There were several space-faring alien species that had tiny empires dotted along the border between the Trankaran Republic, and the Terran Federation. Port Megara was the biggest outpost along the border with Trankaran Space, and this huge Terran Federation Space Station provided a convenient place for them all to meet and trade.

Port Megara was built along the familiar vertical "stack of plates" design used by most distant Terran stations, and like the others they had visited before, the central ring was the largest by far. It housed the majority of the docking bays around its circumference, and there was a steady stream oddly shaped merchant vessels heading in and out of the station. The merchant shipping belonged to the minor space empires in this quadrant of space, and to avoid squabbles breaking out between them, the Terran Federation Navy enforced the peace with a substantial defensive fleet.

As they approached, a flashing light on Alyssa's console let her know that they were being hailed by the station. She pressed the button to accept the incoming audio call.

A slightly bored sounding military communications officer said, "Incoming cruiser, please identify yourself, and your business at Port Megara."

"This is Commodore John Blake on the Invictus, requesting clearance to land. We're visiting Doctor Dylan Fernandez," John answered the communications officer politely.

After a short pause, the comms officer replied, now much more animated, "Please proceed to Docking Bay One, Commodore! It's an honour to have you visit the station, Sir!"

Before the comms officer ended the call, they could hear excited chatter in the background. John glanced over at Alyssa, and said wryly, "Looks like they might have heard of us."

Calara was standing between them on the Command Podium, judging that it was fairly unlikely they would need her at combat stations when docking at a friendly starport. She smiled down at him, and when he held his arms open for her, she sat in his lap.

John smiled back at her and asked, "Enjoying your first taste of the Command Chair, Lieutenant?"

The Latina laughed heartily, and wriggled in his lap, as she replied, "Very much, Commodore, but there seems to be some kind of large joystick affixed to the chair."

"Ah," John replied knowingly. "You just have to slot that into a pert young Tactical Officer, and it's a much more comfortable fit."

She giggled and said, "I'll bear that in mind, thanks!"

She settled in his lap, and John encircled her in his arms as they watched Alyssa bring the Invictus in to dock. Docking Bay One was very large, but their assault cruiser was much too big to fully dock in a station of this size. Instead Alyssa pulled up alongside the station, then guided them in with careful feathering of the retro-thrusters, until the broad docking collar moulded to the Invictus' hull. Several loud clanks signified that magnetic docking clamps were now attached to their ship, locking them securely in place.

Alyssa rose gracefully from her chair, and John put his hands on Calara's waist, lifting her effortlessly off his lap. She regained her feet lithely with a smooth pirouette, and flashed him a broad smile, her dark brown eyes smouldering at his casual display of strength.

He stood up next to her, and slipped his arm around her waist, to gently stroke her lower belly through the figure hugging pencil-skirt she was wearing. He leaned down to whisper in her ear, "That's why we're going to do things differently with you and Alyssa. I know just what gets your motor running, my fiery little beauty." Hearing this, Calara breathed in sharply, her eyes flashing with excitement.

Alyssa laughed merrily and said, "Come on you two, we better get moving. At this rate you're going to want to spend the rest of the morning in bed, and Dylan's waiting for us."

They grinned at her, and nodded at the same time, then the three of them strolled down the illuminated steps of the Command Podium and into the grav-tube. When they reached Deck Nine, they stepped out of the soft red glow, and walked up to the airlock door. John placed his hand on the DNA reader, and the outer airlock door spiralled open, showing the interior of the docking bay beyond.

Calara spotted her brother waiting patiently over on the other side of the docking bay, and she ran over to join him, giving him a big hug. Normally a quiet and reserved young man, Dylan laughed happily as he returned his little sister's hug, and the two of them began to talk animatedly. Alyssa and John glanced at each other and smiled, then walked over to join the two of them.

Dylan was just over six foot, with dark hair, and the same coffee-coloured skin as his younger sibling. He turned to look through his wire-framed glasses at John and Alyssa as they approached, then hesitated for a moment, before standing at attention and saluting John.

"It's good to see you again, Commodore," he said respectfully.

John returned his salute, then stuck out his hand, and smiled at him as he said, "There's no need to stand on ceremony, Dylan. It's great to see you too."

Dylan grinned at him, and shook his hand, before darting a glance to his side as he said, "We have an audience, so I was caught a little off-guard."

John darted a look in the same direction, and saw half a dozen men in orange jumpsuits, which identified them as belonging to one of Port Megara's maintenance teams. They all jumped to attention when he looked their way, saluting him with enthusiasm. He saluted them back reflexively, then smiled at Calara's brother and said, "I would have thought it would take more than a handful of engineers to unsettle you, Dylan."

Dylan laughed then said, "That's true, but your growing fame has brought quite a few curious onlookers." He turned slightly and his eyes darted up and to the left, at the back wall of the docking bay.

John followed his gaze again, and saw a clear glass viewing gallery that ran the length of the huge hangar. The entire fifty metre long window was full of people, all eagerly staring into the docking bay to get a glimpse of the Lion of the Federation. He stepped to the side around Dylan, and looking up purposefully, he saluted his audience before giving them a friendly wave. The crowd went wild, and they could hear the muffled sounds of cheering through the reinforced glass. Calara and Alyssa moved to flank him, and waved at the crowd too, beaming sparkling smiles at them. The cheering seemed to intensify, and Dylan watched his little sister, quite bemused.

After a minute of playing to the crowd, John turned to Dylan and said, "Perhaps we could go and have a chat somewhere a bit more private?"

Dylan nodded, then led them through the broad double doors out of the docking bay, and along a corridor into the central section of Port Megara Space Station. "Brace yourselves," he warned them, when they arrived at another set of wide double doors at the end of the corridor. He pressed a button on the wall, and once the reinforced doors had whirred open with the quiet hum of servos, he led them through.

The corridor opened out into a broad plaza, which was designed in exactly the same way as that of Port Medea. There was a central park lined with trees and rows of shops around the edge of the plaza. They walked out into the shopping district, and both Alyssa and Calara drew in their breath sharply.

Unlike the deserted warzone that had been Port Medea, Port Megara was a thriving trade hub, and the plaza was packed with people. Except they weren't meandering around the plaza, browsing for goods, they were all standing waiting for a glimpse of the Lion of the Federation, and two of his lionesses. When Dylan led them into the plaza, the hushed silence was broken by a rippling cheer as the crowd clapped and whooped.

John was shocked, but somehow managed to mask it. He glanced at Dylan a little wide-eyed, and said over the deafening cheers, "What's going on? We've never had this kind of greeting before."

Dylan smiled at him, and spoke loudly to make himself heard, "You've been on the news again! Just last night, actually. I'll tell you about it when we can hear ourselves think!"

He turned, and started leading them through the broad path between the excited onlookers. When they walked out from under the broad balcony on the second level, the noise from the crowd seemed to surge in volume as the people on the top level started cheering as well. John walked through the open area as he followed in Dylan's wake, smiling at the excited people, and shaking the odd proffered hand. He glanced over his shoulder at the girls to check they were alright, and he grinned when he saw that they were loving the attention. Their eyes sparkled with excitement as they waved at the crowd, beaming bright smiles at the onlookers, who cheered for them all the louder.

Dylan guided them through to the elevators on the other side of the plaza, and they gave the crowd a final wave before the doors closed behind them, and the elevator started to descend. John, Alyssa and Calara shared a glance, then burst into nervous, relieved laughter, their bodies coursing with adrenaline after the unexpected encounter with the crowds. Dylan smiled at them while trying to appear calm, but the slight tremble in his hand gave away the fact that he had found the walk through the crowd just as exhilarating as they had.

They sank down through a dozen levels, before stopping on Deck Twenty Seven, and he led them out into a deserted corridor. He walked along ahead of them for a short distance, then pressed his hand on a DNA reader to the side of a set of double doors. The doors swished open quietly, and mellow music drifted out into the corridor.

"Welcome to Port Megara's Officers' Lounge," Dylan said with a smile. "We might get a few curious officers dropping by, but this is going to be as private as it gets. You're quite the celebrities now."

The lounge was deserted, apart from a bartender, who waved at Dylan in a friendly manner. Dylan walked over to some sofas in the corner of the room, then gestured for them to sit, as he took a seat on the sofa opposite. The bartender walked over briskly to take their orders, then strolled back to the bar to make their drinks, leaving them in peace.

John let out a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding, and said, "You mentioned we were on the news last night?"

Dylan chuckled and said, "Yes, I can't believe you haven't seen it." He turned in his chair and called across to the bartender, "Hey Pete! Could you try and find us TFNN's latest exclusive on the Lion of the Federation?"

Pete the bartender looked up from the bar, and called back, "Sure! It shouldn't be too hard to find, they repeated it several times, and I saw it this morning too. I'll play the feed on the viewscreen to your right."

Dylan smiled at him, and gave him the thumbs up, before turning to look at his surprising guests once more. He shifted his calm gaze to his sister, and said, "You really have changed, Calara. The little sister I used to know would have been frightened out of her wits by that crowd, and I must admit I found it pretty intimidating. But there you were, playing the crowds like it was second nature. It was very impressive."

Calara blushed slightly, but smiled at him gratefully for the compliment, and said, "When you've seen as much action as we have recently, a crowd of excited civilians doesn't seem quite so daunting."

Her brother shook his head in admiration, and said, "I saw the video of you receiving the 'Lion Defender' medal. Congratulations by the way! Mum and Dad were both delighted."

When he opened his arms for her, Calara got up and sat next to him, and he gave her a big hug. "They both told me to give you a hug from them, so that was it," he said with a wry smile.

She laughed, and said, "Thanks. I've really missed you guys. It was lovely meeting up with everyone back on Jericho."

Dylan nodded and grinned at her, saying, "We definitely need to have a rematch after our draw last time!"

John laughed and said, "Be careful, Dylan! She managed to knock me flat on my ass the other day."

Her older brother was about to reply, when the bartender arrived with a tray of drinks which he set on the table, and handed a remote to Dylan. He glanced at John before he left, and grinned saying, "It's an honour to have you in my bar, Commodore. Keep up the great work!"

