on Earth. She was in a spaceship
traveling through space in a way that her people never imagined
possible, going to another planet to live. She was living a dream
that her people likely wouldn’t realize for generations.
She was stuck on the ship, in his room, for
two months and then another month on the planet. He was gorgeous,
funny, sweet, attentive, and kind. Of course she was going to care
for him, fall in love with him. No matter the amount of physical
space she put between them, she couldn't help but appreciate
everything about him. He never lashed out at her when she rebuffed
him. He never pushed her. He’d never done anything in their time
together except hug her a few times. She could have certainly ended
up in a far worse situation.
And she certainly didn't want to refuse him
and wind up as a whore in a brothel.
She asked to visit Sloan again on the seventh
day. Eden made the arrangements, and Sloan came to pick her up. As
they walked through the halls and stepped into the transport, Sloan
said, "Is there anything special you'd like to do, Ashleigh?"
"Could you teach me how to use the
cooker?"
Sloan's brows rose in pleased surprise.
"Sure. Was there something you'd especially like to make, or did
you just want to learn how to use it in general?"
"Eden liked a salty thing, esot I
think it was called, that was rolled up?"
"Oh, esot with guiu and freks . That's his favorite. I used to make it for him all
the time when we were young. I'd be happy to show you how to make
that."
Inside Sloan's tidy kitchen, she showed
Ashleigh how to turn on the cooker and use a control pad in the
counter to adjust the heat level. Ashleigh sliced up the esot , which was a pyramid-shaped meat like a ham, with two
thick bones through the center of it. The esot beast, which
was a stocky creature with spikes along its furry back, was
butchered and the meat prepared using a brine, which gave it the
salty flavor, before it was roasted over an open flame.
While the strips fried on a pan heated on the
cooker, Sloan showed her how to make the flatbread, which they
called varjak . Two scoops of yellow flour, one spoonful of a
thick oil, and enough hot water to make a dough. While Sloan
watched, Ashleigh kneaded the dough and then cut it into three
pieces, rolling them into large discs. Another pan was heated on
the cooker, and each flatbread was toasted until it was cooked and
then left to cool on a platter.
"Why do you come on these trips, Sloan?"
Ashleigh asked, touching the strips of esot with a
long-handled fork and moving them around the shallow pan.
"This is my first trip, actually. I wanted to
come to support Eden and to meet you. I am qualified to be here,
and I, well, I wanted to make sure that you were treated well from
the beginning."
Ashleigh stopped fiddling with the meat and
looked at Sloan. "What?"
"I'm the one who handled your in-take,
Ashleigh. I implanted your translator, and I examined, bathed and
dressed you. I know that might embarrass you, but you shouldn't
worry about that. It was important to me that you were treated with
the utmost respect. I even watched the entire group of women in the
room, and I spoke personally to Commander Riya and made sure you
were the last one taken."
"Why?"
"You handled yourself so well. You didn't
fight or cower in fright. You tried to encourage the others to stay
calm. I've seen the vid they show inductees, and it's not very
informative, but instead of panicking, you kept your head. I
thought that being the last one taken would help you have time to
come to terms with things. I hope it didn't make you panic too
much, all that waiting." She smiled.
"No, I don't know if I would have been more
upset to be taken earlier or when I was. I just was trying to be
calm and not fight. It didn't seem to work for any of the other
women."
"The men are trained to handle the women
without hurting them. Commander Riya is very careful of the men on
his team and chooses them wisely."
Did
Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Brendan Clerkin
Darren Hynes
Jon A. Jackson
S. L. Viehl
Kasey Michaels
Neil Postman
Hao Yang
Gerald Murnane
Beatrix Potter