《A Pioneer's Blood》 Chapter 1: First Mission Begins Planet Designation: F2437 Planet Class: Zeta Environment: Jungle. Sea. Desert. Atmosphere: Breathable A massive transport ship circled in low orbit over a lush jungle, four engines glowing with propulsive force of a bright emerald hue. Its obsidian plates gleamed with reflected sunlight, like the scales of an interstellar predator ambling along at a pace that suited it. It swam through the misty violet atmosphere along a predetermined route, casually delivering its cargo and accomplishing its mission. Its black and grey body¡¯s only decoration was a single insignia painted in stark white on the broad side, a large globe surrounded by stars. From the four corners of the globe proffered four hands, one holding a shield, another a gun, the third a crystal, and the fourth an open palm stretching out towards the stars. Tri barreled gun emplacements populated the behemoth sporadically, their presence a menacing guarantee that this monster could and would become a threat if it needed to. Inside the massive hold of the ship was a large group of humanoids, dressed in blue and green camouflage fatigues. They stood at attention in neat rows, lining up in military formation along the deck of the massive open hanger. Some carried beautiful looking black rifles, sleek and well-polished, their uniforms crisp and new looking. Others instead carried spears of the same color, yet these weapons were in uniformly inferior condition. Their uniforms were also in largely beat up and patchwork condition. These two groups were mostly segregated, with the rifle bearing warriors populating the front ranks and the spear bearers in the back. Among some of the humanoids were tall, green scaled lizard folk, red eyes darting around the container while pink tongues flicked nervously. Others were large, grey skinned fighters with dark black ridges running up and down their faces and arms, eyes shining a dangerous vermillion. Some were even large and hairy dome-headed creature with brown fur, beady black eyes, ivory claws, and, strangely enough, no mouth. But most of the figures in the crowd were just plain human. Some kept their eyes resolutely forward while others glanced nervously at the others out of the corner of their eyes, seeking comfort in the faces of their compatriots. Daniel Hardgrave was one of those human souls. Standing amongst the other spear wielding grunts, the pale skinned man¡¯s midnight black hair was cut in the same military fashion as his comrades next to him. Chocolate brown eyes stared forward, as he tried to maintain his sense of discipline in spite of his churning stomach. He was handsome, but not particularly so, with sharp and muscular facial features, a cleft chin, and a slightly crooked nose thanks to an old break. His most distinct features were a small cross shaped birthmark on the side of his neck and a thin, horizontal scar across his face and under his eyes. What couldn¡¯t be seen immediately when surveying him or anyone else in this group was the mechanical heart that beat beneath their clothes. In the center of each of their chests, right at the sternum, was a small blue triangle outlined in silvery metal. It pulsed gently with sapphire light, transmitting a HUD to their hosts that no one else could see. In front of his face, Daniel was staring at a large blue box that read: User Name: Daniel Sylvester Hardgrave Age: 18 Pioneer Class: Zeta Rank: Private Second Class Status: Strength: 20 Dexterity: 24 Constitution: 19 Adaptability: 14 Psyche: 9 Psionic Capacities: Slot 1: Empty Personal Attributes: Slot 1: Empty Slot 2: Empty Integrated Technologies: Slot 1: EmptyThis book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. Value of Personal Storage: 0 Credits Value of Group Storage: 0 Credits Mission: Hunt and Gather on Planet E1537 You have been tasked with a simple Hunt and Gather mission on a planet suitable for your Class. Bring back as much as you can in terms of valuable flora, fauna, and, if relevant, salvageable tech. Meet your quotas to avoid sanction. Group Designation: Group 53 Group Size: 20/20 Group Quota: 2,000,000 Credits (NOT MET) Personal Quota: 100,000 (NOT MET) Total Time: 100 Imperium Standard Days Commission on Salvage Value: Under Quota: 60%, over Quota: 90% Time Until Deployment: 00:00:10:31 He stared at that Time Until Deployment as the seconds ticked down, dismissing the rest of the text as he did. Ahead of him, there were already groups peeling off from formation and towards the drop pods lining either side of the hanger. The slight swish of the mechanical doors opening, the steady thump of the pods being jettisoned, and the echoing ping-pong of marching bootsteps all served to make his nerves worse. With each soft sound, he grew closer and closer to being on the chopping block. He felt the members of his group shifting restlessly as the timer counted down and chanced a glance leftwards at Jordan. The blonde-haired, blue-eyed man looked like a depiction of a Nordic god of old, shrunk down to manageable size. He had allowed his golden locks to grow a little longer than regulation permitted, and his body was packed full of bulging muscle. His face was chiseled, features traditionally handsome and entirely without blemish. He had a knack for looking look both stern and noble when he was serious. The only thing stopping this guy from calling himself a deity was the fact that he stood more than a head shorter than Daniel¡¯s 185 cm frame, making him noticeably shorter than nearly all the other Pioneers. Well, there was also his attitude. Jordan met Daniel¡¯s side eye glance and gave him a lopsided smile: ¡°Ready for a nice vacation, Danny? Maybe I can finally introduce you to some girls when we get planetside.¡± ¡°The only girls you attract are the hairy ones.¡± Daniel muttered back, fighting to keep a smirk off his face due to the gravity of the moment. They were always being watched after all: ¡°Well, the hairier they are, the warmer they are to cuddle on a cold Crucian evening.¡± Now they were both holding back grins, a moment of mirth interrupted by a hiss from Daniel¡¯s right: ¡°Pipe down you two. Do you want to get us sanctioned?¡± The stick in the mud interrupting them was a bald, thin faced man with dark brown skin and eyes. He was a little shorter than Daniel and rather skinny, nothing but lean muscle. Omar Ibrahim glared at the duo with narrow eyes, and Daniel stifled the urge to bicker with the man. Jordan, on the other hand, opened his mouth to respond, but before he could, an alert popped up on their HUDs: Alert! Time Until Deployment: 2:00. Please enter your pods. Now Daniel¡¯s nervousness was back in full force, and his insides did a backflip as his group turned and walked toward the pods in lockstep military formation. Even Jordan grew noticeably agitated as they neared their destination. The twenty of them broke off into four groups of five as they neared the hangar¡¯s walls. Each of the groups went into pod, a claustrophobic arrangement even in the best of times since the pods could only sit three normal sized humans comfortably. It was just Daniel¡¯s luck that he was sharing a pod with the only non-human member of their larger group of 20. A massive, bipedal, shaggy brown creature took up almost half of the space within Daniel¡¯s pod. It was almost like a bear had become humanoid and learned to walk, but along the way it had somehow exchanged most of its facial features for a cylindrical body, domelike head, and milky white claws. The Dunid¡¯s coal dark eyes blinked down at Daniel, where he was crushed between it and the guys behind him. They were packed like sardines in a can, and it was a struggle to avoid impaling each other with their spears. Sill, Daniel shifted a bit to meet the nonhuman¡¯s eyes and give it an apologetic look: ¡°Sorry about this buddy. Try not to scratch me too bad with those paws of yours, eh?¡± The creature emanated a deep basso rumble in response, causing Daniel¡¯s whole body to vibrate. He had no idea what that was supposed to mean, of if the Dunid had even understood him, but he chose to take it as a positive sign. Impaled by his own teammates or otherwise, the entire pod was swelteringly hot and Daniel¡¯s proximity to his furry friend meant that he was getting the worst of it. The heat only made his nausea worse, and watching the seconds tick by on their timer was agony itself. Eventually, mercifully, he got a final alert. ¡°Time Until Deployment 0:00. Registered as Present in Pod 369. Prepare for Launch.¡± There was a quick thump, and Daniel felt his stomach drop as they were launched into free fall. They weren¡¯t in free fall for too long, and their pod¡¯s thrusters soon roared into action, controlling their descent. The world still shook violently as the craft hurtled through the atmosphere at a stable yet high velocity, and Daniel prayed that both he and his friends could hold onto their lunches. They had been given a new timer, and he latched onto this new piece of information like a drowning man thrown a lifeline: ¡°Est Time Until Landing: 20 seconds.¡± ¡°Est Time Until Landing: 10 seconds.