Star Wars: Adventures in Wild Space: The Nest

by Tom Huddleston

  “Well, I didn’t come here to pray,” Gozetta snapped. “I came here to kill.”

  “So what’s your big plan?” Lina asked sharply. She was getting sick of Gozetta’s selfishness and cruelty. “Wait until it comes out, shoot it, and then stick it on your wall?”

  The huntress regarded the cave thoughtfully for a moment. Then she shook her head. “I don’t intend to wait,” she said. “If this thing has eaten recently, it could be down there for days or even months.”

  “Going in after it could be dangerous,” Milo said. “It’ll be dark. You’d be on its turf, fighting blind.”

  “My thoughts exactly,” Gozetta agreed. “We need to draw it back out into the open.”

  “How are you going to do that?” Milo asked.

  Gozetta looked at him slyly. “I’ll need some kind of bait,” she said. “Small but fast, to run into that cave and lure the beast out. Bait that will do exactly as I say if they ever want to get off this planet alive.” She leaned in close to Milo and Lina and smirked. “Now where will I find bait like that?”

  THE CAVERN WAS STEEP and the black, damp walls shimmered in the fading light. Milo and Lina locked hands, carefully making their way over the rocky ground. Now that they were alone, Lina told Milo what CR-8R had said about the hyperdrive. He smiled hopefully. “I can’t wait to get off this planet.”

  Lina nodded. “You and me both,” she said. “This cave would give me the creeps even if it wasn’t for…whatever it is that’s lurking in here. And those horrible little stinkers only make it worse.”

  The putrid smell was even thicker down there, and all around they could hear the chattering and scrambling of the creatures as they divided up their spoils.

  “Don’t you think it’s odd, though?” Milo asked. “Why would they make their home in the lair of the planet’s biggest predator?”

  “Maybe they taste worse than they smell,” Lina offered.

  “That would make sense,” Milo agreed, pushing through a curtain of hanging vines. “But I’m starting to think maybe…hey!”

  He staggered back as something sprang at him, landing on his shoulder. Lina reached out instinctively, snatching a fallen branch and holding it up in both hands.

  But the thing didn’t move. It lay still, hanging over Milo’s arm. He picked it up and held it in front of him in the dim light. It was a flat strip of what looked like the stinker’s skin, roughly textured with four appendages.

  “Amazing,” Milo said. “This must be from one of the little ones. I guess they shed it when they grow those extra limbs. Fascinating.”

  “Look, I know what you’re going to ask, and the answer’s no,” Lina said firmly. “There’s no way you’re keeping the galaxy’s smelliest species for a pet. Not on my ship.”

  Milo frowned. The idea had crossed his mind. The creatures seemed smart for their size, and he was beginning to form a theory about their bizarre life cycle.

  “I’m just going to keep this and scoop up some of the goo,” he told Lina. “I’ve got an idea.” He crouched down and took off his pack, stuffing the skin inside it. He also pulled out a sample jar. Lina watched, disgusted, as he scooped a jarful of the slimy stinker goo from the floor of the cave.

  “Milo, seriously,” she said. “That’s gross. We’re not down here for a biology lesson, remember? We’ve got a job to do.”

  Milo got to his feet. “I just—Wait, what do you have there?”

  He gestured to the branch in Lina’s hand. She looked down. In the dim light, she saw that she wasn’t holding a branch at all. The object gleamed white and had circular bumps on either end.

  Looking around, Milo and Lina could make out hundreds of similar shapes forming a large ribcage topped by the huge, snarling skull of a gundark. But the gundark was dead and its bones had been left for the stinkers to pick clean. Milo wondered what kind of monster could have brought down one of the most vicious creatures in the galaxy.

  As they moved on, the walls of the cave seemed to close in around them. Light filtered down through fine cracks in the roof, but Milo still wished they’d brought their own light-sticks, especially when he stubbed his toe on a rock. He cried out, unable to stop himself. Lina glared at him.

  “Sorry,” he hissed. “Ouch, that…Wait, what was that?”

