Escape Trajectory: Makkuro — IC

[FinalTemplar]

After realizing the meeting was concluded, Creed ate some food and relaxed for a few moments before heading back to bed himself. He curled up under the covers and drifted off into a warm but once more troubled sleep. He woke up to the alarm the next day, calmer than previously, but still definitely put off. 

He slowly made his way out of bed, had a shower, and made his way back to his room. He pulls his clothes back on and goes through his stuff, stuffing some of the stuff he doesn't need right now in his room, and finally pulling out his pistol and rifle. He looks between the two laser weapons and eventually sighs, hiding the pistol underneath his bed, making sure the safety was on as he left it there. 

He catches up with the others, his remaining pair of guns stowed away into his backpack as they walk out to meet the crew they were joining temporarily. "Good to meet you all, I hope this all goes smoothly." He says, smiling softly. 

ooc

Eridas makes a note of Mover and plans on coming back to find him when he returns, possibly to pay off his debt or to offer to bring him aboard and give him an out until he finds somewhere new.

[Namelessjake]

"Very well,"  Lagunov replies to Cass, seeming satisfied by his brief explanation for Kate's presence.

"It shouldn't be long now. My guys are almost done loading up the Pioneer," Ayodele says in reply to Cass' question. "In fact, we can probably board now," shes adds after glancing over at the airlock. "If all goes well I''ll see you in a couple of months Salah," she says to the security chief.

"Safe travels, and I'll see the rest of you tonight. Once your job is done the Pioneer will bring you back here," Lagunov says to you all before leaving with a nod in goodbye. Subira then leads you over to the airlock and onto the shuttle.

Compared to the Makkuro the Pioneer is cramped. It is filled with rows of seats with cargo stowed in netting overhead. As you board you step around an open hatch where more supplies are being loaded in to a small cargo hold beneath the passenger cabin. It is designed to move as many people and as much cargo as cheaply as possible.

"Grab some seats. The toilet is back there if you need it at any point. It's what a six hour journey? You're actually the only ones here that have been there before," Subira says, pointing out a door at the rear of the passenger cabin. "I'm going to go check in with the pilot and then we should be good to go," she says before turning at heading towards another door at the front of the shuttle.

ACS Pioneer Stats

[Scratcherclaw]

Hikaru sits uncomfortably in the shuttle, bringing his shoulders in as he becomes acutely aware of the cramped accommodations. It's no private jet, and no Makkuro for that matter, but oh well, I guess. He lets out a sigh, doing his best to stretch his legs and get as comfortable as possible in the shuttle. "Not much walking room, but let's remember to stretch our legs and walk every once in awhile? Always did that on tour. Stiff muscles really fuck you up."

 

[ratwizard]

"See you tonight," Cass says back to Lagunov, giving the security chief a nod. He sighs, the six hour estimate giving him pause. Lot of time for nerves to act up. Maybe we can turn on a vid or something, keep morale steady. He picks a seat near Hikaru, sliding his pack into the storage area for now.

[greysigil]

Kate walks onto the shuttle, a hand instinctively raised to brush the cargo netting as she walks under it. Almost reminds me of a personnel carrier. She thinks as she picks a seat across from Cass and Hikaru, her mind drifting briefly to the flights she'd taken while in the service of the Diktat. She stows her pack and settles in, not quite at ease but not overly uncomfortable either. She nods at Hikaru, "For sure, nothin' like sittin' on your ass for hours on end to give you the mother of all charley horses."

[FinalTemplar]

Creed follows the others and steps aboard the shuttle. He hadn't really considered before that he wouldn't be in the pilot's seat and for a moment his nerves began to bite at him. "Is there... any way I can sit up with the pilot? Just to make sure things go smoothly." He asks, not really considering how that might sound to the others. "I just feel more comfortable up there." He says, shifting a bit from foot to foot as he stands, looking at the other seats.

