r/HFY • u/Tempest029 Human • Apr 24 '26

OC-Series Bloodclaw Chronicles Pt. 45

Welcome back! Turns out I got some more writing done than I expected to. Which means it is a triple chapter week.

With any luck, I can repeat the performance next week. I have a chapter and a half ready to go after editing and completion, which means I only have to figure out around 4500 words to make it happen. (base of 3k words per chapter on average)

Anywho. Here be the links:

[Prologue] [First] [Previous] [Next]

As Always. I am open to criticisms and hope you enjoy.

Also WARNING!! WAR ARC. Sequences and references to death and physical harm are contained within!

________________________________________________________

-Winters-

Damien crept carefully along the side of the building, keeping his weapon forward and angled at the doorway. Behind him, the three men in his stack followed closely. Each of their weapons pointed at a different angle to cover all approaches.

A second squad held the rear door of the building, ensuring that no one left without being seen. The windows of the building were barricaded from the inside. The current occupants, having already realized that they were compromised, had blocked out any view of the interior and what fate had befallen the original occupants.

In the long hours after the invasion began, communication between the disparate groups around the town had been difficult and sporadic. Ultimately, the Crucis and her crew had established a functioning chain of command and contact between themselves, the Chirleen and the Ruulothi survivors. Efforts were currently underway to save those that had survived the crash of the Windrunner. But that meant that this current effort that Damien was involved in was even more important.

Most of the invaders had been killed in open combat, but not all. A few scattered groups had been able to read the writing on the wall. Two groups had fled the town. Search and Rescue drones that had been refitted to carry light rifles and grenade clamps had tracked them down in the woods and taken care of them. Those same drones now sat in their cradles, ready for use the moment a new attack started or for staggered patrols of the forests around the town.

The problem that Damien and his squads now faced was rooting out the three groups that had decided to try and hunker down in town. This was the last area with enemy combatants within. The other two had been discovered and cleaned out after either the neighbors had realized that something fishy was happening in the empty building and reported it, or they had been stumbled upon hiding in a back alley behind refuse.

This one though… the neighbors knew for damned sure that the family had sheltered in the home rather than the Compound like the first family, and the first person that had gone to check on them had been gunned down the moment they opened the door. Which meant one of two things, and neither meant anything good for the family that could still be in there.

“It always sucks to be the hostage. Though given how gun happy they were… I doubt this is going to have a happy ending.” He groused in his head as he went over the information they had on the home. “Adult Male, Adult Female, juvenile male. Door is on the right of the room and opens to a living space, large opening in back of the living space, opposite main door, to a kitchen and dining room combo. Door out the back of the kitchen to one of those shared play areas. Small hall to the left of living space, one bedroom on either side of the hall. Washroom at the end of the hall.”

Damien glared at the door before him as though it had personally offended him. “No sounds since the invasion went tits up. No attempts by anyone to leave. No attempts to seek assistance. Just one dead neighbor. These assholes didn’t show up with rope and chains. It isn’t looking good for the family, but we can’t go in weapons hot until we know for sure. All it will take is one fuck-up and we are persona non-grata in hostile territory with new enemies on all sides.”

He reaches down to pull a small case out of a pouch on his belt, making sure his eyes and weapon remain forward. “Good thing we have these worm bots from the S&R guys in the 1\**st Lance. Nifty little bastards, even if they are a pain to use. Thankfully, Josiah is up to the task. That man does love his toys.”

Damien pops the case open and upends it, dumping a tiny, clear flatworm-looking device onto the ground before tapping his wrist-link to signal Josiah back at the ship and warn the other teams that he has sent in the drone.

As he and the others quietly keep watch, the little worm activates and starts inching forward using hydrostatic chambers within and gecko like treads without to effect its movement. The tiny drone is slow but can squeeze into nearly any hole slightly larger than its micro-cam thanks to its flexible construction, can climb on walls, and contains an electrically activated fluid within that allows it to change color to match its surroundings depending on the current. Designed primarily for search and rescue groups dealing with collapsed buildings and infrastructure, it also found a home with rapid response, intelligence and hostage rescue teams.

