{"id":72,"date":"2024-02-28T21:57:21","date_gmt":"2024-02-28T21:57:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/petrapecharova.com\/?page_id=72"},"modified":"2025-02-08T09:19:11","modified_gmt":"2025-02-08T09:19:11","slug":"the-life-chapter-1d","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/petrapecharova.com\/index.php\/the-life-chapter-1d\/","title":{"rendered":"The Life: Chapter 1d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Compared to the events of the fourth day of our journey, the second half was totally unremarkable, and I liked it that way. Soon after I treated Mess in my<\/em> sick bay (and it was mine, even if only temporarily), the Right Front stopped sulking and allowed us to get back to the right part of the universe. I participated in all the officers\u2019 meetings; I kept checking the quickly disappearing claw-like pattern on the captain\u2019s forearm; I treated several sick people, a panic attack, a common flu and a minor injury; for three days, I was a part of the space ship crew, and it was cool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are in communication with Solar System already,\u201d Frank updated us all on day nine of our trip. \u201cThey asked us to make our approach slightly slower than normal, so we should be docking in the Earth\u2019s orbit in about twenty-four hours.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twenty-four hours. Twenty-four hours until the end of nightmare, twenty-four hours until my new life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was about to go to bed that evening when the light above my door shone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was Mess.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am not going to bother you for long,\u201d she said. \u201cI just wanted to say thanks for taking care of my sick bay instead of poor Leonard. And, well, to ask you a favour.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPlease tell me how can I help you.\u201d I was ready to do almost anything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn about fifteen hours from now, my \u2018ship will dock with the Earth\u2019s orbital structures,\u201d Mess went on. \u201cOnce this happens, there will be some formalities to take care of. You will have to go through an awful lot of paperwork I am afraid; initiate the asylum proceedings, choose where to go and what to do once the asylum application is granted, find a place to stay, a job, all sorts of things. There will be someone waiting for you to help you, get you started on an entirely different world \u2013 I made sure of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThank you so much.\u201d She was not a spy, she was a space ship captain. Space ship captains were apparently the best people in the whole universe. All the romantic stories about them were true.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere will be a lot of police and security officers there. They don\u2019t mean bad. They just have to make sure you haven\u2019t been taken away from Iokasta against your will. They will be nice to you; most likely, they will regard you as a victim in all this and they will treat you accordingly. Nobody should be unpleasant, let alone rough.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSounds great. But?\u201d There was always a but, and I waited for what was to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am likely to get arrested.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want that to happen.\u201d I didn\u2019t want Mess to suffer because she helped me. That would not be fair at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI know. That\u2019s why I am warning you in advance. If it happens, I need you not to panic. The Solar System Comm Centre has advised us already that there is a suspicion of Convention violation, and they cannot just let that go. They have to show that they follow the rules and take such allegations seriously, however absurd it may sound to everyone involved.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI still do not want that to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThank you, but I am afraid it cannot be helped. You can help me out, though. They will ask you a lot of questions, about all sorts of things. Most of these questions will be about what I did, what I told you and how you ended up in my \u2018ship. I just wanted to ask you to be careful and tell them the truth. Just describe what happened and how, do not skip anything, do not add anything. Could you please do that for me?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSure, I can certainly do that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThank you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI feel bad now,\u201d I said. \u201cI don\u2019t want you to be in trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t come to make you feel bad, and I am sorry that that\u2019s what I managed. Rest assured that I was well aware of everything that would happen after our return to Earth. This is not unexpected, it was my decision, and you don\u2019t have to feel bad or guilty about that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell, this is not quite how it works.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat is true.\u201d Mess sighed. \u201cI will leave you to get some sleep, then. Tomorrow is your big day.\u201d She smiled and headed out of my room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Almost exactly fifteen hours later, the captain announced a successful completion of the docking manoeuvre. We were officially here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As I was irregular, a refugee travelling with false documents and all that, I was asked to leave the \u2018ship last, with the crew, not with the other passengers. In the few hours before the crew picked me up, I amused myself by checking and completing my reports on what happened in the sick bay during the journey, writing in my diary because I didn\u2019t want to forget the details of this journey, and saying my goodbye to the \u2018ship. During the journey, I grew quite fond of her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLet\u2019s go.