More than a thousand Kessu and Kraktol crowd together inside the Bloodbearer's largest facility, its Holodeck. Even with the chamber's incredible size and ability to deceive the senses, its ability to contain more than a fraction of the ship's crew proves limited. With so little space to sit in the spectator stands, many Kessu opt to sit on the laps of their far-bigger Kraktol comrades. Having spent nearly two full years together, most of the barriers between species have worn down, thanks to everyone's united efforts.

Now, most fights occur not over their species' differences, but menial issues such as simple misunderstandings and the like. Because of these changes in their thinking, most Kessu and Kraktol, at the very least, offer a begrudging respect for one another.

Off in the corner of the stands, a female Kraktol and her friend, a female Kessu, sit together and chat while they wait for the action to start.

"Have you finished fixing those gravimetric condensers on Deck Three?" The Kessu asks.

"Kyargh! I haven't! This tech stuff makes my head hurt. I keep trying to get transferred to the manual labor division, but there's a queue longer than my tail to get in!"

"I can pop by to help you out, mraww!" The Kessu says.

"Sure! That would be a big help. Oooh, they're coming out, now!"

The Kraktol points toward the center of the Holodeck, where a flat, circular arena has appeared, elevated about ten feet above the floor. Stairs on its sides lead up to the top surface, where more than two dozen Kraktol and an equal number of Kessu clamber up to stand in rows and columns.

"These challengers look about the same as last month's," The Kessu female says. "Meow! Look, there's Ruuki! He and Soren won the last competition. Doesn't seem she's participating this time, though. Looks like he picked someone else as his partner for today."

The Kraktol female glances at the arena and frowns. "That's weird. Kyargh! Why's there an empty space in the middle? Are we missing someone?"

"Not sure... let's wait and see," The Kessu mutters.

Many minutes pass. Some of the spectators start to get antsy, wondering why the first round of combat hasn't started yet.

Finally, the holodeck door opens in the distance, revealing a pair of figures as they step inside.

"Ooh! It's the Admiral! I thought he didn't usually come to watch these fights?"

"And Soren! Soren's here too! I guess she didn't feel like competing, this time."

All of the spectators begin clamoring excitedly about the differences in this month's competition versus the previous ones. Having the Admiral himself show up is a rare treat, given the amount of work on his plate.

Admiral Rodriguez casually walks into the holodeck and nods vaguely at the spectator stands on the opposite side of the holodeck. He smiles and waves, while Soren follows behind him silently. As he mounts the combat platform, many voices become hushed.

"Oh... oh, ancestors! Is the Admiral going to fight in today's competition? Is that why there's still a spot open?"

"If he joins, it'll be a bloodbath! There's no way anyone can beat him!"

Despite their worry for the combatants, the vast majority of the spectators feel their blood boil as eagerness to see a true master of combat fills their hearts. Sometimes, one wishes to see two equally-matched challengers duke it out, while other times, one might wish to see one super-powerful fighter beat the crap out of a bunch of weaklings.

"Everyone..." José says, raising his hand.

His simple movement silences the audience, as they wait for him to continue.

"...I have a special treat for you all, today."

Several Kraktol flick their eyes toward one another, trying to guess what the Admiral's announcement might be.

"Over the past eight months, Soren has gathered the very best fighters among the Kraktol and Kessu to battle it out in two-versus-two combat matches. Most of you probably assumed these matches were just for show, but they weren't. I wanted to build a database of the strongest fighters on this ship, determine compatibilities between different people, and so on. However, I also had another reason, and that was to gather the absolute strongest fighters we could find and put them here before you all, today."

José walks up and down the line introducing the combatants.

"First, we have Sapphire, our Chief Strategy Officer, teamed up with Miss Miku, everyone's favorite Deck Two janitor."

Seeing the small Kessu beside the blue-scaled Kraktol, many of the spectators nod. Despite her 'lowly' position as a janitor, Miku actually possesses a strong combat sense and has always excelled when paired up with Sapphire. They even won first place a few months before, beating out Ruuki and another of the stronger Kraktol combatants.

The Admiral introduces two dozen other combatants, all of whom puff out their chests and try to appear as imposing as possible, partly to look good in front of the Admiral, and partly for the audience's sake.

After José finishes, he returns to the front of the line.

