John woke up in his bed, which despite its luxurious size felt too small with 8 other people besides him crammed onto it. Getting a bigger one was more and more sounding like a priority, especially since the crew would likely keep expanding in the near-future.
John mentally nudged all his Angels into wakefulness, and after a quick stretch they all sat down facing him in bed.
*Morning, everyone,* John said, starting the impromptu family meeting. *I'm declaring today a rest day. Anything work-related we need to deal with instead of just relaxing or leisure activities?*
*We're due a refueling, you guys haven't topped up the tanks since you bought the Invictus. Not an emergency yet, but we were under 40% before we left Port Medea so better safe than sorry,* Calara spoke up. *I'd also feel better if we refilled the ammo for the Mass Drivers, that's over half gone too.*
*Sure thing, I'll send in the orders today. With over 800 million in the bank, no need to budget on the necessities,* John nodded.
*Since we're in a spending mood, I feel like another shopping spree on Gravitus. Lirrash and Zanthus don't have their own clothes since the Change finished, Rachel can get a wardrobe ahead of time, plus we need beach gear,* Alyssa chimed in.
*Beach gear? Are we going on holiday?* Rachel asked.
*We've more than earned one,* John grinned at the newest Angel. *I figured two weeks on Oceanus ought to do.*
Rachel blinked. *Oceanus? The resort world where they customize your own island? Even I've never been there, but then Daddy was never much for sand.*
*Yep, just a nice, uninterrupted stretch of relaxation time. Plus, I know a certain kitty who loves the water and has been feeling a bit limited in the pool,* John thought, leaning over to kiss Jade.
*The chance to swim as fast as I can in any direction… that sounds like paradise. Such a generous, loving Master you are,* Jade thought with doe-eyed adoration.
*Nothing less than you deserve, honey,* John grinned at his Nymph. *Okay, Alyssa, Lirrash, Zanthus, and Rachel are going down planetside for clothes. Anybody else have anything they want to do today?*
*I bought my workshop planning to be the only one using it. With Zanthus and the Ashanath team to help me out, it's become a case of too many cooks thinning the broth. Please tell me there's a decent engineering depot on Olympus or Gravitus,* Dana laid out.
*This is the beating heart of the T-Fed's Navy, sweetheart, of course they got all the best toys for sale,* Jonah chuckled. *I'll show you all the top spots, I'm not even military and I used to come here when I had spare credits to get good parts.*
*And that's Jonah and Dana's day. Callie, Jade, anything tickle your fancy?* John checked.
Calara hummed in thought. *Since we all seem to be resupplying, how about we go grocery shopping? You're a wizard with food, John, and you passed your skills to each of us. But we've been working with standard rations Charles stocked the Kitchen with, which is running a tad low anyway. Jade and I can go get us some higher-quality ingredients.*
*I've never gone grocery shopping before! It'll be an adventure!* Jade thought, her tail actually wagging with excitement.
*Sounds like a plan,* John nodded. *Okay, let's get breakfast and then all head out. Rachel, honey, you want a load or want to stay slim for the clothes shopping?*
Rachel giggled. *Not like there's a deadline on me finishing the Change, and I'd rather not deal with all the attention of random passerby asking me the due date. I'll forgo this one time.*
*Load me up, I can do another round of nursing for the Marines and Engineers,* Jade volunteered.
John enjoyed a masterful deepthroating from Jade, who sashayed off to dole out his cum to the 'kittens' as she liked to call the Ashanath crew for some reason. They cooked and ate breakfast, then John kissed each of his Angels goodbye as they either loaded into the Raptor or went off to explore Olympus. He took the grav-tubes up to the Command Deck, musing that this was his first real stretch of 'alone' time in quite a while. Not that he had a chance of being lonely with the chorus happily buzzing in the back of his head, but still, it was a tad odd to have the whole deck to himself.
Going into his Ready Room, John sat at his desk. First things first, he contacted the support staff of Olympus and authorized the purchase of enough premium fuel to get them back to max capacity and Mass Driver shells to get back to full. To John's pleasant surprise, he even got a discount with his new Commodore-level clearance. That chore handled, John pulled up Charles' comm code and made a call.
Charles, looking a mite less stressed and ready to collapse than last night, answered John quickly. "Hi, John," he greeted, his voice cool and polite.
John hid a frown at the distance from his old friend. Guess he hadn't handled all the revelations last night very well after all. "Hello, Charles. I'm just calling to check about the press interview and the award ceremony."
"For the interview, you may contact Miss Jehanna Elani from TFNN as you did last time. In regards to the award ceremony, Admiral Devereux could have everything ready by tonight. Is 2000 hours acceptable for you and your crew?" Charles asked, still sounding like he was reading a script instead of talking to an old war buddy.
John consulted the chorus. "2000 tonight works. How formal is this going to be?" John asked.
"Full dress uniform, please," Charles replied. "Anything else?"
"No, that's it," John said, suppressing a sigh of disappointment at how chilly their relationship had become. "Take care, Charles."
Charles nodded and hung up.
*He'll come around, Johnny boy,* Jonah assured him mentally.
*Yeah, right,* John thought skeptically. Moving past the issue of things with Charles, John dug through his contacts to find Jehanna's comm code.
"Jehanna Elani, TFNN, may I ask who is calling?" the dusky-skinned reporter asked by rote.
