A Day in the Life of Marine Captain Cross before the Zoastra Affair Part Thirty
Cross watched Grace Newman race to her husband and run into his waiting arms. Some men had all the luck.
He counted the men and set about loading the shuttle. But the alien woman had inched near the humans. He looked at her, unsure of what to say.
“Why are you still here?” Cross asked in a low voice.
“I’m your prisoner. Shall I take my seat on the shuttle?”
Was she joking? “You’re not going with us. Go home.”
“I have nothing there. I want to go with your group.”
“You’re not a prisoner.” Cross shook his head. He refused to trust this. “It’s not going to happen. Go along now.”
“I can cook. I heard your men talking about the lack of good food on your ship.”
“No.” Cross shook his head again. He’d push her physically off in a minute. “Go along now.”
Lieutenant Rosemarie Mortlock joined them. “What’s the problem, captain?”
“Nothing for you to be concerned about.” He motioned with his hands for her departure.
The alien woman added, “I want to go with you.”
Rosemarie looked at Cross. “That’s an unusual request for us. Don’t you want to stay with people who are like you?”
“No. Your world does not possess a king or classes, saying that I must work in the kitchen. Going with you means that I can decide my own fate.”
This wasn’t procedure. “Sweetheart, we’re the military,” Cross said. “We follow the general.”
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Frequently Asked Questions
What reason does the alien woman give for wanting to join Captain Cross’s group?
The alien woman tells Captain Cross she wants to join his group because his world has no king or rigid class system forcing her into kitchen work. She believes going with Cross means she can decide her own fate. She also offers practical value, mentioning she can cook after hearing his men complain about poor food on their ship.
How does Captain Cross respond when the alien woman asks to come aboard the shuttle?
Captain Cross repeatedly refuses the alien woman’s request, telling her she is not a prisoner and ordering her to go home. He shakes his head, considers physically removing her, and insists the situation ‘isn’t going to happen.’ He also reminds her that as military personnel, they follow orders from a general rather than making independent decisions.
Should the alien woman be considered a prisoner or a volunteer in the Zoastra Affair story?
Based on this scene, the alien woman is neither a prisoner nor an accepted volunteer. Captain Cross explicitly tells her she is not his prisoner and is free to leave. However, she refuses to go, voluntarily seeking to join his crew. Her status is unresolved in this excerpt, creating tension as Cross declines to take her aboard despite her insistence.
