As I heard footsteps coming back down the corridor toward me I knew I needed to think fast. Instead of moving to the side of the door where he'd be most likely not to see me, I found myself tucking the wrench into the toolbox and then putting the rest of the tools away as well.
I sighed. It wasn't going to go well if I got it wrong, and I just couldn't bring myself to do it. He returned to find his tool kit mostly packed and me putting the panel back on the compartment.
"Running diagnostics but so far so good. It'll make a noise if things aren't okay. I reckon I owe you that promise now."
"Food?" I asked, unable to hide my excitement. It was a strange thing to be excited about, but he seemed to understand and only nodded and smiled in response.
I let him lead me back to the kitchen, all the while the extra weight of the small wrench I’d stolen weighed on my mind. Was now a good time?
Still I didn’t use it, letting him go to the back of the kitchen area where there was another small hatch.
Sitting down at the table I watched his every move, as much curious as I was eager to eat. It didn’t matter that I’d chowed down on rations a little bit earlier.
The hatch revealed a small hydroponics garden and I gasped at the extent of it and the bright fruits and vegetables it contained.
“This is probably one of the best things about this ship and the only thing my brother got right when he had it designed,” my captor said.
I nodded. It was an amazing feature.
“Normally I sell whatever I don’t need. I grow more than I eat, but you’ve just saved me an enormous amount of credits and despite what you probably think of me, I’m happy to repay that debt a little.”
“As long as you can still sell me when the time comes,” I replied, unable to keep the aggression from the words.
“Exactly,” he replied as if he’d not heard my disgust. I shook my head and sighed but I couldn’t take my eyes off what he was doing. He had two bowls and he was picking fruit off a couple of different plants.
Although I wasn’t sure exactly what the fruits were, I vaguely remembered having the small red ones with a pattern of yellow seeds on the outside. The other was one I’d never seen before.
“Strawberries and blueberries,” he said as he placed one of the two bowls in front of me.
“Thank you,” I replied, as I picked up the first one and took a bite. Juice exploded into my mouth and I couldn’t help but moan. They tasted so good and full of flavor.
It was all I could do to control myself and not ram in every last berry.
“These are amazing,” I said when I was half way through.
“Well, enjoy them while they last. It will be another few weeks before there is anymore. The plants have been modified to grow fruit more often than they do while planted on a planet with seasons, but they still have a cycle.”
I nodded, wondering just how much he’d have been able to sell my small bowlful for. Not daring to ask I tried to think of something else to say.
“You know, I still don’t know what to call you. What’s your name?” I asked eventually.
He didn’t answer right away, but stared at me and chewed his berries.
“Icaan,” he said eventually. “At least, that’s the closest to how it’s said in the English language.”
“I’m Jet,” I replied.
“I know. It’s a good name. The Frentin men at the market will love it. A precious stone and a type of propulsion system.”
“Great.” I rolled my eyes. “Just what I need. To be some Frentin’s good luck charm. You know I’m a handy mechanic and pretty good with guns too, right?”
“I’m starting to gather you know your way around a ship. But it doesn’t change anything.”
“Of course not. Let me guess, no matter how much it’s worth keeping me you’ll get more by selling me.”
“Yup. And I won’t have to find the money to feed you either.”
“True. Someone else will have to.”
“I’m glad you understand.”
“Oh, I understand. Not only have you screwed up in the past you think it’s okay to then screw others over to try and earn your way back to something that was probably meaningless anyway.”
“You can’t possibly understand-”
“Can’t I? Because I’d have thought that anyone around you who understood that people make mistakes sometimes would have had your back. And anyone who didn’t isn’t worth trying to get back in your life.”
He growled, but all the anger was pouring out of me now and I couldn’t help myself.
“But what do I know? It’s not guaranteed that Frentin who turned their back on your for one mistake would do it again. It’s not like we make mistakes more than once in our lives.”
“Enough,” he shouted as he got to his feet.
I exhaled, trying not to show my fear but finally not saying anything more.
“Are you done?” he asked, looking at my bowl. There was one berry left so I popped it into my mouth before he could stop me.
“Right, time for you to go back to your box. I’ve had enough of sharing my space.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t have captured me then. You’d still be all alone.” I grinned and stood as well.
Way to go, Jet. You’ve probably just made this worse not better.
For a moment it looked like he might do something to harm me as he gritted his jaw and clenched his fists, but then he slowly relaxed.
"I think you're one of the better human women I've taken to the Frentin market, but I only have so much patience. You don't want to make me angry."
"No, I probably don't, but I don't want to be sold either. Or enslaved in any way. I've spent years trying to get somewhere in society. Trying to make a living and get by, and you want to take it all from me with one action. I'm angry, I'm upset and I'm not going to stop trying to find a way out of this."
He frowned, but again he seemed to consider my words.
Was I getting through to him? Was he considering letting me go? I had no way of knowing, and it was clear I wasn't about to find out any time soon. He reached forward and took hold of my arm.
