Chapter 4
The Far-Outsiders
"Their throneworld was within our grasp. Where are we!?"
Supreme Commander Sharlick Carr
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The Super Cruiser Yun-Yuuzhan was in a pitiful state, its strong Yorrik Corral hull was pocketed with small craters and hull breaches from the infidel Alliances turbolaser bombardments, the worm holes sudden appearance didn't help matters either as the friction from the phenomenon had damaged the hull further killing many of the Dovin Basals that dealt with shielding and movement, the ship was able to move but not jump to dark-space, it was dead in space and the Yuuzhan Vong onboard knew it.
The portside of the ship blasted apart and through the massive breach came a small strike fleet of nine vessels, two Uro-ik v'alh Battleships and seven Matalok Cruiser escorts. On the bridge of the lead Battleship Gods Wrath Supreme Commander Sharlick Carr watched as the Super Cruiser exploded under the fire of his fleets guns before grabbing his amphistaff and decapitating an unlucky shamed one, his guards instinctively stood back outside of the weapons reach.
"Their throne world was within our grasp" the old warrior hissed menacingly "Where are we!?"
"I do not know sire" one of his bridge officers said "The worm hole could have thrown us halfway across the galaxy, but the stars are out of alignment on all of the recorded charts"
"So for all you know we could be in the void between galaxies" Carr hissed in response.
"No sire" his sensor officer replied "The Yammosk considers that we may be in a different galaxy"
"Really" the Supreme Commander said before sitting in his throne-like command chair, a venomous smile touching his tattered lips "Perhaps the gods haven't abandoned us after all. Send out scouting squadrons to find an inhabitable planet, if this is a new galaxy then perhaps we can start a new empire here"
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The Bio-ship glided silently through space, a large bulk of tough skin with a massive maw, bristling with several large tentacles that were curled up. It was a survivor of Hive Fleet Kraken; a once massive fleet consisting of thousands of Tyranid bio and hive-ships, the fleet was routed and scattered all over the sector by the humans of the Imperium of Man.
The Bio-ship and its occupants of Tyranids were hibernating until they were close to an inhabited system, then it would feed and they would know that Hive Fleet Kraken was not dead yet.
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"My Lord we have located a large object several thousand kilometres to port, possibly a ship"
The Supreme Commander looked up from his chair and ordered the Gods Wrath to zoom to the location, it was a large ship twice the size of a Uro-ik v'alh that strangely enough reminded him of a creature, it didn't have any limps but it had a long fish like tail, spines across its back and a mouth at the front that was surrounded by tentacles.
"Scan the ship" Carr ordered "What is it made of?"
The scanning officers set to work and had an answer a few moments later "It is not made of metal my lord, it is made of living tissue similar to our ships"
"Perhaps this could be useful" Sharlick Carr said with a smile "I want that ship captured, it may have star charts and information on this galaxy…it could be salvageable, what does the Yammosk sense"
There was a pause again before the Villip Coordinator responded "The Yammosk senses hundreds of bio-signs onboard…it's frightened of the vessel"
That was interesting, a Yammosk was the Yuuzhan Vong's answer to comm. Units, it was a large organism that coordinated whole fleets of warships in a battlefield, it knew death and destruction very well yet whatever was on that warship was scaring it "What could possibly scare a War Coordinator?"
"It senses a great hunger on that ship my lord" the coordinator replied "A hunger for anything with a pulse"
"It's heading this way my lord"
"Have all warships form up into a battle formation" Carr yelled "Prepare for long range bombardment!"
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The Bio-ship awakened with a start, it sensed the living, they were close, it's hunger took over and it turned in the direction of the life signs setting an intercept course, the tentacles around its maw uncoiled and reached in the direction trying desperately and hungrily to cross the impossible distance to the craft that were approaching, within it was hundreds of Tyranids, awake and hungry, screeching loudly for something to eat.
Finally it saw the source that awakened it, a small fleet of warships, living vessels that made it more hungry by just looking at them, as it got closer they opened fire on it, hundreds of balls of plasma spewed out of the ships it was approaching, smashing into its front section and tearing its maw and tentacles to a hundred bloodied pieces, the plasma bursts hit the port and starboard frontal portions of the armoured hull tearing through to the flesh and tearing through that as well creating hull breaches, the Bio-ship convulsed and screamed in agony, blue blood spewed out of its wounds and was immediately frozen in space.
The ships closed in and the Bio-ship sensed presences aboard that ship just as merciless and bloodthirsty as the Tyranid warriors that were practically climbing up the tunnels within it, waiting impatiently for the food to come to them.
