Page 34 of Truthful Deceptions

Lexarit pointed out the inherent flaw in Narmuna’s logic. “If she’s considered a pet by our government, how could she hold any possessions?"

“That is the biggest issue, but I have a solution,” Narmuna said. “We’ll have to create a second company that owns her. The same company will own an equal percentage of the ship, like we do. Then I create a web of ownership until all decision-making for Opal’s company is made by her through various channels. It would be laborious for her to get things done, but it would mean if she was ever alone without us, all she would need to do is message the broker who will handle her “company” and she can fund her own rescue.”

“Narmuna, you’re brilliant!” I exclaimed with an excited rattle.

“But would it work?” Mieshorum asked.

“I’m sure it would, although I’d rather Opal wasn’t forced to test the efficacy in an emergency situation,” Narmuna said. “We’ll need to get her an Ident she can use to present herself as a Talin when messaging the broker. But that shouldn’t be too hard. We could buy a black-market one and clone one of ours to it.”

“We should have everything in place before we tell her that she can leave,” Lexarit said. “She won’t believe us unless we have everything ready with all the interfaces set up.”

I couldn’t help but voice my own concern.

“What if she leaves us, even after we do all this for her?” They all went silent and stared at me. “What?”

“You weren’t eating,” Lexarit said. “Before we brought Opal onboard.”

“I was eating,” I said.

“Not much,” Narmuna said. “Maybe a meal every other rotation.”

“And you were acting oddly,” Lexarit continued. “In the past, when we delivered to Dekoro Station, you nearly sprinted to the gaming area to run a few of the races. Last time, you stayed on the ship. You haven’t been yourself.”

Mieshorum sounded a comforting rumble. “You don’t have to say it, but we all know what’s wrong.”

It seemed I wasn’t as good at keeping my secrets as I thought. I’d been able to dismiss the early signs that I was suffering from the Fading. At first it was nothing but a kind of listlessness that made it hard to focus on my tasks.

I’d pushed through. I was fine. I had to be fine; my friends and crewmates were counting on me.

Except I was far from well. Each rotation, everything got a little bit worse. Finally food stopped tasting good, and I had to convince myself to rise from my bunk each work cycle.

“I’m not Fading,” I said, forcing myself to utter the word that no one liked to say. Dying from Fading was a mark of genetic and spiritual weakness. If my family found out I had it, they’d have disowned me.

Lexarit made a sound of agreement. “You’re not Fading now, but that’s because of one change.”

No one needed to say what the change was. If they’d noticed I wasn’t eating or interested in anything before Opal, then they definitely observed my change with her arrival.

“The best thing that ever happened to me was when she picked me in our lineup,” I murmured.

“Did you have intercourse with her?” Narmuna asked.

I let out a startled rattle. “I..I…” what was I supposed to say? Admitting the truth would surely turn my friend against me.

“She was a sex worker,” Lexarit reminded me. “We didn’t know that originally, but now we do. When she was in the cabin alone with you, she would have assumed you wanted sex. It was a logical conclusion on her part.”

“I tried to refuse,” I said, knowing I deserved their anger. “But her touch felt electric. She was so gentle and kind. She lip pressed me like the humans do to each other. She was immediately addicting. I have many regrets, but I can’t bring myself to regret that.”

“I understand,” Narmuna said. “If a human came to me offering a true relationship, I’d accept also. I’m only disappointed we didn’t know she thought that was the job.”

“Yes,” I said. “That is one of my regrets.”

“Have you two been intimate since that first time?” Lexarit asked.

“No,” I said. “I hope to please her in that way again. The scent she produces when aroused is indescribably delicious."

“As long as she knows it isn’t a requirement,” Mieshorum said.

“I’d never force her!” I said.