John and the girls settled into their places on the bridge and a few minutes later the Invictus dropped out of Hyper warp in the Ashana system, the centre of power in the Ashanath Collective. There were in the presence of a single star and it bathed the holographic system map in a warm yellow glow. Ashana was a small reddish orange planet out on the sixth orbital path around the star and when Calara brought up the tactical map, dozens upon dozens of orbital factories and refineries could be seen dotted around the system.

A button on the console flashed, indicating an incoming hail and Alyssa pressed the button to accept the call. Leader Linnaeus' bulbous grey head filled the viewscreen, his huge unblinking eyes studying them unemotionally.

"Hello JohnBlake. We have towed you to this system, as your female requested. You have been granted permission to dock at the planetary shipyard on Ashana." Linnaeus said in his strange whispery voice.

"Thanks for the tow Leader Linnaeus and you also have my gratitude for coming to our aid against the Drakkar cruiser. I'm curious though, what are the Drakkar doing so deep in Ashanath territory?" John asked the Grey alien.

The Grey leader paused for a moment. "My apologies JohnBlake, but that information is classified." Linnaeus said, his unemotional voice making him sound anything but sorry.

"Is it indeed." John said archly. "Well thanks again Linnaeus, I wish you safe travels." John said pleasantly.

The Ashanath Leader turned and pressed a button ending the call abruptly, leaving John to look at the girls with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah you were right." Calara said looking up at him from her position in the tactical station. "They are pretty strange!" she said with a smile.

"Alyssa, can you set a course to Ashana please." he asked the beautiful blonde girl sitting in the executive officer's station at his right hand side.

"Sure John, course is already laid in." she said with a smile.

Alyssa pressed a button on her console and the massive engines on the Invictus fired up, sending them on their way towards the Ashanath homeworld. It was a short flight to the planet with a surprising amount of Grey ships flying too and from the world, passing them as they approached. All the Ashanath craft followed the same disc shape configuration, in a wide variety of sizes and styles.

Dana glanced at the damage control hologram and couldn't take her eyes off the bored out hole on the hull, where the Drakkar dropship was still attached.

"The sooner we get them off my ship the better!" Dana said with annoyance.

"Your ship?" John said with a smile.

"You know what I mean." Dana said, looking up at him with a grin.

"By the way, you'll probably want to sell the dropship that's attached to the airlock. I think the other is going to be a bit waterlogged for a while." she said, smirking.

"I'll bear that in mind." John said with a chuckle.

Alyssa brought the Invictus closer to the planet, following the guide path that would lead them to the planetary shipyard. The planet Ashana loomed large in front of them as they drew closer, the reddish orange world looking dry and arid as they got closer to the surface. Eventually they were close enough to see that the planet's surface was pockmarked with silvery grey settlements. Graceful towers and domes dominated the Ashanath architectural style and the girls were astonished to see that many of the buildings were constructed on floating chunks of orange coloured rock, tethered to the ground by glowing white beams of energy.

"I thought you might find it interesting." John said with a satisfied smile as he saw the amazed expressions on the girls' faces.

"This planet is fascinating!" Dana exclaimed. "How are they doing that?" she asked intrigued.

"Ashana has very low gravity, so it takes minimal effort to levitate huge chunks of rock like that." John explained. "The Greys have built sophisticated artificial gravity into most of their settlements though, so it's easy to get around their floating cities."

They approached a huge levitating plateau that was festooned with a bewildering array of spires and domes.

"How are we going to land on that?" Alyssa asked curiously, seeing that the guide path was taking them directly towards it.

"We won't be landing 'on' it." John said with a grin.

The Invictus drew ever closer to their destination and the guide path abruptly dipped into a huge canyon that led directly underneath the enormous shipyard. Many disc shaped vessels were flying in and out of that enormous ravine on clearly designated flight paths, that were marked by rows of bright navigation lights. Their assault cruiser dwarfed most of the much smaller ships and the saucer shaped vessels gave them a wide berth as Alyssa guided them skilfully into the canyon.

The colossal shipyard loomed overhead, casting them in shadow as it completely blocked the yellow glow from the sun. After a minute of careful flying, there was a warning chime to alert everyone on the bridge that they had nearly reached their destination. Alyssa brought the Invictus upwards, closer to the underbelly of the rocky surface underneath the vast shipyard and they could see row after row of docking bays dotting the rock face above them. Eventually they reached the bay that had been allocated to the Invictus and Alyssa used the retro thrusters to lift them up into the huge rectangular hangar.

Massive robotic arms ending in magnetic clamps swung out from the sides of the docking bay and moved inwards to the fore and aft of the ship, locking them into position. Once they were securely fastened, the robotic arms rotated the ship 180 degrees around their horizontal axis, turning them upside down.

"Nicely done XO." John said, feeling in a playful mood.

Alyssa tipped an imaginary hat to him, earning herself an amused grin from John in return.

"Let's go visit Ashana!" John said as he rose from his chair and the four young women on the bridge rose to join him excitedly.

They took the elevator down to deck 2 and the girls fanned out to their own quarters, so they could get dressed into something reasonably practical and not too scandalous for their trip to the shipyard. John put on his charcoal suit, intending to look the part of successful trader, but still strapped on a chest holster for his heavy pistol. Alyssa had accompanied him into their walk-in-wardrobe and following his lead was wearing a close fitting black trouser suit. Although it was ostensibly smart business wear, her smoking hot figure still made her look ravishingly sexy.

John nodded appreciatively as he checked out her outfit, moving over to stand next to her and run his hand freely over her curves as she posed for him coquettishly.

"You look good enough to eat." he said suggestively, as his roaming hand took liberties with her young body.

Alyssa purred contentedly and arched her back, thrusting out her chest and ass to make herself look even more enticing.

"I think we might need to roleplay you being my enthusiastic secretary when we have some time." he told her authoritatively.

"Well you are the boss..." Alyssa said in a throaty seductive voice. "And I'm always ready to take dicktation... sir."

John shook his head in wondrous appreciation. He offered his hand to the beautiful blonde, so that he could lead her out of his quarters before he significantly delayed their departure. Alyssa darted back to the weapons rack to grab a shoulder holster and handgun, nestling the firearm under her impressive bust as she gave him a mischievous wink. Laughing, John led her out to the corridor to meet with the rest of his crew.

Calara, Dana and Jade were waiting for John and Alyssa and the three young women were all wearing similar outfits. They had on form fitting jumpsuits with high heeled boots and tightly tailored jackets. They posed for John with beaming smiles, enjoying his attention as he admired their spectacular figures. He walked behind them, letting his left hand gently drift from one pert asscheek to another as he did a circuit around them.

"Damn ladies! I thought you wanted to go visit Ashana?" John said with a horny grin on his face.

The girls laughed, loving the blatant lust they had aroused in their man.

"Just think of it as advertising for the main event tonight." Alyssa said with a grin.

They headed over to the elevator, the girls sashaying impressively in their 4" heels. The doors were already open, the elevator still there from when they travelled down from the bridge, so they all walked inside and John hit the button for deck 9. The elevator took a few seconds to drop the seven floors and the elevator chimed softly when they reached their destination. The doors swished open, revealing the Drakkar bloodbath from earlier that morning.

"Let's take the cargo bay door." John suggested, grimacing at the evidence of his brutal handiwork.

"The Ashanath better have some excellent cleaning crews." Alyssa smirked, as she stepped gracefully over several dismembered lime green limbs.

They went into the cargo bay and John shut the double doors behind them, sealing off the slaughterhouse within. He pulled a remote out of his jacket pocket and the cargo bay doors rose slowly, opening a huge entrance into the hull.

"When we clear up that mess in the corridor, we'll need to test the DNA reader on the airlock again." John said, looking troubled.

"I took fresh samples from Calara, Dana and Jade." Alyssa reassured him. "We tested it the other day on the loading lift and the DNA reader worked fine."

"Perhaps the old samples were corrupted in a memory glitch?" Dana suggested dubiously. "I think it's far more likely that our DNA has changed though." she said sounding convinced. "We've all gone through some dramatic changes recently and nothing would surprise me at this point!"

"Unfortunately I don't think any of us has the skillset to verify it for certain." John said, looking at each of the girls. "Unless one of you has hidden talents you haven't told me about?" he said with a raised eyebrow.

The girls shook their heads, confirming that it would have to remain a mystery for the moment.

"Not to worry, we have plenty of other more important things to think about for the moment." John said with a grin, as he led the girls outside. "Like not looking up!" he said suddenly.

Predictably all four girls looked upwards and then there were shocked shrieks as they crouched to the floor as though trying to hang on to the ground. They were now standing upside down on the "ceiling" of the docking bay and were looking upwards at the planetary surface of Ashana, the artificial gravity giving them quite a surprise.

"You dick!" Alyssa said with a grin.

"Sorry I couldn't resist." John said with an apologetic smile. "The first time I experienced this, it freaked me out too!"

The girls rose warily to their feet and then followed after John, as he closed the door to the cargo bay with the remote and then walked around the bulky Drakkar dropship that was still attached to the side of the Invictus. Dana paused for a moment to study the alien vessel, intrigued by the potential for new technology locked away inside, but Calara held her hand and pulled her away playfully.

