Chosen by the Governor by Jaye Peaches Read Free Book Online Page A

distant planets that had been conquered by the Vendu, one a long time ago, the other more recently. Both women had arrested for robbery, although they claimed it was necessary for survival. Unlike Earth, where the Vendu lived independently, on other planets, they mixed with indigenous population and treated them like second-class citizens.
    “We were hungry. So I robbed a store. I thought the gun was fake, but it turned out to be real and I let off a shot, nearly hit the shopkeeper. That’s a life sentence—using a firearm,” Abby explained. Jean had a similar tale, although she admitted it had involved a gang and she wasn’t proud of the desperate measures she’d taken to feed her sister’s family.
    “A few here are killers, the worst kind. But most of the prisoners are classified as rebels. Ordinary people, non-combatants, but they’re all the same to the Vendu—insurgents.” Jean stirred her soup and ducked her head down, hiding her eyes. The sadness in her voice was obvious.
    Back at the presses, the noise of the machine and the heat of the room made speech impossible. The day passed achingly slowly. By evening, she wanted to do nothing but sleep. With the light switched off, she was grateful for the pitch blackness, but not the oppressive heat. She slept in the nude.
     
    * * *
     
    The next day and the day after were similar and uneventful. Four days after Freya had arrived, she no longer needed Tally to escort her to the laundry. She knew her way with her eyes half-open. The drudgery was mind-numbing. What about books, films, and music? How would she survive without them?
    On the fifth day, she noticed Abby was hobbling about and seemed loath to put her weight on one leg.
    “What’s up with your leg?” she asked during one quiet spell when they switched off the machine and drank some brackish water.
    “I caught it on something sharp. The cut has gone bad.” She rolled up the leg of her pants. A nasty cut streaked across her calf.
    Freya crouched down and winced sympathetically. “That’s infected. You need medicine.”
    Abby rolled her eyes. “Sure. I’ll just go get some.”
    “Isn’t there a hospital?”
    “Yeah. I won’t go to that infirmary. The League has a supply of medicines, but only if you pay.”
    “Pay with what?”
    “Vouchers. Free time—”
    “Free time?”
    Abby explained, “Hard work is rewarded with days off. They can be swapped or traded in.”
    “I thought the Vendu provided a health service. I met the doctors. Why not go to them?”
    Jean sneered. “They’re too busy assessing new arrivals for their special studies. The black market is the only way to get medicines without questions being asked.”
    “I’ll get you the medicine, Abby. I’ve plenty of vouchers.”
    Abby’s eyes widened. “You don’t understand, Freya. You have to go to the League. They’ll want more than vouchers.” She lowered her voice. “They might want sex.”
    “They can have my vouchers. That’s the deal.”
    “It’s too dangerous, Freya. You can’t just walk in there and dictate terms. Why do you think I’ve put up with the injury?”
    Freya pursed her lips. She needed to make an impression and gain some credibility with her fellow prisoners. “If they demand more than vouchers, I’ll back out. Let me try for you. They’ve given me twenty vouchers to help settle me in. I don’t need them. I’ll be earning new ones tomorrow when Otto pays me.”
    Abby and Jean exchanged glances. “She’s new,” said Abby. “It might work. They don’t trust me anymore.”
    “Trust you?” asked Freya.
    Abby swallowed. “I used to be one of the League’s girls. Then I tipped off the Vendu about the bullying and the violence—they’d beaten up members of another gang and somebody died. I witnessed it and the League doesn’t like snitches. I’m keeping low. Otto looks after us in return for, you know, sex if that’s what he wants. Jean tried to get me the medicines, but they knew