As Eirik lead Las'Tai back towards the ship, he took a moment to stop by the young man who had opted to leave.

"Is there anywhere I can get you a transport to?" He asked.

"My family lives on the Mars colony and I have no employment to seek elsewhere captain." the young man said "But I will figure something out. Hopefully sooner than later" He smiled cheerfully at the end of the statement, giving a thumbs up to the captain.

"Hmmm... Let me make a few calls, see if I can find your transport to mars or a new job. It's the least I can do to remedy the trouble my choices have caused you" Eirik said in return, furrowing his brow in thought. He already knew of at least 1 way he could help the kid, but he REALLY, REALLY didn't want to make that call. He was already enough in debt on that front and when collection day came, he was not sure he would get out of it as a whole man. Moving on towards the ship with Las'Tai's shoulder secured in his grip he headed to the cantina. He needed to inform Old Pan about the smoked moose meat and get this talk over with. There was a lot to do and every minute he wasted before he actually send the recording, was time he took away from his own advantage.

As the two of them got closer to the cantina, raised voices could be heard and he picked up speed. causing Las'tai to have to break into a weird jog to keep up, trapped as she was under his hand.

As the door to the cantina slid open they could see what looked like 3 engineers, on account of their stained hands and work clothes, trying to squeeze as far into a corner as was humanly possible. 2 steps away from the group stood an old man, his face like wrinkly leather and his voice croaky enough to put a frog to shame, flailing around with a giant frying pan

"I don't give a flying rat's ass if you used disinfectant to clean your hands, no one enters MY cantina with stained hands!!!!"

Eirik smiled wide as he took a few steps into the room. He had missed the old cook's antics during his imprisonment. He was a weird one, even amongst his crew of eccentrics and misfits, but the food was fit for a king and the old guy loved seeing people enjoy his cooking.

As he didn't recognize the engineers (and they obviously did not have experience handling Old Pan) he called out, "Hey Old Pan, give the new guys a break, let them get to know you before you give Knud more work"

Old Pan whirled around with the pan in his outstretched arm, ready to punish whoever dared interrupt his listing of the rules in his cantina, but as his eyes landed on the captain and Las'tai he stopped and smiled the kind of smile only an old man seeing a person loves can deliver.

"CAPTAIN!!!! The others said you were back, but that you left for earth right away!! Look at how much weight you lost, have you not been eating??" he fixed Eirik with a stare that could make hell grow cold, but Eirik just smiled sheepishly and said, "I have been imprisoned Old Pan, Did you forget??"

Old Pan looked insulted and defiant as he sternly proclaimed "I never forget anything and you know it!! Don't get smart with me captain, you are not too old to get an old-fashioned spanking!!"

Eirik laughed and lifted both hands in a surrendering gesture, letting go of Las'Tai in the process. "I'm sorry Old Pan, please forgive me. Would a gift ease the insult I have unjustly directed towards you? I brought smoke moose." He said while still chuckling.

"Smoked moose??" Old Pan said, his interest piqued. Narrowing his eyes suspiciously he asked "What wood and how much"

"A full juvenile moose, minus what I consumed myself, Smoked with Juniper wood shavings not 5 days ago" Eirik declared and the old cook's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree as he started mumbling to himself.

"What should I use it for though...... Stew, sliced, baked, fried, with potatoes or rice, onions or garlic.... The possibilities........"

Eirik padded the old man on the back "They are bringing it in as we speak. And I know you will make a wonderful meal with it Old Pan. For now though, I need to talk with our new friend here" he gestured to Las'Tai, who had not moved since he let go.

"Old Pan simply nodded to himself, still mumbling, and walked back to the kitchen

Sitting down at a table and bench set (he had preferred them over individual seating for eating, as the sense of community among the crew during meals was reinforced by them) and gestured to Las'tai to sit across from him. As she made herself comfortable on the bench, he had to suppress a snicker at the height difference.

"Listen closely, I don't want to repeat myself. Just like I did when faced with bringing you along or leaving you for execution, you now stand at a crossroads in life. You will have to make a choice. You can choose to stay a prisoner on my ship and keep being locked up in the cell until this conflict with your people has been resolved. Or. You can choose to join my crew, on a probationary basis in the beginning, of course, and enjoy limited freedom from the moment you become part of the crew, the limitations being the bridge, Hangar bay, armory, and the combat training area. Anywhere else will be open to you and you will be given room to stay in.

Considering your need for heat, I think it best you get one of the few single cabins on board. I don't want the hassle of another of my crew being used to a different temperature than you need in a shared room. I can promise a life of adventure and seeing the galaxy, with all the dangers and wonders it brings with it. I will have to fight your people when I see them, so I would understand if you do not want to be a part of it. You don't need to answer now. you can think about it as long as you want, the offer is open. Do you understand everything I have just said??"

