Bug Hunts

by Mark Latham

  CONTENTS

  Introduction

  The Alien Menace

  Draper’s World Xeno-Parasites

  Centauran Araknyds

  Hive-Beasts of Klaatu VI

  Bugs of the Galaxy

  Infamous Infestations – A Timeline of Bug Hunts

  STAR Industries and the Pan-System Marine Corps

  Remit & Jurisdiction

  Organization & Standard Operating Procedures

  Tactics

  Weapons & Equipment

  Vehicles & Spacecraft

  STAR marine in full kit sweeping a research facility during the Io incident.

  INTRODUCTION

  They said there were no monsters, but there are.

  Since first reaching out to the stars, mankind has wondered about the vastness of the galaxy, and asked itself the only question that really mattered: “Are we alone?” In the late 23rd century, after colonizing most of the solar system and visiting worlds even farther afield, we received our answer. But what we were faced with was not an advanced intelligence, nor even primitive beasts to be subjugated to humanity’s manifest destiny, but something altogether more terrifying.

  Bugs. The term was coined by a private security detail who first encountered a sentient alien species on Draper’s World, in the HD 40307 system, in AD 2239. The encounter was brief and violent, and only a handful of the detail escaped with their lives, along with only one of the 13 astro-geologists they were protecting. Half of the survivors died of a mysterious illness before reaching the Kepler Deep Space Research facility, and those that survived underwent further alarming transformations in secure quarantine. As a result, their attackers were identified as a highly aggressive Xeno-Parasite, capable of infecting human biology with previously unknown viral contaminants, and of implanting its eggs into a living human host. Though the word “bugs” stuck as a catch-all term for the weird and varied beasts of the galaxy, it certainly does not convey the full weight of the threat carried by these creatures.

  Over the next 50 years, as humans left Earth in greater numbers to form work colonies in distant systems, dozens more bug species were discovered. Of these, only two presented a threat comparable to (or even greater than) the Xeno-Parasites. These were the Centauran Araknyds and the Hive-Beasts of Klaatu – both of which seemed capable of higher thought processes, and, alarmingly, deep space travel. Unlike the Xeno-Parasites, which managed to spread to disparate worlds by means of infected human hosts, the other creatures were able to exist in the cold void of space, and to travel to systems before attacking them in vast swarms. As contact with these species increased, and battles raged, system-wide incursions by these bugs became more frequent, undoubtedly targeting human colonies with malign intelligence.

  As soon as the Earth-based government, the Pan-System Authority, reluctantly addressed the possibility of an intelligent extra-terrestrial threat, they set about finding a way to meet it. Interstellar defense was an area with little investment up to that point, and franchised colonial defense forces – often rag-tag bands of mercenaries or retired soldiers – were all that stood between the outer colonies and the ravening hordes of bugs scratching at the door. With this as an incentive, the major galactic mega-corporations made bids to privatize humanity’s galactic military presence. After two years of negotiations, during which time more fringe colonies were snuffed out like candle lights in the darkness, STAR Industries won the contract, and an elite fighting force of pan-system marines was assembled, ready to take the threat to the enemy.

  Whatever the mission, whatever the odds, the STAR marines stand ready to face the threat – and bug-hunting is their specialty.

  COLONIZING THE GALAXY

  The first sub-light drives capable of sending manned flights beyond the solar system were developed by Stellar Dynamic, culminating in twin launches in 2116. The journeys were long and arduous, and after several “generation ships” managed to establish successful research colonies in the Tau Ceti system, mankind finally had a jumping-off point for further expansion and exploration. Advances in cryo-sleep technology eventually did away with generation ships, allowing crew members to remain frozen in hypersleep for journeys of up to 30 years, with their huge research ships guided by advanced navicom AI. However, even this was not ideal, as crews would become estranged from their families and homeworld, and often displayed severe psychological issues as a result of prolonged space sickness.

