[OT] - Story thread: Xenology Resurrected

[Unknown_Enemy]

The war against the Xi’Chung was approaching its conclusion. For months, Eden’s children had been hunting insectoid spaceships, and now, twenty seven VoidTigers had established a permanent base of operation in the alien homesystem. The next phase would be the cleansing of the beast’s nest. However, in orbit of Xi’s homeworld, the enemy had built around 30 ships massive beyond belief. The Xi’Chung called them “cruisers”, and their mere existence made the Overmind uneasy, but as the insects never managed to defeat Eden’s Children in battle, he instructed his fleet to set up a resupply depot and resume operations as planned.

However the Xi’Chung fleet attacked first. That day, the Overmind learned that no battle plan survives first contact with the enemy : Xi’Chung cruisers wiped out Eden’s fleet and glassed the outpost. In a swift move the bugs had destroyed the threat to their Hive and paved their way to a murderous counterattack. Eden’s Mind thought about recalling VoidTigers on guard duty near the KanesS frontier, but they were very far away from the front line. Xi’Chung warships would have all the time they needed to rampage Eden’s newborn worlds before their arrival on the battlefield. So he settled for another course of action, he decided that two previously conquered systems could be sacrificed. These were used as bait for the beasts by setting up minefields and some satellite defense on warp point. While it did not destroy any enemy warships, it did manage to damage some, slowing considerably the enemy. Meanwhile, the Overmind began to analyze the reasons for this disaster.

Technology.
The Alien ships were more advanced than my VoidTigers.

So far, the Overmind had been convinced that it was the most advanced being in the quadrant, but he tried to maintain balance between civil and military technology. Now, he was facing a specie which concentrated all their efforts in hull size and weapon systems. As a result, the Xi’Chung achieved superiority in both of these subjects. These points needed immediate answer.

In orbit of Xalow3, two small frigates were waiting the nine Xi’Chung cruisers that had been heard emerging from the warp point. When the enemy finally arrived, the tiny ships ignited their engines, on intercept course with the huge warships. They were still out of weapon range when the first explosions occurred. The Overmind had made sure that all space around the planet had been carefully mined. Seven out of nine cruisers were destroyed immediately. The remaining two were damaged, but still tried to attack the frigates. The little ships easily avoided enemy beams, and returned fire. Both ships were mounting the latest model of shield depleting weapons. With a few shoots, both enemy ships shields were gone. Only then the wounded warships were approached at point blank distance, and hundred of small pods were fired at them. As soon as the pods reached the Xi’Chung ships, tens of thousands tiny worms started to pierce the hull using an organic acid. Once they arrived inside, they started to hunt every single living thing in the ship. The worms were specifically designed to burrow into a Xi’Chung shell, reach their nervous system and take control of it. In a matter of minutes, the 2 ships were filled with Xi Chung Zombies.

Once created, a Zombie had a maximum lifespan of 24H, but it was more than enough to bring the cruisers in orbit. Then, the crew was disposed of and both cruisers were analyzed. Despite their differences, Xi’Chung and Eden’s technology shared some common ground, so both ships were fully salvageable to create bigger skeletons and better weapons for Eden’s VoidTigers. In a single move, the advantage taken by the aliens had been cleanly wiped out. To remain fair, it has to be said the idea of taking control of an enemy ship to steal the technology developed by your enemy was not of the Overmind’s design, but came from the KanesS buccaneers. The Overmind had not been enthusiastic about the idea when he first examined it, but he developed it and created two frigate class VoidHawk, which were deployed near the frontline. These two ships just saved the day.

Four months later, 23 Xi’Chung cruisers had stormed and glassed Xalow3, leaving nothing alive behind them. In the meantime, the Overmind had finished further researches on weapon systems. He was again ahead of the insectoids. As soon as the prototypes were accepted as conscious, every single world between Eden and the frontline began to grow VoidTigers at maximum overdrive, tapping happily on the massive mineral and organic reserves the Overmind maintained. However, five shipyards grew a different kind of beast : cruiser sized VoidBears. These massive brutes were equipped with best model of both shields depleters and planetary napalm bombs. They were designed as planet busters.

When the Xi’Chung fleet finally arrived near Eden’s newborn worlds, 27 VoidTigers and 5 VoidBears were assembled in orbit of the largest planet. While not fully trained, their mere sight was enough to send the Xi’Chung running. Once they were trained, they would be send to storm the alien nest, but the Overmind feared that more than one fleet would be needed to cleanse the enemy homeworld. However, it was time to end this madness.

