Disaster

The joint human and Susohnnan fleet attack had failed. We didn't even have a name for the enemy. We felt that giving them a name would be giving them power over us.

The Earth government was making plans, but they didn't want to include us in the meetings. It was difficult for us to have a presence at the table while Dar had forgotten everything.

Together, the queen and I decided to do what we could to bring back Dar's memories on his home planet Susohn. Once Dar was back, we could figure out a way to get our friends and family back.

IF Dar ever came back.

DAR

I watched as the hovercraft approached the city. It could have been any city on any planet, for all I knew.

"Are you remembering anything, Darvish?" the stranger said. I mean, my mother said.

I shook my head. I was feeling depressed again.

My mother had insisted that Kenna come with us to Susohn in an attempt to help me regain my memories. I had mentioned to my mother that I had flashes from the past and she wanted to try and do something. She hoped something would be able to jog my memory.

I had tried to protect Kenna by distancing myself from her. She didn't take it very well and wasn't happy about being asked to spend a lot of time with me. But she cared about me so much that she had agreed. At least, I hoped that was why she had said yes, and not out of a strange human sense of obligation.

It broke my heart that this amazing woman was being put through more pain because of me, but it couldn't be helped. I don't know if I had been able to stand up to my mother in my previous life, but I certainly needed her now. I looked over at Kenna who was addressing her.

"I'm pretty sure it's not helpful to ask someone who's attempting to regain his memories if he remembers anything," Kenna said, looking my mother directly in the eye.

There wasn't any attitude in her voice. She was simply stating what she thought and it was clear that she didn't fear my mother at all.

The former queen arched her eyebrow and didn't say anything else. She knew that there were issues between us, but she hadn't asked me about it yet and for that I was extremely grateful. She seemed to want me to be with Kenna, though I wasn't sure why.

I sighed. My life was so damned complicated now. The thought made me smile for a moment, in spite of the heavy feeling in my chest. Surely my life was less complicated now than it had been when I was king.

The hovercraft touched down in front of an enormous palace. The edifice had been built like a castle but there were triangles EVERYWHERE.

There were triangular windows. Triangular doorways. I wondered what it was about triangles and made a mental note to ask someone about it as soon as I could.

The building was painted white. It was huge and when I looked up at it, I felt dwarfed by the structure.

"Come on, Darvish, Kenna," my mother said, gesturing for us to enter. She started up the yellow carpet that led up the stairs and nodded to the servants that were positioned to greet us. I stared up at the enormous set of steps that stretched away, so vast and intimidating.

I knew that the palace was meant to intimidate in order to inspire awe in the ruling monarchs, but it was disconcerting nonetheless. Now it was inspiring awe in me. Kenna glanced over.

"Now you know how I felt the first time you brought me home to your mother," she said.

"Completely intimidated and overwhelmed?"

"Exactly," she said, still with no expression on her face. "But you know what made it okay?"

"What?" I said, tilting my head and looking at her curiously.

"That you were with me," she said, turning and walking up the steps alone.

I followed, climbing the stairs into my home...by myself.

KENNA

It's funny what a few weeks and changed circumstances can do. When I arrived at the palace with Dar for the first time, I was so nervous I almost threw up. Meeting his mother had been terrifying.

Now I was returning as a Susohnnan female. I had my citizenship papers and the scar to prove it. I was familiar with the palace and I didn't feel overwhelmed.

When we came here for the first time, Dar had been helping me navigate through Susohnnan culture and now I was the one who needed to take care of him. Oh, and of course, now he had broken up with me instead of being head over heels in love with me.

It was quite the reversal, indeed.

After the necessary niceties had been attended to, we were escorted to our rooms. The former queen had assigned me a room close to Dar's. I was sure she knew that we had been sleeping together before he was mind-wiped. She wasn't stupid.

But until a couple was engaged on Susohn, they were required to live separately. As soon as they were engaged, though, they could share a bed until the wedding, which would likely not be for at least a year — more likely three.

Long engagements were common here, as a way of preventing people from rushing into marriage. The engagement provided the necessary release of sexual tension, while allowing the couple to get to know each other. If they decided that they weren't for each other, then they could call off the wedding.

Because of the difficulty inherent in conceiving — both female and male Susohnnan had fertility cycles and getting them to line up was tricky — they didn't have a problem with overpopulation and unwanted pregnancies were almost unheard of.

It all seemed to work out for the best. I wished that such traditions were in place on Earth.

The servants delivered our things and Dar and I each went into our own rooms across the hall from each other. I shut the door and leaned against it, closing my eyes and breathing out heavily.

I did not want to be here.

I got hold of myself, went into the washroom, took one of the luxurious face cloths and washed my face. Coming out again, I kicked off my shoes and bounced on to the enormous bed.

Being on the bed made me remember making love with Dar in his bed across the hall. I recalled how he had driven me wild with desire and the intense, ecstatic orgasm that had followed. I buried my face in the pillows, feeling the tears start to fall. I would never feel that again because even though he wasn't dead, we would be separated forever.

There were memories everywhere.

I cried for a long time and then I sat up. I needed to get myself together. He didn't want to be with me. I wasn't going to waste my life making myself miserable over some guy. That wasn't how my Gran had raised me.

I went and splashed cold water on my red eyes, and then came back. It was time to get ready for my audience with the former queen. I pulled out a new outfit from the closet that was stocked in my size in elegant Susohnnan clothing.

And just like that, I was reminded of Mana. She had had an outfit just like the one I had chosen. She had been angry with me and obviously didn't like me very much, but she was Dar's best friend. Even though we weren't close, I held her in high esteem because she cared so much about Dar.

Jared had saved my life more than once and was such a good friend to me. We had been two humans in a sea of Susohnnan and that had drawn us together.

And now they had been captured by aliens.

It just wasn't right that they should be enslaved. Why had this happened to such good people? It wasn't that I didn't think the other thirty thousand, weren't good people. I knew that they were. But Mana and Jared had been our friends.

We had eaten together, joked together, planned together, and saved each other's lives more times than I could count. I broke down crying again. What untold horrors were they enduring because of our poor judgment?

I went and took a shower, trying to get myself under control. There was nothing I could do about Mana and Jared right now. I needed to focus. As unpleasant as it might be, my presence here with Dar was important.

Some of his memories had returned, and if some could, then maybe everything could, no matter what the doctors said. I needed to take him to the places we had been together and a few other places his mother suggested that had been important to him. Maybe seeing the places would help him to remember.

