen't on, The ship started to shake violently, Gaunt climbed onto the wall and held on for his life only too get wacked in the head by the door of the containment as it got blasted inwards by an exsplosion.
Nothing...Darkness
Gaunt awoke in darkness, He groaned, That was one hell of a ride, How did he keep on ending up in containment chambers on strange ships anyway?.
He looked around, The containment chamber was fucked, The acid proof metal had been ripped apart by anything that wasn't secure, He turned to see the door that had hit him, It was burnt on one side and had a giant dent that almost went right through it.
Gaunt rubbed his head, no damage done and now he could leave.He ran into the corridoor and listened, He could he the screams of human, He could sense his brothers and sisters but no queen.
Firehunter!!!, At least there leader was alive, Gaunt headed down the the right hand corridoor into an airvent and out onto the messhall, He scanned the room to see Firehunter.
Gaunt approched him,'Firehunter I see you survived, Do you know if anyone else survived?.
x_saysell, Yautja, 15 years ago
The desert wind whipped up sand as Saysell and Ullip walked, the wreckage was nothing little more than a glowing blip on the morning horizon. That didn’t matter now however as they had to focus on the present and at present they where weary and shaken from the shock of being involved in a space explosion.
Ullip began to speak about how they had been walking for too long, but his voice was lost to the wind as it picked up, whipping sand up and giving enough speed to be considered dangerous. As it pounded against Saysell's face. Without warning the ground began to shift under their feet. Sliding in all directions as if poised on top of liquid. The ground fell from under Saysell's feet.
Through the sand storm came a hand, grasping at Saysell's shoulder and pulling him back, from out of the sinking sand and onto a more stable footing. With one hand covering most of his face and the other pointing into the storm Ullip motioned towards refuge. Making their way to the cave Ullip had spotted earlier the sand storm died as quickly as it had started.
This planet was just as deadly as anything that inhabited it.
Pushing himself back against the cave wall Saysell glanced around, the morning light shone right into the cave, bouncing off the veins of unusual metallic material that ran through the cave walls.
"Where the hell are we?" Saysell questioned as he took Ullips outstretched hand and rose back to his feet.
"We need a plan." Ullip suggested.
"You’re probably right, but I have no intent on making one till I know where we are and what other species are here." Saysell replied with a calm tone.
To which Ullip responded with a quick nod.
Sitting back down by the cave entrance Saysell took the binoculars that sat snugly in Ullips belt and looked out over the desert towards the wreckage in the few moments they had of serenity. However he soon wished he hadn’t, as when he brought the wreck into focus he saw something that made his heart heavy in his chest and his breathing laboured. Dark serpent like forms crawled on the wreckage, before quickly and smoothly moving off. The xenomorphs where here.
Ullip began to speak about how they had been walking for too long, but his voice was lost to the wind as it picked up, whipping sand up and giving enough speed to be considered dangerous. As it pounded against Saysell's face. Without warning the ground began to shift under their feet. Sliding in all directions as if poised on top of liquid. The ground fell from under Saysell's feet.
Through the sand storm came a hand, grasping at Saysell's shoulder and pulling him back, from out of the sinking sand and onto a more stable footing. With one hand covering most of his face and the other pointing into the storm Ullip motioned towards refuge. Making their way to the cave Ullip had spotted earlier the sand storm died as quickly as it had started.
This planet was just as deadly as anything that inhabited it.
Pushing himself back against the cave wall Saysell glanced around, the morning light shone right into the cave, bouncing off the veins of unusual metallic material that ran through the cave walls.
"Where the hell are we?" Saysell questioned as he took Ullips outstretched hand and rose back to his feet.
"We need a plan." Ullip suggested.
"You’re probably right, but I have no intent on making one till I know where we are and what other species are here." Saysell replied with a calm tone.
To which Ullip responded with a quick nod.
Sitting back down by the cave entrance Saysell took the binoculars that sat snugly in Ullips belt and looked out over the desert towards the wreckage in the few moments they had of serenity. However he soon wished he hadn’t, as when he brought the wreck into focus he saw something that made his heart heavy in his chest and his breathing laboured. Dark serpent like forms crawled on the wreckage, before quickly and smoothly moving off. The xenomorphs where here.
predator428, Yautja, 15 years ago
A mighty tremor from the impact of the marine vessel sent a shockwave across the barren and inhospitable surface of the mining fields, shaking the facility until bits of dust and and debris were shaken loose from the ceiling. The particles drizzled onto the head of a napping predator, sitting on the floor as he rested his back on the dull metal wall.
Predator428 groggily tilted his head upwards as he cast a confused look upon the ceiling. Not knowing what exactly had happened, and not really caring, Predator428 grudgingly rose to his feet as he tried to snap himself awake. The predator tried to find an explaination for the sudden disturbance, but quickly passed it off as some sort of work being done down in the refinery.
"Blasted grubs", he thought as he made his way to the exterior corridors. "Those pathetic little worms can't do their own job without having some sort of problems. It's good that our higher leadership has deemed them unfit to earn the priviledge of hunting." It was all Predator428 needed for some imbecile to shoot his foot off trying to figure out how to control his plasma caster.
