Natural Selection: Second Encounters
RyoOhki
Join Date: 2003-01-26 Member: 12789Members
Join Date: 2003-01-26 Member: 12789Members
I've had this idea for some time now but havn't gotten around to writing it for various reasons. However, here is the first installment of what I hope shall be an ongoing series. Hope people like it <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'><!--endemo-->
Prologue: Hera
Dark clouds raced across a sky shattered by streaks of red lightening, pouring endless cascades of rain onto the rugged cliffs below. For one brief second, the atmospheric storm was reflected in shattered panes of glass and water covered metal. The light played over a vast complex of steel, an outpost of humanity in this harsh and desolate world. In the light of the storm, it almost looked as though humans still lived there. But then the light was gone and the once bright hallways faded again into darkness. The illusion of life passed with it.
?Activate emergency power grid?
Suddenly harsh radiance burst into being. Most of it died immediately as the wires, drenched by rain for weeks, shorted out. But enough remained on to illuminate the facility, or at least the landing section. The shattered glass walkway leading to the reception area remained dark, yet enough light was present to show that it had been the scene of intense fighting. A few rusted guns lay strewn across the passage, one of them resting atop a pile of decomposing flesh. In such light, it was impossible to tell what it had once been.
?Pan right?
The landing platform itself now came into view. Broken shipping crates lay scattered about, their contents soaking in the rain. Some had been ripped open by some unknown force and then pillaged. Scraps of food and construction tools lay in the open, some swept by the winds to rest next to a metallic structure, still recognizable as a resource extractor despite huge chunks of it torn off. Two of its support struts were simply gone, and a third was lying alongside next to a body that was unmistakably human. Despite such grievous damage, the burst of power the facility just received had jolted it back into a semblance of activity. Grasping at nothing but air, the extractors? central resource collection unit extended itself, eventually clanging into the landing platform itself. At this point the top of the device exploded into sparks and the collector fell silent.
?Zoom. Focus on the landing bay?
Surrounded by sparks that sizzled in the endless rain, the giant door that had once sealed the landing bay now hung from its upper supports, its surface showing scorch marks and huge dents. Beyond it, the landing bay itself loomed out of the darkness, lit by a few remaining bulbs that constantly flickered on and off. The unsteady light added to the macabre scene inside. Shadows danced across motionless shapes, some metallic, others organic. Against one wall was slumped a soldier, his abdomen torn out. In his hand lay a shotgun that was surrounded by shell casings. A lone automated sentry turret remained active, its? head spinning endlessly but its ammunition long since exhausted. Its? brothers lay scattered around it, smashed and silent. One had been thrown across the room to rest against what had once been an observation unit, but now was just a radio dish lying atop a pile of twisted metal.
?Pan up. Focus on command section?
Above the ruined structures that covered the floor of the loading bay stretched a catwalk. An elevator platform had once lead up there, but now that lay forever on the loading bay floor, it?s bulk pinning a massive alien shape beneath it. On the catwalk itself lay more wrecked equipment, including a faintly glowing flat circle that emitted a soft beeping noise. A twin to it sat nearby, but any light or noise was muffled by the corpse of a soldier that lay across it. His hand rested beside a research unit, its? cracked screen endlessly flashing ?Upgrade Complete?. Wires snaked across the catwalk, some severed, others ending in empty space. They all originated from the same point though. Behind a grating that had been forced open by some tremendous force lay the command center. No sound or sign of life came from within. One light above it chose to burst into activity for a brief moment, and in the flash of illumination a body could be seen hanging from the chair itself. The command unit would never again function; the damage it had incurred was beyond any repair. Neither would the soldier who lay inside, his body pierced by hundreds of needle-like wounds, ever send his troops into battle again.
?Withdraw. One final pass of the facility?
