Kiru made her way up the stairs. Qelu was back home, and by home, Kiru meant waiting for her in Kiru’s own apartment. Qei wasn’t at the apartment, apparently, she had a visitor, and hadn’t been able to get away. Kiru had checked in with her, apparently, she was at a diner not far from the apartment right now. As for May, she was on her way back but planned to be back at the resort early in the morning. Honestly, Kiru wanted to be back in bed, but Megumi had called her up to the roof.

She wondered what for. Nothing weird had happened with the inspections. Well except with the last one, which had a pair of lesbian lovers, and a broken air system. Thankfully it wasn’t in the middle of the hot season. So the temperature was not that bad, especially since the place was well ventilated. There had also been a lack of children in the house. As it turns out the one lesbian lover did have a three-year-old, but due to the air issue she wasn’t home. The little girl had been with her grandmother, who lived in a different neighborhood. Something about that seemed to bother Qelu, but what she cared not to share. Kiru didn’t press her on the issue hoping that she would tell her later.

Reaching the door to the roof, she slipped through. The roof seemed empty, but she knew better. Kiru put her thoughts aside, and strode toward a seemingly empty section of the roof. After a few steps, the air seemed to shimmer, moments before a shuttle suddenly appeared before her eyes. Having seen the phenomenon before, she knew that she had just passed through the ship’s extended cloaking field. Extended so she could find the door more easily, and precisely calibrated so that nothing seemed amiss until you actually passed through the cloaking shields.

The door was open, but protected by a force field. She hadn’t noticed it at first, and bounced off it. Sighing, Kiru raised her shields, and did what she had been taught. Allowing her to pass through the door with little effort.

As soon as she was inside, she was greeted by Megumi who bade her to sit in a chair. Megumi’s avatar was seated in another chair on the other side of a small table. A quick glance showed that the rear compartment here had been configured into a cozy little nook.

Kiru settled into her seat, and noted Megumi’s expression. The ship sighed, “I’m afraid there is no easy way to say this. So I am just going to say it. I’m not sure I can reverse what the Iniri have done, and even if I could, I don’t think I should.”

Kiru shot her a look, “What do you mean don’t think you should! They are messing with our minds, and stealing our children!”

Megumi shook her head, and let out another breath, “It's in their nature. Do you condemn the snake for eating the rodent?”

“That is entirely different and you know it!”

Megumi seemed slightly amused, “Not really. They share the same common roots. Although if you want something else, we can take a look at the Nevarra.”

She frowned, “The Nevarra? Who are they?”

“A race of spider-like insectoids. They have a sort of hive-mind with only the females of the species truly being individuals. Not surprised you don’t know them since they aren’t native to this cluster. Well native at least in the way a created race is. Anyway what is important is how they reproduce. They bite the females of other races, any race that produces live young would do, but they prefer humanoids. This bite allows them to steal the subject's eggs, and implant their own in her ovaries...”

Kiru gave the ship a look. That was horrifying, “please tell me such a race doesn’t exist.”

“They exist. Anyway as I was saying, they use the females of other species to reproduce, but they can also return the eggs they steal. Something they sometimes do. They were also known to brainwash the girls they use. All of this is in their nature, evil perhaps, but what they are meant to do. Do you condemn them for it? Or do you condemn their creator?”

Kiru didn’t hesitate, “both!”

“I was afraid you would say that. Thankfully for the Nevarra, the Solean people thought different. We condemned their creators, and helped the Nevarra. We removed the darker compulsion’s inflicted upon them, and created a whole new species to live in symbosis with them. Neither species can reproduce without the other, and both can contribute to a strong society. To my knowledge, that solution we enacted has worked for ten milliena without incident.”

Kiru’s frown deepened, she wasn’t sure where this was going, but something told her she wasn’t going to like it. She was proved right a second later.

“The reason I mention this is because I think something similar needs to be done with the Neku and the Iniri.”

“We were doing just fine without them!”

Megumi sighed again, “Yes, but they need you. More than they want you to know. To remove them is akin to genocide, a severe violation of my moral programming. Especially since that violates one of the central tenets of the Solean moral code. The idea that life is sacred.”

Kiru blinked. That was kind of surprising. A warship not allowed to commit genocide? “But you can kill! I’ve seen you do that. How you can you not...”

“Killing and genocide are entirely different. One is sometimes needed, the other is almost never right. Many animals hunt and kill to survive. Are they condemned for it? No. In war, you often don’t have the luxury to spare your enemy. Anyway that isn’t important.”

“Not important!”

