Scene #6131: Narrow Escape

Owner	Pose
Nova Terra	M-56-78-49-1. A moon on the edge of Dominion space. So far removed from the center of Terran control, the planet it orbits doesn't even have a name yet. Plant life is sparse, but enough to support a barely breatheable atmosphere. The only thing of worth it has is its collection of resources that the Koprulu Sector is known for: The crystalline minerals and vespine gas that are used extensively in Terran technology. This is why the Dominion dispatched a small contingent to this remote location. However, after only three days since landing, the mining base has gone dark. Except for a single automated beacon, lacking in any real detail. After having rendezvoused with anyone willing to assist, Nova's covert ops stealth starship, the Griffin, exits from warp space above the moon. Its wings fold out of their travel mode and the large thrusters on the rear ignite, propelling the ship down towards the moon's surface. Just having finished equipping herself, Nova walks onto the Griffin's bridge and immediately says, "Let me see it." A screen folds down from the ceiling and flickers on. It shows a birds-eye view of the mining base. Situated within a valley almost entirely surrounded by raised cliffs, the base consists of very little. A Command Center sits near a collection of crytal outcroppings. A Refinery is just off to the side, though shows no current signs of operation. A little further away is a Barracks and beside that is what looks like a structure still under construction. Two armoured bunkers are on either side of the only natural path down into the valley. Finally, several small towers armed with missiles dot the base, though they too look like they aren't currently functional. "Set down there." The Griffin flies in low, quickly stopping to a hover before dropping down to land on the ground at the top of the path down. The cargo bay door on the rear folds open and Nova comes walking down it. Reaching to her back to retrieve her rifle, she chambers a round and then radios, "Take up a holding pattern and wait for the call for extraction." Nova proceeds to start walking down towards the base in the valley. Behind her, the Griffin rises up into the air once more, taking up a position high above to watch and wait. Up close, it's easier to see the details. The two bunkers are empty, reinforced doors smashed in and numerous claw marks are dug into the heavy armour. Pausing for a moment to look, Nova reports, "Zerg." However, for a Zerg attack it is eerily silent right now. The bunker interiors are coated with blood... But there are no bodies. No signs of the defenders. Not even dropped weapons. Further into the base, the ground becomes more and more splattered with blood. But much like with the bunkers, there's no evidence of those who bled. The carnage appears to head towards all three major base buildings: The Barracks. The Refinery. The Command Center.
Karian Icefang	Picking up the distress beacon from the Dominion outpost, the Not-Terran marines that are the Space Wolves load up into a thunderhawk, and soon after the Griffin would pick up on the incoming ship. Moments after it sets down, the marines deploy out. "To whomever sent out the distress call, if they are still recieving, help has arrived." A quick look around, and Karian motions for his men to move out.
Stella	Something to do. Something to do. Something to do. Stella cannot stand idleness. Idleness breeds thoughts, confused, without direction. To be idle is to waste the life she was given. To be idle is to grow weak, and the weak are culled as a matter of course. The weak lack the capacity to survive. She must not be weak. It was then more than a blessing when something came up, and Staren offered to take her right to it. The white-haired, slightly-shimmery 'young woman' stood by him the entire trip, asking dumb questions about his equipment, what he's doing, how it works. First time seeing a starship. First time being into space, if we don't count the fact she was made from a meteor. And when they land, everything is familiar again. The sight of broken buildings - even if they look strange - is familiar. The blood everywhere is familiar. It's a battlefield. It's familiar, even with unfamiliar enemies. She strides onward, as soon as she's beamed down from Staren's ship. The Command Center looks important, and so that's where she heads, unarmed and at a casual pace.
Orchid	Search and rescue personnel tend to be in the wave just behind the meat shields. Not that Orchid would use the term during the operation, she has some respect for the Ice Wolves and their leader, which is why she joined aboard their craft. But as soon as her wave reaches the base, Orchid releases her spider drones, as she pulls out the electronic warfare tools she carries, typing as she runs. Her objective is to tap into the base network, see what information she can get from the local cameras. After that, she'll attempt to access records, or establish communications with anyone alive her efforts reveal.
