“Stand still!” A bright light flashed Sana in her eyes, as she recoiled from the suddenness of it all. Dark spots crowded her sight, as she blinked rapidly and rubbed her eyes to get rid of them.

“Okay.” The woman behind the glass, a person that Edger had called a doctor, said in a monotone voice. “Get out.”

Sana slithered out of the room, still reeling from the flash. Charlotte, Tomoe, and Liliana were also waiting outside, looking equally as stunned as she felt, wearing the same white cloth over their bodies as she was. Lekha was there too, tapping away at a strange tablet, but she looked up when Sana entered. “What…” Sana choked out. “What was that?”

“A picture,” Lekha answered, adjusting her glasses. “And an x-ray. We want to make some IDs for you four and our scientists want an accurate picture of how each of your bodies works.”

“X-ray?” Charlotte said curiously, still rubbing her eyes.

“Think of it as a picture of what’s inside you,” Lekha explained. “Your skeletal, nervous, and digestive systems… using an x-ray we can determine how your bodies work.”

Lili made a face. “You people are weird.”

Lekha gave her a dry look. “Is that supposed to be your catchphrase or something?”

“… You’re weird.”

“Well…” The doctor left her office, carrying a small blue thumb drive, which she handed to Lekha. She then handed plastic cards to Sana and the others, featuring their face and names. The doctor sighed and scratched her temples with a pen. “I mean, their bodies are basically what you’d imagine what two animals squashed together to look like. There is some interesting information, I suppose.” She pointed to Sana. “Like how her reproductive organs and digestive organs actually end in two-!”

“C-Can we stop talking about this please?!” cried Sana, feeling the blood rushing to her face.

The doctor rolled her eyes. “Yeah, sure whatever. Using a toilet is your problem then.” Grumbling the doctor returned to her office.

Sana turned to Lekha. “Are we almost done with this?” she practically begged.

“No.” Lekha shook her head, her eyes on her phone. “After this, we’ll meet with a designer to make clothes for the four of you. Next, you will attend a lecture on proper ship maintenance hosted by an engineer handpicked by Lieutenant Hayder. Afterward, you talk to a local anthropologist and linguist to-!”

“Nooooooo!” cried Lili holding her head. “Too much! Too much!”

“That’s only for the next four hours. There is still more to be done-!”

“You must understand that we’re not used to all this!” Charlotte protested. “When will we be allowed to relax?!”

Lekha sighed. “You should realize you’re position here. At the moment you’re being protected by the CEO. But with that comes some caveats.” She held up a finger. “You four are from outside of controlled space. As such we need to know everything there is to know about you before Edger will allow you to travel into controlled space.”

Sana pouted. “We’re not even allowed into the city,” she pointed out.

“The CEO said that if you ever returned after making a name for yourself, he’d let you into the residential area,” Lekha said, with a dismissive wave. “But that’s neither here nor there. Come. The tailor is waiting for us.”

The four of them looked at each other, but they knew they had little choice in the matter. They followed Lekha out of the room, walking down a hallway that slowly grew more and more colorful with every inch they traveled. “What’s wrong with the clothes we have now?” Tomoe asked, folding her arms.

“Are they not the only ones you have here?” Lekha pointed out smoothly. “And besides we need to create custom spacesuits for the four of you. Unless you want to die the moment you take a step out into space.”

“I can’t take a step, I don’t have legs,” muttered Sana, but judging from the glare Lekha sent her, Sana hadn’t been as quiet as she had thought.

They reached the dock where the Eldridge XIII was being held, crowded as it had ever been the past few days since the battle with the demon. Most of the people there were engineers, either working on fixing the ship or removing the teleportation room. When Edger had suggested removing that specific room from the Eldridge XIII, Sana immediately agreed. It had already caused them enough trouble, and if it were in the hands of people more responsible than her, it would put Sana at ease. Plus, Edger had promised to tell them if any others from their world came through.

In addition to the engineers, the Eldridge XII was also getting a paint job. Sana hadn’t understood why Edger offered it without any prompting, but she wasn’t about to look a gift horse in its mouth. Initially, the ship had a coat of silver and gold, but now the paint covering it was dark purple and blue.

