Starfall: Story Summaries - Votes 21-34

You decide to avoid a confrontation by distracting the Grak. Picking up a chunk of rubble, you hurl it into the air past the group of alien creatures. The loud 'clang' as it lands causes them to rush off in the direction of the noise, leaving your path clear.

Exiting the pipe complex, you find yourself standing in front of a large building with a wide hanger bay at its front. The walls and surfaces have been marked by some kind of acidic organic substance – it seems this structure may have been infested and used as a hive by the creatures. Although you are surrounded by danger, you decide to take a look within.

Inside the infested building, you find many vehicles and a few LiftCarry Arma docked in bays along the sides of the hanger – they've been abandoned but still look as though they're in working order. Checking the cockpits and store cases of a few of the vehicles, you find some useful supplies. You are startled from your search by the appearance of a lone Grak – you take on the monster in combat, defeating it with ease.

At the end of the hanger, you find a long sloping passageway, leading down to a lift shaft. The passage turns off to the side, leaving you the choice to inspect the shaft, or descend further down the passage. You decide to investigate the lift shaft – the lift is jammed above, a deep drop below, with an AuGArma access ladder in the side of the shaft.

Ray alerts you that a group of Grak are approaching from lower part of the building. Utilising your agility, you drop into the open shaft, the Grak unaware of your presence. One of them is a tall & powerful Alpha Grak, the large fin on his skull demonstrating his superiority. Deciding to watch the group of aliens, you observe as a burst of destructive energy slams into them, ripping them apart.

As the blinding light fades, you see two cyborgs striding across the hanger, beam cannons attached to their mechanical arms. They stand at least ten feet tall, their faces the only human element visible.

In a flash of inspiration, you wait until the two augmented humans are about to pass by, and then burst out of the lift shaft, grasping one of the surprised men by the neck. After a brief impasse, you discover that the cyborgs are after the Grak eggs – a valuable item on the intergalactic black-market. You strike up a deal with the cyborgs: in exchange for their help in exiting the factory complex, you will accompany them deeper into the hive.

You reach a roughly-hewn tunnel cut into the side of the passage – the path into the centre of the Grak nest. Agreeing with the suggestion of the cyborgs, you stay in the passage, guarding the flank. It quickly becomes apparent that this was a necessary choice, as two Grak appear – an Alpha Grak and a lesser Grak. Standing your guard, you slay the monsters, sustaining heavy damage.

The cyborgs rush out of the tunnel, a couple of eggs under their arms. A deafening screech alerts you that the Queen Grak is in hot pursuit – and she's not very happy. As you flee along the passage, you bring your missiles online. Using them in a confined space could be dangerous, but you need to stop the Queen. You fire the projectiles into the ceiling, the giant mother alien flying towards you, spewing her acidic venom. Engaging your boosters, you sent the Ragnarok into a mad flight out of the collapsing passage, the cries of the angered Queen Grak muffled by the falling masonry.

The cyborgs and you dash out of the building, the hooting calls of many Grak echoing from all over the abandoned industrial complex. Deciding to head towards the fence together, you find yourself being pursued by a pack of aliens. You spot a stack of gas cylinders beside a nearby residential building – a risky but possibly effective way to deal with the Grak. You decide to take the risk, firing your missiles. An explosion rips out of the ground, knocking your AuGArma off its feet – there much have been a hidden pipeline nearby. You manage to recover from blast, taking minimal damage. The Grak aren't so lucky.

You reach the fence. The cyborgs set about trying to tear the metal plates apart. You could jump over the fence, ensuring your safety, or you could help the cyborgs escape first...