If he became himself again, then we could make a plan to save Mana and Jared. If his memories never came back, everything was over with him anyway and I would join the team that was being organized to go and free the slaves.

I would risk my life to free them because whether I lived or died was no longer of any great importance. Intellectually, I didn't want to die, but emotionally, I didn't care either way.

One of the reasons I had agreed to come back was that it might help me take my mind off the loss of Jared and Mana. Staying there and just waiting was enough to drive me insane. Coming back here and helping Dar to remember himself seemed like an infinitely preferable option — no matter how painful it was to be close to him and to know that I was nothing to him.

I rubbed my scar and prayed that the plan would work, for my broken heart's sake.

I strode into the room where I was meeting Dar's mother. I no longer had any fear of this woman. And I was ready for anything she was going to dish out. I didn't know exactly what this meeting was about, but I assumed it had something to do with the reason I was here on Susohn.

She watched me approach the table, her face was unreadable. Impressed, perhaps? Why would she be impressed with me?

"Kenna," she said, making the sign of The Three.

"Your highness," I said, curtsying deeply. Then I rose and made the sign of The Three to the best of my ability with a bandaged hand.

"Let's lower our speech. You may call me Sarallia and we can dispense with the formalities when we are alone. I still expect that you will be my daughter-in-law and I will treat you as such."

We were getting right to the meat of the conversation. Good. I hated small talk. I sat down across from her at a table that was loaded with Susohnnan pastries. A servant came forward and poured me some lemonade.

"I hate to disappoint you, Sarallia, but I doubt that I will ever be your daughter-in-law." I felt my throat closing up but I refused to break down in front of this woman. I pushed the tears away and focused on what she was saying.

"It might seem that way now, but I have every confidence that he will regain his memory. He has already remembered some things that he should not have if he had been properly mind-wiped. Contrary to appearances, I am not merely an old woman desperately wanting her only son to look at her and remember who she is."

I was feeling too many emotions. Bitter and angry, as well as sad and despairing. I had somehow completely lost the filter on my mouth.

"I thought that you would like him to forget you. That way, you could portray yourself as a sweet, old doting mother who had never done anything to harm him."

She flinched at my words but she didn't back down.

"You have a point. But I would rather he remember me, warts and all, than the nothingness I see when he looks at me. You know what I'm talking about."

Oh, I knew.

"Now we are aligned, Kenna. We both love Dar and want him to regain his memory."

I couldn't let her continue without telling her what had happened.

"That's true," I said. "But there's something you should know."

"What's that?" she said, looking wary.

"Dar broke up with me. I don't know exactly why. He doesn't want me anymore, Sarallia." I tried not to sound as pathetic as I felt.

She didn't look upset at all. In fact, she started laughing.

"Nonsense, that's just because he doesn't remember you right now. Don't give up hope, Kenna. He will."

"How can you be so sure?"

"He will remember you and you will be together. I will have grand babies before I die, Kenna."

"What makes you so sure?"

She stared down at her hands.

"He said that you were his sheeranla, Kenna. Do you know what that is? What that means?"

"I looked it up. The dictionary says it means soul mate or chosen one."

"Yes, but Unified doesn't do the word justice. In our language, sheeranla is a spiritual mate as well as someone that you partner with — body, mind, and soul. A sheeranla comes with you through all your lifetimes until you join with The Three forever."

My eyebrows nearly touched my hairline.

"Yes. So, now you know how surprised I was that he named you as his sheeranla. A Susohnnan male does not do that lightly."

"But look at how it has all turned out, Sarallia. It was a mistake. I'm not his sheeranla."

"You do not understand, Kenna. A male does not make a mistake about his sheeranla. I have never heard of a man naming his sheeranla and being incorrect."

I looked at her, feeling skeptical but wanting to believe her with my heart.

"Finding out that you are my son's sheeranla changed everything for me. He will remember and you will be reunited, Kenna. Believe me."

"I don't think so, Sarallia," I said, standing up. "But I appreciate you telling me all this. It makes me feel like maybe Dar and I could have had a chance. And don't worry, I'll still do my best to help him remember."

"Kenna, don't give up hope," she said as I turned to walk away.

I looked back at her when I got to the doorway.

"I'm sorry, Sarallia," I said, feeling empty inside. "But I already have."

Dar and I had started on a tour of the planet, hoping that seeing places with me would trigger memories. I hoped this therapy was doing something for him, because it was simply painful for me. Right now we were at an active volcano.

We walked around it and I shivered, remembering how close we had come to death. Dar stopped and stared at a platform we had been left on. Did he remember anything about it? Did he remember getting so dehydrated that I had almost lost him?

His mother's treachery still made me sick to my stomach. But she had obviously turned over a new leaf — I was pretty sure of that after our last conversation. At the time, she had been protecting Dar. Now she knew that I cared about him and she believed that I was his sheeranla. I hoped that she would never do anything to hurt either one of us again.

"Do you remember something?" I said, breaking my own rule about not asking him.

He frowned.

"No. Nothing."

I nodded.

"Let's go. I wish I could forget what happened here, too."

He gazed at me intently but I turned away to get back into the hovercraft. I didn't want him asking difficult questions because I didn't feel like giving the answers.

Our final stop was the oasis. I had left it for last because I was avoiding it.

I didn't want to remember what had happened here. It was ironic that one of us was trying desperately to remember while the other just wanted to forget.

We walked through the warm, wet air enjoying the respite from the dry heat of the desert. I led him through the foliage until we came out at the spot where I had emerged alive having completed the ritual that would make me Susohnnan.

I looked around, feeling all the fear and despair that I had felt before — along with the courage and strength that I had gained in a test of my endurance and spirit. Absentmindedly, I rubbed my hip where the scar was located.

Then I glanced at Dar and realized that it had all been in vain because I had lost him anyway.

"I remember having a flashback in this place. But I can't actually recall the memory or anything about what happened here," he said, looking despondent.

"That's okay," I said and I couldn't keep the bitterness out of my voice. "You can make new memories here, with someone else."

"Kenna, please," he said, looking pained.

"Sorry. Sorry," I said, raising my hands in a gesture of apology. "Come on, there's one more spot we need to visit."

"Okay," he said and followed me.

It only took a few minutes to get to the cave entrance. It was right where I remembered it. I stepped forward and pressed the triangle. I glanced over at him. But he was completely surprised when the doorway in the rock opened up.

Damn. I thought that might jog something, but apparently not.

