by Janet Miller
Praise for The Girl In The Box
4 Stars - RT Book Reviews
... Some very talented authors have contributed to this fabulous collection
of stories. In "The Girl in the Box" by Janet Miller, space station worker Ammi thinks that
living without the use of her legs means
a future with Ganth, a small freighter operator, is impossible.- Susan Mobley
“Fabulous Anthology, a keeper!!!!” - The Best Reviews
...In The Girl In The Box by Janet Miller, Amirlla Asheras works third shift on space station Blue while communicating with her friend Garth on the space freighter Noble Cause. She refuses to let him see her or meet with her because she doesn't want to see the pity in his eyes when he finds out she is handicapped. It is only when a near tragedy occurs does she realize love transcends all obstacles. This beautiful futuristic love will acquaint readers with a very talented author. - Harriet Klausner
The Girl In The Box
By Janet Miller
www.cricketstarr.com
Copyright 2012 Janet Miller
Cover Art Jim Miller
Electronic book Publication March 2012
This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the authors’ imagination and used fictitiously. This book was previously published in the Dream Quest anthology, copyright October 2003.
More Science Fiction Romance by Janet Miller
Gaian stories:
Promises To Keep
Beloved Enemy
Beloved Traveler
A Promise Made
Other worlds:
Imperfect Judgment
The Girl in the Box
by Janet Miller
Amirilla Asteras gazed at the stars, watching them through the window in the station’s outer shell. Cold and lonely to some, but not her. They were her lucky stars, her friends, the only ones she could count on.
Until now.
“Noble Cause to Space Station Blue. Come in Station. Ammi, you there?”
In the dark and deserted communications center, she smiled and rolled away from the window, activating the switch on the single console left lit for her shift. “Station Blue here, Noble Cause. Welcome back, Ganth. How long you going to be with us this time?”
Opening the console viewscreen, she directed it to show the ship’s docking, the slip two hundred meters away and outside the view of her window. Built by the Gaians, The Noble Cause was sleek for a freighter, its clean lines a departure from the bulky Outer Colony crafts. With Ganth at the helm the ship eased into its assigned slip as graceful as a dancer, sliding to a stop as the docking locks secured.
From her console came a soft rustle, as if Ganth passed a hand over his hair. For a moment Ammi wished he’d activate the viewer so she could see him. But then he’d want to see her, and that wasn’t possible, he’d see too much. They’d made an agreement early on, no visuals.
They’d been talking for nearly a year through their comm units. Ammi worked the third shift of station time, middle of the space night, a lonely time, but her choice since it restricted her exposure to others.
But then Ganth had come along with his sweet sexy voice and easy-going laugh and penchant for working third shift himself. He and his father were the sole operators of the Noble Cause, a small freighter working the Outer Colonies trade routes. Seeking company, he’d found his way into her comm center for long talks and holograph games.
Found his way into her heart as well.
“We’ll be docked for a few days. Dad has some people he’s meeting. They haven’t arrived so I’ll be available for a couple games of astrochess.” His voice rose, betraying his enthusiasm.
“Only a couple of games?” she teased. “What else are you planning to do, hang out and dance in the station bar?”
His answer was an ill-humored grunt. “Oh, yeah, like I could get away with that. Until I attach and marry I’m never getting off this crate. You’re the only friend I have.”
He sounded more disgruntled than usual. She shouldn’t have teased him. Attachment was very important to Gaian males - they weren’t sexually enabled until it happened and it only occurred when they found a woman they matched.
Ganth was twenty-three but under Gaian law, until he married, he wasn’t allowed to mingle with non-Gaians, particularly women, lest he inadvertently attach to someone ‘unsuitable’.
After all, Gaians mated for life.
From what he’d told her, Ganth’s father’s idea of what was suitable was pretty restrictive. It certainly didn’t include a space monkey confined to a transport box. Ammi glanced down at the square metal and plastic cube that covered her from the waist down, allowing her mobility. In her twenty-two years, she’d learned to live with her handicap, the legacy of a pregnant mother exposed to unsafe levels of radiation.
