NationStates Jolt Archive

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IC:

"Uh...we're detecting some kind of mass shadow, captain. It's pulling us from hyperspace."

Captain Tyreath Poole swore. All had been going well, and they were barely a military craft. An Otari-class corvette linked to rendevous with a scout fleet still parsecs off, this little disturbance was annoying. The Otari corvette, named the Swiftsure, was outfitted for the exploration of a Class-T planet discovered outside of the Dominion-controlled Shroud, on the reverse side, some distance away. It had seemed an opportunity for the government to secure an outpost, but now this impedance was simply a pain.

"Very well...pull us out," Poole replied.

The Swiftsure pulled from orbit, in what seemed to be neutral space...in the midst of nowhere.

"Uh...what pulled us out, Lieutenant?"
His nav officer, Yolani Lynch, looked over some readings. "Small planetary body of sorts, a planetisimal or moon-sized."
"Out here? There's not even a star around."
"Well, I suppose it's an outcast. Maybe the result of a dwarf-collapse through synthetic means."

Poole sighed at that. That meant there was likely no life on the body.

"Let's check it out. Prepare to move the craft into landing operationality."
"Can do, Cap'n. No atmosphere, we'll need extra-atmospheric uniforms."
"We can do that."

The Swiftsure extended small landing struts, hitting the planet lightly, the red-emblazoned corvette coming to a halt.

"Kartos," -Poole called his operations officer- "take one of our three squads of Shockies with you. See what you can find. And be careful."
"Can do, Cap'n."

-Five minutes later-

Commander Kartos stood at the airlock with a ten-man squad of Shock Troopers, all decked in white-armored full-body suits, standard armor for troops, but Kartos wasn't a standard soldier. The Shock Troopers were used to it, just wearing their normal suits linked to a backpack air recycler.

"Are we ready to go, Commander?" one of the troops asked.
"We are. Let's go."

The air sucked out of the airlock into the ship, then the boarding ramp opened, space looking out as the squad moved out onto the moon's surface.

"What're those over there, Commander?" one troop inquired, pointing to a small stone-looking platter.
"Check it out, 7-2."

The troop moved up, kneeling on the ground, before standing back up, his white, closed helmet facing Kartos.

"It's a grave, sir."

The enitre surface was covered with graves. Like those of earth, one could find headstones, markers, tombs, and all manners of housing for the dead. The graves were packed so tightly one could barely walk between them.
************************************************************
The creature loped along the pre-existing tunnel, his war club in hand. He had not eaten flesh in a month, and was near starvation. Any of his kin would do, and his mouth slavered at the thought of the meat. Suddenly he stopped. Vibrations? He lifted his head up, sniffing the air. He smelt nothing, and scratched his skull with his club, pondering what could have caused the vibration. He decided to wait, see if there were anymore.

The scene replayed itself all under Pnath. Beings dropped everything, chewing on a bone, killing one another, even sleeping. The preists themselves stop squabbiling to take another listen.

Kartos frowned. All around, his squad was seeing more and more of them. It was...odd.

"7-5, try digging under that one, see if there's anything," he instructed.
"Can do sir."

The Shock trooper unsheated his retractable arm vibro-shif, planting it firmly in the ground. Scooping around the dirt, he began pummeling into the ground.

Every ear pricked up. Digging, yes it was digging! Nothing had been on the surface for hundreds of years....so what was there now? The priests had to let out a collective bark to stop the starving beasts from digging to the top. Their bark rang throughout every tunnel, every grave, every chamber. Each being stopped, frozen as if in ice. They let out another bark, and 6 beings began to move towards the Star chamber. It was an exceptionally large tomb(those big tombs you see in some richer graveyards) and they began to crawl up the stairs. They could remember a time when the floor of this chamber had been covered with bones....now they had all been eaten. The beings crept close to the door. They were half a mile from the digging, and pressed their ears against the door.
************************************************************
The ground cracked, dryed as only space can do. The cracking stoped however when the cover of the grave was hit. The tool broke, the grave cover seemingly made out of some strange material. It was gray, like the gravestones and the very soil, and had strange inscriptions all over it.