"Hi, Jehanna, remember me? John Blake," John grinned at his celebrity crush.
"Oh, hello John!" Jehanna beamed once she recognized him. "I really must thank you, now that I have you. That Special Report we did together is the most-viewed video in my portfolio. It's really helped my career, I even got a bonus! So, what merits this call?"
"Well, seems me and my crew have a bad habit of heroic rescues. I've been asked to arrange another interview over the Invictus' actions during the Kintark attack on Port Medea two days ago," John explained.
Jehanna's eyes widened. "We've had scattered reports of what happened, how a ship came out of nowhere to turn the tide of the whole battle. That was you?!"
"Right place at the right time, what can I say?" John shrugged.
"Oh, this is marvelous! Where are you and when are you free? If you're within a day of Terra, we could even have the interview in person!" Jehanna said excitedly.
"I'm currently at Olympus Shipyard. Me and the crew are free the whole day, except for an award ceremony at 2000 tonight. Apparently Admiral Devereux felt we needed special recognition for our actions," John replied.
"An award ceremony?! This gets better and better! I could bring a film crew and make a real feature out of both that and the interview! Would that be permissible to you?" Jehanna checked, looking ready to vibrate out of her chair.
"I have no problem with it, but I'd check with Admiral Devereux or Vice Admiral Harris, they're the ones handling the whole thing," John told the young journalist.
"I'll check as soon as we hang up. In any case, I'm looking forward to meeting you in person, John," Jehanna said, a bit of a smolder to her smile.
"Likewise, Jehanna," John grinned back.
"See you tonight then," she bid farewell before ending the call.
*She wants you, bad. Whether we recruit her to the crew or even the network or not, I like her as your personal publicist,* Alyssa giggled in the chorus. *By the way, while you were focusing on that Indian beauty, I called up our old friend Lauren.*
John gave Alyssa his full attention. *How is she? How'd she react when you called her?*
*The answer to both your questions is 'quite well'. In fact, we have a lunch date set up. I'll introduce her to the new members since we all last saw her, and we'll all obviously yet tastefully wax poetic about how awesome it is to be an Angel. With any luck, you'll have an extra mouth to feed on Oceanus!* Alyssa told him with sunny cheer.
*Becoming an Angel and becoming a future Mrs. Blake aren't one and the same, honey. She can just get a sip from Jade and go on to live a happy life without us apart from feeding me some energy,* John reminded his Matriarch.
*True, but why settle for that when it costs us nothing to go for broke?* Alyssa countered.
*Well, have fun with that,* John chuckled, realizing trying to dissuade Alyssa from headhunting another member of the harem was pointless.
*Oh, by the way… what's the point of you showing up in your old Terran Federation dress uniform when you're not a Marine anymore? And I figure this crew could have something to slip into for formal occasions. I put a rush order on some custom uniforms I roughed out. You don't mind, right?* Alyssa slipped in before John focused elsewhere.
*Not at all, I'm sure they'll look fantastic with you as the designer. Only since when are you into fashion?* John wondered.
*Got a little taste with that first shopping spree. Plus, there's only so much Astro-Nav I can research before I need a palate cleanser. It's oddly absorbing to get into clothes design, but maybe that's just my ovaries talking,* Alyssa chuckled. *Anyway, I won't distract you any more. Love you, John.*
John sent a wave of love to the blonde before reordering his thoughts. He pulled up the e-brochure for Oceanus he had ordered in transit to Jericho in preparation of their coming vacation. Finding the comm code for a service representative, John initiated the call.
A stunningly beautiful blonde in an immaculate pantsuit appeared on the vid-screen. With the amount of money the Oceanus Company raked in from their super-rich clients, they could afford to be extremely selective in hiring customer-facing staff. John wouldn't be surprised if the woman had gotten a bodysculpt as part of her work benefits. She looked just a tad too overdone to be natural. Alyssa and the rest of his female Angels were the peak of organic feminine beauty in John's eyes. It was very subtle, but something about this woman's features struck him as artificial.
"Greetings. My name is Felicity with the Oceanus Company. How may I assist you today, good sir?" the woman asked while flashing a pearly-white smile. John noted with interest that she had the same accent as Rachel.
*Rachel says that the New Eden accent is so closely associated with money that it's not uncommon for luxury companies to offer speech classes to acquire it for their call centers,* Lirrash relayed to him before he could even ask.
Tucking away that little piece of trivia in his memory, John answered Felicity. "Hello, Felicity. My name is John Blake. I'm hoping to reserve an island for 2 weeks as soon as possible. Is that feasible, or is everything booked solid?"
"Thank you for choosing Oceanus, Mr. Blake!" Felicity beamed. "Luckily, it's the slow season, so we have a few available properties at present. And as an insider's tip, there's an optional surcharge to have any resort not currently in active use assigned to you and the previous holder of the reservation 'waitlisted'. But you didn't hear that from me." She gave a perfectly rehearsed wink.
*Is that even legal? It sounds sketch as fuck,* Dana snorted.
*Not illegal, and it makes the company money. There's probably also 'optional' insurance to prevent your island from being bought out from under you too,* Jonah snickered.
"Well, Felicity, in that case, which of the islands would you recommend? Price is no object, I want to splurge for me and my loved ones for this trip," John asked, figuring it was best to get a recommendation from someone who knew more than him about each property.
