Kir climbed onto the navigation bridge.

  “Sit down, Boss, be the navigator”

  “I understand when the team calls me Boss, but my daughter could call me father!”

  ”I'm sorry dad, we haven't seen each other for six months.”

  “What were you doing?”

  “Flew with Cap.”

  “Well?”

  “If you're talking about our relationship, then nothing. He doesn't suit me. Does it make you happy?”

  “Quite!”

  “Don't you want to become a grandfather at all?”

  “Dara, I assure you, this is the last mission!”

  “You evade the answer. What are you thinking, father! You have entrusted our life to the adventurer Cap!”

  ”Don't get too excited. I already guessed that we were set up last time. I'd love to kick Cap out, but I can't. He was imposed on me by the caste. My hands are tied, I was promised that after this task we can be free. You must understand that.”

  “What about the rest?”

  “For them, this is a chance to get out of the game in the black!”

   “If they survive. Which I doubt. You know what they say about this mission - this is the last path of the mercenary. They say that someone survived. Where are they?”

  “I was not here, the guys themselves signed the contract, there is no turning back.”

  “You may not come back either!”

  “I am not going with them. Phil volunteered for me.”

  “He decided it himself or someone suggested?”

  ”This is his decision. He found himself in a difficult situation, he wants to somehow atone for his guilt, probably.”

  “Phil needed to tell the investigator everything”

  “It wouldn't change anything. Except that he would go to jail.”

  Father, I don’t recognize you! You used to fight for the team, you always did something. Now you have withdrawn from everything.

  “I didn't pull away. I hope for the best. The guys will cope with the task, I'm sure of that.”

  “I hope you are right.”

For sleeping people, two weeks passed like one night. Cap was the first to enter the wheelhouse. A planet sickle appeared in the blackness of space.

  “We're here! Sir. An unnamed planet.”

  “Thank you, Dara, I realized that it was time for me to leave.”

  “I just confirmed that we've arrived.”

 Kir entered the wheelhouse and sat down in the navigator's chair.

  "There are practically no signs of civilization. No signals."  reported Dara.

 “We shouldn't hang out in orbit. Dara descend to the minimum height. Let's find where to land.”

 The ship entered the planet's atmosphere. The surface of the planet was sandy and rocky, in places more like a sponge with deep tunnels from which steam escaped. Flying over the tunnels, one could see vegetation along the edges. At first glance, traces of civilization were not visible, but the foundations of buildings peeped out from under the sand. The ship hovered a kilometer above the surface of the plateau in the landing zone.

  “Dara, launch the drones.”

  “Done, Boss!”

  Two drones flew out from under the fuselage. They descended closer to the ground and, scanning the surface, flew to the nearest tunnels. Both drones disappeared in the fog of the tunnel.

The drone 1. "The control point is passed. There is a large living object in the crater. Descent is not possible."

Drone 2. "The descent into the crater is blocked. The object is moving. Forced to open fire."

  “What happened Dara?”

  “The connection was lost, we lost them.”

  “Go down closer to the tunnel.”

The ship descended slowly. Kir could not see anything in the depths because of the dense stream of steam rising from the tunnel. The ship gained altitude again. Kir summoned everyone to the briefing room.

  “What happened, boss?” asked Cap

  “Change of plans. We lost both drones. You can't go through tunnels. The drones found the weavers, so no jetpacks. As a hunter, you must understand that this is dangerous.”

  “Weavers are predators, and they could mistake a drone for prey. A large animal can damage a combat drone. We need jetpacks, there may be wide cliffs under the ground.”

  “Cap, you can handle it without jetpacks, better take additional ammunition. According to your map, we will drop you off at the entrance to the dungeon. You will have to go to the obelisk on the other side ten kilometers. We cannot scan deeper. Most likely, there will be no connection, so act according to the situation."

  “Ten kilometers underground, we will not overcome such a distance in a day!”  Gak was indignant. “The tunnel is big enough, you can go down by ship.”

  “Impossible!” Bolt walked over to the table. “If this is a large weaver, then his ribbons are very long and dangerous. They can connect ribbons horizontally and vertically to form a net to catch large prey.”

  “How can ribbons damage a ship?”

