Frowning, John threw on some shorts and went into the penthouse living area. Alyssa was looking over her shoulder, with Calara's frightened face on the holo-console in her hands. Jonah wasn't far behind his leader and lover.
"What seems to be the problem?" John asked, already in problem-solving mode.
"I'm getting court-martialed!" Calara said, clearly panicking.
John frowned. "Did you do something while at the hospital? It can't be over the pirate attack, you did nothing wrong."
"The Station Commander is charging me with dereliction of duty! He's blaming me for all the deaths on the Griffon!" Calara said, eyes beading with tears as her young career seemed to be in danger of being ruined. "Oh, what am I going to do? This will destroy my family!"
"Sweetie, calm down. Breathe, Calara, okay? In, two, three, four. Out, two, three, four," Alyssa coached, gentle as she'd be with a spooked animal.
While Calara took some shaky breaths, John felt his resolve firm. Something fishy was going on here, and he was going to fix it. It was the right thing to do, and he had no small amount of affection for the young naval officer he'd saved from pirates. "Calara, we're in the Core Worlds but we'll get to you as soon as possible. We'll straighten this shit out, all I want you to do is focus on getting better. I'll handle all this, I swear."
Calara got a watery, weak grin. "Ok, John." She hung up.
"Well, fuck me sideways. Who in their right mind blames the only survivor of a massacre for the whole thing?!" Jonah demanded.
"There's something wrong with this, and we need to investigate. Besides, Port Heracles is on the way back to Karron. We can easily pop in and figure out what the hell is wrong with this scenario," John said decisively.
"Let's get packed, we're wasting time," Alyssa said, full of determination and urgency after seeing the stress and fear in her friend's face during the call.
They got dressed in casual clothes from their recently purchased wardrobes. Then they gathered all their belongings and went to check out. They got a complimentary ride from the Magnus hotel to the spaceport, and within an hour they were in transit to Olympus Shipyard.
When they reached hailing distance, the intercom blinked. John accepted the comm request. "Incoming Freighter, please identify and state the purpose of your visit."
*He sounds just like the last one!* Alyssa noted via Telepathy.
Suppressing a chuckle, John answered "John Blake to take command of the Invictus."
There was a moment as the tech checked that was valid. "Please proceed to Docking Bay 13, Commander Blake. Over and out."
John updated their destination and the Fool's Gold went around Olympus towards the drydocks. This particular section of Olympus was reserved for ship repairs and modifications, so it saw less civilian traffic. A lot of damaged Terran Federation vessels were visible through the cockpit window.
"Fuck, the Lizards aren't messing around. Look at the plasma damage on that one!" Jonah pointed at a rather battered looking Cruiser with visible holes and gouges melted through the superstructure.
"Things must be worse than they're revealing to the public. If this were a simple border skirmish, there wouldn't be nearly this many ships needing repairs from conflicts with the Kintark," John frowned, his eyes picking out the Cruiser Jonah noticed and every other damaged ship they passed showing telltale signs of plasma damage. The neighboring Kintark Empire favored plasma weapons for their Navy just as the Terran Federation favored lasers and ballistics.
The autopilot took them in and they landed in Docking Bay 13 of the shipyard. John dug out an anti-grav sled from storage and they loaded all their physical possessions onto the moving platform. John wasn't a hoarder, only carrying the essentials, and his two lovers had joined with little more than the clothes on their backs which no longer even fit after the Change. With a sense of farewell, John placed his hand to the DNA scanner for the airlock and exited from the Freighter he'd lived in for a decade.
The three of them walked out the airlock and regarded the only other ship in the bay, which was a good 10x the size of the Fool's Gold. The Assault Cruiser Invictus was a classic example of T-Fed shipbuilding. An angular superstructure, not too unlike a shark if you squinted. Titanium gray, numerous gunports for 'teeth', a dorsal fin in the command deck at the back of the top deck and the engines making the caudal fin. It was 9 decks high, John remembered from his 12 years aboard as a Marine officer, and 500 meters from bow to stern.
