Selene awoke to the warm sunlight shining on her threw the window the next day. Mordecai was still clinging to her, his dreads everywhere and his mouth slightly open. Selene smiled at the sight of him sleeping. He seemed so soft and peaceful.

Selene got up and sliped into her panties and her tank top. Her giant skag pet was curled up in front of the door snoring and Bloodwing was perched on top of him sleeping too. She smiled and walked over to the window. Tundra Express was kind of pretty in the morning, even if it was snowing.

A few moments later, Mordecai came out of the bedroom in nothing but his cargos and walked up behind Selene, placing his hands on her hips and kissed her behind the ear. "Good morning," he whispered as he nuzzled around in her hair.

Selene giggled and turned to face him. "Good morning, Mordecai," she said softly. "I have to get going soon."

Mordecai groaned, "No you don't." He sighed, "Just stay here…"

"You know I can't. I need to get back to Hammerlock."

"No, you can just stay here…"

Selene laughed, "you will see me again, I promise." Mordecai kissed her passionately once more before letting her and Itus out to be on their way back. He watched her from his tower the entire walk to the fast travel station with his rifle at the ready just in case anything even looked at her the wrong way. Bloodwing perched on his shoulder and chirped softly as he pecked at his ear. "Ah, Blood…" Mordecai sighed, "You're still my everything, bud." Bloodwing squawked and flapped his wings happily.


"How long are you going to be gone for?" Mordecai sounded just short of devastated when Selene told him she had to go on another field mission with Hammerlock. "Who's gunna protect you?"

"Mordecai, I'll be fine!" Selene said, grabbing the ammo she bought from the vender. "Ill only be gone a few days!" She began walking back to the fast travel station and Mordecai followed.

"Where are you going?" Mordecai asked.

"To the Crystalisk Mines."

"What!? Its too dangerous down there, let me go with you."

"No, Mordecai!" Selene stopped in her tracks and looked sternly up at him, "We will be fine! I am bringing Itus with too. Ill be back before you know it."

She started punching in codes to the fast travel station machine.

"You are leaving now?"

"Hun!" Selene huffed, "I have to, I'm sorry!" she kissed him passionately and then squeezed him tight. "I'll see you soon."


Hammerlock, Itus and Selene stood in the air lock to the Crystalisk Mines, taking one last check for all of their equipment. "Now don't forget, there are Varkids right outside this airlock, hit them all with the incendiary rounds. Kill them. We are here for the Crystalisks. There is no need to waste our time with the Varkids." Hammerlock said as he loaded his incendiary sniper rifle. Selene nodded, her heart pounding, she pulled the lever, opening the giant air lock hatch. When it opened up, they immediately began firing at the Varkids. As soon as they took them all out, the 3 of them moved forward.

There was a lake of corrosive liquid in front of them and there was a few giant, three legged, rock like monsters with crystals forming on their legs. They spent the rest of the afternoon shooting them down and collecting their crystals and bits of shrapnel from their bodies after they had exploded.

After about 5 hours, they set up a camp in a spot they thought was safe enough. Selene was uneasy here. She couldn't see the sky in this massive cave. She clung to Itus tightly overnight and wished that Mordecai was there to hold her.

The next 2 days was brutal. Hammerlock and Selene had collected lots of samples of the Crystalisks but they had also stumbled upon a HUGE Spiderant nest and lots of patches where Threshers seemed to be burrowing underground. Of course, Hammerlock wanted to research them too. Selene took this time to learn from her mentor about these two species. And also how to kill them.

The Spiderants weren't hard to kill at all. Once Selene figured out she had to pop their abdomen, it was a piece of cake! However, the Threshers were a different story... they're eyes were their weak spot and, even tho they had a few, they were small and awkward to try and shoot.

At one point, on of the slagged Threshers has picked up Selene by the leg and Hammerlock was drowning in Threshers all around him. Itus was shooting acid from his mouth trying frantically to save his master, but the Thresher wasn't letting go so easy. Selene reached for her knife as she was flung all over by the giant, tentacle beast and finally got it in her hands. She attempted to swing herself closer to his face, the slag starting to make her drowsy. With a few more fighting trusts of her whole body, she got herself close enough and grabbed the beast's head with one hand and plunger her knife into one of the eyes making it drop her. The wind was knocked out of her but she tried to get up as fast as she could. Itus leapt past her and onto the monster's head, slashing it up and killing it.

Selene got to her feet and, still woozy from the slag, she picked up her incendiary revolver and popped bullets into the 3 Threshers then switched to an SMG she had found a day before and unloading into them as she pulled a grenade from her belt, yanked the pin out with her teeth and chucked it at the beasts. She fired a shot at the grenade and it burst, killing all three.

Hammerlock, Selene and Itus started on their way out of the mines. Selene was picking at a crystal she had taken from the first Crystalisk she had taken down. As the airlock was shutting, Hammerlock patted Selene on the back and said, "You did wonderfully! What did you learn this trip?"

She didn't hesitate to answer, "Threshers Fucking Suck..."