Disclaimer: With the exception of the following: Ryusa, Tarik, Kinoe, Yiran, and Inod, I do not own any of the characters or creatures in this story. I am writing this only because I crave attention. Read my story, I'm begging you, please! Also please don't sue me, because I'm not making any money for writing this. Alien Encounter Kiyone leaned back in her chair and enjoyed the silence. With Mihoshi gone on a scouting mission things were dead quite on Yagami, and Kiyone loved it. No pointless chattering, no stupid questions, no messes to pick up. Kiyone could almost imagine that Mihoshi didn't exist. At least until she looked over at Mihoshi's computer screen. On it was a picture of the blond haired woman, her face smiling brightly while her hand waved back and forth. On the bottom it read, " I'll be right back". Kiyone ground her teeth together. She had tried eight times to delete that picture from the computer, but somehow Mihoshi had screwed up the system so that it couldn't be removed. Kiyone had no idea how she'd done it, and suspected Mihoshi didn't either. Kiyone shut her eyes and tried to will the picture away. Suddenly the navigational computer started beeping, warning her they were exiting hyper space. Kiyone sat up. Numbers scrolled by as the timer counted down the final seconds and then, with a slight lurch, she was back in real space. Kiyone powered up the weapon systems and began looking for the pirate base suspected to be in the area. The system she'd arrived in was small, only five planets. The two inner and the outermost planets were too inhospitable to set up a base on, so Kiyone only had two planets to check. She set a course for the fourth planet and started her scans. The world appeared to be devoid of life and was wrapped in a thick fog. The air was breathable, but only for a few minutes. While searching she came across an abnormality in the scans. It appeared to be a blank spot in the scan readout. Kiyone was about to dismiss it as a scanning error, but something stopped her. Kiyone ran a second scan and the same blank spot appeared again. She tried to get a visual image but the thick fog hid the planet's surface. After a minute of consideration, Kiyone decide to go down and check it out. Without being able to see the ground she couldn't risk trying to land Yagami on planet. Instead she programed in a course that would take her by the abnormality. Once over it she could use her GP-exosuit to reach the surface. After programing the course she set in a five minute delay and headed for the holding bay. A brand new, her original having been destroyed by Mihoshi while trying to catch Ryoko, GP all environment combat exosuit sat silently, waiting. Climbing in, she powered up the exosuit and ran down the check list. (Energy cell full, electronics at one hundred percent, weapon system normal, all systems ready), she thought. A warning light flashed and the doors started opening. Kiyone stood at the door's edge and looked down. She couldn't see anything but shadows through the fog. She checked the computer link.(Ten seconds to target). The timer ran down and Kiyone stepped out into the air. As she fell Kiyone activated the suits laser rangefinder. ( Three thousand feet to the surface). The suit's sensors indicated she was drifting off target so she fired up the engines to compensate. ( One thousand feet.) Kiyone increased thrust and her fall slowed. Suddenly the fog parted and the ground appeared. Twenty feet up she applied full power to the engines and halted her fall completely. Easing back on the throttle she brought the suit to a hover. She rotated around toward the target and applied some forward thrust, easing through the fog. Ahead a black structure appeared. As she got closer Kiyone realized it was a base. The domed structure was completely black and lacked any external features. It was rather small and Kiyone guessed that the base probable extended below ground. She checked the sensors and got the same results she'd gotten on Yagami. Whatever the base was made of apparently absorbed sensor scans. Kiyone took a deep breath and punched the throttle full forward. She activated the suit's cannon and prepared to dodge any defensive fire. However as she streaked forward nothing happened. No fire, no detectable movement. Kiyone throttled back and landed at the edge of the base. Still no activity. Kiyone started a cycle of the dome until she found a door. She almost missed the well hidden structure. She located the control panel and popped the cover off. She hacked into the system and overrode the lock. The door opened and Kiyone stepped in. The door shut behind her and air filters kicked on, removing the planet's gases from the air. She scanned the area carefully. A long hall stretched out before her. Several doors lined the hall and there was an elevator at the end. She checked the rooms but most were storage spaces. She took the elevator down. As she suspected the real base was far underground. The door opened and she stepped out, ready for anything, or so she thought. The hallway before her was completely destroyed. Blaster and laser burns covered the walls, ceiling, and floor. Smoke hung in the air and most of the light panels were smashed or blowup. Most amazing, several spots on the floor and wall had huge holes eaten in them. ( Looks like something melted through them). Kiyone had to engage the suit's engines to fly over some of the larger holes in the floor. She chose a door at random and entered the room. The room was no better off than the hall. Kiyone was about to leave when the sensors detected a life sign. She pressed further into the room, following the reading. Rounding a corner Kiyone froze. She couldn't believe the sight in front of her. The wall was covered in a black, resin like material. Stuck in the middle of it was a middle aged man with brown hair and very white, pasty skin. His head hung down so she couldn't see his eyes, but she was sure he was unconscious. She moved closer and could see long scratch marks along the side of his face. The sensors indicated there was no one else around. With a sigh, Kiyone opened the suit and climbed out. She carefully approached the man. Slowly she reached out and grabbed the top of his head and tilted it back. His eyes were shut and she noticed marks on his neck. It looked like someone had tried to strangle