Dana woke them all the next morning by jumping on the bed. "Wake up, wake up! The Grand Engineering Overlord wants to show off Invictus 2.0!"
They tiredly got dressed and followed Dana to what used to be the elevator shaft. "Behold, grav-tubes, no more waiting for the elevator! Blue means up, red means down," Dana said, walking backward into the red tube. They followed her down to Deck 9. She led them to the airlock and pressed a button on a remote. A bulkhead dropped over the airlock and two Gatling Laser turrets popped out of the wall. "Anti-boarding measures, to deal with any unwelcome visitors. I installed the same on every deck!"
They took the grav-tubes up to the Command Deck. They went to their stations, Alyssa activating the Comms Officer post for Lirrash. "Take us to an asteroid field," Dana told Alyssa.
Alyssa got them out of the Ashanath atmosphere and then to the edge of the system. She plotted a course to the nearest dead system and sent them into hyperwarp. "Yep, 3 times faster, just like John said," Alyssa nodded.
They arrived at the system and Alyssa took the Invictus to an asteroid belt. "Our Power Core has 12 times the juice of the old one! The lasers are as strong as I could make them without the Titanium melting, and I upgraded the Mass Drivers with tachyon tech to increase penetration. Plus everything will recharge a lot faster," Dana said proudly. "Take her away, Calara!"
Calara activated the weapons and tested the Gatling Lasers, Laser Cannons, Beam Lasers, and the Mass Drivers. As Dana had promised, they were all much stronger than they'd been before. "Oh, yeah," Calara said with a slow grin.
John nodded. "Very good work, Dana. Let's all get breakfast, then we'll get started on paying back the Ashanath for the refit."
They went down to the Lounge. John fed Lirrash her breakfast, then went to the Kitchen to make a Full English for the rest of the girls and himself. Once they finished, they returned to the Bridge. "Lirrash, call Ularean," John told his new Comms Officer.
Lirrash put in the comm code and Ularean appeared on the vid-screen after a minute. "Ah, JohnBlake. Are you pleased with my people's work on your ship?"
"I'd like to shake each engineer by the hand, but that would take too long. Pass on my sincerest thanks," John grinned.
"I will, though Councilor Rathus has repeatedly begged that I ask you if Dana will teach at our Engineering Seminary," Ularean said.
"Sorry, she's staying with me. Now, I'm sure you've restricted traffic around Kappa Indarran. We'd like you to send a ship on a flightpath we send to draw out one of the Drakkar Cruisers," John told the alien head of state.
"I am uncomfortable using my people as bait," Ularean frowned.
Dana spoke up. "I'll send Rathus the schematics for a decoy! Have him build it while we're busy dealing with the Drakkar!"
"Very well. The ship will be sent presently, JohnBlake." Ularean ended the call.
Calara crafted a flight path and sent it to the Ashanath. Alyssa got them into a course that shadowed the saucer without appearing to. They followed the saucer, and their long-range scanners let them see when the Ashanath got interdicted by the Drakkar. Alyssa got them into the system of the attack, and Calara got to work. The Drakkar Cruiser was destroyed within 5 minutes of their arrival.
They returned to the Ashana system and hailed Ularean again. "Were you successful?" Ularean asked anxiously.
"One less Cruiser to worry about," John nodded. "How long to build the decoy Dana sent?"
"Approximately 4 hours," Ularean answered.
"We'll send it to the Gomeisa system. For the ambush, we'd like to rig an asteroid with explosives. Can you procure them on such short notice?" John asked, having discussed all this with Calara ahead of time.
"It will be done, JohnBlake. I'll alert you when the demolition crew is ready to rig the asteroid in question," Ularean replied.
"Excellent. Have a good day, Ularean," John wished. The call ended. "Well, we've got a while. Lirrash, you're big enough now to hold an XR75 Rifle. Why don't you and Dana go down to the Firing Range?"
"Very well," Lirrash nodded.
"The rest of us can go to the Gym," John decided.
They all went down to Deck 7. Dana led a hesitant Lirrash to the Firing Range. John, Alyssa, Calara, and Jade went into the Gym. Jade shifted into her Tiger form and began to practice swipes and pounces. John told Calara to do kata and focused on Alyssa. "I'm focusing my energy to Lirrash, but don't think I'll go easy on you," John warned.
"Excuses," Alyssa scoffed, though she grinned.
