Last Chapter Recap: "Hail Nova!" Aurora declared proudly, placing a hand over her heart in naked. "Glory to Master and his cock~"
NOW
Crew Deck
"Everything's normal," Adam said, leaning over the console in the crew deck.
Another day of boring routine. Everyone seems absorbed in their duties… commander, of course, is not present. Probably busy with one of the matters that chew at my mind.
Fuck, what I'd do to know what spilled out of lt. Chand's mouth. That guy's a wildcard. And his hate towards me makes him dangerous even as a captive.
At least Tits seems normal… aside from a few glances she shoots me from time to time. Heh.
"Excuse me," Princess Tila said softly as she stepped onto the crew deck.
Now that's a rare visitor on the deck. However, I have to give it to a princess, she doesn't seem fazed by anything. She strolls in like she owns the place, goddamnit.
"Your Highness," Selana said, turning to face her with a respectful nod. "How may I help you?"
Strangely, before saying her sentence, captain stole a quick peek in my direction.
"Actually, Captain..." Tila said, her tone composed but curious. "I was wondering if you could lend me your intelligence officer for a bit."
"Ensign Adam, is it?" Selana said thoughtfully. "I don't mind... but he's—"
"Pretty please?" Tila asked with a playful smile, tilting her head slightly.
"...Sigh," Selana sighed, shaking her head lightly.
Wait, really? That's the captain's weak spot? Pretty smile?
"Your Highness," Selana said, her tone slightly firm but still respectful. "We've talked about this already-"
"And I believe you agreed with me, Captain," Tila said, her tone calm but with an underlying firmness. "You pressed for this assignment, so now please take responsibility."
Assignment? Does she refer to the machine, or…?
"You can't win this battle, Captain," Brody said, a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Don't worry, I'll serve as a chaperone."
Sigh... "So it seems," Selana said, her tone a mix of resignation and slight irritation. "I'll rely on you, Brody. Princess, in case anything happens-"
"Have some trust in me, Captain," Tila said with a confident smile, her voice calm and assuring. "I've had worse."
"Erm," Adam said, raising an eyebrow, "you people do realize I hear everything, right?"
"Yes, and we wonder why you're not packed already," Selana asked, her tone dripping with annoyance. "Do you intend to make Her Highness wait?"
… decide, you damn woman.
"It'll only be for a while... hopefully," Tila said, her voice laced with a hint of uncertainty as she glanced at Adam.
Brody chuckled softly, shaking his head. "Don't worry, Ensign," he said with a smirk.
…
"So, erm, Your Highness..." Adam asked, walking alongside her, his tone cautious. "What do you need me for?"
"What would I need an intelligence officer for," Tila said, her tone matter-of-fact. "Intelligence things."
"I see, makes sense," Brody said, nodding in agreement as he followed behind them.
"Not you too, Lt. Brody..." Adam said, rolling his eyes slightly.
"You complained your talents are left under-utilized, right?" Brody said with a smirk. "Well, here you have it—your big chance, and before a royal no less!"
"That's right, today you score some points with Pandora, Ensign," Tila said, her tone teasing. "Oh, I think it's here."
Huh? This block is…
There's no doubt, this is block 5, the very place lt. Chand is held in!
"…" princess Tila
Personal forcefield envelops the prisoner preventing any physical contact with the external world… as if other measure weren't enough.
Aside from more traditional trappings, I spot a gravity-module within the system. In other words, lieutenant's escape is actively prevented by high gravity.
I suspect though it's main tool used in interrogation. Fucking up with gravity is a good way to wear prisoner off quickly. And in cosmos, it's extremely cheap…
Judging by his appearance, lt. Chand is worn off by the time he spent in this contraption… just as it was designed to do.
"Ensign," Tila asked, her voice soft but pointed, "do you know why this man started his mutiny?"
"If I knew, I'd have already told the captain," Adam said, shrugging slightly. "Your guess is as good as mine, Highness."
"Guess?" Tila said, her voice tinged with frustration. "I expected more from Goliath's intelligence officer."
Ugh… not her too.
"Lieutenant Chand served on the ship for one year and never gave us any reason to doubt him," Brody said, his tone matter-of-fact. "He was a bit unsociable, but that's typical for engineers."
"Didn't the captain interrogate him all day yesterday?" Adam asked, his brow furrowed in thought.
"Yes, but we failed to extract any credible information," Tila said, her voice tinged with frustration. "Yet strangely, Lt. Chand seems cooperative, which means..."