As the hours passed, Las'Tai felt her head clear up slowly, the dizziness fading and her thoughts becoming normal again. The effect of the alcohol was greater than she would have thought and she had decided to stick by her vow to herself and be very careful about partaking in the future.

Eventually, Jeanette, Signe and other crew members decided to head back to the ship for the night and she joined them. The trip back to the hanger was uneventfull and they arrived safe and secure.

Las'Tai did not want to waste time in the sauna and so, made the choice to go to the captains cabin to get an answer for her question. As she arrived at the cabin door, she tried to listen if there was any movement, but she heard nothing. She raised her hand to knock on the door but never got the chance, as it slid open in front of her. Before her stood the captain, bleary eyes and wearing only his pants.

She once again noticed the tattoos on his body as he stretched out his body with a low groan, seemingly unaware of her presence. When he finished stretching he looked down and noticed her.

"Oh, Las'Tai. Did you have something you want or is this just a coincidence?" he asked with a yawn.

"Actually, i DID have a question captain" Las'Tai replied "In my culture, the bonding of male and female is a union that lasts for a long time, if not until death. Yet, i saw you taking 2 females to your quarters and i am confused. are you bonded to one or both of them?? And if not, why would they willingly follow you to your quarters??" she rambled out, stumbling over the words in her haste to get them out.

Eirik wore a strange expression on his face for a second before he started speaking. "Las'Tai, in Terran culture, there are bonding rituals. However, those are not something to be taken lightly and we take great care in selecting the right partner for a ceremonial bonding. That being said, Terran's also have physical needs as well as a want for physical contact. This want can extend to a need, if we are deprived for long enough." Eiriks tone of voice had taken on a lecturing quality as he spoke. "Those 2 women you saw me with yesterday were nothing more than bit of harmless fun. a way to let off excess energy from the last battle and relieve stress at the same time." His smile turned as wide as it could, "and what a great stress reliever it is."

Las'Tai was trying to understand but something still didn't make sense. "Captain, there is still something i do not understand. What is stress relieving about taking 2 females to your quarters if you are not bonded?"

Eirik laughed quietly before replying "Las'Tai, just because Terran's are not bonded, does not mean they cannot enjoy the perks of being bonded. We are a very open minded people when it comes to sex outside a bonding ceremony." At the look of shock on her face he added "It's really no big deal Las'Tai. We use contraception to ensure no pregnancy takes place. no one wants to bring a kid into a world where the parents are not together. It would not be fair to the new life."

Las'Tai thought this over before asking another question. "But why would you want to engage in reproductive acts with someone that is not bonded to you??"

"What, you never tried??" Eirik asked

Suddenly blushing heavily, Las'Tai exclaimed "That's a personal matter and is not to be discussed!"

"I see," Eirik said laughing quietly again. "I will not pry anymore then"

He Stepped away from the door and Las'Tai caught a glimpse of the 2 females lying naked on the captain's bed before the door closed.

"Captain.. did you .... both??" she asked incredulously.

Eirik started laughing but the sound of the ships general alert started blaring and he immediately pushed the panel next to his door "What is going on!" He asked, his voice back to the professional tone o the ships commander.

"Station guards gathering outside the ship. Alot of station guards. Captain. I have closed the hangar doors and put the ship on general alert. What are your orders?" came the reply from the bridge.

"send every member of the wolf packs that is on the ship to the hangar after they visit the armory. Siege equipment. Tell them to ready a set for me as well. Internal security will be in charge of preventing them from entering the ship while we get ready. All non combat crew members not needed at their station is to gather in the cantina for the time being"

"Received captain" came the response.

"Let's go" He said to Las'Tai.

_______________________________

Arriving at the hangar, Eirik quickly suited up in his combat gear and equipped a pistol along with the shield and his personal weapons. He saw 10 members of the wolf packs in the hangar, all ready for battle in the bulky siege armor he had ordered out. They would be able to take ludicrous amounts of damage before going down. and with the added protection of their shields, These 10 men along with their captain, would be a nearly unstoppable force to anything the station could throw at them, short of a fully armed combat exo suit.

"TAKE UP POSITION!!!" Eirik yelled out to the waiting men. They quickly formed a single line rank in front of the hangar doors and turned on the shield generators on their ballistic shields. the result was a wall of interconnected steel and forcefields, making for an impenetrable defence.

Eirik took his place in front of his men and yelled out again "OPEN THE HANGAR DOORS!!!"

As the doors slid open, he was greeted with the sight of at least 50 station security members, all carrying weapons, all pointing them at his ship.

Eirik took a single step forward before bellowing "I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THIS IS ABOUT, BUT I PROMISE ALL OF YOU, IF YOU DO NOT STAND DOWN, THE LAST THING YOU WILL SEE IS A VERY ANGRY TERRAN FACE STARING DOWN AT YOU AS YOU ARE BEING SKINNED ALIVE!!"

A Kloxna stepped out from behind the station security and started speaking, "We know you have the missing high caste member as a part of your crew. we are here to return her. Submit now, and you will be the only one we kill. Refuse, and we will slaughter every living being inside of your ship. You have 5 minutes to choose!" With those words, the Kloxna quickly stepped back behind the station security.

Eirik turned around and looked at his men. Their eyes were hard and they kept them on the enemy.

In a low voice, he asked, "Well men, what do we say to such an offer??"

They all smiled dark smiles of grim determination and winked at him.

Turning back to face the station security, he pressed the button that activated the force field on his shield and raised his pistol, shooting the closest Plyxii soldier in the head, splattering bone fragments and brain matter all over the soldiers behind the unfortunate victim.

At the sound of the gunshot, the 10 members of Eiriks crew moved forward as a single unit, becoming a moving wall, closing the distance to the station security much faster than anyone expected. They did this, all roaring the same war cry, "WE HUNT FOR DEATH!!"