Clara laid down and thought about locking the collar around her neck. She had warmed toward Ian, and staying here in Vandalia for a bit--perhaps with more freedom--had a certain appeal. Ian had unlocked more channels on the television, and she'd gotten a good glimpse of North American society. The people also lived much longer, so she would not be sacrificing her youth to enslavement.
"Pet, you did it!" she heard Ian call from the top of the staircase. She was so deep in thought that she hadn't heard the transporter activate. His position at the university where they had met had ended, but he still visited other worlds to coordinate his mining operations. Clara set the collar down and scrambled to take her position. She knelt on the cushion before the recliner in her cage and spread her k
