[IC] Grim Galaxy: Shots and Chances

[POOHEAD189]

The lights flickering around him from a lack of maintenance, Neil did here what he did back in school. He leaped down the stairways 4 to 5 steps at a time, merely holding the railing momentarily to gain balance with his leaps. His long legs helped him make huge progress going down. It was actually kind of fun. He'd not had to run from something in months! That sobered him up, however. He still needed to run for his life, not from a prison cell. He'd seen how strong those things were. The door to the stairway was sturdy and thick, but once the flames from his liquid fire had died down, they'd rip through it in less than a minute-

The entire station jerked halfway through Neil's leap, realigning where his landing would be. To his misfortune, the railing of the stairs hit him between the legs, and he was glad of the explosive roar that followed the violent shake, because he squealed like a girl and slid down unceremoniously to C level, coughing and finding no real strength in his limbs. "God...damn..." He sputtered, clawing at the ground and glad he'd shut off his flamer earlier, for it hit the ground like he did. "Fuuuuuuuuck..." He'd rather the Alien's have fed on him, than feel this way.

"If that was Sayeeda," he wheezed. "She owes me big time." Grimacing, he pulled himself to his feet less than a minute later, his legs still weak and his arms not wanting to answer his mind's call, but stubbornly he moved them and grabbed his flamer.

He opened the door to C level, and found himself face to face with three of the Xenonids straddling corpses, feeding at their leisure. In the brief glimpse before he exclaimed "Oh fuck!" he found he was glad to see Sayeeda's face was not among the dead, and he slammed the door just as the Xenos had leaped sideways in that horrifyingly machine-like and alien fashion. The metal door to the stairway banged from the sheer force, and he nodded. "Right. D level...D level sounds good."

He made his way down the stairs (carefully this time, one step at a time) and found the door to D level. He sighed, placing one hand on the handle and one hand on the trigger of his flamer. It was a heavy weapon, but he felt confident he could blast through the door easily enough once it was opened. He breathed in and closed his eyes. "Please be good, please be good." He opened the door, and he never thought Sayeeda looked sexier than she did right then.

"Oh my god," Neil breathed, dropping his flamer. Sayeeda was just getting up, and the fact that they were in a cavern-like corridor mattered to him very little. "I'd kiss you if I didn't think you'd knee me. And I think I've already had enough trauma in that region for one day. What happened? What's going on?"
@Penny

[Penny]

Sayeeda groggily came to her feet.

"Neil," she groaned, "Think... think I'm bleeding internally." A spatter of red droplets had appeared on the inside of her helmet despite the faceshield's static charge. That was a worrying sign, but not something she couldn't handle. They needed to get moving soonest if there was to be even a vague hope of salvaging this.

"There is vaspopressin in the pouch on my back, green phial, red markings," she directed. The pilot patted at the ruins of her webbing for a moment.

"No pouch back here Junebug," he said, "must have lost in the...whatever it was."

"Well dosen't that just fucking figure," she sighed. That didn't bode particularly well for her chances but it wasn't like she was playing it safe as it was.

"They are Love Bugs," she said shakily as she pointed Neil in more or less the right direction. They made a fine pair her drapped half over him as she staggered along at the best speed she could. There was a worrying stiffness in her legs as the clattered down the corridor. She noticed that he didn't have her submachine gun but she supposed if that was all she lost she would be doing well.

"They had an adult one, down there, boom," she said breathily. The markings in the hall directed her towards an emergency airlock. There was some skittering in some of the side passages but she ignored it as they hurried towards their goal.

"A whole bloody mess of incoming signals!" crackled over her comms in a thick Scottish accent. Sayeeda breathed a sigh of relief that degenerated into a racking cough.

"Lonny, bring the ship around to airlock," she paused to read the number, "Alpha Alpha one niner." They had reached the airlock antechamber now and Neil bolted the door behind them though there was no sign of pursuit. He set her down and looked around frantically for a few moments, clearing out lockers and dumping their content onto the floor.

"Lazy bastards have no suits," Neil complained in a rising voice.

"Probably sold them, no real need," Sayeeda said and clicked her commlink.

"Lonny you in position?" she asked.

"Aye Cap'm!"

"You have a sensor feed on the airlock exterior?"

"Of course but without a docking tube..."

"Shut up, I want you to prepare to vent the main hold, starting with lock starboard two and opening starboard one two seconds after. Understood?"

"Yes Capm," Loney replied. DId the fucking computer sound dubious. Neil looked at her speculatively.

"Your not suggesting..."

"Loney execute my instructions immediately following the opening of the station airlock. Close hatches and pump air as soon as we are aboard."

"Cap'm the odds..."

"Shut up. Confirm your readiness to execute."

"Ready Cap'm!" Junebug reached up and punched the airlock manual overide. There was a sudden woosh louder than a tornado and Sayeed, Neil and all the trash in the airlock room where ripped up and out of the airlock into the void. For a moment a bone chilling cold seeped over her and her faceshield began to fog with condensate. The Highlander drifted not fifty meters away and she saw the puff of air on the far side. A moment later the port hatch opened. The rush of air hurtled the two of them towards the ship, and right into the sucking tumult of air rushing through the highlander. With an inaudible clatter they were sucked into the air lock. Sayeeda hit one of the coffee crates at well over thirty kilometers an hour and the world crashed into blackness.

@POOHEAD189

[POOHEAD189]

Neil was bewildered to say the least at this risky as fuck maneuver. He had all but a second to redirect his rebreather to adhere to the vacuum of space before they were launched out of the airlock and into the endless void. It was merciful when he felt the tug of the open airlock from the Highlander, but during the yank he lost his grip on Sayeeda, her lighter frame drifting in first. He couldn't make any witty remarks out here, and the next thing he knew, outer space was ripped away from him and he hit the wall of the Highlander's interior.

It was only for a second that he blacked out, and when he awoke, his left arm was bleeding, and his ear was too from the brief excursion he had outside the ship and the facility. Slowly, Neil undid his rebreather and set it aside. His body felt like it'd been hit with a 12 foot shovel, but the one thing he had that most didn't was a durability that allowed him to bounce back. It was why he was so effective back on his homeworld in the Valk wars.

He sucked in a breath as he did his best to get off the floor, and to his dismay he saw the unmoving and somewhat broken form of Sayeeda laying next to one of the coffee crates. Neil coughed, blood flecking the Xarconian metal of the floor. He'd deal with that later. Shakily, he pushed himself off his hands, and then his knees, making his way over to Sayeeda and shaking off the rest of his vertigo. "I have never met someone as badass as you," He whispered, slipping his arms around her and lifting her up. His left hand held her lower back and his right hand felt her pulse.

"Good," he breathed. "I don't do well with responsibility." Referring to her death meaning he'd be the Captain. Slipping his other arm around her legs, he made his way to the co-pilot's chair and set her down, buckling her up. He would have taken her to the medic bay, but he had limited knowledge and knew she'd need a better doctor than he. Best he could do was realign a pulled muscle or tie up a broken bone. But right now they needed to get the hell out of here.

Neil plopped down on the pilot's chair and buckled up. "Lonny, the sublight engines ready?"

"Aye Sir! But we go' multiple unknown objects approachin' fast on our starboard."

"Put them on the display screen." Neil told him. The screen before the pilot turned on to reveal something out of a man's worst nightmares. Horrible, organic sacks with tentacles and feelers that dripped acid were approaching in the vacuum of space. They looked to be the size of the Highlander, if not bigger. He deadpanned, not even bothering to react. "Put them off the display screen Lonney. Get us under way. Now."