I walked into the cave, not waiting to see if he followed me. A few seconds later, and we were in the middle of a huge cavern that had beautiful colors flowing across the ceiling. I gazed up at the natural loveliness around me but I couldn't find it in my heart to properly appreciate it.

I was so bitter and disappointed, lately, that those feelings were pushing out any other emotions.

"What is this place?" he said, sounding as awestruck as I had been the first time he had brought me here.

"A safe haven," I told him. I was echoing back words he had said to me in the past.

I remembered how I had asked him why he was going to so much trouble for me. That was when he told me that he loved me.

"This place feels important, Kenna. Why?" he said, looking over at me.

I didn't want to tell him, but what if my knowledge could help him remember? I owed him that.

I met his eyes, swallowing hard.

"You told me that you loved me here," I said, trying not to think about how it had felt when he had said it. "Not for the first time, but it was special."

His eyes seemed fixated on my face and I couldn't look away.

"I said: But I haven't told you that I loved you back. And you said..."

"I never asked you to," he finished and for a moment his eyes changed. He was my Dar. He was back.

Then he blinked his eyes and everything was forgotten again.

"Dar?" I said, staring at him. He had just been here! Now he was only a stranger again.

"Yeah?" he said. "What were you saying? I blanked out there for a second."

I looked at him. This was too cruel. How would I get through this?

"Nothing," I said. "I wasn't saying anything. Would you like to move on now?"

"Sure," he said. "I'm not getting anything here."

We wandered through the caves further than I had gone before and I remembered what else had happened in here. He had made love to me and it was the first time I ever had two orgasms in a row.

"We should turn around," I said. "We're getting into the part of the caves that I don't know very well."

"Sure. When you came here with me before, you didn't explore?"

"No," I said. "We were busy."

"Ah," he said and didn't ask anymore.

We returned to the spot where we had made love in the big cavern and I realized I was extremely thirsty. The caves were so hot and humid. And I hadn't thought to bring a water bottle. We had been out all afternoon.

"Wait, Dar," I said, putting my hand on his arm. It had been an unconscious thing, to stop him. But electricity flowed between us — as hot and passionate as when he had remembered me. He stared at me, his breathing fast and irregular.

I pulled my hand away as if he was burning me. Maybe he was. "Sorry. I just need a drink. There's a little spring here with clean water."

"Oh, okay," he said, stepping away from me. "I'll keep going. I think I know that way."

I turned away from him and went to the spring to drink, scooping up the fresh, clean water and drinking deeply. Then I took some of the water and splashed it on my face. The water was so cool and I was feeling so hot that I needed immediate relief. I took water and poured it down my chest, soaking my shirt.

"That's better," I murmured to myself.

Then I heard a cough. I turned my head to see him still standing there — frozen. He had been watching me. I stood and turned towards him. His eyes dropped to my chest and then he wrenched them away and back up to my face. I glanced down at myself and saw that the white Susohnnan shirt with a diamond cut into it, showing off my flat tummy, was now completely see-through.

I stared at him, feeling both embarrassed and pained. I made no attempt to cover myself. He moved towards me slowly, as if in a dream.

Oh Lord.

Then he was standing in front of me. I closed my eyes as he leaned in to kiss me. While I waited for his lips to touch mine, a few thoughts flew through my mind. Was I going to let him kiss me? Wasn't I supposed to be strong?

The truth was that I wanted to kiss him so badly that there was no way I was going to stop him. I wasn't that strong.

Our lips met and I felt an explosion of energy radiating into every part of my body. His tongue tangled with mine and I pressed myself against him. One of his hands came up between us and cupped my breast. I guess he hadn't forgotten how to do THAT.

Oh, yes. I needed him so badly. How would I ever live without him?

Finally he pulled away.

"We were made for each other," he whispered, gazing into my eyes.

"And no one in the universe is going to keep us apart," I finished for him. It was what he had told me before we made love in this cave.

I couldn't stop myself from saying the words, but they seemed to have broken the spell.

I saw when he forgot me again. And when the realization hit him that my wet, hard nipples were pressing into his chest. And that his erection was pressing into my belly.

He stepped back quickly.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I don't know what's going on."

I shook my head.

"Nothing. Nothing's going on," I said and practically ran out of the cavern.

He caught up to me outside the cave but I kept walking. I didn't want him to see the tears streaming down my face. This was too much. I had thought that I could do this, but I couldn't.

When I wouldn't stop, he grabbed my hand, spinning me back towards him.

"Kenna. Stop. Please."

"What? What do you want from me, Dar?" I said, shouting.

He searched my face.

"I don't know. But something happened in there. And I want to know what it was. Uh, how did you end up..."

"So close to you?" I said, feeling the anger and bitterness filling me again. I was unable to stop it. "You came over and kissed me and...touched me."

His eyes dropped to my shirt which was plastered to my body, my large dusky nipples — still in tight buds — showing clearly.

"Um, yeah, I remember that part."

"You better. Earlier, you also repeated a phrase from the past that you said to me when we were here before. You were remembering for a split second but then you forgot again."

He frowned.

"Next time, you should stop me."

"I'm sorry, Dar, but if you can't stop yourself, how am I going to be able to stop you? Besides, I can't help how I respond to you. I haven't forgotten a second of our time together. Nothing in ME has changed." I turned away from him, unable to look at his face any longer.

"I've hurt you, Kenna. I'm sorry." he said, sitting on a large boulder and putting his hand on his head. I watched him for a long time, waiting for him to make the next move. "Nothing makes sense."

He looked up at me and I nodded. Then he stood up and stepped towards me — too close, of course, so my nipples brushed his chest and stood up at attention again.

"One thing makes sense. When I'm kissing you," he said. He bent his head and claimed my lips as his own.

I was swept away by the emotions and sensations flowing through my body. Part of me was enjoying every moment of it. But part of me was saying that it wasn't right to let him play with me like this.

I had to be strong for both of us.

After a couple of minutes, the part of me that was talking sense gained control of my body and I stepped away from him.

"Dar," I said. "One of us has to be mature. This is not a good idea. You said so yourself. You told me you wanted a break."

"I know," he said. "But you know how you told me that you weren't sure you could live without me?"

I stared at him without saying anything.

He looked down at his feet then back up. His eyes met mine and I was subject to their intoxicating depths.

"Even without my memories, I don't know how to live without you either."

DAR

"You don't, huh?" she said, her eyes suddenly flashing. "Well, you know what, Dar? I think you need to make up your mind. You told me you needed a break and I have to tell you the truth. That broke my heart. Now, you're kissing me and driving me wild. And telling me that you can't live without me? Stop fucking with me. I can't handle it."

