Crush paced the floor of her star tree, mulling her options. She had no desire to betray the Republic, but she couldn't keep waiting on Jasken. What could he tell her anyway?

A hurried knocking sounded at her door.

"Enter," she said.

Tank burst through the door. "It's the miners, Admiral, they're going to kill the supervisor."

Crush stormed out of her tree, rushing to the catwalks where a crowd of miners had gathered, banging on the door of the administration building. A couple of Robots were on the roof, dismantling a communications array, and Brother Redgone glared down in impotent rage.

The crowd had come armed with tools and set to work torching the door open. The supervisor rushed away from the window towards his emergency aethersuit.

"Admiral Crush!" shouted Slag. "I can't control them!"

"Who's in charge?" she asked.

"Vein. He's a head taller than most. He'll be the one with a knife to the supervisor's neck."

The door was cracked open and the crowd rushed it, making short work of the inner door of the airlock. Crush rushed in with them, fighting her way to the head of the crowd.

She saw a tall robot brandishing a pick ax leading the mob and assumed that was Vein. Yelling for everyone to stand down but drowned out by the din of the mob, she continued to bully her way through the crowd, getting closer and closer to Vein. When the crowd reached the step that led to the airlock separating them from the supervisor, Crush was shocked to see it open without a single miner touching it.

The supervisor stepped out, wearing an antique, lightly armored aethersuit with a visored helmet and leveling an old ballistic pistol at Vein.

"No!" shouted Crush, but he had already pulled the trigger. There was no shot. Silence broke out like a storm, and the supervisor pulled the trigger again. A soft click was all that broke the silence, followed by uproarious laughter. Vein ripped the supervisor's helmet off and hefted his pick ax back to strike.

A hand shot out and grabbed the ax handle, yanking it back and pulling Vein down into the crowd. Crush dropped the handle and bounded over to the supervisor, slamming his helmet back on.

"I've got a deal to make with you," she said, eyes bright with menace. "And believe me, it's the best one you could hope for right now."

***

Reclan and Doc were in D'Jarric's quarters with Hrake, who D'Jarric had asked to stay behind, when the ship shook violently. They looked at one another in concern.

A moment later Jasken's voice came through the public comms. "Pilots, to your fighters. Gunners, to your stations. Everyone else, shelter in place. We are under attack by an unknown creature. Remain calm, and be ready to act on any orders received. Providence shine on us."

"So I guess we're staying put?" asked Reclan, the question punctuated by another strike.

"I am neither a pilot nor a gunner, so I will be 'staying put,'" said Hrake.

"Yeah, alright," said Reclan. "I just wanna try and get some stuff first. I've only got a couple drones on me and I'd feel better if I had a little more fire power."

"Is that allowed?" asked Hrake.

Reclan rolled her eyes. "If I see anyone, I'll be sure to ask."

There was a screech of rending metal and the sound of screaming sailors, and all three bolted from the room towards the peril out of instinct.

"Attention!" shouted Jasken over the comms.

"The hull has been breached! All personnel, don aether-ready gear and head for the inner airlocks in the lower decks."

Reclan bolted towards her quarters and the suit hanging in the corner. Hrake moved quickly to don his gear as well.

***

Jasken stared out the wind, barking orders to the gunners. “Focus on the tentacles; the fire isn’t doing anything to the main body!”

The squid had wrapped itself around the Wingspan. One massive tentacle wrapped around the bridge tower’s polymer dome, obscuring Jasken’s vision, and other tentacles appeared to have broken through the hull and deck. The creature had lumbering yet methodical movement, threatening to tear the ship to pieces if not stopped.

"Admiral, this is Captain Kesht aboard the Halberd, we've lost you on our scanners, are you there?"

"Kesht!" exclaimed Jasken. "We were pulled out of our jump and are under attack by an aether beast."

"You're- what?" said the Captain incredulously. "We'll end our jump and head your way immediately."

"Negative, Captain. It's too risky. Continue in, pending further orders. We'll catch up."

