The Invictus pulled into Beta Draconis and went dark. The crew met in the Briefing Room. Irillith had been busy. "They've got a dozen Destroyers, 3 Cruisers, and a Carrier modified for exo-armor drops. They've also just formed an alliance with the Red Hornets Mercenary Company. All the Destroyers and 1 Cruiser are currently guarding their base, the planet SerpentHold, which they bought and have partially terraformed. The rest are at a job with Tetra-Cola, but if John's memories prove accurate then they're on their way back since they had another mole in Avalon PD."
"What's the plan?" Rachel asked, eager to see her mother's murderers brought to justice.
"We wait until nightfall on SerpentHold. Dana, Lirrash, and Rachel will form the ground team with me. We'll rig both generators with explosives and then go rescue the kidnapping victims they have on their base. Jade will transport us in the Raptor and will deal with the tanks out on maneuvers. Alyssa, Calara, and Irillith will form the dream team on the Invictus, taking out all the enemy ships. Nia, I'm sorry, you don't have a job," John outlined.
"I'll keep myself busy," Nia shrugged. "I've had a lot of fun upgrading the maintenance bots and cleaning robots!"
"Ask permission before you uplift them to full AI, honey," John said, remembering the Invictus_Node_Collective and Daphne from his first life.
"That's beyond me at the moment, give me a few months once I'm on better hardware," Nia chuckled.
"Any objections?" John asked his Lionesses.
"It's a solid plan," Calara nodded.
"I love making things go boom," Dana chuckled.
John went to his Ready Room and called Charles. "John! What have you been up to? You get the Lasers from the Maliri?"
"I'm doing a favor for a Maliri Matriarch, then we'll see," John grinned. "Anyway, I'm sending some light reading."
Charles looked at the files John sent. "The Armored Cobras? What's your interest in them?"
"They started out as the New Eden Serpents, kidnapping and ransoming the citizens of New Eden. And they never stopped. They've got 4 women and 2 children on their base right now. I'm going to wipe them out," John informed his friend.
Charles gaped. "John, the Terran Federation has used the Armored Cobras! The backlash from this could be huge! You can't do it!"
"I'm doing this either way. Just own the story. Say the Terran Federation launched the investigation and sent us, the Lions of the Federation, to clean up the mess and bring the criminals to justice. A few interviews with the rescued victims will sell any story you want to tell," John shrugged.
Charles blinked. "Have you been taking public relations training? That could actually work."
"Good, because my mind is made up," John warned.
"I almost feel sorry for the poor bastards," Charles chuckled.
The ground team trained in squad maneuvers for the afternoon, then John cooked everyone dinner. They went to the Bridge to wait until game time. John, Dana, Lirrash, and Rachel got armored and grabbed Punisher Railguns, following Jade to the Raptor. She took them into SerpentHold's atmosphere, approaching the Armored Cobras' base. Dana launched a small EMP device, taking out the power to the corner of the base they were going to enter from. Jade landed them, they got out, and Jade took off to stalk the tanks out on night exercises.
John forced open the gate with his super strength, and led his 3 Lionesses to the Main Generator building. John had changed the color of the Alyssium back to black for the mission so they'd blend into the night. They entered the generator building, took out the lone guard, and stood watch as Dana rigged the explosives. They left, John sabotaging the door so no one could enter after them.
Meanwhile, Alyssa and Calara worked together like a well-oiled machine, taking out each of the Destroyers.
John and his team reached the back-up generator and Dana rigged it to blow as well. That done, they went to the command center. They grabbed a man out on a smoke break and held him at gunpoint, having him lead them into the command center. They cleared out the first floor and had the Cobra take them to the bunker in the basement. He opened the vault door and handed over the keyfobs to open the prisoners' cells.
The rest of the Armored Cobras' forces, as well as their allies the Red Hornets, appeared in the system. The Cobras' Carrier went for SerpentHold and the Hornets' Carrier released Fighters to go after Jade. Alyssa warned the Nymph and brought the Invictus towards the 3 Cruisers. Irillith hacked the rearmost, having it attack one of the other Cruisers. Calara double-teamed on it, and Irillith had her hacked Cruiser ram it once shields went down. Both Cruisers exploded violently. The Red Hornets turned to leave, their new allies clearly insane. Alyssa brought them into a death spiral with the last Cruiser. With better guns and shields, they were the clear winner. The Cruiser surrendered.
