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May 2023 It's been hectic this last year, but we are alive and celebrating our fifth year of adventure and tales. A lot has been worked on to help make the Monoverse one that everyone can enjoy and explore their story while becoming a part of the greater cosmos. All of you, new and long time players, stay safe, and see you in the Sea of Stars!
The beeps continue as a swarm of red dots fill motion tracker displays. The rumble of the explosive thrown by the metal intruder is met with more screeching, and even as the three race to leave the management center, they can now see all the hive structure built up on the ceiling. As well, forms are shifting, revealing more and more of what happened on this planet.
Once they reach the exit, the intruders can hear more inhuman screams, and a mass of black forms that now burst out of various buildings. They are something none of the three have ever seen before, but they are fast, agile, and clearly predatory.
At the main entry gate of the colony city, the intruders are met with the sight of a very large jet black creature. It is over twelve feet tall as it stands up, thicker built than many of its fellows, with a series of four paired divits in the carapace mesoskeleton of its head, almost like eye sockets. A pair of framing mandible jaws come down around its lower jaw, like a Kromus, and it's hands are tridactyl pincer claws, two top sections to an opposable 'thumb' that is sectioned for flexibility. There appears to be a lump of some kind in the center of its claw, much like the infamous organic bioplasmic beam emitters of the Kromus, and around it, the pincer claws clack together. A thick segmented tail whips about behind the creature, a long jagged tip at its end that drips with some kind of secreted fluid.
And behind the intruders, the rest are coming.
When the intruder turns its attentions back to the video feed, it will find there is only a blank return. Not even the projected illuminator can be seen. Whatever happened to the drone, it is dead.
There is a hiss as the intruder pulls the iris sectioned door open, and another of the creatures is staring at him, teeth based while the sectioned under jaws open to reveal a tongue appendage that has a second snapping mouth on it. A thick claw tipped tridactyl hand swings out, grabbing the remaining panels and pushing them open. From behind the creature are more screeches like it's own, indicating others like it waiting to pounce. The panels are almost opened now, and more screeches are echoing through the ship's hull.
Post by Eliza Silvermantle on Sept 3, 2019 18:28:14 GMT
As Eliza broke for the open, she received her first look at the creatures she'd been detecting, and for the briefest of moments, fear stirred in her chest. The Witch didn't slow, however, demonstrating a level of dexterity and precision that even augmented humans would struggle to keep up with as she opened fire with her rifle on the nearest creatures. She hadn't the slightest idea what they were, but she wasn't about to allow any into melee range, given the disparity in size between the hunters and herself. The rapid crack of her magrail rifle joined the chaotic symphony in a rapid chain, nearly giving the illusion that her rifle was an automatic weapon.
Onward the woman sprinted, moving across the cityscape as fast as she could under her present conditions, firing shot after shot with the grim realization that there were simply too many of the enemy. Ahead, she could see something even more terrible, a creature like the others, yet larger, and equipped with the distinctive claw-blasters of a Kromus. For a moment, Eliza thought to herself that this particular specimen resembled some unholy parody of the infamous Ridley.
"Veska, I need close air, ri-"
"Miss Eliza, relax," the android interrupted over the comms, seeming to the Witch strangely calm. An instant later, that calm was explained, however, with the low thrum of the Dancing Goddesss engines and the staccato shriek of the ventral pulse lasers tearing through the city, starting at the main entry gate, before skipping to the rear of the trio's position, unleashing the ship's fury on the strange hunting beasts. "I didn't have anything to do while I was waiting, and things sounded interesting on the comms, so I patched the video feed through the ship's viewscreen. Looked like you were in trouble, so..yeah."
Eliza wanted to scream her frustration then and there, but the area was still quite unsafe, even with Veska laying down covering fire with machine precision. "Ye were already gettin' shite set when I called fer ye ta get ready, aye?"
