Raptor One – Chapter 5
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After my first day as a adult passed i started to move around the colony, preparing myself for what I'll have to face in 6 days, the first thing i did was ask the school for early graduation, as this will help me a lot if i need to go to another grid colony, at the end of the day it got aproved and i was officially graduated, with that done i spent the next 3 days doing medical exans and treating a pletora of Hunters, gaining my official tier 4 medic licence, or so i tought, on my last day in the hospital the doctor send me to na emergency treatment, the Hunter guy got in the wrong side of a arachnid grinder, when i say the poor fella he was looking like a medical jiggsaw puzzle, but still alive, not in one piece, unfortunately for him, i did not know the guy was considered terminal and hopeless so i started using my medical knowledge, and a lot of mechanical knowledge too, it was hard to piece together the guy, but i managed it with some good ol elbow glue, nerve sewing and a lot of work, needed to be fast or the rest of the guy’s blood would end and the guy give in on me, but i succeeded, later i got to know the guy was a lost cause, and was send to me by Susan recomendation for a tier 5 chalenge, and i passed, that got me surprised, as i never knew a tier chalenge was so hard.
After Susan surprise task, i was later called in by Melie, the Tier 5 engineer, she sent me to various advanced and dangerous mechanical works that needed repair, maintenance, or even a plain out rebuilding, being half machine helped a lot in making everything work, then Melie guided me to the Bunker, where the colony nuclear reactor, servers and water extraction unit is kept, and said, to give maintenance to the entire bunker, reactor included, yeeks, still did it, and with that i got a Tier 5 engineer license, that was hard and strenuous and perilous job, after all that i decided to focus my last 2 days in meditation trying to deepen my understanding in Clairvoyance more, then came the day to check in.
As i was on my way to the military sector where I'll start my training in the gate, right outside the military sector, i spoted the Inquisitor, who saw me aproaching.
Inquisitor - “Hello there, Captain Silver, how was the week?”
Silver - “Da, the week was frenetic at wost.”
Inquisitor - “Did you hear about the ant wave? It invaded our colony metal syntetizer, cutting us of our metal supply.”
Silver - “Da, I heard the place was protected by a Walker squad of 3, and some Hunter squads, how did it fall?”
Inquisitor - “Simple, one of the Walker pilot was a rookie, not even fresh out of training yet, and was placed there as punishment, but the place got attacked, at first it was okay, but soon they were being overwhelmed, the rookie walker was surrounded and he panicked, bad move, that caused a hole in the defense as the rookie managed to slam his own walker into the others, losing all mobility and forcing everyone to retreat the place, leaving the rookie to fate. A lone scout was send to identify the situation there but we lost contact with it, don’t know why, so we need someone to go and find the missing scout, and if possible get info on the ants.”
Silver - “You thing the Walker is still there? I'd like to get my hands in one and become a pilot while at it.”
Inquisitor - “Oh? I see now, you want to enter into the Walker Division, well, i can arrange a place for you in it, and even make the Lost Walker your property.”
I Scowl at him.
Silver - “Da, what’s the catch?”
Inquisitor - “Ha, há, intelligent and sharp as always, yeah, there’s a catch if you want this freebie, you will be the one to search for the lost scout, get info on the ants, and then bring back the Walker, alone, don’t worry, I'll prepare you a big backpack with materials to repair the walker if you do accept.”
Silver - “You didn’t mention using a vehicle. Because of the Walker i suppose? So I'll have to walk there on foot.”
Inquisitor - “Yes, you in for it? To start your career with a bang.”
Silver - “Sure, but i also want a sharp knife, i don’t have unlimited bullet’s even if i use it with graviokinesis, let’s go, the earlier i start the best.”
With the conversation done we go directly to the Hunter Division, there I'm given a big backpack with materials for repairs and a knife, completing my kit, i place the skine in my pocket, wear the backpack, check my rations on my right pocket, i have tem nutrition cubes, if used sparingly it’s 10 days of ration, check ammo, two cartridges with 50 ammo each, plus loaded kinetic slingers each with a full 11 bullets, total of 122 bullets, with hat i go my way into the wasteland.
At first the walk was boring so i started to put the boot’s spring to use and started running in the direction of the overrun metal syntesizer, can’t fly with this heavy backpack only glide, so i was in to a lot of running.
After hours running, and the heat blasting this dry wasteland, i feel the wind change direction, a perk of being a flyer, but i abruptly halt my steps, coming to a jumping stop.
Silver - “There is blood in the air, human blood at that.”
I say to myself as i start snifing it’s direction while on guard, the smell seen fresh, coming from.... East?
