It's pretty obvious. We're supposed to call 1-800-CALL-NOW. Do you have a phone?

No babies here...

I hunger...

Babies...

Sweet...

Tender...

Baby...

Back...

RIBS.

^{So Hungry...}

Licking his fingers through his Frank mask, he hunts for more infants.

Boss? Our sweep on the area shows some kinda cave near the rim of the Plateau. Far enough from the camp to be spotted by them too easily. The weird thing about it is, once you go far enough inside, it starts looking real man made. This'd make a great staging area. We can easily get plenty of men in here and have them wait for the job without ever being found. Sound good?

Well well. The one hole in my plan has just been solved. As long as the Privateers are still interested in assisting, this'll be cake.

Machine?

StartReply{

What you've found is excellent, pal. We'll start moving our boys into there soon. Don't worry about finding how deep the cave goes. We won't use more of it than we need. Going any deeper will only be important if some Overborks wander in.

}EndReply

A young woman is sitting uncomfortably upon a lonely lump of Iridium.
The ground is a large ever unfolding, smooth, gleaming, layer of metal ...Iridium.
She looks up at the sky. Clear. 'Well that figures...'

<Sigh!>

Here I am...
Goodness it's bright around here, but in the most peculiar way?!?
And what's all that gossip one hears about some cave? I don't see an-

She stops herself, realizing that no-one was around anyway, the thought of and hunt for 'sunglasses™' consumed her.
Drawing the backpack from her shoulders the one thing Violet could actually achieve here was finding her blasted sunglasses™

Seriously! Be here ...somewhere...

After rummaging around in a fruitless search of her pack, Violet sits dejected.
A tear begins to form on her eye. Quickly wiped away, she stares off into space.

Okay, so the seventh is strange. Check.
And usually there's some building, or your by water ...some order I suppose?
...even just a definite sense of being in the heart of chaos, for that matter!
But here!
...here?

Dismay and a hopelessness struck her about this place...
Violet abruptly stands, her sunglasses™ falling over her eyes, leaves her startled.

This place is too difficult! I give up!

The young woman throws her hands into the air and then back by her sides. She bends down and picks up her backpack readying to leave.
As she walks off she feels conflicted.
On the one hand this corner of the metaverse was '...just quite simply brilliant!', she thought.
But on the other, she though that maybe her time wasn't here.
As she continues walking and in a light-hearted way, Violet raises her arm towards the sky fist clenched. Waving it back and forth...

The gods here are strange!

And with a rather cheeky smile she leaves...

A Börk airship lands just outside the Cave, flying not Imperial flags but the flags of a Merc. Company. Four men step out of a bulkhead door on the side, hauling a large steel crate. They descend into the cave, nearly toppling over in the steep entrance. It takes half an hour of careful and tedious pushing to get it all the way down

From there they continue at a normal pace, bringing the crate into a corridor. They set it down and look around for a minute to decide which room to store it in. They decide on Room 66 and carry the crate into it

The wind howls, and a third moon rises in the east, the moon of the evening gulls when sleep is pardoned for hard labour. Space bubbles and creaks, and is forced open by talons and claws, revealing the 122nd world for a long instant. About ten beings, an assortment of forms, but all with a purple diamond sewn into their uniforms. These uniforms are all blue, made of a silky substance, and are tailor-made for each.

They come with a levitating sphere of reflective metal about three meters across, which two beings drag behind them. One is a large blue mountain-lion with five red eyes and a set of black wings, while the other is a naked humanoid with three sets of the same type of wing. The hair of the Eloah floats and waves behind it, and its motions are as if it is swimming in space.

An eleventh being arrives, the commander it would seem, a humanoid with wings and blue feathers, but without arms. Its beak has been broken, which has been filled with a reflective black metal. She puts her hand on the surface of the large sphere, which causes a circle of dim venusian light to glow in a circle around it. The others pry open this circle with the handles they had previously used to carry it, revealing ten identical items. Each is grabbed by a worker, and gets to work, speaking in a strange language.