  “Gak. You don't know how tapes work. The weaver finds a stone and places it under the glands. Then she attaches a thick resin thread to it. After that, the weaver climbs to the ceiling of the cave. His glands begin to weave two resinous threads and a thin wide ribbon is obtained. Tape slowly descends under the weight of the stone. In addition, the weaver moistens the tape with saliva. As soon as the stone touches the bottom of the cave, the weaver attaches the tape to the ceiling of the cave, within a few hours a chemical reaction takes place, saliva crystallizes, and the threads in the tape are pulled, the trap is ready. As soon as the victim touches the tape. The fragile crystal cracks, turning into blades attached to a tourniquet. The tape comes off the stone and shortens sharply. Crystals bite into the victim, the tape pulls it to the ceiling while twisting. If the prey is large, then it gets entangled in the tape and dies, if the small one simply cuts it in half. As a rule, hundreds of weavers sit in large caves and tunnels. So the ship can get stuck in the ribbons, such cases have happened more than once.”

Cap chuckled. The Bolt flushed a little.

  “Naturalist Notes! I understood everything, thanks. Bolt, you know this from your own experience!”  GAK chuckled. “ How did you get out?”

 “He called the rescuers!”  Cap interrupted.

  “This is how funny stories about hunting are born. We will not check the strength of the tapes and risk the ship. Rescuers will not come to us. So go on foot. I'll give  an hour to get ready.”

 "Okay Boss!"

The weapons room was located on the lower deck with access to the troop compartment. The soldiers slowly put on their armor, checked the guidance systems and laid down the ammunition.

  “I see that you inattentively read what I wrote for you!”  Cap said displeased. “ We don't take heavy and beam weapons. Grenades too. Only the accelerator MM-3 and who can carry how much ammunition. Phill, Sam, put on the MAA armor. By the way, you Sam can take two installations at once.”

  “Yes, we read it! Why can't you take beam weapons?”

  “I’ll explain so that you don’t ask me later. There used to be ore mines on this planet. I don't want pieces of molten rock to fall on us after every shot. Everyone understands!”

  Dara entered the weapons room. "I remind everyone that this planet has a closed ecosystem, so don't take off your helmet. I'll check everyone. The way home will be in the cargo hold. Quarantined!"

  After everyone was ready, the ship descended closer to the surface. Dara did not land the ship, as a cloud of fine sand and dust hung in the air from the operation of the landing engines. There could be dangerous insects in the sand. The landing hatch opened and ropes descended to the ground.

  "Good luck! I hope that you will succeed."

  "We'll be back soon!"

  Six people descended the ropes to the surface. As soon as the ship took off and the cloud of sand and dust dissipated, the soldiers moved towards the ruins. This place looked like an elongated square, along the edges of which there were columns with inscriptions in the language of the ancient pilgrims. The square ended with a staircase leading to the upper layer of the stone plateau, behind it was the next wide stone belt, towering a hundred meters and stretching in both directions to the horizon. This belt had a large portal with inscriptions. There was a narrow and dark passage at the base.

  “Cap, is don't like these ruins! What is written there?”

  “I have no idea! This is the old pilgrim language. The ruins are at least 400 years old.”

  “Ask Sam, he must know the language.”  responded Gak

  “What does it say Sam?”

  “I understand oral speech, as for writing, I do not know the meaning of many symbols.”

  “By the way, Sam, where did you learn the old Pilgrim language?” Cap asked.

  “There are many places in the galaxy where the old way is still spoken and written. When I worked in the cargo port on Alma, people flew in and somehow had to talk, imperceptibly I began to understand the old language.”

  The squad climbed the stairs and stopped before entering the portal. The entrance was narrow with a high ceiling and it was very dark inside. Cap unpacked the drone he took from the client.

  “Dave. Connect to the drone and scan the tunnel. We will leave some of the equipment here, at the entrance.” Cap commanded.

  Dave activated recon drone. He rose a meter from the ground and flew into the depths of the tunnel. The others at this time laid down their equipment against the wall of the portal.

  “The drone detected several targets.”

  “These are weavers, it's okay, we will quickly deal with them.” Cap reacted.

  “The meat of the weavers, the noble delicacy!”

  "Bolt, If he doesn't eat you first." Cap added and addressed everyone. "Moving forward! Sam walks in front, then Dave, Phil brings up the rear."

  All in turn entered the tunnel and disappeared into the darkness.