him with a rope or wire. Looking back at his face, Kiyone was shocked to she his eyes open. She let out a small scream and stepped back. The man just stared straight ahead, seemingly unfocused on anything. Regaining control, she tried to get his attention. " Hello, can you hear me?", she asked. His eyes sifted toward her and locked onto her face. " AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!" The man screams were beyond frightening. They scaled upward toward insanity. He began to struggle violently against his bonds. Kiyone stepped forward and grasped his shoulders, trying to hold him down. " Sir! Please calm down! Hey it's okay, calm down!" Kiyone tried desperately to stop his screaming but to no avail. The screams became pain filled, and his struggling became even more violent. Suddenly his chest bulged out. Kiyone jumped back in horror. The bulge pressed out further as blood soaked through his shirt. Final, with a wet tearing sound, the mans chest burst out. From the hole a pale, worm like creature slithered out. Kiyone backed up as the creature hit the floor. It reared back and hissed at her, displaying it's silvery teeth. Kiyone drew her blaster and fired several shot into the creature. It's body burst, spraying greenish blood. A few drops landed on her left arm and her shirt sleeve began to smoke. It ate through the fabric quickly and began to dissolve the flesh below. Kiyone gritted her teeth to keep from crying out in pain. As she watched the floor surrounding the corpse bubbled and sagged. A sickening smell filled the air and Kiyone felt light headed. She leaned against the exosuit for support. She looked down and was ashamed to see she was shaking. She was suddenly filled with an overwhelming desire to get the hell out off the planet. ( No! Get a grip Kiyone. You can't just run away. There might be others in need of help and it's your duty to help them.) She climbed back into the exosuit and her uneasiness lessened. The powerful device boosted her confidence. Kiyone knew no standard side arm could pierce the suit's thick armor. Along with the advanced sensors and deadly arm cannon, the exosuit had more destructive capability than many military units. Reentering the hallway she began to search for survivors. After conducting searches of half the rooms in the hallway however, it seemed that anyone who had survived the fight had probably fled. *Beep* Kiyone checked the sensors. The motion detector had picked up something.( Looks like there is someone left alive here.) A single dot moved slowly across the screen.( Range, fifty feet.) Kiyone looked up. There was a door thirty feet ahead. ( On the other side of that door) *Beep Beep* A second dot appeared. ( Looks like he's got a friend with him.) *Beep Beep Beep* A third dot joined the first two. Then a fourth and fifth appeared. Kiyone directed her other sensors toward them, but the results were confusing. ( Heavy molecular traces, but the computer can't place the species. No IR or electric field emissions. Astro scans negative. Radar is clear. What the hells out there?) *Beep Beep Beep Beep Beep Beep Beep Beep Beep Beep* Kiyone's eyes widened as the screen filled with dots. The unknown swarm was heading in her direction. ( Forty feet.) She leveled her cannon at the door. (Thirty feet) Kiyone's finger tightened on the trigger. (Twenty? What the hell!?) The range continued to decrease. ( Where are they!?) Sweat formed on her brow as she fought down the panic rising inside of her. ( What was that?) Kiyone could have sworn she saw movement through one of the holes in the floor. She peered closer. Something moved through the shadows. ( Their under the floor!) Kiyone set the cannon to full power and fired. The blast blew apart the flooring in massive explosion that showered the area in flaming debris. Thick smoke hid the blast sight. Kiyone dialed back the power and waited. For a second, nothing moved. Then, out of the smoke, they came. Black insect like creatures poured forth. They ran swiftly on long limbs, their spiked tail whipping in the air. They had long, tubular heads devoid of eyes, filled with dagger teeth. The nearest screamed, reveling a second pair of tooth filled jaws. At that point, Kiyone lost it, and her mind went completely blank. Fortunately, her training took over. She blasted the vile creature, blowing it's body apart in a spray of green blood. Where the blood landed, smoke rose as the foul secretion dissolved everything it came in contact with. Kiyone was on full autopilot, firing with reckless abandon. Alien bodies exploded and the whole hallway began to dissolve as gallons of acidic blood sprayed forth. Slowly, Kiyone's brain regained conscious control of her body. Her attack didn't relent in the slightest though. She continued to rain explosive death on the horde of demonic creatures. Her attention was only slightly pulled away by a faint movement at the edge of her vision. She glanced up. Several of the aliens were pouring out of a vent in the ceiling. She turned to face them as one of the creatures jumped toward her. Without thinking she snapped the cannon up and fired. The alien exploded and Kiyone realized her error. The creatures blood splashed over the exosuit and began to eat through the metal. The rest of the aliens jumped at her, landing around or on the suit. They struck the thick armor, clawing and biting, leaving deep scratches and holes in the metal plating. Kiyone swung at them, the powerful arm motors crushing their elongated skulls and hurling bodies into the wall. They slammed against the suit, jarring it and knocking Kiyone around. She grabbed one in a bear hug, crushing it. Another climbed onto her back. Kiyone ignited the engine and the creature fell off screaming as flames engulfed it. More aliens closed in from the right and she swung around to face them. ( Suit's sluggish. The acid must be eating away at the hydraulics.) The aliens were far enough away that she could blast them. Kiyone raised the arm cannon and pulled the trigger, but nothing happened. ( Oh shit!) She tried again and the gun sparked and exploded. The pack pounced on her. Kiyone fought then off as best she could, but the suit's slowness made it exceptionally difficult. ( Enough of this.) Kiyone activated the flight engines. The left engine however, did not come on. The uneven thrust produced by the