Ancient warriors used to die in the wilderness if their tribe didn't protect them during hibernation. It was risky allowing us to become so injured that we risked this deep state of unconsciousness. What would have triggered waking me early?
My heart beat faster than normal, speeding up the recovery of my consciousness and the ability to move my claw tips.
"What was the first sign to watch for again?" One of the strangers asked with a shaky voice that pitched up at the end, nearly missed if you weren't hyper focused on only a voice.
"The medics said the virus heats up someone's insides and makes them itch until they either pass out or tear their own hides off, like they are trying to extract the virus externally."
"Right," his voice quaked. "Itching."
"You aren't feeling anything, are you?"
"N-no. You know I get anxious about these things. Just thinking about someone else itching makes my talons ache."
"Get out of your head and let's move to the next room so we can get scanned sooner than later."
"Has anyone survived the virus?"
The other male didn't reply, knowing once the virus latched on, there was no one who lived long after. By the time anyone noticed the virus was around, it would have been breeding long enough to be very near the end of the incubation period. If they were talking about the Solusgors, then the only hope would be a direct injection of nanobots and hope it wasn't too little too late. The countervirus I was in charge of unleashing on Delta Fal was more of a pre-emptive measure that was untested, and if we were on Lord Zorn's ship, like I suspected, then their ship wasn't exposed to the nanobots yet, at least not in enough concentration to help.
Where was my treasure?
The Solusgors were here. Did my team arrive in time? Only myself and Belder were directly injected with the Ganpan-Fal. The rest of the crew were exposed to it at the same time as the rest of the planet. Would it be enough when the virus was already here?
Great goddess... we might be too late. My skin was tight. Too tight. The dryness of my scales was acutely annoying and begged for my claws to dig into them. That was normal, I assured myself. It was natural to want to molt old scales, but my new ones wouldn't be ready to protect myself if they didn't come off on their own.
Screams echoed outside the room from the hall. I groaned and forced myself to move. The whole playing dead during hibernation wasn't going to save me if the Ganpan-Fal didn't block the replication of the virus. This was my job. This was my purpose. I had to make sure I was in contact with the virus to truly know if the nanobots worked.
Stumbling to the door, through what looked like a storage room of waste product they'd dispose of on the planet. It was a myth that anyone actually polluted space regularly. Tossing things out of the airlock is a last resort. Waste is best properly disposed of on-planet for recycling and decomposing. Or sometimes, an incinerator, but even that costs valuable resources best utilized elsewhere on a ship. It wasn't uncommon for species unfamiliar with the trill to be unable to detect our life signs while hibernating.
I moved my tail back and forth to help get feeling back, and felt like I was back in the deserts of Trillume with nothing but my wits and skills to keep me alive. My robes were gone, my pants were melted into my scales in areas from the radiation damage of dueling Lord Zorn.
I could sense the heat signatures in the hall, and when the door wheezed open, I could hear the other male's sobs. "I had no choice. I couldn't let you die like that. Forgive me..."
"Th-thank you," the other wheezed. I now saw he was a rare species from a planet under the control of Lord Zorn. He had light green skin like some trill, but unlike our own scales, his seemed so delicate and he had long braided blue hair and fleshy flaps on his arms that flared and fluttered. There wasn't much known about the planet other than they were too primitive to have reached space without interference, and there was very little land, making it extremely inhospitable for most species to invade.
Blue blood dribbled from his neck gills. Ah, that made sense. It would be more difficult to keep air-borne viruses out if his gills never sealed up outside of water. A bulge grew on his neck and pulsed. The other male didn't seem to notice as he held him in grief. I knew making myself known would only distract him further from what was happening. The host was dying too late. If he was already feeling itchy, the Solusgor was already formed enough to be released.
The other male might have been informed enough to know of the threat, but not enough to realize he needed to incinerate the victim at this stage. Killing him would only release the creature early. The head was always the last thing to form. It was also a Solusgor's weakness when they came out. Too freshly made to be hardened yet.
I had to approach them both slowly, yet not wait too long for it to infect his friend. They were the most volatile after first consciousness.
The male continued to sob, and the bulge in the dead pushed the other head to the side more. This one was foolish to linger. I was close enough now to spray them both. It should stall the Solusgor as well as prevent the other male from accidentally helping the thing escape from its host. I sprayed at the same time the male retreated enough to see the bulge in his friend and scramble back. I was dehydrated and didn't have any tincture oil on my scales to help incapacitate either of them. The male bumped into my shins and I wrapped my tail around his neck to stop him from fighting too hard against my poison.
I could always give him an antidote before he dies, but the first side-effect of my poison taking hold was nerve damage, enough to help freeze up his muscles. I squeezed on his throat and then shoved the tip of my tail into his mouth to speed up the process. He gagged, scratching at my scales with his talons for me to release my hold. I moaned at the relief of a few scales tearing away. It felt good having the pressure ease up where he thrashed.
"Once I secure the Solusgor, I'll check to make sure you aren't infected and then give you an antidote."
His body went limp, and I dragged him back before releasing him to address the threat in the room. Chopping off the head while it was growing would only delay the Solusgor. You have to wait until the head is completed and the growth activation is over; I reminded myself. It was tempting to claw at the head as it pulsed all vulnerable, but the body was fully formed underneath, and the head would simply grow back if you cut it off too early.
I'll give it to the other male that killed his friend. At least with the host dead, the Solusgor is required to grow a new head, instead of using the one already provided.
"What should I do with you?" I asked out loud.
"Leave him," a voice over the intercom said. "The whole sector is compromised. If you touch him, I won't tell you where to go to be scanned for the virus. Lord Zorn ordered the whole sector to be burned. We both know you'd survive that, and I'd rather make sure you don't escape without making sure you aren't carrying one of those fuckers."
"You have scans capable of finding it before it reaches this stage?"
"We keep the exposed isolated for a rotation. That's long enough to see the formation of the extra nerve endings that start to grow and attach to the brain. The medic said the virus creates a new nervous system first, one that allows the host to control the newly formed parts until it's ready to control them itself. But don't think I didn't overhear your little chat with Hazel. I know everything that happens on my ship, and you're going to come with me to go get your little anti-viral bots from your ship and save my crew before Lord Zorn destroys them, or I'm going to make sure something happens to the medpod when I kill Lord Zorn and take over the ship."
