Saying goodbye to Bantoo is difficult. I’m incredibly happy for her, that she has been reunited with her people. But I can’t stop the tiny flutter of jealousy that awakens inside of me, wishing it were me finding my way back home again.

“The rest of the crew has boarded the Nightfall. Sorry to pull you away, but we must get moving,” Raydn says. He remained close to my side during our visit, always within eyesight. Even as the rest of the crew trickled back to the ship, he lingered behind.

“Okay,” I say, turning back to Bantoo. “I guess this is goodbye, at least for now.” I embrace her tightly. It’s an overwhelming feeling to have to say goodbye, she is my only friend.

“Good luck finding your way back home,” Bantoo says.

“Thank you. I have a feeling my adventures here are not quite finished.” I steal a glance at Raydn and even in this sad time of goodbyes, a shy smile appears on my face.

“I must thank you as well,” Bantoo says, turning to Raydn. “Without you I would never have been returned to my people. Thank you for keeping your word.” She bows to him and he does the same in return. “If there’s anything we can ever do to help the Force, you must let us know.”

“That is very kind of you,” Raydn says. Just like back at the spaceport, the engines on the Nightfall burst to life, indicating the need for us to get moving. Anxiety swells in my chest in anticipation of being enclosed on the spaceship again.

After one more hug I force myself to turn and begin walking toward the ship. I want to ask Raydn what the plans are moving forward but I’m afraid if I open my mouth I’ll just start crying. There are a lot of emotions to process after all the things that have happened in the last twenty-four hours.

When we reach the ramp, I see Bear sitting at the top, panting from her excursions. She helps put a smile on my face and it’s hard to remember back to when I thought of her only as a fierce beast that would gladly tear me to shreds if I ever tried to escape. Instead she gives me a sloppy lick with her tongue when I get close enough and together we walk inside as the ramp closes behind us.

“Is there something I can do to make the flight easier on you?” Raydn asks as we make our way back to the bridge.

“I wish there was. Unfortunately I just don’t do well when it comes to flying … or any other kind of transportation for that matter.”

“I can give you a room of your own. Would it help if you had your own space?”

“I guess it’s worth a try,” I say.

He escorts me down the corridor until we reach a small room. He uses the keypad to input a code and the door slides open, revealing a small room with a bed and not much else. But even the bed alone is more than I’ve had since I was abducted. It fills me with great joy to think that I’ll be able to sleep in a bed tonight instead of a mat on a hard floor.

I step inside and Bear follows. “If you need anything, press this button here.” He points to a panel in the wall next to the door. “I had this intercom synced to my wrist.” He lifts his arm and touches the black band on his arm. “If you call, I’ll get it wherever I might be.”

He looks at me and for a moment I’m lost in his eyes, the deep gold reflecting like the sun shining on water. I’m drawn to the way he looks after me, as if I mean something more to him than just my value as a slave.

“Okay,” I finally say, nodding my head. He nods back and then turns, walking down the corridor toward the bridge. For some reason, I watch him the entire way, until he turns the corner and disappears from my view.

“Well Bear, let’s try to get some sleep.” The door slides closed behind us as I try to mentally prepare myself for another trip through the stars.

When I finally wake up, I can tell that I have been asleep for a long time. My whole arm fell asleep from how I had my body positioned. The soft hum of the ship actually helped keep me asleep. I lie in bed for a moment, listening. Something has changed, I can tell from the different sounds of the ship. Instead of the sounds that lulled me to sleep, the engines are louder, almost like we’re landing again.

My first reaction is to jump out of bed and shake away the grogginess that’s weighing me down. Then, I want to find one of the huge windows of the ship so I can see what’s going on. I could call for Raydn but I know he’s busy.

Instead, Bear and I venture out of the room and follow the winding corridor. The floors of the ship are metal but they are warm, like they are heated. I’m already starting to feel spoiled. First, being able to sleep in an actual bed for as long as I wanted to. Then, instead of having feet as cold as blocks of ice, they’re toasty warm even without shoes. We round the corner and I gasp at the sight that I see now that I’ve found a window. We’re not in space anymore, surrounded by nothing but stars. Instead, we’re hovering above another civilization. Either an actual space station looks nothing like I imagined it would or this is not Lunis Station like Raydn promised.

Now I don’t have any qualms about finding him and asking him what’s going on. I continue to follow the corridor with Bear hot on my heels. As we approach the bridge, we run into another member of the crew for the first time.

“I’m looking for Raydn,” I say before he has a chance to say anything.

“He’s on the bridge. I will bring him to you.”

He leaves and returns just as quickly with Raydn.

“Is everything okay?” he asks when he’s standing in front of me. “You didn’t buzz for me.”

“That isn’t a space station,” I say, pointing out the window. “What’s going on?”

“We were given direct orders by the Admiral to proceed to Yoria. We will meet with the Dydrak to see if they know anything of these weapon capsules.”

“And what’s going to happen to me?”

“You’ll stay with us and once we finish the mission here we’ll journey back to Lunis Station. From there you will be free to travel wherever you wish.”

“Travel where I wish? I want to go home, Raydn, back to Earth. Can you make that happen or not?”

He hesitates and there’s a sinking feeling in my stomach. He’s hiding something. I knew all of this was too good to be true.

“I didn’t know how to tell you this before, but it isn’t possible for us to return you to Earth. We tried to find a way when Marilyn was rescued but for now, it is impossible.”

I shouldn’t be surprised that this is happening. In my mind I had already given up on ever going home. But it’s definitely more devastating knowing it’s a reality.

“You are still free to do what you wish when we return to Lunis Station. There are other human females that you will be able to meet.”

“It’s fine,” I say, trying to harden myself to the disappointment taking root inside of me. I cross my arms over my chest and look anywhere but at him. I’m not sure what to do next. There’s an awkward silence that hangs in the air, neither of us really knowing what to say next. I want to voice my frustration and disappointment by calling him a liar, but I know that isn’t fair. I just need time.

“We’ll be landing on Yoria shortly. There are two more Force vessels on their way here as we speak.”

“Okay,” I say quietly.

“I need to go but I’ll be back to get you when it’s time.” He reaches out and touches my arm. I look down at his hand instead of into his eyes. As quickly as I feel his touch, it’s gone. Once again I’m left standing on my own wondering what’s going to happen to me next.