Thorson's time in the military had conditioned his body to early rising, to the point he wondered if he'd ever go back to enjoying the occasional lie in. That was if he survived the war at all. As usual his body roused and stirred right around 0600 in expectation of a typical morning. "Hmm? What the-?" he muttered, becoming aware of a most unusual sensation for a military morning. Cracking his eyes opened he rapidly identified the warm object atop his chest that he'd thrown his arm over in the middle of the night. His heart slammed into his ribs and he felt cold fire rush through his veins as he realized that Laffey was sleeping comfortably atop him and, given the feeling of smooth skin against his legs, that she was practically naked from the waist down. He was about to shout or yell or berate her or freak out or any of another thousand disruptive options, but that all changed when he tilted his head and looked at her face as it rose and fell with his breathing. Laffey always seemed to wear a placid expression, but he'd not seen her face so calm before. She seemed at peace. In light of what had happened the day before and all he knew about Laffey's brief existence before he'd met her, Thorson steadied his breathing instead. He calmed himself and allowed her to continue to rest. Maybe we all need a little peace after what happened, he reasoned, mainly as a way to forgive himself for what assuredly went against most regulations in the book. Just as he was pondering what he would do if Laffey intended to sleep until 0900, the shipgirl surprised him again as she stirred and opened her eyes. She looked at him for a moment and he could practically see the gears turn in her head. Then she smiled. It was the smallest change in her lips, but it captivated him.
"Good morning, Commander," she offered in her sleepy voice.
"Laffey, what are you doing?" He asked, trying to keep his tone more curious than accusatory. The ship shifted ever so gently around them as Laffey gathered her bearings.
"Don't worry Commander, Laffey knows the right heading. Laffey is going home," she assured him. He blew a short breath through his nose in disbelief.
"I didn't mean that, Laffey. What are you doing here?" He tried again.
"Laffey wakes up at 0600 because the Commander said we would. Did Laffey do something wrong?" She asked, tilting her head as one of her bunny ears flopped around.
"I…no, that's good. Thank you for that. But why are you here, in my bed?" Thorson elaborated. Laffey finally looked away from him.
"Laffey was lonely, didn't want Commander to leave."
"Where would I go? There's nothing but ocean out there."
"Laffey doesn't know. But Laffey felt cold, couldn't sleep. Commander is warm. Laffey slept well," she told him. Thorson raised his brow at her but had to admit that what should have been a night of nightmare had passed uneventfully for him. He closed his eyes and tried to think.
"Yeah, I did too. But Laffey, this is wrong."
"Why?" She asked with all the innocence of a virgin.
"Because," Thorson began, wondering how or what he even wanted to say to her. "Men and women don't share a bed until marriage, Laffey." His tone conveyed his confusion at the whole situation and his lack of confidence in resolving it. He'd certainly not lived up to that standard himself. The shipgirl seemed unperturbed.
"Maybe, but Laffey is not a woman."
"Didn't you just say you weren't a child yesterday?"
"Yes. Laffey is not a child. Laffey is a shipgirl. Laffey is Laffey," she reasoned, adjusting her body to rest more fully atop him. Thorson's body made ready to betray him. He tried mightily to tamp it down. It didn't matter what Laffey thought she was. He knew what he felt atop him, smooth and dainty curves of a body the likes of which had surely tempted the less savory elements of human society for most of history.
"I…" he began. What do I even say to her? Go to your room? How do you explain something like this to something…someone that doesn't necessarily see herself as a human female? Thorson shook his head and opted to dodge the issue entirely. "Let's get started, alright Laffey?"
"Can Laffey sleep with the Commander tonight too? Nights get cold. The water is cold on Laffey's hull. It's nice to be warm with the Commander," she requested, not letting the issue go. Against his better judgment Thorson couldn't find it within himself to deny her. Morning Laffey was oddly persuasive.
"We'll see," he relented. Laffey smiled wider for him. With confidence quite contrary to her appearance, Laffey pushed herself up his body and gave him a swift peck on the lips before he could react. She nodded as she withdrew.
"Miss Chicago was right. Kissing the Commander makes Laffey feel warm. Laffey likes it," she declared, pushing herself off of him and innocently padding out of the room. Thorson grimaced and placed his hand over his eyes, having visually confirmed that Laffey had come to him in only her tank top, stockings, and a pair of panties.
"What the fuck have I gotten myself into? And how the hell does she even know about kissing? Damn you, Chicago."