right engine threw the suit into a corkscrew that ended up slamming Kiyone into the wall. The suit became wedged between the floor and the wall. The impact had stunned Kiyone and pushed the throttle to full. Stress caused the engine to explode. Flaming fuel sprayed forth, igniting the hallway and forcing the aliens back, giving Kiyone time to recover. ( Shit! Hydraulics are practically dead, the engines and cannon are gone, and half the armors melted off.) She only had one option, ditch the suit. Kiyone fought to bring the suit to a standing position so she could open the back. Once out of the suit she took off down the hall. Glancing back she saw the aliens in hot pursuit and gaining fast. Rounding a corner she saw an open door ahead of her. Kiyone dove inside, striking the close button on the way. The door slid smoothly, only to be stopped dead as one of the aliens thrust it's hands inside. It stuck it's head in through the gap and growled at her before it started to slid the door back open. Kiyone drew her blaster and fired right down it's throat, blowing it's brains out the back of it's skull. It fell backwards and the door began to shut again. Another alien moved to catch the door, but Kiyone shot it before it got close enough. Finally the door locked into place. Outside the aliens pounded on the door. Bulges appeared in the door as it bent under the strain. Kiyone exited the room through a door that led into a new hallway. This one wasn't as damaged as the first. She took off down the hall, not knowing were she was going, feeling totally lost and confused. As she passed a hole in the floor an arm shot out and tripped her. Kiyone fell hard on her face and her blaster skidded out of her hands. She lunged for it, but something grabbed her leg and jerked her back. She looked back to see one of the aliens holding her ankle. She twisted around and kicked it hard in the ribs. The blow barely moved the creature. It just squeezed tighter, sending pain shooting up her leg. It crawled over her, pinning her to floor beneath it. Kiyone struggled violently to push it off, but the alien was too strong. It's jaws opened and she could see it's inner jaws. Thick saliva ran through it's metallic teeth. The inner jaws opened and Kiyone shut her eyes. The creature screamed and Kiyone knew she was dead. She felt it's body suddenly drop heavily on her. There was no pain. Kiyone waited but nothing else happened. Finally she opened her eyes. The alien was laying on her, not moving. There was a smoking hole in the side of it's head. The wound was burnt shut, saving her from the alien's acidic blood. Kiyone was still recovering from the shock that she wasn't going to die when a man ran up to her. He was a tall man, with dark skin and long hair worn in a topknot. He had on combat fatigues and was carrying a laser rifle. Several other individuals ran up behind him. Most of them were dressed similarly and they all carried laser rifles. ( Pirates) " Are you okay?", he asked. Kiyone just stared at him. " Hey lady, are you alright?" " Get this thing off me!", she yelled. Four of the guys grabbed hold of the alien and pulled it off her. Kiyone tried to stand up but her legs refused to hold her weight. The dark man helped her to her feet and she had to lean against him to stand. " Hey hold it! She's a GP!" The speaker was a heavy man with blond hair and a thick beard. He pointed his rifle at her and from the look in his eyes, Kiyone could tell he planned to use it. Fortunately the man holding her up knocked the big mans gun aside. " What the hell are you doing!?", the big man yelled. " There's no reason to kill her", the dark man answered. " She's a GP" " Who cares what she is, the important thing is she's here, which means she has a ship, which means she can get us the hell off this rock." By now Kiyone had recovered enough that she could stand on her own. " He's right, I can get you all out of here", she said. " Correction, your ship can get us out of here, you on the other hand, aren't needed",the big man snarled at her. " My ship's in orbit dumbass, how do you plan to get it down here with the access codes" The big man opened his mouth as if to say something, but then shut it. The dark man spoke up. " We can talk about this later", he said. " Right now we should get to a safer place." The pirate group led Kiyone to an empty hazardous waste storage facility. " This is what you consider safe?", she asked skeptically. " The door and walls are five feet thick and are made of pure tetratitanium.", the dark man told her. " This thing could survive an anti-matter explosion without denting." Kiyone just shrugged as she followed them in, though she was very impressed. ( Where the hell did they get that much tetratitanium?), she wondered. " I guess we should start by introducing ourselves", she said. " I'm Kiyone, first class detective in the Galaxy Police force." The dark man nodded and proceeded to introduce himself and his fellow pirates. " My name is Ryusa", he said. He pointed to the big man. " This is Tarik". Next he introduced Kinoe, a young man, not much older than Tenchi. He had short brown hair and blue eyes. The only woman in the group was Yiran, a small but well muscled individual with dark skin and hair. Last was Inod, an elderly man with white streaks running through his red hair and bread. He was massively built with huge arms and shoulders. " Nice to meet you all", Kiyone said. " Whatever", Tarik scoffed. " Can we get to the point here. What do you need to do to get your ship down here and get us away from this hell." "I could use the communication equipment in my exosuit. Unfortunately, the suit was hosed down with a fair amount of alien blood, so there's a chance that equipment is damaged.", Kiyone replied. " We would have a better chance using your bases com system." " That's not an option", Ryusa said. " Why not?", Kiyone asked. Kinoe answered, " Cause that's were the bugs' nest is." " Nest?" " Their very protective of it", Inod said. " We already tried to get there to send out a distress call. There were forty of us." He raised his hands to indicate the remaining pirates. " We're all that survived." ( Holy shit!), Kiyone thought. Things weren't looking good. " Well then, we'd better pray the suit's unit is undamaged", Kiyone said. She held out her hand. " May I have my blaster back?" Ryusa