John looked at the cocoon of transparent hexagons he'd encased himself in. "You're sure it looks right?" he asked Alyssa. Each hexagon had a rune carved into the center, 1 of 3 that Alyssa had shown to John. Unlike the Progenitor spoken language, which John had understood as easily as if it were Terran Standard, the Progenitor runic alphabet did not seem to be instantly translatable to his mind.
"Looks exactly like what Michael showed me," Alyssa nodded. "If it doesn't work, you can blame him."
"Let's not go there," Jonah grumbled. "So, Johnny boy, time to go to sleep."
John nodded shakily, making doubly sure the psychic 'invisibility cloak' as Alyssa told him it would function was locked in a mind-box. He'd made a Connection with Jade earlier that day, so he was due for an Astral dream. John wasn't exactly eager to test how protected he was from being dragged into a nightmare by some eldritch abomination in a parallel dimension. But since he couldn't exactly just never fall asleep for the rest of his life, he had little choice.
"Is Master in danger?" Jade asked, her cute face set into worried lines.
"Don't worry, Jade," John rushed to reassure the newest Angel.
"Ok, Master!" she chirped, her whole body clearing of tension.
*Guessing she took that as an order,* Sparks snorted as she went to crawl into their extra-large bed.
*You could give her a nightcap,* Calara suggested with a smirk. *It'll calm you down, and she certainly won't mind.*
10 minutes later, John closed his eyes, his quad of balls pleasantly tingling after one of Jade's masterful blowjobs and his lovers snuggled beside him under the covers. As relaxed as he possibly could be given the circumstances, John tried to still his mind and sink into slumber.
The next thing John knew, he was in cold mists. He worried that the protective cloak had failed, but then he realized he didn't feel a sensation of falling like last time. He relaxed. He may have still been dragged into the Deep Astral by whatever entity concerned itself with active Progenitors, but he hadn't been pulled all the way to the creature's sub-plane. John tried to wake up, return to the Material. There was resistance, like running into a strong headwind, and John struggled to break through. He heard what could only be called a monster's howl in the distance, and that galvanized him to push that little bit extra. The next thing he knew, he was gasping awake in his bed on the Invictus.
A glance at the chronometer told John that he'd been asleep for about 90 minutes. Or about the length for an average REM cycle, if he recalled correctly. He checked on each of his 5 Angels, to see they were all still asleep. Laying his head back on his pillow, John closed his eyes, confident that their plan had worked. He sank into natural, dreamless sleep soon after.
The alarm woke them at 0700 hours the next morning. John explained what had happened in the brief Astral dream, and everyone agreed that Michael and Athena's plan had been a success. They all went to the bathroom to shower, where Jade got 'breakfast' from John. Once everyone was dried and dressed, they went to the Lounge to grab something light and quick for breakfast.
"So, plans for the day?" John asked as he slathered a whole wheat bagel with cream cheese.
"I got interrupted yesterday by the pirate ambush in examining all the Kintark tech," Sparks replied. "I'll bang that out. Their armor has some odd latch-and-hook design I really want to look into, and I didn't get to fully check every system in the dropship."
"I'll man the Bridge," Alyssa volunteered. "Still the Outer Rim and all, plus I'll have plenty of time to study star charts all day."
"I'll hit the Gym," Jonah shrugged.
"And you and I should probably call my mom sooner rather than later," Calara said. "Once that's over, we can join Jonah and have a few spars, our usual schedule got disrupted the past couple days."
John nodded and turned to Jade. "Jade, honey, what would you like to do today?" he prompted.
"Whatever will please Master!" she said in total honesty.
John sighed. He'd been investing a small but steady stream of energy into her since unloading down her throat earlier, actively trying to strengthen her mind and repair her memory. But apparently giving her a sense of independence and autonomy wouldn't be a quick fix.
*I can look after her,* Alyssa suggested. *I can take another dive into her head, plus we can have some Matriarch-Thrall bonding fun time!*
"Well, Jade, I want you to spend the day with Alyssa," John told his Nymph lover.
"Yes, Master!" Jade nodded enthusiastically. The green-skinned alien turned to Alyssa. "Jade will strive to be a good companion for you, Alyssa."
"Thanks, Jade," the blonde grinned back.
Agenda for the day set, they finished eating and all went their separate ways. John took Calara up to his Ready Room, and they both arranged themselves in seats facing his desk console. Once they were ready, Calara pulled up the comm interface and called her family home on the planet Jericho.
After a short wait time for the signal to make it all the way there, the vid-screen filled with the sight of Maria Fernandez. Calara recognized the room as the living room, her mother must have taken the call on the wall-sized console there. "Hello, Calara. And hello to you too, John. So, any news? Should I start shopping for my first grandchild?" the older Latina asked with a hint of mixed playfulness and reproach.
Calara sighed. "Relax, I'm not pregnant. And I won't be anytime soon, lesson learned." Well, actually they'd found out that female Angels didn't ovulate unless John psychically triggered it, but same difference.
