Dana and Rachel both looked delighted when they strolled into the hangar with Associate Bhaken, and they waved jubilantly at John, Alyssa, and Irillith who were waiting by the Raptor gunship with Jade. The two girls spoke earnestly with their Trankaran guide for a moment, thanking him for being such an excellent host as they waved him goodbye, before jogging over to rejoin their friends.

Alyssa sighed with relief as John dropped his mind-shield, and when she was able to listen to his inner voice, he seemed more like himself once again. His behaviour seemed to be increasingly erratic of late, acting distant and out of character, and she was getting more than a little worried. Jade had been the first of the other girls to notice anything, and it had been a big relief to be able to share her concerns, having kept it to herself to avoid troubling them. Dana and Rachel rushed over with eager smiles on their faces, and she turned to listen to the redhead as she began to speak.

"That was awesome!" Dana exclaimed, bouncing up and down with excitement.

John smiled at her, and asked, "Things went well with the Forgemaster, I take it?"

To his surprise, it was Rachel who answered first, and she beamed as she replied, "These Trankarans are so friendly and helpful! The Forgemaster had a male and female assistant, who both let me take some genetic samples. They agreed to let me scan them too!"

Dana nodded animatedly, and said, "And I've just spent the last hour having a fascinating chat with Forgemaster Gilgrem about metallurgy. Associate Bhaken wasn't exaggerating about the Trankarans having a gift with metals, they really know their shit! They're also mining several metals I've never even heard of before!" She looked a bit evasive, but grinned at him endearingly as she added, "I bought a ton of each, just in case they might be useful. I hope that's okay?"

John chuckled and replied, "Yeah, as long as you got a good deal."

She winked at him slyly, and whispered, "These Trankarans might be friendly and helpful, but they aren't the sharpest traders. Considering how rare those metals are, I picked them up for a tenth of the price I was prepared to pay."

John clapped her on the back as he said, "Sounds like you did some quality haggling! Will the ore be here soon?"

She giggled before replying happily, "Forgemaster Gilgrem said he'd have them delivered straight away, so hopefully they should be here in a few minutes." She then looked at him with a quizzical expression and asked, "How did the meeting with the Chancellor go?"

He grinned at her and replied, "Very well actually, but we can go over the details with everyone back on the ship. Basically, I agreed to help them with their rebel problem, and in return, they're going to outfit the Invictus with the best engine tech they can make. I requested their engine specifications, so you'll know what you're going to be working with, and you can start thinking about how to seriously upgrade our Inertial Dampeners."

Alyssa smiled at her old friend and said wryly, "The Trankarans had some concerns for our safety if they gave us their state-of-the-art tech. Something about our frail Terran bodies not being able to cope with the strain. I think you'll have to come up with something pretty special, to stop us from getting squished like a bug the first time we crank our engines up to max."

Dana's sky-blue eyes sparkled with excitement, and she said, "I've actually had a few ideas already, but with the materials bonding research I've been working on, I haven't had the time to come up with anything concrete." She then looked torn with indecision, and asked John, "With all the new metals, and the notes that Forgemaster Gilgrem said he'd send me, I could make some real headway with my materials research. Do you really want me to stop working on that?"

John nodded and said apologetically, "I'm hoping our mission for the Trankarans will just take a few days, in which case we'll be able to get the Invictus outfitted with new engines very quickly. I want you to drop everything and work on the Inertial Dampeners first, alright?"

The redhead pouted, but nodded in agreement.

Alyssa laughed and said, "Cheer up, Sparks! Remember, you'll be getting your hands on some top-of-the-line alien tech. There won't be a single Terran ship with engines this fast!"

That turned Dana's frown upside down, and she looked ecstatically happy once again. Movement by the doors into the hangar drew their attention, and a male and female Trankaran appeared, steering robust, tracked trolleys that were loaded with sturdy ore containers. Dana skipped over to join them, and they smiled at her when she gave them a cheeky wave.

Rachel smiled at the others standing with her, and said, "You should come and meet the assistants, they're very friendly."

Alyssa and Rachel walked briskly to catch up with Dana, and John watched the enticing sway of their hips as they departed. The two girls greeted the Trankarans in a friendly fashion, and the Forgemaster's assistants gave them a broad smile, as Dana introduced everybody to each other. The group then began to make their way towards the rear of the gunship, following the redhead's animated directions.

"I'll go and open the rear loading ramp!" Jade called out to Dana, who turned and waved at her with a happy smile.

As the Nymph headed back into the Raptor, John began to walk over to join the girls, but a soft hand gently brushing his arm made him pause. He turned around and was surprised to see that it was Irillith who had reached out to touch him. John glanced down at her slender blue hand, looking at where it rested against his forearm, and enjoyed the feeling of her warm fingers as they lingered on his skin. When he turned to the Maliri woman, her face was flushed, and she snatched her hand away quickly.

"Is everything alright?" he asked her curiously.

Irillith gazed at him for a moment, before looking away, and saying in a quiet voice, "I just wondered why you brought me along to that meeting."

Alyssa turned around sharply as she was abruptly blocked from John's mind once again, and she narrowed her eyes as she saw him talking to Irillith. Something about the Maliri was making him act very strangely, and if anything, seemed to trigger him blocking her from his mind. She looked suspiciously at the Maliri woman, but Irillith's body language and posture seemed unthreatening.

A sly grin spread across John's face as he replied, "Didn't you see how shocked their Chancellor was when I revealed you were a Maliri? She was reeling for that entire meeting because of it."

Irillith was surprised at his cynical manipulation of the Trankaran Chancellor, but she hadn't forgotten the consequences of his little stunt. "If this ever gets back to the Maliri, I'm dead!" she said to him urgently in a hushed voice. "You might have just signed my death warrant!"

John had a calculating smile on his face as he said, "I wouldn't worry about that. I'm quite certain you'll be fine."

Irillith didn't feel particularly reassured, but she managed to suppress her anger, and nodded obediently instead, reluctant to break her cover. She smiled at him as she replied, "If you say so; then I feel better already."

He nodded smugly, and then they walked over to join the rest of the group. Alyssa watched them approach, and being denied her mental connection with John, the rest of her senses were all on high alert. The fact that they all warned her of danger only deepened her suspicions about Irillith.

***

After loading up the Raptor with ore, they said goodbye to the Trankaran assistants, and Jade shuttled the crew back to the Invictus. Once they had landed, John and Alyssa unloaded the gunship, with John carrying his share of the ore crates, while Alyssa levitated hers via telekinesis. They stacked the ore containers on the far side of the Cargo Bay, next to the storage containers of Etherite crystals and Onyxium ore.

After securing the crates to the deck via mag-locks, they walked back across the Cargo Bay to rejoin the others, who had watched them hauling the heavy containers around with interest. John found Dana staring thoughtfully at the dozens of containers full of Maliri electronics, and he asked her, "What are you thinking about?"

Dana turned to look at him, and grinned proudly as she said, "I think I might have a buyer for the electronics, but I was just thinking that we should hold out on selling, until we sort out the problems with the Trankarans. If we stop these rebels from fucking up trade, then there'll be a rush of merchants after Trankaran ore. Our cargo should increase in value considerably!"

He laughed and gave her a hug as he said, "I think you missed your vocation as a merchant!" When he eventually let her go, he glanced over at Irillith, and said, "I better secure our guest back on Deck Four."

Alyssa stepped forward and smiled, but there was a steely determination in her eyes. John had dropped his mind-shield again on the flight back from the Trankaran flagship, and she didn't want him anywhere near the Maliri woman if she could help it.

"Why don't you go up to the Bridge and update Calara? I'll escort Irillith back to her quarters," she said firmly.

John shrugged, and nodded as he smiled at her amiably, then walked over to the grav-tube arm-in-arm with Dana and Rachel. Jade watched them leave, and glanced in Alyssa's direction. *Want me to come along too?* she asked the blonde girl.

*I'll be fine,* Alyssa replied. *You go ahead and catch up on the details of our assassination mission...*

Jade frowned, and her thoughts sounded puzzled as she asked, *Assassination mission? That doesn't really sound like our usual line of business.*

Alyssa gave her a worried look, and replied, *Yeah, I know.*

The Nymph gave her a quick hug, and quickly departed to catch up with the others, leaving Alyssa and Irillith alone in the Cargo Bay. Alyssa turned towards the Maliri woman, who was studying her cautiously, and said, "Shall we?" gesturing towards the double doors with her hand.

Irillith smiled and nodded, matching pace with Alyssa as they walked over to the grav-tube. There was a frosty silence in the air as they rose in the anti-gravity field together, and when they stepped out onto the fourth floor, their footsteps seemed to echo loudly as they walked to Irillith's quarters. Alyssa gestured for Irillith to enter, and followed her into the room as soon as she spotted the collar on the bed, left there when John had casually discarded it earlier.

Being very careful not to let her true feelings show in her expression, Irillith waited patiently for Alyssa to walk over to the bed, and pick up the collar. The blonde girl glanced at the metal circlet she held in her hands, twisting it slowly, so that the light reflected off its cold metallic surface. Alyssa heaved a sigh, then stepped very close to Irillith so that they were only millimetres apart. If either woman had turned even the tiniest bit to either side, their breasts would have brushed against each other.

Alyssa carefully secured the collar back in place, locking it with a soft click around Irillith's slender blue neck. She then stood silently, and stared at the Maliri woman's beautiful face, gazing into her angular violet eyes.

"John might be fooled by this act," Alyssa began in a level voice, "but I know you're hiding something. Things will end very badly for you, if you try and hurt any of my friends."

Irillith stared back into Alyssa's bright blue eyes, with an innocent, disarming smile on her face. She tried to maintain that guileless stare for as long as she could, but something deep within the blonde girl's piercing cerulean gaze sent a cold shiver down her spine. Irillith quivered with fear, and looked away, not able to maintain eye contact any longer.

She could feel Alyssa studying her coldly for a long moment, before the Terran girl finally turned and walked out into the corridor, leaving Irillith alone in her quarters. The Maliri woman immediately walked over to the door, pressing the button that would close it. As soon as the door swished shut, her shoulders sagged, and she let out a huge shuddering sigh before flopping onto the bed. Between the dreadful irresistible magnetic pull she felt towards the Mael'nerak, and the roused suspicions from that terrifying otherworldly blonde, she knew this horrible nightmare was only going to get worse.

***

Trankaran space was not particularly broad, but it was very long, and wrapped around the edge of Terran Space in a thick band, neatly curtailing future human expansion in that direction. Fortunately, with Port Megara built as conveniently close to the Trankaran's capital as it could be within Terran Space, the journey to Trankara was only going to be a short one.

"Ten hours," Alyssa stated, as she finished making corrections to the flight path Jade had plotted on the Sector Map. She smiled at the Nymph, and added, "That was nicely done, Jade, you're definitely improving." With a final wave of her fingers, she activated Dana's interdiction response suite, which would alert them if any Trankaran vessels got too close.

Jade could feel her confidence growing, and she grinned with pride as she looked up at Alyssa, delighted to have impressed her mentor. Her smile quickly faded as she studied the beautiful blonde girl, seeing the telltale signs of worry in her expression, and so the Nymph asked quietly, "Do you want to talk about John?"

Alyssa paused, and concentrated on the minds of the other girls she was linked to. She smiled when she listened to their lusty thoughts, as Calara, Dana and Rachel were revelling in a energetic foursome with John. She carefully raised her own mind-shield to prevent the other girls from listening to her thoughts or sensing her emotions, but they were so immersed in their lovemaking that they didn't notice.

She glanced down at Jade, and nodded as she replied, "They'll be busy for a while. Let's go and chat in the Ready Room."

Jade walked after the normally buoyant blonde girl, and now that Alyssa was making no effort to conceal her worries, the Nymph could feel the heavy emotional burden weighing on her friend's thoughts. Alyssa pressed the button to open the door into the Ready Room, and gestured for Jade to proceed, so the green-skinned girl strode inside, then turned to her left, gliding over to the sofas. Jade lay down on one of the long comfortable sofas, then opened her arms invitingly.

The blonde girl smiled wanly, and then lay down next to the Nymph, resting her head on the comfortable pillow of Jade's luscious bosom. Jade encircled her with her arms, stroking her back and holding the blonde girl close.

"It's just us now," Jade said in a comforting, maternal voice. "You don't have to be brave any longer."

Alyssa clung to her fiercely, her shoulders trembling as her face crumpled, and she began to cry. The tears came in a flood, as she finally released the worry and stress that had been plaguing her for weeks.

"It's all my fault!" Alyssa sobbed, wracked with guilt. "You warned me that encouraging John to be dominant was a bad idea, and now the Progenitor side of him is taking over!"

Jade frowned and said soothingly, "What happened with the mercenaries wasn't your fault. We'll just have to try and avoid letting him get into combat situations on his own."

Alyssa shook her head from side to side, as she sat up abruptly, and stared down at Jade with her eyes wild and full of tears. "You don't understand! It's been going on for weeks now!" she exclaimed dejectedly. "He hardly ever used to block me from his mind. The handful of times he did, it only lasted a few minutes, and it was when he was thinking about something that he thought might upset me. Now it's happening for hours at a time, and I don't think he's worried about upsetting me any longer. It feels like he's doing it to hide his dark thoughts from me!"

Jade pulled the heartbroken girl down into her arms again, and spoke in a soft voice as she said, "It can't be as bad as all that. He loves you. I've seen how devoted you two are to each other, and you can't fake that kind of connection."

Alyssa cried into her chest, while Jade stroked her soothingly, and the Nymph considered what the other girl had said. Jade looked thoughtful while she comforted Alyssa, murmuring reassuring words, and helping her unload the tension and stress she'd been carrying for weeks.

"I don't think this has anything to do with you encouraging him to be dominant in bed," Jade eventually said, her voice firm and full of conviction.

Alyssa lifted her head up, and brushed the tears from her eyes as she asked in a hushed voice that was tinged with hope, "You don't? How come?"

"You said yourself that this started happening a few weeks ago. Who did we meet around that time?" Jade asked leadingly.

Alyssa's eyes narrowed, and she gritted her teeth as she hissed, "The Maliri..."

Nodding, the Nymph said, "Although he's always been lovely with us, and he was brought up as a Terran, John is still a Progenitor. You must remember as well as I do, all those pictures the Ashanath showed us. His species enslaves hordes of women, and uses them for conquest. Then there's all the research Rachel did on the Maliri; they've been designed to be a slave race for a Progenitor to dominate and control."

Alyssa looked troubled and said, "So you reckon being around the Maliri has made the Progenitor side of him emerge? Like a bear being drawn to honey?"

Jade frowned and said, "I don't know for sure, but it seems like an awfully big coincidence. We meet the Maliri, and John starts losing the plot."

A sad shadow crossed over Alyssa's face as she said, "And we know how John feels about coincidences."

The Nymph smiled at her, and said, "Exactly. So the question now is, what are we going to do about it?"

Alyssa looked pensive, thinking over her options, and she finally replied, "As much as I loathe Irillith, I don't want to just space her, despite what I said. She hasn't really done anything bad enough to justify being murdered, and as horrible as she is, she can't help the effect she's having on John. Even if we did bump her off, I'm not even sure it would dissuade him from following through with trying to complete this deal with Edraele."

Jade looked thoughtful as she mulled over their predicament, and said, "I agree. So where does that leave us?"

Alyssa shrugged helplessly, and said in exasperation, "I don't know if we have many options. I guess we just have to help get this deal with the Trankarans over with, and then try and convince John to drop Irillith off at Geniya Space Station, then forget all about the Maliri."

Jade nodded, and gave Alyssa a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, I'm sure it will all work out in the end. But don't try and carry anything like this all by yourself next time. Remember, you're my little kitten, and I want to look after you."

Alyssa laughed and hiccupped at the same time, then giggled, and leaned in for another hug. "Thank you, Jade," she said sincerely. "You've been so wonderful. I feel loads better already."

The Nymph smiled at her lovingly and placed a tender kiss on top of the blonde girl's head. Her heart surged with gratitude for the young woman she was holding in her arms, and she whispered, "You saved me from that pirate ship, and helped set me free. I'd do anything for you."

Alyssa squeezed her green-skinned friend in a tight hug, then sat up with a smile on her face once again. She suddenly yawned, and blushed, saying, "Crying always tires me out. Come on, let's go to bed, the others are sleeping now anyway."

She rose from the sofa gracefully, then offered Jade her hand. The Nymph smiled at her, and taking Alyssa's hand in her own cool fingers she stood up elegantly. The blonde girl was about to turn to leave, but Jade pulled her back with a gentle tug, and said in a soft voice, "Remember what I said. Please come to me if you need to talk about anything." She then smiled wryly and added, "I'm over ten thousand years old; you youngsters should listen to your elders."

Alyssa laughed, and joked, "Well I just hope I have as firm an ass when I'm your age! Come on, 'Old Mother Time', let's go and have a cuddle with the others." She paused, then looked into Jade's cat-like emerald eyes, and gently brushed the side of her face with her fingers. Her words were heartfelt as she said, "I'll definitely come to you if I need to talk again. You really helped, thank you."

Jade nodded, with a satisfied smile on her beautiful face, and they walked out of the room hand-in-hand.

***

The alarm began to chime softly, filling the bedroom with a quiet melody, which gradually increased in volume until Alyssa rolled over and stretched, calling out "Deactivate wake-up call."

John had set the alarm to activate at six in the morning, three hours before they were scheduled to arrive at Trankara. They intended to stop near Demladuhr trading post, to plan their final approach to the rebel held planet, which was the location of the Radiant Palace, and the lair of the Glowing Queen.

Dana and Rachel had been flanking John when they went to sleep, but they were both up first, eager to get started on the day. By the time the others had roused themselves from bed, the redhead and brunette were striding nude from the bathroom, dried off and on the hunt for fresh clothes.

"You two are early birds this morning," John noted with a smile.

Dana gave him a quick kiss as she breezed past and exclaimed, "I need to work on the Inertial Dampeners! Catch you later!"

Rachel smiled at her exuberant lover, and said, "I want to take a look at the Trankaran genetic samples and scan data I gathered yesterday. If we're about to go into combat with Trankarans, we'll need to know their weak spots."

John nodded, impressed at their dedication, and said, "Great thinking, both of you. We'll bring you some breakfast."

The two girls waved them goodbye, then sauntered out of the bedroom. That left John, Alyssa, Calara, and Jade to have a shower, and they luxuriated in the warm streams of water that cascaded down on them.

Alyssa began to massage John's shoulders, and purred in his ear, "Talking of breakfast, how about giving me a nice full tummy to start the day."

Calara and Jade leaned in, both massaging him too, and he groaned as his body responded to their sensual touch. He was about to turn and pin Alyssa to the shower wall to have his way with her, when he held back and said with regret, "I'd love to, but we're so close to the Trankaran rebels, we better not. We might get in a fight any minute, and I don't want to risk slowing you down with a swollen belly. We'll have some spectacular victory sex later when we're all done, I promise."

She pouted, but nodded, unable to refute his logic. They finished up quickly, dressing and going their separate ways. John and Jade headed over to the kitchen to make breakfast for everyone, while Calara and Alyssa ascended to the Bridge, to keep watch for rebel ships.

***

Dana hit the button to open the Engineering Bay doors, and she grinned widely at the purple AI construct, when she saw it sitting on one of her consoles looking lost in thought. "Good morning, Faye!" she called out to the violet-hued sprite in a friendly fashion.

"Dana! Rachel! It's so lovely to see you!" Faye said with delight as she leapt to her feet. She scampered along the top of the Engineering consoles, and launched herself into the air, her arms flung out in front of her. Iridescent gossamer wings sprouted from her back, and she fluttered over to join them, leaning in to give each girl a kiss on the cheek.

Rachel smiled at Faye, quickly getting over her surprise, and said, "Those are new!"

Faye hovered in the air beside her and said, "Do you like them? You said I reminded you of a Fae creature, so I thought I might as well look the part!"

Rachel laughed and said kindly, "You get a gold star for effort!" Leaning forward, she asked, "They're very pretty, could I take a closer look?"

The purple AI sprite nodded, looked very pleased with herself, and when Rachel held out her arm, Faye landed, unfurling her transparent shimmering wings.

"Hey, Dana!" Rachel called over to the redhead, "You should take a look at these, they're gorgeous!"

Dana didn't answer for a moment, she was so engrossed in the data she was reviewing. She eventually looked up distractedly, and then smiled as she said, "Very beautiful Faye, nice job!" before turning back to look at the data again.

Rachel rolled her eyes at Faye, who giggled in amusement. Walking over to join the redhead she asked, "What's got you so distracted?"

Dana looked up, and beaming a huge grateful smile at the sprite who was standing on Rachel's arm, she said, "You must have spent hours on this! Thank you so much!"

Faye looked overjoyed at Dana's reaction and replied, "It was the least I could do after you set up the holo-emitters to let me roam around the Engineering Bay. I can't tell you how good it feels to be able to have some freedom!"

Rachel gently nudged Dana with her elbow, a playful smile on her face, and she asked with interest, "Come on, don't leave me in suspense. What did Faye do?"

Dana pressed a few buttons on her console, and a long list of metals appeared, including a wide variety of data on each element. "She sorted and categorised all the known metals, including those the Trankarans sold to us." Glancing to her side, she asked the sprite intuitively, "Is this list sorted by bonding likelihood with Onyxium?"

Faye hopped off Rachel's arm, and her wings disappeared as she skipped along to sit on the console in front of Dana. "That's right!" the AI construct said, bobbing her head animatedly. "I remembered how you were studying each metal, and looking at their ability to form metallic bonds. I sorted every metal in your database, and created indexes, so you can cross reference each one against every other metal, and look for likely candidates for your new alloy."

Dana did a little dance for joy, and with a huge smile of gratitude on her face she exclaimed, "You're fucking awesome! This would have taken me days to sort out!"

Rachel smiled at the purple creature, and then leaned in to say in a conspiratorial whisper, "Dana's been getting so cranky trying to finish this research off. If you've helped speed things up, I owe you big time!"

Faye had not stopped giggling after watching the redhead's jubilant jig, and she looked up at them both in delight, her tiny face shining with happiness.

***

John arrived on the Bridge with a plate containing three bacon rolls. The delicious aroma wafted over to the girls, and both Alyssa and Calara turned to look at him, sniffing the air. He strolled down the ramp to the Tactical Station to offer one to Calara first, then climbed up the steps to the Command Podium to present the second to Alyssa. Taking the third for himself, he sat in the Command Chair, and studied the local Sector Map, which was displayed as a glowing hologram in the centre of the Bridge.

He nodded towards the map, and before he took a bite of the roll, he asked, "Spotted anything interesting yet?"

Alyssa paused before taking a bite, and replied, "We both have actually." She glanced down at Calara, who was savouring her first mouthful of breakfast, and she said wryly, "I guess I better go first."

Turning to look up at the Sector Map, her right hand was a blur over the keyboard, while her left held the bap clear of the console. The map began to light up with curving lines, and at first just a few dozen appeared, but eventually hundreds were dotted over Trankaran territory.

John looked on curiously, and asked, "What are all those?"

"Asteroid belts," Alyssa noted. "Trankaran Space is absolutely saturated in them. It's no wonder they have access to so many metals, with such huge amounts of resources just begging to be mined."

He nodded, and said, "I remember seeing a lot when I came here in the Fool's Gold. The sensors on my freighter only had a fraction of the range we've got on the Invictus though. I didn't realise there were quite so many."

Alyssa grinned and said, "With the Trankarans having so many mineral resources at their disposal, perhaps they weren't quite so daft with their trading after all."

John laughed and nodded, saying, "Let's not steal Dana's thunder." He glanced down at Calara, who was hurriedly gulping down the last of her roll. She smiled at him sheepishly when he frowned, but when she had swallowed the last, he gestured for her to proceed.

Calara nodded, then brought up the data from her long range scans, displaying the data on the Sector Map. "I found out what happened to the missing merchant shipping," she said in a sombre voice. "The approach to Demladuhr trading post is littered with wrecks. It looks like the rebels have been picking off anything that makes it close to the station."

John nodded and said, "Keep your eyes peeled for any rebel patrol ships. We should have a massive sensor advantage over them, and I'm certain we have far greater hyper-warp speed too."

The Latina smiled at him confidently, and asked, "So just give them all a wide berth and then slip into Trankara?"

John returned her smile, but he shook his head slightly and replied, "No, I have different plans, if we can find the right target."

***

Jade strolled into the Engineering Bay, carrying a plate of bacon rolls for her friends. She walked up the illuminated steps to the Chief Engineer's Podium, and as she handed them out, she spotted the purple sprite sitting on the top of Dana's console. Jade greeted her with a warm smile, and said, "Morning Faye, it's nice to see you."

Faye leapt to her feet and gasped, "I love your colouring, you're very beautiful! Your name's Jade, right? Like the gemstone?"

She skipped along the console, then leaned in close to look at Jade's arm, and the tiny flecks in the Nymph's smooth dark-green flesh. They reflected the light and gave Jade's skin an alluring lustre.

The Nymph smiled at her and nodded, then said, "That's very kind of you to say, thank you. I think you look lovely too." Looking down at her plate, she added, "Unfortunately I couldn't bring you a digital roll."

The AI sprite giggled, and held out her hand. A second later a miniature bacon bap filled her hand, and Faye took a big bite. "Yummy!" she exclaimed after she swallowed.

Rachel looked on curiously, and asked, "Can you actually taste that?"

Faye shook her head, and explained, "It's just a 3D image, and I can't taste anything anyway. It's fun to pretend I'm eating with you girls, though."

Rachel blushed and said, "You're so convincingly real, I forgot you're a hologram!"

Dana grinned at Faye and said, "She's much more special than just a hologram!"

Rachel reddened further and apologised quickly, "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to make it sound like that."

Faye gave her a sparkling smile, and fluttered over to the embarrassed young woman. "It's okay, I knew what you meant. I wasn't offended," the construct said sweetly, and it reached out to pat Rachel on the cheek.

Jade smiled at them, and asked, "So what are you ladies up to down here anyway?"

Rachel glanced at her console and replied, "I'm going to do a rapid analysis of the Trankaran scan results. If we get into a fight with them on the planet, I'll need to try and find some vulnerable points for us to aim at."

Turning to Dana, Jade asked, "And how about you?"

Dana was staring at the long lists of metals, her brow furrowed in concentration, as her eyes scanned through the data in fascination. She suddenly realised that the Nymph had spoken to her, and she smiled at her apologetically as she said, "I'd love to be able to get stuck in to my materials research, but the Inertial Dampener upgrades are a higher priority. I've already got an idea of how we could replace them with a completely different system, but I'll need to crunch the numbers. Make sure it's viable."

Jade nodded and said wistfully, "I wish I could help with your research, or do something really useful like that. I always feel like a bit of a fifth wheel when we're travelling anywhere."

Dana gave her a sympathetic smile and asked, "The swimming pool isn't as enticing as it used to be?"

The Nymph laughed and shook her head, saying, "After being able to roam free on Oceanus, it feels too confining in there now."

Rachel looked thoughtful for a moment, then asked, "Why not make yourself as small as you can? Then the pool will feel a lot bigger."

Jade looked startled for a moment, and then grinned as she said, "Beautiful and smart. It's a good thing I'm incapable of jealousy!"

Rachel chuckled as Jade wrapped her up in an exuberant hug. When the excited green-skinned alien girl finally let her go, the brunette asked, "Are you going to go for a swim now?"

Shaking her head, Jade replied, "I'd love to, but I might be needed on the Bridge. I'll head back up there now, and stop distracting the clever girls."

Dana and Rachel laughed, and waved her goodbye as Jade bounced out of the Engineering Bay in a buoyant mood. Faye sat down on Rachel's shoulder, and looked hopeful as she asked, "Did she mean me too?"

Dana nodded and smiled at the purple sprite as she said, "Definitely! Now, If you aren't busy, I could really use your help to create a holo-simulation of the force negation device I've been thinking about."

An eager grin spread over Faye's face, and she leapt from Rachel's shoulder to the Engineering console. "Tell me what you're planning, and I'll get started immediately!" she said, her bright opalescent eyes glowing with excitement.

***

The frequency of the wrecks increased as they drew closer to the Trankaran trading post known as Demladuhr. Calara brought up the scan results for the wreck sites as they raced past each shattered hull, and she studied each scene of devastation carefully.

"Looks like they were taken apart by Fusion Beams," Calara said, with a sombre expression on her beautiful face. She turned and looked up at the Command Podium and said with certainty, "It was definitely a Trankaran vessel that ambushed these merchants."

Alyssa had been studying the incinerated hulls of the broken hulks as well, and she exclaimed, "Taken apart is an understatement! They ripped these poor bastards apart!" After letting out a sigh, she looked over at the Latina and added, "The Base Commander at Port Megara said there were eight merchants that were overdue, but we've seen lots more destroyed shipping than that."

Nodding Calara replied grimly, "Yes, I've counted eight destroyed Terran freighters. The rest are all from minor empires, but I did see one wrecked Ashanath saucer as well."

John leaned forward, a hungry gleam in his eyes as he asked, "Any sign of what took them out?"

Calara shook her head and said, "The debris patterns indicate they were hit by multiple simultaneous Fusion beam hits, so it was either from something big, or a coordinated attack by smaller vessels."

John grinned and said, "I'm betting they've left a cruiser or two in the area to disrupt trade."

The Latina nodded, and said, "That would be my first guess as well."

Alyssa glanced at John and a worried frown darkened her expression as she had been abruptly cut off from John's inner voice by his mind-shield. She was distracted from her troubling thoughts, as Jade bounded out onto the Bridge a moment later. Alyssa turned her chair, and smiled at her, but the Nymph's eyes narrowed when she noted Alyssa's look of concern.

*What's the matter?* Jade asked her curiously.

Alyssa glanced to her right, at the back of John's Command chair, and replied, *John just blocked me from his thoughts again.*

Jade gave her a reassuring smile as she walked past, heading towards the Pilot's station, and thought back to her, *Don't worry, I'm sure everything will be fine.*

A soft chime coming from the Sector Map drew their attention, and they all stared up at the holographic image, as the long range sensors picked up the Trankaran trading post. The huge station was located right in the centre of a swathe of asteroid fields, with clearly defined space lanes providing access routes to the station. They watched with interest as the Invictus made steady progress towards the massive station, travelling between the huge chunks of rock that flanked them on both sides. When the sensors had gathered enough information to display an image of the Trankaran base, they were surprised to see that the facility was built into a huge, semi-circular bowl, hewn out of a vast mineral formation.

"Looks like a hollowed out asteroid to me," Alyssa said with an inadvertent shudder, as she looked at the blunt towers and squat buildings that jutted up from the enormous hunk of rock.

Calara glanced up at her, and asked sympathetically, "Bringing back memories of Karron?"