¡± The shaking began to die down in the last 10 seconds, the thrusters taking further control to keep them from dying on impact. Daniel still braced for landing as the final seconds ticked down: ¡°5¡­4¡­3¡­2¡­¡± ¡°1¡± They hit the ground with a final boom and then their world was finally still. The group waited with bated breath for a few moments more until there was the final hiss of the doors opening, and they stumbled out into the planet beyond. Chapter 2: Welcome to the Jungle They emerged into a small clearing in the forest, blinking in the sudden bright sunlight. They were surrounded by dense jungle vegetation, bushes and ferns littering the ground as vines swayed gently from treetops. These veggies, however, had decided to be a little quirkier than your average plant. It looked as though a paint factory had upended itself on top of the forest floor, dyeing the brush a panoply of oranges, blues, reds, and purples. Even the vines had turned a shade of sickly yellow, with the trees as the only holdouts for a normal, vibrant viridian green. All this life was overseen by a bright violet sky, its¡¯ uncanny light a shimmering backdrop to the whole scene. The group gaped in awe at the spectacle surrounding them, momentarily stunned from sensory overload and sheer wonder. They had been briefed on the planet, of course, but nothing could have prepared them to see the real thing in person. Beyond just the plants, the forest chittered with life and sound. The calls of birds and insects were the most prominent noises echoing all around them, but Daniel could also hear the low, bellowing call of an unknown creature from somewhere deeper into the jungle. It was faint, definitely far away, but that groaning cry sent shivers up his spine. It shocked him out of his stupor and prompted him grip his spear harder before peering suspiciously at his beautiful surroundings. It might look nice, but this place was as deadly as it was pretty. He was doomed if he fell under its spell. Just as he thought that another notification popped up on their HUDs: ¡°Rendezvous with your group. Waypoint designated.¡± Somewhere further into the jungle, a circle of blue light popped up in his vision. He saw the others get startled out of their own trances by this notification and they all collectively tried to memorize the direction of the waypoint before dismissing the text and the indicator. They couldn¡¯t afford to clutter their field of vision while walking through dangerous territory. In a flash of blue light, they slipped their spears into the interdimensional storages created by the Codex. In exchange, they replaced them with machetes. The Codex¡¯s storage was what they would be relying upon to hold their salvaged valuables. It had a size limit, so they couldn¡¯t just shovel everything they could find into it. Living things were also a no-go. But assuming they limited themselves to what the Imperium considered valuable, they would have plenty of room to store what they needed to meet and even exceed their quotas, alongside any supplies they may need to survive. As it was, all of them had been given water and rations for 3 days, 5 spare outfits, a machete, a few other basic supplies, and the spear as a part of their standard issue equipment. Daniel also had an old-fashioned, .50 caliber XCL Jackson & Crock gunpowder revolver, eight dozen bullets, and a few other personal items. The pistol could only do so much against a powerful Xenomorph, but it would kill nearly everything else. Both his standard issue and his personal stuff weren¡¯t included in his Personal Storage value, since they didn¡¯t count against the quota. Machetes in hand, they began cutting their way through the jungle. The vegetation outside of the clearing was so dense that moving around would have been impossible without the long knives, and even with them it was slow going. The air was so humid they could practically wade through it, and the entire party was covered in sweat after just 30 minutes of walking. Swarms of insects added to their misery, eating away at them as they struggled through the thick brush. If the Imperium didn¡¯t thoroughly inoculate its Pioneers from most diseases, the bugs would have been a fatal threat rather than just an uncomfortable nuisance. Things got a bit better when it became the Dunid¡¯s turn to take the lead. The big guy was the most vulnerable to the heat of all of them, thanks to his furry body, but he didn¡¯t show it as he trundled to the front of their line and started cutting. He hadn¡¯t bothered taking out a machete and chose instead to slice through obstacles with his big white claws. They flashed in the sunlight as they churned through the undergrowth and the party¡¯s pace noticeably quickened. A blue feathered, yellow-bellied bird with a comically large black beak flitted down from the treetops to perch on Daniel¡¯s head. He was shocked, but didn¡¯t immediately reject the bird, wanting to see what it would do. The creature quickly went to work pecking at the insects swarming him, using its beak like a spear to snap them up. It defended him valiantly from the pests, and several of its friends were soon swooping down to perch on the others. Daniel gave a small grin at the sight of four separate birds hanging onto the Dunid and waging a diligent war against insect kind. As he watched, a notification popped up in a blue square next to one of the birds: ¡°Yellow-Bellied Spear Sparrow: A harmless avian common in many humid and insect laden environments. Their diet consists purely of flies and other small insects, and they are widely considered helpful pest control animals. Adult Spear Sparrow spotted! Class: N/A: Threat Assessment: N/A¡±The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°You¡¯re late!¡± After just 10 more minutes of walking, they heard a loud and abrasive voice ring out from further in front of them. Immediately, the birds fluttered away from them in fear as they walked into another larger clearing. The fifteen other Pioneers from their group were all milling about within the forests opening, but the first person the five in Daniel¡¯s squad saw was Sergeant Gulliman. He was a large and hairy man, with a bushy reddish-brown beard and angry green eyes. He towered over even Daniel, to the point that the only person in the 20-man group who was taller was their Dunid companion. This seemed to earn the nonhuman Gulliman¡¯s special wrath, and he glared particularly hard at the shaggy-man when the five of them lined up in a row to present themselves. The Sergeant¡¯s most unique feature was a diagonal scar over his right eye, and it widened a bit when he opened his mouth to yell again: ¡°It¡¯s been over an hour since I set that point! Daylight¡¯s bleeding and we need to move! Get any slower and we will leave you behind. Do you understand me?¡± They had been walking for 45 minutes maximum, but didn¡¯t dare contradict the Sergeant, who was also the strongest person on the expedition. After some contrite nodding, Gulliman seemed satisfied: ¡°If you ladies are done standing around, we have work to do. My pod¡¯s survey system picked up a river roughly 40 clicks east of this point. We can set up camp near there.¡± As they started mustering to follow orders, Daniel caught sight of Jordan, who gave him a lazy wave which he reciprocated. He also locked eyes with Omar, who gave him a stiff nod that Daniel returned even more stiffly. Daniel had known Jordan since training, but the other 18 guys had been assigned to his group at random. He had tried to get to know them over the course of the last couple days in transit, but most of them had proven reticent and distrustful. He only knew Omar because of the man¡¯s penchant to be irritatingly nosy and strait laced. The 40 click walk through the jungle was a long and grueling hike. Hours flowed like molasses as they trudged through the obstacle laden terrain, the sun climbing higher in the merciless amethyst sky. The temperature further increased as the party simmered in the moist air, and they needed to take regular water breaks. Some men rolled up their sleeves or even took off their outer shirts in response to the heat, but Daniel resisted the urge to join them. Doing that would increase their chances of getting sunburnt and open them up to more insect attacks. The men should have been trained on this, but they didn¡¯t seem to care. A hike that might have only taken them 2 hours on open ground turned into a 6-hour slog over rolling hills and through large piles of vegetation. They didn¡¯t even have the luxury of those blue feathered birds swooping down to protect them from insects. Daniel didn¡¯t know why, but he suspected that their group was large and noisy enough that all the birds were scared away. There was one minor bonus on the trip, however. Out of the corner of his eye, Daniel spotted a particularly bright gleam of crimson in the dense underbrush. Since he had been relegated to the back of the line, he decided he could chance a few seconds of investigation before anybody noticed. Peeling off from the group, Hardgrave cut through a few obstructions before he found what he was looking for. Hanging from a tree was a strange blue vine with a broad translucent tip. Nestled within that tip appeared to be a collection of juicy, rubellite berries and as Daniel grew closer, he got some popup text: ¡°Hila Berries: Useful in the creation of stimulants and poisons. Provide an energy boost when consumed raw, but with an added hallucinatory effect. Value per Berry: 20 Credits¡± Daniel¡¯s eyes practically popped out of their sockets when he saw their value. At his old job, he was