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“YES!” Jack threw a fist into the air.

The crew did the same around him. They had been so quiet as he’d worked, but now they celebrated for a moment.

“You did it, Jack!” Diane cried.

“We did it! One more Hive and one more blast!” Jack cried. “Let’s go get that final Hive!”

The Osiris swung around and prepared to take on the third and final Hive. It was closer than Jack had anticipated. Green streaks of light were streaming from it in all directions. The Osiris burst towards the final Hive.

“Get ready to fire!” Jack leaned forward on the railing, feeling as if he could twist it in his hands.

The Hive was directly in their sights.

“Fire!” Jack shouted.

But just as the brilliant light started to leave the Osiris, the Orsan and Lantuk were struck by some of the Hive’s lasers. Their shields gone and their engines hit, they drifted out into the way of the blast. If they hit the two ships, both would be destroyed and the crew killed instantly.

“Osiris, dive!” Jack screamed.

The beam could not be stopped, only redirected. The beam sliced upwards just as the two ships floated into where the beam had just been. The Hive spun away, out of reach, but it would soon spin back.

But the Osiris was out of energy to fire the main weapon. Without more energy, they could not destroy the Hive.

Earlier, on Haseon, under the Overpass…

Khoth had the draagves in one hand and his rahir in the other. He shot. He sliced. He used his long, powerful legs to kick, run and dodge as Cetixes shot larva balls at him and Omull tried to flatten him with their grenades. He saw Jace--or rather, the Mech--fighting well against the Khul, but he hardly had a chance to admire Jack in action as every moment was one of peril for him as he drove into the Khul ranks.

He hardly noticed the green light that made the clouds of smoke from grenades and his own firing draagves glow. It was like fighting in a sea of radioactive murk. A Cetix clattered out of one of the glowing green clouds and Khoth slid on his side along the ground to avoid a larva ball while he drew his rahir along the Khul’s side. Its guts and blood oozed out in an ever widening, toxic lake. But he was already up on his feet before the acidic stuff could touch his clothes or skin.

An Omull rose up before him, tentacles snapping the air in front of it. It reared up and made to crash down on top of him, crushing him beneath its much more formidable weight. Khoth sent two draagves blasts into its chest even he spun out of it way. But he almost ran into another Omull that had been hidden by more smoke. Khoth brought up his rahir to slash at it when the blast occurred.

Khoth was thrown over fifteen feet from where he had last been. He lay stunned there for half a moment before he was able to lift his head to see what had happened. Had Jace’s mech set off a whole cache of grenades? But Jace would be more careful with him there. Even though he shouldn’t wish for Jace to think of him at all, but only the battle. Yet he was certain that Jace would not do that.

The green glow that had illuminated everything with its sickly radiance was gone. He had to blink a few times to see anything in the gloom. The Omull that had been right on top of him was pitched into its side, one of its legs twisted beneath it. It was making a low moaning cry. Khoth jumped to his feet, intent on making sure it stayed down. He winced as his head throbbed. He touched blood on his temple. He took out a stim from his inner pocket and injected it. The pain receded and his head cleared. Khoth now saw far more.

Jace… they are going after Jace...

The wall of the Compound where the green glow had originated from was blasted away. The shield was gone and an open wound into the Compound stared back at him. The crumpled, mangled form of the Mech that Jace had been piloting, lay smoking on the ground, hardly recognizable from before.

Jace!

But he reminded himself that Jace had been piloting the Mech remotely. His beloved’s body was not crushed inside the metal coffin of the Mech smashed innards.

Jace? He sent over the comm.

Khoth! Khoth, thank God! I was afraid you’d been hit by the blast! Jace sent over the comm.

Khoth closed his eyes for one moment, thanking the gods for Jace being alive and well and safe, for the moment anyways. He opened his eyes.

Jace, Khul are in the Compound. They are making their way to you, Khoth said.

I know! I’m trying to get more of the defense systems online here. He could “hear” the frustration in Jace’s words. But everything is such a mess! How did it get like this? Wait, don’t answer that! I already know! I’ll fix it… I just need time…

You don’t have time, Jace. Those Khul are after you. They must be killed, Khoth said.

I’ve sent Gehenna with a bunch of warriors, Jace said. Amana and your dad are with me. I wish I could fight. But I’m… I’m still a mess, Khoth.

Let others help you, Jace, Khoth instructed. I’m coming to help. Just hold on!