The mining colony she’d been born on had few medical amenities and when she arrived from her mother’s womb, legs twisted like construct cables, the best they could do was keep her alive. Repairing her legs had been beyond hope. Later, the only solution had been the box, a motorized chariot she controlled through connections in her lower back. She’d seen pictures of an old kid’s toy, a ‘jack in the box’. That’s what she resembled.
At least she could thank her lucky stars the rest of her worked properly. She’d even been assured she could have healthy children - assuming anyone ever looked at her that way. She was pretty enough, copper-brown hair she kept spacer short, and eyes an interesting shade of green. But no man had seen beyond the box and no one was ever likely to, with anything other than pity or dismay. Ganth was her friend, but he’d never seen her. If he had she knew he wouldn’t flirt with her this way.
He was still talking. “I keep thinking about what we talked about last time. You know if I wore a respirator, I could come visit you. We could even meet in the bar... we wouldn’t have to dance.”
Surprise filled her - Ganth hated the respirator. It filtered out the pheromones required for attachment but eliminated all odors as well. He’d told her the air smelled bland inside the mask. His offering to wear a respirator was a symptom of how ship-bound he was. Ganth’s dad really should get him back to Gaia so he could find his future wife but the unwelcome idea of Ganth whispering to another woman turned her stomach to ice.
Ruthlessly, she suppressed her reaction. He was her friend, she should be happy he would have someone to love.
“We talked about this. I like not knowing what you look like. After all, if I met you I couldn’t imagine you looking like Bret Skylar could I?” Ammi named the current holo-vid heartthrob, but the truth be known seeing Bret never thrilled her the way Ganth’s voice did.
“Well, I’d be willing to give up my hopes of you looking like Marilyn Mantra.” Ganth countered with Bret’s feminine counterpart, a buxom blond with terrific legs.
Ammi glanced at what passed for her body. Better Marilyn than the real Ammi. She kept her voice light. “No, Ganth. I can’t possibly give up my illusions. Stay on your ship and we’ll keep the visuals off.”
* * *
“Haven’t you ever wanted to do more, go places, see things?” They’d finished their game for the night and now Ammi listened to the eagerness in Ganth’s voice. “It can’t really be enough to sit third shift on a station comm.”
“Oh, sure, sometimes. There are lots of things I’d like to see.” She thought about it for a moment. “Trees for one, big trees.”
“Yeah, big trees, big enough to climb. I’d show you, Ammi. We have great trees for climbing on Gaia.”
Climbing trees on Gaia, like that would happen. But they were dreaming here, why spoil it with reality. “I’d like t
o climb a tree.”
Ganth’s voice was wistful. “I used to climb to the top of the one outside my bedroom and watch the stars at night. If you were with me, I’d pull you to the top of any tree you liked.”
Wouldn’t she love to sit in a tree-top with Ganth. Or anywhere with Ganth for that matter.
“Ammi, the communication center has a window. Go look outside.”
Hitting the switch to open the shutters, she took in the view full of stars. “How do you know about the window?”
“I looked it up on the station schematics.”
“Those are classified, aren’t they?”
He laughed. “Gaians are born knowing how to break into computer systems, Ammi. But that’s not important right now. Look at how so many stars are bunched together, but some are so alone. I’ve always felt like that, a single star in the universe.”
She stared at the individual points of light. “I know what you mean.”
“You don’t have anyone, do you? Family? I mean, you never talk about them.”
“No. My mom died a long time ago. My dad…she didn’t say much about him.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pry.”
“You didn’t.” She rested one elbow on the console, one hand cradling her chin. “I guess you could say I’m a lone star, too.”
“We don’t have to be, Ammi. Two stars alone, maybe we should pair up, become binary.”
