John looked at the Invictus proudly. She gleamed in the light of Albali, Epsilon Aquarii's sun. She was now 750 meters long, clad from stern to bow with icosa-shaped Crystal Alyssium. Dana walked up next to him. "Damn, I'm good," she said proudly.
"Executive summary?" John asked.
"All Pulse Cannons replaced with Tachyon Blasters. All Beam Lasers replaced with Tachyon Lances, with lots of hardpoints added to the bottom deck. 4 Quantum Flux Cannons on the top deck. Nova Lances replaced with Quantum Devastators. Mass Drivers replaced with Singularity Drivers, upgraded with a quantum energy packet. 3 Progenitor Power Cores. A Progenitor Tachyon Drive. A Progenitor Shield Generator. A Stealth Field Emitter. 6 Progenitor Engines with Progenitor retro-thrusters. Fully rewired with Progenitor electronics. All of the above reverse-engineered and improved by yours truly," Dana listed off.
"And all the new rooms?" John asked.
"Training Room, Lagoon, and Observatory on Deck 3. The Command Bridge and Armory are accessible from our bedroom. Primary Hanger and Secondary Hanger to replace the Docking Bay. And Sakura went to town planning all the anti-boarding measures," Dana added.
"Excellent," John grinned. "What are you going to work on next, the Valkyrie?"
"You mean the Ultimate Weapons System Strike Valkyrie Ultra?" Dana corrected.
"No one but you is going to call it that long a name," John rolled his eyes.
They entered the airlock and took the grav-tubes to the Bridge, where John's Lionesses were waiting. "Lirrash, have you made contact with the High Council?" John asked.
"Drakkar with Onyxium armor are making raids on the border. But the border world Councilors are skeptical that a full-blown invasion is imminent and are refusing to recall the border fleets," the Ashanath answered.
"Damn," John sighed. "Well, we'll just have to make due. Alyssa, you ready to generate the first hyperwake bow wave?"
"I'm itching for it," Alyssa grinned. "Nia and Obi confirmed it, 20-shaped Crystal Alyssium can survive the gravitic forces. We already doubled our speed by getting a Progenitor Tachyon Drive. This will halve our travel times. We're about to be the fastest ship in the galaxy."
"Well, let's give Jade a chance to test the Progenitor Engine tech first," John said.
Jade took them out from Genthalas at port speed. Once she was clear of the regulated space, she opened up the throttle. Even with 2 Null-Inertia Gyroscopes, John still felt a bit of acceleration as the Invictus tore across the system map. "We have a lot less mass than a Progenitor Dreadnought. We're the fastest ship in the galaxy in AND out of hyperwarp," Jade grinned, even as she led the Invictus through some impressive maneuvers.
When Jade had her fun, they left the gravity well. Alyssa plotted their course, entering a couple gravity wells at the beginning to slingshot them around the stars to get the speed to generate the hyperwake bow wave. She activated the Tachyon Drive and they were off. The crew tensed as they experienced a shipquake as they practically surfed around the whirlpool that was a star's gravity well. After the second shipquake, their speed inexplicably doubled. "Behold!" Alyssa shouted excitedly.
"Nia, Obi, keep at least 1 self watching the long-range scanners at all times. We don't want to run into anything, the bow wave would smash it to smithereens," John warned.
"Got it," Obi nodded.
Nia looked up at him. "John… permission to upgrade the maintenance bots and cleaning robots to full AI?"
John grinned. "Dana's projects get priority, but you can have the Mass Fabricators start making Progenitor drives for them. Any idea what we're going to name them all?"
"We'll name the maintenance bots after the ancient Greek alphabet, Alpha through Zeta. The cleaning robots can be named after French numbers," Nia decided.
"Once I'm done with the Valkyrie, I'll work on making new chassis for the cleaning robots. A dozen flirty French maids, coming right up!" Dana chuckled.
"You think you've got your hands full with the Council of Matriarchs? Nia's about to have 36 newborns demanding her attention!" Irillith pointed out.
"I'll be happy to help babysit," Obi spoke up, eager to help his digital sister.
"How long until we're at Ashana?" John asked.
"A day and a half," Alyssa said proudly.
"Tashana, did you get all the data cubes from your digs?" John asked.
"Yes, we were waiting for the trip to watch them!" Tashana said eagerly.
"I prepared a holo-suite on Deck 3. Let's enjoy the videos there," Dana said.
