U.S.S. Corsair - NX-011979
Nebula II Prototype
“Sic Parvis Magna”
(Greatness From Small Beginnings)
“The Key To Hell's Gates - Part VII”
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[NOTE: This log contains moderate graphic violence and action. Reader discretion advised if applicable. [PG-13ish Rating] ]
More blue ooze ran down both sides of the tram car as the marines nervously shuffled about in the confines of the car.
The sudden sound of shattering glass and the shouts of his men overshadowed the muted words flowing from Ramius’s lips. “Son of a …”
[ Continued…]
Glass shattered throughout the moving tram car as phaser beams tore through its thin exterior. Outside, dark cat sized blobs, slid down the few remaining panes of glass leaving trails of blue-green slime in their wakes. Some of the blobs had wiggled their way inside of the tram while more attempted to slither their way inside through the shattered windows.
“TAKE THEM DOWN”, Ramius shouted if only to reinforce the marine’s resolve in fighting. They were already actively vaporizing the disgusting monstrosities at a furious pace yet more of the blobs continued to rain down the sides of the car from above the tram. ‘DON’T LET THEM INSIDE.” Aiming his rifle, Ramius squeezed off several shots vaporizing one of the beasts. His second shot dislodged another flinging it into the speeding wall of the tunnel outside where it splattered into a puddle of gelatinous goo before disappearing from sight.
“THERE’S TOO MANY OF THEM”, the marines shouted as their increasingly desperate attempts at holding off the creatures was slowly failing. Ramius fired several additional times as the window behind him suddenly shattered. One of the creatures, its underbelly equipped with a vicious sucking mouth, flew toward Ramius who was unprepared. Raising his rifle, a nearby marine threw himself into the creature’s path as it latched on to the man. The marine instantly cried out as his rifle fell to the deck. Ramius and another man attempted to extract the creature, but were unable to separate it from the downed marine as the creature had embedded itself into the soldier’s torso. Ramius pulled his rifle and carefully aimed as the creature pulsed growing larger on the marine’s tangled frame.
Pulling the trigger, Ramius cut the creature in half doing his best not to further injure the marines. The swollen alien body exploded like a balloon as the phaser sliced through it. Ramius shielded his eyes as he and others were covered in a fine mist of crimson. Without pausing, Ramius knelt down as the marine struggled in agony on the tram floor. The soldier’s face was nearly white the creature having literally sucked the life from him. His torso was a gurgling, mangled, bloody mess which few surgeons could have pieced back together. It was a horrific scene. Ramius could see the man struggling to speak and leaned over despite the chaos around him. The marine’s lips quivered as he attempted to say something. Tav could only listen and wait. There was nothing he could do for the dying marine.
He noticed the man’s eyes lock onto an object over his shoulder. Tav turned and looked up noticing a Klingon logo on the tram car’s roof. Turning back toward the marine he uttered his last word. “Qa’plah.” (Success).
Standing, his face now sticky with the fine mist of the dead marine’s blood, Ramius aimed his rifle at the roof and fired heating the metal until it began to glow red. Outside one could hear the squealing of dozens of the mutated leech-like creatures as they cooked alive on the roof’s surface. Ramius continued firing until the roof began to sag as the white hot metal slowly heated to a molten state. With a flick of his thumb, Ramius increased his rifle’s destructive output and fired again. His beam ripped through the roof atomizing the molten metal in a giant cloud of crimson particles which quickly blew away in the airflow about the tram. Half a dozen half cooked bodies fell through the large opening as Ramius and a few men finished off the squirming survivors.
Wasting little time, Ramius pulled himself upwards standing on one of the seats which elevated him through the scorched opening and up above the tram. Leveling his weapon he quickly took aim and fired at several more of the creatures which turned and had begun to slither their way towards him and the opening. Beyond the approaching mutants was a large pulsating brown-grey sac which seemed to be spewing forth more of the deadly creatures like some sort of hive or nest.
