150 Years After the Fall of the Human Empire
Planet - "New Hope," Near the Rebel Base
The dull roar of water echoed through the darkness, bouncing off the walls of the massive cave. The sound shifted constantly, as if some living entity breathed deep within the earth’s bowels. Seth knew the waterfall was far off, beyond a rocky outcrop, but even here, in the narrow passage, the damp air clung to every inch of his skin.
He crouched low, concealing himself among the shadows. The faint blue glow of bioluminescent lichens offered just enough light to watch, though not enough to fully illuminate his target.
The Maslak had no idea it was being hunted. Its bulky, muscular frame moved slowly along the rocky slope. Its dark, almost coal-black hide glinted dully under the dim light. It resembled a bull without horns, but with a more primal, rugged edge. Towering—nearly six and a half feet at the shoulder—the Maslak lumbered on four massive paws, grinding ancient dust beneath its weight, dust that had settled here for millennia.
It headed toward the water, as it always did—slowly, steadily, without haste. Every movement was cautious, deliberate, almost meditative. Its large ears twitched, attuned to every rustle, catching even the faintest whisper of wind between the rocks. Only a slight tension in its rear left leg, a marginally shorter stride, betrayed an old injury—a remnant of a past skirmish. Yet its gait remained confident. Nothing seemed capable of deterring it from its chosen path.
But this time, a different fate awaited.
Seth, unhurried, pressed the stock of his rifle to his shoulder. His finger hovered over the trigger. A shot pierced the darkness.
The sound didn’t fade immediately; it slid along the cave walls, spreading in a multi-voiced echo, as if dozens of hunters had fired alongside him.
The Maslak shuddered.
The bullet found its mark—right in the neck. At first, the beast didn’t even register what had happened. It took another step, clumsy and uncertain.
Then it simply collapsed onto the stony ground with a dull thud that rolled through the cave like thunder in a confined space.
Seth didn’t lower his weapon right away. For a few seconds, he watched and listened, alert for any sign of something else—something bigger, more dangerous. Silence filled the space around him.
He rose slowly, silenced his rifle, and moved forward. The hunt was over.
Looks like he’d be in for a decent bounty today; a beast this size rarely ventured so low.
Approaching the creature, Seth noticed a relatively fresh scar beneath its thick fur, just above the right flank. It was a few inches deep and stretched over a foot long.
This animal had clearly taken a beating. But the scout had no clue who or what could have left such a wound—and, more importantly, why they hadn’t finished the job.
Maslaks weren’t known for agility, but their near-endless endurance made up for it. Seth had dealt with them before: once, he’d hunted one as part of a battalion. They’d used a dozen tranquilizers, tracked it for days, and still, the thing kept going.
***
Leo Quade dangled over a mile-deep chasm that seemed to swallow the entire space around him, carefully carving out a large Lumicore crystal that jutted from the cave wall.
At the critical moment, just as his drill was about to sever the crystal’s roots, his communicator blared to life.
His hand jerked—brain and body disconnected for a split second—and the cutter slipped, slicing the crystal at the wrong angle.
A large chunk broke off and plummeted into the dark abyss, leaving behind only a whistle that mingled with the communicator’s incessant ringing.
“Damn it!” Leo spat out.
Wasting no time, he slammed the button on his ascender. The rope tautened, and his body jolted upward.
After climbing a few dozen yards, Leo heard a muffled explosion—the fallen half of the crystal had shattered below. But before he could catch his breath, he noticed the remaining piece, still embedded in the wall, beginning to vibrate.
It was about to blow too.
“Son of a—!” the man shouted, still fuming.
He tore off his heavy gear backpack, letting it drop into the darkness below.
The ascender’s motor roared louder, the cable straining as it pulled him upward—toward safety.
In just a few dozen seconds, the Lumicore still lodged in the wall reached the critical phase every miner knew about—the kind that came from ignoring safety protocols while harvesting it.