They went to Deck 3 into the prepared room. John already remembered watching them from his first life, but he enjoyed seeing the girl's reactions as they got a glimpse into Mael'nerak and Valada's relationship and the War of the Heavens against Rahn'hagon. They ended with the video where Mael'nerak cut his connection to Valada and walked away, the wailing woman not seeing Mael'nerak's own tears. "That's so sad. I know he did it to protect her and their daughters, but still. She never recovered from him leaving her, and he let her believe he didn't love her," Rachel sighed.
"He had to stop her from chasing after him. He didn't tell her he was planning to commit suicide at Zeta Pegasus," John reasoned.
"Imagine if Rahn'hagon had died with him. John would never have been born," Calara mused.
"Don't, it hurts just to think about it," Jade shuddered.
"Let's test out the Lagoon," John suggested.
They went to the indoor pool and artificial beach. They happily skinny dipped all afternoon, enjoying the water and each other. At dinner, John had Jade feed everyone for dessert. And then John spent the night making up for a month of focusing on the Maliri, driving each Lioness to at least one orgasm, ending with Jade. "Keep it all, for being so generous over the last month. You didn't steal a drop," John praised his Nymph.
They all went to sleep. In the morning, they had breakfast and then John ordered "Psychic training in the Secondary Hangar. Until we can fill it with a Ward Destroyer, it's just empty space. Calara, Sakura, with me to the Training Room. Alyssa, make the parts for the Valkyrie for Dana and Jade then help them put them together. Nia, Obi, do what you want when you're not helping one of us."
"Yes, John," his loyal crew chimed.
John, Calara, and Sakura tested out the Training Room, enjoying the holographic display of Mount Daisen from Terra before John took turns sparring against both. John even took a break to watch his two Wards spar each other. Alyssa teased him telepathically about enjoying a good catfight.
They had lunch, Nia and Obi joining by floating at the other end of the table to John. During the refit, Dana had the Maliri install holo-projectors in every room so the AIs could join them no matter where on the ship they were. They were halfway through the meal when Nia and Obi jumped. "Holy shit! We just crossed the Terran border and got millions of emails. Literally!" Nia gasped.
"We'll go through them all," Obi promised.
"Prioritize messages from people we already know. The Invictus' comm code must have gone public, and most of that will be random fan or hate mail," John ordered. After the meal, John went up to his Ready Room. He pulled up the comm interface and called Charles.
"John! Where the hell have you been?! You just vanished after the Battle of Regulus!" his friend asked in a rush once the call came through.
"Hello to you too, Charles. I had business with the Maliri. I had to run an errand in the Unclaimed Wastes and then we spent weeks on a major refit for the Invictus at the Maliri primary shipyard. And I'm on my way to the Ashanath Collective right now to pull their ass out of the fire, I can't stop by Olympus for a few days yet," John said.
"The Fleet Admiral has been breathing down my neck asking where you are, waiting for you to give me all the tech you promised," Charles said apologetically, explaining his earlier frustration.
"Sorry about that, I didn't mention that I wouldn't be coming back to Olympus for over a month. How many of those emails polluting my inbox are from you?" John asked.
"A fair few," Charles admitted. "So, what's so urgent you need to get to Ashanath space?"
*Did Dana encrypt the communications array with Progenitor code?* John asked Alyssa.
*She's insulted you even have to ask,* Alyssa responded.
"Larn'kelnar rallied the whole of the Drakkar under a Grand Overlord. The Drakkar are about to lead an invasion fleet straight for Ashana," John answered the Vice Admiral.
Charles' eyes widened. "Holy shit! How many ships?"
"We estimate over 400 Drakkar ships from Destroyer to Dreadnought, and about half have been upgraded with an armor that's very resistant to lasers, which you know the Ashanath are dependent on. If the Invictus doesn't step in, they're doomed," John answered.
"I don't care how big this refit was, John, there's no way 1 ship can make a difference in a battle that big," Charles shook his head.
"We upgraded the Invictus with Progenitor-grade weaponry, Charles. The Invictus is a fleet killer now. The Drakkar are doomed," John said confidently.
"I hope you're right. So, you're headed to Olympus after you save the Ashanath?" Charles asked.
"Right. We'll get there a few days before this award ceremony Lynette has planned. How is she, by the way?" John asked.
"What makes you think I'd know?" Charles asked, his eyes getting a little shifty.
"The hickey on your neck had to come from somewhere, and I know she had a crush on you. Call it a hunch," John chuckled. Actually, Alyssa had sensed Lynette falling in love while they were gone, which meant she'd imprinted on a man. John had just assumed it would be Charles like his first life, and the moment he saw Charles he knew.