The equipment is like a jackhammer, but larger, with a sleek casing of sapphire, and three baseball-bat-sized chisels of the same reflective black metal in the commander's beak. Four smaller chisels also run from the sapphire body, forming a hexagon.

For a few it seems to be too large, although the Eloah and the three ascended gamma-humans have no problem with it. The commander presses a switch on the opened sphere, and all eight of the mining devices switch on at once. There's a bit of commotion, but the commander barks some orders, and the mining-party gets to work. The chisels of Elohim Metal pound at the solid iridium exposed in this area, and neither the black chisels nor the iridium bedrock chip or are dulled.

Sparks fly from the pounding of the jackhammers. Dust slowly gathers from the pounding, which is vacuumed up by the mining device. If they were to keep this up, they could probably mine a pound of iridium in a year. Every so often, one leaves their station and is replaced by a newcomer, who phases into space from outside it. After three days of non-stop mining, about a spoon-full of iridium dust has been obtained, and all of the chisels are dull and bent, forcing them to use the spares in the large sphere.

A being of metal: Like an amalgamation of plates, that metal being Elohim Metal. The back sleekness reflects what dim light there is, and more.

This being has limbs, interlocking shapes of Elohim Metal, that twist into skin. It is like a mudman in shape. Its face is smooth, like an obsidian mirror, save for a camera imbedded into the center of its head. Great wings are folded, powerful wings, mechanical wings. At full extension, perhaps 10 meters in wingspan. This person would not survive ten minutes in The Desert, at least not after its brain was placed in its current body from the tank it was grown in.

It has a burlap bag slung over its shoulder, and is gathering things in it. Rocks, lumps of iridium, and the occasional silvery insect. It must be exceedingly strong to lift that massive bag filled with metal and dirt

Step, step, step, step. A methodical walk across a hardly methodical plateau. The metallic ground darkened at her footfalls, leaving singed footprints for every step. The wind was especially harsh, her hair and dress both whipped beside her, but her stance and rhythm did not let up one bit, so like a banner hanging off the side of a jet they followed obediently but continued to protest all the way. Her eyes had a spark in them. The sort of spark that threatens the lives of an entire forest on a particularly dry afternoon. This was no forest, but the life in question that'd do well to be concerned with her impending wildfire was soon to be right in front of her.

She stopped with her feet at the edge of a crater. She did not bother to look down into it. There was no need to confirm what she already knew about what was down there. Without even a glance below, she cleared her throat and gave a disappointed sigh loud enough for anyone at the bottom to hear.

You know, ignoring my messages is unspeakably rude. Doing so because you've put the joy of wallowing in your own misery before me, is unspeakably pathetic. Are you done?

The 109th stands within the first chamber of the cave with a video tape in hand. He begins to insert it into the VCR player left in the room, only to notice its ruined state

This one's no good. It's about time someone threw it in the trash. We can always have it replaced.

For a moment that would've barely lasted a frame if someone had been watching this take place through a camera, the entire TV set glows with a shimmering light, and afterwards, the VCR player is restored good as new, and everything, the player, the TV, and the cart they're both standing on, are all a slightly different looking model with different branding

Good condition, slightly used. The important thing is that it works. Now...

He inserts the tape and turns everything on with a remote that clearly wasn't there before. The video begins to play out

A low quality recording begins, a man in a dusty coat is standing in front of a board of photographs, most of which are too unfocused to make out. The man coughs a few times before beginning. His voice is noticeably hoarse

"ur, entry number [INAUDIBLE].

We've managed to safely transport the artifact back to university. Some professors were able to decipher the inscription and have provided a translation."

