Eirik heard the chime at his door but didn't want to return to regular life just yet. Maybe if he ignored it, whoever was on the other side would go away.

At the third chime, he sighed deeply, turned down the music, and put the joint in the ashtray he had taken out of the drawer. "COMING!" he yelled, remembering that he locked the door when he entered. There was no time for the venting system to absorb all the smoke in the room, but whatever. He was Captain, he could do as he pleased... to an extent.

He pressed the button to unlock and open the door and was surprised to see Trasti standing outside. "Greeting's Trasti. What brings you to my room?" He asked, keenly aware that he would look as stoned as he felt.

"I... Las'Tai suggested I spend more time getting to know the crew, but I don't know what to speak to them about. She then prayed out of me that i ... Pray... in my spare time and said you have faith as well. So I had the thought that maybe I could practice talking to you?"

Eirik shook his head, trying to clear the fog from his mind as he absorbed Trasti's explanation. "Well, Trasti, Las'Tai is right. I am a man of faith, so is a number of people on my ship, though I doubt we believe in the same thing." The smirk on Eirik's face put Trasti a little at ease, but there was something about the Captain's face that was off. He looked different. "Captain, do you mind if I ask why you look... different, from usually?"

"And just like that, you got another thing to talk about with us Terrans, eh, Trasti? Come on inside, take a seat. Do you want anything to eat or drink?"

"No, thank you," Trasti said, ever the polite one. Eirik smiled, reached into the second drawer in the desk, and pulled out a plastic bag which he threw to Trasti. "Eat as much as you want. I killed and smoked the meat myself." Trasti opened the bag and immediately started salivating at the smell of the smoked moose inside.

"How did you know I was a little hungry?" Trasti asked.

"Because, just like Las'Tai, you are always hungry. I think it's a universal trait amongst Kloxna." He winked at Trasti as his tail started curling up behind him. "Just don't tell Old Pan I have some of the jerky in here, he would kill me if he found out I'm the one raiding the pantry from time to time" The guilty grin on Eirik's face amused Trasti as he took a piece of the meat and plopped it into his mouth.

While he chewed with a satisfied look on his face, Eirik sat down on the bed after dragging the chair from the desk over, so Trasti could sit in front of him. Once Trasti was seated, Eirik spoke up again.

"So what do you wish to talk about, concerning my faith??"

"What do you believe in, Captain?"

"Good question. Well, I am what Terrans call polytheistic, which means I believe in not just one god, but many gods and goddesses. My faith is traced back to the most famous of my ancestral people, the Terran people known as *Vikings*, despite the term describing an action and not a name."

"God and goddesses? how do you pray to them?"

"I don't." Eirik smiled at the visible confusion on Trasti's face. He even forgets to eat jerky. "I offer sacrifice to them, but I do not pray in the common sense. The truth is, Trasti, my gods and goddesses very rarely care about us." Eirik was not ready to share his experience during his drunken vision. "So, we Terrans can only hope we do something in life that is worthy of their attention. Beyond all, my gods crave entertainment. And if we cannot provide that, they will look elsewhere. That is why I do not pray to them. Praying is for those too weak to act. And I prefer dying on my feet over living on my knees any day."

Trasti eagerly hung on Eiriks every word, the chance to speak with someone else about faith without facing ridicule was like paradise to him.

"What about you, Trasti, what do you believe?" Eirik was curious. What sort of religion could the lizard-like Kloxna have?

"I am a follower of the old ways amongst my people. The ancient Kloxna dictated we live in harmony with the world around us and suppress our aggressive and violent nature. Only through self-control and contemplation can a Kloxna be whole" He recited the last bit, the words taken from the first page of the ancient writings.

"Huh, kinda like the Buddhist monks back on Terra. They preach peace, self-control, and introspection through meditation. I think you would enjoy reading some of their teachings. I'm not saying you should convert" He added as he saw the expression on Trasti's face, "I'm just saying that maybe a different perspective might give you insight you would not have expected"

That gave Trasti pause. It was not what he had expected the Captain to say. "How could it help me gain insight?" He was still curious and reminded himself to not take everything Terrans said as a perceived insult.

"I have no idea if it will help. But it could never hurt to read it over, now could it?"

"Maybe you are right, Captain, but I would prefer to study your faith a little. maybe it will help me understand you better."

"Then you should speak with Jeanette instead of me, or borrow some of my books IF you can take care of them. real books are becoming somewhat rare and I have taken care of these for many years."

"Would you really let me read them, Captain? I promise I will take good care of them!" Trasti was ecstatic at the thought of holding an actual book. Those were things reserved for the high caste, the rest of the Kloxna had to settle for datapads.

"Sure," Eirik stood up and retrieved a book from the crate under his bed, "This one should be a good place to start." He handed Trasti a book named *A retelling of the old Norse mythology.* "Enjoy reading. And take the jerky with you. Just make sure you hide it in your uniform until you can hide it in your room. Others might get jealous."

With that, Eirik retrieved the joint from the ashtray and lit it.

"What is that Captain??" Trasti was holding the book to his chest like the dearest treasure as he asked.

"This is a psychoactive drug that alters my perception of sensory input and the flow of time. This is my relaxation time."

"I am so sorry to have disturbed you during this, Captain, kindly forgive me!!" Trasti was quick to apologize, a lifetime in the Kloxna culture having taught him that punishment only came to those too slow to react appropriately.

"Don't think about it, I enjoyed our little talk. But I would like to return to relaxing, so be a good crewmate and leave in peace now." Eirik smiled gently as he spoke to make sure his meaning was not mistaken as hostile.

Trasti took the hint and got up to leave, stuffing the bag with jerky into his uniform where it could not be seen.

"One more thing, Trasti?" Eirik exhaled a large cloud of smoke as he spoke.

"Yes, Captain?" Trasti turned around, fearing he had insulted the Captain without knowledge.

"I hope you are settling in alright. I know it must be difficult for you, being on this ship. Just know, I have no interest in making your stay here more difficult than it already is. If you have problems, come to me and we will find a solution together, okay?"

Trasti was stunned. He had never even heard of any kind of leader that valued crew happiness in the way this Terran did. Filled with conflicting emotions, he left the Captain's room and heard music being turned up in volume. He had to talk to Las'Tai about this, she knew Terrans better.