Alyssa smiled at the brunette and nodded, but her attention was drawn back to the map as they flew further along the space lanes between the asteroids. Jade sat down in her chair, and stared at the zoomed in view of the station, her cat-like eyes narrowing as she studied the image intently.

"I don't think these are separate asteroid belts. It looks like these channels were strip mined through one massive field," Jade said, pointing up at the holographic image that floated motionless in the centre of the Bridge. After taking a closer look, she added, "Do you see those fine clouds of pebbles in each channel leading towards the station? Asteroid belts look like that after Calara's finished testing weapons on them."

Calara looked equally surprised, and said, "The original field of asteroids must have been vast! I don't think there's anything that size in Terran Space is there?"

Alyssa shook her head decisively, and said, "No, definitely not. I've never seen an asteroid field like it."

The Latina carefully examined the tactical map and said, "I'm not getting any power readings from that station. It looks completely dormant."

"Shall I get Dana and Rachel to come up here while we check out the station?" Alyssa asked John.

He nodded and said, "Yes, and tell them to bring Irillith with them as well."

Alyssa looked concerned, but she nodded, and sent out a telepathic summons to the girls. Meanwhile, Jade had been piloting the Invictus further along one of the space lanes between the asteroid belts, and they left a sweeping path through the dense cloud of pebbles as they navigated through. By the time they were nearly at their destination, Dana, Rachel, and Irillith had arrived on the Bridge. They looked up at the image of Demladuhr with curiosity, as Dana and Rachel walked over to their posts at Engineering and Tactical, while Irillith moved to sit in the dormant station to the right of the Command Podium.

"I'll do an active scan of the facility," Dana volunteered, having already been brought up to speed by a telepathic brief from the psychic blonde.

John nodded, and glanced up at the Sector Map as though searching for something.

"What are you looking for?" Alyssa asked him in a quiet voice.

"Bait," he replied with a sly grin.

Jade had been studying the image of Demladuhr Station, and she glanced up at John and said, "I think I see something on the right side of the station. I'll bring the ship around to take a look if that's okay?"

He nodded absent-mindedly, so the Nymph skilfully rotated the assault cruiser to starboard, using the retro-thrusters to perform the manoeuvre. When they were facing the desired direction, she began to gradually increase engine power, bringing them around to the flank of the station. There was a sudden intake of breath from the girls, and they stared in shock at the series of holes bored out of the side of the space station, which they could now clearly see from this direction. The rust red armour had several big, ugly russet red scars, where the plating had been melted completely through. Rivers of liquefied metal had streamed down the side of the station, before solidifying once again in malformed lumps on the starboard face of the hollowed out asteroid.

Rachel had been gazing up at the map, and she noticed dozens of disturbingly familiar shapes scattered amongst the debris. "Can you zoom in on that debris?" she asked Calara quietly.

Before the Latina could do so, Jade turned in her chair, and confirmed Rachel's suspicions in a sombre voice, "They're corpses. At least fifty."

Calara looked grim as she nodded, and said, "Whoever attacked the space station probably caught them by surprise. It looks like they pierced the station's hull, and triggered an explosive decompression. If that Trankaran station is anything like a Terran base, then security doors and pressure fields would have been in place to prevent that kind of thing from happening if the station had been on alert."

The active scan was now complete, and Dana looked sombre as she agreed, "They were caught with their pants down alright. The rebels probably pretended to be friendly, and hit Demladuhr while it was completely unprepared. The whole space station has been depressurised, and it looks like there's dozens of corpses in there. I'm getting no life signs, but picking up lots of biological matter."

"There," John suddenly said, pointing towards the overhead map, and the Trankaran Cruiser that had suddenly appeared at the edge of their sensor range. He looked down at Jade, and ordered, "Intercept that ship!"

Jade nodded, and brought the Invictus about, turning towards the closest space lane leading out of the asteroid field. This broad path through the hazardous belts of rock put them on a direct intercept course with the Trankaran cruiser, and would allow them to engage the blocky vessel.

"They appear to be heading for Demladuhr Station, probably on the lookout for more merchants," Alyssa speculated, studying the Trankaran cruiser's projected route. "We should be out of the asteroid field before they get close enough to see us on their sensors."

John nodded, and said, "Good. When we're on the edge of the asteroid belt, power down, and we'll hit them as soon as they drop out of hyper-warp. If they keep going, power up the Tachyon drive and we'll interdict them." Looking towards Irillith, he asked, "Can you hack into their ship, and disable them?"

Irillith looked confident as she replied, "If you give me back my hacking deck, then it shouldn't be a problem."

Dana abruptly looked up and said, "Hold on. Would you be creating an AI to sabotage their ship?"

The Maliri woman masked her irritation at being questioned, and replied, "Yes. I'll construct an AI, provide it some programs, and send it off to execute them."

"What if you already had an active AI?" Rachel asked with concern.

Irillith glanced at the brunette, and she paused for a moment suddenly remembering with a start that she had forgotten to de-res the last AI she had summoned. Her angular violet eyes went wide as she realised why Rachel was asking. "Then I'd shut it down immediately," she replied coldly and without remorse. "Either that, or send it off straight away to attack the Trankaran ship, then de-res it once it had accomplished its task."

Dana looked alarmed, and staring up at John she pleaded, "You can't let her kill Faye!"

"You've named it?" Irillith asked, her lip curling in disgust, despite herself.

Rachel nodded and said sternly, "Faye has been really helpful, and she's growing into a lovely person. We can't betray her friendship like that, and I won't let you harm her."

Irillith fought down her indignant rage, reminding herself she was supposed to be pleasant and obedient. She looked up at John and said in a reasonable tone, "I'd strongly recommend not keeping an AI as a pet. They are quite temperamental, and prone to becoming very unstable if not put down once they've served their purpose."

John nodded in agreement, but he hesitated when he saw the disapproving look Alyssa was giving him. After glancing around quickly, and seeing the worried expressions on the faces of the rest of the girls on the Bridge, he ground his teeth in anger. He looked at Irillith, and said, "Can you hack that ship without using an AI?"

Irillith looked incredulous for a moment, but she fought down her annoyance, and forced herself to think about his question. With a barely concealed sigh, she admitted, "Yes, but it's going to take me a lot longer, and there'll be a limit to what I can achieve. I might be able to set up a comms blackout quickly, but fighting my way into secured systems like the shield generator or fire control is probably going to take too long to be useful."

He shook his head adamantly, and said in a firm voice, "No, don't interrupt their comms."

Rachel frowned and asked, "But if we leave their comms systems intact, they'll call for reinforcements."

John grinned wickedly, and said, "Exactly. We want them begging for help." Glancing over at Calara he asked, "Have they spotted us yet?"

She shook her head, then said, "They haven't reacted to our approach yet. Going by all the data we got from the scan of the loyalist cruiser, standard Trankaran sensors are only about as good as regular Terran sensors."

Hitting a button on her console she brought up an image of the Trankaran cruiser in the Tactical Display. The targeting computer recognised its specifications from the active scan they had conducted earlier, and began to list the details of the ship's loadout and capabilities.

"Four Fusion Beams in fixed mounts to the fore, and three to port and starboard," Calara noted. "They're shorter range than our Beam lasers, but they hit a lot harder. I'd suggest keeping our distance, but their engines are much more powerful than ours, so I don't think that's going to be an option."

"Can you knock out their weapons?" John asked her.

The Latina frowned and said, "Only the gun ports are going to be visible, as their weapons are protected by massive armour plating. I might be able to, but it's going to be tricky, especially with their manoeuvrability. Their retro-thrusters are buried in the armour too, but should be easier to hit. I could try disabling them like I did with the Drakkar."

John said firmly, "I just need them incapacitated, I don't care how you do it."

Nodding, Calara said confidently, "Don't worry, I'll take care of it."

Jade had powered up their engines to maximum, and the Invictus raced away from the silent tomb that was Demladuhr Station, making steady progress along the channel between the asteroids. When she finally guided them to a halt by the edge of the last asteroid belt, Dana powered down any extraneous systems, dropping their energy profile to a minimum. They all gazed up at the system map, and watched as the Trankaran cruiser dropped out of hyper-warp, appearing to be completely oblivious to their presence, as it plotted a course around the edge of the field.

It was disturbing to see such a stocky, blunt, and ungainly looking vessel moving with such speed, and making smooth and elegant course changes. The front of the cruiser was bulbous, and appeared to be a featureless expanse of iron-red armour plating. They could see that the armour on the hull was twice as thick on the front as it was on the sides or rear, with the Trankaran ship designed to take advantage of their incredibly powerful engine tech, and keep their front to an opponent.

Dana looked pensive as she cautioned them, "We do NOT want to get rammed by that big ugly fucker. Our armour is much more resilient than theirs pound for pound, but their front plating is nearly fifteen-feet thick. They'd tear through us like tissue paper!"

Jade nodded, then glanced back at Alyssa, and asked, "Do you want me to pilot the Invictus for this, or do you want to take over?"

Alyssa gave her a reassuring smile, and replied, "You've got this. Don't worry, you'll be great!"

Jade smiled at her proudly, then turned back to her console. They watched the Trankaran cruiser surge closer, and they could see it move within the fire arcs of their Beam lasers.

Dana studied the passive scan data and said to Calara in warning, "Their shields are up already. Looks like they were expecting a fight."

The brunette nodded, and said to Jade, "Alright keep the nose on them, we'll hit them in the rear at max range."

The Nymph carefully nudged the nose of the Invictus around using light touches on the retro-thrusters, and the front mounted weapon arcs stayed directly over the unsuspecting Trankaran ship. It flew past them, and just as it looked like it was about to get away, Calara pulled the trigger on both of her weapon controls. The six bright lances of energy slashed into the rear of the Trankaran ship, causing a brilliant surge of energy as the energy beams throbbed with power. The beams cut off abruptly to avoid overheating, and the heatsinks began to rapidly vent the excess heat.

The Trankaran ship reacted immediately, their crew sharp and alert. Moving with disconcerting ease, the massive cruiser executed a sharp turn, and began to head back towards the Invictus.

"Shields up, all power to max," Dana called out, clicking buttons on her Engineering console, and sending the energy signature of the Invictus through the roof.

Jade waited patiently as the Trankaran ship bore down on them, seemingly intent on charging straight down the barrels of their weapons. The second the recharging icon winked out on the weapon loadout display for the Invictus, Calara caressed the trigger on her controls again, and the Beam lasers sent pulsating shafts of energy scything into the Trankaran shields. With a scintillating flash of energy, the shields flared and winked out, letting the last of the beams sear across the front of the enemy cruiser.

The very instant the shields dissipated, Calara pressed the thumb buttons on her controls and the Invictus jerked backwards as she fired the four Mass drivers. The hyper-accelerated shells blasted down the two-hundred-metre long magnetic rails, then left light blue trails linking the ships as they slammed into the front of the Trankaran ship, and detonated a second later. Everyone had been holding their breath, and as the bright light from the explosions dissipated, they saw four deep craters punched into the front of the enemy vessel. The enormous impact craters linked together, and the concave ruin that had once been the front of the Trankaran ship, now made it look like it had opened a massive, toothless maw to swallow them whole.

"Get us out of here, Jade," John said curtly.

She pivoted the ship, and cranked up the power, and the Invictus began to pick up speed as it attempted to flee the incoming cruiser. A second later, three shimmering red columns of energy hit the Invictus' shields in the rear. One of the Trankaran's weapons had been destroyed by the Mass Drivers, but the three remaining Fusion Beams pulsed angrily, and waves of incredible heat roared like a furnace over the back of the Invictus, straining the energy field protecting them.

Dana looked worried and gasped, "Shields down to 64% already!"

The Trankaran ship kept coming, and had now closed to laser cannon range. Calara opened up with the rear mounted weapons, adding in those to the sides, which had fire arcs that covered the rear. In all, twelve turreted barrels opened fire, sending a stream of energy blasts into the front of the Trankaran ship. She narrowed her eyes as she concentrated, aiming for the one-metre-square gap in the armour where the Fusion Beam muzzles were exposed. There was an explosion and a second Fusion Beam exploded and was destroyed, before the Trankarans fired back.

"Shields at 42%!" Dana called out.

The Trankaran pilot had realised what Calara was trying to do, and began to dodge from side-to-side while their Fusion Beams recharged. She compensated, adjusting her aim as she anticipated most of the enemy pilot's manoeuvres, and was able to destroy another weapon with her incredibly accurate marksmanship. The third Fusion Beam was blown apart, causing a muted explosion, which was muffled by all the armour. The last of their Fusion Beams had cooled, and they fired it again, just as she hit the final muzzle with several laser bolts, leaving their ship's bow weaponless.

She glanced up at John and said tersely, "I'm not sure I'll be able to disable that ship without destroying them. All their vulnerable systems are at their rear, and our shields can't withstand a volley if they broadside us."

"Careful!" Alyssa called out to Jade, "They're turning to hit us with their starboard weapons."

"Take the hits!" John said sternly, "Bank hard to starboard, and then go for their retro-thrusters and engines!"

Both Jade and Calara nodded, and moved swiftly to obey his orders. The Nymph rolled the ship to the right, then pulled up the nose, bringing them around in a tight turn as she lowered the engine power. Calara opened up with the turrets on the topdeck, and sixteen laser cannons opened fire, strafing the side of the Trankaran ship in a seemingly random cascade of bright orange laser bolts. The rippling explosions over the starboard side of the hull were testimony to the pinpoint accuracy of her shooting, and one retro-thruster after another, was destroyed by the laser blasts.

Unfortunately the blocky cruiser gave back as good as it had got, and the three Fusion Beams lashed out over the Invictus in a raging inferno of heat. The holographic shield strength display rapidly went from orange to red, then faded to black as the shields were burnt out, and the beams of heat went on to lick the glossy white hull of the assault cruiser.

"Another hit like that, and we'll start blowing capacitors!" Dana cried out in alarm.

As the Invictus looped around, the Trankaran pilot fired the retro-thrusters on the port side of their ship, and the cruiser began to make a tight turn. Unfortunately for them, Calara now had a clear shot at the rear of their ship, and the engines on the starboard side were centred in her crosshairs. She gripped all the buttons on the fire control sticks and the sixteen laser cannon turrets sent a relentless shower of laser blasts into the engines. There were two big explosions at the back of the Trankaran ship, as the starboard engines were ripped apart by deadly accurate laser fire, and debris scattered out in a curved trail behind the ship as it continued to turn.

Dana gritted her teeth and yelled, "Incoming fire!"

The ship shuddered as the gunner on the Trankaran cruiser opened fire with their Fusion Beams, sending searing waves of heat over the hull of the Invictus. Two of the capacitors exploded as they were overloaded by the energy they were siphoning through the Alyssium hull plating, and several armoured panels buckled and cracked under the intense blaze.

Warning lights flashed on the damage control panel, highlighting a section midway down the hull in red, and Dana winced as she said, "The armour amidships on the starboard side is fucked! We can't take another hit there."

John half-raised himself out of his seat and yelled to Jade, "Get some distance between us, now!"

The Nymph nodded curtly, and pulled out of the turn and ramped up the engine power. The Invictus raced away at full speed, and by the time the Trankaran Cruiser had pulled around to hit them with another broadside, they were out of range of their Fusion Beams. With the retro-thrusters destroyed on the starboard side of the ship, and two of their five engines blown to pieces, the Trankarans continued their turn and began running for the Nav beacon.

John sat back in his chair, and a humourless smile spread across his face. "There's no running for you I'm afraid," he muttered. Glancing down at Jade he said, "Bring us into maximum Beam laser range."

She nodded, and brought the Invictus about, bearing down on the fleeing Trankaran Vessel. The assault cruiser was the faster ship now, and began to gradually catch up with the retreating enemy.

John sat back, and said confidently, "Stay out of their weapon range, and take them apart. Leave them alive though, we want them pleading for help from any nearby ships. With a little luck we'll be able to draw away some of the picket vessels from Trankara."

The girls looked up at him, startled at his cruel tone, but set about following his orders. Jade brought the Invictus in closer, and at maximum range, Calara opened up with their beam lasers. The Trankaran ship had started to regenerate their shields, but nowhere near enough to save them from the power of the bright coruscating beams. They eviscerated the enemy shields once again, then slashed through their engines, destroying the remaining three in a series of explosions.

The Trankarans spun their cruiser frantically, but now they had begun drifting, and Jade matched their speed just outside their weapon range. Calara pulled the trigger and the beams lashed out, carving six deep furrows through the armour plating, making the red hull look like a pair of three-clawed paws had taken savage rents out of their hide.

Irillith had watched the entire battle while sitting on the edge of her seat, spellbound by the entire encounter. She had seen Calara's incredibly deadly gunnery skills before, but this was the first time she'd seen the Invictus effortlessly shrug off incoming energy weapons with its glossy white armour. It was sobering to realise that the broadside which had finally managed to damage the Invictus, would have crippled a Maliri patrol cruiser.

A flashing light appeared on Rachel's console, and she looked up at John and said, "We're being hailed."

John smiled and said, "Put them through."

The viewscreen crackled for a moment, and the image finally settled into that of a blocky-faced Trankaran. The armoured cruiser Captain's granite coloured features were twisted in fear, and he pleaded in his deep gravelly voice, "Cease fire! We surrender! What do you want?"

John leaned forward and said, "I'm the heroic Lion of the Terran Federation, and I'm here to punish you for attacking poor defenceless merchants. I want you to die..."

Alyssa glanced at him, and swore she heard the biting sound of sarcasm in his tone.

John wagged a scolding finger at the shocked Trankaran captain, then glanced at Rachel, who took his hint, and cut the comm channel off abruptly.

"Keep shooting bits off that cruiser," he ordered Calara. "We want them calling for as much backup as possible."

The Latina nodded, turning back and opening fire with the Beam lasers again. This time the energy lances cut through the already ravaged armour plating, and blew out all three Fusion Beams on the starboard side. She aimed carefully with the mass drivers, sending all four shells slamming into the topdeck of the stricken alien vessel, and smashing huge craters into the armour plating. The Trankaran cruiser rocked with the repeated explosions, and they could only imagine what it must have been like for the crew inside.

Rachel looked up at John and said, "I've been monitoring their outgoing comms. I haven't been able to intercept their messages, but they've been broadcasting non-stop since we started taking out their weapons. I also detected multiple inbound messages, which are probably from reinforcements."

Dana was staring up at the Sector Map, and she confirmed Rachel's suspicions a few moments later as she exclaimed, "Picking up incoming vessels!"

They watched the map as several smaller ships began to approach on the right-hand side of the map. The handful of Trankaran destroyers began to make steady progress towards them, while Calara continued to slash away more armour plating from the immobilised cruiser.

Alyssa did some quick mental calculations based on the speed of the incoming Trankarans and said, "The destroyers are five minutes from jumping in."

John nodded and said without emotion, "That should be enough. Alright, let's finish the cruiser, and go hit Trankara."

Alyssa looked at him in alarm and said, "Chancellor Niskera asked us to minimise casualties. They aren't a threat to us now, we should just let them live."

John glared at her in annoyance, but after a quick glance at the other girls, he relented when he saw their worried expressions, saying curtly, "Fine, let's get out of here. Jump out at a two-twenty degree angle from Trankara so they won't get suspicious, then bring us around."

Doing as she was bid, Jade turned the Invictus to the heading he had requested, and once they were clear of any gravity wells, she engaged the Tachyon drive. Alyssa expanded the Sector Map, and began to rapidly plot a course in a looping arc that would bring them around to Trankara. With the enormous reach on the Invictus' sensors, they'd be able to see any incoming enemy ships whilst being far out of range of being spotted themselves. Nodding with satisfaction, she entered the course into the ship's Navigation computer. Once the Invictus was safely in hyper-warp, the girls sagged back in their seats, looking relieved.

John rose abruptly, and said without ceremony, "I'll be in my Ready Room. Let me know when we've arrived at Trankara." He walked down the illuminated steps, then opened up the door to the Commander's Ready Room and strode inside.

The girls had grown used to his glowing praise after a battle, and when he didn't so much as acknowledge their brilliant teamwork, his abrupt departure was all the more jarring. There was a hushed silence as they watched him leave, and after the door had closed behind him, Dana, Rachel, and Calara all looked up at Alyssa in alarm.

Dana was the first to speak to the blonde girl telepathically, and she asked, *What's up with John? He's acting really fucking weird!*

At the same time, Calara's worried thoughts appeared in her mind, and she exclaimed, *I've never seen John behave like that! He was totally ruthless!*

Rachel's eyes narrowed, and she asked, *He's losing control to the Progenitor version of himself, isn't he? He wasn't quite the same as when Progenitor-John took complete control against the Fulmanax, but he was disturbingly similar.*

Jade noted the shocked expressions on the other girls, then shared a long look with Alyssa, before finally saying, *You better fill them in, I'll take Irillith back to her quarters.*

When Alyssa nodded, the Nymph got up from her seat, and strode up the ramp to the unlit station at the rear and right of the Bridge. She smiled at the Maliri woman, and said in a kind voice, "Sorry, but I'll have to take you back to your quarters. Would you come with me please?"

Irillith was still staring at the door, feeling more than a little alarmed at the way John was behaving. He reminded her more of the Mael'nerak than ever, and she felt a deep chill of fear in her bones. Suddenly realising Jade had spoken to her, she looked up at the green-skinned girl, and nodded distractedly. Standing, she followed the Nymph over to the grav-tube, and stepped into the red glow that would take her down to Deck Four. She was more than relieved to be able to leave the Command Deck, putting as much distance between herself and John as possible.

Alyssa let out a long, forlorn sigh, and then began to explain her worries to the other three girls.

***

Jade rejoined them a while later, and there was a stunned silence on the Bridge, with all the girls wearing worried frowns on their faces. She walked down the ramp towards the debriefing room, paused by the door, and said, "Let's go and talk in here."

Nodding, the other girls got up, and followed her into the room, sitting down numbly in the chairs around the long table. Alyssa brought up a holographic representation of the Sector Map, and left it hovering above the table, so they could keep an eye on the long range scans.

"So, John's turning evil," Dana blurted out abruptly.

Alyssa and Jade glanced at each other, and the blonde said hesitantly, "I don't know for sure, but he seems to be under some kind of malevolent influence, probably his Progenitor nature, and it's making him act bizarrely. I thought it might be due to Irillith's presence on the ship, as he started behaving a bit oddly when we first encountered her."

The redhead started to rise out of her seat with a stony expression on her face, and she said, "Fine. So we kill her, and everything goes back to normal."

Alyssa was startled by the sudden fiery surge of anger in Dana's mind. Looking worried, and shaking her head in a wave of blonde locks, she replied, "I don't think it will make any difference. John started behaving really differently after we met Edraele. That's when he started blocking me from his thoughts a lot more, and acting really out of character."

Rachel looked sombre as she said, "I think you're right by the way. I agree with your theory that the Maliri are bringing out some darker side to him. The genetic behaviour modifications the Progenitors built into DNA are very powerful, and can have a dramatic effect. Jade has several overwhelming drivers that influence her behaviour, like her aversion to guns, or the need to have a master. The ones built into John are just as powerful, and this other side of him that appears in times of severe danger, seems to be an extreme manifestation of the Progenitors' skill at DNA coding."

Alyssa looked at her and asked, "Is there anything we can do to try and counter it?"

Rachel paused, looking troubled, and replied, "I'm not sure there's anything we can do. I think the damage might already be done. Although we all have a wonderful connection with John, Terrans are based off the standard genetic template the Progenitors designed, and our species wasn't primed beforehand. The Maliri were specifically designed to be receptive to domination by a Progenitor. If my behaviour modification theories are correct, once he's around female Maliri for long enough, they'll start throwing themselves at him, practically begging him to enslave them. For a Progenitor, whose species is designed to conquer slave races, that's got to be a powerful instinctive lure."

Calara looked forlorn as she said softly, "One of the things I love the most about him, is his desire to help people, and really bring some good to the galaxy. I don't know what I'll do if he loses that."

Dana frowned, looking angry, and blurted out, "I refuse to give up on him! There must be something we can do!"

Alyssa walked around the table and placed a comforting hand on each of their shoulders. She gave them a reassuring smile as she looked down at them, and said, "No one said we're giving up on John. We just need to try and come up with some kind of plan."

The five girls looked at each other around the table, until Calara said hesitantly, "How about we try and persuade him to drop Irillith off at Geniya trading post? Then we forget all about the Maliri, and fly off in the opposite direction? Maybe if he goes cold-turkey, it might shake him out of this."

Jade nodded and said, "Alyssa and I talked about the same thing, but the one problem is, what do we do if he says no? I don't think I'm capable of disobeying one of his direct orders. How about any of you?"

They all frowned and slowly shook their heads. Calara was about to say something, but paused, dreading bringing it up.

"Go ahead and say it," Alyssa said quietly. "We're all thinking the same thing."

The Latina stared at her for a moment, before she glanced at the others, and asked in a hushed voice, "What do we do if our John disappears forever? I don't want to serve an evil Progenitor version of the man I love."

There was a deathly quiet in the room, and Rachel looked deeply troubled as she replied, "We might not have any choice."

***

Their journey to Trankara was unopposed, with Dana and Rachel spending the two hours continuing with their research, while Alyssa, Calara, and Jade remained on the Bridge. The girls were all very worried after their conversation in the Debriefing Room, and even a loving group hug did little to raise their spirits.

They stayed well clear of any Trankaran vessels, and with the huge range on their long range scanners, they were able to watch the Trankaran ships whilst avoiding going anywhere near them. Sure enough, a big fleet of five cruisers, a dozen destroyers, and fifteen corvettes flew past them on a direct flight path to Demladuhr Station.

Calara watched the departing fleet, and thought to Alyssa, *John might be acting strangely, but that was a brilliant strategy of his, luring the picket ships out like that.*

Alyssa smiled at her wryly and said, *It was a close run thing. These Trankaran cruisers pack a heck of a punch, and it was just your incredible shooting that saved us.*

Giving her lover a grateful smile for the compliment, Calara replied, *Our problem going up against the Trankarans, is that the Invictus has the same design ethos as their ships do. Lots of big forward facing guns, with the idea being to use our good manoeuvrability to keep the Beam lasers and Mass drivers on target. They have a lot more armour, faster engines, and very powerful short range weaponry. If we fought a group of them, we'd be in really big trouble.*

*We'll keep our heads down. We don't want to risk another fight in the Invictus, especially with the armour torn up as it is,* Alyssa said, with no small degree of caution in her voice.

The doors to the Ready Room swished open, and John strode purposefully onto the Bridge. He jogged up the illuminated steps to the Command Podium, then sat down in his chair.

He glanced at Alyssa and asked, "How long until we reach Trankara?"

"We'll be arriving in-system shortly. It shouldn't be more than ten minutes," she replied in a calm voice, not wanting to reveal the gnawing worry she felt.

Looking up at the long range scan results on the Sector Map, John said, "It looks like there's only a minimal defensive force left at Trankara. Did they send out a fleet to assist that cruiser we crippled?"

Nodding, Alyssa replied, "Yes, we passed them a short while ago. Thirty-two ships in total, with the largest being five cruisers."

A smug grin spread on John's face, and he said, "Good. Bring us in on the far side of the planet from any defensive fleet, and we'll travel down to this 'Radiant Palace' in the Raptor."

After another minute, the long range scans began to pick up the distinctive signatures of Trankaran vessels, and a fleet of ships about the same size as the one they passed earlier began to appear on the holographic Sector Map. The ships were set up in clusters, consisting of a cruiser supported by destroyers and corvettes, and they ringed around their homeworld to pick up any encroaching vessels.

Alyssa brought up the system map, and the locations of the vessels were tagged on the holographic image. The Trankaran home system had a bright white sun, and Trankara itself was a large volcanic planet on the fifth orbital path around the sun. There were two other volcanic planets, a couple of gas giants, and numerous asteroid belts dotted around the system.

John studied the map for a minute, quickly changing his plans to allow for the Trankaran's fleet disposition, and said, "We'll use the asteroid belts to mask our approach to Trankara. Calara and Dana can stay on the Invictus in the cover of the asteroids, while the rest of us take the Raptor down to the planet. The data we received from the loyal Trankarans said that the asteroid belts aren't rigged with proximity mines, and have no sensor webs in place."

The girls on the bridge nodded warily, and Alyssa said, "I've informed Dana and Rachel. They'll come up and join us in a few minutes."

"Get them to bring Irillith, she's coming too," John said offhandedly, as he stared at the system map, watching the patrol routes of the Trankaran defensive fleet.

Alyssa stared at him a moment, then nodded, and passed on the message. "The three of them will be here shortly," she informed him quietly.

He didn't bother to reply, and continued his vigil of the Trankaran homeworld. They finally jumped into the system a few minutes later, and Jade powered down their systems as she coasted the Invictus in towards the closest belt of asteroids. Dana, Rachel, and Irillith stepped out of the grav-tube onto the Command Deck a moment later, and they spread out to take their seats.

John glanced at Rachel, and asked, "Any success in finding the Trankaran's weak spots?"

She frowned and said, "Their biology is quite the conundrum. It's bizarrely unique, yet familiar at the same time."

Looking displeased, John replied sharply, "Which means what exactly?"

Rachel looked a bit hurt at his impatient tone, and said, "Although they're silicon based lifeforms, and not carbon based like us, their bodies follow a very similar template to ours. Vital organs in the chest, and a brain in their cranium."

Nodding John said abruptly, "Right. Headshots and torso shots it is then."

Rachel had been about to continue before he cut her off. Alyssa frowned at him, then smiled at the brunette and asked, "Did you find out anything else?"

Nodding, their doctor continued hesitantly, "Trankaran skin is very dense, and the silicon in their bodies forms a tough, resilient shell. We're going to need to use high-powered rounds to be able to hurt them." She paused for a moment, looking thoughtful, and added, "I haven't been able to study their genetic code yet, as I'll need Dana's help to reconfigure my instruments. The fact they are bipedal and have a generally similar physiological to us, makes me wonder if the Progenitors had a hand in their evolution. I'll start looking into that when we get back from the mission."

Alyssa smiled at her, and said, "Thanks Rachel, that was very helpful." She then looked over at Dana and asked, "How are you getting on with your research?"

Dana looked a lot more subdued than normal, but her face brightened a bit at talk of new technology, and she said eagerly, "I've been working with Faye to create a holographic simulation for the new device I'm developing. It will replace our existing inertial dampeners, and should let us use the full power of the engines." Glancing up at John with a worried frown she added, "I'm still looking into it, but we might need to refit in a drydock for this upgrade. We'd need to build a super-strong central core vertically through the ship, and we can't do that in space."

John didn't seem particularly phased by this, and he said, "That shouldn't be a problem. As long as you have the schematics ready in the next week or so, we can take some time out for the refit."

Rising from his Command Chair, he said, "Alright, let's get geared up. Jade will be flying us to Trankara in the Raptor, and Alyssa, Rachel, and Irillith will be joining me."

