Space E-war

[dinoman666]

As the Bombardier attack slacked off, a Tank Bug rounded the corner ahead, Tiger Bugs swarming around its feet. The Arachnids were getting angrier at the intrusion, apparently, and were focusing on higher-class castes to take care of the Tyranids. The Tank Bug bellowed in fury, sending a stream of flame down the tunnel, melting the Tyrant Guards' armor like it was wax. The Tiger Bugs swarmed in behind the firestorm, crashing into the surviving Tyranids like a tidal wave of carapace...

[TyrannoTitan]

The charred bodies of the Tyrant Guard continued to serve the swarm, acting as obstacles for the tide of arachnids. As they tried to scramble over them, the Tyranids behind the bodies opened fire, spewing corrosive venom into the lead Tiger Bugs, while barb stranglers tangled with the creatures, creating a traffic jam of arachnids trying to clear the bulky bodies, leaving them exposed to incoming fire...

The small, squid-like machine slowed to a stop, its exterior breaking off to reveal an even smaller machine, which gradually descended to the gargantuan asteroid below. The spy bot floating casually on the surface of the asteroid, which in turn floated aimlessly amongst a group of smaller objects, dwarfing even some small planets in size. Despite the deserted nature of the celestial body, the spy bot was clearly waiting for something...

[dinoman666]

The Tiger Bug's charge faltered, and they quickly fell back, but the Tank Bug continued its assault, easily burning through the barbed stranglers and dead bodies from a safe distance, determined to break through the makeshift blockade...

It wasn't long before another strange construct, looking like a large, gray sphere surrounded by a spiny, ridged shell and punctuated with a large red eye, floated towards the asteroid. It slowed to a stop and hovered over the giant rock, its blood-red, glowing eye focused on the spy bot. The eye's tint soon shifted to yellow, and a grating, mechanical voice sounded over the construct's external speakers. "Where is it?"

[TyrannoTitan]

As the Tank Bug began to burn through the blockade, a portion of the wall beside it collapsed, the Mawloc that had been guarding the ground bursting forth from the dirt and rock, latching onto the side of the Tank Bug's neck with its massive jaws...

A small panel slid away on the "face" of the machine, revealing what appeared be to a small lens. Light began to emit from the lens, forming a full-size hologram of an armored figure: Fox, under the guise of Spectre, holding a cigar, despite the lack of an opening in the face plate...

[dinoman666]

The Tank Bug bellowed in fury, but continued burning away the blockade. The Tiger Bugs furiously clambered up onto the Mawloc, shredding away at its flesh with their mandibles and bladed forelegs...

As if in response, the Oculus' eye projected its own hologram: the wide, triangular head of the Collector General, its four yellow eyes glowing brightly. The creature's head twitched, insectlike, as it stared at Fox impassively. "Well?" it demanded in its oddly mechanical, harsh voice...

[TyrannoTitan]

The Mawloc began to thrash, knocking away the nearest Tiger Bugs, while throwing all its weight forward, smashing the Tank Bug's head against the side of the tunnel, causing it to spew the burning liquid at the dirt instead of the barricade. The Tyranids, knowing immediately it was their chance, charged through the decaying barricade, opening fire with ranged weapons, while barbed stranglers were used on the remaining Tiger Bugs. Rending claw-armed warriors stood at the forefront, in case the Tank Bug was able to fix its aim...

Fox gestured to the machine that was projecting the hologram, a tiny hiss of air being released following after, a tiny glass vial ejecting from a compartment on the back of the machine, landing in the grasp of one of its outstretched organic-looking tendrils. "And your end of the bargain?" Fox asked passively...

[dinoman666]

The Tank Bug snarled it fury, slamming its body back against the Mawloc as the Tiger Bugs leaped off the massive Tyranid, letting the Tank Bug's armored, heavy body smash it into the rocky tunnel wall. The Tiger Bugs focused on the smaller Tyranids before them, engaging them in vicious claw-to-claw combat...

A pair of jointed, clawed, mechanical arms extended from the bottom of the Oculus, holding a long, thin cylinder. Its inside glowed a bright blue and pulsed rhythmically. "This should provide all the power you need," the Collector General growled. "Replicate it as you see fit..." The General's holographic head turned to stare at the other vial. "And what, exactly, is in there?"

[TyrannoTitan]

Most of the Mawloc's body fell back into the hole it had created, while its armored back took the brunt of the attack. The barbed stranglers worked well to keep most of the Tiger Bugs preoccupied, allowing the rending claw warriors to dispatch their enemies without being overwhelmed. Most of the ranged fire began to take its tole on the tank bug, aimed specifically at its face, holes in its "mouth" allowing fluids to leak out...