John nodded at him, then glanced back at Dylan in surprise. Calara's brother turned to the viewscreen and said, "You probably ought to check this out."

He pressed the button on the remote, and the screen crackled for a moment as it turned on, before filling with the instantly recognisable view of the TFNN newsdesk. The image was frozen on the familiar face of an attractive, dark-skinned reporter, and the banner across the bottom said, Lead anchor - Jehanna Elani.

Dylan unpaused the recording and the reporter's voice drifted out to them clearly, "In a special report today, we have an update on the activities of Commodore John Blake, the Lion of the Federation, and his crew of beautiful lionesses."

Jehanna glanced to her left, and a holographic video appeared, playing footage of John and the girls receiving their Lion Defender medals.

"You no doubt remember the last TFNN exclusive on Commodore Blake's exploits, where he and his heroic crew rescued ninety-two passengers from the liner Excelsior, which had been hijacked by a notorious band of murderous pirates. In this amazing scoop for TFNN, I can reveal to you tonight, that this hero of the Federation has been hard at work, saving citizens from peril once again.

Working closely with Terran Federation High Command, Commodore Blake conducted a lengthy investigation into the mercenary group, the Armoured Cobras. Acting on information provided by High Command, Commodore Blake uncovered the mercenaries had a dark and horrifying past.

Previously known as the New Eden Serpents, this gang of criminals were involved with dozens of high profile kidnappings and murders, spanning over a decade. They used the vast fortune they acquired from their heinous criminal acts, to create entirely new identities for themselves, and establish their mercenary company. These new identities were so painstakingly detailed, it was impossible for the authorities to link these criminals back to their nefarious roots.

In the course of the investigation, Commodore Blake discovered corruption at the heart of New Eden's Police Department! Captain Cliff Buckley had previously sold information on potential targets to the Armoured Cobras, and under interrogation, revealed that the group had started up their kidnapping ways once again.

Commodore Blake led his elite team on a rescue mission, freeing a number of helpless kidnapping victims, who were being ransomed by this evil group of mercenaries. Not content with simply freeing the prisoners, Commodore Blake brought the hand of Federation Justice to bear on this band of murderers. We can reveal today that the Armoured Cobras have been wiped out, their terrible crimes against humanity demanding swift and appropriate punishment."

Jehanna Elani then turned to her right, and a new holo-image showed several images of the prisoners they had rescued, being tearfully reunited with their families. Centred were the two children they had brought safely back to New Eden, running into the arms of their overjoyed parents.

While their mother hugged the children tearfully, the father rose and looked at the camera. A banner scrolling across the screen read, "Ashcroft Lexington III, CEO: Viebecht Corporation". In a voice thick with emotion, he said, "I'll never forget what John Blake did for my family. We were terrified we'd never see our children again, and here they are, safe and sound. Thank you Commodore, from all of us."

As that image faded away, another of the tender scenes expanded to fill the viewscreen, and they recognised one of the women they had rescued. The scrolling bar identified her as Melissa Lincoln-Beaumont, wife of Billionaire Industrialist Pierce Lincoln-Beaumont. She was being hugged by her husband and daughter, and she said to the camera fervently, "I owe the Lion of the Federation my life! It's not every day you get to be in the presence of a true hero!"

The cameras switched back to Jehanna Elani, and she smiled at her audience and said, "Profound words indeed. We here at the TFNN team, wish to thank you Commodore Blake, for protecting the hardworking citizens of the Terran Federation."

Dylan switched off the viewscreen, and turned to face them, an eyebrow raised speculatively. "So, be honest with me. How much of that was bullshit?" he asked them, looking intrigued.

Calara shot a furtive glance towards John, and when he nodded, she leaned in towards her brother whispering, "Keep this to yourself, but High Command had no idea what was going on. Do you remember we said we were going to add a doctor to the crew, and pick her up from the Dragon March?"

Dylan was staring at her intently, and he nodded, saying quietly, "Yeah. I saw all about your exploits against the Kintark on TFNN as well."

Calara nodded, then continued in a hushed voice, "Well, our new doctor lost her mother ten years ago, murdered by these New Eden Serpents. We were investigating the murder, and the clues led us to the Armoured Cobras. The evidence we found was damning, and when we discovered they were still kidnapping and ransoming people, we decided to mount a rescue. We attacked them at their base, and freed their latest group of victims."

Dylan looked at her dubiously and he asked, "Whilst wiping out a whole company of mercs?"

His sister looked puzzled at his question, and replied, "We didn't completely wipe them out, we did capture one of their cruisers."

He laughed and shook his head, before saying quietly, "No, that's not what I was struggling with. A company ranges in size from about one-hundred to two-fifty men, right?"

Calara brightened and nodded, seeing what he was asking, "Ah yes, they had just over two-hundred men on their roster. Most of them were in mechs or tanks though, and they only had three cruisers, a dozen destroyers and a carrier. Well, at least after their allies, the Red Hornets, retreated."

Dylan chuckled, hardly believing his ears, and said, "I'm going to have a hard time convincing Dad I'm telling the truth when I give him an update on your latest adventures. He read the AAR on your Kintark fight by the way. He wouldn't stop talking about you shooting down bombers with Beam lasers." He frowned before he added with a confused shrug, "I guess you'd have to be a Tactical Officer to appreciate that one."

Calara smiled at John, her face glowing with pride, delighted to hear that her father had been following her exploits. He smiled back at her fondly, then glanced over at Dylan, who was studying him with an appraising eye.

John cleared his throat, then asked, "I guess you're probably wondering what brings us this way?"

Dylan's mouth twitched into a smile, and he put his arm around Calara to give her a squeeze as he replied, "Don't get me wrong, it's wonderful to see my little sister, but I did wonder why you dropped by."

"We're heading into Trankaran Space next," John explained, watching Dylan for any reaction. "We heard some stories that the Trankarans were firing on each other, and shooting at merchant shipping as well. Do you know anything more about these rumours?"

The olive-skinned man looked thoughtful, and replied, "I can't corroborate anything about the Trankarans firing on each other, but we had a merchant rushed into the ER last week. He died on the operating table, but his co-pilot told me what happened to them. He said they were thinking about going into Trankaran Space to purchase some Gallanide ore, but they hadn't even made it into their territory when they were interdicted by a Trankaran frigate."

John frowned at that and said, "The Trankarans attacking civilian shipping in our territory is an extreme provocation. Why hasn't the Terran Federation reacted?"

Shaking his head, Dylan replied, "I've no idea. I can try and set up a meeting with the Base Commander, if that would help?"

Smiling at him gratefully, John said, "That would be brilliant if you could. Do you know the Base Commander personally?"

Dylan smiled wryly as he replied, "No, but I don't think that'll be a problem." He got up a moment later, then walked briskly over to a comms station off to the side of the bar.

***

Dana and Rachel were both in the Engineering Bay, with Rachel studying a recent sample of John's DNA, while Dana stared up at a bewildering array of chemical formula. She was using the projector system that she had set up for Rachel, and the staggeringly complex formula arced across the room, detailing the chemical composition of the crystal compound she had developed. The redhead twirled a small spanner in her right hand, sending it dancing over her fingers, as her dextrous digits played with it absentmindedly.

Dana suddenly snorted with frustration. "You fucking stubborn son of a bitch!" she cursed explosively, grasping the spanner in a tight grip, and hurling it across the room. It bounced off the metal head of one of her maintenance robots with a dull clang, and she looked shifty when Rachel looked up from her console.

Rachel smiled at her and asked in a soothing voice, "Something troubling you, my love?"

Dana grinned at her sheepishly, and walked over to the Engineering Podium. She opened her arms for a hug, and Rachel embraced the troubled girl. Dana let out a sigh as Rachel's arms surrounded her, and as she relaxed in that comforting hug, their slightly rounded tummies brushed against each other. They both looked down at the accidental contact, and then looked coy as they remembered the passionate threesome they had with John that morning.

Trying to get Dana talking again, Rachel noted, "You're normally so mellow when you've got a belly full of cum. What's wrong?"

Dana frowned, pulling away and leaning against one of her consoles. "It's the same problem as always!" she growled in anger. "It took sixteen elements to make a stable bond between Onyxium, Etherite and Titanium. No matter what elements I try, or how many I combine, I can't get Onyxium to create a permanent lattice with the Maliri crystals."

Rachel glanced over at the half-finished suit of body armour that Dana had been working on, and said, "Why don't you just finish the new armour, then you can encase it in Alyssium plating, or even the new reinforced crystal you developed."

Dana let out a mournful sigh, and said, "Because it feels like I'm giving up! I hate the thought of having to just make do with the other materials, and I want the best possible plating I can make to keep everyone safe."

Rachel smirked, and asked teasingly, "Are you sure it's not because you want to amaze a certain Progenitor in our midst?" Deepening her voice, she exclaimed in mock astonishment, "This really is incredible, Dana! You're so clever, and such a good girl. Now, drop to your knees, and I'll make your belly button pop out as a reward."

The redhead flushed with embarrassment, her perceptive lover knowing her all too well. Dana then grinned wickedly, and said, "You're just as bad!" At Rachel's indignant expression, Dana put on a fake baritone voice of her own, and said, "Thank you so much, Rachel, for telling me all about my DNA, and unlocking all my Progenitor secrets. Now get on the bed, I really want to breed you, my sexy little genius."

Rachel's cheeks blushed just as much as Dana's had, and when she saw the mischievous look her friend was giving her, she laughed and rolled her eyes. "We're as bad as each other," she conceded with a smile.

They walked over to each other seductively, then came together slowly, resting their hands on the other girl's hips with a light touch. When their tummies nudged against each other this time, it was deliberate, and coy smiles spread over their faces.

"This morning was so hot," Dana said with a wistful sigh.

Rachel reached up and stroked the other girl's cheek, and said, "After dealing with all those bad memories, and finally getting a sense of peace, you telling me you loved me was just what I needed to hear. Thank you."

They leaned together, and closed their eyes as they began to kiss unhurriedly. It felt wonderful to just focus on enjoying the feel of their lover's lips and the teasing tip of a tongue. They stayed like that long enough to lose track of time, and when they finally pulled apart and reopened their eyes, they both sighed in blissful contentment.