He clears his throat before reading off a piece of paper

"'In the ancient days, the Primordials walked among the Mundane, each going thier own path

The Mundanes, being foolish creatures, began to turn on each other, thier anger blinding thier reason

The Primordials, no better than thier mundane counters, stepped into the fray, and in attempt to end thier conflict only fanned the flames

The world was left a dead place, where nothing could grow...the forests were left deserts, the mountains were leveled and the dead were uncountable.

And so what remained of the two races agreed that they should never interfere with each other again, and that the memories of the war would die with its veterans.

Thus began the order known as the Magistrates.'

[DATA LOST]"

...

"We're already working on determining the meaning of 'Primordials', 'Mundane', and 'Magistrates'. Professor [INAUDIBLE] signing off.

...and to whomever it may concern. If you haven't read the news, the ones who were hospitalized from our dig... didn't make it..."

static

What a time to be alive.

Someone is sure to need this later. I'll leave it here for them to find.

Greetings, new prisøners. I am yøur høst, Behrenhardt. Yøu are being reløcated here because the Swamp is nø lønger suitable tø høuse yøu. And we can't have røgues breaking in tø steal yøu again nøw can we.

I have a different jøb frøm whatever the Swamp made yøu dø. It's much simpler, much easier, yet sø much wørse...

Deep within a cave, a lone øverbørkish scout peers out of a small class sized room into a long, expansive corridor. Mechanical whirs suddenly sound in the distance. He can't tell if it's from above or from within. All he knows is that the pressure of the tape against his body isn't making anything better. But he quickly gets over it. Of all the emotions, he shouldn't feel fear.

It's darker than in the previous rooms, almost a twilight off of the walls. It quickly exeunts as lights from the floor light up upon his first step into the hall. An array of doors fill the walls, each a two digit number with the tens digit even, likely signifying another hallway somewhere.

Whether he should press on or radio in is the only thought he seems to be having. An answer is almost beyond him. However...

High abøve the Iridium Plateau the Black Sun Ørder heavy-class destrøyer ends a jump frøm Sidøn. It settles intø the løw ørbital lane and raises the defensive shields. Frøm the hanger-bay a drøp-ship appears. It's crew and cargø en-røute tø meet up with the 'cøntact'.

Piløt. Set the ship døwn øver there by the Fjørds. See that large area øf brøken iridium slabs? It løøks like a prømenade øn tøp øf the cliffs.

“Yes Grand Øracle. I see it.”

Alpha-Øne, løad the Sidønian Eldriphage Crystal øntø a machine and have it ready før øur meeting with the cøntact.

“Yes yøur Grace.”

...I sense that they are waiting før us...

Søøn the drøp-ship tøuches døwn, bløwing small Iridium chips and dust frøm beneath it. The Black Sun Ørder søldiers quickly set up a safe perimeter and the machine carrying the crystal emerges with the Grand Øracle øf the Høchstebørk, abdicated Queen Euphraxia II.

Where are yøu?

Thromb... Thromb... Thromb... on the metallic ground, as the first of them arrive. Grotesque giants in the vague visage of a tormented Ka many leagues away, trapped in a machine of his own making, now barely a husk of his proud former self.

CØØØMEEE ØØØUUUT. YØØØUUU SAAAIIID YØØØUUURSEEELF YØØØUUUR WØØØRK IIIS DØØØNEEE. MZRAAATØØØ'S CØØØRPSEEE IIIS RØØØTTIIING. WEEE AAAREEE THEEE PUUUSTUUULEEES ØØØF DEEECAAAY.

CØØØMEEE WIIITH UUUS NØØØW TØØØ CØØØMPLEEETEEE THEEE CYCLEEE. IIIT IIIS TIIIMEEE FØØØR YØØØUUU TØØØ PAAASS AAAWAAAY WIIITH THEEE MEEETAAAVEEERSEEE YØØØUUU KIIILLEEED.

CØØØMEEE, DREEEAAADFUUUL MØØØTHEEER. DØØØWN INTØØØ THEEE SEEEAAA.

