3.

Daniel didn’t know whether to be relieved or concerned when the anticipated explosion didn’t happen.

‘Good,’ Darren said, turning round and nodding slowly, ‘very good. You’ve done an excellent job on it…’

‘Well it was your program in the first place, I’ve just ‘adapted’ it.’

Daniel wasn’t sure whether he wouldn’t be happier if Darren had blown up at him. He was taking it all very calmly, too calmly for Daniel’s liking. He knew with Darren that the slightest little thing could set him off and yet here he was, walking round the room, touching the candlesticks, letting his hands run over the silken bedding.

‘You know you didn’t get it quite right.’ Darren indicated the figure still frozen on the bed, ‘I think your memory must have failed you.’

‘Huh?’ Daniel was at a lose as to what answer Darren required of him. So his hair style had changed but they say you always remember the better times. Darren's hair when they had been together had been black so black if had been when Daniel had written the program.

‘Daniel, Daniel, you need to add at least two inches onto your program and make it,’ Darren waved his hand around, ‘slightly thicker.’

Daniel could not believe what he was hearing. But there again Darren had always been very proud of his assets why should he expect otherwise now?

‘..and sort out the hair.' He twirled one finger in Daniel's own blond locks, Daniel's heart speeding up involuntarily at the close proximity of their bodies. 'Now if you will excuse me,’ smiling condescendingly Darren pushed past him, ‘I have a search team to attend to.’

Dinner that night in the officer’s mess was a strained affair. Both crews were making a genuine effort to get along. Swapping space stories and catching up on news from other areas of the galaxy but the tension that existed between the respective Captains was palpable. Barely a word was exchanged between them besides the diplomatic niceties expected of a host and his guest.

As soon as it was polite to do so Darren excused himself and departed for the guest quarters.

A little while later Daniel also made his apologies. ‘I fear I too must bide you goodnight Gentlemen…Mr Carey a word in my study please.’ 

‘Captain.’

Once there Daniel sat for a few minutes contemplating his steepled fingers, he knew what he was about to ask was highly irregular.

‘Ben do you think you can hack into the ‘Exotica’s’ mainframe?’

Ben flexed his fingers theatrically. ‘It’ll be easier than persuading a Keraki to sell his own sister.’

Daniel laughed.

‘Can I ask what I am looking for?’

‘I want you to download Hayes’ holodeck programs.’

‘Bennnn.’ Daniel said warningly.

‘Sir.’ Ben understood. Informality only went so far. Standing up he nodded in deference ‘I’ll have it for you by 14:00 tomorrow.’

‘Thank you.’

Listlessly Daniel scrolled through the list of downloaded programs.

Light-saber_1

Light_saber_2

Jedi_1

Jedi_2

Jedi_3

Daniel could see that Darren’s obsession with late 20^th/early 21^st century Earth culture hadn’t diminished over the years. He knew exactly what those programs would contain.

UNSC_345_a_572

UNSC_910_h_299

Daniel shrugged. Corp training programs.

Gamma_6

Daniel stopped scrolling. Gamma? Gamma? Now why did that name ring a bell?

He clicked on the file to open it…and was not terribly surprised to see that it had a standard Corp six digit encryption access code on it.

‘Well Darren,’ he said out loud, ‘let’s see if you are as vain as you always were.’ His fingers flew over the number pad as he mimicked Darren’s actions from the previous day. ‘Zero, Four, One, Nine, Zero, Eight.’ With a satisfied sigh Daniel slunk down in his chair and watched as the view screen in front of him came alive with a scene.

A palatial open plan villa on a warm summer’s day. A babbling fountain in the background and in the foreground an area covered with shimmering golden fabric and dozens of large reclining cushions made of a similar fabric.

He recognized this program.

Gamma of course, it was…’Ganymede.’ Daniel said with a smile. As he continued to observe the unfolding scene before him memories came flooding back. This had been another one of his and Darren’s favourite programs. Even now Daniel could feel the warm, gentle breeze on his skin as he and Darren had laid on the cushions, sipping honey mead from a love cup, basking in the sunlight and the glow of each other after their love-making.

Daniel checked the access log. Darren had last activated this program only five weeks ago.

So it would appear that he wasn’t the only one still revisiting old scenarios, scenarios that they had created together, researched and programmed with the sole intention of creating somewhere beautiful they could escape to, where they could be alone, undisturbed.

Daniel also had a sneaking feeling that if he let the program run on for long enough he would soon see an image of himself appear. It was time to confront Darren.

Walking back out onto the bridge he enquired of Novak as to the whereabouts of Captain Hayes.

Lee pressed a few buttons on his console trying to locate Darren’s body signature. ‘I’m afraid I can’t get a reading Sir.’ He answered.

‘Well keep trying, he’s on the ship somewhere, find him.’ Frustrated that Darren appeared to have momentarily disappeared Daniel turned on his heel. ‘and when you do notify me immediately. I shall be…’ he thought for a few seconds, why not, if he couldn’t have it out with the real life Darren, he could at least finish what he had started with the holographic one. ‘I shall be in my holo suite.’