'Wait. He said I killed the Queen of the Star Alliance? If he could see the future, he should've seen me to it and stopped the future from coming to fruition before I got close to do it. If he doesn't, that means he can't see the future.'
'Yet, it's not like I would really like my wife. That might've been some kind of alternative reality or something. I'm not that kind of person.'
'Either I'll kill her before marrying her if I have a problem, or I won't kill her at all! Why would I even marry someone if I had no feelings for them? It's impossible!'
"What are you thinking about?" Joana asked. "Are you thinking how strong the Two Star member would be? Well, let me just say it in simpler terms."
"Two star members are a thousand times less than one star member like me."
" Despite that, even if all One Star members go against the two star members, we would have a hard time killing even one before we're all crushed in the war. That's the strength you need to be a Two Star Admiral.
"Anyway, it's none of your concern. Even getting one star would be a big achievement for you."
"Are there any Three Star members?"
"Three Stars? I'm afraid there are none. But who knows, maybe one of the Two Stars will become the first Three Star in the future."
"Any other questions you have? Because we have already reached the room where you can rest."
The man tapped a button before a steel door. The steel door opened.
"You can stay inside and rest. I'll send something to eat for you. If you want to go out, you can do that, but you must be accompanied by a member of my fleet since I don't want you to enter any restricted area."
"I get it."
Lucifer entered the room, following simple instructions. He believed he would've done something similar if he was in the place of Joana. No one could trust a stranger so easily."
He needed to win the trust of Joana and keep that trust until he found the information about his world that he needed.
As he entered the room, the door started closing. "If you want to come out, just press the red button, and the door will open. But please don't leave alone. That will be all."
The door closed.
Lucifer walked to the bed and sat. The room seemed pretty ordinary. It wasn't like a prison but was more like a bedroom of any ordinary person. There were chairs, table, a bed, a shelf filled with books and plenty of clothes.
There was also another door in the room. Lucifer didn't even get up to check what was on the other side of the room since he was sure that it must be a toilet.
He took off his shoes, lying on the bed, gazing at the roof.
"Star Alliance... Why are things getting so complicated? I hope they find the way back soon. I need to get back before any War begins."
'However, if I'm really allowed to open the door, it seems like they have a tiny bit of trust in me and in this ring. I can leave if I want, but I'm sure there are cameras all around me.'
'If I'm not wrong, this must be some kind of test to see if I would lurk around the ship. What can I even find by lurking around? I don't want any secrets of the ship."
"Won't be of any use to me. I only want the information on how to get back home, but even they don't know that yet. It looks like it'll be a really long wait."
Lucifer laid on the bed, lost in thoughts as the Starship traveled through space and time to get back.
Joana also returned to the control room and sat on the chair at the center.
"Maya, send some food for the new guest. Also, I want to see everything he does on the screen. You got it? Also, turn on the mics in the room. I want to hear everything he says."
"Yes, Captain."
"Also, how long before we get back home?"
"Half an hour."
"Good. I think it's time I contacted the base and informed them about what we found. I don't want to give them too big of a surprise."
"Captain, May I ask you something?"
"Go ahead."
"Why are you behaving so nice with him?" Maya asked.
"Depends on your definition of nice."
"I mean, he's a stowaway. A random stranger that was found from nowhere. We don't know what he can do and how risky he can be. Generally, in such a condition, you would've kept him in the prison until we found out more about him."
"But you let him out of there and allowed him to roam freely? Why are you being so nice to him?"
"It's not being nice. I just want to see what he does if I free him. Moreover, he isn't any random stowaway. If the initial scanning isn't wrong, then he is something we have never seen before."
"He is someone very special. A person who matches every species known to us. Moreover, he is also the one who survived an explosion that was enough to create a black hole. That's not something a normal person can do. I think he deserves some special attention."
"Some special attention? Do you want to see him become a Star Alliance member?"
"No. If the scan was correct, he has the potential to become much more than a Star Alliance member. I have a feeling that he is going to reach much farther than we can imagine. Think of it as investing early on him."
"He is still young. I know myself. I can't become a Two Star member, at least not in this lifetime. Moreover, none of the Two Star members even care about me."
"I am on my own in this organization, working on my merits since I had no connections. But now I finally have an opportunity."
"In the future, if this kid becomes a Two Star member, I can have someone in a higher position to support me," Joana explained, observing Lucifer on the screen.
"You mean if the system Diagnostics prove that there is no flaw in the system. If it doesn't, that would mean we were wrong about him."
"Exactly. I'll do what's to be done in that case. But until then, I'm going to believe my gut feeling. This guy.... He can be a trump card in the future."