"We have an entire world full of aliens to have a look at! You can have fun pulling that ugly thing apart later!" the brunette joked.

Dana laughed along with the rest of them and only glanced back at the Drakkar dropship once as they walked away.

They headed to a set of doors that led into a strange looking airlock and the crew spread out to look at the graphical depictions on the walls. There was an arrow showing which way was up towards the top levels of the shipyard and another showing which way was down, via a mural of the planet's surface. Interspersed along the walls were metal rungs spaced evenly around the room. The girls looked around in confusion, as there was no obvious door on any of the walls in front of them or to their sides.

"Ready?" John said with a smile as he walked over to a button on the wall.

The girls looked at him excitedly and nodded their readiness. He pressed the button and the door shut behind them, enclosing them in the room. There was a soft humming sound and then they began to lift off the floor as they became weightless. The girls squealed with excitement, laughing happily as they pushed off the floor and began to float around the room.

John grinned at them, their youthful exuberance and excitement as they experienced this for the first time, let him enjoy it all over again too. The floor they had previously been standing on slid open, revealing an anti-gravity tunnel that led up through several stories. There was glass panelling in the side of the tunnel, revealing an open area that contained multiple tunnels leading up to the shipyard from other docking bays.

"Grab hold of the rungs." John instructed them. "You can use them to help propel you up the tunnel."

The girls reached out to grab the nearby rungs and used them to rotate themselves the right way up and then launch upwards towards the upper deck of the shipyard. They all drifted up smoothly, finding the journey strangely peaceful.

They finally reached the top and found that there was an open archway there, that led out onto the shipyard top deck. John stepped out on to the silvery grey surface and then walked forward a few paces before turning around. The girls noticed that the floor was covered in a light layer of reddish-orange dust and John left faint footprints as he walked.

"Just step out of the anti-grav field and on to this road. You'll be able to move normally again." he instructed them clearly.

Using the rungs, the girls manoeuvred themselves over to the alcove and then stepped out gracefully to stand beside John.

They were in for another shock to the system as they walked out into bright daylight. The crew of the Invictus were operating on Terran standard hours and for them it was early evening. Ashana worked on an entirely different day and night cycle and in local time, it was late morning.

"Expertly done ladies." John said proudly. "Now if I remember correctly, there's a trader's emporium around here somewhere." he said confidently.

He strolled over to a passing Grey, who was wearing a close fitting silver jumpsuit that hugged its slender body tightly. The Ashanath citizen was only about 5 feet tall, but it's bulbous head was much larger than a human's and it's huge unblinking black eyes focused on John as he approached.

"Excuse me." John interrupted the Grey politely. "I'm looking for the trader's emporium. Please could you give me directions?"

The Grey looked at him for a moment. "Follow this thoroughfare for two hundred metres to the West. Then head North for three hundred and seventeen metres." a whispery voice said, seeming to come from a computer wrapped around the Ashanath citizen's arm.

"Thank you!" John said appreciatively.

The Grey just turned and continued on its way, not bothering to respond.

*So deliciously round!* a voice echoed clearly in Alyssa's head.

The beautiful blonde turned around, wondering who or what had spoken. The departing Grey was the only person nearby and she eyed it suspiciously as it walked away.

John turned in the opposite direction, pointing west and ushered the girls along with him as they followed the directions they had been given. They walked along the quiet street before it opened out into a much busier road, that was carrying foot and hover car traffic around the shipyard's surface. The girls looked around wide eyed as they took in the distinctive Ashanath architecture, that was full of spires and domes, and enjoying the quiet stillness of the street.

All that is except one of them. For Alyssa, she was suddenly confronted by a wall of noise.

*Oh my, what perfect spheres!* a salacious voice said clearly in her mind.

*They wobble magnificently!* another voice said approvingly.

*Look at those orbs jiggle!* a third voice leered excitedly.

She whirled around looking for who was speaking so clearly in her mind, but everywhere she looked Ashanath citizens walked by with blank, expressionless faces.

John noticed that Alyssa seemed unsettled and he walked over to her and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Are you ok honey? Feeling a bit disorientated from the anti-grav?" he asked with concern.

"No I'm fine, it's nothing." Alyssa said distractedly.

"Are you sure?" John said doubtfully.

Alyssa nodded and waved him onward, smiling at him reassuringly. John glanced at her to make sure she was ok and then they continued on, following the Ashanath citizen's directions.

"I knew it was nearby!" John said triumphantly, spotting the familiar Trader's mezzanine that he had visited on his last trip to Ashana.

The girls followed in his wake as he led them up an anti grav tunnel and then into the big merchant outlet, with stalls set up for trading in a huge variety of commodities. The trader's emporium was open air, offering impressive views in all directions as it towered above the nearby structures. John spotted an illuminated map near the entrance, that showed the location of the various different booths and confirmed where he could find the FTL drive dealer.

"This way!" John said with an enthusiastic grin.

Alyssa was finding all the voices increasingly distracting as more and more of them filtered into her thoughts.

*Such splendid curves!* a new voice said admiringly, echoing in her mind.

*Those globes would look perfect wrapped around my phallus!* a particularly lewd voice observed.

*I should build my new dwelling to resemble those spheroids!* a creative voice said, feeling inspired.

The girls followed along in John's wake and he led them to a booth on the edge of an enormous wide open space, filled with Ashanath citizens going about their business. When he stopped to talk to a blank faced Ashanath trader, Alyssa wavered unsteadily, the sheer volume of so much telepathic communication beginning to weigh heavily on her mind.

After a few minutes John walked over to the girls with a frown on his face.

"I knew their FTL drives were expensive but that's ridiculous!" he exclaimed. "He wants 200 million credits for the drive!" he said indignantly.

"How much faster is it?" Dana asked curiously.

"Double the rating of the last one." John said wistfully. "I don't think I've got much choice if I want to get the best upgrades for the Invictus." he said grudgingly.

The numerous telepathic voices were getting louder in Alyssa's mind. She was picking up so many voices that they were all starting to blur in her head. She tottered on her feet and Jade and Calara rushed to her side to steady her.

"Alyssa!" they called to her, but their voices seemed so very far away.

Alyssa reeled, wavering in their arms, before collapsing into a crouch on the floor with an anguished cry. The deluge of telepathic voices was building to a deafening crescendo.

*Round*, *Sphere*, *Jiggle*, *Orb*, *Pert*, *Curve*, *Spheroid*, *Oscillation*, *Globe*, *Quiver*, *Ovoid*, *Wobble*, *Globule*, *Shake*, *Taut*, *Arc*, *Tremble*, *Convex*...

*Get out of my head!* she cried out in her mind, but to no avail.

*GET OUT!!* she shrieked, the telepathic scream reverberating with a deeper bass that throbbed with power.

A psychic shockwave thundered outwards, causing the reddish orange dust to ripple out in waves centred around Alyssa.

Every Ashanath in the building froze and turned to look at John and the girls with stunned shock on their faces. There was a deathly silence as all motion and activity ceased in 1000 metres in every direction.

John and the girls looked at each other with wide eyes. He knelt down beside Alyssa, holding her in his arms, but she was unresponsive.

"Did you hear that too?" John said, looking up at Dana, Calara and Jade, who nodded, their faces registering their astonishment.

John looked around him at the aliens, who had begun to back away in fear. To see such strong emotions in normally expressionless creatures was all the more jarring and he watched transfixed as the Greys began to flee in panic.

"Honey, what happened? Are you ok?" he asked the blonde girl, who was crouching on the ground, her eyes tightly closed.

He scooped Alyssa up in his arms and she seemed to relax against him peacefully. "We better get back to the ship." John said, looking around and seeing that the mezzanine was now completely deserted.

"I heard her scream in my mind!" Calara said with wide eyes as she looked at the blonde girl. "But I was standing right next to her and her lips never moved!" she exclaimed.

"We'll figure out what happened later." John said, as he led them towards the exit. "Let's get out of here for now."

They took the anti-grav tube down to the boulevard level and began to retrace their path back to the docking bay.

"John we seem to have company." Jade said, pointing to a group of Ashanath wearing silver uniforms who were approaching them down the street.

"They also appear to be armed." she noted, spotting the elaborate looking rifles slung over their shoulders with her sharp eyes.

"Can you carry Alyssa for me please." John asked, turning to the green skinned Nymph and remembering how Jade had carried Alyssa easily before.

He carefully passed the unconscious blonde girl over to Jade and then stepped in front of their group, his hand moving inside his jacket to feel the comfortable grip of his heavy pistol in his hand.

"We don't want any trouble." John said to the approaching Ashanath guards. "We're just returning to our ship." he said in a calm voice.

The leader of the five uniformed Greys stepped forward. His enormous black eyes stared at John unemotionally and then his face twitched into an annoyed frown and stared at the computer wrapped around his wrist. His hand moved over to the device and pressed a button that caused a panel to fold out with a quiet hum. John could almost sense the alien's frustration as its fingers rapidly moved across the panel of strange alien symbols.

"Please... be... at... peace..." The whispery voice said haltingly. "We... request... that... you... follow... us."

Dana moved up to John's side and looked at the irritated alien curiously. "John, you said their machines read their thoughts. Did Alyssa do something to break them?" she asked in wonder.

The Grey leader paused and then nodded awkwardly.

