John Blake blinked open gummy eyes, finding himself in his bed and his lovers all cuddled up alongside him. He blinked, checking the chronometer on the wall. It was early morning, but last he remembered it had been the other side of midnight. He'd been planning to edit the Connection and then… it was a blur. Like the few times he'd gotten blackout drunk.

John sat up, trying not to disturb any of his lovers. He floated himself out of bed with Telekinesis, and blinked as his feet touched down on the carpeted floor. That had felt easy. Very easy, barely noticeable as a strain on his reserves. John turned his focus internal and checked his number of mind-boxes.

His jaw dropped. He had so many! In fact, he was just shy of being equal to Other John in his mind-prison. How much of a power boost had editing the Connection given them? He'd been hoping to free up a little 'bandwidth' as well as improve their lives by removing the compulsions to obey him as the Progenitor and suicide in the event of his death. But by all appearances, just removing those portions of the Connection had more than doubled his reserves!

John padded over to the console built into the wall. "Faye?" he called out in whisper volume, hoping to let his harem keep sleeping.

"Yes, John?" the fairy popped up on the vid-screen, keeping her voice pitched at a similar volume.

"What exactly happened last night? I can't properly remember," John admitted to his Ship Assistant, the AI they'd created to run off Valada's personal console.

Faye pulled up the relevant camera footage. "Well, basically you loaded up Jonah and Alyssa before getting into the lotus position. Then everyone started screaming and crying like they were having their hearts torn out or something! They kind of just whimpered and clung to each other and writhed in some kind of agony for the next 20 minutes. Then you suddenly lit up like a star and floated up into the air with your eyes glowing like supernovas! You said something in Progenitor or some other language I don't recognize, then you collapsed in a dead faint onto the bed. Everyone sort of picked themselves up and tucked you in and joined you. If they discussed anything, it was in the chorus so I wasn't aware of it."

John watched the video files, zooming in on his own face the moment he'd gotten such a power surge from the new and improved Connection. "Kyth'vindathys… Revenge of the Kyth'faren reborn. But who are the Kyth'faren?" John wondered aloud.

*No clue, Master,* Jade thought sleepily, padding over to him from where she'd crawled out of bed. *But I think that's your name. Your true name. John Blake was given by your Terran family, Baen'thelas is a title awarded by the Maliri. But Kyth'vindathys… that's who you truly are. Your Progenitor name, as it were.*

*Guess the power surge was enough to knock that loose from Other John's archive of all our Progenitor knowledge,* John mused, turning to hug and kiss his Nymph. *How are you feeling, honey?*

*I should be asking you that. We all felt… lighter once the new Connection took hold. The pain vanished, and then it was like… like a darkness that had been there but beyond our notice had vanished. Plus we all got a major boost to our reserves, so much of our own energy was being turned against us to enforce the compulsions. With them gone, we're free to shine as brightly as you would want us to!* Jade replied brightly.

*Also means that you all aren't bound to obey me anymore. So I'll have to make sure to keep you all satisfied to quiet any thoughts of mutiny or tying me up to have your wicked ways with me,* John teased.

*Don't tempt us, Johnny boy,* Jonah chuckled. His Patriarch and indeed the whole harem seemed to be waking up in their expanded bed. John, rather unimaginatively, had just bought 2 more king-sized mattresses to place on either side of their existing four-poster double-king bed. It worked, but it clashed horribly.

*I think we all get too much satisfaction over John taking charge and putting us in our place to really give making him our love slave an honest go,* Alyssa thought with a giggle. *So, how you feeling after your little psychic nirvana last night?*

*The thing I subconsciously said is Kyth'vindathys, which Jade convincingly argues is my 'true' name. It translates as Revenge of the Kyth'faren reborn… any ideas what the fuck that means?* John posed to the chorus.

*Kyth'faren… I'm not picking up any translations. Whatever it is, it's a proper name of someone or something,* Dana mused.

*Being named the 'revenge' of anything implies payback against the one who originally did harm. But which were the original two parties?* Irillith hummed in thought.

The crew went around, but they were short any ideas. John eventually shrugged. *Well, Kyth'vindathys is a bit of a mouthful, so I'll stick to John with you all and Baen'thelas with the Maliri. No real need to use it in everyday use, but probably worth remembering it's there just in case. Now, breakfast?*

Jade took that as her cue to get on her knees. *Remember, we still need to finish the Change for the Engineers and Marines,* she thought as she stroked him to hardness.

*Like you need an excuse to get me down your throat,* John joked before almost going cross-eyed with pleasure as Jade took him to the hilt.

The others got dressed and went to make a more conventional meal in the Lounge at the other end of Deck 2. John unloaded after one of Jade's masterful blowjobs, and the Nymph, her breasts each swollen with a couple pints of his spunk, went down to Deck 4 to feed their Ashanath crewmates. John, once he could see straight, threw on some shorts and went to join his family in cooking the morning meal.