The Warp, Bridge of the FlyByNight
"Warp engines failing, sir," the engineer reported.

Captain Molly Wade held her head in her hands. Things could not have gone worse that day. The FlyByNight, a Defiant-Class Light Cruiser (http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Defiant_Class_Light_Cruiser), had been seperated from the attack wing of the 3rd Hive Fleet during a pitched battle, and was now lost in space. And now her engines were broke.

"Wonderful. Take us out of the Immaterium," Captain Wade said, through clenched teeth.

They came out of the Warp in what looked like an empty area of space, at first glance. Then the Sensors officer picked up an object: a small planetoid... what looked like an outcast moon. That picked up Wade's interest.

"Probably the only object in parsecs. Load up a Valkyrie and a pair of Thunderbolts, send a platoon groundside while we're making repairs."

In fifteen minutes, 3 smaller craft launched from one of the cruiser's forward bays, and made their descent on the moon. The Valkyrie made touchdown, and fifty soldiers fanned out from its cargo hold, making a perimeter around the Valkyrie. After a few minutes of searching, First Sergeant James Sinter, leader of the expedition, radioed back.

"Command, we found something."
"What is it, Sergeant?" asked Captain Wade.
"...Graves"

A second vibration was heard, and the beings began to howl with excitement. What was going on? The priests didn't know either, and were themselves becoming impatient. The priests decided to allow the beigns to check it out, and somewhere near 600 creatures quickly moved right under the source of vibration.

They all waited beneath the source of vibration and began to howl wildly. They could smell something most had not smelled since they freed themselves from the dreamworld: living flesh. The beings quickly gathered thier weapons: clubs, flails, axes and spears, and prepared to surface. They would tunnel right under the living and drag them under.

They quickly began to dig, thier saliva dripping everywhere.

*bump*

On the surface, the Irish Guardsmen waited, huddling in small groups amongst the graves. Their carapace armor didn't quite keep out all of the cold of space, making their wait uncomfortable.

Meanwhile, the bridge of the FlyByNight was a flurry of activity. That is, moreso than before; the repair crews were already working frantically.

The sensors array was being used to scan the surface of the planet for signs of life. At the moment, it wasn't picking up anything. Meanwhile, a science crew, headed by Dr. Emil Lang, in addition to a second, smaller, platoon of guardsmen, were being sent downside.

After the second Valkyrie landed, their fighter escort circled the expedition, in addition to the Thunderbolts already there. As the new Guardsmen joined the others, the science team quickly got to work, taking readings, soil samples, and other assorted, esoteric, scientific stuff.

7-5 cussed loudly as his vibroblade snapped off.

"Goddamn sir, somethin' hard underneath the top layer of dirt."
"Think we can blast our way through, soldier?"
"Maybe. If it can get through durasteel..."
"We'll try. Try your fusion cutter."
"Can do, sir."

7-5 bent down again, pulling out the small energy tool, then activating it, a plume of purple energy firing out into the hard ground.

That was it. The beings were all for food, but now whatever was up there was intent on getting in. And that just wasn't going to happean. As soon as the explosion ripped the grave cover apart a howl escaped from the hole. Suddenly 10 beasts (http://www.pen-paper.net/artgallery/Ron_Spencer/4thfileftp.jpg.html) leaped out, jumping on top of the vandal and ripping him to pieces. They howled and screamed and slavered, as more and more rushed out of the hole. They hadn't eaten in months, forced to dine on their weaker kin. Thier eyes glowed with an unnatural hunger as they began to set upon the others.

The six hiding in the tomb pushed open the door and loped towards the carnage. Everywhere howling, glibbering, meeping, and barking could be heard. But...that wasn't possible in space. And yet, there it was, the inhuman sounds of slaughter.

This also was a cue to the near 600 beasts right under the other party, and they quickly forced thier arms out of the ground and dragged any they could deep into Pnath. The beasts were all muscle, and it was easy to punch through the ground and grab a man in one swift action. This group chose not to climb out, but simply grabbed what they could, and dragged the screaming victim deeper into Pnath. The holes they left allowed the screams of the victims to be well heard, as they were eaten alive.

beasts (http://www.pen-paper.net/artgallery/d/4575-2/4thfileftp.jpg?g2_GALLERYSID=eae8ee6a08ef9929e143de162b8f3ca6)

OOC: ...your beasts are little x's?