"Why do you want us to follow you?" John asked guardedly. "Are we in trouble?"

The Ashanath shook it's head and then looked back at the panel on its arm again, its fingers tapping away at the alien symbols.

"The... high... council... wishes... an... audience... " The murmuring voice from the computer said, filling the hushed silence of the street.

John glanced at his companions before making a decision. "Ok lead on." he said decisively.

The Ashanath turned and walked back the way they had come, with John and the girls following behind.

"Do you want me to carry her again?" John offered, looking at Jade.

"No, I'm quite comfortable with her weight John." the Nymph replied confidently, looking down at the blonde girl she carried in her arms.

"Ok, just let me know if you want me to take over." John said, looking at Alyssa with concern.

They followed the Grey's for several hundred metres before they stopped at a large silvery saucer, that was parked on one of a series of glowing landing pads. The disc shaped vehicle was the same silvery grey as the rest of the saucers they had seen, but this one had a transparent bubble shaped canopy instead of being completely enclosed. The leader turned to face the parked ship and a section of it unfolded, dropping down to provide stairs into the vessel. It climbed in, followed by three of his men and they moved to the seats at the front. One of the guards started up the vehicle, while the last one ushered in the Invictus crew, indicating for them to sit down on the comfortable seats at the back of the craft.

John and the girls stepped in cautiously and sat in comfortable seats around the disc shaped transport. Jade placed Alyssa on the seat next to John and the blonde girl leaned back, resting her head against his shoulder. There wasn't enough room for the last alien to fit in too, so it simply sealed the door behind Dana and watched them depart, as the saucer smoothly left the ground and soared away.

They had been flying for a short while when John heard the Ashanath breath audible sighs of relief. The leader turned in its chair to face him and the whispery voice from the computer on its wrist echoed around the transport.

"I am Constable Jarnus." the Grey Leader's wrist computer said, but this time without the alien having to tap away at the symbols on the panel.

"Please identify yourself and state your business on Ashana." the alien asked John with its unemotional voice.

"My name is John Blake and I'm here with my crew to purchase a new power core and FTL drive." John explained patiently.

The Ashanath policeman studied him with its unblinking black eyes, but it's unemotional face suddenly looked pensive as Alyssa began to stir at John's side.

"Alyssa!" John exclaimed. "Are you ok?" he asked her, his voice sounding worried.

"There were so many voices..." The beautiful blonde girl said groggily. "I just had to make them stop." she said with a frown.

"Any headaches or pain?" John asked her, checking to make sure she was ok.

"No, nothing like that, I just feel a bit drowsy." Alyssa said, as she stretched and yawned.

"You gave us quite a fright." John said with relieved smile and gave her a hug. Alyssa nestled into his chest, enjoying his touch.

"Where are we going?" she asked curiously as she took in her surroundings and looked curiously out at the vista of the Ashanath shipyard as it whizzed by at high speed.

"We seem to have gained the attention of the 'High Council', whoever they are?" Dana said, leaning over the seat from behind Alyssa and throwing a questioning glance at John.

"The High Council rule the Ashanath Collective I believe." John said tentatively, looking at Constable Jarnus for confirmation.

"You are correct JohnBlake." Jarnus said in his strange quiet voice. "We will arrive at the council chambers in moments."

They looked out of the windows of the hover transport and saw that they were rapidly approaching a tall spindly spire, that curved out into a dais with a spherical building in the centre and a number of landing pads surrounding the dome. The Ashanath policeman who was flying the transport brought them down for a smooth landing in the centre of one of the pads and the leader activated the unfolding saucer section. He climbed out accompanied by two of his fellow Greys, before turning towards John and the girls, beckoning them out with his hand palm upwards in a clear invitation to disembark.

Alyssa was a little unsteady on her feet and John helped her out of the vehicle, with Dana, Jade and Calara waiting close by in case he needed any assistance. Two of the Greys who had accompanied them darted off towards the nearby building, while the leader and the pilot waited patiently for their guests to exit the disc shaped transport.

"We may proceed this way JohnBlake." Constable Jarnus murmured, pointing towards the curved building with an open hand.

The alien led the way and the Invictus crew followed after him, leaving the last Grey who had piloted the hover transport to wait by the vehicle. Jarnus led them up to some ornate double doors with strange alien glyphs inscribed on the silvery metal of the frame. John looked up at the domed building that towered above them and noticed more of the ornate scripting covering every inch of its metallic surface.

The doors slid open silently in front of them, allowing them access to the large foyer within. The light red dusting that covered the ground stopped abruptly at the entrance, light gusts from some kind of filter set in the floor blowing the dust backward in tiny little swirls. Constable Jarnus guided them over to the back of the spotlessly clean room, where an Ashanath wearing flowing white robes stood patiently by an open door.

The robed alien bowed towards them and then spoke in a quiet voice. "Thank you Constable, that will be all."

Constable Jarnus turned on the spot and walked away quickly, seemingly more than happy to be on his way. The robed Ashanath turned to face them, studying each of the members of their group. Finally it looked at John and began to speak

"Greetings JohnBlake. My name is Councillor Talari. The Ashanath High Council requests an audience with you." it said, with its eerie voice echoing around the foyer.

"Ok Councillor, I'd be happy to meet with the High Council." John said politely.

Councillor Talari bowed again and then led them into a comfortable looking waiting area that had a number of plush seats and tables.

"Please be seated while we wait for the High Council to assemble. Help yourselves to refreshments." The robed Ashanath whispered cordially, gesturing to the rounded vase of light pink liquid and the crystalline cups adjacent to it.

*Who amongst you is able to speak?* Councillor Talari asked tentatively while looking at the four girls, the thought sounding clearly in Alyssa's mind.

Alyssa looked at the Grey with a start and the alien turned to study her with its huge black eyes.

*I would very much like to talk with you for a moment, if you would permit it beautiful Terran. May I be so bold as to ask your name?* the robed alien asked, it's voice sounding wary.

Alyssa was astonished at how articulate and emotive the Ashanath was, now that it was communicating by telepathy rather than conventional speech.

She frowned with concentration, having never tried to have a telepathic conversation before. *MY NAME IS ALYSSA, I WOULD BE HAPPY TO SPEAK TO YOU.* she thought at Councillor Talari.

The Ashanath shrank back, visibly wincing.

*I beg you to speak more quietly, if it pleases you mighty one.* Councillor Talari pleaded in her mind.

Alyssa flushed with embarrassment. *Oh! I'm sorry!* she thought at the creature, trying to only form soft, light thoughts.

The robed Grey seemed to sigh with relief and then turned to John, who was watching the creature suspiciously, wondering why it had flinched and why it had been staring at Alyssa.

"JohnBlake, I would like to speak to Alyssa if you give your permission." It asked in its unemotional whispery voice.

John glanced at Alyssa, who nodded at him reassuringly.

"Ok it's fine by me." John said cautiously.

He and the girls sat down and watched curiously as Councillor Talari gestured for Alyssa to sit at a nearby table. Alyssa sat down and watched the Ashanath as it sat rigidly on a chair opposite.

*Firstly I would like to humbly apologise for my people. I greatly regret any offence they might have caused.* The councillor thought to her obsequiously.

*We have never before encountered a Terran who is able to speak.* the creature continued, putting particular emphasis on the word 'speak'. Alyssa guessed this was how the Greys referred to their telepathic ability.

*It's ok, I wasn't offended. There were just so many voices I felt like I was going mad.* Alyssa explained. *I just shouted to try and make the voices stop.* she thought apologetically.

*I would not wish to rouse your Ire, but would you be so generous as to release the null zone you have created in the trader's emporium. It is proving somewhat disruptive.* The robed Ashanath thought, and Alyssa could feel its desperation not to offend her.

*Oh sorry about that!* she apologised. *But what's a null zone?*

*You have blocked all ability to speak in a sphere 2000 metres wide.* Councillor Talari explained hesitatingly.

*Oh god! I'm so sorry! How do I get rid of it?* Alyssa thought, looking shocked.

"Is everything ok there honey?" John asked warily, seeing her perplexed expression.

"Err yeah, everything's fine." The beautiful blonde girl said distractedly.

*Just will it out of existence.* Councillor Talari thought to her, puzzlement in its voice.

*Any tips on how to do that?* Alyssa thought, feeling embarrassed.

*You are untrained?!* The robed Ashanath thought with a shocked gasp, before managing to get control of itself.

*Yeah I am, sorry...* Alyssa thought, feeling increasingly self conscious.

*I would be honoured to assist!* The councillor thought in a fawning rush.

The creature tilted its head to the side, studying her for a moment.

*Consider your mind as being filled with compartments. Each compartment can be used to maintain a separate power, such as a conversation with another person who can speak, or your null zone for example.* the Grey explained carefully.

*The more you train your mind, the more compartments you will unlock* it said intriguingly.

*Just locate the part of your mind that is maintaining the null zone and then will it out of existence.* The Ashanath thought, as if such metaphysical activity were as easy as breathing.

Alyssa took a deep breath and then closed her eyes, thinking about her mind as being separate compartments. By consciously compartmentalising her thoughts that way, a softly glowing orb became apparent in her mind, where she had been unaware of it before. Alyssa studied the orb closely and became suddenly aware of its vast size and where it sat, centred on the trader's emporium.

