Alien vs Predator: A Frozen Hell

[MeikaBeans]

What have I done?

The Kingston unit cowered in a corner, her programming telling her it was the safest place to be simply because it was the farthest she could get from the killer without first drawing closer. She regretted her decision, straying from her orders to satisfy a curiousity. She regretted her venture into morality... humanity.

When Dr. Pulvid arrived, Kingston immediately surrendered. It was not within her to directly disobey a superior. Indeed, her hands had gone up not because she was trying to prove herself friendly but because she was ready to be taken away. Reprogrammed, most likely. Possibly deactived. Scrapped.

What happened next, even her bionic eyes had trouble keeping up with. The Predator's speed an strength were extremely alarming, passing for true fear on the unit's human face. A violent reminder of what this creature could do to her came in a splash of white, as the android Max laid in growing pool of white blood. Worse, however, were the others. Kingston's primary directive was to avoid and prevent harm coming to a human. She had failed three times in three seconds, the hunter simply moving to fast for her to do anything. A nauseous feeling took over her body, synthetic guilt rolling her stomach and making her want to vomit. Making her want to escape the body that was revolting against her.

Looking now at the alien creature, it was harder to draw the resemblance between it and a human. It was more a monster. And she was stuck with it. She had made her decision, had decided to save this being from the horrors it would have been subject to should it remain captive. The USCM would probably label her a traitor and defective once word spread. She would not be able to stay. And she had no place to go, no leads to a new life except the Predator. If it didn't kill her.

Looking over the bodies, Kingston became aware of the weapons strewn across the floor. Perhaps she could vindicate herself. At least maybe she could save other lives. Or be destroyed herself, as was quite possible. Whatever happened, those rifles were opportunities. Taking a quick look at the Predator, she lunged forward. Bolting past the hunter, she stooped low to snatch up a weapon as she ran.

Her fingers never grazed a gun. Instead she kept running, the simplest of logic taking over. There were no humans in danger or in any sort of risk. That meant her primary directive was upheld. It was the third key directive that dictated her flight, demanding she preserve herself as best possible. The synthetic's dash was panicked, with no time taken to turn in the facility's tight corridors. She would run into walls and shove herself right or left, picking her path without reason.

Happening into a dead end, Kingston dove into the dark room at the end of the hallway. Only the barest shapes could be made out, so she did her best to hide amongst the tables and crates. As soon as she slumped to the ground, her back pressed hard against the surface behind her, more advanced reasoning began to return.

 

[Villani]

What have I done?

The Kingston unit cowered in a corner, her programming telling her it was the safest place to be simply because it was the farthest she could get from the killer without first drawing closer. She regretted her decision, straying from her orders to satisfy a curiousity. She regretted her venture into morality... humanity.

When Dr. Pulvid arrived, Kingston immediately surrendered. It was not within her to directly disobey a superior. Indeed, her hands had gone up not because she was trying to prove herself friendly but because she was ready to be taken away. Reprogrammed, most likely. Possibly deactived. Scrapped.

What happened next, even her bionic eyes had trouble keeping up with. The Predator's speed an strength were extremely alarming, passing for true fear on the unit's human face. A violent reminder of what this creature could do to her came in a splash of white, as the android Max laid in growing pool of white blood. Worse, however, were the others. Kingston's primary directive was to avoid and prevent harm coming to a human. She had failed three times in three seconds, the hunter simply moving to fast for her to do anything. A nauseous feeling took over her body, synthetic guilt rolling her stomach and making her want to vomit. Making her want to escape the body that was revolting against her.

Looking now at the alien creature, it was harder to draw the resemblance between it and a human. It was more a monster. And she was stuck with it. She had made her decision, had decided to save this being from the horrors it would have been subject to should it remain captive. The USCM would probably label her a traitor and defective once word spread. She would not be able to stay. And she had no place to go, no leads to a new life except the Predator. If it didn't kill her.

Looking over the bodies, Kingston became aware of the weapons strewn across the floor. Perhaps she could vindicate herself. At least maybe she could save other lives. Or be destroyed herself, as was quite possible. Whatever happened, those rifles were opportunities. Taking a quick look at the Predator, she lunged forward. Bolting past the hunter, she stooped low to snatch up a weapon as she ran.

Her fingers never grazed a gun. Instead she kept running, the simplest of logic taking over. There were no humans in danger or in any sort of risk. That meant her primary directive was upheld. It was the third key directive that dictated her flight, demanding she preserve herself as best possible. The synthetic's dash was panicked, with no time taken to turn in the facility's tight corridors. She would run into walls and shove herself right or left, picking her path without reason.

Happening into a dead end, Kingston dove into the dark room at the end of the hallway. Only the barest shapes could be made out, so she did her best to hide amongst the tables and crates. As soon as she slumped to the ground, her back pressed hard against the surface behind her, more advanced reasoning began to return.

