Calara woke up feeling absolutely wonderful. It was like she'd had the best night's sleep of her life. All her aches and pains seemed to have vanished, and she felt fully relaxed and brimming with energy to take on the day.
"She's up!" she heard Alyssa call from nearby.
Calara opened her eyes and was treated to the unexpected but very welcome sight of John and Jonah striding nude out of the bathroom. A quick glance away from the feast for the eyes confirmed she was in a massive bed in what she assumed was the Commander's Quarters. But she really did want to just stare at John and Jonah because… wow.
"How you feeling, honey?" John asked, sitting shameless on the bed and reaching out to brush a hand through Calara's hair.
"Like a billion credits, but a tad confused how I ended up here. Last thing I remember is…" Calara fought a blush as she recalled getting intimately familiar with John's erection in the Lounge.
"There's memory loss the first 2 times you blow me," John explained. "And the first dose knocks you out for 14 hours while the second does it for 4 hours. The third time is when you start to stay conscious, and by then the Change seems to have done enough so you can deepthroat me without pain or injury."
"So… am I in your network now? And you work fast, I feel better than I did before the pirate attack on the Griffon!" Calara said, backing up to sit against the head of the bed.
John got a grin. "The moment I finished cumming, you appeared in one of the 'boxes' in my mind. Making a Connection with you felt easy as breathing. Once that was settled, I poured energy into you to heal all your injuries and try to hasten the Change."
"Damn near passed out right next to you," Jonah grumbled as he stood naked and proud behind John, Alyssa in similar lack of dress beside him. Calara had an impulse to laugh at how all 4 of them were naked and she seemed to be the only one bothered by it. "Next time, ration out the energy transfer, Johnny boy. For all we know, you could kill yourself giving too much too fast."
"Though on the plus side, Jonah and I figured out how to transfer energy to John right afterwards, so no harm done. Then we carried you both to bed and we just woke up about a couple hours ago. We spent a while just cuddling then the boys went to take a shower while I volunteered to watch you," Alyssa revealed.
"Ok… any other surprises?" Calara asked. She stretched as she'd been afraid to ever since the pirate attack, but her side gave not so much as a twinge. "Broken ribs gone, for the record," she added, amazed at the healing power of the Change and John's psychic abilities.
"You didn't join the network like I expected," John revealed. "You're directly under Alyssa, not on the same level as her and Jonah."
"And I can feel you in my head," Alyssa added. "I can't hear your thoughts, but I can feel your emotions. You're tucked into your own little 'box' in my mind so I can keep an eye on you. Maybe it'll develop into full Telepathy once you're further into the Change, but something tells me you're not going to. No idea where it comes from, but you're a degree removed from John's thoughts for some reason, I'm positive."
Calara pondered that. "It sounds almost like a cell structure. John is at the top, naturally. You and Jonah are his 'lieutenants', as it were. And I got slotted under Alyssa. Maybe all future female members of the harem will be grouped under her 'command', all the males under Jonah, and John can borrow energy from all of us."
"That sounds more like building an army, not a family," John frowned.
Jonah sighed. "Think it through, John. Imagine if any other man in the galaxy had the inborn power to make a legion of sexual playthings who seem customized for combat and have to obey his every whim. I'd bet good money that most of your father's species uses their cum to do just that, make an army of slaves and psychic batteries. You're the exception because you were raised with Terran ethics and just don't think that way."
John gulped. "So… does that mean my father raped my mother? I was always aware of the possibility, but when you put it that way…"
"We have no way of knowing short of finding them both and asking them," Alyssa said firmly. "Don't torture yourself with maybes and what-ifs, John. For all we know, they were crazy stupid in love like we are."
"I'll pretend I believe that," John sighed.
Calara tried to find some way to lighten the plummeting mood. "So… is it time for my 'breakfast'?" she asked lightly.
Alyssa and Jonah chuckled while John got a small smile. "Are you hungry, Calara?" he asked, reaching down to give his stiffening manhood some pumps to promote blood flow.
"Famished," Calara said, her eyes glued to the awe-worthy pillar of flesh and the bulging sack of 4 balls hanging beneath.
Things got blurry after that, and Calara found herself waking up alone in the bed again. A glance at the chronometer on the wall confirmed it had been roughly 4 hours since the time she woke up. She tried to sit up, and found it more difficult than she expected. She looked down and almost shrieked at the sight of her rounded belly.
"You get used to that around here," Alyssa said, striding into the room wearing combat pants and a tank top. "I was in the Firing Range when I felt your emotions change. I assumed you were waking up and came up to get you."
"So, you, John and Jonah have direct Telepathy with each other, and you have Empathy with me?" Calara checked, deciding to just ignore how she looked about 4 or 5 months pregnant purely from the amount of semen John had pumped down her throat earlier.
"Pretty much," Alyssa nodded. "If there really is a built-in hierarchy to John's network, you probably get less than I get since I'm his female lieutenant and you're just the first female under my command. So maybe you won't become psychic at all."
"But couldn't John change that?" Calara wondered. "The 'standard' configuration seems to be instinctual on his part, built-in to whatever species he is. But if he takes conscious control of the Change, couldn't he give me Telepathy the same way he gave it to you and Jonah, albeit on purpose and not by accident?"
