I believe Thansal, don't lynch him. He found me and as certain as I am in my own role, he is what he claims to be.
I fully understand his position and if I were in his position I would do the same thing. The odds are that I'm a wolf, assuming that no wolves have died so far.
By the same token, I'm not suicidal and I need to put a vote in somewhere (especially considering how flaky my connection has been). <b>TheFenix</b>, Faskalia's assertion that one of us must be a wolf is suspicious but for now, I'll trust that E_lost had some idea of what he was doing. Even if he got NightStalker wrong (at least he qualified that one).
I've been giving this some thought, and I think that <b>Faskalia</b>'s action speak louder than E_lost's words. He also seems rather ravenous against me. This is just my feelings on the matter. But it seems more emotional than reasoned, as Thansal's opinion has been.
ThansalThe New ScumJoin Date: 2002-08-22Member: 1215Members, Constellation
yah know.
Wolves are probably have this in the bag.
We have 2 people with 2 votes, and 2 people that have not voted yet. I am going to assume that AT LEAST one of those with votes is a human.
There is a good chance that at least one of the wolves has not voted yet, or could swing their vote to a human.
I am expecting to see some last min vote adding/switching to bump a human up to the top.
Just figured I would put this out there <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" />
There are six of us... Four votes is an instalynch. If there are two wolves left, and we lynch a human, we lose tonight.
That means, again if both wolves live, that they only need two human votes on another human to end this. We HAVE two votes each on two different people, yet they haven't jumped on and ended the game. To me, that means one of five things:
1) Both players with two votes (Faskalia and Gwahir) are wolves
2) Each of the vote pairs contains one wolf. i.e. either Thansal or Faskalia is a wolf, AND either Gwahir or myself is a wolf (Well, I know I'm human, but none of you can confirm that, so this is just logic).
3) The two wolves aren't coordinated enough to pull off a double-bandwagon without giving one of us time to correct it.
4) They didn't think of this (Though since we don't have any new players this round, I think this unlikely).
<!--quoteo(post=1652324:date=Sep 26 2007, 01:52 PM:name=Thansal)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Thansal @ Sep 26 2007, 01:52 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1652324"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->or one of the vote pairs has a wolf and the other wolf has not voted yet.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
If only one of the pairs has a wolf, then that person plus the other wolf could jump on the other pair and win. If it's because the other one is inactive, well, see option #3.
First, becoming busy <i>and</i> not having internet at my place doesn't lend itself well to being really active. I just had the cable modem set up here, which means I will be on for the rest of today (for the most part, I also want to make sure I get the router set up), but then I'll be taking off to visit family and I'll be working with dialup internet at random times (or leaching wireless if I'm lucky).
It looks like nothing new is coming up, so all I can do is go with probability. So, I will be voting for <b>Gwahir</b>.
ThansalThe New ScumJoin Date: 2002-08-22Member: 1215Members, Constellation
<!--quoteo(post=1652354:date=Sep 26 2007, 03:50 PM:name=Xentor)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Xentor @ Sep 26 2007, 03:50 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1652354"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->If only one of the pairs has a wolf, then that person plus the other wolf could jump on the other pair and win. If it's because the other one is inactive, well, see option #3.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd--> oh, right you are!
EMP_DemonNothing to see here.Join Date: 2005-01-28Member: 38754Members, Constellation
edited November 2007
A day passed without incident. The hives were relatively stable, not getting better nor worse. <b>Faskalia</b> attempted every solution he could think of to the hives, without results. In the meantime, <b>im_lost</b>, along with <b>TheFeniX</b> and <b>Thansal</b>, were studying the top-secret marine database in the hope of finding some way to disable the marine bio-weapon. <b>Xentor</b> and <b>Thansal</b> could find nothing better to do than play hide and seek while not transporting <b>Faskalia</b> between the three hives in his attempt to find a cure. <b>Xentor</b> was a natural at hiding, but <b>Gwahir</b> just couldn't sit still long enough, and was caught in a few minutes every time.
Little did those six Khiraa know their world was about to come crashing down around them…
The TSA Battleship <i>Boreas</i> arrived at Colenar At almost the exact same time, Captain Chromebeard's <i>Bloody Hook</i> arrived in-system, the pirate fleet behind him. The two arrived on opposite ends of the <i>Aurora Station</i>.
It was only a matter of time before hostilities began to break out…
"What in blazes…" Admiral Rosenburg was surprised to see such a massive pirate fleet at what was supposed to be a top-secret research facility. "Communications, open a line to their lead frigate."
After a quick confirmation by the communications officer, Rosenburg recited, "This is the Trans-System Authority Battleship <i>Boreas</i> to unidentified vessel. You are in violation of our borders. Withdraw from the system or we will be forced to engage."
It took only a second for the opposing forces' commander to appear on the viewscreen, responding in kind. "Well, Admiral Rosenburg… at last we meet. Unfortunately, you are alone in this sector, and… well, let's just say we have a vested interest in that space staition too."
"Captain Chromebeard… If I'm not mistaken, there are at least a dozen outstanding warrants against you for treason and grand theft. Good to see that you've at least gotten something out of it." Rosenburg kept his best poker face on, though both sides could hear the touch of sarcasm in Rosenburg's last line.
"Yes, I suppose they have. Run along, Admiral, or we will be… 'forced to engage'." Chromebeard smiled maliciously before closing the communications link.
At the same time, both Chromebeard and Rosenburg were giving similar orders to their ships, "Engage shields, deploy combat thrusters, power up weapons."
Meanwhile, <b>Xentor</b> and <b>Gwahir</b>, with <b>Faskalia</b> once again in tow, were passing by the Western Skylights when the sight of the two sides moving into attack position caught their eyes.
<b>im_lost</b> could also see what was going on, as a warning showed up on the screen when the pirate fleet moved into range.
Both Khiraa groups knew that no matter what side won in space, they would be in for a fight against the victor…
The <i>Boreas</i>' first move was to launch its fighter squadrons; outnumbered it may have been against the capital ships, its fighter squadrons were expected to even the odds.
"Gunship group Aran, you are cleared to fire. Target the light cruisers first." Aran squadron was the heavy bombers. The light cruisers were those that were designed for the sole purpose of shredding enemy fighters; they had to be eliminated before much else could be done. However, the fighters didn't stop launching there.
"Interceptor group Spire, watch Aran's backs. Don't get too close to those cruisers!" Pirate fighters were rare, but there were still enough in a fleet this size to dismantle Aran squadron without backup.
"Aran Alpha targeting at zero-seven-zero mark three-one-five. Torpedoes away." The unfamiliar chatter over the combat communications lines signalled multiple bombing runs against the enemy's light cruisers.
However, this wasn't the only thing that was going on…
"Sir, I'm detecting enemy shuttle launches, heading for the Aurora station!" The tactical officer of the <i>Boreas</i> was directing the battleship's weapon systems, mostly aiming to disable Chromebeard's <i>Bloody Hook</i>. The other captain was showing no such regard, aiming to destroy his counterpart.
Rosenburg swore under his breath. They were going for the Aurora station, were they? Not if they got there first. "Launch Assault Shuttle <i>Sylux</i>, priority is to secure the station's docking bays. Send Interceptor group Trace to cover." Trace was a specialized fighter group outfitted with bulky, yet effective, fighter-to-fighter missiles. The pilots were also fond of locking missiles before firing standard cannons, in an attempt to fake out their targets.
