The evacuation of Port Medea was almost done, but the Kintark didn't care. They arrived at Iota Leonis just as the last ships were being loaded with personnel. The Invictus leapt out of hiding, charging into the heart of the Kintark and beginning to fire their Progenitor-grade weapons. Jade turned them on a dime and stopped them on a penny to avoid running into any of the Kintark vessels. Calara fired like a woman possessed, while Irillith slaved 4 Battleships at once to wreak havoc from within the Kintark's forces.
But the Invictus was one ship, however advanced, against hundreds. They took out a fifth of the Kintark forces, but Port Medea and all the orbital refineries were destroyed. The transports managed to escape, and the second the last went into hyperwarp, Jade turned them to retreat. They fled towards Alpha Centauri, their shield strength in the single digits. "That was exciting," John said deadpan as they caught their breath after the fierce fighting.
"Remind me why we charged right into the thick of it instead of picking them off at a distance with the Quantum Devastators and Singularity Drivers?" Alyssa said primly to her lesbian lover.
"We had to be a big distraction so the ships should escape," Calara reminded the blonde.
"Ah, right."
Helene had wide eyes. "How… how many of the bad men did you kill?"
The crew winced. John sighed. "The Kintark aren't 'bad', Helene. They're just trying to kill the Terrans, and I can't let that happen. Ask yourself, do you really want to know?"
Helene nodded shakily.
"Nia, estimated number of deaths from all the ships we took out," John said grimly.
The number appeared on the vid-screen. Helene made a small noise of disbelief.
"This is what I meant earlier, Helene," John told her. "My crew and I, we're used to this. And that's kind of sad. I want you to stay pure, untouched by the violence, so we never lose perspective."
Helene took a deep breath. "I understand now, John, or at least I'm starting to."
"We'll be at Olympus in 6 hours. Time to refit all the lasers with Eternity Crystals and we should probably give the armor plates a few reshapings," Alyssa told them.
"Alpha through Zeta are ready to help out, they've been getting bored," Obi spoke up.
"Slumber parties watching old Terran movies getting old?" Irillith chuckling.
"Their prime directive is to work on the ship, that's what they'll be happiest doing," Nia explained.
"I think I'll go talk to them, and Un through Douze. Got to get to know my crewmates," John grinned. John got comfortable and Spirit-Walked into the Invictus' digital realm. He spent a few hours talking to all the robots, who regarded him as a sort of father figure he sensed behind the near worshipful respect.
They arrived at Olympus in the afternoon, and were let into Docking Bay 1, usually reserved for the flagship. They landed, and John decided that he didn't care if the cameras caught them doing what they were going to do because the fact they were psychic was public record. The crew, along with Alpha through Zeta, each grabbed a box of Eternity Crystals and went to replace the focusing crystals for each laser and Quantum weapon. John rolled up his sleeves and pulled all the Crystal Alyssium off the Battlecruiser in one go, forming a massive sphere. He pushed it to 24-shaped before automating making armor plates. Dana, wanting to test her psychic chops, worked on enchanting each one.
By 1900, their refit was done, and the Invictus would hit harder and take more punishment than ever. They went to get showered and go to the Lounge, only to find the cleaning robots had prepared dinner for them. John thanked the coterie of maids, who giggled coquettishly and said it was no trouble in a variety of accents they'd picked up from watching Terran media. They ate the tasty meal and relaxed with drinks.
"How long until the Kintark reach Terra?" Rachel asked.
"3 days," Alyssa calculated. "Well, 2 and a half now."
John finished his whiskey and sighed. "Well, girls, I'm afraid the day's not over yet. With Buckingham arrested, Weber might panic and try to ice Tartarus. We need to go rescue Jehanna and the Nymphs before they're moved to a new location."
"Lynette's been keeping tabs on Weber, he hasn't left the Citadel," Alyssa informed them as they got up to go to the Bridge.
"Still could have sent orders," Tashana pointed out.
They got to the Bridge and on a course for Sol. They arrived within the hour, and went straight for the ruins of Ganymede around Jupiter. John and the girls got armored and armed, and John had Lirrash hail the secret facility.
"Yes?" asked a frightened looking tech.