“Yes, not important. I called you here to discuss, what to do with the Iniri. I almost have all the data I need, and I certainly have enough to start considering a course of action. Since you are training to be my next captain, I brought you here to discuss this.”

Kiru took a breath, and settled herself, “I... appreciate that. Just I don’t like how this is going. I want ...”

Megumi slipped out of the chair at that moment, and pulled her into an embrace stroking her head. “I know, and I’m sorry I can’t give it to you. If you aren’t ready to discuss things further, we can continue this discussion later if you like.”

Kiru nodded. That sounded nice, she needed to think. She told Megumi that moments later, and when she was released made her way back to the apartment. Qelu was waiting for her, and curling up in bed next to the quirky Iniri sounded nice right now. A part of her was tempted to skip tonights class, but that might be a good distraction. Not to mention Qelu wanted to join her on a lesson, and that might be interesting as well.

Qei sighed, and then looked towards the Iniri girl who had dragged her out to dinner. Zalla was a rather forceful young woman, and thanks to her she was once again following Iniri dress code, which meant she was naked again. Not too much of a problem for her. Honestly, she more trouble with her damn tail. Although not as much as May did.

Zalla leaned forward slightly, pressing her upper most set of boobs against the table, which had been cleared by the waitress moments before. Dinner was almost over, and had to Qei’s relief been a fairly silent affair. “Well, cutie what did you think of the food here? Pretty good isn’t it?!”

Qei nodded, and replied, “Yes my fish was very well prepared.” 

She was not sure why the question, and her confusion must have been evident in her tone, but thankfully Zalla didn’t say anything. Instead what she said next caught Qei a little of guard.

“Say, Qei cutie. Are you seeing anyone you like?”

She frowned, then sputtered, “huh, .. what? How is that relevant to anything?”

Zalla giggled, “Don’t tell me a cutie like you is actually a virgin!?”

Qei blinked. Of course she was a virgin. She wasn’t even a year old, and wasn’t as adventurous as May was. Not to mention her training on sex never got past theory. If any of her sisters had experiance it was going to be May. “Wha... what gave you that... idea?”

“Beyond how flustered you are? And that blush?”

Qei wasn’t sure what to say in response to that. Giving Zalla plenty of time to interject, “I’m so glad that I found you first then. It’s so much fun teaching young girls like you how to have a great time, and I for one would sure enjoy having some fun with you.”

Something in Qei screamed at her to retreat. She started to do just that, only for a hand to suddenly land on her shoulder, pushing her back into the seat. It was the waitress, who had come up behind her. Zalla chuckled, “I didn’t say you could leave yet, cutie. We aren’t done talking. So what do you say? Care to have some fun with me?”

“Um, I ... uh.... I.. I can’t!” replied Qei as she was trying to figure out what was going on. She had expected to be pressed, but not like this, and certainly not about sex of all things. The way Zalla was moving to emphasize her admitedly cute set of boobs just screamed that she was interested, and flirting. Even if she was being rather forceful, and direct about it. Too direct you might say.

Zalla, began to play with one of her own breasts, and giggled, “ah, don’t say that just yet. You don’t know what you are missing. Girls like you really need to relax, and have fun. Let me show you.”

Qei wasn’t sure where this was going, but that something screaming to retreat had gotten a whole lot louder. Alarms were going off in her head. She was in danger, just not in the way she had expected.

Qei wanted to run really, but with the waitress right there, she was afraid of hurting her. Instead, she said, “I’m, um... not ready for that.”

Zalla just sighed, and gave her a look, “Just consider it okay? You will really enjoy having some fun with me.”

It seemed Zalla wasn’t backing down. Qei wasn’t sure what to do or say. She clammed up, and after a few more moments, Zalla pouted, “Fine. Have it your way, cutie, but you really don’t know what you are missing.”

Or maybe she was? Qei still wasn’t sure what was safe to say. Zalla then interjected, “Anyway, I really enjoyed this, but its such a shame you are so shy.”

Qei replied, “... it wasn’t quite what I expected.”

“Oh were expecting me to grill you more on the school incident?”

Qei nodded.

“Nah, I got everything I needed to know about that. Your sister coming home with young Qelu actually answered quite a few of those questions I still had.”

Qei blinked, “then why did you say that you wanted to continue the conversation?”

“Cause, you are a real cutie, and I enjoyed talking to you. Most Neku are so much easier to read, and that makes you far more intriguing.”

Great! She was interesting to this forceful Iniri girl. That didn’t seem to be a good thing to her. Some part of her was still screaming at her about this girl, even after she had backed off. “I.. um, see.”

Zalla looked away, “Well, I guess I better get you home, but I really think you should reconsider rejecting my offer.”

Then again, maybe not.