"If you say so", Ylona answered to the Haroshem with a voice that could have been doubt, or just disinterest.

"You're getting messed up with black and white here, Captain. Fear and tyranny aren't the same. If people don't fear you, you can't get them in line. Sure, normal people go and follow the law because it's the law, and they'll follow you because you're captain, but the real troublemakers? Those guys follow the law because we make them pay when they don't. Crime and punishment, simple as that. And in here, you're the guy who hands out the punishment."

((Alice doesn't actually have a shift on the bridge, she'd be doing her watch down in the engine room. But if you don't want to rewrite-things, we'll just say Rolak called in sick and you took over his shift.))

In the last few days since the launch, Laudmas was enjoying himself. At first, he was going to show and present his little refuge to Dhanyl but after the debacle, he decided it would be best to give the Sophon some space. After he went in the store-room, he was pleasantly surprised at how none of his equipment was damaged or disrupted during the launch. It was quite amazing that a room filled with so much fragile objects and life-forms was not in disorder. 

And of course, the store-room. It was a simple room that was the perfect balance between expansively large and comfortably small. It was a rectangular room which was carefully built so that one side was only slightly smaller than the other. A window-like screen was positioned at the opposite end of the door, revealing the endless extent of space which was filled and painted with a plethora of stars, nebulas, and planets, and other vibrant celestial beings.

Curiously, a bed was placed next to the window. It was fixed right next to the wall and if one were to look closer, they would see a strange machine which was fixed to the wall. Some dim lights glowed from it, and it hummed quietly.  One could perhaps see the machine as somewhat comforting. The appearance of it was certainly not complicated at all. In fact, it resembled a combination between a machine used to adjust temperature and a machine used to recharge objects. 

A single bed and a screen was not what the storeroom was entirely composed of. Right next to the bed was a tank filled with blue transparent liquid in which a certain cephlapod was curled up into a ball and looked as if it was sleeping.

For a normal person, one boring fish tank filled with a single fish would have been enough. But the person that owned the room, was Laudmas Achromb. 

If one were to open the door and look to their left, they would see a incredulous collection of fish-tanks and terrariums. Every one of them was hooked up to a complicated looking machine.

Some would shine a radiance of blue. Some would make the sound of water flowing calmly. And each would be filled with rapid and slow-moving fishes, gigantic or tiny lizards, or creatures that only a young child could imagine. 

But most importantly, none of them looked plain or boring. It was a cerulean paradise, and the ancient robot was quite fond of his little sanctuary. 

However, Laudmas still needed a place to work, so a desk loaded with gadgets and equipment was placed on the right of the door-way. To add some ambience in the room, a fireplace look-alike was placed on the left of the bed. It gave out heat and light, and glowed and flickered as if it was trying to convince anybody who were to observe that it was a real fireplace and not a imitation. The lights would be dimmed, and the room was complete. 

(( Right, I hope this wouldn't be considered as Power Tripping. I haven't added the mech so that it wouldn't be too much for me. ))

Whilst working on the calibrations with Zeros, suddenly Dhanyl's communicator transmitted the voice of the chief engineer... Alice? Something like that...

Picking it up he answered, "Scientific progress, don't worry, we aren't done yet, recalibration will just take a few more minutes and then we will be as invisible as before."

Nights pass by as sleeplessly as they had before joining the crew for the Craver, the gravity of space not satisfying his wish for rest. Sitting vigil over the rest of the crew as they slept, pretending to be asleep, and sneaking into unoccupied rooms seemed to constitute Decius' time since the takeoff. He had since established for himself analysis of sleep patterns, footsteps, possessions, vital statistics, and measurements of the crew's every move. No one had wished to talk to him save for a few small niceties, and the entire crew seemed to shy away from him when he entered the room. Hushed whispers and guarded voices followed him; the small ones seemed not to know of his heightened senses.

"They think me a brute," the silent giant thinks to himself. "It isn't helping that they don't allow me any actual food." The giant form nearly shies away from the tasteless mush of his nourishment, the waste of others. It would be nice to be able to feel the quality of the food, the full complex of nutrients, instead of just removing nutrients from partially digested waste. Maybe it would help the cravings.

Suddenly doubling over, Decius crumples his arms over his chest frame and drops to the surface of the table. Violent tremors spread from his chest as his entire body undulates. His chest rises and falls, his mouth fights back the foul bile in his throat that seems to shy away from the black hole of his stomach.

"Meat," Urge tells him. "Look at her, delicious, elegant, succulent life. See how the muscles of her legs move slowly, the soft breasts slide up and down with breath? Imagine how sweet that flesh would taste in your jaws, razor sharp teeth tearing, ripping, shredding!" Decius shudders, further his body clasped in conflict between mind and animal. The form beside him tries to coax him forwards towards the crew member, a scientist working on her promising career. She sits at a bench and nurses a warm drink of some sort; her eyes dart to Decius every so often, and then flit back to her book. Fear is in her legs and chest, as if a doe ready to fly before a hunter.

