“The Krieger Corp is the life for me,A gun, bed and funeral for free.That’s my lot in the Black Company.”It took the Earth 10 long years to die. Like every planet afflicted by the pervasive sentient plague that swept the galaxy at the turn of the 23rd century, aptly named The Rot, Earth’s demise was slow and agonising at first then violent and sudden by the end. The seas boiled and the air turned to ash in the wake of the continent-shattering orbital bombardments that cleansed her and a hundred other worlds.20 years later, the dust of the Purification Wars has settled and the surviving xenos empires have finished carving up the remaining colonies of those less fortunate races between them, including those few left from Earth’s initial phase of expansion. Just rewards for the victorious alien’s part in saving the galaxy. The surviving human population, once many billions, now numbers in the mere millions. An entire race of refugees, vagrants and backwater outcasts begging, stealing and labouring as second-class citizens, servants or slaves under uncaring alien masters.A lifetime of backbreaking work for stale recycled oxygen units and a handful of credits is the best fate most humans can hope for. Little wonder then that the violent but lucrative life of a mercenary holds such appeal. As the novelty of peace wears off and the rival alien nations rattle their sabres once more, human mercenaries are in high demand for their crude effectiveness and affordable prices.And of all the human mercenary firms, there are none so infamous and so highly sought after as the services of the Black Company…=============================================Twitter: https://twitter.com/BlackCompany666/qst/ Archive: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=2230AD2230AD Annal Entries: https://pastebin.com/zBic3fPQ [Updated!]Recorded Xenos Species: https://pastebin.com/vdG01RzGThe Last Human Colonies: https://pastebin.com/VA3nHbTmAdvanced Firefight Rules: https://pastebin.com/NATmyFSw
THE STORY THUS FARYou are Sergeant ‘Snake Eyes’ Natalya of the Black Company, and you are a survivor. From the tender age of too-young-to-really-remember you have fought, clawed and killed your way to the top of a very nasty food chain on the hostile jungle moon of Clayton’s Cradle. Lucky enough to escape the dying gasps of Earth, but like many others unlucky enough to find themselves stranded on the moon that is the deadly jungle world called Clayton’s Cradle, your family lasted only a few scant months before leaving you all alone in the merciless Green.Clayton’s Cradle gives no second chances to the unwary and no leeway to the hesitant. Be it deadly predators large or small, plantlife toxic or carnivorous, diseases wasting or virulent, its small population are each hardened through experience and boosted with vital genemods stretching the limit of what a biological human can achieve, or indeed what constitutes a biological human.Joining the Black Company was a way off that deadly rock, a well paying one that at least saw Snake Eyes serving alongside fellow humans instead of being drafted into the alien armies of the Savis Legions and their Cradler Auxiliaries. Achieving the rank of Sergeant in the 77th Krieger Platoon wasn’t easy, it took some gusty moves and daring choices on your part to make it. That and supressing a crippling gambling addiction long enough to afford the basic gear. Now you’ve wound up as the primary babysitter, feared leader and beloved chef (beloved, yes!) of one of the most lethally eclectic band of misfits the universe has ever seen. Ex-gang members,ex-human Republic army regulars/deserters, ex-Alien Fed enforcers, ex-bartender/part-time-model, ex-miners, ex-slaves, ex-pirates, current convicts, current killer-bots animated by highly illegal AI, current alien musical cabbages good with surgery tools. If you name it, then it’s probably in your squad, or at least in the wider platoon, and even-odds that whatever it is also has an outstanding warrant out for its arrest somewhere in the galaxy. And all of them, every man and woman and genderless being among them, each are dumb enough to gamble on getting shot out of a ship in high orbit into a hostile warzone and surviving long enough to collect their paycheque.They’re your pack. Your new family in this fragged up world where violence is one of the few respectable professions left to a human. And right now, they’re not making it very easy for you to keep them alive.[1/2 Recap]
[2/2 Recap]Eight months. Eight long, blood-stained months of constant guerilla warfare in the equatorial jungles of Dis. The rag-tag band of escaped slaves, trained and equipped by the unusually effective ‘pirates’ from off-world, has by now transformed into a formidable force capable of giving the Savis Legion more than one bloody nose before its inevitable defeat. And the defeat of the rebels is inevitable. The Savis loom over them with a powerful capital-class ship in orbit, two or even three titans thundering planetside, and enough Legionaries to conquer a Federation core world. A significant portion of the Royal Savis Empire has mobilized to suppress this rebellion, which was the plan all along, and a bunch of slaves working with hand-me-down firearms and a dream aren’t walking away from this. Which is exactly why the Black Company officer cadres are executing their exit plan. There’s also one more, vastly more urgent problem. The Savis Empire has experts in Jungle warfare of their own, recruited from Snake Eyes very own homeworld of Clayton’s Cradle to flesh out the Legion’s growing human auxiliaries from the scant colonies picked off the rotting corpse of the form Earth Republics. They’ve already killed one member of the Vinehound squad, Trooper Husk, and it’s looking unlikely that they’ll stop there.Matched with an equally deadly predator in familiar surrounds, Snake Eyes finds herself returning to her primal roots. Only one pack is walking firefight in the dark intact, and Sergeant ‘Snake Eyes’ Natalya does plan on carrying anymore of her comrades camcords to add to the Archive when this is all over, even if she gets herself killed protecting them in the process.An outcome that is looking far more likely with every new bullet wound.=================================================
>>6420859*Only one pack is walking away from this firefight in the dark intactGreat start genius. You had all week to draft this.