At the mention of her name, Irillith coughed politely, and when all eyes turned to her she said, "I don't have a replacement vambrace. I'll need my armour back if I'm coming with you." Dana and Rachel both began to object at once, so the Maliri woman fought the urge to roll her eyes, and added, "I can unclip the hacking deck that powers the AI from the vambrace. 'Faye' will be perfectly safe."

Dana looked relieved, and as she walked up the ramp, she said to Irillith, "Let's go. You can show me how to disconnect the hacking deck from the vambrace, then you can have your armour back."

The girls going on the mission to Trankara got up and began walking from the Bridge to get equipped in their armour. John stood and was about to walk down the steps, when Alyssa placed a hand on his arm. He turned to look at her quizzically, and once Irillith had left the Bridge, Alyssa whispered to him, "Are you sure it's a good idea bringing her along? I've got a feeling she's hiding something from us."

John nodded confidently, and said, "She'll be fine. Her behaviour modification is kicking in, and she's already much more compliant and obedient."

Alyssa frowned, but she could see by the determined set of his features that his mind was already made up, so she decided not to push him any further. They walked down the steps to the grav-tube, then headed to the Commander's Quarters to get fully equipped for the mission. Her worries were coming back in spades now, after seeing John's behaviour during and after the fight with the Trankarans. She stepped into her plated boots in the armour equipping frame, then waited pensively as the robotic arms swung the armour into place over her body.

John had finished getting equipped first, and he strode over to the weapons racks. He reached for the gleaming white two-handed sword she had forged for him, and slid it into place in the magnetic fields that sheathed it across his back. Once it was held securely, he reached for a glossy white Punisher railgun, then slotted in a long magazine of saboted 20mm, and a stubbier mag of 25mm grenades for the underslung grenade launcher. After grabbing plenty of spare mags, and slotting them into his combat webbing, he strode out of the walk-in wardrobe without a second glance.

Alyssa's heart sank as she watched him leave, missing their private chats, and flirty exchanges more than ever. Heaving a big sigh, she reached for her own Punisher railgun, the small light on the grip flashing green as she picked it up. She checked the selector switches on the side of the rifle, and made sure the safety was on, and that the weapon was set to high-powered mode. She reached for some magazines, slotting them into place, then glanced at the GUI in her helmet, which showed the remaining loaded ammo, and noted that it read 10/50 as she was expecting. Taking some spare mags, and some clips to reload them with, if they got in a protracted firefight, she walked out in John's wake feeling a deep pervading sense of sadness.

***

Jade skilfully swung the Raptor around a massive asteroid with the barest usage of the retro-thrusters. Almost all their systems were powered down, but with access to the passive sensors, Jade had enough telemetry data to be able to plot a nice safe course for them through the asteroid field.

John, Alyssa, and Rachel were all geared up in Dana's variant of the Phalanx armour, fully protected by Alyssium plating on their body, and reinforced crystal for their clear faceplated helmets. Irillith was wearing her full set of golden armour, and carrying her laser rifle, but her eyes kept being drawn to the menacing new railguns the others were all carrying. This was the first time she had seen the new weapons, and with the broader, twenty millimetre muzzle, and the underslung grenade launchers, the Punisher railguns looked very deadly indeed.

John pointed to the middle of the red and black planet, and said, "The Radiant Palace is towards the equator on the biggest landmass. I can give you some more directions when we get closer."

The Raptor moved stealthily through the asteroid belt, in long, well-planned manoeuvres that used the barest touches of the retro-thrusters. The Trankarans seemed completely oblivious to their presence, and the vessels out on patrol sailed past without a clue as to the threat lurking in their midst. Jade brought them to a halt at the leading edge of the asteroid field, and once the latest patrol had cruised past, she gently powered up the engines, increasing their velocity to coast in towards Trankara.

There was a sensor net set up around the Trankarans homeworld, but with Jade's expert piloting, they were able to drift closer without warning them of their approach. She brought them into the upper atmosphere of Trankara, and the dark red and black planet loomed large ahead of them. They began their descent, using only periodic bursts from the retro-thrusters to arrest the speed of their fall, and while Jade stared intently at her controls, her passengers gazed out the cockpit canopy at the planet.

Trankara was a volcanic planet, with huge mountainous ranges, and broad lakes of molten lava. Alyssa was astounded anything could live in a such a hazardous environment, and she glanced over at Rachel and asked, "What's the atmosphere like down there? Is it breathable?"

Rachel shook her head, and said, "All those volcanic fumes are constantly pumping sulphur dioxide into the atmosphere. The Trankarans seem to be very adaptable to harsh environments, so they won't have any problem with it, but it's quite toxic for us."

"Over there," John said to Jade brusquely, pointing to a large raised mesa in one of the mountain ranges.

Even from here they could see the telltale signs of life amongst the jagged skyline of buildings atop the plateau. Bright orange lights dotted the hundreds of houses, administration buildings, and commercial sectors of the Trankaran capital city, the centre of power for their old government. Raised up atop it all was the Senate Building, and even from this distance they could make out the imposing nature of its design as it towered over the squat structures beneath it. The walls were hundreds of feet high with heavy supporting columns running from the base to the parapet, all worked out of the dark volcanic rock that made up the surface of Trankara.

The Radiant Palace, as it had been recently renamed, was a beacon of light above the gloomier buildings it overshadowed. It was festooned in strips of orange lighting, and the bright illumination they provided made the new name seem very appropriate indeed. As they drew closer to the mesa, they saw that the lower sections of a huge rocky promontory were riddled with cave entrances, where it jutted out over a lake of magma.

John pointed to the cave entrances and said to Jade, "Down there. Bring us in nice and slow. Senator Vamred's data said that those tunnels were once used for harvesting lava, but that operation was made redundant, and abandoned centuries ago. We should be able to make our way into the palace using those tunnels.

Alyssa frowned as she darted a surreptitious glance at John. She was disappointed that not only was he not asking any of them for advice about this mission, he wasn't even bothering to share the maps and schematics that the Trankaran Senator had supplied him with.

The Nymph carefully followed John's instructions, keeping close to the surface and drifting in slowly. Lava bubbled and churned beneath them, and the occasional spouting geyser of boiling hot magma prompted her to gain a little altitude, to keep well clear of danger. Her caution turned out to be well founded, as a rippling series of volcanic bursts, sent large plumes of superheated rock high up into the air along their flight path.

Travelling at a slow pace to avoid detection, their inbound flight seemed to take a torturously long time, and if she wasn't wearing a fully enclosed helmet, Alyssa might have been tempted to bite her nails out of worry. Fortunately, they managed to approach undetected, and Jade brought them in silently under the promontory, and touched down on a broad, flat jetty of volcanic rock, which had been built out from the base of the mesa.

John stood, and said, "Right, we're up. Let's go."

He strode out of the cockpit, and Irillith glanced at the other girls, then followed after him. Jade, Rachel, and Alyssa watched her leave, then gathered together for a quick hug.

"Stay safe you two," Jade told them with a smile, but they could both tell that she was worried.

Alyssa nodded and said, "I'll call you for an emergency evac if we get into trouble."

They parted, then walked out of the cockpit, and stepped into the grav-tube, floating down to the lower deck. Rachel was about to walk into the front loading area, when Alyssa placed her hand on her shoulder, holding her back for a moment.

*Keep an eye on Irillith,* she warned the brunette. *I'm concerned she might try something, but I'm not sure what.*

Rachel turned to look at her and said, *I'm not sure it was a good idea even bringing her. Why is John letting her carry that laser rifle of hers?*

Alyssa frowned and replied, *He thinks she's succumbed to the behaviour modification effects built into her DNA, but I don't believe that for one minute. Just be careful not to turn your back on her, and we'll have to hope for the best.*

Smiling at her bravely, Rachel said, *You can count on me. I'll watch your back and keep an eye on Irillith too.*

Alyssa couldn't help but smile back at Rachel's bold effort to reassure her, and she leaned forward to touch faceplates with the brunette. The sound of hydraulics drew their attention back to the room at the front of the gunship, and they walked out to join John and Irillith, who were waiting by the descending ramp.

As soon as it touched down on the jetty, John strolled out at a brisk pace, his Punisher railgun held at the shoulder as he scanned for targets. Once they were clear, Jade pulled up the loading ramp, and then the Raptor was away. She lifted off the ground quietly, then rapidly gained altitude, before disappearing out over the magma lake. John jogged across the flat jetty, watching warily for any Trankarans, and the girls moved quickly to keep abreast with him. They weaved through old, heavily corroded machinery, the sulphuric acid vapour from the magma lake having chewed through the metal over the many decades since this dock had been in use.

Fortunately this lower area was completely deserted, and they were able to enter the tunnels on the lowest level of the mesa without seeing a soul. The tunnel was broad, at least twenty metres wide at the entrance, and had a high arched ceiling that met in darkness several metres above their heads. Set into the basalt floor, were long rails that disappeared off into the gloom, and along those tracks were several loading carts, which had seized up and begun to corrode. The whole dock had a forlorn feeling of decay to it that was quite unsettling.

Irillith followed John into the darkened tunnels under the Trankaran city, and she glanced warily at the ceiling as they walked inside at a hurried pace. She had always disliked being underground, and the thought of the colossal weight of rock above their heads was more than a little disturbing. Her recent experiences with the Fulmanax had done nothing to change her dim opinion of subterranean expeditions, and she gritted her teeth as they delved deeper into the mountain.

Gripping her laser rifle tightly in her hands, she kept a vigilant watch ahead for any possible targets. She found it astonishing that John had allowed her to be armed, especially considering how contentious their relationship had become over the last few weeks. Still, this opened up all sorts of possibilities for her to end this nightmare, and her heart surged with hope.

Glancing to her side, she watched Alyssa striding along briskly, her deadly looking rifle held at her shoulder. Irillith knew full well that the blonde girl possessed imposing psychic abilities, so she was being extremely cautious with her thoughts, to avoid accidentally giving away her plans. She resolved herself to maintaining her facade of blind obedience, whilst keeping a wary eye out for any opportunities that might arise.

The small group made their way swiftly along the tunnels, switching to mag-view to follow the train tracks, when the light from the lava outside faded away. It was pitch black in there, but the metal girders set into the floor lit up like a beacon lighting their way, leading them deeper into the rock, and upwards on a gentle incline. It took about twenty minutes at a fast walk before they started to hear the sounds of movement coming from up ahead, and a slight flicker of light began to brighten the tunnel far away in the distance.

Mag-view wasn't picking up any armed or armoured figures in the tunnel ahead, so they continued at the same speed until the sounds began to get much clearer. Up ahead, the left side of the tunnel opened out, and pillars were spaced evenly along the left side of the passageway, casting shadows against the right wall from all the light pouring through the gaps. They jogged up to the first gap between the pillars, and John cautiously poked his head out to take a look.

His voice came over the voice comm in their helmet as he said, "We're at the lower forge level. Stick to the right wall, and we won't be spotted."

Following his own advice, he crossed to the right hand side, then began moving onwards at the same brisk walk as before. Irillith went next, with Rachel following, and Alyssa bringing up the rear. She poked her head out to take a quick peek before continuing after them, and she blinked in surprise at the view.

They were overlooking a huge forge area, that reminded her of the derelict steelworks back on Karron, which had previously built the digging machinery used to bore out the asteroid. Enormous machinery clanked and ground away, mixed in with the hiss of molten lava, which was being directed down channels through some strange kind of magma viaduct. There were dozens of Trankarans working away in the forge, and the entire area was a positive hive of industry.

John's impatient voice sounded in her helmet as he said, "Stop dawdling Alyssa. Keep up."

She had one last lingering look at the huge forge, then darted over to the right hand side of the tunnel, and sprinted to catch up with the others. She saw them huddled together behind another group of loading carts, so she crouched down next to Rachel, and had a look around to get her bearings. They were in some kind of disused loading area, with pitted, worn, and abandoned machinery lying dormant around the room beyond. To their left they could hear the distant sounds of the bustling forge coming from tunnels that led deeper into the mountain.

"Follow me, and keep right," John said curtly, smoothly mounting the platform, and moving quickly on ahead.

They followed his lead, and the tunnel leading out from the loading room began to head upwards at a sharp incline. It had been a few months since Irillith had done any hard physical exercise like walking up steep slopes as she now found herself doing, and her body was not in the peak of condition. She was winded by the time they eventually reached the top ten minutes later, and she sucked in deep breaths, while noting that her companions were unaffected by the gruelling climb.

John waved them to a halt, and the girls crouched down, covering the entrances to the room with their fire arcs. He glanced at his helmet HUD, and said, "We're directly under the palace now. According to the maps given to me by Senator Vamred, we just need to travel along a series of galleries, then there's tunnels that lead directly up into the Radiant Palace."

Alyssa pondered this for a moment, and asked, "Are there likely to be many guards?"

John turned to look at her, and there was a glimmer in his eyes as he replied, "I hope so. Now, let's move out."

Feeling a dark sense of foreboding, Alyssa nodded, and watched him dart across the room that the tunnel had opened out into. This room was well lit, with a bright glow coming from the next chamber ahead of them. She covered Irillith and Rachel as they glided out in John's wake, and she gasped when she caught up, as she looked out into the huge room beyond.

She was looking out into some kind of natural cavern, with pillar lined tunnels visible in the cliff wall opposite, at least one-hundred metres away. They were fairly close to the base of the canyon, with a twenty metre drop to the floor below, and what looked like a river of molten lava flowing along the length of the crevasse. She walked closer to the entrance of this vast room, and looking up, she could see dozens of bridges criss-crossing the canyon. Long shafts of natural light shone down from the surface, a good hundred metres above their heads. From all around them, coming from multiple levels, noisy sounds of clanking machinery could be heard.

The loud sound of heavy clomping boots rang out from their left, and it seemed that a Trankaran was climbing up the nearby ramp, heading towards the level they were on. The girls melted back into the darkness of the room, but John shouldered his rifle, and drew his sword silently as he pulled back out of sight. A Trankaran soldier was making steady progress up the ramp, and they could see his hulking form cast a shadow along the tunnel wall ahead of them, as he blocked the light from the canyon beyond. Finally reaching the top of the ramp, he entered the tunnel, and immediately turned left to continue along the pillar lined passageway that headed off into the distance.

John raised his sword back above his head, then rushed forward and brought it down in a whistling overhead chop. The Trankaran was caught completely by surprise, and the gleaming white Alyssium blade struck him dead centre on the back of his head, then cleaved down through his thick, granite-like skull. The enormous force of John's swing brought the blade down through the Trankaran's armoured torso, and he chopped him in half with a hideous grinding screech of metal.

The poor alien creature didn't even have a chance to react, and was killed instantly, collapsing to the floor in two separate armoured pieces with a dull clang. John sheathed his sword, and dragged the corpse back into the room, before taking a quick look back into the canyon. Miraculously, no one had heard the noisy execution of the Trankaran soldier, but with all the loud clanging coming from adjoining rooms, the other Rockmen in the area were none the wiser.

Confident that they still had the element of surprise, John unshouldered his Punisher railgun, and strode ahead, while hugging the right hand wall. Irillith followed after him immediately, but Rachel and Alyssa shared a nervous glance before they proceeded down the passageway. It ran in a straight line for over a hundred metres, before ending at set of sturdy double doors that were currently flung open. This seemed to be some kind of stairwell, but luckily there was no one using this particular section at the moment.

There was a window looking out onto the canyon, and Alyssa could see several Trankarans roaming along the passageway directly opposite them. John walked forward, to continue through another set of doors opposite the first they had just passed through, which would lead them into the next section of tunnel.

John paused when Alyssa asked cautiously, "What if we're seen going along these tunnels? There isn't a lot of cover along here, and one of them might spot us, and raise an alarm."

He turned and smiled at her as he said in a chilling voice, "Then we kill everyone we see."

Not feeling reassured in the slightest, Alyssa walked over to join him at the tunnel entrance. John left the relative protection of the room, and began to stroll along the passageway. His boldness seemed to be paying off, until two Trankarans appeared directly ahead of them in the next stairwell room along, and turned to walk down the passageway that John and the girls were now occupying. They halted, shocked expressions on their big broad features, as they spotted what appeared to be Terran interlopers in the capital city on their homeworld. One of them began to raise his rifle and...

"VrmPrrrkaow!" John shot him in the chest with a three round burst from his railgun.

The hyper-accelerated rounds smashed into the Trankarans armoured torso, punching huge holes through his armour. The eight-foot-tall Rockman teetered and then crashed to the floor, an expression of stunned disbelief on his face. His companion stared at his fallen friend in horror, then roared defiantly as he raised his own weapon. He was shot in the face by John a moment later, and his decapitated body toppled backwards to collapse on the basalt floor of the tunnel.

John sprinted down the passageway to the corpses, but the flash of movement was spotted by one of the Trankarans strolling along the corridor opposite. He turned his head to see what the glimmer of white was, and when he saw the slain guardsmen, he rushed into a nearby room and out of sight. John had just started hauling the bodies into the stairwell room that the Trankarans had emerged from, when a shrill ringing sound echoed around the cavern, seemingly coming from several directions at once. The girls ran up to join him, their faces showing their concern at triggering an alarm.

Dropping the mangled corpses he had been dragging, John smiled at the girls and said, "New orders ladies. Kill any Trankarans in our way."

A sudden rush of movement caught Alyssa's eye through the window in the room, and she saw what looked like a squad of soldiers running along one of the stone bridges that crossed the canyon.

"Incoming soldiers!" she warned him, pointing up at the bridge overhead.

John stepped over to the window, then took careful aim. "VrmPrrrkaow!" the Punisher railgun chattered, and the window was blown out in hundreds of shards of glass, as the twenty millimetre slugs then smashed into the rocky bridge. The structure trembled, and the guards paused to steady themselves, holding their arms out to keep their balance. He grinned, then flipped off the safety on the grenade launcher with his left thumb, and pressed the trigger button. There was a hollow sound as the 25mm high-explosive grenade left the underslung launcher, and a second later there was a loud explosion as it struck the Trankaran in the middle of the group. The blast sent the hulking soldiers flying, and they tumbled off the bridge, letting out deep rumbling screams as they fell the hundred metre drop into the river of lava below.

Irillith had stopped when they entered the room, and was staring in shock at the devastated corpses of the Trankaran soldiers that John had killed moments before. The first one had three huge, foot-wide holes blasted through his armoured breastplate, and the rounds had continued onwards, creating an enormous cracked cavity in the aliens rocky chest. She remembered the damage their old rifles had dealt to the Fulmanax warriors, and these brutal impact craters were ample evidence of the entirely new levels of destruction these upgraded railguns were capable of. Not for the first time, she was forced to re-evaluate just how viciously effective the Mael'nerak and his lethal band of warrior-women were.

"With me, Irillith," John ordered her curtly, snapping her from her dazed reverie.

Nodding, she trotted over to him, and they began to run along the next hundred metre long tunnel towards another stairwell. They paused and fired at Trankaran soldiers as soon as they appeared, killing them quickly with deadly accuracy as they progressed along the passage. John had stopped about half way along the latest tunnel, to take out a Trankaran soldier two levels above them, when a bulky Trankaran leaned out around the doorway ahead of them with his rifle at the ready. There was a strange searing hiss, and then a loud shriek as his rifle fired, sending a shotgun like spread of slugs directly at John. There was an odd whumping sound, and the slugs were harmlessly deflected by the magnetic field, bouncing back to hit the floor and walls.

Irillith raised her laser rifle to fire back, but the Trankaran had ducked behind the doorframe, and out of sight. She heard a sinister bubbling sound, and after a quick glance around, realised it was coming from where the slugs had hit the walls. The walls were pitted and scored where the molten contents of the round was eating through the rock, sending streams of burning liquid down to the ground. Not wanting to risk letting the soldier fire again, she aimed down the corridor, and waited patiently. The second he popped out from behind cover, she shot him in the face with a long burst of blue laser fire that neatly seared his rocky head from his body.

More of these shotgun like molten rounds began to hit the tunnel around them, as soldiers appeared in large numbers on the other side of the canyon, firing across at the interlopers. John led the others in a mad dash into the next room, then crouched below the window frame, and began to return fire. Rachel and Alyssa ducked down next to him, and they rapidly cleared any Trankarans who were visible in the nearby area, rocky heads and chests exploding as they were ripped apart by uncannily accurate marksmanship.

Seeing no visible targets, they quickly reloaded, and John said, "There's just one more tunnel to cross, then we can head up to the palace. The throne room isn't far from there."

Alyssa frowned and asked in a worried voice, "Won't the Glowing Queen have bolted by now? With the hornet's nest we've stirred up here, she must know hostile forces are nearby."

John grinned and said, "They have a panic room apparently. A security vault, which is supposed to be impregnable. Senator Vamred was quite certain she wouldn't leave the Radiant Palace, and would head straight for the vault instead."

He had a quick look around at the levels above them, but seeing no sign of movement, he rose to his feet, and walked over to the next set of doors to the final tunnel. It was still quiet, so he jogged out into the passageway, with Irillith following close behind. Rachel and Alyssa gave each other nervous glances, neither of them liking this mission one bit, but they smiled at each other bravely, then stood to follow.

The run across the final column lined tunnel proved uneventful, right up until John was nearly at the final set of doors. Suddenly over on the opposite side of the ravine, dozens of Trankaran soldiers appeared at the ledge of the tunnels up above them, and the passageway was showered in molten rounds as they opened fire at John. Ignoring the ineffectual munitions that were being harmlessly deflected by the magnetic field in his armour, he carried on running, with the girls trailing in his wake.

Alyssa and Rachel were approximately ten metres behind Irillith when the fusillade of shots opened up, and they were about to pivot and return fire, when their world suddenly turned upside down. A huge explosion ripped into the tunnel just ahead of them, sending Irillith flying forward, and knocking Alyssa and Rachel flat on their backs with the concussive force.

"What the fuck was that?!" Alyssa gasped in alarm, as she struggled to regain her feet.

Rachel was dazed, and was shaking her head to clear it, so she didn't reply. Alyssa looked across the canyon, and saw a Trankaran armed with a shoulder mounted missile launcher, aided by a second soldier who was rapidly loading the launcher with another rocket. She raised her rifle and sighted the Rockman with the launcher, her targeting reticle hovering over his chest, and she pulled the trigger a split second before he fired again. The Trankaran was ripped apart in the hail of railgun rounds, sending him lurching backwards, and upsetting his aim, which ultimately saved her life.

The missile raced down, slamming into the rocky tunnel directly below them, instead of Alyssa who had been his target. Her surging feeling of relief was short lived, as with a tearing crash, the section of passageway she was kneeling on ripped away from the wall, dropping away beneath her and Rachel. With terrified screams they both disappeared out of sight.

John had been unaffected by the explosion, but he heard it nonetheless. He whirled to see what had happened, and was about to open fire on the Trankaran soldiers opposite when the second explosion devastated the tunnel behind him. He quickly switched to full auto, then opened up on the mass of soldiers opposite, repeatedly firing grenades onto the ledge as well. The mix of railgun rounds and grenades annihilated the squad opposite, and when he finally ceased fire, there was no one left alive to threaten them.

Irillith had regained her feet, and was walking unsteadily towards him, darting nervous glances across the canyon. He activated his voice comms, and asked, "Alyssa, Rachel, are you alright?"

After a long pause, Alyssa's voice came through, and she replied, "We got a bit banged up in the fall, but we're both okay. We're on the level below."

John nodded and said, "Alright, get to cover, we'll come and join you."

He turned on the spot, and pushed open the doors, only to get knocked sprawling by a bulky Trankaran who punched him in the face with a huge rocky fist. John's railgun was knocked from his hand, and it skittered across the floor until it got snagged on some debris, teetering on the broken edge of the collapsed passage. He grinned and leapt to his feet, whipping his sword from his shoulder, and charging into the two Trankarans who had ambushed him.

He ran the one on the right through with his blade, then quickly tore it free as he barrelled into the enormous Trankaran soldier on the left. The two of them went crashing across the floor as the Rockman was knocked off his feet by the impact, while the first soldier collapsed, practically cut in half by John's savage sword thrust. The second Trankaran recovered quickly, twisting and pinning John's right arm to the ground, to prevent him from using his sword. The bulky alien then launched a flurry of massively powerful punches with his left fist into John's torso, the blows mighty enough to leave impact craters in the chestplate.

Unfortunately for the Trankaran, he wasn't aware of John's superhuman strength, at least not until John whipped his right arm across his body, sword in hand, and neatly cleaved through the creature's torso. The Trankaran's look of horrified disbelief was frozen on his slab-like face as John casually flicked his upper body off his chest, then scrambled to his feet. He smiled with satisfaction, until he looked up, and found himself staring down the barrel of a Punisher railgun.

***

Irillith had been sent tumbling to the floor after the first explosion, and her first instinct had been to flee for cover, when she eventually managed to stagger to her feet. After taking a couple of stumbling steps, she saw John open fire on their attackers, and she watched in astonishment as he ripped the Trankaran forces to pieces with the incredible firepower at his disposal. She was about to walk up to join him, when two more Trankaran soldiers ambushed John by the door, and sent him sprawling on his back.

She raised her laser rifle to open fire on them, when John's glossy white railgun got knocked from his hands, and slid across the ground past her feet. Turning to watch it, she saw it come to a halt just before the section of collapsed tunnel. She took a furtive glance behind her, and saw John rolling on the ground with a Trankaran soldier, and a wicked grin spread across her face.

***

Alyssa raised her right hand, and the metal beam trapping Rachel groaned in protest, lifting smoothly in her telekinetic grip. The brunette quickly crawled free, and when Alyssa offered her a hand, she took it and stood up swiftly.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Alyssa asked the young woman with concern, "Nothing's broken?"

Rachel nodded and smiled at her as she said, "I'm going to have to give Dana a big kiss for that one. I barely felt a thing when the beam fell on me. I might have a few bruises tomorrow, but I'm not in any pain."

Alyssa smiled at her, then the two of them quickly crouched behind the pillars that lined the ground floor passageway, ducking out of sight. They scanned the tunnels opposite but couldn't see any signs of Trankaran forces.

"Looks clear," Rachel said, "We probabl-."

Alyssa abruptly tuned out the brunette, as a gloating, triumphant voice appeared in her mind. One she had never heard through telepathy before.

*I will not be your plaything Mael'nerak. Arrogant fool, to discount me so easily. This ends now, and I can finally be free!*

She immediately recognised Irillith's voice, and with sudden shocking understanding, realised why she could suddenly hear her. *John!* she cried out to him in alarm, *Irillith's about to attack!*

Her eyes widened in horror as she suddenly remembered she was blocked from his mind.

***

Irillith smiled and shouldered her laser rifle. Powerful as it was, she'd witnessed hours of video footage where the Mael'nerak had discussed the laser reflective power of his armour with his harem. Even though she'd been delighted to get her hands on her laser rifle again, she knew it was far too risky to make an attempt on his life with it.

Now though, his very own rifle had dropped at her feet; the perfect tool to facilitate her escape from his clutches. Having witnessed the awesome destructive power these railguns possessed, she knew it would punch holes through him, just like it had done to those Trankarans. She grinned evilly, and leaned down to pick up the rifle. It was heavy, but she was a strong woman, the females of her species enhanced by the Progenitors. Yet another delicious irony, to compound her using his own weapon to destroy him. She gripped it in both hands, then stalked into the room after him, stopping in the doorway when she saw him rise to his feet. He looked up, his smiling face frozen as he stared down the barrel of his own weapon.

"This ends now, 'John', or should I just call you Mael'nerak?" she gloated. "I won't be serving you, or anyone else for that matter."

He finished standing slowly, his smile broadening into a cocky grin as he said, "You won't be able to shoot me. I've seen the looks you've been giving me. That overwhelming desire to be my obedient slave."

Irillith felt the dreadful truth in his words, and that caused her anger to flare, fuelling her desire for revenge. She aimed at him with the railgun, and tried to pull the trigger, but her finger wavered, refusing to obey her.

John laughed at her mockingly, and said, "You see now? Your body knows what you need, even if your mind hasn't caught up yet."

Focusing all her anger, and using it to fuel her will, Irillith mustered every last bit of mental strength she possessed, and with a surge of relief, yanked her finger down on the trigger.

"Click," the weapon went ominously, and she stared down at it in horror. Frantically turning it on its side, the magazine counter read "18", so she knew she had ammo.

John gave her a slow hand clap, chuckling as he said, "Your willpower is certainly impressive. It's going to make breaking you all the more delicious." Pausing for a moment, he quirked an eyebrow at her and said, "Turn over the gun."

Irillith did as he asked, turning the railgun in her hands, and she spotted a red light on the grip. She stared at him with a look of blank incomprehension, until he said, "DNA reader built into the grip. Dana must have thought you were too naughty to play with her toys."

She dropped the railgun with an inarticulate cry of rage, and reached for her laser rifle, just as she heard a strange searing hiss, and then a loud shriek to her right. Her right flank was suddenly a mask of scorching, burning agony, a torrid blistering heat more terrible than the lash of a neural whip, and she let out a tortured scream of pain. Staggering backwards through the doorway, she stared down at the melted holes in the side of her armour, where the Trankaran soldier coming down the stairs had just shot her. With a final desperate act to escape her torment, she took faltering steps over to the ledge, and flung herself over the precipice to be incinerated in the river of molten lava below.

***

Alyssa heard half the dialogue above her via Irillith's incensed inner voice, and she leapt to her feet, then started running for the doorway to the stairwell. She had just reached the doorway, when she heard Irillith's agonised scream, and a second later, she saw a flash of gold out of the corner of her eye.

*CATCH HER!!* John's mental voice thundered, sounding deafening as it echoed through her mind.

Acting on pure instinct, she reached out with her hand, and snatched Irillith from the air with a telekinetic net, preventing her from falling into the bubbling lava below. Alyssa beckoned with her hand, and the Maliri's golden armoured body came drifting towards her, writhing in anguish. She placed Irillith on the ground, just as Rachel ran over to join them, and the young doctor hurriedly knelt by the critically injured woman's side.

Glancing up at her a moment later, Rachel said, "This looks really bad. We've got to evac her immediately if we're going to have any chance of saving her."

Alyssa wanted to protest, but John's voice sounded in her mind again. *Take Rachel and Irillith, and return to the evac point. I'll join you shortly. I've got business to take care of with the Glowing Queen.*

Unable to deny his will, Alyssa nodded, then gestured to Irillith, lifting the tortured woman with her mind. "Let's get out of her," she said to Rachel firmly.

Rachel jumped to her feet, slung Irillith's laser rifle over her shoulder, and readied her Punisher Railgun at her shoulder. "I'll take point," she said bravely. "You have enough to deal with, levitating her out."

Alyssa nodded, and the two of them jogged back down the tunnels, with the thrashing golden armoured Maliri in tow.