Charles covered the love bite barely sticking out of his collar, blushing up a storm. "She's, er, doing real good. We're actually engaged."
John blinked. "Congratulations! That was fast."
"When you know, you know," Charles said, getting a dopey grin. "She's amazing, John. I've never felt this way about a woman, not even my ex-wife."
"I'm happy for you both," John said sincerely. "I'm about to call her, actually. How much did you drop on the ring?"
"You can't miss it, let's leave it at that," Charles chuckled. "Good luck, John. You're going to need it."
John ended the call and contacted Lynette. She answered quickly, her face lighting up. "John! So good to hear from you!"
"I just hung up on Charles. Congrats on the engagement!" John wished his Ward.
Lynette grinned, looking fondly at her 3-carat diamond ring. "Charles is an amazing man. You warned me to pick carefully, and I can't imagine a better husband. No offense."
"None taken," John chuckled. "So, enjoying all those youthful hormones?"
"He can barely keep up with me, he's started going to the gym and dieting and everything," Lynette said with a blush.
"How's the lay of the land in High Command?" John asked.
Lynette frowned. "Is this line secure?"
"It's encrypted with Progenitor code. The best hackers on Mars could spend the rest of their lives trying and not manage to access this feed," John said with confidence.
"Buckingham is getting nervous at how popular the Lion is getting, and the fact you vanished after promising your tech didn't help. I'm not sure if the award ceremony I scheduled for the Battles of Terra and Regulus will help or hinder your cause," Lynette revealed.
John sighed. "To a megalomaniac, any potential threat IS a threat. He'll convince himself I'm set to lead a coup and take his office… or so he did in my first life."
Lynette frowned. "Alyssa told me, but you're really from the future?"
"I won the Progenitor War, but I lost too many people I loved. So here I am, trying to undo all my mistakes," John said grimly.
"How did you deal with Buckingham in your first life?" Lynette asked.
"I didn't have to. Emperor Baledranax killed him when the Kintark invaded, right before I killed Baledranax," John said without thinking.
Lynette's eyes almost popped out of her head. "The Kintark invade?!"
John winced. "Oh, I didn't warn you about that. Um, yeah. In a matter of weeks. Baledranax will strip his border fleets and replace them with civilian ships with hacked transponders to fool the patrols of the other empires. Then he'll throw everything into an assault on the Terran Federation, his whole fleet equipped with Brimorian Shields. Port Medea is lost with all hands, and the defensive fleet around Terra takes a real hammering before the Invictus gets there."
"My God…" Lynette gasped. "Is there any way to stop it?"
"Sadly, no, or at least none that I can think of. Not unless you can lead a coup and get the entire Terran Federation Navy to Iota Leonis in time to repel the invasion," John sighed.
"What can I do?" Lynette asked.
John considered it. "After the award ceremony, pretend to have a change of heart, be convinced I've grown beyond your control. Get into Buckingham's inner circle, even when it involves plotting how to ruin me. Don't make any moves to warn me, in my first life you tried and Buckingham had you shot for treason. And during the invasion, do your best to keep everyone but Weber alive."
"What do you have against Weber? Not that I blame you, but that sounds dark for you," Lynette wondered.
"He runs Tartarus, Buckingham's black ops site. He's done things you can't imagine, he's a total xenophobe. Plus he's a coward, in my first life his battlegroup hung at the back and let others die so he could live. He could have saved Mishra and he left her out to dry," John frowned.
"Ah," Lynette said with an expression of distaste. "Sounds like a plan. You'll make it in time for the award ceremony?"
"With time to spare," John promised.
"See you then, John," Lynette said, before ending the call.
John called Lauren next. "John! You caught me on my lunch break," Lauren grinned. "You've gotten real popular since you saved Terra and half the Navy in the same week."
"Still convinced our lives are too dangerous for you?" John asked jokingly.
"Now more than ever," Lauren chuckled. "Anyway, I've been seeing someone."
"Really? What's his name, I'll have Irillith run a background check and bankrupt him if he breaks your heart," John said semi-seriously.
"He's named Keith, and he's real sweet. He's perfectly fine with waiting until I'm ready to commit to forever. And I'm, like, 90% sure he's not getting any on the side," Lauren said with a fond smile.
"How'd you meet?" John asked.
"He works for a Mercenary Company, came in to order some new gear and I showed him around. He lives on Gravitus so it's not that hard to see each other," Lauren answered.
