Celestial Gauntlet

Rocks everywhere. The Destiny was ducking and weaving through the asteroid belts surrounding Tay’s distress signal with the elegance of a trained dancer despite the massive difference in builds. Tonnes of metal flowing through the debris as water through a hillside, eventually reaching its terminus.
“The signal is being emitted from the planetoid ahead. Classification VHO-01, known locally as ‘Dekk Rekkarvik’ or ‘The Armless Cave’. Named after its sole settlement of the same name.” Destiny paused. “Hmm. Not much to go on… Looks like there’s a bar.”
“A bar? Is that all we know? Why would Tay come out here for a drink?” Char turned in her chair.
“Bars are a popular place to meet people, perhaps she was following a lead? Or maybe she was in the system, got captured and the bar was the best place to hold her captive…” Lore continued listing possibilities, each more outlandish and darker than the last.
“I’m sure she’s fine.” Char held out her hand for Lores. “She’s got a good head on her shoulders and I’m sure her parents taught her a thing or two about keeping safe.”
“Yeah…” Lore took Char’s offer. “I think she said she had family in the military so maybe…” Lore gave a nervous smile.
Destiny made her way through the last few rocks in her way and began a careful descent towards Dekk Rekkarvik. The asteroid was surrounded by a thin forcefield, programmed to allow ships and personnel in and out while retaining an atmosphere and comfortable temperature. The majority of the asteroids surface was covered in patrons’ ships which surrounded the shanty town the locals called the Bar. Now on the ground, Lore, Char and Destiny began the long walk to Dekk Rekkarvik. While they could logically assume that the ships that surrounded them were all space-worthy, none of the party would be willing to take that risk. More of a junkyard than a parking area, Destiny was understandably uneasy. Not twenty-five meters from their starting point, she decided to turn back leaving Lore and Char to negotiate a way through the unknown to the bar. Rusting hulks littered with blaster damage and asteroid scars towered around them as they neared their destination. Despite the unruly nature to most of the patrons parking, a form of order had emerged; be it by coincidence or fear, the closer they got to the entrance, the larger and more well-armed the ships became, with the exception of The Destiny whose relative youth and Quatarrian/Human weaponry could likely outclass most of the other guests. From orbit, the settlement looked no bigger than any other tavern or public house they had visited but on foot, and closer to the ships that surrounded it, it became apparent that their task just got harder. Before them, a building the size of a city sunk slightly into the asteroids surface. While the majority of the surface building was exposed, their target, a second entry way was built into the side of a nearby hill. The external airlock hung slightly open which triggered the first red flag. A second flew when Lore closed the outer bulkhead to reveal a century’s worth of rust and weathering. Thankfully, the airlocks efficiency was not a concern owing to the same breathable atmosphere being present both within and outside of Dekk Rekkarvik but for a moment, it had Lore worried. Passing through the airlock they walked through a familiar walkway. There was light further down the passage, but something drew Lore’s eye. Branching off for just a few metres, a second tunnel. Although it didn’t end there, a boulder obstructed their path. At its base, a patch of weathered rock and on the wall adjacent, a small yet complex rune. Lore ran their hand over it and the puddle of browned rock. Standing, they noticed a sign. Most of it was written in the local language but there was a translation of sorts at the bottom. ‘The Last Human on this rock lost an arm for their stupidity. They fought a good fight and died an honourable death. Should you understand this, may you hope to follow his example.’
“Warming.” Char flashed a nervous grin. “I think I remember the story. One of your people, a time traveller, came here to investigate ‘strange new cultures’ and ended up getting in a fight with the locals. They chased him for seven nights and days before cornering him here, back when this was a full planet. Legend says, the human hid in this cave where he was trapped under this boulder and had to cut off his own arm. Apparently, he went down fighting. Took a whole squad of Emraeh soldiers down with him.”
“I’m guessing he’s also the reason humans aren’t welcome.” Lore stepped away from the boulder.
“That and what the rest of the guild tried to do. The human came after the guild to stop them, hence why he’s the only human with a grave in this part of space. Humanity has built itself a strange reputation in the rim worlds. Fear and hatred from the actions of the few.”
Lore nodded solemnly before moving on. It was damp as they travelled deeper into the cave’s bowels. Going off of the external view, they had expected the cave aesthetic to quickly merge into a grungier metal box but as their journey lengthened, it seemed less plausible. The orange glow they were chasing grew ever the more intense until they reached the cave’s mouth. Suspended over the void, a city on chains. A single bridge lead in and out. Lore turned to Char with wide eyes.
“I’ve been here before.” They checked their Breacher. “This is where I woke up, almost when I woke up too.”
“Before or after?” Char started to look worried too.
“After. I remember checking my Breacher a lot that day, I left with Crait around an hour ago.” Lore twitched.
“Shame, might have been fun to see you bump into yourself.” Lore stared at Char as if she had stabbed them. “What, it was a joke.”
Lore shook it off and retraced their steps. The bridge wobbled and shook as they put one foot in front of the other. Of all the places, they hadn’t even considered they would be returning here. It made them think of all the possibilities, if they had headed in the opposite direction, would they have met Char, would they have been able to leave, would they have even survived? Lost in their thoughts, they had little extra thought to focus on the abyss below and the thin wooden planks that separated them. It was just as they remembered which was reassuring as only an hour had actually passed. Little had changed save the crowds thinning ever so slightly.
“This whole area is very anti-human, so I doubt we’ll get much from them but further down there are some more accepting places. Might be a good place to start looking.”
“Anti-human.” Char looked herself up and down. “I think I might try my luck.” She sauntered towards a nearby vendor. As if an instinct, his helmet’s visor clouded, masking his face. She spoke to him in the native tongue and after a pause, he raised his hand and pointed to the area Lore had highlighted. Paths Trodden.