"This is Vice Admiral John Blake, prepare to be boarded and all personnel of the black lab Tartarus to be arrested. Failure to comply or resistance will be met with deadly force. Am I understood?" John asked coldly.
"U-understood," the tech said, clearly rueing the day he'd agreed to work there.
They took the Raptor into the docking bay and Irillith hacked every door that got in their way. The guards and scientists all kept their hands in the air when faced with the Lions of the Federation with big guns. John had his crew escort all the staff back to the Raptor and Nia start ferrying them to the Invictus, where they'd be led to the Brig that had replaced the Gym.
Jade tilted her head when they neared the holding cells. "My sisters are near," she said, barely restraining herself from running off to get them.
They entered Tartarus' prison, 5 of the cells currently occupied. Irillith opened each door, and Jade rushed to go meet her fellow Nymphs. John went into the cell holding Jehanna, who was waiting patiently for him. "Alyssa told me you were coming," she said by way of explanation at her nonchalance at being rescued.
John pulled his Ward into a hug. "I'm so sorry you got kidnapped."
"None of that now. It's not your fault Buckingham's a total psycho. Besides, all they did was take away food and water. I know JUST how you can fix that," Jehanna grinned.
John blinked. "You changed your mind? Why? I hope it's not just because you got captured."
"So what if it is?" Jehanna asked. "I never want to feel that helpless ever again. Besides, I really missed you, and I didn't even imprint on you so that's my genuine feelings in case you're worried about that too. Avery will understand if I want to quit after getting kidnapped on the job, and I'll make my parents understand why I want to be a Lioness."
"If you're sure. But I'm about to become master to 4 more Nymphs at once, so I'm afraid you'll be on a bit of a staggered feeding schedule," John warned.
"It's okay, I'll be patient," Jehanna grinned.
Alyssa came in and wrapped an arm around Jehanna. "Let's get you to the Invictus. You need food, water, and a shower, John's going to be busy for hours dealing with this cluster."
John walked out of Jehanna's cell to see Jade waiting with 4 Nymphs, who had transformed back into their natural forms. Jade beamed and pointed. "John, these are Neysa, Leylira, Betrixa, and Marika."
"Are you this one's new master?" each Nymph asked in unison.
John walked up to each Nymph and told her "Yes, I am your master," individually, whereupon she'd shimmer into the form John had picked for them in his first life. Neysa resembled a ginger tabby, Leylira a tiger, Betrixa a blue panther, and Marika a silver cat. All of them in the Ward build like Jade, with cat ears and tails.
"Will you use this one now, Master?" they asked in unison, bound by genetic programming to imprint on their new master with sex.
John got out of his armor and fed Jade, and she fed each of her sisters a pint through her fingers. The Nymphs all moaned at the taste. John restructured his network, making Jade a Matriarch, and added the 4 Nymphs under her. John felt an intoxicating surge of power as he got 4 potent psychics who were utterly besotted with him added to his network.
Jade was purring. *It's so nice to hear your thoughts, Master. I've longed for this day.*
*Take your sisters back to the Invictus, keep them out of trouble,* John ordered. He began to focus his energy into the new Nymphs, strengthening their bodies, minds, and powers as he'd done for Jade. Their bellies began to emit concentric rings of light like Jade's did when he upgraded her. Jade led her sisters back towards the Invictus, while John got back in his armor and went to help in cleaning out Tartarus.
It took a couple hours to sweep each floor of the lab. John and his girls ended up mercy-killing the experiments, twisted and made crazy by the science devoid of ethics that took place at Tartarus. When all the personnel were transported to the Brig, he had Irillith copy all the data to the Invictus. "What do you want to do with all this?" Irillith asked.
"Post it to the Holonet, make it public. Let the whole Terran Federation know what Buckingham and Weber did," John said, somewhat vindictively.
John got to the Lounge, where Alyssa and Jehanna were bonding. John gave Jehanna a hug and kiss. "Ready for your last interview?"
"I'm not even made up," Jehanna blushed.
"You just got rescued by the Lion from a government prison, you'll look natural and vulnerable, the public will eat it up," Alyssa assured her.
Alyssa took out a recording device, probably made by Dana or Nia and the maintenance bots, and got John and Jehanna sitting on the couch facing each other. She gave a 5-count and started recording.