*Keith Dunn, 27, got over a million in the bank, no priors, tame Holonet history. An uptick in interest in hot blondes firing guns, and his favorite porn is facials,* Alyssa informed him, Irillith had been working in the background.
John nodded, satisfied that this guy was a decent human being. "Well, I hope you're happy together. Maybe take him to a firing range as a date idea."
"Why would… you already ran that damn background check, haven't you?" Lauren sighed with exasperation.
"You're my Ward, it's my job to look out for you," John grinned.
"Sure. Maybe next time you're at Olympus, I'll introduce you to him. He's a big fan," Lauren fired back, clearly hoping he wouldn't enjoy dealing with a fanboy.
"I'd be happy to," John nodded, thwarting her plan. "Anyway, I'll leave you to your lunch. Take care, Lauren."
"Bye, John." Lauren ended the call.
John called the half dozen women he saved from Underworld. All of them had managed to find their way home from Genkiri, probably helped by the million credits John had given each of them. They were all happy, and John told them to call him if they were ever in trouble. That done, he went to the Primary Hangar to help with constructing the Valkyrie.
They had dinner around 1800, John feeding everyone dessert, and then they went to the Bridge. Nia and Obi gave a report on all the emails, including an offer from the Oceanus Company for a complimentary 2-month vacation. "Hello, wedding venue," Calara grinned. They talked and bonded like the family they were until they arrived at Ashana. They pulled close to the Ashanath homeworld and John had Lirrash hail Ularean.
"JohnBlake," Ularean nodded when he appeared on the vid-screen. "Your arrival is most welcome, only how did you arrive so quickly? I was under the impression you were coming from the heart of Maliri space."
"We have a Progenitor Tachyon Drive now, and my navigator is a genius who developed a novel way to double our speed. We're here and ready to help fight off the Drakkar," John said clearly.
"About that… you are quite certain they will launch a full invasion for Ashana?" Ularean asked.
John considered what he could say to convince the man. "I have two AIs. They ran game theory based on the data we got. It's the most likely outcome given their behavior during the border raids and what we know about Larn'kelnar and how he operates."
Ularean gave a slow blink. "I will again entreat the reluctant Councilors to consider recalling the border fleet. Is there anything else the Collective can do for you, JohnBlake?"
"I don't suppose you have any Onyxium on hand?" John asked.
"We provided all that was on Ashana when you last came. Though we actually consolidated all our reserves throughout the Collective since. It amounts to only 3 tons, but we will gladly gift it to you," Ularean said through his mind-translator.
"Good, we'll send the Raptor to collect it," John nodded.
"If that is all, I will bid you farewell, JohnBlake," Ularean bowed before ending the call.
Nia loaded a couple of the maintenance bots into the Raptor and sent them down to Ashana to collect the Onyxium. They returned shortly, and the crew went to the Lounge to enjoy drinks before bed.
Nia woke them at 0500 with an alarm. "We're being hailed by Ularean," she informed them.
"On screen," John said, waking up quickly.
The visibly trembling Senior Councilor appeared on the vid-screen. He didn't even comment that John and his Lionesses were nude in bed. "Y-y-your prediction proved true, JohnBlake. The Drakkar are invading!"
"How many?" Calara asked.
"ALL OF THEM!" Ularean shouted, even his mind-translator sounding panicked out of his mind.
"Calm down and send the data from the border, Ularean," John ordered firmly.
The screen split, showing a map of the border and what the sensor web the Ashanath had detected. Calara absorbed it in seconds. "Over 400, over 50 of them capital ships, and about half with Onyxium armor."
"We are doomed!" Ularean shouted.
"No, you're not. You have us, and the Legacy. Calara will come up with a plan to slow the Drakkar down while you ready the homeworld defense fleet. The Drakkar are going to lose, Ularean. You have my personal guarantee," John said calmingly.
Ularean stopped shaking. "If we survive, the Ashanath will be your most loyal allies until your death, JohnBlake."
"I'm immortal," John pointed out.
"Exactly," Ularean nodded.
They ended the call and got dressed. Calara commandeered John's Ready Room to make her plans, and the rest of the crew and all 24 maintenance bots focused on the Valkyrie. Calara had the Ashanath lay a minefield in the Drakkar's path, slowing the invasion fleet with suicidal ships armed with Gravity Well Generators. A few hours later, they got confirmation that the minefield had been tripped. "Almost half the ships taken out, but mostly unarmored Destroyers and Cruisers. All the capital ships and the Onyxium-clad Cruisers are still inbound," Calara reported.