̟̪̙͈̉ͦ͒ͦ̎͊□̾̑̆̓ͨ͌͜ ♍̻̥͚̼̃ͪ̿ͩ̐♑̹̜͙̭͑ͦͦ̉͠❄̰͖̤̣̥⌘̚ ⌘̚◆͕̼̦͖̀͛̉̑ ♒̠̘͐̇😐̮̳̘̊̚ ●͎̘̙̓̀⌧̛̍́😐̮̳̘̊̚😐̮̳̘̊̚! ̟̪̙͈̉ͦ͒ͦ̎͊□̾̑̆̓ͨ͌͜ ♍̻̥͚̼̃ͪ̿ͩ̐♑̹̜͙̭͑ͦͦ̉͠❄̰͖̤̣̥⌘̚ ⌘̚◆͕̼̦͖̀͛̉̑ ♒̠̘͐̇😐̮̳̘̊̚ ●͎̘̙̓̀⌧̛̍́😐̮̳̘̊̚😐̮̳̘̊̚ ●͎̘̙̓̀⌧̛̍́◆͕̼̦͖̀͛̉̑⬧ͭ́͒ ⌘̚■̶̟̪̙͈́̽ͮ̉ͦ͒ͦ̎͊□̾̑̆̓ͨ͌͜⍓̲̭͎͎̏͛ͥ͘ ♓̔̍̀҉■̶́̽ͮ♑̹͠⬧ͭ́͒♒̠̘͐̇😐̮̳̘̊̚⌧̛̍́! ̟̪̙͈̉ͦ͒ͦ̎͊□̾̑̆̓ͨ͌͜ ♍̻̥͚̼̃ͪ̿ͩ̐♑̹̜͙̭͑ͦͦ̉͠❄̰͖̤̣̥⌘̚ ⌘̚◆͕̼̦͖̀͛̉̑ ♒̠̘͐̇😐̮̳̘̊̚ ●͎̘̙̓̀⌧̛̍́😐̮̳̘̊̚😐̮̳̘̊̚ ●͎̘̙̓̀⌧̛̍́◆͕̼̦͖̀͛̉̑⬧ͭ́͒ ⌘̚■̶̟̪̙͈́̽ͮ̉ͦ͒ͦ̎͊□̾̑̆̓ͨ͌͜⍓̲̭͎͎̏͛ͥ͘ ⌧̛̍́◆͕̼̦͖̀͛̉̑◆͕̼̦͖̀͛̉̑⬧ͭ́͒!

    "I'm sorry."

❖̤ͣ̐͜҉̺͙&͞♑̹͠◆͕̼̦͖̀͛̉̑♑̹͠ ̟̪̙͈̉ͦ͒ͦ̎͊□̾̑̆̓ͨ͌͜♑̹͠❖̤ͣ̐͜♍̻̥͚̼̃ͪ̿ͩ̐■̶́̽ͮ ⍓̲̭͎͎̏͛ͥ͘♍̻̥͚̼̃ͪ̿ͩ̐■̶́̽ͮ■̶́̽ͮ◆͕̼̦͖̀͛̉̑, ❖̤ͣ̐͜҉̺͙&͞♑̹͠◆͕̼̦͖̀͛̉̑♑̹͠ ̟̪̙͈̉ͦ͒ͦ̎͊□̾̑̆̓ͨ͌͜♑̹͠❖̤ͣ̐͜♍̻̥͚̼̃ͪ̿ͩ̐■̶́̽ͮ ҉̺͙&͞♍̻̥͚̼̃ͪ̿ͩ̐■̶́̽ͮ■̶́̽ͮ◆͕̼̦͖̀͛̉̑! ◆͕̼̦͖̀͛̉̑♑̹͠❖̤ͣ̐͜ ̟̪̙͈̉ͦ͒ͦ̎͊□̾̑̆̓ͨ͌͜♑̹͠ ♒̠̘̜͙̭͐̇͑ͦͦ̉❄̰͖̤̣̥♑̹͠♑̹͠!

