Me again; I just love all of this. My friend gave me this quote that he found, and he doesn't remember the author, if it even has an original one.
I know that this is going to be getting good, and believe it or not, there is only one more chapter after this.
I have only one thing I want to ask. I know that a lot of people draw; and I'm wondering that; based on the description I give of my OCs and some Colonial Marine pictures available on Google; I'm wondering if people could draw some pictures of my OCs, or even, some scenes from the fic. My Email is on my profile, so you can email me the pictures when you're done.
With that, review and enjoy…
Chapter 21: Countdown
"If who I am is what I have, and what I have is lost, then who am I?"
-Unknown
Mission Profile: Rescue Wait
Mission Time: 101100 Hours
Time: 1200 Hours
Marine Casualty Count: 12
Marine Kill Count: 211
Mission Status: Await Secondary Extraction
Nathan
Pulse Rifle loaded, he put his arm around Standard, who was staring at the dry guns.
"What about Jut'nei?" she asked.
"Jut'nei is probably dead" Nathan replied "We're going to get into the panic room. I set up a radio last night. We're probably going to have to lock everyone out for the rest of the time"
"I'm scared Nathan" Standard repeated "I don't want to be disconnected"
"I'm not going to let that happen" he replied "We're gonna make it, get home, and I'm going to show you to a night you'll never want to forget." He paused quickly "But right now, we need to get to the Panic room."
He quickly ushered her away from the command center he'd set up, and out of Colony Control.
They went down a set of stairs, and down into a hallway.
A quick glance at his HUD showed nothing good. There was multiple contacts moving roughly 15 yards away.
"Come on" he replied, ushering Standard to run. "Xenos are coming quick."
They came to the stairway leading to the Panic Room/Executive Office, and he ushered her to the sharp turn.
The door was open, and the gun was waiting, not yet primed.
Nathan couldn't stand that Standard was dawdling. She was so engulfed by her fear that she wouldn't act.
"You first" Nathan replied, pushing her up the stairs with his hand on her butt.
He turned around, gun ready and backed up into the room.
He kicked the lock controls to the door, and shot the mechanism upon closure.
"Nathan" she replied "I don't want to be disconnected"
"I promise on my mother's life, that I'm going to not let that happen." Nathan replied "I just need you turn the Gun 1 on while I turn on Gun 2."
"Alright" she sobbed, scared out of her mind.
"Just relax babe" he replied, typing the code for Gun 2's activation. Within seconds, the gun was hot.
"Gun 1 is hot" Standard replied, choking back tears.
"Relax babe" he replied, turning to Gun 10, which was sitting at the door.
"I don't want to be disconnected though" she explained, repeating the obvious.
"I swore on my mother's life that I wouldn't let that happen." He replied, Gun 10 now hot "And I'm going to keep that promise"
Valance
He followed Archer into the APC, opening it up while his men were getting ready.
"I hope we aren't too late" Archer plainly quipped, coldness to his ways.
Valance took a seat in the watchbox, and began the startup for the command area.
He commed Breeves and Walters, the two women who flew the Dropship.
"What's our status?" he asked.
"Dropship's ready" Walters replied.
"Alright girls, let's pack 'em in!" Adams yelled, as the rush of 10 Marines ran inside and took Combat seating.
Tanner and Brewer's SMART Guns were both on line and stowed, it would only take his activation for them to be able to fire. Until that happened, the two women who were SMART Gunners could fire them all that they wanted, and the guns wouldn't shoot.
"I want a channel open on all hailing frequencies" Valance replied, giving all of the displays a once over.
"Hailing channel Open" Archer replied. "I'm bringing the APC into the Dropship right now"
Doors shut, and APC rolling, he tried the radio.
"Australis Crew, this is Borealis Crew, do you copy? We are on our way down. I repeat, do you copy? Over."
He opened the channel again, as he received the notification of "APC Load doors closed"
Nathan
He was waiting in the Panic room, checking his motion tracker, making sure that he was still safe.
