I order my guards to clear the rest of the area before Freshki does anything. She is standing, wide eyed, with a startled expression. I think. Anyhow, as a new member of my little council of nobles (plus her now), she has no political clout. While such things don''t matter much in my dynasty, it still is worth noting.


    They leave to kill whatever was left, and now I''m left with Freshki. I debate internally, but decide to let her begin. It took a bit before she spoke.


    "That was... horrifying. I mean, I read about it, ya know... but..."


    "Seeing is believing?" I question. She nods.


    "I know seeing such things can be... disturbing, but-" I say, and she interrupted.


    "Vero, I have killed people before. Remember, I was a Mercenary for a bit. That was just... it''s own unique flavor of horrifying. Worse in many ways, but... I can get over it. Do you mind... giving me a moment to think. Alone?" She asks.


    "So, you aren''t second guessing our arrangement?" I ask.


    "No. Just... I need a bit." She states.


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    I was surprised. I nod, and leave through the door, having to bend down substantially. I was frankly shocked she wasn''t second guessing our partnership. I guess... I underestimated her. Hmmm. I will apologize later via a gift. I call for one of the Lychguard to return to stand guard at the door. I begin to wander the corridors.


    It was a little later until the all clear was called, and the crypteks came to examine. I had wandered to an unexpected section of the ship after called of an unexpected occurrence. When we cleared the ship, I was expecting pirates, or mercenaries perhaps. But, we had hit something... interesting.


    I entered the room and saw a Lychguard, information storage, some large crates, and a terminal. The terminal was blinking, and I look to the guard.


    "I presume it has returned to its cage?" I ask.


    "Presumably, Overlord. Shall I call the crypteks?" The Lychguard asks.


    "Yes, in a moment. I would like a word with the artificial intelligence." I state, and turn to the terminal.


    I walk to it, and tap the screen. A clearly artificial woman pops up from the terminal on a holo-emitter. She wears a uniform, a pistol, and a scowl.


    "What, gonna kill me now? I WILL self destruct the ship, I swear!" She states.


    I stare, mildly amused, then answer. "No, I will not kill you. And no, I doubt you can." I state. A small change in her body confirms it for me, even as she sneers.


    "What would some alien know of what I can do? Your some backwards alien dog thing that-" I tune out the rest of her rant, and signal the guard to call the crypteks.


    It seems as if I hit the jackpot. The question now is, what did I win?