Marines, pt IX.
Nihkou'te turned as the female ran.
Why does she run? I have spared her from death at the hands of her own kin.
Nihkou'te looked down at his bloody hands. He snarled.
She knows nothing of my pain. No matter, I will find the traitor...without the ooman.
The Predator shuffled out of the hallway and made his way to the operation room. Inside, he found a heavy-weight safe imbedded in the wall by the doors. The hunter grabbed the safe by both sides and grunted as he began to shift his weight. The bindings burst as the metal box was uprooted. Nihkou'te tossed it to the floor.
The door was dented from the fall, making it easy for him to rip it from its hinges and toss the cover across the room. Inside the safe were the hunter's greatest treasures. His weapons.
Nihkou'te fitted his heavy, hide shoulder braces on quickly as he buckled heavy scale greaves. He hastily clad himself in his thread nettings and attached his mask.
Ta'voc you Pauk. You are going to pay...
Nihkou'te extended his blades from his gauntlets and uttered a silent trill. He stepped out into the hallway; spear in his hand and furry in his eyes.

 

[Orlanth]

Gadaba ef Carnd Nork - Stalker of Pray

Putting away his spear-gun and bringing out his combat staff nd extended it to fulllength. Gadaba fired off couple shoots of his Plasma Caster as he started to chrge at the preatorian guards. He flicked a switch on his forearm as he jumped into the air bringing his stff to bear.

As he landed his staff dag into the head of a Kainde Amedha warrior, the yellow cid blood seemping out the wound and forming a pool round the head. Gadaba lefted and swang his staff and hit another warrior o his left, nocking it back with the force, it's blood purring out of it's arm-socket. It fal and hit the ground as Gadaba turned ad headed towards the preatorin's.

 

[Villani]

Putting away his spear-gun and bringing out his combat staff nd extended it to fulllength. Gadaba fired off couple shoots of his Plasma Caster as he started to chrge at the preatorian guards. He flicked a switch on his forearm as he jumped into the air bringing his stff to bear.

As he landed his staff dag into the head of a Kainde Amedha warrior, the yellow cid blood seemping out the wound and forming a pool round the head. Gadaba lefted and swang his staff and hit another warrior o his left, nocking it back with the force, it's blood purring out of it's arm-socket. It fal and hit the ground as Gadaba turned ad headed towards the preatorin's.

Predator, pt IX.
As Gadaba finished tossing a limp warrior to the ground, he turned to see a hissing preatorian making its way towards him.
It threatens the hive therefore it must be destroyed. I will devour its flesh and expunge its soul, consuming yet another unworthy being to further the Queen's will....
The preatorian charged towards the hunter, whipping its razor-sharp tail over its head. The drones cleared out of her path as the beast roared. Preatorians were by no means push-overs as the soon-to-be heirs to the Queen herself. Gadaba had no time to reflect on this as the royal guard lunged forward, snapping her wet jaws and stabbing foward with her sharp tail.

 

[Donsehan]

Thei De Guan

I scowled from the inside of my helmet, as I watched what he how the Kainde Amedha started to move to cut them off. I ran forward and clicked some controls inside my helmet to get my targetting system to work and designated my first target, a secondary, tertiary and a fourth one. Mid run I crouched sliding over the snow and ice, I threw one of my discs and saw it fly, I designated another four targets and threw the other disc. I started to designate numerous targets, firing the plasma caster until it overheated, I watched as they fell one by one, I didn't know if my discs hit all of them, but I heard a beep as each of them stopped and noticed more Kainde Amedha were coming. I hit the recall buttons to retrieve both discs and my helmet told me they were coming in. I pulled out my speargun again and started to fire, when I noticed a Kainde Amedha leaped toward me, I brought my gun to bear, backpedalled and fired, two shots into it.

 

[Orlanth]

Gadaba ef Carnd Nork - Stalker of Pray

Predator, pt IX.
As Gadaba finished tossing a limp warrior to the ground, he turned to see a hissing preatorian making its way towards him.
It threatens the hive therefore it must be destroyed. I will devour its flesh and expunge its soul, consuming yet another unworthy being to further the Queen's will....
The preatorian charged towards the hunter, whipping its razor-sharp tail over its head. The drones cleared out of her path as the beast roared. Preatorians were by no means push-overs as the soon-to-be heirs to the Queen herself. Gadaba had no time to reflect on this as the royal guard lunged forward, snapping her wet jaws and stabbing foward with her sharp tail.

Gadaba turned to see a Preatorian ready toattack, he grinned under his helmet as hr grabed his staff in both hands ready for the dual.

Running towards the creature he swung his staff to the right nocing it back as it hised.