John finished clearing out the command center and heard the Carrier enter the atmosphere. He rushed at psychic speed back to the bunker as mechs began to fall. He and the girls gathered around the kidnapping victims, shielding them. "Hang onto your butts!" Dana said cheerfully before hitting the detonator.
There was a deafening boom and the ground shook. The lights went out, but John and the girls had lights built into their armor that they turned on. John regarded the debris blocking the door and began to shift it with his super strength, to the amazement of the women and children.
"Is he a superhero?" the little boy asked.
"Yes, he's called the Lion," Rachel grinned.
"Is he your boyfriend?" his sister asked.
"Yes, I'm very lucky," Rachel blushed.
"When I'm older, I want a boyfriend just like that," the girl declared.
"Good luck, child," Lirrash chuckled.
They went up the stairs to the ground floor. Leaving Dana and Lirrash with the prisoners, John and Rachel went out into the ruins of the Cobras' base. They finished off the survivors, approaching the leader last. Colonel Semias Morgan was roaring a challenge at John, when Rachel took out his hands with a crack shot from the side.
"Why? What did I ever do to you?" Morgan demanded when John and Rachel approached his bleeding form in his toppled mech.
"Made the woman I love cry," John informed him.
"Do you remember the Voss kidnapping?" Rachel asked heavily.
Morgan frowned in concentration. "Yeah, some rich bitch we kidnapped. Her tightass husband wouldn't pay so we killed her. The fuck does that have to do with anything?"
"Her name was Catherine Voss. She was my mother, and I loved her very much," Rachel told the man before shooting him in the head.
Jade, who'd succeeded against the Hornets' Fighters, came to pick them up. She landed in the Invictus, and John led the victims to Deck 4. The crew went up to the Bridge, handed care of the Cobras' Cruiser to the reinforcements Charles had sent (rendered moot), and set off for New Eden. They all grabbed some sleep… after some celebration sex.
The next morning, they arrived at New Eden and John, Alyssa, and Rachel took the kidnapping victims in the Raptor to Avalon PD. They handed the victims over to the care of Detective Karen Walsh, then took off for the Voss estate. They were hailed on approach. "Incoming dropship, this is restricted airspace. Identify."
"Rachel Voss, here to visit my mother's grave," Rachel said clearly.
"... Proceed, Miss Voss," came the respectful reply.
Alyssa landed them on a landing pad next to the massive mansion. Rachel led them down to the lake, where a lovingly maintained grave marker rested. "She loved this place," Rachel said, tears coming to her eyes as she mourned her mother, now avenged.
Alyssa pressed her hand to Rachel's temple. "You can see her again." Alyssa used Telepathy to show Rachel all the psychic imprints of Catherine, playing with Rachel around the lake. Rachel cried harder, but they were happy tears. The medic wiped her eyes and turned to Alyssa.
"I'm ready."
A couple hours later, Rachel led them back to the Raptor. A smartly dressed gentleman was waiting for them. Rachel sent John and Alyssa to the dropship and approached her father.
"Rachel, I'm so sorry," Henry Voss said, choking up.
Rachel hugged her father. "I forgive you, Daddy." She pulled back, her eyes glowing. "Arrhythmia. How long have you been sick?"
"How did you know that? What's with your eyes?" Henry gaped.
"Don't worry, I'll fix it." Rachel healed her father to the peak of health, even restoring his youth to an extent. She pulled back from the shocked trillionaire. "I'll be in touch, Daddy. And divorce that bitch, you're not atoning for what happened to Mommy by keeping a cheating wife." Rachel walked into the Raptor before Henry could recover. Alyssa took them back to the Invictus.
"Take us to Port Megara," John ordered his crew. Jade got them to the nav-buoy and Alyssa plotted their course through hyperwarp. "I'll call Charles, straighten out what happened with the Cobras, then I'll make lunch."
After the meal, the crew trained before having dinner and going to bed after a few hours of drinks and conversation. They passed the next 2 days training, and on the third they arrived at Port Megara, the major trading post on the Terran-Trankaran border. "Incoming Cruiser, please identify and state your purpose at Port Megara," asked Flight Command.
"Commodore John Blake to visit Doctor Dylan Fernandez," John answered.