____________________________________________

Las'tai could feel her disgust grow as the human spoke. but was surprised to notice a tiny voice inside her head, so tiny she shouldn't have been able to hear or notice it, asking "what if.." When he finished speaking, she was silent for a moment before asking "Why would you ever offer me a place on your ship, considering the statement you just recorded??"

_____________________________________________

Eirik knew that question would come, and he had spent a long time after making the choice, pondering exactly WHY he made that choice. He answered her the same way he had answered himself.

"Because my gods want me to bring you along with me, for an unknown reason and an unspecified amount of time. That is going to happen no matter what either of us likes. Now, I can keep you, prisoner, during that time, along with the drain on resources and manpower. Or I could enlist you and gain from it instead. Besides, keeping you locked up would most likely extend the time until the purpose of bringing you along is revealed, and neither of us wants that. Finally, You are a higher caste, that was working a lowly prison guard job instead of being pampered in a palace, away from the common people. You are either cast out or you have left in defiance, seeking something different from life. Well, I am offering you something different in life. Living free, sailing where we want, taking the jobs we want, seeing the places we want. It's how we live and I offer you to be a part of that."

_____________________________________________

Las'Tai was silenced by his words. Everything she had planned to say, every insult and counterargument seemed to vanish as he had pinpointed her reason for being stationed where she was. She DID want something different out of life. Something more than lounging about in your tower, dictating conflicts far away from the fighting, and taking a harem of males simply so the other higher caste members could envy you. But she was also bound by her loyalty to her people. She simply sat there, staring at the table, silenced by inner turmoil.

_____________________________________________

"Come, let's go to the cell, you can think in peace there. I Will make sure you are not disturbed" Said Eirik as he stood up after a while in the silence.

She didn't say a word, she simply stood and followed after him. After locking her cell again, he told the guard to make sure she was not disturbed and to contact Eirik when she wanted to speak again.

Heading to his cabin, he thought about who to call about a job for the young man. He reached the cabin, sat down at the desk, and started calling around.

........

An hour later he was no closer to achieving his goal and he groaned loudly in frustration, knowing he only had one person left to call about this. A knock on the door offered an escape from the dreaded call and he jumped at it like a drowning man jumps(swims?) at a life raft. "ENTER" He yelled out, not taking his eyes off the dreaded name in the notebook he had pulled out from the drawer in his desk. David entered the cabin, looked around at the slight mess that was always the captain's cabin, and said "I heard you groan as I walked by, what's up?"

".... I have to call Ulla." Eirik managed to get out through clenched teeth

David simply turned around and started laughing uproariously as he left, the sound of his laughter being heard until Eirik closed the door.

Almost punching the number in as he sat down, he poured himself a glass of mead. he was gonna need all the courage he could muster in the following conversation.

*Ring ring*

*Ring ring*

*Ring ri-* "Urgent Ulla, you call we haul, what do you need?" The voice on the other end sounded like it belonged to a person much too big to be a woman, but Eirik knew better. He took a deep breath and said the words that would damn his near future. "Hello, Ulla. Long time no see"

"the woman(?) on the other end immediately started yelling incoherently before she managed anything nearing understandable language "Wolf Whirlwind, you naughty boy. When did you get back into the trucking business and WHY HAVENT YOU CALLED ME ABOUT THAT DATE YOU PROMISED ME LAST TIME!!!!!"

Eirik felt his ears go red at the old nickname and calling handle when hauling cargo. "I'm not back in the trucking business Ulla, but I need a favor. I have a crewmember who needs a hauling job going to mars. you got anything?"

"And what's in it for little me, huh Whirlwind"?? came the reply, her voice playful in ways he wished he were directed at anyone else.

"You are anything but little, Ulla," Eirik said dryly

"Female bodybuilding champion of Terra, 3 years in a row" came the laughing reply

"Damn, you won again?? congratulations. anyways, what's in it for you is the date I promised AND I spend the night" He shuddered as he spoke the words, knowing this would be the end of him. "But it has to happen within the next 24 hours if possible."

no reply rang out for a moment, which scared him more than anything. Ulla was not the silent type.

"This better not be a joke" came a surprisingly menacingly reply.

"No joke, I'm deadly serious. I'm currently orbiting Terra, where are you at"

Another short moment of silence. "I got your ship on radar, I'm coming up there Whirlwind. You are NOT getting away from me this time" Ulla's voice had a dangerous undertone to it, one that dared him to try and run. he surrendered without a fight.

"Old Pan has some smoked moose if you want homecooked..." That was the only thing he could think of saying.

...

30 minutes later he heard a ship docking in the hangar bay and realized the call had ended without him noticing. Fighting every instinct in his body, he slowly stood up and forced himself towards the Hangar to greet his guest.

"This night is gonna be the death of Eirik. I have no idea who I will emerge as. All I know is that I will never be me again" he thought as he felt like a man walking towards his execution.