"Providence shine on you, Admiral."

"On you as well."

***

Drixen soared through the aether, leading the charge on the squid and firing his foreguns. As far as he could tell, they had no effect, nor did any of the other fighters.

"Cowgirl, light 'em up," he ordered.

She fired one of the experimental missiles from her bomber craft. A type of bunker buster specially designed to fight star trees and other biological targets, the Fleet only had two "trunk busters" at their disposal. The explosive slammed into the side of the beast's head, but when the blast cleared the creature looked undaunted.

"Come on!" exclaimed Cowgirl. "That's what those things were designed for!"

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"Frankly," said Textbook, "I don't think the folks in R&D had aether beasts in mind."

The fighters banked to make another attack, but it was equally ineffective. Targeting the tentacles didn't seem to bother the beast either. Drixen set his face and continued to lead his squads as best he could.

***

Aboard the Shepherd, Vanbrook paced nervously by Raivyn's bedside while D'Jarric stared down at her. The nurse had gone and returned in an aethersuit with a pressurized, airtight pod to put Raivyn in.

"Go get an aethersuit, Vanbrook," said D'Jarric calmly. "I have her."

Vanbrook looked pleadingly at the Solaran, sick at the thought of leaving the room.

D'Jarric looked at him with calm, kind eyes. "I have her," he repeated.

Vanbrook rushed from the room for the nearest emergency supply closet.

D'Jarric turned back to Raivyn, trying to reach out to her again. The pressurized pod wasn't T-shielded so she should be able to hear him.

I'm not a psychic like you, Rai, thought D'Jarric, hoping some part of her was listening to the thoughts around her. I need you to let me in. Raivyn, this is D'Jarric. Please let me in.

D-D'Jarric? came her stumbling reply. Something is chasing me.

An aether beast is nearby, explained D'Jarric. Your psychic sensitivity makes you vulnerable to the energy field it gives off. I need you to let me into your mind so I can rebuke it.

No, I can't open any doors, replied Raivyn. Her thoughts were loose, untethered to reality and fearful. It will find me.

Raivyn, pressed D'Jarric. I can make it go away. But only if you let me in. Just like you and Vanbrook on Hittania, remember?

Vanbrook? she asked, her thoughts panicked. Did it catch Vanbrook?

No, encouraged D'Jarric, but it may if you do not let me in.

D'Jarric felt a sensation of being drawn in, like a wave pulling him out to sea. He found his footing in a dark, foggy plane, a red glow emanating from the mist. Raivyn was by his side, wearing a strange uniform. He recognized it as the kind of ghi a student of Aeratan martial arts would wear.

“Come on,” she said. “We have to keep moving.” She grabbed his arm and ran, her feet plodding on the ground. D’Jarric stood stock still, but the mist passed him by as though he were running. Raivyn ran at his side, holding on to his arm, but not moving.

The mist seemed to close in behind them as it rushed past, and an inscrutable form was occasionally visible behind them. Sometimes it looked like a lumbering giant, or a wolf, or a shark. The harder D’Jarric tried to focus on it, the more amorphous it became. It hovered at the same distance behind them, no matter how fast or slow they moved.

“Raivyn, nothing is chasing us,” he said gently.

She stopped and looked around. “Where are we, D’Jarric?”

“Your body and my avatar are in the infirmary aboard the Shepherd. Our minds are sharing your mindspace right now.”

She blinked and shook her head, her mind as foggy as the landscape around her. “Why? Did you say something about… an aether beast?”

“Yes. The more powerful a psychic you are, the more dangerous it is to be near an aether beast.”

“So is that… it?” asked Raivyn, pointing to the menacing form that swirled with the crimson fog. She noticed it was no longer following, simply keeping the same distance.

“Yes. And I need to talk to it.”

***

Reclan, Hrake, and Doc jogged through the hall, weapons at the ready. The lights flickered violently, and their suits’ readings indicated that they were walking through vacuum.

“Should we just go back?” asked Reclan. “I don’t know if we can safely get to the inner airlocks through here.”