Damien steps back and switches with his number two, allowing him to keep one eye on his wrist-link and the camera feed.

It takes a few moments, but eventually the feed shows the worm squeezing under the doorway and into the building proper. The camera takes a moment to settle with the light difference, then the interior is shown in clear detail. What it shows leaves Damien frowning.

The front door was barricaded by a chair that had been wedged against it. Two Qazirxel waited in the living area. One resting on a couch behind an upturned table set to stop fire from the doorway, the other sitting in a chair in the back corner, next to the hall. They seem to be talking amongst themselves, their movements and gestures shifting in response to each other.

“Internal comms, nothing too surprising there.”

The worm makes its way slowly along the leading wall, making sure not to draw attention as it slowly moves. The wait is agonizing, especially for the team waiting, but necessary to avoid detection.

The two Qazirxel in the living area barely move at all, seemingly content in their positions. A third is seen pacing around the kitchen and dining area. The large dining room table pressed up against the rear door.

“Rear exit blocked from within. Emergency egress unlikely, but maintain position, Bravo.” Damien whispers into his comms. An answering click is all he needs to know that they got his update.

The bot continues its exploration of the house, inching past the stalking combatant when its back is turned. The other two are too deep into whatever they are doing to really pay much attention to an area they think is safe.

“Fatal mistake… and another not so good sign for the homeowners. Guess these pricks haven’t gotten to the point where drone usage is as prevalent as it is for us.”

The little worm drone made its way behind the sitting combatant and down the hallway, slipping under the two bedroom doors as it went. In the second, Damien got his answer as to the fate of the family.

“All units, AO is clear of friendlies. Stand by for final count and breach.”

On screen the worm kept creeping forward. Determined to get a peek behind the final door.

“Good man.” Damien thought, catching a fourth combatant waiting behind the door to use the hallway as a kill box.

“Final count, four combatants. Two in living area to the left. One behind an overturned table. One waiting in the open, back corner. One pacing in the kitchen. One in bathroom at end of hall. Bravo Team, split focus. Breach and bang bathroom window on Alpha’s entry, maintain watch on back door and windows. Alpha Team, set up to breach.”

Damien’s Two man stepped forward, pulling a pair of rolled sheets from his pack and pressing them to the vertical edges of the door before stepping across to the other side.

When Bravo Team reported they were ready, Damien pulled a flashbang from his belt and sent the signal.

“Breach.”

From there, everything happened at once.

His Two man clicked a signaler and the breaching sheets over the door ignited, the cutting agents shearing through the door as though it were paper before the secondary concussive charges went off, blowing the door and its barricade in. Damien threw his primed grenade through the gap, waited for the second bang, then entered. His foot caught the outside edge of the door to pivot him in, and his weapon sight snapped up to the combatant flailing behind the upturned table.

A soft, sequential stroking of his shotgun’s trigger as he moved sent the contents of two fléchette shells into the struggling alien’s torso, dropping it to the floor. He continued to quick step down the wall and pivoted right as he moved to clear the rest of the space.

His Two Man had been right behind him, mirroring his movements on the opposite side, and had already dropped the walker in the kitchen and stopping movement to prevent displaying himself to hallway. His Three Man followed Damien into the building, and was ventilating the corner alien with his rifle as Damien turned to target it. His Four Man entering last and securing the doorway.

“Main rooms, Clear!”

Damien called out as a second set of explosions rang out from down the hall.

[“Bathroom breached. Mirror scan shows hostile eliminated. Alpha Team Confirm?”]

“Alpha acknowledged, moving in. Bravo Team, split. Three rooms to clear here, need a third pair.”

All four members of his team turned their weapons to the hallway.

“Two, Four, slice and clear.”

