SPECIAL THANKS TO Mapps and Richardphotos for their wonderful gift "HC2-The Abomination Dungeon"! It's a wonderful, gorgeous product. Demolished any infrastructure that could be used by the enemy, the NMA troops left the Yttrium mines and returned to their base where a festive crowd was waiting for them. The day after JS summoned his staff and the civilian notables. "Ladies and gentlemen, we must not lower our guard!" JS pointed out, quenching what he considered an excessive enthusiasm. "We must keep everybody under pressure and not give them time to think about the Rogue fleet that is coming with blood in their eyes." JS knew that their situation was hopeless, but he sported absolute self-confidence. But he couldn't lie to Eve. Every day he went to the pitch black cavern to look for a sign from the ship. That evening Eve joined him at "their" spur of rock near the ancient statues. To relax him she decided to wear something sexy. "No ship in sight." JS stated flatly but Eve noticed that he was moving his shoulders in a strange way, one thing that had often happened to him in recent days. "What the heck is happening to your back?" she asked. "I don't know. Since returning, I have an itch that drives me crazy!" JS replied with a vague smile. "Really, let me see!" Eve cried her eyes shining with enthusiasm and ripped his T shirt off. "The ship is sensing you!! She's changing your tattoo. That's why you're itching!" "Changing the tattoo?!" JS asked aghast staring at her. "Yes, the ink is a suspension of nanostructures of the same type of the organic material of the ship. According to the legends, the ship modifies the tattoo while it's being done but in your case.." a jolly Eve said, while scratching his back, but JS sharply interrupted her. "What! I've some little critters crawling under my skin? What did you do to me?" "It was the only way. If the ink hadn't taken, you'd never have been the captain. I had to, you were an alien, you know!" stammered Eve shocked by his reaction. "Worse than a bloody Guinea pig!" muttered JS really pissed off. "You say you love me and you didn't even bother to tell me that thing. And if I hadn't returned and if …, " "No, please, no." Eve interrupted him. Hugging and kissing him, her eyes full of tears she murmured: "If it failed, the pigments would be inactive and the tattoo would fade with no arm for you. So say the sacred songs." JS was about to retort, but Eve put her finger on his lips: "I love you. It's said that the ship'd modify the tattoo so that no other could command her." "A really smart security code." couldn't help but think the professional in him, while Eve's kisses and caresses made him let off some steam. "Maybe it's because your skin is alien, or because the ship doesn't know how to do it," Eve shrugged, "but I was handed an ointment for use in case of..." "You want to dab a million-year-old ointment on my back, don't you?! No way!" showing an exaggerate terror JS withdrew, but a smile hovered on the corner of his lips. "Do not be a child. You bravely attacked alone an entire army and are afraid of an ointment, aren't you?!" and without giving him time to reply Eve flew to take the old bowl. With a skeptic sigh JS opened the container. "But it's empty!" exclaimed Eve. "No, it's just dried, see that dust? It's that." "What can we do?" "We can discover the solvent using the he-bot's spectrometer and analyzer and dilute the pigment again. I took two chemistry courses for explosives and poisons and I'd be able to fix it. Downstairs there's a sort of dr. Frankenstein's chem-lab." After a bit of hard work, JS sighed: "OK, it's ready." Then added: "This is true love, honey!" and let her dab the ointment on his back. "Jay, it's working! The tattoo is... is perfect!" Eve shouted ecstatic. "Now, I deserve my prize!" JS exclaimed kissing her wildly. Eve's answer was as fierce and passionate as it could be.