Alyssa glanced around the Ashanath Command Web over Ularean's shoulder, feeling overwhelmed with relief. She tried to contact John to let him know she was safe, but she was unable to reach him telepathically.

*Are you alright, Alyssa? You seem very distressed,* Senior Councillor Ularean asked, awkwardly patting the radiant girl on the shoulder while trying not to concentrate on the breathtaking perfection of the orbs pressed against his chest.

She pulled back and gave him a grateful smile. *You wouldn't believe how glad I am to see you, Ularean! I thought those mist monsters were going to get me for sure!*

His big black eyes blinked rapidly, his expression of shock mirrored by the several members of the Ashanath High Council in attendance. *You were roaming the Astral plane?!*

Alyssa nodded, feeling a bit embarrassed. *I wanted to try entering your Command Network again to speak with you, but I couldn't figure out how to do it; I got invited in by other Ashanath last time. While I was trying to find this sub-plane that strange fog started rolling in.*

*You must not wander the Astral!* Councillor Talari exclaimed, his diminutive grey face looking aghast. *To lose you to the beasts that roam there would be too horrible to contemplate!*

*Oh, hey Talari!* Alyssa replied, greeting him with a friendly wave. She glanced around at the open space of the Command Web and continued, *Can we go somewhere more private to discuss this? It sounds like we've got a few things to talk about.*

Talari and Ularean shared a look with the rest of the councillors, who bowed respectfully to Alyssa then turned away. A second later Alyssa stood in a small spherical lounge with the two Ashanath leaders, complete with three comfortable looking white seats. Ularean gestured for her to sit, then he and Talari followed suit.

The moment Alyssa sat down, Talari leaned forward and said, *I mean no disrespect Alyssa, but the Astral Plane is an extremely dangerous place and not somewhere to be visited on a whim. You would be... ill-advised... to make similar forays.*

Ularean nodded, a mournful expression on the features of his spirit form. *Every few decades some of our people decide to mount an expedition deep into the Astral to expand our knowledge of the realm. Those that are not dissuaded from such foolishness never return, their spirits lost forever and their bodies withered to lifeless husks.*

*What the fuck are those things?* Alyssa asked, suppressing an involuntary shiver. *I'd only been looking around for a few minutes when they came after me!*

*There are many ancient beings that lurk in the Astral,* Ularean replied quietly. *Most are old beyond our reckoning. They are drawn to powerful psychic presences and you are more potent than any amongst us. It does not surprise me that they sought you out so quickly.*

Alyssa thought about that for a moment. *I've not had that problem before when doing spirit walks to read people's minds, so why now?*

*The kind of trip into the Astral plane you describe barely touches the surface,* Talari explained. *But your spirit form seems even more imposing than last I saw you, so it might be because you've grown stronger and thus present a more tempting lure.*

She frowned at his explanation, realising that if Talari was correct, it would severely hinder her ability to read minds. Shrugging off her irritation, Alyssa continued, *John keeps having these dreams, where he's sucked into what feels like some kind of nightmarish sub-plane. They started off just being very scary, but the last few times, the creatures in the mists have been trying to actually kill him. Do you know what that's about?*

Talari exchanged a terrified glance with Ularean. *Only a being of massive power is able to create a pocket-plane like you describe! John must have drawn the attention of something deep in the Astral plane... where the most ancient and terrible monsters dwell!*

Her brow furrowed in confusion. *But you keep telling me that I'm much stronger than you guys, so how come you were able to create the Ashanath Command Network?*

*The Ashanath Collective only maintain this sub-plane, Alyssa,* Talari carefully explained. *It was created by the Progenitor known as Mael'nerak. We are able to create tiny pockets within it, like this room, but no more.*

She sat back and looked around the room, her perception of the Astral pocket plane expanding as she studied it in fascination. Pushing out with her mind, she examined this sub-pocket, and saw how the Ashanath councillors had formed it from the ether - shaping and moulding it to their will. The room and all of its furnishings were simply mental projections given physical form within this astral reality.

Talari and Ularean watched her with their big black eyes, blinking rapidly in shock before glancing at one another, their expressions unreadable.

Alyssa sighed in frustration and turned her attention back to the Ashanath Councillors. *I wish I knew what Mael'nerak was up to. I remember you saying before that he was experimenting in collective consciousness...*

Talari spread his hands in a gesture of helplessness. *I am afraid I have no answers for you there, Alyssa. He never shared the deeper intent behind his experiments with the Ashanath.*

Ularean nodded, then asked curiously, *You mentioned that you had something you wished to speak with us about?*

Alyssa gave them an apologetic frown. *I just wanted to warn you that the Maliri fleet we were sending to protect you has been diverted. Unfortunately, John had to send them to help the Trankarans fight off a Kirrix invasion.*

*We have seen the footage of the battle, it has been broadcast many times around the Terran Federation,* Talari replied. *You were just as magnificent against the Kirrix as you were against the Drakkar.*

*Sorry for only telling you about this now,* Alyssa said, glancing at each of her hosts. *We didn't want to risk making this call via comms beacons, as the Terran Federation aren't fully aware of who or what John is, or his relationship with the Maliri or the Ashanath. That's why I wanted to try contacting you this way instead.*

*An apology is quite unnecessary,* Ularean said, his small mouth turning up into a smile. *Assisting the Trankarans is a noble endeavour and we would aid them too if we had the vessels to spare.*

*Chancellor Niskera has become the Trankaran Queen now and she's accepted our offer to join the alliance,* Alyssa informed them. *Once we stomp the bugs, then the Trankarans should be a big help against the other Progenitor.*

Talari smiled and said, *It feels fitting that Mael'nerak's creations are uniting to fight against the Progenitor who seeks to destroy his legacy.*

Alyssa nodded her agreement. *Speaking of which, there's another Maliri fleet on its way to you. It should arrive in ten days' time.*

*We greatly appreciate John continuing to honour his pledge of protection,* Ularean said, smiling at her in gratitude.

*How's everything been going after the battle?* Alyssa asked. *Any more problems with the Drakkar?*

*There has been no sign of Drakkar raider ships over the last two weeks, so we have come to the conclusion that all their spaceworthy vessels were included in the invasion,* Talari replied, sounding greatly relieved. *We also followed John's suggestion of speaking to the marooned Drakkar marines. They chose to accept our offer to enlist with our forces, accepting food as payment for their services. So far there have been no incidents of them attacking our people, but they are voracious carnivores and we have been forced to begin trading for meat to cater for their dietary requirements.*

Alyssa gave him a wry smile. *Yeah, might be time to branch out from the fungus caves. You probably don't want to run out of food for them...*

*That is sound advice,* Ularean readily agreed with a shudder. *We have taken steps to begin husbandry of huge herds of placid livestock. The arid worlds we favour are not ideally suited for such bovine herds, but there are numerous more suitable worlds within the Collective.*

*How about the repairs to your fleets?* she asked, relaxing in her chair.

Both councillors looked delighted as Talari replied, *With the wondrous new Psi-shapers that Dana created for us, even the lowliest of engineers are able to assist with repairs. All our surviving vessels are now fully operational and back in service! We have numerous teams working on ship designs for a new generation of spacecraft incorporating the marvellous technology you gave us and once their work is finished, we will start constructing those vessels.*

*If you want to show me the schematics next time, I'll try and figure out a way for Dana to give them the once over,* Alyssa offered, with an easy-going shrug. *I'm sure she'd love to see what you're working on and maybe offer you some pointers.*

*That would be a tremendous boon, thank you!* Talari exclaimed, his face lighting up in elation. *Dana has become somewhat of a legend amongst our people.*

Ularean's expression of delight was for another reason entirely. *You plan to return to visit us again?*

*I'd like to make it a regular thing,* Alyssa replied, giving him a warm smile. *But maybe next time you could give me a key to the front door? I'd rather not have another run-in with those monsters...*

*Now that you are familiar with this location, you should be able to just will yourself into the sub-plane,* Ularean replied, spreading his small hands in welcome. *There will always be scores of Ashanath within the Command Network and none would ever think of trying to bar your entry. Simply reach out with your mind towards the sub-plane as you did with me and whoever is present will guide you to us.*

*That sounds fantastic, thank you!* Alyssa replied with a grin. She rose to her feet, then continued, *I guess I better get back to John. He'll be worried I've been gone so long.*

*Please pass on our warmest regards to him,* Ularean said, rising to his feet. *Will he be returning with you too?*

*No, afraid not,* she replied, shaking her head. *He's got a few issues with spirit walking he needs to sort out, but maybe in the future. Until then, you'll just have to make do with little old me.*

*Basking in your radiant presence is always a joy, Alyssa,* Ularean said sincerely. *We shall await your return to us with heartfelt longing.*

*You silver-tongued rascal, Ularean,* the blonde said with a grin, suddenly hugging the Senior councillor.

Ularean blinked rapidly, his big black eyes gazing at her magnificent curves when Alyssa hugged Talari too. She waved both startled Ashanath goodbye, then willed herself back to her body.

***

John paced nervously beside Alyssa, who had been sitting cross-legged on the deck, her eyes shut, for the last half hour. He'd had a moment of panic when she began her spirit-walk when her breathing had quickened, eyes flickering back and forth behind her eyelids, appearing to be in some kind of trouble. Fortunately, that had quickly passed and the blonde had settled down, seemingly at peace.

"Has Alyssa stirred at all?" Calara called over to him, the girls waiting patiently for any signs of attack

"Nothing yet," he replied, squatting down beside the young woman and searching her face for any sign of distress.

Alyssa's bright-blue eyes snapped open a second later. "Boo!"

John jumped in surprise, then chuckled and offered her a hand as he straightened up. "You little vixen... it's a good job you're wearing tickle-proof armour." When the grinning blonde was standing again, he held her close. "I was getting worried, you were gone a long time. Did you run into any trouble?"

"I had a close call with those mist monsters, but I got through to the Ashanath afterwards," she replied, giving him a reassuring smile. "It was a useful trip and it's given me an interesting idea for a way we can handle the Astral creatures."

"Really? What have you got in mind?" he replied, looking intrigued.

She patted him on his armoured faceplate. "I'll have a quick chat about it with Athena and tell you all about it later, but first let's get out of this gear. I've contacted Edraele and the Maliri are on their way back; we're not in any danger now."

John relaxed and beckoned the girls over to join them, all equally as glad as him to see Alyssa back safe and sound. The group filed out of the big hangar, with the conversation turning to far more pressing matters, such as excited speculation about Leena's impending motherhood...

***

Grand Prelate Melkadian had a grim smile of satisfaction on his face, as he studied the Tactical Map from the Bridge of the Vengeance of Hera. He watched the invasion armada assembling into formation on the outskirts of the Iota-Leonis systems, glancing over the ship designations of the vessels that comprised that mighty force.

The bulk of the formation were drawn from the regular Kintark navy, but the entire reserve fleet of Praetorian Guard took pride of place in the centre, easily identifiable by the gold markings on their shimmering green armour. The Kintark forces had been drawn from every corner of the empire, even going so far as utilising training vessels, red chevrons on the rear of a formation of cruisers identified them as such. The vast throng of green Kintark vessels was awe-inspiring, all of them assembled to crush the Terrans.

What had once been a Federation stronghold had been reduced to a broken, burning ruin. Their once-mighty starbase had been destroyed, as had over a dozen fuel refineries, along with the entirety of the Dragon March fleet. Everywhere he looked within the system were the broken and shattered hulks of Terran ships and installations. By contrast, the Kintark had lost a mere handful of vessels, the losses trivial when considering the glorious victory they had just achieved. It was yet more proof of the superiority of reptilian life over the weak warm-bloods. An occasional bright flash of green lit up the map as Kintark fighters gunned down the last remaining escape pods, ensuring that the Terran massacre was complete.

"Is that really necessary?" Admiral Leonard Norwood asked, a pained expression on his face as he gestured towards the Tactical Map. "I still don't see why we couldn't accept their surrender..."

"We cannot afford to weaken our forcesss by guarding prisssonersss," Melkadian replied, turning to look at the traitorous Terran. "Unfortunately, sssuch ssstepsss are necesssary to forge the new Republic you wisssh to create. You were forced into sssimilar actionsss when you turned on the loyal ssshipsss in your own fleet, were you not?"

Norwood hung his head in shame and nodded.

"Jussst think of the billionsss of people you'll be sssaving from the tyranny of High Command," Melkadian said, his tone gentle and sympathetic. "It isss tragic that thossse persssonnel were killed, but ssso many more will be sssaved by their sssacrifice."

"Yes, it is for the greater good," Norwood agreed, lifting his head again, new resolve in his eyes.

"Exactly," the Grand Prelate said, placing a clawed hand on the Terran's shoulder. "Sssoon we will dessstroy the corrupt Federation and bring forth a bright future for your people."

Norwood smiled at him, hope shining in his eyes. "Humanity has suffered for too long under High Command's oppression. I just wish that..." his voice trailed away into a heavy sigh.

"Wisssh what, my friend?" Melkadian asked curiously.

"I knew a remarkable woman once, but now she's gone... I just wish she was here to see her dreams finally becoming reality," Norwood said, a wistful look on his face.

The Grand Prelate was quiet for a moment. "I mourn her losss with you, for ssshe mussst have been a rare visssionary."

"That she was," Norwood agreed, grief shadowing his face. His expression darkened as he snarled, "At least until John Blake killed her!"

"He hasss grievousssly wronged my people too," Melkadian said, his voice grim. "We will sssee him brought to jussstice for hisss horrific crimesss."

Norwood nodded, his eyes burning with anger.

Melkadian gently patted the Terran admiral's shoulder. "You have the Kintark Empire'sss deepessst gratitude for your asssissstance. Sssending advance ssshipsss around the Terran flank through Brimorian Ssspace was a ssstroke of geniusss."

Smiling at last, Norwood brightened as he said, "I knew the Brimorian border would be lightly defended, at least compared to the Dragon March. We were lucky that High Command hadn't bothered changing the location of the probes in their sensor net after I defected, but that's only to be expected for such lazy and inept leadership." He frowned and added, "But it looked like at least one ship got away. High Command will know we're coming."

"You have sssaid it yourself, they do not have enough ssshipsss guarding the Core Worldsss to be able to ssstop usss," Melkadian said with smug satisfaction. "With the extra time you bought usss, they are doomed."

"We will crush High Command once and for all," Norwood agreed, a gleam in his eyes. "Then the Kintark Empire and the Terran Republic will stand shoulder-to-shoulder in an unbreakable alliance!"

"Quite ssso," Melkadian agreed, then bowed to the admiral. "I ssshall leave you to sssavour your victory, my friend, for I have important dutiesss to attend to."

Norwood returned his bow, then returned to studying the Tactical Map.

Melkadian barely managed to suppress his sneer of contempt as he turned and left the Bridge. An alliance? With that gullible fool? The only thing the Terran Federation would be good for once the Kintark were done with their conquest, was supplying billions of slaves for the betterment of the Empire! He couldn't wait to see the look on the traitor's face when he realised he'd doomed his own people to a pitiful life in chains.

The Grand Prelate's callous laughter echoed down the corridor as he entered his chambers. Melkadian was eager to speak to the Emperor to report their overwhelming success. He was sure to be most pleased!

***

John awoke after a couple of hours to find himself wrapped around a lithe Maliri girl, his hand resting on her swollen belly. He slowly caressed her rounded curves, marvelling at the thought of a new life growing inside this beautiful, remarkable woman. After Alyssa had explained to the group what had transpired on the Astral plane, he'd spent the rest of the morning in bed with Leena, getting to know her better both as a person and a lover. It had culminated with her riding him to a spectacular climax, gazing adoringly into his eyes as they conceived their first child together.

"I feel different," Leena whispered, revealing that she was already awake, her slender fingers brushing over the back of his hand.

He leaned closer and kissed her blue shoulder, relishing the warm softness of her skin. "It's a huge step for both of us, becoming parents. I'm biased of course, but I think you'll make a wonderful mother."

She snuggled back against him with a happy sigh, then shook her head, the imperceptible movement only noticeable because she was resting her white mane of hair on his arm. "No, I feel connected to you... Not just emotionally, the sensation feels so much more powerful than that..."

John hesitated then said softly, "You know that the closer we get, the stronger my psychic connection to you becomes. I promise you though, that wasn't the reason why-"

"I like it," she said, interrupting him, then turning so that she could study his face. "The two of us are permanently linked now and I'm making you stronger because of it. I like it a lot..."

He saw the question in her eyes and, pulling her closer, he whispered in her pointed ear, "You want to know how I feel, now that you're permanently connected to me? You're a loyal, intelligent, perceptive, loving woman... I couldn't be happier!"

Leena looked blissfully content as she revelled in his generous praise, but a flicker of embarrassment crossed her face.

John remembered what she'd told him earlier and kissed her to silence any objections. "You're worried I'll think badly of you, because you like hearing some well-deserved compliments?"

She blushed as he guessed correctly, then nodded, darting a worried glance up at him.

He gave her a tender kiss. "Well, I love seeing you smile, so I'm afraid you'll have to get used to it. Now, just rest, while I tell you how fantastic I think you are..."

The Maliri girl laughed, but she didn't protest when he did exactly that, whispering kind, honest, heartfelt words to her. Leena might have watched John closely on Genthalas, but he'd spent a couple of weeks getting to know her too and had very much liked what he'd seen. Her light-green eyes softened and filled with emotion as he talked about all the ways he admired her, and she practically glowed as she listened to his litany of praise. Unfortunately, John's neglected stomach interrupted with an obnoxiously loud rumble, voicing its protest at the lack of lunch.

"Sorry about that," he said with a grin.

She giggled and shook her head. "I'm not surprised you're hungry, you were very energetic earlier..."

*Come to the Officers' Lounge and we'll take care of you,* Edraele said a moment later, sounding absolutely delighted with him.

Leena smiled as she felt Edraele's surge of positive emotions wash over her, then tilted up her head and kissed him. "Go and enjoy your lunch. I had a really wonderful time with you today, thank you for everything."

"You're not coming too?" John asked in surprise.

The Maliri girl shook her head and ran her hand over her curved abdomen. "You fed me earlier to get me ready, remember? Besides, there's someone on their way who requested a cuddle in bed..."

John heard bare feet padding down the corridor and recognised Jade's loping run before she swept into the bedroom. The Nymph grinned at them both as she bounded over to the bed and didn't waste any time wrapping the Maliri girl in a warm hug.

"I'd love to take care of your beautiful mate for you, Master!" she offered, then started purring in delight.

He gave them both a kiss, smiling at Jade as she embraced Leena, the Nymph murmuring loving words to the Maliri girl as she rocked her gently and stroked her back.

After dressing, John glanced at the ship's chronometer on the wall, and blinked when he realised it was nearly four in the afternoon. He headed for the Officers' Lounge and was surprised to see all the girls sitting around the table, extra chairs brought in to accommodate everybody. "You're all eating late, aren't you?"

"We had a light lunch earlier while you were busy with Leena. Everyone wanted to join you for an early dinner," Alyssa said, waving him over to his table. "The Maliri girls have been hard at work in the kitchen..."

John walked over to his customary seat at the head of the table, his eyes lighting up at the feast of exotic dishes spread out before him. "I can't believe Jade's voluntarily missing out on a Maliri banquet... the food looks amazing!"

*It's not every day I get to cuddle one of your mates when she has your baby growing in her womb!* the Nymph replied, sounding elated.

Tsarra smiled in greeting as she brought him a plate and cutlery. "Don't worry, we'll save her some."