"Should ah put tha auxiliary power tae th-"

"Yes, fucking do it just let's go."

The combat display began to flash red, Neil noticing multiple shots being fired from the bio-ships. He didn't really want to find out what they were firing, so he immediately placed in his personal algorithm and took control of the ship fully, spinning the Highlander in a whirling arc and speeding around the nearest asteroid to evade what chased him. On the display, he saw the asteroid crack from the sheer pressure of whatever it had been, and Neil sped as quickly as he could toward the planet of Fornax.

It didn't take long, thankfully. He didn't go the leisurely pace he had when they had approached the asteroid facility. He was hailed by the orbital welcoming committee, and he in turn gave them Cho-Lan's landing codes and permission to speak to Cho-Lan directly. After another minute of what Neil perceived to be bureaucratic bullshit, he was patched in. Cho-Lan's voice appeared on the speakers. "What news? Your ship has been off contact for far too-"

"We have a lot of news Mr. Cho-Lan, so give us clearance to land. We're also going to need a medic here and a whole lot of fucking cash."
@Penny

[Penny]

Junebug was aware of time passing but it was a disjointed thing, seeming to come and go in fits and starts. Occasionally she had flashes of coherent images. The top of the autodoc, the interior of the highlander, even the vista of deep space, although that must have been before she actually blacked out.

“Well Candidate Cyckali,” came the calm cultured voice of the evaluator. The tone of vauge dissaproval was institutional and for a moment she had the taste of old protein pack in the back of her throat.

“You have elected to blow 100 percent of your mission personnel out of an airlock, a bold choice. Have you considered issuing side arms and simply shooting yourself?” Perspective skewed drunkenly in her mind. The grading officer remained the the background picking apart choices and plans which her pain addled mind was only half conscious of making. For a moment she thought she saw a brief flash of sky before she was carried into a building with bright overhead lights. The intermittent lights flickered in her mind like a hundred night action and her body quivered with the reflex for action. Men were standing above her talking? Shouting? And then a mask descended over her face and cool darkness took her.

Wakefulness came back in a rush. There was light and an alarmed beeping of machines. Something hot flowed into her arm and she went back under again. Consciousness came back slowly the second time, she could almost feel the increments as the analgesic was dialed down. It was a familiar technique, neural disconnection rather than narcotics, expensive stuff. A woman in a face mask looked down at her in concern. It occurred to Sayeeda that the womans lips had been moving but she had to focus to make out the words ‘are you alright Ms Cyckali’.

“Junebug,” she mumbled and tried to push herself up. The medic layed a hand on her chest that might have been made of iron.

“Steady there, lets make sure you arent going to crash again before we get to excited.”

“Where is my pilot?” she asked, sinking back to the bed with some relief.

“He is speaking with the Cho-Lan he should be back soon,” the medic said before turning to work on something beyond Sayeeda’s line of sight.

“Highlander Six to all Highlander elements,” Sayeeda said in a voice so low she felt the subvocalize module in her mastoid click in. If Neil were in comm range, a couple of miles without a booster he would pick up.

“Important to make secure contact with negative exposure to Indgies, reply when you have expectation of comm security.”

This was going to be a real mess but there was nothing to be done about it until she could convey her suspicions to Neil.

@POOHEAD189

[POOHEAD189]

The office of Lord Cho-Lan was resplendent and tidy, to say the least. His desk was well carved and polished, surrounded by three chairs that were soft and clean, ornamentally made like most of the furniture in his office. Cupboards were filled with books and trinkets from far away systems, and a beast skull the size of Neil's chest hung upon the left wall. Behind the Lord was a vast window framed by gilded purple drapes, the window giving the holographic image of rolling hills and a distant waterfall.

Cho-Lan was a heavy-set man, his eyes even more exotic than Sayeeda's. His outfit was as cultured and tidy as his office, though his face showed far less surety than his money and resources. Neil got the distinct impression that he believed the pilot's every word, but would be skeptical because he simply didn't want to.

"So, how many of these...'bio-ships' did you actually see, Mr. Edwards?" Cho-Lan asked, a raised eyebrow.

"Look," Neil said, leaning on the desk with his elbows after having been scolded not to thrice already. He gestured helplessly. "Lord Cho-Lan, I appreciate the large sum of money you've wired us, but I wouldn't be sitting here complaining if there wasn't a huge problem. I wish you would appreciate what I'm trying to do here."

"So..." Cho-Lan said with a smile. "the health of your Captain has nothing to do with you being here? Or the expensive beverages you're supping as you wait?"

Neil sighed. "No, I'd be in the med bay. Listen, I'm sure you've dealt with a whole lot of bullshit, being a man in your position. Now, you can smell expensive bourbon on me, some sweat, but I doubt you smell bullshit on my voice. I think you know I'm telling the truth. You paid me because you do. The least you can do is tell the planetary patrol, right?"

Cho-Lan scowled, very reluctant to accept the logic that came from this very disrespectful young man. He hesitated before continuing, and finally replied. "If it will get your elbows off my desk." Neil immediately lifted his arms up as if God had called him from heaven, a profound look on his face, full of awe. "No problem." He said, lifting himself off the chair he'd scooted forward.

"My servants will see you out." Cho-Lan said dismissively, waving him away. Neil awkwardly placed his hands together and bowed as he walked backwards multiple times, before spinning towards the door.

Only to spin back. "Do you have any more bourbon by the way, that's some good ass stuff?"

"Yes, take a bottle." Cho-Lan said back, snappily.

"Man, I have not had good drinks like that since I was on the Carminian orbital station." He began, grabbing a bottle and pouring a glass. "These two Haxoreth girls, twins I swear to god, the-"

He stopped when he heard the faint voice of Sayeeda. It took him less than five seconds to continue, turning to Cho-Lan. "You know what? I've wasted enough of your time. I should go."

"If you stayed any longer, I would have commissioned your ship."

---

It was in the manufacturing hall, in one of the less manned sectors did Neil finally reply back. He was halfway to medbay, but it was good to hear her voice. "You ok?" He asked, holding a finger to his opposite ear to better hear. He was glad his doctor got through with him quickly, though the ear he pressured still pained him somewhat. "What's going on?"
@Penny

[Penny]

Sayeeda snorted in-spite of her best effort to keep quiet. The motion shook her chest into a racking cough and the machines hooked to her body beeped their mechanical interogatives. The medic, Dr Xi by her name plate looked over at her in concern but Junebug merely waved her away.

"Ok is sort of a relative term," she responded dryly. The thick ceramic armor she wore had spared her most of the brunt but her body was still a mass of bruises. It was only the massive load of anti-inflammatory she was carrying that allowed her to function at all. That would be a problem the longer it went on but you did what you had to when the Devil drove.

"This is some sort of a set up Neil, it has to be," she carefully glanced over to make sure the doctor was out of ear shot.

"The Love Bugs didn't just show up here, there were scientists on the station, the were experimenting on one and broadcasting it into the RIP," she explained as she picked her way through chains of logic that felt shakier for having been spoken allowed.

"Plus those shield generators we delivered. Pretty hard core for a peaceful world. Someone is gearing up. I bet the Guild would gut the nobles here if they declared war on their rivals. But big scary alien invasion shows up, they hide behind their fancy new shields while the competition goes the way of the dinner table. Then when the bugs get all hungry they purge the planet and they have all these resources to themselves and the Guild can hardly object to a heroic defense by the survivors."

It was a neat scheme for all it was based on pure conjecture. Her head swam from the meds but she forced herself to sit upright on the edge of the bed.