"I'm sorry, Kenna. I'm so sorry. I wanted to be strong for you. You deserve better than a screwed up guy like me. But something in my soul is pulling me back to you. It's strong and I can't resist it anymore."

"You can't?" she asked.

"I can't."

"Well, maybe you can't resist it, but I certainly can. I'm not fucking around anymore. You need to figure your shit out. I know that you're missing your memories but I'm pretty sure your conscience works just fine. And you know that flip flopping back and forth like this is not fair to me."

"Kenna, wait a second."

"No, until you've got yourself sorted out, there will be no more kissing. No more intimate moments."

"But that's what reminded me. That's what I remembered. Those moments were clearly important to me."

I felt like I would say anything right then to try and fix things. Of course, it was exactly the wrong thing to say.

"Yeah, well, I'm not going to get my heart stomped just to save your memories. If we can't do it without breaking my soul into pieces, then we're not going to do it at all. I don't care if you're the king. I don't care if they all need you back, because I won't do it."

She sank down to the ground in tears, looking like her heart was breaking in two. I wanted to comfort her, but I wasn't sure what I could safely do. I went next to her and gently put my arms around her.

Kenna didn't push me away. She sat there, like a statue.

I kissed her tears and, despite all my efforts not to, I started crying myself. Even after her tough words, she let me hold her while we both cried.

KENNA

After a time, we both calmed down. I had extracted myself from his grip and we sat looking at each other, completely exhausted.

"I don't know what to do," he said.

"I don't either."

We sat for a long time, neither of us saying a word and then he spoke.

"There's something wrong with the whole mind wiping theory. It doesn't hold up. Since the beginning, I've had flashes or tiny bits of memories popping up. If I had been properly mind wiped, that would never have happened."

"So what are you saying," I said, frowning.

"What if I wasn't mind wiped?"

I stared at him. The thought had never occurred to me. We were on a ship where they had the technology. The alien in charge had told us that we would be mind wiped. Dar had been taken away and then returned to us without memories. Of course he had been mind wiped.

"But if you weren't mind-wiped then why can't you remember anything?" I said, asking the obvious question. I felt like an idiot.

"I don't know. I don't remember anything that happened." He looked up at me. "But you do."

I gazed back at him. This was going to lead to nothing but trouble.

"Okay, I'll play. We told you that the space station disappeared at Wormhole 87, right?" I began. And he nodded. "And all the ten thousand crew members with it. We were all pretty upset to hear that. You, of course, wanted to go check it out. We tried to convince you that it was a bad idea but you wouldn't listen."

I laughed mirthlessly at how right we had been. He waited silently for me to continue.

"After we went and crew members from our space craft started disappearing — one by one this time. Jared was insistent that we needed reconnaissance and that we needed to know the enemies weaknesses. He wanted to go in alone but Mana went with him. They were escaping when you and I, uh...well...you were showing me the captain's safe place on the ship. The stronghold was out of transporter range and communications."

"Wait, there's a place on the ship that's out of transporter range?"

"Yes."

"And why were we in there, again?"

I blushed. Did I have to spell this out?

"You do remember that we were practically engaged, right?" I said, avoiding a direct answer. "And you've noticed the chemistry between us?"

He nodded slowly, never taking his eyes off of me.

"Did Mana tell you about the Susohnnan male mating cycle when she was briefing you about Susohnnan culture?"

He nodded again, his eyes darkening.

"Well, it was the end of your cycle and you couldn't think straight, so we snuck off."

His eyes got wider. I stared at the ceiling, not looking him in the eye. This was like telling my mom about my sex life.

"I must really have been in love with you," he said, gazing at me.

"You were! But you don't have to be in love to have sex."

"No, you don't. But from all the clues I'm getting, I can tell that I really cared about you."

"To make a long story short, we were the only ones left on the ship when we came back out."

"No!"

I felt like I was telling him an adventure story. You lived this, Dar! "Yes. And from the information we were getting from Mana and Jared's sensors, they had been captured and seemed to be unconscious. You felt terrible for sending them in there. We went after them."

"Were we crazy?"

"Maybe," I said. "But they were our friends. We had to. There was no one else and by the time backup showed up, it might have been too late."

"Right."

"Turns out it was a trap and we were captured. The alien that was in charge of the ship took us prisoner and we were to be sent to the slave planets in their galaxy. Then you and Jared thought you would be all manly and attack him." I rolled my eyes, remembering.

"He barely touched you and you were both flying across the room. You slammed into the wall so hard that you were knocked unconscious. Then we were transported to a different cell. You weren't with us. But you appeared later — with no memory of any of us. They took you somewhere and mind wiped you."

Dar was frowning.

"Wait a second. You said that Jared and I attacked the alien?"

"Yeah. It was a stupid move. We really have no idea what their capabilities are." She shook her head.

"And he flung me into the wall?" he said slowly.

"Yeah."

"And I was knocked unconscious?"

"Yes. So what?"

"Did I hit my head?"

"I assume you hit your head because you were unconscious. I didn't actually see you get hit."

"So I could actually have a brain injury that's causing amnesia! Maybe I wasn't mind wiped."

His eyes were filled with hope. There were so many things wrong with this. Dar was happy that he might have a brain injury. The guy with either a brain injury or memory loss (but no medical degree) was diagnosing himself. This was one step away from learning how to be a doctor by watching a television show.

Dar was still talking.

"And if it was amnesia, then my mother was right. I may be able to regain my memories and get my life back."

If only it were that simple.

DAR

When I had told my mother that I thought I had amnesia, she gave Kenna a look I didn't understand and suggested that Kenna and I visit the healing springs.

"I have no idea what you are talking about, mother."

"Oh yes, this time I forgot. The springs are famous on Susohn for being able to heal almost anything. If you do have a traumatic brain injury, maybe they will help cure you."

"Dar was going to take us, before, but we never ended up going," Kenna said. She had bitten off whatever she had meant to continue saying. My mother frowned and I wondered what they were thinking about that I couldn't remember.

"Yes," my mother said, a look of resolution on her face. "I'll arrange transport for you. The monarchs have a private pool there. I will make sure that it is ready for you. You can go tomorrow."

"Thank you, mother," I said.

"I will do anything to give me my son back," she said, smiling at me fondly.

The private pool was in a secluded area away from the public springs. The servant who escorted us there took us on a five minute walk to get there. It was hidden away in the middle of the oasis. When we arrived, we dismissed the servant. Then we just there, looking at the clear, steaming hot water.

