In her heart Solae was not convinced, her doubt reflecting on her features as she stared up at him. Despite her reservations Rene spoke with a calm confidence that assured he would not be swayed from his convictions any more easily than she would. The handsome soldier was resolute that his place was beside her so long as she was being hunted by the rebellion. While inwardly she was in turmoil, emotions swirling with both the need to protect him from himself and a desperate yearning for his companionship, his were unfaltering in their harmony. There was not even the slightest hint of conflict as he announced his intentions firmly.

Selfishly and irrationally she wished that his reasoning had reassurances one way or another about where they stood. At every opportunity Rene proved himself to be a honorable man that the Stellar Empire could be proud of was in their ranks. Should they be rescued Solae imagined commendations were in his future. But he had not spoken directly of what fledgling relationship they had as a motivation for his actions. He had not told her that breaching the divide between where he stood and nobility would not destroy his psyche nor that she was a prize worth risking such for. They had only been together for a couple sparse days. Solae was cognizant this was far too much to demand or expect from anyone in the same or similar situation.

Nothing would be the same after the attacks on New Concordia. It did not matter if she was taken captive and weaponized, tortured, and raped, or delivered safely to a planet nearer to the throne. Memories might fade but their impact would not be forgotten. Not even the Empress could bring her parents back to life. Solae's two cousins would not suddenly welcome her back with open arms and promises of familial love. She would be solitary in her remembrance of the events. Oanh and Min Ho did not show any desire or plans to leave anytime soon- and even then they were distanced from the trauma and violence of the coup to some degree. As far as she knew Rene and herself were the only two loyalists left on the planet that would depart it. Had they not been attracted to each other as fiercely as they were, she would still dream of tethering herself to him so that she could be understood, so that she would not be adrift.

"I don't want you to regret," she said as she let her gaze drop. As marquise it was undeniable that she would have power over him should they be liberated. There were limits to her power, of course, but it wasn't beyond the realm of possibility she could throw around her weight to keep him beside her with force. Solae was not certain that she was capable of doing so, but this war was changing her. She was frightened she would emerge from its ashes and not recognize herself. Not all scars were physical.

"But if this is really what you want to do, I suppose I can't stop you," she admitted. Just trying to imagine her trying to outrun Rene was comical. With the wound on her thigh her gait was slightly slower due to muscle stiffness- but were she in perfect health she would still be slower. Solae had an edge on flexibility but he was both stronger and faster.

"I'll finish packing up here if you want to see if Oanh and Hyun Tae have anything they can give us for the road." Solae slid around him and leaned down over the bed to finish what she had started, but now her fingers trembled slightly. Her courage was finally starting to waver. Even with Oanh and Min Ho's assistance it felt as if the world were against them.