"We either need to get way the hell out of dodge, or we need to get under one of those shields before they go up, and somehow I doubt anyone that knows we were on that asteroid is going to welcome the possibility of stowaways."

@POOHEAD189

[POOHEAD189]

Neil glanced down the hallway, his voice low as he considered his options. "They're probably just helping us to save face, then." He spat. "I should have hocked a big one on that guy's desk."

"What?" Sayeeda asked, weak voice incredulous.

"Nothing. The good thing is, is that we got paid." He assured her, "and you'll get better, probably before the Xenos gets here." He said, standing taller and strutting down the hallway, hopefully familiar enough with where he was to know exactly where he thought he was going. No, wait. Neil spun around casually, and headed the opposite direction. The facilities were to the west, last he'd heard. "You just sit tight, drink plenty of vegetables and eat your fluids. Holler if you need me."

"What are you going to do?" Sayeeda asked. Neil couldn't tell if she was curious or worried that he got an idea. He grinned either way. "Gonna fuck some shit up." With that he powered down his comm for the moment, not wanting to be seen by anyone (or the security cameras for that matter) talking to someone through a comm piece. At the moment, he needed to act far less conspicuous, which he was actually very good at doing.

Neil had an infectious smile and an attractive twinkle to his eyes, but insofar as anyone was concerned when he wasn't laying on the charm, he looked positively unremarkable to most. Blending in was something he'd done very often to get away from authorities or prying eyes back where he came from. It helped he still looked fairly youthful as well. Just some younger man going to have some fun.

It took him less than an hour to get the to lift area, passing by various lounges the locals would frequent, as well as a few patrolmen walking in threes, carrying high powered las-weaponry. Based on their lack of interest in him, he assumed they never got the memo he had been hired by their boss as a freelance pilot. The lift at the edge of the sector was large and bulky, and he knew going in it wouldn't bring him where he would need to go. The true level he'd need to visit would be a section below where the public dwelt, and for that he would need a special elevator to take down. It didn't take very long for him to find the smaller one for official personnel only, down the hall on the left.

Looking back and forth, he waited for a few moments, making sure no one was around. Eyes scanning the walls, he unfortunately saw a mounted camera that had a perfect view of the entire hall and both lift entrances. Neil knew he couldn't exactly help that, which meant he needed to be quick about this. Pressing his ear to the steel wall of the hallway, he listened and closed his eyes.

He heard the thrum of the larger lift moving, and his own heartbeat.

And that was it. Nothing else. No footprints of approaching guards. No one using the smaller lift. No alarms. With a lungful of breath expelling outwards, and a quick swig of bourbon from his flask, he he gave the camera the finger and took out his smaller toolbox. The one he kept on his belt just to help with smaller repairs on the ship. Only this time, he placed his penetrator las-tool below the smaller lift's control panel, effectively making a square around it and removing it.

A myriad of multicolored wires was revealed, and to anyone else it would have been daunting. "God, they don't even have the new model," Neil breathed in disappointment, unhooking A16 and redirecting it to C5. Just had to rerouter B12 to C5 and then... The sudden whirring of the lift making it up to his floor was music to his ears. The sound that immediately followed after was the alarm, which actually wasn't unwelcome either. It made it more of a challenge.

He stepped into the newly opened doors to the private lift, admiring the quaint smell and well embroidered walls the officials enjoyed. "Huh, this is actually nice." He said, placing a palm on the soft fabric of the walls. Of course, like all elevators, this lagged a bit before the doors closed. Footsteps echoed down the corridor, and 20 yards away he saw multiple guards make the corner, sprinting towards him. "You! Get out of that elevator! Freeze!"

"Oh thank god you're here officer," Neil said. "This madman, he came out of-" The elevator door's closed, and all Neil could hear now was some soothing music. "I have not done this in awhile." He pressed the button, and the lift began to smoothly glide downwards, the clunks and jutters of the larger, public lift absent. Once the doors opened again, a terrified man in a labcoat jumped when he noticed Neil. "You! You're not supposed to-"

Neil placed his gun barrel in the guy's mouth. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Look, where's the shield generator? I had a date but she's kind a bed ridden. Thought I'd go out, let off some steam. Fuck shit up, you know how it is." As the pilot spoke with a casual tone, the scientist began to wet himself. Neil didn't notice until he felt a wet sucking near his shoe and looked down.

"...Ewwww."

---

1 hour later, within the elevator shaft.

Neil pressed himself against the unopened lift door, the area large enough for him to sit on withing falling off into the endless chasm below him. Beads of sweat dripped off his brow, but being a bit hot was a small price to pay. It hadn't take very much for him to shut the shield generator's down, and what's more he took one of the cores to the nuclear reactor as well. Just some insurance, in case they tried to get at him again.

He turned the comm back on, the line secured once more. "Babe," He said, his voice echoing. "you'll be happy to know that Cho-Lan has called for an immediate meeting with the planetary defense force, according to one of his most trusted scientist, and I've taken care of one of the toys we brought as well. He won't be behind a shield anytime soon, unless they cover the whole planet."
@Penny

[Penny]

"We should load the Highlander with all the food and supplies we can and burn for the edge of the system," Junebug declared as she sipped at the tumbler of liquor. It was straw colored and claimed to be scotch but if it differed from industrial alcohol and water by more than a few points on a spectrometer Junebug would have lost a bet. They sat in the bar of The Level, the atmosphere significantly changed since there last visit. A few of the dancing girls still gyrated half heartedly, including one spectacularly gifted brunette, but the attention of the patrons was universally on the vid screens.

Even with the usual enthusiasm muted, between the clashing techno music and the mutter of conversation Sayeeda couldn't hear the voice of the news casters. A crawl ran along the bottom declaring, 'Plantery Emergency', and 'Duke Cho-Lan calls for Council of War' among other such messages as were deemed appropriate for public consumption.

"We don't know how far out the Darkspace anomaly spreads," Neil replied, pulling his attention away from the brunette with some difficulty. His face darkened slightly as he processd her words.

"Besides we can't just abandon an entire planet," Neil said a little more emphatically. Junebug's whole body hurt, she had left the infirmity very much against doctors orders and it still hurt where she had torn the IVs from her arms and neck. It would be alright she was sure, she had alot of experience with injury and so long as she kept up with it, it would be alright.

"I really doubt that a retired Armored Captain and a former mechpilot are going to tip the scales on this one. Maybe we could get some short term cryogear..." There was a disruption at the door, not a fight exactly but a compression of the crowd that sent an organic wave through the bar. A trio of soldiers in ceramic body armor bearing the white and purple hatching of Cho-Lan were forcing there way into the crowded bar. Behind them stood a brown skinned woman in her mid forties, she was short but powerfully muscled and moved with a slight limp. Unlike her underlings she wore a simple black battledress of unfamiliar design with silver piping on her shoulders which, Sayeeda presumed, made her an officer. As the woman drew closer it became apparent that her right eye was matte black. It was clear an artifical replacement, but the woman took no care to disguise the disquieting device with an eye patch or other such contrivance. Both eyes fell on the table where the two battered spacers sat.

"Captain Cykali," the woman intoned when she reached them. It wasn't a question, merely a statement of fact. Sayeeda eyed the troops. The planet didn't have much going for it in terms of armed forces but these men looked competent enough. Not competent enough to see that Sayeeda's hand was casually against her pistol holster beneath the table though. She wondered if they were police when the weren't renting out as muscle. They didn't look threatening exactly but that didn't mean much.

"Mind if we have a talk?" the woman asked when Junebug made no move to acknowledge her.

