After the long walk through two
military districts and through the entirety of Zone Echo, they finally arrived
at the industrious dock district.

Morrigan, in her two weeks of
exploring each Zone, hadn’t bothered sneaking her way into the highly guarded
dock districts. Yet every time she saw the looming form of the gargantuan
anti-starship cannons, she couldn’t help but stare in awe.

Solomon directed her to one of
the five docks and pointed.

The glow of the distant nebula
etched out every tiny detail of the two and a half mile long black gothic Light
Cruiser that was coupled to the dock. The mass of dock workers, shipwrights and
engineers bustling across the various decks faded from her periphery as her
eyes solely absorbed each detail of the Archangel.

She was a speck compared to the
beauty of her new ship, as her mind pin pointed the various sections she could
see that she had studied: the four docking bays, sections for crew quarters,
the command bridge, the massive engines on the stern of the ship, the
communication array on top of the bridge and the variety of weaponry along the
port side and dorsal of the ship: anti-fighter rotary cannons, broadside
cannons and lance batteries.

The part that caught her
attention the most was the symbol freshly painted under the bold letters of the
ship’s name along the bridge, her crimson claw calling card.

“It’s the most beautiful thing
I’ve ever seen,” she let out in a single breath as the surrounding world
crashed into her senses. “Don’t tell Nora I said that!” she followed up.

Solomon laughed at that, “Of
course, we wouldn’t want her getting jealous and doing something rash,” he
mused before gesturing her in the direction of the ramp leading to a small
portside cargo door on the ship.

Morrigan grinned as they made
their way up the ram, peaking down the sides at the rest of the ship she could
not see from the port.

“Hello Lord Inquisitor Solomon, I
hope you are doing well,”
a gentle electromechanical voice sounded around them as they entered the ship
startling Morrigan as she looked around in surprise.

Solomon chuckled at her
surprised, “Thank you Sister, I am. How are you?”

“I am well. Thank you. After
running full diagnostics, routine and subroutine maintenance checks and a full
ship-wide scan at 0300 hours, I am delighted to report the Archangel has
been repaired to 99.8 percent integrity. Is this my new Inquisitor?” The voice asked.

“What the hell is that?” Morrigan
asked wide eyed.

The Lord Inquisitor laughed and
gestured to the ship, “That, is the Archangel’s onboard A.I….”

“A.I.!? I thought those were
illegal? And why didn’t any of my paperwork mention an A.I.?”

Solomon smiled at her question
however, Sister answered for him.

“Artificial Intelligence is
illegal for Federation and Coalition of Unity use. The Inquisition is a
collaborative creation by one Gregor Eugene Solomon, the Queen of the Eskarii
and the Coalition of Unity Senators that falls under the legal protection of
the Doctrine of Unity Article 127, section 7, subsection F stating “the
Inquisition may operate and possess any weapons, systems or tools used by the
Coalition of Unity or the Eskarii. Since the Eskarii military use Artificial
Intelligence aboard their ships, it is the Inquisition’s right to possess and
use Artificial Intelligence such as I,” the A.I. stated with certainty.

“Oh… well that’s cool,” Morrigan
said, having no idea what to make of that.

Morrigan cleared her throat
awkwardly, “well, it’s nice to meet you Sister…”

Solomon chuckled and interjected,
“She is Morrigan Emery Clarke, the new Inquisitor of the Archangel.”

“Good evening, Inquisitor Clarke,
it is a pleasure to meet you and I look forward to assisting you, please remain
still while I scan your biometrics,”
Sister stated pleasantly.

Morrigan froze in uncertainty as
she looked at the Lord Inquisitor, fully aware of how fast her heart was
beating.

“Inquisitor Clarke, it appears
you are experiencing increased levels of anxiety, would you like me to contact
the medical bay?”
Sister asked.

Solomon grinned as Morrigan
shrank with a small smile, “No its okay, it’s just been a long day and a lot of
things to get used to, I’m fine.”

“Very well, if you wish to
reconsider, just say so,”
Sister stated.

