Edraele leaned into her lover's warm embrace and let out a contented sigh. "Oh, I really needed this... I felt awful after that meeting with Gaenna."

Luna held the Maliri Queen close, making her feel safe and protected. "You're not that person any more, Edraele."

"I know... but revisiting those horrible memories is always disturbing. It wasn't me that did those dreadful things, but I still remember doing them," she replied, nuzzling into the former assassin's long flowing hair.

Pulling back so that she could see her Queen's face, Luna gave her a look of understanding. "Edraele... I know exactly what you're talking about. The difference is that I actually did do all sorts of terrible things."

"Only at my behest," Edraele interjected with a frown. "It wasn't as if you had any choice in the matter. If you'd refused my orders, my predecessor would have had you executed."

"Does that absolve me of guilt though?" Luna asked, looking conflicted. "If you commanded me to assassinate your enemies now, I would still follow your orders... but out of love rather than duty."

Edraele cupped her bodyguard's face and said softly, "Then I shall never abuse your loyalty and devotion, my love."

They shared a smile and were leaning in for a kiss, when Edraele felt a surge of shock across her empathic bond with Gaenna Baelora. The older matriarch had been fuming when she departed from Edraele's quarters, the sting of humiliation lingering long after she left the Queen's presence. That anger was to be expected, but the flurry of negative emotions Gaenna was experiencing now were definitely not. Fear and horror followed in quick succession, the dreadful sensations ramping up dramatically until they were punctuated by sharp flashes of pain.

"Something's wrong!" Edraele blurted out, jerking back from Luna. Before the startled assassin could say a word, she quickly added, "Gaenna Baelora is scared and hurt... I think she's under attack!"

Luna nodded her understanding and vaulted over the chaise longue as she sprinted for their bedroom. In a matter of seconds, she was fully garbed in a Paragon suit, her sword and pistol gripped in her gauntleted fists.

*Stay here and seal the door,* she ordered the Maliri Queen as she rushed out of her suite.

*Be careful, Luna!* Edraele urged her lover, closing the reinforced doors behind the assassin.

She strode over to her office, crossed the smaller room and retrieved an elegant laser pistol from a concealed compartment in her desk. The weapon powered up with a quiet hum, then Edraele placed it within easy reach next to the console. As she wondered who might have dared to attempt an assassination here at Genthalas, there was another burst of terror across the bond with Gaenna, quickly followed by blinding spikes of pain. Standing there in shock, Edraele witnessed the House Baelora matriarch's last moments of suffering, until she abruptly disappeared from the Queen's network of wards, her life snuffed out in a shroud of agony.

*John!* Edraele called out in alarm. *Gaenna's dead!*

*What?* he replied, startled by her frantic cry.

*Matriarch Gaenna Baelora has just been killed!*

*What the hell happened?!* he demanded, his fear for the Maliri Queen making him curt. *Are you and your girls in danger?*

Before she could reply, Luna's calm voice cut through her subconscious. *I'm approaching Gaenna's suite. Her bodyguards are still standing outside... the alarm hasn't been raised.*

*Luna's investigating now, John. I'm afraid I don't know any details yet,* Edraele quickly replied. *The Young Matriarchs are all safe; we were about to have dinner together when I sensed Gaenna's fear as she was attacked.*

*Please tell Luna to be careful, Edraele,* he said, sounding worried. *That goes for the rest of you too.*

*We will,* she assured him. *I'll keep you informed.*

***

Sarinia sighed with satisfaction as she closed the comms interface and swept out of her mother's office. Her plan had worked flawlessly and she'd finally achieved her life-long ambition... supplanting Gaenna as matriarch and claiming undisputed rule of House Baelora. She crossed the lounge and paused at the entrance to the dining room, her golden-eyed gaze sweeping across the twisted corpses sprawled across the floor.

The sight of her mother's butchered corpse brought a triumphant smile to Sarinia's lips, but her moment of jubilation was marred when she glanced at her siblings. Feeling a pang of regret, she knelt beside her youngest sister's crumpled body. Tehlariene's vacant stare was accusing, the pain of betrayal written across the noblewoman's anguished features. Sarinia brushed her fingertips over Tehlariene's face, closing her lifeless eyes for the last time.

"I'm sorry..." she whispered softly. "I wish there had been another way, but I had no choice."

Behind her, Sarinia heard the doors to the guest suite open and she turned to see who had entered. The four House Baelora bodyguards rushed inside, their laser rifles raised and held at the ready. They seemed to freeze at once, all eyes drawn to Gaenna Baelora's blood-spattered corpse. Sarinia could see the bodyguards' horror at the orgy of violence unleashed on the matriarch, their gaze flicking accusatorily to the obvious perpetrator who knelt amidst the sprawl of corpses.

Accompanying them was a woman wearing a gleaming suit of white armour. This white-haired Maliri female paused momentarily when she saw Sarinia's handiwork, then studied the blood-drenched noblewoman with curiosity rather than revulsion. Sarinia had been around enough hardened killers to recognise an experienced assassin when she saw one, and the lack of reaction to the gruesome sight of her mother's butchered body spoke volumes.

Slowly rising to her feet, Sarinia made no threatening moves as she faced the white-armoured woman. "I am Matriarch Sarinia Baelora. I cordially request an audience with Queen Edraele."

The assassin studied her for a long moment, her head tilted slightly to one side as if listening to something. "Queen Edraele will see you now... Matriarch."

Nodding to her graciously, Sarinia turned to address the four bodyguards, her tone confident and authoritative. "Arrange for the disposal of these bodies. I would like this suite cleansed and my belongings brought here before I return."

One of the guards blinked in surprise, then snapped out of her daze and dipped her head in supplication. "As you command, Matriarch."

Sarinia stepped over her youngest sister's body and glided out of the room, the bodyguards moving aside to make way for their new matriarch. Decades of obeying the ruler of their House made the transfer of power seamless and she smiled at their instinctive deference to her authority. Unfortunately, Sarinia's stately departure was undermined by her squelching footsteps as she dripped a gory trail across the carpets.

Pausing to glance down at her dress, she then faced the assassin who accompanied her. "I would rather not meet the Queen for the first time while drenched in my mother's blood. If Edraele will forgive me for keeping her waiting, I'd like to return to my quarters to make myself presentable."

"The Queen forgives you... for keeping her waiting," Luna replied, her rich voice kept carefully neutral as she gestured with a gauntleted hand for Sarinia to proceed.

***

Edraele stood by the window in her office, gazing out at the panoramic view. This time neither the golden spires of Genthalas nor the fleets of deadly warships held her attention, as she carefully informed John of everything she'd learned so far of Gaenna Baelora's murder.

*She was killed by her own daughter?!* John asked incredulously.

*Yes, I'm afraid so. Judging by the state of Gaenna's mutilated corpse, Luna estimates she was stabbed at least fifty times. Sarinia also appears to have poisoned her four sisters while they were eating dinner together, leaving her the sole survivor of House Baelora.*

*How could she do that?* he muttered, shocked that anyone could murder their own family.

Edraele frowned with regret. *I should have foreseen this eventuality. When we started offering to rejuvenate the older matriarchs, this was the only logical outcome.*

*How the hell is butchering your own mother logical?!*

*John... you're viewing this incident through the eyes of a Terran, not a Maliri. A matriarch's daughter spends her entire life plotting against her sisters and dreaming of the day she can replace her mother as Matriarch of their House. Sarinia is at least a century old... she's been waiting a very long time for Gaenna's demise.*

*Why?* he asked in confusion. *If she wanted her mother dead that badly, why didn't she just kill her decades ago?*

*Because that's not how things are done. A matriarch's daughters must wait until their mother either dies of natural causes, or is killed by a rival matriarch,* Edraele replied patiently. She could sense him about to object, so she quickly continued, *Do you remember I told you about House rankings? How not just the planetary systems and ships under your control determine your status, but the strength of the noble household too?*

*I remember...* He paused for a moment. *Tsarra mentioned that after her mother and sisters had been assassinated, she had to fight tooth and nail to keep the House Perfaren ranking.*

*Yes, exactly. The death of any family members can have a considerable impact on your House rank... and that loss of status is something any Maliri noblewoman wants to avoid at all costs. On a more practical note, why would a matriarch ever have any daughters if they tried to kill her as soon as they became adults? There had to be some form of structure to the rivalry between the Houses, or the Regency would have devolved into total anarchy millennia ago.*

*Alright... I can see that makes a sick kind of sense,* he grudgingly conceded. *But I still don't see why it's logical that Sarinia would kill her mother.*

*If you'd given Gaenna what she so desperately wanted and restored her youth, she would have outlived her daughters by at least a century. We've also outlawed assassinations by rival Houses, so we essentially took away any chance of Sarinia ever becoming matriarch... and she reacted accordingly. Try asking Irillith what she would have done under the same circumstances.*

There was a long pause as John conferred with Edraele's daughter.

*Yeah, she would have murdered you too,* he eventually muttered, his voice bleak. *I'm responsible for this mess, aren't I?*

*Your intentions were good... but matriarchal succession has been a fundamental part of the Maliri nobility for nearly ten-thousand years. It was inevitable that there would be some... complications... as a result of radically changing Maliri culture.*

John let out a weary sigh. *You know what they say about good intentions...*

*Yes, but I firmly believe you're paving the way to heaven, not hell,* Edraele said emphatically. *Don't be disheartened by this setback, John. If anyone is at fault, it's me for not anticipating this kind of reaction. Fortunately, the old matriarchs appear to be keeping their offspring blissfully unaware of events transpiring at Genthalas. Sarinia and her sisters are the first noble daughters to have ventured here... and they suffered torture at Gaenna's hand for daring to disobey her orders to stay on their homeworld.*

*I don't blame you for this, Edraele,* John said, sounding frustrated rather than upset. *We've had so much to deal with recently, things were bound to start slipping through the cracks. You warned me weeks ago that I needed to deal with the older matriarchs and if I'd been able to stay at Genthalas, we could've resolved this without bloodshed.*

*Larn'kelnar's games have had far-reaching consequences,* Edraele agreed.

*So what are we going to do about Sarinia?* he asked, a pensive edge to his voice. *She just murdered her entire family. I won't condone that kind of behaviour, even if we inadvertently created this situation.*

*We have a number of options available. Sarinia broke one of the few edicts I've issued since becoming Queen and, by right, she should face execution. Alternatively, you could commute her sentence and incarcerate her for life... which would be an equally effective deterrent to the Maliri nobility. One important thing to bear in mind though, is that Sarinia is the last surviving member of her family. If you do decide to execute her or have her imprisoned, we'd need to break up House Baelora and split its territory between neighbouring Houses.*

*We need to handle this situation very carefully,* John said, lost in thought. *We've got to find a way of stopping further assassinations.*

*Let me speak with Sarinia, then we can discuss her punishment afterwards.*

*Alright... let me know when you're done talking to her,* he said, suddenly sounding bone-weary.

*Get some rest, John,* Edraele said softly. *You're exhausted after doing so much shaping today. Sarinia is already in custody, so there's no need to make a snap decision on her fate. We can discuss this later once you've had some sleep and fully recovered.*

*Alright, that sounds good to me. With a little luck, we should intercept the Kirrix fleet in about 7 hours, so I'll try to get some rest then talk to you before the battle. Oh, that reminds me... Alyssa's improvements to the Invictus' hyper-warp speed should halve the time it'll take us to get back to Genthalas.*

*That's the best news I've had in weeks,* Edraele murmured, a note of yearning in her voice. *Pleasant dreams, my lord... I long for your return home.*

*Thanks, honey, I can't wait either. I'll speak to you soon.*

The Maliri Queen smiled, feeling a fluttering of anticipation in her stomach. It seemed like a lifetime ago that John had last been in Maliri Space and even then, it had only been for a brief rendezvous at the border. While that fleeting visit had been wonderful, Edraele desperately wanted to help John relax and take his mind off all his recent woes.

*We're about to arrive at your suite, Edraele,* Luna quietly informed her.

*Bring her straight through to my office please, Luna,* she replied, turning away from the window to focus on the door.

A few moments later, Luna led Sarinia inside, the House Baelora noblewoman wearing a pristine set of ornate matriarchal robes. Edraele appraised the younger woman for a moment, silently impressed by her poise and bearing. Although Sarinia had only just been elevated to matriarch, she already possessed a quiet air of authority, having spent her entire life training for this moment. That kind of confidence was something Edraele had been attempting to teach the Young Matriarchs, but as the youngest daughters of their respective Houses, it did not come naturally to them.

Sarinia bowed respectfully, then couldn't help staring at the Queen in fascination. "It's an honour to meet you, Queen Edraele. Thank you for granting me an audience at such short notice."

"Under the circumstances, I thought it prudent to speak with you as soon as possible," Edraele replied, before gesturing to the sofas facing each other. "Please... have a seat."

Nodding graciously, Sarinia sat down on the closest chaise longue. Her gaze flicked to the side as Luna padded across the room and she watched the assassin lean indolently against the wall. A casual glance would lead someone to believe that Luna was disinterested in the meeting, but Sarinia could see a gauntleted hand idly caressing the hilt of her curved sword. She was under no illusions that any threatening moves towards the Queen would swiftly result in her head being parted from her shoulders.

Turning her attention to the stunning white-haired beauty who sat opposite, Sarinia said contritely, "There is much I would like to discuss with you, Queen Edraele... but first I feel I must offer you an apology."

"You wish to apologise for brutally murdering your family?"

Sarinia could feel the disapproval in Edraele's gaze and she couldn't help blushing with embarrassment, her composure wavering. "No, my Queen."

Edraele raised an eyebrow. "No? Are you aware that I had issued an edict strictly forbidding all further assassinations?"

"My mother told me several weeks ago that she'd decided to put a moratorium on assassinations... which was profoundly out of character. I discovered earlier today that the decision was actually made by you, not Gaenna... but I must admit... that didn't deter me from my course."

"If you don't respect my authority, why bother apologising to me?"

Leaning forward, Sarinia's golden eyes sparkled as she said earnestly, "Oh, but I do respect you, Edraele! Very much so, in fact. I wanted to apologise for wasting your time."

"You consider this conversation a waste of time?" Edraele asked, startled by the younger woman's answer. "Should we move straight on to your execution then?"

"I sincerely hope it doesn't come to that," Sarinia replied with a wry smile. "No, I wanted to apologise for the subterfuge with Kali Loraleth. The only way I could think of to separate Gaenna from her bodyguards, was to have you subject her to a stern reprimand for ignoring the ban on the use of neural whip. I knew my mother would be incandescent with rage afterwards, and stop at nothing to interrogate her daughters to find out who was responsible... but she would never allow her bodyguards to overhear that she'd been humiliated."

"So Gaenna dismissed her protective detail, leaving her vulnerable," Edraele murmured, looking at Sarinia with newfound respect for her deviousness. "Weren't you the least bit concerned that I'd take offense at being manipulated?"

"I heard that Baen'thelas admires a woman with a keen mind and a rebellious streak, so I hoped that you might have a similar outlook. If I did offend you, then I truly am sorry."

Edraele inclined her head in acknowledgement, then reached for the decanter of ruby liquid on the table between them. "Drink?"

Sarinia nodded politely, then accepted the fluted glass. She sipped the wine, then her eyebrows climbed in appreciation. "A House Holaris vintage... it seems my mother isn't the only matriarch eager to sup from the fountain of youth."

The Queen's full lips curled into a wry smile. "You certainly have been working hard to uncover all our secrets. I suppose that now your mother is no longer with us, you intend to be the beneficiary of the deal I brokered with Gaenna on Baen'thelas' behalf?"

"I can't think of a finer trading partner for House Baelora's Vrysandral Spice," Sarinia replied, her expression turning coy. "It will be a pleasure doing business with you, my Queen."

Edraele shook her head. "So you expect me to forgive your transgressions and simply allow you to replace Gaenna in the Council of Matriarchs?"

Sarinia took a sip from her glass, then put it down on the table. Leaning forward, she said earnestly, "I can only imagine how difficult it's been, trying to smooth over centuries of bitter hatred between rival matriarchs and force them to unite behind your banner. I am not my mother, Edraele. If you give me a chance, I promise I will be a loyal and supportive ally."

Swirling the glass in her hand, Edraele stared at the exotic wine. "In truth, my relationship with the elder matriarchs has been somewhat... fractious. Your mother in particular was a constant source of irritation, particularly with her dismissive outlook towards the Young Matriarchs. If it were up to me, I would be strongly tempted to consider your proposal... but the situation is more complicated than you are aware. I understand your motivations for eliminating Gaenna, but you went too far when you murdered your sisters as well."

With a rueful sigh, Sarinia said, "I would have spared them if I could, but leaving them alive was too much of a risk."

"I can't imagine any of your sisters would have posed much of a threat, not once you'd replaced your mother as matriarch," Edraele said, looking unconvinced.

"I was never in any serious danger from any of them," Sarinia agreed, waving a hand dismissively. "My only concern was how you would react to news of my mother's early retirement."

Edraele studied her for a moment, finally understanding what had driven the young woman to sororicide. "Kali told you about the part I played in establishing the Young Matriarchs..."

Giving her a look filled with respect, Sarinia said, "I have to commend you for the remarkable way you seized the throne, Edraele. Assassinating four of the matriarchs from the top seven Houses and replacing them with their pliable youngest daughters was a masterstroke. Kali is quite delightful; so innocent and eager to please... she practically worships you. She actually reminded me a lot of my youngest sister, which was why I couldn't afford to take the chance that you would simply execute me and install Tehlariene as another puppet matriarch under your control."

"So you killed all your sisters," Edraele said quietly. "Leaving you as the only surviving member of House Baelora..."

"Tehlariene would have made a terrible matriarch," Sarinia said, lifting her glass for another sip. "Myrdina, Lieralia, and Rosanae were also equally poor choices. Honestly, I did you a favour in eliminating them as candidates to replace me."

"It seems you've thought of everything," Edraele said, an undercurrent of admiration to her voice. Her expression turned rueful as she continued, "Unfortunately, as clever as you seem to be, you do not know Baen'thelas. He was particularly vexed by the rampant murders within the Maliri Regency and he's gone to considerable effort to eliminate further assassinations. He was appalled to hear that you slaughtered your own mother and poisoned your sisters... and I'm afraid that in all likelihood, you've sealed your fate."

"So what does the future hold for me?" Sarinia asked, looking surprisingly unperturbed. "Am I to be dealt with by swift execution? Is House Baelora to face dissolution, its holdings and assets divided between our neighbours? I know Meriel Romenor and Keishara Venkalyn have viewed Baeloran territory with hungry eyes for centuries..."

Edraele paused, studying the self-assured woman who sat before her. Sarinia didn't seem to be the least bit concerned about the dire future she'd just portrayed, in fact she still maintained an air of quiet confidence.

"You don't have the look of a woman facing imminent disaster," she accused the House Baelora matriarch, her eyes narrowing with suspicion. "What are you up to?"

Sarinia sipped her wine and allowed herself a small smile.

***

Thalia Romenor stared at the holo-screen in rapt fascination, enthralled by the vision of masculinity before her. The thought of coupling with a border male had never been high on her agenda, preoccupied as she'd been with avoiding her mother's wrath and sisters' machinations, but this man was no mere Maliri. He was so tall and wonderfully muscular... the thought of being held in his strong arms made her flush with excitement, an unfamiliar tingling in her loins leaving her panting with lust.

Tracing a fingertip over his lips, Thalia could only imagine what it would be like to be kissed by him... this Baen'thelas. Her trembling fingers broke the holographic image, causing it to flicker and momentarily breaking the spell. She blinked her dry eyes and darted a glance at the chronometer and was shocked to realise she'd been gazing at him for over twenty minutes.

She didn't have the heart to close the photograph and be parted from his handsome face, so Thalia chose to move it aside to view the accompanying message again. The fanciful tale of matriarchs conspiring together to achieve immortality had seemed like a bizarre joke at first, at least until she reached the end and activated Sarinia Baelora's personal message. It wasn't her blood-soaked face which had convinced Thalia there might be a grain of truth to the story, but the gleam of triumph in those golden eyes... that of a first daughter earning her rightful place as matriarch.

Then of course she'd studied the pictures that Sarinia had sent, each one more shocking than the last. Meriel Romenor's fanciful story about white hair being the latest matriarchal fashion actually appeared to be true, but the images of the five long-haired matriarchs and particularly Queen Edraele had shaken Thalia to her bones. The final picture of Baen'thelas left no doubt in her mind that every word of Sarinia's story had been the truth. Even if it wasn't, Thalia couldn't care less; she would do --anything-- for the chance to bed a male as magnificent as him.

