Chapter Two

"Y'know this is a bad idea right?" His comm-chip chirped to life in his ear.

He'd just gotten out of that bloody passage filled with those, little lizard things. He hadn't had a hard time getting through, in fact most of them had scuttled out of his way. Their scuttling creeped him out, they had what looked like chitin spikes for legs, and they had three! Three legs, he'd seen stranger things: massive creatures which hatched from planets, eighteen legged insects the size of busses, six-winged space dragons and eight legged giants. Three was just a weird number for intelligent creatures, in terms of legs anyway.

"Do you think I'm stupid Echo?" He chuckled idly.

"You really want me to answer that boss?" Rang out in his ear. For a clone, he sure was a charming cunt.

"Tell me when I'm on the ship." He uttered as he rounded a corner and glanced his ship in a hangar, at the end of another corridor.

What was it with this station and long corridors packed with lizards, every corner he turned was another bloody corridor with no signs, and an abundance of four foot tall, three legged, vertical, Komodo dragon looking things. He was anxious to get out of the crowd of midgets and back on his ship, the sooner he did that the better. He felt as though he was forgetting something, the closer he got to his ship, the more it kept nagging at him.

By the time he reached the dock knew he'd forgotten something important, with one sigh of irritation he synced his suit with the ship. Once he was synced the boarding ramp descended. It was a welcome sight after the endless labyrinth of corridors, as he was walking up the ramp, he remembered what he'd forgotten.

He activated his comm-chip and signalled Echo. "Oi, you there Echo?"

"What's up this time tin can?"

"Send a drone to find the Professor." Had the Professor gotten separated from him in the corridors? Did he know what dock the ship was in? "He may have been separated from me at some point."

"Or you could just turn around." What was he on about now?

Despite thinking it was a stupid suggestion, he turned. He saw the Professor, and his heavily armed escort. They had just flown into the hangar bay and were heading straight towards him, shock rifles primed.

The group quickly crossed the bustling room, they were riding what looked like a high-tech skip. The strange vehicle seemed to ride a set of rails suspended from the ceiling, judging by the armed escort it had been expensive. The skip looking thing began descending to the floor, it seemed to float down with no visible support. Once it reached the floor it powered down, and the side door opened.

Four armed lizards marched out and took positions on either side of the door, once they were in place one of them hit the box three times. After a second or so the Professor stepped out, flanked by a pair of guards.

"Impressive security Professor, mind telling me who they are?" He stepped down the boarding ramp, he didn't want them straining their necks looking him in the eyes after all.

"These fine Vah are station security, providing me with a small favour." The Professor stepped out and turned to the…Vah? To his left; it seemed to be the highest rank there, judging by the numerous medals and scars. "You and your Vah'do may return now." The escort nodded and returned to the flying skip, the way his Vah fell in seemed almost choreographed. "An impressive ship you have here."

"Thank you, she's even better on the inside." He gestured for the Professor to follow him up the boarding ramp, into the bowels of the ship. Once he reached the top of the ramp, he turned to check that the Professor was following him this time.

He turned only to see the little lizard dangling by the tail, flailing like a child. The thing holding the Professor was, by far, the biggest living thing he'd seen on the station.

It was about five foot tall and it stood upright on its' four legs. Its' torso was covered by a deep red keratin shell. It held the Professor in one of its' six arms. On its' face was what looked like a horrid impression of a grin, too many teeth and horns to be friendly.

"Put the lizard down, spiky. Before I put you down." He raised his left arm, the railgun within unfolding. He set it to charge a high-speed armour-piercing slug; he hoped he wouldn't need it, but knew that if he did, he'd enjoy it.

"Professor Zeth'an here should still remember his deal, if he leaves we blow the ship he's on. You try anything funny, giant, and the little man gets it." The creature shouted up to him, grabbing the Professors' neck in a clawed hand.