For the moment however, the Motion Tracker showed that the Xenos were wall to wall outside, and were advancing upon the Turrets like there was no tomorrow.
Glancing to the display, he saw that the Turret was firing all of its ammunition as it could, and then, something really bad happened.
The gun then read ERROR! ERROR! JAM! ERROR! ERROR! JAM!
"Nathan" Standard replied "I'm scared"
"So the fuck am I" he replied, admitting the truth in plain Marine English.
"Australis Crew, this is Borealis Crew, do you copy" a voice replied on the Radio "We are on our way down. Do you copy? Over"
"We're saved!" Standard cheered, grin on her face.
"They ain't here yet" he replied "You go call them back."
"Alright" she replied, running to the radio and putting he headset on, and closing the channel "This is Android Standard of the Australis" she announced "We're here in the Manager's Office of the Colony. Boy are we happy to hear you. Over"
Valance
"We drop in three, two, one, mark" Walters announced, releasing the dropship from it's bearings, and sending it screaming into the atmosphere of VF-132.
"This is Android Standard of the Australis" a voice announced on the open channel, right as they had entered VF-132's Thermosphere. "We're in the Manager's Office of the Colony. Boy are we happy to hear you. Over"
Valance immediately turned to the PA system and announced "We've got survivors down there"
The rest of the marines began to cheer.
Valance then released the PA from the APC and punched the com-switch. "This is Lieutenant Valance of the Borealis. How many of you are left?"
Nathan
He heard the reply from Valance, and immediately switched the frequency on his headset to the hailing frequency.
"This is Corporal Van Hold of the Australis." He replied "It's just Standard and I. The rest of my squad is Kilo-India-Alfa. We've got Xenos closing in. We need extraction now! Over!"
Just as he said that, he could hear the Xenos running underneath the floors, and immediately, the back wall panel was immediately upturned in the duct area.
At this, a runner came up along with two warriors.
"Grenade" Nathan yelled, cocking the Over-Under Grenade Launcher and pulling the trigger.
The grenade hit the runner, and detonated, destroying the runner, and wounding the two warriors, who proceeded to explode.
The resulting acid splatter immediately destroyed the food that they'd stockpiled in the corner.
"Corporal Van Hold" 'Valance' replied over the radio "We're just entering the Troposphere of the planet. We can see the structures now. Just hold on a little bit longer. Do you copy? Over."
"This is Van Hold" Nathan replied "I copy. Shit's hit the fan and we're facing the rest of the hive. We can't last much longer, OVER!"
He immediately opened fire on a runner that had gotten cocky and started to rush him.
Shooting three rounds into it's head, it flew back, and into two warriors that had started to come back up.
He could only last so long at this rate. He'd eventually have to reload."
Valance
He could see the colony on the Dropship's cam. He was obviously cutting it close with this.
"This is Van Hold, I copy." The Marine replied "Shit's hit the fan and we're facing the rest of the hive. We can't last much longer, OVER!"
The change in volume made his ear ring. He could clearly hear gunfire in the background. They were cutting it really close.
"This is Valance, I copy." He replied "We're coming up on the Colony right now. We're about to do a dustoff. You just hang on a little longer, over"
He flipped the switch back to Walters "Dustoff right in the center, right by the North lock. We're cutting it really close, and they're in some real shit in there"
"Roger" Walters replied, taking the Dropship and immediately setting down on the street.
He could feel the APC shift as they were rolling now.
"Alright Marines, I want this on the double. There's a Marine in there and a fuckload of Xenos. He ain't dying on our watch"
Everyone took their guns, and he immediately primed the SMART Guns as Archer stopped the APC right in front of the south lock.
"Door's shut!" Adams yelled.
"Stand back" Archer replied, turning the turret on the back right towards the door.
With an explosion worthy of an action Video-Drama, the South Lock door was turned into a piece of scrap.
"Go! Go! Go!" Adams yelled, ushering her squad into the building.
Nathan
The room shook for a brief moment, as what was obviously an explosion destroyed the south lock.
