Chapter 126 - Putting the past behind you...

John strode out of the airlock and crossed the clearing separating the Invictus and the Progenitor shuttle. The twins were waiting for him by the sinister black vessel, their beautiful blue faces wearing identical expressions of concern.

Irillith jogged over to meet him halfway. “How’s Dana doing?”

“I hope she’s okay,” Tashana added, following after her sister.

“She’ll be fine,” he replied, giving them a reassuring smile. He slipped his arms around their waists as they turned and fell into step beside him. “If there was anything wrong, I would’ve known immediately and healed her. She just wore herself out from channelling so much power at once.”

Tashana glanced back over her shoulder at the Invictus. “Alyssa said that Dana tried to fix the entire ship ... all in one go!”

“I think she might have succeeded,” John said with a wry smile. “When Sparks wakes up, I’m sure she’ll tell us what she did.”

“Why’s the hull glowing like that?” Tashana asked, gazing at the majestic golden aura shrouding the upper levels of the Invictus.

He paused, studying the mysterious shining light that was shrouding the Crystal Alyssium plating. “I’m not sure, but Dana channelled a huge amount of energy into the ship ... this might be some kind of side-effect.” John gently steered Tashana around so they could continue on to the shuttle. “We can investigate later. I really want to find those missing robots.”

Irillith darted ahead of them and activated the airlock. She bowed to him as the serrated door split apart. “Your shuttle awaits, my Lord.”

John felt a shiver run down his spine, and he stared wide-eyed at the Maliri as she pretended to be a mindlessly obedient thrall.

When the twins saw his reaction, they shared a glance. Tashana gently stroked his arm and said soothingly, “It was a just a joke, John. You don’t have to look so worried.”

He pulled both sisters into his arms and hugged them tight. “Best not joke about that, girls. Not when it’s just the three of us on this shuttle. It feels a little bit ... too close to home.”

“Whatever Baen’thelas commands,” Tashana whispered, her voice soft and submissive.

John felt another disturbing thrill at her deference, playful though it was. “Don’t, seriously ... I like it too much.”

The twins giggled and flounced through the airlock. “Did you hear that, Shan?” Irillith asked her sister. “If we keep being naughty, our Progenitor might punish his thralls.”

“Who knows what unspeakable things he might do to us?” Tashana said airily. “Or make us do to each other...”

He groaned and followed the laughing girls into the shuttle. “I can see you two are going to be trouble...”

“Nothing a firm hand can’t correct,” Irillith suggested, her violet eyes sparkling as she pressed the rune to call for the elevator.

The door opened, and John gestured for the mischievous Maliri to proceed inside. “How about we make a deal? If you’re good girls and don’t tease me mercilessly for the next couple of hours, we can play Progenitor and Thralls when we return to the Invictus.”

“We can hardly turn down an offer like that, can we, Rill?” Tashana purred, giving John a sultry look.

“Don’t be hasty, dearest sister,” Irillith cautioned, raising an eyebrow as she studied him speculatively. “I’ll agree ... on one condition. We have our liaison in Larn’kelnar’s bedroom; it’ll make everything much more authentic.”

John gave her a sly smile and nodded. “Alright, it’s a deal. Oh, one last thing ... As much as I love seeing you two swallowing, I need to keep filling up the Nymphs, so no blowjobs today ... alright?”

“So you’re saying only oral’s off the table?” the Maliri hacker blurted out, losing her composure in her excitement.

“No, I’m saying that I intend to plunder that wonderfully tight ass of yours,” he replied, drawing Irillith into his embrace and filling his hands with her firm bottom. After squeezing her hard enough to make her moan, he pulled Tashana into his arms. “And don’t think you’re escaping a good pounding either!”

Both sisters whimpered in his embrace, rubbing their thighs together as they panted with arousal. John grinned at the effect he’d had on them and took it in turns kissing each beautiful Maliri, excited by the fantasy of dominating a couple of thralls aboard a Progenitor vessel. They stood like that for a couple of minutes, the only sound the girls’ excited gasps as they writhed against him.

John glanced at the elevator in confusion, wondering why they hadn’t arrived at Deck Two yet. He blushed with embarrassment and admitted, “I forgot to hit the rune. Can you press it for me please, ladies?”

The twins giggled together, then Tashana reached over to caress the glowing red glyph. “You’re not the only one who got distracted.”