It wasn't long before the enemy shuttles began to attempt to knock the <i>Sylux</i> out of the running. Trace squadron responded in kind, but Murphy's Law tends to apply in situations like this; whatever can go wrong, <i>will</i> go wrong…
The trio at Western Skylights watched as a pair of Trace squadron Interceptors began to chase a shuttle with the designation <i>Kanden</i>, darting just by the windows facing the battle. <b>Gwahir</b> turned to <b>Faskalia</b> and <b>Xentor</b>. <Sure is some view, huh?>
The two were dumbstruck, and suddenly, <b>Xentor</b> picked up the gorge and fled toward Overlook as fast as his wings could carry him, faster than <b>Gwahir</b> had ever seen the other lerk move.
<Wow, wonder what got into him.> <b>Gwahir</b> turned back toward the battle- and saw the same shuttle, the <i>Kanden</i>, flying right at the window he was looking at! The shuttle veered…
But the missile on its tail didn't! <b>Gwahir</b> screamed, and dashed toward the exit, but before he could make it…
<i>KABOOM!</i>
The explosion disoriented <b>Gwahir</b>, and the new hole in the station's hull began to suck <b>Gwahir</b> out. He fought as hard as he could against the vacuum but he couldn't fight for the pieces of debris that had been knocked loose, including one large sheet of side paneling that was blasted away by the missile. Slamming face-first into the metal, he was stunned long enough to be sucked out into space, the metal panel sealing the rift behind him.
<b>Xentor</b> and <b>Faskalia</b> looked around the corner, hearing the vacuum stop, and seeing <b>Gwahir</b> slowly float away from the destroyed window..
"Fleet is severely damaged! We can't last much longer!" The tactical officer was one of the few left standing on the <i>Bloody Hook</i>'s bridge. All around, his fleet was getting torn up by the enemy gunships and the continued barrages were leaving Chromebeard's own ship with massive damage. Spitting onto the deck, he decided to give one last order.
"Set the core to overload. Target the <i>Boreas</i>. Engines, full ahead. Prepare for ramming speed!"
Near him, another light cruiser was destroyed near Sector 5 of the Aurora Station…
…and its resulting explosion caused a large chunk of ceiling to collapse on top of <b>im_lost</b>, and before he realized it, he found himself covered in rubble.
<<b>im_lost</b>!> <b>Thansal</b> and <b>TheFeniX</b> were both recoiling from the nearby explosion. The shock of seeing their last fade, their best chance against any intruding marines, get buried in debris so easily… It unnerved both of them, and they both wondered what they could do if the marines finally managed to get onto the station.
However, things were not only about to go wrong, they were about to go <i>very</i> wrong...
Slowly drifting through space, <b>Gwahir</b> was unaware of the changes that were happening to him. It took a minute for him to realize, <i>Wait a minute, there's no air in space, how am I still alive?</i> A quick double-check had him notice, that he was indeed not breathing. Stretching his wings out, he was surprised to notice that they now extended to triple their normal length, and were covered with metal, as though he was some marine fighter. Of course, this fighter was designed by someone who had seen the face of the devil himself…
His body had also been extended, almost as long as an onos now, with metal sheeting similar to that on the creature that had killed Nightstalker, as well as his other friends. He could feel a new surge of power rushing through him, mostly coming from a pair of tubes on his forearms. Wondering how he could possibly move in space, he did a quick barrel roll before noticing a familiar purple-blue trail of exhaust from what was his back.
<i>Oh, so I have a large jetpack on me now… this should come in handy.</i> By now, <b>Gwahir</b> had lazily swerved in a large circle, and was now facing the Overlook, where he could barely see <b>Xentor</b> and <b>Faskalia</b>. A never-before-felt sense of rage went through <b>Gwahir</b>, as he remembered how the two of them left him to die. As he reminisced about the events of not five minutes ago, he felt the two tubes on his forearms fill, and knowledge about what was in them entered his mind like he had known it from birth. <i>Missiles?</i>, Gwahir thought, <i>Time for some due payback.</i>
He held both forearms in front of him, and instinctively triggered the launchers now attached to his arms, sending a pair of incredibly fast warheads at his targets…
Meanwhile, <b>Xentor</b> and <b>Faskalia</b> were watching the battle from the Overlook viewpoint, which was no more than a dozen meters away from the Western Skylights. <b>Faskalia</b> barely noticed the purple-blue flare from a nearly invisible source.
<What was that?> <What was what?> <b>Xentor</b> hadn't seen the flare, he had been watching as a Spire squadron Interceptor lured two pirate shuttles together from opposite directions, causing them to explode in a large fireball.
<There it is again!> Both lerk and gorge saw the flare this time, however it was an orange-red, and it looked like it was partly eclipsed by something. The two of them leaned closer to try and figure out what they had seen…
Unfortunately, that was a big mistake, as <b>Gwahir</b>'s twin missiles blasted through the window they were looking through. <b><!--coloro:#FF0000--><span style="color:#FF0000"><!--/coloro-->Faskalia</b><!--colorc--></span><!--/colorc--> was vapourized instantly. <b>Xentor</b>, on the other hand was on the brink of death, not to mention the debris flying around and the fact that there was now a new hole that was beginning to suck anything not nailed down, including the poor lerk. As the dying <b><!--coloro:#FF0000--><span style="color:#FF0000"><!--/coloro-->Xentor</b><!--colorc--></span><!--/colorc--> got swept into the vacuum of space, a familiar creature flew inside and, breaking off a large panel from a wall, blocked the hole. It knew where its ally was…
"The enemy cruiser's coming right for us!" The <i>Boreas</i> was in much better state than the <i>Bloody Hook</i>, but they still had a large cruiser with an overloading core heading straight for them. They had very little time to evade.
Fortunately, Rosenburg didn't become an Admiral by sitting around for a few days to plan strategy.
"Disable the station-keeping thrusters and open the port cargo bay, shuttle bay, and fighter bay. Engage port lateral thrusters!" The helmsman and the tactical officers both quickly followed the Admiral's orders…
"Sir!" Chromebeard didn't need to turn to his tactical officer to find out what was going on. He could see it well enough by himself. The ejected contents plus the thrusters were going to cause the <i>Bloody Hook</i> to miss a direct impact with the battleship. He let out a loud swear as the ship impacted with the port side of the <i>Boreas</i>…
The battleship shook with the impact of the pirate cruiser as it tore through a section of the hull, but neither exploded nor continued to fire at its target. The pirate cruiser kept going for a few minutes before eventually detonating from the overloaded core, but at a safe distance from the <i>Boreas</i>.
"Status report!" Rosenburg didn't like the idea of his ship getting damaged, but in this case, he was thankful that the damage wasn't more severe.
"Port thrusters are down. Port cargo bay is now non-existant, port fighter and shuttle bays are going to need an overhaul. Enemy flagship… enemy flagship has been destroyed." With those last few words, there was a flood of cheers on the bridge.
"Have all squadrons mop-up any pirate resistance, then have the shuttles move to dock with the <i>Aurora Station</i>." Relieved, he now realized that a fight against the Kharaa would be likely, but if he played his cards right, he could retrieve the data core and have his men get out before those vermin ever realized they were there. Then, they could just destroy the station without issue.