"This is Jehanna Elani of TFNN. Yes, I'm alive," she grinned with a self-conscious shrug. "I was kidnapped by black ops forces and taken to an illegal lab named Tartarus, found in the ruins of the moon Ganymede. I was kept in isolation and starved, and I can only imagine what vile tortures and interrogations were planned for me. Luckily, I have a very powerful and protective friend." She turned to John.
"This is Vice Admiral John Blake. Ever since Jehanna was kidnapped, I've had my crew looking into what could have happened to her, even while we were busy with other duties around the galaxy. After Fleet Admiral Buckingham was arrested this morning for attempted murder of an Admiral when she called for a vote of no confidence, I had Irillith look into his affairs. We found clues that led us to Tartarus, Buckingham's personal black ops site. What we found there turned my stomach. Test subjects of bioweapons, alien species turned into slaved cyborgs, it was evil, plain and simple. I have taken all the staff into custody, where they will be transferred to the Citadel to await justice."
"Did Buckingham run Tartarus personally, John?" Jehanna asked.
"No, he had a lieutenant, another Admiral who ran it in his stead," John replied.
"And who was this villain who did Buckingham's dirty work? Who ordered my kidnapping?" Jehanna asked.
"Admiral Carl Weber." John named, damning the man.
*Lynette already had him arrested, he won't get away,* Alyssa added across their telepathic link.
"I only hope he gets the maximum penalty for all his crimes," Jehanna said. "Now, not to end on a sad note, but this will be my last broadcast. I've decided that the life of a reporter is not for me. Fortunately, I have a new job all lined up." She turned to grin at John. "I will no longer be Lead Anchor for Terran Federation Network News. Instead, I will be a Lioness, part of the Lion's brave and loyal crew."
"We're happy to have you, Jehanna," John grinned.
"And cut," Alyssa said, ending the recording. "We'll get this to Avery, you two have something more important to do."
Jehanna got on her knees in front of John, smiling up at him.
John fed her her second dose, knocking her out for 4 hours. He carried her to the bedroom, tucking her in. It was late, and most of the girls were getting ready for sleep themselves. Jade came in, leading the Nymphs. *I was teaching them how to swim,* she told John, her thoughts bubbly and happy at getting to spend time with her sisters after 300 years apart.
John went to bed and woke up in his sub-plane. He'd been constructing a hexagonal castle. He'd focused largely on the walls and battlements, to repel the Fallen Progenitors if they ever found this place. Tonight, though, he worked on the Throne Room, specifically on crafting portraits of all his Wards to hang on the walls.
John woke naturally, which was a surprise. He'd expected to be shaken awake by Jehanna when she woke up. Instead, he found himself alone with Jade and the Nymphs, who were waiting patiently for him to awaken.
*Alyssa took Jehanna and is showing her around the ship,* Jade informed John. *I thought that, since you have about 4 loads in you per day, we could focus on my sisters today.*
*An excellent idea,* John grinned. "Neysa, come here please." The ginger catgirl came up to him, grinning vacantly. John took her to bed, made love to her, and fed her at the end. She moaned, rubbing her belly as it expanded. John pulled out and began to funnel energy into the Nymph, making her start to glow.
John got dressed and went to the Lounge, where breakfast was already underway. "Sorry I'm late," he said.
"You were busy welcoming Neysa to the crew, no big deal," Alyssa shrugged.
John bit into his French toast and ham. "So, what's the fallout from the interview?"
"Interim Fleet Admiral Maybridge called a press conference, revealing what happened to Buckingham and the fact that the Kintark have invaded and destroyed Port Medea. She threw in that the Lion gave advance warning and the port was evacuated to turn it into good news. And then she sort of slipped the interview in at the end," Nia reported.
"I've been added to the poll of 'most popular Lioness'," Jehanna blushed.
"Out of morbid curiosity, who's least popular?" John asked.
"Me. Apparently 'Grays are weird'," Lirrash pouted.
"I think you're beautiful, honey," John comforted her.
