could storm away. The smoldering look in her violet eyes warned him to choose his words carefully. “You are my dream. Marrying you is a dream come true. People don’t get to live twice, but here I am, living my life over with you. All I’m asking for is a chance to prove to you that my way could be better. I know it seems riskier than your father’s idea, but trust me . I can make this work. The corvette we have is ten times the ship our old rust bucket was. We don’t owe any debts on her, and now we can command a much better fee for our services.”
Alara frowned and let out a deep sigh. “I do trust you, Ethan, but security is not as overrated as you seem to think it is.” Alara uncrossed her arms and he took the opportunity to give her a hug. She pulled away all of a second later and looked him in the eye. “Just don’t say no without talking to me first, okay? We’re a team, remember?”
“I know.”
“We’re at my parents house, my father is trying to help us, and rather than being polite and saying you’ll think about it, you just refused and got all defensive. You didn’t even give me a chance to say what I thought about it.”
“I felt ambushed, but I’m sorry. Next time we’ll talk about it and decide what to do together.”
“So does that mean you’ll think about it?”
Ethan’s eyes narrowed. “Wait a minute—I already have thought about it, and now we have talked about it. Look—there’s one thing you’re forgetting in all of this. You’re right—security isn’t overrated—but being tied down to a home on a planet like Forliss might not be as secure as you think. Ten years ago all the people with so-called security died because they didn’t have the freedom we have right now. Right now, if the Sythians come back, we’ll be among the lucky few who can escape—but only if we keep our ship.”
Alara crossed her arms again. “And where do you think we’ll run to after this? Dark Space is humanity’s last hope.”
“It might be humanity’s last hope, but it isn’t ours. We are just you and me, and as long as we’re alive and together we can always find somewhere else to live. I hope it doesn’t come to that, but at least we can run away if it does.”
“Seems like you already have everything all figured out,” Alara said, turning back to look at the sunset.
“Alara . . . you have to admit what I’m saying makes sense.”
“Hoi, Ethan, you’re complaining that I’m asking you to give up on your dream, but have you ever thought to ask me about mine?”
“Well, I thought I already knew what it was, but I guess I was wrong . . .”
“You do know, but it’s not the one you’re thinking of. Do you remember what I told you aboard the Valiant before we left? About the dream I had?”
Ethan’s brow furrowed. “You dreamed of a cabin on a lake, of two kids running around it and their father chasing them. You said the father was me.”
“Exactly. I didn’t dream of you chasing our kids around on a starship, Ethan. I dreamed of a home and a family, on a planet —a real life. You seemed to want that, too. You asked me to marry you already knowing what my dreams were. Now you’re asking what happened to me? I’ll tell you what happened: you led me to believe you were ready to settle down—to start a life with me—and now you don’t seem so sure.”
“Alara . . .” Ethan reached for her hand, but she jerked it away and turned to leave. Once she was a few paces away, she stopped and turned back to him.
“I’m going to leave you here to think, Ethan. Maybe you’ll find the answers you came out here for. Just promise me you’ll let me know what they are before we’re standing at the altar tomorrow.” With that, she turned and walked away once more.
“Alara!” he called after her, but a sudden gust of wind drowned him out. He shivered in the growing cold, and reached a hand up to run it through his salt and pepper hair as he watched his fiancée
Alara frowned and let out a deep sigh. “I do trust you, Ethan, but security is not as overrated as you seem to think it is.” Alara uncrossed her arms and he took the opportunity to give her a hug. She pulled away all of a second later and looked him in the eye. “Just don’t say no without talking to me first, okay? We’re a team, remember?”
“I know.”
“We’re at my parents house, my father is trying to help us, and rather than being polite and saying you’ll think about it, you just refused and got all defensive. You didn’t even give me a chance to say what I thought about it.”
“I felt ambushed, but I’m sorry. Next time we’ll talk about it and decide what to do together.”
“So does that mean you’ll think about it?”
Ethan’s eyes narrowed. “Wait a minute—I already have thought about it, and now we have talked about it. Look—there’s one thing you’re forgetting in all of this. You’re right—security isn’t overrated—but being tied down to a home on a planet like Forliss might not be as secure as you think. Ten years ago all the people with so-called security died because they didn’t have the freedom we have right now. Right now, if the Sythians come back, we’ll be among the lucky few who can escape—but only if we keep our ship.”
Alara crossed her arms again. “And where do you think we’ll run to after this? Dark Space is humanity’s last hope.”
“It might be humanity’s last hope, but it isn’t ours. We are just you and me, and as long as we’re alive and together we can always find somewhere else to live. I hope it doesn’t come to that, but at least we can run away if it does.”
“Seems like you already have everything all figured out,” Alara said, turning back to look at the sunset.
“Alara . . . you have to admit what I’m saying makes sense.”
“Hoi, Ethan, you’re complaining that I’m asking you to give up on your dream, but have you ever thought to ask me about mine?”
“Well, I thought I already knew what it was, but I guess I was wrong . . .”
“You do know, but it’s not the one you’re thinking of. Do you remember what I told you aboard the Valiant before we left? About the dream I had?”
Ethan’s brow furrowed. “You dreamed of a cabin on a lake, of two kids running around it and their father chasing them. You said the father was me.”
“Exactly. I didn’t dream of you chasing our kids around on a starship, Ethan. I dreamed of a home and a family, on a planet —a real life. You seemed to want that, too. You asked me to marry you already knowing what my dreams were. Now you’re asking what happened to me? I’ll tell you what happened: you led me to believe you were ready to settle down—to start a life with me—and now you don’t seem so sure.”
“Alara . . .” Ethan reached for her hand, but she jerked it away and turned to leave. Once she was a few paces away, she stopped and turned back to him.
“I’m going to leave you here to think, Ethan. Maybe you’ll find the answers you came out here for. Just promise me you’ll let me know what they are before we’re standing at the altar tomorrow.” With that, she turned and walked away once more.
“Alara!” he called after her, but a sudden gust of wind drowned him out. He shivered in the growing cold, and reached a hand up to run it through his salt and pepper hair as he watched his fiancée
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