The dusty plains of the eclipsed moon stretched out like a dead sea, the wind kicking up ash-gray sand under their boots. Still shaken from the earlier encounter with the blind dog, the group moved cautiously, their suits slightly scorched and their nerves tight.
Before they could reach the looming facility ahead, Luna spotted something shimmering in the distance.
"Hold up," she said, crouching behind a rock. "Something's up there."
As they approached slowly, they saw a strange, softly glowing structure on the cracked concrete—a kind of mechanical hive—and around it buzzed a swarm of glowing insects. Their transparent wings crackled with tiny bolts of electricity.
"Those look... like electric bees?" Vexxie asked.
"Some kind of guardian bugs," Brogan said, crouching and pulling out his scanner.
[SCANNING…]Object: Electrowax HiveValue: 80 CreditsStatus: Stable – Protected
"Eighty credits," he muttered, eyes wide.
[TwitchChat]"YO WHAT 80???"
"Pick it up! What could go wrong lol."
"Them bugs don't look mad tho…"
"They haven't reacted to us yet," Luna said. "Maybe they're chill?"
"I'm getting it," Brogan announced. "Stay ready."
Creeping forward, he approached the hive slowly, inching around the buzzing insects who twitched with every footstep. Just as he reached out and grabbed the hive—
BZZZZZZZZZRRRRRRRRTTTTTT!!!
The swarm exploded with noise and light, bolts of electricity arcing wildly as dozens of bees zipped toward Brogan.
"GO!" Luna screamed.
Brogan dashed across the open ground, the hive tucked under his arm like a football. Sparks scorched past his shoulder, and one electric burst knocked his visor display into static for a full second. He ran like hell.
The ship came into view.
SLAM! He hit the button by the ramp, diving in just as the door sealed shut. The bees clanged and zapped at the metal, but didn't follow inside.
Panting, Brogan laughed. "Still alive."
The others cautiously peered out the window.
"They're going back," Vexxie observed.
"They only defend the hive's spot," Luna said, stunned. "They don't chase forever."
[TwitchChat]"W clutch"
"Game of the year easy"
"I'm installing this now fr"
"Electric bees with logic??? Who MADE this game???"
Brogan stood, grinning, and shoved the hive into the ship's secure storage.
[Scrap Stored: 80][Quota: 130]
"Fifty more to go," Zane noted from the comms, still spectating from earlier.
Luna checked her flashlight and looked toward the looming factory in the distance. "Then let's get it done."
The group stepped out of the ship again, the moon's strange eclipse still dimming the landscape in a permanent twilight. Wind whistled through the crumbling structures nearby. They moved in formation—Brogan taking point, Vexxie watching their flank.
As they approached the rusted front of the facility, they saw a pair of tall, decayed metal doors—sealed, but with a keypad flickering dimly next to it. Brogan wiped the dust off the console.
"Old tech," he muttered. "Let's see…"
[Terminal Interface: Press to Open]
With a mechanical click, he pressed the button. The massive doors shuddered before slowly creaking open, revealing a narrow hallway bathed in dull red light. The scent of rust and stagnant air hit them like a wall.
The team stepped inside.
The moment the last boot crossed the threshold, the door slid shut behind them with a heavy metallic slam.
They all froze.
"Okay... that wasn't creepy at all," Vexxie said.
Luna turned to test the panel. "Relax. We can still open it from this side."
Sure enough, the door wasn't locked. A small comfort.
"Let's just get the 50 and get out," Brogan said.
Zane, watching from the ship's system cam, added, "Keep your comms open. If anything's in there... it's better we know ahead."
They clicked on their lights. Ahead, metal walkways and shadowy corridors stretched into the depths of the abandoned facility—silent except for the soft hum of old machinery.
The game wasn't over yet.