They spared until lunch, then went up to the Lounge. "Lirrash did okay for a total novice. She managed to hit the target most of the time," Dana said generously.
Lirrash hung her head. "My performance was pathetic."
"Look at it this way, honey: you can only get better," John told his Ward comfortingly.
They finished eating, Lirrash's mood perking up when she got a bellyful of cum. They went up to the Bridge, and finished their preparations for the Gomeisa ambush. The Invictus went dark in the system after the demolition crew finished rigging the asteroid, and John had Lirrash call Ularean and tell him to send the decoy in.
The automated Freighter trailed a string of hacked transponders meant to look like passenger liners to long-range scanners. It must have been very appealing to the Drakkar, for both remaining Cruisers entered the system. Alyssa snuck them up behind one, and then Calara struck. She managed to break the shields of the first Cruiser and then had Alyssa lead them back towards the rigged asteroid. When they'd passed the makeshift bomb and both Cruisers were in range, Calara activated the explosives.
The unshielded Cruiser was torn to pieces, and the shielded one crashed into an asteroid and suffered heavy damage. Calara finished off the surviving Cruiser, making it explode from a Power Core explosion. Dropships had launched though. Calara took down all but one, which managed to dock with their airlock. Dana lowered the protective bulkhead while John and Alyssa went to get armored. John grabbed Kyth'vindathys and took the grav-tubes to Deck 9. He nodded to Alyssa, who sent a telepathic message to Dana. The bulkhead lifted, and John pounced like a lion from the brush. Activating Psychic Alacrity, he tore through the Drakkar like they were tissue paper. In less than a minute all of them were dead by John's hand. John and Alyssa returned to the Bridge, going to their equipping frames and getting out of armor.
"Group hug!" John declared, wrapping all 5 of his Wards in his big arms. Then he treated each to a kiss, even Lirrash who blinked rapidly after the liplock. "That went off without a hitch! Let's let Ularean know and then we should go for Kappa Indarran. This could all be wrapped up by dinner," John grinned.
They took their seats and Lirrash hailed Ularean. Ularean appeared on the vid-screen, along with two other High Councilors. "JohnBlake, we were just talking about you."
"All good things, I hope," John said lightly.
"Oh yes, we were just commenting on our luck that you came to offer us your alliance," Ularean confirmed. "I take it by your survival that the attack in Gomeisa went well."
"Both remaining Cruisers were drawn by the decoy. We managed to take both out, largely thanks to that rigged asteroid. Add the demolition crew to the list of Ashanath I wish I could thank personally," John told Ularean.
Ularean and the Councilors all blinked. "Such success is… remarkable," Ularean said, his mind-translator making the speech toneless.
"My crew aren't just pretty faces, Ularean. The Change doesn't just upgrade the body, it upgrades the brain. They're all the brightest, most capable women I know," John said with a proud grin.
"We were aware of Dana's genius, but it somehow didn't occur that it was a symptom of being your Ward. Knowing that all your crew possess such intelligence and skill, your success is not so surprising. My apologies for underestimating you all," Ularean said, aware that the whole crew could hear him.
"Anyway, we're going to go to Kappa Indarran and finish what we started. We should be back to Ashana by midnight," John said.
"Best of luck, JohnBlake," Ularean wished him before ending the transmission.
Alyssa got them out of the gravity well and took them on a course for Kappa Indarran. They stayed on the Bridge, passing the time with conversation. About halfway there, Lirrash unexpectedly began to cough. "Lirrash, are you okay?" John asked with concern.
"... I think my vocal chords just finished growing," she said, her lips moving as a voice identical to her mind-voice came out.
"Oh, that's all," John breathed out in relief. "Well, now you don't need a mind-translator."
They hung out for the remainder of the trip, until they arrived at Kappa Indarran. Dana sent all their systems bar life support to minimal power. Alyssa began to coast them in with the engines and retro-thrusters, until they were close enough for the passive scans to pick up the Drakkar base. "Yep, just like John remembered: a temporary drydock and a gas refinery," Alyssa noted.
"2 more Cruisers and a Battleship, too," Calara frowned.
"Dana, are the sensors glitching?" Jade asked.
Before the redhead could run a diagnostic, John spoke up. "That's Larn'kelnar's Dreadnought. His Stealth Field Emitter is on, that's why we can barely see him."
"It's like the Legacy… only even more terrifying, because its master is still alive," Lirrash said, looking at the massive emptiness where the stars should be.
