Chapter 104: An empire is only as strong as its borders...

Sakura and Calara were both badly hurt the last time we fought the astral monsters, John said to Alyssa as he left the bedroom. I couldn’t drag them in there again, not so soon after Terra ... they need more time to recover.

His blonde Matriarch was quiet for a moment, lost in thought. If I can prevent us from being drawn into that sub-plane, I can keep the link going and I’ll still be able to tap them for energy. I just need to figure out how to stop us from getting cut off.

Have you worked out how you’re going to create your own sub-plane? he asked, walking down the corridor towards the Officers’ Lounge.

There was a long pause before she replied evasively, Athena and I are working on it...

Sakura sprang out of the blue anti-grav field and nearly ran into him in her haste. “Oh! Hey, John!” She smiled when he caught her in his arms, but her eyes tightened with worry when she looked up at him. “Are you sure sending me away with Calara is a good idea?”

He nodded and placed his hands on her waist, drawing her close. “Calara really needs some time with her Mom and you’re the most powerful bodyguard I can send with her.”

“But what about the nightmare!” she objected. “I should be here at your side tonight!”

“Alyssa’s going to tap you for energy, so you’ll still be helping,” he said with a reassuring smile. Reaching up to stroke her cheek, he continued, “Last time we went to that sub-plane the two of you were badly hurt. I want to spare you both from that if I can, at least this time round...”

Sakura shook her head, long raven hair swishing around her shoulders. “But we’ll be better prepared this time! We know how to create armour and weapons there now ... it’ll be much harder for them to hurt us!”

“That’s true ... but there’s also another reason I want to keep you away from this one. In a few days’ time we’ll be liberating worlds from the Kirrix and it’s not going to be pleasant,” John said firmly. “I really need you refreshed and ready for then, okay?”

Her face fell, her expression filled with shame. “Is this because I disobeyed orders on Khalgron?”

Lifting her chin so that she was facing him again, John gazed into her eyes. “Remember what happened with that little Trankaran girl? All those terrible memories stirred up by seeing her in danger? It’s probably going to be a lot worse with Terran children.”

She hesitated, then nodded, looking glum. “Alright, I understand.”

“No, I don’t think you do,” John said, his voice gentle and sympathetic. “You’ve been dealing with a huge amount of stress recently; hell, it was only two weeks ago that you faced Mikaboshi! You need some time off, honey. You’ve been there time and again for me since you joined our family, but I won’t risk you burning out. I love you too much for that.”

Sakura hugged him tight and buried her face in his chest. “I can’t help feeling like I’m abandoning you when you need me,” she mumbled, sounding wracked with guilt.

“Please don’t think like that, it’s not true at all,” he said, running his fingers through her silky black hair. “Calara really needs some time off as well, so this is for her just as much as you. I wish I could send Dana along too, but the research she’s working on at the moment is important. When we do face the Kirrix again, I can always keep her on the Invictus to spare her from the worst of it. You’re lethal in the Valkyrie and I’m going to really need you on top of your game, right in the thick of the action.”

She pulled back to look at him, her expression now calm and accepting. “You’re right. The last thing I want is to let you down in combat...” She smiled, then gave him a tender kiss. “Thanks for looking out for me.”

John placed a hand on her shoulder and looked into her eyes. “It’s only fair to warn you that this isn’t going to be an easy assignment. Calara’s been avoiding planning the wedding for weeks, so Maria intends to make up for lost time. I’m going to need you completely focused on pretty dresses, guest lists, seating arrangements, the works!”

Sakura giggled and nodded. “I promise I’ll do my best.”

“Good girl,” he said with a grin. “I knew I could count on you.”

She waved goodbye and John watched her jog down the corridor to her room, before he turned and headed into the Officers’ Lounge. He found Alyssa and Lynette standing by one of the sofas, with the blonde holding up a grey officer’s uniform and studying the older woman with an appraising eye. John’s gaze was drawn to the dark-red mid-length dress that Lynette was wearing, the slinky material doing a spectacular job of showcasing her curvy figure.

“That fits you perfectly,” he said appreciatively, his eyes lingering on the flare of her hips as he walked over to join them.

