They all walk through the entrance of the outpost and begin going through a maze of tunnels connecting one to another. The Froks guiding them travel through it like a breeze as if the system is part of them and engraved through their brains. They continue at a lively pace through a variety of corridors until they reach a very tall hallway that leads to a massive dome-like structure in the outpost. At this point the Freksteri can finally stretch out and fix its posture from crouching through all the short passageways.

The Freksteri grumbles: “Finally can feel relaxed…”

The dome is dark and poorly lit with no guards in the area or anyone passing through, almost as if this part of the outpost had been abandoned so they decided to lower energy consumption in the sector. They walk through the dome and get to the edge of it where the gravity train runs. As they all hop down into the train path the Froklin point from the platform ledge which way to go towards the broken down train.

Kyro asks before the Froklin guards leave: “Hey can we get the lights on the pathway?”

The Froklin guard shakes its head and tells Kyro telepathically: “Train never required lights, there are a few at bottom of pathway occasionally but otherwise none other than that”.

Kyro nods his head and waves his arm forward: “Come on everyone let's keep it moving forward”.

Kyro turns on the lights on his helmet and shines them down the tunnel. Slowly the group starts to move through the pathway, most of the creatures speaking amongst their own kind. Razzo and Dre find themselves walking in the middle between the Freksteri on one side and the two Acarines on the other side. Razzo decides to try out his new tool by communicating to the two Acarines walking by him.

Razzo says to the Acarines: “Hello”.

The two beings turn to him and hum: “How did you do that little one?”

Razzo smiles at them: “You understand me?”

“Why yes we can, now how did you do that?”

Razzo points at the collar around his neck given to him by the Froklins like a toddler showing off a new toy that their parents got for them.

The Acarines continue to move forward and say: “Useful tool you got there, probably more useful than our helmets and gloves but better something than nothing. I am Kroug and this is my sister Kreeg”.

“How did you end up imprisoned by the captain?” - asks Razzo jumping straight to the point.

Kreeg laughs in hmm: “Well we were in a bit of trouble at the time and could’ve ended poorly for us, at the same time Kyro’s ship swooped in and gave us an opportunity for a second chance. This isn’t quite what we had in mind but better something than nothing…”

“Do you really think the captain will let us go free?”

Kroug answers: “Maybe, maybe not, all we can do is give it time little one. Better something than nothing”.

Razzo nods his head, continuing to walk with the group, thinking about how the Acarines were tricked the same way that he was into boarding Kyro’s ship. The low visibility of the pathway made it difficult to go quickly as each member of the group had to watch their step to make sure not to step on the being in front of them. This was especially difficult for the Freksteri and Acarines to avoid squishing the Wokwoks who were like bugs running around the group to keep up with everyone. There’s an odd dynamic in the group at this point as the different beings don’t communicate with others typically outside of their own kind. As well as enemies like the Krutsummus and the Froklins who now have to work together while their people are at war.

Razzo goes over to Dre and tells the Automaton: “Hey I just talked to the Acarines and they said that they got tricked the same way that we did”.

“Yeah I talked to the Freksteri after he almost crushed me but same for him. I wonder how Kyro knew when all of us would be in distress, I mean the Minerau aren’t spread out everywhere throughout the galaxy. They couldn’t be!”

Razzo replies somberly: “Maybe they already are…”

“The Joint Galactic Wormhole Organization wouldn’t allow that, and neither would all the individual TCO’s”. - says Dre in disbelief of what it just heard.

Razzo looks at the robot as if it had gone insane: “What in the insanity are you talking about? Did you fry your circuits or something?”

Dre rolls its eyes: “That’s rude, I’m just saying the political organization that controls the wormholes wouldn’t allow one species to ravage a bunch of other worlds. They’re in charge of holding the law and peace between systems, remember?”

“Clearly you don’t know much about politics…”

“And I suppose you do? So tell me what should we do?” - asks Dre.

“I don’t and I don’t know what we should do. As the Kroug told me we have to give it time, or was it take it slow? I don’t remember but something about patience”.

Razzo moves closer to other members of the group meeting the rest of the captives while Dre is left at the back and stops and thinks to itself ‘who the heck is Kroug’.

Razzo makes his way through the group until he trips over a Wokwok running by.

The Wokwok shrieks: “Watch it garbage you’re gonna kill someone walking around carelessly in that armor!”

Razzo doesn’t understand: “What do you mean, you literally ran by in front of me and tripped me?”

“Not that you idiot, although watching your step would go a long way to helping you keep your head. I mean the materials that your armor is made of, the metal compound burns a couple beings from different systems. It acts as an allergen for some of us here!” - shrieks the Wokwok in a high pitched voice and shakes its head.

