Time seemed to freeze for Gordon after seeing Alara being taken.
He knew that someone had informed Alara's parents, shown them the video of what had happened. Both were in shock, her father more so than her mother. Ildris thought of Malik as the perfect Xelayan male specimen and for him to resort to kidnapping... it blew his mind.
It had been 2 hours when there was a communication that came into the bridge from the nearby planet below.
Malik's face filled the viewfinder.
"Do not bother trying to try and convince me to return Alara," he said firmly. "This is merely a recording to inform you of my demands and the time frame in which you have to give into them."
Gordon felt anger and rage rush through his blood at seeing Malik's face. Despite knowing that he would not be able to match the Xelayan in hand-to-hand combat, he wanted to punch him in his pretty face.
"I am done being made a fool of. Alara belongs to me. The Kitan family would be honored to welcome me into their family over a filthy human, and yet Alara insists on remaining with one. She needs to be taught to stay in her place. However, I am a male of reason, so I am willing to compromise."
Gordon felt Ed's eyes on the back of his head, but he didn't bother to look at his captain. His focus on was Malik and his demands.
"While I am still willing to take Alara, the fact that she has soiled herself with a human companion is hard to swallow. So, I will allow Alara to remain doing the work she loves in exchange for her lover being removed from her presence eternally. After 2 years, I will be sure that Alara is free of that human's influence and will take her back to Xelaya with me, provided I do not find a better female prior to that time."
Gordon hated this plan. If they agreed, it would mean one of them would have to leave the Orville, maybe even the Union. Alara was good at what she did, she was a strong leader. Gordon may be one of the best pilots in the Union, but Alara was more valuable.
It would also mean that he could never see Alara again.
"The second option," Malik continued. "I take Alara now. I will wait long enough to ensure that any children she gives birth to will be mine as I refuse to raise a half-human bastard as my own should she be carrying any at this time. If she is with child, then I will have no choice but to terminate the pregnancy by any means necessary, even if it costs the mother's life."
Gordon felt the rage within him now. Despite knowing for a fact that there was no way Alara was pregnant with his child, an idea that both terrified and excited him on it's own, he couldn't help being angry that he would hurt Alara in such a way.
He clenched his fists. Alara was in this man's clutches and who knows what he would or had done to her. It infuriated him.
"You have 1 hour from the end of this message to respond with your choice. Make the wise one."
The transmission ended before being replaced by a counting clock. Alara's future was counting down.
"What are we going to do?" Drenala said, her voice filled with worry.
Gordon hated this plan, but there was really only one solution to this. Alara needed her freedom and he could provide it.
"We give Malik what he really wants," he said, turning back to the group. Drenala had tears in her eyes and Ildris looked shocked. He hadn't expected Malik to go to these lengths.
"He wants me out of the picture, so I disappear. If it gives Alara a chance for some freedom from him, then we give him what he wants."
"Gordon..." Kelly stepped forward. "You would have to leave the Orville."
Gordon nodded. "I know." He ran a hand through his hair frustrated. "Honestly, this was all supposed to be easy. We were just pretending to date to keep Malik away from her and it spiraled out of control."
"Pretending...?"
Gordon looked up at Drenala and Ildris. He nodded. "Yes, Alara told Malik she had a boyfriend in the hopes that he would back off her. She never planned to get you guys involved, thought it would be a quick few days until Malik was off the ship, easy and simple. She didn't expect Malik to reach out to you or for you to come to the ship. I'm sorry that we lied, but she didn't want Malik to come onto her while onboard." He looked back to the ticking clock. "Although, if she had known that he would go to this extreme she probably wouldn't have suggested it."
Drenala looked at the man she had gotten to know a little since coming onboard. He said that this whole dating thing was fake, a lie. However, when Alara and Gordon were together in front of her, she couldn't see how it could be acting, how it could be faked.
She didn't believe it was fake, despite how it may have started.
Ildris was still in shock that Malik would do this. It made no sense. He was already superior, he didn't need to do this.
But... Alara's last words to him still rang in his ears.
'I love him the way he is...'
Ildris looked at the human male, staring at the ticking clock. There was a determination in his eyes that Ildris trusted more than Malik's smile. This man was willing to sacrifice everything for Alara's freedom. That was not something Ildris could see Malik doing. Ildris knew that he would have to do something to help. Something to help his daughter. Something he hoped that he wouldn't ever have to do to another Xelayan.
After Gordon's announcement that he would leave the Orville so that Alara could stay in the Union and away from Malik, Gordon left the bridge. He didn't have a purpose there now. He walked down past the officer quarters and kept going until he entered the shuttlebay.
There was still one shuttle left and Gordon stared at it. Before he knew it, he had crossed the bay and was sitting in the shuttle. It had been so easy to just walk up.
Malik had just walked into a shuttle and left with an unconscious Alara and no one had stopped him, just as no one had stopped Gordon.
It angered him and he wanted nothing more than to fly this shuttle to the planet and save Alara personally. Deliver the news that this was over, that Malik had won, that Alara could be freed.
"I didn't expect to find anyone else here."
Gordon turned to find Ildris standing just inside the shuttle door. He was carrying a case and looked extremely serious.
"What are you doing here?"
"Probably for the same reason you are here," Ildris replied. "I'm going after my daughter."
Gordon looked at Ildris with wonder. "Do you know how to pilot this shuttle?"
Ildris looked at the shuttle controls and nodded. "Yes, I can." He looked back at Gordon. "But I think we would fly faster with the best pilot in the Union."
Gordon was shocked at the sudden kindness from Ildris. It seemed that they had something in common, their love for Alara.
Gordon looked back at the back of the shuttle. He knew that this wasn't exactly against orders, but he knew exactly how it would look.
All it took was one thought about how Alara's quarter's had looked, the video of Malik just carrying her off the ship, all to get her away from Gordon. He wanted nothing more than to punch that smug bastard in the face.
He turned back and sat in the pilot's seat. "Let's go."
Just as Malik had stolen a shuttle and Alara, Gordon flew the shuttle out of the bay with no resistance with Ildris as his co-pilot.