Pest Control
From the Safira's window, Jex watches Clara appear—standing atop a mysterious floating metal box.
With her—a stranger.
A tall, pale-skinned man, shirtless, his strong chest bared to the wind.
"Who the hell is that?"
Then—her brain short-circuits.
"Wait?!"
"He's not gonna—"
"WHAAAT?!?!"
Jex watches in shock as the man leaps from the floating box.
Mid-air.
A few dozen meters above the deadly vortex of sand.
And the craziest part?
He jumps straight onto the giant sandworm.
Bare-handed.
No weapons. No hesitation.
But what really shakes Jex—
His face.
"That bastard is SMILING?!?!"
She cannot believe the confident, almost thrilled grin on his face as he plunges toward the Vhorr'Ka.
Even Clara—so used to wild bullshit—glances at him, growing concerned.
Still in freefall, his eyes blaze like someone about to pull off the craziest stunt in history.
A predator.
His prey.
An ancient, colossal monster.
And he doesn't care.
Arms forward. Chest puffed out.
He braces for impact.
BAM!
He slams hard against the creature's armored hide.
It's strangely warm.
Not as hard as he expected.
His body compresses the thick plating slightly.
Then—it bounces back.
The chitin is incredibly elastic.
There's a weird, viscous slime coating its surface.
He tries to grip something—anything—
But there are no ridges. No gaps.
Just seamless, organic plating.
He slips.
"..."
He doesn't scream.
But—he starts sliding downward.
Like a goddamn waterslide.
"HEY YOU!!!"
Clara panics.
She watches him skid down the monster's back—
Straight toward the sand vortex.
"GRAB ONTO SOMETHING!!!"
She feels useless.
She can't reach him.
She can't help.
Clara almost veers the floating box off course.
The Vhorr'Ka notices something sliding down its massive body.
*SCROOOAHHHHHH!!!*
The creature howls in rage.
He stays calm. Hands searching for something—anything to hold onto.
Then—he finds it.
What is this? Doesn't matter. He grips it tight.
From the Safira, Jex's eyes widen.
"No way… That's…?"
*SCRAAAH?!?*
The creature lets out a different noise.
Almost surprised.
Maybe offended.
The mysterious man wipes the stinking slime off his face. His grip remains firm on the thing.
Something hard. Damp. Hot.
Very hot. His hand burns.
As he finally sees what it is— he, too, is surprised.
One of the Vhorr'Ka's venomous spines.
"SON OF A BITCH!!!" Clara cheers, unable to believe his audacity.
The creature loosens its grip on the Safira, trying to dislodge the intruder.
A perfect opening.
Clara seizes the moment, steering toward the ship.
"JEX!!!"
Jex already knows. She sprints to the door, slamming the control panel.
The hatch hisses open.
"GET OUT OF THE WAY!!!"
Clara blasts inside, still on the floating box.
BAM! THUD!
She crashes into a counter. The box bounces back. Clara flies forward—over a table—rolling onto the floor.
"FUCK!!!"
"Clara?!?" Jex rushes to her, worried.
Clara winces but grins, already getting up.
"We have to help him!!!"
Jex has a million questions. But now isn't the time. Now is the time for action.
"The creature wrecked all external weapons!!" Jex reports quickly.
"Then to the armory!!!" Clara takes off toward the lower deck.
"Wait!" Jex jumps in front of her.
"I think we have something better than rifles and pistols to deal with it."
Clara's eyes light up with curiosity. "Talk fast!"
"The mining drill."
"I thought about it the second the external guns went offline."
"I think it might work as an improvised weapon, but…"
Jex lowers her head, shame flickering across her face.
"I was too scared to go outside…"
Clara's expression softens.
"It's okay, Jex. You control the crane from here, and I'll handle the drill outside."
Jex nods immediately.
"Alright! I'll head to the bridge. You need to get to the cargo zone and climb onto the drill."
Clara takes off toward the hallway.
"I'll grab a few things from the armory too…"
"Okay."
Jex hesitates. "But what about your friend out there? We need to be fast!"
Clara smirks. "He'll have to hold on a little longer…"
As she rushes past a window, she catches sight of something that makes her brain short-circuit.
The mysterious man is doing something she thought was impossible.
He's gripping one of the creature's venomous spines with both hands, his feet braced against two more spines beside him.
Then—he pushes.
All the strength in his arms and legs—
CrrraaaCK!!
He does it.
He snaps one of the Vhorr'Ka's deadly spines.
SCRAAAAAAAAAAAWWW!!!
The creature lets out a furious screech.
But he doesn't care.
