Vance Tyrrell - Ulinkastar Hunter

"Are you sure you want to go in there alone, buddy? Those things are vicious!" said the taller man standing next to him.

"I don't see where I have much choice - unless you want to join me, Mr. Mancer?" Vance asked, in a joking voice.

"If I wanted to go in that Ulinkastar infested warehouse, I wouldn't have hired you. I'd just feel better about the odds of success if you had a full team. Are you sure you're up for this?" asked the owner, frowning.

"Hey, who said I don't have a full team? I have my trusty Laser Rifle, as well as a brand new Force Field. A guy couldn't ask for better backup." Vance said, grinning.

"Well... I guess I don't have anything to lose! Good luck." replied Mr. Mancer doubtfully.

"You most certainly don't. If I fail, I won't be coming out to collect a paycheck anyway. So whatever I kill will just be that much less for the next guy." Vance said reasonably.

"Do me a favor? Try to get the nest before you go to that great big hunting ground in the sky?" asked Mr. Mancer, as he turned to walk away.

"Oh, I'll get the nest. But I also plan to walk out of there under my own power." replied the young hunter confidently.

"Well, have fun. Better you than me." he said, shaking his head. "Ah, to be young and stupid again..." thought the businessman, as he strolled towards his luxury hovercraft.

"This is going to be a walk in the park. The old geezer is overestimating the buggers. Ulinkastars aren't half as dangerous as most of the things I hunted on New Mars... Now those were some good times. Weren't they, Chrissa?" he asked, patting the powerful Laser Rifle fondly.

"Time to make some new memories, old girl." Vance said, as he entered the Ulinkastar infested warehouse. He pointed the rifle in every direction, including up. Nothing moved.

"Here, monster monster... I'm not going to hurt you." whispered the hunter, slowly making his way towards a large corridor. It must have had at least a hundred doors, all closed.

"Now to find the nest. A very sharp needle, in a haystack of doors." he muttered, as he crept silently towards the first door.

Vance opened the unlocked door, and entered the room in the same way he had when going into the warehouse itself. "Nothing..." he said, as he exited the medium sized room, with crates stacked almost to the ceiling.

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Thirty-nine doors later:

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"Ouch! What the - !" exclaimed Vance, as a crate glanced off of his shoulder, the second that he opened the door. He rolled into the room, and began rapidly firing Chrissa.

A creature fell from the ceiling, almost on Vance's head. Its massive pincers were still clacking, and the giant pin-like suckers were still stabbing, even though its heads had been liberated from their long, slithering necks.

"Good work, Chrissa." he whispered to the weapon, as he rose. Carefully he searched the thin walkways which separated the crates. Not finding anything, he stopped by the far wall.

"Ah... They must be up there. Where there's one Ulinkastar, there's always more." he thought to himself.

Climbing the slats of one of the larger crates, Vance quietly made his way upward, using the slightly uneven method of stacking to help get to the top without alerting his prey.

"There it is!" he whispered, gazing upon a paper structure which was the same tannish color as the ceiling, and took up over half of the room.

Creeping forward, he saw hundreds of eyes watching his progress. They were well aware that they had company, and had gathered around the nest, to protect the young.

Vance took a small box out of a pocket, and attached it to a cylindrical package. In big red letters, it said DMD. He got within twenty-five yards of the nest before the first wave of creatures shot towards him.

At that moment, he threw the object. Removing another box he held it up in front of his face, and pushed a button.

The Ulinkastars stopped a yard in front of him, with a satisfying splat! Some stuck to the invisible force field, while others slid to the crates.

Vance waited until the horde stopped coming, then turned off the Force Field. He sprinted towards the exit, and dove out. The agile hunter slammed the door shut, then pointed the Force Field at it.

Large pieces of wood, followed by smaller ones, then splinters, came within inches of his open eyes. A few of the smaller pieces fell on the tips of his boots.

He turned off the Force Field, then strode in to inspect the damage. "Nice..." he whistled appreciatively.

The Ulinkastars were still thrashing in their death throes, and not a single crate remained in one piece. He alertly prowled the demolished room, shooting the odd Ulinkastar that was taking too long to stop moving.

Once silence reigned, the expert hunter continued his journey through the warehouse. The small groups he encountered were easily dispatched.

After inspecting each room, he strolled towards the main door, whistling Chrissa, Oh Chrissa. As he swung the heavy door open, the last rays of the setting sun hit his face.

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