Milky Way Galaxy

SGQ6 Galactic Quadrant

Abalitus Space Station

Intergalactic Coalition Controlled Space

"Alright meatheads, listen up!" Commander Zarbon addressed his unit, comprised of three other individuals.

"Time to earn some credits to keep yourselves fed for another cycle."

His underlings turned towards the doorway from which he came, waiting to hear what else he had to say, none of them standing up from their chairs, too engrossed in their meals.

The mess hall they were in was empty, not a soul in sight except for the four of them, sitting the corner furthest from the entrance. Soft humming of the ceiling lights interrupted only by their loud chewing and Zarbon's voice.

The large, brown scaled reptile pulled out a chair at the head of the mess hall table and sat down, gaze alternating between his still eating unit and the PDA attaches to his left wrist.

"The bigwigs at the Coalition HQ have had a collaborative moment of stupid, and have decided to issue a direct order to you, lousy bunch."

Zarbon continued, a smile creeping to his lips, forcing him to stop talking for a moment in order to regain his poker face.

"Stop with the marok-shit Zarbon, and get to the point."

One of the soldiers spoke, tossing his fork onto the tray with exaggeration.

The commander looked to his right, locking eyes with the green scaled male. He let the silence of the moment drag on just a bit longer than necessary, before finally speaking.

"That is Commander Zarbon to YOU, Davren."

"Oh please! You're only commander because you drew the shortest straw."

Chimed in another soldier from Zarbon's left side, talking with his mouth full.

"And to this day, I still say that shit was rigged. Rigged!" Replied Zarbon, index finger jabbing the table with every word. He could no longer maintain his stern-faced facade, the creeping smile making a return, followed by a chuckle.

"I always said, I would've had a better quality of life as a Hierulian cattle shepherd than I would as your commander."

"Yes, yes, we know all about your shepherding empire back home, farmboy."

Joked Davren, rolling his yellow eyes, as if he had heard his commander mention his cattle and hometown for the hundredth time.

"What about the mission? Gonna tell us what it is or did you just come here to kill our appetite?"

As the four soldiers kept on joking with one another, the mess hall doors slid open with a quick pneumatic hiss.

In walked a tall alien female, dressed in a Coalition Peace Enforcer uniform. A golden emblem, woven on the right side of her chest, contrasting with the dark blue of the uniform, symbolized her rank as a Lieutenant. Short white fur covered her entire body, two long tentacles protruding from her upper back hanging lazily at her sides.

"Ah, speak of the devil."

Zarbon said, looking up from his unit towards the door.

She spotted the reptile soldiers immediately upon entering the room. Walking gracefully on the balls of her feet, well-kept claws tapping on the cold floor with each step, the Enforcer made her way to the group.

"Zarbon, you've got to be kidding me. Did they really send a Pelvis-breaker to supervise this mission?"

Girril, the reptile soldier sitting across from Davren, leaned in and whispered to his commander.

"'Ey, keep your voice down. Calling a Kuthrani "Pelvis-breaker" is a one-way ticket to a broken snout."

Zarbon hissed back, looking up to make sure the approaching female was not in earshot.

"Gentlemen." She stood at attention, hands behind back, looking at the four Ziggs whispering to each other. Her gaze lingered on Girril, making the reptile swallow a lump, for worry she might have heard his previous comment.

"My name is Sylvia Hev'Vart, but you may call me Lieutenant Sylvia." The Kuthrani introduced herself, before continuing.

"I assume you all have been familiarized with the mission details?"

"Not quite." Answered Davren.

"We just about to getting to it."

Zarbon opened his mouth to speak, but the Kuthrani interrupted him.

"Allow me to save you the breath Commander."

"This a simple welfare check. A research facility on Adama, one of LC-839's moons, has gone radio silent for over 120 hours, relative to that planet's day-night cycle. Adama is, as I'm sure you know, a mining world and the research facility is there for the purpose of geological survey and analysis." She continued with her explanation.

"120 hours? Even for planets with a relatively short day-night cycle, that's way past the standard Coalition report-in time. And Adama is not a short cycle planet, that's for sure." Girril pointed out.

"Correct. However, Adama does have quite frequent heavy storms, which often cause loss of communication with the research facility for a day or two. It's speculated that is also the case this time, but better safe than sorry. " Sylvia replied.

"Sounds easy enough. But why are you here? If it's a welfare check, just sending us four grunts would be more than enough." Davren spoke, looking over at Sylvia then at Zarbon, waiting to see if there are any mission details that the Coalition Lieutenant might be holding back from them.

"I grew up on a mining colony world and never did I see a single Coalition Enforcer set foot on that dusty rock."

The Kuthrani was not caught off guard by his question in the slightest.

"Valid question. The research facility and adjacent mining operations are being oversaw by Dr. Jigguligulis Abrent, of the Tyhrid Empire. Very influential figure in the Empire's highest circles. When dealing with such an important individual, a Coalition representative must be present."

The green scaled soldier exchanged looks with his comrades at the table, before simply nodding his head, accepting the answer he was given.

With the mission briefing over, Sylvia got up from the table, ready to leave the mess hall and head to the docking bay. She stopped, looking at the fourth member of Zarbon's squad, a young-looking reptile with pale green scales, who has not said a single word the entire time.

"I don't think I've caught your name soldier." She said, leaning on the table a bit.

"Fodder ma'am." The young reptile replied, looking up from his food tray.

"Father?" Sylvia asked, not sure she heard him right the first time.

"No, no." Davren interjected.

"Fodder. As in Cannon Fodder. He's the newest rookie."

The Lieutenant rolled her blue eyes, letting out a low growl of exasperation.

"You reptiles and your social hierarchy." She mumbled under her breath.

Heading towards the door, she stopped as if remembering something.

"Also, as your shuttle is not equipped with a jump drive, only cryogenic pods, the Coalition has organized a one-way transport to Adama. We will be hitching a ride on a mining vessel headed for LC-839. It leaves in 15, get your gear and shuttle ready for boarding."

She nodded to herself once more, mentally checking if she left anything unsaid, before leaving the mess hall in a brisk pace.

LC-839's Moon Adama

Adama Geological Research Station

Intergalactic Coalition Controlled Space

Sylvia adjusted her uniform, as the four-man crew finished checking all their gear. Her short, fur stood on end, hinting at nervousness under her stoic facade. The shuttle space did not sit well with her, being taller than the reptile mercenaries, it took an effort not to constantly hit her head on doorways and equipment containers inside the small spacecraft.

"Are the preparations done?" She asked, exasperation present in her voice.

"Yes ma'am. We will be detaching from the mining vessel Corrufel and begin our descent towards the Adama research station in 3... 2... 1..." Replied Girril from the cockpit.

The hangar bay doors of the mining vessel slowly opened, allowing the shuttle to fly out and descend towards the surface of the planet, while the large interstellar ship continued its way to LC-839.

"We sure picked a jolly time to land." Davren said, reading instruments inside the cockpit.

"There's a massive storm inbound, so we can kiss out comms goodbye for a while."

"Let's just hope the short-range surface comms do the trick."

Zarbon replied, before sitting down and strapping in. The shuttle shook a bit as it entered the atmosphere of Adama, the thick clouds making it look like it was the dead of night, despite it being just half an hour past noon, according to the planet's cycle.

The Lieutenant squeezed into her seat, strapping as best as she could. She couldn't help but notice Fodder staring at her, more importantly at her tentacles, a pair of which sprouted from her upper back.

Every Kuthrani female had a pair of tentacles, one on each side of their back, sprouting from just below the shoulder blade. These tentacles were very rarely covered in fur, unlike the rest of a Kuthrani's body. On a fully grown adult, they would grow to be as long as the Kuthrani is tall.

Besides being a sign of maturity, the thin, whip like appendages once served as the species primary source of offence, back in their primitive era. Both tentacles end with a stinger that would inject paralytic venom into a Kuthrani's prey. Though the potency of the venom lessened as the Kuthrani became more civilized, it is still classified as the strongest known paralytic agent in the galaxy.

"Got something in your eye Rookie?" Sylvia sneered, snapping the reptile from his trance.

"No ma'am. Sorry." Fodder replied, quickly turning his head to look elsewhere.

"Didn't your mother teach you it's rude to stare?" Joked Zarbon.

As the shuttle landed, Girril and Davren attempted to establish communication with the research facility, but their attempts were only met with silence and static.

"Well folks, seems either the storm totally trashed the comms or everyone in the research facility has gone deaf." Said Davren, walking out from the cockpit.

