The Invictus pulled out of Jericho's atmosphere and soared at speed for the edge of the gravity well, Jonah skillfully dodging all traffic in their way. There was a sense of urgency to the crew on the Bridge as they made their way out of Epsilon Eridani. The intel Alyssa had read in Jack Fernandez's mind indicated a major Kintark attack was imminent. With Rachel, Alyssa's friend and the woman John hoped to make their Medical Officer, stationed at Port Medea in the Dragon March, time was of the essence. Of course, there was nothing saying the attack would happen on Port Medea itself or that it would even happen before they got there. But John had a bad feeling, and that's all his crew needed to want to save Rachel as soon as physically possible.
Alyssa plotted their route to Iota Leonis, using her characteristic warp tunneling and masterful shaving of all travel time to get them there as fast as she could. *Around 1730 tomorrow,* she announced right after the Tachyon Drive activated and sent them into hyperwarp.
John checked the chronometer. Knowing his friend, John ordered Lirrash *Call Charles please, honey, he's probably still in his office.*
Lirrash pulled up the saved comm code. Given how close they were to Alpha Centauri and Olympus Shipyard, the signal reached the destination in less than a minute and the vid-screen came alive.
Charles looked like he'd had a few sleepless nights on top of having worked a long, exhausting day. "What is it, John? I was about to clock out," the Vice Admiral asked, a bit crabby to say the least.
"I need a favor. I'll do whatever you want to pay you back, but it's life-or-death," John said plainly.
Charles frowned, his expression shifting from tired to concerned. "What is it? What's wrong?"
"Don't ask me how we found out, but I know that shit's about to go down in the Dragon March. I need you to greenlight an indefinite leave of absence for Doctor Rachel Voss at Port Medea so I can extract her. She's a friend, and I want her safe whether or not she decides to join my crew," John explained to his old CO.
Charles frowned. "Now just how did you get your hands on that piece of classified intel, John?"
"I just said don't ask," John fired back. "But suffice to say it involved 'spooky' stuff unique to my species," he relented, giving enough of a hint to let Charles know psychic powers were involved without outright stating it. The signal itself was encrypted, but for all they knew Charles used recording software… or someone hacked his console and installed it. You could never be too careful, was the point.
Charles sighed. "You and your spooky shit, John. And I presume this 'friend' of yours is either an old flame or a fresh conquest," he added, a tad derisively.
"Just because I am what I am doesn't mean everything comes back to sex, Charles," John grit out. "A woman I care about is at risk. I want to help. Either help me or tell me to fuck off, but I'm going to save her regardless."
"You'd never make it past the picket forces without my orders, John," Charles fired back, sounding at least as annoyed as John was.
John actually hadn't been aware that the Terran Federation had set up a picket line around the Dragon March. That would indeed complicate reaching Port Medea if he didn't get Charles to grease the wheels with his superior rank. "I repeat, I'll pay you back. I just want to save Rachel, Charles, nothing nefarious. Will you help me, yes or no?"
Charles rubbed his temple and gave a heavy sigh. "I owe you my life, John. But having you in it is getting more and more complicated. I'll order this Rachel's leave and give you clearance to fly to Port Medea. But consider us square, no more favors."
"Fair enough," John nodded, though his heart gave a pang of loss. Charles had been his best friend for a time. But ever since John tried to recruit him, things had been weird. This seemed to be confirmation that Charles wanted to put distance between them in the wake of how the truth of John's species and the psychic network came out.
"When it rains, it pours," Charles muttered to himself. "Goodnight, John. Good luck, for whatever it's worth." The older man closed the call without waiting for a response.
John sighed. *Damn. I know he said no to becoming an Angel, but I didn't think I'd lose him as a friend on top of that.*
*He's straight and you essentially came onto him. It's not that unreasonable that things got all messy, even forgetting the whole obedience compulsion part of the Connection that he got all fired up about,* Jonah offered his own brand of comfort. *Things will work themselves out one way or another, Johnny boy. The point is he did what you asked, he's going to help us out.*
*A picket line? That's all but publicly declaring that civilians aren't safe in the Dragon March. We… we really are going to war with the Kintark, aren't we?* Calara thought with dread.
*The Terran Federation is going to war with the Kintark Empire, yes. Whether or not we get involved is another matter entirely,* Lirrash thought with a certain cool logic.
Calara whipped around to look at the former High Councilor. *What's that supposed to mean? You and Zanthus might be Ashanath, but the rest of us are Terran Federation citizens! Of course we'd help out if things go wrong.*
*I'm not a citizen. And Calara, to be perfectly blunt, I don't give two fucks about anyone not in this room. If John orders me to help out in the war, I'll die to do it. But otherwise, I simply don't care what the T-Fed gets up to,* Jade said with brutal, unrepentant honesty.
*And I'm not exactly eager to put my life on the line for the sake of High Command either,* Dana added with a shrug. *Not like they ever did anything for me that I owe them for.*
*What are you talking about?! The Terran Federation protects billions of humans throughout the Galactic League from hostile aliens!* Calara gasped in shock at her crewmates' words.
*How can you say that after the crap Grant put you through?* Jonah snorted. *You need to forget all the propaganda bullcrap they fed you at the Academy, sweetheart. The Terran Federation is a bunch of power-hungry assholes all looking out for number one. If they go out of their way to 'protect' anyone, it's because it makes them money or benefits them some other way. High Command only cares about High Command, the common folk are screwed, blued, and tattooed when shit goes down.*
Calara was radiating disbelief and hurt through the chorus. Alyssa almost spoke up in her lover's defense or to try and smooth things over, but John privately signaled her to keep quiet. Much as it pained him, he thought Calara needed to hear all this.
*You… you don't really think that, do you Jonah?* Calara asked in a very small mind-voice.