He gave them both an affectionate hug, then they reluctantly parted when the elevator arrived at their destination. The twins went first, crossing the shuttle’s Bridge as they headed for two of the consoles. John couldn’t help noticing the extra sway they put in their hips, which drew his eyes to the spectacular globes of their asses. Irillith arched her back provocatively as she took her seat at the helm, making the rounded curves of her cheeks all the more enticing.

“You two aren’t playing fair,” he admonished the twins, shaking his head in amusement as he took his seat in the commander’s chair.

“Whatever do you mean?” Irillith asked, feigning confusion. “You can’t chastise us for walking and sitting, surely?”

“Just start up the damn ship,” he grumbled, trying not to smile as he adjusted the uncomfortable bulge in his trousers.

The sisters flashed triumphant grins at each other when they saw his discomfort, before turning their attention to the shuttle controls. The Progenitor vessel hadn’t been completely powered down, as the stealth field generator had been left running for the last couple of days to conceal the ship from unfriendly eyes.

“Were there any problems after leaving the shuttle cloaked for so long?” John asked with a look of concern, the flirtation with the Maliri temporarily forgotten.

Tashana shook her head. “We shut down all primary systems except life support, so the shuttle was effectively running on minimum power.” She gave him a wry smile. “I would have given my right arm for a ship like this in the Unclaimed Wastes.”

Irillith’s shoulders slumped and her face shadowed with guilt.

Knowing exactly what her sister was thinking, Tashana quickly said, “Rill ... I didn’t mean so that I could avoid being captured when I was banished. After I escaped from the Enshunu, I was a smuggler ... having a cloaking device this powerful would’ve been invaluable.” She frowned and added, “You know I forgave you for everything that happened in the past.”

Running her slender fingers through her mane of white hair, Irillith let out a rueful sigh. “I do ... and I’m so grateful that you did. It’s just that any mention of that horrible place reminds me what happened to you.”

John walked over to the troubled Maliri and gently massaged her shoulders. “Maybe we should take a trip to the Unclaimed Wastes sometime? We could go pirate hunting ... Calara would love it.”

“This was never about me.” Irillith turned to meet her sister’s curious gaze. “Would you find that cathartic, Shan?”

Tashana tilted her head to one side as she considered it. “I’d have no problem wiping out all the pirates to make the Unclaimed Wastes a safer place ... but more vermin will just crawl back there eventually. Until an empire stakes a claim and backs it up with force, the Wastes are going to continue to be a haven for pirates, smugglers, and slavers.”

“But would dispensing some justice make you feel better?” John asked, squatting down beside her chair.

“My life is already wonderful,” she said softly, cupping his cheek. “Everything in my past led me here to you. How can I regret what happened when you made all my dreams come true.”

“You’re an amazing woman, Tashana,” he said with admiration. Stroking her toned stomach with the backs of his fingers, he continued, “But there’s still some dreams I’d like to help you fulfil.”

She leaned down to give him a very soft kiss, her violet eyes full of promise.

John let out a happy sigh. “Damn ... I love spending time with you two.” The twins smiled at him affectionately and he straightened then returned to his seat. “Alright, let’s get moving. The sooner we get everything done, the sooner we can fall into bed together.”

“Taking us up to low orbit!” Irillith declared, twisting back to face the console and ramping up power to the engines.

Tashana laughed at her sister’s indecent haste, but she was also now focused on her own console, her graceful blue fingers sweeping over the controls. “I’m going to scan the Invictus to get a base reading for Crystal Alyssium. As soon as I’ve added the alloy composition to the Scan Array, I’ll be able to search Arcadia for any sign of the missing maintenance bots.”

“Good thinking,” he said, nodding his approval at her ingenuity.

The shuttle was a nimble and responsive vessel, possessing the flight capabilities of a strike craft despite being the size of a Terran corvette. When the retro-thrusters kicked in, the ship soared skyward, kicking up clouds of dirt as it blasted away from the clearing. Irillith controlled the shuttle with confidence, soaring through banks of fluffy cumulus clouds as they gained altitude.

“Crystal Alyssium locked in,” Tashana informed them, her angular eyes narrowing as she updated the search parameters. “Activating the Omni-Phase Scan Array...”

John leaned forward on his seat, holding his breath as he waited for any sign of Faye’s creations.

“There they are!” Tashana exclaimed, whirling around to beam at him in delight. “John, we found them!”

He lurched from his chair and strode over to look at the holographic results being projected above her console. “I can’t believe we found them so easily,” he marvelled, shaking his head in amazement.