Lynette darted a glance at him and looked mortified, her hands moving self-consciously to the dress. “I haven’t worn anything like this since my twenties!” After a moment’s pause where she glanced down at the generous display of cleavage, she blushed and admitted, “In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever worn a dress like this!”

“You look hot, stop fretting,” Alyssa said, a sly smile on her face. She glanced over her shoulder at John and added, “If you weren’t being all weird about keeping things platonic, you’d ring her bell, wouldn’t you, handsome?”

John saw that the brunette was watching him carefully as she waited for his reply. He cleared his throat and said, “I wouldn’t phrase it quite like that, but you do look very attractive, Lynette. As you’ve probably realised by now, Alyssa’s passionate about fashion ... she won’t let you wear anything that isn’t very flattering.”

The older woman relaxed and gave Alyssa a look filled with gratitude. “I’m sorry, this is all very new for me.”

Alyssa brushed her fingers down Lynette’s arm in a playful but affectionate gesture. “I know, but I promise you’re in safe hands. You’re one of us now, or at least you will be very soon, and it’s my job to take really good care of you.”

Lynette studied her for a moment and sounded surprised as she said, “You really mean that, don’t you?”

“Absolutely,” the blonde replied, with a warm smile. “Just think of me and all the girls like long-lost sisters. We’ve got your back now, like a big loving family.”

A matching smile slowly spread across Lynette’s face. “I didn’t realise how much I missed being a part of a family. It’s a lovely feeling.”

“No brothers or sisters?” John asked, taking a seat.

After a nod from Alyssa, Lynette sat down too, the dress revealing more of her shapely legs. “I was an only child and I lost my parents several years ago.” She gazed into the distance, a sadness in her eyes. “I’m starting to realise just how much I sacrificed for my career. It’s been ... lonely.”

Alyssa leaned down and gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek. “That’s over with now. You’ll never feel like you’re alone again.” She straightened and draped the uniform over her arm. “I’ll just make some alterations to this and you’ll be all set for the meeting. I’ll need to take in the waist and let out the bust a little. You’ve been ... redistributed.”

Lynette glanced down at her considerably perkier chest and blushed, then placed her hands on her rounded stomach. “I don’t think my waist has changed all that much.”

The blonde trailed her fingers over the curve and grinned. “That’s just a temporary cum-belly. You’ve actually dropped six inches off your waistline.”

“I can’t believe the difference in just a day...” Lynette marvelled, before glancing at John and giving him a pleading look with puppy-dog eyes. “Please can I take a look in the mirror?”

“Just indulge me for a little while longer,” he said with a smile. “I promise it’ll be worth it. Besides, I need to strengthen your heart in preparation. The last thing I want is you dying of a heart attack.”

She looked at him in shock, then laughed when she realised he was joking. “Alright, I’ll be patient.” Looking at him curiously, she continued, “When are you going to feed me again?”

“I was originally thinking midday,” he replied, eyeing the curve to her tummy. “But that lot should last you until around four this afternoon.”

Alyssa laughed and nodded. “Yeah, please wait. This poor uniform wouldn’t be able to cope with you being fully loaded!”

John smiled at her, then said, “There’s actually another reason for delaying too.”

“What’s that?” Lynette asked, looking at him curiously.

He met her hazel-eyed gaze and replied, “I want to prove to you that I’m not just doing all this to turn you into a...” He raised an eyebrow. “I believe the term you used was ‘puppet’?”

“It was,” she said solemnly. Looking at him in fascination, she continued, “So how do you intend to prove otherwise?”

“By getting you elected before I’ve fed you three times,” John replied, his tone and expression open and honest. “Then if you change your mind about joining us, you can still be the Fleet Admiral without feeling like you’re under any obligation to me.”

“You’d really do that?” Lynette asked quietly. “When you’re this close to having someone you ‘control’ in charge of the Terran Federation?”

John shrugged and nodded. “I’m not interested in ruling the Terran Federation by proxy, Lynette; I just want High Command to stop stabbing me in the back.” He waved his hand at her body and added, “I’ve been doing this to give you a makeover as a thank you gift, not to try and control you. Besides, it really doesn’t work that way, all the girls have free will to make their own choices.”

