28 days until Mars arrival

The laser saw was transfixed in mid-air, held in place on multiple sides by a carefully constructed web. Arachna had used her webbing to develop a pulley system with which she could maneuver the placement of the device. By pulling on one thread, she could move it to the right, and with another, she could move it to the left, and so on and so forth.

The exact procedures were slow and arduous, but they worked. It had taken her several hours of work to get the system just right. She knew how to build a web intuitively. Basic traps and polygonal structures were easy, but something that was designed to maneuver a Yumen saw in the air one hundred feet away was not at all intuitive.

Still, her engineering mind figured it out. Had she inherited it from Engineer Carlsen? She actually found that she enjoyed figuring this system out. Thankfully, no new Yumens showed up while she tinkered. It was as if they expected the ship's engine to work on its own. Like it was a living thing, even though it wasn't. It wasn't like a Krath ship. Not nearly as good.

But now for the real test, she thought to herself.

With her left hind claw, she twisted on a braid of strands that connected straight to the saw. There was a small loop that covered the handgrip portion of the saw. As the braid twirled, the entire strand constricted, tightening its grip on the saw, specifically, around the activation button.

In an instant, the saw lit up. Blue luminescent light emanated from the materializing blade. The beam of energy shot between the top and bottom of the curved metal tips.

Slowly pulling on the strands, Arachna lowered the device. The pressure from the downward strands gradually overpowered the strands on top. The saw hummed. Like a puppet dangling in mid-air, it made contact with the tube of Xitherium beneath it.

Slice.

Red-orange sparks flew out from the point of contact, covering the ground with bits of hot metal. The strands of webbing kept the saw fixed in place, not budging under the force generated by the cutting. Smoke rose from the tube as well as the heat from the saw cut widened the aperture.

Liquified Xitherum gushed out from the crack in a spray that looked like a rushing geyser, letting out violet steam.

Breathing in, Arachna quivered in ecstasy as the scent permeated her olfactory senses. It was wonderful.

She pulled on the strands, this time forcing the blade to cut clean through the Xitherium tube. The liquified Xitherium spilled all over the floor like water from an open spout, pooling into a rapidly expanding puddle.

Twisting her braided strand, Arachna constricted the button on the hanging saw, flipping it off. The laser beam disappeared instantly. Then she released the strands and dashed ahead.

Xitherium.

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Even if it was polluted by Yumens and "synthesized" as fuel. It was still Xitherium. She felt an urge to consume it, to bathe in it.

She crawled underneath the downspout and took a heavy gulp of it. Her body became drenched in the stuff. Oh, it was so delicious. So healthy. So natural.

Gulp, gulp, gulp.

She could feel herself growing stronger with each helping. While she would have preferred to consume it as pearls, processed by Krath harvesters, this was good enough. Xitherium not only met her dietary needs but contained healing properties for Krath as well.

Arachna felt her twin stomachs bulge as she took in the drink. She was already far bigger than yesterday and continuously growing. Now she was nearly a quarter of the size of a Yumen, more than double the size she had been when hatched.

And that was after consuming only two whole Yumens.

Her body wasn't the same as Yumens, however. Each unit of processed food didn't immediately equate to a similar amount of gain in body mass.

It did help, however.

Now that she was eating Xitherium, her natural food, she'd likely grow even more as she was getting the nutrients she needed. She wasn't sure quite how big she would grow. Perhaps she wouldn't grow too much bigger as her body also needed to store up a certain amount of unused energy in order to transform into a Hive Mother. Time would tell.

"Alert, alert, alert."

Arachna jerked her head. What was that?

Red strobe lights flashed. A robotic-sounding Yumen voice continued to blast through speakers embedded into the ceiling.

"Alert, alert, alert. Level 5 damage detected in engine room."

Horde, that wasn't good. The Yumens would come here soon to investigate. Arachna had expected the Xitherium breach to eventually be detected, but not before she could clean up a bit.

If the Yumens came now, they'd find her webs, the saw, and probably the remains of the two Yumens she'd eaten.

Horde, she was in trouble. Arachna needed to think. Fast.

Taking one final gulp of Xitherium, she skittered across the room. There was no way she could clear out all of her webbings, but if she removed the bulk of them, then maybe the rest would go unnoticed.

First, she cut the saw loose. Positioning it on one of the metal floors, she licked it clean. She used her hind legs to rub it down so that it was good as new. Then she pulled her loose webbing out of the way.

Automatic doors burst open as a team of engineers and soldiers ran into the room. Their stride was swift and disciplined.

Horde, she hadn't had time to remove the saw. It was just laying there in plain sight.

Three marines dressed in bulky metal armor with large armored shoulders and oversized guns accompanied a team of five engineers. The man she'd previously identified as Chief was with the group. He was a beefy man and carried a glass datapad in his right hand.

"There," one of the marines said in a deep, gruff voice. "What in the Void happened?"

"Cheap Ides of Mars tech," Chief said, glancing up above. "We've burst a Xitherium tube. Let's fix it fast. Where in the Void is Xander? Void, we'll have to do this without him."

The engineers got to work, opening a storage room filled with additional gear and contraptions. Horde, she hadn't even noticed that room.

With a ladder and ropes, the team worked their way up to the spewing tube. Hopefully, they didn't run into any loose threads of Krath silk.

Please, Arachna prayed. Galactic Mother, don't let them find me out.

"Chief," an engineer said. The woman carried a torch that breathed fire. She was using it to seal shut the sawed-off tube by soldering on a circular metal plate. The engine would continue to drink liquified Xitherium from the other tubes that fed into it. This one, however, would be out of commission.

"What is it, Molly?" Chief said.

"Something strange up here," the Yumen female said. "This isn't normal wear and tear."

"What do you mean?" Chief said.

"I think," Molly said, hesitating. "That we have a saboteur on board the Eschaton."

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