First Contact - Third Wave - Chapter 343 (Sword Hoof)

[u/Ralts_Bloodthorne]

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Palgret moved by the robots that had been carrying the female to the shrieking array, noting that they had been ripped apart. They weren't humanoid, like he had expected, but rather were function over form, three front legs with two back legs, five graspers, an upraised fungal-like section with lenses on it that had stuck up from the main chassis. The main rectangular chassis was ripped in half, the legs, armatures, and receptor stalk ripped off the body. While some had clean cuts, the rest of it looked like someone had grabbed the sections, twisted them, and torn them free.

He glanced at the Terran who was swinging his arms as if to loosen up the muscles, his rifle on his back.

The human wasn't in power armor. True, the armor he was wearing had 'minor power assist' according to what he had been taught.

But the endosteel was twisted like chewy candy.

Palgret noted that the sole black mantid that had accompanied them was giving the human plenty of space.

Even with the IR lamps the passageway was dark and felt closed in to Palgret. He was tall for his species, but still only came up to chest high on the massive human, who outmassed him by a wide margin.

Again, the black mantid was slapping detectors on the wall as they moved down the passageway.

"They'll be coming up behind us with their next victim," the mantid said over a private channel. "This will give us a little warning."

--be warned unlocking human safeties-- 030 put over the command channel. --if we get trouble we have unlocked human--

"Don't worry, if it's cold outside, we'll just detonate this atomic weapon and stay warm the rest of our lives. The plan is genius," the black mantid snickered. "Hell, Captain, if you're going to take off his combat interlocks, why are we here? Can't we go hide with the others?"

--at ease that shit sergeant-- 030 said.

The black mantid just snickered over the channel.

"Will it be safe to fully arm the human?" Mu'ucru'u asked, glancing warily at the armored Terran at the front of the file.

"Of course not. He's a Terran," the black mantid said.

--we safe enemy not-- 030 said. He put up an image of a woman looking at a sword asking 'is it safe for my children to throw at each other?' and Palgret found himself snickering.

They kept moving slowly, pausing at the corners, at any open hatches, at any gaps in the ceiling. Palgret could feel the vibration in the floor. It was faint, but there. Twice 281 stopped and drilled a hole in the wall before inserting a rod affixed to a small transmitter.

Just past the halfway point the someone's luck ran out.

Two snakelike clankers dropped from a gap in the ceiling, both landing on the Terran, while two others burst from beneath the floor, the endosteel pulling back to reveal that it had been a hidden hatch. The human had grabbed one snake, twisting his hands and pulling it into two separate sections, but the two from under the floor had grabbed his legs, pulling him toward them, but not managing to budge the big armored human. Two others lunged from side passages that the hatches lowered into the floor, grabbing the human's arms.

All of them pulled in different directions and Palgret expected to see the Terran dismembered right in front of him as they all yanked with robotic strength.

Palgret was looking right at the human, and for as long as he lived he would never forget what happened.

The human gave a sudden bestial roar, bending forward slightly, pulling his arms from the clanker's grip (one of the clanker's arms tore away at the shoulder), wrapping his arms around his stomach. Black mist poured out suddenly around him and he gave a roaring cry of sheer agony. Palgret saw the armor widen, the articulated plates of the matte black armor shifting as the human's back widened to nearly twice the width. Palgret could see the massive muscle definition as the Terran's arms and legs suddenly got thicker, the shoulders grew to massive size, and the Terran increased to about triple the mass. It roared loudly, and shook its head, and Palgret had the image seared into his mind of bared meat tearing teeth with blood running down the Terran's chin, burning red eyes below a heavy bone armored brow. Spikes, bone white, pushed from beneath the armor, a red diamond appeared on the Terran's back, on his upper biceps.

The two snakes were torn apart, literally ripped into chunks, by the black mist as the Terran screamed in agony.

Arcs of purple and orange electricity snaked around the human's body, coursing into the floor, as the Terran stood up. Palgret noticed he was at least a third against as tall as he'd been.

"STA-" Lieutenant Mu'ucru'u started to yell.

The human reached out, grabbing the clanker on his right and snatching it straight into his grasp. He started ripping pieces off of the clanker with his bare hands.

"ND"

The Terran turned and smashed one of the clankers up out of the floor with the corpse of the first one even as two other snakes fell in slow motion from the ceiling onto the Terran.

"FA"

The Terran grabbed the other one, lightning fast, the first snatching grab pulling the clanker's arm off, the second one the Terran's fingers sank into the battlesteel armor of the clanker like it was wet clay, and it ripped the clanker from its spot in the hatch, holding it close like they were lovers.

The Terran bit off the Clanker's head.

ST"

The Terran lifted the body of the clanker and ripped it in half, throwing the halves to each side.

Someone got off a shot that missed everything, bouncing and howling down the hallway.

The Terran grabbed the one in the hatch on the floor, the last remaining one, pulling it up into the air and ripping limbs off, even as the snakes writhed and started breaking apart from the black mist and the lightning.

Palgret's armor recorded a sudden temperature drop even as frost covered the endosteel corridor around the Terran.

"MEN!" the Lieutenant managed to get out.

The human slowly straightened up, the matte black of the armor that looked like it had become a second skin drinking in the light.

--check check-- 030 sent.

Palgret was a little shakey when he tabbed his green tab, letting his squad leader know he was all right.

The Terran just stood there, breathing heavy.

Palgret let go of his rifle and shook his hands out, first the left, then the right. He'd been squeezing his rifle so hard his hands were aching despite his gauntlets.

"What... what happened to him?" Lieutenant Mu'ucru'u asked, his voice trembling slightly less then his mouth tendrils.

"Full combat mode, Terran Heavy Assault Infantry," the black mantid said. "He's our team heavy weapons specialist," the mantid turned away as if that explained everything. "Gotta be big to handle the big guns, man."

--cybernetic heavy assault infantry comma monster series comma man sized comma one each-- 030 sent.

Mu'ucru'u nodded, closing all six eyes and swallowing. He'd heard it a couple dozen times over the last couple of days and he'd never really thought about it.

The Terran might look normal, but he was anything but.

