"Commander," I heard the squelching noise of the other krelin gurgle out.
"You've done well," the commander said before I heard the crack of bones, and the thump of the body next to me. "Now, you're turn. I'm sure it won't kill you, but I suppose that isn't the point, is it?" He whispered next to me, "I hope you live so that you come looking for the krelin that killed your family like you did to mine. Regards from the last of Queen Sarak's hive. She was a kind queen that wanted peace until you brought the molt fever to our planet. She was my mate, and I felt the moment she died."
Then his hands wrapped around under my chin and snapped until the next thing I remember is the pain of waking from a severed spine. It wasn't the first time I'd survived such an injury. Since the injury was more from a broken nerve, it healed as soon as the nerve reconnected, but I couldn't move my head unless I could reset my spine.
"Dad?" I heard my daughter's voice.
She was alive, I thought with relief. A huge weight was lifted until I panicked that perhaps this was the afterlife. I couldn't speak yet, it hasn't been long enough to heal, or I was still on the edge of life and death.
"Mom is still unconscious," she coughed and grunted before continuing, "We are trill. You are not dead. You are not dead. Assess the situation. Your head is twisted. Reset the injury if you can, and add a medpack if hibernation isn't an option." She was keeping calm and going through the steps. This couldn't be death. I heard the crunch of bones, and pain surged through my back and head.
"Ugh, gross," she whimpered. "You better not be dead or this is the most traumatic experience I've ever had. All the comms to the main clan are broken. I don't know what to do."
Feeling returned to my jaw, and I hissed.
My Faith sucked in a sob. "You're alive."
"The link..." I choked out.
It was our last chance. With the planet surrounded, we needed to activate the radiation net, and with the comms down the only way to set off the links was to send the last satellite up with the instructions to activate upon joining the rest of the net.
"Faith! Faith!" My treasure's voice screamed in panic. "No! FAITH!" Her wails tore through my heart. She was reliving her worst nightmare of our own blessing being taken by krelins that my work failed to prevent.
"I'm here!" Faith called back. "I don't know what to do. What do we do?"
"Yueril!"
I felt the warmth of my treasure pull me close.
"He isn't breathing," Faith said with a hiccup.
"It's normal for trill bodies to hide their vitals. From heat, to breathing, and even their pulse can be so slow and nearly undetectable. Hibernation can take a long time depending on the injuries. We will keep him safe until he wakes. You're going to wake up. Do you hear me?" She rocked me in her arms, and I wished I could speak again, but I felt the way my body was fighting to stay awake. I would sleep until I was fully healed.
"He said something about the link," Faith relayed and that moment of relief that my treasure would figure it out was all it took to let go.
Hazel would do what needed to be done to save her clan. Even if it meant destroying countless krelins and burning up the deserts. There was more at stake than simple defending the planet against the krelins. They were suffering from the molt fever, and it was taking longer than we anticipated for the Ganpan Fal anti-virus to protect against the Solusgors. If the krelins are allowed to enter the planet when they are suffering great loss from the molt fever, both planets could be doomed.
Chapter twenty-one
Hazel
Thelink.Hewantsme to trigger the radiation net, but why? It's a last resort. There would be no need to use it unless... Unless there were ships surrounding Estreldez, but even then, Almder is adamant against the risk of high casualties on both sides.
We've discussed this. Even if the krelins invaded, we should fight in other ways first. The net was to protect against the virus.
"Faith!" I called out, not even processing that she never left my side as I stroked the scales on my mate's head. "Check the krelin they left behind."
She crinkled her nose in distaste. "Check it how? Like to see if he's still alive? He's definitely dead. Plus, I saw dad bit him. He wouldn't survive the poison."
"Look after your dad," I eased his head off my lap, and felt relief in the way his spikes along his scalp flexed as I stroked them. If he were dead, he told me that his body would grow stiff, even his scales and spikes would be unresponsive.
I moved to reach the dead krelin to confirm my suspicions. There wouldn't be much time. Pulling off the arm guards, I watched has his flesh peeled off, sticking to the leather. I struggled not to retch as I purposefully peeled more skin back to be absolutely certain. The krelin didn't move, and we could be thankful that Yueril poisoned him, otherwise this would have been a deadly encounter.
I had no choice now as I saw the purple skin underneath the torn krelin flesh. It made it here even with the Ganpan-Fal. It's too soon. We need more time. The anti-virus nano tech takes time to replicate, and we gave most of cure to Krelis. If we let it in now before the Ganpan-Fal can have more time on Estreldez... we'll all die.
Faith...
"I have to activate the link," I say quickly, finally getting up the strength to move from the shock. "Grab Loric and go to the bunker."