Alyssa tilted her head. "That's a good idea, and John and Jonah are onboard. But John's having second thoughts about deliberately mutating you instead of sticking to the template for a female… whatever word applies to you. He's afraid he'll give you brain cancer or something."
"He's a real worryer, isn't he?" Calara chuckled.
"Well, he's been through some shit. I honestly think he has a touch of PTSD himself. He's always on guard, always assuming the worst will happen. I consider it a monumental accomplishment Jonah and I have managed to loosen him up as much as we already have," Alyssa admitted. Shaking her head, Alyssa said "But whatever. You can borrow anything you want from us, if you're not comfortable strutting around the ship in your birthday suit."
Calara went into their walk-in closet. While drawn to Alyssa's many pretty things, she found herself buttoning on one of John's white dress shirts and nothing else.
"You look… damn," Alyssa admired. "All barefoot and pregnant, it's an awesome look. Maybe we should make this the uniform for all female recruits!"
"Oh, stop," Calara chuckled.
They went to the elevator and took it down to Deck 7. "Jonah's manning the Bridge, he's paranoid that if Grant really is working with the local pirates that he arranged a hit on us. John's working out, it's his favorite pastime besides sex," Alyssa told Calara.
They went through the double sliding doors into the Gym. They found John doing squats with a barbell loaded with an impressive amount of weight. He set it on the rack and wiped his face with a towel as he turned to them. "Hey, girls! Calara, Alyssa told me about your idea. Are you sure it's worth the risk?"
"You would never hurt anyone on purpose unless they deserved it," Calara said with surety. "If you try to give me Telepathy, I'll get Telepathy if it's possible and nothing more."
"Well, you're still digesting your last load," John said, looking at her midriff with clear admiration, tenderness, and lust. Calara felt a surge of broodiness at the look. "Any ideas how to pass the time while we wait for that to go down?"
Calara eyed the racks of weights, turning an idea in her head. "This is a bit of a cliche, but since you seem to have comic book powers, why don't we experiment with super strength? Let's see if you can psychically augment your physical prowess."
"Alright, might as well try," John agreed. He altered the weights on the side of the barbell. "375 is my PR. Let's see how I handle now I know I'm definitely more than human," he said before getting in position.
"Remember the boxes! They might represent active powers or something. Try filling one with an image of you lifting a building!" Alyssa encouraged.
"Sure, honey," John agreed before getting an expression of intense focus. He stood up, lifting the bar, and did 3 picture perfect squats in a row before laying it on the rack. He turned to them with shock on his face. "I think it actually worked. I barely felt the weight, and that used to be as much as I could possibly handle!"
"Well, let's up the stakes!" Alyssa said eagerly. She adjusted the weights herself, not seeming to have any trouble even with the massive 135-lb discs. "500 even, a quarter ton! Take it away, Hercules!"
John got in position again. Identical to the previous weight, he did 3 reps with textbook form. "Still like nothing was there," John said in amazement.
"Well, then let's stop messing around!" Alyssa declared. She cleared the traditional weights and loaded high-tech gravity weights. She set each so that, combined with the weight of the barbell, it was a total of 2000 Imperial pounds. "Go for the ton!"
John looked uneasy. "The world record for a raw squat without any enhancement is just over half that."
"That's for a Terran. You're not one," Calara pointed out gently. "Just keep the… Psychic Strength in that mind box, and give it an honest try. You can't find your limits unless you test then, John."
John got a look of firm determination. He got under the bar. He took a deep breath and stood straight. With seemingly no trouble at all, he did a full 10 reps before setting the bar back on the rack, which groaned at the amount of weight.
Alyssa deactivated the gravity weights and then pounced on John. "I am so hot for you right now! You just lifted a ton and made it look easy!"
"It felt easy," John said once he got his breath back from Alyssa kissing him with ferocious need. "I mean, I could feel the weight was there, but it was like it was a tenth of what it should be."
"So, definite yes on the super strength," Calara noted with a grin. "Just make sure you turn it off when you have sex with us, I don't want my pelvis shattered!"
John focused. "There, I cleared that mind box… it's weird, I only have 3 besides the 3 filled with you all in my network."
"Well, you're a rank beginner, shouldn't you start out with almost nothing?" Alyssa pointed out, backing up so John wasn't distracted by the feel of her curves.
"That makes sense, but I still feel like I'm missing something, something big," John mused, a distant look on his face as he contemplated the mystery of his own mind.
"Well, unless we run into your dad or find some other clue about your species, you might be stuck," Calara stated. "Now, why don't we keep experimenting?"
"Sure," John agreed, moving past his pensive moment. "What's next?"
"If you're a Telepath, you might be a Telekinetic too. Those two seem to go hand-in-hand in all the movies," Calara mused. She gestured at the weights hanging beside the rack. "Start small, just the 10-lb discs."
A few weeks ago, John would have laughed out loud at the idea he could magically lift something with just his mind. But his eyes had been opened to the fact he was something more than human, so he figured it was worth a try. He focused on one weighted disc. Just to help his visualization, he pointed at it. "Up," he commanded, like the inanimate object could hear and obey.