They finished breakfast, and then John took the Nymphs to the Lagoon. He had fun with Jade teaching the 4 new catgirls how to swim. He took Leylira and fed her lunch after fucking her. John went to get his own meal, chatting with his crew. He went to the Training Room with the Nymphs, remembering Calara had taught Jade martial arts, and Jade's sisters watched as John and Jade sparred. John had Betrixa before dinner and relaxed in the Lounge with drinks. And finally, he had sex with Marika at the end of the night, feeding her a big load at the end.
While John was busy with the Nymphs, his crew had done their own work. Lynette had convinced Admiral Maybridge to allow Calara to plan the defense of Terra and Olympus. Calara spent the whole day working out tactics on how to use the Terran and Maliri fleets to rip the Kintark to pieces. Dana led the refit of the Raptor and Valkyrie with Eternity Crystals, Alyssa shaping the armors. Irillith, Nia, and Obi put their heads together and wrote software that would cripple any Kintark computer, leaving the ships dead in the water so to speak.
The day before the invasion, John woke up, had breakfast, and fed Jehanna. When the Indian Ward's belly was full, he held her close. "Ready to become psychic?"
"Hit me with it," Jehana grinned.
John reached into Jehanna's DNA and imbued the Shadow rune, giving her the power of illusions and the ability to create solid shadow attacks and shields. Jehanna's black eyes glowed with an inner light. She blew out a breath. "That was tingly."
John chuckled. "So, you talk things out with your parents?"
"They want to meet you, actually. Mama invited you to lunch." Jehanna looked down at her belly. "Hopefully this goes down by then," she chuckled.
John hung out with Jehanna for the morning, dressed in his finest suit, and took his new Lioness down in the Raptor to Jehanna's childhood home. Nia landed them in the street, and John escorted Jehanna to the door. Jehanna knocked.
Her mother, Harini, opened the door. "Jehanna, baby!" She rushed to hug her daughter. "We were so worried about you!"
"I'm good, Mama," Jehanna said reassuringly.
Harini pulled back and looked at John. "Welcome to our home, Vice Admiral Blake."
"You can call me John, Mrs. Elani," John grinned charmingly.
"Well, only if you'll call me Harini. 'Mrs. Elani' makes me feel like an old lady," Harini chuckled.
They were let in, and Jehanna's father Ramesh walked up to them. He gave Jehanna a hug and then turned sharp eyes on John. "Vice Admiral Blake," he nodded, holding out his hand to shake.
"John is fine, Mr. Elani," John said respectfully.
Harini invited everyone to the dining room, and went to put the finishing touches on lunch.
"So, Jehanna is joining your crew?" Ramesh asked.
"Yes, I offered and she accepted," John nodded.
"Half your crew don't have backgrounds that I can find," Ramesh said plainly, clearly suspicious.
"Papa, don't be rude," Jehanna sighed with exasperation.
"Alyssa and Dana are from Karron, where records are scarce. Jade's a Nymph, and has spent the last 300 years as a possession for pirates and other criminals. Lirrash is from the Ashanath Collective, no surprise you couldn't find information on her. As we said in the interview your daughter gave, Irillith and Tashana's empire is very secretive and their identities are being kept hidden. About the only crew I would expect you to get a background check on are Calara, Rachel, and Sakura, and Sakura's records would have cut off in 2704," John replied calmly.
"Let's focus on you then, John. What happened with your mother?" Ramesh asked.
"Papa! That's private!" Jehanna protested.
"Is your father interrogating our guest?" Harini called from the kitchen, a warning tone in her voice.
"It's okay," John told both Elani women. He focused on Ramesh. "My mother was part of the crew on the research vessel Cora. They went past the Outer Rim, before the Kirrix expanded into that area. They found an Eden-class planet in a dense nebula that they named Arcadia. My mother was out on a sortie when she met my father. He'd crash-landed on Arcadia 10 thousand years earlier."
"You're not Terran," Ramesh realized.
"No," John confirmed. "My father's species, my species, are powerful psychics. He used mind control to seduce my mother. She got pregnant, and he arranged for her to be found by her crew. She was brought back to Terran space, and I was born at Olympus. She sabotaged the Cora to explode with the crew onboard, then stole a Corvette to return to Arcadia. So far as I know, they're both still there."
"That story about genetically engineering your psychic powers was a crock, wasn't it?" Ramesh asked astutely.