The three largest ships surrounded the crippled and dying living craft, long tunnel tubes launched from their sides and tore into the Bio-ship, before it finally lost consciousness it felt the Tyranids rush towards the entry points, claws and teeth unsheathed and ready to feed.
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Commander Sharl Kwaad growled in anticipation as the last wall of flesh between them and their opponents was being cut through, soon his men and he would draw and taste blood, his amphistaff hissed in anticipation and stiffened as the last wall collapsed.
What came through was almost terrifying, dozens of lizard creatures ran through the new opening, scythe like claws and teeth ready to bring death, their eyes were feral, and dead, it barely knew of his presence and Kwaad swung his amphistaff and decapitated one of the first reptiles that spewed through the opening.
The two sides clashed, these alien reptiles swung, dived and sliced into his warriors tearing the front line, severing limps and cutting of heads but the Yuuzhan Vong were just as deadly, swinging their amphistaff's either stiffened or bending like whips severing bladed limps, cutting through abdomens and tearing of heads, being volleyed over the heads of the Yuuzhan Vong were small swarms of thud and razor bugs that soared and tore through the reptiles.
Sharl Kwaad grinned and holding his amphistaff over his head led his force into the Bio-ship, his warriors screamed war-cries and followed him. More of these monsters came running out of the dark confines of the ship, either running on the floors or scampering across walls and ceilings towards the Yuuzhan Vong taskforce, hundreds of razor bugs were thrown tearing the creatures apart, but they kept coming, eventually having to climb over mountains of their own dead to get to him and his warriors.
The Yuuzhan Vong continued a gruelling advance through the living vessel slaughtering the monsters that attacked them, he managed a brief glance down the corridor that they had come from, hundreds of mangled alien bodies covered the floors, their blood spewed on the walls with the remains of twelve of his own warriors scattered among them.
They met up with other groups of warriors who also fought their way through the ship, the stream of monsters became a trickle and finally ceased altogether, Commander Kwaad grinned, wiping away blue blood that was covering his face, the battle had been long and enjoyable, but costly killing nearly half of his assigned warriors.
Now it was a hunt for any survivors, the threat would need to be completely eradicated before the shapers and priests were allowed to enter.
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Supreme Commander Carr stood in one of the many openings within the ship that had been captured and secured two days ago, during that time the priests had sanctified the tainted living vessel and the shapers had started their work, scanning the vessel and using their living tools, the Yammosk had sensed that great knowledge was hidden here and the shapers had finally found a way to open it, the dying craft was now talking with the Yammosk.
All around him was a full honour guard of twelve veteran warriors, their amphistaff's held within clawed hands, several head shapers were also present who were talking with the Yammosk.
Head Shaper Yer turned to face the Supreme Commander, the Yammosk gently placed a tentacle on her shoulder, the shaper smiled and caringly caressed the tentacle of the War Coordinator before turning back to her superior "My lord the race of creatures that we fought are known as Tyranids, they are an extragalactic race that live of killing and harvesting planets and the people that live on them, they add the useful changes from their victims to themselves, strengthening them"
"Is the ship compatible with our own?" Carr asked, uncaring as what race previously owned it, these creatures were semi-sentient pests who would be dealt with once the Yuuzhan Vong recovered their strength.
"Yes my lord" The High Shaper replied, smiling enthusiastically "It is highly compatible with our own vessels, there are several possible hybrids that we can create to strengthen our military forces"
"Is there any more of them in the area?" Carr asked.
Yer turned to the Yammosk and after mentally conversing with him shook her head "As far as the Bio-ship knows it's on its own…it was part of a Hive fleet called Kraken that was made of thousands of ships…it was routed and scattered by an empire known as the Imperium of Man…humans"
Carr snarled at the name of one of the main races that destroyed Supreme Overlord Shimmra's Empire, once he had a hold on this galaxy he would strike this empire and crush it under his and his armies Vonduun Crab boots.
Seeing the rage in the Commanders eyes Yer changed the subject "The Bio-ship has given us star charts to this area of the sector, there are several inhabitable worlds that are remote enough to create a stronghold"
The Supreme Commander nodded "Attach the ship to the Tsavong Lah and Venom spitter, prepare for Dark-Jump to the safest point"
What do you think? The Yuuzhan Vong have a semi-working Tyranid Bio-ship, what horrors will they unleash upon an unknowing galaxy? I originally thought of using the Dark Eldar but an encounter with the Tyranids is soo much cooler. In the next chapter we switch to the Vigilance were Admiral Halos is about to contact the Imperium, will the outcome be any better or will they get the same welcome?