John sat on one of the sofas in the Officers' Lounge, with his feet up on the coffee table, and Alyssa and Calara cuddled up beside him. The other girls were spread out on the adjacent sofas, and they watched the colourful expanse of Maliri Space drift by, through the long windows that flanked the room.

"John..." Dana said tentatively, looking over at him from the other sofa, her beautiful face burning with curiosity. "It's nearly time for bed, have you got something planned for tonight?"

"And what makes you ask that?" he replied to her with a teasing smile.

She squirmed, looking antsy, and said, "Because you haven't fucked any of us all day!"

The girls all giggled in amusement, but the air was thick with sexual tension as they looked across at him, awaiting his reply with breathless anticipation.

His lips twitched into a smile, as he said, "As a matter of fact I have got something in mind. I thought that as we were busy exploring new territory," which he accentuated with a nod towards the spectacular nebulae outside, "that I'd like to explore some other new territory. As long as Rachel likes that idea?"

All eyes turned to the tawny haired brunette, and she gasped as she suddenly realised what he was implying. "You mean you want to..." she trailed off, her eyes going wide with arousal.

"Very much," he replied, smiling as he watched her reaction.

Dana sprang to her feet, her face transformed with an expression of lusty excitement. "I'll help get her ready for you," she exclaimed, and held out her hand for her friend.

Rachel took it, as she rose gracefully, and let the exuberant redhead lead her from the room. She glanced back once over her shoulder before she left, and she flushed with arousal when she saw where his eyes were riveted.

Jade grinned, and as she got up she said, "We better go and help."

Calara laughed and unfolded her lithe legs where she sat, nodding her agreement as she said, "Considering how turned on Dana is right now, if we don't, they probably won't make it out of the shower."

Alyssa watched the Latina and the Nymph saunter out of the room, and smiled at John playfully, when she turned to face him. She bit her lip coyly, and then slowly snaked out her right hand to brush across his rock hard cock where it throbbed in his trousers.

"You're so big right now," she purred to him. "Is it exciting to think that you'll be putting this somewhere new for the first time?"

John's eyes were hooded as he gazed at her beautiful face, and he could see just how aroused and excited Alyssa was becoming. "You love this, don't you?" he asked her perceptively.

"Watching you breaking in a girl?" she replied, and shivered with excitement. "One of life's great pleasures."

He grinned at her and said, "I better go and get a shower too. I wouldn't want to keep Rachel waiting."

Alyssa placed her left hand on his shoulder as if to prevent him from rising, while her fingers on the other hand moved deftly, unzipping his trousers. "One moment, I'd like to check something first," she said flirtatiously.

When she had opened up his trousers, she slid her hand inside, and then moved down to gently caress his quad. She gasped as she carefully stroked the taut skin, and said sympathetically, "Your poor balls are full to the brim!"

He shuddered as he nodded, and she carefully withdrew her hand, then zipped him up with meticulous precision. "You're right," she agreed. "We better get you ready."

They stood together, with John rising awkwardly due to the huge erection tenting his trousers. Alyssa didn't wait for him, but strode ahead instead, swaying her hips enticingly as she glided over to the door. He couldn't help but watch transfixed as he walked briskly to catch up, admiring her spectacularly long legs and pert bottom. She led him through to their bedroom, and then slowly stripped off her clothes, until she was wonderfully nude before him. With a teasing smile, she glided up to his side, and then started to remove his clothes too.

She dropped smoothly, kneeling before him, and helped him out of his trousers. He could feel her hot breath against his cock, as she leaned in until she was millimetres away from him. "Don't worry," she crooned to his shaft. "You'll be inside a tight little girl very soon."

John groaned as he watched her lick her lips, making them glisten alluringly in the warm glow of the bedroom lighting. "You're very naughty, did you know that?" he said to her in a strained voice.

Alyssa rose elegantly to stand beside him, and she had an artfully confused expression on her stunningly beautiful face. "But you always tell me I'm a good girl, when you're pushing your hard cock inside me..." she said, sounding perplexed.

He laughed heartily, and exclaimed, "Enough teasing you vixen! I'm ready to explode as it is!"

Her melodic laughter filled the room, and she held his hand, then walked through to the bathroom with him. They stood together in the shower and the warm water sluiced over them as she washed him carefully and methodically. She paid special attention to his cock and four balls, and smiled mischievously as she could feel him restraining himself from just pinning her against the wall, and using her phenomenal body to get some blessed relief.

"You have really impressive self-control," she told him, as she slowly stroked his shaft. "If the roles were reversed, I'm not sure I would have been able to hold back."

John laughed, but it sounded forced as he tried to withstand her sweet torture.

"All teasing aside, you really are carrying a massive load," she observed curiously, as she delicately cupped two of his four balls in her soft hands. "I don't think we've ever let you get this backed up before."

She suddenly looked away distantly for a moment, and then a wicked smile spread on her face.

"What now?" he said with a grin, wondering what was going on in Alyssa's devilish mind.

She looked up at him eagerly and said, "Rachel's ready for you now."

They left the shower and dried off quickly, before walking out into the bedroom. John was surprised to see that it was empty, but Alyssa took his hand, and guided him out the door. She glided beside him silently, not giving him any clues, but his eyebrows went up when she stopped outside the Officers' Quarters that she had previously designated 'The Playroom'. She hit the button to open the door, and John immediately saw why they needed the preparation time.

The room was lit by candles, that flickered as though alive, sending darting shadows around the room. The soft illumination reflected off the shiny covered mattresses that were spread across the floor, and the girls were standing on them, waiting expectantly. Their skin was made slick with a liberal coating of oil, that made their spectacular bodies seem to glow, as they glistened in the candlelight. They stared at him intently as he walked into the room, their normal jovial banter silenced as he entered, making him pause for a moment.

Alyssa walked over to join the other girls, while Rachel glided over to stand before him. She did a slow and graceful pirouette so that he could admire her glorious athletic figure, as the coating of oil over her unblemished skin caught the light.

John nodded appreciatively at their efforts and said, "You look absolutely perfect."

Rachel smiled at him coyly, and then took his hand as she led him over to the mattress. She stopped a short distance away from a big mirror, and glanced at it before looking up at him to meet his gaze.

"That's so you can watch my face, as you stretch me for the first time," she said softly, then let go of his hand, and sank gracefully to her knees.

He watched with wide eyes as Rachel knelt facing away from him, her back arched as she sat upright, while leaning forward slightly. She repositioned her legs slightly, parting them, and tilted her hips up so that she exposed herself to his hungry gaze.

John was just about to kneel behind her, when the other four girls moved to his sides. Calara and Jade lowered themselves to the mattress, then lay on their back with their heads towards him, while Alyssa and Dana waited until they were ready. They then lowered themselves so that the prone girls could lap away at their pussies as they positioned themselves over their eager mouths. The blonde and redhead stared at him with wild eyes, and his cock throbbed at the looks of unadulterated lust that they shot his way.

Alyssa was glistening with oil now as well, and she panted with lust as Jade licked her clit. *Dana wants to watch Rachel get buggered by you for the first time, and I want to see you skewer her gorgeous little ass too. Jade and Calara offered to help us cum whenever you do. Wasn't that nice of them?*

He smiled at her colourful language, knowing full well how Alyssa got when she was turned on. *Whose idea was all this?* he thought to her, as he turned his focus to Rachel. She was facing the mirror, but staring up at him, carefully watching his face in the reflection.

He could sense Alyssa's amusement as she replied, *Dana's actually. She wants Rachel to love taking it in the ass as much as she does. She said she offered to go down on her for the first time, but our newest recruit wants to experience being taking by you, without the distraction of a mind-shattering orgasm.*

John dropped carefully to his knees behind the tawny haired brunette, and he smiled at her reflection in the mirror. Rachel dropped her sultry demeanour for a moment, smiling a warm sparkling smile his way, before readopting the seductive, smouldering expression she had previously been wearing. With a joyful grin, he reached out with both hands to start exploring her incredible body, presented as it was, to showcase her magnificent, athletic physique.

Her skin was smooth and soft, and the slick coating of oil allowed his fingers to glide over her with ease. He massaged her body with a firm hand, running his hands down her back and watching the toned muscles respond to his touch. He circled the dimples of Venus in the small of her back, before moving further down and taking a pert asscheek in each hand. Looking up, he locked eyes with her, and watched them widen as he spread her cheeks apart. When he glanced down, he saw that her anus was glistening with lube, so he carefully nuzzled the weighty head of his cock against the tight knot of muscle. Once he was carefully in position, he leaned over her body, covering her smaller frame as she knelt submissively in front of him.

"Are you going to take me hard, like you do with Calara?" she asked him with a mix of arousal and trepidation, as she panted with lust.

John smiled and shook his head as he watched her expression in the mirror. "No, my bold little lioness. I'm going to be gentle with you, so you can savour every moment."

He had placed his hands next to hers, and she covered his hands with her own, while interlacing fingers with him. "So you can hold me in place, until you've emptied your balls," she explained considerately.

Her grey eyes sparkled with excitement, and she smiled at him playfully until he began to move forward with his hips. Her mouth dropped open as she felt the huge intruder nudging against her, and she let out a low cry as her lubed asshole began to yield against the pressure. John pushed more firmly, and her cry turned into a groan as her pliant ring stretched wide to accommodate him.

"You're fucking huge!" she gasped, as she wriggled beneath him, as though trying to escape.