Solomon laughed lightly as he
gestured down the long gray and white hall to his left, “As amusing as it is, I
think we should begin your tour,” he suggested with a kind smile.

Morrigan blushed and nodded
before following him down the length of the ship, weaving through numerous and lengthy
corridors towards to bow of the ship.

Solomon started from the bow and
led her through every space of the ship. They walked for hours as Solomon and
Sister both explained various features and purposes of the things they came
across.

Near the end of the tour
Morrigan’s feet were killing her but her experience of walking the ship was
something she wouldn’t have traded for the world. She also slowly grew to
appreciate how helpful Sister was; it was weird talking to a high-tech
computer, but there was a certain allure to having an ever-present assistant.

It also helped that the
Inquisition installed the A.I.s on each ship as a countermeasure and balance to
the power the Inquisitors have, further helping prevent someone from going mad
with power.

“Shall I initiate the surprise,
Lord Inquisitor?” Sister
asked.

Morrigan looked at him in
surprise at the prospect of more surprises than she already had bombarded upon
her over the last two weeks. Solomon smiled at her as they stopped in front of
a relatively large door two levels below the bridge of the ship.

“Yes, you may,” he said aloud,
“Morrigan, your badge please,” he requested as he held out his hand.

Morrigan unhooked her badge from
chest and tentatively set it in his hand with a cautious look. He took it and
held it up to a hand scanner on the right side of the door. After tapping on
the screen a few times when the menu popped up, he turned to her, “Please place
your hand on the scanner, dear.”

Morrigan did as he said and the
door bisected diagonally with a hydraulic hiss to reveal a lavish room.

“What? What is this?” Morrigan
asked in awe as she took a step in.

Solomon stepped in behind her as
she took in the gorgeous black and white room. The lights were dimmed to a
comfortable setting that made the black accent pop, while the holo-screen
played the image of a crackling fire in front of a simple yet pretty coffee
table and white semi circular sofa. There was also a small kitchenette to the
right with a large kitchen island for eating.

Morrigan stepped further into the
room to find two open doors to the right, one leading into a storage room with
laundry and the last door was a sizable bedroom that held a brand new bed and
personal bathroom. If she had to guess, the entire space was at least 1000
square feet.

She turned to Solomon with a look
of disbelief, “Is this mine?”

He grinned and nodded, “Yes, this
is the Inquisitor’s private quarters. Fully cleaned, sanitized and refurnished.
Space travel is a lengthy process even with FTL, being an Inquisitor is both an
honor as well as a heavy burden, so we often gain certain luxuries to use at
our disposal.”

Morrigan took it all in as she
stepped closer to him, “I do hope you like it though if there is something
specific you would like to…” she cut him off by thrusting her arms around his
stomach, sending a spiked of panicked shock through his body.

“You've been too good to me… I
promise I won’t let you down,” her words spoken into his chest were heavy with
emotion.

He cautiously pat her shoulder as
he looked down at her, “Well, I appreciate you trusting me,  but just remember what I said Morrigan,” he
stated awkwardly from the unexpected display from her. He surmised that she
trusted him enough that her PTSD did not react to his touch but there was still
the worry of triggering her violent reaction.

You know, you complained about
Nora and I giving you visions of grandeur yet here you are getting emotional over
someone treating you like some kind of princess. That, my dear goddess, is
hypocrisy at its finest, Apollyon
mused.

Morrigan giggled as she pulled
back knowing Apollyon had a large point. Yet some how there was a difference
there.  She of course appreciated how
Apollyon and Nora viewed her but the fact that neither Solomon nor the rest of
the Inquisition knew her, they just believed in her, that was the difference.

“No more surprises though, I
don't think my little heart can take anymore today,” Morrigan joked as she
wiped her eyes.

Solomon laughed and shook his
head, “No more surprises, the last thing we have to do is go to the bridge and
have you meet the heads of each crew who will be assisting you along your
journey,” he stated gesturing towards the door.

