“I’ll see my LT right away,” Sarah promised. “He’ll contact you shortly. And I appreciate how forward you’ve been about what you want.” She smiled at him playfully. None of the favors he had asked for bothered her—hell, having the chance to treat patients who might otherwise be ignored by the system was more like a favor to her than him. And perversely, the idea of selling her body for political favors turned her on a bit. Sometimes she just liked things that were tawdry for their own sake.<em>Doctor and courtesan all rolled into one—what a Renaissance woman!</em>she thought, amused.<br/><br/>“Goodbye for now, Captain.” She felt almost cheerful, especially when compared with how miserable and frightened she had been only a few minutes ago. Though she knew it was foolish to get her hopes up before she talked to Warren.<br/><br/>After Captain Douglas said his goodbyes, Sarah returned to Warren’s office. She dreaded coming back so soon, and her anger at being hurt was still simmering just below the surface. But as it was, she was able to explain the situation without any new incident. And while the lieutenant was plenty drunk, he could still follow what was going on. His proposed solution—to obtain asylum for herself and Key—shocked Sarah. He agreed to contact the captain and work out the details. She had left his office earlier under the impression that he considered her less worthy of protection due to her treason being willful rather than caused by ignorance.<br/><br/>She did not know if this new decision was motivated by true concern for her, or perhaps just fear that she would break down under PD torture. But the fact that she could not be sure did force her to mentally give Warren some benefit of the doubt. Sarah left Warren’s office a second time still upset with him, but her negative feelings were much less certain than they had been.<br/><br/>The young doctor returned to the galley, and was glad to find that the political officer was still absent—no doubt there were other survivors of the battalion in need of a scum-sucking leech to rifle through their belongings. Sarah decided to lay down on her bunk for the moment and just try to collect herself. All these dramatic reversals of fortune could be a bit overwhelming, to say the least.