Predator428 reached the refinery's main exit, tapping a control to the release the heavy blast doors from their locks. The outdated machinery sputtered out a few sparks before opening their doors, allowing the long day's final rays to shine onto Predator428's unshielded eyes. The hunter raised a hand to shield himself from those rays, slightly confused by the lack of weight on his person.
The hunter had not come here on his own free will, but had been sent along with a few others of his clan to watch over the mining facilities and refinery complex. Because of this, Predator428 only carried his essential weapons: his wristblades, his combistick, and his short blades.
The predator let his eyes adjust from the dim corridors of the facility to the shine of the planet's surface and lowered his arm. A tall plum of sand and debris was just visible on the horizon, shooting up for what appeared to be miles. What could have caused that?
Predator428 groggily tilted his head upwards as he cast a confused look upon the ceiling. Not knowing what exactly had happened, and not really caring, Predator428 grudgingly rose to his feet as he tried to snap himself awake. The predator tried to find an explaination for the sudden disturbance, but quickly passed it off as some sort of work being done down in the refinery.
"Blasted grubs", he thought as he made his way to the exterior corridors. "Those pathetic little worms can't do their own job without having some sort of problems. It's good that our higher leadership has deemed them unfit to earn the priviledge of hunting." It was all Predator428 needed for some imbecile to shoot his foot off trying to figure out how to control his plasma caster.
Predator428 reached the refinery's main exit, tapping a control to the release the heavy blast doors from their locks. The outdated machinery sputtered out a few sparks before opening their doors, allowing the long day's final rays to shine onto Predator428's unshielded eyes. The hunter raised a hand to shield himself from those rays, slightly confused by the lack of weight on his person.
The hunter had not come here on his own free will, but had been sent along with a few others of his clan to watch over the mining facilities and refinery complex. Because of this, Predator428 only carried his essential weapons: his wristblades, his combistick, and his short blades.
The predator let his eyes adjust from the dim corridors of the facility to the shine of the planet's surface and lowered his arm. A tall plum of sand and debris was just visible on the horizon, shooting up for what appeared to be miles. What could have caused that?
Ullip, Yautja, 15 years ago
Resting his eyes and glancing the surroundings, Ullip found the cavern to be unsettling and mysterious area. While breathing, he could still feel the sand going through his nostrils to lungs, as the cold air contractioned the blood vessels in his feet. He knew that the weather outside could only get worse and would force them to stay in the caverns if they would not continue their journey through the rough- and dangerous land.
As Saysell took the binoculars from Ullips belt, he saw Saysell freeze like he had seen a ghost. Watching through the binoculars, Saysell sat quiet and without a single blink he stared at the horizon. Ullip knew that face for he had seen it many times before, and it never meant any good. Carefully, Saysell started to lower the binoculars while still keeping his eyes on the horizon. Was it something bad, or was it something really bad was the question that overwhelmed Ullips mind.
" The xenomorphs..." Saysell muttered with silent but clear voice. Ullip stared at Saysell with an frown, "The xenomorphs!? Give me those" he said and took the binoculars from Saysell. Ullip couldn't believe what he was hearing and wanted to see it himself, this couldn't be true. Staring at the horizon Ullip saw the xenomorphs and could not believe his eyes, why are they here he thought, why would they be here on this dead planet?
As Saysell was leaning to wall, he was wondering the same questions. There had to be a good reason for them to be here, what on earth would they want from this planet? Both of them thinking and trying to figure out the answers, the clock was ticking and the weather outside was getting worse, they had to do something before they would be stuck at the cavern.
"This is bad, I mean it was bad enough that we were trapped on this damn planet with no clue what so ever of our location, but now there are xenomorphs here too?" Ullip cursed as he went lying down on the ground, thinking about their next move. Saysell was still sitting emotionless with a dead stare.
Our situation just keeps getting worse and worse, hopefully we will not encounter xenomorphs, that is the last thing we need right now Ullip thought to himself. But one thing was certain, they had to think of something and fast.
As Saysell took the binoculars from Ullips belt, he saw Saysell freeze like he had seen a ghost. Watching through the binoculars, Saysell sat quiet and without a single blink he stared at the horizon. Ullip knew that face for he had seen it many times before, and it never meant any good. Carefully, Saysell started to lower the binoculars while still keeping his eyes on the horizon. Was it something bad, or was it something really bad was the question that overwhelmed Ullips mind.
" The xenomorphs..." Saysell muttered with silent but clear voice. Ullip stared at Saysell with an frown, "The xenomorphs!? Give me those" he said and took the binoculars from Saysell. Ullip couldn't believe what he was hearing and wanted to see it himself, this couldn't be true. Staring at the horizon Ullip saw the xenomorphs and could not believe his eyes, why are they here he thought, why would they be here on this dead planet?
As Saysell was leaning to wall, he was wondering the same questions. There had to be a good reason for them to be here, what on earth would they want from this planet? Both of them thinking and trying to figure out the answers, the clock was ticking and the weather outside was getting worse, they had to do something before they would be stuck at the cavern.
"This is bad, I mean it was bad enough that we were trapped on this damn planet with no clue what so ever of our location, but now there are xenomorphs here too?" Ullip cursed as he went lying down on the ground, thinking about their next move. Saysell was still sitting emotionless with a dead stare.