handed her the weapon. He looked over at Tarik. " Give her your spare rifle", he said. At this Tarik's face went red. " Why the hell should I?", he bellowed. " Because blasters blow those things up and when they blow up, acid sprays all over. Laser rifles seal the wound so that doesn't happen. And your the only one of us with a spare." Tarik sputtered for a moment, trying to come up with a reason not to give his gun to Kiyone. Finally, with an angry snarl, he thrust the rifle at her. Kiyone calmly took the weapon, pissing off Tarik even more. " Ready?", she asked. " Lets go", Ryusa said. Kiyone felt very uncomfortable. Leading a group of pirates through an alien infested corridor was extremely unnerving. Even worse was the fact that she was out in front, forcing her to trust the pirates not to shoot her in the back. She was also worried about what would happen once they were aboard Yagami. She knew what Tarik was planning. As soon as they could do without her, he was defiantly going to kill her. Kiyone was going to have to be careful. Up ahead she spotted what was left of her exosuit. " There it is", she said. Ryusa nodded and said, " Alright, see if the com unit's operational, we'll cover you." Reluctant to trust a group of pirates, Kiyone slowly climbed into the suit. She checked the com system and was happy to find it undamaged. ( About time something went right today.) She tried to contact Yagami but she only got static. She ran a second check and the suit indicated the com unit was working. She tried again and got the same results. ( Damn it. We're too far underground.) She climbed out of the suit. " We've got a problem", she said. Back in the safe room, Kiyone and the pirate group struggled to come up with a plan to get the suit topside. It was too heavy to carry and the floor was too damaged to bring in anything big enough to drag it out. " Can't you just cut the com unit out of the suit", Kinoe suggested. Kiyone shook her head. " The unit wasn't built to be removed. It would take hours even with the proper tools." She turned to Ryusa. " Don't you have any portable com equipment?", she asked. " The only hand-held's we have are voice only units. They don't have the computer interface need to program your ship for a landing." " What kind are they?", Kiyone asked. " R- 380's" " Those have orbital range capability right?" " Yes but like I said, they don't have..." Kiyone cut him off. " They'll work." Ryusa gave her a confused look. " We can use them as a relay. Send the signal through them to my ship, that way I can use the equipment in my suit to create a landing program." " She's right", Inod said. " We can sent the signal down the hallway, up the elevator shaft, and down the surface hall." " We should probably station someone outside the base, to make sure the signals clear.", Kiyone added. " So we'll need three R-380's", Ryusa observed. " Alright, lets do it." The trip to the storage room was thankfully uneventful. " Found 'em", Kinoe called out. He pulled out three units and handed one to Ryusa, one to Tarik, and held on to the last. Ryusa turned his on. " Good, fully charged", he said. He switched it off and clipped it to his belt. " Time to get going." " Man, I can't wait to the hell off this rock", Kinoe said. He walked to the door and pressed the controls. " You know, I had a bad feeling about this planet since I..." Kinoe's words were cut off as the door opened and an alien lunged inside. Kinoe never had a chance to react, he didn't even have time to scream. In a spray off blood the alien gutted him, naval to throat, a corpse before he hit the ground. Kiyone reacted first, raising her gun and burning a hole through the creature's chest. It fell to floor, wounded but not dead. It screamed horribly and Kiyone shot it again to shut it up, though she'd rather had let it die slowly. While she hadn't know Kinoe, Kiyone didn't think anyone should have to die like he did, even a pirate. Ryusa slowly walked over to Kinoe's body and removed the com unit form his belt. " Lets go", he said softly. They filed out of the room. As Tarik passed the dead alien he gave it a swift kick in the head and spat on it. " Son-of-a-bitch" The group managed to get back to the exosuit without incident. Kiyone powered the suit back up and accessed the com. " Switch the R-380's to frequency 67.869 and set for tight beam transmission." Ryusa nodded and started toward the elevator. " Tarik and Yiran, your with me. Inod, you protect Kiyone." The old man looked at Kiyone and smiled. " Me protecting a GP, never thought I'd see the day.", he joked. As they reached the elevator Ryusa said, " Alright, you two head up. Once your on the surface you'll have to jam the doors open cause I'll be calling the elevator back down. I'll open the maintenance hatch on the roof so we'll have a clear path." Tarik and Yiran took the elevator up to ground level. " Go open the door, okay", Tarik said. Yiran headed down the hall. The elevator doors started to close, but Tarik used his gun as a brace. Suddenly a terrible stink entered the air and it became uncomfortable to breath. The planet's atmosphere was pouring in through the open door. " Hurry up down there", Tarik yelled. He coughed on the toxic air. " Ready Kiyone?", Ryusa called out. " Ready", she said. Kiyone activated the com. " We're getting some static, see if you can't line up the 380's better." Ryusa yelled up the shaft," Hey Tarik, bring yours inside the shaft. Above ground, Tarik thrust his arm over the jammed gun, placing the 380 as precisely over the opening in the elevator roof as he could. " That got it", Kiyone said. She accessed Yagami's flight computer and programed in a flight plan that would bring the ship to a hover just outside the base. " That's it, we're out of here." She jumped out of the suit and grabbed her rifle. " Lets go." Tarik heard Kiyone call out that she was done and let out a sigh of relief. He yelled over his shoulder," Looks like we're actually going to get out of this alive Yiran." There was no answer. " Yiran?". Tarik turned around to find Yiran was gone. The 380 laid on the ground in a puddle of blood. " Oh shit." A low hiss came from the ceiling. Tarik didn't bother to look up, he knew what was there. Spinning quickly he grabbed his rifle and yanked, but the doors wouldn't release the weapon. Long arms shot down and sharp claws