Her brows furrowed as she concentrated and the sphere seemed to pop, dissipating in an instant. A slight tension in her head that she hadn't been aware of before disappeared simultaneously.

*It's gone now I think.* Alyssa thought to the Ashanath councillor who was waiting pensively.

*You are very kind, your benevolence is greatly appreciated!* Councillor Talari replied, overjoyed.

*How many things can I keep going like that at any one time?* Alyssa asked curiously.

*It depends entirely on the mind-strength of the individual.* Talari explained helpfully. *However, maintaining a null zone of that size must have been a considerable mental burden!*

*Very interesting, thank you!* Alyssa said, masking her surprise. She hadn't even been aware that she was keeping the sphere going.

*If you should be troubled by intrusions into your mind again in the future, I would greatly appreciate it if you were to block them out, instead of creating another null-zone.* Talari requested politely. *Just as your leader JohnBlake does.* the councillor clarified.

"He does?" Alyssa thought to herself in confusion. She had no problem reading his mind like it was an open book. She quickly masked her surprise and addressed the Ashanath Councillor.

*Sure! How do I do that exactly?* Alyssa asked, intrigued that was even possible.

*Simply imagine your mind is surrounded by a sturdy fortress that bars entry.* the robed Ashanath explained helpfully.

The beautiful blonde girl closed her eyes and imagined her mind being surrounded by massive, impregnable stone walls, the cyclopean stones dozens of feet thick. She opened her eyes slowly and saw a perplexed expression on High Councillor Talari's face.

"You have blocked me from speaking to you as well." Councillor Talari's speech computer whispered in an eerie voice.

*Oh! oops!* Alyssa thought towards the Ashanath, as she imagined a passageway into her mind-citadel springing into existence.

*My thanks Alyssa.* Talari said, the alien's voice in her mind sounding relieved.

*You're welcome Talari!* Alyssa thought back to the Ashanath happily. *Thanks so much for teaching me these psychic tricks!* she thought with a grin.

The Ashanath nodded and then looked at her with its head tilted slightly to one side, in an unusually expressive quizzical motion.

*Alyssa, I would very much like to ask you a question about JohnBlake. Would that be permissible?* Councillor Talari asked her warily.

*Sure, fire away!* The exuberant young woman replied, feeling grateful for the impromptu psychic training session.

*Of the lovely curvaceous females in your group, three of you are Terrans and one is a Lenarran. We initially assumed JohnBlake was Terran too, but the angular protrusions from his head make us suspect we have erred in our classification. Xeno-fauna is a fascination of ours and we wondered if you would be so kind as to identify his species?* the robed Ashanath councillor asked inquisitively.

*His mother was Terran, but he doesn't know anything about his father. I'm afraid I don't know the answer Talari.* Alyssa thought apologetically.

*Think nothing of it beautiful one. You have been most helpful.* The Grey complimented and thanked her, as it rose to its feet turning to face John and the rest of his companions.

"The High council has now assembled. If you would please follow me." Councillor Talari requested in its unemotional whispery voice that emanated from the computer at its wrist.

The Grey glided away and headed to the big double doors at the other end of the chamber. Alyssa walked over to join John and the rest of the girls, as they rose from their chairs.

"What was that all about?" John asked curiously.

"I'll explain later." Alyssa whispered in reply. "It was mostly about me undoing my act of psychic vandalism though." she said with a smile.

"You're not in any trouble then?" Dana asked her, sounding worried.

"No I think everything is fine." The beautiful blonde said confidently.

They smiled at her, feeling reassured and followed the councillor into a large spherical room, with a curved dais at one end, where eight Ashanath in white robes were seated, the ninth high-backed chair currently empty. Councillor Talari bowed towards John and then glided over to the platform and sat in the ninth chair.

The Grey seated in the middle had an ornate silvery chain around its neck, that glinted in the light as it rose to its feet.

"We gratefully appreciate your willingness to meet with the High council, JohnBlake." the robed alien said in its quiet whispery voice. "My name is Senior Councillor Ularean."

"It's an honour to meet with the High council and with you Senior Councillor." John replied courteously.

"We wish to apologise for the disturbance at the trade emporium. It was an accident I assure you." he said glancing towards Alyssa, who smiled at him appreciatively.

"Think nothing of it JohnBlake. Your wonderful companion has been most helpful." Senior Councillor Ularean replied quietly, his eerie voice echoing around the circular room disconcertingly.

"Could I ask why you wished to meet with us?" John asked curiously, deciding to get right to the point.

"We wish to propose a treaty." The senior robed Ashanath murmured.

"I've retired from the Terran Federation military." John said apologetically. "I'm afraid I'm not in a position to sign any treaties between the Ashanath Collective and the Terran Federation." he explained carefully.

"I apologise for not being clear and causing a misunderstanding. We do not wish to sign a treaty with the Terran Federation. The Ashanath Collective formally requests an Alliance with you JohnBlake." Senior Councillor Ularean said softly.

"With me?" John said, shocked to the core.

"Yes, that is correct JohnBlake." the Grey said with certainty.

"We believe you arrived at Ashana intending to acquire a hyper-warp drive and a power core. In a gesture of good faith and to ensure good relations between us, we wish to furnish you with these items as a gift." Councillor Ularean continued unrelentingly.

"Should you agree to the alliance, we will supply you with the most powerful examples of each that we possess." the Ashanath whispered unemotionally.

There was a long moment of hushed quiet as John reeled from the unexpected announcement. The nine Ashanath High Councillors remained immobile, staring at him with their huge unblinking black eyes.

John glanced at the girls and they were as equally stunned at the surprising turn of events as he was.

"That sounds incredibly generous, but I have to ask why?" John asked, bewildered.

Senior Councillor Ularean paused for a moment, studying John.

"We have had... difficulties with the Drakkar for the last 6 months. Should you agree to enter into an alliance with the Ashanath Collective, we would ask for your assistance against this hostile species." Ularean said in his eerie voice.

"We believe you have succeeded against them recently, where we have not. We would like to thank you for that victory." The robed High councillor said neutrally, the unemotional voice leeching some of the appreciation out of its words.

"So you want us to go out and fight them on your behalf?" John said dubiously, remembering vividly just how difficult their most recent battle had been.

"Yes." Ularean stated bluntly in his whispery voice.

"If you are successful in your efforts, we will offer you one other thing, which we believe might have value to you JohnBlake." The Grey said cryptically.

"Go ahead, I can't wait to hear what it is." John said with a smile.

"We believe we can shed light on your parentage." Senior Councillor Ularean said quietly.

You could have heard a pin drop in the deathly silence of the audience chamber, as John was rendered speechless. The Ashanath were casually offering him an answer to a question that had haunted him for decades and he felt hope surge within him, his heart racing with excitement. He had to restrain himself from immediately agreeing and turned to look at the girls, before facing the High Council once more.

"I thank you for your generous offer." John said gratefully. "I would like to discuss this with my companions before I give you my answer."

"Of course JohnBlake. The anteroom you entered from is at your disposal." Ularean offered.

John nodded his appreciation and he led the girls back into the room they had just come from, closing the doors behind them. He walked over to one of the chairs and collapsed into it, blowing out a deep breath. Alyssa, Dana, Calara and Jade followed him to the chairs and sat in them demurely, waiting for John to process the exciting news.

"So what do you think girls?" John asked them. "Should I form an alliance with the Ashanath Collective?" he said, shaking his head in disbelief at the crazy notion.

He looked at his companions in turn, awaiting their reactions.

"Getting the power core and FTL drive for free is going to save us an absolute fortune!" Dana started excitedly. "They're also offering us the best tech they have!" she continued, her eyes gleaming acquisitively.

"It's not really for free though is it?" Calara said with a wry smile. "We're going to have to face who knows how many Drakkar in exchange for that equipment." she said looking troubled. "The Invictus was seriously outclassed by that Drakkar cruiser and I'm not sure we could go toe-to-toe with one like that again."

"I think it's wonderful that the Ashanath recognise how powerful John is!" Jade said proudly. "It's important that he receives the respect he deserves!" she said, looking at John adoringly.

Calara and Dana smiled at her affectionately, finding her unabashed worship of their lover quite endearing. Alyssa looked at the Nymph thoughtfully however.

"Councillor Talari was asking me to confirm your species when we chatted earlier." the beautiful blonde said quietly. "I don't think they're bluffing about knowing something about your parentage John."

"You all raise good points." John said appreciatively. "It sounds like this could be an amazing opportunity, but it's going to carry some very significant risks." he cautioned them.

"Ok time to let me know how you'd vote and please be completely honest. 'Yes' to an alliance, or 'No'?" he asked firmly.

"Yes!" Dana said enthusiastically.

Calara paused for a moment, studying John. "No, based purely on the risk involved with facing the Drakkar again." she hesitated for a second. "But yes including the offer to share what they know about your parents." she said, smiling at him warmly.

John returned her smile affectionately.

"I find the idea of you forming alliances as a galactic power in your own right very arousing." Jade said excitedly. "I wish to vote yes."

John grinned at the Nymph, shaking his head in amusement at her answer. He finally locked eyes with Alyssa.

"How about you honey? What do you think?" he asked curiously.

