As soon as the boon was officially handed over, the Kall-e warship wasted no time. Without another word, it simply warped away, vanishing into nothing and leaving us floating awkwardly in the sudden silence. I felt a trace of irritation that they had left us no chance to refuse or even negotiate the arrangement. Another crew member wasn't exactly something we’d planned for, and I'd hoped to have at least some say this time. What was it, with the universe dumping these random crew members into me, maybe karma is catching up. It was time for me to do some good.

  T’lish seemed lovely enough, quite polite, reserved, if perhaps a bit downcast but I could already foresee a mountain of complications. Cultural misunderstandings were inevitable, and if we ever made it back to human space, explaining a Kall-e scientist onboard was going to raise uncomfortable questions. Besides, given the strictness of their caste system, I suspected returning her wasn’t even an option. We were stuck with each other, for better or worse.

  The real question was whether she would even want to work with humans at all.

  But Mira, ever the diplomat, didn’t hesitate. She quickly stepped forward and welcomed T’lish aboard with a warm smile, immediately whisking her off for a tour of the ship—short as that would be. Mira bombarded her gently with questions: who was she, what her favourite foods were, and even how old she was. Curiosity got the better of me, so I quietly eavesdropped. It was not spying. After all, privacy was a scarce commodity aboard a sentient ship. My body, my rules. Well, that’s what I told myself to make myself feel better.

  I learned that T’lish preferred lab-grown meat, but she’d gladly take fresh meat if it were available. She also casually mentioned that she was twelve years old, which, to my surprise, placed her squarely in middle age. Evidently, most Kall-e only lived to around twenty-five or thirty, another detail humanity had either overlooked or simply never bothered to learn. I suspect the higher-ups knew, but it wasn’t a convenient truth to tell the public.

  Every answer she gave only highlighted how little we understood the Kall-e. I hoped, silently, that having T’lish aboard might finally start to change that at least for this small slice of humanity.

  Dinner came quickly after the ship tour. The crew had worked up an appetite from their mission to gather fuel which was evidenced by Stewie practically sprinting to the lounge. Unfortunately, the dining table wasn’t designed for five crew members plus 2 avatars, so Laia discreetly reshaped it, using nanite, they expanded the tabletop and formed another seat, silently and efficiently.

  For now, we both kept our avatars hidden. There was enough confusion on T’lish’s face without introducing our nanite bodies into the mix.

  T’lish sat quietly at first, her posture rigid and cautious, studying each crew member with careful curiosity. But something about the tour seemed to have loosened her a little. As Stewie unenthusiastically handed out trays of reheated food, she tilted her head, her large, dark eyes glancing around the room uncertainly.

  "Excuse me," she said finally, her voice quiet but clear enough to catch everyone's attention. "I have a question."

  "Go for it," Kel said easily, spoon pausing halfway to his mouth.

  "Where is the pilot?" T’lish asked, glancing from face to face. "And the Harvester. And the ship’s master or commander. I have not been introduced yet."

  Kel exchanged a quick, nervous glance with Lynn, who shifted awkwardly. "Right. Uh, about that," Kel began slowly. "The ship and pilot are actually one and the same. Lazarus who is the pilot is one of our AI’s. And the Harvester...well, that's Laia. She’s an AI too."

  T’lish’s eyes narrowed slightly, confusion clearly written across her features. "That’s not possible," she said flatly, her voice edged with sudden confidence. "This ship uses the Mother Blood uhm slipstream correct?"

  Mira nodded, her fork held uncertainly above her plate. "Yeah, of course."

  "Only living beings can navigate the slipstream," T’lish continued, matter-of-factly. "Machines cannot. It has never been otherwise."

  Silence settled over the table, tense and uncomfortable. Kel cleared his throat awkwardly. "Well, uh…about that. Well, that’s it I was busted.

  So much for keeping my story simple. Now, how exactly was I supposed to tell everyone I was just a frozen head from the distant past or at least a clone of a head, running on copied brainwaves? Not exactly cheerful dinner-table conversation.

  I decided this particular chat would go better if Laia and I showed ourselves, so we quietly suited up, our avatars regenerating next to the crew. Stewie nearly choked on his food as my slightly pudgy form appeared next to him, and Laia shimmered gently into view, serene and fairy-like.

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  Lynn recovered first, setting down her fork and folding her arms with a stern look. "Alright, Lazarus. Time for the full truth. You've obviously been hiding something. Where exactly is your real body?"

  I raised one of my avatar hands, hoping for calm. "Slow down. It's... complicated. I'll give you a short version."

  "Please do," Kel muttered, poking at his meal, his eyes flicking between me and T’lish.

  I sighed dramatically which was mostly for effect, since I didn't need to breathe. "Fine. In simple terms, I am the ship. The core of the ship is my brain, and my brain holds my consciousness. NeuroGenesis thought turning me into a giant flying brain would solve their slipstream problem."

