image [https://i.postimg.cc/j2L3BpZt/cygnus-cavern.png]
The darkness still hung heavy over the makeshift outpost, though it was no longer alive with the roar of battle. Instead, silence had followed, pierced only by the crackle of dying fires and the low hum of the battered generators that still functioned.
In the glow of the base’s emergency lights, Luo Zuri hunched over Otto, who lay on a tarp hastily spread across the ground. A transfuser was rigged with tubes running from synthetic blood pouches to Otto’s arm, a portable diagnostic pad propped against a crate. Sigrid watched closely and tried to assist where possible, her face etched with concern.
“I can’t stabilize him properly out here,” Zuri said. “His gut and liver have partial tears—he needs surgery, real surgery. And soon.”
Sigrid just nodded, eyes flicking between Zuri’s hands and Otto’s pale face. Otto’s breaths came shallow and ragged, his unconscious body occasionally shuddering. “We have to get him back to the base,” she said conclusively.
Mei approached, her own leg hastily bandaged after Yao Guowei did a rough suture job. She was walking with a limp, but her attention was on the wounded man on the ground. “I’ll help,” she said, kneeling beside him. She wasn’t in great shape either, but Otto’s condition was far worse. “Let me see if I can do anything for the abdominal bleeding.”
Luo Zuri gave a curt nod. “Thank you, Dr. Mei. His blood pressure is dangerously low. Without a real surgical bay…” She trailed off, concern etched into her tone.
A few meters away, Hu and Pom trudged into the camp, each looking grim. They carried what remained of Pell’s body on a makeshift stretcher, the powersuit twisted and wrecked, its occupant mangled beyond recognition. They set it down gently, the sight drawing a hush over everyone who caught a glimpse.
Pom removed his helmet and ran a hand through his sweat-dampened hair, weariness and anger battling on his features. “My rover is out of action,” he said to Guowei, voice low. “We can fix it, but not here. We need parts from the base—whole axle assembly’s cracked. We… found Pell in a corridor, pinned under debris.”
Mei closed her eyes for a moment. She had known Pell only briefly, but it stung to see another life lost. ARI’s calm but clinical voice drifted over the comms: “Assessing salvageable components from the suit… minimal. Suggest reclaiming for smelting if necessary.”
Pom bristled at ARI’s detachment but said nothing. The AI had lost a many of its own drones, too. A third of them had been destroyed in the fighting, leaving fewer eyes in the sky and less automated firepower.
Across the clearing, three battered automated turrets sat silent. They were the only ones salvageable, but the crew had limited spare parts to get them operational again.
Maximilian strode in and looked over Otto’s still form, Pell’s remains, and the battered remnants of the outpost. “We can’t let up,” he said in a firm voice, directed to Yao Guowei, but loud enough so that everyone could overhear. “There is an opening now, with the swarm destroyed. The question is, do we push on to secure the thorium site, or pull back to resupply.”
Yao Guowei nodded, arms folded. “It is known that those beetles can replenish themselves at that hive, emerging from those fungal growths. If we give them time, they’ll recover. But we have injured people and are running low. Another extended fight would be catastrophic.”
Mei, still tending to Otto’s wounds, looked up, concern and fatigue in her eyes. “The thorium is vital for our long-term survival, but I’m not sure we can handle more casualties. And there’s still the possibility that the hive is contaminated by the crystal anomalies, which could infect us. We have lost enough.”
Maximilian exhaled, scanning the battered defenders. “We can’t leave the job half-finished, not after all this. If we strike the hive now, before they regroup, we stand a good chance of finishing them off and securing the deposit. And if the crystals are there, well... we buried them at the base. We will seal them off.”
Sigrid nodded reluctantly. “We also need to check the other wreck site. The anomaly, the crystals… And we need to see if there is a way we can reprocess all of these carapaces. But that can wait. I hate to say it, but the thorium site is top priority. We knew there was going to be a price to pay to get it.”
