[Grand Hunt] For the Swarm

[Paradox]

A small Huttese transport ship dropped out of hyperspace in orbit around the jungle planet of Noe'ha'on. The region rarely saw much activity but had several reasons for the rare travelers that graced this corner of the galaxy; smugglers moving their illicit cargo, fugitives from any number of conflicts, and then ones like the ship that now entered the atmosphere of the wild planet. Hunters in a search for prey that many seasoned veterans would balk at. This hunter was not what one would expect however, a pale figure with a weak constitution doesn't exactly inspire confidence.

Yirim coughed lightly into a handkerchief and left the cockpit of the transport, heading to the cargo bay where his back up waited. To make up for his lack of physical prowess and intimidating stature he had purchased four droids to help him in this hunt. Not just any brainless droids however, these were IG-100 MagnaGuards. These models had been manufactured since the Clone Wars nearly one thousand years ago and had proven their effectiveness over the generation as first class battle droids. They were specially created to adapt far more quickly and think outside of rudimentary programming. They could even fight Jedi and Sith effectively, though not as effectively as master swordsmen or other Force Sensitive.

He activated the four MagnaGuards and stood in the center of the hold as they snapped to attention. Their armor was bone white with orange Echani markings scattered about their armor. They wore simple white cloaks with face wraps and all were armed with electro-staffs, with two also carrying sniper rifles. The strange Echani with raven hair thought, for a few seconds, if it was fair but then decided he didn't care. Whatever it took to win and it wasn't as if he using a team of mercenaries. Besides, the Hutts didn't mind a bit of foul play and dirty fighting; as long as you didn't get caught. The chemist knew his limits and while his intellect was formidable, he had yet to be able to kill someone with it. Not directly anyways.

So until his other machinations came to fruition he would rely on these new bodyguards as his muscle. Besides, droids were more trustworthy than organics in Yirim's experience. They surrounded their new master and one spoke mechanically, "FACIAL SCAN: INITIATING. IDENTITY CONFIRMED. WHAT IS YOUR BIDDING, MASTER YIRIM?"

"Oh, simply stand there for a few moments. It's time for the briefing on our target." Said the pale man with a tilt of his head. He pulled out a small holodisk and the image of a creature appeared.

"K'lor'slug." Said an automated female voice. "A dangerous species vermiform native to the swamps of Noe'ha'on. They can also be found on Korriban and Taris, along with other select planets among the Expansion Region. A K'lor'slug appears as a large worm-like creature that possesses a serpentine body propelled by many dangerously-edged legs that can be used to lacerate their prey. The mouth is a gaping circular maw filled with concentric rings of teeth to shred prey as they are devoured to make for easier digestion."

"They are carnivorous hunters, possessing keen olfactory and visual senses in addition to a deadly venom." The image then switched to an example of a underground hatchery. "For reproduction, the creatures can lay more than three hundred eggs in a single birthing period. When hatched, the young K'lor'slugs is immediately ravenous for food. Even to the point that some of the brood will turn on weaker or deformed hatchlings. In addition to their aggressiveness, these creatures are considered dangerous pests aboard starships. They are known to invade the darkest spots on unsanitary space vehicles and breed. This can lead to the death of the crew who can be overwhelmed by their rapid birthing and gestation periods. This is also the reason they can spread to other planets easily."

"They come in several sub-breeds with the most dangerous, aggressive, and powerful being the Broodmothers. Further information on sub-breeds is available. Continue?" Inquired the digital voice.

"No, that's not necessary." The holodisk deactivated and Yirim pocketed it. He turned to his bodyguards with a nod, "That's our target; the Broodmother. Now the hunt simply calls for any K'lor'slug, however anyone with the sense to research them or with prior knowledge knows these things travel in broods. Packs. So why bag a drone when we can bring back a queen. That should sufficiently impress, no? But it won't be easy. Alone they are no real threat but they attack in swarms so we have to have a concise and practiced stratagem to lure away the majority, kill the hive guards, and capture the Broodmother. Sounds like fun. Unload the supplies, we leave in five."

"AFFIRMATIVE," said the MagnaGuards as one.

 

[Paradox]

The five figures had been walking for little over an hour when they came across the mutilated carcass of what Yirim barely was able to determine as a local herbivore. He stood up after examining the corpse, quickly surveying the area from the ridge they were standing on. His eyes studied every detail of the landscape. He pointed to the East and the photoreceptors of his MagnaGuards followed suit, "There. Broken branches and the dirt's darker, which means a lot of recent movement. The hive is in that direction so it's time we prepare a little feast for hungry prey."