Staren	Staren is happy to exposit! He doesn't need to pilot the ship, he has an AI (it's holoprojected avatar is a robot wizard) for that. Stella probably finds the look of the ship -- at least the hub, science lab, and bridge -- to be somewhat familiar, as it's all done up kind of like a medieval castle but with things like storage lockers and computers and science gadgets and control panels and also outside the windows is space. Other parts of the ship are done up differently -- the guest room and kitchen like a 20th century house, the manufactory is fully futuristic -- Staren answers all questions, from 'This is a locker, there's stuff in it' to 'this is a healing vat, it heals me faster than I would naturally' to 'this is my spare robot body' 'this is my robot servant' 'this is my spectrum analyzer, that helps me determine the composition of unknown substances' 'this is my nanofabricator, it can make anything I have designs for'... honestly he's probably kept explaining things through the whole trip, talking even as he pulls his armor on. (It's the heavier model -- any structures that can accomodate terran marines, it will fit through easily). Twin bolts of red light streak down from the sky, resolving into himself and Stella when they hit the ground. "So the Zerg killed them all and then left? Do the Zerg normally take bodies, though?" He also heads towards the Command Center. "The place that had time to activate the distress beacon may have been one of the last attacked..."
Nova Terra	Nova is cautious as she moves closer to the main buildings, sweeping her rifle left and right. Around her, Karian's troops move forward as well. They meet no resistance. It is much the same with Stella's casual stride towards the Command Center, soon joined by Staren. At Staren's questions, Nova shakes her head a little, "Not normally. They also don't usually leave buildings intact and just 'leave'. They'd destroy them. Then set up a hive cluster to gather the resources here." Seeing Staren and Stella heading towards the Command Center, Nova moves to catch up with them. She also calls out to Karian and Orchid, "You should check the other buildings for survivors." It's unlikely that there are any... But it's possible! Speaking of Orchid, fortunately for her the base does seem to have the capacity for a computer network. Unfortunately for her, it's down right now, making it difficult to recover anything of interest. Upon arriving at the Command Center, Nova guides Staren and Stella towards a side entrance. The building's main cargo ramp is down and accessible, but Nova indicates, "Operations Room is this way." She rises the steps to press the button beside the door. But it buzzes back at her in a negative manner. Nova frowns, "This normally isn't locked."
Karian Icefang	Karian nods, and his men immidately start to fan out, looking for others. Karian himself was on the way to another place until he heard about the Ops room being locked. "If survivor's went anywhere, I'd suspect the ops room. That...or our unwelcome guests are up there." He says. He gives a nod towards Staren and Stella, though he tilts his head slightly. "I'm a bit unsure, Staren. Did you hear of my demise? Your response to my voice on the radio suggested such."
Staren	"Demise, no." Staren answers. "That you were stuck in the Warp, yes. We still need to get Mortimer out of there."
Stella	"Perhaps they were not worth saving if they could be destroyed this easily," Stella vocalizes, flatly, to Staren. She doesn't have a concept of irony yet, so she doesn't grasp the obvious way in which what she said is kind of odd coming from her specifically. After being shown around to a side-entrance, their progress is halted by a VERY RUDE DOOR. Its gimmick is being rude. Stella's right arm suddenly crystalizes, shining multicolored gems piercing her skin and clumping together into a razor-sharp blade. "I will handle it." Well, when in doubt, cut the door down. The blade is certainly sharp enough to manage it, even if it takes two or three strikes.
Staren	"I don't think this was /easy/, Stella. The threat that did this was unusually strong." Staren answers.
Orchid	Well, so much for the easy approaches. Orchid is also working on getting her tactical map working, which requires knowing who else is there and their radio transponders. Meanwhile, her spiders are making a perimeter around the ruined base, just to see who might be coming or going. As for herself, Orchid is walking towards the HQ as she works.
Nova Terra	Karian's men fan out, heading towards the other two major structures in the base. At the Barracks, they find a wide trail of blood going down the entrance ramp... No, it's several trails overlapping each other. The trails appear to lead towards the Refinery, where Karian's men find them leading inside. Meanwhile at the Command Center, Nova watches with some interest as Stella proceeds to slice through the heavy door, causing it to fall backwards and crash onto the metal flooring with a loud clanging sound that echoes through the halls beyond. The loud sound is a little disturbing in the eery silence of this place. Nova winces a little at it, but then admits, "That works." Moving inside, the Command Center is rather dark. The only lighting comes from emergency lights which bathe sections of the halls in a dull red colour. But despite the creepy atmosphere, the trip to the Operations Room is uneventful. The carnage in the corridors is far less than outside. At least, until the group reaches their destination. The Operations Room sits at the top of the building, windows lining all the walls to provide a view of the outside. Or they would, if there weren't currently armor plates lowered down over them. In the center of the room, the partial body of a mechanical woman hangs, surrounded by consoles. But judging by her appearance, her incomplete form is not a result of damage, but rather design. She's entirely still though. On all the consoles around her, and others in the Operations Room, display the words: LOCKDOWN Enter Command Code Most disturbing though is at the base of one of the consoles is a man. Or the extremely messy remains of one. The scattered nature suggests an explosive. At extremely close range.
