Page 71 of May the Stars Have Mercy
Reevar and Grooug rolled their eyes, swatting at the young hunter. Light merriment softened the tension in the room. Even as the lights dimmed and food was done, the soft murmuring of people speaking made it feel less dire. They’d cleaned up the Brexzkit, they’d left the Orv with a clean planet and in good health.The least they could do.It felt like a victory and Aphrodite wanted to celebrate it.
So why didn’t the icky, guilty rock in her gut not ease up?
Aphrodite looked up at her bunk before glancing down at Xexis in his. He cocked a brow. “My Mate?”
“I don’t think I’m going to get much sleep,” she murmured, kneeling beside his bunk. Xexis rolled onto his side, draping a hand around her and holding the nape of her neck sweetly. She rested her cheek against his arm. “I think I’m going to sit in the command deck for a bit, try and tire my brain out.”
“We’ll be home soon, and you can rest in my arms once more,” He breathed, stroking the side of her throat with a thumb. “Shall I come with you?”
“No, please, you need the rest.” She kissed his pulse that raced against his wrist. Nuzzling her nose against his forearm, she lingered in his affection for a moment longer. Then, with a sigh, she kissed him once more and pulled away. “Sleep, My Mate.”
She left the crew in the bunk room and stalked through the ship on light feet. Buddy bobbed over her shoulder. The text spilled over the screen of her data pad.
Aphrodite Kerso is worried.
“Very,” she breathed, climbing into the pilot’s chair as Xexis had before, watching the stars. Curling up into a comfortable position, she opened the database of information for the Council. She’d gotten access from Xexis. It was the Council’s very own web browser, but most of the information on the database wasn’t translated. Buddy did his best to translate what he could.
First she started with Brexzkit. Not much info. Nothing they didn’t put in there.
Then, she went with Lyssavirus. Lots of information, nothing helpful.
Finally, she just stared at the main page of the database. Maybe if she kept staring, the information would just leap off the page. Hopeful thinking.
Aphrodite lay her head against the pilot’s headrest and stared helplessly out into the stars as they whizzed by. For an eternity, or what it felt like, she waited. Prodding at the feeling in her mind to no avail, so she waited more.
That was, until a shadow loomed over her. She gasped, ripping around in the seat. Kern, their pilot lingered over her shoulder, staring at her with wide eyes. “Aphrodite Kerso is not resting.”
She scrambled out of the chair, hands raised as if she was about to punch the Vroz.Sleep walking? Or Brexzkit?Her heart skipped a beat as Kern rounded the chair. Their eyes were milky lavender, tendrils of purple dangling from their nostrils for a momentbefore they snaked up all the way into Kern. Aphrodite glanced around swiftly for anything to defend herself with.
“Aphrodite Kerso makes it hard to speak with…when she is not resting.” Kern’s voice floated as a rasped whisper.
“Who are you?” She stepped slowly back, finding Kern following her step for step. Eyes never blinking. Mindlessly they followed after her.
“We are nameless as we need no name other than to know who we are.”
“That’s not really helpful. Are you the infected Brexzkit?” She jabbed a finger at Kern.
“No, we are healthy. It has been hard to keep healthy. Disease spreads so easily. There are few of us left. We fear multiplying, for an infection to one brood would kill the others. Please, you must stop them. Aphrodite Kerso must save us.”
Aphrodite stopped, mid-step, staring at the lumbering creature as tears dripped out of Kern’s eyes. They opened and shut Kern’s mouth over and over as if they were on the verge of a breakdown. Slowly, she stepped forward till she was toe to toe with Kern. Putting out a hand to Kern’s nose, she waited. The Vroz shivered, gasping for air and rocking on his heels. Tears spilled down more before their eyes fluttered closed. Lilac tendrils and pockets of smoke fell out of his nose into her hands. Kern dropped to the floor like a heavy sack of potatoes.
Jumping back, she let out a small squeak of surprise before glancing down to the clumped being in her palms. Milky, slimy tendrils brushed her skin. It felt like holding a cloud, as if she could feel it but it wasn’t there in the same instance.
“How do I keep you safe? How do I save you?”
Buddy chirped. She glanced down to her data pad still in the seat of the chair.
Kill the nest…where the infection started, they say.
Aphrodite looked down and the blob in her hands. “Where is the nest? Show me?”
Buddy chirped again and she peaked at the screen on her device.
The void.
And then a map came up showing coordinates.
“Well…that’s…ominous.”