“Yes,” Maximilian agreed. “We can’t afford to lose momentum. Else all of this would have been for naught.”
Pom took a step forward. “I'm sorry, but Otto can’t come, and neither can he stay here. He needs the infirmary. And so does she,” he said as he pointed at Mei’s leg.
“Pom’s rover is out of commission,” Guowei said. “But the second rover still functions. We can spare that to transport them back.”
Maximilian glanced at Pom, who was staring into the middle distance, stress and grief simmering behind his eyes. “Pom,” Maximilian said gruffly, “you, Otto and Luo Zuri return to base in the second rover. Mei will have to come with us, as she may be needed to deal with the hive. Guowei, Casimir, Hu, Kucugur, Sigrid — you’re with me in the hauler. Rest up now. Once we charge ARI’s remaining drones, we move on the hive.”
Pom glanced at Otto’s pale face and simply nodded. “Fine,” he muttered, voice subdued. “I’ll drive.”
A faint gloom of the coming dawn began to emerge from the horizon as they prepared to part ways. Luo Zuri and Casimir helped Otto onto a stretcher and carried him to the rover, with Sigrid offering a parting touch to Otto’s shoulder. He stirred, murmuring incoherent thanks.
Maximilian looked on, stoic as ever. “We will finish this,” he said to Guowei and the others, voice carrying an edge of determination. “No half-measures. If that hive can be neutralized, we do it now before they can rebuild.”
Then, with a final, grim exchange of looks, the defenders split, one group heading into the battered rover bound for the base and hopefully saving Otto’s life, the other preparing for the next and possibly final confrontation at the thorium deposit.
===
A stark sun blazed overhead as the advance team arrived at the hills that were home to the thorium deposit, their shadows stretching across the ochre sand. The air was thick with tension; after so many fights, no one harbored illusions about this being easy. Within the battered remains of one of the Dolya’s fractured hull sections, they could see scraps of twisted metal littering the ground, evidence of the previous firefight with the silver behemoth. Now, they came to finish the job, for if they could win the site, the colony’s energy future might be secured.
ARI had already dispatched a scout drone, which soared at low altitude, feeding data directly into the group’s helmet displays. “Detecting a small mixed cluster,” ARI reported. “Approximately ten creatures, consisting of a charger, two spitters, and multiple rank-and-file beetles. Distance: three hundred meters to your northeast, on elevated terrain.”
Yao Guowei quickly halted the hauler near a series of low hills. He shot a meaningful look to Kucugur, who donned his powersuit helmet with a faint hiss. “We’ll handle this quietly,” Yao said through the local comm channel. Maximilian offered a curt nod as Hu took the wheel, focusing on the feed from the drone.
Slipping out of the vehicle, Yao Guowei and Kucugur crouched low, rifles and incendiary grenades at the ready. They used the natural folds of the hilly landscape for cover, creeping closer to the unsuspecting cluster of alien creatures. A combat drone from ARI hovered beyond a ridge, quietly whirring as it prepped to provide crossfire from above.
At Yao’s whispered command, the two men split to flank their quarry—Kucugur moving up the left slope, Yao circling to the right. A silent countdown illuminated on their helmet HUDs: 3, 2, 1…
Then they sprang the trap. Yao loosed a barrage of short, precise rifle bursts, aiming for the spitters first. Kucugur hurled an incendiary grenade, saturating the smaller creatures in a wash of flame that sent them reeling. From above, ARI’s drone unleashed laser fire, focussing down the charger. Within seconds, the cluster was neutralized—charred husks littering the sand.
“Area clear,” Kucugur stated, kicking aside a twitching insect leg. Yao nodded, signaling for the team to continue on to the next group ARI had detected further down the valley.
The rest of the group — Maximilian, Sigrid, Mei, Casimir, Hu — moved deeper into the grove of red vegetation, where once the silver behemoth had appeared. Now, all seemed eerily quiet. No hiss of hidden creatures, no sign of another behemoth.