  Finally, in 2210, the waning Stellar Dynamic merged with the emergent Ark Industries, and set about developing the first interstellar drive, based on theoretical designs that had remained unrealized for over two centuries. A chance discovery led to the unlocking of this fringe technology, and the newly formed mega-corporation, STAR Industries, held the key to human expansion throughout the galaxy. Distant colonies were reinforced, and brought back into the terrestrial fold by means of a hyperlane network; formerly off-limits worlds were mined for natural resources by massive industrial operations; deep space research stations and spacecraft docking hubs were built throughout the interstellar “highways.” Mankind seemed set for limitless dominion over the galaxy. That is, until the first bugs were encountered. Overnight, humanity went from rulers of an endless territory to terrified children sheltering in the dark from an unknowable, alien evil…

  A Xeno-Parasite Soldier in advanced stages of its life-cycle. Note the slashing talons, elongated teeth and bladed tail, all capable of tearing through STAR marine body armour.

  THE ALIEN MENACE

  The greatest problem we face in planning the fight against bugs, is that the bugs do not read their manuals, nor do they feel any obligation to follow doctrine. Thankfully, there’s no problem that cannot be solved by the use of high explosives.

  – Colonel Abraham T. Stokeley, 5th Arcturian Regiment, STAR Pan-System

  Marine Corps

  Bugs have been encountered across the galaxy, in many forms and many environments. Though each species has unique traits, abilities, and physical characteristics that mark them from other bug races, they all hold one thing in common, namely that they are utterly relentless, aggressive, and voracious predators. They cannot be reasoned with; their minds, such that they are, are so unutterably alien that their motives cannot be discerned, and their tactics – if indeed they employ them – are almost impossible to predict.

  The Pan-System Authority, the central administration of the human galactic government, has ordered that all strains of these “intelligent” bugs be wiped from the galaxy, in order for mankind to realize its manifest destiny. And yet the bugs don’t make it easy – it is their very nature to infest whatever world they come into contact with. Wherever a space station, derelict vessel, or lunar colony is cleansed of a bug presence, two more nests appear nearby. For every bug killed, there are a million more to take its place. For this reason, the STAR marines have earned the moniker of “the Exterminators,” for their role has become increasingly specialized over the decades of the 23rd century, so that they are now little more than interplanetary pest control.

  To date, three main types of sentient bug have been discovered, each seemingly worse than the last, with dozens of lesser species appearing on isolated worlds across colonized space. The first type to be found was the genus known as the Draper’s World Xeno-Parasite. This group is particularly feared for its ability to spread across the galaxy in host bodies, using humans as living eggs. In their early contact with humans, they managed to infiltrate several far-flung colonies by implanting their spoor into unsuspecting colonists, who had no idea how to treat the condition, and continued en route to their destination.

  The second genus of bug to be found was the Araknyds of the Centaurus Arm. So called because every strain has eight limbs, they are about as far removed from Earth spiders
as it is possible to get. Possessed of a keen intellect, some of the bugs appear to be endowed with an extra-sensory psychic power, which they have used to communicate with humans, after a fashion. These bugs appear to be able to travel through space of their own volition, surviving in the hard vacuum indefinitely – a gift they have used to make their way slowly towards Earth, which they perceive as both the greatest threat to their existence, and a source of near-endless food.

  Finally, the bizarre Hive-Beasts of Klaatu VI were discovered by an exploratory fleet in the Outer Arm, investigating a large system in the Klaatu Nebula. These crustaceous bugs inhabit several planets, which are covered in gigantic, conical geological formations – somewhat like termite mounds. The creatures are part of what appears to be a hive mind, and are controlled by a sub-species of huge, tunneling creatures. A by-product of their infestations is that their worlds are left mineral-rich, as precious ores essential to human industry are discarded as waste by the creatures. Unfortunately, the Hive-Beasts are not only highly intelligent, but utterly devoted to protecting their territory from intruders.