Edger had told Sana to come up with a new name for the ship, but Sana had yet to decide one. She had been scouring some old human history books for anything that might jump out to her, but nothing seemed right. Lili, Tomoe, and Charlotte weren’t any help here either.

“Honor!” Charlotte had suggested when Sana had asked her. Sana didn’t have the heart to tell her how bad it was. Charlotte just looked so proud of her suggestion.

A smile played on Tomoe’s face when Sana had asked her. “The Orgy.”

“I don’t care,” Lili had snarled. “Call it my pussy, for all I give a shit.”

Thanks for nothing.

Sana sighed as she slithered with the others towards a small corner of the hanger, where someone had set up some curtains and mirrors. “Mimi,” Lekha said, stopping and crossing her arms. “Your 3 o’clock is here.”

A woman with bright pink hair popped her head out from behind the curtains. She beamed upon seeing the small group. “Yes, yes!” She practically bounced her way over to them. She grabbed Sana’s hand and began to shake it vigorously. “Name’s Mimi! Honored to be invited to know about a company secret! Really glad to meet you.”

“M-My h-hand!” Sana managed to stammer out. “T-too much!”

Mimi didn’t seem to hear her, as she pulled out a tape measure and wrapped it around Sana’s chest. “Hmmm…” she mused, moving on to measuring her waist. “What kind of underwear do you wear? I imagine it must be different from something a human might wear.”

Sana blinked. “Underwear?” She put a finger to her chin and tapped it. “I’ve never worn any.”

Mimi frowned. “Interesting…” she murmured, moving on and taking the measurements of Charlotte, Tomoe, and Liliana. After a second a hushed whispering to Lekha, she grabbed Sana’s arm and tried to drag her away. “Let’s start with the hardest, then.”

Sana, who was a little too heavy for Mimi to pull away, glanced at Lekha who merely responded with a shrug. Sana just shrugged and followed Mimi behind the curtains, so that they were hidden from the view of the other. “She’ll take you one at a time,” Lekha explained, adjusting her glasses. “She wants to take Tomoe next.” She glanced at Charlotte and Lili. “You two will follow, but you’re welcome to see how the crew is handling fixing the ship. Just don’t leave the hanger.”

Charlotte played with her hair. “I suppose it’s better than just standing around and doing nothing,” she muttered, glancing at Lili. However, the harpy didn’t seem to be fully paying attention, staring at something at the other end of the hanger.

“I’ll call for someone to inform you when it's your turn,” Lekha said, a little dismissively, sitting down in a chair nearby and taking out her laptop.

Tomoe sighed. “Can you see if anyone here has any water?” she asked, holding her stomach. “Or food.”

Charlotte nodded, equally as hungry as Tomoe. They were doing so much today that none of them had yet had any breakfast or lunch.

Charlotte turned to leave. “Are you coming, Liliana?” she asked the harpy.

“Mhm.” With a small jump, Lili hopped onto Charlotte’s back, sitting atop the horse half with her legs crossed.

For a second, Charlotte thought about pushing her off but decided against it. Perhaps it was a feeling of guilt for attacking her before, without understanding the full story. She had nearly killed Liliana after all. “Liliana, about what happened…”

“Lili,” the harpy almost immediately corrected.

“Lili,” Charlotte said. “I just wanted to say that I’m sorry for very nearly killing you the day before.”

“Oh, that?” Lili looked unperturbed. “Don’t worry about it. It was fun kicking your butt.”

“Wha-?” The centaur frowned. “But I won. I was about to kill you.”

Lili scoffed. “I could’ve gotten out of it. Easy.”

“Right well…” Charlotte sighed, reminding herself that in the end, she was in the wrong. “I just wanted to apologize. Especially since, from now on, we’ll be traveling together.”

Lili nodded silently. After the demon had died, Sana offered Lili to come with them into space. Lili had accepted almost immediately, as the idea of staying in a secluded and enclosed place like Nemesis sounded like torture. Plus, she didn’t know what this, “space,” was, but hearing Sana describe it made her extremely curious.

Charlotte stopped where most of the work was being done on the Eldridge XIII, as workers and scientists all milled about chatting with one another or working on lifting a part of the ship out of the docks. Lekha had mentioned checking if the work on their ship was to their liking but…

How am I supposed to know what they’re even doing? Charlotte wondered to herself, feeling woefully inadequate all of a sudden.