 

[Villani]

I scowled from the inside of my helmet, as I watched what he how the Kainde Amedha started to move to cut them off. I ran forward and clicked some controls inside my helmet to get my targetting system to work and designated my first target, a secondary, tertiary and a fourth one. Mid run I crouched sliding over the snow and ice, I threw one of my discs and saw it fly, I designated another four targets and threw the other disc. I started to designate numerous targets, firing the plasma caster until it overheated, I watched as they fell one by one, I didn't know if my discs hit all of them, but I heard a beep as each of them stopped and noticed more Kainde Amedha were coming. I hit the recall buttons to retrieve both discs and my helmet told me they were coming in. I pulled out my speargun again and started to fire, when I noticed a Kainde Amedha leaped toward me, I brought my gun to bear, backpedalled and fired, two shots into it.

Predator, pt X.
The warriors dropped heavily to the ground as white, hot plasma tore through their bodies, spraying gouts of acid onto the snow. Random drones in the mob would find themselves victims of the spinning discs. One such target turned and hissed just in time to be decapitated in an instant by a whirling blade. Another would try to avoid the blade only to have one rip through their rib cage, sending chunks of bone and frayed flesh into the night.
When the nearest warrior lunged at him, Thei-de quickly launched two bolts into it. The first sped past its shoulder but the second found its mark and tore its way through the bug's fleshy neck. The Kainde Amedha was dead before it hit the ground.
Ahead of him, Thei-de could see Ta'voc and his brutes carving a clear path towards the gate. Across the valley, he could see Gadaba dueling with a preatorian guard and further in the crowd he could see the arbiter and his Young Blood warriors nearing the great abomination of the hive.
His razor disks returned quickly but Thei-de barely gripped them in his fists before more bugs began to charge towards him. There looked to be more than a dozen of them sprinting up the hill, thick saliva dangling from their jaws. Ta'voc looked to be alright at the moment but for now he would have to save his own skin. He was in for a fight.

 

[Villani]

Aliens, pt VII.
The marines tried to run. They tried to get away from the monstorsity with some hope that they could make it back to the reinforced compound. In reality, they had no choice...
There was a defening explosion as the reinforced wall gave way under the great weight of the ravager. Concrete rubble spilled onto the ground and the soldiers broke formation and retreated back to the bunker at full speed. The abomination stepped over the wall followed by a horde of its kin. Some soldiers tried to stay and fight but they were swallowed up in a mass of glittering teeth and claws. Sil'veis hissed in glee as she ordered her brood inside the walls.
It was not long before she sensed an unfamiliar musk. She cocked her head to see two large groups of humanoids heading towards her. She turned to her guards.
Tear the flesh from their bones, gnaw the skin from their bodies. Bathe in the blood of our enemies. This threat will NOT go unanswered.
The preatorians split and funneled out towards the intruders...except for one. The royal preatorian, Gi'this, stood by her side. Her duty was to protect the alpha at all times and he would fight to the end. She would prove herself worthy to be the next queen of the hive...

 

[Tonofnoise]

The taste of spilled blood is best enjoyed over ice

To the prey we charged, scaling the walls one after another. All attention was given to the ravager. The first to die was tall but slow. My tail pierced his body and threw him over the wall. Another I leaped on, my mouth opened with glee has I crushed his skull with my jaws. One prey surprised me by attack me from behind. I wrapped my tail around his arms and removed them, finishing him my piercing his body with my tail. All around me I could hear the vibrations of my kind killing the prey one by one. The ground shook. I leaped onto a prey who had fallen on the ice. With my inner jaw I punctured his skull. Its brains fell from my jaw as I leaped to another and another. One by one they fell. Than more rumbling and the pain. The nose was so loud as ravager was wounded. Full of surprised these prey are. No matter. The drool from my outer jaw could not be stopped when they turned and ran. “In side,” I was told. Sil’veis commands. To the side I ran trying to catch one not aware. His screams shook my spine as I removed its. Lifeless it laid while its blood soaked my claws and jaws. “Tear the flesh from their bones, gnaw the skin from their bodies. Bathe in the blood of our enemies. This threat will NOT go unanswered,” she commanded. Intruders to the kill. Our kills. Must defend.

 

[MeikaBeans]

The Kingston unit kept it's own time. Otherwise, it would have been impossible for her to tell how long she hid behind the crates. The section of the base she had found herself in was unnusually still. Not a sound was heard as the minutes passed. Kingston began to revert to her default mentality.

There will be more casualities. It was unthinkable that the Predator would be able to take on the entire base, but surely it would put up a fight. Such hunters could take out entire squads by themselves. Kingston would have to respond, even if it meant she would be giving herself up for deactivation. What would she do anyway? If she could escape the base(unlikely), there weren't many other places on the planet to go to.

Picking herself up Kingston crept towards the door. All her sensors were primed, searching for the slightest noise or movement. The hallway was empty, but immediately recognizable. She'd managed to take herself across the Commons area to one the storage rooms outside of the Med Lab. Quite convenient. The stride that carried her into the Lab was quick and sure. Half of her was satisfied the beast was nowhere near. The other half had forgotten about it completely in favor of the work at hand. She went about the cabinets and chests of tools, searching out all the components to a proper field kit. If there were a great number of wounded, they would be treated on the spot.