While the trio admired their new home, fully owned by John now after a 9-figure deal, Vice Admiral Charles Harris walked up to them. Charles was John's old CO and the one to sell them the Invictus. "She's something, isn't she?" he said, admiring his old ship himself for a moment.
"You can say that again," Alyssa agreed. She had had her eyes opened to just how technologically advanced humanity was compared to the backwater asteroid colony she hailed from. Still, it boggled her mind that something so large and manmade could even exist, let alone be her home for the foreseeable future.
"All the edits we discussed went through without a hitch. She's fully fueled and space worthy. Take her out whenever you like," Charles informed John. He handed over a holo-console. "Here's all the data on her new systems."
"I'll take that," Jonah said, plucking the large tablet into his own hands. "He makes the executive decisions, but I handle all the real thinking and doing,"
"Hardy har har," John rolled his eyes at the not so subtle dig to his intelligence. The fact he'd readily admit both Jonah and Alyssa were smarter than him by a significant margin, even due to the Change of his alien cum rewriting their DNA and not the brains they were born with, was irrelevant.
Charles chucked at Jonah's joke and turned to regard the Fool's Gold. "Any thoughts on what to do with that old Freighter?"
John looked over his shoulder at his home for 10 years and bid goodbye in his heart. He turned back to Charles. "Retrofit her to modern specs on my dime, then donate her to the T-Fed. Hardly equal exchange for the Invictus, but she should stay useful."
"Sure thing," Charles nodded. "Stay in touch, John. Don't let another decade go by before we chat again," he grinned before giving a smart salute and turning to leave. As a Vice Admiral, he had a very busy schedule. John was surprised he'd taken time to meet them at all.
Jonah speed-reading all the files on the console and Alyssa driving the sled, John took a moment to turn and salute his old ship. "Thanks for looking after me, old girl," he said under his breath. Then he turned and didn't look back to approach the Invictus, his new home.
"What's the layout of this thing? Alyssa asked once John opened the airlock, the DNA reader already loaded with his genomic data courtesy of Charles.
Jonah, despite never having set foot in the Assault Cruiser, answered. He really was reading lightning fast and memorizing each word and image at a glance. "9 decks. Deck 9 consists of a central hallway this airlock opens into, the new Cargo Bay, and a Hanger Bay for a dropship. Next big purchase once we return and sell the rest of Mortimer's Tyrenium. Deck 8 isn't there, the ceiling for the 2 bays. Deck 7 has the Gym, the Firing Range, the Medical Bay, the Pharmacy, and the Armory. Deck 6 holds all the computers and life support. Deck 5 is for all the weapons. Deck 4 used to be Marine Quarters, guess it's now a lot of empty guest rooms. Deck 3 is empty space too, but bigger and fewer rooms, it was meant for storage and conferences. Deck 2 is the Officer Quarters, including the Commander's Quarters for John and us two as his bedwarmers. The Command Deck is the Bridge, John's Ready Room, and the Briefing Room for major meetings of all the top staff."
"Sounds about right," John noted, making sure to edit his mental map of the ship to reflect all the changes Jonah mentioned. "Let's get underway for Port Heracles, then we can get squared away and packed before getting lunch."
They entered the Invictus proper and got into the elevator. A quick trip from the bottom deck to the top, and the 3 of them entered the Bridge. It was just as John remembered from the time he'd served: an ovoid gray room filled with high-tech stations meant for the Bridge crew. The Command Chair, meant for the leader of the crew, was on a small dais in the center where they could swivel to regard the whole room. A slightly smaller XO chair was set to its immediate right.
While John dealt with some cognitive dissonance at the thought the Command Chair and really the whole Invictus was his now, Jonah went up to sit in the XO chair. A quick check of the holo-console, and then he input some quick commands into the built-in computer of the chair. Holographic projectors came on, transforming the top half of the Bridge into a view of the Invictus' surroundings as if the walls had vanished. A quick check to see the view, then Jonah input another command. A certain console came online. "Alyssa, you're up sweetheart."