They left her quarters and moved
down the corridor around the corner to step into a small elevator that had been
waiting for them.

Morrigan shuttered as the door to
the elevator closed and the platform began to rise.

Brings back memories, don’t it? Apollyon mused in good spirit.

Morrigan shook her head as she
tried to ground herself, grabbing onto the small hand rail that wrapped around
the inside of the elevator. The amount of anxiety that wrapped around her spine
was not pleasant though she could manage it.

“Yeah, definitely brings back
memories,” she said aloud in anxious disgust before realizing she replied to
Apollyon out loud.

She watched Solomon purse his
lips, “I can see how it is unpleasant for you and I do apologize however,
elevators are the common path of travel through a ship.”

“Its fine, I’ll get used to it
eventually. Maybe I’ll just ride it a dozen times the first few days, heh,”
Morrigan joked to combat her trauma.

The moment the elevator door
opened, Morrigan all but leapt from the confined space only the be greeted by a
large group of people. Solomon chuckled behind her as he stepped upon the
bridge.

Morrigan straightened and tried
to maintain what brief shred of dignity she had as Solomon stepped before her,
many of the people staring at her looked at her with quizzical amusement.

A short older woman with an
eyepatch in a pristine dark blue and gold trimmed naval outfit cleared her
throat and everyone stood to attention around her. By old, the five foot woman
had to have at least 15 year on Dezinaria, leaving her in the realm of her late
70’s

“You must be our new Inquisitor I
presume, what was that bit about just now?” the old woman asked.

Morrigan straightened her back,
“I’m not a big fan of elevators due to… reasons. Something I'll get over I
assure you. Yes though, my names Morrigan Clarke, ma’am,” she said trying to
hold a modicum of confidence.

The woman's wrinkles deepened as
she smirked, “You've given me a squirrelly one haven't you, Solomon?”

Solomon smirked and gestured to
Morrigan, “She is far more than she appears, passed every test with flying
colors we could throw at her, young as she may be, she is a fine Inquisitor who
rightfully earned her title.”

Morrigan wanted to preen under
his compliment but the situation deemed her to stuff her childish excitement down
and act professional.

The old woman laughed sharply, “A
young one? You do realize I'm the oldest person on this ship, right? Everyone
is younger than me!”

Oh but little does she know that
deep inside this young girl’s frame hid the most ancient of beings to ever
exist with more knowledge and experience this old hag’s feeble frame could ever
hope to imagine,  Apollyon narrated sarcastically like a
television show announcer.

Morrigan cracked a subtle smirk
but forced herself not to laugh.

The old lady scrutinized Morrigan
with her one good eye before speaking, “ I am Admiral Olivia Shepard, but you
can just call me Shepard or Shep. Saves time. I run this ship; there are no ifs,
ands, or buts about it. I may take orders from you, Inquisitor Clarke, but if I
feel like you are putting this ship or its crew in needless danger, I will not
hesitate to assume total control of the ship and lock you in your quarters. Is
that understood, Inquisitor Clarke?”

Morrigan smirked into a sheepish
grin before nodding, “Its understood Shepard, and please, call me Mori, saves
time.”

Shepard smirked at her smart-ass
remark, “You and I will get along fine, let’s get the rest of the introductions
out of the way, this here is Gene,” she said pointing to a tall just beyond middle
aged man with a massive bushy beard. Part of him reminded her of Henry from
Mine 16, what he would’ve looked like 30 years younger and built like a tank.

“Gene here is the Chief Engineer.
He leads the crew responsible for the upkeep and operation of the main engines,
FTL engines and our warp drive. You’ll rarely see him on the bridge but it’s
always good to know whose keeping your clock ticking.”

Gene gave Morrigan a respectful
nod. “Next we have Luisa and Gunnar, our Gunnery Masters. Luisa has command
over the battery teams on the port side and dorsal bridge, Gunnar-the starboard
guns as well as our under-nose rail gun.”

