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<td valign="top" background="images/design/red/surround_title_s.gif"><span class="sectiontext"><font color="#FF6600"><a href="alien.html" class="sectionlink">Kharaa
Data</a> :: <a href="alien_species.html" class="sectionlink">Species</a>
:: <a href="alien_gorge.html" class="sectionlink">Gorge</a>: Observation</font></span></td>
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<p><b>Summary</b>: Belligerent and obese, Gorges
serve as a kind of mobile hive and support unit.
Their most important role is triggering <a href="alien_newhives.html">new
hives</a> and creating <a href="alien_chambers.html">chambers</a>
from lumps of raw matter<br>
they … un-digest. Without them the aliens
cannot keep pace with <a href="front_commander.html">marine
research</a> and <a href="front_upgrades.html">upgrades</a>.
To this end, they receive resources much faster
than other species, and can tap a larger amount.
They can also spray <a href="alien_gorge_primary.html">healing</a>
bacteria from their mouths, restoring chambers
and other aliens to full effectiveness. Though
their role is not as aggressive as the other species,
they consistently find ways to cause mischief
and support attacks on enemy positions. And with
their <a href="alien_gorge_inherent.html">spit</a>,
<a href="alien_gorge_hive.html">web</a> and <a href="alien_gorge_hive.html">babbler</a>
abilities, underestimating them in combat is a
dangerous mistake. [<a href="alien_gorge_name.html">Name</a>]</p>
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<a href="alien_gorge.html">Gorge</a></p>
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<p><i>"[Deej: Andre, crawl over here.
Stay down!]<br>
<br>
[Andre: on my way.]<br>
<br>
I dropped down between the stainless steel
laboratory tables, and ran, hunched over,
to Deej's forward position. At the doorway
to the room he was in I paused, and slowly
poked my head around. It was the observation
area for the testing room beyond –
designed to protect the viewers from whatever
dangerous (and probably illegal) experiments
the Mercantile League was conducting. The
viewing window ran the entire length of
the wall. The airlock into the test room
was not registering on my HUD – it
must have gone into lock-down mode after
the gridlock kicked in.<br>
<br>
Deej was crouched beneath the window, motioning
me over. I got onto my stomach and scooted
across the floor. When I got alongside,
he pointed at his eye, then at the window.
I nodded, and slowly lifted my head to get
a view.<br>
<br>
The experiment room had a resource node
in it. A Gorge was building on top of it
– or more accurately, was ejecting
from its mouth a thick mass of purplish-orange
organic goop, that its mucous-dripping oral
organ was working feverishly to shape, mold,
and coat with enzymes. <br>
<br>
[Deej: Can we please please kill that thing?]
<br>
<br>
I smirked at the text on my HUD, and pulled
my HMG off my back. He gripped his shotgun.
We both stood up. The Gorge was facing sideways,
too occupied to notice us. I glanced at
Deej, he nodded, and we both opened fire.
<br>
<br>
The glass buckled into a mass of pockmarks
and fissures, but amazingly, held. Deej
cursed and shouldered his shotgun, pulling
a trip mine from his belt. I shoved the
barrel of my heavy into a pock mark and
the tip just poked through. I held the stock
up above my head to angle it down into the
room, and let loose another half a clip
as the Gorge ran for the back airlock to
the experiment room. This one was working
– it began to cycle open. Deej slapped
the trip mine onto the bottom sill of the
window so only two of its legs were gripping.
"Back off!" he yelled, and we
ran back into the lab room. Mines self-detonate
if placed "incorrectly". It beeped
a few times in warning. We expected shards
to come with the explosion – but there
was only the mine's concussion, and then
a ripping sound. <br>
<br>
We ran back to find the window peeled up
from the sill into a strange curved white
form, like a frozen curtain. The back door
had cycled open, the Gorge must have just
gone through. I covered Deej as he slipped
through the gap, then pushed my heavy through
and followed. The HMG is a bitch to run
with – I shouted for Deej to hold up,
but he was already through the lock, shoving
another shell into his gun as he ran. As
I was approaching the corridor beyond, I
heard a "schlitch" – the
telltale sound of a web constricting –
and the rapid wet sound of alien weapons.
I came around the corner to find Deej covered
in glistening strands, frantically shuffling
backwards as three offensive chambers and
the Gorge nailed him over and over. From
behind I heard the glug-glug of at least
one defensive chamber healing everything
nearby. I stood in front of Deej and unloaded
onto everything in sight. The Gorge dropped
behind the chambers, I took a few hits,
and Deej and I fell back around the corner.
His armor was around as thin as cardboard,
and he wasn't doing much better. Meanwhile
I heard more movement. Great, reinforcements.
We'd never take them with the mini-base
they had going. I shoved him back through
the airlock and sent a command-request for
medkits, while the doors began to close.
I took out my frustrations on the resource
chamber." </i></p>
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<a href="alien_skulk_observation.html"><br>
</a></p>
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