I tried to help out some miners

I was drifting near Hurston in my cutter. The Good Time Haul parked I was parked at Everus Harbor, when global chat lit up. Some rock-kickers claiming they’d hit a fat hadanite vein and needed a crate runner. Sounded simple enough. I grabbed an empty container from the hold, suited up, and dropped planetside. Helmet on, doors locked behind me like the old rules say.

RAVI  chimed in. “Captain, LZ coordinates locked. Exterior hatch secured. Life support nominal. Awaiting your return.”

The sinkhole was bigger than expected—massive drop into uncharted dark. I climbed down careful, flashlight cutting through the dust and shadows, calling out every few meters. No response. Just dripping water and the echo of my boots. Deeper in, the air got thicker, red-tinged pools reflecting the beam.

I kept moving. Figured they might be further back or low on comms.

Flashlight finally caught movement—or what I thought was movement—in a pool at the bottom. Two bodies. Naked. Floating face-down against the rocks, already stiff. No suits, no gear, no signs of the miners who made the call. Just dead players dumped like trash.

My stomach turned. Not fear exactly—more that cold veteran feeling when the op profile changes without warning. No blood in the water, no fresh wounds visible, but I wasn’t sticking around to run forensics.

I didn’t ask questions. Grabbed what loose hadenite I could see nearby, stuffed it in the crate, and started backtracking fast. Every shadow looked wrong now. Kept the rifle up, scanning corners, whispering to myself they were already dead when I arrived. The climb out felt longer than the way in.

RAVI chimed as I cleared the lip. “Captain, ship systems remain green. Exterior sensors clear. Do you require medical scan upon return?”

I gave the short version. He acknowledged without pause. “Understood, Captain. Cargo ramp prepped for secure transfer.”

Back aboard, I stowed the gear, sealed the crate in the hold, and crack a Lux. Sat there processing the weirdness while the ship’s hum filled the silence. RAVI ran a passive diagnostic sweep. “Captain, minor atmospheric contaminants detected on suit. Decontamination cycle recommended. Hadanite mass logged for station sale. I will update you with UEX pricing when it comes back”

Sold the small haul later for decent aUEC. 

It wasn’t. Just another reminder that some calls in the ‘verse aren’t what they broadcast to be. Now I'm wondering who’d sent the message… and why.