Alyssa went to the console and sat down. She pulled up a map of the Terran Federation and began to plot the route from Alpha Centauri to the Nerus system where Calara and Port Heracles were in the Outer Rim. With her warp tunneling technique, a theoretical application of Astro-Nav her phenomenal IQ had cracked, the projected time was only 4 days. "Damn, the FTL Drive on this beast is over twice as powerful as the Fool's Gold's!" she marveled.
"Modern military model versus old civilian crap," Jonah chuckled. He turned to John. "You going to stand the whole trip or take your chair, Johnny boy?"
Taking a fortifying breath, John walked up and took his seat in the Command Chair. It felt trippy. He vividly remembered saluting Charles while he sat in this chair, and taking his old CO's place felt almost wrong even though he knew intellectually he was now the owner and captain of the Assault Cruiser. "Take us to Port Heracles," he commanded.
Jonah activated the flight controls. He hailed Olympus Flight Command and got takeoff clearance. Then, feathering the retro-thrusters, he guided the Invictus out of the Docking Bay until the engines could take over. They flew at a considerably faster rate than the Fool's Gold's best speed to the Nav-buoy at the edge of the gravity well. When they were free from the pull of the nearest stars, Alyssa hit a button and activated the FTL Drive. Much smoother than their old ship, their vessel went into hyperwarp, moving over 5x the speed of light through outer space.
"It just feels weird, sitting here," John admitted to his male and female lovers.
Jonah and Alyssa traded a look that conveyed everything without even needing Telepathy. "Well, Commander, you just need to stamp your authority on the place," she said in a sultry tone.
"Can your loyal crew do anything to help?" Jonah said with eyes that gleamed with wicked intent.
John gulped and then found himself the perfectly willing victim of a dual blowjob from a nude Jonah and Alyssa. When he finally reached his peak and his quad of balls gave up their load, the two let the half gallon of cum paint them in thick white streaks. John almost got recharged for a second round just watching the two lick each other clean.
Unable to deny that he felt more settled after christening the Bridge with sex, John did up his pants and helped his crew get redressed. They took the elevator down a deck and entered a long hallway with doors on both sides and double doors at each end. "That way's the Lounge, has a Kitchen and dining area along with a bar and comfy couches. Most of these are just officers' rooms. The one at the end is the Commander's Quarters we'll all be sharing," John explained.
They went down the hall towards their room, though John frowned. "Odd, the door for the XO's Quarters is missing." The reason why became clear when they opened the doors to the biggest living quarters on the ship. As opposed to the typical layout of an Assault Cruiser's room for the captain, this room had clearly been recently renovated. A massive double-king bed took pride of place by the back wall, and two doors were open showing the insides of a walk-in closet and what proved to be a very luxurious bathroom.
"Whoa!" Jonah gaped.
Having a good idea who to thank for this, John went to pick up a handwritten note on the comforter of the bed. "Consider us square. Best of luck, John. -Charles." John rolled his eyes. "I told him to just forget the whole thing, but clearly he felt the need to repay a debt that was never there."
"Hey, if he wanted to pay you back for saving his life during Galon Prime with this swanky room, I'm not complaining!" Alyssa chuckled, taking the sled to the closet and beginning the laborious process of hanging up all her new clothes on one side. John and Jonah went to put away their own purchases.
They went to the Lounge after everything was settled in their new room. Jonah and Alyssa were more than satisfied from their sugary protein-rich treat earlier on the Bridge, so John made himself a simple sandwich to tide him over. They spent the rest of the day exploring the Invictus, familiarizing themselves with their new home. They found all Jonah's purchases from the arms emporium in crates mag-locked in the Cargo Bay, which they had transferred to the weapons locker in their closet. By the time dinnertime rolled around, they felt they wouldn't get lost on the Invictus.
