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The Hive That Thirsts (Frightorflight + DuxT)

frightorflight

frightorflight

Supernova
Joined
Dec 15, 2015
In the 41st millennium there is only war. battles rage the galaxy. Burning like fires. Hot and fast or long and hard. Some the Empire of Man will win and some are already lost. Against a thousand enemies on a thousand worlds the battles rage. On one world though, where the forces of the Emperium and a xeno race clash. Unknown to both a far greater threat waits. One that's hunger and desire will not give all the mercy of death, and eve for those who find it, it will only be the death of the soul while the body is twisted into something horrible.

Sergeant Kaladin "Kal" of the Imperial Guard sat in a fortified portion of burnt out building, his lasrifle sat against the wall, and he was cleaning his laspistol. It wasn't really his, he had taken it off of a dead commissar, just like the power sword on his back it was only his by the rule of 'finders keepers and the dead don't need weapons". He was a solider, more than that he was a scavenger, and a good one. He was still alive, and would continue to be alive, because he knew when to find a hole to hide in and he knew the value of everything, indeed everything had a value to someone. The little black market he was running proved that.

He finished with his pistol and stuck it in his belt. He thought he saw something on the horizon and put his binoculars to his eyes. transports, three or four, and it looked like some of those tank versions with the big guns. He grabbed his vox caster.
"This is position three-four, we've got incoming about a klick out. Suggest immediate birage."
"Rodger three-four, keep your head down." A few minutes later artillery shells screamed over head and the ground began to bloom in geysers of dirt.
 
Shas'o Kronus Shi, flew just off to the side of the main task force, stealth field's running to keep her hidden. She was the commander of the task force on this world, dropped in to claim this planet for the Greater Good. Sadly, the human forces took issue with that, a group of Imperial Guard having counter attacked to push her forces off world. Thus this conflict had started, a wasteful loss of life, but the will of the Etherial's were clear. Her battle group was to secure the planet and that was what she intended to do.

Shi was a well equipped warrior, her battle suit an offshoot of the experimental suit fielded by the heroic Shadowsun. As a result, the suit was much smaller than the typical battle suits, built in with a shield generator and stealth field. Her armaments being a Burst Cannon mounted to her right arm, a Fusion Blaster, her left. In addition to her armaments, her battle force were highly mechanised, a firm believer in the Mont'ka school of strategy.

The first indication Shi had reached the enemy was an artillery shell exploding a few feet off the side of the main line, rocking one of the Devilfish transports, but otherwise, leaving it undamaged. "All units, break formation, do not let the Gue'la get a hit in!" At her orders the collum scattered, keeping spread to minimise a shell downing multiple tanks. Losses were expected, but to leave yourself open to exploitation was unforgivable. Stage one of the plan was complete, it was time for stage two. "Shas'Ui, tell me you have the target?"

A moment later, a voice came in from the other end, that of the Pathfinder team she'd sent ahead of the main force. "Target is sighted, I have the first tank locked."

"Excellent, you are free to begin bombardment." Stage two took over at this point, at the back of her forces, barely in sight for the Imperial forces was a single Skyray, keeping far behind the main line. On the signal of the Pathfinder team, a pair of seeker missiles were launched into the sky. With the advanced guidance systems, the missile would make its way to the marked target and destroy it. Stage two would continue on, the Pathfinders seeking and eliminating each artillery piece one at a time while her force closed the distance.
 
Kaladin was at his posts watching them come in when he heard the first blast as a missile struck one of their basilisk's. If they lost those guns they would be pretty well screwed. That was the only high caliber weapons their detachment had, apart from a few rocket launchers and an autocanon or two. He grabbed his vox.
"And called up a near by AA pit. You vast'a." A cure in his native tongue, "Start doing your job and put a screen up. We can't afford to loose those guns." Then he pulled out a map and turned his attention to the transports. He started to lead them and sent orders to the guns to fire on specific grid co-ordinance. When thing he envied about the xeno's was their ability to use a laser targeting system. He had to call it with a map and just hope he led it right.