Her heartbeat picked up - this dreaming stuff was getting out of hand. “Stars don’t pick their partners, Ganth. And you won’t always be alone. Your mate waits for you. Someday you’ll meet her.”
She heard his deep sigh. “I went to two marriage meets last year, met over two hundred women. Not one did more than raise one of my eyebrows, much less…well, anything else. I just wasn’t interested. My dad might not like it, but I don’t think I’m going to find my wife on Gaia.”
Ammi’s heart pounded harder. What he was implying was impossible. She’d read up on Gaia’s history. A long time ago the Gaians had suffered a major loss, a third of their young women killed by war leaving thousands of men without wives. They’d solved the problem by importing carefully selected Earth women, chosen to meet the Gaians’ strict ideas of what made a suitable woman for mating.
A girl in the box would not have been acceptable then or now. “I don’t think you be talking to me like this. You don’t know enough about me.”
“Believe me, Ammi, I know everything I need to know. Let me come over there, and I’ll prove it to you.”
At the certainty in his voice, her heart felt like it would break. “Ganth, it’s getting late. I think I better sign off for a while.”
* * *
“It’s your move, Ganth.” The astrochess game was in full swing and for once Ammi was winning. She grinned in anticipation.
“Fighter 5 to mothership 7.” His disembodied voice sounded more disconnected than usual, a slight rasping sound in the background.
Frowning, Ammi watched the tiny ships change positions on the holographic board. “What is this, Ganth? That’s a terrible move. At this rate I’ll have your planet blockaded in five turns. Aren’t you paying attention?”
A startled tone came into his voice. “Oh, yeah. Sorry. Couldn’t see the board for a moment.”
There was no reason he couldn’t see the board. Her monitor showed their holographic images in perfect sync with each other, hers in the station comm center, his on the bridge of his ship. The only way he could not see the board—would be if he wasn’t on his ship!
All of a sudden the rasping sound took on special significance. “You aren’t wearing a respirator, are you?”
The breathing sound got louder and his voice tinnier than ever. “Respirator? Why would I be wearing a respirator?” His outright lie rang in her ears.
“Ganth! Where are you?”
“Just a few more minutes, Ammi and you’ll see for yourself.” He sounded smug.
Ganth was coming! After all the warnings she’d given, he’d broken out of his ship and was on his way to the station’s comm center. If he saw her, he wouldn’t have anything to do with her anymore. Panicked, Ammi stared around the room. There was only one exit, no back way out.
The only possibility was to hide in the center. Behind the dark consoles lay a narrow storage cabinet. It was small, but even with the box she’d fit, plus she could lock it from the inside. Moving as fast as the box allowed her, Ammi glided to the cabinet, shoved the contents about to make room and slid inside. She finished setting the lock just as she heard the door to the corridor slide open.
“Ammi?” The respirator mask muffled Ganth’s voice - the hissing rasp of the filters even more obvious as he moved around the room. The cabinet door jiggled and Ammi blessed her stars for the lock. “Are you hiding from me?” His voice was soft, hurt.
“Ganth!” A man’s voice came over the station’s comm unit, commanding, imperious. “Where are you? Did you leave the ship?” Whoever the man was, he sounded angry.
Resignation colored Ganth’s voice. “Yeah, Dad. I left the ship. I wanted to visit a friend. I’m wearing my respirator.” A touch of defiance was in that last sentence.
“That isn’t fool-proof! Say good-bye and get back here!”
“Dad, I’m a grown man - you can’t tell me what to do.” He sighed deeply. “Besides, I can’t find her.”
“HER?” Ganth’s dad broadcasted fury over the comm. Ammi shuddered in her cabinet.
“Yeah, Dad, her. Female. I have a female friend. Her name is Ammi…”
“Who she is isn’t important. You get back here now before I come …”
There was a click and the tirade from the ship cut out. A moment of silence reigned then she heard Ganth’s quiet voice. “I guess you meant it when you said you didn’t want to meet me in person. I’m sure you can hear me, so I’ll just say that I’m sorry I tried to force it.” The silence stretched longer. “I also want you to know that talking with you has been the best thing that ever happened to me. Ammi, you’re my friend, now and always. I wish it could be more…” His voice trailed off, wistful. “But wishes don’t always come true, do they.”
