Tania was revolted by Commander Sarus.

She turned to Argentrix: "Regulations are made to be bypassed..."

She ran into the captain's cabin where he was packing up his things to be taken prisoner or slave and came from behind and strangled him until he was knocked out.

"Hurry, Argentrix, there's not a minute to lose, drop all the weapons into your dimensional space. Everything, ammo, everything!"

Meanwhile, Tania concentrated and cast a powerful spell on the AI controlled by the mothership.

The computer froze for a moment and then resumed...

Tania: "EVA Status!"

EVA: "Forced reprogramming, advanced hacking techniques. Take control, analyze hazards and weapons, routes and friendly/enemy factions, then send data to Guild control center."

Tania: "Which guild?"

EVA: "Space Guild, a faction/corporation using a mutagenic substance to transform conscious beings into telepaths capable of bending space and time for extra-planetary travel. The Guild is a neutral faction employed by various human and beast mansions in the empire.

A clan war is being waged for control and supremacy of this spore-producing planet."

Tania: "Blocking data transmission and analyzing their legal navigational code. Rights for aliens and immigrants."

EVA: "You are strangers from an unknown world but probably connected in some way to the human race. The presence of weapons gives the victor the right to take possession of the vanquished. Diplomatic and scientific missions are exempt from these laws.

The guild has not yet decided your fate."

Tania: "Report of scientific exploration, and presence of diplomats, Earth and Ethernia faction"

Eva: "The guild's hacking systems are reaching saturation. No one has resisted yet."

They've just considered you intelligent beings and you fall under the space law of empire.

The Hood rushes into the belly of the spaceport cylinder.

Not wasting a moment, Tania ejected Commander Saros out of the airlock into the void.

"His cowardice will lose us."

Then she arrived at the officers' mess, also filled with soldiers.

Tania said, "I'm taking command. Yes, it's a mutiny, but that coward sent us straight to the mines as slaves.

Two guards wanted to jump on her and their heads rolled on the ground, instantly beheaded by her sharp feathers.

"Any other volunteers? I can cut you all here into slices! "

Not a word was to filter out. The soldiers were petrified. They knew the reputation of human Tania, but as a dragon-raptor, it was a whole new level.

Tania: "Good, I like to hear the flies when I talk!

I want the scientists here! You soldiers burn your uniforms and dress as civilians. Just a few security guards.

EXECUTION!"

Tanks and heavy vehicles were waiting in the huge airlock to open the doors.

Unwieldy bronze robots were waiting for us.

Tania, as a raptor, descended the first steps and was followed by civilians.

The humanoids were shocked to see such a primitive, Jurassic being at the head of the Hood's team.

A bald woman with extravagant clothes stood among bald acolytes too, looking like Tibetan monks but with horrible mutations.

"Humans of the Earth / Ethernia Faction, the House of Mordos welcomes you.

We mistook you for uncivilized space barbarians.

We abide by the code of the Empire, and your primary system engineering is more subtle than it appears. We therefore consider that you have the necessary abilities to be integrated into the Empire, to follow its rules and therefore to be economically viable.

Here, to have the right to live, you must be able to produce wealth.

Those who are not able to do so are picked up and collected to be recycled as slaves or test subjects.

Since you are a foreigner, the House of Mordos, in its wisdom, can give you access to our financial system by giving you credit. Invest and make sure that we have not erred in our judgement.

As you can see, the space here is controlled exclusively by the guild and we bend and reshape the distances as we see fit.

The Mordos House, nicknamed the Space Guild, is a neutral faction.

It's up to you to find your place, allies and eliminate your enemies.

The guild can provide you with all the equipment you need once you've been dropped off in Sahelia.

Choose your faction carefully.

Before you are dropped off, there are several sections and palaces reserved for ambassadors and emissaries of the different factions.

You have thousands of questions, but the answers are yours to find, not at the House of Mordos. Our neutrality is absolute. We intervene only when the codes of commerce and space law are violated. Emperors, bullies and kings, we treat our clients equally.

The soldiers left and the ship stood where they'd parked it.

Dark guards stood guard over the other shuttles and the discussion turned sour.

There was a real city with a shopping mall and as in any port terminal.

The men shouted hooray to Tania...

Argentrix jumped on her neck.

Tania said, "Obviously, there are all kinds of mutations here and they don't care about us and our races. We mean nothing to them and we are of no use to them. But at least we are alive but on probation. We need to know what's going on here but I think that all information has its commercial value and nothing is free! But at least they're humanoid."

Argentrix: "I'm afraid... I'm... just... a big lizard.... Just a nice lizard...."

Tania: "Be very careful that you're turned into a decorative jewel... I've seen ornaments made of scales."

One of the scientists was looking at the infrastructure.

"They must be 10,000 years ahead of us in technology. It's unbelievable. But it's also a financial nightmare!... By giving us credit, they forcibly mortgaged us, and that gives them the double right to dispose of us in case of default. It's a sword of Damocles... even the mall is a booby trap. If you touch anything, you can be forced to buy it at an exorbitant price... everything is done for our legal capture... I bet even the ship's parking lot will make us pay for it...

It must be an old empire on the verge of collapse because of their factional warfare. An almost medieval system with an emperor and kings, faction leaders...

Tania: "Stop it, Nimbus! You're breaking my morale!

If there are dragons here, it's time to get out. At least the teeth and claws will slow down the greedy impulses of those scraggly traders.

We'll look around and try to find out about this planet, see if there's any other habitable ones, and if there are any roads back home. And of course not to bring any more wars to it than there are right now.

So, while we're at it, go ahead," Tania asked Argentrix.

Argentrix metamorphosed into a young dracosire, his bright silver having turned to gold.

The men knelt before their princess.

Tania: "Our relief expedition is a disaster and now we must all stand together. Those who disagree with me, let them leave their heads on the ground. I'll gladly help..."

So Tania and Argentrix followed by some scientists entered the guild mall.