I look East and find nothing, that is untill my visor suddenly changes into infra red and i see something i never tought I'd see here, it knows i found it and is aproaching leisurely, as i take in it’s apearance, and the head with it’s spine dangling beside it’s waist.
Silver - “Yautja, predator, blooded, mark don’t resembles a mark used for hunted xenomorphs, so i can cross the idea of having to fight xenos on this planet, can’t say for sure offworld tough.”
It uncloaks itself in front of me, seeing me it takes a more offensive stance, with that i drop my backpack on the ground move paralel to him also in a combat stance, then a stand off.
It roars at me and uncheates it’s wrist blade, and i do the same, showing my viroblades, it’s a duel, we both have ranged capabilities, but a wordless staredown shut’s the idea of a shootout. He’s on!
Silver - “Come on big guy! Let's see what you got!”
Then we clash, wrist blade with viroblade, grinding at eachother, neither weapon giving in, i was launched backward by it’s strenght, i may have a built in exoskeleton but I'm still made to fly, so it’s clear I'm in the disadvantage, so i start moving in zig zag to get more kinetic energy for another clash, we exchange blows again and again, a swipe and i duck trying to get it’s left leg, but the yautja moves out of the way, swiping up at me, forcing me to back flip out of it’s way, using the energy of the landing i blast at it’s direction again, getting into a lock with his wrist blade as he steps back by the force, we are open for one another, but i manage to move first, sheating the viroblades i manage to slide right under the yautja legs, almost lost my tail there, but with his back open i give the yautja a power kick to it’s ankles, making it kneel before it can counter attack, as the yautja tries to recuperate it’s stance i pounce at him, viroblades ready, and then the battle is over, as i deflect his right wrist blade making him fall back first with my viroblade pointed at his neck.
We stare at each other, both shedding blood from the combat.
Silver - “You can go, i don’t need the life of a Yautja.”
I say sheating my viroblades and jumping out, making some distance betwen us, the yautja also sheats his wristblades and get up, as the yautja lost the duel and was kept alive, he takes out his plasma caster and gives it to me. Not wanting to let this end like this, i say.
Silver - “I know you can understand me, i want to become a peer, a marked one, brothers.”
The yautja nods and comes right before me, takke some of his own blood that was dripping from it’s neck and marked me, right in the white metal frame of my visor, after that was done he cloaks and goes away, while i put my backpack again and head my way to the metal syntesizer again.
Silver- “Huh. Looks like i don’t need to find the lost scout anymore, it was the head in the yautja waist, poor guy, talk about bad luck.”
*Scan complete: two new weapon blueprints available*
Show me.
*Wrist blade upgrade: Comsumes your grabing hood and knetic slinger in exchange of cloaking capable wrist blade.*
*Shoulder cannon: As the Plasma caster uses too much energy, the design was changed to use ammo and it’s energy consumption relocated to a kinectic railgun, has all the functionalities of a plasma caster, auto aiming system included, this upgrade requires a plasma caster and uses the neck port slot to function, removable.*
How much nanites is needed to complete the changes?
*25 units out of the stored 250 units.*
So five days worth of food just to recycle the existing materials and make new ones.... deal, start operation, it will be handy to be hable to cloack.
*Upgrade starting, consuming plasma caster: done, starting: ETA 2 hours*
With this out of the way i continue my way to the site, I'll take 4 hours to get there at my running pace, I'm up to a long day.... at least I'm exerciting myself, haha.
Halfway to the task site i hear the system alert, so i look at my left shoulder and see a pretty good cannon latched to my left shoulder, i place my hand on my neck and feel the cable connected to my neck port, i move my head and feel that it does not damper my neck mobility, with a tought it springs up into my shoulder with a cla-clak sound of loading and start aiming where I'm looking as the system as not spoted a enemy to auto lock, feeling good at the sleek black Shoulder cannon i sheat it with a tought, the cannon sliding back soundlessly, now happearing like it’s just a protusion.
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
Looking at my hands i now see what was once a metallic gray, now a sleek black, sharp finger ends, my left hand pulsating in red and the right cyan, clearly they now serve as psyonic boosters for graviokinesis, reducing the mental payload for using it, now I'm able to just sling the bullet itself and have no need for a gun again, i activate my gauntlets and three pair of blades sprung from my hands in a triangle, the wrist blades on top mirroring the pulse color of my gauntlets, and so is doing the lower viroblade, sheating my blades i return to running, not forgeting to test the cloaking capabilities i got as i disapear while running.
Metal syntesizer factory site.
I slow to a walk while cloaked, i spoted a lot of worker ants everywhere and some patroling soldier ants, lookin into the factory i see some flying ants?
Silver - “Seriously?”
