Chương 58: Hostile Xenos is a Tuesday
Colonel Samuel Leroy Jaxsen stood before a massive holographic display, his enhanced eyes darting from one data point to another. The image of Calligar Alpha rotated slowly, dotted with countless icons representing ongoing construction, patrols, and wildlife elimination. It was a hive of activity, a testament to the efficiency of the Liberty Guardsmen and their automated helpers.
"Damn, we work fast," Jaxsen muttered to himself, a hint of pride in his voice. The planet was transforming before his eyes, outdated tech being replaced with gleaming Golden Age equivalents. Drones patrolled the skies, turrets were being erected at strategic points, and the PDF troops were already adapting to their new routines and equipment.
Suddenly, a stern voice cut through his thoughts. "Alert: Anomalous energy signature detected." It was Grim, Jaxsen's AI companion, its tone as no-nonsense as ever.
Jaxsen's eyes narrowed. "Where and what, Grim? Don't keep me in suspense."
The AI's response was immediate. "Deep beneath the planet's surface, near an ancient structure believed to be a relic of the Golden Age. Energy readings are off the charts and spiking in unnatural patterns."
"Well, ain't that just fan-fucking-tastic," Jaxsen growled. He could feel it in his gut - this was bad news. "Grim, get me Lieutenant Commander Navarro. Now."
Moments later, the door to the command center hissed open, and in strode Lieutenant Commander Jules 'Slick' Navarro. He was a contrast to Jaxsen - where the Colonel was all barely contained fury and intimidating presence, Navarro was smooth efficiency and quiet competence.
"You called for me, sir?" Navarro said, snapping a crisp salute.
Jaxsen nodded, his face grim. "At ease, Slick. We've got a situation brewing, and I need your particular brand of expertise."
Navarro's eyebrow raised slightly, the only indication of his interest. "What kind of situation are we talking about, Colonel?"
Jaxsen gestured to the holographic display, which zoomed in on a particular section of the planet. "Grim's picked up some weird-ass energy readings coming from underground. Near some old structure that's supposedly from the Golden Age."
"Define 'weird-ass', sir," Navarro said, his eyes already studying the readouts.
"The kind of weird-ass that makes my balls shrivel up and hide," Jaxsen replied bluntly. "Off the charts. Spiking in ways that ain't natural. The kind of readings that usually mean we're about to have a very bad day."
Navarro nodded slowly, his face a mask of concentration. "I see. And I assume you want me to take a closer look?"
"Bingo," Jaxsen said. "I'm putting together a recon team. You're gonna lead it. Take a squad of the local PDF with you - might as well see if our new toys are worth a damn."
"Understood, sir," Navarro replied. "Any specific orders regarding engagement protocols?"
Jaxsen's face hardened. "Yeah. Don't fucking die. Whatever's down there, it ain't friendly. I can feel it in my bones. You go in, you assess the situation, and you get the hell out. No heroics, no unnecessary risks. I need intel, not martyrs."
Navarro nodded, his face serious. "Understood, Colonel. We'll be in and out before whatever's down there knows we've come knocking."
"See that you are," Jaxsen growled. "And Slick? Keep an eye on those PDF boys. They've got shiny new gear, but they're green as grass. Don't let their enthusiasm write checks their asses can't cash."
"Of course, sir," Navarro said, a hint of a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "I'll make sure they understand the difference between bravery and stupidity."
Jaxsen grunted in approval. "Good man. Now, get your team together and move out. I want you at the site yesterday."
Navarro saluted again and turned to leave, but Jaxsen's voice stopped him at the door.
"And Slick? Be careful down there. I've got a bad feeling about this. The kind of feeling that usually means the shit's about to hit the fan in a big way."
Navarro turned back, his face serious once more. "I understand, sir. We'll be ready for anything."
As the door closed behind Navarro, Jaxsen turned back to the holographic display, his eyes fixed on the spot where the anomalous readings were coming from.
"Grim," he said, his voice low and dangerous. "Keep monitoring those readings. I want to know if so much as a photon farts down there."
"Understood, Colonel," the AI replied. "Continuous monitoring engaged."
Jaxsen nodded, his mind already racing through possibilities and contingencies. Whatever was lurking beneath the surface of Calligar Alpha, he had a feeling it was going to change everything. The question was, would they be ready for it?
