Troopers - Book 2

The Spider

The energy spider skittered around in its custom cage. The rocks where transported from Kessel, the tunnel system  it lived in was almost same as where Luk had captured it, at least stylistically, cameras had been set up to monitor the creatures movement and lifestyle, but so far it seemed to be slowly dying. It no longer hunted the tunnels or even attack the clear viewing portal it seemed to have withdrawn into itself and no longer wanted to continue.

Luk was watching it using night visor goggles, through the screen, its multiple multifaceted eyes seemed almost vacant. He wondered about the colony on the planet, was there some other creature that was telepathically linked to the smaller spiders like a brain bug or some other controller. It had only been in the facility six days. It had ignored the dead meat and plant matter that had been sent in, and Luk had pointed out that the spike that it shot into people was most like its method of gathering nutrients. So it was arranged for some live animals to be released to it. They had been killed and eaten at first as Luk had predicted but that had also stopped. Currently wandering around aimlessly in the pen was some cattle creature, looked like a miniature cow but it had six legs. 

"Any change?" It was Saina, she had stepped up behind him. He hadn't heard her approach so was mildly surprised when he heard her voice, but he did not react. 

"None" His gruff voice came out slightly harsh, he had just come out of his train of thought regarding the creature. "Sorry, that was not meant to come out like that."

"No offense taken. It's gone off its food." She said, Saina was trying to make conversation with him. She could tell he was missing the rest of his team and that he stayed behind with the task of getting them home.

"Yep." He said with a nod. "I at first thought it was something to do with those glowing orbs we saw in tunnels, as if they were its primary food source and humanoids came in second or as a chance meal. But, they exist on Ryloth and I haven't read of anything like them on the planet." Luk was letting his thought process out to his boss, he also knew she would most likely be able to correct him.

"When I lived there I wasn't that close to where the spice mines were so I wouldn't know. But, what few miners I did meet never mentioned it." Saina moved a little closer to him, she could feel the heat radiating, something about him she found very comforting, not because of his size but, she thought possibly his dedication to the task, and maybe, that dedication extended to the people around him.

"Hmm..." Luk had entered into his own mind again. 

"Have you made any progress with the spice itself?" Saina asked. She needed some details for her heads of department report. He'd already sent in a official report but it was bland and had lack of progress something that did not go will in the facility.

"Sam is working on that, but it hasn't yielded any new information in regards to how it works. The energy output is exponential and there is no difference between what we have harvested here and what was brought from mines separately. These spiders are here in your galaxy and within my own. Or, at least a creature that has evolved something similar."

"So, we don't have to keep this alive if we can just use the normally mined spice. The volume we need to create the working gate is where your priority will most likely be moving on. I have a meeting to go to." She lightly touched him on the elbow to let Luk know she was leaving.

"Ok, I'll get to that." he went back to staring at the spider. He knew it wanted something, but what? what was it missing?

***

Sam was asleep at his desk. the young nervous boy was having a dream of dark tunnels and blue crystals spears. He could see the stormtroopers life being drained from him, there was no Luk, blasting away to save him, he was on his own. The gun jammed, the stormtroopers blaster didn't work, the spiders were coming closer to him. Then suddenly a spike shot towards him. He snapped awake and fell back off his chair.