I stepped out of the shower feeling more refreshed than I have in a very long time. It also helped that I have had more to eat today than I have ever eaten as well. As I stepped out of the bathroom wrapped with a towel I quickly realized I had no idea where my clothes were at.

"Gerald, are you there?"

"I am always present on the ship, deckhand Elly."

That made sense. As the AI for the ship, he could hear everything happening on the ship. "Um where are my clothes?"

"Your clothes are being washed and repaired. They will take awhile to complete. I can replicate for you a standard crew suite if you would like until they are done."

Thank the galaxy. I was momentarily worried there. "Yes please and thank you Gerald."

I made my way to the far wall as the replicator began to hum.

"Um Gerald, how big is the ship?" I was a little hesitant to ask the AI. Was that considered rude to ask the AI of a ship how big it was?

"The Unforeseen is six hundred feet in length and one hundred in diameter."

An image displayed on the far wall in front of the sitting chair. It showed a small sleek ship. There was the front that had a rounded point at the tip that slopped down to four more curved sections each on symmetrical to the other. They all ran towards the back where they seamlessly merged into one smooth body. There were six thrusters in the back with one massive one in the center and the five other smaller ones set around it. I think the most stunning part was the sleek matte grey color of the ship with a bright red symbol painted on the side. The symbol resembled the one Stella had tattooed.

"Um Gerald, I was told you could direct me towards the mess hall?" I asked as I walked over to the replicator. There in the open bay was a charcoal jumpsuit that looked to be about my size. I quickly put them on and was surprised to see how well they fit. Maybe Grace had also uploaded my dimensions into the database and that's how it was able to make something that fit so well.

Just as I was finishing putting on the clothes the replicator began to hum again and I looked up to see another nutrient shake waiting in the open bay.

"Grace had asked that I make you another shake when you were done. This one is half heavy metals and the other is dense nutrients. Flavor is cinnamon."

I grabbed the shake as the screen changed to show a map of my room and how to get to where the crew was at. I took a minute to look it over so that I could better familiarize myself with the ship's layout. It seemed the ship was designed to keep the most vital parts, including the crew, towards the center of the ship.

I headed for where Gerald said to go. A little excitement started to form up as a new hope started to build up.If Grace was right and I did have latent enhancements that were waiting to grow then I might not be as useless after all. Even more important is that it meant I had parents who had actually taken the time and money to make sure that I would be taken care of. What would happen to me if I finally started to get the nutrients needed!?

I was proud to say I only got lost once and Gerald was quick to help me get turned back the right way. Like most rooms there was a set of metal doors that opened up. Inside was a room about the same size as the cafeteria at the orphanage but instead of rows upon rows of metal tables there was just one table. It was a decent size wooden table with simple comfortable chairs set around it. It looked like most of the crew was there already, lively chatting away.

Grace saw me walk in and moved a chair for me to take a seat next to her. The seat was right in the middle of the group and I hesitated for just a second as anxious energy tried to take over me. I quickly squashed that down and smiled as I walked towards the friendly dryad.

"Well now that we are all here, Veras what do you have for us?" Stella looked towards the gorgon.

The room went silent as Veras cupped her hands together in front of her. "Either these guys are the luckiest of bastards or they had insider help on our ship. I mean my earlier reports were right. They not only knew where to hit but had the exact spot down to almost a pin point. We were lucky to get out there so quickly." The gorgon gave a small smile and nod towards the panther. "Good news is it will be an easy repair once we are out of hyperspace and have arrived at The Aufsee Moon. I think I can get most of it done within eight SGH." Everyone seemed to nod at that. I just looked completely lost and out of my depth.

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Veras must have noticed the look on my face and quickly added "SGH stands for Standard Galactic Hour. Which is about one point two of what you are used to on Syaty IV."

Stella just stayed silent through the exchange with a worried look on her face. "Jazmine I need you and Milly to silently start reaching out and seeing if you can find out how the Dorkal Corp got this information. Use what contacts you think are best but we need to keep this hidden. If it turns out to be true, that means someone has sold out the clan." The silence hung on that. The rest of the crew seemed to go from joyful to determined in a second.

"Arex see what our scans can tell us about the Dorkal ship. I want the next encounter to go more in our favor. Even if they are a couple classes bigger than us I want them to remember the next time we tangle."

