The Skulkbusters
Skulkinator
Join Date: 2004-05-30 Member: 29016Members
Join Date: 2004-05-30 Member: 29016Members
<b>The Skulkbusters</b>
<b>Introduction</b>
Half* of everything in this story is probably unlikely to happen in terms of the NS universe. Do not try any of it in an actual game, or you may wind up seriously embarrassed.
The title(s)* will be explained in the story.
Notes
* Not literally half
* Title(s) pending - changes possible in the future
<b>Chapter 1: Interview</b>
Reporter Rita Navarne twirled her pen as she looked at her notebook. She looked back up at the holo-recording playing on the screen in front of her. The image showed seven Frontiersmen situated in a corridor: three in front, crouching, and four behind them, standing. The screen shifted to a top-down, angled perspective, which showed the entire length of the corridor.
Several Skulks, at least twelve, were charging at the Marines, running on the walls and ceiling as well as the floor. Two leapt at the Marines - one from the ceiling, one from a wall - and were met with blistering gunfire. A light spray of green blood spattered the wall as a stray bullet struck one Skulk. It turned tail and ran.
The rest of the Skulks continued their charge. The Marines fired sparingly, making each bullet count. However, there were still more than six Skulks still alive. The three Marines ejected their empty magazines and ran forward, keeping their heads low as the four behind them fired their pistols. Rita couldn't help but smile as one of the Marines gave a battlecry.
The three charging Marines slung their LMGs and drew their knives. They worked together, all slashing one Skulk at a time to kill it quickly. Rita smiled again. <i>All theatrics</i>, she thought. It was still surprisingly effective. Their arms swung back and forth in a rythmic motion, like clockwork. She could hear laughter on the tape - probably from the four Marines in the back.
She stopped the tape there and turned in her chair, looking at the seven Marines assembled before her. The very same Marines she just watched on the holo-screen. She smiled and began her interview. "That's quite an impressive recording. Of course, just about all of us have seen it on the recruitment ads."
She flicked her eyes towards the cameras recording the interview, and continued, "So, as I am told, you seven are the Marines in that recording."
The tall, broad-shouldered man in the middle nodded and smiled. Rita recognized him as the one who shouted the battlecry. She asked, "May I ask something? Are those recordings real? Or are they staged?"
A skinny man next to the first one laughed. "It's all real. It was one of our recent missions. Of course, we weren't always that impressive," which earned him a light thwack on the head from a bespectacled man behind him, who muttered, "Speak for yourself, Ron."
Rita smelled a real story. "Oh, really? So then, how did you rise to your current status as what Sergeant Harding tells me is one of the most valuable teams in the Frontiersmen?"
The broad-shouldered one smiled for the camera. "Well, we had pretty humble beginnings. Believe it or not, the Sergeant didn't always think so highly of us. I think he first got the idea to assemble our team when..."
<b>Introduction</b>
Half* of everything in this story is probably unlikely to happen in terms of the NS universe. Do not try any of it in an actual game, or you may wind up seriously embarrassed.
The title(s)* will be explained in the story.
Notes
* Not literally half
* Title(s) pending - changes possible in the future
<b>Chapter 1: Interview</b>
Reporter Rita Navarne twirled her pen as she looked at her notebook. She looked back up at the holo-recording playing on the screen in front of her. The image showed seven Frontiersmen situated in a corridor: three in front, crouching, and four behind them, standing. The screen shifted to a top-down, angled perspective, which showed the entire length of the corridor.
Several Skulks, at least twelve, were charging at the Marines, running on the walls and ceiling as well as the floor. Two leapt at the Marines - one from the ceiling, one from a wall - and were met with blistering gunfire. A light spray of green blood spattered the wall as a stray bullet struck one Skulk. It turned tail and ran.
The rest of the Skulks continued their charge. The Marines fired sparingly, making each bullet count. However, there were still more than six Skulks still alive. The three Marines ejected their empty magazines and ran forward, keeping their heads low as the four behind them fired their pistols. Rita couldn't help but smile as one of the Marines gave a battlecry.
The three charging Marines slung their LMGs and drew their knives. They worked together, all slashing one Skulk at a time to kill it quickly. Rita smiled again. <i>All theatrics</i>, she thought. It was still surprisingly effective. Their arms swung back and forth in a rythmic motion, like clockwork. She could hear laughter on the tape - probably from the four Marines in the back.
She stopped the tape there and turned in her chair, looking at the seven Marines assembled before her. The very same Marines she just watched on the holo-screen. She smiled and began her interview. "That's quite an impressive recording. Of course, just about all of us have seen it on the recruitment ads."
