I breached the surface of the Lost River two minutes ago. The brinefalls are yellow and poisonous. My Prawn’s left arm is damaged. Hull integrity at 18%.

My own voice. From yesterday, when I ran out of salted peepers.

I have thirty seconds of oxygen if I eject. Thirty seconds to swim to my emergency air pump.

I cut the Prawn’s thrusters and drifted. In the dark, something massive shifted. A silhouette that absorbed light instead of reflecting it. It had arms—too many arms—folded like a broken spider. Where its face should be, there was a spiraling shell of chitin, like a nautilus that evolved to hunt hunters.

Biome: The Craters Edge (Emergency Stop)

“Welcome aboard, Captain. All systems online.”

I don’t know if this is a new species added in the stability patch. I don’t know if the planet is finally digesting me. All I know is the water is getting warmer. And the singing is getting closer.