"Come on," he said. "Time to get out of my way so I can get this ship back on track. We've already lost three hours to this whole mess. I don't want to lose anymore."
"All right," I replied, "But I get claustrophobic. Why don't you use these restraints to pin me to a spare chair in the cockpit or something. Anything but stuffing me back into that tiny dark hole."
"No," he said.
"I promise I'll keep quiet or make myself useful. I won't argue with you."
This made him pause and he looked at me.
"You don't speak unless spoken to, is that clear?"
I nodded, not daring to say another word. Somehow I'd just gotten away with the extraordinary and I wasn't going to spoil my little victory. Given the conditions of the hole he'd stuffed me in I was pretty sure some of the other women he'd taken hadn't been treated with so much kindness. Now all I had to do was keep it up.
With no hope of escape any other way, I needed to somehow make him realize that selling me was going to be a bad idea. At least, that's what I planned to try. And if that really didn't work there was always the wrench in my pocket. He was bound to let his guard down at some point.
It took a little while to get back to the shuttle platform, but immediately I noticed a similar large carriage to the one I'd used to get to this dome. It was sitting on a section of track out of the way, but as soon as we approached more guards in red hurried over to it and got it moving back onto the main line."Come on, I'll help you strap in," Icaan said, as he also helped me up and into the shuttle in the first place.There wasn't room for every single red guard and my own loyal team of six, but there was a second compartment on this shuttle and a selection of them made their way in there as Icaan got me safely in my seat and then sat down beside me and took my hand once more.The doors slid down again with a much gentler and less noisy motion and then, almost effortlessly and with almost no jerking the shuttle started moving. We
Silence had settled into the room for at least a minute as no one seemed to know what to do or say and my mind slipped into the turmoil it felt. I couldn't be bought by Icaan. Despite our best attempt at bringing in the credits, he didn't have enough.I couldn't help but cry as my fate ran through my head. Despite Icaan wanting me and me wanting him I was stuck as a slave and I had been put there initially by the very Frentin I loved. It seemed so heartless and unfair but there was nothing I could do about it.Although I considered trying to run again, I knew it was pointless. Every man in the room bar Icaan was now bound to keep me here and I didn't doubt Sadisk planned to punish me enough as it was. Shaking, I reached for Icaan, but he shook his head and pulled away.The movement broke a dam as almost half the room started to talk a
"Stop this madness and let my slave go!" Icaan's voice commanded from somewhere nearby. Immediately I opened my eyes, but the baton struck me anyway, catching me in the side. Despite my resolve to handle this with dignity I screamed, the pain as it shot through my torso so intense I couldn't do anything but."I gave a command. Let that slave go!" Icaan yelled and immediately the pain receded and I crumpled to the floor.Tears streamed down my face, the pain still so intense I could barely move. Frith appeared at my side and gently tried to lift me as Brinto and several of the other guards hurried to my side and surrounded me, physically pushing Sadisk and the other men back, but the slave trader didn't appear to want to give up."She's not your slave yet, and she needs to be punished. Twice now she has tried to escape."
Despite Sadisk's declaration that Icaan had abandoned me, I still didn't want to believe it. And it seemed neither did anyone else. No one moved."Come here, slave. I will begin by dealing out your punishment for escaping your masters and costing them a significant sum of money to have you returned.""No," I said, "Not yet. I said I would wait three hours to allow for issues with your transport shuttles. My heart doesn't believe me abandoned yet."Then I shall break your heart as well if need be, but you will learn to obey." Sadisk seemed to produce some kind of baton from somewhere inside his clothes and strode toward me.I moved to one side and attempted to put the sofa between us as Brinto also stepped into the way."You cannot be serious, Sadisk. Those things
The dawn light shone through the window and woke me from an uneasy sleep. Frith immediately looked my way and gave me a nod.I sat up once more but didn't get out of the bed."Do you know how long I've got until the council will have met and decided Icaan's fate?" I asked.Frith pulled out a small device and tapped at it."They're in session now. He'll know within the next twenty minutes," Frith replied a moment later. I sighed. This was the crunch moment. This was the next trial for me to endure.I got out of bed and neatened my clothes and brushed my hair as quickly as I could. I then made sure my pack contained everything that mattered to me and I carried it over to Frith."I know you have no reason to do anything for me, but
As the night went on I still found sleep didn't want to come and I considered giving up. With his shift up, Brinto was relieved by Frith and another of the guards and I listened as they talked quietly before Brinto and his companion left.Frith then ordered the guard with him to wait outside. Although I thought this was a little odd, the guard seemed to think nothing of it and moved into the corridor outside, shutting the door behind himself.It was still dark outside, but the room was lit by enough starlight and lamp light from somewhere that I could see Frith move. He came over to the bed, stopping at the foot of it when I moved."You're awake?" he whispered."Yes. It's hard to sleep when you don't know what your fate will be," I replied, keeping my voice quiet but not bothering to whisper.