"Look at her," the urge coos again, his sweet voice holding him, hand on meaty shoulder. "She knows she is prey, and she knows the natural cycle of life. It is not in your nature to hold back. Give in, you will feel so much better if you do. It'll happen even if you try to resist now. You know it will. They and could never fight back."

A nervous crowd of several crew members looks on as the large predator holds himself in steel embrace. Some turn away from the room and others look on in fear as the gunner sits, completely and fully alone in the corner of the mess hall. His eyes unblinkingly stare at the woman, eyelids nonexistant for the red glow. Suddenly, the large shape relinquishes his grip.  He sits back in his chair and swallows down the mysterious dark glob in one go, the only nourishment he had been seen eating for the whole trip. Throwing the foil wrapper in the trash receptacle, the giant being shakily steps out of the room and past the rapidly dispersing crowd.

As he leaves, he mutters to himself:

"Not today, my friend."

"I don't need pictures, I have got all the data I need to imagine it like it as if I would see it directly before me, so if you want some photos you should now get your camera and move to the nearest window,  it really is beautiful."

Danyl got distracted by an unusual high Radiation level in one part of the Cloud but then remembered the ongoing conversation.

"When you got the pictures, could I see them? I just formed a new hypothesis wich I would really like visual confirmation for. I always like when my theories turn out to be right, wich they usually do. Also, you can't dodge my Question, what's going on with you Voice?"

Vid makes a curious 'hmm' sound and walks away. In her time, she had almost never known any Vodyani to dispense with titles or honorifics. Only a few of them called close friends by their name only. Still, it was far beyond the humble chef's station to leap to conclusions, especially about her superior officers. She just returned to her work and left Ylona to her call.

------

Valorum pressed the call-button on the ship's elevator and waited for it patiently, pondering what to do next. Looking down at the small ration of Dust in his hand, he shuddered at the thought of having to eventually consume it. No good intent could change what he felt and saw whenever he revitalised his core with Dust. If anything, it made consuming Essence that much more tempting. He could faintly recall the euphoria he and many Vodyani felt from draining another living being. The Gods only knew how long his willpower could hold before he might become a danger to the crew.

...maybe not all of the crew...

Taking out his communicator, Valorum decided to make a long awaited call.

-----

In the middle of whatever he's doing, Decius' communicator receives a call. If he answers it, he hears a familiar voice say:

"Decius, this is Valorum. I would like to speak with you on the third-floor, in the starboard study room, as long as you aren't busy."

"Decius, this is Valorum. I would like to speak with you on the third-floor, in the starboard study room, as long as you aren't busy."

Decius heaves his heavy augmentations up through the elevator and on to the third floor. He slumps against the sides of the metal capsule and breathes, in and out. Perspiration beads at his seams in his plating, strong muscles almost seem to twitch as they move. Hunger fills his stomach even though he had eaten recently. He never should have agreed to their contract.

The doors open with a sliding motion and the large creature slides out and in to the metallic hallway. His feet drag all the way to the door of the study room the Captain had mentioned. A black hole seems to fill him, his thoughts constantly meandering into darkness before being pulled back from greed by the power of will. The door slides open, and Decius steps inside. Hands shake and red eyes glow, announcing his arrival.

"No," Decius mutters shakily to no one in particular. "I am not busy."

Decius looks about the room, hiding his shaking hands behind his frame and setting himself into a reporting position. The small, white area is nothing to look at. The captain, however is something of a spectacle. His dark and near metallic body folds seamlessly and joints into itself, a sword held clasped at his side and hands held comfortably behind him. Everything about the figure seems to ooze strength and command, with an air of respect and tradition.

"I am doing fine captain," the Craver says. "I had not expected the stress that eating the rest of the crew's post-digestive matter would take upon me. I wish to eat proper food, but it is unattainable for me at the moment. I can elaborate further if you wish; however, I will not waste more of your time in explaining to great lengths the terms of my personal difficulties. What do you wish to speak with me over?"

Valorum's face is expressionless, but the way his shoulders slump, Decius can tell he's disappointed by what he hears. 

"It is no waste of my time, Decius. In fact, I called you here to talk about just that."

The Captain turns around and walks to the display screen's control panel, taps a few buttons, and the door behind Decius closes and locks with a soft hiss. Despite the fact that he was now locked in a room and alone with a malnourished Craver, Valorum looked back at Decius, totally composed, with no guards and only his blade by his side, calmly elaborating:

"I wanted to see how you were faring, to be honest. Seeing as you and I are the most alien among this crew, I felt obliged to be sure we had both settled in well. From the sounds of things, though, these last few days haven't been kind to you."

Taking a few steps over to the lounge area, Valorum rests his hand on the back of the nearest armchair before gesturing to the sofa next to it and offering:

"Come. A bit of rest will do us both some good. We're off-duty, after all."