“BACK OF THE TRAM, FIRE THROUGH THE CEILING”, Ramius commanded as he pulled his rifle squarely into his shoulder and began firing against the tide of leeches approaching. The marines weapons now pierced the roof of the tram in all directions picking up creatures which were blown backwards off the tram and back into the darkness of the mine tunnel. Other creatures were cut in half, exploded in puddles of blue slime, or simply disintegrated.
With his energy cell of his rifle nearly depleted, Ramius pushed the weapon to its maximum setting and took careful aim at the pulsating organic bag before him attached to the end of the tram car. Pulling in a deep breath to steady his aim, his finger depressed the trigger as the barrel of his weapon lifted upwards from the recoil sending a concentrated beam of raw energy hurling at his target.
The phaser tore into the organic pouch without mercy which bubbled under the intense heat of the beam. Its contents quickly liquified from within until its outer shell exploded in a torrent of blue ooze which splashed in all directions coating the top of the tram and most of the tunnel section in a large explosion.
Ramius, caught by the sudden blast, was knocked backwards nto the tram hitting its cramped floor with a loud thud. A nearby marine quickly helped the captain to his feet whose upper body was now covered in a thick layer of dripping slime. Within a few moments the remaining creatures were dead or dying as the marines scouted the rest of the tram inside and out for any additional traces of the deadly parasitical monstrosities and ruthlessly eliminated them.
With the crisis seemingly at an end, Ramius ordered the tram stopped as he wiped as much of the alien goop from his face and body as possible. He spat several times as the train slowed and finally came to a stop inside the narrow tunnel.
“Everyone check their weapons. We’re getting off. Fall out.”
As the marines left the tram, Ramius gathered everyone into a group. “As you can see, NeoDyne is doing everything it can to keep us away. We must be close to something big. Here is our strategy. We will proceed up the tunnel on foot until it ends. We can then scout the area using glasses and scopes to get an idea of the tactical situation. I expect NeoDyne will have positioned some force to meet us. Instead of hitting them head on I suggest a decoy. I’ll need a few volunteers to play dead in the tram which we will set to automatic and have slowly stop at the next landing area. This should no doubt create enough of a distraction for the rest of us to sneak out of the tunnel and setup a crossfire. When I give the word all of us both on the tram and at the tunnel entrance will open fire on the approaching forces and eliminate them. This should cut down the bulk of any welcome party into something a bit more manageable. Any questions?”
There were none forthcoming. “Sir, if you need volunteers for the decoy, you can count on me”, one marine said stepping forward. “And me too”, said another. “I want some damn payback, count me in!”
Ramius put up his hands. “Everyone will have the chance to return NeoDyne’s hospitality, but I only need a few bodies on the tram. Those on the tram will be most exposed and I don’t want to put more men in danger than absolutely needed.” The group decided who would remain on the tram and Ramius outlined the final tactics of his plan. “Ok, let’s move out. According to the computer we’re only a few hundred yards away from the exit. We will maintain silence until needed. Major, have the men fall out.”
As the assembled marines checked their weapons and supplies and headed down the tunnel, Ramius had one last task to perform. Stepping back inside the wrecked tram car, he used a fragment of a torn uniform to cover the dead marine’s face having neither the time nor equipment to provide a proper burial.
Lowering himself to one knee, Taverain said several silent words. He placed a hand on the man’s cold, limp arm. “Thank you”, was all he said as he stood before exiting the car.
The decoy volunteers moved in behind him taking up positions as if they had been killed by the creatures. “The controls have been set to automatic. When you’re given the word, activate the panel and keep low until the fun begins. If we pull this off we should catch them flatfooted and completely by surprise.”
Slinging his rifle over his sticky shoulder, Ramius set off in a even jog to catch up with the rest of the marines. He was anxious to scout the nearby landing to see what they might be up against and if his plan had any real chance of success.
[ To Be Continued… ]
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Captain Taverain Ramius
Commanding Officer, USS Corsair