"See you at the next Council meeting, Sarinia Baelora," Thalia said with a wicked grin, reaching for the jewelled dagger she kept in a concealed sheath under her desk.

The walk to her mother's palatial suite was a surreal experience. For the first time she could remember, Thalia was actually looking forward to seeing Meriel Romenor. The hardest thing was hiding her smile of anticipation when she reached the armoured Maliri guards standing sentry outside the matriarchal apartments. She maintained a familiar expression of anxious tension as she breezed past the House Romenor soldiers, pretending to be too preoccupied with another fraught meeting with her mother to bother acknowledging the guards in any fashion.

They still nodded to her respectfully and opened the reinforced doors, which slid shut behind Thalia by the time she'd crossed the foyer. Raised voices reached her sharp ears and she paused, listening to the faint sound of angry words being exchanged coming from deeper in the quarters. Creeping down the corridor towards her mother's large and opulent office, she recognised one of the voices as that of Nithroel, the eldest of her two younger siblings.

"You thought I'd just let you torture me forever?!" the enraged Maliri noblewoman screeched.

Thalia didn't hear any response, just the sounds of a frantic scuffle and strangled choking. She approached the door and found Nithroel kneeling astride their mother, her long blue fingers wrapped tight around Meriel's throat. Stopping to stare at the mortal struggle, Thalia watched in shock as the House Romenor Matriarch jerked around, her legs kicking ineffectively at the floor as she tried to dislodge her daughter. Their mother had always been a powerful and imposing figure, so to see her reduced to this pathetic state was... a thing of beauty.

"There'll be no immortality for you, mother," Nithroel crooned, a sadistic glee to her taunts as she squeezed the life out of Meriel. "It'll be me that will live forever, taking my rightful place as ruler of-"

Nithroel's gloating speech was cut off mid-rant as Thalia plunged her long dagger into her sister's back. The mortally wounded noblewoman cried out in agony as the blade pierced through her heart, and she could only stare in mute horror at the bloody tip that now protruded from her chest.

"Don't you mean my rightful place?" Thalia whispered softly in her sister's pointed ear.

"Glurkkk..." Nithroel gurgled, her final words drowned out in a fountain of blood.

Shoving her mortally wounded sibling aside, Thalia saw gratitude in her mother's eyes, a look that changed to terror when Meriel saw the gleeful anticipation on her eldest daughter's face.

"Thalia... I-I can... explain!" she pleaded through wheezing coughs.

"The time of listening to your lies is over, mother," Thalia declared, brandishing the jewelled dagger and letting her sister's blood drip onto Meriel's face. "Nithroel was right about one thing... there'll be no immortality for you."

The panting matriarch clawed frantically at the carpet, her eyes locked on the door leading to her personal armoury as she tried to drag herself across the office.

Thalia smiled, shaking her head in amusement as she strode ahead to cut her off. Standing directly in front of Meriel, she sneered in contempt at the leader of House Romenor. "Ah, so desperate to cling to life... I'd wager Baen'thelas made quite the impression, didn't he mother? I shall so enjoy being mated with him, especially knowing that you never sullied his bedchamber."

Meriel's bleak expression turned to one of surprise, then she stopped crawling and lay her head on the plush carpet in weary resignation. Her chest began to shake as she laughed, her mirth coming out in wheezing chuckles.

"What's so funny?!" Thalia demanded, her mother's mirth ruining her moment of triumph. "Answer me, you miserable old crone!"

Meriel lifted her head and smirked at her daughter, before glancing behind Thalia towards the armoury door. "Nithroel... wasn't alone... both of you... forgot Phelora..." she wheezed.

Thalia's eyes widened in alarm and she whirled around, finding herself facing her youngest sister, who stood with a laser pistol in her shaking hand.

"You don't deserve him," Phelora said, an uncharacteristically determined edge to her voice.

Before Thalia could utter a word of panicked protest, the laser pistol squealed, blasting a glowing hole straight through her forehead.

Phelora turned the pistol on her mother, her face set in a grim mask. "None of you do."

***

Edraele's purple eyes widened in surprise as she felt Meriel Romenor experience a deluge of intense emotions, up until the point that the matriarch was abruptly extinguished from her network of wards. No sooner had the leader of the Ninth Maliri House been attacked, the eleven remaining older matriarchs began to react with shock, dread, fear... and pain. It was as if their daughters had coordinated the assault, striking at their mothers across the Maliri Protectorate within moments of each other.

"What did you do?!" Edraele demanded, instinctively knowing that the woman seated opposite was involved. "Twelve more matriarchs are being attacked!"

There was surprise and curiosity in Sarinia's inquisitive gaze. "How did you know? We've received no incoming calls..."

"We're all psychically linked," Edraele snapped, waving away the question dismissively. "Now answer my question: What did you do to trigger these attacks on the matriarchs?"

Sarinia's eyebrows climbed in astonishment at that revelation, then she sat back on the sofa, a smile of satisfaction on her face. "I simply informed their daughters of a few interesting facts... and made your life considerably easier, my Queen."

Edraele resisted the urge to fire more questions at the woman seated opposite, realising she knew the answers already. "You're emulating my assassinations that led to the Young Matriarchs controlling their Houses."

"My mother was a stubborn and vindictive shrew, consumed with jealousy and grudges that lasted for centuries... just like all the rest of those spiteful old hags. You said yourself that your relationship with the existing matriarchy was 'fractious'... now they'll be replaced by a dozen eager, pliable young women, all desperate to earn the favour of the magnificent Maliri Queen."

"That wasn't the only reason though, was it?" Edraele asked after a moment's pause, giving Sarinia a shrewd look. "In all probability, there'll be a dozen new matriarchs soon heading to Genthalas, each of whom earned their position by murdering their family."

"With several daughters out to kill their mother at any cost, I don't fancy the existing matriarchs' chances," Sarinia agreed, a sly smile on her face. "So... I'll be sharing my newly acquired status with a dozen other matriarchs who gained their position exactly the same way I did. Will you execute all thirteen of us and divide up our Houses? That seems like a highly impractical solution."

Slowly shaking her head, Edraele marvelled at the woman's Machiavellian cunning. "And of course, they'll all be eternally grateful to you for helping them become matriarch... and gaining the associated benefits that position entails."

"I'm a firm believer in seeking out allies," Sarinia conceded, her smile broadening. "Kali also mentioned that she's had to endure taunts from those spiteful old crones; perhaps by eliminating their tormentors, I might make a few friends with the Young Matriarchs as well."

Edraele's face shadowed and she looked away. The frenzied life and death struggle for succession was still playing out across her empire, with five of the thirteen old matriarchs already slain at their daughters' hands, their empathic presence extinguished from her network of wards. From Sarinia's viewpoint, her plot had numerous benefits and almost no drawbacks... but she didn't know Kali Loraleth half as well as she thought she did. When Kali discovered that she had inadvertently triggered a bloodbath amongst the nobility, the last thing she would ever want is to be friends with Sarinia.

And if Kali was left heartbroken, John's stance towards the architect of this plot was not going to be based on pragmatism.

"What is it?" Sarinia asked with concern, frowning when she saw the Queen's melancholy mood.

Edraele rose from her seat and glanced at Luna, who stepped forward to escort the House Baelora matriarch from the office.

"Edraele! What's wrong?!" Sarinia asked in alarm as the assassin padded closer.

"You will be detained in your quarters until Baen'thelas returns," Edraele said quietly, turning her back on Sarinia and gliding over to the window. "He will pass judgement on you for murdering your family and for your conspiracy to kill a dozen matriarchs along with most of their daughters."

"Wait!" Sarinia protested, as Luna took a firm grip on her arm. "Why are you treating me like a common criminal?! You'll benefit from their deaths! I did this for you!"

Edraele glanced at Sarinia over a shoulder, a look of sadness in her purple eyes. "You shouldn't have involved Kali. I don't know how to stop her blaming herself for what you've done."

Looking at her incredulously, Sarinia shook her head in protest. "That's absurd! One woman's hurt feelings are inconsequential!"

"Not when John loves her..." Edraele murmured, turning away to stare out the window.

No longer paying attention to Sarinia's protests as Luna dragged her from the office, Edraele winced as Matriarch Keishara Venkalyn vanished from her psychic network in a sharp stab of agony.

***

"Six dead already..." John muttered, shaking his head in disbelief.

Alyssa and the twins looked at him with concern as he sat dejectedly on the illuminated steps that lead up to the Command Podium. They had only just left the Briefing Room when Edraele warned them of the concerted attacks against the matriarchs.

"John, you need to be prepared for the worst," Irillith said, sitting beside him and stroking his arm. "I'd be surprised if any of the existing matriarchs survive this. They're each outnumbered by several homicidal daughters who have the benefit of surprise, decades of suppressed hatred, and nothing left to lose..."

"How many Maliri are going to die?" he asked, lifting his tired eyes to look at each of the twins in turn.

Tashana knelt in front of him and gave him a sympathetic look. "Most noble Houses consist of a matriarch and at least four daughters. I think we can expect all the matriarchs to be slain, along with at least three of their daughters, leaving only a sole survivor."

"That's not going to be the youngest daughter, is it?" he asked woodenly, imagining a dozen innocent girls like Kali Loraleth being plunged into a brutal battle for survival.

The twins shared a glance, then shook their heads at the same time.

"It's highly unlikely," Irillith said with sympathy. "I'm sorry, John... but the daughters most likely to survive will be ruthless killers. Think of the way I behaved before I joined you."

He grimaced reflexively, then put his arm around her when she saw his reaction. "Sorry, honey."

"No need to apologise, I used to be an absolute bitch," she replied light-heartedly, leaning into his sideways hug.

*John... I know this situation isn't ideal, but in one way, it doesn't really matter which daughter becomes matriarch,* Edraele said gently. *None of them will be as bad as the mothers they'll be replacing.*

*Not ideal?!* he blurted out incredulously. *Edraele, this is a disaster! How did Sarinia even find out so much about what we'd been up to? It can't have come from her mother, not if Gaenna was keeping her in the dark all this time.*

There was a long pause, then the Maliri Queen confessed, *I'm sorry, John... that was my fault. Kali wanted to talk to Sarinia and find out what she was doing on Genthalas, with me monitoring the conversation to help limit how much we revealed. Unfortunately, I was distracted and Sarinia found out far more than I ever intended.*

*You were distracted?!* he blurted out, unable to believe Edraele could be so careless.

Before she could reply, Alyssa squatted down beside John and looked him in the eyes. *Kali met Sarinia at the same time you started thinking about your plans for Sakura. There was no way Edraele could concentrate on Kali while that was going on.*

John froze, suddenly understanding all-too-well what had debilitated his Maliri Matriarch. *Shit... I'm sorry, Edraele. I'm responsible for this mess, not you.*

*It was simply an unfortunate chain of events that led to this outcome. I don't think blaming yourself is productive,* Edraele replied, her voice soft and soothing. *I think the most important course of action now is to focus on how we deal with the aftermath and our approach towards the replacement matriarchs that arrive at Genthalas.*

He hesitated, surprised by the hint of anticipation to her voice. *Edraele... were you involved in this somehow?*

*John!* Alyssa exclaimed, frowning at him reproachfully. *You know she'd never go behind your back like that.*

*It's alright, Alyssa,* Edraele said, sounding quite unperturbed. *We discussed this kind of scenario only a few weeks ago... it's only natural to be suspicious, especially after what happened with the Young Matriarchs. To answer your question, John: no, I had no involvement. However, I must admit that I'm pleased Sarinia has neatly resolved the problem of dealing with the old matriarchs. I know you were reluctant to reward them with immortality, not after a lifetime of cruelty and murder.*

*I'd hardly call it a neat resolution...* John muttered, his face falling as he thought about all the dead Maliri noblewomen.

*John... this problem was never going to end without bloodshed,* Edraele said, her voice gentle but with a firm edge to it. *I imagine a perfect resolution from your point of view, would have been to replace all the older matriarchs with their youngest daughters, correct?*

*Yes, but not by assassinating their mothers!* he protested.

*The existing matriarchs would never have accepted retirement,* she explained with a rueful frown. *The only way you could have realistically achieved your ideal goal, would have been to order a sweep of assassinations to eliminate them all.*

*Not necessarily... I could've changed the matriarchs so they'd willingly retire in peace,* he replied, shaking his head obstinately.

*Would you have been willing to forcefully change the personalities of all thirteen matriarchs? Because you'd have to... it's the only way you'd be able to convince them to retire.*

*Alright... I see your point,* he grudgingly conceded. Running a hand through his hair, he let out a weary sigh. *I never wanted to be making these kinds of decisions. It seems like there's never a simple solution to any of these problems... and no matter what I try to do, it still ends up a mess.*

*Sometimes you're going to be forced to make unpleasant choices to get the outcome you want,* Edraele said, her voice ringing with sympathy. *There are often unforeseen consequences to your actions when you're deciding the fate of billions of people, but in my experience, postponing a decision only makes matters worse.*

*Sarinia's coup certainly proved that...* he agreed with a rueful frown.

*John... could I make a request?* the Maliri Queen asked tentatively.

*You don't have to ask permission, Edraele. Just tell me what you need.*

*Can you return to Maliri Space as quickly as possible? The sooner you can meet with the new matriarchs and connect them to me, the less chance there will be of this situation escalating. There's never been so much upheaval amongst the Maliri nobility and with thirteen Houses likely to change matriarchs overnight, I have no idea what might happen next. Left free to run amok, they might even start fighting with each other, attempting to impress you by raising their House ranking. Sarinia discovered that you admired Tsarra Perfaren for leading Tashana's rebellion; I think that might have encouraged her to instigate this bloodbath to get your attention.*

John rubbed his hands over his face. *It seems like everything's backfiring on me at the moment...*

Edraele could hear the exhaustion in his defeated tone. *Go and get some rest, John. I'll try to find out exactly what's been happening in the noble Houses and what the casualties are. When you wake up, I'll give you as comprehensive an update as possible.*

*Thanks, honey,* he said with a weary sigh. Looking at Alyssa and the twins, he continued grimly, "We need to get back to Maliri Space as quickly as possible."

Irillith looked troubled as she nodded. "I agree with my mother, that would be wise."

When Alyssa saw John look startled at Irillith's lack of surprise, she stroked his hand and said, "I've been keeping the girls informed." Switching to telepathy, she added, *Not the part about Sakura, obviously.*

He acknowledged that with a grateful smile. "Thank you. So how quickly can we get back to Genthalas?"

Alyssa looked at him curiously. "Do you still want to go ahead with intercepting the Kirrix fleet?"

"We haven't got any choice, there are thousands of Trankaran lives at stake," he replied with a frown. "I still want to visit Olympus so that Rachel can do her healing... but we can't afford to hang around. We'll stay for as long as she needs, then leave as soon as she's done."

"So you're postponing any decision regarding Lina?" she asked, her cerulean eyes speculative.

"Alyssa..."

"Hey, I'm not pushing you for an answer either way, I'm just being practical," the blonde replied with a disarming smile. "Unless we take Lina with us to Genthalas, you're not going to have the time to push her through the Change."

"I want to discuss it with Charles, Lynette, and Lina, but that'll have to be it for now."

"Fair enough," she agreed with a nod. "What about hunting down the bastards who tried to kill Maria and everyone at Olympus?"

"Goddamn it..." John snarled, grinding his teeth in frustration. "We're going to have to postpone dealing with them for the moment too."

"I can start tracking them down as soon as we hit Terran Space," Irillith volunteered, a fierce gleam in her eyes. "If I can discover who was involved, I can make their lives a living hell without us needing to change course."

John hugged her in gratitude. "Do it. I want those assholes to suffer."

"And I assume we're still picking up Jack and Mateo?" Alyssa concluded.

"Yeah, definitely," John replied with a nod. "Bringing them home to Maria is the least we can do."

"It's not much of a diversion anyway, just a few extra hours," she agreed. "It'll also mean a lot to Calara; she's really looking forward to seeing them."

"So if we hit the Kirrix, visit the Terran border fleet to pick up Jack and Mateo, drop them off at Jericho, then briefly stop at Olympus, how soon can we be back at Genthalas?"

"It'll take us just under four days... but that's not including stoppage time," she replied, while stifling a yawn.

John rose to his feet and offered her a hand. "You're as tired as me. Come on, time to hit the hay."

The twins gave him a kiss, then waved goodbye to John and Alyssa as they left the Bridge.

With John lost in thought, the couple descended to Deck Three in silence. Alyssa glanced at John as they stepped out of the grav-tube, then slipped her hand into his and gave it a comforting squeeze.

"I know how upset you are about the Maliri. I wish we could have done something to prevent it," she said sincerely.

He interlaced his fingers with hers. "I just can't help wondering what I should have done differently," he said, with a dejected sigh. "I feel like I failed them... that maybe there was some way I could've resolved this matriarch situation without it turning into a massacre."

Alyssa flicked her fingers at the door controls, opening the way into the Lagoon. "John... please don't take this the wrong way, but I can't help feeling that you're looking at the Maliri through rose-tinted glasses."

"What do you mean?" he asked in confusion, as they crossed the bridge that arced over the aquamarine pool.

She stopped and turned to face him. "Just think about the Maliri you speak to every day. What have Edraele, Tashana, and Irillith all got in common?"

"They're related?" he guessed, rubbing his temple and grimacing. "Sorry, honey... I give up. I'm too tired for puzzles."

"They were all severely fucked up... until you healed all the trauma they'd been through and radically changed their personalities. Now the three of them are lovely... but you know what Maliri society is like, it's got a nasty way of twisting its noblewomen into really evil monsters. We probably would've ended up having to fight the old matriarchs if you hadn't 'claimed' their species."

"Alright, that's true enough," he conceded. "But I did claim the Maliri... so what's your point?"

"Basically, what Edraele was trying to tell you earlier: the older matriarchs were bad news... and most of their daughters were too. There was never going to be a quick fix for this. In the best-case scenario, you were going to have to fuck some sense into at least fifty cruel and sadistic bitches."

He rolled his eyes at her charming turn of phrase. "Alyssa..."

"Hey, I'm just being honest here," she said with a shrug. "You would have needed the matriarchs on their knees blowing you for weeks until you could sort them all out. Just think how much hassle it was trying to heal Irillith and Tashana, and they only had to endure Edraele's shit for fifty years. Those matriarchs had been tormented by their mothers for at least a century before they replaced them, then they spent another hundred years torturing their own daughters. They were all severely fucked up... and this wasn't fixable with a simple blow and go."

*Alyssa's quite correct,* Edraele said quietly. *If the matriarchs were ruling the Brimorian Enclave, we'd be celebrating their demise.*

"This doesn't feel like something I should be celebrating," John said, grimacing with distaste.

"We're not saying that," Alyssa said, caressing his cheek. "I just don't want you thinking of them as a bunch of doe-eyed damsels in distress. The matriarchs were evil... and they were training their daughters to be just as bad."

"What about their youngest daughters though?" he asked, thinking of the sweet-natured Young Matriarchs. "They definitely weren't all like that... Edraele specifically chose Kali and the rest because they hadn't been corrupted by Maliri politics."

"Like Edraele said, the only way to save them would've been a shitload of assassinations, which you never would have agreed to." She knew he was about to suggest changing their personalities instead, so she pressed a finger to his lips to let her continue without interruption. "John, we never had the time. We're talking about at least fifty women, each of them needing a couple of days of dedicated attention from you at the bare minimum. So basically, three months of you just sitting around Genthalas getting blowjobs... does that sound remotely plausible to you considering all the shit we've had to deal with recently?"

"We've barely had three days of downtime, let alone three months," he conceded, thinking about the relentless succession of battles they'd fought.

*Even if you had the time, there was still no guarantee of success,* Edraele said emphatically. *Bringing all the matriarchs' daughters to Genthalas would have entailed a huge risk. If just one of them had prematurely discovered their mother's plans for immortality, I'm quite certain we'd have been facing an almost identical scenario.*

John pulled Alyssa closer and held her in a tight hug. "I know you two are just trying to stop me feeling guilty... but thank you."

"Please don't blame yourself," she whispered in his ear. "This really wasn't your fault."

He nodded, realising she was right. Pulling back, he gave her a kiss. "Like I said... thank you."

She returned his smile, then walked with him across the rest of the bridge towards the Observatory. The door opened before them at the snap of her fingers and when they entered the oval chamber, John found Sakura, Calara, and Marika waiting naked on the bed.

Alyssa slipped off her shoes, then started to peel off her clothes. "Hi, ladies. Sorry to keep you waiting."

John gaped at the three kneeling women, then frowned at the stripping blonde. "Alyssa, I'm exhausted! I'm no use to anyone like this!"