"I promised I'd help you find out about your parents. I vote yes." she said with a smile.

"Thank you for your honest replies." John said with a smile.

"Let's go discuss this with the Ashanath and see if we can play a little hardball." he said, with a predatory grin.

They rose and walked back into the round council chamber, somewhat surprised to see that the Ashanath High Council were all still sitting motionless, not appearing to have moved while awaiting his response.

"Firstly let me say that I am honoured by your generous proposal for an alliance." John began. "I am sympathetic to your plight with the Drakkar, but I'd rather not fight their entire empire on my own!" he said with a wry smile.

Senior Councillor Ularean spoke up in his whispery voice. "We do not require that you conquer their entire empire. We suspect that this is a raiding group, as the attacks occur deep within our territory, rather than on our borders. If you are able to find and stop the source of these attacks, we will consider that fair payment for the items we have offered."

"That sounds more than fair." John replied. "I have a critically important meeting I must attend in just over a week's time, so I'd like to get things wrapped up well before then." he said, glancing at Calara with a wink.

Calara stifled a disbelieving laugh, shaking her head in amazement that he would be considering the meeting with her parents at a time like this.

"We believe the raider force is extensive JohnBlake. I do not believe you will be able to locate and defeat them in such a short timeframe." Senior Councillor Ularean said, managing to sound dubious even with his emotionless whispering voice.

"We'll see." John said confidently. "This leads me on to the second thing I'd like to discuss with you. I have a number of additional requests I'd like to include to secure this alliance."

"Name them by all means." Ularean said quietly.

"I'll need your best operatives to work with my Tactical Officer on this. We'll need access to all your information on the Drakkar: Scanning data on their ships, attack locations and time of occurrence, everything you have that might help track them down." John requested.

"Acceptable." Ularean agreed.

"I'd like a fleet of Ashanath ships to assist us in any confrontation." John said reasonably.

Ularean paused, looking troubled. "We have sustained considerable losses against the Drakkar. Our ships appear to be woefully ill equipped to deal with them." he said hesitantly.

John's eyes narrowed. "So you expect us to do all the fighting." he stated unamused.

"In that case, I will expect you to assign your best engineering crews under the direct command of my Chief Engineer. As many teams and whatever resources she requires to help rapidly refit my ship. I want the Invictus ready for war, councillors." he demanded.

"This is acceptable." Senior Councillor Ularean said immediately.

John paused and studied the unblinking Ashanath Council for a long moment, the room silent as the grave as all present awaited his next pronouncement.

"If I ask for your information about my parentage up front, you will say no, won't you?" he asked perceptively.

"Regrettably, you are correct JohnBlake." Senior Councillor Ularean whispered in his eerie voice.

"I understand. You need your leverage." John said astutely.

"Then I agree to your terms of alliance." he stated with a warm smile.

The Ashanath visibly slumped with relief, quiet audible sighs echoing uncannily around the council chamber.

"We thank you most sincerely JohnBlake." Ularean said gratefully.

John walked forward and offered his hand to the Ashanath Senior Councillor to seal the bargain, who reached out to shake it, the gesture unfamiliar to the alien creature.

"I look forward to a long and happy alliance between us Ularean." John said with a smile.

"As do we, JohnBlake." The robed Grey whispered gently.

"Well I suggest we start immediately." John said, taking control.

"Alyssa is my Executive Officer and my second in command." he said, turning towards the beautiful blonde girl. "She will move my ship to your drydock, so that we can begin the refit with the new power core and FTL drive immediately."

"Yes, I'm feeling fine now." Alyssa said with a smile, answering the unspoken question in his mind.

"Dana is my chief engineer. She will head over to the drydock too, so please assemble your engineering teams there so that she can put them to work. How many teams will you require Dana?" he asked the eager auburn haired beauty.

"I'll need crews for the core and drive refit. I'll need to repair the damage to our hull and I want to replate the ship with tech I'm going to reverse engineer from the Drakkar." She said confidently.

"I'm going to reinforce the Invictus to repel boarders and I intend to replace our central elevator with anti-grav tubes." Dana said ambitiously.

"I have plans for our personnel weapons and armour, so I'm going to need schematics for your power core technology." the redhead said, her eyes gleaming. "Then the use of your fabricators to supply the components I need."

"Finally I have something special lined up for our mass drivers, so I'll need crews to assist with a rapid refit based on schematics that I'll provide." She said, with a feral grin.

"Oh and we'll need some cleanup crews to help tidy up the mess we made of those Drakkar that tried to board us." she said as an afterthought.

Senior Councillor Ularean turned to one of the High Councillors seated to his left, who nodded his agreement.

"The required resources and engineering teams will await your arrival at the drydock Dana." the robed Grey consented. "High Councillor Rathus will return you to your vessel and then meet you with the required crews at the drydock."

"Excellent, thank you councillors." John said happily.

"Calara and I will meet with your analysts now. We need to establish the site of their base and the size of their forces." he stated firmly.

Turning to look at Jade, he smiled at her warmly. "Who do you want to accompany honey?".

"I'll go with Dana and Alyssa back to the Invictus, I wish to practice flying the gunship." Jade said, excitedly.

She was about to ask him something, but stopped herself at the last second.

"Go ahead, ask me whatever you want." John said encouragingly.

"I was about to ask your permission to join the other girls instead of being at your side." Jade said hesitantly. "But I stopped myself, because I knew you'd prefer me to make my own choice." she said smiling shyly.

John opened his arms to give her a big hug and the Nymph happily embraced him. "I'm proud of you honey." he whispered in her ear sincerely.

Jade cheerfully moved away to join Dana, Alyssa and High Councillor Rathus, who had risen from his seat to glide over to them. The girls waved John goodbye as they left the council chamber.

High Councillor Talari rose from the seat at the end of the row and moved over to join John and Calara.

"If you would follow me, I will take you to meet our analysts." Talari said with an ethereal whisper.

John nodded his assent and he followed behind the robed Ashanath councillor with Calara at his side.

"I can't believe you mentioned meeting my parents as a reason for finishing this up quickly!" she whispered to him quietly.

"Why not?" John said in all seriousness. "Your family is clearly important to you and I'm eager to meet the people who raised such a wonderful girl." he said fondly.

Calara sighed happily, linking her arm through his and pressing up tightly against him as they walked.

Talari led them out of the council chamber via another door and after a short walk they strolled out to another landing pad. John glanced back at the landing pad they had arrived at and instantly recognised Alyssa, Dana and Jade as they were led over to a disc shaped craft that was parked on the pad. Alyssa realised he was watching them and turned to speak animatedly to the other girls, before they all turned and waved at him exuberantly.

*Take care and I'll be with you soon.* he promised, forming the thoughts for Alyssa's benefit.

*I love you.* the hollow echo of Alyssa's voice whispered faintly in his mind.

*I heard you!* John thought in amazement. *I love you too!* he thought back to her, feeling deliriously happy.

"What?" Calara asked, seeing his overjoyed expression.

"Just chatting with Alyssa!" John said with a grin.

"Your female shows remarkable potential." Talari murmured quietly, startling John who had forgotten they had company for a moment.

"Is there anything you can do to help her hone her abilities?" John asked the Grey curiously.

The Ashanath stared at him for a moment, it's normally un-expressive face managing to look puzzled by something. It paused as if considering the next reply.

"I have guided her on the first steps." Talari said mysteriously, before turning away. "Our transport awaits." The Grey said abruptly, gliding forward and entering the waiting saucer shaped vehicle.

John looked at Calara and rolled his eyes with a smile on his face. Calara stifled a grin and they followed the robed councillor into the transport.

***

Dana chattered away excitedly to Jade and Alyssa, talking about her plans and about how eager she was to get started. Alyssa listened to her absently, nodding in the right places and letting the redhead throw out ideas in an unrelenting stream of consciousness. She had known Dana for years now and whenever her friend got really excited about a project, she would throw herself into it wholeheartedly, her mind usually working too quickly for Alyssa to keep up.

Alyssa's main focus was on John as she listened to his thoughts. She was overjoyed that he had been able to hear her very first attempt to communicate telepathically with him and now she was concentrating on maintaining his presence in her mind as they flew in opposite directions from each other.

She closed her eyes and breathed long slow breaths, copying the calming rituals that she had felt John use many a time. It allowed her to maintain her focus and keep his thoughts locked in place, as the distance between them increased at an alarming rate. 5km, 10km... she was unsure how she knew the precise distance, but she knew exactly how far away he was to the metre. By the time their disc shaped transport landed in the docking bay housing the Invictus, John had also reached his final destination too, 137km and 392m away in a north easterly direction.

"Are you tired Alyssa?" Jade asked her with concern. "You have had your eyes closed for the trip back."

"No, I'm fine Jade." Alyssa said, opening her eyes and smiling at her friend reassuringly. "I was just listening to John."

"That must be wonderful." The Nymph said wistfully.

Alyssa smiled at her gently, not having the heart to tell her just how much she had come to rely on John's constant reassuring presence in her mind.

"I will meet you at the drydock." High Councillor Rathus whispered eerily, interrupting their conversation abruptly. "Follow the guide path on your navigation computer." he murmured briefly.