"Sure, its your credit I guess, take a seat, we are drinking to my medical insurance." Sayeeda raised the glass and ostentatiously slugged it back and taped the glass on to the extruded metal tabletop.

"I'll stand thank you," the woman replied austerely. Junebug shrugged her shoulders.

"Suit yourself, what about your boys? Want a seat boys, I'm buying," she drawled winking at the nearest of the guards. They remained as stony-faced as statues.

"If your quite done Mistress Sayeeda..." the offcier began, but Junebug was on her feat in an instant, the suddeness of the motion startling the nearby patrons and knocking the uncomfortable metal framed chair to the ground with a clatter. Her pistol was out of its holster and pointed at the officer before any of the guards could get a weapon free.

"It's Junebug, and yeah we are done," she said shaking her head as one of the guards tried to reposition his weapon, the man stopped the motion, his expression cold. There was really quiet in the bar now, though the jouncing techno beat continued.

"Do you really think you could gun down all for of us before we got you?" the officer asked, her tone curious but not afraid exactly. Junebug cocked her head slightly to the side as though considering it.

"I give myself two out of three, four out of five if Neil here drops your boy on the left," she nodded her chin at the soldier furthest from her field of fire."

"Not great odd Mis... Junebug," the officer said with cold amusement. Sayeeda laughed, a brittle sound in the silence.

"Lady, there have been days I'd have kissed your feet if you promised me a fifty fifty, but if we are all done with the math, my friend and I will be going now." The officer folded her arms beneath her breasts.

"My name is Colonel Gerharht and I'm not here to arrest you," the woman declared her eyes shifting to Neil speculatively.

"Not... that there might not be grounds to think about that under normal circumstances, but given the severity of the situation im afraid normal proccedures are low on the priority list. I am here to take you the the Duke's council, the planetery council I should say, he feels your testimony could be helpful in getting the plantery leaders to take more direct action."

@POOHEAD189

[POOHEAD189]

Æthelwulf, the planetary Duke and former High General sat within his council chamber, upon what looked to be a throne. A powerful looking man with a kingly beard, he bore the insignia of the Duke upon his breast. He'd been given the position by System Monarch Angelos of the Fallen Angel legion. Commendation after Æthelwulf victory over the brutal Garruk hordes. Such a man expected only the best from his subordinates, for he ran the planet like he ran his old regiment. A well oiled machine needed well maintained parts, and teamwork to survive.

His grey eyes gazed at the cabinet of so called authorities of the planet Fornax. Men who paid or bartered for their positions rather than earned them through any hard work or good deed, he noted. The fat Lord Cho-Lan, along with his rivals Bornhold the Red, Eisenhiem the Merchant Prince, and Bryant of the Griffon, the head of the workers Union who did a very small amount of work himself. They sat there, drinking their beverages as they stank of sweat and vice. Pitiful, all of them.

He sighed, knowing that such a judgement was entirely fair to the rest of the men that sat at his table. The Grand Xenos Biologis was a man he felt he could trust. A gaunt but tall man named Rogefar, if the stories of this menace were true, he was likely the closest thing to an expert Fornax had. His advice would be paramount. Rekkr, the Captain of the Orbital Defense Militia was a red haired, barrel chested warrior of strong values and tough armor, and though he had a drinking problem, his men believed in him with a fervor.

Varken, the High Gunner was also present. If anyone knew the planetary guns, he was the one. Last, unexpected, but not unwlecome was Astador the Death Bringer. His Dark Cavalier forces that had been visiting the planet for resupply would be invaluable in the supposed battle to come. Clad in black Vulcan armor, with jump packs, plasma and force weaponry, he would provide shock and awe against this Xenos menace.

"Duke Æthelwulf, with all due respect," Eisenhiem began, chuckling as if this entire meeting was a farce. "Are we completely sure this is not some plea by Cho-Lan to halt the business of his competition?"

"You know damn well that is not the case." Cho-Lan spat, murder in his eyes. The Lord regretted teaming up with his rivals to gain control of the planet now that his shields were compromised. If the others convinced the Duke this was a nonissue, he would be slaughtered along with the rest of the ones that couldn't hide. It was a sad irony, and he hated being on the other side of a self-serving scheme. "Your facilities have been hit as well."

"Random raiders," Bornhold scoffed, black goatee smelling of whiskey. "It occurs. Why rile up the entire planet over small incidents? This is the edge of known space, superstition serves no one. Fornax is heavily defended is it not?"

"Silence." Æthelwulf ordered, grey eyed gaze shutting the merchant's mouths, before they switched to Cho-Lan. "I believe you," he said. "But I cannot in good conscience order a full scale mobilization until I hear the words of your 'witnesses.' Are they present?" The Duke seemed to be running out of patience.

"Y-Yes, they are just outside." Cho-Lan stammered, calling for Neil and Sayeeda to be invited in.

Meanwhile

Neil's face was pressed to the glass of the foyer window, overlooking the entire infrastructure of the planetary palace. He'd seen a few from afar before, but the pilot had never been inside one. As a guest, anyway. Below him was miles of sweeping structures, far more ridged and functional than most palaces. The towers and halls were squared and made of the stout, Fornax steel and stone that gave the planet its wealth.

He wondered if he could grab some scrap from the work areas he saw far off when this was all over. He might be able to remake his old mecha.

Behind him, Sayeeda leaned against the marble wall of the vast foyer they waited within. That is, until a message was broadcasted within the room's speakers.

"The Duke will see you now." It announced, and the door to the council chamber opened.
@Penny

[Penny]

Junebug really wished she had a day or so to spend in an autodoc. The medical facilities had done their best to salve her wounds, but the load of painkillers and anti-inflamatory drugs in her system made her feel distant and disconnected from her body. It wasn't a matter of functioning, she could do her job and had done it drunk or on drugs plenty of times but it made her analysis unreliable. A meeting with the great and powerful of Formax wasn't a good place to miscalculate.

Gerharht touched a lapel communicator and spoke quietly into it for a moment as they passed into the great hall. The place was a huge hall, dozens of columns reached up to the ceiling each wrought of a different metal or gleaming polished stone. Heraldic banners, doubtlessly full of significance to those who cared about such things, hung like colorful bunting. It seemed garish to Sayeeda's sensibilities but she had seen many such displays in her career of slaughter for money.

"The Agents of House Cho-Lan!" a young man in gold robes boomed in a surprisingly deep voice.

"Colonel of the Guards Stasia Gerharht!" the announcer thundered after a moments pause. The background buzz of conversation in the hall quietened as they marched down the polished stone floor. Sayeeda's combat boots clacked noisily with every step and she shouldn't wonder that they scratched and scuffed the expensive stonework.

The collection of men around the throne were universally grim faced. Many of them carried themselves like soldiers, which was surprising. Sayeeda had assumed that merchant nobles like Cho-Lan held the reigns of power. By the way Cho-Lan looked at the man on the large central throne, she had been mistaken about that.

"You are Cho-Lan's lackies?" the large man rumbled, his contempt evident in his voice. Sayeeda leaned over and spat on the floor before straightening and crossing her arms beneath her breasts.

"I am Captain Junebug Cyckali, and this is First Officer Neil Edwards. You ASKED to see us as I recall."

@POOHEAD189

[POOHEAD189]

Neil gave a wave to the powerful and stately man upon his throne. The Duke Æthelwulf gave a derisive snort at the lack of protocol, yet he did not dismiss them offhand either. He seemed even slightly amused, and in truth the Duke was enjoying the fact Sayeeda and Neil didn't go to extremes with their greetings. They did not bow and give falsities, but neither did they seem unimpressed and rude to he and those around them.

