Orion and Marchus rested at the forward base camp, comfortable but alert. The location had been established as a staging area for colonies making forays deeper into the ring, or to take the injured after they inevitably clashed with one of the hostile volcanics, but it was also a good place to simply sit and regain one's breath. The hot air of the deepest ring quickly exhausted even the strongest of colonists. Orion's feet were stained black with ash, and she irritably wiped at them with a rag. Marchus's feet were in a similar condition, but he ignored the grime in favor of gazing down the length of the main tunnel. They might be called upon for another mission soon.

Just then, their shared comms unit lit up with an incoming call. Orion checked it, then slid it in Marchus's direction. "For you," she said simply, and returned to cleaning her feet.

He picked up the call, and Sagitta's face appeared on screen. "I don't want to alarm you," she said without preamble, and Marchus's ear twitched, concerned, "but Journey's been missing for a bit. Probably ran off again to visit another colony or go camping. We're doing a search up here, but I thought you'd want to know."

Orion looked over as her granddaughter was mentioned, and Marchus straightened at the news that his daughter was missing. The teenage tsabhua was known to be reckless and impulsive, and it wasn't the first time she'd worried her relatives by going missing. Marchus sighed, knowing he'd have to give Journey a stern talk when she was found. "Thank you for the information," he grumbled. "Let me know if there's any updates?" Sagitta nodded, and the call closed.

Orion snorted. "Troublesome one," she commented.

"Hm. Sure is. Bet she'll have a lot of stories someday," was Marchus's reply, and they returned to their respective tasks.

A tan belemoid trotted into the base camp area, looking uncertain. Orion and Marchus were the first colonists she spotted, and she immediately hurried over to them. "Hey, um, I was just exploring one of the side tunnels, and I think I saw an adolescent tsabhua? I didn't get a good look, they were very dark-colored, but I saw movement and-"

Orion abruptly got to her feet, cutting the belemoid off. "A young, dark-colored tsabhua?" she confirmed.

"Y-Yes."

She shared a glance with Marchus, whose ears had gone flat. Journey could be reckless, but could she have possibly…? Orion turned back to the belemoid. "Where?" she demanded, and the other colonist pointed.

"The side tunnel, about 40 meters down and to the left."

Marchus was already standing up, reaching for his blaster. "Thanks. We'll handle it," he told her, his words curt but not cold. There was a chance the tsabhua wasn't Journey, but the description and timing were too coincidental. And if it wasn't her, then it was too dangerous for a juvenile tsabhua to be down here, anyway.

The pair made their way down the tunnel at a brisk pace, the heat growing as they ventured deeper into the ring. The side passage that had been pointed out to them was one of the larger ones, jagged with cracked stone that seeped steam. They had to pick their way carefully across a fractured floor. For a time, the only sounds were their footfalls and the soft hiss of escaping steam. They peered into every crack wide enough for a tsabhua to fit into, unsure where the missing teen had gone.

Then: a scream. Marchus jolted. The voice was familiar, but held a panicked, pained tone that no parent ever wanted to hear. He raced in its direction, heedless of patches of hot stone that he previously would have avoided. Orion followed.

Around a bend in the tunnel, and then: a massive volcanic, her jaws locked around the arm of a much smaller tsabhua. Orion and Marchus recognized both at once. Journey had indeed ventured into the dangerous Crimson Inferno, and run afoul of Hella, the volcanic that the pair had previously been sent to fight. A bandage stained with blood marked where they had injured her, but she did not seem slowed.

Journey screamed again and Marchus snarled, lifting his blaster and firing several times without hesitation. Hella dropped her victim and turned, hissing at the sudden attack. "Keep her occupied," he snapped at Orion, then rushed forward.

Hella's eyes narrowed as she recognized the pair that were joining the fight. "You," she bellowed, "I'll bury you for that cowardly attack! Face me properly!" She lunged for Marchus, but Orion opened fire, forcing her to take cover behind collapsed stones. Journey scrambled away from the volcanic, into Marchus's arms. Claw marks tore her skin, and her bitten arm bled freely. She hissed as he pressed a hand to it, attempting to slow the bleeding. For just an instant, he turned a rage-filled gaze on Hella.

"You're the coward, for attacking a child," he said, and began to pull Journey away, back toward Orion.

Hella glared back. "Trespassers, all, no matter the age," she snarled in reply, then hesitated. "I did not know she was a child."

Marchus bared his fangs, supporting his daughter as she leaned against him. They backed away, but as Orion paused in her shooting to let the blaster cool, Hella leapt from her cover. Marchus reared up; tsabhua did not rise onto their hind legs often, but their front claws were the largest and strongest they possessed. These he raked down toward Hella's face, forcing her back. As Orion's blaster cooled enough for her to begin firing again, Hella roared in frustration, unable to find an opening between the pair's combined efforts.

Soon Marchus and Journey were level with Orion, and Hella glared from her spot in cover. With a final few parting shots, the trio made their getaway.