As Kingston put the equipment into one of the USCM's medical shoulderbags, she became aware of a disturbance. Noise somewhere on the base. Gunfire. It was all too muffled to distinguish, but urged Kingston on all the same. Snatching up a cauterizing wand, the final piece to the kit, the synthetic medic bolted out of the lab and down the hall, letting the growing ruckus guide her.

 

[Vixandra]

Nan-de

I watched my group wade into the masses of K.A.'s and shurgged following them.
From both arms, seemingly independant of one another flew blade after blade, to the K.A. and back into my hands only to be thrown again in an almost dizzying array. Made me glad for the gloves and cloak from all the splatterage.
I shot a glance at Gadaba as he took on one of the Pretorians and would have smiled had I the time. Instead I shouted into my com unit, "Guard his back. Cicular spread, my blooded fellows. Yes, that's it."
We moved into a rough circle, backs to one another, facing outward, blades and shurikan flying, shoulder units firing away. It was a blood bath.
A particullarly large creature slid in other two others as they died, darting for me from between them. I roared in bloodlust and recalled the two shurikan I currently had out, thier ricocheting blades tunneling through its body on thier way back to me. A flick of each wrist sent them back out, but not before the damn thing got a swipe in at my leg. The armor protected me but there was now a slash in my cloak. I growled in anger and returned my attention to the fray. Bit of acid never killed anyone....

 

[Villani]

The Kingston unit kept it's own time. Otherwise, it would have been impossible for her to tell how long she hid behind the crates. The section of the base she had found herself in was unnusually still. Not a sound was heard as the minutes passed. Kingston began to revert to her default mentality.

There will be more casualities. It was unthinkable that the Predator would be able to take on the entire base, but surely it would put up a fight. Such hunters could take out entire squads by themselves. Kingston would have to respond, even if it meant she would be giving herself up for deactivation. What would she do anyway? If she could escape the base(unlikely), there weren't many other places on the planet to go to.

Picking herself up Kingston crept towards the door. All her sensors were primed, searching for the slightest noise or movement. The hallway was empty, but immediately recognizable. She'd managed to take herself across the Commons area to one the storage rooms outside of the Med Lab. Quite convenient. The stride that carried her into the Lab was quick and sure. Half of her was satisfied the beast was nowhere near. The other half had forgotten about it completely in favor of the work at hand. She went about the cabinets and chests of tools, searching out all the components to a proper field kit. If there were a great number of wounded, they would be treated on the spot.

As Kingston put the equipment into one of the USCM's medical shoulderbags, she became aware of a disturbance. Noise somewhere on the base. Gunfire. It was all too muffled to distinguish, but urged Kingston on all the same. Snatching up a cauterizing wand, the final piece to the kit, the synthetic medic bolted out of the lab and down the hall, letting the growing ruckus guide her.

Marines, pt X.
Kingston could hear defeaning explosions from outside the base as the peremiter collapsed. When she came to the end of a brightly lit hallway, her attention was divided between two rooms. On her left, was the garage where she could hear the scarping of metal and masrines calling to eachother over the sounds of dozens of footsteps. On her right, was the door to the compound entryway. Where that door led to was a highly-fortified bunker equiped with heavy machineguns and barbed-wire/sandbag fortifications built alongside the concrete walls. The only way to get into the base, was from the set of heavy blast doors the took up half of the room's front wall. Inside the room, she could hear heavy, even footsteps as if someone were pacing.
From where she was standing she had a choice of base exits. Both led to the outside of the base where she assumed there was great turmoil. It was her duty to get there.
But how?

 

[Villani]

I watched my group wade into the masses of K.A.'s and shurgged following them.
From both arms, seemingly independant of one another flew blade after blade, to the K.A. and back into my hands only to be thrown again in an almost dizzying array. Made me glad for the gloves and cloak from all the splatterage.
I shot a glance at Gadaba as he took on one of the Pretorians and would have smiled had I the time. Instead I shouted into my com unit, "Guard his back. Cicular spread, my blooded fellows. Yes, that's it."
We moved into a rough circle, backs to one another, facing outward, blades and shurikan flying, shoulder units firing away. It was a blood bath.
A particullarly large creature slid in other two others as they died, darting for me from between them. I roared in bloodlust and recalled the two shurikan I currently had out, thier ricocheting blades tunneling through its body on thier way back to me. A flick of each wrist sent them back out, but not before the damn thing got a swipe in at my leg. The armor protected me but there was now a slash in my cloak. I growled in anger and returned my attention to the fray. Bit of acid never killed anyone....

