Trasti was lost in the flavors of the meat he had been given. It was so different from what he could afford back home. This plate of all different kinds of meat was a whole new world for him. His entire life, food was something you consumed to continue life. The lean meat he consumed back home was practically flavorless and only barely had enough calories in it to be worth eating, but it was all the majority of his people would ever get.

The meat he was eating now was fat, full of calories and energy, and tender!! The kind of meat only the highest caste were afforded. He wondered why he was afforded such luxury but decided not to question it. The Terran Captain had been quite insistent that the old cook had made it specifically for him. And there were so many different kinds. He never knew it was possible, but he was eating it right now.

As he finished up the plate he looked up to see the Terran looking at him with a small smile, the datapad laying on the table.

"That went down fast. Do you want some more? You must have been hungry." Eirik said when Trasti looked up.

"No, thank you. I am quite full but it was just so flavorful, I could not stop myself."

Looking over Trasti's shoulder, Eirik shouted towards the kitchen, "YOU HEAR THAT PAN? HE COULD NOT STOP HIMSELF!! SEEMS YOU GOT ANOTHER ADMIRER OF YOUR UNIQUE SKILLS"

Trasti winced a little as Eirik shouted, but as he realized that his words were being regaled as praise, he relaxed and even felt a little gratitude towards the Terran. The food DID deserve praise. "Las'Tai," Trasti began, still feeling weird using just her name, "when will you be able to return home?"

"I won't" She stated. Trasti was speechless for a second. "but-but-but you have to!! I was ordered to bring you back and I must not fail! They would punish me severely for failing! I just wanted to go back home and not be involved in all of this, I DONT DESERVE THIS AT ALL!" He was almost having a panic attack at her refusal, but the Terran reached over and put a hand on his shoulder. "Take 3 deep breaths, as deep as you can!" Eirik said softly, fixing Trasti's gaze with his own.

Trasti breathed deeply, as instructed, and felt the panic fade as he focused on breathing deeply. The second breath saw it dissipate almost completely and the third had him calm again. "She won't be going back with you because she has taken a position on my ship as part of my crew. And after hearing your little outburst, it would seem I am about to get another new crew member, whether you want to or not."

"WHAT?!??" Trasti all but screamed. "YOU CAN*T DO THAT!! THEY WOULD PUNISH MY FAMILY!!"

"Breathe," Eirik said again, "I have already thought about that. Would they punish you if I were to take your prisoner because of my grudge against Tai'Tanu?"

Trasti opened his mouth to speak but no words came out. The Terrans logic had caused his mind to go into overdrive. The short while he had been aboard this vessel, he had been treated with more dignity and respect, as an individual, than he ever had before, he had been given good food and he could see that Trasti was in excellent health. His father was a doctor back home and a common sign of health was the scales of a Kloxna. The shinier they were the healthier a person was, and Las'Tai was practically glowing under the lamps of the cantina.

But he could never betray his people. But the Terran said he had no choice. "Oh, what am I gonna do??" he thought to himself, trying to concentrate on breathing deeply, as it seemed to help.

"Relax, Trasti," Eirik said, his hand still resting on the timid alien's shoulder. "I promise you will enjoy it here, at least if Las'Tai's reaction to life onboard the *Void Wolf* is anything to go by. Especially after seeing the relaxation facilities."

"What?" Trasti said again, utterly confused at this point.

"Just go with it, Trasti. Las'Tai, do you want to show him?? Or should I?"

Las'Tai started bopping her head ecstatically, The Kloxna version of laughter. "I will do it, Captain. It would be nice with another Kloxna on board. Weird as it is with the war though."

"Show me what??" Trasti said meekly, utterly defeated.

"Come with me!" Las'Tai said cheerfully, rising from her seat.

As they walked down the corridors and into the pool area, she stopped and turned around. Looking at Trasti, she asked, "Hot spring or steamy swamp?"

"Steamy swamp?? Like the resting pods?" Trasti asked. The Kloxna slept in resting pods that were humid and warm, but they could only use them for a certain amount of hours daily.

"Not quite, but yes," She said, "Come." She opened the door to the sauna and walked inside. Trasti hesitantly followed her and, as he entered, he felt the heat and humidity hit him like a blanket of comfort. He saw the ember pit in the middle of the sauna and the bucket of water with the ladle next to it, but Las'Tai scampered up to her corner and pressed the button that had been installed there.

Trasti saw the water fall from a barely visible nozzle in the ceiling and hit the embers, creating large clouds of hot steam.

"We usually wear Towels in here, so our clothes aren't ruined. But this is just the tour, let's go next door." Las'Tai scampered down and took him to the jacuzzi room. When they entered, he just stopped, jaw hanging loose at the sight of the jacuzzi, bubbling away in front of him.

"This is not reserved for the Captain?" He asked in disbelief.

"No, we can use it whenever we are not on duty, as much as we want. same with all the facilities on the ship. The food is always plentiful, the rooms are spacious enough for an entire Kloxna family, but are occupied by 1 or 2 people. The work hours are fair and the pay is good. I have never been happier in my life, since I joined this ship, Trasti. May I ask, how old are you?" Las'Tai was curious. Kloxna males were not this timid unless they were young.

"I turned 7 shortly before the Terran Captain escaped the facility," Trasti answered automatically, not able to comprehend what she had told him. If it was all true, the average Terran lived as well as the High caste back home. "What about the Captain?? Isn't he dangerous??" Trasti still remembered the iron grip around his throat. He had felt the strength of that hand and knew the casual ease with which the Terran could have killed him.

"Only against his enemies. You saw his fight against my mother. Yet, he has never given me a reason to fear him. I would put my life in his hands without a thought."

Trasti was shaken out of his numb state at that. such a statement was rare to hear amongst the Kloxna and NEVER about a member from another species. "You cannot be serious, Las'Tai. You would trust a Terran with your life?"

"Yes." Her answer hung in the air between them in the ensuing silence.

"Why?" Trasti asked.

"Because he would trust me with his. He could simply have handed me over to my mother and escaped before their duel,l but because I wanted to stay on his ship he risked his life to protect my choice. He is strange about the subject of choice but he makes sense, in a strange way. Give him a chance and I think you would do the same."

"What are you two talking about?" Eirik popped his head into the room

"Nothing important, Captain," Las'Tai evaded.

"Fair enough," Eirik said, "I seem to remember that you disliked being cold, is that right, Trasti?"

"Yes, Captain, if it can be avoided," Trasti answered truthfully.

"Well, the ship has central heating, so no worries there. You will work communication, under the supervision of my second-in-command David. The 2 of you should get along well. Like Las'Tai, you will be given a 2 day adjustment period. Do what you want, relax, get something to eat, sleep. And then be ready for work in 2 days. Your room is 2 doors down from Las'Tai so you can ask her any questions you might have. She will show you the way whenever you want. Happy to have you onboard."

With that, Eirik disappeared again and Las'Tai suggested she show him his room.