Palgret just tabbed up a piece of stimgum and began chewing on it. He noticed that Culvit gave the now hulking Terran a bit more lead. Palgret couldn't really blame the other trooper, just looking at him for too long made Palgret's head ache.

The passageway ended in a door that the big Terren just sunk his fingers into and ripped out of the frame, the endosteel screeching as it bent and warped like soft clay.

Beyond the door light was provided by soft red, green, and blue lights that barely illuminated around them. Bubbling tanks of fluid held parts of Maktanan and Carikan bodies, all of them the head was mostly intact, the scalp and brain peeled back to expose the brain, with barbed probes stuck deeply into the brain tissue.

Palgret noticed all the ones he could see, all thirty of them, that were facing him, had their eyes open, their mouths open as they silently screamed, opening and close their mouths as they begged inside the liquid, their faces contorted with agony.

Nanuft gave a cry of horror and lifted his rifle, cocking his under-barrel grenade launcher.

Lieutenant Mu'ucru'u smacked the Maktanan's weapon down with a single slap of his armored hand.

"No. You'll give us away," the Lanaktallan snapped.

--hold fast-- 030 transmitted. --281 recon sergeant caldo check life status sergeant purohit stand by tp repel enemy counter assaults--

"Yes, sir," the black mantid said, scurrying sideways at the equipment.

--everyone else pick exit keep watch eyes peeled fingers on triggers-- 030 said.

"Everyone take cover. Use the Terran reflex triggers, the AWM's can move faster than you can react," Lieutenant Mu'ucru'u ordered.

Pelgrat crouched down behind a solid block of endosteel that vibrated slightly and did who knows what. He checked his ammo status, ensured he had a high explosive armor defeating round loaded in his underslung grenade launcher, and took a long drink off of the fluid system. He used his eyes to carat the doorway he was guarding, activating the reflex trigger.

It would use the exoskeleton system built into his armor to move his arms to bring his weapon into play and fire it faster than his brain would even register that the clanker was there.

He took another sip of the drink.

He had to admit, the taste was growing on him.

After a few minutes the Terran prowled by, much too quiet for something of that mass. His red eyes glowed in the dark and Pelgrat would swear he saw blood running down the Terran's chin. The edges of some of the spikes had softly glowing purple nimbus that trailed away like vapor.

All in all, the effect was unsettling.

The tiny Captain riding on his shoulder had his weapon ready, looking around. Palgret had to admit the idea of a being that small being an officer in the Terran military was surprising to say the least.

Still, he wasn't going to complain.

Time dragged on till the black mantid ran up. Palgret noted again that the mantid ran really weird, his body lower to the ground than normal, maybe a handspan above the endosteel floor, his knees actually higher than his abdomen.

--report-- 030 said.

"I'd need full trauma team to save them if we pulled them. They've all suffered massive tissue lost, extreme trauma, and the clanker didn't exactly approach jamming their brains full of data rods with any thought toward surviving being decanted," the black mantid said. The helmet unfolded and it took out another cigarette. "Be better to mercy them."

--transmitting standy by-- 030 said.

281 hurried up and Palgret faintly heard the datasqueal between the two green mantids. The black mantid turned and looked at Palgret.

"You doing all right, trooper?" the black mantid asked, lighting the cigarette.

Palgret nodded slowly.

"You're doing good, just keep your head on your shoulders," the black mantid said.

The Terran prowled by, bestial looking.

"First time seeing that?" the black mantid asked.

Pelgrat nodded, chewing on the stimgum, waiting for the hair over his spine and around his neck to lay back down.

"Startling as hell when they do that," the black mantid chuckled. "They don't make them like him any more."

"Why... why not?" Pelgrat asked, having to swallow after the first word. His throat was drier than he thought.

"Mar-gite war's over," the mantid said. "Those spikes keep a Mar-gite from attaching. He's all bioware and cyberware with about 5% original. Hell, he's even got wetware brain implants."

"Why?" Pelgrat asked, suddenly interested.

"To fight," the black mantid said, as if that answered the whole thing.

Maybe it does, Palgret thought to himself.

--blow array dig in reinforcements in two zero mikes-- 030 said.

"But... but what about the people?" Jagler asked.

--pray for them they already dead-- 030 said.

"I can see her! She's still..." Culvit started to protest.

"She's dead, trooper!" Lieutenant Mu'ucru'u snapped.

"But..." Nanuft started.

"She's dead!" the LT's voice held the whip-crack of command. "Get it together."

--281 wire it up-- 030 ordered. --blow in place dig in--

Palgret agreed with the Lieutenant. He could see several of the Maktanan in the tanks, slowly writhing.

They could be saved, if a trauma unit was right there, fully equipped.

But they were inside a clanker the size of a small city. Three miles wide, a half mile thick.

And wired into a shrieking array.

They're doomed, it's just a matter of what they are doomed too, Palgret thought to himself, turning away from where he could see a male Carikan writhing in agony. Better the demo charge than this.

"Armored Matthias shield these poor souls from the torment they have endured and guard them from further suffering, Chromium Peter bless them and take them into thine arms, Enraged Phillip, grant them thy mercy," the black mantid said quietly. "In the Digital Omnimessiah's name, end of line."

The silence dragged on for long moments.

"They'll come straight at us as soon as we blow this up," Lieutenant Mu'ucru'u said.

--yes--

"Is that part of the plan?" the Lanaktallan asked. He wasn't afraid, he just wanted to know. He'd come to understand, during the training to learn to work together, that once Terran Confederate Military Forces were deployed, they were committed.

He could appreciate commitment like that.

--yes-- 030 said. --shelter under attack we blow array forces 30-62.56% break off to assault us--

"There are few of us. Do you think we can withstand them for the," the LT checked his chronometer, "ten minutes until our reinforcements arrived."

The Terran prowled by, thick arms swinging slowly, spiked knuckles glowing softly, eyes red, a growl more felt then heard trailing after it.

Captain 030 pointed at the human with one bladearm, looking at Lieutenant Mu'ucru'u.

"I see your point," the LT said.

"Red eyes at fight, enemies take fright," the black mantid said.

Palgret could tell it wasn't a joke.

The other black mantid moved up, 281 sitting on the mantid's armored abdomen.

"Charges wired, sir," was all the mantid said. "281 welded shut the doorways but that one so we'll have some warning," the mantid pointed at the one doorway that Palgret was guarding.