"Luckily, I've landed us not too far from it, so we are bit a light jog away. Perfect for stretching our legs." Added Girril, who attempted to leave the cockpit at the same time as Davren, through the narrow doorway.

"Fuck off Girril." Snarled the other soldier, trying to push his friend away and squeeze through first.

"Enough sexual tension you two, get in here, grab your shit and let's go." Zarbon said, getting up from his seat, grabbing his pulse rifle and gear, before opening the shuttle doors.

"Fodder, you will be carrying the ammo reserves. Don't lag behind."

With a sigh, the rookie put the ammo supply backpack on and followed the rest of the group.

Even amongst mining worlds, Adama was a disgusting rock. Near constant rains turned the ground into perpetual mud. Without a clock it would be impossible to tell whether it was day or night, storm clouds completely blocking out the sun. Hills and mountains stretched across the horizon, barren soil devoid of terrestrial flora and fauna.

Sylvia cursed under her breath as they walked towards the facility. Kuthrani wore no footwear and walked on the balls of their feet, making muddy terrain a literal nightmare to deal with. With each step, her feet would sink into the mud, almost making her fall over a few times. The rain only picked up in intensity since the storm began, soaking her uniform and fur.

As the research facility came into view, the group could immediately tell something wasn't right. The guard post at the main gate was unmanned and the communication transmitter seemed to be turned off. Moreover, all the facility vehicles and aircrafts were still parked orderly outside.

"I don't like the feel of this." Mumbled Zarbon, as the group approached the main entrance.

The soldiers quickly swept the perimeter, doing a full sweep around the facility, before regrouping in front of the entrance. Just by looking at their faces, Sylvia could tell they had no clue what was going on here.

"Everything is locked. I'm talking containment protocol beta locked." Girril said.

Those words made her heart skip a beat, but she masked it well enough for them not to notice.

"Quarantine measures? Think everyone got sick or something?" Zarbon asked, not looking away from the locked entrance in front of him.

"Can't be. All Coalition labor planets are thoroughly scanned for highly infectious pathogens before they are ever greenlit to begin operations. That goes double for mining and agriculture worlds." Fodder chimed in from the back.

"Rookie is right. And it doesn't seem like there was any civil unrest, nothing is broken or stolen, all the vehicles are still in mint condition. Plus, the nearest mining settlement is several clicks away." The commander nodded, rubbing his chin.

"Maybe it was a gas leak from one of the mine shafts?" Davren said.

"The research facility does have direct access to at least 2 tunnels, as far we know."

Zarbon walked closer to the heavy metal door, knocking on it loudly with the butt of his gun. He made sure to do it in a particular rhythm, one he was sure anyone listening on the inside would easily recognize.

Several seconds passed, only silence. The Commander sighed deeply, lowering his rifle in disappointment.

Turning to the group, a sudden bang on the door almost made him jump. The rhythmic banging was being repeated back to them, from the other side of the entrance door.

Instead of joy and relief, the group felt uneasy, as the banging continued, as if it was looping. One long bang, two short, one long. It sounded desperate, almost threatening, twice as loud as when Zarbon hit the door with his gun. And then it stopped, midway through the loop. One long, one short, silence.

"Well, now at least we know it ain't toxic gas." He spoke loudly, regaining composure and easing the tension of the team.

"Still, everyone put filter masks on. If it's a virus, we don't wanna catch anything."

Everyone huddled around Fodder, grabbing masks from the supply pack on his pack and putting them on, covering their mouths and nostrils. With a click, the masks adjusted to each person’s facial structure, creating a perfect seal.

"Alright, either they lost the keys or don't wanna open. Whatever it may be, the approach is the same. Girril, cut through the door and let's get this wellness check over with." Zarbon ordered, pointing at the manual lock release panel.

Girril nodded, pulling out a plasma cutter, starting to work on the panel besides the door, behind which the manual lock release was situated. After a few seconds, the metal panel fell onto the muddy ground. The soldier grabbed the lever, releasing the locking mechanism on the heavy entrance door. With a slow hiss, the large slab of metal began lifting off the ground.

Everyone stood, pulse rifles trained on the wide hallway on the other side of the door.

Despite the previous knocking that came from the other side, when the flashlights shined on the inside, there was not a soul around to greet them. They slowly made their way inside, checking the interior for tracks or any signs of life, stale air permeating the entrance hallway, the smell slipping past their mask’s filters.

"The power must have been down for some time; it smells like the ventilation system has been offline for a couple of days at least." Commander Zarbon spoke.

There were no signs of life, yet Sylvia felt an unfamiliar chill run up her spine, as if someone was watching them, just out of sight. The main hallway looked as pristine as always, no signs of any struggle taking place, like the researchers just upped and vanished into thin air. Zarbon called out, hoping that whoever knocked back on the door would reveal themselves when they realized they weren't a threat. But his voice was met only with an unnatural silence of the deserted facility.

"Okay, what's the game plan Lieutenant?" The commander spoke, turning to Sylvia.

The Kuthrani detached her PDA from her belt and shared the facility schematics with the Zigg soldiers. A full 3D map appeared on each of their wrist PDAs.

The facility layout was fairly straightforward. A large, main hallway going from the entrance of the facility towards the equipment storage all the way on the other side. From it, many smaller hallways, leading to different rooms branched out on either side. The control room they were after was one hallway to the right, before the main crossroads, which split the main hallways into three smaller ones. The one on the left leading to the primary facility, the one on the right leading to the private office of the facility overseer, Dr. Abrent, and the shortest one leading directly towards the equipment storage, which had anything from test tools for minerals and ores to repair tools, should anything in the facility require maintenance.

"We're gonna head to the engineering room first, see if we can get the generators running again. Then it's straight to main control room to find out what the hell happened here." Sylvia explained.

"No point in all of us going." Girril spoke out, still looking over the schematics.

"I'll head on down to engineering, see if I can boot up the generators. You guys should head on to the control room, look for any survivors on the way there."

After quick consideration, the group agreed with Girril, checking to see if their short-range comms were working fine, before splitting up, the Zigg walking down a narrower hallway to the engineering room, while the rest of the soldiers and Sylvia headed up the main hall to the control room.

The dark was suffocating, its weight almost physical. Girril watched it swallow his light, as he checked every corner on his way to the engineering room. Everything seemed in perfect order, which only added to the fear squirming inside his gut. The facility was staffed with over 20 researchers, not mentioning security personnel. Now there was no one. His pace quickened, while he pushed the intrusive thoughts from his head. If there were at least bodies, some evidence of what happened here, he would feel more at ease.

Arriving in front of the door, he pulled out the cutter and began working on the locks, humming under the filter mask to stay focused. One lock down, then another. Suddenly, Girril stopped, his heart beating faster and faster in his chest. Quickly he spun around, rifle at the ready, the flashlight cutting through the pitch black. There was nothing there. He could have sworn he saw something, an outline of a silhouette caught by the cutter when it was working the locks. The Zigg stared into the shadow, beyond what the flashlight had illuminated, finger itching on the trigger, his fight or flight kicking in. Someone was standing just outside the light's reach, Girril's fear assured him, staring at him the way he stared into nothing.

"Fuck this." The soldier hissed, heart pounding in his chest.

"Two more to go."

He spun around, the cutter once more going to work on the remaining locks. Haste made the cut sloppy, but the soldier didn't care as long the door opened as soon as possible. With the final lock out of the way, the silence was replaced with the echo of footsteps. Bare feet stepping on the cold metal floor, pace getting quicker, the sounds getting closer. A second of silence, Girril did not dare turn around, frozen in place in front of door, the freshly cut locks still smoking. Panic erupted when the footsteps returned, now sounding like a full-blown sprint down the hallway behind him, closing the distance with incredible speed.

"Burns be damned." The Zigg through as he grabbed the still searing handled of the engineering doors, with all his might swinging them open.

Just in time, or so he thought, as something caught his foot before he could slam the door shut, causing him to start falling face first onto the floor.

With each corner rounded, the group felt their unease grow. Zarbon hoped they would come across something by now. The more normal things seemed, the more unnatural they felt. Sylvia instinctively held her paralyzing tentacles raised up to her shoulders, pointing in the same direction her pulse rifle did. She was on edge, like the rest of them, evident by her posture. Kuthrani only raised their tentacles to show fear or hostility, since the appendages were made mostly redundant by rifle, she held in her hands. They did not speak a word to one another while moving through the hall. Just as they approached the control room doors, a heavy hum made them almost jump. Power surged through the facility once more, turning the lights on, filling the air with the soft humming that seemed to put their minds at ease.