He watched and waited to see what would happen. Boom! one of the transports took a shell right into it's front armor, it didn't explode but it plowed into the ground about half a klick away. He heard a boom behind him, there went another gun. He could only hope the AA pits with their quad guns would do their job. The men around him started to take up positions. their was the whine of lasguns charging up all around him, the hum of a lascannon powering up and the mechanical racking sound of a heavy stubber being loaded and made ready to fire. He readied his rifle. artillery or not this was about to become a shooting match.
 
Shi could tell, even without her teams reports, that one of the guns was silenced. The intensity of the shell fire had lessened, giving her armour an easier time of moving. Though it wasn't entirely safe of course, she watched as the lead transport took a shell, sending the craft nose first into the dirt. Taking a glance over she saw the hatches open, the Fire Team within clambering out. It was an acceptable loss, one that the humans would pay for dearly. "Execute stage three, launch canisters."

Stage three of the plan was a simple plan that even the humans could respect, primitive yet effective. All the transports, the vehicles leading the charge, were equipped with a certain launcher. On their commanders orders, each launcher fired forward, sending a canister hurtling between the two opposing lines. The canisters upon impact, threw up a plume of smoke, alone maybe only enough to obscure a single tank or a team. But together and with the wind blowing just the right way... A smokescreen obscured the entire enemy force. Sure the slowly dwindling number of Basalisks could still shoot into the smoke, but Kaladin could no longer give effective targeting orders, not until they were past the smoke... and in weapon range.

It didn't take the Tau long to break through the like of smoke, Devilfish surging forward at full speed, no longer cruising to keep a loose formation. They did not fire, but something else sure did. The line of Hammerhead gunships broke through the smoke, their Railguns, the pinnacle of long ranged weaponry, opened fire. Shell after shell slammed against the imperial fortifications, the explosions of high grade plasma weaponry, rocking the Imperial lines. While arguably not many shots got through the defences, Shi's goal was to attempt to break the humans moral for when she could deliver the killing blow.
 
Before the smoke had even cleared Kaladin and his men had opened fire. Once it began to clear, and target began to come through. It was easier to pick them out. the Xeno soldiers exploded as stubber rounds cracked their armor in all but the strongest points, and lasbolts, massed in such quantity, managed to break through. The shots form the lascannon could not be stopped by the xeno armor and it was one shot one kill. their positions were taking a pounding form the heavier fire but their was enough of them that the could pin down the xeno's with the small arms fire. He hadn't heard a basalisk go up recently. Whoever as targeting them must have been found, and one way or another stopped.

He felt pieces of concrete pelt his helmet. He could see one of their AA pits go up. Then his vox unit crackled to life. "Three-four" said the lieutenant's voice. "Put your head's down and prepare for danger close fire." Danger close meaning within a few meters of them.
"Down." He shouted, just as the shell's started to impact. After a few minutes they popped back up and resumed their firing. At least open of the xeno tanks had been destroyed, and plenty of them were den, as well as a half a dozen guardsmen killed, and more wounded to varying degrees by a shell that landed short. Reinforcements were rushing up to replace the wounded and carry them out though. it wasn't the first time this position had been attacked, it wouldn't be the last time it as held either.
 
Shi flew on past the lines of fire, her invisibility wasn't perfect, but in the chaos of this battle, she was certain none of the humans would spot her going around the back of their lines. She was out of range as the humans, in desperation, bombarded the area with heavy fire. The fanatics were always suicidal like that, sacrificing their own lives to take her men with them, how wasteful. She had her job to do however, so Shi did not think about the loss of her soldiers right now.

All the transports had been felled in the attack, some obliterated, but most just crashed. The Fire warrior teams had taken cover in the wreckage, starting to fire back with their Pulse Rifles. The range and damage far exceeded the simple Las guns that the guard carried, so while the humans relied on overwhelming numbers, the surviving warriors used precision to make every shot count. The battle tanks weren't out for the count either, having stayed further back. They remained at extreme range, unloading shell after shell from their rail guns. Their laser targeting homed in on gun emplacements, delivering shots into the more deadly weaponry the guard had. Of course, remaining out back as the Skyray, continuing the launch Seeker Missiles whenever the Pathfinder team gave them a clear shot.
 
