Due to the ever present dangers wild Electrites pose to civilization innumerable groups and organizations have sprouted up across the millennia with the goal of exterminating these monsters. However 'Trites are a tenacious and adaptive species that have always managed to stay relevant threats even as technology advanced. Ethan Pencer had a family legacy of hunting these creatures and it was no surprise to anyone when he joined Summit International's 'Trite Killer division when he came of age.

Over his years of service in the paramilitary organization he had a few close calls dealing with the lightening drakes with one encounter leaving a permanent reminder of his mistake scarred across his face. But with a combination of luck and skill he eventually rose to the rank of Corporal and was able to take charge of his own Fire Team: Theta Squad

Corporal Pencer and his fire team went on to take part in several types of engagements, from assisting in riot control, counterterrorism operations, and of course hunting down and eliminating Electrites whenever one was spotted.

It was a quiet day at the barracks when he received a call from headquarters informing him that men from Dynamic Genetics (DyGen) wanted to meet with him person and discuss a contract. He agreed to see them. On the day of the meeting he was informed about the situation the contractors were facing. It had been a year since the DyGen Bioworks facility was raided by ecoterrorists and several valuable assets were stolen or lost in the process. The following year several retrieval teams successfully recollected a majority of them but there was one asset that still eluded capture, their most ambitious project so far: A custom bioengineered Electrite. Any team they sent after it had either suffered heavy loses or never came back at all. DyGen was also legally bound to compensate for all damages to life and property that its escapee inflicted, which was quickly threatening to bankrupt the company. Therefore, in an act of desperation, they came to contract a bounty on the creature. $7.5 Million alive or dead. $1.5 Million for each member of his team including himself. Even after the company got its share of the profit there would still be plenty left over to play with. He agreed on the contract, knowing his team would be eager to take part in this challenge, not just for the money but for the sport.

After days of preparation it was time for the squad to head to the rally point and began their search at the edge of the Trite's territory, which was estimated to cover a vast 400 square miles of forest and swamp. Corporal Pencer's squad each had a specialty to help the whole; Gold was fire support, Ace was the sniper, Willy was a tracker and heavy weapons specialist, and Bennett, the youngest and greenest of the group, was in charge of electronic surveillance and remote trapping. The team expanded their camp around their tactical RV while Bennett worked his technical magic, unleashing a swarm of micro drones from their "hive" on the roof of the RV and plotted their courses over the area to pinpoint any strong Electromagnetic signatures. A day went by without incident and with the camp set up it was time to explore the terrain on foot. Ace sat watchfully upon an extendable mast on top of the RV while Bennett was in the tent below, monitoring the drone feed from an array of screens and manually controlling a group of drones that overwatched Pencer and Gold as they followed behind Willy while she surveyed the environment. The 'Trite they were looking for was roughly the size of an Allosaurus and while any sign of its presence would have been obvious she was mainly focusing on identifying other potential threats, such as bears, wolves, and smaller Electrites that could be within the area. The group came upon a clearing at the junction of two large game trails, the iconic 3 toed imprints of Trite claws littered the ground in this area and there was a lot of overlapping from heavy traffic. But upon further inspection Willy went still when she realized something they didn't anticipate.

"Im seeing two different individuals here. Male and female."
Gold and Pencer looked at each other. Gold responded
"Are you saying we're dealing with a mated pair now?
Willy stood up and walked slowly around the junction, eyeing the circular trails around them more closely
"Its possible. See how its trampled in the middle like that? That's the female, she stands in one spot and lets the male came up and rub his body against her, she turns, he circles around, keeps going, and you end up with this bullseye pattern. Typical flirting behavior. She's a big one too, about one size smaller then the target"
Gold sneered "Well I'd hate to leave a widow behind..."
"Lets not keep hell waiting for them, lead on Willy" Pence nodded to her
"Amen to that, sir" She leads them down one of the more heavily traveled paths

Back at camp Bennett sipped a Monster Energy as he plotted out ways to optimize the search patterns when heard the metallic buzz of a perimeter marker going off. He swallowed so hard he went into a coughing fit as he brought out the perimeter feed, briefly seeing a long back Electrite tail slide out of screen. He grabbed his walkie
"Ace! cough We got a bogie coming in from the South East. Coming pretty quick too"
Ace sat up in his perch and sighted the area
"Get me eyes on it kid, trees are in the way"
"'Kay... give me a sec"
Ace heard a drone buzz to life from its hanger below and zipped off in the direction of the breach
"Oh god... Ace we got another one coming from North West. Its the target"
Ace wheeled around in his chair and looked in that direction, seeing birds take to the sky. The SE and NW sections had the thickest canopy around them, by the time he had a clear shot they'd be right next to the RV. He takes a deep breath and curses out loud
"Fuck..."
He radios Bennett back
"Okay kid forget the drone, you get your ass in the RV and you lock that door. You know what do to then"
"But what about you?"
"I'll come down soon, I wanna see if I can get a clean shot"
Pencer responded
"The hell you will, you're not safe up there. We're on our way, hold up inside with Bennett"
Ace was quiet for a moment, weighing his options. He felt like he had been on the sidelines for the past few missions and wanted to prove himself. This would his closest encounter with Trites so far. And if he could just wound one he'd be happy, all the better if he got a killing shot. As he shifted around to stay vigilant the safety tether hooked to his belt minimized his movement. He unhooks the line and waits

Not long afterwards he hears movement below, something big sniffing around near the SE edge of the camp. He slowly raises his rifle and takes aim. He could see dark hide moving through gaps in the leaves...but if he waited...he might see the head...