Karian Icefang	Karian's men look over the grisly scene, and quickly report it in. "Check inside, but remain cautious." Karian vox's back. With those orders, his men begin to push in, bolter's head level and their fingers on the trigger. Over with Karian, he looks over, and immidiately looks over the man's injuries. "Hrm...close range explosive. Grenade perhaps? Or do you have rounds capable of doing this?"
Stella	"That is possible. But then should we not seek to make allies of the threat?" Stella asks Staren, revealing that she does have at least one personal value, and it's a sort of respect for strength. Or maybe just the ability to acknowledge strength is good and should be used. The door falls and slams loudly, but Stella couldn't care less about ruining their ability to stealth in. She takes to the front again, or as front as Nova will let her be, given who the guide is. Their course is stopped by more doors - but this time Stella seems to realize it would be too much effort to slice them down. Someone may be able to open them with that... computer thing. Staren probably explained computers to her, so she's not TOTALLY lost. Just mostly lost! The sight of the dead man just makes her poke it a few times with her blade. "That is too bad, he could have been useful."
Orchid	"That would only work if the threat was interested in making friends," Orchid comments in response to Stella, looking around the room. "I've got some ideas for how I could crack the security," she says, starting to pull off panels, bringing out two spider drones and a personal computer. She starts wiring things together, attempting to camel-nose her way through the security systems. "Also, how self-aware are the computers likely to be?" she asks, eyeing the form of the Adjunct Interface. If she can get in, her first priority is to disable the lockdown, then to get any admin permissions for the rest of the systems.
Staren	Stella advocates teaming up with the Zerg. Staren sighs. "That's often not possible. As I understand it, the Zerg don't ally with anyone." Staren can't even go on a simple rescue mission without getting embroiled in radio argument! Sigh. As that calms down though, he's finally free to take things in. Stella's gained them entrance to the command center. Which is quiet. And deserted. Despite having been locked down. "...Doesn't this mean whatever caused this has to be trapped in here with us? ...Well, I guess it could sneak out the door now..." "What's that?" Staren asks, of the strange mechanical woman. He doesn't have anything to say about the splattered man, and lets Orchid handle the hacking while sending his own drones (and any she lends) throughout the facility to search for any Zerg, or whatever did this, that might still be hiding in the Command Center.
Nova Terra	"Not exactly true." Nova informs Staren, "There's been a cease-fire between the Dominion and Zerg Swarm for a couple of years now." As she is asked just how self-aware the computers are, Nova looks a bit unsure. How do you quantify something like that? So she uhhhs and then says, "Somewhere between animals and people?" As for the mechanical woman, Nova simply responds, "An Adjutant. Artificial intelligence that assist in the running of Terran facilities." Orchid will find that the tech isn't that hard to deal with. It obviously shares a lot of similarities with many other types of human technology. And as Nova mentioned, this wasn't a major military base so bypassing the security doesn't take long. Her success is met by lights flickering to life, brightening the Operations Room nicely. The message on all the consoles vanishes, replaced by boot up displays. Mechanical whirs and clicks come from the mechanical women in the center as life returns to her. In a voice matching that of the automated beacon, she announces, "Lockdown lifted. Main reactor coming online. Output at. Three. Percent and rising. Adjutant online." The Barracks seems empty as Karian's men move through it. The the pools of blood found in the Recreation Room suggest there was quite a fight, but much like outside there are no bodies to be found. However, during the process of searching one of the bunk rooms, a Space Marine opens one of the doors only to find a metal pipe swinging for his chest. It bounces harmlessly off the armour. But the crazed man wielding it doesn't seem to notice as he keeps swinging and swinging, the look on his face one of sheer terror. Meanwhile in the Refinery, the Space Marines find the building in a low-power mode. Even after the Command Center's lockdown is lifted, the Refinery continues to only be lit by emergency lighting. There is a curious smell in the air, probably a trace of what was being refined here. The area they find themselves in appears to be a storage bay. Numerous empty tanks are stacked in piles on one side. On the other are a few that have been filled, a swirling mixture of green gas glowing visibly through the reinforced glass of the tanks. Nearby, bathed in that green glow, is a man lieing on the ground. His clothing resembles that of a uniform, likely an officer of some sort. He is squirming around a little as he lies there, suggesting he's still alive, if in pain. However, approaching him they find part of his head is missing. An obviously lethal wound. Suddenly his body bursts in half, a creature falling out of it, flopping around the ground as it attempts to gain footing with its many clawed legs.
