“Of course. He’s included in the captain’s invitation.”
“Well then the arrangements are fine. I don’t need anything else at the moment, thank you.” With a smile, Gianna continued her exploration of the suite’s appointments.
There was a click, which Trevor had learned over time Maeve delighted in producing as her way of ending conversations. Of course there was nothing mechanical about her or her systems but even an AI could have a sense of humor.
“I’m assuming you’d like to settle in today?” he said to their high priority guest. “Will you want the stewardess to help put your things away?”
“No, I think Verlaine and I’ll be fine. Do you have to go somewhere else?” A frown creasing her forehead, she paused. “Did your commander assign you to another task?”
He found it pleasing she evidently didn’t want him to leave. “No, no other duty, I told you. I’ll be glad to help you set things in order here the way you want them to be but don’t hesitate to tell me if you prefer to be alone.”
“Actually, I’d like to go to the beach deck, after I’ve unpacked a bit. Can we do that?” Head tilted, she eyed him. “You’re not actually dressed for swimming. I’ll feel like an idiot walking the beach in my swimsuit while you’re in full uniform. And people will stare.”
“If you’re sure a trip to the beach is what you want to do, I’ll go to my cabin and change and be back up here shortly,” he said, picking up the wrapped painting that was his now. “If you need anything or have any problem while I’m gone, ask Maeve for help.”
4
When he returned, Gianna was in a colorful beach cover-up, with a sexy floral swimsuit underneath and practical sandals. She had a tote ready with a few odds and ends and Verlaine was frisking around her, trying to take away a bright green ball she was showing to the hound. “We’re ready.” Inspecting Trevor, she nodded her approval. “We don’t match but we don’t stand out like a sore thumb any more either.”
“I am on duty,” he said. “This is the uniform for the beach deck.” He gestured at his crisp navy blue shorts and the white tee shirt with the ship’s logo. His casual shoes completed the look. He was weaponless but didn’t customarily carry unless he was patrolling the ship or responding to an incident. Trevor himself was designated as a lethal weapon in any case, thanks to his military training, and there were hidden, locked weapons caches on each deck, known only to a select few among the crew. He wasn’t concerned.
Gianna enjoyed the gravlift ride to Deck Five, which was entirely given over to the artful recreation of the beaches on Tahumaroa Two. As she stepped inside the actual ‘beach’ area, she stopped, mouth agape. “So much better than what I remember. Much more detailed. Of course I was a kid and all I cared about was building a sand castle and splashing in the shallows.”
“Would you like to walk?” he asked, anxious to preserve her current positive mood. “Or swim?”
“Walk.” She was definitive so they strolled companionably. The deck was huge of course, since it took up an entire level and not too crowded today. As they walked, she asked him questions about his time on the ship. Talking about himself was always fraught but as long as she didn’t ask about his military career, he could handle it.
When their wandering brought them to an artistic outlook, where the ship’s holograms were particularly lovely, Gianna stopped, cheeks flushed with the mild exertion. “I’d like to sketch if you won’t be too bored.”
“No problem. Verlaine and I can play with this ball you brought.” It had been a long time since he’d enjoyed simple interactions with a pet and he found the idea appealing.
Trevor tossed the ball for the hound to chase innumerable times, including into the water more than once and then they both sat close to Gianna, who was filling page after page of her notebook. Trevor was curious what she was drawing but she didn’t invite him to take a peek and her body language was tense, shoulders rigid, back ramrod straight. Verlaine curled up right next to her, nose resting on her leg.
“I’m ready to go to my suite now,” she said suddenly, closing the book with a snap and dropping her drawing instrument into the tote.
“Don’t tell anyone but we can exit the deck from quite close to here,” he said, rising and offering a hand to help her up. He noticed the Tajikka was paying close attention to her and he guessed she might prefer to seek peace and quiet in her cabin sooner than later. “There’s a crew access door.”
“That would be perfect,” she said, pulling her cover-up more closely over her shoulders.
Once they were in the general corridor, she entered the gravlift with him but was quiet. When she landed on the Level A platform, Gianna grabbed his arm. “I should have done this first but I need to see the lifeboat closest to my cabin.”
“Of course. We conduct lifeboat drills as per the ICC regulations but I’ll be happy to show you now.” He speculated as to what had set her off in this tense mood when she’d been so carefree for hours. Old memories most likely.
There was a lifeboat berth quite close to her suite, indicator glowing green to show an LB was docked and ready for boarding. Ignoring the stares from passing crew members, he demonstrated how to open the access door, having cleared it with the Ship first and then took her inside. The LB’s were rated for 100 oxygen breathing sentients, not spacious but would support life until a rescue ship arrived.
Gianna stood in the center of the lifeboat inspecting the appointments critically and nodded. “All right. I’m satisfied. We can go to the cabin now.”
When they arrived, he ushered her inside the suite. “Are you getting hungry? We could go to one of the restaurants on this Level, or order in.”
“I’m overwhelmed,” she said honestly, combing her fingers through her hair in an effort to move the curls off her flushed face. “I think I’d like to lie down for a few hours and then maybe do some painting. I assume I can get room service whenever I need it?”
“Of course. I’ll leave you in peace. You know how to call me if you decide you want to go out again.” He was uneasy about leaving her alone but she made it clear she didn’t want company right now. Yes, he was meant to be her personal bodyguard on this voyage but as he understood the parameters, he wasn’t defending her against any specific threat other than her own memories. He wasn’t exactly on classic protection duty. “I’m going to go to my own cabin and change into the regular uniform and then I’ll be in the Security Office if you need me. Or feel free to have Maeve locate me any time.”
She gave him a smile. “I haven’t painted at all today—the sketching hardly counts—and I’ve seen so many sights already which left me bubbling with inspiration. Can we do a few of the stops on the tour I asked for tomorrow perhaps?”
“Of course. I’ll make the arrangements with the proper department heads and have Maeve send you the details. I was thinking we could do the casino and the observatory tomorrow evening, make a real date of it, do dinner and catch the Comettes dance performance too. If you’d like.” As he outlined the plan, he was surprised at a flicker of genuine happiness and anticipation.