Their interlaced fingers held her in place, and there was nowhere for her to go as her incredibly tight passage yielded to his throbbing cock. "That's a good girl. You've nearly taken the head," he told her proudly as he kept up the pressure.

"Oh fuck," she whimpered, as her body stretched around him like a second skin.

With a snap, the broad head of his cock was enveloped by the tight ring of her anus, which suddenly clamped down on his shaft. John paused and let her get used to the enormous invader, and eventually asked, "Are you ready to take more?"

She looked up at him, and he could see the fierce, stormy look in her grey eyes as she nodded. He smiled at her and then began to slowly drive forward with his hips. His cock made steady progress inside her snug body, the way eased by all the lube that Dana had used on her. Rachel let out one long, disbelieving cry as she felt her body stretching to adapt to that enormous penetration. He pushed his whole length inside her, and she quivered and trembled beneath him as he did.

She panted for breath, her chest heaving as she got used to the intrusion. John held still and just enjoyed the constricting tightness of her back passage, as it grasped and clenched him with her strong internal muscles.

"No-one's ever been that deep inside me," Rachel said at last, as she lifted her head to stare into his eyes.

He smiled at her and asked, "Do you like it?"

She nodded insistently and said, "You can take me like this whenever you want!"

Dana let out a low moan, which drew both John and Rachel's attention. The redhead was writhing on Jade's tongue, and she stared at them passionately, with a wide smile of satisfaction on her lovely face.

John grinned and began to gently rock back and forth inside the brunette impaled on his cock, not moving too much, to let her adjust to being taken this way.

"I'm ready," she finally said. "Use me and empty those four big balls of yours."

"Are you sure?" he teased her. "They're very full, so your poor belly is going to have to really stretch when I'm done."

Her eyes flashed with excitement, and she urged him, "Give it to me! I want all of it."

His excitement matched her own as he carefully pulled back about half-way, and then paused to let her adjust to being voided. He then thrust all the way up to quad inside her, drawing a grunt from her when he hit bottom. She wriggled a little, repositioning herself a bit lower, so that it would be easier for him to fuck her.

"You're a natural at this," he praised her, as he pulled back and shoved deep inside her again.

She nodded excitedly as she said, "We're built to take a good pounding from a strong man like you."

John locked eyes with her and began to steadily pick up the pace. Being able to see the reactions on her face to every body-stuffing thrust was turning him on no end, and he couldn't wait to see how she'd look when he started cumming inside her. Moaning and whimpering from his sides made him glance at Dana and Alyssa, as they writhed on their partners' tongues, gasping as they got closer to a big climax.

He began to build up a steady, unrelenting rhythm, and Rachel gasped as his broad cock ploughed into her. He wasn't as savagely rough as he was with Calara, but Rachel was still taking a robust fucking, and loving every moment of it.

"Make me carry your load!" she begged him, as he powered into her.

With all the teasing from Alyssa, the sensual setup of her offering herself to him, and the tight clenching heat that was wrapped around him so snugly, he eagerly did as she asked. He lunged inside her, roaring out loudly as she cried out in ecstasy, and then began to blast his cum into her gorgeous young body. Long surges of spunk shot up his shaft, packing her to the brim, and making her slim belly curve outwards to take the massive amounts of jism.

Rachel could feel every throbbing jerk of his cock in her tautly stretched passage, and she squeezed her eyes tightly shut as she came. It was a long, earth shattering climax, accentuated by the feelings of having her ass stretched so widely, and her belly growing heavy with the huge amount of cum he was pumping into her. She sobbed with relief as the waves of pleasure crashed over her, riding out her orgasm as she enthusiastically milked his balls.

With one final spurt, his quad was done, and John sagged over her, desperately trying not to collapse on top of her smaller body. He looked up, and when he saw her grinning at him with delight, he returned her happy grin. She carefully lifted her slender hands off his, and then sat upright, settling back in his lap.

"You came so much," she marvelled as she tenderly stroked her hugely bloated abdomen. She giggled when she saw that her belly-button had popped out as she was stuffed so full of spunk.

John laughed, almost overwhelmed with the sense of relief from cumming so hard, and he reached down to gently stroke her engorged tummy. They glanced to the side, and saw that Alyssa and Dana were sprawled on the mattress, both having experienced thunderous climaxes of their own. Calara and Jade sat up and grinned at them, looking well satisfied at their handiwork.

They both crawled over to join them, and Calara sat in front of Rachel, gently placing both hands on her rounded belly. "You won't be able to hold his cum when you take it like that," the Latina said regretfully. Her face brightened as she added, "But the next part is almost as much fun!"

Rachel gingerly dismounted John's cock, and let out a deep groan as the cum shifted around, when he pulled out of her.

"Let us take care of you now," Jade said to her eagerly, and Rachel nodded to her trustingly.

Calara lay on her back again, and Jade helped Rachel carefully straddle the gorgeous Latina's face, resting her bloated belly on Calara's chest, as the brunette began to gently lap at her pussy. Jade slipped around behind the kneeling young woman, and leaned over to nuzzle between her cheeks. John sat in front of Rachel, and enjoyed seeing the look of shock on her face as Jade elongated her tongue, and slid it inside her.

"Oh my God!" Rachel shrieked, and she stared at him with a wild, disbelieving look in her eyes as the girls went to work on her.

***

They washed each other clean afterwards, in the big shower off the Commander's Quarters. While the oil was extremely sexy, none of them wanted to think about the mess it would make of their lovely soft bedding. Relaxing together in bed afterwards, Jade was cuddled up against his left side, her rounded stomach emitting ethereal pulses of light, while Rachel snuggled into him on the right. John pulled up the covers to cover Jade's glowing form, and she grinned at him contentedly before resting her head against his shoulder, and falling asleep moments later.

Dana was cuddled up behind Rachel and she whispered in her ear, "So what did you think of anal? Hot as hell, right?"

Rachel leaned back to kiss the redhead passionately, then nodded when they finally parted lips. "It was, thank you for setting that up," she said gratefully.

John looked down at her and asked gently, "I hope I wasn't too rough with you. You looked like you were enjoying all of it."

She nodded at him enthusiastically and replied, "It was all fantastic. I'd experimented with doing it that way before, but without lots of preparation, it could be a bit painful sometimes. With the way our bodies are so malleable now, there was no pain at all. Just an intense feeling of being stretched to accept you into my body. It felt incredibly intimate when you were fully inside me, and I was hypersensitive to every throb of your cock."

"Well I thought you were incredible," John told her appreciatively. "Thanks for being brave enough to give that a try."

"Any time!" she promised him with an excited gleam in her eyes.

They shared a happy grin, and then everyone settled down together, getting ready to go to sleep. The girls dropped off one after another, until it was just Alyssa left. He could tell she was still awake from their telepathic bond, and he glanced to his right to see her watching him with a satisfied smile on her face.

Her bright blue eyes sparkled as she thought to him playfully, *Well, you've plundered every hole we have, so it looks like we need to go on another recruitment drive. Get someone shiny and new for you to break in.*

He stifled a chuckle and said, *You girls are more than I can handle as it is. I think we're fine for now.*

She shook her head gently, which brushed her long blonde hair along Dana's bronzed shoulder. *Nonsense. You're a font of vitality. Besides, just think how hot it would be to have that dusky hued reporter on her knees, sucking your cock and staring into your eyes, as you got her ready to take a good pounding.*

John's mind went to very interesting places, and she smirked knowingly as she followed his train of thought.

*You just focus on enjoying yourself with us,* she told him confidently. *Let me worry about more girls. XO is in charge of recruitment remember...*

Considering the epic session he had just had with their latest crewmember, he realised that arguing would be fairly ridiculous. *I'll trust your judgement then, XO,* he thought to her with a tired smile, and settled down to sleep.

*Good boy,* she said to him softly, as he drifted off. *Sleep well, handsome.*

***

They woke up to the gentle chimes of an alarm that Dana had set, and the soft lilting melody drifted around the room, rousing them from their dreams. John stretched as he normally did, while the girls sat up then stretched too, putting on an amazing display of firm, pert young breasts. They smiled at him with satisfaction when they saw they had his attention, and he laughed as he suddenly realised something.

"These impressive displays are purely for my benefit, aren't they?" he smirked.

Alyssa quirked an eyebrow at him and asked, "Do you mind?"

When he shook his head emphatically, the other girls giggled playfully.

"Well, we've got an hour before we reach Irillith's homeworld. Let's get showered and dressed, then go and have some breakfast," John said enthusiastically.

Dana clambered over Rachel, and placed a restraining hand on his chest. "Uh-uh mister," she said sternly. "You requested blowjobs to start the day, and it's my turn this morning. If I'm not going with you, then the least you can do is leave me with a tummy full of your cum."

"Who am I to argue with that?" John said with a grin, and he folded his hands behind his head and settled back in bed.

Dana knelt between his legs and engulfed his not yet erect cock in her mouth, determined to put some steel in him, in short order. The other girls gave him a quick kiss goodbye and then left the room to get ready.

Alyssa was the last to go, and she strolled into their bathroom. "We'll get some breakfast ready for you. Just head to the Officers' Lounge when you've finished giving Dana hers," she told him matter-of-factly, her voice drifting out of the room to join them.

Dana grinned at him as best she could, with her lips spread wide around his shaft. She then proceeded to give him a wonderful start to his day.