After the damage that had been incurred, it was amazing that the emergency power had stayed active for as long as it had. One by one, the remaining lights faded, gradually plunging the loading bay back into darkness. The lone sentry turret slowly wound down, its endless scanning for possible threats finally ending. A few last flashes of light from still sparking equipment were all that remained, and the unceasing rain soon ended that. But then, just before the last vestiges of power faded, and the final light forever extinguished, a giant hulking shape was visible for a second. Stepping over the remains of those who had fought against it and its kind, the huge beast walked out onto the landing platform. Lashed by the endless storm, it looked up into the sky, towards the retreating robotic drone, and bellowed a challenge. The only answer it received was the rumble of thunder and the sound of rain cascading into the bottomless canyon below.
Turning away from the screen before him, the commander turned back to his men who had been watching. Eyes followed him from behind visors and helmets, scanning him for what he was going to say. Hands gripped weaponry, the best the TSA had ever produced, and out across the storage bay lay enough equipment and machinery to take on an army. Technicians walked amongst it, performing last-minute diagnostics and checks. A field laboratory was found to have a glitch, and the unit was torn apart to locate the problem. The men and women before him had fought before, veterans of countless previous battles against humans and aliens. The commander nodded to himself. For the task he had been given, he could ask for no better resources. Watching as the last of his troops suited up into a bulky suit of heavy armour, he prepared to address the squad. They all knew already what the mission was, but given the circumstances he felt they needed something else.
Below, the giant planet continued its? endless journey through space. As sunlight fell across part of the planet surface that had been dark for months, a tiny shape detached itself from an orbiting satellite and fell into the atmosphere. For a moment it was viable amongst the swirling clouds, then it was gone, swallowed up by immense storms that had existed for millennia.
Prologue: Hera
Dark clouds raced across a sky shattered by streaks of red lightening, pouring endless cascades of rain onto the rugged cliffs below. For one brief second, the atmospheric storm was reflected in shattered panes of glass and water covered metal. The light played over a vast complex of steel, an outpost of humanity in this harsh and desolate world. In the light of the storm, it almost looked as though humans still lived there. But then the light was gone and the once bright hallways faded again into darkness. The illusion of life passed with it.
?Activate emergency power grid?
Suddenly harsh radiance burst into being. Most of it died immediately as the wires, drenched by rain for weeks, shorted out. But enough remained on to illuminate the facility, or at least the landing section. The shattered glass walkway leading to the reception area remained dark, yet enough light was present to show that it had been the scene of intense fighting. A few rusted guns lay strewn across the passage, one of them resting atop a pile of decomposing flesh. In such light, it was impossible to tell what it had once been.
?Pan right?
The landing platform itself now came into view. Broken shipping crates lay scattered about, their contents soaking in the rain. Some had been ripped open by some unknown force and then pillaged. Scraps of food and construction tools lay in the open, some swept by the winds to rest next to a metallic structure, still recognizable as a resource extractor despite huge chunks of it torn off. Two of its support struts were simply gone, and a third was lying alongside next to a body that was unmistakably human. Despite such grievous damage, the burst of power the facility just received had jolted it back into a semblance of activity. Grasping at nothing but air, the extractors? central resource collection unit extended itself, eventually clanging into the landing platform itself. At this point the top of the device exploded into sparks and the collector fell silent.
?Zoom. Focus on the landing bay?
Surrounded by sparks that sizzled in the endless rain, the giant door that had once sealed the landing bay now hung from its upper supports, its surface showing scorch marks and huge dents. Beyond it, the landing bay itself loomed out of the darkness, lit by a few remaining bulbs that constantly flickered on and off. The unsteady light added to the macabre scene inside. Shadows danced across motionless shapes, some metallic, others organic. Against one wall was slumped a soldier, his abdomen torn out. In his hand lay a shotgun that was surrounded by shell casings. A lone automated sentry turret remained active, its? head spinning endlessly but its ammunition long since exhausted. Its? brothers lay scattered around it, smashed and silent. One had been thrown across the room to rest against what had once been an observation unit, but now was just a radio dish lying atop a pile of twisted metal.
?Pan up. Focus on command section?
