Chapter 4

At some point I must have fallen asleep because I woke up to an alarming amount of banging reverberating through the hull of the ship. Now and then it was punctuated by a yell or the clatter of something. It was clear the room I was in wasn't particularly sound proof.

I felt a little calmer than I had been inside the box before I'd gone to sleep, but I wouldn't say I felt at ease. It was still a dark box on a Frnetin's ship.

Not long after I was awake enough getting back to sleep wouldn't be easy the noises stopped. A moment later the ship powered up again and I could only assume we were on our way somewhere.

My stomach rumbled as I tried to work out how long it must have been since I'd eaten. I had the beginning of a headache as well and I suspected I was a little dehydrated. For a moment I sat in silence, trying to work out what my captor might be doing, but I realized this wasn't going to get me anywhere. I had a feeling he'd entirely ignore me for ten days unless I could get him to engage with me and not treat me like something he could sell or screw.

It took several more minutes for me to work up the courage to get his attention.

I knocked on the door panel, hoping he'd be able to hear it. There was no response. Again, I waited for a while, trying to pluck up the courage to rap again. This time I thought I heard something but no one appeared.

The third knock was easier to bring myself to do, but I didn't just leave it at that.

"Are you there? Can you hear me?" I called, my voice sounding strange after not using it for so long.

There was no reply, so I repeated it for a fourth time. This time I heard the shuffle and approach of my captor.

"I don't like noise," I heard him call from the other wise. "Quiet down or I'll stick that thing on mute and reposition your bindings into a hogtie so awkward you'll wish you'd been as quiet as a space mouse during a deep clean."

"Please," I called back, worried this wouldn't work and was about to push him into his threat. "I'm hungry and dehydrated. It had already been a while since I'd eaten or drunk. I can't make it to the market without something."

A growl followed my words but I thought he came closer again.

"I'll get something myself if it's easier. Just point me towards the kitchen. You can go do whatever you were doing."

"And have you out of my sight. I'm not stupid, human."

I sighed, not sure if I should respond to that. He clearly wasn't stupid but I had to try something. And I was right about what I'd said. I couldn't live another nine days on his ship without food or water.

The door panel opening made me jump. The bright light made me blink and squint again, but it seemed more dim this time, as if he'd turned it down.

"Come on," he said. "Get your sorry ass up and out of there while I'm still feeling like bothering to take care of you."

I tried to shift closer to the edge again, aware of the drop this time. Slowly, I eased out, hoping he'd have at least a little patience. In the end he grabbed my arm and steered me down and through his bedroom.

The rest of the ship had a slightly less bright light and I could finally see where I was. With my eyes adjusting, he reached the steps again. Instead of demanding I go down them first, as I'd expected, he practically slid down them and then looked up at me.

"Well, are you coming then? Thought you were hungry and thirsty?"

I tried to hide the surprise at how much kinder he sounded by working my way down the ladder. At first my limbs protested, stiff after being cooped up so long. Eventually I managed to make my way down until I stood beside my captor.

"This way. And don't think about running-"

"Or you'll make a hogtied mess. I get it," I said interrupting him. "I just want a drink and some food."

He lifted an eyebrow, and studied me for a moment.

"I can say I want to escape too if that makes you feel better," I added. "But I'm not stupid either. While I'm wearing these things there's not a lot I can do, is there?"

"No. Doesn't stop most of the women I capture in our territory from trying." He led the way toward a small kitchen and dining area, and motioned for me to take a seat.

I slid across the padded bench to sit in the corner on one side and waited, gratefully for him to get a couple of plates and cups and dish up some breakfast, or possibly lunch, for both of us.

It was only ship rations. Packets of mixed foods that when eaten together provided what you needed, but they were cheap and I'd been surviving on them for months. Not that I could afford them all the time despite how little they cost.

They clattered and rattled as they hit the plates, before he filled the two cups up from a small water filter tank.

As soon as he came over to the table with them and put mine down in front of me I tucked in, downing most of the drink before I used my hands to shovel in most of the food.

"Frack, you were right when you said you were hungry," he said as he picked up the first chunk of his food, and took a bite out of it.

"It's been a while since I could afford some food. I had to top up the filters on the last run and a couple of ship parts broke. This run to chart some areas of space was meant to bring me in enough money to stock the ship for a whole month."

"Are you that down on your luck then?"

I nodded, not sure where this line of questioning had come from. It was me meant to be trying to soften him and here he was asking me stuff.

"I thought from the look of your ship that you were doing a little better for yourself. You take care of that thing."

"I'm pretty sure you called my ship a rust bucket."

"It can still be a rust bucket but be well taken care of," he shot back as I finished up the last of my drink.

Already I felt loads better, my stomach no longer wondering where my next meal was going to be from. I could have done with more drink, but I didn't want to disturb the Frentin in front of me if he was still eating so I focused on the rest of my food for a moment.

Before we could finish an alarm started blaring from somewhere else in the ship.

"Frack," he said, immediately getting to his feet and grabbing his plate as if he intended to run with it through to the cockpit. Part way up he paused and looked at me.

"Don't worry, I'll stay here and keep eating like a good girl. As long as I can get some more water."

He paused for a moment before nodding and waving at the tap on the water filter unit. And then he ran off, leaving me relatively free in his kitchen.