"So, we bail Calara's ass out the fire with this court-martial nonsense. We go to Karron to get the Tyrenium and recruit Sparks. We go back to Olympus to sell all the Tyrenium and pad our bank account even further for a very long life together. What comes after that?" Alyssa posed, rubbing her convex belly. She and Jonah had come to an agreement and would trade turns getting meals from John's quad. John and Jonah were eating conventional food for dinner, prepared with love by John. He'd been raised in his family's restaurant and was quite the skilled chef when motivated.
John seriously contemplated the course of action after the events Alyssa had already listed came to pass. "Well, unless something more urgent pops up, I figure we can take a tour of the Galactic League and upgrade the Invictus. Since we'll be rolling in credits after selling the Tyrenium, no reason not to get the best tech on the market for our new home. The Terran Federation is a jack-of-all-trades when it comes to tech on their ships, but our neighbors have better gear in their specializations. Thinking about it, I say the Ashanath for an FTL Drive and Power Core, the Maliri to at least try and get their Laser tech, the Trankarans for Engines, and the Brimorians for Shields, in that order. I'd say we should go to the Kintark for heatsinks, but with the brewing conflict and them closing their borders that's just not an option until this gets resolved. After that's all done and if nothing else presents itself, maybe a grand tour of all the wonders and tourist spots in the League before we start shopping for a forever home to raise our future family."
"And along the way, we'll recruit talented and/or beautiful men and women to flesh out the crew and join the harem," Jonah added after swallowing his bite of chicken. "Hot damn you can cook by the way, John. Didn't really get the chance to taste it with what you had stocked on the Fool's Gold."
"I figured it was better to save and eat nutri-bars every other meal instead of splurge on eating like a king. Before this Tyrenium deal, I was averaging barely 100k a year in gross profits from trading to be totally honest," John shrugged.
"Hey, that's decent in my book, but then I'm from the ass-end of society and a life of abject poverty," Alyssa chuckled, her good nature robbing the horror from the dark words. "I don't suppose I can float the idea of Calara as our Tactical Officer and possibly my first lesbian experience?"
John raised a brow. "Any good reason besides your crush on her?" he prompted, deciding to hear out his teenage lover instead of shooting her down flat.
"I pulled her record after we left her on Port Heracles. Graduated top of her class with honorable mentions and commendations on her accuracy and tactical skills," Alyssa said with pride for her friend. "We need someone to fire all those big-ass guns, unless you feel like having me or Jonah apply ourselves to pulling double-duty. I see plenty of pros and not any major cons. Do you disagree?"
"The fact she's active-duty Navy and can't join without resigning and tanking her career?" John pointed out. "Maybe the issue of her abandoning everything to run away with her civilian friends she barely knows?"
"You're cute," Jonah chuckled. "For someone so charming and good at reading people, you seem to have a blindspot when it comes to green flags and flirting. You didn't realize I was bi until you kissed me and I was cool with it. Calara makes moon eyes at you whenever we call her. You ARE one of the white knights who rode in to save her from certain death at the hands of pirates and a Largath, after all. And if this court-martial bullshit proves to be true, she might end up with a strong incentive to retire young anyway and get a new career. In that case, you wouldn't leave her high and dry even if sex with a hot Latina wasn't in the cards. I'm with Alyssa on this one."
John considered it, taking his own hangups on the age difference and the permanent changes of the Change aside to consider it logically. He had to admit, it was a strong case for recruiting the young Fernandez to the crew, if not necessarily the harem. "Ok, we'll work out this thing with the court-martial like we promised her. Once that's settled, I'll offer her a place as Tactical Officer. If she agrees to that, I'll also let her know about the possibility of joining our relationship and the whole 'my cum rewrites a person's DNA' thing. If she's onboard for everything once she's fully informed, I've got no problem with it."
They finished the meal and relaxed on the couches, admiring the view of the galaxy out the window and chatting like the loving family they already were. When he was yawning every other breath, John got up and led them to bed.