Above the ruined structures that covered the floor of the loading bay stretched a catwalk. An elevator platform had once lead up there, but now that lay forever on the loading bay floor, it?s bulk pinning a massive alien shape beneath it. On the catwalk itself lay more wrecked equipment, including a faintly glowing flat circle that emitted a soft beeping noise. A twin to it sat nearby, but any light or noise was muffled by the corpse of a soldier that lay across it. His hand rested beside a research unit, its? cracked screen endlessly flashing ?Upgrade Complete?. Wires snaked across the catwalk, some severed, others ending in empty space. They all originated from the same point though. Behind a grating that had been forced open by some tremendous force lay the command center. No sound or sign of life came from within. One light above it chose to burst into activity for a brief moment, and in the flash of illumination a body could be seen hanging from the chair itself. The command unit would never again function; the damage it had incurred was beyond any repair. Neither would the soldier who lay inside, his body pierced by hundreds of needle-like wounds, ever send his troops into battle again.
?Withdraw. One final pass of the facility?
After the damage that had been incurred, it was amazing that the emergency power had stayed active for as long as it had. One by one, the remaining lights faded, gradually plunging the loading bay back into darkness. The lone sentry turret slowly wound down, its endless scanning for possible threats finally ending. A few last flashes of light from still sparking equipment were all that remained, and the unceasing rain soon ended that. But then, just before the last vestiges of power faded, and the final light forever extinguished, a giant hulking shape was visible for a second. Stepping over the remains of those who had fought against it and its kind, the huge beast walked out onto the landing platform. Lashed by the endless storm, it looked up into the sky, towards the retreating robotic drone, and bellowed a challenge. The only answer it received was the rumble of thunder and the sound of rain cascading into the bottomless canyon below.
Turning away from the screen before him, the commander turned back to his men who had been watching. Eyes followed him from behind visors and helmets, scanning him for what he was going to say. Hands gripped weaponry, the best the TSA had ever produced, and out across the storage bay lay enough equipment and machinery to take on an army. Technicians walked amongst it, performing last-minute diagnostics and checks. A field laboratory was found to have a glitch, and the unit was torn apart to locate the problem. The men and women before him had fought before, veterans of countless previous battles against humans and aliens. The commander nodded to himself. For the task he had been given, he could ask for no better resources. Watching as the last of his troops suited up into a bulky suit of heavy armour, he prepared to address the squad. They all knew already what the mission was, but given the circumstances he felt they needed something else.
Below, the giant planet continued its? endless journey through space. As sunlight fell across part of the planet surface that had been dark for months, a tiny shape detached itself from an orbiting satellite and fell into the atmosphere. For a moment it was viable amongst the swirling clouds, then it was gone, swallowed up by immense storms that had existed for millennia.
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Rays of brilliant sunlight pierced the endless clouds that swirled over bleak, featureless terrain. One beam reflected off the outer panels of a rapidly descending object, highlighting signs of damage and wear. The dropship though paid no head to the light of an alien sun. As it turned to avoid a gust of turbulence, sunlight hit against glass instead. A shape inside moved as if to avoid the intrusion of light. Then the glare was gone, replaced once more by the ceaseless clouds.
The commander turned back to the window and tried to make out anything on the planet surface. It was futile; the cloud banks were still too thick. With a muffled sigh, he sat back into his seat, going back over the information he had in his head. Doubtless his troops were doing the same, but ultimately his decisions would be the ones that meant success or failure. Trouble was, the information he had worried him.
He was still thinking about the task he had been given when the internal speakers burst into life. A tinny, metallic voice sounded, ceasing the conversations that had been going on amongst the soldiers. “We’ve breached the cloud layers. The target objective is now visible”. Monitors flickered into life, displaying high detail real time images taken by cameras on the ships’ hull. The commander and his troops all turned to different monitors, trying to catch the first glimpse of their objective. At first it was too small to make out, but then the images focused, zooming in on the once bustling colony. Low murmurs ran through the ship as close-ups of the damage came through. That ceased when the bodies started showing up. There was just silence then, as if the soldiers knew that very fate was all too likely waiting for them as well.
