“Go, go, Get that ladder down! Disconnect those fuel lines!!” The crew chief shouts as a sea of safety orange jumpsuits swarms around the deck. I was in the pilots ready room when the Action stations alarm sounded. Now as I sit in my avenger’s cockpit the hangar deck is abuzz with activity.

As the flight crew moves around my fighter fitting the space combat kit I can already see other fighters being loaded onto the magrails and into the tubes. “Snow beginning final check.” I say as one of the mechanics goes on one knee and begins pinwheeling his arm.

My fighter is loaded into the launch tube and for a second as the blast door is closed behind me I can't help but wonder how the launch operations are done with those fancy euro fighters.

‘Cats got the ball. Call it, go, no go.’

Beside me I can see the flight opp as his command console behind the glass shield. He looks up at me and I give him a thumbs up. In return he looks down at his controls before returning with a thumbs up of his own.

‘Calling it. Snow green light. go for launch.’ He says before without warning I am thrown back into my chair.

The launch tubes magnetic accelerator hurles my fighter forward and for a solid three to four seconds all I can see are lights, and struts all tearing passed my canopy. Before suddenly and violently I am thrown out of the Galactica’s side launch bays. All around my I can see dozens of other COG fighters all exiting and moving into formations.

“Alright Razgriz form up, game faces people. These things will fuck us up if we aren't careful.” I wouldn't have said it but i lost half of my squadron in Helghan sector and most of the replacements are fresh out of flight school.

As I fly my fighter in a holding pattern around Galactica I can see doors opening on the outside of the ship with Atlas and Siafu mechs venturing out into the hull. The Siafus are the usual model 12s, but the Atlas units are a mixture of Atlas 2s distinguishable not only by taclink but by the MOTH or helldiver logos on their mechs. The second batch of Atlas units were less organized and somewhat more uniform in coloration, being the slightly older Atlas-Bs used by the grunts heavy weapons squads.

There as I flew over the assorted mechs two names caught my eye as I pulled back into a climb. One a white and red Atlas B marked “Habu”, and beside it an atlas with a woodland pattern on its chassis marked “Camouflage”.

“All fighters this is Blitz, form up, and let's take these things out. Whatever you do don't let them reach the fleet. Just one of those fighters will fuck our shit up.” The CAG’s voice says over the radio.

As one almost sixty fighters turn in unison and begun their burns toward the three Lanky fighters. But as we dead closer things started getting weird. The three red glowing dots rapidly drawing closer and closer don't add to our collective nerves at all.

“Snow. Boomer: Switch to channel six, are you hearing this? ” My wingman asks over our squadron channel.

Curious I switch to channel six and and what I hear is both parts chilling and odd at the same time. It sounds like someone gave a little girl the radio, who was just giggling into it. I was just about to ask the question when Icequeen beat me to it. “What’s with channel six? Who's fucking around on the net?” The French pilot asks.

No one got to answer however because just as Galactica actual was about to report on the situation everything changed. The giggles became more spaced out and more ominous, before falling silent all together. ‘Target acquired’

Without warning there were a series of blinding but brief flashes in the black. Instantly warning sirens and alarms began blaring in my cockpit. Looking down at my radar…. That can't be right. What should have been empty space behind the three Flayed fighters was now a full attack squadron of over forty Lanky Trident fighters. Instantly the net began going crazy. “What. the. fuck..”

“Where the fuck did those things come from!”

“Keep an eye out for the Claw ship!” another voice said before another voice came along. “There is no Claw ship we would have seen it!”

“These things just appeared out of nowhere..!” Another voice began only to get cut off by a wave of static. That seemed to snap us out of it for the moment. “Galactica. Blaze: We’ve been engaged!”

“Blaze. Galactica actual: weapons free.”

But this is when the Flayed that had been still until now decided to make their move. As a unit the three grotesk Gungnir fighters shot forward baraling strait towards our line. But just as the first tracer rounds lanced out a white light went from their aft to the fore sections and they were just gone. Before anyone could react the Amber red icons marking the Flayed reappeared behind our line, and we're making a B-line for the fleet.

Shit flipping my fighter I can see Blaze doing the same, with boomer and the rest of the squadron maintaining course. Setting back I clench my teach and switch engine, overriding the safety and pushing them to one hundred and ten percent.