"Start crafting tactics for the Battle of Ashana, factoring in the Invictus, Raptor, Valkyrie, and Legacy. You can coordinate in real-time through Lirrash and the Ashanath sub-plane. When will they get here?" John asked.
"This evening, around 1900," Calara calculated.
"Will we be done by then?" John asked Dana.
"We should finish up by 1630 at the rate we're going. Plenty of time for a test flight," his Chief Engineer confirmed.
They only took a brief break for lunch, and continued working on the Valkyrie. A little ahead of schedule, the UWS-001 Strike Valkyrie Ultra was complete. "I'd love to take her out for a spin, but Sakura is the clear choice," Dana sighed.
"Why, because I'm Japanese and it's a giant mech?" Sakura griped playfully.
"Because you're a freaking ninja," Dana fired back.
Sakura got in the Valkyrie's head and took it for a quick flight around the Ashana system, testing the weapons on an already mined asteroid belt. The Tachyon Lances on the shoulders and the Quantum Gatling on the right arm worked perfectly, and when Sakura used Cryokinesis to cool the weapon barrels she could fire continuously. She also tested out the giant sword sheathed across the Valkyrie's back. She returned to the Primary Hangar and got out with a broad grin.
As the Drakkar drew near, Calara had them and the Ashanath get into position. The Legacy, leaving Ashana for the first time since it was first brought to the planet 9 thousand years ago, got into position, its lone Quantum Flux Cannon fully charged. Jade was in the Raptor, Alyssa piloting the Invictus, and Sakura was in the Valkyrie. They were on the Command Bridge, ready to get armored up at a moment's notice if needed. Lirrash had her eyes half closed, splitting focus between staying in the Ashanath sub-plane and in the real world to hear Calara's orders.
"John… Larn'kelnar is here," Obi warned, highlighting the part of the system map where the wormhole was disgorging the rival Progenitor's Dreadnought.
"He didn't interfere in my first life, he has no reason to now," John reasoned.
The Drakkar arrived, and the Battle of Ashana commenced.
Half an hour later, the Drakkar offered up their surrender. The Invictus had torn through the capital ships like a plasma knife through butter, the Raptor and Valkyrie took out Cruisers and Destroyers, the Ashanath fleet dealt with the unarmored Drakkar with Calara's preternatural tactics, and the Legacy had destroyed the Drakkar Dreadnought with one shot. The surrender came from the most senior Drakkar Warboss after most of the Overlords and Grand Overlord had been killed, at over 90% losses counting the ships lost at the minefield. What few dropships had launched for the Drakkar's infamous boarding actions were recalled.
"Lirrash? Try hailing him," John said.
Lirrash sent a blanket hail request at the region of space the Progenitor Dreadnought was in. After making them stew in tension for a minute, Larn'kelnar answered. "Hello, John," grinned the Soul Reaver.
"Your Standard is excellent," John complimented. "I don't suppose I could convince you to a ceasefire? I'm perfectly happy to share the space under the Shroud if you agree to play nice. You can settle down on your own planet in Maliri space for all I care."
Larn'kelnar blinked. John noticed that his Matriarch, Ailanthia, still had black hair. So Larn'kelnar hadn't managed to fall in love with her yet. "Are you serious?"
"I only kill when I have to. There's actually a free Eden-class planet just waiting for you. There's an indigenous race of funganoids under a volcano, but you'd probably have fun wiping them out," John offered.
Larn'kelnar burst out laughing. "Damn, but you're funny, John. And why would I agree when I can just kill you and take that planet for my own anyway?"
"You only fought the other Progenitors because Xar'aziuth forced you to. Now that you're free, in your heart of hearts, do you really want to fight when I'm offering you a peaceful solution?" John asked. He had little to no hope that Larn'kelnar would accept, but he had to try.
Larn'kelnar, for a moment, seemed to consider it. Then he got a cruel grin. He pulled up a holographic map of the Galactic League, each empire marked by a chess piece. He knocked over the Drakkar. "I'll come back for the Ashanath. Can't wait to see your next counter-move. Kill you later, John." The hail ended. A wormhole swallowed up the Dreadnought.
John sighed. "Well, he let us live again. Count your blessings. Lirrash, hail Ularean."
The High Council as a whole appeared on the vid-screen, on the bridge of the Legacy. "We are victorious, JohnBlake, with fewer losses than any of us dared to hope. CalaraBlake is a fearsome tactician," Ularean complimented.
"Land the Legacy and get out of there, the psychic imprints must be horrible. I'd like to meet you in the Council chamber tomorrow morning. Shall we say 0900?" John asked.
