Nia woke them at 0800 with a piece of classical music. They showered and dressed, Calara going to fetch Mateo to bring him up to the Lounge for breakfast. "So, who are these lovely ladies I haven't met?" Mateo asked, regarding the members who had joined after the reunion on Jericho.
"Rachel Voss, Medical Officer," Rachel grinned.
"Irillith Valaden, Intelligence Officer," Irillith stated with a shrug.
"Sakura Honami… Security Officer," Sakura said, glancing at John. She was eating normal food since Mateo was around.
"Pleasure to meet you all," Mateo grinned. "So, I-rill-ith? That's an interesting name. And I'm afraid I don't recognize your species."
"I'm Maliri," Irillith told Mateo.
"Yeah, right," Mateo chuckled.
"No, seriously. Irillith's mother, Edraele, is the Matriarch of House Valaden in the Maliri Regency," John told his future brother-in-law.
The Latino's jaw dropped. "Holy shit! You're really a Maliri?"
"Last I checked," Irillith chuckled. "Surprised we're not hideous monsters under our armor?"
"You could say that," Mateo said, overwhelmed. "Callie, how'd you end up on the same crew as a Maliri?"
"John recruited her, simple as that," Calara stated.
"I have to ask, what's with the armor? Why hide something so beautiful away from the universe?" Mateo wondered.
"It was a decree by the last Queen of the Maliri, to hide our appearance from other species. I'm technically breaking the law, letting you all see me unarmored. But my mother allows it so I can serve on John's crew," Irillith explained.
"Why would the Queen want you to hide yourselves?" Mateo asked.
"That is… classified," Irillith said with an enigmatic grin.
"Sure, whatever," Mateo chuckled.
They finished eating, then went to deliver food and water to the freed Terrans in the Cargo Bay. Once that was done, Calara took Mateo on a tour of the Invictus while the rest of the crew went to the Bridge. The two Fernandez siblings joined them after an hour, Calara going to her Tactical station and Mateo finding a chair on the outside of the room. He looked up at the sector map and gaped. "What the? Your sensors are broken!"
"No, they're not," Dana said confidently.
"If that's accurate, you've got 20 times the range of Terran military sensors!" Mateo gawked.
"What's your point?" Dana asked deadpan.
"We've upgraded the Invictus with alien technologies. It's called an Omni-phase Scan Array," John explained.
"What species invented it?" Mateo asked.
"The Progenitors," John answered.
"Never heard of them," Mateo admitted.
"You wouldn't have, I'm the only one in the Galactic League," John told Mateo. "It's a very long story, are you sure you want to hear it? Ignorance is bliss, Mateo."
"You can't say you have fabulously advanced technology and not explain to me how you got it," Mateo said decidedly.
John shrugged. "If you're sure. Progenitors are an all-male race of psychics, genetically engineered millions of years ago by a very evil man named Xar'aziuth. Each Progenitor rules a Thrall empire, a species also created by Xar'aziuth to serve as a Progenitor's slaves. Every Progenitor in history was born, came into his powers, claimed his empire, and began to wage war against every other Progenitor. They have the most advanced technology in the galaxy."
"So what about you, then?" Mateo asked.
"My father was almost killed in a battle with another Progenitor. He crash-landed on a planet in what's now Kirrix space. My mother was part of a research crew that found and surveyed the planet. He knocked her up with me, and I was born in Terran space. I came into my powers a few months ago, unlocking my psychic potential and the Progenitor schematics encoded in my DNA. Dana's been upgrading the Invictus with what we can build with the time and material constraints," John answered.
"Alright, I'll buy that. How come I've never heard about any of this?" Mateo wondered.
"Something I didn't mention is that Progenitors are immortal, or at least unaging. The last Progenitor to rule over this region of space, Mael'nerak, died 10 thousand years ago fighting my father, Rahn'hagon. And other than me, no Progenitor has found the Galactic League besides Larn'kelnar."
"Who's Larn'kelnar?" Mateo asked, stumbling over the alien name.
"The leader of the Larathyran Empire. He came to this region of space a few months ago. Rather than attacking and conquering us all directly, he's been having fun messing around with the various empires. He snuck Drakkar with advanced armor into the Ashanath Collective, started a Trankaran civil war, and used mind control to make Admiral Lynton start the war with the Kintark," John told the Latino.
"That's… that's despicable! Why would anyone do that?" Mateo gaped.
"It's all a sick game to him," John shrugged.