By mid-afternoon Thorson was thoroughly frustrated. The information given to him by Admiral Hawkins held more questions than answers as far as he was concerned. He'd read it cover to cover and still had no indication as to where the Sirens had come from or where they had gone, how they'd acquired their technology which was clearly leagues ahead of any Terran nation, how wisdom cubes worked, or why there were only 'shipgirls' and no 'shipguys'. He shut the binder with an audible slam and rubbed his eyes before standing to join Laffey at one of the many windows on the bridge.
"See anything?" He asked, already able to guess the answer.
"Mmm…" Laffey made a show of thinking. "No." Thorson smiled at her.
"Well I haven't learned much of anything either so I guess we're in the same boat."
"That was a bad joke, Commander," Laffey informed him in a monotone. Thorson rubbed his neck.
"Yeah, I suppose it was. Sorry. I was thinking of taking a nap. I think you should as well."
"Hmm?" Laffey turned and looked up at him excitedly. "Laffey gets to nap on duty?" Thorson laughed and looked out at the sunlight glinting off the slight chop of the ocean.
"Not exactly, and don't make a habit of it either, but given our current speed and heading we should arrive at the base between midnight and 0400 hours, give or take. Chances are it'll be deserted, but if the Eagle Union knows about this facility then the Sakura do as well. Given that the Sakura have shown their hand and attacked us there's a decent chance they may be looking to exploit this resource as well. I have no intention of letting them sneak up on me while I'm sleep deprived. Make sense?" He asked. Laffey nodded.
"Laffey will maintain speed and heading. Can Laffey sleep with the Commander?"
"Try to fall asleep on your own first," he admonished her lightly. Laffey puffed her cheeks at him.
"Laffey would prefer not to. Does the Commander not like Laffey?"
"It's not that, Laffey. I'm just…uncomfortable with the idea."
"Why? Laffey doesn't want to have sex with the Commander." Thorson was glad he'd not been drinking or eating at the time as he'd surely have choked on it. After recovering from a coughing fit he stared at the small destroyer in disbelief.
"Who the hell taught you about sex?" He demanded.
"The other girls," Laffey replied easily. "Laffey supposes it sounds nice but doesn't think any of them know what they are talking about. Laffey knows men and women have sex but Laffey just wants to sleep with the Commander," she tried to explain again. Thorson rested his forehead in his hand.
"Look Laffey, please just try to nap in your own cot alright?" He pleaded. Laffey sighed dejectedly as her ears and shoulders drooped.
"Laffey understands. Being able to nap at all sounds nice enough. If Commander changes his mind he'll tell Laffey?"
"Yes, I will. You head down first, alright? I just need to clean up my things here," he gestured to the messy binder and various papers and charts that had been strewn about the bridge. Laffey nodded and left the bridge with something of a spring to her step, no doubt brought on by the promise of extra sleep. Thorson let out a long breath after she'd gone. "Laffey may claim she's not a 'woman' but…learned it from the other ships. How do they know about-" Thorson suddenly recalled Graf Zeppelin. "On second thought, I really don't want to know. Not like it'll change the situation at hand," he muttered to himself.
As Thorson retreated to the crew quarters he walked slowly and tried to prepare his mind. Much as he was enjoying turning over various theories on shipgirls and wisdom cubes in his head, he knew he needed to focus. They would be at the base within the day at which point he'd have to set aside the scientist and allow the soldier to take over, at least until the base could be secured. Unfortunately for him that mental exercise amounted to staring at the upper bunk while lying on his back and waiting for elusive sleep to come for him. Thorson figured it had been about thirty minutes when a pair of bunny ears and a mane of silver hair peeked around the doorframe to his room. He glanced at Laffey. "Couldn't sleep?" She shook her head and looked pleadingly at him. Figuring she'd given it an honest effort he waved her in. "Fine then, I guess it can't be helped." Laffey made a happy, contented noise at his acquiescence and walked over to his bed, again having stripped down to just her underwear and a tank top. Thorson felt his face burn and he looked away as Laffey pulled the covers back and snuggled up against him, her bare upper thighs feeling unnaturally warm against him.
"Is the Commander alright?" Laffey asked worriedly. He nodded but looked away from her, choosing the wall instead. He could feel the heat rising to his cheeks in a blush.
"Yeah, I am. It's just no matter how many times you tell me you're not a girl or not a woman that doesn't change the fact that you look like a girl…or woman…or whatever. Doesn't change the fact that I can feel your body heat right now, that it feels like I'm in bed with a woman. I knew absolutely nothing about shipgirls until yesterday. They didn't tell me a thing about my promotion until I landed in Pearl Harbor. Now suddenly I'm supposed to be fighting a war and researching an enemy faction or three and I didn't count on having to research my weapons too. Throw feminine charm into the mix and I'm well and truly in over my head and in less than twelve hours I'm going to be infiltrating what could be an enemy facility and yeah I'm rambling more than when I asked my first girlfriend on a date. You're a good listener by the way," Thorson added at the end in an attempt at humor. Laffey had been watching him curiously the whole time with slightly sleepy eyes, bobbing her head along with his rambling cadence. She giggled as he finished.