She flicked her eyes towards the cameras recording the interview, and continued, "So, as I am told, you seven are the Marines in that recording."
The tall, broad-shouldered man in the middle nodded and smiled. Rita recognized him as the one who shouted the battlecry. She asked, "May I ask something? Are those recordings real? Or are they staged?"
A skinny man next to the first one laughed. "It's all real. It was one of our recent missions. Of course, we weren't always that impressive," which earned him a light thwack on the head from a bespectacled man behind him, who muttered, "Speak for yourself, Ron."
Rita smelled a real story. "Oh, really? So then, how did you rise to your current status as what Sergeant Harding tells me is one of the most valuable teams in the Frontiersmen?"
The broad-shouldered one smiled for the camera. "Well, we had pretty humble beginnings. Believe it or not, the Sergeant didn't always think so highly of us. I think he first got the idea to assemble our team when..."
Comments
Ron cried, "Yeeehaaaw!" and held his helmet up in the air as he rode on the back of an Onos. He held onto the Onos's plated head as it bucked up and down, trying to shake him off. A sudden buck caused him to lurch forward, and he quickly put his helmet back on.
The broad-shouldered Marine, John Sanders, reloaded his HMG and said what everyone else was thinking: "Jesus Christ, Ron? How can a skinny guy like you hang on like that?"
The Onos ran forward, attempting to crush the Marine on its back like a bug. A couple Marines dove out of the way as the Onos rammed its head into the wall. Ron was untouched, however, and he simply grinned. John brought his HMG up and opened fire on the Onos, which turned in his direction and charged again.
It ran through a virtual gauntlet as it passed between six Marines, each armed with a shotgun. The shots scattered flesh and blood, but it seemed unfazed, and was approaching John rapidly. His HMG suddenly ran empty and he swore, then dove out of the way. He wasn't fast enough - the Onos was about to crush him on the floor.
Suddenly, the Onos screamed and slid forward, collapsing sideways as it did. The body stopped just a meter short of him, and he looked up to see Ron with the muzzle of his LMG buried under the Onos's head-plate. He got to his feet and noticed that one of Ron's legs was pinned beneath the Onos, and laughed. The other Marines rolled the body off of him, and he staggered to his feet. Weakly, but still grinning, he called, "Medpack!"
A medpack materialized in a burst of light, and the medical nanites flowed through him, healing his wounds. He chuckled and held his hands up for high-fives, but was met by only silence. <i>Damnit. It's Harding</i>, he thought, as he slowly turned around, his arms still raised.
He was right. Sergeant Harding was standing behind him, by the corpse of the Onos, shaking his head. Ron started, "Sergeant, I - " but was cut off.
Harding said, "I don't want to hear your crap. Now, you know I value what skill you have, but I just can't deal with your shenanigans anymore. You're getting assigned to a new unit, as soon as the dropship takes us back to the nearest base. The rest of you, stay here to secure the area."
As Harding walked off, there was a moment of uncomfortable silence. Ron lowered his arms. John called after Harding, "But, sir, you can't - " and was cut off as well. Harding turned around and replied, "I can and will. You're getting reassigned, too, since you two seem so buddy-buddy. Anyone else have something to say?"
John looked at Ron and shrugged. They walked off towards the drop zone to catch the dropship, which would be headed to the nearest TSA base for refueling and resupplying. John stopped for a moment and decided to break the silence by saying, "Well, I guess this is goodbye then! See you guys." The two continued walking.
John's alarm blared in his ears early the next morning, and he stumbled out of bed. Following his routine, he showered, suited up, and staggered over to the mess hall. Ron was already there, and John sat down beside him.
After a few moments of silence, Ron spoke up. "So, I guess we're going to see some new faces today, huh?"
John grunted, and finished up his meal. Ron finished and wiped his hands off on his pants. He scanned the empty mess hall, wondering if any of their new squadmates would be there. He turned to ask John something, but John had already walked off in the direction of the hangars. <i>Damn, that was quick</i>, he thought. <i>How does someone so big move so silently?</i>
He caught up with John in the hangars, and noticed five Marines standing around a dropship. Three of them were talking to each other, while the other two were reading what looked like a mission schedule. John and Ron walked over to the group.
The two looking at the mission schedule turned as they heard Ron's footsteps. One of them, a thick-necked man with a stocky build, greeted the two newcomers. He said, "So, you're the new guys, huh? Welcome to team Rejects. I'm Gary," and extended his hand.
John raised his eyebrows, then shook Gary's hand. The other Marine turned and introduced himself as Tim, then continued reading the schedule. Ron shrugged and looked at the other three Marines, who had stopped chatting to check out the new members.
