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Chapter 5

"You're telling me some kind of bug crawled into that doctor's neck, drove him nuts, and made him kill all of these people; made that monster try to kill us?" cried Adam incredulously. "That's insane."

"Is it? Look at how the beast behaved when it attacked us. On the surface it seemed normal for a simple animalistic predator, but notice what it did," said Imacha. "It knocked down Hakurr first, disarming him. Then it disarmed you next before trying to bite your mech. As soon as the Lieutenant shot it, it used its tail to try and disarm a third person before returning to attack you. A low intellect animal does not think of removing a gun from a person's hands before trying to kill it. Seeing as how we were more than likely the first beings to ever carry firearms that this creature has encountered on this world, it is exceedingly unlikely that whatever mind it possessed would have the ability to piece together that it should disarm us of them before continuing its assault."

Adam tried to respond to the tordenchi's line of reasoning but his retort died in his throat as he thought about it. "So whatever the hell was inside the beast and the doctor drove them insane and..."

"No, not insane. The beast was acting rationally, far beyond its intellectual capacity. I'm saying that whatever entered their bodies took control of them. The medic here was a benevolent individual according to his psychological profile. He had fifteen years of experience dedicated to saving lives and healing the sick and injured. To suffer a ship crash that caused a total psychotic break resulting in him cutting apart his companions of ten years is so unlikely as to be a discarded train of thought."

"So this bug got in his head and made him commit murder? Nothing can do that! That's... that's mind control you're talking about. I read about that. Your UTO scientists long ago determined that psychic powers and stuff was nothing more than a myth," said Adam. "That's impossible."

Kendra looked towards Adam's mech and said, "Not entirely. There are forms of animal and plant life on earth that can do things similar to this using purely biological mind control."

"Make someone chop up almost a dozen people?!" he cried.

"Not so dramatic an act as that, but there are ones that can cause creatures to literally commit suicide. There is a kind of fungus that infests the minds of ants and forces the host to find a specific spot ripe for the fungus to spread properly then it makes the ant wait in that spot until it dies and the fungus spreads from the corpse. Another is a wasp that lays an egg into a specific species of spider. The egg hatches and the larva inside the host somehow makes the spider spin an unusual form of web. It waits in the web until it dies, the larva feeding on the spider's remains."

"Where the hell did you learn all this?" he asked Kendra.

"College. Back on earth. I had to take a class on parasitology in order to be a vet."

Imacha grinned. "I figured your studies as an animal doctor and medic in general would be beneficial to you. I do admit that my knowledge of species capable of usurping control of a host is extremely limited. I never imagined one of advanced intellect was capable of this."

"So why did it cut everyone up?"

Kendra said, "It was... God forgive me... it was studying them. This, all this, is like some deranged form of autopsy. It was learning about the various races' anatomies. Respiratory system. Central nervous system. Musculature. Eyes." She paused and took a deep breath to calm herself. She had felt her heart racing far too fast, fear pounding at her. "If this is all what it appears to be, it means we've just run into a never before encountered advanced race."

"How does this fit in with the ship being shot down?" asked Adam, still not quite believing all he was hearing.

Kendra said "My guess is that these things, whatever they are, shot the ship down and went to investigate the wreckage only to discover the crew still alive. They either infected the poor medic here with some kind of intelligent biological weapon..."

"Or the unknown species is the infecting lifeform itself," said Imacha, finishing off Kendra's train of thought. "If so, they are distinct from thirteen of the fourteen UTO races in three ways. One, they have access to even more advanced energy projection weaponry than is found in the UTO. Two, they appear to be a parasitic form of life than can usurp control of a host, an unprecedented ability among all known species. Three, they are most likely about the same size as you humans are, which means your race is no longer alone in the galaxy as being so diminutive."

"Cold comfort at best," said Kendra, a look of utter disgust on her face. "We need to get off this planet immediately. We have to call this in to Center, let the higher ups in the government and military know all about it."