***

They all gathered up on the Bridge after they had eaten, automatically spreading out to sit at their assigned places. Alyssa brought up the local sector map that showed the last leg of the journey, and they watched with bated breath as the image of the Invictus raced towards the final system on their route. The star was tagged on the holographic map as Epsilon-Aquarii, and when they jumped into the system, they were brought out of hyper-warp, before they flew too close to any gravity wells.

The sun itself was named Albali, and was a class A star, bluish-white in appearance. The ship's sensor pulsed out, and a riot of information was almost instantly displayed over the system map.

"The speed the new sensors gather data at is amazing," John marvelled as he looked up at the fully populated map that hovered above them. "It's still taking a bit of getting used to!"

Dana turned in her chair, moving carefully as she adjusted her heavy midriff. She grinned at him, as she said playfully, "I could build in some redundancy loops to slow them down, if that would make it easier to adjust?"

He laughed and said, "I'll learn to cope."

The Epsilon-Aquarii system had four habitable planets in it, along with two large gas giants. Each of the worlds looked lush and verdant, and their flight path was taking them to the second planet, which was named Valaden.

Calara had been carefully studying the map, and said, "I wonder if Irillith's House is named after the planet, or vice-versa."

Rachel then said, "I'm more curious to know if these four worlds have been terraformed or if they all started out habitable. The sensors show them all to have lovely, well-balanced climates, with a wide balance of natural ecosystems. It seems very unlikely that the Maliri were that lucky."

John narrowed his eyes and asked, "You think the Progenitors got involved with the terraforming?"

The brunette looked thoughtful for a moment, and said, "Either the Progenitors enhanced the planets, or the Maliri have developed some very sophisticated terraforming techniques. Hopefully you can find someone friendly on Valaden, who might have some answers," Rachel added optimistically. "I'd love to know more about their background."

Further speculation was interrupted by a startled gasp from Calara.

"What is it?" John asked her curiously.

The Latina cycled through the facilities on her tactical map, and then selected the one she was looking at. With the click of a button, she displayed it above them.

"Look at the size of that thing!" she marvelled.

It was a vast orbital shipyard, that was in a wide orbit of the planet Valaden. It shared a similar architectural design as Geniya Space Station, and was golden coloured, and full of towering spires and crystal domes. It appeared to be in the shape of an enormous wheel, with huge maintenance gantries, booms and stanchions located around the axis of the gently rotating shipyard. The telltale sealed doors of hundreds of docking bays dotted the hull of the colossal facility, evenly spaced and grouped in clusters, divided into segments around the circumference of the ring.

Jade frowned and pointed up at it as she said, "Most of the shipyard seems to be dormant."

John stared up at the image, and Calara zoomed in still further, magnifying the holographic representation of the titanic shipyard. At this level of magnification, John could now see what Jade meant. Only a fifth of the shipyard appeared to be in use, with Maliri vessels travelling to and from that small section of the facility. The docking bays in this small section were all brightly illuminated, but further around the rim, the bays, crystal domes, and thousands of windows were dark and foreboding.

"Even that active bit must be as big as Olympus Shipyard," Calara said in amazement.

Alyssa shared a glance with John, and said, "But why build something so huge if they aren't going to use most of it?"

He looked as bemused as she was, and they returned their attention to the map. Irillith's cruiser was heading towards the planet Valaden, which took them past the orbiting shipyard. They watched the Maliri ships flying past, all of which followed the same kind of elegant design aesthetics.

"Any idea what types of vessels they are, Calara?" John asked the Latina.

She studied the sensor data, and cycled through the dozens of ships in the system, before answering him thoughtfully, "We aren't performing active-scans, and unfortunately we don't have an almanac of Maliri vessels. Only around half of their ships have visible weaponry, so either those ones are the only military vessels and the rest civilian, or some of the others conceal their weapons behind their armour plating like the Invictus does. Whatever their designations, I haven't seen anything bigger than a cruiser yet."

Dana looked puzzled and said, "I was just about to say, that maybe they just prefer building small ships, but that doesn't explain that colossal shipyard."

John shrugged helplessly and said, "We'll have to keep our eyes out for any big ships. They might have them all stationed at the border of their territory though."

"We're getting a hail from Irillith," Rachel said, turning to look up at John.

He nodded at the tawny haired girl and she accepted the call. The viewscreen filled with the holographic image of the blue-skinned Maliri woman, who was no longer hidden behind her armour. Instead she appeared to be wearing some kind of flowing dress with cutaway sections that revealed the blue skin of her shoulders.

She looked somewhat subdued, and refused to meet John's gaze as she looked around the Bridge. Her eyes settled on Alyssa, and suddenly went wide with surprise. Recovering her composure quickly, she said, "Follow me down to the planet, and you will be allocated a landing bay. Don't move from there, until you are given further instructions."

He opened his mouth to reply, and she closed the channel abruptly, cutting him off.

Alyssa smirked and said, "Her run in with Progenitor-John doesn't seem to have brightened her mood."

"We better follow her instructions, though. Follow her down, Jade," he said, leaning forward in his chair.

The Nymph nodded, and manoeuvred the Invictus to follow after the Maliri vessel. As they approached the planet the system map was replaced by the planetary map, and Valaden loomed large above them. It was a beautiful green world, with plenty of oceans and lakes spread over its surface, and numerous large cities were immediately apparent as they got closer.

They followed Irillith's cruiser down to what appeared to be the largest city on the planet, and a glowing flightpath appeared, showing them the route to take to the docking bay. Jade eased their ship along, sticking meticulously to the path they had been provided. It led them to a golden-spired metropolis, that seemed to be seamlessly integrated with the encroaching forest. As they flew over the city, they could see broad streets below them, being used by intermittent traffic, mainly consisting of hover-vehicles of various shapes and sizes. There were also spacious, well cared for parks and water features between each of the buildings, providing a patchwork mosaic of greens and blues amongst the gleaming gold of the buildings.

Alyssa had been watching the beautiful, well planned city below them as it flashed by, and said wistfully, "A far cry from Karron, eh Sparks?"

The redhead nodded soberly taking in the amazing architecture and designs. "We really got some shitty luck growing up in that craphole," she said sadly.

They watched the final approach quietly, and Jade gently coaxed them in to land gently in one of dozens of docking bays in a shiny spaceport facility. For such a large spaceport, traffic from the surface to orbit was surprisingly light, and only a handful of ships raced up to the stars as they came in to land.

"Well, here we are." John said. "I guess we wait for further instructions."

***

Irillith walked briskly through the vaulted, high ceilinged corridors of her mother's palace. As terrified as she had been of the Mael'nerak, that almost seemed like a strange dream now, compared to the very real and tangible fear that she always felt when meeting with her mother. She ignored the guards as she brushed past them into her mother's private quarters, knowing none of them would be reckless or foolish enough to challenge her.

Walking cautiously from room to room, she systematically explored Edraele's quarters until she approached her mother's study. Instinctively she knew she would have been here all along, but maintaining the pretence of thoroughly checking the other rooms first, let her put off the meeting for longer.

The ten-foot-tall doors were embossed with the heart and crossed blades insignia of House Valaden, and Irillith only hesitated for a moment longer, before knocking on it tentatively.

Her mother's cold voice came through the doorway, and said, "If you've finished wandering around my quarters, I'd like to see you. Immediately."

Irillith swallowed, and nervously opened the door. "Mother, it's wonderful to see you," she said cautiously as she walked into the study.

Edraele Valaden was seated behind a long, elegant looking desk, that seemed to flow out of the nearby wall. Tall holographic screens adorned every square inch of the wall, displaying a wide variety of information for the Valaden House Matriarch. She turned away from the report she had been studying, and her impassive purple eyes settled on her daughter.

"Well?" she demanded abruptly.

Irillith bowed to her mother and said, "I did as you asked, mother. We exterminated the Fulmanax, and Quanthos can be colonised at our leisure."

Edraele's eyes narrowed as she asked, "And what of this Mael'nerak? Did you verify that he was one of their kind?"

Irillith nodded and said hesitantly, "Yes, I have no doubt that he is one of them, but..."

"How are you certain?" Edraele demanded, cutting Irillith off. "What powers did he possess?"

Irillith faltered, paling as she remembered the terrifying encounter in the subterranean lair of the Fulmanax. "He... he..." she stammered in fear.

"Out with it you imbecile!" Edraele snarled impatiently. "Do you think I have time to listen to you fumbling to speak?!"

Irillith looked at her mother with frightened eyes, and blurted out, "He possesses fearsome strength; able to hurl around boulders as though they were pebbles. I witnessed him use pyrokinesis to dispatch the Fulmanax Hive-mind's sentinel, and he healed himself, and one of his women."

Edraele leaned forward, a fearsome hunger in her eyes. "Describe the nature of this healing," she demanded eagerly.

Irillith looked to one side and paused before she replied, "The sentinel must have toppled a calcite pillar on them. It would have crushed any ordinary person to death, but the Mael'nerak emerged unscathed. His woman was critically injured, and I overheard their physician describing grievous wounds. I just saw her again, two days after she was wounded, and she was completely healed, with no sign of injury."

Edraele sat back in her chair, a cunning smile twisting her lips as she steepled her fingers and tapped the first two together. Irillith recognised one of her mother's mannerisms that signified she was deep in thought, and wisely remained silent, although she desperately wanted to speak up.

Finally Edraele focused her cold, purple eyes on her daughter once more, and said, "Bring the Mael'nerak to me. It is high time we met."