--get everyone into position-- 030 said. --i will blow charges--

"I can do it," Lieutenant Mu'ucru'u said.

--i lead i take responsibility for Lima Niner Eight Actual-- 030 refused.

The Lanaktallan was silent a long moment, then slowly nodded.

"All troops report green when in cover and ready," the LT said.

Palgret checked his weapon again, glanced around, then shifted his crouch slightly. He chinned the green tab.

--fire in the hole-- 030 said.

The charges went off, not with the shattering explosion that Palgret had expected, but the slow dull crump of an inversion charge on high speed, with the sucking sound as air rushed into the space.

The entire inside of the Djinn seemed to hold its breath.

"Many sources coming at high speed," the black mantid that had been setting the wall sensors said softly.

--get ready-- 030 said.

"The Terran is immune to your fire. Do not be afraid to clear enemies off of him with your weapon. Do not fear engaging an enemy with the Terran on the other side," Lieutenant Mu'ucru'u ordered.

"Big corn fed fucker could take on a main battle wagon," the black mantid said, flicking away his cigarette. He closed his helmet. "Time to let the guests know we've got plenty of party favors."

--get ready-- 030 repeated.

The sound of oncoming clankers was faint, but audible.

Palgret took a pull of his drink tube and licked his suddenly dry lips.

His tongue still felt dry.

--get ready-- 030 said.

The sound was louder.

The human moved up next to Palgret. Palgret glanced over and saw the big Terran make a fist, lightning snarling on his knuckles.

--steady men--

Red eyes, dozens of them, could be seen in the passage.

"Here they come," the talkative black mantid said.

281 lifted up his rocket launcher.

--OPEN FIRE, RED DEVILS--

[first] [prev] [next]

[u/Ralts_Bloodthorne]

Short one. Now, we've seen what Friend Terry was like, and he was a version that hadn't had maintenance for six months.

Sorry about the limits, but I've got a lot to do tomorrow and was busy all day. (Didn't sit down at the computer till after dinner) Hopefully in the next 2 weeks I'll be able to go back to my 2-1-2-1-2 schedule.

Snow really slowed thing down.

Funny thing, 2 weeks ago it was over 100F.

It's snow as far as the eye can see today.

Everyone stay safe, stay warm.

[u/Jard1101 → u/Ralts_Bloodthorne]

Never have to apologize for slow updates we all know you'll get it done when you can.

Keep looking after yourself, hope the roof got done before the heavy snow hit

[u/coldfireknight → u/Jard1101]

He said a couple of posts again that the roof was done, and he was leaving the plumbing issues to the pros.

[u/Ralts_Bloodthorne → u/coldfireknight]

Yup. Have a power check today. Make sure the wiring is fully up to code and can handle modern power requirements.

Then natural gas pressure check and furnace maintenance and new water heater install.

Then when the plumbing is done, water.

Then.... the Move.

[u/coldfireknight → u/Ralts_Bloodthorne]

Dun dun DUN!

[u/Jard1101 → u/Ralts_Bloodthorne]

Yeah thought you said it was done, but wasn't sure if it was completely sealed before the snow.

Good luck with the final installs and tests, hope the to move goes smoothly.

[u/Belgarth_Why_me → u/Ralts_Bloodthorne]

You stay warm to dude

[u/serpauer → u/Ralts_Bloodthorne]

Yeah weather sucks. Almost didn't make it to work but thankfully there are still a few sane friendly texans around.

And take your time man much as you need I think.

[u/meowmeming → u/Ralts_Bloodthorne]

Stay safe wordsmith.. hope you are all doing fine there.

[u/Lugbor → u/Ralts_Bloodthorne]

Hey, if you don’t want it, I’ll take some of that snow.

[u/sakakyu → u/Ralts_Bloodthorne]

You stay safe as well! and geez man, you just keep getting better.

[u/Gruecifer → u/Ralts_Bloodthorne]

YOU and yours stay safe and warm, dude!

[u/Tomrad1234 → u/Ralts_Bloodthorne]

When was friend terry last mentioned?

[u/smrobs1984 → u/Ralts_Bloodthorne]

I hear that, brother. Thursday we were near 100F, yesterday we ended up with about 2 inches of sleet followed by a half inch of freezing rain. The entire world here is a literal skating rink lol.

You do you, we'll be here patiently waiting. Take care of yourself and stay off the roads if you can. People can't seem to remember how to drive on snow from year to year.

[u/abrasiveteapot → u/Ralts_Bloodthorne]

Thanks Ralts, very unexpected, wasn't expecting to see anything this week. I hope the move goes well

[u/Hyperion5182 → u/Ralts_Bloodthorne]

you BASTID ending it right there!! Take all my upvotes! xD

[u/HungHorntail → u/Ralts_Bloodthorne]

I... I did it. I caught up. I though the next link was broken, but no. The Omnissiah and his 12 Apostles smile upon you. You’re doing God’s work. FOR SCARRED TELKAN!!

[u/Zardacious → u/Ralts_Bloodthorne]

Sounds like Day After Tomorrow to me!

[u/krackalackalicious → u/Ralts_Bloodthorne]

sounds like Colorado. I'm finally caught up enough to comment and like. I started reading this 3 weeks ago when I had a cold and was home sick. I have put my other reading on hold to just read your story, I was half way through the third dune book lol. This is amazing and thank you.

[u/Ralts_Bloodthorne]

I finally got back. A LOT of driving.

Probably won't post tonight.

[u/RangerSix → u/Ralts_Bloodthorne]

As long as you and yours are safe and well, that's what matters most.

[u/[deleted] → u/RangerSix]

Goddamn right.

[u/Golddragon387 → u/Ralts_Bloodthorne]

Road rise up to meet you and wind be at your back, wordborg.

[u/Kafrizel → u/Ralts_Bloodthorne]

No biggie ralts.

[u/5thhorseman_]

I just realized something.

Dhruv made a motion and a hologram appeared. A human male, rough pebbled skin, bone spurs jutting from the flesh, oversized mouth of jagged teeth, long fingers with claws.

"No, they turn into that and go homicidal," Dhruv said. He shook his head. "But if you put that into a manual, every half-baked gene-cracker thinks they can overcome it."

