The group of three huddled around a table. On this table, was a sticky note. This particular sticky note was left on Osiris' hat after he had past out drunk. The sticky note in question described in quite gruesome detail what would happen to each of them and their loved ones if they could not scrounge up 2.5 million credits in exactly solar month (which in Earth terms is roughly 50 twenty-four hour days). This was quite the conundrum seeing as none of the trio had anywhere close to 2.5 million credits, and were unable to get a loan seeing as they all had terrible credit scores.

"How in Kluex's name do you even rack up that big of a tab?!" shouted the fiery red Avian after a few moments of silence so the narrator could finish speaking.

"By having years of rampant alcoholism and the names of a few less than reputable characters associated with you." belched out the constantly tipsy Novakid as he failed to take an unnoticeable swig from his flask.

"Give me that!" shouted Tona as she swiped the flask away from him mid-drink. "The last thing you need right now is alcohol after what you've done!"

"Tona, calm down. Now is not the time to start screaming at each other again. We need to think of a way out of this and fast. Fifty days isn't that much time when it comes down to it." chimed the stern looking Hylotl who was frankly, quite tired of the endless arguing between his two colleagues.

"All right, all right... I'm good." replied the less-red-in-the-face-but-still-vibrantly-red-feathered Avian.

"Look, can we just skip the small talk and get right to it? There is no legal way to get this kind of cash. The way I see it, we only have a few options." Said Osiris, who looked just a bit less drunk than a minute ago.

"We are not robbing anyone." said the doctor and lieutenant in unison.

"I'm sorry, did I sound finished? Because I wasn't. Either way, there are no good places to rob. We're on the outer rim of the milky way right now where there are no major banks or money handling operations. This is where the poor people live, and do you wanna know why? Because they're all too lazy to illegally board a ship and fly to any banks to rob them. Ain't no casinos around here either, no matter how much I wish there was."

"You and gambling? We'd owe twice what we owe now if we even let you within 100 feet of a casino." Said Tona, who was starting to relax about the situation a bit more.

"Hey we both know the real high stakes games happen around the back where you have guns pointed at you 24/7, not inside the place. Anyway, grand theft is unfortunately not an option this time. I think the best we can do is either trade everything we have, or look for quick jobs that earn a lot of cash."

"The best place to find odd jobs would be the Outpost. Plenty of strange characters come through their on a daily basis needing something done." said Noburu.

"Then it's settled, we set off for the Outpost as soon as possible." answered Osiris, who was already on his way to the navigation computer.

0000000000000000000000000000000

"Well, this place is a shit hole."

"You've been here for less than 2 minutes, give it a chance will you?"

"The last time I gave something a chance it had one gun to my forehead and one to my... well just somewhere you wouldn't want a gun pointed."

Osiris and Tona walked along a ramshackle looking road on a larger than normal asteroid. Noburu had elected himself to stay behind and "look after the ship", which was probably code for whatever immoral thing Hylotl's do when they're alone. The Infinity Express cashier looked like he had been working an eighty hour shift while simultaneously having to make special versions of alcoholic drinks for several dozen Florans who didn't necessarily agree with the use of plant life in their primarily plant-based drinks they ordered.

They approached a large and unnecessary airlock, seeing as the asteroid had a somewhat breathable atmosphere of it's own. It slid open noisily as the Novakid and Avian were exposed to the hustle and bustle within the station. Groups of people of all races walked along the main room in search of whatever they may be searching for. A lively Floran bounced up and down happily inside of a repurposed cargo container which now had a sign that said "Terramart" on it. On an upper walkway closer to the ceiling, flashing signs glowed in all different colors in order to attract new customers. Many people just waited on the benches provided for some other aspect of their lives to take them wherever they needed to go next. A bit further down a hallway they spotted a strangely familiar one-eyed woman standing in a booth labeled "2 Stop Teleshop". The air was electric and carried the weight of at least 6 dozen other souls, all lost in their duties and obligations. The world sure was simpler to those who weren't in debt 2.5 million credits.

"Come on, let's go ask around and see if anyone needs anything." 20 minutes of searching later they found that surprisingly, no one had any problems. It was as if the main character of a slightly different story had swooped in and made everyone's troubles disappear.

"This is useless, not a single person has any problems. No kidnappings, no stolen items, no lost dogs, no nothing!" cried the Avian.

"Come on, I saw a place upstairs with a balcony, maybe we can get some fresh air there."

The pair climbed a rusted metal staircase until they came to a doorway that revealed a small, but cozy balcony to them. It was just big enough for 2 people. Too bad someone was already there.

"Come young ones, for I know what you seek." whispered the purple-cloaked individual who had his arms resting on the railing that bordered the balcony.

Osiris and Tona stepped cautiously forward, unsure if this man could pose any kind of danger.

"It is okay, I have the answer to your problems." said the hooded figure as he turned around, his face too dark to see under his hood.

"And what exactly do we need from you?" asked Osiris as he gently ran his fingers along his Manaticon that sat in his holster.

"I know that you need a very hefty sum of money, and thankfully, I know just where you can get it."

"You do? Stop being cryptic and tell us then." said the Avian, irritated that this man knew more about her problems and the answers to her problems than she did.

"Deep within the stars, there lies ancient constructs called vaults, built by those who came before us. These vaults are said to hold the answers to anyone's problems, no matter the complexity. The vault knows exactly what you need and is happy to provide it, so long as you can claim your reward within these two parameters. First, you must complete the vault within the time limit, otherwise you will be trapped their for the rest of your existence. Second, you must survive."

"That doesn't sound half as bad as the shit we face on a weekly basis so yeah, I'm sold; How do we find one of these vaults?" questioned Osiris, completely truck by this new legend.

"You must first find a gateway to access the vaults with. That is the only way to get inside. You must also have a vault key to activate the gateway with. Thankfully, I happen to have one here with me."

"All right old man, how much is this gonna cost me?" remarked the now uninterested and annoyed Novakid, who had thought he could get away without spending any money on the information.

"Consider this one a free sample, just to see if you can handle such a task." said the hooded figure as he slowly pulled a metallic grey and purple key out of his robe and handed it over to Tona.

"Thank you, we will repay you the next chance we get." thanked Tona as the pair walked back inside the station.

"We aren't actually gonna pay that guy back are we?"

"Please, I'd rather be mauled to death by a Poptop than spend money on someone who's breath smells like he hasn't seen a dentist in his whole life."