The next day, Hailey continued to avoid me. Outside of meal times and when her duties required, she spent her time fussing over the fabricators, performing maintenance on the ship, or any other duty she could come up with, to not be around me. Even at mealtime when we cooked together she was unusually quiet, even for her. Usually, she would spend some time with me just relaxing after meals or in the evening to help me study or watch a movie. It was clear that despite my agreement that I wouldn't ask about the cause of her seizure, she was still upset with me.
I sighed and rubbed my eyes as I leaned back in my ready-room chair. It was lonely spending the whole day by myself. Tayle and the rest had to work today, so they didn't have time to spare for a visit. It surprised me how quickly I had come to value Hailey's company, despite all the years I'd spent on my own. Looking back on it now, I'm not sure how I survived without going insane from not having anyone to talk to.
Leaning forward again, I returned to my investigation. I'd finally gotten around to investigating the scans we'd taken of the Itzli subspace, or 'ripper' as I'd taken to calling it, drive. Exactly as the name meant, Itzli subspace engines 'ripped' a hole into subspace before haphazardly 'sewing' it back up behind them. It allowed a much faster entry and exit to subspace but caused significant damage to the dimensional 'fabric' that separated real space and subspace, I couldn't imagine that was a good thing. It also suffered more from gravitational interference, which made it more vulnerable to devices such as the graviton mine Hailey and I had deployed against that courier ship and also required a greater distance from gravity wells before it could activate.
Anyway, that wasn't the strange thing about the Ripper Drive. No, what had caught my attention was that it was graviton based, just like the drive on the William Cody. Meaning that the Itzli had access to graviton-tech. But I had seen no sign of its use anywhere other than on the ripper drive and their artificial gravity systems.
"This makes no sense. If you could make graviton-tech you'd think I would have seen it everywhere." I groaned in frustration as I rubbed my forehead.
"And these readings, it's like what I might expect a cludged together, ten generations older version of SUN's tech might look like, not the kind of advanced cutting edge tech I would expect from an Itzli Navy ship," I scratched at my chin in thought.
"Well, I'm not going to get any further on this mystery with the information I have." I decided, closing the file.
I was about to re-open my studies on subspace theory, this stuff took months of study just to be qualified to work on subspace drives, when the door to my ready room opened, allowing Hailey to enter. My eyebrows raised in surprise. Supper was hours ago, and it wouldn't be too long before I was finishing up here to go to bed. I had expected Hailey's avoidance of me to continue for quite some time. Whatever the cause of her seizure, it was obviously a sensitive subject, and she no longer felt as comfortable around me after I attempted to pry it out of her.
"Something I can do for you, Hailey?" I asked as she fidgeted in front of me, dressed in her grease-stained jumpsuit.
"Um, I was wondering if I could keep sleeping in your bed. I know you're upset with me, but it really helps me-" Hailey rushed to get her words out as I held my hand up, cutting her off.
"Whoa, hold on there a second, Hailey. I thought you were mad at me. I thought that was why you were avoiding me and didn't want to talk because you were upset, and I made you uncomfortable." Hailey's eyes widened in surprise, and she shook her head rapidly, sending her silvery-blonde hair flying.
"What? No! Even though you promised not to bother me about it, I thought you must still be upset with me for disobeying you." I stared at Hailey, exasperated.
"Hailey, I don't own you. You're allowed to disagree with me. As much as I wish you would tell me what's wrong because it hurts me to see you hurt, you're allowed to keep your secrets. Your happiness and desires are just as important as mine. I may not think you're right, but it's not my place to make you tell me." Hailey looked at me strangely, and I failed to decipher the odd look on her face.
"Alright, so, um, is it okay for me to sleep in your bed then?"
"If it helps you sleep better, yes. Against my better judgement, telling me that it's wrong for a captain and his officer to share a bed, I'll allow it." Void if Tayle could see me right now, I'd never live it down. I couldn't deny this girl anything she asked for. What was the term I'd seen in human media for this? Beaten? Whipped? Whatever it was that was me.
"Thank you, Rama. I'll see you when you come to be then, I guess." Hailey ducked her head.
"Yea I won't be long, I was just finishing up some studying on subspace fields." Hailey nodded before turning and leaving.
