Fan fiction comp nov-dec

[it]

K this time lets get some entries!!!

theme: scientists attempt at studying tyranids, could be a lab break out or in the field.
theme: or you can do a Christmas themed story.

words:400 or however really but try to be close

due: December 31

[Geneva]

400 words is a tad restrictive for my usual style (that about two paragraphs) but I'll bite. It's been too long since I've contributed to this board anyway. Sign me up!

[Inquisitor Stingray]

I'll be writing a heartfelt Christmas-themed horror story about Santus Claudius of the Ordo Xenomas and his controversial (and rather heretical) attempt at enslaving an entire Splinter Fleet for the sole sake of having it deliver presents (kawaii Servo-skulls, my very first Exterminatus, BB Bolters etc, etc) to fatherless children across the entire galaxy.

[Lanesend]

I'll also sign up this time.

I Always enjoy the short stories by fans, but have never contributed anything.
Time to start writing, eh.

[gman25639]

I'll go for it!

[snowdaman]

Same. I ment to enter the last one but forgot lol

Sent from my GT-I9100M using proboards

[Deleted]

Im in!

[Lanesend]

Bit early, but here goes:

Milos Ractis was running towards the clearing, where a triumphant looking platoon officer was showing off his prize. His men had dragged a cart into the camp with a wounded but living Tyranid creature bound on it. All the soldiers were cheering and pointing to the big fleshy stump on its back where the creatures main weapon used to be. Apparently hacked off by the officer’s Power sword. The officer was not taking any chances, though. One of the guardsman held his missile launcher trained firmly on the target, just in case it would break free.

When Milos arrived to the scene, the chief Magos Biologis officer was getting ready to start his examinations. Milos had seen a lot of captured Tyranids in the last couple of months, but this one he had not seen before. Maybe it was a new variety or maybe the Tyranid leaders had dismissed it, as being ineffective? It didn’t look as if it could do any harm apart from that big gun on its back.
Milos accessed his dataslate to see if there was any information on this unknown specimen. The Magos Biologis pulled a scalpel from his satchel and started cutting in the beast’s tough hide.

There! A report from an exploratory team which had visited the moon of this planet, a few months ago. He hurriedly read through the report, as the Magos pushed his scalpel deeper to lift a flap of skin from the underlying muscle tissue. Milos read something about acidic fluids instead of the normal goo that went for the creatures blood. He shouted a warning at his chief, but it was too late: a gush of the vile fluid sprayed out of the wound, hitting the Magos in the face and over his hands.

The chief scientist screamed and staggered back from the creature, parts of his skin dripping on the ground in boiling puddles. The acid also hit the chains holding the phenomenal claws of the beast and it broke free with a speed that seemed natural only to the monsters in the Tyranid swarm.
Panic erupted around the clearing. The creature lunged forward over the now dead body of the Magos Biologis. Milos was too slow to dive aside and was pushed to the ground by the crushing weight of one of the beasts’ front claws. Blinking tears of pain away, he looked up to the underside of the beast as it passed over him. A red targeting dot danced over one of the bigger acid bladders.
He wanted to scream a warning to the guardsman who was aiming the missile launcher, but it was already too late. The missile hit the creature and Milos Ractis and everything around him ended in flame and black smoke.

[it]

Great,
looks like this time it's going to be a good competition.

[Doughhunter]

Bit early too and may submit another one instead, but here goes:

+++ log entry 1 +++

Today I had the pleasure of discovering that the dead “prime” warrior has been successfully transferred and ready for an autopsy! This research could be vital in further understanding on how a warrior-class beast can contain the same armour protection as the larger carnifex and hive tyrant. I believe the insights gained from this creature will give us a great understanding into how the tyranids use biomass to create such hard armour likened to reinforced adamantium.

...As this is a “risky” operation according to command, unfortunately I have been assigned a librarian to monitor any synaptic activity which could lead to our position being discovered. I will say I would prefer… privacy, especially knowing there is a plasma pistol aimed at your back for the entire operation, and I'm getting the idea that this librarian would happily empty his pistol into the xenos given any provocation.

