Erika had aided in the capture of eight alien species, but she had never thrown a punch at another human. She’d witnessed plenty of middle school fights, but nothing like what was happening in front of her.

  Bodies collided against each other, resulting in grunts and shouts. It was impossible to tell limbs apart.

  Erika stood a few meters away from the chaos. She shouldn’t be in the fight. But a small voice whispered in the back of her head,

  You’re the cause of all this. That raspy voice wanted Erika to throw herself into the carnage and swing at everything.

  Petra popped out of the cyclone and darted toward Erika.

  “Ladder! Now!” Petra shouted. She had a red mark on her left cheek.

  Before Erika could say anything, Petra shoved Erika back.

  A massive hand reached out–Clive’s hand–and yanked Petra back into the fight.

  Erika ran to the ladder, and hurried down.

  “Stop her!” Ryder shouted. He and Theo were still locked together, grappling over the pistol.

  Erika clambered to the second floor. She ran to the kitchen alcove and searched the counter. Ryder had been doing something here before Erika interrupted him. She couldn’t tell what he as doing though, or if he’d left anything useful behind.

  A gunshot rang out.

  Erika spun around.

  Silence.

  There shouldn’t be silence.

  Did Ryder shoot someone? Did Theo? What if Petra got hurt?

  Erika couldn’t stay out in the open. She ran to the elevator, and mashed the button. The machine didn’t respond.

  “Come on,” Erika kept mashing the button.

  The doors dinged. The doors slid open. There was a shape inside. It was Ryder.

  Erika ran. She didn’t take the time to read the Captain’s expression or see if he still had his gun; she just ran for the ladder.

  “Get back here! Now!” Ryder bellowed.

  Erika threw herself on the ladder, then hurried for the third floor. She tried the door to the shuttle bay. The shuttle might still have a shock spear or net gun aboard. It wasn’t much against a real pistol, but Erika would take anything she could get her hands on.

  If the door opened, that is.

  Ryder’s engaged the Captain’s Override.

  Erika tried the door to the right, but it wouldn’t open, either. She looked down the hall. Around the corner, the lab waited. Ryder should have engaged the lock there, but if he released it for some reason–

  The elevator dinged.

  Erika dashed to the ladder, and went down one more floor. She ran through a narrow hall, and burst into the control room for the reactor.

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  She paused at the glass.

  Glistening orange webs coated the reactor core and spread across the room. Aranea larvae wriggled in the substance. Erika didn’t see the big Aranea, but she was certain it lurked in the room, too. It would stick close to its nest.

  When did this start? When did anyone last come to the reactor room?

  Erika glanced back to the ladder. She could only go back up. There was nowhere to hide on the second and third floors, though. Going to the bridge meant Erika would walk straight into the arms of the ship crew, who would promptly fling her out the airlock.

  Erika turned her attention back to the orange webs and writhing aliens.

  She huffed.

  Then she opened the door. The larvae hissed when Erika took her first step into the reactor room. She looked over the walls, and spotted a cluster of larvae watching her.

  She took deep breaths. They were shaky.

  Erika maneuvered her way deeper into the room. The adult Aranea scuttled into view atop of the reactor core. It hissed down at Erika. The Aranea were territorial with their nests. One wrong move, and the creatures would swarm Erika.

  I need to borrow your home for a moment, then I’ll be gone, I promise. Just give me a few minutes.

  Erika walked slowly through the reactor room. She was careful to avoid the webs, not just because she didn’t know their exact chemical makeup, but also because stepping on one might set the Aranea off.

  She made her way to a boxy device–Erika didn’t know exactly what it was–but she did know that it would hide her from the window. That’s what she needed.

  The Aranea hissed. It scuttled along the reactor core so it could keep Erika in sight.

  Erika grit her teeth, then crouched behind the device.

  Larvae scuttled through the webs above Erika.

  She forced herself to take more deep breaths. The anxiety in her stomach wouldn’t go away, and why should it? Erika was meters away from a group of hostile aliens.

  The door slammed open.

  “If you’re in here, come out!” Ryder shouted. His voice echoed off the walls.

  Erika tensed.

  Footsteps.

  Larvae hissed.

  “Oh, fuck off. This is my ship,” Ryder hissed back.

  More footsteps. Ryder was wandering the room. Hopefully he wouldn’t touch the webs. Hopefully the Aranea would leave him alone.

  Why do you care? He’s trying to kill you. Erika remembered the Captain with the charming grin, though, and that man was somewhere within Ryder. He didn’t deserve to get torn apart by aliens.

  The footsteps grew louder. Ryder was closer.

  “If I find you in here, I’m gonna be very upset!” Ryder hollered.

  He was too close.

  Erika ran her hands over her pockets in search of something, anything that could be used to fend Ryder off. Her pockets were empty. The floor around Erika was clear, even of the Aranea’s webs.

  Ryder’s foot appeared at Erika’s side.

  Shit!

  Erika jumped up.

  “Don’t shoot!” She shouted.

  Ryder was lifting his gun, though.

  Erika grabbed Ryder’s arm and tried to force his aim up. He was stronger than Erika, and the barrel of the gun was coming in Erika’s direction. She scurried to the side so Ryder’s aim stayed just to the right of her skull.

  The Aranea hissed.

  Ryder growled. He grabbed Erika’s face with his free arm, and shoved her back. She stumbled into the corner of the box, then spiraled to the floor. Erika pulled herself to her elbows. Ryder had the gun aimed at her.

  Erika froze. She wouldn’t be fast enough to evade a shot. She wouldn’t even try.

  “You think you can turn my ship into a circus?” Ryder spat.

  The Captain was the one who turned the ship into a circus. Erika wanted to tell him that, but her tongue sat dead in her mouth.

  “I’d ask if you had any last words, but you know what? I don’t give a fuck.” Ryder adjusted his aim.

  A shadow passed across the floor.

  The Aranea dropped onto Ryder’s head.

  He stumbled to the side, and caught himself on a railing. The Aranea hissed.

  “You fucking thing!” Ryder aimed his gun at the Aranea and shot. The bullet bounced off the Aranea’s carapace.

  The Aranea screeched. It rammed a limb into Ryder. It went through the Captain’s back, and popped out through his shoulder.

  Ryder shrieked.

  Blood dripped from the appendage.

  Another limb punched through Ryder’s chest. Gore sprayed onto the aluminum floor.

  Ryder collapsed to his knees. The gun clattered from his hand, and skittered toward Erika’s feet. She danced away from it.

  Ryder looked up, and locked eyes with Erika. Fear shone bright in the Captain’s face.

  “Help. Please,” Ryder croaked.

  A limb pierced his throat. Ryder spit bright blood down his chin and chest. He collapsed onto his face. The Aranea stood triumphant atop the Captain.

  Oh my god oh my god oh my god.

  The Aranea turned its attention to Erika.

  She ran to the exit.