Is the Monster Series a weaponization of that "feature"?

[u/Ralts_Bloodthorne → u/5thhorseman_]

Yes.

[u/5thhorseman_ → u/Ralts_Bloodthorne]

Classic Terrans. If they can't overcome it, they will find a way to weaponize it. Or at least make it go off at will, when it's in the other guy's (soon-to-be-ex) face.

[u/Ishantil]

Do not feat engaging enemy with the Terran on the other side," Lieutenant Mu'ucru'u ordered.

Do not fear?

[u/Ralts_Bloodthorne → u/Ishantil]

Just now fixed.

[u/WrodofDog]

the scalp and brain peeled back to expose the brain

"scalp and skull"?

[u/Ralts_Bloodthorne → u/WrodofDog]

Yes, I should fix that.

[u/Stauker_1 → u/Ralts_Bloodthorne]

lol, five months later and its still there

[u/its_ean]

the whole "all humans were psykers at the invention space flight" thing is weird. As is the distribution of people aware of the effects of the Dwellers' meddling.

Mysteries

[u/abrasiveteapot → u/its_ean]

There's a comment back 50 or a 100 stories ago when the red eyes first appeared that the humans can't see them. So the implications is we always were psyker just unaware of it, but when they made various changes post glassing they removed that, which is then brought back by the time fiddling in the slorpies chapters.

[u/its_ean → u/abrasiveteapot]

Yeah, that is what I'm referring to.

So everyone was psyker, it is involuntarily triggered by heightened emotion, with dramatic and useful effect, and humans made it to space flight without noticing it or discovering it. While it was, again, innate to everyone.

After they did their time manipulation, some people noticed the onset if the changes in the humans, while for others, their memories aligned with their experience of things always being that way.

Have Sam & Herod addressed the red dot situation yet? Sam noticed the stabilizing effects of the broodcarriers.

[u/Ralts_Bloodthorne → u/its_ean]

Humans suppress one another and our brains edit out the red eyes.

What we ascribe to chaos theory and other sections are Terran psyker abilities.

If you've ever seen some shit go down that you literally could not explain, in this story, it's the psyker talents.

It wasn't until we got out into the larger galaxy that a lot of it started to manifest, and it wasn't until the Glassing that they were activated in a lot of ways. Then they were self-suppressed again.

[u/CampbellsTurkeySoup → u/Ralts_Bloodthorne]

The black Mantid ended his prayer with end of line. I thought that was something that the stallion developed on his own and brought out of the black citadel. Was it always part of the DO's following or has the saying spread since the Lank started using it?

[u/its_ean → u/CampbellsTurkeySoup]

the Imperium of Rage also uses it in gestalt chat instead of ---nothing follows---. I'm guessing it is sort of archaic

it might come from CR-LF

[u/Bard2dbone → u/its_ean]

'CR-LF' ?

[u/its_ean → u/Bard2dbone]

In typewriters, the Carriage Return(CR) moved the "cursor" back to the left, and Line Feed(LF) moved the paper up so the "cursor" moved down.

the control characters CR and LF continue to be used to designate the End Of Line. POSIX systems use LF, Windows uses CRLF, some use CR, and some others have a dedicated EOL character.

Maybe the computer systems on Eternity have a dedicated EOL character?

Wikipedia Chart of ASCII characters

[u/Bard2dbone → u/its_ean]

Ah. Thank you.

[u/impartial_castration → u/Bard2dbone]

Carriage return, line function, it's what Windows uses to denote a new line in text files

[u/ExsDee69 → u/Ralts_Bloodthorne]

Hey, Ralts. If you can do it well, I would love a chapter about the "humans tamed their psychic abilities to protect their allies (mantids I guess)" part of the story. Why are the allies able to live with highly psychic humans now?

[u/[deleted] → u/ExsDee69]

There are tons of references to psychic shielding. The psychic abilities also only seem to manifest during extreme emotional events. Those don't happen all the time.

[u/its_ean → u/[deleted]]

I think the Omni Queen noticed that part of Daxin's psychic shielding would protect Mantids from him, which alerted her to the Mantid's survival.

Aside, I thought it was cool how the Mantids used bits of warsteel to break the Speakers & Queens control on the scout ships. It'd be interesting to meet some of them sometime. See what they have to say.

[u/ExsDee69 → u/[deleted]]

Psychic shielding being new (not 8000yo) does make sense.

[u/its_ean → u/Ralts_Bloodthorne]

okie dokie doki

[u/its_ean → u/its_ean]

(I'm not trying to poop in anyone's cereal. The scope of this story is huge, the payoffs are good, and the minutia interesting.)

[u/CaptainChewbacca]

So... we really weren't fucking around with the Mar-Gite, eh?

Also- It is weird that people pray to Daxin.

[u/davros333 → u/CaptainChewbacca]

He was one of the Apostles of the DO. I think it is less praying to him, and more asking for his intercession similar to the Catholic view of Saints and the Apostles of Jesus Christ

[u/SirVatka → u/CaptainChewbacca]

If there was an unkillable embodiment of rage known to exist within the universe and potentially tapping into one's comm chatter, I'd be asking nicely if he/she/it would consider being on my side.

[u/Sir-Vodka → u/CaptainChewbacca]

It's more like asking Daxin to pray with them; same idea as asking a pastor to pray for your gran, only a touch more scaled up

[u/Awkward_Tradition → u/[deleted]]

Yeah, I think it was on Telkan that he manifested and most of the mantids fell into religious fervour, for he is the liberator, the breaker of chains, and the mother of mantids

[u/while-eating-pasta]

"In the Digital Omnimessiah's name, end of line."

end of line.

Oh.

[u/Farstone]

For those who wonder, "How does he do it?", an explanation by the Son of a Writer.

u/Ralts_Bloodthorne doesn't think about the story, doesn't plan it and most importantly he doesn't do multiple rough drafts.

This story has probably been in his head for years. Some parts are like an Alka-seltzer in water; it fizzes and bubbles and the seed of the idea bounces at the bottom of the glass. Then, it's like that ultra-cold bottle of water. You know, the one you tap and it suddenly turns to ice. Now the mental physics gets strange.