As he watched Navarro's team assemble on the display, Jaxsen felt the weight of command settle heavily on his shoulders. He'd sent men into danger before, but this... this felt different. This felt like the beginning of something big, something that could make or break not just Calligar Alpha, but the entire Independence Sector's efforts in this region of space.
Lieutenant Commander Jules 'Slick' Navarro stood before his assembled squad, a mix of newly equipped PDF troops in their gleaming power armor. The air was thick with tension, each soldier acutely aware of the gravity of their mission.
"Listen up, ladies and gentlemen," Navarro began, his voice calm but authoritative. "We're heading into unknown territory. This isn't a milk run, and it sure as hell isn't a parade. We're here to gather intel, not to start a war."
He gestured to their weapons - an array of shotguns, flamethrowers, and chainswords. "In tight spaces, these will be your best friends. But remember, they're tools, not toys. Use them wisely."
Navarro himself was a walking arsenal. A molemolecular blade hung at his hip, its edge capable of slicing through almost anything. A pulse blaster was holstered on his thigh, and a plasma rifle was slung across his back. He was ready for anything.
"Your power armor is top-notch, courtesy of the Independence Sector," he continued. "It'll stop most of what the average enemy of mankind can throw at you. But don't get cocky. A Xenos twice your size can still turn you into a tin can of ground beef, and anti-tank weapons will punch through you like you're made of paper. Stay alert, stay alive. Got it?"
A chorus of "Yes, sir!" echoed through the chamber.
With a nod, Navarro led his team towards the entrance of the underground complex. Security personnel and drones were already in place, a showcase to the efficiency of the Liberty Guardsmen's operation. Navarro exchanged nods with the guards as they passed, descending into the labyrinth below.
As they descended into the depths of the facility, Navarro's enhanced senses were on high alert. The upper levels were familiar – abandoned Human construction from the Age of Strife. Nothing out of the ordinary, just the ghostly remnants of a long-dead civilization. But as they pushed deeper, the architecture began to change.
The clean lines and right angles of Human design gave way to something... other. Organic structures began to appear, first subtly – a curve where there should be a corner, a texture that seemed to pulse ever so slightly under their suit lights. Then, more pronounced – walls that looked more like segmented carapaces, ceilings that dripped with an unknown, viscous substance.
"Sir," one of the PDF troopers called out, his voice tight with tension. "Our scanners are picking up... I don't know what. Chemical residues, pheromone trails. It's like the whole place is alive."
Navarro nodded grimly. "Keep scanning, but don't touch anything. This is Xenos work, no doubt about it." He activated his comm-link. "Colonel Jaxsen, this is Navarro. We've got confirmation of Xenos activity. The structure down here... it's like nothing I've ever seen. Some kind of insectoid species, if I had to guess. Antlike."
Jaxsen's gruff voice crackled over the comm. "Understood, Slick. Get me visuals and any data you can, but don't take any unnecessary risks. If things go sideways, I want you out of there, pronto."
"Copy that, sir," Navarro replied, gesturing for his squad to keep moving.
As they pushed deeper into the alien structure, the horror of their situation began to dawn on them. The walls were lined with what looked like communication organs – web-like structures that pulsed with an sickly, bioluminescent light.
"STOP!" Navarro's shout through the vox froze the trooper in his tracks. "Nobody touch that. Based on these readings and the ant-like nature, that's likely a communication organ. They probably use it in conjunction with chemical signals. Touch it, and we might as well ring the dinner bell for whatever's down here."
The trooper jerked his hand back, muttering an apology. Navarro couldn't blame him for his curiosity, but down here, that kind of mistake could get them all killed.
The squad continued their advance, tension ratcheting up with every step. The organic growths became more pronounced, the air thicker with alien spores and pheromones. Then, they entered a vast chamber, and the horror truly began.
"What the hell..." one of the PDF whispered, his voice trembling.
Navarro was about to respond when a movement caught his eye. A human figure, stumbling out of the shadows ahead. For a moment, hope flared – a survivor? But then he saw the state of the man. Emaciated, eyes wild with terror, clothes hanging in tatters from his body. Behind him, a massive silhouette loomed.