"To best assist you, can you think of any criteria you'd like to meet? The more I know about your party and the kinds of experiences you wish to enjoy while on vacation, the more accurate I can be in suggesting the perfect resort for you!" Felicity followed up.
John thought about it, checking if anyone in the chorus had special requests. "There's less than 30 of us in total. We're all adults, so no need to be kid-friendly. We're aiming for cozy and romantic without verging into honeymoon territory. If possible, I'd like the island to be near a reef or in an area rich in marine wildlife since we might go scuba-diving. Even with the ocean right there, a private pool and hot tub would be nice. A gym or other fitness facilities would be appreciated too. For the record, we'll be arriving in a decommissioned Assault Cruiser, so the hangar needs to be big enough to hold a ship that size or else we'll have to make a couple trips with our dropship. That enough to work with?"
"Hmm, let me see what we have that will meet if not exceed your expectations," Felicity said brightly before gesturing as she did some searches on her console. She got an almost shy grin. "Well, don't think I'm trying to pad my commission, but the Tethys resort checks off all those requirements and then some."
Given the Terran Federation's mild obsession with Ancient Greek mythology, John had most of the major figures memorized. "As in the wife of the titan Oceanus himself? Now why do I get the feeling that's one of your finest, ergo most expensive islands?" John asked with good humor.
"The Oceanus resort is our very best island and can host up to 500, it's quite popular as a corporate retreat or even for the Admiralty. The Poseidon resort is meant for families of small children, it has quite the aquapark. The Amphitrite resort, if you'll pardon my evocative imagery, is a sex dungeon with a beach. Tethys finds the happy medium between those 3. Want to listen to my sales pitch or take a look for yourself?" Felicity asked with a mischievous grin.
"Walk me through a virtual tour," John chuckled.
10 minutes later, John was convinced that it would be perfect for the crew's needs. And what was the point of having millions of credits if you didn't use them? "I'll take it. How much will it set me back for a 2-week reservation and how soon can it be ready for us?" John asked Felicity.
Felicity asked a few questions to get the fine details and offered a number of amenities, which John added without blinking. He was determined to make this the best vacation his Angels had ever had in their lives. Feeding all the information into the calculator, Felicity finally delivered the final quote. "The estimated balance comes out to 1 million, 560 thousand Terran Federation credits. The Tethys resort will be ready to receive you after 48 hours of preparation by our expert team."
John wordlessly pulled out his credit chit and plugged it into his desk console. "Ready when you are."
A couple button presses and a DNA scan to verify it was John authorizing the transfer later, the eye-watering sum had been sent and secured in an Oceanus Company holding account. "We hope you enjoy Oceanus, where dreams become reality!" Felicity said, looking ecstatic at managing such a big sale.
"Pleasure doing business with you, Felicity," John nodded. He ended the call.
*On the one hand, all the equipment for my workshop came out to 17 million and I'll probably spend more than you just did on getting more quality shit added today. Still, for some reason, I almost fainted when you gave up that much money for a glorified rental property,* Dana thought, shaking her head.
*That's because your equipment is so useful it pays for itself in the end. I essentially just tried to buy 'fun', which is a much more abstract concept,* John replied to his Chief Engineer.
*Well, here's hoping we get our money's worth,* Calara projected, in a similar state of sticker shock as Dana.
John lined up his next call. He'd done serious digging to try and find anyone in the Galactic League who knew what they were doing when it came to using a sword in combat. One name kept popping up: Eito Yamamoto. He'd been a rising star in the Kendo circuit before all but vanishing off the face of the galaxy. He'd refused all requests to teach up to that point, but some gut instinct had urged John to save the man's comm code.
John initiated the call. The signal reached the receiver and the line began to ring. John waited patiently for a recording feature to kick in, but it never did. If the comm code wasn't active, though, the call wouldn't have gone through in the first place. John realized he was being screened, and figured he could be more stubborn than this Yamamoto guy.
After a solid 10 minutes of listening to the chiming tone repeat every 2 seconds, John was about ready to admit defeat when the vid-screen activated. An Asian man, looking to be mid-to-late 40s, glared at John. "Who is this? Why are you calling me?" he asked belligerently.
"Mr. Yamamoto, my name is John Blake. I'm seeking an instructor in swordsmanship and was calling to inquire–" John began.
"Not interested," Yamamoto snorted and moved to end the call.
"I NEED to learn how to use a sword. It's life-or-death. If you won't teach me, I'll find someone else, but everyone says you're the best. I need the best," John said, going on instinct.
Yamamoto paused with his finger an inch from his console. He narrowed those almond-shaped eyes. "How do you mean? Why is it so important you learn the way of the sword?"
"I'm not doing this for fun or sport. I fully intend to use my personal sword as a melee weapon in combat. Call me old-fashioned, but sometimes a gun doesn't do the job. At the moment, I'm basically just swinging for center mass like I'm using a sharpened baseball bat. It's worked, but I don't delude myself into thinking I'll last a minute against anyone, Terran or otherwise, with proper training. And that's where you come in," John explained.
"You're fighting for real with a blade?" Yamamoto asked, a spark of interest in his eye.
"That's correct," John nodded.
"The sword is an instrument of death. Have you killed with your blade?" Yamamoto asked intensely.
"Yes, I have. But like I said, it was a crude effort," John repeated.