The next 3 days passed pleasurably. John kept getting 3 or 4 orgasms a day at the hands of one or both of his lovers. When they weren't engaged in carnal pursuits, they did more productive things. John was rediscovering his love for fitness and personal training in the Gym, putting in long hours swimming laps in the pool and dusting off his kata for martial arts. Jonah was happy as a clam testing all his new guns in the Firing Range. Alyssa, who hadn't even fired a gun until the rescue operation for Calara, decided she should be able to defend herself and her men and joined Jonah. The restored spacer was more than happy to give her all the lessons and tips on improving her accuracy as she was willing to hear. As with her venture into learning Astro-Nav, her learning curve was astounding. John was convinced that whatever his father's species was, they were natural warriors. His own prodigy-level skills at combat and the effects of the Change made it clear that whatever he was, it was built for a good hard fight.
The morning of the 4th day and their predicted arrival at Port Heracles, Jonah and Alyssa split a load to digest it by the time they arrived while John got a quick breakfast of eggs and toast once he could see straight again. They dressed in formalwear, John figuring it best to project the air of successful businessmen since they were going to be mere civilians on what was in the end a military outpost.
They went to the Bridge and prepared for landing. They pulled into Nerus and Jonah piloted them towards the last major T-Fed garrison this far from the Core Worlds in this particular direction of space. Flight Command sounded a bit confused that a fully-armed Assault Cruiser was pinged as a civilian vessel, but private buyers of decommissioned ships weren't unheard of. They got docking clearance and settled down with nary a tremor under Jonah's experienced touch.
They went out the airlock and followed a handy navigation consoles' directions to the spaceport's medical facilities. They entered the main concourse and Alyssa's eyes almost popped out of her head. Port Heracles was the only major trading post worth the name in the Outer Rim, and that attracted traders of all species around the Galactic League. Unless you counted John, she'd never seen a non-human before. Her head was on a swivel as she stared and gaped at the strange and fascinating creatures in a variety of shapes they passed.
"Be a bit less obvious, honey. Some of these species take issue with being ogled," John advised with a fond smile.
They passed a massive sphere of green gel slowly squelching along with a couple robot porters beside it. It paused and John, Jonah, and Alyssa were shocked to feel knocks on their minds akin to when one of them wanted to talk to the other when they were blocking them out.
*Yes?* John projected hesitantly towards the Bolon.
*Greetings, Dark One and Bright Ones. Can this one help any of you this glorious day?* asked a voice like a chorus of men and women speaking in unison.
*Why do you call us those names?* Jonah asked, accepting that Bolons had secretly been psychic the whole time with nonchalance, more concerned with the odd choice of titles.
*Why, because you and the young female positively glow like stars with psychic potential, Bright One. Your male companion, though, is like a walking shadow. Not like one who cannot speak, but more as if there is simply an emptiness or darkness there. This one is surprised he can communicate this way, honestly,* the Bolon replied.
John gulped. *I don't know what species I am, I never met my father and my human mother abandoned me the day I was born. Have you ever met anyone who 'looks' like me?*
*My apologies, Dark One, this one has not. You really are rather unique to this one's perception, and this one would have remembered an encounter with a similar lifeform. This one sadly has never heard from fellow members of this one's species about anything like this either. This one wishes it could convey brighter news, but this one lacks the answers you seek,* the Bolon projected, sounding very contrite at its inability to tell John anything he wanted to hear.
*Why do you call yourself 'this one'? Don't you have a name?* Alyssa asked curiously. She found this whole encounter surreal, meeting not just an alien but another psychic.
*Oh, where are our manners? This entity is named Barya. Might we have the pleasure of your own names?* asked the Bolon.
*I'm Alyssa! The bright guy is Jonah and the dark guy is John. It's a pleasure to meet you, you're the first psychic besides each other we've ever run into since we discovered our powers!* Alyssa replied.
*Discovered? Barya does not understand,* the Bolon said, the chorus sounding perplexed.