dug into his shoulders. The arms picked him up off the ground. " Let go you piece of shit!" Tarik thrashed and kicked violently, but only managed to dig the claws even deeper into his flesh. There was a snarl, followed by a dull crack as something smacked into the back of his skull. Tarik felt all the strength leave his body. A warm feeling flowed down his neck and slowly, everything went dark. " Tarik! What's going on up there!", Ryusa yelled. He had heard Tarik yelling and saw something thrashing about just outside the doors. " Tarik, answer me!" Something wet dripped on his face and Ryusa wiped it off. His hand came away streaked red. "Oh no, no, no!" He looked backed up. A dark shape leaned in the door. Ryusa swung his rifle up and sent a stream of deadly energy through it's throat. A second alien moved in to replace the first and Ryusa killed it, but three more appeared. The aliens swarmed into the shaft. Ryusa leapt from the elevator and sprinted down the hall. The aliens poured out of the elevator like a black wave. Kiyone and Inod opened fire on the swarm, slowing them down and allowing Ryusa to get away. " Lets go!", Kiyone yelled. All three of them ran down the hall with the aliens close behind, and gaining. Kiyone reached the end of the hall first and slammed the door open. Ryusa followed her in a second later, but Inod had fallen behind. Kiyone saw he wasn't going to make it, the aliens were too close. He must have realized it as well for he suddenly stopped and turned, bringing his laser up and burning down the lead alien. " Go on! Get out of here!", he yelled, slicing an alien in two. He had thrown the power controls to full, allowing him to generate a constant stream that was cutting through the swarm like a sword, but which would drain the power pack in a matter of seconds. " Inod! No!", Ryusa hollered. He was about to charge back into the hall when Kiyone grabbed him and pulled him back. " It's too late, you can't save him!", she yelled. Ryusa struggled with her before Kiyone spun and threw him over her hip. As he landed she turned to shut the door, only to have an alien stop it before the latch caught. Kiyone pushed as hard as she could, but she was no match for the creature's strength. The door was half way open when blade of light streaked through the opening. The alien screamed as it was cut in two before collapsing to the ground. Another scream filled the air, but this one was human. Kiyone quickly shut the door, cutting off the sound. As she turned around she was caught with a powerful backhand that sent her to the floor. Ryusa jammed his gun under her chin. He was trembling with anger. " Damn you, you bitch!", he screamed. " How could you just leave him out there?!" " There wasn't anyway to save him and you know it! He gave up his life to make sure we'd get away!", she screamed at him. " Shit, if there had been any chance of helping him I'd of been the first to try, but wasn't a fucking thing we could do!" " No! We could have! We could!", Ryusa half yelled, half sobbed. " He didn't deserve to die, not like that" His hand was shaking uncontrollably and his voice cracked. The gun slid out of his hand and clattered to the ground. Ryusa fell back into a sitting position, bringing his knees up and burying his face in his arms. " Didn't deserve that", he whispered. Kiyone laid a hand on his shoulder. " I know", she said. Kiyone wished she could think of something else to say. The silence was interrupted by a loud banging sound as the aliens began to attack the door. Dents rose in the surface and the frame cracked. " We got to go", Kiyone said, pulling Ryusa to his feet. She handed him his rifle and they took off down the hall. Ryusa led them to a chemical lab. Heavy pressure doors sealed the lab off from the rest of the base, making it a relatively safe place. The lab was completely automated. Computers controlled several interconnected pieces of equipment. One only had to fill the chemical vats and turn the system on. Kiyone was sitting at an exam table while she let Ryusa treat her acid burnt arm. " There you go, that should help", he said as he finished. He had washed the wound with an antiseptic and covered it with a bandage. " Thank you", Kiyone replied. She flexed her arm, testing the bandage. It still hurt, but at least she didn't have to worry about infection. " So, now what." " Well, you got the ship down here, right?", he asked. " It's down, but how are we going to get to it?", she asked back. " I really don't feel like trying to fight my way back down that hallway." Ryusa shrugged and hung his head. He glanced at the lab area, seeming lost in thought. Suddenly he brought his head up. " I've got it!", he declared. " What?", Kiyone asked, not knowing what he meant. Ryusa got up and walked over to were the chemicals were stored. " Okay", he started. " We use this lab to make Bliss, now if we..." Kiyone cut him off. " What! You mean to tell me your drug dealer?", she half screamed. " Hey, the life of a pirate encompasses many areas.", he countered " Yeah, but Bliss! I mean my God, do you know what that stuff does to a person?" " Sure. It heightens sexual feeling and desire, while providing the user with empathic abilities so they can experience the feelings of their lovers. It can also..." " No, I'm meant the long term effects. I'm talking about the damage it causes to the brain and the genitals. How it can cause horrible defects in children conceived during sex under the influence of it. Or how three out of five long term users become rapists." Kiyone's face twisted in disgust. " How could you possibly help make and distribute that stuff?" Ryusa's faced dropped and Kiyone could swear he looked hurt. " Kiyone, I'm a pirate alright. I live on the other side of the law. It's not easy and sometimes you've got to do things you don't like to do to survive in this business. If I don't make a sufficient profit, I don't get fired, I get punished. And punishment usually involves a great deal of pain, if you get what I'm saying. If I mess up, it could quickly cost me my life. You GP's have really been cracking down on us lately and it's been costing us. To make up for it, we had to find another source of income. You probably won't believe me, but I don't like doing it. Stealing from people I can handle, if things go well no one gets hurt. Drugs though, I know people