He doesn't stop.
He drives the jagged green spine directly into the creature's own flesh.
The soft inner tissue pierces easily.
The Vhorr'Ka writhes, screeching in agony.
Its focus shifts.
It loosens its coils around the Safira.
Now its full attention is on the intruder wreaking havoc on its low belly.
The mysterious man doesn't waste time.
He grabs another venomous spine.
Crack!
Another one breaks free in his hands.
He stares at it.
Then at the one still lodged in the creature's flesh.
A spark.
A wicked idea.
His lips curl up.
A bold. Reckless. Perversely genius idea.
He yanks the first spine out of the creature's soft tissue.
Now—
One venomous spine in each hand.
He extends his arms.
Then slams the spine into the side of the Vhorr'Ka's armored plating.
And just as he suspected—
The chitin, impervious to outside weapons,
is NOT resistant to its own acid venom.
SCREWWWWWW!!!
The Vhorr'Ka's scream pierces the air—louder, sharper, agonized.
The mysterious man swings his body to the side, using the embedded spine as a pivot. He drives the second spine deeper into the creature's chitin.
Now— holding onto both like climbing axes— he finally has stability, despite the slimy surface.
But he doesn't stop there.
With one spine firmly gripped, he yanks out the other and stabs it further up.
Then again.
And again.
Climbing.
Scaling the massive creature's body.
The Vhorr'Ka's armored plating—now just another mountain to conquer.
The howling desert winds whip against him, but he moves with ease, fearless, relentless.
The only thing that slows him down is when the creature thrashes violently, trying to shake him off.
Meanwhile—
Jex bursts into the bridge of the Safira, a wide control room filled with panels, screens, and command chairs behind a massive front-facing glass viewport.
The Vhorr'Ka has uncoiled its upper body from the ship, but its lower half still squeezes tight, keeping the Safira trapped.
Jex isn't alone.
Four crew members—a woman and three men in white-and-red uniforms—stand frozen at the back of the bridge, staring at the monstrous beast outside.
Fear written all over their faces.
"HEY, YOU THERE!"
Jex drops into her pilot's chair—the primary seat of command—and glares at them.
"Do something useful!!"
She points sharply at them.
"Be ready to break us free the second Clara gives us an opening!"
Despite their paralyzing fear, the crew snaps into action, moving to their stations to check various ship systems.
Jex cracks her knuckles.
"I'm taking control of the mining drill."
Her fingers fly over the controls, swift and precise.
She switches the main display to show a live feed from the cargo bay.
On the screen—
Clara rushes into the cargo zone, a large duffel bag slung over her shoulder, two heavy machine guns in her hands.
She moves toward the drill chamber—a small pressurized room leading to the Safira's side exit hatch.
The mining drill itself is a massive square-shaped cockpit attached to a crane arm, resembling a construction rig.
Reinforced metal plating protects the operator's seat inside, where a dual-hand control system and digital interface panel wait.
At the center of the rig—
A high-powered laser drill, designed to cut through planetary rock.
A weapon of pure destruction.
Clara tosses her bag and guns inside the cabin before climbing in herself.
She taps her earpiece.
"Jex."
Her voice is steady.
"I'm ready."
"Get me outside!"
Clara's voice is sharp and determined.
Jex hears her through the comms. "Right now!"
Fingers flying across the controls, Jex activates the side hatch. The heavy metal doors groan open, their damaged plating screeching from the strain.
The hatch fully opens.
Immediately, violent desert winds rush inside, whipping up a storm of sand.
Clara grabs a mask from beneath the seat and secures it over her face.
Her blue eyes burn with fierce determination.
"Let's fucking go!!"
From the bridge, Jex manipulates the crane controls, lifting the mining drill rig—Clara included—out of the ship.
"I'll get you close, BE CAREFUL!"
Jex's stomach knots. She's sending her best friend straight toward a goddamn eldritch death-centipede.
But Clara—she's fearless.
Her focus is locked on what's ahead.
The mysterious man is climbing.
His movements brutal, relentless.
His venomous spines pierce the creature's hide like climbing picks, leaving behind dozens of puncture wounds.
Thick, murky green-brown fluid oozes from the gaping holes in the Vhorr'Ka's exoskeleton.
"Damn!" Clara grins, watching him. "Is he actually taking this thing down by himself?!"
She laughs.
A thrill shoots through her veins.
Her hand reaches down, grabbing one of the heavy machine guns in the cockpit.
She props it onto the drill rig's railing—
Aims.
"Take this!"
She pulls the trigger.