Yirim led the way as they headed East down the ridge into the valley, following the trail of what the strange Echani had to assume was a group of hatchlings on their first hunt. The group moved along the treeline and stopped a few meters into the valley. The signs were everywhere; claw marks on trees, broken bones scattered along the jungle floor, and of course the smell. Yirim coughed into a black handkerchief at what he could only assume was the natural odor of the beasts he was hunting. He turned to his guards and pointed to the two with sniper rifles, "It seems like a clutch was just recently hatched. That means we will be dealing with smaller beasts primarily, yes, but they will be ravenous and numerous so we must play this smart. You two head back up the ridge and plant the decoys. Once they're ready, set the charges and then take positions on higher ground to mop up the remainders before they come back and kill us."

"That will take care of the hatchlings on a feeding frenzy and maybe a few of the grown ones as well, but the Hive Guardians will stay behind to protect the eggs and the Broodmother. So the rest of us will kill the guardians then subdue the target," said Yirim as he drew up the battle plan. "However...once we do that all hell is going to break loose. She'll give off pheromones to let the rest of the brood know she's in danger. So the survivors of the trap will swarm back to us along with any others that might be nearby; above or below ground. I had the ship geomap the local terrain before I landed. Now see here, it looks like there may be a system of caves here. Download and analyze the contents. We'll need to get out of there quick. Meanwhile you two will have run back to the ship, pick us up on the ridge nearby and we may just escape with all of our extremities."

 

[Paradox]

"THE CHARGES ARE IN PLACE," a MagnaGuard spoke mechanically over the comm-link to Yirim. The Echani was crouched near the enterance of the tunnel system, which was little more than a hole in the ground. He had been sure to stay downwind from the creatures that were swarming around the foul pit. There were dozens of the little bastards and even though they had only been recently hatched they were already several feet long. He continued to analyze the situation when the voice once again spoke, "WHAT ARE YOUR ORDERS?"

"Release the bait and take your positions." Yirim spoke softly over the channel.

Back on the ridge above the valley the two droids nodded to one another. They had place thermal detonators in a fifty foot radius around two large, metal crates which happened to be chirping rather unhappily. They punched in a few digits on the keypads of both, the doors dropping to release fifty gizka. The little animals bolted as soon as the crates opened but wouldn't get far as the anklets on their legs shocked them if they got to close to the perimeter of explosives. As the little creatures started to become noisier the droids moved with lightning speed to a small outcropping over looking the trap two hundred meters away. They drew their sniper rifles and laid down, watching the scene through their scopes. Safe from the blast radius and any stragglers, they contacted their master. "IN POSITION, AWAITING YOUR COMMAND."

"Put some blood in the air and then get ready," he said simply to his guards.

The droid's scope found the largest of the gizka and fired. With a single flash of violet light the small thing's life ended with a whimper, a smoking crater between it's bulbous eyes. This terrified the rest who began to chirp louder and louder as the smell of fresh blood filled the air. It wouldn't be noticeable to most humanoids as the faint scent began to blow with the breeze down into the valley. But to the heightened senses of the ravenous brood in the land below the ridge, well, they most certainly would be driven into a feeding frenzy. Yirim heard the shot ring out and watched as a large portion of the brood turned their heads in that direction. As the seconds turned to minutes, anyone else would have worried the trap failed, but Yirim was very rarely wrong. He looked up towards the sun's position in the sky and said, "Right about...."

"Now."

The swarm roared and surged in the direction of the ridge as the Echani smiled. He waited a few more moments just to be sure and then signaled to his other guards. They moved as one from the underbrush and headed quickly for the mouth of the pit. As the droids accompanying him readied the cables, he opened the comm channel. "The swarm is headed for your location. Remember; let them eat first but as soon as the last gizka falls, hit the detonator. Mop up the remainders and then get back to the ship as quickly as possible."

 

[Paradox]

As the wall of teeth and claws surged towards the ridge, Yirim and his two guards began to quickly search the caverns. He followed them through the darkness hoping very much the egg chamber somewhere in the maze of tunnels was close by so that they could be out of the foul smelling tunnels quickly. He moved as quickly as he could following the battle droids. He had the map memorized as well, but just in case they ran into any stragglers. But it seemed while the tunnels were old this particular brood was relatively new and most of them had run off towards the trap. The three figures moved through the dark, damp passageways slowly getting closer to their target.