Before Charlotte could say anything, however, Lili suddenly hopped off her back and strolled past the workers, towards the two large metal giants in the corner of the hanger. Charlotte had seen them before, but it had never crossed her mind to ask what they were. Both of the giants didn’t seem to be alive, but the two were different colors. The one on the right was a pale red while the other was a dark orange.

“What are these?” Lili asked Charlotte once the centaur had joined her at the feet of the giants.

Before Charlotte could admit that she had no idea, someone answered for her. “They’re Igos.” Both Lili and Charlotte turned their heads to the right to see Lieutenant Hayder and Tanya right next to them. Hayder smiled. “I’m glad to see you two are doing well,” he said kindly, with Tanya nodding her head proudly beside him, a new medal gleaming on her chest.

Charlotte stiffened. “S-Sir!” she cried, saluting.

Hayder blinked. “You’re not my subordinate,” he pointed out, as Charlotte lowered her arm, blushing like mad. “But I do appreciate the respect.”

“Igos?” Lili asked, bringing the subject back around.

“Hmm…” Hayder scratched his chin trying to think of the proper way to explain it. “Think of them… like weaponized pieces of armor. As long as the person knows how to use it, they can get into the Igo and pilot it. It even has uses outside within space.”

Lili’s eyes were shining. “I want my reward.”

Hayder frowned. “You reward?”

“I want that.” Lili pointed to the Igos. “Give me that.”

“Oh, you can’t!” Tanya said brightly before Hayder could say anything. “That’s impossible.”

Lili barred her sharp teeth at Tanya, taking a dangerous step forward, her talons scraping along the floor. “What?”

Tanya recoiled, but Hayder quickly got between them. “She’s not saying that we can’t give it to you,” he explained. “But rather that you can’t pilot an Igo.”

Lili relaxed a little but still appeared tense. “What do you mean?” she scowled.

“Two reasons.” Hayder raised a finger. “One, to pilot an Igo you must get surgery on a point near the top of a person’s spinal cord.” He tapped the back of his neck. “Without extremely advanced equipment, the survival rate of the surgery is about 70%.” His expression grew grim. “And the success rate is about 40%. Meaning there is a good chance that you may be rendered paralyzed if the surgery goes poorly if not die.”

Charlotte winced. Centaur soldiers who were paralyzed due to the war… it wasn’t a pleasant reminder for her.

“And two.” Hayder raised another finger. “Igos are primarily made for humans and explicitly designed to replicate human movement. Meaning that someone like the two of you,” he gestured to their bodies. “Would have trouble controlling an Igo. It’d be like putting a cat’s mind into a bird’s body without any warning. You can see the problem, can you?”

Lili pouted. “But… I want one.”

“If you come across enough money, you can build a custom Igo!” Tanya said brightly. “I’ve heard about how some wealthy patrons get their private military generals their own custom machines!”

Lili gave Hayder a hopeful look, but the Lieutenant shook his head. “I don’t have that sort of money,” he admitted. “Nor does anyone in Nemesis. But I promise that I’ll give you a gift that you’ll appreciate.”

“You’d better,” Lili grumbled.

“Charlotte! Lili!” The two of them looked away from Hayder to see Sana nearby, waving her hands. “Lekha told me to come and get you two!” she called from the distance

“I thought she said she would send someone else if we were needed,” grumbled Charlotte, turning away from the conversation, before glancing back at Hayder and bowing her head. “Thank you for the information, sir!” She galloped away, leaving Lili behind.

Lili stared daggers at Hayder. “I want something cool,” she said shortly, before walking away.

Hayder sighed as Tanya patted him on the back. “It’s ok, sir. I’m sure you’ll find something that makes her appreciate you.”

“That’s not the problem at all,” Hayder muttered, holding a hand against his forehead. “It just feels as though I’ve landed in a life, I never wanted to find myself in.”

Xxx

The next week passed by like molasses for Sana and the others. Lessons, experiments, doctor check-ups… by the end of it all Sana assumed that they would be dead. But, somehow, they managed to make it through all that.

