FALAHA'S JOURNEY: A Spacegirl's Account in Three Movements

Episode #33

The data from the drones was still accessible and things looked ugly.

So they came.

Slipped in unnoticed despite the heavy surveillance.

Two tall, powerful yet disproportional pale beings with long limbs and long clawed fingers surrounded Eyuran. Their blind, elongated heads with wide, sharp-teethed mouths turned to his comparatively tiny figure in his combat suit.

Baro's body was crumpled under one of the creature's palms; the same creature had cut Eyuran off from getting close to Bradoh, which was also slightly damaged and overturned onto its side. The other creature blocked the escape route into the depths of the ship. And more were on the way here through the tubes on top of the ship.

Eyuran released the shutter of his gun.

Everyone stood motionless for one last moment before the storm fulminated as Bradoh fired its main cannon in the surprise attack, blasting Baro's captor's head off and continuing to mince the body of the enemy, swiftly moving onto the second target.

Gunshots, my footsteps, my heartbeat, my rising blood flow, it all mixed together. Distant cannon blasts from Bradoh shook Quennah to the last metagrid cell and were getting closer and closer. The machine was powerful, but it wasn't properly calibrated yet. The disadvantage was its main weapon's impulse nature. It still needed five and a half seconds to recharge after each round. A gap of five and a half seconds in a battle with a Hunter is death. The problem could be solved with a second cannon, but that was only partially complete. Bradoh had thirteen shots remaining before a recharge would be necessary. Baro eventually crawled from under the dead Hunter's claw, dragging his right arm, and sat on the floor, holding his other hand on his ribs, unable to stand up. And the enemy kept coming, keeping him away from Bradoh and Eyuran busy.

I doubled my running tempo.

Another blast, the ship bounced and I lost my balance and fell to the ground. As I got up, the lights flickered and went out, returning the ship to its barely lit state—one of the Hunters had destroyed the gearbot grid Baro had constructed. There was a screeching noise, the ship rocked and I heard a crushing sound on her top... The Hunters on Quennah's hull were disconnecting the spikes, preparing to drop her down. This was not good!

Switching to night vision, I hurried forward.

Baro, having no soma, wasn't able to bring the machine to its highest performance level fast enough to cover for the vulnerability. His only aid was Bradoh's arcai. Still, Baro had an advantage compared to the rest of us—he was a soldier. He had no enhanced strength, yet he survived where others couldn't. I had no other choice but to trust his ability. Daring but shrewd and with an excellent physique, the only serious problem could be his recent traumas and concussion, since he controlled Bradoh through the rabhain.

My cousin, hard-working and energetic, is a nice but quite violent type who will passionately protect everything that he holds dear. Underneath his good nature is a deep, dark well where a monster dwells. This strange part of him he fears and tries to suppress. But once this line is crossed, his strength and endurance are immense. The reason for this vile side is his restless soma; this is what makes it hard to control the Eater. His power probably won't manifest unless he is wounded, but if he gets hurt, even a little bit, his soma will drain his weapon's power cell. And whatever energy source it finds close. This is the main reason no one wants people like him around. Even arcai will shut their power down before such a person approaches them. This is also why these people train their bodies beyond the norm to protect themselves and everyone around them from themselves. But is the Eater really what everyone believes it is? This 'uselessness' doesn't make sense. It is soma, after all.