by Mark Latham
In the following months, further exploration of the Klaatu Nebula and the surrounding sectors led to a disturbing discovery. The Hive-Beasts were not limited to Klaatu VI, but had spread to well over a dozen worlds, as well as mustering a complete infestation of the Klaatuan asteroid belt. Meteorites displaying strange, conical formations on their surfaces were seen hurtling through the sector, seemingly at random. Like the Centauran Araknyds, the Hive-Beasts had found a way to spread beyond their homeworld – wherever that might be. Unlike the Araknyds, however, their expansion appeared utterly random. Where their meteorite burrows crashed, they made their home. Where their spores infected another race, they spread like wildfire. There was no telling how many infested worlds there were, or how far-reaching their territory – but given the valuable resources that the aliens possessed, war with the Hive-Beasts would be inevitable.
STAR Industries’ initial refusal to assist the Cygnus system on the grounds of conflict of interests ultimately persuaded the Authority to take sanctions against their previously benevolent corporate saviors. The Pan-System Concordance of 2271 signed over greater control of the STAR Marine Corps to the Authority, and forbade STAR Industries from profiting directly from marine deployments beyond the lucrative defense contract already in place. By that time, however, the damage to Cygnus AeroTech had been done, and the corporation became little more than a large subsidiary of STAR Industries in the ensuing years.
All-out War
In the meantime, however, STAR Industries set about securing the Klaatu sector, sending every available marine patrol through the nebula. Their plan was to secure the system, and construct their own sanctioned hyperlane jump-gate in orbit around Klaatu VI. The system, and undoubtedly much of the sector beyond it, was too valuable to allow another upstart company like Cygnus to move in, and so STAR set about conducting the largest ground offensive in its history. Two full regiments of STAR marines moved into the region, supported by a SolNav carrier and five companies of Terran Army soldiers. In order to save as much of the mineral wealth of the planet as possible, orbital nukes were prohibited, and so the troops, under General Ansom B. Valentine of the 5th Arcturians, prepared for a lengthy ground war.
The campaign lasted for over a year, during which the STAR marines were reinforced several times. At first, the marines’ tactics were woefully deficient, and despite their bravery many marines were infected by alien parasites and became little more than slavering revenants, fighting against their own people. The war raged across deserts, and in the bowels of the hives themselves. With each battle lost, the marines adapted and learned new tactics. Every man killed or possessed taught the STAR scientists something new about the bugs of Klaatu VI – and how to kill them. Inch by inch, the marines made ground. When the first Queen-Beast was killed, the effect on the surrounding bugs was dramatic – they became confused and docile, and easy to put down. Though there were perhaps 20 more hives scattered across the planet’s primary continent, each containing billions of bugs, this victory gave the marines heart. They burned the dead – revenant, marine, and bug alike – regrouped, rearmed, and moved onto the next hive. By the time the last hive fell, every surviving soldier on the planet was a hardened veteran. But there was no time to rest – similar wars were being fought across the sector, and while the engineers moved in to begin terraforming Klaatu VI, the marines and Terran Army moved out to the next dropzone. This would be the way of it for years to come…
Queen-Beasts are massive, tunnelling creatures. There are several of these beasts to be found in any one hive complex, each directing a horde of smaller creatures with an almost psionic control method.
Combating the Threat
Engaging Hive-Beasts at close range is incredibly hazardous. Their crab-like Soldier-Beasts are large and powerful, and incredibly aggressive, especially when defending their hives. Air support, and particularly the use of personal dropsuits, is made difficult by the swarms of Worker-Beasts, which flock together in huge numbers during battle. If there is no option but to get in close, marines are prescribed the use of sealed environment armor, while specialists are usually equipped with exo-suits, which have proven the physical equal of the larger bugs. At range, railguns are the weapon of choice – of all bug species encountered so far, Hive-Beast Soldiers have the thickest exo-skeletons – almost like heavy shells. Railguns offer superior armor penetration and range – though they are often in short supply.
