Martin looked at the Zeros, then at the datapad, and again at the Zeros.

-It's so easy... Well, the darkest place is always next to the lamp-he thought to himself.

A moment later quiet *beep* announced that uploading is finished.

-Let's check...-Martin muttered to himself-Ah! Corridor C, third left doors! If you have no objections, I'll head to my station. Goodbye-he said aloud

Soon he entered into the mainframe room. It was quite big, but also a bit messy. The access consoles were not mounted in walls. Instead, they consisted a lot of holoscreens and keyboards, floating around the user. It looked a bit chaotic, especially comparing to strict and mostly identical consoles in UE Navy.

-Well, there's always something to learn-Martin thought-Now, where's the main console...-

Then, he saw a Horatio, sitting in front of the small screen at the side.

-Another alien... This travel seems to be interesting-he thought-Hello. Can I ask you about your name and post?-he said aloud

Horatio turned around

-Mantovani-HB7-Laboran, I am responsible for electronics around the ship-he replied with irritating sense of superiority.

-I am Martin Ladderman-Corvus and I am the IT Specialist. It looks like we will cooperate-

-As long as you will respect my person-

-I will. If you want a proof, I would like you to keep the ship's computers working. I'm sure that everything will be on tip-top-Martin knew that Horatian will never do something he will find ''not worth his talents''

-That's MY duty, and I will do it. You can't mess around in another's jobs-

-I won't interrupt you-Martin said-Old goat-he added in mind

Then, he sat in front of what he guessed was main console and secretly opened his Dust ampoule. He wanted to create connections between his console and the rest of the system, so that he could check everything on one console. 

-Everything looks fine, firewall is working, automatic systems, doors steering, stability, piloting-Martin muttered to himself, quickly checking the system. Finally, he opened communication.

-IT to bridge. No problems detected, data transmission works with maximal efficiency, sensors-fine, all the system-fine, navigation computer-ready to work. As for me, we can start the journey-

Valorum ends up staring at the schedule Ylona put together for a for a long while, working out the minute details.

How clever. A staggered watch with at least one officer present at all times. Someone of authority can begin to act in case of an emergency while everyone else gets to their posts...if Sister Kyra saw this, she might actually compliment Ylona.

Eventually, Valorum swipes the screen away and sighs, mentally preparing himself. Part of him had been wondering just what he was going to say to the crew and trying to figure out how best to assure them, but he still knew that he wouldn’t completely dispel their fears. That would be an ongoing process. The one fault that he found among the other races of the galaxy was that, compared to the Vodyani, people didn’t seem to trust one-another. The Laws of the Church were to curtail sinful behaviour among the otherwise equally faithful, but to other races, laws were mechanisms to ensure equality among otherwise unequal people. There was going to be some tension no matter how he parsed the language, but the crew still needed to be united. Otherwise, the mission was doomed from the start.

The truth, then. Nothing less.

It only made sense. They didn't trust him, so he would have to give them a reason to do so. Valorum accessed the ship-wide intercom and waited as a brief tone was played through the speakers throughout the Saviour. Steeling himself, Valorum grabs Stormbreaker from where it was propped up beside him and finds some comfort in the old weapon's presence. Searching deep within his soul, the old Admiral found his voice, one strong and clear, and began to speak:

“Attention, all those aboard. This is your captain speaking. Former Captain Yerem Ashami, sadly, is no longer aboard the ship. He was recalled by the Pilgrim Admiralty just prior to launch. The mission was allowed to continue in his absence, so the officers aboard the ship met a short while ago to resolve who would take the then empty captain’s seat. In that meeting, I, Valorum, the former second mate and acting ship chaplain, was deemed the best-suited to take the mantle he left behind.”

Valorum gave a deliberate pause, imagining the crew beginning to talk among each other in disbelief, and allowing it for a few moments before he continued:

“I have probably met with most of you already, and even if you haven’t seen me, I doubt a friend of yours hasn’t told you by now. I cannot fault anyone aboard for being concerned. I am aware of the rather obvious concerns of a Vodyani being captain of a Pilgrim vessel. One of the other officers outright asked during our meeting that, if I were to be captain, that I should first swear to restrain myself in matters involving others who didn’t share my faith...a fair request, given the circumstances.”

Without even consciously thinking of it, Valorum stood from his seat. With no face to show his emotion, his body served such a purpose, and he began to gesture as if he were orating to a crowd. His mind loosened his grip and the words he spoke began to come from his heart.

“But I will not compromise my faith. The Laws that you all whisper about and dread me to follow were not written to be cruel methods to punish the wicked, but a means to protect the faithful who remained true to the cause. Among my Brothers and Sisters of the Cloth, anyone who would betray us for their own means would not be dealt with kindly, for in betrayal, they forfeited our sympathy. I still hold myself to that belief to this very day, but not because I value my faith more than any person or any law!”

“It’s because we stand at the edge of the greatest journey in the history of our time! The bravest and strongest of souls from every corner of the galaxy have congregated here, where it falls to us to seek the origins of the greatest race we know; the Endless homeworld of Tor. We all know what we’ve signed up for; it will take every shard of determination, courage, and strength of character within us to reach our destination, and it is more than likely going to be a perilous journey. Some of us...might not even come back.”

Valorum's voice became solemn and sincere as his soul suddenly began to flow into his words. No matter what details he would hide about his past, everything he said now was undeniably what he held to be true.

