The whole world is spinning, upheaving, rolling, but all I see is darkness. Heavy and blank, suffocating. I lean forward and retch several times. The contents of my stomach spill out. I realize that my face is covered by a heavy sack.

Fuck. Poison. My first cohesive thought is that I have been poisoned. I roll my neck and groan. Beaten. My whole body is screaming in pain. I can’t heal myself if I’ve been poisoned. Whoever did this knows a lot about Baromenians. Several heavy hands grab my shoulders and yank me to my knees.

Then I have my second thought. Emily. Where is she? What happened? Is she okay?

I try and fight them off, but my whole body is weak. I just flop to the side. Something cold and metallic jabs itself into my back.

It's a gun. I should be fearing for my life, but my only concern is for Emily.

The sack is ripped off my head. I blink furiously several times. My vision is blurred. A tall, blue-skinned man stands in front of me. Is that—?

“Mor?”

The figure bends over, and I get a clear view of the man’s face. He is undoubtedly from Omicronian, but he is not Mor. The man snarls.

“Your pal Mor is over there.” He points to my feet. It takes all my effort to turn my head.

I see Mor lying face-down on the ground. I hope the healer finished her work before all this.

I grit my teeth. “Where is she?”

“She’s right here.”

My eyes start to focus. The poison is running through my system rather quickly.

We’re in the middle of the city square. It’s early morning, and the heat of the sun is just beginning to rise over the horizon. All the citizens stand with wide eyes, hiding behind their houses, all fearful. A cool breeze blows over, and I look to the source of the voice.

King Ursen stands a head taller than all fifteen soldiers surrounding him. They all wear the same black leather armor that covers all skin up to their thick necks. King Ursen has a silver cape; clasped with a golden pin, it billows with the breeze.

His dark, black eyes dig into mine. A long scar runs from the top of his white brow, down his cheek, to the right side of his thin lips, disfiguring his already hideous face. The ivory horns atop his head twist higher than all the others. And in the grasp of his right hand, he holds a terrified Emily by the back of her neck.

The sight of it all enrages me.

“I suppose I should ask what you were doing in bed with her, unattended?”

I try to speak, but my mouth is dry.

Emily winces as Ursen digs his dirty fingers into her skin. “Raping the King of Omicronian’s wife is an offense punishable by death, but alas, the sun is shining. and today is a happy day. I have found my new wife, the new queen of our people. I won’t be killing anyone today, least of all, the son of our emperor.”

I grit my teeth, and he smiles—a wicked, vile thing. “Wouldn’t want a full-out war to break out again, now, would we? You did have me worried, though. I was beginning to think my goods were to go undelivered.”

I stand, rising slowly.

This is it. Emily’s finally been given to her king. And I hate every second of it. “How did you find us?” I finally choke out.

King Ursen steps to the side, and a guard throws a bound and gagged man forward. Tornack flails on the ground. His silver suit is dirty and soiled.

“Found him leaving your father’s. He was very upset about a jewel scam and was revealing information about your whereabouts to our emperor. He was in Baroma when news came in of a fleet that had perished while pursuing the Blue Star. The emperor assumed you had died in the crash, but come on, we both know better than that. Poor Tornack here found out what planet the crash was on, and he was going to raid your ship for his money, but I found him first. Funny how the universe all works, isn’t?”

I try my best to make sense of it. But why would my father give up on the chance that I might still be alive?

King Ursen brushes the top of Emily’s head like she is some pet. “It's really rather impressive, the three—well, two of you—have survived this long. Take her away.”

“Ori!” she screams, but two of the guards grab her arms. She tries to fight them off.

King Ursen looks rather amused; he holds his hand up. “Why are you screaming? You're going home now.”

“Orien, help me! Don’t let him take me away.”

Her pathetic screams make my whole body convulse with rage.

King Ursen throws his head back and laughs. “You think this creature will help you? He’s nothing more than a criminal and murderer. He doesn’t care about you.”

The sight of her being dragged away makes me sick, but she’ll be better off. She’ll be taken care of.

It's a lie. I’m lying to myself. I keep my eyes on the ground, but her screams tear into me like a blade. Emily disappears then down the road to the large space vessel, hovering over the sky. King Ursen clears his throat and rolls his neck. It cracks with the movement.

“Now, where were we?”

He pulls the gun from his belt and aims it. A flash of light escapes its chamber, and a laser shoots through Tornack’s chest with a silent beam. I cringe as the Cycorb grows lifeless and cold.