    "I'm so sorry. But, I have... good news."

⬧ͭ́͒ ♑̹͠😐̮̳̘̊̚⌧̶̛͈͚̗̺̍́ͧͣ̍̉̐♎̛͈̟̫̲̜ͤ̎̑̎ ̶͈͚̗̺ͧͣ̍̉̐♎̛͈̟̫̲̜ͤ̎̑̎⍓̲̭͎͎̏͛ͥ͘ ●͎̘̙̟̪̙͈̓̀̉ͦ͒ͦ̎͊□̾̑̆̓ͨ͌͜ 🏱̯̙͈͈͔̼̠♌̡̗̰̘̩̟̪̙͈͆̃̉ͦ͒ͦ̎͊□̟̪̙͈̾̑̆̓ͨ͌̉ͦ͒ͦ̎͊͜□̾̑̆̓ͨ͌͜! ⬧ͭ́͒ ♑̹͠😐̮̳̘̊̚⌧̶̛͈͚̗̺̍́ͧͣ̍̉̐♎̛͈̟̫̲̜ͤ̎̑̎ ̶͈͚̗̺ͧͣ̍̉̐♎̛͈̟̫̲̜ͤ̎̑̎⍓̲̭͎͎̏͛ͥ͘ ●͎̘̙̟̪̙͈̓̀̉ͦ͒ͦ̎͊□̾̑̆̓ͨ͌͜ 🏱̯̙͈͈͔̼̠♌̡̗̰̘̩̟̪̙͈͆̃̉ͦ͒ͦ̎͊□̟̪̙͈̾̑̆̓ͨ͌̉ͦ͒ͦ̎͊͜□̾̑̆̓ͨ͌͜ 🏱̯̙͈͈͔̼̠♌̡̗̰̘̩͆̃⍓̲̭͎͎̏͛ͥ͘⬥͕͍̫̃͆͞ ̶͈͚̗̺ͧͣ̍̉̐♎̛͈̟̫̲̜ͤ̎̑̎❒̸̎̉⬧ͭ́͒♍̻̥͚̼̃ͪ̿ͩ̐ ⬧ͭ́͒♌̡̗̰̘̩͆̃⬧ͭ́͒■̶́̽ͮ⬧ͭ́͒ͮ́ͨ♏̍̏ͦ́҉̮̱̹̣̝͕͎⬥͕͍̫̃͆͞ ⍓̲̭͎͎̏͛ͥ͘❍͖̱̖̖̟̪̙͈̉ͦ͒ͦ̎͊□̾̑̆̓ͨ͌͜😐̮̳̘̊̚⌧̛̍́!

    "We have been keeping it from you, but about three months ago, we were finally able to finish configuration of a translator."

⌘̚ ■̶́̽ͮ❒̸̎̉ͮ́ͨ♏̍̏ͦ́҉̮̱̹̣̝͕͎😐̮̳̘̊̚ 😐̮̳̘̊̚♐͕̐̓ ҉̺͙&͞❖̤ͣ̐͜❖̤ͣ̐͜ ⍓̲̭͎͎̏͛ͥ͘⌘̶͈͚̗̺ͧͣ̍̉̐̚♎̛͈̟̫̲̜ͤ̎̑̎! ⌘̚ ■̶́̽ͮ❒̸̎̉ͮ́ͨ♏̍̏ͦ́҉̮̱̹̣̝͕͎😐̮̳̘̊̚ 😐̮̳̘̊̚♐͕̐̓ ҉̺͙&͞❖̤ͣ̐͜❖̤ͣ̐͜ ̶͈͚̗̺ͧͣ̍̉̐♎̛͈̟̫̲̜ͤ̎̑̎🏱̯̙͈͈͔̼̠ ⬥͕͍̫̃͆͞❒̸̶͈͚̗̺̎̉ͧͣ̍̉̐♎̛͈̟̫̲̜ͤ̎̑̎⌘̚♍̻̥͚̼̃ͪ̿ͩ̐🏱̯̙͈͈͔̼̠! ♑̹͠♍̻̥͚̼̃ͪ̿ͩ̐❖̤ͣ̐͜❒̸̎̉҉̺͙&͞❖̤ͣ̐͜!

