[center][h2]Devils In The Dark[/h2][/center] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/ltE9zAK.png[/img] [/center] JP from [@Xandrya] and [@sail3695]. Cal Strand appears courtesy of [@wanderingwolf]. For those on the surface, the sudden glow of the firefly’s thrust section was an unmistakable sign, a confirmation of the dark thoughts none had spoken. It was Yuri who broke that silence, engaging his comm. “Edina…the big red button with the white tape X on it? Push it right now!” In the cargo bay above, Edina tried to bury the shock of the inbound raiders…pirates…whatever they were… as she made a beeline in her EV suit for the equipment panel. Yuri would next call for the basket to hoist the crew. Green light. Check. Wouldn’t be time to haul up the snuffler. She conjured she’d have to push… [i][b]”“Edina…the big red button with the white tape X on it? Push it right now!”[/b][/i] “Copy!” Her gloved palm slapped hard upon the glowing red disk. In an instant, the couplings and power connections to the bulky snuffler detached, permitting it’s escape through the belly hatch like a fleeing serpent. “Standing by with the basket!” she nearly shouted into her helmet comm. “No time for that,” Yuri’s voice had quieted. “Batten yourself down, [i]qīn'ài de[/i].” “Listen up,” the Captain took control of the comm. “Don’t yet conjure who we got behind us, but once we got this sussed, we’ll be back for you. Til then, you hunker down, mind your batteries, and breathe easy.” "You hear the man, we hunker down!" Imani didn't mean to sound as authoritative as she did, yet it was a reaction to their grim reality at the moment. She rushed back and was quick to turn off the couple of lamps lighting the area she was working. "There's that large boulder not too far ahead, let's make our way and think up a game plan." Stepping over the tools that were being left behind, her mind scrambled for a solution, though that was hard when they didn't have the slightest clue whom or what they were up against. There wasn’t time for tears. For a tick, Edina sensed a panic rising within. How could Yuri tell her not to haul him and the others up? Her eyes darted about, frantic for some bit of aid to offer…some lifeline for those who’d soon be stranded on the unrelenting dark of the asteroid’s surface. She whirled about as the boat gained speed beneath her feet. Anything…anything… Air. Of course! There were three replacement tanks all neatly held in a rack, just waiting for a ride down in the basket. Buddha only knew when they’d be back to deliver them. “I’m dropping spare O2 tanks for you,” she announced over comm, as her body willed the bulky suit to move faster. “Good thinkin’,” Cal’s voice sounded over the comm. In the cockpit, his will was summoning up every bit of thrust he could get out of his boat. China Doll had begun moving, but even in this low G, a boat doesn’t just spin right up. “Listen up,” he told the pilot, “we get past that ridgeline, you pull a split S and nose ‘er over hard. Should buy us some time to get into the briar patch…Edina!” he shouted without waiting for anyone to ask just what a “briar patch” might be, “Double time on those tanks! I need that belly hatch dogged tight and you strapped in pronto!” Everything was happening in the blink of an eye. China Doll’s bright lower lighting had been doused, leaving only a single, muted shaft trailing down from her open hatch as she picked up speed. Yuri tried to watch carefully as, one by one, Edina pitched the spare O2 tanks into the darkness. Each would fall roughly twenty meters to the surface, not a terrible concern as he considered the very low gravity and the relative cushioning of the thick dust. That was all his guess, anyway. Once they dropped through the hatch opening, each tank literally vanished into the darkness, save one. As he watched, that unlucky vessel’s regulator must’ve struck China Doll’s underhung truss on its’ way down, snapping the neck and birthing a spark within that ignited the contents. The tank became a rocket, spiralling aimlessly into the unforgiving black. There was no time to bemoan the loss. [i]Two out of three,[/i] Yuri observed in silence as he turned to watch the pursuing boats. There’s one thing Abby knew ‘bout times like this. Best thing she could possibly do was Keep. Her. Gorram. Mouth. Shut. Cap’n had [i]la shi[/i] flyin’ at him six ways from Sunday. Yuri, too. Didn’t take a reader to see the truth in people’s fears right now; she could hear it in ever’body’s voice, and feel it in ‘erself, like a mainspring wrapped way too tight that’s ‘bout tah burst. Her eyes followed Yuri’s, just in time to see them boats fly in above ‘em. Dark as it was with no sun close tah hand, she could only make out shapes. Two smaller boats, ‘bout half as big as China Doll, was flankin’ a much bigger one in the middle. They was low. She wanted a look. Wouldn’t take more’n a quick gander tah know fer true. Without a second thought, she lifted ‘er hand torch. “Don’t…” Before Yuri could voice the order, the beam of light flashed upward, playing across what he could only describe as a hellscape of lurid red color. Everywhere was a jagged morass of welded chains, pikes, and blades, many of which held impaled human bones and skulls as macabre trophies. Abby cut her light as the leading boats peeled off after China Doll. When the fourth, a much smaller craft, passed overhead to follow its’ mates, He broke the stunned silence. “Was that what I think it was?” “Yeah,” the deckhand replied, her voice a harsh whisper.. “Reavers.” “I never really thought….” The First Mate left those words to hang. You could fill a book with what Yuri felt he didn’t know about how to handle this situation, but for Buddha’s sake, the one thing he did conjure…the one thing that was welling up from deep inside and screaming at him…was that he couldn’t just stand here like some idiot. His eyes roved the broad expanse. The darkened plain upon which they stood offered no shelter, nor any chance cover, should the Reavers choose to return. High cliff faces on either side would prohibit their climbing out without the right gear. And behind them yawned the crevasse with the one container lodged in its’ throat. They couldn’t make it across, that much he understood. The only other option was the ridge line, some three kilometers distant, with unknown territory beyond. His gaze landed upon the snuffler, a lifeless python heaped in the sea of thick dust. Perhaps… “Imani,” he said, “Abby. Here’s how it is. I need you two to dangle the snuffler into the crevasse, right over the old shipping container. We can use it to climb down and cut our way in. While you’re doing that, I’ll go find those tanks Edina dropped and gather the tools.” [i]Reavers.[/i] Her eyes widened, the whites stark against her dark irises, darting frantically as if searching for an escape that wasn’t there. Her mouth parted slightly, trembling, but no sound came out—just shallow, rapid breaths. A chill ran down her spine, and in her mind, chaos reigned. The memory surged without warning, vivid and raw, as if it had just happened. The voices and screams echoed in her head—again and again, the scene played on an endless loop. Her breath caught in her throat, her chest tightening as the past blurred with the present. Every detail came back with cruel clarity and no matter how hard she tried to push it away, the memory clung to her, sharp as broken glass, demanding to be felt all over again. Imani glanced over at Abby and a crease formed between her brows, deep and tense, while her jaw clenched in a futile attempt to stay composed. When she finally managed to utter a few words, they were brief. "We're on it."