Meanwhile on the surface the swarm of hatchlings had reached the ridge. The gizka chirped frightfully but there was no escape for the small creatures. The MagnaGuards watched the brood close in on the gizka and then the feeding frenzy began. Hundreds of teeth and claws fell upon their prey, blood and carrion flew around as the K'lor'slugs devoured them in minutes. Even quicker than originally anticipated. Wasting no time as the last of the small animals was killed, one of the snipers quickly hit the detonator.

With a massive cloud of fire and smoke the Thermal Detonators exploded. And before the smoke even cleared the two MagnaGuards were firing, killing anything that they thought even twitched among the charred carcasses and flames. While one continued snipe, the other opened the comms channel. "THE TRAP HAS BEEN SPRUNG. ELIMINATING ANY SURVIVORS NOW."

"Good. Now hurry to the ship," said Yirim back in the tunnels as he crouched with his other two guards behind a few rocks. He had heard and felt the explosion of course, but he did appreciate the efficiency of the droids. He nodded at the others and they made their way out of cover. They were right at the entrance of the egg chamber. The Echani could actually see inside the large, dome-shaped room. There were dozens of eggs even though a brood had already been hatched and two massive K'lor'slugs which he could only assume were the Brood Guardians. But there was an even larger one in the back of the cavern; the Broodmother.

Yirim pulled out two grenades and nodded to the MagnaGuards. As soon as he tossed them into the chamber, the droids rushed in with their electrostaffs ready. The grenades exploded in a blue, sulfuric smelling smoke. The smoke did little to hinder the droids perception but the smell was overwhelming the sensitive olfactory senses of the Guardians. The MagnaGuards moved in on the screeching, squirming K'lor'slugs and began to strike with perfect precision. Electricity arced over the beasts as they were continually struck in their vulnerable areas. The Broodmother seemed to realize the that her Guardians were failing and rushed towards the exit...right towards Yirim.

He smiled.

No on was watching, so there was no reason to be coy or careful. The sickly figure stood a bit straighter as he took a deep breath. His eyes shifted color, just for a second, and he held up his hand as the massive K'lor'slug bared down upon him. There was no time to run or dodge to the side but he didn't really need to. In the palm of his hand was a small blue disc that he casually aimed at the charging beast. Lightning erupted from his hand and stuck the beast with enough force to stop it, even knock it back a few yards where it screeched loudly. As soon as it hit the ground the MagnaGuards approached and pinned it's head with the electrostaffs, continually sending volts into it's body until it finally stopped thrashing and passed into unconsciousness. Yirim walked over to it and looked at it, studying it for a few moments. "So large and savage. A dangerous predator but so primal; unintelligent. So many improvements could be made..."

He slouched down again and pulled out his black handkerchief, coughing a few times. "Bring the ship to sinkhole. We have acquired the target and the Guardians are dead, but-"


The ground started to rumble, "-we're about to have a lot of company."

 

[Paradox]

"WHAT ARE YOUR ORDERS, MASTER?"

"It's very simple..."

"YES?"

"Run! Run like hell!"​

Thankfully with the K'lor'slug Broodmother on a grav-lift it was feasible. The sickly Echani was moving faster than he had in a very long time, running as fast as he could. Behind him were the two MagnaGuards dragging the lift with their prize behind them. And even further behind them seemed to be every K'lor'slug on Noe'ha'on; a wall of teeth, slime, and blades. Yirim tossed a few dye grenades over his shoulder as they ran. He managed slow a few down as they rounded the final bend back to the entrance of the sinkhole. Yirim made it first and looked up to the sky but the ship wasn't in sight. "Well...damn."

The MagnaGuards arrived seconds later with the unconscious queen of the slugs and quickly took positions at the opening from which they had just come. The screeching grew louder each second as the swarm closed in on the intruders to their lair. Yirim spoke into his commlink as death inched closer, "Not that I don't mind dramatic or climatic moments, but I really would like to leave now."

The front runners roared into the small room, but were quickly cut down but the battle droids. They just kept coming. One after another and soon the trickle would become a flood. Already a few scratches now decorated the droid's bodies. Just when he was about to start yelling for the ship to hurry up, it arrived and dropped a ramp into the sinkhole. Two other MagnaGuards rushed from the ship to help whole back the tide as Yirim loaded his cargo and moved to the cockpit. "Alright boys, on the ship! Move!"

As the four droids used their superhuman speed to evade the savage beasts and leap onto the ramp as Yirim began to take off. He called out over the PA, "Nice work. Secure the queen and strap in. I'm setting course for Rishi...we're late."