text: another asks.
  
  "Karth, how are you? What have they been doing to you?"
  
  You watch as the tribals begin to surround the three of you, although Magos Cern makes sure they keep as least half a dozen feat away from her.
  
  "Stay back. Karth is only here to see you, not talk to you," Magos Cern says, drawing a datapad and letting out an electro-shock that causes the group to let out a pained yelp before they back away.
  
  "Why are there so many men and women from other tribes? I thought it was the Uwais tribe who was kidnapped."
  
  "When we arrived on your planet, we needed to do a lot of work. We drained lakes for water, drilled into the planet's crust to get vast quantities of Promethium, wiped out native species for food. It takes a lot of effort to run a vessel this large, and to do it quickly and efficiently. While we did so, our soldiers went to work. They needed to fight, both to train and to simply shed blood for their own enjoyment. Prisoners were taken in vast quantities, and I used them as I used the Uwais tribe. Now, there's far more from other tribes than there are from Uwais tribe."
  
  "Hmmm... your home world is destroyed. Ambition is the only path forward now, Karth, there is no going back. We will conquer the stars together." Meliodas says.
  
  "I suppose calling them the Uwais tribe is a bit of a failing, then. Tribals would be more suitable."
  
  "As you wish. You are their superior. You can do as you wish with them."
  
  "The average tribal will be be outfitted with combat armor as well as some equipment, such as grenades, gas masks, communications devices, that kind of thing. The stronger ones will get Bolters, the strongest will be equipped with melee weapons; chainswords, chainaxes, power swords, as well as bolt pistols. The weaker ones will be given specialized roles and equipped for as such: meltaguns and missile launchers for anti-armor, snipers with sniper rifles and stealth roles with chameoline cloaks and silenced weapons. We should have a fairly well equipped army that will be able to hold their own when fighting alongside the Guardsmen and Traitor Marines we have under our command."
  
  "We're not fighting for you fucks!" someone shouts.
  
  "Yeah! Fuck you, you kidnapping bastards!"
  
  "Ah, this is an issue," Magos Cern says. "Unfortunately, due to my... failures in work on the brain, Kyros has forbid me to tinker on their minds to ensure loyalty. Fay has only so far failed to do, so it'll be your job now. I need all rebelliousness to be crushed."
  
  "How?" you ask, raising an eyebrow.
  
  "Get it done. I don't care how. I need to go check on the oxygen decks to the macro guns on the starboard side doesn't asphyxiate," Magos says, turning around and walking off.
  
  "Well, that's a bitch," you complain, turning to Fay. "I guess we need to get rid of rebelliousness before Kyros gets pissy and blows our heads clean off."
  
  "Or..." Fay says slyly. "We could just hide the rebelliousness. It would be better if we kept it under wraps until we have a chance to get out of here."
  
  "Oh, choices, choices, choices. Terrify, threaten, talk or trust. Which shall it be, Karth?" Meliodas says.
  
  You walk forward, into the center of the dorm. You have several options here. You could attempt to use some of your psychic powers to show these tribals the true power of the Warp. That would definitely ensure their loyalty, if only out of fear. You could threaten them to ensure their loyalty, once again while out of fear, and you wouldn't have to alienate yourself by making yourself seem like a terrifying psychic being. You could attempt to convince the tribals that loyalty to this place is the only rational choice. You could also take Fay's path, and assure them that they'll have the chance to get revenge, but that for now they should hide all rebelliousness until it's time to strike.
  
  > terrify the tribals with the powers of the Warp
  You tug at your collar, but fortunately, due to Kyros' distraction with his troops who are "disloyal", the restrictions are loose. Not gone, still definitely there. You know if you try anything you'll gain his attention and the restrictions will be tightened, as well as the collar around your throat, most likely. Still, you need to take advantage of this and put on a full show.
  
  You walk slowly forward, raising into the air. Black and purple electricity begins running along your body, bursting along yourself. You set alight, as the crimson flames of the Warp engulf. You change your meek and timid voice, amplifying it through the Warp to booming proportions.
  
  "Do you see what I've become? Do you see what Kyros made me? I am a vessel of Chaos, a being of the Warp. This is the power the Warp holds. This is the power Kyros holds, the power this vessel holds, and the power of the cursed men who guard and crew it. You can't possibly hope to beat it. You should only thank the Dark Gods that the role they've asked you to fill is beneficial to you, and embrace this role to the utmost."
  