“I’m gonna kill that idiot!” Leo didn’t hold back. “How many times did I tell him: don’t call me during a job! Not even if a Stingtail shoves its barb in your mouth!”
The miner shot a venomous glare at the communicator dangling guiltily from his belt—as if it knew it was to blame. And as if to confirm it, the strap gave way, and the device tumbled into the void.
“Damn it to hell,” Leo exclaimed. “Why does this crap always happen to me?!”
The communicator, now silent, vanished into the darkness, as if hiding from the question.
***
Seth hummed a tune under his breath as he gutted the beast—dragging a carcass this size back to the settlement? That was straight out of a sci-fi novel.
He remembered Tiny Pete’s cooking lessons well, carefully carving out the organs and sorting them as the big guy had taught him.
Just thinking about Pete’s culinary masterpieces made Seth’s mouth water. But drooling aside, he still had to figure out how to haul the meat back to the settlement. Preferably not in random chunks stuffed in his pockets.
The scout considered calling someone for help but quickly dismissed the idea. Nearby, there was only a shift of miners, and as everyone knew, they turned off their communicators the second they spotted Lumicore. Seth got it. Honestly, he’d never really hung out with them much. They always seemed… well… a little unhinged to him.
But he respected them. He’d never get near something that could blow up without warning, let alone something that’d leave nothing of you to even scrape together afterward.
Animals, though, were different.
He knew what to expect from them. How they moved. How they thought.
Seth glanced at his backpack and the pitiful amount he’d managed to butcher in the last hour.
This is gonna take forever, he thought. And every extra minute out here is a risk that Akerids will come sniffing around for my kill.
Eyeing the carcass one more time, the scout hesitantly looked at his communicator, gathering his thoughts.
Screw it, I’ve gotta call someone, whoever it is.
***
Reaching the plateau overlooking the chasm, Leo caught his breath and peered into the abyss that had greedily devoured his backpack, tools, and haul.
“Come back without a pack or a crystal—might as well sign up for ‘Idiot of the Month.’ Framed photo, fanfare, Clyde crying tears of joy,” Leo muttered to himself.
Gathering his strength, he weighed his options: what now? It was a three-day trek back to the settlement. No food. No pack. And the pack…
Leo grimaced. The pack was somewhere down there—with the crystal shards and the traitorous communicator.
“Well…” he grumbled, sighing. “Either I drag myself back to the settlement now and listen to that moron whine about how his snot’s the wrong color… or I…”
His gaze drifted back to the abyss. His eyes narrowed.
“…or I climb down this damn rope, which, surprise-surprise, ends exactly where the crystal was! And everything below that? Free fall, baby! Brilliant plan, huh.”
He rubbed his face, clenching his teeth.
“Great, Leo. Just peachy. Why don’t you make a parachute out of your pants while you’re at it—turn this into a full-on adventure tour.”
Assessing the cave wall and the chasm, Leo spotted a series of stalagmites.
“Hmm, now that’s an idea. Just gotta reach one of those, loop the rope around it, and rappel down like a real climber. All I need is enough momentum.”
With that thought, he took a few steps back and, like an arrow, launched himself forward.
The improvised leap started strong, but something went wrong—Leo came up a few yards short. The rope snapped taut, yanking him back and slamming him hard against his spine.
“Damn it…” Leo hissed through gritted teeth.
As he ascended past the spot where the crystal had been, his eyes caught a newly formed recess. A sizable hollow gaped there now. And deep within it, he spotted a passage—narrow, but very real. With a little work from his drill, it could be wide enough to descend through. The miner guessed it led downward, theoretically right where he needed to go.
Leo shifted his gaze from the stalagmites back to the opening.
“Screw it all. What am I, a bird, to keep jumping like this? Crawling through tight passages—that’s more my style,” he muttered, unclipping his suit from the ascender without a second thought.
“Just gotta mark where I’m going in…” His hand reached behind him, where his backpack with the luminescent sticks should’ve been. But—of course—there was no backpack. It was down there somewhere.
