Hazardous Ops

“Impact in three, two, one… unf! Ready for it every time, and I still almost bite my tongue off when my drop pod lands. Erin, can you still hear me?”
“Themistocles reads you, Machete Five, but it’s a tenuous connection. You’re in the equivalent of a volcano several thousand meters below Earth sea level. Atmospheric pressure alone would be lethal if you weren’t wearing MJOLNIR. All the debris the vents are throwing up means we’ll likely lose contact once you’re outside the range of the booster on your pod.”
“I wouldn’t count on it lasting that long, Themistocles. It looks like a sandstorm outside, I can’t see more than maybe thirty meters, all rock outcroppings and smoke vents. Beyond that, it’s all dark shapes in the dust. The sulfuric gasses are already starting to melt my pod’s windows. I don’t think there’ll be anything to recover by the time we’re done.”
“Don’t worry about the pod, Amber, just yourself. Your HAZOP suit should withstand the atmospheric conditions for at least thirty minutes. But if we lose contact and you need extraction, or can’t find this Hellpit before time runs out, switch the beacon to the emergency signal and Bravo 029 will be on-station to drop you a cable for airlift.”
“I won’t need it. I’ll activate the beacon once I’ve found this old mining station, and the others can drop on it and be inside before the air here eats their suits away.”
“Alright then Amber, it’s your show. Good luck.”
“Thanks. I’ll try to keep talking so you’ve got a measure of my signal. Blowing explosive bolts in three, two… blast! If those weren’t loud enough, this wind’s throwing me back in my seat! Pod door is free, I’m bailing!”
“Affirmative, Five. Watch your footing, the rock’s probably brittle… won’t handle your weight well.”
“Hah, if I were Dyne, I’d ask if you were calling me fat. You’re right, though, this stuff is crumbling right under my boots. Nothing’s even, so I can’t distribute my weight much. Whoah. Got a glow here. There’s a little lava stream coming out of one of these vents, good thing I didn’t land in that. I’ll try following it, the mine’s supposed to be in the deepest part of this hole.”
“…—firmative, we’ll track… we can. Can’t see anything, so we can’t guide very…”
“Well, that didn’t take long. Erin, connection’s breaking up. Just stand by for the beacon. Now, to get down this wall… whoah, that’s a vent below me. Better not fall. Any last-second rock climbing tips?”
“…”
“Thought not. Here we go. Get a good grip. One hand, then another. Nothing a kid at a fairground couldn’t do. Just with armor and sulfuric fumes. Speaking of… holy shit, the paint’s peeling off my armor. I don’t think the atmospheric comp sampling for down here was right, this is way worse than… oh no. The rock’s giving way, I can’t—shit!”
Category:The Weekly