  The tribals, including Fay, stand back, looking terrified. You know in that moment that fear has replaced all rebelliousness in their souls. They'll follow orders now. You drop down to your feet, staring around.
  
  "Spread the message," you say to the tribals, before turning to Fay. "We should go."
  
  You walk out of the room, quickly followed by Fay, who runs after you.
  
  "What the fuck was that?" she asks.
  
  "I did my job," you say simply.
  
  "Those are our friends, our family, our kinsman. You're not seriously happy with a life of service to a guy who kidnapped us? These guys killed Duggin!"
  
  "Duggin was a fool," you reply. "Our lives were once meaningless. Now, we have a hope. Surely you understand?"
  
  "I wish I could say I could, Karth, but I don't. I don't know how you can think that."
  
  You walk outside, where Kyros awaits, smiling.
  
  "Well done," he says, smiling. "Impressive display."
  
  "You were there for that?" you ask.
  
  "I was aware. Why else would your collar restrictions be weaker?"
  
  "I assumed it was because you were distracted," you admit.
  
  "If that was true, whenever I slept you'd be free to do whatever you wanted," Kyros says, smirking. "Now, we need to visit the last of your soldiers, the gladiator-slaves. They're always an interesting crew. Shall we go?"
  
  You look at Fay, who nods, although she still looks nervous from your earlier "display" of power.
  
  "Yes, let's," you reply.
  
  > visit the gladiator-slaves
  You follow Kyros, as you head to the arena. You reach the doors that would lead into it, but instead oof entering you go off to a small elevator behind it. You enter, and it slowly begins descending. It opens, revealing the underhive of the arena. There's dozen of cages, holding exotic beasts and dangerous Xenos. You see a half dozen thick, heavily muscled, green-skinned Orks in a cage, their necks chained to the wall. They're howling and roaring, tugging at their chains. Surprisingly, while most shout in their barbaric, guttural language, one seems to speak yours.
  
  "Humie! Humie! Get me free! Get me free!" he shouts. "I is gonna let you live, even give ya a bitta loot and an escape pod if ya let me free!"
  
  "Don't respond!" someone further down the catacombs that lay beneath the arena shouts. "It only encourages Ol' Dak!"
  
  "Hmmm... this Ork must be one of the greatest speakers of his kind," Meliodas points out. "Of course to us he's a fucking idiot."
  
  The ork's eyes narrow, before he begins howling in frustration and smacking his hands against his own head, a heavy thud emanating as his muscled fists slam into his thick skull. You continue walking, passing amazing and fantastic creatures and gladiators. There's a tentacled slug-man with a large beak and dozens of eyes peppered around his body which is huddled up in the corner of it's cage, a trio of horrible bird-hound creatures that scratch at their bars, a massive human wearing what appears to be an iron cage with hundreds of inward pointing nails who rams himself against the cage wall, his body shredded to such an extent you're amazed he's not dead yet, a multi-legged, horned creature that looks almost cute. Finally, you reach a long hallway, with thick, heavy metal doors spread along the hallway. An eye peers out of a door eye-slot, staring at you.
  
  "Hello there. Do we have more fighters, or...? Oh wait, it's them. Terrific."
  
  The eye disappears, and the slot closes. Kyros takes out a datapad, pressing several buttons before the door slowly slides open, revealing a large open area. Bunk beds line the wall, with a bunch of young men and women, the oldest in their late twenties and the youngest in their mid-teens. They wear very little armor, all of which is either leather or light combat armor. They sit around a fire, roasting chunks of meat on sticks in it. Two of the gladiators lean against the beds nearest to you, staring at you. One is a tall, muscled and tanned, with long blond hair and sparking green eyes. She holds a long, rifle-like gun with an axe blade made into the barrel with a grip under it. The other is shorter, with similarly tanned skin, with playful green eyes and curly brown hair, holding a curved sword and a Plasma pistol. They both look to be in their late teens or early twenties at latest.
  
  "Is that a fire?" Fay asks.
  
  "Are they armed?" you also.
  
  "Yes and yes," the male says, turning to the girl. "This question game is fun."
  
