Part 2[spoiler] So if a seal was ever broken, the occupant of the suit was saved from the immense cold by freezing faster than the environment could, and saved from the immense pressure of the ocean's weight and the toxic atmosphere of Tarkaven. But getting the liquid into one's lungs was tricky. It had to be injected very carefully into the lungs via machine, and throughout the procedure, one often panicked in their breathing, only slowing things down. It was here that Brendus had shown Davidson a nifty trick. Take a deep breath of air, plug your nose, and let the needle do its work. As you exhaled slowly, the liquid went in easier and bonded faster, preventing more issues. Davidson spoke in his water filled suit, which was translated from gibberish and bubbles, to a headpiece that was in one ear that played back his voice in a normal tone to Brendus. "Hey, Brendus, where are you from?" "Aye, I came from some wee little backwater world." "That where you started mining?" "Aye. Grew up on a rocky 2G world. Taught by the natives there when I was a wee boy." "I didn't know people could be born on such heavy worlds like that. You must feel pretty damn strong here." "Aye. Feel like I could move a bloody mountain." "I wouldn't doubt it. By the way, thanks for all the help." "S' no problem lad. Me mum always said to help those in need. Starting out on a job like this, from a city boy world like yours, s' tough. But ye'll get the hang of it." Brendus stopped his loader, and spoke into the comms. "Aye laddy, lunch time! Get yer silly straws out, cause that's all we can eat in a big bucket like this one!" The man laughed heartily as Davidson powered down his lance and walked over to the loader as Brendus climbed out. Two Weeks Later Davidson sat on the ice field on his break, staring out to the sky up above, taking in the view of the evening sky. Genlaic was high in the sky, and the dim blue sun was going down on the horizon. The last light shined on the green-blue clouds, tinged with the red-orange bands that formed on Genlaic. Behind him sat the orbital elevator which extended all the way up into space, and the home base on the only decently large landmass in the area. A few miles away, he could make out the foliage of the hardy alien plant life that managed to grow here. Behind him, he heard the steps of Brendus's suit on the ice, as the man came over and sat down next to him. "Aye, 'S really something right? I'd live here if I could." Davidson pointed to the patch of alien forest off in the distance. "Well, if you walk that way for a few hundred kilometers, you'll find the old colony still there. Think you'd give it a shot?" Brendus laughed. "Aye, that I would. But I'd do it the right way. Not like those poor bloody sods who landed here first." Brendus suddenly patted Davidson on the shoulder, the metal clanging together loudly. "Aye, must say, you've impressed me lad. Didn't think you'd hold out for so long on the job. Now that yer used to it, it'll get easier from here." "Thanks. If it wasn't for the fact that we need the money, I'd've thrown the towel in a while back." Brendus nodded from beneath his suit. "Aye, saw yer wee ones last night. They look something special. And yer wife looks like a sweet thing. I'd work here for them too." "You got any family back home?" "Aye, that I don't. I don't have a home." "What happened?" "Me home world was destroyed by its star. Damn thing went nova. Nobody knew what was comin'. "I'm sorry to hear that." "Aye, no troubles laddy. Happened a long time ago. If there's one thing about time, if you give a man enough of it, after a while, he'll start to feel better. Besides. I bet me mum cursed that blasted thing all the way up until the end. Probably gave it her thoughts on the matter quite well." Davidson laughed at the thought. As did Brendus. The two stayed there for some time, watching the last dim rays of light go down on the alien horizon, before they got up and headed back to base. 3 Months Later Davidson held his lance steady as he continued to cut more ice out, as all around him, crystalized lightening fell from the sky, sending small ice crystals everywhere. It panged harmlessly off his suit, but was somewhat of a distraction as he worked. The winds were roaring, and Brendus was having a hard time in the grappler as well, having to make sure everything was stabilized before he made any moves. The sky was a very dark blue and green, as flashes went off, and were then followed by tremendous booms followed