Zan woke up in a small bed, his arm wrapped in bandages. His body had been wiped clean, and he was wearing new clothes. His remaining arm was hooked up to a blood transfusion device at his bedside. Late morning sunlight poured in at an angle from a rge window to his right.

  Rey was slumped in a chair by his bedside; her eyes closed and her face peaceful.

  For a moment he watched her, then clutched his head as memories began to return. The others were dead, he’d lost an arm, and they were stranded somewhere on Temure-

  “This isn’t a hospital,” he said, looking around at the wooden walls. It looked like a spare bedroom, but there weren’t any other clues as to where they were.

  “Mh” Rey opened her eyes and yawned. As soon as she saw that Zan was awake, her eyes flew open, then filled with relief.

  “You’re awake! Thank goodness…”

  “Where are we?”

  “Oh, after we made it to that dirt road a man who lived nearby found us and let us stay here at his house. He used to be a doctor, so he treated and bandaged you-”

  “Does he know who we are?”

  “I don’t think so. I told him we got lost, and when he asked how you lost your arm I told him that you fell down,” she said.

  “And he believed that?!”

  “Well, he looked surprised at first, but he didn’t ask about it again, so I think we’re fine.”

  “Regardless, he’ll hear about the crash sooner or ter, so we should get out of here while we can-”

  When Zan tried to sit up he felt a jolt of pain from his right arm- or what was left of it, and the rest of his body felt like it had been hit by a truck.

  “Shit…”

  “You should stay in bed until you heal completely, and then we can figure out what to do,” Rey said, seeing the look of pain on his face.

  “We can’t stay here long. That bounty hunter will find us eventually, and even if he doesn’t, there’s a good chance the doctor will turn us in.”

  “He didn’t seem like a bad person, but then again, I wouldn’t know…”

  “I don’t wanna take any more chances than I have to. After I heal enough, I’ll find a way off this pnet and take you to the Alliance. Aneeta told me that you didn’t want to go back, and since I’m responsible for this whole situation, I’ll do my best to make up for it. I can’t promise everything will be okay, but we should at least be safer once we’re out of the Empire.”

  “I shouldn’t go with you,” Rey said softly.

  “Why? Didn’t you want to escape so you could live out your life freely or something?”

  “You’ll be in more danger if I’m with you, since I’m the one they’re really after. If I turn myself in-”

  “Don’t do that. It’s not your fault that the others are dead, it’s mine, for taking you with us in the first pce. But there’s no turning back now. I’ll be in just as much danger with or without you at this point, so you may as well come with me.”

  “I… thank you,” Rey said, unable to think of a further argument.

  “I killed the guards as well.”

  “Huh?”

  “The guards on your ship. I killed them. I just thought you should know.”

  “Oh…that doesn’t bother me.” Rey didn’t see why that mattered, but Zan looked conflicted.

  “With my own hands, my own actions… I destroyed their futures. I had to, but…”

  “What about Odo- the old man?”

  “Odo Stuther? He was working with us. He was the one that held up the pilots and got the ship to where we were waiting for it.”

  “Why didn’t he come with us?”

  “He said that he didn’t feel any desire to. He probably felt like there was no pce for him, and didn’t want to spend the st part of his life as a refugee in a foreign country. At least, that’s my guess.”

  “Oh.”

  “I left your attendants alive though, even though they’d seen me. Now they’ll be able to identify me and find us easier. I really messed up, didn’t I?

  “I haven’t saved anyone yet, so if I stop now, all their deaths will be wasted. But if I continue, I might end up returning with more blood on my hands than I can handle, all to save someone who’s important to me. And that’s assuming she’s even still alive.”

  He looked at the palm of his trembling left hand as he held it in front of him.

  “You saved me, and although I can’t be a repcement for her, I’m gd you gave me a chance to see new things that I wouldn’t’ve been able to otherwise.”