[dogscoff]

Klumart had always known that the gods could be cruel, and he had often suspected they had a sense of humour, but his current situation confirmed both of these. Striped faces pressed greedily against the glass, but he ignored them and went back to his construction, and soon they moved on along their tube. The block of stone looked far too heavy for him, even in this gravity, but he lifted it easily onto one of his three knees, and then up onto his shoulder. It was actually made of some kind of foam, painted up to look like rock. Others were formed and made up to look like real norak bricks, doors, beams, tiles, even windows. It was like some huge playset.

As he understood it, the idea was for him to construct some kind of "authentic" looking home for himself. He wasn't entirely sure why they wanted him to- the KanesS didn't seem interested in the prisoners' surroundings so much as the prisoners themsleves. He also wondered why he even bothered- there was no weather to guard against under this glass sky, and any privacy the lightweight walls afforded him would soon be torn away when they demolished his little house, forcing him to start all over again, for the seventh or eighth time since his arrival. After all, a zoo is no fun if the animals stay hidden away in their nests all the time, is it? A fresh set of faces peered in through the glass, using their tail-tips to wipe away the condensation from their breath. The watched him a while, then went on their way.

Klumart sighed and placed the block upon the low wall that he had built, then looked up to survey his surroundings. The low, rolling hills and yellow moss really did look quite homely and pleasant to the norak eye. There was a lot of it, too, it would probably take him most of the day to cross to the far side of the dome, if he was really inclined to try. There was no point though, he knew the other side to be much the same as this: more hills, more moss, the odd stream or pond, all patched here and there with little plots of vegetables by huts made of pretend bricks, all occupied by dejected norak. Visitors would throw the occasional morsel of food into the enclosure, hoping (almost always wihout success) to provoke a squabble between the people within, but mostly the captives were expected to provide for themselves. Mercifully, the farming implements they had been given (taken, by the looks of things, from one of the captured colonies to the west of the Continuum) were real, and not made of foam. They also made pretty good weapons when the visitors came into the compound to attack some particularly frail or sick-looking inmate, or to drag away parts of somebody's corpse. The zookeepers didn't seem to mind if the odd visitor got killed or maimed in these attacks, but they took great offence if anyone made any attempt to bury the dead or block up the interface points. Old Rummult in the next hut over was living proof of that, and despite the leg he had lost to the zookeeper's gun, with a little help he was still able to fight off every opportunistic visitor that thought he might make an easy meal. Klumart just about produced enough food to sustain his neighbour as well as himself, but infection was setting in on the stump and without any real medicine here it was only a matter of time before the gods took the cripple back into their embrace. Even now, a hungry, striped face appeared at the interface point and eyed Rummult, but Klumart barely noticed. There were those who attacked, and those who just thought about it, and by now any inmate in the compound could tell the difference in an instant. Eventually, the face moved on.

Klumart looked again at the interface point nearest his half-built hut. Unlike the majority of the other few thousand Norak in this dome, his hut was quite near one of the interface points. This waas not by choice but because all the other land that met his requirements him had already been taken. However, the interface point did fascinate him, because he felt sure they were the key to escape from this place. The zoo was a prison without bars. The landscape was criss-crossed by narrow visitor tubes and tunnels for the KanesS, into which there were small openings at regular intervals, giving visitors full access to roam about the safari compound. In theory, a particularly daring and supple Norak might squeeze himself into a tube and attempt escape. Rumour had it the planet held not only exhibits of live Norak, but of captured weapons platforms, mines, satellites, ground assault vehicles and fighters. There were even said to be captured warships in orbit, converted into museums, where KanesS could take guided tours. Yes, all that they needed for escape was at the other end of those tubes, but no Norak would get far beyond the interface point. The atmosphere in the compund was high in methane, as required by Norak physiology. The air in the tubes and visitor domes beyond was high in carbon dioxide, the KanesS' preferred medium for breathing. A norak might last a minute or two in the tube before asphyxiating, but no more.

However, once through the selective force-field that kept the atmospheres seperate, the KanesS seemed able to hold their breath for ages, and even to speak and eat- Rummult had once said the KanesS scavenged underwater on their own worlds, so it made sense that they should have this ability. Klumart resolved to dissect the next visitor he caught and look for any special respiratory mechanism that might support the theory. It would be messy, with only farming tools to work with, but it would keep his mind occupied for a while. He was an inquisituve sort, Klumart, which was the main reason he had selected this particular spot on the very edge of the dome. Most of the norak were clustered in the middle, as far from the edges as possible. However, if he were to stand on his little half wall- Klumart did so now- he could peer through the dome's glass and see into the neighbouring dome. There he could just make out the tiny black shapes of his Xiati neighbours. They looked so funny to him, wobbling around on just two spindly legs each, and the fake building materials they had been given looked so very different and silly in comparison to his own. Klumart chuckled, and didn't even notice the striped faces looking curiously in at him from the nearby tube.

[dogscoff]

This one seemed to slip off the front page quite quickly, so I thought I'd *bump* it to make sure it didn't get missed.