Hera. The name for months had evoked fear and horror in all those who heard it mentioned. Stories that were almost myths or legends had formed, telling the tale of the doomed outpost and all who had lived, fought and died there. The commander had heard some of them: ghost stories whispered in the barracks at night. He also knew the hard facts about station Hera and what had happened. 248 civilians confirmed dead or missing. 48 TSA soldiers killed. $2.3 billion in equipment destroyed or rendered unusable. Over $1.2 trillion in lost profits.
He knew that the final figure was the only reason he and his squad were headed into the nightmare once known as Hera. If this had been some poor, struggling outpost on the outer rim with no commercial interest the TSA would probably never even have gotten involved. But money talked, and in this case it talked to his superiors. Who had decided that the lives of a few more soldiers would be a small price to pay. The commander ground his teeth in anger. No matter how well his men fought, no matter how brilliant the orders he gave, some of them would die. Given what they were up against, it was a mathematical certainty.
A sudden jolt stirred his from his thoughts. The dropships’ landing gear had been deployed, and turning to a nearby monitor, the commander saw the landing pad looming large. The roar of the ships’ engines which had been fairly low now increased to a crescendo of noise, the lower thrusters blasting the landing platform with incredible force. Crates, debris, the shattered remains of structures and men were swept aside to fall thousands of meters down into the dark canyon below. With the landing platform cleared, the dropship settled down, its’ loading ramp dropping from its belly to disgorge its cargo.
The commander wasted no time. Every second here was crucial. First went the squad of heavies, fanning out across the platform and then up towards the loading bay. Then the jetpackers rushed out, soaring into the open skies to secure tactical positions high on the cliffs overlooking the platform. The rest of the squad filed through, carrying or pushing the field equipment. In the space of roughly two minutes, the entire group was out of the dropship. It immediately took off to hold around 10 kilometers out for a possible emergency extraction.
Two members of the squad upon reaching the loading bay immediately located the wires that had connected the previous field command station to the Hera mainframe. A few seconds of quick electrical work had the new command unit patched into the Hera mainframe. As the commander ducked into his console, three soldiers manhandled a fully built nano-sludge collector onto the landing platforms’ central resource node. It whirred into life when the field generator started up, at which point the command console finished booting onto the Hera mainframe and the commander was able to start issuing his orders.
The first order of business was defense. Some twenty automated sentry guns had been brought with the dropship and these were quickly set up around the perimeter of the platform. Two turret factories were already operational. A fully upgraded armory was wheeled over next to the central resource node and deployed. Two field laboratories, each configured to deploy either jetpacks or heavy armour were placed towards the rear of the new base, along with a lone observatory. The commander checked his console clock. Mission time was just under four minutes. His squad was doing well.
With the base established, the commander turned his attention to what the Hera mainframe could tell him. Security footage from various sections of the facility showed him that no matter which way he sent his forces, they would experience heavy opposition. Organic structures, some piled three deep, were scattered all through the complex. He managed to identify at least one “Hive” structure in what had once been the central computer archives. From the information he had, he knew there were two more. None of the screens showed any sign of movement, which didn’t for one moment convince him that there were no life forms here. Selecting his observation unit he activated the motion sensor software that had come preloaded. Now his screens filled with signs of life. They seemed to be concentrated at three locations, one at the archiving section, a second in the main ventilation system, and a third in the heart of the mainframe hardware itself. Bringing up the facility schematics, he decided to focus his first attack on the archiving sector. Thanks to the massive amounts of nano-sludge that had been brought with the dropship he had little need for any further resources. Leaving three men on base guard, two heavies with a jetpacker on the cliff-face, he ordered his men onto the walkway that lead to the reception area.