Once everyone was full, John gathered all the dishes and carried them to the washing machine. He still marveled at how simple everything involving psychic powers now felt. It literally felt easier to lift things with Telekinesis than to physically use his hands to complete the task. If this was how most fully-powered Progenitors felt with networks in the millions, no wonder they were all power-mad despots. The Devourer didn't help, but still.

*Now, I think I should see exactly what I can do. I'm going to go train in the Gym, feel free to watch or join in. Otherwise, everyone get dressed at 11:30 for our meeting with the Trankaran loyalists,* John decided.

John grabbed his sword, went to the Gym, and went nuts combining his swordsmanship with testing all his psionic powers. Hours passed, John getting lost in just exercising his body and his will to simulate combat against future enemies. When he finally felt 'finished', he relaxed his ending stance and turned. The majority of his Angels were watching with awe and, in the case of his harem, naked lust.

John had a very pleasant shower to clean up afterwards.

Their lusts slaked, John and his harem got dressed in formalwear and went up to the Bridge. They pulled into Beta Cephei shortly afterwards. The whole of the loyalist Trankaran fleet was stationed in the border system. Lirrash accepted a hail and a vaguely familiar Trankaran male appeared on the vid-screen. "Your greatness, you have returned!"

John guessed that Niskera and the Senate hadn't kept the truth of his species a secret. "Just Commodore Blake will do, Warden Dalomherlig."

"You remembered me! I am honored beyond belief, great Commodore Blake!" said the Trankaran officer, apparently well and truly taken by the genetic programming to worship Progenitors.

"Anyway, Warden, please alert Chancellor Niskera to expect us. We were successful in our mission," John said.

"We heard whispers starting last night that the Glowing Queen's spark was extinguished. All day, reports across the Republic state that rebels are coming forward to surrender themselves. I sense your hand in this, great Commodore Blake, and cannot thank you enough for your benevolent actions towards my people!" Dalomherlig gushed.

"You're welcome, Warden Dalomherlig. Please remember to alert Chancellor Niskera on the Kerhom's Anvil that we are expecting to meet her," John said, before having Lirrash end the hail. *I can't decide whether I prefer the Ashanath's cautious respect, the Maliri's blind lust, or the Trankarans' abject awe,* he thought sarcastically. He'd spent his whole life thinking he was just a half-Terran with odd genitalia. All the realities of being a Progenitor in the Galactic League were a bit much to take at times.

*It is what it is, Johnny boy,* Jonah shrugged. *Now, might I tempt you into replacing Larn'kelnar's Glowing Queen with one of your own? Niskera was cute for a Golem, don't you think?*

*The Trankarans ruled themselves just fine without a Progenitor overlord for thousands of years, they can go on without one,* John thought firmly. *They deserve their freedom. Plus, I'd hate to have Thandrun or Niskera think I'm trying to take advantage of the Republic. Let's just collect our payment and be on our way.*

Jade pulled them over towards the Kerhom's Anvil. A docking stanchion had been erected since they'd departed yesterday. Dana had fed the schematics to the loyalists for the perfect fit to the Invictus. Once docked, the Trankaran workers would replace their Terran Engines and retro-thrusters with the very best Trankaran examples.

Jade attaching them to the stanchion without a single flaw in her piloting, John stood and buttoned his suit jacket. *Might as well check in with them,* he figured.

John and those of his Angels interested followed him down to Deck 9 through the grav-tubes. John went to his airlock, and found the two doors for the Kerhom's Anvil already open. Waiting for him in the ship proper were Chancellor Niskera, Fleet Warden Thandrun, and Senator Vamred. They all bowed their heads a bit low when they saw him. "Commodore Blake. Your speed is… very impressive. We got the first offers of surrender from the rebels about 12 Terran hours ago," Niskera said, seemingly torn between gratitude and caution.

"Ashanath Tachyon Drive technology is based on Mael'nerak's surviving Progenitor Tachyon Drive they found in the wreck of his Dreadnought. My Chief Engineer managed to recreate the design. The Invictus is 6x faster than military-grade Terran ships, and my Navigator is the best at what she does," John explained.

"Extraordinary. But then, you are a Progenitor, a species that early Trankarans worshiped as gods. Such advanced technology is only suitable, I suppose," Niskera said, her eyes troubled.

"I'm just a man, Chancellor, trying to get by and do right," John said plainly. "Now, my payment?"

Niskera nodded. "As we speak, teams of Trankaran engineers are doing a refit of your Engines and retro-thrusters with the type normally reserved for Trankaran capital ships. A team has also been assigned to your 'Raptor' dropship, once the Hangar Bay is opened to allow them entry. All relevant schematics will be uploaded before you depart. Merely open your Cargo Bay, and we shall transfer the agreed upon 20 tons of Tyrenium as well as the 4 tons of Onyxium we managed to gather in the past 30 hours. Have we forgotten anything?"

"No, no, that's everything we agreed upon," John nodded. "I sincerely hope you never get into such a bad situation as this rebellion again. But if you do, all you need to do is ask and I'll help out. We're all in this together."

