Free My Star by Christine Gasbjerg Page A

powers above his rank too. I’ve got no authority of any kind that matters. It’s imperative that he begins to trust me, or at least doesn’t see me as a threat. Right now, I’m pushing my luck like hell by challenging him, and I must stop! ...or I’ll get deeper in trouble.
    “Let’s get you out of here.” The captain sounds annoyed. “You’re not to speak of this to anyone back on the ship. This is strictly confidential. Do you understand that?”
    “My lips will be hermetically sealed.” I sound cheerful.
    Disappointing. It shows me that I take this far too lightly. At this rate, I’ll be the death of me. Why can’t I take this serious? Well I do take this serious. I take it serious that I’ve just met an alien and witnessed its death. I take it serious that alien encounters are being kept secret from the public. I take it serious that Captain Alvah seems to be part of a conspiracy. I’m absolutely fascinated and intrigued by what I’m learning about aliens. But perhaps I don’t take it serious, that this can all cost me my life. Don’t I feel that my life holds value?
    The captain orders the two armed guards to take me back to the ship, and walks off in the opposite direction. He’s probably going to liaise with the commander of the space station about what to do with me. I consider if there’s anything I can do to escape the two guards. If I could, then what would I do? Hide on the space station? It’s unlikely that I’d manage to stay hidden for long. Try to steal a spaceship, and return to Earth on my own? I don’t even know how to start up the engine of the Apollo. Hijack the Apollo then? I’d not be able to control everyone. Too many are under the captain’s command unquestionably. Besides, I think I’m not enough of a fighter, and too much of a lover to force anyone to do anything they don’t want to. It would have to be a mutiny, a collaboration with the others behind me. And I’m not sure they would be.
    Back at the Apollo the others are looking curiously at me. I guess it’s been noted that I didn’t return with the rest of them, and now they’re wondering what’s been going on. But I can’t tell them. I go straight to my cabin. I feel incapacitated. I feel castrated. I feel like I depend on the bad guys. That’s fucked!
    “Where have you been? What happened?” Kurt whispers, as he quickly enters my cabin, and shuts the door quietly behind him.
    He sees the expression on my face, and wraps his arms around me. He sits there in silence for a while, and just holds me. He’s the rock of calmness that I need right now. It takes me a little while to relax. Then he kisses me long and soft, and my body lets go of all tension. I surrender to the safety of his embrace.
    I wish it wouldn’t end, but it does.
    Kurt breaks it off. “Talk to me.”
    I snap out of the dream. “I tell you it’s horrendous. It’s worse than we thought. They’re not only keeping the public suppressed and in the dark, they’re also treating peace-seeking ETB’s like prisoners of war.”
    “How is it possible that a corporation can have this much power? Surely, the government must know what’s going on. Why don’t they stop this?” Kurt pauses.
    “They might be partially in the dark too, not knowing the full extend of what’s going on. Or perhaps the government is in on it, and condones the secrecy to stay in power by preserving the inequality between humans.” My mind is buzzing with theories of conspiracy.
    “And as long as we’re here doing our job under the captain’s tight rule, we’re effectively supporting it too.” Kurt gives a troubled sigh.
    “What can we do? Mutiny?” I’m eager to hear Kurt’s opinion of my idea.
    “As long as the captain is successful in controlling the crew with his ‘divide and conquer’ strategy, we’re never going to win enough of the crew over to our side to be able to take charge of the ship. Someone would report it to the captain before we’ve even