Irillith shook her head, and said urgently, "That is what I wished to warn you abou-"

"YOU are going to warn ME?" Edraele snorted in disbelief, interrupting her daughter.

Undeterred, Irillith tried again, throwing caution to one side as she said frantically, "You've made a terrible mistake bringing him here. You must get him to leave Maliri Space immediately!"

Edraele rose to her feet, her eyes glowing with a terrible purple hue. "You dare speak to me like that?!" she snarled in disbelief at her daughter's impudence.

Irillith dropped to her knees and pleaded, "Mother, please, you don't understa-"

Edraele's eyes flared, and the sharp sound of a whistling slap echoed around the room, as Irillith was backhanded across the floor. She struggled to stand again, before a second ringing slap sent her sprawling backwards to crash into the wall.

"You WILL bring him to me, or I'll leave you in a pain harness for a month!" Edraele screamed, incandescent with fury.

"I'm sorry, mother!" Irillith begged. "I'll do as you command!"

Edraele sat down in her chair, fully composed once more. "Get out, and bring him to me immediately." she said in a frosty voice, then turned her attention to the holo-display.

Irillith staggered to her feet, her face still smarting from where she had been slapped, and she hurried from the room without a backwards glance.

***

John and Alyssa sat in his Ready Room, quietly discussing the likelihood of being able to bring firearms with them, when his watch chimed, letting him know Rachel was trying to contact him.

"Irillith just hailed us. She's waiting outside for you," Rachel informed him.

He smiled at her and said, "Great, thanks. We'll be right out."

Alyssa stood a moment later, and looked at him quizzically as he rose to his feet. "What do you think? Guns or not?" she asked cautiously.

John looked pensive for a moment, then shook his head. "If they wanted to try and kill us, they've had lots of opportunities already. Dragging us all this way for a week, only to finally ambush us seems unlikely."

Alyssa nodded, and they walked out of the Ready Room, onto the Bridge. The girls were waiting for them by the grav-tube, and they all had worried expressions on their beautiful faces.

John smiled at them cheerfully, and said, "Don't look so worried, we'll be fine!"

They nodded bravely, so he opened his arms wide so they could gather for a hug.

"Any final orders, Commodore?" Calara asked him, looking up at him attentively.

John shook his head, and looked to each of them as he said, " Calara's in charge, but you're all extremely capable. I trust all of you to look after each other, and the ship. If we get into any trouble, Alyssa will let you know, and we'll react accordingly."

They nodded obediently, still looking apprehensive, so John said jovially, "I'll be back before you know it, and making you all look like Dana." He then reached out to caress the redhead's stomach, still rounded from the cum she'd swallowed an hour earlier.

The girls laughed at that, and nodded, looking more optimistic. John and Alyssa waved goodbye to them as they stepped into the grav-tube, and then descended smoothly in the red glow. They walked out into the corridor on Deck Nine, and then strolled over to the airlock, opening it up and walking outside.

The atmosphere on the planet Valaden was clean and crisp, with a wonderful scent of pine in the air. John smiled at Alyssa, nodding appreciatively, before their attention was drawn by Irillith who hurried over. Her cheeks looked flushed, like she had been running to meet them, but oddly she didn't seem out of breath.

Not making eye contact, she nodded briefly and then said sharply, "Follow me, I'll take you to meet Matriarch Valaden." Not bothering to wait for an acknowledgement, she turned and strode away.

"Wait, Irillith." John said, his voice strong and firm.

She froze in her tracks, but didn't turn around. He walked around in front of her, and she looked away, but didn't make any move to leave.

"We have unfinished business," John said ominously. "You deliberately led us into a dangerous situation, and you must have known full well we wouldn't have agreed to help you wipe out the Fulmanax, because everything you told us about the mission was a lie. Not only that, but it was you that provoked the nest, and stirred up that whole shitstorm. One of my crew ended up getting seriously wounded because of it. What have you got to say for yourself?"

Irillith glanced up at him fearfully, but something she saw in his expression made her stare at him more closely. Emboldened, she straightened her posture and said haughtily, "I said if you did that task for me, I'd bring you to meet my mother, and here we are." She then glanced Alyssa's way and smirked as she said, "Besides, she looks fine to me, so what's the problem? Everyone got what they wanted."

Alyssa stepped up to John's side, and asked, "What about the Fulmanax? What did they do to deserve being wiped out?"

"They were an obstacle in my way," Irillith said coldly. "Now, if we're done wasting time, I'll take you to meet my mother. She doesn't take kindly to being kept waiting."

*Committing genocide doesn't bother her in the slightest,* John thought to Alyssa angrily.

*She really doesn't give a fuck,* Alyssa agreed sombrely.

Not waiting for an answer, Irillith sidestepped them and strode away at a brisk pace. John and Alyssa shared a glance, and then followed after the beautiful blue-skinned alien woman, walking quickly to catch up with her. She led them out of the docking bay at a fast walk, her posture proud and erect as she glided ahead of them. Her long dress was a light cream colour, and hugged her shapely figure, as well as revealed tantalising glimpses of light blue flesh. John couldn't help admiring her lovely body as they kept pace with her, and when he glanced Alyssa's way, she grinned at him in amusement.

The docking bays at the spaceport seemed to be fairly quiet, with only a couple of armoured guards standing at their posts. Unlike the ones at Geniya Space Station, who had ignored John and the girls completely, the ones here on the Maliri planet watched them intently. When John followed Irillith out into the main terminal complex, they saw several unarmoured Maliri women, who stopped what they were doing, and stared at John and Alyssa in open-mouthed amazement.

*The locals definitely aren't used to seeing strangers,* John noted.

Alyssa nodded slightly and replied, *That's what it looks like. Maybe we really are the first non-Maliri to visit here.*

They left the terminal, and Irillith led them towards some kind of market square. An open air market was in full swing, with traders selling stands full of exotic looking fruits, vegetables, meats and fish. There were many more Maliri women here, who all stopped to gape at them, as John and Alyssa hurried after their uncommunicative guide.

John darted a few glances at the Maliri women as they passed them by, and they all seemed to be of a broadly similar physical appearance; fairly tall compared to a Terran woman, with slim and graceful figures. They all wore their dark hair cut short, and long figure-hugging dresses seemed to be the current trend for Maliri fashion in the city. There were a few young children accompanying their mothers around the market, and the group of little girls and a couple of small boys stopped the games they were playing, to watch the strange Terran tourists excitedly.

Irillith seemed to be in no mood to stop and chat, or point out the sights, and she strolled briskly straight across the market area, making a beeline for a flowing golden tower. She rushed them into a lobby area, startling a few Maliri women as she breezed past them. Irillith showed some kind of metallic disc to a beautiful blue-skinned woman behind a desk, and she ushered them through.

"Thank you," John said to the woman politely. He flashed her a warm smile, and she looked surprised, then smiled back at him warily.

*They are hot, I'll give them that,* Alyssa noted dryly. *What do you think? Want one for the collection?*

John glanced at her with a smile on his lips, and trying not to laugh, he replied, *I think you might have a job convincing one of them to sign up with the Mael'nerak.*

They followed Irillith into a small bright room, and a clear crystal door rotated down from the ceiling. The floor flashed for a moment, and then began to descend, and John smiled as he realised it was an elevator. The room stopped a moment later, and the moment the door spun upwards, Irillith darted out. John realised they were in some kind of underground parking facility, which had the capacity for a huge number of vehicles, but was only about a quarter full. Their ill-tempered Maliri guide pressed the disc in her hand, and a glowing line lit up on the ceiling, which led directly to her vehicle. Irillith strode over to the bright red sporty looking hover-car purposefully, and the bubble canopy opened smoothly and quietly.

"Get in," she told them brusquely, and she climbed into the vehicle, sitting in the front behind a semicircular steering wheel.

They climbed into the seats at the back of the vehicle, and Irillith lowered the crystal canopy once they were safely inside. Seconds later, they glided swiftly and silently away, racing up a ramp towards the exit. Irillith seemed to like driving at speed, and they shot out of the parking facility, and onto one of the broad roads. She seemed to know exactly where she was going, and took a number of rapid turns, taking them away from the Spaceport.

John and Alyssa watched silently out the windows, looking at the Maliri as they went about their business. Now that the blue-skinned women weren't aware of their exotic visitors, it gave the two of them an opportunity to see what the Maliri were normally up to.

*I haven't seen a fat, skinny, or ugly Maliri yet,* Alyssa marvelled. *The genetic modifications that Rachel mentioned must have been pretty comprehensive.*

John nodded, having noticed no end of very attractive blue-skinned alien women himself, but something was nagging at him. *Have you noticed the way they walk?* he asked Alyssa pointedly.

She turned and frowned at him, then replied *The way they walk? What do you mean?*

He noticed a group of three Maliri women walking past them on the sidewalk and said, *See those three over there? They move like they're hunting someone. Constantly wary, looking out for danger.*

Alyssa nodded, seeing what he meant and replied, *Yes, or like they're being hunted...*

They drove along silently for a while longer, admiring the light and airy architecture of the city. Suddenly the piercing sound of an agonised scream reached them, even inside the moving vehicle. John and Alyssa exchanged startled glances, but when they heard the blood-curdling shriek a second time, they scanned to the left of the hover-car where the horrible noise had originated from. A third heart wrenching cry filled the air, and they both spotted the source at the same instant.