"Gene samples of a member of a warrior culture. Quite elusive, with their hunting habits. But lucky for you, I happened to have a few...employed." Fox explained as a weak field hoisted the vial toward the Oculus, and another reached out toward the other vial. Was this technology as advanced as they claimed? Perhaps. But one thing was certain: It was unlike anything Shadow Haven had cataloged before. And that in itself made it valuable...

[dinoman666]

The Tank Bug retreated around the corner, bellowing angrily, while the Tiger Bugs continued their assault on the smaller Tyranids, trying to take as many of them with them as possible...

"Was this warrior... human?" the General asked, claws reaching out to grasp the vial and storing inside the Oculus' armored body. It didn't particularly matter whether or not the vial did indeed contain genetic material from a human, but it would certainly be a much greater prize. At this rate, Harbinger's plans would soon come to fruition...

[TyrannoTitan]

The Mawloc, ignoring the Tank Bug for now, dove into the fray, smashing through barbed strangler tendrils to get at the Tiger Bugs trapped within...

"That and more, my friend." Fox replied, as the vial given to them was stored within the spy bot.

[dinoman666]

As the Mawloc emerged, the Tank Bug struck again, firing its flame into the massive creature backside, its sheer mass keeping anything past it from being caught in the inferno...

"Excellent. You are a valuable asset, for a human," the General quipped. "One more thing..." the Oculus' manipulator arms emerged again, holding a small, orange, flat data pad. "This is a special Identification Friend-or-Foe Tag. It will allow you access through the Omega 4 Relay..." Everyone in the lawless Terminus Systems knew about the mysterious "Forerunner" structure, and they all knew it was a transit point for the Collectors to initiate their odd trade requests. However, any ship that attempted to use the Relay never returned. No one knew why, but it was a relatively simple answer: without the IFF the Collectors used, any ship using the Omega 4 Relay might as well just jump into into the supermassive black hole at the center of the galaxy via their own Hyperdrives. The Relay provided specific coordinates and safe passage to the Collector's home, but only if it recognized the Reaper-made IFF tag. Harbinger knew Shadow Haven's location was very near the Collectors', but getting past the black hole would be all but impossible. If they wanted to trade again, Harbinger might need the group to come to him, and it was well worth the risk of exposing the Collectors, considering what Shadow Haven was able to give him. However, he the last thing he wanted was for a Reaper IFF to fall into the wrong hands. "Unlike that power core, you will NOT replicate this, understand? he growled threateningly.

[TyrannoTitan]

The Mawloc shrieked and collapsed, but the wounds in the Tank Bug sealed its own fate. The liquid pouring from its wounds ignited when it attacked, acting like a fuse, quickly traveling up its mouth into its innards, setting off the supply of fuel it used to attack, resulting in an immense explosion that caved in a large section of the tunnel, cutting off the Tiger Bugs, which were still caught in the barbed strangler fibers...

"Yes, yes." Fox said dismissively, the spy bot grasping the tag with another weak field. Even though they were not far apart, Fox knew how difficult it was to find something within the vicinity of the supermassive black hole...it was the reason why he chose it as their base of operations in the first place.

[dinoman666]

The explosion enveloped both the Tank Bug and the Mawloc, as well as nearby Tiger Bugs. The remaining Arachnids that weren't still trapped retreated into the tunnels, deeming the destruction of the Mawloc a worthwhile accomplishment for the moment...

"Good," The General growled. "Now then, unless you have anything else of value for us, we will be going now. We have other jobs to do. Unless, of course, you are interested in assisting us?" There was the slightest hint of amusement in the Collector's voice as he spoke. If only they actually knew what the Collectors were up to...

[TyrannoTitan]

Emerging from the sides of the tunnel, a group of Raveners began clawing their way through the collapsed portion of the tunnel, hoping to clear it out quickly so they could continue...


"Unless it benefits us as well, we are happy to stay out of your...business." Fox replied carefully. Like all races, whatever was revealed to the universe about the Collectors was known to Shadow Haven...and none of it was good.

[dinoman666]

Very well, Shadow Haven... The General replied. Just try not to get in our way. It was ironic, actually. Shadow Haven wanted to know all there was to know in the universe, and yet they were as blind to the true threat as the rest of the galaxy. The debacle with Sovereign wasn't particularly widespread news, with only the TGDA, Vardia, and Zanthoria even remotely aware of the Reaper threat. Both the TGDA and the Vardians would be dealt with soon enough, however...

