Alive and Kicking (a RP)

[Bandalok]

Fent woke up with a start. Snarls and loud crashes echoed down from behind him. Where am I? He surveyed the surroundings, noting the dark passage from which he had come, and the loose ventilation grating through which pumping and glowing machinery could be seen. Without hesitation, Fent spun about and with both legs kicked outward. With a resounding clang the square grating hit the floor on its side, bounced, and fell on the opposite face. In much the same manner, Fent plopped out of the ventilation system. Eying a crowbar in the corner of the room, he grabbed it before rushing out of the room in search of a safer location.

[Skeelzania]

Zim locked a rifle-grenade into place on a discarded SAR, its previous owner currently twitching in a pool of blood. Swinging around the pillar, he fired the half-pound of high explosives into an advancing Ilksar, striking the creature squarely in the chest. As he ducked back behind the pillar a deafening BOOM shook the palace, momentarily silencing the combats. Within seconds however fighting began anew. Grabbing his communit he began barking orders to the Colnoel at the star port. "Zimsquad requesting fire support, latter half of Red Palace. Repeat, Zimsquad-"

Suddenly a bloody claw came swinging out of the cloud of dust. Zim ducked just in time, leaving the Ilksar with only a clawful of granite. Rolling away from the lizardman, Zim knelt, raised his rifle, and fired. Half a clip's worth of rounds thudded into the Ilksar, knocking the creature back on its feet.

[Skeelzania]

Black smoke belched once again from the operational Gregor as the massive tank re-alignied itself into a new firing position. Several hundred yards away could be seen the roof of the Red Palace, and it was this that the Super Battle Tank was aiming for. The plasma cannon cracked out, sending a bolt of super-heated matter crashing into the rear of the building. Walls exploded or simotaneously combusted, or both. A wave of wreckage swept across the room floor, carrying away guards and patrons alike. Zim, wrenching a bayonet-knife out of an Ilksar's chest, signaled to the surviving Skeelzanians. "Lets go!" The dozen or so soldier cheered, charging across the club floor with bayonets mounted.

[Bandalok]

Waff dropped his glass of Landraix as the massive explosion sent ripples through his tunnels. “By the dry-�
“Master!� A suboid, rushed into the chamber, “Skeelzanian artillery-�
Waff’s black eyes narrowed at the interruption, “I thought as much. Send out the Carnifex to deal with them.� Not worried in the least, Waff watched the servant hurry away. He donned a ruddy colored robe with the help of a female and motioned for his entourage to accompany him on a little walk.

The level of chaos had just been kicked up a notch. The back end of the building had collapsed in on itself, and was now in flames. Scattered debris lay about the area, smoldering quietly. Now that retreat was no longer an option - and considering the harsh stance Skeelzanians have on “Xenos�, neither was surrender – the remaining guard picked themselves up and opened fire on a determined enemy.

Having lost all but one acid-glob rifle, their weapons had minimal effect against heavy armor. Even outnumbering the soldiers by a few men, they still had no chance. The Skeelzanians charged forward with rocketing morale, plowing past cover and blasting away anything that moved. The guards were cut down to the last man. The cries of an orphaned human child were drowned out by a resounding cheer of victory.

OOC: Bam! Guilt trip!


*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

Under the starport, among the twisting maze of tunnels, sit two massive chambers. Both of which are filled with the semi-sentient reptilian insects oddly named, Fex. Packed shoulder to shoulder, with pairs of bladed arms sticking up toward the ceiling, the multitudes chirp and click and are generally uncomfortable. In the center of both chambers, lies a single Carnifex – the protector of the herd. Several tunnels lead from each of these chambers and up to the top of the starport plateau.

A bone rattling roar slams through the oppressive air, turning heads and sending some of the more knowledgeable denizens running. A hulking Carnifex crashes through the wall of a squat hanger, sending chunks of plascrete flying in all directions. Easily standing fifteen-feet tall, the giant, matte-black creature stood and let loose a second roar - Its rows of fangs sharpened to the point of cutting through a half meter of chobham armor without stopping. Steaming mucus and spittle showered out. Then it stopped. A river of Fex began to stream out from the now widening doors of the hangar. On the other side of the plateau, a second hangar opens to provide another stream of Fex. The Carnifex stomps away from the hanger and picks up speed toward the Skeelzanian battle tanks, its four scythe-like arms swinging wildly. The herd of Fex trampled around him on both sides.

[Skeelzania]

OOC: Its been statistically proven that orphans are at least 10% more inferior than normal humans.

IC:

Zim kicked a peice of smoldering rubble away, surveying the wreckage at the back of the resturant. "So much for going in there." He turned back to the ten or so troopers still alive, all of them splattered with variously-colored gore. They hadn't been to questioning to whether the xenos were guards or simply getting a drink. "What are you standing around for? Get to clearing that rubble maggots!"

After a few hours of grumbling and sweat the door to the restruant's kitchen was revealed. Though scorched and dented by the blast and subsequent collapse, the shielded lock had survived. What it didn't survive was the door-buster bomb that detonated three minutes later, blowing the peices of steel back into the kitchen and meat locker. Gunlites fixed, Zim led his squad into the secret tunnels under the city.

[Skeelzania]

The ambush caught the Panzer-grenadiers completely off guard. Most only got a few rounds off before being hacked to peices. Their Colnoel, standing atop the immobilized Gregor, whipped out a pistol and began firing into the gaping maw of the Carnifex rushing towards him, moments before being devoured by said Carnifex.

