“This whole assault on the pirates is purely for her benefit isn't it?" she asked John pointedly.

"Yes," he replied simply. "I don't like pirates and something needs to be done about them, but with everything Calara has put together, we could just report back to Terran Federation Command. They would send out a fleet to mop up the whole pirate operation."

“You think she needs the closure that a personal intervention will bring though, right?" Sparks persisted.

“Yes, I'm hoping it will help Calara put this behind her," John said, narrowing his eyes as he glanced over at Sparks. "You are a smart one, aren't you?"

The redhead smiled up at him, blushing slightly.

“It could be dangerous," John warned her.

“The Invictus is bound to be much more powerful than any individual ship they have, but they have multiple fleets, and we could end up being heavily outnumbered."

He looked at her closely.

“If you're worried about safety, we don't have to commit to this attack."

Sparks shook her head vehemently. "No, I'm all for it. I've dealt with enough scum to know that some people just don’t deserve to live.”

She paused and studied his face closely, and said, “You're a good man John. You really care about those girls, don‘t you?"

“I love them both very much," he answered honestly, “and I'm getting quite fond of you too!" he said, whisking her up in a hug.

Sparks Laughed happily and wrapped her arms around him.

“Look at me, I'm acting like some giddy schoolgirl!" she said, grinning in disbelief at him.

"A very naughty schoolgirl" John smiled at her, gently patting her still rounded tummy.

Sparks Laughed aloud at that, her unscarred cheek blushing prettily.

“Come on," John said.

“If we keep talking like this, I‘1l never be able to show you the rest of the ship!"

"Yes, going on our past experiences, you'd probably have to roll me back to our quarters,” Sparks grinned as John snorted with laughter.

They eventually managed to keep a Lid on the banter enough so that he could continue their tour of the Invictus. He showed her around the dozens of rooms that housed all the vital machinery that kept the ship running; Life support, environmental systems, sensors, fuel control, he found all of them fairly dull, but for Sparks these were the highlight of the tour so far. She was fascinated by the automation of all the ships systems, and kept asking him detailed technical questions that were quite beyond him.

In the end he promised Sparks the Holo-reader that Vice Admiral Charles Harris had given them back at Olympus shipyard. It would helpfully provide detailed documentation on the ship's functions, so it would be invaluable to her in learning about the Invictus. Sparks was literally jumping up and down with excitement at the thought of getting her hands on the Holo-reader.

The teenager was impressed by the ship's magazine, and she seemed fascinated by the concept of the Mass Drivers, and the two hundred metre long magnetic rails that accelerated the enormous shells to Hyper-warp. Explaining how the weapons worked got John and Sparks talking about ways they could upgrade the main guns. She suggested two possible options, improving the power of the magnetic rails, and improving the explosive yield on the shells. It was an interesting conversation, and got John thinking about Alien species that might be able to assist with either.