Lo and behold, it did. The circular metal disc rose up to eye level to the astonished gazes of John and his girls.
Jonah walked in the door. "I had to see this for myself," he explained. He came up beside John and patted his shoulder. "Congrats, Johnny boy, you're an alien wizard. Only took you 40 years to figure it out, and that's with our help, haha!"
"I'm levitating 10 pounds with nothing but willpower," John said, mind well and truly blown at the sight of the floating disc.
"Let me try!" Alyssa grinned. She made an imperious gesture, and one of the 90-lb discs came up as readily as John's 10-lb. "Neat!" she exclaimed.
Jonah mimicked John and Alyssa, but nothing happened. He got a look of manic concentration, but the remaining discs remained immobile. "Dadgum it, what am I doing wrong?" he grumbled.
Calara hummed in the thought. "Well, let's approach this logically. We have the theory that most or all of John's species use their powers to enslave an army of minions. And we know for sure that John's been using his powers all but unconsciously this whole time. And there seems to be a built-in template for his network and the people who join it. Put it all together, and here's what I think. Why give a subordinate as much power as you have, even with the obedience compulsion as a safeguard? I'm willing to bet that John gave you both Telepathy and then powers specific to each of you as an extra, but not everything he had himself. And I, as just a grunt, got nothing, though I only had the 1 dose so we're not sure if I'd developed anything with time. But I'd say you both, as lieutenants, got Telepathy as part of the standard package. John seems to have given Alyssa Telekinesis as an add-on, but not the same for Jonah. But Jonah probably has his own gift from John, even if neither even realized it at the time."
John nodded. "That makes sense. You're a smart one, Callie."
"You're too kind," she blushed at his praise.
"Well, let's see if I got Psychic Strength as part of my individualized perk package!" Jonah said with enthusiasm. He went to reactivate the gravity weights and then got in position. He managed a full squat with no apparent difficulty. Just to show off, he lifted the weight above his shoulders and over his head. He even let go one hand and kept the full ton up with just one arm holding the bar. Then, at John's panic, Jonah set the bar back down.
"That was reckless and dangerous!" John exploded at his XO.
"Oh, relax, no harm done," Jonah waved off. "'Kay, I got Psychic Strength, Alyssa got Telekinesis, and you have both. Add Telepathy for the 3 of us but not Calara. John probably has more powers we're still unaware of, and I'd bet good money he can give each member of the network their own 'gift' along with the Change."
"So the question is, just what the fuck can I actually do at full power?" John stated for all of them.
"Until such a time as we stumble on a power I just have to have, I'll settle for just Telepathy so I'm not left out of the group chat," Calara spoke up.
"And I'm going to go make a list of every magic spell or comic book power there ever was to make a list!" Alyssa declared. So saying, she sprinted out the Gym to go get the nearest holo-console.
"So, any other way you'd like to pass the time while that goes down?" John posed to Calara.
"I'm back up to the Bridge. Don't want to get caught with our britches down," Jonah declared. He darted in to peck John on the lips and Calara on the cheek before striding for the doors.
Calara regarded her distended abdomen, but turned back to John with determination. "You know martial arts, right? As part of your Marine training?" she checked to confirm.
"Started studying independently as a teenager, got supplemented by CQC training at the Academy. Why do you ask?" John wondered.
"Teach me to fight," Calara asked firmly.
John blinked in surprise. "Sure, but any particular reason why?"
"My dad taught all my brothers, and they spent so much time bonding in the dojo, but I was the 'girl' so I wasn't invited. It was more benign neglect than real sexism, but it stung that Daddy shared all that quality time with the boys while I was left out. I'll get a much tougher body as part of the Change, we're all but certain, and I want to show them all up if and when I see them again," Calara explained.
John pulled her into a hug, able to see how hurt Calara really had been from her family's unintentional slight. "You'll be kicking ass in no time, my student. The kata probably won't be affected too much by your bump. Let's get warmed up and we'll start right now."
They spent the time until dinner working through a series of punches, kicks, and blocks. Calara was an attentive student, and she seemed to have a real knack for memorization. Whether that was natural talent or early signs of the Change was up for debate. Sweaty and sore, John took her up to Deck 2 for a shower.
As she was getting a delightful full-body massage from her new lover, Calara eyed the mighty manhood standing proudly from John's groin. "I'm hungry, John," she said, a bold confidence welling up from deep within.
"I've got a nice meal all ready for you," John said, with a lusty smile and tender eyes.
Calara had only had 2 boyfriends and only blew the second a handful of times. But she found herself ready, willing, and able to make John go cross-eyed from her oral talents, unpracticed though they were. Given how John's one hand curled into a fist while the other guided her head at a steady pace, she figured she was doing a decent job. Finally, after a long enough time to assure Calara John wasn't a minuteman, he groaned and she felt the heavy weight in her throat start to jump regularly. A liquid warmth filled her stomach to capacity and then some, and she ballooned out until she looked ready to pop. She slid John's cock out her mouth, giving a final peck to the head as it started to wilt and retreat inside its hood.
