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Then David said to Ahimelech the Hittite and to Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother, saying, “Who will go down with me to Saul in the camp?” And Abishai said, “I will go down with you.” So David and Abishai came to the people by night, and behold, Saul lay sleeping inside the circle of the camp with his spear stuck in the ground at his head; and Abner and the people were lying around him.
2 Samuel 26:6-7
Infiltration
The Skravak ship loomed before them, a dark, alien silhouette against the star-studded backdrop of space. Inside the Thunderhawk, the Marines of 1st Platoon steeled themselves for what was to come.
“Remember,” Major General Redside’s voice crackled over the comms, “our primary objective is intelligence gathering. Engage the enemy only if absolutely necessary. We want to be ghosts.”
Jay, Mayumi, and Bikram exchanged determined glances. They were about to relive their nightmare, but this time, they were prepared.
The dropship’s pilot’s voice cut through the tension. “Approaching target. Standby for insertion in T-minus 30 seconds.”
The Thunderhawk’s engines were screaming as it streaked towards the Skravak vessel at maximum speed. The back ramp opened, decompressing the troop compartment. Loose bits of paper and other debris exited the ship as the Infil Team prepared to unfasten their safety harnesses and get ready to exit.
Lieutenant Jordan’s voice was steady as he addressed his team. “Alright Marines, on the ramp, it’s showtime! Let’s get this done.” The four moved to the edge of the ramp with a star filled expanse as their backdrop.
“T-minus 10 seconds,” the pilot announced. “Prepare to drop!” Suddenly, the red glow of the lights reflecting on the platform turned green.
“Go, Go, Go!” Jordan shouted.
With practiced precision, the four Marines launched themselves out of the Thunderhawk’s open rear ramp. For a heart-stopping moment, they were suspended in the void of space, momentum carrying them towards their target as the Thunderhawk screamed past the alien ship, expertly evading any potential weapons lock.
Their EVA suits’ thrusters fired, slowing their approach and allowing them to maneuver. Through their night vision displays, they could see each other’s infrared strobes blinking steadily, guiding them together.
“Rally point reached,” Jay reported over the comms, his voice tense but controlled. “Moving to entry point.”
The team made their way to the familiar waste disposal access point. As planned, the ship had the same exact structure, and the hatch was easy to find.
“Stand by,” Jay whispered. “Hatch opening in 3… 2… 1…”
The hatch slid open, spewing its contents into space. Jay and Mayumi entered swiftly, disappearing into the dark maw of the alien ship. Fifteen agonizing minutes later, the hatch opened again, allowing Lieutenant Jordan and Bikram to slip inside.
“We’re in,” Jordan whispered into his comms as the hatch slid closed with an eerie hiss.
Back on the Thunderhawk, Wade’s voice crackled through their comms. “Roger that.”
The four Marines knelt in the sickening sludge, but the nauseating stench of the waste disposal system was absent. This time, they could keep their helmets on. They wouldn’t be staying the night. Or, at least that was the plan.
Wade’s voice came across the comms and guided them through the underbelly of the beast, his experience from their previous encounter proving invaluable. “There should be a maintenance shaft to your left. It’ll take you under the hunter’s cages.”
Following Wade’s directions, they navigated through the alien ship’s innards, eventually reaching a vent cover that led to the interior. Once inside, the team paused, listening intently for any sign of movement. Just as before, the ship was as still as a tomb, just a massive drone operated by AI rather than a crewed vessel.
After a few tense minutes, they cautiously moved towards the server room at the fore of the ship. Jay quickly located the appropriate cables and made the necessary adjustments. The ship’s engine wound down to a stop with an almost anticlimactic whine.
“Sir,” Jay made eye contact with Lieutenant Jordan, “The ship is dead in the water and the weapon systems are offline. We can bring the other teams aboard now.”
Jordan nodded, his face grim but determined. “Good work, Corporal. Let’s get the rest of our people on board and start unraveling this mystery. We’ve got 24 hours to find out everything we can about this monstrosity.”
As the Thunderhawk moved into position closer to the Skravak ship, the rest of the platoon began to EVA to the vessel, the four Marines who had first experienced its horrors couldn’t shake a sense of deja vu. But this time, they were not helpless prisoners. This time, they had the upper hand of knowledge.
