Chapter 126. Shu Ran’s flirting
Daisy felt something strange at one point. She never wanted to give the impression that her captain was afraid of being visited or had something to prepare and hide. However, she found it ridiculous to think so. The person standing in front of her was not a stranger, but Carol, someone she knew well and could even call her a friend. Why would she suddenly change her behavior now just because she is now her captain?
Therefore, Daisy also smiled sincerely and replied: "Of course. Please feel free to visit. But please don't disturb anyone's work." The moment she said this, she really wished she could bite her tongue. Whether she considered Carol a friend or not, she couldn't say that. Carol is not the Noah she has a completely different relationship with.
"I'll try to remember," Carol replied, though her tone sounded forced. Carol had always had difficulty expressing emotions. People often call her "Iceberg" behind her back. As a result, she appears a little stiff, and her efforts to look relaxed don't seem to fit.
Still, Daisy managed a smile. Then she started talking about safer topics. "We're doing some testing and simulations. Without a proper testing environment and doing this testing in action, that's all we can do."
"Is this enough?" Carol asked.
"It must be enough." Daisy tilted her mouth. "Of course, I would like to do more tests. Especially with these devices, we don't have enough experience yet. After all, this is their first practical application." This is a fact that Carol also knows. The Republic is the second ship of the Excellence class and the first to carry a conventional speed vessel. Prior to this, the Excellence-class ship experimenters had been conducting fruitless experiments on speed across time and space. But when building the ship, they decided to use conventional speeds again. However, this speed engine was further developed compared to the previous version. Despite extensive testing in laboratories and machine shops, it has never been seen in long-term applications on ships. "But I'm still very confident in the performance of this engine," Daisy continued. "All the tests so far confirm this. The real test will of course come in practical applications."
"True performance often emerges only in times of real crisis," Carol nodded. "The test cannot be predicted in advance. Are other systems normal?"
"All systems are working. Well, almost all. There are still some issues with the star mapping system. But I think we'll figure that out in the next few days."
"Sounds good." Carol looked around the room again, then nodded to Daisy. "I'll let you get on with your work. See you later." Then she left the computer room and went back to work on her personal files. She didn't want anyone else to be distracted by her wandering around anymore.
After Ingmar had completed about two hours of settling into his accommodation, the computer notified him that he had an appointment. He was supposed to go to the infirmary for a check-up, which was standard procedure when transferring to another ship. Although the medical data has been transferred, every doctor wants to see their new patients in person. This is of course to establish a good working atmosphere. Additionally, this helps build a relationship between the doctor and the patient. If the first meeting is an emergency, it will not be very pleasant for both parties.
Of course, things are a little different here. Ingmar didn't need to get to know his doctor anymore. Celia was the chief doctor on the old Republic. And they've known each other for years. After all, they had been together for half a year. But that was years ago. During their time together on the Republic, they had developed a friendship that he would never miss. He knew he could trust her without reservation. So now he was really looking forward to seeing her again.
He left his room in its current somewhat chaotic state and walked cheerfully in the direction of the infirmary. When the door to the infirmary opened and he stepped inside, Celia looked up from the medical equipment she was working on. When she saw him, a smile instantly appeared on her face.
"Hi, Ingmar," she greeted him and walked towards him.
He barely had time to respond to her greeting as she immediately embraced him tightly. It was a nice greeting considering what he'd been through the past few months. So, he wrapped his arms around her body, closed his eyes, and simply enjoyed her closeness. The sweet scent of her hair reached his nose. This hug was a comfort to his soul. Unfortunately, however, she quickly pulled away from him, leaving him feeling as though he had been removed from reality for a few moments and now was being thrown back into it.
She stepped back and looked at him critically. "You don't look well," she said worriedly.
"That's no surprise. My time on the Lexington was the worst moment of my life," he explained nonchalantly.
"According to the medical data transmitted, your physical condition is quite good." She glanced at the small screen and frowned. Then her face relaxed and was replaced by a sly smile. "Or did you manipulate the Lexington's doctor to influence the inspection report?"
