Maya woke up feeling she had slept better than she had in a very long time. She slowly opened her eyes and realised that she was leaning against someone.
She blinked a few times to clear the sleep from her eyes and stretched carefully as not to wake the person next to her.
She hadn't slept next to her father since she was a small child and she wouldn't want to anymore, after all, she was an adult. But still, his closeness had made her relax more than she would have thought possible.
She quietly got up and tucked him back under the blanket, that had covered her. A quick glance over the ship's controls told her, that nothing needed immediate attention and that they would reach Vallia, the homeworld of House Valliant in about twenty hours.
Maya wanted to go back to her Cabin, but first, she had to check up on the patients in the Med Bay as well as on the "medical supplies". Two of the crew had suffered light wounds in the fighting and Maya had insisted for them to stay in the Med Bay for twenty-four hours just to be on the safe side.
They had lost one Crew due to inexperience and some bad luck, but she swore to learn from the fight. It had been her first ship combat as a security officer, but the simulations had prepared her decently.
Her thoughts wandered back to the fight and the incident with her father, while she checked the instruments and vital signs of the patients.
She didn't know how to deal with the situation. Her father, as the only Pilot should never have left the cockpit, If something happened to him, it would spell doom for everyone on board. The thought of him worrying about her made her feel a warm sensation in her heart, while at the same time it annoyed her somewhat. She was an adult, with her own responsibilities on the ship, still, he felt the need to come out and check up on her.
The fact that she had been able to manage the combat situation so much better than him, made her proud somehow. She was able to do her part on the ship, just like she had ever wanted since she was a child.
She finished the checkups and then, went to the ship's cafeteria on a whim. There she found most of the old crew and to her surprise two of the recruits. They were talking and eating nutrient Paste.
"Shorty, come over here."
Modred shouted from across the room. The big man was loud as ever, but Maya knew he meant well. She got herself a plate of food before sitting down next to him.
"how do you feel, officer. I was a little bit worried when I could not find you after the battle, you know."
"That's kind of you. I was with my father and somehow fell asleep."
Mordred laughed.
"He let you in after a battle? The Man I know would not leave the pilot seat for one or two days after each encounter, because AI's cant doge or some bullshit like that."
That comment made Maya smile. The average Voidfarer Pilot would lose to an AI's ability to steer a ship or predict shots fired at the ship, but every now and then there were exceptions like her father, that could make the best AI available look like a malfunctioning piece of garbage.
Weaponizing an escape capsule was no new Idea, but hitting a small hangar door with it, while flying at near full thrust was a thing even the most advanced AI's would struggle to do, no less in such a short amount of time.
"Have you seen the hit with the capsule?"
"shorty, do you think this is the first time I build one of these for you father?"
"But no one ever told me."
"You were a child, there was no reason to burden you with stuff like this."
Maya just looked at the big man, not sure what to say.
"Your dad wanted you to have the best childhood he could provide."
"I literally lived in a 10 square meter cabin for most of my life."
"That's an officer's quarter for you."
Somehow he managed to make his argument sound like it was a good one.
Maya just groaned and started eating her food. It was almost tasteless and slightly warm with a consistency that barely not qualified as soup.
"Jokes aside, I watched the security Log and I think you handled yourself and the whole situation pretty well."
His comment made Maya simile. Modred was one of the longest crewmembers and akin to an uncle to her so opinion was important to her.
After finishing the meal she went back to her quarter to shower and catch up on some real sleep.