"Well, that's a relief. I'm too young to be an abuela just yet," Maria chuckled. Then she blinked. "Callie… did you get a bodysculpt?"
John and Calara both froze. *Shit, the Change! I completely forgot, she didn't notice last night so it slipped my mind! What do we do?* Calara asked John and the chorus at large.
*You're 18, you could try to pass it off as a late growth spurt,* Alyssa suggested.
*Or you could just come out and tell her your psychic boyfriend rewrote your DNA,* Jonah offered.
*Be serious, Jonah, she'd never believe that, I barely did at first and you guys had proof to show me. Besides, I was operating under the belief that John's Progenitor status and all information pertaining was classified to the crew. I mean, if the wrong people find out, we could all end up kidnapped and experimented on!* Calara argued.
*I am very much pro whatever option does not lead to being dissected alive,* Sparks piped in.
*Calara, I understand your caution, and I appreciate it. But this is your mother, your family. My family too, one day, once we get around to getting married. I would never ask you to lie to them. Tell her whatever you feel comfortable telling her,* John reassured her through Telepathy.
Calara traded a long glance with John, and felt her resolve settle. She turned back to her mother on the vid-screen. "I didn't go to a clinic and get a procedure done. But I do have a new body, you're not seeing things. It's… a long story, Mama."
"I've got plenty of time," Maria said, leaning back on the couch and clearly paying sharp attention.
"Okay. First things first, I gave informed consent to this, just for the record. I knew this was going to happen, and I asked for it," Calara started. "The key thing to realize for all this to make sense is that John isn't Terran."
Maria blinked and her perceptive gaze shifted to John. "Really? I assumed your ears were a cosmetic surgery or something. They're natural? Because you look an awful lot like a Terran otherwise."
"My mother was human," John answered. "My father was… something else. She was part of an exploratory mission that went out into deep space. She came back pregnant with me, refused to answer any questions about my father, and vanished without a trace soon after giving birth to me. As you've noted, I'm very similar to a Terran, but I inherited more than just pointed ears from my father's side. I'm also psychic."
"Okay. I'll buy that, there's a handful of psychic species in the League, and that's just a small corner of the whole galaxy. But what does that have to do with Callie's change in appearance?" Maria asked.
"I didn't realize I even had my powers until very recently," John explained. "But one of the things I can do is rewrite a person's DNA under the right circumstances. This isn't a joke, Maria. I offered Calara the chance to get a new body, to go through the Change as we've taken to calling it on my crew. She agreed, and you can see the results."
Maria's eyes shifted back to Calara. "Callie, you wanted this to happen?" she checked.
"When I joined his crew as Tactical Officer, John sat me down and explained all the benefits, all the risks, and all the side-effects he was aware of about the Change. I thought about it, and decided it was worth it. I don't regret it, Mama, if that's what you're worried about. I love my new body, I love my life with John, and I'm sorry if this disturbs you but I won't apologize," Calara said calmly and steadily.
Maria got a soft, proud grin. "Well, you're an adult. You can make your own choices without asking me or your father for permission. If this was your decision, then that's all there is to it. And you're absolutely beautiful, Callie. Not that you weren't already, but still. I'm happy that you're happy, I really am."
"I am, Mama. And thank you for being so understanding," Calara beamed, a huge weight falling off her mind as she realized her mother accepted the new her.
"So, exactly what did this Change do? I'm quite curious," Maria asked.
"The Change has a different effect on men and women," Calara began. "Physically, me and the other girls on the crew have identical bodies apart from hair, skin, and eye color. We're all 5'9, 32D cups, and we're pretty sure we're in peak physical fitness for Terrans our size and weight. We're also in perfect health. Our brains got upgraded too, I have a photographic memory now and my IQ jumped a good 30 points at least. And everytime John uses his powers on us, we're reset to the base 'template' built into the Change. That means he can cure any injury, even fatal ones, if he gets to us fast enough. And while he was rewriting my DNA anyway, I asked him to give me Telepathy."
"Goodness," Maria blinked. "That all sounds amazing. Can I sign up for this Change myself?"
John and Calara traded a look. "Maria, that's all the pros, but there's a number of cons to go with them. We can explain in more detail if and when we meet in person, and you can make a decision either way then," John said, trying to cut off further inquiry.
"Ok, but this is going to bug me now until I get a full explanation," Maria said with a sigh. "Oh, while we're on the subject of meeting, I'm actually trying to arrange a little reunion here on Jericho! Jack and Dylan are already onboard. Can I count on you and Callie to be there too? It'd be wonderful to have the whole family together again, and we can have a proper introduction!"
"And Daddy and the bozos would also have a chance to give John the 'full Fernandez'," Calara groaned.
"That goes without saying, baby," Maria chuckled.
"This sounds interesting," John grinned.
"It's so stupid. I told you how they're all into martial arts. Well, Daddy and all 3 of my brothers insisted on sparring both my old boyfriends when I brought them home to meet the family," Calara explained with a sigh. "The first one outright refused and broke up with me less than a week later. The second one got his ass kicked by all 4 and never really forgave me for subjecting him to that."
