They woke to a kind of quiet that didn't belong outdoors.
No birds. No noise. Just the steady rasp of breath in cold air and the faint tick of metal cooling. Raizen worked his fingers into his gloves and felt the ache settle into a useful thing. He helped the miners pull open the crate lids; tools breathed out frost.
"Comms check" Hikari said, tapping her slate. "Lighthouse, do you copy?"
Static, then Alteea's voice, bright and thin. "Copy enough. Your air looks rude. Don't try to kiss it."
"Not our type" Raizen said.
Feris bounced on her heels like the morning had caffeine in it. "Who's on the first walk?"
"You, me, Hikari" Raizen said. "Two others from the crew."
A guy that looked like he was "From the crew" - older than the rest, sunken-eyed - nodded, grateful for rules that sounded simple. He kept his head down, hands moving, already cold.