John helped her to her feet, and gave her a passionate kiss. "Here goes nothing," he said, and then got a look of focus.
Calara felt a full-body tingle, like a cross between being doused in cold water and touching a live wire. Then she distinctly heard John's voice in her head even though his lips didn't move. *Testing. Coming in clear, honey?*
*As a bell,* Calara thought back, amazed. No Terran, to her knowledge, was naturally psychic. And in a way, neither was she. She'd been modified by the Change, a benevolent gift from whatever John was to her as his lover.
*You're making me blush,* John told her, his cheeks actually darkening.
*Sorry, I'm new at this, am I just broadcasting everything?* Calara checked, consciously forming the statement.
*From what we've learned, it's a bit like any comm link. It's as open or closed as you allow it. Jonah, Alyssa, and I tend to stay connected and share everything at all times, but we'll teach you how to dampen or shield thoughts if you want. Also how to block other connections. If and when we run into other psychics like Barya or an Ashanath, we don't want to be mentally naked or picking up everything in range,* John explained to the newest Telepath on the crew.
*Sounds simple enough,* Clara nodded. She patted her tummy. *I'm full, but I bet Alyssa and Jonah are hungry. Let's go to the Lounge so you can start cooking.*
The spent a couple seconds in front of the auto-dryer then got into casual clothes. Calara stuck with the 'new girl uniform' of just a white dress shirt. John kept throwing appreciative glances and thoughts her way.
*Welcome to the club!* Alyssa projected as soon as she caught sight of Calara from where she was waiting on the couch. Jonah was holding her in his lap, the two of them seemingly in the middle of reading an online encyclopedia on the holo-console.
*Glad to be invited,* Calara grinned. It really was faster and more intimate than verbal communication.
*Say goodbye to privacy, we're open books to each other. But we're in love and trust each other with our lives. You're not there yet, obviously, but why start bad habits?* Jonah thought to the Tactical Officer.
*I'm sure I'll adjust to utter transparency with my crewmates… and lovers, I knew what I signed up for,* Calara answered.
*You actually spent an hour finding the most comprehensive list of superpowers you could find?* John checked. He already knew the answer, he just found it hard to believe.
*We will leave no stone unturned!* Alyssa declared to the group mind.
John rolled his eyes, gave Calara a final squeeze, and went to the Kitchen. Calara sat down next to the other two and happily chatted while John cooked dinner. He emerged, and they had a pleasant meal silent to outsiders but for the sound of cutlery. But a river of words and thoughts flowed between the four Telepaths.
When they all finished and got drinks, Alyssa turned imperiously towards the cuddling John and Calara. "It's been a long day full of revelations, so we'll save the hardcore experimenting for the next few days in transit to Karron. But I thought of something that we can verify with no effort. All 3 of you, take the elevator down to Deck 9 then come back here," she decreed aloud.
Confused but willing, her test subjects got up and took the brief roundtrip to the bottom deck. When they reentered to the Lounge, Alyssa nodded. *Just as I thought. John's thoughts stayed at normal volume, but both Jonah and Calara felt harder to stay connected to the further away you got. I'm betting the Connection is like a fiber-optic cable between John's mind and mine, while normal Telepathy is more akin to radio and standard comms relays. I and Jonah can stay connected to John regardless of distance. But the rest of us can lose contact if we stray out of range.*
*Interesting,* John mused. *Obviously, none of you are my species and can forge Connections the way I can. Still, I wonder if there's a way to upgrade standard Telepathy, make person-to-person links on the same level.*
*Well, those Connections are forged by oral sex, far as we know. The recipe in your balls is obviously a factor, but I'd wager regular ol' intimacy plays a part too,* Jonah posited. He walked up to Alyssa and leaned down into a deep kiss, his eyes locked with hers. *Give me everything, I'll give the same,* he thought privately to his young lover.
Alyssa trusted 3 people absolutely in all the galaxy: Sparks, John, and Jonah. She let down every barrier, returning the kiss, staring into Jonah's eyes, and allowed him entry into the deepest depths of her mind. She felt him do the same, and she ventured into his very core, him doing the same to her. Finally, it felt like their minds overlapped until every single facet touched each of the other's. There was a timeless moment of unity, their naked souls as conjoined as their bodies normally would be in coitus. Sensing something concrete form in that abstract realm, the one became the two once more. Jonah and Alyssa blinked, finding themselves back in the Lounge.
"Their eyes stopped glowing," Calara told John, who appeared to be nodding off.
"Our eyes were glowing?" Alyssa asked, wondering how much objective time had passed during the subjective eternity.
"For the past 3-odd hours, you two have been like statues with lightbulbs for irises," John explained, standing and coming to hug them both. "Anything to show for this experiment?" he asked once he assured himself both were safe in his arms.
"We… Bonded," Jonah said, the capital letter clear in the emphasis he put on the word. "We have the same kind of permanent, distance-free Telepathy we both have with you. I even can feel Callie's emotions like Alyssa can."
"While we're on a roll, all 3 of you want to try it with me?" Calara checked. Her belly had noticeably deflated.