“All right,” Maximilian said, scanning the fungal structures. “Mei, stay inside the vehicle until further notice. The rest, out. Torch the spawning grounds. No quarter for these creatures.”
They spread out methodically, brandishing flamethrowers, rifles and incendiary charges. The mushrooms, thick stalked and topped with fleshy caps, oozed a sticky residue that reminded them of their alien biology. At their bases, sac-like growths swelled, translucent membranes revealing embryonic beetles inside, young spawn that would soon emerge to join the hive.
Casimir ignited the first wave of flame, engulfing a cluster of red plants in roaring flames. Hu joined in, dousing the sacs with a pressurized stream of liquid fire. Choking smoke billowed through the grove, and for a while, it felt like purging the alien threat might actually be simple this time.
Then Sigrid spotted movement near one of the smaller, half-collapsed mushrooms. A cluster of juvenile beetles, each barely the size of a person’s arm, scurried away from the flames. She remembered from earlier encounters that the juveniles lacked any sign of crystalline infection.
“They don’t have crystals,” she muttered, half to herself. Against her better judgment, she lunged forward, ignoring Maximilian’s shouted warning. A few of the beetles scattered, hissing in alarm but not attacking. Seizing her chance, Sigrid managed to scoop one up, the small creature flailing but not biting. “It’s not hostile,” she declared breathlessly, stepping back.
Maximilian frowned. “Stop acting like Mei," he scoffed. "We’re not risking our lives for one of those pests!”
“We need to study it,” Sigrid argued as she went back to the hauler and handing the creature to Mei, who locked it inside a crate. “See what their behaviour is when they're not controlled by that crystal stuff.”
"We are here for obtaining a resource, not research. Now fall in line and help exterminate them," Maximilian repeated.
As the group pressed further, the ground sloped into a dark cave entrance, half-hidden by mushroom stalks and twisted wreck debris. ARI’s sensors pinged faintly. Maximilian motioned for caution, and they advanced slowly, weapons raised. Flicking on their suit lights revealed veins of crystallized growth that pulsated with an eerie glimmer, and among them, newly infected creatures — their carapaces laced with jagged crystal shards.
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The sight was monstrous: beetles covered in shimmery growths, their bodies already half consumed by parasitic crystal. They shambled forward, screeching in confusion. At once, Maximilian gave the order: “Open fire!”
Hu and Casimir took the lead, unleashing a barrage of incendiaries that enveloped the stunted beetles in a raging inferno. Maximilian followed up with direct kinetic rounds. Shards of crystal broke off in sparks, collapsing the creatures in disorderly heaps. Some spat acid, but the belligerents dodged with ease, returning even heavier fire. In seconds, the infected abominations lay motionless.
Maximilian’s voice came steady and clear over the group comms.
“Secure the perimeter,” he said, gesturing with his rifle. “We’re not done here.”
Their lights illuminated a path that extended beyond the main chamber, heading deeper underground. Twisted remnants of scraps and hull plating from the Dolya had fused with tendrils of living crystal, merging the wreckage with alien geology. The result was a bizarre tunnel, the sides veined with spidery crystal growths that refracted the beams of the team's flashlights.
“Look at the crystal lattice,” Casimir said. “It’s different from the surface clusters, more integrated with the salvage and the rock.”
Sigrid came closer and ran her scanner close to the crystals. “Looks like it is radioactive. It might be feeding from the thorium. Or it’s simply thriving on ambient metals.” She turned, eyes distant. “How deep does this go, ARI?”
From ARI’s hovering combat drone, the AI’s calm voice replied, “Insufficient data. Tunnel curvature and metal interference limit my sensor range. Recommend further exploration.”
"This isn’t natural," Casimir muttered. "These growth patterns, it's almost like they're following a design, branching toward metal deposits."