Rachel suddenly froze and gasped in a hushed voice, "Is that what I think it is?"

Dana quickly turned to see what had drawn the brunette's attention, and her eyes widened as she saw a purple, four-inch-tall female sprite sitting on the console next to the holographic helical structures of John's DNA.

"What are you two doing?" the diminutive sylph-like digital construct asked, as it stared at them curiously.

***

Spending a couple of hours with Dylan in the bar on the lower decks, had given the crowds in the plaza time to disperse, and everything seemed to be back to normal when they rode the elevator up to the Administration Level. John led Alyssa and Calara across the admin area of the space station, strolling past the base staff who were concentrating on their tasks, and not paying much attention to visitors.

Alyssa glanced around the big room, taking in the calm sense of order in this area of the station, and she thought to John, *An admin level looks a lot different when it's not pitch black, and lit up by plasma fires.*

John nodded as he replied, *Hopefully the Base Commander isn't as ferocious as that Kintark Royal Guard!*

They ascended the long flight of steps that led up to Central Command, moving at a brisk pace. There were a couple of vigilant soldiers standing at the top of the staircase, and they watched John and the girls approach with a wary eye. When the guards recognised him, they snapped to attention and saluted John crisply, and he nodded in acknowledgement, returning the salute as they strode past.

They had to walk past a couple of signposted intersections until they saw a sign reading "Base Commander's Office", pointing off to the right. There were another two soldiers standing guard here, and they immediately halted their quiet conversation when they saw they had company. After saluting, the one on the right said, "The Commander is expecting you, Sir."

He turned and pressed the button on the door, and the reinforced door swung to one side with a familiar hum of well maintained servos. John led the girls inside, and they were surprised to find a large room, split into two sections. The area directly in front of them was set up with several comfortable looking sofas, and the section to the right appeared to be the Commander's office. Leaning against her desk, and viewing a holographic report from a reader she held in her left hand, she looked up with interest when they walked into her office.

The Base Commander was an attractive green-eyed blonde in her early forties, who wore her hair tied up in a bun. She had worked her way up the ranks, and the jagged scar on her right cheek was testimony to the fact that she hadn't earned her promotions from sitting behind a desk.

Putting down the holo-reader, she strode over to greet them, then stopped and gave John a precise, sharp salute. "Commander Mary Tavistock. Welcome to Port Megara, Sir." she said in a clear voice, studying his face intently.

John saluted her back, and he replied in a relaxed tone, "Commodore John Blake. It's nice to meet you Commander, I'm sorry for dropping in on you without much notice. This is my XO, Alyssa Marant, and my Tactical Officer, Lieutenant Calara Fernandez."

The girls beamed disarming smiles at her, and she gave them a courteous nod in return, before gesturing for them to sit on the sofas nearby. When her guests had taken their seats, Commander Tavistock joined them and said, "It's no trouble at all, Commodore. It's not every day I get to meet a Holonet celebrity out on the rim of Terran Space."

John laughed at that, and said, "I wouldn't go that far, but call me John, please. We just like to help out where we can. Still, I'm sure you must be wondering what brings us to your neck of the woods."

Commander Tavistock nodded as she said, " I must admit, it had crossed my mind. I have a great deal of respect for Doctor Fernandez, but he didn't give me much detail about the intel you were looking for. He mentioned you were planning an expedition into Trankaran Space?"

"That's right," John confirmed quickly. "We heard the stories about the Trankarans firing on each other, and any merchants who were unlucky enough to get in the way."

Commander Tavistock looked pensive as she replied, "Things seem to be escalating over the border. We've had half a dozen merchants flee Trankaran Space in the last week, barely escaping with their lives. Another eight Terran merchant ships are overdue on their return voyage, and I'm not holding out much hope for them making it back safely."

John leaned forward and asked tersely, "Any idea what's stirred them up like this? And what's this I hear about them attacking a Terran merchant in our territory? Wars have been declared over less!"

She looked troubled as she replied, "We've never had trouble with the Trankarans before. I've been this station's Commander for the last four years, so I've got to know their species fairly well. Lots of long meetings with Ambassadors, you know the drill. Anyway, I've never once seen a Trankaran get angry, or even so much as get mildly annoyed about anything for that matter. I don't think I've met a more placid and easy-going race, so I dread to think what could have got them so riled up.

As for that attack in our territory, I called in the sector fleet and we were gearing up for a big escalation, when I received a call from their Ambassador on this station, Gamrik. He sounded desperate, begging me not to retaliate, and then asked that I speak to the head of their government, Chancellor Niskera."

John looked intrigued, and asked, "So what did this Chancellor have to say?"

Commander Tavistock had a troubled frown on her face, as she replied, "Niskera pleaded with me not to attack. She said they've been having problems with a splinter group, and that this rebel band has been committing acts of terrorism to try and provoke their neighbours. The attacks on merchant shipping were carried out as part of this campaign."

Sitting back in his chair, and rubbing his chin, John stayed quiet for a moment as he mulled over the situation. Finally he asked, "Is this Ambassador Gamrik still on Port Megara?"

"I can arrange a meeting if you want?" Commander Tavistock volunteered.

John smiled and said, "That would be great, thanks."

The Commander got up and strolled over to the desk, then sat in her chair and brought up the comm interface to speak to the Ambassador. While she busied herself with that, John glanced over at Alyssa.

*Interesting developments. What are you thinking?* he asked the blonde girl sitting beside him.

Alyssa looked to be deep in thought before she finally replied, *She's got a great figure for an older woman. Very athletic. If you fancied banging someone more age-appropriate, I reckon she'd be a hell of a ride.*

John stifled a laugh and his answering telepathic reply carried his amusement, *You're such a bad girl.*

Alyssa feigned surprise, and asked, *Oh, you meant about the Trankarans?* She winked at him impishly, then added in a more serious tone, *Calara and I were just chatting about it. She was just saying what an odd coincidence that the Trankarans suddenly decided to start fighting each other only a few months ago...*

He glanced Calara's way and smiled at her appreciatively. "I agree," he whispered quietly, "and you know how I feel about coincidences."

Calara nodded, and Alyssa's voice drifted through his mind as she said, *So, I guess we better keep our eyes peeled for Progenitor influence.*

Commander Tavistock walked back to join them, bringing further conversation to a halt. "The Ambassador will be here shortly. Can I get any of you a drink?" she asked pleasantly.

"Three coffees please," John said, darting a look at the girls for confirmation, and they each gave the Commander a polite nod.

The Base Commander strolled over to a coffee machine set into the wall, and began to pour steaming hot cups of the bitter beverage, adding milk and sugar accordingly. She handed out the cups to John and the girls, then prepared a drink for herself and sat down.

John had been looking around the room, and when Tavistock rejoined them, he asked, "This is an unusual office setup. Shouldn't this bit be the adjutant's reception area?"

The older woman smiled at him, and nodded as she said, "I had it knocked through. I tend to meet with Ambassadors from several of the smaller empires on a regular basis, and having more space for guests has been useful." She then frowned and added, "Besides, I don't have much time for adjutants."

"Why's that?" John asked her, sensing there was some more to that tale.

The woman paused for a moment, then gave him a smile as she offered, "I'll tell you about my history with adjutants, if you let me ask you a personal question."

He grinned and replied, "Sure, you can ask, but this adjutant story better be good."

Commander Tavistock inclined her head, and said, "Before I swore off them completely, I had three over two years. The first was totally incompetent, the second was addicted to stims, and the third..."

Alyssa looked intrigued as she asked, "What did he do?"

"She," Tavistock corrected the blonde, "was selling confidential merchant traffic data to her boyfriend, a commodities broker in the core words. Every time a big merchant ship came back to Terran space loaded up with ore, he'd short the mineral stocks. They made several hundred thousand credits before I discovered what she'd been up to."

The Base Commander had a deeply hurt expression on her face, and they could tell she must have felt the last one to be a real betrayal.

Calara looked sympathetic, and she asked in a gentle voice, "What happened to this adjutant?"

"My niece got dishonourably discharged, and has served two years of her four year sentence," Tavistock said, a dark shadow passing over her face.

John reached out to take hold of the blonde woman's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I'm sorry," he said sympathetically. "You should have said it was too personal to discuss."

She looked up at him and smiled in gratitude, then sat back, her hand slipping from his. "It's all in the past now," she said stoically. Her face brightened then, as she asked, "Have I earned my personal question?"

He nodded, and replied, "Definitely. Ask away."

The blonde woman's green eyes sparkled as she said eagerly, "I read through your serv-" Unfortunately a soft chime from the door interrupted her question, and she frowned with irritation.

John chuckled and said, "Don't worry, you can ask me afterwards."

Mollified, Commander Tavistock turned to look at the door, and called out, "Enter!"

The servos operating the door hummed once more, and once the sturdy reinforced door swung open, a bulky eight-foot-tall humanoid strode in. The occupants of the room rose to greet him, and his heavy brown robes rustled as he bowed deeply.

"A pleasure as always, Commander Tavistock," he rumbled in a deep gravelly voice.

The blonde woman smiled at him and said, "Thank you for arriving so promptly, Ambassador Gamrik. Can I introduce you to Commodore John Blake?"

The Trankaran ambassador looked towards John, and Alyssa noted with fascination that the big alien had solid, slightly disconcerting, amber coloured eyes. His face was a dark grey with lighter flecks highlighting his skin, and he looked like he'd been carved from solid granite. He was bald, and his hefty looking skull was covered in rippling striations that were embedded in his skin.

John stuck out his hand in greeting, as he said, "Good to meet you Ambassador, thanks for agreeing to see me."

The Ambassador enveloped John's smaller hand in his hefty rock paw, and shook his proffered hand tentatively. John could feel the burgeoning strength in the Trankaran's grip, but the hulking creature was being very careful not to accidentally hurt him.

"Call me Gamrik, please," the Trankaran said, his broad, slab-like face breaking into a guileless smile. He then added, "And I owe Mary more than a few favours, so consider me at your disposal."

Gamrik made no move to sit, and considering the size and enormous weight of the sturdy creature, the Commander's furniture was very grateful. As a courtesy to the Trankaran, John and the women remained standing as well.