"Yes..." He replied to Sayeeda. "Your employer here has informed me what you have informed him of. Though the details he provided are vague." Cho-Lan shifted in his seat nervously. The Duke continued, grey eyes penetrating. "Regale me with what you and your companion found on X-792b. I want to know what you saw, and how the hell you escaped when none apparently did. I want to know why I cannot communicate outside of the system. Tell me what we are dealing with, by Terra."

Neil knew it was probably Sayeeda's job to explain more than a few things, but he was about to speak up nonetheless when one of the other Lords interrupted him. "Are we to take the word of some...some backwater mercenary? Your Highness, they're probably in Cho-Lan's pockets, spreading falsehoods and rumors."

"You will be silent, or I will silence you." The Duke said, the threat cutting through the room and the Lord's sneering visage, causing him to almost appear smaller. If nothing else, the Duke demanded respect when it came to the safety of his world. Once the Duke's gaze returned to Neil, as he had seen his mouth begin to open, he waved him forward. "Continue."

Neil looked to Sayeeda, and stepped forward. "Your uh, your Dukeness. I don't know all of what you've heard, so I guess we should start from the beginning." He cleared his throat. "My Captain and I were being paid to see why there was radio silence at the facility, so we flew out there to check it out. What we discovered was... a Xenos race I've never heard of before. They had...slaughtered or impregnated the entire facility of people. We found none left alive, or I didn't."

"Impregnated?" Colonel Gerharht asked, though it seemed off to the Duke his loyal guardsmen spoke out of turn.

"What did the Xenos look like?" Rekkr asked, clearly wanting to see if they would be any physical threat. Neil glanced his way, gesturing. "They...placed eggs inside of people's corpses. They were insect-like, but about as large as a person, if not bigger. Fast and incredibly strong. Lots of appendages...they look like a nightmare. They also have organisms that can survive the vacuum of space to transport them, it looks like. We barely made it out. My ears are still ringing."

"You specified you." Æthelwulf said, pointing to Neil. His finger then moved to Sayeeda. "Are you suggesting your Captain saw people alive?"

Cho-Lan pulled at his collar, and the other Lords looked frightened, though it must have been fortunate, for their fear looked to be of the Xenos when it was probably something else entirely.
@Penny

[Penny]

"Colonel Gerharht," Sayeeda began in a measured one, "Do you have a holo projector available?" The Colonel nodded and began to speak into her lapel communicator. The buzz of conversation in the room began to rise as the various members of the council took up various excited conversations of their own. The small knot about Cho-Lan seemed to be gaining in heat and venom as various lords exchanged quiet urgent words.

The Duke arched an eyebrow at the mercenary captain, a warning smoldered behind his eyes, warning her that she better not be wasting his time. After a moment two uniformed militia hurried across the floor, carrying a dated but functional holoprojector between them. They lay the unit on the ground and powered it on, a blank ambiance of light springing to light above it at the touch of a button. Junebug knelt beside the unit, unhooked her helmet and plugged the output cable into the unit. The projection shimmered into a series of alpha numeric characters.

"Booster, playback beginning at time-stamp Hotel One Seven Niner," she commanded. The projection shifted to the slightly shaky view from the camera in her helmet as she exited the airlock. The Magos Biologus moved closer, eyes bright with interest. The file had no sound associated with it and so a hush fell across the assembled crowd.

"Booster, triple speed, pause at weapon discharge for one second before continuing." The events on the asteroid base played out in shaky relief. There was no visual enhancement so the footage remained grainy but it was clear enough. Junebug felt her adrenaline glands tighten as she relieved the scenes the footage. There were several shots of the xenos and the horrible fate they had inflicted on their human victims.

When the footage reached the portion where the scientists were sequestered behind their shielded compartment she paused the recording. A shocked murmer ran through the crowd.

"Who are these men!" the Duke thundered, the Magos peered closer at the footage though it was difficult to make much out from the low quality recorder. Sophisticated computers could polish the image up somewhat, though it still might be hard to positively identify a face. The room grew quiet.

"Advance five seconds," Sayeeda commanded. The shot showed her pulling the grenade and rolling it across the floor before turning. THe blast wasn't in the shot but it was clearly evident when the view frame pitched forward violently.

"Is there any chance they survived?" the Duke asked in a cold deadly voice.

"Doubtful," Sayeeda said professionally, "It was a fuel air charge we use for busting bunkers, probably lucky it didn't depressurize the asteroid."

"Did we hire mercenaries to murder our citizens!" one of the Lords near Cho-Lan thundered. The Duke turned a baleful glance on the coterie of nobles. Then he turned to the Magos who was busy reviewing imagery on a smaller display.

"What is your assessment Rogefar?"

@POOHEAD189

[POOHEAD189]

The Biologus rubbed his chin with his long fingers. "Play it back if you would, Captain," he told Sayeeda in a respectful tone. Most likely he considered it prudent to hold no judgements of anyone for their profession, particularly if they gave him something new to learn. When Junebug reversed the footage back, he asked it to be paused when the Xenos were amid the human bodies. The image caused the military men in the room to clench their jaws in anger, whereas the Nobles seemed more sickened by their collective fates, as well as the gruesome images.

"Interesting..." He mused. The silence as he considered was deafening. Neil dug into his ear with his pinky finger in the background, trying to scratch a particular itch. Rogefar shook his head in the meantime. "I would need one to examine to know for certain, but they're neither arachnids nor of the order hymenoptera, yet almost a hybrid of both. And yet...not..." his eyes widened. "If I had to guess, your Highness, I would say they were a life form based on silicates. That might explain their other-worldly biology, and why they are so incredibly durable as you have claimed, Captain Cyckali. They seem eusocial as well, though this is all highly speculative of course-"

"And what does any of this mean," The Duke cut in.

Rogefar blinked, as if snapping back into reality. "Yes, o-of course," he said, stepping back and pulling at his collar. "I get lost in my speculations as you know, your Highness." Æthelwulf waved him to continue, and he presented himself before the Duke. Astador stood beside the Duke, black armored arms crossed. He looked impassive with his helmet on, but he resonated attentiveness all the same.

"I have never heard of Organisms being used to transport others through the vacuum of space, but if from what little I have seen here is correct, it is not entirely out of the realm of possibility."

"What is the most effective way of killing them?" Astador asked.

"Fire worked well." Neil pipped in, causing everyone to swerve and look at him. Neil didn't seem too bothered by that however. Rogefar continued. "Yes. Fire and super heated steam, perhaps. Conventional weaponry would be effective, of course. But perhaps not as much as one would hope. If they are truly eusocial, they'll have a command structure and leader organisms. They would move in a way that would seem odd to conventional tactics. But that's assuming they are intelligent beasts. They wouldn't be without a central hive mind. If they are, however...it would be very difficult to defend the lands between Manu-Cities. The villages and towns, they would need to be evacuated, your Highness."

"Do you realize the manpower that would take?" Rekkr pipped in. He stepped toward the Magos Biologis, causing the man to shrink back. Rekkr glanced from the Duke to Rogefar. "My men's families are out there. We'll defend every inch of this planet if need be."

"Rekkr," The Duke replied, drawing the big man's gaze. "If this is all true, defending the factories would be far easier than defending open spaces. We would have free reign to bombard the Xenos that landed there as well."

"Your Highness!-"

"Silence." Æthelwulf said, slamming his fist onto the arm of his throne. "I recognize your concern, old friend. But I'll not be questioned on the defense of my world. I need your support."

"Your Highness," a voice called from the back.