“…Ah. Right. Well… whatever. It’s not like I’ve never wandered caves looking for some peace and quiet,” he said to the darkness, switching on his drill—the one thing he’d never let go of—and starting to carve a more passable route.
The hot laser sliced through the rock like a warm knife through butter, and within minutes, the passage was ready. Before heading in, Leo decided to leave a mark anyway—etching a cut into the passage wall.
He meticulously carved Clyde’s face and added a little toothbrush mustache for good measure.
“Now I definitely won’t get lost. I’d spot that ugly mug from a mile away.”
***
Seth tried reaching out to the miner team in the adjacent sector, but got nothing but silence in response.
Probably turned off their communicators again… Found that damn Lumicore, he grumbled. Just the thought of it sent a chill down his spine, and the old scar on his left leg started to itch uncomfortably.
Scanning the area once more, the scout realized he needed to get through to the base. Or at least to someone.
Of all days to go solo… Why the hell did I agree to give Erik and Broderick a day off? he griped internally. Sure, they’ve been on the last 50 runs with me. So what? I haven’t taken a vacation in 20 years. Ugh, kids these days…
Seth quickly pulled out a canister and sprayed a thin layer of “FreshLock” over the beast’s body. It instantly coated the carcass in a shiny film, and the unpleasant odor began to fade. At least now he had a few hours to report in or haul the thing out.
Slinging his rifle over his shoulder, he headed toward the neighboring sector. The route wasn’t too far, but navigating the caves would still take about two hours.
Seth weighed two paths: open terrain or the tunnels. As an experienced scout, he chose the latter. Anyone with his years of service would’ve done the same. These caves might look empty at first glance, but they held dangers that could kill anyone, and the Maslak was just a small example. Even narrow tunnels or quiet movement didn’t guarantee you wouldn’t end up prey to an Akerid, a Stingtail, or something worse. Most scouts didn’t have his innate knack for “sensing” nearby creatures. He could never quite explain how he did it, but no rustle ever slipped past his sharp ears.
Moving slowly through the labyrinth, Seth felt an growing unease: something was off.
Too quiet. A wounded Maslak. That strange noise he’d heard earlier…
His instincts screamed at him to be on guard.
At the next turn, the cave suddenly widened, adding to his discomfort.
Hmm. Either I took a wrong turn, Seth thought, or this cave wasn’t here a few weeks ago.
The scout dropped to one knee and pulled out his binoculars to survey the area.
A spacious cavern—too empty. No mushrooms, no plants, no tracks. A dozen exits. High ceiling. One massive tunnel straight ahead, another to the right.
Seth grabbed his tablet to double-check the maps.
Yeah, it’s not here. Unless… A sudden tremor rippled through the floor, and the air quivered. The entire space seemed to freeze.
Then came a roar. Deep, powerful, as if the cave itself was breathing.
“Damn it…” Seth hissed, snapping his binoculars shut and grabbing his rifle.
He pressed his eye to the scope, switched to infrared—and saw it.
Arsand.
Massive. Sleek, like a river of scales and muscle. Its body slithered through the stone, crushing outcrops and reshaping the tunnel’s geography. It didn’t walk—it advanced, like a storm, like the cave’s own response to the mere act of intrusion.
***
Wandering through the tunnels, Leo descended slowly—step by step, getting closer to his gear.
Good thing his helmet hadn’t flown off and his headlamp hadn’t gone out during the incident.
Walking in the dark with no light? No thanks. But like this—it was almost a pleasant stroll.
No one yelling in his ear, no whining, no unsolicited life advice. Just silence, a light breeze, and the spirit of adventure.
He was even starting to enjoy it.
“Maybe I should do this more often? Just wander through tunnels, not thinking about plans, reports, or deadlines… Now I get why scouts love their outings so much. Nothing’s exploding, you’re just walking, taking in the views,” he said, glancing at the dark, damp walls around him. “Okay, maybe not these views. But up top, it was pretty nice!”
Lost in thought, Leo didn’t notice his headlamp illuminating less and less—as if the darkness around him was growing thicker, swallowing the light.