"All of this was part of my master plan. I wanted to see what the most formidable and frightening lineup of Kraktol and Kessu could do when pitted against a truly horrifying adversary. And now, today, I will have my answer."

The Admiral's words cause many spectators to blink in confusion.

A horrifying adversary? Is the Admiral going to pit the challengers against a simulated army? Perhaps a bunch of Trolls, or... worse?

The Admiral gestures toward the holodeck door, which opens to reveal a massive and imposing figure.

"Everyone, I shall now introduce to you a crewmate you haven't seen in a very, very long time."

Thump.

Thump.

Slowly, the nine-foot-tall giant, slightly taller than the Admiral himself, begins to lumber into the room. Each footstep hits the ground with an intimidating thud, making the spectators' eyes widen in shock.

"H-holy..." A Kessu mutters. Her fur stands on end reflexively as she eyes the scary-looking Kraktol entering the room. "That's... that's Grundle!"

Her cry of alarm spreads a wave of realization through the audience. Every pair of eyes locks onto the tall, grey-scaled Kraktol, eying him with more than simple fear or reverence.

"How can that possibly be Grundle?!" One Kraktol female cries. "Nobody's seen him for months! I was even worried he might have died in an accident! Kyargh!"

"That bloody Füth is bigger than the Admiral! What in the swamp-muck has he been eating?!"

Grundle lumbers forward, his eyes casually sweeping across the audience. This simple motion causes anyone whose gaze he meets to fall deathly silent.

As the Kraktol walks up the stage's steps, he pauses to bow his head before José.

"Admiral. Thank you. For everything."

Even with his head bowed, Grundle still barely stands taller than José. The Admiral pays the size difference no mind, opting instead to squeeze his arm affectionately. "You've endured well, Grundle."

"Only because of you," Grundle replies, his voice bone-chillingly deep. "I will serve you until the day I die."

"Let us hope that day is a long, long way off," José replies. He gestures toward the open spot amidst the center of the contestants, making all of them widen their eyes in horror.

"No way..." Sapphire cries, glancing at her partner. "We have to fight Grundle? We won't last one move! He's even bigger than Kisa!"

José straightens his posture. He folds his hands behind his back and walks out in front of the contestants.

"That's right! All of you are the best fighters aboard the Bloodbearer. Today's match will not be like the others. Instead, all of you will fight Grundle at the same time! You must beat him into submission, or knock him out! Likewise, he must do the same to you."

Grundle takes his position among the contestants, making the size difference even more apparent. In totality, he stands a full two heads taller than the tallest Kraktol onstage, and three or more heads above the shorter ones like Sapphire.

"I don't want to hear any excuses or whining," José says, his tone strict. "Any one of you can easily defeat a Stone Troll in solo combat. With all of you working together, surely you should be able to defeat one little Kraktol all by his lonesome! So, work hard, fight hard, and show me what you've learned. The competition will begin in five minutes!"

Without another word, José turns and walks offstage, heading to the spectator stands. Soren stays behind to play the role of the mediator and judge among the combatants, taking up a seat atop a simulated tower to give herself a birds-eye view.

When José walks up to the stands, he catches sight of a Kessu waving at him. "Big Baldy! Over here! I saved you a spot!"

The Admiral smiles. He meanders into the bleachers, then carefully makes his way into the center of the stands to sit down next to Little Lele, now eight years old. To the Admiral's surprise, the little girl holds a tiny kitten in her arms, clearly a newborn.

"Hi, Lele," José says, petting her head. "Who's the kid? Are you babysitting?"

"Uh-huh! This is one of my little sisters, Lulu!" Lele says beaming proudly at José. "Daddy and Mommy had a litter of kittens last month! I've been wanting to let you know, but couldn't find you!"

Lele's white fur matches her sister Lulu's, making them almost blend together. José gently reaches down and rubs the newborn kitten's head with his finger. "Ehehe. Such a cute kitty."

"Wanna hold her?" Lele asks. "Here!"

Lele lifts the small ball of fluff toward José, but he hesitates. "I don't know. Lulu's pretty small. I might hurt her..."

"Nuh-uh! You big silly!" Lele laughs. "She'll be fine! Here, she's the only one with pure white fur like me, so she's my favorite. You can hold her! It's fine!"