Ingmar frowned when he thought of the emaciated chief doctor. On the one hand, she could very well be his mother, on the other hand, she's more like a fairy tale witch than an enchanting woman. "No, my test results were indeed good," he simply ignored her words. "At least that was the case last time we checked. The last two weeks may have had a negative impact on the results."
"Oh, by the way, your detention," she muttered innuendo, but didn't go any further. Ingmar privately wondered whether she knew it from the files or if word had spread among the people on the ship and everyone knew about it. But he didn't dare ask the question. It would be better if he did not know whether the other party was aware of his detention. He preferred to continue to believe that no one knew. Not so long ago, he might have used the incident to create a sensational story to attract women. But it seemed that was so far in the past that he hadn't even considered the possibility.
"So it's great to have you back under my wing now," she said teasingly and he sat silently on the bed.
"Yes," he answered simply, because he didn't know what else to say. Then he looked directly at her again and smiled. "Yes, it's great that you are back. Because I could hardly contact you before."
Celia smiled guiltily. "I needed some time off. It was hard to send and receive messages during that time."
"And probably bad for your goals, too," he added, appearing more understanding than he actually felt. He also needs her support. But it might be a little selfish to think that way. "So, where did you go?"
"I went to the Tibetan Plateau. It's one of the few areas on Earth that's not fully developed," Celia explained, her eyes starting to light up. “Did you know there are still some villages out there that don’t even have electricity?”
Ingmar looked at her suspiciously. "Do you like it there?"
"Well, I liked it for a while. But it's not okay to stay there long term," she admitted.
"The residents there probably think so too. Maybe they just keep it that way to attract tourists. When the tourists leave, they probably start the generator in the basement," joked Ingmar.
She stared at him seriously with her closed eyes.
"I'm sorry," he muttered guiltily. He never wanted to make her angry. So he looked at her encouragingly, hoping she would continue.
She still seemed to be sulking, but then her face brightened again. “It’s perfect when you’re tired of the hustle and bustle of modern society, where everything is reduced to its essentials, which is the presence of people and being with each other. Communication and interrelationships between people ." His critical expression made her pause. "Do you understand what I'm saying?"
He nodded slowly. "Yes, I think I understand," he then said uncertainly. He resisted asking if she had tried consciousness-expanding drugs there. In that case, she might get really angry.
"No matter how ambitious our plans are, no matter how many decisions we make about our future, it means nothing if we forget about our companions," she continued. "Because our lives may end at any time. The value of our lives is not measured by success, but only by how many people we make happy in our lives." She looked towards him, but her eyes seemed to drift away.
"You also visited the monks in Tibet, right?" he asked gently.
Her eyes returned to reality. She smiled almost apologetically. "Yes, that's right. I thought maybe they could help me better understand the world, the universe, and the order within it," she said, suddenly looking a little wary and vulnerable.
Ingmar stood up from the lounge chair and walked over to her. He placed his hand gently on her upper arm. "What happened?" Her words made him very worried. He had noticed something troubled about her even after returning to Earth. But she never talked about it and always hid it strongly. And he was too busy with himself to ask her. Then when he learned aboard the Lexington that Celia had temporarily withdrawn from fleet service, he had moved so far away from her that he could barely reach her. And even though I contacted her sometimes, she never talked about what bothered her so much.
She looked up into his eyes. There, she saw nothing but genuine concern. How he has changed, she thought to herself. He had never been so worried about others before, at most he only cared about himself. She knew that maybe others might not take her concerns that seriously, but she also knew that Ingmar would take them seriously.
"We saw how easy it was to change the course of history," Celia said of Cindy's last attempt to destroy the Earth. “Entire people were not only killed, but their existence was erased from history. It was as if they had never existed. So what if all our actions, everything we did could be erased so easily, as if they never existed What's the point of life if it has happened? If what has been achieved is long gone and no longer reliable. And, as in our case, it is only chance that allows us to correct it." She was still staring at him. Eye. "How do I know that our timeline is correct? Did we really exist at this moment, and will we continue to exist in the next few seconds? Is someone tampering with the timeline at this moment?"
Ingmar frowned in confusion. "There are a lot of questions." He has no answers to these questions. He had never even thought about such a question.
"Yes, there are indeed many of these questions," Celia nodded, then looked away.
"Did you find the answer in Tibet?"