making 18 credits per hour. Each one of these berries was worth more than an hour of his work in the past, and there were around 25 of them just in this one vine. He hurriedly cut the tip off from the vine and stored it away, before hustling back to rejoin the group. This forest didn¡¯t seem quite so bad after that. Eventually, they could hear the sound of running water, and to the ragged group it was the sound of deliverance itself. They picked up the pace, and soon emerged on the lush banks of a burbling, gushing river. The water looked cool and clear, like a stream of pure sapphire cutting through the heart of the jungle, and it took all their discipline to keep from running to bathe in it. There were likely predators in there, after all, and it would have to carefully investigated before they did anything with the water. Instead, they drank greedily from their canteens and set about following orders. Having reached their destination, Gulliman ordered them to make camp on the banks of the river, and the whole group spent the next few hours doing just that. The sun had begun to set, casting the sky in bright blues and yellows, when they finished setting up. They sat in a circle around a small firepit in the waning hours of the evening. The day¡¯s mutual hardships had caused them to bond, allowing them to open up to each other. They munched on rations and talked about their histories and motivations. A sallow faced older man was one of the first to really put himself out there: ¡°Family needs the money. I¡¯ve got five younger kids, and I can¡¯t make ends meet just working normal jobs.¡± ¡°Man, I¡¯m sorry to hear that. I just got into this job for the adventure. Money can¡¯t hurt either, I suppose.¡± Quipped a cocky looking red-haired fellow, probably no older than 16. They went around the campfire, some of them talking about providing for loved ones, but most of them talking about the prospect of rising above their station in life and getting rich. Jordan joked about being in too much debt, but Hardgrave knew there was more to his story than that. All of them, even Gulliman, talked about growing up poor on various planets across the Imperium. The only ones who hadn¡¯t said anything after the first few hours were Daniel and the Dunid, but that soon changed: ¡°What about you, scarface?¡± called the red-haired kid, looking over at Daniel, ¡°What¡¯re you doing here?¡± Daniel watched him for a moment, then he turned away. Gazing into the fire, he opened his mouth and began to speak. Chapter 3: Order Up! 2 Years Earlier The savory and greasy smell of cooking meat percolated throughout the tiny kitchen, the steam creating a permanent cloud that floated languidly through the room¡¯s rafters. 16-year-old Daniel Hardgrave loomed over the grill, scrutinizing the food with an expert eye. His stomach grumbled with hunger, but he put those urges in the back of his mind. He was always hungry, but this food wasn¡¯t for him. After a few seconds, he decided that 4 of the 12 patties were done. With an adroit flick of the wrist, he scooped the subjects off the stainless steel and flipped them onto the buns sitting on plates near the grill¡¯s side. He quickly constructed each burger and placed their plates in the open compartment leading to the service area. Finally, he rang the bell and called: ¡°Order up! One double cheeseburger with extra bacon and extra mustard and two single BLT burgers.¡± Three forest green tentacles appeared in unison, gathering up each plate and whisking them away to the service area. A low, gravelly, yet still vaguely feminine voice called back in response: ¡°Keep them coming, chef! Rush hour is in full swing.¡± ¡°I¡¯d be able to cook¡¯em faster if you hired me an assistant, Boss!¡± Daniel called back, faking an annoyed tone while sporting a small grin as he turned back to look at the grill. From the other room came an annoyed sounding croak: ¡°Maybe once we start making more money, I¡¯ll do just that. I¡¯m in debt from all the bribes and expenses I paid out just to open this place.¡± ¡°You should have done business in the Outer Rim if you didn¡¯t want to get scammed by the government!¡± They both gave a mild chuckle at that. Boss Gascoigne was right, opening a restaurant, even in one of the poorer parts of town, was an expensive and time-consuming task in Akaadia¡¯s capital city of Ankara. The seat of power in the Imperium wouldn¡¯t let just anyone cozy up to it, even in the slums. The only reason Daniel was even able to get an apartment and a job here was thanks to the old man¡¯s recommendations. Once work was over, Daniel gratefully changed out of his sweaty chef¡¯s garment and into more casual clothes. Sporting a black T-shirt with a graphic of his favorite band in its center atop camouflage cargo shorts, he went to see his boss in her office. He was joined by a small, mousy looking girl by the name of Elise who had just been hired as a part of their wait staff. She had dark brown hair, with eyes to match, and a cute little nose. Little about her was extremely attractive, but she had a strong girl-next-door vibe. Daniel gave her an easygoing grin, which she shyly returned, before they both walked into the boss¡¯s office. Boss Gascoigne was a large green nonhuman. She had a wide body, large elephantine legs, and a vaguely toadlike face situated atop that body, lacking any neck whatsoever. In lieu of arms, she sported three long tentacles on either side of her body, and they tended to stay active even while she was focused on the task in front of her. She was an Elucid, one of the oldest known races in the entire known universe. Their kind had been vassalized and given Toshak technology, and even some Warp tech, by the Aeterna many centuries ago, allowing them to participate in intergalactic trade. They had once been numerous and powerful, but their kind had been among the hardest hit by the Collapse. Now, they were a shadow of their former selves, and their home world was Imperium Territory. None of that seemed to ding the Boss¡¯s pride, however, and she looked down at her two employees with a mixture of benevolence and imperiousness. She beamed at the duo as two of her tentacles reached into a drawer and pulled out small envelopes that she then proffered to them. Nonphysical pay was the standard across most of the Imperium, but the Boss was old fashioned. As they accepted their pay, her deep smoker voice boomed out: ¡°Payday kids! Don¡¯t spend it all at once, or you¡¯ll be eating out of the waste cans for the next two weeks!¡± ¡°Yes boss!¡± They replied in unison, Elise squeaking out her response where Daniel belted out his. They happily exchanged glances for a moment before looking back to their boss, a fact that she took clear notice of:The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°No fishing in the company pond, you two! Workplace romances, and the related drama, are headaches I do not want to deal with right now!¡± They both nodded apologetically, Daniel looking a little embarrassed while Elise blushed to the roots of her hair. Satisfied with their responses, Gascoigne dismissed them: ¡°Now run along. It¡¯s getting late.¡± They nodded again and walked out of the room. Daniel realized that the Boss was right. It had gotten dark. Even though this restaurant was more of a breakfast and lunch place, it was probably past 7:00 local time when they were finally able to leave. He made sure to see Elise safely to the Line station, said a quick goodbye to her, and hurried home. ¡­ Daniel typed in his password and used the biometric scan to unlock the door to his apartment, but he was slow to open the door and peer inside. Registering the motion, the lights flickered on, only to reveal a large orange blur scrabbling across the floor. Daniel didn¡¯t have much warning before the creature pounced on him, driving its paws into his stomach with a muted woomph. He doubled over gasping, the wind knocked out of him, and it took a second for him to catch his breath and regain his composure. He straightened up and eyed his attacker irately. Staring up at the fry cook was a very large, orange furred tabby cat with a milky white belly. It dwarfed most dogs in size and looked rather like a tiger had been stripped of its stripes and shrunk down to a slightly more manageable size. Slightly. Lime green eyes betrayed both irritation and intelligence as it glared up at him. The message, both from the glare and the pounce, was simple: ¡°You¡¯re home late. Where¡¯s my food?¡± ¡°Take it easy, Dio! You almost took me out for good.¡± Daniel rubbed his stomach gingerly as he walked inside. To appease his feline friend, his first priority was to grab the cat kibble and pour liberal quantities of it into a bowl. He knew for a fact that Dio hunted rats while he was away, so it was a testimony to the big cat¡¯s appetite that he stuck his head in the food and munched away voraciously, purring contentedly. Pet appeased, Daniel warmed up some dinner of his own and sat on his coach before turning on his SmartGram. The hologram lit up in entertainment mode, displaying a large screen of light with images dancing across it in clear resolution. The first thing he saw was coverage from Star News, the Imperium News Channel: ¡°According to the Imperium Diplomat, peace talks with the enemy are going exceedingly well as a consequence of recent military successes. She believes that negotiations should reach a favorable conclusion in the near future. Senior enemy officials have also made known their willingness to reach a compromise, thanks to a realization that their position was untenable. It is widely recognized that the Imperium only extends the olive branch to them as a consequence of the Emperor¡¯s magnanimity. Shirley Abramson is there on the ground. What can you tell us Shirley?