“Phew! That was some impressive shooting back there, partner.” Light said as they emerged back into the relative brightness of the scrapyard. He cracked the bang stick open and two big red shells popped out, wreathed in gun smoke. He heard short, sharp raps and realised their escort was slow-clapping. Her eyes glowed blue and flashed.

“Smile for the camera; this is going all over our social media networks.”

When they arrived back at the dismantling yard, the picture of them staring slackly into the camera was projected in epic proportions on the wall. Rodion let out another booming laugh and slow clapped as they approached. “Bravo! The boysies who shot the space vermin! You have the parts, yes? Good! Then a deal is a deal, ninety million will conclude our business here today.”

Light hesitated for a moment, but did release the funds into the proffered card reader. The green glow bathed Rodion’s face as he watched the holopad eagerly for transaction to complete. When it did, he beamed widely and grasped their hands to shake. “You are proud owner of three scarab! I will have my men help you load them. I wish you beautiful day, full of opportunity! And don’t forget to come back to Uncle Rodion when you want new QV ship, yes?”

When they got back to the ship, the scarabs were waiting on a hovering flatbed by the cargo ramp. They were dark purple in hue and each about the size of a small car. Their main carriage, largely made up of the long gun, sat on four legs.

Another woman waited nearby. She handed Senjen a holopad. “Control panel.” She said bluntly, tapping a big button on the interface. One of the scarabs got to its feet and looked around. Spotting its new home, it disembarked the flatbed and clanked methodically up the side of the hull until it nestled comfortably between the rocky crevices. The other two scarabs, presumably those requiring new parts, remained still and curled up. Light activated the cargo ramp and the flatbed deposited them both inside.