When they entered the cave, nothing but darkness surrounded them. The inky blackness engulfed every single crew member as soon as they took a few steps into the cave.

"I can't see a thing!" complained Solomon.

"Moonwood, watch your step, please. That was my foot, not a stone," came an annoyed voice filled with pain from Cari. Moonwood apologised in response.

"Naw, naw, what do we have our helmet lights for?" inquired Captain Narson jokingly. "All right everyone, lights on!"

Five glistening beams of light broke through the darkness and enlightened the walls of the cave.

At first glance, the cave appeared normal, like any other of its kind, except for the consuming darkness.

But when Commander Cari moved closer, he discovered that the walls were blue. The rock was the same blue as the sand and rock formations on the surface. The darkness must have swallowed the colour completely. In the light of his lamp, the rock began to twinkle. It seemed to him as if there were a thousand tiny micro-diamonds in it. 

As they progressed further into the cave, they could observe that the tunnel-like cave was getting wetter and colder. They saw stalactites hanging from the ceiling, growing larger and larger as they moved further and further. Small streams of water ran through the cave floor and around their feet. Puddles formed again and again in depressions and every now and then, the splashing sound of their footsteps echoed through the tunnel of the cave. Drops gathered on their helmets and sporadically ran in thin streams over their glass, breath-misted visors. Small and larger moss-like plants withgoblet-shaped blossoms grew here and there on the walls. Illuminated by thelight of their lamps, they also seemed to fluoresce.

Admiral Solomon was not at all comfortable in this darkness, and he was not the only one. Everyone felt uncomfortable. Not only because of the darkness, but because everyone had the same disturbing questions in their minds. Questions like, was our decision right? Will we ever find our way back to our ship? Are we on the right track? How long have we been in this tunnel-like cave and when will it end so that we can finally get out of this goddamn darkness?

No one spoke these questions aloud. It wouldn't have done any good either, because no one knew the answers that would have given everyone so much more peace in this worrisome darkness.

Captain Narson was aware of one thing, however. If they did not reach the centre of the cave soon, they would have to turn back. For they would soon have to find a safe place to rest and that was out of the question in this damp and cold place. Not a hundred metres after he had formed this thought, the cave passage suddenly widened. What they saw was breathtaking. 

A large, stretching, even lake lay in front of their feet. How big and how far, none of the crew could see with just their bare eyes. The other shores of the lake could not be seen, as it was swallowed up again by the deep blackness of darkness after only ten metres. The depth of the lake could only be guessed at by merely looking at it.

As Captain Narson stepped closer, he could see that the water on the shore was quite shallow. His eyes flew over the clear, drab surface, inwhich the large stalactites of the ceiling were reflected. He then realised that the water was getting deeper by the metre. The bottom of the lake must also be dropping further and further. But how far was impossible to see. He ruled out crossing the lake. It would be far too dangerous. They could not swim with their heavy protective suits they would drown if the lake was too deep. It was also not excluded that one could cut oneself on sharp stones underwater or that dangerous animals lived in this lake. And no one needed any more scares or serious injuries. But maybe they could walk around the lake. The only question is, would his crew still be able to withstand it?

"Gather crew, now!" he shouted over his shoulder, trying to think of what they would do next. 

Scanning each dark silhouette that gathered around the captain, he began to speak.

"So ... I know we are all very exhausted and longing for rest and a good dose of sleep, but we seem to be in the middle of this cave. I suppose we have crossed half of it and should cross the other half at the same time. My suggestion would be that we all gather our existing strength again and ... Wait! Where is the Commander?"

"I don't know ...," Solomon said. "The last time I saw that wacky geologist was when he was apparently having a hot flirtation with a stone wall. I wouldn't even look at my wife as spellbound as he was looking at that wall."

"What wife?" interjected Moonwood with amusement, to which Solomon gave him a deadly look.

"So, Commander Cari is still in the tunnel?" asked Narson anxiously.

"No, he can't be," said Lieutenant Rathaline. "It's true what Solomon said, he was at the wall, but he caught up with us only a little later and passed us by. I thought you noticed him Captain?" There was concern in her voice too.

Shortly afterwards, their worried voices echoed through the massive walls of the cave, calling for their Commander.