¡± Daniel switched the channel. He had never been much for the news, but he was happy to see that the war was coming to an end. The conflict had been terrible for the economy, and if things eased up then Boss Gascoigne¡¯s restaurant would start to make more money. Which meant a better paycheck for him. Hopefully. Daniel sighed a little as he turned on one of his favorite shows. It was an older show about the early days of the Imperium. The show was called Ad Astra, and it followed a young man who started a mercenary business shuttling valuable cargo from one world to another. He and his crew galivanted across Imperium space, still crawling with pirates in those early days, refueling in isolated worlds and fighting off anything that threatened their mission. They saw strange sights and always took the time to explore the unusual planets they landed on, a practice that they were typically rewarded for. Daniel couldn¡¯t get enough of the show, even if it was a little cheesy, but every time he turned it on, a voice would ring out in his head: ¡°Adventurer and fool are the same word, Danny! Don¡¯t let any of that propaganda fool you. Anything trying to get you to become a Pioneer or a soldier is selling you a lie.¡± It was the voice of the old man. The old man who had taken Daniel off the streets and raised him as his own. It had been two years since Daniel had struck off to make his living in the big city, but the old man¡¯s teachings still loomed large in the back of his mind: ¡°Listen Danny, you¡¯re not the academic type, that much is clear. But you¡¯re a hard worker and well-coordinated. You can make a good living working a stable job. Rise in the ranks. Meet a girl or three. Or try becoming an athlete instead! Do what you want, Danny, but don¡¯t become a Pioneer. Life¡¯s short enough as is. Don¡¯t be expendable.¡± The old man had reminded him of all of this, before setting Daniel loose in the big city. It was adventure enough trying to survive the concrete jungle, so it had rarely been too tempting to ignore the advice. He loved and trusted the man who raised him, so he had worked hard at his simple life. But there was something in Daniel that burned when he watched this show. It started in the pit of his stomach and wound its way through his core, then his whole body. When that feeling took over, he couldn¡¯t help but imagine his face atop the main character¡¯s. Blazing new trails, fighting rogues and scoundrels, making a fortune, all of it. It was childish, and it went against everything he had been taught, but he allowed himself the luxury of a fool¡¯s dream. As he was polishing off the last of his dinner, the show had finished and gone to credits. He had to go to work early the next morning, but the call to watch another episode was almost too strong. As he deliberated between responsible sleep and irresponsible media consumption, a message icon flashed in the top right of his screen. Surprised, he tapped it, and dark green print appeared on his screen: ¡°To: Daniel Sylvester Hardgrave Subject: Funeral Arrangements Mr. Daniel S Hardgrave, We are sorry to inform you that Mr. Roger M. Hardgrave, 85, passed away one week ago, on the fourth day of the ninth month in the year 196 ISC¡­¡± Daniel kept reading the letter in a daze, his mouth slightly open as he tried to comprehend what he was reading. His eyes constantly flitted back to the first line in shock, and when he finally finished the letter, there were only two words on his mind: ¡°Old man¡­?¡± Chapter 4: The Funeral The funeral was held out in the Akaadian countryside, where the old man had been enjoying his retirement. Vibrant green fields and rolling hills had been aggressively preserved, forcing the industrial base of the Imperium to live elsewhere. The lakes and the dells of the pastoral locale were pristine and widely beloved by all the citizens of the planet. Daniel was usually just like them, and he had loved playing in the fields and rivers of his countryside home while growing up. Now, however, they just made him a little gloomy as he stared out the window of the Line train taking him back home. There was something particularly saddening about a clear blue sky and happily chirping birds when you couldn¡¯t shake a bad mood. Like the whole of nature hadn¡¯t gotten the memo that things had truly gone wrong. Daniel walked off the Line stop and toward the funeral parlor at the edge of town. The towns in the countryside were as anachronistic as they came in the whole of the Empire. Wooden and brick buildings were the norm here, the streets lined with old wrought iron lampposts, all to create an aesthetic reminiscent of the age when the steam engine was first invented. Most of the rest of the Imperium had adopted concrete-and-glass facades and neon signs for even their smallest settlements long ago. There were always tourists in these little towns, gawking at the reminders of a much simpler age. One of the earlier Emperors had set the building and environmental codes to preserve the countryside as it was, thanks to his particular tastes, and none of his successors had bothered to reverse the dictates. The result was a sight unique throughout the known galaxy. Men and women in formal attire nodded at Daniel as he walked down the main avenue, most of them recognizing ¡°the Hardgrave boy¡±. He was told by several of the townsfolk that they were ¡°sorry for his loss¡± and that they were willing to ¡°help him with anything¡±. Most of them didn¡¯t really mean that last bit, but he was grateful and a little nostalgic for the politeness they showed him. They were a stark contrast to the people of Ankara, and Daniel smiled and thanked each of them for their kind words. The funeral house was a small yet stately place, a dark brown building with a flat white roof. Two white marble columns flanked a blackwood door with a gold handle/hinges. Inside was oakwood paneling and soft leather furniture, navy curtains and ticking antique clocks. Daniel felt a little self-conscious as he wandered into the atrium and was ushered into the room where they were having the wake. It was mostly a bunch of older folks milling about in a lavishly decorated living room, and Daniel recognized almost everyone as friends of the old man from town. Some of them swarmed him when he walked in, talking about how sad it was to lose Roger and how they would be here for him if he needed them. Daniel made polite conversation and reassured them that he would be okay. They eventually released him, allowing him to look around the room more thoroughly. The first people who caught his eye were the two strangers in the corner. Standing up straight in a dark black dress was a rather tall, regal looking woman with sharp features, raven colored hair, and intelligent sky-blue eyes. She appeared to be in her late thirties or early forties, but the few wrinkles that had begun to form around her eyes and mouth only served to enhance her beauty. Curiously, her hair was covered in an old fashioned, translucent grey veil that gave the lady a demure aura. Her lips were embossed with cherry red lipstick that popped in contrast to the muted colors of the rest of her outfit. Shifting at the ladies¡¯ side was a young girl, no more than eleven years old. She shared the Stygian black hair, translucent veil, and crimson lipstick of her guardian, but her eyes were the dark grey of a stormy sky and her dress was a deep-sea blue. Rosy cheeks and shy eyes worked together to paint a picture of youthful innocence and uncertainty, but she would clearly become a great beauty one day. Nevertheless, there was something quite sad about the girl today. Curious, Daniel walked over to introduce himself, but the ladies beat him to the punch. As he walked over, reflexively smoothing out his hair, the older woman dropped into a curtsy with perfect form, the younger girl hurrying to mimic her. Taking the lead, the noble, older woman spoke in a pleasant, cultured voice with a slight accent: ¡°Greetings, young man. I am Marie Rochambeau, longtime confidant of the Hardgrave family.¡± Daniel gave a slight bow in response: ¡°Hello there. My name¡¯s Daniel. Daniel Hardgrave.¡± The shadow of confusion flashed across the older lady¡¯s face:If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°Apologies, did you say your name was Hardgrave? If it¡¯s not too sensitive, may I ask, what was your relationship with the deceased?¡± ¡°He was my grandfather.¡± Daniel replied, raising an eyebrow in surprise at her confusion. Now both ladies looked thrown off, and they exchanged looks. Finally, the younger girl stepped forward. In a soft, reserved tone, doe eyes looking up at the young man in shock, she said: ¡°My name is Lucille. Lucille Hardgrave. But I go by Lucy, normally. Roger Hardgrave was my grandfather as well.¡± She blushed a little, then stepped back, letting Marie continue the conversation. Now it was Daniel¡¯s turn to be confused, but he covered it up with a dry grin as he caught the older woman¡¯s eyes: ¡°Looks like we need to compare notes.