***

John sighed with relief, no longer having to bother with the pretence any longer. He picked the railgun up off the floor with his left hand, and slung it over his shoulder, his sword still gripped in his right. He glanced up at the Trankaran soldier who was floating off the floor, his legs kicking frantically, as his hands clawed at the invisible fingers locked around his throat.

Smirking, John said, "Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot about you. Now, I would spend some time making you pay for disrupting my plans, but I've got an urgent meeting with your Queen."

With a casual twist of his wrist, John ripped the Trankaran soldier's head from his body, then let the lifeless corpse clatter in a heap on the floor. He gripped his long sword tightly, and dancing Eldritch lightning began to twist and writhe up its length, moving as though alive, as it engulfed the blade. He began to run towards the stairs, and his form began to blur as he moved, travelling faster than the eye could track.

The next couple of rooms above him were empty, but in the third, two Trankaran soldiers gripped their weapons tightly, both their broad faces looking deeply worried. He paused for a split second, torn between continuing onwards, and stopping to indulge himself. One look at the brutes helped him make up his mind, and his face curled in a sneer of disgust. These creatures were appallingly ugly abominations, a twisted perversion that mocked the Progenitor ideals. He lunged forward, moving in a shimmering blur, and rammed his sword through the chest of the first creature. It let out a deep bellowing cry of agony as the lightning coursing along his blade lashed through its body, and with a casual flick of his sword arm, its convulsing corpse was sent slamming into the right wall. The second one stared at him in terror, which was the last expression on its hideous malformed features, as he lopped off its head with a broad sweep of his blade.

His rage momentarily sated, he dashed from the room with a satisfied smile on his face, flickering as he moved, with freakish, unnatural speed.

***

Alyssa jogged along behind Rachel as they backtracked along the pillared passageway, while keeping a close eye on Irillith when she could. They stuck to the left wall, trying to keep away from the gaps between the pillars as much as possible, and they were untroubled by Trankaran soldiers as they retreated. Rachel paused when they came to the end of the last tunnel, peering ahead warily at the downward sloping tunnel entrance.

*This might link up with the other tunnels,* Rachel thought to Alyssa tentatively.

Alyssa took a quick look ahead, then glanced at the ramp leading up to the next level, which would leave them exposed to anyone in the canyon above. *We can't risk getting lost in a maze of tunnels. We'd better just take our chances on the ramp, then we can follow the same path back out.*

The brunette nodded, and sprang into action, darting over to the basalt pillars to glance around for any enemies. Not seeing anyone in the immediate vicinity, she rushed up the ramp in short bounds, moving quickly to limit the amount of time she was visible.

Rachel's voice came through to Alyssa a few moments later, and she said, *I've got you covered. Come up whenever you're ready.*

Glancing behind her to check on the writhing Maliri, she felt a surge of panic tinged with relief when she realised Irillith had stopped convulsing in agony. *Irillith's not moving any more, so she's either dead or unconscious,* she replied, *We're coming up.*

Following the same path Rachel had taken, she ducked between the gaps in the pillars, then ran up the ramp with Irillith in tow. The brunette stepped out from cover ahead of her, and the tawny brown lioness on Rachel's shoulder snarled in anger as she opened fire at targets above them. Alyssa couldn't see if the shots struck home, but she heard a Trankaran's scream as he fell to his death behind her.

Alyssa ran through into the darker room at the end of the passageway she had just entered, and Rachel followed her in after Irillith had glided past her silently. Pausing for a moment, the blonde girl asked, *Do you want to check to see if she's still alive?*

Rachel shook her head and replied with a helpless shrug, *There's no point. I don't know anything about Maliri physiology, so I can't give her painkillers, or any other form of medication. I might end up accidentally poisoning her by trying to help her.*

Nodding her understanding, Alyssa took the left doorway and began the long run down the steep slope that would take them back to the loading area they had passed through earlier. She tried to contact the Raptor using the comm interface in her helmet, but was only receiving static. *Jade, can you hear me?* she asked in frustration, sending her thoughts out to the Nymph instead.

Jade's voice surged into her mind, and she immediately replied, *Yes, you're crystal clear. Is everything alright?*

*We're fine,* Alyssa replied with relief, as she ran down the curving passageway. *But Irillith's taken a nasty hit. We're evacuating now, and should be back at the jetty in about twenty-five minutes.*

*I'll be there, waiting,* Jade said with reassuring conviction.

***

John raced along the passageway, a trail of broken Trankaran corpses in his wake. Slaughtering these monstrosities had started to get boring, what with them moving in relative slow motion due to his psychically enhanced speed, and he sprinted through the guard room at the end of the tunnel without bothering to clear it.

The room beyond was a huge square stairwell, with a broad flight of stone steps spiralling upwards around the outer edge of the room, climbing skywards for at least another hundred metres. He started running up the stairs, taking two at a time as he rapidly ascended the staircase, appearing to be an indistinct white blur to the casual observer. The lower levels were clear, and he ascended the first half completely unopposed. However, he soon heard the sounds of dozens of heavy-booted feet making ponderous thumping sounds from up ahead.

Rounding the next couple of bends in the staircase, he came face-to-face with a squad of twenty Trankaran soldiers hurrying down the steps. When he paused to study them, they shouted booming cries of alarm, and raised their blocky rifles in anger. Glancing to his left, he grinned wickedly, and created a broad wall of force by the right edge of the room. The Trankarans began to fire at him, but the shots bounced off ineffectually, deflected by the magnetic field built into his glossy white armour. The Rockmen's angry bass shouts suddenly turned to ones of panic, as the telekinetic projection began to shove the rightmost members of the group into their fellows. John let out a dry chuckle, and with a mental surge, the wall shoved the entire squad of soldiers over the balcony. The stairwell reverberated with their booming cries, until there was a huge crash a couple of seconds later, and the seventy metre drop ended their terrified screams.

He ran up the remaining stairs without encountering anyone, and burst through the double doors at the top of the room, out onto the ground level of the Radiant Palace. With a glance at his helmet GUI, he brought up the Palace schematics, and went over the route from his current location to the vault. When he began running again, his eyes sparkled with a dark and hungry gleam.

***

Rachel led the way down the last section of the ramp into the disused loading area, with her rifle raised and at the ready, in case there was an ambush. The room seemed just as melancholy as the first time they'd passed through it, the long forgotten carts rusted and abandoned. Although there was no one in the room, they could hear the sounds of raised voices coming from the doorway on the opposite side of the room, and the alarm had obviously been raised in the forge.

Not willing to hang around in case they were discovered, Alyssa hopped off the platform, then switched to mag-view, and began to follow the gloomy tunnel back down to the lower levels. Rachel kept her weapon trained on the darkened passageway opposite, providing cover until Alyssa had disappeared out of sight, with Irillith floating lifelessly behind her. The brunette slipped smoothly and silently off the platform, then jogged to catch up with her friend.

They made good time down the passageway, and only slowed when they reached the open section that was edged with pillars along the right-hand side. Alyssa glanced around the corner cautiously, and saw the Trankaran forge workers having an energetic discussion in the centre of the room. Satisfied that they were engrossed in their heated argument, she crossed over to the left side of the passage, and began to jog along the tunnel. Rachel kept pace with her, running along behind Irillith, and they managed to clear the entire length of exposed tunnel without being spotted.

Stopping once they were safely tucked out of sight, Alyssa turned to look back at Rachel and asked, *Are you alright? Need a break, or shall we keep going?*

Rachel gave her a thumbs up, the friendly gesture appearing clearly in the magnetic filter in Alyssa's helmet. *I'm not even slightly out of breath! John gave my body one heck of an upgrade,* Rachel replied. She looked at Alyssa with concern, then asked, *Are you alright though? You're levitating Irillith as well.*

Mention of their lover, made Alyssa feel a mixture of conflicting emotions, but strongest of all she was deeply worried about John's apparent loss of control to his Progenitor alter-ego. She shrugged off her concerns, and not wanting to alarm the brunette, nodded while replying, *Sure, I'm fine. We better keep moving, and hope John rejoins us soon.*

They set off again at a quick pace, jogging along the passage, with Irillith gliding through the air behind them. All they had to do was cover one last stretch of tunnel, then they'd be back at the jetty by the lake of lava, and the safety of the Raptor at their extraction point.

***

John finally came to a halt deep within the Palace, and stared up at the huge circular metal door that sealed the vault. The metal on this enormous reinforced portal was five-feet-thick, and was strong enough to withstand laser cannon blasts. He probably could have hacked his way through eventually, but it would have taken forever, and he had pressing business elsewhere. He strode up to the doorway, ignoring the enormous metal door for the moment, and examined the wall by the side. Recalling the design of the vault, from the detailed schematics that Senator Vamred had given him, he measured a point about five feet above the ground.

Lifting his sword, he used the tip to score an "X" on the wall, the quadruple forged Alyssium blade having no problem cutting through the solid volcanic rock. Drawing back his arms, he lunged forward, and drove his blade into the wall right up to the hilt. The hideous grinding shriek of metal on metal let him know he'd hit the right spot, the tip of his blade shearing through the layers of armour plating protecting the power feed for the door, and neatly severing the connection.

He concentrated for a moment, and sent a pulsating coil of lightning up the blade, which arced out, tripping the emergency override for the vault door. With a shuddering rumble, the door began to slowly grind open, revealing the stunned faces of the several Trankarans hiding within. John yanked his sword out of the wall, and strode through the partially opened vault door, a sly grin spreading across his face.

The Trankaran rebel leaders were standing in a large chamber, gathered around a ten-sided meeting table. Four of them were male, looking just as hideously ugly as the rest of their grey, slab-faced brethren. However, the one in the middle, standing directly opposite him, was a female, and one look at her let him know he'd found the Glowing Queen. Her eyes had a transcendent orange glow to them, and the skin on her arms, and her bald head, had long flowing amber lines curving around them. The lines throbbed and pulsed, brightly illuminating the room with their rhythmic tempo.

"Your majesty," he said with a mocking bow, "I humbly request an audience."

The four male Trankarans rushed forward to valiantly defend their Queen, and John brandished his sword with an elegant flourish. Speeding up once again, he darted to the left, and used his momentum to bring his sword around in a blindingly fast slash at the first Trankaran's throat. The razor sharp blade made a horrible grinding noise as it sheared through his rocky neck, neatly decapitating the first of her most trusted warriors.

The second turned and tried to bring his heavy rifle to bear, but John simply sidestepped, then cut the eight-foot-tall soldier in half with an arcing backhanded swing. The third pulled a massive hammer from his back, the blocky head embedded with runes, and he attacked John with a powerful two-handed swing. John ducked the blow effortlessly, then stabbed upwards with his blade, spearing the Trankaran under the chin, and driving the point up through its brain with a sickening crunch.

The final warrior staggered backwards, retreating from the lethal melee as he fired repeatedly at this lethal interloper, who was busy butchering his fellow Trankarans. The last warrior was wielding a fusion rifle, and one of his frantic shots hit John in the right arm, just as he was finishing off the third of the Queen's guard. The searing energy blast caused the white armour plate to warp, buckling with the intense heat, and John glanced over at the final Trankaran warrior in anger. He raised his sword back over his shoulder, then snapped it forward in a flash, his whole arm moving too fast for the eye to follow. John released the long blade, and sent it whirling end over end, flying towards its target with deadly accuracy. It slammed into the fourth soldier, lifting him off his feet, and sending him flying backwards through the air. The blade sank deep into the wall, pinning the Trankaran in place, and he stared down in horror at the sword impaling him through the chest.

John walked over to it at a leisurely pace, then took hold off the grip in his right hand. There was a sharp cracking sound as the heat was sucked out of the air, and the blade of his sword was suddenly shrouded in frost. The alien soldier looked down at it aghast, as creeping tendrils of ice began to spread out, freezing his body from the inside out. His terrified scream was abruptly cut off as he froze in place, and when John hauled the blade from his chest, his ice-riven body tipped face first onto the floor, shattering into dozens of pieces.

The Glowing Queen backed away slowly, an expression of pure dread on her face, as John turned and stalked towards her. Her eyes were drawn like magnets to the blue-white crystals that drifted off the freezing cold blade, and she could feel its deathly chill from the other side of the room.

John's face darkened with a sinister smile as he said, "Now that that unpleasantness is over with, why don't you and I have a nice little chat about your master..."

***

The light from the molten lava lake seemed blindingly bright after the oppressive gloom of the Trankaran tunnels. Alyssa blinked her eyes rapidly as she quickly adjusted to the glare, and she sighed with relief as she saw Jade approaching in the gleaming white gunship. The Nymph brought the Raptor down to land a few metres in front of them, and the loading ramp began to open before she had touched down.

Turning around to check on Rachel, she saw that the brunette was standing next to Irillith, leaning over so she could carefully examine the scorched holes in the side of her golden armour. *Is she still alive?* Alyssa asked ambivalently.

Rachel turned and looked up at her, her expression full of concern as she replied, *Yes, but not for much longer.*

Alyssa looked back at the entrance to the tunnel, and wondered just how long John was going to be. She was astonished when he strode out into the light a few seconds later, carrying some kind of cloth-wrapped bundle under his left arm.

"We're done. Let's go," he said, glancing once at Irillith, and nodding with satisfaction that she was still alive.

The blonde girl gaped at him as he strode past her, and she muttered, "How did you get back here so fast? I thought you were going after the Glowing Queen?"

He didn't bother to turn, and began walking up the loading ramp as he said over his shoulder without emotion, "She's dead. I guess I'm just a fast runner..."

Alyssa stared at him, not sure what to make of his reply, then hurried to board the gunship, bringing Irillith with her. The comatose Maliri floated up the loading ramp with Rachel at her side, and as soon as they were all safely back inside the Raptor, Jade sealed up the ship and took off.

Alyssa paused in the front loading room, and asked Rachel, *What's the plan? How are you going to treat her?*

Rachel stared into her eyes and replied, *I think we both know the only thing that's likely able to save her life.* Turning, she glanced at John as he strolled out of the room, heading for the cockpit.

Alyssa's beautiful features looked even more worried, as she said, *I think you're right, but we better pray the three doses rule applies.*

Rachel gave her a fervent nod as she asked, *Can you imagine being stuck with Irillith for eternity?*

Alyssa shuddered and shook her head. *Don't...* she replied plaintively.

She looked down at the unconscious Maliri woman, who was floating motionless at her side, then gently lowered her to the ground. Rachel knelt down next to her, and asked, "Can you help me remove her armour? We need to see how bad the wound is."

Nodding, Alyssa knelt down beside the critically injured woman, and began searching the armour for some way to release it. She closed her eyes for a moment, and tapped into the psychic echoes surrounding Irillith's golden body armour. She watched a faint image of the Maliri angrily removing her armour, touching concealed pressure points to unlock the plated sections. Moving her hands in the same motions, Alyssa began to unlatch each piece with a satisfying click.

***

It took them ten minutes to get into orbit, and make it back to the asteroid belt that was concealing the Invictus. Jade coasted around the last of the asteroids, and she smiled with relief when she spotted the glossy white hull of the assault cruiser, and the slowly opening door to the hangar. She brought them in for a graceful landing inside the ship, and quickly activated the loading ramp, whilst shutting down the engines.

*We're here,* she thought to Alyssa, as she quickly rushed through the post-flight shutdown.

The blonde girl's voice came back to her immediately, and said, *We're going to take Irillith up to Medical. She's not going to last much longer, but Rachel's going to give her a full body scan to see if there's anything she can do. I think we might need you to nurse her, as that's probably going to be the only way we can keep her alive.*

Jade stood from the pilot's chair and glanced back at John. *He's asleep!* she informed Alyssa in surprise.

There was a long pause before her blonde friend replied, but when she did, she sounded relived, *Good. Hopefully he might be back to normal when he wakes up. We don't have much time, so try and wake him up now if you can.*

*Will do,* Jade replied, as she walked over to squat down next to John where he lay slumped in his chair, slumbering peacefully.

She carefully removed his helmet, and leaned in to give him a tender kiss on his cheek. She then pressed her lips to his ear, and whispered alluringly, "Wake up master! Your loving Nymph needs a belly full of cum."

John's eyelids blinked open, and he looked up at Jade's beautiful face as she loomed over him. He smiled at her affectionately and said, "Hey Jade, it's lovely to see you."

"It's wonderful to see YOU too," she replied earnestly, but he didn't pick up on her double meaning.

He yawned and stretched, then looked confused as he asked, "What's going on? And why am I in armour?"

She studied him for a long moment, wondering just how much he was aware of. "We just assassinated the Glowing Queen for the Trankarans. You returned to the ship carrying that," she said, pointing at the mysterious object placed on the seat beside him.

He glanced down at the cloth-wrapped bundle, and tentatively peeled back the top of the material. The cloth fell away wetly, revealing a female Trankaran head, her expression hideously twisted by her final tortured scream. They both spotted the eerily glowing lines flowing around her head, and the slowly fading light in her horror stricken eyes. John quickly covered the head again with the cloth, then looked up at Jade with a frown.

His expression was one of distaste as he said, "That's a pretty grisly trophy. Whose idea was that?"

She tilted her head to one side and said, "Yours. You decided not to discuss your plans with us."

He looked shocked, then deeply troubled, and when he gazed up at her once again, she saw fear in his eyes as he said, "I'm losing control to Progenitor-John, aren't I? These blackout periods are getting longer, and even the time in between seems a bit hazy. This feels like the first time I've been able to think clearly in weeks."

Jade started to speak, and hesitated for only a short moment, but her hesitation was all the answer he needed.

She reached out to gently trace her fingers down the side of his face, following his jawline, and looking at him lovingly, she said, "Don't worry. We're trying to find a way to help you."

He heaved a sigh, and nodded, then rose unsteadily to his feet, letting out another big yawn. "I feel absolutely wasted," he complained. "Have I been running a marathon or something?"

Jade replied in a quiet voice, "I don't have enough time to fill you in on all the details. We need your help though. Irillith's been very badly wounded, and Alyssa's asked me to help heal her."

Several emotions flashed over John's face as he tried to process all this new information at once, and he eventually said, "OK, is Irillith up in Medical?"

"She is," Jade replied, "but first we have some pressing business in the cabin." Smiling at him coyly, she walked out of the cockpit, beckoning him to follow with her finger.

***

Rachel pressed a couple of buttons on the medi-scanner, and Irillith was shrouded in a blue light, as the machine gave her a full body scan. The Maliri woman was dressed in a skintight jumpsuit, and was currently unconscious, which was a small blessing considering the horrific gaping wound in her flank. Dana walked into the Medical Bay a moment later, and she strolled over to join Alyssa and Rachel, who were standing on either side of the medi-scanner. She glanced down at Irillith, then grimaced at the hideous holes burned into the Maliri's lower torso.

"I don't like the girl, but damn! That must have hurt like hell," she said with a hint of sympathy in her voice.

Alyssa glanced over at her and nodded as she said, "I've never heard a scream of pain like it. She was in absolute agony until she finally blacked out."

Dana looked regretful as she said, "I did offer to upgrade her armour. I wish she'd listened to me."

Rachel glanced up at the two of them and said, "Tell me about it. If she'd agreed to let me examine her when I asked, I might be in a better position to help her now. As it is, I'm flying completely blind here."

Alyssa locked eyes with the brunette, and asked, "There must be something you can do? Some kind of surgery and then sew her up again afterwards?" As she glanced down at the terribly burned blue flesh, she realised how ridiculous her question was.

Rachel smiled at her gently, then shook her head, as she replied in a quiet voice, "I'd already be in my scrubs if I thought I could operate successfully. We've only got one option, I'm afraid."

The door to the Medical Bay opened, and John hurried inside, with Jade following close behind him. Her breasts were hugely inflated, swollen with his load, and she glided over to join them, somehow managing to move elegantly while carrying all the extra weight on her chest. John walked briskly over to one of the cryo-storage units and placed the cloth-wrapped bundle inside before sealing it up again. Walking over to stand by the girls, he looked down at Irillith, and his eyes automatically flitted to the site of her injury.

He flinched when he saw the charred and ragged wound that disfigured Irillith's flank, and exclaimed, "That looks appalling! How is she still alive?"

Rachel glanced at the scan results and replied, "Her anatomy isn't too dissimilar to a Terran's, and these molten rounds didn't hit anything vital, which probably would have killed her instantly. I've removed any bullet fragments I could find, but they did some terrible damage to the tissue in her lower right torso. Jade will need to feed her soon if you want her to survive."

John looked down at the grievously wounded Maliri woman, and then glanced up at Rachel with a look of compassion on his face. "Can you wake her? We need to give her the choice."

Rachel checked the medi-scanner and studied the preliminary drug-toxicity analysis, then nodded. She reached for a hypo-syringe, quickly filled it with a clear fluid from a bottle in a drawer by the scanner, and brought it up to Irillith's neck. Before she activated it she looked at the others and said compassionately, "It would be kinder to give her a little privacy for this. Would you girls leave John and I alone with her for a moment, please?"

They nodded, and walked swiftly from the room without raising any objections. Once the door swished closed behind them, Rachel pressed the button on the hypo-syringe, and injected the mild stimulant into Irillith's neck. A few seconds later, her angular violet eyes fluttered open, and she let out a low cry as she twisted in agony, then groaned with the indescribable pain in her torso.

"Irillith," John said to her in a firm voice. "We can help you, but I want your consent first."

She twisted and thrashed, not listening to him, and when she glanced down at the scorched wound in her flank, her eyes went wide with shock and fear. Her arms began to tremble violently, and she moaned with the pain, before finally looking up, and seeing Rachel looming over her.

"Help me! Please!" Irillith begged through gritted teeth, her beautiful features twisted in agony.

Rachel stared into her eyes, and said urgently, "Only John can heal you now. You've seen the videos, you know how he can save you."

An expression of dread crossed Irillith's face, and she shrank back, then sobbed, "No! Anything but that! You must be able to do something?!"

Rachel shook her head, the expression on her face sincere and full of pity, as she said, "It's the only way. I'm sorry, I don't know enough about your species to be able to help you with conventional Terran medicine."

Irillith gave a bitter laugh, realising her own obstinance had been her undoing, before crying out with the searing pain once more. She managed to control herself again, and stared wide-eyed at the other person in the room. Locking eyes with John, she said bleakly, "You got what you wanted in the end."

He crouched down beside her and said, "I never wanted you to get hurt." Continuing in a calm, soothing voice, he added, "A couple of doses should heal you, and hopefully won't have any permanent side-effects. It should let us stabilise you long enough for Rachel to learn more about your biology, and be able to start treating you normally."

She locked eyes with him, but saw no sign of the malignant personality she had confronted earlier. Sagging back on the table, she groaned, writhing with the excruciating pain. As the agony briefly abated, her voice was weak as she mumbled in defeat, "Fine. Get it over with."

*Can you send in Jade, please,* John asked Alyssa. *Irillith's agreed to it.*

A few seconds elapsed before Alyssa's voice appeared in his mind, and she replied hesitantly, *Did you know she tried to kill you? I think that's how she ended up getting shot herself.*

John stared down at the Maliri girl, and thought back to Alyssa, *If the Progenitor version of me is as bad as you girls make out, I can't really blame her. Jade brought me up to speed a bit, and by the sounds of it, this will all be over soon. Then we can forget all about the Maliri.*

Alyssa's heart surged with joy, and she strode into the Medical Bay after Jade, then dashed over to John and gave him a rib-crushing hug. *God, I've missed you so much,* she said with relief. *The other version of you is horrible!*

He held her in his arms, but he had a vexed expression on his face as he stroked her back. *It's just me here now,* he said, his voice like a soothing balm for her fears and worries.

She released him, and gave him a quick kiss before they both turned back to look at Irillith. She was still flinching with the pain, the tremors in her arms getting worse as her body was wracked with agony by the horrific wound in her side. Jade walked up beside her, and squatted down next to the bed.

"I'll look after you now, Irillith," the Nymph said, her voice soft and caring.

Reaching out to her, she began to stroke Irillith's dark hair with her right hand, while she brought the fingers from her other hand to the suffering woman's mouth. The Maliri's body shivered violently, but this time it wasn't entirely due to the pain.

"You've seen me heal the other girls like this before," Jade said with a maternal smile. She then added kindly, "Don't worry. You know I won't let anything bad happen to you."

Irillith slowly opened her mouth, her eyes fixed on the Nymph's as Jade slightly elongated her first two fingers, slipping them between those full blue lips. Irillith's pupils flared as Jade's fingers began to pulse rhythmically, and as the sweet tasting liquid coated her tongue, a look of euphoria spread over her face. Her pain forgotten in an instant, she began to suck hungrily, and Jade murmured soothing, barely audible words to her. Irillith turned to look up at John, and she locked eyes with him as she swallowed, her eyes hooded with lust.

A few seconds later the Maliri woman's angular violet eyes glazed over, and she began to suck and swallow in a familiar suckling motion. Her azure belly began to rise as Jade pumped her stomach full, and they all watched quietly, as she eagerly sucked down every last drop that the Nymph was carrying for her. Finally they were done, and Jade eased her two fingers from between Irillith's lips, then brought her hand down to gently stroke her enormously rounded abdomen. Irillith had a blissful smile on her face as she revelled in her tender caress, and a few moments later, she fell fast asleep.

Jade looked up at John, and smiled at him with satisfaction, as she got up and walked around to join him. "Well done, Jade," he praised her sincerely. "You probably just saved her life."

Rachel nodded in agreement and said, "We'll see, but I'm pretty confident she should recover quickly. I've seen just how powerful the healing effects are."

Alyssa let out a breath she didn't realise she'd been holding, and said, "Fourteen hours then. Let's see what happens after that."

As John looked at her, a shadow of confusion passed over his face, and he looked a little embarrassed. "I've been out of it for a while now. I take it we need to go back to the Trankaran Fleet?" he asked haltingly.

Alyssa gave him a loving smile, and said, "You don't know what a relief it is to have you back. Don't worry, we've got it under control. I'll fly us back to the Beta Cephei system, and we can wrap up our agreement with Chancellor Niskera." She glanced over at Jade, and added, "Do you want to plot our return flightpath?"

The Nymph nodded, and gave her an exuberant grin, delighted that everything seemed to be returning to normal once again. Alyssa returned that happy smile, and the two of them glided out of the room with a spring in their step. John gave Rachel a grateful nod, then turned to follow after them, but he paused when she held her hand up for him to wait.

"Before you go, you might want to take a look at this," she said, beckoning him over to join her by the medi-scanner, and pressing a couple of on the complex machine.

A bright holographic image appeared above the scanner, rotating slowly, as it showed the results of the full body scan she had taken of Irillith. John could immediately see the terrible damage done to her right side, along with her hugely inflated stomach, where she carried the cum that Jade had just fed to her. Rachel was watching his face as he looked at the holograph, and saw that he was focused on the Maliri woman's midsection, studying the awful wound with concern.

Pressing another couple of buttons, she said softly, "Not there, look at this instead." She brought up a zoomed in image of Irillith's head, and deep within her brain a walnut sized object was highlighted in red.

John narrowed his eyes as he examined the scan, then finally turned to Rachel and said, "I can only guess that whatever that is, it's bad news."

She nodded and replied, "I'm no expert on her physiology, and the medi-scanner is configured for Terrans, not Maliri. However, our species are not that dissimilar, and if that is what I think it is, she has quite a large brain tumour."

John looked concerned, and he asked, "Can you operate to remove it?"

Rachel gazed up at him, and said, "Not right now, no. At least, not until I learn more about Maliri physiology." With a smile she then added wryly, "She might not need me to, though, if you work your usual magic."

John returned her smile, then said, "We better take another scan when the fourteen hours are up. I'd like to know the results."

The brunette nodded, and flashed a bright smile at him as she said, "You're not the only one who's curious!"

***

Everyone was overjoyed that John was back to his old self, and the dark cloud that had settled over the Invictus dissipated immediately, with the girls laughing and joking once again. Alyssa desperately wanted to drag him into bed for some passionate make-up sex, even though they hadn't actually had a fight. Unfortunately, when they checked in with Rachel to see how her patient was doing, she had some bad news. The brunette reported that although Irillith's wound was healing, it wasn't at the same incredibly fast rate as the rapid overnight regeneration the crew had previously experienced. Rachel recommended that they load Irillith up a second time, to help finish off her recovery. Alyssa pouted, but agreed to wait, and she spent the rest of their journey cuddled up with John in bed, filling him in on any blanks in his memory.

The flight back to the Main Trankaran Fleet was uneventful, as they were easily able to avoid trouble with their massive sensor range, and incredibly fast Tachyon drive. The Invictus raced through system after system in hyper-warp, and ten hours later they were nearly back in the Beta Cephei system for their meeting with Chancellor Niskera. Irillith was still unconscious, and Rachel kept a careful vigil at her bedside to watch for the slightest sign that she would awaken.

John and Alyssa had got out of bed, and were now on the Bridge, making casual conversation with Calara and Jade. They all turned to look for Dana, when they heard her whistling a jaunty tune to herself as she floated up in the grav-tube to join them. She bounced onto the Command Deck, then skipped up the illuminated steps to the Command Podium, and leaned down to give John a passionate kiss.

Sighing happily, she said, "It's fucking awesome having you back again. I missed you so much."

John grabbed her, then plonked her down on his lap, and she giggled in delight at his boisterous behaviour. She wriggled against him, and she began to moan excitedly when she felt him getting hard beneath her.

Alyssa laughed and quickly said in protest, "There's a queue! You're just going to have to wait your turn. I'm pulling rank as XO."

Dana stuck her tongue out at her old friend, then fluttered her eyelashes at John, as she asked, "Are you sure you wouldn't like me to dress up in my 'John's property' schoolgirl outfit? I seem to recall you had a fine old time plundering my tight little ass when we did that before..."

John groaned as she flexed her muscular asscheeks, gently massaging and stroking his length as she teased him.

Alyssa frowned and said sternly, "Sparks, don't make me give you a spanking!"

The redhead giggled and said, "That sounds like fun too!"

Laughing, John said, "Come on girls, no fighting, please." He then gave Dana a knowing smile, and said, "I'm sure you didn't come up here just to lure me into bed. Do you have any news on your research?"

Dana smiled at him, and nodding exuberantly, she replied, "I've come up with a new system to replace the Inertial Dampeners! Faye was a great help, really speeding my research up, and we've worked together to create a functional simulation."

Turning in his lap, she gave him a flirtatious grin, and wriggling excessively she leaned over and began to press buttons on his console. Faye appeared a couple of seconds later, sitting on the rim of the Commander's console, and shortly after that a slowly rotating holographic image of the Invictus materialised in the middle of the bridge.

"Hi!" The purple sprite said with a cheery smile on her tiny face.

Dana grinned at her and asked encouragingly, "Do you want to explain what we came up with?"

Faye bounced up and down with childlike eagerness, and she replied, "I'd love that! As long as you don't mind?"