"Such benevolence is… appreciated, Commodore Blake," Niskera said delicately. "If that will be all, though, I have matters to attend to. The Senate must discuss how to handle the rebels and the atrocities they committed."

"Very well, Chancellor Niskera. Be well," John wished, disappointed but unable to fault her for her caution of him and all his power. John did a quick about-face and returned to the Invictus. Dana alerted him that the full refit of all the Engines and retro-thrusters should be done by 2200. With the rest of the day free, John went to do more training.

Late that evening, the Invictus pulled away from the Kerhom's Anvil. Irillith and Faye had roughed out limiting software to keep the advanced Trankaran Engine tech at the same output as Terran tech until Dana could do her necessary upgrade to the Inertial Dampeners.

*Any stops between here and Genthalas?* Alyssa posed to the crew, who were all about ready to call it a night.

*I greatly enjoyed talking with Gamrik. And part of me confesses myself curious to see what a Glowing King might look like. Plus, if he agrees to join, he can smooth things over between us and any Trankarans we run into with the genetic programming. I'd like to stop by Port Megara to try and recruit him,* Lirrash spoke up.

*Seconded!* Jonah thought immediately.

*Thirded!* Alyssa piped up.

*Motion carried,* John chuckled. *Fine, honey, if you really want to recruit your old penpal, we'll find room for him. Plus, I'll admit, a little part of me wonders how a larger species would go through the Change. Is he just going to shrink or will he get denser? I'm curious to find out.*

*Plus, it really will come in handy to have a Trankaran with the glowing skin in all our future interactions with the species,* Rachel thought. *Yesterday's allies can be tomorrow's enemies, after all. I'll sleep better knowing we have Gamrik to pacify any Trankaran attempts to wipe out the threat of John as a rogue 'god' Niskera or the Senate might cook up.*

*Ok, so Port Megara again. Shall we just repeat the trip here, stop by New Eden and Geniya?* John checked.

*New Eden, no. I sent my comm code to Daddy, and he's still yet to contact me. Guess the habit of 2 years won't be undone overnight,* Rachel sighed in resignation.

*But Geniya, definitely! I already called Rathus and he assures me their fastest courier will deliver the necessary exotic elements for a Progenitor Power Core for us to pick up!* Dana thought brightly, trying to distract her girlfriend from her low mood.

*And then from Geniya straight to Genthalas,* John decided. *Edraele really is struggling to keep all the Matriarchs in line.*

*Oh, I can imagine,* Irillith shuddered at the thought of what her mother must be dealing with, 18 Noble House Matriarchs and their female family, plus whatever males had tagged along after John's message. *We'll be lucky if there isn't bloodshed by the time we get there for John to claim everyone.*

*So two quick stops at Port Megara and then Geniya, otherwise straight shot to Epsilon Aquarii,* Alyssa nodded, making the course alterations. *I've actually been researching a way to double our speed. Problem is, we'd either need MUCH stronger armor or Dana to find a way to science the shit out of it to handle the gravitic pressures.*

*Whatcha thinking of pulling off, blondie?* Dana asked with interest.

*A hyperwake bow wave,* Alyssa thought clearly.

John and most of the rest of the chorus seemed lost. But Dana, Zanthus, and Rachel all gasped.

*You serious, bitch? Oh, that'd be epic if we could generate one!* the redhead thought excitedly.

*But how? The only way I could think of would involve gravitic slings directly around– oh, that's what you meant about stronger armor,* Zanthus mused, cutting off his own thought.

*Wouldn't that be extremely dangerous to any ships directly in our path? The bow wave would smash anything it touched to smithereens!* Rachel projected.

John cleared his mental throat. *Dumb it down for the Progenitor, people. What's a hyperwake bow wave and why is it a big deal?*

Alyssa spoke up. *My warp tunneling works by oscillating the hyperwake near a gravity well to basically create a slipstream effect. A hyperwake bow wave would be this little fold of spacetime scrunched up in front of us to give us a constant slipstream. But the only theoretical way to generate one would be to surf around a couple stars to build up enough momentum and inertia to make the bow wave in the first place. If we tried it with our current armor and tech, we'd crumble like a tin can before we were halfway to the first star. And, as Rachel pointed out, the bow wave would have so much kinetic force it would rip anything it touched to itty-bitty pieces like a space tsunami. So, again, either we'd need to shape the new and improved Crystal Alyssium over a dozen times so the Invictus would survive slinging around the star, or Dana has to invent some device to make the ship immune to a star's gravitic pull even while taking full advantage of it for the orbital slingshot.*

*... Yeah, let's put that on the backburner. We're plenty fast as is between your warp tunneling and the Progenitor Tachyon Drive. But good initiative coming up with it, honey,* John complimented his Navigator.

*Just trying to stay useful around here,* the blonde shrugged.

*You're always useful, and so much more,* John thought warmly.

*You old romantic,* the teenager teased the 40 year old.

The crew went to their quarters, tired after a full day.