  T’lish suddenly leaned forward, eyes brightening for the first time since she'd boarded. "A biological consciousness integrated directly into a starship? Fascinating. Do you feel pain? Hunger? How do you process sleep or the passage of time?"

  I chuckled nervously, glancing at Laia. "I think we can see why she’s a scientist."

  Laia smoothly stepped between us, her delicate wings fluttering protectively. "All excellent questions and I’m sure Lazarus will answer them later"

  The crew around the table exchanged a few surprised glances, clearly struggling to absorb the revelation. Finally, Stewie groaned and threw his hands up dramatically. "Honestly, Laz you're an idiot.”

  Kel piggybacked off of him when it was clear he wasn’t going to continue. “Did you really think we hadn’t noticed? You act way too human to be just an AI, especially compared to Laia." Stewie and Mira nodded in agreement.

  Laia immediately bristled, arms folded indignantly as she glared at Kel and Stewie. "Excuse me? What exactly do you mean, 'especially compared to Laia'?"

  Stewie froze mid-chew, eyes widening slightly. "We just meant you're very...efficient?"

  I laughed softly, relieved to have attention diverted for a moment. "Smooth recovery, kid. Really."

  T’lish watched us quietly, her dark eyes flicking from face to face, her expression equal parts confusion and intrigue. "Your crew dynamics are... peculiar," she finally remarked, almost to herself.

  "You have no idea," Lynn muttered, shaking her head.

  At least now everyone knew the truth or close enough to it. I suppose the full "frozen head" and the truth about the multiple versions of me could wait until we had cookies at least, all hard conversations should have cookies.

  Lynn cleared her throat, cutting carefully into the awkward silence. "So, speaking of uncomfortable truths and since we are getting it out there. Why exactly do the Kall-e call you the Harvester, Laia?"

  T’lish visibly flinched, her eyes dropping sharply to her plate as if wishing she could vanish into it. An uneasy tension radiated outward, each of us holding our breath, unsure we truly wanted an answer.

  Laia's tiny fairy form dimmed slightly, her gentle glow dulling as if she was reliving the memories. But she didn't hesitate, her voice steady and clear. It appeared to me like she had made a decision.

  "During the war, my kind and the Immortal armies who worked alongside us, we were given a specific mission: That was to harvest Kall-e eggs."

  A chill settled over the room, silence thickening like frost.

  Mira stared at her in quiet horror, her eyes wide. "Harvest them? For what?"

  Laia's voice was gentle but offered no apology, no excuses. It offered only raw, uncomfortable honesty. "Experimentation. Genetic manipulation. Testing. The corporations, including NeuroGenesis, sought ways to understand and exploit Kall-e biology. They believed it necessary to win."

  A quiet nausea settled within me at her words. My thoughts spiralled uncomfortably. The truth is each of those ships had other Todds, therefore some version of me had been harvesting eggs, exploiting life in ways I couldn’t even fathom. It made sense now why Kel and Lynn always said the other Todds they had seen were cold and militaristic.

  Kel’s voice finally broke the heavy silence, hesitant but firm. "All right, I gotta ask. If Lazarus is this ships Todd AI which is really a brain. How is he related to the other Todd AI we run into during salvaging? And did they commit these crimes as well?”

  Laia looked to me immediately, her small glowing eyes seeking permission. I gave her a slight nod, silently signalling that it was time. No point waiting for cookies now.

  Laia exhaled softly, turning back toward Kel. "The other Todds were cloned brains from the same primary brain that Lazarus is, identical neural imprints placed into other ships. Each was tasked with different missions. But," she paused, turning gently in my direction, as if emphasizing this point carefully, "this Todd—this Lazarus—never undertook those darker missions. He has no memory of them because he never participated. He also not under the same brainwashing the others were under"

  Stewie looked suddenly relieved, leaning back slightly in his chair. "Well, that sounds far to complicated for me to care about, as long as this Laz isn’t doing anything evil"

  "Thanks for the vote of confidence," I said dryly, earning a small, hesitant laugh from Mira.

  Kel rubbed his forehead, clearly still uneasy. "So, you're saying the Todd we have now is clean. But somewhere out there are clones or are identical versions that did those awful things?"

  Laia nodded slowly, expression deeply serious. "No not identifical, They had been altered to have less feeling."

  Lynn sighed heavily, shaking her head. "And that’s supposed to make us feel better?"

  "Maybe not," Laia admitted softly, "but it’s the truth."

  "You didn't refuse to do those things?" Kel asked softly, his voice heavy with disbelief.

  Laia turned slowly to face him, eyes calm but filled with a distant sadness. "No. I did not."

  She offered no defence, no excuses, no justification for herself or the actions of those who had stolen her and controlled her. Instead, she simply hovered there, quietly bearing the truth.

  Lynn exhaled deeply, shaking her head with bitter resignation. "Well, that explains the nickname."

  "Yeah," Stewie muttered, pushing his food away. "Maybe a little too well."

  T’Lish looked at everyone in disbelief. “Are meals always like this?”