The hallways of the Trelvix Deep-Drill Mining Station were narrow and saturated with a hum so low it felt like a pulse. Dust clung to the metal walls like skin, and the dim lights flickered with age and neglect. The elevator shaft screeched as it descended, carrying Silas, Kass, and the security escort deeper beneath the surface of Voralis-9.
Silas' expression was tense. He had been underground on many planets before, but Voralis-9 felt… wrong. Like something was watching from beyond the metal. Every kilometer they descended made the pressure in his chest mount.
"How deep are we now?" Kass asked, tapping into the side console near the elevator's wall.
"Almost nine kilometers," the escort replied. "Sector C-24. The seismic tremors originated near the core fracture zones."
"Wasn't this shaft abandoned?" Kass pressed.
The soldier nodded grimly. "Officially, yes. But off-record, the Guild kept experimenting with ore siphoning in the unstable layers. Denser metals. Higher risk."
