Outbreak

The situation on the Myrellion outpost was worst than I expected from the air, we were lucky the myr biplanes didn't show up as we closed in on the fungus covered outpost. The Outpost was just as small as I expected, several lanky buildings covered in a strange thick fungus growing off the outpost's walls, several pacts of what looked like red and golden myr shuffle stepped together bumping into each other and the buildings.

" What is this?" I felt Ash' hand land on the back of my chair before she pulled herself closer to the windows of the ship." This doesn't look like any fungus I've seen before."

When we entered the airspace of the outpost a massive monster, probably the same one from the contract video, rounded a corner looking pissed off before making eye contact with us. Getting a better look at the beast, it's body was composed of mostly myr corpses with the fungus acting as a form of glue, its fingers were composed of a number of chitinous arms, its head a mangled set of mutilated bodies broken in half at the hip and its teeth made of the rib cages snapped to be sharp enough to eat its prey and ensure that their deaths are painful, from what I could see of its torso it was mostly fungus and gold myr glowing teat flesh, unlike the rest of its body its legs were thick stubs made of the fungus. 

As we gawked at the abomination constructed out of Ash's people, the monster raised a piece of rubble over its head and flung it in our direction. I did my best to dodge it, but the debris clipped one of our engines and setting off alarms." Damn it! " Yan and I yelled.  

The Ship began spinning out with the control unresponsive Yan nearly smashed the intercom button with his massive fist before telling everyone on board." Brace for Impact! "

I pulled back on the controls trying to level us out and regain control before we landed on the roof of a building and smashed what looked like the cap of a mushroom its gunk splatted on the front windows blocking all view as we drifted across the rooftop just stopping before the ledge from what I could guess. I laid back in my chair sighing and looking over to Yan." So you mind hitting those wipers for me?"

The bulky alien thumbed a button for the wipers before my suspicions of us being on the ledge were confirmed, we had a good view of everything in the outpost from our new parking spot. The monster was even in sight, but its attention was off us and onto something else a survivor armed with only a knife was taking the thing on by himself taking swings at it before hopping away.

"Survivor spotted!" Yan called out.

" Yeah, I see'em too big guy. Turn on the targeting computer."

The muscular alien turned to a different computer, just arms reach away from him and took up the controls for the main cannon." Alright, I have the target in sight when ready."

"Atomic batteries to power, turbines to speed, I have no clue what the broken button does, but I'm still pressing it. "

" Roger. " He fired the front cannon blasting a superheated hole into the  monster's chest." First shot confirmed hit." He followed up with a second shot to its head vaporizing everything on its fungal encrusted shoulders. " Second shot is a confirmed hit, target neutralized."

The two of us high fived before I spun around to see Ash laying upsidedown with her ankles on both sides of her head." Hey, Chubs you still alive?" I asked the red Myr." You know you don't look that bad in that position."

"Fuck. You. Gaz" She told me slowly.

"Not right now, after this contract."

She groaned before flipping herself right side up I slapped the intercom button."Anyone not dead after that crash get over to the common area so we can come up with a plan."

"Gaz" Yan pulled my attention away from the intercom." That survivor is gonna need a hand getting up here."

I took a moment sucking my teeth before  taking my hand off the button." Well, Yan go grab a weapon, some rope and get down there we'll wait for your ass to bring them back."

Ash and I left him groaning as we went to the common area. Everything was trashed and tossed around, I picked up the table and set it back up between the two circular couches before putting my feet up on the table with Ash sitting next to me reclining. Everyone else slowly joined us taking up a place next to the table as Yan returned with a tactical spade in hand behind him was the survivor of this mess.

They were a combat medic with drab-colored gear and a mask to cover their face, across each piece of their armor they had a logo of a medical plus with paired wings surrounding the logo. They looked directly at me with tired eyes asking." You the rescue team?"

I took my feet down and pressed my knuckles into the table saying." No genius, I'm the guy here to kick your ass for not knowing how to use darknet!"

" Oh funny, now that we're past the funny crap maybe we can focus on the task at hand."

Yan threw his spade on the table and sighed." He's not joking Gaz those Myrmedions out there are feral, that beast wasn't the only thing that was plaguing this outpost."

The combat medic took his helmet off saying." No shit Sherlock."  He put his helmet on the table before putting his white-gloved hands on the table." Now listen up, I don't know any of you, but this here is serious business. Under the outpost here I and doctor Zackary uncovered a fungus from an abandoned section of caves that we should've left alone." He looked around at everyone.

" We thought at first it could be something we could control, something we could make into a genemod and sell off to Xenogen or even to Steele Tech if they wanted such a thing. But Zackary got some itch as she always does and then came the testing, and the groups of reds volunteering to inhale these spores to get some result She wanted."

" So she's a Quack," Ven spoke up.

" No no, she's a genius in her field, not well known, but a genius when it comes to genetics. If anything she's probably the only one who can stop all of this, we must handle this before the J.A.F catches wind of the  spores and chooses to quarantine the planet."

" Wait, but wouldn't that be a good thing?" Ven asked." They could take care of the situation better and have soldiers come in on the ground."

The combat medic waved his hand." No, if they were to see what it does to myr they would purposely spread it to the main cities and claim the planet inhospitable, they already hate the war going on with the two main races and this would be just the excuse to evact, nuke, and move on." He looked Ven in the eye." Trust me I've been forced by other Governments to do much worse."

I retook my position with my feet up and hands behind my head." Shit, never thought we'd get a contract like this, doc you better have a stack of credits hidden under that outpost somewhere, because I don't put my team at risk for nothing."

He slammed his fist into my table hard enough to make the shovel fall over." Credits!"

I nodded."Yes money, cold hard cash."

He looked away before looking back to me." Damned mercs wanting nothing but money nowadays, no better than pirates, don't you see that an entire race could be wiped away with this virus?" He pointed to Ash." What about your Myr friend there? What do you think she thinks about you doing this for money."

I looked over to Ash leaning on the food replicator." I've spilled enough blood for my people and fought for what felt like centuries."  She told him before taking off her armored helmet and staring at him with her black eyes." But I'd rather not see them wiped out by this fungus. We'll get paid as usual don't try to get out of it by asking me to do this "For my people." Because I've done enough for them."