Page 20 of Hunter’s Harvest

“Do you truly believe they will welcome me into their group?”

“I don’t live in New Franklin. But I know my group would welcome another hunter.”

“Even without a shuttle?”

“Yes. But maybe they can make you another one. You know the mothership you left behind? It’s in New Franklin. They grounded it just in case the big brain controlling all your motherships decides to call it away. They got it to create new shuttle pieces.”

I had not known this. I imagined myself with a shuttle again, able to take to the skies.

“It’s not perfect yet because they can’t reproduce the power component. There isn’t enough of the materials needed, and they don’t think it’s available here on Earth.”

“What about mining deliveries?”

There was a long silence.

“You don’t know, do you? The last mining detachment they sent to Earth was overtaken by the scourge. It got close enough to infect one of the other motherships. A bunch of hunters went up with their shuttles and pushed the mothership away before it could fire on Earth.”

The words reached my ears, but they didn’t make sense. “That cannot happen.”

“It did. I’m sorry.” Then she pulled me into her arms. “I’m so sorry.” She sighed. “You finally understand me, and I’m telling you all the bad news.”

I was the big strong warrior, but here she was, trying to console me. But I did not push her away. I couldn’t. What did she mean one of the motherships was gone? And what about the mining detachment?

“When will the next mining detachment arrive?” I asked, because I couldn’t ask the other questions. “The ship must’ve sent another.”

She was silent for a long moment, and when she spoke, it was quiet. “There are no more coming. The mining ship was lost too. The entire area has been marked as Proscribed by the Xarc’n system. I’m sure they will send another shipment once they find another asteroid field to mine, but until then, Earth is on its own.” She looked in my general direction.

I knew she couldn’t actually see me in the dark with her inferior human night vision, but it felt as if she were looking directly into my eyes.

“It’s why they’ve been trying to get your contingent to come out and join everyone. We need every fighter we can get.”

I wanted to ask more. Like was all this related to the strange new scourge I’d seen last cold season? Red and black flying ones that came out at strange hours when scourge were usually quiet. We had assumed they were unique earth mutations, like the ones the humans called centicreeps. But shortly after they appeared, they’d disappeared again. We hadn’t seen any since.

A good thing too; they were hard to fight.

“We have heard the broadcasts,” I admitted. “We stopped listening because it was so farfetched. We were unsure what to believe. But I do not sense any falsehoods from you.”

“Cross my heart and hope to die, I’m telling the truth.”

I growled low. “I do not wish you to die.”

She chuckled. “It’s just a saying. It means I’m telling the absolute truth as I know it.”

“I will consider joining the hunter group that works with your people. And I will talk to others I know.”

“Thank you.” She cuddled in close.

It took her some time to fall asleep, but she did eventually, with me wrapped around her, keeping her warm. Especially with all the news I’d been learning, perhaps it was time I joined an established hunter group after all.

I shook my head, realizing I was lying to myself. Of course I would join a hunter group. That had been decided the moment I met my Nellie. Because wherever she went, I wanted to be there. I couldn’t imagine going back to a life of hiding without her.

With my arms wrapped tightly around her body, I closed my eyes and focused on the sounds around us.

Chapter 9: Nellie

I woke up with a purring heater against my back. For a moment, I just lay there listening to the soothing rumbles and the steady in and out of his breathing. Var’n was still asleep, and I held still, trying to give him a few more precious minutes. I wondered how long it had taken him to fall asleep last night after the big doozy I dropped on him.

Finding out a mothership was gone was like finding out a whole-ass country had disappeared off the map.