Play Testers Wanted Pt. 13

We activated our camouflage and entered the heart of the town. There were more corpses stacked like wood and set ablaze. They were efficient I will give them that. One skull stood out from the others. It looked humanoid and had been modified with obvious cybernetic attachments. There was a smoking hole in the side of its head. I picked it up and examined it. There was a brain inside the skull and the cybernetic implants were invasive and extensive.

"What the actual fuck?!" I exclaimed. "Traci, scan and analyze." A soft blue beam passed over the thing several times at different angles.

"It is equipped with a sophisticated power plant, antigravity device, and a myriad of scanners and detection devices. The Yautja could not hide from one of these. Can we keep it?" She asked. "I could adapt much of this tech for you." I agreed and added one Servo Skull to my inventory.

"They took them... they stole the bodies of my clan mates." She growled.

"...assault squad... two clicks..." Traci's communication from the ship came through the heavily ionized atmosphere in bursts of static and interference.

"Time to clear up the static." I growled eager to clear up the upper atmosphere. "Take cover over there." I said as I pointed to one of the few structures still semi intact. The three young bloods entered the structure, what was probably someone's home before the bombing. Isolenti stood by my side curious and eager to see the god staff in action. I pumped the artifact full of my own personal energy. A meter appeared displayed on my HUD and filled slowly. The weapon bristled with cerulean energy as I pushed it and myself to the straining point. "Show time!"

I drew upon the staff's multiplying factor and began manipulating the weather. I reach up into the upper atmosphere where the residual of the orbital bombardment had been lifted by an updraft created by hundreds of explosions. It was easier than I expected. The clouds formed and a cascade effect soon enveloped the sky from horizon to horizon. The temperature plummeted and the rain fell like a hammer. I laughed thinking of Thor or Storm flying overhead. I conjured the lightning and howled as the thunder filled the air. Such exultation filled me body and soul.

"Master!" Isolenti hissed. I looked at her and then the direction she was facing. Thirty feet away and poised atop a pile of rubble was the Xenomorph. Its armored exoskeleton was bright green, the color of spring grass, and it lifted its head, opened its mouth, and extended its internal jaws. "Some escaped the hive." She growled as I directed a massive bolt of lightning at the alien. The body exploded sending bits all over. The rain and acid mixed sending up tendrils of dark smoke.

"Fuck you too." I snapped. "Young bloods we hunt!"

"Hey boss, I am picking up a vehicle in your general vicinity," Traci declared. "Can you hear me? The upper atmosphere suddenly changed. Was that you?"

"Yeah. Keep an eye on them we have Xenomorphs in the area. Going silent. Contact me via my HUD." I say as I look to the young bloods and Isolenti. "Join us?"

"Yes." Isolenti growled. "Vengeance and glory."

A Hunting We Will Go:

The five of us split up almost immediately. The cold rain blending with the hot ground and soon I was once more lost in thick pervasive fog. The last time this happened I was the hunted now I was the hunter. I was not kidding myself there was no telling how many of Xenomorph had survived. I scanned through the mask's options and settled on one marked LNDN. It did not eliminate the low-lying cloud entirely, but it helped greatly. Alone and my mind free of distractions I wondered about the sudden transition into the game. I was about to mention the Order of Chthon to Kat when I triggered some sort of built in security protocol. If that were true, then either Nick or Surfer had a hand in it. But if Kat had erased Surfer and Nick was dead who or what was maintaining it?

My mask's built in motion detector informed me I had company, a lot of company. I switched to the Xeno frequency and the strangest damned thing happened. One moment I had clear reading of multiple aliens and a few seconds later they simply vanished. I trusted Yautja technology too much to accept it as a glitch something else was going on. I would have to be cautious. I moved as stealthily as I was able. They were clustered in the remains of one of the buildings. The roof was gone, the interior exposed, but the walls gave the survivors a small measure of defense. I climbed the remnants of a high-rise structure and looked down on the group. I counted them, ten in all, something was not right. I got comfortable and observed.