[Fialova]

Seeing Cass take a seat by Hikaru, Tess decides to grab one next to Kate to even things out. We've got several hours ahead of us, plenty of time to get to know her some more before we get into another fight. Or very likely another fight. "Once we're off-station, we'll have plenty of time to wander about the cabin. Though hopefully it doesn't bother everyone else," she responds, before turning her attention to the woman next to her.

"How are you feeling, newbie?" she asks Kate, before motioning to the weapons she'd brought along. "You comfortable with those? We all did some target practice the other day, so hope you're not rusty," she continues, offering the woman a polite grin. She was military, but a mechanic, so who knows if she is good with a gun or not. I guess we'll find out soon enough, though.

[ratwizard]

Cass frowns at Creed's request, hoping it doesn't throw off the Asteria staff. "Hey, beratna, want to just sit with us? I'm sure these guys got everything covered. Got a few vids on my slab, too, if you want to watch some trash." He idly looks over to Kate and Tess, interested in the engineer's answer to the probing question.

[greysigil]

"Well, I'm not the sharpest shot in the sector, but I've had plenty of practice." Kate says as she looks over at Tess, returning her smile. "As for how I'm feeling," she pauses a moment, evaluating her mental state. "I'd say reasonably apprehensive, given what you've told me about the last time you were down there, but equally confident that we can make it out, on account of how y'all did last time."

Kate shrugs her shoulders. "Either way, can't know for sure until we're boots-on-the-ground, yeah?"

[FinalTemplar]

Eridas kind of froze up for a momemt, listening to what Cass was saying but slowly nodded. "Yeah I'll just... Sit. Yeah. I don't need to pilot this time." He said softly, taking a seat near his crewmates as he attempts to just focus on his breathing.

Come on... Hold it together. We're fine.

[Scratcherclaw]

Hikaru gives an apathetic shrug and a confident smirk to Kate, hoping to calm her nerves a bit. "Eh, if we can handle Diktat fucks and literal space pirates, we can handle whatever else is thrown our way." He stretches out in his seat, releasing an almost lazy yawn. 

"Can't imagine it's a person down there, and those are way more unpredictable. Once saw this crime show of some frontier world sicko who'd make flatware out of people's bones, all for fun and artistic pursuit. Real fucked up. Would take a night with a mineshaft beast over that guy any day." He shakes his head, absentmindedly scrolling through his compad to see if he has that episode saved. God, what was it called again? You-Tensil?

[Namelessjake]

After you are settled, it is only a couple more minutes before the remaining cargo and crew are stowed and seated on the shuttle. The doors are sealed and you feel the artificial gravity created by the station's spin disappear as the Pioneer undocks and cancels out the momentum before maneuvering out of the large central hole that serves as the asteroid station's docks.

The journey is uneventful and routine, with most of the passengers making conversation for a while before either trying to catch some sleep or putting in earphones and watching vids on their compads. Eventually the pilot's voice comes on over the cabin radio giving a five minute ETA, and life returns to shuttle as people being gathering their gear for disembarkation.

A few minutes later you heard a metallic thud and feel the craft jolt. The airlock then hisses as the door opens. You follow the crew out of the shuttle and find yourselves in the main hanger bay where the bodies of Hartjen and his accomplice still lay along with the bodies of their victims in the outpost's previous crew. Luckily the cycling of the hanger's air to enable the shuttle's entry seems to have helped lessen the stale stench of death - however many of the new crew still immediately set about entombing the deceased in body bags.

Subira makes her way over to you with another miner in tow. "Got everything you need? This is Anderson," Subira says gesturing to the young miner beside her who gives you all a nod in greeting. "He was on the crew here but got rotated out for medical reasons not long before the pirates attacked. So he knows roughly what it should look like down there - knowing what the pirates were up to would be nice."

Map

[ratwizard]

Cass nods at Anderson as he approaches, before grimacing once he realizes the man's connection to the bodies being routinely processed before him. "Sorry about your crew," he offers softly. If he wasn't rotated out, he'd be in one of those bodybags himself. Weird shit, fate.

"We should check this level first and make sure nothing down there got up here first." He turns to the others. "Cool?"