"Now, now, Callie, it's simple male bonding, all good fun," Maria said with a sugar sweet tone she didn't even try to hide the teasing sarcasm from.
"You mean an excuse to beat up the guy I'm letting into my pants and try to scare him off," Calara countered.
"Semantics, dear," Maria giggled.
John grabbed Calara's hand to squeeze. "I'm up for it. Sounds like fun, actually. Besides, you can learn a lot about a man when you fight him. When were you thinking for a date, Maria?"
"18 days from now, give or take. It'd be a miracle if everyone's leave could overlap for more than a day, but if that's impossible to arrange I'd still love a chance to see you in person if you miss the window," Maria answered.
*Alyssa, could we make it?* John asked his Navigator extraordinaire.
*Hmm. It's 5 more days just to get to Alpha Centauri and Olympus. Do you want to try and cram in the trip to the Ashanath before then? I'd say it's impossible, but we are going there to get an even better FTL Drive after all. That plus my warp tunneling, we might be able to swing it if we keep the trip short,* Alyssa answered after calculating all the travel times.
John didn't want to chance missing the reunion and an opportunity to meet all of Calara's family. But he didn't like to sit around doing nothing, and the sooner they got an Ashanath FTL Drive the sooner they'd accomplish all their other goals with the improved hyperwarp speed. *Callie, what do you think?* John asked his Latina Angel.
*I think we should visit the Ashanath as soon as possible. Even their civilian drives are twice as strong as Terran military models. Between that upgrade and Alyssa plotting the route, I'm confident we'll arrive at Jericho with time to spare,* Calara replied. *Even if we get delayed, we could always just call the day everyone's there and you can meet them that way.*
Making his decision, John told Maria "Plan for us to be there, Maria. I can't wait to meet you all."
"Excellent! Now, with the whole pregnancy issue and Change out of the way, let's get to the ordinary first conversation between a mother and her daughter's suitor," Maria said with a good-natured smile. "Tell me about yourself, John."
"I served as a Marine for 12 years, retiring after Galon Prime. Well, semi-retired. I worked out a deal where I got to keep a few privileges in exchange for offering a lending hand to the Terran Federation whenever possible. I'm officially on the books as a 'consultant'. Otherwise, I'm just your average civilian trader. I did that for a decade, then I got the deal of a lifetime with some very cheap Tyrenium. I used the profits from that trade to buy the Invictus, and we're all on our way to Olympus to sell the rest of the Tyrenium we went back for. This little detour with the Kirrix and pirates was a mix of trying to offer Calara some closure and that obligation to help out where I can," John replied.
Maria frowned. "Assuming you graduated from the Academy at 18, that would put you at around 40 years old, yes?"
"Mama, don't be a hypocrite. Yes, there's a significant age gap between John and I, but we're in love with each other. Isn't that all that matters? And it didn't seem to be a problem between you and Daddy," Calara interjected.
"You got me there, baby girl," Maria finally chuckled. "Ah, Dio, I'm becoming my mother. Happens to us all, I guess. Promise to treat my daughter right, John, and we'll be fine. But expect a bit more heat from my husband and sons on the subject."
"Very well," John nodded.
"So, Tyrenium, how lucrative. Guess I don't have to worry about you providing for Callie," Maria grinned.
"Once I sell our cargo, we'll be very comfortable for a long time," John nodded. *But if we're all immortal, it will run out eventually. Plus, people might start to notice how none of us are aging. We'll need to have a serious talk about this at some point,* John added to the chorus.
"So, what kind of family do you have?" Maria asked.
"As I said earlier, I never knew my parents. My grandparents raised me, and both of them passed last year. It's just me. That's part of why I wasn't unduly upset at the idea Calara might be pregnant last night. It's been so wonderful to have her love in my life, having a child with her and starting my own family would be my personal happily ever after," John answered honestly.
"I'm sorry, John, that sounds rough," Maria said, her tone full of compassion.
"It was," John nodded. "But now I have Calara, and the rest of my crew. I love them all in different ways. Believe me, Maria, my life's on an upswing. No need to worry about me."
"Alright," Maria said, though some motherly concern was still on her face. John could see where Calara got her own warmth and generous spirit from. "So, who else is part of your crew?"
"Jonah Bennings is my Executive Officer. Alyssa Marant is my Navigator. Sparks is the Chief Engineer. And we just got Jade, though it would be more accurate to say we rescued her," John listed off.
"Jonah and John are old friends," Calara chimed in. "Jonah is the one who gave John the tip about the Tyrenium on Karron. They both went to go buy it, and then Alyssa stowed away. She was on the run from a gang and snuck on their Freighter. John took her in, and she ended up passing the Navigator First Class exam after only a couple weeks once she was through the Change. I told you last night how John came to save me from the fake court martial, that's how I joined. Sparks is Alyssa's best friend from Karron, we offered her a place on the crew since she was already brilliant, plus she deserved so much better than a life on that rock. Jade is a Nymph, and was being kept by the pirate leader. When John boarded his ship and killed him, she ended up imprinting on him."
