Gail thinks she’s a pretty big deal on the Atalanta Empress. She’s the Mover of Very Heavy Things, which is an important position on a courier ship. And, she’s done it as a frail human octogenarian, having replaced many failing body parts with mechanical ones.

When Gail is attacked during a job – a scary, full moon, stormy night sort of job – the ship’s crew becomes concerned. Not only does someone else have to go out in the rain (gross) and some of those mechanical parts are under provisional warranty, but Gail’s daughter is an attorney. It’s sort of a given that the crew will be sued.

On top of all that, they don’t know what attacked her. She’s starting to exhibit symptoms. It’s not powertrain failure or kidney function decline, but something new. She’s um…friskier. And, hairier. Oh, and attacking her crewmates.

If they don’t figure out what’s ailing Gail, they might suffer it too, besides, you know, already suffering for it. It’s definitely contagious, whatever it is. More importantly, they want their old Gail back (not that this one isn’t old).

There’s another shipment, and no one wants to carry it.

Pull up a space chair and chow down on Wilwhack Attack, a short story filled with non-canonical terror, unwanted body hair, pseudopregnancy, and poorly sampled hold music.

*No Previous Atalan Reading Required