"Welcome to the colony of Xion Go, home to the best market on this side of the Khilek moon."
It was extraordinary; rows upon rows of vendors sold everything from eggs and exotic fruits to armor, furniture and various modes of transportation. The people themselves… weren't people at all. All kinds of aliens gathered here, bartering and trading like they do on Earth. Molly had never seen Star Wars, but this is what it probably looked like. Some looked familiar. Human, even. Some were very animal, and some very, very alien.
A young girl brushed past them, tears welling in her eyes.
"Oh, dear," The Doctor said, looking after her.
"Um, perhaps she's gotten lost?" Molly suggested.
"Yes, I suppose we should check in, shouldn't we?"
They followed her around a corner, only to see her trapped by to large lizard like creatures. Each taking an arm, they led her away through the bustling crowd, the little girl struggling to get free. "Hey!" The Doctor called, trying to grab their attention. "Wait!" Grabbing Molly's hand, he led her though the crowd to follow the abductors.
After dodging through the throngs of… people (Molly supposed it was just right to call them "people" until further notice), They rounded a corner where the lizard-creature's tails were disappearing, climbing aboard a jet-like ship, with stubby wings and a large undercarriage for storage. It didn't seem to have fared the atmospheres of the planet very well, for the hull looked dark; almost singed. Above all, it appeared to be patched up in many spots, with different metals from what were probably other ships. With scratches and dents and chipped paints, it didn't look in any condition to move. The girl called for help but was quickly muffled as she was dragged into the dim light aboard the ship.
"Well Molly Hooper, I hope you are in the mood for an adventure. Because that's what is heading our way." He said, bounding into the ship after the monsters.
Molly, having learned from her previous adventures, did not hesitate to sprint after him up the stairs and into the belly of the beast. She ran after him into the dim storage unit, where the creatures put the young girl into a cage, and covered it with a heavy purple blanket. The lizard men walked away, mumbling garbled words to one another that Molly could not quite make out. The pair ducked behind a pile of crates as the beasts turned around.
"What are they?" Molly whispered, standing on her toes to get a better look over The Doctor's shoulder. They were large, bipedal, basilisk-like creatures, who walked more like apes instead of humans. But their hands never touched the ground, so perhaps they didn't walk like apes at all. They stood about six inches taller than the Doctor, who, when compared to Molly, might as well have been a giant. The skin colors ranged from deep royal purple, to lime greens and tans to dark leathers. The clothing seemed to be bits and pieces of other clothes sewn and pieced together. They wore armor of thick leather. One carried a small round shield, while the other wore a dull metal helmet and held a staff about as tall as Molly.
"Onyxhags." The Doctor replied, his voice low.
"Nasty creatures. They can spit acid ten feet away, and do it faster than a snake's strike. Although it's normally a last resort, it's highly flammable and could melt through the hull of their ship." He peered at the piles of junk around them. Cages contained animals; crates and bags were filled, and often spilling over with all kinds of goods.
"These ones appear to be sky pirates. They'll sell, steal or kill anything for the right price. Anything, you name it."
"Awwww," a voice hissed behind them, causing the pair to jump. Molly whirled to face what was certainly going to be an enemy. "A wee bit dangerous do we sound to you?" it smiled, baring sharp teeth. "Just wait 'till yeh meet de Captain!" the beast took them each by an arm, leading them up the stairs and through a twisting passageway of rounded corridors before arriving at what Molly presumed to be the Captain's Quarters. There was quite a bit of space in here, despite the small appearance of the ship. The beast shoved the pair through the door, then stepped in and locked it behind them.
"What have you brought me this time?" a voice growled from the far end.
"These two were trespassin', sir. Found them in the hold."
The stateroom was only about as big as the living room in Molly's apartment, but it looked just like the storage unit. All around them sat piles of various objects, although they must have been the most useful and treasured to end up in the Captain's possession.
"Is this your ship? Bit of a junker, eh?" The Doctor asked. The Captain turned around, and ambled closer to them, his heavy footsteps making an audible thump on the ground from his bare, clawed feet. His scales were a dark purple, with a few forest green patches spread across his brow and cheeks. His green eyes flashed from the Doctor to Molly and back again.
"It was a huge bargain. A steal, you might say." The Captain grinned, showing yellow reptilian teeth.
"Oi, it's you again! Thought I'd be rid of you the last time we met." the Doctor said.
"And who are yah? I don't think I know you, boy."
"Why don't you take a closer look," the Doctor insinuated. The Captain bent down until he was practically nose to nose with the doctor, eyes narrowed into slits. His eyes were aged, almost glassy emerald green that blended into lime closer to his pupils. The pupils themselves were vertical like his cold-blooded cousins'. From this distance Molly could see the wrinkles set in his face, the way the scaled skin overlapped itself as it came loose with age. The Doctor raised an eyebrow quizzically and half-smiled like a guilty child, albeit one who had a secret to keep.