Yamamoto seemed to peer straight into John's soul for a minute. John was surprised to realize he was a little intimidated. It took a special kind of person to get under John's skin, especially since coming into his powers. "I will train you. Prepare your equipment," Yamamoto finally said before ending the call abruptly.
John blinked, shocked at how sudden things had turned in his favor. A beep from his console alerted him that Yamamoto had sent him an email. There wasn't any message apart from a list of product names. John did some quick searches on the Holonet and learned they were all high-end communications and virtual-reality equipment. John surmised that he'd be sparring with Yamamoto via hologram somehow. He hadn't thought that was possible, but apparently the right combination of tech allowed such a thing. It was 2779 after all.
John ordered the lot and had it all shipped express to Oceanus care of himself. With the quality of service Felicity had demonstrated, he was sure the staff would handle storing if not installing it all into Tethys temporarily.
*It's supposed to be a vacation, John. You're going to be taking sword lessons when you could be skinny-dipping with us instead?* Jade asked teasingly.
*Short-term pain for long-term gain, honey. Melee combat is considered obsolete by some, but I know that gladiatorial matches are quite popular in the Brimorian Enclave at least. Even in this day and age, there are people who use ancient weaponry to great effect. For all we know, Progenitor culture includes dueling. I want to get so good using my sword that using my strength or speed is unnecessary. It's all to get better at protecting myself, and therefore all of you. Remember, Michael warned us how you'll all be compelled to suicide if I die. The Devourer probably built that into the Connection so it got a big meal whenever one of its pawns managed to off another,* John explained his reasoning.
*Mael'nerak, to our knowledge, relied purely on psionics. Then again, he also did nothing to stop or discourage various schools of Maliri swordplay. Better safe than sorry, and nothing wrong with learning another form of self-defense,* Lirrash mused.
*Though on the subject of my death…* John trailed off, forming a plan.
*Don't even go there, Johnny boy,* Jonah thought firmly.
Ignoring his Patriarch, John did a quick search and then made a call. "Brooks and Lartner, Attorney Services," answered a receptionist.
"Hello. My name is John Blake, and I'd like to set up a will," John said clearly.
John was distracted from whatever his response was as he felt a tangible plummet in the collective mood of the chorus. *What's going on?!* he asked in alarm.
*You CAN'T die!* Alyssa said, sounding heartbroken at the very thought of his demise.
*Life has no meaning without you in it,* Zanthus projected, sounding utterly drained of vitality.
*Master, no!* Jade thought, sounding on the verge of hysterics.
The rest of the crew were no better. "Mr. Blake?" the receptionist asked, drawing John's attention from the nervous breakdown his lovers all seemed to be suffering.
"Um, on second thought, it's a bit early. Apologies for bothering you," John said quickly before hanging up. Thinking quickly, hoping they'd forgive him later, John told the chorus *Girls, I'm getting all of you pregnant. Jonah, Zanthus, you'll help me raise the babies. We're all going to be one happy family.*
The emotional extremes went from negative to positive so fast it made John dizzy. The girls had entered a state of sheer bliss, and the men felt 10 feet tall at the thought of fatherhood.
John, feeling more than a little out of his depth, added *But only after we take care of this other Progenitor. I won't risk our babies so long as he's active and a threat.*
Calara, having experienced something similar to this scenario a few weeks back, was the first to snap out of it as his words settled in her mind and the genetic programming abated. *Ok. This has to be said. John, I love you, but FUCK your default Connection. What just happened is so ridiculous it's not even funny!*
*No arguments here, Callie,* John sighed, feeling exhausted by the rollercoaster they'd all just gone through.
*So, what have we learned? You can't even talk about a world without you in it before we all turn into sobbing wrecks. And I'd bet sex to a Karron stew that if we felt the Connection die, we'd be even worse. And while it was fun while it lasted, being love-drunk at the idea of pregnancy is definitely a weakness I'm not comfortable with,* Alyssa grumbled as she returned to coherent thought.
*We can bitch and moan, but because most of the manual to the whole Progenitor thing is locked up with Other John in the mind-prison, there's nothing we can do. Even Sparks knows more about Progenitor runes than John does right now. You think there's any way he can edit the fine-print of the Connection right now or anytime soon?* Jonah huffed sullenly.
*What do you mean, fine-print?* John asked his Patriarch.
*I may not have Spirit-Walking as a power, but I wanted a way to talk to Michael. Call me curious to get to know the guy who's sharing my mind. Took a lot of meditating and mental gymnastics, but I managed to find the hidden mind-box where he lives in my head. We've had some long talks. Anyway, Michael and Athena basically have nothing better to do than watch us live our lives and brainstorm ways to keep us all safe. They've studied the Connection as best they can. According to them, the Connection is made up of strings of Progenitor runes wrapped together to make a rope linking all of us back to John's Astral body,* Jonah revealed, no-nonsense.
*Like a leash from pet to owner,* John sighed. *But still, that's interesting. So it's not all faith, trust, and pixie dust. The Connection is basically a psychic contract, then. And as Jonah pointed out, I'm illiterate at Progenitor script. I can't even consciously perceive the Connection itself with Other John blocking me anyway. So, yeah, altering the Connection will have to wait until after I wipe out my evil twin.*
*Does it, though?* Jade hummed, her thoughts contemplative. *If the Connection is built on Progenitor runes, maybe ALL our powers are. Why certain shapes would have the power to hack reality is another issue entirely. In which case, even without knowing the exact symbols, John's intentions are enough to splice the right ones into our DNA to give us our gifts. If John tried to alter the Connection without being able to read it, maybe it would still work.*
*And maybe I'd erase whole sections or put in something ungrammatical and drive you all insane when it collapsed on itself,* John replied, dry as a desert.