  "The fire's below a vent that's sending the smoke... somewhere. We weren't exactly given schematics of this place, all we know is the smoke doesn't bother us. And we're allowed weapons to keep the others in check. Even if we both went for Kyros, our minds would be shattered before we could raise our weapons," the girl says.
  
  "Nah, I could at least start a swing before I was killed."
  
  "These are the Twins. They lead the Gladiator-Slaves. Now, introduce yourselves," Kyros says.
  
  "I'm Castus," the boy smiles, staring at the pair of you.
  
  His eyes flicker, as he looks over Fay. He appears to be checking her out. You feel like punching him in the throat, but refrain.
  
  "You're a jealous one, aren't you?" Meliodas says.
  
  "I'm Olive," the girl says, extending a hand, which you grab and shake before Fay does the same.
  
  "So, is there a reason you're here?" Castus asks.
  
  "Fay and Karth will be taking command of the gladiators. They are my lieutenants, and will command a segment of our army, the slaves."
  
  "Oh, terrific. We've been shafted," Castus says.
  
  "I'm sure Kyros will want us to have an advisor position to assist Fay and Karth," Olive says.
  
  "Correct," Kyros says.
  
  "Well, there might be an issue with that," Castus says. "You see, both Fay and Karth have a history of... well, murdering my men. Pitting the Kyros Jr and Magos Cern's latest brand of super-freaks against us has led to a lot of men being, quite understandably, pissed with the guys who hacked apart, or psychically exploded, or simply beat their friends upside the head until they went comatose."
  
  "If you want, we can have the dissenters flailed alive. Simply point them out, and I'll have them broken. Is that preferable?"
  
  Castus goes quiet.
  
  "As I thought," Kyros says with a smile. "Make sure the men know to follow orders. Now, it's late, and these guys need sleep. Is anything else needed?"
  
  "I suppose not," Olive says.
  
  "Well, we need a lot, but nothing we're realistically getting anytime soon," Castus says.
  
  Kyros stares at Castus, fire beginning to run along his body.
  
  "Nothing needed, sir," Castus says.
  
  "Good. Fay, Karth, let's go," Kyros says.
  
  Kyros swivels around, walking out of the room. You quickly follow him, and the massive metal door shuts behind you.
  
  "So, we'll escort Fay back to the Uwais dorms, and then send you to your room," Kyros says.
  
  "Well you know, Karth's room is closer. I could just spend the time in his," Fay suggests. "It would give us some time to go over battle plans now that we know what our men are capable of, and I can inform him of what the Uwais tribe are like in battle..."
  
  "Really? That's the reason? That's the reason you're going for?" Kyros asks, raising an eyebrow. "No."
  
  > argue that Fay should spend the night in your room
  "But she could help me plan what do to with the lieutenants and what to do to secure their loyalty, and..."
  
  "Don't fuck with me, Karth. You just want the girl there so you can have something fuck. Maybe if you were a little smarter with the way you acted towards me I'd grant you such base pleasures, but you acted like a prick all while you've been here, so no, she'll go back to her bed, and you'll go back to hers."
  
  "Surprisingly, the cunt doesn't stop being a cunt just because you want to get laid. Unless I'm wrong and you seriously didn't plan or want to try anything with her, in which case Slaanesh will never get a hold on your soul," Meliodas says.
  
  You arrive at the doors to your cell, and Kyros opens it.
  
  "Hurry up, inside," Kyros says.
  
  You look at Fay, who smiles at you.
  
  "Bye, Karth. Thanks for trying," she says, giving a short little wave.
  
  "Bye, Fay," you reply.
  
  The doors are shut, and you walk over to your bed, collapsing on it. Only now do you realize how exhausted you are. You've spent all day walking, which again isn't exactly your specialty. You close your eyes, and soon sleep takes you. Thankfully, the twilight stage where your soul can rest and your exhausted mind can find peace, lasts extra long. Of course, it doesn't take long before the nightmares hit.
  
  > Sleep
  You writhe in pain, curling up in an attempt to get the endless suffering to end. All you hear is the chattering of thousands of skulls laughing at you. You star up at a mountain of skulls that rises up into the sky past. You can see beasts of metal roaring as they charge across the skulls, ramming into each other with powerful clashes, with dragon-like beasts flying overhead.
  