As they watched, a ring of energy formed in front of the Dreadnought. It traveled down its length, seeming to swallow the ship up. When the ring vanished, they all breathed a sigh of relief.
"Wormhole Generator… I cannot wait to build one of those things!" Dana said excitedly. "Now, how do we deal with the Drakkar?"
"Jade takes us in with the Raptor," John began to say. "We requisition the Onyxium Larn'kelnar dropped off, then she docks us with the Battleship. Alyssa and I escort you down to the Power Core, and you start disabling power regulators. When you're finished, the Power Core will be a giant bomb. We return to the Invictus, and very loudly begin to escape. They activate the ship, and the whole base is blown to smithereens."
"Did it go like that in your first life?" Alyssa asked astutely.
"Dana got injured, Jade had to break into the Drakkar's docking bay, I got stabbed by the Drakkar Overlord and got saved by Jade in Tiger form. Let's hope it doesn't happen like that this time," John said.
John, Alyssa, and Dana got into equipping frames, the Ashanath having placed them around the ship during the refit. All 3 grabbed Railguns, and Dana had them stop by the Engineering Bay to fetch the magnetic scabbard she'd made for Kyth'vindathys, attaching it to his shoulder plate. Jade led them into the Raptor, and took them out of the Invictus. Keeping their energy signature as low as possible, Jade flew them into the Drakkar drydock.
John inspected 3 piles of crates before they struck lucky with the fourth. John attached cables to each crate and winched them back into the Raptor. Dana had a look of glee when they finished. "This is enough Onyxium to replate a Battleship! We're set for a while."
Jade docked them with the Battleship. Dana tripped the hydraulics of the Drakkar airlock, opening it. The 3 of them entered the alien warship. John took point, Alyssa moving in his shadow and Dana maintaining a close distance. They had to take down a group of 3 Drakkar. John lifted the bodies and hid them in a room before breaking the lock on the door. They reached a room with ramps, and took the ones headed down. When they reached the bottom level, they went towards the middle of the ship. They reached the Power Core room.
Dana took out a multi-tool and went to work, actually whistling as she worked. John and Alyssa cleared each level of the room, Alyssa holding all the Drakkar still with Telekinesis while John got headshots at psychic speeds. They returned to Dana, and stood guard over her as she finished her work. "Done," she said after half an hour.
They retraced their steps to the airlock, luckily not running into any more Drakkar. Alyssa told Jade to dock with the Battleship again, and they transferred to the Raptor. Jade flew them back to the Invictus' Docking Bay, and the 4 of them took the grav-tubes to the Bridge. "Shake our ass in their face," John said with a bloodthirsty grin.
"Shaking our moneymaker," Alyssa said, sending all their systems to maximum energy and taking off at full speed, impossible to miss on the Drakkar's scanners. A few seconds later, the whole base went up in a massive explosion as the Battleship's Power Core overloaded. When the light and heat faded, there was barely any debris left.
John led a cheer. "Huzzah!"
"Isn't that, like, 1000 years old?" Calara chuckled.
"It's the principle," John shrugged. "So, that's one of Larn'kelnar's schemes shut down. We should return to Ashana. We need to get that Onyxium converted to Alyssium and get the Raptor upgraded."
"Knew I forgot something," Dana snapped.
John got unequipped from his armor and gave Jade a big hug and passionate kiss. "You flew the Raptor perfectly, Jade! I trust you to do your part during the Port Medea attack. Just know, once your shields go down, I ORDER you to cut and run. Am I understood?"
"Yes, Master," Jade purred, her slit eyes dilating.
"Well, I think it's time we cook dinner," John said as Alyssa got them into hyperwarp bound for Ashana.
They went down to the Lounge and John, feeling in a celebratory mood, made fried chicken with mac n' cheese and collard greens. The girls all relaxed with drinks while he cooked. When they all sat down, Lirrash crawled under the table. John gave her her own dinner, and she went to take her own seat, her belly leading the way. Her hair reached past her shoulders, and she was getting too big for her High Councilor robes. They were getting extremely tight.
After they put the dishes away, John poured himself a whiskey rocks and settled onto one of the couches, Alyssa and Lirrash at his sides. "So, any questions or concerns?" John asked.
"Alyssa told me about your Guide. What happens if you fail to vanquish him when you confront him?" Lirrash asked in concern.
