After the ship was secured in the hangar and droids began to remove all the ordnance,
Andrew went straight to the design module, from which he emerged a few minutes later.
-Nairin, can you craft this design?
He showed her the design of an item he wanted her to create.
-Sure, this should be easy enough.
She answered, after taking a look.
-Great, then make it as soon as possible and if you could do more than one, it would be even better.
-How many do you want?
The student asked.
-For now make 7 sets, one of which should be more luxurious.
He said after a moment of thought.
-No problem, but what is this anyway?
Nairin asked, unable to understand what the item was.
-This is a game called chess and on my planet, it is also known as a game of the kings.
Andrew explained.
-Why would you want something like this?
The girl asked.
-For entertainment and education.
He answered, making her even more confused.
-Whatever, I'll just make it.
She finally gave up on trying to understand his reasoning.
The whole process only took about half an hour, before she presented the chessboard made from gold and platinum, she got from the storage modules.
-So what do you think?
She asked, curious at his impression of her first item that she made singlehandedly, without Aelita's guidance.
-It looks great, thank you.
He praised, after a moment of looking at each piece which was crafted with extreme details.
The platinum pieces, which represented the white ones, were not crafted as standard pieces but instead were styled as fantasy figures.
Beginning from the pawns which were represented by dwarves with axes to the king who was represented by an archangel.
The golden pieces on the other hand were made into the fantasy evil creatures.
From pawns, styled as goblins to the king who looked like a demon.
Andrew was very satisfied with the craftsmanship of the set.
-At first, I thought about using copper and iron, but we have a lot of gold and platinum so I decided to make them all from these.
She explained.
-Good thinking, I'm taking this one and when the rest are ready, I'll teach all of you how to play this game.
Nairin just nodded.
-The rest should be ready in about two hours.
She said and went back to work while smiling happily at all the praise she had received.
Andrew on the other hand went straight to Tarina's module and called Runir over as well.
-Since both of you want to make the federation regret exiling you, here is your first step toward this goal.
He said while presenting the chessboard to them and explaining the rules of the game.
-How will this help us?
Runir asked, not understanding, how this simple game was supposed to make them into a diplomat and a fleet commander that would make the federation regret even thinking about throwing them away.
-This here is only the beginning, and trust me this will help you achieve your goal.
-If you say so, but I dont see how would this game help either of us.
Tarina said.
-Alright then let's play a game.
Andrew said with a grin.
Half an hour later it was all over and Runir was crushed.
Another 20 minutes later it was Tanira's turn to taste defeat at his hands.
-This game is all about strategy and anticipating the moves of your opponent, the same could be said about commanding the fleet or negotiating with other diplomats.
Andrew said, after his victories.
-This game alone is not enough to make you into who you want to be, but it's a start and you both can benefit greatly by mastering it.
Only after experiencing the game did both of them understand what he was trying to tell them.
-Then what else do we need to do?
Tarina asked.
-Many things, but for now master this game, and it would also help if you started using the fitness module.
Both girls looked surprised, upon hearing this.
-Is there a reason for that?
Runir asked.
-There is and it's also important.
Exercising, not only boosts your fitness level but also boosts your confidence, which can help you in so many ways I don't even feel like explaining them right now.
Andrew said.
To be honest he didn't know about any of this until he read about it in the education module not long ago.
But now he needed to make them believe that this would work.
-The third requirement is for you to study, not only the knowledge from the federation but also from other species.
The more you know about different species, the easier it will be for you to deal with them, whether in battle or during negotiations.
That's all I have for you at the moment, but this should give you more than enough work for a long time, and if you need something, then come to me directly, I'll do my best to help however I can.
He said standing up and preparing to leave.
-Why are you doing all of this?
Tanira suddenly asked.
-What do you mean?
He asked, a bit confused.
-You stopped us from committing suicide, gave us a chance to prove ourselves, and now you are helping us to achieve our goals.
What's in it for you?
The girl asked.
-I stopped you from killing yourselves because I was once in that situation and I can tell from experience that it's not the best solution as it lets the people who put you in that situation win.
Andrew explained.
-As for the chance to prove yourself, it was accidental, but you both took it and proved, that you were trustworthy in the process.
The last thing you asked, is the simplest to explain.
Both of you have the potential and determination needed to reach for your dreams, and while you are doing that, you will also greatly benefit us all with your talents.
So it's not like I don't get anything from this.
The human explained the reason for his actions.
Both ladies understood his intentions and not only did they not reject the idea of using their talents for him and everyone on the station, but they became even more determined to earn recognition and approval from everyone.
After Andrew left the room, they both began to play chess he had left for them.
It was not long before they realized the benefits of playing this seemingly simple game as it revealed not only their strengths but also their weaknesses.
Before Andrew came back to the command center, Nairin had completed all the chess sets he asked for.
-What are these?
Tanera asked, looking at the item she had never seen before.
-It's a strategy game from my world.
Do you want to try it?
She considered it for a moment before nodding.
They set the board on the tactical map table, and Andrew explained the rules, along with every piece movement pattern.
-Do you need me to explain it again?
He asked, after explaining everything.
-No, It seems easy enough to understand.
The elf said.
While they were at it everyone present was watching and listening to Andrew's explanation.
-Shall we then?
He asked with a grin.
The poor elf had no idea what she was getting herself into.
The game lasted for about 20 minutes before she lost miserably.
Terelen wanted to avenge his sister's defeat and ended up getting his ass handed to him not long later.
Nairin was next in line, and even though she managed to last longer than the elves, she too was defeated easily.
Seeing this as a fun activity, Lanarine also joined and to everyone's surprise, she lasted the longest and gave Andrew some trouble, before her defeat.
Just as she had lost, Jalina and Sarill came and after the explanation, they also challenged Andrew and lost miserably.
However, they all agreed that this game was fun to play, and soon there were two other chessboards, set up on the floor and everyone was having a great time playing the game.
Seeing this, Andrew was more than happy as after all the drama and stress, some fun was what everybody needed.
Not to mention that it was also a form of training for everyone, whether they knew it or not.
The play time came to an end when Iliana called, asking Andrew to come to the medical module.
He wanted to be there when Aelita left the tank, so he asked Ilia to call him before the time ran out.