"I can't wait to meet them all," Maria grinned. Then she looked concerned. "A Nymph, you say? Isn't that going to make things… awkward?"
"Um…" John said, desperately trying to think of a way to explain this away.
Calara, instead, took a deep breath and made her choice. "It doesn't bother me if John has sex with Jade. No more than it bothers me that he's having sex with Jonah, Alyssa, and Sparks. Though to be fair, I'm having sex with all of them too."
Maria's face went slack. "What?" she asked, seeming dazed at this turn in the conversation.
"Part of the Change is personality changes, among them polyamory, lack of jealousy, and bisexuality. And for the record, the Change happens by swallowing John's semen. The crew is also a harem, Mama. John's harem. That's what I agreed to when I agreed to the Change," Calara said, telling her mother the unfiltered truth.
Maria blinked. Then she seemed to look long and hard at Calara's face. Finally, she nodded. "Well, so long as you're happy, Callie, that's all I care about."
"That's it?" Calara asked, raising a brow.
"That's it. Like I said earlier, you're an adult. It's your life to live, none of my business what you do behind closed doors with John or any of the rest of your crewmates. Though maybe we should keep this little tidbit just between us. Your father would blow a gasket, and the boys wouldn't react much better," Maria said, actually giving a conspiratorial wink at the end.
"Thanks, Mama. It means so much to me that you're ok with this," Calara sighed in relief.
"Well, you told me not to be a hypocrite, after all," Maria shrugged.
"What does that… actually, I don't want to know. I really don't want to know," Calara rushed to say as the implications of that statement settled into her brain.
"And if and when you feel up to telling your father the truth, I'll lay the groundwork and remind him of our own little arrangement before he goes off on you," Maria continued as if she hadn't heard Calara.
"I'm not listening! Lalalalala!" Calara shouted, covering her ears and shutting her eyes so she couldn't read her mother's lips.
Maria burst out into cackling laughter.
Once that whole episode settled down, John and Calara had a pleasant chat with Maria for another half hour before Maria cited a yoga class she had to get ready for. They made their goodbyes and closed the call.
*I think that went rather well,* John thought brightly.
*Speak for yourself,* Calara shuddered. *I'll never be able to look at Aunt Viv the same. I always wondered why she was so close to my parents that they insisted we call her that, and now I can't unsee it in my mind's eye!*
*Poor Callie,* Alyssa thought, though no one missed the undertone of suppressed laughter in her mind.
John guided Calara down to the Gym, where they spent the rest of the morning training to physical exhaustion at martial arts alongside Jonah. Everyone convened in the Lounge for lunch, then went back to what they were doing for the afternoon. John left Calara and Jonah to keep sparring while he explored his psychic powers. With the major power boost from adding Jade to the network, he wanted to test some powers that he hadn't been strong enough to pull off before.
After freezing a good chunk of the pool into solid ice and then reversing it, John closed his eyes and focused. He opened them for the next test, and suddenly the fight between Calara and Jonah seemed to have only one obvious conclusion. Sure enough, 12 moves later, Calara capitalized on a feint and swept Jonah's legs out from under him before pinning him. Just as John knew would happen.
Calara looked up in shock. *You can see the future?!*
*It's a bigger power hog than Psychic Alacrity with passengers, but yeah,* John confirmed, freeing up that mind-box to deactivate it. *Why, you want it?*
*Being able to predict the enemy's moves before they even make them? That's the perfect gift for a Tactical Officer!* Calara agreed eagerly.
*Well, you know what you need to do, then,* John thought leadingly. Enough time had passed since feeding Jade 'lunch' for him to recharge.
Once Calara's belly was round and John had his senses back, John focused and gifted Calara the power of Prescience. He felt it go through, and noticed a tangible decrease in his energy stores. Not only had it cost energy to give Calara her new ability, but he'd actually lost some of his total amount in the act.
*Our powers don't come for free,* Jonah realized. *You've been sacrificing some of your energy permanently to give us our own.*
*Hey, no worries, I'll make it back in training or with the next recruit,* John reassured his concerned Patriarch. *Besides, strength in numbers. I'd rather have you all at my side in a fight than be alone, even if I had twice as much power that way.*
*Still, I think you shouldn't be too generous in doling out the magic,* Alyssa spoke up. *You can stay the jack-of-all-trades, and get good at all the powers in a Progenitor's natural arsenal. Each of us will specialize in the ones we've already gotten. And none of us should skimp on training them. If it costs John a set amount to give us a power, then we all need to reach and surpass the point where we can provide enough energy to balance it out right quick.*
*Agreed,* Calara thought.
*I was going to ask for laser eyes just because it's cool, but I'll give up that dream and seriously think about what I want my niche to be,* Sparks spoke up.