Kaladin stood up. he put the stock of his rifle under his arm and pulled out his power sword. engaging with his thumb. The power-field crackling to life. If they could get a clear shot with the lascannon they might be able to do some damage to those guns, at least four of the basalisks were still firing to, if he could get closer he could call down shots on the tanks. but if the poked their head out that long they would get snipped.
"Half of you stay here and cover us, the other half come with me, were going to charge." These Xeno's were horrible in melee, they would fold pretty easily if he and his men could just get close.

carefully they crept out of the building and began to creep around. they got within a dozen meters of the xeno's before they were noticed, then with a massive war cry the ran forward. Several guardsmen were cut down by over watching fire but they got on top of the group of warriors and slaughtered them. Then they took up position and began to fire on another group. covering a charge by another squad of guardsmen. meanwhile the lascanon began to open fire on the distant tanks, and Kaladin began to signal back to his radioman with hand sign's telling him where, approximately, to call down the shots on the xeno tanks. He heard a boom behind their lines. They were down to three guns, they had better work fast.
 
Shi could hear the reports over the communications network. Things were going poorly in the Tau lines, the humans having the courage to begin charging the lines. This complicated things greatly, her plans starting to fall apart. What's worse, with the more accurate targeting from Kaladin, a shell managed to pierce the top of the lead gunship, the tank exploding in a ball of plasma. The commander could see the explosion from here and cursed in her native tongue. The plan was for her sneak attack from behind to break the enemy moral, allowing her forces to move forward and storm the place.

She still had the option to pull back, cut her losses and regroup. However Shi was not going to let her men die for nothing, they were Tau and they deserved better. She arrived behind the enemy forces, where the tanks sat. Dropping her stealth field, the commander aimed her Fusion Blaster, aiming at the remaining Basilisks. "Cease bombardment, move on to next phase." Then with that a bolt of plasma was shot at the nearest tank, the super heated blast melting through the rear armour of the thing. Shi turned her sight on the next set of tanks, taking them out one by one. Any human resistance she met, she let lose with her Burst Cannon, cutting the poorly armoured guardsmen to shreds.
 
Suddenly the firing stopped. It didn't matter, not right now. Some of the enemy thanks were still left but the guns had been knocked out so they were safe for the moment. All that was left now was to mop up the one or two tau that might be left and to scavanged gear. The tau rifles always got a gold price, especially the carbine the pathfinders carried. Pistols were good to if they found an officer. He quickly serched the bodies and burned out vehicals. Nothing to importent. Some grenades and that was it. They took the grenades and rifles back to their positions and began the work of patching up their defenses the best they could. It didn't matter too much. They were expecting to become a rearguard unit soon. Word was that the higher ups were planning to push through their area tomarrow during an advance.

If this was true had a simple answer. Their commander was careful enough that he was they would get reinforcements of me an supplies as well as some replacement artillery, so they could cover the withdraw if things went bad, maybe even some air support. By then they would he dug I twice as well and would make sure they protect their guns better. If they got them. They got those reinforcmenfs.
 
Shi despite having managed to take out the artillery had lost the battle, her troops breaking and retreating. Those that didn't died, until the commander gave the order to retreat. That did leave a small problem, she was now stuck behind enemy lines. Her battle suit, while able to become stealthed, could still be spotted. So flying away was going to be troublesome. Shi remained still, invisible behind some derbies in the main base, planning her move.

In the end, the commander decided that she was expendable as far as the grand scheme went. If she broke the chain of command and the moral of these men, her forces could return with reinforcements and break the humans. So with that in mind, she moved into the enemy lines. Soon, from out of nowhere, the imperial guard were assaulted by a battle suit, a heavily armed, shielded suit. She cut down as many as she could, seeking out officers for the most part. But in the end, her suit would fall to the sustained fire and Tau would be left to their mercy.
 
"Come on, come on." Aladdin said to himself. From the other side of a lazcannon he watched. Than he got a clear shot. He lulled the trigger and the weapon boomed. The shot rushed out and struck the head of suit. Blowing it off. He watched the suit drop. Then he and his men slowly approuched. Carefully they made sure it was down for good. Than cutting touches and other tools were rushed forward and they began to cut open the suit. The suitm. Slowly opening it like a giant rashin can. Then it was opened. Two guardsmen reached in and pulled out the tau pilot, a female. She was obviously importent, Kaladin had never seen a suit like that one. The forced her on her knees and a rifle butt to the back of her head knocked her out.
"Lets get this one back to command, the brass will want to talk to her." She would only live as ling as she was useful of course. Then again, wasn't that what their greater good preeched?
 