Mateo thought over everything John had told him. "You said Mael'nerak ruled this region of space before he died. Who or what was his Thrall race?"
"The Maliri," John said.
"And Thrall races are genetically designed to obey a Progenitor…" Mateo trailed off. "Dude, are you the rightful Maliri King or something?"
"I will be once I get all 19 Matriarchs of the Noble Houses to agree to an alliance," John nodded.
"Fuck," Mateo breathed. "Say, if you marry Callie, does that put me in the line of succession?" he asked as a joke.
"Sadly no," John chuckled.
"Callie, you realize your boyfriend is going to become one of the most powerful men in the Galactic League?" Mateo asked his sister.
"John told me exactly what he was and what he planned to do when I joined his crew, before we even got together. I realize, Mateo," Calara said seriously.
"So, what can we do about Larn'kelnar?" Mateo asked.
"Let me worry about that," John told his future brother-in-law.
They talked until lunch, Mateo having all kinds of questions about the Maliri and the Progenitors. They had the meal, delivered food to the freed miners, and returned to the Bridge. "We've almost caught up with the Terran fleet!" Mateo noticed.
Then the Terran fleet was all interdicted at Alpha Leonis, aka the Regulus system. "What the fuck?!" Mateo gaped.
"It's a Kintark ambush. Lynton's battlegroup is there as well," Calara analyzed. "The Thor's Hammer will have had Interdiction Beacons, that's how she pulled the whole fleet into the system. This is going to be the largest space battle in history."
"We're half an hour out," Alyssa said grimly.
"Well, let's hope they last long enough for us to get there to help," John sighed.
"Where's Dad?" Mateo asked, looking at the sector map but not being able to pick out individual ships from the mass of pings.
"Santini's battlegroup, guarding the support ships," Calara pointed.
"Larn'kelnar's Dreadnought is there," Jade observed.
"Where?" Mateo asked, not seeing anything.
"His Stealth Field Emitter is on, you can barely see it, but it's there if you know where to look," Jade explained. "My eyesight is better than a Terran's."
They watched the battle unfold. "Buckingham's not doing too bad. They actually might win even without us," Calara allowed.
And then disaster struck. Santini's battlegroup moved to engage Lynton's traitor ships. "Fuck! That's tactical suicide!" Calara growled. "Either Buckingham's an idiot or Santini's acting without orders."
As Santini's Dreadnought closed to attack range with Lynton's, Larn'kelnar struck. A purple beam shot out, pierced the Dreadnought's shields like popping a bubble, and sheared off the barrels of the Singularity Drivers.
"What the fuck was that?!" Mateo gaped.
"Quantum Devastator," Dana said in fearful awe.
Lynton's battlegroup pounced on the neutered Dreadnought, and soon Admiral Santini and all his crew died as the massive ship exploded. "Dad!" Mateo called out, eyes wide as he saw the Damocles start to take fire from Lynton's battlegroup.
"Calara, give us a flightpath. Jade, get ready in the Raptor. Irillith, I want the Thor's Hammer slaved the second we're in range," John ordered calmly.
Jade ran for the grav-tubes. Calara analyzed the whole battle and plotted a flightpath for Alyssa. The rest of the girls tensed, waiting for the action to start.
They arrived at Regulus, their Trankaran Engines blazing to send them flying into the battle. Calara used every drop of her considerable talent to fire the Invictus' lasers, wiping out whole swathes of Kintark. They passed the edge of the Kintark fleet, leaving dozens of destroyed or damaged ships in their wake. The Raptor launched to take out the rest of the Kintark Fighters and Bombers.
John settled into his Command Chair, having gone to get armored. They approached Lynton's battlegroup, Irillith's eyes closing as she sank into her psychic hack. "Lirrash, hail every ship in both groups," John told the Ashanath.
The vid-screen came alive with dozens of faces as each ship accepted the call. Lynton looked very nervous. "John," she started.
"I'll deal with you later," John said coldly before dropping her from the call. "Traitor forces, this is Rear Admiral John Blake. Admiral Lynton is no longer in command. You will form a Command Net with the remains of Santini's battlegroup and fight the Kintark. Comply and your sentences will be commuted. Refuse and you'll be destroyed."
"Fuck you, pawn of the Federation!" shouted one traitor Captain. "You're just one Assault Cruiser, what can you do?!"
Calara fired the Nova Lances at the man's ship, cutting it in half.
"That. I can do that again," John stated, face a mask.