What was it that would be reflected back in the Captain's eyes? Molly wondered, how did everyone else see the doctor? She only truly knew him as a friend. As a hero. And she supposed that on many more occasions, he had been both and much more to hundreds of different people. So what would the Captain see? A criminal? A solider? Perhaps just a hell raiser in a bowtie.
Of one more thing Molly was positively certain; this man had worn many masks, many faces. Perhaps some were frightening and unfamiliar. Perhaps others saw daily use. But he had lived a hundred lives and would live a hundred more, putting on a new mask -a new face- everywhere he went.
A glimmer of recognition shone in the Captain's eyes. "Yes, I see it now. A new face you've taken, but I see you are the same man who crashed my ship last time!"
" Yes, well." The Doctor clapped his hands together. "We can't have you hoarding the last of the Jangeaut species, can we? They are protected by intergalactic law, and you should be glad it was me who found you and not anyone else. Now, what do you want with her? She's done no harm to you or your rubbish ship."
"That girl is the sole heir to the throne of Ahmettuun." the Captain growled, pointing at her over his shoulder with his thumb. "Do you have any idea how much her kingdom will be willing to pay for her return? We're simply escorting her back home… but certainly not without reward for finding the dahhhrrrling lost princess. I'll be the richest man in the galaxy!" he laughed, throwing his head back and scaled arms out. His voice rumbled in his throat with husky laughter.
"Give her back!" Molly screeched, jolting forward only to be pulled back by the guard.
"And why," The Onyxhag started, pushing his face so close to Molly's, she could feel his hot breath.
"In the name of Igunine would I do that?"
Molly stood her ground, thrusting her chin forward and standing as tall as she could. No longer would she be a pushover. No longer would she allow herself to be intimidated by insolent hounds like him.
"Because she counts!"
And in that moment, Molly Hooper was no longer just an ordinary girl, with a simple life and a small house, stuck in a rut so deep it had eroded into a canyon. She would be more. This time, she would be great. Extraordinary.

"Take them away" The Captain growled.
The guards began to step away, ever so slightly releasing their grasp from the Doctor's arms. In a flash, he ripped the shield from the guard's forearm, using it to shove him to the ground. Molly stamped on her guard's feet, causing him to release his hold. She pried the staff from his hands, and swung it at his head. The sound of the two metal pieces colliding crashed like a gong. Leaping over the two fallen guards, the pair sprinted out of the stateroom and down the corridor.
Upon reaching the storeroom, the Doctor rushed over to the cage which held the girl. She was about half of Molly's height, with braided blonde hair that went all the way down her waist. She wore ruby colored robes, trimmed in gold. Across her cheekbones were purple tattoos, a small series out six dots on each side that turned up to her temples.
"She needs help!"
"Yes, yes, working on it!" he said, fumbling with his screwdriver. Finally getting it to the right setting, he pointed it at the lock. With the now familiar whirring noise, the lock broke almost instantly. Molly ripped it off and crawled inside, checking for any signs of life. She bent down to take her pulse, and after a few moments she saw the girl's chest rise and fall.
The Doctor examined her with the screwdriver, holding it up to look at it in a better light.
"Yes, she'll be fine. It seems as though they've given her some sort of sedative to keep her quiet. Non-toxic. She'll be just fine once she wakes up."
Molly nodded in agreement, propping the girl up. The Doctor reached in the cage, taking the girl in his arms. He hoisted her onto his back and turned towards the doorway. Molly did the same, only to see it blocked by one of the crew. It pointed at them, letting out a garbled "Hey!"
"Oh dear." The Doctor said quietly.
"Maybe they'll follow us back up the stairs?" Molly pressed eagerly.
The Doctor looked back, biting his lip. "It's worth a shot. Just once around the corridor, okay? Let's go."
The two bounded up the steps, Molly trying to ignore the heavy footsteps pounding the floor behind her. She turned on her heels, catching a glimpse of the two guards gaining on them.
"Doctor-!" She hit the ground with a loud thump, sprawling on her back. She gasped as the air was knocked from her lungs, trying desperately to inhale what was no longer there. The Doctor took a step closer, a fearful expression on his face. "Take her," Molly coughed out, sweeping towards the exit with one arm. The pain spread across her back like a wildfire catching dried hay, blooming across her spine and shoulder blades where the impact was strongest. Molly picked her head up and was greeted by the grinning face of the Captain, and presumably, his tail she had tripped over.
The Doctor hesitated, at first bounding back towards her, then took notice of the guards that jumped over Molly's collapsed figure. "Molly Hooper, I will come back for you, cross my hearts!" he yelled, sounding terribly angry, but more than that. He was very, very frightened. He adjusted the unconscious girl on his back, and took off down the corridor, followed by the two beasts.