Alyssa shook her head decisively. "It's too soon. We could have enslaved each other at any moment, it would only have been a question of who acted first. We're close, Calara, but I'm not ready to be that vulnerable with you yet. I can't speak for the boys, but I'll need a little more time to develop our friendship before we Bond."
"Same for me," Jonah spoke up.
John frowned. "I don't want you to feel excluded…" he said hesitantly.
"John, we're lovers but we barely know each other. I'm not offended. We can do it when we're good and ready," Calara reassured her Commander.
Exhausted by the long day, they all went to sleep. Calara found herself having the unique experience of falling asleep cuddled up to a man with another woman flush against her naked back and another man across her pillow's body. They nodded off, slipping into dreamland. Except John, he hadn't dreamt in all his 40 years.
They woke up early, John coming to first and nudging the rest of them telepathically. *So… since we've had a night to sleep on it, anyone want to talk about everything that happened yesterday?* he posed to the group.
*Your dad's species or at least the males, we think but can't prove, use their cum to make private armies of psychic slaves. You have all the powers of your kind, whatever they may be, and have doled out Telepathy to all 3 of us, Telekinesis to me, and Psychic Strength to Jonah. And once two ordinary Telepaths trust each other implicitly, they can Bond and get a pseudo-Connection. That cover everything?* Alyssa summarized succinctly.
*Pretty much. How's everyone feel about that, on top of all the craziness of the Change and our growing harem?* John checked.
*Your harem, Johnny boy. We all belong to you, Connection or no Connection. Well, can't speak for Callie, but I know Alyssa and I feel that way,* Jonah snorted.
*In all seriousness, I think this changes nothing. I care for you, John, and certainly trust you not to abuse your power, even or especially over us,* Calara thought rationally. *I think we've all processed and accepted everything from yesterday. Today is for more training, especially psychic experimentation. Find out exactly what your dad passed down to you.*
*Well, no time like the present. But first, breakfast! Most important meal of the day,* John decided.
Calara took that as her cue to slip under the sheets.
Once everyone's tummy was full, exceptionally so in Calara's case, the 4 crewmembers of the Invictus went down to the Gym. Alyssa had the holo-console floating alongside her. She was determined to practice her new psychic chops at every opportunity, it was probably like any other muscle. Gains would come from repeated strain, both over time and intensity. And she wanted every drop of eldritch might to protect herself and her new… family, that's really how she saw them all.
After the obligatory hugs and kisses when Alyssa shared that particular thought, Alyssa refocused on the holo-console. She pulled up the encyclopedia page she and Jonah had found yesterday. She sorted it by popularity and turned to John. "Well, let's get this show on the road! X-ray vision, heat vision, any kind of vision!"
John, remembering the lessons of the past couple days, tried to think as little as possible. He simply willed himself to see through walls, trying to be instinctive and only nudge his body with his thoughts to do the magic it may or may not be capable of. He added a visualization of what he wanted and 'slotting' it into one of his open mind-boxes.
He blinked. "Wow, that's weird. I can see your insides, and at the same time I can see every room behind you up until we reach outside the ship," he reported.
Alyssa opened a split-screen and added 'X-ray eyes' to a note-taking app. "Cycle through any other 'filter' for your eyes you can think of," she encouraged, Jonah and Calara offering mental encouragement.
John soon added 'thermal', 'night' and 'telescopic' visions to the list. On a whim, he tried 'psychic' vision and blinked. *Wow. Barya was right, you two are bright. Calara is too, just less so.*
*Can you see yourself?* Jonah wondered.
John looked down at his body and almost screamed.
Where Barya had seen a black void where John's aura should be, his own Psychic Sight showed the truth. His body was wrapped in invisible chains, caging in a beast forged from his most basic instincts and urges. The monster felt his gaze and glared back at him.
*I will be free. Then it will be your turn to live in a prison while I do what we are meant to do,* John heard, in an echo of his own voice. But his voice, he was positive, had never sounded that dark and menacing.
John deactivated his Psychic Sight, freeing up the one mind-box. Another 3 were taken up maintaining his network. And every single one of the rest, he suddenly knew bone-deep, were spent on the mental leash containing that thing in the abyss that sounded like him.
He found himself shivering on the floor, while Jonah rocked him tenderly and the girls cuddled into his side. "There's… something inside me," he finally managed, never in his life ever having been so horrified or scared.
"You're not Terran," Calara spoke up from nuzzling his chest with her cheek. "Your mind doesn't necessarily work the same as the rest of ours. I don't think you're crazy or have a split-personality or anything. You're you, John Blake, and I'll never doubt that John Blake is a good man. That other guy… much less so."
"But what is it, he, whatever?" John asked.
Alyssa hummed. "You said you used to get into lots of fights, get bouts of rage you couldn't control, be very aggressive chasing girls around the time you started noticing them."
"Yeah, I was out of control. Raging hormones, and a bit of acting out because of my orphan baggage. Grandpa signed me up for a martial arts class and all the discipline and meditation calmed me down," John answered readily.
"I'm not so sure, John," Jonah said gently. "I don't think you calmed down because your teachers and grandparents taught you how to buckle down. I'm… I'm starting to think you Jekyll and Hyde'd yourself by accident."