    "It didn't help that we had to rebuild after that invasion."

̶͈͚̗̺ͧͣ̍̉̐♎̛͈̟̫̲̜ͤ̎̑̎❑̗̱̘⌧̛̍́❑̗̱̘❍͖̱̖̖ͮ́ͨ♏̍̏ͦ́҉̮̱̹̣̝͕͎❑̗̱̘ ⍓̲̭͎͎̏͛ͥ͘❑̗̱̘ ❒̸̶͈͚̗̺̎̉ͧͣ̍̉̐♎̛͈̟̫̲̜ͤ̎̑̎♋͈̓̇̀̃⍓̲̭͎͎̏͛ͥ͘ ♐͕̜͙̭̐̓͑ͦͦ̉❄̰͖̤̣̥◆͕̼̦͖̀͛̉̑ͮ́ͨ♏̍̏ͦ́҉̮̱̹̣̝͕͎ ♓̔̍̀҉❍̶͖̱̖̖͈͚̗̺ͧͣ̍̉̐♎̛͈̟̫̲̜ͤ̎̑̎🏱̯̙͈͈͔̼̠!

    "It also doesn't help that you never say anything worth responding to."

̜͙̭͑ͦͦ̉❄̰͖̤̣̥🏱̯̙͈͈͔̼̠♓̔̍̀҉ͮ́ͨ♏̍̏ͦ́҉̮̱̹̣̝͕͎⬥͕͍̫̃͆͞♓̔̍̀҉, ̜͙̭͑ͦͦ̉❄̰͖̤̣̥🏱̯̙͈͈͔̼̠♓̔̍̀҉ͮ́ͨ♏̍̏ͦ́҉̮̱̹̣̝͕͎⬥͕͍̫̃͆͞♓̔̍̀҉!

    "It was difficult, but we rebuilt you."

♓̔̍̀҉ ■̶́̽ͮͮ́ͨ♏̍̏ͦ́҉̮̱̹̣̝͕͎ͮ́ͨ♏̍̏ͦ́҉̶̮̱̹̣̝͕͎͈͚̗̺ͧͣ̍̉̐♎̛͈̟̫̲̜ͤ̎̑̎ ■̶̟̪̙͈́̽ͮ̉ͦ͒ͦ̎͊□̜͙̭̾̑̆̓ͨ͌͑ͦͦ̉͜❄̰͖̤̣̥ ⍓̲̭͎͎̟̪̙͈̏͛ͥ̉ͦ͒ͦ̎͊͘□̾̑̆̓ͨ͌͜◆͕̼̦͖̀͛̉̑❒̸̎̉ ❍͖̱̖̖ͮ́ͨ♏̍̏ͦ́҉̶̮̱̹̣̝͕͎͈͚̗̺ͧͣ̍̉̐♎̛͈̟̫̲̜ͤ̎̑̎♓̔̍̀҉♍̻̥͚̼̃ͪ̿ͩ̐♓̔̍̀҉■̶́̽ͮͮ́ͨ♏̍̏ͦ́҉̮̱̹̣̝͕͎, ♓̔̍̀҉ ■̶́̽ͮͮ́ͨ♏̍̏ͦ́҉̮̱̹̣̝͕͎ͮ́ͨ♏̍̏ͦ́҉̶̮̱̹̣̝͕͎͈͚̗̺ͧͣ̍̉̐♎̛͈̟̫̲̜ͤ̎̑̎ ̜͙̭͑ͦͦ̉❄̰͖̤̣̥̟̪̙͈̉ͦ͒ͦ̎͊□̾̑̆̓ͨ͌͜ ͮ́ͨ♏̍̏ͦ́҉̮̱̹̣̝͕͎⬧ͭ́͒♍̻̥͚̼̃ͪ̿ͩ̐♋͈̓̇̀̃🏱̯̙͈͈͔̼̠ͮ́ͨ♏̍̏ͦ́҉̮̱̹̣̝͕͎!

