Planet Garcia - Escape

Hesitation had vanished from Nahibi's movements. There wasn't a shred of mercy in them. No, it wasn't even a battle anymore—it was a one-sided extermination.

BOOM! Nahibi whipped her massively swollen white body like a lash. The dozen or so Reaper-type xenoforms charging at her didn't even have time to scream before they were smashed into the walls and reduced to pulp.

[Kyahahaha! Tastes awful! Rotten meat! But the energy's overflowing!]

Nahibi absorbed them, bloating her body even larger. Every time the white tidal wave filling the cavern surged, the awakened ancient spirits were swept away into oblivion.

Then it happened.

One of Nahibi's red eyes popped free from her body surface and shot into the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠air. It landed amid a dense cluster of xenoforms at the entrance.

[Explode.]

A blinding flash erupted, followed by a massive explosion. Dozens of monsters at the epicenter vanished without a trace—perfect annihilation, not even flecks of flesh left behind. Hundreds more suffered wounds of varying severity.

But…

'That eye… it explodes??'

I clutched Eve to my chest, watching the scene from inside Nahibi's body, too stunned to speak.

'Nahibi… how weak was she when we fought inside the ship?'

Was she just whining when the plasma cutter singed her? No, she'd been dormant for a long time, so maybe she was just low on power. Either way, the conclusion was the same.

The white catastrophe before my eyes was a disaster beyond anything Federation military common sense could explain.

'But…'

I stared at the overwhelming battlefield from within Nahibi's body.

'Right now, she's on our side.'

Overwhelming firepower. When those thousands of xenoforms first swarmed from the pillar, I'd thought we were done for, picked clean to the bone. But watching Nahibi's performance now, she could handle this alone if we just gave her enough time.

I let out a sigh of relief and glanced down at Eve in my arms. She lay connected to the pod Nahibi had made for her. Her face, pale and twisted in agony just moments ago, now had a healthy flush. Her breathing was steady, her brow relaxed. She looked peacefully asleep in the sunlight.

'Thank God… really, thank God.'

Nahibi's "healing" seemed to be working. I brushed Eve's hair back and turned my gaze outward again.

Raw power, regeneration, intelligence, and now these special explosive abilities. Nahibi excelled in every way. In my Federation days, I'd crossed countless battlefields and seen every kind of monster imaginable. But nothing like her—no individual with that level of dominance.

'Was the war I knew just the tip of the iceberg? Or is Nahibi something special?'

Has the Federation been fighting things like this…? I thought I'd seen the back side of it all, but maybe I'd only glimpsed the front.

I was lost in those thoughts when—

THUD! Crash! Something in the far corner, swept up in Nahibi's wild thrashing, went tumbling into view. Crumpled outer hull. Shattered viewport. Spewing engine smoke.

My ship, the Night Raven.

"……!!!"

My eyes went wide.

While Nahibi ballooned up and rampaged, the Night Raven had been caught in the xenoform waves, battered by falling debris, and was turning into scrap in real time.

'Hey! Crazy bitch! My ship!!!'

If that thing breaks, we're done. Even if Eve recovers and Nahibi wipes them out, no ship means no escape from this planet. We'd wither or freeze forever in this dead world's underground.

I desperately called out to Nahibi.

"Mmph! Mmph!"

But no sound came out. This was the slimy depths of her gut, after all. I flailed my arms, trying to signal her somehow. But Nahibi was too engrossed in the fight to notice.

[Die! Mother's scraps! You dare harm the new Queen's sacred body?!]

All her focus was outward.

'This is bad. Real bad.'

I had to think of something. Swim out? No way. Breaking through this sticky slime to her outer edge was impossible—it'd take ten minutes, and by then the Night Raven would be dust.

'Sorry, Nahibi.'

I apologized in my head, then drew the plasma ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠cutter from my belt.

Bubble bubble. Max output.

Without hesitation, I jammed it into the boiling white flesh ahead. The superheated plasma began searing her innards. The smell of grilling squid—no, burning protein—filled the air.

[……?!]

Nahibi's movements froze.

[KYAAAH! Hot! What the hell! What are you stabbing inside me, you lowly human!!!]

Her scream hammered my mind. I ignored it and swung the cutter wildly.

[Agh! Stop! Stop it! Before I kill you!]

Only then did one of her red eyes slither down to face me. She glared in pain and rage. I shut off the cutter, put a finger to my lips, and gestured let's talk.

Pucker pucker.

Nahibi stared blankly for a moment, then got it.

[Oh. Right. You can't even use thought-speak, you primitive…]

The slime around my face receded, creating a small air pocket. The moment I could breathe, I gasped and yelled.

"Hey! You idiot! Snap out of it?!"

[What? Idiot? I'm doing all this for you, and you dare—!]

"Screw your 'doing all this'! Look over there! My ship! The Night Raven's getting smashed!"

I pointed at the ship far off, being kicked around like a soccer ball by the xenoforms.

"If that breaks, we're all dead! Stuck here! How do we get off this planet? You gonna fly us to space?!"

