Chapter 7

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.