¡± ¡­ ¡°I never knew the old man had a kid! He never mentioned him!¡± Daniel exclaimed in a muted, yet energetic tone, exasperated at his adopted grandfather¡¯s stinginess with information: ¡°Master Hardgrave was estranged from his son. He tasked my mother with taking care of Master Jonathan, a duty that was passed down to me when she died. I was in contact with Master Hardgrave until the end, but he never mentioned taking in an adoptive grandson.¡± Daniel was looking around now in more confusion: ¡°If Mr. Jonathan was Grandpa Hardgrave¡¯s kid, where is he now?¡± ¡°¡­Apologies, I didn¡¯t make things clear. Master Jonathan and Mistress Samantha passed away in an accident just a few weeks ago. It was a week before Master Hargrave¡¯s own passing. Their deaths hit the good Master hard.¡± The grim news settled over the trio in a solemn silence. Lucy didn¡¯t look teary eyed. she just seemed melancholic, staring off into the distance with a vacant and wistful look. The sight speared into Daniel¡¯s heart, and he coughed apologetically: ¡°Sorry, miss. I should¡¯ve been more sensitive.¡± Lucy snapped out of her melancholy when she realized Daniel was talking to her, and she waved her hands delicately in denial: ¡°No, no, you¡¯re fine. Loosing Mommy and Daddy has been hard, but I¡¯ll be just fine.¡± She gave him a bright smile, but the whole image looked more fragile than the thinnest glass. Daniel felt his heart break all over again as he looked at her, but he held onto a serious and calming fa?ade. No use causing the girl more trouble. Still, a temporary tactical retreat was in order. He nodded in response: ¡°Well, if you ever need anything, just ask.¡± He was glad to find that he meant that, and both women seemed to sense as much. They said some temporary goodbyes and Daniel strode away to collect himself. As he did, he spotted the only other unfamiliar face in the room. Sitting in a leather chair by the empty hearth was a bald old man, in his late 70s, with strong, broad shoulders and a sheer white goatee. He was dressed in a military uniform, the star decorations indicating the rank of Lieutenant, and Daniel found himself wondering where Roger had gotten a military friend. An old drinking buddy, maybe? The military man surveyed the room with a gruff, piercing gaze, sharp black eyes like little obsidian marbles that jumped confidently from person to person. They had settled on Daniel, and he met the old man¡¯s stern gaze with as much confidence as he could muster. Those dark orbs probed the depths of his soul, however, and he found himself unable to meet them for very long. When he looked back, he saw the soldier gesturing at him to come forward. Daniel nodded and did so. The military man gestured for Daniel to take the seat across from him, and Hardgrave noticed that the man was sipping a clear, saffron-colored liquid from an elaborately sculpted glass. He set the glass on a mahogany table, picking up an empty one and a decanter from the same table. The Lieutenant grunted at Daniel in a low, hoarse voice: ¡°Want a drink?¡± Technically, the drinking age in the Imperium was 18, but Daniel obviously nodded in acceptance even as the old man was already pouring. Those laws were rarely enforced, and surveillance was lighter in the countryside anyways. The old man poured him a generous portion, and they sat there for a few minutes, nursing their drinks in silence. The old man was the first to break it: ¡°How¡¯d you know old Fairweather?¡± ¡°Fairweather?¡± ¡°Aye. Roger liked to sail, didn¡¯t he? Talked about the weather and sailing so much, we liked to call him Fairweather. Though, he kept trying to get us to call him ¡®Kingslayer¡¯ instead.¡± The old man chuckled as Daniel¡¯s perplexity only grew, but he decided to answer the question first: ¡°He was my adoptive grandfather.¡± ¡°Grandfather! And adoptive nonetheless, so he went out of his way to have you. I never would have pegged old Fairweather for a family man. I¡¯m Freeway, by the way. Lieutenant Augustus Freeway. You may call me Lieutenant Freeway or just Lieutenant.¡± They shook hands and Daniel introduced himself. It was Daniel¡¯s turn for a question, though he was a little afraid of the answer: ¡°How did you know Roger, Lieutenant Freeway?¡± The old man raised his eyebrows before responding: ¡°I knew him from our days in the Fed! Captain Roger was one of the toughest Pioneers I¡¯ve ever known.¡± Chapter 5: Down by the Riverside Present Day The next morning, Daniel and the others were woken by the alarm set on their Codices: ¡°Local Time is: 6:00. Approximately 99 Imperium Standard Days remain for your mission.¡± A chorus of groans rang out across their camp as everyone rolled over and got out of bed. Pioneer training had whipped all of them into excellent physical shape, but yesterday had been hard and they had only gotten 5 hours of sleep, thanks to their late-night campfire. Every man emerged into the pre-dawn light rubbing his eyes and nursing sore legs. Well, every man besides Gulliman: ¡°Look alive, you Trambonian slime sweepers! You¡¯re already behind on Quota!¡± He boomed out, startling some local birds: ¡°We¡¯ll split off into two teams. One will follow the river in one direction, while the other goes the opposite way. Stick near the water! Don¡¯t go far into the jungle if you can avoid it. Look for valuable plants or rocks. Like this one.¡± He held up a smooth, white stone, about the size of a fist. Unbidden, Daniel¡¯s Codex popped up with an explanation: ¡°Briconium-Laden Rock: Briconium is one of the few metals capable of safely conducting dimensional currents. Useful in the creation of both Warp and Meta tech, its current market value is approx. 350 credits per gram. This specimen is roughly 1000 grams, though it is mostly impurities. Est pure Briconium composition is 0.12%. Processing is required to extract the pure Briconium. After the processing fee, the specimen is valued at 388 Credits.¡± The rock disappeared in a flash of blue as the Sergeant continued: ¡°It must be our lucky day because I found this little bastard in the mud just last night. Just the information that this little river has Briconium should go towards meeting the Quota. But we may not be the only bastards to find this place, and Command will want to know more in terms of specifics. Gather as much of this stuff as you can and keep your eyes peeled. With any luck, we¡¯ll meet Quota just with this find.¡± With that news, every single man was immediately awake and alert. The Sergeant divvied them up into two different groups, placing Daniel, the Dunid, and a lot of the older looking men into one group while taking a lot of the younger and stronger men in his own group. That included Jordan, and he just shrugged and shook his head wryly at Daniel at this new development. Apparently, Danny and his fuzzy friend had found themselves on the good Sergeant¡¯s bad side. There was nothing that could be done about that now, so Daniel just shrugged back at his friend and led his group up the river. They tried to stay aware of their surroundings while also looking at the ground, sifting through the dirt to find more of those precious white stones. It was slow and dirty work, but they saw very real success. A few pebbles here, a small stone there. The tiniest glint of white in the sunlight was all Hardgrave needed to stoop down and bury his hand in the mud, retrieving a smooth stone the size of a large cookie that he brushed off: ¡°Briconium-Laden Rock: Est weight 600 grams. Est BM comp 0.15%. After-Fee Valuation: 294 Credits.¡± He happily whisked it away into storage and kept moving. Over the course of the morning, he personally found a total of about 1100 credits worth of Briconium before they broke for an early lunch. Most of the others hadn¡¯t had the same luck, but nearly everyone had put away around 800. The Dunid indicated happily that he had found 1700, an assertion that Daniel wholeheartedly believed since the humanoid¡¯s paws could dig through the riverbed more effectively than a human hand. The shaggy-man still couldn¡¯t communicate with words, but Hardgrave had figured out that he knew how to write. The Dunid understood Daniel¡¯s questions, and it answered him by writing in the dirt, which was how he knew the amount it had gathered.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. With lunch finished, they continued their journey upriver. After another hour of walking, Daniel eventually noticed that something strange was happening. The chittering of the smaller forest creatures and the cries of the birds had vanished. They were left alone in a sudden silence, only the sounds of flowing water and the squelch of their boots remaining to keep them company. Alarmed, Daniel turned his attention from the riverbank to the forest, glaring into the depths of the jungle with suspicion. Then, his whole world went sideways. The only warning Daniel had was a mighty tug on his right ankle before he was suddenly sideways, then upside down, dangling in the air helplessly. The jerking motion was so hard that he let go of his spear, the long shaft of metal falling uselessly into the muddy bank. Daniel gave out an involuntary yell as he was plucked from safety and heard a similar cry from behind him. He also heard the calls of surprise from his comrades still on dry land, including the loud hum of concern from the Dunid. Hardgrave twisted violently get a look at what was happening, eyes wide in shock. He and another man had been snatched at the ankles by two long and bulky purple tentacles, one for each of them. They were being dragged away from shore, towards the middle of the river, the safety of the banks growing ever distant. Some of their compatriots had equipped several older, gunpowder rifles, and they were firing at the tentacles from the shore, the crackcrack from their firearms echoing across the waters. White with fear, Daniel waved in negation at them: ¡°Stop! Don¡¯t shoot!