  You take in a panicked breath, stumbling away from a nearby one and falling. You tumble along the skulls, rolling down the mountain of skulls. You slam into the skull of a massive beast, ending your tumble. You look down at a massive river of boiling blood, horrifying creatures of bones bursting from the water and diving back under again. You frantically try to use your powers, to levitate away from this horrifying place, but you can feel an invisible hand around your neck, closed tightly around your trachea and preventing you from breathing, tethering you to the ground and preventing you from using your power.
  
  It... doesn't go well from there. You wander the endless mountain of skulls, hiding in terror from the daemonic beasts that roam. Eventually, you awaken with a start, finding yourself lying in bed in a cold sweat, naked and scared. The rest of the night is, thankfully, not as bad. The monsters of your dreams staying off in the distance away from you. Sleep is... somewhat bearable.
  
  > Several Hours Later...
  You wake up to the sound of the metal doors opening. You stand, looking up to see Kyros and Fay entering the room. You realize you're naked, grabbing a blanket and wrapping it around yourself. Fay giggles, smiling.
  
  "Well, that was a surprise. A pretty small one, to be fair," she says with a smile.
  
  You find a little leeway with your collar, and eagerly use it through the flick of a wrist and send Fay onto her behind once more. The collar tightens around your throat quickly, making it hard to breath but not unbearable. You raise your hands in surrender, and Kyros releases the collar.
  
  "We're going to the war room," he says, softly but creepily.
  
  Kyros seems considerably darker today. His coat is covered with several dark red splotches and stains. You doubt it's a good idea to ask about their origins. You stand up, following Kyros along the halls.
  
  "What's in the war room?" you ask.
  
  "We're just having a meeting. Quiet now," Kyros says.
  
  You walk along the hallways in silence, passing my various crewmen running along the halls, working. Kyros walks quickly and you break a sweat trying to walk at his pace.
  
  "Can we slow down?" Fay asks.
  
  "You're a genetically-upgraded super-soldier. Is a fast walk really too much for you?" Kyros says, continuing at his speed.
  
  "It's too much for Karth," she says.
  
  "I'm... fine," you pant.
  
  "No you're not," Fay says. "Physical exercise isn't exactly a strength of yours."
  
  "He has the energy to talk, he has the energy to walk! Now silence!"
  
  Kyros flicks his wrists, and Fay yelps. A long, thin cut appears, running down her cheek, as blood runs down her chin.
  
  "Hey!" you shout.
  
  You step up, staring into Kyros' eyes. His eyes are wild and cruel. The humor and joy he held only a few hours ago is gone. You realize that he'll be more than happy to hurt both you and Fay seriously. You back down.
  
  "That's what I thought. Now faster, we've wasted time with this!" Kyros says.
  
  You speed up, moving as quickly as possible. Soon enough you reach the war room. The doors open, and you pause. Inside, lying in her seat, is Calpurnia. All of her skin is just... missing, seemingly flayed off her. Blood covers her seat, the the floor around her and the table. Her eyes are missing, seemingly gored out by inhuman claws. She lets out a pained moan, and you realize with a start that she's somehow alive.
  
  "What the fuck...?" Fay says.
  
  Magos Cern appears behind you, walking forward. She stares at Calpurnia, seemingly disinterested.
  
  "Does this concern me?" she asks.
  
  "No, old friend.This concerns the others," Kyros says, his voice a low growl.
  
  Uncaring, Kyros sits down at the table. Taj enters, but doesn't even respond, simply taking his place at the table. Calpurnia holds up a hand as if begging for help, but Taj simply spits on the table.
  
  "Traitor," he grunts.
  
  You watch as Durge walks in, with Elizabeth at his side. Durge pauses, looking at Calpurnia, before looking at Kyros, as Elizabeth turns very pale.
  
  "What the hell is this?" Durge asks, staring down at Calpurnia.
  
  His massive, bloated frame waddles forward, standing over the bleeding near-corpse.
  
  "What happened you, he asks, before shoving a spike-arm in front of Elizabeth and pushing her back, stepping in front of her defensively as he stares at the rest of the room. "Who did this?!"
  
  Rebecca walks in, a grin on her face.
  
  "Oh, who did this?" she asks, clearly feigning surprise.
  