>>6420860It should also read:>Sergeant ‘Snake Eyes’ Natalya doesn't plan on carrying anymore of her comrades camcords to add to the ArchiveUnless of course you're implying we want our squadmates dead.
+++XENO QUOTE OF THE DAY+++>SELECTED BELCOSSAN“While the cultural significance of the music and works of art in this new generation of Belcossans is fascinating to the Quexi philosophers, my colleagues from Coryx are more interested in the very real biological effect that the massive losses in Belcossan population seem to have resulted in the remaining population.It is unclear whether this ‘Thorn’ sub-population is indeed a separate breed, or an existing self-defence mechanism attempting to react to the shared trauma. The changes the physiology are observable, with darker coloured hues to their extremities, hardening of the surface areas, and, if the latest survery estimates on the steadily are accurate, likely infertile. Even a modest estimate of 15 to 25,000 of these ‘Thorn’ specimens present in the general population already shows a sizeable fraction of the already dwindling population.The board formally moves for additional funding for the dissection of suitable expired subjects, and that it be reviewed by the sub-committee with a Class-Beta priority due to the risk of expiry in the proposed subject population at large.”- Felic-Xenodemographics-Doctorate, lead researcher of the Coryx-Quexi Outreach Institute28th Cycle February 2231AD (three months ago) – Calypso Waystation – Former Earth Republics Space[/b] “Sergeant. Corporal. A pleasure doing business with you.” Cai Yichen’s grin was reflected in his gaudy gold-plated glasses. “As always.”Thorn didn't have the greatest eye for human fashion, but in his estimation the gangleader’s white suit was only the second most offensive thing about his outfit, it took all kinds of arrogant to smoke cigars on a space station of all places. Not that Thorn-of-Ebony cared, not while keeping his eye on the submachine gun strapped across the chest of Cai’s henchman. Thorn-of-Ebony kept his tendril on the pistol, even after Cai’s man had stepped back from the cargo hauler holding their end of the trade.“It’s all there.” Thorn’s tendril eased slightly at the sound of his partner’s grudging acknowledgement. It didn’t escape him that Cortez hadn’t corrected the Cai’s remark on their ranks. It was just Cortez these days, and just Thorn. They hadn’t been ranking members of the Three Pines Planetary Reserve for a long while now. And if one was honest, they’d stopped being soldiers even before that, long before they had finally ditched their ragged uniforms.“Glad to hear you so pleased with the merchandise. Anything we can do to help out the Republic Resurgent.” Another puff of smoke. “That is what your outfit is calling yourself these days, right?”[1/3]
>>6420862I deserve this.
Cortez didn’t rise to the bait, and Thorn didn’t blame him. Cai’s grin was only slightly ruined by the knife scar trickling out from one side of his jaw, the proud markings of the Asiatic numbers in a triangle displayed openly on his chest. So what if this human gang member knew they were deserters? All the same, Thorn felt that sickly, corrosive sap pulse down to his very heartwood. The kind that left him in a cold rage that could last for days if he didn’t watch it.That burning sap didn’t leak away, even as the back-and-forth mutterings concluded and the gang members departed for the main station hall. “That Cai fucker give me the creeps.” Cortez spat. “But it’s not worth crossing them. They were well dug here on Calypso Station even before… well, you know.”Thorn-of-Ebony was quiet, still struggling with the burning sap. More and more it was like this, but it was all he had to get through the cycle. Ever since he had started calling himself ‘he’. The deep sorrow of the slow twilight of his species welled up like a floodwater breaking over the embankment, as it did in the Saga of the Sundered Root. He tried, and failed, to capture a shred of his agony in one of the Great Belcossan Epic’s more obscure passages.“Mrrrrmm Akht.Brrrrmm Akht.”“Thorn…” Cortez turned an eye, his good eye, at his old war comrade. He’d stopped telling his Belcossan partner that he didn’t understand a word of these old Belcy tunes… but honestly that wasn’t true. The rage, the frustration, the spite… He got the gist. Voidmother knows it was a familiar enough feeling.“Come on. Let’s pack this up and get going.” Cortez looked at the cargo hauler forlornly. There’s wasn’t really a reason to rush, even with a crate of illegal firearms just sitting around this was one of the areas on Calypso that station enforcers didn’t patrol by agreement. Still, Cortez looked uneasy. “Stims for guns. Guns for creds. Creds for more stims. You wanna know why that Triad motherfucker pisses me off?”Thorn remained silent, he knew there was little point reverting to a tune telling Cortez to shut up.