  The sound had been distant and barely audible. Even now he wasn’t sure he’d heard it. Maybe it was just another of those stinkers, chattering away in the darkness.

  Lina opened her mouth to speak but shut it as they heard the noise again. It was a voice coming from somewhere deep inside the cave. It wasn’t a creature but a woman who was calling out desperately.

  “Help!” the woman cried. “Help me!” Lina’s eyes lit up.

  She grabbed Milo and they ran over fallen rocks and scattered bones, deeper into the darkness.

  They found the source of the voice on the floor of a deep stony pit sunk several meters down into the base of the cave. Looking over the lip of the pit, Milo could make out two figures, one standing and one lying on the ground, seemingly asleep.

  “Help us,” the standing figure called out, reaching for them. It was a young woman with skin as pale as bone and blue-ringed eyes. “We can’t climb up! It’s too slippery.”

  “We’ll get you out,” Lina promised. She turned to Milo. “Did you bring any rope?”

  He shook his head. Then he remembered something. “My net!” he said, pulling the small, black pistol-shaped device from his pack. “I think there’s a way to disable the detaching mechanism.”

  Down in the pit, the young woman crouched over the second figure, shaking him firmly. He groaned, rolling onto his back. He was a large man with no boots. His small sunken eyes fluttered open.

  Then he sat up suddenly, remembering his surroundings. “Sata,” he said. “Where are we? Are we dead?”

  “Don’t you remember?” she asked. “That creature stunned us with something and then the little ones dragged us in here. But look, Meggin. These children have come to help.”

  The man looked up. “Children? What children?”

  Lina gave a little wave. “Hi,” she said. “I’m Lina and this is Milo. And you should keep your voice down if you don’t want that thing to come and eat you.”

  The man scowled. “Where’s Gozetta?” he demanded. “I thought she’d come for us.”

  “She’s just outside,” Lina explained, “waiting for the creature to come out so she can kill it. We’re the bait.”

  “That’s Gozetta all right.” The young woman frowned.

  “I knew she wouldn’t leave me,” Meggin said with relief. “She’ll blast this beast to pieces and then we can all go home.” He looked around, confused. “Wait, where’s Delih? Where’s that cursed Cerean?”

  Sata bit her lip. “It took him,” she said. “While you were unconscious. It took him and there was nothing I could do.”

  Meggin’s face fell. “I’m…I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t—”

  “Okay, everyone stand back,” Milo called as he aimed his net launcher into the pit. He squeezed the trigger and the web spiraled outward, down toward Meggin and Sata. But the central thread stayed attached to the launcher in his hand, clinging tightly to the locking mechanism inside the barrel.

  “Now I just need to anchor this on something,” he said, heading for a tall stalagmite on the edge of the pit. He began to wind the thread around the base of the rocky pillar, but before he could secure it, he felt the rope twitch in his hands.

  “Wait!” he cried out. “I’m not ready!”

  But the net launcher was jerked from his grip, skittering toward the rim of the pit. Lina dove, throwing herself on top of it just as it was about to go over the edge.

  They heard a cry of pain and anger from the pit as Meggin fell flat on his back, tangled in the net. “Curses, that hurt!” he yelled.

  Suddenly, they heard a loud roar. It rumbled through the warm air, rising in pitch and intensity. The growl became a piercing howl. Milo presse
d his hands over his ears as the walls shook. Pebbles rattled loose, raining down into the cavern.

  “So much for staying quiet,” Lina whispered in the silence that followed.

  “It’s coming,” Meggin said, jumping to his feet. “You two, help us! Hurry!”

  Lina handed the net launcher back to Milo and he wound it as tightly as he could around the stalagmite’s sturdy base. “Okay, climb up,” he called out.

  Meggin went first, scrambling up the net. Lina took hold of his arm, helping him climb the last few meters. He dragged himself over the edge of the pit, breathing hard. Then he sprang to his feet and began to sprint toward the cave’s mouth.

  “I must apologize for him,” Sata said as she hauled herself up. “He’s had a tough day. But it would’ve been a lot worse if you hadn’t found us. Thank you.”