However, the fight inside the station was not over yet. All of a sudden, the pile of debris that had trapped <b>im_lost</b> flew apart. One of the larger pieces smacked into <b>TheFeniX</b>, knocking him onto his side once again and partly re-opening the scar on his stomach.
<b>Thansal</b> shielded himself from the debris, but couldn't move fast enough to shield himself from a flurry of claws eerily similar to those the creature they had killed a day ago had…
A few seconds later, <b><!--coloro:#FF0000--><span style="color:#FF0000"><!--/coloro-->Thansal</b><!--colorc--></span><!--/colorc--> was sliced and diced into a small pile on the ground. All without stopping, the new creature darted up to the onos, and then <i>through</i> the onos as it was made of thin air. Unfortunately for <b>TheFeniX</b>, the dashing attack was a flurry of claws all its own. After a few seconds, <b><!--coloro:#FF0000--><span style="color:#FF0000"><!--/coloro-->TheFeniX</b><!--colorc--></span><!--/colorc-->'s corpse looked an awful lot like Eternaly_Lost's body had, those few days ago.
Still without pausing, even for a second, the creature darted over to Overlook, where he knew he could find someone friendly…
<b>Gwahir</b> turned to see something strangely new, yet familar. On all four legs like a skulk, but with skin that had the same texture as a fade's, minus the similar metal plating to that which he wore. The symbiote that a fade normally had that provided acid-based attacks had duplicated itself, one on each shoulder, and appeared to be almost made of metal. Ending each leg was a blade-like claw similar to that the transformed skulk had, only slightly larger.
Coming to a stop, this new creature stretched, then quickly stood up on two legs, both symbiotes facing toward <b>Gwahir</b> while its head stared the former lerk in the eyes.
"<b>Gwahir</b>?" The sound of the humans' language surprised him, but as he thought about it, he found himself easily speaking the language, as though he was a native speaker.
"I'm guessing… <b>im_lost</b>?" A chortle came from the fade, who nodded in response. Eerily, the twin symbiotes mimicked the motion. "So, the humans are still out there."
"They're going to come for the data core. They're expecting a weapon, and given time, they might actually find it. We may no longer be pure Kharaa, but it does make up a part of us." <b>im_lost</b> quickly realized a way their new forms could come in handy… "I'm going to go greet our guests. Why don't you see if you can… 'convince' the hives to follow our lead for once?"
Laughing maniacally, <b>Gwahir</b> carefully manoeuvred to the Sub-Sector hive, being the closest one. <b>im_lost</b>, on the other hand, darted over to the docking bays, just outside of the Mobile Command Interface…
In the docking bays, the Assault Shuttle <i>Sylux</i> came to a slow halt, the shuttle bay doors closing behind it. The shuttle did a quick one-eighty, and then quickly lowered a landing ramp, allowing it to disembark its twelve-marine squadron.
"<i>Sylux</i>, can you get us a map?" "Negative, Commander, the station's classified. No maps of the area are available." "Well, then that's just great." Commander <b><!--coloro:#FFFF33--><span style="color:#FFFF33"><!--/coloro-->Rundas</b><!--colorc--></span><!--/colorc--> sighed and moved for the exit, intending to get to the station's data core within Sector 5B and get out as soon as possible. However, before he could reach the exit, it opened on its own... and standing in the doorway was <b>im_lost</b>, taking up most of the frame and causing most of the marines to raise their weapons on instinct.
"Excuse me, sirs," the Khiraa said, noticably shaking up the marine force, "I believe you're not wanted. Leave now...", at which point <b>im_lost</b> readied his claws, the two symbiotes on his back sticking just over his shoulders, "or die."
Not surprisingly, the marine squadron immediately began firing at <b>im_lost</b>. Strangely, the nanite projectiles weren't doing anything to the Khiraa, instead making brief silver flashes that indicated the friendly-fire safeties were being activated. One of the marines moved to the side and had the bright idea to shoot one of the two symbiotes.
Unfortunately, this proved to not be such a bright idea after all, as the friendly-fire flash once again reappeared, merely knocking the symbiote around. A second later, though, the marine that shot the symbiote became bright; as the symbiote immediately recovered and let loose a stream of flames at the marine, nearly incinerating him instantly.
<b>im_lost</b> gruesomely chuckled as the marines began to ran from the Khiraa, but before they could reach the shuttle, he literally dove straight through their ranks, dispatching many of the marines with well-placed yet incredibly swift claw strikes. Arriving at the shuttle before the marines, he spun around to see the entire marine squad lying dead, a few of them decapitated or burned to a crisp.
And yet, <b>im_lost</b> realized that the knowledge within his mind now contained a how-to to pilot one of these shuttles... Destroying the communication sending system first, he launched upwards under Trace squadron's cover, slowly flying toward the <i>Boreas</i>.
After all, the new Khiraa Unity would need a flagship, and what better than one of the most powerful ships in the TSA fleet?
"Sir, the <i>Sylux</i> is on return approach. Their communications system appears to be damaged." The communications officer was reporting the shuttle's flight from the station. Having only been there for a few minutes, the bridge crew, including Rosenburg, were curious about what had happened.
"They probably met heavy resistance right off the bat... but we can't leave without that data core. We have some time. Once the <i>Sylux</i> gets back, refit its communications system and send it back with the prototype T-95 Onosbuster. A small tank should do the trick." The tactical officer immediately began calling troops to replace the no-doubt injured troops from the <i>Sylux</i>...
In the remaining starboard shuttle bay, the <i>Sylux</i> dropped to the ground with a -CLANG-. The shuttle was immediately surrounded by relief troops, as well as the tank that was part of the deployment. In the rear were the engineers, responsible for the tank's maintenance and repairing the shuttle's communication while the tank did its job.
The landing ramp dropped open...
All hell broke loose as <b>im_lost</b> lept out of the shuttle, claws flying and flames blazing in every direction. The marines in the back, carrying heavier weapons than the previous group, swore in frustration as even their heavy machine guns failed to register. The wave of silver flashes finally had a marine figure out to use a weapon without the friendly-fire safeguards. One marine in the back swapped to a grenade launcher and fired-
However, one of <b>im_lost</b>'s symbiotes had seen this, and as the grenade fired, the symbiote launched a stream of fire at it, causing it to explode in the center of a group of marines, and continuing to roast the marine who fired the grenade.
The tank was also too slow to react, and by the time its weapons were online, nearly all of the marines were dead, and the Onosbuster was designed just for taking out those. Which meant, of course, that it had a very bad vertical tolerance for its cannons, and its tracking systems were nowhere near fast enough to take out fades, much less the far more nimble Khiraa against it.
Had it been living, <b>im_lost</b> would've put it out of its misery. As it was, the Khiraa just scoffed against it, and after finishing off the last marine soldier, it jumped on top of the tank, causing the Onosbuster to spin wildly, trying to find its target. <b>im_lost</b> dug a claw into its top, and used the symbiotes to fire not a stream of fire, but of incredibly powerful acid, into the core of the T-95. It suddenly lurched to a stop and sparked. <b>im_lost</b> moved to a nearby communications panel and spoke to the rest of the ship...
"<i>This is <b>im_lost</b> of the Khiraa Unity. This vessel is now under our control. If you surrender, we shall let you serve us. If you resist, you will die. While I do prefer the latter, it is all up to you.</i>"
Back on the bridge, Rosenburg was shocked at the trojan horse the Khiraa had tricked them with. Realizing where the Khiraa had come from, Rosenburg turned to his communications officer...