They did not move. They did not fidget. Something was seriously wrong. I zoomed in and I could barely see them breathing. It was not until I had zoomed in that the last piece fell into place. Why the fuck was Skrull, Kree, and Shi'Ar chilling out together? I used my targeting system and painted each one of them for lethal force. I picked the biggest meanest looking motherfucker and unleashed hell. The flechette round from the needler struck true. It broke up just before impact slamming seven shards into the thing's head exploding it. The corpse tumbled forward spraying not blood, but vitriolic acid to any close enough. The ground bubbled and melted but the things companions did not. They changed even as they leapt over the walls and split up.

"Holy fuck shit!" I cursed as I warned the others. The Xenomorphs can shapeshift! I sent the message even as the aliens went on the offensive. I was too busy shooting to concern myself with how this was a thing but more content on destroying it.

I teleported, fired, and teleported again. If I maintained eye contact my targeting markers were good to go. Shapeshifting Xenomorphs... really! Who the fuck dreamt this shit up?! I took out the ten, but I knew better. This town alone must have had a population of twenty thousand what percentage had been compromised. Whoever performed the orbital bombardment were not necessarily the bad guys. If these aliens got off world the galaxy was wholly and truly fucked. I looted the corpses of the Xenomorphs. There were three resources to gather but I could not identify them on the run. I needed a workstation to discover their secrets.

"Time to clear the area and see if my young bloods have survived." I thought aloud.

I went back to stealth mode, switched out the type of ammo for my needler to explosive, and looked for any hint of remaining aliens. Ten minutes later the sound of automatic fire drew me to an ongoing firefight. I teleported to the top of a metal girder sticking out of the charred earth. There were five of them in black armor. The tallest was over eight feet and the shortest seven. Their armor was heavy duty with a white pauldron protecting their left shoulder. Decorating it and the white tabard across their chests a black Maltese cross. They were armed with swords and impressive looking hand cannon. I assumed those spent rounds we found earlier came from those weapons. Scattered around the small squad were dead Xenomorphs. A massive explosion rocked the area as a mushroom cloud rose above the tallest debris.

"They got our transport!" One of the armored figures growled. "How can mindless Xenos attack a vehicle?"

"Clearly it wasn't one of these things," the sergeant declared. "It was one of those other Xenos. The ones with optical camouflage. They avenge their fallen. You could almost respect that if they weren't pitiful."

I drew on Shatterpoint, found the weakness in his armor, and took careful aim. I took my time for the perfect shot and never hesitated. The round struck the side of his head, pierced his skull, and effectively decapitated him by plastering skull and brain matter inside of his helmet. He dropped and his crew stared as if the hand of god just struck him down.

"Sniper!" One of them hollered as I repeated the process. While I sought out the corporal's weak spot multiple plasma bolts hit the group. Well, my newly blooded clan members had my back. I went from single short to full auto on my own plasma caster. Soon we regrouped over the corpses of the warriors. I let the blooded take their trophies while I examined the rest of what remained. They were human but highly augmented. I took the sergeant's black 'power' sword for my own. Etched onto the flat of the dark blade were the words 'Rex Imperator'. I placed it in my inventory before examining one of their firearms.

"Damn, I bet this bitch kicks like a mule!" I commented as my HUD showed me the label of heavy bolter. "Bolter? Hmm. I glanced at my active quests. Two were currently in the green and showed a visible link. "The Trouble with Templars and These Aren't the Xenos You Are Looking For." To finish the Templar quest, I need to challenge one to personal combat and win. The Xeno was worded strangely. First things first, we needed to return to the ship and savor the moment. We returned to the drop pod and teleported back to the Ghostdancer.

Yautja alcohol is not for the faint of heart. It has no name human vocal cords can utter. As with everything about the predator culture I learned that young bloods could not take a mate. Only the blooded were worthy of such honors. I was surprised when they did not pile onto Isolenti and then it hit me, I was a clan chief so why would she lower her standards. I was about to send the drunk home and get ready to fulfill my main quest when the ship's internal alarms sounded. I used the gloves to triple my stamina and shook off the effects of the booze.

"That strange energy signature is back. Putting it on screen." Traci informed us as the holographic display came to life. We stared at the swirling miasma that crackled with unnatural colors and I felt it as it manifested. I felt Time/Space tear and gasped at the phantom pain. The bow of the ship protruded followed by the rest of the unusual craft. It had a definite gothic look to it. It was hard to judge scale from here, but it looked damn big.