After I was sure she was gone I leaned back again and groaned, "What even is this? I'm glad she's not mad at me, but I thought we'd worked out her issues. I mean she'd ignore me asking her to not sleep in my bed, and then she turns around and thinks she was in trouble by refusing to answer my question. I'm so confused right now." I sat there trying to get the two contradictory pieces of the puzzle named Hailey to fit together.
I sighed, making no progress in deciphering Hailey's behavior. One minute she was acting like a normal person, the next she was back to her old self scared of stepping a foot out of line for fear of angering me. I didn't have anything else to go off of at this point, so all I can do is attribute it to that she's just not over whatever trauma she's suffered that made her this way. I'll just have to keep being patient with her. With nothing further to do tonight, and it getting late, I stood and made my way to my quarters.
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Entering my room I saw that the bathroom door was closed and I could faintly hear the shower running. I'd taken one earlier so I didn't need to wait for Hailey to get out. I sat down on the bed and undressed, leaving me in just my shorts. It felt kind of awkward wearing just them, but they were decent enough. If this was going to be a regular thing I might see about fabricating some better sleep clothes though.
I climbed into bed, and the soft drone of the shower began to lull me to sleep. I was just about to drift off when the shower stopped. A few minutes later and the door opened to the sound of Hailey padding over to my bed. Rather than climb in behind me like I expected her to, she walked around and stood in front of me.
She stood there silently for a moment, wearing a silvery-white nightgown, before coming to a decision and sliding into bed in front of me. She shimmied back until she was flush against my chest and she had her head tucked under mine. My nose was filled with the floral scent of her shampoo, and her nightgown was gossamer-thin silk that might as well not have been there. I gulped as she pulled my arm around her, letting it come to rest on her stomach. Her nightgown was so thin I could feel every contour of her soft body as she relaxed in my embrace.
"G'night. Rama." Hailey told me drowsily.
"Go-goodnight, Hailey." I managed to squeak out. It was going to be some time before I get to sleep.
*****
The next morning I awoke to find that sometime during the night Hailey had turned around to face me, her slender body engulfed by my brawny one. I desperately tried to ignore the feeling of her slim body pressed to mine, and the way one of her legs had intertwined with my own. Her face was buried in my neck as she breathed softly, completely relaxed.
I checked the time on my NIL, discovering that I should probably be getting up. I tried to carefully back away so that I could slide out from underneath her, only for her to follow my motion, ending up with her on top of me. Her body firmly pressing down into mine meant I felt every detail of her body through her thin nightgown. I gulped, desperately trying to keep my body under control as her face rested inches from mine now.
I shook her lightly on the shoulder. I needed to get up now before there were any... reactions, and she had made the stealth approach impossible. Hailey didn't so much as twitch.
"Hailey, come on, it's time to get up." I coaxed, receiving only an indecipherable moan for my troubles.
I thought about using the same solution as last time but realized that her knee was positioned somewhere sensitive. If she jerked when I tickled her, I was going to be in a lot of pain.
I shook her again by both shoulders this time, "Hailey, I need to get up." A pair of baby-blue eyes opened drowsily, giving me several confused blinks through her long lashes.
"'Morning, Rama."
"Yes, good morning to you too, Hailey. Now, can I please get up? We need to get moving or we'll be late for breakfast." Hailey nodded through a yawn.
"'kay, I'll go get dressed. Thanks for letting me sleep with you, it really helped." Hailey leaned forward the last couple of inches and placed a kiss on my lips.
I lay frozen stiff as she got out of bed and sleepily tottered off to the bathroom to get ready. I don't remember getting out of my bed or getting dressed. My mind was completely locked up trying to process Hailey's actions. I made my way to the kitchen on autopilot. I was halfway through cooking our morning eggs and bacon when Hailey came through the kitchen doors a cheery smile on her face and all signs of drowsiness gone.
"Good morning, Rama!" Hailey's voice was chipper and showed no signs of embarrassment at what she'd done this morning. Did she not remember because she was still half asleep? Or did she simply not consider it something to be embarrassed over?
"Uh, good morning, Hailey. You seem abnormally cheery today."
"Mhm!" Was her equally upbeat reply as she sent me a blinding smile as she started collecting ingredients for her half of our breakfast ritual.
