Suki was a little surprised that she was asked to open the trunk, but she did as she was told. Taking the tool that she was given by the Captain's aide, she made a few blows to the place where the lock made the hatch and sure enough, the lock broke apart.

The chest was a very large chest, large enough for Suki to lie down in and be comfortable, so the lid was of course, extremely heavy. The water that the wood had soaked up was also a little bit of a hindrance because it made the wood even heavier. Suki was very careful to make sure that she did not damage the chest itself as she opened it and placed the top behind the chest.

"I believe it's a woman's chest, sir." Suki said, as she held up a few articles of clothing that were clearly cut for a woman, "There's also some pants in here though..."

"A noble couple then, perhaps." The Captain said to himself, watching Suki go through the trunk.

"Yes, it seems so -" Suki broke off in mid sentence and just stared into the trunk.

"What is it Lieutenant?"

"Sir..." Suki said as she drew the item out of the chest with obvious awe and reverence, "A Paladin!"

The sword she pulled out was beautiful and yet deadly. The blade was wrapped in a deep purple binding and the hilt and cross guard were of from a blending of gold and white gold with various precious stones and gems on it.

"It's incredibly light weight sir, the woman who owns this must be very small." Suki stated as she held the sword, gazing down at it barely veiled amazement.

"And royalty, or very close to it." The Captain said with a tone not all too pleased, "Unwrap the sword, Lt. Mai."

Suki unwrapped the sword diligently and was astonished by the handiwork she saw underneath the deep purple material. The blade was double sided and made of a strange combination of metals that Suki had never seen before, but the strangest part was the metal was emitting a strange faint humming sound. It was as if the hum was being sent from far away, the sound of a sword missing it's owner.

"Alright Lt. Mai, you may cover it up again and put it back into the chest." The Captain said, his face dark and cloudy. Suki had never seen the Captain in this mood before and did what she was told without further questioning him, even though she had a million questions regarding the sword.

"Lt. Mai, it is vitally important that you tell no one as to the contents of this chest, especially the sword. I am trusting your word and honor on this matter, I do not want you to disappoint me." The Captain stated with a low, intense voice.

"Yes, sir. It is safe with me." Suki replied, a little hurt that her honor would be at question but happy to be given the opportunity to prove herself.

"The chest will stay in my cabin. You may go and have an hours reprieve before continuing your watch, I will have Mr. Chengeli take over your watch until then." The Captain stated, concluding their interview.

"Aye, aye sir." Suki bowed politely and exited the Captain's quarters. She knew that he would be hiding the chest, as well as hiding the rest of the information that he knew about the owner and the contents of the chest. Suki wished that she could ask him a few questions since she was pretty sure that he knew the answers, but decorum and her acute sense of knowing her place stopped her from doing so. Sleep was of course out of the question for Suki now, but she went to her cabin anyhow to lay in her cot and think things over.