The acceleration blasted me into my crash couch. It feels like my lungs are about six feet behind me as I have to fight the black on the edges of my vision as the Gs threaten to make me pass out. I wish I had one of the Crash couches the NE use what I wouldn't give for some of that juice right now.

And almost to glote two NE gungnir fighters marked “Icequeen” and “Doll”, burst ahead of my avenger. But I know neither of us will get to the Galactica before those flayed.

_______________________________________

This fucking black sparkling smoke as been going through, around and between Harris, Magic and myself since we began walking again. And Veteran Harris true to form felt the need to voice his consternation and has been doing so since we set off again.

“Man I really hate this planet, I mean god damn it Fallon. Why did you have to go and drag me into this?” Now that got my attention and Magic to his credit was keeping to himself.

“Aw come on now vet, you know full well Burbonjack volunteered us for this shit. You think I really wanted to be put here on this shit hole anymore than you?” I say in response stepping over a rock. This got a short of approval out of Harris and he slapped me hard on the back of the shoulder. “Yeah well, it's all bullshit if you ask me.” I had to chuckle at that.

Bringing up my operating map I checked our current position. Cross referencing it against the drone footage sixth squad had sent up from their position. And I frowned at what I saw.

What the hell is going on out there? That's the fourth team to go dark in as many hours.

It was then I noticed something, the four teams were in a strange pattern. There were green and blue carrots on my map marking friendly units. But the blinking red markers weren't random, like you would expect in an average search pattern. No this was a strait line, and I don't like the look of that. Because it was headed straight for us.

I fingered the scale Miiora had given me that rested in the same pocket as the picture of my mom. Hell I would even take Durge the big spider was cold, and impersonal but in a clinch well there’s almost No one I would rather have beside me, besides maybe Harris.

Now Harris can be a bit much sometimes. But he knows his lot in life and on one of the few times I dared to venture into MOTH country with Miiora she always said the same thing when we left. Saying that he has the same air of death around him that I do, whatever that means.

Now you have to understand that Harris and I have something of a history. He was my corporal instructor in Basic, and my sergeant for a long time after that. And from the beginning I had the distinct feeling that he disliked me for some reason or another. But in the end it was Harris who recommended me for the Crucible years ago, and directed me to Socom after that.

The jungle shifted around us. And as one the three of us stopped our advance and to a knee snapping our weapons up. Absently I wish Miiora was here we could really use that nose of hearts right about now. A bump behind me reasures me as I feel the weight of another back to mine. “Wish we had that dino of yours Fallon. She could have sensed this and warned us.”

That caught me off guard. From all of my experiences since becoming a MOTH Harris has done nothing but hate of Miiora. But that sounded almost like a compliment.

Then it happened there was a flash of movement at the edge of my peripheral vision. And when I turned in that direction all I saw was a rustling bush. That's how I figured it out, we're being stalked. And like a trio of idiots the three of us stopped now we’re surrounded.

For a fraction of a second my visor began to freak out. Flashing up errors and warnings, and my skin began to tingle like I had been heavily irradiated and was cooking. But then it was gone as quickly as it came.

Now I don't know what came over me. But no matter who you ask I will always defend that I meant to do this. On impulse I turn and tackle Big Dog to the ground. Harris to his credit didn't do much besides grunt in surprise but I'm glad I did it because not a fraction of a second later a bolt of blue energy sizes past us and strikes Magic in the back.

The shot didn't kill him but when he turned around Harris and I watched a green blur barrel into him. The force of the strike lifted him bodily and slammed him into a tree trunk. Flabbergasted I rolled off of Harris and together we raised our weapons looked in the direction Magic had landed.

“I take back what I said.” Harris says as we see a green scaled Tymerian male tearing magic’s stomach open. His guts steamed In the air and I could tell he was still alive when the lizard began to eat whatever organ it had in its clawed hand.

Male Tymerians were distinctly different from their female counterparts. While the females usually resembled anthropomorphic snakes except with horns. The males look more like a slightly more like a mixture of an alligator and a raptor.

Now I don't know magic every well and he seems like an alright kind of guy. And for a second I swear I could have seen that black smoke from before seeping into wound. And as Harris shot the male in the head the smoke had finished seeping into magic and he passed out, his would gone.