Commodore Sasaki took a shaky breath. "What would you have us do… Lion?"
"As I said, form a Command Net. Await my orders. That is all," John said before having Lirrash end the broadcast. "Calara, you're assuming tactical command of the battlegroup. Take out those Kintark coming after us. Nia, Obi, you're manning the guns."
"Yes, John!" agreed the two holograms.
"Who're they?" Mateo blinked.
"My AI. They're not crazy like Terran AI, they're safe," John told Mateo.
"I'll never be able to go back to a T-Fed ship after being on this one," Mateo shook his head, overwhelmed by everything he'd seen and learned.
Irillith opened glowing eyes. "What do you want me to do with Lynton?"
"Let her get to a dropship. She'll get what's coming to her," John ordered.
A shuttle flew out the Thor's Hammer and made to approach Larn'kelnar's hidden Dreadnought. A Quantum Flux Cannon blew it to pieces. John watched as the ship of his enemy vanished into a wormhole. "Till next time, you bastard."
Calara led the battlegroup against the Kintark fleet that had come to chase the Invictus. Her tactics were perfect, and the Kintark were wiped out before the Terrans even lost a ship.
The Raptor returned to the Invictus, the Battle of Regulus having come to an end in the Terrans' favor. Jade got to the Bridge, and John gave her a hug only, restraining himself with Mateo present. "How was it?" John asked.
"Very cathartic after Port Medea," Jade grinned predatorily.
John gave the Admirals 10 minutes, then he had Lirrash hail the Retribution of Zeus. Fleet Admiral Buckingham himself answered the call, showing his Ready Room. Admirals Caldwell, Mishra, and Weber were with him. "Ah, Rear Admiral Blake. How good of you to call," Buckingham said, his face closed off.
"Fleet Admiral," John nodded. "I promised the traitors clemency in exchange for their aid against the Kintark. I hope I wasn't lying."
"What happened to Lynton?" Buckingham asked.
"Larn'kelnar's Dreadnought was here, he's the one who broke Santini's shields. She escaped in a shuttle and tried to run to him. He destroyed her ship, probably to cover his tracks. Then he left with his Wormhole Generator to who knows where. She's dead," John reported.
Weber shrugged. "Well, the bitch is dead. We can afford to give her followers leaner sentences."
"Lynton was a victim, Admiral Weber. She was completely in Larn'kelnar's thrall. She'd have killed her own mother if he told her to," John told the xenophobic man.
"Let's not talk about the dead," Buckingham waved off. He had a hungry expression. "So, John, I couldn't help but notice that the Invictus has been… heavily upgraded."
"I've traded for alien tech since I bought her," John stated, subtly reminding them that the Invictus was HIS, not the property of the Terran Federation. "I have an Ashanath Tachyon Drive and Power Core, Trankaran Engines, and Maliri Lasers, among other upgrades."
"How'd you get the Maliri to give you their lasers? They've refused trillion credit deals in the past!" Admiral Mishra asked.
"I made a deal with Matriarch Edraele Valaden," John said simply.
"What did you agree to give her, your left nut?" Caldwell asked jokingly.
"The terms of our agreement are private. But she only agreed to give me the Lasers if I swore never to share the schematics," John told the Admirals.
*I'd forgive you, Baen'thelas. I'd be ticked off when the Terran Federation inevitably declared war on the Regency, but I'd forgive you,* Edraele told him across their link.
"That's irrelevant. I order you to hand us those schematics," Weber said imperiously.
"I'm retired, I don't give a fuck what you order me to do," John fired back without blinking.
Weber gaped, it had probably been a long time since anyone talked back to him. Buckingham tried to cover up for his favorite's error. "So, any particular reason you went to deal with Lynton's battlegroup?"
"Someone had to deal with them. And we did help out with our initial pass, if you'll recall. I even left you my Raptor to help you get strike craft supremacy," John shrugged.
"Any other reason?" Buckingham asked, his eyes glinting.
"My Tactical Officer, Calara Fernandez, has family on the Damocles. Duty to the Terran Federation bid I help out in the battle. Duty to the woman I love bid I help protect her family. Two birds with one stone, as it were. You won either way, so what does it matter?" John asked.
"I see," Buckingham said. "You said Larn'kelnar was responsible for this whole thing. Is there any chance we could get in contact with him, broker a peace?"
"I don't have the comm code for his Dreadnought, and I doubt he'd be interested. Most Progenitors are cruel, merciless monsters. I'm the exception to the rule, largely due to how I was raised," John explained.