  They heard the roar again, louder this time. The creature sounded a lot closer. They could hear the scraping of claws on stone and the sound of something large dragging itself toward them through the depths of the cave.

  “Don’t thank us yet. We’re still in danger!” Lina said, pulling the young woman up over the edge.

  Milo unwound the net, trying not to let it get tangled up.

  “Milo,” Lina whispered insistently. “We really, really need to go.”

  He pulled the net launcher free, hitting the retractor button. The net began to rewind itself, spooling back into the barrel.

  “Come on,” Milo whispered anxiously. Then a sound made him look up.

  Something was approaching from the back of the cave—something big that made the walls shake with every step. At first, all Milo could see was a three-clawed hand grasping the rock wall. But even in the dim light, he could tell that each finger on that hand was roughly as long as he was tall.

  He backed away, stumbling over stones and bones as his heart hammered in his chest. The creature swung its pointed head into view, snout first. Milo stood transfixed. He could hear the others running for the mouth of the cave, but he couldn’t move his legs. The creature loomed over him, lowering its giant armored skull.

  His theory had been right. This was the same species as the smaller creatures they had tracked up there. Their life cycle must be long and complex, with only the very toughest making it to this terrifying final stage. But that knowledge brought him no comfort as he stared up in horror and wonder.

  There was something insect-like about the creature’s black exoskeleton, but it was like no other insect Milo had ever seen. Its teeth were large and jagged. Its tail looked reptilian, thrashing around like a snake. Somehow its eyes were the worst of all, filled with a kind of hateful superior intelligence.

  Then the beast’s foot came down, shaking Milo from his trance. He turned to see Lina up ahead, pulling Sata along by her hand and looking back at him nervously. Milo balled his hands into fists and ran for his life.

  GOZETTA STOOD FACING the mouth of the cave, tapping her foot impatiently. Bort and Corin had taken cover behind a pair of boulders on either side of the clearing, but Gozetta was no coward. She wasn’t afraid to face the creature head-on.

  She was starting to think this plan was a mistake. Those children were not to be trusted. There could be another entrance to the cave. For all she knew, they might already be on their way back to the landing site. Or maybe they’d messed up in there and gotten themselves eaten. If they had been devoured, it was no great loss.

  Gozetta felt a thrill of excitement. This creature was proving a formidable target. She liked that. It was big and strong. It had shown that with its destruction of the lodge. At the time she’d been furious, but now she saw that the beast had been provoking her, presenting her with a challenge.

  Gozetta was keeping her shuttle on standby, just in case. There was no sense taking unnecessary risks. She had a tracker locked to her belt. At the push of a button, the ship would launch from the landing strip straight for her. Maybe it was cheating to have that kind of advantage over her opponent. But she preferred to think of it as insurance.

  “How long are we supposed to hang around here, boss?” Bort asked, lifting his blaster. He had tied a scarf around his face to block out the foul smell coming from the cave, making him look like a space-pirate from one of the old holos.

  “As long as it takes,” she replied.

  Just then, an unearthly sound cut through the silence. It began as a rumbling deep within the cave and rose into a bellowing roar.

  Good, she thought as she clipped the mask over her face and her senses sharpened. She rested her finger lightly on the rifle’s trigger. Game on.

  Meggin burst from the cave, his face red and his bald head dripping with sweat.

  “Boss!” he cried, stumbling toward her. “You came for me!”

  Gozetta shoved him aside. “I’m not here for you, you fool,” she snarled, her voice muffled by the mask. “I’m here for that.”

  She pointed into the cave where a giant form could be glimpsed deep within the shadows. It pulled itself toward them with clawed hands, its teeth glinting in the faint light.

  The children were barely a few paces ahead of it, their eyes wide and their legs struggling as they sprinted out into the clearing. Sata hurried them along, casting a terrified glance over her shoulder as they fled into the daylight. There was no sign of the Cerean.

  “Get out of here,” Lina cried, running up to Gozetta. “It’s coming!” Lina didn’t like the huntress, but that didn’t mean she wanted her to get eaten.

  “I know it’s coming,” Gozetta snarled. “That was the whole point, remember?”

