If she hadn't been so angry, T'Mir would have been amused. She and Dante were sitting at a table in a restaurant inside the Mars Transport Center, which overlooked the reddish craters and catered to tourists and travelers who did not wish to pass through Mars immigration. Dining out was a bizarre thing to do with one's kidnapper, but they had to eat. Once she had come to her sense, she had realized she was starving and demanded food. Meanwhile, Dante had confessed everything, filling in the gaps in the knowledge she had gleaned from her visions.

T'Mir couldn't bring herself to call for help. After all, had Dante not had his change of heart, she knew exactly where she'd be. The thought made her shiver in terror. Moreover, he had destroyed his own life by showing mercy on her, and T'Mir wasn't quite sure what to make of that, except that she had no intention of calling the authorities.

T'Mir was drawing on a sketchpad that Dante had purchased for her. She sketched furiously, and she didn't look up, although the visions had calmed. She still didn't want to take a break from drawing, not until she got complete control again.

"Do you want me to order for you? There are several vegetarian options on the menu," said Dante softly.

"You pick," she said, still sketching. She was starving, but she didn't feel like making a decision.

Dante sighed. She thought maybe he would say something, but the waiter arrived. Dante ordered steak for himself, and the portobello sandwich for her. He remembered she liked portobello sandwiches.

Gradually, she stopped sketching and took a deep breath, but she said nothing. The visions felt under control, and she relaxed a bit.

"You should book passage to go back to Earth as soon as possible," said Dante finally, in a matter-of-fact tone that she found extremely irksome.

"What about you?" she asked.

The waiter interrupted them by bringing their food. Dante began eating, and she did the same.

"What about you?" she asked, more firmly.

"I haven't thought that far," he said.

"You can't go home empty handed," she said, suddenly realizing that he may have exiled himself from his home and family forever. Her anger dissipated, and she suddenly felt herself filled with sympathy.

"Take me," she said. "Take me. I'll go. You said they wouldn't hurt me."

Dante took his final bite of steak. "That's crazy," he said simply.

"You shouldn't have to give up your whole life for me," she replied, "and by the way, I hate it when people call me crazy."

Dante shrugged, but she knew he was thinking something along the lines of "if the shoe fits."

The waiter came. "Can I interest you in dessert?"

"What flavors of ice cream do you have?" asked Dante.

The waiter rattled off several, and Dante thought carefully before replying, "Vanilla, for both of us."

After the waiter disappeared, T'Mir leaned over. "I'm serious, Dante," she said.

Dante leaned over. "Melodramatic nonsense. You're going home to your family on the next transport back to Earth."

T'Mir leaned over, and their lips were very close. "You can't tell me what to do," she replied.

"I will tell you what to do if you need to be told what to do," he replied.

She leaned back, and the waiter arrived with their ice cream. She picked up a spoon, as did he.

"It seems we're at an impasse," she said softly.


As their little ship waited to be cleared for landing on Mars, Hank heard the communication panel beep.

"It's from Earth," said Lorian.

"I didn't tell anyone where I was going," replied Hank. "It must be for you."

Lorian turned to Hank as he tapped on the panel. "Beyond filing a flight plan, I told no one either."

The screen sprung to life, and the face of Captain Malcolm Reed appeared. Hank's heart started to beat, because something about the look on his face said "official business."

"Lorian," he said, "it's good to see you. I've been trying to contact your sister for a few days now, and I have not been able to reach her. Her last known location was a transport on the way to Mars, but there's no record of her entering Mars."

Lorian blinked. "Do you believe she boarded another transport before passing through customs?"

"That would be an explanation, but we have no record of it. We do know she was in the company of a young man who is not from Earth"

"That's her boyfriend, Dante Angelino. He's from the outer colonies," Hank chimed in.

Lorian glanced over at Hank, and he seemed to sit up very straight in his chair. "I have not met the young man, but by coincidence, Hank and I are also headed for Mars. I plan on contacting my sister when I get there. Or I planned to."

