"Hmmph," he says to Aitim, and, "I'm sorry, that's horrible," to Tiko. "Well, I guess I might be glad the judge went easy on her because your disaster of a planet executes people left and right -"

"Yes, Michael mentioned that you disapprove of executions and prisons. I'm glad it works for you."

"We took the prisoners off the hands of anyone who'd let us have them and it mostly went fine."

"Uh, what'd you do with them?" asks Rebecca.

"Set them up on Endorë."

" - just...let them go?"

" - yes? They fucked up once, that doesn't mean they should be permanently erased from existence, or - or locked in a cage -"

"Lots of places don't execute people for first offenses, they still execute some people -"

"What if they hurt somebody else?" says Isama.

"Then whoever they hurt would get healed or resurrected?"

"I guess if you're totally impossible to long-term harm in any way then you can go extreme-mercy on everything."

"Wow," says Grey Peka.

"We didn't super get along with Amentans. I do think it's mostly because Amentans suck. - not you," he tells grey Peka. "- I'm presuming you have never beaten anyone to death for being rude -"

He puts an arm around his Peka protectively. "No - and you shouldn't be self-congratulatory about having solved much easier problems -"

"I'm not a cop, I was in the army and then after Telkam helped me desert and bring Katin I moved to Anitam and sex work is grey there and I did that and now I'm just cheating the system by being married instead."

"You were a whore?" titters Rebecca nervously.

"I was good at it!"

"Catholics don't go in for that!"

"I suppose if they don't believe in birth control it's ill-advised."

"I'm sure there are some people who've done it but -" helpless giggling.

"Well, we have birth control and it was fun."

Pink Peka is looking at Grey Peka a little thoughtfully.

Makel is petting his grey Peka fondly. 

"I guess I technically deserted too," says Peka, "I'm not actually sure how it all shook out officially, maybe I'm down as 'kidnapped by aliens'."

"I'm legally dead in Tapa!" chirps Grey Peka.

"I told the Tapai government that my brother had got it into his head to run off with you did they mind and I'm sure they minded but probably not on your behalf and they certainly didn't say anything -"

Pink Peka giggles.