One of them, a man wearing round glasses, greeted them first. "Hey, you're the new guys, huh? I'm Joe." Ron eyed his glasses, to which Joe smiled and said, "My eyesight isn't too hot, but I'm still here because I'm the best damn shot in the Frontiersmen."
The man next to him rolled his eyes and said, "Cut the crap, Joe. You haven't hit a Skulk in two years." He leaned in towards Ron and said, "He's a crap shot, but, ironically, just about the only one who can lob a grenade perfectly."
Suddenly, he turned around and smacked the man behind him and said, "Will you cut that whistling out, Vince? I swear, if you don't stop, I'll tear you a new hole to whistle from."
Vince grumbled and responded, "Okay, okay, Dan. Jesus, what are you, the whistle police?" Dan rolled his eyes, and turned back towards Ron, then quickly snapped off a salute.
<i>This can only mean one thing</i>, Ron thought. He turned, and saluted Harding, who gave him a nod.
"Well, I assume you've all introduced yourselves to John and Ron over here," he said, motioning to the two. "Those of you who haven't read the mission briefing - which is, most likely, all of you - can go over it on the dropship. We're leaving in ten."
John bit his lip. "We? Sir, you're coming with us?" asked John. Harding replied, "Yes. I have been given the...privilege...of commanding you seven for this mission." He said this last sentence with a slight grimace.
The seven Marines watched Harding climb into the dropship, then continued milling around until the dropship was ready to leave.
An hour later, the dropship cruised towards the space station Ceres. The pilot called back, "We're approaching Ceres now."
John was looking over the mission briefing. The space station had been attacked by the Kharaa, and four units of Marines were sent in. That was unusual - most operations only required one or two units, with backup from the dropship. Apparently, Ceres was also an important outpost.
The four units had succeeded in destroying the majority of the Kharaa, as well as stopping further infection. However, they had lost more than half of their men, and could not spare any more soldiers to eliminate the remnants.
Their unit's objective was to clear out whatever lifeforms remained. Quick and simple, with little chance of error. <i>Probably why we got assigned to this</i>, John thought.
The ship suddenly banked, causing John to lurch forward in his seat. He grabbed onto a bulkhead, and sat back down. Within moments, the dropship came to a stop, and he heard the whir of machinery as the large door opened, allowing the Marines to exit the dropship.
Harding left first, and the seven followed him. They were on a small landing pad - one of several - that was connected by a wide walkway. The walkway led into a large pair of doors. Harding walked up to the doors and placed his hand on the security panel. The doors slid open, and everyone filed in.
Behind the doors was a large room, filled with TSA-standard structures. There were several Marines standing around the base, their weapons hanging loosely at their sides. Harding walked up to one of them and asked for a report.
The Marine saluted him and told him that everything was just as it had been reported in the briefing, then directed Harding to the command chair. There was a series of beeps in the seven Marines' helmets as Harding logged in.
Harding said, "This is a mission that I'm sure none of you can screw up. Split up in two groups, and make a sweep through the lower level."
John and Ron exchanged glances. There was an unspoken agreement that they would probably have a better chance of living if they stuck together. They looked over the other five marines, unsure of which ones would make better teammates.
Tim stood off to one side, and Gary leaned on the wall next to him. Joe shrugged and joined them. That left John and Ron with Vince and Dan.
Harding said, "All right, men. You've got your groups - now move!"
They complied, and moved together to a service elevator, which took them down to the lower level. They arrived in a bright hallway, which led into a large room. As they walked into the room, they scanned the walls and ceilings, but found none of the Kharaa.
Joe shrugged and said, "Well, let's split here, then. You guys can go right, we'll take the left." He, Tim, and Gary took a wide doorway on the left side of the room. Ron looked back at the right side. There was one narrow exit there. He groaned.
The four moved through the corridor one by one, since that was all they could fit. They moved quickly, but were careful to leave enough space so that nobody would trip. Vince started whistling.
After five minutes of walking, they emerged from the narrow corridor into a slightly larger room. It appeared to be a storage room of some sort. The lights were dim, hardly enough to see the walls. John felt around the room to get his bearings.
Suddenly, Dan decided he'd had enough of Vince's whistling. He turned to Vince and said in a low voice, "I swear, if you don't stop that damn whistling, I am going to shove your LMG down your throat! You're going to get us killed!" Instead of doing what he said, Dan choked Vince. Vince started moving around in the room, trying to writhe free of Dan's grip.