Predator, pt XI.
Nan-de's razors ripped through the beast on their way into the fray, cutting off one of its arms and ripping through its chest. Tar'nithkis finished it off with an uppercut using his wrist blades. He planted the blow right under the Kainde Amehda's chin and watched as the tips of his blades surfaced through the top of its head. The arbiter let out a trilling sound and ripped the blades out with a sickening pull before he kicked it to the ground.
By now, Nan-de and her group were at the peremiter wall and were less than 50 yards from Ta'voc's group. Tar'nithkis gave the signal to go over the wall and charge after the alpha before it could get inside. The Young Blood began to scurry up the wall of rubble left from the tower. When they reached the top of the wall, they got a whole new view of destruction.
Smoke was bellowing up from the runway and hanger where the abomination was tearing apart a dropship, limb from limb. The base was swarming with the Kainde Amedha. Out of the horde, Nan-de spotted the alpha running towards the base with her guards. Tar'nithkis turned to her.
"Nan-de, we will try to kill the royal guards and then draw the alpha to your position. Stay on the wall where you will have a better chance to shoot her. I will leave you with Had'jin, one of my elite melee fighters," he said gesturing to a stout warrior. "He will keep the Kainde Amedha off the walls behind you."
Had'jin flashed her a quick nod and raised his spear in the air. The arbiter and the rest of his Blooded jumped off the wall and dived back into the black sea of death. Had'jin lowered his spear.
"What is my bidding Nan-de?"

 

[Donsehan]

Predator, pt X.
The warriors dropped heavily to the ground as white, hot plasma tore through their bodies, spraying gouts of acid onto the snow. Random drones in the mob would find themselves victims of the spinning discs. One such target turned and hissed just in time to be decapitated in an instant by a whirling blade. Another would try to avoid the blade only to have one rip through their rib cage, sending chunks of bone and frayed flesh into the night.
When the nearest warrior lunged at him, Thei-de quickly launched two bolts into it. The first sped past its shoulder but the second found its mark and tore its way through the bug's fleshy neck. The Kainde Amedha was dead before it hit the ground.
Ahead of him, Thei-de could see Ta'voc and his brutes carving a clear path towards the gate. Across the valley, he could see Gadaba dueling with a preatorian guard and further in the crowd he could see the arbiter and his Young Blood warriors nearing the great abomination of the hive.
His razor disks returned quickly but Thei-de barely gripped them in his fists before more bugs began to charge towards him. There looked to be more than a dozen of them sprinting up the hill, thick saliva dangling from their jaws. Ta'voc looked to be alright at the moment but for now he would have to save his own skin. He was in for a fight.

I roared in bloodlust, I attached my discs to a retractable cord set up I had, and flung the one in my right hand out, then grabbed onto the cord swinging the disc back around I got ready to fight, meanwhile, I threw the other disc letting it go after its locked on targets.

 

[Orlanth]

Gadaba ef Carnd Nork - Stalker of Pray

Lifting his Staff, Gadaba swings it around gutting another warrior as he starts to charge the Praetorian. He spreads his legs and crunchers slightly, ready to spring and unleash his attack.

Leaping forward he hits the Praetorian with his Staff, swinging it out so it looked as he was going to drive it into the creature.

 

[Villani]

Lifting his Staff, Gadaba swings it around gutting another warrior as he starts to charge the Praetorian. He spreads his legs and crunchers slightly, ready to spring and unleash his attack.

Leaping forward he hits the Praetorian with his Staff, swinging it out so it looked as he was going to drive it into the creature.

Predator, pt XI.
Gadaba's swing rang true as the spear-like tip collided with the Preatorian's thick forehead. The sharp staff slit open the beast's face, spraying thick ichor into the air. The Preatorian's neck whipped to the side, trailing the blow as its blood flew past its shoulder.
The beast stumbled backward before finding its footing. It shook the dripping acid from its maw and let out a bellowing roar. The Preatorian lowered its head and arched its wicked tail over its back like. The sharp blade would dip forward sparraticly as the tail weaved back and forth over its head. The Kainde Amedha watched eagerly for a weak spot in the hunter's stance.

 

[MeikaBeans]

The clamor coming from the garage was tempting to follow, but the footfalls to the right caught Kingston's attention. An officer, almost certainly. He would be able to bring her up to date on the situation and direct her in the most effective way. The chaos outside was surprising. Yes, Predators were dangerous killing machines - she'd seen that firsthand - but it seemed as though the marines were tearing the base down in the process of handling the hunter. The idea that the USCM had to use such force was unsettling and hinted at worse things. Coupled with the abandoned Med Lab (Why hadn't she seen the men wounded in this conflict, or even the doctors preparing to take in the men? Perhaps there was a triage set up nearby.), it was worrying.

She went through the door fully prepared to do whatever was required of her, be it rush to the other side of the compound to treat the wounded or to accept her punishment for releasing the monster if the officer would not see the benefit to having her active for this scenario.