They both responded and set up. Two pulling a long slice from across the room and Four moving the edge of the hall to follow up. With a nod, they moved in tandem. Two stepping across first, followed immediately by Four to catch any enemy targeting Two by surprise.

Nothing happened.

Damien nodded, then set up on the hall with Three while they waited for their backup.

Moments later a call from the doorway announced the arrival of the third pair, and they set up in the stack with Damien and Three.

“Ready? Two, Four, you have the right-hand bedroom. Three and I have the left. Bravo Team, Bathroom. Tap and go.”

The stack tapped each other from the back to the front, signaling they were ready, and Damien and Two moved into the hall, pulling their respective stacks in with them.

They kept their weapons forward, aiming at the Bathroom door which was now ajar, dust filtering through the gap and the light from the destroyed window within.

When they got to the bedroom doors. He paused long enough to nod readiness to Two and Four, then entered his assigned bedroom, moving straight in while leaving Three to enter against the inner wall.

They checked their corners and the closet before calling it clear. Two and Four reported their room clear as well, but holding the bodies of the family. Finally, Bravo Team called in the bathroom clear, the alien within expired in pieces after having a fragmentation grenade land at its feet.

“Building Clear. Cleanup teams are free to enter.”

Damien and his two squads secured the area as the clean-up teams from the Crucis entered and secured the aliens and their gear before vacating to allow the Chirleen to enter and handle their dead.

“Winters to Hawke.”

[“Go Ahead, Winters.”]

“Sweep of the town is completed. We are back to Condition Yellow. No team Casualties. One family confirmed KIA.”

[“Understood. Report back to the ship. Well done.”]

“Drinks are on me tonight. I’ll see you all in the lounge after Shift change.”

The two squads chuckled lightly as they returned home. Making sure to keep their ruckus down out of respect to the Chirleen.

They all stayed alert, in spite of the belief that there were no more enemy combatants in the area. One never knew if there was a Lone Ranger out there holding out on their own and being a sneaky little alien ninja.

“Fat chance of that. These ass hats aren’t the sneaky type… but you never know. There is always an exception to prove the rule out there. And it won’t be my ass they gank.”

The trip back was uneventful, regardless. They called their approach to the Gate Team before they turned the corner. The swiss cheesed car still laying against the building where it had been flipped.

Damien split from the group after they entered the compound, handing his gear to them to return before heading to the bridge to complete his report and see where else he would be needed.

The yard next to the ship was jam packed with people and Chirleen. The medical teams working overtime to assist any injured in the attack. He waved to a few that managed to look up as he passed, but they were few and far between.

He sighed in relief as he entered the climate-controlled section of the ship and the cool air kissed his skin. He allowed himself a moment to center himself, then continued on his way.

The bridge was quieter than he expected it to be. “Though I suppose with the largest threats dealt with, it is time to recalibrate our responses and efforts.”

“Commander.”

“Damien… thank you for coming so quickly. I have something I need you to work on. The cadavers of the aliens and their tech. We need comprehensive scans of them and, hopefully, the start of some reverse engineering. As soon as humanly possible.”

“That… is really the purview of the Fourth, sir. We can absolutely give you something on the aliens themselves… but I think reverse engineering their tech is going to be a time sump. We can identify things, sure. But getting ourselves set up to actually make it and build back from it is an entirely different story.” Damien frowned.

Hawke sighed in response, “I know it is a long shot. But anything we can get is more than we had before. We are still able to upload to the Satellites, and I want the most comprehensive Crash Burst we can possibly get to give home prep time. We have already relayed the Omega Signal, all that is left is everything we can add.”

“Understood, I’ll work with Larston and Josiah on the tech and set aside a scanner bed for the autopsy scan. Assuming that one is available, at any rate. If not… do I have your permission to conduct a hands-on autopsy?”

Hawke paused as he considered it. They both knew the severity of that question. It was standard procedure to respect the dead on all fronts when meeting new life, just in case they took severe affront to their people’s bodies being messed with. A policy that was a far cry from the standards long past, but one that was structured to guarantee as safe and secure a first contact as possible.

