Sulture walked through the crowd of defenders and took the helm. “Earplugs on!” He ordered. Toub’s new earplugs blocked the high frequency of the Tritop’s screeches, but allowed them to hear one another just fine.
As the Tritops closed in on the colony, three jets roared overhead. The open fields erupted in flames and the Tritops were swallowed up in a lake of fire. They screeched in agonizing pain, and ninety percent of them were consumed in the pyres of vengeance.
The artillerymen signaled they were in position. Sulture called out for them to fire.
As he gave the order, another wave of Tritops spilled out of the jungle.
The artillery guns roared to life, cracking like thunder. The machine guns erupted in a torrent of blaster fire, cutting down the Tritops in droves. The infantry was determined to hold the line at all costs.
However, the Tritops wouldn’t stop coming.
Sulture turned around, and spotted Toub. He was standing next to a side project he’d built for the colony’s defense.
“Now Toub!” Sulture screamed.
“See you bastards in the depths of Hell!” Toub hissed as he pulled a lever and watched his wooden trebuchet launch a chemical weapons canister into the oncoming crowd of Tritops.
As the canister struck the ground, it split open and released the sickly pea-green gas contained within. Dozens of Tritops waded into the noxious plumes before they realized what they had done. Some melted on sight, others slipped in the gore of the fallen. The exposed had limbs fall off, but the beasts were undeterred. They were driven forward in a possessed state, hellbent on wiping out the colony once and for all.
A dozen Tritops closed in on the infantry defenders. Sulture’s gun jammed, which forced him to abandon the weapon, but he remembered that he grabbed a machete. He drew the blade and walked out into the fray. He carved his way through the crowd of aliens, some of them stopped to unleash a sonic blast but it had no effect. They shared looks of confusion before Sulture hacked them to pieces. He watched the Tritops in the field crawl along the ground to get to him, but they were disfigured beyond recognition.
Sulture watched another canister fly deep into the jungle, and the Tritop screeches of torment was a symphony to his ears. He couldn’t quench his thirst for the blood of these monsters. He walked into the line of fire, unconcerned with his own life. These creatures took away the only people he ever loved, and it didn’t matter the cost, they had to die. Finally, the great tidal wave of Tritops slowed to a trickle.
“Sir! The Tritops have rerouted to the South because of the gas!” A voice crackled over Sulture’s radio.
“All available units to the South! I repeat: all available units to the South!” Sulture screamed over the radio. He sprinted for the incoming wave of beasts. The rest of the soldiers abandoned the Eastern wall and flooded to the South, which was on the verge of collapse.
Sulture waded into the fray, hacking and slashing at Tritops in a grisly ritual of primal rage. The soldiers opened fire, and drew attention to themselves. The aliens unleashed their sonic blasts, but to no effect. Upon realization, the Tritops leaped at the soldiers, tearing limbs off and bit them like ferocious jackals. One Tritop leaped onto Sulture’s shoulders and tried to break his neck, but he flipped the creature down and buried his machete in its chest.
An airship floated overhead and breathed streams of fire across the valley at the incoming Tritops. The artillery guns played an anthem of carnage as they tore apart the stragglers who were lost in the confusion. Sulture felt the oppressive heat from the Napalm as he smelled the burning flesh of his foe. The final attack had broken the Tritop’s resolve, and they stopped flowing out of the jungle.
Sulture gazed upon the ruin all around him. He witnessed tear-lined faces of broken families who wandered aimlessly to collect the fragments of their loved ones. He saw the shock in their eyes and how their resolve hanged by a threat. He even saw a little boy kneeling behind his fallen father, who was still armed and protecting a man he thought could never die.
“Adam, Erikson, you need to see this,” Murph said over the comm.
The men arrived on the scene, right as Murph placed a sheet over the body. He saw them arrive and lifted the sheet, straining to hold back tears. They saw the O’Malley’s pale face, and his neck contorted in an unnatural angle. Erikson sobbed as he kneeled next to O’Malley’s body.
