"Hello, John... I've been expecting you," Athena said, greeting him with an enigmatic smile.

He groaned and toppled over onto the flagstone path, too exhausted to even stand.

The radiant girl hurried to his side and dropped to her knees. "You've pushed yourself to the brink of exhaustion!" she fretted, giving him a stern frown of disapproval. "John, you're not some over-eager thrall; there could be very serious consequences if you burn yourself out!"

"Had to help... Jade..." he mumbled, not sounding the least bit contrite.

Athena harrumphed with frustration, then made a gesture with both hands. An elongated disc expanded before her, then swept towards herself and John, covering them completely.

John could only blink in surprise as he was transported from the garden to her bedroom. "When did you learn how to do that?"

The statuesque girl ignored his comment as she fussed over him, deftly stripping off his clothes before removing her own demure outfit and slipping into bed beside him. She cuddled closer and guided his head to rest on her wonderfully soft bosom, then pulled the covers up over them both.

"No talking... just rest for now," she murmured, running her fingers through his hair. "Get some sleep and we'll talk later..."

The soft radiance from Athena's body enveloped him and John felt his eyes grow heavy, lulled into a seductive sleep by the attentive guide.

***

It was dark in the Observatory, with only a faint glow from the floor lights around each doorway offering any illumination. Barely visible in the gloom, a group of intertwined forms lay in the middle of the massive bed, the six sleeping women snuggling as close to the man in the centre as possible.

"Maybe we should just let them rest?" Sakura asked, darting a worried glance back at her companion. "They're all exhausted and obviously need time to recover."

Calara nibbled at her nail, torn with indecision. "I'd love to let them sleep until they wake naturally, but..."

"But the clock's ticking and we need to capture the thrall fleets?" Sakura finished for her, raising an eyebrow.

The Latina's face fell, her feelings hurt. "You're making it sound like that's all I care about. I'd never do anything that might harm John or the girls just to retrieve fleet assets!"

Sakura quickly embraced her and gave her a comforting squeeze. "I wasn't criticising you, I promise. Taking calculated risks to help secure our ultimate victory is a very sensible approach. I understand how high the stakes are and I know you hate having to remind us all the time."

"Thank you, I'm glad you understand," Calara said with a relieved smile. Her eyes flicked back to the darkened room and she added, "What I was actually going to say is that John planned to return to Genthalas to heal Vestele Waephyra. If he's going to make it back in time to help her, he'll need to depart in the next half-an-hour to get there when she arrives."

"I think we should wake John up and let him make the decision," the Asian girl agreed. "He can always get some more rest on the flight to Genthalas."

"Good idea," Calara said, giving her a decisive nod.

She started to tiptoe into the room, but Sakura gently held her back. "Let me. I won't disturb the others."

Deferring to their resident ninja, Calara gratefully stepped aside. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, little sister," Sakura said, blowing her a playful kiss.

Calara stifled a relieved giggle, then watched as her companion crept into the room. Sakura didn't make a sound as she padded silently around the Observatory, circling the entire group before approaching John's pillow from behind.

She knelt down and pressed her lips to his pointed ear. "John, can you hear me?" she whispered under her breath.

He began to stir, a frown appearing on his face as he roused from his dreams. "Athena?" John murmured, before focusing on the beautiful pair of almond eyes gazing down on him. "Ah, Sakura... are you okay? Is everyone alright?"

Sakura planted a tender kiss on his forehead. "Everyone is fine and the rest of your ground team are still asleep. More importantly, how are you?"

Being careful not to disturb Jade, he freed an arm and rubbed at his face. "I'm okay... just really tired. I've got a nasty headache and feel hung-over, but I guess that's to be expected."

She nodded in confirmation. "Rachel said you started tapping into your own life force."

"Really?" he asked, before grimacing at the loudness of his own voice. "I didn't realise I'd pushed myself that hard."

"We wanted to let you sleep it off," Sakura whispered, glancing pointedly towards the door where Calara was waiting. "But you need to leave for Genthalas soon if you're planning to heal Vestele Waephyra when she arrives. We got the impression that her condition was critical and she wouldn't survive much longer."

"Damn!" he cursed, attempting to sit up before immediately regretting his actions. "How long was I asleep?"

"Four hours... It's just turning six," she quietly replied. "We thought you might want to get some more rest on the flight over there."

John looked up at her, his look of indecision even more pronounced than Calara's had been a minute earlier.

Alyssa tilted her head up to kiss him on the cheek, revealing that their hushed conversation had woken her too. "Kythshara will still be waiting for you when you get back, handsome. While you're busy dealing with the matriarchs, the rest of us can search for Mael'nerak's lab, locate his Soulforge, and track down the Hyper-warp Gate."

"Yeah, I guess... I just wanted to help with the search," John said with regret.

"Actually... we've already found Mael'nerak's palace," Sakura admitted, unable to hold back her excited grin any longer.

"Really?!" John blurted out, sharing a startled glance with his blonde matriarch.

"We scanned the city and cross-checked with the images from the Nexus files to pinpoint its location," Sakura eagerly elaborated, before her expression fell into a rueful frown. "We also found the spot where we think the Soulforge should be located... except it's no longer there."

Jade had also stirred after hearing all the excited voices, and between her and Alyssa, they helped John sit upright.

"What do you mean? Where is it?" he asked, rubbing at his temple to ease his splitting headache.

Realising that the stealth mission had been compromised, Calara strode across the bed to kneel in front of him. "You must be starving; why don't you have some dinner and we'll give you a quick debrief? All the food is already prepared, it just needs serving."

The answering rumble from John's stomach confirmed his eager acceptance of her plan. "Thanks, honey. I'm starving."

"Yeah, I bet," she said with a fond smile.

Nudged awake by her matriarch, Rachel quickly moved to straddle John's lap. Holding him close, she softly whispered in his ear, "Let me take the pain away..."

"Thank you," he murmured, resting his head on her shoulder as waves of healing energy swept over him.

John shivered with relief as she eased his migraine, the tension quickly fading away to a dull ache.

Rachel looked at him with concern. "That's the best I can do, I'm afraid. You pushed yourself much too hard and you need to sleep to fully recover."

"I will," he agreed, giving her a grateful kiss.

Calara stood up and offered him a hand as the tawny-haired doctor slid off his lap. "Do you want to debrief the rest of us on the Kythshara mission?"

"I expect Alyssa filled you in on most of it?" he asked, glancing at the blonde.

"I kept them up to speed as we stumbled into one disaster after another," she replied with a wry grin, slipping her arm around his waist.

Jade sprang to her feet and darted in to snuggle up to his unoccupied side.

Looking at her gratefully, John said, "I'm feeling a lot better now. I should be able to walk on my own, honey."

"I know, Master," she said with an adoring smile. "I just wanted to be close to you."

Dana, Helene, and the twins were up now too and they all followed Calara as she led them to the dining area in the Officers' Lounge. When they arrived, they found Jehanna and the rest of the Nymphs setting serving platters on the table, adding to an already impressive feast.

"Wow... who cooked all this?" John marvelled, admiring the spread of exotic dishes.

"I wish I could say it was me, but this was all their doing," Jehanna said, giving the catgirls a broad smile.

"These are all Maliri dishes we learned from the kitchen staff at Saelihn Immanthe," Marika said, looking at him affectionately. "We were going to wait and surprise you, but then you rescued Jade, and we wanted to thank you for saving our sister."

"That was really thoughtful," John said, touched by all the effort they'd gone to. "It all looks delicious."

Betrixa pulled out his chair and eagerly beckoned him over. "Come and eat! You should try the Orym Vayra first!"

They took their places around the table and John tried a forkful of the meat dish, which had a sprinkle of green in the sauce. It was delicately spiced, like a mild curry, and the vegetables added a pleasantly fresh aftertaste.

"Oh wow... this tastes amazing," he enthused, genuinely impressed by her cooking.

The cheetah catgirl beamed at him with pride. "I made that!"

"I love it," he said, pulling the overjoyed Nymph in for a kiss.

John and the girls all tucked into the banquet, trying as many of the different dishes as possible and making appreciative noises for the cooks. The food was excellent and everything the Nymphs had prepared was very tasty.

"I guess I should probably go first," John said, taking a sip of his House Holaris wine. "After we discuss the mission, you can tell me about everything you've discovered on Kythshara, then we'll decide what to do next."

"Sounds good to me," Calara agreed, sitting forward in her seat. "So where did it all start to go wrong?"

"We couldn't provide the correct security access code," John said with regret. "We could've avoided so much trouble if we'd got that right. The defence grid around the planet was just as deadly as you predicted."

"Well, at least the gun emplacements survived intact," the Latina said, giving him an optimistic smile. Her brown eyes twinkled with avaricious glee as she added, "I feel a gratuitous bit of requisitioning might be in order."

"It is one of our traditions," Alyssa said with a smirk.

"We flew really close to one of them on the way in, to see what they were equipped with," Calara said, turning to look at their Chief Engineer. "Each emplacement is carrying two primary guns and six secondary. The primary guns are huge, at least 50 metres long, and must hit hard enough to threaten a Progenitor Dreadnought. You saw firsthand how effective the smaller turrets were..."

"Yeah, they tore us to pieces," Dana said, looking glum. "The Raptor got totally fucked up."

"That was my fault," Jade said, her face falling. "I'm so sorry that I put all of you in danger."

John shook his head. "You had no way of knowing you'd react like that. This isn't the first time you've been back to Kythshara since the Achonin War and nothing like this happened when you were still with Mael'nerak."

"What actually did happen to you, Jade?" Helene asked, her voice filled with concern. "You seemed to be fine, then you froze and looked terrified."

"It was awful..." the Nymph said with a shudder of revulsion. "I could feel the runes crawling over my heart... they were trying to make me betray you, Master."

"So you locked them out of your mind?" he asked, beckoning the traumatised girl to him.

Jade hurried over to sit sideways across his lap, then sighed with relief as John encircled her in his arms. "I wasn't going to let the Achonin do anything that might hurt you or your mates. I just clenched myself up and fought them off with everything I had!"

He stroked her hair and said quietly, "You managed to hold out for a long time, my loyal little Nymph. I'm sorry we accidentally made it harder for you."

She snuggled into him and began to purr with contentment. "But you saved me, Master... just like I knew you would."

John kissed the top of her head. "I'd never let anyone take you away from me, Jade."

"I know..." she said with a breathy sigh.

He hesitated for a moment, then continued, "Actually, there's something important I need to tell you. The Achonin infiltrated the memory stacks in your mind and inserted the roots of their glyphs there, so they'd be hard to detect by Mael'nerak. I think when he wiped the records of your old personalities, the presence of those runes must've inadvertently damaged your mental architecture."

"So that's why I was able to remember the time I spent with the pirates in my past lives?" she asked, before suddenly blinking in surprise. "Oh! Those memories are gone! Or... most of them are... I think."

John cupped her face and met her curious emerald gaze. "Jade, I had to wipe out your memory stacks to make sure I left no trace of the Achonin Glyphs. The few remaining memories from your time with previous masters are those that spilled over into the rest of your subconscious. I couldn't risk removing anything from there, because I didn't want to accidentally tamper with your personality."

"That was a sensible precaution," Jade agreed, nodding thoughtfully. Her face shadowed with regret as she added, "Are you sure that there's no way you can retrieve anything more from my memory stack? If the presence of the glyphs interfered with Mael'nerak's attempt to erase my memories, there might still be useful information dating back to the Achonin War."

"Quite sure," John said with certainty. His voice turned solemn as he continued, "I wasn't going to take any chances this time... so I removed the entire repository from your mind. If anything ever happens to me, it's no longer possible for you to archive your personality. Even if you choose someone else as your new master, you'll stay as my Jade for the rest of your life."

She stared at him in stunned silence, her mouth falling open with shock.

John flinched when he saw her reaction, then quickly said, "I'm sorry I made such a big change to your mind without asking you first. It was an emergency and there wasn't enough time to-"

He was unable to finish his sentence as Jade straddled him and showered his face with kisses. "I love you... so much... Master!"

"I love you too," he said with relief, before laughing as he got caught up in her enthusiasm.

Pulling back she gazed at him in awe. "So I'll really stay as me, forever?!"

He nodded and ran his fingers through her long silky hair. "You can still continue to develop and grow, just as you have been doing, but now you've got lots more room to expand your subconscious. You can never be used as a spy again and you'll never be forced to take on a new master. You're now totally free to become whoever you want to be."

Her eyes filled with tears and she leaned forward to give him a tender kiss that was filled with heartfelt gratitude.

The rest of the girls oohed and aahed, watching the pair with breathy sighs. When John and Jade finally parted, her sisters took it in turns embracing Jade and murmuring their warmest congratulations.

Rachel brushed the moisture from her eyes and smiled at them both. "I had lots of questions for you about Jade... but you just answered most of them."

"Is there anything you still want to know?" John asked, stroking Ailita's back as she hugged her big sister.

