"Supreme Commander-General." The two Spiderids saluted him. "Matriarch Derketo has already gone inside."
They navigated through a smaller side-airlock, big enough to accommodate a cargo-loader. This door looked considerably newer, perhaps a century old judging by computer interface. A Leonid lioness wearing the insignia of the ALV Halyib greeted them just inside the second door, tall and golden-furred, also wearing a space survival suit, but she'd taken off her clear polymer helmet to breathe the space station air.
"What's the oxygen mix, Corporal?" Abaddon asked.
"Within normal tolerances," the lioness said. "A bit heavy on nitrogen, but the pressure is low. There is adequate oxygen to fend off narcosis."
Abaddon took off his helmet, and then helped Sarvenaz take off hers while his cr
