Titan Space Dock: Landing Pad 14
Blue
Blue released a puff of breath as Aimery answered. There was nothing mocking or hurtful in her tone. Blue could almost float. A successful social interaction... she adjusted her pack and made it about three steps up the ramp when Captain Graves turned to her.
"I'd like to speak to you privately for a moment," she said. Suddenly, Blue's feet weighed a thousand pounds. She opened her mouth, but closed it immediately with a pop, glancing at Aimery's retreating back. The last few minutes played over in her head, but even by her own wildly paranoid standards, there wasn't anything she'd done wrong. Blue folded her hands behind her back and chewed on her lower lip, waiting for the captain to speak.
There was a beat of silence as Aimery disappeared into the ship and Blue was alone with the Captain. She certainly didn't seem mad. She seemed to carry the same business-like attitude she'd had since they'd met, calm and in control. When she spoke, her words were... not gentle, but Blue felt the knot in the pit of her stomach ease somewhat. "In your previous line of work, I imagine you may have received information on cultures, customs, peoples, and rimworlds." Blue blinked. No one ever spoke about that time before. At the academy, everyone seemed determined never to mention it outright, only to allude to it every once in a while in the midst of a joke at her expense. "I don't know if that is absolutely true for you but I want to make sure you don't hold out on us. If you know something else about a place we are headed... you tell me." This startled Blue enough that she forgot herself, staring up into the captain's gaze.
There was not a substance more controlled on Beullarys than knowledge. For years, Blue subsisted on scraps, drinking in what could be deduced or overheard, baffled at why she was the only one starving for mental stimulation. Her only respite were the "product trainings," daily sessions in which she and her fellow spouses were given painfully slow instruction on the workings of various worlds. Neuvo Corp business stretched across the galaxy. It wouldn't do to sell a man a wife who couldn't prepare his native dishes after all.
But all of that was a long lifetime ago. She'd been running from those memories for years, hoping that once she'd out paced them, the shame would fade away as well. But now, the captain didn't look ashamed looking at her. She looked thoughtful. Blue blinked again.
"I... okay. Yes. Yes, captain," she said. Captain Graves watched her for a moment more and then turned way, making her way up the ramp again. "Best get settled in your cabin," she said. Blue stood stunned on the ramp for a moment longer, before heading in after her, feeling a bit dazed.
The ship seemed even more massive now that she was inside of it than it had from the dock. Every inch of the space was spotless and well cared for. Thankfully, it didn't take her long to find her way to the crew cabins. It seemed that the doors to unclaimed cabins had been left wide open. She chose an open room at random and entered, setting her pack down on her bed. The room was small, but in a way that made Blue feel safe. There hadn't been much luxury on Beullarys and large rooms made her feel panicky. The lights shone brightly... perhaps a bit harsh. She twitched her pinky and several lighted figures seemed to materialize along the edges of her vision. The ship's network was protected, but the encryption on certain functions was fairly standard. Blue crossed the room and laid a hand on then light panel, closing her eyes. After a moment, the lights dimmed to something more bearable. She would have to brave an actual conversation with the captain to get access to the ship's more essential processes... she drifted out of her room absentmindedly, poking through the system info she could find. She didn't see the other person in the hall until she had collided with them, sending herself stumbling back.
"Sorry!" she squeaked. "Sorry, I was just looking through the system specifications for the-- sorry, that doesn't matter, I just wasn't paying attention. Sorry."