In an instant, Lacy's concern faded, and the cold, calculating Lucy took over again. With so little time, getting enough armament to take out whatever Cooper brought with him wasn't viable. They only had two options. They could grab one of the pirates' bikes and run, enabling Cooper to track and chase, meaning wherever they ran, they would have to fight, which wasn't promising. Alternatively, they could run out into the forest on foot and hope they could evade detection, which was also a long shot at best. She turned to the spiders. "Charlotte, if you were to face another fight like the one here, but back at your hive, would you be able to win?"

Charlotte was quiet for a moment. "I am not certain. It depends on the behavior of our enemy. If they are careful or methodical enough, then I am unlikely to win another confrontation."

Lucy nodded. "And if they charge in without thinking?"

Charlotte didn't hesitate this time. "Then there is a good chance we could all survive, though I still cannot guarantee that. However, I should warn you, if enough of my appendages are damaged that my greater conscious self is subdued, my appendages will act to acquire any source of nutrients available to ensure my recovery without my discernment."

Lucy really didn't like the sound of that, but she didn't exactly have any other options at the moment. She shoved her current weapon into her belt and grabbed another gun, eyeing the flamethrower enviously but knowing she didn't have time to secure it. Instead, she walked over to a bike and opened up a panel, giving her access to the circuitry, and with a few old familiar modifications, she bypassed the usual authorization process and took control of the bike.

Realizing what she was up to, Scott picked up Alice and joined her. Lucy shouted to Charlotte. "We'll be at the hive shortly, but Cooper won't be far behind us. Be ready!"

With her kids secured behind her, Lucy activated the bike and took off into the air, feeling like Cooper was breathing down her neck as she flew.

-

Charlotte found herself having to make an important decision. When Lacy asked, "Charlotte if you were to face another fight like the one here, but back at your hive, would you be able to win?" She had to stop and consider. After all, taking these humans into her home, her final line of defense, meant that, in a very real way, Charlotte was risking her own survival. True, it's unlikely that these humans would wipe out all her hands, and even one could be enough to survive, but during that time when her greater consciousness was subdued, She would be acting purely on preprogrammed directives, unable to adapt or make conscious decisions. And there's always the risk that she might not recover completely, becoming a mindless She. Such abominations were hunted to extinction when found, both as a mercy to the intellect that was now truly dead and for the safety of the greater collective. Such a dangerous risk was to be avoided at nearly all costs. And, in the face of such a fate, Scott and Alice may actually be more safe with the pirates pursuing them.

However, that was a worst-case scenario. The best thing Charlotte could do was what She'd done: give Lacy all the information required to make her own analysis of the risks and benefits and decide for herself. Now, it was time to minimize any risk to these odd humans for which She held so much consideration by any reasonable means.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

First, Charlotte scattered any unnecessary hands or other minor appendages far around her home. While they lacked the greater processing power of her nodes or greater appendages, enough of them would still allow her consciousness to survive, though She was uncertain if she possessed a sufficient quantity to ensure that and would like to avoid testing that contingency.

After that, Charlotte activated all her new hive defenses. Though untested, they should prove more than adequate against standard human threats, even with their advanced weaponry. It was mainly the "battle suits" that had her concerned. With the last of her blades out of commission, there were only a few appendages that she possessed capable of breaking that incredibly tough outer shell of theirs, two of which she'd rather not put at risk except as a final measure.

The most important parts to protect were the nodes, which played a critical role in preserving her consciousness and expanding her control. When Shes went to war, these were the main targets of conflict, as once they were neutralized, the rest of the defenses were more manageable. The safest place for her humans would be near one of those, and She decided to secure them near the node closest to her creator appendage.

All that was left was to wait and act as necessary.

-

Eric was long past due reporting in, which meant he was either dead or he'd gotten really stupid really fast. Cooper hadn't left him in charge of the ground crew because he was known for sudden bouts of stupidity.

Once they landed, Cooper got out to survey Eric's last known location. What he walked out into looked like a warzone, except all the bodies were missing. Well, all except one. Specifically, the only body they could easily track because he was still in his suit...Eric. But judging by all the blood splattered around, several bikes cut clean in half, the obvious telltale scorch marks of a flamethrower, and what looked like a grenade explosion, something had gone seriously wrong here. Had the idiots staged a mutiny? Not likely, not on the ground anyway. Knowing Cooper could just fly away and leave them stranded would prevent that. Besides, it's not like they had anything that could cut bikes in half like that. Which meant it was likely something else, an ambush perhaps. But there was no sign of who or what had attacked them.

Walking over to Eric, Cooper pulled off his helmet and checked the circuits. They were a little singed, but the plug still seemed usable. He plugged his suit into Eric's, checking the video feed. A lot of it was corrupted. It wasn't too surprising the way the circuitry got cooked. These might be military grade, but they were light units, meant for scouting battlefields or combat in tight areas like a ship's corridors, and couldn't withstand the kind of punishment a heavier model could take. But between all the static, he found a few images. The thing he saw looked like a giant praying mantis with too many legs and oversized bladed arms. He even found a few clips of giant spiders with pincers climbing over the bodies of some of the other men. What the hell was wrong with this planet? Wasn't this supposed to be some kind of backpacky tourist trap?

Cooper keyed his com to Johnson back on the shuttle. "Anything coming up on scans?"

Johnson didn't take long to respond. "Yeah, looks like one of the bikes took off shortly before we got here. I'm tracking it now."

That wasn't too odd in and of itself, but still, something was rubbing Cooper the wrong way. "Is it headed back to the camp?"

Johnson's answer confirmed Cooper's suspicions. "No, it's headed south by southeast."

There was nothing more to be learned here. Copper remounted the shuttle, giving orders to the pilot. "Follow that bike Johnson's tracking. I want you to put us down close to wherever they stop."

A quick "Yes, Boss." was his only answer before Cooper turned to the men in front of him. "Okay, looks like this planet has some oversized bugs, and they might have our targets. If they're alive, we're rescuing them. If not, we're bringing the bodies back so the old man knows it wasn't our doing. Archer and Brigg will each lead a squad of four. Johnson and Hugo, you're with me."

Cooper grinned. Whatever these monsters were, they seemed to have trouble with one light suit, so four light combat suits and Cooper's heavier assault suit should be more than up to handling the job...