Kaz slowed his speech slightly, his manner turning serious.

“It appears you've jumped ahead with your assumptions,” he said. “Rest assured, there's absolutely no cause for alarm.”

“As I mentioned before…” Agozi's voice carried subtle anger beneath a layer of empathy. “They came back out of schedule. They were off-shift and just dropped off their equipment early, despite the rules we have against that.”

“That squad leader will be dealt with accordingly, you have my word,” Kaz said sternly.

“Now, hold on a minute…” Andreas said, his confusion with the situation lingering. “You mentioned peaceful exploration, yet you're equipped for combat…” Clear accusation and suspicion now permeated Andreas’s tone. “Is there something you're not telling me?”

The ship's armed presence was hardly a shock to Andreas; venturing into the depths of the unknown without protection would be foolish. The possibility of hidden motives, however, was a cause for concern. A lifetime in the underworld had taught him to be wary of those who concealed their true nature beneath a facade, and his instincts were rarely wrong in such matters.

“Exploration inherently involves braving the unknown, which is often intimidating and equipped with primitive instincts,” Kaz replied, his tone restored to its usual formal self. “We uphold decorum. The extraterrestrial wildlife? Not quite.”

“He put it rather bluntly, but he's right” Agozi said. “They're our safeguard on the surface missions. Those worlds can be full of nasty surprises.” She paused. “It makes sense to feel jittery seeing them appear so abruptly, which is exactly why we limit their open carry to designated times and places.”

Andreas breathed easier after hearing this, and his posture and tone relaxed.

“Ah! We're talking game hunting then, are we?”

Agozi’s whiskers and nose jerked momentarily.

“Not quite following what 'hunting game' implies here.”

“That makes two of us,” Kaz echoed. “What exactly are you referring to?”

“Let's not dwell on that.” Andreas paused, his lips parting slightly before closing again, his expression contemplative. “May I have a look?”

“What exactly do you want to look at?” Agozi asked.

“I'm referring to the guns.”

This prompted surprise from both Kaz and Agozi, whose whiskers flared, and postures shifted as if startled by the question.

“For what?” Kaz asked curtly, his tone suggesting uncertainty about the question. Agozi remained silent, simply staring at him with what appeared to be concern.

The way they’d responded made Andreas pause, and his tone softened with contrition.

“Did I overstep, what I just asked?” he asked, attempting to gauge their reaction.

“Well, it varies by who’s judging,” Kaz replied after a pause. “Most sentients aren't exactly thrilled to see weapons around, that's why we usually keep them hidden.”

“And again, we're truly sorry about that,” Agozi said. “We didn't intend to confront you with something so disturbing.”

Andreas, having momentarily forgotten their aversion to human facial expressions, gave them a big smile.

“I value your concern, truly, but honestly, it doesn't bother me in the slightest.”

This, for some reason, seemed to startle them even more than last time, the two exchanging a concerned glance, and their whiskers equally hectic.

“Your initial reaction seemed to tell a different story,” Kaz said.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

“It's less the guns and more who’s holding them that catches my eye.” Andreas’s face slowly formed a subtly perverse grin. “In fact, I’m keen to see what they’re all about.”

“Why’s that?” Kaz asked again, equally as curtly.

Andreas smiled once more, but this time, it wasn't due to ignorance; he just didn't care anymore that it made them uneasy.

“Call it a curious man's whim if you will,” he replied. “You offered a tour, and I’m taking you up on that.”

A long pause ensued as Kaz and Agozi remained silent, occasionally exchanging glances, seemingly waiting for the other to speak. Ultimately, Kaz chose to break the silence.

“The armory is just a short walk from here,” he said. “However, your interest in it is perplexing. Does the idea of being amidst such barbaric instruments not bother you?”

“Never mind him!” Agozi said, shooting Kaz an upset look. “I absolutely refuse to set foot in that shop of horrors, regardless of the specimen’s preferences.”

“I beg your pardon, but I prefer to be called Andreas,” he interjected politely.

“Name yourself what you will, but we're not headed to the armory,” Agozi replied, her tone now sounding decidedly less friendly.