Luisa perked up instantly; she
was a short curvy Eskarii with short dull red hair. The normally long and sharp
ears of the Eskarii were shorter on her and more angled upwards. Morrigan knew
she was a mixed breed woman but that did not take away from her natural Eskarii
beauty or the brazen orange of her irises.

Gunnar was a lanky man with thick
glasses, which was mildly amusing to her given his name suggests someone much
more physically capable. He was relatively tall and clean shaved with short
side combed hair. Both waved at her though Luisa held far more excitement in
her movements.

“Next up we have Sarilla, she is
the ship’s Navigator and often our best friend on this bridge. If anyone pisses
her off, I will not hesitate to shove them out of an airlock.”

Sarilla was Morrigan’s height
with short cropped brown hair similar to how she used to wear her hair. Her
frame was slightly thicker than hers, more filled out which gave her a very
interesting sex appeal, though Morrigan could not help but notice her skin had
a red tint to it, though she looked as if her bloodline was old German or
French.

“Oh Shepard, you spoil me!”
Sarilla laughed as she covered her mouth with the back of her hand. Her voice
held a soft ring to it far more feminine than Morrigan expected considering she
was smaller and held a more tomboyish tone of voice herself.

“Don’t you forget it neither!”
Shepard playfully scolded the Navigator before moving to the last person, “This
here is Avery. He’s the ship’s pilot. He's the primary man that gets us to were
we need to be as well as a highly decorated combat pilot. In combat he is the
one who will steer the ship in battle and keep us from being shot at too much,”
Shepard said with a smile.

The man stood on a mechanical leg
though he looked awfully proud of it given his demeanor. Morrigan found him
light on the eyes too with his broad shoulders and five o clock shadow
highlighting his square jaw. His smile could light up the room too.

“Aye, just tell us where to go
and Sarilla and I will make sure you get there in one piece. Shepard can attest,
we should be a floating space hulk after our last battle yet here we are in one
piece and 80% in tact,” he said in a high Germanic accent as he shrugged.

“You nearly destroyed my warp
drive you lying sack of shit!” Gene barked causing the others to laugh.

Avery grinned and spread his
arms, “But I didn't, did I? You had it covered old man, I had faith in you.”

“Pull stunts like that without
any warning again and I'll shove you in the particle accelerator,” Gene
grumbled.

Morrigan giggled to herself
before waving to everyone. “It’s a pleasure to meet you all and I'm looking
forward to working together,” she said sweetly.

Luisa perked up again, “Oh I like
her, I think she'll fit in perfectly fine,” she said aloofly though she smiled
brightly at Morrigan.

Solomon chuckled, “We will let
you return to your duties, when is the Archangel expected to be ready?”

“Three days sir, we’re putting
the final touches on repairs and will need resupply then we’ll be good to go,”
Shepard reported.

Solomon nodded before gesturing
Morrigan to the elevator. She side glanced the elevator with a long indignant
sigh before moving to step on it.

As Solomon stepped into the
elevator he turned and noted to everyone present, “Oh, before I forget, make
sure all male members of the crew aboard the Archangel are aware that
Inquisitor Clarke is not to be touched by them without her express consent.
Doing so is to be considered “at their own risk” and any harm that befalls them
without the safety of her permission falls under negligence on their part and
shall be reprimanded by Admiral Shepard or myself… assuming they survive,” he
finished with a sly smirk.

Morrigan’s eyes went wide at the
blatant announcement given by him as she pursed her lips and glared at him. As
the door closed, cutting off the stupefied looks of the command crew, Morrigan sighed,
“That, does not make for a good impression Solomon…”

He snickered at that, “Nonsense.
There are enough women aboard the ship to explain the necessity to anyone that
has any questions about it. Their safety, as well as your own, are equally
important, much like the announcement aboard the Void Star, the warning
is given but if they fail to heed it, then what happens is entirely their
fault.”

Morrigan groaned, “Ugh, I hate
this…”

He gave her an solemn nod as they
stepped out of the elevator and headed to the ramp connected to the Void
Star, “yes, living with such a condition is terrible but one you will work
through in time. Until then, you must take the necessary steps to protect
yourself and in this case, those around you as well.”

