Page 38 of Volunteer 4711

“She said since our commanders were going to be united now that she bought it for me from an auction on the Home Planet and that she was going to give it to me as a peace offering.” She begins to shake with her tears.

“And you followed her?” I ask.

“I should have known it was a lie,” she says through her sobs. “She went around in circles in the other ship, so I lost my bearings, and then she left me.”

“How did you get hurt?” I must ask this question even though it will pain me to hear the answer.

“A male attacked me. He said I was in the prostitutes’ area of the ship and that because I was a volunteer, I was a prostitute.”

“And you fought him off?” I ask, closing my eyes.

“Barely. Had your officer not come for me, I don’t know what would have happened,” she then tells me about my officer firing a shot and taking her back to the dining room. Suddenly, as if she needs to be rescued again, she leans into my chest, crying hard. I let go of her hands and stroke her brown hair cascading down her back.

“Where was your gun?” I ask.

“I had it, but I forgot I had it,” she says, muffled against me.

“It’s a common mistake,” I say. Thinking about how foolish I was to bring her knowing the danger. I vow to myself it will not ever happen again.

“This jewelry, it’s really yours?” I ask.

She’s quiet for a minute, and then she looks up at me, “You know about it?”

“The farmers are auctioning it off for money. However, I didn’t know if it was really yours or some publicity stunt.”

She wipes her brown eyes now. “In the image that the other Water woman showed me, it was mine. It was my grandmother’s necklace and has her initials on it. Inside is a small picture of my mother as a girl.”

“I will buy it for you.”

“You don’t …” she begins, but I cut her off.

“It’s the least I can do for putting you in so much danger. I should have asked you if the necklace was yours before assuming it was another ploy to get me involved in the farmers’ business. Had we discussed it, the other Water woman would have never been able to lure you away.” I go to my computer and find the message. I open it and then go to the auction. I buy the necklace for an exorbitant amount for such a simple object.

“I want to pay you for it,” she says. “I don’t want to owe you.”

“You do not owe me. We are even again. You do not blame me for taking you to a dangerous place and not mentioning the necklace, and I do not expect payment from you.”

“Thank you, Commander,” she says.

“I want you to go to sickbay and see about those bruises. Do you know who attacked you?”

“Wait, there’s something else I should tell you.”

I feel a sense of dread coming on. “What?”

“When I returned to the kitchens, the other Water woman assumed that I had been raped and began teasing me about being so stupid.”

“But you were not raped?” I ask to be sure we have not had a miscommunication.

“I wasn’t, but I… I attacked the other Water woman. I thought some of her crew would come to her aid, but they didn’t, and I left quite a few bruises on her face, and she had a bloody lip.”

I breathe deeply. “The other commander is not going to like that, but she deserved it. And it speaks volumes no one came to her aid. What made you stop?”

Volunteer 4711 hangs her head. “The first officer’s valet pulled me off of her,” she admits.

I run a hand through her long brown hair and then say, “Well, you had good reason.”

“So maybe it’s best to leave all of this. Don’t mention it to anyone,” she suggests.

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