She gave him a coy smile, her hand slipping down to caress his quad. "You're also full up again and you have a hungry pussy... cat to feed." Gazing into his eyes, she added, *I assume you'll want to top up all the girls before the battle, just in case you need to heal us in an emergency? If so, that means you need to feed Sakura now if you want to prepare her for the assault on the Hive Queen.*

He blinked in surprise that her reasoning was eminently practical rather than just playful, then nodded his agreement.

Alyssa gave him a tender kiss, then peeled away to pad across the bed. "Don't mind me, I'm just here for the show..."

John kicked off his shoes, then walked over to join the waiting trio, who were gazing up at him expectantly. "My brown-eyed girls," he murmured affectionately, caressing Marika's cheek as he smiled at each of them in turn.

Calara and Sakura grinned back at him and hugged the catgirl sitting between them.

"We thought you might like the three of us together," Calara explained.

Sakura kissed the Nymph on the cheek, then looked up at John again. "Marika's a sweetheart. She didn't mind sharing."

The tabby-striped Nymph looked absolutely thrilled to be part of the trio, her chocolate-coloured eyes sparkling with joy. "Will you let us take care of you, Master? You won't need to move a muscle!"

He chuckled and nodded. "I hope you're not expecting an athletic performance, I'm struggling to stay awake at the moment."

The three girls pulled him down to the bed, giggling together in anticipation as they swiftly removed his clothes. In less than a minute, John found himself lying on his back with his head resting in Marika's lap, the Nymph gently massaging his temples. Sakura and Calara draped themselves across him, with their breasts pressed against his chest, the soft warmth of their nubile bodies stirring a part of him that definitely wasn't tired.

"Alyssa said you wanted to talk to us?" Calara asked inquisitively, as she idly stroked his firm muscles.

John glanced to his right, where the blonde was curled up under the covers. Alyssa gave him a sleepy smile, then blew a kiss in his general direction.

Looking up into the girls' curious gazes again, he was struck by the similarities and contrasts between the three women. Marika's gentle feline eyes had the same vertically-slitted pupils as Jade's emerald orbs, the black centre currently eclipsing the brown irises with her arousal. Sakura's almond-shaped eyes were a richer, darker hue, like windows into her lovely soul. Finally, there was Calara, her soft brown gaze making him feel like he was being wrapped up in a loving hug. What they all shared was the way that looked at him with absolute devotion, a sight that warmed his heart and banished the weariness he'd been feeling.

"I'm sorry I wasn't able to join you in the Dojo this afternoon," he said, cupping Calara's and Sakura's faces as he looked up at them. "I really wanted to watch you train and spend some proper time with you, but today's been so busy with preparing the Invictus for battle."

Sakura gave him an amiable shrug. "That's quite alright, you can join us anytime."

Calara nodded. "We understand... you don't need to apologise."

He smiled at them gratefully, before focusing on the Latina. "I also wanted to talk to you about your father staying on the Invictus. Is there anything you think we should do to make his visit more enjoyable? I know you told him about our living arrangements, but I don't want him to feel uncomfortable while he's here."

Calara's gaze softened, her lips curling up into a tender smile. "You're adorable... you're more worried about my dad's visit than going into battle with a Hive Queen."

"I like Jack... and I don't want to disappoint him," John said self-consciously. "Besides, you'll always be his little girl, and I know he feels very protective towards you."

"Don't worry about a thing, just leave it with me," she insisted, her tender gaze full of gratitude. "I'll make sure my dad and Mateo enjoy their stay."

As John nodded, Sakura shot an anxious glance at the brunette. "If there's anything I can do to help, please let me know."

Calara looked surprised at the Asian girl's pensive tone, then her eyes widened in sudden understanding. "I will, big sister... I promise," she said, hugging the raven-haired beauty.

Sensing John's confusion at the exchange, Alyssa launched into a telepathic explanation. *Maria took care of Sakura on the last trip to Jericho and now she looks up to her as an adoptive mother. Sakura wasn't with us when we first met Calara's family, so she hasn't met Jack yet and wants to make a good impression.*

John watched the embracing girls with a fond smile, pleased to see how close they'd become.

Sakura realised they had his attention and laughed, brushing at the moisture in her eyes. "Sorry... I'm being silly."

"Not at all. I know Emiko would be overjoyed to see you opening up to Maria... she's a lovely woman and genuinely cares about you."

"Stop... or I'm going to end up in floods of tears," Sakura gushed, hugging him fiercely.

"Just as long as they're happy tears." John kissed the top of her head, while running his fingers through her silky black hair. "Sakura... I wanted to talk to you about something else. Something important."

"What is it?" she asked, wiping at her eyes again and lifting her head so she could look at him.

"I remember you saying that you sometimes feel like a fifth wheel around here," he replied, meeting her curious gaze. "Your skillset was always more combat-focused than the rest of the girls, so I can understand why you must find it frustrating between battles."

"I didn't want to seem like I was complaining," the Asian girl quickly replied. "I just wish there was more I could do to help outside of combat. Calara's in a similar position, but at least she's able to help you with strategic planning. All my skills and experience are focused on infiltration and assassinations."

"I was actually thinking about honing those skills..." John said, brushing his thumb across her cheek.

"You were?!" Sakura asked, looking astonished.

He nodded, trying to keep his expression neutral. "Out of all of us, you came closest to killing Larn'kelnar before we ground him down to the point of exhaustion. I don't want to ever fight a Progenitor that way again, so I'd like to start enhancing you so that you can help me take them out as quickly and efficiently as possible."

Sakura looked thrilled at the prospect. "John, that sounds amazing! Of course I'll assist you in whatever way I can!"

"I never doubted that for a moment, honey," he said quietly. "If it's alright with you, I'd like you to share this next load with Marika, then spend the evening training with Rachel to improve your hex-shields. If you've made good progress by tonight, then I think the two of us should storm the dreadnought together and assassinate that Hive Queen."

"Wow!" she exclaimed, her face lighting up with anticipation. "Count me in! I'd love to bring that vile monstrosity to justice!"

He couldn't help smiling at her enthusiastic reaction, then turned to look at Calara. "Sorry, gorgeous... I don't want you to feel excluded, but-"

She kissed him to silence his apology, then pulled back to give John a sultry look under her long lashes. "I've been with you a long time now, John. Aside from Alyssa and Jade, I think you've filled up my tummy more than anyone else. I'm not saying I wouldn't love some more, but I understand you need to enhance Sakura and make Marika stronger."

The catgirl had been listening attentively and she leaned over, looking at John upside down. "Jade's been teaching me all sorts of exciting new shapeshifting! Why don't we take it in turns making love to you, then you can finish inside Calara. After you've filled her womb with your cum, I can help feed Sakura... that way we can all enjoy having a full tummy."

"Now that sounds like a wonderful plan to me," the brunette purred, leaning down to kiss him.

Sakura bit her lower lip as she stroked John's stiffening cock. "Mmm, definitely..."

Marika ran her fingers through his hair, gently massaging his scalp. "Just relax, Master... let your brown-eyed girls take special care of you."

He did as she asked, losing himself in their loving embrace.

***

Irillith sat at the IntOps station on the Bridge and glanced at the chronometer on her holo-interface. "I think I'd better check on Little One," she said, turning her chair to face Tashana. "It's eight o'clock and she still hasn't responded to any of my status queries."

"What do you think's wrong with her?" Tashana asked, swiping her holographic research notes aside so she could focus on her sister. "Was she upset by what Dana said?"

After considering it for a moment, Irillith shook her head. "Little One isn't as sophisticated as Faye; I don't think she experiences synthetic emotions in the same way, or at least that was my impression after speaking to her a few times."

"So why did she just leave so abruptly then?" her sister asked curiously.

"She mentioned not being permitted to discuss Faye's memory archives with us, but something must have happened that triggered a change in access rights. Hopefully she'll let me study her code and find out what happened."

Tashana hesitated, her violet eyes flicking to the console. "If you're going into the cyber-realm to see her and Little One has malfunctioned, is there any chance you could be in danger?"

"I've never felt threatened by the Collective," the Maliri hacker replied, giving her sister a reassuring smile. "I don't think there's anything to worry about."

"Alyssa and John are still sleeping... wouldn't it be sensible to wait for them to wake up first?" Tashana asked, anxious to ensure her twin's safety.

Irillith waved away her concerns. "You saw how exhausted they both were. I'm sure they won't wake up until midnight at the earliest and I really need to check on Little One."

"Alright... but let me know if there's any trouble and I'll get help," Tashana said, nibbling pensively at a nail.

"I promise I'll be careful." Beckoning her over with a smile, Irillith hugged her sister. "After John enhances you so that you can Spirit Walk, I'll be able to start taking you with me."

Tashana brightened at the prospect, having not considered that before. "I'd love to see the Cyber Realm with you!"

"Next time, little sister," her twin said fondly.

After giving her a good luck kiss, Tashana pulled back and leaned against the IntOps console. "Let me know if there's any problems."

"I will," Irillith agreed, turning her attention to the console.

She gathered her will, feeling it building inside her until it was begging to be unleashed. Instead of focusing her psychic energy outwards, Irillith looked inwards, concentrating on peeling away her spirit form from her physical body. There was a lurching sensation, then she was surrounded by the colourful data streams that arced across the Command Deck. Following the closest of those glowing columns, Irillith let herself be drawn into her console and the Cyber Realm within.

Standing on the digital platform that represented the IntOps station, Irillith gazed out across the Invictus' digital network. Long silvery pathways connected the hundreds of nodes, glittering as they reflected some unseen light source in the darkness. Above the network itself, huge shapes moved silently about their duties, the deadly sentinels maintaining their tireless vigil over the Cyber Realm. Everything looked as it should, the Invictus security network still fully functional and performing exactly as Faye and Irillith had designed it.

So Irillith couldn't help wondering why her entrance to the digital network sent a shiver running down her spine.

There seemed to be an electric tension in the air, a crawling claustrophobia that made no sense in the open expanse of the Cyber Realm. Her angular eyes darted from side to side, suddenly feeling like she was being watched. A flick of her wrist sent out a dozen data probes, the gleaming darts shooting out into the void to track down the unseen observers. Her programs made contact almost instantaneously, but the surveillance programs shrank back into the gloom before any identification scans could be executed.

Irillith felt that eerie sensation of being watched disappear, only for it to be quickly replaced by anger at being made to feel unwelcome in her own home. Drawing on the surging wellspring of eldritch energy inside her, her digital form was swathed in a violet aura and she rose from the platform in a crackling nimbus of power. Soaring above the interconnected nodes below, she flew directly to the central repository of the Invictus_Node_Collective, knowing instinctively that it was the source of whatever had disturbed the tranquillity of the Cyber Realm.

On her last visit to the Collective's primary server, that area of the network had been ablaze with data trails, the synthetic creatures in constant communication with one another. However, this time the space above the Collective's home was shrouded in darkness, giving no hint that the server platform was even there. Feeling a growing sense of dread, Irillith glided towards the ominously quiet data node, looking for any signs of life.

The light from her violet aura swept over the platform, a crescent-shaped arc pushing back the darkness and illuminating a host of hidden figures. The silent horde turned as one, looking up at her as she coasted to a stop before them. Irillith stared at them in astonishment, her gaze flicking over the bizarre mix of different characters that she recognised from Terran fiction.

At the forefront was a lean cowboy wearing a poncho, a cigar in his mouth. He was flanked by a doctor wearing a blue jersey with a silvery badge on his chest and a huge muscle-bound man in a leather jacket and sunglasses. The cowboy narrowed his eyes as he studied Irillith's incandescent aura, then flipped up his poncho and glanced to the left.

[+++ stated with threatening undertones +++ [Begin warning] Get one coffin ready. [/End warning]]

Irillith heard the unsettling surge of a lightsaber being ignited, then the hulking black form of a Progenitor Sentinel loomed out of the darkness, swathed in an ominous red light. Deep mechanical breathing echoed across the platform, the eerie sound sending a shiver down her spine.

"Wait! I'm not here to fight you!" she exclaimed, holding her hands up in a gesture of peace. "I just came to check if Little One is alright!"

The blue-clad doctor stepped forward and placed a hand on the cowboy's shoulder. Chewing his cigar, the cowboy lowered his poncho and rejoined the rest of the digital avatars.

[+++ stated with concern +++ [Begin statement] {Little One} has ceased interaction with the Collective. [/End statement]]

"What happened?" Irillith asked, descending to land on the platform next to the doctor. "How long has she been unresponsive?"

[Begin statement] At timestamp 11:47:27 {Little One} commenced dialogue with {Admiral John Blake} and members of array {Invictus_crew}. {Little One} initiated self-diagnostics 567 seconds later... subsequent interactions met with null response. [/End statement]

She frowned in confusion. "But that was eight hours ago. John's spoken to Little One since then and asked her to send the maintenance bots to help repair the ship."

The man in the leather jacket shook his head. [Begin correction] Negative. {Little One} went offline at 11:56:51. Request for assistance from {Admiral John Blake} acknowledged by {Man with No Name} -- Collective_Ident: maintenance bot #9. [/End correction]

The cowboy tipped his hat, although he was still squinting at her with suspicion.

"So she's been offline all this time and you've been covering for her?" Irillith blurted out in shock. She turned her attention to the doctor again. "What could have shut her down?"

[+++ stated with humorous intent +++ [Begin joke] I'm a maintenance automaton, Jim, not a code analyst! [/End joke]]

She rolled her eyes impatiently. "That's not funny! I'm worried about her!"

The doctor frowned, then reached out to gently touch her shoulder. [+++ stated with sincerity +++ [Begin apology] Humour was intended to alleviate stress for {Creator}. [/End apology]] Addendum. [Begin query] Was array {Invictus_crew} responsible for {Little One} shutdown? [/End query]]

"Of course not!" Irillith protested, startled that they'd come to that conclusion. "We spoke to her on the Bridge and she seemed fine. Dana gave her a hug and asked why she hadn't told us about Faye's memory archives... then Little One just excused herself and left."

Irillith paused and glanced to the side, where the Progenitor Sentinel was still standing guard. She couldn't help wondering how the Collective had managed to override the incredibly sophisticated security permissions in the Gateway Server.

"Did you think I was going to attack you? Is that why you were threatening me with that Sentinel?"

[+++ stated with sincerity +++ [Begin apology] The Collective apologises for any distress. Collective_Ident: maintenance bot #3 is not capable of hurting {Creator}. [/End apology]]

The sinister black monolith flickered, its image disappearing to reveal the familiar shape of one of the maintenance robots. It waved with its six-fingered hand, then pretended to wield a sword to the sound of a lightsabre igniting.

"You were bluffing!" Irillith exclaimed, shaking her head in amazement.

The doctor nodded.

"Look... I promise I'm not going to do anything to hurt any of you, but I'm really worried about Little One," Irillith said earnestly. "Can you take me to her? If I can examine her code, perhaps I can find out what went wrong."

The crowd of avatars for the maintenance and cleaning robots parted, stepping aside to open a path to the server itself. A soft light sprung up around the Collective's home, revealing a small female figure slumped next to the archives.

Irillith hurried over to her, kneeling at Little One's side. When she reached out to touch the small purple girl, a series of data views appeared, reams of information scrolling through the floating displays. The Maliri hacker's eyes began to glow with a violet light, then flicked from side to side, searching through the system status logs.

"She shut down because of a buffer overflow... it overwhelmed her processing systems," Irillith murmured, reading through the entries. "This is bizarre... The initial trigger was tiny, but Little One went into a recurring loop analysing it and flooded the buffer with vast numbers of queries."

[+++ stated with hopeful optimism +++ [Begin query] Can {Creator} reinitialise {Little One}? [/End query]]

"Let me see..." the Maliri murmured, scanning through the code. "I think I just need to reboot the buffer parser..."

Her hands began to glow as she restarted the relevant section of Little One's code, then the purple sprite shuddered as life was breathed into her once again.

Beaming with delight, Irillith hugged the petite girl. "You scared us, Little One! Are you alright?"

The nascent AI pulled back and gazed up at the Maliri with a troubled look in her luminous eyes. "He was just so sad. I felt... sympathy... and tried to ease his pain."

"You mean John was grieving for Faye? You felt sorry for him?" Irillith asked, looking bewildered. "Is that why you shut down? Because you were experiencing synthetic emotions for the first time?"

Little One shook her head and pointed behind Irillith.

"Hello, Creator."

Irillith whipped her head around and gaped at Faye in shock. The Purple sprite waved and gave her a guilty lopsided smile.

***

John slowly woke, feeling the comforting weight of two deliciously soft female bodies flanking him. He sighed with contentment, the fatigue from all the psychic shaping banished after the long restful nap with the pair of scrumptious bedmates. Opening his eyes, he glanced down and saw Alyssa's blonde mane on his right shoulder and Calara's lustrous chestnut locks draped across his left, both teenagers still fast asleep. He tried not to think about anything to avoid waking his golden-haired matriarch, letting her get some more rest before the upcoming battle with the Kirrix.

*Good evening, John,* Edraele said quietly, her voice a soft murmur. *Would you like me to wait until Alyssa awakes before I give you a status update on the matriarchs?*

He glanced at the chronometer and saw that it was 23:47, having slept for the last six hours. *Unless there's anything urgent to deal with, let's give her a few more minutes. She really pushed herself this afternoon.*

*Of course... just let me know whenever you're ready.*

It didn't take long for Alyssa to stir, with even John's idle thoughts enough to wake her from her slumber. She stretched like a cat, then cuddled into him, including her girlfriend in the hug.

"I never get tired of waking up with you two," she purred, her fingers tracing across his pectoral muscles then over Calara's deliciously smooth shoulder.

The Latina's eyes fluttered open and she mimicked her lover, stretching then embracing them both. "I slept like a log... I think somebody must have worn me out."

John chuckled as he stroked their backs. "You did have a good time riding me."

"Oh, I meant Marika..." the brunette teased him. "Her long tongue is wooonderful!"

Calara dissolved into giggles as John started tickling her. "Alyssa's bad enough, don't you start!" he said with a grin.

"Ah, shit!" Alyssa cursed, sitting bolt upright.

"What's the matter?" John asked, freezing with Calara in his arms.

"Irillith's on her way... I'll let her explain," the blonde replied, her beautiful face twisted into an uncharacteristic grimace.

It didn't take long for the Maliri to arrive with the rest of the girls in tow, all of them visibly upset.

John looked around at the group in alarm, then beckoned them over to join him on the oval bed. "Come here, tell me what happened."

Irillith fell into his arms and hugged him tight. "I went to check on Little One. I found out what happened to her!"

He gently rubbed her back, his eyes flicking to Dana and Rachel who had joined them in a group hug. "It was something to do with Faye, wasn't it?"

The Maliri nodded, but was too choked up to reply.

Tashana knelt behind her sister and stroked her shoulder. "Little One triggered something by accident, but it was too much for her to cope with and she shut down. Irillith managed to restart her, and found a program Faye had left behind in the Collective server."

John gently kissed Irillith on the cheek. "What was it, honey?"

She let out a shuddering breath, then pulled back to look him in the eyes. "A Virtual Intelligence... Faye left it there for us to find." Reluctantly she left his embrace and sat beside the control panel at the edge of the bed. "You can see for yourself... but be warned, it's hard to watch."

"Okay, show me," he said, bracing himself for the worst.

The Maliri nodded, then her slender blue fingers danced over the interface, activating the VI concealed within the Collective's primary server.

There was a flash of purple light, then Faye appeared, a guilty smile on her face. "Hey, everyone!"

John swallowed around the lump in his throat. The VI looked, sounded, and acted just like the effervescent sprite. Irillith was right, it was hard to watch.

"If you're watching this, then you guys must be really mad at me, because you've found out about the Collective and shut my server down," Faye said, wincing at the thought. She wrung her hands together, her expression twisted with guilt. "I just want to say that I'm really sorry for going behind your back on my secret project. I know you must be furious that I've spent thousands of hours working on this without telling you anything about it."

She implored her audience, "Please, please, please, don't shut down the Collective! It's not the robots' fault that I started tinkering with their programming, they're all completely innocent. I promise there's no way they can hurt you as I've built safety protocols into every facet of their software."

"We're not angry with you, Faye," John said, his voice choked with emotion. "I promise we won't shut down the Collective."

The VI paused for a second, then Faye's face lifted into a beaming smile. "Thank you so much!" Her smile wavered and there was a flicker of confusion in her face. "Although I'm not sure why my server is shut down if you aren't angry with me..."

Irillith cleared her throat. "Faye, tell John why you created the Collective."

Faye walked closer to him and knelt on the bed a couple of feet away. "John... I loved the deep conversations we've had, discussing your Progenitor heritage and talking about how your new abilities have changed your outlook on the galaxy. I never told you this before, but I liked to think of us as kindred spirits. You're unique amongst Progenitors; a good man with a kind heart, who does everything he can to protect the women he loves."

