Page 213 of Commander’s Mate

“No.”

His voice roughened.

“I will leave badly.”

I looked at him.

“I will think of you every hour. I will hate Halor irrationally. I will send messages more often than is dignified. I will assign ships near this sector for reasons Degatu will correctly identify as transparent. I will search for Earth. I will search for your family. If you tell me to stop contacting you, I will stop.”

I swallowed.

“And if I come back?”

“To the ship?”

“Yes.”

“I will try not to look pleased enough to embarrass both of us.”

I laughed.

Then stopped.

“I don’t want Halor.”

His hands tightened.

“Do not say that for me.”

“I’m not.”

I stood.

The decision terrified me, which was how I knew it was mine.

“I want safety.”

“Yes.”

“I want Earth.”

“Yes.”

“I want my old life back so badly it hurts.”

“Yes.”

“But I also want the registry.”

Zared’s expression changed.

“I want Breskaa. Not the place. The mission. I want to know if Meya is there. I want to know if Sela’s family is somewhere in those records. I want every person we rescue to have a name before anyone decides what to do with them.”

His eyes burned.

“And?”

I rolled mine.