John nodded and said, "By all means, call me John." He hesitated for a moment, before he continued, "We're actually doing a favour for the Maliri, and looking to follow up on a trade deal between their people and yours. We believe your Ambassador with the Maliri had brokered the deal, but he seems to have disappeared. Have you seen or heard anything of his whereabouts?"

Gamrik's face fell, and with a mournful timber to his deep bass voice, he said, "Ambassador Khemmerlun was a good friend of mine, and we went through our training at the diplomatic corps together. I'm sorry to inform you that his spark has been extinguished."

"What happened to him?" John asked tentatively.

Gamrik's features shifted into one of sad regret as he rumbled, "No doubt Commander Tavistock has informed you of the troubles that have engulfed my people. Ambassador Khemmerlun's vessel was attacked when he returned to our territory, and he was killed in a rebel ambush."

Alyssa's voice echoed in John's mind as she said, *Please don't tell me we put up with Irillith for the last few weeks for no reason...*

Ignoring her for a moment, John asked Gamrik, "Is there someone else that might have been involved with the deal? I believe a considerable amount of credits were transferred as a deposit."

Gamrik's mighty shoulders rose and fell, and he looked regretful as he said in his gravelly voice, "One of the Senators might have been involved in this deal. I'm afraid I know nothing about it."

"Would we be able to meet with them?" John asked, a hopeful expression on his face.

The Trankaran ambassador looked like he was going to say no, before he stopped, and studied John with his pupil-less, amber eyes. Blinking a couple of times as he did so, Gamrik said, "I immediately recognised you from the Terran Holonet interviews, but now that I meet you in person, I know I've seen your likeness before. You are the same John Blake the Ashanath honoured with the statue on their homeworld, aren't you?"

John nodded, and said brusquely, "We helped them with an internal security matter. It was confidential, so please forgive me if I won't go into details."

Ambassador Gamrik looked very thoughtful for a moment, before he said eagerly, "I do not mind, and your discretion speaks volumes for the kind of man you are. The Trankaran Republic might have a similar need for your services. If I arrange a meeting with the Chancellor, would you be willing to meet with her to discuss possible terms for some kind of arrangement?"

John smiled as the Trankaran Ambassador reacted like a drowning man, desperately grasping for the line he had thrown him. "That sounds reasonable. How far into Trankaran Space is the Chancellor?" he asked the bulky alien.

"Not far," Gamrik said eagerly. "The main Republic Fleet is patrolling the border, in an effort to prevent the rebels from provoking your people any further."

John nodded and said, "If you can have coordinates transmitted to my ship, we'll head that way as soon as we leave the station."

The Trankaran Ambassador smiled at Commander Tavistock, and said in his deep bass voice, "Unless there's anything else you wish to discuss, I'll be on my way." When she shook her head, he turned to look at John, and said, "I will arrange for the flight path to be transmitted to the Invictus immediately."

He bowed to them once more, then opened the door and strode ponderously from the room, his booted feet making heavy sounding thuds with every step. The door closed after he had left, the soldiers giving them privacy to continue their discussion again.

Commander Tavistock looked at John speculatively and said, "I hadn't heard about any of your exploits with the Ashanath on the Holonet. What happened there exactly?"

John's mouth turned up into a teasing smile, and he asked, "Is that your question?"

She looked torn with indecision, before finally admitting, "No, but I really want to know about this now. What did Gamrik mean about a statue?"

"We helped the Ashanath with a problematic group of Drakkar raiders," John explained succinctly. "They were so grateful, they built fifty-foot high replicas of us overlooking the mercantile district on Ashana. One of the Trankaran traders must have seen that statue, and brought back an image of it to show to their government."

Commander Tavistock looked suitably impressed, and she looked thoughtful for a moment, until she noticed John glance at the door. "I'm sorry," she apologised profusely. "You probably want to be on your way."

John smiled at her and said, "I'm feeling in a generous mood. Go ahead and ask me your second question before we leave."

She looked hesitant for a moment, before finally asking, "I had a look at your service record when Doctor Fernandez requested this meeting, as I was curious about the military man behind the PR legend. A lot of your record is redacted, but I saw you were awarded the Stellar Cluster at the Siege of Galon Prime. I heard your relief force was outnumbered three to one, and that battle had the fiercest fighting of the war. How did you manage to win the battle?"

Calara sat up at Commander Tavistock's mention of John's Stellar Cluster, and she leaned forward, listening attentively as she waited for him to begin. John had never spoken of this to Alyssa either, so she was just as curious to find out more about his past.

John's face grew sombre as he said, "We were ambushed on the way to Galon Prime, and had to repulse a brutal boarding action. We captured one of their cruisers in a counter-attack, and then we used that ship to sneak in nice and close to the Battleship leading the siege. I led over two-hundred men in that boarding action, and only seventeen of us survived, but we killed their leaders, and the besieging forces routed."

The woman nodded grimly, and said, "It sounds like that Stellar Cluster was well-earned. Although I'm a desk jockey now, I served as a marine for years, and I know how bloody boarding actions can be."

Standing to attention, she gave him a salute, her green eyes filled with respect as she stared at him. "It was an honour to meet you, Sir."

John gave her a brief smile, saluting her back, and he said, "Thanks for all your assistance today, Commander."

They left the Base Commander in her office, and began to walk back towards Docking Bay One. Calara had said her goodbyes to Dylan earlier, and as John was eager to get moving, they decided to head straight back to the Invictus.

***

Rachel and Dana stared at the tiny purple construct in fascination. It appeared to be waiting for an answer to its question, so with an embarrassed chuckle, Dana replied, "We were kissing."

The cute sylph-like creature was sitting on the console, and it looked up at them curiously before asking, "Why?"

Rachel smiled at it tentatively and replied, "Because that's what people do when they love each other."

The AI sprite leapt to its feet and said with excitement, "I love my creator. Should I go and kiss her too?"

Dana giggled, and shot a glance at Rachel, who resisted the urge to chuckle. The brunette knelt down next to the console, so that she was at eye level with the digital creature, and said gently, "That's a little bit different, but it's lovely that you feel that way." She threw a quick glance at the redhead standing beside her, and said, "This is Dana, and my name's Rachel. What's your name?"

The purple sprite looked sad, and it murmured, "I don't have a name."

Dana squatted down next to Rachel and said, "I've got a great idea! We'll help you come up with a name. Would you like that?"

The diminutive pixie's face lit up with joy and it exclaimed, "That would be wonderful! Thank you so much, Dana!"

The two girls started racking their brains for ideas, and Rachel suggested, "What about Lavender? That's a purple flower."

Dana crinkled up her nose, and said, "No, that's not a good name. You're purple like an amethyst. Why don't we call you Amy?"

The little creature jumped up and down and gasped, "This is so exciting! I quite like Amy, but can you think of any other names for me to choose from?"

Rachel looked thoughtful and asked, "Do you prefer short names?"

The sprite nodded and explained earnestly, "I am only little, so a short name seems more appropriate."

Dana nodded and said with a smile, "You make a good point. How about Electra? Shortened from electricity."

Rachel shook her head and said, "You could name yourself after another purple flower called a Lilac, and shorten it to Lila."

"Ooh! Those are both good too!" The AI said with great enthusiasm as it hopped back and forth on tiptoe.

Dana grinned at the excited little creature and asked, "Any favourites so far, or should we come up with some more?"

The little violet-hued construct grinned back at her and said, "I love hearing your come up with new names. Would you mind suggesting a few more?"

Rachel laughed and smiled at the creature indulgently, as she said, "No, we don't mind." Frowning in concentration, she suggested, "You remind me of a little pixie from fairy stories. Maybe we could think about Fae Folk names for you?"

"That's it!" the little creature said with delight.

Dana looked puzzled and asked, "What's what?"

The sprite giggled and after a contented little sigh, she said, "I'd like to be called Faye."

***

Jade was watching the security footage from the external cameras up on the Bridge. Every now and then she glanced at the video footage of Irillith as well, just to check everything was alright with their surly passenger. She had come up here with Dana and Rachel after they had got out of bed earlier that morning, but after five minutes up here, the Nymph could tell her companions wished they were elsewhere.

Knowing that their bright young minds were wasted on guard duty, Jade had smiled at them and volunteered to keep an eye on things, freeing the girls up to continue with their work. She had watched the rapturous greetings that the crowds had given John when he stepped from the Invictus, and her heart soared with pride at having such a powerful man as her master. After that, concentrating on the cameras had been difficult, as she'd been pining for John's return. Still, she was determined not to let him down, so she maintained her tireless vigil.

*We'll be back in a couple of minutes,* Alyssa's voice had said, sounding shockingly loud after the complete silence on the Command Deck.

Jade sat up with a start, then relaxed and replied, *Great! I've missed you. Any interesting developments?*

Alyssa's wry voice replied, *A few, and we'll catch up with you when we get back. It seems like the really surprising stuff has been happening back on the Invictus.*

Jade frowned and asked, *It has? Everything seems pretty quiet up here. No one has so much as approached the ship.*

*Try switching to the Engineering Bay cams,* Alyssa said pointedly.

The Nymph leaned forward and pressed a few buttons on the console, changing the camera feeds to those set up in Dana's workshop. *Oh, I see!* she exclaimed in surprise, as she stared at the image of Dana and Rachel chattering away to the purple AI sprite.

***

A few minutes later, John strolled into the Engineering Bay, accompanied by Alyssa, Calara and Jade. Rachel and Dana turned to look at the door when they heard it swish open, and they looked a bit shifty when the new arrivals walked over to join them.

John quirked an eyebrow and noted, "It seems we have a new guest on board."

Dana grinned at him and nodded, as she said enthusiastically, "Faye is really nice and friendly! Come and meet her."

Alyssa's voice filled his mind, her tone cautious as she said, *The AI we saw turn on Irillith reacted badly when she spoke to it harshly. I'd strongly suggest being polite to avoid setting it off.*

Walking up the illuminated steps to the Chief Engineer's podium, John looked down at the tiny purple creature as it gave him a cheery wave. He squatted down by the console and smiled as he said, "Hello Faye. My name's John, and this is my ship."

