Mary smiled at Max's stressed expression, then patted him on the shoulder. "Relax, I'm not going to ask you for anything extreme. I'm just concerned about my Nico and how she's adapting. You know how she is, she doesn't really share personal matters, but you're inside her head and bed, so you likely know her better than anyone.

Max couldn't help but laugh at that phrasing. Mary was right. He had been both in Nico's head and her bed.

"She's doing quite well, actually. The design of Absolution is her idea, and we didn't even have to stop her from trying to put out anything extreme or demonic. The influence of the Innu researchers might be rubbing off on her, mellowing her out a little bit, but she's just as high energy as they are, so she hasn't suffered from the hyperactive state that many of the other humans suffer from hanging around them for too long.

You have no idea how active their minds are, and they're cheerful at every hour of the day, and even worse when you give them coffee. I've made a note of it in the species logs, by the way." Max replied.

"Ah, yes, I saw that. The Innu Envoy has a fondness for drinking espresso by the litre. I have warned the staff about similar incidents since many of the other Reaver ships have taken some Innu repair staff on board now. There are over two hundred of them among the Reaver fleets in total now." Mary agreed.

It was good to hear that the fleet was slowly integrating with other species, but that reminded Max of the article that he had read the other day about the curious species. He pulled it up quickly and sent a copy to Mary.

"Read that later. I think it will make you laugh. But on the topic of Nico, the latest designs have been surprising. How much has she told you about her memory issues?" Max asked.

He knew that Mary knew most things about Nico, but he wasn't sure how much she knew about her daughter's memories of a past life.

"Her flashes of inspiration? They're almost always combat related, but sometimes they give her good ideas for new weapon developments. Is that where the new munitions came from?" She asked.

Max shook his head. "Quite the contrary. These are totally separate developments from what shows up in the flashes of inspiration. They are totally new things and not from any sort of outside source. I think it might be a good sign that she is finally achieving a balance in her life, where her strange memory flashes aren't guiding her actions anymore."

Mary considered that for a while before answering. "I think that's good, then. She loves combat a lot, no matter how you look at it, but when those thoughts were at their strongest while she was still a toddler, they seemed to be taking over her mind entirely. I think it was the boredom of being a child and being unable to do anything, but I did worry that she might go too far one day.

Plus, these new designs are much more elegant than the old ones. It's like a refinement in an artist's style. The flowing lines, the organic touches, the adaptability, it's all wonderful, and the other Commanders are loving what you're turning out from Terminus Trading Company's labs.

We haven't informed anyone outside of the Council about the antimatter weapons so far, but they should have documents ready for you soon. They found a historical precedent for them, and it has made the exact status in human law much more clear, I am told.

But enough of work talk. I think we need to plan a proper ball. It's all well and good to let the other Reavers and the commoners have their party, but we need to put on something for the Commanders to get together and network.

You are much less rigid than most of them, so I thought you might have forgotten about it, and that's why I'm here to help you plan for a proper party."

There it was, the real hidden reason behind her visit. Showing off her status and wealth in front of people who got to annoy her on a regular basis, thanks to her political position. A bit of petty payback while she subtly bragged about how well her family was doing under her guidance.

Since she came with cake, it was hard to say no to her, and she was right. It was good to get all the Commanders and Ship Captains together in one spot during a party so that their subordinates could actually relax and enjoy themselves.

You couldn't really let loose when your boss, the person who made the decisions that would affect the course of your entire life, was likely to show up at any minute and see you drunk out of your mind or making other questionable life decisions.

"So, what are you thinking? There is a nice garden in the right wing, near the back of the ship, that isn't being used for anything yet. It is designated as a public space, but it's not open to the public at the moment since the Shin and the Dryads wanted to take a look at it before it was contaminated by heavy use.

Or we could use Central Park, which isn't far from the portion of the crew quarters that we have filled so far and wouldn't require transport if they wanted to see the start of the Commercial areas afterward.

I'm hopeful that we can recruit a number of the Dryads to our fleet as well. They're basically hippies and big on the natural order, but they're good with plants and psychotropic drugs that have minimal side effects. You can't keep the crew from trying to find something, but if you find them the best stuff and eliminate most of the addictions, it solves a lot of problems before they occur." Max replied.

Mary chuckled and shook her head. "You really are more lax than most Commanders. Even off duty, most Commanders would whip their crew for using controlled substances on board. That's strictly off-ship vacation behaviour to most Commanders. But I suppose for a World Ship, it makes sense. You can't really make port calls with that thing. You are the port of call."

"Exactly. Terminus is a Cruise Ship, so we expect the guests to let loose and try to sneak things in, but for Absolution, we need to be very strict with what is circulating through the population, and the Dryads are geniuses in that field. It's not like the Reavers have never run drugs before, and they seemed confident that they can keep the unauthorized products under control while still getting their product on the down low to the sailors who are looking for it."

The two chatted for a few more hours, making plans for the party and going over the layout of the green space before Max called in one of the Shin and the Dryad Envoy to add their opinions to the matter of the party, as well as the Dryads' intentions to be the supplier of all things normally considered illicit.

The Dryad was the happiest he had ever seen her when she heard that they saw things her way. "See, if you get them the good stuff, they don't need it all the time, and you can keep the dirty stuff out because who needs it when you can get something better? I think I have a few shipmates who would be willing to transfer to Absolution to take care of the Gardens and some other matters."historical

The Shin waved his branches in agreement. [I intend to stay here on Terminus and take care of my World Tree, but there will be a shipload of my kin coming soon to apply for jobs on Absolution, tending to her plants. From what I can tell, the designer intended for it to be that way because they made an entire biome with all of our favourite flowers and meter-deep rich black soil.]

Max smirked at the shrub-looking being's enthusiasm and brought out a data tablet with the details of the biome that Nico had designed for the Shin and other similar species.

"Yes, there is one that I am certain your people will love. It's just over ten kilometres long and five wide, oval in shape, and fully customizable for environmental settings separately from the main ship. It seems like a paradise for flora-type species, but you are the expert, not me."

"Yes, very good, very good. The Central Park area where you wish to hold the party is a good choice as well. It shouldn't take any lasting damage from a rowdy bunch of Commanders, and the plants there can be easily repaired and regrown. By the time the parties are over, the non-human job seekers should be here, and they can take care of the aftermath."