[i]Meanwhile...[/i] 
Taya stumbled through the debris, catching herself on her front foot and turning, gun barrel leading. The young woman saw no one following, but the amount of thugs on this world she didn't trust simply not being able to see a foe. Holding her position for a few seconds, once she was satisfied Taya turned and hurried down the alleyway, finding the main road that led to the launchpad that held the Highlander, still stationed where the three had left it. This world was a bit poorer than most, and even now as she walked under the archway to the hanger she felt the dust and grime on her skin. She didn't say it, but she was still very much used to being pampered on her homeworld. The Captain and Neil's stoicism in the face of all they've had to deal with kept her mouth shut over broken nails or lack of hygiene, but now that she saw the Highlander before her, she wanted nothing more than to take a bath and wait for further instructions. 

Once she put in the code, the Highlander's entryway door slowly lowered, air seeping out of the pistons, giving a hiss like a viper as it moved. She forgot how much she missed the sound of her boots on the hollow steel of the fallen door as she stepped into the ship, quickly placing in the code to close it behind her. Once the door was closed, she finally noticed the lights were out, and there was a hint of a strange smell in the air. Sniffing, she couldn't tell what it was. It was faint and likely unnoticeable if her senses hadn't already been on edge. 

Groping in the dark, her fingers ran over the lighting toggle on the opposite wall. She gritted her teeth and lowered the thing, glad it wasn't stuck fast like it had been before. It creaked, but once it hit bottom the lights flooded the ship's interior. Now she could see everything in front of her, but nothing seemed different. [i]Well, why would it be[/i]? She thought, and Taya began walking toward the cargo bay. [i]Just put your gun up and go take a bath. Neil didn't install the bathing area for it to go unused.[/i] Her smile bloomed on her face, and she shimmied down the stairs leading to the cargo bay. 

Once down there, she abruptly turned to the left where most of the arms and armor was stored, unstrapping her submachine gun and placing it carefully on the rack. She felt competent with it, but she knew the other two felt she had a lot to learn and she guessed she couldn't blame them. Losing your cool in a firefight was not entirely safe. 

"Where are the others?" A deep voice sounded behind her. Her soul left her body for a brief moment before she recognized it as Saxon, calming down. He made her nervous at the best of times, but at least he wasn't an enemy out for her blood. 

"They're still in town. They said they would call us whe-" She turned and looked behind her, her words drowning out in a scream of terror. Even a hardened soldier would have been disturbed at the sight. As she looked across the cargobay, she saw what looked to be Saxon's corpse on the floor, hollowed out and filled with various juices. Beside it stood a beast that resembled him, and she knew must be Saxon. It was clearly a Hexanagallion, but he had gone through some sort of metamorphosis! His massive, brutish arms now had bones like spikes protruding out of his arms, each a meter long. Under them on his broad chest were two smaller arms, now curled up. Smaller being relative, as they were thicker than Taya's limbs certainly. Other than those, the further bone-like protusions along his vital areas acting as a sort of natural armor, and the wet stickiness clinging to his naked skin (which had likely been the source of the smell) it was Saxon. So that was what he had gained from his healing? 

"You uh...you look good." She said uneasily. 

Saxon smiled. "I feel good."