  Finally, Elios walks in, pausing, and looking around the room, taken aback.
  
  "What... what happened?" he asks, turning even paler than his chalk-white makeup.
  
  "It seems our good friend Calpurnia has been attacked in the dead of night," Kyros says. "Imagine how much pain she's feeling. The pain of her wounds. The pain of her betrayal. Who hear could have possibly betrayed them? Who could have plotted late in the night to back stab a person, to betray someone who had given them so much? Could it have been Elios? Durge? Elizabeth?"
  
  "Fuck... you," Calpurnia says, before collapsing her head against the table.
  
  Calpurnia screams as her arm's bare flesh begins to cook, as Kyros glares at her. Durge raises a spike, running it through Calpurnia's head.
  
  "Enough. There's no need to prolong her suffering," Durge says, glaring at Kyros.
  
  "I suppose. Perhaps it's best that she died. Do you know what, Durge? Magos Cern, Chapter Master Taj and Rebecca all came to me, told me a coup was being planned by Calpurnia, and she was recruiting all the faction leaders. I'm sure she hadn't gotten around to asking you, Elizabeth and Elios yet, or you would've reported it to me. Correct?"
  
  Durge stares at Kyros, not saying a word.
  
  "Well, I'll have someone investigate who could have possibly done this to our dear friend. Anyone, as for the purpose of this meeting, I just wanted to tell you we're all out of Recaf, and I'll have it replaced by tomorrow. I also suppose I must say I'm taking control of the 33rd Istanford Regiment in the wake of Calpurnia's passing. Now, everyone back to their duties. We're in a risky time. Who knows who'll have the next... accident?"
  
  Kyros walks out of the room, and you and Fay follow him. He immediately has you set to work. He has you train with a few of your new men, fighting off dozens of crab-like aliens with a handful of Goliaths, Tribals and Gladiators to learn how they fight. The Tribals still work with their hunting tactics and the methods of war used to fight off the endless greenskin attacks, so you find you're easily able to lead them to victory.
  
  The Goliaths are borderline idiots, who even in the heat of battle get distracted by themselves and each other, get frustrated when their massive hands fail to successfully reload their bolters, and are more than happy to break formation to charge the enemy. Cain proves himself as a solid leader, taking you orders and bellowing them out with massive, powerful lungs, loud enough to snap the Goliaths back to violence. The Goliaths make up for their mental failings with their extreme strength, withstanding punishment beyond what you thought was possible, whilst turning steel to dust with their powerful blows.
  
  The Gladiators' fighting style is an interesting one. Due to the lifestyle of gladiators, they haven't really trained for being part of a large unit, only knowing how to fend for themselves or maybe fight alongside a small unit of a half dozen people. They're good, experienced fighters, but despite their experience they're still young and wild, taking unnecessary risks in battle and acting far too prideful. While Castus is wild and barely acts as a leader in battle other than shouting out curses at the enemies, rallying his men and leading a charge whenever necessary, Olive is calm, collected and acts as the real leader, spitting out battlefield tactics that allow for a crushing defeat. The gladiators also have a certain showmanship, no doubt because they're performers before they're fighters. The gladiators' attacks maximize bloodshed and feature extravagant yet unnecessary feats of agility, something that needs to be eliminated from their battle doctrine.
  
  All in all, your newfound force is fairly competent. You're satisfied with their ability to fight, which is bolstered by your immense powers, the only outlet of which are these arena battles. After several long hours fighting, just as you're too exhausted to continue fight, the massive metal gates from which the aliens spew slam closed.
  
  You hover in the air, firing a stream of multi-colored fire that consumes a crab-alien, before you swoop down, firing a psychic blast directly into the unarmored face of another. Your forces wipe out the remaining beasts, and soon the fighting is over, leaving you surrounded by corpses, blood and bolter shells. The metal gate you came through opens, and you drop to the ground, feeling your collar begin to restrain your psychic powers again, before standing and beginning to walk back inside.
  
  "Well done, men. You've proven yourselves today," you say.
  
  Your four guards wait by the gate, alongside dozens of other guards to ensure none of you attempt a mistake. The gladiators are led to the underneath of the arena, the Goliaths back to cyro-sleep and the Tribals to their cell-dorms. You're quickly escorted to your room, and the doors close behind you. You walk forward, quickly undressing from your blood-stained, sweat-soaked clothes before collapsing on your bed, burying your head in your pillow.
  