Grim Discoveries
The teams moved silently through the eerie, mechanical corridors of the Skravak vessel. Every step brought back vivid memories for Jay, Mayumi, and Bikram, but they pushed forward, their training and determination overriding their fear.
As Alpha Team rounded a corner, they came upon a sight that stopped them in their tracks. A vast chamber stretched out before them, filled with row upon row of stasis tubes. Much like the pods they had encountered on their previous misadventure.
“Thunderhawk, this is Jordan,” the Lieutenant whispered into his comms. “We’ve found something. It’s… big.”
Back on the dropship, Wade leaned forward, “Copy, Lieutenant. What are we looking at?”
Jordan’s voice crackled through the comms, tension evident in his tone. “Stasis tubes, Kovacs. Hundreds of them. All occupied.”
General Redside stood beside Wade, both men intently watching the bank of monitors displaying live feeds from the Marines’ helmet cams. The strange blue glow of the stasis tubes filled the screens, casting otherworldly shadows across the faces of the suspended humans within.
“Unbelievable!,” Redside muttered, his normally stoic expression faltering as he took in the scale of the atrocity. He leaned in closer to one of the monitors, studying the details of a stasis tube. “Document everything, Alpha Team,” he ordered into the comms. “We need irrefutable evidence.”
Wade’s eyes darted from screen to screen, taking in the horrifying scene from multiple angles. His mind raced, correlating what he was seeing with his previous experience. “Sir,” he said to Redside, pointing to one of the monitors, “look at the control interfaces. They’re more human than we expect from an alien ship with advanced technology.”
Redside nodded grimly. “Yes, we may have been duped into the whole alien thing. This looks like the works of some monsters…human monsters.”
As Alpha Team worked to gather data and visual evidence, Gunny Rodriguez’s voice came through from Bravo Team. “Sir, entry point is secure. We’ve set up a fallback position as planned and found a way to jam the hatch open with an improvised…doorstop, so to speak.”
“Good work, Bravo,” Redside replied. “Stand by for further instructions.”
Meanwhile, Charlie Team, led by Sergeant Curry and Corporal Kato, reported in from the aft section. “General, this is Kato. We’ve found more stasis tubes here, but… something’s different.”
“Explain, Corporal,” Wade prompted, his brow furrowed with concern.
Mayumi’s voice was tight with emotion as she responded. “Sir, these tubes… they contain what look like modified humans. It’s as if they’ve been… genetically altered.”
Wade and Redside watched in horror as Mayumi’s helmet cam panned across a row of stasis tubes. Inside each was a being that was undeniably human in origin, but twisted, changed. Elongated limbs, misshapen skulls, and skin with a sickly, translucent quality filled the screens.
A heavy silence fell over the comms channel as the implications sank in.
Back in the forward section, Jay made another chilling discovery. “Lieutenant, I’ve found some kind of interface. It looks like… categorization data.”
Jordan joined him, studying the display. “What kind of categories, Corporal?”
“Genetic markers, sir. Physical attributes, cognitive potential… it’s like they’re cataloging us. Studying us.”
General Redside’s voice came through, grim and determined. “Alright, teams. Listen up. I know what we’re seeing is disturbing, but we stay focused. We gather all the intel we can. We can’t save these people now, but we can make sure their suffering wasn’t in vain.”
“Sir,” Mayumi’s voice wavered slightly. “What if we run into active experiments? Or… subjects?”
There was a pause before Redside replied. “We avoid engagement if possible. Our priority is intelligence gathering. But if you’re forced to defend yourselves… do what you have to do.”
Wade added, “Remember how the AI booted back up right before we left the first ship? We may not have as much time as we think.”
General Redside pressed into his microphone, “All teams pick up the pace. When this thing wakes up, I want to be long gone.”
As the teams continued their reconnaissance with a little more urgency, trying not to let the weight of their discoveries distract them. The Skravaks weren’t just hunters or conquerors. They were playing god with human lives. And it was up to this small group of Marines to expose the truth and bring an end to this horror.
“Alpha Team, proceed to the ship’s data core,” Redside ordered. “That’s where we’ll get the proof we need. Pick up anything not nailed down and you can carry. Bravo and Charlie, continue securing your sectors and gathering intel. Stay alert and hurry it up, people.”
As the Marines acknowledged their orders and moved swiftly but methodically. Wade closed his eyes for a moment, silently praying for strength and guidance. They had to uncover the full extent of the Skravak’s or whoever’s plans. And they weren’t going to waste a single second.