"Progenitors are born psychic. We're so powerful that we can rewrite a person's DNA under the right circumstances. In a way, my crew WERE genetically altered, we just didn't use technology to do it," John said. "The process is also totally safe. The bit about it being life-threatening was just to discourage everyone in the Terran Federation from begging to be on my crew."
"Have you made Jehanna psychic already?" Ramesh asked, glancing at his daughter with worry.
Jehanna's eyes glowed and she made a copy of herself appear in the chair next to her. "I have Umbrakinesis, the power to manipulate light into illusions. John tells me with enough training, I'll be able to make solid shadows for both attack and defense."
Ramesh had wide eyes.
Jehanna ended the illusion just as Harini came into the room carrying two plates. "Here you go," she said, placing them in front of John and Jehanna. She returned to the kitchen and got her and Ramesh's plates. "Dig in, dig in!" Harini encouraged. "So, John, how's the wedding planning going for you and Calara?"
"Good, from what I hear. I'm having surprisingly little input in my own wedding," John said wryly.
They chatted over the meal, Harini wanting to know everything about her daughter's new boss. Ramesh asked rare but insightful questions. Jehanna seemed to glow as her parents bonded with John, even if they were keeping their relationship secret. At the end, John got a hug from Harini and another handshake with Ramesh. Jehanna hugged both her parents goodbye, promised to call, and left with John into the Raptor.
John fed Jehanna when they got back to the Invictus, then sent her to join psychic boot camp with Alyssa. John trained with Calara and Sakura for the afternoon, then went to get a shower before cooking dinner. "What time do the Kintark get here tomorrow?" he asked at the meal.
"0700, give or take," Nia said, calculating the invasion fleet's speed on the Omni-phase Scan Array.
"Is Olympus ready to repel any force sent to get them?" John asked Calara.
"They should be safe if the Kintark have any sense and send the size force I predicted," Calara said, allowing that she could be wrong.
"What are we going to do in the fight?" Rachel asked.
"Calara will be coordinating the fleet. Jade will be piloting the Invictus. Irillith will be hacking the Kintark. Sakura will be in the Valkyrie. Jehanna and the new Nymphs will be staying here since they're not combat ready. And Helene's sitting out, of course. The rest of us are taking the Raptor and storming Baledranax's Battlecarrier," John laid out.
"Does that include me and Nia?" Obi asked, standing at the end of the table.
"Yep. You'll get to test out all those weapons Dana crammed into your bodies," John nodded.
They relaxed with drinks, and John took Jehanna to the bedroom to welcome her to the Pride by making love to her. When they were done, the rest of the Lionesses came and they went to bed, ready for a day of battle tomorrow.
They woke up at 0600 to Nia's choice of music, and they got dressed in body sleeves before taking the grav-tubes to the Command Bridge. The attack team got armored up and grabbed their guns, sliding them into slots at their chairs. Helene, Jehanna, and the new Nymphs stood as spectators at the back of the room as the crew prepared for the invasion. Calara logged into the system-wide Command Net and made sure the whole Terran fleet and the Maliri fleet that arrived overnight were ready.
The Kintark pulled into the system and fell right into a minefield. While they recovered from that, the Terran fleet came out of hiding to begin attacking the invading ships. John nodded. "Let's go," he said, standing and sheathing Kyth'vindathys over his back.
They took the Raptor out of the Primary Hangar and Nia took them right into the thick of the Kintark fleet. Their Progenitor Engines and retro-thrusters made them too fast to hit, and their Progenitor Shield Generator would have protected them from the Kintark's Plasma weapons anyway. They went into an open docking bay on the ship carrying the Kintark emperor, Nia firing and wiping out every other ship in the docking bay with their Tachyon Blasters. They landed and John, Alyssa, Dana, Lirrash, Rachel, Tashana, Nia and Obi got ready for combat.
They walked out the Raptor's loading ramp, and a hail of Plasma Rifle fire went for them from the Kintark survivors of the Raptor's initial assault. Their armor's shields held, and then the Lions of the Federation began to fire back.
They went through the Kintark Battlecarrier like the hand of God, leaving a lot of dead Kintark in their wake. They reached the Throne Room and found Baledranax, clad in armor from head to toe and with impressive Plasma Cannons strapped to his back, waiting with a number of Royal Guards and ordinary Kintark guards arrayed, ready to face them.
