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“Remember that you said that,” Ba Re’ said.

Quin turned slowly to take in the appearance of his friend. Barefoot, wearing trousers and a loose shirt. Disheveled as though he’d just awoken. “What’s happened?”

“I know how we can find Mirilla,” Ba Re’ said.

“Oh, really. And how is it that you think you can find Mirilla when no one else has been able to? Not even Rokai has been able to locate her.”

Ba Re’ smirked. “Do you remember questioning why she’d leave her credit band behind when she sought escape from the barrage of accusation hurled at her?”

“You’ve become quite descriptive in your memory of things,” Quin said, “but yes, I do remember wondering at that.”

“If she’d taken it, you could have tracked her band to determine her location,” Ba Re’ said.

“Yes. But she didn’t. So we can’t,” Quin said.

“You could try tracking mine,” Ba Re’ said.

Quin took the few steps over to the table and set his plate on its surface. Then his gaze shifted from his food to his friend. His head canted enough to show his confusion, then his head canted the opposite direction. “Why would I track your credit band to determine Mirilla’s location?”

“Because I gave it to her to use for her escape. It is the reason she didn’t take hers.”

Quin’s mouth opened as though he was going to say something, but instead wasn’t quite sure what to say.

“It was my idea. Leave her band behind so that no one could track her, and take mine instead,” Ba Re’ said, standing tall and proud, still wearing that damned smirk.

Quin took a deep breath and raised a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose between his thumb and his forefinger. “Why?”

“Because she was innocent and all any of you did was hurl accusations. Then you started talking about locking her away if she couldn’t prove her innocence. She knew the only way to prove her innocence was to find her brother. I happened on her while she was preparing to leave and told her to take my credit band.”

“Why? Why would you give her your band?”

“Because I’ll never spend all the credits on it. She’d be hard pressed to do so herself. I didn’t need it. She did.”

“Ba Re’!” Quin shouted, his voice elevated.

“It was the right thing to do!” Ba Re’ shouted back. “And if you’d been thinking clearly, which you weren’t, you’d have done the same if someone else was making the accusations you were at an innocent female.”

Quin let his head roll back on his shoulder and continued pressing the bridge of his nose.

“Are you alright?” Vivian asked.

“Perfectly fine,” he finally managed.

“Are you sure? Because I’ve seen you do that same exact thing when dealing with Rokai, and it usually means a savage headache is settling in,” Vivian said.

“That is exactly what is happening!” Quin yelled. Then he realized he was yelling in response to a question his Ehlealah had asked. “I’m not yelling at you, Ehlealah. Please do not think I am.”

“I didn’t for one minute think that you were. Because you know better than that,” she said, smiling tightly at him.

“You are correct.” He leaned over and kissed the top of her head, then started toward Ba Re’.

“Where are you going?” Vivian asked.

“I’m going to contact the ship, and then Rokai once I have coordinates,” Quin answered.

“I can help,” Ba Re’ said.

“Noooo! Please do not help. You’ve helped enough!”

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