Disclaimer: Joss, Fox, Universal Own em’. I’m just playing. No money being made. The situations come from my own twisted mind as do my original characters.

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AN: Getting closer to the end of the arc folks. I'm guessing two or three more to finish this up.

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Quest - Chapter Twenty Four

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Rear Admiral Stephen Henderson was not a stupid man. He couldn't be one to rise as far as he had in the ranks. Most engineers did their mandatory hitch and left for the greener pastures of civilian jobs with twice the salary and less likelihood of death by explosive decompression in combat.

Steve had contemplated that himself. Offered a high paying job with Blue Sun by the CEO himself, no less back when he was just the assistant engineer aboard the Dortmunder.

But Admiral Shin had seen something in the young officer and had encouraged him to stay in the fleet. The 'Old Man' as he was affectionately known in the fleet had also recommended Steve for his first command. The ship he had been both, assistant engineer and then chief engineer. The Dortmunder.

So when he stepped out of his shuttle into the small hangar bay of the Altair Shipbuilding yard, accompanied by two Marines for security and Captain Nobu Suzuki. He spotted the primary reason Altair had beat both Allied Shipbuilding and Blue Sun in the latest ship contract.

Altair used slaves.

Stephen also knew immediately that his, as well as his companions lives were in grave danger. And it wasn't the ten heavily armed men holding guns on him.

It was the overhead intercom screaming that there were Reaver ships inbound to the dockyard.

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“Say that again?” asked the Navajo's shocked executive officer.

“A transport. Identified as the Walrus is claiming that they are being chased by a pair of what look to be Reaver vessels,” said the destroyer's communications officer.

“There haven't been Reavers for twenty years.”

“Sir!” spoke up the sensor officer, “We have the Walrus on our screens and there are two sh