"STANDARD!" Nathan yelled "TURN OFF GUN 10 NOW! THE CAVALRY'S HERE AND THEY NEED A WAY IN!"
"Ya Voy" Standard replied, practicing her Spanish.
There was a blare as Gun 10 was shut off, and for a brief moment, the flood of Xenos stopped from the hole in the floor.
However, he could hear continued hissing from the floor, and a glance to his HUD Motion Tracker showed Xenos moving in right underneath his feet.
"Standard" Nathan replied "Step back, and get behind me"
He steadily backed away into the wall, right by the door.
"Valance, this is Van Hold," he replied into his com "Do you copy?"
"Van Hold, this is Valance" Rescue replied "We're coming right onto the door to the office. What's your status?"
"Xenos right under us" He replied "You're going to have to use a charge on the door. I shot the lock. Your squad needs to hurry, over."
"I read" 'Valance' replied "Rescue's coming, Echo-Tango-Alfa is Seven minutes. Just hold out a little longer. Over"
"Roger" Nathan replied "Just hurry up. Over"
Valance
They were currently heading down the halls and into the Medlab. He could tell from the cameras. Currently, it seemed that there were bioform stasis tubes that held dead Face-huggers, all floating around. The only difference was that two tubes were knocked down.
Valance assumed that these once held live face-huggers, and that the Xenos must have set them free.
As Strom passed through the door, that was the last he saw of Medlab through the cameras. At this point, they were in colony control.
From the look of things, there was a command center set up. He could see remote sentry control cases next to monitors. From what he could tell, Van Hold must have set up this as a first line of defense; provided that the manager's office was his second line.
Strom, still holding up the rear, had left the room, and they were now in the hallway leading to the manager's office.
Glancing at the time display; it appeared that the ETA was right on the money. At seven minutes, they arrived at the offshoot of the hallway that was the manager's office, and the stairs leading up to it.
On Brewer's cam, he could tell the woman gunner had managed to pass what was obviously a remote sentry turned on standby. In a matter of seconds however; it seemed his entire squad was at Van Hold's door. It would only be a matter of time until they could get that marine out of there.
Jut'nei
Inside of the tunnel hallway for the sublevel part of the colony, things could not have been stickier.
Backed up into a wall, she was currently sending out glancing shots from her plasma caster at a pair of Karda'na-k'oh. These were mostly using their shield-crests to absorb the majority of her attacks.
However, they were backing off whenever she shot them. It was a sign that their crests weren't indestructible. It would only be a matter of time however, until they figured out to double-team her in their advances.
However, even if she were to die on this hunt, she would still be successful. She knew that her people's declaration of war would be in the hands of the Ooman leaders soon. Her duty was to deliver it to the most worthy of the Ooman warriors.
However, her people would still come back for here, and they should be arriving soon after the Oomans would leave. It was about time for both ships to be in. If she could hold out a little longer, than perhaps she would live to hunt another day.
One of the Karda'na-k'oh charged at her, this time, pouncing in the air.
Jut'nei ducked, and rolled underneath the airborne Kainde Ahmedia. She stood back on her feet, and with her plasma-caster, shot the Karda'na-k'oh in the back. It then burst into acidic pieces upon the moment that her bolt connected.
That was one down, and one more to go.
This one ran along the walls and ceiling in an attempt to get her from above.
Jut'nei took out her Combi-Spear and held it straight, as the Karda'na-k'oh managed to fall down headfirst onto the spear.
Impaled through it's neck, the Kainde Ahmedia variant went limp, and for a brief moment, the Combi-spear buckled and began to bend underneath it's weight.
She took the spear and retracted it in the nick of time. The variant of the Kainde Ahmedia fell to the floor, and acid began to ooze.
She knew that most of the Kainde Ahmedia had entered back into the main part of the colony. If she could get out of this area, she might be able to get picked up by the ship before the Oomans used their missile of annihilation that they referred to as a 'nuke' and possibly kill her along with destroying the complex.
Nathan
He and Standard were backed into the wall just to the left of the door. He could see that the Xenos were entering through the floor.