Captain Reed's face twitched slightly, and he looked concerned, and Hank knew damn well that Captain Reed was up to his eyeballs in intelligence work. Suddenly, Hank didn't feel so silly over his earlier suspicions.

"She hasn't answered her communicator, despite several attempts to contact her," said Captain Reed.

Lorian was starting to look concerned himself. "It's not uncommon for her to ignore calls. The romantic nature of the trip might explain that."

"Indeed," replied Captain Reed, "but if you do find her, please contact me immediately. It's nothing to be alarmed about, but I would like to talk to her."

With that, Captain Reed sighed off. Lorian stared at the screen, and Hank gently put his arm around Lorian. "Why am I suddenly very frightened for T'Mir?" he asked.

Lorian grabbed Hank's hand, and he squeezed tight. "Because your instincts are good ones," he replied.


T'Mir sat in the co-pilot's seat of Dante's ship. She looked around at the vessel, with its outdated controls and nondescript design. "My father would hate this ship," she said. "It has no flair at all."

Dante sat in the pilot's chair, looking out the windshield the transport pad. "The ship was chosen for its nondescript nature. It was supposed to be so unremarkable that nobody would notice it."

T'Mir looked around. "Well, I would think you'd have better taste than this," she replied, "but it does make sense. Nobody would suspect a ship this boring of anything."

Dante smirked at her, and she smiled. "What's it like on Romulus?" she asked.

He sighed. "It's so beautiful, I don't have words for it. The spires of the capital city are built with a quartz that self-illuminates in the moonlight. There's no city like it in the galaxy. And there's so much to see and do. Museums. Amphitheaters. Parks. It's hard to imagine anyone not feeling privileged to live there."

T'Mir shook her head. "Maybe I'd like it there..."

Dante shook his head, "I said stop that. I made my choice, and I don't regret it. Sleeping at night will be ample reward." He paused. "Besides, I will always see it in my mind."

T'Mir was about to mount another argument, but her communicator rang.

Dante sat back. "You should answer that," he said.

She flipped the device open, and she was shocked to see it was her brother Lorian calling. She answered.

"Are you okay?" came his voice.

She responded in the affirmative, and then her brother peppered her with several questions, all of which seemed to imply that he was worried about her. He also said that he was on his way, with Hank, to Mars, which made no sense. On top of that, he let slip he had recently spoken to Captain Reed, and he had inquired about her welfare, which was bizarre.

It all added up to one thing.

"Starfleet Intelligence suspects something. Suspects you," she said as she hung up. "You may not even be able to get out of here."

Dante stood up. "Explain," he said.

She blurted out her reasoning.

"We shouldn't panic," he said. "They might suspect something, but they don't know. If they knew, your brother would not have mentioned talking to Captain Reed."

But T'Mir was already panicking. She couldn't imagine what they would do to Dante, if they caught him. He'd be imprisoned, of that she was sure, and she couldn't let that be his reward for helping her.

He looked none too happy either.

"I have to go, now," he said. "Even if this ship isn't fixed, I can get a transport somewhere, anywhere but here."

T'Mir felt panic overtake her. She couldn't just let him leave. Not after what he had done for her. She stood up and she flung herself into his arms. "I'll go with you. Let me go with you. We can find somewhere to go together, neutral corners."

His strong arms went around her. "I can't turn you into a fugitive."

"And I can't let you go alone," she said, her hand finding his and entwining her fingers with his. She felt his deep affection for her, and how he didn't want to leave her. The nobility of his impulse to leave her both touched and irritated her. She had as much say as he did. She did not want to be separated from him.

She loved him.

Their minds connected even further, and she was seized with an idea. A brilliant idea. She smiled to herself. It was so simple. She had the means to make sure they couldn't be separated. And if he was hurt, she'd be hurt.

He sensed what she was thinking. "T'Mir," he whispered, "I'm not sure..."

She smiled at him. "We're in this together. You know it."

With their hands still linked, she reached up and she kissed him, long and deep. And she felt a surge of triumph when he kissed her back.