“The scanners on this shuttle are a huge improvement over the ones we have on the Invictus,” she said, patting her station. “And they’re only a fraction of the size we could install on a battlecruiser.”

“We need to get the Invictus upgraded with all this tech as soon as possible,” he said, sharing her admiration for the Progenitor components. He leaned down to give Tashana a celebratory kiss, then turned to look at Irillith.

“Course already laid in,” she said, a sparkle in her violet eyes as she pre-empted his command. “The first robot is 174 kilometres to the southwest of the Invictus’ crash site.”

“You two didn’t even need me for this rescue mission,” he said with a self-deprecating smile.

“We’re just showing off to impress you,” Tashana admitted, looking up at him. “Is it working?”

“Consider me impressed,” he readily agreed. “I’ll head down to the airlock. Are either of you coming?”

Irillith shook her head. “Not until after the mission.”

He groaned at her double-entendre, then laughed when she grinned wickedly at him.

“We’ll stay up here,” Tashana said, squeezing his hand. “Just let Alyssa know when you’ve rescued the robot and we’ll move onto the next one.”

John gave them each a quick kiss goodbye, then strode across the Bridge to the elevator. Tapping the glowing red rune beside the door, he descended to the lower deck, then approached the airlock.

John, you’ll reach the first maintenance bot in thirty seconds, Alyssa informed him. She sounded surprised as she added, It’s actually moving.

He frowned in confusion as he entered the inner airlock door. I thought Dana said that the bots would shut down if they were too far away from the Invictus?

Apparently they’ve had a few upgrades, she replied, both of them recognising Faye’s handiwork. Oh, and get this ... it’s heading in a North Easterly direction.

That’s towards the Invictus! he exclaimed, really shocked now. How did it know where to go?

They must have watched the ship come down. All three are heading towards the crash site. She paused, then said softly, John, they’re trying to come home...

And we’ll get them there, he said, smiling as he stood by the outer airlock door.

John could see the jungle flashing past through the tinted window as the shuttle smoothly descended until it was skimming over the treetops. Irillith reduced power to the engines and the nimble ship drifted to a smooth halt, hovering in a clearing a couple of feet off the ground. He opened the airlock and immediately spotted a flash of white, the automaton pausing in the tree line directly ahead, as it evaluated if the black Progenitor vessel was friend or foe.

Leaping out of the shuttle, John waved to the robot, overjoyed to see that it appeared to be completely unscathed. “Hey, it’s me! Come on, let’s get you back home!”

The robot set off again, floating across the clearing and quickly closing the distance to the shuttle. When it drew close, John could see its metallic face sporting a familiar disconcerting grin, but for the first time, the sight brought him nothing but joy.

“I’m so glad you’re alright!” John exclaimed, patting the hulking robot on the shoulder.

[+++ stated with genuine delight +++ [Begin friendly greeting] You have not suffered a catastrophic system error {Admiral John Blake}! [/End greeting]]

“No, I’m fine,” he said with a reassuring smile. “You must be eager to get back to the Collective?”

[+++ stated with humorous intent +++ [Begin joke] You bet your pointed ears I am! [/End joke]].

John looked at the maintenance bot in surprise. “What?”

[Begin apology] No offence intended {Admiral John Blake}. [/End apology]

“Don’t worry, none taken.” Turning to enter the airlock, he continued, “Two more maintenance bots were blasted clear of the ship in the ambush, but we think they both survived unscathed. We’re about to go and rescue them now.”

[+++ stated with humorous intent +++ [Begin statement] Lay in a course, Lieutenant. [/End statement]]

John frowned in confusion, not understanding the joke. He tapped the rune by the door, closing the airlock door behind them. “Irillith’s already got a course set, we’re on our way.”

The robot floated to a halt, then turned to look down at John. [+++ stated with genuine concern [Open query] Did array {Invictus crew}avoid a catastrophic system error? [/End query]]

Oh shit ... he doesn’t know... Alyssa whispered in horror.

John swallowed around the sudden lump in his throat, looking up at the worried robot with profound sympathy. “I’m so sorry...” he said, his voice breaking. “We lost Faye...”

The maintenance robot froze, then its shoulders slowly slumped, the brightness in its eyes fading. [No... ]

That single word contained so much defeat, loss, and pain, John could only put his arms around the heartbroken robot and hold it tight. They stood silently together, man and machine, united in their grief.

