After the meeting is adjourned, I see to it that the vermin are shipped off to their cells properly.

After all, we cannot allow ourselves to be seen as weak in these trying times.
One of them, who apparently considers himself particularly funny, looked up to me and shouted, "Ah, look at that! The princess herself came to take us to bed! Good night, princess!" while waving.

One motion later, he laid on the floor, paralyzed by the electrical jolts, but still laughing.

By Garkla, I will never understand these creatures.

After making sure that every last of them had been taken care of, I return to the living quarters.

However instead of heading for my own quarters, I decide to ask my father a few more questions regarding the recent incident.

One of the vermin, a servant from block A according to his tag, is standing in front of my fathers door, eying me seriously.

As I order him to move, he replies in almost perfect Asmodean, "My apologies, Jom Lushomagans, however my master, Jor Zethomarazio, has important business to discuss with your father and instructed me to let none pass."

I raise an eyebrow and reach for the gun stashed in my belt and ask, "So you would choose to disobey your better?"

"My apologies, however I am under strict..."

I pull out my gun and point it at him, "Move, or we will have one vermin less to feed. And no, I am not joking."

The male is apparently taken aback by my sudden threat of using violence against him, however he quickly regains his composure and says calmly, "Surely you jest. According to article 452 paragraph 3, the use of force against fellow crew mates is punishable by prison...or worse."

A smile creeps over my face and that makes the male mighty nervous.
And really, it should.
Oh, they taught him well, that's for sure.
However not quite well enough.

"And just what makes you think you are a 'crew mate'? You are but a trained animal we picked up on a desolate planet. A pet! That is all you ever be! If I kill you, the worst that will happen to me is a reprimand for property damage. But I doubt even just that will happen, because you will not be missed. And now move, before I run out of patience!"

"What is this commotion out here?" another male voice asks from the inside as the door opens, revealing a snide looking young man of apparently wealthy origin with long silver hair and expensive looking clothing.

I'll just bet that this guy has not worked a single day in his life.

"Oh! Jom Lushomagans! I-I had no idea! A-423, what is the meaning of this?!"
"Jor Zethomarazio, you had ordered me to not let anyone disturb your meeting with Jor Lushmagans. I was merely..."

My peer gives the vermin a devastating look, their implants flickering hastily.
Apparently he is giving him quite the stern lecture...one the vermin will hopefully remember.

"Come. We are leaving. And be grateful if I don't return you for this!" Zethomarazio states, making the vermin hang his head and following after him with pitiful steps.

Now my father comes to the door, sees me and his face darkens.

I notice and ask, "What's the matter father?"
"I..." father starts but then reconsiders and shakes his head.

"Why don't you come in?"

After sitting down inside my father's quarters, a female servant brings us something to drink and I ask, "This Zethomarazio...what did he want? Official business? Why didn't he address you at the assembly?"

"No...no, it wasn't an official business."
"A...courtesy visit then? To pay his well due respect?"
"No, not exactly either..."

I blink a few times and finally ask, "Father, you are acting strange. What is the matter?"
My father buries his face in his hands and mutters something I don't quite understand. I consider running it over the sound enhancement module in my implant, but decide against it.
If father wishes to tell me something, he will do so.

After about half a minute and after the servant has delivered the drinks my father asked her for, he begins explaining, "Jor Zethomarazio is, as I'm sure you're aware, the successor to a very important family aboard the ship. The overseers of the blocks M, S and X are all relatives of his."

"The...wait, so...so the overseer that was killed..."
"A cousin of his, yes. He is a very powerful man. And he is ambitious."
"...but you are the captain! Can't you...do something?"
"Like what? Float him? For what reason, my dear daughter? For being ambitious? For being smarter than most? If I got rid of him and word about that spread, it would disgrace the entire Lushomagan name...and we would be put on trial and likely found guilty."

I shake my head and ask, "Tell me father...what did he want?"
"...you."
I raise an eyebrow, the confusion apparently being all too obvious on my face.
"...me, father?"
"Yes. He wanted my approval to give you to his son for mating."

I almost choke at the sip I had just taken, jump to my feet and yell far louder than I had intended to, "What?! What does this...this...throngian think he is?!"

"Now, now, let us calm down my dear. It has not been the first time a suitor has asked about your future plans...and I have to admit that they do have a point. You are in the perfect mating age, yet you have not expressed any interest in any of the suitors thus far. I...blamed it on the early loss of your mother, however I don't know how much longer I can keep them waiting. After all, the very bloodline of Lushmagan hinges on you. The very future of this ship depends on you finding a good and able mate."

I huff and puff.
I really don't know what to say to that.
I grab the cup and am this close to smashing it at the next wall, however I somehow manage to restrain myself...even if only to prove that I am not as savage as the vermin who had threatened me just recently.

I sit back down, apparently with a very strained face and ask, "So you are saying that I...am required to mate?"
"I will not be here forever, my dear daughter...and once I am gone, they will come after you. I shudder at the potential means they might employ."
"...so let them come."
My father blinks a few times, this time apparently puzzled by my response.

I get back up, rest my body on my extended arms and say straight to his face, "I will not mate with anyone or carry their child, just because they are from an important family or 'the reasonable choice'! If I am to mate and carry anyone's child, it will be me making that choice and nobody else! So you will die one day and I will take your place. Big deal."

Suddenly my father chuckles and after a while he bursts out laughing, leaving me puzzled and I find myself asking, "Father are you...alright?"