John suppressed a blush at what he was about to say in the name of getting some possible answers to the mystery of the Change. *Whatever my species is, my semen rewrites the DNA of anyone who ingests it. I was probably born psychic, but I never knew I was and never explored whatever powers I have since I had no clue they were there. Jonah joined me and went through the Change as we call it, and that's when we discovered we were both telepathic. Alyssa got the ability too when she joined our relationship. Whether there's anymore besides just mind-reading, we have no idea. Can you offer any insight?*
*How unique. We have never heard of any species with this transformative power, or a transformation on that scale due to simple injection of biological matter. Barya can offer no answers as to your species, John. But we will say this: we've met plenty of other entities of our species as well as members of the Ashanath Collective. And we've never met anyone with even half the raw power that exudes from Jonah and Alyssa individually, and have no idea as to what your personal void would indicate. Barya can only speculate, but if your abilities were limited to simply trading surface level thoughts… well, it would seem rather redundant, is all we'll say.*
John nodded, accepting the words as all Barya could offer. *I see. Thank you so much for sharing this with us, it answered as many questions as it brought up. Unfortunately, we have somewhere we need to be. We should be on our way, though I'd be happy to trade contact information if you want to stay in touch.*
*We would enjoy the chance to maintain a friendship, John. You seem a polite and good example of whatever species you are, and the auras of your two lovers aren't just powerful, but overwhelmingly positive. Barya would consider it a privilege to keep in communications. With your permission, we shall make inquiries among other members of our species to see if any of them have encountered another of your kind,* the Bolon replied, changing color from deep green to a cheery yellow mixed with sky blue. John knew a Bolon's color reflected their emotions, and assumed this was happiness or some other positive mix.
John gave his personal comm code to Barya and Jonah and Alyssa memorized Barya's after hearing it once. With a final farewell, they resumed the trip towards the spaceport's hospital while Barya returned to their purchasing.
*Ok, that was super interesting, but I'd like to know what the fuck Barya actually is,* Alyssa projected after a few minutes of walking.
*They call themselves Bolons, from the Free Nation of Bol, one of the minor empires inside Trankaran space. They're basically giant masses of bacteria that are organic DNA computers. Each one functions as a neuron in the collective entity, and a sapient consciousness emerges from the noise. Had no idea they were also psychic, thought they communicated with their robot translators through pheromones or something,* John answered her.
*So, your magic jism seems to have not just made us psychics, but supercharged psychics at that. And apparently we have a hunch from a born psychic that we all can do more than just talk without our mouths,* Jonah added.
*Yeah, but how the fuck are we going to experiment and find them all, if they're even there? It's like trying to train muscles I don't even know I have,* John wondered.
*I say we start with the leading authority on psychic abilities: comic books,* Alyssa thought with all seriousness. *We'll make a list of what sci-fi and fantasy has already come up with and see if any of them actually work when we give an honest go at it.*
They tossed ideas and imaginings about what superpowers they might unknowingly be blessed with until they reached the medical facility on Port Heracles. The floors, ceilings, walls, and lights were all a blinding white. John approached the receptionist desk and a middle-aged woman looked up. "Hello, how may I help you?" she asked.
"We're here to visit Lieutenant Calara Fernandez," John answered, bracing himself to hear she'd been moved to the brig if she was actually facing a court-martial.
The woman checked her console. "Ah, yes, she's approved for visitors and in room 347. I'll just need to see some ID to log your visit."
The three handed over their IDs, Jonah and Alyssa with a smidge of apprehension. They looked much different from the photos on their IDs now. Luckily, the receptionist had stopped looking at IDs long ago and waved them through without issue. They all followed the clear signs through the hospital to reach Calara's room. John knocked on the door, and heard Calara call "Come in!"
John entered the private room to see Calara standing from a hospital bed. Her black eyes were healing well, and she moved a bit less stiffly from the broken ribs than he'd seen when they'd parted ways, but the bags under her chocolate eyes hinted at troubled sleep. He knew from his talks with her that she was likely developing PTSD from the pirate attack and barely escaping being raped to death by a Largath. He put such dark thoughts out of his mind when she rushed up to hug him. "It's so good to see you!" Calara grinned.