"What!?" Æthelwulf snarled, causing the disheveled messenger to blanch back in fear. He didn't know what to say for a moment, before sputtering to continue. "A-Anomalies have been spotted three hundred thousand kilometers from orbit, and we have lost communication with Virinax."

The room fell into a hush once more, though it was short lived. Within seconds, a burst of commotion erupted once the news had sunk in. Lords leaping up, announcing they were returning to their facilities. Rekkr calling to get the High Gunner on the comm, and Neil simply whistling his condolences. It was when the Duke stood up and called for the arrest of the Lords that the room suddenly calmed once more.

"Arrest?" Byrnhold repeated incredulously, laughing in disbelief. "You forget yourself sir! You don't have the comman-"

"I have absolute command, my Lord." The Duke spat. "This is only temporary, until I can find out why there were men studying these beasts at the facilities. Don't think I have not had you and yours investigated, either. We will speak more of this later, but as of now your resources are recommissioned for the greater good of Fornax." The pronouncement turned the Lords from arrogant windbags to red-faced windbags. The Duke ignored them, turning to Astador. "We'll need your Knights to aid in evacuations."

"You have them," Astador replied, his voice reverberating from within his helmet. Æthelwulf gave a curt nod, before his eyes fell on Sayeeda and Neil. "I assume you two want to live?"

Neil nodded his head, Sayeeda giving a nod akin to the one he just gave Astador. "Good. If you survive this I'll see you suitably rewarded once more, but for now we need to evacuate the townships and villages. Take your ship and do so. You'll be given coordinates. Astador and his Knights will do the same. Take a few of his Knights to aid you."
@Penny

[Penny]

The Highlander shuddered for a moment in dynamic stasis before settling to the thruster burned earth. The yellowish local grass flashed to fire for an instant but was quickly snuffed by the hungry intakes of the settling starship. The low scrubby bushes surrounding the hillside came alive for a moment as dozens of small reptiloid animals, local fauna who had chosen to freeze rather than flee when the metal behemoth roared down from the heavens, reevaluated their choice and bolted for safety.

The Highlander perched on a slight hillock several hundred meters north of one of Fornax's outlying hamlets. The village, whatever it was called, differed only in arrangement from the dozen they had already visited. For that matter it seemed of a piece with a half dozen worlds Sayeeda had seen during her time with the Armored. To a tanker, villages were places where indiges with RPG's could hide, or insurgents could melt away into in times of trouble. They provided no real cover from plasma weaponry though, provided you were willing to use it on what some might consider civilian targets.

"Disembarking," came the mechanical voice of one of the Knights as they unassed the vehicle through one of the boarding gates, already striding across the charred hilltop towards the gawping villagers, integral speakers blasting edicts of evacuation. It would take them a few minutes to convince the villagers that they really should abandon everything they owned and flee to the massive fortress-like fabrication cities. Junebug viewed the knights with a certain amount of professional contempt. They were certainly brave and skilled but their structure was too feudal to allow for much tactical flexibillity and their armor, impressive and effective on lower tech worlds, wouldn't be particularly effective against the kind of modern plasma weapons or high intensity EM pieces Sayeeda was familiar with. To a rabble of villagers like those below, they must have seemed the the emissaries of an angry god.

Sayeda sat in her command chair, though her body below the head was covered with the metal plasitc shell of the auto-doc which she had moved from the medbay/galley to the bridge. Periodically she felt her flesh jabbed by needles or cooled by the infusions of various drugs. According to Looney's somewhat jaunty assessment shed be 'fit to wrestle a greased pig' in no time, although the abominable accent rendered the word as 'peg'. In the background she kept an audio feed of the battle in orbit playing. Sayeeda was no Navarch but it didn't sound to her like things were going well. Most human warships of any size relied heavily on manuevering through the RIP to close interstellar distance and evade their enemies. The strange dark matter shadow the aliens were casting made that impossible and the Fornax fleet didn't seem to have the training in squadron operations to make up the loss.

After the meeting they had been 'escorted' to their ship and had their cargo off coffee unceremoniously dumped onto the dock. Sayeeda had objected stenously before the commander of the Knights curtly informed her that the Duke would indemnify her for the loss. After that they had flown from one outlying village to another, ferrying people back to the central cities as quickly as it was possible.

"We really should have lit for orbit when we had the chance," Sayeeda spoke softly so as not to be overheard by the pair of Knights who had remained on board.

"This is likely to turn into a real shit show."
@POOHEAD189

[POOHEAD189]

Neil lounged atop the Highlander, nearly forty feet above ground. Even laying lazily, it gave him a good vantage point of the local grasslands, and the village they had stopped at.

Most hamlets, villages, and towns on Fornax outside of the fabrication cities were mining settlements, and those that weren't were smaller farms where they grew crops and raised livestock. Most of the planet's food they got from offworld, but it seemed the Duke wasn't too keen on not being at least somewhat self sufficient in a time of crisis. Unfortunately, this was a crisis where food might not be plentiful for some time.

It took nearly an hour for the first villagers to start trickling out of the village, though they looked to be appraisers rather than actual refugees with their belongings.

"We really should have lit for orbit when we had the chance," Sayeeda spoke softly so as not to be overheard by the pair of Knights who had remained on board.

"This is likely to turn into a real shit show." Neil heard on the comm. The young man shrugged, though she couldn't see. "Look at the bright side." He said persuasively. "If we do make it out of here, we're getting paid far more than we could have dreamed! That, and we're helping people." He added the last as an afterthought and minor reminder. If he wasn't such a glutton for excitement, he'd be on board with Sayeeda's concerns.

In the distance, Neil heard faint booms, and he glanced behind him. The sky was blue, with nary a cloud in the sky. But passed the distant mountain range, he could see fiery streaks cutting into orbit from the ground. Those were the PDC guns. Massive cannons planted on the planet's surface to aid the defense of the orbital battle. They were powerful, but they boded ill for Fornax. If those guns were firing, it meant there was little left of the defenders, or the enemy was so numerous they couldn't hope to dodge such a stationary weapon.

Luckily it seemed the guns had been the kick in the ass the town needed. As soon as they had begun firing, the townsfolk began to gather in the street. While the Knights had frightened them earlier, they saw them as harbingers of doom now, and ran to obey their orders.

Astador stood at the brink of the townscape, overlooking the foodstuffs being taken first, driving them like they were his serfs. Still, the man had a grasp on what was important, and he even helped haul the larger items, the minor synthetics in his musculature, as well as his normally strong body was a boon to the town's movements. He wondered if this hamlet even had a name. It reminded him somewhat of his old origins, before his induction as an acolyte.

It seemed fate that the Knight was looking towards the where the Highlander was parked. For behind Neil, three grey objects began to materialize above the horizon, plummeting toward the hamlet at terrible speeds. Astador enhanced the vision in his helmet, and to his mounting trepidation, he could tell whatever was hurtling toward them was organic. A mass of muscle, with no real face or limbs save for writhing tentacles and frontal sucker.

"Captain." He called on the comm, but Sayeeda would already see them on the rader. Neil didn't notice the transport Organisms until they had struck the far field a scant few miles south of them with the impact of a planetary ballistic missile. It nearly rocked him off the Highlander. He caught himself dexterously, and then moved his thick hair out of his vision, slowly going for the comm again once he saw very distant movement from the now crushed bio-ship.

"Hey, that's not a good thing is it?"
@Penny

[Penny]

"Very few things going on in this system are good things," Sayeeda rejoined dryly. Verbally, as her hands were still inside the autodoc, she qued up the sensor data, a synthesis from the Highlander's own sensors and the sytem wide net they were tied into. Scrolling back the data she traced the object back into space and found it on an intersecting track with the PDC batteries that had recently opened up.