Karian Icefang	The Space Marine currently under attack from the man simply sigh's and reports it in, before raising up a hand. "Calm down. We are not your enemy. Put down the pipe." He instructs, trying to be nice as possible...for an 8 foot tall man speaking like he was talking through a machine. Karian, meanwhile, was dealing with the reports of contact from his other set of men. "Refinery team, secure the area and put a bolt round through whatever your engaging. Fall back if neccessary!"
Orchid	Orchid MAY be considering taking the AI home, depending on how things turn out here. She may have also been considering taking some parts to incorporate into new fashion for herself... Which is somewhat odd at the moment. Orchid isn't wearing her normal black hair, but what looks at first like green hair, pulled back into a bundle. A closer look reveals... snakes. It seems Orchid didn't have time to fully take off last night's costume before she deployed. But at the moment, she's asking the Adjunct a question. "Hello Adjunct, please report on the events of the hour prior to the establishment of lockdown. What happened here?" She's not sure how smart it is, how aware it is, so will err on both sides, being polite and wording her question clearly.
Stella	"That seems inefficient. I have seen the size of the Concord. If they cannot understand the benefits of alliance, they must not be very intelligent," Stella intones to Staren, though she's obviously wrong. It's not that the Zerg are dumb, they're just... the Zerg. Single-minded, right? She hasn't learned that distinction yet. The lockdown is resolved. Stella looks at the Adjutant as it comes alive, curious. But this isn't really her playing field. Stella's neither commander nor diplomat. "Please indicate to us the location of the threat as well."
Staren	Orchid's kind of covered it! Staren waits for the Adjutant's response while his drones keep combing the building. "Many things can be strong and dumb. But some are also alien -- though not all uses of that word mean this kind of difference. Most do not. Does your world have fairies? Do they value what people do, or do they care for different things, and not understand why their actions offend humans? Some things out there are intelligent, but irreconcilably different. Most will probably be our enemies if encountered."
Stella	"I have heard stories that fairies are proficient in healing magic, but I have never met one. So you are saying they are different and this makes them an enemy?" Stella pauses to consider that nugget of wisdom. Of "wisdom". "Should we endeavor to kill those with different values?" It's a real question. The question of someone who is looking for her path, not questioning how to walk it.
Staren	Staren blinks. "What? No, don't assume!" He replies, alarmed. "On /many/ worlds fairies are dangerous creatures, but not all. Sometimes they're just small or pointy-eared people." He sighs at her question. "Different, no. We don't all value the exact same things. As a golem, your physical needs are different from others, I'm sure that creates some differences. No, alliances between people of differing values can create a diverse empire, better equipped to handle challenges, with everyone combining their talents for the prosperity of all." Staren begins to pace. "For instance, you may have intelligent beings who can only eat plants. They may find it horrific that another, carnivorous intelligent species hunts and kills prey. But even though they do not understand the value of the hunt, the herbivores and the carnivores could be friends, as long as the carnivores only eat animals and not people." The floor rumbles just slightly as he paces. That armor must weigh like 400 pounds. "Even very alien beings, may have common ground. There might be a species that... cares for none of the things people do, but does not seek to harm them, even accidentally. You could trade even with these beings. No, the danger is beings with /incompatible/ values. Specifically, or as a group. The hungry tiger menacing a village because it values people being in its belly may have to be killed for peoples' protection; but that doesn't necessarily mean you have to hunt down and kill all tigers ever, most of them keep away from people. So it is with something like the Zerg. There are local clashes, but as long as they don't intend to spread across the entire Multiverse and destroy the civilizations in their way, you don't have to kill /all/ of them." Staren turns to look at Stella. "Of course, if they DO plan to do exactly that, to eradicate all people... Then they must be destroyed." He finishes, sternly. Then he tilts his head, though it doesn't really show with the way his helmet is constructed. "Does that make sense?"
