Sephora watched through the viewport alongside her seat as the station came into view, a pale beacon in the inky black of space. This had been the last place held by the Commonwealth where Winston had been before he\u2019d headed to E-557. It would be the same with she and Ben. Her husband\u2019s hand wrapped around hers, fingers squeezing.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s wrong?\u201d he murmured.<\/p>\n
She shook her head. \u201cNothing. Just thinking. We\u2019re nearly there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you think there are any ships heading in that direction from here?\u201d Ben asked, peering past her at the station in the distance.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere must be,\u201d Sephora said. \u201cMission Systems has been using the station as their base for the move of their operations. There will still be ships.\u201d And if there\u2019s not, I\u2019ll think of something.<\/em> \u201cSo far as I know, they\u2019re not done moving yet.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll have to hope.\u201d Ben squeezed her hand again. \u201cThank you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLetting me come with you. I\u2019m glad you didn\u2019t want to do this alone.\u201d<\/p>\n She stared out the window, her fingers tight around his hand. \u201cThis is something I shouldn\u2019t do alone. Besides, you were with me when it started all those years ago. You deserve to see it through as much as I do.\u201d Her gaze drifted to meet his. \u201cI love you, Ben.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI love you, too,\u201d he murmured, then kissed her cheek. For a moment, she found herself wanting more than that, wanting it so badly that it hurt somewhere deep inside, but she pushed the feeling away, tucked it back into its corner\u2014for now. There would be time enough for more<\/em> later. Now wasn\u2019t the time and here wasn\u2019t the place.<\/p>\n \u201cWill you make contact with them once we\u2019re on the station?\u201d<\/p>\n Sephora shook her head. \u201cNo. I\u2019m hoping to run silent between here and there. The less communication from me, the safer everyone is.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cExcept us,\u201d Ben said with a wry smile.<\/p>\n She snorted. \u201cEspecially us. Ben, if no one knows where we are, they can\u2019t stop us and they can\u2019t make us a target.\u201d<\/p>\n His brows went up. \u201cIs that something you learned from Freder Rose?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAmong other things.\u201d The fingers of her free hand brushed against his cheek. \u201cThere are other things he tried to teach me that I should have paid more attention to.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLike what?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI never should have let you go.\u201d She stole a kiss from his lips, then smiled as she drew away, just staring at him.<\/p>\n \u201cMm.\u201d He smiled back, eyes sparkling. \u201cI think you\u2019re right.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis time, at least.\u201d<\/p>\n Her husband\u2019s humor faded. \u201cHow long do you think we have until someone notices you\u2019ve vanished and starts asking questions? Other than Padraig and your<\/em> people?\u201d<\/p>\n Sephora snorted softly. \u201cNo one pays attention to me whether I\u2019m there or not. Two or three weeks, I\u2019d guess. Hell. I\u2019ll probably be announcing my findings before anyone notices I\u2019m gone and damning someone in the process. Then they\u2019ll notice and scream about it all.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben laughed ruefully and she smiled, though sadly.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s true. If I vanished and never came back? That would be the best day ever in conglomerate history. Oversight would vanish with me and they\u2019d be able to do whatever they want.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd humanity would be doomed.\u201d<\/p>\n Sephora shook her head, barely containing the chuckle that threatened. \u201cYou already sound like the Foundation.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTheir methods may be extreme, but they were right about one thing.\u201d Ben smiled grimly. \u201cWithout someone to save us from ourselves, humanity is doomed.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Sephora watched through the viewport alongside her seat as the station came into view, a pale beacon in the inky black of space. This had been the last place held by the Commonwealth where Winston had been before he\u2019d headed … Continue reading