Lynette gave him a grateful smile, then reached out to hold his hand. “You didn’t have to make this gesture, but I appreciate it nonetheless. I believe that everything you’ve told me is the truth.” She tilted her head to one side and continued thoughtfully, “I have considered that I might be feeling this way because you’re exerting some kind of insidious influence over me, but I honestly don’t think that’s the case.”

“Like I said, you can still walk away if you choose,” John said, making a show of removing his hand from hers. “I think we’re close enough friends now that you can see I’m a good ally for the Terran Federation.”

She caught his hand again before he pulled it back too far. “I haven’t changed my mind,” Lynette said, smiling as she interlaced her fingers with his. “I trust you. I want to be a part of your ... family.”

“Phew!” Alyssa said with a grin, putting her arm around Lynette and giving her a hug. “I’d have been really disappointed if you stopped now. I want to see what you look like when the change is finished!”

The older woman laughed and nodded. “I must admit to being more than a little curious myself.”

John smiled at her, then relaxed in his chair. “I suppose we better discuss how we want to handle the meeting this afternoon. Do you have any ideas?”

Lynette responded with a decisive nod. “I do...”

Leader Mantaneus’ squinted against the glare as he stared at his battered cruiser. Shafts of bright light from Ashana’s yellow star arced down into the underground hangar and reflected off the silvery hull of his ship, making it gleam in the midday sunshine. As he watched, anti-grav cranes began to pivot, applying more force to the massive cylindrical object that was deeply impaled in the disc-shaped craft. A grinding squeal of tortured metal echoed around the hangar and the ancient onyx device was slowly inched out of the sundered Etherium hull.

We were very fortunate that our entire vessel was not destroyed in the impact, he noted to the smaller Ashanath engineer standing beside him.

It was not good fortune that saved us, Engineer Careti replied. The inertial dampeners reduced the force of the collision by 43.829 MegaHeurons, preventing the entire vessel from being instantly obliterated.

A robed Ashanath glided up to them, his spindly hands folded into the voluminous sleeves of his white garment. What was truly fortunate was that you managed to locate this missing fragment of the Legacy, Councillor Talari said, inclining his head politely to them both. My thanks for keeping me apprised of the recovery effort.

They remained silent after that, watching as the long column of black metal cleared the outer hull of the Ashanath cruiser. When the huge cylinder finally swung free, it wobbled precariously for a second until it was restrained by several grav-hoists, then floated ominously in the air. The glistening black object was just over sixty metres long and despite having been involved in a high-speed collision, there wasn’t even a scratch on its flawlessly smooth surface. It was obvious to anyone observing the extraction that this was a weapon of some kind and the yawning barrel seemed to be surrounded by a forbidding aura that sent a shiver down their spine. Unlike the gleaming silver ship, sunlight seemed to ... avoid ... the black object, as if shying away from its fearsome presence.

How can it have survived intact? Leader Mantaneus marvelled, his big black eyes sweeping along its length. Not just the crash, but the Drakkar torpedo attack as well ... I was present at Ashana when we defended our homeworld from the invasion, I witnessed the calamitous explosion that crippled the Legacy.

Councillor Talari turned to face him, the expression on his face unreadable even to another Ashanath. It is a sinister relic from a bygone era, Leader Mantaneus. I fear its technological secrets are far beyond our ability to unlock... He paused for a moment, then fixed the cruiser captain with an unblinking stare. I trust that your absolute discretion can be relied upon regarding the retrieval of this device? All data regarding the Legacy is classified at the highest level.

What device do you speak of, Councillor Talari? Leader Mantaneus replied, sounding confused. Our vessel was involved in a collision with a rogue asteroid...

Engineer Careti nodded, adding, It was an unfortunate but not particularly remarkable event. Perhaps another sweeping of the space lanes around Ashana might be well advised?

Councillor Talari gave them both a sweeping bow. My sincerest thanks for your cooperation.

They returned his bow and Talari walked away, his white robe rustling over the orange sand drifting over the hangar’s deck.

Senior Councillor, we have completed the recovery operation, Talari said to the leader of the Ashanath Collective. The Quantum Flux Cannon appears to be fully intact!

I thought that artefact was lost forever! Ularean gasped, sounding elated. I will inform JohnBlake immediately!