"Took you long enough Girril." Said Zarbon into his communicator.

"Now get your ass over here."

"Roger." Came over the comms.

The relief that the power brought was short lived. With the electricity back, the facility systems began coming back online one by one. A loud horn, followed by a warning, came from the facility loud spears.

"Warning! Containment cell 39 has been compromised! Warning! Research specimen 0 is not present in the containment cell! Warning to all staff members, we have an asset out of containment! Reinitiating lockdown protocol gamma!" blared from the loudspeakers across the entire facility.

Sylvia's heart sank to her stomach as she heard the warning playing on repeat. She turned at the direction of the entrance, hearing the heavy doors close shut and re-seal due to the lockdown protocol. Girril appeared in sight, running at full spring to reunite with the group.

"Zarbon, Zarbon!" He shouted, stopping to catch his breath.

"Something... seriously ain't right here."

His uniform had several tears on it, along with a few cuts on his left arm. The group looked at him, shocked expressions on their faces.

"What happened to you? Did you run into some staff members?" Davren asked, stepping past Sylvia, closer to his friend.

"No. I got caught on a tripwire when I ran into engineering. Someone set up a steel wire on the other side of the door, and removed a few floor panels, putting rebar instead. Like, like spikes, yeah." Girril explained, waving his hands to help the group understand.

"So, when you trip, you fall right on them. Thank fuck we have scales; I could have lost an eye or something."

As he said that, the Ziggs all glanced over to the Lieutenant, as she was the only one without scales among them.

The alarm and warning message kept blaring across the facility, making talking practically impossible.

"We gotta go shut the fucking noise off, it's turning my brains to mush!" Davren shouted over the noise, as Zarbon moved his hand, signaling for the group to keep moving in formation, watching each other’s backs.

With the knowledge that traps might be around every corner, their stress rose to match the vigilance, even with the facility lights being back on, the danger did not diminish. At last, the control room door came into view, door unlocked and open wide, despite the lockdown protocol in full effect. Every time the alarm blared; the group felt like something was pressing them from above. Sylvia's head was throbbing from the looping noise, her sensitive hearing working against her. They rushed inside the room, Fodder pressing the manual lock button besides door once they entered, while Sylvia dove at the control panel, frantically working to shut the alarm off.

Shutting the warning message up, she slumped by the panel, letting out a deep sight.

"Thank Matriarch, sweet silence."

"So..." Davren spoke up.

"The researchers went nuts and started going primal, leaving primitive traps around the place?"

"Could be for whatever escaped containment." The Zigg rookie responded, looking at the group to see what they thought of his suggestion.

"This facility has security staff, right? Standard Coalition protocol for any research facility. I'm sure whatever they had in that cell isn't something a pulse rifle couldn't deal with." Girril answered, following up with a question to the Kuthrani.

"How many security officers should this place have?"

"Five. Five security guards, twenty researchers, twenty-five people in total." Sylvia said, rubbing her forehead.

"Check the camera feed, they should be back online too. Also, check the feed before the power went out." Zarbon stood up, looking out the control room window at the deserted hallway. The feeling of being watched was still there, even after the lights returned.

"Sure, give me a sec to get my bearings, that noise killed off some braincells I swear." Sylvia mumbled, still sitting down and rubbing her head.

Safe in the control room, the group slowly regained their courage and rational thinking, while Lieutenant Sylvia worked the control panel, accessing the surveillance system of the facility. Her frustration grew as she found nothing, each room as empty as the hallway they came from. Suspiciously, the cameras in the laboratory and Dr. Abrent's office were turned off manually. The hallway in front of both rooms showed signs of struggle, with furniture and supplies strewn about the floor. Switch room to room, following the increasing signs of chaos that occurred.

"Found them..."

"Where?" Zarbon walked over to the control panel, placing a hand on his stomach to keep down his lunch while looking at the camera feed.

Sylvia just stared at the image on the screen, as the other Ziggs approached to look. Worries she had going into this mission turned out to be true. Whatever the Tyhrid had in that cell was not only hostile, but also very much alive and roaming the facility. The Lieutenant took a deep breath, stepping away from the control panel.

"Which camera is this?" Zarbon finally asked, after several moments of silence, stepping away from the panel himself.

"Camera, uuhhh, 26, the cold storage in the mess hall kitchen." The Kuthrani replied, trying her best to expunge the sight from her head.

Fodder, upon seeing what the camera feed was displaying, rushed over to the nearest trashcan, reeling. Bodies of the facility staff were tossed on a pile in the center of the cold storage. None of them was intact. Torn off limbs stripped of flesh, torsos torn open and hollowed out. A few had their limbs still attached, but their joints were bent wrong, some had their heads turned in the opposite directions, saving the observers from seeing their horrified final expressions.

"Fucking bastard, it's been eating them." Girril whispered, trying his best not join Fodder on his knees.

"But why pile them on there?" Davren spoke. The Zigg veteran had an iron stomach, more than what could be said for the rest of the group, safe for Zarbon.

"120 hours. Oh Matri-uurrgghh." Sylvia reeled, leaning forward over one of the tables.

"The cold storage has a separate power supply, since the frequent storms. So, the food doesn't go bad when the power goes out."

"Poor avian fucks." Davren mumbled, shutting the feed off.

"Wait, wait, hold on." Zarbon pushed him aside, turning the feedback on, looking at it, lips moving under the filter mask as his eyes darted across the screen.

"They might be on a pile, but I don't count 25 people here."

Sylvia got her bearings together and approached the control panel.

"You're right."

She carefully looked at the screen, paying attention to the uniforms, which varied based on clearance level.

"We're still missing 2 security guards, the two head researchers and Dr. Abrent. If we're talking based on uniform."

"Think they might be alive?" The Commander asked, looking out the glass panel to the hallway.

"We can't discount that possibility. Even if Abrent is dead, his office still has data the Coalition needs." Sylvia said, biting her tongue, but was already too late, as the Ziggs all turned towards her.

"What data? I thought this was a wellness check. If anything, the data on the specimen should be in the main lab, not in his private office." Zarbon locked eyes with the Kuthrani Enforcer.

"I KNEW IT!" Davren shouted.

"The bigwigs never send an Enforcer, let alone a Lieutenant, to run a wellness check on a backwater, fucking mining world!"

"The situation changed. Spill the beans, Sylvia. Why the fuck are we really here?" The Commander continued, taking a step closer to the Lieutenant.

"My boys and I sure ain't putting our necks on the line for a bogus mission we know nothing about."

Pressed against the wall, Sylvia sighed.

"Okay. This isn't a wellness mission. This is an arrest."

She pulled up her PDA and showed the Ziggs an arrest warrant.

"Dr. Abrent? You're here to book him, why?" Davren asked, looking up at her from the PDA.

"Keep reading dumbass." Zarbon elbowed him in the side, taking the PDA and reading outloud.

"The Intergalactic Coalition Primary Court issues this warrant for the arrest of Doctor Jigguligus Abrent, on the charges of illegal acquisition of lesser intelligent life, from worlds not under Coalition jurisdiction and without approval from the Coalition First Contact Ministry."

"I thought the Tyhrid have stopped doing abductions after joining the Coalition." Girril joined in on the conversation.

"They have, at least on the surface." Sylvia took the PDA back from Zarbon and continued her explanation.

"But in reality, they simply took it off the surface and onto the black market. Some species were kept as pets by their elites, others were used for labor. The Coalition should have kept a closer eye on Abrent, the Tyhrid have a long history of abductions, It's practically part of their culture. The Empire wouldn't give that up just because they joined the Coalition."

The reptile soldiers looked at one another, wordlessly coming to an agreement.

"Okay. We'll try to get the data you need, but first we have to make sure we aren't leaving any researchers behind. If anyone of them is still alive, rescue is priority. Check the cameras again, they might be hunkered down somewhere." Zarbon ordered, checking his rifle magazine.

Sylvia nodded, walking over to the control panel and checking the cameras again.

"Thank you, Commander. If we get Abrent's data, the Coalition will be able to hunt down all of his buyers and clients."

"If. Researchers first Sylvia." The Zigg replied, checking the facility schematics on his wrist PDA.

"Think I found them." The Kuthrani called the group over, pointing to the screen which showed the inside of a laboratory.

By the looks of their uniforms, the avians on the camera feed appeared to be the two missing researchers and one security guard. No sign of Dr. Abrent however. This made Sylvia frown, as she hoped the head researcher was still alive so he could be brought to proper justice. She quickly downloaded the camera feed images onto her PDA.