OOC: fixed

OOC: fixed

ooc: rockin'.

OOC: :) Now lets see what your troops can do against a beast like that...and more suprises await.

The soldiers were getting ready to mutinee when the attack began. FSgt. Sinter was looking at one of the men when something reached out of the ground and pulled him in. The platoons heard the man screaming over the tacnet. The same fate befell at least three others.

"Get them out of there! GO!" Sinter yelled, and men rushed to the holes, ready to dive in. As they were about to jump, Sinter held his hand up. Over the tacnet, they heard the sound of bones crunching.

"Goddammit! Company, 'nade those holes and get back to the Valkyries! Hurry it up!"

The soldiers dropped grenades down each of the holes and ran back to the dropships. They ran in an odd way, trying to touch the ground as little as possible, as if that would help them. Holes appeared under other men, and they, too were dragged under during the dash to the Valkyries.

The explosions served only to excite the animals more, even as parts of thier comrades flew all over thier face. They began to pop out of the holes, making all thier hellish sounds and loping towards thier food. They would leap on the backs of thier prey, and rip out it's spine. Many simply stopped and ate, happy to have a meal.

Even still, the entirity of Pnath was now running to get a piece of the action.

More creatures kept coming out, climbing from headstone to headstone, slavering as they went, loping lime manical dog-men, and the noise! How could such noise be possible in space! Thier language, or gutteral sounds, struck fear on ever ear it fell on. The beasts were all intent on feasting on the occupants.

Some had begun to climb on and claw at the strange flying things the men had come in. They beat the windows with thier strange weapons, made of some material incredibly hard. So hard...cracks began to appear in the windows of the vessels.

It would only be a moment of time before the enitre moon came after the humans.

"Goddamn, 7-5, look out!" Kartos yelled too late, as the Shock trooper was dragged under ground, shredded by the ten beasts as six others emerged. "Get them!"

The other eleven soldiers raised their rifles, lobbing explosive detonators into the hole made by the emerging beasts. Kartos aimed his laser pistol, firing shots at those nearest him as another beast wrestled another soldier to the ground, slashing out his throat. The other troops made full hustle facing backwards, continuing to fire suppressing shots against the hordes now that emerged. Two others tripped up next to holes that opened, dragged under, and either killed by the beasts or by the inferno being created by the explosives from the Shock Troopers, plasma grenades launching a ring of fire that quickly burned off from lack of oxygen.
The men leaped up onto the ship as the boarding ramp half-opened, staying enough off the ground to allow them safety, but remaining open, as the men and Kartos continued to fire at beasts.

"Close up!" screamed Kartos. A beast dragged out another soldier as the ramp closed, hatching shut to ward out any jumpers.

The first soldiers to reach the Valkyries turned around, and saw the wave of enemies. Sinter yelled for the pilots to prepare for immediate dust-off. Those soldiers that had reached the dropships turned and started firing. Laser bolts and HEAP rounds lit up the moon, as the soldiers fired hundreds of shots into the enemy force, lobbing grenades.

Many of the guardsmen were overtaken, but they kept running, dragging each other along if they had to. The gauss cannons on the underbelly of the ships opened up and sprayed the attacking aliens, keeping a ring of clear ground around the ships. Far above them, the Thunderbolt fighters that had been guarding the landing zone targeted the mass of monsters, and fired a salvo of 16 AP rockets. Each rocket detonated on the ground in a flower around the LZ, and emitted a wall of fire and metal with a 50-foot radius.

As the ramp closed, a beast attempted to make one last attack. Jumping a full 15 feet in the air the creature attempted to climb in. The ramp closed, snapping off it's arm at the elbow.

The arm contined to move. It dragged itself across the ground to the nearest trooper.

On the coms the horrible screams and noises of men being eaten alive was as loud as ever, the whole surface now alive with activity. Creatures now attempted to leap at the machine, hitting it with weapons and thier fists.