"Hello, you two," John said with a grin, pulling her into his arms. Her slender blue tummy was revealed by the oval cut in her dress, so he kissed her below her navel, then lifted Tsarra so that she was sitting sideways across his lap and kissed her too. He looked back at the group and couldn't help smiling when he saw the doe-eyed looks on all the beautiful faces around the table. "Only a few more months and you'll all get your turn..."

That broke the quiet wistful mood and everyone dove into the bevy of different dishes, excited chatter filling the air. Tsarra looked at him questioningly for a moment, just in case John wanted her to move before he started dinner, but he held her tighter making it clear she wasn't going anywhere. It was a very pleasant meal and as he enjoyed the delicious food, he took a moment to enjoy the ambiance, watching as Edraele's and Alyssa's girls chattered away comfortably together. It was like getting a fleeting glimpse of the future with all these wonderful women and he hugged Tsarra closer, very much enjoying that thought.

One particular conversation drew his interest and he listened to Sakura and Luna discussing the finer points of swordsmanship. The discussion led to Sakura challenging Luna to a sparring session after dinner, which was eagerly accepted by the yellow-eyed Maliri assassin. Although John was fascinated to know who would win that fight, he knew he'd be entertaining one of the three remaining Young Matriarchs that evening. They seemed to have everything pre-arranged already, so he glanced around the table, wondering which of those beautiful Maliri girls he would be with next.

Kali gave him a cute grin then blushed, Nyrelle was busy undressing him with her smouldering eyes, while Valani met his curious gaze, studying him in fascination.

It was the House Naestina Matriarch who spoke up, Valani smiling as she said, "I'd be interested to watch them too, if you'd like some company?"

"Really? You wouldn't mind?" he asked in surprise.

Rachel laughed and rolled her eyes. "You're planning on taking her to see a swordfight for your first date? How romantic!"

The rest of the girls laughed and John actually flushed with embarrassment, which generated even more laughter and plenty more jokes at his expense.

When the playful teasing had subsided, Valani said, "I really would like to watch them with you. I know you enjoy honing your martial skills, so I was hoping you could explain some of the finer points of the duel to me?"

"I'd love to," John replied, smiling at her in relief and genuinely looking forward to it.

Her teal eyes twinkled as she returned his smile, then Valani went back to watching him eating his dinner, as John enjoyed trying all the spicy dishes until he felt pleasantly full.

"You really were hungry," Tsarra noted, brushing her fingers through his hair. "It was lovely to see you enjoying my cooking."

"Which ones were yours?" he asked.

It turned out that the Maliri girls had prepared specialities from each of their Houses, all of which had been delicious. He didn't hesitate to compliment the respective chefs, much to their delight, and dinner concluded on a high note.

John caught Sakura's eager glance, so he glanced up at Tsarra and said, "You've been lovely company, but I need to go and make a practice sword for Luna... Unless you'd like to come along too?"

Tsarra shook her head. "Enjoy some time with Valani, I've monopolised more than my fair share of your attention already. Besides, I'm busy working on something at the moment..."

"Sounds intriguing," John said, offering a hand to help her off his lap. "Are you deliberately keeping it a secret?"

She nodded and moved aside to give him room to stand. "It's a surprise for tomorrow!"

"I can't wait to see it," he said, giving her a parting kiss. Turning back to look at the girls, he continued, "I'm going to head down to the Cargo Bay to get some Invictium alloy. Are you ladies ready?"

Luna and Sakura were up like a shot, both eager to start the sparring match. "We'll meet you in the Dojo!" the Asian girl replied. "This'll be a great opportunity for Luna to get some practice wearing Paragon armour."

"Great, I'll see you both there," he agreed, watching as the two former assassins strolled out of the lounge at a brisk pace.

Valani was more demure, but only by a fraction, as she glided over to link arms with John. "I'm ready whenever you are," she said, big eyes gazing up at him.

He shared a smile with her, then followed the other two girls towards the grav-tube. John gave Alyssa and Edraele a parting glance before he left, asking, *Any problems while I was... occupied... with Leena?*

*We'd have told you if there were,* Alyssa said, making a shooing gesture with her hand. *You just focus on giving that sexy girl the best time of her life!*

Edraele nodded, a dazzling smile on her face. *Leena is ecstatic! It's wonderful seeing these girls so happy!*

*How are you coping with all the extra psychic energy?* John asked, as he escorted Valani into the grav-tube.

*The love-drunk is just a bit giddy at the moment,* Edraele replied, sounding faintly embarrassed.

*See if you can really do a number on Valani tonight!* Alyssa urged him. *It's fun seeing Edraele losing control like that!*

John couldn't help smiling as he said, *I'll do my best...*

Valani glanced up at him, the red glow from the anti-gravity field casting a purple hue over her blue features. "What's making you smile, John?"

He guided her out of the grav-tube when they reached Deck Nine. "Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude. I was just listening to banter from Alyssa and Edraele."

"What's it like having them both in your head all the time?" she asked, looking intrigued. "Edraele doesn't use telepathy with us too often. She only speaks to me that way when she wants us to gather together, that kind of thing."

*It feels rude to be intruding in your thoughts all the time,* Edraele explained gently, including John in her telepathic reply. *I'm always listening in case either of you get anxious about anything, but I don't like to constantly remind you of it.*

Valani looked touched and John smiled at her as he opened the cargo bay door. "Let's just say that Edraele's approach differs considerably to Alyssa's..."

He could feel the blonde's amusement over their empathic bond but she chose not to comment.

Walking towards the storage crates, John blocked both Matriarchs from his mind for a moment and said, "To answer your original question, I really enjoy it. Alyssa's teasing can be a bit maddening at times, but I know her heart's in the right place. Jade speaks to me that way now too and the three of them are always trying to make my life better in whatever way they can."

"Like a guardian angel watching over your shoulder?" Valani replied, nodding thoughtfully. "That's how it feels for me with Edraele."

"Alyssa's sometimes more like a naughty devil trying to lead me astray, but yeah, that's it exactly," John said with a smile. He frowned then and added, "I really missed Edraele when she was in cryo. Not hearing her voice for a week was awful."

She squeezed his hand and nodded her understanding. "It's really hard being separated from the ones we care about."

He turned and brushed his fingers against her cheek. "I'm really sorry that we'll be parting ways again. I promise you it's not by choice." He paused for a moment, letting his Matriarchs back in his mind, then continued, "I spoke to Tsarra about our future living arrangements; did she mention that to you at all?"

Valani's teal eyes shimmered with excitement. "It was one of the first things she told us! I'd assumed that eventually we would rule our Houses from our homeworlds. Is it really true, that you want all of us living with you on Valaden?"

"I want to be with you wherever we end up," John said, pulling her closer. "If we're going to have children together, then I want to be there to help raise them." He winked at her and added, "Plus you're lovely. I've always really enjoyed your company."

"You're so different from Maliri males," she murmured, shaking her head in amazement. She giggled then, putting her hand over her mouth as she shook with laughter.

"What's so funny?" he asked, surprised by her sudden mirth.

She stood on tiptoe and kissed him. "I was just imagining how my mother would have reacted if she knew I was planning on ruling House Naestina from Valaden! She must be turning in her grave!"

"I take it you two weren't close?" John asked, feeling a surge of guilt for the events that had seen this girl's mother and sisters assassinated.

"Don't feel guilty, please, I won't be shedding any tears for Tinefain," Valani insisted, accurately reading the flicker of emotion she'd seen on his face. "My mother wasn't a nice person, nor were my elder sisters... far from it in fact. At least one of them tried to have me poisoned on a couple of occasions. Tinefain might not have been behind the attempts on my life, but she was definitely aware of them. She was fond of my elder sisters and found it... amusing. If Edraele hadn't intervened the way she had, I'd probably be dead by now."

"That's no way to live, worrying that the people you should be able to rely on the most, are the ones trying to kill you," John said, gently stroking her back.

"My life's so different now, wonderful in ways I'd never even imagined before," she said with a happy sigh. "I feel safe and loved, and actually have hope for the future, for the first time I can remember."

"I was furious with Edraele for what she did, but she always understood Maliri society a lot better than I ever have," John said, struggling to reconcile the idea that assassination of those dozen noblewomen might actually have been a good thing. "I would have done my best to stop all the murders and assassinations, but it would have taken me time... time you obviously didn't have."

"Thank you for saving my life, even if it was by accident," she said, giving him a tender kiss.

They gazed into each other's eyes for a moment, the atmosphere between them electric. John felt goosebumps rising on his arms and he could see that she felt it too.

*Sorry to interrupt, but Luna and Sakura are waiting for you,* Edraele gently reminded them both.

He smiled at Valani and reluctantly pulled away. "I'm beginning to regret my decision to watch this duel..."

"You can make it up to me later," she said softly, stroking slender fingers across the strong muscles of his forearm.

He turned back to the storage crates and lifting the lid from one, drew out an orb of glistening black Invictium metal. The alloy changed colour as he applied his will to it, the black swept away by swirls of white that soon encompassed the entire globe. It was easy to shape it into a replica of the blades he'd forged for Almari and Ilyana, figuring that he could make some changes later if Luna wasn't happy with it. Glancing at the container with crystal Alyssium inside, he beckoned out a similar weight of the sparkling white alloy and willed it into a replica of the Invictium blade that hung motionless in the air.

"It's like watching magic..." Valani breathed, her eyes wide in awe. "I can't believe that you're able to just manipulate the metal with your mind... even with the evidence right here in front of me!"

"It does come in handy," John said with a grin, reaching for the swords. He paused for a second and asked Edraele, *Do you know if Valani had any pets growing up? Preferably one that wasn't murdered by a psychopathic sibling?*

An image of a small, colourful bird filled his mind a second later. *It's called a Striped Tordove; they're very intelligent creatures and capable of mimicking speech.*

Leaving the levitating swords for a moment, he beckoned some more of the crystal Alyssium over and began to go to work. The hours he'd spent practicing the intricate craftsmanship required for the engagement rings had really refined his sense of telekinetic control and he was able to create an exact replica of the bird, small enough to fit in the palm of his hand. Plucking it from the air, he studied it for a moment, nodding with satisfaction.

John turned and handed it to Valani with a smile. "A small token of my affection."

Her face lit up in delight as she studied the tiny bird. "It's a Tordove! I've always loved those birds, I actually owned one as a child."

On a whim, he narrowed his eyes, reaching into the metal with his mind. Crystal Alyssium was white after all, so perhaps with a little encouragement...

Valani watched in astonishment as a bright bloom of colour spread out through the metal, with blues, oranges, and greens recreating the tiny bird's resplendent plumage. John painted a distinctive band of yellow across its wings, which forked half-way down.

"It looks just like Ruvyn!" she gasped, cradling the delicate sculpture as if it was the most precious thing in the world. "How did you know?!"

"A little bird told me," he said with a self-conscious smile. "Do you really like it?"

She hugged him tight, showering him with kisses. "I love it! Thank you so much!"

"You're welcome," he replied, enjoying the feel of her soft lips brushing his skin.

Valani pulled back a little then glanced at the swords. "Come on, I don't want to wait for... the duel... any longer than we have to!"

John knew exactly how she felt and he grasped the two swords and fell into step beside her as they walked briskly across the Cargo Bay. He glanced at her as they stepped into the grav-tube, appreciating just how beautiful the Maliri were, with Valani a particularly gorgeous example of her species. He'd been surrounded by stunning women for the last several months, all of whom were very eager to provide him instant sexual gratification whenever he wanted, so it felt exciting to savour that thrill of anticipation for a change. He could see by the look in Valani's eyes that the feeling was very much reciprocated.

Transferring both swords to his left hand, he held out his right to her as they walked out of the gravity field onto Deck Three. She gently squeezed his fingers and gave him a shy but intriguing smile, made all the more alluring by her rapidly building confidence. They shared flirtatious glances as they entered the equipping room and John paused to kiss her hand and share a smile with Valani before they entered the main Dojo.

Luna and Sakura were there waiting for them, both women wearing full suits of Paragon armour, although his Security Chief was currently holding her helmet under one arm. The Maliri was hovering a foot off the ground, experimenting with the anti-gravity repulsors built into the armour's calves and forearms. Sakura spotted the new arrivals and she turned to wave to them, with Luna landing a couple of seconds later and greeting John with a respectful bow.

"I'll be right back," John said to the Naestina Matriarch, then strode across the mats to the two assassins and gave them an apologetic smile. "Sorry to keep you ladies waiting."

"You're forgiven," Sakura replied, darting a glance at his young companion and winking at her. She leaned towards John and whispered, "Valani's lovely, isn't she?"

He nodded. "Very. Thank you for looking after her."

"You're welcome!" she replied, a twinkle in her brown eyes.

Turning his attention to Luna, he saw that the assassin was studying the two blades with a great deal of interest.

She realised he was focusing on her and blushed as she met his gaze. "Sorry, I couldn't help but be intrigued."

"They're both for you," John said, handing her the Invictium sword first. "This is made from an older alloy Dana created. It's not as strong as the white armour, so it'll be ideal for training. Have a quick practice with it then let me know what changes you'd like me to make."

Luna nodded her understanding, taking the sword in a firm one-handed grip. She stepped away a few paces to give herself room, then began to twirl the blade around, the movements effortlessly fluid and graceful. It was like the sword was merely an extension of her own arm, she swung it with such comfortable expertise.

After a minute of practice with her eyebrows furrowed in concentration, Luna lowered the sword, then walked back to join them. "It's a very nice blade, but there are a few alterations I'd like to make if that's okay?"

"Of course, I can change it however you want," John said indulgently.

"Please could you slightly thicken the crossguard, but make it narrower, then make the grip just a little thinner and add that mass to the pommel," she requested, studying the white sword with her intense yellow eyes.

John gestured for her to hold up the sword. "Okay, let go and I'll make some tweaks."

She did as he asked and he made the changes she'd requested to the mental image he'd formed in his mind. Levitating the Invictium sword from her open palm, he melted the metal then reshaped it to match the new design. When he floated it over to her, she grasped the hilt and took a couple of experimental swings, then glanced at him again a question in her eyes.

"What next?" he asked, giving her an encouraging smile.

"Please could you take a millimetre of depth from the blade and lengthen it with the same mass of metal?"

When she held out the sword for him again, he updated the image in his mind and effortlessly reshaped the blade to her specifications. This time when she took the sword, she balanced it on a fingertip just before the crossguard, then nodded with satisfaction. Bouncing the blade up in the air, she snatched it in her gauntleted fist, then lunged forward, arm fully extended. When he saw the smile spreading across her face, John realised she was happy with the end result.

"Have fun, ladies," John said, backing away as Sakura drew her ninjato.

He began reshaping the crystal Alyssium sword as he walked across the dojo to join Valani, only forming a replica of the newly designed Invictium blade when he was up to deca-shaped. Satisfied with his handiwork, he placed the weapon on the ground, then sat with his back to the wall, resting against a teakwood beam even though it was merely a holograph. He glanced up at Valani then patted the space between his legs.

Valani stood before him and slowly sank to her knees, giving him a fascinating view of her statuesque figure as she descended to eye-level with him. She placed a delicate kiss on his lips, then turned to sit in front of him, leaning back against his chest. "Is that what you had in mind?" she asked coyly over her shoulder.

He took a firm grasp of her hips and smiled when he heard her sharp intake of breath. He guided her backwards, so she that she could feel the heat of his erection between her firm cheeks. "There, that's much better," he replied, releasing her hips and encircling her waist in his arms. "Is that comfortable for you?"

"Mmm hmm," she purred, shifting her weight slightly and tensing her buttocks to grip his shaft.

There was a ring of metal against metal and John glanced over Valani's shoulder at the two armoured women in the centre of the dojo. They hadn't started fighting yet, merely touched blades to draw his attention, with warm but very different smiles on their faces. He expected to see amusement from Sakura, but Luna's wistful smile tugged at his heartstrings.

Seeing that they had his full attention now, the two girls backed away, squaring off against one another. They shared identical builds and were wearing matching armour, but Sakura was dual-wielding her twin ninjato, while Luna favoured a longer single-edged Maliri blade. John had sparred with the Asian girl many times before, so he decided to focus his attention on the Maliri assassin.

Watching Ilyana move had been fascinating, her decades of expertise with Kerith'merane, the Maliri form of martial arts, giving her a deadly grace. Luna was something else entirely. She held her sword in a loose, casual grip, appearing almost nonchalant about facing her opponent, but her unsettling yellow-eyed gaze never wavered from Sakura. Something about her stance sent a shiver up John's spine. It was like watching a prowling great cat; she might have appeared indifferent to Sakura, but he knew that at any moment this predator could spring into instant action.

Sakura was the one who initiated the duel, as he expected she would. The Asian girl favoured a very aggressive fighting technique and while she wasn't using her psychic abilities, he'd literally pumped up her body to the very limits of Terran physical capabilities. She had an edge in speed, agility, and raw strength over her Maliri opponent, advantages she intended to make full use of.

Her initial onslaught came in a blistering flurry of strikes, the twin ninjato whipping around to stab and slash at Luna, but each one was blocked by a sweep of the Maliri's blade. Compared to the frenetic Asian girl, it seemed like the Maliri assassin was moving in slow motion, but her dancing blade always managed to parry just in time. The three swords moved in a blur, with the occasional trail of sparks accompanying the sharp ring of metal on metal. Luna stayed on the defensive, adjusting, watching, and waiting, her eyes never blinking as she blocked each pounding hit.

Twirling both swords around her wrists, Sakura swept in again, then pivoted at her waist and attacked with both blades in a double horizontal slash. Luna's eyes took in everything about her opponent, and while she couldn't move quite as fast as the Terran girl, she didn't have to. Ducking low in a move that seemed as easy as falling, she whipped her sword around and caught Sakura's lowest blade in a scything parry.

Swirling her longer blade over and across Sakura's forearm then tugging down, Luna used her opponent's momentum against her. Even though Sakura was the stronger of the two, the ninjato twisted awkwardly from her grasp and skittered across the dojo, before hitting the wall with a clang. Sakura lurched backwards, eyes wide in astonishment as she took up a defensive stance.

Luna straightened, then calmly approached the reeling girl, making several looping swipes that Sakura had no trouble parrying. John knew the result of this bout was now a foregone conclusion, as Sakura hated fighting defensively, particularly after being reduced to one-blade. It was still chilling to watch Luna ruthlessly close her opponent down, preventing Sakura from running to retrieve her second sword and attacking with lazy playful swings just to keep Sakura backing away.

Eventually she hemmed her into a corner using those wide slashes, before suddenly lunging forward and catching the Asian girl off-guard. Sakura reacted very quickly, but even with her lightning-fast reflexes she was unable to move quickly enough to stop Luna's long blade from stabbing her in the chest, a killing blow that won the match.

Sakura gaped at her in shock, then grinned as she shook her head in admiration. "I've never felt so outclassed by an opponent before! Your skill with a blade is incredible!"

Luna smiled back at her and inclined her head. "I've had a lot of time to practice."

Sakura bounded off to retrieve her fallen blade and the two women faced one another again, starting a second round. It quickly became apparent that despite the Asian girl's physical advantages, what she didn't have were six decades spent honing her swordmastery to perfection. John watched enthralled as they fought several matches, and while the subsequent bouts were closer, Luna eventually eviscerated Sakura in every single one. It was a joy to watch the Maliri girl in action, and he'd never seen a man nor woman more attuned with their blade.

Valani let out a very quiet sigh and John glanced down at her, seeing her watching him with a shadow of sadness in her eyes. "I'm so sorry!" he exclaimed, feeling mortified for ignoring her. "I just... I've never seen anyone..." He paused and took a deep breath. "That was very rude of me, I'm really sorry for not paying you the attention you deserve."

"That's okay," she said quietly, looking forlorn.