Now all there was left was…

Sana adjusted her uniform, as she stood in front of the door that led to Edger’s office. “How do I look?” she asked Lekha nervously. This morning, Sana had been informed that Edger had requested to meet with her. They hadn’t seen him since the demon attack, but Sana was surprised to find that only she had been asked to go.

“You look fine,” Lekha dismissed.

The tailor, Mimi, had delivered their new clothes yesterday, but along that came a set of Nemesis security uniforms for the four of them. Lekha had demanded Sana to wear one, before meeting Edger and, much to Sana’s annoyance, it was probably the tightest and most uncomfortable thing she ever wore.

“This sucks,” groaned Sana, trying to loosen her tie and adjust her pencil skirt. “You people wear this every day?!”

“Just try to bear it for now.” Lekha rolled her eyes, before pushing on Sana’s back slightly. “Try knocking again.”

Sana sighed and rapped her knuckles against the door. “Mister?” she said, raising her voice. “You asked for me?”

There was some silence, like the last time Sana tried to knock, but Edger finally spoke up from the other side. “Come in. Lekha please remain outside. I want to speak to Sana, alone.”

“Of course.” Lekha nodded, before shooting Sana a glare and gesturing, with a nod of her head, to go inside.

Sana pushed the door and entered the room. It was largely empty save for a couple of leather chairs, a potted plant, and a desk, where Edger sat. As Sana coiled herself in the center of the room, she heard the door close with a soft click. She bit her lip, nervous, and asked, “You called for me?”

“Yes.” Edger nodded, getting up from his seat to walk towards Sana. For a second, Sana wondered what he was planning to do, but she didn’t expect him to hand her a stack of papers and a pen.

Sana blinked. “What’s…?” she wondered, scanning the first page. It was a series of historical questions about humanity’s twenty-first century. She remembered studying the same topics four days ago just before lunch.

“A test,” Edger explained, with a sneaky smile. “I’d like you to spend the day completing it. There’s no time limit and I’ll be the one proctoring you.” He shook a finger at her. “Also, you’d better take it seriously. Or else I may have to… renege on our deal.”

Sana winced but wisely chose not to complain. Instead, she turned her attention to test and began to solve its problems one by one. For a while, the only sound in that office was the scratching of graphite on paper. Edger watched her for a few minutes before turning back to his own work on his own computer.

After four or maybe five hours, Sana finally looked up from the test. She double-checked some of her answers, before placing it and the pencil on Edger’s desk. “I’m finished,” she said firmly.

“So, you did,” Edger said, picking up her test papers and flipping through them, a brow raised. Interesting, he thought. For someone who only learned all of this in the past week, she’s managed to retain the information pretty easily. Tactics, mathematics, history… all top marks. His eyes narrowed. The only problem…

Edger tossed the test aside. “You did quite well. I’m surprised,” he admitted. “Now I’ll have at least some reassurance that you won’t immediately go and get yourself killed.”

“Haha…” Sana scratched her head sheepishly. “T-Thank you, sir.”

“I’m curious about your life in your original world, though,” Edger said. “Someone as smart as you must have quite the achievement list. What did you do?”

“Oh, um…” Sana winced. “Nothing much really. Honestly, monsters like me aren’t exactly getting a whole lot of job offers. Most of the time I just helped my village or lazed about in the oasis.” She felt a little embarrassed to admit it like this.

“You call yourself a monster?”

“Hm?” Sana blinked. “Yeah? That’s what I am.”

Edger studied her face for a moment, before sighing. “Have you decided on a new name for the ship? You asked me to give you at least a week to think of one.”

“Yes, but you never told me why I needed to come up with a new name.”

“Mostly as a precaution. We suspect the Eldridge XIII was originally a ship from another government, specifically the Michealean Theocracy,” explained Edger. “If you go out as the ship is now then you’re bound to be thought of as thieves.” He chuckled. “Granted that’s what you technically are. You did steal their ship.”

“H-Hey!” Sana cried indignantly.

“So it’s imperative that we change the ship’s identification and name,” Edger continued, pretending to not have even heard Sana. “Otherwise if you’re found handling it, you’ll get arrested by people less kind than myself. So, let me ask again. Have you decided on a name?”