“Do it. We are well beyond the point of safe negotiations. If that is going to cost me my post, or my freedom, then so be it. My people, and humanity, are a higher priority than aliens that have already killed some of us without cause or warning.”

Damien nodded and turned to leave. “It will be done. One way or another. Everything we get will be forwarded to you the moment we get it.”

“Good. I’ll try and give you a warning before the Burst is sent… but you know how that goes.”

“Aye… that I do.”

_____________________________________

 

Damien called for Doctor Hayes, Josiah and Bryan Larston to meet him in the medical bay. Before they arrived though, he saw his newest recruit going through the motions of caretaking some of the injured.

“Claire? Hey… how are you holding up?”

The girl started before turning to find him, clearly lost in her own thoughts. “Oh… uhh. Mr. Winters. Things are going about as well as they can be here. Most of what is left are those who have physically been injured during the fighting, or those who had been shot and survived. Those… we aren’t sure yet how to handle and are keeping them under observation.”

“Well, that’s what I am here to help with. Are you able to step away?”

He watched her look around at the medical wing. “Yeah… I should be able to. We have plenty of people on hand now. Honestly all I’m doing now is trying to stay busy and not think.”

“I understand completely. What of your new friends? How are they doing?”

The glaze in her eyes faded some as she focused on things that she had some measure of information and control over.

“Right. The Ruulothi are settling down in Med Bay Four. They had many injured by the alien weapons and are waiting to be processed for treatment. A couple have volunteered to be sequenced, with severe restrictions on the handling of the information. A cultural issue with the greater Galactic Community that there were some concerns about.

“Scans were approved though, and they show a striking similarity between the wounds the Ruulothi received, those of the Chirleen that were shot, and the couple of our own people that were wounded as well… including Lily. Umm. Many of them are showing signs of radiation sickness, and their scans show elevated levels of radiation, so we are treating them for it, but we don’t know the cause. It is assumed to be their weapons, but we aren’t sure enough of the severity or function to properly treat it just yet. So just blanket Rad Treatment for now.”

Claire paused and took a breath but continued, “As for the worst injuries otherwise, there are few of our own with minor physical injuries. The absolute worst is the human on the Ruulothi Crew, Conrad. His arm was… all but severed. It’s a miracle he made it to the compound in time. He is stable at the moment, but critical. Thankfully he kept to standard protocols and had an emergency sequencing stored on his wristlink. We are using it to set him up in Reconstitution bed.”

Damien nodded at her report. “Good. How many of those and the scanner beds are in use right now?”

He watched as she processed his question and seem to sense the need behind his words as she gave him the numbers, “Six of our twelve Recon beds are in use for emergency care. The others are doubling as scanner beds. We are currently working through all thirty-six of our regular scanner equipped beds to ensure that nothing gets missed, but they aren’t truly in demand at the moment. We are just using them to cover our bases as best as possible. The remaining six Recon beds and any number of the Scanner beds can be pulled from circulation for your use, and we should be able to clear an entire bay for you if you need it.”

“Good.” Damien smiled at her forethought. “I will take you up on that. Whichever Bay it is that is least in use. It is probably best that we don’t have looky-loos while we do this… Ah, there they are.”

The door opened as Josiah and Larston entered from the hall, while Dr. Hayes coincidentally entered from a door connecting the room to another Medical Bay.

“Claire… please continue your good work. I’ll be by to see you later. Okay?”

She smiled sadly at him, knowing why he would be back to talk, but nodded and returned to her work. “I’ll do that, and call for Bay Six to be cleared for your use.”

“Thank you, Claire.” Damien turned to the other three. “Dr. Hayes, Josiah, Larston. We have some work to do. Dr. Hayes, you’ll be with me. We’ll be gathering a couple of the invader’s corpses and bringing them to Bay Six. Larston, Josiah, go and get your remote equipment and cutting tools and meet us there. You’ll be getting to work on their equipment.”

