Shaking violently, Michaela whispered, "I can't do this."

Jessica's pounding heart stuttered at her friend's words. Despite her dark Middle-Eastern complexion, Michaela was noticeably pale. White showed all around the chocolate brown irises of her black-lined eyes. Those same heavy-lidded eyes filled with tears. She held the square speech amplifier with a white-knuckled grip, as if she wanted to crush the metallic box.

Jessica fought to keep the tremor out of her voice. If she betrayed any of her own nervousness, Michaela would surely bolt. "Of course you can, sweetie. You practiced your lines all week."

"Not just the introduction," Michaela sobbed. "The whole thing. Dancing. Having sex. Joining a clan. I can't do it."

Jessica swallowed to hear her own fears spoken out loud. She still couldn't believe she herself would go through with the show, let alone the rest of the plan.

She took a deep breath. You're safe here on the planet Plasius. No one is going to arrest you for indecency. You won't be punished.

To her friend she said, "Michaela, you have to join a Kalquorian clan. There's no other choice. You can't stay on Plasius, and you can't go back to Earth. Either is a death sentence."

In the room beyond the heavy curtains they hid behind, Jessica heard the murmurs of conversation grow louder. More people were arriving. How many had the Plasian leader Saucin Israla invited to the show? Her anxiety climbed to an all-time high.

Jessica McInness and Michael-Michaela Blake were among over one hundred refugees from Earth hiding on the peaceful world of Plasius. Only seven months prior, both had been part of the crew of an Earth military transport. Jessica had been a nurse in sick bay, and Michaela had served hungry soldiers in the mess hall. Until events allowed them to seek sanctuary among the amorous Plasians, the two had barely been aware of each others' existence.

Now they were the best of friends. Jessica and Michaela clung to each other with the kind of desperation reserved for those flung together by cruel circumstances. Escaping Earth's intolerant faith-based government had given them both a taste of freedom, freedom neither had ever contemplated in their short lives. When one lived under a totalitarian regime that kept its citizens yoked with fear, liberty seemed an unachievable fantasy.

Tonight's performance was the culmination of their flight from the tyranny of their home planet. Only a handful of the 150 members of the military transport remained loyal to Earth. When the commanding officer had been killed, his throat torn out by an angry Kalquorian, the Earthers made a mass plea for sanctuary on Plasius. Israla, leader of the Plasians and a woman who lusted for the young virile soldiers, took the desperate humans in.

The Plasians had saved the Earth traitors' lives, especially Jessica and Michaela's. As a woman, Jessica faced more brutal punishment from Earth's patriarchal society than the men. Michaela's situation was even more precarious. With Earth now blockading the peaceful planet, their lives hung on joining the desperate clans of the planet Kalquor.

One would never know the threat hanging over the Plasians' heads from the sounds of easy conversation. Laughter drifted through the ivory drapes that separated the stage and the bare backstage space. There had to be dozens of people out there waiting for the dancing to start.

Jessica knew the guests couldn't all be Kalquorian clans hoping to attract Earther mates. So few ships got through the blockade, and Earth considered Kalquor its bitterest enemy. The majority of the crowd had to consist of Plasians and Israla's stable of young Earther men.

The race of the audience mattered little to Jessica at this point. The worry was in the number of eyes that would be on her, witnessing her perform a dance that would have put her in prison on Earth. Sexually enticing men warranted harsh penalties. Even rape victims on Earth were deemed as guilty as their attackers. If discovered, these 'temptresses' were sentenced to prison terms that always resulted in death before they were fully served. No amount of arguing with herself about the absence of Earth authority could take away Jessica's ingrained terror of discovery.

Michaela's fears went even deeper though they had little to do with the threat of punishment. She wasn't fazed by performance anxiety either. She seemed born to dance. In fact, the only time she seemed relaxed and happy was when she was center stage. The trick tonight would be getting her out there.