\u201d There was a little group: Mess, Frank, Hank the security officer and another guy from the \u2018ship\u2019s security whom I hadn\u2019t been introduced to. Hank and the other security guy both had ray rifles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Regs,\u201d Mess explained with a shrug. \u201cDon\u2019t worry, it\u2019s not because of you. It\u2019s actually because of me; Hank is to hand me over to the authorities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I inhaled sharply. Hank looked at me with worry in his eyes, but it was Mess who spoke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDon\u2019t panic, and don\u2019t worry. If all goes well, I will be out of this in forty-eight hours, max.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I didn\u2019t really accept this, but at the same time, I didn\u2019t think I could do anything, so I just followed Mess and the security people from the \u2018ship. When we got to the locks that connected the Kalypso<\/em> to the docks, we were met by a group of what to me looked like police officers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCaptain.\u201d One of the police officers was facing Mess, looking her straight in the eye. I realized I should\u2019ve said something like \u2018thanks and bye\u2019, but making this mistake straight suddenly didn\u2019t seem to be an option.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMajor. Nice to see you again.\u201d I was pretty sure Mess was referring to the very real possibility of us all dying in the outer space, but I was not so sure the officer got this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI will now arrest you, captain.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSure.\u201d Mess looked fairly indifferent. Well, she knew in advance, but still. \u201cCould you please explain my rights to me, and enlighten me about the reasons for arresting me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn a minute, captain. Do you have any weapons on you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo. And nothing in my pockets either.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI would like to avoid searching you.\u201d He obviously meant it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI do appreciate that. No, major, I left everything that could be considered dangerous on board. Well, apart from my shoelaces, obviously.\u201d She smiled. He did not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThank you. I will have your codes to the \u2018ship, please.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey are with my second-in-command, Lieutenant Matinelli.\u201d Mess made a small gesture backwards, towards Frank. \u201cHe has been given all access codes and assumed command of the \u2018ship the minute we docked. As per Regulations.\u201d She looked so calm, like nothing could ever get to her. I would\u2019ve been freaking out in her place, but then I had been scared of police and authorities in general since I was about four.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s fine. Captain, you are suspected of violation of the Interplanetary Convention. Planet Iokasta filed an official complaint against you, accusing you of kidnapping a Iokasta citizen, an individual named Alix Kadijk. Do you have anything to add?\u201d I noticed they used my surname \u2013 the one they denied me. Bastards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo, not at the moment,\u201d Mess said. I might have had a lot to add, but nobody asked me. Maybe it was better that way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s also fine.\u201d Like he was running through a checklist of a sort. \u201cYou are under arrest, captain, for suspicion of the aforementioned violation of the Interplanetary Convention.\u201d He produced a pair of cuffs; Mess extended her hands towards him. \u201cYou have the right to remain silent and refuse to answer investigators\u2019 questions. Whatever you say will be used against you in the court, as will be your silence. You have the right to receive legal advice. You have the right to have your legal counsel with you in all dealings with the investigators or the court. You have the right to have your case reviewed within forty-eight hours from now by a judge, who will decide about the charges and also the bail. Do you understand everything?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mess confirmed she did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDo you have anything to add now?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cStill nothing, major, but thank you for the opportunity,\u201d Mess said, and that was it, the police officers led her away from her \u2018ship, handcuffed, under armed guard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was in a state of shock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf everything goes all right, it will be more or less over in about forty-eight hours.\u201d It was Frank who was trying to encourage me, his quiet, calm voice whispering into my ear. \u201cDon\u2019t panic. You didn\u2019t panic back there, which impressed me great deal. So you won\u2019t panic here, right? She will manage. This is not the first time this happened to her. Go with the police, tell them the story, and most importantly, let them help you find your ground. It\u2019s going to be fine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThanks.\u201d The speech actually helped. I inhaled, exhaled, inhaled again. Hank introduced me to the police officers and the volunteer who was there to help me with everything, and without further delays I followed them out of the locks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I did as Frank told me as soon as I had a chance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They took me to a room which looked very unlike a police station room, it was nice and warm and peaceful. They gave me a hot drink and reassured me that due to the nature of Iokasta government and the persecution I\u2019d be facing if I ever returned, it would not be difficult to get my asylum application granted. Only then did they very carefully ask me if I felt like telling them what had happened. It was apparent that Mess was right \u2013 they were of the opinion that I was the victim, and they were super nice to me, all the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI would like to do that as soon as possible,\u201d I replied, and I did what Mess asked me to do: I told them the truth, nothing more, nothing less. In particular, I kept emphasizing that whatever I did, I did on my own free will, without anyone pushing me, let alone forcing me. Mess helped me <\/em>do it; she didn\u2019t make me <\/em>do it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To their credit, the police did not make any accusations against Mess in front of me, and they did not try to threaten me or manipulate me into saying anything negative about her. They were quite nice to me, asking only occasional questions about what exactly was said (to which I usually replied \u2018I don\u2019t remember\u2019 \u2013 and they did not make it look like a problem).