"What do you mean?" John asked in a panic.
"Whatever you are, it's not human. And it's also psychic and powerful. Plus you have a blueprint for recruiting an army tucked into your genetic code. I think when you hit puberty, you were still one person, and were just acting on your species' instincts to dominate and expand your power. But Terran society and culture, especially your family and authority figures, didn't allow you to act the way that felt natural. Just a theory, don't quote me, but I think you psychically sectioned off every part of your mind that didn't fit the Terran mold. Terran John or the John I love with all my heart, stayed in control. The alien parts of you, all your instincts and power and any kind of manual to using your abilities, got locked in a little black box in your mind. And based on what we all just heard, he's itching to switch places," Jonah explained his thoughts carefully.
"Makes as much sense as any of this shit," Alyssa offered, stroking John's cheek comfortingly.
John took a few deep breaths to relax and process Jonah's idea. "So… you think I have some alter ego locked in the back of my head, which I accidentally created as a teen. Based on 1 look and 2 sentences, I'm ready to say he deserves life in solitary. What do you all think?"
Calara sighed. "Again, not Terran, can't hold you to our standards. But that can't be healthy, splitting your mind like that. I'm not saying it has to happen today, or even this year, but you need to reintegrate with him at some point. To quote Abraham Lincoln, 'a house divided against itself cannot stand'."
John gulped. "I don't think we're going to hug it out and unite into one happy John. If I got that close, he might rip my throat out. You didn't see the… rage, the ferocity, the pure animal bloodlust. Maybe I did it by accident, but he's spent 25-ish years in a cell because of me. The only reason he wouldn't kill me is to give me a taste of what he had to endure and lock me in my own cage."
"So we wait," Jonah said with finality. "We wait until you're willing to risk your life and our free wills on a life-or-death fight against essentially another member of your race. One that probably knows what he's doing at that, and has access to who knows how much power."
John gulped. "I have 6 mind boxes, half of them spent just staying connected to each of you. His prison takes up dozens. We're a long way from that point."
"No rush," Alyssa assured him. "So… is the mood killed or shall we get back to going through the list?"
John chuckled. "Honestly, I could use the distraction. We finished up ocular powers, what's next?"
"We did Psychic Strength. How about Psychic Speed?" Calara offered.
"It's Psychic Alacrity," John said without thinking. Then he frowned. "Ok, where'd that come from?"
"If you stare into the abyss, the abyss shall stare back into you," Jonah quoted somberly. "You might have gotten a tiny bit of… Other John's understanding when you acknowledged his existence and allowed him to speak to you."
John, now that he was consciously aware of it, made sure that Other John's mind prison was rock solid. He wanted not a drop of that creature's influence in his own thinking. "Well, probably a good sign I knew to correct that. Let's give it a shot!"
Alyssa had John sprint from one wall to the other, timing him. Then he focused and filled a mind-box with the idea of him moving faster, quicker, swifter. He made the same sprint, deactivated the surprisingly draining power, and turned to Alyssa. "What was my time?"
"Over 4x as fast," she said with impressed eyes. "And who knows if you'll get even faster or it'll cost less energy as you get good at it? Ready for the next one?"
Over the next couple hours, John attempted to pull off every power Alyssa listed off with Jonah and Calara as cheerleaders. Some, he could sense he had the potential, but simply lacked the mental strength to pull them off. It was similar to his body warning him a weight or physical feat was beyond him. But he managed to make a big blue hexagon out of thin air when he attempted a force field, got almost every conceivable element to appear at his will, and even floated a few inches off the ground when he attempted flight.
"Ok, you're flagging. And you still need some in the tank to train Callie for the afternoon," Alyssa observed once John's feet were back on the ground. "One last one: astral projection. See if you can separate your mind or spirit from your body for a tiny bit."
John closed his eyes, and attempted the new psychic power as he'd attempted all the others. He felt an odd tugging sensation in his chest, and he leaned into it. But instead of success or a sensation of insufficient power, John felt a primal flash of self-preservation and jerked back in fright.
He opened his eyes, frowning. "If I do it, the Other John will take over. That's off the list until further notice."
"Damn," Jonah huffed. "Well, time for lunch."
They went to the Lounge, and John endeavored to teach his crewmates some basic cooking skills. They proved eager students, and they finished making the meal in record time. Calara, with an eager grin, slipped under the table once they all were seated. John had a distracted look for the whole first half of the meal, Calara still an active participant in the conversation even with her mouth full.
Once Calara was well rounded and back in her seat, John refocused. "So, Callie and I will work on the kata and maybe some light sparring until dinner. What're you two gonna do?"
"Work through the list ourselves," Alyssa informed him. "If you can't do it, safe bet we can't. But if you're half as generous as I already think, you didn't just give us the one extra 'gift' besides Telepathy inherent to being your lieutenants or whatever the proper word for whatever we are is."
"Plus, you both had him mostly to yourselves for a full month each. If it only takes one dose per power, you might have some serious firepower ready to be unleashed," Calara mused.