by more ice. Davidson had to admit, as beautiful as these storms were, they made working conditions a little bit difficult. There was no harm to equipment out here as the lightening became crystalized too fast for any damage to take place, but with the high winds and constant stream of green-blue crystals, it was still challenging. Brendus was in the middle of hauling an ice cube up from the ice around it, when an immense boom sounded out above them, followed by a hell of a lot of crystals. Brendus swore over the comms. "Aye, bloody hell that was a whopper of a sound!" "You sure that won't cause any problems? I mean that was damn loud!" "Aye laddy, the machine back home covered this. We should be right as rain, or ice, in this case!" Brendus laughed once more, and then, suddenly another massive wave of thunder rolled over them, and the ground shook under Davidson's feet. Davidson looked at his feet, and saw a massive crack in the ice, passing alongside him. He spoke into his comms. "Brendus, I think we've got a problem here. The ice is cracking!" "Aye laddy you ain't pullin' me leg are ye?" "Not for this, no way!" Another massive wave of thunder and crystals, and the fracture spread alarmingly over and across Brendus's grappler. Davidson practically stared into the abyss as the fracture slowly widened, with no end in sight to the darkness below. "Brendus, you'd better get your ass out of that grappler now!" "Aye laddy, here I-" Another wave of thunder, and suddenly, the ice split. With a massive, earth shaking sound, the ice heaved and groaned, and finally broke, shifting titanically. Davidson felt a sense of vertigo as his view of the grappler was lost and he found it rising up into the air. Or was he sinking? At the worst of times, another clap of thunder, and Davidson saw the grappler tilt over the edge of the ice, leaning towards him. Davidson had already dropped what he was doing, and began running without looking behind him, when another tremor was felt, and he was sent slipping out of control on the massive ice plate he was on that was now sinking. Huge chunks of ice came crashing down behind him as lightening flashed and crystalized, and then there was an enormous crash as the grappler impacted on the ice behind him, and suddenly, the plate that he was on split apart and fractured. Davidson was looking into the blackness of eternity as a crag spread past him and rapidly grew in size. He shuffled backwards frantically, when all of a sudden, he was pinned. He turned his head, desperately trying to see what it was, and found the grappler's crane arm, laying against his back. He called out to his comms frantically. "Brendus, I need help! I'm trapped here! I'm gonna die!" There was nothing on the comms, as the ice around Davidson cracked and shifted, groaning from the pressure as the massive wall of ice that was advancing over top of him was threatening to engulf his smaller plate. His suit was durable, but not that durable. Brendus's voice came over the comms once more. "Aye, hang in there laddy, I'm comin for ya!" Davidson looked up, and saw Brendus leap from the towering mountain of ice above him, and come crashing down into the ice. Brendus impacted onto the ice like the heavy man he was, covered and protected by his bright yellow mining suit, but came sprinting over quickly. He stopped by Davidson, and looked at the crane arm. Davidson noted that the ice was cracking rapidly under him from the weight of the grappler. "Aye, called for help laddy, but we need to move now! Looks like ye don't got a choice!" Brendus made the motion of his hands as if he'd just spit in them, and gripped the frame of the grappler's crane. "Brendus what are you doing!?" "Aye kiddo, savin' yer life! Time to move me a mountain! Born on a 2G world, living on a world that's one quarter away from being 1G! Aye, I've got this!" Brendus got down low and strained with all his might, lifting with his legs and arms. Davidson watched as Brendus was actually doing it, struggling, but he was actually moving the crane. "Aye, come on you wee son of a bitch!" Thunder rolled over them once more, and Brendus was visibly shaking as he lifted the crane's arm up. Davidson struggled to move, but it wasn't enough. "Come on Brendus, a little bit more!" Brendus gave it his all, and Davidson heard the metal groan and strain as Brendus gripped it tightly. But Davidson caught the cracks in the ice around them, and watched as Brendus was struggling. He spoke into his comms.[/spoiler]