  “No, I haven’t saved you- in fact you were the one who saved me. If you hadn’t dragged me through that forest, I would’ve died for sure.”

  “You’re wrong. You beat the guy who wanted to do bad things to me, so we’re even.”

  Rey looked down at her p as she spoke.

  “That aside…I don’t have anyone that special to me, so I can’t advise you on what you should do. I don’t think there’s any way to find her right now, so I think you should focus on escaping for the moment.

  “After that, I’ll help you if you want to search for her again.”

  “I know it’s a bit te, but… why are you so willing to help me?”

  “How you care so much about another person… I feel like I want something like that too. I want to know more about these things, even if I’m only watching.”

  Zan closed his eyes.

  “Thanks, Rey.”

  “That’s the first time you used my name.”

  “Yeah. You can’t be her repcement, and you’re not a princess either. You’re just Rey now,” he said, looking up at the ceiling.

  For some reason she smiled briefly, though he didn’t see it.

  ***

  After she left, the owner of the house came to see him. He was a well built man in his fifties, with graying hair and a bushy beard. His clothes were slightly dirty and stretched, but his hands were clean.

  “Hello there. I’m Andun McGreen,” he said in a heavy accent, taking a seat by Zan’s bedside.

  “Just call me Zan.”

  “No surname?”

  “No, I just don’t like using it.”

  “Fair enough. Well, I did all I could, but I’d recommend stayin’ here fer a few days more, at least while yer healin’.”

  “I’ll leave as soon as I can.”

  “No need ta rush, I’ll let you and yer girl stay here as long as ya like,” he said in a friendly tone.

  “We’re not like that.”

  “Anyway, did she tell ya what happened?”

  “Only that you took us in and treated my injuries. Thank you.”

  “No need ta mention it.”

  “Can you keep us staying here a secret? We’re not criminals or anything, we just…”

  Zan couldn’t think of a reasonable reason for not wanting anyone to find out they were staying there.

  “No worries about that,” Andun said. “I’m not on very good terms with the Seynians myself.”

  “They run this area?”

  “Basically the w enforcement around here. They took over a few years ago, and a little over a year after that I got on their bad side and was kicked out here.”

  “Can you tell me where we are? We don’t know much about this area, so…”

  “Of course. This house here is on the outskirts of Mek, the rgest town in the Helma region and the only one with a spaceport. I have a friend who lives in town, and he got a job at the spaceport.”

  “Does he still work there?”

  “Sure does.”

  “What does he do?”

  “Mostly maintenance work, though he used ta be a pilot. He switched over a couple years ago after he took in two kids.”

  “I think I’d like to meet him when I get better.”

  “Sure. He’s a good guy, but why are ya so interested?” “I’d like to learn more about that spaceport, to see if-”

  Zan’s stomach growled.

  “I’ll make somethin’ and have yer girl bring it to ya.”

  “I told you, she’s not my girl.”

  ***

  Rey appeared a short while ter carrying a bowl of forest curry.

  “Thanks,” Zan said, as she set it down on the stand next to his bed.

  “Um, when you get well enough to go into town, I’d like to go with you…”

  “That’s a bad idea. You might get recognized by the Seynians, and there’s still the bounty hunter to worry about.”

  “You think he’s watching this town?” “Without a doubt. He didn’t follow us once we lost him in the forest because he didn’t need to. If we survived, we’d end up in this town, so all he has to do is wait.”

  “Even so, I’d like to go with you. You’ll still be in danger without me, and I’d like to look around.”

  “You’re asking me to bring you into a town where the authorities and a dangerous bounty hunter are after us so that you can look around?” “Well…yes. If you were in my position, you’d want to go.”

  Zan sighed.

  “That’s still no reason-”

  “If the bounty hunter shows up, you’ll need my energy to escape.”

  “Fine, just don’t get in the way.”

  Rey got up, looking pleased. She turned to leave, then remembered something.

  “Can you feed yourself?”

  “...No, I’m right-handed. Please feed me.”