As they made their way through
the dock district back to the market district, he turned to her, “Have you
considered the list of retinue candidates I gave you, as well as considered any
personal requests for yourself to order?”

Morrigan nodded, “ Yeah but you
won't be happy about it,” she said with a cocky smile.

◇◇◇

Morrigan walked peacefully back to
Zone Beta with little care in the world. Her happiness was borderline manic as
she skipped down the various streets and passersby.

As she suspected, Solomon was not
fond of her choice in members of her retinue, mainly because they were highly
coveted people to the Inquisition. However, he relented because she already had
the necessary paperwork filled out, the official Inquisitor’s requisitions
forms that allowed Inquisitors to make demands for resources.

Morrigan made her way to the
entrance of one of the main administration offices to find the first two people
on her list.

The first one was the adorable
redhead Emily, who she found in a sad cubical within the main building.

Emily was deep into her work as
she typed away, unaware that Morrigan approached. So, Morrigan rasped her
knuckles along the edge her desk causing the redhead to nearly jump out of her
skin.

“Oh my God, you startled me! What
are you doing here?” Emily asked with a hand on her chest and an embarrassed
smile on her face.

Morrigan grinned brightly at her,
“Well, I was just in the neighborhood and thought I’d come see you,” she sang.

She snorted at that as she went
back to typing though she didn’t take her eyes off Morrigan. “Has your lady
seen you yet? Because I’d bet my entire salary that she would lose her mind over
your uniform!” Emily mused, enunciating Nora’s inability to handle attractive
authority figures.

Morrigan giggled at that and
sang, “Nooooo, not yet but soon. Speaking of salaries, how would you like to
come work on the Archangel with me?”

“Wait what?” Emily froze as she
gave her a “deer in the headlights” look.

Morrigan let out a squealing
giggle at the face Emily made, “Yeah! Solomon told me to pick people for my
retinue and I want you to come with me!” she stated excitedly.

Okay squirrel girl, you need to
relax a bit. You’re getting that, I’m too happy to focus vibe, again.

“Noooo, yes! Please say yes! You,
me and Nora could hang out all the time!” Morrigan cheered in a harsh whisper
and watched Emily giggle at her.

“You’re in a good mood today,
huh?” she asked.

Morrigan nodded, “It’s been an
awesome day, but what do you say?”

Emily raised her hands in
exasperation, “I mean… what would I even do? Everything I’ve done has been in,
well, this,” she said gesturing at the cubical.

Morrigan shrugged, “I don’t know,
I mean I knew but I forgot, my brain is tiny bit overloaded today,” she said
giggling gesturing to her head, “But I’m sure there’s administrator stuff you
can do! Like, like, helping me keep track of stuff or helping with contracts or
um… oh! Diplomacy!” Morrigan exclaimed pointing at her.

Emily furrowed her brows at her
as if she were crazy, “You know I’m not a diplomat…”

Morrigan blew a raspberry, “I
know that! I’m just saying like… the paperwork and stuff. I mean I passed my
tests and all but I wouldn’t know how to write something up and Solomon wants
me to make allies and stuff.”

The second Emily looked as if she
would say no Morrigan lost it, “Oh come on! It’ll be so much fun! Certainly
better than this boring stuff!” she said gesturing the office setting, “Just
think. You could see the stars! They’re so pretty and go on adventures! How
many administrators get to do that!”

Emily smirked at that despite
being put off by Morrigan’s cheery demeanor, “What did Lord Solomon have to say
about this?”

Morrigan shrugged again, “I mean
I put the requisition forms through.”

Emily’s eyes went wide at that as
her mouth fell open, “Mori… you do know that I can’t refuse a requisition order,
right?”

