The Invictus pulled away and out of their drydock under the Ashanath capital city. John watched with pride as Jonah worked to fly them out of the atmosphere and to the edge of the gravity well of the local star. Alyssa took over once they were free, activating their new Tachyon Drive and sending them into hyperwarp towards the Terran Core Worlds.
*You know, I think I'll miss Ashana. Was kinda nice to have a regular home base for a minute, you know?* Dana sighed, tugging at her skirt-suit's collar.
*You just enjoyed having me and my fellows hanging on your every word as you bossed us around during the refit,* Zanthus teased his direct superior.
*Well, yeah, that too,* Dana chuckled.
*Still can't believe they built us a statue,* Jade thought in awe.
John's mind went back to the ceremony they'd just left back on Ashana. Ularean and the rest of the High Council had invited John and his crew to the main Trading Emporium in the capital. The normally thriving bazaar had been emptied, and with a flair a covered statue had been revealed in the center of the floor. The statue depicted John and his Angels standing in heroic poses, complete with a plaque reading 'John Blake, Champion of the Ashanath' at the base. John had given an impromptu speech thanking the High Council and the watching crowd, and then they'd returned to the Invictus.
*It's not just to stroke our egos though, sweetie,* Jonah pointed out, always a bit of a pessimistic realist. *They're declaring to the whole League, and also this mystery Progenitor, that the Collective is under Johnny boy's protection. They're hoping to scare people off from messing with the Grays as John's legend grows and people realize how freaking powerful an active Progenitor can be.*
*Well, yes, that goes without saying,* Calara nodded. *Still a very nice gesture, even with the hidden meaning.*
*So, anyway, what's the plan while we're in transit to Jericho and Calara's family?* Lirrash asked. As of that morning, she seemed to have finished the Change, helped by her active hastening of the process with her own psychic energy. Zanthus was still a bit behind her, not as adept at psionics as the former High Councilor. The 18 Ashanath crew on Deck 4 had only gotten 1 dose so far and would be on a bit of a staggered feeding schedule as John prioritized his harem over his underlings.
*Basically, training like usual. I imagine I'm not the only one who wants to get good as possible as fast as possible, knowing there's another Progenitor running around the League,* John answered his Ashanath lover.
*You're not wrong,* Alyssa nodded. *I mean, we're pretty badass as is in my opinion, but I'm painfully aware that that's probably big fish in a little pond syndrome. An active Progenitor with millennia of combat experience and a network in the millions… is there even any point in trying to fight him when he outclasses us that badly?*
*What do you suggest we do instead, roll over and show our bellies?* John posed, not unkindly. *I mean, I'll surrender if it comes down to bending the knee or our survival, but he might not even offer that option. In which case, I'd rather go down fighting. And I'd like to make him work for it while we're at it.*
*Fair point,* Dana nodded. *You all have fun shooting and stretching and sparring and all that good stuff. Zanthus and I need to work out all the upgrades that our new batch of Alyssium just made possible. Plus I'd like to work my magic on standard Ashanath Laser Rifles to get them at least up to standard for this crew. We'll be busy with that for a good couple weeks at least.*
*Happy to help, Dana!* Zanthus said brightly. His respect for Dana's genius, not to mention her ravishing beauty, bordered on literal worship.
*Though before we get to that, you recharged since breakfast, stud?* Dana checked.
*I could use some water, but basically. Why?* John asked.
*I think I know what powers I want. Not sure if it's even feasible, but I want a psychic microscope to see the atomic makeup and physical properties of everything I look at. While we're reaching for the stars, I'd also like to be able to manipulate them to a degree,* the red-headed Angel laid out.
John hummed in thought. *I've never tried that, but I never really thought of it that way. It's not Telekinesis or other kinds of elemental manipulation, you want to directly work with matter and its constituent particles. Not to mention electromagnetic energy to a degree… well, no harm in trying! And you know what you need to do to get your powers.*
*Oh, yes, I do,* Dana purred before slinking up to John's Command Chair and kneeling submissively before him.
One Progenitor-scale orgasm later, John focused through the tingling in his emptied balls and tried to imbue Dana's desired powers into her genome. He felt the accompanying loss of energy and dip in his total reserves, so something went through. *Give it a try!* he encouraged his rounded-out lover.
Dana's inner corona of gold in her heterochromatic eyes suddenly flared and expanded until her eyes glowed golden. "Fuck, this is awesome!" she exclaimed aloud, her head on a swivel as she seemed determined to look at everything on the Bridge at once.
John made himself decent again and then declared *Well, let's get changed out of these penguin suits and get to training. It's 2 days to Jericho.*
The next 48 hours consisted of eating, sleeping, and sexing up as was expected with a Progenitor's crew, but mostly training. John hadn't been kidding when he said he wanted to improve their effectiveness in combat since learning there was another Progenitor under the Shroud besides him and his stranded father. Dana, Zanthus, and the Engineering Team were extremely effective in eking out upgrades on an almost hourly basis, the only thing holding them back being the worktimes for all the engineering equipment. The Marines made liberal use of the Firing Range, while John and his Angels focused more on psionics in the Gym. John also tried his best to practice with his sword, but Holonet tutorials on swordsmanship were few and far between. Besides, he just learned better with a proper teacher. He added research into a tutor to his to-do list.
Shortly after lunch on the day of their arrival, the Invictus pulled out of hyperwarp in Epsilon Eridani, the third-closest system to ancestral Sol and the home of the planet Jericho where Calara had been raised. Jericho was a well-established colony in the Core Worlds, and there was a decent amount of civilian traffic and a token military patrol in the system.
