Hailey didn't play in the tub this time and I wondered what was wrong. When I stepped out of the shower, she gave me a knowing look. I was a bit surprised by this, so I looked down at myself to make sure that I had myself covered by the towel, then I looked back at her.

“Hailey, you've been acting seriously since we came back with the prisoners.” I said. “What...”

“When I felt Isabella, I knew she wouldn't respect me if I acted like a child.” Hailey said, then she gave me another knowing look. “Tell me about Black Laura.”

I opened my mouth to respond that I had told her everything. “I already told...” I felt a huge waver in the Presence and I wobbled on my feet from the strength of it.

Hailey was suddenly there to hold me up while water and soap suds splashed everywhere. “Hunter!” She exclaimed and wrapped her arms around my chest and pressed her soap-covered breasts into my abdomen.

“I'm okay.” I said, even though I leaned all of my weight on her. “Wow, that...” I looked down at her as I fought through the vertigo. “Hailey, I'm sorry. I hope you know that I haven't kept anything from you on purpose.”

“Of course I do.” Hailey said and beamed a smile up at me.

“But... I just... I'm keeping something from you... and myself, apparently... and you found out so easily.”

“I think it's because I'm becoming exactly what you need me to be and you needed to know that you know something that you don't know.” Hailey said with a chuckle. “Oh, and you aren't keeping it from yourself. That was a subtle lie. I think you know what happened and just couldn't do anything about it.”

I blinked my eyes at her, because I hadn't felt a disturbance, either then or when she explained her reasoning. “You're more sensitive than I am at lie detection?”

Hailey nodded.

“I bet that's really annoying for Beatrice and Sandy.” I said with a smile.

Hailey laughed. “It really is!”

I chuckled as I 'saw' in her head as she called them out on all of the little lies people told, almost like a habit, every day. “You shouldn't tease them so much.”

“I can't help it.” Hailey said. “They are so in love with each other that they lie about how much, all the time!”

“Just like us.” I said.

Hailey took in a sharp breath because the Presence hadn't wavered. Her grip on me lessened as I turned slightly and knelt on one knee to put my face on a more even level, except it was slightly lower than hers now.

“You're growing up so fast.” I said and ran my hand through her three inch long gold colored hair.

“It's not fast enough.” Hailey said automatically, then she blushed.

I chuckled and put my arms around her. “We've got a lot of time to spend together, so don't worry about trying to grow up too fast.”

“I'm not worrying about it.” Hailey said with a smile and put her arms around my neck. “I just hate waiting.”

I smiled back. “You waited all your life for me to come along and you can't wait a few more years?”

“It's because I know I have to.” Hailey said. “Before, I was just... you know.”

“You were waiting and that was all you could do.”

Hailey nodded. “Now I have a new life and people who care about me, and not because they are paid to.” She said and smiled. “I also have you.”

I opened my mouth to say no, then let out a sigh at her racing thoughts. “All right, just one.”

Hailey grinned at me and hugged my neck tightly as she kissed me. Her raging hormones exalted at finally having an outlet for her desire. She shifted her body slightly to get more comfortable and it rubbed her chest on mine, which made her catch her breath at the sensation. She paused her kiss and waited for a moment to see if I was going to push her away. I didn't, so she relaxed and kept kissing me.

Hailey's emotions calmed down after a couple of minutes and she broke the kiss on her own, because she knew that she shouldn't push me too much. The last thing she wanted was for me to refuse her completely and she stared into my eyes from barely an inch away.

“I love you.” Hailey said, barely above a whisper.

“I love you, too.” I said and gave her another kiss. “We need to wash off and change for bed.” I said with a smile. “I'm apparently all soapy for some reason.”

Hailey looked down at my chest to see two boob-shaped smears of soap there, then her face flushed red as she blushed. I smiled as I picked her up and carried her into the tub and finished washing her, then myself, and dried us both off.

“I'm glad you're not angry.” Hailey said and she looked so cute as she ducked her head slightly. “It was a mistake; but, I... it was...” She couldn't describe what it had felt like, because she hadn't felt anything like it before. All she knew was that she kind of liked it.

“It's all right. Really.” I said and we went out to put on our sleep outfits.

“But... I'm just... and you said...”

“I know.” I said and we put on our nightgowns. “You were responsible enough to not overreact when it happened and you also managed your emotions on your own.” I lifted the blanket on the bed and she climbed in. I climbed in after her and tucked the both of us in. “I was proud that you didn't let yourself go out of control, so me getting upset about it wouldn't be good for you.”

Hailey had to think about that. “So, if... if I had... moved more or... tried something else...”

“I would have stopped you.” I said. “I would have to.”

Hailey's heart went pitter-patter at my words. Not wanted to? She thought happily.

No, not wanted to. I thought back to her and let her feel my love, then she let out a long and satisfied sigh and drifted off to sleep. Goodnight. I thought to her, then used several mental techniques to keep watch, set an alarm in my head, and went to sleep.

