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acting. Within seconds he was completely out.
To her disgust, she could feel tears welling up in her traitorous eyes. She
didn't want to leave him like this. She didn't want to leave him at all. You
don't have a choice, she reminded herself. It's not about you any more; it's
about the baby.
Quickly, she left the room and retrieved the small bag she'd packed earlier.
She'd put her time at the data terminal to good use. She already knew the time
and place of departure for the Grandal, a freighter bound deep into Saurellian
territory. It would be slow but safe. Jess had never bothered hiding his stash
of credit vouchers from her, so money was no issue. She pawed through the pile
of vouchers, trying to decide how much she should take. She wanted to leave
him plenty to continue his quest, but at the same time she had to be sure
there was enough money for her and the baby. Finally she simply scooped half
into her bag, hoping it would be enough. She didn't really know how much
things cost anyway, she realized. She had so much to learn it was
frightening at times.
Stepping through the door of the living area into the main corridor, she made
her way quickly to the cockpit. This was the hard part she'd seen him call out
on the radio several times, but she wasn't even quite sure how to turn the
thing on. She fiddled with several dials and knobs before a soft voice spoke.
"This is the ship's computer. May I be of assistance?"
She jumped, then laughed nervously. How silly she was. The computer would call
a transport for her.
"I need a transport to the Grandal," she said. "Can you arrange that?"
"Certainly," the computer said. It fell silent, although several lights on the
flickering display flashed.
"Transportation has been arranged. Please go to the airlock and I will inform
you when transportation arrives."
"Thank you," she said, running one hand over her hair nervously. It was so
strange to be leaving the ship without Jess. She just hoped she was able to
take care of herself.
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Don't be a ninny, she thought firmly. Of course she would be able to take care
of herself. She didn't have a choice; the baby needed her.
She left the cockpit and walked down to the airlock. The wait
seemed to last forever. Was something wrong? She kept looking nervously
toward the door to the living quarters, a part of her expecting Jess
to burst out any minute. That was ridiculous, of course. He would be asleep
for at least twenty-four hours. The auto-doc had assured her of it.
A green light lit up over the hatch, and the computer spoke to her again.
"Ground transportation has arrived," it said. "Please proceed into the
airlock."
The door slid open. Taking a deep breath, she stepped through it.
Chapter Fifteen
Two Months Later
Bethany stretched wearily, and pulled the last of her possessions out of the
small storage locker she'd been assigned after booking passage on the
Grandal. It was a good thing she hadn't brought much with her, she thought
wryly. She looked at her bunk, one of twenty in the cramped room, and sighed
in relief. After two months of travel she was finally going to be getting off
the decrepit old freighter that had taken her away from Jess. She'd had no
idea space travel could be that slow and uncomfortable.
Just thinking of his name was enough to make tears well up in her
eyes. It disgusted her, this emotional weakness that seemed to come with
pregnancy. Not only was she desperately lonely for Jess, she was an emotional
wreck. According to what she'd read, such emotional upheaval was normal during
pregnancy, but that didn't make it any easier. Not by a long shot.
She went down to the holding area, mingling with a mixed group of fellow
passengers and ship's crew. None of them spoke with each other. The crew kept
to themselves, and the passengers were all there for the same reason. They'd
been desperate to get away from Barengaria and didn't have enough money to
travel like civilized beings. She suspected that more than a few of them might
even be on the run. It wasn't a situation that led naturally to comradely
feelings.
They stood silently, waiting for the next shuttle to the surface of Vlaxon, a
small, agricultural planet that was next on the Grandal's slow run of
borderline worlds. The population wasn't huge, but she hoped it was large
enough for a woman to lose herself in. According to one of her fellow
passengers, there was often seasonal work available in the fields. Having [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]