Davrry knelt to examine the marks on the tree's that Miranda had pointed out.
"Good spot. These were deliberately cut. These more recent ones, with a laser." Davrry frowned, and looked up at the canopy.
"We should keep moving. In respect to the tin can, we can't just abandon it on this rock with no guaranteed way of. So lets be quick, and careful."
The march up the slope was uneventful. Davrry allowed a few short pauses to collect samples and data at Sayori's insistence, but increasingly chaffed at each one. When asked why he was agitated, in a jungle that seemed empty of any animals larger than them, he would look back at the canopy again, and insist they kept moving.
The jungle began to thin out as they climbed, and the air did as well, imperceptibly, with jungle giving way to mats of clinging vines that shared a heritage with high density power cable and clumps of gorse that looked like barbed wire.
"Halt!" Someone yelled. From the mouth of the cave ahead, a pair of humanoid figures emerged in heavy armour, rifles levelled. "Identify yourselves!"
"We're the only bloody people who haven't been minced and turned into murder cyborgs in this whole shitty galaxy!" Davrry yelled back.
There was a flap of wings, and Davrry flinched and pulled his rifle up. A heavy black shape dropped on him from above, slamming him to the ground and sending his heavy weapon skidding away.
Crouched on the Lyrans gasping form was a Dragonoid. It wrenched its helmet clear, and took a huge lungful of the toxic air into its lungs.
"They are clean." The young Dragonoid nodded at each of them, before his eyes alighted on Vezarres.
"Elder."
Vezarres started. The young warriors eyes were silvery flints, and it was difficult to tell where the warriors scales ended and his flight armour began.
+++++
The party continued up the path, and into the mouth of the cave. The two guards, both charabidian females, let the group past, and then led them deeper into the cave. Vezarres and the young warrior stayed outside.
The cave wasn't a cave at all. It had a regular, hexagonal shape, and was finished in a metal coloured much like copper, or perhaps worn brass. It sloped downwards, and branched often. Eventually it opened into a large chamber, easily the size of the shuttle bay of the Elcano. It had clearly been designed for people that could fly, or climb well. Tunnels opened at seemingly random heights and distances, and odd echoed sounds carried from the openings like a mournful wind instrument.
Set up in the middle of the chamber was a command post, clearly built from pre-fabbed components and salvaged together parts stripped from errant mechs and military drop ships. Other chambers linked nearby echoed with work and the sounds of talking people, and even a few loud snorers. There was clearly about twenty to thirty people here, Terrans, Lyrans, Charabidians and Kel'Cyre, all members of the security detachment and command staff.
Standing at a holographic command table, was Captain Severt and Security Chief Ella Salk. Both women looked tired, but both looked up and smiled as the rag-tag group approached.
"So." Captain Severt smiled. "There are survivors after all. Welcome to Base Camp."
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