Swamped

"Not so well. I'm usually a pretty quiet guy, keep to myself. Turns out I do that at my own party, so most of the guests just talked to each other." You shrug. "Still, could do worse than giving a bunch of people a good time together, right?"

"Doesn't seem it would make you very memorable," Lex muses.

"Well. Maybe not. But if they remember me for hosting a good party, that's something at least."

"Guess that's one way of looking at it," Lex says with a shrug. "So how'd you pick the guests? If I was going to throw a big party here, I wouldn't know where to begin."

"Well, ah..." You try your best to act embarrassed rather than worried. "I let my friends handle that part. They're more social than me, so I figured they'd have a better idea who to invite. Guess it sounds a little silly, huh?"

"Yeah," Lex agrees. He looks thoughtful. "Silly. Well, thanks."

"Not a problem! Now, if you'll excuse me, I really should be getting back to work."

"Oh, yeah, of course. Sorry to bother you with my silly questions."

They probably weren't silly at all. But at least he'll leave you alone while you deal with this damnable task.

It won't matter if he finds anything out about your "friends". You'll be done before he can do any real investigation.

Probably better for him that way, really. Going down with the ship is a great deal kinder than what they'd do if they considered him a threat.

You make your way towards the bottom of the ship, occasionally waving awkwardly as someone gives you a birthday greeting. Luckily, they don't pay you much attention - they never do.

Suddenly, you turn a corner and find Colleen standing in your way. What's she doing here?