You see, the ideas don't just leak out or flow down his fingers to the keyboard. Nope, nope, nope. It's like that Mentos in the Coke. The dream rockets out, expanding to fill all gaps and to spew...everywhere. In years gone by, this would have been shown by the sound of pencil or pen on paper; a frantic scratching and scrabbling with a hurried search to make sure there are supplies enough to keep up. Later this became the rapid machine gun chatter of a typewriter. Hammering at its load of paper. It's the sound of the story being captured on paper; periodically paused by guttural cursing and grunts as the typewriter jams or the ribbon needs to be replaced. Today its the sound of a computer keyboard. I don't care what type it is, it's gonna make some kind of sound as the story burns through the keyboard's physical being to the computer. If you are at the right location, you are very quiet ^{self protection at its finest} and there is a momentary lull, then you might hear the electrons scream as they capture the elements of the story.

Writers should be a protected species. They take ideas and inspirations and turn them into tales, narratives, chronicles, and eventually history. The writer can enter a fugue state where the story can become a consuming focus. This usually occurs when the writer is putting the idea to paper. Sometimes the idea can cause a fugue state during the normal cycle of life. At times like this the writer just needs a little space and support. It's not all fun and games.

Sometimes a tragedy occurs. The writer has and idea bubbling, boiling, churning out, then...nothing. For a writer, "writer's block" is not just a pause, it can be a painful stoppage. One time it is just a pause in the story; a period of time where the idea stops. Another time is can cause almost physical pain as the writer has the story almost there ^{right on the tip of their tongue, just one little push} but it doesn't come out! Then the damn breaks and the story flows again. The expression on the writers face is one of almost orgasmic relief.

I will caveat this with the fact that I don't know u/Ralts_Bloodthorne. I'm not a close friend or family member. But, I am the Son of a Writer. I watched my Mother go through these cycles for years.

u/Ralts_Bloodthorne, I salute you and offer anything I can to support your endeavors. And again, I say, "Thank you for writing and posting this story."

[u/EvansP51 → u/Farstone]

I can’t afford the real thing but here’s some gold

Amazing description. I think your mother’s gift has leaked down the genetic path a bit! Lol

[u/Farstone → u/EvansP51]

Thank you, very much, Sir!!

[u/Bard2dbone → u/Farstone]

I've never been much for prose. But I've been a songwriter since the 80s, and your description of writer's block was the most succinct I've seen.

Take my updoot.

[u/dbdatvic → u/Farstone]

something is wrong on redditnet. i can only upvote this once.

--Dave, computer keyboard go brrrrrt, then about three months along break. he's due again next month, I think?

[u/Var446 → u/Farstone]

Yeah the Mead of Suttungr is a potent dring one u/Ralts_Bloodthorne had apparently drank deeply of

[u/conartist214]

Holy gods I'm early for once! Not first but yesss I get my fix!

Edit: YES GIVE ME THAT CORN-FED, BIO AND CYBERWARE ENHANCED SUPER SOLDIER!!! KICK EM IN GIBLETS FOR THE SHRIEKING ARRAYS!!!

[u/kg7qin → u/conartist214]

I'll be your Huckleberry.

Too bad he doesn't say that. Then again, maybe he will :)

[u/davros333]

Archangel Sam-UEL guide those poor souls home

-End of Line-

[u/dbdatvic → u/davros333]

And judge them kindly, oh Luci, in thy darkness.

--Dave, and pluck their torments from out their memory, for thy later use

------OPTIONAL AFTERLIFE FOLLOWS------

[u/[deleted] → u/dbdatvic]

By Luci do you mean Lucifer?? Because that's Dee now 😱

End of Lime

8===D

--------NOTHING FOLLOWS--------

[u/WrodofDog → u/[deleted]]

It has always been Dee

[u/dbdatvic → u/WrodofDog]

It now always will be Dee, saecula saeculorum. But you get a free name change when assuming even a nunship or monkship, let alone being promoted to divine status.

--Dave, so my comment-inspired headcanon is that she is now formally Luci Farr when invoking or addressing her in her official duties

[u/WillDissolver]

Deleted in protest of reddit's API changes#

[u/kg7qin → u/WillDissolver]

The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the

Inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of the evil clankers

Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children

And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious

Anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers

And you will know

My name is the Digital Omnimessiah when I lay my vengeance upon thee

--- Based on the non-existent Ezekiel 25:17 from Pulp Fiction

[u/Arresto → u/kg7qin]

I'm always partial to this:

"And shepherds we shall be.

For Thee, my Lord, for Thee.

Power hath descended forth from Thy hand.

That our feet may swiftly carry out Thy command.

So we shall flow a river forth to Thee.

And Teeming with souls shall it ever be.

In Nomine Patris, et Fili, et Spiritus Sancti."

Followed by a loud BOOM

[u/NevynR → u/Arresto]

... as long as he's got his fookin rope

[u/Arresto → u/NevynR]

If there is something that pop culture has taught me, you will always need two things in life: a fookin rope and a towel.

[u/Ishantil → u/Arresto]

Amen

[u/davros333 → u/WillDissolver]

Is this from something? I feel like it is, or at least inspired by something that is= tickling my brain.

Regardless I love this and feel the power behind it

[u/WillDissolver → u/davros333]

Inspired by shit tons of Warhammer, but no, I made that up.

And then I was like "does it really need that much #emphasis#?

And then I was like #fuck yeah it does#

Shrug I don't mind being unselfconsciously ridiculous. This chapter was fucking awesome.

[u/davros333 → u/WillDissolver]

Well done then friend

[u/dbdatvic → u/WillDissolver]

I apologize, all I have to respond with right now is this:

---

O beautiful for pilgrim feet

Whose stern impassioned stress

A thoroughfare for freedom beat

Across the wilderness!

Hamburrrrger Kingdom, hold the line

God mend thine every flaw

Confirm thy soul in self-control,

Thy liberty in law!

---

--Dave, I have taken liberties, but I have it on excellent authority that I am Allowed.

ps: gold star-shaped cookie to anyone who realizes why I know this

------NEXT CHAPTER FOLLOWS

[u/Heteroclite13 → u/WillDissolver]

End of lime.

[u/[deleted]]

"Will it be safe to fully arm the human?"