Shi while impressive inside her suit, once removed had little defend herself. Unable to fit much inisde, she wore a simple jumpsuit, there to just give her skin the most basic protection from scrapes and burns she might suffer while inside the suit. If you just looked at her body, she could almost pass for a human woman, the curves were right, even attractive. But there was of course the difference, the hooves for feet, grey skin, tau facial features and hands. She did attempt to put up a struggle, but Xeno was easily overpowered outside her suit.

She'd awaken some time later, in whatever holding cell the humans put her in. She was both surprised and frustrated that they didn't simply kill her. Humans were incredibly xenophobic, so she was sure death would come. But right now she had to put up with whatever designs they had for her.
 
Kaladin was sitting in the same spot he had been before the battle. Even as long lines of tanks, chimera, and toroux armored cars streamed forward, and all around him fresh soldiers worked to fortify their position even further, he felt ill at ease. His scavengers instinct was telling him that something big and bad was coming and it was time to find a hole. What it was though he could not say. Suddenly the ground started to shake, first only a tremor until suddenly men were being rocked off their feet. Then a monstrous creature, several stories tall, burst from the ground and began to impale any guardsmen in reach on it's long, blade like, chitin limbs. But even as Kaladin and his men turned to fire on the creature. More abomination's smaller ones, skittered out of the whole the big one made and began to attack. Kaladin watched in horror as one leaped at him. Then black.

When he woke up, there was no sound, everything was quiet and still. the ground was littered with the bodies of guardsmen mostly, as well as the creatures. They had killed the big one it appeared, but of the smaller one's he didn't know, so he did not dare to call out for survivors. He scavenged anything of value from the bodies around him. lasrifle packs, xeno grenades, food, daggers, anything. He loaded it into a pack. then he went to find survivors. He found none. then he checked the command post. the xeno was alive. He pulled up a chair and sat down, to wait for her to wake up.
 
When Shi woke, things were quieter than she expected... too quiet in fact. Opening her eyes she saw a single human, male, sitting in a chair. She glanced around, seeing she was in a basic cell. Tau being the weaker physical race, didn't require special containment. Heck they wern't even psychic in anyway, so another bonus for the humans. Shi narrowed her eyes, having learned the human language to be able to interact with those brought into the Greater Good. "Your victory won't last Gue'la..." She had to wonder just what exactly they planned. She was of course, blissfully ignorant of the situation outside.
 
He pointed his rifle at her. He was considering shooting the xeno. Maybe her people were responsible for those things outside. Perhaps they were human before something a done to them. He had heard that xeno's do that. Again his scavengers instinct kicked in. An old proverb from the destitute scavengers in the yards of the junk world he hailed from. "Waist something of value, only at your own risk." She might till be of value. instead he shot the lock. He stood up and take a few steps back.
"Come out slowly. One wrong move and I take out your knee cap, or whatever you have, and I carry you back to command." AN idea was starting to form in his head, she might be useful.
 
Shi didn't flinch when the human pointed a gun at her, she expected they'd kill her at some point. Heck, she wasn't sure why she was even alive to begin with. So the gun did not surprise her, not in the slightest. What did surprise her was when he shot the lock of her cell. She made an expression quite like raising ones brow, though lacked the eyebrow hair to allow it. She rose to her feet, walking slowly, eyes on the human. She was shorter than him, but not by much and while weaker, still could go for his gun. She didn't do, keeping slow and in his sight. "Something is wrong... you would not move me in such a manor, alone... What has happened?"
 
He cursed at her in his worlds tongue and gestured with his rifle. He had no patience for her mind games. He marched her outside. Then he tied her up. and left her against a wall while he tried to get motorbike he found up and running. He was going to hall her back to command and find out what in the emperor's name was going on. Then he heard skittering. He garbed his rifle and snapped around. more skittering and the crumble of rock. Then something leaped down at him and at the last second he shot it before it could sink it's claws in. The creature landed on him and he rolled it off him. It was a retched thing, a maw of teeth like nails, and appendages like spikes for impalement, with a saurian tale behind it. Still it was even stranger because the body was somewhat feminine, it had breasts and curves and might at one time been an attractive woman from what Kaladin could tell. He glared back at the xeno, than went back to work.
 