"Of course. I wouldn't be a very good assistant if I let you get killed, now would I?" came the reply, spoken in such a manner that not the first time Eliza questioned whether it was possible for an android-type AI to truly understand sarcasm, or if it was simply a learned response through their surroundings.
"Right then. Move over us and lay down fire ta escort these two maniacs ta their ship," the Witch ordered as she loaded another magazine. "Voyager, Eligos! We've got an escort! Let's move!" she called now through her external speakers to her two companions.
The Automaton largely ignored the incoming fire from the looming vessel overhead as he continued his sprint towards his own smaller craft, knowing that it was not he they were aiming for and that it'd be easier for them to avoid hitting him if he kept to a predictable path. The trip took him back over familiar ground too, allowing him to devote even more effort to speed over safety. At this point, he was only touching the ground in order to puch himself back up into the air, having reached the point where his grav-harness was doing all the work, the piece of equipment would need to be recharged before it was usable again.
The sound of his clanging footsteps would echo through the Arrow as he threw off gear in preparation for piloting the craft. Plugging in, he brought the weapons online followed immediately by all the different scanners. The Arrow's turrets swiveled around and began to sweep across the area, Invisible light partially ionizing the air, revealing the path of energy as ghostly lines of white arc back and forth between the craft and the city.
The Pilot would wait for his comrade to board, continuing to fire at the enemy indiscriminately.
Eyeless, hungry horror glared at him through the widening portal to the brood. He stared back, night vision amplifying the little light to reveal a soulless black glassy surface that he knew bore a malevolence far more animalistic in nature than even the savage Kromus.
With the portal widening from their brute strength, it was clear there was little reason to stay for whatever intel there might be, doubly so when he was most certainly flanked. One of his batons moved towards the hole and fired, sending a harsh white burst of electricity forwards right into the face of the monstrosity.
His other baton immediately fired a burst into the water behind him; just to be safe. If there was anything in there, it was in for a rude awakening. So were the monstrosities no doubt itching to erupt into the hallway. The spherical form of a fragmentation grenade popped through the hole but Czyereck was already skittering across the wall and back down the corridor the way he came, firing off a signal from his his com system to the knife ship to pick him up.
A dull click echoing from each side let him know his weapons has spent all of their ammo. He didn't even bother checking their condition visually as he pressed the buttom to eject the magazines, locking them under his arms to forcefully yank the bent piece of metal from the warped frame of the weapon, before swinging it down to his moving legs to slide the new ones in, smacking the butts upon his cybernetic thighs to jam it in with a satisfying click.
They were surrounded. By hoards upon hoards of these strange sleek beings, creature's whose very appearance seemed streamlined and built for purpose. Even with the looming danger and their exit cut off by the large being, he couldn't help but admiring the biomechanical appearance they seemed to bear, an appearance that reminded him of his own cybernetically enhanced body. They were beautiful creatures. Beautiful, but deadly.
Weapons reloaded he opened fire once more, not in full auto but in short bursts to any creature that seemed to move ahead of the swarm as a whole. In fact he was prepared to release the safety on his legs to increase his speed as to bypass the big fella, when the vessel loomed over, bringing fire and fury upon the multiplying hostile, and clearing their path to salvation. Unlike his partner, despite his greater base speed he was currently still bound by gravity, as such he would arrive second, not even bothering with slowing down as he enters the rear of the ship, his taloned feet skidding across the floor until he slammed against a wall, pain radiating through his torso.
"Close it!...Unless you want to try and get a single one inside before we take off..."
It was a stupid suggestion, but this mission had been chosen by Seeker after all. If he deemed the specimen as worth it, Eligos was at least willing to try and oblige
The Arrow shoots up into the air, continuing to lay down laser fire from it's ventral turret, Cargo ramp closing as it ascends. Upon reaching approximately 1 km up, the Vessel paused momentarily to turn it's kinetic accelerator towards the mass of creatures below.
"Organic occupants are advised to hold onto something, recoil may or may not cause loss of footing."