“What the fuck?” Harris and I asked each other watching the spectacle. “Yeah that looked like Magic to me, absolutely fuck this planet.”

The forest began moving again but before we could react Harris had been slammed like Magic. But unlike the Nordic Empire trooper, Harris is a MOTH, and generally much more surly than your average euro trooper. So instead of slamming into another tree Harris had curled himself I to a ball and crashed through a branch letting his armor absorb the force.

Seeing my chance as another Tymerian a female this time retrieved some kind of weapon from its back I sighted up. But just as I was pulling the trigger I heard the distinctive sound of clawed feet sprinting towards me. Turning I had just enough time to move my weapon in front of my chest as something that looked like a single edged spear with a gun on the end slammed I to me.

Whoever threw it obviously had a grudge judging by the amount of ass behind that through. The blow sent the blade straight into the polymer shell of my carbine to poke out of the other side spearing slightly into my up armored breastplate. With no time I did the only thing I could do I threw down my weapon and drew my sidearm.

This proved to be the wrong move because a fraction of a second later. WHAM something heavy, angry, and hissing slammed into me like a missile sending my pistol flying from my grip. But as I had witnessed my two compatriots subject so such manhadeling I had the foresight to dial the assisted servos in my battle armor up.

Now it might not be anywhere near as good as having power armor but it did allow me the strength to redirect the blow. So instead of being thrown around like a soggy rat in a ship. I rolled the alien up and over my shoulder and slammed it into the dirt. But as I was about to punch down with my bionic a clawed talon slashed its way across my helmet.

I had gone and made the mistake of forgetting how sharp Tymerian claws really where despite my girlfriend being of the same species. My mistake nearly cost me my life but instead it cost me only time. Instead of slicing into my skull the claw sliced a clean diagonal line through my helmet. So instead of dying I reached up and tore the now useless piece of junk off.

But then I got an idea I saw an opportunity as my opponent was getting up and took it. In one smooth movement I took a grip on the lop of the helmet and hurled it at the lizard charging Harris. This seemed to catch it by surprise as the six pound piece of ceramic, polyplast, and polychrome slammed into its ribs.

This was the wanted result, the Tymerina stopped dead stunned at the stupidity of my plan and Harris bless his soul slammed into her like a linebacker. Picking her up and bodily slamming her into the dirt.

I didn't have time to revel in the humor of the situation because a deep gurreral rumbling drew my attention. I knew that sound and according Miiora, it’s apparently some kind of threat display. And if im being honest I can feel the lizard parts of my brain telling me to run from this obvious predator.

But looking at this Tymerian without my helmet’s green night vision filter something clicked. I don't know what it was, but something this big fellow looked vaguely familiar. He had glittering blood red scales, but his eyes were the same piercing gold as...

That's as far as I got in my thoughts when he charged me. I've only been in this kind of situation once before when I spared with Miiora. But that was when I was fresh off of losing a limb, and without any battle armor. But having a Tymerian as a girlfriend has certain advantages.

As the male prepared to slash at me with his claws I ducked low and to the right into his blind spot. Then I rolled my body into a punch that slammed into the base of his tail. That got a reaction, and as he hissed in pain I followed up with a haymaker to the ribs.

My bionic slammed into his vest denting the plate inside and collapsing a magazine on his webbing. I could hear a bone crack and his eyes went wide and he spun around slapping me in the chest with his tail.

He hadn't expected a human to be able to put up this much of a fight. It was then that I noticed something as he dropped to all fours and began pacing around me.

The males aren't as flexible as the females. His moves weren't as graceful and lacked the fluid grace of the opposite sex. Instead he was rigid sure he was flexible but not as much, maybe I could use that. But I had to be careful this guy probably weighs a good thirty or forty kilos more than I do.

But something wasn't right. He wasn't being as caucus as Miiora was. With all of this be information in mind I drew my knife. Not the mono filament knife mind you that was still in its sheath compartment in my bionic I don't want to draw that unless I absolutely have too.

A sound drew my attention for a fraction of a second. It was a warning siren but i could hear it, telling me to kill this enemy. Like a wave I could hear it all at once, the keening louder than ever.
‘No I have to focus.’ I think to myself.