are going to get hurt, it's just how it is. So yeah, I'm a drug dealer, but it's only because it's all we've go left." Kiyone found herself believing him. " Hey, Ryusa. I'm sorry for going off on you. Just forget about it. Now you said you had a plan?" Ryusa glanced sideways at her. " Yeah, I think so." He took a deep breath before continuing. " One of the chemicals used to make Bliss is T87-R. It vaporizes instantly at room temperature and is highly flammable. If we dump it in the ventilation system it will spread throughout the whole base. After that, one spark and the whole place will go up. The lab area is completely sealed off from the rest of the base to prevent air born chemicals from getting out. It also prevents any from getting in. The doors are pretty heavy, and they should protect us." Kiyone thought about it. " It's a good plan, but it has two flaws. First, how are we going to get enough T87-R into the ventilation system?",Kiyone asked. " If the lab is totally sealed off, that means we'll have to drag several barrels of the stuff out of here and find a place to dump it were it will spread through the whole base. Second, how do you plan to light it? You can't just open the door and throw a match in the hall. We'd need some kind of remote detonator." Ryusa nodded in agreement. " Setting it off isn't a problem", he informed her. " The armory is just two doors down. We can get a detonator and some blasting caps. That should work well enough. As for spreading it, there's an air vent right outside. One of us can stand guard while the other pours the stuff." " How long will it take to spread through the base.", Kiyone asked. Ryusa shrugged his shoulders. " I don't know. If we dumped it in one of the main airways it would take less than an hour. The one out there is a side vent so it will take longer." He paused in thought. " I would give it four hours to be safe." Kiyone stood guard as Ryusa dumped the chemical into the vent he had pried open. The stuff smelled like oil and it made Kiyone dizzy. ( No, got to stay focused. I can't afford to let my guard down, not even for a second.) She shook of the effects of the fumes and checked the hall. No movement to be seen, but she knew that wasn't a guarantee of anything, not with these creatures. " Okay, that should do it", Ryusa said as he stood up. He swayed and placed a hand on the wall for support. " Hey, are you alright", Kiyone asked. Ryusa turned toward her and she saw his eyes were red and watering. ( He must of got a good dose of that stuff while he was pouring it.) "I'm fine", he said, waving his hand. He picked up the detonator and set the timer for four hours. Kiyone activated her wrist computer and did the same. " Go", Ryusa said, pressing the start button. Kiyone started her timer. Ryusa placed the detonator in the air vent and replaced the cover. " Lets get back in the lab" " I'm all for that", Kiyone agreed. They both turned around just as an alien dropped from the ceiling. Kiyone brought her gun up to fire when she realized they had made a big mistake. ( I can't fire a laser now, it will set of the gas fumes!) " Run!" Kiyone sprinted down the hall with Ryusa right behind her. " What's wrong with the gun!?", he called to her. " If I had fired I would have cooked us!", she shouted back to him. She heard him curse and figured he felt stupid for not realizing it sooner. Kiyone risked looking back. The alien had taken back to the ceiling for the chase, but that didn't slow it down in the least. " Kiyone! I think we're far enough away now!", Ryusa yelled. ( I hope so), Kiyone thought. She suddenly stopped, turned, and fired. The alien screeched as the beam drilled through it's skull and cooked it's brain. It died still hanging from the ceiling. " Lets get the hell back to the lab before more of them come", Ryusa suggested. Even as he spoke though, Kiyone was in motion. Her gun swung up, aiming over his head. The alien dropped before she could fire, just as Ryusa looked up. He threw his hands up in a feeble attempt to protect himself. The creature landed heavily on him, pinning him to the floor. Blood flew, splattering on Kiyone. " NOOOOOOOO!!!!" Kiyone fired, blasting the monster through the head. She fire again and again and again. She didn't stop until the rifle ran out of power. She tossed the gun at the smoldering corpse. She was about to pull out her blaster when a low hiss stopped her. She looked up and a black shadow fell to engulf her. Kiyone's eyes refused to open. She could just lay there in the darkness. Her head was throbbing and her body felt stiff. She tried to move her arms, but something was holding her down. She finally managed to crack her eyes open. It seemed to take an eternity for her vison to focus. When it did, she felt like screaming. She was hanging from a wall, encased in a resin like substance. In front of her there was a leathery, egg shaped pod. She looked around, but fortunately there didn't seem to be any aliens nearby. She took a deep breath and strained against the hardened resin. She felt it bend and stretch slightly. She jerked her arms viciously and kicked her legs. She was so busy fighting for her freedom that she almost missed the movement of the egg. Her attention was caught by a wet sucking sound. She watched as the four corners of the egg opened like the petals of a flower. Inside she could just see a white membrane. It bulged and a thin, insect like leg poked up. Kiyone began her struggles again, fighting desperately. Slowly the creature inside the egg made it's way out. It paused on the edge. It looked like a giant spider without a head. A long tail twitched behind it as it paused on the egg. Then it turned toward her. Kiyone screamed and pulled with her right arm, not caring if she ripped it out of the socket. There was a slight crack, and she felt the substance pull from the wall. The creature jumped, flying toward her face. Kiyone's arm came free and she swung, knocking the alien out of the air. It landed on it's back, but immediately righted itself and came back at her. It leapt again and Kiyone caught it. She held it out at arms length as it thrashed. It's tail shot out and wrapped around her neck. It tighten, cutting off her air as it pulled itself in closer. Kiyone vison blurred and she felt her arm tiring. The creature was just inches from her face now. Suddenly a