"No, it isn't," he insisted, standing up and helping her rise as well. He glanced over at Sakura and Luna who had paused their fight to watch their audience. "Luna, that was extremely impressive! Sakura, try and learn everything you can!"

Luna bowed her head to him, while Sakura gave him a sharp salute with her sword, but her rich brown eyes were watching his companion with concern. John walked with Valani out of the dojo and saw her visibly shake herself out of her sombre mood.

"I'm quite alright, there's nothing to worry about," she said brightly, clasping his hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze.

John hesitated as they entered the equipping room, then turned and led the Maliri girl through to the bedroom, where he walked over to the comfortable chair set in the corner. Valani didn't resist as he guided her into the seat, only turning away from him for a second to place the colourful Tordove sculpture on the side-table, before giving John her full attention. Her eyes widened with surprise when he knelt before her.

"We have such a short time together this trip and I really wanted to make it special for you," John said, suddenly feeling embarrassed at the way he was seeing the Young Matriarchs one after the other. "I promise I didn't mean to ignore you like that, I just... I've always been fascinated by martial arts and recently, swordfighting's become a minor obsession of mine. It's no excuse, but I've never seen anyone fight like Luna before and I let myself get sucked in, when I should have been giving you my full attention. I really am sorry."

She brushed her fingers through his hair, an ambivalent smile on her face. "You're so earnest... I've never had anyone care about my feelings like this before."

He could see that flicker of sadness in her eyes again, so he said, "Let's just put this down to a really terrible first date. If you can forgive me for behaving that way, then perhaps I can make it up to you by giving you the whole day tomorrow instead?"

Valani shook her head, then leaned forward to give him a tender kiss. "Please stop apologising, I wasn't upset at you for being absorbed by the fight." She bit her lip anxiously, then admitted, "I just realised how much you admire these amazing warrior women you've surrounded yourself with. I was in awe when I saw all of you in action against the Kirrix, but now I can't help feeling sad because I know I could never be like them; I won't ever get to see that same look of admiration in your eyes."

John sat back on his heels and studied her for a long moment. "Do you know what I find so refreshing about being with you? Aside from the fact that you're a lovely, beautiful girl."

She shook her head, looking intrigued.

He blocked his matriarchs from his mind, then clasped her hands in his and said softly, "I can look at you without feeling any guilt. I still regret what happened to your family, but if it really was a choice between saving your life or theirs, I would have ordered Edraele to go ahead with those assassinations. That's the first time I've ever genuinely felt that."

Her brows furrowed in confusion. "Surely you don't feel any guilt towards Sakura, or the rest of those girls? I've seen how much you adore them and I know they feel the same way about you."

John gave her a sad smile. "You're right, I do love them... but... I've turned them into my soldiers. I know none of them have any reservations about the changes I've made, but it still doesn't alter the fact that I need them for the fights to come. They're a battle-hardened crew of combat veterans and half of those girls are still teenagers! I never wanted this life for any of them, Sakura least of all."

"What's different about Sakura?" Valani asked softly, her fingers stroking his head.

"She could have had a life away from all this relentless fighting and carnage," he said with regret. "I really tried to get her to consider a fresh start, sending her back to university with the memories of all the awful things that had happened to her erased. She was too absorbed with her grief for her parents and obsessed with revenge for me to get through to her, so I bowed to her wishes and honed her into the lethal weapon she is today..."

The Maliri girl studied him for a moment. "I've spent a lot of time with Sakura recently and we've been very open with each other. I don't think she has even the slightest feeling of regret about the path she's chosen. She even told me how proud she was of all the lives she's saved; that she's made more difference in the months she's been with you, than she ever could have done working for a lifetime as a lawyer. She trains so hard because she wants to be the best instrument of Justice she can be, and she does it all for you."

"I know..." John said, his expression filled with remorse.

Valani leaned forward, staring at him intently. "What is it, John? There's something you're not telling me..."

He wasn't able to meet her eyes and he looked away. "Sakura's unquestioningly loyal, it's one of the reasons I've made her so powerful... She's stronger than the others, except Alyssa and maybe Jade. If I order her to do what really needs to be done, I know I can count on her. Alyssa would try to save me, even if it was hopeless, and I'm Jade's Master... I don't know if she could even do it."

"What would you ask her to do?" Valani whispered, dreading the answer.

"When I challenge my Progenitor guide, there can only be one winner. Either I'll destroy him or he'll destroy me..." John clenched his hand into a fist and snarled, "I'll be damned if I let that bastard hurt any of you girls. If I lose, then Sakura will be my contingency plan. She'll finish him for me..."

Valani stared at him in horror, frantically shaking her head. "You can't... it'll destroy her! She loves you too much!"

"I know," John said, the black tide of guilt rising up and threatening to sweep him away. "But there's no other way. If he wins, I'll already be dead... she'll just be staking my corpse."

"Oh, John!" she cried, falling into his arms. "How can you even think like that?!"

He put his arms around her and stroked her back, a bemused smile on his face as he gazed unseeing into the distance. "You know, you're actually the only person I've spoken to about this. Not Alyssa, not Edraele... they know of course, they've heard me thinking about it, but they can't even face the idea. That's why it has to be Sakura... even knowing what it will cost her."

"I had no idea," she murmured in his ear, her tears wet against his cheeks. "I thought being a Matriarch was a burden, but you're trying to be the Maliri's Protector while you've got this hanging over your head!"

"If you've changed your mind about having a child with me, I totally understand. As much as I might wish otherwise, my promises of looking after you forever could end up being pretty hollow..."

She pulled back and stared intently into his eyes. "No, never! Edraele told us what we're doing for you; how these new connections make you stronger, giving you massive amounts of psychic energy to face our enemies. I finally understand... you need me as much as I want you!"

"It's not a question of need," John replied shaking his head. "You don't have to do anything out of any sense of obligation."

Valani lifted her chin, a look of firm resolve in her eyes. "I've loved you from the first moment I saw you... but it was like being infatuated with a god. For the first time, I feel like I can really help you." She shook with anger as she continued, "And I want to make you stronger, much stronger! You need to crush your Progenitor guide like a fucking bug! I want you to rip that bastard's head off, so you can have a future with me, our baby, all of us!"

John looked at her in surprise, startled by the ferocious vehemence in her voice and the sheer determination behind her words.

She blushed in return, suddenly feeling self-conscious. "I think I ended up channelling my mother for a moment there... I'm never that angry!"

He gave her a look of admiration. "I feel sorry for anyone who dares to cross you, Matriarch Valani of House Naestina. They'd be making a dreadful mistake."

Valani saw that look and swooned, hugging him tight. "I... I can't believe it..."

"Everyone has their part to play," John whispered in her ear. "You might not be swinging around a sword or shooting our enemies, but make no mistake... you're a very impressive woman. Not everyone could rise up to lead their House as you've done, especially at such a young-"

He wasn't able to finish his sentence as Valani smothered him with kisses. "We've wasted... enough... time..." she murmured between each kiss.

John rose to his feet with her in his arms and carried her to the bed. "I'm going to spend the rest of the evening making love to you, Valani. Then tonight, when you think you can't handle any more pleasure, we're going to make a baby together..."

Her teal eyes sparkled with passion, like sunlight reflecting off a flawless crystal-clear sea. "I'm going to make you mighty, my majestic Baen'thelas!"

***

Admiral Charles Harris strode along the bustling corridor, nodding to the junior officers he passed who threw him respectful salutes. He had an extra spring in his step and felt like some of the heavy burden of responsibility that John had given him had finally been lifted. Henry Voss had swept into Olympus Shipyard like a tornado, possessing almost supernatural vigour and drive for a man of his age. Backed by his army of technicians the refit had surged ahead at a phenomenal rate.

Charles strode through the double doors into Docking Bay Fourteen, the once under-resourced drydock having now become a furious hive of activity. Voss Corporation technicians were working in conjunction with military engineers and shipwrights, swarming over maintenance gantries as they installed state-of-the-art upgrades to the warship.

He paused to glance upwards at the huge imposing bulk of the battleship Nereus. Prior to the Battle of Regulus, it had previously sustained critical damage at the hands of the Kintark in the Dragon March, but you'd never have believed it looking at the vessel now. Its vast hull had been completely repaired, showing a flawless expanse of Titanium armour plating. All the gunports were currently open, while the turrets were deployed and exposed, making an impressive vessel look truly terrifying.

Walking over to the nearby maintenance lift, Charles climbed on, then nodded in gratitude to a handful of Navy engineers who had waited for him. They were standing around a grav-trolley stacked with long ship components, and not being an engineer himself, he glanced at the devices with interest.

Spotting his curious glance, one of the broad-shouldered men said with a grin, "They're top secret, Admiral, strictly need to know."

Charles smiled as he raised an eyebrow. "You could tell me, but then you'd have to kill me?"

The engineer laughed and nodded.

One of his fellow engineers elbowed the man in the ribs and said, "Sorry, Sir, don't mind Ratchins. These are the new heatsinks we reverse-engineered after Regulus; we're installing them in the starboard Beam Laser array."

Charles turned back towards the battleship as the lift brought them to the top of the gantry. "I saw the state the Nereus was in when they dragged her back here. You men are a credit to the Terran Federation; you should be very proud of yourselves for what you've accomplished here."

The engineers exchanged startled looks then saluted him sharply. "Thank you, Sir!" they replied, standing just a little bit taller.

"Carry on, men," Charles said, returning their salute.

The lift reached the uppermost level of the maintenance gantry and Charles walked across the metal decking, his boots ringing against steel. Just as he'd expected, Rear Admiral Richard Dacres was up on the gantry, surrounded by several engineers and one of the Voss senior technicians. Charles caught his eye, then turned to look out over the massive ship while he waited for his colleague to wrap up the numerous conversations he had going.

From this vantage point he was able to see that a section of the hull plating had been removed from the spine of the battleship, creating a large hole. A massive crane was slowly lowering a large spherical object into that space, with numerous technicians on grav-sleds monitoring the installation and passing on instructions. He was suddenly aware of someone standing beside him and he noted Dacres had joined him at the railing.

"Magnificent, isn't it?" Dacres said, gesturing towards the sphere.

"Good to see you, Richard. One of the new power cores?"

"You should see how much power those things can pump out," Dacres replied with a nod. "I couldn't believe my own eyes when I saw the energy efficiency ratios..."

Charles frowned as he watched the new core disappearing inside the Nereus' hull. "We've been after this kind of tech from the Ashanath for years, but I always thought it was too hard to crack the manufacturing process."

"I actually asked one of Energetica-Corp consultants about that. Apparently, these new power core blueprints have been redesigned, removing their reliance on 'deformable alloys', whatever that means. There's also been a significant number of other complex changes, which he explained at length and I struggled to follow. The bottom line is that we're able to mass produce them now." Dacres smiled as he added, "Mighty nice of the Ashanath to make those tweaks for us!"

Charles let out a dry chuckle, thinking of a certain perky young redhead. "It wasn't the Ashanath..."

Dacres looked startled and said, "I'd heard rumours that this tech came from the Lion. Surely you don't mean..."

"Yes, one of his lionesses made the changes," Charles said without any doubt.

"Well I'll be damned... they don't look much older than my daughter!"

"John seems to have quite a knack at finding talented young ladies," Charles said with a wry smile. He turned away from the Nereus to face the Rear Admiral. "Anyway, how goes the rest of the refit? Are we still on track to finish by the end of the month?"

Dacres laughed, giving him a broad grin. "More like end of the week! Putting all the Olympus engineers on ship repairs turned out to be a godsend. The fleet is almost fully repaired and while we wrap that up, Voss' people are installing all the new power cores, FTL drives, engines, retro-thrusters, and sensor arrays. We stripped huge numbers of heatsinks from the Kintark forces we captured at Regulus, so we didn't have to wait to manufacture those. Our engineers already installed most of them, but we've got a few more to go."

"Outstanding," Charles said, his own beaming smile matching the other officer's.

"I can't wait to see how the Nereus performs after this," Dacres said, a fond look in his eyes as he glanced at his battleship. "The old girl's going to have a real spring in her step!"

"The first in a new wave of ultra-advanced warships," Charles agreed. "We're already preparing to lay the keels for another six more battleships and twenty cruisers. As soon as this fleet is operational, we'll switch all our resources to constructing the next one."

Dacres hesitated, his brow furrowed in concern. "At the pace we're rolling out new ships, it won't be long until the bulk of our forces are stronger and faster than any of the neighbouring empires..." He stepped closer and whispered, "How long do you think it'll be before High Command picks a target and pulls the trigger?"

Charles was quiet for a long moment. "The last thing we need right now is another war with our neighbours. I'll do whatever I can to prevent that from happening."

"We could do with some peace after all the Kintark trouble," Dacres agreed, but he didn't sound very optimistic. "Something tells me High Command won't waste this opportunity. I think there's trouble on the horizon, Charles."

The two men stood together in silence, staring at the Nereus, until Dacres was called away by another group of engineers. He nodded to Charles, then left to talk to the refit crews.

Charles watched him leave and muttered under his breath, "You've got good instincts, Richard..."

***

Wave-Squire Talpo stared intently at the round Tactical Map in the centre of the battleship's bridge, hardly daring to blink as he tracked the large formation of golden spacecraft. Like the rest of the junior officers gathered around the map, he was watching the incredibly rapid progress of the alien warfleet as it raced through the Brimorian Enclave. Talpo was aboard the Swirl of Shallows, flagship of the Brimorian border fleet tasked with protecting this stretch of space from incursions by the treacherous Terran Federation.

Curling his webbed fingers into a fist, he slammed it down on the edge of the rounded tactical table. "I can't abide this outrage! They must be laughing at us as they sail unopposed through our territory!"

Talpo glanced around the table and saw the rest of the wave-squires nodding their heads in agreement. Their crested orange fins flared to show their anger at the Maliri incursion into sacred Brimorian territory.

"And just what would you do differently, Talpo?" a deep voice rumbled behind him, sounding like the crash of a huge wave across a stony beach.

The young wave-squire froze and turned around to give his commanding officer a guilty look. "I-I meant no disrespect, Shoal-Commander Siolagon!"

Siolagon's imposing frame loomed out of the shadows, silhouetted in the flickering light cast by the fluorescent lanterns surrounding the bridge. He strode towards the Tactical Map and gestured towards it with a scaled finger. "You may speak freely without fear of punishment. I ask again... how do you propose we should deal with the Maliri?"

Talpo snarled, baring rows of needle-like teeth. "I would bar their passage with gravity-well emitters! Demand that they leave our territory immediately or face the might of the Brimorian Enclave!"

The Shoal-Commander studied him for a moment, then spoke in measured tones, "When a gigantic Ixaradon glides past your reef-home, do you poke it with a harpoon then demand it swims away?"

"Of course not, Shoal-Commander," Talpo replied, his scales shimmering with embarrassment. "Even the slowest-witted of striplings knows that to do so would mean instant death..."

Siolagon turned and stared at the golden Maliri ships as they raced across space at phenomenal speed. "There is no shame in recognising apex predators and giving them a wide berth. Once they are on their way, then you are free to hunt for weaker and much more succulent prey..."

Talpo gave him a respectful bow. "You are as wise as you are mighty Shoal-Commander, forgive me for my lack of foresight."

"Have patience, Talpo. You will eventually come to realise that the Deep-Pool puts great thought into its every action," Siolagon replied, patting the smaller Brimorian on the shoulder with a weighty hand. He turned and walked away, saying casually over his shoulder, "It is good to learn from one's mistakes, but do not let me overhear you question my orders again. You will have no opportunity for learning if I remove your head..."

The Wave-Squire shivered with fear and bowed deeply, not daring to look up again until he heard the Shoal-Commander's footsteps leave the Bridge. When he did, he avoided making eye-contact with the rest of his colleagues, still bristling from the reprimand. He watched the golden Maliri fleet in silence as it raced past the Brimorian border fleet and continued unchallenged through Enclave territory.

***

John lay awake in bed with his arms around Leena and Valani. Their full breasts pressed into him, feeling soft and warm, as they slept with their heads on his shoulders. After all the post-coital catnaps he'd had that day with the two lovely Maliri girls, he wasn't feeling very tired now, so he'd been drifting in and out of sleep. Every time he woke up, he could scarcely believe that his luscious blue bedmates were now pregnant with his children, as was Tsarra who was snuggled up behind Leena. She had an arm wrapped around the House Ghilwen Matriarch, her hand resting lightly atop his.

As Maliri noblewomen, the Young Matriarchs had a very unique outlook on courtships and procreation, namely that the first was unnecessary and the next a duty for their Houses. After speaking at length to the three girls, he was thoroughly convinced that they were each ready for parenthood, elated at the prospect in fact.

However, John had been raised as a Terran and the culture clash from recent events had left his mind in a whirl. If he was being honest with himself, he couldn't deny that breeding one stunning girl after the other had been a thrilling experience, and he was looking forward to enjoying Nyrelle's and Kali's charms next. He just couldn't help feeling a little daunted, knowing he was about to become a father, five times over.

He'd woken Alyssa and Edraele earlier with his busy thoughts, and they'd shushed his apologies, offering to talk with him to settle his active mind. John had urged them to go back to sleep, fairly sure that he simply needed some time to adjust to this new perspective on life. Blocking them from his thoughts had prevented his racing mind from waking his matriarchs again, so now he was free to think about the Maliri girls and his future with them.

The sound of soft whispers in the corridor outside the bedroom reached his sharp ears and he realised Luna must be saying goodnight to Sakura. Diligent as those girls were, they'd been up all evening training, with the Maliri assassin teaching his Security Chief as much as she could about her skill with a sword. John glanced at the ship's chronometer and was shocked to realise just how late it was, with the display showing it was nearly four in the morning.

John had become an expert at disentangling himself from a pair of sleeping girls, so he employed his skills to get out of bed without waking Leena or Valani. Luna was just padding into the bedroom when she saw him, freezing instinctively as she spotted movement in the darkness, before relaxing a moment later.

"Hey beautiful," he whispered, walking across the room to greet her.

She smiled at him in return, although her eyelids were heavy and she was obviously exhausted. "Hello, John. I hope I didn't wake you?"

He shook his head and reached for her hand. "Busy thoughts keeping me awake. I'd like a quick word if you're not too tired?"

Luna gave the bed a longing glance before her eyes snapped to his face. "Of course not, I always have time for you."

"I'm sorry, I know you want to sleep. I promise I won't keep you up long," he whispered, giving her a brief kiss, before leading her out of the bedroom.

The Maliri assassin walked with him towards the grav-tube, stifling a yawn as John pulled her into the blue field. They floated up to the Command Deck and he exchanged a friendly wave with Faye, then led Luna into the Ready Room. Luna couldn't help staring at his naked body, her fascination warring with her fatigue.

John could see the interest in her eyes as he led her to the sofas and as they sat, he said, "There's a couple of things I wanted to speak to you about, but firstly, I wanted to offer to do the same for you as I did for Almari and Ilyana. I can hone your body to its physical limits, making you stronger, faster, and tougher. I don't want you to feel that I'm putting any pressure on you to make this decision, the choice is entirely yours..."

Luna had an excited gleam in her eyes despite her weariness. "I agree without any reservations!" she declared, dropping lithely to her knees before him.

She wasted no time in reaching for his thickening shaft, stroking him gently as she leaned forward to envelop his cock with her soft pouty lips.

"That's right," he said, as Luna sank down his shaft, brushing his fingers through her silky white hair and massaging her head. "Once you've got a full tummy, you'll feel so much better. I'll be able to help you shake off that exhaustion, then we can talk without you falling asleep."

Her eyes crinkled as she attempted to smile with her lips stretched wide, her reply muffled by the thick girth of the cock impaling her throat.

