The flight down to the planet was not as awkward as Gordon thought it would be. Ildris seemed to be messing with whatever it was that he had brought and Gordon flew. Honestly, Gordon was enjoying the silence.
"You said that it wasn't real."
Ildris' voice was so sudden after the long silence that Gordon almost jumped. He didn't turn to the man, his gaze focused on the planet, planet where Alara was being held captive.
"No," Gordon said firmly, "it wasn't. Alara and I were never dating. It was all pretend." Gordon felt pain at saying those words aloud but it was the truth. Alara wasn't his, would never be his. These were facts.
"Yet, here you are heading off to save her with no plan."
"My plan is to get Alara out by any means necessary."
"Even death? Malik has the clear advantage."
This wasn't lost on Gordon. He would never be able to defeat Malik in a hand-to-hand combat match, but he had to do something. He didn't want to die, not today, but... "If it frees Alara, then I will do what I must."
Gordon didn't see Ildris' eyes widen at those words. Suddenly everything else came clear, everything his wife had already seen.
Before landing, Gordon did a quick scan of the area to find the other Orville shuttle so he would know where to land. He found the shuttle and that both Malik and Alara were only a little ways away.
He set down next to the stolen shuttle and powered down before standing. Ildris stood as well, blocking Gordon's path. Gordon looked at the older Xelayan, knowing that older man could easily overpower him but not caring at this point.
"Gordon," Ildris said with soft voice, "I must apologize for my behavior from before."
"It's fine," Gordon rushed out. "You don't have to worry about a human corrupting your daughter."
"No," Ildris replied firmly. "I was wrong. You are not inferior to me and I would be happy to welcome you as Alara's partner."
Gordon blinked in surprise at those words. He hadn't been trying to get Alara's parents to truly accept him, but he hadn't been able to help himself being with Alara. He took a deep breath. "We aren't..."
"I know what you said," Ildris said, "but I do not believe that will always be the case. However, for that to happen you have to save Alara. So here, take this."
Ildris reached into the pack he brought and pulled out a syringe filled with a bluish liquid. Gordon looked from the syringe to Ildris.
"If negotiations with Malik break down and you end up in a fight with him, inject him with this. It will end the fight and hopefully keep you from being killed in the process. It won't kill him, but it will stop him."
Gordon looked at the syringe that Ildris placed into his hands. He wasn't sure what this was or what it would do exactly, but he didn't have time to ponder it. He put the syringe into his jacket pocket and headed out, leaving Ildris behind.
Alara's head was pounding as she woke up. She lifted her hand to her head and sat up slowly, her eyes still closed against the bright light.
"Finally awake I see."
Alara's eyes flew open, a mistake as that only intensified the pain in her head causing her to close her eyes again and slowly open them to readjust. She looked into the smiling face of Malik, only a few feet away from her.
Slowly she turned and took in the landscape. There were on a planet of some sort. Her memories came back as she turned back to Malik.
Malik coming to her room, forcing his way in, fighting him, being knocked unconscious. He must have kidnapped her.
"Malik, what are you doing?" she said, her voice dangerously low.
"I only did what had to be done. The idea of you even thinking about copulating with that human was sick and I had to make sure that my future bride only bears pure Xelayan children."
"I am not your bride," Alara said firmly. She stood, using the rock she next to to bring her to her feet. She moved towards Malik, but was pushed back after taking only a couple steps. She reached out a hand and found that she was connecting with a force field.
"Isn't it great?" Malik's voice rang out. "A portable force field. Great invention. I just set how much space I wish to give you and it will create it."
Alara looked over and saw a small box on the ground by the rock. She moved towards it only to find that the box was projecting the force field from outside of the field. She couldn't reach it. She turned back to Malik.
"If you think that this will gain you what you desire then you are sorely mistaken. I didn't want you before and I don't want you now."
"Then you never return to the Orville."
Alara glared as Malik stood and walked closer to her. He stopped just on the other side of the field he had generated around her.
"Right now, your friends will decide your fate. Whether I take you now or later. I hope that you took proper precautions while enjoying your human lover. I would hate to have to harm you to ensure that my children are the only children you give birth to."
Alara felt fury fill her as the implication of his words washed over her. It would be impossible for her to be pregnant with anyone's child, including Gordon's, but the idea that Malik would force her to miscarry said child was despicable.
"I will never be the mother to any demons of yours," she said firmly.
Surprisingly Malik laughed, a laugh of man who was sure of his victory. "Oh Alara, you are funny. Of course you will give birth to my children. It is the way it was always supposed to be."
Alara opened her mouth to say more when a noise drew both their attention. Malik moved and Alara saw Gordon enter the clearing.
For a moment, Alara was happy to see him, sure that other Orville crew were right behind him. But after a few moments, when no one else appeared, that happiness turned to fear. Gordon had come alone, he was in danger.
"Gordon..." she cried out, but Malik moved and blocked her view of him, his gaze on the human across from him.
"Human," Malik said firmly. "Have you made a decision?"