The door to the corridor swished open and closed and the rasp of the respirator ended. When she was certain he was gone, Ammi unlocked the cabinet and wheeled into the room. On her console sat a narrow bracelet, made of some kind of lightweight metal polymer. A pair of twin stars engraved into the band was the only decoration. It reminded her of what Ganth had told her, about how he’d always felt like a lone star until he’d met her. No, wishes didn’t always come true. Tears flooded her eyes as she fastened the simple band around her wrist.
* * *
“Hey, Ammi. You know the folks on the Noble Cause, don’t you?” Jacky, the second shift comm officer, stared at his terminal, the numbers flooding across the screen having meaning for him if no one else.
“Yes, that’s the Gaian ship. What about it?”
“You wouldn’t know which Gaians are on board, would you?”
“It’s a father and son. I talk to the son sometimes.” Not in the last couple of days. The Noble Cause had left dock the day after Ganth tried to visit her and hadn’t returned. She still wore the bracelet he’d left.
Jacky tore his gaze from the screen. “That’s not just any Gaian father and son. The dad is General Garran Doranth himself, former leader of the Gaians. It was his battle plans that allowed the Gaians to win their war of independence from Earth. He stepped down from active duty a few years ago, but has maintained a healthy interest in interplanetary politics.” Jacky returned to his screen. “Trouble is, someone else is taking a unhealthy interest in his activities. I really admire the man, I’m not partial to seeing him hurt.”
Ammi wheeled over to his screen. “What are you seeing?”
He pointed to a few of the numbers. “Here, and here. Someone has been downloading information about when and where the Noble Cause has docked at Station Blue. If I had to make a guess, I
’d say someone intends to have a surprise party for them when they get back.”
“An ambush?” Ammi gnawed on her lower lip. “By who? How can we warn them?”
“Who would have it in for General Garran? Oh, just about anyone from the Earth’s military, Earthforce. He was just a little too effective in winning the war they had. Warning them would be your job. They wouldn’t listen to someone like me, but you know them, you could tell them something was up.” Jacky looked at the numbers again. “They are due back today. You’re off duty, you could meet their ship as soon as they dock.”
Go to their ship? She’d have to admit who she was, and Ganth would know about her. Then again, maybe not. Ganth’s father would never let her on board with an unattached male present. He’d likely have his son stay in his quarters and she wouldn’t have to see Ganth.
At 1600 hours she waited anxiously outside the docking slip assigned to the Noble Cause. She’d had Jacky call them, tell them about a surprise inspection of the bridge and heard the General growl his acceptance. When the door to the ship opened, she stared in surprise at the big man filling the doorway. In his mid-fifties, General Garran was impressive, broad shouldered, his dark hair shot through with gray, particularly around the temples.
When he spoke she heard the same deep gravelly voice that had yelled at his son that night. “Comm said that there was an inspection due?” He eyed her rolling box. “You’re the inspector?”
She summoned her flagging courage and held up her e-tab. “Yes sir. This needs to be done on the bridge.”
He didn’t look like he believed her, but he stepped aside and allowed her to wheel into the ship. Fortunately there were no ladders between the bridge and the entryway and as she predicted, Ganth was nowhere to be seen. Ammi glanced around the bridge of the Noble Cause, the clean lines and uncluttered consoles. It looked more like a military vessel than a freighter. She rested one hand on the comm unit chair, restrained herself from stroking the fabric covering. This was where Ganth sat when he talked to her.
The General turned and sealed the entry behind them, then cut the power to the comm units. Crossing his arms he glared down at her. “Very well, that’s as secure as I can make us. What do you have to tell me?”