"Where is that?" Davren asked, leaning over Zarbon's shoulder to get a better look.

"Camera 35, secondary laboratory in the East wing." She answered, before pulling up the schematics on the control panel, tracing the best route for them to take, while avoiding the kitchen cold storage.

A quick once-over of their gear and the group left the safety of the control room. More and more rooms they passed by were barricaded, some better than others. Sylvia took point, leading the crew towards the East wing, carefully observing the floor and walls for any traps the staff might have left behind in attempt to catch or kill the loose specimen. Coming up the crossroads, where the main hallways divided into two, each leading to their respected wings of the facility, something caught the Kuthrani's eye. The door across from them, at the end of the hallway, were ajar. The barricade on the other side of the door was not nearly tall enough to stop anything from coming through. A long, thin tube of sorts was sticking from in between the door leaves. She felt something beckoning her to check it our closer, but as the group reached the crossroads, the Ziggs immediately turned left. Sylvia decided to just chalk the feeling up to stress and continue walking.

Seeing the group arrive, the researches inside the secondary lab were beyond themselves with joy. They rushed to the door, opening it.

"Quick, quick! Get inside." They whispered, waving their feathery arms at the newcomers.

Everyone rushed inside, relief washing over them. The door closed with a short hiss and locked manually by one of the researchers.

"We're safe here. The glass is bulletproof and the vents are too small for it to squeeze through."

"What happened here?" Sylvia said, as they sat down, the Zigg soldiers still on alert, occasionally looking out into the hallways through the large pane of bulletproof glass. With a quick tap, the Lieutenant turned on the recording function on her PDA, ready to get the survivors recount of the event as testimony and evidence.

The Tyhrid researcher sighed, accepting her own guilt and the involvement in this chaos that transpired. She looked down at the floor.

"We should have stopped him."

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

"Who? Please, I need you tell me everything, start from the beginning." The Kuthrani placed her hand on the avians shoulder.

"Don't omit any details, please."

"This facility is a cover for a black-market smuggling operation. On the surface we do mining research like before, but after Dr. Abrent took charge as the overseer, things have begun to change. Adama was the perfect place, it's heavy storms preventing off world communication, a perfect cover from the prying eyes of the Coalition." The researcher sat down closer to Sylvia, speaking clearly to make sure the PDA could record properly.

"None of us complained. Dr. Abrent was a good overseer and a pleasant colleague to work with. At first, this place only served to smuggle poached exotic wildlife from all over the galaxy. Things that would serve as pets for the Tyhrid elite back home. They paid top credit for it, and Abrent made sure to split that profit with us, under guise of a yearly bonus. No one ever dreamed of snitching, things here we running flawlessly." She admitted.

The other two Tyhrid, another researcher and a security guard, shifted uncomfortably in their seats, feeling the weight of guilt press down on them. They would glance occasionally at their colleague, but avoided eye contact with Sylvia or the Ziggs.

"Then a few months ago, a very expensive specimen came through, acquired from the Orion's Arm, all the way across the galaxy. The guy that delivered all specimens to Dr. Abrent this time asked five times his usual fee. To our shock, Abrent paid it with a smile on his face."

She took a small breath in talking, mentally preparing to continue talking.

"It... was unlike anything we've seen before. A tall, featherless biped. Considerably taller and heavier than us. It had some hair on its body, but nothing akin to fur. No tail, no claws, no fangs. Yet the salesman insisted it was a carnivore. He went as far as to describe it as barely intelligent. When it woke up from sedation, it was terrified, but that is expected, most animals that come through here are at first." The researcher spoke, eyes wide as she stared at her own feet.

The rest of the group said nothing, simply listening to her story.

"Abrent took those words to heart, overlooking some of the signs of danger due to his own feeling of superiority. He ran tests on the thing, trying to teach it things. And it learned, very fast. It was a very durable creature, hands capable of holding tools and using them for work. It showed incredible stamina, able to exert itself continuously for hours. Abrent was beyond himself, soon taking on the role of primary caretaker for the beast. The creature was pampered to say the least, fed 3 high quality meals a day, tailored to the letter to fit its dietary needs. Hell, it ate better than us I'd say." She chuckled darkly.

"It didn't mind the physical exertion tests, performing them obediently and without a fuss. Abrent began believing that he tamed the beast, referring to it as 'docile' in his reports. But I couldn't feel more wrong about it. The way it looked at us, the way it behaved, this calculated nonchalantness, as if it was only playing nice since it was being pampered and fed like some rich girl's pet."

Sylvia interrupted the avian with a question.

"Those reports you mentioned, who were they going to?"

"I have no idea. We may have been accomplices in running tests and keeping a lid on the operation, but who the buyers of these animals were, only Abrent knows. And he made sure it stayed that way." The researcher replied.

"What next?" Davren chimed in, leaning closer to the two seated females.

"Abrent went off the rails fully, once he learned there was an entire world of these things, over 8 billion of them. If this one specimen was so cooperative and docile, basically a perfect laborer, imagine 8 billion of them. He fully believed that once the Empire sees the specimen, it would fund his hunting expedition to their home world. In short, Abrent was about to go from rich to filthy stinkin' rich. I'm talking, top of the pyramid rich. We tried voicing our concerns, but he wouldn't even hear it, threatening to fire anyone who went against him. He would oversee every test on the creature himself, spending more and more time with his beloved perfect specimen."

Girril interrupted.

"So, if the creature was treated so great, got along with Abrent and the staff without issue, how did this happen? Did it just up and decide to pile twenty bodies in the cold storage for shits and giggles?"

"Girril!" Sylvia shot him a glare, causing the Zigg to take a step back and murmur an apology.

"Abrent wanted to know how much further he could push the specimen's biology. So, he began subjecting it to performance enhancing drugs, one after the other. It was around that time that Adama's seasonal storms began, and the things got loose one day. Nothing happened, we found it wandering the facility once power came back and it returned to its cell without a fuss. For us it meant it would escape if given the opportunity, but for Abrent, it further solidified the idea that is was harmless, since the entire ordeal ended without incident." The avian continued her story.

"The tests continued over the next month, and they did yield the results Abrent wanted. Its muscle mass increased, it even grew in size a bit. It could work faster for longer periods of time with less need for rest. Not without health issues however. The hormones and drugs pumped into the specimen conflicted with its chemistry, causing impotence and eventually leading to sterility, as well as a shift in personality. After that, we would have to sedate it before every test, as it would lash out at security and researchers. While in the cell, it just sat and waited. We had out suspicions, that it waited for the next power outage, but when confronted with that possibility, Dr. Abrent dismissed it entirely. He claimed the tests and report were almost done and soon we'd all be looking at a huge yearly bonus. We should have left, or at least reported this to the Coalition, but we trusted Abrent's judgement too much to do so. Then five days ago, when the storm rolled in and power went out, the specimen escaped and Abrent just disappeared."

The Tyhrid researcher paused once more, before finishing her testimony.

"It began to rampage as soon as it was free. At first, we tried to capture it, then to kill it. But as soon as lethal force was used against it, the specimen retreated and we haven't seen it since. It started taking us out, so we barricaded rooms and hid there, to wait out the storm and then send an SOS."

"Yeah, we came across your traps." Girril got closer and showed off his torn uniform.

"Could call them somewhat effective."

The avian sighed and gave Girril the most apologetic look he's ever seen, causing his heart to plummet to the pit of his stomach.

"That wasn't us."

Fodder couldn't tell how many minutes had passed since they all started sitting in silence. The testimony from the researchers left the entire rescue group even more exhausted than they were before. He wondered if this is going to be the end for them, if they are all going to die at the hands of some unknown horror from the other side of the galaxy.

Finally, they got up and made their way down the hallway, heading towards the primary laboratory.

Only the sound of the humming lights on the ceiling filled the silence. With every step the laboratory felt further and further away.

He didn’t sign up for this, all he wanted to do was run back to the shuttle and leave this facility behind. If he took off running now, would he make it the main entrance before the creature caught him? Would it even chase him or focus on the others, since they were now accompanied by the researches it despised?

The rookie was pretty sure his comrades would shoot him if he tried to run, ending his attempt to escape before the beast even got the chance to. He needed a distraction, just one opportunity to save his life.

The group again arrived at the main crossroads of the facility, where all the side halls converged into the main one. Sylvia felt a chill run down her spine, her fur standing on end as they approached the divide. That half barricaded door with a tube sticking from in between the door leaves. Against her better judgement, she raised her hand.