Our situation just keeps getting worse and worse, hopefully we will not encounter xenomorphs, that is the last thing we need right now Ullip thought to himself. But one thing was certain, they had to think of something and fast.
FireHunter, Yautja, 15 years ago
FireHunter turned his huge head to Gaunt, the smaller alien who had just entered and questioned whether any of the others were alive or not. FireHunter didn't really care, their queen was dead and he was planning on molting into a new one, sooner or later. FireHunter relayed this through hisses and growls before deciding to leave the ship, and this other alien. He bashed the wall down and did so until the glare of the sun blinded him momentarily. FireHunter roared loud enough so that all would know that he had come to kill.
He climbed the downed vessel and eventually saw many humans, grinning maliciously, he jumped down, making a small crater on the uneven ground. He darted towards a female who had yet to turn around and grabbed her by the head.
Shadowatching was captured in his grasp, and the lack of air in that grip knocked her out.
FireHunter ran off before any of the feeble humans could do anything about it.
He roared his triumph and kept on running.
He climbed the downed vessel and eventually saw many humans, grinning maliciously, he jumped down, making a small crater on the uneven ground. He darted towards a female who had yet to turn around and grabbed her by the head.
Shadowatching was captured in his grasp, and the lack of air in that grip knocked her out.
FireHunter ran off before any of the feeble humans could do anything about it.
He roared his triumph and kept on running.
black_warrior, Yautja, 15 years ago
The heated glare of the sun beat down upon a rotted wooded area. Massive withered husks of past inhabitants lay scattered across the dry cracked earth. This barren spot among the many mining posts and deserts seemed even more of a wasteland than most places. And here, the twisted and petrified corpses marked the resting place of the one of the fiercest creatures to walk this planet...
Black Warrior, a god of death, of the mighty Balatu, stood in meditation among the area. His mind, peaceful, searching for calmness on a planet so harsh and unforgiving. This place was a common spot for the hunter, the atmosphere...and the history behind it...was soothing. There were once massive creatures, resembling trees, that had walked this place. They were strong, powerful, and many yautja, even the most honored, were cautious of them. Black Warrior had never seen one himself, had never even been to this god-forsaken planet until he was brought with Balatu on a guard mission for the miners. Rumors however, ran deep, and it was said there was still one of those creatures around, one that had weathered the changes, the conditions, and survived where his bretheren has not. Descriptions told of a large creature, roughly 30 feet tall, old, but strong nonetheless. Its many branches were said to be stronger than the whip of a fully matured queen xenomorph...and its might would crush any obstacles that opposed it. Any yautja to face this creature, would be foolish...on a deathwish most would say...
The ancient colorless remains of the creatures lay beside the hunter, dwarfing him many times over, their gray and white corpses matching the streaks amongst his armor. The heat was growing evermore, and the death ridden forest surrounding him only amplified it. Black Warrior decided to head west, to the main facility, to check on the matters at hand. He had 3 miles to go, and the sun was already smoothly running its course downward...leaving the lands in a smokey orange glow.
_____________________________________________
The force impacting the landscape from the crash shook debris and sand in every direction. The smoking shell of the ship carrying xenomorph cargo lay in a very large desert. Many yautja had seen it, many more had heard it, but noone knew exactly what the crash was...and noone had suspected the presence of hardmeat in the area. Only a few yautja had come somewhat prepared, physically atleast, but none had the slightest idea of what would be in store...
This event, occuring several hours earlier failed to break the hunters concentration, and his knowledge of the events was less than that of his clan...not that any of them knew a great deal more. The god of death walked on, outside of the decaying forest, sun glinting in blinding flashes off of his blackened green armor. His destination was onward, into the rough shifting lands to the west, where the facility waited.
Black Warrior, a god of death, of the mighty Balatu, stood in meditation among the area. His mind, peaceful, searching for calmness on a planet so harsh and unforgiving. This place was a common spot for the hunter, the atmosphere...and the history behind it...was soothing. There were once massive creatures, resembling trees, that had walked this place. They were strong, powerful, and many yautja, even the most honored, were cautious of them. Black Warrior had never seen one himself, had never even been to this god-forsaken planet until he was brought with Balatu on a guard mission for the miners. Rumors however, ran deep, and it was said there was still one of those creatures around, one that had weathered the changes, the conditions, and survived where his bretheren has not. Descriptions told of a large creature, roughly 30 feet tall, old, but strong nonetheless. Its many branches were said to be stronger than the whip of a fully matured queen xenomorph...and its might would crush any obstacles that opposed it. Any yautja to face this creature, would be foolish...on a deathwish most would say...
The ancient colorless remains of the creatures lay beside the hunter, dwarfing him many times over, their gray and white corpses matching the streaks amongst his armor. The heat was growing evermore, and the death ridden forest surrounding him only amplified it. Black Warrior decided to head west, to the main facility, to check on the matters at hand. He had 3 miles to go, and the sun was already smoothly running its course downward...leaving the lands in a smokey orange glow.