A worker ant looks my way and comes to where i am, with a swift morion it’s head is now betwen my wrist blades.
Silver - “Sharp, i like it. Let’s find the Walker first.”
I start walking to where the factory is while watching the ants, to see the direction they are coming from.... North of the factory, so there may be where the Walker is.
Going to the north area i see increasing amounth of soldier ants, surrounding a Bug Walker, dripping in red blood, not the scene i wanted to see a walker, but when I'm done it’s mine, bloody smell and all, ugh, will take a while to clean back at base. Scan.
*Scanning Walker: Complete, Bug Walker: Condition: Critical damage to leg servomotors, Jump system damaged, 155mm howitizer cannon damaged: incapable of reloading ammo, cockpit breached.*
That’s a lot, for now let’s clear the soldier ants.
As i move closer to the surrounded walker a flying ant gives a grass cutter passing right in front of me, surprised the heck out of me, but before i could react the shoulder cannon springs up and blast the flying ant heads off making it fall and roll on the ground, stoping in front of my cloaked self with a soft bump on me making me take some steps back, dangerous, those flying ants are crazy! Who in it’s right mind will do a grass cutter maneuver!
Silver - “........”
Speechless i look up front and see some soldier ants coming my way to investigate the death of it’s brethren, five out of the thirteen ants come giving me a good angle to pounce into one, so i do just that, with a flip and a thrust it’s head detaches fron it’s body and it falls down with me on top, throwing the head up i use graviokinesis to hit another ants with it’s pointy end impaling it’s head on the ground, as i slide under the pincer of the third ant giving it a good three way hole as i slide out the weight of the bag helping to spin me around fast enought to give the middle of it’s face a swipe, it’s armor separating in three pieces as ant brain jiuce splashes everywhere, the last ant close to me tries to give sound a alarm but fail miserably as i throw a piece of cut chittin in it’s mouth to shut it, and with a jump i slam the ant head to the ground and nail it down with the viroblade, then i jump away from there so i can re cloack properly as with all the ant juice and movement the cloack was fliking enabling the ants to see me, as i go around the rest of the curious or furious ants i get in front of the Bug Walker.
This litlle guy is huge, if compared to a tank, it have double it’s size and height, and this one is just the small one of all the Walkers available, the Walker is in a strange position, but i manage to get in front of it’s cockpit using one of it’s 3 pair of legs, with a grunt i manage to pry open the cockpit with graviokinesis, the cockpit is really small almost no space for a small person to get inside, i see the impaled body of this Walker last pilot, a male Demi of the wolf type, it’s head and chest permanently impaled into the cockpit, the spike poking out of his chest damaged the midle control skeleton, trying not to splash more blood in the cockpit i carefully unlatches the midget, hand in the chest spike not to hurt myself, as the last latch opens the body slumps for ard and i quickly move my head to the right and push the body by the spike separating the middle control skeleton from the body enabling it to move back to the ground, not latching because of the damage, I'll have to repair that if i want to even start being able to try starting the Walker, with a grunt i throw the body outside the north defence line, where a swarm of worker ants flock to the body and start tearing it apart as it did with it’s dead siblings then moving away with it’s limbs and guts back to their anthill, that must be close by to the north defence perimeter.
Okay, i got acess to the Walker, and i got partial intelligence on the ants, that’s half the task done, first repair the Walker, then get the rest of the intel on the ants, can’t use the Walker, will bring too much attention, don’t want a swarm on me while on a damaged walking tin can, so I'll have to do that on foot, luckly i got the wrist blades, making wonders here.
I drop the backpack in the center of the ockpit, it uncloacking as it’s not atached to me anymore, i open it and start waving my hands as i colect the drying blood in the cockpit with graviokinesis and throw it out the open latch, then i start the repairs on the Walker trying to make as less sound as possible.
The cockpit was easilly repaired as it’s damahe was mostly external, the only severe damage was the middle skeleton control, responsible for Walker operation, managed to repair the neck connector too, repairing the servomotors was a problem in itself, ants may have bad eye sight but they love to see moving floating pieces, so i had to be always moving around the Walker when removing damahed servomotor parts and plates, that was making a simple leg repair become a game of pacience as i had to play cat and mouse with the ants, luckly i don’t have to mind night time, yet.