She seemed to need some time to think. "Yes or no," she then said, "there is no such answer. But there is a way to deal with it. I have learned that there is no point worrying about things we cannot change. Because in this case, our Worrying can't change anything. We can only give our best and live life the way we know is right. And have faith that everything in the universe will work out the way it should. Everything else is out of our control."
"Wow!" Ingmar raised his eyebrows. "Except for the part about faith, it almost sounds like it's from Vulcan."
A smile crossed her lips. "It's an attitude to life. I think I've embraced that."
"Does this help you?" He sounded skeptical and sarcastic. He seemed to accept it, if it would help her.
Her smile broadened. "Of course, there is. Although it would be better if I had more time to realize these truths, but it will be fine."
"Then have you converted to Hinduism?"
"Buddhism," she corrected him. "No, not that deep. Still, I'm glad I went there. I really recommend everyone to go there and find some inner enlightenment. It'll definitely be good for you too, after all you've been through a lot too," she said. Giving him a playful wink. "How are you doing? Your last message didn't sound too promising either."
He sighed, her words reminded him of Shu Ran again. Even though he hadn't thought of her just now. Unaware of how many messages Celia had received from him on her journey of self-discovery, he decided to start over. He told her everything that had happened since his transfer to the Lexington. This included relatively regular contact with Shu Ran, although these were limited to exchanges of video messages. Of course there are also the complicated feelings in his heart. He felt exhausted, constantly switching between hope and disillusionment. He no longer knew what he wanted. But he wasn't sure he could describe his feelings correctly. Could she really understand why he was so troubled? Can this really be understood?
When he thought he had said everything, she looked at him quietly with her slightly tilted head, thinking. "This is a really complex situation. It's not good to be careful not to follow sane advice in a situation like this."
"How true," Ingmar sighed in frustration, although he didn't know if it would be better to listen to reason. "In the last message, she even blew me a kiss. There was just no contact after that. Why would she do that?"
Celia looked at him for a moment, as if she wanted to remind him that he knew best why a person would play with other people's feelings. But she didn't say that: "Add a kiss to a message and don't think too much about it. Some people just like to play around with it and it doesn't have any deeper meaning to them." She paused, a little He frowned. "Do you still care about Shu Ran? Or are you just projecting your wishes and thoughts on her now?"
Ingmar looked at her a little confused. He didn't know what she meant.
"It's been several months since your relationship. After such a span of time, memories change, especially when such feelings are involved, as in your case. You see your past completely differently now, You mixed them with your wishes, and if you get together again, there will definitely be problems. She may no longer be able to satisfy your current fictional self. I think what you care about now is not Shu Ran, but a person, Someone who responds to your love in the same way you love her.”
He looked at her in surprise. Again, all he could say was "Wow" because he didn't know what else to say. "Do you really think so?"
"Yes, I think so." She nodded. "My studies also include some psychology. You can think about it carefully. If you don't believe me, you can talk to Mi Zhiwa again. She will definitely confirm it for you. Maybe she will use some more information Detailed and professional words, but the meaning will be the same.”
Ingmar frowned. He didn't really want to talk to the fleet's psychologist. She seems like a nice person though. But he felt very uncomfortable having a stranger analyze him. Especially if the person is younger than he is, he will be less able to talk candidly. Especially on this topic.
"Think about it," Celia repeated, for Ingmar was silent. "Also, although this is a cliché, there is some truth in it: there is no grass at the end of the world. There are other people who may be good choices."
Ingmar was amused. His past puts him in a better position to evaluate this than perhaps anyone else.
"Okay," the doctor nodded, then turned and glanced at the computer. "I have the next crew member to deal with. I've finished your inspection for now. But don't try to escape next time." She threatened him with her index finger.
"Let's talk about it then," he replied implicitly.
Celia looked at him again before he said goodbye. "Ingmar..." she began hesitantly, then stopped. She seemed hesitant to tell him what she wanted to say. "Do you actually know Shu Ran's personal life? Has she mentioned it to you recently?"
Ingmar felt like his heart was going to stop. It doesn't sound good. "Not much," but to his shame he had to admit. "She always avoids personal topics in her messages. I may not have insisted on asking more questions. Why?"