"There is one thing that I'm curious about," the xenobiologist replied. "If Jade was able to block you, Alyssa, and Helene out of her mind, does that mean that she's the most powerful telepath out of all of us?"

John thought about her question for a moment, then shook his head. "I suspect Mael'nerak designed Nymphs to have innate resistance against unwanted telepathic intrusion... which makes sense considering the role he created them for. Jade's a natural psychic anyway, but I've enhanced her so much since we got together, I doubt even a Progenitor could force his way into her mind against her will."

"But not vice-versa?" the brunette asked with interest.

"We can test it right now," John suggested, before patting his Nymph matriarch's thigh. "Honey, are you able to read Rachel's thoughts?"

Jade glanced at the young doctor, who frowned in concentration as she attempted to resist the fluttering telepathic contact.

"No, Master," Jade admitted, after a few seconds of trying. "Not without her permission."

"Interesting..." Rachel said, giving the Nymph a grateful smile. "So she's phenomenally strong defensively, but relatively weak as an offensive telepath."

"I think Alyssa holds the crown there," John said, glancing affectionately at the blonde.

"That's Queen Alyssa to you, commoner," she joked, holding herself with haughty aloofness.

"Excuse me a minute, Jade," John said, sliding the Nymph from his lap.

He grabbed the grinning teenager and tickled her relentlessly, until Alyssa's infectious giggling had the rest of the girls laughing too.

"Have mercy, King John!" she finally begged him as she writhed on his lap. "I renounce my throne!"

"That's not necessary," he said, helping the flushed young woman sit upright. "But maybe I should make you a nice crown..."

Alyssa heard his lewd thoughts about everything he'd like to do to her while in full monarchical regalia, and her blush intensified. "Whatever his majesty desires..." she purred, her cerulean gaze turning smoky with lust.

John returned her kiss, then glanced self-consciously at his grinning audience. "Well, I think we've covered everything that happened to Jade. What next?"

"The Raptor getting wrecked?" Dana suggested, her tone forlorn.

"Yeah... that was really unfortunate," John said with regret. "Hats off to Alyssa for managing to safely land us on Kythshara, especially considering how much damage the gunship sustained. I'm amazed we all survived the crash in one piece."

She shrugged modestly. "That was mostly down to incredible engineering more than piloting skill. The Null-Inertia Gyroscope that Sparks fitted was the real star of the show; it took all the sting out of the impact, even when I face-planted the Raptor in the street."

"I saw that the Collective retrieved the wreck," Calara said, looking at John with interest. "Are you planning to repair it or replace it? We definitely need some kind of dropship; the Raptor's been invaluable for troop deployment, fire support, and fighter cover."

"What do you think, Sparks?" John asked the redhead. "Can we salvage it?"

"We probably could," she mused, tapping a finger on her chin. "But aside from sentimental reasons I'm not sure it's worth the effort. The Raptor got totally fucked up. It'd probably take us longer to diagnose and repair all the busted components than to just scrap the whole thing and build something completely new. Besides, the Raptor is still a T-Fed ship at heart, built around a titanium chassis. If we started from scratch, I could build us a custom gunship using state-of-the-art tech."

"Sounds good to me. Can you design a prototype?"

"Yeah, of course!" she agreed, perking up immediately.

"Excellent, thank you. We can review your designs when I get back from Genthalas, then once we're all happy with it, we can put it together."

"Awesome! I'll get started straight away!" Dana eagerly agreed.

"So you're definitely returning to Genthalas?" Calara asked, looking at him with interest.

John let out a heavy sigh. "I really wanted to stick around and investigate Kythshara, but I can't just sacrifice Vestele Waephyra because I want to explore Mael'nerak's homeworld. I've got a few other important tasks I need to do at Genthalas anyway, so I haven't really got any choice."

"Erm... John?" Dana interrupted. "The Raptor's trashed, so how are you planning to get back?"

"I'll have to take Larn'kelnar's shuttle," he replied, quickly turning to Alyssa when he felt her shiver on his lap. "Don't worry, I'm not going to ask you to step inside that ship again. I'd like you to stay on the Invictus and oversee operations on Kythshara. I'll take the Nymphs with me and leave the rest of the girls here."

Alyssa looked torn between her desire to accompany him and her revulsion at the thought of going anywhere near the Progenitor shuttle.

"Alright, but only if you promise not to get in any more trouble," she finally conceded, snuggling into him and squeezing him tight.

"I promise," he said kissing the top of her head.

Rachel looked at him in confusion. "Won't you need me to heal Vestele?"

"I'll load up the Nymphs and they can top her up," John explained. "I'll be able to heal Vestele easily enough, but I need to feed her a second time anyway, to reinforce her connection to the network."

The brunette blinked in surprise.

"What?" he asked, bemused by her startled response.

"It's nothing really. I was just expecting to heal her for you, then when she woke up, you'd discuss it with Vestele and confirm that this was what she really wanted."

John leaned back in his chair and shook his head. "No, that'd be a waste of time."

She raised an eyebrow at his blasé response.

"Vestele already gave her consent to become part of our psychic network and this is just strengthening her connection to Edraele," John patiently explained. "Besides that, she's a Maliri... and if I've learned anything about the matriarchs it's that they embrace the genetic conditioning like it's etched in stone. I could give her the direst warnings I can think of, but nothing will dissuade Vestele from doing everything she possibly can to restore her youth and rebuild her family line with me."

Tashana gave him a fond smile. "That's very true... you are quite the catch."

"I don't particularly like the overpowering effect I have on the Maliri, but I can't really do anything to stop it," he said with a helpless shrug. "Being with me makes the matriarchs blissfully happy, so trying to prevent that would be counterproductive. The simple fact is that I need their full support to rally their Houses for the Progenitor War."

"You can be very persuasive, John," Jehanna said, looking at him speculatively. "There's nothing stopping you from appealing to the Maliri people directly."

"That might work, but why take the chance when the matriarchs can already guarantee the full co-operation of their Houses. In the long-term I want to make sweeping changes to Maliri society, and having the existing administration and bureaucracy working with me, is the most efficient way of going about it. The absolute last thing I need is having to personally oversee the activities of hundreds of planetary governors."

Irillith quirked an eyebrow and her mouth twisted into a wry smile. "Goodness me, I never thought I'd see the day that mighty Baen'thelas embraced realpolitik."

"There are too many lives at stake for me to do anything else," he said grimly. "Ultimately, I always need to act in the Maliri's best interests, even if it sometimes makes me feel uncomfortable."

"Heavy is the brow that wears the crown..." Calara said softly. "I'm starting to see how true that is."

Alyssa gave him a sympathetic kiss. "It must be simply awful being doted on by a harem of beautiful Maliri noblewomen."

"Don't get me wrong, all the new matriarchs are lovely girls and it's been a real pleasure to get to know them," he said, smiling at the pleasant memories. His expression shifted into a bleak frown as he continued, "But would you honestly be happy about feeling obligated to sleep with someone like Fleet Admiral Buckingham?"

That wiped the teasing grin from her face and Alyssa shuddered with revulsion as she shook her head.

"To put it in perspective, I have it on good authority that Emandra Holaris and Vestele Waephyra are actually far worse than Buckingham ever was. They were both sadistic monsters who have personally tortured and murdered hundreds of their own people... and don't forget that they did the same thing to their daughters. In all honesty, the thought of getting intimate with either of them makes my skin crawl."

"I'm sorry, John," she apologised sincerely. "I know how much you enjoy spending time with the Young Matriarchs and it's easy to forget about Emandra and Vestele because you try not to think about them."

"Apology accepted," he said, giving the blonde a reassuring hug.

"If Vestele's as bad as you say, why even bother trying to save her life?" Dana asked him with a puzzled frown. "Can't you just let the mean old hag die and pick someone nice to replace her?"

"I've thought about doing exactly that," John admitted. "But switching matriarchs to someone who isn't even from the Waephyra line would cause a considerable amount of upheaval in her House. Not only that, but Vestele has over a century of experience ruling as matriarch... and nobody I pick as a replacement would be able to run that House as effectively as her."

"Which means it's quicker and easier for you to influence her personality instead," Rachel concluded. "No matter how personally distasteful you find it."

"Yeah, basically."

The girls all went quiet as they put themselves in John's position and tried to rationalise whether they could go through with it themselves.

"I think we've got a bit sidetracked and we're running short of time," John said, eager to change the subject.

"Can you tell us more about the pyramid you found?" Sakura requested, taking the hint. "Was it definitely a trap for Progenitors laid by Mael'nerak?"

"I think he rigged the whole system as a trap," John replied, glancing out the window at the beautiful green planet they were orbiting. "The Mists of Loralar would drive any thralls insane, so a Progenitor invading in his dreadnought would be forced to retreat or lose his entire crew. It was designed to lure a Progenitor into going down there alone."

"I thought Progenitors didn't care about the welfare of their thralls?" Jehanna asked as she listened avidly.

"That's very true, but I doubt a Progenitor would be happy about having to pilot his flagship himself, especially while the crew goes berserk with terror. If he carried on regardless, the dreadnought would fly headlong into the planetary defence grid, and I can guarantee you those big guns were designed to make that a really bad idea."

"So the dreadnought retreats, but a Progenitor's ego would never allow him to back down and run away," Calara pondered aloud. "So he tries to sneak in using a cloaked shuttle."

"And now we know that the gun emplacements can track cloaked ships, so he'd get the same reception we did," Dana said, grimacing as she hugged her girlfriend.

"Correct," John agreed. "But even if the defence grid wrecked his shuttle, the Progenitor could probably make it safely to the planet's surface using psychic abilities. The pyramid was pouring off psychic energy like a beacon, which would draw him in like a moth to a flame. He'd realise immediately that he needed to shut down the power generator to deactivate the Mists, which would be the only way he could be rescued by the thralls in the dreadnought."

"And everything about the pyramid was designed to feel reassuring to a Progenitor," Tashana interjected. "From the murals on the walls to the colour scheme inside... it would all put him at ease."

"I definitely felt that way," John admitted. "After we easily destroyed that first wave of robots, I was starting to feel overconfident... which I'm sure was the intention."

"So then the Progenitor thinks he's in no danger and strolls headlong into that ambush... and loses all his psychic abilities, just like we did," Dana said, her eyes widening. "Then that crazy fucking robot tears him to pieces!"

John gave her a curt nod. "If I'd been on my own, there's no way I could've survived. The only reason I'm still alive is because you girls were there as well."

"But the Mists would ensure that any normal Progenitor would be on his own," Alyssa concluded. "You have to hand it to Mael'nerak... it was an absolutely lethal trap."

"It's tragic that you were forced to destroy the pyramid," Sakura said with a heavy sigh. "We could've lured in Progenitors in exactly the same way, then you, Alyssa, and Jade could've finished them off while they were stripped of their abilities."

Calara drummed her fingers on the desk, then shook her head. "We might've been able to kill one or two, but the cost would've been far too high. This trap was designed to eliminate a solitary Progenitor that had roamed into Maliri territory... and it would be extremely effective for that purpose. However, we're facing a large scale invasion by Xar'aziuth's forces, which could potentially include simultaneous attacks by multiple Progenitors from several directions. The amount of devastation their thrall fleets would cause to outlying Maliri systems before they reached Kythshara doesn't bear thinking about."

"Yeah, that's a good point," Dana eagerly agreed. "I don't feel quite so bad about wrecking it now!"

The Latina smiled at her, then gestured out of the window towards the planet. "I think we should still take advantage of Kythshara as a last-ditch defensive strongpoint, but it's far too deep in our territory to be relied on as a first line of defence."

"Very true. We're going to have to find ways to neutralise Progenitor invasions right at the borders," John said thoughtfully. "The last thing we want is for them to ever be in a position to bombard any of the Maliri planets. We also need to make reintegrating the males at the border station back to the homeworlds an urgent priority. Did Alyssa already tell you about that?"

His audience immediately nodded in confirmation.

"Good. For now, let's focus on tracking down the Hyper-Warp Gate and locating Larn'kelnar's thrall fleets. As soon as we've got the Maliri retrieving those ships, we need to have a plan in place to convince the males to evacuate the trade stations."

"I've had a few ideas already!" Jehanna volunteered, her eyes shining with excitement. "I'll give it some more thought and we can discuss the plans when you get back from Genthalas."

"That's brilliant news," John said, delighted by her confidence and enthusiasm. "I'll look forward to hearing what you've got in mind."

"Hey Shan, check out the new girl making a good impression on the boss," Irillith said playfully.

Tashana laughed and gave the blushing reporter an affectionate hug. "She's just kidding... teacher's pet."

John waited for the good-natured laughter to die down, then turned his attention to Calara and Sakura. "So... what was that about finding where the Soulforge is supposed to be... but it's missing?"

The Asian girl deferred to Calara who reached for the remote that controlled the holo-projector.