"Help me!" the man screamed, his voice raw with panic. "Please, HELP ME!, help-"
His plea was cut short as the creature behind him struck. In the brief flash of their suit lights, Navarro caught a glimpse of chitinous limbs and gleaming mandibles. The sound of tearing flesh and crunching bone filled the air.
"Steady," Navarro hissed, feeling the panic rising in his squad. "Weapons ready, but hold your fire."
He reached for a flash-bang grenade, priming it with practiced ease, The explosion of light and sound was deafening in the confined space.
The walls trembled as debris rattled loose from the ceiling. Their helmets absorbed the concussive blast, shielding them from the blinding flash and the ear-splitting roar. But the creature was not so fortunate. Its long, spindly form writhed violently, its chitinous body jerking and twitching in disarray. Its antennae, once probing the air with delicate precision, now scrambled erratically in confusion.
The flash-bang had clearly disoriented it, its antennae writhing in distress as it tried to reorient itself.
Navarro got his first clear look at the horror they faced. He noticed its lack of reaction to the sound – a potential weakness.
It was massive, easily eight feet tall, a nightmarish fusion of insect and machine. Its exoskeleton was a dark, iridescent carapace of overlapping plates, each segment housing bio-mechanical enhancements that pulsed with an eerie green light. The head was a hellish amalgamation of insectoid and cephalopod features – six multifaceted eyes, arranged in pairs, each twitching and rotating independently. Below them, a cluster of greasy, ciliated organs constantly tasted the air, while a maw of razored mandibles and fangs continued to tear at the remains of the human victim.
"Light it up!" he roared, bringing his pulse blaster to bear.
The confined space erupted in a cacophony of weapons fire. Las-bolts, shotgun blasts, and gouts of flame converged on the xenos horror. Its carapace, formidable as it was, couldn't withstand the concentrated firepower of the squad. Chunks of chitin and cybernetic enhancements flew in all directions as the creature was literally blown apart.
But even as it fell, Navarro's transhuman senses picked up something else. A vibration, deep and ominous, reverberating through the structure around them.
"Fall back!" he shouted, already turning to run. "Move, move, move!"
The squad didn't need to be told twice. They sprinted back the way they had come, the sound of their armored boots echoing off the alien walls. Behind them, a new sound arose – the skittering of countless limbs, the chittering of mandibles. The hive was awakening.
Navarro's mind raced as they ran. They needed to slow their pursuers, buy time to reach the surface. His hand went to his belt, finding the familiar shape of a melta bomb.
"Keep going!" he shouted to the squad as he slowed momentarily. With practiced precision, he armed the bomb and tossed it behind them, into the writhing darkness that was rapidly filling the corridor.
The explosion was tremendous, the heat so intense that Navarro could feel it even through his armor. The agonized shrieks of dying xenos filled the air, accompanied by the sound of collapsing tunnels. But still, the skittering continued, more distant now but no less menacing.
As they neared the entrance to the facility, Navarro opened his comm-link again. "Colonel! We've got a major xenos infestation down here. Some kind of insectoid species, highly aggressive, unknown numbers. Request immediate reinforcement and containment protocols!"
Jaxsen's voice came back, tight with tension. "Copy that, Slick. Get your asses topside now. I'm mobilizing everything we've got. And Slick? Good work down there. Now move!"
----------------------
The acrid stench of burnt promethium filled my nostrils through my Helmet's filters ,as we pushed upward through the alien tunnels. My squad's flamers roared, spewing liquid fire that turned the oncoming wave of xenos into shrieking, writhing torches. Their chitinous bodies popped and sizzled in the inferno, the sound almost comical if it wasn't so damn terrifying.
"Keep moving!" I shouted, my voice barely audible over the roar of the flames and the dying screams of the xenos. "Don't let up on those flamers!"
One of the PDF troopers – Anders, I think his name was – let out a slightly hysterical chuckle. "Feels like a hot towel treatment, sir! Minus the towel, of course."
I didn't have time to appreciate the gallows humor. My enhanced senses were screaming at me, picking up something just beyond the wall of flame. Something big.
"Cut the flames!" I ordered, raising my pulse blaster. As the promethium jets sputtered out, I saw it.
