I can tell that Koba is starting to fade. He’s putting up a strong front for me but I know he’s in pain and the wound in his side is still bleeding. Not much, but it’s starting to seep through his shirt. I’m crossing my fingers that we’re going to be back soon so he can receive the proper medical attention that he needs. He has taken a beating on this adventure.

“Lunis Station, come in,” Koba says into the comms unit. There’s some crackling through the speaker but then finally, after several attempts, there’s another voice.

“This is Lunis Station.” A male voice come through, crystal clear, and it’s the best thing that has happened to us all day.

“This is General Koba. Seeking the go ahead to land an enemy ship in the docks. Possible Atronox guards on board.”

“You have control of the ship, General?”

“Yes, I’m in control. We flew the ship from Zephyrus. Most of the Atronox were left back on the planet. A few may still be on board. The ship will require a full inspection when we land.”

“Yes, General. Proceed with your approach. Authorities will meet you inside the docking bay.”

“Affirmative.” He leans back in his chair, his breathing a bit shallower than it has been. I don’t know what will happen if he passes out on me before we land. God knows I can’t fly a ship on my own.

“Are you doing okay?” I ask. A stupid question, I know, but I still feel as if I should ask it.

“I’m okay.” He tries to smile reassuringly at me but I can tell he’s not himself. “We’re almost back. A quick treatment from Doctor Trevvula and I’ll be back to myself in no time.”

I appreciate how he’s always trying to calm my nerves and make me feel better about our situation. I never would have expected him to have this much of a sensitive side when I first saw him on the Atronox ship all that time ago. I guess I never expected him to really care about me at all. If it weren’t for him, I’d be a miserable mess of a woman, overly anxious about getting home. Koba is making this experience much more bearable, and it isn’t just because of the amazing sex.

There’s a funny feeling in the pit of my stomach when I think about Koba, and about leaving him to return to Earth. He’s better boyfriend material than anyone else I’ve met. He’s strong and sexy as hell. But it’s the way he takes care of me and makes me feel like I truly matter to him that has affected me and made me open my heart to him. It’s foolish, I know, considering I won’t be staying much longer. But I’ve always been one to embrace every moment and I won’t apologize for putting my heart out there and opening myself up to be hurt again. Life is just too short and I’m pretty damn resilient.

Koba releases the controls and rests back in his chair, closing his eyes. “We’re here. They’re pulling us in.”

I watch as the huge doors open in front of us and we slowly enter the docking bay, the ship landing without any more incident. I breathe a sigh of relief when we’re parked safely inside the dock. The operating systems shut down and the next thing I know, there’s a swarm of Force officials streaming onto the ship. Raydn is the first officer to find us.

“He needs a doctor,” I tell him.

Raydn rushes to Koba and looks him over quickly before putting his arm around his waist and hoisting him up. Kobe leans heavily on Raydn as he helps him walk off the ship. I follow closely behind.

“What the hell happened to you?” I hear Raydn say.

“I was unlucky with a few of the guards,” Koba says.

“Not as unlucky as they were. I’ll have to send a crew in to clean up the mess.”

“Yes. And the ship needs to be searched. One of the guards must be hiding somewhere on the ship and there could be others.”

“No worries, General. We’re already on it. We have a team searching the ship as we speak. Once I get you safely to the medical bay I will return and assist them myself.”

I follow Raydn and Koba all the way to the medical bay, but once we reach the doors, I stop outside. I don’t know if it’s my place to be inside when Koba is receiving medical attention. I stand awkwardly outside the door and wait for Raydn to return. Without Koba by my side, I really don’t know where my place is.

A minute later, Raydn is back. “The General asked me to make sure I escort you to your room. You can rest and clean up. And if you are hungry or thirsty, we will make sure to attend to your needs.”

“Thank you,” I say. “Can I see him?”

“Eventually. He will be unconscious for now while his body works to heal itself.”

Raydn starts to walk off down the hallway and I hesitate for a moment. It feels strange leaving here without Koba. I’ve only been without him for a short time when I ended up in that cage. Otherwise, he has been my one constant since he rescued me from the Atronox ship the first time. Raydn stops and looks at me, waiting for me to follow him. I quickly catch up and let him lead me down the hallway.

“Is Koba going to be alright?” I ask. I’m curious, but I also feel the need to break the silence between us.

“Yes. The General will be fine. The doctor will heal his wounds and then he’ll need time to let his body regenerate and heal itself. Then he’ll be good as new.”

“Your bodies can regenerate themselves?” I sound as shocked as I feel. I’m continuing to learn so much about this world that was unknown to me only days ago. Learning how their bodies are able to regenerate themselves could be extremely useful information on Earth. Finding more efficient ways to heal the human body is something that scientists spend millions of dollars to explore.

“With help, yes. Once the doctor cleans and seals his wounds, his body will heal completely within a few hours. If left without help, it would take much longer. Eventually he would heal but it would take his body longer to recover.” He’s quiet for a moment and then he continues. “Humans are not able to heal like that?” he asks.

“Well, yes. But we don’t heal anywhere near that quickly. If I sustained wounds similar to Koba’s, I would require a lengthy stay in one of our hospitals. Doctors would help close my wounds but it would still take a long time for them to completely heal. And even then, the scars can last a lifetime.”

“Interesting,” he says. “And how long do humans typically live?”

“That depends on a lot of things. Disease, quality of life, illness, family medical history, crime, drugs. So many of those things impact how long someone will live. But a healthy human can live anywhere up to one hundred years.”

“Interesting,” he says again.

It seems like he’s deep in thought, processing the things I’ve told him. I understand. I want to know everything there is to know about all of the new species that exist that we never knew about on Earth. Even though I was taken against my will, this experience has opened my eyes. Life exists outside of what we have always known. These are life-changing discoveries.

We walk to the end of the corridor where Raydn turns and begins to walk me down a different section of the station. There are a lot of doors that line the walls, most of them open. I peek into them as we walk past and see they are equipped with a small bed and table, as well as a set of drawers that must be for clothing. I’m looking forward to another shower. I’m assuming these rooms are all equipped with one.

He stops when we get to the end of the hallway and signals for me to enter the room.

“Here you go,” he says, standing at the entrance of my room. I walk inside but I’m not exactly sure what to do with myself. Free time isn’t the best thing for me right now, and once Raydn leaves, I’m on my own. Left with my own thoughts.

There’s a bit of an awkward silence where Raydn is hanging around outside the door while I’m hanging around just inside the door. I think he’s waiting for me to give him leave but I still have questions. Like where can I find another change of clothes, or where do I go if I want to get something to eat? And, am I free to walk around or am I to stay in my room?

“Just push the button over there,” he says, pointing to the wall, “and you’ll have access to the closet just within the walls. The shower will be through that door. I’ll find someone to bring you something to eat. If you need anything else, press right here.” He points to a small box next to the door with a small speaker and a few buttons.

“Okay. Thank you.”

And with that, he bows and heads off down the hallway, leaving me on my own.