Suddenly, a sharp jolt of the ground threw him off balance.
The young miner hit the dirt with a curse but managed to brace himself—painful, but no serious damage.
Shaking it off, Leo sprang up and drew his drill. Not much of a weapon, but it was something.
Looking around, he saw nothing suspicious—but the vibration didn’t stop; it intensified.
And then—a whole pack of Akerids barreled past in their tough, gleaming shells, like a wave, fleeing from something…
…something lurking in the dark.
Leo hesitated for a moment.
And in that instant, something whipped past his face with a harsh hiss. A tentacle. With a barb.
“What the hell is that?!” he blurted out.
There was no answer—only a second barb. It tore through part of his protective suit and left a searing, sharp gash on his shoulder.
“A-argh!” Leo groaned, struck by both pain and shock.
Gritting his teeth, he blindly aimed his drill into the darkness and pulled the trigger, firing at where he thought the thing that wanted him dead might be.
Not waiting to see the result, he bolted back, hoping to find some kind of cover. On the run, he fired a few more shots into the void—and, catching up to the Akerid pack, took down two of them.
“Better them than me. Might buy me a few seconds,” the thought flashed through his mind.
Reaching a fork, Leo decided against heading back up where he’d come from. Instead, he veered left, toward a space where the walls were so narrow that whatever was chasing him might not fit through.
“Come on, Leo, move it,” he growled to himself through clenched teeth, squeezing between the rocky ribs of the tunnel.
He still couldn’t see his pursuer, but he felt it—with every cell, every nerve. A presence that pressed on his chest, as if the air had thinned. His hair stood on end, his skin prickled with goosebumps.
“If they catch me, my name’s gonna show up in the credits under ‘Victim Number One’…” he muttered.
Emerging from the tight passage, Leo cautiously looked back.
Behind him—silence. No sound, no pursuit.
He peered into the darkness, but there was nothing. Just a black, silent void.
“Didn’t fit through,” he exhaled, half-laughing, half-coughing.
His hand instinctively went to his shoulder—the suit was damaged, but the wound wasn’t critical. It burned, but he’d live.
“Well… I still need to find my backpack.”
***
Seth assessed the creature’s trajectory. It didn’t seem to be heading straight for him; it was moving erratically. But its presence always meant one thing—scavengers would follow in its wake, looking for easy pickings. And somewhere nearby, there were still miners who might be in danger.
Seth tried to make contact again, and this time, he got a response:
“Huh? What do you want?” came a gruff voice.
“This is Seth Marlowe, First-Rank Scout. I’m nearby, and I’m looking at an Arsand moving fast southeast from the north,” Seth replied, glancing at the compass on his left wrist.
“Oh… uh. We’ll send you our coordinates now. We thought it was just another quake…”
“Stay put, follow protocol. Keep distance between each other but stay in visual range. Drop your packs and be ready to run if needed,” Seth ordered firmly.
The response was a simple “Understood,” exactly what he expected to hear in a situation like this.
Seth swapped the tip on his weapon to a tracking dart, took quick aim, and hit the beast dead-on.
Didn’t even need to aim much; it’s so huge I couldn’t have missed, he thought.
Scanning the cave once more for other lifeforms, Seth checked the miners’ marker now visible on his map. The problem was, it was directly above the serpentine giant, and taking a detour might take too long.
Looks like I won’t be getting back to that Maslak today. At least I managed to carve out its liver and stash it—should make for a decent dinner, he thought wistfully, casting a quick glance back. Well, now I just need to reach that passage, right under which a monster is charging, with moves I can barely predict.
Checking the harpoon on his belt and pulling out a dose of “Accelerant,” Seth sprinted forward. He needed to cover about a mile in a straight line, then fire the harpoon, hook the motorized ascender, and dash into the cave. Simple plan, except for one hitch. The creature could veer off anywhere at any moment, speed up, or stop.
Seth gripped the stim in his hand. Worst case, I’ll use this, he thought.