“I know I said no one was going to die today, but he knew too much.” Blood seeps out and coats the streets. “Just loose ends. I was going to kill him yesterday, anyway. Orien, there are several more things you should know. I’m feeling generous today. I’m leaving you with one of my finest ships, as well as the payment agreed upon.”

“I don’t understand.”

King Ursen takes a deep breath. “Emperor Krouuk Oznak is dying. I trust you will remember your friends when the time of action comes.”

But the words don’t even register. I drop to my knees. My father is dying. I should feel relief, but now, I only feel emptiness.

I hear them leaving, but I don’t notice. My whole being has grown numb.

“What have I done?” I groan. “What have I done?” I tilt my head back and scream.

I lost her. I lost my everything. I try to stand, to chase after him, but a hard smack hits the back of my head, and everything grows dark.

The voice calls for me. It’s muffled and distant at first, but then it clears. My eyes open slowly. Where am I now? I sit up stiffly and blink.

“Orien, wake up.” Mor coughs.

I’m lying in a bed with thin cotton sheets and rub my eyes.

“You're alive,” I say slowly.

“Barely.”

Mor’s whole body is bruised with purple marks and inflamed veins rising out of his skin. “They got the poison out. Now I just need to rest for a few days.”

“Good,” I mutter, looking around blankly. “Where are we?”

“Our new ship!” He’s trying to sound cheerful, but it’s pathetic.

“He got her. He took her from me. I let it happen. Fuck! I let it happen.” I punch the wall with my fist. The steel dents slightly, and my hand stings from the impact.

“He was always supposed to get her, Orien. That was the whole point!”

I swing my legs over the edge of the bed and hold my face in my hands. “I wish he’d killed me.” I stand and leave the room.

“Why didn’t he?” Mor hobbles after me as I march down the cold, empty hall.

The ship is brand new. I can still smell the materials it was made with. It’s hardly been run. I find my way into the pristine control room. New monitors blink, waiting for take-off.

A massive stack of money sits in the middle of the room. I stare at it for a long time and fill with disgust for myself.

“And why did we get such a nice ship?”

“Do you think there’s any booze here?” I start to rummage through the drawers. Nothing. I turn and twist, opening every container in every room. I finally find a small box with some food supplies and a bottle of Champa.

“Orien!”

I rip the lid off it and return to the control room. I suck it down all in one gulp. The bitter taste soothes my mind, and when it's drained, I smash it on the floor.

Mor covers his face when particles of glass fly everywhere. “Answer me!”

I drop my weight into the captain’s chair. “My father is dying.” I say it so bluntly that Mor takes a moment to register my words.

His eyes grow wide, and he takes a seat next to mine. “He wants your favor in case you claim the throne.”

I nod.

“It doesn’t matter, though.” The alcohol is starting to kick in, and my tongue is growing thick. I sink deeper into the chair and begin to hum to myself.

“What are you doing?” He scowls.

“Shut up, Mor.” I wave my hand in the air. “You should be dead. You could be a ghost, for all I know. So don’t be giving me that ghost attitude.” And just like that, I am consumed by drunkenness, and my mind is swimming in a pool of alcohol.

I spin and begin to turn the ship on.

“No, Orien.” He rolls his eyes and growls. His patience is gone.

“I wanna see what this baby can do. Maybe we can name it the Shit Star.”

“Orien, you’ll kill us.”

The body of the space vessel shakes and roars. I snicker; it’s got some juice. “That’s the point!”

Mor jumps up and slams me out of the pilot seat. We fall to the floor. He weighs me down. I can see the pain it’s causing him to subdue me.

I grunt and push him off. The poison has left him feeble and fatigued. “You’re already dead. What does it matter?”

Mor reaches out, snagging the back of my shirt. I stumble forward. My balance has gone to shit. I fall flat on my face. The whole room is spinning wildly around us. I bob my head and try to balance.

“Did I put us in hyperdrive?”

“You can still get her,” he says.

Even in my drunken state, the words ring in my head. My body tenses, and I push myself off the ground. “No, it’s too late,” I sputter.

“It’s not too late, Orien. You need to take her back to Earth where she belongs.”

I hold my knees in my hands, rest my chin against them, and rock back and forth. “She must hate me.”

“I can’t blame her.”

“Oh, Mor. I love her so much. I love the way she smells and the way she bites her lower lips. Her smile is everything. Have you noticed it’s ever so slightly crooked? And fuck, she feels and tastes so good. I love it all so much. What have I done? I can’t live without her. I can’t do it. Oh, fuck. I would give up the cosmos to have her back.”

He nods slowly and smiles, resting his hand on my shoulder. “Come on, let’s sober you up. We have a long flight to Omicron.”