by Dante King
Reaver was in a second dark, chitin-lined room opposite Skrew. She was lying in another Xeno bed, fitfully trying to sleep. She appeared to be distressed. Maybe she needs to talk, I thought. I’ll go see her in a little while.
I’d freed Druma from the Xeno and discovered a powerful weakness in the enemy. I’d learned they required controllers in order to perform nearly any action. It was a weakness I planned to exploit as often as possible.
However, I’d also learned that the Xeno had spread far and wide. There were at least three other colonies, but it was likely that there were many more in the galaxy.We were in the I’d learned that as well. The Xeno kept detailed star maps, and though they didn’t name the planets they’d discovered, each was tagged. I could see that we were we were actually in the same galaxy as the Sol system—but too far way to send a message and expect it to arrive in anything resembling a useful time.
Some were tagged as being sources of nutrition, others as sources of slaves. The most interesting were the ones marked as dangerous. Whenever Nyna attempted to learn more about one of the dangerous planets, she said a sudden feeling of dread about the end of all life everywhere overcame her. I wasn't sure if it was how the Xeno kept Queens away from planets that were likely to lead to their deaths, or if the level of danger Nyna felt was universal to all species. Druma had been marked as a friendly planet. There were no other details I could draw from Nyna. The designation was vague.
The Sol system had been discovered, but its two inhabited planets, Mars and Earth, held a special designation. I asked Nyna what she meant by special.
“Well,” she said slowly and dreamily, “the designations are emotional. Fear says it's dangerous. Hunger says there’s food. But from Earth and Mars, I get a mix, like the designation is in conflict or it’s changing, you know? When I look at either, I get a feeling that something bad might happen, but I also get excited. I’m not sure how to describe it, but it’s powerful.”
“Anticipation,” I concluded.
Nyna nodded, and we each got lost in our thoughts for a moment.
“It’s horrible what the Xeno did to those people in that room in the hive,” Nyna then said. “The Xeno put things inside of them. It made them change.” I felt her trepidation and sorrow through the organic network. “What if they did that to me?”
“I wouldn’t let that happen to you,” I assured her.
What I didn’t say was that if any of my shipmates or Marines were Void-touched and had also been infested, they might be more dangerous than an army of Xeno. I put the thought from my mind. I didn’t want Nyna to pick up on my concern. It wasn’t anything anyone needed to worry about at the moment.
“The best thing we can do for Mars now is split the Xeno’s attention,” I continued. “By freeing planets and helping them equip themselves with defenses, I reduce the number of safe harbors they have. I’ll also increase their number of enemies, which should get more of the planets flagged as hostile. Unless they need a Queen for any new designations.”
Nyna laughed. “Fat chance of that.”
“Maybe not right away,” I said, “but I have a feeling most of the Xeno Queens communicate more often than we realize. I also have a feeling that the slaves were being used to build an army. I think the local Queen was here to provide reinforcements. The others will figure out she’s dead soon enough.
“But to make that happen—to raise an interplanetary army of my own — I need as many of my crew members as I can rescue. I have a feeling there are more Void-touched people than just me, Reaver, and Beatrix. In fact, they might be fighting their own battles and raising their own armies. There may be other planets that are already freed. Or, just as likely, they’ve all ended up like the ones we found here.”
Nyna didn’t say anything, but I thought I could sense a hint of sadness from her through the organic network.
“Right now, I’m the only one who can do this. I have the power to put an end to the war and free the entire galaxy from the Xeno scourge. I’m the only one who can rescue my shipmates and fellow Marines, so it’s what I’ve decided to do.”
We sat in silence for a while. I was looking forward to reuniting with Yaltu and Enra before we all headed to the next planet.
With the Ish-Nul in charge of the two largest cities on Druma, they became the de facto leaders of the planet, rather than the Xeno. It was a decision I felt completely confident in. Their culture resembled that of Mars, my far-away home. They were wise, strong, and held no prejudice they couldn’t overcome.
Skrew had a big part in that, I knew. He had proven to them that even the vrak weren’t all evil. I proved to them that they weren’t alone in the universe and that powerful enemies could be overcome. Enra would prove to the next planet that her people could be trusted as allies, especially in the fight against the Xeno. She wouldn’t contribute only that to our mission; she was also my friend.
Yaltu would serve as a companion to all, a counselor of sorts, and her gentle kindness would remind us all to have patience with those we wouldn’t understand. She had a way with animals that I appreciated and respected.
We’d head back to the Ish-Nul and pick them up before going to the next planet. Our team would be reunited.
Suddenly, Nyna disappeared from the ship’s organic network. I willed my own bug-interface to release too. I wasn’t as in tune with the system, so it took a couple of tries before it let go. When I returned to reality, I found Nyna climbing into my lap.
“I’m glad to be part of this team,” she said. “I love having a purpose—somewhere I can put my talents to work. But before we head back to Druma and take on even greater responsibilities—maybe you could do me? You know I have more talents than only the brainy and shooty-smashy ones…”
Nyna leaned forward and started leaving little kisses on my neck from my shoulder blade to my ear. She was already breathing hard, and she moved her lips to the other side of my neck.
“We don’t have to land the ship yet, do we?” she asked.
“No, we don’t,” I said. “We have time.”
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About the Author
Dante King is an author of Men’s Adventure fiction in various flavors. His books involve strong male protagonists who know what they want and do what’s required to get it.
You can connect with him at DanteKingAuthor.com
