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s to side seams。
The view through the front screen seemed to be in black and white： the fierce white light piercing the blackness and revealing only
pale grey dust and rock； and the occasional sparkle of druse。
Medea slowed us as we passed over more fragmented and extensive piles of breakdown and then； under Aemos's instruction；
manoeuvred us down into the throat of an almost vertical chimney。 This chimney … a pitch in mining terms … was a natural formation；
possibly an ancient lava tube。 Slowly revolving laterally； we hovered down into it。 Flowstone caked the walls like swathes of creamy
drapery and quilled bushes of volcanic glass sprouted from outcrops。 The space was small； even for a compact pod like the one we had
borrowed。 Occasionally； Medea would nudge or clip an out thrust of quills and the glass fragments would fall silently； glittering； into
the pit below。
About two kilometres down； the pitch opened out into a complex series of curving tubes； sub…caves and sumps。 It was like moving out
of an oesophagus into the complex chambers of an intestinal tract。 The flow…stone started to show more colour： steely blues with
milky calcite swirls； mottled reds glinting with oolites。 Flinty black druse and other clastic litter covered the smoothed folds of the
ancient floor。
Medea pointed my attention to the small scanner box mounted below the main petrographic assayer。 The little screen was awash with
an almost indecipherable graphic of ghosting strata layers and reflecting lithic densities。 Three bright yellow cursors showed clearly in
the upper quadrant。
'They're coming after us；' she said。
'They seem to know where we are right enough。 How are they tracking us？'
'Same way we're getting such a clean return on their position。'
'Are the locators on this crate that powerful？'
Medea shook her head。 'They're fine for the immediate locality； but they've got nowhere near enough gain to penetrate the rock。'
'So？'
'I think all these prospector pods have high…powered beacons； probably built into flight recorders。 They'd need them for routine search
and recovery。'
'I'll take a look。'
I swung out of my seat and moved back down the pod； stooping； and using the overhead hand…rails to support myself。 Aemos was still
at work。 He'd fired up the pod's mineralogicae auspex； and was running a complex cross…search for the spectographic fingerprints that
appeared on the Adeptus Mechanicus transmissions。 He didn't even have the scrolls open any more： the complex subtleties of the
colour bars had long since been committed to memory。
Every few minutes； he consulted the main chart and called a course…correction to Medea。
At the rear of the pod； between racks holding old rebreathers with perishing rubber visor…seals； I found a small crawl space into the
engine bay。
I stuck my head and shoulders inside； and shone around with a lamp…pack I'd unbuckled from one of the rebreather sets。 A simple
process of elimination directed me to a fat metal drum clamped to the underside of the gravitic assembly and the housing for the
kinaesthetic gyroscopes。 Adeptus Mechanicus purity seals secured its cover。
I slid back out into the cabin； selected a medium plasma cutter from the tool web； and went back in。 The hot blue tongue of the cutter
sliced the drum's cover off and fused its pulsing innards。
Back in the cockpit； I saw we were now travelling down a wide cavern that was barbed with oily dripstones and varnished with
incandescent blooms of moon…milk and angel's hair。
'They look lost already；' Medea remarked； nodding at the scanner box。 She was right。 The yellow cursors were moving with nothing
like the same confidence。 'They were milling； trying to reacquire our signal。'
WE TRAVELLED FOR two more hours； through small flask…chambers gleaming with cavepearls； across vast low seas of chert and lapilli；
between massive stalactites that bit tunnels in two like the incisors of prediluvial monsters。 Domepits and sumps sheened with
brackish alkaline water and the smoke snaking from nests of fumaroles betrayed the fact that there was now a rudimentary
atmosphere： methane； sulphur； radon and pockets of carbon monoxide。 Venting cases from Cinchare's active heart and the gasproducts
of chemical and gravito…chemical reactions built and collected here； far below ground； leaking only slowly up to the airless
surface。 Hull temperature was increasing。 We were now about fifteen kilometres down； and beginning to feel the effects of the
asthenosphere。
'Hey！' said Medea suddenly。
She slowed the pod； and swung it around； traversing the lights。 We were in a gypnate chamber where the chert…covered floor was
scalloped by several gours formed by water eons before。 Several side spurs led away into tight pinches or were revealed on the chart to
pinch out no further than twenty metres in。
'What did you see？' I asked。
'There！'
The spot…lamps framed a black shape that I thought for a moment was just a jagged pile of boulders and stalagmite bosses。 But Medea
roved us in。
It was a prospecting pod； similar to ours； but bearing the crest of Ortog Promethium。 It had been crushed and split like an old can； the
stanchions of its cabin protruding from the metal hull like ribs。
'Hell…' Medea murmured。
'Mining's a dangerous job；' I said。
'That's recent；' Aemos said； appearing at our shoulders。 'Look at the tephra。'
'The what？' asked Medea。
'It's a generic term for clastic materials。 The dust and shale bed the wreck's lying on。 Move the lamp round。 There。 The tephra's
yellowish…white gypnate all around； but it's scorched and fused under the wreck。 Mineral smoke from the fumaroles we passed just
now vent back down here and cover everything with oxidised dust。 I'd wager if it's been there more than a month； the powder would
have overlaid the scorching… and coated the wreck。
'Pop the hatch；' I said。
THE SUBTERRANEAN ATMOSPHERE seemed scalding hot and I began to sweat freely the moment I jumped down from the sill。 I could
hear nothing except my breath rasping inside my rebreather mask。 I trudged round to the front of the hovering pod into the cones of its
lights； and saw Aemos and Medea in the lit cockpit； both hidden behind rebreather masks of their own。
I waved once and crunched off over the dusty sill； my bootcaps catching the occasional geode which scattered and flashed in the light。
There was no mistaking the blast holes in the wreck's hull。 Sustained fire from a multi…laser had split the pod wide open。 I shone my
hand torch in through the rents and saw a blackened cabin space； burned out。
The three crew members were still in there； at their posts； reduced to grimacing mummies by the acidic air； and by the hundreds of
glistening white worms that writhed and burrowed as my light hit them。 It figured that with its hot； wet； gaseous interior； Cinchare was
a far from dead world。
More troglobyte things scurried and squirmed around my feet。 Long…legged metallic beetles and inflated； jelly…like molluscs； all drawn
to this unexpected source of rich nutrients。
Something moved beside me and slammed into my left hip。 I fell hard against the broken hull； cursing that I hadn't been wearing my
motion tracker。 It came in again； and this time I felt a sharp pain in my left thigh。 I kicked out with a mask…muffled curse。
It was about the size of a large dog； but longer and lower； moving on lean hind limbs。 Its skin was nearly silver； and its eye…less head
was just a vast set of jaws filled with hundreds of transparent fangs。 All around the maw； long sensory bristles and tendrils twitched
and rippled。
It lunged again； its thin； stiff tail raised high as a counterbalance。 This thing； I guessed； was top of the food chain in Cinchare's
lightless cavities。 Too big to force its way inside the wreck to get at the corpses； it had been lurking outside； feeding on the carrion
worms and molluscs that had congregated on the crash。
With a twist of its head； it had a good grip on my left ankle。 I could feel the tips of its teeth biting through the heavy leather of my
boot。
I managed to tug my shotgun from the scabbard on my back and shoot it through the torso at point black range。 Viscous tissues and
filmy flesh scattered in all directions and the thing fl