¡± Those men were more liable to hit Daniel or the other man than the tentacles, and Hardgrave heard a bullet whistle past his head just after he started waving, missing him by a few centimeters. Then, the monster revealed itself. Four other tentacles emerged from the water, all orbiting a singular massive mouth that was surrounded by the rest of the fiend¡¯s web like, violet colored body. There were three on each side of the monster¡¯s discus shaped central body, with one emerging on Daniel¡¯s right as the other three appeared on the opposite side of the duo. The tentacles undulated in excitement at the prospect of the prey, the teeth of the central mouth clattering in anticipation. Those teeth were the only parts of the creature that broke the mauve color scheme, their jagged edges glistening a dark and diseased yellow. The Codex popped up with an explanation, but Daniel waved it away. Now wasn¡¯t the time for light reading. The fiend opened Its mouth, revealing pink Insides, and began to bring the other man towards it. Daniel recognized him as the older guy who had mentioned needing to feed his five kids, by the name of Alvin. Alvin gave a great wail of fear as he was carried toward inevitable doom, and the shout galvanized Daniel into action. He equipped his revolver in a flash of blue light and shifted to get a shot at the monster¡¯s vulnerable pink insides. Lining up the irons, he held his breath. And squeezed the trigger. The hand cannon boomed out once, then twice, firing its exorbitant payload into the belly of the beast. He was upside down and at an awkward angle, but he saw that his aim was true. Both bullets landed home and drew blood, prompting the creature to let out a scream of agony. Its tentacles began flailing, tossing Daniel and Alvin around in a pain induced rage. Knuckles white, Hardgrave held onto his gun and fought not to get disoriented. His whole perspective spun as he lurched from one side to the other, the tentacle¡¯s death grip searing a line of agony in his leg, but he knew he would only get one more chance. Sure enough, when the fiend finally calmed down, it began reaching for Daniel with its only other tentacle on this side of its body. He was ready for it, and Hardgrave primed, aimed and fired in the space of a heartbeat. He struck the tendril head on, causing it to abort its attack in a spray of blue blood, then he acquired his second target. The tentacle holding Alvin was struck with a bullet of its own, causing it to spasm wildly in pain and throw Alvin away involuntarily. He screamed as he sailed towards shore, but Daniel¡¯s eyes lit up as he recognized his ticket out of here. Core straining, he moved to take aimed at the tenacle holding him. But his plans were upended in a heartbeat. As if sensing his plan, the tentacle jerked pre-emptively. It gave Daniel almost what he wanted before he even shot at it. It threw him away, but not toward shore. His fifth shot went wild as Daniel was flung directly upward, tumbling vertically end-over-end through the air. Hardgrave lost his bearings mid-flight, eyes crossing as he fought to determine which way was down. He felt rather than saw the beast moving underneath him, maw undoubtably open to catch its flying morsel. Helplessly, the man reached the zenith of his fall and began crashing down to earth. But the beast had underestimated its prey. Daniel couldn¡¯t say exactly how he did it, but halfway through his fall instinct suddenly kicked in. Faster than thought, he aimed his gun straight downward and fired off his final shot. The bullet zipped down and struck the creature in its most tender area, sending up a spray of turbid, navy colored vital fluid. The monster had finally had enough. Teeth closing in a final clack, the monster let out one last muted scream of rage and sank below the waves. No sooner had it done that than did Daniel hit the water. Gasping in shock, he nevertheless immediately began swimming for shore with every muscle fiber in his body, dismissing his empty revolver as he did. Fortunately, the beast had truly given up on him, so Daniel managed to fight his way back to dry land without further molestation. Hardgrave heaved in exhaustion as he paddled toward shore, and some of his comrades came out into the river to help him for the final leg of the journey. They dragged the younger man to the banks of the river as quickly as they could, and all the swimmers were soon on all fours and panting in the mud of the river¡¯s edge. Everyone else was looking at Daniel in a mixture of awe and respect, stunned into silence at the spectacle they had just witnessed. Daniel, for his part, was just trying to get his vision to stop fuzzing at the edges as he gulped greedily for more air. But as his perspective cleared up, he noticed something glinting in the mud beneath his hands. He felt around more carefully, and withdrew a large stone roughly the size of his fist: ¡°Briconium-Laden Rock: Est weight 1100 grams. Est BM comp 0.13%. After-Fee Val: 463 Credits.¡± Without thought, Daniel gave a small snort, then burst into laughter. It was a deep belly laugh that he couldn¡¯t stop once he¡¯d started, and soon the others joined in. Nine humans and one Dunid chuckled/vibrated on the banks of an unknown river on a distant planet, far at the edges of civilization. They laughed for far longer than appropriate. But no one was around to complain. Chapter 6: A Blanket of Silver ¡°Harlac: A water dwelling Xenomorph predator, found most commonly in lakes and rivers containing Briconium deposits. Scientists believe they are attracted to the unique shine of the metal. Juveniles often have four or six tentacles, while adults have been found to grow as many as ten. Adult Harlacs are Epsilon Class threats, while Juveniles are usually Zeta Class. Juvenile Harlac spotted! Class: High-Grade Zeta: Threat Assessment: High.¡± Daniel had opened his notification log out of curiosity as one of the other men found his spear and brought it to him. He read the post about the Harlac and shivered a little. High threat assessments were death sentences for most Pioneer¡¯s. He was lucky to have survived, and if his enemy had been an adult he would have been a dead man for sure. The ambush had been an uncomfortable brush with mortality, but it had taught them all some valuable lessons. The first thing that Daniel did after he had finished reading his notification was to change his Codex¡¯s settings. All notifications about Xenomorphs wouldn¡¯t show up in his vision by default. They would go into his log, and he would have to actively pull them up if he wanted to read them. Daniel couldn¡¯t for the life of him understand why that wasn¡¯t the default setting. Who wanted to read a novel while they were being assaulted by an unfathomable abomination? The second order of business was bandaging his wounded leg, which was badly bruised but still in decent condition. Alvin had landed in the water and had been pulled out quickly, so he was alright as well. After that, he set a rotating watch of two men, one for the river and one for the forest. If either of those men noticed strange behavior from the smaller forest animals or a dark shadow lurking in the water, they would sound the alarm immediately. The group would then scatter into the forest and wait for the threat to pass. It wasn¡¯t a foolproof plan, and there could be other threats lurking in the forest, but Daniel would rather deal with them than with an adult Harlac. Hopefully, a decision to spread out would make them less of a target. This also meant that there were fewer gatherers with their eyes on the ground, but it was worth it for the safety. With those adjustments made, they continued their quest upriver. The sun reached its apex and began to fall as the hours of the day ticked by, but their Briconium gathering remained fruitful, so everyone was in high spirits. Most of them had already met or exceeded their daily quotas from both today and yesterday, a fact that kept them laughing and joking even as they kept an eagle eye out for threats and opportunities. It was their forest watchman who noticed the first instance of both: ¡°Look!¡± He hissed, ¡°Up ahead!