"They are transmitting," Traci said as she patched through the message over the speakers.

"Cruiser Dauntless to Sergeant Eversharp. Respond." There was no one left on the surface to reply.

"They are launching drop pods and aircraft. They have not detected us yet. The portal is closed behind them." She continued. "Orders?"

"I need to return to the surface alone." I informed everyone. "You can return to the... what is that look for?" I asked seeing their expressions.

"They wish to see their clan chief in battle." Isolenti explained with a hint of humor in her voice. "How are you going to return without revealing the Dancer's position?"

"If I tell you, you won't believe me." I laughed even as the plan formed in my head. "Orbital insertion."

"If you launch a drop pod... no drop pod but how... No! There is no fucking way even you can possibly survive falling from that height." She cursed.

'Yes. You can!' Left declared as my HUD dinged.

'Title Earned: The Emperor's Champion. Left Approves - new level achieved. God's Staff Attuned.'

"Come with me," Isolenti urged and I followed her to the closest airlock out of line of sight from the others. "It is you, isn't it?" She asked looked me in the face. "Hold up the staff and claim it for your own." She whispered. I held up the Yautja relic and made it my own. A flash of energy swirled over its entire length and it changed from staff to serpent. "Excellent! Let go of it." She urged and I did. It slithered up my arm, over my shoulder, and down my back.

"If it goes anywhere near my ass this is a done deal." I growled and Isolenti took a step back. "What?" I asked as the relic changed course. I felt the serpent's head settle on the back of my neck.

"Look! It is opening!" She described as my organic armor split open and the body of the serpent settled into the slot created. The flaps of armor closed over it and relic and symbiote joined seamlessly. "If I didn't know it was there you would never know."

"Left?" I asked and felt the rush of power the symbiote enjoyed.

'I needed that.' Left purred. 'I can buff your energy manipulation talents now with greater efficiency. Your armor can absorb more energy whether it is kinetic attacks or raw energy weapons. You can store it and release it either by spell or ability.' It explained.

"Time to go... wish me luck!" I said as Traci plotted my insertion point. "I always wanted to be a star."

"You are such an ass." Isolenti laughed. "Don't make me come down and get you."

She opened the airlock. I stepped inside. I crouched and faced outer door. Traci gave me a countdown. It is true. In space no one can hear you scream like a little girl. I followed the path laid out in front of me and that was the only reason I did not bounce off the atmosphere and burn like a match and go out. My scream shifted from fear to sheer adrenaline. I got into the groove and the circuit between the thermal energy collected by the relic and directly fed back into my force field. The silence of space fell away as a high pitch keening sound surrounded me as I entered the upper atmosphere. It still took several minutes for me strike the ground. My forcefield kept me from being burned by the crater filled with molten rock at its base.

"By the Emperor!" Someone cried as I climbed out of the crater. I absorbed the ambient heat I was radiating and stored it in the relic. More of the black and white armored figures appeared staring at the smoldering footprints I left behind me. "What is it?" One of them asked as a hooded figure strode up with spine ramrod straight, and a critical eye. I felt him reaching out to determine my nature with subtle psychic fingers. I withdrew using Force cloak and he raised a well-manicured eyebrow in surprise.

"Why are you here?" The figure asked pondering my existence no doubt.

"I found this," I said as I placed the black sword on my back from my inventory.

"The Rex Imperitor! Where did you come by that?" He snapped angrily.

"I lopped off the head of the previous owner." I said as the ground trembled. "What the holy hell was that?" I asked as the towering figure in heavy power armor topped the hill. "Ooh pretty! I bet Toni would do some seriously nasty things if I brought that back."

"Yield the black blade!" The mechanical voice roared at me.

"Um... no. You don't look as if you have what it takes to carry this fine bitch into battle." I replied and got the reaction I expected. They all took aim at me. "Fine. Go ahead and taint the weapon by shooting me down like cowards!" The words hit like a splash of acid in their faces. "Who has the balls to challenge me to single combat?" I emphasized by freeing it from its scabbard.

"I will," snarled the monstrously huge guy hefting a massive Warhammer.

"What's in it for me?" I asked and I do not think the thought of loss ever occurred to him.