"Tell me later," he said with a smile, gently guiding her pretty face up and down his length. "This is the first time I've fed you on your own, isn't it?"

Luna nodded, gazing up at him with nothing but absolute trust and devotion in her eyes. John relaxed and stroked her long hair, enjoying the warm wet tightness of her sucking mouth and throat. She placed her soft hands on his thighs and began to quicken the pace, raising a questioning eyebrow as she did so.

John nodded his approval. "Yes, that feels really good..."

Her angular eyes crinkled again as she smiled, bobbing intently in his lap as she deep-throated him over and over again. It was the most intimate they'd been together so far and John enjoyed being able to give her his undivided attention. The powerful and highly-skilled assassin was compliant and submissive, focused solely on giving him pleasure. That thought was almost as arousing as the tight grip of her clutching throat.

"Such a good girl," he said, feeling his orgasm approaching. "Ready for a big load of cum?"

Luna whimpered with need, the humming in her throat sending delicious vibrations around his shaft. John cried out as he climaxed, feeling her swallowing to coax out his spunk, even though he was shooting directly into her stomach. The Maliri girl moaned with delight at the feel of thick ropes of cum splashing into her tummy, her eyes brightening as she was rejuvenated by his psychic embrace. She quivered with ecstasy as she sucked him rhythmically, her belly expanding to carry the heavy load he was feeding her.

When he was done, John sagged back on the sofa and gasped, "That was amazing, thank you."

Luna sat back with a look of profound satisfaction on her face. Her hands moved to cradle her hugely rounded abdomen and she murmured in awe, "I had no idea how good this would be... I feel all broody and maternal..."

John offered her a hand, then helped her sit sideways across his lap. He wrapped an arm around her, then followed her slender hands with his own, caressing her curved blue belly. "And I feel protective and just want to keep you safe. Our instincts are powerful things."

She let out a happy sigh then relaxed in his embrace. "I spoke to Almari and Ilyana before they left. Do you really want the three of us to retire and just raise a family?"

He gave her a tender kiss and nodded. "If I have my way, you won't have much time for anything else. You'll be busy running around after our children... as long as that's what you want too?"

Luna bit her lip and guided his hand to her lower belly. "You went to all that trouble of re-growing my ovaries; I think I'd seem very ungrateful if we didn't make frequent use of your precious gift..."

"Three?" John asked with a smile.

She shook her head firmly, making her long white hair swish over her shoulders. "At least four!"

He frowned and asked, "Are you sure? It'll mean we'll need to have lots and lots of sex..."

Luna giggled as she nodded, then blushed a dark shade of blue. "When you told me I was a good girl earlier, I remembered that I'm over twice your age... but I don't feel like that when I'm with you."

"Are you happy?" he asked her, brushing his hand against her cheek and cupping her face.

"Very," she agreed without any hesitation. "I feel like a carefree young girl, it's wonderful..."

"That's all that matters. You've had a hard life until now, Luna. I want to give you everything you've ever dreamed about for your future."

She gave him a tender kiss then nestled against him, a look of contentment on her face. They sat like that for a while, with John gently stroking her while she traced patterns on his bare chest with a nimble blue finger.

John glanced down at her and said, "Watching you fight earlier was breath-taking. I wish I could spend a few weeks training with you; I'd love to learn everything I can from someone with such incredible skill with a blade."

"Sakura's a very capable and attentive student. I'll teach her everything I can before you leave, then perhaps you and I can have some training sessions together when you return to Genthalas," she offered, gazing up at him with her luminous yellow eyes.

"I definitely want lots of one-on-one time with you," John said with a flirtatious grin. "Consider that a date."

She blushed again then laughed as she fanned herself. "See, you've turned me into a giddy twenty-year-old!"

He smiled and hugged her closer. "I'm sorry I haven't been able to give you much attention this trip, but I promise I'll make it up to you next time. We'll definitely make sure you're fully equipped like Almari and Ilyana before you go."

Luna gave him an affectionate smile. "You don't have to apologise. The Young Matriarchs are sweet girls and they deserve your full focus, especially with you giving them the heirs they so desperately want. In my line of work, you soon learn to be patient, so I'll simply look forward to your return to Genthalas."

John nodded then wondered how he was going to raise his next question tactfully. In the end, he decided to just be forthright. "I noticed that you and Edraele have been getting a lot closer..."

She studied his face apprehensively. "Do you mind? I know how devoted she is to you and I promise I've done nothing to-"

He silenced her concerns with a gentle kiss, which became more intimate when Luna relaxed. She welcomed his tongue into her mouth and melted in his arms as he kissed her more forcefully. Luna was panting when he pulled away, a burning spark of excitement in her eyes.

"I care a great deal about both of you," John said, squeezing her shoulder. "If you enjoy each other's company and grow closer as lovers, you have my unreserved blessing."

"Thank you," she replied, looking touched by his sincerity. "I've known Edraele for decades, and she used to be a cold and viciously cruel woman; just what I expected for a House Valaden Matriarch. I did many terrible things at her behest, so I'm sure you can understand what a huge impact the changes to Edraele have made to my life. I want to do everything I can to support the lovely woman she is now, in her new role as benevolent Queen."

"She's very fond of you too, and I really appreciate you being there for her," John said, stroking the Maliri assassin's back.

Luna's eyes twinkled as she said, "Perhaps on your return to Genthalas, we can show you how we comfort one another when we're missing you..."

John pretended to frown with concern and placed a hand on her cum-packed stomach. "If you do that, you'll definitely end up in this condition again. I think it'll make teaching me about swordfighting a bit tricky."

"I'm sure between the three of us, we can come up with a solution to that problem," the assassin replied, giving him a coy smile.

It was John's turn to laugh now. "If you're trying to lure me back to Genthalas, you're doing a damn fine job of it." He stretched and glanced at the chronometer on the wall. "I better let you get a bit of sleep; Sakura will be eager to start training again first thing tomorrow morning." He patted her swollen belly. "By the time you wake up, you'll notice a big difference."

Luna sat up and was about to stand, when she paused and gazed into his eyes. "Thank you for being with me tonight, I really appreciate it." She had a wistful expression on her beautiful face as she continued, "For the first time I feel like I can actually see our future together... it's one I want very much."

"At least four," John said, caressing her azure curves. "I want that too..."

They shared a soft smile then returned to bed hand-in-hand.

***

A feathery soft touch woke John the following morning, as delicate feminine fingers traced the muscles in his biceps. Those fingers drifted higher, brushing across his shoulder, then began to explore his pectoral muscles. For once he wasn't flanked by lithe young women and when he opened his eyes he saw a pair of lusty dark-blue orbs staring enraptured at his body.

"You're just so big..." Nyrelle murmured, her breath quickening as she caressed him. "So strong and powerful... like a real man should be..."

"Morning, Nyrelle," John said, greeting the House Aeberos Matriarch with a smile.

He was startled when she flung the covers off his lower body and straddled him, her long flowing hair brushing his cheeks as she lunged in for a kiss. Her lips pressed insistently against his, and they were soft, warm and eager, her breathy moans a powerful aphrodisiac. Opening his mouth for her hot little tongue, he sucked on the tip, making her moan with lust. Nyrelle mashed her pert breasts against his chest and the supple flesh felt amazing as she dragged her erect nipples across his torso. The panting Maliri girl suddenly shifted position, lining up her pussy above his thickening cock, her slick labia gliding along the top of his shaft.

Nyrelle pulled back from their kiss and closed her eyes, cheeks flushed a dark blue as she ground her pelvis against him. "Mmm, that feels so good..."

"How about we slow this down a little?" John suggested with a smile. "I want to make your first time special for you, make sure you're absolutely ready..."

Nyrelle's eyes flashed opened and she shook her head frantically. "I've been ready for weeks! From the first second I saw you!" There was an almost feverish look on her face as she continued, "You're mine, right? However I want, all morning?!"

He laughed and nodded. "Well yes, basically..."

She rolled off his chest and onto her back, spreading her legs and crossing her wrists above her head. "I want you right now! Come and fuck me!"

John gaped at her in shock, but the raw need in her pleading expression snapped him out of his daze. He moved across the bed and knelt before her, reaching out to grasp her blue thighs and slowly massaging her lithe limbs. Nyrelle's skin felt soft as velvet over her toned and sculpted muscles, her body just as perfect as the rest of the Maliri - she was built for fighting, fucking, and breeding.

He took hold of his hefty cock and slapped it down on her pussy, the sudden contact on her clit making Nyrelle cry out with pleasure. "You want this?" he asked, meeting her desperate gaze.

"Give it to me!" she whimpered, keeping her hands above her head, while her hips rolled as though try to coax him into her body.

John swabbed the crown over her sopping pussy, making sure he was well lubricated, then lined himself up with the heated entrance to her body. The way she was acting was bringing out a dominant streak inside him, his heart pounding as he matched her frenzied state. He managed to keep himself under just enough control to enter her slowly, easing her labia apart as he applied gentle pressure.

Nyrelle clenched her eyes shut and arched her back, her body trembling with excitement as he inched his way deeper, stretching her out for the first time. The massive girth of his shaft dragged over her g-spot and her shaking intensified as he fed her inch after inch of cock, until he nudged up against her cervix.

"Oh fuck..." she gasped as she felt that contact, pulling away for a second, then tilting her hips to take that last inch again.

John leaned forward so he was over her body now, keeping his weight on his elbows. He reached out to grasp her hands, interlacing his fingers with hers then making a show of pinning her to the bed. "Is this what you want?" he teased her, pulling back several inches, then driving inexorably forward to the end of her pussy. "You want me to claim you as my woman?"

Nyrelle's eyes snapped open and she stared up at him with smouldering eyes. "Do it! Make me yours!"

With a matching glint in his eyes, John began to thrust into her, nudging against her cervix with each pussy-stuffing penetration. He leaned down to kiss her and this time it was John pushing his tongue into her welcoming mouth, drawing a groan of delight from the impaled girl as her own tongue flickered against his. Nyrelle's flawless lips were, full, soft, and yielding, perfectly designed for sucking his cock, as he knew they would be for the rest of her life.

John felt her thighs shift higher against his waist, opening her pelvic floor in invitation as her calves pressed against his ass. "You want all of it?" he asked, gazing into her eyes.

"I want all of you..." she begged him, gyrating her hips to meet his every thrust.

"You want me in your womb?" he teased her with a knowing smile.

"Fuck yes!" she demanded, gritting her teeth and thrusting back angrily, trying to impale herself in her haste.

He leant down on Nyrelle with his full weight, pinning her to the bed so she couldn't move. "Let me drive... you just focus on relaxing and taking my cock."

She was about to protest when he thrust harder and deeper, her cervix dilating as her malleable body stretched to take him. "Fuckkkk!" she screamed, dark-blue eyes going wide as he methodically stuffed her belly full with every last inch.

The head of his cock nudged into the back of her womb, and Nyrelle convulsed, bucking furiously as her pussy clenched down hard. Her once-virgin body was as tight as a fist, muscles squeezing him rhythmically as she surged through her very first climax with him buried inside her. John held still and relished the look of euphoria on her face, her blue-eyed gaze one of sheer wonder.

"That's a good girl," he said in his deep baritone. "Keep coming for me while I break you in; get you used to being fucked..."

A shiver of excitement went up her spine. "Do it, make me take your cock!"

The next half an hour was a thrilling ride, as Nyrelle proved every bit as wild and tempestuous as he could have possibly imagined. He fucked her hard, working her nubile body with long powerful thrusts, while she alternated between moaning in ecstasy and shrieking out his name. They were soon covered in perspiration with the intensity of their coupling, her sky-blue breasts glistening with their combined sweat as he rode her through multiple orgasms.

John released her wrists, cupping her head with one hand as he kissed her again, the other grasping one of her breasts and squeezing the pliant flesh. He could feel her cresting towards another orgasm, Nyrelle climbing each one like peaks of a wave on a stormy sea. Grazing his nails across her tender flesh, she cried out again, even the slightest stimulation enough to set her off. He pinched her nipple and ground his pelvic bone against her clit, while hammering her pussy with pounding strokes. Nyrelle convulsed, back arching and lifting them off the bed as she climaxed with a silent scream. Then the stunning Maliri girl fell limp, eyes rolling back in her head as she passed out from the frenzy of overstimulation.

John grinned with satisfaction, then winced at the dull ache in his four balls, feeling the desperate need to pump their cargo into Nyrelle's conquered womb. He resisted the urge, letting his taut quad rest against the soft swell of her asscheeks and waited for her to come round. Lifting himself from Nyrelle's heaving bust, he shifted back onto his elbows again and took a moment to catch his breath.

Gazing down at her face, he was able to appreciate just how beautiful Nyrelle truly was, with her delicate nose, high-cheekbones, and feminine heart-shaped face. Her long white mane was soaked with sweat, but it was tremendously satisfying to know that she'd got in that state by him fucking her senseless. With her white hair slicked back, he could see her shapely elfin ears, the blue skin a sharp contrast to her glorious snowy mane. As he was admiring her long thick eyelashes, her cobalt-blue eyes fluttered open and she let out a soft sigh.

"Welcome back," he said, cradling her head in both hands. "I lost you for a minute there. You okay?"

Nyrelle let out a throaty laugh, a sound he very much enjoyed. Her laughter also had the delightful side-effect of jiggling her impressive breasts.

She looked at him in sheer, unadulterated awe. "I'll never be the same again... You rocked my world, John."

"It was my pleasure," he replied, letting her pull him down for a kiss.

When they parted lips, she glanced down between them in surprise, gazing at her svelte stomach. "You haven't cum yet!"

He frowned at her. "Deprive you of the grand finale? Never..."

She gave him a loving smile, then wrapped her arms and legs around him. "Don't worry about making me cum this time. Just use me to empty your balls..."

"You sure?" John asked in surprise, shifting position to get more comfortable.

"Absolutely," she purred. "When I've milked this load out of you, then we'll rest for a while. Once you've recovered, there's so many things I want to try... like cowgirl, doggystyle, spanking..."

John chuckled and shook his head in amazement. "You're full of surprises, aren't you!"

Nyrelle's eyes twinkled as she said, "Rachel was very instructive. There was some kind of submissive role she wanted me to play, but I forgot all that as soon as I had you to myself. She got me so horny over the last couple of days... She spent hours talking about all the different ways you've fucked your girls... how you were going to fuck me hard and breed me..."

"She was right," he said, gazing into her eyes as he began to move again.

Nyrelle's breath caught, and she whispered, "Now?"

"No, not yet," he said softly as he stroked inside her. "I need to feed you some cum first, make you hyper-fertile. Later though..."

"I've seen how you look at Tsarra, Leena, and Valani," she whispered, her breath catching. "I want to see that pride in your eyes when you look at me..."

"I want that too," he agreed, losing himself in her enchanting gaze.

Nyrelle could sense the change in the way he was thrusting inside her, with John working towards his own release, rather than concentrating on giving her pleasure. She let out a throaty moan and began to move with him, the movement of her hips subtle and encouraging.

John groaned as he felt her pussy tighten and squeeze him rhythmically, her body snug, warm, and deliciously wet. "You're a natural at this..."

"We're meant to be together," she purred, gazing into his eyes. "You're a Progenitor, I'm a Maliri... the only reason I exist is to take your cum..."

His breath quickened as he recognised the truth in her words - undoubtably straight from Rachel's lips - but a simple truth nonetheless. Increasing his pace, he thrust into her with powerful strokes, enjoying the sheer primal nature of sex with this incredible woman. Nyrelle urged him onwards with soft, sexy cries, her pupils flaring wide as she felt another huge orgasm building from deep inside.

His climactic roar was joined by her scream of release, and cum felt like it was shooting out of his cock like a high-pressure hose as he unloaded in her womb. Nyrelle clung to him desperately, her face contorted into an exquisite mask of pleasure as she bucked against him. Her tummy began to swell as her womb reached capacity, but he'd fed her before and they both knew she could take everything he could give her. By the time he was done, her blue abdomen was stretched into a taut sphere with all the spunk he'd pumped into her.

Carefully easing out of her swollen pussy, John collapsed on the bed, panting for breath. "God damn, woman..." he gasped, his chest heaving. "I can't believe that was your first time..."

Nyrelle flopped her head to one side so she could grin at him, a similar look of disbelief on her own face. "I can't believe you made me wait six weeks!"

Her throaty laughter joined his as they lay sprawled on the bed, both reeling from the raw intensity of their coupling. John was in excellent shape and recovered first, rolling onto his side and propping himself up on one elbow so that he could look down at her. He placed his hand on Nyrelle's swollen belly and brushed his fingers in a lazy circle around her navel, the oh-so-familiar caress made all the more thrilling when he realised that soon she'd be this big on her own.

Nyrelle's expression softened as she watched him with big doe eyes, knowing instinctively what he was thinking about. "I want that so much..."

John gave her a rueful smile. "I'm going to love seeing you pregnant, but now I know how amazing you are in bed, I'm really going to miss sessions like this..."

Her brow furrowed in confusion. "Why can't we keep having sex while I'm pregnant?"

"I'm too big," John said, gently stroking her curved abdomen. "And your womb will be someone's home for the next nine months. We can still have sex, but we won't be able to be quite so wild..."

Nyrelle pouted, looking like someone had taken away her favourite toy. "I loved being stuffed so full of you... I'm going to miss that so much!"

"When the baby's born, we can wait a little while until the next one and have lots of fun," John said, his tone soothing. "We've got an eternity together, there's no real rush."

She smiled at him, then let out a wistful sigh. "When you were all the way inside me, I just felt like I was complete for the first time in my life..."

"That was pretty epic," John agreed, pulling her closer and returning her smile. "Speaking of your life, I don't really know much about your background. Would you tell me a bit more about yourself?"

"Smooth segue," she teased him with a grin.

He tipped an imaginary hat in her direction. "Thank you kindly."

Nyrelle laughed then shook her head. "No."

"No I'm not allowed to thank you, or no you're not going to tell me about yourself?" John asked, raising an eyebrow.

For the first time since he'd known her, Nyrelle's expression turned sombre. "I know you've spoken to the rest of the Young Matriarchs, so you know what it was like for us growing up as a matriarch's youngest daughter. My past is depressing and I refuse to waste a second of our precious time together talking about my horrid bitch of a mother, or my equally vicious sisters."

John leaned down to give her a tender kiss. "I'm so sorry for what you've been through."

"Just forget I have a past. My life wasn't worth living until Edraele rescued me and brought us together..." She brightened and said, "Now I've got a wonderful future to look forward to!"

He felt a surge of sadness for the effervescent young woman and was once again reminded that he really should apologise to Edraele. If not for her actions, misguided as they were, he would likely never have met Nyrelle, leaving her doomed to some horrible fate.

She saw the shadow cross his face and said softly, "Please don't feel sorry for me, I wasn't looking for sympathy. Instead of dwelling on my past, I'd really like to know more about you instead..."

John smiled at her and nodded, pleased to do whatever he could to make the lovely young woman happy. "Sure, what do you want to know?"

"Something you've not told anyone!" she suggested, excitement in her eyes. "Something important from Baen'thelas' past that only I'll know!"

Lost in thought, John lay back on the bed and gazed up at the ceiling. "Something important..." he murmured, racking his brain.

Nyrelle rolled to one side and watched him with anticipation. Whether it was hints of her sad past that prompted him, his mind kept drifting back to one event, no matter how much he tried to think of anything else.

*Sorry ladies, Nyrelle asked that this just be for her,* John said to the telepathic trio listening to his thoughts.

Jade responded instantly. *That's quite alright, Master. Just let me in again whenever you're ready!*

*I understand, it's a lovely gesture,* Edraele replied.