When Dana shook her head, Faye turned to the holograph, and pointed at the middle section of the ship before glancing back at John. "Dana's super smart," the AI informed him with open admiration on her face. "She came up with a new Inertial Negation Device, which will let you utilise the full power of the Trankaran's most powerful engines."

John looked impressed, and glanced down at the redhead and asked, "Really? Full power?"

Dana nodded, her eyes sparkling with excitement, as she exclaimed, "This ship;s going to be a beast when I'm done with it!"

Calara and Jade both looked equally as enthusiastic, and the Latina spoke first, asking, "Just how fast will we be able to go?"

Dana sat up a bit so she could look at her friend over the Commander's console, and replied, "If my calculations are correct, then we should be able to triple our speed!"

"Will the ship's handling improve a lot too?" Jade asked her with a hopeful expression on her lovely green face.

The redhead nodded animatedly, and said, "If they swap out all our retro-thrusters for their improved versions, the Invictus will be able to dance around like a fighter!"

Calara smiled at her indulgently, and said, "Come on, you're exaggerating, surely?"

"Well, maybe a little bit," Dana grudgingly admitted, "but we'll still make a corvette look like a bulk freighter!"

The Latina's mind raced with the possibilities, and she grinned at her, saying, "Having that much agility will give us so much more tactical flexibility. I can't wait to see this in action!"

John frowned and asked, "Are you sure the ship's hull will be able to take that kind of strain?"

"Yeah, I've run detailed stress tests, and it all looks good," Dana replied, and she smiled at the digital construct as she said, "Give him the details, Faye."

Faye drew herself up and said in a clear voice, "The device works by building a central truss structure, that will hold a very powerful anti-gravity device. This central core will need to run vertically through the Invictus' hull, and it must be extremely strong to withstand the forces applied. The engines will push against this anti-grav device, which will create a gravitational field that opposes the acceleration of our ship."

As she spoke, the proposed central column was highlighted on the image of the Invictus, and clearly showed the forces spreading out, repelling thrust from both the engines and retro-thrusters. Dana clapped, and the others joined in too, so Faye gave them a sweeping bow and she stood tall, flushing with pride.

John smiled, but said with an air of caution, "It sounds like we might need a major refit to build this central core into the Invictus."

Dana replied ruefully, "I'm afraid that's the one downside. We'll be driving a central core right through the ship, and that's going to take several days to complete. I'll be able to build the anti-grav device easily enough by modifying and greatly enhancing the Maliri's anti-grav tech. We could use reshaped Alyssium for the central core, but I'd much rather wait while I finish this super material I'm working on. Unfortunately, I think I'm still some way off figuring that out, but it'll be worth it."

John looked extremely impressed, and he said, "You did a fantastic job, Dana! You never let me down." He gave her a heady kiss in gratitude, and she was panting breathlessly when he finally released her. As she swooned against his chest, he glanced up at Faye and giving her a grateful smile, he added, "And thank you too, Faye. It sounds like you were a great help."

The purple AI pixie smiled back at him, and said, "You're welcome! I see why Dana works so hard on her research, it's lovely to be appreciated."

Jade had been watching their progress on the sector map, and they arrived in the Beta Cephei system a few moments later. "We're here," she announced, as she powered up the Invictus' engines, and began to turn towards the loyalist Trankaran fleet. Dana gave John a quick peck on the cheek, then hopped off John's lap, and walked down the steps from the Command Podium before returning to the Engineering Station.

A flashing light on Alyssa's console let her know that they were being hailed, and she pressed the button to accept the incoming call. The view screen flickered momentarily before the static coalesced into the image of an armoured Trankaran.

"Commodore Blake!" The Trankaran commander said in his booming voice, "I can't believe you're back so quickly!"

John wracked his brain as he thought back to their first encounter with the Trankaran cruiser commander, and the creature's name came to him in a flash through his hazy memories. He smiled, then replied, "Warden Dalomherlig, I hope you're well."

The blocky, granite faced Trankaran beamed a broad smile at him, and nodded, saying, "The comm network is alive with talk of the rebellion falling apart! They say that the light of the Glowing Queen has been extinguished! I sense your hand in this, and wish to thank you for resolving this insurrection before it turned into a full scale civil war."

John replied sincerely, "You're welcome Dalomherlig, I'm glad we could help."

The grateful looking Trankaran then said, "Chancellor Niskera requested that you meet with her as soon as you arrive in-system. Please proceed to her ship, the 'Kerhom's Anvil' and dock with the adjoining maintenance stanchion."

When John nodded, Warden Dalomherlig gave him a respectful bow of his head, then closed the comm channel. Without having to be prompted, Jade smoothly pivoted the Invictus, and followed a course towards the biggest of the Trankaran capital ships. The Battlecarrier, Kerhom's Anvil, was just as vastly imposing as they remembered, and now the starboard side was festooned with some kind of robust looking framework.

Jade spotted what looked to be a docking collar on a jutting out gantry, and she asked, "Should I dock with that?"

John nodded, replying, "Yes please. The Trankarans must have set this up to carry out the engine refit."

Studying the elaborate maintenance framework, Alyssa said, "Just bring us in nice and slowly, and try not to clip the superstructure at the back with our engines."

Following her advice, Jade brought the Invictus around in a sweeping curve, until they were parallel with the enormous Trankaran carrier. When she had eased their assault cruiser to a gentle stop, she nudged them closer with the judicious use of their starboard retro-thrusters until the docking collar fitted snugly over their airlock.

"Well done," John praised her, when they nestled up against the Trankaran carrier in a perfectly executed docking manoeuvre.

Jade turned around and gave him a huge grin, and Alyssa had a proud smile on her face as she said to her student, "I couldn't have done it any better myself."

Looking with interest at the holographic representation of the maintenance structure surrounding the Invictus, Calara noted, "They did a nice job on this framework. It seems to be an exact fit for the Invictus."

Dana gave her an impish smile and said, "I should hope so too! I did supply them with the exact dimensions they needed. I just hope they managed to modify their engine chassis to fit the housing on the Invictus."

Rising from his seat, John said, "We better not keep Chancellor Niskera waiting. Are you all coming?"

The girls nodded, all except Faye, who watched them get ready to leave longingly. Dana had already started bounding up the ramp towards the grav-tube, and when she saw the sad expression on the AI sprite's face, she said, "Cheer up! I've had a new idea that should help me with my materials research, but I could use a hand if you're up for it?"

Faye sprang to her feet, and jumped off John's console to land neatly on Dana's shoulder as she walked past. "Tell me how I can help!" she requested, her little face shining with excitement.

***

Chancellor Niskera was waiting to meet them in the gantry on the other side of the docking collar, and when the airlock spiralled open, she smiled at them in welcome as they stepped through. She was accompanied by Senator Vamred, and Fleet Warden Thandrun, who both had cheerful grins on their faces. Chancellor Niskera bowed graciously as John and the girls approached.

"You were as good as your word, Commodore Blake. You have ended the rebellion, as you promised you would," Chancellor Niskera said gratefully. A troubled look crossed her face as she added, "I just wish there had been a peaceful solution."

John nodded in greeting to her two advisors, then addressing Chancellor Niskera, he said soberly, "I'm sorry it worked out that way Chancellor. We have managed to avoid this escalating into a wider conflict however, and eliminating the Rebel leaders will have saved thousands of Trankaran lives."

Fleet Warden Thandrun gave him a respectful nod as he said, "You speak truly Commodore Blake. Our patrol ships are already reporting contact with rebel vessels offering to surrender."

Alyssa spoke up, and asked, "Will the rebels go to prison for their part in this?"

Senator Vamred turned to look at her and said, "Some of the rebel vessels were involved with atrocities against civilians, including merchants from other races. They will have to be punished, but most of the rebellious Trankarans were led astray by rumours of an immortal queen, who would lead our people to greatness." He glanced at John and said, "You have put an end to those spurious rumours most effectively."

"Happy to be of service," John replied with a smile.

He took a sideways glance at the window to their left, where four huge Trankaran engines could be seen being guided into position at the rear of the Invictus. Trankaran engineers in spacesuits were driving open-topped tugs, and they carefully rotated the new components into place. Meanwhile several other Trankarans had landed on the glossy white hull of their ship, and were busy inspecting their retro-thrusters.

"It looks like you were as good as your word too," he said to Chancellor Niskera, giving her a grateful smile in acknowledgement. "How long will the refit take?"

She walked over to join him, and staring out the window, she said, "I've been informed that the entire refit should take no more than ten hours." After a long pause, she said sincerely, "I hope you took our words of warning about the power of these engines seriously Commodore Blake. You have proven yourself a friend of the Trankarans, and to see you injured by our technology would be a terrible tragedy."

Dana walked over to stand beside the stately Trankaran woman, and looking up at the Chancellor, who was several inches taller than her, she said, "Don't worry. I've developed a way of countering the huge forces involved, which will keep us safe. Until we can get to a drydock, and fit that system, I'll put limiters in place to restrict how much we can throttle up your engines and retro-thrusters."

The Chancellor looked down at her, and with a relieved smile on her dark grey face, she said, "It sounds like you have everything taken care of. It seems we were worrying unnecessarily." She looked thoughtful for a moment, then asked with hint of eagerness, "This new technology you've developed might be of use for our own ships. Would you consider trading it with us?"

With a grin, Dana darted a look at John and said, "He's the boss, you better ask him!"

John laughed, then faced Chancellor Niskera, and said, "I'd certainly be open to a trade. We've seen the vast amounts of mineral wealth you have in your territory, and there are some rarer ores that we might be interested in. Do you have stocks of Tyrenium? Or a black lustrous metal the Ashanath have named Onyxium?"

Niskera frowned, and said apologetically, "I'm afraid I haven't heard of this Onyxium before, although It's quite possible we have another name for it. I will speak with Forgemaster Gilgrem, and perhaps he might be able to identify this element for us. However, we do have Tyrenium reserves, so I'm sure some kind of arrangement could be made there."

John nodded and said, "I'll let you work out the details with Dana, if that's alright with her."

Dana nodded, and said offhandedly, "Sure, but I'm not sure if we still need those ores. Perhaps there's something else the Trankarans might be willing to trade instead?" The Chancellor began to look worried, and she appeared to be deep in thought as she fretted over what else might be of interest to this group of remarkable Terrans. With an artful sigh, Dana relented and said, "I guess we could make some kind of deal in metals, if you really need this tech."

Looking greatly relieved, Chancellor Niskera said, "I'm sure we can make you an acceptable offer!"

Carefully suppressing his grin of admiration for the canny redhead, John said, "We'll leave you to it. It was a pleasure to meet you again, Chancellor." With a polite nod to her advisors, he added, "You too Senator Vamred, Fleet Warden Thandrun."

The grateful Trankaran advisors gave him sweeping bows in return, and Chancellor Niskera smiled at him pleasantly, and inclined her head as she waved him goodbye. John turned and walked back into the ship, with Alyssa following at his side.

*Calara and Jade want to hang out with Dana, and spend some time with the Trankarans, as long as that's okay?* she asked him tentatively. *They were stuck on the Invictus and the Raptor last time, so didn't get to meet the Trankarans or look around.*

He turned and smiled at her as they stepped through the airlock and said, *Of course. Sounds like a great idea, and they can keep an eye on Dana too.*

Alyssa looked at him curiously and asked, *You think she'd be in danger with the Trankarans? They seem honest, placid, and peaceful to me.*

*After seeing her in action just now, I'm worried the poor Trankarans won't have the shirts on their backs when she's finished haggling with them. Hopefully Jade and Calara can reign her in a bit,* he replied with a chuckle.

Alyssa giggled, and slipping her arm through his, she looked up at him with an adoring smile as she said, *I've missed this so much.*

John stopped, and turned to look at her as he asked, *What?*

*You, us, this banter, everything being back to normal... all of it,* she replied with a happy sigh.

He pulled her into his arms, and said perceptively, *All this trouble with my Progenitor side has been harder on you than anyone, hasn't it?*

She shook her head, but he could see she was just trying to stop him from worrying. He brushed his hand through her silky blonde hair, and said earnestly, *I'm so sorry about everything that's happened. I'll make it up to you, I promise.*

*That sounds intriguing,* she said, as a playful grin spread across her face. *If you aren't doing anything right now, we've got a few hours to ourselves. Why not start making it up to me in bed?*

Dipping her backwards, he kissed her lovingly, and said, *I'm yours to command, beautiful.*

***

Several hours later, Rachel looked up as John, Alyssa, and Jade walked into the Medical Bay. She had been leaning over a medical console studying scan results, and she gave them a cheerful wave as they strolled over to greet her. Jade had joined John and Alyssa in bed a little earlier, leaving Calara and Dana with the Trankarans. The Nymph's breasts were enormously inflated once again, loaded up with their precious cargo, while Alyssa had a blissful expression on her face as she darted loving glances up at John.

"How's our patient doing, Doctor Voss?" John asked the tawny haired brunette.

Rachel smiled at his light hearted tone, and said, "There's been some significant changes. Come and look for yourself, Commodore."

She turned and walked over to the other side of the Medical Bay, where Irillith was still asleep on the hospital bed, flanked by the medi-scanner and several other unfamiliar monitors. When John, Alyssa and Jade took a look at the slumbering Maliri, there was a collective intake of breaths.

"Her hair's changed colour!" Alyssa gasped.

Rachel nodded and said, "It started happening about three hours ago, and went from black to completely white in the space of a couple of hours."

Jade stared intently at the blue skinned woman, and her shock of white blonde hair, then noted in a soft voice, "She looks just like the women on those Ashanath pictographs now."

John leaned in for a closer look, and as Rachel had said, there was no longer any trace of Irillith's old dark colouring in her snowy white locks. "I guess that's one mystery solved then," he said thoughtfully. "I had wondered about the hair colour difference. I suppose this confirms without a doubt that it was the Maliri in those pictures."

"It suits her," Alyssa said as she studied Irillith's face and hair. "She might have a few choice things to say about it, though."

Looking across the sleeping woman, John asked Rachel quietly, "How's her wound doing? And what about that tumour?"

Rachel clicked some button on the medi-scanner and a slowly rotating holographic image of Irillith appeared above the console. She zoomed in on the Maliri woman's head, and the walnut shaped object that had blighted the image before, was nowhere to be seen.

"It's completely healed," Rachel said, shaking her head in wonder. "It's astonishing how quickly it disappeared."

"Does that mean her gunshot wound is fixed too?" Alyssa asked inquisitively.

Rachel turned and slowly peeled back the raised sheet that had been covering Irillith's torso, and the scorched and ragged wound had disappeared. In its place, there was a smooth expanse of unblemished azure blue skin across the Maliri woman's midriff.

"That was fast!" John remarked, then frowned as he asked, "I thought you said it wasn't healing that quickly?"

With a wry smile, Rachel said, "For her to have healed her skin like that in such a short period of time is astounding, but unfortunately it's just cosmetic. The skin probably healed over to protect the wound site from infection, but she's still got some serious internal damage." Her hands drifted over the console again, and the holograph focused on a dark area of trauma on Irillith's flank. "Although she didn't heal as quickly as we've done in the past, her wounds have still recovered far faster than the scars on Calara's back, or the burn scar on Dana's face. I do have a theory about that, in case you're interested..."

John and the girls listened attentively, and he asked, "Why was the healing rate different?"

Rachel tapped her finger on her chin, and looked thoughtful as she replied, "I think their scars took a long time to heal, because the Gift was focusing on upgrading their bodies to be more receptive to fast healing. It was a gradual process, as so much was changing with their entire body, making them taller, stronger and faster as well. Irillith is already pretty much the same build as us, and the females of her species have been modified by the Progenitors already. I think that's why she's healing so quickly, and if she went through the normal change process, then I'm sure she'd be able to heal overnight just as you guys have. As it is, although she's healed quickly, there's still a lot of damage to repair."

"Not to worry," Jade said with a smile, "I came prepared!"

Rachel chuckled, eyeing the Nymph's prodigious breasts and noted wryly, "Yes, I can see. She should be waking up any minute now, the fourteen hours are nearly up."

Alyssa walked over to a nearby water dispenser, and returned with a large beaker of chilled water. They waited patiently for the injured woman to awaken, and sure enough, a couple of minutes later, Irillith coughed weakly, blinking slowly as she came around.

"Thirsty," she croaked, and Alyssa immediately passed her the glass, and helped Irillith hold it steady in her shaking hand.

Rachel pressed a button, which raised the top half of the bed, making it easier for Irillith to drink. She eagerly gulped down the entire glass, but winced when she was done, and glanced down at her side fearfully. The look on her face changed to one of confusion when she saw her unmarked skin.

"I'm still in a lot of pain," she said to Rachel with a grimace.

The brunette smiled at her kindly, and said, "I think another dose from Jade will give you a full recovery. Alternatively, you're probably stable enough now for me to just try and treat you with conventional medicine. Unfortunately you'll be in a lot of pain for the next few hours, at least until I can start developing some painkillers which I'm certain won't accidentally harm you."

Irillith flushed and said immediately, "It's alright, another dose will be fine." She glanced over at Jade, and eyed her heaving breasts, licking her lips in an unconscious gesture.

Jade walked over to her with a coy smile on her face and asked, "Breast? Or fingers again?"

Irillith eyed those huge verdant breasts with a hungry gleam in her eye for a moment, before she suddenly blushed with embarrassment, and murmured, "Fingers, please."

The Nymph reached up with her hands, and gently brushed her fingers through Irillith's hair with one hand, while bringing the fingers of the other to the Maliri girl's lips. Irillith opened her mouth eagerly this time, and when Jade rested her fingers on her lower lip, she closed her mouth and began to suck insistently. A moment later Jade began to siphon cum down between those flushed lips, and Irillith's eyes rolled back for a moment in ecstasy, as the white liquid coated her tongue and filled her mouth.

She let out a low moan, and her eyes had a wild intensity to them as she stared up at John. He watched her swallow down the first mouthful, and her violet eyes glazed over as she began to suckle instinctively, feeding as though on autopilot. It didn't take her long to suck down every last drop that Jade could give her, and she sank back on the bed afterwards with a glorious, blissful smile on her beautiful face. Seconds later, she was fast asleep once more.

"I think she likes that vintage," Jade chuckled, her breasts having been restored to their normal pert perfection.

"Hmm," Alyssa noted dryly, "Perhaps a little too much."

Rachel studied Irillith for a few seconds, and mused, "I think she's out of danger now. I'll keep a close eye on her for the next four hours, then when she wakes up, we can return her to her quarters if she's fully healed."

John smiled at her gratefully, and said, "Thanks Rachel. Do you want us to keep you company too?"

She smiled back at him and said, "Sure, it's always great to have you guys around."

***

They whiled away the next couple of hours chatting, as they speculated on what kind of deal Dana might have brokered with the Trankarans. The redhead bounded into the Medical Bay a little later, with Calara following close behind, and it seemed like she couldn't wait to tell them her news.

Dana was about to launch into some loud and excited recounting of her exploits, so John put his finger to his lips, and said, "Let's go into Engineering. You can tell me how you got on in there."

Nodding eagerly, Dana led him out of Medical, then down the corridor until they reached her workshop. The moment they were inside, she leapt into his arms, wrapping herself around him like a limpet. He laughed in surprise as he supported her by her firm cheeks, and when she pulled back to look him in the eye, he could see the golden coronas around her pupils had flared wide with excitement.

"You look like you've been having fun," he observed, pleased to see her looking so happy.

Dana nodded eagerly, and said, "I've been a busy girl! I sold off all those Maliri electronics, and used some of the profits to buy two Trankaran engines for the Raptor. You forgot to ask for them, silly!"

He looked chagrined, then smiled at her and said, "Nice work! How about the ores we were after?"

She gave him a brilliant smile, revealing her pristine white teeth, as she said, "The Trankarans did have Onxyium! They called it something else," and deepening her voice as she pretended to be a Trankaran, she rumbled, "We call it Vu-karam."

John grinned and said, "I think I prefer the Ashanath name."

Dana giggled back at him and said, "Yeah, me too! Anyway, they REALLY wanted my new Inertia Negation tech, and I knew I had them over a barrel."

Chuckling, John said, "OK, tell me. What did you get for it?"

She gave him a cunning smile, and replied, "They didn't have a use for Onyxium so they happily gave me four tons of it."

"Wow!" John exclaimed, suitably impressed. "That stuff is priceless!"

Dana winked, and said, "Only to us, because we need it for the Alyssium alloy. I convinced the Trankarans to throw that in as a sweetener."

"Wait," John replied, looking bemused, "That wasn't the whole trade?"

"Nope," she replied nonchalantly, "The real trade was for thirty tons of Tyrenium."

"Well, fuck me," John blurted, absolutely stunned. "Do you have any idea how much that's worth?"

Absolutely delighted at his reaction, Dana replied playfully, "Yes, to both."

John swirled her around in the air as he laughed, and she joined in, giggling joyfully. He finally stopped, and looked her in the eye with a serious expression on his face, as he asked, "Where do you want it?"

Dana bit her lip, her eyes flashing with excitement as she said mischievously, "Over Rachel's console, and you know where!"

John held her in his arms as he mounted the steps of the Chief Engineer's podium, then proceeded to vigorously mount his Chief Engineer.

***

A rather dishevelled and weary looking John walked into the Medical Bay a while later, and Jade giggled as she passed him by. She blew him a kiss, then headed out of the door on her way to the Engineering Bay. He walked over to join the rest of his crew and Alyssa, Calara, and Rachel greeted him warmly.

"Well, it sounds like you're going to be even richer now," Alyssa said dryly, "Any idea what you're going to do with all that money?"

He chuckled and said, "If I can't think of anything, I know several bright young women who can probably think of fun ways to spend it."

They laughed and smiled at him affectionately, as he pulled over a chair and sat next to them.

"The Trankarans should be finished with the engine and thruster refit soon," Calara said, looking restless. "Now Dana's back, shall we get the damage to the Invictus repaired?"

John nodded, and said, "Good thinking! I'd forgotten all about that. Yeah, we should get the plating replaced while we're stuck here. The maintenance bots should be able to help."

Alyssa stood, and said, "We don't need Dana for that. Calara and I can take care of it." She turned to the Latina and said, "Come on gorgeous, you can get the bots to bring me the damaged plates, and I'll reshape and replace them."

Calara nodded, and gave her a broad smile. Rising as well, she walked over to John and leaned in, pressing her lips against his ear. She whispered to him softly, "It's wonderful to have you back again. I missed you, Commodore."

She pulled back to give him a tender kiss, then waved him goodbye as she slipped her other hand into Alyssa's, and the two walked out of the Medical Bay.

Alyssa turned and glanced at Rachel before she left, and thought to her, *Don't leave him alone with Irillith. We can't risk her setting him off again.*

Rachel's voice was determined as it came through to Alyssa's mind, *You can count on me. I won't leave his side.*

With that, they left, and it was just Rachel and John left in the Medical Bay. He smiled at her, then opened his arms, and she gladly got up off her chair and sat in his lap. "How's the ravishingly beautiful Doctor Voss?" he asked her with a happy grin.

She studied his face, and brushed her fingers through his thick hair, then locked eyes with him as she said, "I won't lie to you. It's been rough these last few days, and this is the first time in weeks you seem like your usual self."

John looked chagrined, his jovial mood disappearing in an instant, and he said quietly, "I wish I could tell you I'm not going to lose control again, but I can't make that promise. I don't know what's causing this."

Rachel sighed and said, "We think it might have something to do with the Maliri. They've been designed as a slave race for a Progenitor to dominate, and you're a Progenitor. It might be some kind of instinctive behaviour, which has somehow manifested itself into a distinct personality,"

He looked appalled as he asked, "So I really do have some kind of split personality?"

She watched his face as her hand moved to the side of his head, and lightly brushed his pointed eartips. When he looked at her quizzically, she smiled and replied, "You aren't Terran remember. What we know of the Terran mind probably doesn't apply to Progenitors. I'd love to be able to give you some kind of comprehensive psychotherapy, which would help you somehow reconcile your personality with this instinctive Progenitor part of your mind. We can try it if you want, but I suspect we'll be wasting our time."

"What do you suggest we do instead then?" he asked her plaintively. "I hate how much this is hurting you girls."

She leaned down and gave him a tender and heartfelt kiss, then said earnestly, "Don't worry about us," and with a sardonic smile, she joked, "A full tummy fixes everything, remember?"

He laughed, and felt a little relieved after her efforts to lighten his mood. He wrapped her in his arms, and said, "Thanks, I needed that." He just held her for a while, before saying, "What do you suggest we do to try and fix this, though?"

Rachel sat back, and said, "We girls talked it over, and our plan was to try and convince you to drop Irillith off at Geniya Space Station. Then we would be free to just fly far away from Maliri space. Staying well clear of them might keep your instinctive personality from re-emerging."

John pondered this for a moment, then said, "Sounds like a sensible plan to me." He twisted in his seat to look over at the Maliri lying on the bed, and said, "She'll be waking up soon. Do you want to give her a quick scan to check if she's fully healed?"

The brunette nodded, and slipped lithely from his lap, landing on the toes of her heeled boots, and sashaying away with the poise and grace of a catwalk model. John got up and followed her, and they walked over to stand by Irillith's bedside. As Rachel readied the medi-scanner for a final full body scan, he turned and looked at the Maliri woman.

His eyes went wide as he stared at her beautiful mane of shoulder length white-blonde hair, and he quickly turned to Rachel, saying, "Look how much her hair has grown!"

Rachel looked up and said with excitement, "She's fully healed too! Look at the scan; her torso wound has completely regenerated."

John looked up at the rotating holo-image as Rachel enlarged it for him clearly see the healed area. Irillith's body looked identical on both sides, the darkened site of damage on her right flank now looking health and normal again. Her stomach was still rounded where she hadn't fully absorbed all the cum she'd swallowed, and on her slender waistline, it made her look several months pregnant.

He pointed to her swollen belly, and asked Rachel, "Why hasn't she finished all that yet? If I were to give you a full tummy right now, you'd be back to normal in just a few hours."

Rachel flushed, her eyes sparkling at the thought, and she licked her lips. With a slight shake of her head she managed to get herself under control again and said, "This is hard for me to prove without a fresh and willing test subject, but I suspect when you first start feeding a girl, she needs to adapt to taking your loads. My body is specially adapted to thrive off your cum now, so I can digest several pints in just a few hours."

John grinned, seeing the effect this conversation was having on her. He reached over and slipped his hand under her shirt, then started tenderly caressing Rachel's svelte lower belly, brushing his fingers over the spot where her tattoo had been. She leaned into his hand, while letting out a soft moan, her grey eyes growing stormy as gave him a smouldering look. With an act of iron willpower, she pulled back, smiling as she whispered, "You bad boy. I'm having a hard enough time concentrating as it is."

Slight movement from the bed drew their attention to Irillith, and he quickly withdrew his hand, then joined Rachel in staring at her patient. Irillith had her eyes closed, and she stretched like a cat, while letting out a deep, contented sigh.

"Hello," John said in amusement, "You seem a lot better."

With a start, Irillith's eyes flashed open, and she looked up at John and Rachel in surprise. They could see her face reacting to a rollercoaster of emotions as she recalled recent events, and finally she flushed with embarrassment.

Taking pity on the blushing Maliri girl, Rachel asked kindly, "How's the wound in your side? Are you still in any pain?"

Irillith shook her head, then sat up and twisted and stretched experimentally. Quite astonished, she replied, "I don't feel any pain at all. In fact, I feel amazing! Like my whole body is tingling with energy."

Rachel raised an eyebrow and said, "That's probably because your body is still feeding. You haven't finished the last load yet."

Suddenly realising what she was talking about, Irillith looked down at her swollen belly, and her angular violet eyes grew wide with shock at the disconcerting sight. She reached out with shaking hands, and tentatively touched her engorged abdomen, feeling the stretched skin under her fingertips. With sudden clarity she recalled exactly what it was that was rounding out her stomach, and her cheeks flushed a dark blue, as she looked away from them, positively mortified.

John walked around to the other side of the bed, and squatted down so that he could look the Maliri girl in the eye. "We found something in the scan, and I think you should know," he said ominously.

"What do you mean?" she murmured to him, looking at his face with her purple eyes.

"Rachel did a full body scan, and found what looked like a tumour in your brain," John began, and when Irillith's eyes went even wider with fear, he reached out and gently patted her hand. In a reassuring voice, he added, "Don't worry, it's gone. I healed that too."

She closed her eyes, and let out a shuddering sigh. When she opened them again, she looked down at him, and stared into his eyes as she said in a quiet voice, "Thank you for healing me, and saving my life."

"You're welcome," John said magnanimously, releasing her hand, and standing up. He glanced over at Rachel, and said, "If the good doctor thinks you're well enough, you can probably return to your quarters now. We're going to head straight back to Maliri space to drop you home."

*Five days to Geniya Space Station,* Alyssa informed him in an instant.

His lips quirked into a smile, then looked down at Irillith, and said, "We'll reach Geniya in five days' time."

As Irillith nodded her understanding, Rachel said to him, "I'll take Irillith back to her quarters, if you want to help Alyssa with the repairs?"

John gave her a grateful smile, then bid them both goodbye and strode out of the Medical Bay. Rachel then looked down at Irillith and asked, "Are you ready to head back to your room?"

The blue-skinned alien girl let out a sigh, then nodded, and carefully swung her legs over the side of the bed. With the heavy weight around her tummy, she was a bit ungainly as she stood up, and Rachel hurried around to lend her a supportive hand. "It takes a little getting used to," she said sympathetically.

Irillith smiled at her as she cradled her rounded tummy with her hands, and said, "It's alright, I don't mind."

Rachel helped her get her balance, then led her back to her quarters, where Irillith handed her the collar to place around her neck again. Irillith waited for her to leave, then closed the door to her room, and sank onto the bed with relief. With a furtive glance at the door, she stripped out of her skintight bodysuit, then stared down in wonder at her swollen belly. She began to stroke it with her left hand, while her right hand dipped lower as she spread her thighs.

***

The damage to the glossy white armour plating on the starboard side of the Invictus was considerable, and Alyssa eyed the six panels dubiously as she considered the best way to tackle the repairs. The maintenance bots had brought in the damaged sections, then placed them carefully on the Cargo Bay floor, before being sent off to retrieve the blown capacitors.

"I think these panels are a write off," she finally said, as she examined the incinerated plating that had been scorched by Trankaran Fusion beams.

"That's alright," John replied with a shrug. "With all the Onyxium that Dana just acquired, recycling old damaged plating won't need to be quite as painstaking as before."

Alyssa nodded, then gestured absent-mindedly towards one of the containers containing a block of Invictium alloy, and it levitated over to her obediently. She melted it into a sphere with a thought, then watched it with interest as streaks of white appeared, the lines thickening until the whole roiling globe was a glossy white orb.

"Remind you of anything?" John asked her pointedly, glancing at the ceiling above them.