“We’ll be safe enough in our quarters,” said Doc. “You guys have spare oxygen there anyway.”

Before Reclan could respond, an oily black tentacle shot down the hallway towards them, glowing with red eyes.

Reclan pulled her plasma cutter and swung at the wriggling arm, but it was like striking the side of a mountain and she was suddenly wrapped in the tentacle's steely grip.

Hrake slammed his hammer into the tentacle to no effect, the shock reverberating through his forearms. As the tentacle began to slowly crush Reclan, she stabbed her plasma cutter at one of its eyes, holding the searing hot torch against it. The tentacle let go and violently retracted back down the hallway, dropping Reclan to the ground.

***

"All personnel, this is Specialist Reclan of Talon Squad," said a voice over Drixen's comm. She was speaking over the emergency channel that reached the entire fleet. "Target the eyes with heat. Seems like the only thing that gets its attention."

"You heard her, folks," said Drixen. "Bombers, what do you have for incendiaries?"

"Just a couple shots per craft," answered Cowgirl. "We'll make 'em count."

The fighters rounded for a bombing run, and the bombers launched their incendiaries. The squid reacted violently, sweeping its tentacles through the aether in rage. It targeted a few fighters, and they were smashed to pieces by the steely limbs. Cowgirl's bomber was clipped and went spinning into the aether.

"Cowgirl!" shouted Drixen.

There was no reply. Drixen’s heart fell. However, her bomber was getting smaller and smaller as it was hurled away. He turned his fighter and chased after her.

***

Vanbrook had found and donned an aethersuit and was on his way back to the infirmary when a tentacle slammed through the hallway where he was running. It whipped around, grabbed a medic who had been running alongside him through the hull and threw them into the aether.

Sprinting down the hall, Vanbrook activated the energy setting on his saber, desperate to get back to Raivyn and D'Jarric. When the tentacle returned seeking a new victim he deftly stabbed one of the eyes, the hot energy running through the blade causing it to recoil.

Mentally thanking Reclan for the heads-up, he skidded to a halt outside of Raivyn's room. When he entered, he saw D'Jarric in a trance-like state, one hand on the pressurized pod Raivyn was inside of. He desperately wished he knew what the Solaran was doing.

***

D'Jarric walked away from Raivyn's form, stepping towards the ill-defined mass that represented the squid in Raivyn's mindscape. Raivyn could never quite articulate what it was that happened next. It was as though D'Jarric and the beast had a fight, but without words or violence. She felt their wills colliding. No matter how the beast raged, D'Jarric stood stock still, eyes locked onto his opponent.

***

Vanbrook heard a creaking noise, then the ceiling was suddenly gone, replaced by a starry void. The tentacles rushed into the space, and he began stabbing at them furiously, defending Raivyn and D'Jarric.

***

The beast bellowed in Raivyn's mind, but D'Jarric remained unimpressed. Though the form seemed to gnash its teeth and rage against the Solaran, D’Jarric merely stood before it, arms crossed. The beast’s consciousness was like a raging ocean, and D’Jarric the shore its waves broke against.

"Enough!" he shouted.

Both forms disappeared. The fog lost its crimson glow and began to fade.

***

Vanbrook thrust his saber at yet another eye, buying himself a moment, but the squid had begun focusing on the small room explicitly, and Vanbrook knew he was no match for the beast one-on-one.

Then D'Jarric stood up. He was glowing more fiercely than Vanbrook had ever seen before. He rose into the aether, hovering where he could look the beast in the eye. Small as his form was compared to the squid, Vanbrook still felt like the Solaran looked like a match for the massive aether beast. The swordsman looked on in awe.

"I said enough!" D’Jarric shouted. "In the name of the Progenitor, your creator and mine, you will leave us now!"

The squid halted, looking uneasy for the first time. There was a dreadful pause, where Vanbrook thought the beast might turn on D’Jarric and tear him to pieces. Then, as though it had never been interested in the two ships, it retracted its tentacles and drifted off carelessly into the aether.