Fluttershy’s teeth clattered as she shivered, hugging herself in a vain attempt to keep warm. Having followed the massive tunnel at Karl’s End, she traveled through the Magma Core and back up toward the surface. Now, with the tunnel collapsed from a short series of earthquakes, she was back in the icy caverns of the Glacial Strata.
Steeve clacked his legs against the rock, directing her through passageways and guiding her around cravasses. His low screeches and rumbling purrs warded off hostile Glyphids, and his echolocating howls bounced off walls and ceilings, giving her an idea of where he was at any given time.
Eventually, the cave opened up to a massive room dozens of meters tall and nearly a hundred wide. Fluttershy had to stop and look in amazement as small crystals glittered in the walls, giving off the smallest amount of light but illuminating the cave perfectly. It was eerily beautiful, with oases and crystals dotting the cavern floor.
“Rarity would love this,” she breathed.
One of the far ends suddenly lit up with a sickly green glow as a resounding thump-BOOM reverberated through the cave. The howls of dying Glyphids echoed in her ears, and the point of explosion had opened a small hole in the wall.
Without a second thought, she ran to the glow. It dissipated just before she arrived, but the damage was done. Dozens of Glyphids littered the cave where the explosion had occurred. A Praetorian collapsed nearby, releasing its poisonous gas which was immediately set aflame, causing more screeches and forcing Fluttershy down for a moment.
She cautiously peeked her head back into the hole, and her jaw dropped. It was a salvage team in the final stages of the operation. A Drop Pod glowed in the background with its blinking lights and closed doors. As she watched, the doors slid open, and the miners boarded quickly. The last one called a final resupply, and as the Pod ascended, it crashed to the ground and projected a holographic keyboard. Unlike the others she’d seen, this one had a pink butterfly painted on the sides.
Fluttershy mentally kicked herself. Had she been just a little faster and more vocal, she could’ve been on her way back to the Rig. Back home.
Steeve screeched and clacked his legs on the rock.
“It’s okay, Steeve. They’re gone. It’s safe now.”
Fluttershy climbed through the hole and made her way to the resupply pod. It was the end of the mission. There was no reason for them to call one down (especially with her Camp Everfree gem decorating the side), unless… wait. She’d lost her transponder somewhere before finding Karl’s End. If it had contacted the satellites up above…
The realization hit her like a freight train. DRG knew she was still alive down here. They were looking for her. This resupply was for her. She ran, skidding to a stop just before she hit it. The keyboard looked like a modified number pad, and it wanted her DRG employment number.
“Uh… 17-CR-144-D,” she said, typing as she spoke.
A single leaf extended from the pod, and she took a look at the contents inside. Food, water, ammunition, flares, spare batteries, a new transponder (although it looked like it hadn’t survived the landing), even a new rifle fitted with strange modifications. The rest of the pod was filled to the brim with extra batteries and heaters to ensure it survived as long as possible in the cold dark.
She swapped out her batteries and stuffed her mineral bags with as many consumables as she could carry. As much as she liked eating strange fungi and drinking unfrozen filtered water extracted from the Strata’s icy caves, actual food and drink would go a long way. Opening a vitamin pack, she ate all of them (since fungi couldn’t give her all her nutrition) and put the empty pack back in the pod. DRG might be okay with littering the planet, but she wasn’t going to contribute if she could help it.
“Okay, Steeve,” she said. “We just need to tell them were we are. It can’t be that hard, right?”
The growl of a Praetorian filled her ears. She turned around to see the frost variant of the beast approaching slowly, the plates of its blue chitin armor clacking as it walked.
She beckoned it closer. “Hello there. Do you want some food?”
The Praetorian growled and shook its large fanged mouth.
“I’m not going to hurt you.” She smiled, hoping her voice sounded soothing, not frightened. “Come here.”
The Praetorian sat down next to her with a thud. For a moment, it seemed content, but a distant roar made both it and Steeve perk up in fear. The ground shuddered, and the sound of crashing rocks echoed through the cave.
“Alright, let’s go,” she said. “Steeve, find us a way out of here.”
Steeve screeched and clacked into a tunnel. Fluttershy started to follow, but the Praetorian dug under her and lifted her onto its back, then walked after him. She gripped the chitin plates as best she could to avoid being left behind, but it was easier said than done. Being a Frost Praetorian, its armor was much more icy and slippery than normal.
The Praetorian dug into the rock after Steeve, and they left the empty cave. At the same time, an antenna extended from the top of the resupply pod and blinked green. The satellites above registered the access and relayed the signal back to Space Rig 13.