We Ain't on Ansion Anymore [Primeval Dominion of Rhadamanthus]

[Ebenezer]

(Same writer as [member="Kadri Ughad"]. Please tell me if this is not allowed and I will delete this reply)

"Ooh. Gruesome."

Ebenezer was snuggled comfortably within his left boot of his illusion. He was in literally no danger in here, unless of course, these plants could sniff him out, so it seemed. A simple wooden staff and this boot were in fact the only real things about this illusion.

"What's the objective, harbinger? Where are you taking us today, Host Lord?"

Needless to say, this was Ebenezer's first time on a different planet since he was taken from crakull, and he felt giddy.

 

[Tyro'din]

When the news about sentients being found, Tyro'din allowed a feral smirk to break out over his face. 'Let the fun begin!' he crowed in his mind before barking orders for his men to assemble before him.

"Men, there will be a change of objectives effective immediately. Everyone here, but Fireteams One and Two of Squad One, are to stay here at base to continue documentation of this kriffing planet's flora and fauna." Stopping his orders for a second, Tyro'din let an aura of bloodlust emit off of him, "Do not think for one moment that just because I'm not here you can slack of, I expect the best from you and nothing more. Am I understood?" Before anyone could answer his rhetorical question, he growled out a quick "All but the pre-mentioned fireteams are dismissed." When he was left with just eight men in front of him he continued to speak, "Reports have just come through of sentients. We will be joining the Host Lord en-route. Ensure that you aren't eaten by the flora or I will be displeased. Fallout." Turning on his heel, Tyro'din walked out of the camp, scooping up his gear as he went, followed by his men, as he travelled towards the co-ordinates provided.

 

[Mikkel Markov]

Mikkel turned his attention to the group in front of him just in time to see a soldier in red get slaughtered by one of the plants.

Well that's a bit strange Mikkel thought as he leveled his rifle at the stem of the plant and fired. The shot ripped through the stem, causing the plant itself to release its victim and slump over. Didn't expect to fight foliage in my lifetime. Examining the plants around him, Mikkel wasn't too sure which would attack and which would not. At least his Agent armor should be strong enough to prevent the plants from biting through. The soldiers around him don't look to be as lucky. It's a warm planet, and they certainly dressed for the weather.

 

[Ciara]

Almost immediately, the cries of men rang from the outskirts of the encampment and almost all of the defensive positions were overwhelmed with hordes of men...Their flesh was dyed in a strange mixture of pigments, and their movements...restless and seemingly dogmatic. It seemed as if various parts of the plants that Ciara had discovered before were spliced and mutated on their bodies.

Various plates of chitin and cellulose were meshed together to form natural armor, or serrated and bladed to form makeshift weapons. It also seemed that some central intelligence was controlling their actions with utmost precision and accuracy... It was interesting and there was more to be studied, but the fact that blaster fire was negated due to their resilience and regenerative properties... Not so great for the soldiers. Ciara immediately unholstered her DC-15a Blaster Rifle and slew several of these biologically controlled humans with grace. Dozens fell upon gazing on her barrel, while her entire company was unable to meet the lowest of her expectations. They were being overrun and overwhelmed, although she had to give them credit for not retreating just yet.

 

[Boethiah]

The trail became more narrow as they ventured deeper. There were no clearings in sight and they were likely still a few hours out from their destination. So far at least a dozen were consumed but the Host Lord knew that it would only get worse as the foliage became thicker.

"Don't trail behind! Keep your pace, those who can't will be left.", she shouted to her units. The lesser officers shouted the same back until everyone got the memo. There was no helping hands. If you couldn't make it then you were left to die, if you somehow survived then you might be promoted. This was an expedition, it was about speed and strength. Vehicles were useless, they had to go on foot for the most pat and those with vibroblades and explosives cleared paths.

As they entered a small patch that broadened, a large stalk protruded in front of them, bearing a whip-like tip that curled up.

Without thinking, a solder went up to place an explosive charge, "That should do --", before he could finish the whip like appendage unraveled and released a spray of pheromones into the vanguard squad. Even with their helmets they were struggling, trying to pull off invisible parasites. A few collapsed and others just became stationary... Moments later they seemed to be alright.

"Keep moving..."

 

[Ebenezer]

"Right right, of course m'lady."

To most Ebenezer would look like a fool, but that was just by proxy of the pheromones attaching to the surface of his illusion, they couldn't actually touch HIM. Ebenezer began to think of all the things these plants could be used for.

"Harbinger, I have to ask. What are we even trying to use these plants for? I doubt that these would be easy to feed unless we had a substantial amount of biomass to throw at them, no? Unless of course, that spray starts messing with our minds." Kadri chortled "Or eating our skin. In fact..." Kadri began to think of a lie to mess with the footsoldiers. Anja would know that he was making this up, but that's not what it was for. "I've heard everything on this world is made to indoctrinate organics into its own hive system of plants, in fact, I think some of our friends might be in it now. Never dying, but not really being alive, your mind trapped in a body no longer their own. heh heh."