*I'm so nervous,* Calara admitted to the chorus. *I mean, Mama's read into the Change and the fact we're a harem, so she's definitely on our side. But how will Daddy and the bozos react? Will they raise a stink about the Change? And it's going to be so hard to pretend I'm only involved with John, even just for a day–*
*Breathe, my love,* Alyssa thought, sending soothing calm thoughts to her lesbian lover. *Say, why don't we pass the time by checking in with Rachel? We need to be sure she's even interested in jumping ship from the T-Fed to the Invictus before we bother heading out to the Dragon March.*
*Good idea,* John said, pretty sure Alyssa was trying to distract Calara as well but it was a good point regardless. *Lirrash, honey, could you call up Rachel Voss?*
The Ashanath Angel found the saved comm code and initiated contact. After a few minutes for the signal to reach all the way to the border, the vid-screen came alive with a tawny brunette with very fetching stormy gray eyes. "John, so good to hear from you!" she said cheerfully. "I just got back from my shift, so good timing!"
"Lucky me," John grinned charmingly. "So, how's your first tour as a medic treating you so far, Doctor Voss?"
Rachel's smile vanished. She glanced around nervously. "Is this line secure?" she asked in a whisper.
"Yes, I'm using a military-grade comms relay. It's automatically end-to-end encrypted. Why, what's wrong?" John asked in concern.
"I think the conflict with the Kintark is going much worse than High Command is revealing to the public," Rachel said, stress lines appearing on her face. "I knew I'd be dealing with casualties from this quote unquote 'border skirmish', but I've already had to file a dozen death certificates in the last 2 weeks! We're getting hammered, there's something just 'off' about this whole thing. I'm doing the best I can, but it never gets easy to have a patient flatline on your table."
"I'm sorry, Rachel, that sounds real rough," John said sympathetically. Seizing the opportunity, he said "I don't suppose you'd be interested in a transfer? My crew happens to be short a Medical Officer and I happen to know for sure that we have great chemistry between you and my crew already."
For a moment, Rachel's face lit up, before she sighed. "I'd love the chance to go private, believe me, but I'm locked into a 5-year contract with the Terran Federation. They need value out of me after paying for my education. It's not in the cards, I'm afraid."
"I'm close personal friends with a Vice-Admiral. I can easily pull a few strings and get you out of your contract," John offered easily.
Rachel blinked, before her face started to shine once more. "Oh, I'd love the chance to interview for a position on your crew, John! When can I expect to meet with you?"
John did a quick consult with Alyssa, factoring travel times from Jericho to Port Medea. "We're busy today, but we're less than 24 hours out. Shall we say late tomorrow evening? We can take you out to dinner as part of the interview process," John offered.
"That sounds marvelous! Looking forward to seeing you and all the others, John! This made my day, thank you so much!" Rachel beamed.
"My pleasure, Rachel," John grinned back before ending the call.
*Is 'dessert' on the menu after dinner?* Jonah asked with a waggle of his eyebrows.
*Not to be crude, yes. Assuming she doesn't run screaming once we explain about the Progenitors, the Change, and the Connection to her,* John sighed.
By that point, they'd reached the atmosphere of Jericho. A quick check-in with Flight Command and they were cleared to dock the Invictus at a major spaceport on the continent where Calara's family home was located. Jonah brought them down in the landing pad scaled up for an actual Cruiser, and then they all took the grav-tubes down to Deck 9. They'd gone for business casual, wanting to look nice but not trying too hard for Calara's family. John had Jonah and Alyssa inform the 18 Ashanath crewmates they had the run of the ship for the day, and then they made for the Hanger Bay. He'd originally planned to take a hover-limo to the Fernandez home, but Calara informed them that her family had a landing pad in the backyard. Plus, they'd probably earn points showing up in a Special Forces dropship, in all honesty.
They loaded into the Raptor, and Calara gave Jade easy-to-follow instructions to get to the suburb where her family's residence was to be found. As they flew over at port speed, John admired the numerous fine houses on substantial plots of land. *Calling this a 'ranch house' feels like underselling it a bit,* he joked with his Latina Angel.
*Daddy's a Captain, he makes the big bucks. Plus land was pretty cheap back when they were buying the house,* Calara chuckled mentally.
Jade brought the dropship down on the landing pad in the spacious backyard of Calara's childhood home. They went out the airlock, and everyone bar Calara got their first taste of Jericho air.
"Hot damn, that's the stuff!" Alyssa grinned as she took a deep breath of the piney, mountain-clean air.
"Jericho learned the lessons of air pollution from Terra's past. We don't terraform, but this is about the freshest air you can get short of technology stepping in," Calara said with pride for her homeworld.
"Incoming," Jonah warned, spotting movement through the windows and French doors on the back porch of the Fernandez house.
An older but still stunningly beautiful Latina a shade or two lighter than Calara's own coffee-toned skin came literally running out the back doors. "Callie!" called Maria Fernandez, the woman who'd birthed and raised the Invictus' lovely Tactical Officer.
"Mama!" Calara called back, swept up in a sense of homecoming as she rushed to hug her equally eager mother. The two women embraced, tears almost overflowing as parent and child reunited for the first time in months. Calara was struck by the odd feeling that she was now taller than her mother, but the embrace was just as strong and comforting as they'd always been before the Change, so she supposed some things would always be the same.
Maria pulled back and gave Calara a maternal once-over. "My goodness, look at you, Callie! Joining the alien veteran's harem certainly agrees with you!"
"Mama, please!" Calara blushed like a carnation.
"Oh, mija, I'm only teasing," Maria all but cackled. "So, going to introduce me to all your lovers?"
Calara regained her composure and led Maria over to stand in front of the assembled crew. "Mama, this is ex-Commander John Blake, my boss and the head of this little family. Then there's Jonah Bennings, his XO. This is Alyssa Marant, the Navigator and, well, the closest one I'm to besides John if you must know. Dana here is the Chief Engineer, we picked her up on Karron. Jade is a Nymph or Lenarran who we rescued. Lirrash and Zanthus are the newest, we met and recruited them as Comm Officer and Assistant Engineer respectively on Ashana," Calara laid out, making introductions between her mother and her found family.
