Aliens: Dark Moon Rising

[A L I E N]

Acknowledgements:

Stan winston: Alien Queen Design
H.R Giger: Original "Creature" Design
Darkhorse Comics: Interesting ways to kill Aliens


The "MOON" research facility, location know only by the few. There were legends of course, some featured a revolt of workers and scientists. Others told of Marines losing their minds and systematically killing all the civilians, some say the experiments broke free. All these rumors are of course......true......

Grubbs was a man of logic and more importantly profit. He and his co-pilot would do dangerous expeditions to far places. Only at the right price of course! Grubbs was a hulk of a man, 6ft and not skinny tall either. He walked with eyes in the back of his head, he had every right to. In his 45 years of life he had screwed over alot of people, killed a few as well. Grubbs was not a man of many weapons or fancy tech, but he did like his 45. Pistol. The only man he would ever put faith in is his co-pilot, Frankie King. A kid, 19 or so he says. Not much is know about Frankie, he likes it in such a fashion.

Grubbs ship, Old Bess, was docked in a rented spot. Old Bess was big and beat up, just like Grubbs. She was fast and can get you in and out of your required destination, you see on this fine day the biggest bit of business was coming Grubbs way.

"I presume your Grubbs?" A neatly dressed man inquired.
"Who wants ta Know?" Grubbs replied hastily.
"My name's, Mr. Crowley. I may have a proposition for you, if your interested?" Crowley Implied
"What does this job entail?" Grubbs raised a eyebrow.
"I take it you have heard the stories of "MOON"? Crowley began.
"Of course, every smuggler worth breathing does!" Grubbs chuckled
"Well, I was wondering if you would be so kind to drop me and some "friends" off on the surface? Of course we could make it worth your time!"

Grubbs knew "MOON" was bad news, yet a one way trip for this fancy boy and his cheque sounded good!

"Dock 5, we only have room for five plus 2 bags of equipment. Be there at 03:00, we leave at 03:15 with or without you! Your choice."

Crowley knew he had found the kind of idiot he needed, a expendable idiot........

"MOON" Surface

The USCM base lay there dormant, not a sound. The base lights were off, the darkness concealed the horrors with in. Only the emergency red lights flickered on and off, the light reflected off of the crown. The damp foreign surface, warm and still. The Queen was alone, no drones or workers. The Hive was dead, the Queen lying lifelessly on the floor. The behemoth took up most of the floor space, melted into the steel and iron. Curled up like a dead insect, tail wrapped around her. At first glance you would have mistaken it for a limb of hers. But no, this was something different. Nestled in between her dead cold arms was a round object. A egg, like no other. It was larger, darker, something more horrific about it..... A egg, a royal egg..... Containing the next generation of terror! It lies in wait.......

[Son of Yautja]

I like it! 

Grubbs is pretty interesting (I kinda hope he is not an "idiot" like Crowley thinks)

It will cool to find out what is in the "egg".....mmmmmm

[A L I E N]

Glad you like it, will hopefully post part II up soon

Chapter II

Old Bess departed with a rough grinding metal sound that echoed through the crews souls, well it would have if any of them had such a thing. You see everyone on board, had sold theirs.....

Old Bess, finest cargo ship in the galaxy. This of course is according to Grubbs. Frankie, the kid, just goes with the flow. Grubbs found Frankie as a 15 year old homeless scavenger, on a junk planet Arkions IV. Grubbs took the boy on, nobody knows why and nobody asks.

Grubbs had been at the helm for 48 hours straight, the kid next too him only leaving to get a cuppa joe or some food. The control room was worn out, stained and rather smelly. The seats were worn and the controls had been replaced several times. None of this mattered to the kid, let alone Grubbs a hardened space captain. Bits of scrap cuttings and pin up girls coated the cock pits walls, nothing ahead and nothing behind. Just the open road, if you will, and a shit cuppa coffee. At the 49th hour at the wheel things started to set in. The sounds and images in Grubbs mind were screaming. He got this alot, Grubbs had a flaw in his brain. He had been shot in the head twice and survived, but those two bullets left their mark. He had some tablets under his seat, he simply popped two every time he felt off. Normality resumes......

[Everlasting Undead]

I like Grubs and the fact that those two lead slugs in his brain open a lot of potential: does he go a bit mental, have a berserker rage, or has it opened dormant psychic regions of brain that lets him tune in on BUG FM??? So much to play with there.

I like the notion of the dead queen hugging it's last chance at a new hive: good imagery of a mother protecting its child to it's last.

Am I the only one who started singing Ozzy Osbourne's "Mr Crowley" in his head when the Suit was introduced into the story???

[A L I E N]

Glad im getting pos feedback! Grubbs bullet damage is there for a reason that will become clear....

Chapter III

Crowley had been drifting in and out of a uneasy sleep. The bunks of Old Bess were not the most comfortable, but it was not that keeping him up. The rest of the "team", were sound asleep. Preparing for the mission ahead. These men had done this mission many a time, Crowley on the other hand never went on these sort of mission. His contractors would hire him and then he would sub recruit a team of such men to retrieve or take out who or what ever the bosses requested. But this time Crowley wanted to over see this. The biggest treasure he had ever had to salvage was on "MOON", simple letting hired guns walking there would be ludicrous! Though the squad this time was made up of the best of all his previous teams, he still had trouble in trust. In the end, every man has his price. Greed is human nature, Poetry of the Flesh......