*Risk big, win big. I like this idea. John, we trust you. We have faith in you. Give it an honest try. At the very least, try to take out the obedience compulsion and/or the whole suicidal despair part,* Dana encouraged.
John was hesitant, but all his Angels were behind the idea. Figuring he ought to respect their group will, John closed his eyes. He went into a meditative state, before turning his attention to his Crown Nexus. He mentally probed the multiple Connections rooted in that Nexus that bound him to all those in his network. Focusing with all his might, he grabbed them and willed the obedience compulsion and suicide parts away.
He opened his eyes a few seconds later. *Something's wrong. It's not too much energy, I'm not being blocked by Other John, but it's still not happening. Some condition isn't being met or something. Well, we tried.*
*Now, now, John, don't give up so quickly,* Lirrash chastened lightly. *Accepting that the Connection is made up of Progenitor runes at its most basic level, then it's like a computer program, spelling out the application of psychic energy. And anyone who knows anything about computers knows you have to turn off and restart it to update its software. If my hunch is right, you'll have to sever the current Connections and then alter it before remaking them.*
*Well, then we're stuck. Because as was just painfully demonstrated, the very thought of a life without me in it causes you all anguish. Like Alyssa said, it'll be worse if I cut the Connections. I'm not putting you all through that. I won't,* John thought, not backing down on this.
*Let's table this discussion for later. But, just saying, if you preload us before you cut the Connection and it happens as fast as most psychic shenanigans, we'll only feel abandoned for a minute tops before you forge the new and improved Connection,* Alyssa said. *Now, if that's all, let's get back to our regularly scheduled day off, shall we?*
John happily let the subject drop and occupied himself with the mundane task of finding a bigger bed for their quarters than a double-king.
The rest of the morning and afternoon was much more peaceful after the whole episode of the attempted last will and testament. John invited the Engineers and Marines up to the Lounge for lunch, spending some quality time with those Angels he wasn't sleeping with but had still pledged themselves to his service. He was both amused and intrigued to learn that both groups had formed into polycules much like he and his Bridge crew had. Though an interesting tidbit came up as he talked with all the Ashanath about how the group relationships had started. Each Ashanath had noticed that they seemed to fall unnaturally fast for the first partner they had sex with after joining the network. John discussed it with the chorus and reached the conclusion that it was a facet of the Change, imprinting on your first sexual partner. By definition, anyone who drank straight from John would imprint on him by default. Those fed indirectly by Jade, though, would latch onto whoever they fucked first.
Being a recovering pessimist, John's thoughts went to a dark place. *I wasn't a lothario or anything, but I reached the mid-30s in terms of partners before I hooked up with Jonah and got my powers. Without knowing how much of the Change is physical or psychic, what if all those men and women imprinted on me and then I left them as one-night stands?*
*Well, what do you suggest we do about it?* Calara asked logically. *If you can cough up any names, we can track them down and check and offer them places on the crew if that's indeed the case. Or maybe since you didn't make a Connection with any of them, they just got a little healing from your swimmers working on autopilot and nothing more. How much is this really going to bother you? The fact that none of them stalked you or tracked you down afterwards is a good sign, in my opinion.*
*Point, honey,* John agreed after chewing on that. *Still, worth remembering to warn all future members of the network that don't join the harem.
Around 1400, Jonah and Dana came back to the Docking Bay trailing anti-grav sleds loaded with numerous crates of equipment to be installed in the Engineering Bay. Dana assured John that once it was all online, she, Zanthus, and her team would be able to operate at peak efficiency. Upgrades and new equipment would roll out much faster, and the pace had already been impressive in John's opinion.
To everyone's collective amusement, it took 3 roundtrips in the Raptor around 1630 to ferry both the clothes and groceries that the other 2 groups had all ended up buying. Once out of the public eye, though, the use of psychic powers made the process much faster and less frustrating. John worked on getting all the fresh food into storage in the Kitchen. *Did we really need this much caviar, honey?* John projected at both Calara and Jade as he loaded the 8th jar into the pantry.
*Blame Jade for that one, they offered a free sample and I swear she had a tiny orgasm on the spot,* Calara rolled her eyes.
*I'm part cat, cats like fish. Apparently, we REALLY like baby fish. Are you really upset, Master?* Jade asked, sounding a smidge worried.
*I do still owe you a major spanking after the whole Raptor fiasco,* John thought playfully, though he did feel a shadow of his horror from when he'd seen the damage to the dropship before he, Alyssa, and the Engineers had repaired it all. *I'll add a couple more smacks for picking one of the most expensive foodstuffs on the market as your favorite snack. We're rich, but that's just wasteful.*
*Very well,* Jade nodded solemnly. Secretly, though, she found the whole thing funny. As John had strengthened her mind with each dose, she'd begun to have clearer memories of her centuries of sexual slavery. What John considered 'punishment', some of her more sadistic masters would have considered little better than a tickle session. Not that all that pain really polluted her psyche other than as part of her personal history. She had John now, and he was the best possible master in the whole universe, so she was content.