They made small dents.

As one they began to howl, and many began to glibber among themselves. A group of 20 creatures seemed to be digging, thier kin continuing to howl at the machine. The 20 soon ripped up a tomb cover and lifted it over thier heads. They carried it, with the help of the others, atop the tallest nearby tomb. As one they launched the grave cover at the machine, hoping to bring it down.

Inside Pnath the Preists were chanting, moving thier claws in strange shapes and beginning to shudder. These beasts wer not of this dimension, and as such, thier forms could be shaped by the preists. If the others could keep the beings busy the preists would ensure more food.

The first soldiers to reach the Valkyries turned around, and saw the wave of enemies. Sinter yelled for the pilots to prepare for immediate dust-off. Those soldiers that had reached the dropships turned and started firing. Laser bolts and HEAP rounds lit up the moon, as the soldiers fired hundreds of shots into the enemy force, lobbing grenades.

Many of the guardsmen were overtaken, but they kept running, dragging each other along if they had to. The gauss cannons on the underbelly of the ships opened up and sprayed the attacking aliens, keeping a ring of clear ground around the ships. Far above them, the Thunderbolt fighters that had been guarding the landing zone targeted the mass of monsters, and fired a salvo of 16 AP rockets. Each rocket detonated on the ground in a flower around the LZ, and emitted a wall of fire and metal with a 50-foot radius.

The beasts were blown to bits by such devices, and heavy causlties had been taken. But the beasts cared not. More, and more, and more poured from graves and holes, until the entire surface began to crawl. They lept clear over the fire, unto the backs of humans and the ships they rode. They pounded the devices, hungering for the fleshy bits inside.

The last of the surviving soldiers made it into the dropships, and the hatches were closed. There were a few frantic moments as one of the monsters made it into one of the cargo holds, but it was quickly put down. The attempts of the creatures to make it into the Valkyries made an unnerving din, as Sinter called for a status report. Of the eighty soldiers sent groundside, only fifty-eight made it back. This would not look good.

Sinter ordered the Valkyrie pilots to forgo repulsors and take off with main engines only. As a result, a number of the creatures were incinerated as the vessels took off and headed to the FlyByNight.

Meanwhile, on the bridge of the cruiser, the sensors officers had detected the Amazonian vessel, and confirmed that it was corvette class.
The comms officer started transmitting to it: "Unknown vessel, please identify yourself. This is the light cruiser FlyByNight, of Irish Hive Fleet 3. Any chance you could tell us where we are?"

The incineration of thier kin was perhaps the only thing so far to scare the beasts a bit. The beasts banged on the ground, rocked graves, and howled in frustration at thier lost prey. The humans who had been killed were long devoured by now, and crowds were beginning to form around the scraps of clothing they had left behind. The beasts now fell upon themselves, killing each other to eat a sliver of marrow, or to drink a drop of blood.

The preists continued to chant, strange lights and figures dancing in front of them. Something was coming...

The incineration of thier kin was perhaps the only thing so far to scare the beasts a bit. The beasts banged on the ground, rocked graves, and howled in frustration at thier lost prey. The humans who had been killed were long devoured by now, and crowds were beginning to form around the scraps of clothing they had left behind. The beasts now fell upon themselves, killing each other to eat a sliver of marrow, or to drink a drop of blood.

The preists continued to chant, strange lights and figures dancing in front of them. Something was coming...

Some of the soldiers looked down on the battlefield through belly cameras, and were sickened by the actions of the enemy horde. The gauss gunners fired a few parting bursts into the enemy, and Valkyrie/Thunderbolt squadron pressed their way out of the moon's thin atmosphere.

Then it happeaned.

30 of the ghouls began to houl in pain, as great wings began to sprout from their backs. They screamed in pain as hair puffed everywhere. Thier skin shifted, their horns dissappered, replaced with bat-like wings. It took a full 10 minutes, but the transformation (http://www.blizzard.com/images/war3/conceptart/gargoyle-large.jpg) was complete.