"I die, and he takes over. He'll claim the Maliri, enslave the Galactic League, then probably use the Kyth'faren knowledge Rahn'hagon gave me as an unfair advantage as he joins the Progenitor War after making the deal with Xar'aziuth," John said grimly.
"Will we be forced to serve him?" Lirrash asked, feeling a very real sense of fear.
"I altered my personal Progenitor Connection to take away the obedience compulsion, and I'll be severing my link to my network before I confront him anyway. If he wins, I expect all of you to do your damnedest to kill him before he kills or rapes any of you," John explained.
"I'm not sure I have it in me to kill you, even with the galaxy on the line," Alyssa said softly.
"I'll already be gone, Alyssa, my evil twin will just be wearing my face. I'm debating waiting until we get Sakura and I can train her to assassinate Progenitors before I face him, but I also want to get rid of him as soon as possible so I can give Dana the Progenitor schematics and we can get a tech advantage over our enemies," John told his Matriarch.
"When's the earliest you think you'll be ready to win against him?" Calara asked.
"After the first refit at Genthalas. With all of you, Rachel, Irillith, Edraele, and about 100 Maliri Wards, I think I'll be strong enough. If I'm not ready then, I'll have to wait until we return to Genthalas after rescuing Tashana. If I'm going to sever my connection to Edraele, I want to be nearby so I can remake it quickly if I win," John answered.
"John's going to win," Jade said with finality. "I refuse to accept any reality where that doesn't happen."
"I'll do my best, honey," John grinned.
"Okay, moving on. You're really going to recruit that Jehanna chick who gave you the interview?" Dana said, breaking the darkening mood.
"Her dad's in private security, she's already a crack shot. And she's a natural with Shadow powers," John said, remembering his Indian Ward fondly.
They talked for a few more hours, until a chime went off on the intercom. "We're back at Ashana," Alyssa told them all. They took the grav-tubes to the Bridge and went to their stations. Lirrash called Ularean.
"JohnBlake, I couldn't sleep until I heard from you. Are the Drakkar dealt with?" Ularean asked.
"Wiped out to a man. The Ashanath Collective is safe… for the moment. But Larn'kelnar won't stop here, Ularean, I'd be prepared for future trouble from the Drakkar," John reported.
Ularean nodded solemnly. "Indeed. You have my personal thanks, JohnBlake, and that of the entire Ashanath species. Is there anything else we can do for you?"
"We need another trip to the drydock, we need to upgrade the Raptor much as we did the Invictus," John said.
"Go to the same drydock you used before, I'll have all our engineers at your disposal. Anything else?"
"Could we get a tour of the facility where you keep the artifacts from Mael'nerak's reign?" John asked. He had a feeling that they'd look different now that he knew more of the story behind them.
"Certainly, JohnBlake. I'll arrange for it to happen tomorrow," Ularean agreed.
"In that case, have a good night, Ularean," John nodded before ending the call.
Alyssa took them to the drydock. Dana ran out to give the engineers their orders, before she went up to Deck 2 and joined them in the Commander's Quarters. John gave Lirrash one last load for the day and they all went to sleep.
The next morning, they slept in, waking up around 1000. John made them brunch after filling Lirrash with half a gallon of his cum. Lirrash was almost completely transformed into the Ward body; she should finish changing by the end of the day. She was dressed in one of Alyssa's sundresses. They went to the Bridge, and Lirrash called Ularean. "We're ready," John told the Gray leader.
"Take the Invictus to these coordinates," Ularean said, sending them a flightpath. "Councilor Talari will be waiting for you."
The Raptor safely landed in the drydock, being worked over by Ashanath, Alyssa took the Invictus to a patch of Ashana's wilderness. An underground hanger opened on their approach.
"Holy fuck! This whole area is filled with planetary defense lasers!" Dana said, looking at the scans.
"This is our most secure location," Lirrash said seriously. "It's where we've hidden the Legacy."
Alyssa landed them in the hanger, and they all took the grav-tubes down to Deck 9 and went out the airlock. Talari was waiting by a door. He blinked when he saw Lirrash. "Lirrash, is that you?" he asked out his mind-translator.
Lirrash blushed and nodded. "I'm almost done with the transformation."
"You can speak!" Talari gaped.
"Yes, it takes some getting used to," Lirrash chuckled.
"You look beautiful, Lirrash," Talari said after he recovered himself.
"Thank you, Talari," Lirrash grinned.
