>>5250705"Alright, so you don't have any credits... then how about i take a bigger stake in Xebric once we've got it? In exchange, i'll supply you and your crew with anti-wraith weapons."
"How much bigger, exactly? We never really sussed that out to begin with, captain."
"Oh, i don't know... How about one building for each of my crew? Prime property for Kyla's shop, a lab for sanig, maybe an apartment for Cylia and Gildur? That sort of thing."
Gron sighs in frustration.
"You know just how to be both reasonable and unreasonable at the same time, don't you? Hah. Sure, it may not be much on the scale of a whole station, but an entire building in exchange for a blade? Come now, captain. How difficult can it be to make them?"
"You really don't know, do you?" You grin.
Pulling out your KA-BAR, you hand it to him hilt-first.
"Here's an example for you, pea-gravel. Try to snap that blade in two, chip the edge... hell, i dare you to even scratch it. Any way you like, go right ahead."
Gron turns the knife over in his hands and examines it.
"It's extraordinarily heavy... what material is this made with?"
"Something tough. That's all you need to know, chief."
Your improved KA-BAR is actually made of Sanig's Duranium alloy, which is arguably a bigger secret than warp-metal. Not your secret to spill.
Of course, it's thoroughly impregnated with warp-metal, making it a wonderful weapon against wraiths and the living alike.
The both of you make your way to the old Cargo bay ahead of any potentially destructive testing.
To start with, Gron empties out an aluminum crate and uses it to test the blade. he stabs through it, uses brute force to slice the thin plate walls of the box and eventually starts sawing through the thicker structural tubing around it's edges.
Even after all that though, your knife looks no worse for wear.
"I've never seen a knife this tough, or this sharp. It was clearly designed for your hand rather than mine, but the grip seems comfortable. And this spike on the end...?"
"Great for puncturing skulls." You inform him.
"Hmm. Do you mind if i push it a bit further?"
"Go right ahead!"
With your approval, Gron leans the knife up against the ruined box and pulls a sidearm from a hidden pocket inside his pants.
It's a small thing, almost silly-looking in his hands. But like your knife, it was clearly made specifically for him, with a single, large finger hole for the trigger.
"My apologies, this may damage a few floor tiles."
"S'alright. I've got spares stacked up in the back."
Gron aims his weapon at the knife blade and fires.
There's a deafening roar and an pall of smoke, which obscures the target as it rises up and rolls across the ceiling.
Gron looks as though he's nearly bowled over by the recoil, despite his large and sturdy frame.
As the smoke clears, you see your knife sticking out of the floor, coated in a fine white powder.
The aluminum box is gone, and the floor tiles where it had been are totally melted.