Avery Gibson’s hologram glowered at Jehanna. “You’re supposed to be my lead anchor! You’re not much good to me gallivanting around on the Lion’s ship!”

“Just have Bill stand in for me for a few more days,” Jehanna pleaded, wringing her hands together. “Please, Avery...”

He harrumphed and waved his hand dismissively. “We got a brief bump in the ratings when Armstrong got shot in the arm, but I need you back on the screen. The sympathy boost is just about tapped out.”

“Trust me, it’ll be worth it! I’m being given unrestricted access to the Lion, the Lionesses, everything!” she said, her brown eyes sparkling with excitement. “I’m even working on new contacts in High Command ... this is big, Chief, I promise!”

Avery wavered, conflicting emotions playing across his face. “I-I think you’re too close to this one, Jehanna ... It might be better if you come back to the studio, so we can keep an eye on you for a while.”

Jehanna gave him a playful grin. “Avery Gibson, I’ve never known you to turn down the opportunity for an exclusive. You’re not getting soft in your old age are you?”

He threw his hands up in the air and rolled his eyes as he snorted, “Fine! Have your extra two days, but you better be back in the studio by Friday, young lady! And the story you’re working on better be dynamite!”

“It’ll be worth it, Chief!” she exclaimed, her grin widening.

He nodded and grumbled, “It better be...”

Jehanna was about to end the call, but she hesitated for a second. “I’m really glad you weren’t hurt, Avery. Please wish Bill a speedy recovery from me.”

“I’m glad you’re safe too, Jehanna. You had us all worried there,” he replied, his stern gaze softening. He coughed and made a shooing motion with his hand. “Now get back to work! I’m not paying you to lounge around ... you owe me a story!”

She laughed and nodded, waving goodbye as she ended the call. Rising from her chair, Jehanna steadied herself with a hand on John’s desk, unused to carrying such a heavy weight in her swollen belly. She ran her hand over the tautly-stretched skin, shivering with pleasure at the thrill that sent through her body. Knowing that she was huge with the Lion’s cum was incredibly exciting and Jehanna couldn’t believe she’d actually been able to live out one of her naughtiest fantasies.

Walking out of the Ready Room, her eyes flicked across the Bridge to the blue-skinned Maliri sitting at the Int-Ops station. She was reminded of a much more recent fantasy, her mind drifting back to that zero-g orgy and those gentle blue hands that seemed to be everywhere at once. She smiled to herself, eager to speak to the enchanting alien woman again. As Jehanna walked up the ramp, she watched Irillith frowning in concentration and couldn’t help wondering what was making the hacker look so frustrated.

“Hello, Irillith. What are you working on at the moment?” she asked politely, as she stopped by the station.

The Maliri blinked in surprise at the interruption, having been so immersed in her work that she’d been oblivious to Jehanna’s arrival. Irillith gave her a radiant smile and rose from her seat, then wrapped her arms around Jehanna in loving embrace. “Welcome to the family,” she said, her tone gentle and full of warmth.

Jehanna snuggled into the hug, feeling the taller girl’s impossibly pert breasts pressing against her own. She felt her nipples harden in response to that deliciously soft contact and couldn’t help letting out a low moan. Irillith pulled back in surprise at the intriguing sound, then gave her a knowing smile as Jehanna flushed with embarrassment. She ran her slender blue fingers over the dusky girl’s curved tummy, her smile widening when she heard Jehanna groan in response.

Leaning closer Irillith whispered softly, “Tashana and I can’t wait to get our hands on you again; we’ve never seen such a beautiful Terran before.”

Jehanna gazed into those angular violet eyes, enthralled by the sensuous exotic woman. “I-I feel the same way ... about you.”

Irillith kissed the tip of her index finger, then gently placed it on Jehanna’s flushed lips. With a sultry smile, the Maliri girl murmured, “Tashana would be cross with me if I kept you all to myself. Let’s wait for my lovely sister to return, then we can all play together...”

Inhaling deeply, Jehanna nodded, then smiled as she blew out her breath. “I don’t know how any of you get any work done ... there’s far too many beautiful distractions aboard.”