Hearing that brought Morrigan
down a peg as her expression sank, “Oh… no, not necessarily, I didn’t read
anything saying that it forced someone to do something if they didn’t agree…
well, if you don’t want to just say so an I’ll rescind it. I don’t want to
force you to do something you don’t want to do, I was just trying to plan
ahead…”

I should bless this woman! Ugh,
thank you for calming down because that was just… yeah, Apollyon stated in relief

“Sorry, sorry…” she
replied internally with a sullen tone.

Emily nodded with pursed lips, “Just
let me think about it, okay? It’s hard to make a decision like that on the
spot. Do you know when you’re leaving?”

Morrigan bit her lip and nodded,
“Three days.”

Emily nodded at that, “Okay, why
don’t we go to Dora’s tonight and we can talk it over?”

Morrigan nodded sheepishly, embarrassed
that she let herself get so wired that she lost control of her emotions, “Yeah,
that’ll work… do you know where Xol is?”

Emily pointed to a hallway behind
her, “Yeah, he’s teaching his class. It’s down that hall to the left. You’ll
take the next right and he’s in the first room on the left.”

Morrigan patted her desk, “Thank
you, I’ll see you tonight.”

Morrigan moved her way following
Emily’s directions and found a room that resonated a sound of the slamming of
something large followed by the familiar shouting of Xol.

When she opened the door she
watched a meek diplomat standing in front of Xol absolutely petrified in fear
stuttering incorrectly the pronunciation for kêşti with a cluck of his
tongue.

Xol roared, brandishing his mace
as the diplomat fell to the ground in a terrified panic.

“Ehmîquî Mônkee! Biax renga!”
Xol roared followed by locking his jaw three times in a row, emitting the
signature clicking sound of the Marmuro’k language.

Morrigan chuckled at the display
and folded her arms, “You’re pronouncing the click wrong. Make a “ck”
noise whenever you come across a Kay sound within their words. They find that
an acceptable substitute in their language since we’re unable to lock our
jaws,” she stated with amusement.

Xol turned on her in surprise, “Mirina
Sor!” he hissed before kneeling.

“I see you’re having fun,
Xol.” She mused in perfect Marmuro’k, bringing looks of awe from his
terrified class.

Xol growled as he eyed his class
for a moment before standing, “Red Death. What are you doing here? Not
here to teach these stupid humans?”

She sniggered at that, “Be
nice Xol, they’re trying. Not everyone will understand at first. The only
reason I can speak so well is because you were patient with me…
but anyways, my ship is ready soon. We will be leaving for the stars soon,”
she said with a bright smile.

Xol bore his fangs in a massive
grin that bled a hiss before hooking his mace across his back. He turned to his
wide-eyed class, “Class over, get out,” he rumbled and no one second guessed
him as they rushed out the door.

Once the room was cleared, he
turned back to her as she spied the shattered remains of his desk she was sure
he never used, “When do we leave?”

“Three days, I gotta go talk with
Nora and meet Emily tonight at Dora’s. I want you three with me when I leave,”
she stated.

The look Xol gave her was nearly
adorable as he cocked his head in confusion, “No Yekku? Hi’tet? Qiote?”

Morrigan pursed her lips and
shook her head subtly, “No… I know they won’t be happy, and it’s not permanent
but I want to keep things small for our first time going out on our own. I know
Hi’tet is a warrior but Yekku and Qiote seem to be happy within the R and D
labs… and they’re doing great work. I mean… I know they’re both good at
fighting but they love building and designing so until I find something for
them to do on the ship I want them to be happy and safe. With us being gone I
want Hi’tet to stay with them… if he’ll even agree to stay.”

Xol gave a long thoughtful hum as
he processed her words, crossing his arms.

“Leave Hi’tet to me,
Red Death. He will listen.” He stated in his tongue.

She did not like the idea of
strong arming Hi’tet to do something he may not want to do however, for the
sensitive S’randins’ sake, it was a temporary necessity.

“Anyways, I have to go speak with
Nora and then start working on a supplies list, come meet us at Dora’s
tonight?” she inquired.