Now what? Did I drink it? Wash in it? Would it really bring back my memory? I wasn't sure if it could, and I didn't know if I wanted to hope. Having hope meant the possibility of disappointment. I was tired of disappointing myself and other people.

"I don't want a bunch of pressure put on me about whether or not the healing springs will actually heal my brain," I said out loud. "Let's think about this as a bath. Let's just have a nice hot bath."

"Okay," Kenna said, and her cheeks turned pink. Great. She's probably remembering some other hot bath we had together. Did we do anything besides fuck?

I couldn't afford to think about that, though, because it felt like we had some chemistry together. Being in close proximity made me want to touch her immediately and that was a bad idea. She wanted me to stop playing with her emotions. That meant hands off until I remembered her. I sighed internally at the thought.

"But I don't need to go in."

"Why not?" I frowned.

"I think you know why."

I looked her up and down.

"You've barely been able to keep your hands off of me when I was clothed. How are you going to manage with only a few scraps of cloth covering me?"

As soon as she said it, my imagination went wild and my breathing rate increased.

"See? I haven't even stripped and you're already done for."

I wished she hadn't used the word stripped because it was conjuring up all sorts of naughty images. I didn't actually remember what her naked body looked like, but it's easy for males to fill in the details.

"I'm sure that I can maintain my control," I said. I would be happy if I was just able to control my voice.

"But can I?" she said, a seductive look in her eye.

Well, now that was a challenge. I hoped I was up for it. "We will have to try," I said in my most kingly voice.

She smiled like she knew something I didn't and then she proceeded to undress. I held my breath and stared, unable to look away.

She was wearing a Susohnnan outfit that was actually fairly conservative compared to other clothes I had seen. The long green skirt with matching shirt covered most of her, except for a small circle that was cut out in the middle of her back.

She slid the skirt down more suggestively than was necessary. I had everything under control. I could do this.

Her skirt dropped to the ground and I caught sight of the cherry red bikini bottoms she was wearing.

Shit. I couldn't do this.

Then she crossed her arms over her torso and grabbed the edge of her shirt. In one smooth motion, she pulled it off leaving me with a clear view of her entire body.

I swallowed hard.

Her slim waist tapered down to voluptuous hips that led down to shapely legs. Her private parts were covered by that small triangle of red bikini.

My eyes trailed down and then back up, returning to where her full breasts were barely covered by two more small triangles that were hardly decent. Her nipples weren't exposed but everything else was. I could see the round fullness of her breasts all around the bikini top and the fabric was tight so I could tell that her nipples were hard and round.

Was she as turned on as I was? I licked my lips.

"Hey buddy, eyes above the neck, please," she said.

I looked up at her, feeling dazed. "Why was it that we thought we shouldn't sleep together?" I said. "I can't quite remember at this moment."

She laughed and I watched her breasts as they jiggled. She shook her head.

"Oh Dar," she said, grinning as she slid into the water. Her body was now hidden from my sight.

Unfortunately, the buoyancy of her large breasts made them float along the top of the water, giving me an excellent view of her cleavage. I took a deep breath, willing myself not to bury my face in those soft pillows.

"Oh my God," she said, closing her eyes in pleasure. "This is amazing."

Yes, it was amazing. I watched her, feeling all the blood leaving my brain and going elsewhere.

She tilted her head and looked at me, amusement in her eyes as she dropped her gaze to the tent that was growing in my pants.

"Aren't you coming in?"

I blinked slowly, taking a deep breath. I quickly undressed and got into the hot water. It felt good, like she said.

But I was distracted. Kenna sat across from me in a tiny swimsuit. That swimsuit could be removed in about a half a second and then she would be completely naked. I felt myself harden more at the thought.

I looked over at her and I could tell she was laughing at me. She knew that this would happen.

It was my own fault. She had offered to stay clothed and I had thought that I was strong enough to stand looking at her in a swimsuit.

Apparently my faulty memory led to faulty judgment as well.

"So, we're...ah, staying strong on the position that I shouldn't fuck you anymore," I said after we'd both been steaming for some time. That sounded casual, right? Wait a second, what did I just say?

She choked a little and looked at me, eyes wide.

"I said fuck WITH you. Not fuck you, Kenna. I hope I will no longer be doing the former. But I have to admit that the latter would be quite pleasurable." I spoke with the most formal language I could imagine, hoping to keep my wits about me — even with all the blood rushing out of my brain.

I noticed that her beautiful lush mounds were heaving as she breathed erratically. So I WASN'T the only one who was aroused!

Good, that made me feel better, though it didn't take care of my straining cock.

She looked like she was considering my words.

"Will you?" she said and the look on her face gave me hope that I would get some relief soon.

"Will I what? Not fuck with you? Or fuck you? Or both?" I said. I could barely speak. We were both having trouble with rational thought.

"Yes," she said.

"Come over here, Kenna," I said indicating the stone bench next to me. "It would be my pleasure."

KENNA

This got out of hand quickly. But my lust was so strong that before my brain had a chance to think about what I was doing, I was across the pool and in his arms.

We kissed fiercely, our desire too strong to be overcome by thought. Our bare skin pressed together with the hot water lapping between us. And at that moment I couldn't remember anymore why we shouldn't sleep together either.

Why had I thought that was a bad idea? This was right. This was so very right.

I bobbed against him, my breasts rubbing against his chest. I noticed again, as if I had forgotten, that his body was very muscular. He didn't have an ounce of fat on him. No Susohnnan did, because their culture encouraged healthy food and exercise as a way of life. The hot climate also made it hard to put on a lot of weight.

I ran my hands down his biceps and then slid them down his torso to feel the ridges of his abs. He pulled me close again for another probing kiss and I wrapped my arms around him, feeling the planes of his back beneath my fingers. My hands tingled from touching him. It felt like it had been so long since I had had permission to do so.

He kissed my neck, sending powerful waves of pleasure down to my core. Then he tugged on my earlobe and the feel of his breath in my ear made me tingle down below.

It was different in the water. Because we were touching in such altered circumstances and I didn't really know if I would ever touch him again, I felt that every caress was heightened.

The feel of him was so intoxicating that I had the impression that I would never get enough. If we made love a thousand times, it would never be enough. I would always want more.

"Kenna, Kenna, Kenna," he murmured as he kissed the length of my arm and then placed a kiss on my palm that made my hips buck in reaction. "I need you so much."

After a lot more kissing that had me burning up inside, he put his hand between my legs, but I stopped him.

"Not in the water. It'll dry me up."