“Think of one aboard the ship most alien to you. Someone you would never have thought to meet before today. Sometime in the future, their life may very well be in your hands. When that time comes, I would hope that nobody questions if they would save them, but how. Division is our greatest enemy now, and unity, is our shield against the troubling times to come. As your captain, it is now as much my duty to be right and just in my command as it is yours to follow it. No matter how you differ from me, be it in race, religion, gender or otherwise, I will not turn my back on any of you over such trivial details. I only ask that you, for the sake of all aboard this ship, return that courtesy.”

“All my life within the church, I have taken to heart this solemn truth; that a fleet is a city, a ship is a home, and its crew is family. To forsake my faith would be to forsake all of you as my brothers and sisters, to turn my back on you as a captain, and if nothing else, believe this; I would sooner die than leave anyone of you behind. I will hold true to my faith, and in doing so, I hope that we may become more than just a captain and a crew, but a true family, inseparable no matter what obstacle stands before us. We hold the future of the galaxy in our hands, and together we will find this lost world and see our names written in the stars for eternity. Be brave, be ready, but most importantly, stay true to yourself and those beside you, for as long as we stand united, we will overcome any obstacle.”

And with that, the broadcast ended. Alone, Valorum took a step back and collapsed into his chair, physically weary just from speaking. Leaning his head into his free hand, Valorum's templed fingers kept his head aloft as he watched the viewscreen, seeing the blue sky of the planet below fade into the cold blackness of space. Though his speech was over, Valorum murmured one final sentence, as much to the crew as to himself.

"There's no turning back now."

+There it is again.+

After checking the functionality of the systems in the room. Frame spread out across the small featureless white box, a room Zeros had nicknamed "The Crowsnest" due to its proximity to the sensor array on top of the ship, Automaton eyed the Lumeris ship warily. This was the third time Guide had noted it's presence on the scanners, and that was two times too many for comfort. Even if the fleet were convinced it was "Just a merchant vessel, it shouldn't intersect your flight path." 0000 was well aware of how Lumeris "Merchant Vessels" often were something else entirely. 

Automaton completed a final data burst exchange with the planet, few last minute messages to and from the surface before acceleration prevented efficient communication, as the data file being relayed to the speakers passed through Zeros. 

{A rousing speech.}

[Vodyani though... Our memories of them are not kind...]

The last time 0000 had been in close proximity to Voydani Zeros had been serving as the aide to a United Empire diplomat. The diplomat used Zeros unique skillset to obtain information that would otherwise have been inaccessible to him. A scheme that, while effective for a time, ended with the diplomat being executed for witchcraft. A fate 0000 narrowly avoided sharing by hiding on a shuttlecraft and entering a state of hibernation disguised as an odd globe. It was that or be devoured.

Shaking the fragments of memory from its head, Frame reconstituted itself inside the room, leaving several preconstucted devices integratd with the room. And the Automaton began planning its next move.

[That ship, what's the status of it.]

+I'm still getting a reading, at this point I think it's safe to assume that we may not have escaped as flawlessly as we assumed...+

[Who can we turn to at this point then?]

{We should inform the chief of security of the possible threat.}

+Checking personnel records.+

Automaton checked the file photo and cringed. Of course the security officer would be a Lumeris, and with no information on whether or not this "Rolak" was loyal to his employers or secretly in service to the group that 0000 was fleeing from, Zeros would have to tread carefully. If it was lucky the executives of this mission would have informed Rolak of the unique circumstances surrounding the engineer. Automaton had learned never to betray a previous employer without ensuring that its new employers would provide it with a way out.

Frame started pacing as Zeros contacted the Quartermaster. "Rolak? This is Zeros. If you know why I'm on this ship, and what I refer to when I mention the "The Fangs of The Deep", then we need to talk. If you don't... We REALLY need to talk."

Frame began exiting the room, its work here was done. Guide attempted to keep track of the mysterious ship trailing behind them, but only noted its sudden absence. Automaton vented exhaust, [First days have a terrible habit of going wrong.]

While stepping through the Door Dhanyl was already able to see Space through the big,  transparent, Dust enhanced Aluminum Window. At this moment ha was really happy about the Sophonian Hull design of this Ship.

For a normal Eye, it wouldn't have been visible but through his augmented reality systems was able to track their approaching in real-time, to the millimetre exact.

"I am not prejudging, I am just gathering Data, comparing it to previously gathered Information and drawing conclusions. It's called the scientific method. Thus I am forming Theories about the currently studied Subject."

Right after finishing his last sentence he noticed Valorum sitting in the Captain's chair.

Dhanyl repeated his 'salute' from earlier. Noticing that he currently was in a conversation, he silently proceeded to the glass wall, gazing upon the beauty of space.

"It's no problem at all. Keep up the good work, brother. Bridge out."

Ending the call, Valorum pulled up his console and opened the crew manifest, searching for Martin Corvus' file before opening it. Though there wasn't much to do, Valorum was still sitting up straight and looking very alert. Almost too late, he remembered that someone walked in behind him and looked back over his shoulder to see the two friendly faces that just entered the bridge. With a cheerful tone, he exclaims:

"Ah, Laudmas! Dhanyl! To what do we owe the pleasure?"

"So we've got mobile engine gunk. Lovely", Ylona joked a bit drily, watching the blob get closer. The way it moved looked unnatural to her, and half subconsciously her hand went towards her knife. "No offense, but if this thing now jumps in my face, I am going to stab it."

After hearing Valorum's question, she looked thoughtful for a moment. But what point was there to not telling it? She answered: "I have a son. Rojlas." She looked around, then sassed: "No need to look surprised. Where did you think little Vaulters came from?" More serious, she added: "But he's with the clan now, and that's the important thing. He's safe."

((I just noticed that Ylona is the only one currently on the bridge who actually has readable facial expressions. Weird))