Many lightyears away, in the Outer Rim of the Terran Federation, the Master Assassin finished cleaning his tools. "Give the money to orphans," he scoffed, still amazed at the sheer ridiculousness of his target's words. He turned to the cooling body of one Peter Koeman. "Perhaps if you hadn't tried to run, it would have not taken so long for me to believe your words. But no matter." The Master Assassin turned his back on his latest torture victim, thinking no more of the pawn that had proved useless in this particular mission.

The hunt for John Blake had gone from an inconvenience to an obsession. The Master Assassin was losing sleep, unable to find peace with the knowledge that the dumb 'hero' was still alive so long after coming to his deadly attention. His underlings knew better than to speak ill in his presence, but he knew they were whispering behind his back. He was getting too old, losing his touch, unable to fulfill this simple contract after almost 2 months.

Well, the Master Assassin thought darkly, if money wouldn't lure this John Blake into an ambush, then they would try something more tailored to his supposedly genuine 'heroism'. The Master Assassin always learned from his mistakes, after all.

A New Breed

The Invictus pulled into Omicron Piscium shortly after breakfast. Lirrash accepted the hail from Flight Command. "Incoming Assault Cruiser, please identify and state your purpose at Port Megara," came the rote request.

"Commodore John Blake on the Invictus, here to visit Ambassador Gamrik," John said clearly.

There were unmistakable excited mutters and whispers in the background of the hail. "D-docking Bay 1 is cleared for you, Commodore! Enjoy your visit!" said a much breathier sounding tech before the hail ended.

*I'm thinking you should change into your Lion uniforms. Seems they've all watched that feature about the Armored Cobras,* Alyssa thought archly.

John, Jonah, and Lirrash heeded the Matriarch's advice and changed quickly into their dress uniforms. That done, the trio went down to the airlock as Jade landed them in the Docking Bay. They stepped out at her signal in the chorus, and John with his Patriarch and Comms Officer exited the Invictus.

*We got company, Johnny boy,* Jonah noted, nodding at the gallery built into the upper level of the Docking Bay. The windows were packed with Terran Federation personnel all straining to get a glimpse of the Lions of the Federation.

*Wow, we're really a big deal,* John thought, even as he snapped a salute and then gave a friendly wave to the spectators. Their answering cheers and shouts were audible even through the thick glass.

Lirrash went forward to meet Gamrik, who was approaching in his brown robes. "Gamrik, hello. I'm sorry, we underestimated how the locals would react to our visit after the latest news feature," the former High Councilor said apologetically.

"Is it true? His greatness vanquished the Glowing Queen?" Gamrik asked under his breath.

Lirrash nodded. Glancing at the cheering crowds, and knowing it would only be worse in Port Megara proper, she decided to leverage Gamrik's worshipful respect for convenience's sake. "Yes, he did. And now he has need of you. Are you willing to leave your life behind in service to the Great Protector, Gamrik?"

"On my honor and life!" Gamrik said immediately.

*Well, that was easy,* Jonah smirked even as Lirrash led an overawed Gamrik over to the airlock.

*I feel bad that he'll leave all his stuff behind, but none of it would fit after the Change. And hopefully Niskera will be grateful enough she'll smooth over him abandoning his post like this,* John thought, though part of him was glad he wouldn't have to brave screaming crowds as he'd been bracing himself for.

Ignoring the rabid Lion fans, John turned and led Gamrik into the Invictus with Lirrash and an amused Jonah. With a simple command to the Bridge via the chorus, the Invictus was on course out of the gravity well and back into hyperwarp.

John led Gamrik to his Ready Room and tried to have a rational discussion about Progenitors, the Change, and joining his network as an Angel. But all Gamrik seemed able to grasp through the genetic programming was that he could be most useful to his new 'god' by joining his harem and he stripped and presented himself then and there. Figuring they'd already all but kidnapped him, John fed Gamrik the first dose. He made the Connection, and watched in fascination as the lines and veins of glowing orange light emerged from the granite gray of Gamrik's skin.

*And Astral Dream, that'll be fun,* John sighed, remembering the price of admission to his network on his end. He carried Gamrik, the larger man's body a bit awkward in a princess carry, down to his quarters and settled him on their bed, which audibly groaned at the weight of a full-grown Trankaran.

John and his Angels continued with an ordinary day of training. John stayed up late in anticipation of Gamrik waking. At 2330, the Trankaran Angel started to stir.

"How do you feel, Gamrik?" John asked gently, offering a very large glass of water to the Trankaran.

Gamrik took the relatively small cup and downed the fresh, cool water. "I was thirsty, but now that's handled. I feel… incredible, your greatness. And oh! You've blessed me as the rival Progenitor blessed the Glowing Queen!" The former Ambassador marveled at his nude body, now looking like half-cooled lava instead of just living stone.

"Yes, but I don't intend to have you rule the Trankarans as my Glowing King. Honestly, Lirrash just wanted you to come along with us and I saw no reason to refuse her. You can thank her for your new life as one of my Angels," John explained.