RATATATATATA—
A storm of high-caliber bullets rip into the Vhorr'Ka's underside—
Tearing into its legs—its weakest point.
SCRAAAOOOOWWWWW!!!
The monster shrieks in agony, thrashing violently.
Its coils loosen.
Then—
It fully releases the Safira, twisting wildly, desperate to shake off the man scaling its body.
Clara glances at him.
Her heart pounds.
Her eyes gleam with excitement.
"Jex! Get me closer. Take me UP!!"
"Alright!"
Jex grits her teeth, adjusting the controls.
With the Vhorr'Ka finally letting go of the ship, she regains full control.
She steadies the Safira in the air.
Then—maneuvers the crane arm, pulling Clara closer to the thrashing beast.
Clara fires every last round in both machine guns as she ascends toward its head.
The bullets rip through flesh and chitin.
The Vhorr'Ka writhes, shrieking.
Trapped in the heart of the sand vortex.
It can't shake off the man on its back.
And now Clara's in its sights.
She's pissing it off.
Badly.
Its massive, glowing green eyes lock onto her.
The red hue in them pulses.
Pure, primal rage.
RHOOOAAAAAAARRHHH!!!
The Vhorr'Ka roars and spews thick, slimy bile straight at Clara.
"You ugly, disgusting thing!!"
Clara curses, dodging as best she can, but some of the nasty goop splashes onto her.
She shudders.
"Fucking gross!"
She drops the empty machine gun and grabs the mining drill's controls.
She aims it.
Straight at the creature's gaping maw.
But—it doesn't stay still.
The Vhorr'Ka lunges.
Mouth wide open.
Fangs ready to devour her.
Whooosh—
Before it can close its massive jaws, the mysterious man reaches the creature's head.
He slams both venomous spines deep over its eyes.
The Vhorr'Ka screams.
Its mouth hangs open—completely exposed.
"HERE!!"
Clara doesn't waste the opportunity.
She activates the mining laser.
A thick, searing beam of red-hot energy fires directly into the beast's throat.
The laser burns.
Slices.
The flesh inside the worm's mouth is thick and resistant, like reinforced steel—
But this is one of its weakest points.
The Vhorr'Ka convulses violently.
Thrashing. Shaking.
The mysterious man grips the spines tightly, holding on as the head whips around.
"HANG ON!!!"
Clara yells at him, keeping the full power of the mining laser pouring into the monster's mouth.
Green and brown sludge rains down, along with chunks of burnt flesh and cartilage.
The Vhorr'Ka knows—
It won't last much longer.
Suddenly—it stops struggling against him.
Instead—it turns.
Diving downward.
Toward the sand vortex.
It's trying to escape.
"Trying to run?!"
Clara catches on immediately.
"JEX!!"
"GOT IT!!"
Jex lowers the crane, following the creature down.
Clara knows they only have seconds before the Vhorr'Ka disappears beneath the sandstorm.
She yells at the mysterious man.
"HEY YOU!"
"BIG GUY!!"
He glances up, eyes locking onto her.
She signals him—fist down.
He nods.
And then—he shoves the venomous spines as deep as possible into the creature's skull.
SCRAAAAWWWWW!!!
The Vhorr'Ka's mouth gapes wide, unleashing a final, deafening cry of agony.
"A little gift…"
Clara grins wickedly, reaching for the duffel bag on the cabin floor.
She unzips it.
Dozens of grenades.
A rectangular detonator on top.
She presses a button.
A timer flashes on the small screen.
10
9
8
She grabs the bag.
And hurls it straight into the creature's open mouth.
"FUCK YOU!!!"
The duffel disappears effortlessly down the monster's throat.
No time to celebrate.
Clara turns to the mysterious man, arm outstretched.
"COME ON!!!"
He sees her hand.
Understands.
But—
As he stands up, without the venomous spines anchoring him—
He loses his balance.
His feet slip.
The thick slime covering the Vhorr'Ka's body betrays him.
He falls.
"NO!!!"
Clara doesn't think.
She reacts.
She jumps.
Straight out of the mining drill cockpit, diving after him.
In freefall, she keeps her hand stretched out.
He does the same.
They connect.
His arms wrap around her.
She screams.
"JEX!!!"
Jex acts fast.
She slams the forward lever, tilting the Safira downward.
With a quick twist of the controls, she swings the crane arm into position—
Catching Clara and the mysterious man midair, like a giant metal hand.
"HOLD ON!!!"
Jex yanks the controls back.
The Safira reverses at full speed.
A red glow begins to pulse from deep inside the Vhorr'Ka's throat.
Its skin bloats. Expanding violently.
And then—
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!