Eirik was staring at the table in front of him. He knew he was going to regret letting Narvik make the choice, but then again, he did not believe in choosing others. He refused to bear that responsibility.

Shaking his head he tried clearing the negative thoughts and turning his mind toward something more productive. Signe had been going over the complete technical drawings of the prototype FTL-bomber they had stolen and had made several suggestions that would increase speed and armament, at the cost of armor and backup systems. While Eirik liked the plans, He was not happy with only having a second life support system installed and needed to find a way to work around it.

He could remove some of the weapons, but that would make it inferior either in dogfighting or in terms of point defense, neither of which he enjoyed the thought of. He was ripped from his thoughts when he heard someone clearing their throat and looked up to see Las'Tai standing at the table.

"Las'Tai, greetings, what can I do for you?" Eirik asked, happy for the distraction

"I heard you let the prisoner free??" She said and took a relaxed stance.

"I did. He was given an offer and was told of the consequences of each choice. He chose freedom. Much like you did." Eirik said in a tired voice. It seemed he would not be given the chance to escape the invasive thoughts of Narvik.

"But his situation is much different, Captain. How can you justify giving a being from such a primitive life, free roam on your ship?" Las'Tai was angry with Eirik for giving Narvik freedom. Even the Kloxna respected and understood the need to keep pre-FTL races locked on their planet, leaving them to evolve in peace until such a time when they would join the galactic community by their own hand.

"It is not about what I can justify. I did and chose nothing. I merely provided truthful information and let him make an informed choice. Honestly, Las'Tai I would have thought you, of everyone on board, would understand why I did what I did." Eirik said in a slightly disappointed tone.

"But... The intergalactic law...!" She tried arguing, but she found it hard to argue against the logic Eirik was presenting.

"Is a law I have not yet signed, meaning, my empire is not bound by it. I have broken no laws in this, Las'Tai! But I think I know how to solve this." Eirik was getting annoyed. He was not used to anyone second-guessing his motives and reasoning. Upon further introspection, he decided he did not like it.

"I... Suppose that's true... And how would you solve this?" Las'Tai continued, now more unsure than ever that she had the right to be cross with Eirik.

"By making you Narvik's main tutor!" Eirik flashed his smile as he said it and if he concentrated he was positive he could see a piece of Las'Tai's soul wither and die as she understood what he said.

"Me... Tutor... Him?" Las'Tai felt like the whole room was shrinking on her. She did not want to be responsible for breaking galactic law! "I refuse, Captain!" She said sternly.

"...Huh? What's that? I couldn't hear you over the sound of me revoking your sauna and jacuzzi access..." Eirik said mildly as if he could not be bothered to focus on the conversation.

Las'Tai made a noise that sounded like a mouse being stepped on and a cat having its tail pulled, but she didn't move. "You wouldn't dare!" She hissed.

"Are you prepared to gamble your secret night relaxation time on that?" Eirik said, leaning back in his chair and looking for all the world like a cat that just got a big fish.

Las'Tai stiffened when she heard she was not being as secretive as she thought she was. "How do you know?" She whispered.

"This is my ship, Las'Tai. Nothing happens onboard that I do not know about. Hell, she got secrets that only I know about!" Eirik said, satisfied with the look of shock on Las'Tai's face.

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"Just how many more aces do you have up your sleeve?" Las'Tai responded in disbelief. She had heard the expression amongst the crew, and after someone explained it to her, she had adopted it on account of her love of playing poker.

"Always one more.." Eirik replied. "Now, was there anything else? Or can I get back to work on this... thing." Eirik gestured towards the drawing spread out across his table and Las'Tai shot them a look, glancing over his notes. After a minute she pointed to a back compartment.

"Why don't you remove the extra fuel for the FTL engine, cutting the number of jumps down to 3, but giving you enough room for an extra life support system and a bit more room for more engine power." She said in a concentrated tone.

"I... How on Terra did you get that idea?" Eirik stared at the drawings and her suggestion made perfect sense.

"Kloxna." She responded. "Remember, natural resources are not abundant on my home planet. We learned to make the most of the least. At least when given a specific goal to achieve."

"I like it. I'll be sure to swing by your room next time I have a problem that requires that skill." Eirik said happily as he added the changes and rolled up the papers to take them to the workshop for Signe to look over.

"My room? Is that... Does Freja approve?" Las'Tai asked, Her tail whipping back and forth behind her.

"Approve of what? Me swinging by to get help with some work?" Eirik asked utterly confused.

"Oh.. Well, nevermind, Captain. My mind was far away." Las'Tai said as she practically ran out of the room.

"Huh. That was weird." Eirik thought to himself as he gathered everything for Signe.

____________________

Later that day, Las'Tai was working hard on the heavy bag in the training room. Her mind kept going back to the last words she had exchanged with Eirik. Why had the thought that he would come to her room for more than work even crossed her mind? It wasn't like there had been any form of connection between them AND he was already very happy with Freja. Why would he even think of her in that way? Would it even be possible? Would the insane stamina of Terrans translate into that activity and would it present an obstacle or a pleasant surprise?

Realizing that her thoughts were going places they should not, she forced them back to the question of why she would even get that thought in the first place. She kept mulling over this problem as she worked out her energy on the training equipment, but no matter what she did, it was not enough. Then she realized what was happening. She was entering her yearly fertility cycle. She groaned as she worked harder to burn off the energy. This was the 3rd time she would go through it and she knew what was in store for her.

Her aggression level would spike, her muscles would grow, her temper would be shorter and she would find herself attracted to almost any and all males she was nearby. When the Kloxna had first entered space and found other species, they had mistakenly thought that their cycle and the urges that came with it would be restricted to their own race.

Turned out, that this was not the case, causing xenophiles all over the galaxy to look for excuses to be near Kloxna, just in case. It was part of the reason the Kloxna empire was seclusive. Interspecies sex tourism hotspot was not a label you wanted on your people.

Las'Tai also knew that the situation would not be improved by being around extremely confident men, with the skills and abilities to back it up. Kloxna males were judged on their health. A strong, healthy male Kloxna was much preferable to a meek and petite one. Trasti was the perfect example. He had been the timid and petite stereotype, but the time on Eirik's ship had turned him from one extreme to another. He was now the stereotype of a male Kloxna that did everything in his power to look good for a potential partner.

The fact that he did it just for his own sake was not lost on Las'Tai, but she had to admit he was a fine-looking male. Her mind started drifting towards the exercise of a different nature and she shook her head violently. "This was going to be a long month." She thought to herself.

________________

Eirik had dropped off the plans with Signe and she had praised him for the idea until he had corrected her. The idea was not his and he would not take credit. He was making his way down to the armory to start unpacking all the gear that would be needed on their next stop. Not that he expected trouble, but since it was a space station on the border between the Terran Empire and the Kloxna Empire, he thought it safer to project a strong front. Discourage attacks before they happened.

He was pulling the large shield for the PESSA suits out of storage when the intercom beeped. "We just passed the 30-hour mark, Captain. Long-range scanners indicate a peaceful void space around the station. No attack underway." David's voice rang out and Eirik pressed the button to reply.

"Received. At the 2-hour mark, report to the armory alongside Jesper, Bjørn, Knud, and 4 troopers of Jesper's choice. All need to be PESSA certified."

"Received. Are you expecting trouble, Captain?" Came the response from David.

"None. But like a condom on a blind date, I would rather have it and not need it, than need it and not have it." Eirik laughed. "Captain out." He pressed the button to stop talking and returned his attention to going over the shields and their forcefield generators.