The crew had a quick dinner and relaxed with a round of drinks, then Alyssa decided to reveal the new dress uniforms for the Invictus.
The full effect wasn't obvious until they were already wearing them, but even just out the garment bag, John had been sure they'd all stop traffic. Alyssa had clearly taken inspiration from standard T-Fed military dress uniforms, but she'd then added her own personal flair along with cranking their natural sex appeal up to 11.
John finished pinning all his hard-earned medals to his breast and then looked himself over in the mirror. Whereas his old uniform had come off the peg, this one had been tailored to his exact size and measurements by Alyssa. It emphasized the breadth of his shoulders, the size of his arms, and overall was full of little touches to make him look as big, masculine, and dashing as possible. The cloth was Alyssium white rather than Titanium gray like his old uniform, and the gold buttons featured filigree designs that struck him as somehow Progenitor-ish. Alyssa, with her photographic memory, must have studied the Progenitor runes she'd already seen and somehow distilled the artistic style of the symbols. Alyssa had foregone the usual peaked hat as well.
All told, John thought he looked spectacular, but definitely not like a member of the Terran Federation. Which he supposed was rather the effect Alyssa had been aiming for.
Then John walked out his closet into the main bedroom and got so hard it made him dizzy.
John could acknowledge and like when he himself looked good, but he wasn't quite so self-centered that he managed to turn himself on. Seeing Jonah and Zanthus' bodies wrapped up in the male Invictus uniform made them look so sexy John couldn't decide whether he would prefer bending them over or offering his own rump for their pleasure. And then he saw Alyssa and the other girls. With their angelic faces standing out above perfectly highlighted bodies built for sin, they looked more like porn stars in costume than military personnel.
Alyssa sauntered up to him and used a finger to gently push his dropped jaw closed. *Job well done, I take it? I wanted everyone who saw us to either die of jealousy or be willing to sell their souls to join us.*
*You knocked it out of the park, honey. I'm seriously debating blowing off this ceremony and unwrapping each of you one by one,* John practically growled, his mind-voice was so thick with lust.
*As entertaining as that would be, don't forget that it's not just this medal Devereux wants to give us. Jehanna is waiting and she came all the way from Terra,* Alyssa reminded him, though some heat had bloomed in her own loins at the raw desire John was projecting.
*Two hour trip in a transport even with a Terran civilian FTL Drive, it's a hop skip and a jump between Sol and Alpha Centauri and you know that. We can reschedule the interview,* John said dismissively, actually planning to follow through with spending the evening in bed instead of attending the ceremony.
*You might have done too well, sweetheart. Brava, but Johnny boy ain't in his right mind, we look so good,* Jonah chuckled.
Dana had a thought and sent it through her link with Rachel. The medic agreed with the idea and her eyes began to glow gray. She stepped forward and laid a gentle hand on John's arm.
John blinked as he felt a strange, cool sensation radiate through his body. Much as water can put out a fire, it seemed to banish his horniness. He looked down at Rachel, who was the only one who didn't fill out her uniform like it was painted on. *What are you doing?* he asked, intrigued.
*Almost everything about a sapient person's thoughts and feelings boils down to neurochemistry. Dana had the bright idea that I could snap you out of 'beast in heat' mode by restoring your hormonal balance to baseline. Clearly, it's working, and I get to test out my new Healing power,* Rachel explained, proud and amazed at her own accomplishment. *For the record, your testosterone and other androgen levels would have been toxic in a Terran. Progenitors literally get more turned on than humans do. The fact you exhibit such a degree of self-control regardless is a testament to your discipline.*
*Huh, interesting,* John mused. *You can stop now, I've got my wits back. It was just getting slapped in the face with all of you at once that tipped me over the edge.*
Rachel's eyes stopped glowing as she deactivated her psychic power. She blinked. *Huh. I need to build some endurance. I feel like I just had a long workout in terms of energy expenditure and that was relatively minor in terms of what I hope to do with this gift when the time comes.*
*You just got your powers and Terrans aren't naturally psychic, don't beat yourself up over it,* Calara advised her fellow Angel. *Though while John's a special case, if his reaction is any indication of what to expect, I almost want to change out of this.*
*Don't you dare,* Alyssa huffed. *I might have overshot it a bit, but these are our dress uniforms. We're not indecent or anything, we're just that beautiful. Now, let's go out and knock 'em dead!*
They lined up in the order they joined and made the walk to the grav-tubes. Lieutenant Victor Adams, Charles' adjutant, was waiting in the Docking Bay when they exited the airlock. He nodded politely at John and Jonah, then he saw Alyssa and seemed to go brain-dead. The rest of the female Angels certainly didn't alleviate the effect.
"Lieutenant?" John prompted after a solid 30 seconds of awkward silence.
Victor seemed to remember himself. "Um, sorry, sir. Don't know what happened," he said, blushing up a storm.
"Don't worry, happened to me too the first time I saw my girls in uniform," John chuckled good-naturedly. "So, lead the way."
Seemingly too embarrassed to say another word, Victor turned on his heel and guided them out the Docking Bay. The Invictus' crew left a trail of devastation in their wake as anyone who saw them did a double-take. No matter the observer's sexuality, there was at least one example of hypnotizing beauty to ogle among John and his Angels.
*I never put much stock in 'clothes make the man', but these uniforms just might have more of an effect than if we were streaking,* John mused after the 3rd time he saw someone literally crash into another person because they were too busy staring at them.