"Yes, I will leave the Orville as requested. Let Alara go back with her father who is waiting and I will stay here with you until another Union ship comes to get us. Alara can continue to serve and I won't be around her anymore, as you requested."
"Gordon, don't..." Alara cried out, but Malik laughed.
"You think it would be that easy?" He said loudly. "I have all the leverage here. I think I will just take Alara now instead of waiting."
"That wasn't the deal," Gordon said stepping forward. Too close.
Malik swung a punch and Alara couldn't help crying out as Gordon flew across the clearing and landed hard on the ground with a groan.
Alara moved forward only to be stopped by the force field. It didn't hurt, more like a wall blocking her from moving to Gordon's side. Panic filled her veins. She wouldn't be able to save him, to help him.
"I don't care what the terms of the deal were," Malik said walking towards Gordon, who was slowly getting back to his feet. When he was standing next to Gordon, Malik wasted no time sending a kick to the man's stomach. Gordon flipped and landed hard on the ground again.
"Malik! Stop it!" Alara cried, tears filling her eyes, but her cried went ignored.
"I am changing the deal," Malik said firmly before kicking Gordon again, this time in the shoulder. Gordon cried out as the impact dislocated his left shoulder. He cradled it against him seconds before Malik lifted him and punched him again.
Gordon fell to the ground in a heap. He looked up, realizing that one of his eyes was swollen shut now. He could see Alara banging against air, like she was trapped. Likely she was, knowing Malik.
Her tears as she cried, yelling at Malik to stop. He couldn't die here, couldn't leave her to this maniac.
Another kick had Gordon some ways from Malik. The man was bragging now, sure of his victory, talking of everything he was going to gain from having Alara. He knew that Malik wouldn't love her as she should be loved, as Gordon loved her. She would be a toy at best.
Remembering Ildris' words, Gordon reached inside his jacket and found the syringe. Luckily it hadn't been damaged while Malik beat him.
Gordon uncovered the needle and prepped the syringe, waiting for Malik to come into view. He didn't have to wait long.
Malik appeared before him and grabbed his shirt, lifting him up again. Gordon waited until Malik had him at eye level before jabbing the needle in Malik's arm and pushing down, injecting the blue liquid into him.
Malik dropped him and ripped the syringe out of his arm before glaring at the man in a heap on the ground. "What the hell did you do?"
Gordon didn't answer, barely able to breath as it was. He wouldn't be able to if he tried as Ildris didn't fully explain what it was.
A kick to his gut knocked more out of his already demanding body. "Tell me!"
"Fuck...you..." Gordon managed to squeeze out seconds before another kick hit him in the face, almost knocking him out.
Then Gordon watched as Malik seemed to freeze. Then he lifted his arms and looked at his hands in shock before falling to the ground, his legs clearing giving out.
Gordon could still hear Alara's cries for him from behind him, yelling out his name. He wanted to answer her, but he couldn't. He was too weak, too tired. His eyes closed as he passed out.
Alara screamed at Gordon, screaming his name, begging him to turn and look at her.
A figure emerged from the forest, her father. He took one look at everything before rushing to Gordon's side. He quickly checked the human's vitals.
"He's alive Alara," he said firmly. "He's alive."
Alara stopped her yelling, but the sobs wouldn't stop. She knew how dire it was. Bortus had problems in a fight with her, Malik was stronger than her and Gordon was human. The fact that he was alive at all was a miracle, but he needed help.
Ildris checked Malik as well, but didn't dwell, even as the other man cried foul and tried to get Ildris to help him.
He moved forward and wasted no time crushing the device holding Alara hostage.
Instantly she moved to Gordon's side. His face was covered with blood and she could tell that he was badly injured. She checked and found Gordon's communicator, Malik had removed hers.
"This is Lieutenant Alara Kitan, is anyone reading this?"
"Alara?"
A man's voice responded, probably Ed's but she didn't care who it was. It was someone on the Orville and they needed help.
"We are returning to the Orville. Have Claire meet us when we arrive. Gordon is badly injured."
"Understood."
Ildris helped Alara load Gordon into one of the shuttles and toss Malik in the other. She didn't know what Gordon had injected into Malik, but he was weaker than a baby and it seemed that even Ildris had had enough of Malik.
Alara flew the shuttle with the still unconscious Gordon and Ildris flew the other shuttle with Malik.
The flight was short, but it was still too long for Alara's liking. Every seconds she feared would be Gordon's last breath.
'Please don't die, I love you, Gordon.'
Her mind repeated those words even as she set the shuttle down in the shuttle bay of the Orville with Claire and medical staff waiting.
Claire did an initial check on Gordon before moving him. It was as bad as Alara feared. Broken ribs, dislocated shoulder, some internal bleeding, multiple cuts and bruises.
Claire wasted no time loading him onto a stretcher and rushing him to the Sick Bay. "He'll be okay," Claire had told Alara before rushing off with him.
Alara watched her go, her eyes more focused on the red-headed man on the stretcher that had almost died for her, the only man who held her heart.