“Wait a second. Something feels off.” She said, stopping the group in the middle of the crossroad. Her eyes focused, trying to see through the small opening of the almost closed doors. Something was stirring in the dark on the other side.

Her ears twitched, picking up on a sound coming from the room. Like something was being stretched, tightened.

“What the f-!”

The Lieutenant was too late to realize what she was hearing, the sound of tensile rope being pulled. A “twang” of the rope being released, followed by a swift whistle. Sylvia had just enough time to react, placing her foot on Fodder’s back and kicking with all her might. The Zigg stumbled forward, the projectile missing him by a hair’s breadth. Girril grabbed him, causing both soldiers to fall to the ground. The projectile, a long piece of rebar, struck one of the researchers who was standing next to Fodder, running him through entirely, shoulder to shoulder. He was instantly knocked off his feet by the force of impact.

Sylvia was petrified, staring at the corpse on the floor, heart pounding like a war drum. Her pupils were dilated, hands trembling, chest felt tights as if no number of short breaths can give her lungs the air they need. The cold floor felt loose and the hallway was slowly starting to spin.

“Door on the left. LIGHT THE FUCKER UP!” Commander Zarbon, shouted, spinning around and opening fire on the half-barricaded door together with Davren and the one remaining security guard.

Another “twang”, another long piece of rebar launched from the tube sticking in between the door, but this one had no target in mind. It flew above their heads, still causing them to duck before they could begin to mag dump on the door, allowing their assailant just enough time to move away from it.

The sound of pulse rifles going off snapped Sylvia back from the brink of passing out. She placed her hand on Girril and the remaining researcher, ushering them further down the hallway to cover.

“Cease fire!” Zarbon shouted, as the 3 males joined the rest of the group in cover, peeking from the corner of the hallway, looking at the smoking, bullet hole ridden door.

“Think we got it?” Asked researcher, as all 3 of them simultaneously reloaded their weapons.

“Doubt it. That’s a reinforced door, no chance in hell our bullets are going through it. We can only hope the open that went through the opening got it, but I am not waltzing my ass in front of that door to get impaled.” Davren answered, slumping against the wall.

“Okay, okay, head count first. Is everyone okay?” Zarbon quickly pointed his clawed finger at each of them, tallying the numbers in his head. His eyes would occasionally go in the direction of the dead researched up the hallway.

“Wait, where’s Fodder?”

“I don’t know.” Sylvia spoke, looking around along with everyone, hoping to spot the Zigg rookie.

“I kicked him out of the way, he fell on Girril. He must have slipped when you fired on the door.”

“The fucker ran! And he had the supply pack on him.” Davren growled, slamming the back of his against the hall behind he was leaning on.

Zarbon rubbed his face, collecting his thoughts for a brief moment.

“Okay, fuck Fodder. He’s a big boy, if he wants to play tag with that thing, he can. We gotta carry on with the original plan. We will pick up Fodder on our way to the main entrance. Then we will beat the shit out of him on the shuttle.”

Davren and Girril just nodded, before standing up, taking deep breaths to calm themselves down. The group continued their way to the research lab, guns high and at the ready.

Fodder couldn’t believe his luck. In the chaos, he managed to break away from the group and take off down the main hallway, while they were busy trying to put holes in the creature and the door it hid behind. He knew the main entrance door was sealed shut by the lockdown protocol that came back once the power returned, but he wasn’t worried.

The rookie looked down at the plasma cutter in his hand, smiling to himself. When Sylvia kicked him into Girril, he managed to nab the tool from his comrade, without Girril noticing.

Now all he had to do was cut open the panel which held the manual release switch for the door and make it to the shuttle through the rain and mud outside.

For a moment he considered what his actions, but not once while was running, did the feeling of guilt or shame cross his mind. This was the way Ziggs simply were. Despite their advanced technology, society civilized enough to be a part of the Intergalactic Coalition, a feat not many other reptilian species could boast about, their beliefs and tradition have not changed for centuries.

A hierarchy structure that valued an individual based on age, feats they have pulled off and struggled they have lived through. Seniority was paramount.

The rookie knew he was expendable, as all rookies were. He had to fight for his survival, no matter through which method. The other Ziggs would have probably used him as bait or a distraction for the creature. His nickname only proved his thoughts; he was nothing more that a walking token to be traded in for their lives.

Fodder was thanking his lucky stars that there was a manual release switch on each side of the heavy, entrance door, instead of relying solely on lifting the lockdown protocol.

Running, he could see the entrance door come into view. Feeling like he was almost home free, the rookie shed his supply backpack, believing it was no longer of use. He had enough ammo in his rifle, the creature wasn’t bulletproof, like the researcher had said. If anything, he would at least be able to ward it off.

The Zigg practically leapt towards the side panel once he reached the door, starting to work on cutting it open, sending sparks flying occasionally.

“Come on, Come on.” He whispered as the cutter worked through the metal.

Fully focused on what he was doing, the young Zigg paid no mind to his surroundings. As the cutter finished eating through the panel, Fodder noticed a shadow on the door, cast by someone standing behind him. Realization flashed across his face, as he spun around.

“Davren, I-.“ His heart almost stopped then and there.

In that moment, getting his face rearranged by his furious comrades would have been a blessing. However, Fodder has gambled all those away, the moment he chose to run and save his own skin.

It was tall, not as tall as Lieutenant Sylvia, but definitely taller than him and the other Ziggs.

And it was massive. Throbbing veins over bulging muscles, easily visible through the pinkish white skin. Would this mass of meat even flinch from gunfire?

Thinking of how close he was to getting out alive, Fodder mustered whatever part of him wasn’t rendered paralyzed by fear and screamed, pressing his rifle barrel against the creature’s stomach.

“FUCK YOU, FREAK!”

Huddled inside the safety of the primary laboratory, the group reflected on what had just occurred. The run-in with the specimen, loss of one of the researchers and finally Fodder going AWOL, had everyone on the very edge sanity. Davren was mumbling under his breath as he kept watch over the closed door of the laboratory, while the avian security guard watched over the ventilation hatch on the ceiling.

The Zigg was mumbling under his breath, spouting threats and swear words into nothing, as if practicing for when he is reunited with the deserter. Clenching the rifle, he could feel himself seething with rage.

The remaining researcher stood next to Zarbon and Girril, who were sitting down, while Sylvia was working the control panel, downloading all the files and data on the specimen and the tests the creature was subjected to. Sylvia was tough, even considering herself to be iron willed and strong minded, but the more she involuntarily read about the specimen, the more she could feel her strength leaving her. It took a conscious effort to keep her long legs from shaking and her knees from just giving up under her.

The Lieutenant did not divulge the information to the Zigg soldiers, thinking that it would discourage them further, even possibly leading to panic or give up on life.

“This thing is a fucking tank.” She thought to herself.

Despite it being shorter, to the point that if they stood side by side, the top of its head would be just below her jaw, it weighed noticeably more than she did.

It lacked claws and sharp fangs, but made for it in brute strength. Powerful arms and hands built for gripping and holding on, yet delicate enough to be precise.

Each of its limbs could be used to inflict damage. No fur meant it could stay cooler, function longer at its maximum. An embodiment of a slow and inevitable death, it would tire its prey down until surrender was the only option. The fact it was also smart enough to use tools, meant it would stalk them, saving its energy while whittling away their remaining sanity.

She looked over at the Ziggs, then at her long tentacles handing loosely at her sides. For the first time, Sylvia was thankful for the anatomy she had, not out of superiority, but because it meant she had a chance to survive. The reptile soldiers on the other hand, despite their dull claws and scales, stood no chance against the specimen unless guns were involved.

“What was in that room? The one that the specimen was hiding inside. How did it get its hands on rebar and tensile rope?” Zarbon broke the silence, addressing the Tyhrid researcher.

“A tool storage. For on site repairs and maintenance.” She responded without looking.

“Metal sheets, rebar, welding tools, hammers and nails.”

“I know what a tool shed is for.” The Zigg interrupted, struggling to hide the frustration in his voice.

“I’m almost done with the transfer.” Sylvia announced, hunched over the main panel, watching the loading bar progress.

“Davren! I!”

The group, almost in synch, snapped their heads to the laboratory window, a large glass panel looking at the hallway outside.

“Davren! Davren! I!”

Now they were sure it was coming from down the hall, outside the view of the window.

Girril jumped to his feet, opening the door and peeking outside as the yelling continued.

“Fuck! Davren! Come on! Freak!”

“It’s fucking rookie.” Girril told the group, as he squinted his eyes to better focus on what he was looking at.

