They dozed off together in the sunshine, Sabrina's exhaustion pulling Ford into sleep after her. When Ford's hearing picked up the sounds of people moving through the grass, he came instantly awake; Sabrina followed a moment later, with a small cry of alarm.
"Ssh, it's all right," he soothed. "It's just Malvarak. And someone else."
She grimaced, sitting up. When she spotted the person walking behind Malvarak, she gripped Ford's arm so tightly that he hissed in pain. She couldn't think clearly enough through the wash of terror in her mind to let go. "Reissian!" she choked out.
She could feel Ford putting up mental barriers against her, so as not to be overwhelmed with her fear, but she kept battering against them, desperate to make him understand. "They want to kill me! They assassinated my father—"
"Don't be tiresome," he snapped. "Anyone who tries to kill you will be a smoldering pile of ashes before they get within reach of you."
Malvarak smirked at Sabrina. "Skittish, isn't she? I do wonder if she has the nerve for this lifestyle."
"You know what nerve I've got!" Sabrina spat. "And you've done this on purpose!"
"No, no, my dear. The Reissian Empire was the most logical place to look for allies for the Emperor. Your irrational fear of them is merely a bonus."
"Stop that," Ford said, glaring at him. "You are not to distress her. If I have to repeat myself again, you will regret it."
"I assure Your Majesty that I will keep it in mind," Malvarak said. "May I introduce General Vertorix, representing your new allies the Reissian Empire?"
Ford nodded curtly. "What can you do to help us?"
"Your Majesty," Vertorix said, bowing slightly. "I have a suitable battleship and escort ready to accompany you to the safety of our borders."
"And what will you expect in return, General?" Ford asked, as if it didn't really matter.
"Only your...advice on certain matters. My people have been isolated from galactic politics for some time, and unfortunately we have powerful enemies. Your assistance could be invaluable. I believe we have enemies in common, so both our interests may be served."
"You mean the Wayfarers," Ford said.
"Yes, though they are cowards and must be greatly provoked before they become desperate enough to take us on," Vertorix said. "The Miahns, however, are far more aggressive. In our last encounter they murdered in cold blood an entire fleet—tens of thousands of our best citizens."
"In cold blood! You were attacking our space. You invaded our planet and murdered my father—and would have murdered me! Your fleet got exactly what it deserved!" Sabrina said.
Vertorix frowned at her, perplexed. "The events of which I speak took place a century ago. You could not have been born yet."
"My companion has a vivid imagination and a sentimental attachment to Praxatillus," Ford explained. "We are not interested in making war, General. We only wish to live quietly. I will advise you, but I will not fight battles for you. Understand this."
"No one is asking Your Majesty to participate in a battle," the General said. "Your value is far too great to risk your safety in any way. We believe that your mere presence in our territory will constitute a great deterrent to our enemies."
"If that is so, I would be happy to help you," Ford said.
Sabrina pulled at his arm. "I can't go there! I won't!"
"Kesta, please—"
"No. I can't! The sight of him makes me remember—makes me sick!" she pleaded.
He looked at her for a moment, then gently touched her mind. She didn't have to open herself to the probe for him to feel that she was truly terrified, and after a moment he sighed. Kissing her forehead, he said, "Then I will take you somewhere safe, outside their borders, and we will part. If that is truly what you want."
"It's not what I want! You shouldn't go either! Stay with me. We can look after ourselves, I know we can. Please!"
"Kesta," he sighed, taking her hands. "You asked me to remember who I am. I am not someone who was raised to be self-sufficient. I need to have allies. I need to have a purpose. I am going with them. You do not have to; I will not force you. I will miss you terribly, though."
She closed her eyes against his wistful look, unable to stop the tears from sliding down her cheeks. "I'll miss you too," she whispered.
"I'm sending you up to the ship. I'll be along in a moment," he said, stroking her cheek.
She nodded, and vanished. Ford turned to Malvarak and Vertorix. "It appears my companion will not be coming. I will need to divert briefly to a suitable planet, where she will be able to live safely. Malvarak, I expect you to present me with a list of possibilities before we get underway."
"Yes, Your Majesty. But if I may suggest—"
"You may not."
Vertorix said, "Do not worry, Your Majesty. The Reissian court does not lack beautiful females. And should you wish it, our Emperor would be pleased, I'm sure, to cement our alliance by providing you a royal wife."
Ford barely kept a grimace off his face. "Thank you, General."
"General," Malvarak said, "you are more familiar with this part of space than I. May I trouble you for some data on the sort of planets His Majesty has in mind?"
"Certainly. With your permission, Your Majesty, I'll return to my ship and see to it."