Taking that as their queue to leave, the girls rose and left the parked saucer, stepping down the steps gracefully. The robed Ashanath councillor who had accompanied them closed the unfolding section of his vehicle unceremoniously as soon as they had disembarked and then the ship rose to fly away at a rapid pace.

The girls headed over to the Invictus and Alyssa produced her own copy of the remote that John used to access the cargo and hangar bays. She pressed her thumb to the control and after a half second pause to scan her DNA, the remote activated the cargo bay door and it began to slide up into the hull, granting them access into the ship.

"Shall we, ladies?" Alyssa said with a smile once the huge portal had yawned open.

They travelled up in the elevator and took their familiar places on the bridge before Alyssa prepared to take off. She fired up the Navigation computer and the shipyard traffic control supplied her with a guide path that would take them to the Drydock. She pressed a button on her console to hail the shipyard docking control.

"Ashana shipyard, this is the Invictus." Alyssa stated calmly. "Thank you for the guide path, we are ready for departure."

There was no response from the Greys, but the magnetic clamps that were holding them in place rotated them through 180 degrees and then released with a loud clunk. The robotic arms slowly withdrew, leaving the assault cruiser to hover in the docking bay, held motionless by the powerful anti-grav fields that were in place.

Alyssa powered up the enormous engines on the Invictus and then lowered the nose so that they dropped out of the docking bay. She turned them smoothly to follow the guide path and they proceeded on their way to the drydock. Dana turned towards her, bouncing up and down in her chair with excitement.

"This is going to be awesome!" the redhead said, her eyes sparkling.

***

John walked side by side with Calara as they followed High Councillor Talari towards the tall silvery grey building. Their saucer shaped craft had parked on a landing pad that was attached to the building, jutting out of the structure 50 metres above the ground and they now walked briskly towards the double doors ahead of them. The building looked fairly nondescript, but John's sharp eyes spotted the sinister barrels of anti-personnel weaponry set to both sides of the door, hinting that there might be more to this place than might appear at first glance.

Talari glided to a stop in front of the doorway and the doors slid open silently. Reddish orange dust billowed around the platform, but just as before, filters around the doorway seemed to prevent any particles from entering the meticulously clean interior. They walked inside into a lobby area and saw a uniformed Ashanath soldier sitting behind a desk. More weapon barrels set into the walls tracked them as they moved across the room and John felt very glad that he was among friends.

The soldier hit a button on his desk as the white robed councillor approached and a door opened out, revealing a corridor with many doors leading off it. Talari glided purposefully down the corridor and then stopped before another set of double doors. The councillor moved to stand in front of a device set into the wall and a bright green glow seemed to encompass the Ashanath's bulbous grey head. After being scanned for a few seconds, there was a quiet beep and the door slid open.

"Wow!" Calara said, suitably impressed by the view as Talari glided into the room.

They walked out onto a gantry that led into the centre of a huge sphere shaped room, which had a large holographic sector map floating in the middle. The gantry encircled the sector map and around the walls there were dozens of massive view screens, that were displaying vast quantities of data.

Three Greys wearing long silvery coats approached them and then stood immobile, staring at them with their disconcerting unblinking black eyes. Councillor Talari turned to face John and Calara.

"These analysts have been working on divining the source of the Drakkar attacks for the last few weeks. They are sceptical that you will be able to succeed where they have not." Talari said in its familiar echoing voice.

John was sure he could hear a hint of amusement, but it was probably just his mind playing tricks on him.

"Lieutenant, why don't you show them how it's done." John suggested, his encouraging tone filling the brunette with a surge of confidence.

Calara walked a circuit around the sector map, ignoring the hologram for a moment and focusing on the data on the view screens. Wreckage analysis, black box recordings, border sensor contacts, active scans of Drakkar vessels... her eyes darted from one screen to another, cataloguing and absorbing the information.

Finally she turned towards the sector map with her shoulders squared and a determined look on her face. She began to talk quietly, vocalising her thoughts.

"Our first consideration should be logistics. To run an operation of this size, they will need a considerable supply of fuel." she paused for a moment, glancing at the border sensor contact data.

"You show only mild contact with Drakkar on your 'Southern' border for the last 9 months and each contact was repulsed after interception by your patrols. This begs the question as to how the Drakkar raiders penetrated inside your territory in the first place, but it also eliminates the possibility of their base of operations being resupplied by conventional fuel hauling vessels." she said logically.

"According to your active scans, the Drakkar ion trails show they are using helium based fuel." Calara continued, looking at the sector map.

"If I was setting up a base to raid your territory, I would choose a location away from an obvious fuel source to mask my presence. Having met the Drakkar in person, I sincerely doubt they are that subtle." she mused.

"Please eliminate all stars from the sector map that do not have a Gas Giant with high Helium-3 content." she ordered the analysts.

One of the attending Greys turned and walked smoothly over to a nearby panel and pressed a number of buttons marked with unusual glyphs. Approximately half the stars disappeared from the sector map.

"Now show me the site of attacks after the first three weeks of Drakkar raider assaults." She said, her eyes narrowing. "Display them in sequential order with accompanying timestamps." she requested.

The same analyst activated a number of different glyphs and attack sites began to spring up on the map. At first there were just a few sporadic attacks, but after the first couple of weeks the intensity increased, with attacks happening within hours of each other, significant distances apart.

"They expanded their raiding force at this point." Calara explained intuitively.

They watched entranced as more attack sites began to appear further afield.

"These are misdirectional." Calara said, pointing at some of the ones on the extreme edge of the attack site area. "The attacks are too random and show a deliberate effort to try and hide their source."

"Pause the display for a moment." the brunette requested calmly and she turned towards the analyst.

"Eliminate all stars that are further than three days travel, based on typical Drakkar FTL Drive speeds, from these attack sites." she said, pointing at six different locations on the sector map.

The Ashanath analyst hurried to obey and soon only 5 systems were left on the map.

"Excellent. Proceed with the chronological display of attack sites." Calara ordered.

They watched spellbound as more attack sites sprang into existence on the map at even greater frequency.

"They added another ship to their raiding force here." the Latina said confidently, watching the ravages of the Drakkar as they unfolded before her eyes. "And again here." she stated and about a minute later the listings of attacks stopped abruptly as they reached the present day.

She took in the dozens upon dozens of attack sites, imagining Drakkar ships criss-crossing Grey space to fall on unsuspecting patrols and merchant vessels. A pattern began to appear in her mind, revealing the crude attempts at misdirection as she factored in typical travel times to reach the site of each attack.

"The Drakkar are operating out of that system." she said decisively pointing at the map. "Kappa-Indarran" she said, reading the label against the class F white coloured star.

"They currently have three raiding vessels, as we destroyed the fourth. Going by the timeframe of previous expansion, they will add another raiding vessel to their fleet in approximately one week. Based on the black box recordings, the Drakkar ships all have a matching classification and loadout." she stated confidently.

"Outstanding work Lieutenant!" John said with a beaming grin, moving forward to sweep her up in a big hug. Calara's delighted laughter echoed pleasantly around the spherical chamber.

"This is preposterous." One of the Ashanath analysts said in a whispering voice, sufficiently annoyed for it to even register in his eerie echoing speech. "We should not be listening to this child, no matter how pleasing her curves!" it murmured indignantly.

John put Calara down and he turned to face the rude Ashanath analyst. "I expect you to apologise when she points out how wrong you are." he paused. "Well except for the bit about the pleasing curves." he said with a smile.

Calara grinned at John affectionately then turned to face the map. "Remove all the attack sites and then show them again in sets of three, four months after they initially began."

The Ashanath analyst by the controls hurried to follow the young woman's instructions and the Drakkar attacks were displayed again.

"The Drakkar commander is using a simple pattern of attacks." she explained patiently. "One near the base of operations and then two further afield."

She turned to the map. "One close by, two far away." she pointed at the attacks as they were displayed on the map.

Over and over for the next few months the raiders picked their targets using the same algorithm.

"One close by, two far away." Calara continued several times, highlighting the repetitive nature of the targeted attacks.

"When you know that one is close by to the source, you just have to discount the two far away attacks." she said, explaining her clinical logic.

"Eliminate the second and third attacks in the sequence please." She asked the analyst.

Kappa-Indarran was haloed by the ring of attacks, as if to paint a bullseye on the white coloured star at its centre.

"My humble apologies." The previously rude Grey said with a deep bow. "Your intellect is staggering to behold."

Calara blushed shyly as the two other Ashanath analysts bowed to her respectfully as well.

"Bravo Calara. Bravo." High councillor Talari said in its neutral voice, but such was the strength of its delight, it bled through into the eerie echo.

Calara smiled and nodded her thanks to the ecstatically happy alien.

"Now we know they're operating out of Kappa-Indarran, I'd like to return to my ship please Talari." John said politely.

"Of course JohnBlake. I shall take you there immediately." the High councillor said and turned to lead them out of the room.

"Thanks for the help!" Calara said cheerfully and waved goodbye to the Ashanath analyst who had been operating the panel of glyphs.

The Grey copied her hand motion, waving back to her awkwardly as the three analysts watched her in amazement, as she sashayed happily out of the room at John's side.