Vince kicked a bucket full of water and stumbled back, crashing into Ron. Vince nearly fell, but was stopped by Dan's choke. Ron fell back and hit the wall. John swore and said, "What the hell are you two doing! You're gonna wake up all the damned Kharaa!"
He glared at Dan, whose arms were still locked around Vince's throat. Both of them were frozen, and John bet that their eyes were wide under their visors, by the way they just stared at him. <i>Uh-oh</i>, he thought. He turned, and looked straight into a mouth full of alien teeth. Then, all hell broke loose.
Dan screamed, then Vince screamed. John fell backwards, shielding himself with his arms. Ron thrashed about on the ground, trying to get up, but kept slipping on water. The Skulk backed up a little. It must have been in the vent, John thought, as he looked through a space between his arms. The Skulk ran forward, out of the vent. All the while, Dan and Vince were still screaming.
Just as the Skulk was coming out of the vent, Ron shouted, "Kill it, you idiots!" Vince scrambled for his pistol, and found his knife sheath instead. Not realizing that he had grabbed the wrong weapon, he brought his arms up in a firing position. John might have laughed at what the expression on Vince's face would have looked like, if he wasn't in danger of being bitten to death.
Dan was still staring, then blinked, and smacked Vince on the side of the head, still choking Vince with one arm. Vince blinked, then stepped forward. He cried out as he jabbed his knife into the Skulk, which writhed on his blade, impaled, before going limp.
Everyone stayed frozen for a while. The Skulk slowly slid off of Vince's knife, and hit the ground with a soft thump. Ron was the first one to break the silence.
"That thing had us all freaking out, and all it took was one stab?" he asked incredulously. Vince looked from his knife to the Skulk and back again, hardly able to believe his combat knife had just saved John. Ron crawled over on his knees and examinged the Skulk's body.
Suddenly, the Skulk flew up in the air. Dan screamed and drew his pistol. So did John. Twelve pistol rounds destroyed the Skulk. When everyone's ears stopped ringing, they could hear Ron's laughter. He was rolling on the floor, laughing at them.
"Hahaha! I wish I could have seen the looks on your faces! Oh! That was classic. The dead Skulk body gets 'em every time," he said, grinning. John was used to Ron's antics, and simply shrugged it off. Dan, however, was not, and snarled.
Ron stopped laughing, and said, "Calm down, Dan. Nothing wrong with some good fun. Here, you can take one of my pistol clips." He threw one to Dan, who seemed mollified, for the moment.
Dan and Vince helped the other two to their feet, and they continued on their way through the corridors and rooms of the space station's lower level. They didn't encounter any more aliens on the way, and eventually met up with the other group in front of the engine room.
Ron waved hello at them and asked, "So, did you guys pop any Skulks?" Tim nodded. Gary simply shifted uncomfortably, and looked away. Ron noticed Gary had alien blood on his armor. John asked, "How many? You guys didn't take any casualties - what happened?"
Gary coughed, and walked off a little bit, and Tim looked at Joe. Joe paused for a second, then leaned in and said in a quiet voice, "Well...we were walking by a row of vents, and this Skulk pops out. So we're all scrambling to shoot it as it's trying to munch on us.
"Anyway, I was walking backwards and circling around for a shot, when I bump into Gary. He tripped and fell right on the poor bastard. It never had a chance - it ended up looking like space roadkill."
Dan put his arm over his mouth and coughed, trying to hide a grin. Ron said, in a slightly louder voice so that Gary could hear, "Well, that's not so bad. We got attacked in a dark room. I tripped and kept slipping in a puddle of water, John hit the wall and fell down. He was about to get his face chomped. Dan was too busy choking Vince to shoot. And guess what? For all our weapons, the Skulk died because Vince shanked it."
Gary walked back to the group, and the seven Marines looked at each other. Tim said, "Okay, let's just say we shot them in a clean, professional matter, right?" Everyone nodded. John reported their status to Harding, who ordered them to return to the base and wait for the dropship.
They walked back to the service elevator, each having agreed not to speak of what really happened - at least, not to Harding. Now, they shared trust amongst each other. It was just the beginning of their team.
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Ratfire
About the transitions...I was trying to cut down on unimportant stuff in between chapters. Unfortunately, that resulted in a "snap to scene" type thing, except between Ch 1 and 2.
But seriously, you write good stories, but can you please finish one of them!!!!
Anyway, I'm considering not writing this anymore. Don't hate me, Soul Rider. <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo-->
It doesn't, to the best of my knowledge. I've tried to get on Onos with skulk, lerk, and jp marine. Never been able to do it. Of course, it would probably help if the Onos was helping...