HEIRS TO FATE – SHEPHERD
STARDATE 10.12.22
X-SECTOR
Ichalord sat brooding in his Ready Room. Both of his hands were clasped together, fingers intertwined with one another. Little did he know that he was a picture of his Father, who did the very same thing for countless hours of his own. Ichalord stared with his light orange eyes at a family picture of himself, Ichabeth, Ichabelle, and Ichadred. They were all very young.
The front door slid open, allowing a person to enter. It was Ichalord’s First Officer, his Number One.
Pree was a beautiful young woman. Her long silver hair constantly shimmered as if alive. A single, long horn with spiral grooves extended out of her forehead. The tip of the horn glowed bright. Pree examined Ichalord with her rainbow colored eyes.
“Captain, am I disturbing you?” Pree said in a soft voice. “You seem…preoccupied. Is something the matter?”
Ichalord glanced up at Pree and then returned his gaze to the family photo. He sighed. “Of course not, Pree. You are always welcome, my First Officer. Please come in. I was just thinking about…family.”
Pree was aware that Ichalord had just taken some time away from the Shepherd to visit his Mother and his Siblings. The outcome always seemed the same. “Ichadred again?”
Ichalord looked up at Pree. His orange eyes locked with her rainbow eyes. “Ah…you know me too well, Pree. Yes, Ichadred again. Ever since he was young, Ichadred was always rebellious, defiant, and non-traditional. But those traits let him think outside the box. I always thought that joining the Protectorate would help him to funnel that talent toward positive ends. But lately…he seems worse. Like he is not himself, like there is a dark hatred brewing inside of him, like he has taken a…darker path.”
Pree looked at Ichalord sympathetically. She cared for her Captain very much. “It is common for Siblings to quarrel. You won’t always see eye to eye on certain issues. That is just life. Sometimes, the best we can do is be there to offer love, support, guidance, and advice. People need to be free to make their own decisions in life. We cannot control them so much that we make the decisions for them.”
“And if those decisions lead them down a wicked road? What then?”
Pree went quiet. “Captain, do you mean that Ichadred might become…an Enemy?”
Ichalord looked at his family photo once more. His gaze intensified. “Yes. I fear the worst may come to pass. The writing is on the wall. Ichadred could become a threat to everything I hold dear. He may become the very thing that my Father struggled his whole life to destroy.”
Ichalord paused. He thought of his Mother, his Father, his Sisters, all of the people he has grown to care for, and the Protectorate and all it represented. His hand clenched into a fist.
“I promise you, Pree, I won’t allow Ichadred to destroy everything that is good in life.”
“I WILL DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO STOP ICHADRED…NO MATTER WHAT THE COST.”