The monitors continued to flicker with the grim images from the helmet cams, a silent testament to the horrors they were uncovering. Wade and Redside exchanged a look, both knowing that they were running out of time. They were witnessing realities that would change the course of the war.
The Heart of Darkness
The Teams pushed deeper into the ship, their movements careful and deliberate. They encountered no Skravak hunters, which was both a relief and a concern.
As they approached what they believed to be the central data core, Jay suddenly held up a closed fist, signaling the team to freeze. “Do you hear that?” he whispered.
A low, pulsing hum filled the air, growing louder as they drew closer to their objective. It was unlike anything they had encountered on the previous Skravak ship.
“Stay alert,” Jordan ordered. “We don’t know what we’re walking into.”
They rounded a final corner and found themselves facing a massive, organic-looking structure that pulsed with an inner light. Tendrils of biomechanical matter stretched out from it, connecting to various points in the walls and ceiling.
“This has to be it,” Jay said, his eyes wide with a mixture of awe and revulsion. “The ship’s central nervous system.”
Mayumi was already pulling out her data collection equipment. “Sir, if we can interface with this, we should be able to download everything we need.”
Jordan nodded. “Do it. The rest of you, form a perimeter. I don’t like how quiet it’s been.”
As Mayumi worked to establish a connection with the alien system, Wade couldn’t shake a growing sense of unease. Something about this felt wrong, too easy.
Without warning, the ship was filled with the blaring of alarms, their piercing tones echoing through every corridor. The data core, once a steady beacon, now glowed an ominous red, its hum escalating into a shrill screech. With a thunderous crash, the cages of the Skravak Hunters flew open, the metallic clang reverberating throughout the vessel. It was as if they had disturbed a hornet’s nest, unleashing chaos into the heart of what had been an eerily silent domain.
The Horde Unleashed
“We’ve been compromised!” Jay shouted, raising his weapon.
On the Thunderhawk, Wade, remembering the last episode with the Skravack vessel, turned to the General, “Sir, we don’t have much time. The first ship seemed to self-destruct when it was aware of our presence.”
Redside’s voice cut through comms in the chaos. “Tanaka, how much longer?”
“Two minutes, sir!” Mayumi called back, her fingers flying over her equipment. “I’ve almost got it!”
The sound of heavy, inhuman footsteps echoed down the corridor. The Skravak hunters were coming.
“Thompson, with me,” Jordan ordered. “We’ll hold them off. Parker and Orlaith, cover Corporal Tanaka.”
Jay and the Lieutenant took up positions at the entrance to the chamber, their weapons at the ready. The first Skravak appeared, its grotesque form filling the corridor. Without hesitation, they opened fire.
The battle was fierce and chaotic. The Skravaks seemed to absorb an impossible amount of damage, pressing forward relentlessly. Jay’s expert marksmanship proved surprisingly effective as he aimed for the vulnerable part of the neck, each plasma bolt severing the nurocord dropping the Skravs instantly.
Jay yelled at the Lieutenant, “The neck…Aim for the neck!”
The air crackled with energy as plasma bolts streaked through the corridor, illuminating the grotesque forms of the advancing Skravaks. The acrid smell of ozone and burning alien flesh filled the air, mixing with the metallic tang of human sweat and fear. Jay’s hands moved with practiced precision, his weapon an extension of his body as he methodically targeted the weak spots he had discovered.
Lieutenant Jordan nodded grimly, adjusting his aim. His next shot caught a Skravak right in the throat, causing it to collapse in a heap of twitching limbs. “Good call, Corporal!” he shouted over the din of battle.
The Skravaks, realizing their vulnerability, began to adapt their tactics. They started using the bodies of their fallen comrades as shields, forcing the Marines to expend precious ammunition to clear a path. The aliens’ inhuman shrieks echoed off the walls, a cacophony of rage and bloodlust that sent chills down the spines of even the most hardened warriors.
“We can’t hold this position much longer!” Jordan called out, his voice strained as he reloaded his weapon. “Tanaka, status?”
Mayumi’s voice came back, tight with tension. “Almost there! Just need another minute!”
“We might not have a minute,” Jay muttered, his eyes widening as he saw a new wave of Skravaks rounding the corner. These ones were different – larger, with thicker armor plating covering their vital areas. “Sir, we’ve got a problem!”