"We will be ready, JohnBlake. You are truly our Champion, and we are eternally grateful." Ularean and the rest of the High Council bowed before ending the call.
Jade and Sakura landed in the Primary Hangar and they all went to the Lounge for a late dinner. John had preloaded everyone before the Battle, but it was divided so much that the girls were ready to eat again, and John was starving. When the last bite was had, Lirrash went to John's seat, laid across his lap, and kissed him with everything she had. "You saved my species' homeworld. I'm going to take you until you beg for mercy twice."
"I never beg," John fired back.
"Twice."
The rest of the girls ended up eating a nightcap out of Lirrash's womb.
After breakfast the next day, John and his Lionesses took the Raptor down to the Ashanath capital city. They were met at the landing pad by Talari. *Greetings, JohnBlake. Your goddesses are as bewitching to behold as last time,* the High Councilor complimented.
*Thank you, Talari,* John nodded. They went to the High Council chamber, where Talari took his seat. John addressed the 9 Ashanath that ruled the Collective. "Greetings. I speak to you today not as Rear Admiral John Blake, but as King Baen'thelas of the Maliri."
Ularean blinked. "You have claimed the Maliri already?"
"Yes, every Noble House Matriarch is now my Ward. I was elected after a unanimous vote. I now rule the Maliri Kingdom," John confirmed.
"Congratulations on your coronation, King BaenThelas. From one chief executive to another, how can I help you?" Ularean asked.
"The question is how can I help you. I'd like to offer a treaty with the Maliri Kingdom, including a mutual aid agreement. Whether you agree or not, I intend for Dana to reverse-engineer your Psy-Shapers so that even your weakest engineer can penta-shape Etherium," John said with a friendly grin.
Ularean's jaw dropped. "That… that is most generous, JohnBlake. We shall have to call a vote when we receive the formal written treaty, but I can state with confidence that we will sign."
"Wonderful. You should know, part of the treaty will include the free gift of Maliri Laser technology. Your Navy is about to go from the least fearsome in the Galactic League to one of the most. Now, let's discuss what to do with the Drakkar survivors from the Battle of Ashana and the minefield," John said.
Ularean looked like he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "What would you suggest, JohnBlake?"
"My Ward, Tashana Valaden, was a smuggler before she joined me. She had a Drakkar on her crew. As long as he was kept regularly fed, he was loyal. Keep them intimidated with the threat of death and offer a steady supply of meat, and you just might have found your new Marine corps," John suggested.
John saw golden threads link the heads of the High Council. "It will require heavy investment in animal husbandry and importing, but the idea has merit. The swamp planets in the Collective are largely uninhabited anyway, the humidity is too much for most Ashanath to bear. After we recover from the battle, we will take the Drakkar as prisoners of war and make them this offer to serve in our military," Ularean finally said.
"Good. You can call me whenever I'm in the Ashanath Collective, the Terran Federation, or the Maliri Kingdom, or you can contact Lirrash through the sub-plane. Before I leave, there's one more thing I'd like to ask, a favor if you will."
"Whatever it is, we will do it," Ularean agreed preemptively.
"Send scouts to the Unclaimed Wastes and try to find the source of the Shroud. If we find whatever it is, we can recreate it. I'd like to build copies in the empires of every Progenitor I defeat. That way, the whole galaxy will eventually be safe from Xar'aziuth," John requested.
"It will take time to survey every planet in every system in the Unclaimed Wastes, and our psionicists' guesses to its origin there are just that, guesses. For all we know, whatever powers the psychic field could be in the Enshunu Empire, and therefore beyond our reach," Ularean told John.
"Do the Ashanath happen to know who rules the Enshunu, I never learned much about them," John asked.
"The Ashanath made brief attempts to form a treaty with them, but their sadism and dependence on slavery proved too intolerable for us to agree to any real alliance. The Enshunu Empire is ruled by the Cabal of Patriarchs, a group of 8 all-male hereditary seats," Ularean informed them.
"8, that was an important number to the Achonin. Maybe they're the remnants that survived Mael'nerak's invasion, maybe they're just a minor empire that found the Achonin's scraps. I'll have my Queen, Edraele Valaden, make contact with them, see what she can find out. Anyway, that's it. I'm needed in Terran space, so we'll be leaving now. Dana will get the schematics to you as soon as possible," John said.
"Thank you for everything again, JohnBlake," Ularean bowed.
The crew returned to the Invictus and Alyssa had them in hyperwarp for Alpha Centauri.