"Docking Bay 4, sir!" came the excited reply. There was chattering in the background before the transmission ended.
"I'll take Alyssa and Calara. Lion and Lioness uniform, I think," John mused. "The rest of you, enjoy your free time." John went to his closet, opening the garment bag Alyssa had gotten him their last trip to Gravitus. It was much like his Terran Federation dress uniform, except Alyssium white with gold buttons and with the face of a roaring lion stitched in gold on the breast. He got into it, naturally fitting him like a glove, and walked out to see Alyssa and Calara in their own Lioness uniforms. "Let's go meet Dylan," John grinned.
Alyssa took them in with the Raptor, landing in Docking Bay 4 as they'd been allocated. They went out the airlock, the air quality noticeably changing as they left the ship. Dylan was waiting for them, and Calara rushed to hug her brother. "We have an audience," Dylan warned John, nodding at the viewing gallery. It was filled with people, all craning to get a look at the Lion and his Lionesses. John saluted the crowd before waving. The noise was audible through the glass.
Dylan led them to the main plaza, where they were almost mobbed. John shook hands and nodded and smiled, used to being a celebrity from his first life. Alyssa and Calara were perfect, waving and beaming and getting marriage proposals as Dylan led them through the crowd. They took an elevator down to Deck 27 and Dylan led them into the Officers' Lounge for Port Megara.
"I'm guessing Jehanna ran another piece on us. Was it about the Armored Cobras?" John asked.
"Yeah, it's all anyone's been talking about!" Dylan confirmed. They ordered drinks and Dylan pulled up the news feature on the vid-screen built into their table. After Jehanna finished describing their brave actions against the rogue Mercenary Company, Dylan turned to them. "So, be honest, how much of that was bullshit?"
"The Terran Federation had nothing to do with it, it was all us. We were investigating the murder of our doctor's mother, and the evidence led straight to the Armored Cobras. So we took them out," Calara told her brother.
"Didn't they have over 200 men?" Dylan asked dubiously.
"What's your point?" Calara fired back.
"Your life is a wonder, Callie," Dylan shook his head.
"While we've got you, we're heading into Trankaran space and we've heard about this civil war they're having. What can you tell us about that?" Alyssa asked.
"I can tell you a patient died on my table after being attacked by a Trankaran ship, on our side of the border no less. I don't know much, though, but I could get you a meeting with the Station Commander to discuss it," Dylan offered.
"Do you know the Station Commander?" John asked.
"No, but I don't think that'll be a problem where you're concerned," Dylan chuckled.
They chatted over drinks for a couple hours, Calara taking the opportunity to bond with her brother. Then John and his two Wards went to the administrative wing. They followed the signs to the Station Commander's office and the guards let them in. A blonde 40-something woman with a facial scar in Terran Federation uniform stood and saluted when they entered. "Commander Mary Tavistock. It's an honor to meet you, Commodore."
"Commodore John Blake. It's good to meet you too, Mary," John grinned. "This is my XO, Alyssa Marant, and my Tactical Officer, Calara Fernandez."
Mary nodded to the girls, and they took seats across from Mary's desk. "So, it's not every day I meet a Holonet celebrity on the edge of Terran space. How can I help you?"
"I'm doing a favor for the Maliri and I need to get in touch with the Trankaran government. Is the Trankaran ambassador on the station?" John asked.
"Gamrik? Yeah, he's here. I'll call him right now." Mary sent the email to the ambassador asking for him to come to her office and stood. "Coffee?"
"Please," John nodded. He accepted his cup and made small talk. "So, where's your adjutant?"
"I have no patience for adjutants. My first was incompetent, the second was addicted to stims, and the third…" Mary trailed off.
"What did he do?" Calara asked.
"She," Mary corrected. "She had a boyfriend, a stockbroker in the Core Worlds. Every time a big Freighter came in with ore, she'd tell him and he'd short the mineral stocks. They made several thousand credits before they were caught. My niece was dishonorably discharged and has served 2 years of her 4 year sentence."
"You should have said it was too personal," John said sympathetically.
"It's in the past. So, have I earned my own personal question?" Mary asked.
"Go ahead," John nodded.