*It's not just our physical beauty, I don't think,* Lirrash projected. *Keep in mind that each of us alone has more psychic power than any Terran, let alone combined. They may not consciously perceive it, but part of all these people recognize that we're 'more'. Like gravity, or moths to a flame, our power is attractive in the most literal sense of the word.*
*So you're saying magic mojo passively enhances sex appeal? Good to know,* Jonah joked.
*If it's this bad as we are now, though, how about in a year or two or 50 if we keep recruiting and growing at our current rate?* Dana wondered, her curiosity piqued.
*Gods among mortals,* Jade thought solemnly.
John found that whole concept mildly disturbing, but he figured there was nothing they could do about it.
Victor eventually led them all to the antechamber to one of the bigger auditoriums on Olympus. John spotted Charles chatting with Jehanna, who was even prettier in person. He also noticed a chubby man with a holo-camera placed on the floor next to him enjoying a tray of canapes on a nearby table.
*Nibbles while we wait? That's rockstar treatment. Admiral Devereux must be pulling out all the stops for this. Which begs the question, why?* Calara frowned in thought.
*Didn't Charles mention last night that the last interview John gave raised ratings for High Command by 3%? I think Admiral Devereux wants to build up John's reputation and then take all the credit among High Command for the subsequent good PR,* Zanthus hypothesized.
*Ugh, politics,* John mentally groaned.
Jehanna looked up when she noticed movement in the corner of her eye. She flashed a lovely smile at John when she saw him. Then she noticed the rest of the crew and she looked like she had the breath knocked out of her. After a beat, she abruptly turned on her heel and marched over to her cameraman and all but dragged him by the ear away from the appetizers. That done, she strode confidently up to John. "Commander Blake, so good to meet in the flesh," she beamed.
"John, please, I insist," John replied.
"Then I insist that you call me Jehanna," she lobbed back with a smirk. She glanced at the Angels again. "Would it be a terrible imposition if I asked that you all pose for some stills before the ceremony? It would flesh out the feature. You're all just so photogenic, too, it'd be a crime not to take advantage of the opportunity!"
John did a quick Telepathic poll and got a unanimous agreement. "No problem. How do you want us?"
Jehanna seemed overjoyed at the affirmative. She led them over to a clear area of the antechamber and then directed them into a number of dramatic positions. John's personal favorite was the one with him, Jonah, and Zanthus standing at parade rest and staring boldly into the unknown while they each had two of the girls plastered to their sides gazing up at them with admiration.
*You just KNOW that some incel is going to jerk off to these when these go public on the Holonet. Should I feel more flattered or disgusted at that thought?* Rachel posed rhetorically when they were done and Jehanna was reviewing each still with John.
*How do you think I feel? I was physically repulsive for half my life. Being stared at in a good way still feels oddly uncomfortable for some reason,* Dana commiserated.
*No such thing as bad press?* Jonah offered half-heartedly. He too was a tad disturbed at the thought of becoming objectified by random strangers.
*Who cares about those lonely souls? We'll be busy having fun with each other while they just dream about it,* Jade thought loftily, not seeing the big deal.
*Said the literal sex kitten,* Lirrash snarked.
*Calm down, everyone. It's not like we're holo-actors, we're just a private crew who's helped out the T-Fed a couple times. We're not about to become household names,* John told the chorus.
*Aaaand you jinxed it,* Alyssa teased. *In all seriousness, though, once you claim the Maliri and go public on the galactic stage, this crew WILL become that big a deal. Consider all this rehearsal for the real thing.*
John refocused on Jehanna. "Oh, these are all so good! They'll be ratings gold! Do you only recruit ex-models, John?" the reporter asked playfully.
"Not really," he said vaguely.
"Though out of curiosity, I don't recognize the species of Jade, Lirrash, or Zanthus. Are they from one of the minor empires?" Jehanna asked him.
"Jade's a Lenarran we rescued from the pirates, actually. Lirrash and Zanthus are from the Ashanath Collective, though they're not full-blooded Ashanath." *Anymore,* John added in the privacy of his thoughts.
"I see," Jehanna nodded. She was about to ask more questions, when Charles walked over and cleared his throat.
"5 minute mark. You all better get ready," Charles said, still stiff and distant as he had been that morning.
"What do we have to do?" John asked his old CO.
"Walk on stage, stand at attention, accept your medals, smile for the cameras, walk off stage. Admiral Devereux will do all the talking," Charles answered.
John and his Angels lined up, and at Charles signal the naval guards opened the doors to the auditorium and John led his crew into the hall.
Even expecting a grand and imposing affair after all the clues, John still almost tripped. It was standing room only, over a thousand naval personnel standing and watching their entrance. A red carpet led down the central walkway up to the marble stage. Recovering from the shock, John walked steadily down the carpet and up the steps onto the stage. He took a subtly marked position near a lectern and went to parade rest, each of his lovers following his lead beside him.
Admiral Devereux was a plain-looking middle-aged woman, with her brown hair tied up in a bun underneath her peaked hat. She walked towards the lectern, and once attention in the hall had switched to her, she began to speak.
"We are assembled here today, to honor a hero of the Terran Federation. A short while ago, Commander John Blake and his valiant crew intervened in the Iota Leonis system, and defiantly fought off a brutal attack by a rogue Kintark Warband.
