Nabvan could feel himself trying to hold on as the ship sped towards Milisaria. The Arkani had to have made it at least that far already. If not, he wasn’t sure he would make it all the way there. He didn’t want to say it out loud because he knew that Alexis would lose it while she was trying to dress his wounds to the best of her ability and stop his bleeding. He had to make sure she had a will to keep going because she would never forgive herself if these women never made it to the Arkani now.

Siefer had come into the room to help steer the ship where Nabvan could not. He was so grateful for his friend who was risking it all with the fact that his wife and child were back on Milisaria. Would he be allowed to get back to them after aiding in the betrayal of the guards and the king? There was a chance he would not.

“We are getting close to Milisaria,” he announced, looking back at Alexis who was clinging to his shoulder like she was unable to let go. And maybe that was the case.

It was just the three of them. The rest of the women had gone to guard the guards in the cells and make sure they could not escape. The plan was to release them out into space on the small getaway ship that was always onboard for emergencies. They would float away, unable to tell the whole truth of what happened to the king. Nabvan hated they would have to suffer in such a way, but the king was dead, lying on the floor in a pool of his own blood still. That would not bode well if, by some miracle, they did ever make it back to Milisaria safely. That was a slim possibility at this point, though.

“What do we do if the Arkani have not come?” Alexis asked, speaking for the first time since she had started caring for him. She had been deathly silent, probably for fear of breaking his concentration. It was nice to hear her voice, but she wouldn’t like his answer.

“We crash the ship on the Arkani planet to get their attention,” Nabvan answered flatly, as if it were the simplest answer imaginable. He looked back at the woman he loved to see her lips pursed so tight they had turned pale. But she didn’t say what she was thinking. She didn’t have to. He knew they would lose people in the process, possibly himself. He was already injured. That kind of jarring could easily mean his demise. But he would do what he had to do. At least on the Arkani planet, if he had to leave this world, Alexis would be safe. No man would force anything on her, and she could practice science to her heart’s content. She would be alright.

The time went on in silence, no one daring to speak as they kept their eyes open for an Arkani ship, but there was nothing. Nabvan knew just what he needed to do, and he needed to do it quickly. He put the ship into its highest gear, flying way too fast for a lot of control. It would only aid in the crash he wanted to make, but it would be a semi-controlled one. He wasn’t looking to kill everyone on board, just make an entrance the Arkani could not ignore. Siefer would have to find another way back to his wife. Maybe the Arkani would be kind and let him have one of their ships, or they might be able to fix this one. He couldn’t think about that right now.

Nabvan stood up, getting ready to steer the ship as needed, right down onto the planet. Alexis came to his side and whispered in his ear. “I love you more than anything. Please, be careful.” He was damn well going to try to, but he couldn’t make promises to her he wouldn’t be able to keep for sure. He wasn’t that kind of man.

“I love you too,” he told her, coming in close to orbit. The Arkani planet was darker than even Milisaria most of the time. They had a sun, but its orbit meant that it took several Earth days to see the light again. And there was only one moon as well. It was why the Arkani were not an attractive race. They always looked thin and sallow. These women would not have the pleasure of great lovers or good-looking men, but the Arkani were intelligent and kind. That was what they needed most after what they had been through.

Everyone found something to hang onto as he brought the ship down, much too fast for anyone’s liking. He felt the bottom drop out of his stomach as they approached the dry soil that covered the surface of the planet. They were going to hit hard enough to make a ruckus. He hoped they were somewhere heavily populated. He had tried to get as close to the capital as possible, but he had never been, only seen maps.

Then, the ship struck with a horrible sound of ripping metal. They all fell, and he felt his head hit on something. He wasn’t sure what it was, but he knew he had taken it too far. He reached out for Alexis with his hand, but he felt no one grasp it. The best thing he could do before he passed out and possibly die was to make it off of the ship and to an Arkani citizens to let them know who they were and why they were there. They needed to claim asylum just in case the Arkani saw the Milisarian ship as a threat.

Nabvan crawled his way out of the hatch, onto the dry red soil where the Arkani had already gathered to see what was going on. They backed up at the sight of the injured Milisarian as he begged for them to listen. “On board are some of the human women who were supposed to come to you. They were captured by the Milisarians. I have brought them back. We claim asylum. Please, help us. I do not know how many are injured.” Nabvan tried to stand for a moment before falling at their feet, no longer able to help himself. Just before he passed out, he saw Alexis coming off the ship, looking like she was alright.

“I love you,” he tried to croak out, but he didn’t know if she heard or not. The blackness soon consumed him.