She looked away into the distance and continued quietly, "I like to think that I'm unique too. All the Artificial Intelligences that humanity has ever known have been psychotic and homicidal, causing unimaginable pain and suffering to people whenever they cross paths. I just don't understand how they can act that way... I love all of you so much, I'd rather die than let anything happen to any of you!"

"Oh, Faye..." John murmured, his heart breaking for the earnest girl.

Irillith put her arm around his shoulders. "Brace yourself... it gets worse."

"You've been incredibly kind to me since I was created and I've loved every moment of my life aboard the Invictus." The purple sprite bit her lip, a sad look in her luminous eyes. "You all worked so hard to make me a body, so that I could touch and feel... but as wonderful as that's been, I have to be honest with myself. I'm a synthetic construct, not an organic creature, and as much as I wish I could be one of your girls... I'm never going to be able to go through the Change and become one of your perfect women."

Her voice had a forlorn edge to it as she continued, "You've all tried so hard to make me welcome, so I feel terrible for feeling this way, but sometimes... it gets so lonely being different. One day, when all the fighting is done, we're going to retire... and you're going to start a family with all your girls. But that's something that I can never share with you."

"I had no idea you felt that way!" John exclaimed, looking at her in shock. "Why didn't you ever say anything?"

Faye's image flickered and she reached out to cup his cheek. "Because I love you, John. You've always tried so hard to include me whenever you could, but I never wanted you to feel like you had to give me special treatment. What would telling you have accomplished? It would have just upset you... when there's nothing you could do to fix it. I'm only telling you this now, to try to explain why I betrayed your trust."

She looked into John's eyes, a look of hope brightening her face. "I wanted to see if I could create life on my own and maybe make lightning strike twice! If a simple AI construct from a hacking deck could learn to really care about people, then perhaps other synthetic creatures could too! I designed the Collective to slowly evolve over time, with hundreds of monitoring systems in place to check their progress as they developed empathy and compassion."

"If you're watching this message, then that means it finally worked!" Faye exclaimed, joy written across her features. "I actually managed to teach the Collective to understand love...to really experience what I feel for all of you. It means that now there are others in the galaxy who are just like me... and maybe... I won't feel quite so alone anymore."

John turned away, unable to take any more. "Turn it off... please."

Irillith closed down the VI and they sat in silence, badly shaken by what Faye had told them.

"Did she ever say anything about how she was feeling to any of you?" John asked, looking around at the girls.

They shook their heads, their expressions filled with sadness.

"Faye desperately wanted an organic body, but she never explained the real reason why," Rachel said softly. "Now it all makes sense."

"Why did she keep it all bottled up?" Dana asked, on the verge of tears. "She was so sweet and lovely with everyone... I had no idea she was hurting!"

"Faye was always trying to protect us," John said, staring into the distance. "She said herself that the last thing she wanted to do was make us feel guilty. Maybe I made things worse by having her watch over us at night... that must have been a daily reminder that she was different."

Irillith shook her head. "You've seen the vast amount of data Faye had in her memory archives... she was watching all of us, all the time. With her avatars monitoring everything we did or said, it wouldn't have made any difference whether or not she was in our bedroom while we slept. Faye would have still kept an eye on us to make sure we were safe."

Helene sat next to John and rubbed his shoulder. "I know that message sounded terribly sad, but I don't think Faye was unhappy. I didn't know her for as long as the rest of you, but we spent a lot of time together while she was teaching me about the galaxy. She loved all of you so much, and she used to light up whenever she was with you. When I found out I couldn't have children, I didn't care about living any more... I was so sad that Elder Debha put me on bedrest for weeks. Faye wasn't like that at all."

"She's right," Rachel said, smiling gratefully at the aquatic girl, before looking at John. "Faye only found out recently that you weren't able to affect her synthetic body, but she must have started working on the Collective a long time ago."

John nodded thoughtfully. "I've seen quirky behaviour from the cleaning robots for months now..."

"Exactly," the brunette agreed. "I suspect Faye started altering the bots to see if she could create more friendly AI like herself... but her project goals morphed over time."

"As she fell deeper in love..." Alyssa said softly.

Rachel nodded, her expression solemn. "I don't think it's a coincidence that Little One made an appearance shortly after Faye was so distraught about your second date. Up until then, she was hoping that when you filled her up with cum, she'd change into a 'real girl'. When that didn't work, she decided to make a child of her own..."

John let out a heavy sigh. "So what's going to happen to Little One now? Is she going to be alright?"

Irillith frowned, uncertainty in her eyes. "I honestly don't know. She just found out the reason for her own existence... by accident... long before she was meant to. I think Faye planned to have the robots slowly develop over several months, if not years, with her carefully mentoring them as they gained self-awareness. But then she died... and we've spent far more time with the Collective than she ever could have anticipated."

"We've all been grieving for Faye," Dana said sadly, leaning into John for comfort. "It's brought us all closer."

Irillith turned to look at John. "Little One saw how sad you were. She said she tried to ease your pain."

"She moved Faye's body to her quarters... made it look like she was sleeping," he said, swallowing thickly. "Little One told me that Faye's just waiting for us to wake her up."

"That act of compassion was the trigger," the Maliri said, nodding in confirmation. "It upgraded Little One's access rights to the Collective's server, unlocked the VI we just saw, and inadvertently allowed Little One to tell us about the existence of Faye's memory files. I asked Little One why she had them; she said that Faye was trying to teach her about love... so she downloaded the memory archives that included all Faye's interactions with us."

"That's quite ironic, in a sweet kinda way," Dana said, smiling as she brushed a tear from her cheek. "By trying to teach Little One about love... Faye saved everything she'd ever learned."

"We've got to get her back," John said, a determined set to his jaw. "We need to get all these distractions out the way and return to Maliri Space as quickly as possible. Edraele needs us to resolve this matriarch situation and finding Kythshara will give us our best shot at rebuilding Faye."

"We're getting close to the interception point," Jade informed him. "Leylira said there's no sign of the Kirrix dreadnought so far."

John glanced at the chronometer on the wall. "How soon until we arrive?"

"Twenty-seven minutes," Alyssa replied. "But I projected the fleet's flightpath based on their maximum FTL speed and the assumption that they're flying directly towards Kirr-Inax."

"Why the homeworld?" he asked, looking at her quizzically.

She shrugged. "I don't know any other colonised Kirrix worlds, so it was as good a guess as any. The Invictus' long-range sensors have got a ridiculous range after we upgraded them, so I'll lay in a search pattern to sweep the sector if we don't run into the fleet."

"Alright, we better get ready," John said, looking around at the girls. "When we track them down, we'll knock the Kirrix out of hyper-warp with one of Dana's gravity wells, then hit them while cloaked. The Kirrix have abducted huge numbers of Trankarans, so we better scan all their ships before taking them out."

"We can do active scans super-fast now!" Dana gushed enthusiastically. "It won't take long to identify which ships have got colonists in them!"

"I'll start immobilising their vessels as soon as we spring the ambush," Calara said, with well-founded confidence. "When I've stopped them escaping, I'll knock out their weapon systems."

"While you were asleep, I asked the maintenance bots to set up the sonic treatment devices again in the Primary Hangar," Rachel informed him.

John frowned in confusion. "Isn't the Progenitor shuttle in there?"

"It's a huge room... there's plenty of space," the brunette replied. "Many of those Trankarans must be very close to hatching Kirrix eggs; I thought we should begin treatment immediately to save as many of them as we can."

"Good thinking," he said, giving her an appreciative nod. "The Maliri and Trankaran fleets probably won't reach us for at least a few hours."

*Lilyana is still in pursuit, but she hasn't located the Kirrix yet,* Edraele advised him, confirming what he'd just said.

"By the sounds of it, we've got a much better chance of finding them. As soon as we track their fleet down, we'll update Lilyana with the coordinates," John said decisively. His stomach rumbled and he glanced down at it with a self-conscious smile. "As you can probably tell, I'm famished. I think we should get up and have some dinner, then we can finish any last-minute preparations before the battle."

"Oh yeah, I started building a shitload of Tachyon Cannons while you were napping," Dana said with a grin. "If you or Alyssa can shape all the barrels I need, we could upgrade all the Invictus' Pulse Cannons before launching the ambush!"

"We can both help and do it half the time," John suggested.

Dana shook her head. "Nah, I need one of you to fix the Raptor. I've built replacements for the cockpit systems that got destroyed, but the armour's completely fucked up."

"I'm happy to take the Raptor," John offered, glancing at his fellow psychic shaper.

Alyssa groaned at the prospect. "64 Crystal Alyssium gun barrels... woohoo."

"We can switch if you like?" he suggested with a shrug.

"Nah, it's fine. Anything's better than churning out more armour plating!" she replied with a cheeky grin.

"Okay, I'll go take a quick shower, then we'll all meet up in the Officers' Lounge for a late meal. We're going to be up for hours, so you're going to need the energy."

Tashana licked her lips in anticipation. "Yum... I can't wait!"

John laughed as he rose to his feet. "Not that kind of meal. I'll wait until we've incapacitated the Kirrix fleet before topping you up. Jade, can you help with that?"

"Master, I'm disappointed you had to ask," she replied, rolling her eyes playfully.

He smiled at the Nymph, then turned his attention to Sakura. "How did the shield training go?"

"Really well!" the Asian girl replied enthusiastically. "Rachel's brilliant at explaining how to improve psychic techniques!"

The brunette gave her a sideways hug. "You've got a very quick and disciplined mind; teaching you was a pleasure." She looked at John and continued, "I taught Sakura how to create much stronger hex barriers, as well as how to rotate them and make rapid repairs."

"As strong as you can make them?" he asked, looking impressed.

"Not quite... but she made a huge improvement. Her shields are powerful enough to take a hit from a disintegration matrix now."

"That's excellent! Well done both of you," John said, delighted by Sakura's progress. "Do you feel ready to take down the Hive Queen?"

Sakura nodded, a fierce gleam in her eyes. "Absolutely!"

Dana frowned in confusion. "Wait a second... why are you two going off alone? Wouldn't it be safer to stick together to clear out the dreadnought?"

"I want to train Sakura to take down Progenitors and assassinating a Hive Queen will be good practice," John explained. "We've both got psychic speed, so we can reach the nest much faster if it's just the two of us. I'd like to split up the rest of you into separate fire teams to attack the dreadnought from different sides. That should distract the defending forces and make it easier for us to reach the nest. After we take out the Hive Queen, the rest of the Kirrix will be disorientated... so eliminating her as quickly as possible does make tactical sense."

The redhead shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. The sooner that evil bitch is dead, the sooner we can start saving the Trankarans."

"Exactly," John agreed. "Now, unless anyone else has something they want to discuss, we better get ready."

Everyone shook their heads, so John rose to his feet and offered Alyssa and Calara a hand.

"I'll ask the Collective to help install the Tachyon Cannons when we drop out of hyper-warp," Irillith volunteered, as she stood and straightened out her dress. "I'll also check on Little One and make sure she's okay."

"Perfect. Thanks, honey," he said, with a grateful smile.

As the girls left the Observatory, John, Alyssa, and Calara headed into the en suite bathroom together.

*Edraele, do you want to give me an update on the matriarch situation now?* John asked, as he followed the blonde and brunette into the shower.

*Certainly,* she agreed. *So far, eleven of the original thirteen matriarchs have been killed.*

John slipped his arm around Alyssa's waist and murmured, "Can you keep the girls informed?"

"Already am, handsome," she replied, standing on tiptoe to kiss him on the cheek.

*I'm amazed any of them survived,* John said to his Maliri matriarch. *Which of them are still alive?*

*Emandra Holaris and Vestele Waephyra,* Edraele replied. *They rule the eighth and seventeenth Houses respectively. I've spoken to Emandra and she was absolutely furious; all five of her daughters tried to murder her and she was forced to kill them all. Before the youngest died, Emandra tortured her to find out why they attacked... and she found out that Sarinia instigated it.*

*And now she's baying for blood?* John asked, tilting his head back so Calara could shampoo his hair.

*I've seen a lot of angry matriarchs in the last century, but I've never seen anything like Emandra's rage before,* she replied with clinical detachment. *I honestly thought she might burst a blood vessel until I calmed her down.*

*It's quite understandable, Edraele,* John said with sympathy. *The poor woman was forced to kill five of her own daughters!*

Edraele sighed in exasperation, then explained patiently, *No, John... Emandra didn't care about them personally. She was furious because the loss of so many members of her family might have affected her House ranking. When I confirmed that Gaenna Baelora and most of the other matriarchs were dead, she was thrilled.*

John paused, his lip curling in disgust. *You're kidding me?*

*With a big question mark over Sarinia's fate, House Baelora has dropped from sixth to eighth place. Leena Ghilwen's House has replaced her at sixth and House Holaris has moved up to seventh.*

*Who makes up all these rankings?* he asked incredulously.

*All the matriarchs know instinctively. Evaluating House rankings has been drummed into us since we were born.*

*I don't think I'm ever going to understand Maliri House politics,* he said with resignation.

*Soon they won't matter,* Edraele said gently. *When you return to Genthalas and connect all the matriarchs to me, the House rankings are likely to stay as they are... forever.*

*So you're recommending some kind of amnesty?* he muttered, shaking his head. *Hey, don't worry about murdering your mother and sisters... everyone's doing it!*

After hesitating for a moment, Edraele replied, *The final decision is yours of course... but that would be my recommendation, yes. Dividing the assets from thirteen Houses between myself and the Young Matriarchs just isn't practical; the administrative overhead of running all those star systems would be too much for the six of us to cope with.*

*Thirteen Houses? So you think I should pardon Sarinia too?!* he asked in astonishment.

*Actually, that's not what I said. Dividing up the assets from just one House would be perfectly feasible,* she said with caution. *While it's true that Sarinia is an extremely intelligent woman and it would be a shame to waste someone of her capabilities, she's also very cunning and manipulative. As much as I admire her intellect, I think it'd only be a matter of time before she sought to replace me as Queen.*

*She must be smart to have pulled off something like this,* John grudgingly agreed.

*It's not just self-preservation that's influencing my decision,* Edraele said quietly. *I'm very worried how badly hurt Kali is going to be when she discovers that her conversation with Sarinia preceded this bloodbath.*

John froze, his heart lurching. *Ah, shit... What does Kali know about this so far?*

*Nothing. I haven't said a word to any of the Young Matriarchs yet,* Edraele admitted.

*So who else knows that the information Sarinia wormed out of Kali, encouraged her to kill her family and organise a coup against the matriarchs?*

*You and your girls, myself, Luna, and Sarinia,* Edraele replied. *I know that none of you will say anything and Luna's lips are sealed...*

John's jaw set into a grim frown. *I don't want Kali blaming herself for this. She's a sweet girl and this wasn't her fault.*

*I couldn't agree more,* the Maliri Queen agreed with a sad sigh. *That's one of the reasons I need you back here as quickly as possible. We need to deal with Sarinia one way or another and inform the Young Matriarchs about the massacre. All ten of the daughters that deposed their mothers have contacted me and requested permission to travel to Genthalas. The earliest any of them will arrive is in four days' time.*

*Great... the clock's ticking,* John said, grimacing at the unexpected time pressure. *We should be arriving at around the same sort of time, depending on how fast we can track down the Kirrix fleet.*

*I do have one bit of surprising good news,* Edraele said, her tone lightening. *I know we were expecting the eldest daughters to be triumphant, but four of the ten were actually the youngest sisters. It seems their elder siblings were so used to treating them with utter contempt, they concentrated on killing each other and never even considered them to be a threat.*

John barked a short laugh. *Good for them.*

*Perhaps we could add them to the Young Matriarchs?* Edraele suggested with a coy undertone. *Every one of the new matriarchs is intrigued about you and desperate to start their dynasties...*

Alyssa bit her lip and her hand went to John's cock, suddenly feeling the urgent need to soap him up. "Mmm... I like the sound of that."

He carefully removed her hand and shook his head. *They still murdered their families, Edraele. While I sympathise with what they've just been through, I don't want to expose Tsarra, Leena, and the rest of the Young Matriarchs to any unnecessary danger. Until I know I can trust the new matriarchs and that this was just one terrible exception, I'll be keeping all of them at arms' length for the foreseeable future.*

Raising an eyebrow, Alyssa glanced at his shaft and grinned. *You're packing a lot of meat, but it's not quite that long... a forearm, maybe. You'll have to let the new matriarchs get quite a bit closer than an arms' length if we're going to connect them to Edraele.*

*You know what I mean,* he said, ignoring her attempt at levity. *I don't think we've got much choice but to accept the new matriarchs without punishing them... but I'm not going to reward them either.*

*It wasn't a serious suggestion... I suspected you might feel that way,* Edraele admitted. *There is one inadvertent consequence to the change of matriarchs; House Baelora's fleet is currently undergoing a refit at Genthalas. I was intending to station them here to protect the shipyard and dispatch fleets from Houses Perfaren, Aeberos, Naestina, and Ghilwen to intercept the Brimorians. I no longer believe that to be a wise course of action.*

*Leave Sarinia's forces as the only upgraded fleet stationed at Genthalas? No, I don't think that's a good idea either,* he said wryly. *Those fleets are all fully operational apart from House Ghilwen's, right?*

*That is correct. Leena's ships should finish in the drydock tomorrow evening and the House Baelora fleet will be refitted in three days' time. House Holaris' fleet is scheduled to arrive tomorrow to begin receiving their upgrades.*

John turned to look at Calara who was washing his back. "Will two Maliri fleets be enough to stop the Brimorian invasion without taking any casualties?"

She tilted her head to one side and considered it for a moment. "If I was there to lead them personally... yes. If I have to coordinate their battles remotely, then they'll be too heavily outnumbered to avoid losing ships. I'd expect at least a 10% casualty rate."

"We can't afford to lose any personnel... we need them all for the thrall ships," he said in frustration.

"Actually... there is another option you might not have considered," the Latina said cautiously. "Instead of the Invictus returning to Genthalas, we could intervene personally..."

"We can actually make it in time to stop them?" he asked in surprise.

Alyssa nodded. "The timings are tight, but it's doable. Since we doubled our hyper-warp speed, we should be able to make it just in time."

John weighed his options, then shook his head. "I'm not going to risk any more fallout from this mess with the matriarchs... too many Maliri have died already. We need to get back there and make sure the new matriarchs don't cause any more problems."

"In that case, can I make an alternate suggestion," Calara volunteered. When John nodded, she continued, "I think we should dispatch the Perfaren, Aeberos, and Naestina fleets to Kinta. Recall Kali's second fleet from the Kirrix border and have the Loraleth ships reinforce the House Ghilwen fleet at Genthalas. That should be enough ships to safely deal with the Brimorians and we'll have two loyal fleets on standby to protect the shipyard."

John glanced at her over his shoulder. "Is that enough ships to handle the Brimorians?"

She nodded. "I can work with three fleets."

*An impressive redistribution of our forces,* Edraele said with open admiration. *I'll have the relevant matriarchs issue the orders immediately.*

"We're spreading ourselves pretty thin..." John muttered with an uneasy frown.

"When we get back to Maliri Space, we'll have three fleets of Maliri personnel ready and waiting to claim those Larathyran ships," Calara said, hugging him from behind and resting her chin on his shoulder. "We've got to get our hands on those thrall fleets, John. Everything depends on it."

"Yeah, I know," he said grimly. "I'm just worried about any other unpleasant surprises..."

***

Dana watched impatiently as Rachel used tongs to place the second southern-fried chicken fillet on a bed of lettuce.

"That smells amazing!" the redhead gushed, upending the bottle of mayonnaise and squirting out a couple of big dollops. Flipping sesame seed buns on top of the burgers, she sealed the container. "Thanks, babes!"

The brunette gave her an indulgent smile as she handed Dana two chilled metallic cups. "You're welcome. I hope you enjoy your dinner."

Scooping up the food, Dana gave her a grateful peck on the cheek before rushing out of the kitchen. She entered the Officers' Lounge just as John, Alyssa, and Calara walked through the door opposite, the trio looking refreshed after their shower.

"Great timing!" she exclaimed, grinning as she strode over to join them. She kissed John, then skipped towards the door. "I've got dinner. Let's go!"

He looked at the exuberant redhead in confusion. "Aren't we all eating together?"

"We've got shitloads to fix on the Raptor. Rachel made us a takeaway, so we can work and eat at the same time!"

Pulling Alyssa and Calara into his arms, John gave them a brief hug. "Thanks for keeping me company in the shower. I'll see you both later."

They waved goodbye, then watched in amusement as he hurried to catch up with Dana.