I knew that I was unbelievable slick down there, as long as no water got in and washed it all away. We climbed out and Dar grabbed our towels and laid them on the ground. We were so hot, we didn't need covers.

And when he did slide his finger inside me, he groaned. I was so soft and slippery.

"Kenna, do you want me?" he said, fear and desperation and need and...love in his eyes. He wasn't sure if I was going to say yes. He wasn't sure of anything and for the first time, I saw things from his perspective.

I grasped just a little bit how anxious I would feel to know nothing about the people and places around me. My eyes filled with tears. I was his sheeranla and I was supposed to help him. All I had been doing was pushing him away.

He pulled back when he saw the tears. "You don't?"

"No," I said, quickly. Oh, he had got the wrong idea. "Dar, I want you. I want you so much."

I looked him in the eyes, willing him to believe it. His eyes closed in relief and happiness. And then he began to kiss me again and I froze. He hadn't asked me because he remembered the protocol. He really was afraid that I didn't want him. And he didn't remember about the scar. Shit.

"What?" he said. "What have I forgotten or done wrong? Please tell me. I want this to be perfect. You must have such high expectations."

He looked desperate and I tried to soothe him, kissing him all over his face.

"It's okay," I said and he relaxed a little. "I don't have any expectations. We always fit together perfectly."

I slid down his body, kissing him as I went. I made sure to kiss the hollow of his hip bone that I loved so much; I knew was one of the spots that drove him wild.

When I reached his hip, I put a soft, reverent kiss on his scar. He hissed and his cock seemed to get even bigger, if that was possible.

Maybe he didn't remember, but I did. And I would give the proper respect for our coupling.

"Kenna?" he said, unsure.

"Shhh."

We kissed and touched and built up the intensity until neither of us could wait anymore. I pulled him into a kneeling position and straddled him. Then slowly and sensually, I eased myself down on to him, taking my time and letting us both feel every sensation.

I began rocking, loving the feel of him rubbing against my sweet spot and his pelvis grinding into my clit. We made love as if in a dream and when the orgasm finally took me, I cried out, the incredible climax rocking me to the core. My body shook and convulsed as wave after wave of bliss washed over me. Soon after, he stiffened in release and with a harsh groan emptied himself within me.

We were covered in sweat and still joined as our breathing gradually quieted. Finally he spoke.

"Fuck, Kenna, is it always like that?" he said into my shoulder.

"Pretty much," I said, holding him close.

"Doing this couldn't ever be a bad idea," he said, pressing his forehead into mine.

I didn't say anything, but I remembered how our bodies, hearts, and souls had been as close as two people could get.

If only we could stay this way forever.

But I knew that could never be because something kept coming between us.

And I couldn't seem to do anything about it.

In spite of what Dar and his mother believed, the truth was that Dar and I were never meant to be.

We must have fallen asleep on the towels in the hot caves because all of a sudden I woke up and Dar was sitting up. His eyes were open, but he was having a dream.

"I met this girl," he said. "Mana, I...I liked her! I want to find her again."

I watched, stunned. He was silent for a while as if he was listening.

"A fake name? Of course. That was it. Why else couldn't I find her in the database?" He slapped his forehead. "But why?"

It seemed that he was having a conversation in his dream with Mana, reliving when he had met me on Dobu. He had been unable to find me because he hadn't realized that I was human.

"Kenna!" he yelled suddenly. "Kenna! Wait!"

He frowned and tried to get up. I pulled on his shoulders and kept him sitting down.

"Why isn't she waiting?" he said, his voice anguished. "I can't get to her. She's gone. She's gone."

Tears were streaming down his face. I suddenly became aware that I had been in a trance of my own, watching him dream. I knew I had to wake him. It wasn't right to leave him in such pain.

"Dar," I said, loudly. "Dar, wake up."

I shook him by the shoulders and he looked around and at me.

"I was dreaming." he said.

"I know. I heard. I woke you."

"No, you don't know. It was awful. I couldn't remember who you were. I couldn't remember anything."

He cupped his hand on my cheek and gazed into my eyes. I held my breath as I realized that he recognized me. He knew me.

And he remembered everything.

"Kenna, promise you'll never leave me. Promise. I can't lose you. It was terrible. I lost you, and that can't happen ever again. Please don't leave me."

I gazed into his eyes and made a promise in a way that I hoped I would be able to keep.

"I promise Dar. I'll never leave you, unless I absolutely have to. But even if I have to go, remember that I am always with you in your heart because I love you. I will come back to you. If there is any breath in my body, I will find a way back to you. I promise you that."

"Oh good. Good." He smiled then and his face was so full of love and happiness I felt terrible. Then he closed his eyes again and lay back down.

Would he remember me this time?

"Kenna," Dar whispered. "Kenna, wake up. The driver will be wondering where we are. I don't want him to come in and find us like this."

I opened my eyes slowly with a big smile on my face, remembering first the sex and second that he had got his memory back. The smile faded immediately when I looked at him.

Dar, the beloved, confused stranger was back.

"What is it?" he said.

I shook my head.

"I remembered again, didn't I?"

I nodded again, turning away from him and trying not to cry at the pain and despair I felt. To have him and then for him to be snatched back like that was torture.

"It was wonderful, Dar, but we can't keep doing this. It's tearing me apart," I said softly.

"I know," he said. Then he got up. We washed in the spring and got dressed.

By the time we returned to the palace it was the middle of the night. We each went to bed in our separate rooms — more alone than before.

DAR

"What do you mean, I've got to take Kenna to a wedding, mother?" I said, frowning. I was sitting at the breakfast table with the queen. Kenna hadn't come down and I hadn't gone to see why.

My mother looked taken aback. I guess she hadn't expected such a vehement response. But the idea of taking Kenna to a wedding seemed like it would be as much fun as punching myself in the face. Seeing her amazing body in some sexy Susohnnan dress would drive me insane — especially after tasting it already.

After our very good very bad idea of making love, as we were putting on our clothes we had both agreed that it had been a mistake. We should stick to the original idea of waiting until I got my shit sorted out before we tried to be in a relationship.

It was painful existing this way.

But damned if I could get the woman out of my mind so I could figure out how to piece my life back together. It seemed as though she was such an integral part of me now that reconstruct my existence without her was like trying to put a broken vase back together without the glue. It just wouldn't work.

I had started this conversation taking the position that bringing Kenna to a wedding was completely out of the question. I was learning that my mother was very persuasive and good at getting her own way.