Maria walked right up to John and surprised him with a hug, going on to stun Jonah and Alyssa right afterwards. "Thank you all so much for saving Calara from those dreadful pirates! I don't know what we would have done if anything happened to her!"
"No thanks necessary, ma'am. Just doing the right thing," John said, stunned at the physical intimacy from a near-stranger. His grandparents had been loving, but they weren't the most tactile in showing affection.
"Oh, please, do I look like a ma'am? Maria, I insist!" the older Latina chuckled.
"I thought Callie was feisty, but seems she got a watered-down version of her mother's sass!" Alyssa chuckled in good humor.
"I did my best to corrupt her, but my husband insisted on being the strict disciplinarian and I'm afraid it didn't quite balance out in my favor," Maria said with an impish grin.
"Ah, so you're the 'fun' parent," Jonah noted with a nod and grin.
"Oh, Jack has his moments, but I'm the one in charge of keeping things interesting in this family instead of cookie-cutter by-the-book T-Fed regulation," Maria agreed.
Calara noticed her 3 older brothers following their mother in coming out of the house and rushed to give them their own hugs. The 3 Latino men cheered and welcomed their baby sister after a long absence with aplomb. Maria led John and the rest of the crew up onto the porch. The three Fernandez boys all seemed to notice Calara was quite a bit taller and chestier than last they saw her at the same time.
"Holy fuck! Callie, you get work done?" the shortest of the brothers asked with wide eyes.
"I didn't get a bodysculpt, if that's what you mean," Calara shrugged nonchalantly. She'd decided to be purposefully vague in regards to the Change. Just because Maria had accepted it so well didn't mean the men of the family would as well. She wouldn't lie, but she would dodge all but a direct question.
"So, what, you had a late growth spurt?" the tallest of the brothers asked with a raised, skeptical brow and a mischievous grin.
"I tried a new diet, though correlation doesn't equal causation and all that," Calara waved off.
"Did that diet involve HGH supplements? Seriously, Calara, what happened to you? You grew 3 inches since last we saw you, for starters," pointed out the middle brother, and the only one wearing glasses.
"Seriously, I joined John's crew. Maybe he's magic and worked a spell on me," Calara said with just the right tone of joking sarcasm.
Mentioning her boyfriend and boss was enough to distract the brothers. They all turned to John, who at 6'2 was taller than all of them. A lifetime of physical conditioning plus Progenitor genes had also made him broad and muscular. As a stranger, John could seem intimidating. The bright, charming smile on his face did much to assuage any unease, though.
The tallest brother stepped forward first to shake John's hand. "Mateo Fernandez. You have our sincerest thanks for rescuing Calara from those pirates!" the Lieutenant Commander grinned up at John.
"All in a day's work, I'd do it again. But you're welcome," John agreed, trading a firm shake with the oldest Fernandez child.
Mateo's eyes were drawn to Alyssa next to John. "Calara mentioned another woman was involved in the rescue. Would that happen to be you, miss?" he asked politely.
"Yeah, I'm Alyssa. I helped out against the Largath while John and Jonah handled the pirates," Alyssa nodded with an angelic grin.
"My sister failed to mention her rescuer was so beautiful," Mateo said in a very flirtatious manner, just overdone enough to work.
Alyssa's smile got wider. *We can distract the brothers while you focus on the parents,* she alerted John before stepping up and hooking her arm with Mateo, who seemed surprised at how forward she was being. "Well, Calara never mentioned that her brothers were so handsome, either! You're a Navigator, right Mateo? That's something we have in common." Alyssa effortlessly guided Mateo away towards the yard to have a wander and a long talk about Astro-Nav.
John suppressed a chuckle at his Matriarch's antics as the shortest brother walked up to him. Apparently he inherited Maria's touchy-feely nature, because he wrapped a surprised John in a tight hug. "Eduardo Fernandez. You're at the top of my cool list for saving my baby sister!"
"Baby?! I'm only 13 months younger than you!" Calara protested as if she'd said the exact same thing to her brother thousands of times and predicted having to do so for thousands more.
"No problem," John said down to Eduardo, awkwardly returning the hug. A woman hugging him was one thing, another man quite another.
Eduardo unwrapped from around John and noticed the Raptor. "Dios Mio, is that what I think it is?" the Engineer asked excitedly.
"Well, it's a Raptor-class gunship, is that what you thought it was?" Dana asked, stepping forward and fully planning to distract Eduardo as Alyssa had Mateo.
"How the hell did you guys get your hands on one of those? I thought they were just a rumor!" Eduardo asked the redhead eagerly.
"Gift from High Command for that mess with the pirates and Kirrix a couple weeks back," Dana explained.
"Can I take a look inside?! And what's with the armor plating, it doesn't look like Titanium?" Eduardo all but begged.
"Sure thing, I'll give you a tour. I'll even show you something cool I installed. My name's Dana, by the way, I'm the Chief Engineer on the Invictus. Zanthus is my Assistant, come with us buddy," Dana beamed as she led a practically giddy Eduardo and subtly amused Zanthus towards the Raptor.
John turned back to the remaining Ferandez brother, the one with glasses. He offered a handshake and a sober expression. "My name is Dylan, and I thank you for all you've done for Calara. I love my sister, and it's good to know she's serving with such a fine officer such as yourself."
John returned the handshake, and couldn't resist asking Calara something telepathically. *My gaydar just gave a ping. Am I crazy?*
*He's not out to the family, but we all 'know', know what I mean?* Calara replied at the speed of thought.
Dylan turned to Jade and Lirrash, though his interest seemed more academic than his brothers' in their respective female distractions. "Begging your pardon, but what species are you two?"
"I'm a Nymph or a Lenarran. Fun fact, we're not actually native to Lenarra but I'll respond to the name, it was home for a while," Jade said with her usual beautiful grin.
"I'm a genetically modified Ashanath," Lirrash said point-blank. She didn't offer any fine details on 'how' she'd been modified, though.
"Fascinating. I don't suppose either of you are doctors as well?" Dylan asked, sensing the theme that his brothers had fallen for.