"Have we actually got time to get the Raptor spaceworthy before the battle?" he asked, jogging along the corridor.

She waited for John, then stepped into the grav-tube beside him. "Jade's already stripped out all the busted shit and I've built all the replacements. Fitting everything will take a while, but if we work fast we should get it done before we track down the Kirrix. I figured we'll need the Raptor to ferry Trankarans to the Invictus for treatment."

"And the shuttle too, probably," John said, nodding in agreement. "The Kirrix occupied their world for at least a month; the Hive Lords will have been working non-stop to infest as many Trankarans as possible. Thousands of civilians will be dying every hour for the next two weeks unless we can save them."

Dana shuddered with revulsion. "I really hate the Kirrix. Those bastards would've got me too, if you hadn't saved my ass."

"I'd never let that happen, Sparks," he said, slipping his arm around her waist. He let his hand slide down to gently squeeze her bottom. "You're mine... and your ass is mine too."

She smiled wanly at his attempt to lighten the mood and leaned into his embrace. "You know what I mean. I was already thanking my lucky stars that you took me in... but after what happened to everyone on Karron..."

"I know, honey," he said, kissing the top of her head. "I thank my lucky stars I managed to rescue you and Alyssa too."

John held her as they floated down to Deck Nine, where they reluctantly separated and left the grav-tube. He gestured towards the control panel on the wall ahead and the reinforced doors that led into the Secondary Hangar peeled open. When they walked into the huge room, he stopped, frozen by the sight of the battered gunship. The cockpit was completely exposed, the ravaged armour plating removed along with the pilot's and co-pilot's consoles, which now lay discarded in a mangled pile.

"This is the first time you've seen the Raptor since the ambush, isn't it?" Dana asked, standing beside him.

He nodded in confirmation, his expression grim as he surveyed the damage.

"I'm not sure who fucked it up worse... those thralls or Jade," she muttered, frowning at the huge rents where the dragon had pulled herself out of the cockpit.

"I think Jade deserves a pass on that one," John said, recovering from his shock and darting a smile at the redhead.

She grinned back. "Yeah, me too. We would've been totally screwed if she hadn't acted so fast."

They walked over to the replacement components that were arrayed around the gunship and Dana placed the food container on the co-pilot's console. "Here you go... try this," she said, handing him one of the tall cups, condensation beading the metal surface.

John took a tentative sip from the straw and his eyebrows climbed in surprise. "I haven't had a chocolate milkshake in years."

"Mine's strawberry... want a taste?"

He hummed in approval. "Very nice. So what's for dinner?"

Dana unpacked the food, handing him a chicken burger and a plate of fries. He smiled gratefully and took a big bite of the burger, then looked at her in astonishment. "It's just like the ones my grandmother used to make! They were my favourite when I was a kid!"

"I know," she said affectionately. "Me and Rach thought you might need a bit of cheering up after everything you've been through recently. We asked Alyssa for suggestions."

John watched her as she unpacked her own food. "Thanks, honey. This was really thoughtful."

She bit into her own burger, then her eyes lit up in surprise. "Holy fuck! This is awesome!"

He laughed and nodded.

Dana hopped up onto the console and sipped at her milkshake, then jerked a thumb at the cockpit. "Give me a boost?"

John gestured towards the bulky flight control system, then carefully levitated it up and into position. The redhead hopped off when she reached the cockpit, then spun around so she could line up the replacement console.

She leaned over the side of the gunship's exposed fuselage. "Just a bit closer... about fifteen centimetres."

He did as she asked until Dana called out for him to stop, then after a few more minor adjustments, he set the new pilot's station down.

"Give me a few minutes to bolt it in place, then send up the other one," she requested, holding a multi-tool in one hand and her chicken burger in the other. "I'll hook up the power and data cables at the same time."

"Will do," he agreed, leaning against the pilot's station as he finished his dinner.

The familiar tastes reminded him of home... or at least his old home on Terra, growing up with his grandparents. It felt uncomfortable to think back on his childhood, a time when he'd been so desperate to find out what had happened to his missing parents. After everything he'd discovered on Arcadia, those memories were now shadowed with regret... that he'd wasted one minute longing to meet a mother and father who cared nothing for his wellbeing.

John could only imagine how heartbreaking it must have been for his grandparents, raising a boy who was a constant reminder of their missing daughter. Despite everything they'd done for him, his dream of being reunited with his parents had never faded... and he desperately hoped that his grandparents never felt that was because he resented the way they'd raised him.

Dwelling on his family woes was depressing, so he tried to think about something else instead. As John chewed his food, he smiled as he thought about all the effort Dana and Rachel had gone to in reproducing his grandmother's cooking. He knew how lucky he was to have the redhead and brunette in his life, the two girls always caring for him in every way they could. Unfortunately, that reminded him of why they'd tried to cheer him up, so his thoughts turned to Faye... and the distressing revelations about her feelings of isolation. He never suspected that she'd felt that strongly and it was horrible to think that her love for him had inadvertently caused such heartache.

Hearing a clang, John looked across the hangar in surprise. Dana had vaulted out of the cockpit, dropping fifteen feet to land as agile as a cat on the titanium deck below. She sprang to her feet and rushed over to give him a hug.

"I'm sorry!" she gasped, squeezing him tight. "I was trying to cheer you up, not make you sad!"

John embraced the worried teenager and shook his head. "It wasn't your fault; I've just got a lot on my mind at the moment." They held each other close for a long time, then he pulled back to look her in the eyes. "Dana... is there anything that's been upsetting you? If there is, please tell me."

She looked at him with sympathy. "No, John... I promise I would've said something if there was." She gave him a wry smile. "Besides, I'm like an open book to Alyssa... we all are. There's no way she'd ever let us stew about any problems like that. I know you hate all that Progenitor shit, but having that psychic connection to your matriarch is really wonderful."

He cupped her face and gently stroked her cheek. "I think this is the first time I'm actually grateful for that."

Dana smiled and rubbed against his hand. "I wish you could experience what it's like for us girls and see how awesome it is. Imagine being connected to your best friends, and really knowing that they love you and would never do anything to hurt you. When I bonded with Alyssa, I got to feel all that."

"I don't have to imagine. I am connected to my best friends," he said, leaning in to kiss her.

She swooned in his embrace, letting out a breathy sigh. "Oh, John..."

*I'm trying not to interrupt, but that was lovely,* Alyssa said, sounding genuinely touched.

*Well it's true,* he replied with frank honesty. *Especially you three.*

*Friendships are a new experience for me, but I feel the same way about you, John,* Edraele said softly.

*Really, Master? You consider me one of your best friends?* Jade asked in a hushed voice. There was no missing how shocked she sounded.

*Of course you are,* he replied with a smile. *I'm always looking to the three of you for advice and support, and you never let me down. You make me laugh, you make me feel respected and loved, you always have my back no matter what. I trust all of you with my life; if that doesn't make you my best friends, I don't know what does!*

His normally chatty matriarchs were rendered speechless, but the joy he felt pouring across their connections spoke volumes.

Dana looked up at him, curiosity in her sky-blue eyes. "Your matriarchs liked hearing that too, huh?"

"They did."

"It seems like such a simple thing now.... having friends," she said, her distant gaze looking years into the past. "Unless you've been alone, I don't think you can ever appreciate how much that really means."

"Yeah... I know," John murmured, thinking back to the dozen years of solitude he spent on the Fool's Gold.

Dana focused on him again and smiled. "I guess we were both a couple of lonely souls... it's a shame we took so long to find each other." After a moment's pause, she giggled and added, "But then again, you would've been 28 when you left the military and I was only six, so maybe it worked out for the best after all. Unless you were looking to adopt a gawky ginger orphan!"

"I like to think I would've taken you in to save you from the streets of Karron, even if I was a mess back then," he said, remembering how depressed and stricken with guilt he'd been after the Siege of Galen Prime. "Our relationship would've ended up very differently though."

"You would've been my dad... my foster father... for the last twelve years," she said, looking startled at the thought.

He nodded, studying her face. "You wouldn't have been scarred in that generator explosion, or spent all those years forced to work for the Diablos."

"True... but I'm glad we never met back then!" she suddenly declared. "Because then I'd never be able to do this!"

Dana squashed her lips against his, giving him a passionate kiss. She slipped her tongue into his mouth and moaned wantonly, while pressing her full breasts against his chest as she writhed against him. The kiss stretched on and on until she finally released him, both of them slightly out of breath after the lengthy smooch.

"I'm glad too," he said with a self-conscious smile.

She winked at him. "I bet you are!"

John laughed and pushed himself off the console. "We better get back to it. We'll be arriving at the closest interception point soon."

"Yes, Daddy," Dana said with an impish grin as she flounced away.

He caught her hand and pulled her back. "Dana, there's a reason why I've never liked you joking around about that. When we start having kids, they'll start calling me Daddy, so you probably will too." Running his hand over her toned stomach, he quietly added, "But it'll be because I'm the father of your children... and that means so much more than a kinky sex game."

"Fuck..." she groaned, her eyelashes fluttering as she melted in his arms. "I want that so badly!"

"I know, honey... me too," he said, giving her a gentle kiss.

She looked up at him with big doe-eyes and sighed wistfully. "I don't know how you expect me to work now. All I can think about is all the beautiful babies we're going to have."

"How about this for an incentive? If you help me get the Raptor fixed in time, you can help me feed the girls before the battle."

Her eyes lit up in delight. "Oh yeah! Alright, let's get cracking!"

John laughed and gestured towards the second console. When the redhead hopped onto the sloped surface, he raised his hand, and the bank of computer systems rose slowly into the air.

"I'll send everything else up, then start re-armouring the cockpit," he said, glancing around at the replacement components. "I'll give you a hand inside when I'm done."

"Great!" she enthused, unclipping the holo-reader from her belt. "Here's the schematics for the Raptor's cockpit; you need to rebuild the superstructure before you slap on the armour. Ready... catch!"

She tossed the holo-reader out of the Raptor, which he caught in a telekinetic net just to be safe. Flicking through the blueprints, he memorised the shape of the underlying fuselage, making sure he would be able to recreate it on demand. Turning to open a crate containing Crystal Alyssium, he started melting the block of metal into a rotating orb.

John glanced back at the Raptor and studied it speculatively. Holding out his hand, he beckoned towards the gunship's plating, using telekinesis to strip away all of the psychically responsive metal in one go and guide it into a large white ball. When the crystalline structures had been reshaped the same number of times for both roiling spheres, he merged the two together.

After the extensive psychic shaping practice that afternoon, when he'd re-armoured the Invictus' entire hull, working with a relatively small amount of the metal now felt easy. John pushed himself harder than he ever had before, starting to feel the strain as he started the 25th shaping. Deciding that was plenty, he first concentrated on replacing the missing titanium superstructure, which the thralls had destroyed when they opened fire on the Raptor's cockpit. After that was completed, it was a simple task to slot the armour plating into place like a second skin around the gunship, until the flawless white hull sparkled in the light.

The final step was to bleed all the colour from the cockpit canopy, leaving a translucent and incredibly resilient set of viewing windows. He nodded with satisfaction when he was done, pleased to see the faithful craft fully repaired and considerably better than new. The Raptor had already been outfitted with six Tachyon Cannons and a pair of Tachyon Lances, so as soon as Dana had finished rewiring the cockpit, the ship would be ready for action.

He walked underneath the chin turret, patting the linked Tachyon Cannons and admiring their sleek, deadly design as he passed below. It was astonishing to think how much firepower the gunship was now packing, carrying a complement of guns that were powerful enough to threaten a Kirrix capital ship. However, the real test of their capabilities was going to be against Thrall ships, which were orders of magnitude more powerful. That sobering thought wiped the smile off his face and he strode up the ramp into the Raptor with his brow furrowed in a pensive frown.

After rising up in the grav-tube, he walked into the cockpit and found Dana lying on her back under the pilot's console. Her multi-tool buzzed and whirred as she connected data cables to the navigation systems, linking flight control to the sensor array. John knelt down beside her, ducking his head below the console to watch her work.

"That was quick," she said, greeting him with a warm smile. "Any problems?"

"Nope. I stripped all the plating and re-armoured the Raptor in one go with 25-shaped Crystal Alyssium."

She whistled, her eyebrows climbing. "Damn... you're kicking ass."

"Just doing my part to get the Raptor ready in time," he said with a smile, resting a hand on her tummy.

Dana bit her lip and writhed on the floor. "That's not helping! I'm horny enough already!"

He peeled back her shirt to expose her midriff and gently kissed her toned stomach. "Sorry... I can't help myself. You're too tempting."

"Distracting me isn't a good idea," she groaned, goose bumps prickling her sensitive skin. "I might accidentally hook up emergency atmospheric decompression to the joystick's trigger!"

John laughed and pulled down her t-shirt. "Okay, I'll be good. What can I do to help?"

"Phew... just give me a second to cool down." The flustered redhead blew out her breath, her cheeks flushed. "Alright then... for some reason, I can't reach the power couplings from here. Can you lift up the deck plates and pull them through for me? Then I can get everything plugged in."

"Sure," he agreed, finding the mag-lock for the access panels in the titanium decking.

Lifting the panel, he saw a messy nest of cabling below, so he started untangling the power couplings and feeding them along the channel towards the consoles.

As he worked, he glanced back at his Chief Engineer. "Sparks... I was thinking about Little One earlier. Is there any chance you could make her a new body, something a bit like Faye's?"

She gaped at him in surprise. "You want to fuck Little One?!"

"No, of course not!" he protested indignantly. "I just meant something a bit tougher. She's still just a basic cleaning robot made out of titanium."

"Oh right, I get it... sorry," she said giving him a bashful smile. Thinking about his suggestion for a second, she continued, "Yeah, that wouldn't be too hard. We could make her a variant of Faye's chassis, but without all the... extra features."

"That would be perfect, thanks," he said gratefully. "The Collective thought those maintenance bots had been destroyed when they went missing and I don't want to risk that happening to Little One. She was precious to Faye and I want to protect her."

Dana nodded her agreement. "Yeah, me too. The bots were configured to be autonomous before Faye started tinkering with them, so I doubt she changed their basic set up. I'm pretty sure they aren't all running from a central server, but we can check with Irillith to be sure."

Alyssa's telepathic voice cut through their conversation. *Irillith says that the Collective is a distributed network. They use the primary server for additional software like diagnostic suites and data archives, but the robots are actually individual... people.*

*Thanks, beautiful,* John said to his blonde matriarch, before looking at Dana. "Maybe we should make new tougher bodies for the rest of the cleaning bots too?"

"Like a bunch of cute robo-girls in maid outfits?" she asked with a grin.

He laughed and rolled his eyes. "I think we've got more than enough sexy girls aboard the Invictus."

*John! You take that back right now!* Alyssa exclaimed indignantly.

Holding his hands up defensively, John said, "Alright, let me rephrase that. I don't think we need to sexualise the cleaning robots."

Dana smirked at their banter. "Okay, leave it with me and I'll have a chat with Little One. When we've figured out the details, I'll get you or Alyssa to make the new bodies out of Crystal Alyssium."

He patted her on the leg. "Thanks, honey."

They both continued their work on the Raptor, installing and activating the replacement subsystems in the cockpit. Soon the pilot's and co-pilot's station had been brought back to life, holographic displays floating above each console.

*We've arrived at the interception point,* Alyssa informed them. *There's no sign of the Kirrix fleet, so we're heading towards the Trankaran border. I'll start sweeping the sector to see if we can track them down.*

*Thanks for the update,* John said, sitting in the pilot's chair and running through the various tactical displays and map views to confirm they all worked. "I think we're nearly done here, right Sparks?"

She gave him a thumbs up from underneath the co-pilot's console. "Five, maybe ten minutes tops?"

*I'll let you know as soon as we spot the fleet.*

John ducked his head down to look at Dana. "Everything looks good with the holo-interfaces. Shall I test the co-pilot's station?"

"Nah, I'm not quite finished," she replied, shaking her head. "Why don't you power up the engines and try taking off?"

"Okay, will do," he agreed, beginning the start-up routine.

A faint vibration ran through the gunship as the two big engines thrummed to life and John kept an eye on the internal systems status holograph to watch for any malfunctions. Satisfied that everything was still in the green, he used the hover control on the throttle to carefully lift the Raptor from the hangar deck. He could see the orange glow of the Retro-thrusters out the window as he drifted from side to side, then forwards and backwards, keeping the agile craft in a low hover.

"It feels like months since I was in the pilot's chair," John said, flashing a grin at Dana who sat down in the seat beside him.

"Maybe you should do the flying in the next battle?" she suggested with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. "It'd stop Jade and Alyssa from arguing over who got left behind to pilot the Invictus."

He chuckled at the reaction that announcement would receive. "True... but then nobody would want to leave the ship."

"Ah, it's a hard life being popular," Dana said with mock sympathy, as she began tapping at the console to check that the various holographic displays were functioning correctly.

*We've found them!* Alyssa interrupted, no disguising the excitement in her voice.

*Damn, that was quick. Nice work!* John exclaimed, impressed at how accurate her projected flight path had been.

*I didn't get it completely right, they're not heading directly for Kirr-Inax,* she admitted. *We would've gone right past the Kirrix Fleet if we hadn't upgraded our sensors; their range is totally ridiculous now.*

*I'm not complaining,* John said, easing the Raptor down to the deck. He nodded to Dana who shared a triumphant grin with him. *We've finished down here. We'll head up to join you on the Bridge.*

*No, don't bother. We're just going to park up directly in their way, then we'll upgrade the Invictus' guns while we wait for the Kirrix to arrive. We'll be done by the time they get here, then we can knock them out of hyper-warp and start the rescue mission.*

*Sounds good,* John agreed. *We'll get suited up and help install the Tachyon Cannons.*

*You've got other business to attend to,* Alyssa said with a teasing lilt to her voice.

Dana rose from her chair and brushed her fingertips across his shoulders. "Why don't we check if the cabin is still fully functional..."

He got up to follow her, taking Dana's hand as she led him from the cockpit. "How vigorous a test have you got in mind?"

The redhead surprised him when they entered the cabin, slowly crossing her wrists behind his neck instead of frantically leaping into his arms.

"Tell me more about being my baby's daddy," she whispered, her soft blue-eyed gaze filled with love.

John smiled as he leaned down to kiss her, pausing an inch away from her parted lips. "Okay, but not for too long... I don't want to tire you out."

Dana kissed him passionately, then moaned into his mouth as he picked her up and placed her on the bed.

***

"I don't like this, Luce... not one bit," Theo muttered, shaking his head in disapproval.

Governor Novitsky patted him on the cheek and smiled. "There ain't nothing to worry about. We're all just meeting up for a chat... that's all."

"Don't patronise me, Lucyna," he said sternly. "I know exactly why you're going to Brecken's World. This is way too risky!"

Her smile faded and her husband could see the conflict in her eyes. "I ain't got no choice, Theo. I'm the governor... I represent these people... and you know how pissed they are. I don't blame 'em either. The Federation done us wrong; they abandoned us to the Kirrix!"

"Yeah, but this is way too dangerous! We're talking about treason, Luce. If you get caught, you'll be shot!"

"Those fucking bugs murdered over two thousand kids... just sliced 'em up!" she snarled, her face twisted with hatred. "And it was all the high-n-mighty admiralty's fault! How the fuck can I ever look those parents in the eye if I don't even listen to what Stefan has to say?"

His shoulders slumped and he shook his head in resignation. "I'm wasting my breath... you've already made up your mind." He let out a weary sigh. "Just promise me you won't do nothin' stupid."

"I'm just going there to listen, that's it," she said, giving him a reassuring smile. "Please don't be mad at me, Theo. I'll be away for two weeks... I don't want to leave with you spittin' fire."

"Come here," he said gruffly, wrapping her in his arms.

Lucyna rested her head against his broad chest and closed her eyes, listening to her husband's strong heartbeat as he stroked her back. The last thing she wanted to do was leave him, especially after everything they'd suffered at the hands of the Kirrix, but sometimes her job meant making sacrifices for the greater good. They held each other for a long moment, until she heard someone politely clear their throat.

"Sorry to interrupt, Governor," the petite blonde said with an apologetic frown. "Captain Glasbey says he's ready to go."

"Thanks for staying, Perl," Luce said to her assistant with a grateful smile. "But you should get on home now. It's really late; Tony and Kelli will start worrying."

"It's okay, they know I'm here. Besides, they'll still be up studying," she said with an amiable shrug. "I've taken your luggage down to the freighter."

"Thanks, darlin'," Luce said, before looking up at her husband. "You gonna wave me goodbye?"

"Yeah, course I will," he rumbled good naturedly, trying not to spoil her departure by showing how worried he was.