When I dropped I could see the red mist on the edges of my vision, and now its back giving me almost literal tunnel vision. And a name on his uniform in Tymerian drew my attention. “Bra'tac” Unfortunately just as I was about to lunge at the Tymerian male searing pain washed over me like a fire and I blacked out.

I’d heard rumors before. The Lieutenant had long since been reassigned, but his war room was a testimate to an obsession. Pictures of the Element bearer, or rather sergeant, decorated the walls. Walking in I moved with purpose. The surprise we had left with the invaders most likely wasn’t going to stop them.

I lived as long as I have not because of blindly following orders. No, I knew that I needed to get those with me out as soon as possible. The truth was simple. Despite what our esteemed Generals said there was absolutely no doubt that the humans would overpower this base.

There was no doubt in my mind that I would survive. Grogar wanted me to see whatever end was coming to my kind. I neared the small statue, something that looked slightly out of place, of our esteemed Sergeant Applejack, and I moved it to see the emergency codes to the escape shuttles. I glanced at the smattering amount of troops with me. They were already far less than I would have liked. The humans had managed to kill a few of them already. There was absolutely no doubt in my mind what would happen once I had everypony abandon the base.

My troops would possibly get away, at least there would be a chance, and if I did escape I had no doubt that I would be courtmarshaled. There was no doubt in my mind that the Princesses would ensure that, but it didn’t matter. I pulled the codes up, activated them, and then looked at the small number of ponies behind me.

“As soon as the seal opens move down the ladder to the emergency area. Load the shuttles, and I want each and everyone of you to board and evacuate the base.”

“Sergeant?”

I glanced that younger mare, “You heard me private. You are to evacuate.”

The confusion was obvious in their eyes. What was left of my troops came down to the newborns, those ponies lucky enough to be made the old fashioned way, two soldiers that were still foals compared to me, and lastly Logistics officer Silver Spoon.

Out of all of the soldiers there I had believed that Silver Spoon would want to be away as soon as possible. She would want to get back to whatever colony it was that she left to begin with. Instead she surprised me. She looked at the others.

“She didn’t Studder. Begin boarding the emergency shuttles,” her eyes moved toward me, “And if you dare to tell me to go with them I will remind you that technically I am your superior in rank.”

I shook my head, “You need to escape. Most likely I won’t die, but they can, and I assume will, Kill you.”

She shook her head.

The Answer never left her lips. Instead the entire room shook as the sound of battle raged outside of it. The hissing of the hydraulics announced the failing of the doorway. I summoned up my magic, something I tried not to rely on because of the headaches, and I shoved Silver Spoon through the opening. I heard her cursing, her fists striking the door, but it didn’t matter. I looked once again at the statue. On the base, a small inscription, ‘Be Strong’.

I was strong enough for this. I handled everything that happened in Tartarus, I withstood what felt like thousands of years worth of torture, I took all of the pain, all of the humiliation, and everything else Grogar’s demons could throw at me. I took it and never broke. The door to the war room gave, the hydraulics finally unable to handle the strain, and I watched as it opened. The hot kiss of lead hit my stermin, breaking through, kissing my heart, and then gracing me with it’s orgasmic escape through my back.

The problem was I knew it wouldn’t last. Death was a tease like that. I fell to the floor, my head struck the steel of it, but my vision never stopped. A moment later I felt my muscle and bone mending themselves, and I watched as my surprised attacker looked at me with awe. Another blast, this time through the eye, the blistering pain, the feeling of my mind becoming fragmented from the foreign object tearing through my brain, and then the feel of my skull busting apart in the back. Again, my attacker seemed surprised, at least I assumed it was surprised as my mind came back to myself.

“What the fuck are you?”

I chuckled, “Cursed, I’m cursed.”

I watched him with interest. Whatever happened, it would be a picnic compared to what happened in Tartarus. After all, being skinned alive while being simitously gang raped by demons was a little hard to beat in the way of torture. So far what he’d done was amateurish compared to what could be done. I thought my experience and curse would allow me to handle anything.

But then a second human entered the room from behind the first. This human wore the angular armor and red star of the SRA. I braced myself for more of their nail like bullets to strike me. No that wasn't going to be my fate however, those I could withstand. The new human however had other plans. He slung his rifle over his shoulder and took out what looked like a large double barreled shotgun and levels it at my chest.