The sound of broken glass splintering and cracking underfoot sounded through the command console speakers as his squad made their way forward. Voices over the radio spoke of the dead littered across the walkway floor. A whir of hydraulics heralded one of his heavy soldiers pushing a huge alien corpse off the platform and out into the canyon. The same soldier commented that he was glad he had a self contained breathing apparatus. Another marine expressed where on his comrades’ anatomy said apparatus could be placed. Considering the circumstances, the commander marveled that his men could make light of anything. That they could spoke volumes of their capacity to meet any challenge.
Turning the end of the hallway the lead soldier peaked around the corner to look into the reception area and was greeted by a hail of spikes. In the depths of cyberspace the commander scanned the area and surveyed the opposition. Although the structures in the path of his forces would have represented a serious threat to less equipped soldiers, they were now merely a speed-bump. Of course, the current inhabitants of station Hera would now know for sure that he and his squad were here.
Loud explosions sounded over the console speakers, and the commander watched as grenades sailed into organic defenses. A few seconds of concentrated fire was all that was needed and then his squad was free to move on. On the motion tracking display the life forms erupted into life, all of them moving with phenomenal speed towards the reception area. The commander spoke quickly, ordering his men up onto the main reception area. The remains of some previous TSA base were scattered around the reception area, and burnt out turret factories gave a few of his men good cover. Soldiers crouched behind the reception consoles, their weapons aimed out into the open killing ground provided to them. For a brief moment there was silence, and then the air erupted with a cacophony of noise.
From both sides of the reception area a horde of alien creatures vomited forth. Screams and bellows roared through the command console speakers, but they were nothing compared to the massive burst of firepower that greeted the invaders. A gigantic behemoth charged forwards into the direct line of fire from a heavy machine gun and was thrown back, its’ head torn to bloody ruin. Two creatures, eerily human like, stood back and lobed burning acid into the fray until four clips of grenades ripped them apart. One soldier, crouched at the very front of the reception area, reacted a split second too slow and was unable to avoid a small creature that darted between its’ comrades and exploded directly next to the unfortunate trooper. Two more behemoths reached the reception stockade and one threw a heavy marine back against the rear wall before being nearly cut in half by a close range shotgun burst. The other tried to retreat but ran directly onto three grenades. As it fell to the ground, amid the roar of explosions and the sound of ammunition cases hitting the ground, it became apparent that no other aliens were still alive. The reception foyer was littered with corpses and the pungent aroma of kharaa blood. Clips were removed and new ones slammed back into weapons. Calls for med packs from a few soldiers were quickly answered. For two of the squad, no amount of medical attention would help them. Dog tags were collected and the squad moved out from its’ temporary fortress.
The commander, glad that his forces had survived their first encounter with the resistance present in Hera, ordered them on to a large blast door that had once sealed the way into the archiving section. The previous TSA force had welded their way through it, and the way was still clear. Two jetpacker scouts went ahead, checking to see if there would be further resistance before the hive itself. Apart from an alien resource collector, there was no sign of defenses. The way into the archiving sector though was blocked by a huge mass of organic growth. Three soldiers with welders managed to clear a path through the green tissue, and then the squad was inside the archiving room itself.
Whatever its’ original purpose, the archiving sector now looked thoroughly alien. Brackish water lay in pools on the floor and strands of mucus-like growth hung from the ceiling. Everywhere; the walls, the support pillars, the very floor itself, was covered in bacterial growths. And there, hanging from the ceiling, reeking of decayed flesh and rotting compost, was the hive structure, surrounded by clusters of smaller structures. The commander gave the order to open fire.
The hive structure screamed as if it were actually alive. Convulsions rippled across its’ surface and cascades of fluid, the colour, texture and smell of diarrhea spewed forth from the wounds across its’ surface. Almost immediately alien shapes appeared, one falling from the hive itself, another bursting out of one of the structures below it. Focused fire from multiple weapons blasted them apart whilst the grenadiers focused on the hive itself. One jetpacker, hovering just near the hive was suddenly struck in the back by a ball of acid and fell to the ground. The commander turned his view towards the entrance to the archiving sector and saw one of the blackish, upright aliens preparing to shoot again. Before it could though, the hive structure screamed for a final time and fell from the ceiling. The unlucky jetpacker who had fallen was mercifully already dead when the huge organic mass landed on his inert body.