But regardless, I eagerly await to start operating tomorrow!

+++ log entry 14 +++

Finally recovered from all the cauterized skins and now fit to complete autopsy. That twitchy librarian shot the subject when it spasmed after I cut off a limb, and the heat proximity severely burnt my right hand and chest. And now I fear the specimen may now be beyond recovery. Nethertheless, I will report state of the specimen tomorrow after I return.

+++ log entry 15 +++

Emperor be praised! This prime species seems to have miraculously recovered all plasma wounds, despite being dead. Truly this is a remarkable species, having such an efficient protein repair even after death! The librarian was not allowed to carry a weapon today, and so I had the freedom of burying in the creature’s chest. We took test samples of its rib cage to see if the chitin matches to outer, protective chitin, as this could suggest that the inside and outside chitin are attached in a huge web of chitin. The organs behind were unlike anything i’ve ever seen… Twisted, mutated muscles, it made me retch thinking about the heart of this beast beating. I must have thought about it a little too much, because I started to imagine hearing the beat after I had sewn up the cut in its chest.

On to tomorrow’s operation!

+++ log entry 18 +++

This will be my last log. I can hear the creature scraping on the security door. It’s been going on for two days now, out of supplies. Everyone’s dead. Yesterday I heard three scrapes of its limbs in a pattern, today I hear four, the lost one.

Autopsy operation failure, Goodbye.

[gman25639]

Magos Biologis Cory walked briskly through the halls of the bastion, his datapad clutched to his chest. Cory could barely contain his excitement, an opportunity to study Tyranid spores on a microscopic level! Chances for this didn't come often, as the spores often eroded away at whatever container the were place into. Placing his clearance card up to the scanner, he entered the lab in which the study was to take place.
As Cory examined the alien phage underneath a microscope, he watched in amazement as it seemed to mutate and change form before his eyes, pushing up against the specialized vial designed to contain it with vigor. Suddenly he noticed a chemical reaction occuring between the phage and the material of the vial. It was eating through the container! In a panic Cory leapt back from his work table, but the damage was done, and the vial shattered, filling the room with the rapidly multiplying microorganisms. Cory wa sure he was doomed, but he didn't seem to suffer any immediate harm, but there was an odd odor. Suddenly he heard the yells og guardsmen outside and the thundering impact of massive blows on the reinforced adamantium gates. The clouds of spores had drifted through the vents and drawn the Tyranid swarm to the hidden bastion! They were not toxin spores at all, but one sequipped with pheromones to lure other Tyranids! There was a loud crash amidst death screams as a monstrous Carnifex broke through the gate and stampede dover the guardsmen. Gaunts swarmed through the breach and spread throughout the bas ein minutes. Cory let out a cry of terror, as he watched his final vision of a fearsome Tyranid Prime tearing the laboratory door from its frame and barreling towards him...

[roughjnick]

Here's my entry. Sorry it's nearer 600 words than 400 but I struggled to thin it down further. I should be posting a Christmas themed one soon as well. Enjoy.

It was the opportunity he’d been awaiting. The insufferably stupid lieutenant had arrived out of breath.

“We’ve caught a whole bunch, eighteen of ‘em” he’d spouted - ignoring protocol as usual. Catching the glint in the Magos Biologis eyes though he’d added a quick “Sir”. Stupid yes - suicidal no.

In total 17 of the xenos had been captured alive. “The idiot can’t even count” he thought as he inspected them. Over 50 men had died on the overrun world he'd sent them to but it was worth it. Three were the larger Gauntii Gladius subspecies, so called “hormagaunts” according to the notes of his predecessor. He ordered their immediate extermination, much to his dissapointment. They were too dangerous for live study as the blood spatters on those notes testified. They would be dissected later. The rest however were the smaller Minoris omniphagea, succinctly named “rippers” or “anklebiters” by the guardsmen. These were small enough to control, to study, and if he was correct, to harness to his own purposes. Strangely his predecessor had made no prolonged study of this particular strain, stating only that they died shortly after capture and transport off-world. These specimens remained in excellent condition however. He was sure he could succeed…

Three days later he retired to his chambers, waving away the protestations of the stupid lieutenant. The fool was trying to claim his specimens were responsible for the several disappearances amongst the men since their return. All fourteen of the xenos were clearly accounted for. Most likely they’d simply deserted. The damnable man had put him under surveillance he was sure. He’d not been able to catch the sneak but several times he’d felt eyes watching him and seen movement in the corners of his eyes.