Razzo doesn't believe the little creature: “And how do you know all this?”

“Your robot isn’t the only creature here in possession of vast knowledge, me and Eekk remember lots of information and our brains are far more developed than your cantaloupe up there”. The Wokwok kicks Razzo in the shin and laughs in a high pitched voice.

Razzo, lost in the sauce that is the conversation asks: “What’s a cantaloupe? Because I’m pretty sure I’m human and have a human brain”.

“Well that’s because most of the resources that your planet had were shipped out to other systems by your leaders. What did you eat typically, potato bars? Rice bars? When was the last time you had a fruit or vegetable that wasn’t in the form of a pill supplement?”

Razzo interjects: “I actually ate a ban-ana not too long ago I’ll have you know! Anyways, what's your name?”

The Wokwok states: “My name is Feefee, and that’s my female mate over there running around Eekk”.

“So if you both are such smart creatures how did you get captured by Kyro?” - Razzo asks the recurring question

Feefee answers: “I'd rather not talk about it, we were caught by surprise…”

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

“So smart that you managed to get caught off guard? Did he also put a treat in a cage and the gate close behind you?” - teases the human

Feefee answers in a high pitched angry tone: “Listen buddy I can do a lot worse than just kick you in the shin. Plus that only happened to Eekk and I tried to help her…”

Razzo tries to stop himself from laughing while also saying: “Okay okay I’ll stop laughing it was nice to meet you though Feefee, although I have my doubts about how much more you can hurt me than hitting me in the shin”.

The small creature stares Razzo in the eyes as it lands a strike with one of its small arms to his groin. Razzo falls to his knees as it is one of the few places left where he has several nerve endings left. Razzo gasps for air like he hasn’t had it in years, not having felt that kind of a blow in a while. He takes his time lying there on the cold metal floor of the train passage. All the different creatures walk by him without giving two cares of what happened to the human as the tiny Wokwok stands over him.

Feefee squeals as he runs away shouting: “Human anatomy hurts doesn’t it?”

Dre walks by from the back of the group, extends an arm and helps Razzo get up from the brutal damage that the Wokwok had caused.

“I see you’re off to a good start making new friends, not so easy when the beings are different species huh?”

Razzo takes a deep breath: “No I just underestimated the little guy that’s all”.

Dre adds: “No it’s good it gave me and Chorion a good laugh when we watched it play out”.

Razzo asks: “Who’s Chorion?”

Dre points to the last member of the group walking alongside the two Acarines, it was the Freksteri.

Dre asks: “Who’s Kroug?”

Razzo points to one of the two Acarines: “I actually don’t know how to tell them apart but one is Kroug and one is Kreeg”.

Razzo adds: “But at least we’re making progress getting to know everyone”.

“So who does that leave us with getting to know our new companions?” - says Dre.

Razzo says: “Well there’s the Froklins at the front, the Zenvas although we know one of them is Jata, then the rest of Zenvas and I think the Krutsummus”.

Dre questions the list: “And the Wokwoks?”

Razzo shutters and answers: “Feefee and Eekk”.

“So that punch to the groin wasn’t completely pointless, maybe that’s just how they say goodbye” - says Dre.

“I’m thinking they’ll only be going and saying goodbye like that to me. Although you do have some competition on being the biggest smarticle particle in the group”.

Dre shakes its head: “Being the biggest what?”

Razzo doubles down: “You know smarticle particle, it’s an old expression that recently became popular on Earth again, surprised you hadn’t heard it, maybe I’m the smarticle particle of the group…”

“I wouldn’t count on that, but good to know someone else has some brains in our bunch”.

They continue through the pathway until they reach the next huge dome exit on the train path approximately five kilometers away. Same as the last station from which they had entered this massive location had been abandoned. Kyro climbs out of the path quickly and looks around the dome station wondering why no Froklins were present, but Kyro shakes off any suspicion and climbs back onto the pathway and continues along with the rest of the group. The tunnel remains large and poorly lit, there’s a layer of dust that had been produced throughout this section of the tunnel. All that can be heard throughout the tunnel is the stomping of feet, hooves, along with the wet slithering from the Krutsummus. No one is speaking to one another at this point in the journey as they all wait in anticipation for what’s to come ahead of them.

Kyro mutters to himself: “Did the Froklin lie to me?”

He receives no answer but doesn’t look for one as the winding pathway continues and the group follows along it. Kyro thinks to himself ‘there’s no critters running around as there typically are on outpost stations from ships that they had snuck on and hitched a ride to the wormhole station. This makes sense given the Froklins defensive and private stance on those that enter their system, but even so some critters from their own planet would have gotten to the outpost. It’s a little too quiet here. Something doesn’t feel right but maybe it’s still the early portion of the train system and that’s why there’s nothing here. That’s a perfectly good explanation, right?’

