The Worm That Turned
From The Pardusian Chronicles
It was my first expedition out of the Keldon Cluster. Reports from IGCSB (The Imperial Guard for the Control of Space Beasts) claimed that albino space worms from the Ska’ari Cluster where becoming harder and harder to destroy as they seemed to absorb some of the laser shots.
I was already out at Kenlada when I received a message from the IGCSB. I had been contracted to do an in-depth study of their behaviour by Stellar Science, the leading scientific publication in the universe, so I was more than happy to accommodate the Empire’s request. Also, I was to be allocated a brand new ship for the expedition, and I was more than impressed when I found a Mk. VI Interceptor waiting in the docking bay to be named the Mawhrin-Skel. Space worms of any form are notoriously volatile and the protection would be needed.
My preparatory research had led me to a lone albino space worm in the Pichano sector. It would be a long trip from Kenlada as there we many confirmed reports that pirates were residing in the small sector of Inliaa, including the famous Ska’ari pirate Daek’Shul. I would be no match for him or any of his cohorts, so a route round was found, which was also fortunate as I wanted to stop off at Skara to talk with some professors with some knowledge of albino space worms.
I arrived on Pichano a week later ready for my expedition. I heard that there was a slight complication as a blue crystal had recently moved into the area near the worm and a blue crystal would have no problem dispatching me. However, I was not going to be deterred and set off in hot pursuit of my worm. It was only a few fields from the planet and I soon had it in my sights, whilst my scanners kept an eye on the blue crystal. But as I approached, the worm became agitated and its body started to convulse as it prepared to hurl its slime at me. I backed away to a safe distance and it calmed down, and I soon realised that this was not going to be easy. Then I had an idea. I flew back to Pichano and hired the services of an engineer. He fitted my escape pod with several small thrusters and some arms to carry out experiments. I then returned to the worm.
As soon as I returned the worm started to convulse again. I fired some shots with the lasers across its front agitating it even more. All of a sudden the ship trembled as a slime ball crashed in to the side, I fired two more shots and ran to the escape pod. I fell as another slime ball thumped the ship, eating away at the hull, it wouldn’t hold together much longer. I managed to make it to the pod as the ship started to disintegrate. I strapped myself in and pushed the eject button. As I looked through the window I saw the Skel shatter as the final ball ploughed through the hull. Now was the most dangerous time. The engineer had disabled the automatic home world recovery, and replaced it with a button that I should use when I was ready to leave. But if the worm hit me with one of the slime balls it would be the end. I watched carefully, and the worm seemed to calm down. The convulsions slowed and I began to move towards it using the auxiliary thrusters. The pod was so small and round that the worm showed no signs of noticing it and dismissed it.
Because of this, I managed to spend the next three weeks studying its behavioural patterns, even watching as it shed its out layer, never before seen by civilised eyes. However, it was the work assigned by the Empire that yielded the greatest results. The worm had several burn marks across its side where laser fire had left its signature. But analysing these showed that the burns were being healed with a slime excreted from its blubber. This was different to its normal armour, as it seemed to be a product of the laser residue as well. The laser fire had mutated some cells and produced armour that actually absorbed some of the concentrated laser fire.
The albino space worm moved on after three weeks and my escape pod was not designed to follow a worm a full speed so I watched it disappear into a nebula. The results were sent back to the Imperial research facilities where the data and samples allowed scientists to create the bio-armour known as Worm-Slime armour that dampened the effects of laser fire.
I got a bill for 80,000 credits to cover the costs of the Mawhrin-Skel and a strongly voiced transmission from IGCSB.
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