John helped Calara back to her feet and leaned in to give her a reassuring kiss. *If I ever win against you, now, you've got no excuse. I expect you to always be a step ahead from now on.*
*Yes, Commander,* Calara grinned. *I'll do my best.*
They all met later in the shower, half the crew sweaty from all the work in the Gym, then went to enjoy dinner. *I found another memory of Mael'nerak,* Alyssa reported. *It stuck out, whatever he said was of extreme significance to Jade emotionally.* Closing her eyes, Alyssa began to quote the remembered Progenitor words.
"You have earned your freedom, my faithful servants. You have been selected to lead packs of your sisters and I will be releasing you on a planet you may call your own... Lenarra," John translated.
*There's more. I don't know if it was just a good day or what, but Mael'nerak was smiling as he said that,* Alyssa told the chorus. *He was also holding a Maliri woman's hand, she was standing right next to him. She didn't stand like a servant or an underling. She looked… well, like she was his queen or something.*
*Well, as I'm sure I've proven to all of you, Progenitors can fall in love,* John chuckled. *Maybe Mael'nerak got his head out his ass when he met the right woman and he changed for the better.*
*I'll buy that… but how long did it take to change from the asshole who blew up a planet to that guy who set the Nymphs free on their own world? It could have taken him thousands of years to reach that point,* Jonah brought up.
*I think the point is he did reach that point, eventually. It was a nice gesture, even if the Nymphs were eventually found and abused by the Terrans,* Calara projected.
*Here's the thing, though. Mael'nerak had to own Lenarra in order to give it away. We're pretty sure he made/ruled over the Maliri, Ashanath, and Trankarans. Do you realize how much power and resources it would take to maintain an empire that size? Which means if he did die in a war, possibly with another Progenitor… how many forces did that guy have in order to beat Mael'nerak?* Sparks wondered.
*That is a good question, honey,* John frowned. *Though we're not sure he died in battle. Still, it's worth remembering.*
They finished the meal and went to relax on the couches with drinks. John had handed Jade a glass of cream liqueur, given her feline appearance, and she was visibly enjoying it.
"So, we'll drop off the hostages at Port Heracles tomorrow," John said, drawing everyone's attention. "It'll take us 4 days to reach Olympus from there, we can train and relax as usual for the trip. I'll sell the Tyrenium to Charles, and the installation of all the equipment to the Engineering Bay should take less than 24 hours. We'll head to Ashana to get the upgrades, then race to Jericho to make the reunion with Calara's family. Am I missing anything?"
"We should call Barya," Jonah suggested, referencing the Bolon they'd met on Port Heracles. "We've learned a lot since that encounter, and they may have answers to some questions. For all we know, Bolons have detailed histories of Mael'nerak's reign."
John nodded. "Good idea, handsome. We can call them tomorrow."
"On the issue of recruitment, or at least expanding your network," Alyssa chimed in. "Charles is your best friend, we owe him a lot, and as a Vice Admiral he'd make a powerful ally. Do you trust him enough to explain about Progenitors and the Change and he won't immediately call the men in black on us all?"
"He wouldn't report us, but we'd have a time and a half convincing him that I'm being honest and not pulling an elaborate prank," John honestly contemplated the man's response to such an offer.
"He can look up each of us in the SEC system, observe the Change as before-and-after," Calara suggested.
"That might work," John nodded.
"I feel up to Bonding with the rest of you over the next few days," Sparks spoke up. "Just find me whenever you have a free hour and we'll get that out of the way."
"Well, come here, honey," John grinned, very eager to get a permanent Telepathic link with the fiery Engineer.
An hour later, after melding their minds as intimately as possible, John felt like celebrating the occasion with Sparks. Plus, Jade could bond with the other girls by getting some of her meals 'flavored'. Jonah, Alyssa, and Calara had their own fun off to the side.
Bright and early the next morning, after breakfast, the crew were on the Bridge anticipating their arrival at Port Heracles. They pulled into the Nerus system and began their approach to the Terran Federation starport. When they reached hailing distance, John accepted the anticipated request. The vid-screen came alive with a man in Terran Federation uniform none of them recognized. "Commander John Blake, I presume. Unless you're some other civilian in a decommissioned Assault Cruiser. You've caused quite a fuss around here lately, son," the man said with a jovial grin.
"That's me," John confirmed, giving a salute out of habit. "Who are you supposed to be?"
"Clive Steeran, the newly appointed Station Commander," Clive replied.
"What happened to Grant?" John asked, referring to the pirate's ally and the man who'd made Calara's life hell.
Clive frowned. "The rat bolted just as we were coming to arrest him. Managed to vanish into thin air, somehow. Investigations show that on top of taking a cut from the sale of all the ships to the pirates, he was embezzling from the local governments and even selling trade route data directly to the gang! With all that money, he could be anywhere by now."
John frowned. "Tell me he's at least on the proscribed list at each border," he asked.
