"I'm not sure on all the details - but I did find what appears to be an intelligent artifact, currently powered down."

"Huh. Let's go check it out, then."

She stops leaning entirely to walk back, though she keeps her hand resting on Ellie's arm.

Fond grin.

And back to navigation! Villanelle hauls the pack into another room, setting it up on a table in the middle and undoing the bindings and the cloth wrapping.

The structure revealed is large, made of intertwined crystals with sparks of light jumping between them. It starts to glow, bright blue, and - 

"Hello."

"Hi?"

"Hello."

A greenish flicker, and the light dulls. "Who are you?"

"My name's Ellie."

"I'm Villanelle."

"Those are aesthetic names."

"I am Tyrant."

"Is that uh. A description?"

"That is my name."

"It's... nice to meet you?"

"I suppose."

"What did you do? Or- used to do?"

"I ran a ship for war. It was usually boring."

"I've heard the military described as long periods of waiting punctuated by brief periods of excitement."

"Perhaps. I do not know that there was much excitement. Warships are rarely pretty. Mine was not."

"That's a shame."

"It is. Things should be pretty."

"Well, I think this ship is pretty, at least."

"I have not seen it properly."

"How do you see?"