The use of “nestbuster” smart nukes has had limited success on several Hive-Beast infestations, but given the sheer size of the larger nests they do not always possess the range to take down the hive’s Queen-Beast. The only sure-fire way of scattering a hive is by destroying this Queen and any juveniles, which almost always means sending a patrol deep into a hive to take down the creature at close quarters. This method presents many dangers. Firstly, the risk of infection is high, as deposits of worm-infested goo drop from every surface inside the hives. Once an environment suit is compromised and a marine is infected, he has only minutes before he falls under the control of the Hive-Beasts. Secondly, fighting Soldier-Beasts at close quarters is incredibly dangerous, even with the use of anti-chitin shotgun rounds and flamethrowers. Thirdly, within the nests, every vibration is amplified, and the bugs seem particularly sensitive to intruders, much like Earth spiders and their webs. Finally, the Queen-Beast herself, as well as being surrounded by vicious workers and voracious larvae, is capable of activating remote psionic control of individual marines or even small groups, turning fireteams against each other even without the aid of her “brainworm” spore.
Only six “Queen-hunts” have ever been attempted, and only one of those was successful. When the Queen-Beast was destroyed and her larvae put to the torch, all of the other bugs from the hive began to wander aimlessly, in a confused state, and were easily defeated. Two recent innovations, however, have made the prospect of Queen-hunts less of a suicide mission and more of a tactical possibility. Firstly, a pheromone spray applied to the marines’ fatigues masks their presence to the bugs’ heightened scent receptors, meaning that the Hive-Beasts must actually see the marines in order to detect them, and can thus be picked off piecemeal before organizing a stiff resistance. Secondly, some headway has been made into the development of neural-dampener drugs. Unlike other combat drugs, these are designed specifically to block those neural receptors that the Queen-Beasts try to exploit, making it much harder to “possess” an injected marine. However, the side-effects can be severe, with some marines reporting severe headaches and slowed reaction times in the field.
A STAR marine of the famous 5th Arcturian regiment armed with combi-carbine, laying down suppressing fire.
Bugs of the Galaxy
The 5th Arcturian Regiment gets all the glory, ’cos they’re the meanest hombres in the galaxy. We call ’em the “Bravos” – short for “Bravo-Sierra,” or “Bug Stompers.” We say Bravos ’cos they don’t like being called the BS Regiment. It’s best not to get on their bad side – if they even have a good side, that is.
– Sergeant Marquez, 12th Lunar Regiment
Since the first hostile alien organisms were discovered more than 60 years ago, more than 20 distinct species have been cataloged, all of which have fallen more or less under the broad categorization of “bugs.” From tiny, poisonous insects to massive, hundred-legged arthropods, all bugs seem to share an innate hatred of human life. Mankind has all but given up hope of finding any truly intelligent life in the galaxy – and if there ever was a great civilization, surely the bugs would have wiped them out by now! Beyond the three main strains of alien bug so far encountered, the following are also worthy of note.
Crab Beasts of Triton
Xeno Carcino Brutus
One of the first strains of bug to be discovered, the so-called “crab-beasts” were at first thought to be small, generally harmless crustaceans, much like the blue crabs of Earth. Terraformers and miners running surveys on the surface of Triton (Neptune’s largest moon) were i
ntrigued by the creatures, which displayed the peculiar defense mechanism of disguising themselves as rocks. Whilst carrying out excavations beneath Triton’s frozen surface, the miners discovered larger crabs, considerably older and more gnarled than those above ground. Although these creatures were more aggressive than their diminutive surface cousins, they were still too small to prove a real threat, and were soon scared away by the team’s security officer. A few days later, however, when delving deeper into the moon’s rocky core, the miners disturbed a nest of even larger creatures – this time highly aggressive and almost as big as a man. Several miners were killed as the “crab-beasts” surfaced, and Triton’s colonists engaged in battles against the monsters that lasted for weeks. When Earth’s media got hold of the story, “bug-mania” began to sweep the solar system, and the army was dispatched to save face. The mining colonies still exist on Triton, and still occasionally fend off attacks from small nests of crab-beasts. The only thing scientists have yet to figure out is why the creatures have the ability to disguise themselves – there appears to be no other life on the moon, so what did they evolve to hide from?