"Aran squadron has new orders. <b><i>Destroy</i></b> the <i>Aurora Station</i>! We can't let them keep that station!"
Out in space, the Trace and Spire squadrons of interceptors took a flanking postion on either side of the Aran gunship squadron. Aran Alpha, having survived the battle and having a few torpedoes left, began to lock on to the station.
"Aran Alpha targeting at zero-two-zero mark zero-one-four. Torpedoes away..."
The torpedoes launched from the three remaining Aran gunships, and started to head toward their mark...
-BOOM-
Suddenly, the torpedoes detonated between them and their target, too far away to cause any damage.
"What the..." The head Aran pilot was understandably shocked. What shocked him more, though, was when a pair of pitch-black missiles zoomed out of nowhere and impacted on each of the other gunships, destroying them in a large fireball. The pilot had no time to react as another pair of the missiles headed straight for him...
<<b>Gwahir</b> to <b>im_lost</b>. Can you read me?> The former lerk was attempting to contact the fellow Khiraa using what used to be the hive link, but was now more of a nanite network than anything else.
<Yes. What do you want?> <b>im_lost</b> had a slight amount of joy in his voice. <b>Gwahir</b> couldn't see it, but <b>im_lost</b> was chuckling madly at the marines which wouldn't surrender. They were all firing blanks at him; he merely needed to twitch to kill them. The situation was a maddening change of pace from the usual hit-and-run fade tactics.
<The hive is ours. Enemy gunships destroyed, I'm going after the interceptors now.>
<Very well, then I'll head for the bridge and take command of this ship personally. It may be damaged, but we'll soon have a legion to make repairs.>
<b>Gwahir</b> mentally nodded and closed the link, becoming aware of the enraged Trace and Spire interceptors bearing down on him. The space-faring Khiraa was less protected than <b>im_lost</b> was: TSA ship-to-ship weapons didn't have the same friendly-fire restrictions that were keeping his Khiraa counterpart safe.
Regardless, he used his body's dark tint to his advantage, rolling and weaving so that he was nearly impossible to hit. One of the interceptors attempted to launch a missile at him, only for <b>Gwahir</b> to swerve out of the way and dart for the interceptor that fired it, luring the missile back into its sender. All the while, pitch-black missiles were launching toward various targets.
Like many conventional fighter designs, almost every weapon on TSA fighters were fixed facing forward; this ended up being the key disadvantage against the doomed interceptors. Unable to match <b>Gwahir</b>'s 360-degree line of fire, combined with his rapid reload rate and sheer power in his missiles, the interceptors were demolished within minutes. Gone were some of the TSA's best pilots, and their flagship was next...
<b>im_lost</b> was smashing down the door of the bridge. He could tell from the loud evacuation alarms that the humans were attempting to flee their vessel. No matter, he knew that <b>Gwahir</b> could easily capture any escape pods... or have some fun with them. After all, there were still billions of humans to go around.
On the bridge itself, a silent self-destruct had been ordered. Admiral Rosenburg, along with his tactical officer, were the only crew members let on the flagship. With only a few minutes to go, all Rosenburg had to do was stall the unknown force until the detonation cycle was complete.
The door blasted open, and the tactical officer opened fire with a customized shotgun. Unfortunately, the same flash that sparked marines' doom before appeared yet again, and the former fade dashed over to the tactical officer and sliced him to ribbons.
Rosenburg, however, was the owner of an illegal prototype rifle that used inert nanites as bullets, rather than the active form within standard marine weaponry. If it were anyone else, they would be facing a <i>very</i> long prison term, but as it was the admiral of the <i>Boreas</i>... rules tended to bend around such figures. Seeing an opportunity, Rosenburg fired a round at the Khiraa, hoping to land a hit. This left <b>im_lost</b> surprised, as the bullet pierced straight through a shoulder and into a console behind him. With a silent cheer, Rosenburg continued to fire, leaving <b>im_lost</b> on the defensive for once, using his incredible speed to barely avoid more shots from the admiral's rifle.
However, the advantage didn't last long, as the prototype rifle had a very small loading capacity. It only took a few seconds for the Khiraa to dash over and plunge a blade into Rosenburg's chest.
"You... you won't win. I'll t-t-take you with me..." Rosenburg sputtered, life nearing an end.
"...I believe you've tried the self-destruct, haven't you?" <b>im_lost</b> asked his prisoner. However, the only thing that came out of Rosenburg's mouth was a chuckle, as <b>im_lost</b> realized his predicament.
However, it didn't puzzle him for long, as the nanites within him continued to give him more and more knowledge about the <i>Boreas</i>. Walking over to the tactical displays, the Khiraa began to press a few buttons which, under normal circumstances, would cancel the self-destruct.
"That won't work... only my voice... can shut it off... you're doomed..." Rosenburg continued to chuckle at the Khiraa, believing that his attempts would be for nothing.
However, all <b>im_lost</b> did was smirk.
When the Khiraa tapped the controls, he had sent his own nanites into the computer core of the <i>Boreas</i>. While a voice authorization would be required to activate or deactivate a self-destruct, the Khiraan nanites merely bypassed the safety measures. A few seconds later, a computerized voice rang out throughout the bridge, "Self-destruct cancelled."
All Rosenburg could do in his last few moments of life were gape at the loss of his ship...
"Keep scanning for the <i>Boreas</i>." The captain of the <i>Tempest</i> was part of a top-secret task force to locate the <i>Boreas</i> and determine what happened to the <i>Aurora Station</i> after their arrival. However, as they were about to leave the nearby <i>Midpoint</i> station for Colenar...
"A large battle fleet has just arrived. Markings are unknown. At the lead is... It's the <i>Boreas</i>!"
"Something's not right. What's with all the pirate cruisers?" Accompanying the <i>Boreas</i> were pirate cruisers that looked like they had been cobbled together from spare parts. However, that wasn't the only surprise...
"I'm getting a massive reading... It's the <i>Aurora Station</i>?!"
"That thing doesn't even have engines, how can it travel at light speed?" There was chatter over the task force's communication lines. None of them knew what was going on. "Sir, I'm reading <i>massive</i> levels of firepower on the station!" "Unknown fighter configurations detected!" "Is that a Kharaa ship?"
"<b>Cut the chatter!</b>" The <i>Tempest</i>'s captain decided to see if their visitors were peaceful. "Hail the <i>Aurora Station</i>." Waiting a second for his communications officer, he then continued, "This is the <i>Tempest</i> of the task force Falchion. Please identify yourselves."
A moment passed... two... a minute...
"Weapons fire! Incoming!" A large blue beam passed by the bridge of the <i>Tempest</i>, almost tearing a hole in the ship. "Bare miss... cosmetic damage only." "Sir, we're getting a response from the station!"
The viewscreen changed to an image of a dark room, adorned with a pair of large thrones not unlike the captain's chair on the <i>Tempest</i>. The difference, however, was that a spotlight was shining down on each throne. Sitting in one was <b>im_lost</b>, and the other held <b>Gwahir</b>. The latter stood up, stretching his wings to fill the screen, and spoke, "I am <b>Gwahir</b>, of the Khiraa Unity. Your ships will surrender to us. The only alternative is death. We will give you two minutes to comply." With that, the screen shut off, leaving the crew speechless.