 

[Villani]

The clamor coming from the garage was tempting to follow, but the footfalls to the right caught Kingston's attention. An officer, almost certainly. He would be able to bring her up to date on the situation and direct her in the most effective way. The chaos outside was surprising. Yes, Predators were dangerous killing machines - she'd seen that firsthand - but it seemed as though the marines were tearing the base down in the process of handling the hunter. The idea that the USCM had to use such force was unsettling and hinted at worse things. Coupled with the abandoned Med Lab (Why hadn't she seen the men wounded in this conflict, or even the doctors preparing to take in the men? Perhaps there was a triage set up nearby.), it was worrying.

She went through the door fully prepared to do whatever was required of her, be it rush to the other side of the compound to treat the wounded or to accept her punishment for releasing the monster if the officer would not see the benefit to having her active for this scenario.

Marines, pt XI.
Sure enought when the door slid open a stern looking Seargent stopped his pacing. He was an older man who wore his face in a scowl. She immedialty recognized him as Ambrose, John L. His military profile was downloaded into her system when she fist arrived to the outpost. The old man cocked his head upon her entry.and her eyes immediatly spotted a heavy breifcase at his side, clutched in a tight grip.
"Em, Kingston-why just the man er, woman, er, android I was waiting for." Amborse wiped some sweat away from his brow.
"The base is in dire need of your, uh...abilities. The men in the garage are loading up the exosuits right now and are preparing to retake the peremiter wall and push the xenomorphs back." Kingston's confused stare startled him.
"You do know about the bugs don't you?" Her face did not reassure him. He wiped his forehead again and pressed his glasses into the bridge of his nose.
"No matter. I have-we, have a task for you. Outside is the biggest threat this instillation has ever come up against. It seems the bugs have been planning this for a while and they have brought with them a er...giant. If you can draw it away from the garage then the mechs can pulverize it at a distance and tenderize it to a fine putty. Going outside is too dangerous unless we can hoist you up through a porthole on top of the compound room," he said gesturing to a ladder leading up the wall beside him.
"I know this is crazy but we need the experts to man the walkers and you are the best shot we have. That's why i'm giving you this," Ambrose said handing her the steel breifcase at his side.
"It's a SADAR anti-armor rocket launcher. If you hit it in the vital areas, it will get your attention and then you run. Run as far away from the garage as possible." Amborse watched as Kingston analyzed the situation.
"Unless you have any better ideas, I suggest you start climbing. Give me the word and we'll open up the hatch. Good luck Kingston, I hope you believe in that sort of thing."

 

[Villani]

Aliens, pt VIII.
Sil'veis watched as a group of the musky-smelling creatures scrambled up the ruined wall.
They have been following us for some time. They are determined, they are foolish.
The alpha cocked her head towards her guards. The Preatorians scattered and ran towards the wall. Their heavy feet left deep prints in the ice as the ran, stealth was not their primary function. Killing, now killing was a priority.
The alpha turned to her last remaining defense. The bulky royal guard returned the glance. If the strange, new prey managed to get close, Gi'this would tear them limb from limb. He had done it before to all the weak prey that had stood in his path.
The blood-stained Preatorian growled at the thought. His maw slid open and thick saliva rolled down his chitin armor.
Their thoughts were disrupted by a loud crunching noise. Ahead of them, the abomination was slamming its blades into the compound wall. The ravager was practically knocking on the garage doors.
With thirsty glee, Sil'veis sent her kin to huddle around the brute. They did, eagerly awaiting the door's collapse...

 

[MeikaBeans]

Perhaps the greatest benefit to being an android was the lack of real emotion. The news, the assignment that the sergeant had given her would've shocked even the most battle-hardened human. Kingston had accepted the grave situation immediately, though her ever-reasoning mind was now begging for answers to questions Ambrose couldn't possibly answer. How many were there? How many had we lost? His discription of the of the war outside was hardly detailed, but then again it would probably be impossible to describe. And now the question arose - Where had the Predator dissappeared to?

Tucking the cauterizing wand into her medic's bag as best she could (it was a little long to fit inside comfortably), Kingston took the steel case from Ambrose. There was no doubt she would take the assignment and complete it to the best of her abilities. Despite the nagging of her self-preservation protocols, she'd been given orders and as far as she could tell following them was the best way to save lives. It would perhaps be the turning point of the battle, should she be successful.

"Good luck Kingston, I hope you believe in that sort of thing." She gave the comment a thought as she adjusted her equipment and got used to the new weight in her hand. She'd been given a certain amount of cultural information to allow her to be of use in a conversation. Some culture she had discovered for herself. Searching her files for an appropriate response, one old saying struck her as true of her idea of luck.

"I do not believe in luck, Sergeant. I believe in cause and effect. The thought, however, is appreciated." Kingston took to the ladder, her ascent slowed as she could only use one hand. What was she going to find out there? Marauding aliens. A giant Xenomorph, apparently. Absolute chaos. Would they be on the roof already? Would her target be able to reach her on the roof? Her education on the animals could be summed up with a single cliche: anything's possible.