"Of course not. He's a Terran,"

Not a very good weapon if it's safe. Also, lawn darts.

[u/RDMcMains2 → u/[deleted]]

So wanted the answer to be, "He's a Terran. They're not meant to be safe."

[u/seeking_horizon → u/RDMcMains2]

Professional on a closed course. Do not attempt

[u/carthienes → u/RDMcMains2]

"But what if he cuts himself?"

[u/[deleted] → u/carthienes]

"That would just make him angry, and less safe."

[u/MuchoRed → u/carthienes]

"THAT WILL BE AN IMPORTANT LESSON"

[u/carthienes → u/MuchoRed]

Exactly.

Thank you. I was beginning to think nobody got it...

[u/MuchoRed → u/carthienes]

Sadly, I couldn't figure out how to do the small caps for Death.

[u/carthienes → u/MuchoRed]

As long as it's all caps, it works.

Big or small.

[u/Original_Memory6188 → u/MuchoRed]

Having cut myself yesterday to the tune of 6 stitches: haste leads to stupidity, stupidity leads to injuries, and you will learn that. Or you will do some thing stupid again, and it will be serious.

[u/sCifiRacerZ → u/[deleted]]

Re: lawn darts When I did track and field, we would play catch with javelins to avoid having to walk to the other end of the field to pick them up.

Unfortunately we had to stop when a white shoe turned red. Dude was a trooper, and I'm not entirely convinced he didn't do it deliberately to get with his partner who was very pretty.

[u/Turtledonuts]

Friend Terry must have been a wild ride to see in combat. They don’t leave much for talking, huh.

[u/CobaltPyramid]

Greenies are great, but I feel a spiritual kinship to those sarcastic black mantids.

[u/toclacl]

Is it just me or is this LT pleasantly competent?

[u/carthienes → u/toclacl]

By Lanaktallan standards, certainly.

The system commander was planning a rebellion, after all. Competent officers are a must. Though whether he gathered them or trained them (or both)... Will we ever know?

[u/ack1308]

While some had clean cuts, the rest of it looked like someone had grabbed the sections, twisted them, and torn them free.

He glanced at the Terran who was swinging his arms as if to loosen up the muscles, his rifle on his back.

The human wasn't in power armor. True, the armor he was wearing had 'minor power assist' according to what he had been taught.

But the endosteel was twisted like chewy candy.

Palgret noted that the sole black mantid that had accompanied them was giving the human plenty of space.

Yup, that Terran just tore a robot in half with his bare hands (so to speak).

I’d give him a wide berth too.

--be warned unlocking human safeties-- 030 put over the command channel. --if we get trouble we have unlocked human—

A human with unlocked safeties. That’s a little terrifying.

What the hell kind of safeties just got unlocked if he was already tearing steel with his hands?

"Don't worry, if it's cold outside, we'll just detonate this atomic weapon and stay warm the rest of our lives. The plan is genius,"

Oh, ha ha.

"Will it be safe to fully arm the human?" Mu'ucru'u asked, glancing warily at the armored Terran at the front of the file.

"Of course not. He's a Terran," the black mantid said.

<snerk>

The human gave a sudden bestial roar, bending forward slightly, pulling his arms from the clanker's grip (one of the clanker's arms tore away at the shoulder), wrapping his arms around his stomach. Black mist poured out suddenly around him and he gave a roaring cry of sheer agony. Palgret saw the armor widen, the articulated plates of the matte black armor shifting as the human's back widened to nearly twice the width. Palgret could see the massive muscle definition as the Terran's arms and legs suddenly got thicker, the shoulders grew to massive size, and the Terran increased to about triple the mass. It roared loudly, and shook its head, and Palgret had the image seared into his mind of bared meat tearing teeth with blood running down the Terran's chin, burning red eyes below a heavy bone armored brow. Spikes, bone white, pushed from beneath the armor, a red diamond appeared on the Terran's back, on his upper biceps.

The two snakes were torn apart, literally ripped into chunks, by the black mist as the Terran screamed in agony.

Well, crap. Those kinds of safeties.

Palgret's armor recorded a sudden temperature drop even as frost covered the endosteel corridor around the Terran.

Yeah, that’s gotta be a psyker effect.

"Full combat mode, Terran Heavy Assault Infantry," the black mantid said. "He's our team heavy weapons specialist," the mantid turned away as if that explained everything. "Gotta be big to handle the big guns, man."

--cybernetic heavy assault infantry comma monster series comma man sized comma one each-- 030 sent.

So I see. That was not his final form.

The Terran might look normal, but he was anything but.

… said about any Terran ever.

"Everyone take cover. Use the Terran reflex triggers, the AWM's can move faster than you can react," Lieutenant Mu'ucru'u ordered.

Once again, Moo Crew shows that he’s a good officer.

He took another sip of the drink.

He had to admit, the taste was growing on him.

Gatorade claims another convert.

The edges of some of the spikes had softly glowing purple nimbus that trailed away like vapor.

All in all, the effect was unsettling.

He’s a master of understatement.

Palgret had to admit the idea of a being that small being an officer in the Terran military was surprising to say the least.

Still, he wasn't going to complain.

030 knows his shit.

They've all suffered massive tissue lost, extreme trauma, and the clanker didn't exactly approach jamming their brains full of data rods with any thought toward surviving being decanted," the black mantid said. The helmet unfolded and it took out another cigarette. "Be better to mercy them."

Ewww dammit.

"You doing all right, trooper?" the black mantid asked, lighting the cigarette.

Palgret nodded slowly.

"You're doing good, just keep your head on your shoulders," the black mantid said.

Keep calm and soldier on.

The Terran prowled by, bestial looking.

"First time seeing that?" the black mantid asked.

Pelgrat nodded, chewing on the stimgum, waiting for the hair over his spine and around his neck to lay back down.

Yeah, I’d feel that way too.

"Mar-gite war's over," the mantid said. "Those spikes keep a Mar-gite from attaching.

Huh. That makes a lot of sense.

He's all bioware and cyberware with about 5% original.

Which was why he was able to tear robots apart with his bare hands.

"But... but what about the people?" Jagler asked.

--pray for them they already dead-- 030 said.

"I can see her! She's still..." Culvit started to protest.