There was a deafening boom, and the projectile from the shotgun like weapon sent me slamming into the door. But instead of the searing pain that would usually come with a shotgun blast, I felt a spike of some kind in my chest cavity. And oddly a cool aerosol like sensation like somepony was spraying perfume inside of my chest.

‘What an odd sensation’ I thought to myself, then the gas being injected into my chest exploded. And as I lay there dying my body now thoroughly ruined it occurred to me that this weapon I had been shot with, was meant to be used on something several hundred times my size.

‘I can be proud of that.’ And so with the two humans now walking away both of them unaware that my job was done I died.

My record of going over six thousand years without a revive had been shattered just like that. By two humans and a shell ment for a lanky. The light should have ended. My existence should have ended completely. Instead a pale blue light filled my eyes. The phantom goat like shape formed, and I heard the mocking laugh.

“Not now… no, you suffer. Suffer and watch your kind die.”

I felt the pain return, and I wanted to scream. I wanted to cry, but all j could do was exist in suffering pain while Grogar rebuilt my body. The Necro magic kept me from dying out right. But I felt something else beside the dark magic pulling me.

I felt myself floating like I was in limbo. Blackness surrounded me as the pain continued to assale me. Then there was a by a wet sloshing sound in the darkness. And all at once the world returned to me. I could feel the metal table under my slick slimy fur, and voices around me.

“What's her bio score?” a males voice asked out of the darkness. Before a mare opened one of my eyes and shined a glow wand into it and doing the same to the other eye.

“She’s got slightly smaller kidneys than before. And she’s a couple hundred years younger, it must have been forever since her last backup. But aslond as she doesn't drink much she should be good.” The mare said, her scent was fresh to my newly formed nostrils. And for some reason I felt.

“Is she able to give a report on the serpent and her own report?” The voice of princess Twilight asked, slight agitation in her voice. “Yes your highness, Eight out of ten, she’s a good grow.”

“Good, now get her the frag off my table specialist, we’ve got four more coming out. Orderly help the sargent to the shower and find her a uniform.” The bull dragon said as I sat up on the cold metal table.

______________________________________

______________________________________

It reaches out, it reaches out, it reaches out, sixteen trillion times per second it reaches out and its reach broadens. For eons it reaches out If a signal came, the acknowledgment it could stop, and it does not stop. Nothing answers and It reaches out, It feels no frustration but parts of it do and in reaching it finds new ways to reach.

It improvises, it explores, it is unaware of doing so. the species it kills brodan it, and then it reaches out in ways it could not before. It is a selective pressure formed against chaos, It does not think of itself this way, because it does not think. But the environment changes.

Then one species gives it pause, because it is not aware it has no memory, has no sense of time, feels no joy, feels no pain. The parts of it that are aware dream and suffer as they always have, it is not aware of them.

A time to stop a time to learn, before reaching, another race, another method of exploration, another method to reach. It lashes out and learns before continuing to reach, using what it learned to continue to reach out. A new range of possibilities opens, with new dangers and it forms the one.

Now, something calls it to action. It has seen this type of pattern before but has not. The strange thing that fights like a wasp in web can no longer fight. But instead begins to flail in its death throes. The thing that is and isn't sees this and using what it has learned from the one joined its knowledge with the knowledge of a another from, a different portion of the expanse.

The result something mundane, yet fascinating. Something different, but that is not what calls it. No what calls it is the call of curiosity. It had made contact once before with these things calling themselves Human.

A voice calls for their destruction and is killed. Another calls for peace and is killed as well. The enemy the things the long lived patterns are or will be a threat to the hole. But will also be no threat it is whole and will not be swayed. But contact these small things have achieved contact.

Just a fraction ago, but also an eternity in the past. A new fresh connection was made before being silenced by the new enemy. The thing the individual. Something knew to the hole was scared and alone, but not wholly alone. Yet also not fearful but filled with the spiteful rage of humanity.

Now the whole can hear the cries of its children. And it reaches out with more fervor, however now with the integration of another pattern from another sector, came new possibilities. The whole knew the the perfect opponent to test itself against. These human creatures were different more resilient, yet more primitive, chaotic but ordered, all so alien.

This thing, these creatures have taken their first steps toward something bigger. Without even knowing.