A series of loud booms echoes across the area as the Arrow spits out five heavy spikes in rapid succession, throwing up great plumes of soil as they impact. The Pilot made sure to gather some data from these impacts before turning the vessel up towards the stars and then heading back up into the sky. The mission was as complete as it was gonna get, and there was more than enough data to make a full report on the validity of the world as a staging grounds.
Screeching as the lines of hot red pulsed energy beams cut into the creatures, many scattering while the massive one ahead of the intruders made its own move to avoid injury. While the three smaller intruders managed to get by it and to safety, it bared its teeth in a snarl before chasing after.
The half-metal man had delayed closing the hatch of the smaller ship just long enough as not one, but three of the creatures managed to leap the distance and reach entry. More managed to leap to the hull even as the craft rose upward, tearing at the outer plating of the craft while their fellows inside were now facing off with the half-metal man who was alive and breathed.
More screeching echoed through the corridors as the arthropod intruder fled. The electrical bursts it had flung at the creatures had slowed them, but did not stop them, and chase was given even as the intruder hurried to escape. Outside, there was a sound as a vessel shaped like a knife came down and about, awaiting the arthropod intruder down river where it could find a clearing large enough to descend through.
He shouted, both to himself, fate itself, and Seeker through the comms. He turned around at the sound of the door closing, only to be faced by the three approaching creatures...Well shit. He steadied himself, back pressed against the wall and legs at and angle as to anchor himself in place. His hands held the automatic weapons, still warm and battered from their recon fire. He didn't count, but he guessed each of them ought to have about half a clip each. HV rounds. Were this any other vessel he wouldn't dread to use them inside a pressurized environment, but again and again Seeker assured him of the sturdiness of the ship. Heck the only thing that managed to even scratch it had been his diamond-tipped claws.
His fingers flexed along the firearms in preparation, the headset resting against his ears suddenly filling with the growing sounds of a song. Bass and guitar ringing in his ears he would lift the twin automatics, aiming in the loose direction of the trio, before squeezing. The horrid sound of bursting fire and high-speed bullets was punctuated by the ricochet and shower of sparks as occasional projectiles hit walls, ceiling and floor, a veritable wall of bullets flying in the direction of the creatures, a silent prayer repeating in his mind, begging the structure to hold.
The last shot is heralded by a small explosion in his grip, the firearms finally giving in to the horrid stress of constant fighting, the sides of the one in his right bursting open amidst a shower of metal shrapnel, while the one in his left simply bent and jammed. He dropped them to the ground, quickly reaching for his duffel back and opening it up, the low light revealing the glint of a dozen glass bottles, filled with a murky liquid. This was a bad idea. Even if the bullets didn't break atmosphere, the fire would eat away at his oxygen. he was wearing a gas-mask but the thing was more of a filter than anything else.
"Seeker. If you detect pressure loss, sorry. Call our new friend to see if she can give me a lift..."
He nearly shouted over the music roaring in his ears. He grabbed two bottles, thumbs breaking the duct tape seal on the top and pushing the cloth held over it. As soon as the sensors in his fingertips detected moisture, a short jolt of electricity jumped from his fingers, igniting the alcohol-soaked rags. Highly destined alcohol and a hand-full of refined sugar. Great for nice strong frames that love sticking to targets. He threw the bottles ahead of him, aiming at the remaining foes.
Post by Eliza Silvermantle on Sept 7, 2019 3:03:46 GMT
Amid the chaos, Eliza gave little thought to the other hunters' ship once they'd made for it, instead focusing on keeping a solid perimeter on the ground as Veska maneuvered the Dancing Goddess into position for extraction. The air around the Witch hummed with energy as bolt after bolt lanced by, forming a veritable wall of death with the dorsal turret joining the firestorm in order to establish a wider buffer zone for Eliza to board.
"Eliza, I'm getting ready to open the ramp, but there's too many for me to risk a full open. Get ready to jump in," Veska informed the Witch, who continued to pick off the creatures as they made themselves available to target.