"Commander, you can be cute when you try. At least Laffey thinks cute is the right word. Laffey is still learning. Laffey doesn't feel anything for other men. They are mean to her. Commander is cute. Commander is nice."
"I definitely was not trying to be cute," he muttered.
"That's probably why," Laffey surmised. "Laffey is sorry she's confused the Commander." Thorson shook his head and looked back at her as she settled down on his chest. His hand easily found its way into her unkempt mane of hair, its volume spilling over them both as she'd liberated it from her customary pigtails.
"Laffey it's not your fault. You've been thoughtful and helped me a lot by being so straightforward. This relationship seems to be working from a military standpoint. I may not understand much about your kind, but without you I'd understand almost nothing at all," he told her earnestly. Laffey responded by planting a curious kiss on his sternum and reaching between them with her hands. Her hips began to wiggle back and forth as Thorson's brain suddenly kicked into overdrive. "Laffey what are you doing?!" He whispered urgently in lieu of shouting.
Laffey replied in her usual fashion. "Laffey said she didn't want to have sex with the Commander, but Laffey still thinks about it. Commander says kind things that make Laffey's stomach warm and it feels nice to be with the Commander. Laffey thinks maybe sex would be interesting to try. Maybe not."
"Pull you panties back up and go to sleep," he ordered nervously as his heart raced beneath her.
"Mmm, ok." Laffey complied and returned to her original position. After a few minutes she was soon asleep and breathing steadily. Thorson had stared directly at the top bunk the whole time, his gaze liable to bore a hole through it. Only when he was absolutely sure she was asleep did he risk closing his eyes and dozing off himself. He hated to admit it, but when she wasn't awkwardly semi-petitioning him for intercourse she was extraordinarily comforting. I suppose I could die tomorrow. Maybe I should have taken her up on it. At least it would have been consensual… Thorson mentally kicked himself in the balls.
"Fucking shit." Thorson swore under his breath as he and Laffey approached the facility under cover of a partly cloudy night sky. Sure enough, in spite of the empty maps an island loomed out of the Pacific before them, an inky black shape in the night. Unfortunately for them both, the inky black shape sported at least a few working industrial lights, their glow visible over the ridge that Thorson presumed obscured the main docks. As they were approaching from the east, he reasoned the main facility likely faced north, unless they'd stumbled upon an annex. Laffey stood beside him nervously. "How silent can you run this boat?" He asked.
"Commander said bad words," she whispered, as though their enemies might hear her. He chuckled.
"Right you are. I'm sorry, Laffey. Now please, we're not alone here. How stealthily can you get us to that island?" The shipgirl managed to give him a brave face, lit only by a couple of dim red and green lights on the bridge.
"Laffey can do it. Just watch, Commander." As she spoke the sound of the engines was significantly reduced along with their speed, beginning a slow but ultimately rather stealthy approach, ending with a slow glide that eventually had them stalled just offshore. Thorson didn't dare circle to the north side of the island without knowing the size of the enemy force, so he instead had Laffey drop anchor just off the northeastern tip of the cove. They couldn't see the facility but that meant no one there could see them either. Laffey had picked up nothing on radar or sonar. Before heading to shore Thorson visited the armory, grabbing an M1911 pistol, an M1A1 carbine, and the requisite holsters and magazines. He extended a second pistol to Laffey.
"Have you ever used a handgun?" He asked curiously.
"Laffey doesn't like them, but Laffey was trained, yes," she replied.
"I think you should have it just in case."
"Ok Commander," Laffey agreed, silently accepting it. She handled the sidearm with enough familiarity that Thorson felt comfortable turning his back and leading the way to one of the life rafts. "Aww," Laffey pouted. "Laffey does not want to leave. Laffey doesn't want to paddle!"
"I'll paddle, Laffey. Just…do you need to disengage or something?" Thorson asked, remembering the shockwave from before and wondering if it worked in reverse. Sure enough, he felt something similar pass through the hull of the USS Laffey as the shipgirl beside him closed her eyes. The ship seemed suddenly dead and cold, though the night itself was slightly warmer thanks to their proximity to land. Thorson cocked his brow and checked his watch, it was 0200. "I guess that's a yes. Learn something new every day. Ready to go?" He asked seriously, leaving unsaid the very real prospect of combat. Laffey looked around briefly before gazing back at him with eyes that seemed more focused and clear than he could remember.
"Yes. Laffey is ready."