NEREID SECTOR — Rumors circulating among spacedock crews on Tartarus Station allege that OrionEX vessels traveling to and from the Charybdis System—presumably under their ongoing Abyssis extraction contract—have been arriving with irregular cargo manifests and extended turnaround times, prompting quiet speculation of a minor incident at one of the surface staging zones. According to multiple dockhands and contractor chatter, a tunneling crew operating in the lower levels of an early shaft reportedly broke into a large subterranean cavern, releasing a dense fog that briefly spread through part of the underground staging area.

Sources familiar with internal comms described the incident as contained but unusual. Only a handful of workers were said to be affected, exhibiting mild respiratory irritation, coughing, and fatigue before being removed from the site for observation. “They temporarily shut down the staging area and they never do that,” one dockworker claimed, adding that the dust “wasn’t behaving like typical dust—too heavy, it preferred to cling to things.”

Communication from Abyssis remains limited; on-site mining operations transmit through OrionEX vessels in orbit, which then carry reports and message packets back to Tartarus Station for relay to corporate channels. This indirect system, relying on ship rotations rather than continuous data links, often results in significant delays and incomplete transmissions. Contractors familiar with internal routing claim that some lower-level operations have since been paused pending inspection of equipment and ventilation systems.

OrionEX denied any irregularities when reached for comment. “There has been no incident,” the corporation stated in a written response. “Routine underground dust exposure is expected during early tunnel boring and does not indicate contamination or hazard.” Sector officials, far from the site and with limited oversight, declined to comment on the claims, reiterating that extraction licenses for Abyssis remain “under administrative review.”