"I know that you don't remember anything, Darvish, but it would be a bad idea to let anyone else know that. Only myself and a few trusted servants know the truth about you. You haven't been going out much. And you have been spending so much time with Kenna, I had to circulate the rumor that you were engaged."

"What?" I said, reeling from the bomb that she had dropped into the conversation. I remembered that part of the briefing about Susohnnan culture quite clearly. If we said we were engaged, that meant that we were not only intending to get married, but we were also sleeping together.

One of the euphemisms for sex in our language is getting engaged. How could she have done that?

Kenna and I had decided that we should avoid each other for the rest of the trip because it was too painful to be together and now my mother had circulated a rumor that would ensure that we had to spend all our time together? It was way beyond meddling.

"I know you're upset, Dar, but you have to understand. If I hadn't, people would have noticed that you were spending so much time together in private and assumed that you were..you know..."

"Mother!"

"What? I'm a mother. And as such, that means that I've had..."

"Mother!" I said again, more forcefully.

She rolled her eyes but continued on.

"It would have caused an enormous scandal and may have cost you your kingship. Other kings have been ousted for as much or as little. There is far too much democracy on Susohn nowadays. Since I'm sure you will be getting engaged and married eventually, there's no harm done circulating the rumor now and confirming it sometime in the future. Your cousin's wedding will be a nice public occasion to show that you are clearly together in a respectable fashion. The engagement announcement can be unofficial."

"But mother..."

"Whatever your arguments are, they won't fly, Darvish. You need to do this for yourself and for your country. Losing you now would be truly terrible for Susohn. Being a king is who you are, whether you remember or not. I'm afraid the crown never comes off, not even for a case of amnesia. Go wake Kenna up. The royal dressers will be there to do a fitting in an hour."

"Mother, can you give me a minute to explain?" I protested feebly.

She cut me off again.

"Dar. No choice," she said. "On the upside, you won't have to keep sneaking around. You can share a bedroom."

And she winked at me. I blushed to the roots of my hair. I didn't want my mother thinking about me having sex. What I did with Kenna was private and not something my mother should concern herself with.

Sharing a bedroom!

What once would have sounded like a dream come true now only sounded like a torture sentence.

"Engaged?!" Kenna practically shrieked when I told her.

"Calm down, it wasn't my idea!"

She began to pace around the room wildly.

"I thought your mother was done with her meddling but this, this is too much."

"It's not that bad, is it?" I said. Was it such a hardship to be engaged to me?

"Not that bad?" she said, looking like tears were imminent. "Not that bad? Do you know what it means to be engaged on Susohn?"

"Well, kind of. There was a briefing. Not really." She cut me off.

"Being engaged means that you're a couple. You're going to get married — not that many engagements on Susohn are broken off. It's a serious thing that couples do because they love each other. And REMEMBER each other! All the time. Not just a few seconds here and there."

"Kenna," I said, feeling the despair rising up in me again.

"No, Dar. You have idea because you don't remember. You never proposed to me. We never even talked about marriage, really. You would be furious that your mother had done this to us. I mean, as if she hadn't pretty much forced us into it in the first place after the fucking volcano.."

I had many question rise up, but they would have to wait till later. Kenna was going off the deep end. The guy with the medical condition would have to calm her down.

"But she was going to let us get engaged at our own pace. And now...Ooh!" She balled her hands into fists, walking back and forth in silence for a minute. I didn't say anything, sensing that she wasn't done. I WAS able to remember when to keep my mouth shut. Sometimes.

"You know everyone will assume we're sleeping together, right?"

"Aren't we?" I knew it was a stupid question on so many levels but it just came out of me. I couldn't remember when to keep my mouth shut all the time.

"No. We were. We're not anymore, remember?"

I didn't say anything, thinking about last night.

She let the tears fall that had been shining in her eyes since I told her the news. She plopped herself down on the floor beside the bed, drawing her knees up to her chest and putting her head down on her arms. She was the picture of desolation and I felt terrible.

"We could get married," I said, feeling that at least offering this much was the proper thing to do.

"No!" She lifted her head so that I could see her beautiful brown eyes, stormy and red-rimmed. "I don't want you to ask me until you know what you're doing, Dar."

"I just wanted to say something." I trailed off, not knowing what to do. We had said we weren't touching in any way anymore. But I didn't know how to comfort her. Words weren't working. I couldn't just leave her to cry alone. Not when I was here.

I sat down beside her and put my arm around her. She sighed deeply and dropped her knees so she could put her head on my chest.

"I thought we weren't going to touch anymore," she said.

"This is platonic," I said, waiting to see if she had a reaction. She looked up me, a grin on her face. And inside me, something let go. She was smiling again. If only I could take her pain away so easily all the time, forever.

That's when I realized that whether or not I remembered what had happened between us in the past didn't matter.

Here. Right now. In the present. That's all that mattered.

I was falling in love with this woman. And there was nothing I could do to stop myself.

KENNA

Fuck, I was so confused.

Dar had comforted me after I had been so upset about his mother leaking information to the press about us being engaged. Now we were sitting on the balcony of his bedroom since it faced west, watching the two suns setting in silence.

I just couldn't wrap my head around everything that was going on. Having the real Dar with me for a few minutes, with all the depth of our relationship because of our shared experiences was heaven.

But then there was this other Dar, who was some guy I just met and liked and slept with and was dating. There was something about being with him that was simple and easy. And he was so kind and gentle. There was no sense of Dar the king.

It confused me that I liked him too. He was different from the real Dar somehow. I felt like I was betraying Dar by falling in love with this simulacrum.

I closed my eyes, shaking my head. It was so fucked up. Dar looked over at me as I shook my head. He gazed at me for a moment, his eyes lingering on my face.

"Kenna," he said softly, entwining his fingers with mine. I felt a tingle when he touched me.

I bit my lip.

"Yeah?"

"I believe that if we overthink things, they get too complicated."

I nodded.

"But this..." he said, holding our clasped hands up between us. "This is simple. And this..." He gazed into my eyes. "This is easy. And this..." He leaned in and pressed a chaste kiss on my lips. "This is how it's supposed to be. Us. Together. We belong together, Kenna."

And as he said those words, I saw the transformation in his eyes.

He was back.

"And nothing in the universe is going to tear us apart," he said, an expression of awe and joy on his face. He couldn't believe what he was saying.

"You..." I searched his eyes, not wanting to say it. To jinx it. "You..."

He nodded.

"I remember everything."

DAR

Kenna cried and cried when we woke up the next morning and my memories were gone again, but it was different this time. I didn't remember our conversation, but I had written it down, and reading my notes was helping with my short-term memory. She and I had discussed the alien problem and we had some new ideas.

