Dram thought about what Thadus had heard her say to the prisoner down the hall. How could anyone do that to a child? Let alone, their own daughter? Well, his cellmates took care of him. And what was he thinking? It was not like him to show emotion to anyone. He didn’t even show emotion to his son, Adam.
Why did he touch her nose and speak softly to her? What was it about her that made him do stupid things? He thought back on his brief time with Emma, Adam’s Earthen mother. Had he been that stupid? She was the first and only woman he ever loved. Maybe he was stupid. He mated with her and knew she would bear him a son, but she refused to go with him when he finally got a salvage ship to rescue him.
Tam was the first woman he had shown any kind of affection to, in all that time, and it wasn’t much. Prison was no place for a woman or relationships. She had to go. He would speak to Jardan about it in the morning.
*
Marla stood before the prison reform committee. “I think you will see a difference in production in a short time,” she said.
“How do you know that?” Admiral Whitson asked.
“When you’ve had a good night’s sleep, don’t you feel as though you could take on the world the next day?”
“What makes you think they would feel that way?” Ms. Montooth asked.
“It’s simple human behavior. We’ve been studying the effects of deprivation and fulfillment in our research labs on Vestra Major. And after meeting with the Earthen Delegation from the prisons on Earth, we’ve learned more things.”
“And what’s this next phase you have here?” Denton asked.
“To install a cleansing unit in each cell. That will save time in the long run. They can cleanse themselves in their own cells before or after meals. There would be privacy for each cellmate,” Marla said.
“They are being punished for crimes. Why would we worry about their privacy?” Montooth asked.
“It’s not so much the privacy, but the fact they can utilize their time more wisely in their own cells. It would create less work for the guards.”
“How are we supposed to get this accomplished?” Admiral Whitson asked.
“We have all the manpower we need. We just need the supervision of an engineer,” Marla said.
“That can be arranged,” Denton said.
“What about the program that’s in place now?” Montooth asked.
“Which one?” Marla asked.
“The one where they can buy a pillow or blanket with the bonuses they earn?”
“That can be upgraded to where they can earn a bonus of credits to trade in for things like sweets, books, food or beverages they don’t usually get in their meals,” Marla explained.
“I think we should think about all these changes before deciding anything,” Montooth said.
Marla had a feeling that Montooth would be a problem for all of them. Just getting Kellen to agree on sheets and pillows was the hardest thing she had to deal with up to this point. And it wasn’t Kellen so much as the warden. He put a stop to anything good the committee had tried to do in the past. He was definitely not a humanitarian.
“We’ve been dragging our feet long enough,” said Admiral Whitson. “All in favor?”
Marla, Denton, and Whitson raised their hands.
“Well, Montooth? What have you got to say?” Whitson asked.
“I don’t like it. They are being punished for committing crimes. I don’t think we should make it easy for them.”
“This won’t make their work any easier, just their life after work,” Marla said. Now, they must convince the warden.
*
The day started out as usual for Tam. Now that she had a pillow, sheets and blanket, what else did she need? More reading material? More hygiene products? Maybe there was a list somewhere. She would save up for something. She worked hard, getting at the larger rubies and wedging them out of the rocks.
When it came time for the mid-day meal, they all ate outside on the shaded patio. She enjoyed the pleasant Plumaris atmosphere. All the surrounding mountains had a purple hue to them that faded into pinks and reds, depending on how the sun’s rays hit the mountains. When it was time to get back to work, she felt invigorated.
“Thank you for the sunshine,” she said to Jardan.
“Uh, you’re welcome?”
“Tell me, is that a glass ceiling in our cells?” she asked.
“No. Those are holograms, set to show you the night sky by the corresponding hour, up until daylight to help you get sleep,” Jardan said.
“Nice touch, then,” Tam said. She followed the other guard back to her work site.
After she got back into her harness, the guard over the ruby mines hoisted her up and she began her tedious chisel work. A slice of rock broke off and she caught it before it fell. It had a white underside, different from other pieces of rock. She stroked it against the hard surface of the mine and it left a white mark. “Hmm.” She pocketed the shard. Maybe she could use it to keep track of her days here, or at least she could keep track of her monthly. The more she chiseled, the more the rock changed. Finally, a big hunk fell below her.
“Watch out!” she yelled.
“Hey!” the guard shouted back.
“The rock is different here,” she called out.
“Keep working,” the guard yelled up at her.
“Whatever you say, boss,” she mumbled. She tapped the rock surface a little harder and more pieces fell away. There were no rubies visible in the area, but she felt compelled to chip away at the softer rock surface. It finally exposed part of a large geode with red crystals in a circular pattern. The geode was so large, she could almost crawl into it.
“Thadus! Give me a hand, will you?” she called out.
“Oh, my worlds! What a find. Don’t break them off,” he said.
“How do I get this out?”
“We’ll tap around the geode. That should bring quite a bonus.”
The two of them worked on the bottom and moved to the top, chiseling around it. It took most of the afternoon. By late afternoon, they were able to break it free, with all the crystals intact.
“Bronin!” Thadus called out to the guard.
“What the Vaedran hell is that?” the guard asked.