[……Huh?]

Her eye swiveled to the ship.

[Oh… right. That scrap heap's our ride.]

"So ease up and bail! Grab the ship!"

Nahibi bristled at my words.

[What? Bail? You telling me to run from the enemy?]

Killing intent laced her voice.

[I'm Nariant's child. When Mother met her end, I fled weeping blood. That memory tormented me endlessly, even in sleep.]

The surrounding slime bubbled furiously.

[And now run again? With the enemy right there? No! This time I won't retreat! Not until I've wiped their seed from existence…!]

"Think of Eve!" I cut her off, shouting.

"You wanna endanger Eve for your revenge? Drag this out, the ship's toast, and Eve's trapped on this dead rock forever! That's what you want?"

[……]

"Don't get emotional. If you're the Queen's guard, judge priorities! Is fighting the goal, or protecting?!"

[Th-that's…]

"Right now, you're Eve's best friend, her only family. Don't mistake who you should prioritize here."

My sharp words silenced her. Her red eye wavered. She glanced at sleeping Eve.

Eve's words echoed: 'Squishy's my precious friend.'

Nahibi's killing intent slowly faded.

[……You're right.]

She trembled her tentacles in frustration but regained composure.

[Yes. The Queen's safety comes first. Not my pride.]

Her body writhed, reshaping.

[Moving out. Hold on tight, lowly human.]

"Huh? Wait, hold on to what?"

[Payment for swinging that thing inside me earlier. Enjoy the nausea.]

Her red eye curved wickedly.

Her massive body surged like a wave, swallowing the crumpling Night Raven whole. Then her outer layer hardened rapidly.

[Hardening.]

The soft white flesh turned to crystalline white in seconds—like a giant gem.

[Charge!]

Nahibi barreled toward the exit. Hundreds of xenoforms blocking the way? Ice walls? Boulders? Irrelevant. The white gem, armored in hyper-hard plating and millions of tons of mass, pulverized everything in its path.

Inside, I was dying. Even if the interior hadn't fully hardened to absorb shocks, hurtling through Nahibi's body at that speed felt like a rollercoaster dumped into a blender. My screams drowned in the roar of her charge.

The most brutal, idiotic breakout from Garcia Planet's depths.

How much time passed? The shaking stopped. Ptooey. Nahibi's body parted, spitting me and the Night Raven out.

"Hah… hah… damn…."

I steadied my dizzy vision and looked up. Silence around us. Another underground chamber—Nahibi had surfaced in a nearby safe spot.

Nahibi approached, shrunk back to her normal size from her sky-scraping bulk.

[Don't complain about the majesty I showed. Prove your own ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠worth, even if it's just a clawful, lowly human.]

"Majesty my ass… nearly puked…."

I wanted to curse her out, but she'd saved us. And her true form? Had to admit, she was no joke.

"First… check the ship."

I staggered to the Night Raven. The state was pitiful. Dented everywhere, hull peeled back exposing wiring. Without Nahibi's swallow, it'd be scrap already.

I pulled out the repair kit and activated the spare bots.

"System, damage report."

"Hah…."

Good thing I had pirate-scavenged parts, or we'd be stuck.

I directed the bots and grabbed the welder. Thrusters and engines? Swap parts. Dents? Hammer out.

But.

"This… no fix."

Midship, residential section. The special alloy armor plate covering it was gone—ripped clean off, a massive chunk missing.

Ship armor handles hyperspace pressures. Without it, engaging the drive would tear us apart. No replacement that size.

"Damn, how to patch this? Slap on standard alloy, and we're confetti the second we jump."

I clutched my head, racking my brain, when—

"Kal?"

A familiar voice from behind.

"Eve!"

I whipped around. Eve sat on Nahibi's back, rubbing her eyes, looking at me. Her color was back—brighter, eyes clearer than before.

"You okay? Hurt anywhere?"

"Yup! Feel great! Not hungry either."

Eve beamed and toddled toward the ship.

"But… why's our ship hurt? Looks real bad!"

"Ah, yeah… accident. Fixing it, but that hole's the problem. No parts."

I pointed at the gaping wound and gave a wry smile.

Eve stared at it, then tilted her head.

"I… think I can fix it."

"Huh? You?"

I blinked. Eve with repair skills? No way.

But she didn't wait, walking right up to the ship.

"Like this."

She reached out her tiny hand toward the missing plate. Flesh gathered at her fingertips, rapidly covering the hole. Then it solidified—hard, smooth purple crystal filling the gap perfectly.

[!!!]

Nahibi, watching, gasped.

[Matter reconfiguration? The young Queen already wielding such authority?!]

"Matter reconfiguration?"

[The power to convert energy to mass and create matter. Some Queens can't use it—highly talent-dependent!]

Before Nahibi finished, Eve was done. The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ugly breach was sealed with mystical purple crystal armor, tougher and more iridescent than the original alloy.

"All done!"

Eve turned back proudly.

I stroked her head, thinking.

'Gonna have to paint it black again…'