Nova Terra	The armoured plating covering the windows of the Operations Room recede back, revealing the view outside. In response to the request, the Adjutant reports, "Zerg presence detected. Actions indicated hostile intent. Base defenses overwhelmed. Lockdown command initiated. Displaying final command log." A large screen lowers from the ceiling and comes to life. It shows a very paniced officer, "We can't hold them back! We're not equipped to deal with this many! I'm ordering everybody into the SCV bay and activating the lockdown. It should hopefully buy them enough time for reinforcements to arrive." The officer suddenly cries out in pain, part of his chest visibly bulging beneath his clothes. He gasps for breath as it briefly passes, managing to get out, "One of them did... Something... To some of us. I can feel it inside me." He brings his hand up into view of the camera, holding a grenade in it. He says solemnly, "This is all I can do..." The log cuts out there. The man attacking the Space Marine in the barracks doesn't seem like he's capable of listening to reason as he continues. But it's a simple matter for the Marine to restrain him without harm, at which point he starts sobbing, "They shouldn't be here! We checked! No signs... No signs... No signs..." He then goes still, head lolling backing. Without any emotional tone in his voice he says, "She whispers to me. She shows me things." As ordered, the Space Marines in the Refinery try to put a bolt into the creature that was spawned. And they succeed! But oddly enough it barely seems to slow the thing down. It doesn't attack though, instead screeching in pain and skittering away. It heads down a corridor deeper into the Refinery, where it seems the concentration of gas gets stronger. Not long after the log has finished displaying in the Operations Room, the Adjutant once again reports in her calm mechanical voice, "Reactor output at. Eleven. Percent. Re-engaging exterior defenses." Outside, the missile towers dotted around the base can be seen starting up, beginning to slowly spin. After a few moments, the Adjutant reports, "Alert. Zerg presence detected in. Grid. Zero zero one. Zero zero two. Zero zero three. Zero zero four. Zero zero five. Zero zero six. Zero zero seven. Zero zero eight. Zero zero nine." Nova looks a little confused for a moment, "That's practically the entire base..." She then goes a little pale, "Oh..."
Orchid	Orchid is going to check to see if there are any survivors in that SCV bay. They came all this way, they're going to at least try and recover those who lived through this mess. "Let me see if there's anyone we might want to extract, before we go."
Stella	"Yes," Stella replies. "Some of it. You are saying that just because one individual in a group is a problem, that does not make the group a problem, unless the group stands by the actions of the individual," she says, attempting to put things in her own terms. Even as, on the screen, the brave officer ends his own life to avoid a darker fate, Stella chats with Staren. "I do not understand the concern with what one's diet is composed of. You are saying that a dead body conserves its identity as something else, and that this creates a meaningful difference between two people if one ate "a person" and another ate "an animal". But they are both "inanimate organic matter"." She seems confused. Her attention shifts somewhat to the statement the threat is essentially everywhere. She closes her eyes and reaches outward with her senses. The vibrations against the metallic floor. Against the ceiling. Against the walls. The soil being disturbed outside, or even underneath the base itself. Let's see what the land has to say.
Staren	"Not exactly... there's some finer distinctions to be made here. We'll have to continue this discussion later." Staren replies to Stella. It seems the threat is everywhere. Under the ground. Why isn't he carrying thermobaric explosives?! He queues a manufacturing order on his ship to get some ready for any future dealings with the Zerg. Nova says the way out ALSO takes them through the SCV bay. He orders his drones to rendezvous there for extraction too. "Let's go, then." He follows Nova.
Karian Icefang	"All teams, regroup at the SCV bays. Slaughter any xenos you come across." Karian orders. He draws forth his massive claymore and grips his pistol tightly. He grits his teeth as he hears the discussion, and shakes his head. "It doesn't matter what something eats or doesn't eat. There are some things that simply need to be put to the sword. The Xenos we face here are one such thing."
Orchid	"Complex discussions of ethics can wait," Orchid adds. "Right now, principles of self defense apply." Orchid collects her computer, putting it in a case in her armor, then shaking her arms out, readying her shields and her blasters, hidden in each bracer. She follows Nova out through the SCV bay.