Reeling as if struck a bodily blow, the alien at the entrance to the hive room shook its’ head and tried to launch another acid projectile. It seemed as though it couldn’t though, as if it had forgotten how to do it. Before anything more could be determined though, four heavy machine guns tore it apart. The squad made short work of the remaining alien structures in the room then radioed in for further orders. The commander had already decided that this was a location where further purification efforts would be needed. Moving through cyberspace he allocated the appropriate amounts of raw nano-sludge and inserted the nanite blueprints into the Hera mainframe. His squad got to work quickly, building a phase gate and some fixed defenses. Satisfied that this would be sufficient to facilitate the clean-up crew, the commander gave the order to move back to outside the archiving sector.
An alien resource collector was quickly dispatched and the commander programmed in a nano-sludge extractor, again to help get the station operational again as fast as possible. To that end he knew that the central holographic room would have to be cleansed, so he sent his forces that way. Just before they could reach the objective though, two creatures dropped from holes in the ceiling. Their frenzied attacks managed to badly damage one soldiers’ suit of heavy armour before both the creatures were dispatched. Some quick welding patched up the damage, and the commander was given a small boon of information. The location the creatures had dropped from seemed to be an excavated cave of sorts that lead to the Data Core Delta section, where alien life signs had been high. The location was fairly quiet now, but the commander was certain another hive structure was there. He radioed orders to four of his jetpackers, who promptly blasted up into the cave structure. As the heavy marines moved into the holographic room to deal with the fixed alien defenses, the commander programmed a turret factory and some fixed defenses to be built in the cave area.
The holographic room defenses fell quickly and both the nano-sludge nodes were quickly rebuilt. It was then that the commander heard an urgent call from one of his base defense soldiers. Two giant behemoth aliens were charging down from the loading bay, the bullets from the automated sentry guns pinging off their armored heads. One ploughed directly into three sentry turrets, knocking them over and trampling them underfoot. The commander immediately programmed a phase gate to be placed in the holographic room and sent out a priority order to return to base. One of the base defense soldiers couldn’t move fast enough and was trapped in front of one of the giant creatures. Instead of tossing him aside though the animal opened its’ massive jaws and clamped shut around the soldiers’ chest. Throwing its’ head back, the commander watched in horror as his squad member slid down the aliens’ throat. Just then the holographic phase gate burst into life and two heavy soldiers phased through. Both opened fire at once, shredding one of the creatures almost immediately. The other, having just finished swallowing, tried to flee but was hit in the flank by a grenade. The force of the explosion threw it to the edge of the platform, where the slippery metal proved unable to provide traction. With a roar that was half terror, half defiance, the creature fell from the platform into the darkness below. The commander selected the radio of the marine who had been eaten and switched it off, silencing the screams. He would grieve later. For now, the mission had to continue.
In the cave section the turret factory had been completed and a good number of automated defense turrets had been deployed and activated. The commander quickly programmed in four automated siege cannons and waited for them to be constructed. When they were finished, he ordered the four jetpackers into the Data Core Delta room itself. Sure enough, another hive loomed in the darkness, its’ surface dripping with moisture. With visual conformation the commander watched as the siege cannons he had deployed acquired their target and began firing. With the first blast of sonic pressure the hive structure screamed in pain, and once again alien shapes appeared throughout the room. The sonic blasts though drowned out their cries, shattering their bodies into pulp. A few tried to reach the siege cannons themselves but were blasted apart by the automated turrets already deployed. The hive gave one final groan before collapsing under its’ own weight. The few other structures in the room were ripped apart and the jetpackers returned to the holographic room to meet up with their squadmates.