[FinalTemplar]

Eridas spends most of the trip being anxious, not really trusting someone else to pilot a spaceship, but is relieved nonetheless. As the trip comes to an end, he sighs softly and takes a few minutes to check all of his belongings... and then once satisfied, joins the others in departing from the shuttle. 
He frowns and feels his stomach flip as he eyes the corpses that still lay there where they had been left. He had come to terms with killing- mostly, at least. He was able to accept that it was either them, or him, and they had already likely killed others here, or elsewhere... but seeing the bodies remain, decaying and stinking, caused him a moment of recoil. 
He looks up at the approaching person, nodding as she begins to speak. "Nice to meet you Anderson... many apologies about your crew." He took a deep breath, regretted it, and quickly exhaled. "Yeah, let's check out this floor first, might as well secure our safe place." He says, looking around slightly as to what he can see from here, but not expecting to see much.

[Namelessjake]

"Thanks," the man replies solemnly. "None of them deserved this. At least you guys put down the bastard responsible,"  he adds, glancing back over at the corpses of his former colleagues and their murderers. "Where do you want to start up here? The crews quarters and ops are through there, and there's cargo space and lifesupport that way," he asks, pointing to the hangers side doors one at a time.

[Scratcherclaw]

"We checked Ops a bit when we were here last," Hikaru says plainly, trying to avoid looking at the still-grisly display spread across the hangar. "We got into the live camera feeds, but do you know if there are any stored recordings? Or any cameras down in the shafts? Anything to give us a leg up down there."

[ratwizard]

"I think it'd be smart to check for any logs the crew might have made leading up to the occupation — or shit, during it, too." Cass turns to Anderson, nodding toward him. "Where would we find that? Ops?"

Holland runs a tight operation. I'm guessing she'd have quota tracking, supervisor notes, all the usual corpo bullshit. Only question is if the security system is gonna play nice, or if I'll have to coax it.

[greysigil]

Fuck, that's gotta be rough. Survivor's guilt, and all. Crazy how much can change with one tiny difference. Kate muses as she disembarks, glancing over the scene in the hangar. She takes a deep breath, the decay in the air unpleasant in the same way smelling salts are, as her mind focuses and sharpens to the task ahead. "Condolences." She says softly to Anderson, before moving up with the rest of the crew.

"Sounds good. Ops first, get eyes, then clear the rest of the floor before heading down?"

[FinalTemplar]

Eridas took a deep steadying breath as he listens to his allies' plan. "Yeah, getting a grasp on what exactly happened here is probably a good idea. Maybe there's a way to see what's happened in our absence as well?" Eridas asks

[Namelessjake]

"There should be stored recordings, but there's no cameras down in the mine,"  Anderson replies, answering both Hikaru and Creed's questions. "That'd be ops,"  he adds, confirming Cass' suspicion.

"This should give you access to the logs," Subira adds, handing over her ID card. "I'll need that back. Good luck down there," she adds, before taking her leave from the conversation, heading back over to the Pioneer.

"Ops is this way," Anderson says as she leaves. The young miner then leads you through the door to the right of the parked shuttle, and then through the door on the left a short ways down the corridor. You find yourselves in the small ops room, with the door to the office to your left and the control room ahead of you.

Anderson makes his way over to the nearest workstation and scans Subira's ID. "Here you go. What do you want to know?" He asks, looking back at you from the screen.

[FinalTemplar]

"Well, if there's no cameras down in the mines... has anything of note happened up here in the time since we've been gone? It's been a few days." He contemplates. "Any activity from the elevator, any strange occurrences... that kind of thing."

[ratwizard]

"I'm gonna need any supervisor logs related to what was going on down there prior to the attack by Hartjen. Think you can do that?" Cass asks Anderson. "Even better if we find anything about the attack itself from your team."

He studies the man, wondering what rank or level of access he would have had, were he on shift that day. "The pirates bit off more than they can chew down in the mines, said something about some 'things' they got into a rumble with. Any idea on what that could be?"