“Let’s ease off the hostility,” Kaz said, glancing quickly at Agozi, probably to assert his authority, then looked back at Andreas. “The choice is yours, but I must admit I hold reservations similar to my Lieutenant’s. Typically, only those trained for it can handle the atmosphere in there without distress.”

Andreas chuckled lightly in amusement.

“No need to fret over me, I’m perfectly capable of handling myself in there.”

*****

The armory's quad-directional sliding door opened slowly, and the three entered inside.

The facility seemed tiny compared to the others they’d shown him, being merely a rectangular room with gun racks and equipment along the walls. It was dustier and less maintained, suggesting few visits. The lighting wasn’t ideal either, with just a few small wall lights for illumination. Other than that, it didn’t look so different from most human armories.

Andreas slipped his hands into his pockets and strolled casually through the room, inspecting the racks and the guns within. Agozi and Kaz followed close behind. After completing a circuit, which didn’t take long given the room's small size, he stepped up to a rack for a closer look.

This rack held five rifle-like weapons with barrels pointing upward, each securely in its own slot, with the buttstock neatly placed at the base. However, the metallic restraints blocked him from a clear view of the weapons.

Andreas, standing casually before the rack with both hands still in his pockets, glanced at Kaz.

“Mind if I take a closer look at one of these?”

He’d startled the alien felines again, especially Agozi, who seemed uneasy not only because of his question but also from simply being inside the armory.

Noticing how uncomfortable they looked, Andreas added quickly, “I’m just curious to see the craftsmanship up close.” He smirked slightly. “You could say I'm technically inclined.”

Hesitantly, Kaz approached the rack, showing visible reluctance. Agozi looked like she wanted to object but stayed quiet, her uneasy gaze betraying her feelings about the whole affair.

“System, initiate unlock sequence. Clearance 345 under Captain Kaz.”

A small, circular indicator light on the rack's lower-right corner switched from red to green. A metallic click followed, unlocking the restraints.

Kaz approached the rack, grabbed a gun, turned to face Andreas, and handed it to him.

“There’s no ammo, so it's completely safe to handle,” he said. “Nevertheless, handle it with due reverence.”

With both hands on the weapon, Andreas peered down and silently examined each part with genuine interest as Agozi and Kaz, unsure of his intentions, observed.

The gun was unmistakably a rifle, its stock and barrel length clear indicators. The grip and trigger resembled those of human guns but were smaller compared to his larger human hand. The materials seemed standard, likely polymer or another lightweight alloy, though the gun's surprisingly low weight for its size suggested otherwise.

Resembling any generic rifle he'd seen, the alien firearm's basic appearance was a mild disappointment.

But the underwhelming first impression shifted to astonishment when he found and pressed the release lever, pivoting the barrel down toward the hinge and revealing the chamber. His eyes widened in bafflement as he glanced at Kaz, speaking in a dumbfounded tone.

“You haven’t moved past breech-loading firearms?!”

“Your astonishment tells me this isn't what you expected from our weaponry,” Kaz replied.

“Just seems a bit…archaic, given the tech I've seen here.”

Though not an engineer, Andreas had been on enough spaceships to know that the Galactic Union, whatever it was, possessed technology that was leagues ahead of anything the Terran Federation had. A stark contrast to the rest of the ship, the armory felt more like a museum of obsolescence with its collection of comically outdated weaponry.

“Slugthrowers are uncomplicated technology,” Agozi said, perplexed, with her whiskers twitching. “Why does our tech level matter here?”

“This model is tailored for hostile wildlife elimination and works flawlessly for its intended use,” Kaz then added.

Andreas took another look at the gun, concentrating on the chamber and barrel.

The barrel dimensions hinted at a large slug, likely big enough to kill an elephant or whatever freaky alien monstrosities were expected. The validity of Kaz's words, at a glance, seemed evident; the gun, old-fashioned or not, appeared quite deadly.

Andreas looked at Kaz again.

“Are all your weapons of this particular make?”

“It's the standard issue for all our qualified security staff.” Kaz replied. “Our inventory doesn't include other models.”

Andreas took another quick look at the gun and then passed it back to Kaz.