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{{geography
|map=United_Defiant_Caverns.jpeg
|type={{cat tag|
|world=Detritus
|universe=[[
|books=[[Skyward (series)]]
}}
{{update|sf1}}
{{quote
|If it comes down to destroying Alta but saving Igneous, Igneous is more important. There’s a reason we rotate a third of our ships, pilots, and command staff into the deep caverns. The DDF can survive—maybe—if Alta is destroyed. But without the apparatus to make new ships, we’re done for. So if the admiral orders it, you ''shoot that bomb'' and make it detonate, even if doing so destroys Alta.
The '''deep caverns''' are a subset of the [[United Defiant Caverns]] that are below [[Alta Base]] on [[Detritus]].{{map ref|United Defiant Caverns}}
== Location and Ecology ==
A number of connected caves, including [[Highway Cavern]], make up the deep caverns. They are considered safer than [[Igneous]], due to their distance from the surface.{{map ref|United Defiant Caverns}}{{book ref|sky1|13}} They could possibly withstand a [[lifebuster]] bomb being dropped on [[Alta Base]]; however, this is not a guarantee and a lifebuster could potentially cause them to collapse.{{book ref|Sky1|10}}{{book ref|Sky1|13}}
It is possible to travel from Alta Base to the deep caverns in less than five minutes,{{book ref|sky1|52}} although the journey normally takes closer to fifteen.{{book ref|sky1|15}} Scouts from the protein factories hunt for rats in the deep caverns.{{book ref|sky1|31}}
A large colony of [[Taynix|taynix slugs]] live in within the deep caverns. It is unclear if there is a single group of this species that congregate in the same section of the cave system, or whether the taynix can be found hidden in different pockets of the larger network of tunnels. Those with [[cytonics|cytonic]] abilities are able to perceive the slugs from the settlements built within the lower caverns.{{book ref|sky2|i|2}}{{book ref|sky2|epilogue}}
== Politics ==
Although several families that live in the deep caverns, with at least one containing a member of the NAL, own private fighter jets, these ships are unlikely to ever be willingly lent to the DDF in an emergency.{{book ref|sky1|48}} Instead, these private ships are a means of escape for the family that owns them, and use by the DDF, especially during a crisis, poses too much risk for the owners.{{book ref|sky1|48}} Eight private ships are currently stored in the deep caverns, with three belonging to the [[Valda_Mendez|Mendez]] family.{{book ref|sky1|49}}{{book ref|sky1|35}} These ships are also used as escorts during trade runs.{{book ref|sky1|35}} The piloting jobs for these operations are highly competed-for and usually filled by retired DDF pilots.{{book ref|sky1|35}}
===
The existence of
== Culture ==
== Residency ==
A third of off-duty duty pilots,{{book ref|sky1|1}} overseers,{{book ref|sky1|13}} and those who have gained high enough merit
The command staff of the DDF, as well as DDF ships, are rotated through the deep caverns, with a third of each being located in the deep caverns at any one time. Four flights of ships, ideally with ten jets per flight, are stored in the deep caverns and can be retrieved in an emergency.{{book ref|sky1|48}} There is, however, a significant delay in the time it takes for them to be ready to engage due to transportation time. This limits the DDF's response force in battle and impedes calls for reinforcements. On the other hand, it also provides a measure of security for the people in the Defiant League in a scenario where Alta and Igneous are destroyed by the [[varvax|Krell]].{{book ref|sky1|31}}{{book ref|sky1|32}}
=== Notable residents ===
== Notes ==
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