Our breakfast preparations went without conversation as they usually did, but they weren't silent. Even discounting the expected clatter of utensils and sizzling of cooking food, Hailey kept up a constant stream of cheerful humming as she went about her duties.
"Rama, your eggs are burning?"
"Huh? Oh, scrap!" I became so engrossed in watching Hailey as she danced about the kitchen, apron swishing about her hips, as she hummed and cooked that I forgot to pay attention to my own job.
I flushed in embarrassment as Hailey gave a light, airy giggle at my mistake. I discarded the burnt eggs as Hailey watched in amusement, her own dish already finished and in the oven in record time, a drastic change from her early days cooking. It had only been weeks, but it felt like years sometimes with her.
My mistake was soon erased and replaced with a platter of perfectly cooked eggs and bacon to go with Hailey's hash-brown bake. We sat down to breakfast, Hailey's mood undiminished. She was practically dancing in her seat as she swayed back and forth, bobbing her head to some unheard music as she ate.
After breakfast, she skipped out the door on her way to the fabricators. I had nothing critical to do today, and Tayle and my friends were all still working today. I'd sent them a message asking if they were up for visiting tonight for supper but hadn't received a reply. It was likely they were already at work and hadn't seen it.
That left me with a lot of spare time on my hands. I was tempted to go study up on the fabricators so I could help Hailey, it would be a nice surprise for her. Until I remembered the box of effects that Tayle had given me. I still had no idea who my parents were or what most of it even meant. For starters, what was 'Project Halcyon'? And if my father was some kind of navy captain, then what had happened to him and his ship?
I grabbed the box from my room and quickly returned to the ready room. Placing it on my desk, I opened it and once again stared at its contents. Running both the Navy and Project Halcyon badges through the ship's database turned up nothing. Unfortunately, I had expected as much, what with any 'recent' information being missing in pretty much its entirety from the ship. The only reason I knew what the 'SUNNS' in the ship's registry stood for was because of Hailey.
For now, the only thing they were good for was desk ornaments. I had no other leads to follow for finding more information on my parents, or anything else for that matter. I removed the holoframe from its cushioned home in the box and set it in one corner of the desk. I tapped its base softly, bringing the image of my parents back to life. I watched the short animation play as they smiled and waved, showing off the silver bands on their fingers. I don't know how long I sat there, just as entranced by the sight as the first time I'd seen it.
Eventually, I pulled my gaze away from it. I felt longing and jealousy take hold of me, and I burned at the unfairness of it all. Out there somewhere I have or had parents. Someone or something took me away from them, and left me in this hellhole the Itzli called an empire.
Withdrawing the fleet badge from the box, I leaned it against the base of the holoframe. All this mystery did nothing to quell my frustrations either. Everywhere I looked left me with only more questions and few answers. It was enough to drive a man mad.
I pulled the last object from the box and held it. Why did everything I found about humanity have to be so... so cryptic! It was like my species reveled in being secretive and vague. I let the badge fall from my hands to land on my desk with quiet 'clack.' I leaned back in my chair, trying to not think about all the causes of my frustration when my desk lit up like a star.
"What the frag!" I jerked in shock, almost falling out of my chair as the surface of my desk pulsed in waves of blue light centered on the badge. The ship's lighting around me flickered and then died before the blue emergency lighting switched on. What the frag was going on here!? That badge was nothing but inert metal, I'd had the ship scan it when I brought it aboard!
"Rama! We just lost power across the entire ship! What's going on?!" Hailey demanded sounding panicked.
"The hells if I know! I put this damned badge on my desk and it lit like a void-damned solar flare!"
"What badge!?"
"There was this box that Uncle left me and in it was a badge that said 'Project Halcyon' on it. I put it on my desk and the ship slagged itself!" Hailey was quiet for a moment before her voice came back, much different than before.
"I'm on my way, don't do anything, don't touch anything, and whatever you do don't move that badge." Her voice was nervous, tense, but underneath it all, I could hear a current of excitement.
"Whatever you say. Hailey. But I really hope you know what the frag is going on here, because I'm getting real tired of all this mystery slag. I'm not about to lose my ship to some mysterious piece of scrap!"
"Don't worry, Rama. If what you found is what you said it was, then you're going to find the path for a lot of the answers you're looking for, and some answers you weren't."