  Draper’s World Xeno-Parasites

  The discovery of the Xeno-Parasites on Draper’s World represented a paradigm shift in the way human explorers viewed alien life. Up until that point, the only extra-terrestrial life encountered by mankind had been primordial micro-bacteria, and simple, single-celled organisms. Now, the very real threat of a dangerous, tough, and ultra-hostile alien menace had to be recognized.

  The astro-geological research team, led by Dr. Franz O’Keefe, had touched down on HD 40307b during the planet’s autumnal equinox. At that time, volcanic activity on the world was at its lowest ebb for the annual cycle, and Dr. O’Keefe theorized that a temporary base camp could be set up on the surface for at least a three-month expedition, before seismic and volcanic eruptions would threaten the operation. The mission comprised 13 scientists, and a lightly armed six-man security detail, there to ensure the safety of the scientists from natural disasters as much as potential alien life. The assignment of private security forces had been a standard requirement since the discovery of the first simple organisms, as the potential for encountering hostile life-forms was recognized, even if no-one truly believed the reality of it.

  The first six Earth-weeks passed without incident. Though the planet was somewhat more volatile than expected, the base camp was located in a relatively stable position, sheltered by natural granite rock spires, and the scientists enjoyed a fruitful mission. Draper’s World was quickly identified as a source of vital elemental resources rarely found in our own solar system – the abundance of which was so startling that Dr. O’Keefe gave the order to press on further into the planet’s hazardous environs to see what else could be found.

  Some 30 miles from base camp, a team of four scientists – including O’Keefe – and three guards discovered a labyrinthine cave network at the base of a dormant volcano. The tunnel system (later dubbed “Franz’s Folly”) stretched for an indefinite distance beneath the planet’s surface, and once it was determined that there was no active volcanic threat within, O’Keefe gave the order to explore it, for at least a short distance. After several hours of laborious journeying in the dark, carrying heavy equipment in blistering heat, the team found an underground repository of calcium deposits, and, against all odds, moisture. Buoyed by the fact that the planet might contain underground streams, the team pressed on deeper and deeper, until finally their path terminated at a large cavern filled with a lake of some strange, oleaginous liquid. The pool was black, and potentially many yards deep at its center, and, with nowhere else to go, the scientists set about taking samples instead; and that was when they were attacked.

  No-one had seen the shadows moving between the stalagmites on the far side of the lake, nor the faint ripples in the strange primordial ooze, coming closer towards the preoccupied scientists. Dr. Antonia Burren, who had waded knee-deep into the black pool, was suddenly pulled beneath the surface by a force unseen. When the security detail tried to extract her, only her torso surfaced, her lower half remaining somewhere beneath the liquid. The first extra-terrestrial erupted from the ooze, and was at first driven back by the guards’ gunfire, though the light pistols did little actual damage to it.

  Even as the team attempted to pull back, more of the aliens appeared, moving stealthily around the edges of the cavern, and swimming across the lake of ooze. They were squat creatures, perhaps no taller than 5 feet, and with an ape-like gait. That was where the similarities to Earth mammals ended, however, as their limbs were segmented like that of an insect, tipped with long claws; their skin was hard and pitted, and matt black to the point of absorbing all light around them. Their bodies were topped with long, serpentine necks, which tapered to a pointed, eyeless head, and they were possessed of segmented tails, which terminated at a spiked, mace-like appendage. At first, they seemed vaguely humanoid, but as they drew nearer, their victims observed that the creatures had spindly, secondary appendages which curled up to their bony chests – atrophied limbs that were used to grapple their prey close while their long, insectoid arms made short work of other opposition.

  Xeno-Parasites often ensnare live victims close to their nests as a food source to facilitate rapid growth of their Soldiers.