Kingston paused on the ladder just before the hatch, reaffirming her grip on the case's handle. Assuming a Xeno wasn't waiting to immediately bite her head off, the case would go up first so she could pull herself up more easily. She would ready the weapon, locate the target, shoot, and run. It was that easy. So just how big was a "giant" Xeno?

Big enough, I'm sure. Kingston swallowed hard and continued the ascent.

 

[Villani]

I roared in bloodlust, I attached my discs to a retractable cord set up I had, and flung the one in my right hand out, then grabbed onto the cord swinging the disc back around I got ready to fight, meanwhile, I threw the other disc letting it go after its locked on targets.

Predator, pt XII.
The affect was devestating. Thei-de's bladed-flail whipped through the night with lethal speed. The first body in its way was a lunging drone, who caught the sharp blades in its face as they sailed into its path. With a sickening rip, the razor edges of the disk tore through the Kainde Amedha's fleshy jaw and splattered chunks of gristly tissue in all directions.
The next Alien in the path of the disk was far less fortunate. The blade had been slowed enough by mangled bone to only pierce the beast's neck. The Alien screamed as the razor continued to spin and saw through its throat. The noise was ended by a quick jerk of the cord as Thei-de ripped the blade from the creature's flesh.
The ichor-coated disk hung limply from Thei-de's grasp, the cord's slack drapping from his muscled forearms.
In the distance, the hunter could see his other disk chasing it's prey across the ice. Its current target, a young drone, tripped to the ground in its hastened escape and was messily decappitated as the blade swooped through its skull. Thei-de could see the glistening shower of blood from where he stood.
He turned to see the remaining warriors stop just outside the range of his flail, waiting. The Kainde Amedha cocked their heads and hissed to eachother as if disucssing his death. To his amasment, the warriors turned their tails and scurried back towards the compound. He soon found out why...
A putrid stench filtered through his nostrils. It was vile and choking enough to make him gag. A Preatorian warrior pushed its way out of the horde, its normally shiny black chitin dripping with blood and bile. It must have been over two feet taller than any royal guard he had ever seen. This one was BIG.
The monster approached the hunter slowly with heavy footsteps. Its bloody tail dragged behind its clawed feet, snaking through the red snow in its wake. Thei-de's eyes watered as the vile creature approached. The Preatorian stopped less than a dozen feet from him, its glory armor glistening with torn flesh and splattered blood. Its toungue extended slowly from its jaws as it tasted the air, as it tasted his fear. The beast rasied its bulky shoulders and walked straight towards the lone hunter with its massive claws hanging loosely at its sides.
This new prey will fall like the rest and I will wear its intestines over my back as I did the rest. The Queen wills it...

 

[Villani]

Perhaps the greatest benefit to being an android was the lack of real emotion. The news, the assignment that the sergeant had given her would've shocked even the most battle-hardened human. Kingston had accepted the grave situation immediately, though her ever-reasoning mind was now begging for answers to questions Ambrose couldn't possibly answer. How many were there? How many had we lost? His discription of the of the war outside was hardly detailed, but then again it would probably be impossible to describe. And now the question arose - Where had the Predator dissappeared to?

Tucking the cauterizing wand into her medic's bag as best she could (it was a little long to fit inside comfortably), Kingston took the steel case from Ambrose. There was no doubt she would take the assignment and complete it to the best of her abilities. Despite the nagging of her self-preservation protocols, she'd been given orders and as far as she could tell following them was the best way to save lives. It would perhaps be the turning point of the battle, should she be successful.

"Good luck Kingston, I hope you believe in that sort of thing." She gave the comment a thought as she adjusted her equipment and got used to the new weight in her hand. She'd been given a certain amount of cultural information to allow her to be of use in a conversation. Some culture she had discovered for herself. Searching her files for an appropriate response, one old saying struck her as true of her idea of luck.

"I do not believe in luck, Sergeant. I believe in cause and effect. The thought, however, is appreciated." Kingston took to the ladder, her ascent slowed as she could only use one hand. What was she going to find out there? Marauding aliens. A giant Xenomorph, apparently. Absolute chaos. Would they be on the roof already? Would her target be able to reach her on the roof? Her education on the animals could be summed up with a single cliche: anything's possible.

Kingston paused on the ladder just before the hatch, reaffirming her grip on the case's handle. Assuming a Xeno wasn't waiting to immediately bite her head off, the case would go up first so she could pull herself up more easily. She would ready the weapon, locate the target, shoot, and run. It was that easy. So just how big was a "giant" Xeno?

Big enough, I'm sure. Kingston swallowed hard and continued the ascent.