“This is our bonus for the month,” Thadus said.
“Yeah, we’re sharing this one,” Tam added.
Bronin lowered the two harnesses while they hung on to the giant egg-shaped geode. “Move to the scanner,” Bronin ordered.
Tam stood with Thadus in front of the scanner, while still in their harnesses. After they were scanned, they set the geode down on the table while Bronin called for his supervisors.
Once the supervisor acknowledged their find, they were hoisted up to continue their work.
“That was exciting. Did you ever find a geode before?” Tam asked Thadus.
“No. That was a first for me. It was a beauty, wasn’t it?”
“Yes. Do you think there are more, here?”
“I guess we’ll find out,” Thadus said. He went back to work on his area, while she continued with her area.
There were no rubies in sight, so she continued working on the softer rock. She was able to locate a smaller geode, but this one had pink crystals. Carefully, she worked it out of its encasement. She reached behind it and felt another smooth, roundish object. Could it be another geode?
Tam quickly placed the geode into her pouch. When she glanced at the cache behind where the geode had been, it looked more like a nest of eggs than rocks or geodes. None of which had been smooth like this egg-looking thing. It appeared several had hatched, but this single egg. All sat in a nest made of straw and sticks. That was the largest bird egg she had ever seen.
She lightly tapped it and heard it tap back. She glanced around the nest area and realized it had been hollow. She pulled herself as close as she could to get a better look. Light streamed into the area from the far left.
“Thadus, I see daylight,” she called out.
“What are you talking about?”
“Come here!”
Thadus pushed off from his wall and moved toward her.
“Is that what I think it is?” Thadus asked.
“Um, it looks like a large egg to me,” Tam said.
“Yes, but eggs that large can only be one thing,” he said.
“Well, this one wants out,” she said.
“What do you mean?”
She tapped the egg lightly and it tapped back. This time, the shell cracked and opened.
“Thadus, what is that?”
He glanced at her. “A dragon, Tam.”
Thadus caught it in his hand when it broke free and handed it to her. “He’s your find.”
She glanced at it. “What do I do with it?”
“Let’s see what the guard says.”
“Wait! Let’s keep this to ourselves. He doesn’t have to know, does he?”
“They grow pretty big.”
“He’s kind of cute,” Tam said. She petted his head.
“Yeah? Well, they eat meat, and he’s probably hungry.”
“Hey, this one has wings,” she said.
Bronin shouted, “What are you two doing?”
“We thought we had another geode, but it turned out to be nothing but rock,” Thadus said. He pushed away and returned to his work.
Tam slipped the tiny dragon into her pouch. She counted the broken eggshells. There were eight total. Seven baby dragons escaped through that hole. If the mother came in to lay the eggs, it must be big enough to climb out of.
Tam carefully continued her work, trying not to hurt the tiny dragon.
Finally, Bronin lowered them to the ground. She put her crystals on the table for Bronin to measure and weigh.
Tam kept quiet about the dragon, reaching her hand into the pouch to pet it.
“It’s break time.” Bronin led them out onto the patio, where there were some snacks and drinks. All the other inmates were also on break.
Tam pretended to eat her snack but put some into her pouch for the dragon. She thought she heard it squeal, but the noise of everyone talking drowned out the sound.
‘It’s okay, baby dragon. It’s going to be okay,’ she said with her mind.
“How big do these things get?” she whispered to Thadus.
“As big as a mountain,” he said.
Dram and Gomet joined them. “What are you whispering about?” Dram asked.
She motioned him to come closer, so he did. She opened her pouch and showed him her find.
“Where did you find that thing?” Dram asked.
“It was in a nest with other broken eggs. This one wanted out right away,” Tam said.
While she ate and fed the dragon, she thought of a name. She checked to see if it was a female. “I’ll call her Ruby, since I found her in the ruby mines.”
“Good choice,” Thadus said.
*
When the break was over, they were returned to a different area.
“Hey, what gives?” Thadus asked.
“We’re moving you to another area for mining,” Bronin said. Another guard led the four miners to a different area. This one didn’t have the rubies they had hunted, but pink crystals were stuck in the rocks.
“Are these valuable?” Tam asked.
“Yes, they are, but not as valuable as the rubies,” Bronin said.
Once everyone was back in their harnesses, they were hoisted up to the rock wall where they began chiseling for the crystals.
Tam slipped her hand into the pouch to pet Ruby, every now and then. She spoke to Ruby telepathically to make sure she was okay. She didn’t want to let anyone know she had this tiny creature, for fear of never seeing her again, or worse.
*
Kellen met with his supervisory guards about the new find.
“Well, our only female prisoner managed to find the mother-load of rubies in a giant geode.” He pulled the cover off the geode to let them get a good look at the prize. “She’s sharing the credits with Thadus.”
“Wow, that ought to give them a bonus for life,” Jardan said.
“Not so fast, Jardan. I think I’ll let them have bonuses for a couple months, but that’s it. They can have up to ten credits each for two months each.”
“And what’s the second thing you wanted to tell us?” another supervisory guard asked.