Valorian's balls, it was huge. Easily twice the size of the others, its carapace blackened but largely unscathed by the inferno we'd just subjected it to. My suit's sensors were going haywire, trying to analyze the thing's armor.
"Open Fire!" I yelled, opening fire with my pulse blaster. The squad followed suit, a hail of las-fire and shotgun pellets peppering the monstrosity. But it just stood there, shrugging off our attacks like they were nothing more than an irritating itch.
One of its massive appendages shot out, faster than something that size had any right to move. It was aiming for Trooper Vex, the poor bastard frozen in terror.
No time to think. I dropped my pulse blaster, letting it hang from its strap, and brought up my plasma rifle in one fluid motion. The weapon hummed as it charged, and I fired, the super-heated plasma streaking through the air and catching the creature's limb mid-grab.
The thing's arm – if you could call it that – exploded in a shower of ichor and chitin. It reared back, emitting a high-pitched shriek that set my teeth on edge.
"Hold the line!" I shouted to my squad, my mind racing. This thing was tough, too tough for standard weapons. We didn't have time for a protracted fight – more would be coming. I had to end this, fast.
My hand went to the hilt of my molemolecular blade. It was a risk, getting in close to something this size, but I didn't see another option.
"Cover me!" I ordered, and then I was moving, the blade humming to life in my hand.
The creature seemed to sense my intent. It charged, its remaining limbs reaching for me. Time seemed to slow, my transhuman senses and reflexes kicking into overdrive.
Duck. Roll. Slash.
The molemolecular edge of my blade met the creature's chitinous hide, and for a heart-stopping moment, I thought it might not be enough. Then, with a sound like tearing metal, the blade bit deep. I pushed forward, using my enhanced strength to drive the weapon up and through.
The xenos warrior – because that's what this had to be, some kind of elite guard or warrior caste – let out an ear-splitting shriek as I bisected it. But I wasn't done. In one fluid motion, I reversed my grip and brought the blade around in a deadly arc, separating its head from its body.
As the creature's corpse crashed to the ground, I smiled with grim satisfaction. "Tyranid Warriors put up a better fight," I muttered, more to steady my own nerves than anything else, simply because I thought it would be harder but no, Tyranids were simply tougher bastards.
But there was no time to celebrate. Already, I could hear more of them coming, drawn by the commotion or some alien sense I couldn't fathom.
"Move!" I shouted, retrieving my pulse blaster. "Double time it to the surface!"
We ran, our armor's servos whining with the effort. Behind us, the skittering and chittering grew louder, hungrier. I brought up the rear, my plasma rifle ready.
A flash of movement caught my eye – another of the smaller ones, leaping for Trooper Marens. Without breaking stride, I raised the plasma rifle and fired. The xenos exploded in mid-air, showering Marens with smoking ichor.
"Thanks, sir!" he gasped, not slowing down.
"Thank me when we're topside," I shot back. "Now move your ass!"
The light ahead grew brighter. We were almost there. But the sounds behind us were getting closer. Too close.
And then we were out, bursting into the harsh light of day. For a moment, I was blinded, my eyes struggling to adjust after the darkness of the tunnels.
"Hold your fire!" a familiar voice bellowed. Colonel Jaxsen. "Let 'em through!"
I waved my squad forward, turning to face the tunnel entrance. The chittering was loud now, right on our heels.
And then they came, pouring out of the tunnel like a tide of nightmares. But they were met with a wall of las-fire and pulse blasts. The air filled with the stench of ozone and burning xenos flesh as the creatures literally exploded under the barrage.
We'd made it. Against all odds, we'd made it.
"Slick!" Jaxsen's voice cut through the chaos. I turned to see him striding towards me, his face a mix of relief and grim determination. "Report, now. What the hell are we dealing with down there?"
I took a deep breath, the full weight of what we'd discovered settling on my shoulders. "Sir," I began, "we've got a serious problem. These xenos... they're like nothing I've ever seen. Insectoid, hive-based, and they've got an entire network down there. And sir? I think this is just the beginning."
Jaxsen nodded, his eyes hard. "Understood. Good work getting your team out, Slick. Now, let's figure out how to send these bugs back to whatever hell they crawled out of."
As the sounds of battle continued behind us, I steeled myself for what was to come. We'd survived the first encounter, but the real war for Calligar Alpha was just beginning.
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