"What are you making such a racket about?" Commander Cari's voice sounded suddenly, and he stepped out of the darkness. His face had taken on a questioning expression and in his hands, he held, in the one hand, one of his special tools for taking samples and, in the other, several cylindrical sample jars.

Captain Narson's heart was lifted. He stepped up to his Commander and put his hand on his Commanders shoulder.

"Cari, it's good to see you. We thought we had lost you. But tell me, where have you been all this time?"

"I was collecting samples, of course," he answered with pride while joyfully holding his sample jars in the air for all to see. "These samples are astonishing, unique I bet."

"And I found something else. I have to show you. Come on, follow me." With a wave of his hand, he invited them to follow.

The others followed immediately; he had indeed aroused their curiosity.

They walked a little way around the lake until they came upon a spot where the cave was suddenly a little illuminated, and this without the help of their helmet lamps.

The light seemed to come from the lake.

Cari had already knelt down at the source of the light on the shore of the lake and nodded to the others to come closer. They stepped closer and looked over Cari's shoulder into the lake.

The light was coming from a crystal-like stone lying at the bottom of the lake, shimmering brightly.

"I tried to get him out, but he's kind of stuck. I'm not strong enough. So, could one of you maybe help me, please?"

"No, I'm not asking you to play my mother and get my toy back. I most certainly do not. I am asking you to help me secure a sample that could be important not only to me, to you or to the crew, but possibly to all remaining humanity. As you have noticed, this „rock", as you call it, glows all by itself, which means that it may contain some kind of energy, or at least a life form that produces energy in the form of light. And you must know about the energy resources on our planet, don't you? You're from Sector 12, so I'm sure you've seen the effects of the resource shortage with your own eyes."

"I have not only seen it with my own eyes, I have experienced it with my own body," Solomon interrupted in a voice torn with pain, tears gathering in his eyes.

"Good, then I certainly don't need to explain to you what it would mean if there was a form of energy in this ‚rock' that could save us all. And please do me the favour of using your brain first next time before you open your mouth. So now would you do me the favour of playing my mother or do you still think this is bonkers."

Reluctantly, Solomon knelt on the shore and dipped his hand into the ice-cold water. But he had no more arguments not to do it. For better or worse, he had to admit that the commander was right and that it would be best to take this stone out of the water and examine it as a possible chance for their future.

His strong hand gripped the stone, which felt exceptionally warm.

"Be careful, Admiral. Don't break it," the commander warned him from aside.

„I take care Commander. You can count on that."

With slow yet powerful movements, Solomon managed to loosen the stone and then pull it out of the ground with a final jerk. Forcefully, he toppled backwards, clutching the stone tightly in his hand.

He straightened up again and handed the stone to Cari with an outstretched arm. As Cari reached for it, Solomon clutched it again with his fingers so that it was protected from Cari's grip.

"Pay close attention, if this really is a solution to our problems, this stone means hope. Our last hope. We must not lose it. Not under any circumstances."

Then he opened his fingers again. The stone was now in his open hand. Cari took it and secured it in his pocket along with his other samples.

Captain Narson stepped forward and raised his voice.

"Good, now that we have the stone, maybe we should talk again about how to proceed. I had suggested-" he didn't get any further, because somehow he had lost his foothold and was now lying face down on the stony ground. The other crew members had also been surprised by the sudden earth tremor.

A long crack ran across Captain Narson's visor, but he had no time to repair it or to worry about it, because only a few seconds later the first stalactites broke loose and fell onto the ground and the crew lying there.  

They missed by only a few centimetres and so, after a brief moment of shock, the crew took their chance and ran into the next tunnel.

"Well, I guess the decision was taken away from us," Narson thought, a little relieved at the thought that there would probably have been another argument, "I just hope everyone holds out."

They crossed the tunnel as fast as their tired legs could still carry them. The only thing they could still cling to was the hope of soon seeing light at the end of the tunnel. 

Behind them the tunnel was crumbling and collapsing piece by piece.

Whenever Lieutenant Rathaline looked behind, a part of the cave was once again buried. She was sure that soon they would be buried too.

She had definitely made the wrong decision. She should have listened to Solomon. How could she have been so stupid? They were going to die.

All these thoughts were running through her head when suddenly she could see a small light ahead of her.

It was still far away, but seemed to get closer and bigger with every step she took.

After another five hundred metres, she was sure it was the cave exit. They might have been lucky after all if they all made it out in time.