Las'Tai ducked under the training blade and made a stab at Trasti with her own. This past month of intense training, while they were docked had done wonders for the young male's fighting abilities. While physically weaker than the females, and Trasti was slim by nature as well, he was fast and very flexible. Las'Tai had to work hard to block some of his more creative attacks.

Trasti weaved out of the way of her attack. He was far more comfortable simply avoiding attacks than blocking them. He simply lacked the strength for a test of blades. He was no longer as timid as well, the ability to defend himself giving him a large boost to his self-esteem.

Their sparring match continued for another minute before Las'Tai managed to land a blow that gave her victory.

"You are improving. You should be proud!" Las'Tai said as they went for a drink of water afterward.

"I am, in my own way, but I still got more to learn. I have yet to beat you" Trasti responded. It was a sore point for him. He had already been working day and night to improve, but no matter how much he progressed he seemed to lack behind Las'Tai.

"You have made a tremendous gain in a very short time, Trasti. Now comes the grueling task of maintaining it and making it second nature." Las'Tai tried to keep his willingness to learn in check. Learning new ways of fighting was well and good, but you needed some fundamentals hammered into your body before you could utilize any specialized training.

"I know, Las'Tai" Trasti was determined to maintain what he had learned. A whole new world had opened up to him. One where he was not afraid all the time. He had also learned to trust the Terrans on the ship. If he was sparring with them and they hit too hard, they would be overflowing with an apology. They considered the training ring as sacred as the Kloxna. It was for friendly competition. Hurting someone was to dishonor everyone present.

He still did not think Eirik would relocate his family, but Las'Tai was hopeful. She had faith in the Captain's word and so, Trasti did not dismiss it completely.

"Let's go ask Old Pan for a snack," Trasti suggested after they had re-hydrated, "He loves when I come to ask for food. I think he genuinely loves to see others enjoy food."

"I think you are right," Las'Tai replied, "And I agree, let's go ask!" Together they headed towards the cantina. When they arrived, They saw Eirik sitting at a table with the mysterious Terran woman that had simply moved into his quarters. They spent almost all the Captain's free time together and they had both barely seen Eirik for the entire month.

_____________________________

Eirik waved at them to get them to come sit with them. He had recently explained his reasons for bringing them both along to Freja, and he wanted to introduce them properly while they were still in port. He was excited beyond reason after his latest meeting with an infiltrator. They had narrowed down the system but there were 2 prisons present, both max security.

Eirik had instructed the infiltrator to relay any further findings to his brother, who would then send a secure message to Eirik. The target system lay deep within Plyxii territory, but Eirik didn't care. With the modified siege armors and his 5 mystery packages from the old weapons smuggler, he was ready to take on anything short of a fortified military complex. David had been informed of their next destination and the implications it carried if their purpose was discovered. For now, they would hide beneath the excuse of being an unofficial diplomatic envoy.

As Trasti and Las'Tai came over, Eirik spoke up. "Las'Tai, Trasti, where have you been this past month?" He smiled wide as he continued," I almost thought you left the ship. You are looking good Trasti. Well-fed and a little bigger."

"We've been training, Captain," Las'Tai took the word, "Trasti is showing promise as a fighter. But isn't it YOU who have been absent during this month?"

Eirik blushed slightly as he responded, "That brings me to my next point, I want you to meet Freja." Freja reached a hand out to both of them and greetings were exchanged.

"Pardon me for being so direct, Captain," Trasti said, "But are the 2 of you bonded?" The question earned Trasti a slap from Las'Tai's tail while Eirik and Freja simply looked at each other for a moment before turning their heads back to Las'Tai and Trasti.

"I would say we are." Eirik replied and Freja followed suit, "Yes we are."

"I didn't know Terrans formed attachment so fast," Trasti said, more to himself than anyone, but Freja started laughing and Eirik hurried to correct.

"We have known each other for many many years Trasti, around twice as long as you have lived so far. The only thing that kept us apart was some rather poor life choices." Eirik noticed Freja's face and quickly added "From both of us, of course!"

"I see. By the way, I want to thank you, Captain." Trasti continued.

"For what?" Eirik was surprised. He had shanghaied the poor kid.

"For having me here. Life is better than I could ever imagine. Life on your ship is like living in the lap of luxury compared to back home unless you are high caste." Las'Tai squirmed a little in her seat at Trasti's last words but nothing further came of it.

"I am truly sorry to hear that, Trasti. Why do your people accept living in such conditions?? Why not revolt?" Eirik was stupefied at this. No one would accept living in squalor while the elite lived in the highest forms of luxury.

"They restrict food so we don't have the energy. It's crude but effective." Trasti had taken to studying Terran history to get an understanding of the cultures that had led to this modern society. He had been floored when he discovered the different eras of Terran society, even more, when it dawned on him that neighboring nations might have radically different cultures. This knowledge had allowed him to see the Kloxna feudal slave society for what it was and he was adamant about making some form of change. no matter which. Life could be better, he was living it.

"Indeed. I have a question, Trasti" Eirik straightened up, "Do you think you could convince your family to move willingly if given the chance?"

Trasti had to think about this. He could use the advantage of surprise to get most of them moving, but his sister might be a problem. She was a loyal Kloxna soldier, through and through. She would resist any attempt at persuasion. "I cannot convince my sister. The rest of my family can be convinced though if approached the right way." He answered truthfully, willing to believe in a fool's hope, that the Captain had meant it when he promised to get them away from the Kloxna empire.

"If we can extract your sister, you can get the rest out without trouble?" Eirik wanted to confirm this. The extraction of a single soldier was no big deal. Especially when you had insider knowledge.

"Yes, as long as the 2 events are kept separate. She is quite zealous, Captain." Trasti confirmed.

"Then we will make plans for the relocation soon. We need to prepare." Eirik stated.

"Why do we prepare so much, Captain?" Las'Tai asked, "I have thought about this before, and I cannot understand the deeper meaning behind it."

Eirik smiled mysteriously as he answered, "Luck favors the well prepared, Las'Tai. Why do you think things tend to work out in my favor? You should read about the old Terran general *Napoleon*. He was a mediocre commander at best, but he was an astounding spy. Having updated tactical information and time to prepare will guarantee victory for a Terran 99,9% of the time."

They both fell silent after this and Eirik excused himself and left the cantina with Freja, who made sure to bid them both farewell and let them know she was happy to meet them.

"She seems pleasant enough." Las'Tai said once they were alone, "She also seems to have a calming effect on him, at least according to the rest of the crew. I want to know more about their story."

With that, they both got up and went to pester Old Pan about food. The old man acted grumpy as always, but he still made 2 bowls of meat stew for them and smiled as he handed them over. He knew they had a special love for the nutrient-rich food, and the rice was almost perfect for their stomachs as well, despite the difference in physiology.

Having learned from previous mistakes, he had filled both bowls to the brim, preventing any friendly debate between the 2 Kloxna about portion size. It had the added benefit of having them carry their bowl at eye level when walking to the table, making it look like small humanoid lizards worshipping his food. He would never get tired of that image and he had already taken several pictures of the event.

Trasti and Las'Tai started digging into their food and Old Pan returned to his work of preparing the dinner for the day.