"We came as soon as we could," John said, squeezing her in a gentle hug.
"Where's my hug?" Alyssa asked playfully.
Once Calara had shown her happiness to see all three of them, she went to sit back on the bed. John, Jonah and Alyssa all grabbed chairs and sat by the bed. "So, what's this about a court-martial?" John asked.
Calara's face fell. "He said I was to blame for everything that happened, that I was at fault and responsible for all their deaths! I wasn't though, I was asleep, I'd already passed my shift off to Lieutenant Wilson!"
"Who's 'he'?" Jonah asked, narrowing his eyes.
Calara shuddered, which none of her rescuers missed. "Station Commander Rupert Grant. He's my old CO and has jurisdiction over this sector."
John frowned. He grabbed a nearby holo-console and used his Commander clearance to access the judicial logs of Port Heracles. A few searches pulled up nothing. "He's lying. There's nothing remotely related to you in the system."
Calara's brows furrowed. "But… why would he lie?"
"This Grant guy have something against you?" Alyssa asked curiously.
Calara seemed to huddle into herself. "He… he kept coming onto me. I was assigned to be his adjutant fresh out the Academy, and he kept asking me out on dates or outright propositioning me. It was legit sexual harrassment, if I'm being honest. I made it clear I wasn't interested, but he just wouldn't stop! When Captain Jericho came into the port and I heard he had an opening for a Tactical Officer on the Griffon, I leapt at the chance to transfer."
"And Grant didn't like that," Jonah said more than he asked.
Calara blushed with mortification. "He exploded when I broke the news to him. He turned all red, shouted so loud, called me all these horrible names. I ran away and went to cry in my quarters."
John felt the familiar sensation of bloodlust rise up in him. He normally tried to curb it when it applied to other sapient beings and especially Terrans, but this Grant guy definitely didn't sound like he deserved any mercy. "I think I see what's going on here. Grant threatens you with this court-martial, gets you panicked. When you're desperate, he offers to sweep it under the rug for a few 'favors'. It's sick."
Calara's jaw dropped. That possibility had clearly never occurred to her. "But… that's illegal! I can think of 3 or 4 protocols that violates off the top of my head!"
"He's the most powerful man on Port Heracles, he must have deluded himself into thinking he's beyond reproach," Alyssa said, sounding quite ready to choke the life from Grant with her bare hands for running this scheme on her friend.
Jonah was always a bit of a conspiracy theorist, but he was starting to suspect something. "Pirate activity has been escalating in this sector for months, right?"
"Yes, the Griffon was actually assigned to investigate the rise in piracy when we were ambushed," Calara nodded, focusing on Jonah. "Why bring that up?"
"Operations like that don't grow that big, even in the Outer Rim, without a man on the inside. Just spitballing, but if, say, Grant was colluding or even just being bribed to ignore these pirates… he'd be in a position to arrange that ambush on the Griffon, wouldn't he?"
Calara paled like her throat had been slit. "No… he's a slimeball, but no way any Federation officer would betray their own people like that, arrange the deaths of over a dozen over one unrequited crush…"
John, sadly, didn't have such faith in humanity and those in power. Still, he didn't want to assume the worst of anyone without even meeting them. "Look, we have no evidence to support that, so let's not make baseless accusations. All the same, I think I should have a 'talk' with Grant, clear up this 'misunderstanding' around Calara. Jonah, Alyssa, stay here. I believe you wanted to discuss a job offer with Calara, didn't you?" Standing up, he turned and left the room.
"Is he going to be okay? He's a civilian, Grant is a Commander! And what's this about a job offer?" Calara asked, concerned and confused in equal measure.
"Technically, John still has the clearance and authority of a Commander, so no worries that Grant can do anything to him," Alyssa waved off. "And as for the job… ever imagine yourself as Tactical Officer on an Assault Cruiser?"