*

Isabella knelt on the floor of her room, which was lavish beyond anything she had ever stayed in before, and she ignored it as she took out the makeshift blade she had smuggled out of the training camp. She had used it almost a hundred times now and she pressed the familiar tip of the blade to the inside of her forearm. She really missed her confiscated ceremonial blade.

Just like at the camp, Isabella had used a small piece of cloth to make a bowl shape and the small cut she made only let a few drops of blood out and she caught them with the cloth.

“Oh, great Goddess Laura, I pray to thee once more.” Isabella said as she dipped her fingers into the blood and made several symbols into the cloth. They faded away and she felt a familiar Presence. “Thank you so much for answering my prayers and sending Hunter to me.”

The feeling intensified and she bowed her head.

“I hope that I can repay you for such a wondrous feat.” Isabella said and the feeling eased. “I've sworn to help him as much as I can, so if I die in his service, I know I am really dying for you.” She said and lifted her head. “I will see you with my own eyes one day, my Goddess.”

The feeling changed slightly and Isabella smiled.

“I hope it's not for a long time, too.” Isabella said. “I humbly praise you, Goddess Laura.”

The feeling of Presence faded away and she folded up the piece of cloth, wrapped it around her blade, and tucked it back into her clothing. She walked over to the bed and looked at it with an appraising eye, grabbed a pillow and a blanket, then made a nest for herself on the floor. She knew she wouldn't be able to sleep in a normal bed for a while, not after what she had gone through, and cuddled in on herself in the middle of the nest and drifted off to sleep.

*

While Hunter and his group had been raiding the second camp, something across the galaxy had been happening as well.

Kara turned off her Light sword and looked at the remains of the slave ring she had worked so hard to disassemble. It had been a special mission from The Wise One himself and she had taken it without even asking why it needed to be dealt with or why she was being sent and not a group of Order members. At least, she didn't know until she plugged in the device he had given her to copy all of the data that was in their computer banks.

“Oh, Goddess. This is what he meant when he said that sometimes trust can be misplaced.” Kara whispered as she read the names of the people involved, which included several prominent members of The Order. She watched the screen as the data was being copied, then it started to flicker. “What's with this thing?” She asked and tried to type some commands, then her device sparked once. “NO!”

Kara grabbed it and pulled just as a huge bolt of electricity shot out of the port and hit it. She used Presence to protect her hand from the shock and looked at the device, then sighed. It had been charred black and she could tell from the heat that the inside was melted. A second later, the same bolt fried the console she was using and then she watched it go into the wall and melt the computer banks.

Kara immediately sat down to meditate and used several mental techniques to go over the information she had seen and cemented it into her memory. It was the only copy that existed now and she needed to preserve it. Once she was done with the small amount she had seen, she left to go back to her small ship. She needed to return to The Wise One with the information she had as quickly as possible.

*

The next two businesses we raided over the next month were even easier than the last one. Simone and I cleared them quickly and we didn't even have to stay overnight or pretend to be tourists. Once we had recorded the data, Simone and I gave it a quick perusal to ensure that there was nothing new, then we retrieved the account information the bosses had access to and sent it to Sheph back home.

It wasn't until Isabella found out about my assault on the focus crystal factory that I had a problem.

“You cannot do what you are planning to do.” Isabella said and nodded to Hailey. “Young Wife has told me all I need to know about your plan and I do not approve.”

I looked at Hailey and she gave me a smug look and didn't avoid my gaze. “Hailey what exactly did you tell her?”

“I told her exactly what you told all of us.” Hailey said and waved at everyone around the table. “I even gave her access to the recordings so that she would hear it from you directly.”

I sighed and looked at Isabella. “I've taken everyone's advice and I changed my plans accordingly.” I said. “There's no real way for me to be safer during this part of the mission.”

“Yes, there is.” Isabella said. “There's no fast exit strategy or a blow it all up to escape contingency.”

I opened my mouth to counter her, then sighed again. “Dammit, I can't be any stealthier than I already am and having a fast exit won't ensure the success of the mission.”

“You can use Stealth on Simone and she can move independently of you, correct?” Isabella asked.

“Yes.”

“Then I suggest you leave her here, right at the junction between the service area and the proper mine.” Isabella said and pointed to the map. “She can monitor your surroundings and still keep your escape route clear.”

“But...”

“I'll be sitting on top of Monna, under camouflage of course, at the extraction zone here.” Isabella said. “I'd love to have an assault rifle with a scope; but, I'll make do with the standard laser pistol. My accuracy is pretty low at that range, so don't be surprised if I'm closer than that.”

I turned to Simone and raised my eyebrows at her, and she shrugged. Hailey had the same reaction, so I had to accept Isabella into a couple of secrets that we had.

“Okay.” I said and walked over to Isabella. “I need to show you something.”

“What is it?” Isabella asked as she took in the mood.

“It's nothing bad.” Simone said with a grin. “If you're on our side.”

I chuckled at the qualifier and led Isabella from the meeting room and over to mine.