_____________________________________________
The force impacting the landscape from the crash shook debris and sand in every direction. The smoking shell of the ship carrying xenomorph cargo lay in a very large desert. Many yautja had seen it, many more had heard it, but noone knew exactly what the crash was...and noone had suspected the presence of hardmeat in the area. Only a few yautja had come somewhat prepared, physically atleast, but none had the slightest idea of what would be in store...
This event, occuring several hours earlier failed to break the hunters concentration, and his knowledge of the events was less than that of his clan...not that any of them knew a great deal more. The god of death walked on, outside of the decaying forest, sun glinting in blinding flashes off of his blackened green armor. His destination was onward, into the rough shifting lands to the west, where the facility waited.
Stalker, Yautja, 15 years ago
Sunlight beamed in through a small set of window shutters, illuminating what was otherwise a rather tiny & dank room. The eyes of restless souls fluttered open as a new day dawned on the weary predator miners. They had all made it safely to the Northern outpost the previous night, & had almost immediately passed out from exhaustion. Their three watchmen had not caught a wink of sleep, for to them it was seen as a time of vulnerability, when even a lesser being could easily put an honoured fighter into eternal slumber.
The night before had been dead quiet, & almost all memory of the flash in the sky had been forgotten. It could easily have been a passing asteroid. In predator tongue, Stalker's bellowing voice filled the room, it was time to get the workers moving. "Alright everyone, on your feet. We're moving out soon, & the last one of you still resting will be severely punished." The small band of miners shakily stood to their feet. Several of them were formerly prosecuted for violent crimes back on the home world, & were now under the watch of some of the most ruthless predators in the galaxy. Regardless of how tired they may have been, they were not willing want to put up an argument.
The single small metal doorway of the outpost slid open, after receiving the correct retinal scan from one of the guards. Despite the age of these facilities, their basic computer systems & out-dated technology still functioned. Stepping outside into the morning sun, Stalker gazed out onto the wide-open plains, overlooking the vast expanse of land surrounding the tiny outpost on the fringes of the mining colony. To the East, there was no solid ground to tread on, as a gigantic lake of raw molten metal stretched for several miles. To reach the main facility again, it would be a considerable journey to the South to circle around the massive hazardous pool of mineral.
The crew had not traveled in a mining vehicle to arrive at the outpost, figuring the long walk would do their muscles good. The group prepared themselves for the arduous trek back to main base. "Alright, move forward!" The Doctor barked at the workers. The trio of elders stood guard behind them as they walked, keeping a close watch. "Wait, stop!" PREDATOR stammered. "What is it?" Stalker replied. "Do you see that? To the far East?" Stalker turned his head towards the glare of the morning sun, activating his mask's ultraviolet filter to get a clear view of his surroundings. Built-in binocular vision scoured the landscape for miles around, & far off in the distance, beyond the lake of molten metal, a plume of thick smoke seemed to be drifting upwards from the sandy plains in the horizon.
"It looks like that wasn't a comet last night after all. Be on alert brothers, we may have guests".
The night before had been dead quiet, & almost all memory of the flash in the sky had been forgotten. It could easily have been a passing asteroid. In predator tongue, Stalker's bellowing voice filled the room, it was time to get the workers moving. "Alright everyone, on your feet. We're moving out soon, & the last one of you still resting will be severely punished." The small band of miners shakily stood to their feet. Several of them were formerly prosecuted for violent crimes back on the home world, & were now under the watch of some of the most ruthless predators in the galaxy. Regardless of how tired they may have been, they were not willing want to put up an argument.
The single small metal doorway of the outpost slid open, after receiving the correct retinal scan from one of the guards. Despite the age of these facilities, their basic computer systems & out-dated technology still functioned. Stepping outside into the morning sun, Stalker gazed out onto the wide-open plains, overlooking the vast expanse of land surrounding the tiny outpost on the fringes of the mining colony. To the East, there was no solid ground to tread on, as a gigantic lake of raw molten metal stretched for several miles. To reach the main facility again, it would be a considerable journey to the South to circle around the massive hazardous pool of mineral.
The crew had not traveled in a mining vehicle to arrive at the outpost, figuring the long walk would do their muscles good. The group prepared themselves for the arduous trek back to main base. "Alright, move forward!" The Doctor barked at the workers. The trio of elders stood guard behind them as they walked, keeping a close watch. "Wait, stop!" PREDATOR stammered. "What is it?" Stalker replied. "Do you see that? To the far East?" Stalker turned his head towards the glare of the morning sun, activating his mask's ultraviolet filter to get a clear view of his surroundings. Built-in binocular vision scoured the landscape for miles around, & far off in the distance, beyond the lake of molten metal, a plume of thick smoke seemed to be drifting upwards from the sandy plains in the horizon.
"It looks like that wasn't a comet last night after all. Be on alert brothers, we may have guests".
R10TR10TUP54RT, Yautja, 15 years ago
-=BEFORE THE SHIP CRASHED=-
Mark had been signed on by the W-Y division to help out the Jarheads with some crazy thing by moving Bugs through space. He didn't like how it sounded, and he was slowly warming up to the Marines, but only because a lot of his fellow W-Y guys had joined up, like Gene and Dunny. He could deal with that. He was even putting his papers in for trying to get in and sign up so he could fight alongside them.