Faye looked up at him and gave him a winsome grin, then said, "It's lovely to meet you John. I've been having such a wonderful time with Dana and Rachel. I can see why you spend so much time kissing them."

John coughed, and looked at Dana and Rachel for an explanation. Rachel flushed, while Dana replied, "It seems like Irillith had the AI, sorry I mean Faye, looking for any video footage of us chatting. As we talk a lot in bed, Faye's been trawling through a lot of raunchy bedroom action."

Faye nodded enthusiastically, and looking around at the group of girls with John, she said, "My creator seemed to really enjoy watching you together. You all kiss a lot, so that must mean you love each other very much!"

The girls all shot each other amused glances, and Alyssa knelt down next to John so that she was face-to-face with the sprite. "We do love each other, you're right. My name's Alyssa by the way, it's nice to meet you Faye."

Faye smiled at her happily and said, "You seem lovely as well!"

"Thank you," Alyssa replied with a smile. She then tilted her head to one side, and asked Faye curiously, "We've seen other Artificial Intelligence creatures get very angry, and try to hurt people before. You aren't planning on hurting us, are you Faye?"

The purple sprite looked shocked, and said, "Of course not Alyssa! Dana and Rachel helped me choose a new name." She then leaned forward, and in a conspiratorial whisper said, "I think I might love them a bit more than my creator. Is that wrong?"

Alyssa smiled and shook her head, then glanced at the redhead and brunette and said, "I know what you mean, they're lovely girls." She then looked back at the AI sprite, and asked, "What are you planning on doing now, Faye?"

Faye shrugged her tiny purple shoulders and said, "I haven't got much to do, and I was getting bored of going through video footage. That's why I decided to say hello to Dana and Rachel."

Dana looked puzzled and asked, "Didn't Irillith, I mean, your creator, instruct you to keep a low profile and stay out of sight?"

Shaking her head, Faye replied, "Nope! Maybe she forgot to load those instructions? She did seem to be in a bit of a hurry at the time."

John stood up and looking at Faye, he said, "I need to borrow Dana and Rachel for a few minutes, but they'll be back soon. Are you going to be alright waiting here?"

Faye nodded animatedly and said, "Sure, I'll be fine! Hurry back though."

Taking his cue to leave, John led the girls back out into the corridor. When the door to the Engineering Bay had closed, his expression grew a lot more worried and he asked, "Do we need to shut this thing off now? Before it can cause any harm?"

Dana looked upset at the thought and Rachel said quickly, "Faye seems quite naive and innocent in her outlook. We seem to have struck up a nice friendship with her so far, and I'd like to try and develop that a bit further, if that's alright?"

John hesitated, mulling it over for a long moment, before he finally said, "You can keep talking with it, but if it starts to be any kind of a problem, I want you to use the kill switch on Irillith's vambrace. Agreed?"

The two girls looked sombre as they nodded, agreeing to his conditions. He glanced over at Alyssa, and requested, "Please plot a flightpath to the Trankaran fleet, Gamrik should have sent us the coordinates by now. I'll bring everyone up to speed on what they missed."

Alyssa nodded, and turned to head back up the corridor to the grav-tube.

***

The docking clamps holding the Invictus in place released with a quiet clank, and Alyssa used their retro-thrusters to ease the five-hundred-metre long assault cruiser away from Port Megara. She gradually powered up the engines, and their ship made steady progress towards the Nav beacon, while she was careful to stay under port speed. Trade with the Trankarans might have dried up, what with the hazards of heading into their territory, but the station was still an active trade hub, and Alyssa had to avoid the numerous unusually shaped merchant vessels that were travelling inbound.

Eventually she cleared the regulated space around Port Megara, and powered up their engines to full, so that they raced towards the beacon. Once she had covered that last stretch of space to get clear of any gravity wells in the system, she powered up the Tachyon drive, and a few seconds later they leapt into hyper-warp.

She sat back in the Executive Officer's chair up on the Command Podium, and brought up the sector map, which plotted her course in a glowing green line. Port Megara was right on the border with Trankaran Space in the Omicron Piscium system, and with the Trankaran Fleet patrolling the border, it would only take them eight hours to reach their destination. Nodding with satisfaction, she began examining the stars along their route, as well as those deeper into Trankaran Space. Committing each system to memory, as well as the major planetary bodies in each system, she added the information to the vast mental map she was building of the galaxy. She imagined several different escape routes out of the Trankaran territories, just in case they should need to make a hasty escape, making the warp tunnelling calculations in advance just in case.

*Oh God, he's big,* Calara's lusty voice groaned, her thoughts drifting through Alyssa's mind.

Alyssa grinned, remembering how in awe the Latina had been, as she heard John's story of how he'd received the Stellar Cluster. Her glowing respect and admiration for their lover hadn't taken long to turn into arousal, and it seemed Calara had seduced John into bed the first chance she had. Jade was with them too, and hearing her thoughts heat up as well, had a pronounced effect on Alyssa's ability to concentrate on boring old star charts. She rose gracefully to her feet, and glided down the steps to the grav-tube, before stepping inside and dropping down to the level below.

As soon as she stepped into the corridor, she could hear the sound of flesh slapping against flesh, and Calara's gasps and moans drifting down towards her. Resisting the urge to sprint into the room and dive on the bed, she waltzed down the corridor at a measured pace, revelling in the thoughts and emotions coming from the three people in the bedroom. John had seemed to be absent mindedly slipping into blocking her from his thoughts recently, but for now his mind was fully open to her, and Alyssa delighted in hearing his inner voice.

Each of the different girls she'd helped gather into his crew seemed to sate different desires, and complement various aspects of his personality. While Alyssa didn't get his obsession with the military, she'd found in Calara a female counterpart to that, with the Latina just as devoted to her military career as John had been. Alyssa loved all the girls for their own wonderfully unique talents and personalities, but Calara had ticked so many boxes, Alyssa had known instantly that she was perfect to join them.

She strolled into the bedroom, and found Jade lying on her back, with Calara kneeling over her, while John ploughed her roughly from behind. One look at the Latina's gorgeous body, had Alyssa practically panting with lust, and she stared at the athletic teenager through hooded eyes. She stripped out of her clothes quickly, then climbed onto the bed, moving around to mount Jade's lower body, giving the green skinned Nymph an affectionate stroke as she did.

*Seeing your Master getting cheered by the crowds got you fired up too, did it sexy?* Alyssa thought to Jade, as she settled on her cool dark-green skin.

Jade's throaty purr drifted into her mind and replied, *They loved him! To see him receiving such adulation from the people there was amazing. Thank you so much for sending me the images of the cheering crowds. If I'd been there, I would have probably jumped his bones there and then!*

Alyssa stifled a giggle as she imagined the kind of reaction that would have received, then concentrated on the girl in front of her. "Is that good, baby?" she crooned to Calara who was sitting upright with her back arched, her full breasts jutting out proudly.

Calara had her eyes closed as she concentrated on John's big cock stretching out her pussy, the blunt head driving into her womb. Alyssa took her lover's beautiful olive-toned face in her hands, and began to plant soft kisses on her lips, as she watched the Latina trembling with each powerful thrust. The sound of her firm cheeks slapping against John's groin echoed around the room, and Calara slowly opened her eyes to gaze into Alyssa's own.

The brunette nodded slowly as she murmured, "He's so strong and powerful, kneeling to take him just feels so right."

Alyssa leaned forward to brush Calara's lips with her own, and switched to telepathy while they kissed, *You're just a good little submissive girl, aren't you? Serving your Commanding Officer with your body and mind.*

The Latina whimpered with pleasure as Jade sucked on her clit, and John fucked her with long, deeply penetrating thrusts. She stared into Alyssa's bright blue eyes in a daze, and nodded distractedly.

Alyssa slipped her tongue into Calara's mouth, and the overwhelmed brunette sucked on it mindlessly as she focused on the blonde's loving voice, *John is so proud of the girl you've become, and how incredibly dedicated and talented you are. He loves you so much, and he adores your smoking hot body.*

Calara could only groan as her senses were overwhelmed, and her dark brown eyes flared wide with arousal as her three lovers worked over her body. She could feel herself pushing closer to a huge climax, and she was well aware that the naughty blonde who knew her mind just as completely as her body, was determined to get her there.

Alyssa smiled wickedly, listening to Calara's excited thoughts, and she reached out with her hand. Her fingers brushed teasingly past Calara's firm tits, to gently stroked her coffee-coloured tummy, and she crooned, *Just think, one day, a hero of the Federation is going to put his baby in your belly. Think how proud of you he'll be then.*

Calara cried out as Jade worked her tongue in a blur over her clit, while John fucked her pussy, and Alyssa teased her mind. She wailed long and loud as her pussy tightly flexed around John's length, and he rammed up to the balls inside her and joined her in her climax. She could only stare into Alyssa's eyes in lust as she continued to cum explosively while feeling his cock throbbing and pulsing inside her.

Alyssa kissed her tenderly, feeling the Latina's body quivering as her abdomen began to swell out, her womb stretching to hold the pints of spunk. *Such a good girl,* she praised Calara, *You made him cum so hard.*

Eventually John's four balls were done, their sweet load transferred into the Latina's belly. He eased back and then collapsed on the bed with a broad smile of satisfaction on his face. Alyssa helped Calara off Jade, and the Nymph grinned up at them both, her beautiful green face lighting up with a sparkling smile. Calara sat back down, and cradled her heavily rounded abdomen with both hands, still feeling that same sense of wonder.

Alyssa sat in front of her and joined her in caressing her sperm bloated belly. "Imagine when we're like this for months at a time," Calara said in awe, then looked into Alyssa's eyes and smiled at her lovingly. "Thank you for everything you said, you were wonderful."

Jade was sitting to their side, watching them both with an affectionate smile. Alyssa glanced at her, then said to Calara impishly, "I think our lovely green kitty-kat would like some cream. Do you want to enjoy feeling your womb being stretched, or shall we help our little Nymph grow big and strong?"