Alyssa's voice rang with sympathy. *If you ever want to talk about it, just let me know...*

Sending them all a grateful telepathic kiss, he blocked the three women from his mind.

Turning to face Nyrelle, he took a deep breath then said, "I don't know how much you know about my past, but my mother went missing just after I was born. I still don't really know what happened to her, not exactly, although Calara managed to piece together most of it. Jessica Blake basically encountered a Progenitor, got pregnant with me, then her crew dragged her home to Terran Space where I was born. We think she murdered her shipmates then ran off to rejoin my father, so I was brought up by my grandparents instead."

The Maliri girl gently stroked his arm. "Edraele told us some of that... I'm sorry, John, that must have been hard not knowing your parents. Please continue if it's not too painful."

John acknowledged her kind words with a smile, but it was tinged with sorrow as he said, "My grandfather was a good man. He cared a great deal for his family, and loved me and my grandmother very much. He never had a cross word for anyone and was always there to listen to my problems, no matter how trivial. He was strong and stoic, never complaining, but always around to help solve any crisis. In all the years I knew him, I never saw him lose his temper or get upset, and he made providing for his family look like it was the easiest thing in the world."

"I was eighteen when I told my grandparents I wanted to join the military. I knew how much they'd hate the idea, having lost their only daughter after she joined up, but I couldn't face the thought of running a restaurant for the rest of my life. I was young and headstrong, eager for adventure, so despite their best efforts to convince me otherwise, I enlisted in the marines."

"It was my last night at home before I was to ship out for the Academy, eager to start my training as a junior officer. I was so excited I could hardly sleep, and after lying awake in bed for hours, I decided to go and get a drink of water. My grandparents were in their sixties back then and they used to be in bed by ten most nights, getting up early the next day to open the restaurant. So when I crept across the landing, trying not to wake them as it was well-past midnight, I was surprised to hear noises coming from downstairs."

"I knew all the creaky floorboards, so I tiptoed down them without making a sound, ready to rush any intruder that had dared to break into our home. It came as a real surprise when I realised that the noise I heard was someone crying, and when I reached the hall, I was stunned to see it was my grandfather in the lounge. He was sitting on the sofa, staring at a picture of my mother, Jessica Blake; it was taken on her eighteenth birthday, the day she enlisted."

"My grandfather had always been so resilient, so to see him sobbing his heart out over his daughter came as a real shock." John's face was filled with remorse as he continued, "Then I suddenly realised that it was my fault. I'd done that to him by enlisting, dredging up all those long-buried feelings of grief and loss. I was the only family they had left and I was following my mother into the military; it must have been like losing Jessica all over again."

"Our relationship changed after that day... it was never quite the same. My grandparents still loved me, but I knew they were disappointed that I'd spurned their dreams of me taking over the family business. They'd been grooming me to run the restaurant for years, but I was just as selfish as my mother and abandoned them, just like she had."

"They sold the business a couple of years before I retired from the marines; I think they gave up all hope that I'd ever come back to it. I can understand how they got that impression, because at that time I was career military all the way. When I did eventually quit and return to civilian life, it was too late. I knew how much they missed that life and I could tell they felt guilty for selling the restaurant, because it had been in the family for generations."

John heaved a long sigh. "So with nothing tying me to home, I bought an old freighter called the Fool's Gold with the money I'd saved and became a trader. With trips out to neighbouring empires taking months at a time, I saw my Grandparents less and less. I always promised myself I'd spend more time with them, but truthfully, visits home became more painful as time went on. They both lost some of their spark when they sold the restaurant and it was sad to see them like that when they'd been such larger-than-life characters. They both passed away last year, so now it's too late to make amends."

Nyrelle pulled him into a hug and murmured, "Oh John, I'm so sorry..."

He gave her a sad, self-conscious smile. "I've never told anyone that before. I'm sorry it wasn't something more uplifting."

"No, I'm really glad you told me," she said softly, running her fingers through his hair. She gazed into his eyes, a forlorn expression on her beautiful face.

"What's wrong?" he asked, putting his arm around her.

"You reminded me of my sister, Faleene, but she made a very different choice..." her voice trailed off, clearly not planning to elaborate further, but she saw his look of curiosity. "I suppose I'll have to tell you about her now, won't I?"

"I'm interested, but you don't have to share anything you're not comfortable telling me," John replied.

Nyrelle leaned forward to give him a kiss, then spoke softly, "Alright, I'll tell you. Maybe it'll make you feel a bit better..." She went quiet for a moment to gather her thoughts. "I had four elder sisters and Faleene was the youngest until I came along. I'm sure she was overjoyed that her siblings had a new youngest sister to torment, but she never joined in their spiteful games, probably remembering what it was like to be on the receiving end. Faleene was ten years older than me, a free spirit and full of life. She loved to dance and taught me too... she was the only one in my family I didn't hate."

"But Faleene was also no longer my mother's youngest daughter and was expected to join the proper line of succession. I remember her coming to me in tears when I was about fifteen, telling me that Yunaliss, our mother, had told her to stop wasting time with dancing and to adopt a serious role in the Aeberos palace."

"She could have refused... Yes, there would have been arguments and threats, but she had three elder sisters, so there wasn't quite the same pressure. In the end, she did as Yunaliss asked and never danced again. It was like her spirit was broken after that and she became colder and harder, growing more distant with me over the years..."

"Maybe she resented you being the youngest sister," John suggested, as he stroked her arm. "Before you came along she could do as she liked, but afterwards, she had to conform..."

"Being youngest sister was no picnic, but you're probably right," she said, looking surprised. "Anyway, she got involved in House politics and was eventually murdered six years ago by a House Loraleth assassin, for some trivial slight by my mother. Faleene gave up her dream and it ruined her, eventually leading to her death."

John was about to speak, but Nyrelle shook her head, raising a slender blue hand so that she could finish.

"Running the family restaurant was your grandparents' dream, not yours. You can't blame yourself for wanting to follow your own path and it wasn't fair of them to put that burden of responsibility on you, not when you were so young." She gave him a sympathetic smile as she continued, "Life's too precious to waste it with regrets. Live for the future, don't dwell in the past."

Stopping to think about what she'd just told him, John could see the parallel Nyrelle had been making; if he'd given up his dreams, part of his spirit would have been broken too. Being forced to run the restaurant for the rest of his life would have felt like being trapped in a cage, sealed with unbreakable bars of responsibility and duty to his family.

"Thank you for telling me about Faleene... it helped," he said with a grateful smile. "You're not just exceptionally beautiful, you're wise too."

"I heard you like intelligent girls..." Nyrelle said with a wink as she rubbed her hand over her tummy. "You've fed me your cum a few times now, perhaps it was your doing?"

John looked at her in surprise, then realised she was only teasing him. "You were right before, about not wasting time with regrets. I'm sorry for the way that decision affected my relationship with my grandparents, but that wasn't the life I wanted."

She nodded, respect and admiration in her eyes. "You were always meant for far greater things, Baen'thelas. Besides, if you'd become a restaurateur, you would never have met me!"

"That would have been a tragedy," he agreed, sharing a grin with her.

Nyrelle sidled closer, a hungry gleam in her eyes. "Why don't you call Jade and have her suck out all this cum... She only needs to feed me a little bit to make me fertile for you doesn't she?"

"Yes, that's true, but don't you want the full load?" John asked, startled that she'd turn down the opportunity.

She looked torn with indecision for a moment, then shook her head. "I want to dance for you, but I can't do that with a big tummy." Her voice got husky as she added, "Dancing makes me really, really horny..."

*Jade?* John asked, letting the Nymph and his two Matriarchs back into his mind. *Do you feel like joining us for breakfast?*

The Nymph laughed and sounded delighted when he explained Nyrelle's plan. *I'd love to, Master! I'll bring you something nutritious to eat... I have a feeling you'll need the energy!*

***

"Permission to speak freely, Sir?" Captain Jack Fernandez asked through gritted teeth, his hands tightly clenching the armrests of his Ready Room chair to control his anger.

Commodore Campbell's holographic image nodded and he let out a weary sigh. "Go ahead, speak your mind..."

"This is crazy!" Jack blurted out. "We can't just pull back from the border! I've spoken to the captains already stationed here; I know how active the Kirrix have been for the last few weeks!"

"I don't like it any more than you do, Jack," Campbell said, brushing his hand through his grey-flecked hair, a pained expression on his face. "I've no idea what High Command is playing at, but our orders are explicit: All Terran Federation forces are to regroup and return to the Core Worlds with utmost urgency. There's no ambiguity or room for interpretation here. The fleet will be departing within the hour."

"But we'll be abandoning millions of people... leaving them completely unprotected!" Jack protested. "This isn't right!"

"Orders are orders," Campbell replied, giving him a helpless shrug. "Get the Damocles ready, Captain, we'll be leaving at eleven hundred hours."

Jack slumped in his chair. "Yes, Sir."

"Oh, and these orders are top-secret, Captain Fernandez. Strictly need-to-know for key personnel only," Campbell warned him. "That is all."

The Commodore closed the comm channel, leaving Jack staring at the winged-sword icon of the Terran Federation. Normally he felt a surge of pride when he saw that emblem, but he didn't feel very proud of it today...

Leaning forward he tapped his console and said curtly, "Lieutenant Commander Fernandez, to my Ready Room."

Mateo responded immediately. "On my way, Captain!"

Rising from his chair, Jack turned to look at the fleet of Terran Federation ships gathered in the Omicron Ceti system. The blood-red sun cast a ghastly crimson pall over the hulls of the assembled vessels and he watched as the warships began to gather into formation. The light was quite prophetic; they'd all have the blood of innocents on their hands if they abandoned these border worlds to the Kirrix.

A polite cough drew his attention away from the window. "You wanted to see me, Dad?" Mateo asked, looking at him with concern. "You zoned out for a few minutes there, just staring at the fleet... Are you alright?"

For the first time in his life, Jack felt like he couldn't meet his son's curious gaze. "Set course for Alpha Centauri, Mateo. We'll be departing with the fleet in a few minutes..."

Mateo stared at him in shock. "But we only arrived yesterday! It took us two weeks to get all the way to the Outer Rim and now we're heading right back?! That's ridiculous!"

"High Command's recalling the entire battle group to the Core Worlds," Jack explained quietly.

His son shook his head in bewilderment, then a smile spread across his face. "Well, I'm just glad it's not me paying the fuel bills! I'll move the Damocles into position with the rest of the fleet." He turned to leave, then paused, a frown on his face. "Don't get me wrong, it'll be great to go back to the Core Worlds and see Mom again, but why aren't we being transferred to the relief fleet? As administrative cock-ups go, this has got to be the worst yet!"

Jack slowly shook his head. "There is no relief fleet..."

Mateo froze, his eyes widening. "You can't be serious!"

"I wish I was joking, son," Jack said, suddenly feeling his age.

Mateo stared at him in horror. "But the Kirrix... and the border worlds!"

Jack grimaced and nodded. "I tried to persuade Commodore Campbell to delay, but the orders came directly from High Command. We've been ordered to return to Alpha Centauri immediately; we have to obey them, Mateo."

His son was about to protest again, but Mateo saw the haunted look in his father's eyes. "Orders received and understood, Captain," he said softly, then turned and walked away, exiting the Ready Room and leaving his father alone with his thoughts.

Jack let out a heavy sigh. He'd seen his son's appalled expression before he left and knew exactly how Mateo felt. What made it worse was seeing that sudden look of disillusionment in one so young, as Mateo's faith in the Terran Federation was profoundly shaken. Jack walked back to his desk and slumped in the chair, his dejected gaze drifting over to the holo-pictures of his family.

He stared at the one of Calara, taken the day she'd been awarded the Stellar Cluster, a radiant smile lighting up her beautiful face. Jack had thought his heart would burst with pride that day at the ceremony, never loving his daughter more than that moment, when she was honoured with saving Terra in front of billions of Federation citizens. He couldn't help thinking of the way she'd looked at him afterwards. Even after all her miraculous achievements, she was still looking for her Daddy's approval, her eyes full of love, respect, and admiration for him.

"I'm so sorry, Callie," Jack murmured, a thick lump in his throat.

He couldn't help feeling that he'd let her down...

***

Sergeant Dave Gibbons knocked on the office door, his eyes drifting to the embossed "Commander Wessex" nameplate. He'd spotted the attractive leader of the battalion's Armoured Infantry Companies numerous times around the base since he'd arrived at Sentinel Fortress, but this was only the second time she'd requested his presence at her office.

To his surprise, it wasn't the Commander's adjutant that answered his knock, but Wessex herself. She opened the door and strode past him, carrying her dress-jacket over her forearm. "This way Sergeant," she called over her shoulder.

Gibbons turned and walked briskly to catch up with the brunette, unable to resist darting a glance at the way her trousers hugged her shapely behind. He'd made some surreptitious enquiries with his men and discovered that one of his corporals had done a brief stint in administration. The man revealed that Commander Madison Wessex was actually only twenty-nine, which led Gibbons to the conclusion that she must pull her dark-brown hair back into a tight bun to make herself look older and more authoritative.

He fell into step beside her and offered her a quick salute. "You asked to see me, Ma'am?"

She returned the salute and turned, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye, a hint of a smile on her face. "I asked Clint to keep me informed of your progress. I can see why the Lion gave you that commendation, David, your performance here has been outstanding."

He was taken aback, but tried to not to look too startled. He had been enjoying the power armour training with Staff Sergeant Brannigan, but like the time when he'd literally brought the roof down on the training range, his successes were down to a series of very lucky breaks rather than due to any particular skill. He wisely kept his mouth shut and nodded to her in gratitude.

Wessex placed her hand on a DNA reader set into the wall and the reinforced door beside it slid open with a quiet hiss. She strode into the secure elevator and Dave followed her inside, wondering where it led to.

Seeing the curiosity on his face, she hit the button for the basement level and said, "We're heading to the armoury under the Command Building. Only members of Sentinel Alpha have access to this facility; it's where we keep the top-of-the-line equipment for the very best of the best."

The elevator chimed and the door opened, revealing a security checkpoint in the form of a reinforced pillbox beyond. The guards saluted Wessex sharply, the sturdy inner-doors opening a moment later. Following his Commander's example, Dave headed into the room beyond, his eyes widening when he saw the impressive array of guns and armour stored in this bunker.

A technician in a green jumpsuit glanced up from his workbench then walked over to join them, adjusting his thick glasses as he ogled the Commander's pert bust. Dave winced, expecting her to give him a stern reprimand for his behaviour, but Wessex did nothing of the kind.

"Any news on the heatsinks, Crosby?" she asked hopefully, her tone filled with respect.

"Just installed them today, Madison," he replied, jerking a thumb at the suit of black power armour that stood centre-stage in the bunker.

Her face lit up in delight and she strode over to the suit of Sentinel armour, running her hands over the Gatling Laser held in its grip. "What are the specs like? As good as you predicted?"

"Even better!" the technician replied, sounding thrilled. "We're seeing a fifty-percent increase in cooling efficiency! But that's not all..."

She turned around and looked at him sharply. "No... you didn't..."

Crosby grinned at her and patted the back of the power suit. "Pulled a few strings with a guy I know at Energetica-Corp. It arrived this morning and I just finished installing it... Ashanath Power Core, with ten times the power rating!"

"Holy shit..." Commander Wessex gasped, staring at the Sentinel armour with wide eyes. "You're a genius!"

"You bet your sweet ass, baby!" Crosby crowed, giving her a broad smile.

Gibbons listened to their interaction in amazement, astounded that a lowly technician would dare to speak to the Commander in such a way.

Wessex caught his look of open-mouthed astonishment, and turned to put a friendly arm around the technician's shoulder. "Crosby, would you give me and Sergeant Gibbons a few minutes please. I need to discuss something important with him."

"Sure, I'll go grab a coffee," the technician replied with a shrug, sneaking another peek at her cleavage.

She waited until he'd left the armoury before turning back to Gibbons with a raised eyebrow. "You're wondering why I let him behave like a lecherous creep? Why I don't have him reprimanded for inappropriate conduct?"

He hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Yes, Ma'am."

Wessex glanced at the newly upgraded power armour. "Because he's very well connected with lots of geeky friends. That means he can circumvent the glacial procurement policies and pretty much get me whatever new tech I want, the instant it's out of R&D." She smiled at him in satisfaction, then continued, "One thing you'll come to learn about me, David, is that I want the very best; in weapons, armour, personnel... everything..."

He spotted a hungry gleam in her eyes as her voice faded away and couldn't help wondering what else she was referring to.

Wessex shook it off a moment later and pointed to a suit of Sentinel armour in the corner of the bunker. "Get suited up, Sergeant..." Not waiting for a reply, she stood on the platform behind the jet-black Sentinel armour and slid into the open back of the hulking suit.

Dave jogged over to the armour she had pointed at and climbed up the steps onto the short platform behind the suit. Grasping hold of the rail, he swung himself into the Sentinel armour, sliding into the snug embrace of its padded interior. He hit the button to power up the machine and the hatch behind him closed then sealed. The internal HUD came to life, casting a pale blue light over his face, and Dave glanced at the weapon loadout as it displayed the number of rounds in his autocannon.

Commander Wessex was already striding ahead onto a platform edged in striped chevrons and she turned and beckoned him to join her. There was a brief crackle of interference as she synced up their comm systems and her pretty face appeared as a holographic image in the display.

"That's right, updated HUDs in these suits," she said, with a grin. "Nothing but the best..."

He nodded back at her, then carefully manoeuvred onto the platform beside her armoured body, steadying himself as it began to rise. It was a quick journey up to ground level and Wessex wasted no time in marching off the loading ramp at the back of the Command Building. Dave followed her out into the bright morning sunshine, only to be cast in shadow a few seconds later.

A heavy transport flew overhead, retro-thrusters firing as it made its final approach towards the dozens of landing pads in the assembly area of the base. Such a sight was hardly uncommon, with new recruits and personnel arriving at reasonably frequent intervals during the day. When he glanced up to watch the ship land, he was startled to see multiple mech-support carriers hovering over the base, the massive war-machines clearly visible in the open hangars.

"Is there a problem, Sergeant?" Wessex asked him, raising an eyebrow.

Dave shook his head, realising that he'd stopped to gawk at the enormous spacecraft. "No, Ma'am, just surprised to see so many ships."

"The rest of the Sentinel Battalion has been recalled, there must be some kind of big operation being planned," she replied, joining him in glancing skyward. Wessex turned and clapped him on his armoured shoulder with a metallic clang. "Time's a wasting... I want to get your assessment done before lunch."

"My assessment, Commander?" Dave asked her in surprise. "What am I being assessed for?"

"A place in Sentinel Alpha, in my own personal squad," she replied with a broad smile. "Keep up with me on the training course and you're in!"

***

John took a firm grasp of Nyrelle's white hair, tugging her head back and making her cry out as he lunged forward, fully impaling himself inside her. He snaked a hand under her toned belly and found her clit, then started rubbing in time with his pounding thrusts. She screamed as she came, her thighs trembling as he pounded her at a frenzied pace, her firm blue asscheeks slapping against his groin every time he bottomed out in her womb.

He'd originally intended to be gentle and loving with each of the Young Matriarchs when he impregnated them, savouring the intimacy as they conceived their first child together. However, after a morning spent in bed with the smouldering blue-eyed beauty currently climaxing on his cock, he'd learned that Nyrelle didn't do lovemaking. Nyrelle did wild uninhibited sex. She needed to be taken firmly in hand, then fucked... and fucked hard.