He'd done well fighting with them back on Earth in that blown out city, and barely made it out with his life, but that was all he could do really. So now he was sitting in the tech bay while everyone was gearing up in the Armory. Mark tried to keep his Pulse Rifle near him a lot, especially after that shitstorm that he'd been through before. But now he was just checking out the different equipment that the Marines had onboard this ship.
Everyone else in the ship aside from the squad he'd been attached to was in hypersleep. They had to stay awake and alert in case these Xenos woke up, and he made sure he was ready for it too. He didn't want any fucking bugs waking up and killing him, no way, no how.
His gearhead sense were tingling, and he liked what he was seeing in the tech bay. His boots clacked on the floor as he strode through, his body armour and fatigues on, everything set for the landing and to go out and be prepared for whatever shitstorm was going to be thrown at him in the outer rim.
Picking up a fancy looking tool he'd never seen before, hearing Dunny shouting about something with Xavier in the Armoury nearby, he set it down when he was slammed against the wall, and showered with tools as there was an explosion within the hold of the ship.
"Fucking hell!" Mark cursed, klaxons going off within and without the whole of the ship. The fuck just happened?
The ship shook once more, and a large drill hit the back of his head, slamming him face first into the floor of the tech bay, and knocked out cold.
-=ONCE THE SHIP'S CRASHED=-
Groaning, Mark squinted as the lights in the tech bay flickered omniously. The ship's floor was slightly off keel, and he caught the last of Dunny's Aussie accent coming in over the radio. "-Dunn. Report in, are you okay?"
He groaned again as he pushed himself to his feet and looked around in the flickering light of the tech room for his Pulse Rifle. His head ached, the drill laying next to where his head had been laying seen as the obvious culprit. Cursing, he stood and spotted his Pulse Rifle at the other end of the bay and began to tentatively walk down to grab it, pressing the call stud on his earpiece and saying in reply with his callsign, "Copy Dunn. Ripper here. Little dinged up but I'm alright. How are you guys down there? Over."
Now where the hell were they and what the fuck had just happened?
Mark had been signed on by the W-Y division to help out the Jarheads with some crazy thing by moving Bugs through space. He didn't like how it sounded, and he was slowly warming up to the Marines, but only because a lot of his fellow W-Y guys had joined up, like Gene and Dunny. He could deal with that. He was even putting his papers in for trying to get in and sign up so he could fight alongside them.
He'd done well fighting with them back on Earth in that blown out city, and barely made it out with his life, but that was all he could do really. So now he was sitting in the tech bay while everyone was gearing up in the Armory. Mark tried to keep his Pulse Rifle near him a lot, especially after that shitstorm that he'd been through before. But now he was just checking out the different equipment that the Marines had onboard this ship.
Everyone else in the ship aside from the squad he'd been attached to was in hypersleep. They had to stay awake and alert in case these Xenos woke up, and he made sure he was ready for it too. He didn't want any fucking bugs waking up and killing him, no way, no how.
His gearhead sense were tingling, and he liked what he was seeing in the tech bay. His boots clacked on the floor as he strode through, his body armour and fatigues on, everything set for the landing and to go out and be prepared for whatever shitstorm was going to be thrown at him in the outer rim.
Picking up a fancy looking tool he'd never seen before, hearing Dunny shouting about something with Xavier in the Armoury nearby, he set it down when he was slammed against the wall, and showered with tools as there was an explosion within the hold of the ship.
"Fucking hell!" Mark cursed, klaxons going off within and without the whole of the ship. The fuck just happened?
The ship shook once more, and a large drill hit the back of his head, slamming him face first into the floor of the tech bay, and knocked out cold.
-=ONCE THE SHIP'S CRASHED=-
Groaning, Mark squinted as the lights in the tech bay flickered omniously. The ship's floor was slightly off keel, and he caught the last of Dunny's Aussie accent coming in over the radio. "-Dunn. Report in, are you okay?"
He groaned again as he pushed himself to his feet and looked around in the flickering light of the tech room for his Pulse Rifle. His head ached, the drill laying next to where his head had been laying seen as the obvious culprit. Cursing, he stood and spotted his Pulse Rifle at the other end of the bay and began to tentatively walk down to grab it, pressing the call stud on his earpiece and saying in reply with his callsign, "Copy Dunn. Ripper here. Little dinged up but I'm alright. How are you guys down there? Over."
Now where the hell were they and what the fuck had just happened?
Ellesa_Cooper, Yautja, 15 years ago
.::Before the crash::.