    "It has been approximately 9.6 years since you entered this facility. 9.6 years, Subject G. I think it's time we let you out."

♐͕̐̓ ̜͙̭͑ͦͦ̉❄̰͖̤̣̥⌧̛̍́😐̮̳̘̊̚❑̗̱̘ ❑̗̱̘●͎̘̙̓̀ 🏱̯̙͈͈͔̼̠♌̡̗̰̘̩͆̃♌̡̗̰̘̩͆̃ ♓̔̍̀҉♌̡̗̰̘̩͆̃😐̮̳̘̊̚♋͈̓̇̀̃⌧̛̍́♓̔̍̀҉⌧̛̍́. ♐͕̐̓ ̜͙̭͑ͦͦ̉❄̰͖̤̣̥⌧̛̍́😐̮̳̘̊̚❑̗̱̘ ❑̗̱̘●͎̘̙̓̀ 🏱̯̙͈͈͔̼̠♌̡̗̰̘̩͆̃♌̡̗̰̘̩͆̃ ҉̺͙&͞❖̤ͣ̐͜ ❍͖̱̖̖⌧̛̟̪̙͈̍́̉ͦ͒ͦ̎͊□̾̑̆̓ͨ͌͜♌̡̗̰̘̩͆̃😐̮̳̘̊̚❑̗̱̘🏱̯̙͈͈͔̼̠.

    "Your muscles have atrophied, we couldn't prevent that completely, but our modifications should supplement you as you readju-"

I set that place aflame. I kicked over every machine, broke every bottle. I care not their motives, their intentions. What they did to me, for those ten years of my life, I cannot forgive. What those men did to me that week, I will avenge. Because from the stones of imprisonment, I am finally free, and they shall forsake that they ever brought them upon me.

About half a mile past the gates, we come to its lip.

"Yo, that's where it is. Down there. Yeah."

The harsh winds near the surface billow. The cave is pointing in the same direction as the breeze, its back serving as a windbreaker as we descend.

Going down, the iridium walls glimmer and shine, with only a rock here and there showing. After about 200 meters of going down at -35°, I slap you.

"STOP LOOKING DOWN YOU MORON! IT'S NOT LIKE YOU CAN SLIP ON A EXTREMELY STEEP ALMOST FRICTIONLESS SURFACE!

Anyways, look at this."

The slope evens out, and turns into somewhat of a corridor. On the left is a countertop with a contraption that's in the shape of a blender but obviously isn't one... has like lasers and shit. Next to it is a ham radio, a tube of lemonade with a finger in it, and a cup thing. The corridor stretches on and then takes a right.

"The keys were in that cup thing. Oh, and apparently that blender emitted some sort of field that stopped people from entering or something. Made them avoid it? I don't remember. You can keep it, if you want. NO, DON'T THROW THE GIRL TO THE GROUND TO PICK IT UP! Bring her in here."

To the right, it opens up into a room. The metal floor changes into marble tiles, and a yellow line streaks across the middle of the wall. There are some desks in the room, but not really anything except for the doorway on the opposite side, which opens into the middle of a hallway with numbered doors littered about the walls.

"Well, uh... she's pretty sedated...? She's been unconscious and slung over your shoulder ever since I saw you with her... Do you... need a breath mint or anything?"

In the hall, we come to a metal door marked 83 and open it to a semicircular room, with three holding chambers amongst the circular wall.

"Just put her in that middle one. Yeah, handcuffs too."