Alyssa frowned as she looked up as well, and thought about Irillith's hair changing colour, just like the psychically responsive metal had done only moments before. Pondering what this might mean, she absent-mindedly reshaped the sphere of Alyssium three times, matching the armour on the rest of the hull. Distracted as she was by thoughts of the wounded Maliri, she reshaped the section of armour plating a fourth time, while staring silently at the ceiling.

"I thought quad shaping was hard?" John asked her in surprise, gesturing towards the shimmering white armour plating section she had just quad-shaped.

Alyssa looked equally as surprised as she replied, "I must be getting more powerful. That wasn't too hard at all."

With an impish wink, she focused intently on the glossy white armour plate, then melted it into a ball. She concentrated hard, and forced the now sluggish liquid Alyssium to reform a fifth time. She grinned at John triumphantly as she let the finished ship's plating settle on the ground.

"I am getting stronger!" she exclaimed, looking at the flawless white piece of armour with satisfaction.

He returned her grin and said, "Very impressive. I remember you really struggling to reform it a third time, and triple-shaping seems effortless for you now."

They finished the repairs to the Invictus in good time, with Dana joining them to help replace the blown capacitors. Jade had already gone to bed to sleep off her late dinner, and when John glanced at the clock and saw it was four in the morning, he let out a long yawn. It proved to be infectious, and the girls started yawning too.

"Come on, it's well past our bedtime," John said, smiling at the sleepy young women.

Their eyes flickered with interest despite how tired they all were, and John raised his hands in a placating gesture, saying, "Tomorrow girls. You're all exhausted, and we can have an energetic romp after a good lie-in."

Laughing and joking amongst themselves, they returned to the Commander's Quarters, and found Jade slumbering peacefully, her belly lighting up the bedroom with soothing viridian pulses of light. After quickly going through their nighttime routine they collapse on the bed, then snuggled up together under the covers.

"Goodnight girls, sleep tight," he said to them in a quiet voice, so as not to disturb the snoozing Nymph at his side.

"Goodnight John, we love you," they chorused, having synced up perfectly via telepathy.

With a chuckle, he said, "I love you too."

They all dropped off to sleep a few minutes later with happy smiles on their faces, leaving only one person awake aboard the Invictus.

***

Irillith relished a stunning climax, her body positively throbbing as her limbs tingled with sensation. She felt more alive than ever before, and once the waves of pleasure had stopped surging through her body, she sagged back on the bed, trailing lazy fingers over her swollen tummy.

She had been asleep for nearly eighteen hours, having spent most of the day in bed. Although most of that time her body had been desperately clinging for life, hungrily absorbing the healing liquid in her stomach, her mind was well rested and refused to switch off. She languished in bed for a couple of hours, until eventually gave up hope of dropping off to sleep again. Her stomach had returned to normal size now, and with nothing to occupy her mind or fingers, she decided to get up and have a shower.

After stepping into the bathroom, she glanced habitually in the mirror as she walked past, then did a double take, and stared at her reflection in horror. Her wonderful dark hair had been leeched of all colour, and she stared with wide eyes at the ridiculously long waves of glossy white hair that tumbled down well past her shoulders. As she gaped at the lustrous locks, it only took a moment for her stunned mind to remember exactly what long hair signified, and she flushed with shame at the thought.

Searching frantically through the drawers, she eventually found what she was looking for, and grasping a pair of scissors in triumph, she set to work. After ten minutes spent snipping away with her dexterous, nimble hands, she had given her hair a brutal cut, trimming it right back to a demure short hairstyle, which was much more respectable. With a sigh of relief, she put the scissors down and examined her hair in the mirror, smiling at her handiwork approvingly. She stopped and really took in her reflection for a moment, and with surprise, she realised she actually preferred the pristine white of her new hair colouring. It helped highlight her clear, violet eyes, drawing attention to their lovely colour, and she spent some time admiring herself.

Her eyes dropped down to the site of the horrific searing wound she had sustained against the Trankarans, and she turned both ways as she checked for any sign of scarring. With no pain, and not a single blemish to mar the lovely expanse of azure skin, she almost had to stop and remember which side of her torso had taken the hit. She let out a huge sigh of relief, her face lighting up with a smile, then went and had a long, soothing shower.

Irillith left the bathroom thirty minutes later, and strolled over to the bed to sit down. A quick look at the ship's chronometer told her it was coming up to eight in the morning, and she briefly pondered getting some breakfast. She change her mind moments later, when she realised she didn't feel even the slightest bit hungry, and then froze when she remembered why that was.

Looking down at her now slim stomach, her eyes went wide as she felt a violent surge of conflicting emotions, one right after the other. She started with revulsion, appalled at the thought of her stomach being bloated with John's spunk. That very quickly changed to lust as she began to fixate on the cum she'd sucked from Jade's fingers, and the look he'd given her when she swallowed the first delicious mouthful. Her turbulent mind then moved on to longing, as she desperately craved another sweet taste of his cum trickling over her tongue. With a wrenching lurch in her chest she moved on to despair, realising that she'd never again be able to savour that exquisite flavour again.

Finally she felt a big well of anger bubbling inside her, and she raged at her mother for exposing her to this situation, herself for going along with Edraele's insipid plans, and finally at John. After all, this was all his fault; how dare he be so handsome and wonderful. Wait, that wasn't right! She let out a barely controlled scream of frustration, knowing that she was being manipulated and controlled by him, and he didn't even have to lift a finger to lure her in; her own body was eagerly betraying her.

Leaping from the bed, she stormed out of the bedroom, running into the galley, and grabbing the biggest, sharpest knife she could lay her hands on. Unsure whether she was going to use the knife on herself or on him, she finally settled on plunging it into John's chest, and turned to run down the corridor to the alluring blue glow of the grav-tube. In a moment of lucidity, she remembered that she'd been collared by one of his accursed whores, the friendly and endearing redhead, Dana. She stopped, and let out a wild scream of rage as she abruptly realised yet another way her mind was being twisted against her.

Rushing into the kitchen she picked up one of the automated appliances, some kind of blender perhaps, and smashed it on the floor with all of her strength. The device shattered into hundreds of pieces, and she grabbed two of the wires from the energy-cell that had powered the blender. Carefully stripping the outer cabling back with her knife, she wrapped the exposed cables around the collar encircling her throat. Her eyes flashing with barely controlled fury, she grabbed the broken remains of the device, and flipped the switch on the back.

Lancing pain flashed through her neck, and her head snapped backwards, twisting and writhing in agony as the electricity coursed through her system. With a bang, the collar cracked and broke apart, and she collapsed on the floor in a heap. It took a couple of minutes for Irillith to regain consciousness, but when she did, and saw the shattered remains of the collar lying by her head, she grinned in triumph. Rolling over laboriously, she reached out and picked up the foot-long knife in her spasming hand, and began to limp down the corridor towards the grav-tube. Escape from this nightmare was only moments away, and her lips curled up in a victorious smile.

***

John woke up still feeling a little tired, but smiled a moment later as he felt the tender ministrations of one of his girls. He grinned as she bobbed up and down on the head of his cock, alternating between kissing and licking his throbbing shaft, while holding him in a firm warm grasp. He sighed with contentment, then stretched his arms out above him, and tucked his hands behind his head. He couldn't be bothered to try and determine who this fellatrix was, and he just relished the idea of having a mystery girl go down on him. It was always fun to peel back the covers, and see one of his girls grinning up at him in satisfaction, cradling a belly full of his cum.

He had to admit, whoever this girl was, she was doing a spectacular job of hiding her usual technique. He'd got to know the subtle tells from each of the girls, and despite not trying to guess who it was blowing him, he'd usually have figured it out by now anyway. He grinned, really enjoying being able to pretend that it was a fresh girl kneeling in front of him, taking his throbbing head between his lips for the first time. The only girls he knew he could cross off the list of possible candidates were Jade, and Alyssa. The Nymph would have been licking his shaft with a dozen tongues by now, and the psychic blonde wouldn't have been able to help giving him a telepathic commentary as she sucked him senseless. He discounted Dana, as the exuberant teen was just too energetic to be able to control herself enough for this.

That narrowed his choices down to Calara and Rachel, and the Latina just couldn't help but put her sensual flair into her blowjobs, so he checked her off too. With a contented smile, he congratulated himself on narrowing it down to Rachel, and his cock twitched at the thought of the grey-eyed beauty swallowing down his morning load. Actually, this little surprise fit her style perfectly; controlled, imaginative, loving. He kicked himself for not figuring it out earlier.

Rachel bobbed up and down in his lap, but strangely she didn't try and deepthroat him, and instead keep lashing his head with her tongue. She moved her hand up and down in a steady, teasing rhythm, and she began to suck him intently with a fierce hunger. He stifled a groan, marvelling at the exciting way she was working him, milking his cock as though she couldn't wait to fill her stomach with his sperm. If he hadn't figured out it was her, he would have sworn it was a completely new girl blowing him, and he was determined to reward her for such dedication to her performance.

With a low grunt he finally exploded, unable to hold back any longer, and he arched his back as his quad sent long blasts of cum up his shaft. Rachel kept milking him, sucking hard as she swallowed one huge mouthful after another. He was seeing stars by the time he'd stopped cumming, and he gasped for breath, his chest heaving.

With a chuckle of awed appreciation, he gasped, "My God Rachel! That was a hell of a wake-up call."

He was stunned a moment later, when the tawny haired brunette appeared on his right, and said sleepily, "Hey John, morning. What were you saying?"

He frowned, amazed he could have got his guess so wrong, and he glanced down to see Alyssa's blonde hair on his right, and Jade's dark green hair on his left. They felt him stir, and both looked up at him and smiled.

"Morning Master," Jade said drowsily.

Alyssa beamed a sparkling smile at him, and when she glanced at the ship's chronometer, she said with surprise, "You're up early! Morning, handsome."

Figuring his other guess must be right, he shrugged inwardly, thinking it must be Calara under the covers, but the gorgeous Latina appeared above Jade's shoulder, and gave him a lovely smile as she brushed her dark brown locks from her eyes. Now he really was shocked, never for a moment thinking Dana could have controlled herself enough for such a virtuoso act of misdirection. He was about to whip away the covers with a grin, when the redhead sat up on his right and stretched, before winking at him when she caught him watching her in mute bewilderment.

"What's all the hullabaloo?" she asked with a smile, then checked the time and frowned as she exclaimed, "Hey! I thought we were having a lie-in?"

With a sudden feeling of dread, John flung back the covers, and revealed Irillith in all her blue-skinned, white-maned glory. She sighed with delight as she cradled her hugely swollen belly with both hands, running her slender fingers lovingly over her stomach full of his spunk.

"What the fuck!" Dana swore, her eyes riveted on the Maliri girl.

Everyone else was thinking the exact same thing, as they stared, mouths agape, at this cum-stealing interloper in their midst.

Alyssa felt a strange surge in her mind, and closed her eyes a moment to concentrate on the feeling. A metaphysical image sprang into her mind in a flash, sharp and blinding in its intensity. She recoiled for a moment, then stared at it intently as the radiance subsided. A perfect blue rose had appeared, framed in delicate crystal. She admired its striking beauty for a moment, then noticed sharp thorns along its stem, marring its otherwise lovely appearance. The petals of the rose opened, and Alyssa was sure she could make out an abstract representation of Irillith's smiling face in the petals. Feelings of blissful contentment radiated from the image, with background swirls of emotion ranging from anger to self-loathing.

Opening her eyes, Alyssa let out a deep sigh, and thought to the Maliri girl, *Hello Irillith. Welcome to the family.*

Irillith's eyes snapped open, and she locked gazes with Alyssa, a look of shock mixed with horror flashing across her face. With a cry of despair, she lurched drunkenly from the end of the bed, and staggered out into the corridor. Alyssa immediately moved to follow her, but Jade moved faster, and she bounded off the bed, darting into the corridor as she said, *Let me handle this.*

Alyssa sat up, and looked down at John who was staring after Jade and Irillith in stupefied disbelief. She said in a resigned voice, "I get that she's a hot piece of ass, but if you really wanted a Maliri girl, couldn't we have got someone a little less high spirited?"

John stared up at her, and stumbled over his words as he desperately tried to defend himself, "I had no idea... I would never, you must believe me..."

She chuckled, and leaned down and gave him an affectionate kiss. When she sat upright again, she said with a shrug, "Relax, I'm not mad. I can see how it probably happened. I thought she was reacting a bit too strongly to your cum, and after all the behaviour modification from being near you for so long, then this..." she waved with her hand, "was the end result."

Rachel winced and said, "Eternity... with Irillith."

"Wait a minute now!" Dana said indignantly, "We can still just drop her off at Geniya Station!"

With a gentle shake of her head, Alyssa said, "You remember what it was like, even after just swallowing down three loads. Would you have voluntarily left John's side at that point?"

Dana was about to object, but she faltered, and slowly shook her head.

Calara had been looking thoughtful, and she smiled as she said optimistically, "I think she'll be a great addition to the crew! She made an enormous difference in the fight against the Armoured Cobras fleet, and I'll be glad to have her on the Bridge with me. She might have a bit of a difficult personality, but maybe that will change if we help her settle in?"

Alyssa smiled at the Latina affectionately, Calara's kind and generous nature being one of the reasons she'd fallen for the girl in the first place.

Dana heaved a big sigh, and then looking at John, she said, "You like your girls cheerful, friendly, compliant, and obedient, right? Well, If you want Irillith to be like that, you're going to need to keep her stuffed so full of cum, it's coming out of her ears!"

***

Jade caught up with the fleeing Maliri woman half-way down the corridor, and sprinted in front of her, then raised both her hands in a soothing gesture.

"Get out of my way!" Irillith sobbed, as she tried to barge past.

The Nymph was determined however, and said to her firmly, "No. We need to talk, right now."

Irillith stared at Jade's face, and seeing the steely look in her emerald eyes, her shoulders slumped and she nodded dejectedly. Jade smiled at her, and gestured over to one of the doors leading off the corridor. "Those are my quarters, let's chat in there," she said firmly.

She walked over to the door, then hit the button opening it, and stepped aside to let Irillith wander through with heavy footsteps. When the blue-skinned girl was safely inside, Jade followed her in, then closed the door behind her. She gestured towards the bed, and Irillith sat down on it gingerly, while keeping a wary eye on the Nymph.

Her angular violet eyes narrowed, and she asked in a testy voice, "What did you want to talk about?"

"You," Jade said simply, leaning against the desk opposite. When Irillith frowned, the green alien girl elaborated, "More specifically, what do you want out of life?"

Irillith's lip curled in contempt, and she snorted, "if this some bizarre form of counselling, please spare me. I'm not interested."

Jade chuckled at her condescending tone and replied, "No, I'm serious. Just think about it for a second. What do you want out of life?"

With a sneer, Irillith said immediately, "Power! And to be feared by my enemies."

The Nymph looked at the other woman with a smile, and said, "Really? Those sound like pretty empty goals to me."

"What would you know?" Irillith scoffed. "You've got no idea what I'm talking about!"

Jade smiled at her sadly, and said, "Don't worry, I've got plenty of experience. I'm ideally suited to tell you that your goals lead down a bleak and lonely path." She then gazed at Irillith and asked, "Besides, is that really what you want? Or is that what drives your mother? You need to live your life for yourself, not for Matriarch Edraele Valaden."

Irillith looked shaken for a moment by Jade's perceptive insight, but her lip curled again and she said in a challenging tone, "What about you then? What are your goals?"

Jade let out a happy sigh, and smiled at Irillith as she said, "To love and protect John and his mates. Then one day, I'm hoping to bear his children."

The Maliri woman rolled her eyes, and said, "I might have known it would be something so sickening, coming from one of his harem."

The Nymph shrugged off the insult and smiled as she asked, "Really? You've never wanted to start a family?

Irillith shook her head immediately, and was about to snap an angry denial, when she faltered. She suddenly imagined holding a beautiful blue baby in her arms, while John smiled at her proudly. Her heart surged for a moment, and she had a wistful smile on her face as she began to stroke her swollen tummy.

Jade sat next to her, and smiled at her knowingly, reaching out to tenderly stroke Irillith's rounded belly, "You long for the same thing too, don't you?"

Irillith felt a surge of anger, and she brought her hand back and slapped Jade across the face as she snapped, "How dare you touch me like that! I'm not one of his half-witted mares to be bred whenever he feels like it!"

Jade carefully withdrew her hand, then brushed at the cut where Irillith's fingernail had sliced her cheek. The dark-green skin reformed immediately afterwards, hiding any trace of the injury.

Irillith saw what she had done, and she gasped, suddenly appalled at her actions. "I'm so sorry!" she blurted, "I don't know what came over me!"

"It's alright," Jade said softly, staring into her eyes. "I've experienced far, far worse over the centuries."

Irillith stared into the Nymph's cat-like eyes, and she faltered under that serene gaze, seeing the hard-won wisdom of someone who had lived for many long millennia.

"You remember it all, don't you?" Irillith whispered, her voice hushed. "But I thought you said you couldn't remember your past! I heard you say it on the video archive footage."

Jade nodded, and said, "I was telling the truth. At the time. I've grown since then, nurtured under John's loving care."

Irillith shook her head in confusion and asked, "But why didn't you ever say anything? They'd all want to know, I'm sure of it."

The Nymph smiled, but it was a smile tinged in sadness as she replied, "They would, but why burden them with something like that? Would it help them, for me to recount tales of centuries of abuse? One of my previous 'Masters' was a powerful warlord, who used to enjoy flaying the skin off girls he acquired with a barbed lash. Their dying screams of agony used to excite him. He eventually bought me, and decided to have some fun, but I didn't bleed, healing from any wounds he inflicted. He got bored of me, but he still used to make me watch him torture his other slaves to death. At least until one of his men finally killed him, and I was acquired by a new 'Master'."

"Why are you telling me this story?" Irillith asked quietly. She felt unfamiliar pangs of sympathy welling up inside her for the good natured Nymph, and found it most unsettling.

Jade tilted her head to one side, and studied the Maliri for a long moment before she replied, "Because I want you to understand that the pursuit of power for its own sake can be a lonely, empty goal, which often leads to misery and death. In most cases for the person striving for it. That warlord was powerful, but his men feared and loathed him, which ultimately led to his death. I've been a slave for a long line of petty pirate lords and despots, and almost without exception, they've met a grim end with their mad lust for power. I think you have far greater potential, and you could unlock that by living your life here with us."

Irillith reached out to the Nymph, and gently stroked her arm as she said, "I'm really sorry I hit you. You've been nothing but kind to me, and it was unforgivable for me to treat you like that. Please forgive me?"

Jade smiled back at her, and reached up to stroke her blue face, trailing her cool fingers down her jawline in a gesture of affection. "You're one of John's mates now. That means I shall love and protect you too. Of course I forgive you."

Irillith let out a sigh, and leaned into Jade's comforting hand. She closed her eyes, then said in a small voice, "I just feel so adrift. Like I'm hopelessly lost. I'm confused about everything, and I know most of that is because of this 'behaviour modification', but being around John feels so good, I just don't care any more."

Opening her arms, Jade drew her in for a hug, and whispered to her soothingly, "Everything's going to be alright. With time, you'll see you've got a new family now, and we'll look after you and keep you safe."

Irillith stiffened at the mention of family, bristling at the thought of her mother.

"What's wrong?" Jade asked her, sensing the abrupt mood change in the Maliri girl.

Shaking her head with disbelief, Irillith said, "I can't believe my mother would betray me like this. This is exactly what she wanted to happen, sending me off on this mission with all of you. I can see it so clearly now."

Jade frowned and asked, "Why would she betray her own family like that?"

Irillith shrugged helplessly, and said, "My mother's plots and schemes are dizzying to behold. I can't begin to fathom what she would possibly hope to achieve by having me enthralled by the Mael'nerak."

Jade smiled at her as she rose from the bed, and held out her hand as she said, "Why don't we go and ask him?"

They walked back into the bedroom hand-in-hand a few moments later, and a quiet hush descended as John and the girls stopped talking, and looked on curiously at the new arrivals. Irillith had been lost in her thoughts, but suddenly became shockingly aware of her nudity, and she blushed as she attempted to cover up.

Jade leaned in and whispered, "You've watched hours of us in bed together. At this point, and considering what just happened this morning, modesty seems a bit ridiculous, doesn't it?"

Irillith smiled, then stood up straight self-consciously, and followed the Nymph's lead in climbing onto the bed. The girls fanned out into a semi-circle, and Irillith marvelled at witnessing their synchronicity first hand. John sat up, leaning against the headboard, and watched Irillith for a moment, admiring her otherworldly beauty. She sat up proudly, and let him admire her figure, while looking around at the other girls surrounding her. They were all beautiful in their own right, she grudgingly acknowledged, and settled down a little, seeing no reason to deliberately try and upset them.

Jade smiled at everyone, and said, "We had a little chat, and I think everything's going to be okay. Irillith raised an interesting question though, and she thinks her mother deliberately tried to set this up." She turned to the Maliri girl and said, "Do you want to explain?"

Irillith nodded, then said, "My mother told me to infiltrate your ship, and steal all your technology. Even when I explained later on, that it was needlessly risky, because..." She faltered and trailed off, unwilling to admit her part in the discussion with her mother.

"Go ahead," John said kindly. "The situation is different now, we understand that things have changed."

With a sigh, Irillith said, "I suggested we wait until we all returned to Valaden instead. Then Edraele could have you all killed, and we could strip the Invictus of tech."

Dana snarled, "You treacherous blue b-."

"Dana!" John said sharply, cutting her off. "Remember, Irillith's on our team now."

The redhead took a deep breath, before slowly letting it out, and saying politely, "I'm sorry, please continue."

Irillith smiled at her cautiously, then said, "When I suggested that plan, my mother refused, and insisted I continue to look for your tech. When I said it would be risky, she just smirked and said, 'don't get caught'. As soon as I saw that holo-projector she gave you, I knew she'd ordered me to try and steal your tech to provoke conflict between us, and maybe goad you into enslaving me by force."

The girls gaped at Irillith as she calmly laid out the extent of her mother's betrayal for them all to see.

John looked at her sympathetically, and said, "But why? Why betray your own blood like that? I can't even imagine the kind of person who would do that to their own daughter."

Rachel suddenly gasped out loud and said, "That's it!"

Dana frowned and asked, "What's what?"

The tawny haired girl rolled her eyes at the redhead, and explained, "Her own blood... Ceraden talked about Edraele being part of an 'Eldritch bloodline'. John just healed a tumour that I discovered in Irillith's brain, so perhaps the genetic anomaly that gives her family psychic powers also causes more damaging side effects?"

John looked appalled, and said, "So she sent Irillith off as a test subject, to see if being with me would heal her of her brain tumour?!"

Alyssa said quietly, "Do you remember when we objected to Edraele about bringing Irillith along with us? She said, and this is a direct quote, 'As a direct blood relative, she is the only one I can trust wholeheartedly'."

With a shake of her head, Irillith said firmly, "My mother doesn't trust anybody, me especially."

Rachel frowned and asked, "I thought the Maliri were supposed to know all about Progenitors? Yes, John's healing abilities are incredibly powerful, but it's not like there aren't strings attached. After everything I've heard about Edraele, I can't imagine her wanting to submit to anyone!"

"She has no idea about the side effects," Irillith confirmed in a subdued voice. "She did know about Progenitor healing abilities before we met you, though. In fact, thinking about it, that was all she really cared about when I told her what I'd discovered about you all. She wanted to hear all about Alyssa being healed after the Fulmanax fight, and about the times I saw you all being healed in the video footage I saw."

Dana looked puzzled, and asked, "So what's her plan exactly? Try and trade Maliri laser weapons for a stomach full of spunk to try and cure her brain tumour?" She snorted with laughter at how ludicrous it sounded.

Irillith was taken aback by the redhead's bluntness, but she answered politely, "She doesn't know exactly how the healing occurs. I only told her about the end results."

"So what do we do now?" Alyssa asked, looking at John. "If Irillith's going to be staying with us now, then going back to Maliri Space is pointless."

"Agreed," John replied. "We might as well head back to the Core Worlds, then we can take a breather. Maybe do the refit for the Invictus, and even take a holiday. Does that sound like a good idea everyone?"

The girls all looked delighted. Everyone except Irillith, who looked forlorn as she murmured, "I can't believe my own mother sent me off like some disposable lab rat. Using me to test Mael'nerak healing abilities, just to make sure they were safe for her..."

John's heart went out to the Maliri, as she sat there looking sad and alone; a lost little girl, betrayed by her own family. He held out his arms to her, and she came over to him, hugging him fiercely. She began to cry softly as he held her, mourning the loss of family that it now became abundantly clear she never really had.

*Would you ask the girls to give us a few minutes alone please,* John said to Alyssa.

She smiled at him, and with a sympathetic nod passed his instructions on to the other girls, then said, *We'll be around. Just let me know if you need anything."

They rose from the bed silently, and left John to console Irillith, lost as she was in her grief. He watched them leave, and gently stroked Irillith's back with one hand, while holding her comfortingly with the other. Eventually her shoulders stopped shaking, and she sat back, brushing the tears from her eyes.

"You're all being so kind to me," she sniffled, "and I've tried to kill you at least twice. I just don't understand it."

John smiled at her, and asked, "You don't want to kill me now, do you?"

She laughed wryly, and shook her head as she said, "I tried, but I can't." Turning, she pointed over to the chair next to the door, and he saw the gleam of the steel knife where she had abandoned it.

He shivered as he looked at the razor sharp blade, and said, "Well let's just say I'm extremely relieved it was your tongue I felt down there this morning, and not something altogether sharper!"

She blushed, then looked up at him with a wry grin and said, "I do have a pretty sharp tongue."

Laughing, John said, "Yes, you do at that."

She smiled at him, and then asked in a quiet voice, "Would you mind stroking my tummy? I really want to feel that for some reason."

He nodded obligingly, and they both lay down with him spooning behind her. She shivered with delight when she felt his arms surround her, and them moaned with pleasure, as he reached down and began to tenderly caress her cum-loaded belly. They lay like that for a while, both of them enjoying the closeness and intimacy.

Irillith took a deep breath, then asked him in a hushed voice, "I've listened to all your conversations on the ship, and I know about the personality changes that being with you entails. Am I still going to be me if I stay with you?"

John continued stroking her tummy as he thought about the best way to answer her question. She eventually grew impatient and turned to lie on her back, staring up at him, watching his face as she waited for him to respond.

"You saw the scars on some of the other girls when they joined me, didn't you?" he finally asked her in a gentle voice.

She nodded, recalling the whip marks on Calara's back, and the burn scars on Dana's face.

"Well you've got physical scars, like those neural whip lashes on your back, but you've got mental scars too," he told her. "The physical scars are probably already gone, but healing your mind of all the torments you've had to endure for decades is going to take a while. If I can heal those, you'll still be you, but the kind of person you would have been if you hadn't been tortured and abused growing up."

She stared into his eyes, and nodded soberly. He stared back at her beautiful angular violet eyes, and when she saw his quizzical look, she smiled and said, "That was me giving you permission."

He placed his strong heavy hand on her swollen belly, and smiled as he said, "I'll get started straight away."

Irillith let out a contented little sigh, and smiled up at him as he caressed her. She suddenly looked thoughtful and asked, "Will I end up getting enhanced the way the rest of the girls have been? Stronger, faster, smarter, that kind of thing?"

Chuckling John nodded and said, "I can't see why you wouldn't get the 'deluxe package' just like the others." Then it was his turn to look thoughtful, and he said, "Alyssa mentioned the Eldritch bloodline earlier. Do you have psychic abilities?"

Shaking her head, Irillith said, "No, at least not that I'm aware of. My mother never attempted to train me how to use them, so perhaps they skipped a generation?"

John shrugged, and said, "It was just a thought, don't worry about it."

She watched him look up from her eyes to her white hair, and a slight frown shadowed his face.

"What's the matter?" she asked him, sounding worried.

He chuckled and said, "It's nothing, don't worry about it."

She smiled and said, "Okay, but I still want to know anyway."

He hesitated for a moment until she frowned, and he laughed, saying, "OK, OK! I was just sad that you'd cut off your hair, it looked beautiful."

Irillith flushed and said, "Long hair on female Maliri means they're a wanton slut. A woman wearing her hair long is absolutely unheard of."

John chuckled and said, "You can style your hair how you like. Don't worry, I'm not going to force you to have a scandalous hairstyle!"

She smiled at him gratefully, and snuggled into him. After a few minutes resting there quietly, she asked, "I know I'm not really in a position to ask you for anything, but I'd like to confirm something, if that's alright?"

Looking at her curiously, John replied, "Go ahead and ask me. What do you want?"

After taking a deep breath to steady her nerves, she said, "I'd like to speak to my mother. I want to confirm that my suspicions about her motives are correct."

He looked thoughtful for a moment, then nodded, saying, "That sounds perfectly reasonable to me. I'd want to know the truth if I was in your position."

She smiled gratefully, and they got up from bed. Taking her hand, he led her into the bathroom, and over to the shower. She glanced around curiously, and said, "I've never actually seen in here before." Then blushed as she added, "There aren't any cameras set up in here, or your walk-in wardrobe."

John laughed as he walked into the shower cubicle, and turned on the warm water. She followed him in and sighed as the warm water splashed over her. "We seem to spend quite a bit of time in here," he admitted with a grin.

When he took a squirt of gel, and began to massage the smooth skin on her light blue shoulders, she groaned with pleasure, and said, "I can see why!"

He ran his fingers down over the toned muscles in her back, enjoying the feel of her body under his fingertips, and hearing her moan her appreciation. The latticework of neural whip scars had completely healed, leaving acres of unblemished azure skin to explore. He reached her lower back, and massaged her dimples of Venus which elicited more groans, until he finally reached her bottom. When he began to knead her gloriously firm cheeks, she gasped and froze.

"What's the matter?" he asked her, lifting his hands away, startled at her reaction.

She turned slightly, gazing up at him and said in a faltering voice, "I know you like to take your women... back there." She went quiet for a moment before adding, "That's completely taboo amongst the Maliri, the very idea is disgusting."

John laughed and said reassuringly, "Relax. I'm not going to force you to take it in the ass. Besides, all the other girls love it, and Dana and Calara can't get enough. I'm spoilt for choice!"

He could see the tension melt out of her immediately, and she looked relieved as she gave him a grateful smile.

***

Edraele Valaden read through the report from her favourite assassin, and her lips spread into a heartless smile of satisfaction. Luna had managed to infiltrate House Ghilwen, then masquerading as a guard, had ambushed Aradrea Ghilwen's eldest daughter, murdering her in her own bed. In a surprising twist, Luna had been discovered while covering her tracks by the third Ghilwen daughter. In a spectacular display of creative ingenuity, Luna killed her as well, then staged the two slain Ghilwen women, making it appear as though they had fought to the death over some bitter rivalry.