That's not to say that she wasn't loving, far from it in fact. As they'd revelled in the afterglow of each fiercely passionate coupling, she'd been tender and caring, enjoying gentle kisses with him just as much as any of the girls. But each time he'd recovered and was ready to go again, it was like a switch flipped inside her and Nyrelle turned into a primal force of nature in the bedroom.

Pulling her back to his chest, he put his lips to her pointed ear. "Ready for a baby in your belly, sexy girl?"

She swivelled her head to one side, staring at him with wild eyes as she hissed, "Do it! Breed me like I'm your bitch!"

John pushed her forward and she slid off his length, sprawling on the bed with a startled shriek. He grabbed her legs and pulled her back to him, watching as Nyrelle glared at him over one shoulder, the horny Maliri furious to be parted from his cock. Repositioning his hands on her wonderfully firm asscheeks, he spread them apart to admire the view. Her dark blue anus looked ever-so-inviting and he knew she'd be incredibly tight back there. Nyrelle's eyes looked like they were going to pop out of her head when she realised what he was staring at so lustily and she flushed a dark indigo.

Before she could say anything, he lined himself up with her pussy and drove his shaft womb-deep, her slick passage stretching wide to take him. Nyrelle squealed at being stuffed so shockingly full of cock again, her hands twisting the sheets as she quivered beneath him.

John lay down on top of her, feeling the firm warmth of her nubile body beneath him, then covered her hands with his. Finding her delicate pointed ear again, he whispered, "Had to make sure I was using the right hole... not going to get you pregnant back there..."

He punctuated his words with a firm thrust and Nyrelle jerked back against him, her eyes squeezed tightly shut as she climaxed.

"You like that idea, don't you?" he whispered very softly, so that only she could hear. "It would be so naughty to slide my big hard cock up your tight little ass... That way you can still have all of me inside you when you've got my baby in your womb..."

"Fuckkkk..." she groaned at that thought, her body shaking with the intensity of her climax.

John rode her through it, feeling the warm firm flesh of her rump trembling against his groin. He'd given her a thorough spanking earlier that morning, leaving glowing handprints on her cheeks, then healing them afterwards and replacing them with a fresh set. That had really fired her up, making her even hornier than after the sultry dance she'd performed for him and Jade. He grinned to himself as he clung onto the bucking girl, letting her lose herself in waves of pleasure.

"There you go, that's a good girl," he murmured to soothe her, as she came down from her ecstatic high.

Nyrelle was panting for breath, her chest heaving as she occasionally quivered from an aftershock. She slowly opened her eyes and turned to look up at him with a delightful expression on her beautiful face. It was a glorious mix of wonder, shock, intrigue, and excitement, and John knew exactly what she was thinking about.

Her mouth curled into a wicked smile as she nodded. "It's yours... when you come back to Genthalas..."

His cock jerked inside her at the thought and her smile broadened as she tilted up her hips so he could reach even deeper.

"You're so fucking deep... it feels like you're about to come out my throat," she groaned in disbelief, grinding back against him.

"Any pain?" he asked, carefully easing back, knowing he was pressing firmly at the end of her womb.

She shook her head. "Just stuffed full of you... I love it!"

He pushed all the way in again, feeling the pressure on the head of his shaft and drawing a soft grunt from Nyrelle. Kissing her earlobe, he asked, "You happy to be bred like this?"

"You want to pin me down and shoot your spunk inside me?" she asked coyly, squeezing her internal muscles and massaging his cock. "But you made me fertile... I'll get knocked up for sure..."

John interlaced his fingers with hers and nodded. "Last chance to change your mind... You're ovulating already, once I pump you full of cum you're mine."

"Your little breeding bitch," she crooned, her breath quickening again as her blue eyes sparkled with lust. "We don't even need to take a break between babies... You can keep me knocked up for years and keep giving me what I need..."

John started to stroke inside her, feeling as aroused as the nymphomaniac writhing underneath him. Her slender blue arms were stretched out above her head and Nyrelle had a look of absolute bliss on her beautiful face as he thrust into her with long strokes. Her soft feminine moans spurred him onwards and all thoughts of anything except the gorgeous girl beneath him were swept from his mind. She'd said it herself... Nyrelle was a Maliri and he was a Progenitor, the instinctive drive to fill her with his cum and make her pregnant was overwhelming.

He glanced down at her and saw that she was watching him enraptured. "That's it," she pleaded, matching each thrust with an encouraging roll of her hips. "Give me a big belly full of your baby..."

Driving up to the hilt inside her, he cried out as he came, seeing stars with the intensity of his orgasm. Nyrelle joined him, her low cry of release harmonising with his as he pumped her womb full of eager sperm. He knew what baby she wanted and had planned accordingly, subconsciously protecting her egg and guiding the right sperm to drive inside. He knew the second she was pregnant and he kissed her shoulder - their prearranged signal to let her know too.

Her blue tummy had grown huge with the massive volume of cum he'd pumped into her womb, so he rolled onto his side, bringing Nyrelle with him. As he wrapped his arms around her gravid curves, he saw that her shoulders were shaking, and when he leaned over to give her a kiss, he realised she was crying, tears rolling down her azure cheeks.

"Nyrelle! Are you okay?!" he asked in alarm.

She nodded and laughed that wonderful throaty laugh of hers. "Tears of joy... I've never been so happy." Interlacing her fingers with his on top of her swollen belly, she let out a soft sigh. "Now you're mine, my handsome Progenitor."

John smiled and kissed her cheek. "I am, my beautiful Maliri."

The only active lights in the bedroom were focused on the bed, with the rest of the room left in darkness. John knew all his girls were out there somewhere and he could hear the occasional padded footstep as they quietly left the room. He was surprised at their departure, having expected the girls to leap onto the bed in their rush to congratulate Nyrelle.

*We'd love to, but she's very different to the other girls,* Edraele explained gently. *The afterglow's more important to Nyrelle, so just relax and enjoy it. We'll make a fuss over her later.*

Grateful for Edraele's insight into the enchanting girl in his arms, John held Nyrelle in a loving embrace, as she settled into a serene state of bliss. He took advantage of her docile, compliant daze to whisper in her pointed ear, telling the mother of his fourth child just how much she meant to him. Nyrelle closed her eyes to better focus on his deep and soothing voice, a tender smile on her face as she listened, enthralled by his every word.

***

Faye bounced up and down with glee, watching Dana and Rachel connecting the nano-probes to the synthiskin around the chassis' neck. "I can't believe it's nearly finished! Will you be much longer?"

Dana sat back and grimaced. "Sorry, Faye. I'd have finished a while ago if I wasn't so fucking horny... Seeing Nyrelle get railed like that was the hottest thing I've ever seen!" She frowned at the smirking brunette kneeling behind Faye's robotic chassis. "You don't have to look quite so smug, it's all your fault!"

Rachel gave her an innocent look and spread her hands helplessly. "Nyrelle was already fired up, I just gave her a little bit of gentle encouragement."

Irillith turned away from her console on the podium and laughed as she shook her head. "You threw a can of gasoline on her fire, that's what you did... What did you say to her exactly?!"

The brunette winked at the Maliri girl. "Spend a few hours with me and I'll tell you everything you need to know..."

Irillith suddenly looked a bit nervous. "Ah, thanks, but I think I'll pass for the moment. I already have trouble keeping myself under control around John as it is!"

Dana glanced over at Kali who was sitting cross-legged on one of the ore containers. "I'd give anything in the Universe to swap places with you right now."

The House Loraleth Matriarch was lost in her thoughts and she blinked when she realised the redhead was speaking to her. "Sorry, Dana. I was a bit distracted..."

"I'm not surprised," Dana said, with a wistful sigh. She reached out to grasp Rachel's hand and squeezed it gently. "Just imagine getting pregnant from being fucked like that! I always thought John would be super gentle like he was with the first three girls, but seeing him with Nyrelle really got me thinking..." She wriggled and whimpered with need, her cheeks flushed with arousal.

Rachel sidled around to her girlfriend and wrapped her in a hug, one of her hands sliding lower and dipping inside the redhead's shorts. "Are you sure you'd want him to claim your womb like that?" she purred in her ear as her nimble fingers went to work. "Just imagine John holding you gently in his arms as you move together in a sensual rhythm. You'll be able to see the look of wonder in his eyes as he gazes at you; astonished that such a beautiful girl who he respects and loves so much is about to have his baby..."

"Holy fuck!" Dana squealed, vibrating with the power of her climax.

The brunette held Dana until she recovered, then returned to her abandoned multi-tool, licking her sticky fingers as she flashed the redhead a grin.

Dana laughed and shook her head. "Fuck me, I needed that so bad! Thanks, babes!"

Rachel blew her a kiss, then glanced at Irillith who had been watching the lovers with wide eyes. "Would you like a helping hand too? Consider it a gentle apology... or not so gentle, whichever you prefer."

Irillith swallowed to clear her dry throat. "Faye, you're all set. Everything's in the green," she said, as she darted down the steps from the Podium. "I'll catch up with you girls later, I need to have a quick chat with Tashana..."

She departed to the sound of their laughter, an eager grin on her face.

Rachel turned to the second Maliri girl in the room and raised an eyebrow. "How about you, Kali? Same offer applies..."

She blushed furiously and shook her head.

"Kali's getting the real deal pretty soon," Dana said, winking at the young woman.

Faye fluttered anxiously nearby and asked, "Are you nearly done yet, Sparks?"

Dana gave the purple sprite a smile of apology. "Nearly there, Faye. Rachel just needs to connect up the last of the nano-probes for you. You'll be completely finished by tonight, I promise."

"Aren't you helping too?" Faye asked in surprise.

"I'll be back in a bit and we'll run a full diagnostic check to make sure you're at 100%," the redhead replied, springing to her feet. She held out a hand for the House Loraleth Matriarch and wiggled her fingers. "Come on, Kali. Let's go get ready!"

Kali slid gracefully off the crate, then glided over to join her friend, clasping her hand. They shared a smile, then giggled together as they left the Workshop.

For the next hour, Rachel's dexterous fingers moved at a steady pace as she methodically covered the last of the chassis in purple synthi-skin. She finished Faye's neck then blew gently on the skin, watching it prickle in response. "Feel that?" she asked the impatient sprite.

Faye shivered, her digital form going insubstantial for a second. "Oh, that feels amazing!" she gasped.

The brunette smiled at her. "It should feel good, but not leave you in an orgasmic puddle. Can you turn down the sensitivity a bit more? I'm not sure how to reboot your chassis if we overload the buffers again like last time; we'd have to go and get Irillith, but I think she's a bit preoccupied at the moment..."

"Sure, I can do that!" the sprite replied, closing her eyes and modifying the relevant sensitivity settings for the network of sensors attached to the synthi-skin.

Rachel unclipped the chassis' long purple mane from its ponytail, then carefully arranged Faye's hair to fall loose around her shoulders and down her back, nodding with satisfaction when she was done. She turned and smiled at her holographic friend. "There, finished."

"Yippee!" Faye exclaimed in delight, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet.

"We just need Dana to do her final checks and you're all set," Rachel said, enjoying seeing how happy the petite elfin girl was. "Have you discussed with John what you're going to do for your first date?"

Faye shook her head shyly. "I'll leave that to him! I'm sure he'll think of something amazing!"

The brunette quirked an eyebrow and looked dubious. "Hmm, I'm not so sure. Remember his date with Valani? You might end up watching a sparring match between Sakura and Calara..."

The sprite giggled and nodded. "Honestly, I'd still love doing that with him!" She let out a dreamy sigh. "Any time I spend with his arms wrapped around me would be so wonderful..."

"I'll have a word with him," Rachel said, smiling fondly at her lovestruck friend. "I'm sure we can come up with a much more romantic setting."

Faye sighed again, a giddy smile on her face.

Rachel studied the purple girl for a moment. "Faye, can I ask you something personal?"

"Of course, Rachel, anything!" Faye immediately replied.

"What way would you choose to have a baby with John? Loving or passionate?" the brunette asked in fascination. "I think I know the answer for everyone else, but with you I wasn't sure."

Faye looked at the brunette with an expression of profound longing.

"Just between us," Rachel said with an encouraging smile. "I promise, I won't tell a soul."

"Any way I could," Faye eventually replied, her cute elfin face suddenly looking forlorn. "But that's just not possible..."

Rachel felt overwhelmed with sympathy for Faye and angry at herself. "I'm so sorry, Faye! I promise I didn't mean to upset you, I completely forgot you weren't organic for a moment!"

"That's okay," the sprite replied dejectedly. For the first time in her short life, she didn't relish the fact that someone had been fooled into thinking she was a real girl.

Turning to look at the robotic chassis, Rachel said softly, "Take control of your body, Faye. I think it's time we field tested a hug."

Faye did as Rachel asked, the inanimate purple mannequin suddenly bursting to life with a whole host of tiny movements. Her small but pert bust began to rise and fall, her ribcage set to expand and contract every three seconds. She shifted weight slightly from one foot to the other, which was another simulated subconscious movement that Rachel had insisted on. There was a firmly padded underlay beneath the synthi-skin to simulate muscles and the brunette watched as it shifted with each tiny motion, unable to tell the difference between her artificial body and real musculature.

"That's good, Faye... perfect in fact," Rachel murmured, marvelling at how incredibly lifelike she seemed.

Long lashes fluttered and Faye's luminous eyes slowly opened, a slightly worried tension around those purple orbs. "Any hint of uncanny valley?"

The brunette walked around her, examining Faye's petite figure, then stopped in front of her and studied her face with an appraising eye. "No, nothing like that at all. I feel curiosity, fascination, attraction..."

Faye blushed and gazed up at her taller friend. "Attraction? Really?"

"You're like a very beautiful, very sexy fairy," Rachel murmured, brushing her fingers across Faye's cheek and delighting in the silky texture of her skin. "The only reason I haven't asked you for a kiss, is because I assumed you'd want your first one to be with John."

Faye gave her a self-conscious smile. "I don't know how to kiss yet and I'd be so embarrassed if John thought I was terrible at it. You're an expert at studying human interaction and behaviour... Would you teach me?"

"Really?" Rachel asked in surprise. "You want your first kiss to be with me?"

Faye nodded, looking up at her shyly with her big glowing eyes. "Irillith was my Creator and Dana might be my best friend, but you came up with my name and helped me to learn and grow. I love you just as much as either of them..."

"You're such a sweetheart," Rachel said, looking touched. She brushed her fingers through Faye's soft purple hair and stepped closer. "I love you too, Faye. I'll teach you everything I know... but first, how about that hug?"

The purple girl nodded eagerly, remembering her hugs with Irillith in the cyber-realm and wondering how this would compare. She closed the distance between them and very carefully put her arms around the teenager. "Is that okay? Not hurting you?"

"You're very gentle," Rachel said with a smile. "That's perfect."

Rachel hugged her in return, rubbing her fingers up and down Faye's back and feeling the soft warmth of her skin. Faye reciprocated a second later and the brunette sighed. "Yes, just like that... it feels very soothing."

"Oh, this is better than I ever dreamed," Faye whispered, embracing her friend.

"All that sensory data... is that pleasurable for you?" Rachel asked in fascination, pulling back to look curiously at the smaller girl.

"No... I mean, yes, it's very exciting to receive so much feedback, but that's not what makes it so good."

"What makes it feel good, Faye?" Rachel asked, caressing her cheek.

"Finally being able to interact with the physical world... to hold you in my arms at last and see you react positively to my touch," she replied, her expression open and earnest.

The brunette's grey eyes softened and she leaned forward to give Faye her very first kiss.

Their lips came together and Faye swooned at the flood of sensory data from her highly-responsive cupid-bow lips. She quickly initiated a new program called arousal stage 1, and temporarily paused her ribcage expansion as if her breath were catching. After a two second wait, she resumed the breathing subroutine, increasing the rate to simulate quickening breath. Faye slightly dilated her pupils and darkened the pigmentation in her cheeks by a fraction to resemble a blush.

"That was lovely," Rachel said, when they parted.

"Did I really do okay?" Faye replied, looking thrilled.

"You were great!" Rachel smiled at her and placed a hand on the purple sprite's chest where it brushed against her own. "Nice improvisation with your breathing, that was very authentic. Now, relax your jaw a little and purse your lips slightly to meet mine... oh and add a very faint, soft moan if you maintain a kiss for more than five seconds."

"This is so exciting!" Faye gasped.

Rachel winked at her, full lips lifting into a flirtatious smile. "Just wait until we get to the advanced classes..."

***

John stood underneath the shower with Edraele and Alyssa in his arms, enjoying the feel of the hot water as the powerful jets splashed over his body. He'd had quite the workout after the highly-energetic morning spent in bed with Nyrelle, so the shower felt wonderfully invigorating.

The girls had returned to the bedroom after leaving John and Nyrelle alone together for a couple of hours, with lunch for him and lots of cuddles and kisses for her. He'd enjoyed watching the blue-eyed beauty with her friends, seeing her joy as they fussed over her, the girls kissing and caressing her rounded tummy. Every once in a while, Nyrelle had darted an elated glance back at him, and they'd share an intimate look that left her blushing. He was honest enough with himself to know he was growing very attached to the vivacious House Aeberos matriarch.

Dana and Kali had been conspicuously absent, but no one mentioned it and Nyrelle didn't seem surprised at their lack of attendance. The girls departed shortly after lunch, taking Nyrelle with them once she had given him a tender kiss goodbye. Edraele had stayed behind to keep him company in the shower and when he saw how hard it was for Alyssa to leave, he insisted the blonde teenager stay too.

"It's such a strange Terran custom and quite unfair to the male..." Edraele mused out loud, a thoughtful expression on her beautiful face.

John pulled his blue-skinned matriarch closer. "What custom's that, honey?"

"Kissing and caressing a woman's belly when she's pregnant," Edraele explained.

"I guess people just like to celebrate fertility," John said with a shrug. "I always thought it was nice, but I heard it can get a bit annoying for expectant mothers."

Alyssa giggled and shook her head. "No, she doesn't mean that."

She turned off the shower and shared a naughty grin with Edraele as they sank to their knees.

"Oh congratulations!" Edraele exclaimed with a joyful smile, gently stroking his balls and giving them a kiss.

Alyssa followed suit, lovingly caressing his quad. "Do you know what you're having yet?" she asked brightly.

John shook with laughter and hugged them both when they stood. "Yeah, you're right! It's totally unfair that the father gets left out."

"It's lovely to see you this happy," Alyssa said, grinning as she hugged him back. "Fatherhood definitely agrees with you."

Edraele nodded and kissed him on the cheek. "Just in case you're interested, between the Young Matriarchs and myself, we could provide you with several eager Maliri girls every day for the rest of your life..."

Alyssa's eyes lit up with excitement. "Holy fuck, John! Just imagine it..."

He chuckled and shook his head. "As much as my libido loves that idea, I'll politely decline."

"But... you could have thousands of girls knocked up at the same time!" Alyssa gasped, her pupils widening at the thought. She let out a moan of arousal and pressed herself against him. "Just imagine all those sexy blue pregnant tummies..."

John smiled at them both and pulled them closer. "I'm going to have my hands full with you ladies and your girls. I want to try and be a good father, remember? With a few thousand children they'd only get a couple of seconds of attention!"

Alyssa's cerulean eyes twinkled as he kissed him on the cheek. "That's true, I guess you're already going to be pretty busy with about sixty or so kids."

"Sixty!" John exclaimed in surprise.

"At least," the blonde purred. "There's me and my seven girls, plus Jehanna and Niskera are a distinct possibility..."

"And I want your children just as much as my eight girls," Edraele said softly. "That makes nineteen of us and if we have three or four each..."

"At least sixty..." John marvelled. He frowned then and glanced at each of them in turn. "Maybe we should pace ourselves a bit, it's not like we need to rush to have our family in your childbearing years."