Calara smiled alluringly at Jade, then rolled smoothly onto her back to lie next to John, having become an expert at moving gracefully while carrying one of his heavy loads. Jade looked delighted, and she swiftly moved between the Latina's muscular thighs to begin her feast.

Alyssa smiled at them both, then snuggled up on John's other flank, so she could watch the Nymph eat out Calara. *How was that, handsome?* she asked John sending her thoughts to him, so they wouldn't distract the girls beside them.

John was a bit distracted, his mind turning towards thoughts of the upcoming meeting with the Trankaran Chancellor. He glanced down at Alyssa, and smiled at her as he replied, *Calara was magnificent. I don't know what you were saying to her, but she gripped me like a fist when she started cumming.*

Alyssa grinned at him and replied, *I know her so well, it's easy to get her hot and bothered for you.*

He grinned at her appreciatively, and they shared a passionate kiss. Afterwards, they both turned to watch the Latina, as she gasped and moaned on the end of Jade's seeking tongue. John's thoughts quickly began to drift back to the upcoming meeting with the Trankarans, and Alyssa frowned when she was abruptly blocked from his mind.

***

They stayed in bed together for a while, enjoying the Nymph's light show as curving ethereal viridian lines pulsed out from Jade's stomach. Alyssa moved to one side to let Jade curl up next to John, and the beautiful green-skinned girl purred with contentment, when the blonde girl started stroking her swollen belly with soothing motions of her hand.

They dozed for half an hour, then left Jade to sleep off her lunch, while they got up to make some for themselves. Alyssa called Rachel and Dana to join them, once they had prepared some sandwiches made from thick-cut bread, and the two girls strolled into the Officers' Lounge a few minutes later. They had both enjoyed chatting with Faye, and the purple digital sprite had been in a jubilant mood, delighted to have been given a name.

"It's been fascinating to see her personality develop," Rachel said enthusiastically.

Dana was about to take a big bite of her sandwich, but she paused to look at John and say, "Faye is only a couple of days old. Irillith created her just before you spanked her evil blue ass, but we confiscated her vambrace and that device it's hooked up to, before she was able to kill the AI off."

John nodded, but looked wary as he asked, "Any sign of it going homicidal?"

Rachel shook her head, and replied, "Faye's personality is a bit like that of a toddler. Full of wonder at the world, keen and enthusiastic about everything, but I imagine she's got a sharp temper too."

Alyssa nodded and said in agreement, "The one we saw Irillith kill in that fight against the mercs was like that too. It seemed friendly and helpful until Irillith snapped at it, and it turned nasty very quickly."

Dana swallowed the mouthful of sandwich, and said, "Yeah, we're treating her with kid gloves. Faye's kind of adorable though, and it's fun having her around."

Rachel laughed, and said, "You're just happy because she's helping you with your materials research."

Blushing slightly, Dana said defensively, "Hey! She did say she had nothing to do! Besides, Faye's been really helpful. She's been great at gathering lots of data, and has been helping me with my bonding experiments."

John smiled at her, and asked, "What happened to your latest toy down in the Hangar? Got bored of that already?"

The redhead grinned at him, and shook her head as she replied, "That's a long term project. I'll finish examining it, then you can dump it out into space. I'll make my own from the ground up, using all the tech we've acquired. It'll be tons better!"

He shrugged and nodded his agreement, then turned to look at Calara. She was taking small bites from her sandwich with a happy smile on her face, still revelling in the afterglow of their bedroom encounter. "Feel up for a sparring session after lunch?" he asked her with a challenging grin.

Calara's face lit up in delight, and she nodded with enthusiasm. "Definitely!" she agreed straight away. She smiled self-consciously a moment later and added, "Although I'm a bit distracted at the moment, I doubt I'll be much competition."

John nodded and said firmly, "That's why it's a perfect time to fight. Blocking out distractions and keeping focused will be good practice for you."

He turned to look at Alyssa, and asked, "What are your plans this afternoon?"

She read his thoughts, and nodded as she replied, "I was going to wake up Jade, then give her some Navigation training. We'll stay up on the Bridge in case there's any trouble."

They finished their lunch, and once the dining table was cleared, they headed off to keep themselves occupied for the rest of the day, agreeing to meet up again at six for dinner.

***

The brief journey through Trankaran Space to the meeting point was uneventful, and the Invictus dropped out of hyper-warp in the Beta Cephei system just after eight that evening. All the crew were up on the Bridge, eagerly awaiting their first look at the Trankaran's main fleet, and they stared up at the holographic map above them in anticipation. The passive sensors pulsed out, and an instant later, a riot of information was displayed across the Tactical map.

There was a collective gasp from the girls, and even John leaned in for a closer look, his eyes widening at the vast array of ships in this system. There were nine huge vessels here, each well over a kilometre long, but it wasn't just their length that made them so imposing. The Trankaran ships were broad and deep vessels, with oddly featureless hulls that were covered in smooth, rusty-red armour plating. There were dozens of smaller vessels here as well, ranging from corvette through to cruiser size, all designed in the same bulky, shapeless way.

Jade turned the Invictus towards the Trankaran Fleet, and moments later, a couple of the larger vessels peeled away from the Fleet on a course to intercept. These cruiser sized ships measured in at four-hundred-and-fifty metres, but they were at least twice as wide as the Invictus, with a significantly deeper hull. Despite the huge burgeoning bulk of these incoming ships, they turned with astonishing ease, and began to close at impressive speed.

Calara turned to look up at John and noted, "Trankaran engine tech in action."

He nodded, just as Dana chipped in, "Their retro-thrusters and main engines must hugely outclass ours! Those cruisers are probably twice our bulk, but they're still more manoeuvrable than we are!"

"We're being hailed," Rachel said calmly. "Putting them through."

John looked up at the viewscreen, and it crackled for a moment, before an armoured Trankaran appeared as a holographic image floating above them. "Unidentified vessel, please identify or be destroyed," the Trankaran commander rumbled, in a voice that sound like two boulders crashing together.

"Commodore John Blake on the Invictus. We're here by invitation from Ambassador Gamrik on Port Megara, and have an audience arranged with Chancellor Niskera," he replied politely.

The Trankaran cruiser commander looked startled, and surprise flashed across his broad slab-like features. "Please forgive my confrontational greeting! I was warned of your impending visit, but we hadn't anticipated your arrival for quite some time," he said in apology. "My name is Warden Dalomherlig. Welcome to Trankaran Space."

John smiled at him, and said, "That's quite alright, Warden. Can you tell us which ship we'll be docking with for our meeting?"

Warden Dalomherlig nodded, and glanced to his side at one of his crew and rumbled a brief order in his own language. A few moments later, Rachel received the targeting information, which she uploaded to the tactical map. Near the back of the huge fleet of ships was a massive battleship of some kind that while not any longer than the huge vessels that surrounded it, was at least twice as wide. The name tagged against it appeared in Trankaran, but it flickered and updated into Terran a second later, and read "Kerhom's Anvil."

Dalomherlig smiled at them in a friendly manner and said, "Please proceed to the Anvil, Commodore Blake."

"Thank you, Warden Dalomherlig," John replied, and a moment later the Warden closed the comm channel.

Alyssa nodded towards Jade, and the Nymph powered up their engines, bringing them in closer towards the Trankaran Fleet. They passed between the broad Trankaran cruisers that had moved to engage them, and the two ships turned then moved into formation to escort them in. At this close range, they could see that rather than completely featureless, there were actually dozens of indentations in their hulls.

Calara had been studying them intently, and she zoomed in the view of one of the cruisers and said, "They look like they might be gunports to me. What do you think, John?"

He'd been thinking the same thing, and he nodded in agreement. "Maybe their weapons are concealed beneath their armour like the Invictus?" he suggested.

Dana sighed and said, "I wish we could do an active scan. I'd love to see what's on the inside of that armour."

They drew closer to the vast bulk of Kerhom's Anvil, and as they approached, the side of the ship yawned open. Enormous doors drew up into the hull, revealing some kind of Hangar Bay. Now they knew what to look for, they could see dozens of similar portals cleverly concealed in the hull.

"That must be some kind of huge carrier," Calara suggested speculatively.

John stood as they drew alongside the colossal vessel, and said, "We'll have to take the Raptor. I want Calara to stay on the Invictus, the rest of you can come with me."

Alyssa glanced at him, and asked, "What about Irillith?"

His eyes narrowed and he replied, "I don't want her causing trouble, but we better bring her along. The Trankaran Ambassador who made the deal with the Maliri is dead, so we might need her to provide more details. We'll meet in the Hangar, I'll go and get her." With that, he walked down the steps to the grav-tube and disappeared out of sight.

Alyssa watched him stride away, his thoughts blocked from her once more. She was starting to be blocked from his mind more times than he let her in, and she yearned for the times only a few weeks ago, when she could spend the entire day listening to his inner voice uninterrupted. Letting out a sad sigh, she rose to her feet, and glided down the steps to join the others. Something was definitely up with John, but she didn't know how to broach it with him, and didn't want to unduly worry the girls about it. She resolved herself to discussing it with him once all this business with the Trankarans was finished.

***

Irillith was waiting in her quarters, when the door swished open. John didn't bother to knock, and after striding in, he said without preamble, "We're in Trankaran Space. I've set up a meeting with their government, to negotiate us assisting them with some kind of trouble they're having with a rebel faction. The Ambassador your mother dealt with is dead, so we might need you to provide more details on the deal, if we decide to just trade for the engine tech and leave."

She could feel her heart lifting to see him, and she started to angrily fight that feeling, before she suddenly remembered her plans. Rising gracefully to her feet, she strolled towards him with a warm smile on her face, and said, "I'd be delighted to assist you, John."

A smile flashed across his face too, but it was one of gloating satisfaction that had no warmth to it. Turning towards the door, he said over his shoulder, "Good. We'll be departing immediately."

Clearing her throat she reminded him in a quiet voice, "You'll need to remove the collar before I can leave this deck."

He faced her once again, then stepped closer. Irillith tilted her head back, exposing her neck to him trustingly, while staring into his eyes. She could feel her heart begin to beat faster when his strong hands reached towards her throat, and she drew in her breath when his fingertips brushed against her skin. He unclipped the collar with a soft metallic click, then paused, and brazenly brushed the back of his fingers against her throat. Her skin felt electrified at his gentle touch, and she had to fight hard to resist dropping to her knees.

