“Have I ever, in all ten years of working with you, told you how much I absolutely hate crawling around in pipes, Lumos?” Skinner asked with a sigh. “Especially ones that smell this frickin’ bad!”

“Noted, Captain,” Lumos said. “Next time, I will allow you to be shot or captured.”

“Very funny.” He felt his way along the wall of the pipe as Lumos corrected his visor’s display for the darkness. His vision went completely black for a fraction of a second before she highlighted every corner, vertex and flat surface to create a stark but accurate representation of his surroundings. “Thank you.”

Most colony waterworks were constructed similarly – after all, there was only so much a robot could be programmed to do. Once central power was online, any subsequent buildings were designed to dig their own waterways with the end goal of creating a subterranean network. On a map, this created a spiderweb effect beneath the ground that linked back to the power station. Any and all water pumped through the center of the colony was purified, sterilized and pumped back out to be recycled. As Skinner had learned before, this also created an underground transit system for anyone willing to delve into the murky, pitch-black waterways.

It was obvious that no one had been down into this particular area for years. Greenish-black slime clung to every surface of the pipes and vegetation grew along the surface of the water. Large, blue-white plants had grown where the standing liquid met the walls. Some of these glowed with an eerie, ghost-like light as their fronds waved back and forth. Lumos identified them with a small notation as "taunting wallites" – insectivorous plants native to the region that used their luminous branches to draw in their prey. She also made a side note that they were toxic to most other lifeforms and that the fluid in their fronds could cause extreme hallucinations.

“Lumos, which way is the spaceport from here?” he asked as he walked to the end of a grated catwalk. The pipe emptied out into a larger conduit, water cascading from beneath his feet and meeting with a larger network.

Lumos chirped in his ear for a few moments before lighting the pathway. “This way, Captain. Are you seeking to reclaim your ship?”

“Nah, I left a sandwich in my cabin and I’m hungry,” he said sarcastically.

“I should warn you that there is no access hatch directly below your ship,” Lumos warned him. “The closest access hatch to the waterways is beneath the main docks – still quite some distance from the Dangerous. Do you have a plan of attack?”

“Kind of,” Skinner said as he began following her leading lights. “I’ve got some kinks to iron out, but more-or-less.”

Lumos didn’t respond as he jumped down onto a lower catwalk. His boots echoed loudly off the metal as he landed, and Skinner waited to see if anyone had heard him. Up on the surface, he could still hear yelling and screaming from the colonists as the Constellation forces swept through Felicity.

“Captain, from what I can understand of their transmissions, the Constellation is searching for the artifact you are carrying. They have rounded up several of the colonists and are holding them in the plaza.”

“And what do you want me to do about it? I’m not even close to equipped to wrestle the Constellation over a colony!” Skinner hissed. “I was barely able to fight off those stupid pirates last week, and there were only three of them.”

“I am not suggesting you fight them head on, Captain,” Lumos said. “I have a different approach in mind if you are willing to listen.”

Skinner paused near a ladder leading up into a pipe similar to the one he’d just jumped down. “Ok. I’m listening, Lumos. What’s your plan?”

Lumos created several visuals inside his visor. The first was of the pipeworks beneath the colony, complete with a little blip of light showing where they were. “From here,” she explained, “you could climb up through one of the drainage lines beneath the spaceport. However, instead of immediately accessing your ship, you could cling to the underside of the catwalks and work your way back into the colony.”

“And why would I do that?” Skinner asked, following the blue light that was supposed to represent him as it moved through the pipeworks, showing him what she was describing. “That gets us further from our destination.”

“Indeed, Captain, but we can also assist the colonists,” she said. “From beneath, you could quite easily remove the locking pins holding the catwalks together. Your enemies would be dropped down into the swamp where the Zeatsena eels are, which would also have the added bonus of freeing the colonists.”

“So, you want me to dangle, without any kind of tether, on the underside of a metal catwalk that can barely support itself while I try to drop my enemies into slimy ooze where they’ll be eaten alive…?” Skinner asked, slowly going over her plan. “I mean, where do I start? This plan is insane! I’m going to be killed for sure! I could lose my grip and end up in the same muck, one of them could drag me down with them… oh yes, and let’s not forget that once I drop one of them, the rest can just shoot me through the floor!”

