y evening, I was standing at the medical block holding a still warm plastic sword in my hands. Straight blade, handle with a small guard. This is just a mock-up, but it was made so well that it felt almost exactly the same in my hand as my old sword, which was left in a past life. He's probably still in the portal, and some rookie will find him. Own it or sell it. Hell, his sellers will cheat as soon as they analyze it. The blade was made of an expensive alloy ... Already tears well up.

Creel, can you help? Terra asked as she set the overturned dining table back where it was immediately magnetized to the floor.

Looking around at the mess that we had created in a fit of passion, I involuntarily smirked with pride. The dishes were scattered on the floor, the table was overturned, one bench was lying completely broken at the doors of the airlock, furrows from the claws of Terra were visible on some walls, the same were on the wooden floor. We had a lot of fun. What else is a guy and a girl to do on a ship alone? In addition to training, there is nothing to occupy yourself with at all. Watch movies or series at the local terminal? Atria says we're out of coverage, and that doesn't work in the ether gate either. Only sex remains, although who would be against it at all? Show me that idiot who yells, “Too much sex! How can you do so much with him ?!”, I personally spit in his face. There are saints here. Yes, if they were with them in a similar situation to me, the same beauty as Terra, they would be no different from me.

- No, she turned me on herself, now clear up, - I answered with a smirk, - Ask Atria for help.

- Atria? Terra asked with a mixture of hope and disbelief in her voice.

Yes, Terra?

- Will you help?

“Naturally,” the AI ​​replied, and the cleaning robots immediately appeared.

It seems to me that the new AI of the ship was specially waiting for her to be personally asked for help, because all this time the robots themselves began cleaning, without waiting for any commands. I'll have to keep a close eye on her, I don't want surprises.

- And how are you going to train with this thing? Terra asked, nodding at the plastic sword.

- I will repeat all the movements that I know, and I will fix them so that this body gets used to it at the level of reflexes.

Terra wanted to say something else, but changed her mind and only twirled her ears and tail. I sighed realizing that she was afraid to ask about something.

- If you have something to say or ask, then it's better to do it right away while there is time, - I said, - In the future, we may not have it.

- Can you teach me too? she asked, looking into my eyes with a pleading look in her eyes.

- Why? You are doing so well...

- As you can see, not so good, even if you were able to defeat me and put on this collar, - she answered, running her finger along the neck.

- Where is the guarantee that you will not want to use this knowledge against me later? I asked without hiding my disbelief.

Sex is sex, but trust must be earned. Yes, she sticks to me, and we spent four days together, but this is not enough. Very little. I used to be betrayed by those who were with me for a very long time. They tried to ingratiate themselves, get to know them better, and then use the information they received against me. But they didn’t succeed, I’m tenacious like a cockroach.

Terra approached me with hope in her eyes and knelt down with her head bowed. She lifted her black hair with her hands, exposing her neck, and then said:

- I swear on my honor and the honor of my ancestors, my tribe and the old departed gods, I will not betray you, Creel. Until the end of my life, I will be your faithful servant. My body belongs to you.

This surprised me, and very much. I have never been sworn in like this to be eternally loyal until death.

- Atria? I called the AI, wanting to make sure her words were true.

- Standard oath of furriods becoming servants of a stronger representative. All her words were sincere.

"Thank you," I replied to her, and then looked at Terra, who pressed her ears to her head, waiting for my verdict, "What should I tell you?"

I really don't know how I should respond to these words. I can say: “Yeah, okay” or “Normaldy”, but I can’t smell it.

Terra burst out laughing, completely erasing the seriousness from her face.

"You have to say that you agree to accept my oath, you idiot!"

She continued to laugh, and I stood with a stupid expression on my face, a mixture of surprise and confusion.

- Okay, I accept your oath!

I said irritably and embarrassedly, scratching the back of my head with my fingers.

"Now will you teach me?" - asked the girl, as soon as she stopped laughing and wiped the flowing tears from the corners of her eyes.

“Atria, unseal her sword too,” I said with a sigh.

“I already,” the AI ​​replied.

- You mean already?

