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Description
The Hunters Chapter 1:
www.deviantart.com/sasbe/art/T…
______________________________________
Lera ran as fast as she could into the sandy swamp. She preferred the risk of being swallowed by the quicksand than being torn apart by the claws of the zerglings that were close on her heels. Panting, she stepped onto the dangerous sand.
She had been in the desert swamp a few times before, mainly to explore the life of the sandworms that lived there. Therefore, she had learned to distinguish the firm sand from the soft. Until now she had always been able to take her time, but now she had to decide quickly which way to go if she wanted to survive. While the first steps were still easy to choose, after a few meters the quicksand was no longer so easy to distinguish. Fortunately, Lera thought to herself, as this would also be difficult for the zerg spawn to distinguish, at least she hoped that.

Cavir... moonless planets always bring her bad luck, Lera knew, but she didn't want to miss the chance to make a name for herself as one of the first biologists to study the abandoned Zerg nydus systems on these soulless desert planet. For this she left Mar Sara and the sight of Pyramus and Thisby, who always gave her pleasure and under whose appearance she met and married her husband. She also left him and the cry of their common son, one-year-old Dilan, for this well-paid mission on behalf of the Dominion.

Now, however, she heard a quieter, if more nightmarish, screaming behind her, from which she concluded that the distance to her pursuers should be only hundreds of meters. For a zergling, however, that means it will only take a few seconds before its teeth will bite through the flesh of its prey.

But the shriek also reminded her of the first time she heard it the day before. The day their transporter was attacked by the Zerg. The research team was aware that there were still some beasts of the former Tiamat Brood roaming around Cavir, but the targeted attack on their transport vehicle took them all by surprise. Lera had set out with two other researchers, her research assistant, a medic, and 8 Marines to penetrate the dead Nydus Channels in a moderately armed cargo vehicle. A dangerous sounding mission, which in the last months was evaluated to a harmless routine, because except some broodlings and few zerglings no contacts came in.
But moonless planets always bring her bad luck, Lera knew. And then came the spikes. Lurkers they must have been, Lera and the others were aware. And this beasts were waiting. At least they had escaped from their territory, even if the tentacles and spikes cost not only the vehicle, but the lives of six Marines. Unfortunately, the Firebats were among them, which would have been helpful against what came next. And Max, Lera's young assistant, not even 19 years old, also died by being split in two. The rest managed to save themselves on nearby rocks and set up a small camp in a deep mountain crevice. By evening, however, chirps and swarms revealed that some zerglings were scouring the rocks, while Lera and lead biologist Hadis Seran exchanged theories about the causes of the targeted sneak trap. However, they came to only the most obvious conclusion, that someone or something must have taken control of the lurkers, and the name of the Queen of Blades came up. So early the next morning, the group, under the prompting of Seargent Seagan, set out early. But it didn't help, because moonless planets always bring her bad luck, Lera knew. A swarm of about twenty Zerglings tracked down the group, splitting it even further because of individual exhaustion and the already difficult terrain. While the Marines drew the interest of the little beasts with their fire, the three explorers each ran in a different direction. While eye contact with Seran was lost after only a few seconds, she could see her colleague Davidson being grabbed and dragged away by the Zerg.

It was a some time ago since she stopped hearing the Marines fire, and at least half a dozen Zerglings were now chasing after her at a rapid pace. Lera had a handgun with her, but she couldn't really use it effectively, nor was it capable of keeping a horde of nasty clawed dogs at bay. Therefore, the only way left for her was to go into the sand bog that appeared in front of her.

But their decision was to be rewarded. Two of her pursuers ran straight into the quicksand and now had to fight with the devouring desert. The other four instinctively ran slower, which gave Lera more time. And then she could not believe her eyes.
Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of an upright figure. One of the Marines must have survived the attack, she thought, and gaining new hope. But as she turned to the figure, she tripped over a rock and fell onto solid sand. When she looked up, the zerglings were already with her. Now it was all over, she thought, and knew that she would now meet the same fate as the others, because moonless planets always bring her bad luck, Lera knew.

The first zergling that reached her rose above her. Saliva dripped from its greedy mouth down onto Lera's dirty face. However, it still paused and the expected bite did not occur. Now the other three crept along his side as well. But two of them turned their eyes in the direction where Lera had recognized the upright figure shortly before and strolled in its direction. Despite this, Lera had little hope by now that this would be their salvation. They were in the open field and the Marine alone against four. Yet something was wrong. The zergling above her still stood there as if frozen. His conspecific, however, joined him and was less hesitant. But just as he was about to bite, the slobbering zergling threw himself on him and prevented his brood brother from hurting Lera by this action. Astonished, Lera watched the drooler, as she would baptize him a few hours later, slice open the skin of the other zergling with his claws and kill him in cold blood. Then she closed her eyes.

A small pause, a small darkness. Then she noticed a shadow standing over her. Slowly she opened her eyes again. The first thing she noticed was the bright moon appearing behind her rescuer. Only then she notice the Marine standing directly in front of it, then the heavily tan armor, the flashy high-tech shoulder armor to his right, the elongated beast-like helmet, the tainted and freshly used Gauss rifle, and last but not least the spiky back that literally encircled the moon behind him. And then it dawned on Lera that before her stood not a Marine, but what must once have been a Marine. And finally she remembered something else. There is no moon on Cavir.

But this moon, Lera did not know, would not bring the universe the luck that it had given her.
______________________________________

A starcraft fan fiction.

Image created with stable diffusion and this output inspired me for this story.