Fodder stood at the end of the hallway, leaning against the wall. Girril couldn’t make out the state he was in, but based on how his voice sounded, he assumed the rookie Zigg wasn’t in the best condition. His voice sounded strained and throaty, as if Fodder was trying to sound like his usual self, but was just a few pitches off.

“He must have lost his damn mind.” Girril mumbled to himself, thinking that the stress and panic finally caused Fodder to snap mentally once he learned he couldn’t escape the facility with cutting the manual release panel by the main door, while still oblivious to the fact that Fodder was in possession of the plasma cutter.

“Davren, you! Freak! Fuck you! Come on!” Continued Fodder, his tone feeling more provocative, almost mocking.

“Fodder you stupid fuck, get over here now.“ Shouted Girril, as the rest of the group also joined him in peeking from the door.

For Davren, this was the straw that broken the camels back. His own mental fortitude, already on its edge due to everything that happened, finally gave way. He could feel his blood boiling, his vision turning into a blur. Before he even knew what was going on, his legs moved on their own, carrying him past the door and his comrades and towards Fodder in a fit of rage.

If there is one thing the Zigg society loathes, it’s deserters.

“Davren! I!”

“You’re dead meat Fodder!” Yelled Davron, laser focused on his target.

Zarbon shouted orders for him to turn, everyone that watched the scene unfold begged Davren to stop, but it was to no avail.

As the furious soldier arrived a few feet away from the target of his rage, he slowed down to almost a halt.

Fodder was dead.

Davren stared at the corpse of his traitorous comrade, who was propped up against the wall looking like he was about to topple over any second. His legs were broken, knees forced towards one another so he would be able to stand upright. His right arm was mangled beyond repair, starting with his hand. Trigger finger bent in the opposite direction.

Time felt like it was standing still for Davren, as he was unable to process the sight before him.

Looking at Fodder, his broken neck barely supporting the head, a nightmarish realization came to his mind.

If Fodder was dead, who’s talking?

“Davren!” Zarbon screamed, stopping in the middle of the hallway and reaching for his rifle. All he could do was watch as his friend turned to his gaze left looking at something just out of view.

Davren was given no time to react. By the time he locked eyes with the white skinned creature, he already had the head of a mallet less than an inch from his skull. Swung with both hands, the tool struck the Zigg square on the top of his head, killing him before he had time to even fire his gun. The head burst like a ripe melon, painting the nearby walls crimson, as the body dropped to the floor.

The specimen stepped out from the corner of the hallway, grabbing the propped-up body of Fodder by the broken neck, and tossing it over Davren. It raised the mallet with its right hand, pointing the bloody head of its weapon towards the group, before it yelled. The voice it produced was deep and unnatural, as it chanted Fodder’s final words.

“Davren! Freak! Come! Come on! Davren! Fuck!” It yelled, the tone a mix between a taunt and a hunting cry.

Zarbon snapped back to reality, the shock of what he just seen dissipating as blinding fury took over reason. He let out a ferocious cry, firing his rifle from the hip, spraying the hallway with bullets. The specimen quickly jumped back behind the corner, the sound of its foot steps running away drowned out by gunfire. The Commander did not stop shooting wildly, until his gun clicked when it ran out of ammo.

“Come out here you bastard! Fight me! Take me on If you got the balls! You limp dicked fuck! I’ll kill you myself!” He yelled; his rage filled cry echoing through the hallways.

Zarbon tried to run over to the bodies of the other two soldiers, but Girril and the security officer grabbed him from behind, dragging him back into the lab where Sylvia and the researcher watched everything from.

“Don’t! Zarbon, it might still be around, trying to lure us in too!” Girril tried to reason with his commander, soaking in a couple of elbows to the face and chest from the enraged soldier.

“Let me go! I’ll fucking kill that bastard, then I’ll go hang Abrent myself for bringing it here in the first place!” Screamed Zarbon, while slowly being dragged back into the lab.

Back inside the laboratory, the Tyhrid researcher rummaged through the first aid box on the wall by the control panel, before kneeling next to Zarbon, who was sitting on the floor.

“Why didn’t you tell us it can talk? That it could mimic what it hears.” Commander asked while the researches gave him something to calm down a bit, his voice strained and hoarse from the yelling.

She choked up, fighting back tears while slowly shaking her head.

“We-“ She cleared her throat.

“We didn’t know. It never said a word before, only an occasional grunt and huff during testing. Dr. Abrent tried to communicate, all he deduced is that it could learn what words mean, but not speak.”

“Abrent fucked up by underestimating this thing. It’s an intelligent lifeform for fuck’s sake.” Sylvia growled, back turned to Zarbon and the researcher, gun raised and trained on the ventilation shaft entrance.

“The Doctor was so blinded by the prospect of getting filthy rich from selling this animal, he never considered it smart enough to lie and hide its true abilities.” Zarbon groaned.

Girril and the security guard stood outside door, back-to-back, keeping watch over both sides of the hallway. The Zigg was making sure the specimen would not come back to grab the corpses of his comrades that were laying on the right, far end of the hallways.

“Zarbon, you good? I’d hate to rush you, but we best move. The sooner we get to Abrent’s office, the sooner we can get the fuck out of here.” Girril said, leaning towards the door.

With the researchers help, Zarbon stood up, taking a deep breath as the meds administered began taking effect.

“Right, right. We got everything we need Lieutenant?” He asked Sylvia.

The Kuthrani nodded, moving towards the door, still facing the vent. As the lab door closed, the group moved, keeping the avian researcher in the centre of their formation, while the rest of them kept their weapons raised, making sure to cover every corner, door or vent. They stopped on the end of the hallway, deciding to at least move the two corpses to the side at least, since they knew they couldn’t haul the bodies all the way to the shuttle while the specimen was still roaming the facility.

Sylvia took notice of the state Fodder’s body was in, especially his right arm.

“It knows how guns work.” She said, pointing at the mangled right hand with her tentacle.

“His trigger finger and middle finger are totally bent out of shape. He probably tried to shoot it, but it prevented him.”

Zarbon and Girril just nodded in acknowledgement of her statement, saying nothing in response as they leaned the bodies against the wall.

With his knowledge of the facility layout and the fact that the group would inevitably have to head back outside through the main entrance, their assailant decided that he acquired enough information on his prey and began his own hunting preparations. Tools he hoarded were made into rudimentary traps, covering every possible approach the group could take on their way out. The specimen worked in silence, already feeling the satisfaction coursing through his body when thinking about how well these would work.

The group was moving slowly, carefully, crippled by fear and paranoia that he would leap from anywhere. This worked in his favour, allowing him to make trips to and from the cold storage, dragging the bodies of his previous prey outside, without having to worry about running into the armed members of the group. He set the half-eaten, frozen bodies, near his traps, to further drive his prey insane with fear.

Marvelling at his creation, the specimen ran through the hallways, heading towards the engineering room to put the final touch on his hunt preparations.

Girril sighed in defeat, finding out his plasma cutter was gone. Realizing Fodder must have nabbed it in the chaos and then subsequently lost it when he met his end by the specimen would have filled him with anger, but the Zigg has no more of that in him. He simply stood in silence next to Zarbon, both leaning against the hallway wall, while Sylvia tried to break the lock code to Abrent’s office with her PDA.

Cussing and growling, her ears perked up when the lock finally beeped and turned green, and the door opened with a hiss. Sylvia clutched her nose, as a foul stench assaulted his airways. The smell of rot was so potent, that it almost made her puke, despite the filter mask she wore.

Where she kept her composure, the Tyhrid researcher didn’t, leaning against the wall and throwing up. The group was met with Dr. Abrent, sitting in his chair behind his office desk, half decomposed.

“Guess he got his comeuppance.” The security guard said, covering his beak with one hand, pointing at the mining tool sticking out from the corpse’s chest with the other.

While the researcher and security guard stayed outside to guard the door and keep their bowels, Sylvia and the two Ziggs made their way inside, scanning the scene. The vent on the ceiling was open wide, the hatch dangling by a few bolts.

Sylvia inspected the corpse, holding her breath, while searching for the doctor’s PDA.

“Damn, that thing can really hold a grudge.” Zarbon commended, pointing out the level of mutilation the body was put through, most of the damage focused solely on the pelvic region of Dr. Abrent.

“Probably smashed his hips with that pickaxe sticking out of his chest.” Added Girril, before turning to Sylvia.

“PDA still working?”

The Lieutenant was fiddling with the device, eyes widening when it came to life, bathing her face in blueish light.

“Yes!” She quickly checked the data, hoping nothing was erased.

“Yes!” Sylvia said, this time more to herself than anyone else.