“…slight progress has been made despite the lack of supplies and personnel. I believe we are coming close to a breakthrough in medical science. Though, the serum is a prototype and has not been properly tested. The affect it has on humans is still unknown...†the enlarged holographic image of the doctor flickered momentarily upon the screen then subsided as he continued to speak. The soft sound of irately rasping fingers upon metal resounded around the large navigation room. Ellesa Cooper watched with little patience and interest as the doctor on screen elaborated verbosely about the details of his newest medicine. The woman continued to listen as she rested the side of her head upon her knuckles, her other hand was still quite occupied visually expressing her irritation. Suddenly, Cooper held out her hand and caused the doctor to pause in mid sentence. “Now I don’t mean to be rude, Doctor Mitchell…†she started with an exhausted sigh. The Lieutenant hesitated briefly before continuing. “But I would just like to know one thing, and one thing only. Will this serum cure Lieutenant Junior?†a slender brow arched quizzically as she awaited an answer. The doctor shifted uneasily, “Well ma’am…no but…†however, she would not let him continue. “Then what is the importance of this conversation? I am a very busy woman, Doctor Mitchell. I have quite a lot on my hands right now. So you’ll have to excuse me, we’ll continue this another time. Perhaps when your supposed cure is finished? Goodbye doctor.â€Â
A swift hand slid across the small control panel and quickly cut the transmission. A long, exaggerated sigh escaped betwixt her lips as she cupped her face within her hand. Slowly her chair swiveled away from the blank screen as she moved her attention towards the large, plexiglas window. The hand which had partially covered her face smoothed down and rested under her chin. Ellesa stared out into deep space with weary eyes. The entire time she spent on this ship felt like one big, stressful mess. Cooper was bitchy, irritable and conflicted. This entire mission felt wrong, she felt out of place. Carrying a shipment of live xenomorphs on board was just asking for trouble. The woman didn’t care how advanced their containment cells were or how fool proof the defense system was. This mission was still a high risk factor and it left a bad taste in her mouth. Then, as if it were some sick joke, a large blast roused the ship and caused the Marine to lurch forward in her seat.
“Mother!†she shouted when she finally regained herself. “Status report!†Mother’s haunting, monotone voice spilled over the loudspeakers. “Warning! Critical engine failure. Warning! Multiple hull breaches detected. Defense systems are now enabled. Warning! Specimens A through H have been released! Proceed with caution.†Cooper slammed her fist angrily into the metal arm of her chair, “Dammit!†she roared. Quickly Cooper touched a finger to the COM piece in her ear, “Murray!†she hollered but only received static. Something was interfering with their communications. With a growl of frustration the Lieutenant jumped out of her seat and headed straight for the control panel. She had to close off all the doors and vents leading into the containment lab, she couldn’t allow these damned serpents to run rampant through this ship. Ellesa’s finger flew furiously over the keys as she entered a sequence of numbers that should have put the lab into a lock down. “Access denied.†Flashed upon the screen. “Mother fucking computers! Work dammit!†this was the problem with fully automated ships. When something was bugged, it was nearly impossible to override. Luckily she was able to seal off any holes they mysterious explosion had caused yet there was still one standing problem. They had no engine. The ship would quickly go into free fall as the gravity of the planet below them pulled them into the atmosphere. Again Mother’s voice spoke loudly over the intercom, “Now entering the atmosphere of unknown terrestrial planet. Warning! Collision imminent in t-minus six minutes.â€Â
“No, dammit! There’s got to be a way to get the engines back online! Fuck!†of course, even if there was, there would be no way for Ellesa to land safely. Fire swelled over the Conestoga as she fell deeper into the atmosphere and caused a large explosion. This caused Ellesa to be thrown back against the wall like some kind of limp rag doll. The heavy impact sent her mind reeling until nothing but darkness.
.::Shortly after the impact::.
Minutes, hours, days could have passed by.. With her consciousness fading in and out, it was impossible to tell how long she had been laying there. The strong stench of burning metal and plastic attacked her nose her finally pulled the Marine to her senses. Ellesa struggled awake and soon discovered a heavy weight upon her. She cried out momentarily in pain as she looked behind her, her chair, along with numerous metal debris lay a top her. Though, because of the angel of the chair, Cooper was able to slip out from under the pile seemingly unscathed. Of course she would have to endure the sting of scraps and burns that littered her face, arms and legs. But aside from mere bruises and the like, Ellesa was just fine. She slowly staggered to her feet and looked around the once intact room. Large, gaping holes still smoking hot exposed her to the air and hot temperatures to the world outside. The Marine lifted a hand to shield her eyes as she gazed out through the bight opening. She shouldn’t have been alive. Yet here she was. Hopefully the rest could be said for the rest of her troops along with the soldiers of Weyland-Yutani. She turned towards the slightly opened door and pushed it apart. She slipped through the slightly larger crack and sprinted down the warped corridors of the ship.
Something told the woman that she would need her guns and armor, or perhaps that was just her soldier’s instinct. Cooper paid little mind to the damage of the ship for she knew long before they had crash landed, that it would never see space again. Finally she slid to a stop as she came upon the door to the armory. With systems completely offline, everything would be a bitch to open. Cooper slipped her fingers through the cracks of the doors and struggled to jar the automatic door loose. With a successful pop, the door suddenly became limp and allowed the Marine to easily push it open. Ellesa couldn’t help but find herself staring at the standing Malus, she was quite surprised he had made it. The again, so had she. “Thank god you made it, Malus.†She spoke as she strolled by him and ripped open the door to her locker.