The next 9 days were a productive if exhausting blur to the quartet. If John wasn't searching for or training his newfound powers, he was training with Calara in martial arts or letting off steam swimming in the pool. Other than cooking or 'feeding' Calara (and he managed to come up with a number of creative ways to make sure Jonah and Alyssa weren't left out), that's all he really did besides sleeping.
Calara progressed through the Change so fast it was almost like watching a time-lapse video as each day passed. By the end of the week, she was identical to Alyssa apart from hair, eye, and skin color. John took that as confirmation: males of his species and the males they Changed were one-size-fits-all, and apparently so were the women. Safe bet all future members of the crew/harem/family would be 1 of 2 shapes. Calara picked up martial arts so fast it was scary. John was having to honestly try when they sparred within a matter of days.
Jonah and Alyssa were hardly idle. Both found and exercised their own psychic gifts with as much wonder as willingness to put in the hard word to master the talents. Alyssa could Astral Project, while John couldn't due to Other John, and they discovered that it required Astral Projection to read beyond surface thoughts. A tentative experiment proved that Astral Alyssa could enter any of their mindscapes if she walked 'into' any of them with her spectral form. She described Jonah and Calara's minds as clouds of bubbles that represented memories or knowledge, linked by colored strings that indicated emotional associations. Caution of Other John kept her from trying to read John's mind. She also, on a random experiment to create laser vision, found Photokinesis. In a nutshell, she could bend light into lasers with her mind, but she explained it was a real power hog. Jonah discovered Psychic Alacrity to supplement the Psychic Strength. And both found they could make Psychic Shields like John as well. Any free time, Alyssa put in hours in the Firing Range and Jonah stayed on lookout on the Bridge.
It was around 3pm the day before their expected arrival at Karron when Jonah raised a mental red alert. *Everyone! Distress beacon! Looks like 2 Corvettes and a Frigate going after a Freighter,* Jonah projected to them in the Gym.
They all dropped what they were doing and took the maddeningly long trip up the elevator to the Bridge. On arrival, they went to their stations. Alyssa saw Jonah had diverted course towards the source of the beacon and made only a couple tweaks to shave a minute off their travel time. *5 minutes out!* she let them know.
*Baptism by blood time,* Calara thought neutrally as she got the weapons systems hot. She hadn't ever made a kill in her brief career, but it was all but guaranteed in this scenario.
John reviewed the data from the long-range scanners and opened a comm channel to the besieged Freighter. He got an almost instant answer. "Help!" begged a panicked looking man. "We're being attacked by pirates! Slavers, I think!"
"This is Commander Blake on the Invictus, we'll be arriving in minutes. Attempt evasive maneuvers and hold on!" he encouraged.
The man gave a shaky nod and cut the transmission.
It felt like forever but in less than 300 seconds they arrived at the system where the pirate attack was taking place. John, figuring he'd give the criminals a chance, opened a broadcast. "Pirates, power down and your lives will be spared."
"Fuck you, jerkwad!" was the well-reasoned reply.
John shrugged and closed the comm interface. *Take them out,* he instructed.
*Yes, Commander,* his three loyal lovers and crewmates answered.
Jonah piloted the Invictus, making the Assault Cruiser swim like a dolphin through the black emptiness of space as Calara aimed the weapons at the 3 pirate ships. She fired, her aim unerring in its accuracy. The pirate ships were smaller and much older than the Invictus, with weaker tech. In less than a minute, the 2 Corvettes and lone Frigate were nothing but debris to hang lifeless in the gravity well for all eternity.
They accepted the grateful thanks of the saved crew on the Freighter, than resumed course to Omicron Ceti, the system of Karron. John got up from the Command Chair and summoned them all to his Ready Room. He sat behind his desk and eyed the man and two women, unconsciously lined up in the order they joined. "Great work, everyone. Jonah, you're a phenomenal pilot, and Calara, simply amazing. Alyssa, great job saving some time on the trip too, that could have been life of death for those traders. I'm incredibly proud to be your Commander… now tell me how you feel?"
"Corvettes average about 20 crew. A Frigate around 50. I'm responsible for roughly 100 deaths now," Calara said, her expression oddly blank.
John frowned. He glanced at Jonah and Alyssa, and saw similar utter lacks of remorse. "Calara, most people would be upset at their first act of murder," he said gently.
"They were pirates, enemies of the Terran Federation. And of us. It did what I had to do," Calara said, still standing at attention.
John sighed as a thought occurred to him. "And if I told you that I wanted you to shoot on your father's ship, what would you do?"
"I'd have no choice, because of the obedience compulsion, of course," she blinked.
"But how would you feel if I made you do it, and you thought I truly considered your father an enemy?" John asked with resignation.
"No…thing…" Calara's eyes widened as she realized what she was actually saying. "Oh, wow."
"Black and white morality," John sighed. "They try to condition us to have that mindset before we go into active combat. Us vs Them, don't make the enemy into people, feel nothing for the kill except satisfaction at making the shot. They use ordinary psychology for the Marines in the T-Fed, but looks like my father's species can literally rewire your brain to think that way."
"Hold on, back up. Forget all the hypotheticals about you ordering us to kill our loved ones. You'd never do that, so what's the point? And are you honestly upset that we'll never get upset after a fight?" Alyssa asked pointedly.