"What's his next move, do you know?" Buckingham asked.
John had a moment of deliberation. He could reveal future knowledge… but that would open up a can of worms that would be very problematic. He finally decided to throw a bone, if not a particularly juicy one. "He's made himself the personal friend of Emperor Baledranax and Deep Lord Athgiloi. He'll probably broker a deal between the Kintark and the Brimorians. The next time the Kintark attack, they could have Brimorian Shields."
"Damn," Buckingham hissed. "That's just what we need, Lizards with the best shields in the Galactic League."
"If that's all, I was bringing the prisoners from Xen-Nuchek to Port Medea before the battle. I'd be happy to accept all the injured from the battle and transport them for you while you recover and do repairs," John offered.
"That would be marvelous, actually," Buckingham nodded. "So, John, the Lasers are off limits. What about the rest of your tech?"
"I'll give it all to Vice Admiral Charles Harris the next time I'm at Olympus," John said. "Congratulations on this victory," he wished them.
"John, thank you," Mishra spoke up before he ended the hail. "You're right, you're retired. Everything you've done since acquiring the Invictus was done voluntarily. You saved Terra earlier this week and now you helped significantly in the biggest battle in our history. The Terran Federation will never forget what you've done."
"You're welcome, Admiral," John grinned before ending the call. "Alyssa, coordinate with the fleet to get the injured transferred to the Invictus. I'm taking Calara and Mateo in the Raptor to visit Jack."
"Have fun!" Alyssa wished them as John led Calara and Mateo to the grav-tubes. They went to the Docking Bay and into the Raptor, which John was happy to see was undamaged. Jade hadn't even lost shields. They reached the cockpit, where a hologram of Nia was waiting. "Next stop, the Damocles," the AI said cheerfully, lifting them up and flying them towards the Terran Federation Cruiser.
They docked with the Damocles' airlock. They went to the Raptor's airlock, opening it to find Jack waiting for them. Mateo walked up to the shocked man to give him a hug. "My boy… how?!" the Fernandez patriarch asked.
"John came to rescue me and the rest of the loyalists," Mateo explained. "It's amazing on their ship, Dad, it's like stepping into the future!"
Calara went to get her own hug. "Hey, Dad!"
"Callie! Were you the one firing those terrifying lasers?" Jack asked his daughter.
"Yeah, that's my job," Calara chuckled.
"You're a better shot than I ever was," he said warmly. Jack let go of Calara and noticed John. He saluted. "Rear Admiral Blake."
"I'm dating your daughter, Jack, you don't have to salute me," John shook his head.
"This calls for a drink! Follow me," Jack said, leading them to the elevator. John got a round of applause from the bridge crew, which he acknowledged with a wave, and followed Jack into his Ready Room. Jack poured the four of them whiskeys and they sat on the couches. "To the Lions of the Federation!"
John and Calara drank to the toast with chuckles. Jack focused on his son. "What happened, Mateo? I thought for sure you were dead!"
"When the mutiny happened, they didn't even try to flip me. They just tossed me in the brig. We got to Xen-Nuchek, where I got hypnotized by this giant Kintark. Next thing I remember is waking up on the Invictus," Mateo told Jack. "How'd that happen, by the way?"
"As I told you, I'm psychic. If you'll recall Calara telling you back on Jericho, I can rewrite a woman's DNA. I gave Rachel the psychic power to heal. That's how she cured you and all the other miners," John told Mateo.
"Can I ask for an upgrade?" Mateo asked eagerly.
"The Change has some side effects, and I only do it for my crew. Sorry," John denied. Now that he thought about it, if he fed Jade could she feed a man and could he put him through the Change? Odd thought.
"Moving on, those were some brilliant orders you gave us, John, during the battle. Those tactics were something," Jack complimented.
"Actually, that was Calara," John nodded to his Ward.
Jack blinked and looked at a blushing Calara. "Wow. You've surpassed me in every way, Callie."
"Dad, stop," Calara protested, though she was grinning.
John cleared his throat. "Calara, I know Rachel fixed him up, but maybe you should take Mateo to Medical so he can get checked out."
"Real subtle, John. Is this the part where you get alone time with my dad to ask for his blessing?" Calara said teasingly.
"Well play along at least, future Mrs. Blake," John griped.
"Who says I'd have you?" Calara rolled her eyes. "Come on, Mateo, let's find a hot doctor to give you a physical."