“It’s ‘cos I can’t tell the fucking difference between his kind and ours anymore.” Thorn nodded, a rather human expression he had picked up, even if he didn’t like all to many of their songs. It mattered little, given how worked up Cortez was at this point. “You’ve got slaves taking on the Savis empire with fucking pickaxes while our bosses play at smugglers. Even those voiddamn Black Company mercs have done more for our home than our people…”In his phloem Thorn-of-Ebony knew that Three Pines was dying. That the “Republic Resurgent”s claims of plans to reclaim the planet as sovereign Earth Republics territory was not only doomed, but probably futile even if they did win. But at least the humans were doing something. [2/3]
[3/3]Finding the human song that in the moment most closely resonated with the burning sap, bubbling and simmering in his core, Thorn placed a bristly tendril on Cortez’s shoulder.“ The road is dark, the way is lost, my eyes they strain to see I struggle forth to find a friend to light the way for me”Cortez blinked at the forefront of Thorn’s blackened foliage. “You mean… yeah maybe … ditch this Resurgent dreamer shit and strike out? Scud, even a mercs life right now looks better working for just another gang these days.”Thorn’s people had seemingly consigned themselves to a gradual, solemn everautumn into extinction… Some like his pod-sibling Thistle still tried, but even if Thistle saved everyone they could, they’d only be saving them to die another day on that dying world. But somewhere… somewhere out there. Maybe there was a place where Thorn’s kind could live, even regrow, on a world where the sky was theirs and their roots could grow deep. And if not for his people, of whom many if not most had seemed to have given up, then maybe at least for his human friend if nothing else.“Oh brothers can you hear my voice? Or am I all alone? If there’s no fire to guide my way, then I will start my own”Thorn didn’t believe it. But Thorn had decided long ago, when the burning sap started, that he would rather die fighting for something than wither away like his brethren. Until they found that something, fighting for mercs was the next best thing.“Oh by God we’ll have our home again, by God we’ll have our homeBy blood or sweat, we’ll get there yet, by God we’ll have our home”======================================Xeno Quote of the Day (select one for the next thread)For any newbies, this is also your verification vote. Link back in later votes if your ID changes, it does help me account for samefags.>Asandi>Auxl>Belcossan>Chorkrum>Coryx>Drax>Faenwedhe>Kroll>Pect’Max>Quexi>Savis>Yibrak>Vesh> League of Dis - Rebels
>>6420873>>YibrakI am so ready
>>6420873> League of Dis - RebelsLETS GO, ITS TIME TO WIN BIG OR DIE!
Well I must apologise for the sheer number of typos in this opening, I struggled to crack this out before bed tonight. I'll endevour to probably word check with my updates recommencin on the Wednesday/Sunday schedule, around approximately 10pm AEST on those days steadily going forward.
>>6420879*PROPERLYFuck.
>>6420869>KrollIt's good to be back. Hopefully we'll live to see BCQ thread #12
>>6420873>Pect’MaxMan Belcossan's don't deserve this shit, they should get H-Pass, y'know one dying species to another.Anyway hope shits okay chief since you left off on sudden notice and all.
>>6420873>QuexiHad to complete a Captcha gauntlet to post, holy shit.
>>6420873>SavisAssuming _this_ is the thread where we pull off the impossible with the titan, it'd be funny to see their POV next thread.
>>6420873>KrollGood to see you back at it Forgotten.Now its time to start paddling our way out of Shit Creek, with our bare hands if we have to.
>>6420873>Pect’MaxStV is next right?
>>6420873>>CoryxWelcome back
>>6420873>VeshLet's here about them!
>>6420873>SavisPoastin for the bringing the WRATH of CAIN to these godless slavers Whoops, wrong quest.
>>6420873>KrollKroll
>>6420873>YibrakI wanna see what the bugs are getting up to while the other two of the Big Three are fighting. Also, welcome back Forgotten!
>>6420873>SavisBeep boop
>>6420873>KrollLets hear it from the genocidal freaks. Also, welcome back Forgotten.
>>6420873>Kroll
>>6420873>>Krollfreakazoids
>>6420873>SavisHere we go again.
>>6420873Yes, made it to the sing in.Here we go boys, narthing but good rolls baby.Wtf even is this captcha!?>Chorkrum
>>6420873>KrollLets fucken go
>>6420873>>KrollHope you're doing well, forgotten.
>>6420873>ChorkrumLesgo.
>>6420873No strong preferences, just signing up
>>6420873>ChorkrumThese guys are so far away, we'll find out about them someday.
>>6420873>>ChorkrumHell yea, lets fucking go.
>>6420873Fuck, I forgot, thank god we haven't got too far into things yet. Anchor post
>>6420873>>Faenwedhe
>>6420873>Chorkrum
