Drake could hear the company chaplain reading from the Bible to the more religious members of the team. "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me." The Sergeant tuned him out after that. Their Cheyenne dropship was going to the surface of the moon, along with many others. This first wave would establish a field base, fortify it, and clear out any bug that got in the way.
He glanced down at his arm. The components were acid-proof, and resistant to pistol-caliber rounds up to .454. But it still couldn't stand up to the teeth of a Xeno. Sure, it hurt less than if his real arm was bitten, but it was better than nothing. He rose to his feet, donning his mask. The others fell silent. "The good Lord does work in mysterious ways," he said. "All respect to Him, though, we're gonna be clearing bugs on our own. Someone's gotta do it, and we just happen to be that someone." He cocked the charging handle on his assault rifle.
"For those of you with weapons on full-auto, fire in short bursts," Drake continued. "No need to waste ammunition. And for those of you on a bug hunt for the first time..." He paused. "Use your head. Odds are you'll come back alive. Just remember..." He cracked a wry grin behind his mask. "Marines never die. We just go to hell and regroup."
"Ooh-rah!"
The Queen felt their presence drawing closer. Yes, more hosts had arrived, and just in time. The Warriors and Drones had hunted down every human, every animal that could bear offspring for them-- dogs, cats, even animals in the labs. The Queen let out a telepathic cry, calling out to her offspring. One in particular was ready to hunt. She had been spawned from one of the lab animals, but her intelligence surpassed nearly all of her siblings. Her name came from a scar that had been burned into the carapace of her skull by a lab tech. She had been very thorough in making sure that he had died slowly, in great pain.
Now they would hunt again. All they needed to do was wait until nightfall.
The ship, one of three sent down onto the moon's surface, touched down. The moon's surface was rocky, and bare for the most part, save for the occasional tree, shrub, or cactus. Its occupant was not human, not even close. In fact, his clan had many of them for trophies. He and his clan-mates were here to hunt, and if the human military got in the way, then so be it. They would die just like the serpents. Clicking as he activated his ship's active camouflage remotely, he could see where the human's outer settlement was; according to scans, the rest of the complex was underground.
Combat in a desert or scrub plant didn't have the same advantages as hunting in forests or jungles, but the serpents knew where he would be, even if he deployed his active camouflage. But now, the hunt would begin in earnest.
He glanced down at his arm. The components were acid-proof, and resistant to pistol-caliber rounds up to .454. But it still couldn't stand up to the teeth of a Xeno. Sure, it hurt less than if his real arm was bitten, but it was better than nothing. He rose to his feet, donning his mask. The others fell silent. "The good Lord does work in mysterious ways," he said. "All respect to Him, though, we're gonna be clearing bugs on our own. Someone's gotta do it, and we just happen to be that someone." He cocked the charging handle on his assault rifle.
"For those of you with weapons on full-auto, fire in short bursts," Drake continued. "No need to waste ammunition. And for those of you on a bug hunt for the first time..." He paused. "Use your head. Odds are you'll come back alive. Just remember..." He cracked a wry grin behind his mask. "Marines never die. We just go to hell and regroup."
"Ooh-rah!"
=======
The Queen felt their presence drawing closer. Yes, more hosts had arrived, and just in time. The Warriors and Drones had hunted down every human, every animal that could bear offspring for them-- dogs, cats, even animals in the labs. The Queen let out a telepathic cry, calling out to her offspring. One in particular was ready to hunt. She had been spawned from one of the lab animals, but her intelligence surpassed nearly all of her siblings. Her name came from a scar that had been burned into the carapace of her skull by a lab tech. She had been very thorough in making sure that he had died slowly, in great pain.
Now they would hunt again. All they needed to do was wait until nightfall.
=======
The ship, one of three sent down onto the moon's surface, touched down. The moon's surface was rocky, and bare for the most part, save for the occasional tree, shrub, or cactus. Its occupant was not human, not even close. In fact, his clan had many of them for trophies. He and his clan-mates were here to hunt, and if the human military got in the way, then so be it. They would die just like the serpents. Clicking as he activated his ship's active camouflage remotely, he could see where the human's outer settlement was; according to scans, the rest of the complex was underground.
Combat in a desert or scrub plant didn't have the same advantages as hunting in forests or jungles, but the serpents knew where he would be, even if he deployed his active camouflage. But now, the hunt would begin in earnest.