Gamrik turned, his brownish-orange eyes without pupils locking on Lirrash's own all-black eyes. "Lirrash, why would you select me for this incredible gift?" he asked in confusion.

"You are my friend, and honestly I always had a little crush on you. I knew it wasn't feasible given our different species. But once we're both through the Change, that won't be a problem anymore. And I knew you were always a bit bored with life as a diplomat. Call me a selfish bitch, but I just knew you'd have more fun with all of us than you would have had with an ordinary life on Megara," Lirrash answered, sounding a bit vulnerable.

Gamrik beamed like a sun. "Oh, Lirrash, I can never thank you enough for your generosity! I feel like my life finally has a real purpose, direction! I am the tool of a living god, now, and I will be eternally grateful for your choice of me, whatever your motivations. And if I may say, you are quite beautiful, though I'm afraid I'm too large and you too delicate for us to be together that way."

"Well, you'll be changing shape as part of the Change," John spoke up. "You're going to shrink to the same size as me or the other men on the crew. And men this shape are perfect for women Lirrash's shape, or any of my other women.

Gamrik blinked, before grinning eagerly. "Well, then, let's get me through the Change with all haste! May I service you, your greatness?"

"Just call me John, Gamrik," John chuckled, before indeed allowing the Trankaran to go down on him.

John endured an Astral Dream, hiding invisible in the mists of the Deep Astral while Fallen Progenitors hunted for him to present him to the Devourer. Or, maybe by this point he'd just be squashed and killed as an annoyance. He woke up briefly in the night, checking on his Angels, before slipping into a dreamless nap before morning came.

The next day, John was just debating what to do after breakfast when there was an alarm from his wrist communicator. "Someone's calling the Invictus, but no one's on the Bridge so I forwarded it to your watch!" Faye chimed in from the intercom, no holo-projector in the Lounge for her to project her sprite form.

John took the call even as he and his Angels made for the Bridge. "This is Commodore John Blake on the Invictus, may I ask who is calling?"

"Oh, thank God! Please, Commodore, you have to help us!" shouted a rather swarthy man in civilian clothes.

John frowned. "What seems to be the problem?"

"Our FTL Drive overloaded and blew! The explosion took out our Engines too! We're dead in the water and in the gravity well of a gas giant! We're doomed if you don't come and give us a tow! Please, sir, save us!" came the desperate plea.

John and his Angels took their stations, pulling up the relevant data. John quickly noticed something off. "You're from the Melpomene, yes? The Heavy Freighter?"

"That's right!" the civilian captain agreed.

"And why did you hail me directly? Why didn't you send out a distress beacon?" John pressed.

"Well, we knew you were close by and didn't want to pollute the airwaves with a distress beacon," the man said, though he sounded a bit… shifty.

John frowned and mentally ordered Irillith to start digging. "See, I'd like to believe you, sir. But the Invictus passed the system you're contacting us from 2 hours ago. There's multiple Terran Federation patrols closer to you than the Invictus at this point."

The man's jaw dropped. "What the fuck?! You were at Port Megara just yesterday, though!"

"And you would know that how?" John frowned, turning his full attention on the Melpomene's 'captain'.

"Ugh," the man said rather intelligently, before wisely hanging up.

*Irillith?* John prompted.

*However cockamamie that attempt to lure you was, they're smart when it comes to their records. Everything was wiped less than 12 hours ago. All I know for sure is that they have a comm link to signal someone as soon as you would have entered the relevant system. I'm running the comm code and it's… scrubbed. It's functional, but literally every record attached to it has been deleted. A true ghost number, didn't think Terrans could pull those off, no offense. I'm trying the Melpomene's financials now… huh,* Irillith thought, her eyes closed as she engaged in a Psychic Hack.

*What's 'huh', honey?* John prodded his Intelligence Officer.

*Whoever paid them for this job was smart, routed the money through dozens of shell accounts. But the trail looks familiar. It matches what Dana found when she started digging into Peter Koeman. My gut says this was an attempt by the same party to try and bait you into a trap,* Irillith reported.

*What can you tell us?* John checked.

*Give me a few hours, this actually seems to be an operation with a respectable amount of caution and intelligence,* Irillith said before sinking deeper into her Psychic Hack.

By shortly after lunch, where Dana was proud to announce she'd accidentally unlocked the Progenitor Periodic Table with a full 17 exotic elements not yet discovered by the League, Irillith was ready to brief them on her findings. *The House of the Master Assassin. Goes back nearly a century, and it's the most expensive, most effective wetworks operation in the Terran Federation. I had to go digging through cyber sewers to find a few scraps, these guys are good at cleaning up after themselves and leaving no trace in the first place. Marketing is entirely word-of-mouth on the dark net and between former clients. If you want someone dead, tortured, or even worse and have a few million credits to burn, they're the ones to call.*

*So why the hell are they coming after us?* John wondered.