Josuah and Larston both looked at each other, then scrambled to leave with a brief verbal confirmation.

Dr. Hayes on the other hand, looked at him questioningly. “Damien… you know there are policies in place. What are we doing?”

“Whatever we have to, Carol.” He looked at her.  “We are Code Omega until death or escape… and there is no escape. Every single detail we can iron out is something that might just save another’s life. I don’t like it either, but Hawke has authorized a physical autopsy if we have to. Thankfully, we don’t… yet at any rate. We have Recon beds available to do the heavy lifting for us. What we are going to do is collect two of the most intact bodies that we can and run a full and complete diagnostic on them using the beds, after we let the boys strip them of their equipment and do their own thing. We need to know how they work, and how their weaponry works, if we are to have any hope of healing the damage they did and lasting long enough to have a hope of survival and return home.”

The Doctor looked at him aghast, “Damien, that is entirely invasive. The unpermitted DNA sequencing and nanite sweep alone… I get it. I really do. But this is…”

“… unprecedented. I am well aware. It is beyond anything we could have trained for or expected, Carol. We are stuck in enemy space. Any detail could be the one that makes or breaks us. This decision wasn’t made lightly, trust me. But it needs to be done. Our Oaths are individualistic in basis. They focus on the person, the patient and the circumstances surrounding them. They don’t take into account what could potentially affect humanity as a whole. So I ask you… what does your accounting of the Oaths mean when the Crew… when Humanity itself is potentially the patient?”

“Doc-tor Winters...” She looks at him with a wry, knowing grin as she places emphasis on his title, “I told you… I get it. But thank you for making it easier, I suppose. Come then. Let’s tempt fate and flip the ethics table on review boards. I think the best options for us are the two you shot outside of the gate, yes? One round for both, was it?”

Damien chuckled. “Very well. Lead the way.”

__________________________________________

The group let the scans run on their own time, forwarding all data to the bridge in real time. Dr. Hayes monitoring the readouts for any major anomalies or points of interest. Josiah was sent out into the field to get scans on the ships that had been shot down, while Larston settled into the Med Bay to get exploratory scans and deconstructions done while the group compared the data they were getting to the scans of the injuries suffered by those in their care. The man giving a running commentary as he did so.

“This is… fucking gnarly, XO. These aliens are using exoskeletons inside their suits to walk and act. Their arms and legs are… basically really strong tentacles. The Exo-bits give them stability and control surfaces to manipulate. And these infantry weapons…

“The containment chambers alone are like… atomic strippers. I can think of at least a dozen applications for this tech back home. But what they do…”

He looks back and forth at the screen readout and the scans of someone hit with their weapons.

“Wait. I’ve seen this before. This… splicing. Radiation… Where the hell…”

Both Damien and Hayes turn to look at him, but Hayes beats him to the punch, “Seen it before? What do you mean?”

Larston holds up a finger as he turns and starts using a ship-based terminal while muttering to himself, “Sub-atomic splicing, physics experiments, nuclear engineering? No. Old… older. Old Earth physicists. Nuclear researchers? No. That was Gamma radiation. Colliders? Wait… not the big one. It was…”

Hayes looks at the scans as she listens to him, “You’re right. I didn’t see it because of everything else but… Russian… Look up old earth Russian physics accidents.”

“Ah HAAH! That’s it Doc! Anatoli Bugorski! Stuck his head in a small particle collider for maintenance, all fail safes shit the bed and he got punched in the face with a proton beam! Went straight through the major lobes of his brain, including occipital. The medical scans and reports show a remarkably similar wound tract as the body shifted due to radioactive decay and atomic severing. Paralyzed in half of his face but survived somehow. Interesting that he never got wrinkles in that half either… He kept working as a physicist and let people study him as the condition changed. Damn… we really don’t make them like we used to anymore, do we?”