She took a moment to place all the data and images she had collected of the charnel house of a room into her personal yutri, then began to climb down and out of the infirmary. "Let's go, move it! I'm calling Home and telling Neji to come pick us up."

As her mech moved through the wreck of the Lothia, Adam and Imacha following close behind her, Kendra opened a comm to the Capher, keeping the dialogue internal to her mech. "Home, this is Wanderer One, come back." She waited a moment before calling again.

"Neji, come back, do you copy me?" Her eyes looked over the sub-screen. Neji's face did not appear. The comm port was open and there were no signs of interference or jamming from the readings she saw. "Neji? Please answer me." Kendra's voice began to waver and her mech started to slow down the pace at which it moved through the ship. She felt a new form of fear creep into the pit of her stomach.

"Please Neji, if you can hear me you have to respond. We need immediate evac." Only silence answered her from the other side of the comm call. Her fear grew greater. She chose to directly access the Capher's computer remotely. "Capher data core interface requested via comm. This is Lieutenant Kendra Forrest, acting captain of the ship, authority code Z-22883-Beethoven." She waited for a moment then heard the synthesized voice of the ship's computer respond.

"Authorization code accepted. What is your request?" it asked. It was merely an advanced computer with a vocal interface unit, nothing as grand as a full AI. The Capher was a good ship, but not that good.

"Request access to interior crew status. Give me an update on vital signs of crewmember Neji Nihova." She waited a few seconds for the response. Her heart slammed inside her chest. Kendra was unable to take a breath as the moments passed. The computer's response finally came.

"Negative life sign readings from crewmember Neji Nihova at current time."

Kendra felt her world begin to unravel about her. She shook her head and gritted her teeth so hard her head ached. It had to be wrong. There had to be an error. "Access interior cameras. Focus on last location of positive life sign readings of crewmember Nihova," she whispered. The computer did as she asked. Kendra did not even realize she had stopped moving through the ship. Her mech remained motionless and she did not even register Adam or Imacha calling to her.

A sub-screen appeared before Kendra, the interior of Neji's room. There, sprawled on the floor, was Neji. She was on her front, a pool of blood spread about her head and some of her body. A few meters from one of her hands was her pistol. Kendra saw the wound, the hole in the viliti's head. She had shot herself; committed suicide. Tears streamed down Kendra's face and she bit her lower lip so hard she drew blood. Neji would never take her own life. Kendra knew she loved life more than any being she had ever met.

"Enhance image location three point two two by four point one seven. Twenty times magnification." Her voice was hoarse, raw with emotion. The image closed in on the back of Neji's neck. Viliti had moderately short fur so the injury there was visible. The same incision was present that she saw on the medic. There was barely any blood and a thin trail of some manner of glistening liquid or slime ran down the side of her neck away from the wound. One of them had gotten aboard the ship. It must have come aboard while the cargo ramp was still down. Kendra's eyes immediately shot over to Adam's mech. He left the cargo bay ramp down. He forgot to close it. She knew how Adam felt about the viliti. How close they had grown. She made a decision.

"Kendra? Come on! Wake the hell up. What's wrong?" Adam called out to her, worry creeping into his voice.

"Nothing, sorry. I sent the message out to Neji. I filled her in on the situation. She's going to wait for us there until we get return to the ship. I want total comm silence for now. We have no way of knowing if these things can patch into our lines or not, so I will be the only one sending to Home until we get back. Is that clear?" asked Kendra. She looked to Adam first.

Adam said, "Why can't she just come here to..."

Kendra cut him off. "I don't want our ship anywhere near this location. We have to assume the entire crash site is completely compromised and hostile. We make our way back to the ship, same as we came here. Is that clear?"

The mech nodded. "Yeah. Clear."

Kendra looked at Imacha. He had a neutral expression on his face but she saw how his tail moved. He was agitated. His eyes flicked over to Adam's mech for a moment then back to Kendra's mech. "Clear Lieutenant, and for the record, I believe you have made the correct choice in this delicate matter." The tordenchi began to head out of the ship once more, climbing his way over debris and twisted metal.