Sigrid nodded, her voice hushed. "It’s like they’re seeking metals to sustain the crystals. This isn’t just an infection. It’s purposeful."
Maximilian, further ahead, called over his shoulder. "Stay focused and keep analyzing. Hu and I will take point and start clearing. ARI, keep those drones sharp. We’re going in."
Hu adjusted his powersuit, the servos whirring softly. His heavy weapon was cradled like a toy in his massive hands, the suit amplifying his already formidable strength. Maximilian carried his rifle at the ready, his eyes scanning every shadow and every jagged outcropping for movement.
The cavern narrowed slightly, forcing them into single file. The faint hum of ARI’s drone overhead offered some comfort, though the shadows stretched unnervingly around every corner.
Maximilian slowed his pace, motioning Hu to stop. “Do you hear that?”
Hu tilted his head, the external microphones of his suit amplifying faint noises. A soft scratching echoed through the chamber, coming from above. The two men raised their weapons in unison, their lights flickering across the uneven ceiling.
“Movement,” Hu said, his voice grim. “Above us.”
Before Maximilian could respond, a shadow detached from the ceiling with terrifying speed. The creature — a lithe, almost serpentine stalker with long, spindly legs — plunged toward Hu. His reflexes, augmented by the powersuit, saved him. He threw up an armored arm to block the attack, the creature’s claws scraping uselessly against the reinforced plating.
Maximilian opened fire, his rifle barking loudly in the confined space. The rounds struck the stalker, sending it reeling, but another one dropped down from above, its fanged mandibles clamping onto his shoulder. Maximilian grunted in pain, slamming himself into the wall to dislodge it, but its grip held firm.
Hu pivoted, his heavy weapon roaring as he riddled the first creature with kinetic rounds, the stalker collapsing into a twitching heap. He swung around to help Maximilian, but the confined space made it difficult to get a clear shot.
"Hold still!" Hu shouted.
Maximilian didn’t listen. Gritting his teeth, he drove his combat knife into the creature’s thorax, prying it loose. As it fell, a blinding beam from ARI’s drone incinerated the attacker mid-air, its charred remains hitting the ground in a lifeless heap.
Breathing hard, Maximilian and Hu stood back-to-back, scanning the ceiling for more threats. The silence returned, broken only by their heavy breathing and the faint hum of the drone.
"Thanks for the assist," Maximilian muttered to ARI.
"Threat neutralized," ARI replied calmly. "No additional hostiles detected nearby, but I am detecting an anomalous influence that is interfering with my sensors. Proceed with caution."
They pressed deeper into the cave, the light from the crystals intensifying. The walls seemed almost alive now, pulsating faintly as though reacting to their presence.
"Maximilian," Casimir’s voice crackled over the comms. "We’re picking up something strange from the crystals back here. It’s almost like they’re emitting a signal. Sigrid thinks they might be connected to whatever’s deeper inside."
"Understood," Maximilian replied. "We’ll push forward. Stay on standby in case this turns into something bigger than we’re ready for."
Hu’s grip on his weapon tightened as they rounded another corner. “Something bigger? Isn’t it always?”
Maximilian didn’t respond. His focus was locked on the path ahead, where the corridor seemed to widen into a vast, open chamber, a gaping pit in its center leading multiple levels downwards. The faint sparkling noises of the crystals grew louder.
A moment later, the hiss of ARI's thrusters echoed through the corridor. Three sleek drones, each bristling with mounted lasers and sensor arrays, zipped past Hu and Maximilian, their spotlights cutting through the gloom. One by one they dove into the pit, beams of light snapping on to illuminate the uneven walls.
Below, the alien creatures let out a collective hiss, their carapaces catching the dull glow of the crystals. The drones hung in midair for a moment, scanning their targets, then opened fire.