The first 500 meters went smoothly, despite the heavy gear weighing him down.
As he calculated where to aim the harpoon, Seth noticed a pack of Shemerts charging straight at him from a cave on the right. The creatures seemed delirious with joy, as if their prey had run right into their jaws. Their thin, insect-like legs skittered over the stone, creating a clicking sound like snapping dry twigs. Their antennae twitched nervously in anticipation of a bloody feast. Dark chitinous shells shimmered under the beam of Seth’s headlamp, glinting like polished stone. And their eyes—blank, shiny, like blackened beads—tracked his movements with cold precision. There was no rage, no hunger in them—just purpose: chase, latch on, tear apart.
Damn it. I don’t have time to deal with these things, Seth thought, swiftly unstrapping a pouch with a hefty four-pound chunk of liver and hurling it aside. In one fluid motion, he injected the stim and bolted forward.
Some of the Shemerts immediately pounced on the meat Seth had tossed. But the youngest ones—with thinner limbs and twitching antennae—kept up the chase. Their black, bead-like eyes locked onto their target, jaws ready to snap.
Seth glanced back: the fastest were just dozens of yards away. He triggered a grenade, dropped it, and—without stopping—heard the muffled blast behind him.
Hope the big guy doesn’t react to that, Seth thought, casting a hopeful glance at the serpent. But to his dismay, a noise like that couldn’t go unnoticed.
The scout’s hand slipped into the pouch on his belly, hoping to find more of those miraculous vials. Feeling a few differently shaped containers, he pulled one out and injected himself with a second dose.
“Oh, I’m gonna feel this tomorrow…” he muttered to himself with a grimace.
The Shemerts, meanwhile, weren’t about to let another twenty pounds of fresh—albeit aging—meat slip away. They kept charging, heedless of the fact that they themselves could become prey to a larger predator.
Stubborn bastards. Must’ve been a while since they ate… Probably their first real hunt—don’t know when to quit yet, Seth thought, reaching for another grenade, this one packed with dozens of tranquilizer darts. This should do the trick, flashed through his mind. He pulled the same move again, dropping it and making a sharp dodge left toward a boulder to avoid getting hit by a stray dart.
A few seconds later, a muffled explosion echoed through the cave, followed by a loud roar and the thud of several bodies hitting the ground.
One problem down, but… Seth shifted his gaze to the Arsand, which was rapidly closing in. This one’s still alive and moving.
Only about two hundred meters left. Seth gripped the harpoon in his hands, ready to fire as soon as he was in range. The last few dozen meters were tougher; the first dose of stimulant was wearing off, and his muscles ached with a dull pain from the grueling sprint.
Breathing heavily, Seth fired the harpoon and, without checking the rope’s hold, hooked it to his suit and slammed the ascender button. The motor hummed to life, jerking him upward with a sharp tug.
His vision started to blur; the second dose was fading too, and the consequences of two doses in such a short time at his age were taking their toll.
Just as he cleared the massive passage, the beast surged beneath his feet, creating a gust of air so strong that Seth was pushed several meters away from the cave wall. Then the rope snapped taut, yanking him back, and he slammed into the rock face. The impact jolted him awake from the stimulant haze, and he glanced down at the chaos unfolding below. The monster opened its maw and swallowed every creature in its path. Then the giant simply smashed through the floor and began burrowing downward. Seth finally had a moment to catch his breath and finish the last minute of the ascent, pondering whether he might be getting too old for this kind of thing…
***
Leo moved cautiously, but without panic. After everything that had happened, he’d started paying closer attention to every rustle, every breath of the cave.
From time to time, he glanced at the tablet strapped to his wrist—the beacon signal was still steady. His backpack was somewhere ahead, no more than a few hundred meters away.
Around him, there was only silence and the familiar crunch of gravel underfoot. For the first time in hours, he allowed himself to just… look around.
The beam of his headlamp slid across the walls, illuminating frozen waves of minerals, limestone patterns, and strange glints of crystals hidden in the cracks. Despite the exhaustion and the pain in his shoulder, the beauty of this place still struck him.