They brought back that device, too. There's got to be more here than Holland's let on.

[Scratcherclaw]

Hikaru frowns, hearing no cameras exist down below. Guess we're going in blind. The pop star nods along with Cass and Creed, adding, "Yeah, or any employee reports? Maybe someone might've noticed something suspicious down there and reported to their supervisor."

 

[Namelessjake]

"Can do," Anderson replies, taking a moment to pull up the logs and records you requested. "Beats me, there should be nothing down there but equipment and rocks," he replies to Cass as he scans through the files and logs. "Looks like operations were nothing out of the ordinary until the pirates showed up. The elevator logs show them as being down in the mine for quite a while though. After that there's nothing since you left after dealing with them," he explains after a minute or so. He leaves the documents open and steps back from the terminal in case any of you wish to examine anything further.

"I'd say whatever happened to them down there was of their own doing," he adds with a small shrug, clearly not any more aware of events than you.

[ratwizard]

"We might be looking at something pre-tech down there," Cass warns. "Something dangerous enough to make Hartjen retreat."

And something valuable enough to make him come in the first place, he considers, the wonders of the strange star-map device still running through his mind. The hell could it have been? That Ascein tech said maybe something from a lost, alien empire? The thought is a sobering one, and he grimaces to himself.

[Fialova]

Tess follows after the others, her nerves having resurfaced somewhat since returning to the vast emptiness of space, only to once again find herself in the now-quiet mining operation. She frowns as the pass the corpses, though does not feel the need to add to her companions' condolences. Instead, she focuses on taking in their surroundings now that they have the relative safety to do so. She frowns as Anderson mentions the lack of surveillance in the mines. You'd think a company like this would be keen to watch their miners for signs of theft. I guess I have to admire them somewhat for the amount of trust they have in their workers, even if it is not really that useful to us now.

"Let's hope it isn't some sort of ancient technology," Tess responds to Cass, simultaneously worried and amused by his theory. "Pirates are one thing. I doubt we'd really put up a fight against anything pre-tech."

[ratwizard]

"Anderson, what sort of mining takes place down there? Your team start any excavation projects recently? Something that could have broken new ground?"

Cass frowns, uncomfortable with the thought of investigating hands-on without fair warning of what they might encounter. Guess that's the job, security detail. And to think we volunteered for this bullshit. Even still, the weight of their possible discovery gives him an almost manic curiosity.

 

[Namelessjake]

"A couple weeks back we did exhaust the deposits on, what was then, the lowest level of the mine. So we made the elevator shaft deeper and started again on a new level. That level would probably be the best place to start. All the others will just be empty tunnels so I don't know what the pirates would have been doing there,"" Anderson replies with another shrug. "You guys ready to head down there?" He asks looking between the five of you.

[ratwizard]

"Must have hit something new, then," Cass surmises in a mumble. "Uh, yeah. I'm ready." He turns to the others. "We good?"

Despite the feeling of protection from his battle armor, he still holds his laser rifle with a clammy grip. Let's hope Hartjen softened up whatever the fuck's down there.

[FinalTemplar]

As Eridas listens to the conversation, he has a momentary daydream of him coming up with an explanation, telling them everything about this potential piece of pre-tech ... tech? And how everyone would clap and cheer as he saved the day. Moments later, he breaks out of this reverie, looking around at the others and seeing the hesitation and fear that they have. Knowing he also didn't really have an answer to what it could be, his smile slowly washes off his face and he frowns, pulling out his weapon as well. "Nowhere to go but down, I suppose." He gulps and looks towards the elevator.

[Scratcherclaw]

Great, so they awakened some giant alien monster or something. Hikaru takes a deep breath, clenching his fists and giving a slight nod. "Yep, let's get on with this. And keep it cautious and careful down there, yeah? We don't know what the hell we're dealing with."

 

[greysigil]

Of course there aren't cameras. Why would there be? That'd make things too easy. Kate thinks as she listens to the others talk. She busies herself with inspecting the other equipment, not really looking at anything, but more just giving herself something to do so she isn't just standing around.