Europan Ice-Squid
Xeno Rhomboteuthis Europa
The smallest of Jupiter’s four “Galilean” moons, Europa is a ball of ice-covered rock that has long been believed to harbor primitive life. In 2214, core samples taken from the ice by a lunar rover uncovered the unmistakable signs of bacterial life, though dormant on the samples recovered. A manned flight to Europa touched down in 2219, consisting of a six-man xeno-biologist team with sophisticated drilling and sampling equipment. During the course of their seven-day surface mission, the team were apparently attacked by a squid-like creature, which lured them to thin ice by means of its bio-luminescent properties. The attack led to ruptures in the ice, and ultimately the loss of the entire mission. Grainy images of the “rhomboteuthis” made it back to the Authority, and some were leaked to the media, though they were quickly discredited. It is unknown whether further missions ever returned to Europa.
Tuomi Arthropods
Xeno Pedis Armenta
The only example to date of an alien life-form that has been subjugated by humans, the oxen-sized arthropods of the super-Earth, Tuomi, were initially thought to be a severe threat to the foundling civilian colony on the planet, and were culled with extreme prejudice. Although naturally aggressive, especially when raising young, the arthropods were soon found to be rather stupid and docile when left alone. After experimenting on several specimens, STAR’s HD 10180 fringe science division managed to attach crude neural inhibitors to the creatures’ brain stems, affording them a measure of control over the arthropods’ movements. In addition, the flesh of the creatures was found to be fit for human consumption and rich in protein and minerals, while the outer carapace provided excellent material for ballistic testing and marine training. The Tuomi arthropods can now be found across human territory, where they are used as both pack animals and cattle.
Antares Gorgons
Xeno Cyanea Medusa
First discovered on the volcanic world of Masu Sar in the Antares system, the Gorgons are one of the strangest alien species ever identified. Due to the extreme conditions on their homeworlds – a trio of hot worlds closest to their red super-giant star – close observation has been difficult, although a detachment of STAR marines was once called upon to protect a manned exploration mission from the attentions of these bizarre creatures. They are certainly sentient, and aggressive, although they usually ignore other beings as long as they don’t get too close.
Essentially a type of polyp, similar in biology to a Portuguese man o’war, the Gorgons are large, floating, gaseous jellyfish that drift on thin thermal currents across their planets, seemingly drawn to volcanic activity. Their bloated, translucent bodies grow up to 16 feet in diameter, and are covered with large orbs – possibly sensory organs – and tiny, waving tentacles that they use to “steer” themselves. Dozens of tendrils trail along beneath them, sometimes 50 yards in length; these appear to collect small pieces of basalt, which the Gorgon then feeds into its beak-like mouth and breaks down into constituent minerals.
Once per Antares year, the Gorgons flock together for a mass migration, where they cross the great inert wastes on the planet’s equator to reach the next hemisphere in time for the surface’s warming. They prepare for this great feat by drifting high into the thin atmosphere and creating an electrical storm using their own bio-electric energy. Lightning crackles within and without the creatures’ bodies, dancing around their flowing tendrils, and giving them the power to drift across the 3,000-mile plains. The sight of this exodus from space is beautiful, but also disturbing – this method is surely how the creatures managed to migrate to other planets in their solar system, meaning that they can not only survive in space, but also direct themselves to a suitable world.