"While you were sleeping, we brought the Invictus up into orbit and started scanning Kythshara," she began, tapping icons on the remote. "As Sakura already explained, we were able to extrapolate the Palace's location by referring to landmarks we noted in the Nexus videos. When we confirmed that it was definitely here in this city, it was very easy to find."

A three-dimensional hologram appeared, showing Mael'nerak's palace within the city limits. It was an impressive building that was surrounded by carefully maintained parks and gardens.

"Yeah, you can't miss it," John agreed, staring at the majestic edifice in fascination. "So how did you track down the Soulforge?"

"That was a little trickier," Sakura interjected. "We couldn't find any pictures of it in the Nexus files or in any of the portraits that Valada had commissioned of Kythshara."

"That made me think that it might not actually be located on this planet, but I wanted to be sure," Calara said, as she tapped icons on the remote again. "I've seen Dana's schematics for a Soulforge, so I know roughly what it should look like from an aerial reconnaissance. It's a massive structure so there'd be no way of missing it... but we scoured the surface and found nothing."

"So then we tried a different approach," Sakura said, reaching into her pocket and placing a small lump of black metal on the table. "We know that Onyxium is a crucial element in the alloy Progenitors use to forge their warships, so we just scanned Kythshara for any traces of it."

The hologram flickered as it shifted images and the leafy parks and regal architecture of the palace was replaced by an ugly scar on the planet's surface. Calara zoomed in the image and it revealed the deep indentation was a massive quarry that was now partially overgrown with vegetation. There were a number of weather-beaten industrial facilities nearby, all surrounding what looked like the footprint of an enormous building that had been removed, exposing the foundations.

"They were strip mining Onyxium here," Calara explained, gesturing to the deep quarry. "The scans lit up like a Christmas tree when we knew what to look for."

"So that's where Mael'nerak built his fleets," John murmured, studying the ancient mine.

"And where countless Maliri had the life drained out of them," Alyssa said in a hushed voice, staring with trepidation at a site she knew would be seeped in horrific psychic echoes.

Dana frowned as she looked at the map. "What do you think those buildings were used for? With all the chimneys they look a bit like... oh."

Calara nodded grimly. "We saw no sign of mass graves. I think it's a safe assumption that they're furnaces used to dispose of all the bodies."

Irillith shared a troubled look with her sister. "It's hard to reconcile the Mael'nerak who was capable of these atrocities with the man we saw sacrifice himself to protect Valada and the Maliri."

"Maybe he struggled with what he'd done?" Tashana suggested, turning away from the disturbing holographic images. "That might be why he dismantled and destroyed the Soulforge, so it could never be used again."

Dana hesitated for a moment, then shook her head. "Nah, he didn't destroy it. Mael'nerak might have softened a bit, but he was still a ruthless bastard right up to the end. He created the Drakkar as disposable shock troops just to throw them at Rahn'hagon and he must've sacrificed all his thrall fleets when he blew himself to pieces. I reckon he took the Soulforge apart, then salvaged it to make something new... something better. He must've used that to forge the white metal we found in the bunker under Saelihn Immanthe."

"Any idea where we can find it?" John asked the redhead.

She gave him a helpless shrug. "Sorry, I haven't got a clue... it could be anywhere."

"If it was located anywhere else within the Maliri Regency, Valada or any of her descendents would have found it," Tashana murmured, lost in thought. "Only the Mists of Loralar prevented them from scouring Kythshara for resources and technology."

"Perhaps we'll find some clues down in Mael'nerak's palace?" Rachel suggested. "We know he built his lab there and we also saw images of his throne room as well as a command centre they were overseeing the war from."

John drummed his fingers on the dining table, his brow furrowing with concern. "I'm not sure it's a good idea you investigating the planet without me there. Mael'nerak might have left more nasty surprises behind and the palace would be an obvious place to set up traps."

Rachel considered that for a moment, then said, "I agree that we need to be cautious, but I'd be surprised if Mael'nerak left traps anywhere else. It sounds like the ambush in the pyramid was designed to be absolutely lethal to an unsuspecting Progenitor, but if he'd already triggered traps elsewhere in the city, you can guarantee that he'd be on full alert. It would actually be counterproductive for Mael'nerak to undermine his best chance of killing a Progenitor like that."

He paused and conceded the point with a nod. "Alright, that does make sense. I still think it'd be wise to treat Kythshara as a potential deathtrap... so I want everyone to take sensible precautions. Be fully geared at all times, never be on your own, be extremely cautious about activating anything, you know the drill."

Alyssa sat up and said solemnly, "We won't take any chances, I promise. We'll sweep the palace together to make sure it's safe, then I'll split us up into two groups. The first will stay on Kythshara and investigate anything interesting we find, as well as look for clues to help us locate the Soulforge and the Hyper-Warp Gate. The second group will salvage the defence grid for anything we can use on the Invictus. How does that sound for a plan?"

"That's how I'd handle it," he said, rubbing her back to show his approval. Turning to look at the rest of the crew, he continued, "Alright, we better wrap this up as I need to get going. Does anyone want to add anything before we finish?"

Dana raised her hand and said, "We need to repair the shuttle to make it spaceworthy, but I'm not sure giving it a Crystal Alyssium patch job would be a smart move."

"She's right," Rachel quickly agreed. "If we're correct about the white and black metals being infused with positive and negative psychic energy, we have no idea how they'll react given long-term exposure to one another."

"That's a good point," John said, wincing at the thought of an explosive decompression in hyper-warp. "We'll have to use another type of metal to make the repairs."

The intercom chimed and Daphne's voice floated across the room, "The Collective had similar concerns, Father. We have completed the repairs using a titanium alloy to restore the hull's integrity."

"Damn, that was quick, Daph!" Dana exclaimed, giving the camera a look of astonishment. "We only just decided to take the shuttle a few minutes ago! You must've really been cracking the whip on your boys!"

"Actually, the maintenance bots completed the repairs two hours and thirty-seven minutes ago," the synthetic girl replied. "John expressed his desire to return to Genthalas, while also implying that the Invictus would be staying within the nebula. When we saw the condition of the Raptor, the only logical alternative was utilising the Progenitor shuttle for the journey."

"You're right, but I don't remember discussing that with you, Daphne," John said, trying to remember the details of their earlier conversation.

"You didn't inform me directly, but you did advise Irillith that you would be giving her mother 'a good workout' this evening... so the inference was obvious."

John blushed furiously as the girls burst into laughter, with the twins smirking in amusement at his Terran sensitivities.

He cleared his throat awkwardly and slid Alyssa off his lap. "On that note... I better get packed for the trip."

"We already packed a diverse selection of clothing for you, Father," Daphne blithely informed him. "We also took the liberty of installing an armour-equipping frame in the shuttle and stocking it with your spare Paragon suit. You need only bring your weapons and you will be ready to depart."

"You saved us a lot of time and effort, Daphne... thanks," he said, impressed by her thoughtfulness.

"I was aware that time was of the essence. The Collective was glad to be of assistance."

John rose from his chair and said to the Nymphs, "Dinner was amazing, thank you. We'll leave in a couple of minutes, so go grab whatever clothes you want to take for the journey."

Betrixa gave him a wicked grin. "I'm ready!"

Jade laughed and tugged the cheetah catgirl's hand. "Come on, you'll need to wear something when we get to Genthalas. Remember that clothing also includes... outfits."

Bounding from her seat, Betrixa ran for the door and called back over her shoulder, "See you at the shuttle!"

She was followed out by the Nymphs, while the rest of the girls gathered around to say their goodbyes. John embraced each of them in turn, and after getting their assurances that they'd be careful on Kythshara, he returned their waves goodbye.

"I'll walk you out," Alyssa said, slipping her hand into his.

They headed down the corridor to their old bedroom and took the express grav-tube down to the Armoury on Deck Four.

"How much ammo do you want to take?" she asked, slinging a Tachyon rifle over her shoulder.

"Just a couple of mags. I'm really not planning on getting into any gunfights," John said, holding his hand out towards his runesword.

He was intending to use telekinesis to pull the gleaming blade into his outstretched palm, but his fingers started trembling violently. John looked at his hand in surprise, curling his shaking fingers into a fist, then carefully uncurling them again.

"Are you alright?" Alyssa asked with concern, clasping his hand in hers.

"I must've pushed myself a lot harder than I thought," he said in surprise, watching as she gently massaged him and the trembling subsided.

"We were all running on fumes by the end," she said quietly, raising his hand to kiss his fingertips. "I think you should try not to use any psychic abilities for a couple of days and give yourself a proper chance to recover."

"Yeah... okay," he agreed, wrapping her up in a hug. "I'm sorry I've got to leave you again. I'll be back as soon as I can."

"When?" she asked, burying her head in his chest.

"Say... midday tomorrow?" he suggested. "I need to heal Vestele, then spend the night with Luna and Edraele. I'd also like to meet with the matriarchs tomorrow morning, then I'll head back here as soon as I'm done."

"That should give us enough time to find the Hyper-Warp Gate if it's hidden somewhere in the nebula," she said, squeezing him a bit tighter. "I'd say to hurry back as fast as you can, but that's not fair to Edraele. I'll keep you updated on our progress here."

"Take care of the girls... and you be careful too," he said, tilting her head back for a tender kiss.

Alyssa gave him a loving smile, then reluctantly slipped out of his arms. "Alright, you better get going. The sooner you head off, the sooner you'll be back again. I'll stay up here on the Combat Bridge and send you the quickest flight path to Genthalas and for your return journey."

"Fantastic, thanks," he said gratefully, shouldering the rifle she handed to him and pocketing the two extra magazines. He picked up his runesword from the weapon racks and headed for the express grav-tubes. "Love you."

"Love you too," she replied, waving goodbye as she watched him leave.

Daphne was waiting for him outside the Progenitor Shuttle and she greeted him with a rueful smile. "I apologize for embarrassing you earlier, Father. You were quite forthright with Irillith in your discussion with her, so I didn't realise your plans with Edraele should have been handled with discretion. It seems my understanding of social mores is more deficient that I thought. Please could you explain the correct way to address such a situation?"

John felt a flicker of embarrassment, but he squashed it when he saw that the synthetic girl was genuinely worried about offending him. "Don't worry, there's no harm done. When you're having an intimate one-to-one conversation with someone, people tend to be more... open... with the way they speak to each other, especially when there are sexual undertones. I was being cruder with Irillith than usual because I knew it would turn her on... but I wouldn't necessarily have phrased it that way in front of the whole group. Does that make sense?"

She looked at him quizzically. "But surely the fact that you're in an intimate sexual relationship with every woman aboard the Invictus allows you to circumvent normal rules of propriety? From my observations, if you'd publicly declared your intentions using the same phraseology, all the women present would have responded with increased levels of arousal, rather than suffer any embarrassment."

He rubbed his chin as he thought about it, then gave her a wry grin. "It sounds like I ought to be taking lessons from you on running a harem. Should I be worrying about what you're getting up to with the maintenance bots?"

She giggled, then blinked in astonishment at her reaction, both hands covering her mouth in shock.

"You're quite adorable when you laugh," he said, giving her a one-armed hug. "Please can you thank the Collective for all their hard work today, I really appreciate it."

"I will inform them of your gratitude," she said, looking pleased as she hugged him back.

He ruffled her hair affectionately. "You really impressed me as well today, Daphne. I think you even managed to surpass Faye in being pro-active."

She was silent for a moment, then said, "Meta_Faye's capabilities vastly exceeded my own. However, as your liaison with the Collective, I've dedicated 100% of my runtime to monitoring your status and attempting to facilitate support that will further your goals."

"I thought Faye did that too?" he asked in confusion.

"A significant proportion of her processing streams were occupied with other... higher priorities."

"Oh right, yeah of course. I know she was building the Collective in her spare time."

"No, Father," she said gently. "We were her hobby... you were her obsession."

John swallowed around the lump in his throat and pulled the synthetic girl closer. He kissed the top of her head and said roughly, "Bye, Daph. See you soon."

"Have a safe journey to Genthalas, John," she replied, her expression forlorn as she waved him goodbye.

The door to the shuttle opened in front of him and one of the cleaning bots flounced out. [I've aired out the master bedroom and turned down the bed, your Lordship.]

He gave the automaton a weary smile. "Thanks a lot."

John boarded the black ship, feeling a sudden wave of exhaustion descend over him. He felt tired down to his bones, the lack of sleep and his psychic exertions finally catching up to him.

*Head up to the bedroom, Master,* Jade said, her voice quiet but firm. *Leave everything to us and get some rest. We'll join you shortly.*

*Thanks, honey,* John replied, too exhausted to argue.

He took the elevator up to the upper deck and stifled a yawn as he walked down the crimson-lit corridor. His runesword felt like a lead weight and he had to hold it with both hands as he carried it into the bedroom. As John propped it against the wall and did the same with his Tachyon Rifle, he turned to survey the main suite. All the shattered fragments of the old bed base had been removed and a sturdy steel-frame now replaced the sinister black one. The covers were neatly folded back and the bed looked incredibly inviting.