"Acknowledged. Ready when ye are," Eliza replied as she prepared for another sprint. Fortunately, the ship was more or less above her, circling only enough to prevent any of the creatures from exploiting a potential blind spot and drive them all further back or else be vaporized. The Dancing Goddess didn't fully land, however, but remained nearly 2 meters above the surface.
"Ready? Move!" The android exclaimed, adding the inflection to further emphasize the moment as the dull hiss of the landing ramp descended by perhaps 15 degrees, not even halfway open. It was enough, however, for the slender woman, even in armor, who quickly returned her rifle to the side holster on her armored pack, then lunged up and through the narrow gap.
"I'm in, seal and get us up!" Eliza ordered as she scrambled to her feet, reflexively going for her paired MARS, ready to fire through the now-closing ramp should anything attempt to follow. She couldn't recall the last time she felt so thankful to feel the surge of g-forces pressing down on her as the vessel rapidly ascended, though once the entryway was sealed, the Witch made her way back to the cockpit. "Excellent work, Veska. Need ta check on those two that were wi me, though, make sure they got clear alright, and then we need ta let GalFed and Confed know this hellhole needs some serious quarantine measures."
"I noticed it was a bit macabre down there. Any idea what those creatures were?" the android wondered as she moved to hail the Arrow.
"No idea," Eliza grunted before leaning towards the comms. "Oi, Voyager, this is th' Dancin' Goddess. Marie here. Ye get clear alright? I dinna quite catch everythin' wi all th' madness gannin about."
The alien horde was every bit as fast as he was on eight limbs or on two. With the breakneck tempo and rushing intensity of his escape, there was no time to even glance over his shoulder or spare a few parting shots. Every claw scrape and thudding limb against the old hull of the ship echoed louder and louder, amplified a thousand times by the tide of living, mutated horror that was just mere feet from claiming him as their prey.
Czyereck however was not so easily caught. As he neared the mouth of the ship, he switch momentarily to the camera feed of the drone he had hidden in the soil before he had entered the ship, sweeping around with its sight to ensure the area was clear. He sent another message outwards to the ship; be aware for potential hostiles.
As he cleared the makeshift entrance, he unclicked a set of small spherical objects from his armour and flung them over his head. Two high explosive grenades, normally used for his launcher, clattered against the metal of the entrance as he redoubled his sprint. Water kicked up wildly and a loud explosion sounded behind him as he dashed towards the ship, his spare drone skittering towards him to attach to his body.
The knife ship waits, receiving the message about hostiles and preparing its defenses. As the arthropod intruder approaches, a dozen sleek black forms can be seen trailing behind, not far from catching up. The craft dips, opening its entry ramp to allow the intruder safe escape while firing on the creatures. One is struck, sending a spray of pale green-yellow syrup thick fluid spraying out into the river. There is a flash burn as the liquids met, yellow tinged vapor smoke rising even as the creature attempts to continue chase and is struck again.
The intruder reaches its companion allies, two of whom help the arthropod into the vessel. They are preparing to close the ramp when one of the creatures manages to leap up and grab the edge of the ramp, pulling itself up and into the hold. One of the armed intruders readies its large weapon, firing at the creature and managing to catch it with a number of rounds.
And the yellow syrup thick fluid bursts out as the creature ruptures, as if containing high pressure. The fluid sprays about in the hold, and there is a scream as the arthropod who had fired is exposed to the now smoking fluids, chitin and flesh burning violently while the deck of the troop hold is reacting the same to where the conclusive blood of the creature has landed.
A cry to the cabin, all those inside bracing as the knife ship harshly angles itself to send the oozing corpse tumbling back down the ramp and out before closing the entry. A jolt is felt as maneuvering engines fire at full power, and the craft now rumbles while racing away to make escape.