Mary opened her mouth when there was a knock at the door. "Later," John assured her before standing to greet Ambassador Gamrik. The 8-foot tall Trankaran male was wearing brown robes, looked like a living granite statue, and had a very gentle air despite his size. "Ambassador Gamrik, thank you for meeting with me. I'm Commodore John Blake."
"It was no trouble, I owe Mary quite a few favors," Gamrik said, shaking John's hand. He didn't move to sit, and given his mass the Commander's furniture was thankful for it. "How can I help you?"
"I'm running an errand for Matriarch Edraele Valaden of the Maliri. She purchased Trankaran Engine tech from your ambassador, I understand that half a billion credits were given as a down payment. He vanished without delivering, do you know what happened to him?" John asked.
Gamrik's face fell. "I knew Ambassador Khemmerlun, we went through diplomatic training together. I'm sorry to tell you that his spark has been extinguished."
"What happened?" John asked.
"He was killed in a rebel ambush," Gamrik sighed. "The Trankaran Republic is divided at the moment, the rebels launching attacks on foreign shipping, trying to instigate war with our neighbors. It's a dark time for my people."
"Who else would have been involved in the deal?" John asked.
"A member of the Senate, surely," Gamrik mused.
"I don't suppose there's any chance I could meet with them?" John wondered.
Gamrik narrowed his pupil-less eyes. "I recognized you from the Holonet features, but I realize I've seen your face before. You are the same John Blake that the Ashanath honored with a statue on their homeworld?"
"We helped them out with an internal security matter, and they were very grateful. I can't say more than that," John said.
Gamrik looked desperate. "Would you be willing to help the Trankaran Republic in a similar manner?"
"Get me a meeting with the Senate and I'll see what I can do," John nodded.
"I'll arrange a meeting with the Chancellor as soon as possible!" Gamrik said excitedly.
"Where is the Chancellor? Is she far away in Trankaran space?" John asked.
"The Chancellor and the Senate are with the loyalist fleet, stationed near the border to try and prevent rebel attacks. I'll send their location to the Invictus!" Gamrik said quickly.
"Then I'll go meet with the Chancellor and see what I can do to help," John nodded.
Gamrik shook John's hand again, nodded to Mary, and left.
"What did he mean about a statue?" Mary asked.
"Is that your question?" John fired back.
"No, but I really want to know," Mary admitted.
"We helped the Ashanath Collective out with some troublesome Drakkar raiders and they thanked us with a 50-foot statue in the Traders Emporium in their capital. A Trankaran trader must have taken an image of the statue and shared it with their government for Gamrik to see," John explained. "Now, what was your question?"
"How did you win at Galon Prime?" Mary asked.
John sighed. "The Invictus was ambushed by a rebel ship. We captured it and used it as a Trojan horse to dock with the rebel flagship. I led the assault, with over 90% losses, but the leaders were killed and the rebellion routed."
Mary saluted him. "Thank you for your service, Commodore."
"Bye, Mary," John said before leaving the office.
John, Alyssa, and Calara took the Raptor back to the Invictus and went up to the Bridge. "Get us to the Trankaran loyalist fleet," John instructed.
"We'll arrive late tonight, around 2300," Alyssa informed them all.
"Let's have dinner," John declared.
They went down to the Lounge, John selecting Lirrash to help him cook tonight. They made a tasty meal, which everyone enjoyed, then John gave Jade a load to feed to everyone afterwards. They grabbed drinks and relaxed to talk, Nia joining them on the vid-screen. "So, you're going to make Niskera your Glowing Queen?" Alyssa checked.
"I'll make the offer, and I sincerely hope she takes it. It might be the only way to stop the Kirrix invading the Trankarans," John said, remembering the death toll of that invasion.
They went up to the Bridge at 2230, waiting until they arrived at the system where the Trankaran loyalist fleet was stationed. They arrived, seeing the massive armada in formation. They were approached by a blocky Cruiser that moved with disturbing speed given its mass, Trankaran Engine tech at work. Lirrash accepted a hail. "Unidentified vessel, identify or be destroyed," growled a Trankaran male.
"Commodore John Blake on the Invictus. I'm here for a meeting with Chancellor Niskera," John answered.
"Please excuse my confrontational greeting!" the Trankaran apologized. "We expected you, but not for some time. Please dock with the Kerhom's Anvil."
"We will. And what is your name?" John asked.
"Warden Dalomherlig," the alien replied.