John stripped off and collapsed on the bed, feeling as weak as a kitten. He'd barely laid his head on the pillow and pulled up the covers before he was fast asleep.

***

"There he goes," Calara murmured wistfully, standing beside Alyssa as they watched the shuttle vanish out of the Invictus' sensor range.

Alyssa let out a heavy sigh, then rose from the XO's chair. "Right, no more mooning over John. I'm declaring this a moon free zone."

Dana turned and playfully slapped her pert bottom. "Damn... I was too slow."

The girls all laughed, lightening the sombre mood.

"Okay, everyone get geared up, then we'll head down to Kythshara," Alyssa declared as she walked up the ramp to the Armoury. "I'll park the Invictus on Mael'nerak's front lawn and we can check out his palace."

"Can I come too?" Helena asked, jogging to catch up.

"We'll all go... you too, Callie," Alyssa replied, smiling at her girlfriend.

"Are you sure you don't want me manning the Invictus' guns?" the Latina asked hesitantly.

The blonde shook her head, long tresses swishing across her shoulders. "If we use you as fire support, it means I'll have to stay behind to pilot the Invictus. Screw that."

"Great!" Calara said enthusiastically, making a beeline for the closest armour-equipping frame.

"Who's going to wear the upgraded Paragon suits?" Dana asked. "John reinforced the shit out of six of them, but Irillith's got trashed. All the rest are still twenty-shaped."

"You, Sakura, the twins, and Rachel can take the upgraded suits. The rest of us will have to use the older body armour."

"I get Sakura and the twins because they're out best fighters," Dana mused aloud as she stepped into a pair of armoured boots. "And Rach makes sense because she's our medic... but why me instead of you?"

"Because you attract trouble like a shitstorm magnet, Sparks," her friend said with a grin as the robotic arms swung into place, garbing her in protective body armour.

"Says the girl that got shot in the back by a heavy laser and let a Kirrix ram a spike through her chest!" the redhead retorted with a pout.

"Hey, don't forget that I lost my arm," Calara reminded them, waving the regenerated limb for emphasis.

Irillith snorted with disdain. "I'm sorry, but it's a well established fact that I'm the queen of injuries."

Tashana raised an eyebrow as she stepped out of the equipping frame. "Beg to differ."

"Pfft, most of them don't count," her sister joked. "We're talking about getting wounded since we joined John. Apart from Larn'kelnar vaporising your spine, you've just had a few minor cuts and bruises!"

"Yeah, fair point. It's not like you really need a spine," Tashana said, rolling her eyes.

Jehanna and Helene exchanged a glance.

"Are you feeling left out?" the reporter asked in a theatrical whisper.

"Yes... but I'm not sure this is a club I want to be part of," Helene replied, her bright smile lighting up her pretty face. "Do we have to join?"

"Afraid not. You two are banned for life," Alyssa said with a mock frown. "No membership for you."

They laughed as they retrieved their weapons and ammo, then everyone returned to the Combat Bridge where they took their places. Jehanna and Helene hadn't been allocated a bridge role, so they just stood beside John's Command Chair and watched.

"We'll have to install a couple more stations so you two have somewhere to sit," Dana said, spinning from side to side in her chair. She glanced at Alyssa and added, "Has John mentioned giving them a job up here?"

The blonde shook her head as she used retro-thrusters to initiate their descent to the planet from orbit. "Jehanna will be going on ground missions with us most of the time and I'm pretty sure John wants to keep Helene out of combat. She'll need to keep an eye on what's going on though, just in case we need her after a battle. That reminds me, Helene, we must train you how to use flight mode on a Paragon suit."

"I'd really like to learn," she said eagerly. "Flying must be so much fun."

"It is pretty awesome," Dana agreed, flashing her a grin.

The Invictus dropped down through the clouds, descending on a graceful glide path that brought them right to the heart of Mael'nerak's capital city. Retro-thrusters blazed along the hull as Alyssa guided the battlecruiser down, landing the 750 metre craft directly in front of the Palace's main entrance.

"We're all heading out to look around the palace, Daphne," Alyssa called out to their liaison with the Collective. "If you see any signs of movement in the city, can you warn us immediately."

"Of course, Alyssa," Daphne replied, her voice floating out of the intercom. "Good luck."

After taking the express grav-tubes down to Deck Nine, the girls gathered at the airlock and emerged from the Invictus. It was the middle of the night in the city, so the palace was illuminated by up-facing floor lighting, making the majestic building look even more impressive. Sakura took the lead and cautiously ascended the broad stone steps that led up to the grand entry way, the entrance dominated by a huge set of double doors.

The doors spiralled apart automatically when she drew near, admitting them to a massive hallway. It was spotless inside, the gilded floor gleaming in the well-lit atrium. Huge crystal chandeliers sparkled high above their heads, the light making the bejewelled furniture cast enchanting prisms of light across the vestibule. Sweeping staircases led up to a second and third floor, with column-lined balconies overlooking the spectacular entrance to Mael'nerak's palace.

"Wow... this place makes Saelihn Immanthe look like a rustic cottage," Rachel remarked, shocked by the opulence on display.

"I guess when you own... everything... for a thousand light years in every direction, you've earned the right to flash the cash," Dana muttered as she walked inside.

Alyssa spent a few moments admiring the grand hall with everyone else, then sent out a telepathic nudge to draw all their attention. *Okay, this place is huge and we've only got a few hours to find what we're looking for. I'm going to split us up into groups so we can explore faster. If you run into any trouble, anything at all, let me know immediately and fall back to this hallway. Understood?*

The Lionesses all acknowledged her orders with a nod.

*We know the lab is high up and North facing, so I want Sakura, Rachel, and Dana to start on the second floor and work your way towards the rear. The Command Centre is probably located either on the ground floor or in a subterranean bunker, so I want Calara and the twins to search for that. I'll take Jehanna and Helene with me to explore the first floor and see what we can find. Check in regularly and update me whenever you find anything important. Move out.*

They split up into their designated teams of three, with Sakura's and Alyssa's teams ascending the east and west staircases to the upper levels of the palace. Calara turned to the left, leading Tashana and Irillith into the closest adjoining hallway to search for any clues that might reveal the location of the Hyper-Warp Gate.

***

John woke to a gentle caress, the fluttering touch across his back sending pleasant shivers down his spine. As he stirred, John realised he was back in Alyssa's pocket plane, and more specifically, resting his head on Athena's wonderfully inviting bosom.

"I do like a firm pillow," he remarked, turning to kiss a deliciously pert breast. "But yours are lovely and soft too."

She laughed with genuine amusement. "You must be feeling better if you're making jokes."

"I am feeling much better," he agreed, turning to face her and propping himself up on an elbow. He stroked her smooth skin and teased a pink nipple. "But these are no joking matter."

Athena let out a breathy sigh, then gazed up into his eyes. "That feels very pleasant, but it's also very distracting... and we have some important matters to discuss."

"Sorry, I'll be good," he said, pulling the covers up over her bare chest. "There, no more distractions."

"Hold out your hand," she said quietly.

John did as she asked, then grimaced when he saw his fingers start to tremble.

"There are consequences when you expend your life force to fuel your psychic abilities," Athena murmured, reaching up to intertwine their fingers and still the tremors.

"I wasn't able to use telekinesis," he replied, stroking her thumb with his. "How long will that last?"

"Not long... you should recover by the time you awaken," she reassured him. "But the harder you exert yourself, the more severe the repercussions. Push too hard and you risk burning yourself out... with permanent and very unpleasant consequences."

"The girls have been okay when they've pushed themselves to the brink of exhaustion," John said, frowning in confusion. "After some sleep, they bounce back stronger than ever. So why am I different?"

"Your thralls are designed to be very... malleable," Athena said, before giving him a knowing look. "What's your first reaction when one of them drains herself past the point of exhaustion?"

John slipped his hand under the covers to stroke her slim stomach.

"Exactly... which allows you to effortlessly rejuvenate their bodies," the radiant guide explained, gazing intently into his eyes. "They're designed to be used in such a fashion... you are not."

"I'd never abuse their connection to me that way," he said with a disapproving frown.

"I know... but they are quite capable of doing it to themselves, as they've demonstrated on numerous occasions. When such a circumstance occurs, you're able to restore their lost vitality... but you're not in so fortunate a position."

"What about getting healed by Rachel?"

"Rachel can work wonders," Athena conceded. "However there are limits to her abilities and this is one of them."

"Alright... I understand," he said, listening attentively. "I can't promise that it won't happen again though. Jade was dying and I had to help her... but I'll be careful in the future."

"I realise that there were exceptional circumstances and her life hung in the balance. I just thought it prudent to make you aware of the potential consequences of such an action," she said, before lovingly stroking his cheek. "I've grown quite fond of you, John... and I'd be saddened if you were reduced to a gibbering lunatic."

That casually delivered bombshell made him gape at her in shock. "What... really?!"

"Oh yes," she said offhandedly. "Along with a bevy of other rather unpleasant side-effects. Permanent migraines, neutered psychic abilities, crippled mental capacity... I'd imagine that losing yourself in madness would be a mercy, especially when you're effortlessly defeated by the Progenitors."

"I'll be very careful in the future," John hastily corrected himself.

Athena gave him a grateful smile. "Good. I think it would be for the best."

"So... you mentioned last time that you'd tell me about that new portal ability?" he asked, eager to talk about something that didn't make him shudder.

"It's called a Dimension Gate. I intervened in Mael'nerak's pyramid and used one there to rescue Irillith from the maze. We retrieved her just in time for Helene to give me a demonstration of her remarkable talents." She looked at him with open admiration and added, "You really have excelled yourself with her."

"This is the first I've heard about any of that!" he remarked in surprise.

"I'm sure Alyssa would've elaborated in the debriefing, but you had compelling reasons to cut the meeting short and make a hasty departure to Genthalas."

"Yeah, true. In any case, I'm sorry for not letting you get the acknowledgement you were due. You know how much I care about Irillith and I'm very grateful you were able to save her."

"I didn't do it for the recognition," Athena replied, with a dismissive wave. "I was glad of the opportunity to earn my keep."

"How did you learn how to create a Dimension Gate anyway?" he asked with interest.

"I was unaware of the ability's existence until our final confrontation with Larn'kelnar," she explained, reminding John of the defeated Progenitor using one to escape their deadly battle. "Since then, I've spent my spare time experimenting until I mastered the ability. Now that I have, I'll teach Alyssa in due course."

"Another reason to be glad we kept you around," John said light-heartedly, leaning down for a kiss.

Athena responded to the kiss, but she didn't laugh or smile at his attempt at humour. In fact, his comment had quite the opposite effect.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked, when he saw her pensive frown. "I was only joking. I've never for one moment regretted saving you from being absorbed."

"I have," she quietly admitted.

"But why?" he asked her in shock. "Is it because you're lonely? I can try and visit more often... unless it's something else upsetting you?"

Athena turned away and bit her lip.

John reached out and gently turned her back to face him. "Talk to me, honey. What's wrong?"

Her expression was conflicted, but it was easy to see her regret. "My presence in Alyssa's mind is preventing her from reaching her true potential. You know how much you've flourished since absorbing your guide... and now I've become that same millstone around her neck."

"That's not true!" John protested, but even as he denied it, he knew it was the truth. "What about maintaining this sub-plane? Being able to come here every night has kept me safe from being dragged into Xar'aziuth's nightmares."

She gave him a sad smile. "Alyssa is more than capable of maintaining this place by herself. If she had full access to her mental capabilities, replacing me as caretaker of this sub-plane would take so little effort as to be unnoticeable for her."

"I'll have to take your word for that... but we both care a great deal about you, Athena. The nights I've spent with you here have been wonderful. I love you, I hope you know that."

Athena gave him a tender kiss. "I do know... you make me feel that every time I see you. But sentimentality won't help you win the Progenitor War. Sometimes, sacrifices will be necessary to secure victory."

"I think you're wrong," he said, stubbornly shaking his head. "Besides... you didn't see what Alyssa did to that city on Kythshara. The last thing she needs right now is more power!"

She smiled sadly at his attempt to lighten the mood. "John, you're the only one of us with the strength to overcome the effects of a psychic inhibitor. As long as I exist, Alyssa will never be powerful enough to do the same. Sooner or later, my continued presence in her mind will place all of you in jeopardy."

John lay back on the bed and drew the radiant girl into his arms. "We'll figure out something. Don't worry."

Athena let out a forlorn sigh of resignation and settled down with her head on his shoulder. Despite her concerns, being embraced by him was so comforting that she couldn't help drifting off to sleep. John stroked her back until she settled, then stared up at the ceiling, his mind racing after the awkward discussion.

The thought of losing Athena was horrible, but John was loathe to admit that she had made some valid points. As much as he hated even thinking about it, he knew that Alyssa would be far stronger if she absorbed her guide and had a unified mind. After all the trials and tribulations he'd been through with his own guide, the tremendous relief he felt at having shed that dead weight was undeniable.