The first drone banked left, sending a rapid volley of laser bursts at a group of hunched beetles. The precision strikes carved through carapaces, sending acidic ichor spraying across the debris-strewn floor. A second drone swooped in from the opposite side, training its laser on a pair of lanky stalkers that tried to scuttle up the shaft. Bright red beams lanced through the air, and the stalkers shrieked, limbs severed before they tumbled into the darkness below.
“Impressive,” Hu said, watching the live feed on his helmet visor. Each drone moved with a terrifying coordination, weaving around falling debris, adjusting angles of fire and targeting hostiles with pinpoint accuracy.
At that moment, the third drone zipped past the others, scanning for larger threats. A cluster of spitters burst from a half-collapsed duct, projecting acid droplets upward. The drone jinked sideways, its thrusters flaring to dodge the spray, then answered with a sustained beam that carved a molten line across the duct’s edge, incinerating the insectoids in a plume of smoke.
Sparks and strobing lights flickered around the pit as the drones maneuvered, each seeking new targets. A handful of smaller beetles, now fully aware of the aerial threat, attempted to climb the walls in a frantic escape. The second drone snapped off a pair of rapid-fire pulses, carving into them mid-scramble. The creatures’ limp bodies slid back down, leaving streaks of greenish fluid behind.
Maximilian let out a breath, lowering his rifle. “ARI, report.”
“All hostile movement in the pit is eliminated,” ARI replied.
Hu and Maximilian exchanged glances. The feed showed a smoking, nightmarish landscape of shattered crystals and scorched alien corpses. But the drones hovered steady, scanning for any last signs of life.
Hu stepped forward to look over the edge again. “They did good work down there.”
Maximilian nodded in agreement, watching the drones pull back and hover in formation near the pit’s rim. “ARI, keep an eye out. We don’t want any survivors crawling out to surprise us later.”
Casimir meanwhile pushed a boulder out of the way, revealing a previously obstructed passage. Sigrid stood behind him, shining a beam of light into the void. A passage led downwards and in the distance, veins of bioluminescent fungus meandered along the walls, the faint greenish glow highlighting slick patches of alien growth.
“This is definitely another way down,” Casimir said, his voice echoing softly. “Looks like it connects to a secondary chamber.”
Sigrid nodded, craning her neck to peer into the darkness. “We should gather the others. If we’re going deeper, we need everyone.”
Within minutes, Maximilian, Hu, and the rest of the group regrouped at the gap.
“All right,” Maximilian said, gesturing with his rifle. “Casimir, you and Sigrid go first. Hu and I will follow, providing cover.”
They descended single-file. The air grew colder, and fog and moisture pervaded the corridors. The occasional drip of water reverberated in the confined space, lending an eerie atmosphere. At the bottom, they found themselves in a low-ceilinged passage that opened into a sprawling cavern.
The scene was surreal. Above them, thick, sinewy roots snaked down from the mushroom caps at ground level. Their surfaces pulsed with faint bioluminescence, revealing that the red fungus had dug deep to feed on minerals here. But interwoven with these roots were glittering formations of crystal, some shimmering like veins of quartz, others long and tendril-like, knotted around the roots in jagged webs.
“They’re feeding on the metals in the fungal fibers,” Sigrid whispered, fascinated. “The creatures may too derive nutrients from these roots. It’s like a whole hidden ecosystem.”
They moved onwards. Unseen by the group, as they passed deeper into the cavern, some of the crystal patches left behind began to stir. Tiny fractures seeped a thick, living goo, slowly trailing behind them in silence.
Suddenly, a screeching echo reverberated. The walls flickered with reflected light as beetle-like shapes dashed out of side passages, mandibles clacking in unison. Before anyone could react, ARI’s drone swung into position, spitting laser fire that raked across the attackers. The creatures shrieked and collapsed, their bodies sizzling and smoking.
“Thanks, ARI,” Maximilian muttered, relief cutting through the tension. He nudged Hu. “We move on.”