"Open a channel to the fleet." The captain was quick with his decision, but of course there was only one possible decision, wasn't there? "<i>Tempest</i> to task force Falchion. All ships are ordered to engage that fleet!"
<i>And so began the third power's influence on the Kharaa/Human war. Many lives were lost, but eventually-
*static*
A data pad lying in a ravaged building began to reboot itself once again, continuing to replay the same fateful events that had led to the costliest war in a millenium...
<!--coloro:#00FFFF--><span style="color:#00FFFF"><!--/coloro-->Distress signal received.
Comments
I believe Thansal, don't lynch him. He found me and as certain as I am in my own role, he is what he claims to be.
I fully understand his position and if I were in his position I would do the same thing. The odds are that I'm a wolf, assuming that no wolves have died so far.
By the same token, I'm not suicidal and I need to put a vote in somewhere (especially considering how flaky my connection has been).
<b>TheFenix</b>, Faskalia's assertion that one of us must be a wolf is suspicious but for now, I'll trust that E_lost had some idea of what he was doing. Even if he got NightStalker wrong (at least he qualified that one).
Gwahir (2) - Thansal, Faskalia
Faskalia (1) - Xentor
TheFeniX (1) - Gwahir
Left to vote:
im_lost
TheFeniX
Wolves are probably have this in the bag.
We have 2 people with 2 votes, and 2 people that have not voted yet. I am going to assume that AT LEAST one of those with votes is a human.
There is a good chance that at least one of the wolves has not voted yet, or could swing their vote to a human.
I am expecting to see some last min vote adding/switching to bump a human up to the top.
Just figured I would put this out there <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" />
There are six of us... Four votes is an instalynch. If there are two wolves left, and we lynch a human, we lose tonight.
That means, again if both wolves live, that they only need two human votes on another human to end this. We HAVE two votes each on two different people, yet they haven't jumped on and ended the game. To me, that means one of five things:
1) Both players with two votes (Faskalia and Gwahir) are wolves
2) Each of the vote pairs contains one wolf. i.e. either Thansal or Faskalia is a wolf, AND either Gwahir or myself is a wolf (Well, I know I'm human, but none of you can confirm that, so this is just logic).
3) The two wolves aren't coordinated enough to pull off a double-bandwagon without giving one of us time to correct it.
4) They didn't think of this (Though since we don't have any new players this round, I think this unlikely).
5) There's only one wolf left.
If only one of the pairs has a wolf, then that person plus the other wolf could jump on the other pair and win. If it's because the other one is inactive, well, see option #3.
It looks like nothing new is coming up, so all I can do is go with probability. So, I will be voting for <b>Gwahir</b>.
oh, right you are!
Gwahir (3) - Thansal, Faskalia, im_lost
Faskalia (2) - Xentor, Gwahir
Left to vote:
TheFeniX
Little did those six Khiraa know their world was about to come crashing down around them…
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The TSA Battleship <i>Boreas</i> arrived at Colenar At almost the exact same time, Captain Chromebeard's <i>Bloody Hook</i> arrived in-system, the pirate fleet behind him. The two arrived on opposite ends of the <i>Aurora Station</i>.
It was only a matter of time before hostilities began to break out…
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"What in blazes…" Admiral Rosenburg was surprised to see such a massive pirate fleet at what was supposed to be a top-secret research facility. "Communications, open a line to their lead frigate."
After a quick confirmation by the communications officer, Rosenburg recited, "This is the Trans-System Authority Battleship <i>Boreas</i> to unidentified vessel. You are in violation of our borders. Withdraw from the system or we will be forced to engage."
It took only a second for the opposing forces' commander to appear on the viewscreen, responding in kind. "Well, Admiral Rosenburg… at last we meet. Unfortunately, you are alone in this sector, and… well, let's just say we have a vested interest in that space staition too."
"Captain Chromebeard… If I'm not mistaken, there are at least a dozen outstanding warrants against you for treason and grand theft. Good to see that you've at least gotten something out of it." Rosenburg kept his best poker face on, though both sides could hear the touch of sarcasm in Rosenburg's last line.
"Yes, I suppose they have. Run along, Admiral, or we will be… 'forced to engage'." Chromebeard smiled maliciously before closing the communications link.
At the same time, both Chromebeard and Rosenburg were giving similar orders to their ships, "Engage shields, deploy combat thrusters, power up weapons."
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Meanwhile, <b>Xentor</b> and <b>Gwahir</b>, with <b>Faskalia</b> once again in tow, were passing by the Western Skylights when the sight of the two sides moving into attack position caught their eyes.
<b>im_lost</b> could also see what was going on, as a warning showed up on the screen when the pirate fleet moved into range.
Both Khiraa groups knew that no matter what side won in space, they would be in for a fight against the victor…
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The <i>Boreas</i>' first move was to launch its fighter squadrons; outnumbered it may have been against the capital ships, its fighter squadrons were expected to even the odds.
"Gunship group Aran, you are cleared to fire. Target the light cruisers first." Aran squadron was the heavy bombers. The light cruisers were those that were designed for the sole purpose of shredding enemy fighters; they had to be eliminated before much else could be done. However, the fighters didn't stop launching there.
"Interceptor group Spire, watch Aran's backs. Don't get too close to those cruisers!" Pirate fighters were rare, but there were still enough in a fleet this size to dismantle Aran squadron without backup.
"Aran Alpha targeting at zero-seven-zero mark three-one-five. Torpedoes away." The unfamiliar chatter over the combat communications lines signalled multiple bombing runs against the enemy's light cruisers.
However, this wasn't the only thing that was going on…
"Sir, I'm detecting enemy shuttle launches, heading for the Aurora station!" The tactical officer of the <i>Boreas</i> was directing the battleship's weapon systems, mostly aiming to disable Chromebeard's <i>Bloody Hook</i>. The other captain was showing no such regard, aiming to destroy his counterpart.
Rosenburg swore under his breath. They were going for the Aurora station, were they? Not if they got there first. "Launch Assault Shuttle <i>Sylux</i>, priority is to secure the station's docking bays. Send Interceptor group Trace to cover." Trace was a specialized fighter group outfitted with bulky, yet effective, fighter-to-fighter missiles. The pilots were also fond of locking missiles before firing standard cannons, in an attempt to fake out their targets.
It wasn't long before the enemy shuttles began to attempt to knock the <i>Sylux</i> out of the running. Trace squadron responded in kind, but Murphy's Law tends to apply in situations like this; whatever can go wrong, <i>will</i> go wrong…
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The trio at Western Skylights watched as a pair of Trace squadron Interceptors began to chase a shuttle with the designation <i>Kanden</i>, darting just by the windows facing the battle. <b>Gwahir</b> turned to <b>Faskalia</b> and <b>Xentor</b>. <Sure is some view, huh?>
The two were dumbstruck, and suddenly, <b>Xentor</b> picked up the gorge and fled toward Overlook as fast as his wings could carry him, faster than <b>Gwahir</b> had ever seen the other lerk move.
