He placed his hand on the biometric panel beside the entrance, and his signature was immediately recognized. The heavy door slid open with a pneumatic hiss.

As it opened, Tatehan couldn't help but feel a wave of nostalgia.

The mechanical smell this place carried — a mixture of metal, and faint electrical ozone, heightened that feeling even more. It was the smell of home, strange as that was to think about a crashed alien spaceship.

The journey that he had assured the spaceship's AI wouldn't take more than a day had now stretched into approximately two full days.

This realization made him smile slightly, a bit ruefully. He hadn't exactly been faithful to his word, had he?

It was like what had happened with the bio-neutral core. When the spaceship's AI had told him that reaching the Mauler's domain shouldn't take more than a few hours, he'd ended up taking two entire months before returning. And now with this supposedly quick trip to Waython Hollow, he'd once again taken far longer than planned.

That delay was mainly due to the unexpected duel with Mub and having to spend the night as a guest of the Red Crest Clan. Then there had been the morning discussion with the commander, followed by his exploration of Waython Hollow city with Riven, the coffee shop, her apartment, and all the conversations that had extended the trip.

As he stepped fully inside the spaceship, the door shut automatically behind him with a solid thunk. The lights that had been maintaining a very dim standby mode suddenly flickered and brightened to their normal operational levels, illuminating the main cabin.

[Welcome back, Host,] the spaceship's AI said, its voice filling the space. [How successful was the journey?]

Tatehan shrugged, a genuine smile spreading across his face.

"One of the best experiences since I arrived on this planet," he replied honestly.

The spaceship's AI paused for several seconds, processing his response, then asked with what sounded like concern:

[In what way was it successful? I was actually starting to get worried since you didn't return within the timeframe we agreed upon, that is, if you had managed to acquire a motorcycle as planned. When you didn't arrive on schedule, I thought perhaps you hadn't found one and had decided to make the journey on foot, which would have been extremely dangerous.]

Tatehan summoned the backpack he'd stored in his inventory earlier and let it materialize, dropping it on the floor with a heavy thud. He also unsummoned his armor, and the dark plating dissolved into wisps of energy before vanishing, leaving him in just his regular clothing.

"Well, I did acquire a bike, a dust rider, actually, and I arrived at Waython Hollow in about five hours as planned," he said, then paused briefly before continuing. "But then I made another friend along the way..."

The spaceship's AI cut him off in the middle of the sentence.

[I hope you didn't kill this one.]

Tatehan was genuinely stunned by the question, stopping mid-motion.

What the hell kind of question was that? For a second, he wanted to interpret it as dark humor, but then he couldn't help but feel a sharp pang of guilt pierce through him.

He felt slightly sad (just a small amount, but definitely present) that he had killed Kael. The memory of driving his sword through the man's chest uddenly flashed across his mind.

Tatehan decided to force a laugh to break the uncomfortable moment.

"No, I didn't kill this one. She's female, by the way."

[Oh, so she's your lover?] the spaceship asked, and there was definitely something that sounded like curiosity in the AI's synthesized voice.

Tatehan smiled despite himself.

"Not yet."

The words came out much faster than he'd intended, and if the spaceship had been a physical human being, Tatehan was absolutely sure he could imagine it squinting its eyes with a knowing smirk playing across its lips at what he'd just inadvertently revealed.

[So you do intend to pursue that route eventually. Noted for future reference.]

Tatehan's smile widened. "She was stranded in the wasteland when I encountered her. I helped her survive an attack, and we traveled to Waython Hollow together. It's a place that's actually sprouted into a legitimate city now, with futuristic-looking buildings, various types of vehicles, and all sorts of high-tech fancy infrastructure. It was pretty impressive."

The spaceship's AI listened attentively as Tatehan narrated his various ordeals and experiences.

He explained how he'd given the precious bio-neutral core to the Red Crest Clan to save Lyra's life (Kael's daughter) and how he'd been present in the medical room where the operation was performed. He told the AI about the strict rules that were enforced by the clan, and how he had unknowingly broken one of those rules, which had led to the mandatory death duel with Mub.

He described how he had essentially cheated in a way, using Riven's ability to predict attacks through the hidden earbud communication system. How he'd managed to use a single devastating punch enhanced by kinetic energy release to finish Mub. How he had subsequently gained the profound respect of the entire clan. How the commander had given him a valuable communication device...

"The phone-like device is actually pretty cool," Tatehan said as he pulled the communicator out of his pocket and held it up to show the spaceship's AI.

All he had to do was stretch his arm toward the ceiling-mounted sensors, and the spaceship's advanced systems absorbed and analyzed the device's appearance and specifications very clearly.

[A device of that technological sophistication is quite rare on current Mars, extremely costly to manufacture, and really valuable,] the AI observed. [Why did the commander give you such an expensive gift?]

Tatehan used his other hand (the one that wasn't holding the communicator) to scratch the back of his head somewhat awkwardly.

"Uh, well... she said she needed my help. Since I killed their number one warrior and battlefield commander, she asked that I occasionally assist her clan in fighting battles against the Obscuron's forces, which have been aggressively expanding northward. She also mentioned potential missions that might require my particular skills."

The spaceship's AI paused for several seconds before asking in a tone that suggested concern:

[And you believe accepting this arrangement is a prudent idea?]

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