"Our eternally fertile wombs are at your disposal," Alyssa said with a cheeky grin. She gave him a loving kiss then turned and left the shower, "I'll leave you in Edraele's capable hands for now, but thank you for asking me to stay, that was really fun!"

They waved her goodbye and she bounded out of the bathroom, her bronzed body still glistening wet. *Time for a shower with Calara! She desperately needs some TLC after watching you give Nyrelle a good stuffing. You know how much she loves getting fucked doggy-style...*

*Have fun!* he thought back to her.

*Oh, I intend to,* Alyssa replied with a seductive purr. *Tsarra and Leena want to help out!*

John chuckled as he led Edraele out of the shower, then took his time drying her off much to her delight. "I'd like to speak to you for a few minutes, if that's okay, Edraele?"

"Of course, John," she replied, clasping his hand and returning to the bedroom with him. "I actually wanted to speak to you about something too."

They reclined on the bed and John placed a hand on her hip, gently stroking her smooth skin. "You go first."

"No, I'll go last," Edraele replied with a shake of her head. "You'll understand why later."

"Sure," he said amiably. "Firstly, I just wondered how you were getting on with Tashana and Irillith?"

Her beautiful face lit up with joy. "Oh, John! They're such wonderful girls! We've spent hours talking together and they really do forgive me for everything that happened before."

"I spoke to them both about their relationship with you," he said, sliding his hand around her waist to stroke her lower back. "They know you're not the same person any more, but you are still their mother. The three of you are in a unique position to have a completely fresh start and I know both your daughters really want that."

Edraele's rich purple eyes welled up as she said, "I love them so much... I desperately want to make up for the last fifty years!"

He slowly shook his head. "Just be yourself and love them as their mother, that's all they want."

She nodded, leaning in to brush her lips against his. "Thank you... Out of all the wonderful things you've done, helping me reconcile with my daughters means the absolute world to me."

"You're a lovely woman Edraele, with two equally lovely daughters. You all deserve to be happy," he said, embracing her.

They hugged for a while, then he leaned down and whispered in her ear, "I also wanted to tell you that I'm sorry, for the way I doubted you after the assassinations."

Edraele pulled back and gave him an endearing smile. "There's no need to apologise. Your reaction was quite understandable, I was trying to follow your Progenitor Guide's instructions after all." She looked at him sadly and continued, "Even if you hadn't been forced to hurry away, it would still have taken us several weeks to bring all the Matriarchs under your influence. Many lives would've been lost due to murders and assassinations until you were in a position to enforce your ban on them. Valani especially was in danger of being murdered by her siblings, but they were all at risk; being a member of Maliri nobility is an extremely hazardous occupation."

"How are the girls doing now?" John asked.

Edraele gave him an indulgent look. "You've worked miracles with all of them. They were already effervescent young women, but now they're positively ecstatic!" She sounded wistful as she added, "I'm already happier than I thought possible... I can only wonder how I'll feel when it's time for us to have children together."

He ran his hand over her toned stomach and smiled. "I'll do my best to make sure it's a memorable experience."

She melted into his arms, giving him loving kisses as they lay entwined together. Pulling back a moment, she said, "Thank you so much for Luna..."

"Speaking to her you mean?" John asked, with a smile. "It was my pleasure."

"That and giving her your blessing as my lover," Edraele said softly, nuzzling into him again with tender kisses. "She told me everything you said... it made me love you all the more."

"I'm just sorry I've had to leave you alone for weeks at a time," he said, giving her a rueful frown. "I suppose I'm being selfish with Luna; I feel a little less guilty now that I know she's there to take care of you while I'm away."

"You have responsibilities you have to attend to, I fully understand the burden of leadership. I didn't begrudge you having to race away to save the Terrans from the Kintark, or the Ashanath from the Drakkar, far from it," she said, stroking his face before kissing him again. "But rest assured that Luna and I will take very good care of one another while you're away. Then when you return, perhaps we can show you how grateful we are to you for being so accommodating..."

John reacted to the smouldering look in her eyes, stiffening against her toned stomach. "As wonderful as the last couple of days have been, I would have been just as happy spending them with you."

"Instead of siring children with the Young Matriarchs, you would have bred me several times over, My Lord?" she purred, pressing herself against him. "I was huge when I had the twins in my belly, I can't imagine how enormous I'd be carrying four!"

"Four at once might be a bit excessive," he said with a smile, gazing into her loving eyes. "Wait a second... four? What about Kali?"

Edraele paused for a second then said carefully, "She loves you and really wants you to father her children, but she's a few years younger than the others..."

"...And she's having second thoughts about starting a family right now," John finished for her, nodding his understanding.

Edraele gave him an encouraging smile. "She probably just needs to talk to you about it first. Kali's absolutely besotted with you, so I have a feeling she might get upset with herself if she asks you to wait to get her pregnant. I'll let you speak to her and decide what's best, I know you'll handle the situation delicately."

"No pressure then," John said with a dry chuckle. "Don't worry, I'll make sure we do what's best for her."

"You always do," Edraele replied affectionately, giving him a parting kiss before climbing off the bed. "Thank you for the chat, it was lovely spending more time with you."

John waved his Maliri Matriarch goodbye, then decided to get dressed, having lounged around naked in bed all morning. By the time he was done, he heard the clicking of heels down the corridor and he blinked in surprise as Dana flounced into the bedroom... in her schoolgirl outfit.

"Hello, Sir!" she said with a cheeky grin, posing for him near the foot of the bed.

"And to what do I owe this pleasure, young lady?" John replied gruffly, playing along as he admired her spectacular figure in the very tight clothes.

Dana was wearing her red plaid skirt with a short white blouse, which clung to her chest like a second skin and revealed a tantalising glimpse of her tanned midriff. On top of the blouse she wore a sleeveless grey waistcoat with JP embroidered above her right breast, her bounteous flesh bringing the letters around to the side of her bust, the blouse and waistcoat struggling to cope with her impressive cleavage. The outfit was completed by thigh-high stockings and four-inch heels.

"I haven't seen you in ages, so I wanted to remind you that I need lots of hard lessons if you're going to keep stretching me," she purred, curling her braided hair around her finger. "But today I'm not here about me. I wanted to let you know about a foreign exchange student who just joined us..."

John had been so distracted by the redhead's performance that he missed a second set of heels clicking along the corridor. He didn't miss Kali's entrance though, when she sashayed over to join them, standing beside Dana and posing alluringly. She was wearing an identical outfit with JP also emblazoned across her bust, her blouse fighting another doomed battle with her heaving azure bosom.

He smiled at her and glanced at her straining waistcoat. "Did Dana tell you what those letters stand for?"

Kali blushed and nodded, biting her full lip as she glanced down at the letters hugging her breast. "John's Property... I liked the sound of that very much..."

John reached out to gently brush his fingers across those letters, drawing a gasp from Kali as she felt his touch through the thin waistcoat.

"Be careful, Sir," Dana stage-whispered to him. "I hear these foreign girls are looking to get knocked up... get themselves guaranteed citizenship."

He noticed the almost imperceptible flicker in Kali's expression and realised he probably would have missed it if not for Edraele's warning. Thanking his Maliri Matriarch telepathically, he turned to smile at the excited redhead. "Thanks for introducing us, Dana. I'll make sure to give this young lady all the special care and attention she needs."

Dana's sky-blue eyes sparkled with lust, but she managed to tear herself away, giving them one last longing glance before she turned to leave. John gave her a good smack on her cheeky rump, drawing a startled gasp from the redhead before she giggled and grinned at him.

"Perhaps I'll see you later this week, Sir?" Dana teased as she sauntered towards the door. "Class is a lot bigger now and some of those girls desperately need some discipline..."

"Sounds like something I might need to attend to," John said sternly. He winked at Dana before she left. "Thanks, honey."

As soon as Dana departed, Kali's indigo eyes snapped back to John and he could almost see the excitement and lust pouring off her in waves. He reached for her hands, squeezing them gently in his.

"You look absolutely gorgeous," he said, his voice ringing with sincerity.

She glanced down at her outfit. "Do you really like it? Dana said you love seeing her wear this..."

John nodded, his eyes drawn to the mouth-watering glimpses of blue skin revealed by her tight clothing. "You look good enough to eat..."

Kali giggled and blushed, knowing exactly what he was alluding to.

Sitting on the end of the bed, John repositioned her so Kali was standing in front of him between his legs. He released her trembling hands and brushed the back of his finger across her toned blue midriff. Her breath caught and when he looked up into her eyes, he saw that same look of desire, with just a flicker of apprehension.

"Kali, I have something I'd like to ask you," he said, while gently caressing her tummy. "It's a really huge favour."

"Anything..." she breathed, her pupils flaring.

He smiled at her and shook his head. "You don't have to agree until you've heard what I'm asking."

Her curiosity piqued, she looked at him quizzically. "I can't imagine I'd refuse you anything. What kind of favour is it?"

"I'm sure you saw how much I enjoyed making a baby with the rest of the Young Matriarchs..." he replied, gently massaging her toned belly.

Kali's penetrating indigo gaze didn't waver for an instant, although she let out a faint moan at the intimate caress. "It was very, very exciting..."

"So I hope you can forgive me for asking you something very selfish," John said with a rueful frown.

"Forgive you...?" Kali murmured in confusion.

"It's going to be several months before I start a family with Alyssa, Edraele, and the rest of the girls, so I was wondering... Would you be really offended if I saved you for later?"

"For later?!" Kali blurted out... looking astonished.

John leaned forward to plant a tender kiss on her belly. "Just a few weeks, maybe a month... I was thinking perhaps when I return to Genthalas next? You see, I loved making a baby with those girls so much, I wanted to really savour our time together, let the anticipation build first."

Kali sagged with relief, and laughed as she nodded. "Of course! I don't mind waiting a little bit."

"You're an angel!" John exclaimed, giving her a broad grin.

She giggled and tousled his hair with her fingers, then suddenly froze, understanding flashing across her face. "Edraele... she told you I was having doubts!"

John nodded, realising he was rumbled. "She told me that you weren't completely sure. I know there's a lot of pressure on you to rebuild your House, but you're young, Kali. It's only natural that you might have some reservations about starting a family now."

"So you made up the story about waiting, just to give me more time?" she asked, love shining in her eyes.

He smiled and kissed her tummy again. "I wouldn't say 'made up' exactly. You're a very sexy, very beautiful girl... it's going to be incredibly exciting knowing you're waiting for me to return to Genthalas to start a family. If you still don't feel ready then, just let me know... I'll wait however long you need."

She let out a soft sigh, then leaned down to kiss him. "You're so amazingly kind... thank you."

John glanced at her waistcoat and grinned. "You're my property now and I like to take really good care of my possessions."

Kali laughed and threw her arms around him, giving him a big hug.

John returned it, then rose to his feet when she released him. "Can you swim, beautiful?" he asked curiously.

She nodded, a look of confusion on her lovely face. "Of course... but why?"

"Would you like to visit the Lagoon? I plan to spend the rest of the day making love to you, but I could use a change of scenery. It's beautiful there and I promise I'll make it worth your while..."

"That sounds amazing!" she replied, grinning at him in delight. She glanced down at her schoolgirl outfit. "But what should I do with this? I don't think it's very practical swimwear..."

"You'll definitely need to be nude in the water," John said, studying her with a playful smile. "But bring it with you, it could come in handy later..."

"Okay!" she readily agreed, clasping his hand and accompanying him out of the bedroom.

***

The wing of five Claymores roared through the circular holographic gate, the fighters flying in a perfect V formation. Retro-thrusters flared along their wings and the gunships banked upwards, turning with an agility quite remarkable for a blocky vessel of that size. Their big engines blazed brighter as the wing increased thrust, hurtling towards the next gate in the target circuit at a speed unheard of amongst the Terran Federation military until very recently.

Pivoting on its axis, the wing of fighters performed a looping curve as they changed course towards the next gate. Mid-way to the next circular portal, a derelict assault cruiser configured with simulated target projectors blazed into life, appearing as a Kintark destroyer in the pilots' HUDs. The five fighters opened fire, three Gatling Lasers in each wing sending streams of bright orange laser bolts hammering into the hulk. The Claymores shuddered a second later as the Gauss Cannons built into the fuselage unloaded, sending hyper-accelerated slugs pounding into the battered superstructure.

After executing their strafing run, the ships rolled and pulled up, turning sharply to approach the seventeenth gate on the training course. Unfortunately, the Claymore on the tip of the right wing wavered, the pilot having left the turn too late by a couple of seconds. Despite turning at maximum pitch-rate, the fighter sliced through the edge of the broad holographic ring, which flashed as it detected a collision.

"God fucking dammit!" Murphy snarled, glaring at the red warning sign displayed over his tactical console. He thumped his fist down on the comm interface and said sternly to his wing, "That's it, we're done. Get back to the Zeus..."

"But Leprechaun, only Abbott's claymore hit the ring, the rest of us could still finish the course," Halifax suggested, rubbing his tired eyes.

"No, get back to the Zeus..." Murphy growled again.

They flew back to the Zeus's hangar in silence, Murphy's four wingmen sensing his simmering rage. The five Claymores approached the broad docking area above the banks of launch tubes, following the glowing green flight path projected by the Zeus' flight control system. Anti-gravity buffers slowed their approach and aided by the heavy fighters' retro-thrusters, the ships slowed to a halt, then gently landed on the five landing pads.

The four rookie pilots scrambled to get out of their Claymores, then jogged over to Murphy's loading lift just before the platform started to drop down to the Zeus' flight deck. They removed their helmets then stood at attention as Murphy stalked towards them.

"How many fucking times, Abbott?!" he snapped, shaking his head in disgust at the young woman on the right of their line. "A couple more seconds firing time on the target means fuck all if you end up getting blown to smithereens! What if we'd been threading-the-needle through Kintark cap ships? You'd be dead!"

He pointed towards the stocky brown-haired man standing beside her. "Lincoln never fucks up the timing on a strafing run and he's had half your stick time!" Murphy glowered at the man and continued, "It's just a shame his aim is so fucking awful!"

"And you two..." He whirled around and jabbed a finger at Halifax and Baker. "As soon as Abbott went down then that's when we'd have started dying... you both got so distracted, the formation got scattered all over the fucking place! I will not accept people screwing up and getting killed! We train as an entire team and we keep at it until we get it perfect every goddamn time! If you can't accept that, transfer to someone else's fucking wing!"

The loading lift had dropped down into the maintenance area and the platform locked into place with a clunk. Murphy jerked his thumb at the adjacent maintenance gantry. "Alright, you're dismissed. Get some rest, because we're going out all day tomorrow, starting at oh-seven-hundred hours."

The four weary rookies managed to suppress their groans. After saluting their furious Wing Commander, they walked towards the maintenance gantry with heavy steps and slumped shoulders. They passed a Deck Engineer on their way out, who jogged across the platform towards Murphy and his Claymore.

"Hey Leprechaun!" the engineer called out to him, a broad smile on his face. "You were right, you canny Irish bastard! Your Claymore's Gauss Cannon was two degrees out of alignment!"

"Yeah, I know," Murphy muttered, turning and walking towards the gantry.

The engineer's face fell and he frowned. "I thought you'd be pleased..."

Murphy froze and glared at the man. "Pleased Garv? That I've been forced to compensate for your fuck-up for the last several days? Yeah, I'm ecstatic..."

"Hey, wait a minute!" Garvy protested. "That's not fair!"

"No, it isn't," Murphy snapped. "Why am I the only one who seems to give a shit if my Claymore is spaceworthy or not?!"

The engineer looked shocked and he turned away. "I'm sorry, Sir. I'll get it fixed before tomorrow."

Murphy didn't bother to reply and stalked across the platform to the maintenance gantry. The metal made a satisfying clang as he stomped up the steps, his mind racing as he tried to think of ways to make his wingmen appreciate just how lethal space combat could be. He was so wrapped up in his thoughts, he nearly walked right into the man in a flight suit waiting for him at the top of the gantry.

"Could I have a word, Leprechaun," Binary said, holding out a hand to stop him.

Murphy heaved a sigh. "I'm tired, Binary. Can't it wait?"

"No, I don't think it can," his old wingman replied, turning and looking at the four exhausted rookies who were staggering back to the barracks. "You're riding them too hard, Murphy."

Murphy narrowed his eyes in anger. "No I'm not! We didn't train hard enough last time... Romeo, Snakebite, Angel... they'd all still be alive if we had!"

Binary shook his head. "You don't know that, Murphy. It was a desperate situation and we were heavily outnumbered. We only survived because the Lionesses showed up."

"So the next time we get in a fight, we pray the Lionesses come along and save the fucking day?!" Murphy snorted, pushing his way past the other officer. "I haven't got time for this, I'm going to bed. I've got a long day of training tomorrow."

"You're going to burn out, Ryan," Binary warned him. "I can see how much stress you're putting yourself under."

Murphy stormed off and snapped over his shoulder, "I'm not going to let my wing down again!"

Binary turned and watched him leave, then called out, "It wasn't your fault! You can't blame yourself!"

Waving him away, Murphy kept on walking.

"You didn't let us down..." Binary murmured sadly, filled with grief for his fallen comrades.

***

Kali let out a disbelieving laugh as she flopped back on the bed in John's arms, her lithe young body glistening with perspiration. "I'm starting to wonder what I was worried about!" she gasped, panting for breath as she recovered from her powerful orgasm.

"There's no rush, beautiful," John said, brushing a strand of hair away from her face. "As soon as you're ready, just let me know. Although, it does mean I'll need to spend another whole day ravishing you first, just to make sure you don't have any doubts..."

She giggled and gave him a passionate kiss. "I'm going to miss you so much..."

"Likewise," he agreed, flexing his cock and drawing a delicious moan from her.

Kali twisted around to one side and grinned at their audience gathered at the foot of the bed. "I think you've kept Tsarra waiting long enough, don't you?"

John gave her a final kiss, then slowly pulled out of her snug passage with considerable reluctance. He turned and glanced down the bed, then smiled at the sight waiting for him. All the girls were there, naked and clearly very aroused, having watched him pleasuring Kali for the last half-hour. They sank to their knees, giving him an incredible view of the fourteen women arrayed before him, four of them now pregnant and the rest ready to join them in a matter of months. Tsarra was at their forefront, sitting directly in front of him, with Edraele and Alyssa kneeling beside her.

He smiled at Tsarra as she shuffled closer. "Are you ready?"

She nodded, then reached out with a warm hand to grasp his shaft. "You're close, aren't you? You must be aching for relief..."

Without waiting for a response, she tilted forward, welcoming his throbbing length into her mouth then down her constricting throat.

Kali clambered over the bed and hugged him from behind, resting her chin on his shoulder. "This view is amazing!" she gasped, staring out at John's inner circle of loving girls. "Should I join them too?"

He turned his head to give her a peck on the cheek. "You stay right where you are, honey."

Kali rubbed her pliant breasts against his back then kissed his shoulder. "Okay!"

Alyssa and Edraele moved closer, putting their arms around the prostrate Maliri. Tsarra moved with a steady rhythm, remembering everything Alyssa had taught her, throat bobbing so that her muscles gripped his shaft as she did her best to bring him off

"You'll go into a daze with the first swallow," Alyssa reminded her. "Just shake it off..."

Edraele hugged her closer. "Bonding with you will be wonderful, Tsarra. I can hardly wait!"

John met Tsarra's gaze as she bobbed in his lap. "Nearly there, beautiful..."

"Can I feel you feeding her?!" Kali gasped, eyes locked on his cock, his girth stretching Tsarra's soft mouth wide open.

John just about managed to nod as he came, "Now!"