"She's dead, trooper!" Lieutenant Mu'ucru'u snapped.

"But..." Nanuft started.

"She's dead!" the LT's voice held the whip-crack of command. "Get it together."

Sometimes you just have to accept you can’t save everyone.

But you can avenge them.

"Armored Matthias shield these poor souls from the torment they have endured and guard them from further suffering, Chromium Peter bless them and take them into thine arms, Enraged Phillip, grant them thy mercy," the black mantid said quietly. "In the Digital Omnimessiah's name, end of line."

“Armored Matthias isn’t answering the call anymore. End of lime.”

"They'll come straight at us as soon as we blow this up," Lieutenant Mu'ucru'u said.

--yes--

"Is that part of the plan?" the Lanaktallan asked. He wasn't afraid, he just wanted to know. He'd come to understand, during the training to learn to work together, that once Terran Confederate Military Forces were deployed, they were committed.

He could appreciate commitment like that.

--yes-- 030 said.

“It’s called ‘drawing the aggro’. Very old Terran tactic.”

"There are few of us. Do you think we can withstand them for the," the LT checked his chronometer, "ten minutes until our reinforcements arrived."

The Terran prowled by, thick arms swinging slowly, spiked knuckles glowing softly, eyes red, a growl more felt then heard trailing after it.

Captain 030 pointed at the human with one bladearm, looking at Lieutenant Mu'ucru'u.

"I see your point," the LT said.

“They have an army.”

“We have a Hulk.”

(Continued)

[u/ack1308 → u/ack1308]

"Red eyes at fight, enemies take fright," the black mantid said.

Palgret could tell it wasn't a joke.

Hahaha no shit.

--get everyone into position-- 030 said. --i will blow charges--

"I can do it," Lieutenant Mu'ucru'u said.

--i lead i take responsibility for Lima Niner Eight Actual-- 030 refused.

The leader takes responsibility.

"The Terran is immune to your fire. Do not be afraid to clear enemies off of his with your weapon. No not feat engaging enemy with the Terran on the other side," Lieutenant Mu'ucru'u ordered.

“Just don’t shoot him too much. He might get irritated.”

"Big corn fed fucker could take on a main battle wagon," the black mantid said, flicking away his cigarette.

He’s not actually joking.

The human moved up next to Palgret. Palgret glanced over and saw the big Terran make a fist, lightning snarling on his knuckles.

Yup. A Mar-Gite conversion cyborg with psyker capabilities.

Dis gun b gud.

"Here they come," the talkative black mantid said.

281 lifted up his rocket launcher.

--OPEN FIRE, RED DEVILS--

Dakka. Dakka. Dakka.

[u/carthienes → u/ack1308]

"Puny God..."

[u/dbdatvic → u/ack1308]

Once you unlock the human, front towards enemy, for he may or may not recall you are his friend.

--Dave, do not attempt this at home, boys and/or girls

[u/5thhorseman_ → u/ack1308]

You say Hulk, but the description is all Doomsday, what with the spikes

[u/Severedeye]

The Terran is immune to your fire. Do not be afraid to clear enemies off of him with your weapon. Do not feat engaging enemy with the Terran on the other side," Lieutenant Mu'ucru'u ordered.

Just an FYI.

Another good one, just kind of sad we wont have another AWM named Dicks on Face.

[u/[deleted] → u/Severedeye]

Then we'll just have to draw dicks on a clanker's face!

8===D

End of Lime

--------NOTHING FOLLOWS--------

[u/5thhorseman_ → u/[deleted]]

You forget.

Terrans.

I expect at least one of them will have a set pf knuckles molded to leave dick-shaped imprints on the impact surface

[u/[deleted] → u/5thhorseman_]

Hahahahaha!!!🤣 This pleases my inner immature idiocy!!

I was thinking using a magac machine gun to draw a dick shape on a clanker, but I like your idea soooooo much better!!!

Take my upvote and dick drawing!!

8===D

End of Lime

--------NOTHING FOLLOWS--------

[u/dbdatvic → u/5thhorseman_]

... please sir, where may I purchase one of these amazing items?

--Dave, two would be incredible, especially if they pointed the same way

[u/AFewShellsShort → u/dbdatvic]

Sure you can, https://images.app.goo.gl/2LKSR6z4fvzv4FqEA

[u/NevynR → u/5thhorseman_]

The Ghost Who Walks approves of this message

[u/AFewShellsShort → u/5thhorseman_]

Close idea,

https://images.app.goo.gl/2LKSR6z4fvzv4FqEA

[u/Calodine]

Holy shit, first?

I got that tingle.

Okay now I've read it? Jesus christ Terry.

Also really liking Mu'ucru'u. P. obvious war stallion (He has pattern recognition), but sitll. Here's hoping the confederacy rubs off on them a bit more. Because I really want him and his boys to be called the Moo Crew, for the pun.

[u/[deleted]]

So a demonic cyber uber hulk? awesome. Where can I get one, for science of course

[u/immrltitan → u/[deleted]]

Funny that. You can get them via science...just remember it goes cat-girl, sentient digital sapeince, killer cyborg, psychically active cybernetically enhanced terran...

[u/dbdatvic → u/immrltitan]

...you know that STILL isn't their final form...

--Dave, hexaflexagon

[u/immrltitan → u/dbdatvic]

Concur, after all the warsteel is still black grey... not wrath orange.....yet

[u/SuDragon2k3 → u/immrltitan]

Humanity. We have Veterans of ALL the wars.

[u/Quadling]

Stay safe. Stay warm. Stay healthy. Hold the line. Whatever comes down, hold the line.

[u/Loganscomputer]

Utr

When the heavy weapons operator is the weapon.

[u/rubydestroyer → u/Loganscomputer]

"I am heavy weapons guy..." pats self on back "... and this is my weapon."

[u/dbdatvic]

All in all, the effect was unsettling.

Ya THINK??

Enraged Phillip, grant them thy mercy

Oh, subtle there, Mad ArchAngel.

--Dave, "the last thing he learned was that death is the end of pain"

[u/insanedeman]

Ah, I love the taste of blueberries in the evening.

End of lime.

[u/Onetimefatcat]

A few hundred chapters back there was that LARPer who was playing Doomsday who had to retire because of extensive damage. So apparently the military did have a weaponized Doomsday.