Kellen re-covered the geode. “The warden is coming to inspect this place in the next day or so. I expect everyone on their best behavior. Have the inmates clean their cells and toilets tonight.”
“Are we doing cleansings again tonight, sir?” Jardan asked.
“No. The inmates are clean enough for inspection,” Kellen said.
“What about haircuts? The inmates are overdue for those,” Jardan said.
“They can wait until after the inspection. The inmates are already getting more than they have ever had in the past,” Kellen said. “You’re dismissed.”
*
Finally, the day was over and all the miners turned in their rubies and crystals. Bronin led them out to their cell blocks. Tam kept Ruby in her pouch and petted her. Ruby seemed content to curl up in her bag.
Once she was inside her cell, Bronin announced that there wouldn’t be cleansings tonight.
“Why not? I thought this was going to happen every night?” Thadus asked.
“There’s been a change in plans,” Bronin said.
“What change?” Dram asked as he entered the cell with Gomet.
“Tomorrow, you will all be cleaning your cells and toilets. The warden is coming to inspect this place.”
“What about our haircuts?” Gomet asked.
“We haven’t had one in six months,” Dram said.
“Yeah. Orders from the top. You’ll get your haircut after the inspections.”
“What did you do this time?” Dram asked Tam.
“Why do you think I had anything to do with it?”
“None of this happened before you came along,” Dram said.
“Yeah,” Gomet agreed.
“Are you complaining?” Tam asked.
“Not at all,” Dram said.
Then he noticed her hand. “What’s that?”
“Oh, this?” she asked. “This is Ruby, my dragon, remember?”
She showed Ruby to Dram and Gomet.
“The hell you say,” Gomet said. “You’re thinking of keeping it?”
“She found a nest of dragon eggs while working the ruby mines. They all had hatched but this one. Plus, she found the mother-load of rubies in a geode as big as she is,” Thadus said.
“You’ve been busy today,” Dram said.
“That I have,” she said.
“How long are you keeping Ruby?” Gomet asked.
“I don’t know. She bonded with me, so until she gets too big to hide, I guess.”
“You know they get really big, right?” Dram asked.
“I was told that, yes.”
“And they eat meat,” Dram added.
“I was told that, too.”
“Well, you are meat to them,” Dram added.
“I hope to train her to eat other meat,” Tam said.
“Good luck with that,” Dram added.
Tam petted Ruby and whispered to her until it was time to eat. When the guards and prisoners brought their food, she shared what she had been given with Ruby by letting her eat from her dish.
Afterward, she showed Ruby where the toilet was and explained to her how to use it.
“You actually think that thing is listening to you?” Dram asked her.
“That thing’s name is Ruby. And yes, I think she can understand me. She seems very smart,” Tam said. Tam sat Ruby on the edge of the toilet seat. Ruby clung to the edge of the seat with her back legs and leaned forward. She drizzled into the toilet. ‘I am very smart,’ a female voice came into Tam’s head.
“See that. She is smart,” Tam said to Dram. She scooped up Ruby and headed to her bunk. She set Ruby on top of the bed, then climbed up herself. She put Ruby on her belly and spoke to her telepathically. ‘Did you speak to me a little bit ago?’ Tam said with her mind.
‘Yes, I did. If I spoke to you with my voice, you wouldn’t understand me. My vocal cords haven’t developed yet.’
Tam ran a finger down the spines on Ruby’s head and back. ‘I love your beautiful scales, Ruby. They look iridescent in the light. Even the ridges on your head seem colorful. And your green eyes look almost human.’
‘Thank you. I’m growing fond of you, too.’ Ruby responded.
‘You are doing quite well for a newborn,’ Tam said.
‘Thank you. Can you tell me how many siblings I have?’
‘There were seven other eggs besides yours. You hatched after the others, so I don’t know how many brothers and sisters you have.’
‘If it’s possible, can I see the others at some time?’
‘I don’t know where the rest of them went or when they hatched. I haven’t told anyone about you except my cellmates.’
Ruby jumped off Tam’s belly and curled up near her pillow and went to sleep.
Tam thought about the tiny creature. Ruby’s underbelly was yellowish-white, while the rest of her was dark gray with the iridescent highlights. Her front legs were shorter than her back legs, but she used them for crawling and holding her food while she ate. Her nostrils were large and her beak was wide. Just how big was Ruby going to get? Tam rolled over and went to sleep.
*
By morning, Tam woke earlier than her cellmates and took care of her needs. When she climbed back into bed, she watched as the tiny creature flew from the bed and down to the toilet. Apparently, Ruby took care of her needs as well, then flew back up to the bunk with Tam.
‘Very good! You amaze me, Ruby. You learn so fast. I’m proud of you.’
‘Thank you. Aren’t we getting up for the day?’
‘We’ll sleep a little longer until the alarm goes off, then we’ll get up.’
Ruby curled up near Tam’s head and they both drifted off for a few minutes more. When the alarm, finally went off, Tam reassured Ruby that they had a few more minutes before the food arrived.
Once the guards and prisoners came down the hall with their food, Tam had Ruby in her pouch.
After getting their morning rations, the guards announced a change in their daily routine.
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