Seeing Lele's insistence, José relents. He gingerly cups the kitten in one of his hands, marveling at how insanely tiny she is; the same size as a normal house-kitten from the Motherworld.

Easily fitting into the palm of José's hand, he delicately caresses her soft and fluffy fur, feeling a sense of contentment in the fidgeting kitten's quiet mewls. With her eyes still not yet opened, Lulu only wriggles a little bit before settling into place in José's palm.

Like this, two minutes pass while José marvels at the kitten's sheer, unbelievable cuteness. Reluctantly, he gives Lulu back to Lele, chuckling to himself.

"You're going to be a big sister, now," José says. "That means you'll have to act like a role model, Lele."

"Yup!" Lele meows. "I'm gonna be the bestest big sister ever! I'll make sure all of my brothers and sisters are happy, well-fed, and all that important stuff!"

"You're a good kid," José praises, before turning his attention back to the arena.

Not long after, the competition begins. Twenty-three pairs of Kraktol and Kessu encircle Grundle, while he merely stands stoically, paying them little attention.

"Graugh. There is no need to worry about your honor. Attack me all at once. I wish to test the limits of my power. If I fall, that will only mean I have not trained enough for this day."

Sapphire crows. "Kyargh! You asked for it, Grundle!"

She and all the others charge toward Grundle, raining their fists and claws upon him. With everyone working in tandem, they quickly seize the initiative, beating Grundle with every drop of their strength. Each blow lands on Grundle's body with brutal force, leaving him grunting in pain while trying to fend off the furious onslaught of attacks.

However, even with so many vicious kicks and punches crashing against Grundle's body, he never roars in pain or gasps for breath. Instead, he deflects the most dangerous blows, dives through an opening, and rears his foot out to kick one Kraktol in the back.

THUMP!

With that one strike, Grundle sends the Kraktol and his Kessu companion flying! They tumble into another duo, causing all four of them to fly off the arena stage and crash against the holodeck floor.

"Ring-out!" Soren proclaims. "Teams three and seventeen are out!"

"Damn!" The Kraktol who got kicked curses. "I barely even saw his movements! How can someone so big move so fast?!"

Meanwhile, Grundle continues fighting. Like a snake swimming through a forest's underbrush, he drops to all fours and slithers forward, passing through a gap in his opponent's defenses. He swipes his tail in a wide arc to trip another pair of Kraktol, then lifts himself on his front-claws for a second to kick backward with his feet.

THUMP-THUMP!

Grundle easily knocks both of those two off-stage, as well as their Kessu partners, making them tumble face-first onto the holodeck floor.

"Teams seven and eight, ring out!" Soren proclaims.

Over and over, Grundle knocks one due after another out of the ring, making the dwindling challengers feel a looming sense of hopelessness and despair.

"Is the gap in our strength really so vast?!" Sapphire cries. "What sorts of meat has the Admiral been feeding this damned Bulin?! How can the weakest Kraktol become the strongest in only two years?"

Soon, she, too, goes flying. Grundle throws Sapphire out of the arena, along with her partner. After less than thirty short minutes, Grundle finishes cleaning up, taking out every combatant in the ring. He rises to his feet and raises his fists skyward.

"Graugh! I reign supreme! All hail the Admiral! All hail the mighty Precursor! My victory comes because of him! Graugh!"

José and the rest of the audience rise to their feet, giving Grundle a standing ovation. Everyone claps and cheers, excited by the insane display of power from he who was once the absolute weakest among all of Drall's warriors.

"I'm glad he's on our side!" One Kessu says.

"Mraw! Dang right! How can anyone ever beat him?! Grundle is a friggin' monster! He's unstoppable!"

As the crowd heaps endless praises onto Grundle, tears well up in his eyes.

Not long ago, I never had any hope to make something of myself. If it weren't for the Admiral, I would still be stuck cleaning the grates on Drall's ship. No matter what, I will repay the Admiral even if it takes the rest of my life! Nobody is more important to me than him.

José smiles and nods.

"You did it, Grundle..." José mutters under his breath, his voice drowned out by the cheering crowd. "But this is only the beginning of your training. You've suffered so much and worked yourself to the bone, never giving up on your dreams. Now, you must surpass me. You must show everyone the true power a Kraktol can achieve."

...

After the holodeck battles end, José and Soren leave together.