After saving the fuel refineries from attack, the crew of the Invictus defended the evacuation of over six hundred wounded marines and naval personnel, helped fight off a hostile boarding action on the starport, then rode to the rescue of the Cruiser Hermes and her escorts. Not content with those astounding acts of bravery, they then proceeded to capture a Kintark Heavy Carrier, and devastate its escorting Cruiser.
Thousands of Terran Federation personnel owe their lives to your courageous intervention on that day, and it is my great privilege to promote you from Commander to Commodore," Admiral Devereux said, then turned towards John and saluted.
John managed to mask his surprise at the public promotion, and turned to salute her in turn. He saw the flash of a gold insignia in her hand, so he walked up the steps to face the older woman.
"Congratulations, Commodore Blake. The Terran Federation sorely needs men of your caliber," she said earnestly, her kindly eyes twinkling at him as she spoke.
"It's an honor to serve, Admiral," John replied sincerely.
She handed him his new rank insignia, and he saluted her again before returning to join the crew. Admiral Devereux turned to face the crowd once more.
"We wish to acknowledge the heroic work of Commodore Blake's crew as well, so it is my great pleasure to award them each this medal," she said, holding one up for the cameras to zoom in on, so that it could be displayed on the large holo view-screens on the walls.
The medal was made of gold, and depicted a lion roaring defiantly at a dragon. "As you defended the Leonis system, we award you the Lion Defender medal," she said with a smile.
She turned to face the Invictus' crew, and then walked down the line, clicking the medal into place on the chests of John and the Angels. The holo-cameras zoomed in on the crew, and Admiral Devereux faced the crowd for a final time.
"We thank you, Lions of the Terran Federation!" she said with a broad smile, and the hundreds of people assembled in the hall rose to their feet, and began to cheer and applaud.
*Champion of the Ashanath, Lion of the Federation, King of the Maliri, we should get you a sign made up,* Alyssa chuckled, though she was just as surprised as the rest of them at the bold move Devereux had just made.
*This Devereux chick is seriously putting all her chips on making us look good. Hoping to ride your heroic coattails to her next promotion,* Jonah thought rather cynically.
*Settle down,* John ordered his Patriarch and the rest of the chorus. He noticed Charles rather energetically signaling them to move. In reverse order, the crew descended from the stage and left the hall. The doors closed behind them, finally muffling the clamor of the paid audience.
John approached Jehanna, who seemed a bit starstruck all of a sudden. "So, how about that interview now?"
A New Breed
"Where are you, you elusive bastard?!" the Master Assassin roared in frustration.
He'd thought taking out John Blake would prove a simple exercise, a routine contract to pad his accounts, nothing more than a mild effort. To his consternation though, even his substantial information network had failed to provide a concrete location almost since the contract was started. He'd looked high and low, but by all accounts this random Commander had somehow vanished from the Terran Federation.
There hadn't been a deadline on the contract, but it was a point of professional pride that he and his team completed each assassination with brutal and swift efficiency. It rarely took more than a month to swoop in for the kill even with all the necessary research and preparation. It had been over 2 weeks, though, and they hadn't even managed to pin down where the target was! It was a maddening frustration to the Master Assassin, like a splinter in his mind, distracting him from other contracts.
As if the answer to a prayer, he'd just got his breath back from his unacceptable outburst when his monitoring programs gave a ping. He went to check, and grinned when he read the report from one of his informants at Olympus Shipyard. Hard confirmation that John Blake was currently at Olympus.
"You may have been a slippery one, Commander Blake, but all fall to me in the end," he gloated as he sent the order to start the trap he'd planned specifically to snare this target.
Lightyears away, an altogether more dangerous man was sitting in his Command Chair, regarding the footage he'd had his Thralls procure with some simple hacking with bemusement.
"Are they perhaps his brothers, my Lord?" Ailanthia posed, sounding even more confused than he was at the presence of the unmistakably male figures on stage with John Blake, the baby Progenitor.
"Look at the ears, my pet, they don't match," he chided his Matriarch. But then, he hadn't picked her for her brains.
"Then who could they be? And why are they shaped like your kind?" Ailanthia wondered, her beautiful grass-green face set in bewilderment.
"That is the question, isn't it?" the Larathyran Emperor mused. There was, of course, the obvious conclusion. Yet it was also the most outlandish. Then again, this 'John Blake' was already an anomaly, a Progenitor somehow born and raised in this sanctuary from the Deep Astral. Such unprecedented circumstances could well give rise to unprecedented results. "Maybe they're his Thralls too," he finally said, wanting to see Ailanthia's reaction to the idea that wouldn't leave him alone.
"Male Thralls?" Ailanthia said in disbelief. "But that doesn't happen. It just… doesn't!"
"Yet, somehow, it has," her master remarked, though he shared his direct inferior's sense of denial. The very idea felt blasphemous, somehow. "Order the Terran Thrall to pull his medical records. I want his genome on file, then have the medics analyze it. Do an ancestry check so we can figure out which line he's from, but also look for any mutations that could have led to this… abnormal behavior."
"At once, my Lord," Ailanthia bowed, already sending the Telepathic command to the Admiral her master had seduced, the one named Gabrielle Lynton.
"You just keep getting more and more interesting, little brother," the dark figure thought aloud. "Do hurry up and become a player worthy of my attention. I can't want to see how you'll do in this little game."