  As the scientists struggled to disentangle themselves from their equipment, the creatures pounced upon them, dragging them beneath the surface of the lake in short order, while others fought a running battle with the security detail as they tried to escort Dr. O’Keefe back through the maze of tunnels. The further the aliens got from their cavern, the less ferocious their attacks became, until the pursuit seemed to drop off altogether. Reaching the cave mouth by which they had entered the tunnels, the two remaining guards and one scientist paused for a moment to catch their breaths, and in that moment a creature struck. It dropped on them from the cliffs above, unperturbed by the baking heat and glaring sunlight of the surface world. Batting aside the security guards, it pinned O’Keefe to the floor, and its head opened up like the petals of some blasphemous flower, revealing rows of tiny sharp teeth within. With no warning, a jagged proboscis shot from the beast’s mouth, shattering O’Keefe’s visor with ease, and forcing its way down his throat. The guards returned and redoubled their efforts, eventually driving the creature back into the tunnels. Dragging O’Keefe into their surface rover, with its sealed environment, they managed to transport him back to base camp, where he was attended to by the other scientists. Given their limited medical expertise, however, the decision was made to pack up the base camp and return to the Kepler research station, in orbit around HD 40307b.

  O’Keefe was placed, comatose, into a quarantined medical bay on the planetary light-lander Socrates, while the remainder of the team broke down the camp. However, as the orange sun sank below the horizon and night fell, the astro-geologists realized they were not alone. In less than an hour, the aliens had overrun the camp and killed – or captured – every man and woman bar two; two security guards, realizing all hope was lost for the scientists, fought their way to the Socrates and blasted off, leaving behind Draper’s World and its hideous native fauna forever – or so they thought.

  Mature Xeno-Parasite Drone, with its mouth-section opened to reveal leech-like teeth and an egg-laying proboscis.

  DRAPER’S WORLD

  Originally known simply as “Planet B,” Draper’s World is a mineral-rich, volcanic planet, the second in a small system orbiting the star HD 40307. Located some 42 light years from Earth in the Pictor constellation, the system was singled out as an untapped font of resources. “Planet G” in the same system had already been identified as a so-called super-Earth, and the Kepler Deep Space Research Station was constructed in its orbit to monitor the planet in preparation for terraforming. A small team of astro-geologists, stopping briefly at the Kepler facility, touched down on Draper’s World in 2239. Their initial research was fruitful – they discovered an abundance of several otherwise scarce metallurgic e
lements including coronium, orichalcum, and calculon, making the world rife for plunder. Unfortunately, celebrations were short lived. The astro-geologists were attacked by a parasitic alien beast – the first truly sentient extra-terrestrial to be encountered in almost 150 years of exploration. Thanks to their security detail, one of the scientists made it back to the Kepler facility – but that was only the start of the nightmare. Subsequent attempts to reclaim Draper’s World have so far failed.

  The Kepler Incident

  The Kepler Deep Space Research Station (DSRS) is one of the largest and best equipped off-world scientific facilities in the Pictor sub-sector. Staffed by over 100 micro-biologists, geologists, astro-physicists, and their support staff, the facility provides a launchpad for all scientific voyages in the stellar region.

  Once at the station, Dr. O’Keefe’s condition was quickly stabilized in the facility’s quarantine bay. Held on life support for a full day, he soon showed signs of recovery, and came out of his coma remarkably quickly. His physical wounds were minimal, although his synaptic responses were sluggish, and he struggled to adjust to his surroundings. On the second day, a nurse in full hazmat gear was sent to take a sample of O’Keefe’s blood. As she did so, O’Keefe’s body began to blotch and blister, as though his blood was boiling. As the nurse tried to calm O’Keefe and call for assistance, the geologist vomited a torrent of boiling-hot blood over her, which burned her even through the protective suit. The blood contained thousands of tiny, spider-like creatures, which scuttled through the medi-bay in droves, swarming around the doors and reinforced windows, and eating through the hermetic seals as if they were nothing. In minutes, the swarm of bugs was scurrying through the facility – through air ducts, corridors, and maintenance shafts. And while the crew frantically tried to kill or capture them, no-one saw what was happening in the medi-bay.