When Cass says the words "pre-tech", however, Kate's eyes snap to the man with a distinct glint, as she fully tunes back in to the conversation. "We can only hope." She says, not quite able to contain her enthusiasm at the prospect, before her voice levels out again. "I agree, though, better be ready for anything."

As everyone else voices their assent to descend, Kate nods once. "Ready as I'll ever be." she says as she reaches for her mag rifle and brings it to rest in her arms. Dug too deep and got more than they bargained for? Heard that story a thousand times.

[Fialova]

Tess can't help but to notice as the nerves seem to be getting the better of most of the others. She'd be lying if she tried to tell them she was completely calm and collected in contrast, but seeing them so nervous, she can't help but to try to lighten the mood. "Well, at least if we find some horrific monster down there, we'll know that the people who find our corpses will think us the most stylish fools to ever come down here," she jokes, as she too checks her gun and awaits whatever is in the dark unknown below.

[ratwizard]

"It's, uh, good that we're dressed to kill, then," Cass says, hoping that leaning into the banter would ease his spirits. He begins walking toward the elevator, taking a deep breath as he goes. Just like basic training. I've got this. He eyes the others, finding them appropriately armed and armored — especially the newcomer Kate. We've got this.

[Namelessjake]

Anderson laughs at Tess' joke, before he leads you from the room and back into the outpost's main hanger, where the rest of the work crew are still unloading the shuttle. As you make your way past them and over towards the mineshaft elevator, a couple of the crew give you nods and words of encouragement.

"Down we go," Anderson says, hitting a button on the wall causing the elevator doors to open noisily. Designed for carrying gear and mined resources, the elevator is a large square - about 9 metres wide - so you all fit inside with plenty of room to spare. Anderson makes his way over to another wall panel and hits a couple more buttons. The doors shut behind you and the elevator car lurches into life. You feel the elevator begin to descend, your body wanting to float up against the ceiling in the low gravity save your magnetic boots keeping you firmly on the floor.

The descend is slow, taking a little over a minute before the elevator eventually comes to a stop. Anderson pulls out a laser pistol and checks its charge, before hitting another button. The doors on the opposite side of the elevator open as loudly as the other pair revealing the dark tunnels ahead of you.

The elevator's light spills out, lighting up your immediate surroundings. You appear to be in a larger central cavern the walls of which are scarred and marked with the tell tale signs of excavation which heavy machinery. Two supporting pillars have been left in place to your right and to your left - by the pillar to the right you can see a couple of Asteria marked crates in the dim light.

Further into the mine, on the edge of what you can make out in the darkness, you can see what appears to be a person lying on the ground. It is hard to make much out, but they looked to be dressed in gear similar to the two pirates you fought previously up in the hanger.

Anderson nervously takes a couple of steps forward, before slowing down, apparently waiting to see what you do.

Map

Map Info

As a reminder, the squares are 1.5m x 1.5m, however they are for reference only, you are not locked to the grid.

[ratwizard]

Cass finds the elevator ride long enough to grow a deep sinking feeling in his belly, despite the low gravity. He lets out another breath as the doors open, and he stares out at the pirate's body for a moment. "We knew Hartjen's squad took some heat from something down here. Firefight? Explosion? Occupational hazard? Maybe we can find out what we're up against."

He pushes forward slowly, taking cover where he can find some to better survey the area.

Mechanics

Taking cover to the right of the red table, above the green thing/

[FinalTemplar]

Eridas laughs a bit at Tess' joke, though a little too awkwardly long after the joke was told. He takes a deep, slow breath as he tries to calm himself, closing his eyes for most of the trip down, thinking of better times, better places, and then - the world around him shakes the tiniest bit as the elevator comes to a stop, and he lets out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. He looks ahead at the tunnel before them, and smiles softly, ready to take on whatever is found down here. Eridas makes his way forward, slugthrower drawn, moving ahead of Cass. "I'll take the left." He says, raising his slugthrower higher as he moves forward at nearly a crawl's pace.