"Well, I'm a bit of a nurse on the Invictus," Jade offered.
"And I'm trained in CPR and basic first aid," Lirrash added. "I'd love to pick the brain of a trained healer, though."
Dylan allowed himself to be led away, though John got the intuition he was the only brother of the 3 who had seen through the scheme. John turned to Maria and Calara, the former of whom seemed tickled pink with amusement. "Well, that's my boys handled. Come in, come in, I'll make us all coffee," the Fernandez matriarch offered like a good hostess.
John, Jonah, and Calara followed Maria into the house. John was struck by how 'homey' it felt. This wasn't just a place to live, a family had been raised with love inside these walls. He wasn't nearly as sensitive as Alyssa, but he was positive he was picking up on some psychic remnants and imprints of many happy memories within the household.
"Where's Daddy? Is he not here yet?" Calara asked her mother.
"He was supposed to arrive last night, but some high-priority briefing popped up. He promised to be here by 1800, though," Maria sighed.
"Where's Jack and the Damocles normally stationed?" John asked curiously.
"Patrolling the Kintark border, in point of fact," Maria said, a note of tension in her voice before she banished it with a smile. "You'll love this coffee, I get it special from the local farmer's market!"
Maria made a quick coffee service and offered them their choice of different milks and sweeteners. She looked at Jonah. "So, Jonah, right? Callie said you're an old friend of John's, but with respect you look barely any older than her. How long have you known John, really?"
"Appearances can be deceiving, señora," Jonah grinned. "You know about the Change, how John and his alien mojo can rewrite a person's DNA. It's not just cosmetic, he can literally rejuvenate your telomeres and all that good stuff. For your information, I'm actually 84."
Maria stared at him as if waiting for the punchline, before her jaw dropped. "Chingada madre! You serious?" She looked from Jonah to John. "You can cure old age?!"
"I'm a Progenitor, and Progenitors have a… unique way of recruiting people into their psychic network. In exchange for becoming a psychic battery, I can put a person through the Change. The Change has a built-in template, which includes the prime of health and youth. Actually had no idea what I could do until one day me and Jonah realized he looked a quarter his age. As Calara and I mentioned, there's also some cons and side-effects, no such thing as a free lunch. But to answer your question, yes, I can restore a person's youth under the right circumstances," John patiently explained.
Maria raised a brow, and John was struck by the same feeling he got whenever he tuned into Calara's mind during a planning session. "The Change wouldn't happen to be sexual, would it? Can't be a coincidence that all the people you've put through it are also part of your bisexual harem."
"I see where Callie got her perceptive intellect from," John paid an honest compliment. "Yes, you're right in your guess. For whatever reason, the ingredient that allows me to work my psychic powers on a person's DNA seems to be mixed into my seminal fluid. In other words, joining my network necessitates drinking my cum. The Change has personality changes that seem customized to make every member of my network into the perfect lover for a Progenitor. Given what we recently found out about Progenitors, it's actually quite insidious." John frowned as he thought about the Devourer and the cycle of war that had consumed the galaxy for over a million years.
"What do you mean?" Maria asked, frowning with concern.
Calara traded a look with John to check for his approval, then launched into an explanation. "Mama, turns out the Milky Way is primarily composed of dozens of warring Progenitor Empires. The Progenitors, we think, were genetically customized to be formidable psychics and warriors, with the Change as a way to both increase their power stores through the network and mass-produce more soldiers by making every woman in the network a willing sex slave. Progenitors don't age, and the Change restores each member's youth with each dose of cum. In a nutshell, your average Progenitor makes an army of mind-controlled sex slaves and broodmares and then goes on to wage war with every other Progenitor. They do this not of their own free will. I don't know if you believe in the spirit realm or anything like that, but there's a legit Astral Plane. There's a creature living in the Astral called the Devourer who forces every Progenitor to become its slave. Every member of a Progenitor's network who dies has their life force fed to the Devourer. It started the whole cycle of galactic war just to get a steady supply of energy and quite possibly for entertainment."
Maria absorbed that data dump. "Assuming you're not lying to my face, and I don't think you are Callie, what makes the Galactic League different? Why aren't we all under some Progenitor's thumb?"
"We're not sure. Based on everything the crew and I have learned, here's my best theory," Calara answered her mother. "Between one Progenitor who ruled over this quadrant dying and another replacing him, the Achonin evolved and came into power. The Achonin were an ancient race of psychics. I think they became aware of the Devourer and somehow created the Shroud. It's like a psychic invisibility cloak that covers the whole of what's now the Galactic League. About 72 thousand years ago, a Progenitor named Mael'nerak entered the Shroud and was freed from the Devourer's control…" Calara went on to give a full briefing of the history of Mael'nerak, his habit of creating species for fun, the War of the Heavens when Rahn'hagon entered the Shroud, their best guess as to the circumstances of John's birth in the Terran Federation, and finally the presence of another Progenitor under the Shroud.
Maria processed all that. Then she got a small grin. "How extraordinary. So, my future son-in-law is part of some kind of galactic master race? That'll be bragging rights at the weekly book club!"
"You're taking all this remarkably well," John commented, finishing his coffee.
"I trust my daughter, and I can always tell when one of my children is lying to me. Assuming you haven't somehow driven her both batshit insane to believe this insanity and yet not set off any other alarm bells in my head otherwise, I'll believe all this as true. And it's a major adjustment to my worldview, not going to lie, but I think you're a good man. The fact you're one of these Progenitors doesn't bother me," Maria spoke plainly.
John gulped. "Thank you, Maria. That means a lot to me."
"Oh, no problem. Though out of idle curiosity, what exactly makes you so different from the typical Progenitor?" Maria wondered.