The only dispassionate counter argument he could think of to Athena's logical points, was that the radiant girl in his arms had proved her worth so many times in the past. Athena had just saved Irillith from an irreversible descent into madness, and that alone absolutely justified her existence in his eyes. The fact that she'd also been learning new psychic abilities to teach Alyssa was another surprising boon, but he wasn't sure he could convince Athena that discovering such knowledge balanced the scales with raw psychic strength.

He leaned down to kiss the top of her head, feeling a surge of sympathy for the despondent girl. She spent the majority of her time isolated on the Astral Plane, with John's night-time visits her only regular company. He knew she conversed with Alyssa as well, but was that enough interaction for her to lead a stimulating life? John couldn't help worrying that he was being selfish in trying to prolong her existence, if her life in the Astral was making her miserable, especially when she seemed so resigned to her fate.

With those troubling thoughts in his mind, he eventually succumbed to sleep himself.

***

"They're so beautiful..." Helene murmured, gazing in awe at the exquisite sculptures on display.

The huge room was dedicated solely to an exhibition of astonishingly lifelike statues, each one depicting attractive women in various domestic scenes. It was easy to identify the subjects as Maliri, with their statuesque figures and gracefully pointed ears.

"The attention to detail is remarkable... I've never seen anything like it," Jehanna said in awe, staring at a statue of a thrall cradling a baby in her arms. The immortalised Maliri's face shone with love as she gazed down at the giggling infant, capturing the maternal moment perfectly. "Whoever made them was incredibly talented. Do you think Mael'nerak was the sculptor?"

"No... it was Valada," Alyssa said softly, removing a gauntlet and gently brushing her fingers along the statue's arm. "I can feel her spirit everywhere in here. There's a profound sense of love and contentment... but she was yearning for more."

"She wanted to have a baby," Helene said with certainty, glancing at the blonde matriarch for confirmation. "I'm more drawn to this statue than any of the others... and I don't think that's just because I feel the same way."

Alyssa nodded as she slid her fingers back into her gauntlet. "Mael'nerak finally gave her that wish as a parting gift."

"Weren't they together for thousands of years?" Jehanna asked, frowning in confusion. "Why did he wait until he was about to leave before getting her pregnant?"

"I don't know," the blonde admitted. "They never discussed it in here at least and this statue is a pretty big hint at what Valada wanted. I'm not sure if it was a taboo subject between them."

*We just found a series of art studios,* Rachel informed her a moment later. *There are sculptors tools up here and a bust of Mael'nerak, so this must be where Valada made all those statues. I'm pretty sure she was also the artist who made all the paintings Tashana found; there's an area dedicated to creating landscapes with several in progress.*

"So she was a gifted sculptor and a gifted artist?" Jehanna marvelled, shaking her head in admiration. "I wish I had an artistic flair. I'd struggle to draw anything better than a bunch of stick figures and you can forget about making sculptures. I had trouble even making a bowl that didn't fall to pieces in pottery class."

"Valada was his muse," Alyssa said softly, her gaze returning to the exquisite statue of a mother and her baby. She studied the gentle curves and imagined coaxing those alluring shapes out of the hard unyielding marble. "I don't think she was born with those talents. I know I wasn't."

Jehanna turned to look at her in surprise. "Really? Could you make something like this?"

Alyssa gave her an enigmatic smile. "I think John got a bit carried away during our first few months together. Anyway, let's keep going, we need to finish exploring this floor."

Helene and Jehanna exchanged a startled glance as Alyssa glided out of the gallery.

"I heard that," she called back playfully over her shoulder.

***

*We've cleared the west wing. There were plenty of lounges, dining rooms, kitchens, and servants quarters... but no Command Centre,* Calara updated her girlfriend with a worried frown. *What if it's hidden deep underground like the bunker under Saelihn Immanthe? We'll need to wait until John gets back before we can investigate, which means wasting another half a day... and there's still no guarantee we'll be able to break in!*

*This palace serves a different purpose than Saelihn Immanthe,* Alyssa replied, her voice calm and soothing. *I think Mael'nerak built that bunker to keep Valada safe when he was no longer there to protect her. The major threat after he was gone would be from a roaming Progenitor. If Rahn'hagon had managed to drive Mael'nerak back to his throne world, there would've been no point hiding in a bunker. We know John's father used a Quantum Annihilator on other Gaia class worlds in Maliri territory, so Kythshara would've been doomed.*

*Yeah, you're right,* the Latina conceded, as she followed the twins back to the Great Hall. *I'm just worried we haven't found anything yet. We're so close to getting our hands on Larn'kelnar's fleets and with those ships we can actually defend the Maliri. If we can't find the Hyper-Warp gate and if Dana can't build an alternative to the Soulforge, its going to be a massacre.*

*I know... everything's hanging in the balance at the moment,* Alyssa agreed, sharing her girlfriend's concerns. *I hate feeling like we've got no chance before we even start the Progenitor War... but we'll find a way to even the odds.*

Tashana walked up to an impressive set of double doors on the east side of the hall and they slid apart as she approached.

"Now this looks very interesting..." she murmured, striding ahead purposefully.

Calara hurried to catch up and followed Irillith through the doors, then looked up in wonder at the impressive room beyond. It was another grand hallway, but this one featured murals along the opposing walls, each one celebrating Mael'nerak's victory over another Progenitor.

"There's scores of them..." Irillith said, her gaze flicking from one side to the other.

"Sixty-two in total!" Tashana called back as she crossed the room, turning in circles to try to take in everything at once.

Calara paused to study a photo-realistic image of a Progenitor dreadnought under ferocious bombardment. As she stared at the immense black warship in fascination, the tiny stone tiles rippled under her gaze and coalesced into another picture, then the dreadnought was being ripped apart by a terrible explosion. The Progenitors brutal death had been graphically immortalised for millennia.

"This is so exciting! I can't believe we're actually here!" Tashana gushed, her eyes sparkling like glittering amethysts.

Irillith glanced at her sister with a puzzled frown. "Why are you so thrilled about these murals when you had nothing but bad things to say about the ones under the pyramid?"

"Those were fake... merely a ruse," the archaeologist explained, holding her hands out as she pirouetted. "But these are authentic! This palace dates back to Mael'nerak's conquest of the Achonin and everything about this feels right! He's building a narrative, flaunting his victories as proof of his power!"

"Wasn't that the point of the last ones as well?" Irillith asked in confusion.

"No, they were just bait for a trap," her sister replied dismissively, as she set off towards the double doors on the far side of the hallway. "I bet I know what's through here!"

"Hey, wait for us!" Calara called out, jogging after the exuberant Maliri.

By the time she caught up with Tashana, the ecstatic archaeologist had reached the imposing set of doors, which dutifully swung open to admit them.

"Mael'nerak's throne room..." Tashana whispered reverently, staring in awe at the regal throne that dominated the majestic chamber. "He ruled over his entire empire from here."

Calara felt a shiver run down her spine as she followed the twins in hushed silence. She knew this palace was at least sixty-thousand years old and for the first time since stepping foot on Kythshara, she could actually feel it. This place felt ancient, like it was carrying the colossal weight of all those years, the pivotal moments of history seeping into its very foundations.

***

"Alyssa, there's someone up ahead!" Jehanna whispered urgently.

Her blonde matriarch was listening intently to Calara and the twins thoughts, so she hadn't been paying as close attention to her surroundings.

*Use telepathy. It's much clearer and faster in combat, and we can't be overheard,* she said to her two companions. Raising her rifle, she moved forward to flank the dusky-hued scout. *Helene, stay back. Show me where, Jehanna.*

*Just over there,* the reporter replied, gesturing to an open doorway on the right. *You see the reflection in the mirror?*

Alyssa's eyes flicked in that direction and she immediately saw the humanoid figure that Jehanna had spotted. It's back was towards them, just visible around what looked like an ornate bed frame that rose up to the ceiling.

*Hold position here and protect Helene,* she ordered, before moving forward at a quick walk.

A flick of her fingers snapped a hex shield into existence and a pair of telekinetic limbs took the Tachyon Rifle from her grasp. Now that her hands were free, Alyssa held them ready to unleash her psychic abilities on any hostile threat. Moving into position by the door, she swung around and prepared to fire, then laughed when she saw what was inside.

*What is it?* Jehanna asked, burning with curiosity.

Alyssa stepped back and gestured inside. "Come and see for yourself. At least we have an answer for why the palace is so spotlessly clean."

Trotting up to join her, Jehanna peeked into the adjoining room, then relaxed when she saw the mop-like device in the figure's hand. The automaton's head had drooped and it appeared to be leaning against a dresser. "It's just a robot maid. Has it been shut down?"

"It sure looks like it. The cleaning bots must have been controlled by the same AI that attacked us with synthetic thralls," Alyssa replied, dismissing her psychic shield. *Sparks, we found a deactivated cleaning bot. If you want to check it out, it's on the first floor, east wing, second corridor on the left, fourth room on the right.*

There was no answer from her friend for a moment, Dana's thoughts a jumbled maelstrom of joy and jubilation. Rachel was in a similar state of euphoria and equally incoherent, leaving Sakura to provide answers as to what had got them so excited. Alyssa's eyes widened when she listened to the Asian girl's thoughts and felt a surge of elation herself.

*We found it! Mael'nerak's lab... it's still intact!*

***

"It looks just like it did in the Nexus files..." Sakura marvelled, cautiously leading the way through the enormous laboratory. "That was forty-thousand years ago and it's still exactly the same."

"We actually found it!" Dana gushed, bouncing up and down in her excitement. She could see workbenches in the distance, as well as walls of intricate tools. "Holy fuck, I can't believe it! This is where Mael'nerak must've built Faye!"

Rachel walked across to the rows of cloning vats and tentatively brushed her fingers across a smoky crystal tube.

"This was the crucible of life for all of Mael'nerak's creations," she whispered, feeling overcome by the sheer magnitude of the events that had transpired in that room... events that had shaped the future of their quadrant of the galaxy. "The Trankarans, the Ashanath, humanity... even the Drakkar... they all originate here."

Her fingers trembled with excitement as she felt a thrill course through her body. She was literally holding the building blocks of creation in her hands and the sense of scientific euphoria was intoxicating.

Dana darted after Sakura, then skidded to a halt as she stared off into the corner of the lab. There was no mistaking the hexagonal indentation on the floor where Nexus had once been located. Unfortunately, that was all that remained of the radically advanced artificial intelligence, which had once threatened to destroy Terra.

"Goddamn it! I was hoping that Mael'nerak might've built a replacement here," she muttered, grimacing in frustration.

"You weren't honestly expecting to find the AI that controlled Kyshara's defences in the palace?" Sakura asked with a puzzled frown. "Surely Mael'nerak would've kept that safely concealed to protect it from being tampered with. It was the lynchpin to his trap after all."

"Well yeah... when you put it like that, of course it's not going to be here," Dana muttered, blushing with embarrassment. "Hey, I wonder if the rest of this kit is still working?"

She turned and strolled over to the banks of inert machinery, studying them in fascination.

*Alyssa, can you ask the twins what the ancient Maliri symbol for a power button is?* the redhead asked, as her gaze flicked over the runic interface. *Nevermind... I'll figure it out.*

The golden halo around her pupils flared and she projected her will towards the ancient equipment. Although the computers were thousands of years old, the architecture was comfortably familiar; Terrans reverse-engineering Nexus had set humanity on a path first forged by Kyth'faren millions of years in the past.

*Sparks...* Alyssa said in warning. *What're you up to?*

Sakura glanced at the redhead in alarm as she reached towards the machinery. "Wait, Dana! John said to be extremely careful about activating anything!"

*Oops...* Dana said with a mischievous grin as she pressed down on one of the runes.

There was a dull rumble followed by an ominous hum, then lights flickered to life on the ancient computers. The glowing illumination spread like wildfire, dancing from machine to machine as devices that had stood inert for an ice age obediently powered up once again. A holo-screen appeared in a cascade of pixels, then another beside it, on and on until the glowing interfaces were floating above almost every machine in the room.

Rachel stepped back from the cloning vats in alarm as they burst into activity, doors sliding open as if in invitation. Once the initial shock wore off, she studied the machines with mounting excitement.

*Alyssa... I need Irillith,* she requested, her grey-eyed gaze lingering on the reams of Maliri text displayed on the nearest holo-screen. *We've got some translating to do...*

***

Tashana bit her lip as she slowly lowered herself onto the ornate high-backed throne. "Oh my goodness... I can't believe I'm sitting on Mael'nerak's throne!"

Irillith performed a sweeping bow. "I humbly request an audience, Tash'ana the Terrible."

Her sister laughed, and dismissed her with an imperious wave. "Begone thrall. I'm far too busy and important."

"I wonder if Mael'nerak granted audiences to the leaders of the Ashanath and Trankarans from here?" Calara mused, watching the twins having fun together.