"Oh, of course, standard protocol for every treason charge," Steeran nodded. "So I should have said anywhere in the Federation. Even a bodysculpt won't fool DNA scans, he's stuck on that front."
*A treason charge will never go away. He shows his face in any civilized establishment worth the name, he'll get flagged and chased. He's going to spend the rest of his life hiding in a shithole out here in the Outer Rim, and that's good enough for me,* Calara told them all.
Nodding, John let the matter go. "Anyway, we'll be docking to transfer the hostages we rescued from Hitch's flagship. I'll be submitting my After Action Report presently. Is there anything else you need from me?"
"I've actually been asked by the higher-ups if you'd be willing to do a small interview with the press," Clive grinned. "Everybody loves a hero, after all, and with this mess with the Kintark going on everyone could use some good news. That something you'd be willing to do?"
"Sure thing, send me the code for the reporter and I'll do it right after this," John nodded.
"Let us know if you're ever headed out this way again, Commander Blake. We'll roll out the red carpet. You did a good thing, and it won't soon be forgotten." Clive gave another salute, and ended the call when John returned it.
Jonah brought them in to dock with Port Heracles, and he and Sparks went to guide the hostages down to the bottom deck and out the airlock. John went to his Ready Room and sat at his desk. He uploaded his AAR, the procedure familiar even in his retirement given his 'consultant' status, and then he checked his inbox. Sure enough, there was a comm code sent by Commander Steeran. John initiated the call.
A dusky-skinned young woman, looking barely old enough to drink, appeared on the vid-screen. "Jehanna Elani, TFNN. May I ask who is calling?"
John blinked. Of all the journalists who could have interviewed him, what were the odds he'd get the only one he had a bit of a celebrity crush on? Recovering from the moment, John said "Hello, my name is John Blake. My crew and I were involved with disposing of some pirates in the Outer Rim recently. Commander Clive Steeran of Port Heracles gave me your code as part of a request to give a formal interview on the events."
"Oh, yes, Commander Blake! I've read Captain Flintlock's AAR and it defies belief! You and a mere 2 officers of your crew took on the lion's share of that whole Kirrix Hive Ship!" Jehanna beamed in wide-eyed respect and admiration.
"Just doing the right thing," John shrugged.
"Ooh, and humble despite your accomplishments. The last time I interviewed a Stellar Cluster recipient, he wouldn't shut up about it," Jehanna chuckled.
John blinked. "You do your homework," he said, impressed she'd apparently done some research on him just for this interview.
"I like to be thorough about my work," Jehanna nodded. "So, I won't take up too much of your time. I'll ask a few questions, just get all the details. Then we'll plan the actual recorded interview. We've only been approved for a 30-second slot, so we'll need to stick to the highlights."
"Very well," John nodded.
He and Jehanna talked for about 10 minutes, hashing out everything that had happened to get John involved with the pirate gang and its extermination in the first place. Finally settling on a narrative, and ignoring the gasps and commentary from the chorus on the line John decided to pursue, John prepared himself while Jehanna touched up her makeup. At her nod and a 5 count, Jehanna hit the 'record' button on her console.
"Commander John Blake, this is Jehanna Elani from TFNN," the young reporter said. "Thank you for agreeing to this interview."
"I'm happy to oblige," John said with a pleasant smile.
"We received reports that you personally intervened and saved 423 people from the ravages of a vile Kirrix warband! Not satisfied with that, you put an end to the marauding pirate leader and mounted another rescue, saving 15 more prisoners from the pirate flagship!" Jehanna gasped in amazement.
"That's right Jehanna. As a loyal Terran Federation citizen, it was my duty and honor to save those people and stop those attacks," John said firmly.
"Our reports show you were outnumbered over 20 to 1, yet you managed to eliminate the entire pirate fleet, as well as rescue every single prisoner!" she gasped. "How did you manage to succeed against such impossible odds?" Jehanna asked in awe.
"I attribute the victory to my gifted Tactical Officer, Lieutenant Calara Fernandez!" John said proudly. "This exceptional young officer analyzed the pirate attacks and discovered their base. She also formulated our plan of attack and then used the firepower on the Invictus to devastating effect." John continued undaunted.
"She sounds like an amazing woman!" Jehanna said admiringly.
"The finest officer it's ever been my privilege to serve with," John said, his voice ringing with sincerity.
"As a grateful Terran Federation citizen, let me take this opportunity to thank you and your heroic crew Commander!" Jehanna swooned.
"It was our pleasure." John replied with a warm smile.
Jehanna hit the button to stop recording, just as well since they'd already gone over 25 seconds. "That should do it," Jehanna nodded.
"If you don't mind my saying, you seemed to be playing the 'starstruck civilian talking to a war hero' card a bit heavily," John spoke up.
"I'm attractive and young. I've learned the hard way that showing I have a brain as well is more of a detriment than a benefit in this line of work," Jehanna shrugged as if she had long since made her peace with this facet of her job.
"Maybe once you're Lead Anchor or have the Pulitzer, you can afford to let it show more," John grinned.