The Maliri laughed as she returned to her seat and glanced at the bank of holo-screens. “It can be hard to keep focused sometimes.” She glanced at Jehanna and added, “You asked what I was working on ... if this is my interview, it might be prudent for me to wear a suit of armour. I don’t think John’s quite ready for the secret of the Maliri to be revealed yet.”

“No, this isn’t an interview, I was just curious about you and your work,” Jehanna quickly explained, then felt flustered at her lack of composure.

“Well, I spent this morning locking down Hangar Bay One, disabling all the security cameras and sweeping the place for hidden surveillance equipment. Now that’s completely secure, I’ve been trying to decipher the Vulkat’s technology archive.” She sighed with frustration and waved a hand at her screen. “If you guessed that an arachnid thinks in an entirely different way to a humanoid, you’d be absolutely correct ... none of the decoding programs I’ve written so far have come remotely close to deciphering whatever this is written in.”

“Is Faye helping too?” Jehanna asked, glancing at the corrupted data fragment on the screen.

The purple sprite flashed into existence beside them, her holographic image shaking her head. “I can’t even access the data!” she exclaimed, pouting in frustration. “My data ports are totally incompatible with whatever format the Vulkat use. We were very lucky that Irillith’s data crystal was even able to store the archive dump ... that’s actually a very positive sign.”

“Sorry, computers aren’t really my forte,” Jehanna admitted, as she tried to understand what they were saying. “So, the problem is that you don’t know how to read the Vulkat language?”

Irillith sighed and shook her head. “Unfortunately, it’s more complicated than that. I’m good at learning new languages, so it won’t take me long to translate the Vulkat’s once I’ve identified how it’s structured, but I can’t even read what’s been written yet.” When she saw the blank look of incomprehension on Jehanna’s face, she paused for a moment to think of a suitable metaphor. “Imagine for a moment that we’re looking at a book full of Vulkat writing...”

“Okay, I can do that,” Jehanna replied with a smile.

“Well I’m still stuck trying to figure out how to open the book,” Irillith muttered, giving the screen an angry glare. “The Vulkat have a completely different approach to programming than we do.”

The journalist nodded, finally understanding. “So you’re using your psychic abilities to try to ... What was it you said? To think like a spider ... so you can open the archive.” Shaking her head in admiration, she added, “It must be amazing to do the things all of you can do. When you stepped out of the screen on Weber’s ship, I must admit that I-”

Her voice trailed off when she saw Irillith blush a dark indigo, the Maliri cringing with embarrassment.

“Did I say something wrong?” Jehanna asked in alarm.

“No, it wasn’t you,” Irillith mumbled, then tapped her temple. “Tashana’s laughing at me and calling me an idiot.”

Jehanna frowned and shook her head. “You’re not an idiot,” she said firmly, reaching out to stroke the Maliri’s toned blue arm. “I think you’re amazing.”

Irillith placed a hand on hers and gave her a grateful smile. “Thank you, but Tash is absolutely right ... I was being a block-headed fool.” She chuckled with embarrassment and continued, “I was so eager to get started on the data decryption, I just handled this as I would any other job, like I’ve done thousands of times before.” Her eyes began to glow with a fierce violet light. “My sister was just reminding me that I need to stretch myself...”

Immersing her mind in the cyber-realm, Irillith was suddenly surrounded by brightly coloured streams of data arcing across the Bridge. She poured her spirit form into the data jack on the console in front of her, then found herself standing on a silver-etched platform that she knew represented the Int-Ops Station. She ignored the glowing data towers rising from the floor, instead making a beeline for the port where the data-crystal with the Vulkat archive was currently inserted.

In a flicker of purple light, Faye zipped onto the platform and skidded to a halt beside her. “What’re you going to do, Creator?” she asked in a hushed voice, staring at the bewildering array of indecipherable code that swirled around the data port.

Irillith took a deep breath, her glowing spirit form’s chest rising and falling as she exhaled. She didn’t have to breathe here, it was simply a reflexive way of clearing her mind so that she could focus. “I’m going to think like a spider,” she replied, violet light spiralling down her arms and pouring into the data port.

She could feel her consciousness shift, fragmenting and becoming oddly discordant, her view splitting into eight separate sections that merged to provide a panoramic view of her surroundings. After that profound shift in perspective, she focused on the jumbled mass of Vulkat code, using her psychic connection instead of a bespoke program to attempt the translation.