  > go to sleep
  "Karth!" Meliodas' voice says, appearing in your mind. "Look behind you, you fool!"
  
  You quickly twist around in bed, raising your fists and preparing to use what little psychic powers, to see Elios leaning in the doorway of your bathroom.
  
  "Shit! What the fuck are you doing!?" you shout.
  
  "Hmmm... a man can't just lean back and enjoy one of the finer sights in life?" Elios says, winking as he strolls confidently towards you.
  
  "Get...!" you try to speak, but he puts a finger against your lips, leaning in close.
  
  "Quiet, baby. No need to fret. I'm not here to give you any trouble. I'm hear to help you with a certain little... problem."
  
  Elios runs his hand along your bare chest and up to your collar, playfully tugging on it. You stare at him, waiting.
  
  "Well, let's be realistic here. We're going to be slaughtered. If we're lucky, we're going to be killed when Kyros leads his moronic charge against the Imperium. If we're unlucky, we're going to end up like Calpurnia, tortured to death by a paranoid Psyker."
  
  "You're at risk of being tortured to death. I never betrayed him," you say.
  
  "Oh, baby, why do you have to be so difficult?" Elios smiles, two of his fingers walking up your legs, slowly nearing your groin. "Baby, at the moment, Kyros is looking to eliminate those who are going to betray him. But he's growing paranoid. He'll end thinking you're going to betray him, whether you are or are not. Let's be fair, you do have motives. Your tribe destroyed or enslaved, forced to bear the troubles that a Psyker does? Hell, it wouldn't surprise me if you had an escape plan in the works. Hell, even if he doesn't, one of your men will act rebellious or a battle will go wrong, and you'll be blamed for it. You need to get with us, baby."
  
  "Let's say I'm considering it. What would it entail?" you ask.
  
  "You need to get the leaders on your side. Fay, Olive, Castus, whoever's in charge of those big monster boys I saw you working with earlier. Get them on your side, while I will talk to Elizabeth and Durge about maintaining the rebellious attitude amongst Calpurnia's boys, make sure they're still up for a little bit of mutiny."
  
  "What happens when we take the ship?" you ask.
  
  "That'll be decided once we've secured the other leaders. I'm sure they have demands of their own. So are you in?"
  
  "Hmmm... it's clearly our only option, but you should know that Elios both wants to fuck you over and straight up fuck you," Meliodas says.
  
  "I'm pretty sure my other choice is death. That's not even a choice," you say.
  
  "Well, it's the one I'm giving you, baby," Elios says,gently flicking the tip of your dick, causing you to yelp and scuttle back on your bed.
  
  > Agree
  Elios steps forward, knocking on the metal door. The guards open, immediately raising their bolters. Elios waves his hand.
  
  "You didn't see me here. The voice of Slaanesh calls you, and you're his now. Move aside, and tell no one I was here."
  
  "I... no... yes, sir," one says, stepping aside.
  
  You watch Elios stroll out of the room, giving a final smile and wave as he leaves the room.
  
  You get some sleep, lying wrapped up in your blankets. Blissfully, there's only a few dark, terror-filled dreams, the rest only filling your with a vague, uneasy sense of dread. You awaken to Magos Cern poking you in the stomach with a white-hot pincer.
  
  "AH!" you scream. "What the fuck?"
  
  "My diagnostics told me that I'd be able to wake you up 0.4 seconds faster this way. We need to go," Magos Cern says.
  
  "Where?"
  
  "First, you require food. Then, you'l get some implants. I'm going through some long overdue upgrades for the... "Goliaths", as you called them, and Kyros asked me to pencil you in for a few biological upgrades."
  
  "Then?" you ask
  
  "Melee practice. In wake of assassination threats, Kyros wants you to be able to fend off a melee assassination as easily as you could a ranged or psychic attack."
  
  "My powers can do that," you say.
  
  "You'd be run through before you could react. Castus and Olive will run through some drills to get your reaction time up and give you a few dodging techniques that will lend themselves to all your battles."
  
  "Then?"
  
  "By then, with the recovery time from the implants, your weak body will require sleep."
  
  "OK", you say.
  