Excited cheers and jubilation echoed across the radio network. The commander was pleased that his men had managed so much, but he cautioned them against celebrating too early. Fresh orders were relayed and his squad moved out towards the central processing section. The siege cannons had already cleared out most of the structures in the area, but a few more remained. Methodically, his team cleared them out and secured new nano-sludge collectors. The commander checked the cameras in the remaining sectors and found little trace of further alien defenses. Sending his jetpackers through the air ducts, the commander now had a fix on the final hive structure, located in the humid, waterlogged ventilation chamber.
Moving through the maintenance section, his heavy marines were able to meet up with the jetpackers in the ventilation chamber itself. Rapid bursts of gunfire slammed into the hive structure, and although it cried out just like the others, few answered its’ call. Only four small alien shapes appeared in its’ defense, and all were quickly destroyed. Shuddering under unceasing fire, the hive structure finally fell into the brackish water that covered the floor of the chamber. As it fell, readings flooded into the command console. The few remaining signs of alien life were gone. Bacterium levels were dropping rapidly and the last remaining concentration of kharaa structures, in the cargo bay, were sagging and dying. Scans through the ravaged facility finally indicated no further signs of infestation. Exhaling a huge breath of relief, the commander slumped back in his chair and let the connection to cyberspace die. Glancing at the mission timer, he was amazed than only 58 minutes had passed. It had seemed like a lifetime.
Climbing out of the console he let the rain wash over his sweat-soaked body. His squad was already exiting from the phase gate, clapping him on the back and cheering, throwing their helmets aside and catching rain on their tongues. Soldiers were already telling exaggerated stories of the fighting that had gone on. But for the commander, he could only marvel that he, and so many of his squad, had come out alive. Although they had been victorious, his thoughts turned to those who had fallen, and the emotions which he had kept bottled up inside now flowed forth in the relief of the mission being over. With the rain pouring down on the entire squad, no-one was able to see the tears that ran down their commanders’ face. If they had seen them, they would have thought them tears of joy. For those who sent men into battle though, moments of joy are few and far between.
Overhead, the massive bulk of the dropship loomed. Beyond it were more shapes; commercial ships bringing in new colonists, workers and technicians. The commander turned before entering his ship and took one final look back at the station. Although it was safe once more, it still had a foreboding appearance. His men had fought and died there, and for him, it would always have an aura of death about it. If humanity wanted it back, they were welcome to it. He knew his job, at least, was done. Stepping off the rain drenched platform, the commander walked into the dropship and let the wretched facility fade into the distance. As the clouds once again closed over station Hera, the commander uttered a silent prayer of hope that he would never have to fight there again.
Bright lights burst into being through metallic corridors. The air was filled with the sound of welding and construction as the new inhabitants of station Hera began to rebuild their shattered home.
Phew! That took me a few hours <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.natural-selection.org/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'><!--endemo--> I'd love some feedback on these so I know what I'm doing right and wrong. Hope this is recieved well <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.natural-selection.org/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->
Also, so are we getting a map by map epic?
I am going to try and work through the various maps. The basic theme will be involving marine squads heading back into previously lost colonies. Thanks for the feedback <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'><!--endemo-->
although i think there wasnt enough strugle, they had laods of res, all upgrades etc it was as if they couldnt fail
Still, it?s good work <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo--> Keep it up, hopefully you?ll have enough time to do all the maps <!--emo&;)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/wink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink.gif'><!--endemo-->
If I had to find one fault it would be that the ending seemed a little rushed, but I can't blame you at all, after working on that for hours I would get a little anxious to get it over with myself. (to play some ns of course <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo--> )
I vote for a chapter set on Bast.
this story has some serious atmosphere I could almost smell the moist air and fell it chill down my spine at the description of the landing pad and battleground in the first part.
Extremely wellwritten and "real" story.
Keep up the good work I'm very much lookng forward to the next story.
You wouldn't happen to be the Ryo-Ohki of <i>Heart of an AWPer</i> fame? /bows <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->