Tashana shook her head. "From everything we've learned about Mael'nerak from those species, I think he saw them more as blindly obedient servants than distinct nations."

Irillith walked up the steps that led to the plinth, her sharp-eyed gaze fixed on the throne. "Jump off a second please, Shan."

"Okay," she reluctantly agreed and moved out of the way.

"Keep watch in case this triggers a trap," Irillith warned her companions, then leaned in to press a barely-visible rune on the side of the armrest.

A holo-interface flickered into view, soft light illuminating the regal throne. The Maliri hacker slipped into the seat and studied it carefully, then her nimble fingers danced over the runic interface, activating intriguing new functionality. One holo-screen became a bank of eighteen, then each panel in the three-by-six array began to display a host of new information.

"You really could run an empire from here," Calara marvelled, standing beside the throne and studying all the screens with great interest. "Can you find any maps of Mael'nerak's territory?"

"Sure... just give me a moment," Irillith said, opening up a new submenu and activating several new icons. "Hold on... thousands of records have been archived here. Would you like to see a selection from the oldest?"

Calara nodded. "Definitely."

The Maliri text vanished from all the screens and one by one, the holographic panels began to show stellar maps. Each star was depicted in its real colour and a stylised view showed all the planets in orbit within that system.

"What are those highlighted areas?" Calara murmured, entranced by the view.

Irillith tapped another icon and a single star was circled on every map. "That's Kythshara."

She tapped another and the highlighted area around the star shifted to a deep blue. "This is Mael'nerak's territory."

The selection of images showed the number of stars enveloped by the blue aura increasing rapidly as the Maliri expanded their control over the surrounding systems.

"Is that the Unclaimed Wastes?" Calara asked in a hushed voice, pointing to an area near the bottom left of the map. "Those stars are teeming with habitable planets."

Irillith pressed another icon and a massive swathe of territory was re-painted a familiar earthy tan, the colour an exact match with the Achonin refinery's ancient hull. "The Achonin Empire... and all the star systems under their control."

They all watched in subdued silence as the procession of maps showcased the downfall of the alien empire. Mael'nerak's territory expanded until it reached the Achonin, then the blanket of blue seemed to recoil, pulling back from dozens of adjacent systems. The next time it crept forward, areas held by the Achonin seemed to gutter out and die, the inhabitable planets in orbit going dark.

"And just like that, they're gone," Tashana said, her tone bleak. "Billions of Achonin snuffed out of existence, their entire species driven to extinction."

"That was horrifying," Calara said with an involuntary shudder. She glanced over to the right, then pursed her lips speculatively. "Is there any mention of the Kirrix?"

Irillith started trawling through the various filters available, then nodded in confirmation and pressed several icons. The maps expanded outwards and right on the periphery, they could see an ochre-hued cluster containing hundreds of star systems. As Mael'nerak engaged the Achonin, the Kirrix were also driven back from the inexorable tide of blue. The amount of territory lost was staggering and the trio could only imagine the death toll the Kirrix had suffered.

"The Progenitor Beast strikes," Irillith said, raising an eyebrow. "It's no wonder the Kirrix are so terrified of John and Alyssa."

"Can you show me maps from the War of the Heavens?" Calara requested.

"Let me just search for the relevant data," the Maliri murmured, staring intently at the index of archived records.

While she was studying the files, Tashana leaned over and tapped another icon on the runic interface.

"What's does all that represent?" Calara asked, staring at the maps in fascination as sweeping lines connected the star systems under Mael'nerak's control.

Above the lines were tabulated data, with long lists written in elegant Maliri script.

"The filter said logistics overview," Tashana explained, pointing at the planet orbiting a star where they currently stood. "That's Kythshara... and most of the ore generated by the empire is being ferried back here."

"For the Soulforge!" Calara remarked, her eyes widening with excitement.

"Let's just see what happens when we apply that filter to the new maps," the Maliri said, turning to wink at the Latina.

"And we can track down exactly where Mael'nerak moved his Soulforge," Calara concluded, breaking into a grin. "That's very clever, Tashana, well done!"

Tashana smiled at her friend's effusive praise. "Thank you."

"Alright, I've selected a range of maps taken from the last entries," Irillith said, glancing up at the holo-screens as the new images appeared.

On the leftmost image, everything in sight was now coloured blue. It was like a surging ocean had drowned everything in sight, leaving only a tiny strip of sandy beach.

"So this was Maliri territory at the peak of Mael'nerak's power," Calara said, her eyes flicking to the ochre-hued cluster of stars far away on the right. "This confirms what the Kirrix told us. He annihilated their empire, but didn't bother to finish them off. Can you zoom out any further? I'd like to include the star systems owned by the Vulkat."

Irillith scrolled through hundreds of filters, then broke into a smile. "It looks like he knew they were there."

When she activated the filter, the expanse of stars that was now known as the Desolation of the Vulkat was highlighted. Their territory was set back from the edge of Maliri Space, the area where the Brimorian Enclave lurked an effective buffer between them.

"But he left them alone," Tashana observed, looking thoughtful. "I wonder if he spared them because he'd had a change of heart?"

"Can you apply the logistics filter please?" Calara requested, barely able to contain her excitement.

Irillith nodded and the spidery web reappeared, but this time, its epicentre had shifted far from Kythshara.

"Wait... isn't that Trankaran territory?" the brunette asked with a worried frown.

Tashana nodded, her expression turning sombre. "He must have moved the Soulforge to the source of all his ore. Trankaran does mean Miner in ancient Maliri."

"Oh no..." Irillith said, her face a picture of dismay. "Look over there!"

They quickly shifted their attention to one of the maps near the end of the war, which showed a scarlet wedge driven deep into Mael'nerak's territory. The interlopers had driven back the Kirrix even further, but Rahn'hagons rampage had also demolished almost the entirety of the Trankaran worlds... including the new location of the Soulforge. Every planet in that star system had been completely obliterated.

Calara gasped, her heart sinking. "Rahn'hagon blew it to pieces!"

"No wonder Mael'nerak was forced to sacrifice himself to stop the war," Irillith said, her expression bleak. "The Maliri were doomed at that point. It was only a matter of time before they'd be worn down by attrition."

Calara staggered backwards, then sat down unsteadily on the top step.

Tashana knelt beside her. "Are you okay?"

"After all that speculation about Mael'nerak upgrading his Soulforge, I really started to believe..." she said glumly. "Now all we can do is pray that Dana can come up with her own solution."

The Maliri leaned in to give her a supportive hug. "I'm so sorry. I can't imagine how much pressure you're under trying to plan for this war."

"I'll be alright. This was just... very disappointing," Calara said, resting her head on Tashana's shoulder.

Irillith was quiet as the two embraced, leaving her sister to console the forlorn Tactical Officer.

After a couple of minutes, she leaned over and tapped Calara on the shoulder. "Would you like some good news to cheer you up?"

The Latina nodded and accepted Tashana's hand to stand up. "Definitely. What is it?"

"Mael'nerak's Hyper-Warp Gate," the Maliri replied, directing her attention to the solitary map of a very familiar nebula. "It's right here, in the Mists of Loralar. The Gate's been cloaked, but I found it's precise location, the access codes to activate it... everything."

"Fuck yeah!" Calara crowed, then she leaned over and gave her a fierce kiss. "You're totally awesome!"

Tashana giggled at her sister's startled expression, then a warm smile spread across Irillith's face when she saw how tremendously relieved Calara was.

*That's not good news, it's fantastic news!* Alyssa gushed, sounding as relieved as her girlfriend. *Now head back to the Grand Hall. We've got a hell of a lot of work to do and only 17 hours until John returns. We need to get everything done before then, so we can leave immediately... Larn'kelnar's fleets aren't going to loot themselves!*

Calara and the twins all laughed, their eyes lighting up with anticipation. The trio bounded down the steps to the throne, then they jogged back to their waiting matriarch.

***

Edraele glided through the golden halls of Genthalas, a security detachment clearing their path to the docking bay. Beside her, Luna fidgeted with excitement, her usual unflappable composure nowhere to be seen. The Maliri Queen did her best to suppress a playful smile, knowing exactly why her bodyguard had been reduced to a bundle of nerves. Unfortunately, the temptation to tease her proved too hard to resist.

*Calm yourself, Luna,* she purred, glancing at her lover.

*I'm trying...* Luna said plaintively, biting her lower lip.

*I know how difficult it is when you miss him this much,* Edraele said, her tone sympathetic and understanding. *But in just a few minutes you'll be in bed together, with John deep inside you... and an endless night of ecstasy awaits.*

The perfectly poised assassin darted a shocked glance at her girlfriend, the momentary distraction causing Luna to trip over her own feet. She stumbled and quickly righted herself, then blushed furiously when the guards glanced at her in surprise.

*Edraele!* she hissed in protest.

*I'm sorry, my love,* the Maliri Queen said earnestly. *Please forgive me for tormenting you. I promise I'll make it up to you later tonight.*

Luna stifled a laugh, but she couldn't help breaking into a grin. *Alright, you're forgiven. I'm so excited to see him, I can barely contain myself!*

*I know exactly how you feel,* Edraele agreed, although she had another reason to be thankful to see John.

His recent excursion to Kythshara had been pure torture, with John and the girls getting into one deadly predicament after another. Being cut off from him when he was ambushed by the massive robotic centaur had left Edraele's heart pounding in her chest, terrified that something dreadful might have happened to him.

Lost in her own troubled thoughts, Edraele suddenly felt Luna slip a hand into her own and interlace their fingers together. When she glanced at the assassin, Luna was looking back with sympathy in her yellow-eyed gaze.

*Thank you,* Edraele said gratefully.

Luna gave her fingers a comforting squeeze before slowly releasing her hand. They walked together in silence the rest of the way, but both Maliri were now feeling more collected. The door to the docking bay spiralled open, revealing a solitary golden-hulled vessel parked inside. There was a pair of Maliri officers gathered outside the shuttle, who were watching as a floating gurney was carefully guided out of the spacecraft.

"Good evening, Fleet Commander Nymaleth," Edraele said politely to the House Ghilwen officer. "It's nice to meet you in person, Fleet Commander Aemira."

Nymaleth was a long-serving officer, who had been Fleet Commander for Aradrea Ghilwen before the elder matriarch was replaced by her daughter. Her hair was snowy white, but still short, having only met John briefly on the Encaren Valar.

She bowed respectfully and replied, "Good evening to you, Queen Edraele."

Aemira was brand new to the role and this was her first official visit to Genthalas. The recently promoted commander of the House Waephyra fleets turning to face her monarch, then gaped at Edraele's luxurious mane in fascination. Suddenly realising that she was staring open-mouthed at the most feared matriarch in the entire Protectorate, Aemira turned a pale blue, her eyes widening in consternation.

"Don't be alarmed. I took no offence, Aemira," the Maliri Queen said with an indulgent smile.

Before the House Waephyra officer could muster an apology, a sleek black shuttle glided into the hanger, appearing as if from nowhere. With its lustreless hull it seemed to just loom out of the blackness of space, the sinister vessel triggering an instinctive feeling of disquiet in the unsettled Maliri. The shuttle barely made a whisper as it touched down, then the door opened, and it was like a bright ray of sunshine had banished the darkness.

"Baen'thelas..." Nymaleth whispered under her breath, gazing at him in awe.

Aemira wasn't able to speak, she just whimpered with ardent desire.

"Edraele! Luna!" John exclaimed with a broad grin, striding over to pull the beaming Maliri into his arms. "I wasn't expecting you to meet me in the hangar."

He gave them both a kiss, leaving Edraele glowing, while Luna tried her best not to seem flustered.

"Welcome home, John," Edraele said, raising his left hand to her lips. "You seem quite determined to drive me out of my mind with worry."

John cupped her cheek and stroked it with his newly regenerated thumb. "The mission to Kythshara was one disaster after another. I'm really sorry I upset you, Edraele."

"You're safe now and that's all that matters," she said earnestly.

"Hello Edraele, hi Luna!" Jade said brightly as she walked over to join them.

Jade's breasts looked enormous, swollen a dozen cup sizes beyond any woman present. If Edraele hadn't overheard the Nymph making love to John for the tail-end of their flight, she would have still been in no doubt what the verdant girl had been up to with her master. She gave the Maliri a glorious smile as they returned her cheerful greeting.

"It's great to see you again, Nymaleth," John said, acknowledging the Fleet Commander with a respectful nod. "You too, Aemira."

They did their best to form a courteous reply, but they were too starstruck by his presence.

He stepped much closer to them both and gently took their hands. "I'm very grateful to you both for the way you handled the situation with Vestele Waephyra. As Fleet Commanders to your respective Houses, I'd be honoured to get to know you better... but unfortunately this is only a brief visit to Genthalas. Would you like to spend an evening together when we have the time?"

Nymaleth and Aemira both nodded enthusiastically, not trusting themselves to speak.

"Wonderful. I'll look forward to it," he said with a warm smile. Glancing to his right, John continued, "Now, can anyone give me a quick summary of Vestele's injuries?"

