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I stared out at the vast expanse of space and imagined her escape pod zipping through it at ever-increasing speeds. Some species in the distant future might look up to see an asteroid pass overhead, without realizing it was Maisie sailing endlessly through space and time.
A knock came at the door.
“Come,” I said.
Alice entered gingerly armed with a tray laden with food. She’d have to work extra hard in the kitchen now that she was alone. “Your dinner, captain.”
“Put it on the desk, please,” I said.
She did and clasped her hands together. “Anything else you need, captain?”
Why was she suddenly acting so formal?
I shook my head. “No.”
She nodded and turned to leave. But I didn’t want her to go.
“I’m sorry about making you dress me yesterday,” I said. “I didn’t mean to offend you.”
“It’s okay, captain,” she said. “It doesn’t matter.”
She turned to leave again.
“Wait,” I said. “Maisie’s been a part of our crew for many years, and yet I know so little about her culture. Your culture. I want to learn more about where you came from.”
“Why?”
“Your culture’s the same as Maisie’s. You’re a human female, the same as her.”
“And you’re the captain of the ship that abducted her from her home,” Alice said, her tone cold and devoid of heat. “She didn’t ask to be here. She didn’t choose to be here. You forced her to be here.”
Anger flared in my chest. I understood that she was upset but to hear her blame me for Maisie’s situation was too much to bear.
“She came when I was a new recruit,” I said. “When I became captain, I offered to take her home, to give her money for the years she’d served. I made the same offer every year on the anniversary of when she was abducted. She turned me down every time.”
Alice appraised my expression, searching for a lie. There was none to find.
“Why would she refuse?” she said.
I took a seat on the corner of my bed. “She said she belonged here. She said she wouldn’t know what she would do if she returned.”
Alice sat on the opposite corner of the bed. “She changed her mind before she died. She told me she wanted to return with me. She was making a cake to celebrate.”
This was news to me. “Why now?”
“She knew something was going on between you and me. She didn’t know what but she knew I would be returning home. Maybe I reminded her of the way she used to be. She tried to escape before. She always failed.”
I felt sick to my stomach. “That makes her death even more tragic.”
Alice braced her elbows on her knees. “The crew will Challenge you tomorrow. Are you ready?”
“I feel much stronger now,” I said. But…
I never admitted my weaknesses before. Never to anyone but Maisie. Maybe now she was gone, I could confide in Alice?
“I’m still not yet at full strength,” I said. “I can defeat one member of my crew, but there are no rules when it comes to multiple challengers. If I look weak after the first bout, another crew member could Challenge me right away. I need to overpower the first Challenger resolutely for them to not attack me a second time.”
Alice thought for a moment before moving to my desk and sipping water from my glass.