"Nice to meet you, Warden. Goodbye," John said.
Jade got them close to the Kerhom's Anvil, a massive Battlecarrier and the Trankaran flagship. They all went to the Raptor, Irillith not getting in her armor. John had checked with Edraele and gotten her blessing to tell the Trankarans the truth. The Raptor landed in a docking bay on the Kerhom's Anvil, the crew walking out of the airlock. Dana's eyes glowed gold as she looked at the walls around them. "I've never even heard of some of these alloys."
A Trankaran male in brown robes walked up to them. "Greetings, I am Associate Bhaken. Please follow me to the Senate Chamber."
Dana sidled up next to Bhaken. "I'm curious about the metals you've used in your ship. Could I meet with one of your Forgemasters?"
"Certainly, that can easily be arranged," Bhaken nodded.
"You have a lot of security," Alyssa noted.
"One of the worst things about a civil war is that someone you considered your rock brother could be a traitor. The Kerhom's Anvil is hosting the Chancellor and the Senate, so we're a prime target for the rebels," Bhaken explained.
"That's rough," Lirrash sighed.
They reached a large set of double doors. Bhaken opened them, Dana and Rachel hanging back while John and the rest went in. A 10-sided table occupied the floor, at the other end of which was a female Trankaran in gray robes. At her sides were a male in similar robes and another male in resplendent armor. The Senate was arranged in an amphitheater-like arrangement behind the 3 of them. "Hello! I am Chancellor Niskera. You are Commodore John Blake, the Lion of the Federation and the man the Ashanath call their Champion?" Niskera asked.
"Yes, I am. A pleasure to meet you, Chancellor Niskera," John bowed.
"With me are Fleet Warden Thandrun and Vamred, Senator of Internal Affairs," Niskera added. "Please, sit!"
They sat at the table. Niskera focused on Irillith. "I'm afraid I don't recognize the species of your beautiful companion. Might I ask what she is?"
"Irillith is a Maliri. The Maliri are the Favored Ones from your oral histories," John revealed.
Niskera's jaw dropped. "The Maliri are the Favored Ones of the Great Maker? How could you know this?"
"It's a long story, involving ancient history. Some of what I tell you, you might find difficult to believe. Some of it you may not WANT to believe. But you have my word that every word is true," John told Niskera.
"I'm listening, Commodore Blake," Niskera said resolutely.
"The most powerful species in the Milky Way galaxy are the Progenitors. They're immortal, psychic, and have the most advanced technology of any civilization. 72 thousand years ago, a Progenitor named Mael'nerak came to this region of space. He enslaved the Maliri, claiming their empire for his own. He expanded his territory to cover all of what's now the Galactic League and beyond," John started.
"He grew… bored over the millennia, and created 4 species as an experiment: the Ashanath, the Terrans, the Drakkar… and the Trankarans. Trankara, in the Progenitor language, literally means 'miner'. Your people are a genetically engineered slave race, Niskera. Your oral histories refer to Mael'nerak as the Great Maker. The Maliri are his Favored Ones, the Great Wheel your ancestors helped construct is Genthalas Shipyard in Maliri space."
"About 10 thousand years ago, another Progenitor came and declared war against Mael'nerak: Rahn'hagon, whom you call the Despoiler. Rahn'hagon destroyed every Eden-class world he found in what's now Trankaran space, that's the reason for all the asteroid fields in your territory. To protect the woman he loved, Mael'nerak led a suicide attack against Rahn'hagon. They clashed in the Zeta Pegasus system, and Mael'nerak overloaded his Wormhole Generator. He died in the explosion, and Rahn'hagon's ship was teleported to a nebula in Kirrix space and crash-landed on the planet Arcadia."
"Rahn'hagon had time to think in his 10 thousand years of solitude. He did research, learning things forgotten by the Progenitors. About 41 years ago, a Terran research crew landed on Arcadia. A woman named Jessica Blake met Rahn'hagon. And thus started his plan."
"I am Rahn'hagon's son. He got my mother pregnant and arranged for me to be born in Terran space. He programmed a mission into my DNA, along with the forgotten knowledge he'd discovered. His hope was that I would enslave the Maliri as Mael'nerak had done and become the strongest Progenitor in history, going out to kill every other Progenitor in the galaxy until none remained but he and I."