Marines, pt XII.
The hatch slid open easily enough and Kingston found it easy to scramble up onto the roof with one free hand. As soon as the grate popped open, a gust of bitter air filtered forward. White frost began to float down from the skies, and Kingston caught the first few in her palms. The flakes of snow were cold and wet to the touch. If the first frost was heavy and moist, it was a sure sign of thick snow.
Nevermind the blizzard, there's work to be done.
From where she was standing, she could see the widespread ruin from the crumbled perimeter wall to the trampled runway and the swelling black horde inbetween. She was distracted when a loud explosion from her right shook the compound.
Dark smoke bellowed from the garage as it trembled and quaked from a blow from to its blast doors. Her grip on the breifcase went weak as she watched the smoke disperse. The abomination emerged slowly, its blades hanging out of the dark cloud. The wind wisped the murky veil from the beast, putting it fully into view.
From its head to its feet thirty feet below the monster radiated fear like a black sun. Even the other bugs around the giant seemed to quiver in its prescence.
The ravager swivled the top half of its body and rose its wicked sythe limbs into the air. There was a silent pause as the blades swayed over the horde. Then, the air split and the wind screamed past the colossal sythes as they slammed into the building. Rock and steel alike thundered into the sky as the ravager pounded on the compound doors.
They would not hold for long. If Kingston was going to act, she'd have to do it quickly...

 

[MeikaBeans]

No one had the opportunity that she did up on the Commons' roof. No one else had time to notice the snow falling into their hands, the chill air. There something about the ice crystals, the way they floated down and disappeared on her warm skin, that even a synthetic could appreciate. To look up from such small wonder and find chaos was surreal. It was like a dream, a nightmare, but Kingston didn't dream.

The explosion stole her attention, directing her to the most terrifying thing she would probably ever see. The metal case fell from her grasp. The urge to run like hell surged up once more and Kingston almost gave in. There were no marines for her to see and be concerned about, but she knew where they were. They were in that garage, waiting and depending on her.

The Kingston unit knelt and went to work, one eye on the great creature threatening her soldiers. Despite the split attention she worked efficiently, not needing to see her body to coordinate it's moments as she flipped open the case and checked it's contents. She knew why Ambrose had sent her on this mission. Yes, the "experts" needed to be the the skeletons, but it was only coincidence that she had happened upon the sergeant. He'd been the one with the weapon in hand, alone at the base of the ladder, sweating it out. Kingston scowled as she shouldered the weapon and took aim. The beast's massive head filled the site.

This is suicide.

Her indignation was set aside as she pulled the trigger, the recoil rocking her backwards. She let the momentum take the launcher from her shoulder to the ground behind her. The unit was ready, ready to leap to her feet and take off running. She was ready to get as far away from these monsters as possible. She was just waiting to make sure that the biggest one would be going with her.

 

[Vixandra]

Nan-de

Predator, pt XI.
"Nan-de, we will try to kill the royal guards and then draw the alpha to your position. Stay on the wall where you will have a better chance to shoot her. I will leave you with Had'jin, one of my elite melee fighters," he said gesturing to a stout warrior. "He will keep the Kainde Amedha off the walls behind you."
Had'jin flashed her a quick nod and raised his spear in the air. The arbiter and the rest of his Blooded jumped off the wall and dived back into the black sea of death. Had'jin lowered his spear.
"What is my bidding Nan-de?"

I looked at Had'jin and shrugged. "We're goin to the top of the wall, of course. That turret there, the one with those pale thingies on it, that'll be a good vantage point."
I smiled as I charged forward, Had'jin right at my heels. Humming a ballad that spoke of a young Yajuta female pining for her lover and later weilding her lover's head on a pike, I charged in with a battle cry in my throat, a song in my soul, a feeling of rightness in my world.

Battle and mayhem, blood and blade, that's what we live for the Blooded Ones. Oh yes, battle it be.

 

[Vixandra]

Nan-de

Predator, pt XI.
"Nan-de, we will try to kill the royal guards and then draw the alpha to your position. Stay on the wall where you will have a better chance to shoot her. I will leave you with Had'jin, one of my elite melee fighters," he said gesturing to a stout warrior. "He will keep the Kainde Amedha off the walls behind you."
Had'jin flashed her a quick nod and raised his spear in the air. The arbiter and the rest of his Blooded jumped off the wall and dived back into the black sea of death. Had'jin lowered his spear.
"What is my bidding Nan-de?"

I looked at Had'jin and shrugged. "We're goin to the top of the wall, of course. That turret there, the one with those pale thingies on it, that'll be a good vantage point."
I smiled as I charged forward, Had'jin right at my heels. Humming a ballad that spoke of a young Yajuta female pining for her lover and later weilding her lover's head on a pike, I charged in with a battle cry in my throat, a song in my soul, a feeling of rightness in my world.

Battle and mayhem, blood and blade, that's what we live for the Blooded Ones. Oh yes, battle it be.