Chapter 3

Hull took the direct route toward their spaceship. He didn't put on the autopilot, but drove as fast as he dared. Seeing the energy meter dropping lower and lower, Hull gathered his energy. He channeled it through his hands to the racer. It wasn't the smartest thing to do, but faster than refueling the car with new crystals or adding the beast core.

You would add the beast core to the fuel tank and since the energy was the same, they would fuse giving it new life. Hull's ears burned red as he thought how high and mighty the two of them were moments ago. Always be ready for anything. They hadn't taken an extra crystal in a sealed container with them. Hull decided that next time they would have one.

Nella was laying down on the floor huddled in a heap. She had lost some of her luster, her hair drenched in sweat upon releasing all that energy. The bottomless confidence gone, replaced with tired eyes staring into nothingness.

Ten minutes later some life returned to Nella's eyes. She gathered herself for an additional minute before speaking a name.

"Kunaku Parasite" The effect was immediate. The car roared to speed and almost capsized on the nearest dune. Hull had in panic put in more energy than he intended.

Nella stretched her hand out and showed the yellow crystal left from the parasite. The next hour consisted of Hull swearing under his breath every few minutes. While Nella laid there unmoving. After the hour had passed Hull broke the silence.

"Now I understand why you used your reserves." Nella didn't move and Hull wasn't waiting for an answer. "There is only half an hour with top speed left to the ship. I'll dry up at that point." Hull continued his monologue. Hull was working overtime both in thinking and using his energy. It had been a long time since he had used up this much. With a scratch of his stubble between dunes, he continued again. "It also makes sense why the Garthinus could sap our energy with this bugger inside it." Hull kept speaking until they reached the ship. In comfort to himself and his companion.

Nella was fidgeting with a small metal container in her pocket, but decided against it. They weren't in immediate danger now. She had finally relaxed minutes before arriving at their ship. Nella sat up on the floor and leaned on the car door. She was absentmindedly tracing the symbol on her head when they reached the ship.

"Do we report it?" Nella asked when they were driving up the ramp to their ship. Hull didn't answer before the ramp closed behind them.

"We have to." Hull grimaced and parked the car. He leaned back and felt old, for the first time in a while. His body ached all over with all the supporting energy gone. "I'd love to not report it." Hull said. Nella shifted herself ready to get out. After a moments silence she said.

"It's either that or the system is fucked."

The duo was on their way out of the planet Trylem IV. They were riding on their ship called GK. Agnes. The ship's name was in honor of their favorite faculty member at their school. They had spent hours upon hours on listening to stories from groundskeeper Agnes. She had been lamenting that she couldn't go on adventures anymore. The two of them had decided to name their ship after her so she would always be on adventure with them. The thought of how the ship was named didn't enter the minds of the two passengers. They were focusing on a bigger problem, the Kunai Parasites.

The parasite was a scourge of the universe. No-one knew where they came from, but they seemed to pop up in systems without rhyme or reason. They traveled through space to other planets within the system when they were full grown. The parasites didn't seem to travel to neighboring systems. They were noticed on systems hundreds of light-years away from each other. Their method of travel was a mystery, or then they had always been there and woke up from being dormant.

The parasite would enslave the whole planet and for a few generations, the planet could prosper as normal. At some point, all parasites reached full growth and left the planet lifeless.

The worst part was that the parasites were quite strong, no civilian could take them out. They would only end up enslaved. Lucky for us they couldn't use our intellect. If they managed to take over a practitioner the situation was dire. A mindless fighter with a close to an endless source of energy.

How the creatures hadn't taken over the known galaxy was a great question. The reigning hypothesis concluded that something prayed on these Kunai Parasites. No-one had encountered such a thing and hence it was only a hypothesis.

Hull and Nella sat in a similar formation as in the car. They were on the ship's bridge seated in two massive and comfortable seats. The ship was top of the line and a unique vessel at that. It was probable there were only about ten ships of this caliber in the whole human race.

Nella was fresh from the shower and had put on some more comfortable clothes. Hull was taking care of their atmosphere exit. Nella had brought two fresh cups of coffee giving one to Hull. After a satisfying taste, Nella put the cup down on her armrest. With an almost imperceptible sound, a magnet activated, holding the drink in place. It had an automatic function to keep the temperature perfect for any drink.

Nella stretched a bit and crossed her legs.

"I hope they only arrived recently and aren't at the end of their lifecycle." Nella said. Hull clicked a few buttons and leaned back with a sigh. He had set the course for Trylem Terra and could now relax. He didn't actually need to do it, the ship was almost completely automated. It was Hull's preference to be in control of the ship's movement.

"Yeah." Hull said and crossed his arms. He uncrossed them moments later, picking up the coffee Nella had got him. Nella had time for another sip before Hull continued. "Not a mission we would normally choose." Hull took a satisfying big gulp of his drink. His face relaxed another notch. "We should hasten the plan for my retirement." Hull said after a pause. Nella shook, almost spilling coffee on her. She put the coffee down with shaking hands and pulled her legs up to hug them. A moment's silence later she got out a weak:

"Yeah."