Jonah seemed to realize the mood and spoke solemnly instead of with his typical crass irreverence. *Calara, I love you, but you got a big fucking blindspot when it comes to the T-Fed. Not your fault, you had a privileged childhood raised by a military family, of course you got a bit brainwashed. But outside the Core Worlds, the Terran Federation as a government and source of 'protection' leaves a lot to be desired. Grant is maybe a bad example since he was a treasonous piece of shit, but abuse of power similar to that case is all too common among those with any rank in the military. If you actually read the hard data and histories and statistics, High Command has killed or abandoned more citizens than not when it came down to it. The Callopean Shoals, the Ganymede Incident, Galon Prime, it's a coin-toss whether the Terran Federation will be a risk instead of a shield against its own citizens. And once you get a solid lightyear away from 'civilized' space, things turn to shit. You think Karron was bad? I've seen worse colonies in the Outer Rim. And I'm not like you and John, all noble and self-sacrificing. If it came down to me picking this crew or all of humanity, I'd let those billions burn. Call me selfish, you'd be right. But that's how I feel.*
Calara gulped. *John?* she asked, sounding almost ready to cry.
John firmed his resolve. *Calara, honey, I'm loyal to the Terran Federation. I'd never go out of my way to hurt any innocents or try and sabotage humanity as a whole. But I'm not blind to the Federation's faults, and there's more than you perhaps ever knew or were willing to accept. It's not perfect, no government or system of power ever is, but there's a lot of obvious mistakes that never seem to get fixed despite all the issues they cause. And frankly, I'm retired and you pledged yourself to me. I'm not obligated to do anything High Command tells me to do. We're going to rescue Rachel because I have a vested interest in her. I don't plan to stick around and help out if the Kintark really do plan to attack that system soon. If the opportunity arises and it's what the group decides to do, we'll of course help the T-Fed fight off the Lizards. But I'm not risking my and all your necks for a war I have no stake in. You are my family, and that's a higher priority than the Terran Federation will ever be for me. That's the truth.*
Calara took a deep breath. *... I guess for me, the Terran Federation always was part of my family. Half my blood relatives and most of my parents' friends are military. I admit I have some rose-colored glasses, but part of me just assumed that you all felt the same way I did. Obviously, that's not the case. And, push comes to shove, my love for you all is greater than any patriotic passion I could ever muster. It just… hurts to admit that I'm not necessarily part of the Terran Federation anymore. I'm on indefinite leave, I never have to return. If we all pull up stakes and move into Maliri space once John becomes King, I might never return. I guess I'd accepted that in my heart before it really occurred to me in my head.*
Alyssa got up and went to hug her first female love. *Callie, like John said, we'll help out where we can. But at the end of the day, it's 'us' and 'them'. The Terran Federation is not 'us'. That's how most of us think. Sorry you got the hammer dropped on you like this, but you need to understand that.*
*I get it. I don't really like it, but I do. The Terran Federation hasn't done as much for the rest of you as it did for me, and maybe I gave undue weight for what I got due to my upbringing. My loyalty is to John and the rest of you, not High Command anymore. I just… didn't really understand all I was giving up until just now,* Calara thought, resignation to the hard truth settling into her mind.
The evening ended on a low note, given all the fun they'd had during the family reunion on Jericho. John made everyone hot chocolate and they spent an hour comforting Calara in the Lounge before deciding to just call it a night. They piled into their double-king bed, which despite its size wasn't really meant for 8 occupants. But that was a concern for later. John eventually was lulled to sleep by the sound of his lovers' breathing, but thoughts and worries plagued him for over an hour.
They woke up, and John decided Calara deserved a full belly to cheer her up after the events of last night. By the time he'd finished working his magic on the Latina, she was all smiles and the crew was in a decidedly more positive mood. John ordered everyone up to the Bridge after breakfast bar Dana and Zanthus who went to work with the Engineering Team on some more upgrades.
A bit after the crack of noon, Calara noticed a change on the long-range scanners in the midst of a conversation on John's days in the Fool's Gold. *We're in range of the picket forces… Wow. Just the line on this particular space lane consists of a Heavy Carrier and a few Cruisers. Either High Command really doesn't want civilian traffic in the border systems… or they're worried about an invasion from the Kintark side and set up a rearmost line of defense.*
*We're being hailed by the Carrier, the Medusa,* Lirrash alerted the chorus.
John had Lirrash route the call to the console in his Command Chair. A Captain in full dress uniform for some reason as opposed to ordinary fatigues appeared on his personal vid-screen. "This is Captain Maddox on the Heavy Cruiser Medusa. Identify, Assault Cruiser," he said in a rather sharp bark.
John had met plenty of T-Fed officers in his career and retirement. He could tell the type who took regulation as holy writ. This man had anal-retentive practically tattooed on his face. "This is Commander John Blake on the Invictus. You should have clearance in your system for me to conduct a crew transfer at Port Medea," John said calmly.
Maddox narrowed his eyes. "If your story doesn't check out, you will be detained for questioning," he said warningly before putting the call on hold.
*Even I'm not that bad, right?* Calara asked, her tone rather light-hearted after her spectacular wake-up call.
*There's by-the-book like you, and then there's that guy,* Dana chuckled from Deck 7, having kept track of the whole thing through the chorus.
After making them sweat much longer than a simple computer check should take, Maddox reappeared on the vid-screen. "You are cleared to proceed to Port Medea, Commander Blake. But we'll be watching you," Maddox ground out, almost sounding offended at their gall to be allowed past his picket forces.
"Duly noted," John said with a wry tone before ending the call.
The Invictus flew past the picket line at hyperwarp, not Interdicted or otherwise molested by the naval formation.
*About 5 hours to Iota Leonis,* Alyssa informed everyone.
*Lunch?* John proposed. *Jade, I think we should give all the Ashanath crew another dose, this will be number 4, right?*
*That's right, John,* Jade nodded. *Don't invest too much energy into each of them, though, it'll add up fast and there might be trouble when we get to Port Medea.*
*Yes, honey,* John chuckled at being mother-henned by one of his Angels.
The Engineering Team and Marines all took turns nursing from Jade once John loaded her up. Given they were each getting such small portions of cum at a time and John wasn't funneling too much energy into their individual Changes, they all looked identical to they had when they'd joined earlier that week. In the same timeframe, Zanthus had transformed from a standard Ashanath male into a gray-skinned Adonis the same shape as John and Jonah. It was a striking commentary on how much difference a full load and John's full attention could make to the speed of the Change.
After a quick lunch, everyone returned to the Bridge. The latest round of projects were either being made in the Mass Fabricators or being assembled by the Engineering Team, so Dana and Zanthus joined the rest of the crew since there was nothing for them to really contribute for the rest of the day. About halfway to Port Medea, Dana noticed something on her console. *That's odd. Over a dozen ships are about to pass us headed back towards the Core Worlds.*
*Terran or Kintark?* John asked, worried this might be the attacking force that they'd been worried about already snuck past the border.
*Transponder codes come back as T-Fed navy, but why would that many ships be leaving the border when they're expecting a major throwdown soon?* Dana wondered.
*Good question,* John pondered. *Alyssa, divert course to take us close enough to get a more accurate scan, please.*
The blonde Matriarch made the minor adjustment to their flightpath through empty space. When they got close enough to the traveling group for their scanners to get more than just transponder data, the crew one and all gasped in horror.
*Look at them all! Some of those ships are barely spaceworthy!* Zanthus gawked, his trained Engineering eye noting all the damage to each ship and calculating how long all the necessary repairs would take.
*And those are the survivors,* Jonah noted darkly, his mind going to the question of how many ships were simply lost and not salvageable like these were.
*This isn't bias from the Academy, the T-Fed and the Kintark should be relatively equal in terms of naval power. There's no good reason why we should be losing this badly. That's almost a quadrant fleet, for Christ's sake!* Calara thought in distress.
*Unless that rival Progenitor enthralled an Admiral and she's deliberately sabotaging our side,* Alyssa pointed out with a frown.
*And that's assuming she's doing it directly,* John sighed. *If she or this Progenitor is really behind how one-sided this brewing war is going, they could be smart and covering their tracks. High Command, let's call a spade a spade, is mostly old men and women. Imagine what one of them put through the Change could convince anyone attracted to women to do just to be with her. The Admiral Thrall, which we don't know for sure even exists, could be using cat's paws she seduced to do the dirty work for her.*
*Good point, John,* Lirrash nodded. *Or maybe it's even more subtle. This Admiral might have only gotten one dose to put the obedience compulsion in place and then the Progenitor gave her the same mind control power that the Glowing Queen seems to possess.*
*Let's stop there before we go too far down the rabbit hole,* Calara frowned. *But I'm going to start doing forensics on this whole conflict with the Kintark. Most everything will be above my or even John's clearance, but maybe I can narrow down the suspects from all of the Terran Federation military down to a few key players.*
*What exactly can we do even if we identify who the compromised officers are? Short of John explaining the Progenitors to High Command and them actually taking him seriously, what can we really do about whatever pawns the other Progenitor has placed in High Command?* Jade asked rhetorically.
*We can report the traitors to Charles, I suppose. Let's settle for figuring out who's messing up on the Terran side before we worry about how to fix the problem,* John decided.
The mood on the Bridge was tense as they proceeded with the rest of the journey to Port Medea. Conversation was a bit stilted, the stress from the bleak outlook for the Terran Federation in the coming war affecting most of them. With something like relief, they all looked up as the Invictus dropped out of hyperwarp in the Iota Leonis system.
Any relaxation vanished once the Tactical Map lit up like a firework.
*Alright, for real, what is with your luck, John?* Calara demanded even as her sharp eyes analyzed the whole mess of contacts in the system. *We've arrived right in the middle of the Kintark attack! A Carrier-led force, they've already achieved strike craft superiority against the Terran forces. Even with our help, the system might be doomed!*
*Cold hard math, Lieutenant. What can we do to help and is it worth even trying?* John posed to his Tactical Officer.
Calara frowned as she considered dozens of scenarios and plans in the space of a few seconds with her enhanced brain. *Jonah can take us in, we can take out those Bombers headed for the orbital refineries. If the Terran Federation loses the power to refuel here, this system loses almost all strategic value in the long-term. Once we take out the Bombers, we can just manage to do something about some of the dropships headed to dock with Port Medea. Then you, Alyssa, and the Marines can go in and save the Port from being taken over. Those transports on a retreat vector aren't worth saving,* Calara finally reported.
*Life signs show those transports are packed to the gills. Probably all the civilians or the injured from the Port,* Dana pointed out as she analyzed all the data herself.
*Not worth saving,* Calara repeated with a heavy heart.
Jade got up and ran for the grav-tubes almost before they could react. *The Raptor got upgraded on Ashana, and it has the firepower of a Corvette. Only strike craft are going after them, right? I can save them!*
*Jade, you'd be going up against 6 Bombers and who knows how many Fighters all on your own!* John protested as he grasped the situation.
*John, trust that I can do this, just as I trust that the crew can come to my rescue after dropping you off at the Port,* Jade thought solemnly, already sinking into the down grav-tube.
John knew all he had to do was give a simple order and Jade would be physically incapable of carrying through with this dangerous plan. But something stopped him. *If you get hurt, you are in SO much trouble, honey. How are we going to repopulate the Nymphs if you die on me?* John finally managed.
*Rest assured, Master, I'll survive this and go on to being barefoot and pregnant with you for CENTURIES to come,* Jade all but purred through their telepathic link.
*Not appropriate combat conversation, though the idea of you two single-handedly sparking a Nymph baby boom is SO fucking hot,* Alyssa giggled despite the heavy atmosphere.
John refocused on the situation at hand. *Calara, Jonah, take us in. Bombers then dropships, and go back to bail Jade out of the fire the moment the ground team is out the airlock. Alert the Marines to prepare for imminent deployment. Alyssa, let's get suited up. Everyone, make me proud!*
Everyone got into the zone, plans made, as the Invictus launched into the thick of the battle. The Raptor launched from the Hangar Bay, Jade's mind keen as a knife as she went to protect the transports being harassed by Kintark Bombers and Fighters. Jonah flew the Invictus on the best possible flightpath while Calara prepared to fire. John watched from his Command Chair, already clad in Phalanx armor. He had a Railgun, his sword stored in the weapons locker in their cabin. It wasn't worth going to fetch it given the time constraints.
Calara took out the first Bomber headed for the precious gas refineries Port Medea protected with the Beam Lasers at maximum range. This was the equivalent of hitting a bullseye with a pistol on a target meant for a sniper. She actually had to take manual control of the targeting matrix because the computer didn't recognize the Bomber as big enough as a viable target for the Beams. But she was more than human after all John's loving enhancement, and she took out the ship with the big guns without fail. In a single sweep, Calara's aim and Jonah's piloting succeeded in destroying every Kintark Bomber that had been headed for the vulnerable refueling depots.
Not relaxing for a second, Jonah altered course to bring their fire arcs to bear on the many dropships that were carrying Kintark boarders towards the Terran starport. Calara did the best she could, but there were simply too many targets moving too fast to get them all before they reached the port. At least 3 dropships managed to reach a docking bay in Port Medea before she could finish them all off.
John and his Matriarch were already in the grav-tube as Jonah brought them in at a reckless speed to attach to a docking clamp. The two reached the airlock, to find Primus through to Duodecimus in full Ashanath Special Forces armor and carrying Laser Rifles among other gear. They simply hadn't had time to make new gear for the new crew other than what they'd brought with them on being assigned to the Invictus.
*Sync comm links and maintain an artificial chorus at all times,* John ordered the dozen troops under his command along with Alyssa. *It's just us against who knows how many Kintark gyrenes, and I doubt the local security is doing well under the circumstances.*
*Yes, Commander,* came the mind-voice of Primus, Leader of the Marines. While pacifistic as a culture, this team represented the pinnacle of the Ashanath military. They were one and all determined to prove their worth to their Champion as part of his network and crew.
*Docked, get moving, Jade's in real hot water already,* Jonah all but snapped to John with Telepathy.
John opened the airlock and took point with Alyssas at his side and the Marines in rank and file behind him as they entered Port Medea proper. The doors closed behind them and John sensed his Angels moving away at speed, presumably to rescue Jade from her nigh-suicidal mission.
It popped into John's head as he jogged through the docking gantry into the main body of the starport that he should check on Rachel, the whole reason they'd come in the first place. He accessed his wrist communicator and punched in the right comm code.
Rachel's pretty face was set in an expression of fright when she answered. "John! You're not going to believe it, Port Medea is under attack! I didn't qualify for evacuation, I'm just stuck in the barracks hoping I don't get killed!"
"Rachel, calm down. I'm on Port Medea with a ground team. We're going to repel the Kintark, but I need you and anyone else you can round up to stay safe," John said with a voice of pure command that brooked no argument. "Grab everyone you pass and get to the administrative wing, that's where most of the port's security forces would have been stationed. Find a big room with a locked door and hunker down until we reach you. Can you do that?"
Rachel bit her lip, but her eyes hardened. "Roger that, Commander," she replied, flashing a quick salute before ending the call.
*Tough chick, not just everyone can operate well under stress without a little 'enhancement',* Alyssa thought lightly even as she kept her head on a swivel for a Kintark ambush.
*I do believe my lovely Matriarch picked her to recruit for good reason,* John fired back. *Now, let's focus on getting to her in time before the Kintark beat us there.*
While John, Alyssa and the Marines moved fast as they could through Port Medea, Jade was dealing with her own crisis. She'd managed to take out all half-dozen Bombers that had been ready to torpedo the defenseless transports. But the Kintark Fighter pilots had taken exception to her murdering their comrades and had been doing their honest best at returning the favor.
She had psychically increased her mass just so she wouldn't pass out from G-forces as she sent the Raptor through maneuvers no human pilot could replicate. Not only were her reflexes enhanced past baseline by the Change, but Nymphs (not that she knew this) had better spatial reasoning and processing compared to other species. All of which combined to make her a rather slippery target for the Kintark Fighters. But she was just one ship, and the Raptor was designed with more focus on firepower and carrying capacity than raw speed. The triangular Kintark Fighters were keeping up with her despite all her evasion, and their Plasma weapons hit hard. She'd already lost Shields, and for all its miraculous properties Alyssium still had a melting point.
Finally, her luck ran out and a random shot by the Kintark took out one of her Engines. Jade felt like her heart was in her mouth as she lost speed and maneuverability, which spelled her certain doom.
*Jade! Come about at 110 degrees, NOW!* Calara's voice rang in her head.
Reacting with blind faith in her fellow Angel, Jade did the instructed maneuver. The instant she was out of Calara's fire arc, massive orange Beam Lasers shot through the area. A number of the pursuing Fighters were atomized at the sheer power and energy behind the Terran weapons. The survivors realized that their target had just gotten substantial reinforcement and wisely retreated.
As Jade got her breath back and regarded the damage control hologram, she projected privately to Dana, intentionally blocking out John. *I don't suppose there's any chance at all we can repair all this damage before John sees how close it got for me?*
*I'm good, girlfriend, but not that good. Prepare for the queen mother of all spankings once he realizes how close you came to getting killed,* Dana thought back, her own worry for Jade's well-being clear in her mind-voice.
Jade sighed, resigned to her inevitable punishment. But as she glanced at the Tactical Map and saw all the transports safe and sound, she couldn't suppress a small grin at what she had done.
Back on Port Madea, John and his team had just reached the main concourse of Port Medea. In peacetime, it was a bustling hub of trade and business for all those stationed at or visiting the Terran outpost. In the middle of what was a war that had merely yet to be officially declared and a direct assault in particular, it was battle-scarred and deserted but for a few pockets of combat.
John reached the ledge of the upper level they'd come out onto. He surveyed the area with a practiced eye. His main concern was in reaching the administrative wing and saving Rachel, but he wouldn't just leave the T-Fed forces to be massacred by the Kintark military. He spotted a conflict about 100 meters away on the lower level. He signaled Alyssa and his Marines to follow and they crouch-walked over to get a clear view.
A full squad of Kintark, likely from one of the dropships to make it through Calara's culling, had cornered a Terran security force in a coffee shop. Even as John observed the situation, a Terran man leapt out from behind the coffee counter and unloaded a shotgun at the nearest Kintark. The 7-foot reptilian in bulky armor went down in a shower of yellow blood, but his fellow soldiers avenged him. A series of shots from Plasma Rifles turned the brave man's torso into a smoldering Swiss cheese. He collapsed dead to the ground, his lungs vaporized so he couldn't even scream with his dying breath.
John allocated targets at the speed of thought via Telepathy. He and Alyssa took aim with their Railguns as the Ashanath Marines did the same with Laser Rifles.
*2, 1, now!* John ordered mentally.
Aim was a question of practice and natural talent. Between the Change and many hours in the Firing Range, all of them could easily make headshots at this distance. They each fired, and each dropped one of the Kintark invaders. Over half the team was killed in one stroke, the remainder dead almost before they realized they were under attack as John ordered the second round immediately.
John took a nearby stairwell, his Matriarch and the Marines following behind him. They reached the coffee shop, where the handful of surviving Terrans seemed surprised to still be alive.
"Stand down!" John ordered when one of the Terrans noticed them and aimed his gun in their direction. "Commander John Blake. Who's the commanding officer here?"
One of the men, looking the least frazzled of the lot, stepped forward. "I'm Corporal Gibbons. Given these bastards killed the Sergeant, guess that's me."
John focused on Corporal Gibbons. "I need to get to the administrative wing. What's the quickest way there, and where are the remaining forces stationed here?"
Gibbons frowned in thought. He pointed. "That way about 300 meters, hang a right, go about 100 meters, through the double doors, can't miss it. We were the only team here in the plaza. Everyone else should be in administration, but we lost radio contact 5 minutes ago. Bad sign, needless to say."
John nodded. "The Kintark would have prioritized reaching the Command Center so they could turn the starport's defenses against the T-Fed ships from behind. We need to move quick. Corporal, take half my men and secure the plaza. I anticipate needing to make a swift retreat to my ship after we clean out all the invaders, there's still a fight going on out in space to worry about. I'm counting on you to make sure no Lizards sneak up behind us."
Gibbons gave a quick salute. "Sure thing. Not that it matters, but why do you have a team of Grays with you?"
"Technically, I'm retired and they're part of my private crew. They're the best of the best, though," John assured the man.
"Retired, huh?" Gibbons chuckled. "Then God bless you, sir, for coming to help even though you didn't have to."
"Appreciate it," John grinned back, before signaling Septimus through to Duodecimus to stay with the Terrans. Alyssa and Primus through to Sextus would stay with him. Without another word, John turned and made to follow Gibbons' directions.
Upon entering the administrative wing, right where the good Corporal said it would be, John noted that either the power was out in this zone or the Kintark had shot out the lights. Given the infrared vision the Lizards had naturally evolved, he was banking on the latter to give them the advantage against the Terrans. John ordered his team to switch to Thermal on their HUDs and followed the sounds of gunfire and screaming. The Progenitor and his Angels found another team of Kintark involved in a shootout on a stairwell with another group of Terrans.
"Cold-blooded motherfuckers!" were the final words of one Terran security officer as one plasma bolt melted off his leg before another cored his forehead.
Contrary to the man's words, John was picking up a lot of heat from each Kintark soldier, or at least their armor.
*Kintark are reptiles, after all, they get stronger and faster the hotter their local environment is. My guess is their armor is temp-controlled to keep them all toasty and in peak condition,* Calara offered her insight while simultaneously keeping an eye on the space battle still ongoing.
*Makes sense. How's Jade and the T-Fed holding up?* John asked even as he prepared to take out the Kintark squad in a similar fashion as he had the last.
*Jade successfully defended the transports, and was decidedly unsuccessful at escaping unscathed. It was close, John, but you can take it out on her ass later,* Calara faithfully reported, ignoring the grumbling from Jade in the chorus at the Latina narcing her out. *The fight between the two naval forces is in a sliding stalemate. The Terrans will last another 30 minutes tops, but if we don't intervene they're doomed. Orders?*
John debated his options before firing the first shot at the Kintark behind. *Stay out of it and prepare for us to return via a Kintark dropship. Faster than you docking again, plus Dana can reverse-engineer all the tech like she did with the Kirrix. I'll decide whether to risk our necks pulling the Terrans' ass out the alligators or cutting and running with Rachel secured when we're back on the Bridge.*
*Aye, Commander,* Calara acknowledged his commands.
A few seconds later, John, Alyssa, and the Ashanath Marines had successfully killed all the Kintark attackers. John approached the surviving Terrans. One man, nerves shot, fired at full-auto in the direction of John and his team.
"Cease and desist or be neutralized!" John ordered, utterly ignoring the small-caliber rounds thanks to the magnetic repulsion Dana had lifted off the Drakkar and already integrated into each Phalanx suit. It was annoying, though.
One of the man's buddies 'helpfully' punched the shooter unconscious to make him stop. "Who are you? Thanks for the save, but you don't look like anyone I know stationed here before the shit hit the fan," a man with Sergeant chevrons on his uniform asked John.
"Commander John Blake, I was enroute to conduct a crew transfer and happened to show up in the nick of time. Speaking of, I ordered my medic to retreat to this wing with other non-combat personnel. Any idea where they are?" John asked brusquely.
"Big group of civvies and medics went thataway a while ago, but so did another team of these damn Lizards. With respect, I'd move your ass, sir," the man said with a frown.
"Treat your wounded, secure the floor," John ordered quickly before taking off with Alyssa and the Marines in the direction indicated.
*What the…* Alyssa thought in confusion as they passed bodies that, rather than bearing plasma damage, seemed to have been torn to shreds by some wild beast. John, too, noticed faint but unmistakable claw marks scraped into the floor.
*Royal Guard. Of FUCKING course they brought a Royal Guard,* John grumbled. Calara was right earlier, what was with his luck? He either struck the jackpot in finding his soulmates or crapped out with shit scenarios like this one.
*What's a Royal Guard?* Alyssa asked even as she kept following John in the wake of the carnage.
*The Lizards have been experimenting with gene modification since before humanity's had the steam engine,* Jonah supplied from the safety of the Invictus. *Over the centuries, their society has fallen into a genetic caste system. Baseline, unmodified Kintark are at the bottom of the social ladder. If you enlist or you're rich, you can afford some basic buffs to get you up a rung or too. Then there's the Imperial family and their personal bodyguards. Emperor Baledranax, assuming the vids I've seen weren't edited, is a literal 200-foot fire-breathing winged dragon. The Royal Guard who protect him on Kinta and serve as elites in the Kintark military are basically quadrupedal Kintark bigger than your average bull Elephant. And that's just raw physicality, they're still sapient and can use armor and weapons like any other soldier.
*So we're rescuing Rachel from a mini-dragon. Shame you didn't bring your sword to really fit the stereotype, John,* Alyssa managed to joke, though the idea of facing such a creature in combat gave her chills.
*Based on threat assessments of the Kintark Empire, the best way to handle a Royal Guard is shots through the eyes or mouth,* Primus spoke up to both John and Alyssa, having been following along. *Their hides are essentially bulletproof between natural durability and thickness, though I imagine the goddess Dana's Railguns would prove more effective than the average firearm. And Royal Guards have accelerated healing that borders on regeneration. We could be here all day trying to bleed it, so going for the brain is the smart way to handle it.*
*Noted, Primus,* John nodded in approval at the man's military advice.
They reached a two-level room, the corpses of a number of Terrans strewn across the bottom level. On the upper level, John spotted a squad of Kintark escorting the Royal Guard. Unlike the ordinary Kintark, the Royal Guard had foregone any armor and was technically naked. The crimson scales characteristic of the Lizards rippled over obscene amounts of muscle as the Royal Guard repeatedly headbutted a locked door, trying to force its way in. John's sharp ears and a quick scan with X-ray Vision informed him that a large group of Terrans was trapped on the other side, including Rachel.
*Stealth the Lizards, I'll handle the Royal Guard myself,* John ordered. He reached out with Telekinesis and lifted all 8 of them up to the upper level in silent levitation.
Alyssa and the Marines aimed and took down the Kintark with shots from behind. John, meanwhile, mustered his considerable eldritch energy reserves and formed a telekinetic garrote. He wrapped it around the Royal Guard's neck and maintained it even as the massive reptile began to writhe and struggle and claw at its own neck. John waited a solid minute after the Royal Guard finally went still before he released his psychic chokehold. Just to be extra sure, he shot out both its eyes as he walked past. The body didn't even twitch, solid sign it really was dead.
John let his Railgun hang and took a solid grip of the warped door. With little ado, he ripped it off its hinges. The Terrans inside screamed in terror before they realized it was a humanoid instead of a giant Lizard they were seeing.
"My name is Commander John Blake! Is there a Doctor Rachel Voss among you?" John called out in a strident voice.
The familiar young brunette, wearing a white lab coat over her clothes, stepped out of the crowd. "John?" she asked hesitantly, as if not sure whether or not this was real.
"Hey, Rachel. Thanks for getting all these people to safety," John praised the young medic.
Alyssa stepped forward, pulling off her helmet to reveal her beautiful face. "You earned a hug! Want it now or after I'm out of armor?"
Rachel gave a hysterical snort and rushed to embrace the slightly taller Alyssa. "I was so terrified! I can't believe you guys actually showed up and saved me!"
"Well, duh, we had a dinner date. Rather rude of the Kintark to interrupt. Rain check?" Alyssa posed playfully.
Rachel broke down in laughing sobs as all the stress of the attack was finally released.
John coordinated with the remaining civilians to meet up with the surviving security and secure Port Medea's Command Center just in case. When Rachel had recovered from her emotional outburst, he had her follow him, Alyssa, and the Marines as they went to retrace their steps back to the plaza.
"Quick question, is there anything terribly important you want to bring with you? A detour back to your quarters would take a lot of time, and we need to get back to our ship ASAP. If you don't say the word, you're coming with us and joining with little more than the clothes you're wearing right now," Alyssa checked with Rachel as they were jogging.
"I travel light, and there's nothing I brought here that isn't replaceable," Rachel decided after a moment to think about it.
Guided by his Connections to his Marines, John tracked down Corporal Gibbons along with Septimus through to Duodecimus. "Commander," Gibbons saluted when he saw them.
"Administration is clear, take your men and set up camp in the Command Center. I need directions again. Which Docking Bay would the Kintark have used when they landed here?" John asked the man.
"Probably Bay 3," Gibbons decided after a beat. "Biggest one, least security since it's for all the civilian traffic. Right under us, too. The main stairs and elevators would probably bring you out into a killbox if they left any men behind to guard the dropships. There's a security elevator though that'll take you out from the side, you can get the drop on them. Here's my keyfob." The helpful Terran unhooked the security device from his belt.
"I know where the elevator is! Follow me," Rachel volunteered. John traded a respectful salute with the Corporal and signaled his Marines to rejoin the party. Then the crew of the Invictus followed Rachel as she led them to an out-of-the-way elevator door. John held the keyfob to the reader and the doors opened to let them all in. John hit the clearly labeled button for Docking Bay 3 and they waited as the elevator moved.
"Hang back, we'll need to clear out the Kintark. Nonus through Duodecimus, guard position for Rachel," Alyssa ordered as she put her helmet back on.
"Yes, Matriarch," replied one of the Marines through her mind-translator. Rachel raised a brow at the odd form of address, but wisely didn't ask given the situation.
The doors opened and John, Alyssa, and 8 of the Marines swept out with guns at the ready. There were indeed some Kintark guards around the dropships, though most of them were facing the main entrance to the bay. The ground team, with unerring accuracy, shot the Lizards dead. John used his X-ray Vision to sweep the dropships. *They all have at least the Pilot still aboard. Alyssa, Primus, you each take one, I'll take the third.*
The trio quickly split up and finished the job of wiping out the Kintark. When John had snapped the Pilot of his dropship's neck like a toothpick from behind, he mentally ordered everyone on the team to regroup on his position. John helpfully hauled the Kintark corpse out of the cockpit just as Rachel and the ground team came through the airlock. Rachel looked a tad green when she saw John carrying a reptilian corpse, but Alyssa quickly guided her to the co-pilot's seat. Barely needing John's signal, Alyssa used the psychic imprints and her own experience with piloting to work out the Kintark controls.
The Kintark dropship ended up landing in the mostly-empty Cargo Bay of the Invictus. Alyssa laid an armored arm around Rachel's shoulders and gently guided her out the dropship and towards the grav-tubes.
*Standby on this deck, we may need to do a boarding action against one of the Kintark ships,* John ordered Primus and his team. *Excellent work, by the way,* he added.
*No other option, Commander, but you're welcome,* Primus thought with a wry grin to his mind-voice.
John caught up with his Matriarch and potential Medic, the latter of whom seemed fascinated by the grav-tubes. They all went into the blue 'up' tube and stepped out onto the Bridge.
"Sitrep, Lieutenant," John ordered aloud. Telepathy was faster but would probably be disturbing to Rachel for them to act in total silence.
"Kintark are winning in the naval battle," Calara said promptly. "They would have been equally matched if it weren't for that damn Carrier. The Terrans are down to one Cruiser, the Hermes, while the Kintark have both a Cruiser and the Carrier. Luckily, most of the Carrier's strike craft have been dealt with, but still. We're nearing the point of no return before a Kintark victory is guaranteed."
John frowned. They had Rachel on the Invictus, which was the primary objective. Still, leaving Port Medea to be lost with all hands when there was a chance he could intervene prodded his conscience. *Can we make a difference without undue risk?* he checked privately with Calara.
*They're all down to less than 30% Shields. Jonah and I can handle the Cruiser no problem. Then we could probably deal with the Carrier easily enough afterwards, though we risk taking on damage,* Calara gave her honest opinion.
John nodded as a plan formed in his pointy-eared head. "Lirrash, hail both Kintark ships," he ordered.
"Aye, Commander," the Ashanath Angel replied, sending the two hails with haste.
"Attention, Kintark warband! This is Commander John Blake on the Invictus. I slaughtered your cowardly brethren who attempted to take Port Medea. Now I offer you the chance to flee with your lives or face my wrath. Choose well," John said in a purposefully dramatic tone. Lirrash ended the hail at his nod. "That ought to get their attention," John said with a grin.
"Was that wise?" Rachel asked delicately, her gray eyes glancing at John after surveying the Tactical Map.
"Trust me, Rachel, we can handle it," John grinned down at the young military doctor.
The Kintark ships stopped attacking the Hermes and one and all turned on attack vectors for the Invictus. Jonah went forward to meet their advance, Calara cracking her knuckles before grasping the fire controls once more. Between the two Angels working the Invictus, the Kintark were outmatched if not outnumbered. Calara managed to take out the Kintark Cruiser's Bridge with the Mass Drivers within 2 seconds of Shields going down. Their own Shields were still at over half strength.
John played a hunch and had Lirrash hail the Kintark Carrier. "Kintark Carrier, your escort is lost and you're now outnumbered. I offer you one chance to surrender. You have 10 seconds to decide before we proceed to destroy you with all hands."
9 seconds later, Lirrash accepted a vid-call request. A Kintark male appeared on the vid-screen, his face not unlike a komodo dragon's or iguana's. Even with reptilian features, it was easy to see the defeated resignation in his face. "Thisss isss Prelate Jarganth in command of the Karlan'toh. Clearly, your ssstrength exceedsss our own. I offer my crew'sss sssurender, asssking only that you keep to Galactic League ssstandardsss regarding prisssonersss of war," the Kintark said in Terran Standard, along with his species' usual lisp.
"Recall all strike craft, power down all systems bar life support. Expect Terran forces to board in the coming hours to escort you and all your crew to the brig aboard Port Medea. Make any moves to escape or restart hostilities, and you will be destroyed," John said firmly.
"We will follow your commandsss to the letter, Commander John Blake," Jarganth sighed, slumping in his command chair as the fate of him and his fellows settled in his mind.
John nodded and pressed the button to end the call. Then he finally relaxed for the first time since entering the system. "Can't believe we pulled that off," he chuckled.
"Why not? Just your typical day aboard the Invictus," Jonah snorted with heavy sarcasm.
"That Carrier's huge, why would they just surrender like that without a fight?" Jade asked in confusion.
"For all its size, a Carrier actually has less of a weapons loadout than a standard Cruiser. Its effectiveness in combat is in its strike craft, and they were down to less than half their fleet before we even got involved," Dana explained to the Nymph. "When they saw how easy we took out their own Cruiser, this Jarganth was smart enough to realize they were doomed anyway."
"Lirrash, honey, can you contact the Hermes? The polite thing to do, don't you think?" John asked his Comms Officer, in a decidedly positive mood as the taste of victory filled him.
Lirrash did her work with efficiency, and the vid-screen on the Bridge filled with a man around John's age in Terran Federation naval uniform. "Captain Harding aboard the Hermes. With respect, who the hell are you, Mr. Hero?" the man asked, looking almost drunk with relief as his imminent doom seemed to have been lifted.
"Commander John Blake on the Invictus. I was just on my way here to conduct a crew transfer. When we showed up and saw this mess, I felt the need to help clean it up. Hope you don't mind," John said with wry humor.
"The AAR is going to read like the script of an action holo," Harding chuckled. "You and your ship saved the system, Commander! I can't speak for High Command, but you and your crew deserve a medal or something!"
"Just doing what we can, but appreciate it," John grinned. "I'm sure reinforcements are on their way, but until they arrive, you mind helping me babysit this Kintark Carrier? They surrendered, but you can't be too careful, right?"
"Sure thing," Captain Harding agreed easily.
John exchanged pleasantries for a bit and then ended the call with the Hermes. "Now Charles, Lirrash. Then I think we need to have a crew meeting to discuss our new recruit… if she's still onboard?" John posed to Rachel, who was standing a bit awkwardly by Alyssa's Navigator station.
Rachel looked a bit dazed, as if convinced she was in a waking dream. "I-I, I mean, I certainly wouldn't say no to being your Medical Officer. Only, I can't imagine why you would pick me. Clearly, you only recruit the best, and I'm just a fresh graduate. You should have been looking for a doctor with at least 5 years' experience, so I fail to see why you were so interested in recruiting me."
"Alyssa likes you, and she picked you. I leave recruitment up to her and Jonah, so it's really that simple," John explained, if not in great detail. "Plus, we can train you up," he added with a hinting tone.
"Besides, any girl with an IQ of over 200 shouldn't be so surprised when she gets headhunted," Alyssa said teasingly.
Rachel blinked and then blushed. "Of course you pulled my student records. Knew I should have half-assed that test, got me way more attention than I'm comfortable with."
"Wait, seriously, you're that smart?" Dana asked, intrigued. Not that any of the crew had been idiots before the Change, but Dana had been the only Angel who already had a genius IQ before getting enhanced. The idea of a fellow supergenius to talk to was exciting for the redhead.
"On paper. I have a photographic memory, so it's easy to memorize facts quickly, and I suppose I can extrapolate accurate conclusions more than the average person from provided data. But I'm not making history or anything," Rachel said with a very pretty blush on her cheeks.
Further inquiry was cut off as the call to Charles finally went through. The man looked panicked. "John! You gotta turn your ass around! Fuck confidentiality, this is too big! I just got word that Port Medea is under attack! You're headed straight into danger!"
Given how chilly their last call had gone, John couldn't deny he was touched at the clear concern for him Charles was expressing. "I know, we arrived in time to help. That's actually why–"
"John, don't joke about this. You were in the Core Worlds last night, there's no way you're even halfway to Iota Leonis," Charles cut off with a frown.
"Check the signal origin if you don't believe me," John chuckled.
Charles looked at his console and his jaw dropped. "What the… nothing's that fast!" the Vice Admiral protested.
"Nothing but Ashanath capital ships. I got a good deal on a new Tachyon Drive when I visited their homeworld," John said with a shrug. "Anyway, as I was saying, the Invictus arrived in the midst of the attack. I'll be submitting my AAR presently, but we basically repelled boarders from Port Medea and then went on to help win the naval battle in favor of the T-Fed. I need you to help coordinate the clean-up in system, first priority is taking the crew of the Carrier we captured prisoner. Can you do that, old friend?"
Charles stared at him in incomprehension for a minute until his console beeped. He skimmed an update by Captain Harding on the Hermes on the state of the battle, which backed John's extraordinary claims. Charles burst into relieved laughter. "Hot damn, seems like you saved the day, John! How the fuck did you pull this off?"
"I have an exceptional crew and a very particular set of skills not available to most," John said, a tad vague. He was still paranoid about mentioning Progenitors or the Change on an open comm line. "So, what's what? This was basically just another gig in my 'consultancy', and you're my handler as it were. What's the next move?"
"We sent in reinforcements, but they're at least another 45 minutes out. I'll get on top of putting all this shit in order, you just stick around until they arrive. Once that happens, I need you to come to Olympus to debrief. This is big, John, even bigger than the pirates and Kirrix. Plus… I think we need to have a serious talk in person," Charles said, a little guilt slipping into his face towards the end.
"We'll standby in Iota Leonis until the reinforcements come. Then we'll make straight for Olympus," John promised. He consulted with Alyssa telepathically. "Expect me at your door within 24 hours."
"Unbelievable," Charles shook his head. "I'll have a whiskey waiting for you. Stay safe, John."
"Bye, Charles," John nodded before ending the call.