My crewmates exit the heavy wooden gate at a proper run when it finally creaks open. Unfortunately, so do a few members of the Attalan guard Ramyx has told me about. They, unlike the other women from Earth, don’t look happy to see us. And they’re running much faster than my friends, and are much more heavily armed.

Ramyx and I stand with our hands in the air and await our fate. I’m much more worried about his than mine. Even he has the good sense to look a little uneasy when the seasoned warriors approach us at full speed.

He’s right to worry. The warriors tackle Ramyx and drag him off.

“Don’t hurt him,” I cry. “He saved me.”

He struggles against his captors but it’s useless. They’re just as strong as he is. My crewmates reach me a moment later and engulf me in the planet’s most enthusiastic group hug. In this moment, my loyalty is torn. I need to talk to the other women and tell them everything I know. And God knows time is of the essence. But I have responsibilities to Ramyx as well. He saved me, and any chance we have to salvage this mission is due to his bravery. And I’m not even taking my personal feelings into account. Because I certainly do have romantic feelings for him.

I decide that right now, duty has to come first.

“Let’s get you inside,” our captain, Diana, says as she shepherds me towards the outpost gate and leads me inside. “Get you warmed up and fed. And then we’ll get you up to speed on everything that has happened here.”

“That sounds good,” I say. “I have a few things to tell you, as well. The sooner the better — time really is of the essence.” I can’t help throwing one last look over my shoulder in search of Ramyx. Diana notices. “They aren’t going to hurt him, right?” I ask. I can’t keep the concern out of my voice.

“Of course not,” she says. “Mallyk will make sure of it.”

“Who’s Mallyk?” I ask.

“Man, we really have a lot to tell her,” Mina says, and they all chuckle as we move inside.

Ten minutes later, the five of us are huddled around the fire, sipping a pleasant herbal hot drink. I’m so happy to finally be reunited with my colleagues; with my friends. They’ve filled me in on everything that’s happened here. Some of it is not so surprising. Like the fact that they’ve located, harvested, and processed the Eclaydian and are ready to return it to Earth. Other updates have been a little more shocking. Diana married the leader of the guards? She has an alien husband? And all the others have found their mates as well. I was so worried about confessing my feelings for Ramyx to them. And now I have no reason to worry. Not about that, at least.

“Now it’s time for me to tell you what I know.” I raise my head and all eyes are on me. “Spoiler alert: it’s not good.” I take a deep breath and launch into my story. “The minister never planned on following through with the bargain and giving us the Eclaydian. He only invited us here because they want to harness its power for themselves. Turns out they couldn’t do that without our technology and expertise.” The women around the fire look shocked. And they don’t even know the worst of it yet. “Also, he planned on keeping us all here from the start. They’re running out of scientists and planned on using us to replenish the ranks.”

“That makes sense,” Margo says. “We’ve encountered another group living out here, beyond where survival was thought possible. A group of scavengers made up from people who have defected from the city. Who couldn’t stomach the things they were being asked to do.”

Mina looks at me and her lower lip trembles. “You mean they’ve been holding you hostage this entire time?”

“We never would have left you behind if we had any idea,” Savannah chimes in.

“I know that, guys. I so know that.” I shake my head. There are no hard feelings here. “Unfortunately, we have bigger problems to worry about now. I told you how Ramyx helped me escape? It turns out he’s the minister’s brother. And I’m sure they’re coming after us.”

“So we’ll get in the ship and blast out of here,” Diana says. She stands up and starts to pace, like she always does when she’s coming up with a plan. “Anyone who wants to come with us will be welcome to.”

I lean forward and hide my face in my hands. Diana crouches by my side. “It’s not a big deal, Natalie. We already have the Eclaydian loaded on the ship. We were just waiting to get you back. We’re all ready to go.”

“You’re not all ready to go. That’s the problem.” I take a deep sip of my drink to steel my nerves. “The minister sent a group to sabotage the ship. They did it right after we arrived.”

“So, we’ll fix it,” Margo says.

“He removed the navigation unit,” I say. A definite hush falls over the group.

“How the hell did he know the one thing that would cripple the Sparrow?” Mina can’t believe what she’s hearing.

“He’s a scientist, just like we are. He looked at the schematics and figured it out.” I shrug my shoulders. There’s not much point in agonizing over how it happened. Now we need to deal with it.

“Then we’ll just have to get it back,” Diana says. “Is the minister the one who has it? Do you know where he’s storing it?”

“He destroyed it,” I say. “Right in front of me. Smashed into a thousand pieces.”

“Well, we’re royally fucked. What are we going to do?” A note of panic creeps into Savannah’s voice.

“We have one option,” I say. “The scientist who helped them identify the navigational unit didn’t tell them about the escape pod. He left us a way to get home and save Earth.” And the fact that Ramyx made that decision before he met me and fell in love with me showed me what kind of a person he really is. One with a brave heart.

“We’re not going to all be able to fit,” Mina says. “Not if we’re going to haul all the Eclaydian back to Earth.” We all know what she’s really saying.

“I’m staying behind,” Diana announces. Her arms are crossed over her chest and I know there’s no point arguing with her. Not that I would have. “I won’t raise my child without a father. And I won’t risk being poked and prodded on Earth like some sort of specimen.”

Savannah rises to her feet next. “I can’t let you have that baby alone. So I guess that means I’m not going home either.” She moves closer to Diana and they link their arms together and smile.

“You guys don’t have to worry about me either,” Mina says. “I wanted more time exploring the planet and Cardyk is game. I’ve had enough quiet in my life. I’m ready for some adventure.”

“I guess it’s just you and me,” I say to Margo. The look on her face tells me she doesn’t want to leave either.

“I’ll go back to Earth so you won’t be alone in the pod. But if I had my way, I’d stay here with Lodyn. Maybe get the Sparrow running again. You know?”

“I know. And you don’t need to worry about it. Ramyx, the man with me when I arrived, wants to visit Earth. He wants to go with me. And I owe it to him after all he’s done for me.”

“I suppose the fact that he’s easy on the eyes wouldn’t have a thing to do with it,” Diana teases.

“Hey, if I would have known this alien mating thing was the real deal, I would have given in even earlier,” I say. “Seriously, though, it will be good. It will give us a chance to —”

Mallyk, Diana’s mate, bursts into the room and interrupts. “We have a problem.” An older warrior stands with him.

“What is it?” Diana asks.

The other warrior answers. “The minister’s forces have already mobilized. Our spies spotted them gathering outside the wall. They’re already on their way here.”

“How much time do we have?” I ask.

“Not much,” Mallyk says. “Whatever we’re going to do, we need to do it now.”

“I may be able to help with that,” the other warrior says. He turns to me and introduces himself with a tip of his head. “My name is Adox. I am the leader of the wanderers.”