¡± Immediately, everyone scattered reflexively into the treeline besides the watchman. He continued standing in the mud pointing forward, and the other nine, slightly embarrassed at their mistake, came out of hiding to peer in the direction he was pointing. On the edge of the river further ahead of them loomed several silhouettes of large, shadowy figures. The men crept forward, and eventually began to make out the details of a small herd of quadrupedal, hoofed creatures. They were covered in midnight black fur that glistened handsomely with droplets of river water as the creatures milled together to drink. Each of them was larger than a person, and tall enough that they reached Daniels biceps. Their horns glittered a vibrant, electric blue, curved weapons that reflected the late afternoon light with a deadly promise. Once he got a good look at them, Daniel saw his notification log ping, and he opened it immediately: ¡°Sparkhoof: The lesser form of the mighty Thunderhoof, Sparkhooves are still deadly Xenomorphs, especially to weaker Pioneers. Capable of electric discharge that can paralyze and even kill weaker prey, the omnivorous Sparkhoof couples those Psionic Capacities with powerful physical strength and high resilience. They are territorial and will attack perceived enemies on sight. Adult Sparkhoof spotted! A pack of Sparkhooves spotted! Class: Mid-Grade Zeta: Individual Threat Assessment: High Moderate: Group Threat Assessment: Very High.¡± Daniel heard one of his buddies behind him gulp audibly. He couldn¡¯t help but agree. If these things sensed them and turned to attack, they were dead men. Fortunately, they seemed too preoccupied with their water to notice the Pioneers. Daniel signaled to their group to turn around and leave, but they had only gone a short way when the paradigm shifted again. Faintly, Daniel heard the patter of rhythmic splashes coming from downstream and he whirled to watch the river cautiously.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. The splashing grew louder as the seconds ticked by, until they reached the bend of the river. And then, a wave of silver rounded the corner, undulating towards them in a hypnotic pattern. Daniel blinked in shock at the army of large silver-scaled fish that leaped and swam their way up the stream. All ten Pioneers stared at the sight of the argentum droplets leaping and frolicking their way past them. They edged reflexively away from the water, nervous caution kicking in. Daniel noticed the glint of tiny ivory fangs in the mouth of each little finned beast and took a few more steps back. He then pulled up the log: ¡°Rokarian Silverfish: A freshwater, carnivorous, Xenomorph fish, they are common in Great Lake Planets, but are found across the galaxy. They are very deadly in large numbers, especially for unaware swimmers, but present no meaningful threat to land dwellers. Their scales and meat are fairly valuable. Adult Silverfish spotted! A school of Silverfish spotted! Class: Low-Grade Zeta: Individual Threat Assessment: Low: Group Threat Assessment: Very High.¡± Now that he was looking at the school more carefully, Hardgrave frowned when he saw that some of them carried the dregs of pale purple flesh in their mouths. That Harlac had probably encountered these things and been torn to pieces. Still, it had been in the water, and the Silverfish were passing them by harmlessly. He chanced a glance at the Sparkhooves and saw something interesting. The great buffalo-like creatures had backed away from the water like the Pioneer¡¯s had. They had collectively begun lowering their heads, and their horns had begun to grow an even brighter shade of blue. Arcs of electricity suddenly shot out from their tips, rolling over the Silverfish in a wave. A noticeable dent was made in the wave, but the rest of the school just swam around and under their dead or paralyzed compatriots. Some even cannibalized their own fellows, but these offenders were then paralyzed in turn by the second wave of electricity that rolled out from the Sparkhooves. An idea sprung up in the back of Daniel¡¯s mind, and he readied his spear and crept closer to the river. There were a couple of shocked cries from his comrades, but he kept an eye on the Xenomorphs to his far left. The closer he got to the school of fish, however, the clearer it was that the Sparkhooves were sufficiently distracted. He crept forward, readied his spear, and struck at one of the jumping Xenomorphs. Dexterously, he speared right through one of the fish and withdrew the spear immediately, backing away from the water. The creature wriggled vigorously on the edge of his weapon, but eventually its struggles grew weaker before it finally stilled: ¡°Corpse of a Rokarian Silverfish: Weight 2.69 kgs. Value: 296 Credits.¡± Just as with the Sparkhooves, the other fish didn¡¯t react to the death of their friend. Daniel dismissed the corpse of the fish, and edged closer to the water again, motioning for the others to do the same. Some followed and tried mimicking him in spearfishing. It was dangerous work, spearing rapidly moving creatures that could strip flesh from bone. But eventually everyone caught at least four or five of the argent animals as they swam past the group. Daniel was particularly adroit, spear flitting out and snatching eight total fish over the course of the session. As the tail end of the school was passing by, however, disaster struck. A small dark-eyed man, growing overconfident, got too close to the edge. One of the particularly enterprising fish punished him for it, leaping out of the water latching onto his forearm with its tiny jaws. The man let out a cry of anguish, which was fortunately stifled when one of the others clasped a hand over his mouth. But it was too late to stop the noise from cutting shrilly through the air, clearly audible even above the noise of the fish. All the Pioneers quickly hustled to the tree line, dragging the injured man behind them. Daniel watched from behind a tree as several of the Sparkhooves huffed and turned in their direction. Everyone held their breath as they watched the beasts turn their beady black eyes against their position. Daniel almost locked eyes with one of them, the powerful creature seemingly staring him down. No one dared move a muscle as they were scrutinized for a few heart stopping moments. Then the Sparkhooves finally gave a huff and turned back toward the fish, and everyone let out a breath. By the time the school had passed, the water in front of the Sparkhooves was littered with dead fish, and the buffalo sauntered happily into it. The Pioneers watched in morbid fascination as the creatures gorged themselves on the fish, chomping down on their helpless prey with large, flat white teeth. The cerulean waters were dyed a blood red as the creatures continued their feast, munching through the fish with a voracity that made Daniel realize that there would be little, if any leftovers. He still watched them thoughtfully, gears turning in his brain, before his thoughts were interrupted by one of the men: ¡°Sir? Are you alright, sir?¡± It was a mop headed, tough looking man in his mid-thirties. He addressed Daniel with a respectful yet gruff brogue, rough voice betraying a smoker¡¯s past. Hardgrave searched his memory and remembered the man¡¯s name was O¡¯Riley. It was strange to have a man twice his age call him ¡°sir¡±, especially since they were all technically of the same rank, but Daniel tried to take it in stride. He nodded calmly at the man, and asked: ¡°What happened with the man who got bit?¡± ¡°He¡¯s fine, sir. He got quick medical treatment, and just one of those fish wasn¡¯t that dangerous.¡± Daniel nodded and turned to look back at the Xenomorphs. They were lowing happily at one another as they swam around, glorying in their successes. But they would have to go somewhere once they all finished: ¡°Sorry, but shouldn¡¯t we go back, sir? We can¡¯t go forward.¡± Daniel turned to look at O¡¯Riley, then he examined the others, who were all watching him and waiting for his command. Despite the pressure, he couldn¡¯t help giving his comrades a half smile: ¡°Anyone here do a good impression?¡± Chapter 7: The First Hunt Eventually, the Xenomorphs exhausted their food source. They climbed out of the water, shaking their coats as they did, and began to regroup. The largest amongst them let out a few deep, commanding calls, and the group fell in line behind them. They began leading their pack back into the jungle, strutting confidently into the depths of the foliage once again. Some of the omnivorous creatures munched on the plant life as they marched home, tearing angrily at the various vines and undergrowth. The larger Sparkhooves didn¡¯t touch the stuff, but the runty, scrappy looking fellows in the very back tore into the veggies with a combination of dissatisfaction and hunger-borne enthusiasm. The group trundled on for a short while before something confusing happened. Some of the Xenomorphs began to smell the faint hint of their favorite food. It didn¡¯t attract the attention of the larger buffalo, but it seized the tiny imaginations of a handful of fellows bringing up the rear. They stopped and began to sniff curiously in the air, and then they heard it. Back toward the river, they heard the soft low of one of their fellows, the call that signified the finding of good food. Eyes bright with hunger and greed, a half dozen smaller Sparkhooves turned around and backtracked to the riverbank once again. The scent grew stronger and more tantalizing as they did, and a second call prompted them to move faster. Dark eyes widened as they broke the tree line and saw a pile of succulent fish right on the shoreline, scales gleaming in the afternoon light. The buffalo dashed forward to chow down on the feast, letting out cries of happiness as they did. They never saw the enemy until it was too late. In total silence, two groups of Pioneers dashed out of the trees and approached the Xenomorphs in a lightning pincer