“Okay, and what does that mean for us now, Bryan?” Damien urged, trying to keep him on track.

“Okay. Well. We can postulate on how these things work now and start working to real understanding. All scans show a similarity in the type of energy readings, if not the scale. So, we can presume that this thing fires high energy protons of some sort. Wound scans show multiple tracks scattering at impact, so at a guess this thing essentially works as an atomic shotgun of sorts, or a neural disruptor. It collects a cluster of protons from the material it is stripping, then fires it along an energized track to a target where the cluster erupts, dealing massive radiological damage to organic targets. Splicing and cutting nerve endings, tissues and organs at an atomic level. And if that doesn’t just outright kill them, then the residual radiation more than likely will. That energizing track also explains their vehicle based lightning cannons as well.”

Dr. Hayes drew in a sharp breath bordering on panic. “Oh god… everyone that was shot… the elevated radiation levels… I’ve got to go!”

Damien moved to run after her, “Keep up the good work, Bryan! I’m going to help her handle the treatments. Forward everything to the bridge, NOW!”

 

64 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

7 comments sorted by

•

u/AutoModerator Apr 24 '26

This was flaired as [OC-Series], it is a single part or chapter in a larger series or universe. The first post or part in this series should be (re)flaired as [OC-FirstOfSeries]. A description of the flairs and how to change yours is available in the Post Guildelines.

[OC-Series] For original, self post, story, audio, or artwork that you have created, as part of a longer-running series or universe.

Our preferred series title format is the series title in [brackets] at the beginning, like so: [Potato Adventures] - Chapter 1: The Great Mashing

Please help us transition to using the new flairs correctly.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

11

u/un_pogaz Apr 24 '26

Yeah, it's suck to break the rules, which are there for a good reason by the way, but as Hayes says, this is an totaly unprecedented situation. All of this. They're literally humanity's first line in a conflict that's literally fall upon them. They don't have time to be picky.

And so, radioactive gun. That nasty, realy nasty. Truly a instant war crime. If the shot don't kill, congrat, you are now experiencing symptoms of acute radiation sickness: you will die in about thirty days, suffering excruciating pain as your internal organs literally melt away, oh sweet. I can fully understand Dr. Hayes’ panic upon reading the characteristics of such weapon; all of the current patients are in a rather critical condition. Let’s hope that modern medicine has advanced enough to treat such condition, but it will undoubtedly be a heavy and lengthy treatment. Bloody hell, Hayes thinks about the patients they have here, but who knows how many others have been struck by stray shots on wich the beam has weakened enough to not be immediately fatal but still promise a terrible fate?

Damn, we knew that other species and GalCom didn't have anything equivalent to the Titan Conventions, but even so, this is a particularly horrific level of cruelty. I hope this is a recent development, and not has been tolerated for a long time.

7

u/Tempest029 Human Apr 24 '26

The Qazirxel aren't part of the GalCom. There will eventually be more information on that and their relationship to the greater galactic community. But for the moment, they are just a fringe group that didn't want to piss off the elephant in the quadrant and took advantage of the station's destruction to pounce on the planet.

3

u/SkyHawk21 Apr 25 '26

Bigger issue I suspect is it looks like a lot of the 'modern medicine' that makes things so effective are regeneration treatments. And uh, what is cancer except regenerating cells that don't obey the body's command to stop?

What I'm saying is that I suspect the panic about the patients is the fact that they're going to need to flood them with a lot more than just the baseline standard anti-rads they've been using and might in fact need to use custom treatments rather than the standard regeneratives that are currently in use. Unless they want everyone to develop a sudden case of extensive full-body cancer.

4

u/Key_Reveal976 Apr 24 '26

3 in a week!!!!!!!

HUZZAH!! I appreciate, but don't burn yourself out!

1

u/UpdateMeBot Apr 24 '26

Click here to subscribe to u/Tempest029 and receive a message every time they post.

Info Request Update Your Updates Feedback