“It’s all here. Thank the Matriarch.”

“Okay, so we can get the fuck out of here now?” Came from the security guard outside the door.

“Yeah. Let’s go.” The Kuthrani said, grabbing her rifle off the table, snapping a few images of the deceased Dr. Abrent with her PDA as further evidence and headed for the door.

The group headed back down the hallway, past the propped-up bodies of the two Ziggs, on their way to the main hallway. Fidgeting with her fingers, the researcher looked up at Sylvia, finally mustering enough courage to speak up.

“I just don’t understand. The rookie Zigg’s hand was mangled, to prevent him from shooting. It means the specimen understands guns. We never tested its knowledge with weapons, but if it understands them, why doesn’t it try using them?” She asked, trying to find the answer herself.

“Was the creature avoiding guns on purpose? Did it prefer a more primitive form of hunting, like traps? Did it think they weren’t a threat worthy of using sophisticated weapons?” All those thoughts raced through her mind.

“They’re telemetry locked.” Answered Zarbon.

“All weapons issued by the Intergalactic Coalition are synched specifically with the biometrics of the user, including vital signs. That prevents the gun from being misused, should the owner get disarmed or killed.”

“Based on everything we’ve seen it do so far, it probably tried using Fodder’s pulse rifle, only to realize it can’t since it’s not Fodder.” Girril added to Zarbon’s explanation, while Sylvia just nodded in agreement.

“Guns without owners get collected and sent back to a rearming centre, where they are wiped clean and recalibrated. No matter how smart it might be, that thing ain’t recalibrating shit.”

This revelation seemed to calm the researchers worries a bit, knowing that they would not at least be gunned down when rounding a corner.

The group moved quickly, all their objectives completed, all that was left was to escape the facility. Maintaining their formation, covering all 4s sides with the researcher in the middle, they didn’t even make it to the end of the hallway before the lights went out abruptly.

Specimen 0’s final touch, cutting out the power in the entire facility, forcing the survivors to rely solely on the flashlights attached to their pulse rifles.

From deep within the facility, a blood curdling howl echoed, signalling the beginning of the hunt. The group stood still, feet as if welded to the metal floor of the hallway, hearts in their throats, waiting for their nightmare to burst from the shadows. But nothing came.

After a few deep breaths, the formation continued to move, without so much as a word spoken, focusing their sight and hearing for any signs of danger.

Something stood at the end of the hallway, leaning on the wall where the side hallway connected with the main one. Without hesitation, Girril fired a shot, aimed at the thighs of the person.

The body simply fell on the floor with the sound of a half thawed out piece of meat hitting the ground.

“Fuck me, it’s one of the bodies from the food storage.” The Zigg whispered, shining his flashlight on the corpse once they got clone enough.

“I see. So, it wants to play like that.” Zarbon spoke quietly, before addressing the others.

“Listen up, remember that we are the only survivors in this facility. If you see something, it’s either a corpse or the specimen, either way, put a bullet in it, just to be safe.”

Though the Kuthrani and Ziggs didn’t care much for the bodies being used as decoys, for the security guard this had a potent effect. Seeing his friends and co-workers, folks he spent multiple cycles with on this desolate rock, torn and in such a state, made him nauseous and light headed.

The group kept moving, keeping an eye on the ground for any sign of traps.

As they reached the main hallway, still plenty away from salvation, the chanting began, followed by loud banging, just out of sight. Their heads all turned in unison towards the source of the noise, as the hallway echoed with rhythmic banging and deep, guttural chants that resembled more animalistic grunts and growls than any form of coherent speech.

Sylvia could no longer tell which direction it’s coming from, eyes quickly darting from one end of the hallway to the other, looking for the source of the mind dulling noise. She thought she spotted movement just outside her peripheral, quickly turning and firing a short burst in that direction.

Another corpse fell to the ground with a thud, garnering the spotlight of their flashlights for a moment. The security guard felt his head spin, unable to look away from the corpse. He recognized the uniform immediately, same one that he wore, tattered and torn to rags across the hollowed-out corpse of his former colleague.

“Snap the fuck…” Zarbon nudged him, suddenly realizing the chanting and banging had stopped, only the sound of the guards hysterical breathing filling the air. The avian’s flashlight still on the corpse, leaving the path ahead of him unilluminated.

A familiar whistling came from the dark. In a split-second decision, Zarbon reached behind, knowing Sylvia was watching over the formation rear and grabbed her by the tentacle, yanking and causing her to bend down to his height. She was the tallest of them and that made her the easiest target.

The commander’s prediction proved true, a makeshift spear flying out the dark, barely missing her head.

“Fucker’s going for headshots.” Zarbon hissed, letting go of Sylvia, who decided to stay hunched over, as another whistling quickly followed the first.

This time, the specimen decided not to try and flaunt his skill, causing the second spear to strike the security guard right in the chest, knocking him on his back.

The formation changed without a second thought, compensating for the guard who everyone rightly assumed dead.

Zarbon quickly raised his gun, illuminating the hallway in front of him, catching just the glimpse of the specimen as it disappeared around the corner.

With only three people armed left, the Zigg commander had to throw caution partially to the wind and give the order for the group to pick up pace, while still trying to watch for wires or any other form of traps. Besides the researcher, the Kuthrani Enforcer and two Zigg soldiers posed the toughest challenge. The reptiles had thick enough scales that improvised spears would not be lethal, and all three wore bullet proof vests.

Without the security guard, it proved difficult to keep every corner covered, their flashlights strong but their assailant was always just outside the range of illumination. Those same lights, which kept them alive, made them easy to target.

The specimen was now on full offence, testing their response. It ran around them, through side halls and rooms, always staying just out of the reach of their flashlights.

Corpses strewn about the floor served to both terrify and slow down the survivors, as they now had to watch for traps as well as not trip over the bodies. Even after everything they had been through, the group did succumb to pressure. With Zarbon taking the lead, the formation kept moving, eyes and guns trained up, ignoring the sickening decoration the creature used to break their will to fight.

Once more the chanting fell silent, leaving the survivors to drown in their own paranoia, trying to think of where the next assault will come from and in what form. Another spear? A trap? A piece of rebar fired from a somewhere in the dark? Not knowing that the thing was nearby was almost worse than knowing. Girril, tasked with watching over the formations left back side, while Sylvia watched the right, thought he noticed something moving towards the group.

He focused his eyes, as the familiar face of Fodder quickly came into view. His horrified expression, still etched into Girril’s mind, paralyzed the Zigg for a mere moment, before he yelled.

“Contact!” The soldier pulled the trigger of his rifle, firing a short burst before he even knew what was going on before him. Shots hit the corpse of his comrade, not slowing it down for a second.

One moment he fired, the next he was face to face with Fodder. He had a split second to realize what was going on. Their scales and bullet proof vests, which protected them from the spears were cleverly turned against them. The creature stood behind the meat shield, holding the corpse with its left hand in front it, blocking the majority of its body from gunfire.

Without stopping, the specimen steamrolled into Girril, knocking him backward onto the researcher. The force of the push sent both of them flying to the floor, making the soldier drop his rifle. Sylvia didn’t even get a chance to fully turn around, before a sharp pain shot through her entire body. Her right knee, struck full force with the bloodied mallet, could not withstand the impact. With an audible crack, she yelled in pain, falling down and grabbing her knee.

The specimen, still holding Fodder’s lifeless body in its left hand, threw it aside at Zarbon. The commander managed to sidestep it, training his gun once more on where the specimen should have been, but the light illuminated nothing. As quickly as it attacked, the creature retreated back into the dark hallway from which it came, dragging Girril with it.

The poor Zigg screamed and shouted, calling out to his commander for help, but Zarbon couldn’t do anything. The cries abruptly stopped, followed by a noise akin to laughter, twisted and mocking.

“Sylvia, get up! We have to move. We’re almost there!” Zarbon rushed over to the Lieutenant, helping her up as much as he could, their difference in height making it difficult for her to lean on him.

A wave of relief washed over them, as the entrance door came into view. Strewn about the floor were Fodder’s supplies, gun and plasma cutter included. The panel was almost fully cut through.

Zarbon rushed over, slamming his foot against the door, grabbing the panel with both his hands and prying it open, pushing against the door with his leg. Sylvia stood next to him with the researcher, watching the hallway while he struggled with the panel. Finally, it gave way, exposing the yellow manual release handle behind it. With both hands, the Zigg commander grabbed the level, pushing it down. The locks clanged and the door began opening with a slow pneumatic hiss.