Everyone else in the group can hear their own breathing and thoughts more clearly without all the chatter that was going on before. The silence is awkward and unsettling within the group but now no one wants to disturb the silence to begin a conversation. It’s a soothing atmosphere for concealing the panicking sensation on the inside considering you don’t know what will happen at the end of the tunnel. You could see the panic growing on different creatures in different ways as they sensed the agitated mood of the captain moving at the front of the pack. Some began to walk faster, some began to walk slower, some tried to remain as silent as possible. All the different creatures were acting on their instincts as they followed their uneasy captain. But a few had no response to Kyro’s agitated mood. Dre didn’t stress because it was a logical being and based on the constant calculation churning within its processors there was no reason to panic at the moment. Ostikous kept close to Kyro not trusting the human but not necessarily fearful of anything or predicting anything ominous that could occur as he was too fixated on the captain not leading them into a trap. Finally there was Razzo who was simply enjoying the feeling of not being stuck in a cell and wondering how Izabela’s recovery was progressing back on the ship. All of the sudden the group comes to a stop. They reached a point in the pathway where the train has a second pathway that veers off to the right of their current pathway further into various parts of the space outpost.

Ostikous grunts in his native language: “Which way are we going?”

Kyro sighs: “I don’t speak Urugi…”

Kyro looks at the group and waves at Razzo to come over. Razzo and Dre walk up to the front of the group

Kyro adds: “Razzo, can you tell me what he’s saying?”

“Oh come on you could’ve guessed that it’s the same thing we’re all thinking, which way do we go?” - says Razzo with sarcasm.

Kyro looks down the right train pathway then down the pathway ahead of him, then he does a second take.

Kyro turns back to the group and tells them: “We’re going to go straight for now!”

Dre raises a finger and says: “And if it’s the wrong way?”

Kyro rolls his eyes through underneath the mask where no one can see: “Really making the most of that new hand huh? But it doesn’t matter if we don’t find it down this pathway we’ll just come back and go the other way”.

Razzo asks another question: “Won’t that waste a bunch of time, wouldn’t it make sense to split up instead?”

Kyro puts his hands out and his head down as if he was stretching using a wall. Then he raises his head and says: “I wish I could trust half of you, but the reality is you’re all recently freed prisoners so your allegiances don’t exactly lie with me”.

“Yes but now I work for you, wouldn’t you want me to prove myself by leading half the group through the other pathway”.

Kyro takes both his arms and swings them back, opening up his cloak. On the inside of the cloak were two large metallic-like circular drums around either side of his hip.

Kyro refutes: “I rather you came with me for now and earned my trust this way”

“Was that supposed to scare me?” - Razzo laughs and points at one of the drums.

A couple of the creatures look at Razzo confused like he’s insane. Kyro sighs and touches his hips before sliding his hands across one another, lighting up the finger nail portion of his gloves that connect to a white light that coils around his arms and continues coiling around his torso until it splits up at the spine and connects into the drums on either side.

Razzo unconvincingly states: “I’m not scared of some lights”.

Kyro shakes his head and extends his left hand out towards Razzo. A white cord of electrical lightning comes out of the bottom of the left drum and the cord snakes its way toward Razzo and before he can react Razzo finds himself coiled up by the electrical lightning. Ostikous runs over and tries to free him of the lightning coil, but upon touching the coil he gets shocked back and falls a few meters away from Dre. Kyro walks over to Razzo as the electrical lightning coils up slowly back into the drum as he closes the distance. He stops and kicks Ostikous who remains shocked from the electrical current, but grunts upon getting kicked a little bit by Kyro

Kyro says upon moving away from the Urug: “Somebody get him up, we’re not leaving anyone behind”.

Dre goes over and gives Ostikous a hand in getting up while Kyro continues walking over to Razzo. He watches everyone else in the group to see if they make any sudden and rash movements.

Kyro pokes Razzo’s nose and says: “See now this is why you listen to the captain. Typically I’d make an example out of you but you just became a crew mate so I’ll be nice this one time.”

Razzo nods his head: “See now you’ve raise some good points”

“Okay, any more questions?” - asks the captain while turning around to the rest of the crew

The group remains silent since no one wants to run the risk of getting electrocuted by Kyro while the captain goes on his crazy power trip. Kyro opens his hand up and releases Razzo and then turns back to the pathway and gestures his hand forward.

“After you…” - says the captain quietly.

After a brief moment of tension between the two of them sharing a glance, Razzo steps ahead and starts to lead the group further into the tunnel system. Kyro walks along with Razzo at the front and everyone follows along with Dre and Ostikous keeping close.