“Hopefully the rest made it out as safely as we did.†Without another word, the woman quickly strapped on her M3 armor and grabbed her trusty pulse rifle. Her green eyes flickered over at the man laying on the ground before she glanced up at Malus. She wasn’t sure if he was dead or alive. But by judging the expression on Darkblade’s face, it was safe to assume that he was alive. Ellesa turned away and pressed a finger to the device in her ear, she listened before speaking. Again. Static. “Dammit.†She muttered which was followed by an exhausted sigh. “We need to round up the survivors and make a casualty list. Then I’d like to figure out where the hell we landed and why.†Ellesa glanced up from adjusting her combat webbing to look the man straight in the eyes. “Now lets just pray those bugs died in the fires of the crash.â€Â
“…slight progress has been made despite the lack of supplies and personnel. I believe we are coming close to a breakthrough in medical science. Though, the serum is a prototype and has not been properly tested. The affect it has on humans is still unknown...†the enlarged holographic image of the doctor flickered momentarily upon the screen then subsided as he continued to speak. The soft sound of irately rasping fingers upon metal resounded around the large navigation room. Ellesa Cooper watched with little patience and interest as the doctor on screen elaborated verbosely about the details of his newest medicine. The woman continued to listen as she rested the side of her head upon her knuckles, her other hand was still quite occupied visually expressing her irritation. Suddenly, Cooper held out her hand and caused the doctor to pause in mid sentence. “Now I don’t mean to be rude, Doctor Mitchell…†she started with an exhausted sigh. The Lieutenant hesitated briefly before continuing. “But I would just like to know one thing, and one thing only. Will this serum cure Lieutenant Junior?†a slender brow arched quizzically as she awaited an answer. The doctor shifted uneasily, “Well ma’am…no but…†however, she would not let him continue. “Then what is the importance of this conversation? I am a very busy woman, Doctor Mitchell. I have quite a lot on my hands right now. So you’ll have to excuse me, we’ll continue this another time. Perhaps when your supposed cure is finished? Goodbye doctor.â€Â
A swift hand slid across the small control panel and quickly cut the transmission. A long, exaggerated sigh escaped betwixt her lips as she cupped her face within her hand. Slowly her chair swiveled away from the blank screen as she moved her attention towards the large, plexiglas window. The hand which had partially covered her face smoothed down and rested under her chin. Ellesa stared out into deep space with weary eyes. The entire time she spent on this ship felt like one big, stressful mess. Cooper was bitchy, irritable and conflicted. This entire mission felt wrong, she felt out of place. Carrying a shipment of live xenomorphs on board was just asking for trouble. The woman didn’t care how advanced their containment cells were or how fool proof the defense system was. This mission was still a high risk factor and it left a bad taste in her mouth. Then, as if it were some sick joke, a large blast roused the ship and caused the Marine to lurch forward in her seat.
“Mother!†she shouted when she finally regained herself. “Status report!†Mother’s haunting, monotone voice spilled over the loudspeakers. “Warning! Critical engine failure. Warning! Multiple hull breaches detected. Defense systems are now enabled. Warning! Specimens A through H have been released! Proceed with caution.†Cooper slammed her fist angrily into the metal arm of her chair, “Dammit!†she roared. Quickly Cooper touched a finger to the COM piece in her ear, “Murray!†she hollered but only received static. Something was interfering with their communications. With a growl of frustration the Lieutenant jumped out of her seat and headed straight for the control panel. She had to close off all the doors and vents leading into the containment lab, she couldn’t allow these damned serpents to run rampant through this ship. Ellesa’s finger flew furiously over the keys as she entered a sequence of numbers that should have put the lab into a lock down. “Access denied.†Flashed upon the screen. “Mother fucking computers! Work dammit!†this was the problem with fully automated ships. When something was bugged, it was nearly impossible to override. Luckily she was able to seal off any holes they mysterious explosion had caused yet there was still one standing problem. They had no engine. The ship would quickly go into free fall as the gravity of the planet below them pulled them into the atmosphere. Again Mother’s voice spoke loudly over the intercom, “Now entering the atmosphere of unknown terrestrial planet. Warning! Collision imminent in t-minus six minutes.â€Â
“No, dammit! There’s got to be a way to get the engines back online! Fuck!†of course, even if there was, there would be no way for Ellesa to land safely. Fire swelled over the Conestoga as she fell deeper into the atmosphere and caused a large explosion. This caused Ellesa to be thrown back against the wall like some kind of limp rag doll. The heavy impact sent her mind reeling until nothing but darkness.
.::Shortly after the impact::.
Minutes, hours, days could have passed by.. With her consciousness fading in and out, it was impossible to tell how long she had been laying there. The strong stench of burning metal and plastic attacked her nose her finally pulled the Marine to her senses. Ellesa struggled awake and soon discovered a heavy weight upon her. She cried out momentarily in pain as she looked behind her, her chair, along with numerous metal debris lay a top her. Though, because of the angel of the chair, Cooper was able to slip out from under the pile seemingly unscathed. Of course she would have to endure the sting of scraps and burns that littered her face, arms and legs. But aside from mere bruises and the like, Ellesa was just fine. She slowly staggered to her feet and looked around the once intact room. Large, gaping holes still smoking hot exposed her to the air and hot temperatures to the world outside. The Marine lifted a hand to shield her eyes as she gazed out through the bight opening. She shouldn’t have been alive. Yet here she was. Hopefully the rest could be said for the rest of her troops along with the soldiers of Weyland-Yutani. She turned towards the slightly opened door and pushed it apart. She slipped through the slightly larger crack and sprinted down the warped corridors of the ship.