“There’s something kinda magical about this hole,” Leo muttered. “Well… when nothing’s trying to kill you, anyway.”
A few minutes later, the light of his headlamp caught the backpack—that same heavy, slightly battered, but intact pack. Leo sighed with relief, approached it, and immediately reached for the communicator dangling from a strap.
“Hey, jerk, you still there? Do you have any idea what your call cost me?!” Leo barked, switching on the device.
“You’re the jerk,” came a familiar voice. “Not my fault you keep ignoring the rules: put your communicator on silent during ops.”
“Oh, shove your rules… I need help. I… don’t know exactly where I am. Somewhere down here. Sending coordinates. Come get me.”
“Come get me?” the voice replied with a slight smirk.
“GET ME OUT OF HERE, YOU IDIOT! PLEASE!” Leo growled. After a short pause, he added, “And bring a longer rope; the standard one won’t cut it down here.”
A bright chuckle rang out in response.
“You’re extra sweet today. Alright, I’ve got your coordinates. I’ll be there in an hour. Don’t die on me, okay?”
“An hour… Well, at least I’m not totally screwed. For now,” Leo grumbled to himself.
“Once I’m back at base, I’m climbing into a hot bath… grabbing a cold beer… Perfect end to this wonderful day.”
Time passed quickly. Leo didn’t stray far from the backpack, occasionally scanning the area. It looked like he’d stumbled on a decent vein—at least someone would be happy, and they wouldn’t chew him out for the delay.
Carefully prying out a few small crystals, he heard a familiar voice behind him:
“So, what exactly are you doing down here?”
“Decided to take a damn stroll! Got bored up top—mining crystals was just too easy! So I thought, ‘Why not head deeper, and without a rope while I’m at it!’”
“Alright, alright, don’t grumble,” the other miner waved him off, surveying the cave. “This spot’s actually pretty nice. Clyde’s gonna be thrilled.”
“Screw Clyde,” Leo muttered. “Let’s go. I’ve got a bath and a beer waiting for me at home.”
The journey back was much easier—especially since he wasn’t alone. Leo hated to admit it, but working in a group did make things simpler.
A few hours later, he was turning in his gear under Clyde’s watchful eye while Kevin reported on the discovered vein.
“Hey, Leo,” Clyde called out, “nice work! Take tomorrow off. You’ve earned it.”
“Oh, yeah…” Leo was about to snap back with something snarky, but the words threw him off. He just coughed, buying a few seconds.
“I… I’ll come in tomorrow,” he finally managed, heading toward his quarters.
“He’s being way too nice today… I don’t like it,” Leo mumbled, sinking into the hot water.
***
Seth calmly reached the group of miners who had politely waited for his arrival.
He didn’t look his best—rumpled, exhausted, scratched up—but he was alive. And, most likely, he’d just saved these people’s lives.
“Everyone okay?” he asked in a commanding tone.
“Yes,” replied the oldest of the group. “We didn’t take any risks. Just stayed put like you said.”
“Good. Then we head back to the settlement,” Seth nodded. He glanced toward the tunnel he’d just come from and added quietly,
“There goes my dinner… Hope the FreshLock holds until tomorrow and the carcass is still in one piece.”
“Did you say something?” one of the miners asked.
“Nah, just talking to myself. Let’s move—the road’s not a pleasant one,” Seth brushed it off and started forward without waiting for a reply.
A few hours of steady walking later, the group reached the settlement.
At the entrance, Seth caught sight of Leo—the weirdest miner of the bunch, in his humble opinion. The guy was sitting with a beer, looking like someone who’d just won a war against gravity.
After confirming everyone was accounted for, Seth gave a brief report to Clyde and headed to a familiar spot—to let Pete know he was back. And, more importantly, to share the pain of his lost dinner.
Because if anyone would understand, it was Pete.
Tomorrow, I’m definitely going back for that carcass. It’s mine.