You drop to your knees and scramble into the cramped maintenance duct without hesitation, the emergency kit banging against your ribs. The metal walls press in from all sides as you army-crawl forward, the dim emergency lighting casting long shadows ahead. Behind you, Riggs shouts something about 'following the blue conduits' before slamming the hatch shut.

The air inside is thick with the smell of overheated wiring and lubricant. Your elbows scrape against rough plating as you drag yourself deeper into the ship's bowels. Suddenly, the entire duct shudders violently as another explosion rocks the Astral Dawn. A conduit bursts open above you, spraying superheated steam across your back. You bite back a scream and press onward, the burning pain mixing with the metallic taste of fear in your mouth.

After what feels like hours of crawling, you reach a junction where three ducts converge. A flickering panel reveals you're directly beneath auxiliary control, but the access hatch is secured from the other side. Through the thin metal, you hear panicked voices and the whine of overloaded systems. A series of heavy thuds shakes the duct - something massive is pounding against the outer hull.

You fumble with the emergency kit, fingers closing around a plasma torch. It's not standard issue, but someone must have added it. As you ignite the blue flame, the duct's metal walls seem to pulse in time with the alien attacks outside. The torch bites into the hatch's locking mechanism, sending molten droplets spattering against your visor.