***

Alyssa skilfully eased the Invictus along the guide path provided to them by the Ashana shipyard. They dropped down into the ravine they had entered from before, following it to the North for a kilometre or so, sticking respectfully to port speed. The path suddenly cut to the right, taking them down another crevasse, that eventually opened out into a huge crater. The faint green lines of the guide path curved up gracefully, leading them to a massive refitting bay sunk deep into the rocky surface of the shipyard's underbelly. Alyssa carefully followed the path as instructed and the assault cruiser rose up to disappear into the brightly lit glow of the vast central drydock of the Ashanath's biggest shipyard.

Robotic arms rose to meet the Invictus, cradling the vessel carefully as it glided to a halt, it's momentum slowed by the powerful anti-gravity fields that protected the shipyard. The magnetic clamps affixed to the assault cruiser's hull rotated the vessel precisely through 180 degrees and brought them down to land in the centre of the enormous cavern.

Alyssa, Dana and Jade got up from their seats and grinned at each other in expectation as they headed down the elevator to deck 9. When the elevator chimed and the door swished open they stepped over the mangled corpses of the Drakkar and took a left turn into the hangar bay. Alyssa activated the hangar bay door and the three of them walked over to the gaping portal in the side of the hull as it slowly yawned open before them.

"It looks like the Ashanath are taking John deadly seriously." Alyssa said in a quiet voice as they looked out over the drydock.

Row after row of Ashanath engineers stood waiting for them expectantly. They were dressed in silvery jumpsuits and were carrying a huge variety of delicate and complicated looking tools and components. Dozens of sets of huge black eyes stared back at them as they awaited their orders.

Dana grinned at Alyssa, her eyes gleaming with excitement, before she strode out purposefully to go and greet High Councillor Rathus who was waiting patiently with the engineering crews.

Alyssa smiled at her friend affectionately, pleased for her that she was fulfilling a lifelong dream of working on such vitally important and high tech work. She turned to her other side to look at Jade, who was watching Dana with a smile on her face as the redhead walked away purposefully.

"I haven't seen her this excited before." Jade said fondly, as she turned to look at Alyssa.

"Nor have I." Alyssa said with a grin. "Let's leave her to get to work," she said, holding out her hand to Jade. "I believe you were after another flying lesson?" she asked playfully.

Jade nodded eagerly, taking her hand and the two of them walked over to the Raptor gunship where it brooded forebodingly in the middle of the hangar bay.

***

John and Calara sat in the Ashanath transport saucer as it raced back towards Ashana's main shipyard. They watched the arid scenery of Ashana zip by as they flew at tremendous speed, passing settlement after settlement as they headed back to rendezvous with the Invictus. Councillor Talari was sitting with them patiently, studying them carefully in companionable silence. One of the Grey soldiers piloted their transport and followed the glowing guide path on the holographic HUD, descending into the wide winding canyon network underneath the shipyard. In a matter of minutes, their pilot had brought them up to the main drydock and John was relieved to see his assault cruiser carefully parked in the centre of the huge hollowed out chamber.

The pilot rolled their transport and then ascended into the drydock cavern bringing them closer to the floor of the room before gently settling down. Councillor Talari rose smoothly to its feet and turned to face John and Calara.

"I thank you for already justifying our faith in you JohnBlake. Seeing Calara identify the source of the Drakkar attacks was a wondrous thing to behold." the robed Grey said in its whispery voice.

"It was our pleasure to help." John said, speaking for both himself and Calara. "Now we'll see about putting an end to these attacks." he said determinedly.

"I feel increasing hope that you will be able to achieve this." Talari said quietly. "I will bid you farewell now, as I must report back to the rest of the council." the councillor finished softly.

Taking that as their cue to leave, John and Calara rose from their seats and stepped down the unfolding side section of the disc and out onto the drydock deck. Councillor Talari's ship sealed up after them and then rose off the ground to depart smoothly.

John looked about the bustling drydock, amazed at the frenzied activity within. Teams of Ashanath engineers were guiding in strange looking heavy equipment to begin work on the repairs and refit of the Invictus and the assault cruiser was now nestled amongst maintenance gantries which were flanking the 500 metre long craft.

Dozens of Ashanath engineers were gathered around a levitating workbench, receiving orders from Dana. She cut a distinctive figure with her dark auburn hair swept back in a ponytail, as she towered a clear head height over the diminutive aliens, issuing orders to them imperiously. He spotted a robed Grey to her side, he could only assume was High Councillor Rathus, who seemed to be intently studying Dana's every move.

The two Drakkar dropship's had been decoupled from the hull of the Invictus and were currently carefully parked off to one side, the one furthest away sitting in a growing pool of water. The somewhat soggy appearance of the second dropship slightly undermined its spiky presence and the foreboding look of its black armour plating.

Further scrutiny of the scene was interrupted by the sudden appearance above the drydock of the Raptor gunship. It dropped like a stone, causing John's heart to rise up in his throat in panic, before it levelled out smoothly. The six Gatling lasers focused directly on him as the gunship circled them threateningly only a few metres above the ground, keeping its heavily armed front to them at all times. Finally the nose tilted up and the undercarriage deployed, before the pilot brought the Raptor down to a delicate landing on the drydock floor. The front entry ramp lowered shortly afterwards and Alyssa came running out to greet John and Calara, happily accepting the irresistible invitation of his open arms

"John! It's great to see you!" Alyssa said with relief, feeling like they had been separated for an eternity.

"That was some pretty crazy flying honey!" John said, with a startled expression on his face.

"I know! She's amazing, isn't she?" Alyssa exclaimed proudly, her eyes sparkling as she looked back at the gunship.

The Raptor took off again before smoothly inverting and then gliding over to hover only a metre above them. They looked up, fighting the urge to cower on the floor and saw Jade looking down at them through the cockpit canopy. She waved and grinned at them, before pulling back and soaring away, up and out of the drydock cavern.

John shook his head in amazement as he watched the Raptor disappear around the corner of the rocky crevasse. He returned his attention back to Calara and Alyssa.

"It's getting late." he said, starting to feel a bit weary after the incredibly long and arduous day. "I think Jade and Dana are going to be preoccupied for a little while, so how about we retire for the evening?" he said with a smile.

Calara and Alyssa snuggled in under each of his arms, leaning up to kiss him on either cheek.

"Sounds like fun." Calara said happily.

"I can hardly wait." Alyssa purred seductively.

They walked arm in arm to the Invictus, walking up the ramp into the open cargo bay, pausing only to wave at Dana when she looked up from her schematics and called out a friendly greeting. She looked like she was going to come over to join them for a moment, before an Ashanath engineer walked over and distracted her with a question. John smiled and then led the blonde and brunette into his ship. They travelled up to deck two in companionable silence, knowing they would all be making plenty of noise soon enough.

They headed into the commander's quarters at the end of the corridor and Alyssa activated the lighting, setting the scene with some muted lights, casting the bed in a warm soft glow. Calara quickly removed her figure hugging jumpsuit and then glided into the bathroom. John and Alyssa heard the enticing sound of the shower running and the other two followed after as soon as they had removed their sidearms and their own clothing. They found the gorgeous brunette standing underneath the streams of warm water, her eyes closed as rivulets of water followed the generous curves of her incredible figure.

Alyssa entered the shower first, moving right up to Calara and moulding her body against her friend, their big firm breasts rubbing against each other in a most arousing way. Calara opened her eyes and smiled lovingly at the beautiful blonde and then the two of them sighed happily, as they began to kiss each other sensually.

John stepped in behind the sultry Latina and placed his hands on her hips, feeling her supple young skin beneath his eager fingers. His cock grew painfully hard as the two girls made out passionately in front of him and he moved forward so that he could ease his cock between Calara's slippery buttocks. Her ass cheeks felt warm and taut as he pressed up against her, the rounded softness of her bottom feeling deliciously smooth against his length.

He moved his hands up the contours of the Latina's body, enjoying the sight of his hands gliding over her coffee coloured flesh. He slid his hands around in front of her, moving them up to cup her proud breasts and feeling their weight in his palms. Alyssa rubbed her breasts against his hands and he looked over Calara's shoulder entranced, as the two sets of perfect firm breasts brushed back and forth against him. He noticed the girls had stopped kissing for a moment and they were both looking up at him excitedly, breathing heavily with arousal.

"We'll have to postpone what we'd originally planned, as I think Dana and Jade will be a while." Alyssa said to him with a gentle smile.

"What would you like to do with us tonight instead?" Calara asked John softly, glancing at Alyssa affectionately.

John didn't respond, he just continued to gently squeeze and massage the lovely pair of olive coloured breasts that filled his hands.

"Oh yes. That sounds wonderful..." Alyssa purred contentedly as she read John's thoughts.

Calara looked into Alyssa's eyes, her curiosity peaked.

"He wants us to perform for him." Alyssa, said staring back into Calara's rich brown eyes.

"Mmmm." The Latina moaned, licking her top lip and then biting her bottom lip coyly.

John moved aside so the girls could step out of the shower and then dry themselves, watching each other with an air of growing anticipation between the two teenagers. He followed after them but kept his distance, letting the two girls enjoy each other without him being a distraction.

Alyssa held out her slender hand for Calara, who slipped her olive skinned hand into her warm grasp, their delicate fingers interlaced as the blond led the brunette invitingly out of the bathroom and over to the huge four poster bed.