Calara and Mateo left the room. John set his shoulders. "Jack, I love your daughter very much–"
"The answer's yes," Jack said with a grin. "Maria warned me this would happen right after the reunion. She's spooky about these things, so I've had a while to get used to the idea. And besides, it's the least I can do for you after you saved my son and the rest of us. You got the ring?"
"Not yet, I was hoping to get the perfect gem from the Trankarans," John said, tension leaking out of him knowing he had Jack's approval to marry Calara.
They chatted for a while, then John went to get Calara. Mateo was indeed being looked over by a hot blonde medic named Emily. She seemed to have a case of hero worship for John, almost fainting when she shook his hand. John led Calara back to the Raptor and Nia detached them. "The injured are loaded onto the Invictus. We'll just sync hyperwarp signatures and go to Port Medea, should only take a couple hours," Nia informed them.
John pulled up the comm interface and called Maria on Jericho. The Fernandez's mother appeared on the vid-screen. "John! Whatever could be the reason for this call?" she said, already beaming.
"How the hell did Jack tell you already?" John chuckled.
"I just hung up on him," Maria explained. "So, did she say yes?"
"I haven't asked yet. I got Jack's blessing, but I still don't have yours," John explained.
"Oh, I see. Well, did you have a speech prepared?" Maria asked.
"Maria, I love your daughter. You know that I love all the women on my crew, but I truly want to raise children with Calara and I would be honored to have her take my name. With your permission, I'd like to ask Calara to marry me. Do I have your blessing?" John asked.
"Of course, John," Maria grinned.
With both her parents okay with it, there was no reason to wait. John got on one knee in front of Calara. "Calara Fernandez, will you marry me?"
"Yes, yes, of course it's yes," she grinned, pulling him up to kiss her.
"Oh, I'm so happy! My baby's getting married! So, any thoughts on the venue?" Maria asked.
"I just got engaged 2 seconds ago, Mom, give me a break!" Calara chuckled.
John and Calara talked wedding details with Maria for a while before John couldn't wait any longer. He ended the call and took Calara to the cabin to celebrate their engagement. He filled her womb after over an hour of lovemaking.
John left Calara warm and sated in the bed, going to the cockpit just as they arrived at Port Medea. "Take us in Nia, just follow the Invictus," John told his AI pilot.
The Invictus landed in a docking bay at Port Medea and the Raptor touched down on a landing pad in the same bay. John walked out the airlock, and saw Alyssa and Sakura approaching. "Going somewhere?" John asked lightly.
"Sakura's hungry, so I figured I'd show her to this fabulous place called Calara's. The desserts are to die for," Alyssa fired right back.
John chuckled and went to the Invictus, seeing Rachel talking with a large group of doctors. From what John could hear, it wasn't going well. "Is there a problem here, Doctor Voss?" John asked, drawing the doctors' attention.
"There's much skepticism that all the injured from the Battle of Regulus are already healed. And then there's the question of whether I'm an airheaded bimbo with no idea what she's talking about," Rachel said with a straight face, her precise accent biting.
"Ladies and gentleman, I'm psychic and I can make other people psychic. Rachel can heal with a thought. All of the patients on the Invictus are in perfect health, I assure you. She's also one of the most intelligent and capable women it's ever been my honor to serve with. Are we clear?"
"Clear, Rear Admiral," the lead doctor nodded.
Unloading all the patients cured by Rachel's powers took a couple hours. When everyone was clear, they moved the Raptor back into the Invictus' Docking Bay and went to the Bridge. Jade got them out of the system and then Alyssa plotted a route to Underworld in the Unclaimed Wastes. Since the Young Matriarchs controlled the territories between Port Medea and the Unclaimed Wastes, Alyssa took a direct route through Maliri space. "12 days," Alyssa announced once she activated the Tachyon Drive.
"The rest of the day is a rest day. Tomorrow, back to training," John declared. "Let's go get drinks."
They went to the Lounge, getting what they wanted from the bar before relaxing on the couches. "John… what happened to Tashana after I got her banished?" Irillith asked.
John sighed, recalling the dark memories. "She was found and raped by a pirate gang, who sold her to an Enshunu pleasure barge at Underworld. She was a sex slave for years, until her master let a sadist carve up her face for 1 credit. After that, he sent her to the pit fights, expecting her to get killed. She refused to die though, getting dozens of wins. Finally, her master whored her to a Drakkar, and that's when she lost it. She unlocked her Pyrokinesis and killed all the Enshunu. She claimed their ship as her own and started working as a smuggler. She wears a mask to cover her face and calls herself Malifica."