A few minutes later and the trio were almost at the hole in the underbelly of the Lothia. Kendra was out in front and saw that the rain had finally stopped. She saw Hakurr's massive form just a few dozen meters from the entrance. Everything was bathed in shades of blue and black due to the flares that burned on the ground. As her mech came forward, heavy feet clanging on the metal of the Lothia, Hakurr turned to face her. Seeing him standing there made Kendra feel better, helped take her mind off Neji. She was barely hanging on from the loss of such a close friend. She needed all her remaining ones to get her through this.

Hakurr's head rose up. Kendra met his gaze and saw the look in his eyes. His face was not wet. Those were tears running down it.

"Please... run," whimpered the ralai. She watched as Hakurr jerked up his carbine and aimed it at her mech. Kendra was momentarily stunned, just long enough to be hit when it discharged. The weapon made a sharp cracking sound as the energy blast was fired. It seared into the midsection of the mech, only a few meters shy of striking her cockpit, and blew through its light armored plating with ease. Kendra cried out as her mech toppled over, the entire gyroscope system in it destroyed by the blast. Adam and Imacha stared in temporary shock as Hakurr shot their commander and friend. The tordenchi recovered and dove for cover.

"One of them is in Hakurr!" he shouted as he hid behind a metal plate and pulled his pistol.

Adam barely avoided the second blast from Hakurr's weapon as the ralai fired at him. Energy washed over some of the metal and melted parts of it to slag. Bits of it dropped onto Adam's mech and hissed as they burned at his shoulder plates. The human kept his footing and charged at the ralai before he could fire again. His mech slammed into the midsection of Hakurr and shoved him back, both of them skidding along the muddy ground. The ralai was too sturdy and strong to topple over that easily.

"Hakurr, snap out of it! PLEASE!" Adam cried. His mind balked at this. He was being forced to fight his friend for real. Not a fun sparring moment like they shared so many times in the past.

The ralai's body jerked to the side, an uncoordinated motion which made it look like he was unsure of quite how to get away from Adam. He attempted to point the gun down and shoot the mech. Adam swung his hand up and to the side, knocking the ralai's aim off completely. A follow up strike disarmed him of the carbine. The weapon slid off to the side in the mud.

Adam backed up a few paces from his friend, his mech's arms held wide. "Hakurr, please, for the love of God, you have to fight whatever the hell is in you! I can't do this!"

"Yes... you can..." he growled. His body lurched forward. "You... have to... free me." Hakurr clumsily swung out a fist at Adam. His mech moved and swiftly parried the blow. A second punch came and he stopped that one as well, though it was more coordinated than the first one.

"Free you, right! How do I free you Hakurr? Tell me!" Adam side stepped another attack, then parried the ralai. More strength was behind these blows. It was learning how to use the body better. It was getting more and more used to it with each motion and move it made.

"Hurts... so bad... my head," groaned the ralai. His eyes blearily focused on Adam's mech. Hakurr felt and saw himself swing at his friend. The force of his blow, even when parried, shoved the mech aside. He heard the loud clanging of his strike. He knew that whatever was in him was trying to kill Adam, the closest friend he ever had. The thing in his head made him slam down at Adam over and over. One hit managed to connect and the chest plate of the smaller mech was deformed from the blow. Adam stumbled back, reeling from the hit. Hakurr realized that his friend was afraid to attack him. He wasn't hitting back. The ralai knew immediately what had to be done. It was the only path to take.

"You... have to... kill me," growled Hakurr. He kicked out at Adam, the mech narrowly dodging the attack. His paw slammed against a thin metal strut holding up a tarp to give shelter from the rain. The metal bent then snapped from the sheer force of his attack. The tarp fluttered to the ground silently.

"No!" shouted Adam. "There has to be another way. I can't kill you!"

