condition, but he was worried all the same.
"Don’t we make quite a pair?" she said quietly as she opened her eyes. Matt could tell it took a bit of an effort to do so. "Not only are we both liars, but the lies we told brought us to right where we are. I have no doubt that if I had told you who my father was, you never would have even considered letting me go with you when you left Lathos."
"Probably not," he said softly. He suddenly found it hard to look her in the eyes.
"You have to be thinking that if you had told me the truth when we first met, I would have shot you down just like every other guy who spoke to me that night."
"Yeah, I’d say something like that," he grinned.
"That’s probably what would have happened. So, if either of us had been truthful, I’d be back on Lathos being bored out of my skull by my classes and the prospect of being groomed for a job I don’t want, and you’d be off somewhere smuggling stolen merchandise for someone. The problem with all of that is that I’ve fallen in love with you," she said, turning to look at him and squeezing his hand.
"I love you too," he said and kissed her passionately.
"Then let’s get me to Earth so I can get better, and then we can start our new lives together," she said when their lips parted.
"About that," he said, turning away from her.
"This is supposed to be the part where we’re totally honest with each other," she told him. "Don’t ruin the moment."
"I’m going to be honest," he assured her, "but I think I’m going to ruin the moment we’ve been having, too. When we get to Earth I’m going to be arrested. I don’t know how long I’m going to be in jail, but it won’t be a short stay."
"Then we’ll go someplace else," she said. "There has to be other worlds with doctors."
"My first goal was to get far enough from Lathos so that no one knows you or that General Ragen is searching for you. I think I’ve accomplished that, but now that means that the best doctors we could hope to find are on Earth. Lathos physiology is unknown in this sector, so I don’t feel comfortable having you in the hands of anyone but the best. Even if that weren’t the case, we’d have a hard time finding a place where there isn’t a price on my head. Earth will probably treat me a little better because I’m Roger Britton’s son."
"You must be one hell of a smuggler," she deadpanned.
"I like to think so."
"Well, then I guess Earth it is," she said. "But once I’m healed, I’m returning to Lathos to talk to my father. Once he knows that you’ve been helping me, then maybe he can do something to help. Lathos and Earth may not be allies, but I’m sure your government won’t ignore the request of another head of state."
"Xandra, it’s too dangerous," Matt insisted. "Ragen wants your father’s job, and to ensure that he gets it he needs you dead, too. If you go back, there’s a good chance he’ll get to you first."
"You’ve been risking your life for me from the start," she said. "How can I not do the same for you?"
"I’m asking you not to do that. We don’t have to figure all of this out now. The first thing we need to do is get you taken care of." Before Xandra could object, Matt heard his proximity alarm sounding. Confused, he looked over at the chronometer next to the bed. He was shocked to see that he had been asleep for almost twenty-four hours. He had clearly been more exhausted than he had realized. "Wait here," he said, then went back to the main deck.
"Okay, here’s where we stand," he said after coming back a few minutes later. "I fell asleep and pushed the engines harder than I should have, and they overheated. In the process I got us close enough to Earth space that I was able to contact the PDF. They’re sending a ship to meet us now. It should reach us in less than an hour."
"What does that mean for you?" she asked.
"What it means for you is that you will get the surgery you need. You’re going to be fine. As for me,
"Don’t we make quite a pair?" she said quietly as she opened her eyes. Matt could tell it took a bit of an effort to do so. "Not only are we both liars, but the lies we told brought us to right where we are. I have no doubt that if I had told you who my father was, you never would have even considered letting me go with you when you left Lathos."
"Probably not," he said softly. He suddenly found it hard to look her in the eyes.
"You have to be thinking that if you had told me the truth when we first met, I would have shot you down just like every other guy who spoke to me that night."
"Yeah, I’d say something like that," he grinned.
"That’s probably what would have happened. So, if either of us had been truthful, I’d be back on Lathos being bored out of my skull by my classes and the prospect of being groomed for a job I don’t want, and you’d be off somewhere smuggling stolen merchandise for someone. The problem with all of that is that I’ve fallen in love with you," she said, turning to look at him and squeezing his hand.
"I love you too," he said and kissed her passionately.
"Then let’s get me to Earth so I can get better, and then we can start our new lives together," she said when their lips parted.
"About that," he said, turning away from her.
"This is supposed to be the part where we’re totally honest with each other," she told him. "Don’t ruin the moment."
"I’m going to be honest," he assured her, "but I think I’m going to ruin the moment we’ve been having, too. When we get to Earth I’m going to be arrested. I don’t know how long I’m going to be in jail, but it won’t be a short stay."
"Then we’ll go someplace else," she said. "There has to be other worlds with doctors."
"My first goal was to get far enough from Lathos so that no one knows you or that General Ragen is searching for you. I think I’ve accomplished that, but now that means that the best doctors we could hope to find are on Earth. Lathos physiology is unknown in this sector, so I don’t feel comfortable having you in the hands of anyone but the best. Even if that weren’t the case, we’d have a hard time finding a place where there isn’t a price on my head. Earth will probably treat me a little better because I’m Roger Britton’s son."
"You must be one hell of a smuggler," she deadpanned.
"I like to think so."
"Well, then I guess Earth it is," she said. "But once I’m healed, I’m returning to Lathos to talk to my father. Once he knows that you’ve been helping me, then maybe he can do something to help. Lathos and Earth may not be allies, but I’m sure your government won’t ignore the request of another head of state."
"Xandra, it’s too dangerous," Matt insisted. "Ragen wants your father’s job, and to ensure that he gets it he needs you dead, too. If you go back, there’s a good chance he’ll get to you first."
"You’ve been risking your life for me from the start," she said. "How can I not do the same for you?"
"I’m asking you not to do that. We don’t have to figure all of this out now. The first thing we need to do is get you taken care of." Before Xandra could object, Matt heard his proximity alarm sounding. Confused, he looked over at the chronometer next to the bed. He was shocked to see that he had been asleep for almost twenty-four hours. He had clearly been more exhausted than he had realized. "Wait here," he said, then went back to the main deck.
"Okay, here’s where we stand," he said after coming back a few minutes later. "I fell asleep and pushed the engines harder than I should have, and they overheated. In the process I got us close enough to Earth space that I was able to contact the PDF. They’re sending a ship to meet us now. It should reach us in less than an hour."
"What does that mean for you?" she asked.
"What it means for you is that you will get the surgery you need. You’re going to be fine. As for me,
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