- Took the liberty of preparing a training sword for your servant Terra to increase the overall combat power of the group.

"But I didn't tell you to do anything like that," I said incredulously.

“Mistress Tria allowed me to make my own decisions, as long as they weren’t aimed at harming you and your allies, as well as the witches who joined during the mission.

"That's it, next time be forewarned, I don't really like surprises," I said in a serious tone.

- Yes, Creel.

- What are you standing for? Run for the sword and let's train, otherwise we lost almost a whole day, - I said sternly, as soon as I turned to Terra. 

She smiled contentedly and, wagging her tail with an arrow, darted towards the medical block. There was the hiss of a printer being opened, and then she came back.

We started training right away. At first they practiced basic techniques and stances, I tried to teach Terra the same way they taught me. I tried to remember and explain every detail that was once incomprehensible to me and most likely will be the same for her. To my delight, all this learning process allowed me to remember the basics, to fix them in a new body and get better at it. My brain remembers one length of arms and legs, another body weight and dimensions. Therefore, many movements came out clumsy the first time, but the next ones gained speed and accuracy.

Terra carefully memorized everything I taught her. When she stood up and I swung her, showing the instability of her legs, she did not even utter a word in protest until she got up from the floor. Vice versa. For the first time since we met, she smiled a happy smile. It involuntarily moved me. This is probably how teachers feel when their students study with such enthusiasm.

The drills and short sparring sessions to work out the moves went so smoothly and well that we didn't even notice the light inside the ship dimmed, signaling eight hours of sleep.

At that moment, Terra and I sighed wearily as we looked at each other. Sweat dripped down from me in hail, and the girl, not at all embarrassed, stuck out her long tongue like an ordinary cat. We were both so tired that we had no strength left. With some difficulty we got to the shower room and helped each other to undress. For the first time in all these days, we didn't even think about sex. They just washed themselves, fell into bed and fell asleep satisfied with themselves. Unfortunately, my stats didn't increase during training, and my sword skills didn't appear. Thus ended the fourth day of the journey to Earth.

The next day I was awakened by Atria's voice:

Creel, we've reached our destination.

I immediately opened my eyes, feeling like all the drowsiness was licked off by a cow's tongue. Pushing Terra off me, I quickly got to my feet and dressed. I don't like to go naked.

Running out of the room, I rushed to the cockpit and froze in place in shock.

In front of me was a huge empty expanse of space, illuminated by stars. A myriad of fragments floated around in the vacuum. They are like an impenetrable wall, lined up in front of my ship, not allowing me to pass.

- Where is the Earth? Are we exactly at the right place? I asked impatiently, trying to get a better view of the space and find something familiar from books and films.

“We are at the right point, Creel,” Atria answered quietly for some reason.

- Then where is she? What are these shards?

I so wanted to see my planet after so many years. All the time I thought about how people live there now. What happened to my city and countries in general.

Feeling that I was beginning to stagger slightly from the tension, I sat down in an armchair, not taking my gaze off.

- This is the Earth, Creel - said Atria - I'm sorry, the planet was destroyed.

- It can't be, - I whispered with a sigh of doom, - How could they screw it up? The only planet that helped humanity get back on its feet, and that was destroyed! Damn bastards!

Shouting this, I hit the iron wall of the plating. There was a muffled hum of diverging vibration, the ship rocked slightly to the side, the light flickered.

I hope it's not my fault? I asked Atria in surprise.

“No, a modified mining cargo ship just docked with us.

- How did it fit together? Without our knowledge? Atria, what the hell are you doing as the ship's AI?!

“They used camouflage technology unknown to me. Unfortunately, my databases are outdated, and the copied information from the previous kernel is not complete and contains only fragments of information.

“Yeah, justify yourself,” I muttered with all the skepticism inherent in me, crossing my arms over my chest and leaning back in my chair, “I hope you at least don’t let them inside ...

Before I had time to finish, cold steel touched my neck, and a soft female voice reached my ears:

- Darling, give me control of the ship and stay alive ...

But neither this surprised me more, but the system notification that appeared before my eyes: