In the end, everything went as Holly had predicted. They were left to stew in their cell for two or three standard hours, slumped next to each other on the single cot, neither of them able to sleep for fear of what their dreams might bring and embarrassment of sharing those private demons with another person. Holly must have drifted off anyway, for when she came to again, she found herself wrapped in the single blanket that had been provided, while Ethan was manfully shivering beside her.
When the cell door finally opened, they were let out by none other than Arthur Madden himself. The great man looked harried, since dealing with a barroom brawl was keeping him from the more important task of running his great rebellion against the Empire. He regarded them both, taking in the soiled and t