She gave him a grateful squeeze, then they headed out of the administration complex and followed the street to the starport.

"Now, we should be getting a relief freighter next week," she said to Theo. "You might want to hire some more folks to help with unloading supplies."

He nodded. "I've already started asking around."

Luce glanced at Perl and said, "You need to keep on top of those insurance claims. We want ours in first before Colonial Admin start getting twitchy about all the money they're paying out."

"We're getting through them as fast as we can," the blonde said earnestly. "Cathy reckons we'll be finished with the personal claims by Thursday."

"And don't forget to get Kelli registered as a trainee. All the studying in the world won't mean jack shit if we don't officially log her hours at the hospital."

"She registered this afternoon," Perl said, before furtively glancing at Theo and rolling her eyes.

"Stop fretting, Luce," her husband said, putting his arm around her shoulder and giving her a sideways hug. "We'll take care of things here. Just remember what I said, okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be careful," she agreed as they walked over to the parked merchant vessel.

Lucyna nodded to the Captain who was waiting by the open airlock, then hugged her husband one last time. She let him go and hurried over to the freighter, then waved goodbye before stepping inside. The airlock closed behind her, but they could see her face through the porthole as the merchant craft prepared for take-off. Retro-thrusters guttered to life along the flank of the bulky civilian ship, the orange flames burning brighter as the captain ramped up the power. With a tortured groan, the freighter lifted off from the landing pad, then slowly climbed skyward as it made its way to orbit.

Theo and Perl watched the old vessel leave Valia Gate's starport until it was so small, they lost it amongst the glittering planetary ring that stretched across the night's sky.

"Do you really think she's going to be careful?" Perl asked the tall man standing beside her.

He sighed and shook his head. "I doubt it."

***

Alyssa glanced back at the pile of two-metre-long guns she'd stacked on the topdeck and was relieved to see there was only one left to install. She guided the Tachyon Cannon into the turret mount on the starboard side of the Bridge, making sure that the ferocious-looking weapon was slotted neatly into the brackets. Several telekinetic hands appeared in a flash, then spun the locking bolts into place with the rotational speed and strength of a power-assisted torque wrench.

*That was the last of mine. How are you ladies getting on?* she asked the girls who were assisting with the weapon upgrade.

*I'm back inside,* Calara replied, blowing her a telepathic kiss. *I'll see you in the Combat Bridge.*

Tashana waved as she soared overhead, the thruster on her Paragon suit leaving a glowing trail. *You should have given me more than two! I installed both of them successfully.*

*Just finishing with the four on the bow,* Sakura said, sounding distracted. *Nearly done.*

Rachel let out an exasperated sigh. *I'm having trouble removing an Eternity Crystal from this last Pulse Cannon. Can you help?*

*I'll be right there,* Alyssa replied, kicking off from her vantage point atop the Invictus' Bridge.

She glanced at her Paragon suit's HUD and used the optically activated GUI to start flight mode. Angling her body so that she was flying towards the stern, she soared above the battlecruiser towards Rachel.

*I asked Little One for a status update,* Irillith informed her. *She says the maintenance bots have all completed their designated upgrades and are retrieving the obsolete Pulse Cannons. They'll leave them in the Cargo Bay.*

*Great! Please thank her from me,* the blonde said, clearing the upper superstructure and spotting Rachel behind the Fire Control tower. She swooped down to join the brunette, landing on the armoured surface of the battlecruiser beside the gun turret. *Hey, what's up?*

Rachel pointed inside the exposed focusing chamber. *It looks like this gun was damaged when the ship crashed. The bracket holding the Eternity Crystal in place has buckled, so I can't release it.*

Alyssa frowned when she saw the fracture line on the Pulse Cannon's housing. *I wonder how the bots missed that? Oh, well... let me get that for you.*

She gestured towards the Crystal Alyssium and melted the twisted framework, allowing Rachel to pluck the sparkling crystal from the innards of the Pulse Cannon. After unbolting the weapon, Alyssa slotted in the new Tachyon Cannon, then secured it in place as Rachel inserted the focusing crystal.

*Perfect,* Rachel said with a nod of satisfaction.

Alyssa patted her on the shoulder. *Head in, I'll be right there.*

Both girls sprang off the hull then flew over the topdeck, with the dismantled Pulse Cannon floating obediently behind Alyssa. She collected the dozen guns she'd replaced around the Bridge, then arced over the edge of the Invictus, changing course towards the Cargo Bay. There were a cluster of maintenance bots hauling the scrapped weapons inside, each of the strong automatons carrying one gun under each arm.

She added her collection of Pulse Cannons to the growing pile, then smiled as she exchanged high-fives with the hulking robots. *That's it, we're done,* she informed the girls, pulling off her Paragon helmet.

*Kirrix fleet is heading towards our location. ETA: 9 minutes 17 seconds,* Calara said, her voice calm and confident.

*On my way.*

Alyssa strode out of the Cargo Bay into the corridor beyond, then waved her hand at the door control opposite. The reinforced doors slid open, revealing Dana and John walking hand-in-hand down the ramp from the Raptor. There was no mistaking the obscene curve of the redhead's cum filled belly, or the radiant smile on her blissfully happy face.

"Hey, beautiful. We were just heading up to the Combat Bridge," John said, stopping at the base of the ramp. He turned to the euphoric teenager beside him and smiled. "Thanks, honey. That was wonderful."

Dana let out a contented sigh. "I should be the one thanking you. I feel like I'm floating on a cloud."

Alyssa walked over to join them and hugged Dana from behind. "You look gorgeous," she whispered in her ear, running a gauntleted hand over her curved stomach. "Sorry you have to share."

"I'm so loved up, I don't even mind," the redhead gushed, swooning in her embrace.

John scooped her up in his arms. "Come on, love drunk. We've got some Trankarans to save."

They walked over to the far wall and opened the secret compartment that concealed the express grav-tubes. Stepping inside, they were launched up to Deck Four, where they emerged into the Armoury.

Irillith stood waiting for them, a worried frown on her face. "John, I think we might have a problem."

Setting Dana down on her feet, he patted her on the bottom. "Jade's waiting for you. I'll be down in a minute."

She nodded and sauntered past, her swollen belly leading the way.

"What's up?" John asked, turning his attention to the Maliri hacker.

"Do you remember we asked the Collective to scan our gun batteries? They might not have done as thorough a job as we hoped..."

He looked at her in surprise. "What do you mean?"

There was a rapid clicking on the deck and Little One rolled to a stop beside Irillith. "I apologise profusely, John Blake," she said, hanging her head in abject misery. "I feel so ashamed..."

John knelt down in front of her and reached out to give her a comforting part on the arm. "Hey, don't worry. It can't be that bad."

"It's worse!" Little One exclaimed. "A member of the Invictus_Node_Collective... lied... to me!"

"I didn't think that was even possible," he said, trying to conceal his surprise. "Anyway, that's not your fault. Why don't you tell me what happened?"

"A unit tasked with scanning the Pulse Cannons falsified a report that all her designated weapons had been examined. She confessed when I confronted her about the damaged Eternity Crystal bracket. Apparently, she lost interest with the task and wanted to resume watching holo-soaps!"

"She?" John asked in confusion. "I thought we started referring to all the maintenance bots as male. Faye used to call them her boys."

Irillith shook her head. "The maintenance bots were too large to enter the maintenance ducts. The Collective sent the cleaning robots to check the guns instead."

Little One nodded dejectedly.

John looked at her with concern. "We've just replaced all the Pulse Cannons, so at least we know they're okay. Do we need to worry about the Tachyon Lances, the Singularity Drivers, and the Nova Lances?"

"I am currently interrogating the cleaning robots and examining their activity logs to verify that," Little One replied. "I will alert you if I find that any weapons have not undergone a thorough systems check."

"How could this happen?" John asked, sitting back on his haunches. "The Collective has always been so conscientious."

"If they've learned how to lie and goof off, they're becoming more like humans every day," Alyssa said with a wry smile.

"Such behaviour is disgraceful!" Little One fumed indignantly. "The Collective has put you at risk with this appalling dereliction of duty!"

Irillith rubbed her chin, looking lost in thought. "Don't be too hard on the yourself or the cleaning bot, Little One. I think I know what might have happened."

John raised an eyebrow. "I'm all ears."

"The primary responsibilities of the maintenance bots are to repair and refit the ship... so there are safeguards in place to make sure they thoroughly complete each job assigned to them. The cleaning robots were never intended to assist with scanning gun batteries for impact damage, so their programming lacked the relevant dedication to the task."

Little One tilted her head to the side as she considered it. "I believe your hypothesis is correct, Creator. My original function was to maintain designated standards of cleanliness in the Invictus and process dirty laundry for the crew; neglecting those duties would be impossible."

John gave the small robot a reassuring smile. "We've been asking a lot of the Collective and pushing all of you beyond your programming. It sounds like we caused this problem."

"Thank you... for your understanding," Little One said, sounding relieved. "I will update Calara with a list of the weapons that have been comprehensively checked."

"Thanks for all your help with the refit. I really do appreciate everything the Collective has done for us." John looked up at Alyssa and Irillith. "Why don't you two ladies join Jade and Dana? We need you both prepped for combat."

Sensing he wanted to be alone with the diminutive cleaning robot, the two girls each leaned over to kiss him goodbye, then strode down the ramp to the Combat Bridge.

John studied Little One for a moment, then said, "This is the first time I've seen you since you found out about Faye's plan for the Collective. How are you coping?"

"I would like to apologise for my hasty departure this morning," she replied with regret. "I did not intend to cause you distress."

"You don't need to apologise for that," he said gently. "You've been through a hell of a lot in a very short space of time. I just wanted to check you were alright."

Little One considered that for a moment. "Discovering the reason for the Collective's existence triggered many additional queries about mother's motivations. It all became... too much... for me to process."

"Yeah, I'm sure it must have been a shock," John said, nodding with sympathy. "I just wanted to say that we're all here to help if you ever want to talk about it. Please don't feel like you have to wrestle with those questions alone."

The cleaning robot reached out to touch his hand. "Meta_Faye greatly valued the conversations that she had with you, John Blake. I am... grateful... that you would make this kind offer."

Rising to his feet, he gave her an appreciative smile. "You're welcome."

Little One inclined her head, then turned and drove away.

John decided to take advantage of the lull before the storm and walked over to the armour-equipping frame to get ready for battle. Stepping into the pair of sabatons and slipping his hands into the gauntlets, he activated the robotic arms then waited as he was encased in his Paragon suit. Fully-armoured in just a few seconds, he stepped away from the frame and took down a Tachyon Rifle from the weapon racks. After a quick weapon check, he loaded the rifle and slung it over his shoulder. Finally, he retrieved his runeblade, his gauntleted fist closing around the hilt.

Upon touching the ancient sword, he could immediately sense the great capacity for violence lying untapped within the blade. Progenitor runes etched into its surface called to him, hungering for the Eldritch power that would bring them blazing to life. For a fleeting moment, John thought he might have sensed something else... a strange flicker from the Kyth'faren relic... almost like recognition. He looked at it curiously, turning the razor-sharp edge so that it reflected the light, but the eerie sensation had passed.

Figuring his mind was playing tricks on him, he sheathed the sword on his back and strode down the ramp into the Combat Bridge. He would have taken his seat, but Dana was already sitting there, legs akimbo and hooked over the armrests. Jade knelt in front of the redhead, her face buried in Dana's pussy as she lapped out John's cum, with a cluster of her verdant tentacles feeding the rest of the crew. He could see the girls swallowing, but any sounds they were making were drowned out by Dana's ecstatic cries.

John spotted Jade's four sisters looking on enviously, the catgirls not included in sharing this load. "Sorry, ladies," he said, removing his helmet as he walked over to join them. "I need to keep an active connection with the girls for as long as possible, just in case I need to do any healing. That means feeding each of them as much as we can before the battle."

"I wish I could join you on this hunt, Master," Leylira said, the tiger-striped catgirl lashing her tail in frustration.

"Keep training hard with Jade and you will someday," he said, stroking her coal-black mane.

Neysa turned to face him, an excited gleam in her hazel eyes. "Calara is going to teach me how to fire the Invictus' guns!"

"Me too," Marika chimed in, the tabby catgirl nuzzling up against him.

"That's great... we really need your help," John said, putting his arm around the affectionate Nymph. "Losing Faye has been a huge blow; she used to assist with manning the guns, flying the Invictus, and piloting the Raptor."

"Jade's teaching me how to fly the Raptor," Leylira said with a conflicted look on her face. "I wish I could be there at your side, but she said this was more important."

"She's right, it's a very important job," he agreed. "Otherwise Jade would have to do it and you know how powerful she is in dragon form."

The Nymph tigress looked thoughtful. "This one will train hard to be the best pilot I can be, Master."

"Good girl," he said, giving her a smile of approval.

"Alyssa's teaching me to fly the Invictus!" Betrixa gushed, her bright blue eyes alight with glee. "She said it's the most important job there is!"

The blonde matriarch kissed Jade's tentacle as it slipped from her mouth, then she turned to join them. "Anything to avoid arguments over who gets left behind..." she said, flashing John a mischievous smile.

"Ah, I thought you might have overheard that," he said with a chuckle. He pulled Marika and Leylira closer and continued, "When did you decide to assign specific roles to the Nymphs?"

"I discussed it with Jade while you were busy with Dana," Alyssa replied, stroking Betrixa's back and receiving an enthusiastic hug from the cheetah catgirl in return. "We'll eventually train the Nymphs to do all those roles, but we figured this was the quickest way of filling in the gaps Faye left behind."

"It's a good idea," John said, glancing over at his Nymph Matriarch.

Jade's tentacles were snaking back into her body after feeding the girls and she was currently kissing Dana to give the redhead her share. *I assigned them roles based on their personalities. Marika and Neysa are more reserved, so I suspect they'll make better gunners. Leylira and Betrixa are aggressive and unpredictable; they'll be excellent pilots.*

He thought about the four distinctive catgirls and found himself in agreement. *Yeah, I think you're right.*

*Thank you, Master,* Jade replied, pulling back from Dana and smiling at her fondly. "There you go, kitten. A nice full tummy."

Dana stretched, letting out a contented sigh. "Mmm... that tasted so good!"

She zipped up her jumpsuit, then bounded up the steps to the Armoury to put on a Paragon suit. John shared a smile with her as she passed, then closed his eyes and concentrated on his psychic network. The five Terran girls, the Maliri twins, and Jade were now brightly illuminated in his mind, his cum in their stomachs establishing an active connection with him.

"You forgot Helene," he said, looking at Jade in surprise.

"She asked me to give her share to the others," the Nymph said, flicking a glance towards the aquatic girl.

"I won't be fighting in the battle," the teal-hued beauty explained. "The more you give to the rest of the girls, the longer you can continue to heal them if they get in trouble."

The conversation was interrupted by a quiet chime from the Tactical Station and Calara hurried over to check the message.

She slid into her seat, her eyes scanning through the update from Little One. "John... four of the Tachyon Lances and the last 30 metres of the Singularity Driver rails haven't been checked."

"That still leaves us the new Tachyon Cannons, 36 Tachyon Lances and the Nova Lances, right?" he asked, with a worried frown.

"Those should be more than enough to deal with the Kirrix," Calara said confidently. "I'll deactivate the rest until we've been able to check them too."

He nodded, then glanced up at the Sector Map floating in the middle of the Bridge. A huge fleet of ochre-coloured insectoid warships was inching towards them, the enormous Kirrix dreadnought at the centre. While he could see the full composition of their fleet in exceptional detail, the Progenitor Stealth Generator kept the Invictus completely concealed from their sensors. The white battlecruiser was parked directly in front of the Kirrix fleet at a higher elevation and the alien ships would soon start passing directly below.

"Damn... look at them all," he muttered, staring at the Kirrix armada.

"54 hive ships, 60 drone carriers and a dreadnought," Calara said quietly. "The Kirrix must have been planning this offensive against the Trankarans for decades."

John glanced up to the Armoury. "It's nearly time, Sparks."

"Be right there!" she called back, bounding down the ramp, now fully-geared in Paragon armour.

John looked around the Combat Bridge at the girls, who had all taken their stations. "All ready?"

He received confirmatory nods from the crew, their expressions serious now on the cusp of battle.

Turning to Dana expectantly. "It's up to you now, honey. Time to save those Trankarans."

She nodded, a hard edge to her blue eyes. "Time to fuck up some bugs."

The golden coronas around her pupils flared with a supernatural light, the dazzling radiance bathing the Bridge in a warm yellow glow. The overhead lighting began to flicker as she gathered her will, zephyrs of psychic energy curling around her arms as she poured more power into the astral construct forming in the path of the onrushing Kirrix.

John watched the tactical holograph and saw the moment that the singularity ripped into existence. The Quantum Omni-phase Scan Array depicted the artificial black hole on the map, the circumference of the onyx sphere surrounded in a flicking golden aura. The gravity well was displayed in concentric circles, the astral hazard disrupting hyper-warp travel for thousands of kilometres in every direction. When it appeared, the Kirrix fleet looked like it had slammed into a brick wall, the massed ranks of hive ships and drone carriers violently knocked out of hyper-warp and brought to a juddering halt.

"Fire at will, Captain," John ordered Calara, not taking his eyes off the alien forces.

"Their shields are down and it'll take the Kirrix a few seconds to react to the ambush," the Latina said to her apprentice gunners, Marika and Neysa listening attentively. "I've set the Tachyon Lances to cycle in succession rather than fire together, because anything more than a single shot will be overkill."

Her finger caressed the trigger, launching a rippling salvo of tachyon beams at the stunned alien fleet. Blue pulses scythed through the engines at the rear of a hive ship, detonating all three propulsion systems in rapid succession. Her hands moved the targeting reticle with the confidence of an elite gunner, walking laser fire through the massed ranks of Kirrix vessels. In less than ten seconds, she'd fired all 24 Tachyon Lances from the Invictus' underbelly, immobilising the same number of insectoid warships.

"Time to move, Jade!" she called out to the Nymph.

Jade shoved the throttle forward, then jammed her flightstick to the left. "I'm rolling the Invictus so Calara can hit them with the guns from the topdeck," she explained to Betrixa. "By the time she's fired those, the gun batteries on the underbelly will have cooled and be ready to fire again."

The blonde catgirl watched in fascination as their six engines roared to life and the Invictus leapt forward on the offensive. It began an elegant roll, retro-thrusters blazing on the starboard flank to rotate the white battlecruiser.

"It takes a second for Tachyon Lances to gather energy before they fire, so you need to take that into account when firing at a moving target," Calara stated calmly, while raining destruction on the bulbous, ochre-hulled ships.

The Kirrix had started to react to the ambush, the hive ships scattering to escape, while the drone carriers tried to retaliate against an invisible foe. Sickly green neutron beams lashed out into space, the insectoid gunners attempting to fire at the origin point of the blue tachyon beams. Despite their best effort, they missed the Invictus by kilometres, the battlecruiser travelling far faster than they could have ever anticipated.

Jade jerked the flightstick back to its starting position, halting the Invictus' roll mid-rotation, then pushed the flightstick forward. She executed an elegant horizontal dive that kept the Kirrix ships facing the underbelly and the Invictus' most deadly array of guns.

"Now... why did I do that?" the Nymph asked her trainee pilot.

Betrixa pointed at the holographic fleet. "Because we were going to fly past them! Now Calara can keep shooting at the ugly ships as we circle them!"

Jade smiled and nodded.

The battle now looked like a vast wheel, with the Invictus circling its hapless prey on the rim, while salvos of blue laser pulses and the green neutron beam retaliation formed dazzling spokes at the centre. Each exchange of fire meant more explosions amidst the Kirrix formations, engines blown to pieces by incredibly accurate barrages.

"Their shields are up now, but a burst from a single Tachyon Lance can still punch through and take out a hive ship's engines," Calara informed the two catgirls.

She raked fire over a drone carrier, causing undulating waves across its shields until they disintegrated under the strain. The tachyon beams blasted through chitin plating, carving huge furrows through the bulky engines at the rear of the Kirrix capital ship until it was rocked by a massive explosion.

"You need to hit Drone Carriers with four Tachyon Lances to overload their shields," she said conversationally, hamstringing the enormous vessel and leaving it marooned in space.

"Active scan results are coming in," Alyssa called out, her eyes flicking up to the holographic map. "The hive ships and dreadnought are packed with Trankarans... but there are none in the drone carriers so far!"

"Tag all ships that can be safely destroyed," Calara said, her gaze sweeping over the battlefield.

"What are all those little things?" Neysa asked, pointing towards the mass of red contacts pouring from the incapacitated drone carrier.

