Signe was rubbing her temples in frustration. This was the 4th time she was going over every single control in the Kloxna prototype they stole and Eirik insisted she go over it again afterward. "Eirik, seriously, are you trying to learn all of these things by heart?" She asked while looking over the small book she had written as she cataloged the ship's construction and components.

A fighter-bomber with FTL capabilities. It had always been considered impossible, the forces exerted on the ship and the bulky FTL drives had prevented it. But she had spent the last 20 months reverse-engineering the ship by herself. She knew it as if she had built it herself, the placement of every nut, bolt, and screw. She knew that even with the engine modifications Eirik had requested, it could still carry enough bombs and ammunition to operate independently of the larger carrier ships usually needed to transport the small crafts to the frontlines.

It was a marvel of engineering, decades of research dedicated to the task evident in the design, and Signe was honored and humbled to have learned its secrets. But having to give Eirik a crash course 4 times in a row was taking its toll on her.

"Indeed I am, Signe. I am thinking about making this my personal ship, once we have the technical drawing to start building a production line, of course. I plan to sell to Terra, once we can produce these babies." Eirik was reading her notes over her shoulder as he spoke, determined to know the ship in every detail.

"Is that wise? They could easily use them against us and then reverse engineer them, once the patent holder is dead." Signe sounded as worried as she was. She knew very well the dangers of new discoveries and the envy they could attract.

"It's too late for Terra to do something about us. We are a military ally at this point, having joined them in war, despite not having to. Attacking us once the Kloxna war is over would be political suicide on a galactic scale. And as idiotic and inefficient as the Terran Empire is, they are not that stupid. Fortunately." Eirik said, trying and failing to grab the notebook from Signe.

"Well, fair enough I guess, but can you not pester me about this? Once I copy this notebook, you can borrow it! Now I need to get back to work!" Signe brushed EIrik off, having had enough.

"But-" Eirik didn't get further, as Signe was already walking away with determined steps.

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Dalle was in a good mood. He had managed to bribe another Kloxna official into his service. It was a slow and grueling process, only made more difficult by the constant interruptions from that insufferable cow, Tai'Tanu, and her constant demands that he and his mercenaries actually work for their pay, like common soldiers! And Eirik, the thrice-cursed whelp, had not only made a successful secession from the Terran Empire but immediately staked his claim with military precision and an iron-fisted crackdown worthy of his damn grandfather! Nobody else could see it, but if Eirik was not stopped, now, then his empire would become a powerful voice in the intergalactic community, possibly able t rival Terra itself, given enough time and an heir

His forces were highly trained and extremely motivated, as evident by their vigilance in keeping their colony worlds under strict control without interfering in the day-to-day lives of the inhabitants. So far, no pirate had even heard of someone making it in and out undetected. How did he force the soldiers to stay in the void for so long without them leaving the outfit during the first trip back planetside?

I couldn't be because of that demented idea of having them love you instead of fearing you. The only loyal soldier was a soldier that feared your blade more than anything! He shook his head to rid himself of the negative thoughts and returned his attention to the bottle and the woman in front of him. She was no Freja, but she would do, for the moment. He just needed to keep worming his way into the circles of power among the Kloxna and soon enough he could direct their leaders as puppets.

The Kloxna high cast he had already convinced through bribery had opened up completely, unknowingly providing him with a nearly endless amount of potential blackmail materials. He lifted his glass and toasted his dinner partner's good looks, which made her blush almost hiding her freckles. "Yes, she will do for now." He thought to himself.

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Narvik was looking for Eirik and Jeanette had suggested the temple room. She said Eirik was preparing himself for the coming conflict, so Narvik had hurried to see if he could be allowed to experience whatever it was Eirik was doing. Jeanette had told him about the belief that she and Eirik shared and he had found it very interesting, despite also finding it disturbing in its reverence of death and hedonistic living*. When he reached the right corridor at the back of the ship he could hear low music being filtered through the door (See post chapter notes)

Music like he knew it from back home. Deep horns, vibrating drums, something that sounded like a string instrument, but not like those weird unnatural noises the most Terran music had in it. He slowly pushed open the door and was immediately hit by a wall of heat and humidity mixed with heavy incense. As he crept in and closed the door behind him, he saw Eirik sitting in front of 9 small bronze bowls placed on top of a custom-made stand for each of them.

Each little bowl was filled with embers and had dripping wet herbs placed on top of the embers, causing the heavy smell of incense and filling the room with a thin layer of smoke as the edges of the herbs slowly burned. At first, Narvik thought Eirik ignored him, but then he saw his eyes. It was like looking at the shaman back home when he was communicating with the ancestors. The other species might not be able to see it, but even with compound eyes, his species could tell if someone was present mentally, or not. And while EIrik's eyes looked normal from a distance, a single glance was enough to confirm that he was on another plane.

He was staring into the smoke rising from the embers and herbs, the micro-expressions and tiny flicker of his pupils told Narvik that he was searching for something. Something he could only find by himself. It took a moment before Narvik realized that the constant low growling did not come from the hidden speakers, but from Eirik himself and when he finally understood, he felt a shiver of primordial fear run up all of his legs and settle in his body.

Suddenly very keenly aware that he was alone in the room with a being that was actively trying to access the more primitive and savage parts of its mind in order to make itself mentally stronger in anticipation of a coming conflict, Narvik slowly made his way to a dark corner on the ceiling and settled down, prepared to wait this out. The last thing he wanted, was the attention of Eirik in his current state.

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Eirik was lost for the world as he stared into the embers. Letting the music connect him to his ancestral culture and the incense allowing his mind to relax, mixed with the few mushrooms he had taken took effect and he was lost in his own world of contemplation. He had not taken enough to go for a full trip, but just a few would still open up the neurological pathways that were normally locked away by the conscious mind.

At some point, he had a feeling he was being watched but he shook it off and instead began rocking from side to side to keep his crossed legs from having the blood drain away. He also had a secret wish that he could unlock the way to communicate with the gods on his terms instead of having to wait for them to contact him. There HAD to be a way, and the would spend the rest of his life trying if he had to. The key was somewhere in the runes he had taken pictures of after the first time. It just had to be possible!