Grubbs was drifting in and out of sleep, "Grubbsy! wake up you sack-of-crap!" The Kid couldn't keep a straight face as he untered the words. Grubbs opened on eye followed by the other. "Watch your mouth boy!" Grubbs said with a grin. "Were close, 20 minutes close." The Kid told Grubbs. "Right, lets get this show on the road." Grubbs pressed a tanon button. "Get your freak on ladies! 16 minutes and were touching down!" The Kid smirked at Grubbs and his "pep" talk.

15 minutes later the ship had successfully docked, the "team" were ready to leave and Crowley was now in military fatigues. None of this fazed Grubbs until he saw the rest of the team in similar outfits.
Alarm bells were now ringing in Grubbs little think tank.....

[RagingDragon]

I like your ideas, ALIEN.  The moonbase concept is cool, if it is (in fact) our moon here on Earth.  It brings the Alien a lot closer to home.  The characters seem interesting as well.

What time is this story set in?  Pre-Aliens?  Post-Aliens?  A small reference would help readers.

My advice is to work on your story construction.  If you want to keep it short and sweet like it is, make sure it's structured so that it makes sense for the reader to follow.  You went from describing a distant location, to describing a character, to dialogue, with no explanation as to where the characters were talking?

And grammar, everyone (including myself) can always benefit from working on grammar and proper syntax.    I'm looking forward to more installments!

[A L I E N]

Cheers bro, glad it has a good reception. Some people on other forums ice you for messing up small things! At least here it's good constructive criticism. Thanks for the advice, will try to incorporate a time line and location of MOON it's self. 

Chapter IV

"This ain't no military vessel! You hear me Crowley! I do no questions asked charters, not drop ship work for weekend warriors!" Grubbs growls with his teeth bared. If there was one thing Grubbs would never have is wannabe mercs cruising on his ship. "Please, calm down Mr. Grubbs" Crowley grins. "You are one of few who know this location, also one of the craziest son of a bitch's to even try it!" Crowley had Grubbs in the exact place where he wanted him, powerless. Grubbs could pull out his trusty 45. and drop Crowley and maybe one of his goons before they blew him away. Grubbs was desperate, Crowley knows this....

Grubbs raises his fist, Crowley's goons fingers slip onto the triggers all at once, the kid stares and Crowley's face goes from smug to terror in two seconds flat. Grubbs hammers his fist down on the air lock control. A very digital voice states, "Air lock tunnel pressurising.......Complete". Crowley's smug masquerade returns. "Fine! We play it your way." Grubbs utters. The tension ends...... for now......

Chapter V

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The decks were silent, silent until the echoes began. The dull thud of metalic boots on the floor of "Deck V" The kitchen. Or so the plans said, but what Crowley, Grubbs and the team found looked more like a butchers. Blood covered most of the floor, the walls had some kind of decaying black resin climbing them. The team pushes on........

"The good stuffs on deck 10 people" Crowley says with his eyes examining the facility layout on a PDA system. Crowley looks out of place in these Military fatigues. He doesn't care the only thing his mind is on is sucuring the package and getting his pay. Grubbs walks between the four mercs, they are all in personialzied armour. The big guy "Stone", wore black battle fatigues scratched worn out.  The small guy "Stripe", wore a green military style jump suit with customized armour palting. The two behind Grubbs, they both wore USCM armour. Most likely stolen or just AWOL veterans. Grubbs didn't think much of this, he just though about him and the kid surviving this thing. In the end both Grubbs and Frankie were just expendable assests.....

Chapter VI

The group moved further and deeper into the facility, every step brought them closer. Closer to her.

"Deck VIII, storage" Mr Crowley notified the rest of the team and their prisoners. They had been inside the facility for about an hour, not that anyone was keeping track. Grubbs and The Kid kept a constant visual for three things: A way out, Hostiles and Crowley. Crowley could turn at any point and off them right here! No one would care or know, Grubbs knew he would most likely be kept alive to pilot Old Bess The Kid was however loud and a rebel. Good factors in Grubb's line of work but not in a situation like this. Grubbs had to get leverage of some kind and his .45 back.......

A consistent pattern was forming, as they got closer to "Deck 10". Less bodies but more black matter climbing the walls like a webbing of some kind. Crowley was to focused on his PDA device he didn't notice. The grunts most likely were paid to shut their mouths and keep their eyes wide open. The corridors became dimmer and the webbing became thicker. The group arrive at the entrance to the stairwell down, but this time it was different. It wasn't a standard pressure door like the others had passed through. It was notably made of different alloys and look stronger. The key pad had a single drop of blood on the key and more noticeably an acid burn to the top right of the pad......

Chapter VII

Crowley examined the pad, then the door and then back to the control pad once more. "I would say blow it wide open, but we my need it intact" Crowley says as he turns back to face them. "Stripe, run us a bipass if you'd be so kind". Stripe, as commanded stepped forward, removed his back pack and retrived a small device from inside. He removes a hatch underneath the control pad and connetcs the device with a small cord. "It should take me about five minutes, sir" Stirpe informed Crowley.

The corridor was silent and dim, some of Crowleys men had turned their shoulder lamps on. The hive webbing that linned the walls was black but dusty, dead for a long time. The floor space was almost completely covered in the stuff, the ceiling wasn't much different it just seemed to hang there, motionless almost in wait......