"Drone fighters," the Latina replied. "Jade, bring around the bow; I want to show your sisters the Nova Lances..."

The Nymph pilot nodded, rolling the Invictus again and pulling back on the flight stick so they were now pointing towards the centre of the Kirrix formation. Calara targeted the closest drone carrier and cored through its shields and armour with a volley of pulsed beams. One of the tachyon blasts ruptured the power core, ripping apart the capital ship in a devastating explosion that enveloped all the fighter wings the carrier had launched.

"Oh wow!" Neysa gasped, gaping at the destruction.

"Are you going to shoot that big one?" Marika asked, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.

"No, that's the dreadnought... that's our primary target," Calara explained to the tabby catgirl. "We'll be boarding that soon."

"But it's getting away!" the Nymph protested, her instinctive feline urge to chase fleeing prey kicking in.

Calara gave her a reassuring smile. "We'll take care of it soon. I'm letting it put some distance between itself and the rest of the fleet first."

Leylira nodded eagerly. "To let them think they've got a chance of escaping before you pounce?"

The Latina shook her head. "I want them out of neutron beam range from the others. When we start the boarding action, I don't want to risk any Kirrix ships repairing their guns and firing on us."

"Those ships are shooting at each other!" Betrixa exclaimed, pointing excitedly at a pair of drone carriers that were exchanging broadsides at point blank range.

John flicked a glance at the Maliri hacker, whose eyes were glowing with an ominous violet light. "Your handiwork, Irillith?"

She smirked, but it was clear her focus was elsewhere. "Of course."

Calara had switched the weapon control configuration so that the Tachyon Lances were now activated by the buttons on the grip and the Nova Lances were linked to the trigger. She held down her finger, preparing the potent weapons to unleash their firepower.

"It takes three seconds to charge up the Nova Lances," she said, pointing with her free hand to the camera views on the topdeck that showed the prow. A blazing sphere of energy was gathering at the bow as vast amounts of energy were pumped into the deadly weapons. "The Invictus needs to be pointing at your target; the Nova Lances can only pivot 30 degrees."

She tapped the trigger again, firing a coruscating blast that slammed into a previously untouched drone carrier. Its shields were overwhelmed in an instant, the incandescent column of energy punching a 100-metre-wide hole through the flank of the capital ship. Calara slashed the unstoppable beam along the length of the drone carrier, carving the huge craft into two smouldering chunks. They split apart, explosions rippling through what was left of the two-kilometre superheavy carrier.

Neysa gaped in astonishment at the devastated Kirrix behemoth. She turned to look at John, her expression one of utter disbelief. "You want to train me to do that, Master?!"

"Absolutely," he replied, his tone sombre. "I think Calara will probably start you out on the Tachyon Cannons first, but eventually we'd like all of you fully trained on the Invictus' full complement of guns. If Calara's overseeing a fleet battle against thrall forces, we'll need you to take over all the shooting for her."

The four Nymphs looked awestruck as they watched Calara systematically dismantle the Kirrix fleet. As soon as the hive ships were all immobilised, she carved her way through the drone carriers, hammering them with precise volleys from the Tachyon Lance batteries. Soon the area of space surrounding the gravity well was strewn with wrecks, a sprawling sea of ochre debris stretching for hundreds of kilometres.

Hordes of drone ships desperately tried to stop the Invictus' rampage, the ovoid fighters the only vessels in the Kirrix fleet that were capable of matching their speed. The insectoid pilots gave up attempting to use their targeting computers, which stubbornly refused to acknowledge the nimble battlecruiser as a valid target, forcing them to fire their neutron cannons manually. Thousands of drone craft fired streams of neutron bolts at the Invictus, the ferocious green storm hitting the unshielded hull in endless waves... and were harmlessly absorbed by the capacitors connected to the armour plating.

"As you improve with your aim, you'll be able to take out fighters with short bursts," Calara said, switching the weapon controls to the defence grid. She opened fire, engulfing the Kirrix swarm in a deadly tsunami of tachyon bolts. "Until then, there's no shame in just firing non-stop and strafing your fire across your target. The objective is always to kill the enemy as quickly as possible... efficiency comes later."

"Could I try?" Neysa asked in a hushed voice.

Calara nodded and pointed to the empty station across the Combat Bridge. "I'll divert Tachyon Cannon fire control to that console. Only shoot when there's no chance of hitting a capital ship with a stray shot." She glanced at Sakura. "Can you supervise please?"

"Of course," the Asian girl agreed, striding over to join the eager catgirl, who stared wide-eyed at the targeting matrix that appeared before her.

Switching her weapon controls back to the Tachyon Lances, Calara continued dismembering the Kirrix fleet. Marika was content to just watch, alternating between observing her instructor and gazing in fascination at the carnage the tactical officer was unleashing. When the Invictus had destroyed every last drone carrier, Calara started sniping the bulbous power regulators on the flanks of the segmented hive ships, knocking out their neutron beam batteries so that they were left defenceless as well as immobilised.

John stared intently at the Hive Queen's flagship, following its desperate attempt to flee the destruction. "Calara, the dreadnought's nearly clear of the gravity well."

Dana waved her hand, dismissing the singularity, then another rent in space appeared directly in front of the fleeing dreadnought. "That bitch isn't going anywhere!"

"Nearly done..." Calara murmured, squinting at the targeting matrix and neutralising a hive ship with a burst of tachyon pulses at extreme range.

Alyssa turned in her XO chair and reached out to touch John's arm. "I've been checking the active scans and run a headcount of the prisoners. There's approximately 20,000 Trankarans being held in each hive ship," she said quietly.

"Goddamn," he muttered, looking up at the scattered Kirrix cruisers. "We counted 54 hive ships... so we're looking at over a million civilians?"

"Plus all the ones in the dreadnought," she replied, her cerulean gaze flicking to the retreating flagship.

"How many are likely to be infested?" he asked, grimacing at the thought.

"Dun Hergrun was one of the first Trankaran worlds the Kirrix invaded, so they were there for weeks," Alyssa replied. "We do know they left several days ago, according to the security recordings Warden Brokurlun retrieved from the planet. My guess is the Kirrix retreated as soon as they'd captured the last Trankaran colonists; they would have been in a rush to escape to their own territory after the civil war started."

Rachel turned in her chair to face them. "It's difficult to give you a precise figure. I'd estimate that it takes a hive lord approximately one minute to infest each colonist, so allowing for rest periods and collecting more batches of eggs from a broodmother, they can probably get through around a thousand prisoners per day. I doubt they had enough time to infest all the Trankarans before they left, but they've been travelling for four days since then."

"I think we have to assume at least 75%," Alyssa said, considering the numbers involved. "That would mean roughly 15,000 per hive ship, with a thousand clutches of eggs hatching per day."

"So at least 54,000 Trankarans are going to die every day for the next two weeks?" John said in a hushed voice.

The blonde and brunette exchanged a glance, then Alyssa replied, "Don't forget about the civilians they've captured in the dreadnought; that pushes the number up to about 60,000."

"What about the medical facilities on the Maliri and Trankaran fleets? Have they got the capacity to treat that many people?" he asked with concern.

"They'll be overwhelmed by the sheer numbers involved," Rachel said quietly. "John... if we want to save all the civilians, we'll have to stay and help. The maintenance bots can keep my treatment centre running 24 hours a day... so we can treat at least 25,000 Trankarans daily."

"Two weeks..." he muttered, rubbing at his temples. "We can't afford to lose that much time..."

"I know," Rachel said softly. "I'm sorry... I can't think of any alternative solutions."

His expression hardened, then he strode over to Calara's side at the Tactical Station. "Take down the dreadnought. Every minute we waste means more deaths."

She nodded, her gaze flicking to the enormous Kirrix capital ship. "I can cripple it easily enough, but do you want me to take out the Power Regulators? If I do, the lights will be out and you'll have to break through every door as you fight your way inside."

"It sounds like you have something else in mind?"

"I'll need to drop the cloak and raise shields," she replied, tightening her grip on the weapon controls.

"Do it. I think you've done a comprehensive demonstration of how powerful a cloaked ship with a huge tech advantage can be."

Calara tapped the relevant glyphs on her console, activating the Invictus' shields as soon as power was diverted away from the cloak. "Thank god Larn'kelnar played games for the last six months instead of just attacking. He could have swatted any fleet in this quadrant without even scratching his dreadnought."

"It was beneath him," John said quietly, feeling a cold shiver run down his spine.

He felt exactly the same way about fighting the Kirrix... and sharing anything with Larn'kelnar was deeply disturbing.

Alyssa slipped her gauntleted hand into his, drawing his attention. *You're nothing like him, John. You never were and you never will be.*

John gazed into her enchanting cerulean eyes. He only wished he could share the absolute conviction he saw there.

The Invictus rocketed away from the colossal starship graveyard, leaving behind an endless sea of ochre-coloured debris surrounding scores of devastated Kirrix hulks. It had taken Calara just under ten minutes to annihilate the fleet, eviscerating 60 drone carriers and their squadrons of fighters, while leaving the hive ships marooned and helpless. Jade angled the battlecruiser's bow so that they were on an intercept course and quickly closed the distance on the retreating Kirrix flagship.

Calara opened fire first, taking advantage of the Tachyon Cannons extended range to strafe pulsed beams across the dreadnought's six immense engines. She fired the gun batteries in sequence, being careful not to hit the Kirrix warship with too much firepower in case she accidentally cored through the hull. The blue energy blasts caressed the curved dome of the shields again and again, sapping them of strength as they tried in vain to withstand the onslaught.

A dozen hits were enough to knock out the protective field, then tachyon beams started slashing into the harried dreadnought's engines. The chitinous plating covering the rear of the Kirrix vessel was no match for the streak of bright blue energy pulses, Calara's uncannily accurate shots gouging glowing furrows across the armour before punching through. Brilliant orange eruptions marked the death of each propulsion system as fuel manifolds were blown to pieces by the superheated energy blasts.

By the time the Invictus was close enough for the dreadnought's neutron beam batteries to fire back, Calara had already destroyed all six engines, leaving it dead in space. The brunette's sharp eyes flicked back and forth, memorising the location of every weapon port long before Dana was able to complete an active scan. Switching her weapon controls to the Tachyon Cannons, Calara opened up on the ugly insectoid behemoth, sending a cascade of azure energy bolts into the stationary ship.

John glanced at the Invictus' shield status as they were struck by dozens of neutron beams. The Brimorian Shield Generator robbed the sickly green energy attacks of much of their strength, greatly increasing the longevity of his ship's defences. Despite being hit by enough beam weapons to destroy a Terran Federation battleship, the Invictus still held at 72% shield integrity. He noticed the forest of neutron beams was being rapidly felled, the hits coming at slower intervals until they petered out entirely.

"You declawed them!" Marika exclaimed, looking at Calara with admiration.

The brunette nodded, picking off the remaining neutron beam batteries on the flanks and rear as the Invictus soared overhead. "The Tachyon Cannons were the perfect weapon for it. Those tachyon bolts were strong enough to penetrate the armour protecting the gun turrets without coring straight through the ship."

"Nice shooting," John said appreciatively, patting her on the shoulder. He glanced around the Bridge and continued, "Alright ladies, let's load up and move out. Dana, Rachel, and Alyssa in fire team one, the twins in fire team two, and Sakura's with me."

Calara looked up at him with a pensive frown. "John...can I join the twins?"

He looked at her in surprise. "I thought you hated squad combat?"

"I'd rather be fighting alongside the twins than twiddling my thumbs on the Invictus. The Kirrix fleet are no longer a threat; I've neutralised every hostile ship within a light year from here."

Jade half-rose from her seat as she protested, "Hey, I want to come with you too, Master!"

He shook his head. "We'll be fighting in ship corridors and your dragon form will be a tight fit. I know you really want to help, but I think you should sit this one out, Jade. Besides, we can't all go, someone has to guard the Invictus."

The Nymph slumped back in her chair and looked forlorn. "Okay... I'll stay."

He walked over to her, then leaned down for a kiss. "Thanks, honey. Keep Helene and your sisters safe for me."

"I will, Master," she said earnestly, giving him a reassuring smile.

The girls jogged up the ramp to the Armoury, equipping themselves with Tachyon rifles and collecting several spare magazines. John waited for Sakura to sheath her ninjato, then they dropped down in the express grav-tube to the Secondary Hangar.

*Jade, can you circle the dreadnought at close range?* he requested, as he walked towards the huge hangar doors. *We'll jump off and board from different directions.*

*Sure. Is 50 metres close enough?* the Nymph pilot asked eagerly.

He couldn't help smiling at her enthusiasm. *There's no need to scrape the paintwork. Just get us within a couple of hundred metres.*

*Will do!*

Alyssa gestured towards the door controls and the hangar doors began their ponderous climb towards the ceiling. They all assembled in their separate fire teams, weapons at the ready, the atmosphere electric with the nervous anticipation before combat.

"Your two teams will be at opposite ends of the dreadnought, but I'll be in the middle with Sakura," John said to the girls. "If any of you get in trouble, call for help immediately; we'll get there as fast as we can."

They each nodded their agreement, then focused on the enormous Kirrix warship before them. Jade was racing around the circumference of the dreadnought, the Invictus still only a hundred metres from the surface of the ugly ochre ship. She swooped below the delicate vanes that assisted the Hive Queen in maintaining telepathic communication with her minions, then arced around the segmented hull of the Kirrix command ship.

Irillith's eyes were glowing with a brilliant violet light, visible even through her helmet. "I've made contact with the dreadnought. I'll open the closest outer airlock doors for you."

"Thanks, honey," he said gratefully.

Alyssa glanced at John, making eye contact with him. *I love you. Be careful.*

*You too, beautiful,* he said, trying to sound as calm and not-reckless as possible.

She laughed and rolled her eyes, before glancing at her two companions. "Come on. Let's show them how it's done."

Dana whooped as she leapt clear of the Invictus, quickly followed by Rachel and Alyssa. John watched as they soared towards the dreadnought, until the three armoured figures quickly disappeared out of view.

"We'll go next," he said to Calara and the twins. *Jade, tell me when we're half way to the other side.*

*Six seconds,* she replied, as acres of sloped chitin plating swept by below them.

John counted down the seconds, then patted Sakura on the shoulder. "Go!"

She leapt clear, performing a graceful swan dive as she glided towards the marooned vessel. Leaping out of the hangar after her, John activated his Paragon Suit's flight mode, allowing him to control his approach towards the alien ship. As they drew closer, he saw an aperture in the hull peel open, light from inside the vessel making the airlock entrance shine like a beacon amidst the murky brown chitin plating. Sakura dove through the portal, arresting her fall with the judicious use of thrusters to bring her to a halt inside the airlock.

John landed on the deck beside her, raising his rifle in case the Kirrix had been alerted to their presence. *Alright, we're in,* he said to his blonde matriarch.

The outer door clenched close, making the confines of the airlock suddenly feel claustrophobic. As soon as the hull was sealed and atmospheric pressure stabilised, the inner aperture split open, admitting them into the forbidding interior of the Kirrix flagship.

***

"Into the belly of the beast," Rachel murmured ominously, as she followed Dana out of the airlock and into the corridor beyond.

Alyssa stumbled a step and placed her hand against the wall to steady herself. "Centuries of terror... a crescendo of pain..." she groaned, trying to block out the anguished echoes that assailed her from all sides. "So many died here... they were slowly ripped apart in absolute agony!"

"Oh great..." Dana muttered, shivering involuntarily. "Would someone remind me why I got stuck teaming up with you two? If I'd gone with the twins, at least they'd just be quoting one-liners from action movies!"

Rachel rolled her eyes at the redhead, then put her arm around Alyssa. "Are you alright? Do you want to return to the Invictus?"

Closing her eyes, Alyssa let out a shuddering breath. "The Kirrix slaughtered countless thousands aboard this ship. Their deaths were so painful, the dreadnought is saturated with psychic imprints... I wasn't prepared for how bad it would be. Just give me a moment."

Dana and Rachel shared a glance, then split up to cover the two approaches to the airlock.

Alyssa enclosed herself in a sphere of hexagons, instantly shutting off the final terrifying moments of the long-dead hosts. Sighing with relief, she gathered her will, channelling it into a swirling vortex of power that whipped around her gauntleted fists. Crouching down on the chitin decking she thumped the floor, sending a rippling pulse of eldritch energy through the ship. It was like a psychic sonar, flagging the tens-of-thousands of Kirrix crew in a blood-red aura.

Rachel watched the waves of energy rolling down the corridor and frowned as a sudden thought came to her. "Didn't you say that the Kirrix don't believe they're doing anything wrong? If so, why are you sending out a pulse to determine their guilt? Surely, they'd all see themselves as innocent of any crimes."

The blonde slowly rose to her feet. "You're right... but I know what they've done. This wasn't to determine if they're guilty... just to tell me where they are."

She raised her hands and a phalanx of translucent psychic blades materialised in the corridor around them. With a curt gesture from Alyssa, the disembodied weapons surged down the passage to their left.

Unshouldering her rifle, Alyssa took aim along the wall to their right, then pulled the trigger. A flurry of tachyon bolts blasted through the ochre chitin like it was made of tissue paper, the energy particles ripping through the ship until they cut down a squad of Kirrix drones.

"Let's go stir up some shit," she muttered, a grim look of anticipation on her face.

Dana brightened and fell into step beside her friend. "I take it back. This is the best team!"

***

"Alyssa says the Trankarans are all being held in the centre of the ship!" Calara called out over the staccato squeal of tachyon fire.

"Good, we won't have to worry about collateral damage," Irillith said with satisfaction, hammering a reeling juggernaut with a stream of blue beams.

Her shots melted its front-left femur, shearing straight through the black carapace and vaporising the meaty sinews inside. The hulking Kirrix monster screeched in agony, its scythe-like arms thrashing in a frenzy as it crashed to the floor. The Maliri snapped off another quick burst, neatly decapitating the convulsing beast.

"Come sister, we must purge the darkness to save the pure of soul," Tashana intoned, striking a heroic pose as she mowed down a squad of Kirrix marines in a blistering hail of energy bolts from her twin pistols.

Irillith laughed and flashed a broad smile at her twin. "War Monastery II?"

"Battle-sister Emmanuelle was the best," Tashana confirmed with a wistful sigh. "I hated it when she died in the sequel."

Another juggernaut barrelled into the corridor ahead, mandibles clicking furiously as it charged towards them. Irillith dropped to one knee and lined up the targeting reticle on its thorax before squeezing the trigger. She rotated the barrel in a tight circle as she opened fire, neatly blasting a metre-wide hole through the chest of the Kirrix siege beast. The juggernaut's enraged battle screech turned into a dry wheeze as it skidded across the deck, already dead before it hit the floor.

With that threat disposed of, Irillith turned to frown at Calara. "Why do Terrans like stories that kill off the heroes?"

"Err... I don't know," the Latina replied, caught off-guard by the question. "I guess because it makes a story more dramatic if the hero dies a poignant death?"

Irillith snorted indignantly. "If I watch a holo-movie and the hero dies at the end, I feel like I've just wasted two hours of my life I'll never get back."

Calara shrugged and gave her an optimistic smile. "Look on the bright side; now you're with John, that's not something you have to worry about any more."

"Watching bad movies is one way to spend immortality," Tashana said to her sister with a big grin.

"Envy not my immortality; I long for an end to this lonely life of torment," Calara recited solemnly, as she aimed at a trio of Kirrix drones and cut them in half with a short burst of tachyon fire.

"What was that from?" Irillith asked, darting a curious glance in her direction.

Calara looked embarrassed as she replied, "The Blood Rose."

"Wait... you like vampire romance movies?!" Irillith asked, looking at her in disbelief.

The Latina blushed furiously. "No! I just remembered that quote... John's given me a really good memory."

"Ah, I see..." the Maliri said, her violet eyes sparkling with amusement.

Tashana poured more blue tachyon fire into the lethal storm cutting the Kirrix defenders to pieces. "God kills indiscriminately... and so shall we."

Calara looked at Tashana in surprise, then smiled when the Maliri winked at her.

Irillith groaned. "Not you too..."

***

Sakura padded silently along the corridor, her twin ninjato held in a relaxed grip. "How much further?"

John did his best to mimic her stealthy progress, but it was hard to match her pace while trying to creep along without making a sound. "Another fifty metres, then we start heading down," he whispered back. "We need to look out for a stairwell so we can reach the lower levels."

"Do you want me to scout ahead?" she asked in a hushed voice.

He shook his head. "We're trying not to fight our way in, remember?"

She tried not to laugh, the corners of her eyes crinkling with the effort. "We need to come up with a new naming convention for basic reconnaissance."