The beasts no longer howled, but shrieked as they took flight. Thier wings beat against space, and carried them upward. All 30 of them began to head for the machines and set upon them. Thier claws began to rake at the hull, diggin deep inside. They pummeled it, they bit it, they did whatever they could. Soon they refocused thier attention to the external engines and, careful not to burn themselves, they began to wreak havoc on it.

Down below thier kin howled in delight, anticipating falling food.

Then it happeaned.

30 of the ghouls began to houl in pain, as great wings began to sprout from their backs. They screamed in pain as hair puffed everywhere. Thier skin shifted, their horns dissappered, replaced with bat-like wings. It took a full 10 minutes, but the transformation (http://www.blizzard.com/images/war3/conceptart/gargoyle-large.jpg) was complete.

The beasts no longer howled, but shrieked as they took flight. Thier wings beat against space, and carried them upward. All 30 of them began to head for the machines and set upon them. Thier claws began to rake at the hull, diggin deep inside. They pummeled it, they bit it, they did whatever they could. Soon they refocused thier attention to the external engines and, careful not to burn themselves, they began to wreak havoc on it.

Down below thier kin howled in delight, anticipating falling food.
OOC: Uh, you know there are a LOT of fallacies with this, right? For one, it's space. What, exactly, are they beating their wings against? (You could just say that they have psyker flying abilites, and I'd accept that...) What really bothers me, though is that, if the transformation took ten minutes, well, the Valkyries would be ten minutes away by the time they took flight...
In addition, there's no way my Thunderbolts would let the gargoyles get that close without at least shooting at them.

OOC: Uh, you know there are a LOT of fallacies with this, right? For one, it's space. What, exactly, are they beating their wings against? (You could just say that they have psyker flying abilites, and I'd accept that...) What really bothers me, though is that, if the transformation took ten minutes, well, the Valkyries would be ten minutes away by the time they took flight...
In addition, there's no way my Thunderbolts would let the gargoyles get that close without at least shooting at them.

OOC: These beasts are essentially extradimensional, and the wings themselves are being propelled by extradimensional forces. Think lovecraft. As for the machines, I thought you were hovering and I will edit.

However I was going to let you rp shooting them to bits. :cool: I know they aren't going to survive.

The corvette quickly took heed of the FlyByNight, and heard the message before transmitting its own back.

"FlyByNight, this is the Amazonian Dominion corvette Swiftsure. We were pulled out of hyperspace by this moon's mass shadow; we had no record of it on interstellar maps. Then these...beasts came out."

In the airlock, the arm crept towards Kartos before he noticed it.

"Look out! It's still moving!"

The troopers all raised rifles, pouring energy into the arm, blue bolts flying into flesh.
As the flying beasts now began to attack the corvette's engine ducts, it was time to take action. Hitting thrusters, the nav officer quickly began burning the main engine cluster, hot plasma flying into the face of the beasts. In addition, point-defense cannons and countermeasure systems came on-line for the vessel, several aiming at the flyers while the rest aimed down at the masses slightly below. The corvette boosted repulsorlifts, shooting out a wave of anti-grav blast onto the moon's surface, lifting the corvette 3 meters off the ground.
Interceptor rocket throwers began peppering the ground with microprojectiles, spraying a stream of small missiles across the ground of beasts. The flak throwers, filled with tiny metal projectiles meant to intercept heavy projectile weapons and detonate them, were activated on the flyers, throwing up clouds of small sharpnel to try and throw them off, or tear them apart with sharp edges. The point-defense lasers began targeting on the ground, shooting blue blasts, as the bottom turbolaser turret activated, blasting away a small distance from the corvette to avoid damage.

The preists barked a retreat, and the crawling surface was quickly rendered lifeless...save for the 500 dead strewn about the surface. The beings hid underground yet again, speaking among themselves on how they would reclaim and eat the bodies of the fallen, and make the metal beasts fall.

The preists were convinced that the visitors were intelligent, and were trying to figure out a way to communicate with the demons from the sky. The only way they could do this was through dream, and someone aboard the metal beasts had to be asleep for them to contact him.

So the creatures waited, protected by the moons thick surface, for the chance to communicate.