Thump Thump THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP

Ace heard the other Trite charge the RV... but it was too late to react...

BOOM

The target, a large bull Trite with distinctive gold tiger stripes https://www.furaffinity.net/view/27734223/ rammed into the broad side of the RV right behind Ace. The titanic force of the collision caused the sniper mast to swing forward, launching Ace out of his perch 25ft in the air face first. Ace could feel his heart in his throat as he watched the ground rush up towards him. He let his rifle fall from his arms, tucked his chin into his armpit, wrapped his arm around his head to shield it from the impact, and shut his eyes tight.

Bennett heard the dull thump of Ace impacting the ground and his pained exhale as the air was knocked out of his lungs. The young mercenary's head was throbbing in pain after his body was thrown into the wall, the RV was still rocking from the collision.
"Oh god! Ace!"
He stumbled through objects that had crashed onto the floor to look outside through the small bulletproof window on the door. The sight he witnessed made him freeze.
A jet black Electrite with fiery orange marking along the flank with long spines along its back http://www.furaffinity.net/view/29065325/ was slowly walking up to Ace as he laid on his side. His gun laying in front of him was now pinned under the Trite's foreclaws. Ace wheezed as he tried to catch his breath.

Rrrr-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r...

Ace stiffened and slowly opened his eyes. It was right there, leaning its snarling, fang filled jaws towards his face. Its fiery orange eyes contrasted against its jet black face. He was injured and now completely defenseless.

The Trite lunges onto Ace and pins him to the ground under its prehensile claws, her jaws widening, ready to bite into his head.

"Come on Kid..." Ace pleaded quietly.

Bennett slid open a panel on the side of the RV and let off a volley from an automatic rifle towards the Trite, aiming high in a cautious attempt not to hit Ace. The bullets missed the Trite completely but the noises scared it into running away. Bennett smiled briefly, thinking he had saved his squad mate.
Suddenly a deafening, shrieking roar echoed within the RV as the Bull grabbed the back end of the RV and started to rock the it back and forth with its powerful arms. Bennett braced himself
"Shit shit shit!"
The light coming in from the front window darkened as the other Trite came up to it, staring back at him with a murderous, fiery gaze. Then she raisedherself onto her hind legs and grabbed the RV's frame, helping her mate try to turn the RV on its side.
When RV's wheeled lifted high enough off the ground they both roared out in victory as they gave one last forceful tug, crashing the camper down on its side.

When Corporal Pencer, Gold, and Willy finally arrived at the scene the camp was completely devastated. The drone tent had been thrown into the trees and the equipment was scattered on the ground, trampled. And the RV that was their shelter, barracks, and bastion... turned on its side with the undercarriage damaged beyond repair and wheels chewed off. Ace's rifle laid alone on the ground amongst the debris. No sign of him or Bennett
The trio was stunned silent
With weapons ready they searched the area for their missing squad but found nothing. The top section of the RV had been torn to shreds and inside nearly gutted by racking claws
Corporal Pencer crawled inside and checked the radio. The moment he flicked the switch there was a pop and it immediately died. No doubt electrical damage caused by a Trite's electrical discharge. Pencer was overcome with rage. He threw the radio headset into the console and kicked it over and over, unleashing all his emotions with a slew of curses. He had accepted that his men were gone the moment he saw Ace's rifle. And now he had no way to call for help to save the rest of his team.
Gold and Willy waited outside, both dealing with their emotions internally
When Pencer came back out his face was tight with anger and determination
"I know that both of you want revenge for what happened here. I sure as hell do...."
he looked at them both
"But I'm not asking you two to risk your lives for my sake or for this fucking contract. You have the choice to go home at this point. But if you do want to come with me and gun those fuckers straight to hell in the name....in the names of Dominik and John...step toward"
They both stepped forward unwaveringly
The Corporal nodded slowly with approval
"Then lets go"

Electrites are an original species co-owned by  akurithelight and  IridescenceLu if you are interested in getting a customized Trite yourself feel free to contact them!

This great piece was made by the wonderful and talented  DarkDraconica please support their work! ^w^
Original art here~~~>https://www.furaffinity.net/view/35133121/

If you enjoy the story so far let me know if I should expand upon it! I think I might edit it and repost as a more fleshed out scifi story in the future ^^