As Tsarra pulled back so that just his head was in her mouth, Kali snaked her arm around John, circling half his shaft with her dainty hand. His first blast of cum shot straight down Tsarra's throat as he pulled back and her eyes glazed over as she swallowed. She had just started to go into the suckling trance when her eyes blinked rapidly and she roused herself from the effects of his cum. Glancing up at John, her mouth twitched into a smile as she watched his face twisted with pleasure.

"Such a good girl," Alyssa murmured, joining Edraele in sliding a hand down between Tsarra's parted thighs. The blonde gently rubbed her clit while Edraele eased a couple of fingers into her pussy. "Cum with him..."

Tsarra shook as she did exactly that, her mouth sliding down his length and bumping into Kali's fingers.

"I can feel you pulsing as you feed her," Kali whispered to John in awe. "It's so strong and there's so much..."

John was vaguely aware of her words, but his attention was squarely on Tsarra as he pumped his cum into the mother of his first child, making her strong and healthy. After a long blissful climax, he sagged back in Kali's arms, who hugged him while murmuring loving words in his ear. It took a little while for everyone to recover and by the time John had roused himself from his post-orgasmic high, his Matriarchs were helping Tsarra to her feet. He kissed her hugely rounded tummy and shared an intimate smile with her, before she reluctantly pulled on her dress, the long garment stretching over her impressive curves.

"Do you really have to go?" Kali asked softly, squeezing him tighter as though never planning on letting him leave.

"I'd stay here with you girls forever if I could," John replied reaching back to stroke her head. "But we need to get the shield tech off the Brimorians. The sooner we can get hold of that, the sooner Dana can start improving it and..."

"You can roll it out to all the Maliri ships," Kali finished for him. She sighed and nuzzled into him. "I remember, but I still don't want you to leave..."

Valani and Nyrelle joined them on the bed, while Leena hugged Tsarra from behind, running her hands over the Perfaren Matriarch's swollen belly.

"He'll be back in just a few weeks," Valani said supportively, putting her arm around Kali. "The time will pass before you know it!"

Nyrelle nodded, leaning in and kissing John on the cheek. "He's got lots of very good reasons for coming back as soon as he can." She lowered her voice to a breathy whisper. "Or should I say lots of very naughty reasons..."

John put his arm around her and fondled her firm rump, squeezing each cheek and drawing a quiet moan from the lusty girl. "Valani's right, it won't be long. Until then, I want you ladies to take really good care of each other and Edraele. I'm relying on you to keep the Protectorate running smoothly."

"We promise," Tsarra said earnestly, accompanied by nods from Edraele and the rest of the Young Matriarchs.

He smiled at them affectionately and beckoned them in for a group hug. As he was surrounded by emotional Maliri, John looked at the rest of the girls watching them and grinned. "Yeah, all of you too..."

There was no way he could hug that many women at once, so they reached out to make contact with him instead. He felt a shiver run down his spine at that contact, suddenly feeling part of something much bigger, as they all touched simultaneously for the first time.

Seeing the startled looks on the beautiful faces surrounding him, he asked, "So it wasn't just me who felt that?"

The girls shook their heads, glancing around at each other in surprise.

"We're all your mates," Jade said softly, a tender look in her emerald eyes. "You're connected to each of us in many ways..."

"I am," John agreed, clasping her hand when her cool fingers sought out his. He looked around at the group and continued, "I want to thank all of you for these last couple of days. It felt like being on vacation, but I know it wasn't a fleeting thing. This was like a glimpse into our future, and it was one I loved very much..."

"Watching you fuck these girls senseless was awesome, but it was torture not being stuffed full of your cock afterwards!" Dana exclaimed with a mock pout. "Next time we need lots more orgies!"

He smiled and nodded. "Very true."

"We were just thinking of your health, John," Edraele said, with a twinkle in her eyes. "Do you think you could have survived all of us at once?"

"It's something I aim to find out," he replied, then laughed as the Young Matriarchs hugged him tighter.

The group hug separated then, as everyone starting saying their goodbyes to one another. Pairing off the Young Matriarchs with the Terran girls had brought the two groups much closer together and John nodded his appreciation to Alyssa as she gave Tsarra a farewell hug. After saying goodbye to Luna and the Young Matriarchs, John finally reached Edraele, who was embracing both her daughters. He waited patiently for them to finish, not wanting to intrude on their moment together.

Edraele glanced his way, an alluring smile on her face. "Come and join us, John."

Irillith and Tashana beckoned him over and he joined the twins and their mother in a four-way hug. As two sets of violet eyes and one set of purple gazed at him, he couldn't help marvelling at the likeness between Edraele and her two daughters, all three of them exquisitely beautiful women.

"The last couple of days have been fascinating," Irillith said, a teasing note in her voice. "You seem to really enjoy making Maliri girls pregnant, John."

"We've spoken about it at length," Tashana said, her eyes sparkling as they darted to her mother and sister before returning to him. "We're very curious to know if our children will all look alike..."

"I can't wait to find out," John said honestly, looking into each of their eyes in turn.

Edraele stepped closer, her arms around her daughters as she said softly, "I can still remember how wonderful it felt carrying the two of you. I long to experience that sensation again and I know you're going to adore feeling it too."

The three Valaden women leaned into him, the twins at his flanks, while Edraele crossed her wrists behind his neck. He could feel Irillith and Tashana stroking his back as he enjoyed a long loving kiss with their mother.

"You know how much I'm going to miss you," John said to his Maliri Matriarch.

She caressed his temple and smiled. "I'll be in your thoughts."

John felt a hand on his shoulder and Alyssa hugged him from behind. "We'll be back in a couple of weeks, the time will fly by," she said, kissing him on the cheek. "Tsarra's got something for you, come and see..."

The Valaden women obviously knew what she was referring to and they grinned as they pulled away from the hug. John turned around and saw that the rest of the girls had fanned out into a semi-circle around them, with the House Perfaren Matriarch at the centre.

"I wanted to give you a gift," Tsarra said, a self-conscious smile on her lovely face as she held out a small device in her hand.

John accepted the tiny black object and looked at it in fascination. "What is it?"

"A holo-projector; just press that button," she replied, pointing to a tiny raised nodule on the side of the device.

He did so and an image sprung to life in front of his eyes, taking his breath away. It was a picture of a grassy plain, with an outcropping of rock jutting up into a small plateau. Standing tall on that raised platform was a stylised painting of a lion, his bearing regal and proud as he gazed out over his pride of lionesses. The female lions were the same colour as the gems in the girls' engagement rings, making each distinctive and easily identifiable. He looked at each lioness in turn, astonished at the detail and intricacy of her work. Somehow Tsarra had managed to capture the spirit of each girl in her feline counterpart.

"Do you like it?" Tsarra asked, holding her breath.

"It's incredible!" he replied, shaking his head in amazement. "I can't believe you did all this in just a couple of days!"

"Thank you," she replied, blushing at his praise. "Before I became the matriarch of House Perfaren, I used to be an artist. This is the first piece I've done since I took up that role."

"You're very talented... would you show me the rest of your work sometime?" he asked, studying the pride of lions again.

"I'd love to!" she replied with a happy sigh.

John hesitated for a second, then frowned as he gestured towards the lionesses, "I hate to point it out, but I can't see Edraele in this picture..."

Tsarra flashed a smile at the House Valaden Matriarch. "Actually, that wasn't a mistake, it was quite deliberate." She handed him a second holo-projector. "Edraele and I thought she would be better represented here..."

There was a hushed quiet as he deactivated the first picture, then accepted the second holo-projector. Holding it in the palm of his hand, he activated the device and another dazzling painting blazed into life before him. This one showed a noble stallion galloping with his herd of nine beautiful mares, each sky-blue horse tossing their white manes in joy as they galloped beside him. He could see they each had different coloured eyes, identifying them as Edraele, her three bodyguards, and the five Young Matriarchs.

John gazed at the picture in wonder, then chuckled as he realised why she'd chosen that particular animal to represent the Maliri. He wrapped Tsarra up in a hug and exclaimed, "I love it! My sexy, talented broodmare!"

She laughed and hugged him back. "There's plenty of room in both pictures; I'll be more than happy to include new additions to the herd or pride..."

"That's good to know," Alyssa purred, slipping her arms around them both.

John glanced at the blonde and she nodded, letting him know that it was time. They all headed down to the airlock, the golden corridor of the Andresil Enkana visible beyond the open portal. After one final hug, the Maliri crossed over to their battleship, then turned and waved goodbye. John smiled when he saw Luna slip her hand into Edraele's, the former assassin's firm nod letting him know that she'd do everything in her power to protect her Queen.

The Invictus' airlock door spiralled shut at the same time as the crystal airlock door of the Andresil Enkana swung down into place. Then the ships separated and pulled away, the docking tube retracting into the battleship as it made its way towards the edge of the system. The two ships were now travelling in opposite directions, with the Maliri beginning their six-day journey back to Genthalas, while the Invictus headed towards the border with the Brimorian Enclave.

"I've plotted a course to Brimor," Alyssa said, slipping her arm around his waist. "Faye's taking us to the jump point, we should arrive at eight-thirteen tomorrow morning."

John turned and looked at his crew, feeling a surge of gratitude towards them all. "Thank you for making such an effort with the Maliri, I really appreciated it and I know they did too."

Calara walked over to him and gave him a tender kiss on the cheek. "Leena was such a sweet girl and so smitten with you; it was an absolute pleasure to get to know her better."

Jade hadn't stopped smiling after watching him with Nyrelle earlier that morning. "Seeing you breed the Maliri was thrilling! I can only imagine how exciting it'll be to watch you with these girls, knowing how much you love them."

John nodded and glanced around at his crew, making eye contact with each in turn. "I intend to show each of you just how much I'm looking forward to it."

There was a sudden frisson in the air, the atmosphere in the corridor electrifying.

He slowly exhaled to diffuse the sexual tension. "But first things first... It's ten o'clock, so we'll have a quick catch up on what you've each been doing over the past couple of days. After that, I want to go over our plans again for tonight."

Tashana shared a meaningful glance with Alyssa. "We've been discussing it and I had a few more ideas."

"That's great! I want to hear all about them," John said, looking pleased. He glanced around at the girls and continued, "Has anyone changed their mind? Are we still agreed this is the most sensible option?"

Sakura's expression was grim. "I'm not sure I'd describe it as sensible, but I think it's the only option we really have."

"So do I," John said decisively. "If those bastards want a fight, then we'll give them one."

"When they pull us into the Astral Sub-Plane again, we're going to be the shittiest houseguests ever!" Alyssa said with a wicked grin. "It's time we got some payback..."

***

The cloaked shuttle had left Terra several hours earlier, making slow but undetectable progress across space. It approached the biggest planet in the Sol system - a gas giant notable for its raging storms and great red spot - then made a number of course corrections to take it towards what had once been Jupiter's largest moon.

The largest that is, until the Ganymede incident...

Centuries earlier, Mael'nerak's Nexus server had been discovered on Terra's moon. Federation scientists had laboured for decades, attempting to reverse engineer that radically advanced AI, but their skills were pitifully inadequate to the task. They created a psychotic rogue AI that was determined to extinguish all Terran life.

After slaughtering all organic life on Ganymede with its pitiless metallic minions, the Nexus variant had begun manufacturing a vast robotic fleet, causing mayhem and wide-scale destruction before it was finally obliterated. In a desperate gambit, the Terran Federation threw every available ship at the AI, crippling its defensive fleet then bombarding Ganymede itself. After the deaths of billions, High Command was in no mood to take any chances and after days of relentless orbital barrages, the moon was rent asunder, fracturing into millions of huge asteroids.

Ganymede's broken husk had been quarantined after that, a stricture rigidly enforced by the Terran Military. No one with the slightest modicum of sense was willing to risk any part of that AI being retrieved, so approaching ships were interdicted and forcibly removed from the location. Thus Ganymede's remains had lain undisturbed for many centuries, a mausoleum for the millions butchered on the shattered moon...

... And the ideal location for sinister shadow-operations, the kind that were never intended to be brought under the harsh glare of the public spotlight.

The shuttle drifted closer to the second largest of those planetary fragments, energy signals kept to a minimum to make it invisible to sensors. Hidden behind a massive jagged outcropping of rock was an unlit docking bay and the pilot guided the craft inside with practiced familiarity. Touching down in the centre of the bay, a muted path of red lights flickered to life, highlighting a route to the reinforced secondary airlock door in the rough-hewn wall.

Admiral Weber walked briskly down the exit ramp, pulling on his peaked hat and adjusting it so it fit squarely on his head. He was accompanied by a pair of heavily armed and armoured special forces soldiers, who flanked him as he strode up to the airlock. Placing his hand on the DNA reader, the panel flashed green as it recognised his genetic code and the airlock door spiralled open. The next room was festooned with Gatling Laser turrets embedded in the walls and they tracked him as he crossed the floor.

Even though he was fully authorised to be in this base and had visited many times, he still felt a shiver of fear when he walked through its impregnable defences. However, he was a cautious man when it mattered and could appreciate that these extra precautions were necessary. After passing through a second security door, he walked over an extendable bridge, knowing that more turrets hidden in the gloom were following his every move.

He travelled deeper and deeper into the facility, nodding to the grizzled special forces troops who had been tasked with defending this installation. There were over two-hundred soldiers in the garrison, every man a hardened veteran. Fleet Admiral Buckingham had taken no chances with establishing this base, where he kept all his dirty little secrets... secrets that Carl Weber had been protecting for years.

They finally reached the end of the security rooms and a man in a spotless white lab coat greeted him with a sardonic smile. "Welcome back to Tartarus, Admiral."

Tartarus was not the official name for the facility of course, but some dry-witted soldier had come up with the moniker and it had stuck.

Weber acknowledged the researcher with a curt nod. "I'm here to inspect the latest acquisitions, Professor Friedrich."

"Of course, if you'd care to follow me," the researcher replied, pushing his spectacles further up his thin nose.

Weber glanced at his escort, who snapped to attention. "Wait here until I return."

Setting off into the facility with his guide, they took an elevator down to the central testing compound. They entered a cold, wide, brightly lit corridor, with numerous weapon turrets spaced evenly along its length. Set into the walls were large glass panels, each one interspersed by imposing looking-security doors, the metal frames reinforced with three-inch thick titanium bars.

There was movement inside each of those dimly-lit rooms, just enough light cast on the inhabitants to make out their inhuman forms. Weber curled his lip in distaste, then kept his eyes set rigidly forwards as they strode along the detention area.

Friedrich paused half-way along the corridor, then swiped his hand over the interface implant installed in his forearm. A holographic display projected upwards and he pressed a glowing icon. "Here we have the first specimen," he said, turning to his right as floodlights shone down on the occupant of the cell.

Weber winced against the glare, his eyes having to adjust to the bright light. Inside the room was a voluptuous brunette wearing skimpy lingerie, who paced nervously from one side of the room to the other. He couldn't help admiring her impressive physique, even knowing what he was staring at.

"You'd never believe she wasn't a Terran, would you?" the researcher said with a smile. He pushed an icon on the panel and the lights dimmed, the view through the window now cast in blues and reds. The woman's body was shown as a warm orange. "But her body temperature is several degrees cooler."

"That's fascinating, Professor, but I'm more interested in her psychological makeup at the moment," Weber said, staring at the pacing Nymph through the window.

"She keeps requesting that she be reunited with her master," Friedrich said with a dry chuckle. He glanced at Weber. "I assume you have no intention of ever allowing that to happen?"

Weber shook his head. "We need to command their absolute loyalty. Is there a way to transfer her focus to someone else?"

"You wish to adopt that role perhaps?" Friedrich asked airily. When Weber sneered at him in contempt, the researcher paused then answered the Admiral's original question, "Yes, it is possible. From my research into the history of the Lenarrans, I believe she requires a vocal relinquishing of ownership from her current master."

Grimacing at that thought, Weber shook his head. "That would be inconvenient to arrange. Any alternatives?"

"Her master's death," Friedrich stated with blunt finality. "Lenarrans possess innate psychic connections to their masters. If he dies, she will be receptive to a new owner."

"Interesting..." Weber mused. "Is the other one in a similar state?"

"Other two," Friedrich corrected him, turning and walking towards the next room.

He made some more adjustments to the holo-panel and the previous cell dimmed as the next brightened. The next Lenarran was very slim and petite, her flaxen hair in bunches as she stood before them in a gingham dress.

Weber shook his head in disgust; he knew exactly who this Lenarran had been taken from. It was always the ones who crowed the loudest about what upstanding citizens they were, who harboured the darkest of perversions. "This one will be masterless by tomorrow," he said curtly and kept on walking. "You said there was one more?"

"Delivered just this morning," Friedrich replied, illuminating the next cell.

The final Lenarran had almost comically exaggerated proportions, with a titanic bust, a huge behind and utterly indecent lips that formed a lewd pout.

Weber took one glance and snorted. "They're aliens for God's sake! Their owners are depraved!"

Friedrich simply shrugged, having no morals to outrage. "The extraction team believes there is a strong possibility of a fourth in existence, the lead does seem authentic. If so, we hope to have her secured in Tartarus within the next couple of days." He hesitated for a moment, then added, "Must we wait until then for invasive testing? I see no reason to postpone it..."

Weber paused then shook his head. "Buckingham's orders... he wants the full set captured before you begin testing."

"I suppose it is prudent," Friedrich mused. "More subjects are always preferable to establish a baseline, especially if there are any accidents during testing..."

Weber rounded on him angrily. "You've been granted permission to perform surgery and take as many samples as you need, but I'll take a very dim view if any of them are permanently damaged. We need to find a way of breeding more of them and we've only got four!"

Friedrich nodded, lost in thought. "I have a number of interesting specimens we could try cross-breeding them with. Do you have any objections to using Kirrix?"

"Kirrix?!" Weber blurted out in alarm. "That'll kill them, surely!"

"I don't believe so," Friedrich replied, glancing at the Lenarran in the adjacent cell. "They seem to have limited regenerative capabilities. It will certainly be excruciatingly painful, but they should survive..."

"Only if you can guarantee they'll live, Professor," Weber cautiously agreed.

"I believe that will be the case, yes," Friedrich said, pushing his glasses up his nose, a smile of anticipation spreading across his face. "A Kirrix-Lenarran hybrid would be fascinating to see!"

Weber was about to admonish the man to limit his science experiments to work that would actually be pertinent to their project, but he hesitated as he considered the idea; hybrids might actually be an interesting avenue of research. He glanced at the next cell along, seeing another female form in the dim light. "I thought you said there were only three so far?"

"Ah, but she isn't a Lenarran," Friedrich said with a wicked smile.

They walked along to the next room and he activated the bright overhead lighting, the woman inside holding up an arm to shade her eyes. The dark-skinned girl marched up to the window and thumped it with her fist. "Let me out, you bastards! I have rights! You can't do this!"

Friedrich chuckled. "Very spirited, isn't she?"

Weber's eyes narrowed as he recognised the TFNN reporter. "Have you begun the interrogation yet?"

"Not yet," the researcher replied with a shrug. "Another couple of days without food and only minimal water should make her far more cooperative."

Weber stared at the dusky-hued beauty, watching her heaving bust as she glared furiously at the one-way window. He felt the stirrings of arousal as he admired her nubile body, until he remembered that she was almost certainly one of Blake's whores. The thought of a beautiful Terran girl like her willingly consorting with an alien turned his stomach.

"Keep me informed," he said, turning away from the window, having lost all sympathy for the Xeno-lover. "We need to find out everything she knows about John Blake."

"Don't worry, she'll be desperate to talk," Friedrich assured him, a disturbing glimmer in his bespectacled eyes.