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Silence reigned as she made her way slowly down the ship’s corridors. Not another soul moved aboard the ship except in dreams, and even the ship itself was at rest. But nothing could make the Captain rest – not yet. She turned a corner and stopped as she reached an unmarked door. Entering an override code, known only to her, into a keypad on the wall, she took a step back as the door slid open.
The room inside was stark and bare, with none of the decoration that crewmembers like Jura and Dita left strewn about. But the captain had expected as much – after all, BC never spent time in her room. She was always working, always a commander. Free time was an illusion with her. Now she lay on a pallet in the corner, her back to the door. Her long grey hair was unbound and spilled over her blankets and onto the floor. The Captain walked quietly to stand by the bed, staring down at the sleeping figure. A tendril of hair obscured the woman’s face and the Captain reached a hand out to brush the strand away.
The moment her fingertips grazed BC’s skin she felt an iron grip fasten around her wrist. Green eyes flashed and she heard a hiss as a long leather bullwhip unfurled in the woman’s other hand. She held perfectly still and was rewarded with a gasp of recognition. Immediately BC released her, dropping the whip and bowing her head. “Captain – I’m so sorry, I didn’t – “
The Captain shook her head. “It’s alright. I surprised you. I’m glad you have such good reflexes, they come in handy.”
BC nodded hesitantly, but still did not look up. “Is there… am I needed out on the bridge?” She flinched as she felt the Captain’s hand on her shoulder. “If that’s all, then you should have used the communicator link, it would have been faster.”
The Captain tossed her head impatiently. “Don’t be silly, girl. You think I’m some senile old fool who can’t use her own technology?”
BC shook her head, and the Captain could tell that she was smiling slightly. “Not at all. But -“ her smile faded, “then...why are you here?”
The Captain jerked her head to one side and BC hurriedly shifted to give her room on the bed. She noticed interestedly that the Vice-captain slept fully clothed; no doubt that had come in handy before, and it prevented surprise intruders (such as the Captain herself) from seeing anything they shouldn’t. Her eyes lingered briefly on BC’s body and the woman blushed, looking away. The Captain grunted at the pain in her knees as she lowered herself down to sit beside BC. “I wanted to talk to you in private, when neither of us would be called away by other duties.”
BC nodded stiffly. “I understand. You must have questions for me, ones you weren’t willing to ask in front of the crew.”
The Captain cackled. “Child, surely you know by now that I’ve no qualms about conducting awkward interrogations in public. This is different. I don’t want to know your orders or motivation or anything of that sort. Your actions speak for themselves. What I need to know is,” she eyed the woman closely, “why have you been avoiding me?”
She heard a quick intake of breath as a pair of startled eyes met her own. “What? I… I haven’t –“
The Captain raised a finger to her lips and BC instantly fell silent. “No excuses, please. Just tell me what you’ve been thinking, as plainly as you can.” She frowned as the silence grew longer. “Are you afraid of me, then?”
“No, of course not,” protested BC, and the Captain smiled inwardly. She knew even the vaguest mention of cowardice would get a rise out of her second-in-command. “Not scared? Then what? Just spit it out, girl, I’d like to get some rest eventually.”
BC bit her lip, looking torn. Then, reluctantly, she murmured, “It just didn’t feel right.”
“What didn’t?”
BC winced. “Being around you, after what I did. I’ve abused your trust all this time, nothing can change that, and I don’t deserve –“
“Nonsense,” interrupted the Captain sharply. “You deserve to be my right hand, my second-in-command and the most trusted officer on this ship. How many times have you saved my crew, from enemies and from their own ineptitude? Go on, count!”
BC shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. It can’t change what I am, why I came here.”
“It doesn’t matter?” asked the Captain softly. “It matters a great deal to me. My crew is incomplete without you at the helm. Who you were before coming here is of no concern, and as for your reasons, they are unimportant. You have chosen to stay with us of your own will, not that of your superiors.”
The bed evened their height a little, and the Captain was able to snake an arm around the woman’s shoulders. “To me you will always be the fearless young commander who risked her life and honor to save my crew. I am proud to have you aboard this ship, prouder than you’ll ever realize.”
BC seemed unable to speak. She leaned against the Captain and the pair sat in silence for a long moment. Finally she sighed. “How did you know?”
The Captain smiled crookedly. “Does it really matter?”
BC hesitated, then shook her head, smiling faintly. “No – I don’t suppose it does.”
The pair lapsed back into silence as the minutes ticked by, each lost in their own thoughts. The Captain drifted in and out of sleep, BC dozing against her. When the alarm to rouse the crew finally rang BC awoke to find herself tucked in bed with a note clutched in one hand. A nearly illegible scrawl read, “Back to work – these silly girls can’t survive without you… and neither can I.”