Nova Terra	The results of Stella's feelings might make her a little confused. There is some light movement coming from a large open space at the bottom of the Command Center. That's not so bad. But beyond that, the ground around the base, several feet down, feels a LOT more squishy than one would expect for a moon. It's a quick trip out of the Operations Room and into the lift down to the SCV Bay. Exiting the lift everyone will find themselves in a large storage area. Despite power being restored to the Command Center, the lights here are still mostly out. A few flicker dimly along with others shorting out, suggesting they've been damaged. Along the walls are bays storing a number of the somewhat large powered utility suits known as SCVs. Some light is streaming in from outside through what looks like a partially destroyed bulkhead door. But the most noticeable feature is in the center of the bay. Dozens of large eggsacs are gathered together atop some kind of thick purple subtance that coats the metal floor. They bathe each other in a sickly green glow. The forms visible through the vaguely transparent membranes appear humanoid in shape, but clearly deformed. There are no survivors here. Nova quietly signals the others to make for the smashed doors leading outside. But she only makes it about half way there before a voice echoes out from the darkness near the ceiling, "So you are the ones who have disturbed my trap?" A large alien creature lowers itself down from above, landing carefully amidst the collection of eggs before rising up on clawed legs, easily dwarfing even the armoured ones amongst the group.
Karian Icefang	Karian simply looks up at the massive creature that now sat in front of them. Rather then respond, he simply aims his pistol. "The question is, a trap for who...us or you?"
Orchid	"Never easy, is it?" Orchid groans. "And... Kerian makes an excellent point. I doubt we are the prey you intended to lure, and we may prove too tough to kill without risking your own life. We could just leave, no fighting, and each do our own thing." Orchid does not mention the plan for a Promethium strike.
Staren	Staren is stopped by a giant Zerg! With a bunch of fragile, burnable-looking eggs around it. Staren's shoulder launchers pop up into firing position, but don't fire yet. "So it would seem. Tell you what: You let us go, and we DON'T turn this place into an oven and cook all your precious eggs. What do you say? What's more important to you, their lives, or our deaths?"
Stella	"Very well, we will talk later," Stella answers Staren. She pauses. "... the soil here is not right. It is... it is not soil anymore," she reasons, because she can't... get a good feel for it. No, this is not earth. Or of the earth. This is... what IS that? "I do not know what I am feeling right now," she says. When they make it to the launch bay, Stella eyes the large creature that emerges. People try to reason with it. But it, immediatly, implicates itself several ways: 1. It laid a trap. 2. It did this. Sorry Staren. "You have eradicated all of the people here. Therefore, you are an enemy and must be destroyed." SORRY STAREN. Half a dozen blades of glimmering rainbow crystal form over Stella's shoulders, and launch for the massive Zerg's various joints and... what passes for its neck. That's a hella nebulous grey area.
Nova Terra	The question of who the trap is for appears to be answered as the pulsating eggs begin to burst. Climbing out of them are creatures that were once human, but no more. Their bodies mutated, carapace formed across their skin. Most only have natural weapons, large claws on their equally large arms. But some are wearing the powered armour suits that Terran Marines are known for, their large rifles now fused to their arms by organic masses. However, they neither charge nor fire as they don't receive word from their leader. Said leader, a Broodmother, one of the highest forms of Zerg still around, seems to consider the offers presented by Orchid and Staren. However, the decision turns out to be moot as Stella unleashes her barrage of crystal blades. While one or two find purchase in less armoured sections of the large Zerg's body, most fail to penetrate her hardened carapace, attesting to its strength. The Broodmother hisses out, "I may have considered your requessssst. But unlike ussss, you are not unified in thought! It is to be expected." Nova suddenly stumbles for a moment, gripping her head in pain. She says through gritted teeth, "They're coming!" The infested humans inside the SCV bay lunge forward, starting to charge the group! Those with claws try to close the gap to swipe at the elites. While those infested Marines begin to fire rounds of hardened carapace from their rifles, trying to force the group out. The Broodmother simply backs up a little, letting her minions go first. Outside, Karian's Space Marines will find the situation quickly getting untenable as the ground around them begins to shake. Dirt bursts upwards as fully grown and armored Zerg begin to unburrow. Zerglings with their teeth and claws begin rushing the armoured soldiers, trying to bite and slash. They are supported by Hydralisks with their ranged spines, able to pierce through the air and heavy armour with ease alike. And even as those ones closest to the Space Marine teams begin their assault, many more Zerg are popping up around the base.