"Looks like a piece of a bioship that got gutted by the defensive screen," she told Neil.

"Yeah well it dosen't look that gutted from here," crackled his reply. Cursing she ordered the auto-doc to begin its disconnect sequence, and over rode several of its mechanical objections to the half finished job. The machine hissed with the gentle discharge of various gasses and the withdrawal of integrated IV access points. Even on a state of the art system the disengagement would take several minutes. In the mean time she remoted a view to one of Highlander's optical sensors, closet to where Neil's comm system emenated. The top of the bioship, a lumpy charred thing like a burned lemon was visible several miles distant. She rolled the maginification forward and got a hazy view of the surface of the thing. Chambers in the... hull for want of a better term, were popping open like pimples, oozing some sort of slime as nightmarish creatures, difficult to view at this magnification but similar to what they had seen on the moon, emerged and shook themselves like wet cannines. As she watched parties of the creatures began setting out a dozen or so to a group.

"Scouting," Sayeeda said, despite the fact that Neil didn't have access to the video and could only guess at what she was talking about. They were radiating away from the downed ship like spokes on a wheel, unfortunately one of the spokes seemed to be pointed within a few degrees of the village.

"Neil get inside, break. This is Highlander Six to Tin-man command," Sayeed went on, tripping the comm circuit to the Knights.

"This is Sword Seargent Atrador of the..." the Knight began to respond, the irritation at her impromptu callsign clear in his voice. Sayeeda grinned and squashed his transmission. In a military net the highest ranking officer speaking would be given priority by the AI controling the circuit. Sayeeda wasn't technically in a net with Atrador but she had the advantage of the Highlander's commo suite, which had orders of magintude more power than any practical man portable gear.

"Yeah yeah, save it for the Nun's or whatever. We have incomming from the impact site. What is your ETA on the evacuation."

"I estimate twenty minutes to get all civilians aboard if we prioritize them over the foodstuffs," came the somewhat sullen response. That wasn't going to be fast enough, not by ten minutes at least. The auto doc cracked open and Sayeeda climbed out, naked except for the clinging antiseptic slime the machine used and started grabbing for her clothes.

"Neil better round up whatever fighting statuary isn't actively helping people," she decided, stepping hastily into her pants and pulling them up over her hips.

"We need to buy ten minutes."

@POOHEAD189

[POOHEAD189]

Neil clambered down as Sayeeda spoke to him, dropping and leaping from crevice to platform until he was less than a dozen feet above the ground. He leaped off. "Got it, Captain," he said, hitting the ground in a roll, before hustling into the ship, passing Sayeeda to get to one of the many armories they had. He shook his head as he opened up the hatch to reveal the guns, wishing once more that he had time to make a mech. He'd squash those insect out there like...like bugs.

Grabbing the melta-flamer, he also procured the ships only plasma rifle. It was a bit unwieldy and unstable, but over such a long distance, with rapid/burst firing capabilities? Seemed like a good choice. "Alright Astador," Neil called into the comm like he was a coach getting the team revved up. "Grab whatever men you can spare and meet me by the brink of the rise. Got that?"

Begrudgingly, he heard the affirmation. Astador must really be used to honorary titles and protocol. Hopefully, he'd earn the right out there once those Xenos started advancing. Hefting the rifle, Neil jogged out past the cockpit and out of the open bay hatch of the Highlander. "Hey Lonney," Neil called. The AI pipped up, echoing from within. "Aye, sir?"

"Turn on the autoguns. If any non-humans approach the vicinity, blast 'em to hell."

"Roight. Gonna fry some aliens. Aye!"

Neil glanced back at the Highlander, and smiled whimsically. "I am so glad I found that accent feature." He breathed.

It took less than a minute for eight of the Brother-Knights of the Dark Cavaliers to be at the ready along the edge of the rise, overlooking the fields and lowlands that stretched all the way to the distant mountains. A few militia men were with them, holding slug-thrower rifles and wearing aged flak jackets. They looked afraid, though eager to aid their homestead. There must have been two dozen of them.

The rolling hills and verdant grasslands of yellow and green looked like a painting of immeasurable beauty, tainted by the stain mark of the crashed bio-ships not four miles away. Unfortunately, despite the timely arrival of the Knights and the quick gathering of the small militia force, the Xenonids had already made it a mile, leaping incredible lengths across the fields, some scuttling over the odd boulder or hill in their way. There must have been hundred of them. All of them somehow knowing prey was near.

"Stay here," Astador ordered the militia with authority. Some seemed relieved, but others didn't want to be held back, though to Neil they probably just didn't want to appear weak. The Sword Sergeant held a hand to silence their complaints. "We will need your supporting fire. Let me and my brothers slow them. We can leap out of safety when need be." Some men leaned back, seeing the jump packs strapped to the back of Astador's armor. He had a point.

"It's a bug hunt!" Neil said behind the line, loading his rifle and drawing gazes to him. "Game over man, game-...you never seen that hologram?"

Astador turned to him, and looked him up and down. Neil couldn't see the Knight's face within his helm, but he had the feeling there was an incredulous look on the valiant Cavalier's features. Neil raised his brow, knowing the Knight was going to tell him to stay behind. But...

"You're not a civilian. I suppose I cannot stop you. Just stay near the rocks." Astador said. The Xenonids leaped and crawled closer. Astador along with his Knights readied their packs as Neil began to clamber down the slope, using his free hand to keep himself steady.
@Penny

[Penny]

Sayeeda settled her helmet onto her head and adjusted the fit so it rested comfortably. The medigel beneath her garments was still uncomfortably slick and the slight differential rate of evaporation made her feel chilled. The militia hunkered down nervously around her. It was an understandable reflex even though nothing they had seen suggested that the xenos could bring any projectile weapons to bear. She unslung her plasma rifle, snapped open the breech and examine the mechanism. Satisfied she closed the lock and worked the action ejecting the poker chip like cell and snatching the spinning disk from the air. Although plasma guns were reliable tech the tolerances were tight enough that veterans learned to give their equipment every assistance they could. Junebug tucked the unspent round into an equipment pouch and unhooked her canteen and took a long drink.

Below them the Knights were arranging themselves in a loose skirmish line at the edge of a recently hewed field. The crop was unfamiliar to Sayeeda but it seemed to consist of finger thick brownish stalks. She wondered how tall the stuff grew before it was harvested. Travelling the stars gave one a wide palette for crops and even though Terran varieties tended to predominate the galaxy was full of strange and partially edible biota.

"When we collect all this reward money, we need to invest in a vehicle," she mused as she watched the oncoming alien through her magnified view. The crops further out were somewhat longer and so the enemy was visible more by the movement in the grasslike undergrowth. Range finders ticked down in her augmented view.

"Damn, they can move," she commented, clocking some of the smaller creatures at over thirty kph. This could get really messy if they were smart enough to flank the Knights. Pulling out in a hurry was likely to be a non starter. She glanced back towards the ship and wondered if they could use the ship for some fire support. Probably not a great idea if they were going to be trying to load civilians, the side scatter from the heavy guns would make the ship unapproachable.

The helmet carroted a sudden new target in the distance and her head snapped up to follow the movement. At the hiveship fragment, something much bigger was emerging from its transport pupa and beginning to lumber towards the group. The estimate from the helmet gave its arrival at ten minutes. It seemed to be moving slowly but builing up speed rapidly.

"Didn't see anything like that at the asteroid," she said to Neil and pointed with an outstretched finger at the much larger Xenos.

