"Oh, that sounds great! Count me in!" the short reptilian replied.
With that, the squad divided themselves up to help search its grounds. It held numerous secrets, some they guessed at, and some that they could only imagine. In the end though, everything they grabbed at the beck and call of the happy, fat little lizard was something that their eyes simply couldn't comprehend, or utterly mundane and sensible. As they did this monotonous work, carefully navigating the now dead station, they were careful to clear room after room. The shadows tugged at their minds and played tricks with their fears. Worst of all, they were without not only Ylfa, their squad leader, but Kelly as well - both were in the care of the IPG.
Dark times were ahead it seemed.
***********
NSS Sledge Mama
Hyperspace
Even the familiar halls of the Sledge Mama didn't quite get rid of the feeling of doom and gloom that hung over them all.
As a ship of the Democratic Imperium of Nepleslia, there was always some sort of job to be done. Marines were usually busy either repairing their gear, in some cases themselves, or getting some R&R in. And of course, the Sledge Mama had provisions for each of those; it had to. Otherwise, marines cooped up in confined places would start getting stir crazy and do something like punching bulkheads. The VR Room that Ylfa frequented was always open, and though she was nowhere to be found at the moment, Kelly was in the machine shop instead. Her old chassis needed new parts, and the Super Militant she was in gave people the creeps.
And of course, there was always the sound of idle chatter, drinking and pool balls clinking off of one another at the bar. With fewer marines than normal though, it somehow felt empty.