Space Panda

Reaching the Stars

Chapter I: Disappearance

I look out of the window.

There it lies in whole glory: The Jade Station. My home.

Jade Station is shaped by three rings: The most inner, called the Heart, where the so called Tower is standing, the Seat of the Senate of Jade Republic, as well as the HQ of the Star Fleet; The second ring, called the Inner Ring, where the embassies, the houses of the Senators, of rich people, the Training Grounds of the Star Fleet Officers and the so called smaller Docks are located; And finally the third ring, the biggest of all, called the Outer Ring, where the City of Jade Station is located. Most of the citizens of Jade Station are living there and there are millions of them.

In the Outer Ring I was born. My real parents I can't remember, because my first memorable years I lived in an orphanage. Until I escaped. I lived on the streets, surviving by doing things I can't remember any more. And I don't want to. I lived there till my foster father Shifu had found me and detected my potential. He accepted me as a daughter and cared for me.

He is the most important reason, why I am standing where I am standing right now. As Captain Tigress from the Starship Furious, which duty is to defend the Jade Station against its enemies.

I still remember the day, when I was promoted to Captain. It was my proudest moment. And happiest.

"Are you still looking at the stars?" a voice from behind me interrupts my thoughts.

I am in an empty darkened corridor of the Tower right now and I look backwards.

There in the Shadows is leaning someone against the wall.

He is approaching me and I detect the grayish-blue overall of a Star Fleet Officer as well as the one horizontal staff with a pearl in it at the collar. Then I recognize the grayish fur and the prominent eyebrows.

"Brother.", I mutter, after I recognized my older brother Tai Lung. He is not related through blood with me because he is a Snow Leopard and I a Tigress, but he was the first foster child of Shifu, our father.

"Lil Sis, It is good to see you." he says smiling and we hug.

"It is long ago, brother." I state.

"Yeah, three whole years." he replies, while ending the hug.

"How have you been?" I ask him happy.

"Oh it was good. A little boring but still…" he says while going besides me, in which way he can look out of the window as well.

"Boring? I heard that you have prevented a war between the Carlick Empire and the Jade Republic. And that although you had to fight through a whole fleet of the Melsat Oligarchy."

He chuckles a little. "Yeah boring like I said. On the contrary I heard that your first year as a Captain was everything but not boring."

"Ah that was nothing." I say.

"Nothing? You defeated the Space Hornet Swarm before it could destroy Jade Station. I heard that there are already Holovids about this."

"As well as your rescue mission of Princess Latarna to prevent the Destruction of her planet Massalia."

We laugh together.

Then his eyes get thoughtful.

"That you are back although your Five-Years-Mission isn't over, is a bad sign, or not, brother?" I ask after some while.

He turns his head to me. First I see worry, but it is replaced by a bright smile.

"Ah, Lil Sis, you are still a Naysayer. There is no need to worry."

But I don't believe him and it is good that he doesn't try to convince me more.

We look further outside to the Jade Station and the stars behind it.

"Lil Sis, I…." he wants to tell me something in an odd depressed voice.

Then a light gets on.

We turn around.

From a door a red panda in a blue uniform with a staff and five pearls on its collar comes out.

"Admiral.", we salute to our foster father.

"Stand easy, you two." he says to us.

Behind him comes a turtle in a white-purple silken dress.

"Prime Oogway?" I say in surprise and immediately blame myself for this undisciplined action.

When I assumed the worst earlier, now I know that there must be something very bad.

I notice that Tai doesn't look surprised to see him.

"Captain Tigress and Commodore Tai Lung, it is good to see you both." Prime Oogway says to us.

"Prime Oogway, why did you order me to come back?" Tai asks.

"Because something terrible happened." father says.

"What happened?" I ask curious and simultaneously concerned.

"To say it outright: One of the Jade Orbs is disappeared."

"Disappeared?" Tai asks.

"We don't know what happened. From one moment to another it was away."

"Could it be stolen?" I ask.

"We don't know. On the current status of the case everything is possible."

After a while of silence, Prime Oogway tells us:

"You two are the only ones besides us two and our personal Staff, which knows about this. And this only, because you two proved already that you are the most trusted of all Star Fleet officers. So keep it a secret as well."

"Understood.", Tai agrees.

I hesitate.

"Sir, what is about my Crew?"

Prime Oogway looks at me.

"Do you trust your Crew, Captain Tigress?"

"With my life, Sir."

"Also to keep this secret hidden?"

I hesitate.

"I am not sure, but I believe that no one of them would betray me, when I said that it needs to be a secret, Sir."

He eyes me fascinated. At least it looks like that.

"Very well, Captain Tigress. You and Commodore Tai Lung are allowed to speak about this also to the ones you trust enough that they keep this secret."

Father and Tai look surprised. Tai and I nod.

Prime Oogway looks away from me.

"You both know what could happen when the Jade Orb is in the wrong hands. You two will check all the possible threats of the Jade Republic, while Admiral Shifu here will send his personal Strike Force to look after the Orb in the City. With the help of the Police of course, although they will not know for what purpose."

"We will also enforce that no ship is allowed to leave the Station or enter it. So you don't need to worry about this." father adds.

"Understood.", we reply again in unison.

And with this we were dismissed.

I and Tai still talked about who should be contacted, but after this we separated again.

"Look out for you and your ship, Lil Sis. When this whole thing is over, we need to meet in a bar or something similar to talk for a while." he says to me as farewell.

"I take you by your word, Tai." I reply smiling.

And then he left.

….

Even when I smiled, I don't feel so happy.

The disappearance of a Jade Orb is the worst-case scenario since the build of the Jade Station.

Its energy is strong enough to power even a weapon, which can destroy whole planets, when not worse.

In the wrong hands this Orb can lead to a disaster of an apocalyptic scale.

I hope that the one with the Orb isn't the one to whom the wrong hands belong.

Here is the first Chapter to my new fanfiction. Have posted also two pictures about the Jade Station on my DA account.

Hope you enjoy the chapter.

"Kung Fu Panda" (c) DreamWorks Animation

I own nothing except for the written word.
Characters you don't know are from me.