"Captain!" a voice that wasn't Kelly's harpy screeching finally penetrated the irritation, depression, and beer haze in Ed Mercer's brain.

"Alara?" he goggled at his Chief of Security.

Wait, what?

He rushed over to the window where she stood beside Isaac, on the other side of the barrier that let the Calivons stare at the 'alien animals' all day.

"Alara, what are you doing here?" he asked. Had they been captured? Was the zoo opening a Xelayan exhibit? It was dangerous for any "underdeveloped" species to be anywhere near Calivon space.

"Getting you out." Alara announced confidently.

"God, am I glad to see you." Ed sighed his relief, then cringed internally. "Sorry about my breath."

What a poor representative of the human species he had been, an unwashed slob in a bathrobe, doing nothing but a lot of drinking and a little petty bickering with Kelly. It wasn't how he wanted the human species to be viewed. It wasn't the kind of man he wanted to be. It certainly wasn't the kind of Captain he wanted to be in the eyes of his crew.

"Wait a minute," Ed immediately realized. "You couldn't have gotten Union clearance to come here."

"No." She glanced away, almost shy, then met his eyes before she said, "We took a little field trip."

When Alara and Isaac head off to find the zookeeper who could set Ed and Kelly free, he watched them go with a grin.

He must be doing something right as captain to inspire this much loyalty in his crew. They had come after him against orders and with great risk to their own safety. He was still a kinda worried about getting out of here. But with a crew so determined (and talented), there wasn't much they wouldn't be able achieve.

Alara's heart raced as she listened to the zoo administrator order the extermination of her captain and commander. Her mind raced as well, trying to come up with some kind of plan. Calivon technology was too superior. They'd manage to trick their way here but there was no way they could stage a jailbreak with force. Appealing to the administrator's better nature obviously wasn't going to work. His species actually enjoyed watching the "inferior" live their lives. Ed and Kelly weren't actually people to them, just entertainment.

Okay Alara, think. We can't fight them. We can't sweet talk them. Maybe we can bribe them? Union currency wasn't going to mean anything to them but what about a trade? Not of technology, or weapons obviously, theirs are way better anyway. What does the Orville have that the Calivon would want? What do we even know about the Calivon beyond the fact that they like to watch other people and look down on them as lesser beings?

Wait a minute….

Bingo.

It took some doing for Isaac to talk to the administrator into listening to her. Alara jittered impatiently the whole time. She knew she was walking a fine line for her Captain's survival here. The very fact that the 'pet' was talking instead of Isaac might spell their doom but it would take to long too translate through Isaac. She tensed as she wondered what the euthanasia sweep involved, how it killed, how quickly.

Could the captain and Kelly avoid it long enough for Alara to get a chance to save them?

Or was it already too late?

Finally she got the administrator to listen to her. Finally, almost lazily, he called up his display and ordered the sweep halted. He led them to chamber 484 at a casual stroll that had Alara gritting her teeth. She wanted to break him in half when he warned them though he couldn't guarantee the humans survived the brief sweep, he would be happy to offer another species in trade.

But when Alara saw that her commanding officers were still alive, she was more than happy to hand over what she promised. Even if it had been a desperate move, it still meant a Calivon had been outmaneuvered by an "inferior, underdeveloped species". Which was a big win in her book. But she would have gladly taken a loss if it meant the Captain still came out of it okay.

"For outstanding courage, valor, and resourcefulness, in the finest Union tradition," Ed announced, mentally adding 'of breaking the rules', as he addressed the assembled crew in the mess hall. "I hereby present you, Lieutenant Alara Kitan, with the Sapphire Star."

He placed the medal around her neck.

The crowd cheered as Ed smiled down at her, mouthing "thank you", though he'd already said it aloud more than once. He shook her hand and for a moment he didn't want to let go. He gave her a gentle squeeze before he released her and she turned to the crowd to beam at everyone. They were still clapping and Mercer joined the applause as he watched her, matching her big smile with his own.

She was the youngest Sapphire Star recipient in the Union. The first member of his assembled crew to earn accolades. He was damn proud of her and it was an honor for Ed to be the one to award it to her. A deeper honor still to be the one who inspired the acts that had earned her that medal.

Alara Kitan was basically amazing and he was lucky to have her on his crew.