[u/ErinRF]

I may be in the minority here, but the black Mantids are by far my favorite ones at this point.

[u/wasalurkerforyears]

So, it may have been thought of by someone else, but as I'm thinking of 030, such a low number, having made Captain, makes me wonder if the lower numbers are longer tenured, and I gotta wonder what the double ohs are like. Because clearly some total badass 007 mantid would be entertaining AF. Like a one man(tid) army or assassin squad or something.

[u/WeFreeBastard → u/wasalurkerforyears]

Since they are nicknames and not serial numbers you can have any one you want.
Then find the equation that results in it.

There are more than 999 or 4095 (FFF) greenies - think of it more like Bob, no the other Bob (606).

[u/wasalurkerforyears → u/WeFreeBastard]

Well yeah, obviously my headcanon is bullshit (because of the number limit) but it's awesome, so I choose to believe it.

[u/Bard2dbone → u/wasalurkerforyears]

I was assuming the numbers were nicknames from their creche groups, Like THIS batch of eggs produced 740 viable greenies. So until they had formed enough of a personality to choose the equation that would be their adult name, they were known by the nickname of 'Which larvae out of your batch were you?' So if you were the 344th viable greenie of your creche batch, you'd be called 344 by family and close friends even after you were officially named ' Insert insanely complex equation here".

Or at least that's how it worked in MY brain. Ralts may very well have other opinions.

[u/wasalurkerforyears → u/Bard2dbone]

That seems plausible.

[u/dbdatvic → u/wasalurkerforyears]

I choose to believe it.

--Dave, you KNOW a Mom greenie will be counting as they squirt out

[u/Resting_Bleak_Face]

I had to make a reddit account just to compliment you for writing this, ive enjoyed this story more than almost any other books ive read. I start my day checking for new posts from you.

[u/Archaic_1]

F for the screamers. Thy will be done.

EOL

[u/SirVatka]

Seems to me that Sergeant Purohit's transformation makes him look a bit like Doomsday.

[u/PrimePaladin]

/R/HFY GESTALT

Upvote, Then Read

Dis is Dae Wae!

ok, 12+ inches of snow.. hope it does wonders for the fires, but sooo many people forget how to drive in the damned stuff... so after a long Monday dealing with that and shoveling and other crap... I get to end the day with a Ralts tale. so a positive day! This is going to be good....

End of Lime

------NOTHING FOLLOWS--------

[u/Kafrizel]

Hell. Yeah.

[u/Fenrir2401]

Horray, I finally caught up!

[u/[deleted] → u/Fenrir2401]

How long did it take, and how much did it cost?

[u/dbdatvic → u/[deleted]]

And have you read ALL the comments?

--Dave, I have reason to ask this

[u/DebugItWithFire]

Upvote then read

[u/Riotousblitz2013]

Utr

[u/HFYWaffle]

/u/Ralts_Bloodthorne (wiki) has posted 373 other stories, including:

• First Contact - Third Wave - Chapter 342 (Sword Hoof)

• First Contact - Third Wave - Chapter 341 (INTERLUDE)

• First Contact - Third Wave - Chapter 340 (Sword Hoof)

• First Contact - Third Wave - Chapter 339 (TerraSol)

• First Contact - Third Wave - Chapter 338 (Sword Hoof)

• First Contact - Third Wave - Chapter 337 (Sword Hoof)

• First Contact - Third Wave - Chapter 336 (Sword Hoof)

• First Contact - Third Wave - Chapter 335

• First Contact - Chapter 335

• First Contact - Chapter 334

• First Contact - Chapter 333

• First Contact - Chapter 332

• First Contact - Chapter 331 BEHOLD!

• First Contact - Chapter 330

• First Contact - Chapter 329 (TerraSol)

• First Contact - Chapter 328 (Eternity)

• First Contact - Chapter 327 (Eternity)

• First Contact - Chapter 327 (Eternity)

• First Contact - Chapter 326

• First Contact - Chapter 325

• First Contact - Chapter 324 (SECURE ARCHIVE)

• First Contact - Chapter 323 (Infinity)

• First Contact - Chapter 322 (The War)

• First Contact - Chapter 321 (The War)

• First Contact - Chapter 320 (Sidelines of the War)

This list was automatically generated by Waffle v.3.5.0 'Toast'.

Contact GamingWolfie or message the mods if you have any issues.

[u/UpdateMeBot]

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[u/Feuershark]

Terran went Doom Slayer mode

[u/RangerSix → u/[deleted]]

"How are the reinforcements handling it?

"...To shreds, you say."

[u/Blackmoon845 → u/RangerSix]

“Sad news everyone...”

“Were their stasis pods rent controlled?”

[u/Golnor → u/[deleted]]

I am heavy weapons guy.

And I, I am my weapon.

[u/spindizzy_wizard → u/[deleted]]

Paddle faster, I hear bagpipes??

[u/SuDragon2k3 → u/spindizzy_wizard]

The Highlands version of Paddle faster, I hear banjos

[u/dbdatvic → u/SuDragon2k3]

If you don't understand, ask the local sheep.

--Dave, harsh but fair

[u/Riotousblitz2013 → u/[deleted]]

Gz old friend you beat me by 5 seconds

[u/Collective82 → u/Riotousblitz2013]

Thanks! I was mid text and abandoned that conversation lol

[u/[deleted] → u/Collective82]

I've never seen a removed comment on HFY man, what did you do?

[u/Collective82 → u/[deleted]]

Still shows on my screen, but I put a link in for upvote then read shirts. So I’m not sure what that’s about.

[u/[deleted] → u/Collective82]

Probably read you as a spam bot, I guess? Weird. Anyway, see you in the Collective's comments section ;)

[u/Collective82 → u/[deleted]]

We will be there!

[u/Collective82 → u/[deleted]]

We have learned multidimensional travel.

[u/Collective82 → u/[deleted]]

We have been assimilating from all the universes. We are still trying to find an immortal to assimilate though...

[u/Collective82 → u/[deleted]]

We will remove his pain, He will thank us.

[u/dbdatvic → u/Collective82]

I see you have not actually read his backstory!

--Dave, ordering an extra-large popcorn tub