"Yes, truly our success at grand larceny is to be celebrated," Solae remarked wryly with a laugh. Even in the most stern courts of the Stellar Empire it would be a challenge to find any member of the judicial branch willing to chastise the couple. Stealing was criminal, no matter the planet in question, but the smugglers and slavers had been operating an illegal enterprise that did considerably more damage to the imperial citizens and reputation. Not only would anyone with a pulse be sympathetic to the morally righteous duo over the scoundrels they had slain, they would have to concede that the property was taken only after the original owner was killed in self-defense, and in flight of a coup that threatened interstellar security. The marquise had no desire to break more laws than absolutely necessary for survival, but it was undeniable that they would be officially pardoned and forgiven so long as they did not commit treason, genocide, or other heinous acts the Empress could not explain. Nobility had a greater latitude in general with what they could 'get away with' on account of status, wealth, and connections with powerful attorneys, but it paled in comparison to the implied liberty with which the two aristocrats in the Bonaventure could operate until such time they were referred to safe space.

Solae let out a sigh of contentment. Technically the pillow was more comfortable than Rene's shoulder but it lacked the reassurance touch granted. The sigh was chased shortly by a yawn that announced how drowsy being in his embrace, in a slightly lumpy bed dressed in fine silks, after several full days of activity had made her. She only wished that the captain's quarters had more expansive windows so that she could watch the stars drift by as they sailed through the universe. Even in a freight ship that was hobbled together from scrap of other vessels there was no denying the cosmic beauty outside. Her parents would have argued that space was only properly viewed from a prestigious spacecraft. Fortunately the celestial heavens did not pay heed to elitist opinions and were just as stunning no matter whom looked upon them or what vehicle they traversed in.

"I personally think it's a win there's no past lovers I have to compete with," she teased as she curled up on the soldier and closed her eyes completely. Long golden hair splayed across him as her body grew heavy and she started to allow herself to succumb to the allure of slumber. While she was not asleep she would undoubtedly be shortly. Even an hour's rest would go a long way into repairing the damage of been driven to the brink of death as had occurred not so long ago. Their new home was not ideal but the thought it was [i]theirs[/i] and they might be able to keep it for more than two consecutive nights was wondrous. Solae had never known how much she took for granted until it was ripped away.

"If we make it to a communications array we will need to decide who we want to reach out to. My... my parents are already dead and I am not close to my cousins. Perhaps we should send a message to your father? The rebellion will suppress news of all the deaths on New Concordia, so he won't realize the danger we're in immediately. He might try to ignore the missive, but perhaps if he hears where it's from, or if you can send him a coded clue we can get his attention. I know that it's a risk but he has more investment than most in us. Your family's honor could be restored when news of your heroism and triumphs spread; we'll be the talk of the sector, if not more, by the time the Empress is done with us. I'd rather reach out to someone that you trust to help than someone whose name I have only read on a piece of paper," she confessed.

It was too early to tell if they'd be able to find any operational equipment on Panopontus. With significantly less land mass for settlements there was less need for the expensive pieces of technology that were keyed to accept only specially screened diplomats' directives. There was also a very real chance even if they managed to send out a signal that it would be traced, interrupted, and/or intercepted, creating a high risk for the couple to be located by their enemies. Solae and Rene couldn't dictate the future but it was in their best interests to find an array, send a singular message, then evacuate, and try to locate one or more additional arrays for additional messages if necessary. Much as she believed in the Stellar Empire, they would not sweep in to save the marquise and her beau immediately, and she'd not forfeit her life in the last hour because she stopped thinking strategically.

"You should think of a coded message for your father, something that would let him know it's really you, so that he'll believe us both when we ask him to go to the military or the Empress as our advocate, just in case," she restated just as her consciousness bled away into the land of dreams. Already she was wistfully yearning for a day where she could repair the severed bonds of Du Quentain men. It was too late for her and her parents, but it wasn't too late for Rene, and she would become his knight in shining armor just as he had become hers so many times over in the last week.