A: Human, we found an abandoned mineshaft! (cracks flare)
B: Dumb question, what were they mining down there?
A: (pulls out data pad) umm records says... they were harvesting a resource called petroleum. Why?
B: No reason. Imma go fire up the ship... -- Anon Guest
[AN: This seems very erroneous. On multiple levels]
There are reasons why graveworlds are graveworlds, and many of them do not leave the infrastructure intact. Well. Intact except for a fine layer of carbon. Everything organic was long gone, but all of the buildings and machines were still in near-perfect condition.
And every city had a mineshaft.
They were able to decant the records into the main system, but translating from the local dialect took time. That was why Barb was extra skittish about investigating anything dark and deep. She held the flare given to her by Aude, but waited for more data.
"Smells weird," said Barb. "Do we know what they were mining down there?"
"This can't be right," mumbled Aude, running through variations. "It says they were mining... tar... sands. That is ridiculous."
Before ze could protest further, Barb yelped a curse and chucked the flare as far away as her body would allow. "Tar sands," she yelled. "Tar sands. Are you flakkin' kidding me?"
"I know. It sounds so ridiculous. How can such a thing possibly exist?
The flare landed near a vent covered in weeds. There was a soft 'fwoomph' and a bright plume of flame.
"DUCK AND COVER!" Barb tackled Aude, holding hir
firm in one arm and bolting for the shadow of the nearest structure.
The next noise was what could be called an Earth-shattering kaboom. If this was Earth. A moment of heat and light and a stifling lack of oxygen in the surrounding atmosphere.
They'd have been in big trouble if they didn't have their livesuits on[1].
When their hearing returned, Aude squawked, "What the [UNPLEASANT AFTERLIFE] was that?"
"Inflammable gas," said Barb. "Tar sands are a deposit of long-chain petrochemicals and silicon grains. Leave them exposed too long, and you get volatile gasses."
"Big bada-boom?" guessed Aude.
"Flakkin' big bada-boom."
[1] First rule of exploring graveworlds - do not remove the PPE unless there is no doubt remaining that what killed that world will not also kill you.
[Photo by Dimitry B on Unsplash]
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