Sana coughed into her hand. “Well… I’ve been reading some Greek myths in my spare time. I remembered Coraline telling us that we were fictional creatures from that mythology. So I decided…” She hesitated for a moment, before blurting out, “I’ve decided to call it the Typhon!”

Edger blinked, placing a hand on his chin. “Typhon? The father of monsters in Greek mythology? Why did you choose that name?”

“Well…” Sana looked sheepish. “If we’re all monsters and we’re traveling in the ship that brought us all here, then doesn’t that name make the most sense?”

“Then why not name it after Echidna?” Edger asked.

“Oh well… I… actually know someone by that name. It’d be a little awkward…”

Edger snorted. “Well, it’s your choice. I’ll tell the maintenance crew and engineers there about your choice.” He gestured towards the door with a hand. “You’re free to go Miss Sana.”

Sana beamed. “Thank you, sir!” she enthusiastically thanked, bowing her head. Her wide smile still on her face, she slithered out of his office, leaving Edger alone once again.

Edger’s smile slipped off his face, as he picked up Sana’s tests again. He had lied slightly. There was one problem he had with her tests.

It was a question of ethics. The trolley problem or a version of it that would be understandable to her. But her answer… all Sana had written there was, “I’d find a way to save everyone!” She completely missed the point of the question.

Edger couldn’t help but frown. “If you plan on confronting this universe, Sana,” he muttered. “You’re going to have to find a real answer. You can’t keep coasting by on optimism forever. But I worry… When you do find your answer… who will you become then?”

Xxx

Three more days passed after Sana’s meeting and finally, they were given the chance to leave Nemesis. It was a small celebration, consisting of some of the security they had fought with on that first day, along with Hayder, Lekha, and Edger. Today the four of them, Sana, Charlotte, Tomoe, and Lili were wearing the new clothes and armor that Mimi had designed for them.

Sana had ditched the skimpy loincloth and top that she had been initially wearing in favor of some dark vest, a maroon-colored sleeveless shirt, along with a black skirt. A gun was strapped to her waist with a holster. The very same one that she had used to defeat the demon, which Tanya had given her as thanks.

Tomoe’s clothes hadn’t changed all that much and had only been given some more from Mimi. However, Tomoe had asked for some gadgets that Sana didn’t know about, but they were stored safely within her room on the ship. Tomoe had, for whatever reason, wanted to keep them a secret.

It had been Charlotte who had the most changed in the wardrobe department. She had ditched her steel armor in favor of something more light fitting. Mimi had proudly exclaimed that her new clothes were twice as strong as any medieval armor, though Charlotte wasn’t all that convinced. It was some sort of leather jacket with elbow and shoulder pads and under that, she wore a simple black T-shirt. It was a lot more comfortable than the armor she had been wearing before at the very least. But on her other half, she wore, as at least what Mimi had called it, black riot gear made for horses. Mimi had explained that she had based her design around the same armor worn by horses in the past and Charlotte had to admit that it was a lot more comfortable that her steel armor.

Lili had finally ditched the rags she had been wearing for so long. Mimi had procured for her a pair of tan-colored khaki shorts and a sleeveless white hoodie. She had a pair of aviator goggles around her neck, apparently by Lili’s request.

Sana couldn’t but be giddy upon seeing their new outfits, as Edger approached her with a wine bottle in his hands. Was this what a futuristic adventurer team might look like?

“It’s customary to break a wine bottle on a new ship before it sets sail on its maiden voyage,” explained Edger, handing Sana a bottle just before they were set to leave. He glanced at Leha with a sheepish grin. “I’m right here, right?”

Lekha sighed. “I don’t think it matters in this instance.”

“No harm in some good luck,” Hayder said with a shrug.

Sana regarded the wine bottle in her hands with uncertainty, before handing it to Charlotte. “You’re stronger than me,” she told the centaur a little stubbornly.

Charlotte rolled her eyes. “I’ve done this before,” she admitted, winding her throwing arm up. “I should be able to… throw!” With a strong swing, she threw the bottle into the air and towards the hull of the ship where… it completely missed the ship, landing instead on the walkway on the other side of the hanger.

“Uh…” Charlotte felt her face turn red. “I-I swear I’ve done this before!”

“I think that’s supposed to be bad luck,” Tomoe noted.

“What?!”