attack. Four men struck from one side of the bank while another four covered the other direction. They were practically on top of the beasts before they were noticed, and the creatures had only a short moment to cry out in surprise before the battle began. Daniel struck out with his spear, taking one of the Xenomorphs directly in the neck. His colleague beside him stabbed it right in the haunch, but the creature only bellowed in anger in response. Blue horns began to shine with that familiar electric light, and Hardgrave felt the thrill of fear. Dancing around to reposition, he jabbed the beast at an angle in its ribs, exactly where the heart should be. He felt the blow strike home and the beast gave a great shudder, the light in its horns dying away as quickly as it came. It staggered a little and collapsed, and Daniel withdrew his spear again before taking the moment to assess the battlefield. The two men next to him had downed one Sparkhoof with no major issue, and he saw another Xenomorph lying dead on the other side of the pincer. On the downside, one of the men on the other side had also been laid low, though he had no visible wounds. The three others were distracted by one seriously wounded yet livid looking beast, who stabbed and bit viciously at the Pioneers trying to finish it off. The remaining two Sparkhoofs had cut their losses and broken away from the group, running back toward the trees. Daniel charged after then, feet pounding in the mud with the thrill of concern. It wasn¡¯t as though they hadn¡¯t planned for this, however. The Dunid and O¡¯Riley appeared from the shadows of the jungle and charged the fleeing Sparkhooves. The towering, dome-headed shaggy-man leaped on top of one of the creatures with a low pitched, vibrato cry. His claws dug into the beast¡¯s tough hide, and they began wrestling mightily, kicking up clods of dirt in their struggle for control. Strong as he was, the Dunid wouldn¡¯t win that contest. But Daniel quickly signaled for the men following him the help the non-human finish off his prey. Hardgrave was more concerned about O¡¯Riley. The man had readied his spear courageously, but he was no match for the mighty beast. The creature took the blow on its shoulder and barely slowed down as it knocked him away and ran into the trees, Daniel hot in pursuit. They couldn¡¯t allow it to join up with the others, as no one knew how sophisticated Sparkhoof communication was. If it relayed to its fellows what was happening on the riverside, and they came for revenge, the Pioneers were as good as dead. O¡¯Riley had managed to wound this Sparkhoof, however, and the gash was deeper than the animal first let on. The beast would have easily outrun Daniel normally, but the longer they ran the more it was clearly losing steam. Daniel ran up alongside the Xenomorph and prodded it in the side, forcing the creature off the beaten path and away from its fellows. He herded it as best as he could as man and beast crashed through the jungle in a clumsy, exhausting struggle. Daniel switched to following the creature from behind, choosing the path of least resistance and waiting for his opening to finish it off. His breath came hot and ragged, but his eyes remained laser focused on the dark figure just in front of him. And then, it vanished. Hardgrave¡¯s eyes widened in a split second of total confusion until his momentum pushed him right to the spot that it vanished. And then he was falling. His legs windmilled in a panic and he heard the sharp smack of bone and rock colliding below him, followed by a squeal of anguish. Daniel didn¡¯t have a moment to feel fear before his legs made contact with soft, steeply sloping dirt. It turned his freefall into an awkward stumbling tumble. At some point, his spear hit something, and he lost his grip on it. Flailing, he crashed onto hard rock and continued a roll that turned into a slide across a smooth stone floor. Daniel scrabbled to arrest his momentum before finally coming to a stop. He stumbled drunkenly to his feet, gasping in pain, and coughing up dirt. Glancing around in a daze, trying to figure out what happened, the first thing that caught his eye was the glimmer of electric light.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. Instincts took over and Daniel leapt to the side as an arc of blue lightning scorched the air where he used to stand. The Sparkoof had gotten up and aimed its horns at Daniel while he was trying to get his bearings. Even in the low light, Hardgrave could tell that the beast was seriously injured, its fur totally matted with dark blood on its right side. The beast was putting all its weight on its left leg, and it didn¡¯t pursue Daniel or try to gore him. It just stared at him with hateful dark eyes as it charged up another attack. But the Pioneer didn¡¯t take that laying down. In a flash of blue, Daniel¡¯s pistol was in his hand, and he fired at the creature just as it hit full charge. The bullet struck the buffalo square in the forehead, forcing it to flinch and shoot its lightning harmlessly into the wall on Daniel¡¯s left. The next bullet took the Xenomorph in the left shoulder, causing it to collapse. The final bullet took the creature right in the heart. Daniel winced at all the noise, the sound of the firearm oppressively loud in this more closed arena, but it had been necessary. They had decided to try not to use guns in this hunt for several reasons. On the one hand, the rifles were of a low enough caliber that they would only be of marginal use against the Sparkhooves, unless the Pioneers hit something critical. On the other, the sound of the firearms could alert the other, larger pack members. But Daniel¡¯s hand cannon was powerful, and he¡¯d had no choice but to take the risk. He dislodged the cylinder of his revolver and touched each empty casing, storing them away and replacing them with a fresh bullet in an instant of sapphire light, before slotting the piece back into place. Then he looked around more closely. The cavern was strange, with walls and a floor far smoother than a normal cave ought to be. There was some sign of water erosion, but it wasn¡¯t major, causing Daniel to get a little suspicious. He spied his spear on the ground near the dead Sparkhoof and went to retrieve it. He saw his notification ping and pulled it up: ¡°Corpse of a Sparkhoof: Weight 416 kgs. Value: 5,650 Credits.¡± Daniel¡¯s eyes nearly popped out of his skull at the bottom-line figure. This thing alone was close to the combined value of everything he had collected so far. The HUD gave him a detailed assessment and breakdown of everything, and he saw that much of the corpse¡¯s value came from the skin and the horns. The horns alone were worth 1,500 total. His excitement was only slightly dinged by the fact that this valuation assumed that the corpse was processed correctly. He could get it processed when he got back to base, which would incur a fee, or he could process it himself. But if he butchered the corpse incorrectly, that could lead to a lower value, especially the skin. Frowning at all this info, he just shrugged and whisked the corpse away. He would figure that out later. He looked back up the shaft and considered climbing back up. It would be hard without someone at the top to help him, so he decided to wait for rescue. Someone from the team would probably come along to check on him. For now, he wanted to explore. Daniel turned away from the exit and started walking into the darkness. He tapped his Codex under his clothes, and it flashed before emanating a brilliant blue light that cut through the blackness. He chuckled a little at using the valuable interdimensional storage device as a flashlight, but it used such a small amount of charge that there was no real waste. As he walked, the large cavern narrowed into a tunnel that seemed even more artificial that the cave, and Daniel felt his heartrate speed up. That was promising. He wasn¡¯t walking long before the passageway came to an end, and his light illuminated a carving on the far wall. At the end of the tunnel was a flat mural that depicted four figures. All were winged humanoids, and all were males, though each drawing had a distinct character. The man in the top right was the largest of the bunch. He was chiseled with muscle, bedecked in tough looking battle armor, and holding aloft a flaming sword. He looked like he could eat Daniel for breakfast but was too noble to do so. The one in the top left was slighter and less warlike, still armored, though more lightly so. He carried what looked like a carved animal horn in his right hand and was raising it up to his lips. Below him was another man, still less warlike but with a distinct air of intelligence and long flowing hair. He was dressed in a long, flowing robe, and was unarmed, showing his palms to the viewer. Those palms, however, were ringed in more fire. The final figure, in the bottom right, was garbed in form fitting leather, however he looked whipcord strong and ready to pounce. He carried two wicked, curved daggers, otherwise unadorned but extremely lethal. His gaze was a third weapon, boring into the viewer, and he actually did look like he would eat Daniel for breakfast. In the center of the men was a simple sphere, carved rays of light emanating from it. Daniel felt drawn to it, and he reached up to place his hand in the center. Then, something happened.