Description
The Hunters Chapter 1:
www.deviantart.com/sasbe/art/T…
______________________________________
Lera ran as fast as she could into the sandy swamp. She preferred the risk of being swallowed by the quicksand than being torn apart by the claws of the zerglings that were close on her heels. Panting, she stepped onto the dangerous sand.
She had been in the desert swamp a few times before, mainly to explore the life of the sandworms that lived there. Therefore, she had learned to distinguish the firm sand from the soft. Until now she had always been able to take her time, but now she had to decide quickly which way to go if she wanted to survive. While the first steps were still easy to choose, after a few meters the quicksand was no longer so easy to distinguish. Fortunately, Lera thought to herself, as this would also be difficult for the zerg spawn to distinguish, at least she hoped that.

Cavir... moonless planets always bring her bad luck, Lera knew, but she didn't want to miss the chance to make a name for herself as one of the first biologists to study the abandoned Zerg nydus systems on these soulless desert planet. For this she left Mar Sara and the sight of Pyramus and Thisby, who always gave her pleasure and under whose appearance she met and married her husband. She also left him and the cry of their common son, one-year-old Dilan, for this well-paid mission on behalf of the Dominion.

Now, however, she heard a quieter, if more nightmarish, screaming behind her, from which she concluded that the distance to her pursuers should be only hundreds of meters. For a zergling, however, that means it will only take a few seconds before its teeth will bite through the flesh of its prey.

But the shriek also reminded her of the first time she heard it the day before. The day their transporter was attacked by the Zerg. The research team was aware that there were still some beasts of the former Tiamat Brood roaming around Cavir, but the targeted attack on their transport vehicle took them all by surprise. Lera had set out with two other researchers, her research assistant, a medic, and 8 Marines to penetrate the dead Nydus Channels in a moderately armed cargo vehicle. A dangerous sounding mission, which in the last months was evaluated to a harmless routine, because except some broodlings and few zerglings no contacts came in.
But moonless planets always bring her bad luck, Lera knew. And then came the spikes. Lurkers they must have been, Lera and the others were aware. And this beasts were waiting. At least they had escaped from their territory, even if the tentacles and spikes cost not only the vehicle, but the lives of six Marines. Unfortunately, the Firebats were among them, which would have been helpful against what came next. And Max, Lera's young assistant, not even 19 years old, also died by being split in two. The rest managed to save themselves on nearby rocks and set up a small camp in a deep mountain crevice. By evening, however, chirps and swarms revealed that some zerglings were scouring the rocks, while Lera and lead biologist Hadis Seran exchanged theories about the causes of the targeted sneak trap. However, they came to only the most obvious conclusion, that someone or something must have taken control of the lurkers, and the name of the Queen of Blades came up. So early the next morning, the group, under the prompting of Seargent Seagan, set out early. But it didn't help, because moonless planets always bring her bad luck, Lera knew. A swarm of about twenty Zerglings tracked down the group, splitting it even further because of individual exhaustion and the already difficult terrain. While the Marines drew the interest of the little beasts with their fire, the three explorers each ran in a different direction. While eye contact with Seran was lost after only a few seconds, she could see her colleague Davidson being grabbed and dragged away by the Zerg.

It was a some time ago since she stopped hearing the Marines fire, and at least half a dozen Zerglings were now chasing after her at a rapid pace. Lera had a handgun with her, but she couldn't really use it effectively, nor was it capable of keeping a horde of nasty clawed dogs at bay. Therefore, the only way left for her was to go into the sand bog that appeared in front of her.

But their decision was to be rewarded. Two of her pursuers ran straight into the quicksand and now had to fight with the devouring desert. The other four instinctively ran slower, which gave Lera more time. And then she could not believe her eyes.
Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of an upright figure. One of the Marines must have survived the attack, she thought, and gaining new hope. But as she turned to the figure, she tripped over a rock and fell onto solid sand. When she looked up, the zerglings were already with her. Now it was all over, she thought, and knew that she would now meet the same fate as the others, because moonless planets always bring her bad luck, Lera knew.

The first zergling that reached her rose above her. Saliva dripped from its greedy mouth down onto Lera's dirty face. However, it still paused and the expected bite did not occur. Now the other three crept along his side as well. But two of them turned their eyes in the direction where Lera had recognized the upright figure shortly before and strolled in its direction. Despite this, Lera had little hope by now that this would be their salvation. They were in the open field and the Marine alone against four. Yet something was wrong. The zergling above her still stood there as if frozen. His conspecific, however, joined him and was less hesitant. But just as he was about to bite, the slobbering zergling threw himself on him and prevented his brood brother from hurting Lera by this action. Astonished, Lera watched the drooler, as she would baptize him a few hours later, slice open the skin of the other zergling with his claws and kill him in cold blood. Then she closed her eyes.

A small pause, a small darkness. Then she noticed a shadow standing over her. Slowly she opened her eyes again. The first thing she noticed was the bright moon appearing behind her rescuer. Only then she notice the Marine standing directly in front of it, then the heavily tan armor, the flashy high-tech shoulder armor to his right, the elongated beast-like helmet, the tainted and freshly used Gauss rifle, and last but not least the spiky back that literally encircled the moon behind him. And then it dawned on Lera that before her stood not a Marine, but what must once have been a Marine. And finally she remembered something else. There is no moon on Cavir.

But this moon, Lera did not know, would not bring the universe the luck that it had given her.
______________________________________

A starcraft fan fiction.

Image created with stable diffusion and this output inspired me for this story.