A Maliri woman was lashed to a golden metallic device that looked like some kind of stocks. Behind her, another blue-skinned woman raised back her arm, unravelling a long, flickering coil of a whip. She brought it down on the restrained woman's exposed back, and the prisoner contorted in agony, screaming out with the pain. A small crowd of Maliri women watched disinterestedly, but no one seemed to particularly care, let alone raise a finger to stop it.

"Irillith!" John exclaimed sharply. "That woman's being tortured! What could she have possibly done to deserve that?" he asked disapprovingly.

His firm tone snapped her out of her distracted reverie, and she glanced to the left, looking up at a digital banner that sported several Maliri sigils. She chuckled with amusement, and said, "She got caught stealing data from a government official, so she's serving fifty lashes with a neural whip."

John looked disquieted and said, "You have public floggings for theft?"

Irillith snorted with laughter and shook her head, "No, of course not! The fool's being whipped by her instructor, for being clumsy enough to get caught."

This proclamation was met with shocked surprise by John and Alyssa. After a long moment, he asked her perceptively, "Have you ever received a similar punishment?"

The blue-skinned woman nodded, shrugging offhandedly as she replied, "Yes a couple of times, but I never made the same mistake again."

He glanced over at Alyssa, who looked back at him grimly as her sombre thoughts formed in his mind, *I'm starting to see how Irillith grew into the charming woman she is today.*

They drove onwards, with the woman's intermittent screams receding behind them. Further sightseeing seemed to have lost its appeal, so Alyssa reached out her hand, to slip it into John's and squeezed his fingers gently. He glanced her way, and smiled at her reassuringly, and she returned the look.

It took another five minutes of driving in the fast and responsive hover-car to reach the palace. It was an imposing structure, set upon a small hill, that meant it overlooked the rest of the entirely flat city. The palace itself was tall and majestic, the design full of imposing arches, and flowing, graceful lines. It was surrounded by a defensive wall, the perimeter manned by dozens of guards in the small section around the main gate. The long weapon barrels of defensive laser emplacements were evenly placed around the wall, with clear crystal cupolas for the guards manning the gun turrets.

Irillith drove up to the main entrance, that led under an arched gatehouse. She slowed the sporty hover-car to a halt, and one of the Maliri guards walked over to meet her. The guard seemed to recognise her instantly, and with a quick nod, waved them through. Irillith drove them around the back of the huge palace, and then turned abruptly and raced down a ramp leading to an underground parking facility. She found a parking spot near the elevators, and swung the vehicle into position and came to an abrupt halt, with the practiced ease of someone who had performed that same manoeuvre hundreds of times.

Without a word she opened the canopy and climbed out, and then strode away to the gilded entrances to the elevators. The golden armoured guards there nodded to her respectfully when she stopped by the open crystal door, but Irillith ignored them, and bridled with impatience as she waited for John and Alyssa to catch up.

*The sooner we can ditch our lovely guide the better,* Alyssa said, narrowing her eyes as she glanced at the Maliri woman.

John deliberately slowed his pace, as he walked with Alyssa over to the elevator, and said, *Hopefully, we only have to put up with her for a few minutes longer, but I'm getting tired of being rushed around.*

Irillith ground her teeth with anger, and stormed into the elevator, tapping her foot while they took their time about walking in after her, nodding to the guards courteously. The crystal door spun down and the elevator started to rise, ascending silently through several levels. When the door opened upwards again, they followed closely behind Irillith as she walked out without pause, and they found themselves in a broad hallway that led to a large foyer area.

Unlike the rest of the city, which seemed fairly sparsely populated, the palace complex seemed to be bustling. There were dozens of Maliri women here, going about their business in the high vaulted hallway, and the sounds of numerous animated conversations filled the air. In-between the fluted columns that lined the hallway, long banners hung from the ceiling, showing a heart insignia covered by two crossed blades.

When they emerged from the elevator without warning, a Maliri woman took a detour to avoid walking into them. She suddenly let out a shocked gasp when she saw the aliens in their midst, and she dropped the holographic scheduling device she had been holding in her hand. It clattered to the floor loudly, drawing glances from the dozens of other Maliri walking through the hallway, and the sound of startled intakes of breath flowed across the room like a gust of wind.

There was deathly silence through the room, and Irillith turned to the other two and said impatiently, "Hurry up, we're nearly there."

They sauntered across the hallway after her, watched by dozens of sets of eyes, and Alyssa thought to John, *This is creeping me out! They're all staring at us like we're three headed-monsters or something.*

John thought back to her, *If the men run the border stations, then most of these women have probably never seen anyone from a different species before. Having us just pitch up on their homeworld must be a hell of a shock.*

*I think the sooner we're done with the Maliri, the better,* Alyssa replied adamantly.

He glanced her way and nodded imperceptibly. *Don't worry, we'll be on our way as soon as we can,* he said firmly.

They approached a reception desk at the end of the long hall, that guarded the entrance to a series of elevators in a courtyard beyond. The staff at the reception desk glanced at Irillith's stormy expression, and waved them through without pause, while watching the Terrans with fascination. Irillith led them into another elevator, which rose up through a dozen more levels, before the door opened to reveal a small, well furnished waiting area. Lilting music played through the room, and a slim and beautiful Maliri woman sat behind a desk and watched them warily.

John immediately noticed that there were several turreted weapons in the room, all pointing towards the door of the elevator. Irillith didn't seem concerned in the slightest, and she breezed past the woman at the desk, and strode through some big double doors on the other side of the room.

He followed after her, eyeing the long-barrelled elegant looking weapons, and thought to his blonde companion, *Dana would have a field day with those.*

Alyssa seemed relieved as she replied, *I don't think our secret agent would be too effective here. Her special powers of persuasion only seem to work on the Maliri men. I'm just glad she's safely back on the ship.*

On the other side was a small plaza area, with a clear crystal dome overhead letting in the bright light from the bluish-white sun. Irillith led them across the small park in the centre, complete with manicured lawns and delicate fountains, and towards their destination. All around this plaza were ornate entrances, to what must have been important locations, because the large doorways were all flanked by vigilant armoured guards.

The imposing looking entrance directly opposite the way they came in, was much grander than the rest, with the insignia of House Valaden embossed on the twenty-foot high doors. "These are my mother's private quarters," Irillith told them brusquely, and she walked inside ignoring the guards.

John and Alyssa shared a glance, feeling a strange mixture of curiosity and wariness, as they followed Irillith into the suite beyond. After a short entrance hallway, was a large square room, covered by a clear crystal dome. A broad path led around the edge of the room, and in the centre, down a couple of steps, were a number of chaise lounge style chairs clustered together around a low table.

Standing beside one of the chairs was a beautiful, elegant woman, who bore more than a striking resemblance to Irillith. She was wearing a long purple gown, that clung alluringly to her shapely figure, and she wore a delicate diadem atop her head of short, dark hair. She looked up as they walked down the steps to approach her, and she smiled at them warmly in welcome.

Irillith turned to John and said, "May I introduce my mother, Matriarch Edraele Valaden."

"You must be Commodore John Blake," the woman said pleasantly. "My daughter has told me so much about you. It's wonderful to meet you at last."

This beautiful, friendly woman was nothing like the kind of person that John had anticipated meeting, not after Ceraden's dire warnings. If he had to guess Edraele's age on appearance alone, he would have said she looked to be early thirties if she were a Terran woman, but knowing how long-lived the Maliri were, he realised she must have been much older. She shared the same delicate features and angular eyes of all the Maliri he had met, and her purple eyes were a touch darker in colour than Irillith's.

He smiled back at her, and said, "Thank you for agreeing to meet with us. I greatly appreciate your invitation to your homeworld, and the opportunity to trade with your people." He turned to look at Alyssa and said, "This is Alyssa Marant, my second-in-command."

"Welcome to my home, both of you," Edraele said, flashing them a brilliant smile that lit up her face. She then turned towards Irillith and requested politely, "Irillith, please would you bring us some refreshments?"

Irillith had been watching her mother in shock at her totally uncharacteristic behaviour, but she quickly got herself under control. "Yes mother, at once," she replied obediently, before turning and leaving through a side door.

Edraele gestured to one of the chaise lounges and said, "Please sit, both of you."

John and Alyssa sat down on the curved backed double-seat, and John said politely, "This planet is very beautiful. You must be proud of the cities your people have built, the way they merge seamlessly with the parks, and the spacious nature of all the architecture."

Edraele inclined her head as she acknowledged his compliment, and said, "I have never ventured beyond my house's systems, so I freely admit I am not well-versed in Terran architecture and design. I thank you for your kind words however."

"The other three habitable worlds in this system look like wonderful places to live too!" Alyssa gushed chirpily. "Were they recently terraformed? They look pristine!"

Edraele glanced over at Alyssa appraisingly, and replied with a smile, "No, they have always been that way. House Valaden has been very fortunate to have four such planets within our home system, and we endeavour to take great care of the worlds in our possession."

John nodded his understanding, then asked cautiously, "Did Irillith explain why I wanted to meet with you?"

Edraele nodded, and smiled benevolently as she replied, "She said that you had expressed an interest in purchasing Maliri weaponry. I'm sure you've been made aware that trading such powerful ship armaments to non-Maliri is a capital crime amongst my people?"

He nodded and said, "Yes, we have been told this. However, we've also been told that the Matriarchs form the ruling body of the Maliri, and that you're the most powerful of them all. It's been suggested that you have sufficient authority to make an exception in this case."