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After I finished, they asked me to formally confirm the identity of the space ship captain who had picked me up from Iokasta. I probably looked more than a bit confused; earlier that day, I came out of the \u2018ship practically together with the captain in question, so what else did they need?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes, I know,\u201d the police officer who took my statement laughed. \u201cBut we need a formal ID from you. It\u2019s just for the paperwork really.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDo I have to pick someone from a line-up?\u201d I asked. I did not want Mess to go through that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo, nothing of the sort. Don\u2019t worry, it will be just a minute, and then we will go and deal with your papers and everything else.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I followed the officer \u2013 absolutely unprepared for what would follow. She showed me into a little room with a window, which I suspected was a police-station-style one-way mirror (the presence of which surprised me, considering we were in a space station in the Earth\u2019s orbit). Once in, she gestured towards the window and asked me to confirm \u2013 or not \u2013 whether this was the person whom I approached on the Iokasta ferry and who later helped me to get on board the Kalypso<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I made a few steps towards the window and had a look.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was another room behind the window, brightly lit. There was a table and chairs. A woman was sitting at the table; behind her, there was a big police officer with a ray rifle, looking more or less at her but fortunately pointing his rifle down rather than at her. The woman did look very much like Mess. She was in a black Flotilla uniform with captain\u2019s insignia, she looked about the same height and had the same dark brown hair. However, with her elbows on the table, her hands supporting her head and her hands covering most of her face, I could not see if it was really her. I just didn\u2019t know her well enough \u2013 yet \u2013 to be able to tell like this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s probably her,\u201d I said, hesitantly. \u201cI do not see her face properly, so I can\u2019t tell for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo probs.\u201d The officer accompanying me muttered something in her walkie talkie; the big guy behind the glass probably listened, because just as the officer stopped talking, he touched the woman\u2019s shoulder and said something aloud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In response, Mess lowered her hands and put them on the table, straightened her shoulders and looked roughly in my direction. She looked very, very tired.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She was apparently still handcuffed, and yet she managed a somewhat tense, tired smile towards the mirror-window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That was when it hit me \u2013 at that moment I realized how much was at stake for her, how much risk she had taken, how much she could still lose\u2026 and also how much she<\/em> had to trust me<\/em> to help me. Not just trust me then<\/em>, but trust my future self as well. Trust that I would not change my mind later and testify against her after our arrival. It was enough for me to say a few words now and she would lose everything, her career, friends, freedom, maybe even life. Few words, and she could be sent to prison for the rest of her life, or worse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I did not want this power, and I did not want the liability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou can take your time if this is too difficult right now. Would you perhaps like to have a short break?\u201d The officer meant well, but she misinterpreted my sudden surge of emotions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo, not at all. Yes, this is her, this is the captain that helped me get away from Iokasta.\u201d I looked at the officer. \u201cShe saved my life. I mean it. She did not kidnap me, no matter how broadly you interpret the word; she just didn\u2019t. She helped me, she saved my life, and I actually find it quite distressing to see her like this.\u201d I did not want Mess to spend one more minute in jail. I doubted that anything I could say could help \u2013 but I wanted to try anyway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt looks worse than it really is,\u201d the officer assured me. \u201cWith your very helpful witness statement, I think we have all we need to proceed with the case quickly; there will be a decision in no time. Now, if you follow me, we can get your paperwork done.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Compared to the events of the fourth day of our journey, the second half was totally unremarkable, and I liked it that way. Soon after I treated Mess in my sick bay (and it was mine, even if only temporarily), the Right Front stopped sulking and allowed us to get back to the right part … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-72","page","type-page","status-publish"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/petrapecharova.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/72","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/petrapecharova.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/petrapecharova.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/petrapecharova.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/petrapecharova.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=72"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/petrapecharova.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/72\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":145,"href":"https:\/\/petrapecharova.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/72\/revisions\/145"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/petrapecharova.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=72"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}