“Captain Skinner, I believe you are exaggerating,” she said patiently. “If you drop the platforms from behind the hinge, they will not be able to drag you down with them. They will likely not shoot through the floor as it will compromise structural stability, and I have seen the way you climb around inside the Dangerous. You are not likely to lose your grip.”

“You… you’re serious?” he asked incredulously. “Lumos, I’m not a hero. I’m a scavenger and an opportunist.”

“And this plan plays into both categories,” she said. “By striking from beneath, you are taking advantage of stealth and misdirection. You are also going to ingratiate yourself to the colonists, who may be willing to help you in the future.”

“This could also turn the Constellation against the colonists, who are sitting in the middle of an undefended Frontier zone,” he said. “What then? What happens if the Constellation comes back with a fleet twice this size?”

“As it stands right now, you cannot take flight even if you reach your ship. They will EMP you out of the sky before you make it 5000 meters. Instead, why not double back and eliminate some of their forces and then let me hack a dropship and send it out as a diversion?”

Skinner chewed it over, leaning on the ladder. Lumos had a point – he wasn’t going to be getting very far with those ships in orbit, and if he tried waiting out the ground forces he could be here for weeks. His food supplies wouldn’t last that long. On top of that, he wasn’t going to just hide in the plumbing while they looked for him. Eventually he’d be found. “I don’t suppose we have any alternatives?” he asked. “Maybe asking them to leave nicely?”

“I shall open an unsecured line and find out. Please stand by,” Lumos said.

“Nonono-no-no!” Skinner hissed. “Don’t do that. You win, Lumos… we’ll try to help the colonists. But if I get kicked along the floor like yesterday’s trash for my efforts, I’m blaming you.”

“Duly noted, Captain,” Lumos said as the leading lights on his visor changed their course.

Skinner climbed up the ladder into the next pipe, ducking his head at the top. This one was smaller than it looked – he wouldn’t be able to stand up in it. He crouched through it, keeping his eyes on the lights. “Couldn’t find a bigger pipe?”

“Negative, Captain. This is the most direct route to the surface.”

The leading lights led him around a corner and up a slight incline to where he found a ladder. Skinner checked his pistol again, making sure the magazine was full. Twenty-seven shots – that was all he had. No spare magazines, no backup clips, no nothing. He hadn’t really thought he’d need anything else when he’d left the Dangerous. He was going to start packing for every occasion if this was going to be the norm. “Anything up top?” he asked.

“The pipe is almost perfectly level with the water surface,” Lumos said. “You will have a small gap between the underside of the catwalks and the water. Please use caution not to fall in.”

“Don’t have to tell me twice,” Skinner said as he started up the ladder. “Once I’m up, then what?”

“You will have to crawl underneath the catwalks to reach the central plaza. The majority of the colonists have been rounded up and are being held there. Once you draw nearer, I do not advise speaking – they will likely hear you. Instead, listen to my directives.”

“Translation: trust the CI blindly,” he said as he poked his head above the edge of the pipe. It had once been connected to another portion, which still hung in the air above him, but the connecting band had fallen away some time ago. He managed to squeeze out between the two pieces of piping and grab the support beams beneath the catwalks. It took a fair amount of exertion, but he managed to pull himself up and out without dipping his legs into the water.

“Have I steered you wrong yet, Captain?” Lumos asked.

“Why do you think I’m listening now?” he asked, surveying his new position. The underside of the catwalks was comprised of a latticework of crossbeams to support the weight of foot traffic above. Most of these beams were slippery and covered in slime or moss. It was a two-foot drop into the swamp water below him and at least as far to the next beam. “Good grief… what do you think I am? A monkey?”

“You share common ancestry with several simian species, Captain,” Lumos said.

“Shut up.” He leaned out and grabbed the next beam and pulled himself over to it. The going was slow and painful, but he managed to make it a little further down the catwalk. “How far to the plaza?”

“You are almost there, Captain,” Lumos said as she lit up the destination through the grated floor above him. He could hear the noise – it sounded as if the Constellation was interrogating the colonists. He ground his teeth and crawled faster, pulling himself through the support rungs as quickly and quietly as he could.