Talahassium Gronks
Xeno Macero Proboscis
The pulsar star at the heart of the Crab Nebula is orbited by seven planets, three of which are made up of almost pure illyrium, a key component in super-miniaturized computer processors. Exploration of this system is incredibly hazardous given the unpredictable emissions from the star, but a shielded hyperspace jump-gate was constructed in orbit around one of the worlds – Talahassium II. Given its location, composition, and tenuous atmosphere, the discovery of life on that world was thought utterly impossible – but the rules of human science have a way of being contradicted in the cold depths of space.
When STAR engineers attempted to construct a hyperspace booster on the planet’s surface, they were attacked by a pack of large, lumbering creatures which would later become known by the nickname “gronks.” Roughly the size and bulk of the Terran hippopotamus, but shaped more like a toad, these smooth-skinned, gray-white creatures have the bizarre ability to expand and contort their elastic bodies at will. Gronks possess no eyes, but instead feel their way around with a cluster of sensitive tentacles on the end of their snout. Their vast mouths have no teeth, but their feet are tipped with large claws, used for prizing the soft innards from another Talahassium native, the Illyrium Clam. Unfortunately for the first humans to set foot on the planet, gronks aren’t too picky about what they eat; they swallowed two engineers whole before the rest were able to escape and call in the marines.
Today, Talahassium II is home to several illyrium auto-rigs, which harvest the valuable minerals from the ground and send it off-world via a space elevator to a waiting unmanned station. Once every six Earth months, when the pulsar star is relatively stable, a freighter arrives through the jump-gate to collect the latest shipment. Needless to say, whenever an engineer team is required to go planetside for maintenance, it is always accompanied by a squad of STAR marines.
The Gehenna Remnants
Orbiting the unstable Mu Cephei super-giant, the planet Gehenna is a world of purple ash deserts, strange blue-black crystal forests, and towering obsidian mountains. It has long been a site for STAR Industries deep science research, given the unique conditions in which the planet exists and the strange and varied landscape they have created. Many scientific advances from the last 50 years have come about as a direct result of studying Gehenna and its neighboring worlds.
One discovery from Gehenna not to make the public eye was evidence of the past existence of life on the planet. Beneath the shifting purple desert, astro-geologists uncovered evidence of complex structures made of naturally grown crystal. Initially, it was thought that these structures were created through random chance, but the discovery of more of these “sites of interest” soon convinced the scientists that they were the product of intelligent design. More recently, fossilized remains of alien life-forms have been unearthed, which were immediately dispatched to STAR’s fringe science division for further study. The fossils were of crustaceous beings, about 5 feet long, with large membranous wings and several sets of articulate limbs. Atop their beaked heads were large, human-like brains. Most disturbingly, the scientists found e
vidence of strange tools and even weapons, all grown from native crystals, and now long-inert. These artefacts, and the fossils themselves, dated back over five million years. What happened to this strange alien race, and just how intelligent they were, remains to be seen. But their existence remains a closely guarded secret – after all, who on Earth would really want to know that the only ancient civilization discovered in the entire galaxy was itself a race of ugly bugs?
Fossilised remains of long-dead bugs are found all over the galaxy, suggesting that these monsters have been around for a long time.
INFAMOUS INFESTATIONS – A TIMELINE OF BUG HUNTS
For almost 50 years, the Pan-System Marine Corps has done two things for the advancement of mankind: make marines, and squash bugs.
– Colonel Abraham T. Stokeley, 5th Arcturian Regiment, STAR Pan-System
Marine Corps
2070
The mega-corporation Stellar Dynamic patents the first reliable sub-light stardrive, capable of propelling manned vessels at a little below the speed of light, using advanced particle engines.
2086
After early teething problems, artificial intelligence super-processors are developed to plot safe courses for sub-light vessels, making in-flight adjustments for extra-terrestrial hazards that a human could not.
2098
Research colonies are established on Mars and Titan. The first extra-orbital space stations are built near the moons Titan, Io, and Triton. Rumors of the discovery of small, crab-like creatures on Triton are quashed.