"Now who's laying it on a bit thick?" Jehanna chuckled good-naturedly.
"I'm serious, Jehanna, you have real talent. I'd hate to see you not reach the heights you're meant for. It's no less than you deserve, if you're not afraid of the work involved," John said, finding himself trying to encourage this young woman who had so much potential.
Jehanna blinked, then got a genuine smile. "Hmm… not just a great man, but a good one too. If you're ever in Unity City, you have my number, John. I'd love to show you around for an evening."
"I just might take you up on that," John grinned. "Best of luck, Jehanna." With that, he ended the call.
*Flirt,* Jonah chuckled.
*Hey, we do need a Comms Officer,* John shrugged. *If you and Alyssa seem so determined to keep adding to the family, I might as well have a hand in headhunting for them. And she's hot, nice, funny, smart, and all that's before the Change. I want her, I'll just say it. Is that a problem?*
*No problem at all! And hey, even if we get a Comms Officer, we could still use a publicist if we keep getting sucked into newsworthy events going forward!* Alyssa thought brightly.
*All that aside, why in the universe did you decide to give me all the credit for the operation?!* Calara spoke up in the chorus.
*You did do a significant chunk of all the work, more than any of the rest of us,* John pointed out. *But more importantly… you're still military, honey. On an indefinite leave of absence, but still an active duty officer in the eyes of the law. I'm retired and the rest of us are civilians. If you get all the credit, you probably will get a promotion. And that could open doors for us down the road. Reality of living in a militocracy.*
*But you still have your Commander-level clearance because of the consultancy,* Calara replied, though her tone had turned contemplative.
*True, but that's set in stone, and could be withdrawn at any moment if Charles or one of his superiors makes the decision. Not to sound like an evil mastermind, but I just figured helping nudge you up the ranks will make for a good ace in the hole down the line. Do you disagree?* John checked.
*No, no, it's a sound strategy. I guess I just feel guilty that people won't know how much the rest of the crew did for this whole thing,* Calara mused.
*Oh, please, this is going to be a 5 minute fluff piece to try and distract people from the mess with the Lizards. No one's going to remember this whole thing a month from now,* Sparks thought with a mental eye roll.
*Moving on, the hostages are all off the ship. Shall we head off to Alpha Centauri, Commander?* Jonah asked.
*Make it so, XO,* John nodded. *I'm going to call Barya now, feed me any questions I don't get around to asking myself.* That done, John pulled up the saved comm code and initiated a comm request with the Bolon they'd met.
After a couple minutes, the vid-screen turned on to show a large sphere of vibrant gel. At the moment, the massive amoeba was a light orange. "Friend John! It is good to hear from you! How may Barya help you today?" appeared as text at the bottom of the screen.
"Hi, Barya. Why aren't you talking?" John asked in confusion.
"Bolon technologies for translating psionic waves into speech are much less sophisticated than those of the Ashanath Collective. Believe us, text is faster and less cumbersome for both sides of this conversation. Barya can hear you just fine, and you can read our responses," appeared in a new transcript window.
"Very well," John nodded. "So, while I'd love to just chat, I actually do have some questions I need to ask you. My crew and I learned more about my species since we last met, but we still have some questions and we hoped you might have some answers or at least know where we should look for them."
"Barya is happy to assist, Friend John. Fire away, as the Terrans would say," Barya typed.
"Do Bolons have any knowledge of a species known as Progenitors, or one Progenitor named Mael'nerak in particular? For context, he would have disappeared or died roughly 10 thousand Terran years ago," John asked.
"Barya apologizes, but neither that species or the individual you named is familiar to this one. But Barya can make inquiries among our circle of friends and do some independent research in the archives of the Free Nation of Bol when we have the opportunity," Barya responded.
John frowned, but he continued with the prepared list he'd made in advance. "The Free Nation of Bol exists within the confines of the Trankaran Republic. Are you familiar with their culture? Do you know anything about their origin story, the tales they have of their creation?"
"That, we can help you with. Barya is a bit of a historian in our free time, and in our wanderings have gathered as much data from interviews and archive reads as possible on just that subject! The Trankaran creation myth is that of the Great Maker," Barya told John.
"This sounds interesting. Can you give me a quick summary?" John asked.
"The Great Maker came long ago. He owned many worlds, but he was of course too great and busy to take the time to mine them himself. To solve this problem, the Great Maker made the first Trankarans in his forge. His Favored Ones, the woman warriors that were his servants, flew the Trankarans to their first worlds and supervised them as they began their work of mining the Great Maker's planets. Over many centuries, the Great Wheel was constructed, from which the Great Maker built his mighty navy to rule and protect over all his realm. All was good… until the Despoiler came," Barya typed out.
John hummed in thought. "Quick question, Barya, before you go on. Do the legends say what color the Favored Ones were?"
"'Blue as the purest sapphire' is what Barya found referenced multiple times," Barya typed.