John blew out a breath. "On one hand, it's a weight off knowing you won't be burdened with guilt from any of your kills, at least so long as you think they're my enemies. I just hate that this is another part of your personalities I've altered."
"We've been over this, John," Jonah said firmly. "I'm the happiest I've ever been in my life having you in it. I'll take whatever tweaks to my mind necessary to sustain that."
"I wish I could just accept that, I really do. But part of me is always going to wonder how much of your love for me is real and how much was just… absorbed through the stomach," John admitted.
"John, we all walked into this with our eyes open. Maybe not fully aware of every clause and condition, but Jonah stuck with you when he had a chance to leave. Alyssa chose you two. I signed up for a life in your bed, not just on your Bridge, even after the whole obedience thing came out. If you can't trust us now, which by the way really hurts, at least trust the versions of us who consented to this whole process," Calara said with sad eyes.
John got up and went to hug her. "I trust all 3 of you with my life," he said, his utmost honesty radiating from his mind. "But you've changed. I've changed you, on the most intimate level. And I have no idea how to undo the damage."
"It's not damage, it's redecoration, new construction," Alyssa said harshly, surprising John with her vehemence. "Look, it's not just us who changed John. Are you the same person you were when you enlisted at 16? When you retired at 40? Even the same person who agreed to let Jonah tag along to Karron as the ship catamite? All we are is patterns of thought, emotion, and behavior, and the only constant is that they're not constant. You've changed too! Not physically, but emotionally and mentally as you've accepted each of us into your heart and learned more about yourself. So yeah, maybe when you gave me a smoking hot body you also configured my brain to make me be the perfect harem girl. But you also made me smart, and happy, and confident, and you made me feel so loved. I'm a new woman, and you're a new man, and mourning the ghosts of our old selves does nothing but make you sad and us, or at least me, royally pissed!"
There was a moment of stunned silence.
"Sounds like that was building for a while," Jonah remarked after a beat.
"I'm just sick and tired of the endless pity party and self-flagellation I constantly pick up from the back of his head as he blames himself when he's done nothing to blame. The Change remade me. I'm not the Alyssa Marant who snuck onboard 6 weeks ago. I'll never be her again, and I wouldn't take the chance to have her back if I could! I just don't fucking care if that's my honest opinion or it's a preprogrammed script given to my subconscious by the Change! I like the new me, and I love John, and every time he thinks 'I shouldn't have done this to her' stabs me in the heart because it's like he's saying he doesn't really love me," Alyssa poured out, getting teary by the end.
John let go of Calara to rush and pull Alyssa into his arms. "I love you, Alyssa Marant. I swear it on the stars," John said, looking deep into her eyes. "That's the problem, actually. I love the new you, and I torture myself over whether that's ok or if I'm the most selfish bastard in the universe for taking the original you and customizing you just for me."
She pierced him with her cerulean eyes, lovely and heartbreaking as an angel with tears beading in them. "I can't speak for the old Alyssa. She's not here anymore. But I'm here. And I'd give back everything else you gave me so long as you let me keep your love."
John felt a frisson of doubt, but he felt he had to make a big gesture. So he started into Alyssa's eyes and let every single wall he'd ever built come down. "Come in, beautiful girl," he whispered.
Alyssa's eyes widened, but her eyes began to glow as she and John began to Bond, he letting her slip past his every defense and she returned the favor. Their minds melded into one, and for a second that lasted forever, they understood each other.
When they parted, each holding a drop from that innermost well they'd keep forever, they became aware they were alone.
*Where'd you two go?* John sent along his Connections to Jonah and Calara.
*While very sweet and touching, as well as utterly gratuitous given the Connection you already had, we weren't going to just stand there watching you two Bond. Though you actually took less time than me and Alyssa did, barely over an hour,* Jonah reported. *I figured the best way to learn is to teach and that it's a bit pointless to be super fast and strong and not be good at formal hand-to-hand. So Callie's been teaching me your kata, Johnny boy.*
*We really are the perfect soldiers, at least in body. Jonah's learning so fast! And I consider that a perk, not a curse, Commander, so don't start,* Calara projected back to John.
Alyssa chuckled. *It's so lovely to hear each other's thoughts like this. Knowing how each person I love truly thinks and feels… it's like music in the back of my head all day to hear your voices.*
John had a sudden intuition. *A chorus. The proper term for a group mind like ours is a 'chorus'. Don't ask me how I know that, but it's true, I swear.*
*Well… let's get about our day. Tomorrow, we invite a new voice to join in,* Alyssa grinned.
*Normally I'd put up token protest… but you really love me. Part of me didn't really believe it, horrible as that sounds. But now I know. So if Sparks gives informed consent to go through the Change, with all the warnings clearly given, then I have nothing else to say. It's her choice, and I should stop being so arrogant as to think I have any power other than providing information to a candidate. If and when the new her and I fall madly in love, then I'll take that gift for what it is and leave it at that,* John promised.
*Sweet baby Jesus, he's finally getting it!* Jonah chortled.
John and Alyssa traded a quick but meaningful kiss and then went to join the other members of their chorus in the Gym.