[center][h3]DSS [I]Audie Murphy[/I][/h3][/center]
[hr]
Carver watched with a sort of satisfaction as the creatures disintegrated into nothing. Whatever they were, they weren't coming back. Reloading his gauss rifle, he watched as the screen in his helmet blinked on. Interestingly enough, the attackers this time seemed more similar to the things currently dying on the floor than the ones that had attacked them originally. [i]Looks like they die the same, too[/i], he noted, giving a slight smile as the things were shot up by the ship's guns. He frowned as he saw the larger creatures, who were out of the gun's range.

What happened next was even more interesting. He watched as, of all things, a griffon, appeared on screen, attacking the creatures. While its armor was primitive by Terran standards, it showed that there was intelligent life on this planet. [i]That[/i] was noteworthy- the only other species they had known were the Zerg and the Protoss. Other than relics, they had never found evidence of any other forms of intelligent life. And, given that they had the same enemy, it was possible that these new beings could be made into allies of the UED, instead of enemies. 

As he observed the fight happening outside the ship, he was interrupted as another video feed was opened, showing what was, apparently, the unknown ship that had killed the hostile creatures. To his surprise, it was made out of what looked like wood, with a large ring-like structure around it, presumably keeping it in the air. [i]An airship? I was expecting something more...advanced. Must be something to do with that energy it's giving off.[/i] He watched as it sent electricity into the air, killing more of the swarming creatures. As it descended further into the ground, he couldn't help but feel guilty. [i]Too bad we nearly shot them out of the sky...but what were we supposed to do? Under attack, and an unknown energy signature moves in...[/i]

[i]Whatever. We'll explain it when we talk to them.[/i] As he watched the battle through his helmet, he heard the adjutant again. [i]Right. The turrets can't hit the larger ones.[/i] Checking his rifle one last time, he looked to the men in the vehicle bay. "Alright, boys. We've got some big uglies trying to tear up our ship, and the turrets can't hit 'em. There's also some smaller creatures attacking us as well. Fortunately, someone has stepped in to help. We've got some sort of creature in a suit, looks like a griffon from the old stories. Don't shoot it. We're gonna have the goliaths hit the big one, while we get the smaller ones. Got it?"

A wave of "got it's" and "yes sir's" echoed through the room. Nodding, Carver put up his visor, and walked over to the vehicle bay doors, with the rest of the men following him. Opening the doors, they stepped outside, and quickly ran to the scene of the battle. As they approached, the Marines began to engage the smaller targets, firing in controlled bursts. The two goliaths, facing the large creatures, unleashed its anti-air missiles onto the larger targets, firing several missiles at them. It would have been quite the spectacle for anyone watching, a true demonstration of Terran firepower.
[hr]
Meanwhile, on the bridge, Specialist Lee watched as the creatures in the room suddenly stopped moving. [i]Fascinating[/i], he thought. [i]It's almost like they're machines that have malfunctioned.[/i] The four bridge crew members, however, did not share his fascination, moving towards the end of the room while aiming their rifles. They began to argue amongst themselves, wondering what the hell had happened. As the Specialist watched the creatures from behind the terminals, the bridge crew moved closer towards the windows. The adjutant chimed in, giving the Specialist just enough time to duck behind the terminals as a beam of energy burst through the window.

As Lee looked up from the terminals, he could see that they had been pierced by pieces of glass from the window. The four bridge crew were in bad shape- one seemed to be dead, another was incapacitated, with shards of glass stuck in his body, and two seemed to be more lightly wounded. Soon, [i]something[/i] emerged from the hole. It looked like a larger version of the creatures from before, likely a leader of some kind. It also seemed capable of speech, if the buzzing noises it was giving off was supposed to be speech.

The psionic lash from earlier had taken a great deal of his energy, and he needed more time before he could do another attack. So, until then, he waited behind the terminals. He did, however, make an attempt to read the creature's mind, if only to understand what it was trying to say. Given the energy it was emanating, it was likely that the creature was psionically gifted. While this might mean that it could notice Lee's attempt to read its mind, it also meant that reading its mind would be easier- it seemed that it was always easier for psychics to read each other's minds. To read it's mind, though, he would have to remove some of the psionic protection he had put over himself. If the creature noticed him, he would have to quickly re-apply it, or risk getting his own mind read.

Meanwhile, the two lightly-injured bridge crewmen, seeing the horrifying being before them, aimed their carbines and began to fire at it. Maybe if it could cause physical damage, it could also be hurt by physical damage. At least, they hoped so. They were more acting out of panic than anything. Even if their bullets did nothing to it, it would be better than sitting there and waiting for it to kill them.