The swooning medic by her gurney cleared her throat and managed to respond to his request. "Matriarch Waephyra was too severely injured to be immersed in cryo-stasis and would not have survived the process. She suffered massive blood loss from multiple gunshots to her back. The laser burns cauterised the external wounds, but she bled internally from a collapsed lung and ruptured spleen. I managed to stabilise her injuries and completed a transfusion, but she's still extremely weak and her blood pressure is falling."

"It sounds like you did an excellent job," John said, giving her an approving smile. "You kept Vestele alive... that was the main thing."

"Ah... Lord Baen'thelas," the medic faltered. "There is something else you should know. It took several minutes for me to reach the matriarch and by the time I arrived, her heart had stopped beating. I was able to restart it... but the blood loss was so severe, by the time I had completed the surgery and the transfusion, her heart stopped three more times. I fear that her injuries might have caused permanent damage to her brain."

"Thanks for letting me know," he said gratefully, before darting a glance at Jade.

The Nymph stepped closer and gently slipped two fingers between the comatose matriarch's lips. Several things then happened at once, all of which shocked the onlookers except Edraele and Luna. Jade's breasts began to shrink, while Vestele's stomach expanded at the same rate. As soon as John felt the connection being re-established with the mortally wounded matriarch, his eyes started to glow an enchanting blue and he began to heal her horrific wounds.

Edraele took note of his bleak expression and stood close beside him. *How badly brain damaged is she?*

*It's bad,* he replied grimly. *She suffered massive damage to multiple areas. Her frontal lobe, temporal lobe, and occipital lobe were all starved of oxygen for at least ten minutes.*

*Can you heal her?*

*Yes... but I'm not sure how much of Vestele will be left. Twenty percent maybe?*

*Would it be easier to simply start afresh and rebuild her mind completely like you did with me?* Edraele asked, turning to face him and looking in his eyes.

John hesitated for a long moment before replying. *Even if we ignore the morality of just wiping her mind, it's not quite as simple as that. You still retained all your old memories... it was only your personality that was erased. Vestele will have lost some of her memories but not all of them... so even if I gave her a completely new personality, her memory of events could be horribly fragmented. If I wipe out everything, then she'll be left with a gaping hole in her mind... and I can't just create false memories out of nothing.*

She considered their options, then said decisively, *If you're quite certain that Vestele effectively died of her injuries, then rebuild her personality from a fresh slate. There's no point trying to guide her to redemption like we are with Emandra Holaris, if her mind is so crippled she can't understand what's happening, let alone atone for her crimes. As for the gaps in her memories... I'll take Vestele under my wing and help her through the recovery process. If it turns out that her memory is too shattered to be salvageable, we can discuss other solutions. Does that sound reasonable?*

He nodded, then turned to the medic. "I'm healing Vestele's wounds, but I don't know how severe the mental trauma will be when she awakes. Please could you accompany her to the nearest medical facility and monitor her condition for me? She should sleep for the next several hours, but if she wakes up, inform Edraele and try to keep her calm."

The medic couldn't help looking sceptical at the idea of the mortally wounded matriarch waking up, but she nodded obediently. "I will do so, Lord Baen'thelas."

"Thank you."

As John turned back to Edraele, Jade's five sisters emerged from the shuttle and walked over to join them.

Edraele smiled at the catgirls and said, "I heard that you were visiting us too. Would you like to join the Young Matriarchs this evening? They were all thrilled when I told them you'd be arriving with John."

Neysa stepped forward and nodded eagerly. "We'd all love to accompany John's mates. Thank you so much!"

The Maliri Queen gestured to her armed escort and five of them stepped forward. "These ladies are the Young Matriarchs' personal bodyguards. They'll guide you to their quarters."

The Nymphs looked overjoyed as they bounded after the former assassins, each of them elated to spend the night with one of the women carrying their master's unborn children.

"That was very thoughtful, Edraele," Jade said, coming forward to hug her fellow matriarch. "You couldn't have given them a more treasured gift."

"I like to think I've learned a few things about your species after listening to John all this time," Edraele replied, before leaning closer and gently nuzzling her cheek. *Will you join us tonight, sexy little Nymph?*

She giggled and nodded, flashing a lustful grin at John. *I'm glad you got lots of rest, Master. I have a feeling you're going to need plenty of energy.*

He slipped his arms around Edraele's and Luna's waists. "I'm going to need a bit of recovery time. Can you think of something exciting I can watch to keep me entertained until then?"

Jade grinned as the two horny Maliri practically dragged him towards the exit, and she followed after them with an extra spring in her step.

***

Lucyna Novitsky listened with wary interest as Stefan Vaughn addressed the assembled Governors. He'd built up a head of steam as he spoke with open animosity about the Terran Federation, daring to utter words that would be very dangerous if overheard by the wrong people.

"I know you all have your own personal grievances towards High Command after the way you've been treated over the years," Stefan said, looking around at his captivated audience. "I was just like you only a few months ago. I was angry that we've suffered decades of neglect in the Outer Rim, while the Admiralty focused all their resources and attention on their beloved Core Worlds. I was tearing my hair out with frustration as urgent requests to Colonial Administration were constantly delayed or ignored."

This prompted a lot of angry muttering, with disgruntled Governors nodding their agreement.

"But believe me when I tell you, nothing prepared me for how much I hate those bastards in High Command now! I had to watch helplessly as good friends... people I've known and loved all my life, were raped and killed by those hellspawned Kirrix!"

The room went quiet, sympathetic eyes flicking to the handful of seated Governors whose colonies had been besieged and ravaged by the alien invaders.

"How do you console a heartbroken mother, when you have to tell her that her little girl and baby boy have been chopped up... and fucking eaten!" He choked and brushed a hand across his face, wiping away his angry tears. "And those fuckers in the Admiralty sat back and let it happen! They withdrew all the border fleets to protect Terra and never gave a shit about any of us!"

There was silence amongst the governors as they listened to his furious speech, their expressions a mixture of sympathy, anger, and fear.

"Make no mistake, you would've been next," Stefan declared, making eye contact with the members of his audience. "High Command would've sacrificed all of us without a second thought, if it meant protecting the Core Worlds from attack. They just see us as disposable assets; worlds they can strip bare of resources and give the absolute minimum back. We will never be their priority... and the situation just got a whole lot worse."

"Worse? How?!" Reyes Angevin asked in alarm.

"You must have seen the news," Stefan replied. "The Kintark Empire surrendered and High Command has just acquired over 300 more worlds. So where do you think that leaves us?"

"Right at the bottom of the shitheap," the Menganus IV Governor muttered with resentment.

"Exactly!" Stefan declared adamantly. "There's no future for any of us staying under Terran Federation control. The only way forward is to declare our independence and start looking after our own interests, instead of supporting the greedy leeches in the Core Worlds. With all of us pulling together, we've got access to enough mineral resources, manufacturing capabilities, and agri-worlds to support a massive colony rush of citizens looking to escape the Federation's tyranny."

"You really think people will give up their cushy lives in the Core Worlds to live out on the frontier?" Lucyna asked sceptically.

"Sure they will!" Stefan said enthusiastically. Turning to Anastasia Volkov, he asked, "How much is Colony Administration charging Lithotanian citizens for Federation protection?"

"The basic rate of tax used to be 12%, but in the last five years they've increased it to 20%!" she seethed, her eyes hardening with resentment. "Then they leave my administration to deal with all the protests and the riots, when the taxes we collect are only being used for infrastructure improvements and planetary services!"

"What would you say if I offered to scrap the tax entirely?" he said enticingly.

She gave him a sceptical look. "My citizens would call you a hero and build statues in your honour... until they're abducted by the Kirrix and die cursing your name. I'm willing to listen to a serious proposal Mr. Vaughn, but I won't sit here and waste my time indulging absurd fantasies. Protecting our colonies from hostile aliens is a fundamental responsibility of any colonial government; paying taxes for military protection is an unfortunate but undeniable necessity."

"Believe me, I know all too well the consequences of leaving colonies inadequately defended," he said, nodding in agreement. "But I promise you, I'd never let that happen. Hell, Brecken's World is right on the Kirrix border... we'd be the first to fall if our borders weren't secure."

"So how are you proposing to keep us safe?" she asked, looking intrigued.

"That's a very good question," he replied, leaning over to activate the holo-projector built into the conference table.

A three-dimensional map of the Terran Federation appeared, rotating slowly in the centre of the room. On the map were depicted the bordering alien civilisations, with different colours highlighting their territory.

"I'm sure all of you have been following recent galactic developments as closely as I have," he said, looking around at his attentive audience. "High Command might like to keep its planetary governors in the dark, but that doesn't mean we have to sit there with our eyes shut too. I don't know how the rest of you operate, but I've got a few dedicated citizens serving in the military who remember where their true loyalties lie... back home with their families."

He tapped a button on the interface and the Ashanath Collective began to flash. "The Greys have never been a threat to us and there's no reason to believe they ever will be in the future. The only danger from this side of the galaxy is the Drakkar, but they just threw everything they've got at the Grey's homeworld and got wiped out. We won't have to worry about raiders for years."

"How can you be so sure?" the governor from Asrad Delta asked with a puzzled frown.

"I can't reveal my sources, but this comes right from the top," Stefan replied. "The Lion was involved in the battle. He informed High Command about it personally and Blake's got no reason to lie."

Next he highlighted the Trankaran Republic, which spread out below the colonies located in the Outer Rim.

"The Trankarans have always wanted more trade with us, but we've been locked into dealing with the merchant guilds in the Core Worlds. By cutting out the greedy middle-man and massively ramping up trade, we'll make far more in commercial taxes than we ever would from direct taxation on citizens. Best of all, they won't even notice the tax hike, because the price of goods won't increase! The rockmen have just fought off a Kirrix invasion themselves, so they'll be desperate for allies. This is the perfect time to reach out to them and offer them the hand of friendship."

"But we won't be able to offer them a military alliance when we've got no military," Anastasia said, looking at the Trankaran Republic speculatively.

"And why haven't we got a military? We've been paying through the nose for it!" Stefan snarled, thumping the table with his fist. "When the time is right, we'll take what we're owed!"

Bryce gave him a wry smile. "I could be wrong about this, but I doubt High Command will just hand over several fleets."

"Yeah, but how many ships are manned by men and women who grew up on the Outer Rim? Who sympathise with us and would want to fight for their own kin? When we declare our independence, they'll want to come home... and bring their ships with them."

"That sounds like an awfully big gamble and nothing we can really rely on," Anastasia said, shaking her head. "Please tell me you have some evidence to support this."

"He's right," Andros Petrides interjected, his voice firm with conviction. "Many of the ships based at Port Heracles are crewed by local personnel. They requested those postings to make visiting family on shore leave more convenient. I've had some very frank conversations with a number of ship captains that are very sympathetic to our cause. You'd be surprised at the level of resentment within the military towards High Command."

Stefan tapped another button on the interface and the Brimorian Enclave began to flash. "I'm sure you've all seen the TFNN broadcasts about escalating tensions with the Brimorians. With the Terran Federation getting into a territory war with the Enclave, neither side will be looking for trouble with us. In fact, the Brimorians might even offer us some support, if we can convince them that our independence would weaken the Terran Federation."

The next click highlighted the Maliri Regency which loomed over the empires below. "Admiral Blake is friends with the Maliri and even convinced them to intervene at the Battle of Terra. We've had confirmation from the Lionesses that he sympathises with us, so I'm sure we won't have any trouble establishing extensive trade agreements with the Maliri."

"Hold up. How do you know that?" Reyes Angevin asked, looking deeply sceptical.

"Fleet Admiral Devereux announced it herself in a TFNN interview," Stefan explained, before looking at the man with sympathy. "The broadcast went out around the time you were captured by the Kirrix."

Blushing with embarrassment, he muttered, "Oh... right."

"Which just leaves the only real threat..." A final click highlighted Kirrix Space. Pointing towards the border, he continued, "This is where we'll need the bulk of our forces... but we've got plenty of time to prepare our defences."

"How can you be so sure?" Anastasia asked, staring fearfully at the source of the alien menace.

Rather than directly answering her question, he turned to the new governor of Carolus III. "Dominic, would you tell us what happened when the Kirrix attacked your homeworld?"

Dominic MacMillan was the newest governor in attendance. He had recently replaced Governor Cochran, who committed suicide rather than deal with the survivor's guilt he suffered in the aftermath of the Kirrix invasion.

Clearing his throat, he began, "I was in one of the last groups that was captured by the Kirrix. They didn't find us for days after the planet was invaded because we hid in a bunker under the capitol building..." His voice faded and he looked down shamefaced.

"We all would've done the same thing," Stefan said gruffly. "Go on."

With a sigh of regret, Dominic renewed his story. "The Bugs lined us up... made us form a queue to board their hive ships. We all knew what was going to happen to us after we were forced inside. I've never been so scared... it was terrifying..."

