Stars Above

CHAPTER 7 - My'kel

I was staring at the report in my hands.
"Has this been confirmed?" I asked Ensign Kato.
"Yes Captain!"
"You're sure she is on this ship, the Arabella?"
"Yes Captain, it was the only ship to depart before the lock down."
"Then what are you waiting for, I want the ship ready to leave in 20 minutes! Is that understood."
"Yes sir!" He saluted and took off towards the bridge.
Prefect, all we needed to do was to follow the ion trail of their warp drive to find her. They only had about a five hours head start on us, and from the description, the Arabella was a piece of junk.
"Samantha Jaxon, you are mine."

~

I watched as the crew moved about the bridge. The Zion was a well oiled machine, with the best of the best working on her. She was the flagship for the Quasar Guard, Admiral Mathis had personally recommended me for the position, Captain of the Zion. With my exemplary record and two medals of honor the counsel didn't even hesitate to hand her over to me. I was to be an extension of the counsels power, I didn't need to ask for permission to do much. That power and position didn't go unnoticed either, many tried to sway the counsel in their personal favour, but with Mathis backing me the competition mostly faded away. As long as I can remember Mathis had been like a father to me and had taken a personal interest in my career with Quasar.
He had warned me of the appeal my position had, and that I was never to let my guard down. Good thing too because not even two months into my promotion Commander Ackor challenged me for it. He claimed that I wasn't fit for such a prestigious rank, that I wasn't as faithful to the Quasar cause as he was. None of this phased me of course, the claim was dismissed as jealousy. Ackor didn't give up though he approached the counsel every couple months with some new accusation to discredit me. Nothing stuck, but one plainly stated fact, my years of service. Honestly I had risen in rank faster than anyone in Quasar history. This had made the counsel pause and deliberate for a few weeks, but eventually they had stated, "The quality of those years outweigh the quantity. We view this matter as closed and will not be persuaded to think otherwise." Ackor has been quiet ever seen.

I was told how Mathis had found me in an escape pod, unconscious,  badly wounded and suffering from radiation poisoning. His ship had been in the area and responded to our distress signal. Unfortunately because of the amount of radiation in my system I lost my memory. The only thing they found evidence was of my name My'kel. He has been by my bedside while I recovered my health and told me how he'd lost his own son in the First Universal War, so he unofficially adopted me, giving me a sense of belonging. He often said how I reminded him of his son. He'd trained me everyday in military strategy and combat. Both of us preferred hand to hand, but I could never beat him. He would tell me I was focusing too much on the technique and not enough on the moment at hand.
I wanted nothing more than to make him proud of me, and to repay his kindness. I joined the Quasar and sailed through the ranks until I was made commander. I was determined to prove I was worthy enough to be called his son.

So here I am Captain of The Zion, chasing a little girl through space, to stop an information leak.

I shook my head and laughed, Kato was standing awkwardly to my left.
"Captain?"
"Yes, please continue."
"The ion trail has changed course sir, they appear to have set course for Nero'jaren. The market planet."
"Really? I bet she didn't figure that into her plan. Do you think they know she is aboard?"
"I-I don't know sir. It's possible, why else go to Nero'jaren if not to make a profit."
"Yes they really are a disreputable culture, selling and trading females like cattle." I felt myself become angry at the thought of it. I had heard the rumors of the filth that occured there but I had never seen it with my own eyes. I had no real desire to but if we made it there in time we could act as a buyer and take her without much fuss.
"Shall we alter course sir? We will be entering neutral space." Kato waited patiently for the order.
"Yes, yes. Make sure we cloaked before we cross the border, we need to put an end to all this as quickly and quietly as possible. I'll be in my ready room."
"Yes Captain! Setting course for Nero'jaren, we should arrive in 2 hours and 37 minutes."

Entering my ready room I locked the door and released a breath I didn't know I was holding. Why was I so stressed out about some little girl? Having her sold to the Jarens would make my job a lot easier, she wouldn't be going anywhere soon. But the thought of someone or something messing her up made my blood boil.
Maybe it was those stupid dreams, I couldn't stop think about them. Were they dreams or memories?
I know some men would just eliminate her and others would, well you know. But I wasn't that kind of man. Could she be of some use to me or maybe to the Quasar Guard. They could get her to patch the holes in the Ezra system, making even stronger.
Yes!
Well only time would tell.