Regardless, he continued on with [member="Anja Aj'Rou"]

 

[Tyro'din]

A few hours later and Tyro'din was at his wits end with one of his surviving men. Three had already fallen to the carnivorous planets of the planet and one, a male human, had been whimpering pathetically for the last hour. Finally snapping the angry bothan whirled 'round, pulling his baster as he went, to face the pathetic vision of a man, "Be quiet or I will personally feed you to these plants, am I understood soldier?" He barked, a growl peaking through his voice, before turning and continuing to march in the direction of the co-ordinates he had been given, firing a shot at a vine that seemed to be slithering closer to him.

It was a further two downed men and one hour later that the foliage started to become extremely dense. Hearing sounds up ahead he drew his weapons and crept closer, making sure to be as quiet as possible. Breaking through the tree line in time to see vanguards attacked by a giant plant, he caught sight of a man he hadn't met in a while. Marching forwards to draw equal to the taller figure and falling into a fast paced march with him, uncaring if his men followed or not, he greeted him with a curt "Mikkel."

 

[Mikkel Markov]

Walking through the jungle was quite the unique experience for Mikkel. Men falling to whatever was sprayed on them screamed and frantically attempted to brush it off. By the time Mikkel had reached them, most were back on their feet and moving and the ones still on the ground got a swift kick in the gut and a threat. "Get up. If you don't, I'll shoot you myself, it'd be quicker than dying to foliage. How would I explain that? How do you tell your commanding officer you saw trained Primeval soldiers lose their minds to foliage?" Mikkel barked at them, and kept moving. Right before they would've been out of sight, Mikkel glanced back and smiled as soldiers he yelled at got up.

After an unknown amount of marching and watching soldiers die to flora of this world, he was surprised to see another agent fall in line with him and greet him by name. "[member="Tyro'din"], didn't expect you to catch up with us. Glad to see at least one competent soldier in this forest, I couldn't even tell you how many we lost to the foliage."

 

[Ciara]

As soon as Ciara felt that enough had died, for the sake of efficiency, Ciara immediately unhooked several grenades from her bandoleers and flung them across the camp. They were WW-41 CryoBan Grenades, and although they would inhibit the movement of her company, they would be deadly to the biological creatures. Simply put, the larger quantity water within the vacuoles of their cells would freeze and subsequently burst open, lysing the cell and killing the organism. After effectively nullifying the entire horde of animals, she motioned for the support staff to unfreeze and treat the rest of the company while cryogenically freezing all of the other creatures. Of course, careful precautions could be taken to slow the unfreezing process and allow the organisms to be kept alive: weakened, but alive from after the process. This required better facilities than what was had at the present, but for Ciara, this was not her problem.

After a few hours after the slaughter, the encampment was finished and fully fortified, and the weak were weeded out by the process of natural selection. Indeed, this was the method of evolution. And Ciara and the men that remained were victorious. Victorious over these beasts...

AND MORE BIOMASS.

 

[Ebenezer]

This was duller than Ebenezer had expected to be quite honest. Let's see, just plants. For some odd reason he had expected creatures or mobile plants to run around like the blind Luguubra that had made home on crakull. He ran his illusory hand along some of the plants, feeling only through the force. Rough, thorny. They were definitely more mobile than the plants on crakull. Suddenly his arm was enwrapped by a tentacle-like vine.

"Karking hell! Get off!"

He made his arm disappear and reappear where it was not entangled and slapped the vine.

"No! Stop that," he said, as if it held any weight to whatever sensory organs the plant had. Suddenly it sprayed him with that strange mist before slithering back into the thick foliage.

"You know, Aj'Rou, that mist probably does something to organics it touches, you and your posse might want to get it checked out before it progresses too much. Buuuut, I can't really stop you, can I?"
[member="Anja Aj'Rou"]

 

[Tyro'din]

"I kriffing hate this place." Tyro'din growled in anger as another vine made a strike for him, just like many others had done to the other men. Annoyed, he threw his last carbonite grenade at the base of one of the many plants surrounding them. Turning to the Umbaran walking next to him he asked, "What info do we have on the sentients, Mikkel?" As he spoke he activated his repository mask, causing it to snap into place with a hiss, as a purplish mist rolled past him and everyone else, one of the men he had brought with him dropping to the ground, dead instantly, as soon as he he inhaled the some of the mist before he could place his helmet on his head.

 

[Mikkel Markov]

Mikkel took two thermite grenades and tossed them into the foliage on either side of the path before responding to [member="Tyro'din"]. "You know as much as I do about the sentients, I just got up and followed Aj'Rou when she ordered us to,"Mikkel said."Shouldn't be too much longer before we make contact, I would imagine." Mikkel looked around in the dark forest, seeing more vines come to life.