"We don't know much about the typical Progenitor, but I think it comes down to 3 big factors. First, I'm bisexual instead of strictly hetero. No idea where that comes from, either it's the first mutation in the Progenitor genome in forever or my dad, whoever he is, decided to experiment. So that's a big difference, in that I swing both ways and can recruit both men and women to my network. Second, I was raised Terran. Both ignorant of my heritage and by loving grandparents with strong moral compasses. What a 'normal' Progenitor considers perfectly okay, I would find abhorrent. Thirdly… I kinda accidentally split my mind in half when I was a teen. All my Progenitor instincts manifest as an evil alter-ego in the back of my head. I have him locked up tight, but I essentially Jekyll and Hyde'd myself. You're talking to the 'good' version of John Blake, not the raw, unfiltered Progenitor John I'd be if I hadn't made the split," John laid out for Maria.
"This just gets more and more interesting. You're quite the character, John," Maria said playfully. "I'm even willing to forgive you seducing my little girl when you're barely younger than me, you're just that entertaining!"
"If anything, I seduced him," Calara huffed. "He was so hesitant and triple-checked that I knew what I was getting into, going through the Change and all that entailed. As I recall, I practically had to pants you myself to get that first blowjob."
"That's my girl!" Maria cackled even as John blushed and Jonah snickered.
"Well, this might be my last chance in quite a while to bond with the bozos. I'll go check on them. At least I won't be here in person when Mama pulls out my baby album for you two," Calara thought aloud. She, a bit brazenly given her mother was watching, gave John and Jonah goodbye kisses before walking out the door to the backyard.
"It's funny. That's definitely by daughter, and yet I hardly recognize her. Not in a bad way, more as if all her good qualities have been cranked up to 11 and all her flaws were magically erased. She's like the best possible version of herself. Is that the Change or the love of a good man… or make that men AND women?" Maria asked John and Jonah.
"Six of one, half dozen of the other," Jonah shrugged nonchalantly.
John sighed. "I was waiting for you to notice. Calara is unique among most of my Angels in that she still has living family to notice the personality changes. Sparks said something similar before the Change when she met the new Alyssa. She said it was like her old friend got 'upgraded'. Make no mistake, Maria, I played with your daughter's mind like putty, on a near-unconscious level at that. Thanks be to whatever or whoever there is to thank out there, I tried to make her a sunny, positive young woman I'd be happy to spend the rest of my life with. If I wasn't the man I am, if I didn't like strong, confident women as much as I do, Calara could have morphed into someone unrecognizable to you and your family. If that upsets you, I wouldn't blame you."
"I'm sorry, are you trying to apologize for making my little girl into her best self? Yes, you could have abused your psychic powers with her horribly. But the fact is you didn't," Maria stated calmly. "You have power over my daughter, John Blake. More power than I'd ordinarily ever be comfortable with anyone having over her. But everything in me is saying that you're not the kind of man who'd do anything bad to Callie, not if you could help it. So rather than twist ourselves into knots over hypothetical ways it could have gone wrong, let's just celebrate how well it went right. Sound good?"
John got a soft grin. "Your husband is a very lucky man."
"Flattery will get you nowhere," Maria chuckled.
They passed about an hour with pleasant conversation, John and Jonah both getting the chance to have a proper adult conversation for the first time in a while. Not that the girls and the new Ashanath Angels weren't lovely, but it was a bit tiring to deal with constant youthful energy and enthusiasm. The mature Latina was a welcome change of pace. Calara came back in around 1700. "The bozos are asking about dinner," she informed them all. She had an unconscious smile from all the brotherly bonding time she'd just enjoyed.
"That's my cue," Maria chuckled, making to stand from where she was enjoying the last of her coffee at the kitchen island.
"Allow us, please," John said, getting up and going to survey what was available in the pantry and fridge.
"You're our guest! I could never ask…" Maria began to protest, eyes wide at the generous gesture.
"You're not, I'm volunteering. You're an excellent hostess, you shouldn't have to lift a finger. And we all know the way to a man's heart is his stomach so I'm hoping to get brownie points with the rest of the family," John said with a conspiratorial wink.
"John was raised in a restaurant. He's not just good at cooking, he enjoys doing it. Especially for the ones he cares about," Calara said fondly. "Want my help, John, or is Jonah enough assistance?"
"You focus on your mother, honey," John said, already planning dinner. "Paella okay, Maria?"
"It's the boys' favorite dish, I always make it when they're on leave," Maria said, looking a bit dazed at having her own kitchen usurped from her control. She looked at her daughter in wide-eyed shock. "Callie, did I hear right? You cook now?"
"John taught me," Calara nodded.
"You never let me teach you, though! You always were too busy reading tactical reports!" Maria protested.
"John made it fun. Plus, I wanted to be able to feed the family we're going to be having at some point, the way you always kept our bellies full," Calara admitted with a blushing grin.
Maria gave a full-bellied laugh. "Callie in the kitchen! That's harder to believe than the Progenitor War thing! Hahaha!"
John and Jonah worked together with the ease of years of friendship and months of cohabitating to get dinner for 13 ready. John threw together an appetizer of calamari when he found fresh squid in the fridge. Which led to an interesting conversation about local aquaculture since Jericho lacked any major oceans. When everything was simmering and just waiting to be plated, John and Jonah rejoined Maria and Calara in conversation. At five minutes to 1800, a dropship came down to hover over the backyard, given the landing pad was occupied with the Raptor.
"Dad's home!" Mateo's voice echoed, announcing the obvious.
The Fernandez women eagerly sped out the house. John and Jonah followed at a more sedate pace, lining up with the rest of the crew who were hanging back a bit. A middle-aged Latino in T-Fed naval uniform hopped out the airlock of the dropship and waved it away. He dropped a duffel bag at his feet and threw a salute at his waiting family. "Captain Fernandez, reporting for duty!" he said in a strong baritone and a smiling tone.
Maria launched herself into her husband's arms, getting a kiss just shy of inappropriate for a PDA in front of one's children. When Maria and Jack separated, their 3 sons each took turns getting back-slapping hugs with the patriarch of the family. When Calara went up to get her own hug, Jack blinked at her obvious transformation but shrugged it off to pull her into a crushing embrace. "Callie, we were so worried about you!"
