Captain Dargan Marrek paced the bridge of the United Alliance Interceptor, Raptor One. At forty-one, he was young to be an Alliance Enforcer frigate captain. Raptor One was the largest of the Interceptor line with cabin space for a crew of three hundred fifty, though they only carried a crew of three hundred ten. Marrek had worked his way up through the ranks. He’d proved himself by his courage in battle and leadership abilities worthy to command the first of the Raptor series.
His crew found him a fair and considerate leader who occasionally would socialize with them to gain a better understanding of their strengths and mindset. Marrek took pride in knowing them all by name as well.
Captain Marrek paused from time to time to stare at the forward scanner screen showing the trajectory of the Tenzari clipper they’d been trailing for days. “How soon to intercept?” he demanded from his helmsman.
“About six hours, sir,” she responded. “We’ll catch them well before they get to the Tenzari system.”
“Can you bump up our velocity so we can get there a little faster? Tenzari is out of our jurisdiction. We don’t want to start a war. We just want to get those Earthers back. If we get there soon enough, we can at least shut down one slave ship.”
“I can probably shave off another hour without straining our star drive,” she replied.
“Do it! We must show them severe consequences for abducting people from Alliance sectors. If we take enough of their ships, maybe they’ll decide it’s not worth the risk,” Marrek said.
Momentarily, Commander Pannot Rareton strode on to the bridge and came to a stop in front of Captain Marrek. “Reporting for duty, sir. You’re relieved,” Rareton snapped his heels together and bowed his head briefly in salute.
“Thank you, Commander. Com me when we are in range of the Tenzari clipper.
“Will do.”
Marrek gave him a brief nod and left the bridge heading toward his quarters for a few hours’ sleep. Marrek was Narovian, a member of a feline humanoid race that was once preyed upon by Tenzari slavers before they became space faring. Hatred of slavers was part of the Narovian culture. Stealing a person’s freedom was in the akin to murder in their eyes. As slaves, they no longer had any control over their own destiny. The Tenzari ripped them away from their families without regard. It was a cruel business.
Dargan Marrek looked much like Earth humans but with blue hair and amber, cat-like eyes he was a few inches over six feet with a powerful brawny build. Though he was reluctant to leave the bridge, he knew he needed a few hours of sleep before the seizure and boarding of the Tenzari vessel. Not that he couldn’t trust Rareton to handle it. Marrek just wanted to be there for the culmination of the chase.
Captain Marrek didn't wait to be called to the bridge as Raptor One closed on the Tenzari clipper. He had his computer wake him five hours later. He showered, dressed, and was on the bridge ten minutes later as they were making their final approach on the clipper. Marrek stood at ease behind Rareton who was sitting in the Captain's chair.
“Gunner, arm weapons,” Rareton Ordered in a calm voice. “Target weapons and main star drive. Our priority is to rescue the abductees. We don't want to blow them out of the sky.”
“Com, see if you can get me a face on that clipper.”
Minutes later, a grumpy looking Tenzari, in plain clothes appeared on the forward com screen.
“This is Commander Rareton of the United Alliance of Planets Interceptor Raptor One. Cut your engines and prepare for docking,” Rareton demanded. “We have a search warrant.”
“Commander, they are powering up their star drive and arming their weapons,” said the gunner.
“Target the star drive and weapons,” Rareton repeated. “Shut 'em down.”
Momentarily, the gunner fired lasers. It only took three barrages to disable the clipper. Raptor One was fast, but this clipper was modified with a more powerful star drive than regular clippers. It could jump into FTL faster than the Raptor, and they might have lost them.
“Pilot, take us in and lock on for boarding.”
“Good job, Commander,” Marrek said. “I'm going in with the boarding party. “We're filling the brig today,” he grinned.
All too familiar with the Tenzari slave ships, the pilot easily found their main hatchway and clamped on the Raptor's docking tube. The raiding party waited in the docking tube on the Raptor side, clad in body armor, and armed with assault weapons, while the demolitionist blew open the hatch. There was a total of thirty Tenzari in the slaver crew. They surrendered without a fight confronted by the armed Alliance Enforcers.
Tenzari were a cowardly bunch who preyed on weaker or unsuspecting beings, taking them by surprise without a fight. Marrek almost wished they would fight. He would have liked a reason to pound on them just because they were slavers.
But he turned and walked away, heading down to the slave cells. The captives would be scared because they wouldn't know what was going on. Marrek knew a couple of Earther languages and could talk to them hopefully.