Xol gave her a respectful nod
before following her out, parting ways when they passed through the
administration building and exiting. She knew he was going to speak with Hi’tet
right away which may be better that he did, though she felt her heart break at
breaking the news to Yekku and Qiote, especially Yekku. She knew he had a deep
attachment to her and soon she would be leaving him behind for an unknown
amount of time until she returned again.

Morrigan’s final stop was to
Nora’s class, which she casually watched at a distance as Nora drill her new
class fiercely on questions that she covered when it came to trap layouts and
how to spot them.

Any time a trainee got a question
remotely wrong, Nora would smack them on the shoulder or back with a long rod
made of hardened ice as if she were some hard ass drill instructor.

“No, you idiot, traps can be
anywhere and nearly anything.  From
explosives, electricity, to more physically devastating traps such as spring
loaded walls of spikes. Those are my personal favorite though hard to set up. I
was even in a pirate ship that had false floors that fell into an industrial
grinder! The best way to…” Nora trailed off as she finally spotted Morrigan
leaning against the entrance of the warehouse.

Morrigan snickered as she watched
Nora’s jaw hang open as she decided to finally enter her class.

“Umm… everyone take five... I
got…to um, just go!” Nora ordered her class in befuddled aggression as she
skipped over to meet Morrigan half way.

“Just say the word precious and I
will cancel class and let you take me right here on the floor! I don't even
give a shit if they're still in the room!” Nora stated loudly as her eyes
scanned Morrigan from head to toe multiple times.

Morrigan laughed as she blushed
before waving the idea off, “I didn’t come here for that hun.”

Nora snorted and grinned with her
hands on her hips, “Could’ve fooled me! I mean look at you coming in here like this,”
she stated giving her another once over.

“Babe, focus. I actually have
some exciting news you’re going to want to hear,” Morrigan chastised only for
Nora to purr as her body shuddered at her playfully serious tone.

I think you created a monster
with this one. I think we should take her to the pound and trade up for one
that isn’t so… dysfunctional, Apollyon
mused.

“”pound” is about the only
thing crossing her mind right now, ya know?” Morrigan sniggered in
response.

What? Wait… oh! Heh that was a
good one kid,

Morrigan shook her head and
sighed, “So, the Archangel is set to be ready in three days, so I put in
the requisition to…”

Nora excitedly cut her off, “To
take me on a very romantic getaway through space filled with danger and debauchery
on your very own ship!? You had me at “put in”,” she said batting her eyelashes
with a wickedly childish grin on her face.

Morrigan sighed at Nora’s
perverse nature and shrugged, “So, I guess it’s obvious you’re coming with
yeah?”

Nora’s eyes went wide with
disbelief, “Wait really? But I thought the old man would want me to stay here
and teach?”

She bit her lip as she watched
Nora slowly connect the dots, letting her work it out in her own adorable way.

“Wait, so I’m really coming with
you? Like, I don’t have to stay and teach a bunch of morons-I can be back on a
ship!?” Nora exclaimed with rising excitement.

Morrigan crossed her arms with
faux hurt feelings, “Did you really think I’d just leave you here?”

Nora blushed at the accusation,
which was an extremely rare occasion Morrigan got to enjoy, “I mean, this is my
first legit job… I don’t know what to expect,” Nora whined.

No concept of time, always wants
your attention and constantly humps your leg, awww she's like a puppy! Apollyon snickered.

Morrigan's demeanor broke a she
giggled, reaching out and pulling Nora into her.

“Yes my darling pup, Solomon has
no choice but to give you to me,” she said through her laughter.

Nora let out a dramatic wind
before letting out two high pitched “arfs” as she melted within Morrigan’s arms
and giggling which only spurred her into more laughter.

Nora pulled herself out of her
girlfriend’s arms and turned to the class, “Guess what bitches! I'm going
home!” she roared before snapping the ice made rod over her leg.

Morrigan cleared her throat to
get Nora’s attention, “uh sweetie? It’s still three days away…”

Nora made a wide O shape with her
mouth before forming a new ice rod, smacking it into her hand with an evil
grin, “Alright, whose getting hit next?”