*Ok, this sounds like Mael'nerak and the Maliri so far,* John noted to the chorus. "Thank you, Barya. Now, do go on. Who or what is the Despoiler?"
"His name was Ranagon, and he was the Great Maker's brother from long before he came to this part of space. Ranagon found the Great Maker's kingdom and grew jealous at all his brother had built. So he declared war, determined to destroy all the Great Maker had created, starting with the Trankarans. In the War of the Heavens, the Despoiler and the Great Maker clashed for generations. Whole planets were destroyed in the conflict, smashed to gravel by the Despoiler's rage. Supposedly, this is the reason for the many asteroid belts in Trankaran space," Barya typed.
John's blood had run cold. *Another Progenitor,* he thought with certainty.
*Which means this other guy had his own Quantum Annihilator or something similar,* Sparks added.
*So how'd the War of the Heavens end?* Jonah asked. John repeated the question out loud for Barya.
"The Great Maker made the ultimate sacrifice. He sailed his whole army into one final confrontation with the Despoiler's fleet in the Zeta Pegasus system. The Great Maker used some weapon so great and terrible, it destroyed everything in the system, including the star. The scars of that explosion were so great they remain to this day, known as the Niryean Rift. Neither the Great Maker or Despoiler were ever seen again. The Favored Ones left, and the Trankarans, like orphaned children, set out to find their own way in the wake of their creator's death and the end of the terrible war between gods," Barya finished. "It's a very moving story, is it not?"
"Yes, it is," John nodded faintly. *The Niryean Rift… wow.*
*Asteroid bumpkin, context please?* Alyssa asked.
*It's a spatial anomaly in Trankaran space,* Calara spoke up. *The star's still in the process of being eaten by the black hole it's become, so there's still a little heat and light. It's filled with metal-rich asteroids, so the occasional mining ship takes the risk to go there. Some come back rich men, loaded with priceless ore. Others vanish without a trace. This has been happening for centuries, even millennia. Without any explanation, ships that enter the Niryean Rift are never seen again. People have given up trying to find an explanation for it and just give the system a wide berth.*
*And supposedly, the reason is that Mael'nerak used some kind of bomb so freaking big it wiped out the system and left tears in the very fabric of space-time,* Sparks thought. *Is it wrong I wish I had schematics, just to see how he did it?*
*Curiosity killed the cat, sweetheart,* Jonah chuckled.
John focused on the vid-screen when new text appeared. "May Barya ask why the interest in ancient Trankaran religious parables?"
John debated how honest to be. "Are the Bolons familiar with the Lenarrans?" John finally asked.
"Yes, though we don't think any of our kind have ever met one in person. Would be rather redundant, in any case. Bolons don't reproduce sexually, so the Lenarran would have no image of the 'perfect female' to transform into. Still, a fascinating species. Why?" Barya typed.
"Well, my crew recently rescued one. We've been experimenting with our powers since we met you a few weeks ago, and Alyssa read her mind. We learned that my species are called Progenitors, and that Jade, the Lenarran on our crew, once served a Progenitor named Mael'nerak. I'm telling you this in confidence… but we're pretty sure Mael'nerak genetically engineered the Trankarans, as well as a few other species. If we're right, that story isn't a story, just a mangled oral history," John told the Bolon who'd helped them realize the full scope of their powers.
"Oh wow," Barya typed, changing color to a dull gray with streaks of pink. "Barya is honored you would share this secret, as well as the truth of your species, Friend John. Is there anything else Barya can do to help?"
"You've helped plenty, Barya. But if you think of or hear anything new you think might be related to Progenitors, please give me a call. And if you're ever in trouble, I'll come help. It's what friends do," John grinned.
"Barya is humbled by your goodness, Friend John. May your life be free and joyful," Barya typed before ending the call.
John leaned back in his chair and blew out a breath. *Ok. Recap: Mael'nerak is the Great Maker, the Maliri are his Favored Ones. The Despoiler, Ranagon, was another Progenitor. The two fought in the War of the Heavens, culminating in Mael'nerak leading a suicide charge that created the Niryean Rift. All this happened around 10 thousand years ago. Did I miss anything?*
*That's all the major points,* Calara nodded.
*Just had a disturbing thought, but I can't unthink it so I might as well share it,* Jonah brought up. *What happens if another Progenitor finds the Galactic League, this time with no Mael'nerak to stop him? These guys blow up planets for getting in their way. If their tech is so advanced, every empire will be enslaved at best or exterminated at worst.*
*That… is a good point, handsome,* John thought, a knot of worry forming in his stomach.
*Well… let's hope that doesn't happen until we're at a point we can stop him ourselves,* Alyssa chimed in.
*Okay, mood alert. I'm hitting the hot tub, who wants to join me?* Sparks projected.
John's thoughts of galactic society being wiped out by an unstoppable alien tyrant were happily exchanged for thoughts of nubile young flesh under hot, bubbly water. Getting up, John left his Ready Room, determined not to borrow trouble until trouble arrived.