Inside the tank gunners rushed to their postions, the four anti-personel turrets humming to life. 20mm cannon fire soon blanketed the starpot, mowing down Fex in droves. The tank commander grabbed his periscope sight, then jerked back as he saw a Carnifex glaring back at him. "Main gun left 45 degrees!" The huge plasma cannon swung about, knocking the beast side ways onto yet more Fex. Hoisting itself out of the pool of crushed blade-chickens, the beast slammed a scything claw into the top of the turret, wrenching away at the metal. The second Gregor was meeting a similar fate as the creatures tore open the vulnerable hatches.

*** *** *** *** ***

High above in the Skeelzanian fleet, the signal from the starport crackled before disappering completely. Van Cleef, momentarily absent from the search for Fent, scowled. "Overrun?"

"Yes, my lord. Fex apparently."

"Plaster the starport and ready the second wave."

*** *** *** *** ***

The appropriate orders being sent, the turrets on the Typhon carrier swung into firing position. Armed with ion cannons rather than nuclear-winter-inducing railguns, the Typhons were well suited to this task.

Deep inside the ship the turret control room hummed with activity. Technicians regulated power flow to the four turrets that would be used. Others plotted the target coordinates to the various guns. Over seeing it all was the gunnery captain, whose control of the guns was only exceeded by the captain himself. "Report."

"Turrets 1, 2, 3, and four are locked on, sir, using target pattern R+100."

"Power?"

"All guns receiving 100%, sir."

"Commence firing." A chorus of "commence firings" rippled around the room as crewmembers pressed their buttons. The overhead lights perceptively dimmed as power was drawn into the four turrets, then suddenly surged back to full power. Outside twelve brilliant beams of light streaked towards the planet, the first cutting through the night sky and slamming into the starport. The rest radiated out from the port in a ring patter, reducing everything within 100 meters of the epicenter to molten slag.

Several hundred feet overhead twelve dropships hovered, waiting for the ground to cool.

[Bandalok]

Built for Waff’s own gnomish personal guards and servants, most passages were no more than crawl spaces to any human, let alone a towering Skeelzanian. The air was stuffy as dust from the dry, hard packed dirt dropped from the ceiling and walls. A few mucus covered door-membranes here and there marked the living quarters and utilities used by the gnomes. Food storage, water recycling, all the things a self-sufficient complex needed were up and running within the underground maze.

Thinking the access point had been blocked, maze security had cordoned off the passage leading directly to the ruined building with a squawking recite-o-bird. It spat out a recorded message as Zim’s team marched by. “Squawk! Please take alternate route. The following exit is not accessible. Squawk!� A series of detour signs had also been set up - eventually leading to the only remaining access point in the slums.

A group of maintenance workers were on their way to the water reclamation chamber when the encounter happened.
“…So I says to ‘em, I says, that not my veqt! That yours!� Laughter burst from the other workers as the group made their way toward a four way intersection.
“No ways!� exclaimed a skeptical listener.
“It be true. Ask ‘em you’self.� They crossed through the intersection, almost not noticing the group of hunched soldiers in the left passageway.

The last, worker, the one trailing behind with a large pulsating filter-bug in his hands, turned his head and looked straight at the menacing procession. He stopped in the middle of the intersection, dropped the filter, and simply gaped in stunned silence. His peers continued on around a bend, laughing and oblivious to the sighting.


__________________________________________


In a series of blinding flashes, Waff’s outer patrol ships snapped into visibility. Seeing the Skeelzanian fleet looming ahead, Ship-Master Cenl sent a general message out to the rest of the flotilla.

The master stood like a rock sculpture, his gaze burning a hole into the visual membrane. “We knew this day would come. When we fled from the battle that day, with devastation in the midst of our enemy, victory our heels…� His arms reached out in regret. “We came so close to our goal! And we ran! Tail between our legs we ran!� The ship-master regained a resolute composure. “Today we repent in the eyes of God. Today we find peace in death.�

As a suboid deactivated his villip, Cenl turned to regard his crew. “Bring us into range.�

The fleet, ranging from small destroyers to ancient Barak cruisers, coaxed ancient Ion Drives to life and began to rocket toward the veritable blockade.

[Skeelzania]

Zim brushed the recite-o-bird aside as he and his team advanced farther into the tunnels. By this time they were squat-walking, with the ceiling seemingly getitng lower ever foot. They suddenly stopped, crouching even lower. With SARs raised they watched the group of gnomes continue laughing through the intersection. Zim was about to give the all-clear signal when the last gnome dropped his filterbug. Instantly one thought leapt into the Skeelzanian's mind: "Grenade!" His SAR gave a burst, five rounds slamming into the hapless suboid and throwing him back down the opposite passageway.

*** *** *** *** ***

Van Cleef was preparing to once again descend into the ship's lower levels, the damn gnome was still on the loose, when the proximity alarms went wild. Leaving the part of marines behind he dashed onto the bridge, just in time to receive the first force readout. "Enemy fleet approaching fast astern, sir! Destroyers lining up on attack runs."

"Give the order to break orbit and face the enemy. Rear turrets to supporting fire" barked the admiral. Instantly the crew began manuevering the battleship away from the planet and its attending hive, attempting to gain open space. The larger Skeelzanian ships were following suit, the cruisers and nimble corvettes being the first to gain battle speed.

The ten Fenrirs and twelve Draco Kais charged the Bandalok destroyers, both sides exchanging fire as they tore past one another. Ships exploded and tumbled into one another, with Fenrirs using their superior bulk to ram the destroyers head on. Draco Kais were peppered with missiles as they plugged Leshes with railgun slugs, occasionally two ships detonating at once. The Waakzaamheid, backed up by the two heavy cruisers, began lobbing railgun slugs at the Barak cruisers, though the ship's tube-like hull made frontal shots difficult at best.