Two runners and a Warrior came up through the center of the floor right ahead. The runners broke off to each side in an attempt to flank, while the Warrior came from straight ahead.
Nathan cocked the over-under grenade launcher, and loosed a grenade at the Warrior, which blew into bits upon the grenade's connection.
Nathan took his pulse rifle, and fired four shots for each of the runners. The Xenos were reduced to corpses within a matter of seconds.
"This is Van Hold" Nathan replied into the headset "Things are getting really heavy in here. How much longer?"
"This is Adams" a new voice, this one a female replied "Squad's right outside of the door. Stand clear, 'cause we're blasting it in."
"Roger" Nathan replied. He shot two rounds at a face-hugger that was attempting to crawl towards him.
BOOOMMM!
The wall shook, and a blast of smoke came out from the door next to him, before the actual door was sent flying inwards.
WOOM-BLAATTAATTAATAATTAA
Nathan recognized that sound immediately; the targeting computer and firing of a SMART Gun.
Right from the smoking doorway came two female SMART Gun Operators.
"Get out of here now!" One of them replied, still firing at the swarm of Xenos that was coming out.
"Let's get out of here" Nathan yelled, ushering Standard ahead of him, as they both ran out and down the stairs, into a squad of about ten other marines.
"Marines!" the sergeant, a woman with short brown hair yelled. The rest of the Marines were all male.
Nathan ushered Standard forward, as the squad began to follow him back out to the hall.
The group ran at a pace just short of frantic, making sure that they were still able to react to a Xeno dropping from the vents.
Nathan could see the SMART gunners still keeping up.
They entered Colony Control, which seemed like an entirely different world.
A glance to his helmet's motion tracker showed the Xenos all reacting to the change in location, and make motions to drop on them from the ceiling.
PUUTT-FWAP-BANG!
A ceiling panel dropped to the floor, and a Xeno fell out of it. This was right in front of the door to Colony Control.
The Xeno never stood a chance. Ten Pulse Rifles were leveled at it, and fired. Within fewer than ten seconds, the Xeno was reduced to a pile of acidic chitin on the floor.
"Keep going!" Valance replied from the headset.
Nathan didn't need to be told twice.
Moving briskly but with enough caution past the Xeno corpse, they made their way into medlab.
Running in a straight line through the room full of medical equipment, they were in and out of that room within a minute.
They were back in the entry halls, where they took a left upon exiting Medlab, and kept true for about twenty meters. Then it was a right, and straight into the blinding sunlight of the South Lock exit.
Nathan was almost blinded for a second, yet within moments, his eyes had adjusted, and he could clearly see the APC waiting for them outside.
Standard was already at the door. In a matter of moments, the rest of the Rescue Party was outside with them.
Nobody had to touch the door to the APC. The main door was immediately opened.
Nathan ushered Standard inside first, and then followed her, taking a left past the Lieutenant in the Watchbox. They took the two extra seats just before the corner leading to the driver's seat.
Nathan could see the Eleven other Marines take combat seating, and could hear the door to the APC close.
"Walters" the Lieutenant called into his headset "We're leaving."
"Roger" a female voice replied through the comm. It was only a matter of seconds before the APC could be felt rolling, and a minute until he could hear all of the jets that indicated a dropship. Before he knew it, there was the tilt and flattening that indicated they were inside a Dropship, and the lifting feeling that indicated they were flying.
"You guys are incredibly lucky" the Lieutenant replied, turning in his command chair to face Nathan and Standard "Only a 1A Whisker later and you guys would be Xeno Chow from the look of things."
"Sir" Nathan replied "You have no idea. And I have something that'll really blow your mind"
"What is it?" the Lieutenant asked.
Nathan reached into his left pouch, and pulled out the Datacrystal. "One of the Yuat'ja we encountered on the surface gave this to me, and told me to bring it to our politicians. It said that this contains a declaration of war from them."
"Time out" the Lieutenant replied "You're telling me that an alien hunter gave you a declaration of war? After it killed your platoon"
"Crazy as it sounds" Nathan replied "It's completely true."