Lili watched the exchange with some amusement before she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around to see Hayder looking down at her with a small box in his hands. Her eyes immediately lit up. “My gift?!”

Hayder nodded, opening the case up. Inside was a double-tipped spear, much like the one that Lili used. However, this one looked more expertly built and new, with a light blue and white coloring scheme. “I saw the weapon that you were using before,” he explained. “It looked worn out. I thought that it might be prudent to gift you a new one. This weapon also has some altercations that might help with your fighting style-!”

“I love it!” Lili exclaimed, excitedly, tossing her old spear aside and picking up the new one with her talons. “It’s mine now!”

“Yes, well-!” Hayder clammed up the moment he saw Lili send him a glare.

“Mine…” she hissed, backing away from him, before running away to hide behind Charlotte’s body.

“Ah.” Tanya sounded sympathetic from behind him. “The life of a loving father will never be without hardships.” She pretended to wipe a tear from her eye, only to freeze from the scowl that Hayder shot her.

“You’re on cleaning duty for the new few weeks.”

“I-It was a joke!”

A few minutes later, while Lili was showing off her new toy to Sana, the lamia was suddenly approached by Edger. “Sana. A word please,” he gently said, though, by his expression, Sana could tell this was serious.

“R-Right.” Sana shooed Lili away before facing Edger. “What is it… sir?”

“In celebration of finally getting to leave the station…” Edger held up a white envelope. “I have a job for you.”

“A job?”

“I’ve already made the necessary arrangements and transferred the payment to your newly created bank accounts,” explained Edger. “I’d like you to deliver some cargo to the nearby planet of Osiris, about two weeks away from here. And…” He handed her the envelope. “I’d you to deliver this letter to a man who lives there named Joseph Edmund.”

Sana gingerly took the letter from Edger’s hands and nodded. “Of course! I accept the job!” She saluted for some reason. “I won’t fail you, sir!”

“I’m sure you won’t.”

An hour later and Sana and the others were in the newly christened Typhon waving to the friends they had made on Nemesis. Everything had gone smoothly. The Typhon was working perfectly, they had already told Coraline where they were going and had already gotten clearance to depart.

Now the only thing left was the order from the captain.

Sana grinned and pointed her finger forward. “Onward, Typhon!” she said confidently. “Chart a course for the planet Osiris!”

“Understood-!”

“Or…” Tomoe suddenly interrupted with a sly grin. “We can go in the opposite direction and head towards Hathor. I hear they have some amazing artificial hot springs and…” She smirked. “Amazing orgy parties.”

“Orgy?” Lili perked up. “Sounds yummy.”

“What the hell are you talking about?!” Charlotte snapped, her face a bright red.

“W-We can’t!” protested Sana. “Mr. Edger gave us a job!”

“Setting new destination as Hathor.”

“Wait, no Coraline!”

Lili tugged on Charlotte’s sleeve. “I want an orgy,” she said with complete innocence.

“N-No!” Charlotte cried.

They hadn’t even left the space station and already everything was falling apart. Sana couldn’t help but sigh. What would happen now…?

Xxx

Edger watched the ship leave the docks with a smile, but once the Typhon was far away, his smile faded and he folded his arms behind his back. “Lekha,” he said. “Have the preparations been made?”

Lekha nodded. “Yes. I’ve scrubbed all records of their arrival and everyone else has been sworn to secrecy. The cover-up should last a decent while.”

Hayder’s eyes narrowed. “You sent them to Osiris?”

Edger nodded silently.

“But you’ve heard the rumors? Both the Theocracy and the U.G have taken interest in the colony. You’re sending them there to…?”

“I’m curious,” Edger admitted. “What those four girls will do in the face of danger. Controlled space is about to undergo a shift and I would like to be the one to start the push.” He glanced at Lekha. “What of the teleportation room we took from their ship? Has something come through?”

Lekha hesitated. “One, a few days ago. A lamia. Similar to Sana. But… she was found dead. Her wounds are similar to the slash of a sword. We believe she might’ve been killed before arriving here.” She adjusted her glasses. “Per your orders, I’ve hidden this information behind only the most trusted personnel.”

“Good. Inform me if anything else happens.” Edger smirked, as he turned away from the window with a smirk. “I’m excited for what comes next.”