The cold air of outside poured in, the storm still raging on.

“Move it.” The Zigg grabbed Sylvia by the forearm, pushing her through the door as it opened.

The three of them slipped past the door before it even fully opened. With no more traps to worry about, leaving the creature behind, they made a mad dash through the mud, towards the shuttle.

Thanks to an arm to leg ratio that was smaller than with most bipedal species, Ziggs included, Sylvia moved quick and unimpeded on all four, through the deep mud. A sight very unbecoming for a Coalition Peace Enforcer Lieutenant, her uniform and white fur ruined by mud. But if it meant survival, the means justified the cause. She quickly overtook the other two, making it to the shuttle first. Opening the cargo doors, she rushed inside and headed to the front, to turn the engine on and prepare the craft for take-off, as soon as the other two caught up.

Zarbon wasn’t too far behind, though his progress towards the spacecraft was significantly slowed down thanks to the researcher he practically had to drag through the mud because she wouldn’t stop tripping or getting her thin, avian feet, stuck in the soft, rain soaked ground.

As they finally reached the shuttle, he ushered her inside, preparing to close the cargo door.

“As soon as we are off this rock, I’m sending an urgent distress call to the Coalition. They can send a hit squad to capture or terminate this fucker, before it finds a way to the mining colonies.” He spat, leaning on the interior wall of the shuttle, catching his breath. A click came from behind him, causing the Zigg to turn on his heels.

“Sorry Commander, I cannot let you do that.” Spoke the researcher, her voice suddenly cold and devoid of emotion. The panic she showed mere moment prior was nowhere to be seen on her expression, as she pulled out a handgun from her lab coat and pointed it at Zarbon.

“See, this specimen is far too valuable to just be allowed to die here, or fall into Coalition hands.”

Without hesitation, the Tyhrid pulled the trigger, shooting the Zigg in the chest.

“It is very fortunate that the Coalition sent a Kuthrani enforcer with you, it will help with capturing the specimen.”

She kicked the reptile’s rifle out into the mud, as he laid on his back, gasping for air.

“What are you doing?” Sylvia hissed, as she rushed over from the front of the shuttle when the gunshot went off. She grabbed her rifle, aiming her at the researcher.

“Ah-ah-ah. Careful now Lieutenant. I’d hate to add the Commander to the list of unfortunate casualties of this mission.” The avian pointed her pistol at the Zigg’s head.

“Drop the gun, or I drop him.”

The look in her eyes told Sylvia all she needed to know. This was not the first time the researcher used someone else’s life as leverage, not the first time she held someone at gun point, and Dr. Abrent was not the only one directly involved in the smuggling operations.

“Are you insane?!” The Kuthrani shouted, tossing her rifle to the side, out of reach.

“This thing single-handedly killed everyone in this facility, including three armed Zigg mercenaries.”

“A mishap, nothing more. These animals are invaluable. If we leave it here for the Coalition to find, they will add them to the protected species list, costing the Empire billions of credits, if not more.”

Replied the Tyhrid, before kicking Zarbon, sending him tumbling out the shuttle onto the mud.

Sylvia didn’t take long to understand what the researcher had in mind.

“I am NOT going back in there.”

“You are. If you value your life and his.” Tyhrid’s face contorted around her beak, in what Sylvia could only describe as an attempt to smile. It looked about as uncanny as the specimen laughter sounded.

“C’mon. You’re a Kuthrani. You’re faster, smarter and you have those stingers of yours. That animal does not stand a chance against you. All you have to do is give it a little prick and let the paralytic venom do the rest.”

“Animal.”

“Aaaanimal.”

The researcher froze in terror, her feathers ruffling as she felt a heavy breath wash over the back of her neck. It was a stupid oversight to even think the specimen wouldn’t follow them outside the facility. She spun around, coming face to face with the human. It was bent sideways, not even giving her time to aim her handgun before it delivered a devastating punch straight to her stomach, lifting her light body off its feet with its right hand. The Tyhrid let out a gargling noise, before the left fist connected with the side of her face, sending her flying into the cargo bay wall.

Sylvia dove for her rifle, but the specimen did not waste any time. Before the avian researcher even hit the wall, the human was already lunging towards the Lieutenant. She grabbed her rifle, only to be struck in the face by the specimen’s heel, before being able to aim the weapon.

The creature grabbed the rifle, tossing it behind himself, before starting to rain punches onto the Kuthrani, who was doing her best to shield her head with her arms. Her vision was quickly getting blurry and she could taste the blood pouring from her nose.

Outside the shuttle, Zarbon finally managed to get up on his feet. For whatever reason, the human simply ignored him as it went into the shuttle. He didn’t have much time to think about it, Sylvia needed his help.

Rushing back up the ramp on all four, the Zigg almost gasped at what he saw. The Tyhrid was laying on the floor, groaning, slowly coming to her senses, while the pale creature was wailing on Sylvia.

Without a second thought, Zarbon grabbed the pulse rifle that Sylvia had dropped and aimed it at the human’s back.

Despite her head throbbing like crazy and her vision blurry from the impact, the researcher opened her eyes to see Zarbon standing at the entrance of the cargo bay with a gun in his hand.

“No!” She yelled feebly, grabbing her handgun off the floor and fired at him wildly and without aiming.

Zarbon fired off a short burst, raising his arms in a desperate attempt to protect his head from the shots the Tyhrid fired at him, before one of them hit his thigh, causing him to fall down the ramp and tumble out the shuttle a second time.

Startled by the sudden gunfire, the human specimen stopped beating down on the Kuthrani. Her face was a bruised and bloody mess. She was missing several front teeth; her left eye was swollen shut and her nose was bleeding profusely. Sylvia could barely move her arms, using them to somewhat protect her head from the hammer-like fists of the creature, resulted in her forearms and elbows to take heavy damage too. She exhaled, spitting out some blood, and opening her other good eye.

The specimen was still kneeling over her, keeping her pinned with its weight, but it was not looking at her. He seemed distracted, looking over his shoulder at the Tyhrid researcher, who seemed to still be conscious. This seemed to displease and bring joy to the creature at the same time, as it slammed the side of its left fist on the cargo bay wall, grinning with glee.

Sylvia had no clue who the researcher shot at, but the specimen seemed unharmed, as it stood up and fully turned towards the avian.

The Kuthrani let her arms slump by her side, as she could barely keep her head up. Standing up was out of the question. But it was not the end of her arsenal.

With a grimace of pure violence, the human moved towards the researcher, clenching and unclenching his fists. A few steps in, and he suddenly collapsed, falling face first onto the floor.

Everything felt heavy, even breathing had to be done manually. His entire body felt like it was made out of rock, and he had no control over it. Out the corner of his eye, he could see the Kuthrani pulling her tentacles away from him, the stingers dripping with venom.

“Holy shit.” The researcher spoke up, getting up on shaky legs.

She peered over the edge of the cargo bay, looking at Zarbon’s body, laying in the mud below, before she pressed the button to retract the ramp and close the door.

She squatted down and patted the paralyzed specimen on the back.

“You’re gonna help me get all your brothers and sisters for the Empire. Make me rich, okay?”

As Sylvia gurgled from the floor a few steps away from the human, trying to talk, the avian walked over and helped her up, allowing the Kuthrani to lean on her as much as needed, practically carrying the Lieutenant over to the cryo pods.

“As much as I’d love to leave you here, to ferment in the mud with Commander Zarbon, I still need you, Lieutenant. Your paralytic venom at least.”

She placed Sylvia in the cryo pod and closed It shut, as the Kuthrani slowly drifted off into slumber when the anaesthetic gas began seeping into the pod.

With the human, it was a much greater struggle. Besides being paralyzed, the thing weighed way more than the Kuthrani, despite the latter being noticeably taller.

The researcher had to work fast, really putting her back into hauling the drooling slab of meat to the cryo pods, because she didn’t know how long it Sylvia’s venom would keep the creature paralyzed.

After a significant effort and being sure she pulled a tendon or two, the lid of the cryo pod was placed over the specimen, anaesthetic gas slowly filling the chamber.

“Thank fuck that’s over. Now.” She said, heading over to the pilot’s cabin with Sylvia’s PDA in hand, and punching in the coordinates from Dr. Abrent’s data.

The shuttle began taking off, quickly reaching outer atmosphere and leaving Adama behind.

The Tyhrid walked over to the third cryo pod, which she prepared for herself.

“Fame and fortune, here I come!”

She mumbled, as the pod closed, filling up with gas, slowly sending her to sleep as well, as the shuttle was charted towards the specimen’s planet of origin.