After they had returned to the Rag Tag and squared away the loot, Anjali went to the food replicator and made herself a meal. Egg salad sandwich, apple juice, and coleslaw. It didn’t taste great but it was food and she ate it slowly and methodically while contemplating the unopened letter in front of her.<br/><br/>She remembered being put in stasis a few weeks sooner than schedule. Security had said there was a change in plans. Maybe this letter would tell her why. She sat there playing with a lock of her hair when Dwayne walked in and made himself a meal. Anjali noticed how preoccupied he was, turning a small disk over and over in his hand until, it seemed he came to a decision. He stood up and put his meal tray away and walked over to her.<br/><br/>“This chip has a video log on it, by Jace Tillman. It's not my place to hover, or act like a mother hen, or try and tell you your business. This was informative. And it was hard to watch. If my opinion counts, you'll watch this tomorrow after you've had some rest. And don't watch it alone. It's been a difficult day for everyone. Right now, all I really want is a shower and some rest. Bianca, upgrade Anjali's access to crew status. I will see you ladies in the morning."<br/><br/>“Thank you Dwayne” she said and placed a hand over his before he left.<br/><br/>Bianca taught her how to view the video chip, things had, in some respects not changed much and she sat by a monitor in her assigned quarters and watched the video. When she heard the sound of the weapon discharge she moaned in pain and sat on her bunk a pillow clutched to her middle while she rocked to and fro crying for the sweet crewman. His body hadn’t been found, probably sucked out when the hull breached.<br/>The realization that her very existence had caused so much death was a hard pill to swallow. If they had only allowed her to talk about it then she could have told them that while it wasn’t ideal, she expected to be treated well and not to worry for her. Instead they died because of her. Anjali cried until she lost her dinner clutching the cold metal rim of the toilet. After she brushed her teeth she sat down and held the letter in her hands. Did she really want to know what it said? But she would honor these men and women. If they died for her, she could jolly well read their last words.<br/><div style="text-align: center"><br/>
A.M.S<br/>
<br/>
<span style="font-family:Dancing Script">Darling Anjali, </span>read the letter, by the time you read this I’ll be long dead. At least I hope you’ll read this, the idea of my last words to you being lost forever to the void is too painful to contemplate.<br/>
<br/>
You brought sunshine to my ship and those of us lucky enough to crew her when you came along. Always kind and sweet and completely without guile you didn’t even realize how just by the simple act of you being you, you made people fall in love with you. Including me. I have been on ships all my life, been a captain for near twenty-five years and never before did a passenger so affect me. You learned new things without attitude, made mistakes without rancor, laughed at yourself, cheered people up, I could go on.<br/>
<br/>
I fell in love with you too. And I’m not sure what kind of Love it is and it’s too late to dwell on it. But love it is.<br/>
<br/>
My wish for you, should you get this letter in time, is to honor the sacrifice of all those who have gladly given their lives for you, by defying the ugly greed of the Srinivasans. You are more than the sum of the genes which gave you your gorgeous body and your reproductive organs. Be who YOU wish to be, be what you dream to be. <br/>
May you be gifted with a beautiful and accomplished life. May it be rich in love and may you, when your time comes to die, have had the privilege to talk one last time to those whom you love.<br/>
<br/>
I end this letter with love and gratitude my sweet, sweet Anjali Miriam.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
God Bless,<br/>
<br/>
Blaine O’Malley<br/>
<br/>
PS<br/>
<br/>
The pod has a signaling beacon. Get away from it at your earliest opportunity.  ​</div><br/>She had thought she was done crying, but it had turned out she wasn’t. It was clear stasis had been initiated when security got wind of a revolt brewing. How had she not seen the signs? Was she that self absorbed?<br/><br/>Sleep wasn’t going to come to her and she wandered the decks of the ship, with the lights low in power saving mode illuminating little, shadows of the ghosts of her pasts flitting through her mind.<br/><br/>Anjali felt unutterably alone, she had been alone hundreds of years because of who she was. What she was. Did Dwayne think she was poison because she was responsible for the death of pretty much an entire ship?<br/><br/>Suddenly she found herself in front of his cabin. Soft snoring came from within, to her suddenly the sweetest sound. She softly walked in and saw him lying on his bunk fast asleep, his handsome features relaxed in repose. Anjali couldn’t bear to be alone anymore, not for another second, and so she removed her cargo pants and jacket, and wearing only the goofy boxer shorts he had made for her and the too short tank top crawled in bed next to him and closed her eyes. The bed was warm and she felt comforted by his presence, his smell, his snoring and exhaustion claimed her before she knew it.