After 4 hours of cat and mouse with the ants i manage to repair all the legs servomotors into operational state and close it with untouched armor plates realocated fron the inter joints, now that I'm not heavy with repair materials i just jump over the soldier ants into the cockpit, and start repairing the breach, the Bug Walker cockpit open into three parts, one up, and one for each side(left and right), luckly the internal armor plates protected the eletronic components from damage so i just have to repair the latch and glue some small armor plates into external holes, with that done i close the cockpit so the ants won’t see me inside, but just that action made a flying ant land on top of the cockpit in curiosity, after two minutes it flies off, letting me do my job, so i place the backpack into a hanger right on top of my head and then adjusts the control skeleton for my size and proportions, that done i place my left leg into the slot and it locks my leg in place, i try releasing it but with no success, that must be why the guy panicked, meh, i place the other leg and it also locks, i look left and place my hand into another slot, locking it like it’s a exosuit, till now I'm okay, but before i place my right in the slot i unplugh the shoulder cannon liberating the neck slot, if this thing have a neck connector it may have some unespected use, with that done i place my right hand in the slot and click, I'm locked in place, i look back and see the middle skeleton moving up from it’s slot into my back, locking my torso, then the neck, and click, i feel the connector on my neck lock, with that i see a boot up status in my vision, then I'm mobed into a strange position!
Silver - “Now that i think about it, ins’t this position the same as the Walker?”
Before i move out of this awkward position i give a once over the Walker system, it’s a mess, so i start to adjust changed parameters into their proper place, most of the errors can only be repaired on base where they have the proper program, after doing the best i could, i start scanning the Walker controls so can get as fast as possible it’s moving parameters, with that i start getting out of the awkward position slowly, the Walker, surprisingly obeing smoothly, if you ignore some sudden jerks, now that I'm upright i start giving the legs some movement to feel how it works, the ants outside not liking that off course, as they are swarming around the Walker warrilly, some flying ants even landing on top of the cockpit, I'm feeling like a king amids’t a flock of maids, that want to murder me that is.
I chuckle at that as I'm done with testing how the Walker works, advanced things like jumping I'll try later when fleeing, so i crouch down on the cockpit and the mech lowers itself, almost touching the ground but high enough to jump down and up the cockpit directly, i stay like that for half a hour before giving the unlatch order....
Silver - “Wait, i need to register myself as the new owner or I'll be lock out of the Walker... Where was it....”
Coursing trough the system i find the option, but it’s grayed out, it’s thinking I'm a emergency rescue pilot, looking more i find the radio comms, and it’s working, maybe they can give some help here, and I'll update the task status along too.
Silver - “Colony 22 Alpha, this is Captain Silver from Walker three, location site 1 north, requesting support, over.”
Minutes later i get a open reply.
* “Walker three, here’s C22a responding, you’re in a overrun location, give me a status report, Over.”
* Silver - “Captain Silver here, I'm a scout sent to locate and gather intel on the anthill by the Inquisitor itself, the last scout is KIA, visual confirmation, did not reach the scouting area, head and spine riped off. Walker pilot found, KIA, Impaled in the head and chest, visual confirmatiom, unable to retrieve body, ants harvested it, my current condition is stable, but i need admim rights to change the Walker identification system, please advice, Over.”
* - “Report received, I'm contacting a Inquisitor right now to liberate access to Walker systems, over.”
* Silver - “Understood, Over.”
* Inquisitor - “Hello there Captain Silver, i see you managed to get the Walker up and running.”
* Silver - “Jumping too, over.”
* Inquisitor - “Hahaha, alright, let’s see, what was the actual code now..... oh, there it is. Walker three, code zulu omega foxtrot c5l2o3a2 KIA.
With that the Walker system restarts disconecting the comms, having booted up the Walker system colects my identity and image, download it from the colony database, and now I'm now it’s official pilot, that done i activate the standby process and I'm moved to the standard position and unlatched, the Walker adjusting it’s position for easy access into the cockpit automatically, huh, i didn’t need to stay crouched for half a hour eh, noted, now that I'm free i plug the shoulder cannon cable back on my neck slot and cloaks again as the cockpit latch opens automaticaly, giving me enought time to jump out of the way of some very curious soldier ants, that i just ignore and run further north, where i see more and more ants as i see a big mound, too big for a normal colony.
As i climb the antjill trying not to get hit by passing ants, or flying ones too, crazy bugs, i reach the top and get eye to eye with a Kaijuu class Gatekeeper! Not good!
With strenght i stretch open my wings and jump as high as i can as i see the Gatekeeper spit acid where i was before!
