"Fuck, how much did we get? Did we get enough to use any of the weapons besides the RFG?” Ice demanded.
Ducky checked something on his invisible interface. “We can fire the Nano cannons one time.”
Ice looked at the screen showing the nightmare ype 14s writhing on top of each other as they tried to get to the ship. “ Do it!” The ship rocked slightly as the four nano cannons discharged into the writhing mass of creatures disintegrating while the nanobots devoured the creatures alive. Once they returned to the ship Ducky checked the bunkers again. “We are in the black. We gained 5% overall for the Type 14s.”
“Good, take us down. I'm going to go back into the nest and see if I can't find the Type 17 you said should be there.” Ice said with a look of determination present on his face.
“You're going to need to take a nano spike with you for that. Let's get one off the printer.” Ducky stated as he waddled off towards the aft cargo hold where the nano printers were located.
Upon arrival Ice saw a two foot long metal spike just coming off the printer. Picking it up the nano spike dissolved and flowed over his armor creating something like a second skin to it.
Ice raised one eyebrow looking at Ducky questioningly.
"New feature I came up with when I saw your armor. Wouldn't have worked for Alanna because of her constant armor changes but should work perfect for you since yours is static."
"Ducky, one of these days we're going to sit down and you're going to tell me what happened on this planet. Hopefully when we are all far, far away. Now, land the ship in the same spot,Ducky. Time to go stake the queen!"
As the ship came back down, Ice and all of the remaining D.O.Gs along with Cat returned to the cave. The foam at the entrance was completely gone, the acidic blood from all of the Theriopes having eaten it away. They walked down the long tunnel occasionally finding a trampled Type 3 cut to pieces or crushed. When they found those remains, Alpha would walk next to it and his enzyme bunker would devour the corpse before they moved on.
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Ice followed the map his HUD generated deeper and deeper into the cave. Finally, they came to a much larger cavern with several tunnels leading in and out of it. In the center of the cavern was the Type 17. The Swarm Queen as Ducky had called it. It was a large spherical mass of flesh that took up a quarter of the cavern all on its own. Its black flesh rippled and undulated even as Ice watched it birth a Type 3. The creature fell to the ground fully formed and covered in a thick white slime. Ice almost vomited into his helmet as the smell of sulfur and rotting flesh invaded his nose.
He gagged even as Alpha put a single shot into the Type 3 killing it before it could even stand up. If anything this made the smell worse as the slime on its body burned from the heat of the metal flechette. Ice retreated to the tunnel and took several deep breaths of fresh air before holding out his hand and letting the nano spike settle into it. He held his breath as he marched resolutely to the Type 17s towering body and jammed the nano spike into the rubbery black flesh.
As the spike slowly sank into the Type 17 it began to scream in agony of a thousand painful voices. The flesh undulated as the black muscles beneath spasmed over and over as the nano spike released its payload and began to slowly devour the Type 17 from the inside.
The Swarm Queen pushed out several partially complete Theriope in an attempt to defend itself. Alpha or Beta would calmly bite into each one using their chain maws to kill them without much fuss. The smell in the room was growing worse by the minute and finally Ice couldn't take it anymore and he fled the room into the hallway jerking his helmet up and vomiting onto the wall. He stood there one hand on the slime wall dry heaving for several minutes. He heard a clicking sound behind him and turned to see Leroy standing at his feet, one paw pressed against his armor. Ice crouched down and gently ran his armored fingers over the drone. He could hear them clicking on its metal body but somehow it was still soothing even as it purred through its speakers.
"Thanks, Raven. Leroy to the rescue again I suppose." He chuckled as he finally calmed down.
Taking one last deep breath he put his helmet back on and walked to the entrance of the cavern housing the Type 17. It had finally stopped screaming and its body was sluggishly collapsing in on itself as the nano spike slowly turned black.
It took ten more minutes for the body to finish dissolving into the nano spike as Ice watched. Finally, the nano spike clicked to the ground as the last of the body disappeared. It had gone from a bright silver to a dark black spike. Ice went to pick it up and couldn't lift it. He had to have Alpha absorb it into his nano bunker for it to be taken back to the ship.
Once they were aboard the ship, Ice went to the armory and took his armor off leaving it hooked into its charging setup as he walked back to his room naked. He quickly pulled on some clothing before going to the nano bunker with Alpha and hooking the tube to the main system.
*Ding*
27 minutes until mobile nano bunker is empty.
Ice left Alpha sitting there as he walked down to the Mess Hall and ordered a steak from the bio printer. He was about to take a bite when he realized the only biomass they had taken on was … Theriope. He hesitated for a few seconds before biting into the steak savagely. "You wanna eat me well now I'm eating you." He muttered around a mouthful of steak.Ice gave Raven the order to fly back to the factory and continued his meal.
As he stood up to return his plate to the Matter Converter, the ship rocked to the side and a siren went off.
"Unregistered Destroyer you are operating on an Interdicted planet. Enter orbit and heave to for inspection and Incarceration." The voice came from every speaker on the ship as Ice dashed towards the bridge in a panic.
"Well, this is just fucking great."