If that wasn’t enough the tests were not going as expected. Four of the fourteen specimens had reacted to stimuli in completely unexplainable ways, almost as if they were trying to cause problems and throw his results off. It was ridiculous to think they were aware but maybe he should destroy those four. He remembered his lessions. Awareness of the study affects results and makes the subjects expendable. He turned to some more unread notes. He had been working through them since starting the project but his predecessor had been prolific. Maybe there were answers left in these scrolls and books. Besides, burying himself in these notes would allow him to ignore that feeling of surveillance which hung on him like a cloud.

An hour later, half asleep over the page he suddenly realised something about the passage was tugging at his subconscious. He re-read the page with a mounting dread, finally thrusting the book from his reach and wildly staring around the darkened room. It concerned the ability of a specific subspecies, Preafectea Caecusea, to adaptively camouflage itself. The sentence that had caused him to suddenly give way to panic though was the description of the beast studying its prey in detail before striking. It all suddenly fit. His searching eyes caught a movement and he stared hard at the spot. Suddenly the creature appeared out of thin air like a nightmare. He realised too late. Awareness of the study affects results and makes the subjects expendable. As the lictor bore down on him the last thought to enter his head was that he should have listened to the lieutenant more closely. As it turns out he could count after all.

[Lanesend]

Hmm, already 4 entries, halfway of November.

Maybe we all should make a x-mas themed story. Then we have a double competition.

[roughjnick]

And here's my promised Christmas entry.

Extracts from reports by Inquisitor Ebenezer Grinch of the Ordo Hereticus

0980485M42. Disturbing news from Holy Terra itself. A vile heretical order appears to be operating right at the heart of the empire. They are using unknown methods to remain unseen. Working by night they have left seemingly harmless parcels across the planet. No doubt intended to tempt true followers of the Emperor into chaos worship. I will investigate further.

0980486M42. For a year my investigations have discovered nothing but last night, on the anniversary of my first report I finally have a better understanding of my quarry. This is no widespread heresy but appears to be the work of a single sorcerer. He once again fouled the purity of our most holy planet and escaped unscathed. However through careful preparation I was able to catch an image. He is the most disgusting of traitors, bulbous, aged and wearing blood red clothes. Apparently he is capable of distorting time and thereby traversing the whole planet in a single night. This is likely a function of his transport – a horrifying chariot pulled by at least a dozen horned beasts that flew without wings. I must request the release of some of sealed records of the Ordo Chronos to discover how this time distortion may be interrupted. Otherwise I believe that the capture of this spawn of chaos may be impossible.

0975496M42 For ten years I have been researching and chasing this devil while he has been operating with impunity on the home world of our most Holy Emperor. Research of ancient sealed texts has led me to believe he has been delivering his foul temptations for far longer – maybe even right back to the dark age of technology and beyond. It appears he has been aware of my efforts, sending apparitions who sought to dissuade my path though displaying my past, present and false future. They could not turn my path. My faith is pure. This year will be his last, he will not escape again. The trap is laid.

0980496M42 We have him! The operation has proved more fruitful than I thought. After penetrating the time distortion my acolytes brought down the accursed vehicle. It was in in the form of a sleigh and not a chariot as I previously thought. The sorcerer was soon subdued and his mutated horned beasts were put to holy flame. He has now been bound and is being taken for an extended interrogation. A search of his possessions has already provided a great boon however. Among them was a particular document. It appears to show a list of all of the citizens of Holy Terra with a notation on each one showing whether they are heretic or true believer in the Imperial faith. With this document the Inquisition may finally be able to purge all heresy from this world. However as with any document of potentially demonic origin, I’ll be checking it twice.

[Lanesend]

^ That was really funny, man!