Sending out a message to her shadow operatives, Edraele recalled them to Valaden so that she could brief them on their next target. Opening up the comm interface, her elegant blue fingers danced over the controls on her console as she made a call. After a few moments, the holographic image of Aradrea Ghilwen's wizened face appeared above Edraele's desk.

The venerable Maliri matriarch looked haggard, and her bloodshot eyes narrowed as she stared at Edraele, adding even more wrinkles to her tired face. "What do you want, Edraele?" she snapped in a temper.

Edraele smiled at her, and said in mock sympathy, "I just heard about your recent bereavement. To lose two daughters like that. How tragic."

Aradrea Ghilwen's eyes widened in shock, and she blurted out, "It was you! You vicious bitch! When I'm throu-."

Edraele laughed contemptuously, cutting her off as she snarled, "You'll do what? You pathetic old crone! You must have realised there would be consequences for your attempted attack on my daughter. Or has dementia started to take its toll already?"

Aradrea Ghilwen's face was incandescent with rage, and she swore in fury while Edraele grinned at her in delight. She eventually tired of Matriarch Ghilwen's apoplectic anger, and blew her a kiss as she cut her off abruptly. She turned back to the reports from her planetary governors, and continued reading through their status updates on the sixteen planets under her control. The earlier mention of her daughter made Edraele frown in irritation, as Irillith hadn't made contact for nearly two weeks, and she was growing impatient.

A pulsing light on the comm interface drew her out of her reverie, and when she saw that the call was from John Blake, originating in Trankaran territory, she sat bolt upright, her face eager. Edraele accepted the call, and the holographic viewscreen flickered briefly before coalescing into the face of the Mael'nerak.

She put on a sincere smile, and said, "Commodore Blake! How wonderful to see you. You are well, I hope?"

He inclined his head, and replied, "I'm fine, thanks Edraele."

"Marvellous," she said jovially. "All is going well on your mission with the Trankarans I trust?"

John nodded, then said, "We've retrieved the Trankaran engine schematics, but we ran into some trouble, and unfortunately Irillith was hurt in a battle."

Edraele's eyes narrowed and she asked, "Is she alright?"

After a moment's pause, John replied, "Yes, she's in fine health now. Would you like to speak to her?"

Leaning forward eagerly, Edraele said, "Yes! Put her on the line."

John nodded to his side, and the image on the screen flickered, changing focus to another part of the Bridge. Edraele couldn't help but gasp in shock when the screen refocused on her daughter, and she saw Irillith's snowy white hair. She looked just like the Maliri in the millennia-old images that Tashana had recovered!

"Hello Mother," Irillith said quietly.

Edraele smiled at her warmly, but there was a fierce hunger in her purple eyes as she inquired, "John said you were injured. What happened?"

Irillith studied her mother intently as she explained, "I was severely injured in a fight with the Trankarans, but the Mael'nerak has healed me. I'm fully recovered now."

"I'm so relieved to hear it," Edraele said in earnest. She paused for a moment, then looking concerned, she added, "If you could arrange for a full body scan, I will ask the best physicians at my disposal to review your results. That way, we can make sure you're completely healed."

Irillith looked cagey as she said, "I was hit in the lower right side of my torso. Shall I send you a localised scan for them to review?"

"No, send me a full scan," Edraele snapped insistently. Her expression immediately mellowed as she added, "That way I can make sure that there were no other complications from the Mael'nerak's healing process. I want to make sure you're not at any risk."

Irillith looked despondent, but she nodded obediently, saying softly, "I've had a scan taken already. I'll have the data sent to you now, Mother."

Edraele beamed a bright smile at her daughter and said, "Hurry home, Irillith! I can't wait for you to return."

Irillith nodded, her face saddened, and she ended the call. Edraele was so excited at this wonderful development that she didn't even notice the heartbroken expression on her daughter's face. She drummed her fingers on the desk impatiently, and a few minutes later the comm interface chimed as the file arrived. Holding her breath, she opened up the full body scan image, and ignoring everything else, she zoomed in on the detailed representation of her daughter's brain. Studying the image with frantic haste, she searched for any sign of the tumour that she knew would be there. But it was gone, completely healed by the powers of the Mael'nerak.

"Yes!!" Edraele crowed in triumph.

She laughed with delight, shaking her head at her incredible good fortune. Tashana had come to her decades before, with tall tales of the Mael'nerak's abilities, and Edraele had dismissed her fanciful ravings until she mentioned phenomenal healing powers. Her curiosity piqued, she had listened attentively as Tashana had explained her findings, and Edraele had eventually been persuaded that the Mael'nerak fairytale actually had a basis in fact. When Tashana had been banished, Edraele had given up on the idea of Mael'nerak healing, considering it an extremely improbable pipedream, focusing instead on more practical solutions to cure the ticking time bomb in her head.

Like her mother before her, and presumably the rest of the females in her family line, Edraele had been blighted by agonising migraines. They had started around her fiftieth birthday as a mild headache, and progressively got worse and more frequent as she had got older. Despite sinking millions of credits into researching a way to heal herself, her physicians had proved utterly useless, warning her that the tumour was too large to remove. She had begun to despair of finding a way to save herself, and then Irillith had randomly discovered someone she claimed was the Mael'nerak.

Initially scoffing at the possibility that the long dead species had made a reappearance, the mounting evidence that Irillith had assembled, eventually convinced her otherwise. Edraele had put her plans into effect, and now everything was working out perfectly. She just had to position Luna and the rest of her most capable women in her palace, and wait for John to return.

***

Back on the Invictus, the crew on the Bridge turned to look at Irillith with sympathy. The conversation with Edraele seemed to prove her daughter's suspicions without a doubt, and the Maliri girl looked downcast as she confirmed the extent of her mother's betrayal. She rose from her chair, and walked over to the grav-tube without a word, then stepped into the red glow and descended from sight.

"I'll go after her," Jade volunteered, springing to her feet, and gliding up the ramp towards the grav-tube.

Alyssa watched her leave, then turned back to look at John, and shook her head sadly. "That poor girl," she said with heartfelt sympathy. "I can't even imagine what she's going through. Maybe being an orphan wasn't that bad after all."

John nodded solemnly and said, "Edraele must be incredibly desperate to plan something like this, but using her own daughter as a test subject is monstrous. The Maliri have legends about how evil the Mael'nerak was. To just throw Irillith to the wolves like that..."

"Yeah, I know," Alyssa said in a grim tone. Her face suddenly brightened as she said, "Lucky for Irillith, you're one of the good guys!"

He smiled at her fondly, then glanced up at the Sector Map, hovering above the bridge. "Have you plotted the rest of the flight path yet?" he asked, as he watched the Invictus racing through Trankaran Space.

She shook her head, and replied, "I've only plotted a route to take us back to Terran Space. You just need to let me know where to go from there."

John turned to look at her with a warm smile. He started to speak, but his face abruptly contorted in a bizarre expression, and as he clutched at his head, his mind shield came crashing down. Alyssa stared at him in wide-eyed panic, and when he pulled his hands away from his face, he stared at her coldly.

Rising from his chair, his voice rang with authority as he ordered, "Plot the quickest, most direct course for Maliri Space. It's time to complete this deal."

He walked down the steps of the Command Podium, and strode into the Ready Room without so much as a glance at the girls. Staring after him in shock, they watched him leave in stunned silence.

"What the fuck just happened?!" Dana asked in alarm.

Alyssa shook her head in panic, as she replied, "I've got no idea. He just lost control right out of the blue!" Her hands moved over her console, and she began to plot the course from their present location back to Valaden.

Calara looked up at the Sector Map in alarm as she spotted their projected flightpath, and said, "Wait! I thought we were going to avoid going anywhere near Maliri territory!"

Shaking her head in despair, Alyssa gasped, "I can't help it! He ordered me to take us there, and I can't stop myself from obeying him!"

***

Irillith lay on her bed in her quarters on Deck Four, staring up at the ceiling. Jade had followed after her when she left the Bridge, and had offered kind words and a comforting hug when she needed it the most. Sensing that Irillith needed some time alone to process her feelings, Jade had given her a tender kiss on the cheek, and left her in peace.

She had been lying there for a few hours after Jade departed, mulling over recent events. Irillith now realised in her heart, that she hadn't needed to make the call to Edraele to confirm what she already knew was the truth. It had still hurt to have it settled without a doubt, and she felt a rising swell of anger at her mother for her callous betrayal. Her anger eventually ebbed away, as her mind turned to John and his acceptance of her into his crew. She was astounded that they had all been so welcoming, but after her conversation with John earlier, she had started to understand why.

*Hello, Irillith,* Alyssa's voice said as it echoed through her mind. The psychic blonde girl sounded friendly, but the tone sounded off somehow. *John asked for you to join him in his Ready Room."

Irillith wanted to reply back, but suddenly remembered that she wouldn't be able to until she bonded with Alyssa. She frowned slightly at the thought, but if she was going to make a life for herself here, she knew she'd have to make some awkward adjustments. Rising smoothly from her bed, she walked into the bathroom to check how she looked in the long figure-hugging grey dress she was wearing.

She blinked in shock when she saw her reflection, her white hair having grown back down to shoulder height in just a few hours. Her hands urgently reached for the scissors she had left on the bathroom unit, and quickly brought them up to cut her shamefully long locks. Her hand wavered before she took the first cut, and she remembered the slightly disappointed frown on John's face when he'd seen that she had cut off her long hair earlier.

Taking a deep breath, she put down the scissors then really studied her reflection for a moment. Every other woman on this ship had thick manes of long hair, and despite what it signified, Irillith knew it looked beautiful on them. She stood up tall, and smiled at herself brazenly, and strolled out of the bathroom, embracing her new look.

***

"Enter," Progenitor-John said, as he heard a polite knock at the door.

The Maliri slave girl entered obediently, and he smiled with satisfaction when he saw that she was now under his thrall. She gave him a wide smile as she walked over to join him at his desk.

Irillith smoothed her hands over her slim stomach, and smiled at him coyly as she said, "It looks like it might be time to 'top me up', I believe you say?"

He smiled at her, and turned his chair, making room so that she could kneel in front of him. She sank down to her knees submissively, unbuckled his belt and pulled down his trousers so that she could service his growing cock. He watched her slowly envelop the head between her soft lips, and she closed her angular violet eyes as she concentrated on her task. With a triumphant grin on his face, he reached out with his mind to hers, getting ready to plunder her secrets and assert his absolute control over her.

With shock, he found himself bouncing harmlessly off her mind. Narrowing his eyes in anger, he tried again, but this attempt was just as fruitless as the first. Really scrutinising her for a moment, he saw an intricate mental latticework draped over her mind, protecting her from hostile intrusion. That fucking bastard! This was John's doing, he was sure of it! How the hell had that bumbling incompetent managed something so complex as this?!

Progenitor-John gripped the armrests of his chair in barely controlled fury, causing them to splinter under his incredible strength. Irillith's eyes flickered open at the noise, and the trusting look she gave him as she bobbed in his lap made him lose control. With a mental cry of frustration he slipped back, leaving John dominant once more.

Smiling at Irillith he said, "Thank you for letting your hair grow again. You look absolutely stunning."

He reached out and gently brushed his fingers through the silky soft white-blonde hair, stroking her head as he did so. She stared up at him, and carefully took his cock from her mouth, holding it in her right hand as it throbbed in her grasp, angry at the interruption.

With a shy smile on her face, she said, "I remembered you liked it long, so I left it for you. I'm glad you like it."

"You're a good girl. I appreciate it must have been a hard decision, considering Maliri culture," he told her sincerely with a grateful smile on his face.

Irillith shivered with delight at his warm praise, and bit her lower lip as she gazed up at him, marvelling as she said, "I should be furious at you for being so condescending, but I feel absolutely thrilled instead."

His cock jerked impatiently in her fingers, reminding her of the task at hand, and she laughed before resuming her work.

John smiled at the beautiful sound, and said, "You have a lovely laugh. Hopefully I'll be able to hear that more often."

She smiled at him the best she could, what with her lips spread wide around his girth. Deciding not to distract her any further, he just let her concentrate, and they stared into each other's eyes as she sucked and licked him eagerly. He could see how much she wanted his cum in her stomach, so he didn't hold back, and just let the climax well up as it surged out of him.

Irillith's throat bobbed as she swallowed down one big mouthful after another, gazing up at him adoringly with a euphoric feeling of completeness as he rapidly filled her belly with spunk. She sucked down every last drop until he was spent, then sighed ecstatically, and leaned down to give his quad a loving kiss of gratitude. She rested her head against his thigh with a dopey grin on her face, and when she darted a glance up at him, they both shared a good-natured laugh at her deliriously happy state.

John offered her his hand, and she rose gracefully to stand before him. He reached out to cup her heavily rounded abdomen in his hands, then leaned forward to give it a tender kiss. When he looked up at her face, he saw a beautiful doe-eyed expression on her face, and he knew exactly what she was thinking, without having to ask.

Doing up his trousers, he beckoned her to sit on his lap, and she sighed contentedly as he stroked her belly with his strong hands. They sat there like that for a while, until John's expression flickered, and Progenitor-John took control once more.

"Now, I think we should have a little chat," he told her with a resigned and exasperated look on his face.

Irillith nodded and turned to give him a smile, as she asked, "What would you like to talk about?"

He returned her smile as he said, "Let's start with House Valaden: the planets under your control, and the size of the fleet your mother commands..."

While Irillith started to talk, Progenitor-John listened to her, as he mulled over his current predicament. He hadn't realised just how taxing it would be, using his powers through the mind-barrier, and somehow John had cut him off from his matriarch and thralls, preventing him from tapping them for energy. After running back through those tunnels to the Raptor, he'd burnt through his power reserves, leaving himself at the point of exhaustion, and allowing John to take over again. Still, he was rested and recuperated now, and he was determined not to let John divert him from his current course, not when he was so close.

While he'd been unconscious, it looked like Irillith had fallen under John's control, but her impervious mind-shield was going to be a major disruption to his plans. Still, if he couldn't just yank what he needed to know out of her mind, then he'd have to do it the hard way. He concentrated on her fully, as she described the Maliri forces owned by House Valaden, and he began to form his plans.

***

The next couple of days had Alyssa and the girls growing frantic with worry. John seemed to be cutting himself off from them completely, and was in seclusion in the Ready Room. He spent all of his time in there, even sleeping on the sofa, and the only one of them he permitted to enter was Irillith. She would bring him his meals, and appear afterwards with a heavily rounded tummy, whilst carrying his plates back down to the kitchen.

Alyssa waited for the Maliri girl on the Bridge one morning, and smiled at her when she appeared, then asked politely, "Would you mind having a chat with me and the other girls in the Briefing Room?"

"I'd be happy to, but I probably shouldn't be too long," Irillith replied with a smile, glancing quickly at the Ready Room door, and followed after her into the room on the other side of the Bridge.

Alyssa stepped aside to let Irillith enter, then walked in after her. The whole crew were there, and they all stared at the Maliri with worried expressions on their faces. Irillith took a seat, and Dana blurted out, "What's John doing in there?! We haven't seen him in days!"

Irillith shrugged helplessly as she replied, "We just spend hours on end talking." She glanced down at her swollen belly, and added, "That, and other things."

The girls looked at her tummy longingly, until Alyssa asked, "What are you two talking about for so long?"

Irillith gazed up at her, and replied, "The Maliri. He started off asking me all about House Valaden, then moved on to the other major Noble Houses. He's mostly interested in Fleet assets, orbital facilities and military forces that each house owns, as well as the territory they control."

Calara and Alyssa shared a pointed look as they had a silent telepathic conversation. Alyssa then smiled kindly at Irillith and said, "Thanks, that's all. I guess John wants you back again after breakfast?"

The Maliri girl nodded enthusiastically, and got up, then smiled tentatively at the rest of the girls before walking out of the room. When the door swished close behind her, Alyssa slumped in her seat, and let out a big sigh.

"What's the matter?" Jade asked, then frowned and added, "Well, besides the obvious."

Calara looked deeply worried as she said quietly, "He's planning on conquering the Maliri."

***

Later that afternoon, John was in his Ready Room, staring up at the holographic Sector Maps he'd fleshed out. They showed the full extent of Maliri Space, and clearly marked the systems owned by each of the major Houses. Irillith had been giving him a run down of their fleet dispositions, and her intel seemed remarkably accurate. She had explained that she had been in charge of intelligence gathering for her House, using her remarkable hacking skills to keep accurate tabs on all House Valaden's enemies, which was basically every other Maliri House.

He was about to ask her to start detailing the minor Houses, of which there were dozens, when a light flashed on his desk console. He pressed the button and asked, "What is it?"

Rachel replied tentatively, "We're being hailed. There's a merchant freighter in distress, and they're asking to speak to you."

John grimaced, and said curtly, "Tell them I'm busy."

Rachel paused, then said, "They said it was urgent, and that they really need our assistance."

He rolled his eyes and tutted with annoyance, causing Irillith to laugh at his expression. He smiled at her grimly, then said to Rachel, "Fine. I'll be right out."

Standing, he turned to Irillith and said, "We need to move on to the minor Houses now. We'll start with territory, then Fleet assets, and any orbital platforms they might own. Ruling families can wait until later."

Nodding obediently, Irillith waited for him to move out from his desk, then sat down in his seat. She started to highlight which systems belonged to House Venkalyn, building up a territory map of the seventh largest Maliri House. John watched her for a moment, then strode out of the Ready Room onto the Bridge. He walked straight over to Rachel, and ignored the rest of the girls, who watched him with wide eyes.

"Put this merchant through, I'll take the call here," he said curtly, glancing up at the local sector map.

Rachel did as he asked, and the viewscreen crackled for a moment, before the image settled on the face of an overweight middle aged man. He had long sideburns, and he looked to be on the verge of panic.

"Oh, thank goodness you responded!" The man exclaimed with relief, his jowls quivering. "Commodore Blake, we're in trouble! Our FTL drive had a critical failure, and the explosion knocked out Navigation Control and our engines! We're trapped in the gravity well of a Gas Giant, and if we don't get help, we'll crash!"

John frowned, and said brusquely, "Send me the system data for your location."

The fat man nodded gratefully, and had a quick word with a colleague, who then sent them the requested data. Alyssa brought up the system map, and the Freighter 'Melpomene' was clearly flagged on the map in a rapidly decaying orbit around an orange Gas Giant.

"They'll hit the lower atmosphere in three hours," Dana said urgently.

John glanced up at the Command Podium, and said to Alyssa, "Zoom out the map a bit, show me traffic in the adjacent systems."

She nodded, and following his orders expanded the view of the map, showing the busy space lanes arcing around the Delta-Ophiuchus system. His eyes narrowed in anger, and he looked up at the man on the viewscreen.

"You seem to know who I am, but we haven't been properly introduced. Who are you?" John asked the rotund merchant.

"My name's Degory Milligan," the man replied with a grateful smile.

John smiled at the man pleasantly, and said, "Well Degory, I just have one question for you."

"Ask away, Commodore!" the relieved looking man said.

Still smiling, John asked, "Do I look like I'm running a fucking tugboat service?"

Degory looked just as shocked as the girls on the Bridge, and he spluttered to reply as he blinked in amazement.

John waved his hand at the expanded system map and fumed, "I can see four Terran Federation vessels that could be there within the hour! Go and bother one of them instead!"

He reached over and pressed a button on Rachel's console, cutting off the comm channel himself. It left Degory Milligan's stunned face frozen on the viewscreen before it turned off a moment later. Turning he stalked back into his room, and said over his shoulder, "Don't waste my time with crap like that again."

***

The crew of the Invictus tried to adjust to this new, uncomfortable, and tense routine, with the girls attempting to keep themselves busy, while being worried sick about John. He stayed in the Ready Room, only spending time with Irillith, who only emerged to bring back meals for him. It therefore came as quite a surprise, when Dana and Rachel heard the door to the Engineering Bay swish open, and the blue-skinned Maliri girl walked in.

She looked up at the two of them awkwardly, and said, "Hello. I hope I'm not disturbing you?"

Rachel smiled at her and shook her head, while Dana looked at her more warily and asked, "What do you want?"

Rachel frowned, gave Dana a disapproving gaze and nudged her with an elbow, causing the redhead to let out a big sigh. The redhead then smiled politely and asked, "How can we help you?"

Irillith flushed, looking ashamed, then asked in a quiet voice, "Could you tell me where my armour and laser rifle are please?"

Dana studied her cautiously for a drawn out moment, before walking down the illuminated steps of the Engineering Podium, and over to Irillith's storage case that she'd brought on board weeks ago. She stood beside it and jerked her thumb at the case, then said defensively, "It's all in there, and don't worry, I haven't so much as glanced at it."

Rachel walked over to join them, and she smiled at Irillith as she said considerately, "When you got injured, we had to strip your armour to take care of you. I asked Jade to pack up your body armour and store it safely in your luggage."

Irillith nodded at the brunette, and smiled at her in gratitude. She walked over to the case, and pressed a button on its side as the other two watched her intently. The case swung open silently, and after looking inside, she pulled out the deadly laser rifle then examined it carefully.

"See, there's nothing wrong with it," Dana said grumpily.

Irillith turned towards her, and then handed the laser rifle to the redhead, and said in a soft voice, "I just made sure the safety was on. I wouldn't want you to hurt yourself when you study it."

Dana stared at her in shock, completely dumbfounded as Irillith placed the weapon in her hands.

Irillith stared into her eyes, and said earnestly, "I said some truly horrible things to you, and I'm really sorry for the way I behaved. I hope you can forgive me someday."

Turning away from the stunned redhead to look at Rachel, she said, "I was awful to you too, and I apologise for the way I treated you. If hadn't been such a horrible bitch, I wouldn't have ended up in this situation. It seems that fate isn't without a cruel sense of irony."

Rachel opened her arms, and Irillith smiled at her gratefully as the two of them hugged. "I forgive you," the brunette whispered in Irillith's pointed ear, and gave her a gentle squeeze.

Irillith let out a relieved sigh, and said quietly, "Thank you, you're very kind."

As soon as the two women parted, Dana opened her arms for a hug too, having carefully placed the Maliri laser rifle on her workbench. Irillith looked surprised, but she stepped forward and the two of them embraced.

"I forgive you too," Dana said with her infectious grin, "And letting me look at your laser rifle was an awesome make-up gift. Thanks!"

Irillith smiled at the redhead, and said, "You're welcome. Feel free to take a look at my armour too, but it's nowhere near as effective as the incredible gear you've developed. If I hadn't been so horrible to you, and let you upgrade my armour, then I wouldn't have spent hours rolling around in agony."

Dana laughed and said, "Don't worry, you'll be able to wear our gear now!"

The Maliri woman chuckled and smiled at her in relief, happy that the redhead had been so forgiving. She was about to step back out of the hug, when Dana frowned at her.

"Hold on!" she said with a mischievous smile. "We have a tradition aboard the Invictus when we girls have a fight."

Irillith frowned and said, "I don't remember any fights. What do you mean?"

Dana grinned and explained, "Alyssa and I have squabbled a few times." She then looked at Irillith coyly and said, "Anyway, after a fight, we should always kiss and make up."

Irillith looked shocked, but when she saw Dana's playful expression, she smiled at her and nodded. Dana leaned in close, and gently brushed her lips against the Maliri's, the two of them kissing for the first time.

"Mmm," Dana purred when they separated, "That was lovely."

The Maliri flushed and admitted shyly, "I haven't kissed a girl before. That was nice though, soft and tender."

"Yay! I was your first," Dana said with a grin as she released Irillith from her arms. She winked at Rachel and said, "It's your turn now, you two had a mini-fight too remember?"

Rachel laughed, rolling her eyes, but she saw the hint of curiosity in Irillith's expression, so she walked over to stand next to her. "You want to?" she asked her considerately.

"Definitely," Irillith replied with a self-conscious laugh.

As the two girls stepped close, their full breasts lightly grazed each other, and made their nipples firm up to erect points. They both glanced down at the accidental contact, then moved together more deliberately as they kissed. Rachel reached up to brush her hand through Irillith's long flowing hair, then kissed the Maliri more passionately, and flicked the tip of her tongue through her full blue lips. Irillith's eyes widened in surprise momentarily, before she moaned, and then began to kiss Rachel back just as fiercely.

When the two of them finally separated, they were both panting with excitement, and Dana hissed, "That was fucking hot!"

Irillith blushed, then smiled shyly at Rachel and murmured, "Yes, it was."

Dana clapped her hands with excitement and said, "We should totally get you to join us with John for our next threes-." She faltered, and trailed off, as her face fell.

Rachel gave her a comforting hug and said, "It will all work out alright, don't worry." But Irillith could hear the concern in the brunette's voice too.

With a sigh, Irillith said, "I better get back to John. Thank you both for being so kind and forgiving me."

The two girls smiled at her, and Dana said, "It meant a lot, you coming down here to apologise. I'm glad you've joined us."

Rachel nodded her agreement, and the two of them waved Irillith goodbye as she walked out of the Engineering Bay.

"Wow!" Faye exclaimed. "My creator sure looks different! Do you two love her now? Is that why you were kissing?"

Rachel and Dana chuckled, and smiled at the inquisitive purple sprite who had suddenly appeared up on one of the Engineering consoles. "We do like her a lot more now," Rachel said cautiously.

"Is that because she has long hair now?" Faye asked, lifting her hands up to feel her own, shortly cropped, pixie haircut.

Faye closed her eyes as she concentrated, and suddenly her short bob was replaced by long flowing purple hair, that fell mid-way down her back. She looked at the two girls for a reaction, her tiny face hopeful.

Dana giggled and said, "We loved you anyway, but your new hair looks great!" Faye did a leap of joy, and fluttered up on her gossamer wings to give the redhead a kiss of thanks. Dana smiled at her, then raised an eyebrow and asked, "How's the new holo-suite coming along?"

"It's done!" Faye said eagerly. "I finished configuring the software, and with all the projectors you set up, it's all ready to go. That's what I came down here to tell you."

"You're the best!" Dana said with a grateful grin at the diminutive digital construct. She turned to Rachel and said, "I'll head up to Deck Three to check it out. Do you want to come along as well?"

The brunette smiled, and shook her head as she replied, "I'd like to continue researching the Trankaran genetic code. You two have fun though." She winked at Faye, and added, "I love the new hair too!"

Faye blew her a kiss, then disappeared abruptly. Dana took the grav-tube up to Deck Three, and after strolling down the long corridor, walked into the biggest room on this level. She found an exuberant Faye doing cartwheels around the massive empty space, which Dana and Rachel had cleared earlier by removing all the furniture. Over the last few days, the redhead had been hard at work installing hundreds of holo-projectors around the room, which would hopefully allow her to really make some progress on her research.

Faye came to a halt, and looking up at Dana, she asked eagerly, "Do you want to turn it on?"

Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves, Dana nodded, then walked into the centre of the room. Faye dimmed the lights around the huge room, until the whole room was shrouded in darkness apart from one light above their head.

"Ready?" the AI asked her.

When Dana nodded, the last light winked out, and a second later, an image started to take shape in front of her. Two spheres appeared, one larger than the other, with the smaller slowly circling the first, its orbital path clearly marked.

"A hydrogen atom," Dana said, immediately recognising its distinct shape, with its single proton circled by an electron. "Great, now give me the rest."

One after the other the elements appeared, spreading out in a broad tapestry for her to survey at once. She gestured with her hand, and began to drag copies of elements in, building up the complex structure for firstly Onyxium and then Etherite. She took a deep breath, then set to work, her hands moving in a blur as she used the building blocks of the universe to shape her creation.

Faye sat on her shoulder, and stared in awe at the rapidly expanding structure that Dana was forming. She was completely familiar with all the elements, having sorted and categorised them through detailed analysis of their sub-atomic components. She had an excellent understanding of quantum physics, chemistry, and applied mathematics, in part supplied by her core programming. She'd been building on that these past few days, recognising that her new friends found her useful in aiding them with their research, and she found helping them greatly rewarding.

Despite her rapidly expanding knowledge on these subjects, she found that watching Dana work was truly astounding, and a joy to behold. She stayed silent so as not to disturb her friend, and gazed spellbound at the incredibly complex compound that the remarkable Terran woman was forming.

***

The next several days went by in a blur for Dana, Faye and Rachel, who were all occupied with research. For Alyssa, Calara and Jade, the days dragged interminably, and all they could do was fret and worry, while trying to buoy each other's spirits up. They saw no sign of John, and he didn't even bother to make an appearance when they entered Maliri Space. They greeted Irillith from time to time, and she was friendly and polite with them, but they could see that she was starting to get anxious about travelling back towards her homeworld.

The planet Valaden grew closer every day on the Sector map, as the Invictus raced towards their final destination. Alyssa desperately wanted to bring them to a grinding halt, and turn the ship right around to flee in the opposite direction. No matter how hard she tried though, she was unable to break the overwhelming compulsion of John's orders.

It was with a deep sense of foreboding that they finally arrived in the Epsilon Aquarii system, the home system for House Valaden, and location of the planet named after their house. Jade received a flight path from Valaden Traffic Control, and after a reluctant nod from Alyssa began to guide them down to the Spaceport near the palace that they had landed at before. All the girls were up on the Bridge now, and John strode out to join them with Irillith in tow, as they came in on their final approach to land at the Docking Bay.

Rachel noted the blinking light on her console, and said quietly, "Incoming call from Edraele Valaden."

"Put her through," John said with a predatory smile.

Matriarch Valaden's beautiful face filled the viewscreen a moment later, and she smiled warmly at them. "Welcome back to Valaden," she said, sounding delighted that they had returned.

John nodded to her courteously, and said, "It's good to see you Edraele. Are you available to meet, so we can conclude our business together?"

The Maliri woman had an eager gleam in her eyes as she replied, "Of course, you should come to the palace immediately." She glanced at Alyssa, and her eyes tensed a fraction before she added, "Perhaps it would be best if you came alone."

John smiled at her confidently, and said, "As you wish Edraele. If you arrange transport, I'll be there shortly."

"A hover-car is waiting for you at the Spaceport. My assistant, Luna, will bring you to meet me," she said with a sparkling smile that didn't reach her eyes.

John nodded, and ended the call, rising from his chair.

Alyssa stared at him, open-mouthed with shock, and said, "You can't be serious! Going to meet her alone is crazy!"

Irillith looked equally alarmed and said, "Luna is one of my mother's best assassins! You're in terrible danger!"

John laughed, ignoring their words of warning as he walked down the steps towards the grav-tube.

Alyssa rose to her feet and cried out to him in desperation, "John! Wait, please!"

He turned to look at the shocked and frightened faces of the six girls, who all stared at him in disbelief. Though he had to admit they were surprisingly capable females, they were cut off from him as a power source, and ultimately useless.

"Stay on the ship," he said coldly, in a voice that throbbed with authority.