<Wow, wonder what got into him.> <b>Gwahir</b> turned back toward the battle- and saw the same shuttle, the <i>Kanden</i>, flying right at the window he was looking at! The shuttle veered…
But the missile on its tail didn't! <b>Gwahir</b> screamed, and dashed toward the exit, but before he could make it…
<i>KABOOM!</i>
The explosion disoriented <b>Gwahir</b>, and the new hole in the station's hull began to suck <b>Gwahir</b> out. He fought as hard as he could against the vacuum but he couldn't fight for the pieces of debris that had been knocked loose, including one large sheet of side paneling that was blasted away by the missile. Slamming face-first into the metal, he was stunned long enough to be sucked out into space, the metal panel sealing the rift behind him.
<b>Xentor</b> and <b>Faskalia</b> looked around the corner, hearing the vacuum stop, and seeing <b>Gwahir</b> slowly float away from the destroyed window..
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"Fleet is severely damaged! We can't last much longer!" The tactical officer was one of the few left standing on the <i>Bloody Hook</i>'s bridge. All around, his fleet was getting torn up by the enemy gunships and the continued barrages were leaving Chromebeard's own ship with massive damage. Spitting onto the deck, he decided to give one last order.
"Set the core to overload. Target the <i>Boreas</i>. Engines, full ahead. Prepare for ramming speed!"
Near him, another light cruiser was destroyed near Sector 5 of the Aurora Station…
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…and its resulting explosion caused a large chunk of ceiling to collapse on top of <b>im_lost</b>, and before he realized it, he found himself covered in rubble.
<<b>im_lost</b>!> <b>Thansal</b> and <b>TheFeniX</b> were both recoiling from the nearby explosion. The shock of seeing their last fade, their best chance against any intruding marines, get buried in debris so easily… It unnerved both of them, and they both wondered what they could do if the marines finally managed to get onto the station.
However, things were not only about to go wrong, they were about to go <i>very</i> wrong...
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Cold.
All he could feel was cold.
Slowly drifting through space, <b>Gwahir</b> was unaware of the changes that were happening to him. It took a minute for him to realize, <i>Wait a minute, there's no air in space, how am I still alive?</i> A quick double-check had him notice, that he was indeed not breathing. Stretching his wings out, he was surprised to notice that they now extended to triple their normal length, and were covered with metal, as though he was some marine fighter. Of course, this fighter was designed by someone who had seen the face of the devil himself…
His body had also been extended, almost as long as an onos now, with metal sheeting similar to that on the creature that had killed Nightstalker, as well as his other friends. He could feel a new surge of power rushing through him, mostly coming from a pair of tubes on his forearms. Wondering how he could possibly move in space, he did a quick barrel roll before noticing a familiar purple-blue trail of exhaust from what was his back.
<i>Oh, so I have a large jetpack on me now… this should come in handy.</i> By now, <b>Gwahir</b> had lazily swerved in a large circle, and was now facing the Overlook, where he could barely see <b>Xentor</b> and <b>Faskalia</b>. A never-before-felt sense of rage went through <b>Gwahir</b>, as he remembered how the two of them left him to die. As he reminisced about the events of not five minutes ago, he felt the two tubes on his forearms fill, and knowledge about what was in them entered his mind like he had known it from birth. <i>Missiles?</i>, Gwahir thought, <i>Time for some due payback.</i>
He held both forearms in front of him, and instinctively triggered the launchers now attached to his arms, sending a pair of incredibly fast warheads at his targets…
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Meanwhile, <b>Xentor</b> and <b>Faskalia</b> were watching the battle from the Overlook viewpoint, which was no more than a dozen meters away from the Western Skylights. <b>Faskalia</b> barely noticed the purple-blue flare from a nearly invisible source.
<What was that?> <What was what?> <b>Xentor</b> hadn't seen the flare, he had been watching as a Spire squadron Interceptor lured two pirate shuttles together from opposite directions, causing them to explode in a large fireball.
<There it is again!> Both lerk and gorge saw the flare this time, however it was an orange-red, and it looked like it was partly eclipsed by something. The two of them leaned closer to try and figure out what they had seen…
Unfortunately, that was a big mistake, as <b>Gwahir</b>'s twin missiles blasted through the window they were looking through. <b><!--coloro:#FF0000--><span style="color:#FF0000"><!--/coloro-->Faskalia</b><!--colorc--></span><!--/colorc--> was vapourized instantly. <b>Xentor</b>, on the other hand was on the brink of death, not to mention the debris flying around and the fact that there was now a new hole that was beginning to suck anything not nailed down, including the poor lerk. As the dying <b><!--coloro:#FF0000--><span style="color:#FF0000"><!--/coloro-->Xentor</b><!--colorc--></span><!--/colorc--> got swept into the vacuum of space, a familiar creature flew inside and, breaking off a large panel from a wall, blocked the hole. It knew where its ally was…
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"The enemy cruiser's coming right for us!" The <i>Boreas</i> was in much better state than the <i>Bloody Hook</i>, but they still had a large cruiser with an overloading core heading straight for them. They had very little time to evade.
Fortunately, Rosenburg didn't become an Admiral by sitting around for a few days to plan strategy.
"Disable the station-keeping thrusters and open the port cargo bay, shuttle bay, and fighter bay. Engage port lateral thrusters!" The helmsman and the tactical officers both quickly followed the Admiral's orders…
"Sir!" Chromebeard didn't need to turn to his tactical officer to find out what was going on. He could see it well enough by himself. The ejected contents plus the thrusters were going to cause the <i>Bloody Hook</i> to miss a direct impact with the battleship. He let out a loud swear as the ship impacted with the port side of the <i>Boreas</i>…
The battleship shook with the impact of the pirate cruiser as it tore through a section of the hull, but neither exploded nor continued to fire at its target. The pirate cruiser kept going for a few minutes before eventually detonating from the overloaded core, but at a safe distance from the <i>Boreas</i>.
"Status report!" Rosenburg didn't like the idea of his ship getting damaged, but in this case, he was thankful that the damage wasn't more severe.
"Port thrusters are down. Port cargo bay is now non-existant, port fighter and shuttle bays are going to need an overhaul. Enemy flagship… enemy flagship has been destroyed." With those last few words, there was a flood of cheers on the bridge.
"Have all squadrons mop-up any pirate resistance, then have the shuttles move to dock with the <i>Aurora Station</i>." Relieved, he now realized that a fight against the Kharaa would be likely, but if he played his cards right, he could retrieve the data core and have his men get out before those vermin ever realized they were there. Then, they could just destroy the station without issue.
==================================================
However, the fight inside the station was not over yet. All of a sudden, the pile of debris that had trapped <b>im_lost</b> flew apart. One of the larger pieces smacked into <b>TheFeniX</b>, knocking him onto his side once again and partly re-opening the scar on his stomach.
<b>Thansal</b> shielded himself from the debris, but couldn't move fast enough to shield himself from a flurry of claws eerily similar to those the creature they had killed a day ago had…
A few seconds later, <b><!--coloro:#FF0000--><span style="color:#FF0000"><!--/coloro-->Thansal</b><!--colorc--></span><!--/colorc--> was sliced and diced into a small pile on the ground. All without stopping, the new creature darted up to the onos, and then <i>through</i> the onos as it was made of thin air. Unfortunately for <b>TheFeniX</b>, the dashing attack was a flurry of claws all its own. After a few seconds, <b><!--coloro:#FF0000--><span style="color:#FF0000"><!--/coloro-->TheFeniX</b><!--colorc--></span><!--/colorc-->'s corpse looked an awful lot like Eternaly_Lost's body had, those few days ago.