"I'm fine, Daddy. I'm a big girl, you don't need to worry as much," Calara grumbled even as she snuggled into her father's arms.
"You kidding? Now that you're older, I have to worry more!" Jack chuckled.
The father-daughter pair finally let go of each other, and Calara waved her crew over. She went to take John's hand in hers and turned to her father. "Daddy, this is my boyfriend, John Blake. He's also Commander of the Invictus where I work. These are my crewmates: Jonah, Alyssa, Dana, Jade, Lirrash, and Zanthus."
"Ah, yes. The almost sperm donor to my grandchild, right?" Jack said, his tone getting a bit judgey.
"Like you were thinking of protection your first night with Mama!" Calara fired back, though her face was flaming.
John took the ribbing with good grace and offered his hand. "Captain Fernandez, I would like to formally introduce myself. I'm John Blake, and I'm in love with your daughter."
Jack raised a brow and traded a crushing handshake with John, who gave as good as he got with his own grip. "Well, least you're upfront about it. The last one would barely admit they were dating."
"Who was your last boyfriend, honey?" John asked his Latina Angel curiously.
"Craig Harrison," Calara groaned with annoyance at her younger, foolish self. "He was the big man on campus while I was at the Academy, everyone said he'd make Admiral before he was 50 since his scores were so high. I fell for the handsome prodigy and he probably just had a touch of salsa fever. I was honestly just his favorite booty call but I deluded myself into thinking we were in love. Mama and Daddy saw it for what it was, but I didn't see the light until he dumped me right after he graduated."
"His loss," John chuckled.
"Well, lesson learned," Calara shrugged. "Never fall in love with a boy who only wants sex. Save it for the real men who want love and family. Working out so far, don't you think?"
"I'd say so," John said, keeping his tone mild given her family was right there.
Jack rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, young lady, don't think I'm dropping the pregnancy scare just like that. That was seriously irresponsible of you. I thought we taught you better than that."
"You did. It slipped my mind, is that such a crime? Not like the baby, if there'd been one, would be a bastard. I had to talk John down from asking for your blessing tonight," Calara said, perhaps a bit too honest.
Jack raised a brow and regarded John with a shrewd gaze. "My, that's… fast."
John shrugged. "When you know, you know, sir. I have every intention of growing old and raising a family with Calara when the time is right. I'm willing to go to any lengths to convince you and Maria of the purity of my intentions. Whether you believe me or not, though, the fact is that I am head over heels for your daughter and I will never let her go unless she explicitly asks to leave."
*Never gonna happen,* Calara snorted in the chorus.
Jack frowned in thought before something shifted in his eyes. "Well, I can imagine worse sons-in-law, that's for damn sure. Though let's save marriage talk for sometime far, FAR down the line, shall we? Now, let's all get dinner. Is that paella I smell?"
The Ferandez family and the Invictus' crew all went inside and sat down at the large dining table, though a few extra chairs and place settings were necessary. The paella and a couple bottles of wine were served, the crew silently watched as the Fernandez clan performed grace, and then they all tucked in.
Jack moaned around the first bite, a sentiment his sons seemed to share. "Wow, babe, you really outdid yourself tonight! This is the best paella you've ever made!"
Maria chuckled. "I wish I could take the credit for your foodgasm, but tonight's dinner was actually prepared by John. He wanted to do something nice for us, and clearly he's a mean cook if he can beat my recipe."
The Fernandez men blinked at that tidbit, before Jack chuckled and washed down his bite with some wine. "Well, you lost points for almost knocking up Callie, but I suppose this dinner is enough to get you out of the red. Thanks for the meal, John."
"It was my pleasure, really," John grinned at the man who in all likelihood would end up (one of) his father-in-law(s).
The two families all enjoyed the good food, fine wine, and pleasant conversation. Maria dug out a flan she'd made the night before for dessert, and everyone enjoyed their portion of the custardy goodness. A solid hour after the last bite was had and everyone was just mingling in the living room, Jack got an odd little grin on his face. "You know, John, this family has a tradition. Whenever we're all together on leave, we like to work off dinner with some friendly sparring. Interested in joining us?"
"Is this the 'Full Fernandez' that Callie warned me about?" John asked with good humor, even as he noted Calara's brothers all eyeing him up like he was a second meal.
"If you want to put a label on it," Jack said, not repenting in the slightest at wanting to kick his daughter's suitor's ass.
John traded a look with Calara, who had a downright feral grin of anticipation on her beautiful young face. John turned back to the four Fernandez men and laid a hand on Calara's shoulder. "I'm game, but if you can't even beat my student then you're not worth my time. I'll only fight those of you who manage to beat Callie here."
"Say what?" Mateo blinked, looking gobsmacked.
"You want us to fight the squirt?" Eduardo demanded in something like incredulous horror.
"We've been training with Dad for years, Calara must have been taking lessons from you for barely a month," Dylan protested.
Jack frowned, but something in Calara or John's expression seemed to convince him. "Very well then, your terms are accepted. Let's all get changed and head to the dojo."
John and Calara went back to the Raptor to change, having anticipated this exact scenario. In sparring clothes, the two went to the converted garage the Fernandez family had repurposed as a martial arts dojo. The four Fernandez males were already waiting and warming up. Maria and the rest of the crew stood by the wall. To avoid taking sides, they seemed to be cheering for everyone equally.
John went to join Maria and his other Angels while Calara stepped into the ring. To John's surprise, it was Mateo who stepped in first. Maria noticed and whispered "Mateo was never that into sparring, he's the least skilled of the 3. Seems Callie has to work her way up the rankings."
Mateo cricked his neck. "Don't worry, little sis, I won't bruise that pretty face when I put you down."
"Prepare for payback for years of benign neglect, big bro," Calara fired right back without missing a beat.