“What... wait, are you...” Isabella shook her head. “Hunter, I like you and I appreciate what you've done for me; but, I won't warm your bed while you wait for Hailey to grow into a proper woman.”

I let out a laugh. “I'm glad you're honest about that.” I said and entered a code into a hidden panel on the wall and just like on Udelis, a hidden wall slid aside and revealed a large rack of laser pistols, assault laser rifles, and several attachments to make them into practical sniper rifles. Various grenades were on the lower shelves with multiple power packs and weapon straps and holsters.

“By Black Laura's pale white tit!” Isabella exclaimed. “You have military grade troop weapons!”

“I salvaged a ton of these things from a fleet of wrecked warships.” I said and waved at the rifles. “I believe you wanted something to maintain a long range firing solution.”

“Yes, sir!” Isabella said and saluted, then she quickly assembled a rifle with all of the attachments it needed for medium and long range targets, then she grabbed five additional power packs and a mount for it. As an added bonus, she grabbed several grenades and tucked them onto the gun strap over her shoulder and added two laser pistols. “I probably won't need them; but, I'd rather have them on me.”

I nodded and led her back to the meeting room and my plans for the factory raid changed slightly. Once she agreed and saw that the changes gave me the best odds of surviving, with minimal casualties on both sides, she signed off on it and the plan was set. We had one more stop before the factory raid and it wasn't to take out another business. It was to give us all a few days off.

They all protested at first, until I said that I was the one that needed a day off from everything, then they all reluctantly agreed. I had picked a system that was quiet and unassuming and it didn't have anything significant in it to attract a constant flow of tourists. All it had was a mile wide river that spanned several thousand miles of tropical terrain and would take two days, from morning the first day until sunset the next day, to traverse.

“I need to train.” Isabella said. “I spent too many days sitting in a cell and I wasn't allowed to exercise.”

“Then you can stay aboard.” I said and looked at Jelly.

“I'll drop you off and pick you up when you get to the end.” Jelly said. “Monna needs more atmospheric experience and this looks like the perfect opportunity to give her as much exposure to different climates as we can.”

“Monna, did you hear that?” I asked.

“Yes, Grandpa.” Monna said.

“What do you think? Are you up for an adventure?” I asked.

“If Jelly thinks she can keep up with me, sure.”

“Is that a challenge?” Jelly asked with a tone of excitement.

“I know we have to break for lunch and I want to know if you'll need a nap by then, or if you can last all the way to supper time.” Monna teased.

“Oh, you little...” Jelly shook her fist at the camera pick-up. “Just wait! I'll show you who can stay awake during an operation!”

Both Monna and Adona laughed.

“I'm staying, too.” Simone said. “Floating on the water all day is just not appealing for me.”

“I'm tempted to go; but, I won't leave my lo... Beatrice all alone.” Sandy said.

Hailey chuckled at her words and looked at me as if to say 'I told you'.

“Then I guess it's just you and me, beautiful.” I said to her and Hailey beamed a smile at me, then the others made ooo's and ahh's at my words. “Hey, get your minds out of the gutter.” I said to them and they laughed. “Nothing's going to happen, all right?”

“O-kay. We believe you.” Simone said sarcastically and everyone laughed again.

“I'm surrounded by children.” I said and the laughter continued.

Jelly arranged for the long boat ride and then flew Hailey and myself down to the planet's surface. When she dropped us off, the boat we were to board was like a gigantic cruise ship, except that it was made entirely out of a wood-like composite that didn't rust and gave it an old-home feel.

“WOW!” Hailey exclaimed as she saw the ten storey high ship.

“We're going to have all day to walk around it and see what's on board.” I said and took her hand. “Are you ready to have an entire day of relaxing time with me?”

“As long as there's a huge tub!” Hailey said.

“I booked the biggest suite they had available, so it better have a huge tub!” Jelly said with a laugh and hugged Hailey. “Have fun.”

Hailey nodded and I led her onto the ship and we waved at Jelly, then we watched her take off to go on an adventure with Monna. After about half an hour, the ship departed and began its long trek down the longest river any of us had ever seen. Hailey and I stood at the bow and looked at the scenery for a few minutes, then Hailey tugged on my hand.

“Let's go and see what the room is like.” Hailey said and led me from the deck and took me right to where the map said our room was. Our key card fit and the door opened, and it was a huge room that was the size of a ballroom. Hailey ran inside and started to dance around.

“I see someone doesn't mind acting younger when the others aren't around.”

“That's because even though they don't judge us, they still think I'm too young.” Hailey said.

“You are too young.” I said with a laugh.

“Only because you measure my life by the years I've been here and not by my experiences.” Hailey said and did a twirl. “Hunter, dance with me.”

I walked over to her and didn't want to say no. All I wanted was to see that smile I saw the first time I danced with her, so I held my hands out to her and she took them eagerly. We floated up into the air as we both used the Levitation technique and we danced together as partners for the first time.