long tube like structure jutted out and proceeded to jam itself into her gasping mouth. Kiyone nearly retched. The tube began to work it's way down her throat. Kiyone suddenly remembered the first man she found. She remembered how he was stuck to the wall, just as she was. The scratches on his face and the marks on his neck. She recalled how his chest had burst and the vile life form that had sprung forth. She realized now what the thing in front of her was doing. It was trying to lay an egg in her. The idea spurred new life into her and she thrust her arm back out, pulling the tube from her mouth. The creatures tail tightened further. With a choked off yell Kiyone raised the creature up, and smashed it against the wall. She pulled back and smashed into the wall again, and again, and again. The tail started to loosen. She kept slamming it into the wall. She didn't quite until the tail went slack and slid off from around her neck. She gave the creature one more good hit before tossing it as far away as she could. Kiyone rested as she waited for her breathing to return to normal. She spit, trying to rid her mouth of the awful taste the creature had left. Kiyone began to use her free arm to break off the resin one layer at a time. As she worked she kept glancing back toward the crumpled alien, making sure it wasn't moving. When she was finally free she found her legs were refusing to hold her up. She sat on the floor, resting. While she sat there she noticed an odd smell in the air. It was an oily smell. ( Oh shit! The gas.) She glanced at her timer. She saw she'd been out almost three and a half hours. She had just over half an hour to get back to the lab. Otherwise, she was barbecue. She fought to her feet and checked the halls, trying to figure out where she was. ( Hell, I don't know anything about the layout of this place.) She found her blaster was still strapped to her side, and she thanked who ever had decided to choose blasters as GP standard issue. (Blasters don't produce much heat so it should be safe to use.) She pulled her gun and picked a direction at random. She wanted to run, but that would be likely to get her caught again, or killed. Kiyone forced herself to settle for a fast walk. As she traveled she noticed more and more resin on the walls. She wasn't sure what it meant, but it was making her edgy. Something moved behind her and she lost it. She took off, running as hard as she could down the hall. She didn't know if anything was chasing her and she was too scared to look back. She burst out of the hallway into a large room and was halfway in before she saw what was there. The room was filled with alien eggs. Kiyone froze. She couldn't move at all. All around her the eggs sat, silent. None seemed to be opening and she hoped that maybe, they weren't mature yet. She was so focused on the eggs she almost missed the other thing in the room. A long, deep, angry hiss emanated from the corner of the room. Kiyone almost stopped breathing. She had to tilt her head up to look at it. The creature was huge. It's body was an over grown version of the normal aliens, with an extra pair of arms jutting from it's chest. It's head flared out at the back, producing an amazing frill. An impossibly long tail, thick as a man's leg, curled around behind it. Most noticeable was the bloated, slug shaped structure attached to the creature. Kiyone followed it around the room and watched as the end deposited a new egg on the floor. ( Oh my God! I'm in the middle of the nest! That thing must be the queen alien!) The queen let out a rumbling growl. Kiyone found herself shaking. She was sweating profusely and her breathing was coming in short, rapid gasps. The queen tilted her head and Kiyone followed it's blind gaze. She saw several dark shapes come creeping out from a side hallway. Kiyone raised her blaster and fired. The blast tore into the lead alien and shattered it's skull. The queen screamed and the sound jerked Kiyone back towards it. The queen froze. Kiyone looked over and saw the other aliens weren't moving either. ( What! What happened?) Kiyone suddenly realized her gun was pointing at one of the eggs. (No, can't be. Their not that smart, are they?) Kiyone decided to find out. She pointed her blaster at the ceiling and fired. The queen screeched and the aliens began to move forward. Kiyone aimed back at the eggs. The queen fell silent and the aliens froze. The queen growled in frustration. Kiyone couldn't believe it. She slowly began to make her way out of the nest. However, for every step she took, the aliens took one also. ( I hope this works.) She targeted an egg right in front of the queen and fired. The egg exploded and the queen went berserk. Kiyone blasted another egg and then pressed her gun against one that was next to her. Everything stopped. Then slowly, the aliens began to draw back. Kiyone didn't watch them though, her eyes were on the queen. The alien was fixed on Kiyone and she found herself wondering how a creature with no eyes could seem to be staring a hole through her. The queen was visibly trembling, and somehow Kiyone knew it wasn't from fear. She doubted these things could feel fear. The queen cracked her jaws together. Kiyone reached the edge of the room. She glanced down the hallway and it looked clear. She looked at her wrist. ( Only twenty minutes left.) She looked back at the queen who was still staring at her. " Hope you like it hot, cause hell is coming for you." Kiyone took one last look around, then sprinted down the hall. Kiyone decided to take the halls with the least amount of resin on them. She hoped that by doing so she could avoid the aliens better. As she ran, Kiyone could smell the T87-R in the air. It was starting to affect her balance and was giving her a killer headache that her running only made worse. She checked the time. ( Ten minutes, and I still don't know where the hell I am.) She looked up in time to see an alien drop in front of her. She didn't have time to mess with it. Instead of stopping she ran faster. The creature seemed confused by this and Kiyone took advantage. She jumped, somersaulting over the alien and landing in a roll on the other side. She shot over her shoulder but didn't wait to see if she hit anything. The creature's scream told her she had found her mark. She allowed herself to smile. ( There's going to be a lot more