Edraele smiled, and her lovely musical laughter echoed around the room. "The way you say it, is as though I would be making an exception for some poor starving child caught stealing a loaf of bread for his meal," she said with amusement.

"Is that what I am? A poor starving child stealing the Maliri's bread?" John said with a wry smile.

She frowned and shook her head as she said apologetically, "I'm sorry if I caused any offence, that was never my intent. I merely wished to provide a metaphor, but it seems my choice of wording was ill-judged."

John shrugged and said, "Don't worry about it, I wasn't offended. So making an exception, and letting us acquire samples of your ship weaponry is a big deal. I can understand that. Under what circumstances would you be able to make an exception?"

Edraele smiled at him, and studied him carefully for a moment. She was about to reply, when Irillith walked back into the room with a tray floating behind her. It held several glasses, and an ornate decanter, filled with a rich purple-coloured liquid. She walked down the steps to join them, and then brought the tray down to float silently between them.

"Thank you, Irillith," Edraele said, smiling at her warmly, and she reached out to pour some of the purple liquid into the glasses, then carefully placed the decanter on the table beside her.

She saw John and Alyssa watching her somewhat warily, and she smiled as she picked up one of the glasses and took a small sip. She closed her eyes and sighed contentedly, before opening them and saying, "This is a rare vintage of Tialanth wine that is made here on Valaden. It should be quite safe for you to drink, if you're feeling thirsty."

John took one of the glasses and inhaled the fragrance experimentally. It had the aroma of some luscious summer fruit, and he was tempted to take a drink, but Ceraden's warnings echoed in his mind, and he moved to place the glass back on the tray.

Edraele watched his trepidation with amusement and said, "I have no desire to see you harmed. On the contrary, I wish to see you in the best of health. You asked what the circumstances might be in which I would make an exception. I would be willing to do so, if you were to perform a task for me."

John frowned, and looked annoyed as he said, "I think I've had my fill of tasks for the moment. I didn't appreciate being tricked into helping wipe out the Fulmanax."

Edraele looked at him with a shocked expression, genuine confusion in her eyes, as she asked, "I hadn't heard about this. What happened?"

John considered himself a reasonable judge of character, and in his estimation, the Maliri Matriarch was either telling the truth, or she was the most accomplished liar he had ever met. He paused for a moment before he replied, "Irillith told us that to meet you, we needed to complete a task for her. We were supposed to be helping her place a sonic device in the Fulmanax nest, which would scare them away, and allow us to retrieve data from a research facility. There was no facility, and the sonic device was a bomb that incinerated them all."

Edraele leaned forward and said sincerely, "I promise you, I had no involvement in this. I would never have sanctioned genocide!" She then turned to look at Irillith, and said sternly, "We need to discuss this later. I want to find out who gave you these orders, and if this was you acting alone, there will be consequences."

Irillith was standing behind John and Alyssa, so they didn't see her stare at her mother at open-mouthed shock. She managed to smother her strangled protest, and stood there fuming.

Alyssa's voice sounded impressed as her thoughts appeared in John's mind, *I'd believe every word Edraele says if it wasn't for Ceraden's warning.*

John glanced at her and replied, *She's incredibly convincing. Is there any chance she could be telling the truth, and Ceraden was the one lying to us?*

*He's your friend, so only you can make that call,* Alyssa replied apologetically. *I'm more inclined to believe him though, for what it's worth.*

John glanced at Edraele, who sat watching him, her face full of concern. As a show of good faith, he took a tentative sip of the wine, and found it to be quite delicious. She smiled at him, and nodded in gratitude for the trust he was placing with her. Gazing into the Maliri Matriarch's eyes, he tried to get the measure of the woman, and all he could see there was openness. He marvelled at her guile, if she was every bit the woman Ceraden had described.

Making a decision, he asked, "Alright, what do you need us to do?"

Edraele smiled at him and replied, "I require your assistance with a delicate matter. Some months ago, I made a deal with the Trankaran Ambassador, via agents working for me on Geniya Space Station. I paid him handsomely for schematics on the Trankaran engine technology, but he reneged on the deal after taking the initial down payment of half-a-billion credits.

My sources tell me that there is some... trouble, in Trankaran Space at the moment, so it's possible that the Ambassador has fallen foul of some mishap, rather than deliberately attempting to rob me. In any case, he has disappeared without a trace, along with my money."

John studied her curiously for a moment before saying, "So you want me to find the Ambassador and get your money back?"

She shook her head, saying, "In all honesty, I'm not interested in credits. My House is very wealthy, so I would not have sold you Maliri laser weapon technology regardless of how much money you offered. Favours on the other hand, can be priceless. For reasons that should be quite apparent, I am unwilling to send a Maliri vessel across Terran Space, just to investigate what happened with the Trankarans. I therefore want you to acquire their engine technology instead, and return it to me here at Valaden. If you do so, I will refit your ship with Maliri weaponry at no charge."

John raised an eyebrow and said in surprise, "You'll upgrade all my laser weapons for free?"

Edraele nodded firmly. "You have my word. My shipyards will perform a complete refit. If you wish to make use of the Trankaran engine technology for your own ship as well, consider that an additional benefit of the mission. You might have to pay the difference on the original transaction, the remaining balance of which is four hundred million credits. I don't care how you acquire the schematics however, so if you can acquire them by other means, that is your prerogative. There are a few caveats however."

Looking at her warily, John asked, "Such as?"

She looked him in the eye and said sternly, "You must not, under any circumstances, allow Maliri weapon tech to fall into the hands of the Terran Federation or any other species. I know what you are, Mael'nerak, and know your kind jealously guard their technology like no other, so this should be no hardship for you."

John leaned forward in his seat and said warily, "You say you know of my kind. What do you know exactly?"

Edraele smiled at him coyly and said, "We will have plenty of time for such discussions when you successfully return from the Trankarans, and your ship is being refitted. I promise that I will tell you at length, about anything you wish to know of the Maliri, and everything we know of your kind, Mael'nerak. For the moment however, I will need your sworn vow that you will not let others acquire our weaponry."

John nodded and said solemnly, "That seems reasonable. I therefore swear that I will keep your laser technology for my personal use only."

Satisfied with his sincerity, she smiled at him approvingly, then said, "My second condition to this deal, is that I wish to send an observer with you. As proof of my commitment to this transaction, I will send my only daughter, Irillith, to accompany you and assist with the retrieval."

"Now hold on a minu-" John began, balking at the idea.

He was abruptly cut off by Irillith's shocked gasp, before she cried out in horror, "You can't be serious, Mother! I won't do it!" She whirled and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

Edraele smiled at him apologetically, and said, "As you are no doubt aware, Irillith can be a little high spirited. She is extremely gifted at hacking however, one of our best and brightest. She will prove to be a valuable asset in tracking down, and acquiring the Trankaran engine technology. Simply having her hack a Trankaran data node will provide you many answers, unless you already have someone aboard your vessel with that skillset?"

John shot a worried glance in Alyssa's direction, and she looked equally perturbed as she stared back at him.

*I've got a bad feeling about this,* Alyssa said ominously, her thoughts echoing in his mind.

*You and me both,* he agreed vehemently.

He turned to look at the Maliri Matriarch, and said apologetically, "I'm sorry Edraele, I just can't agree to this. Irillith has bad blood with us already, so sending her with us is going to cause no end of friction. There must be someone else you could send in her place?"

She shook her head sadly, and said, "I'm afraid I have to insist that it be her. As a direct blood relative, she is the only one I can trust wholeheartedly, to complete this mission and not betray me."

Alyssa took the opportunity of the brief lull in the conversation to say, "Judging by her reaction, Irillith didn't seem overjoyed at the thought of coming with us. She might not agree, whatever we decide."

Edraele shook her head gently and smiled as she said confidently, "Irillith will do what is best for her House. I'm certain I will have no trouble convincing her to accompany you. I am not unsympathetic to your objections however, so I wish to give you this," and she produced a small black cylindrical object. She reached out and placed it on the table in front of John. "View that at your own leisure. I promise it will make her more cooperative."

John looked worried and he said, "I would like to discuss this with Alyssa. Would you give me a few minutes to make this decision, please?"

Edraele nodded courteously and said, "Please feel free to remain here. I will return in ten minutes."

She rose from her chair gracefully, and glided over to a set of doors on the far side of the room. The doors swung open for her as she approached, and she turned and smiled warmly at them before she left the room.

John turned to face Alyssa, and could immediately see the deeply troubled expression on her face. "So, what do you think?" he asked her jovially. *We probably ought to maintain the appearance we're discussing this verbally,* he added telepathically.

She looked back at him, and said amiably, "It's certainly a lot to think about." She then added, *Having Irillith aboard the Invictus for weeks? That's not going to end well.*

They maintained innocuous light hearted discussion for the sake of appearances, knowing full-well that they were bound to be monitored by security cameras and audio sensors. Meanwhile the actual discussion was conducted telepathically.

*Have you kept the girls updated?* John asked her.