Irilith bowed her head, her heart heavy with the knowledge of all the pain she'd put her sister through out of nothing but spite and jealousy. "All that, because I was mad that mother started paying more attention to her stories of Mael'nerak than my hacking."
"You were a different person back then," John said firmly. "You can't undo the past, but you can make amends in the future. You can be the sister she deserves."
They chatted until dinner, Sakura getting a big belly from John's quad. She was already in the Ward body, John having channeled a lot of energy into her over the past couple days. They cleaned up after the meal, and John decided what they needed was a proper orgy. Sakura was fed again hours later before they all passed out, exhausted but sated.
The next 11 days were spent with the usual training and work. John focused almost all his attention on Sakura, teaching her how to fight and helping her get used to the knowledge Shinatobe had left her. Alyssa continued to lead psychic training sessions with Lirrash, Rachel, and Irillith. Dana and Jade worked on making another 20 maintenance bots, 1 for each processing steam between Nia and Obi.
In her down time, Rachel began working on curing 'incurable' diseases, stretching her brain. She was horrified to learn that Rogan's Rot had been developed as a bio-weapon, probably at Tartarus, the Terran black ops site. Alyssa researched finance, wanting to make something of John's money rather than it gathering dust in his account. John began to make visits to the digital realm, bonding with Nia and Obi. Alyssa and Irillith bonded.
On the day they were set to arrive at Underworld, they gathered on the Bridge. "Tashana's bioreader is at Underworld," Nia reported, confirming John's future knowledge.
"We'll arrive in an hour," Obi added.
They got armored in anticipation of having to storm the black market hub. They pulled into the system. Jade frowned when she saw the ancient Achonin refinery. "It looks… familiar. I guess I had a master among the Achonin."
"Those memories are 72 thousand years old, honey, you can be forgiven for not remembering them well," John reassured his Nymph.
John had Lirrash hail Underworld. A pale man answered.
"This is Rear Admiral John Blake on the Invictus. You must be Hades?" John said.
"Yeah, that's me. What brings you out here? You're a hell of a way from the Terran Federation."
John replied in an even tone, "I'm looking for a girl called Tashana, and I know she's somewhere in that station."
"Who's that exactly?" Hades asked him cagily. "If you tell me why you're looking for her, maybe I can help you track her down."
A masked Enshunu stepped into view. "She's the personal property of Vizier Sag'kalyak of the Enshunu Empire! Go back to your Federation, Admiral Blake, you have no jurisdiction here!"
Hades scowled but held up his hands. "Sorry, Rear Admiral, looks like you're out of luck."
"We can do this the easy way or the hard way," John said firmly. "Either you hand over Tashana, or I come in and get her. And I'll kill anyone who gets in my way."
With a contemptuous laugh, Hades replied, "You're hundreds of light years from Federation Space, dickhead! It looks like you forgot to bring a fleet with you!" He had a gloating grin on his face as he continued, "Just fucking try it, and see how long you last!"
"The hard way it is then. See you soon," John said coldly. He ended the hail.
Jade took them in. Calara took out the defensive turrets and then the pirate fleet with contemptuous ease. When every last threat to the Invictus had been dealt with, John stood, sheathing Kyth'vindathys across his back. "Jade, you stay here just in case. Everyone else, into the Raptor."
Nia took them into the docking bay of Underworld, and they stepped out the loading ramp to float to the ground with flight mode. Alyssa focused and launched a psychic pulse, reading the minds of everyone in her range. She made them glow white if innocent… and blood red if guilty. The floor of Underworld became a sea of red.
The Lion and his Lionesses began to fire.
After taking out everyone in sight, they used flight mode to reach the service gantries above them. John left half his girls to pick off the guilty from the high ground, leading the rest towards the command center of Underworld. He used his super strength to break down the vault door, crushing everyone behind it. John and his Wards moved through the command center, shooting all the pirates dead, protected by their Paragon Armor.
They found a white-glowing woman in a gold mask running away. Hades lunged to grab her, and John picked him off with a headshot. Irillith took off her helmet and rushed up to her twin. "Tashana, it's me! It's Irillith! I came to rescue you!"
The masked Maliri froze, Then she ripped off her mask, revealing her ravaged face. "It's all your fault!" she roared, socking Irillith in the mouth. Tashana collapsed to her knees. "It's all her fault," she said to herself, breaking down in tears.