“Dr. Sulture, we need you back at Command,” Brooks said over the radio. Sulture turned his device off.
“How bad is it?” Sulture asked while staring at Murph.
Murph sniffed, and tears slid down his cheeks. He closed his eyes to stop them from stinging.
“Murph…?” Sulture asked.
“A hundred and three,” Murph replied. “One hundred and three people left on this fucking, worthless, shit hole of a planet!” He screamed as he kicked a rock, then fell to his knees.
“Build it,” Murph said. “Build the Chimera virus Adam,” He sobbed, knowing that he may have condemned the entire colony to death. Sulture stared at the ground. He got his answer, but he still felt hollow. He inched forward and embraced Murph. Murph wailed in anguish as Sulture held him tight.
“This will end,” Sulture whispered. “I am the flood that will cleanse this world.”
Sulture called Toub and Erikson into the Command Center. They were disheveled and ragged, but more determined than ever.
“I have the means to destroy the Tritops once and for all, but I cannot do so while running military affairs here on the colony. I also need Murph’s help, and he cannot run civilian affairs while helping me. I would like to ask you Erikson if you’d take over military and you Toub to handle civilian.”
“How do you plan to wipe out the Tritops?” Erikson asked.
“It’s a dangerous plan and it will put the lives of the colonists in danger. However, we believe the less you two know, the better. If something goes wrong, persecute us,” Sulture said.
“But this will for sure wipe out the Tritops?” Toub asked.
“I believe so, yes,” Sulture replied.
“Then I’m in,” Toub said.
“Yeah, me too,” Erikson said.
Inside of the laboratory, Sulture found Murph staring at the Tritop genome, hoping to decipher the genetic code for a breakthrough. “Our roles have been delegated out. People may wonder why the switch, but Erikson and Toub will be fine,” Sulture said.
“The colony’s in good hands. What were you thinking of using against the Tritops?” Murph asked.
“What is the one virus that has a 100 percent fatality rate when exposed and untreated? A virus that is not communicable through the air, but through saliva.”
“No, you can’t possibly mean-”
“I do Murph. Rabies.”
“How do we acquire a sample? It’s not native here.”
“Investors hope that the local fauna on a new colony holds the possibility of a new medicine being discovered. Every colony ship is outfitted with a strain of viruses that require treatment on Earth. All of these are to be watched over by the Chief Biologist.”
“And you have a sample of rabies aboard the ship?”
“I do. We can modify the virus so that the Tritop hosts will only attack each other and alter the pheromones they produce. We make them more aggressive and prone to attack those that are not infected.”
“And we can limit the risk to colonists since we already have rabies medicine,” Murph said.
“Exactly,” Sulture replied with an evil grin.
The two men worked day and night, splicing the rabies virus and created a sinister variant of the brutal disease. They utilized the genome they had on site and adjusted the virus so that it could only infect other Tritops as a failsafe. The two men recorded every step of the process which Sulture used to compile a scientific paper on the subject. Just before he could send the paper out, Toub and Erikson came into the laboratory.
“Gentlemen, sorry to interrupt your experiment, but we just rece
ived word that the Core will be landing here by the end of today,” Erikson said. “They were concerned by the communications blackout and sent a relief force.”
“Why’re you telling us this?” Sulture asked.
“Because Sulture, the Core believes it’s illegal to kill aliens like these, especially on the scale you intend to. You’ll be the first man tried for Xenocide!”
“I’m not running,” Sulture said. “I’m going to finish this! And I’ll start by submitting this paper, my declaration of intent.”
“Adam, no journal will approve of your paper. It’ll be blacklisted by every scientific community in the galaxy,” Murph said.
“People need to know what happened here on Angkor! Besides, I’m not sending it to any journal. I have another source. He’ll get it into the right hands.”
“Same guy who got you the genome scanning program?” Murph asked.
“The very same.”
“He got a name? Guy like that may be useful,” Murph asked.
