"I don't want to fight you."

"Believe me Commander you should fight. Cause if you don't you won't be released." Jundar called from the door. He wanted to watch the pitiful human fight their captain, and hopefully get killed, to give them the chance to kill Marlaya.

"And what about Marlaya?"

"If you win you will both be returned to your ship Enterprise. I have just been speaking with Captain Archer and that is the agreement we came to."

"And if I lose?"

"Then you will both die." Trip looked over at Marlaya. 'He's serious, I know he is.' Marlaya's face looked as if she was pleading with him to fight. Trip delved into his pocket, took out his communicator and moved over to his top. "What is that?" Triaan asked upon seeing the object in Trip's hands.

"It's nothing important." He replied and he placed it into a pocket, secretly opening it at the same time so that everything that was going on would hopefully be heard over on Enterprise. "I just want to clear everything up. If I win we both get released, and you will leave Marlaya alone?"

"That wasn't part of the agreement!"

"If I win Marlaya is to be left alone!" Marlaya was shocked at the tone of voice the Commander was using to protect her, he hardly knew her, yet he was going to be risking his life to save her. From that moment on Marlaya had a deep trust for Commander Tucker, a deeper trust than the one she had made when they first met in the prison camp almost 2 weeks before. "If you don't agree to that condition then we just don't fight."

"Very well. I promise to not bother her again IF you win." His voice filled with anger at the way more conditions were being made over Yarkindo. Yarkindo was not a sport to be bargained over for trading purposes but as pure entertainment, but with the intervention of these humans things were changing rapidly and Triaan did not like it.

"Good."

"So do we have a fight?"

"All right." One of the men then threw a sword to Triaan and he expertly caught it. He ran a finger along the edge of the blade to test it's sharpness. Trip looked around to see if anyone was going to give him one, but no one else wielded a weapon for him. "You never said anything about weapons!"

"That's right because it's only the one weapon so that's not important." Triaan then rushed forward towards the engineer with the sword ready to swing but Trip ducked out of the way and was soon behind Triaan. He quickly kicked his legs round Triaan making him fall onto the floor on his front. Trip then tried to grab the sword but Triaan rolled to one side. He was then able to swing the sword and it cut Trip's wrist. He yelled in pain as the blood began to seep out of the wound. As he tried to stop the bleeding Triaan was able to thrust the sword right through Trip's chest! Triaan had a wicked grin and he pulled the sword out. Trip fell on the floor onto his back, dead.

"No! Trip!" Marlaya screamed as she saw the Commander falling back. She tried to struggle from the grasp of the men holding her, but she was in so much pain, and their grip was tight. Triaan moved over and looked at her. He put a hand on her head, grabbed her hair and pulling back so that she was forced to look into the dark eyes of her enemy.

"You're friend is foolish, not a very good fighter is he?" he laughed a little and released his grip on her. "We'll kill her later. Let her watch him as he dies from blood loss." He laughed evilly and all the men left. As quick as she could she moved over to Trip, tears streaming down her face. She then noticed that Trip was still alive, but only just.

"Trip? Trip, can you talk?" She said as her tears fell onto Trip's body. As they splashed onto his skin one tear became many smaller droplets of water. Trip had never seen her cry before. On Hundaria IV even though she had been beaten like she had earlier she had never cried.

"I'm sorry Marlaya. I tried my best." He croaked. He moved one hand up and placed it on her cheek, Marlaya's free hand grabbed it so that it could stay there, he was dying and she wasn't sure whether she had the strength to do anything to save him. Tears flowed down her face. His arm suddenly relaxed, his eyes rolled back and his head fell limp to one side. He had died. At that moment Marlaya quickly put one hand over the entry wound. She closed her eyes, lifted her head upwards and began to concentrate. She had to try, even if it didn't work, she had to give it her best shot to save his life. After a few short moments a pale lilac glow began to show where her hand was. After a while she tilted her head forward and opened her eyes, which were also glowing. She looked at his chest and the wound had been sealed. Both her eyes and hand stopped glowing. She then quickly checked for a pulse. She sighed a huge sigh of relief when she found one. Marlaya then picked up Trip's wrist and did the same for the wound there. Once the glows had died down she slowly fell to one side and was unconscious. At that moment the two of them and the clothes that had been placed to one side of the cell, dematerialised.