Guardian was forced to stay low, just in case the Dragonchaser, as the new vessel was known, took him as an enemy and blasted him out of the air. He unfolded his legs and, with his elongated claws clutching chunks of rock and waste, he pulled himself along against a wall behind the Corinthian, keeping up a fairly good speed as they approached the other ship.

The Dragonchaser was amazingly well hidden in the murky shadows of one side passage-way, its hulk only made visible by the reflective light of the moving ship's electromagnetic propellers. The Corinthian actually had to back up, having nearly missed the opening to the ship.

Once it had set down, Fire-Eater and two of her crew slipped out of the hatch and ascended into the bowels of the other ship. Guardian didn't have any connection to his captain once she left the cockpit, but Crank had remained behind, in the ship, and the girl was currently patched in to the Dragonchaser.

He scanned the surrounding area methodically, checking dark corners and nooks in the cavern walls. He thought he saw a flicker of light as his ship had set down, but it was gone too quickly, and was more likely then not to be a scrap of metal. He dismissed the occurance and continued to scan the darkness.

The two ships were nearly identical, though the Corinthian was a deeper shade, almost as if it had been scorched black. The story was that it had been built completely out of the melted down parts of destroyed machines, and while the ship was now patched and rusted in parts, it had once been just as reflective as a black mirror. "It is meant to reflect everything about itself that most of humanity can not confront," he had once heard someone say, "those few who can are its crew, and they are there to guide the blind." It was all myths and tales, of course, but Guardian found the story quaint. He enjoyed listening to the tales that any aboard the Corinthian cared to share, especially those about Zion, for he was not allowed to go there himself. He wondered what stories were being told aboard the Dragonchaser now... and what was so important about them that they had brought Fire-Eater away from her main pursuit.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Yana," Fire-Eater smiled at the Dragonchaser's commander, having made her way into the ship with her two companions. "This is Thunder and Torrent, part of my crew." She gestured at the two behind her, a dark skinned man and a woman with asiatic features respectively, and they both nodded in greeting.

"And you as well," the Zionite replied, a quirky grin marking her round face. "So where's this fabled machine you keep so conveniently on a leash?"

Fire-Eater quirked an eyebrow at the shorter woman, unsure of whether her tone was sarcastic or simply amused. "My reputation preceeds me, doesn't it?" She narrowed her eyes as she judged Yana, deciding whether or not she could trust the new captain. Others had not taken well to her rather odd crew-member, even though he'd been on their side for years, now. "Just promise me you won't do anything brash, alright?"

"What, me, brash?" Yana shook her head, her ponytail bobbing as she did so. Her eyes sparkled just as brightly as ever, and while she looked like a little round imp, she somehow managed at the same time to convey her sense of cooperation. "Don't worry," she continued, her voice taking a more serious tone. "I understand where you're coming from... so it is around here?"

Fire-Eater nodded, enjoying the open curiosity and lack of animosity from this woman. "Crank," she messaged her ship, "Tell Guardian he can come out of hiding now."

"Right!" the static-y voice replied through the clunky hand-held radio, and a few moments later, the great machine separated himself from the wall.

Just inside the cock-pit there was a ruckus as one of Yana's crew noticed the mass of metal and tentacles, but the nearly plump woman bounded up the metal grate as fluidly as a gazelle and was staring out of one window with rapt attention. Fire-Eater waited below, holding a grin back. Torrent whispered to her partner and he chuckled.

A loud whistle came from the cock-pit as Yana ducked her head out. "Quite the behemoth you've got yourself! You're sure it's not out to smoke us?"

"Quite." Fire-Eater grinned. "Now, what was the news that you had for us?"

"Ah that--" Yana turned around again to get another look at Guardian, and was about to continue when a young woman, a waif of a thing that looked like she might snap in half at any moment, came charging up from the bowels of the ship.

She interrupted her captain, her voice strained, "Yana, Cel's just spotted a squidge, she says it's not a sentinel, and it's not acting like one either but--" Her tone was filled with fear. "We need to shut down, blast the EMP..." She had glanced briefly at the new people standing near the captain, though her attention was taken with the now chortling short woman. "This isn't funny! Cel says it could attack any minute, and she doesn't think she and Key can take it on--"

"Calm down, calm down!" Yana waved a hand at the agitated mahogany-haired woman. "Tech, meet Fire-Eater, the captain of the Corinthian." Yana waved a hand politely at the trio of new arrivals. Rather then let the woman stew, as she might have in a less consequential situation, Yana further explained, "The creature Cel's made note of is called Guardian. He's been converted to our side, he means no harm." She said all of this as if she hadn't just been incredulous a few moments before.

Tech looked warily at her captain, still worried about the possible threat. A confirming nod from Fire-Eater caused her to lower her head in apology. Two captains couldn't be wrong...

"It's good that you showed up, actually. I was about to call you to meet this fine captain and show off your creature to her!" Yana put a hand behind the new captain's and Tech's backs, gently pushing them back towards the hatch. "I think we may have found some friends in our little exploitations!"

"What's this about creatures?" Fire-Eater asked, craning her head to look back and down at Yana.

"You'll see, you'll see. Now, just promise that you won't get all uppity. I don't want brains splattered all over my ship!"

The three Corinthian crew looked at each other with varying levels of confusion, while Tech choked. Yana, having gotten them all into the hatch, whistled a cheery tune as she pushed the button, and they descended out into the cold world.