Still without pausing, even for a second, the creature darted over to Overlook, where he knew he could find someone friendly…
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<b>Gwahir</b> turned to see something strangely new, yet familar. On all four legs like a skulk, but with skin that had the same texture as a fade's, minus the similar metal plating to that which he wore. The symbiote that a fade normally had that provided acid-based attacks had duplicated itself, one on each shoulder, and appeared to be almost made of metal. Ending each leg was a blade-like claw similar to that the transformed skulk had, only slightly larger.
Coming to a stop, this new creature stretched, then quickly stood up on two legs, both symbiotes facing toward <b>Gwahir</b> while its head stared the former lerk in the eyes.
"<b>Gwahir</b>?" The sound of the humans' language surprised him, but as he thought about it, he found himself easily speaking the language, as though he was a native speaker.
"I'm guessing… <b>im_lost</b>?" A chortle came from the fade, who nodded in response. Eerily, the twin symbiotes mimicked the motion. "So, the humans are still out there."
"They're going to come for the data core. They're expecting a weapon, and given time, they might actually find it. We may no longer be pure Kharaa, but it does make up a part of us." <b>im_lost</b> quickly realized a way their new forms could come in handy… "I'm going to go greet our guests. Why don't you see if you can… 'convince' the hives to follow our lead for once?"
Laughing maniacally, <b>Gwahir</b> carefully manoeuvred to the Sub-Sector hive, being the closest one. <b>im_lost</b>, on the other hand, darted over to the docking bays, just outside of the Mobile Command Interface…
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In the docking bays, the Assault Shuttle <i>Sylux</i> came to a slow halt, the shuttle bay doors closing behind it. The shuttle did a quick one-eighty, and then quickly lowered a landing ramp, allowing it to disembark its twelve-marine squadron.
"<i>Sylux</i>, can you get us a map?" "Negative, Commander, the station's classified. No maps of the area are available." "Well, then that's just great." Commander <b><!--coloro:#FFFF33--><span style="color:#FFFF33"><!--/coloro-->Rundas</b><!--colorc--></span><!--/colorc--> sighed and moved for the exit, intending to get to the station's data core within Sector 5B and get out as soon as possible. However, before he could reach the exit, it opened on its own... and standing in the doorway was <b>im_lost</b>, taking up most of the frame and causing most of the marines to raise their weapons on instinct.
"Excuse me, sirs," the Khiraa said, noticably shaking up the marine force, "I believe you're not wanted. Leave now...", at which point <b>im_lost</b> readied his claws, the two symbiotes on his back sticking just over his shoulders, "or die."
Not surprisingly, the marine squadron immediately began firing at <b>im_lost</b>. Strangely, the nanite projectiles weren't doing anything to the Khiraa, instead making brief silver flashes that indicated the friendly-fire safeties were being activated. One of the marines moved to the side and had the bright idea to shoot one of the two symbiotes.
Unfortunately, this proved to not be such a bright idea after all, as the friendly-fire flash once again reappeared, merely knocking the symbiote around. A second later, though, the marine that shot the symbiote became bright; as the symbiote immediately recovered and let loose a stream of flames at the marine, nearly incinerating him instantly.
<b>im_lost</b> gruesomely chuckled as the marines began to ran from the Khiraa, but before they could reach the shuttle, he literally dove straight through their ranks, dispatching many of the marines with well-placed yet incredibly swift claw strikes. Arriving at the shuttle before the marines, he spun around to see the entire marine squad lying dead, a few of them decapitated or burned to a crisp.
And yet, <b>im_lost</b> realized that the knowledge within his mind now contained a how-to to pilot one of these shuttles... Destroying the communication sending system first, he launched upwards under Trace squadron's cover, slowly flying toward the <i>Boreas</i>.
After all, the new Khiraa Unity would need a flagship, and what better than one of the most powerful ships in the TSA fleet?
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"Sir, the <i>Sylux</i> is on return approach. Their communications system appears to be damaged." The communications officer was reporting the shuttle's flight from the station. Having only been there for a few minutes, the bridge crew, including Rosenburg, were curious about what had happened.
"They probably met heavy resistance right off the bat... but we can't leave without that data core. We have some time. Once the <i>Sylux</i> gets back, refit its communications system and send it back with the prototype T-95 Onosbuster. A small tank should do the trick." The tactical officer immediately began calling troops to replace the no-doubt injured troops from the <i>Sylux</i>...
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In the remaining starboard shuttle bay, the <i>Sylux</i> dropped to the ground with a -CLANG-. The shuttle was immediately surrounded by relief troops, as well as the tank that was part of the deployment. In the rear were the engineers, responsible for the tank's maintenance and repairing the shuttle's communication while the tank did its job.
The landing ramp dropped open...
All hell broke loose as <b>im_lost</b> lept out of the shuttle, claws flying and flames blazing in every direction. The marines in the back, carrying heavier weapons than the previous group, swore in frustration as even their heavy machine guns failed to register. The wave of silver flashes finally had a marine figure out to use a weapon without the friendly-fire safeguards. One marine in the back swapped to a grenade launcher and fired-
However, one of <b>im_lost</b>'s symbiotes had seen this, and as the grenade fired, the symbiote launched a stream of fire at it, causing it to explode in the center of a group of marines, and continuing to roast the marine who fired the grenade.
The tank was also too slow to react, and by the time its weapons were online, nearly all of the marines were dead, and the Onosbuster was designed just for taking out those. Which meant, of course, that it had a very bad vertical tolerance for its cannons, and its tracking systems were nowhere near fast enough to take out fades, much less the far more nimble Khiraa against it.
Had it been living, <b>im_lost</b> would've put it out of its misery. As it was, the Khiraa just scoffed against it, and after finishing off the last marine soldier, it jumped on top of the tank, causing the Onosbuster to spin wildly, trying to find its target. <b>im_lost</b> dug a claw into its top, and used the symbiotes to fire not a stream of fire, but of incredibly powerful acid, into the core of the T-95. It suddenly lurched to a stop and sparked. <b>im_lost</b> moved to a nearby communications panel and spoke to the rest of the ship...
"<i>This is <b>im_lost</b> of the Khiraa Unity. This vessel is now under our control. If you surrender, we shall let you serve us. If you resist, you will die. While I do prefer the latter, it is all up to you.</i>"
Back on the bridge, Rosenburg was shocked at the trojan horse the Khiraa had tricked them with. Realizing where the Khiraa had come from, Rosenburg turned to his communications officer...
"Aran squadron has new orders. <b><i>Destroy</i></b> the <i>Aurora Station</i>! We can't let them keep that station!"
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Out in space, the Trace and Spire squadrons of interceptors took a flanking postion on either side of the Aran gunship squadron. Aran Alpha, having survived the battle and having a few torpedoes left, began to lock on to the station.
"Aran Alpha targeting at zero-two-zero mark zero-one-four. Torpedoes away..."
The torpedoes launched from the three remaining Aran gunships, and started to head toward their mark...
-BOOM-
Suddenly, the torpedoes detonated between them and their target, too far away to cause any damage.
"What the..." The head Aran pilot was understandably shocked. What shocked him more, though, was when a pair of pitch-black missiles zoomed out of nowhere and impacted on each of the other gunships, destroying them in a large fireball. The pilot had no time to react as another pair of the missiles headed straight for him...