Protected by a phalanx of ten Brimorian battleships, the majestic command vessel, Retribution From The Depths, made for an impressive sight as it cruised through space. The radiance from a brilliant white star reflected off the warship’s purple and blue armour plating, illuminating the terrifying aquatic leviathan that had arisen from Brimor’s ancient oceans. Scores of cruisers and destroyers maintained a tight defensive formation around the capital ships, while agile fighters raced around the much larger vessels, like a horde of tiny scavengers hoping to feast off the alpha predator’s prey.

“The only ships we’ve encountered have been civilian vessels,” Shoal-Commander Olbhugh announced, concluding his report. “We eliminated another formation of freighters with falsified transponder codes, but we haven’t seen so much as a single Kintark warship.”

Kaelotegh nodded with satisfaction. “It is just as the Deep Lord predicted. The Kintark Imperial fleets were annihilated in their reckless invasion of the Federation.”

“What are your orders, Shoal Master?”

The leader of the Brimorian invasion armada was a hero of the Enclave, having secured countless victories for his people. Shoal Master Kaelotegh studied the holographic maps before him, his gaze flicking over the eight Brimorian fleets under his command, then across the outlying Kintark systems. With the Tactical Overlay added to the three-dimensional image, he could see fortified starbases marked on the map, each one protecting the Kintark worlds from hostile encroachment.

“Take Fleet Ungumoth and sweep the border colonies, eliminating all static defences. We must clear a path for the invasion craft.”

Olbhugh acknowledged the order with a bow. “When the fortifications have been destroyed, shall I rejoin the armada for the assault on Kinta?”

“No. Hold position here and provide orbital support for the siege ships,” Kaelotegh replied, his cold black eyes surveying the invasion corridor. “There is always the possibility that this is some elaborate ruse and I have no intention of leaving our ground forces unprotected.”

The Shoal-Commander’s fins drooped at the prospect of being stuck with guard duty. “As you command, Shoal Master.”

Kaelotegh chuckled and turned to look at his glum subordinate. “Do not fear that you are missing out, Olbhugh; there will be scant opportunity for glory in this campaign. I have no intention of repeating the Kintark mistake and rushing heedlessly to conquer their homeworld. Like an inexorable tide sweeping all before it, we shall systematically conquer every planet in our path, claiming them all in the name of the Brimorian Enclave. The Kintark are a spent force in the galaxy ... and we are merely here to remind them of their new status as our slaves.”

Olbhugh glanced at his own map of the Kintark Empire. “I still can’t believe they threw every last ship at the Federation...”

“If they had succeeded in crushing the Terran forces, the Kintark would now be the largest empire in the quadrant,” Kaelotegh said quietly, studying the exposed territory. “The tides of war can be cruel and unforgiving ... as they will soon learn at great cost.”

Tashana aimed the targeting matrix at the jungle-covered hills, checking that she wasn’t going to vaporise the mineral deposit her scans had located. She pressed the firing rune and the two Tachyon Lances mounted on the port side of the shuttle thrummed with power, smoothly gathering energy before unleashing it on Arcadia’s surface. Purple beams lashed down, incinerating the layer of vegetation covering the planet’s surface and gouging a glowing trench out of the ground.

She scanned the ugly scar, then nodded with satisfaction. “There, all done. You should be able to easily mine some corundum now.”

John didn’t respond and continued staring out of the cockpit window, heedless of the devastating barrage that had lashed the planet.

The twins exchanged a glance, then Tashana rose from her seat to stand beside him. “John...” she said, touching his arm. “Did you hear me?”

“Hmm?” he murmured distractedly, turning to look at the Maliri.

“Irillith’s taking us down to Arcadia. I’d offer to do the mining for you, but we haven’t got the right equipment with us.”

He gave her a strained smile. “That’s alright, honey. It won’t take me long using telekinesis, then we can head home.”

“Are you okay?” she asked, looking at him with concern. “Having to break the news about Faye to each of the maintenance bots must have been heartbreaking.”

John let out a heavy sigh. “It was rough. I had to watch the light go out in their eyes ... literally.”

Irillith turned to look at him over her shoulder. “Why didn’t you wait until we returned to the Invictus and have Little One explain it to them?”

“One of the first things each of the robots asked was if we’d lost anyone in the fight ... and I just couldn’t lie to them. Besides, I brought all of us out here to Arcadia ... it was my responsibility to inform them about Faye.”

“Is there anything we can do?” Tashana asked, gently stroking his hand.

He shook his head, a haunted look in his eyes. “I think I need some help from Helene. Seeing the bots react like that ... it just brought it all back. Not being able to do anything to save Faye ... that feeling of helplessness...”

