The Price of Freedom

"Don’t worry," Jess said, seeming reading her mind. "This dome is made out of the same material that protects the Emperor’s sky palace on Tyre. We’re perfectly safe."

"Oh," She replied, unsure of what to say. She certainly didn’t feel safe, no matter what he said. For all she knew, he was making it up, just to calm her down. "How do you know that?"

"I did grow up here," he said, pulling her through the crowd. It was hard to hear him through all the noise.

There was music and advertising everywhere and she could feel a dull throbbing starting in her head. If they didn’t get somewhere quieter soon, she was going to go crazy, she thought desperately. Someplace quiet and with a ceiling, she thought.

"In here," Jess said. He pointed to a door with a sign above it that she couldn’t understand.

What’s that?"

"It’s a hostel" he said. "I’m going to drop you off at the room and then go out to take care of my business."

"Is your sister here?" she asked, trying to focus on what he was saying. "Are you going to find her?"

"Yes," he said. "She’s here, but I’ll go and get her later. Right now I want to pick up some things for us, and I have an appointment with a broker to discuss the ship."

"Aren’t you afraid that someone will recognize you?"

"No," he said. "The population of the station changes pretty quickly. Even if someone did see me, they have no way of knowing why I’m here."

"Don’t you think they might find it kind of strange that you’re back here after being shipped off to the mines?" she asked. He frowned, and she realized all her questions were starting to annoy him.

"Let me worry about that," he said tightly. "All you need to do is wait for me to take care of everything.

We’ll be getting a new ship soon, and then we’ll go back for Bragan. You’ll like Calla. She’s a great girl, sweet."

He pulled her through the entryway and back down a hall lined with doors.

"I’ve gotten room for us already," he said. "You’ll just need to wait for me," he added, opening one of the doors.

She looked around the room. It was small, but very nice. In fact, she found the close quarters somewhat comforting after all that open space. Like home. Then something strange caught her attention; there was some kind of covering on the floor. Unable to control herself, she pulled away from him and dropped to her knees. She had to touch it. It was so soft…How would anyone be able to keep such a useless and decadent thing clean? It was crazy.

"What is this?" she asked softly. Jess started laughing and she blushed.

It’s called carpet," he said. "It’s very common, at least in places not owned by Pilgrims."

"I’ve never been anywhere that wasn’t owned by Pilgrims," she said with a shaky laugh. He smiled.

"I think you’ll like t here a lot more than any Pilgrim station," he said. "Come here."

He stood near the bed, reaching one hand out to her in invitation. She stood and slowly walked toward him. They still hadn’t resolved their earlier fight, but she found herself wanting his touch regardless.

Discovery Station was so new and strange. It was exciting, but a small part of her was frightened, too.

There were so many things she’d never seen before, never dreamed could exist. Everyone around her seemed to simply take them for granted. How would she ever fit in to a place like this? Compared to them, she was a cultural mutant.

Then Jess’ arms were closed around her. Things didn’t seem as frightening; she was safe. He would take care of her. He rubbed his hands up and down her arms, kissing the top of her head softly.

"It’s going to be all right," he whispered. "We just have to take care of a few more things and then we can start building a new life for ourselves. You have to trust me, Bethany. I know what’s right for us."

He kissed the top of her head again, then pushed her gently away. He reached down, taking her hands into his. At first she smiled at him. Then she noticed that his grip on her had grown tight.

"I need to go and see about our new ship," he said. "While I’m gone, I’m going to lock you in the fresher."

"Oh, no," she said, heart sinking. "Jess, you can’t leave me locked up in this strange place. It’s not right."

"I’m sorry," he said. "But I don’t have a choice. I can’t risk having you run off."

"And just where do you think that I would go?" she asked sarcastically. "I don’t exactly know anyone here. What do you think I’m planning to do?"

"I won’t risk it," he said, no longer meeting her gaze. She could tell from his tone that the subject was closed. Still holding her hands firmly in his grasp, he walked her toward the fresher.

"Don’t bother trying to make a lot of noise," he said as he locked her in. "The room has been sound-proofed. We’re close enough to the spaceport that sound baffles are required in all the rooms."

"Just who do you think I’d be trying to attract?" she asked. "Jess, I don’t know anyone here. I don’t even know how to read half the signs we passed on the way in. They’re in another language. Why do you think I’m so bound and determined to run off?"

He didn’t reply. Instead, he pushed her into the small room and shut the door. She sat on the floor, feeling as if she were caught in some kind of bizarre time loop. No matter what she said to him, he still didn’t trust her. He treated her well 90 percent of the time, yet he still wasn’t secure enough to leave her alone.

She didn’t want to leave him.

She liked him, touching him made her happy. She’d been angry with him at first, but she wasn’t a fool.

The slave revolt had given her new hope and the chance for happiness. Happiness with him. Even if that weren’t enough reason to stay with him, she had her fear. This new world he was showing her was frightening. She didn’t understand how it worked, didn’t understand how she would be able to survive here without some kind of help. She liked the idea of building a life with him, although she had no idea how they were going to do such a thing if he wouldn’t talk to her about it. They couldn’t go on like this indefinitely, she already knew that. They would drive each other crazy, end up strangling each other. This was no way to live.

She sat there and waited for him for several hours. Finally she fell asleep, only to be awakened by the sound of the door opening. He was back. Within seconds he opened the fresher door. He stood tall over her in the door, reaching one hand down to help her to her feet, his face grim. She shivered.

He looked completely different. Instead of wearing the monochrome, drab coveralls that all Pilgrim men wore, he was in a sleek black suit. Well tailored, it clung to his body, emphasizing his broad shoulders and muscular chest. It was severe and simple, yet far more elegant than anything she had ever seen before. He was incredibly handsome, almost unreal. What if he left me? she wondered, feeling faint and suddenly self-conscious. Her hair was ragged, her hands were rough. What would a man like this see in her, especially when there were so many women on the station who seemed more than eager for his attention? Women who wore feathers, like Mary. Exotic women.