Hakurr saw Imacha trying to help get the chest plate of Kendra's ruined mech open. The little tordenchi looked terrified. He saw the pained look on his friend's face; the turmoil, the anguish, the fear. "You have... to do it... for everyone. Have to... get back to... Neji." He swung again at the mech. Adam stopped parrying now and kept moving back to avoid the attacks. He was letting himself get backed against the Lothia's hull. "She needs... you Adam. She... loves... you."

Adam began to cry inside his mech. He felt the hull contact the back of his armor. He narrowly ducked to avoid Hakurr's next punch. "I need you too," he whispered inside the mech.

"Live... this life... for me... and remember... me."

Adam let out a cry of anguish as his mech struck out. He ducked under Hakurr's attack, slid in close, and slammed the mech's fist up and into the arm pit of the mighty ralai. The blow was perfectly placed and dislocated Hakurr's shoulder. Hakurr felt pain explode through him but refused to cry out. He would not scream. He would not hurt his friend that way, nor give the devil inside him the satisfaction of hearing his pain.

Adam pressed forward, raining blow after blow on the ralai, each one taking a terrible toll. The thing inside made Hakurr's body stagger back, try to put up a defense, but it was unused to fighting in such a way. It had never seen something attack like Adam before. The host body was powerful and durable, but not as fast and fluid as it was used to. It had too few appendages. It was clumsy and heavy. The host was damaged horribly as Adam smashed the elbow of the mech into the center of the armor over Hakurr's chest, denting it in and cracking the solar plexus of the ralai. The thing inside felt control of the host slipping away. The body was dying. It had suffered too much damage.

Hakurr dropped to his knees before Adam. Blood streamed down the side of his face and he wheezed with each breath. He felt it. The thing inside him was losing control, unable to hold on any more. A smile spread across the ralai's damaged face, one of his eyes swollen shut. The good eye looked up at Adam.

"I feel... better," he growled.

Adam moved over to Hakurr and dropped to his knees as well. He draped his arms around his friend's neck and clutched him tight. Through his sobs Adam said, "You're gonna be all right. Kendra can patch you up. It's okay. I didn't... you're not dead yet."

"Yes, I am. Only thing keeping me... alive now... is it, but it's letting go." Hakurr managed to bring up his good arm and placed his big hand on the mech's shoulder. "I... want you to keep my cross. You need to... use it to... find God. I took your religion... to understand what kind of God... could make so wonderful a race... as humans. Now I go to meet him... and will have... my... answer..." Hakurr's head and body slowly slumped forward and rested against Adam's mech. The ralai's head gently slid down until it was on the mech's shoulder. Hakurr let out a long, slow sigh then went still.

Adam cried inside his mech, his sobs coming out through the speaker. The clouds above began to part and a starry night sky was slowly revealed, their light shining down upon the mech and the ralai. Kendra climbed out of her mech, Imacha having worked the chest plate open to free her. She stood there atop the mech and stared at Adam and Hakurr, also crying for yet another friend lost. Her family was dying. This world and the horrid things in it were killing them. She looked up to Imacha, tears flowing down her cheeks.

"How can I tell him?" she asked the tordenchi in a whisper. She knew he had already realized that Neji was dead.

"I am not sure," the tordenchi whispered back. "All I know is not now. We have to get back to the ship first and we need him to be focused. After losing Hakurr, he will be. If he knew Neji was gone too, it would be too much and he would be lost."

"He's going to hate me..." she began.

Imacha cut her off. "I will take that responsibility for the lie. Let him hate me. However, that is not what is important. What is paramount is that we must get back to the ship. We have to call Center and let them know what is here. What we have seen and encountered. If we cannot, then all those who have died will have died for nothing. The UTO must be warned of the presence of these aliens as I shudder to think of what would happen if they delve deeper into our more inhabited space."

"Oh God," she said under her breath, thinking of the implications of that scenario.

Imacha nodded slowly. "Though I do not believe in a creator deity of any kind I would have to concur that we would very well need a God to see us through the darkness that would follow that."