A gunshot sounded from above and something hit the water ahead of him. Skinner’s breath hitched in his throat as he recognized the female Heil from earlier just before she hit the water. A moment later, the swamp boiled as the eel-like Zeatsena feasted upon her. He looked away, focusing on the water beneath him for a moment as he tried to get his stomach under control. “No… no, no… Lumos, I can’t do this…”

“If you do not move, every colonist is going to suffer a similar fate,” she reminded him. “And I doubt they will be as forgiving if they catch you. Your vital signs are elevated – I recommend taking several deep breaths before continuing.”

“I can’t… Lumos, I’m not a hero! I told you that!” he tried to keep his voice as quiet as he could.

His earpiece sparked for a moment before he began to hear a male voice. Lumos was patching the Constellation officer’s transmission into his helmet. “Next one goes in without the mercy shot!” he snarled, and Skinner could clearly hear the sound of him reloading a weapon. “Now tell me where the owner of that ship is!”

“You do not have much time,” Lumos said. “You are almost there, Captain. Three more rungs and you will be beneath the officer.”

Skinner took a few deep breaths. “Okay… okay. You’re right. We’re almost there.” He began to crawl again, focusing on reaching the next beam. He couldn’t help but notice how much his hand was shaking. “I’m gonna fall in… look at me… oh beans…” he whimpered.

“You can do it, Captain,” Lumos said. “It is not much further.”

Skinner kept crawling, focusing on Lumos’s voice as he did. He was too close to the plaza to say anything else anyway. He focused on his breathing, pulling himself beam over beam on his way to his destination. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Lumos signaled for him to stop. “You are beneath the platform their Commander is standing on,” she informed him, “if you remove these bolts here, the panel will drop.” Two locking pins lit up on his visor, flashing with a dingy yellow color.

Above him, he could hear the Commander bark something in his native tongue. Skinner couldn’t pick it out; it was a harsh, guttural language that grated on his ears. He gritted his teeth and reached up, yanking out the first bolt. The platform didn’t move. Above him, he heard screaming as the Constellation soldiers grabbed another civilian with the intent to throw them into the deadly mire. With a grunt and exertion born more of panic than anything else, he leaned over as far as he could to reach the other pin and pulled it out.

The catwalk gave way with a squeal of metal on metal. It missed Skinner by inches as it crashed down, swinging like a trapdoor on its remaining pins. There was a roar of surprise and panic as the Commander splashed down into the swamp, followed by screaming as the Zeatsena converged on his location. Several of the officers above them abandoned their posts, rushing towards the gap in the plaza where their leader had been a moment before.

That was as much of a diversion as the colonists needed. Several of them rounded on their captors, grabbing for their weapons. Skinner heard gunfire as the plaza above him exploded into an active warzone. He climbed away from the opening he’d made as quickly as he could. “Okay Lumos, now what? Talk to me!”

“Find your way back above the catwalks and head for the dropship to the North,” she told him. “I am going to send it on a predetermined flight course to make them think we escaped.”

“Got it,” Skinner said as he dragged his body over to the edge of the plaza. He cautiously poked his head above the edge, checking to see if it was safe. Several of the colonists had managed to reclaim weapons or outright take them from their captors. Others were shoving the Constellation soldiers over the railings and into the swamp below. Skinner quickly tucked his head back down beneath the walkways as a pair of combatants slammed into the guardrail where he’d been a moment before.

Above him, two humans were wrestling with a much larger Constellation soldier. Skinner drew his pistol and shot upwards through the grated floor, catching the black-armored figure in the chest. The colonists seized the opportunity to hurl their foe over the edge. Skinner crawled up and over without waiting for a break in the fighting. The two colonists grabbed his arms and helped him up and onto the plaza surface. “That was you?” one of them asked incredulously, a grin splitting his face. “You dropped the panel?”

“Yeah,” Skinner said as he stood up and brushed moss and vines off his polyform suit. “Excuse me – got somewhere to be!”

He pushed past both of them before they could say anything else and bolted towards the northern exit of Felicity. He could see the dropship hanging in the air, barely cresting the top of the colony wall. “Ok Lumos, I hope you know what you’re doing.”

“Of course, Captain. You could even argue I was born for it.”