HEIRS TO FATE – GREAT OWL
STARDATE 10.19.22
X-SECTOR
Ichabelle and her team materialized in one of the corridors of the Freighter, Sextia. Alongside Captain Ichabelle was her First Officer, her Chief Engineer, and a dozen Security Officers. After receiving a disheartening distress call, the Great Owl rushed to the aid of the Sextia. They may have arrived too late.
Littered throughout the corridor were the dead bodies of Sextia’s personnel. Some had been clawed, some had been bitten, some had been stabbed, and some had been hit by Phaser fire. Only the Captain clung to life…just barely.
Captain Ichabelle knelt beside the fallen Captain. It was immediately clear that his injuries were fatal. Ichabelle’s deep green eyes stared into his eyes, trying to provide some comfort before he passed through Death’s Gate.
“Captain Eitzor! Can you hear me? It’s Captain Ichabelle and the Great Owl. We have arrived to save you! Please…before you let go completely…tell me what happened aboard the Sextia.”
Captain Eitzor squeezed Ichabelle’s hand as tightly as he could. Blood trickled out of his mouth as he spoke. “A Demon…there is a …Devil aboard…my ship. It kills…it deceives…it torments…it is Pure Evil!”
Ichabelle briefly glanced up her at First Officer and Chief Engineer. The Monstrous, Cybernetic Minotaur gripped his high-tech Battleaxe with both hands. He had a look of stone. Next to him, a three foot tall Leprechaun with red hair and a red beard rolled his eyes in disbelief.
“A…Demon?” Ichabelle asked Captain Eitzor in an uncertain voice. “Surely you must be mistaken, Captain Eitzor. Are you speaking figuratively? You cannot mean an actual Demon. What are we facing here, Captain Eitzor? Tell me so that my men and I can retake the Sextia!”
Captain Eitzor struggled to speak. He knew these were the last words he would be able to utter. “Yes…a Demon. We didn’t even know…it was aboard. It can…shapeshift…become…anyone…anything! Sensors…cannot…track it. Leave now…Captain Ichabelle…abandon the Sextia…Save Yourself…while you…still can…blow up…the Sextia…from afar. LEAVE….NOW!!!”
Captain Eitzor’s bulging eyes froze in place. He breathed no more. His head slumped back down onto the floor.
Ichabelle quickly stood up. A look of great concern was on her bone white face. Her jet black hair with blue streaks was braided tightly. On her back, she carried a long metallic Spear which glowed with alternating red colors.
“Taurus? Recommendation?”
The Giant Minotaur who walked on two hooves looked at Ichabelle with a cybernetic lens hanging over one eye. The First Officer was quiet for moment. He was a practical creature, who didn’t believe in fairy tales, but who was smart enough to know that there were things in the universe that he didn’t comprehend.
“Captain Eitzor’s last words are of great concern. We don’t fully know what we are dealing with here. We cannot lose a single life aboard this freighter. Recommend we return to the Great Owl, run further scans, and come up with a new strategy after more study. We need to be cautious.”
Captain Ichabelle nodded and looked down at her Chief Engineer. O’Bilton looked up at her with a mischievous grin. A green outfit covered his body and a green top hat sat on his head.
“Captain, are ya really believin’ this Demon nonsense? Come now! We ahr Protectorate Officers on a Rescue Mission! We cannah just abandon the freightah and blow it ta pieces! What kinda officers would we be? What would ya say ta Protectorate Command ’bout your decision? We must secure the Sextia…NOW!”
Ichabelle took a moment to think to herself. Prudence and Assertiveness. That’s why I value both of their viewpoints. They are both right in a way. But the final decision is mine. Lives are riding on me.
“Taurus, have our twelve Security Officers search the Sextia. Two man teams, I want no one on their own. Understood? Contact the Great Owl. Have three dozen more Security Officers on standby, ready to beam over on my command. O’Bilton, proceed to Engineering and run a diagnostic on the Sextia. She needs to be able to go to Warp if we are to get her to the nearest Starbase.”
“We are going to search the Sextia, room by room until the whole ship is secure.”
“LET’S TAKE THIS SHIP BACK.”
