“I’m never going to get used to space travel,” Marilyn says as I finally get the ship off the ground. I look back at her and her eyes are closed, her hands gripping the seat tightly.

“Hold on. It’s going to get worse before it gets better.” I input the coordinates into the computer and I can instantly feel the pressure pushing against my body as the ship prepares to blast into space. It takes awhile but eventually we’re in space, and the planet of Zephyrus is just a dot behind us. Once we’re on our way back to Lunis Station I use the ship’s communication system to hail the command center but there’s no response. We’re still too far out of range.

“Are you okay, Marilyn?” I ask, now that the hardest part of the trip is over.

“Yes, just glad that’s over,” she says. Her face has a slight green tinge to it and I hope she isn’t going to get sick. It wouldn’t be the first time someone has lost the contents of their stomach because of the pressure of getting through a planet’s orbit and into space.

“It won’t be long before we’re back on Lunis Station.” I give her a reassuring smile. Hopefully very soon this whole mess will be over. I’m anxious to hear from Raydn and Kayne to find out if they were able to locate the other women slaves while we were stuck down on Zephyrus. I’d like to have good news to relay to Marilyn. Of course, while I’m thinking about the latest developments back on Lunis Station, it makes me wonder if there has been any progress on locating Earth. I have mixed feelings about it now. Marilyn has my heart and I don’t want her to go back to her planet. I know it isn’t up to me but I would give anything to have her stay here, by my side.

My thoughts are interrupted when the doors behind us open suddenly. I’m caught off guard when three Atronox guards enter the command center, holding their weapons. I move to unclasp my chair restraints, but before I can free myself, two of the guards are standing before me with their weapons poised at my head. I put my hands up slowly and indiscreetly look over at Marilyn. There’s one guard pointing a weapon at her. My blood boils inside and I have the urge to rip them apart for threatening Marilyn. I’ll blame myself later for failing to check the rest of the ship for guards before we took off.

“Up,” the guard says to Marilyn. He flicks his weapon, indicating he wants her to get up and leave with him.

“You too,” one of the guards says to me. They want us out of here so they can take over the controls again. They’ll probably fly us back to Zephyrus to the rest of the Atronox waiting down there. To Stosk, who wants nothing more than to take Marilyn away from me and sell her as a slave to a foul creature. I’m not going to let that happen.

I slowly pull my arms out of my restraints, keeping my hands high in the air to show my compliance. I slowly press a button on the panel that allows the ship to maintain our current course. And then, I stand up, slowly. When I’m standing, I’m face to face with the Atronox guard. It isn’t the first time I’ve been face to face with them. I fought many battles with their kind and won. Their eyes hold no basic emotions. They are programmed to see only what they want, what is important for their species to survive. If we put them on an autopsy table I wouldn’t be surprised to discover that they have no hearts.

A thin layer of clear skin closes over his eyes and then a thicker layer closes as he blinks. I take the opportunity to strike. Without hesitation my fist slams into his throat, causing him to drop the weapon and clutch himself, gasping for air. Before the other guard can react, I knock his weapon out of his hand, sending it sliding across the floor. I move swiftly with my right hand, my fist connecting with the guard’s face and throwing him off balance. The third guard turns and fires his weapon at me. I move to the left but not before there’s a burning pain in my side. I grab the guard in front of me and throw his body into the guard standing close to Marilyn. He falls backward, landing on her. She screams and pushes at his body to get him off of her. I walk over and grab him by the shirt and pull him up. When I lift him there’s another searing pain in my side, causing me to loosen my hold. My hands slip and he manages to get away from me.

He slides across the floor on his stomach, going straight for the weapon lying on the ground a few feet away from us. Even with injuries, I’m faster. I grab onto his ankle and pull him back. Then I dive for the weapon and grab ahold of it just as the two guards make their way towards me again. I raise the weapon and fire, hitting them both in the chest, permanently bringing them down. The third guard hasn’t been able to function since the jab to his throat. He looks at his fallen brothers and then back to me. Just like I suspected, he turns tail and does his best to run toward the door, making his escape. I don’t know where he thinks he’s going to go. Once we’re back on Lunis Station he will be captured and held prisoner. That will be his fate, not taking a kill shot to the back. That isn’t my style.

The door slides shut behind him and Marilyn and I are alone again. With two dead bodies. I look over at her and she’s breathing heavily, clearly out of sorts from the latest confrontation.

“Never a dull moment,” she says. Then, as if coming to her senses, she quickly gets out of her seat. “You’re injured.” She hurries over to my side but stops just before touching me. I look down and there’s blood soaking through my clothes, running down my side. “There must be a first aid kit or something on board.” She begins looking around the command center, searching for something we can use to stop the bleeding.

“There,” I say, pointing to a white box under one of the stations. “That might be something.”

Marilyn hurries over and grabs it, yanking it open to inspect what’s inside. “There isn’t much.” She picks up the box and brings it over to me, showing me the contents inside. “I’m not sure what you need, but there are bandages. I can help you wrap it around the wound until we get back and one of the doctors can take a look at you.”

“Yes, that’ll be fine. It’s bleeding a lot but otherwise it isn’t too deep of a wound. I should be okay.”

“Well thank goodness for that. I have no clue how to fly this thing.” She laughs nervously while fumbling with the supplies in the box. I reach over and take her hand in mine, taking the gauze so I can wrap it around my waist.

“It’s okay, Marilyn. I can handle it.” I wince as I begin wrapping my waist, but once it is tight the bleeding stops almost immediately.

“I’m sorry I’m not more help. Everything is really out of my realm of experience out here.” She lowers her face to obscure the tears beginning to fall down her cheeks. I haven’t been around women very much but I feel for her. This world is foreign to her and it has been one thing after another.

My hands are covered in blood so I don’t want to touch her face, but I want to comfort her somehow. I lean forward and let my forehead rest on hers. I like being close to her, I like feeling her warmth.

“You’re doing just fine,” I tell her. “And it will all be over soon.”

She gently wraps her arms around my neck. When I open my eyes she leans in and kisses me, passionately. I can feel the wetness of her tears on my face. When her tongue enters my mouth I forget the pain in my side until she’s all there is. She envelops my senses and pleasure floods my body. It would be easy to lose myself in her but then she pulls back, gently caressing my face with her hand.

She sits next to me and I do my best to hold her while we maintain our course back to the Lunis Station.

“Do me a favor?” she asks a moment later.

“Anything,” I say.

“Stop getting shot.”

I laugh until pain pierces through my side, abruptly ending it. “I think you’re right. No more injuries the rest of the trip.”