*Not 'us', just you, Johnny boy. Both Koeman and this Melpomene guy both sought you out specifically. The contract's probably for you. So let's think: which piece of scum has a bone to pick with us and got loose with millions of stolen credits a couple months back? Callie, if you don't get this, you lose points,* Jonah thought dryly.

*Commander Grant? Seriously?* Calara blinked. *I mean, it makes sense, but you really think he took out a hit on John as revenge for us exposing him as a traitor?*

Irillith was already working her magic, with Faye chipping in to loan the raw processing power of Valada's computer. *Rupert Grant is holed up in a shitty apartment in Drastin's Fall on the planet Nobruna in Beta2 Sagittarii. Idiot cleans his search history but not his cache. He dropped 2 million credits on a contract for then-Commander John Blake and goes to a Holonet cafe every day to check for a kill confirmation,* she reported after a few minutes in the real world, which was much longer in cyberspace with the time dilation.

*Irillith, I say this as a compliment: you are terrifying to behold,* Alyssa whistled in admiration. *Grant's been eluding notice by the Terran Federation for weeks and you tracked him down in, what, 5 minutes?*

*Well, Faye helped run some of the searches through Valada's console,* Irillith blushed prettily.

"Thanks for helping Irillith, Faye!" John said aloud.

"You're welcome! Are we going to make the bad man who wants you dead pay?" the AI asked curiously.

John made plans. *Irillith, give an anonymous tip to Nobruna law enforcement that a man who was helping to sell slaves to the Kirrix is on planet. They'll handle Grant for us, they don't take kindly to that kind of thing in the Outer Rim. Then spoof his address and try to contact this Master Assassin to withdraw the contract. I don't suppose you know enough to do another tip to the T-Fed regarding them?*

*They're ghosts, John. They have better stealth than some Maliri, and I mean that as glowing praise,* Irillith frowned. *I can't even track down their home base or identify any of their operatives. I just have a list of suspected victims and the odd glimpse of an assassin on video. For the record, I think they're top-of-the-line cyborgs, since I doubt there's a psychic subspecies of Terrans running around. The assassins I managed to spot moved so fast they blurred or were wearing invisibility cloak tech or climbed walls barehanded.*

*So a shadow organization of cyborg assassins is after my head… what does it say that this only ranks as the 4th or 5th biggest worry on my plate to deal with?* John chuckled ruefully.

*I'll take care of Grant and try to withdraw the contract. But speaking professionally, this might have become a point of pride for this Master Assassin and he'll try to see this through to the end. We'll need to be on alert for another lure or perhaps even a direct assault,* Irillith thought before going to handle the former Commander of Port Heracles.

John decided to focus on lighter topics. *So, Sparks, you can make Crystal Alyssium with a couple Progenitor Elements you found?*

*Once I manage to synthesize them, I'll need to borrow the Fusion Reactors at Genthalas. Should be easy with the royal seal of approval,* Dana thought, rather chipper at her discovery of more Progenitor scientific secrets.

The next few days passed quickly, John focusing on finishing the Change for the Engineers, the Marines, and the newest recruit Gamrik. By the time they reached Geniya, every Ashanath crew member was either a brawny 6'2 male Angel or a svelte 5'9 female Angel. And Gamrik had shrunk, though scans by Rachel showed his muscle tissue and everything else had gotten even denser and tougher as he'd compacted into the male Angel body. Everything magically seemed to still be functioning, but with his silicon-based body Gamrik was easily the hardiest, most resistant to injury member of the crew.

In terms of psychic powers, Gamrik had asked for Geokinesis, power over rock and metals. He said it just felt natural that a psychic Trankaran should have power over the earth. Ceraden, after a thought, revealed his name was Maliri for 'water child' and decided to take Hydrokinesis. Both were soon taught the fineries of Soul Stretching and energy nexus meditation by an instructive Lirrash. They also, though they wished they didn't, started drinking the god-awful Transcendent Tea at breakfast and dinner.

The Invictus spent less than an hour at Geniya, just long enough to pick up the ore shipment from the Ashanath Collective, before they were back on route for Epsilon Aquarii and Genthalas Shipyard. From what John could gather from his daily talks with Edraele, his future Queen was nearing the limits of her patience when it came to the other Matriarchs and noble families. While they'd all been stripped of weapons on arrival, they'd either bought or snuck some weapons along and they'd finally come out to play during one of the 'squabbles' between the Noble Houses. No one had died, thankfully, but some medical intervention had been necessary for a few noblewomen and a minor Matriarch. Edraele finally deemed enough was enough and put all the Matriarchs and their retinues on 'house arrest' in their suites with a deep-fake VI model of John to entertain them. Even without Irillith, Edraele had plenty of competent programmers to provide the tools for her to use to craft such an illusion herself.

John and his Angels all arrived in the House Valaden home system, on an approach vector for Genthalas Shipyard. A Flight Command tech hailed them, and was maybe 4 words into a threat to shoot them out of the sky when she spotted John and went tongue-tied. John gently asked her for a Docking Bay, and the poor girl allocated them Docking Bay 1, normally reserved for the House Valaden flagship or Edraele's personal spacecraft.