"We better be ready if these things try to flank the line, these farmers wont last two seconds if they get behind us." Crouching down she unsnapped a bipod from the front of her rifle and thumbed the holographic sight to life. The leading creatures would be in range within a handful of seconds ans she needed to make sure they came right at the Knights.

@POOHEAD189

[POOHEAD189]

Neil skidded to a stop at one of the boulders that cropped the slope, dirt and stones skipping away from his feet as he ground to a halt. Whistling, he clambered atop the boulder, placing his right foot steadily forward and his left foot at the back of the rock, near the earth. He leveled the plasma rifle, and aimed down its sight. The weapon was bulky and solid, but he held it well enough and kept it steady.

The Knights ran down the slope like warriors born. They might be hopelessly outnumbered, but Space Cavaliers were known for their effective combat prowess and their shock and awe tactics. Neil had a hard time focusing on his aiming, wanting to get a front row view of when the combat truly began. The Xenonids were out of range for him, at least effective range. But the Knights opened fire as one, their powerful plasma carbines lighting up the area, even under the wide open Fornax sun.

Glowing and green, the plasma slugs were fired with unerring accuracy, slamming into the Xenonids unfortunate enough to be within range of the powerful weaponry. Even their durable carapaces couldn't withstand them, melting near instantaneously, not even being able to screech before their bodies were shorn through with abandon. And even as the wave of aliens still came, the Dark Cavaliers advanced as well, slowly turning themselves into an island in a sea of enemies scrabbling to get closer to them.

Neil suddenly realized he had them in range, and set his plasma rifle to full auto to help keep the approaching horde under control. He grinned as he pulled the trigger, his rifle kicking hard as he laid down fire on the right ridgeline, making sure no Xenonids flanked them or had a clear shot to town. Unfortunately a few seemed to have taken notice of him, and one or two made it past his firing line to leap toward town. He just hoped the militia were up for the task.

A screech woke him up from where he was aiming, and a Xenonid the size of him leaped at him with terrifying force. He barely got the rifle around in time to hit it square in its thorax, ducking as the now limp body hit the slope behind him. "Flamer sounds good right about now," He breathed, putting down the rifle for his other weapon. If anything, this would be more effective crowd control.

Below him, the Knights fought like competent veterans, shooting the leaping Xenonids and even getting in a good rifle butt hit or two, but slowly they were being pushed back. One Dark Cavalier was hit by two of the alien beasts, his armor holding steady for their initial strikes, but with the third bite it began to be crushed by the diamond-hard pincers of the beasts. If Astador had not cleaved through them from behind with his gleaming force-blade, it would have been a fatal experience.

"Fall back!" Astador called, his jetpack roaring with flame as he took a flying leap back up the slope. Despite the furious speed and strength of the Xenonids, the Knight's jump-packs carried them at least twice the distance of their bestial leaps, if not thrice. Unfortunately, one of the Cavalier's was hit as he tried to jump back, and was torn to shreds by four of the Xenos, his armor crumpling beneath their savagery during the redeployment.

Neil backed up the slope slowly, hearing the crack of a weapon behind him. He looked up to see Sayeeda, hitting her target with every shot. The militia beside her were stark white with fear, but with a veiled threat from the Captain they began to cock their weapons and fire to aid in the Cavalier retreat. They didn't do much damage, but it was better than nothing. Neil set fire to the surrounding edge of the hillock, the liquified concoction melting stone and earth, and any Xenonid that was unfortunate enough to get too close. Behind the still-too-large horde however, the large beast Sayeeda had spotted earlier was gaining traction.

The beast was akin to the smaller Xenonids, with multiple limbs and pincers, with bony armor. But it had a saurian appearance, and a huge mass of teeth with black, dead eyes sunken beside its giant maw. It must have been 5 meters tall and over three tons in weight, if any of them had to guess. Upon its back was a protrusion that dripped some extract Neil did not want to get near.

"God, that thing reminds me of my step mother." Neil said into the comm. "Big, butts into things it shouldn't, and just ugly as sin."
@Penny

[Penny]

The barrel of Sayeeda's plasma rifle shimmered as the heat of the barrel distorted the air around it. A high rate of fire burned barrels out quickly but a new barrel was a cheap price to pay for survival. The Xenos lapped forward like a wave of angry chitin, snapping at the heels of the retreating Knights.

"Well it seems she wants to pay you a visit," Sayeeda said dryly as she slotted a fresh magazine into her weapon. The thing was deceptively fast, its long legs gave it the appearance of lumbering but the vast strides meant that it covered alot of ground. It crunched through its own troops with no concern for the casualties it caused, crushing its smaller brethren beneath vast clawlike feet. THere was a sudden sound like a giant cat vommiting and black ooze gouted forth at firehose presure. The mass of reeking substance caught one of the fleeing Knights mid jump and he tumbled to the earth, screaming and tearing at his helmet. The creatures washed over him without a pause.

The milita broke and ran with cries of terror. Many of them simply through their weapons to the ground and bolted. Sayeeda supposed she couldn't really blame them but her contempt for untrained militias, already well substantiated by experience grew a measure.

"Make for the ship!" she screamed over the chaos, her voice peircing and commanding. The best she could hope for was to give some order to the rout.

"Captain, my men inform me that they will have completed loading by the time we reach the ship," Astador's voice informed her over her mastoid radio. He sounded tight, but in control. That might well be true but even if so they wouldn't be able to get aboard and lift before the lumbering behemoth reached it.

"Roger that, we will fall back and meet you at the ship," she replied. They had to find away to side track the giant.

"Be ready," Sayeeda said to Neil and sighted at the creature carefully. One of the creatures eyes flash heated to steam as the plasma rifle cracked, and it whipped its head around in anger and confusion. Junebug stood and snapped the bipod shut as the thing turned its remaining baleful eye upon her.

"Time we got the hell out of here," she said mildly and turned and bolted without another word. The main swarm seemed to be content to pursue the retreating Knights as they, by previous agreement, made a long looping curve back towards the ship, giving the civilians the maximum amount of time to get on board. The monstrosity however, had another target in mind. Rather than fleeing towards the ship Sayeeda and Neil fled south into the increasingly rugged and broken terrain to the south east of the settlement. Sayeeda turned twice and fired aimed shots into the creature but it still gained at a prodigious rate.

"Captain I..." Neil said dubiously.

"Don't worry I have a plan," she said pointing an out stretched finger at a narrow ravine a few dozen yards ahead of them. The thing was less than fifty meters behind them now and gaining quickly. Branches slapped at Sayeeda as she unhooked a smoke grenade from her belt and hurled it infront of her. It sputtered dark black smoke almost immediately as the chemical accelerants kicked into gear.

"Jump!" she commanded as they reached the newly formed smoke bank. Both captain and pilot leaped over the three meter ravine with ease but the pursuing creature, half blind and with the smoke to content with was not so lucky. Sayeeda and Neil managed to scramble up over some dark granite boulders when the thing hit the ravine, its left leg finding nothing but empty air as it cleared the smoke. It half dropped into the ravine but its momentum carried it forward, smashing its legs and waist against the rock wall of the raving with a spine chilling snap and pop. The thing thrashed the edge of the ravine with its arms crumbling hundred of kilos of dirt and rock.

Neil leaped forward and leveled his flamer, pouring a long blast into the things face as it snapped and spat in impotent frustration, The chitin burned and ran like wax, the other eye bursting like a dirty soap bubble under the onslaught.

"Bet you wish you got the chance to do THAT to your step mother," Sayeeda declared, a hint of satisfaction in her voice for a rare change.

@POOHEAD189