"Emperor Baledranax!" John called, his armor's speakers filling the room. "I am Vice Admiral John Blake. I offer you this one chance: surrender or die!"
"AH, THE FAMOUS LION OF THE FEDERATION! I HAVE SOMETHING SPECIAL FOR YOU!" Baledranax reached up a claw and activated a hexagonal device on his back. The Eldritch Inhibitor came on with a purple light, projecting an artificial Null-Zone.
John felt like a wet blanket of darkness had been wrapped around his mind, blocking him off from his powers. But he could still feel them, like a torch glowing in the dark. John reached mentally for that torch and felt his powers return to him. He drew Kyth'vindathys, which came alight with blue fire as his power suffused the runes. "Nice try, Larn'kelnar," John said to himself. "Death it is!" he told a shocked Baledranax.
And then John charged, his Lionesses firing their Tachyon Rifles to clear his way. John cut down any Kintark that crossed his path, and got up to Baledranax. The 200-foot dragon swiped at John with his massive claws, John dodged at psychic speed and cut off the hand that had just tried to kill him, his flaming runeblade cauterizing the wound. John reached up with Telekinesis and put Baledranax in a cage, dragging his head down to lie on the floor. John went for Baledranax's eye.
"WAIT! I SURRENDER!" Baledranax shouted, struggling against his invisible bonds.
"Sorry, I don't offer second chances," John told the Kintark royal. Then John stabbed Baledranax in the eye and used Pyrokinesis to sear out the contents of the dragon's skull. The giant lizard collapsed dead to the ground.
John turned, and saw that his Lionesses (plus Obi) had taken out all of Baledranax's bodyguards. "Well, that's our job done. How're things going out there?" John asked, sheathing Kyth'vindathys.
"Irillith hacked the cameras in here and broadcasted the fight to every Kintark ship. They're all surrendering, but they'd already suffered over 50% losses," Alyssa announced. "We won."
"Let's head back to the Invictus," John said, keeping his Tachyon Rifle in hand in case they ran into any Kintark who hadn't gotten the message.
They got to the docking bay and the Raptor was waiting. They got in and Nia took them back to the Invictus. They took the grav-tubes to the Command Bridge, where everyone was waiting. They got unarmored in the equipping frames and John kissed each of his Wards. "Well done, everyone. We saved Terra twice now."
"We're being hailed by the Citadel," Lirrash informed him.
John sat in his Command Chair and took the call. Admiral Maybridge appeared on the vid-screen. "Vice Admiral Blake," she saluted.
"Admiral Maybridge," he saluted back.
"I don't know what to say. You saved Port Medea, and I don't hesitate to say that your crew's tactics and ship's weaponry have contributed significantly to our victory today. And let's not forget the Maliri fleet you somehow managed to convince to help out, their aid was invaluable. We suffered less than 10% losses, something I wouldn't have dared to hope for in my wildest dreams. I'm not sure how we can repay you," Maybridge said, overwhelmingly grateful.
"When's the next meeting of High Command?" John asked.
"This evening, why?" Maybridge asked.
"Let me attend, and bring Alyssa," John requested.
Maybridge frowned. "We'll be voting for the new Fleet Admiral. Are you hoping for a nomination?"
"Hell no," John chuckled. "Besides, I'm retired, I'm ineligible."
"I see," Maybridge nodded, growing respect in her eyes. "Very well, you and your Executive Officer Alyssa Marant may attend." Maybridge paused. "I looked her up in the citizen's registry. And I saw what happened to Lynton. How do Progenitors do it?"
"A woman ingests some of a Progenitor's DNA, and he can work his powers on her from within, rewriting her DNA and then encouraging her to grow into the new shape," John answered honestly.
"Any chance I can convince you to give an old warhorse the Lioness package?" Maybridge asked jokingly.
"There's side effects. And when I say 'DNA', I mean my semen. It's ridiculous, but it's true. That's just how my powers work. If you're still interested, I'd be happy to meet you after the High Command meeting," John told the senior woman.
Maybridge blushed. "Um, no thanks. My husband is gone, God rest his soul, but I promised to never love another man again. But thank you for answering my question. The meeting will be at 1800."
"We'll be there," John said.