Page 47 of May the Stars Have Mercy
She let out an airy laugh, “It’s not like we everstoppedbeing friends, you know, just two career-driven women on two different paths we just kinda…” She trailed off as they were led to a small bench. Close enough to watch, but they weren’t breathing on the door cover anymore. She continued with a sigh. “We were bunk mates in college. The school where they train you to be a technician or doctor or pilot. But they don’t let you be in the same bunk with someone in the same training as you. Don’t want you to cheat.”
Xexis chuckled, “That’s wise.”
They shared a warm look before their gazes drifted to Reevar. The monitors strapped to the side of the bed were saying good things. But her anxiety told her it was too soon to tell. She took one of Xexis’ hands and squeezed it. “We were really close, but when she took a medical position, I was going off on my first mission and before I knew it—you know, one of us stopped replying immediately, and then, it was months, even a full year without talking. That’s the problem, when I put my head down and focused on getting out of that stupid crew, I forgot about all the people I swore to keep in touch with before the crew.”
Maybe, when this was over, we could reconnect…now that I know where Vivian works.
The two mates sat in silence, watching Vivian stitch something back together with a drone in Reevar’s chest. Her neon blue hair was pulled in a tight ponytail. Aphrodite smiled at the way she still worried her bottom lip when she hyper focused. After finals, Vivian’s bottom lip was so bruised she had to wear a sports guard and was unable to wear lipstick for a month. Aphrodite remembered her crying while trying to put it on once then staining her skin with drink mix instead. Vivian never went anywhere without red lipstick, pumps, and an attitude.
Then, Xexis stiffened, and Aphrodite glanced at him curiously. He had changed from staring at Reevar to his data pad. There was a communication from Xnasis, but his name was the only one she could read in Vroz.
“You wanna talk about how you nearly bit his head off for telling Reevar to be here?” Aphrodite nudged him in the side with her elbow.
“Does that make me an Om-Nom?” he teased, flashing her a proud smirk. She nudged him harder. They chuckled together as he threw an arm around her waist and laid his forehead against her head. After their laughter subsided, there was only cold tension in the air. Xexis let out a wounded sigh. “Xnasis believes I am sloppy and under prepared to be Kannatch. That I do not take this seriously. I believe he thinks I am weak.”
Aphrodite shifted, pressing her forehead to him. “You’re not weak.”
“But I did allow Fqa to die in my care.”
“Allow?” She scoffed. “You didn’t allow that, I was the one who told Reevar how to kill him.”
Xexis shook his head, his shoulders slumping more. “That is not what I mean, my mate. I’ve seen the reports. Fqa was dead, unresponsive before he lashed out. The reason he escaped was they were pulling him from the tube, trying to bring him back, when he attacked.”
Aphrodite froze, staring down into Xexis’ lap.He was dead when he changed.She slipped back inch by inch until the two stared at each other. Then, she glanced at Buddy, “Scan me for infection.”
Buddy chirped and ran her and Xexis through his orange beam. She watched her data pad with held breath.
No infection detected. Slightly lower levels of iron, but Xexis and Aphrodite are not filled with pest.
Aphrodite scowled, crossing her arms. “So, then it’s not a disease or actual infection, it’s not a virus or able to be spread by blood. What infected Max, the Council woman, and Fqa? And why was it only after they were dead did they take control?”
Text appeared on the screen, and she stared at it in abject horror.
Pest resides within them.
“The pest is a creature? A thing?” She looked up to Buddy. He bounced up and down, tentacles flopping. She glared at the nearest wall, thinking it through out loud. “It's feeding off them, we know that, because the lifeforms are always deteriorating when they're infected. And their skulls, they’re always brittle. It must be feeding off their calcium, but…Fqa was alive when he was infected. The creature must not be able to take control while they’re alive. Xexis!”
She ripped to face him. He sat up straight, eyes wide. She panted, “When Fqa reached out for help, what did he say exactly? How did he know he was sick?”
Xexis cocked his head. “I will have to look at the log when we return home. It has everything plus the records we have when we arrived.”
“Perfect!” Aphrodite beamed, a surge of warmth and motivation pulsing through her. “I bet we can figure out more about them from Fqa. Because Max, and unfortunately, probably the Council woman were already dead when the pests took over. They didn’t have to fight for control. Because despite the knife to the head, Max’s body and brain were still mostly intact. If the pest can reanimate the dead, likely they can work around a split skull. Damn, I wish they hadn’t blown their brains out, we probably could have found the pests in their heads.”
If the pests didn’t die from the blast, they would have found another host. Pests survive even after the host is gone by finding a new host.
She knew that Buddy was trying to console her, but it didn’t make her feel better. They need to find a new host? She looked at Xexis, “Can you get an urgent message to Xnasis, tell him the pests in their skulls may try to find a new host, a different dead host?”
Xexis was in the middle of calling his brother when Vivian stepped up to the doorway. The clear curtains were spread, and she smiled. Aphrodite’s tension melted away at the familiar, soothing sounds of Vivian’s pumps across the metal floors. She strutted to Aphrodite and instantly threw her arms around her. Aphrodite sprung up into her embrace and pulled her close. Vivian exhaled heavily into her shoulder, but there was a smile in her voice. “Your guy is just fine, don’t worry. I patched him up. He’s safe.”
Aphrodite squeezed Vivian with all her might, fingers burrowing into her sides. “Thank you! Vivian…” She trembled as the wave of anxiety and fear washed away and her body was filled with relief. Goose bumps broke out across all her skin. “Thank you.”
Vivian broke away, cupping Aphrodite’s face sweetly. “He’s got a little bit before the anesthesia wears off, but if you want to come sit by him while you wait, it’s safe to do that now.”
Aphrodite nodded, searching for Xexis. He was still on his data pad call with Xnasis. His brother didn’t look happy but there was something else. She could see it from over Xexis’ shoulder as he instructed Xnasis with everything Aphrodite said, speaking half in Vrozian and half in English. Xnasis was observing Xexis with wonder. There was fury, and disgust as he barked things to his assistants, but…wonder returned to his eyes as he looked back to Xexis on screen.
“Thank you, Xexis, we will take your discovery into consideration when handling the others.”
“Have,” Aphrodite opened her mouth then stopped, covering it with her hands. Both brothers turned to her expectantly. She blushed awkwardly shuffling up behind Xexis, “Max and the Council woman, they didn’t get back up, did they?”