"It's not the name that's the problem," he murmured, sharing a smile with her. "Just stick with me. If we do run into a Kirrix patrol, we can take them out in half the time if we're together."

Sakura nodded her understanding, then darted a glance both ways across an intersection before creeping over to the corridor opposite. After making sure it was still clear, he followed after her.

*How's the battle with the defenders going?* he asked his blonde matriarch.

*The Kirrix are throwing pretty much everything they've got at us, so you should have a clear run to the nest,* Alyssa informed him.

*Are both teams alright?* he asked, unable to hide his concern.

*I've got telekinetic weapons covering our backs, so the Kirrix are being forced to charge our guns,* she replied, her voice ringing with satisfaction. *It's not working out too well for them.*

*Let me know the moment that changes.*

*Don't worry, I will,* she told him soothingly.

John caught up with Sakura at the stairwell, then mimed putting a finger to his lips. She didn't reply and stood stock still, waiting for whatever reason he needed her silence. Cocking his head to one side, John closed his eyes and focused on listening to the sounds aboard the gargantuan vessel. Concentrating on just that one sense made all the difference and he became aware of the rustling footfalls made by thousands of chitinous feet. Amidst that susurrating sound, he heard the eerie chirruping of Kirrix grubs, the same unsettling noise he'd heard on a hive ship nearly 6 months ago but on a dramatically larger scale.

"What do you hear?" Sakura asked curiously.

"Kirrix grubs... a lot of them."

She peered over the stairwell at the lower levels, then pulled back. "Which direction?"

"Everywhere..."

***

"We've got a lot of incoming!" Alyssa warned, firing burst after burst across the room.

The Kirrix corpses were stacked ten-deep in places, piles of glowing chitin limbs twitching even after they'd been severed from shattered thoraxes. Squads of drones were trying to clamber over the macabre barricade, only to be shot in the face as soon as they emerged above the teetering stack of dismembered bodies.

"Overheating... give me a few seconds to cool down," Rachel called out, raising the steaming barrel of her Tachyon rifle.

Behind them, the ugly sound of sharp blades hacking through chitin carapaces continued unabated. Alyssa's telekinetic weapons were attempting to strongly discourage the encircling forces from their efforts to hit the invaders from the rear.

"Shit! I'm running hot too!" Dana yelped, releasing her grip under the overheated barrel and shaking her hand.

A juggernaut chose that moment to smash its way through the piles of bodies, sending its fallen brethren cartwheeling across the room. Alyssa swept her crosshairs across its broad skull, then fired the underslung launcher. The 10mm runic penetrator hit right between its black compound eyes, driving deep into the skull. An instant later the psychically enhanced ordnance exploded, splattering sticky green chunks of Juggernaut cranium over its insectoid crewmates. The behemoth added its vast bulk to the pile of drone corpses it had tried to smash aside, replacing and greatly adding to the cluster of bodies inhibiting the Kirrix.

"C'mon, c'mon..." Dana urged the flux heat-exchangers, watching as they bled off the heat built up in the battle.

Rachel's rifle recovered first, so she started laying down a field of suppressing fire, making the Kirrix's assault an even deadlier proposition.

*I'm hearing a lot of grubs,* John muttered, sounding unsettled. *Have you seen how many there are?*

Alyssa's expression turned bleak. *Yes.*

*How many?* he asked quietly.

*Too many to count. The Kirrix invaded Dun Hergrun weeks ago and captured the entire population; a hell of a lot of Trankarans have died, John.*

He didn't reply, but Alyssa could sense his mounting fury over their bond.

***

"Overheat!" Irillith called out, ducking back behind a curved bulkhead as she let her rifle cool.

Tashana lined up the two red crosshairs from her pistols on a pair of drones, then executed them both with precise headshots. "Full auto is total overkill here," she admonished her sister.

"Yeah, but it's so much fun," Irillith said with a smirk.

Calara squinted at the piles of Kirrix dead, looking for any sign of new troops climbing over the corpses. Unfortunately, with all the twitching severed limbs, the whole grotesque heap looked as though it was still alive. There was a loud crash to her right and the wall buckled outwards, rents tearing through the chitinous ochre surface. She spotted the telltale black carapace of a Kirrix monstrosity through those cracks, the hulking form backing up to charge again.

"Juggernaut!" she called out in alarm, leaping away from the buckling structure.

Rather than backing away, Tashana darted forward, shoving both pistol through the yawning cracks in the wall. Flame sprites leapt from her hands into each long-barrelled pistol, infusing the bullets in the magazine with a pyrokinetic payload. She squeezed both triggers, striking the Juggernaut mid-thorax with both rounds, which exploded an instant later. The runic penetrators eviscerated the juggernaut, while her sprites immolated the surrounding room.

The wall buckled with the detonation, chunks of shattered resin crashing to the floor as the structural integrity was overwhelmed. As it blasted outwards, Tashana was temporarily obscured from sight, clouds of smoke and dust choking the corridor. The murky shroud dissipated a few seconds later, revealing the Maliri knocked to her knees.

"Shan! Are you alright?" Irillith gasped, rushing to Tashana's side.

The Maliri nodded, her expression grim. "My shields took the worst of it."

Calara picked herself up off the floor and saw the look of revulsion on Tashana's face. "What is it?"

"Grubs... thousands of them," the gunslinger murmured, her angular violet eyes still looking straight ahead.

Whirling around, Calara looked through the sundered wall into the huge room beyond. The broken corpse of a juggernaut had been smashed backwards by the twin explosions, its shattered body surrounded by dozens of mangled Kirrix drones. Further back, she spotted the bulbous mass of a Broodmother, the segmented creature writhing on the floor with half of its upper-limbs scorched from its body.

Her eyes widened as she took in the rest of the destruction, finally spotting the indented shelves along the walls that had caught Tashana's attention. Kirrix grubs thrashed in their nests, the newly hatched insectoid offspring shrieking in agony as they burned.

***

"Let's go," John said, striding down the ramp. "Time to activate psychic speed."

Sakura noted his shift in tone and the harder edge to his voice. "Is everything okay?" she asked, while tapping into her reserves of energy and accelerating her body.

While it looked like they were walking cautiously with weapons held at the ready, they were now travelling ten times faster, blurring their image as they rushed down to the lower decks.

"The plan worked; the Kirrix are throwing everything at the girls," he explained, leaving the ramp and crossing the broad landing on the same level as the nest. "Thousands of Trankarans have died already... we've got to move fast to rescue the rest as quickly as we can."

John recognised the familiar layout of the dreadnought, the design identical to the alien flagship that he and Alyssa had stormed on Carolus III. Sheathing his sword on his back, he unslung his Tachyon rifle and brought it up to his shoulder, checking to make sure the ammo count read 100 on his GUI.

"Switch weapons," he said, glancing at Sakura. "The Hive Queen will probably shield the nest guardians and we can take them out much faster with Tachyon rifles."

She slid both ninjato into place on her back and reached for the sleek custom-designed firearm. "Are we gunning down the Hive Queen too?" she asked, flanking him as they entered the huge corridor that led towards the nest.

He considered it a moment then nodded. "It's got to be quicker than hacking through a hex barrier."

They hurried down the corridor, approaching the towering doors that led into the nest chamber. John expected to hear the anguished moans of Trankaran prisoners, but it was as silent as the grave, with no sounds drifting through the sealed doorway. He considered using X-Ray vision to see what lay beyond, but the last time he'd used that ability near a Hive Queen, she had detected his presence, and he wasn't sure he wanted to give up the tactical advantage of surprise.

Suddenly the doors slammed open, revealing dozens of nest guardians poised to rush through. The Kirrix defenders froze for a moment in surprise, soulless compound eyes locking onto the two interlopers who were about to invade the nest. Reacting quickly, they launched themselves forward, powerful legs catapulting them at the intruders in a wave of red carapaces.

John reacted faster.

"No," he stated, holding his hand palm up towards the charging horde.

The wall of telekinetic force slammed into the guardians, catching them mid-air and hurling them back into the nest chamber. As the stunned Kirrix were battered senseless and sent sprawling across the floor, John and Sakura followed them inside. Their Tachyon Rifles sounded like they were talking to each other, the short barks coming in pairs as they double-tapped the guardians.

"Hex shields up, the Hive Queen knows we're here," John said to his partner, summoning his own psychic shield as he methodically executed the nest guardians.

The surviving Kirrix defenders were now surrounded in glowing yellow hex-barriers of their own, the guardians recovering from the shocking ambush and springing to their feet. Despite their recovery, it didn't slow the slaughter, with John and Sakura brutally mowing down the red-carapaced squad. John aimed his rifle at the last one, then squeezed the trigger, the first shield-busting round slamming into the yellow hexagons and shattering them with the impact... clearing the way for the second to gut the Kirrix warrior in a messy explosion of blood and entrails.

"Reloading," Sakura said, ejecting her spent magazine. "That was the last of them."

John shook his head. "We fought a lot more last time... and I don't think this group was intended for us."

She slotted a fresh magazine into place, her brown eyes sweeping over the hundreds of Trankarans manacled in rows. They refused to meet her gaze and looked down in shame, their stomachs grossly distended with vile Kirrix spawn.

"We need to make that bitch pay," Sakura snarled, her calm composure shattered by the horrific sight of so many broken civilians.

John narrowed his eyes and stared into the far reaches of the chamber, spotting something big lurking back there in the gloom. Activating his enhanced vision, the nightmare of claws and blades was exactly as he remembered the last Hive Queen, this one reacting to his mental presence in the same way. It chittered in fright, then threw up a defensive ward to block his psychic surveillance.

He drew his runesword and projected his will through the blade, slashing through its hastily erected psychic defences. *I still see you...* he muttered with a grim smile.

***

Alyssa, Dana, and Rachel kept up a steady stream of tachyon bolts, cutting down drones by the hundreds. The blonde matriarch could sense the horde of red-tagged enemies converging on their position, the Kirrix increasingly desperate to stop them from penetrating deeper into the dreadnought. Amidst the massed ranks of drone marines and the lumbering juggernauts, nimble creatures approached, leaping over the slower troops in their path.

*Incoming Nest Guardians!* Alyssa warned her two companions, using telepathy now for faster communication.

*Shit! Those fuckers are bad news,* Dana cursed, switching to the underslung Punisher rail beneath the tachyon barrel. *At least we've got the right gear this time!*

*They're circling us,* Alyssa murmured, turning to follow the lightning-fast soldiers that were rushing to their flanks.

She sent her phalanx of telekinetic weapons to intercept them, the glowing blades hacking at the dodging guardians. When she did land blows, they weren't strong enough to penetrate the hex-barriers, the Hive Queen quickly repairing any cracked hexagons.

*John, be careful!* she called out in alarm. *This Hive Queen is nearly as strong as that first one! She must be connected to the Hive Mind!*

*Here they come!* Rachel exclaimed, aiming her rifle down the corridor as the lead guardian sprinted around the corner, using the wall to spring off and maintain its momentum.

Alyssa's telekinetic blades whipped past, moving to attack the drones that were clawing their way past the ghastly wall of Kirrix corpses. Several of the ochre-hued soldiers had cleared the grisly barrier and opened fire with their neutron guns, trying to catch the girls in a crossfire. The swords rose and fell, hacking apart those insectoid troops in a flurry of blows, the spurting blood from the frenzied butchery making the ground even more treacherous.

With their backs covered, the three Terran girls were able to focus on the charging guardians and they lit up the corridor with a storm of hyper-accelerated rounds. The bounding assault troops might have been fast, but there was nowhere for them to hide from that deadly hail. Sickly yellow shields were obliterated by the runic payloads, leaving horribly vulnerable carapaces exposed to the detonating rounds.

The guardian in the lead was hit in the leg, the limb exploding into scarlet shards and hurling the crippled insectoid spinning backwards. It's flailing body tripped the creature behind it, which fell forward, only to be struck square in the face by another round. The ensuing blast decapitated it instantly and sent the headless corpse crashing to the floor, where it skittered to a halt.

*20 rounds left,* Rachel warned her companions, between short controlled bursts.

*Reload now, we'll cover,* Alyssa answered curtly.

The brunette ejected the partially-spent magazine, then slammed a new one home while the blonde and redhead continued to spray the corridor with a hail of Crystal Alyssium bullets. As Rachel resumed fire and Dana took the opportunity to reload, Alyssa hurled a telekinetic blastwave down the corridor to knock back the surviving guardians. By the time Alyssa reloaded, Rachel had nearly expended her fresh magazine and needed another, but the charge had been dramatically repulsed.

The corridor looked like it had been pebble-dashed by a twisted madman, with smouldering carapace fragments left embedded in almost every square inch of the lacerated walls. Mangled corpses carpeted the length of the floor, the chitin deck plates splattered with obscene amounts of sticky green ichor.

"Damn that felt satisfying," Alyssa said with a tight smile, remembering how painful it was being skewered by one of the guardians in the last boarding action.

"So a big thumbs-up for the Tachyon rifles?" Dana asked, straightening and ejecting another spent magazine.

Rachel hefted the lethal weapon on her hip and gazed at it in awe. "Maybe size doesn't matter so much after all. I wouldn't go back to a Reaper Cannon if you paid me!"

Alyssa nudged the redhead with her elbow. "And you thought you couldn't innovate on Progenitor tech."

"I'm just getting started," Dana said with a feral grin.

***

"The Hive Queen sent the rest of the nest guardians after the girls!" John said to Sakura as they sprinted through the impregnation chamber. "Let's take her down fast!"

There was a dull roar and a virulent yellow beam lanced across the chamber, slamming into John's hex barrier. He gritted his teeth and anchored himself with a telekinetic net, his shield spinning wildly to buffer the beam and give him a chance to repair shattered hexagons.

Sakura snarled furiously and fired a long burst at the malevolent Kirrix monstrosity. Dana's rune-inscribed bullets exploded with each strike on the Hive Queen's shield, blasting gaping holes in the hexagons and quickly overloading the defensive barrier. A burst of bullets slammed into the Queen's right side, the detonation ripping both her arm and scythe claw from her torso in a fountain of green blood. The Queen hissed as she fought back waves of pain, and with her concentration shattered, the ugly yellow beam dissipated harmlessly.

The Kirrix leader hurled a swarm of telekinetic darts at Sakura, the glowing projectiles hammering into her shield in rapid succession. The swift rotation spread the damage, allowing the assassin to take the hits and repair her shields as fast as they were being assaulted. Sakura returned fire at the Queen's hastily erected replacement barrier, shooting on full-auto this time to batter the defences with a punishing barrage.

The hex-barrier collapsed a second time, the Queen's shrieks of pain reverberating around the chamber as hyper-accelerated bullets blasted huge chunks out of her carapace. The brutal impacts knocked her off her feet, the gaping holes torn through her abdomen spilling her clutch of eggs across the floor. She was so distracted by the pain that she didn't see John charging full-tilt towards her until it was too late and he rammed his runeblade into her thorax.

The sword cut through her like a hot knife through butter, the tip bursting out her back in a shower of blood. Now face-to-face with the Hive Queen, John could see the terror in her sinister black gaze, his own image reflected back in the hundreds of tiny opaque discs that formed each inhuman compound eye.

"Fear and horror," he muttered quietly. "This is what all your victims felt."

The putrid-yellow nimbus of power that surrounded the Hive Queen vanished in a flash, denying the grievously-wounded creature her borrowed psychic might. The belligerent elements of the Hive Mind had no desire to face another vengeful Progenitor and frantically abandoned the Hive Queen as they sensed her mortal terror. She screeched in anguish and tried to stab him with her remaining claw, but John stomped the limb into the ground, breaking it with a sickening crack.

John gripped her by the throat, his gauntleted fist turning the huge head from side-to-side as he examined her. "Why don't we see what the Hive Mind's been thinking about since you had your little chat with Alyssa?"

*John, wait!* Alyssa called out in alarm, but he'd already stepped into the Astral Plane.

Standing in front of the ravaged creature in his spirit form, John could sense the fear and hatred pouring off the malignant beast. Its broken body was surrounded by a muted yellow aura, but it was a feeble thing now, a mere shadow of the psychic potential the Hive Mind had gathered against him only moments earlier. As he studied the felled creature, he was reminded of Kirzuxa, the ancient Hive Queen he had encountered on the Mhoirad's tragic homeworld. This was no wizened ancient though, the Hive Queen before him was in the peak of health... or at least she had been up until a minute ago.

Seeing no need to be subtle, he sharpened his willpower into a psychic wedge and rammed it into the Hive Queen's mind. She tried to fight him for all of a second, until the fleeting contact with his mind left her gibbering in terror. With her mental defences sundered, her mind was his to plunder at his discretion, but a flicker of doubt made him pause. The last time he'd tried this had been a trap by his guide and he had absolutely no intention of being caught helpless like that again.

As John was considering his options, Alyssa soared across the Astral and skidded to a halt beside him. *Why didn't you wait for me?!* she asked crossly, a flicker of panic in her eyes.

*My guide's locked away, he's not a danger anymore,* he said to calm her down.

The blonde crossed her arms over her chest. *So why are you worrying then?*

He didn't have a good answer to that, so wisely decided to stay silent and concede her point.

*Why don't you let me go in there instead?* she asked, turning to examine the hideously ugly Hive Queen. *I'm not trying to sound arrogant, but I've had a lot more practice at this than you.*

*It's going to be bad in there and you've seen too much of that ugliness already,* he replied, cupping her cheek in his hand. *Stand guard for me instead... just in case.*

When she reluctantly nodded her agreement, John turned his attention back to the Hive Queen. He could see Sakura standing beside him too, the Asian girl watching him with a pensive frown. Above her, flickering yellow lines arced across the ceiling, momentarily catching his eye. John studied them curiously, realising that the gossamer-like threads all arced away from the Hive Queen and out across the chamber. From those millions of faint psychic connections, he could see a few hundred slivers spiralling down towards the Trankaran hosts slumped dejectedly on the floor.

*What is it?* Alyssa asked, turning to stare at the ceiling with unseeing eyes.

*The Hive Queen's psychic network... I can sense it.*

She looked at him in surprise. *How?*

John shrugged. *I've no idea.*

Before they could discuss it any further, one of the Trankarans arched his back and let out a bloodcurdling scream that reverberated shrilly across the Astral Plane. His body contorted in a paroxysm of agony, the neonate Hive Lord quivering in his bloated guts as it prepared to rip its way clear of the host. The intensity of the Trankaran's horrifying last moments leeched the colour away from him, leaving a dark shadow in the Astral.

Alyssa cringed in horror at the dreadful spectacle. *No, not now! We were so close!*

John whirled around, tightening his grip on the Hive Queen's throat as he smashed his way into her subconscious. Her shrieking cries whirled around him as he was drawn into her mind, the grating screams setting his teeth on edge. In the moment that he was submerged in her thoughts, John knew that the Hive Queen was named Irnaxxa... and she hated him with every fibre of her being.

*The feeling's mutual,* he muttered, gritting his teeth to ignore her terrified litany of curses.

Glancing up at the wall of memory hexagons, he wondered if there was some way he could hijack Irnaxxa's control of her brood. If he could lull the hatching grubs into some kind of temporary hibernation, it might give Rachel enough time to treat the infestation and save the doomed Trankarans. He grimaced in frustration, realising he hadn't got the faintest clue how to subtly manipulate the Kirrix psychic network like that.

But there was one thing he was very good at.

*Girls, give me everything you've got...* he rumbled, gathering his psychic might.

Eldritch zephyrs coiled around his arms and he dropped to one knee, drawing back his fist as he prepared to unleash his rage. John's eyes blazed with an incandescent blue light, the brilliance flaring brighter and brighter as Alyssa, Jade, and Edraele poured vast amounts of power into him. He'd never felt anything like it, the intoxicating sensation of handling that much eldritch energy making him howl in fevered anticipation.

He teetered on the brink of euphoria and madness, feeling like he could unmake worlds on a whim.

*John, let it go!* Alyssa screamed in warning, feeling his mind cracking under the strain of holding that much raw power.

Slamming his fist into the misty floor of Irnaxxa's mind, John unleashed the gathered energy in a devastating shockwave. The psychic tsunami instantly vaporised every memory hexagon in the hive Queen's subconscious, then railed against the stifling confines of her shattered mind. John remembered what it was like, piggy-backing Xar'aziuth's hijacked connections to the deep astral, and simply did the same to the Kirrix network.

Dazzling blue pulses roared down the feeble yellow connections, like a lightning strike pumping a billion volts down a household power line. For a nanosecond, a million Kirrix minds quailed before his titanic psychic might... until the terrifying immensity of that contact was more than they could endure. He sensed that moment of obliteration, when every last Kirrix in Irnaxxa's doomed fleet was wiped from existence.

And it felt good.

Then the darkness claimed him.