Karian Icefang	Karian smirks softly. "Good. I didn't plan on leaving any of your kind alive anyway." He says, immidiately moving to give Nova some cover. "Focus up! No time for a headache. 1 minute," He says, hinting to their surprise. Outside, the marines note the timer in their helmets and quickly move to get out of range. Along the way, they'll happily take potshots at the zerg, seeing how their chitin stands up to .75 caliber shells.
Orchid	"So much for the easy approach," Orchid mutters, her shields coming up. She'll move to cover one of Nova's exposed flanks... ooo. and if she doesn't start shooting, they may not have time to escape. And as things are, Nova can't run. And while attracting monster attention is bad, failure is so much worse. Fear wars with fear inside Orchid, and she screams, spraying the incoming infected with plasma blasts. Maybe not the most POWERFUL, or WELL AIMED blasts, but there's a lot of them.
Stella	Carapace rounds chip away at Stella's skin - if there was any doubt she isn't human, the fact it breaks away like crystal and doesn't bleed might settle the matter. Cracks spread across her body, even as she uses a pair of crystal blades in her hands to block incoming claw rakes. But just as quickly as her body gets chipped away, the crystal just... grows back into place. But there's probably something more interesting going on. As she swings and strikes, Stella makes deliberate extra motions to slash at disabled or already-slain opponents. The bodies - barring any sort of effect to prevent it - get sucked up into her swords, and whenever this happens, she reabsorbs the swords into her body and makes new, clear ones to keep whacking with. She makes an effort to keep up with the group if it intends to withdraw, at least.
Staren	Staren wasn't seeking to show mercy to the Zerg. This time, he was attempting to lower the risk for his allies. Stella nullifies that, and so he fires six small missiles at the eggsacs. Blocked or not, they explode into huge fireballs -- unlike the expensive missiles he normally uses, which produce concentrated, super-intense fireballs, these are most intense at the point of detonation, but the heat radiates out through the room. There's probably going to be some damage to his allies, but they can handle it, right? Faced with charging... humans? He simple jump-jets back for now, putting some more distance between them and taking a couple of shots from his beam cannons. He'd thought the enemy was the Zerg, and wasn't prepared for this.
Nova Terra	The missiles fired from Staren's armour streak in to explode amidst the eggsacs and the Broodmother. A number of the eggs at the center of the explosion and blasted apart, the infested Terrans within dieing before they could finish mutating. But other eggs on the edge of the explosion survive it and heat that follows, proving remarkably durable. Nova seems to recover quickly from whatever hit her, saying to Karian, "I'll be alright, let's go!" She begins to rush out with the others, if a little wobbly on her feet. The fight is quickly shifting outside, Orchid's barrage of plasma fire blasting apart a number of the infested Terrans. Though more simply climb over the bodies of their fallen brethren to continue pushing. At least, those bodies that are still there. What with Stella's unusual effect of her blades sucking them up after cutting down those that reach her. The elite group manage to meet up with Karian's Space Marines, who are doing a good job of blasting apart the Zerg with their large weapons. But the Zerg have always proven their strength in numbers, with more to replace those that go down. A different strain of the creatures begins to pop up, Banelings. They start to roll their bulbous bodies across the ground fast. Nova warns, "Don't let them get close!" It's likely enough to get the soldiers to concentrate their fire and the Banelings start to exploding, unleashing showering blasts of highly acidic bile in all directions around them. It's a bit of a slog, but the group is beginning to make it out of the valley. Back at the Command Center, the Broodmother pokes her head out of the broken doors of the SCV Bay, watching the elites retreat. But she then goes back inside. Shortly after, massive organic tendrils begin to burst out of the Command Center's structure, quickly growing in number as they split apart and spread out across its surface.
Karian Icefang	The marines do indeed focus their fire on the called out suicide zerg, spewing their acid all over the place. Karian leads his group out, cutting down any infested or zerg that got too close. Thankfully, once clear and after 3 minutes exactly, the roar of thunderhawks break the silence, and moments over the roaring BOOM of Promethium bombs being dropped and sending forth massive gouts of Holy Flames upon the zerg, cooking anything unfortunate enough to be in the purification spread.