The new Skravaks charged forward, seemingly impervious to the plasma fire. One of them barreled straight into Jordan, sending him flying across the room. Jay watched in horror as his commanding officer slammed into the wall with a sickening crunch.
“Lieutenant!” he yelled, torn between holding the line and rushing to Jordan’s aid. In that moment of distraction, a Skravak lunged at him, its razor-sharp claws slicing through the air mere inches from his face. Jay stumbled backward, narrowly avoiding decapitation.
With Jordan down, Jay found himself alone against the horde. He fell into a state of hyper-focus, his world narrowing to the sights of his weapon and the targets before him. Each shot had to count. Each movement had to be perfect. There was no room for error.
The room filled with a deafening roar as Jay emptied mag after mag into the advancing aliens. The floor became slick with their strange, oily blood, making footing treacherous. The air grew thick with smoke and the scent of scorched flesh, both human and alien.
Just when it seemed like the tide of battle was turning against them, Jordan staggered to his feet, blood streaming from a gash on his forehead. He limped to Jay’s side, his face a mask of determination. “We hold this line, Corporal,” he growled. “No matter what.”
Together, they formed a barrier of flesh and firepower, their weapons singing a deadly duet as they fought to buy Mayumi the time she needed. Each second felt like an eternity, each Skravak felled only to be replaced by two more.
The battle reached a fever pitch, the very air seeming to vibrate with the intensity of the conflict. Jay’s arms burned with fatigue, his ears ringing from the constant barrage of weapon fire. But still, they held.
Exodus Under Fire
Just as it seemed they might be overwhelmed, Mayumi’s voice rang out. “I’ve got it! Full download complete!”
Redside didn’t hesitate. “Fall back! Back to the extraction point, Now!”
The team retreated, fighting every step of the way. They could hear the enraged screeches of the Skravaks behind them, growing ever closer.
As they neared their entry point, Jordan’s comms crackled to life. It was Rodriguez. “Sir, we’ve got a problem. The Skravaks are trying to seal the ship. We’re holding them off, but we can’t keep this hatch open much longer.”
“Understood, Gunny,” Jordan replied, his voice steady despite the dire situation. “We’re almost there. Hold that position.”
They rounded the final corner, seeing the open hatch and the stars beyond. Freedom was so close, yet the Skravaks were right on their heels.
“Go!” Jordan shouted. “Get to the Thunderhawk!”
One by one, the team made it through the hatch. Jay, bringing up the rear, turned to make sure everyone had made it. That’s when he saw it – a Skravak hunter, mere feet away, lunging for Lieutenant Jordan.
Without thinking, Jay threw himself between Jordan and the alien, emptying an entire magazine of plasma bolts into the creature. He felt a searing pain in his side as the Skravak’s claws found their mark. But the momentum of his charge carried both him and the Lieutenant through the hatch.
“Seal it!” Redside yelled over the comms. “Seal it now!”
Rodriguez took a well aimed shot at the improvised “doorstop” and the hatch slammed shut, cutting off one of the Skravaks chomping limbs that now floated in space discharging its black blood in large elongated bubbles. Using their suit thrusters, the team made their way back to the waiting Thunderhawk.
Mayumi looked back with sadistic pleasure, “Take that Skrav! That one’s for Wade!”
As they collapsed into the troop compartment, exhausted and battered, a sense of grim triumph filled the air. They had done it. They had the evidence they needed. But they weren’t out of danger’s grasp yet. They needed to get away from the ship before it started its self-destruct protocol.
The General yelled at the pilots, “They’re all aboard, punch it!” The ship bounded in a streak leaving the alien vessel 300 to 500 astro-leagues behind in a matter of seconds.
Corpsman Martinez acted swiftly, administering a large dose of antibiotics to Jay and setting up an I.V. to combat the inevitable infection from the Skravak bite. Jay, maintaining his composure, closed his eyes and succumbed to the medically induced coma. Wade watched anxiously, fervently praying for his friend, haunted by the memory of a squadmate who had succumbed within minutes to similar wounds during their time in the Zoo.
Redside looked around at his team, pride evident in his eyes. “Outstanding work Marines, all of you. Now the hard part. Getting this Intel into the right hands”
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ToBeLikeJesus 