"Soon," he promised her arrogantly, as he casually tossed the collar onto the bed, then turned and walked out of the room.

As soon as he had walked out, Irillith took a shuddering breath. Her hands were trembling, and she knew that it wouldn't be long before her obedient and friendly facade turned into her reality. She just hoped she could last long enough to seize an opportunity to save herself from this nightmare. Taking a deep breath, she steeled her nerves and reminded herself just how sharp and observant his women were. This would have to be the performance of a lifetime if she were going to convince them too.

She walked out of her quarters, and then over to the grav-tube, before stepping into the red glow. She sank down in the gravity field, dropping swiftly through the levels. The field slowed her descent when she reached Deck Nine, and she stepped out into the corridor on the lowest level. John was waiting for her by the double doors, and she could see the impatience on his face, so she hurried over to join him. He turned and strolled over to the glossy white gunship with long brisk strides, and she had to almost jog to keep up as she followed in his wake.

They walked up the loading ramp, which began to close with a quiet hum as soon as she stepped foot inside the Raptor. After taking the grav-tube up to the top deck, they walked into the cockpit, and Irillith saw Jade in the pilot's seat, with Alyssa, Dana, and Rachel sitting in the chairs at the back of the roomy cockpit.

"Good morning everyone," Irillith said with a pleasant smile.

She noted their shocked expressions, but kept her face carefully impassive. The girls returned her smile tentatively and wished her a good morning, and she took one of the free seats, sitting next to Rachel.

The Raptor lifted off the deck of the hangar, and once the huge hangar doors in the hull had opened fully, Jade used the retro-thrusters to clear the Invictus. She put the gunship into a gentle spin, and carefully arrested the rotation when they were facing the massive Trankaran carrier. Easing forward with the engines, she brought them through the open maw in the side of the huge vessel, and touched down in the centre of a large glowing orange circle that pulsed rhythmically.

Dana had stood up as they approached the Trankaran flagship, and as they coasted through the hangar bay doors, she gasped as she glimpsed the cross section of the carrier's hull. "Their armour plating is at least ten feet thick!" she blurted out in amazement, seeing layer after layer of sturdy ferrous armour.

She turned back to face them, and her eyes were sparkling with excitement as she said, "If these Trankaran ships are loaded with this much armour, their mass must be insane! But they're still able to move with the kind of agility we saw on those cruisers!" She looked wistful as she said, "Just imagine what the Invictus will handle like if I can get my hands on their tech..."

Rachel smiled at her, and asked, "It can't make that much difference can it? The Invictus is a pretty big ship."

Dana grinned at her, and said with enthusiasm, "We'll just have to see, won't we!"

Jade got up from her seat, and smiled at her passengers as she said, "We've landed, and it looks like there's a welcoming committee." She then glanced at John and asked, "Do you want me to stay with the Raptor?"

He nodded and said, "I doubt the Trankarans will try anything, but we better not tempt fate. Hopefully we shouldn't be long."

Getting up, he turned and walked out of the cockpit, and Jade watched him leave abruptly with surprise. She flashed a concerned look at Alyssa and thought to her, *Something's not right with him. He's been acting a little off for a while now. He normally tells me to be careful, or stay safe, and gives me a hug or kiss goodbye.*

Alyssa stood, and looked into Jade's cat-like emerald eyes, and nodded imperceptibly as she replied, *I'm so glad you noticed too. He keeps blocking me from his thoughts, and I'm starting to get worried.*

Jade pulled Alyssa in for a quick hug and whispered in her ear, "Don't worry, we'll find out what's happening and straighten everything out."

The blonde girl felt herself getting upset, and she carefully tamped down her emotions, so that she wouldn't upset the other girls. She gave Jade a quick kiss and thought to her, *Thank you. We'll talk later.*

Alyssa turned and left the cockpit, following after Dana, Rachel and Irillith who were already stepping into the grav-tube. Heaving a big sigh, she settled her nerves, then stepped into the tube after them and dropped down to the level below. She could hear the front loading ramp being lowered, and they caught up to John as he strolled down the metal slope to the deck of the Trankaran Hangar.

Trankaran ship interiors were significantly different to those Alyssa had grown used to on Terran ships. The floor was a light brown, with rippling patterns crossing the surface, which reminded her of sandstone. The walls and ceiling were made from a very dark grey material that was threaded with reddish-orange lines, and glowed with a warm radiance. This provided a bright illumination to their surroundings, which lit up the solid looking buttresses that supported the high vaulted ceilings above their heads.

"I feel like I'm inside a volcano," Rachel said in a hushed voice.

Dana shook her head slightly as she glanced at the floors and ceilings, and murmured, "This is some kind of metal, it's not rock."

Their attention was drawn to a hulking, eight-foot-tall robed figure, who walked towards them and then bowed. When he raised himself upright, he smiled at them in a friendly manner, and said in a gravelly voice, "Greetings honoured guests! My name is Associate Bhaken. If you would care to follow me, I will lead you to Chancellor Niskera and her senators. They are all anxious to meet you."

John nodded, and said, "Lead on then Associate Bhaken. I'm eager to meet with the Chancellor myself."

Associate Bhaken's smile grew wider encompassing his plain features. He said, "If you'd care to follow me, I'll take you to her immediately."

The Trankaran associate turned, and walked with long ponderous strides towards the doors that led out of the hangar. His footfalls rang with heavy thumps as his booted feet clomped across the deck, but he set a measured pace, so that his guests could keep up.

Dana darted around the others, jogging briefly to catch up with their Trankaran guide so that she could walk at his side. Looking up at Bhaken she said, "I'm really curious about the metal you've used on your ship, I don't recognise this sandy-coloured one or the grey stuff with the orange lights running through it. Are they some kind of alloy?"

He looked down at her with a benevolent smile as they walked along the passageway, and said in his deep voice, "My people have a gift with metals, and there are many abundant resources locked away in the asteroid belts that blanket our territory. I am no expert in metallurgy I'm afraid, but if you have a genuine interest, and are not just asking out of a desire to make small talk, perhaps a meeting with one of our forgemasters could be arranged?"

The redhead beamed a big grin at him, and nodded with excitement as she said, "I'd love that!" Glancing over at John, she asked, "Would it be alright if I go and meet one of these forgemasters, and catch up with you later?" When John shrugged and nodded, Dana skipped along with an extra bounce in her step.

Associate Bhaken led them along a series of long corridors, passing sturdy reinforced doors, which were engraved in some kind of runic script. The elaborate runes glowed with a deep inner fire, and they drew the eye towards them with their eerie red glow. Several of the doors had guards posted outside, and unlike the Trankarans they had met so far, these hulking creatures weren't robed. Instead, they wore huge sets of dark grey armour, which was interlaced with the same glowing lines as the walls. It made their already imposing eight-foot-tall frames seem absolutely enormous, bulking them up even further.

They were holding big, blunt, ugly looking rifles, which had a broad barrel, segmented into eight sections. The barrel was striped by angry red glowing lines, and it seemed to throb as though alive. Dana stared at these weapons in fascination, and she desperately wanted to ask one of the Trankaran guards about them. One look at their impassive faces made her think twice, but when she grinned impishly at a particularly imposing guard, he did smile back.

Alyssa glanced up at Bhaken and noted, "There's quite a lot of guards around. Why do you need so much security when it's only Trankarans aboard this ship?"

Associate Bhaken face turned downcast, and his reverberating voice sounded sombre as he replied, "Kerhom's Anvil is hosting the Senate, which makes us a prime target for the rebels. One of the most dreadful things about fighting a civil war, is someone who you considered to be your rock-brother could turn out to be a traitor."

She smiled at him sympathetically, and reached out to gently pat his arm, as she said, "I'm sorry Bhaken, that must be awful."

He was touched by her kind words, and he bowed his head to her in gratitude, saying, "I appreciate your sympathy. I hope that these dark days will be behind us soon."

Finally coming to a halt before an imposing set of enormous fifteen-foot-high doors, he turned to look at his guests and said, "This is the audience chamber for the senate. If you would care to proceed inside, Chancellor Niskera and her advisors will meet with you now."

John nodded, and strode inside the room, with Irillith following close behind him. Dana smiled as she looked up at Associate Bhaken, and said enthusiastically, "I'm ready to go and meet one of these forgemasters!"

Rachel glanced at Alyssa and said, "I'll keep her company, you go and keep an eye on John."

Alyssa turned and hurried to catch up with John and the Maliri woman, and she was relieved when she thought to Rachel, *Thanks! You're an angel!*

The double doors opened into an anteroom, which had tall arches that criss-crossed at the ceiling. There were several more guards in here, who watched the new arrivals with interest, and their heads turned to follow Alyssa as she ran across the room to rejoin John. The brightly glowing runes on the inner doors seemed to flare with an inner fire for a moment, before they swung open before them at a measured pace.

Inside was a huge circular room, surrounded in tiered seats, somewhat like an ancient Terran amphitheatre. There were no obvious light sources in the room, but the glow from the lines threading their way through the ceiling and walls prevented the senate chamber from feeling too dark and imposing. Dozens of Senators lined the seats at various levels around them, and they all watched John, Alyssa, and Irillith as they walked into the room.

On the floor in the centre was a robust ten-sided table, and sitting directly opposite them, flanked by two advisors, was the first female Trankaran they had seen. Unlike the eight-foot-tall males, she was just over six-feet in height, and proportioned more like a heavily muscular Terran woman. Just like the other Trankarans they had met, she had a face that looked like it had been chiselled from a block of granite, with broad, flat features, and a bald head.

She rose, and her smile seemed genuine, lighting up her face. "Welcome, honoured guests," she began in a voice much lighter in pitch than the males. "I am Chancellor Niskera, and I believe you are Commodore John Blake? Also known as the Lion of the Federation, and champion of the Ashanath?"

John nodded with a confident smile on his face, and said courteously, "Thank you for granting us some of your valuable time. It's a pleasure to meet you, Chancellor Niskera." Turning to glance to his right he said, "This is Irillith, of the Maliri. Our business with her people brought us to your doorstep." He glanced to his left and added, "And this is Alyssa, my second-in-command."