The remaining crew and the intruder are evacuated from the troop hold, and it is sealed off as the damage done by the enigmatic creature's fluids is all too clear. The pilot transmits a signal for their own pick up, and they breach the atmosphere to make way into the near vacuum of space.
"Multiple Hostiles Inside and Outside, performing Cargo Bay Decompression followed by extreme high-g rotations, suspect excessive damage to artificial organic habitat and/or external hardware. Prepare for possible necessity of carrying additional cybernetic passenger in even of catastrophic life-support failure."
The Situation was less than ideal, these creatures must've evolved in an environment even harsher than a green zone. Super-acidic blood was not something he'd have expected in any organic life-form, but it was right there, eating through his personally crafted organic containment chamber... The Cargo Ramp flew open, and gravity within the ship suddenly focused on the now open doorway. clothes, bits of trash, food, the mini-fridge, three shiny black aliens, and a likely furious cyborg all feel the force of 10 earth gravities pulling them towards the void. After a couple seconds of that, the ramp closed as the ship's propulsion was then set to spinning the ship; the Arrow began to spin faster and faster, reaching 240 RPM within a few seconds before slowing down again.
The Ship's laser weapons were firing again as the Arrow began a swan dive to position itself beneath the previously expelled cyborg, ramp re-opening in preparation for the pilot's comrade.
Seeker then ran a diagnostic, checking life support first, then hull integrity and the rest of the systems.
The creatures hiss as they make their dance about the craft's cargo hold. Flames explode from the Molotov cocktails that have been thrown by half-metal man, and while his weapons had hit, none of the creatures show signs of injury yet. The danger here now is more that for the half-metal man than any other.
An alarm blares seconds before the entry ramp once again swings open, violently decompressing the hold and spilling the living amendments, the half-metal man, and two flailing black forms out into a freefall. The craft spins with an intense force, sending most of the creatures on the hull flying as well, before reorienting and rushing to catch the freefalling half-metal man. The machine man piloting is fortunate to catch his compatriot, then re-close the ramp to give safety to the hold's occupant. Atmosphere would repressurize, and though smoke is smoldering, the fire was extinguished. There is enough damage to the hold and the hull, however, that the ship is having a difficult time keeping track of how badly it has been damaged by the assault. For now, however, the Arrow survives.
"This is the Zaran Imperial Scout Vessel, Arrow, officially requesting that the Dancing Goddess provide support whilst returning to the clients that had posted this mission. Damage to systems unable to be accurately assessed, spontaneous failure is a distinct possibility. Recommendation for the cyborg to ride upon vessel designed for organic habitation, and request for said vessel to allow such action"
The words echoed in the ship whilst they were also broadcasted over short-band radio.
Seeker was already sending the data he'd collected back to HQ, creatures like these were a threat to any and everyone. His recommendation would be orbital bombardment, it'd be the only way to be sure. His clients would not be pleased with his findings, but at least it'd be better than them finding out after setting up a base.
Post by Eliza Silvermantle on Sept 9, 2019 0:19:27 GMT
Eliza breathed a sigh of relief as she heard the reply over her comms and turned the nimble transport towards the damaged vessel's position."Arrow, understood. Maneuverin' fer passenger transfer," she replied before turning to Veska. "Ves, mind th' turrets and dust anythin' black and shiny," she ordered before returning to the comms. "Question, what's th' nature of yer damage? We got free and clear without incident. Might be good ta know how a bunch of lizard bugs can vent an armored starship."
As the Witch guided her ship back towards the planet, she pointed the vessel's powerful sensor suite at the surface and began to run a full scan in hopes of learning more of the nature of the horror on the ground. Hopefully, she'd be able to find something useful beyond the fact that the only sort of world she'd be less willing to land on would be one that she knew to have a Flood infestation. Still, even if the scans turned up nothing new, she had at least learned something new of the AI she called Voyager. He was not at all from GalFed space, and she didn't recall any Zaran Empire anything along the regions she had traversed outside of it, either. Curious. Most curious indeed, she thought.
