The weapon in my hands went off and I just missed the creature as it slid right and then forward. My blast hit the wall behind the thing. It moved so fast, I'd never be able to hit it where it stood.

Try to hit where it is going to be, I suddenly realized.

My next blast was a success. The thing moved left, as I thought it would, before coming forward. The gun I carried tore off a huge chunk of its side. The thing screamed and made a desperate attempt to dart into a room off the main hall.

A woman dropped from above quite suddenly. She Landed between me and the aggressor. Her talons made short work of the damaged creature.

“Stay very still," she ordered curtly.

“They see movement better than they see anything else."

I recognized Kana's voice and did as she asked.

Rose and I maintained our pose back to back as transports swooped in and the men started to fight creatures that dotted the hall. The thing I'd shot at had been one of very many lying in wait. Kana stayed with Rose and me, seemingly acting as a guardian.

“Use your weapons if you need to humans," she commanded.

“ place where the arms meet the body, they are weakest there."

I took several shots at creatures attacking the men and I heard Rose do the same thing. We did what we could from our position to help. Kana had been right, the best place to shoot was where the body and arms connected. If your aim was good, that type of shot dropped the creatures almost immediately. My aim was remarkably good.

The men on the transports fought the snake like things with ferocious intensity. I watched amazed as they swarmed down the halls seeking out the hiding spots the invaders had found. The men moved with an odd synchrony. No words passed between them, but all of them seemed to be working as one unit.

The hunt was strikingly quiet, organized, and ruthless. Kana, Rose and I stood rooted to our spots as the men removed the danger from the halls. Suddenly a transport dropped down beside us. I stared blankly at the men on the transport who weren't even Looking at us.

“Get on, women!" Thom growled suddenly.

He turned to face us and looked thoroughly disgruntled. I got the impression he had been waiting for us to follow the same invisible commands the other men were. Unfortunately we had no idea what signals they were using to communicate.

Rose and I leapt on and Thom continued to stare at Kana. "Get on," he ordered.

"I will fly myself," she told him cooly spreading her wings.

“Follow closely,” he demanded facing forward again, “do not get in our way."

The transports were zipping around us in the interior of the camp. They were spreading out in a very organized fashion. The men seemed to be searching every nook and cranny for the attackers. The entire hunt was absolutely silent and utterly efficient. I'd never seen anything like it.

It was like watching beesin a hive or fish in a school. The men seemed to be responding to something outside themselves that was guiding them.

I looked back and saw Kana flying very close behind us. She did as she'd been asked and stayed out of the way as the men took care of their camp.

Rose and I were delivered back to the large cave used for healing. Men were stationed at the opening to the infirmary now, Looking alert. They separated Long enough to allow us to enter and then took up positions in front of the opening. They formed a literal wall of flesh between the injured and the aggressors.