My father recovers from his laughing fit and eventually waves off, gasps for air and finally responds, "Yes, quite so, quite so, it's just...you reminded me so much of your mother just now. She said the exact same thing when we talked about the topic way back then. 'Let her decide herself', she said. 'She will make the right choice, even if we don't like it.'"

"M...mother said that?"
"Yes...yes, she did. Oh Garkla, I miss that woman. She would have sent that impudent idiot running after making him eat his words, no questions asked."

I remember the terrible fire my mother died in so many years ago. The sea of flames I made it out of by nothing short of a miracle. The fire that took my mothers life. The fire, the vermin started. Sure, they said it was an accident and sadly the investigation could not prove the opposite, but I know that they deserve every little bit of suffering they have experienced ever since then.

"Nympromedonala, are you still listening to me?"
My eyes snap back to my father, who apparently had said something without me noticing.
I notice that my fist has clenched and force it to relax while sitting down.

"I beg your pardon, I was...lost to my memories for a brief moment."
"Yes...yes, I see. One day, once you are old enough, I will invite you to a bottle of Hromgian wine and tell you all about your mother..."

Father points to the cabinet where he keeps the beverages and explains, "I've been saving one for that day. Just...a little more patience. That is all I ask of you."

I sigh, shake my head and change the topic.
"Father, my apologies, but I have a question for you...one that was raised at the assembly, but you chose not to answer."

"...allow me to guess: 'Why did I send you to block X that day'?"
"Partially, yes. However I've been doing some thinking...the vermin couldn't possibly have escaped on their own."
"One moment please," my father says and claps twice to make the servant come running.

"Yes, Jor Lushomagan?" the Asmodea asks.
"I will not require your services for the time being. Please return to your quarters and return tomorrow in the morning."
The Asmodea bows and hurries off.

After making sure that she really left, my father says, "I am sure your understand, but this matter is not to be spoken of lightly. If the wrong ears pick up any of this, we may be on the road to grave danger."
"I see...my apologies, father. I had assumed that our brethren could be trusted."

My father looks up to the door and mutters, "I'm not so sure about that any more...say, what do you think about the humans?"

I blink twice and then respond, "I consider them filthy, ungrateful and dangerous. Quite honestly, I do not know why we are keeping them alive at all, after all the damage they have done thus far. If we scrapped their life support systems, I am sure there would be plenty of resources to ensure our own survival...maybe even sufficient resources to contact a rescue party."

"...I see. A good and well thought through answer. However, have you ever wondered, why we are keeping them around? Despite all the things you have just correctly stated?"

"...father, I wonder about it almost every day. I am told that we require their craftiness and their resilience, however that is only because the machines that would otherwise perform their duties have been broken. By them, no less."

"And that is where you are wrong, my dear. The machines are not broken. We merely choose to not employ them."

My eyes widen and I ask, "But...but why, father?! Why do we put up with..."
"Purpose, my child. We give them purpose by making them work for us in exchange for us keeping them alive. As long as they have purpose, as long as they can direct their energy at a common goal, they remain docile and somewhat civilized. Without purpose, they grow savage and would quickly turn on each other, turning this ship into a war zone."

"Then...then why are we keeping them?!"
My father exhales deeply and asks, "Because, my dear Nympromedonalas, they are our purpose. They are the reason why we are here. If not keeping them alive and under control, I fear that we ourselves would become savage and turn on each other, seeking to become the most powerful. If the humans die, our mission fails...and neither we nor our children will ever see the oceans of Asmodeus ever again."

I gasp for air, while my father takes another sip from his cup.

"...but that was the correct answer to the wrong question...the real question here is, why I sent you to block X that day. As a matter of fact, I have heard...disturbing rumors. That our own kin have taken pity on the humans. That they think they should be freed and given equal rights. I think this group calls itself 'AETH' - 'Asmodei for the Ethical Treatment of Humans' or some nonsense like that. They have forgotten our purpose and therefor endanger us all...the letter I had given to you was meant for the overseer of block X to warn him, because my spies had informed me that AETH was planning something there...alas, my warning came too late and you got caught up in it. I...am terribly sorry. I never meant to involve you, but you were the only one I could completely trust in this matter...after all, the servant you had seen earlier could well have been a member of AETH and none would be any the wiser. They have become very good at hiding their intentions."

"But...but that's impossible, father! The ship's system..."
"They have already proven that they have the means to disable an entire block. Hiding their presence from the ship's systems should be easy for someone as cunning at that. But I fear that this was just a test and that their real strike is yet to come."

"Then...then the assembly needs to know! The entire ship needs to know!"
"...and then what? None would trust their kin any more and chaos would ensue...fear breeds anger and anger bring about destruction. Besides, they are not malevolent, but much rather just misguided. I will make sure that they understand the error of their ways. You will see, in a few days, this will all be over. My sources tell me, that we are very close to identifying their support structure...and without it, they will fall apart."

"...I understand...thank you for telling me about this, father."
"I am sorry. I didn't mean to burden you with my duties this early...but you deserved to know. Now please return to your quarters, Nympromedonalas. And do not speak about this with anyone. Understood?"

I nod and reply, "Yes father. Of course."

I retreat from my father's quarters and head over to my own, where some imbecile had left a present in the shape of a buff human with a note attached.

I don't even read the note, but much rather tell the vermin, "Return to your master and tell him I am not interested in his toys."

The man bows and scurries away, apparently happy that I did not take him as a consort...well, I guess that makes two.