She nodded, and replied, *Of course. I've been giving them all a running commentary of what's been going on. I haven't made the bond with Rachel yet, so she's been passing on her thoughts and replies to the other girls for me.*

He watched her expression as he asked, *So what's their verdict?*

Alyssa smiled at him and replied, *Dana says, and I quote, 'I don't want that crazy bitch on my ship!' She seems to have quite strong views on the matter.*

John returned her smile, then asked, *What about the others?*

Alyssa looked thoughtful, and replied, *Calara doesn't like the idea. She's angry at Irillith, because I got hurt going up against the Fulmanax. Rachel thinks we should accept, though, which caused a heated discussion with Dana.*

*Does she?* John asked in surprise, *Why's that?*

Alyssa replied carefully, *Because with Irillith aboard our ship, she thinks getting hold of a female Maliri DNA sample will be very easy. She thinks that will tell her a lot more about the Progenitor modifications to their species, and she's eager to find out what she can. She also mentioned that with Irillith being Edraele's daughter, she will probably share the 'Eldritch bloodline' that Ceraden mentioned. She might be able to find out more about Maliri psychic abilities.*

John frowned as he thought back on all his interactions with the caustic Maliri woman, and said, *I don't remember seeing Irillith using any psychic powers.*

Alyssa paused for a few seconds, looking away into the distance, before replying, *Rachel says, 'It's possible her abilities haven't manifested themselves yet, or that the Eldritch bloodline might have skipped a generation'.* The blonde girl then raised an eyebrow and added, *Irillith also might have been making an effort to keep them hidden from us.*

John thought this over for a while, but eventually came to the conclusion that he had no way of knowing one way or another, not with this little information to go on. *Alright then, how about Jade?* he asked her.

*Surprisingly, she's all for it. She thinks that one way or another, having Irillith aboard is bound to reveal more about what the Maliri know about the Progenitors. She hopes that they might know more about Nymphs too, but she's mainly focused on helping you find out the answers you're looking for,* she replied with an affectionate smile.

John smiled himself, touched at Jade's dedication, and then looked over at Alyssa. He stared into her bright cerulean eyes, and said, *So that's two for, and two against. What about you?*

She took a deep breath and replied, *I think it's a risky move. We treat the Invictus as our home, with everyone completely uninhibited, and free to do whatever they like. Suddenly introducing an outsider to that is going to cause... complications. We're all going to have to be a lot more guarded and reserved, which is going to be uncomfortable.

Irillith is also extremely unpleasant, so I can see that causing all sorts of problems too. She's also scared of you, and scared people can be unpredictable and dangerous. Just to give you fair warning, I'll take steps if she puts you in danger.*

John was shocked at her tone, and saw a steely determination in Alyssa's expression that he'd never seen before. *What are you saying exactly?* he asked her cautiously.

Alyssa's eyes narrowed and she replied, *I won't let anyone harm my family. I'll do whatever needs to be done to protect all of you.*

Looking at her in surprise, he nodded as he said tentatively, *That sounds like a strong 'No' to me.*

She tilted her head and studied him for a moment before replying, *Actually, I think Jade and Rachel make more convincing arguments, as Dana and Calara are just reacting out of anger. There's still a lot we could learn from Irillith even without her help. Then if we make the unlikely assumption that Edraele isn't lying, we could potentially upgrade our weapons for free, and get our engines upgraded cheaply, or for free as well. It's a big gamble, but potentially there's a huge payoff.*

John nodded and said, *And we're going to Trankaran Space next anyway.* He paused before he continued, *Even that seems oddly coincidental, though. Going by experience, coincidences tend to turn out to be anything but.*

Alyssa nodded, and shrugged helplessly, agreeing with him, but unable to offer any other insight.

*Can you warn Dana to take steps to make the Invictus more secure,* John said firmly. *We don't want Irillith snooping around and stealing all the tech we've acquired.*

*Of course,* Alyssa agreed. *I'll have her start on it immediately.*

Edraele re-entered the room, and smiled at them as she asked, "Do you need more time to discuss this, or have you made your decision?"

Alyssa and John rose from their chair, and he replied, "I've decided to accept your offer. We'll acquire the Trankaran engine schematics for you, in exchange for the weapon upgrades on the ship."

She beamed a bright smile at him, and glided down the steps to join them. "Wonderful!" she exclaimed joyfully. "I promise you won't regret this decision, and I look forward to us both benefiting from working together like this."

Edraele held out her slender blue hand, and he shook it to seal their agreement, feeling a firm strength in her handshake. They looked into one another's eyes, and nodded as they reached an understanding, before finally releasing each other's hands.

"Our guide over here seems to have stormed off," he said wryly. "Would you be able to provide transportation back to the Spaceport for us?"

Edraele smiled, and replied, "I'm sorry for the way my daughter reacted, and for the trouble she's put you through already. I've already sent for someone to escort you back to your ship, and Irillith will meet you there shortly. I'll speak to her beforehand and make sure she won't cause you any trouble on your journey."

"Thank you," John replied succinctly. "I'll keep her safe while she's aboard my ship."

The Maliri Matriarch smiled at him gratefully, then walked over to the table with the ornate decanter, filled with the purple coloured wine. "Your driver should be here momentarily," she informed them, and then gestured towards the decanter, "But please feel free to help yourself to more wine while you wait."

John looked thoughtful for a moment and said, "There was one other thing I wanted to ask about. I was curious about provisioning my ship with some Maliri food supplies. We tried your people's cuisine on Geniya Space Station, and really enjoyed it."

Edraele smiled and listened attentively, but as they stood there making polite conversation, Alyssa felt a strange throbbing sensation behind her eyes. She closed them, and brought up a hand to rub at the bridge of her nose, fearing the onset of a nasty headache. When she opened her bright blue eyes once more, she was astonished when she saw a bright, glowing aura emanating from the blue-skinned woman.

To her amazement, a ghostly image of the Maliri Matriarch seemed to separate from her body, and glided purposefully towards them. Alyssa watched the image in fascination, and saw Edraele's incorporeal form drift over to John's side, while a glowing, wavering white thread tethered her back to her physical form. The blonde girl did a double-take when she glanced at her lover, as he seemed to be wearing a brightly gleaming golden crown on his head.

Edraele's shimmering form walked around John, staring up at the crown intently, and she appeared to be scrutinising every inch of it as she circled him. She reached up tentatively, and her ethereal fingers brushed over the surface of the crown, tracing mysterious patterns as she seemed to be searching for something.

Alyssa felt a strange instinctive surge within herself, and she focused on that feeling, drawing it out. She experienced a bizarre tugging sensation, and lurching forward, stumbled a couple of steps as she was caught momentarily off-balance. When she turned to look back, she was stunned to see her own face staring right back at her. She raised a tentative hand, reaching out to touch her body, and to her astonishment, she could see right through her eerily transparent fingers. She gaped as she looked down at the ghostly spirit-form she now found herself in, and noticed the same white tether linking herself back to her body.

Once she had recovered from the initial shock, she turned her attention back to Edraele again, who was looking increasingly frustrated as she continued examining John's resplendent glowing crown. Alyssa walked over to the Maliri woman's incorporeal form, and reached out herself, curious to see if she could touch the ghostly apparition. When her finger's brushed Edraele's shoulder, there was a bright spark that tingled on her fingertips, with a sensation much like static electricity.

Edraele was suddenly and instantly aware of Alyssa's presence, and she glanced in her direction, looking her up and down as if sizing up an opponent. She grimaced with annoyance, then turned back towards her examination of John, ignoring the inquisitive blonde girl once more.

With that initial touch and spark, Alyssa now instinctively knew what Edraele was trying to do in her spirit form. She was probing John's mind-shield for cracks and weaknesses. Alyssa's eyes widened in alarm, and she reached out her hand again, intending to pull the Maliri woman away from him. Her ghostly fingers connected with Edraele's shoulder, and she tugged, attempting to turn her.

Edraele snarled with anger, and whirled to face Alyssa, infuriated that this Terran girl kept interrupting her efforts to break the Mael'nerak's mental shield. Edraele's eyes glowed a bright purple, and before Alyssa knew what hit her, she felt a stinging smack across her face, that sent her reeling backwards and sprawling to the floor. The Maliri Matriarch sneered at her in contempt, and then turned her attention back to John, dismissing the Terran girl as inconsequential.

Alyssa felt white hot anger surging within her, pooling in her stomach, and then throbbing as it pulsed outwards, running down her arms to her hands. The lights in the room flickered and dimmed as she rose smoothly to her feet, her fingers shrouded in a brilliant nimbus of power. She stalked towards Edraele with a murderous rage building within her, and crackling surges of psychic energy cascaded down her arms to gather at her fingertips. This woman was attempting to break into John's mind, and now she dared to strike at her?! It was time for her to pay for her presumption.

Edraele felt a cold surge of dread creeping up her spine, and her every sense screamed at her that she was in mortal danger. She slowly turned, a look of creeping horror on her face as she did so. She could saw vast amounts of power roiling around the Terran woman's hands, and she stared at Alyssa with terrified eyes. Seconds away from oblivion, she did the only thing she could think of to escape from this terrifying nightmare masquerading as a naive little girl. Despite knowing the risks, she acted in pure desperation, and blasted out a psychic null-zone centred on herself.

The Maliri Matriarch was snapped back into the protective embrace of her body, her spirit form slamming into her physical form in a split-second. She staggered back a step, and clutched at her head as waves of agony stabbed into her mind. Despite her decades of psionic activity, she had never had to abruptly sever a spirit walk before, and she reeled with the incredible pain and disorientation.

John had just finished asking Edraele about possibly acquiring some Maliri food to restock the Invictus, and she appeared to be mulling over his request, nodding distractedly. The lights in the room suddenly flickered and dimmed, and he glanced about, amazed that the Maliri would be experiencing any kind of power outage. A few seconds later, the Maliri Matriarch lurched back a step, her face contorted in agony, her hands reaching for her head as though she were suffering a terrible migraine.