The haphazard strings of data began to twist before her eyes, or more accurately, her mind began to shift, viewing the bizarre code in an altogether alien way. Then, as if a switch had been flipped, she began to make sense of the Vulkat data. In a sudden epiphany, Irillith realised that the Vulkat segmented their code into eighths, each part divided by a bewilderingly complicated index. Now that she could see the pattern, she realised it was eerily reminiscent of a spider’s web, each data-read like a trapped fly tugging on the sprawl of code strands. By splitting her vision into eight distinct parts, her brain was now able to view the segments as one coherent, integrated piece of code.

She let her mind flow out of the Cyber-realm and back to her body, closing her eyes for a moment to shrug off the momentary surge of dizziness. As soon as it passed, Irillith stood and flung her arms around Jehanna, hugging her tight. “You’re a genius! Thank you so much!”

“What just happened? Did you work out how to open it?” the smaller girl asked in surprise, the Maliri hacker having only been distracted for what seemed like a few seconds.

Irillith laughed and nodded enthusiastically. “I figured it out thanks to you! Now that I understand how their code is written, I just need to write an application that can read the Vulkat data. You just saved me untold hours of frustration!”

Jehanna grinned, delighted she’d been able to inadvertently help the gorgeous alien girl. “It was my pleasure!”

The Maliri nodded, her violet eyes sparkling with desire. “It will be...”

Dana carefully angled her body as she soared through the air, the anti-grav generators built into the Paragon suit letting her control her ascent. She swept up the flank of the Invictus, her sky-blue eyes darting over the horrific damage to the aft of the battlecruiser.

“Damn ... that’s one fucked up ship,” she muttered, frowning as she surveyed the charred remains of the engines.

“I’m really sorry I wrecked it,” Faye said, her tiny holographic face looking chagrined.

Dana gave her a supportive smile. “It wasn’t your fault, Faye, no one blames you. It was those Kintark bastards that shot it up.” Her broad smile faded and she winced as she saw the extent of the damage caused by the plasma fire. “But the damage to the superstructure is worse than I thought. We’ll need to chop out sections F429 to H472 and replace all the melted support stanchions with new ones. Do you think your boys can handle that?”

“Of course!” Faye chirped, grinning at the prospect. “I’ll start writing a custom program to handle the repairs.”

Dana nodded, eyes roaming over the incinerated superstructure. “Awesome, thanks. That’ll save me a ton of time.”

“Should I start configuring the Mass Fabricators to create the replacement sub-frame?” the purple sprite asked.

“Nah, we can ask Charles for the replacements, they’re just regular Heavy-grade type-D stanchions,” the redhead replied, floating above the melted section of the hull. “They must have shitloads of spares at Olympus.”

Faye perked up and said, “I’ll submit a request for the 87 we need!”

“Thanks,” Dana murmured distractedly, glancing down the length of the Invictus’ pockmarked hull. “We better check out that busted power regulator. I couldn’t tell from the Damage Status display just how bad the damage was to all the nearby power couplings.”

“The production run for the last Trankaran engine will be complete in 2 hours 36 minutes,” Faye informed her friend, checking the status of the Mass Fabricators. “The replacement parts for the power regulator are queued up next.”

Dana engaged the thruster on her back and soared over the starboard side of the hull. “We’re slightly ahead of schedule on the repairs, so losing a bit of time rebuilding that section of the aft hull shouldn’t be a problem.” She glanced at the gleaming section of brand new armour plates on the topdeck. “We just need to make sure John and Alyssa don’t slack off with making all the armour plating we need.”

I’ll make some more after lunch, Alyssa grumbled, her telepathic voice echoing through Dana’s mind. Speaking of which, it’ll be the first time all the new girls will be joining us, so don’t get distracted and pitch up late!

Yes, Mom, Dana said, smirking at the blonde.

She heard the familiar roar of retro-thrusters firing up and turned around to watch the Raptor glide out of the Invictus’ Secondary Hangar. The gunship gained some altitude, the nose dipping as it slowly approached her. Dana spotted Calara and Sakura through the cockpit canopy, both girls grinning and waving at her, before the Raptor swung around and raced out of the docking bay.