They climbed up on to the bed, kneeling and facing one another, before moving together slowly while looking into each other's eyes. They reached up to cup each other's faces tenderly and then began to kiss softly as though exploring each other's lips for the first time. The silence of the room was only broken by the sounds of their mouths as they kissed each other, tongues brushing gently across each other's wet lips.

The atmosphere in the room was electrifying as John watched his two lovers and he was spellbound as they kissed sensually in front of him. He had moved into the comfortable chair and stared at them entranced, finding it impossible to tear his eyes away from the young women.

The inflamed blonde cradled Calara's face with both hands, kissing her passionately and slipping her tongue between the sultry Latina's lips. They writhed together, constantly repositioning themselves as they moved a hand to stroke a toned arm, or brush the back of their hand down the other's throat. The sounds of their kisses were soon accompanied by excited little gasps and moans as they became more aroused.

Alyssa pushed Calara on to her back and then moved lithely with her, so that she was lying to her side. Her left hand brushed through the Latina's dark brown hair as they resumed their kissing and her right hand gently massaged and stroked the olive skinned breast beneath her fingers. They stared into each other's eyes as Alyssa moved her right hand down over Calara's athletic figure to reach behind her to squeeze her firm asscheek roughly. The brunette gasped with excitement, her mouth slightly parted as she watched the face of her blonde lover with breathless anticipation, wondering what she might do next.

Alyssa leaned forward to resuming their kissing, her hair fanning down to shroud both their faces. John could hear the girls kissing and moaning with arousal, his imagination running rampant as he imagined what they might be doing. Alyssa moved her golden blonde hair back from the side of her face so that he could see the girls' tongues duelling each other and Alyssa moved gracefully over Calara so that she was directly above her. She arched her back, to make sure that their four nipples were aligned and then pressed down, the luscious mounds of teenage flesh moulding together.

The Latina spread her legs so that she was cradling the blonde between her thighs and the two girls ground together as they writhed and moaned in each other's arms. Alyssa's hips moved in a smooth, languid rhythm and she looked like she was fucking the gasping brunette beneath her. John stared at the bronzed flesh on display and was sorely tempted to move around behind them and thrust into one of the receptive girls. Alyssa even arched her back for him, tilting her rounded bottom in the air as if to show him she was ready and more than willing. He just about managed to resist and he saw the blonde girl smile as she moved down, kissing Calara's neck and exposed throat, drawing exciting gasps from the brunette.

Alyssa trailed kisses around Calara's jawline, sucking, nibbling and kissing the quivering girl, before moving around to continue her attention to the girls right ear. She drew the brunette's lustrous dark hair away from her target and began to whisper naughty exciting things to the girl below her, causing the girl to moan and sigh as her hips rocked up at her, aching with need.

"Alyssa!" she gasped, at a particularly lewd suggestion and then groaned as the blonde moved over to force her tongue into the brunette's mouth. Calara accepted the tongue submissively, moaned breathily and then began to suck on Alyssa's tongue as though it was John's cock parting her luscious lips.

Alyssa's right hand moved down between Calara's parted thighs and she began to stroke the girl's clit, causing her to groan in pleasure. Calara followed the blonde girl's lead and ran her olive toned hand under Alyssa's belly to find her throbbing clit too. They stared into each other's eyes as they rubbed and stroked each other at a relaxed and erotic pace, occasionally moving their hand down to slide a finger into a hot, tight little pussy.

John watched the girls for what felt like hours as they showcased their spectacular bodies for his viewing pleasure.

Alyssa and Calara's breathy sighs and excited moans filled the room as they began to grow more and more turned on, driving each other onwards with their heated kisses and probing fingers. Each girl sensed the need in their lover and they stared intensely at each other, panting heavily as they rubbed each other fiercely. They both seemed to arch their backs at the same time as they climaxed simultaneously, their big breasts squashed together and presenting a truly stupendous combined cleavage, as they cried out their synchronised orgasm.

The blonde collapsed on the brunette and they both gasped for breath, as they recovered from such overwhelming pleasure. They quickly recovered and kissed each other lovingly one last time, before turning to look at John with shy smiles on their faces. His desire was easily readable in his expression and posture as he seemed to radiate with lust. The girls moved as one, Calara moving back to the edge of the bed and tilting her head back, before opening her mouth invitingly. Alyssa stayed straddled over the girl, parting her own flushed lips into a welcoming oval.

John didn't need to be a mind reader to know what the girls were offering him and he walked over to them, eager to accept such sweet relief. He brought the throbbing head of his cock to Alyssa's lips, pushing his way into her hot, wet mouth. She looked up at him adoringly as she tilted forward, accepting him into her throat, her muscles yielding for him willingly. He groaned with ecstasy as he sank his entire length into the comforting confines of her body and he thought he had gone to heaven when Alyssa began to moan, the tight embrace of her throat meaning that he felt every vibration.

At the same time, Calara began to lick his balls lovingly, her tongue darting out to lap at the taut orbs as if coaxing them to unload their cargo.

John couldn't last long against this dual onslaught, not after being teased to fever pitch by the incredible sapphic display he had just witnessed. He placed his hands on the back of Alyssa's head, pulling her down his full length so that her tongue snaked out and licked the top of his balls. It was the combined caress of their tongues that proved his undoing and John arched his back and cried out as he began to pump out his cum in a protracted climax. Alyssa moaned in delight as she swallowed down one long blast of cum after another, her stomach quickly expanding to accommodate his heavy load.

Calara licked John's trembling sack with delight, as she watched his balls flex above her face pumping out their cum. She reached down to stroke Alyssa's growing belly comfortingly as the eagerly sucking blonde did her best to drain their man dry.

Finally spent, John sagged and released his grip on Alyssa's head. She slowly pulled back, his long cock withdrawing from her throat with a wet plop. John climbed on the bed and sprawled out in the middle, stretching lazily.

"That was absolutely amazing." he enthused. "You girls are the best!"

"Of course..." Alyssa said contentedly as she moved up to snuggle up to him on his right hand side.

"...You made us this way." Calara finished for her with a grin, as she lay down on his left.

John sighed happily and hugged them both tightly, enjoying feeling the young women resting their heads on his chest and draping a lithe leg over his. Surrounded by beautiful athletic young bodies he relaxed contentedly enjoying the feelings of protectiveness as they cuddled with him.

"One thing has me confused." Alyssa said sounding puzzled.

"You were insistent that I take your load." she said to John, running her hand over her tautly swollen belly. "Not that I mind of course, you just didn't explain why."

"When was this exactly?" Calara asked in confusion.

"Sorry Calara. It's what John was thinking, right before he filled me up with his spunk." Alyssa said affectionately.

"I'd been wondering if you might have injured yourself with your 'psychic vandalism' back at the trader's emporium." John explained with a smile. "I wanted to make sure you got a chance to heal, if your body needed it."

"Ahh, thanks handsome." Alyssa said, touched by his concern. "But I don't remember you thinking about that?" she said looking confused.

"It was when we were on the way to see the Ashanath analysts," John said. "But we were dozens of kilometres apart by then."

"Oh damn." Alyssa said in disappointment. "I thought you were a bit less talkative than normal." she said in annoyance.

"What do you mean?" John replied. "I thought you could only hear my thoughts up to 500 metres away?"

"Oh I managed to maintain our telepathic link." Alyssa said nonchalantly. "and we were nearly one hundred and forty kilometres apart when you landed." she corrected him helpfully.

"You could hear his thoughts over one hundred kilometres away!?" Calara exclaimed, glancing at John in wonder.

"Yes, but it looks like I missed some things." Alyssa said, frowning with irritation. "I'll have to work on that." she said in a determined voice.

John looked at her with wide eyed astonishment and then he laughed gently. "You never cease to surprise me." he said with a grin.

"I do like to keep you on your toes!" Alyssa said, looking up at him lovingly.

"Oh, talking of surprises, hearing your voice in my head was incredible!" John exclaimed.

"We all heard you too, back at the emporium!" Calara said, equally animatedly.

"Something else for me to work on then." Alyssa said with a happy smile.

She studied John for a moment, getting ready to deliver an even greater bombshell.

"By the way handsome, the Ashanath think you're Psychic too." she said offhandedly.

"They think what?!" John snorted in disbelief.

"Councillor Talari taught me how to shield my mind from unwanted intruders. Apparently you're already doing it!" she said with a raised eyebrow. "Is there something you haven't been telling me?" she said with a teasing smile.

"I don't know why they think that. I'm certainly not telepathic!" John exclaimed.

"Well I seem to be able to traipse through your thoughts with no problem." Alyssa said with a grin. "But Councillor Talari seemed pretty certain about the mind-shield thing." she said with a shrug.

"Maybe you have some kind of natural immunity or resistance?" Calara suggested. "We know you aren't entirely human and your super strength is ample proof you have some unknown abilities." she continued logically.

"Makes sense to me." Alyssa said with a shrug. "I'm just glad you let me in there!" she said with a happy sigh.

"Well I guess we'll have to add it to our list of mysteries." John said with a smile.

He yawned and pulled the girls in closer to him.

"Good night girls. Thanks for a fantastic evening." he sighed happily.

The blonde and brunette grinned at each other and then settled down to fall asleep in John's comforting arms.