On their way to the meeting room, Max realized one very important fact. The winged humanoids were reading his mind the same way that he was reading theirs, only their ability was biological and his was thanks to the wonders of the System.

They all took seats on comfortable chairs around a rotating table with an assortment of fruits and vegetables on it, which Max eyed with trepidation. They looked alright, but he had never seen them before.

"Your species isn't carnivorous, is it? Did we make a mistake?" One of the giants asked.

"No, we are omnivores, I am just unfamiliar with these particular items. Nico, would you mind?" Max asked. As long as it wasn't too caustic, a Full Conversion Cyborg could eat almost anything, food or not, and analyze some basic data about it.historical

Nico spun the table slowly and took a small bite of everything, nodding happily as she went.

"Nothing toxic in the mix, and some of them are quite good. Your analysis of humans was spot on." Nico informed the giant who was concerned about the snacks.

"We have offered them before, but humans usually refrain from trying new things. It seemed to be a weakness of the species, their dogged determination to hold fast to the things that they know instead of going with what is best for all." Nena spoke slowly, but with a gentle tone that Max realized was deliberately chosen to set them at ease in this meeting. A basic psychological trick usually used for traumatized veterans or panicked animals.

The revelation didn't speak too highly of their views on humanity, but that was somewhat to be expected.

"After all, you are a species that developed the technology to see into the hearts and minds of those around you, where your bodies could not, and instead of any other choice, you chose to use it for war," Nena spoke, answering Max's thoughts, while Nico took notes about their interactions.

This was the first time that they had come so close to the Galactic core, so they had never interacted with a Kepler Citizen before and had only heard the vaguest of rumors about them using a mysterious technology to empower their soldiers.

"Brick, you would like the blonde one. He is nearly as strong as you are, and far more civilized than those brutes that we found on the other side of the Galaxy." Nena spoke to the giant who had asked about the food.

"That would be the Narsians then? When I first saw Brick, I thought there was a chance that they were descended from an ancient settlement by his people." Max spoke out loud so that the whole group could hear what they were discussing, a concern that most of the Valkia didn't share, as their thoughts showed that they moved back and forth between modes of communication, based on who they were addressing, using silent communication as a form of whispering.

"I can tell already that your people aren't quite like the others we have run into from your species. The fact that you managed to get this relic of a ship working was the first sign. Most would have given it up as unrepairable.

The scans of your Terminus show some very interesting modifications as well. The new design of the Crystal-based Warp Drives is truly impressive, though I see you have adapted those as well as tools of war." Nena sighed.

"An unfortunate side effect of living in this region. It is quite dangerous, so all of the best technology goes into war machines. We did make some advancements in the food replicators though, and they can make a decent variety of dishes from a self-perpetuating hydroponic system that recycles the ship's waste."

They all looked confused for a moment, then Brick began to laugh. "The Emergency Ration Machines?" Those were archaic ten millennia ago. The fact that you not only got one to work, but managed to learn the programming language and improve it is impressive. The technology has been obsolete so long that I don't even think that I could get one of them working for the museum."

The Giant's laughter was infectious, and the Pink skinned humanoids looked very excited to see what he was talking about.

"We have made spares if you would like me to have one brought to you. You mentioned a museum, and at its age, that's likely where the technology belongs, even if we have managed to upgrade it to be more effective than what we were using before discovering it." Max agreed.

One spare Replicator was no loss to them, and if it built goodwill among these highly advanced aliens, it was well worth the effort to build them one.

"That would be very kind of you. The Museum is in the bow of the ship so that the past can be the first thing to meet the present when we arrive. A bit sentimental, but my people have always been like that." Brick agreed, his blue skin flushing slightly in embarrassment.

"How do you get around the ship?" Nico asked with great interest, and a rapid screeching began from the amorphous form of Theta.

The metallic blob had taken the shape of a flat-bottomed sphere while they were talking, which seemed to be in its resting form. Max couldn't quite tell, as he didn't understand the language that it was thinking in, but Nico seemed to be following along easily enough, moving their conversation down the octave range until it was a low buzzing, like the hum of a cheap audio amplifier.

The change in tone seemed like it was a relief to the others around, who could hear the ultrasonic range where the two were conversing earlier, though Max could not.

"We just use portal pads. A stabilized version of the portals that the Narsians use to move between worlds. It is possible that they once came from our species, but if they did, they genetically altered themselves to adapt to their new environment, and forgot all about their past.

They certainly didn't recognize us when the other ships of the Noctem Fleet arrived in their territory." Brick informed Max.