Arex gave a vicious smile in return. "Oh I will make sure they remember not to mess with the clan."

"Uhm, what do you mean by clan? You have mentioned that a couple of times now." I felt all eyes turn to me and then back to Stella to see how she would respond. I gulped and shrunk back into my seat.

"Blood Wrath. That is the clan that we are a part of." She said pointing to the dark red tribal tattoo on the side of her head. I got a better look at it now as she turned her head sideways to show it off. It was a dark red eye that wept blood and with stars making up its eyelashes. "It's one of the oldest clans known in the galaxy. One that we seek to bring back to its former glory and restore it to the top." That got a lot of firm nods from the rest of the crew.

"If someone really did sell out the clan it could tarnish its name more. Especially to one of the high elf corporations like Dorkal. " Spat Milly as she took another drink.

"You all know what we need to do and you have your assignments. Let's eat and then get to it first thing." Cheers came up from the group as droids that I hadn't seen before popped out of a side bay carrying food trays with them. The smell was amazing!

I sat in stunned silence as the droids kept dropping massive plate after plate of food. The smell was both warm and delicious. Stella looked up at my reaction and laughed again. "I forgot you have only survived off of nutrient shakes. So you are in for a treat. This is one of the clan's favorite family meals to serve after a mission. We have hot cakes, ostrich eggs, bacon, hash browns, an assorted fruit tray, and as much old style toast a clan member could eat!" I was still a little paralyzed at the sight and smell of so much delicious food.

Grace took the opportunity to start pilling a plate of food in front of me. There were what I am assuming are the hot cakes that looked like huge fluffy fried dough things. She smothered them with some sort of butter and drizzled a clear like syrup over them that smelled sweet. Next she piled some strips of meat that looked to be cooked in their own fat. Next came two huge fried eggs that must have been cooked in the fat of the meat. Lastly she put some crispy looking wedge things onto the plate. I just looked at her in amazement as she just smiled at me.

"Veras remember you need more heavy minerals for your next enhancement." Grace looked over to the gorgon who was stopped midway of adding an additional cake to her plate.

She looked up and stuck out her tongue at the dryad. "Yes mother!"

That got a chuckle from everyone.

"You are right though I need to get this enhancement finished. It will come in handy with all the multitasking I need to get done." Veras said with a reluctant smile.Grace seemed to remind everyone of what their bodies were needing as she had everyone's dietary needs memorized.

"Speaking of tasking. Veras, send Elly the beginner manuals she will need for routine bot maintenance. I believe that will be a perfect place for her to start out." Stella looked at me as I had just stuffed a full cake into my mouth. I don't know how or who made these but they were the best thing i had ever tasted. However i know i looked ridiculous with my mouth so full and puffed out.

Stella just chuckled at the sight. "Elly, I know Grace said you needed to eat a lot but maybe just one small bite at a time. I want you to start with bot maintenance. That I think will be a good start and something that has been lacking for a while on this ship."

I swallowed and just nodded my head as I am sure my cheeks had just turned the brightest shade of red ever.

"Arex how about we do our next session in the morning? It's been awhile since we talked about your next enhancement and I think with what's going on we need to discuss what's next."

The succubi just smiled his wolfish grin over at Grace. "Yea, I was thinking of upgrading my instincts module. Now though I am thinking reflexes might be better. What are your thoughts captain?"

"Honestly, I think it's a good idea for everyone to see Grace tomorrow and have a status check. I think we are about to find ourselves in more sticky situations until we can get this cargo delivered."

"Yah. Another visit with mother hen." Jazmine muttered. That got a chuckle from everyone including Grace. It seemed like even though this was probably the most diverse group I have ever seen or heard about, they all seemed to get along really well.

The rest of the night was filled with more banter and good laughs as the crew ate their fill. I myself just sat there enjoying the sounds and food. I had never experienced something so warm and joyful and this was after they had all just narrowly escaped. I also must admit I had two more plates full of food before I felt like I was going to pop. Grace had to help me up and we made our back to the crew quarters. I was filled with excitement as tomorrow would begin my first day as a true member of a crew and a chance finally to prove myself and earn something truly tangible.