“Never met him in person. He just goes by Hacker,” Sulture replied.
“Seems convenient. What’re you calling your paper?”
“Exploitation to Extinction.”
“Catchy title.”
“I thought so too.”
Sulture uploaded his paper, sealed the virus canister and Murph grabbed the anti-viral medicine.
“Here Toub, we need this mass produced. Make sure all of the colonists get a dose,” Murph said as he handed over a box of syringes. Toub smiled and took the box.
“Good luck,” He said to the two men.
“Sulture, I just received word that Griffin is leading the Core to our front door,” Erikson warned.
“Of course he is,” Sulture said. “That way instead of being tried for cowardice he can be hailed as a hero for leading the rescue mission.”
“He won’t get that satisfaction from us,” Erikson said. “Anything else I can do for you?”
“We need a handful of soldiers and to get into the air. Volunteers only,” Sulture said.
“I can do that for ya,” Erikson said.
Brooks and the others greeted Sulture and Murph outside the speeder ship. “Erikson said you needed volunteers to wipe out the Tritops?” He asked.
“High risk mission,” Murph said. “We’re opening a can of worms on this one boys. We have no idea what the fallout from the Core will be.”
“It’s alright,” Brooks replied. “I want to see these freaks gone. Don’t care what happens to me.”
“Our pilot. Can he be mobilized?” Sulture grumbled.
“Yeah, where do you want him to go?” Brooks asked.
“This clearing,” Sulture replied, as he pointed to the map.
“Alright Collins get us to these coordinates quick!” Brooks said.
“Yes sir!” He replied as he ignited the jet’s engines.
Sulture explained his plan and intent, that this mission would likely end in the deaths of the soldiers either at the hands of the Tritops or the Core. He explained that since the planet was one giant continent, this virus was going to spread quickly.
“What does this virus do, give them the sniffles?” One of the men asked.
“It’s a modified rabies virus which makes them devour each other,” Sulture said.
“Holy shit!” One of the soldiers cheered.
“Here’s the anti-viral,” Murph said as he passed a box of syringes to the squad.
“We’re with you ‘til the end, Dr. Sulture,” Brooks said.
“Good, because we’re going into the belly of the beast,” Sulture replied. The men all held the anti-virals in their hands and plunged them into their veins at the same time, a silent oath that they were going to finish this mission no matter what.
As the squad approached the clearing, the stench of mold and decay filled their nostrils. The bones of all of Angkor’s native species, including humans, littered the landscape.
“Earbuds!” Sulture ordered. “Collins! Drop us off anywhere you can and stay in the air! If something happens to us, just get the hell outta here!”
“It was nice knowing you fellas. Good luck!” Collins replied. He spun the ship around, opened the cargo hatch, and the squad ran out.
“Adam, what are we looking for?” Murph asked. A guttural bellow echoed through the clearing. The trees shook and branches snapped as their new foe came for them.
“The alpha male,” Sulture replied.
A massive, gunmetal gray Tritop burst into the clearing. It was ten times the size of any of the Tritops they’d encountered before. The beast slammed its fists into the ground and bellowed in Sulture’s face. The air pulsed and rippled from his cry, but Sulture stood his ground. The roar was deafening, and wasn’t a high enough pitch for the earplugs to block out.
Tritops swarmed in from all directions, furious over the intruders who’d wandered into their midst. The squad huddled back to back, completely surrounded.
The alpha slammed his fists again and roared out at the Tritops. They stood in a circle around the squad, eager to attack, but remained in place. The alpha pawed at the ground, raking the earth with his jagged fingers.
“What is he doing?” One of the soldiers asked.
“He’s challenging us,” Sulture replied. “I’ll go after him, you guys take the rest of ‘em. Remember, spread the infection.” He unsheathed his machete and coated it with the viral serum. The rest of the men followed suit.
All of the men howled their battle cry as they charged at their foes, the last stand of the Angkor colony coming to a head.
