I don't know if this submission thing is still active, but I thought I might as well post what I've done so far anyway. [spoiler] ***FOTCTerm 402.17 (remote override)*** <Unauthorized access-alarm 273-> <Security Breached 50-h<381.7.501.754>-> Vrax and the other dregs were scouring the alien ruins for salvage once more, at the behest of Kivlik, Zeiopht Subjugator, though Vrax knew sifting through the detritus would be fruitless. If the structure had been picked over once, it had been picked over five score times. He hissed his displeasure at the tedium and the hopelessness of the effort. Vrax, however, would not dare to go against orders, even foolish ones. He was but a dreg, and he had heard the desperation creeping into Kivlik’s utterances. The captain’s worry was understandable, for it had been many cycles since his flock had brought back appropriate tribute to the House; tribute which was becoming increasingly hard to come by on this barren moon. Vrax and the rest had all heard the ugly rumors that were beginning to circulate. If Kivlik, Zeiopht Subjugator, did not remedy his delinquency in the matter with haste, his reputation within the House would be irrevocably stained, and Vrax and the others would bear the brunt of their captain’s wrath. The dregs finished the sweep of the ruins with little to show for their efforts and stepped out into the gray, desolate wastes of the human homeworld’s moon. They quickly arrayed themselves in a respectable formation to report their findings to the captain. Kivlik approached, escorted by two of his vandals, but before he could address the dregs a bright light streaked across the stars and, several seconds later, the faint sound of the object’s impact was heard in the distance. Kivlik, elated by the prospect of salvage, sprang into action, postponing the report and ordering his flock to mount their pikes and head for the crash site at once. *** Rafe found himself facing downwards, ensnared by a safety harness in the dark confines of a cramped escape pod. The pitch black interior of the pod was periodically illuminated by the strong red glow of a warning light. Gaining awareness, he discerned the pod’s entry hatch below him in the pulsing darkness. He touched a tongue that felt like sandpaper to his cracked lips, and then stretched his sore limbs to the extent that he could in the pod. His whole body ached from the hard landing. After orienting himself, he swung his legs down and gave the hatch two solid kicks until the hinges and lock wrenched free, and watched as it plummeted several meters down into soft lunar dust, forming a billowing silver-gray cloud. The pod was jutting from the wall of a large crater, with only the nose embedded in the crumbling moon rock. Rafe felt its delicate balance shift now that the hatch was gone. He quickly tore away the harness and dropped out of the pod, falling a dozen meters in the low gravity and landing on his side in the stirred up dust. Losing no time, he rose to his feet and moved out of the way as the pod worked itself loose and followed him down into the crater. Once out of immediate danger, the Guardian paused a moment to reflect on his situation, though memories were coming only in fragments. He felt a sharp pain in his side, and looked down to see a fairly recent puncture in his suit [a swift movement/ gleaming arc/ piercing agony] where someone had slid a knife between his ribs. He felt a dull throb from the back of his skull [legs swept out from under/ a hard fall], along with other aches in the rest of his body. He had been taken by surprise… betrayed… by another Guardian [cloak of midnight]. Why? The Hunter had wanted something [information], wanted it badly enough to play dirty. The bastard hadn’t finished him while he had the chance, though [his mistake], just jettisoned him in an escape pod, it would seem. A bolt of energy shot past Rafe’s helmet, interrupting his reverie, and he instantaneously dived to get the pod between him and his assailant. Quickly looking around the edge, he caught sight of the glow from a spider pirate’s rifle as it charged for the next shot up on the rim of the crater. Pulling back and noticing that the hatch was on his side of the pod, Rafe glanced around the interior and saw that his pistol had been thrown in with him. He reached in and grabbed it, checking the cylinder and the scope. It was the .45 Magnum, Mega Class that he’d built himself with parts salvaged from the Misriah ruins. Some would call it an antique, and rightly so, but it was an easy to maintain, reliable, and powerful hand cannon. Magnum MCs were the [i]ne plus ultra[/i] of sidearms at the dawn of the Golden Age and, surprisingly, could still hold their own against modern revolvers like the Duke or the Rambler. The Magnum was fairly accurate too, but it was useless on the Fallen several hundred meters away. There wasn’t any cover at the bottom of the crater Rafe could use to advance on the sniper’s position, either. The best option was to sit and wait- the Fallen would eventually come down to investigate, and he could take them on at close quarters then. Climbing inside the pod, he took a seat and leveled the .45 at the door. *** It had been a lengthy period of time since Yij took a shot at the Guardian and missed, sending it scurrying behind the scorched hulk of the escape pod. Kivlik, who had been pacing along the crater rim, waiting for the alien to reappear, finally decided to send three of his flock down to flush it out: the vandal Yij, so that he could reclaim his honor; and two dregs to accompany him. Yij, Vrax and Nekis mounted their pikes and eased them down the sloping wall of the crater, gunning the engines when they reached the bottom. A lone Guardian who was still recovering from a crash would be an easy take, they believed, and the deed would bring them into Kivlik’s good graces. Thirty meters out from the wreck they slowed their pikes to a halt and continued, cautious yet excited, on foot. Kivlik was watching the scene unfold from his vantage point on the crater rim with the rest of his flock. He saw Yij direct the dregs around either side of the pod, and as soon as one of them disappeared behind it to check inside, he reappeared instantaneously, blown back in the low gravity in a splatter of blood. The second dreg rushed the pod and met a similar fate. Yij, who had been holding his position a short distance from the pod, didn’t even have time to react as the Guardian emerged from its cover and blew off his head. The altercation, which lasted less than ten seconds, stunned the rest of the Fallen long enough so that the Guardian was already halfway to one of the pikes before the remaining vandals opened fire. The Guardian made it to a pike in spite of their enfilade, however, and raced toward their position. Kivlik halted firing and ordered his flock to assume defensive stances. *** The spider pirates really made it too easy, with their constant chittering and hissing. They didn’t seem to understand the concept of stealth. As soon as he had dispatched the first three, Rafe dashed for one of their pikes, a round grazing his shoulder before he mounted one and made for the rest of the aliens on the crater rim. As the pike raced towards his assailants, Rafe deftly swapped a new cylinder into the magnum and cocked the hammer. Dust swirled into the lunar atmosphere as the spider pirates’ shots narrowly missed him, until it abruptly stopped as he closed on their position. When he reached the crater side he angled the pike to ease the ascent, shot up over the rim, braked hard as he fell, and turned it around to face the spider pirates. The few shots they did get off were all deflected by the nose of the pike, and he let them have it with the speeder’s cannons before hopping off and jamming the accelerator forward. As the pike reached his foes, Rafe placed a few well aimed shots into its fuel tank. Though standing several meters away, the explosion still knocked him off the ground in the low gravity. The Guardian was halfway to his feet when he heard the screech of the Fallen commander as it flew towards him in a fury. Rafe found himself on his back a second time, but now with the snarling, ugly son of a bitch on top of him. Half of it’s face was a charred mess, and the butt of the .45 connected with that tender spot in a split second. As the alien drew back in agony, Rafe emptied his pistol into it’s chest, but armor plating stopped the rounds short. <Spurious Interrupt- Breach Disabled> <Countermand A1*Y3*L2*G7- Cycle Security Protocol 50-h<381.7.501.754>-> <logical reset error> <Further Access Denied> [/spoiler] Still a work in progress. And... it's kind of longer than I thought it was. Sorry about that.