The Arachnid attacks, once again, subsided, letting the Tyranids continue...

[Doc 42]

OOC: To compensate for my disappearance, and the time that has passed since, lets just have the covenant ship reach Ka'roll already.

As the covenant corvette neared, controllers on the planet re directed it to Kantano space port, a beautiful spire like structure stretching off the edge of a plateau, hanging over the jungle. The port was equipped to handle shuttles and other landing craft, with 12 internal docking bays on the spires south side and 3 pads for craft over 15 meters but under 100. It was the closest port to the mines where the flood had emerged from.
The flight controller of the port contacted the Sanghelli trying to make sure everything was ok.

[dinoman666]

OOC: Alright, sounds good.

The Covenant Corvette, being too large for the landing pads, simply stopped at a hover near the inner docking bay and released a pair of Phantoms, which buzzed towards the bay. At the same time, 'Taralumee sent a message back to flight control, confirming their arrival and the incoming dropships, one of which had the Fleet Master on board, the other with 'Zukamee...

[UndeadRaptor]

The G.E.A fleet had soon left the planet, the surviving scientists onboard the capital ship now. The group of ships had soon left the planet's atmosphere and turned in the direction of what used to be their territory. Back in the artic region of Cori, the enemy attack had finally slacked off, the spotted within the evac facility seeing it from camera footage on a computer. The soldiers, civilians and Bori-Saurochus cheered in victory, before opening the main door and the door to the safe room and leaving. One activated a secret door, the ground sliding open to reveal a small G.E.A mechant ship below. "Well well well, seems like the old girl is still intact. Come on, we're leaving with this thing," a trooper stated before leading everyone down the tunnel towards the ship...

[Doc 42]

An automatic warning was sent to the corvette, warning it not to go too deep into the atmosphere of the planet. Mataka waited inside bay 2; the building was split into 3 parts, An atrium, where Mataka was standing, looking over the platform, where shuttles could land and then a customs scanner, which was disguised as a simple stair well. The interior was coloured cream and the platform had a large plastic shutter system, for controlling the amount of sunlight streaming in. The stairs were to the right of the platform, while a concealed maintanience door was located to its left. A large mechanical contraption hung down from beneath the atrium, with an opaque dome at the front. It was a docking guide, using the same technology used to create Koult shields to either hold craft in place or stop them if they were coming in too fast; it could also immobilise an escaping craft.

Mataka spotted the confirmation message on the bay's display screen. He walked over to the window, waiting for the aliens to arrive. He glanced back, hearing the soldier assigned to him growl into his communicator. The soldier's visor was down, leaving nothing but an obsidian black helmet with three red eye pieces at the front. Even though the soldiers back was turned, Mataka knew he was still watching him carefully; the helmet had concealed sensors in a circle around it, giving him a form of 360 degree awareness.

Mataka didn't like combing archaeological expeditions with military affairs, but he accepted it was necessary, especially in these parts...

[dinoman666]

The Phantoms drifted lightly into the atrium. 'Taralumee wasn't dropped off with his bodyguards this time. Instead he was followed by a trio of Zealots, one of which was a Field Marshall. They were there specifically for the purposes of the Forerunner ruins, but they were still armed nonetheless. The second Phantom dropped off Zuka and his Special Operations squad. Zuka was still in his sleek black combat harness, but his soldiers, six in all, were in the standard Spec Ops armor: a violet, more ornate armor with helmets that concealed most of their heads. 'Taralumee himself was back in his standard, unique gold armor. The Fleet Master, followed by the rest of the artifact team, walked up to Mataka and nodded, while the Spec Ops squad brought up the rear. "Good to see you finally, Mataka," 'Taralumee growled curtly.

Sensing that their business was done, the Collector General's head vanished, and the Oculus turned and buzzed away. Harbinger had another deal to make with an equally shady character: the Shadow Broker. He would've been amused by the odd coincidence if he could. On top of that, he had other, far more exciting propositions now...

Before the Raveners could completely clear the rubble, another wave of Arachnids attacked, this time from above. The ceiling of the tunnel, thanks to a rampaging Burrower Bug, collapsed, revealing another tunnel just above. Even as debris crushed the Raveners beneath it, a swarm of furious Bombardier Bugs poured out into the Tyranids like a rain of carapace, exploding as they did so, sending the smaller Tyranid beasts flying...