Now flying right above the Gatekeeper with some flying ants i try to look inside the anthill, and after some flying by i manage to get some good intel about the number and types of ants, and a more detailed location of the anthill, so i fly left and just glide for some minutes before reaching the outer area of site 1 north, where i land close to the Walker, the cockpit is closed and the soldier ants are surrounding it, again, but now that i don’t need to mind stealth, i just throw some bullets up and with a wave snipe all the twenty Soldier ants, 80 bullets left, i uncloack in front of the Walker and it opens it’s ockpit, so i jump in as my shoulder cannon snipes five more flying ants, the cockpit closes as i unplug my sholder cannon from the neck slot and lock in on the Walker, unlike the first time it connects in seconds and adjust itself into walking position, and just like that i start running south taking the east side route close to the factory where the flying ants are, as i bulldoze my way to safety i position the 155mm howitizer cannon into flak mode and start blasting air waves into the flying ants direction, the pressure blasting their fragile wings off and forcing a crashlanding as i bulldoze trough the area, jumping left and right in a zig zag pathern and the flying ants spits spikes into the Walker direction along with some soldier ants as the worker ants try to bite down my Walker legs to stall or halt me, but fail as my Walker jumps clunsily forward out of the worker ants enciclement, impaling ants left and right with the sharp legs of the Bug Walker.
Silver - “Hahahahahaha! This is fun! Walker three to C22a, returning to base, WOOPS! Right! Right! Done, Uff, Eta 30 minutes! Over.”
With that said and the feeling of the Walker getting better and better i start jumping faster and higher as the chase goes on into the wasteland, the the 155mm in already down for stability and I'm limiting the force and altitude of the jump to it’s maximum damaged capability, but even that makes a grasshoper feel shame conpared to how good this Walker jumps.
Not finding anymore pursuing ants the return to New Eden is uneventfull but fun, that is untill i start seeing the walls of New Eden, where Walkers, Soldiers and War maidens keep a constant watch around it, spoting me jumping fast in their direction a Arachnid Walker gives a warning shot and i halt the Walker movement, shortly after i receive a comms request.
* “Arachnid Alpha, to Non identified Bug Walker, open comms and identify yourself, Over.”
* Silver - “Here is Captain Silver, returning from overrun site 1 with report for Inquisitor of the scouting task, requesting clearance, over.”
* - “Captain Silver, understood, your report was identified and confirmed, clear to proceed, direction, hangar bay 12, the Inquisitor will be waiting there for a direct report. Over."
* Silver - “Understood, proceeding as planed. Over.”
After that i managed to enter New Eden, the Walker looking like a porcupine, giving sparks, but still going forward like nothing hapened to it, bringing awe to the Soldiers, Cheers to the Walker Pilots, and interested looks from the War maidens, as i basically paraded the Walker trough base into hangar 12, where i activated standby mode, pluged in the shoulder cannon cable and got off the Walker head high and gone directly to the Inquisitor.
Inquisitor - “You have a interesting career if all that bug blood says something, haha, i see potenntial in you, now how the task?”
Silver - “Da, it’s done, scouts KIA by a yautja, guy never got a chance.”
Inquisitor - “How did you arrive into that conclusion?”
I show my Wrist blades and the eyes of the Inquisitor bulges in surprise, then yelps and freezes when he sees a sleek black shoulder cannon aimed at his face, tracking his movement.
Inquisitor - “Please... Captain Silver... Lower down your weapons?”
Silver - “Da, it’s good to know you’re not a unfeeling machine.”
With weapons sheated i continue my report
Silver - “The Old pilot is KIA, harvested by the ants for food, walker inoperable, had to pry it open before begining repairs and retrieval, the anthill is 10 minutes walk of site 1 north, extimated three thousand ants diversified of worker, soldier and flying, detected Kaijuu class Gatekeeper and Sergeant ants, possibility of Kaijuu class Ant Queen is over 75%.”
Inquisitor - “Noted, all in all, we got a class 3 or 4 ant invasion in our hands, good work, this Walker is already in your name, and you’re part of the Walker Pilot training program now, you can start tomorow, I've already done your paperwork, oh, your albino tigress is now a War maiden in training directly under Roberta, don’t you feel lucky boy?”
Silver - “Niet, i feel exauted, even more now that i have to manage two War maidens in the future. Sigh, I'm going home. Need to wash up, bug juices smell worse than my own blood, bye.”
Inquisitor - “See you another time.”
The Inquisitor gives me a smile and go on his own way, pretty sure he’ll prepare a extermination team to liberate our only metal syntesizer on site 1, I've done my part, now it’s the their turn.
After a long walk back home i say hello to Susan, and she gives me a hug and headpats not being antzy about my smell, haha, i give her a tooty grin, and we sit to talk about what happened, she got pretty mad at the start knowing that i fought a yautja, but got happy later after i showed my new toys, and knowing I'm now a Walker pilot with a Walker on my name, after some more chating i go take a shower then hit the bed after eating mama’s cooking, and in no time I'm asleep.....
Wonder how will be my training tomorow....