"JohnBlake, follow me. I shall show you to the artifacts," Talari said to the Progenitor. They went through the door and through a series of security measures that, while impressive, John knew wouldn't keep out a fully-powered Progenitor. They took a grav-tube deep underground and went up to a final door, a psy-scanner built into the wall checking Talari before admitting them. They entered a chamber lit only by spotlights that illuminated stone monoliths.
"These are ancient Ashanath cave paintings our ancestors made of Mael'nerak, as well as some we recovered on planets we think predate even Mael'nerak," Talari told them.
John went up to one. "The Grakirans," he said, seeing the red women following a Progenitor.
"Pardon?" Talari asked.
"The Thrall race of this color is currently known as the Grakiran Empire. Their leader is Gahl'kalgor," John explained.
"Fascinating," Talari said.
"I think this is the creation of Adam and Eve," Alyssa said, looking at a painting of Maliri helping a Caucasian man and woman out of pods. "It's a good thing I'm not religious or I'd be having a major crisis of faith right now."
"I think this one is about Rahn'hagon," Calara said, noting what looked like a planet being destroyed. "Scary, what a Quantum Annihilator on a World Destroyer can do."
"What's this stick thing Mael'nerak's holding?" Dana asked.
"An Eldritch Focus. It's like a magic wand, makes using psychic powers easier. I use Kyth'vindathys instead," John told the redhead.
"He looks familiar," Jade said, looking at a close-up of Mael'nerak's face. "I wish I could remember that far back."
"You will one day, honey," John assured her.
Lirrash looked from one painting of Ashanath worshiping Mael'nerak to one of the Legacy soaring through the sky. "It's amazing, the change he went through when he fell in love with Valada. He went from a merciless sociopath to a man willing to give his life to protect his family."
"The love of a good woman can change any man for the better," John grinned.
They looked at each painting, seeing all there was to see. When they finished, they began to walk away. "Do the Ashanath know about the Shroud?" John asked as they headed back for the Invictus.
"What is that?" Talari asked.
"I figured I'd ask, but since it predates Mael'nerak I guessed you wouldn't. It's some kind of psychic field that covers the entire Galactic League. Progenitors who enter it are freed from their enslavement to the Astral entity known as Xar'aziuth," John explained to the Ashanath.
"Oh, we have another word for it. We call it the Barrier," Talari said. "Some Ashanath have dedicated their lives to its study. Sadly, their efforts rarely bear any fruit. All we know is that it originates from some point in the Unclaimed Wastes."
"Then it's Achonin," John nodded.
"Achonin?" Talari asked.
"A race of psychics that Mael'nerak destroyed when he first arrived in this region of space. They must have built it. I wonder how it works," John mused. "They accidentally unleashed the Kirrix on us when they did. The Kirrix used to have a symbiotic relationship with a species of bovines on their planets that survived the incubation of their grubs. But after the Shroud went up, the drones born from them were unattached to their psychic network. They found that only incubating their grubs in sentient hosts shielded them from the Shroud's effects."
"What a horrible consequence. And yet if the Shroud was never created, Mael'nerak would never have had his Damascene conversion. Who knows how his war with your father would have ended then?" Talari reflected.
They reached the hangar. "Ularean asks that you stay another day. We are preparing a surprise for you in our capital city," Talari told them all.
"We'll stick around," John nodded. "Thank you for this, Talari."
"It was my honor," Talari bowed.
The crew got in the Invictus and Alyssa took them back to the drydock. "Well, we'll let Dana have fun running the refit of the Raptor. Alyssa, teach Lirrash how to shoot. I'll spar with Calara and Jade can work on her shapeshifting," John decided.
They split up to do their assigned activities. Around 1830, John summoned everyone to the shower. They got clean after their day, then got redressed and went to the Lounge. "You're my Ward now," John told Lirrash with a kiss, feeling that her Change was complete. "Want to try my cooking or you want to keep getting loads until Rachel comes along?"
"What do you think?" Lirrash grinned, getting on her knees.
After a very nice blowjob, John went to cook dinner. "So what's this surprise Ularean is making for us?" Dana asked.
"If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise," John said teasingly.
They relaxed with drinks after the meal, before going to their quarters. John made love to Lirrash for the first time, feeding her after he made her cum 3 times.
The next day, they had breakfast and dressed in formalwear. They went to the Bridge and Lirrash called Ularean. "JohnBlake, please take the Invictus to this docking bay. Come to the Traders Emporium," Ularean said, sending them the data.