<<b>Gwahir</b> to <b>im_lost</b>. Can you read me?> The former lerk was attempting to contact the fellow Khiraa using what used to be the hive link, but was now more of a nanite network than anything else.
<Yes. What do you want?> <b>im_lost</b> had a slight amount of joy in his voice. <b>Gwahir</b> couldn't see it, but <b>im_lost</b> was chuckling madly at the marines which wouldn't surrender. They were all firing blanks at him; he merely needed to twitch to kill them. The situation was a maddening change of pace from the usual hit-and-run fade tactics.
<The hive is ours. Enemy gunships destroyed, I'm going after the interceptors now.>
<Very well, then I'll head for the bridge and take command of this ship personally. It may be damaged, but we'll soon have a legion to make repairs.>
<b>Gwahir</b> mentally nodded and closed the link, becoming aware of the enraged Trace and Spire interceptors bearing down on him. The space-faring Khiraa was less protected than <b>im_lost</b> was: TSA ship-to-ship weapons didn't have the same friendly-fire restrictions that were keeping his Khiraa counterpart safe.
Regardless, he used his body's dark tint to his advantage, rolling and weaving so that he was nearly impossible to hit. One of the interceptors attempted to launch a missile at him, only for <b>Gwahir</b> to swerve out of the way and dart for the interceptor that fired it, luring the missile back into its sender. All the while, pitch-black missiles were launching toward various targets.
Like many conventional fighter designs, almost every weapon on TSA fighters were fixed facing forward; this ended up being the key disadvantage against the doomed interceptors. Unable to match <b>Gwahir</b>'s 360-degree line of fire, combined with his rapid reload rate and sheer power in his missiles, the interceptors were demolished within minutes. Gone were some of the TSA's best pilots, and their flagship was next...
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<b>im_lost</b> was smashing down the door of the bridge. He could tell from the loud evacuation alarms that the humans were attempting to flee their vessel. No matter, he knew that <b>Gwahir</b> could easily capture any escape pods... or have some fun with them. After all, there were still billions of humans to go around.
On the bridge itself, a silent self-destruct had been ordered. Admiral Rosenburg, along with his tactical officer, were the only crew members let on the flagship. With only a few minutes to go, all Rosenburg had to do was stall the unknown force until the detonation cycle was complete.
The door blasted open, and the tactical officer opened fire with a customized shotgun. Unfortunately, the same flash that sparked marines' doom before appeared yet again, and the former fade dashed over to the tactical officer and sliced him to ribbons.
Rosenburg, however, was the owner of an illegal prototype rifle that used inert nanites as bullets, rather than the active form within standard marine weaponry. If it were anyone else, they would be facing a <i>very</i> long prison term, but as it was the admiral of the <i>Boreas</i>... rules tended to bend around such figures. Seeing an opportunity, Rosenburg fired a round at the Khiraa, hoping to land a hit. This left <b>im_lost</b> surprised, as the bullet pierced straight through a shoulder and into a console behind him. With a silent cheer, Rosenburg continued to fire, leaving <b>im_lost</b> on the defensive for once, using his incredible speed to barely avoid more shots from the admiral's rifle.
However, the advantage didn't last long, as the prototype rifle had a very small loading capacity. It only took a few seconds for the Khiraa to dash over and plunge a blade into Rosenburg's chest.
"You... you won't win. I'll t-t-take you with me..." Rosenburg sputtered, life nearing an end.
"...I believe you've tried the self-destruct, haven't you?" <b>im_lost</b> asked his prisoner. However, the only thing that came out of Rosenburg's mouth was a chuckle, as <b>im_lost</b> realized his predicament.
However, it didn't puzzle him for long, as the nanites within him continued to give him more and more knowledge about the <i>Boreas</i>. Walking over to the tactical displays, the Khiraa began to press a few buttons which, under normal circumstances, would cancel the self-destruct.
"That won't work... only my voice... can shut it off... you're doomed..." Rosenburg continued to chuckle at the Khiraa, believing that his attempts would be for nothing.
However, all <b>im_lost</b> did was smirk.
When the Khiraa tapped the controls, he had sent his own nanites into the computer core of the <i>Boreas</i>. While a voice authorization would be required to activate or deactivate a self-destruct, the Khiraan nanites merely bypassed the safety measures. A few seconds later, a computerized voice rang out throughout the bridge, "Self-destruct cancelled."
All Rosenburg could do in his last few moments of life were gape at the loss of his ship...
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<i>One month later...</i>
"Keep scanning for the <i>Boreas</i>." The captain of the <i>Tempest</i> was part of a top-secret task force to locate the <i>Boreas</i> and determine what happened to the <i>Aurora Station</i> after their arrival. However, as they were about to leave the nearby <i>Midpoint</i> station for Colenar...
"A large battle fleet has just arrived. Markings are unknown. At the lead is... It's the <i>Boreas</i>!"
"Something's not right. What's with all the pirate cruisers?" Accompanying the <i>Boreas</i> were pirate cruisers that looked like they had been cobbled together from spare parts. However, that wasn't the only surprise...
"I'm getting a massive reading... It's the <i>Aurora Station</i>?!"
"That thing doesn't even have engines, how can it travel at light speed?" There was chatter over the task force's communication lines. None of them knew what was going on. "Sir, I'm reading <i>massive</i> levels of firepower on the station!" "Unknown fighter configurations detected!" "Is that a Kharaa ship?"
"<b>Cut the chatter!</b>" The <i>Tempest</i>'s captain decided to see if their visitors were peaceful. "Hail the <i>Aurora Station</i>." Waiting a second for his communications officer, he then continued, "This is the <i>Tempest</i> of the task force Falchion. Please identify yourselves."
A moment passed... two... a minute...
"Weapons fire! Incoming!" A large blue beam passed by the bridge of the <i>Tempest</i>, almost tearing a hole in the ship. "Bare miss... cosmetic damage only." "Sir, we're getting a response from the station!"
The viewscreen changed to an image of a dark room, adorned with a pair of large thrones not unlike the captain's chair on the <i>Tempest</i>. The difference, however, was that a spotlight was shining down on each throne. Sitting in one was <b>im_lost</b>, and the other held <b>Gwahir</b>. The latter stood up, stretching his wings to fill the screen, and spoke, "I am <b>Gwahir</b>, of the Khiraa Unity. Your ships will surrender to us. The only alternative is death. We will give you two minutes to comply." With that, the screen shut off, leaving the crew speechless.
"Open a channel to the fleet." The captain was quick with his decision, but of course there was only one possible decision, wasn't there? "<i>Tempest</i> to task force Falchion. All ships are ordered to engage that fleet!"
<i>And so began the third power's influence on the Kharaa/Human war. Many lives were lost, but eventually-
*static*
A data pad lying in a ravaged building began to reboot itself once again, continuing to replay the same fateful events that had led to the costliest war in a millenium...
<!--coloro:#00FFFF--><span style="color:#00FFFF"><!--/coloro-->Distress signal received.
Source: Research Station Aurora
Location: Planet Colenar @ (0.356 -3.124 5.39)
Patching transmission...</i><!--colorc--></span><!--/colorc-->
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<b><!--coloro:#FF0000--><span style="color:#FF0000"><!--/coloro-->Wolves win.</b><!--colorc--></span><!--/colorc-->