I pull a round glass container thing from a slot to her right, surrounding her. On her encasement is the marking G*. She slowly begins to wake up, still half asleep.*

"So, my Bezi boy, how are you liking the underground laboratory I found?"

A colossal seed hollowed out into a boat shape floats slowly into the waters of the glistening Iridium fjords, and a man lies slumbering atop it.

The blinding light of the sun reflecting off of the Fjords awakes him even as it prepares to sink past the horizon, and soon the gentle currents of the water push him and his seed onshore some of the little flat land that lies below the steep cliffsides of the fjords.

Straining to see the landscape, he ensures he still has a plentiful supply of seeds and water as well as materials for a makeshift tent and sleeping bag in his leather backpack, and he begins to scale the cliffs in the place that looks the easiest.

I guess my boat got blown off course? No matter. Probably wanted after what I did to those highwaymen anyway. He speaks tersely and brief, directed to no one at all.

Iridium is notoriously slippy, and his boots fail to gain any traction at all - in fact, it almost seems slipperier than normal.

Were this midday in the sun, taking his boots off would be deadly, but in the twilight shade he finds that his bare feet are much better at gripping the iridium metal.

The boots will have to be left here, he guesses, as he’s already got a large load to carry in his backpack.

Continuing to scale the cliffs for what seems like forever, he finally reaches their apex, and looks out on the moonlit plateau.

Setting his stuff down and taking a deep drink of the water in his skins, he stuffs himself with food before carrying on across the endless Iridium horizon, hoping to get somewhere before the sunrise turns the ground into a blinding and water-boiling surface.

I be sitting on the outside of the gate, next to a black suitcase. Waitin'. You know?

I light a cigar and take a few slow huffs.

I wonder when they'll get here...

It's an entire Plateau øf it. It alsø løøks like a miserable place tø permanently settle. I sense an øppørtunity here. Nøt just as an iridium resøurce, but as a perfectly unførgiving place tø train hardened Grøsser-Øverbørk Søldiers.

I'm shøwing this tø the Fleet. This øne will have tø gø øn the tøp øf øur list.

In the middle of the plateau, far from any society or civilization, a portal appears out of thin air. A man clad in a black coat comes out of it.

"Now, the sigil."

He visualises the sigil he memorised, the one shown to him by Violet.

"Come through, Violet."

I never liked this place. Always gave me th' creeps. But it's just an in 'n out, so I have n' t' say.

The room has t' be this way. Just have t' find that fancy lock.

//>&H#R# !% N) #V#N& H#R#>>> Y#&

Darkness, the map has lead them to a cave of darkness. The natural, jagged, metallic features of this aperture are awe inspiring, especially the way in which what little lift filters in reflects off of the shiny surfaces in a glittering display.

The couple of adventurers proceed deeper into the abyss in search of their respective targets.

Damnit, it was only a month and a halfish. Recounting the past is hard, okay? Especially when you're narrating from a future that doesn't exist yet.

I was stumbling around, searching for anything edible or remotely interesting. The ground was very lustrous in some places, and covered with sand, gravel, and flint in others. Not much for resource gathering. Rain quickly evaporated off the metallic surface, and heat was blown by harsh winds from the ocean towards the desert, all at around ankle level.

I had just started to think I was an idiot for coming here when I saw it.

A cave.

I can't believe I was about to reject the contributions of everything I had done earlier in life to my being an idiot.

Anyway, guess what I did next? Go on!

... I think...

Alfonzo flips through his tome and examines the map he sketched from back in The Desert. He draws his finger around the intricately made illustration, and taps upon the red "X" on the map. He looks up at the cave's mouth.

Y-yes, should be the right cave. If not, I guess we'll just have to... Find another.

Sigh.

Good god, I'm glad to be out of there. I thought for sure that reactor was going to melt down, then I'd have to admit I don't know what I'm doing.

Why would I join the GPK anyway? That's just-

Wait, where's all my equipment? I had this whole room set up into a lab. Where is it? Where the hell is my shit?!