John and his Bridge crew all gathered at the airlock and stepped out into Genthalas. *We're here, Edraele,* John alerted his Maliri Matriarch.

*Yes, yes, I'm coming, all these Engineers seem determined to lollygag,* was Edraele's harried reply. She really had been near to tearing out chunks of her lengthened hair in frustration by the time they arrived.

With a grand display, Matriarch Edraele Valaden, dressed in exquisitely prepared Matriarch robes, strolled into the Docking Bay. In formation behind her, like deadly shadows, followed her personal bodyguards: Luna, Almari, and Ilyana. Following behind came Makaela, Manager of Genthalas, and behind her in 4 lines came over 100 Maliri Engineers. Naturally they were all women, given the skewed birth ratio and the males' tendency to run for the border.

Edraele walked with regality across the Docking Bay, right up to John, and then abandoned all propriety to jump and pull him into a kiss while her legs locked around his waist. John supported her and returned the kiss, though he was surprised at the House Valaden Matriarch's enthusiasm. While they'd grown close via Telepathy, he'd gotten no hint that she was harboring such passion for him. *Did you miss me that much?*

*They're your problem now. I could take you right on this Docking Bay's floor as thank you for relieving me of my burden!* Edraele thought, sounding just a tad unhinged. *Besides, you promised me a good fuck when you got back.*

*All in good time, honey,* John thought, gently detaching Edraele from his body and settling her back on her feet. He walked up to the bodyguards and Makaela, giving them their own more muted but still passionate kisses. According to Edraele, all her Angels were just as eager to join his harem as she had been, even knowing it would be for eternity. They were already part of his network, and John knew better by now than to try and resist even more willing lovers to join his bed. He'd learned to just embrace the insanity of Progenitor life.

Irillith walked up to Edraele. *You're looking well, Mother,* the Intelligence Officer thought politely.

Edraele turned to face her daughter. *... Would it mean anything at all if I apologized? I could argue I just did to you what Falihna and my sisters did to me, but that's no excuse. For whatever worth my word holds to you, Irillith, I'm sorry for all I've done to you,* Edraele wished with a heavy heart.

Irillith gasped, tears coming to her eyes, before rushing to pull her shocked mother into a hug. *It means the world, Mother. It means the world. I forgive you, and I'm sorry too.*

The two Valaden women got a bit weepy and held each other close, the others admiring such a touching moment.

Finally, Dana, practically vibrating with impatience, thought *Yeah, yeah, reconciliation for the win. Let's get to the refit already! We've got 4 days to turn this hunk of coal into a shining diamond by the time we're through with all the upgrades!*

*Timing, Sparks,* Alyssa huffed. *Still, she has a point. Things between the T-Fed and the Lizards are only getting worse, we need to solidify John's rule as Maliri King and spruce up the old gal in preparation for going to expose the traitors. You're sure it's all Norwood, my love?*

*Positive. Lynton is definitely Larn'kelnar's Thrall and ordered the Nexus project through Von Brandt. But all our losses and the movements of the Kintark in the Dragon March conflict are dead ringers for Norwood's personal style. I don't know if Lynton convinced him on her back or if he was already a traitor and she brought it out, but he's the major player in sabotaging all Federation forces against the Kintark. We need to expose him AND her to High Command ASAP,* Calara thought grimly.

*Well, then let's address these work crews. Then I believe me and my lovely Nymph have an appointment with about 18 hungry kittens who need a master,* John thought with wry amusement.

Makaela found and brought out a crystal lectern with a built-in sound amplification system. She set it up on a raised stage that lifted at a simple command, grinned at John, and let him step forward to address the Maliri work crews. All the Maliri Engineers got a good look at John and promptly were caught in the genetic programming, staring at him like he was Adonis descended from the heavens.

"Hello," John said in Standard, with a mental note to try and learn Maliri at some point. "My name is Baen'thelas. You might have noticed that you seem oddly drawn to me, unable to look away, captivated by my presence. Well, there's a reason for this. I apologize if this alarms you, but the Maliri are a Thrall race. The Thralls are genetically designed slave races seeded throughout the Galactic League. Your intended masters are the Progenitors. I myself am a Progenitor. In other words, you were made to be ruled by me."

Over 100 sets of eyes remained locked on John, hanging on his every word.

"I promise to be a just and kind ruler, a King you can all be proud of. Now, ladies, to the reason you all are here," John said with a charming grin. "This is my personal ship, the Invictus. My Chief Engineer and her team have come up with a number of upgrades to put her through over the next few days. But there's too much work for just my crew to do it alone, hence your assistance is vital. Do as you're instructed, help out to the best of your ability, and I will see you all rewarded with a free trip to Geniya to secure fathers for your children. I'll also be personally visiting and meeting with each of you over the course of the refit. I know you'll each impress me."

The poor Maliri seemed in danger of floating away on clouds when John stepped down from the stage.