"Are you alri-," he started to ask in concern, just as Alyssa suddenly let out a strangled cry.

He whirled to face her, and just managed to catch her as she toppled over, her eyes rolled back in her head. "Alyssa!" he called out to her urgently, scooping her up in his arms, but he could see she was unconscious.

John looked up at Edraele suspiciously, anger surging within him, but one look at her left him shocked. Her face was distorted in a dreadful mask of pain, and she staggered from the room, almost falling as she lurched away. He looked down at Alyssa with concern, who was completely comatose, her head lolling against his chest where he carried her in his arms.

As he tried to decide what to do, the door behind them opened, and a slender Maliri woman entered the room. She looked at him with wide eyes for a moment, before controlling herself and nodding to him politely.

"Matriarch Valaden sent for me to escort you back to your ship," she said politely, looking curiously at the blonde girl he was carrying.

John tried to calm himself, and he smiled at the Maliri woman, then said off-handedly, "A little too much Tialanth wine for my friend here. We're ready to head back to our ship."

The Maliri nodded, then turned and walked back out of the door she had just come through. John followed after her, while glancing down at Alyssa with worry.

***

Edraele staggered back to her bedroom, and collapsed on her bed, fumbling blindly for the medication that she kept by her bedside. She pressed the dispenser to her temple, then clicked the button, and almost instantly the familiar soothing waves of pain-relief cascaded over her. She lay perfectly still, not wanting to move a muscle until the medication had run its course. Finally the throbbing pain in her head abated, and she winced as she sat up, able to think once more.

Her mother had warned her about what could happen if a spirit walk was ended like that, and like a fool, she had rolled her eyes at the words of caution. She had immediately been punished at length for her disrespectful gesture, but it seemed her mother's predictions of searing pain had not been overstated in the slightest. Still, that had been the only course available to her at the time, with agony being far preferable to obliteration.

She shivered as she recalled the sheer amount of raw power that girl had commanded, feeling real fear for the first time in more decades than she cared to count. Edraele thought back to Irillith's desperate words of caution, and with disturbing clarity, now began to realise just what might have frightened her daughter so badly. Still, there were much more important things at stake now, and after that little encounter she was more resolved than ever.

Taking a deep breath, Edraele climbed off the bed and walked out of the room and into her study. She sat in the large chair behind her desk, and leaned over to press a button on the comm interface, contacting her daughter.

"Irillith, I want to see you in my study. Now," she demanded, in a tone that promised dire consequences for refusal.

Edraele ended the call before Irillith could reply, and leaned back in her chair, turning it to stare distractedly out the window. For the first time in well over a century, she felt a slight pang of regret over her actions. If she hadn't had Tashana banished, she might have been able to offer some valuable insight into this current predicament. The fleeting feeling disappeared as quickly as it had arrived, and she turned to face the door with grim resolve. She could hear Irillith approaching her study, and it was now time to impress upon her daughter the consequences of not obeying her will on this matter. The door swung open slowly, and Irillith stepped fearfully into the room.

"Good, you're here at last," Edraele said ominously, with a sinister smile. "We need to discuss how you will obey my will on this matter, or experience more pain than you ever thought possible..."

***

As journeys usually do, the trip back home to the Invictus seemed to be much faster than the ride to the palace. The Maliri guide stopped her hover-car right outside the Spaceport terminal, just as John had requested. He gathered Alyssa in his arms, and carried her with him as he climbed out of the vehicle, thanking the blue-skinned woman as he departed.

Alyssa was still unresponsive, so he lifted his left arm, while being careful not to disturb her, and nudged the comm button on his watch with his nose. A hologram of Calara's face appeared at an odd angle, perpendicular to him while he walked with Alyssa in his arms.

"John? What's happening?" she asked him in alarm. "Our link with Alyssa was cut off abruptly."

"I'm nearly back at the ship," he replied quietly. "I don't know what happened, but Alyssa is unconscious."

He could see her concerned face looking around for him, but she nodded and said, "Get back as fast as you can!"

John walked briskly past the Maliri guards, and their helmets turned to follow him as he hurried along. A minute later he entered the docking bay that housed the Invictus, and he sighed with relief when he saw the familiar shape of the assault cruiser before him. The airlock door was already open, and he spotted concerned faces looking his way as he jogged over the last hundred metres to join them.

As soon as he was inside, Calara placed her hand on the DNA reader and closed the airlock door, which spiralled shut behind him. "What happened this time?" The Latina asked worriedly.

"I'm not sure." John replied in frustration. "Something happened to Alyssa and Edraele at the same time."

The other girls were all gathered them too, and Rachel stepped forward with the Medi-scanner in hand. She held it near to Alyssa's head and checked her vital signs, but the information she received back looked promising.

"There's no sign of physical trauma," Rachel told him with relief.

John nodded behind them and said, "Let's put her to bed. Jade, I think we'll need your help again."

***

Alyssa began to stir again only a few seconds after Jade's feeding fingers did their work. The Nymph quickly withdrew them as the blonde girl's eyelids began to flutter open, and as soon as they had cleared her lips, Alyssa coughed weakly.

"Fuck me, that's one hell of a hangover," she muttered, covering both eyes with her hands, and massaging her forehead.

Jade gently scooped her up in her dark green arms, before bringing a swollen nipple to Alyssa's lips. Alyssa began to suckle hungrily, staring up into Jade's emerald cat-like eyes, while the Nymph murmured to her softly. John and the girls were seated around them on the bed, and they breathed a collective sigh of relief when Alyssa eventually sat up with Jade's help, looking much better.

"What the hell happened?" John asked her.

She crawled over to join him, and he lay back on the bed so that she could rest her head on his shoulder and cuddle up next to him. Jade slipped around behind her, and began to rub her swollen belly soothingly.

Alyssa looked back over her shoulder at the green-skinned girl, and said gratefully, "That feels lovely, thank you."

Jade smiled at her indulgently, wrapping her friend in her arms as she gently caressed her rounded stomach. The others all moved in close as well, watching Alyssa closely as they waited for her answer.

The blonde girl let out a big sigh and said, "I'm not completely sure. I'm drawing a big blank on most of it."

"What do you remember?" John pressed her cautiously.

Alyssa hesitated for a moment as she tried to put her experience into words, and then replied, "Edraele kind of turned into a ghost. It was like her spirit pulled away from her body, and then she started examining your mind-shield. I saw what she did, so I sort of copied it, and did the same thing. Trust me when I tell you that being able to look through your own hand is fucking weird!"

John waited for her to continue while she lay there recalling the memory. He finally grew impatient and asked, "What happened after that?"

"Oh, sorry," she said apologetically. "After that it gets blurry. I remember reaching out to touch Edraele, and that after that, nothing."

"Do you think she did this to you?" John asked her with a dangerous edge to his voice.

Alyssa shrugged helplessly, and said, "I've no idea. What happened after I blacked out?"

Now it was John's turn to struggle to describe events, and he said tentatively, "The lights went out for a moment, and Edraele looked like someone had driven a red-hot spike through her head, then she fled from the room. You collapsed, and I managed to catch you before you hurt yourself in the fall. The Maliri driver turned up, and she drove us back here in a hover-car. I carried you back to the ship, and Jade topped you up."

"Do you think Edraele attacked you?" Calara asked Alyssa sounding worried.

Dana grinned and said proudly, "If she did, it looks like Alyssa kicked her ass too!"

Alyssa smiled at the both, and said, "It's entirely possible. I had a hell of a headache when I woke up, but that's all gone now." She glanced back at Jade, and then John, smiling at them both with gratitude.

With not much else they could really discuss on the matter, they all sat back, glancing at each other and shrugging.

John looked around at the girls and said, "Did you all hear about my decision to accept Edraele's offer?"

They all nodded at him, although Dana pouted, looking unamused.

"Cheer up Sparks," Alyssa said to the redhead. "If Irillith is too much of a bitch, I'll space her blue ass, and then you can check out her gear."

Dana giggled and looked much more cheerful, but John shot an alarmed glance in Alyssa's direction. She winked at him mischievously, and he felt somewhat relieved.

He suddenly frowned and looked at Jade apologetically. "No luck on the Maliri food supplies I'm afraid. I did ask, I promise, but then all this happened with Alyssa and Edraele, and she ran away before she gave me an answer."

The Nymph blew him a kiss, and smiled at him warmly, letting him know she appreciated him trying. "Perhaps we can stock up when we reach Geniya Trading Post instead?" she suggested enthusiastically.

John nodded and replied, "Ceraden's mysterious 'business trip' should be over by the time we reach Geniya again, so I'd like to check in on him anyway, make sure he's okay."

"I think we owe him another drink for that warning he gave us," Alyssa said earnestly. Then she grinned impishly and said, "Besides, he's very handsome, and I'm sure you girls would like to see him in the flesh."

John laughed as the girls giggled, and they smiled at each other, feeling hugely relieved that they seemed to have weathered their way through this latest crisis. He looked around at their beautiful, smiling faces, and just felt glad to be back home on his ship; his sanctuary, where everything felt so relaxed and happy.

Abruptly a soft chime echoed around the room, one that John recognised from a week before. It was the intercom by the airlock. He sat up and answered the call, and Irillith's scowling face filled the view screen.

"I'm here. Let's get this over with," she grimaced.