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Ror’k made an announcement over the ship’s system, and I followed them to the war room. The hunters back at camp had designated the Hub, the place where we met to discuss and make plans, as the group’s “war room.” It made what we did in the Hub, namely fuck around, crack jokes, and plan for the future, sound a lot more official.
The war room on the mothership looked much more the part. It was just as plain and utilitarian as the rest of the ship. No wonder these warriors enjoyed visiting Earth so much. It was dreary up here.
The permanent crew of the ship all had an assigned place at the long table, each with a personal console. There wereonly enough chairs for those who permanently worked there, so Lenny and I stood at the end of the table with the other hunters who were slowly filing in.
Something large and imposing stepped up behind me, completely invading my personal space. I didn’t need to turn around to know who it was. Kan’n. I would have recognized his musky, masculine scent anywhere.
“Have you finished messing up my shuttle?” he asked, murmuring the words into my ear.
He probably expected me to jump, so I did my best to calm my beating heart and school my features into a neutral mask. There was no way I was giving him the reaction he wanted.
“I’ll have you know that Jask’l let me work on him on my own, and I’m pretty much done. He’ll be fully operational by the end of the day.” For ease of communication, Xarc’n warriors always adopted the circadian cycles of each planet they visited to communicate with those on the ground. But they also kept the old Xarc’n time when talking to warrior groups across the galaxy, for consistency.
“I still do not understand why Jask’l trusts you to work on my shuttle.”
Nowthathad me spinning around to face him. I ended up with my nose practically buried in his perfect pecs. I shoved him back so I had enough room to glare up at him. “Why? Because I’m a woman?”
He frowned. “No. Because you are a human.”
We glowered at each other until he started to purr, making all the older hunters around him stare at us. They knew what that meant. The two younger warriors watched us with wide eyes, probably because they’d never heard that sound before.
Kan’n made an exasperated sound and marched away, putting as much space between us as possible. Whatever. He was the one doing the purring, not me.
But no one had much time to ponder our interaction because the mining detachment was quickly approaching the spot where we’d finally be able to see it. I expected to see a plain shuttle, and surely we wouldn’t be able to actuallyseeany problem, right?
I was wrong. What showed up on the screen was enough to make my stomach threaten to evict the leathery nutrition bar I’d choked down earlier.
Chapter 8: Kan’n
The decision to open fire on the incoming mining detachment was instant and unanimous. The vessel had been infested to the point that it was barely recognizable. The scourge’s fungus had permeated the entire hull, and the white, wispy tendrils of mycelium covered the ship like a deadly net.
How the fungus managed to survive in the vacuum of space had always been a mystery to us. But the fungus here wasn’t just surviving; it wasthriving. It had twisted the host vessel into strange shapes, and there were several spout-like protrusions jutting out from the deformed ship, throbbing. The whole thing pulsed as if it were alive.
It was moving fast, too, much faster than it should be. It hurtled toward Earth with a singular purpose.
“We can’t let that thing land,” Sam said.
It was a sentiment shared by everyone in the room, myself included, as well as those watching below on Earth. The vote on what to do had been quick, with not one of the hunter groups voting to save the shipment. Even Yam’r, who’d been waiting for the shipment to arrive so he could start working again, didn’t waver. As for me, I figured I could wait a little longer for a communication device.
I might even take up the humans’ offer to use one of their inferior ones, if it meant that monstrosity never reached Earth. Who knew what else it harbored?
Considering the mining vessel this detachment came from had yet to reply after sending their initial warning, we could only assume that they were dealing with problems of their own. Problems thisthingmost likely had caused.
We opened fire.
To everyone’s surprise, our first two shots missed it completely. Or rather, the monstrosity the detachment had become dodged them with surprising agility. The other mothership did better, missing its first shot but hitting its target with its second. But the fungus absorbed the giant blast of energy easily and sped up, still aimed squarely at Earth.
“These vessels are unmanned, right?” Sam asked.
“Correct,” Ror’k said.
“Are we able to connect with it?” she asked, exchanging a look with Lenny.
Lenny brightened. “Yeah! It’s programmed to come to Earth, but maybe we can redirect it somewhere else?”
“We have not been able to access it,” Ror’k said. “It is no longer part of the Xarc’n fleet. We can’t even detect it in our system.”
Another two shots hit the vessel; this time, a portion of the rear broke off, but by now, it was getting close. The protrusions emerging from the vessel moved, aiming themselves at the two motherships.