"I don't understand," the warrior growled.

"If, you defeat me then you get this nifty sword. When I kick your ass, what do I get?" I laughed and he looked at the hooded figure. "I got it. I really like that armor you are wearing. I win and you hand it over."

"We could just kill you." The ornery man in the robes snarled.

"We are transmitting live." Traci's voice boomed over the battlefield.

"If you think you can take on a champion in tactical dreadnaught armor good luck." The leader declared for me and the audience.

"For the record. If the walking tank can beat me, he gains possession of the black sword. If I win, I get his armor." I said and we picked out a spot to fight. It was not until we reached the designated area that I could see names and titles of the Black Templars and Inquisitor Tyrex that led them. We faced off, saluted each other, and my boss battle music filled my ears.

My foe was not fast, but he was relentless. I could easily dodge his attacks and that annoyed the shit out of him. The sound of a built-in weapon powering up alarmed me. I recognized rotating barrels and spied the glitter of the heavy weapon beneath his right arm.

"Dakka-dakka!!" Went the assault cannon. Left threw up my shield as hundreds of explosive rounds bounced against it. I watch the relic bar fill up but instead of feeding the shield I went on the offensive. I did a mental countdown and leapt straight up out of his firing line. I wrapped half the energy around the blade and as I fell, I went for that damn assault cannon.

"Let's see how sharp you are!" I shouted as I used my gloves to triple my strength. The blade sheared through the rotating barrels. My opponent lost his shit. He took a double handed grip on his hammer and shit got real. I was constantly alternating between improving my strength when I attacked, my stamina when he drove through my defenses, and agility when I dodged or repositioned. The hammer augmented by the armor and his own formidable strength dropped my stamina in a steady trickle. He was equally cut and bleeding freely.

He did not show any signs of slowing or even feeling his wounds. Maybe I should have used Deathkiss instead, nah, they would take it for dark magic and would have attacked on sight. All was well until the damn hammer hit me from an unexpected angle. I staggered back my right shoulder taking the worst of it. He did not gloat he went for the kill, prematurely. Perhaps in his experience that was a crippling blow, it was not. It was time to quit fucking around. I had learned all I could from his combat style. I adjusted my grip on the black blade and went on the offensive and stayed there. I continued to boost my stats on the fly for maximum effect. They sensed it but he refused to surrender.

"For the Emperor!" He roared as he charged. I feared the sword may not have what it took to penetrate but he might be strong enough to do the task himself. Instead of dodging I braced myself and brought the blade up with the tip aimed at my foe. His rush drove the point through armor, bone, and flesh. The stubborn bastard would not die. The redundant organs kept him going. Laughing he spun his body ripping the sword from my grasp. "Now you die!"

"You first!" I screamed as I cupped my hands. The Force burst manifest faster than it ever had before. I thrust my hands forward aiming for the hilt of the sword. The compression wave struck and flung him, tactical dreadnaught armor and all backward. He ended impaled upon a newly created pile of rubble. I felt their shock. The hooded figure raised his arms and I warned him not to do anything stupid. "Don't be a fool."

"Heresy!" He shrieked as the others raised their weapons.

"I tried to warn you, remember that!" I said as I used telekinesis to reclaim the black sword and then teleported out of line of sight. Their cries of alarm were just the beginning. I was satisfied with winning my heavy armor but no they had to go stupid on me. I activated my stealth, loaded my needler with explosive rounds, and went to war. I returned to them in vengeance mode. I rose from the high ground just like Obi Wan would have wanted me to and sprayed them with explosive death.

"Soften 'em up," I muttered to myself. "Then lay down the boom." I had to move fast before they signaled for reinforcements. I did not know until afterwards that they never even considered it. Fourteen against one were acceptable odds. Instead of relying solely on my mask to locate targets I reached out with my other senses to get a complete picture of the battlefield. They had split up to flank me from two sides. The annoying fucker in the robes did not feel he was part of this conflict. It was time to change that. I teleported to the tallest pile of debris in the area. I took aim at Inquisitor Tyrex and used Shatterpoint to find his weakness. My attention did not go unnoticed. He threw up some sort of defense. Fine. Time to change the battlefield to my favor. I sat and touched the atmosphere let it rain.