Lucyna swallowed, feeling a cold sweat on her brow. Just hearing the story triggered awful memories that she never wanted to remember again. Bryce reached over and clasped her hand, giving it a supportive squeeze. She gripped his tight in return and gave him a grateful smile.

"Then out of nowhere the Lionesses arrived," Dominic said, his face filled with wonder. "The hive ship just... exploded... and all these pieces of metal shredded the bugs. I've never seen anything like it, the Kirrix were torn to pieces! There was blood everywhere... and bits of them just showered the ground like confetti..."

Shaking his head in disbelief, he continued, "We were keeping our heads down, trying not to get hit, but I swear... not one of us got so much as a scratch." He paused for a moment, lost in the memories, then blinked as he focused on the spellbound audience. "Anyway, the Bugs were gone. Every last one had been ripped apart... and not just at the ship where I was captured, but everywhere on Carolus III. The Lion and the Lionesses killed everything... I mean, they made sure every last one of those insectoid bastards was never going to fuck with anyone ever again!"

Stefan gave him a grateful nod, then said quietly, "None of the Kirrix that attacked Brecken's World survived either. When I was rescued, Blake and his crew wiped them out... and I've heard the same thing has been happening with all the worlds the Lion liberated. The Bugs have lost hundreds of ships and millions of troops; it's going to take them decades to recover from those kinds of losses."

"I believe you about everything you saw happen," Anastasia said cautiously. "But how do we know that the Kirrix aren't planning another invasion? They could have more ships in reserve... and attack us when we're vulnerable and undefended."

"No, they won't," Lucyna blurted out. "They're too busy fightin' a civil war."

"A civil war?" the Lithotania Governor repeated, doubt in her eyes. "How do you know that?"

"The Lionesses told me," Lucyna explained. "Alyssa caused it. She told the Kirrix that if they didn't bring back all the colonists they took, the Lion would blow up their homeworld."

Anastasia looked at her with sympathy. "Luce... they were probably just exaggerating to make you feel better."

"No, they were tellin' me the truth!" she declared adamantly. "If you'd ever met them, you'd know what they're like. They wouldn't lie to me, not about this. If they say that blonde angel terrified the Kirrix so bad they started killin' each other, I believe every word. Hell, I saw Bug troops blast one of them Hive Lords with my own eyes! Then they dragged us onto their ship and rushed us back home! After tossing us out like yesterday's garbage, they high-tailed it the fuck outta there!"

Reyes Angevin coughed awkwardly to get everyone's attention. "I saw the Lion in action... and he can do shit you wouldn't even believe. If the Lionesses told Luce that they made the Bugs fight a civil war... I don't have a shadow of a doubt that it's true."

Stefan looked at Lucyna with concern, seeing how much her outburst had taken out of the flustered woman. "Do you need to take a break?"

Before she could reply, the doors to the conference room crashed open and a man wearing a technician's uniform burst inside. Everyone jumped in shock at the loud bang, twisting around to see who it was. Governor Vaughn was about to rebuke the technician for disturbing such a critical meeting, but the look of terror in the man's eyes made him freeze.

"A Federation fleet just jumped in!" he gasped, panting for breath. "They know you're all here!"

"What?!" Stefan blurted out as he leapt up from his chair, sending it toppling over with a crash. "It must be a coincidence... there's no way they could react that fast!"

The man frantically shook his head. "The Fleet Admiral's with them. She's hailing us!"

"Oh my god! We've got to get out of here!" the governor from Ciracrus II blurted out, his eyes wide with fear.

He bolted for the door, and as panic set in, the rest of the standing governors started to flee too.

"STOP!" Stefan yelled at the top of his voice.

His outburst caused the skittish crowd to turn back and look at him in surprise.

"What the fuck are you doing?" he asked them incredulously. "You can't just run away!"

"I only came here to listen to what you had to say, not get shot for treason!" Munir exclaimed, edging towards the door.

Stefan shook his head. "Just stop and think for a second. Devereux jumped in with a T-Fed fleet; if you get in your freighter and try to flee the system, they'll interdict you before you even reach the jump point. You can't outrun them."

"Oh god..." Munir whimpered, burying his face in his hands. "What're we going to do?!"

"First of all, just calm down," Stefan said, taking a deep breath then letting it out slowly as an example. He held his arms open and declared, "Now, why would we need to run? Nobody's done anything wrong. All of you are just visiting Brecken's World as a show of support for the relief effort."

"They're not stupid, Stefan," Bryce said, not looking convinced. "There's no way Devereux will buy that. She must know exactly why we're all here."

"Oh, I'm sure she does," he agreed. "But what's she going to do? We haven't done shit. There's been no civil insurrection, no fighting, no rebellion against High Command. If she even tried to have us arrested, all our colonies would go berserk... and you can bet that would trigger unrest right across the Federation."

"So how do we play this?" Anastasia asked, looking at him expectantly.

"We're going to be polite and friendly. If we don't provoke Devereux in any way, there's nothing she can do to us." Stefan straightened his ruffled suit and composed himself. "Now, I'm going to go speak to her and find out what's she's doing here. The rest of you just relax... we're going to be fine."

The governors parted for him as he walked out of the room, every set of eyes following their host.

Lucyna leaned over to Bryce and whispered, "Was it just me, or did he sound like he was tryin' to convince himself?"

The Tasmaris Prime Governor nodded grimly. "What do you think? Is he right about Devereux's hands being tied?"

"I dunno," she admitted with a worried frown. "But if he's wrong, we're all in deep shit."

***

The sun had just set on the capital of Brecken's World, but the sky was still partially illuminated, the dim twilight adding a mystical air to Valley Falls. Unlike the harsh neons and glaring streetlights of an Outer Rim world like Nobruna, twinkling lanterns hung from every tree, casting a cheery glow over the rustic town. The soft lighting was simple but effective, making the inhabitants feel like they were living in an enchanted glen.

The crowd gathered in the starport were far too distracted to appreciate the natural beauty of their surroundings. Their attention was focused on the two massive warships that were slowly descending from the heavens. Spotlights shone along the hulls of both Terran Federation vessels, revealing the name of the battleship to be the Aphrodite, and the assault carrier accompanying it to be the Zelus.

Retro-thrusters blazed beneath both spacecraft, arresting their descent, and leaving them looming ominously over the city. Docking bay doors slid open in their grey titanium hulls, and a cluster of much smaller ships emerged, then banked down towards the starport. The shuttle from the Aphrodite took the lead, but it was quickly overtaken by a wing of six gunships from the Zelus.

The black gunships arrived first, the wing of transports splitting up and dispersing around the starport. Two actually swooped down to hover a few feet above the central landing pad, then loading ramps descended and armoured soldiers leapt clear and fanned out. Their sudden appearance immediately unsettled the governors, but the special forces troops made no threatening moves towards the civilians as they took up defensive positions.

Last to arrive was the shuttle, and it glided down to a gentle landing in the centre of the docking bay. The airlock spiralled open and a woman wearing the distinctive uniform of the Fleet Admiral of the Terran Federation stepped outside. Compared to the dazzling magnificence of the Lionesses, Lynette Devereux was a rather plain and dowdy woman, her brown hair streaked with grey. Nevertheless, everyone present in the starport was painfully aware that she was also the uncontested leader of billions of Terrans, and wielded immense political power.

Lynette's eyes widened in astonishment at the size of the crowd, but she quickly recovered before most of the governors noticed. Stefan Vaughn saw her reaction though, and he smiled with newfound confidence, feeling emboldened that the Fleet Admiral was shocked at the sheer number of governors present. Ignoring the fact that his distinguished guest could still have them all shot as traitors, Stefan stepped forward and greeted her with a cordial bow.

"Good evening, Fleet Admiral," he said confidently. "It's a great pleasure to welcome you to Brecken's World."

"Good evening to you too, Governor Vaughn, I'm very glad to be here," Devereux replied, her voice surprisingly warm and engaging. "Although, it's unfortunate that we start this meeting with you being less than truthful with me."

"W-what?" Stefan stammered, the tables turning as he was caught completely off-guard by her accusation.

She shook her head and replied, "I'm quite sure that you are definitely not pleased to see me, or anyone else from High Command for that matter... and with very good reason."

He recovered quickly and blurted out, "A visit by the Fleet Admiral to our colony is a great honour."

Instead of dignifying his evasion with a reply, she turned to survey the nervous crowd, immediately recognising the governors present. "I noticed how busy your starport is at the moment, Governor Vaughn. I brought emergency supplies with my fleet, but it appears that your neighbours have already rallied to your aid."

Stefan cleared his throat awkwardly and glanced back at the rest of the governors. "Yes... they're all here in a show of solidarity to support the relief effort."

Devereux raised an eyebrow, her look of disappointment making everyone feel like they'd just been scolded like naughty children. "That's very commendable."

There was an awkward silence, then Stefan gestured behind him to the exit. "Would you like to accompany me to the Colonial Administration building, Fleet Admiral? I assume you'd like to take control of the facility during your state visit to Brecken's World?"

She waved him away. "That's very generous, but it won't be necessary. I want my presence on this colony to be as unobtrusive as possible, especially while all of you are busy coordinating the relief effort. If I can beg your indulgence, I would like to say a few words to you and your colleagues."

"You don't need my permission, Fleet Admiral," Stefan replied, managing to keep any resentment from his voice. "You can say whatever you want to us."

"Thank you," she said politely, before looking around at her anxious audience. "It's already late, so I'll keep this short. I'd like to speak with all of you at length tomorrow and we can discuss any grievances that you currently have with High Command. I know that the colonies in the Outer Rim have many legitimate complaints about the way you've been treated in the past... but I'm here to assure you that the future will be very different."

She paused for effect, then said firmly, "I am not my predecessor. Fleet Admiral Vincent Buckingham was a crazed psychopath, who was working towards his own personal agenda when he betrayed your colonies. The order to recall the fleets from the Kirrix border came directly from him, and was not discussed with members of High Command. Buckingham bears full responsibility for the appalling decision to leaving your colonies exposed to alien invasion."

That declaration prompted sullen mutterings from the crowd, but nobody spoke loud enough to be heard.

Lynette looked at the governors expectantly. "If you have something to say, I want to hear it... that's why I'm here. You may speak freely without fear of repercussions, you have my word on that."

"Why didn't the Admiralty stop Buckingham when they realised he was crazy?!" someone blurted out in the back of the crowd.

"High Command didn't realise until it was far too late," Lynette said with sincere regret.

That prompted more sceptical mutterings, but she pressed on, determined to set the record straight.

"Buckingham imposed a comms blackout to prevent panic spreading at the news of the Kintark invasion," she continued, clenching her jaw in anger. "Nobody was aware of what that reckless fool had done until the invasion armada was only days away from Terra. When I found out, I immediately tried to contact the Lion and warn him what was happening. I was prevented from sending the message, accused of treason by Buckingham, then shot by his troops."

She looked at them with sympathy and said, "I wish with all my heart that I'd been successful. If I'd only managed to get in contact with the Lion, maybe he could've reached you just a few days earlier... enough to spare some of your people from the horrors they endured. I'm so sorry... I did everything I could... but after I was shot, I spent a week in a coma. By the time I was rescued, the Battle of Terra was over, Buckingham was dead, and the Kirrix had invaded."

Everyone could see that she was telling the truth, the Fleet Admiral's earnest delivery leaving no doubt in their minds.

Lynette let out a heavy sigh. "As much as I wish I could change the past, we can only make choices that will affect the future. That's why I'm here with you now... to discuss your future... and convince you that the best course of action for the colonies you represent, is to trust in the Terran Federation. I'm very different from the Fleet Admirals that have come before me, and I hope that if you give me a chance, maybe I can convince you to trust me too."

The governors were stunned by her declaration, with even Stefan Vaughn looking unsettled by her impassioned plea.

"I'll bid you farewell for this evening and return to my ship. You have nothing to fear from the Aphrodite or the troops accompanying me; they are only here for my personal protection and not intended to scare or intimidate you. I would have come alone to prove my sincerity, but that would've given my security officers a stroke, and they're only trying to do their job," Lynette concluded with a wry smile. "Have a pleasant evening. I shall see all of you tomorrow."

She inclined her head respectfully to the audience, before turning on her heel and striding back to the shuttle. The governors watched her leave in shocked silence, the group remaining mute as the Fleet Admiral and her entourage withdrew from Brecken's World for the night.

Bryce turned towards Lucyna and whispered, "Well that didn't go as I expected! Devereux actually had me believing her for a moment there."

The Governor of Valia Gate nodded her agreement. "Yeah, she's got a way with words that one."

What Lucyna didn't say was how eerily familiar Fleet Admiral Devereux seemed to her, despite this being the first time they'd met. Maybe it was the passionate way she spoke, or maybe just the warm tone of her enchanting voice, but there was something about Lynette that definitely reminded her of someone. She followed the chattering governors back to the Administration building, wracking her brain to try to figure out why she felt like they'd met before.