Shi followed along, following the brutes gestures to go where he wanted. She didn't struggle either when he tied her up, but her focus was elsewhere. Seeing the remains of that battle, she couldn't help but pale in fear. This was not the work of her people, nor the Orks or humans she were familiar with. This was something new and that did not bode well. This human must of survived the battle and was doing... she wasn't sure, what purpose did he have taking her? Right now she wished to have her suit, or a handy Pulse Rifle. Hearing the shot only reaffirmed her thoughts, turning to watch the human and look at the beast he felled.
 
Once he had repaired the bike he set her in front of him then took off. Down the dusty roads. As the neared the command center though what Kaladin saw only deepened his suspicions. it was destroyed. He stopped. he parked the bike and took a seat on the earth. the dark clouds overhead suggest rain soon but he didn't care. Something very strange was going on. What were these things. Why were their forms so human and so twisted. What was going on. He looked back at the xeno. Her boy suit hugging her all to well. He could see the outline of everything. He looked away. He would have to go into the city where command had been. If he could work up the courage. eventually he did, he got on his bike and took off again.
 
Shi looked over the devastated building the human had brought her to, this was not by Tau doing, that was for sure. On the road she saw plenty of bodies, unrecognisable to the commander. As they stopped, she looked over to the human again, looking mournful. "What was left of my Uash'o likely did not survive this... thing either Gue'la." Holding her bound hands up, she gestured to the rope. "This conflict between us is meaningless and wasteful now. We need to get off this world and we can't do that with me at the end of your weapon. For the Greater Good of us both, let me help you..."
 
"If you think I will cut you loose and work with a xeno just because of a destroyed command post and your word than you aren't as smart as I gave you credit for. This could still be your races doing, and I have no reason to believe the entier world has been destroyed." Privately he didn't believe in what he said as strongly as he spoke it. He would have to find the command center and try to find a vox relay he could use to contact other forces and find out what in the world was happening. He slowed to a stop outside the old command building. It was strange, the closer tbey got to the center of the encampment the fewer bodies their were. There was the signs of battle, blast scouring, blood spatter, bomb crators, but there ere no bodes. Slowly he approuched the command center. Inside there was nothing. He found the Vox. Still active, and tried to maoe contact with someone, nothing.
 
Shi frowned at the human's sheer stubbornness, if she wasn't careful it'd kill the both of them. She followed his orders for now, arriving at their vox, finding that no contact could be made. After he found that out she spoke again. "See what I mean... You know my people do not fight like this. Nor do we slaughter a populace, we wish to bring your race into the Greater Good." Her features softened, looking like she was pleading. "Please, we need to get out, let me help you find a ship. If you insist on taking me back to your people for interrogation after that, then I won't stop you."
 
"Shut up." The xeno said one thing, but the only thing he was sure about was that they were weak in melee. He wasn't counting on anything and he certainly wasn't going to take the word of a xeno, and a prisoner of war, on that matter. He jerked her along. He would head into the mountains and hold up there. First he needed to scavenge whatever he could. So he went looking for as much as food, ammo, or anything else useful, as he could find and load up on the biggest vehicle he could find.
 
Shi grunted and went along with the human, being dragged along into the mountains. She was really starting to hope one of her soliders, they'd happily dispatch the stubborn fool and get her off this doomed rock. Sadly that seemed less and less likely as they traveled. The Tau commander kept an eye out for attacks, really not wanting to run into these things while tied up like this. She kept silent right now, hoping the human would start to realise the impracticality of keeping a prisoner in a situation like this.
 
He was inclined not to believe her yet. However, that was avout to change. While head for the mountains they passed through a small tau encampment. It was left just as dead and bloody as the human ones. There was only one sound, screams of pleasure. He gripped his rifle and slowly approuched the sound. He gazed inside to see a pair of tau. Their eyes had been gauged out and blood still followed while a creature busily raped each of them. He was disgusted. He tossed a oai of grenades inside and waited for the detonation. All sound stopped. Everything inside had turned into gord. He came back with a distant and shocked stare. He finally believed her, though he didn't want to. He vut her free and handed her a carbine he had plucked from the ground.
 
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