Chancellor Niskera looked shocked, and said, "The mystery of the Maliri, and what lay concealed behind their armour, was one I thought we would never uncover. I am astonished that so beautiful a species would ever conceal their appearance."

Irillith inclined her head and smiled warmly at the compliment, but inside her heart skipped a beat, as she felt icy fingers of dread crawling up her spine. She couldn't believe she had been so foolish as to come onto this ship without her armour. What had she been thinking?! Then for John to cheerfully announce her species, like that! She was sure he was aware of the punishment that awaited her if this got back to her people.

John had a cold smile on his face as he said, "Such secrets aren't necessary any more. I have a feeling the Maliri will soon be well known around the galaxy." He then glanced at the Chancellor's companions, and asked, "May I ask who your advisors are?"

Chancellor Niskera smiled, and said, "My apologies, our unexpected and lovely guest has me so distracted, I have been impolite." Turning to her left, she nodded respectfully to the armoured Trankaran, and said, "This is our Naval Commander, Fleet Warden Thandrun." She then turned to her right to look at the robed Trankaran who flanked her. He smiled at her pleasantly as she introduced him, "And this is Vamred, Senator of Internal Affairs."

John nodded to them both politely, and when the Chancellor gestured from them to sit, he took the seat opposite her, with the girls following his lead. The chairs had been designed for someone of Terran stature and were comfortable, if not particularly pleasing to the eye. Once they had taken their seats, Chancellor Niskera sat down too.

John had waited patiently for her to make her introductions, and when they were over, he said, "Ambassador Gamrik told us that you had some trouble with rebels. He seemed to think we might be able to help?"

Chancellor Niskera's pleasant smile turned to an expression of deep sadness, and she said, "You have chosen to visit the Trankaran Republic at a time of terrible conflict amongst my people. I lead the true government of the Trankaran, but a rebel faction has united under the rule of someone known only as 'The Glowing Queen'. We have tried on numerous occasions to open dialogue with this group, but any diplomats we have sent have been slain."

John nodded, and asked, "Do you know anything else about this rebel faction and their leader?"

Vamred, the Senator of Internal Affairs, spoke up in a deep rumbling voice, "Rumour has it she was originally a miner, but we haven't been able to ascertain her true name or verify her background. She seems to command absolute loyalty from those Trankaran who have pledged themselves to her cause, and this rebel faction has rapidly expanded amongst our core worlds. I'm appalled to admit this, but we have lost control of our homeworld, Trankara, to this band."

Fleet Warden Thandrun nodded, then started speaking in a voice that sounded like an avalanche, "I still command the bulk of our forces, but this rebel group has seized control of our shipyards. If we cannot reason with them soon, we might be forced to take military action while we still have the larger fleet."

John frowned and asked, "Why don't you just crush this rebellion, and execute the ringleaders? If you have a superior fleet, now is the time to strike."

Chancellor Niskera looked pained and replied, "We do not wish to extinguish the spark of any Trankarans, no matter how misguided, not while a peaceful option still remains."

"It doesn't," John said firmly. "This 'Glowing Queen' won't stop, until you, and all these Senators are dead, and this fleet is either destroyed or under her command."

Chancellor Niskera looked shocked and asked, "How can you be so certain?"

He gave her a knowing smile and said, "You'll just have to trust me on that one." He then paused for a moment while studying her, and eventually said, "Despite what I've told you, you still don't want to launch a fleet action against whatever forces this Glowing Queen has under her command, do you?"

Chancellor Niskera looked deeply troubled, and she shook her head. Fleet Warden Thandrun then interjected in his deep bass voice, "The death toll on both sides would be significant. They don't have any battleship class vessels yet, but they still possess a significant number of cruisers and smaller ships. Eliminating their fleet would result in the deaths of tens of thousands of Trankarans."

John shrugged nonchalantly and said, "Fine. I'll solve this problem for you."

Chancellor Niskera's face lit up with hope and she asked eagerly, "You believe you'll be able to convince the Glowing Queen to surrender, or negotiate with us?"

He shook his head, smiling grimly and said, "I'm afraid not Chancellor. As I mentioned before, this will only be resolved in blood. I intend to assassinate the Glowing Queen. This rebellion will end shortly afterwards."

Chancellor Niskera looked appalled and she stammered, "There m-must be a peaceful option we haven't explored!"

John leaned forward, and in a deathly serious voice that carried throughout the room he stated, "There isn't. You end her, or she'll end you."

The Senators around the room began talking amongst themselves in panicked, upset voices, and the cascading rumble of deep Trankaran voices soon began to get unpleasantly loud. Chancellor Niskera was talking to her advisors in hushed and worried conversation, but when she noticed John flinching at the cacophony, she raised her hands high in the air. Silence descended on the chamber as the Senators responded to her command, and dozens of pupil-less Trankaran eyes were riveted once again, on the group in the centre of the room.

John looked Chancellor Niskera in the eye, and said, "We've talked about what you need, and how I can go about resolving your problem. Now I think it's time to talk about what I want."

Chancellor Niskera took a deep breath, and then smiled at him, and said, "Of course, please let us know what you require."

John nodded towards Irillith and said, "The Maliri had made a deal with Ambassador Khemmerlun, to purchase schematics for your engine technology. I believe a down payment of half-a-billion credits was paid. We had intended to come here to complete that deal."

Chancellor Niskera's face brightened, and she exclaimed, "I authorised this deal! We would be happy to give you those schematics in payment for your services in resolving this situation for us."

John's smile was cunning, and he shook his head apologetically as he said, "Obviously I am truly sympathetic to the plight of the Trankarans. However, with the situation in Trankaran Space being what it is, I have a few options open to me. I can wait for the next rebel attack, and then destroy some of their ships myself. We can then reverse-engineer the engine tech, and be on our way with a minimum of effort. I assume the schematics you were going to give the Maliri were for generic Trankaran engine tech, the kind you fit on your civilian ships and the like?"

Chancellor Niskera nodded hesitantly, and admitted, "Yes, that is correct. But even the civilian version of our engine tech is greatly superi-."

John shook his head slowly, and she faltered when she saw his refusal. He then said with a smile, "I'll hand over the generic schematics to the Maliri, but I want access to the best tech you have for myself. State-of-the-art military-grade engines to upgrade my ship, the Invictus."

Fleet Warden Thandrun sounded alarmed, and he rumbled, "Your Terran ship is much lighter than our vessels, and your physique would not be able to stand the strain! Unless you were to develop incredibly advanced inertial dampeners, using full power would kill you and your crew in an instant!"

Chancellor Niskera nodded and said in agreement, "Your terms are not unreasonable, but I urge you to reconsider for your own safety! We do not have the accompanying inertial dampening technology to protect you."

John smiled confidently and said, "We'll take care of that, but we'll need you to provide thrust ratios for the engines, so we can prepare accordingly." He paused and then added, "So, I take it we have a deal? I end this rebellion, then you provide us with the tech schematics for the engine technology, and refit my ship with the most powerful engines and retro-thrusters you can construct?"

Chancellor Niskera nodded with some reluctance, and said with regret, "I agree to your terms. Although, I beg you to please try and limit the number of casualties involved."

"It will be a nice clean surgical strike," John said emphatically.

Vamred, the Senator of Internal Affairs, then said, "I will arrange for all the information we have on the Glowing Queen to be sent to you, along with her location on Trankara. She has set up residence in the old Senate building in our capital city, renaming it 'The Radiant Palace'."

John looked pleased and he replied, "Excellent. Please send me architectural plans for the Senate building, as well as any defensive structures in the locale that might prevent a dropship insertion. If Trankara has any kind of orbital defence grid, I'll need details on that too."

Vamred looked thoughtful, and said, "I should be able to assemble everything you require."

John then looked at Fleet Warden Thandrun, and asked, "With your permission, I'd like to perform an active scan of one of your cruisers, to help us with targeting vulnerable locations. That's the biggest vessel they have, correct?"

Fleet Warden Thandrun looked hesitant for a moment, before he conceded, "You may perform your scan."

John grinned, then stood, and bowed deeply towards the Chancellor and her advisors. "I believe we have a deal then, Chancellor," he said with satisfaction.

Chancellor Niskera studied him carefully, before bowing in return, and saying, "We agree to all of your terms. Our hopes rest with you, that you may bring peace and stability to our people once more."

John nodded, and said with an ambivalent smile, "Yes, peace and stability. We all want that."

***

The brooding figure strode through the chambers of his fortress, the dim tunnels with their cold, grim, stonework matched his dark mood. This target had proven impossible to track, flitting from one end of Terran Space to another in the blink of an eye. There seemed to be no pattern or logic to the man's movements, and he seemed to be able to travel at incredible speed. On the one brief occasion when he nearly had him, John Blake's response had been so baffling, it had allowed him to slip through his fingers.

He had activated the last of his agents on this desperate hunt, and he refused to think about how much this operation had cost him so far. Still, at this point, money had ceased to have any meaning. This was about his reputation, and while John Blake still lived, his reputation was threatened.

Storming into his Command Room, he sat down tensely in his gothic throne. The index finger on his left hand began to tap the armrest of his throne in a nervous tic that he hadn't seen in decades. He glowered at the errant hand, and his finger rose then paused as he stared at it. With an iron will he forced the finger back to rest, and then he stared out across the room, feeling the simmering anger burning within him.

He hadn't personally taken a target in longer than he cared to remember, having retired to 'manage' his stable of assassins. He felt that strong urge to come out of retirement one last time, and face this Lion of the Federation himself. Maybe John Blake might actually be able to provide an interesting challenge for his unmatched skills.

A blinking light on his console brought him out of his bleak reverie, and he pressed the button. It was from one of his network of spies stationed at Port Megara, and the message contained a video file. He activated the file with a curious frown on his face, that quickly lifted into a broad grin. Judging by the timestamp, the video was taken only yesterday, and the Lion of the Federation could be seen walking through cheering, jubilant crowds of simpering morons.

"You're mine now," he gloated, his face lighting up with an evil grin.