The Great War • Hunter

53.Ipsium

"According to Cid's coordinates, this is the mine she purchased." Tech declared, his datapad beeping to show that they had arrived.

Alona squinted at the large round metal door surrounded by the orange rock that made up the entire planet.

"And we're supposed to do...what?" Omega asked, her usual excited tone nowhere to be found, replaced with a more monotonous one. Alona knew the blonde felt that the mission was weird to do without Echo, and she was nowhere near as excited for these adventures anymore.

"Excavate the site for ipsium. It is tremendously valuable when refined. However, in its raw state, the mineral is highly combustible like a primed thermal detonator." Tech explained, dusting off the panel to the round door.

"Sounds dangerous." Wrecker chimed.

"When has Cid sent us on a mission that isn't?" Alona hummed, looking up at Wrecker with a smirk.

Tech unlocked the door and it began making a screeching sound as its old hinges moved and opened up to reveal a long, dark mine. And then a storm crackles in the distance, drawing their attention. It looked like some kind of dust storm, definitely not rain. But thunder rumbled from it.

Hunter knelt down and ran his fingers through the dirt.

Tech and Wrecker walked up behind him. "Problem?" The google-wearing clone asked.

Hunter shook his head. "The storm's moving away from us. We should be fine." He determined, standing back up. "Tech, Wrecker, we'll mine the ipsium. Alona, Omega, you guys are on lookout."

Alona nodded, stationing herself a few feet from Omega, keeping her back to the mine. The guys went off to look for the ipsium, their voices echoing against the rock walls.

Omega sat down with her legs crossed, picking up a rock and throwing it over the ledge of the mountain. She made her boredom clear when she let out a long sigh.

Without saying a word, Alona lifted one of the small rocks and made it float over to Omega, who held out her palm and waited for it to fall into her hand.

"How far can you throw that one?" Alona asked, raising an eyebrow at Omega.

The blonde grinned and stood up, tossing the rock up into the air and catching it before bringing her arm back and launching it as hard as she could. It took a few minutes for the rock to reach the bottom of the mountain and send an echo all the way up to where the girls stood.

Wrecker's voice was heard from all the way outside the mine. "I'm too big, I don't fit in the hole!"

Alona fears her mind may just be a little too dirty as she hides a laugh from Omega.

Wrecker's giggle traveled out as he said, "Oh, wait..that's kinda..." and apparently his mind was just as dirty.

Seconds later, Alona's comm beeped. "Alona, you're swapping places with Wrecker." Tech's voice chimed, and in the background she could hear more of Wrecker's giggles and Hunter telling him off, but even he sounded slightly amused.

"See you in a second." Alona replied, turning towards the mine and stepping up inside of it.

Wrecker was still laughing when they crossed paths, one heading in and the other out.

When Alona reached Hunter and Tech, they immediately gestured to the small glow of what she assumed was ipsium, and it indeed was in a hole too small for Wrecker to fit. "How do I do this?" Alona asked, turning to Tech.

"Drill into the fossilized quartz until you reach the active ipsium inside. But you must be precise. If the mineral becomes compromised during the retrieval it will cause a chain reaction resulting in an explosion." Tech explained quickly, handing Alona the drill.