Heart of the Nebula by Joe Vasicek

as a citizen, you’re
entitled to all of the rights and protections that come along with
it. Why throw all that away?”
    “ Because those
‘protections’ are worthless.”
    To her surprise, he actually looked like
she’d hurt him. He nodded slowly and took a long breath, keeping
his lips pressed tightly together. There was a sadness in his eyes
that she’d never really seen in a man before. Perhaps she’d
misjudged him.
    “ Look, I don’t really care
about any of this stuff. Just let me off at the next place we dock,
and I’ll be fine.”
    “ That’s the thing, though,”
said James. “Technically, what you’ve done is a criminal offense,
and as the ranking security officer on this ship, it’s my
obligation to take you into custody and bring you back for a trial.
If I let you go, it would be a direct violation of my
duty.”
    Kyla scowled. So he is trying to manipulate me.
    The humming at the serving bar stopped, and
the spider-like robot once again hovered toward them. It set down a
platter in front of her, filled with thick, creamy bean paste. It
smelled delicious, with a mind-numbing blend of spices and what
looked like real tomatoes. Her stomach growled—the scent was so
strong, it practically made her drool. It took all of her
self-discipline not to shovel it all in her mouth, but with the way
James was manipulating her, that was the last thing she was going
to do.
    “ Go ahead,” he said.
“Eat.”
    “ What do you want from
me?”
    “ What do I want from you?”
he repeated, a puzzled look crossing his face. “So long as you
don’t make trouble, all I want is to see you safely back to the
Colony.”
    “ And then what?”
    “ Nothing—nothing at all.
It’s my duty to serve and protect all of the citizens of the
Colony, even stowaways like you. But if you behave well, I can
vouch for you.”
    Behave well. If he was expecting her to be submissive, he was
in for a rough surprise.
    “ Let’s get something
straight,” she said, pointing a finger at him. “I don’t want your
gifts, I don’t want your bribes, and I sure as hell don’t want any
favors. If you think I owe you anything, I swear I’ll throw this
food in your face. I’d rather starve to death than be anyone’s
bitch.”
    “ Whoa, whoa, whoa,” said
James, raising both his hands. “No one said anything about
that.”
    “ You don’t have to say it.
We both know I’m your prisoner.”
    He sighed heavily. “Look, let’s be
reasonable. You’ve broken the law, but you’re a citizen of the
Colony, and as such it’s my duty to look after you. I’ll see that
the captain gives you a place on this ship, and we’ll treat you as
another passenger until we return home. If you don’t do anything
rash, I’ll do my best to see that you get off with a light
sentence. Then you’ll be free to do as you please.”
    “ And what if I want off
before then?”
    “ I’m afraid I can’t let you
do that.”
    “ The hell you can’t. You’re
just holding out because you want to fuck me.”
    He gave her a sharp look that silenced her
immediately. “I have never accepted favors or bribes from anyone,
and I don’t intend to start now. Don’t flatter yourself into
thinking you’re going to change that.”
    Footsteps sounded on the stairs behind them.
Kyla turned and saw a middle-aged woman in a crisp white uniform,
her expression stern and unyielding. James rose to his feet.
    “ I have to talk with the
captain now, but I’ll be back once we’re finished.”
    “ You’re going to decide
what to do with me, aren’t you?”
    He nodded. “Enjoy your food.”
    Without looking back to see if she’d eat, he
joined the captain and walked down the hallway, leaving her alone.
She looked down at the plate of savory food before her and tried to
clear her thoughts before giving in to her hunger.
    Who was this James, and why was he treating
her so well? It didn’t make any sense. He claimed that all he
wanted to do was serve and protect, yet