Gethen watched Brin and Mari jump down into the tunnel. He tapped his chromium mind and stepped into the hole, trusting his stored luck to help him not get hurt too badly. He hit the ground and fell over, landing in something slimy and wet. Standing up, he brushed himself off. This suit is going to be ruined. He stopped tapping his metalmind, and started filling it instead.
Brin had started down the tunnel, so Gethen followed. He reached into the pocket of his suit and pulled out a handkerchief to wipe off some of the slime. It promptly fell into another puddle of unidentified liquid. Gethen decided not to pick it up.