There were twenty-four captives in six cells, all women. Marrek stopped at the first cell, and one woman was lying motionless on the floor. He crossed the room in two strides and squatted down beside her, touching her throat to check for a pulse. As he touched her, he felt a frisson of deja vu. Her pulse was strong and steady. The bump and small cut on her forehead told him she'd probably was knocked out when they had disabled the ship. He decided to pick her up and take her to sickbay himself. She didn't seem heavy to him because his home planet Narova had higher gravity than Earth. One of his Lieutenants approached him. “Captain, you don't have to carry her back to Raptor, we can take care of the abductees.”
“Not this one,” Marrek told him. “She is meomee.”
“Understood, sir.”
Meg didn’t know how long she had been sleeping when she awoke after being thrown to the floor from her bunk. The landing hurt, but she wasn’t seriously injured. Her mistake was trying to get up again. The room shuddered again and pitched her into the bunk frame and knocked her out.
When Meg roused sometime later, someone was carrying her. She felt his warmth against her cheek. His scent was masculine and alluring, but the jostling made her head hurt, and she lost consciousness again
The next time she awoke, she was in what looked like a treatment room with some device attached to her forehead. An unfamiliar woman was standing over her. At first, Meg thought she was human, then noticed she had cat-like eyes and slightly pointed ears. The woman smiled at her and spoke to her in a language that might have been Russian or German.
“I’m sorry, I don’t understand,” Meg said, shaking her head.
The woman touched the commlink in her ear and spoke in the unfamiliar language. Then she patted Meg’s arm and removed the device from her forehead. Momentarily, a tall, handsome man with dark blue hair and amber catlike eyes came into the room and stood by the treatment table. He was wearing a snug fitting green uniform that accentuated his powerful, muscular body. Even with his catlike eyes with their pointed irises, he was incredibly attractive.
“I am Captain Dargan Marrek of the United Alliance of Planets Law Enforcement,” he said in moderately accented English. He held out his hand, and Meg took it then jerked hers back at what felt like a static shock. Captain Marrek’s eyes widened in amazement even though he was expecting it, he swallowed and took her hand again.
“That was… not unpleasant, I hope.”
Meg shrugged. “It was just a static shock.”
The Captain was still holding her hand and closed his other hand over it. “It was so much more than that… and I will explain in a moment. We’ve been after these Tenzari slavers for months. Slavery is illegal in all sectors of the Alliance, especially from non-space faring worlds like Earth. Your world has been under Alliance protection for about four-hundred years. We started tracking the Tenzari soon as we got word they were kidnapping Earthers,” he said. “I’m sorry that you and some of the others were injured when we disabled their ship. When they wouldn’t surrender, we fired on them to disable their weapons and star drive.”
Meg watched his mouth moving and heard what he was saying, but she found herself thinking about how it would feel to kiss him and feel his arms wrapped around her. Her female parts were clamoring for his male parts to join them.
“Wh-what will happen to us now?” Meg asked, trying to curb her growing desire for this gorgeous man she just met.
“All of the abductees will be offered the choice of asylum on Narova, or to return to Earth,” he said unevenly, trying to maintain his train of thought. “But I hope you will decide to stay. Can you tell me your name?”
“Meg Casey. You hope I will stay? You don't know even me,” she frowned. She almost wanted to say she would stay. She felt all shaky inside and aroused at his nearness. Her thoughts flashed an image or her having sex with him. Her nipples tightened and tingled for male attentions, as did her feminine core. The feelings seemed to grow in intensity with each passing moment.
She wanted to ask what was happening to her, but she needed to tell someone about Liz. She had been getting worse day by day; the longer she was away from her family. She took a deep breath and let it out to help her focus her thoughts.
“Captain, I’m a nurse practitioner, and I’m worried about Liz Carson. Those bastards snatched her away from her husband and four-month-old baby. She was still breastfeeding him. I’m worried she is suffering from postpartum depression made worse by this whole ordeal. She needs medical attention and possibility psychiatric attention. If none of those medics speak English, they might not know what to do.”
Dargan sighed and said in his own language, “Computer com Lenna.”
“Yes, Captain,” the medic who treated Meg, answered.
“Meomee is a medic on her world. The one called Liz Carson was a nursing mother when they took her, and meomee said she has become depressed. She wants to make sure she gets proper care.”
“Yes, Captain, I will see to it myself.”
“Thank you, Lenna, Captain out,” Dargan turned back to Meg. “Lenna will see to it.”
“How long will it take you to get us back to Earth? That’s what Liz really needs---to get back to her husband and baby.”
“About a two weeks Earth time…but I would really like you to stay.”
“You said that before, but why? You don’t even know me?”