Mikkel slung his rifle over his back and pulled out his pistol and one of his knives, the vines now starting to target him.

 

[Boethiah]

The soldiers that were sprayed seemed shaken but nothing too serious came from it, whatever it was. The Host Lord was more concerned with the task at hand.

"It shouldn't be much further.", she announced. All the while she was ignoring -- for the most part -- the quips and sarcasm of her croke follower. The illusionist she had met on Crakull some time ago. What was his issue, anyway? He made statements but didn't seem to care.

As they continued through the thickness and terror, more and more of their men dwindled. Finally it came back to the point where the trails became wider again but not everywhere, just in bits and places. There were markings left from where someone or something cut plants. Wasn't one of them, that's for sure.

 

[Ebenezer]

"Looks like someone's been here before us, hmm?"

Ebenezer looked behind him. The soldiers seemed to be lagging further and further behind. In fact, they were all unusually silent and slowly walking through the brush, oddly ignoring the plants. Otherwise they seemed fine.

Had he been right, had these soldiers been enthralled into a botanic hive mind that no one had a true concept of? He had an idea.

"What's your name, rank, and race, soldier?"

 

[Boethiah]

"Xan Fa'Gra, Disciple, Umbaran...", he responded to the Croke.

Anja didn't look back as they continued to walk, her gaze was fixated on the plants around them; they were becoming more docile. Some were clearly dead or dying. Someone or something had done this but who, and why? Of course the why would likely be easier to answer. It didn't seem to be the pirates, there wasn't a sign of blasters and there's certainly no bodies or pods around.

Whatever was going on, The Host Lord expected the truth to be revealed at any moment.

Whatever it was... Whatever it might become, she intended to be sure her soldiers were prepared.

"Ready your weapons."

 

[Ciara]

Ciara quickly whistled and twirled her hand in the air, signalling the men to rally and board the samples inside of the ship. She grabbed a nearby support member and said, "Tell the vanguard...if they are still alive that is, we are heading out now. Tell the rest of support to establish the outpost."

The support member nodded before retreating his duties of loading up the biosamples. Ciara commed the flagship and stated casually, "Requesting a supply drop in Sector Charlie-Alpha-Bravo. Repeat. Requesting a supply drop in Sector Charlie-Alpha-Bravo."

She turned off her comms and motioned towards the remaining six or so soldiers left of the vanguard to head out and gather some more samples...Perhaps of this planet's host lord of sorts? She waited in cheerful anticipation.

 

[Ebenezer]

"Hng... Xan Farquad, or whatever, give me that pistol you have on your leg."

The soldier sighed as he took the gun from its holster put the barrel in his hand and gave it to the cloaked croke, somewhat annoyed by the mispronunciation of his name.
The croke moved forward, slinging his wooden staff over his shoulder, the plasma pistol pointed forward.

"Judging from the absence of hostile plants, it appears that someone or something with enough intelligence has made this area its home. Do you think it could be some of those pirates, Anja? Maybe some sentient creatures have evolved here after all, hmmmm?"

 

[Ciara]

Ciara quickly adjusted her sights on her DC-15a Blaster Rifle and analyzed the gun closely she fired a single bolt, attuning her listening to the various components of the blaster releasing, processing and adjusting the tibanna gas within the rifle in order to energize it and condense it into a plasma bolt. Satisfied by the workings of the blaster rifle, she paused for a moment before tossing the gun in order to determine the balance. A half gram off on the barrel. Ciara shrugged and cursed the faulty manufacturers. Must be an older model, but for now, it'll be sufficient.

She adjusted the sights of the blaster rifle in order to accommodate a shorter firing range and distance before quickly bolting towards the tree line, having no regard for those around her, remarking loudly. "I'LL EXECUTE YOU ON THE SPOT IF YOU DON'T KEEP UP. I HAVE NO QUALMS ABOUT THE WEAK."

 

[Tyro'din]

When the order came from the Host Lord to ready weapons, Tyro'din needed not to respond, ever since the plants had become more docile he had had a blaster in each hand. "I recommend we move to a distance to observe the proceedings, Mikkel. Maybe with a rifle and scope assembled each, both ready to fire. What do you say?" Tyro'din spoke quietly, a feeling in his gut telling him that the sentients they were tracking were nearby and that he should be ready for conflict if it started. Over the years the bothan had learnt to trust his gut feelings and was inclined to do so then.

 

[Mikkel Markov]

Mikkel pulled his E-78 off his back and nodded to [member="Tyro'din"]. He was right, Mikkel had a bad feeling about what happened to the soldiers earlier, and didn't want to be too close in case they flipped out and needed to be eliminated. "Let's move about 50 meters off the path and keep an eye on what goes down."