They all watched him leave, shocked into inaction by his behaviour. Alyssa was the first to recover, and she rushed after him, diving into the grav-tube in pursuit. She reached the corridor on Deck Nine, stumbling as she ran after him, but he had already opened the airlock, and stepped out into the Docking Bay. By the time she had reached the airlock door, he had strolled over to the blue hover-car, and was greeting the lithe Maliri girl known as Luna, who was acting as his chauffeur.

"John!" Alyssa screamed. "Come back, please!"

He turned to her and with a mocking smile, he said, "Goodbye."

That single word had a ring of absolute finality to it, and it felt like a knife stabbing into her chest. Alyssa instinctively knew he had abandoned them, never planning to see them again. She collapsed in a heap, overcome with grief, powerless to leave the ship to follow him.

John got in the hover-car without another word, and nodded for Luna to proceed. Luna smiled at him, then got in the car and started the engine, preparing to pull away.

The sound of the starting engine shocked Alyssa into action, and she focused her will inwards, then yanked herself out of her body, staggering free in spirit form. Frantic for one last look at John, she sprinted over to him as fast as her legs could carry her. Time behaved differently on a spirit walk, and the car slowly pulling away appeared to be in slow motion, allowing her to catch it easily. Her heart lifted as she was able to see John's face once more, then as she drew alongside the vehicle, and could see him more clearly, her eyes widened in horrified disbelief.

She could see the brilliant gleaming crown on his head, almost as it had looked the first time she had noticed it when in spirit form. Unlike the first time she had seen it though, there was an ugly splintered crack at the back, exactly where Edraele had been trying to break in. There was darkness lurking behind that crack, and she could feel another presence. Something evil, malignant, and terrifying.

Shocked to the core, Alyssa lost her focus. With her concentration broken, she was abruptly swept off her feet and pulled back to her body, her mind too distraught to be able to keep them separate.

"John..." she sobbed brokenly, overcome with despair.

***

Edraele paced back and forth in her reception room impatiently. She had sent Luna to pick up the Mael'nerak, and he would be here in minutes. She felt giddy with anticipation, and she could hardly bring herself to believe a potential solution to her agonising nightmare would be walking through her door any moment now.

Her mother had been a strong, powerful woman, gifted with incredible psychic powers, but cursed with mind-splitting headaches that had got progressively worse as she aged. In the end, her mother had taken her own life, rather than live with the pain any longer. Edraele still remembered finding her mother's corpse with the laser pistol in hand, smoke rising from her temple, and her mother's once beautiful face ravaged and twisted with agony.

Edraele had sworn there and then that she would not die like that, reduced to such desperate measures to end the pain. After over a century of incredible frustration, as one avenue of research after another dried up, her long search for a cure was nearly over. There was the small matter of getting the Mael'nerak to cooperate, but without that unnerving blonde witch with him this time, she'd be able to break into his mind at her leisure. Even if that failed, she had her most capable of assassins on hand, who would be more than happy to persuade him to be more amenable if it came to it.

A pet Mael'nerak of her own. She gloated at the very thought. If he proved to be anywhere near as powerful as Tashana had suggested, the other Noble houses would tremble in fear, rueing the day that they had dared to cross -"Queen"- Edraele Valaden. Yes, restoring that title to the ruler of the Maliri regency, herself, would be a delicious victory indeed!

Booted footsteps coming from behind the door to her sanctum drew her attention that way, and she beamed a sparkling smile at Commodore John Blake as he strode into the room. "Edraele! How wonderful to see you," he said, grinning at her eagerly.

She could barely keep herself from laughing out loud. The fool had marched into her abode completely oblivious to the horrible fate that awaited him. "I'm overjoyed to see you John, it's been far too long. You said you were successful in your mission?" she asked him, savouring the tantalising knowledge that her prize was so close.

"Yes, I've acquired the Trankaran Engine schematics you requested. That's not really what you desire though is it?" he asked her knowingly.

His bold confidence shook her for an instant, and she felt a moment of doubt. Recovering quickly she replied, "Those Engine schematics will be invaluable to my people."

"Yes, the schematics. Of course," he said with a chuckle, and his mocking, condescending tone made her grind her teeth in anger.

She mastered her temper, then smiling at him coyly, she purred, "And I know what you desire. Maliri weaponry for your ship."

He laughed aloud and said, "Ah yes, I'm looking forward to having all sorts of wonderful new toys at my disposal."

Something about the way he said that was deeply unsettling, and Edraele felt an involuntary shiver run down her spine. Telling herself to stop being ridiculous, she decided that she was bored of this conversation, and that it was time to break his mind. She was bored of course, she reminded herself, definitely not afraid.

She smiled at him warmly and said, "Perhaps you would tell me some details about your expedition?"

He returned her smile, and said, "Of course. Now, where should I begin..."

Edraele tuned him out, having no interest in listening to him drone on. She kept a politely attentive expression on her face, then focused her will inwards, and peeled her spirit form from her body. Now it was time to end this, she thought to herself, and stalked forward, a predatory gleam in her eyes.

When she reached his side, she had to do a double-take as she stared in shock at the torn rent at the back of his mind-shield. She doubled over with laughter, and couldn't believe her luck. The breach in his gleaming crown had been at the exact point she'd been examining him, before she'd been interrupted by his blonde lackey. She realised instantly what had happened. When she'd been forced to create that null zone to keep Alyssa at bay, it had channelled through the mind probe she had left in place, and ripped a big rent in his defences. For some bizarre reason, the Mael'nerak hadn't bothered to repair the damage, and with the hard work already done for her, breaking into his mind was going to be laughably easy.

Cackling with glee, she approached his side and with a moment's concentration, she rammed a mental shield breaker into the side of his glowing crown. She felt a brief chill again, which managed to make her body tremble even in spirit form, but this close to victory, she wasn't going to let a few last minute jitters upset her plans. She grinned with excitement, and tugged with all her psychic might at the shield breaker, the gleaming crown breaking in half with a shrieking, tearing sound.

John began to laugh, but it was deathly cold and humourless; the most chilling sound she had ever heard. She felt a surge of mind bending terror course through her, and with her concentration shattered, she was snapped back into her physical form. That low pitched, malevolent laughter echoed around her room, suddenly sounding deafeningly loud, now she was back in her body. She tried to flee, but with her body frozen rigid with fright, she could only back away slowly.

With dreadful and shocking understanding, she finally realised that his mental barrier wasn't to keep people out, it was to keep something in. Something dark, something powerful, and something altogether terrifying.

The lights dimmed in the room, and she could feel power surging towards him like a maelstrom, whistling around her like a living possessed thing. He flexed his arms as black coils of ethereal madness began to gather around him, and the lashing black tendrils started to coalesce as they circled and shrouded his fists. She staggered back faster, and tripped over one of the chaise-lounge chairs, stumbling to her knees. The clatter drew his attention, and when he looked at her, she shrank away from that dreadful gaze, desperate to escape from the malevolent nightmare she had unleashed.

The doors to the room opened with a crash, as Luna and two of her fellow assassins threw them open, and dashed into the room. The Mael'nerak didn't even look behind him as he made a gesture with his hand, and scooped the three deadly Maliri women up in shadowy swirls of force. They thrashed vainly against their bonds, and with a flick of his wrist, he flung them effortlessly back through the doorway. The swirls merged together and formed an opaque wall of murky darkness, which completely sealed off the portal.

Edraele backed out of the room, her whole body quivering with terror as he began to walk after her at a measured pace. His confident composure made the roiling chaos surrounding him even more unsettling, and she wished with every fibre of her being to be away from this demonic monstrosity. Forming a devastating telekinetic strike with her mind, she lashed out at him, sending a spear of force racing towards him to pierce his heart.

He chuckled with contempt, and an ethereal shield made up of grey hexagons appeared in an instant, deflecting her most potent attack as one would swat away a fly. Gathering every last vestige of her willpower, she threw everything she had at him. A storm of razor-sharp telekinetic shards appeared in the air, floating in a broad sphere around him, before flashing down to lacerate his body. His shield appeared again, but this time surrounding his whole body, and her telekinetic swarm rebounded harmlessly.

He smiled at her wickedly as he opened his fists, and the tendrils around his fingers undulated towards her with a sluggish, sickening motion. Unable to stand in the face of such horrors, she turned and fled, but the tendrils lashed out, binding her ankles and wrists, and lifting her from the floor. She thrashed impotently, her body twisting and writhing as she desperately tried to break free, but she was bound with a freakish, unnatural strength. Edraele tried to scream, but her voice was hoarse, and she realised she hadn't stopped screaming with terror since she had been snapped back into her body. Her heart pounded in her chest as it threatened to burst free, and she rode the fine line between madness and despair as the Mael'nerak approached her.

He walked around to face her, and when she looked in his eyes, she saw absolutely no trace of the person she had spoken to before. This creature was something else entirely.

"Poor, broken little toy," he taunted her, reaching towards her with his hand. His voice had an unnatural ring to it, echoing slightly when it shouldn't have done so.

Edraele tried to shy away from his hand as it approached her face, but she was bound so utterly, she couldn't move a muscle, and could only stare, wide-eyed with fear. She could see his fingers glowing with a dark nimbus of energy, and her skin crawled as he brushed her cheek with his fingertips.

He chuckled as he said, "Using your own daughter as a test subject... that was impressive. I was going to slay you, and replace you with Irillith, but my alter-ego ruined her as a puppet."

"W-w-what do you want?!" she managed to stammer through a herculean act of will.

He smiled at her, but there wasn't an ounce of warmth or kindness in that soul chilling expression. "You sought to use me as a puppet, didn't you, broken toy?" he asked her knowingly.

She tried to deny it, but the gleam she saw in his eyes made her immediately reconsider lying to him. She managed a trembling nod, unable to trust her voice to reply.

He paused, then said in that chilling voice, "Sadly your plans have failed, but I have a proposal for you instead. Serve me as my matriarch, and I will rejuvenate your body, curing you of your malady."

Desperate hope surged in her chest and she grabbed at the chance frantically. "I would gladly work with someone as potent as you, Mael'nerak," she gasped eagerly.

He chuckled and said, "No, broken toy. You misunderstand. You wouldn't 'work with me', you would be my obedient slave. A plaything for me to use at my whim, and discard if you displeased me."

She shrank back, as much as the unyielding bindings would allow, and with her hopes dashed, she asked wretchedly, "Why would I agree to such a thing?"

His eyes gleamed, as he replied, "Because I would enjoy seeing you submit to me, proud, broken little toy." He laughed and added, "If that is not incentive enough, know that you will serve me whatever you decide. This way, you save yourself days of agony."

She whimpered and her heart filled with despair, she nodded limply. He laughed with delight to see her willpower broken, shattered beyond repair, and as they retired to her quarters, his chilling laughter echoed in their wake.

***

The girls found Alyssa slumped in the airlock, weeping wretchedly. Gathering around, they knelt beside her, and held her tight, sharing her feelings of loss and grief. The only one not completely overwhelmed by John's departure was Irillith, and even she felt a wrenching sorrow in her chest at the thought of never seeing him again.

She took a deep breath, and squaring her shoulders, she gathered her willpower as she resolved to do something about this, rather than simply give up. Stepping over Alyssa she strode purposefully towards the airlock door, and walked out. At least she tried to, but her right leg refused to obey her command. Remembering that her mother was going to sink her claws into John if she didn't do something, Irillith felt a bright surge of anger within her, and she used that to strengthen her resolve. Trying again, she burst out the airlock with a joyous feeling of elation.

The other girls had been watching her, and they stared at her in open-mouthed amazement as she managed to overcome John's compulsion to stay aboard the Invictus.

"That's impossible!" Dana said in astonishment. "I can't even think about trying to leave the ship, let alone act on it!"

Rachel stared at Irillith intently and said, "She's new. Maybe the effect isn't so strong on her?"

Irillith turned to look at them, and said encouragingly, "Just focus really hard! You can do it, I know you can."

The other girls shrank back, unable to even comprehend disobeying John's direct order.

Irillith frowned at them in anger and said, "I thought you claimed you loved him?" Her eyes narrowed as she deliberately goaded them, "It doesn't look like it to me!"

There were shocked gasps at that, and Alyssa surged to her feet, fuming in anger. "You don't get to speak to me like that," she snarled. "No one loves him more than I do!"

"Prove it!" Irillith sneered. "I think you've grown complacent and lazy, and aren't fit to be his Matriarch any longer. If you don't want him, then I'll take him for myself!"

With a shriek of fury, Alyssa stormed towards the airlock, and her eyes blazed as she leapt through, lunging for the maddening Maliri girl.

"You did it!" Irillith said with glee as Alyssa pounced on her, knocking them both to the ground.

Alyssa stopped clawing for Irillith's throat, and she blinked in shock, feeling like she'd just had a cold bucket of water dumped on her head. She let out a light laugh, then hugged Irillith fiercely. "Thank you," she said earnestly.

"You're welcome," Irillith said to her with a smile.

Alyssa leapt to her feet, and offering a hand, helped Irillith stand too. They turned to look back at the airlock, where Calara, Dana, Jade, and Rachel were watching them in awe.

Irillith grinned at them and said, "Now, who wants to go next?"

Calara shook her head mournfully, her face full of regret as she said, "I can't disobey him. It won't make any difference what you say or do, I know it's impossible."

Alyssa placed her hand on Irillith's shoulder and said, "I think she's right. You're new, and I'm his Matriarch. The other girls just can't do it." Turning to them she said, "You girls stay here and guard the ship. Can one of you grab us some pistols? I don't want to risk stepping foot on the Invictus, in case John's order takes hold again."

Dana turned and sprinted away down the corridor, returning a minute later with two of her Punisher pistols, several clips, a couple of jackets and some holsters. "Here you go!" she said eagerly.

"Great thinking!" Alyssa said to her, grabbing one jacket and passing it to Irillith, while putting on another herself.

They loaded clips into the pistols, and slotted away the others in their jackets, and when they were done, Irillith said, "We aren't far from the garage where we keep my hover-car. Let's go!"

They waved the other girls goodbye, and then sprinted out of the Docking Bay. They retraced the route they had taken the first time Alyssa had arrived on Valaden, but when they ran through the market this time, it was Irillith drawing all the attention. The Maliri women stared at her in open mouthed amazement, astonished to see the heir-apparent to House Valaden running around with her long flowing white hair billowing out behind her.

Irillith flinched away from those judgemental looks, but then remembered she had no intention of living on Valaden any longer. She laughed with carefree abandon, relishing being released from such petty minded condemnation.

Alyssa glanced at her curiously as she ran along by her side, and said, "I'm not sure our current situation is particularly funny. Did I miss something?"

"I'll explain later!" Irillith said with a joyful grin on her face, and they raced into the reception area for the car park.

Irillith charged up to the desk and the receptionist blinked at her, her eyes going wide with disbelief. Irillith rolled her eyes and said, "Yes, I've got long hair. Now, you know who I am. Give me my spare keys immediately!"

The receptionist fumbled at the desk by her side, and after what seemed an interminable wait, she handed over the keyfob. "Thanks!" Irillith said with relief, and dashed over to the small bright elevator at the back of the room. The receptionist looked astounded, having never received a kind word from Irillith in the many years she'd known her.

The clear crystal door rotated down from the ceiling, and they sank downwards for a few seconds before stopping at the underground parking facility. Irillith sprinted for her vehicle, with Alyssa running beside her, and they made a beeline for the Maliri girl's red sporty hover-car. The bubble canopy opened smoothly, and as soon as they had enough room, they dived into the vehicle. She started up the engine, and began to accelerate rapidly as the canopy lowered, sealing them inside.

"So, what's the plan?" Irillith asked, as she tore up the ramp and launched them out onto the street. She was travelling so fast they sailed several metres into the air before the hover-car dipped down, and began to glide at the normal height, half a metre above the road.

Alyssa stared away into the distance, and admitted, "I've no idea. Try and reason with him I guess? Hopefully reach out to our John, and make him see sense?"

Irillith frowned, but didn't reply, focusing instead on avoiding hitting anyone as she raced along recklessly fast.

Sensing the Maliri girl's doubts about her suggestion, Alyssa turned to her and said, "Well, I'm not sure what els- Aaaiihhhh!"

Irillith weaved on the road when Alyssa screamed, and when she took a startled glance at the blonde girl, she saw her clutching at her head, her bright blue eyes wide with shock and stunned incredulity. "What? What's the matter?" Irillith blurted out in alarm.

"It's John!" Alyssa wailed. "He just cut through our connection to him! He's completely abandoned us!" She began to weep, utterly bereft and heartbroken.

Irillith could feel a hollowness inside her, and she clutched at her chest, feeling a dull ache in her heart. With a glance at the tormented blonde at her side, she was sharply reminded just how much more intense this girl's connection with John must be. She reached out and gently patted Alyssa's shoulder, feeling woefully ill-equipped to deal with consoling the devastated young Terran. After a lifetime of callous indifference to the suffering of others, trying to offer comfort and sympathy was proving to be a novel experience.

"What now?" she eventually asked in a quiet voice, still driving onwards towards the palace.

"What does it matter?" Alyssa sobbed. "We're alone! He's cast us aside."

Irillith didn't do comfort, but she did do confrontation. Narrowing her eyes, she glanced at Alyssa and sneered, "You're pathetic. Blubbing in my car isn't going to help us, is it? I can't believe you're just giving up."

Alyssa looked up at her, eyes red from crying, amazed that Irillith could be so cruel.

"I thought you cared for him? If you want him back, then fight for him! If we have to go in there, and smash this Progenitor version of him into unconsciousness, so be it! " she snarled. "What would your John do? Would he just fall apart, or would he charge in there, and kick some ass?"

Alyssa hiccupped, and rubbing her eyes, she smiled wanly as she said, "He'd kick some ass."

"Damn right he would!" Irillith said with conviction. "So, if you want to be deserving of such a man, what are you going to do?"

Alyssa's cerulean eyes blazed as she said grimly, "I'm going to kick some ass."

"Damn right you will!" Irillith exclaimed, feeling both immensely relieved, and slightly unsettled to see a fierce uncompromising fire igniting in Alyssa's eyes.

The startled guards at the entrance to the palace waved her through, and Irillith gritted her teeth as she saw them gossiping excitedly in the rear view mirror. She stifled her irritation, and tore around the back of the palace, clipping the wall as she topped the ramp down into the parking garage. They weaved drunkenly down the slope until she regained control, and they careened into the underground parking facility where she skidded into her parking spot. There was a muffled crunch as they collided with the parked green hover-car in the next bay, but Irillith paid it no attention, and popped open the bubbly canopy.

Scrabbling clear of her red hover-car, they both exited on Irillith's side, as they had hit the other vehicle on Alyssa's side. Running quickly for the elevators, the astonished guards tried to speak to Irillith, but she just raised her hand and snapped, "Not now!" Knowing full well how unwise it would be to provoke Irillith Valaden, they wisely stood at attention and remained silent.

Alyssa and Irillith ran into the elevators, and once the crystal doors had swung shut, they glanced nervously at each other as they rose to the foyer level. The door swung upwards into the ceiling, and they burst outside in a rush. The Foyer was bustling as before, and as Irillith stormed out, there was a wave of shocked gasps, as one Maliri woman after another turned and stared at Irillith's long, snowy-white mane.

"Yes! I've got long hair! It looks much better!" Irillith crowed defiantly, finally pushed to breaking point.

Alyssa stared at her companion with wide-eyes, and followed after her silently as they sprinted across the room, weaving between bewildered onlookers. *What was that all about?* she asked Irillith telepathically.

Irillith gave her a carefree laugh and said, "I'll tell you later, but it felt wonderful!"

They passed the reception area unchallenged, then after another short elevator ride, they ran past the security checkpoint, and into the plaza area beyond. Irillith frowned as they ran across the plaza, directly towards the twenty-foot high doors in the grand entrance way that led into Matriarch Valaden's private quarters.

"What's the matter?" Alyssa asked her, seeing the Maliri girl's tense expression.

Irillith pointed to the entrance ahead of them, and said, "The guards are missing."

They sprinted up to the huge double doors, and they drew their pistols, then nodded at each other. Alyssa took the lead, slipping inside between the partially closed doors, and as she looked around cautiously, a sudden bright flash of movement to her side made her react by instinct. She brought her hands up defensively, and the gleaming tip of a razor sharp blade stopped an inch from her nose. Alyssa recognised the Maliri assassin, Luna, holding the other end of the blade, her yellow eyes widening in surprise as her attack was thwarted. When Luna pulled back and tried to thrust forward again, Alyssa knocked her sprawling with a telekinetic push.

"Wait!" Irillith yelled at the two other Maliri girls in the short corridor, who had also drawn short blades, and were advancing menacingly. "It's me, Irillith Valaden!"

They froze when they recognised her, doing well to mask their shock at her radical new hairstyle. Luna flipped to her feet, and in a quiet, solemn voice she said, "Matriarch Valaden is in danger. Something attacked her, but we can't get past, that..." Turning, she pointed to the swirling shadowy barrier that completely sealed off the entrance into Edraele's private quarters.

Staring at the barrier in fascination, Alyssa approached it with growing curiosity. The Maliri assassins watched her warily as she walked past them, and when she raised her hand to touch the shadowy wall experimentally, Luna called out, "Watch out! It's dangero-." but her voice faltered and died as Alyssa brushed her fingertips through the barrier without coming to harm.

Alyssa turned back to look at them, and one of the other Maliri women raised her left hand, revealing an ugly blackened scorch mark. "When I touched it, my hand was burnt, and I was thrown across the room," she explained fearfully.

Nodding, Alyssa glanced at Irillith and said, "Stay here. I have a feeling I'm going to be the only one able to enter." She turned to walk through the barrier but paused, and smiled at Irillith gratefully as she said, "Thank you for your help, you were wonderful."

Irillith returned her smile, and with a wave goodbye, Alyssa plunged through the roiling wall of swirling shadows. As she passed through the barrier, she felt a deep chill on her skin that seemed to seep through to her bones, and when she reached the other side, she was shivering uncontrollably. She rubbed her arms, trying to bring some warmth back into them, and that feeling of deathly cold gradually began to subside.

The room beyond the shadow barrier was mostly as she remembered it, with the glass ceiling, and the path around the outside. This time though, the furniture was scattered and knocked about, and some double doors opposite were wide open. She stopped moving and listened carefully, but she couldn't hear a sound. Keeping the Punisher pistol at the ready, she crept forward towards the open doors, the hairs on the back of her neck rising up, as she instinctively sensed danger ahead of her.

Walking slowly down the corridor beyond the open doors, she saw that another door further down on her right was slightly ajar. She tiptoed closer stealthily, but despite her sneaky approach, a voice called out to her from the bedroom.

"I don't know how you got in here, but you've piqued my curiosity. Do come and introduce yourself," the voice said, and her heart lifted with joy to hear John speak. With a start she suddenly realised that there was something deeply wrong with his voice, and it echoed with a disconcerting, unnatural timbre.

Realising that a surprise attack was no longer an option, she strode purposefully up to the door, and flung it wide open. The first thing that drew her attention was Edraele Valaden, sprawled unconscious across the bed, her long dress bulging obscenely at her waist, her belly heavily swollen. Alyssa's eyes darted around the room, and settled on John, seated in a chair in the corner of the room. He grinned at her malevolently, and she stared in shock at the coiling swirls of Eldritch power that danced around his arms and hands.

Alyssa knew without a shadow of a doubt that she was in mortal danger. This unholy creature was preventing her from reuniting with her John, and even if fighting it meant her obliteration, that was still better than living a pitiful shell of a life without him. White hot anger surged within her, pooling in her stomach, and throbbing as it pulsed outwards, running down her arms to her hands. The feeling was overwhelming at first, but she'd experienced this sensation before, and embraced it with all of her being.

The lights in the room flickered and dimmed, and she discarded her pistol as her fingers were shrouded in a brilliant nimbus of power. She felt a murderous rage building within her, and crackling surges of psychic energy cascaded down her arms to gather at her fingertips. This Progenitor version of her lover had usurped his body, and now it was time to punish it for its temerity.

***

John had been fighting a losing battle with his Progenitor side for weeks. Encountering the Maliri had sparked a terrible hunger within him, which had fuelled his Progenitor instincts to dominate, enslave, and conquer. Meditation and careful focus had built a sturdy fortress that had kept this personality locked away, only able to emerge in times of terrible danger, and even then it was only a pale shadow of its true nature. That part of himself which he had suppressed and controlled for decades, had finally fought back with a vengeance.

It had started with subtle and insidious influences to his behaviour, which he knew didn't feel quite right, but had been powerless to resist. Agreeing to go with Irillith into the heart of Maliri Space had been the beginning, and he'd been sliding down a slippery slope ever since.

After the meeting with Edraele, when Alyssa had her confrontation with the Maliri Matriarch, things had got progressively worse. He'd be having a conversation with someone, and then suddenly be swamped, dragged down by this other personality, who blocked Alyssa from his thoughts, and took control of his body.

These episodes had been growing longer in duration, and his memory felt like it was shot full of holes, as he'd slipped in and out of control of himself. He'd had a period of merciful respite from these lapses after the fight with the Trankarans, Progenitor-John having exhausted himself using one taxing psychic power after another. During that brief time, he'd done what he could, working with his radiant ally to strengthen the girls' protection from his diabolical other half.

Progenitor-John had rallied his strength during that lull, and eventually become powerful enough to shut him out completely. He'd been forced to watch through an opaque barrier as the other personality plotted the conquest of the Maliri, making his plans to enslave their leaders, and take de facto control of the Maliri Regency. The only time he'd been able to intervene was with Irillith, whom he'd managed to save from Progenitor John's depredations.

When Edraele had destroyed the mental barrier, he'd been bound in unbreakable black chains, and plunged into a bottomless abyss, tormented by apparitions of helplessness and despair. They had taunted him relentlessly, taking great delight in his defeat, and gleefully informing him that he would be falling to his doom for eternity. Though he longed for oblivion, he knew it would never come, and he would be stuck in this nightmarish purgatory forever.

***

Progenitor-John rose to his feet, then began stalking towards Alyssa ominously, the sound of his contemptuous spine-chilling laughter echoing around the room. She gritted her teeth and ignored it, having witnessed far worse. Cradling a roiling ball of white energy in the palm of her hand, she concentrated on it, ramping up its potency, and hurled it in his direction.

His laughter intensified as he raised a grey shield formed of hexagons to deflect her bold attack, grinning at her mockingly. The ball of energy crashed into the shield, exploding in a blinding blast of power. The seething detonation knocked him back a step, and his shield flickered precariously but he managed to stabilise his shadowy barrier. Blinking in shock, he rapidly re-evaluated the power this slip of a girl commanded, and he decided to eliminate this surprising threat forthwith.

He smiled at her wickedly as he opened his fists, and the black shadowy tendrils around his fingers undulated towards her with a rapid, disorientating motion. She narrowed her eyes, and guided by instinct alone, she created a scything arc of pure force that slashed down at the writhing tentacles, neatly severing them all. The black tendrils froze in mid air, then dissipated harmlessly, the shadows scattering away, unable to withstand the light.

"How did you do that?!" Progenitor-John blurted, gaping at her in amazement.

Not bothering to wait for an answer, he gathered his will, then cast a long murky grey spear of telekinetic force in her direction. It plunged towards her with an unnerving dirge, and she raised her hands defensively as though to prevent it from striking her unprotected face. He laughed at her panicked reaction, but his face fell in disbelief as a barrier of white hexagons appeared at the last second. The gleaming shield quivered with the resounding impact, but otherwise remained intact.

Alyssa concentrated on the vast amounts of power curling around her fingers, and following a strong urge, she held her arms outstretched towards Progenitor-John, with her hands clenched into fists. The pulsating nimbus of energy grew in strength, throbbing as it built to a crescendo, and she unleashed it at him with a shriek of fury. A blindingly bright beam of pure white light lanced out towards him, and his look of utter shock and bewilderment was the last thing she saw before he frantically raised a protective barrier to save himself. The beam pounded into his psychic-shield, sending him flying backwards and slamming into the wall, beating him down, and hammering him into the floor.

When the resplendent channel of brilliant energy finally disappeared, it left a few motes of light, which hung between them in the dim light of the room. He lurched unsteadily to his feet, and suddenly froze, staring at her in horror, his eyes flickering with sudden recognition.

"YOU!!" he gaped in dumbfounded astonishment. "How did a cretin like you manage to do that?!"

She had no idea herself, but before she could reply, Progenitor-John shrieked, clutching at his head as he staggered backwards. Alyssa stared at him in astonishment as he reeled away from her, twisting and thrashing in torment. Suddenly, superimposed atop the writhing form, something flickered in front of her eyes. It was a glowing white silhouette of John; the real John, and not this warped and hideous creature inhabiting his body.

***

With blindingly bright clarity, Alyssa had appeared before John as he tumbled helplessly into the abyss. The glowing radiant girl from his dreams, who protected him, and kept him safe. She reached out to him, and her slender fingers threw brilliant shards of light outwards, piercing the darkness. The scintillating streams of while light sent his tormenting apparitions fleeing in terror, punching smoking holes through them as they fled. With every last fragment of his will he roared out in defiance, and the blackened chains that were restraining him exploded outwards, freeing him from bondage. With hope surging in his chest he reached out to take her hand.

***

Alyssa felt an instinctive pull within herself, condensing into a bizarre tugging sensation in her chest, and she embraced that feeling, drawing out her spirit-form. As she adjusted to being an ethereal presence, she could see John as clear as day, reaching out to her in a final desperate act. She lunged forward, her heart filled with joy, and grasped his hand, clasping it tightly. The moment their fingers touched, a lance of pure white energy blasted out from his chest, and pierced the centre of her own. There was no pain though, only warmth, comfort, and love, and she embraced it with all of her being.

It felt so good to be linked with him again, but their bond was different now. He had held something back, and with a flash of understanding, she realised he'd deliberately withheld the compulsion to obey him. Without that constraint, she was gloriously free to act in kind. She felt a surging wellspring of positive emotions throbbing within her, as memories of their time together danced before her eyes. Saving Calara, rescuing Dana, freeing Jade, protecting Rachel, all the glorious times they'd spent in bed enjoying each other, and yes, even Irillith helping at the end. She channelled it all into one massive beam of pure white energy, and sent it flowing back into him.

"No!!" Progenitor-John wailed, his face twisted in anguish. "Not when I was so close!"

Then suddenly he was gone, banished into a pit of blackness and despair, with a long echoing wail of abject misery. As his dreadful plaintive cry echoed around the room, John slumped to the ground, gasping for breath.

Alyssa ran across the room and flung herself into his arms, sobbing with relief. John hugged her to him fiercely, and when she finally pulled back to gaze lovingly into his eyes, he stared back at her in wonder.

"You did it. You saved me," he said in awe.

She hugged him tightly again, and whispered in his ear, "We saved each other."