"And I succeeded. I waged the Progenitor War, and I won. But the cost was too great. So I used my powers to send my mind back in time. And now here I am, back at the start before the War has even properly started, trying to fix a great many mistakes," John finished.
Niskera's eyes were very wide. Thandrun was eyeing John like he was a rabid animal. Vamred looked ready to genuflect. The Senate were all muttering, sounding like rocks crashing against each other. "You… you're a god from the future?" Niskera finally managed.
"I'm a Progenitor, not a god. I'm not divine, I just have more power than any being of flesh and blood has any right to have," John sighed. "But yes, I'm from the future."
"How do we know that this isn't all a lie?" Thandrun demanded.
John stood from his chair. Then he activated Psychic Growth. He swelled in size until his head brushed the ceiling. He looked down on the Trankarans, before shrinking back to his normal form. "There, I proved I'm psychic. Need more proof?"
Thandrun's jaw looked in danger of detaching from his head.
Niskera seemed to gather herself. "If what you say is true, John Blake, then you are a being of immense power, the same… species as the Trankaran's creator."
"That's correct. And I'm here to help, starting with your civil war. I know why the Glowing Queen is doing what she's doing," John told the Trankaran leader.
"Why?" Niskera asked.
"Another Progenitor has come to the Galactic League. His name is Larn'kelnar. He's playing the empires against each other as a game. He snuck Drakkar raiders into Ashanath space, he instigated the growing conflict between the Terran Federation and the Kintark Empire, and he created the Glowing Queen," John explained.
"How? What is the source of her power?" Vamred asked.
"A Progenitor's power is based on his psychic network. He can forge connections with women, turning them into psychic batteries for his powers. A Progenitor can rewrite the DNA of a woman in his network. A woman in a Progenitor's network is called a Thrall, though I prefer the term Ward for my own network. Anyway, the Glowing Queen is Larn'kelnar's Thrall. Mael'nerak must have left genetic programming in Trankaran DNA to obey Trankaran Thralls. Every Trankaran who sees the Glowing Queen is practically hypnotized, doing anything she tells them to do. And what she wants is to conquer the Trankaran Republic in the name of Larn'kelnar," John laid out.
"What do we do, then?" Niskera asked John.
"There's only two ways to end this war: Larn'kelnar ordering the Glowing Queen to stop, or killing the Glowing Queen. The former is never going to happen, so the only option is to assassinate her. With your permission, me and my crew will go to Trankara and deal with her," John offered.
"What would be the price for your assistance, John Blake?" Niskera asked.
"State-of-the-art Trankaran Engines and retro-thrusters installed on the Invictus, as much Onyxium or 'vu-karam' as you have on hand, and a personal favor," John listed.
"But… you're not Trankaran! The forces from our strongest engines would kill you!" Niskera protested.
"I'm confident my Chief Engineer can find a solution to that problem," John reassured Niskera. "Do we have a deal?"
Niskera conferred with Thandrun and Vamred. "We accept your offer of aid, John Blake. We have hope that your mission will restore peace and stability to the Trankaran Republic," Niskera finally announced.
"We'll do our best," John nodded. "Now, I'll need all the data you have on the Glowing Queen and the Radiant Palace. I'd also like permission to active scan one of your Cruisers so we can deal with the rebels more effectively."
"Done," Niskera nodded.
"We'll leave as soon as we get back to the Invictus. We should be back within 36 hours," John told Niskera before standing. "Farewell, all of you. The Great Maker is dead, but the Great Protector has come to help." John led his crew out of the room.
They reached the Raptor, where Dana and Rachel were waiting excitedly. "Forgemaster Gilgrem really knows his shit! The Trankarans have done stuff with metallurgy I've never even heard of. I bought a ton each of some interesting ores to play with, I hope you don't mind," Dana said in a rush.
"As long as you got a good price," John shrugged.
"The Trankarans are very friendly. Gilgrem had a male and female assistant and both offered me blood samples and scans," Rachel said excitedly.
"That's good. Well, we've got the Senate's blessing. We're off to kill the Glowing Queen," John told them.
The ore crates were loaded into the Raptor, and the crew returned to the Invictus. Dana active scanned a Trankaran Cruiser once they got to the Bridge. Jade took them out of the gravity well, and Alyssa sent them on a course for Demladuhr Station.