Four weeks later

It had been four weeks since the Morrigan's crew had awakened from cryosleep. Charting the nearby star systems had yielded the expected results; scouting drones had shown plenty of resources to mine, but very little in the way of habitable planets. Today's mission had the Morrigan flying into uncharted territory, where scans had picked up radio activity.

Reina stood in the navigation room, her eyes scanning the holographic map in the center of the room. Standing with her were Nyra Valos, a member of the alien species the E'Tani and Reina's second in command, and Rachel Rivers, the Morrigan's head communications officer.

Nyra was a stunning woman, with a very human appearance; the E'Tani were quite similar looking to humans, but their skin was a light turquoise and their hair was more often than not a bright color that would be unnatural on a human. Nyra's long hair was a light pink, and she had piercing purple eyes with golden irises that were both familiar and alien at the same time. Nyra was one of the few aliens on the ship; Dr. Ranu's serum was primarily designed for humans, and the E'Tani were one of the few species whose physiology was close enough to humans to make the initial trip safely. Nyra and Reina attended the Commonwealth fleet academy and risen through the fleet's ranks together; when Reina was asked about her recommendations for the crew, she insisted on bringing along her best friend and most trusted confidante.

Rachel was an incredibly alluring woman herself. A tall, athletic redhead, she'd been a leading authority on communication for years, and was often among the first to make contact with alien species for the Commonwealth; her research on communications was vital in the creation of the universal translator, which was able to accurately decipher alien languages, even unknown ones.

"The signal is weak, but we've been able to pinpoint where it was coming from," Rachel said of the detected radio activity. "This planet - designated KF-704 - was the origin point."

"All right, we'll head there ASAP. Did you hear that, Maya?" Reina asked, turning to Maya Antaris, the ship's navigator.

"Already plotted a course," the dark-haired woman answered.

"Excellent work, navigator. Rachel, have you been able to get anything from the signal?" Reina said.

"Not yet, captain. All we've been able to get is static."

"I see. Well, let me know if anything changes."

A few hours passed as the ship made its way to its destination. Reina and Nyra went about their usual duties on the ship, stopping to take a break on the observation deck.

"Do you think we'll find any life here?" Reina asked Nyra.

"I do not think so," Nyra answered. "We are in an unexplored galaxy, and Space is usually vast and empty."

"Yeah, I guess that's why they call it 'space'," Reina noted. "Because there's nothing there."

"You sound disappointed," Nyra noted.

"I guess I am. I'd always kinda dreamed of being one of those captains from the shows I watched growing up," Reina answered. "Travelling the stars, getting into all kinds of exciting adventures, romancing beautiful alien women... not that what we're doing isn't interesting, because it really is, but I still think of how great being a captain from one of those holo-shows would be."

Nyra looked at Reina and felt a sense of longing. The E'Tani didn't have romantic relationships -- breeding and sex was utilitarian to their culture. Nyra had held a very pragmatic and emotionless viewpoint towards sex and love for most of her life, as it was part of her culture, but her friendship with Reina had given her a new perspective on those alien viewpoints. Nyra was unsure of what to make of her feelings towards her captain, but they were definitely not just platonic.

"Yes, the holo-programs I have watched with you. Those were entertaining," said Nyra. "Though I still cannot fully understand them."

"Don't feel too bad. I'm still trying to grasp E'Tani holovids," Reina said back. "I think you've probably got a better understanding of human entertainment."

"E'Tani thought processes can change to mimic those of the lifeforms they spend time with," Nyra mentioned. "It is rare for our species, but it has been known to happen."

"Huh! All these years and I'm still learning new things about you. I just hope I'm not a bad influence."

"You are quite the opposite, Reina."

Reina smiled. "Good, because I'd hate to stop hanging out with you."

Rachel ran into the room, an anxious look on her face. "Captain Startooth! Miss Valos! We've picked up communications! You're going to want to hear them."

The three women made their way to the comms room, where Rachel had been working.

"We've received a distress signal nearby our destination."

Rachel played the audio message. The universal translator had seemingly done its job flawlessly. Rachel couldn't help but feel a little proud; even millions of light years away from home, the translator still worked.

"Hello? Hello? This is Zav'ra Rav-Lo, consort to Emperor Ronax of the planet Maaradan. My husband... is attempting to fully conquer our star system and enslave my people. I could not stand by and let this happen. I stole technology vital to his efforts and commandeered a small freighter, but as I made my escape, I was shot down over Maaradan's moon. I've managed to successfully remain hidden so far, but it's only a matter of time before this ship's stealth drive loses power and I'm discovered. I know it's unlikely this message will actually reach anyone, but if you can hear this, please heed my request..."

Reina briefly wondered if the distress call was a trap set by pirates or bandits, as was often the case in uncharted space, but she quickly dismissed that thought. She'd dealt with plenty of pirates on the fringes of Commonwealth space; she'd be able to deal with them here. She couldn't ignore this woman's plea. Without hesitation, Reina gave the order to navigation, and soon, the Morrigan was speeding towards Maaradan's moon.