  “But you don’t understand,” Milo told her between breaths. “It’s big. Like, really big.”

  Gozetta snorted. “I told you before,” she said. “This is what I do. Now get out of my way.”

  “You should listen to them, Gozetta,” Sata insisted. “For once in your life, don’t be a fool.”

  “How dare you?” Gozetta shot back. “Consider yourself fired.”

  Sata shook her head. “It’s your life,” she said. “Come on, guys. With any luck she’ll slow it down long enough for us to get away.”

  Lina and Milo followed Sata to the edge of the clearing, where the trail of destruction ran down to the lodge far below. But Milo couldn’t help looking back, ignoring Lina’s firm yank on his arm.

  Gozetta was yelling at her men. “Bort, go for the legs,” she ordered. “Corin, go for the eyes. Aim for its weak spots.”

  “What if it doesn’t have any weak spots?” Bort called back.

  “Everything has weak spots,” Gozetta told him. “Well, everything except me.”

  Milo felt the ground shuddering as the creature emerged from the shadows of the cave, drawing itself up to its full height. Gozetta planted her feet in the earth, taking careful aim at where the monster’s head should have been. She cursed and tilted the rifle upward, squinting in the sunlight. But her aim was still low. She looked up, and Milo saw her jaw drop.

  The monster stood over her, blocking out the sun. Its head alone was the size of a shuttle. It had four reddish arms, two ending in massive claws, the others in ragged talons. Its legs were taller than the surrounding trees and its feet were the size of meteor craters. Its tail whipped around viciously like loose rope, slicing through the vines covering the cave mouth.

  Gozetta backed away, glancing left and right. But there was nowhere to hide from this monster. Milo could see the mercenaries looking at their leader with terror on their faces. Will they stand and fight? he thought. But he knew the answer already.

  To his surprise, it was Corin who broke first. One moment he was staring up at the beast with his mouth and eyes wide open. The next he was sprinting toward Milo and Lina, his blaster forgotten and his cloak flapping out behind him.

  “Where are you going?” Gozetta shouted. “You can’t outrun it.”

  “I don’t need to,” Corin yelled back. “I only need to outrun you.”

  But the creature was already moving. One of the cla
ws swung in and grabbed Corin’s waist, lifting him off the ground kicking and screaming.

  But to Milo’s surprise, the creature didn’t swallow Corin. It held him firmly, its claw locked around his waist. Its reptilian tail swung around as though it had a mind of its own. Corin was transfixed, staring at the creature with wide eyes.

  Then the pointed tip of its tail struck Corin once in the arm. The mercenary’s eyes drooped and his head fell backward as his whole body went limp. Milo saw a droplet of liquid gleaming off the tip of the creature’s tail. Some kind of paralyzing agent, he realized. He couldn’t help being amazed by the creature.

  Its claw snapped open and Corin dropped to the ground, unconscious. Milo watched as the stinkers swarmed in, taking hold of the body and dragging it toward the cave. Then Lina tugged on Milo’s sleeve, and he allowed himself to be drawn away.

  Gozetta looked up at the beast. The realization that she could not defeat this thing hit her hard. In its shadow she felt smaller than an insect, and just as vulnerable. She didn’t stand a chance.

  The creature took a last look at Corin as the man’s body vanished into the cave mouth, then it swung back around, lowering its pointed head toward Gozetta, its teeth gleaming in the hazy light.

  The huntress raised her rifle, peering through the scope. She narrowed her eyes, gritted her teeth, and prepared to fire. The creature raised one arm like a challenge and roared.

  Gozetta turned and ran.

  MILO AND LINA were halfway down the hill when Gozetta sprinted past them, her rifle bouncing over her shoulder and her red hair streaming out behind her. She urgently pressed a button on her belt and seemed to be muttering, “Come on, come on, come on,” under her breath as she ran.

  “Boss!” Meggin shouted as she flew by. “Wait for me!”

  But Gozetta didn’t slow her pace as she bolted past him and vanished into the trees. Lina watched her go. She grasped Milo’s hand as they tried to keep up with the huntress.