*So, Edraele, how about we gather the 18 other Matriarchs and add them to your network? Your part still has the obedience compulsion, and much as it bothers me I think I'll keep it until I can trust you all not to stab me in the back,* John thought frankly.

*A wise precaution, I'd be insulted if you trusted me that fast anyway, Baen'thelas,* Edraele shrugged. *You still owe me that fuck, though.*

*Right after we get back to your quarters after I load up Jade and recharge,* John chuckled.

Edraele gave the relevant orders to Luna, who contacted the staff of Genthalas. Armed guards were necessary to rip the hypnotized Matriarchs away from the fake John Blake's on their vid-screens, John was both amused and horrified to learn. Eventually John, Jade, Edraele, the bodyguards, and all 18 Noble House Matriarchs were all gathered in one conference room. With little ado, John took his seat at the head of the table while the 19 Matriarchs took their own seats.

"Greetings, ladies. I'm glad you all accepted my invitation," John smiled at the women who, in all likelihood, he'd be ruling the Maliri Kingdom with for the rest of time. "I'd like everyone to go around the room and introduce yourselves, I want to get to know you all."

"Edraele Valaden," Edraele spoke up, the only Matriarch unaffected by John since she was already an Angel.

"Shaedra Loraleth," said the Matriarch directly to John's left. Apparently, they'd unconsciously sat down in descending order of their Noble House rankings.

"Tsarra Perfaren."

"Yunaliss Aeberros."

"Tinefain Naestina."

"Gaenna Baelora."

"Aradrea Ghilwen."

"Emandra Holaris."

"Meriel Romenor."

"Keishara Venkalyn."

"Shaki Torcyne."

"Nesara Elyon"

"Senmar Helewynn."

"Viala Amarille."

"Dreabel Kayden."

"Phera Eshenestria."

"Vestele Waephyra."

"Rinaga Quisayne."

"Liness Lesandoral," finished the last Matriarch.

John did his best to memorize all the alien names. "Welcome, all of you, to the Council of Matriarchs. You see, ladies, the Maliri were made to have a master, a King. When Mael'nerak, your last king, fell in battle, his Queen Valada tried to hold you together after his death. But then she passed into the void as well, and the Maliri fell into a mere shadow of their former glory. You separated into 19 Noble House territories, each determined to tear each other down and wound each other in a mad scramble for power. Well, those days are over. I, Baen'thelas, have come to lift you out of darkness. I will bless each of you with immortality and unite you as the ruling body of the Maliri Kingdom, with I as your Immortal King. Are there any objections?"

Not one of the Matriarchs breathed a word, all just drinking in the sight of him.

John nodded. "Very well, then." He was about to order Jade to blow him and start nursing when his Nymph, with a naughty grin, slipped out of her dress and sat in his lap. A little maneuvering, and John found himself balls-deep in her ass. With a frown of focus, Jade made use of a hidden talent Mael'nerak had, for whatever reason, included in the Nymph genome. With a Progenitor cock in her rectum, Jade was able to conjure copies out of her body. A full 18 tentacles extended from the front of Jade's body and each grew and lengthened until a dripping tenta-cock was presented to each of the Matriarchs.

"Drink the seed of your King, be blessed by his power," Jade said in a sultry purr.

As if on auto-pilot, every single Matriarch, even Edraele, leaned forward to take the tenta-cock into her mouth. They all began to suck and lick, Jade faithfully transmitting every single sensation back to John's real cock in her ass.

*I don't know whether to punish or reward you for this idea, you minx,* John thought, almost losing his mind at the onslaught of sensation.

*Just let go and feed these hungry Thralls. They need some Progenitor cum in their bellies. Such a shame it's from the top end and not the bottom, they'd look adorable pregnant with your heirs,* Jade thought hotly.

John lost it in an embarrassingly short time, blowing his half-gallon of cum which Jade faithfully divided and funneled down each tenta-cock into a waiting Matriarch's mouth. They all moaned obscenely at the taste of Progenitor cum, which they were genetically programmed to find ambrosial, and then the narcotic and the psychic shock of John's mind suffusing theirs knocked them all out for 14 hours.

Jade stood, daintily tucked John's wilting cock back into his pants, zipped him up, and turned to give him a little kiss. *I'll just go back to help with the refit until you need me again, Master,* she thought cheerfully before leaving with a pep in her step.

*I do hope that wasn't indicative of your stamina. You have so much sex, I only assumed you'd be good at it,* Edraele thought with a raised brow.

John wasn't going to take that kind of talk from any of his women. He reached out and, to her shock, threw Edraele over his shoulder, his palm coming down to give a solid smack to her ass. He raised a Null-Zone just to make sure Edraele wouldn't fight back with her psionics. "Luna, be a dear and lead me to Edraele's chambers. I think I need to show her who's boss."

Luna, biting her lip to keep from giggling in amusement at her Matriarch's 'plight', dutifully led John and a howling Edraele away from the conference room.