AGU SCI 1: The Star Brotherhood by Thomas DePrima Read Free Book Online Page A

several hours, then parboiled and allowed to cool for an hour. Most cooks can't be bothered with this preparation, so most people have grown up eating the poor results. They've never had it cooked properly, so they don't know any better."
    Vyx wished he could order something else. Almost anything would do. But he was a guest here and the mission was too important to let personal culinary tastes interfere.
    As Vyx and Lippaula stood up, she slipped her arm beneath his, so he raised his arm, crooked at the elbow, as if he was escorting her into a formal dinner.
    The conversation was suspended as the food was brought in by an automated attendant and they were served. When the aroma wafting from the food reached Vyx, he couldn't believe how delicious it smelled.
    "You did say this was Tarlovo, didn't you?"
    Lippaula smiled. "Wait until you taste it. You'll never believe it came from the same species used for the stew at that tavern."
    Vyx was still a bit skeptical in spite of the aroma, but he sliced into the thick Tarlovo steak as the attendant robot left the room. Cutting off a small piece, he lifted it to his mouth, paused to take a breath, then slipped it into his mouth and withdrew the fork. After a couple of seconds spent savoring the taste of the sauce, he began chewing.
    Lippaula looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to announce the verdict. When Vyx smiled, she had it. "You like it," she said.
    "It's great," he said, after chewing and swallowing the piece. "Are you sure this is Tarlovo?"
    "Positive. I have it often, but never from someone other than my own chef."
    "It's wonderful, Paula. I wish my cook were here to sample it."
    "You have your own chef?"
    "Well, yes and no. He's part of my crew but he does all the cooking. He's an excellent cook."
    "How large is your crew?"
    "I have four crewmembers. We've been together for a long time, and we're almost like a family."
    "Are you married?"
    "No, I never married."
    "Why not?"
    "It's difficult to have both a family and a life in outer space. As hard as it is on military families, it's ten times worse when you don't have the support networks they enjoy. And the life of a smuggler and gunrunner is that much more dangerous."
    "I imagine you're lonely."
    Vyx had no intention of mentioning his involvement with Brenda. He had to keep it secret from anyone who might try to use information about their relationship should he or Brenda ever be captured by an enemy. "It's a lonely life."
    "You're the first Terran I've invited to dine with me since I've been on this planet. Believe me, I know lonely."
    "How come you never returned to Earth once you got your freedom?"
    "Technically, I'm still the property of Resorts Galactic. Here, surrounded by the Brotherhood, I can be safe and free. But if I'm discovered outside my safe zone, someone can earn a huge bounty for my return."
    "But surely that ended when the GA defeated the Uthlarigasset forces. Slavery is illegal now."
    "It's only illegal in the mind of the GA. Until Space Command crushes every Resorts Galactic operation in this region and arrests or kills every slaver, slavery will continue to be a way of life for many. Slavery might disappear eventually, but it won't end simply because Space Command orders it stopped."
    "Can't you buy your freedom?"
    "I tried once. They refuse to negotiate with escaped slaves. They said that if I returned, they might consider negotiating with a third party. I didn't trust them to keep their word. Once I was back, they might refuse to negotiate, and then I'd be stuck there. And worse, they'd probably wipe my memory. I didn't think it was worth the risk."
    "As the head of the Brotherhood on this planet, you surely must have access to a spaceship. Once you achieve FTL, no one can stop you. You could be back on Earth in a few years. Even though Resorts Galactic is still operating, this region of space is officially part of the GA. The Raiders stopped intercepting ships and taking prisoners as slaves