The alpha bellowed back and charged for Sulture. Sulture dived and slid in between the massive fists bearing down on the ground. He leaped up and sliced at the alpha’s abdomen, exposing him to the virus. The alpha turned around, his sinister black eyes boring into Sulture.
The others hacked wildly at the female Tritops, seeking to maim rather than kill their enemy. They weaved and dodged the leaping beasts, cutting at them and spreading the contagion.
One of the soldiers howled as a Tritop landed on top of his shoulders and ripped off his arms. The man collapsed from the pain. There were too many Tritops, and it seemed that the squad would be overwhelmed in the middle of the jungle.
The alpha traipsed up to Sulture. He backed away slowly, brandishing his bloody machete for the beast to see. The alpha growled as it approached, each step taking an eternity.
“Why isn’t the infection taking hold?” Sulture cursed to himself.
The lumbering behemoth swept the ground with his arm, but Sulture leaped over the arm and slashed at the beast’s bicep.
Sulture struck a nerve on the beast because before he could react, the creature slammed him to the ground with its other hand. Sulture struggled to breath as the multi-ton colossus squeezed the life out of him. It growled as it neared him, the stench of rotting flesh flowing from its maw.
A screech pierced the air. Sulture and the alpha both looked at the source. Two Tritops were interlocked in combat, fighting to the death. More joined in. They snarled and growled as they tore each other apart, blood splattering everywhere. A feral look settled into the eyes of the Tritops as they encircled the alpha. All of those that encircled him were unmarked, and they were no longer paying attention to the humans.
One of the females leaped onto the alpha’s shoulder and bit him. He reached up, grabbed the female and threw her far into the jungle. Another attacked him, while he bit her in half. The more the alpha fought back, the more savage the females became as they dog piled on top of him. Those that were marked with lacerations charged into the jungle, a telltale froth covering their mouths.
The entire nest descended into a frenzy as the alpha crushed and bit every Tritop that attacked him. The rabies virus was taking hold and the monsters were tearing each other to pieces. He gazed at Sulture, an unnatural fury in his eyes, but was too restrained by the attacking females to charge him.
“Collins, get us out of here,” Sulture or
dered.
“Roger that. One minute out,” Collins replied.
Collins descended through the edge of the clearing as the alpha was being torn to shreds. “What did you boys do?” He asked.
“We finished them off,” Sulture replied.
As the jet rumbled for take off, the alpha leaped to his hind leg, throwing the female Tritops off. He was covered in bite marks and lacerations, with froth dripping out of his mouth.
“Go now!” Brooks screamed.
The jet hovered a few metres above the ground as the alpha closed in. As the jet rose, the alpha made one last desperate attempt annihilate the intruders that brought this disease upon him. He leaped and swung to bat the jet out of the sky, but missed only by centimetres. Sulture watched as he fell, and savored the sight of the Tritops leaping onto him for the kill.
It was a quiet trip on the way back home. They questioned whether or not this disease would take root and exterminate the Tritops, or if it would burn itself out within the next few hours and doom the colony.
As the jet descended to the landing pad, Core warships dominated the scene, and soldiers swarmed like locusts in a wheat field. An entire squad surrounded the jet within seconds.
Collins lowered the cargo ramp, and Sulture could hear Griffin’s obnoxious voice scream obscenities and other curses. As Griffin came into view he pointed at Sulture.
“That’s him!” He screamed. The soldiers drew their rifles.
Sulture dropped his gun and raised his arms in surrender.
One by one, the squad followed suit. They were escorted to Griffin, who was flanked by members of the Core elite.
“Dr. Adam Sulture, Dr. Murph McGinnis, you’re both under arrest for conspiracy to commit xenocide and the murder of sentient aliens,” Griffin said as he placed the cuffs on Sulture.
“That’s ‘sapient’ you shard-born mongrel,” Sulture hissed.
“Get this asshole outta here!” Griffin shouted. Erikson walked up to escort the prisoners to their holding cells.
Erikson leaned in next to Sulture.
“Did you succeed?” He whispered.
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