They soon entered a long, twisting cavern resembling a graveyard. Broken shells—remnants of beetles—lay strewn below, half-encrusted with crystal tendrils. It looked as though the crystals had been feeding on these old husks, siphoning metals from the shells. Some were partially dissolved, hollow-eyed exoskeletons that told of a brutal circle of consumption.
“This is… horrifying,” Casimir said, grimacing at the sight of beetle husks fused to crystalline webs.
Sigrid, scanning the ground, drew in a sharp breath as she saw what was slowly inching towards her. “The goo—” she hissed, gesturing to a slick path in front of them. A watery, gleaming film of crystal fluid was creeping after them, inch by inch. Its faint shimmer seemed alive, forming half-solid shapes that dripped to the floor. “Look! It is coming for us!”
She attempted to scorch it with a burst from a flamethrower, but the molten jets of fire skated off the liquid surface, producing only a hissing recoil. “It’s not working!” she shouted.
“Move back,” Maximilian snapped. “Don't let it touch you!”
But as they backtracked, they found the corridor behind them was already covered with more dripping crystal substance. Another corridor to their right glowed faintly with the same creeping threat. From above, they heard more scuttling.
“No good,” Hu rumbled, exosuit arms shifting anxiously. “They’re cutting us off.”
“Then we go deeper,” Casimir said, voice shaking, as he pointed to a path leading further down. “We can’t stay here.”
They advanced cautiously, pushing past more collapsed debris until they emerged in a large subterranean chamber. In the center rose a monstrous crystalline lodestone, an immense pillar of light-bending crystal that towered from floor to ceiling. At its base, the crystalline goo seeped out like glistening roots, converging on this central monolith.
The moment they set foot in the chamber, the entire team felt an unsettling pressure behind their eyes, as though the crystal were probing their minds. Distant whispers and flickers of half-imagined images danced at the edges of their thoughts, sapping focus.
“What is this?” Sigrid breathed, feeling her stomach lurch. The lodestone’s surface warped the light in unnerving patterns, each facet reflecting not just the chamber, but fractal shapes that defied normal vision.
The goo was slowly closing in on them from multiple directions. Tendrils crept across the walls, forming a lattice of living crystal. Maximilian cursed under his breath. “We’re stuck.”
In a moment of frustration, Hu raised his rocket launcher, his exosuit stabilizing the recoil. “Then break it!” he growled. He fired a rocket straight into the lodestone’s center.
A deafening crack resounded. The lodestone fractured, shards flying in unnatural arcs. Each piece refracted light and color in ways that twisted reality itself, shimmering in and out of sight like a four-dimensional kaleidoscope. Instantly, the crystalline goo quivered, losing its shape. Strands of it fell to the ground, dissolving into dark ash.
“Keep going!” shouted Sigrid. She and Casimir opened fire with rifles, while Maximilian pumped several grenade rounds into the base. Each impact shattered more fragments, the monolith splintering into shapes that defied Euclidian geometry. Some fragments vanished mid-flight, only to reappear in a different angle an instant later.
Finally, with one last implosion, the monolith’s center collapsed into flickering motes of color, then snuffed out altogether. At the same time, the shimmering film that lined the walls and floor turned dull grey before crumbling to dust. The tendrils receded, their luminous core extinguished.
The air felt instantly lighter, as though a massive weight had lifted. Everyone inhaled in relief, seeing the once-menacing walls now coated with inert, ashen remains of the crystal.
Maximilian lowered his weapon, breathing heavily. “Well done,” he said, glancing at the now-destroyed lodestone.
Sigrid stared at the dark remains, a swirl of wonder and fear in her eyes. “It's over... for now,” she said softly. And in the unnerving silence that followed, the team realized they had destroyed something far more alien than just a crystal. It was a force that had seemingly infected creatures, fed upon metal-laden roots, and reached across dimensions of sight and thought.
And in a single moment, they had ended its hold — at least here, for the moment.