Ford nodded, and Vertorix bowed, turned, and strode away. Malvarak watched him go, and when he was out of earshot, he said, "Your Majesty, there is really no need for all this distress. You have it within your power to relieve Kestabriani of these troubling 'memories' that are preventing her from accompanying you. I'm sure she would be much happier—and much safer—staying with you."
"She has asked me not to tamper with her mind," Ford said grimly.
"But these are not her true memories, Your Majesty. They are more like an illness, or something invading her mind. You would be doing her a real service by removing them."
"Why do you suggest this? I would have thought you would rejoice at her leaving," Ford said. "You obviously don't like her, and she doesn't like you."
"I only want to avoid your unhappiness, Your Majesty. My own feelings are irrelevant."
Ford gave him a skeptical look, but merely said, "Wait here while I speak to Kesta."
"Certainly." Malvarak bowed as Ford vanished.
——————————
Sabrina knew it was the wrong tactic, but she was too desperate for rational planning. "Please don't do this! It's wrong, and it's dangerous. I don't want you to go with them! Please!" she cried as soon as Ford materialized in front of her on the control deck.
He looked at her sadly. "This is the best option I can see, Kesta. We must have allies. How would we ever survive on our own? Neither of us has any skill at earning money. And we would never be safe from our enemies. You must see that this is the only thing I can do."
"To abandon me on an unknown planet and throw yourself into the arms of our enemy?"
"I do not abandon you of my own will, Kesta. And the Reissians have never been my enemy."
"Give me a chance. I can find us somewhere to go. Let me make some contacts—"
"Kesta, don't. You will only look foolish trading on an imaginary identity, and you may well give our position away."
"You must at least give me a chance before you do this!" she insisted. "Let me make one call!"
"It's too risky."
"Once we're underway, then! Communications within a Way are virtually untraceable. Please," she pleaded.
With a deep sigh, he looked at her for a moment, then nodded. "All right. One call, once we are underway. And when that proves to you that your memories are only illusions, you will have no reason to leave me."
"I don't want to leave you. I told you that. But I can't go into Reissian space."
"I won't force you."
She smiled tremulously at him. "You'll see. One call, and I'll prove I'm who I say I am."
"One call. And then this subject is closed," he agreed, stroking her hair comfortingly. "Now stop these tears, Kesta. I dislike all this drama."
She nodded, wiping her cheeks with her fingers. "How long before we're underway?"
"We have to get that list of suitable planets. That will probably take them an hour or so. Get some rest, sweetheart."
Sabrina smiled at him again. The Emperor had never called her sweetheart, but Ford had, now and then. "Okay."
——————————
"This is the list, sir. We have operatives on all these planets, so we will be able to keep a discreet eye on her, make sure she is all right," Vertorix reported on the viewscreen.
Ford paced a few steps as the data transferred. "Thank you, General. I will let you know when we are ready to get underway and have chosen a destination."
The viewscreen cleared, and Malvarak said, "You are really going to let her go?"
"I still hope to persuade her otherwise," Ford said, "but if she insists, I will."
"That could be dangerous. What if she is found by the Wayfarers? Their methods of information extraction are unpleasant at best. To say nothing of the risk to you if she reveals our location."
"Your surprising lack of faith in our new allies aside, I will deal with Kesta as I see fit. She has rarely asked me for anything, and I have never been able to give her what she wants most. If her freedom is what she truly wishes, then I will not deny her."
"But is it what she wants? Or is this irrational fear of Reissians a result of those false memories, which may have been implanted by our enemies? This could be their plan—to separate you and use her against you," Malvarak said. "I admire your scruples, Your Majesty, but I think it would be in her best interest, as well as your own, to remove these false memories. She will thank you for it. What can she look forward to if you leave her to fend for herself? She has never been taught how to manage her own life. How successful can she truly be, even if she evades our enemies? If she persists in this false identity, she may even be locked away as mentally incompetent, or subjected to treatment far less gentle than your own methods would be. If you feel you owe her a gift, let it be the return of her true self, rather than casting her adrift in a life she is not equipped to lead."
"I promised her."
"But was it Kesta you promised, or this imaginary identity? Can you hold yourself to a promise made to someone who does not truly exist? Restore her, and see what promises she asks of you then."
Ford heaved a sigh. "You make good points, Malvarak. I will...I will think about this."
"Time is precious, Your Majesty."
"I am aware of that," Ford snapped. "I will let you know when I am ready to depart. Until then, do not disturb us."
"Yes, Your Majesty," Malvarak murmured as Ford strode off the control deck. Malvarak held in his smirk until Ford was completely out of sight.