Orchid	Once Nova is recovered enough, Orchid is going to grab one arm, keep the Ghost moving to the exit. If she's stable, the reploid will let go. She's sending messages to her drones, instructing them to go for those rocket turrets. She MIGHT be able to get them working properly, on her side. At least, she wants to make sure the thunderhawks aren't made targets of the turrets. Still, it's time to run for it.
Staren	Staren follows Nova to the exit, occasionally firing wild beam cannon shots back at the horde. He doesn't have to aim if there's enough of them! Exploding banelings are a problem. Acid eats away at his armor, and he prioritizes staying further away from them after that. He pulls out a rocket launcher and keeps firing explosives into the horde. "Guys, we may have to abandon moon! We have to get away from them long enough to beam up!"
Stella	To Staren's ship, it sounds like. Stella doesn't argue. Orders are good. Seeing the Banelings explode, Stella catches on. Another volley of crystal blades forms over her and launches for the incoming Banelings - but they are not just blades. The holy flames of the Imperium reflect off their surfaces. Therefore, they are the holy flames of the Imperium, too. The crystal blades burst into great gushes of napalm, sprinkling the Zerg that have avoided bombardment so far and keep chasing after the retreating party.
Nova Terra	The valley has become filled with Zerg, all moving in unison like a great wave of water rushing towards a single point. That point being the valley's exit and the group of elites as they make their escape up the path. Using her own rifle, Nova rapid fires into the approaching horde, always keeping on the move in order to get clear of the coming bombs. However, there alert from the Adjutant still in the Command Center gets Nova's attention, "No... Nononono!" She turns her head to look at the structure, "It can do more than just fly!" Even as the roar of Thunderhawks coming into the light atmosphere can be heard, another roar joins them. Armored panels slide back to reveal the Command Center's massive thrusters. They ignite, unleashing a billowing cloud of smoke and dust as the structure begins to rise up into the air. Orchid's drones make it to a few of the missile turrets, interfacing with them. The turrets turn and begin to fire missile after missile into the flying Command Center, chipping away at its armour and its structure, but they're taking too long. The bombs begin to fall, exploding amongst the combined mass of Zerg like rocks in a pond, intense heat beyond even what the Zerg can withstand washes outward from the impact points. The Zerg are almost instantly turned to ash, unable to escape, only screech out in combined anger. But the Command Center rises above it all, quickly beginning to accelerate. The building and the air around it begins to distort and then with a flash of light, it vanishes. Most of the Zerg were caught in the blast, as once everything that remained of the Terran base. The buildings have been blasted apart by the bombs, their remains slowly melting under the burning fire. Some Zerg are still chasing, falling to the flames of Stella's crystal blades or the blasts of Staren's rockets. There's no telling how many more might still be on the moon, so escape is still the smart move. Better to not risk your own life when you can just leave the clean up to the Imperium.
Staren	Once Staren and Stella are out of range and his ship can get a lock on them, they beam up. Staren offers the same to anyone else. Inside, part of the manufactory floor rises up to come level with a containment room. Staren dumps the swords Stella makes there. Just in case they break free. He'll break the swords at a proper Concord containment facility.
Karian Icefang	With the group seemingly out of the frying pan for the moment, Karian and his men regroup and come up with a plan of action with the rest of the heroes. It is thus decided to perform Exterminatus, and ensure /NOTHING/ on the moon survives the day. So, once everyone was off the planet, the bombardment would begin. Round after round, shot after shot, impacts upon the moons surface, until finally, a massive Cyclonic Torpedo is fired from the lead Battle-Barge into the moon, igniting the atmosphere in a truely hellish display of Imperial might. "And it is done...Ave Imperator."
Nova Terra	Nova herself accepts the evacuation to Staren's ship, seeing it as a better option than trying to get the Griffin down to land. Should be simple to transfer over afterwards. In time, the Imperium's barrage rips apart much of the moon's surface, before the atmosphere errupts in fire, thus cleansing the surface of all that remained of the Zerg. On the other side of the planet to where the mining base used to be, a crashed Protoss ship, long vacant of any actual Protoss, is engulfed in the flames.
Orchid	Orchid winds up with the other Space Marines. She's grumbling a little, and was hoping to do more good, but she'll be fine with survival.