screaming before this day is over.) There was only three minutes left when Kiyone found the lab. Unfortunately, a large group of aliens found her at the same time. They came charging down the hall at her. Kiyone couldn't run, the lab was the only place she'd be safe when the detonator went off. ( Oh what the hell, it worked before.) With a yell she sprinted toward the swarm. She took several down with blaster shots. Just before she would have collided with them she jumped toward the wall. She kicked off the wall, changing direction in mid flight. The aliens had already turned toward the wall and were totally unprepared for her sudden change in direction. As she sailed over the group she let out a laugh, only to have it die when she saw her landing area. The aliens she'd shot had left a virtual mine field of acid puddles on the floor. As she landed Kiyone had to jump again to clear one. She landed in a roll that almost took her into another. She had to throw herself sideways to avoid it. She bounced off the wall and clumsily hopped over another puddle. Running up to the lab she pressed the open button. As the air lock cycled she turned back to the alien group. They had turned around and were coming back at her. She dropped several of them as they charged. With a hiss the doors opened. Kiyone ran inside and hit the close button. The doors slowly stopped opening and began to slid back the other way. An alien tried to make it's way in, but she caught it in the throat with a blast. Another tried and she shot it as well, but then another made it's move, using the previous alien as a shield. It leapt over the dying creature, flying toward her. Kiyone knew she couldn't shoot it without being drenched in acid. She dropped her blaster and as it neared her she reached out and grabbed it's outstretched arms. She fell backward and placed her foot on it's stomach while rolling back. She kicked as hard as she could and let the aliens own momentum carry it into the airlock's inner doors. The creature's surprised screech was cut short as it collided with the unyielding metal and crumpled to the floor. The outer doors shut and Kiyone waited as the air cycled. As the inner doors open the alien started to get up. Kiyone kicked it hard in the head and it fell over. She hit the open button on the outer doors before diving into the lab. She checked her time. ( Ten seconds.) She looked through the glass in the door. The outer doors had reopened and she could see into the hall. She looked back to her wrist. ( Three...two...one...) Hell came to visit. Fire shot down the air ducts, causing columns of flame to burst from the vents like geysers. The air itself burned. The aliens in the hallway screamed as the fire boiled their blood in their veins. The pressure caused their exoskeletons to burst. The alien in the airlock tried to back into the corner, but the fire shallowed up all the oxygen, causing a vacuum that pulled the creature to it's death. Down in the nest, the queen howled in pain and anger as the fire destroyed her precious eggs. The fire engulfed her, searing it's way down her airways. Her lungs, filled with T87-R from the air, ignited. She fell to the floor, ripping away from her egg layer as the fire ate away her flesh. Kiyone watched the fire storm rage from behind the glass. She felt like laughing. ( Take that you ugly, hideous, disgusting, drool dripping, heartless, eyeless, mother fucking assholes.) She heard an explosion, followed by another. Suddenly something exploded nearby, shaking the room and knocking Kiyone off her feet. She stood up and saw the glass had cracked. As she watched the crack grew bigger. Kiyone turned and ran deeper into the lab. She dove behind a lab counter as the window shattered. The vacuum outside sucked air through the opening. The fire exploded with new fury as fresh oxygen was carried to it. Flames shot into the lab. The fire heated the air and Kiyone felt her lungs burning. She backed deeper into the lab as the fire spread forward. It reached the drums of T87-R. ( Oh shit!), was all Kiyone had time to think before the barrels exploded. Kiyone woke up shivering. She was freezing. She curled into a tight ball, trying to conserve body heat. ( Wait a minute. Something's not right about this.) Kiyone opened her eyes. She was laying in a puddle of some liquid. The stuff was clinging to her body all over. Kiyone looked behind her and saw a large barrel had cracked open when it had hit the floor, dumping it's contents on her. She turned it to read the label. ( Fire extinguisher refill) Kiyone fell back laughing. ( What are the chances?) She had been saved from the fire by a fluke. ( No wonder I'm freezing.) She made her way out of the lab. Smoking corpses littered the hall. She found the elevator had been trashed by the fire, forcing her to climb up the emergency ladder in the shaft. At the top her lungs were assaulted by the toxic chemicals in the planet's air. She saw the front door was still open. She stepped outside, and quickly jumped back in. Yagami was hovering just outside the base, but it was surrounded by a swarm of aliens. ( Well, no big deal) Kiyone activated her wrist com and accessed Yagami's systems. The ships gun ports opened and rained death upon the alien group. They scattered in all directions. The ones that ran for cover in the base were greeted with shots to the head. Kiyone activated the ships transporter and she beamed herself directly to the bridge. Once there she took off after the remaining aliens. She watched as they disappeared into a hole in the ground. ( Just as I thought, the base wasn't the only nest they had. ) Kiyone took Yagami back into orbit. ( This planet's too dangerous, I can't let what happened down there happen to anyone else.) Kiyone knew what she had to do. She activated the weapon panel. " Nuclear ordinance access prohibited to unauthorized personal", the computer informed her. " Please enter authorization code now." Kiyone typed in a ten digit code. " Access granted" She brought up a weather display of the planet. After checking the wind currents, Kiyone pinpointed three locations that would provide maximum spread for the radiation. ( No one's going to be coming back here for a long time.) The fire button blinked slowly and Kiyone just stared at it for a moment. Then she reached out, and stabbed her finger down. The End.