Something told the woman that she would need her guns and armor, or perhaps that was just her soldier’s instinct. Cooper paid little mind to the damage of the ship for she knew long before they had crash landed, that it would never see space again. Finally she slid to a stop as she came upon the door to the armory. With systems completely offline, everything would be a bitch to open. Cooper slipped her fingers through the cracks of the doors and struggled to jar the automatic door loose. With a successful pop, the door suddenly became limp and allowed the Marine to easily push it open. Ellesa couldn’t help but find herself staring at the standing Malus, she was quite surprised he had made it. The again, so had she. “Thank god you made it, Malus.†She spoke as she strolled by him and ripped open the door to her locker.
“Hopefully the rest made it out as safely as we did.†Without another word, the woman quickly strapped on her M3 armor and grabbed her trusty pulse rifle. Her green eyes flickered over at the man laying on the ground before she glanced up at Malus. She wasn’t sure if he was dead or alive. But by judging the expression on Darkblade’s face, it was safe to assume that he was alive. Ellesa turned away and pressed a finger to the device in her ear, she listened before speaking. Again. Static. “Dammit.†She muttered which was followed by an exhausted sigh. “We need to round up the survivors and make a casualty list. Then I’d like to figure out where the hell we landed and why.†Ellesa glanced up from adjusting her combat webbing to look the man straight in the eyes. “Now lets just pray those bugs died in the fires of the crash.â€Â
Avier7777, Yautja, 15 years ago
Avier knew immediately that the Queen was dead. The crash had freed him from his clear prison. The after effects, the falling circuitry and acid from fallen brethren, hastened his progress to leave the enclosed space. He stretched, finally able to do so. After a long shiver to rid himself of his cramped condition he became more aware of the situation.
Throughout the ship he could hear the screams of his captors. Some were obviously in pain; Avier debated whether or not to slink around the ship and end their suffering. The hissing and screeching of his own kind urged him to retreat, to fallback, to find a new Queen. As he stood, listening, enjoying the sounds of the dead, a small gathering began to form around him.
Avier was no leader, while he understood the power in numbers, this was no time to group together and launch an attack. Despite his desire to tear into human flesh he fled. Today was not the day to challenge their captors. He had no knowledge of the environment, had no idea what other life forms could occupy their new home. His goals became focused in his mind, they needed a new Queen.
He started slowly at first. Ducking and weaving around the ship as it continued to collapse around him. He began to pick up speed. For a moment he thought about letting the others know his plan, he chose instead to let him follow him or not. At best the Hive would blossom, at worst he would die, and hopefully, take some with him.
Throughout the ship he could hear the screams of his captors. Some were obviously in pain; Avier debated whether or not to slink around the ship and end their suffering. The hissing and screeching of his own kind urged him to retreat, to fallback, to find a new Queen. As he stood, listening, enjoying the sounds of the dead, a small gathering began to form around him.
Avier was no leader, while he understood the power in numbers, this was no time to group together and launch an attack. Despite his desire to tear into human flesh he fled. Today was not the day to challenge their captors. He had no knowledge of the environment, had no idea what other life forms could occupy their new home. His goals became focused in his mind, they needed a new Queen.
He started slowly at first. Ducking and weaving around the ship as it continued to collapse around him. He began to pick up speed. For a moment he thought about letting the others know his plan, he chose instead to let him follow him or not. At best the Hive would blossom, at worst he would die, and hopefully, take some with him.
Jean, Yautja, 15 years ago
Jean's program activated and the room came into the clear. Whatever caused the ship to be stationary on the surface of a planet was obviously caused by something large enough to emit a low level EMP, or, Electro Magnetic Pulse charge; she did a systems check within nanoseconds and crawled to her knees.
The Android was young looking, maybe early to mid-teens; this was Weyland Yutani's evil little trick of cutting down the cost on extra miles of tubing and fiber-optic cable that would make up the circuitry of an Android that would more than likley be thrown away in due time.
In Jean's case, it probably saved her from another lengthy repair session to be small and skinny. She pulled the dark strands of her hair away from her eyes and looked around the room.
... The armory.
Everything she couldn't use for fear of hurting a human being, and nothing she needed. Her emotional emulation programming kept repeating -- "What I wouldn't give for a control console, or a portable computer to find out what happened", over and over.
She practically had to enter the /stop-loop command in her centeral processor. She looked around to see she wasn't alone. Her emotinal programming allowed her a sigh of relief to find that she was amongst friends...
The Android was young looking, maybe early to mid-teens; this was Weyland Yutani's evil little trick of cutting down the cost on extra miles of tubing and fiber-optic cable that would make up the circuitry of an Android that would more than likley be thrown away in due time.
In Jean's case, it probably saved her from another lengthy repair session to be small and skinny. She pulled the dark strands of her hair away from her eyes and looked around the room.
... The armory.
Everything she couldn't use for fear of hurting a human being, and nothing she needed. Her emotional emulation programming kept repeating -- "What I wouldn't give for a control console, or a portable computer to find out what happened", over and over.
She practically had to enter the /stop-loop command in her centeral processor. She looked around to see she wasn't alone. Her emotinal programming allowed her a sigh of relief to find that she was amongst friends...