"Admiral," Soren says, "The biomod acceptance ratings still haven't reached optimal levels. While Grundle can forcefully use them to enhance his body, persisting through the pain by his sheer willpower, other Kraktol won't be able to do such a thing."

José nods. "I know. Grundle is only the first test subject. Unless someone else trains to the peak of their body's power, I won't risk their lives with such a dangerous, experimental surgery. Getting his rejection rate to sub-ten percent within less than a year is already a miracle in and of itself."

He and Soren travel into the Bloodbearer's lower decks, then arrive at their ultimate destination; the Armory. With many of the crew taking a break to eat in the Mess Hall, the Admiral and his First Officer find themselves alone.

Soren pulls out a datapad and reviews its contents while she speaks, logging down the conditions of all the Bloodbearer's weaponry.

"Admiral, would it be possible for me to become the second experimental subject?"

A look of surprise flashes in his eyes. "You? Absolutely not. You're the most important member of the crew. If an accident were to occur and you were to end up crippled or dead, I'd never forgive myself. I need you to maintain the ship and keep the peace between the crew."

Soren hesitates. "I understand, Admiral, but this surgery represents the peak of what Kraktol biology can achieve. If I were to receive the surgery, then my insights would elevate substantially."

"Doesn't matter," José says, firmly rejecting her proposal. "You're already one of the strongest Kraktol in terms of fighting power. Even so, your body is clearly more suited to the pursuit of science. Experimenting on yourself could cause, at a minimum, crippling nerve damage, brain damage, or worse. If I lose you, who will be your replacement?"

"Why not Lele?" Soren immediately asks. "Or her Aunt Lorrie?"

"Lele is still too young," José responds, shaking his head. "Perhaps in ten years she will truly rival you, but for now she's just an inexperienced kitten. She hasn't yet seen the true horrors of war."

"But she has..." Soren mumbles. "Kyargh. What about when Orgon attacked Lele's village? She witnessed many dead Kessu, and other horrors. She suffered immensely."

José falls silent for a moment.

"...I suppose you're right. Even so, that's no reason to allow you to test the Kraktol biomods on yourself. If you consider yourself my First Officer, then please listen to reason. You need to do what you're best at and leave other stuff to those who are most suited."

The Admiral pauses.

"Besides. Implanting biomods is going to be an agonizing experience for the next several Kraktol to try. I don't want you to suffer like that."

Soren lowers her head.

"Yes, Admiral. I understand. Thank you. Thank you for... caring."

A moment passes. José and Soren stand silently, with her staring at the datapad in her hand, and him gazing at the side of her head.

Soren's voice cracks. "A-Admiral. Toward you, I feel..."

"No. That can't work," José says, immediately noticing the change in her expression. "We can never be an item, Soren. Someone already stole my heart away a long time ago."

"Evelyn?" Soren whispers, turning to look at José.

"That's right. No matter how much time passes, I won't ever forget her. Besides, you and I aren't the same species."

Soren takes a step toward José. "That... that shouldn't matter, Admiral. There's no harm in... in cross-species affection."

Seeing the pleading look in Soren's eyes, José laughs wryly. "Haha. I... I'm just not good with... that sort of thing. Don't misunderstand, Soren. I care deeply about you. I just... I try to look at you like a little sister. Like family."

"You try?" Soren asks. "So, even you feel something more toward me? A feeling you wrestle with."

José nods. "Yes. Of course. But it can't go further than this. It simply can't."

Before Soren can react, José steps forward and stretches his arms out. He wraps them around her shoulders, then presses his head against hers, while closing his eyes.

"A-Admiral..." Soren squeaks.

"This is only a hug," José explains. "I love you like a sister, Soren. This is the best way I can express that love."

Sensing the sincerity in his words, Soren merely nods. She echoes his movements, wrapping her arms around his back.

The two of them embrace each other, enjoying the intimate contact they've never shared before.

José rubs the back of Soren's head, then pulls away.

"How do you feel now, Soren?"

His First Officer blushes, causing her red scales to flush with color.

"I... I... thank you, Admiral."

"You can call me José," he says. "You've been at my side for years, now. If you were a male, I would call you brother. As my sister, I will treat you the same way I once did... toward Nick."

Soren nods.

"Thank you, Ad- err... thank you, José."

He smiles back.

"You're very welcome."