Mechanics

Eridas will move almost straight forward, sticking to the left side of the tunnel (right/east side of the map from our top down view) and since he's pretty tanky I'm comfy with him being ahead of the party. Not too far, he'll be in front. Worst case space-land he can give the others some time to run. ^_^
Notice/wis: [2d6]=9

[greysigil]

Kate smiles at the jokes being passed back and forth, the banter an insulation against the unease everyone feels. She nods in acknowledgement at the crew members' words, and steps into the elevator.

Assuming a position against the wall of the elevator, Kate lightly inspects her rifle, checking the safeties and usual points of failure, ensuring that it will function properly should she need it. Probably will, to be honest.. She spends the rest of the ride just riding the feeling of the low-g, before settling back into herself as the elevator comes to a rest.

Once the doors open and she realizes just how dark it is down here, she takes a sharp breath. "Anyone got a light? Handheld or overhead, whichever works." Kate asks before moving efficiently to follow Cass to cover, her eyes trained on the body lying at the edge of the light.

Mechanics

Moving to take cover above the red table, and Kate is looking to see if she recognizes the gear of the pirate, but not getting closer just yet.

[Scratcherclaw]

Hikaru grits his teeth, looking at the corpse unceremoniously laid before them. "I remember they seemed scared... Asshole pirates wouldn't freak out over nothing," Hikaru says, lurching forward behind Cass, nervously clutching his new weapon. But what the fuck could be down here all this time without anyone noticing?

 

[Namelessjake]

Anderson follows the rest of you further out of the elevator.

"You didn't bring any light? Anderson asks incredulously. "I've got a couple of glowbugs on me," he adds, removing them from his belt. He clicks down on one of the discs, activating it, and tosses it forwards. The disc illuminates the tunnel ahead as it soars through the air before sticking to a rock face previously hidden in the darkness. Not far from the body on the ground, the new source of light provides a better view of the corpse. You can now see that it appears they succumbed to large gashes that cut through their clothing but they have also been impaled by a pair of long thorn like objects.

"Um..." Anderson starts, clearly unsettled by the discovery. "These crates and barrels look like they're ours. There's probably some flares or more glowbugs somewhere here," he says, regaining some composure as he gestures to the crate and barrel next to Kate and Cass. "Compared to last time I was here, this all looks about the same, other than the body. Whatever they were doing it must be deeper in," he continues.

Kate

Especially now with the light of Anderson's glowbug, you are able to get a decent look at the pirate's gear. Across the back you see the printed words Kyo Maru. Having been based out of Asteria Station for over a year with Finity's End you recognise the Kyo Maru as one of the more infamous pirate ships that called the station home. Its captain, Damien Hartjen, was renowned for being especially cruel and brutal.

Creed

In a gap in the conversation you briefly hear what sounds like a distant shuffling sound deeper in the tunnels forward and to your left.

Map

Map Info

As a reminder, the squares are 1.5m x 1.5m, however they are for reference only, you are not locked to the grid.

[Fialova]

"Gash marks," Tess says, unable to hide the hint of unease in her voice as the reality of the pirate's death comes into view. She approaches further into the tunnel, moving slowly and keeping an eye on her surroundings as she makes her way to the corpse. Well I guess 'digging too deep and waking something evil' wasn't too far off. Those wounds certainly aren't human or VI.

Mechanics

Heal/Int: [2d6]=8

 

[ratwizard]

"Didn't think of it. Usually this sort of place is brighter than a sun, with all the workplace safety lighting," Cass answers honestly, thankful for the miner's glowbug. He grimaces as the light from the tiny disc illuminates the violent gashes on the dead pirate.

"What the... hell?" he manages, the pit in his stomach growing. "Anderson, you, uh, encounter any xenos on this rock? Something that can do that to a person?" The words come out pitchier than he'd have liked. Gotta stay cool here. Don't want this guy thinking we're some amateurs and leave us down here in the dark.