"Fighters ready?" Jack asked, acting as referee. Calara and Mateo both bowed and then got into their stances. "Fight!" Jack said, chopping his hand to signal the start.
Mateo approached aggressively and went to give a light kick to Calara's side. To everyone but the crew's shock, Calara dodged by going into a full split from a standing position, her brother's leg flying over her head. Moving with bewitching grace and athleticism, Calara swept her own leg to trip Mateo and had him pinned almost before he'd finished hitting the floor.
Jack blinked, but he could recognize a win when he saw one. "Win, Calara!"
Mateo shook his head. "Did that really just happen?" he asked in disbelief.
"Yes, it did. So tell me, how's it feel to know you lost to a 'pretty face' like me?" Calara asked with saccharine sweetness.
Mateo got to his feet and retreated, though he had the good grace to bow again to Calara to acknowledge the loss. Eduardo stepped forward, bouncing on his feet. "Ok, squirt, you learned a little something. But prepare to lose tragically!"
"Took the words right out of my mouth," Calara countered.
Jack signaled the start of the fight. Eduardo was more cautious and clearly took his sister more seriously as an opponent than Mateo had. His movements showed experience and training, and John honestly thought the Latino man was good. But Calara was better. Moving so fast she nearly blurred, Calara launched a series of blows that broke Eduardo's guard and gave him a bloody nose. While he was reeling, she got him in a sleeper hold and didn't release until he tapped out.
"Win, Calara!" Jack announced, respect and admiration clear in his eyes as he reassessed his daughter.
"Damn! Seriously, what is that new diet you tried?! Can I get in on that shit?" Eduardo asked, pinching his bleeding nostrils. He seemed to be taking his loss rather well.
Calara had a knowing grin as she shot John a glance. "Alien protein shake. If you're serious, I can try to hook you up with my supplier."
*Honey, that's your brother,* John pointed out, wondering what in the universe his Angel was thinking.
*Your point being? If he signs up for the Change, that's his personal choice and I'll respect it. And we never have to touch unless we both want to. Not like there's any risk of me getting pregnant unless you actually want us to inbreed, since I only ovulate at your command. And keep in mind, we talk about EVERYTHING on this crew. Dana found your old search history, something about a real interest in incest porn,* Calara replied primly.
John nearly choked on thin air. *Sparks!* he mentally shouted.
*What? I was curious what turned your crank when it was just you before any of us came along. You're an only child and your grandparents are dead, so not like you'd be the one committing any crimes against nature. No judgment from any of us, dude, you can get your rocks off imagining us with our blood relatives or actually watching ALL you want,* Dana sent back through the chorus.
*We are NOT having this discussion right now,* John shut down, still feeling extremely embarrassed that his secret kink apparently wasn't that secret.
*But trust me, Johnny boy, we'll be having it at some point,* Jonah chuckled.
John refocused on the ring as Dylan handed Jack his glasses. With the spectacles off, the younger Fernandez really looked remarkably like his father. Dylan forewent any banter and just bowed before preparing to fight. Calara did the same. Jack gave the signal, and two masters clashed. John hadn't been too into martial arts, but he could recognize a natural talent honed by years of training when it was right in front of him. Dylan fought about as good as could be expected from anyone his age and build. He could have gone pro, in John's honest opinion.
But Calara was one of John's Angels, genetically customized by the Change into the perfect female warrior. And she'd been training almost daily ever since she'd joined the crew. The fight lasted over 10 minutes, and Jack almost declared a draw when Calara pulled out a combination that not even John had ever seen her use and managed to overwhelm Dylan's defense to pin him to the ground. Both were panting, but Dylan couldn't manage to break the pin and finally admitted defeat by tapping the mat.
Jack whistled as he handed Dylan back his glasses and turned to Calara. "Sweet Jesus, Callie, you're some kind of prodigy! You're this good after only a few weeks of lessons? How did we not know about this?"
"I was 'the girl', remember?" Calara said, more than a little bitterness and resentment bleeding into her voice. "While you and the boys got to spend hours having fun and training and fooling around in here, I wasn't allowed just because I didn't have the right chromosomes. I know I was smaller and weaker, but you could have TRIED to include me in your special bonding time with the others. But you didn't. It wasn't until I met John that a man was willing to take me seriously as a fighter. You can thank him, not you, for my ability in the ring."
Jack frowned and looked mildly pained as his daughter's words hit him. The brothers and Maria all seemed a bit subdued. "Callie, it wasn't like that–" Jack started to say.
"Yes, it was. You excluded me, intentionally, because part of you doesn't believe that a woman should fight. I don't blame you for that, Daddy… but I'm still working on forgiving you for it," Calara said, her face set in stone. "Now, you ready?"
Jack looked a bit queasy. "Callie, I'm not going to fight you."
Calara looked ready to blow a gasket or say something she might regret. John stood and spoke firmly, capturing her attention. "Calara, not today. Neither of you are in the right headspace for that fight right now. I'll take it from here. You calm down and watch. I need my favorite girl in the cheering section, ok?"
Calara sighed, but nodded. "Right. Sure thing, John." She passed him, blowing a kiss as she did, and took his spot in the spectators' crowd.
John and Jack got into position, Mateo acting as referee. The pall of Calara's anger still clung to the room, but the tension of a coming fight served as adequate distraction. "Fighters ready? Fight!" Mateo stated clearly.
John knew he'd met his match within the first 10 seconds. Jack was good, really good, probably had been practicing martial arts even longer than John had. But the fact of the matter was Jack practiced for fun, and he was getting up there in years. John was younger, bigger, and he'd been training to fight for his life against his enemies ever since learning the truth of his powers. Even without using his powers, John managed to win after a few minutes of intense sparring.
"Win, John," Mateo said in shock once his father finally tapped out.
John let his opponent go from the pin, catching his breath as he got back to his feet. He traded a respectful bow with Jack before suddenly Maria was there.
"All of you got so sweaty! Shower time, then we can have a proper relaxing evening!" the Latina declared imperiously.