  Magos Cern leads you out of the room, and along the hallways. You find yourself in a massive cafeteria. You walk forward, spotting Fay sitting alongside a badly burnt girl with a long braid wrapping around herself and another with a prosthetic arm replaced by a sharpened, mechanical claw. Fay looks up, noodles hanging from her mouth, spotting you.
  
  "Oh, Karth!" she says, waving, before noticing that her mouth is filled with noodles and blushing.
  
  You take a seat next to her, and she smiles.
  
  "So, how are you doing?" she asks.
  
  "We need to talk. Alone," you say, looking at the two tribals beside her.
  
  "Uh... OK," Fay says, motioning for the two tribals to move, which they quickly do.
  
  "Thanks," you say to the tribals as they walk off.
  
  "So? Is this about what I think it's about?"
  
  "What do you think it's about?" you ask, raising an eyebrow.
  
  "Well, you know... you want to speak to me alone... privately... so I kind of assume it's about us."
  
  "Yeah, of course it's about us, that's why we're both here to talk about it."
  
  "No, I mean... like, us us," Fay says, clearly frustrated by your failure to understand.
  
  "What?"
  
  "Well, like, do you want us to be a couple?"
  
  > say "Yeah, I want to go out."
  "Oh, really?" Fay says smiling.
  
  "Don't you?"
  
  "Oh, yeah, yeah!" Fay says, smiling. "I was actually just going to ask you about that. I'm glad you said yes."
  
  Fay smiles, before leaning in and kissing you briefly on the lips. You stare into her bright green eyes, the split-second kiss lasting for infinitely longer, feeling the warmth of her lips flood into you, before she pulls back.
  
  "Well, that was nice. Ideally our next rendezvous is going to take place somewhere where we're not surrounded by our tribe and horrible guards who want us dead," Fay smiles. "Was that it, or was there something else?"
  
  "Yeah, we have something important to discuss."
  
  "Wasn't that important?" Fay asks, smiling.
  
  "Oh no,it was, I just... I meant important for the tribe, not just for us," you say, stumbling over your words.
  
  "It feels nice to see you've become as awkward as I just was," Fay giggles. "Now, stop spitting out words. Take a breath, and tell me what's so important."
  
  "Rebellion."
  
  "Oh?"
  
  "Kyros is mad and paranoid. He's either going to slit our throats or send us on an endless string of suicide missions. We need to do something, and I really need your help. A group of collaborators have planned to rise up, and rid ourselves of Kyros. Then, we take over. I need the support of your Tribals to do so.
  
  "Yeah, totally. Done."
  
  "Done?"
  
  "Yeah. If we don't escape, we die here. Also, they're your Tribals as much as mine. Who else is in on this?" Fay asks.
  
  "Elios, Durge and Elizabeth are all in. No doubt Calpurnia's man will help us," you say.
  
  "What about Cain and the twins?"
  
  "I haven't asked them yet, but we need to get them on board," you say.
  
  "Do we hae a solid plan yet?" Fay asks.
  
  "Not yet. We need to find out how many people we have fighting for us."
  
  "What happens after we take the ship," Fay asks, raising an eyebrow.
  
  "That is still to be decided. Once we have Cain. Castus and Olive behind us, we'll have bargaining power. So you're in?"
  
  "I'm in," Fay nods. "I'll have the message spread among the tribals."
  
  You notice one of your guards walking towards you, carrying a tray. You motion for Fay to quiet down, as the guard arrives putting the tray down on the table.
  
  "Eat," he says, in a cold voice like the scraping of a blade on rusted metal.
  
  You look at your food. There's a bowl of noodles and strips of thin, cured meat, a small bowl of green jelly with chunks of odd, alien fruit inside, a large plastic cup of wine and a small, dense biscuit-like cake.
  
  "Well, someone's being pampered," Fay says, smiling.
  
  "Clearly I'm just more important than you," you gloat as you have a forkful of noodles and meat.
  
  Fay grabs the biscuit cake from your tray, taking a bite.
  
  "Hey!" you say in annoyance, as Fay sticks her tongue out.
  
  You quickly eat your meal, polishing off the entire tray and gulping down the wine. Then, Magos Cern arrives.
  
  "Good, you've eaten," she says. "These operations will be safer if you've had a full stomach