[Namelessjake]

Anderson shakes his head in reply to Cass, the colour drained from his face. "There was nothing but rocks down here before," he adds. "Mines can be a dangerous place but that doesn't look like an injury I've seen before."

The man continues to hang back from the body while Tess checks it.

Tess

Kneeling down by the deceased pirate, you pause to examine the body. Looking at her face you immediately recognise her as one of the Kyo Maru crew, a young woman named Zuri. After going through one of the pirate's compads after your battle in the hanger, you had surmised the two ill-fated had been in a relationship from their photos together and the messages they shared.

Looking more closely at her wounds you are able to determine that it was likely the two large chitinous spikes that killed her. Each about 15 centimetres long, they appear to have been embedded in her neck with enough force to kill her. The gashes across the rest of her body appear to have potentially happened after that. Parts of her flesh are missing, torn away as if something or someone was feeding on her body.

You also spot four unused thermal flares attached to her belt, as well as a void carbine clutched in her hands.

Map

Map Info

As a reminder, the squares are 1.5m x 1.5m, however they are for reference only, you are not locked to the grid.

[ratwizard]

Cass takes a moment to look around the currently-lit vicinity for any stationary lighting the crew might have set up to assist in their operations, and any way to turn it on. He keeps an eye out for glowbugs, flashlights, or any other portable lighting.

Mechanics

Notice/Wisdom Check for the above: Notice/Wis to find lights: [2d6+1]=5+1=6

[Namelessjake]

Cass

Looking around you fail to spot any wiring or anything else that would give away the location of any stationary lighting.

You also fail to see any other light sources lying around, but you realise it isn't a huge leap to assume that the containers you are stood by could contain mining equipment including some form of lighting.

[ratwizard]

Eyeing the Asteria crates he took cover behind, Cass engages the switch on his rifle and it collapses into pistol form. He slips his metatool from his pack, using it to crack open the crates carefully — just enough to pry the lid ajar. "Just taking a peek. You never know what might be hiding in plain sight," Cass says.

Here's hoping Holland's not gonna itemize and deduct any damaged products or supplies from our pay. I'm sure they operate on razor thin margins around shithole asteroids like this.

[Namelessjake]

Cass

Carefully opening the crate, you see that the inside is lined with a moulded foam. Nestled inside in perfectly shaped holes is a variety of mining equipment, although quite a few of the various tools are missing. A large handheld mining laser dominates the inside of the crate, while other smaller and more precise tools fill the spaces around it. Your eyes are immediately drawn to a compartment for glowbugs. Unfortunately they appear to have mostly been used up, however two remain.

Curiously and definitely worryingly - from a workplace safety point of view at the very least - there are also two demo charges inside the crate which have been haphazardly tossed on top of the other equipment. With no clear place for them inside they are clearly not meant to be stored like this.

[ratwizard]

"Couple of glowbugs," Cass announces, ignoring the fact that they're Anderson's employer's. He attaches one of them to a small handheld wrench or other mundane tool he can find, and activates the small device.

In the light, something else catches his eye in the crate. "Oh, hold on." The tech gently lifts two demo charges from the crate, displaying them to the others with a curious look. "Somebody ditched these in here, real clumsy-like. Benefit of the doubt for your team, Anderson. I'm guessing it was these pirates." He wraps them carefully and loads them into his pack. "I'm confiscating these for now."

[Scratcherclaw]

Hikaru's breaths grow unsteady as anxiety spreads to his core, the gashes on the corpse becoming seared into his mind. The fuck kind of thing is capable of that? Looks like something out of a movie. And it's down here with us... Some sense of security returns as Cass's glowbugs illuminate some of the room, but not enough to deal with the pangs of dread.

His eyes widen as the engineer retrieves the demo charges from the crate, looking at them uneasily. "Maybe our pirate friends opened themselves a new tunnel? Seems like there was something specific they were after. Guessing it wasn't a deadly alien monster though."

[Namelessjake]

Cass' makeshift handheld lamp illuminates more of the tunnel system, revealing the tunnels continue past Kate.

Map