After she fell asleep in my arms yesterday, I made a note to myself that shocked me when I read it this morning. I didn't know if I should act on it or not, and the thought of it was burning in my mind.

I pushed it aside. I needed to be alert today, not mooning over Kenna.

We were having a meeting today with my mother to decide on our official course of action in response to the alien attack on our people.

Kenna squeezed my hand as we approached the meeting room.

"If you need a memory..." she said, tapping her temple. "I've got it all in here. Don't let your mother tell you no, okay? Be confident. You're the king, remember?"

I stood up straight. Yes, I was the king. Although I didn't feel it, I would have to fake it until I felt it again.

Who knew if or when my memories would ever come back completely?

"Mother," I said, going around the desk to kiss her. Kenna made a graceful Susohnnan curtsy. She looked so beautiful when she did that, it was difficult to think of anything else. But I shook it off.

We had a mission here today. To convince my mother that our idea was good, or get her to agree to it, even if she thought it was a bad idea.

"Darvish." She smiled at me. "Kenna, you look lovely today."

"Thank you, Sarallia," she said, bobbing her head.

They exchanged pleasantries for a few minutes. I couldn't stand the small talk and I soon found an opportunity to introduce our idea.

"Mother, Kenna and I have been discussing the problem of Wormhole 87 and the alien race."

"You have?" she said. She didn't really have a reaction because she did not truly see me as her son. I was no one to her, really.

What she didn't know was that I had been myself for a few hours last night. We had decided not to tell her unless we had to. Based on the engagement fiasco, we weren't sure how much she could really be trusted.

"We have decided that our best course of action is to send a ship and follow the next droid ship that comes through. We must have information about our enemy. We need to get Mana and Jared back. They are an integral part of my team of advisors now and I can't rule without them."

My mother snorted at this point but I ignored her, continuing on.

"Kenna and I will be aboard a ship that will go with the exploratory space craft and our ship will be the base. We are hoping that the new technology that the Mirallaleyans recently developed to communicate between galaxies will be enough for us to keep communication lines open with the exploratory vessel."

"Wait. You've got the new Mirallaley technology already?" my mother said, eyes widening in shock. I nodded. "But that's not being released to the general public until next year."

"That's right," I said.

"How did you get hold of it so soon?"

"Jared's got a lot of contacts," Kenna said.

"He negotiated with them for over a month and the first shipment just arrived yesterday."

"Hm," she looked reluctantly impressed. "But you won't be endangering yourselves, of course."

Her voice went up at the end as if it were a question but it was more of a command.

"Of course not. We will merely accompany the ship that will actually go through the wormhole."

She nodded, satisfied.

"I agree. We need to know who or what we are up against. We don't have enough information to act intelligently."

"Exactly," I said. "Kenna, let's make our preparations. Mother, I'll send you our requirements for the ships and crews so that you can arrange it."

"Certainly," she said, looking pleased that the decisive, commanding son that she knew was back.

I didn't have the heart to tell her I was acting.

Two weeks later, Kenna and I stood on the bridge of the exploratory ship that would go in search of Jared and Mana. We were looking at Wormhole 87 out the view screen. It was beautiful with a spiral shape and swirling colors.

But I held no illusions about it. If not properly stabilized, it would destroy a ship in a fraction of a second.

Wormholes were new technology that we knew almost nothing about and could be very, very dangerous. You were taking your life in your hands when you used them for travel.

We were inspecting the ship and then we would transport back to our vessel to watch it ship go through. I was entrusting the search to Captain Dor'lin, a good friend of mine who also served in the Susohnnan army.

"You should probably beam back, Dar," Jakk said.

"Yes, are you ready, Kenna?"

"Can I run to the bathroom really quickly?" she said. "I'm afraid to be transported with a full bladder."

I chuckled and Jakk watched her run off the bridge.

"She's sweet and beautiful. Where did you find her?" he said.

"Long story," I said. "A very long story. Suffice to say that I'm a lucky guy."

"You sure are," he said.

"How is Larka?" I said, forgetting my manners. I should have asked about his wife when we first met.

The Susohnnan rules were so complex, I could barely keep them straight.

He frowned.

"We're so good. I think we may get divorced," he said.

"Divorced?" That was serious. Nobody got divorced on Susohn. "Oh, Jakk, I'm sorry."

"She's not happy anymore and I guess neither am I, though to tell you the truth, I don't know what happened, exactly."

I clapped him on the shoulder.

"I'm sorry," I said again.

"Thanks, Dar," he said. "But you should get your little lady and get over to the transporter. Wait a second. What the hell is that?" he said. Something huge had appeared on the view screen.

"Oh fuck," I said, fear filling my body. I remembered that shape very clearly. "It's one of the alien ships."

He ran to his station, yelling orders to his crew.

"Dar, get out of here!"

I grabbed Kenna, who had just returned and we ran for the transporter room together. When we got there, the male Susohnnan on duty motioned for us to stand on the transporter pads. We positioned ourselves and waited. And waited. I glanced at him.

"What's wrong?" I said.

"They're trying to get a lock on all of us. It's interfering with my beams. Shit. There's no way I'm going to be able to transport you, right now, sir. I need to protect all of us right now."

We returned to the bridge.

"Jakk, we can't transport right now," I told him.

"We've got a bigger problem on our hands," Jakk said, standing very still and staring at the view screen. Kenna and I turned to look. I heard her gasp and cover her mouth with her hand.

The view screen didn't show one alien ship anymore. Now there were hundreds. I looked at the wormhole and saw that there was a ship coming through every few seconds. I wondered how many people these ships could transport. Jakk's voice broke into my thoughts.

"What did you say those ships were for, Dar?"

"They're slave ships," I said, feeling Kenna come up beside me and take my hand, pressing herself against my side.

"And how many did you think one ship could hold?"

I looked at Kenna.

"Twenty million," she said, her voice dead.

"And how many ships would you estimate are out there right now?"

"Two hundred," I said, seeing where this was going.

"Two hundred times twenty million," Kenna said.

"So the ships we can see now would be able to hold four billion people." Jakk turned his head to look at me, his eyes scared. I had never seen Jakk afraid — he was as tough as they come.

"And there's more coming through every few seconds," Kenna added, her voice small.

"That seems like enough to enslave the entire galaxy." Jakk said softly.

"I think that's what they're planning on doing." I said.

If we couldn't stop one ship, how were we going to stop hundreds?