They took the Invictus to the docking bay, and went out the airlock. John led them by memory through a grav-tube to the top of the city, and followed the road to the Traders Emporium. They went up to the main floor, and found a lot of Ashanath waiting around the perimeter. The stands had been cleared from the central courtyard, and a large object was covered by a silvery cloth. The High Council were gathered at the base of the object.
John walked up to Ularean. "High Council," he acknowledged with a respectful nod.
"JohnBlake, you have done the Ashanath Collective a great service in your defense against… the Drakkar," Ularean said, pausing significantly. "In tribute to your crew, we wish to present this."
The cloth was pulled back, revealing a statue of John, Alyssa, Calara, Dana, and Jade. At the base was a plaque which read "John Blake, Champion of the Ashanath".
"Thank you, Ularean," John bowed. He turned to their audience. Projecting his mind-voice to all of them, John said *Our success was only possible due to the efforts of the Ashanath. I look forward to a long and prosperous alliance with your people, and I swear to always come to your defense when you need it. Thank you all.*
The Ashanath watching all bowed in unison.
"Farewell, my friends," Lirrash said to the High Council. "I will never forget where I came from."
John and his Wards returned to the Invictus, the girls all chatting about the statue. They went to the Bridge and Alyssa got them away from the capital and into orbit. The Invictus reached the nav-buoy at the edge of the system and they went into hyperwarp. "2 days to Jericho," Alyssa announced. "We'll get there in the early afternoon."
"I'll send my mom an email letting her know we'll get there in time," Calara spoke up. "John, will they really swallow my changes as a late growth spurt?"
"In the absence of a better explanation," John shrugged. "You ended up telling your parents the truth, but your brothers stayed ignorant. You can tell them whatever you want, though, honey."
Calara considered it. "I'll tell them the truth. Whether they believe it is another matter."
"Whatever you decide, we'll support you," John reassured her. "Now, let's get out of these penguin suits."
They went to their rooms to change, gathering in the Commander's Quarters. "So, what's the plan for today?" John asked.
"I need you or Alyssa to shape some Alyssium into enough plates to redo the Phalanx suits," Dana informed them.
"I'll do it, gotta stretch the psychic muscles somehow," Alyssa volunteered.
"Jade, in my first life you were Dana's assistant. When Alyssa finishes making the armor, help Dana fix up the armors," John ordered.
"Sure thing," Jade agreed easily, but then she'd do anything John asked.
"Calara, we can spar. Lirrash, put in the time in the Firing Range," John continued.
They worked until lunch, and then again until dinner. The next day, they were having breakfast when Calara cleared her throat. "John, I know you'll be getting Yamamoto as a sparring partner soon, and then Sakura down the line. But they say the best way to learn is to teach. And I want to be able to help you. Can you teach me how to use a sword?"
John nodded. "Sure thing. We'll make some training swords with single-shaped Alyssium. We should be wearing armor, just in case."
The crew went down to the Cargo Bay and watched as John forged a duplicate of Kyth'vindathys and a simple katana. John and Calara got equipped in the Engineering Bay, then went to the Gym. Dana stayed in her workshop to code an automated Interdiction Response System, Alyssa went to help Lirrash in the Firing Range, and Jade went into the pool. "We'll start with Kenjutsu. That's the style I started with, though I eventually wound up developing my own that suited me better," John explained to Calara.
"Okay," Calara nodded, eager to learn.
John went through the kata, Calara watching intently. When he finished the last stroke, he turned to Calara. "You got all that?" he asked, knowing she had photographic memory.
"Yep," Calara confirmed.
"Good. Now it's your turn." John watched Calara begin to do the kata. Every time she misplaced a foot or incorrectly angled a swordstroke, he had her stop and start over from the beginning. She never made the same mistake twice, and by the time they broke for lunch she was doing the whole kata perfectly. "Your learning curve is incredible," John said, shaking his head as they got unequipped and took the grav-tubes up to Deck 2.
"Only because you made me a genius at combat," Calara said with a grin.
"We'll spar for the afternoon, then tomorrow is a rest day. The day we go to Port Medea, I'll teach you Wushu," John decided.
John fed Lirrash and cooked lunch. *How's she doing?* John asked Alyssa privately.
*Steadily improving. By the end of the vacation, she'll be hitting bull's-eyes,* Alyssa thought confidently.
They trained until dinner, relaxed with drinks, then went to bed for sex.