John and Calara walked together back to the Raptor to shower and change. Calara surprised John with possibly the most heated kiss they'd yet exchanged. *This is the only time I wish you didn't cum so much. I'm so hot for you I'm going crazy. All my life, Daddy was like a god to me, this undefeatable pillar that kept us all safe. And you beat him. I wanted to already, but this one night would be enough to have me wanting your babies!"
*If I take you in the ass, you can let it all out in the toilet after,* John suggested, his mind on only one thing with a writhing, willing woman saying such hot things in his arms.
*Oh, I love you,* Calara moaned in a completely indecent way before they were tearing off each other's clothes.
Just shy of long enough to set tongues wagging, John and a slim-bellied Calara returned to the Fernandez house. Jack and the boys seemed oblivious, but Maria sent them a knowing look and wicked smile. John was about to join the gathering in the living room when Jack got up and indicated to follow him. Jack grabbed a couple longnecks from the fridge and then walked John out into the backyard. They both sat down on the gazebo, Jack helpfully opening both bottles before handing one to John.
John took a sip and blinked. "Wow, remind me to check out this brand later."
"Local microbrew, something about the minerals in all the mountain springs from the meltwater," Jack chuckled. "Not sure I buy the marketing, but it's damn good beer."
"I'll say," John agreed, taking a longer pull. Beer with the future father-in-law. It felt so… domestic. Normal. After the extraordinary last few weeks, a dose of normal felt heavenly to John.
"Been a while since I lost an honest fight. But then again, not just anyone can win the Stellar Cluster," Jack said with muted but unmistakable respect.
"You pulled my records, then?" John checked, having expected as much.
"I'm a Captain with 4 sexually active children, of course I run background checks on the ones they bring home," Jack snorted. "Lot of your file was redacted, but what was left was an interesting read. Galon Prime, right?"
"Yeah… I don't like talking about it. But then, until very recently, part of me blamed myself for the orbital bombardment afterwards. Took Lirrash pointing out that it made no sense for me to finally let go of blaming myself for all those civilian casualties," John admitted.
"Yeah, Sutton was a real piece of work," Jack sighed. "Never really approved of how High Command handled the whole rebellion. But that's above my clearance level. I definitely approve of a man who fought for his nation the way you did. But I'm guessing from what you said and your subsequent retirement that you didn't handle the aftermath so good."
"Not really. I basically turned into a hermit of an independent trader to try and outrun the guilt and nightmares," John confessed to the older man. He'd never had a father figure apart from his grandfather, and it felt oddly soothing to talk to Jack man-to-man. "Then Jonah managed to pull me out of my shell, and then I met Calara and all the rest of my crew. I'll always have the scars, but I finally feel like I'm healing, y'know?"
"Sounds like me when I met my Maria," Jack said with understanding. "Something about a good woman who can make you a better man. I got lucky with her, and if I'm not mistaken you might have gotten just as lucky with Callie."
"She's amazing, but you know that," John said warmly. "I can only hope I do half as good a job as you did as her father someday."
"Not so sure I was that good, now. I had no idea she was hurt so much by not getting to train with me and the boys," Jack sighed. "But can't go back, only forward. And wait until after the wedding before you try the whole father thing, I beg of you. I had a heart attack when Maria told me about the pregnancy scare. I'm not ready to be a grandpa just yet!"
"Well, get ready, Jack," John said playfully. "It's gonna happen, you have my word. I'll do it right; get your blessing, get the right ring, give her the wedding of her dreams. But I fully intend to make Calara my wife, the mother of my children, and the happiest woman in the universe."
Jack eyed him. Then he chuckled. "Damn. Thought I at least had until she was 25 before this day would come. They grow up so fast. I mean that, John. So treasure the time with them while you have it. That's my advice, take it or leave it."
"I will, sir," John nodded.
They sipped beer in silence for a bit.
"So, what's next for the retired trader in the decommissioned Cruiser?" Jack asked curiously.
"I'm planning a big vacation for the whole crew, it's been nonstop action almost since I got that tip about the Tyrenium a few months back," John answered easily. "Before that, though, we're going to pick up a medic for the crew from Port Medea."
Jack did an honest-to-God spit-take. "Port Medea?! You're going into the Dragon March?" the Fernandez patriarch demanded in obvious fear.
John and the whole chorus tensed. "Why, what's going on?" John asked. He recalled that Jack had been delayed by some kind of briefing. And he was normally stationed at the Kintark border. The clues were obvious.
Jack seemed to chew his tongue. "The Dragon March is not the place to be right now. And the only reason I'm saying that much is because you've got my daughter on your crew," he finally managed.
Alyssa was already on a Spirit-Walk before John could ask. He noted her ghostly form, invisible to Jack, fly over and then reach into his head. *Actionable intelligence that a major incursion will be happening by the Kintark in the next 72 hours. Admiral Norwood is ordering heavy patrols of every inhabited planet in the Dragon March and reinforcements be sent to Port Medea itself. Ironically, the patrols will deplete the security around Port Medea until the reinforcements arrive. With our luck, the attack will happen on the Port before we even get there,* the blonde Telepath reported grimly.
John grit his teeth, making plans and decisions as fast as he could think. "I appreciate the warning, Jack. But the medic is a friend. I can't leave her out to dry. If I can get her out of danger, I have no choice."
Jack looked troubled, but he nodded. "I get it. Don't like it, but I get it."
They finished their beers and returned to the house. The crew were all on red alert, aware that Rachel was in legitimate danger. They managed a few more minutes of family bonding, then Calara stood. "Well, it's about that time. We should be getting back to the Invictus. I loved seeing you all like this, we need to do it again sometime!"
Calara got a hug from each of her family members, Maria whispering something in her ear, and then everyone went to the Raptor.
"What'd your Mom say?" Dana asked curiously as Jade lifted them up into the air.
"To hold onto this one. And I intend to," Calara said with a smile.