Nathan was thrown forward as they were obviously breaking from the planet's gravity.
"We'll have to take it back to Terra and see what that thing's all about" the lieutenant replied "You've got one hell of a debriefing ahead of you when we get back."
Final Mission Status: Operation Complete
Final Mission Time: 101150 Hours
Time: 1250 Hours
Final Marine Casualty Count: 12
Final Marine Kill Count: 219
Mission Status: Head Home
Nathan
Removing his combat armor in the ready-room of the Borealis, he couldn't help but wonder exactly what the fate of Jut'nei was. He wondered if the Yuat'ja was a corpse, cocoon, or still on the surface, probably trying to get out of the Colony Complex.
However, at this point, her fate was completely out of his hands.
In the basic fatigues, he took a look at his armor, as it hung in the spare locker, and smiled, content that he was finally going back home.
"Corporal Van Hold" a voice, that of an Archer-Model Android asked, breaking the silence.
Nathan turned around, and saw a black-haired android with blue eyes wearing a jumpsuit, standing at the door. "There's something we'd like for you to see"
"Right away" Nathan replied, shutting the locker, and walking out of the ready room, following the android through the ship.
Nathan knew for a fact that this ship was the exact twin of the Australis, right down to the location of the floor paneling. However, it was against military protocol to walk ahead of your guide.
Archer had taken him to the bridge, where Standard and the rest of the marines were standing. From what he could see, there was a strange distortion heading towards the surface of the planet.
"What's going on?" Nathan asked.
"Scanner picked up something real big" the Lieutenant replied "We pulled away when we found out it was headed towards the surface of this planet."
Within seconds, the distortion was gone, revealing itself in blue light to be a strange alien ship that was twice the size of Gateway Station. It was obviously the Yuat'ja, and they were probably on their way to pick Jut'nei up.
"From the look of things" the Lieutenant replied "They're probably on their way to check things out." Valance paused "When they leave, we're gonna nuke the surface of the colony, and head home."
It was a full ten minutes, where they could see the alien ship take something from the surface, and head back up into space.
Looking closely, Nathan could see what was obviously a bridge, and could see figures inside.
However, the ship went with the rotation of the planet, and after rounding from the nightside, went to the opposite direction from them. It obviously had ignored them.
"Show's over people" Valance replied. "Final assembly's for lunch. Then it's freezer time"
"Might as well" Nathan mumbled. The other marines walked past him out of the bridge, while he just continued to look at the surface below, taking a moment of silence for the rest of his unit; where they had died on the surface. It was only two and a half weeks ago, that he'd had a squad and were on what had been their first bug hunt.
"You okay Nathan?" Standard asked, breaking the silence.
"Just paying respect for them" Nathan replied "Giving them a moment of peace."
"Well" she replied "We're both alive, and nothing can bring them all back."
"I know" he sighed "And they're in a better place now."
"I think we should go to the mess hall now" Standard suggested.
Nathan did an about face, which revealed Standard to be standing less than two paces behind him.
"We're going home now" Nathan replied, walking slowly to Standard and stopping.
"Does that mean you'll…" Standard managed.
"When we get home I will" Nathan replied "When we get some privacy"
"Okay" she replied "but there's one thing"
"What's that?" Nathan asked.
Rather than an answer, Standard simply kissed him, and pulled him close to her. Close to the point where there wasn't any space between them.
Their amorous embrace lasted for a good fifteen seconds, before it ended slowly, with no drama.
"I think it's time to go to the mess now" Nathan replied "We can finish what we started when we get home."
Only one more chapter to go. It'll finally conclude what's going on, and when it's published, I'll close the poll on my profile. Then I'll reveal the setting of the next battle, and the title of the next installment.
Vote now while you can.
And about the late update, well, things got complicated in my personal life, and my usual rule of two reviews per chapter before I update still had to be kept. With a few other fics, it's only one review that's needed, but those are rare cases.
At any rate, review and vote...