Both sisters embraced him, holding John close and trying to comfort him as best they could.

John stroked their backs then gave them a rueful smile. “Thanks, girls. I better go mine this ore, then we can get back home.”

They nodded and watched him leave, knowing exactly how John was feeling.

“How sssoon will the Breklan’tohok be operational?” High Prelate Zorlin asked, clenching his grip on the maintenance gantry’s guardrail as he gazed apprehensively across the hangar at the massive battlecarrier.

The lead technician glanced up at the green-hulled capital ship, the iridescent armour gleaming as it reflected the overhead lights. “Two more hoursss, High Prelate. I asssigned my bessst team to work on your flagssship,”

“Excellent work, Unchok,” Zorlin said, suitably impressed.

“The Terran thievesss ssstole the heatsssinksss from every weapon,” Unchok noted, rasping his teeth in anger. “Fortunately, we have an ample ssstock of replacementsss ... more than enough for your entire fleet.”

“I cannot begrudge them the ssspoilsss of war; we were lucky that wasss all they took. If we had been the victorsss at Terra, I cannot imagine that the Emperor would have been nearly ssso magnanimousss,” Zorlin noted with a wry smile. He suddenly paused and looked at the Kintark technician with concern. “And what of the new ssshield generatorsss? Have they been inssstalled already?”

“The Brimoriansss only provided usss enough devicesss for the invasssion armada,” the other lizardman admitted, nervously twisting his clawed hands together and refusing to meet Zorlin’s worried stare. “Our production linesss at Mar’Trinark Ssshipyard have been reconfigured to conssstruct the new ssshield generatorsss, but we have limited ssstocksss available ... essspecially for vessselsss of thisss sssize.”

“How many?” Zorlin asked, his voice going quiet.

There was a long pause before an answer was forthcoming. “Four...”

The High Prelate’s claws scraped across the metal handrail, the grating screech making the technician flinch.

“We have five battlecarriersss and nineteen battlessshipsss all in dire need of upgradesss!” Zorlin snarled in frustration. “Four is unacceptable!”

Before Unhok could reply, they both heard a terrified scream from behind them. The anguished cry tailed away, as if the unfortunate victim was falling from a great height.

“P-pleassse accept my apologiesss, High Prelate,” Unchok stammered, edging towards the walkway that would take him across to the docked starship. “I jussst remembered that I need to check energy output levelsss from the Breklan’tohok’sss Power Core...”

Zorlin could sympathise with the frightened technician, wishing he could hide inside the heavily armoured battlecarrier too. “Inssstall the Brimorian Ssshield Generatorsss in the battlessshipsss ... sssave the battlecarriersss until lassst.”

Unchok bowed then turned and fled, his rapid departure prompted by the ominous thump of something ... big ... approaching.

Swallowing nervously, the High Prelate turned to look up the flight of steps that led to the access gallery that ran the length of the drydock. Long shadows flickered across the ceiling as the approaching creature’s bulk blocked out the light. It was almost as if he could feel the anger radiating off the Kintark Empress and his every instinct cried out to him to flee in terror. When Tamolith finally appeared, her enormous draconic form was silhouetted at the top of the flight of stairs, the sheer size of her making his heart skip a beat. He desperately resisted the urge to run, knowing that should he succumb to his fear, what was left of his life would not be worth living.

Tamolith stalked down the broad steps, her reptilian eyes locked on her most experienced naval commander. “Ah, Zorlin, my courtiers said you were overseeing repairs at the drydock ... it seems they are not entirely useless after all.”

He bowed respectfully to the leader of the Kintark Empire. “There wasss no need for you to ssseek me out persssonally, Empresss. I would have dropped everything to anssswer a sssummons to the throne room.”

She loomed over him and her serpentine neck coiled around, searching for anyone who might be close enought to eavesdrop on their conversation. “The walls in the Imperial Palace have ears, Zorlin.” When Tamolith was certain they had some measure of privacy, she lowered her huge head so that she was at eye level to the trembling Kintark officer. “And I wished to speak with you privately...”

“I-I am honoured, Imperial Majesssty,” he stammered with another nervous bow.

Tamolith studied him for a moment, clicking her forked tongue in disapproval. “You weren’t nearly so obsequious when we spoke before, High Prelate. I must say I’m disappointed; if I wanted to be fawned over, I would have stayed in the palace and listened to the honeyed words of grovelling courtiers.”

“Forgive me, Empresss,” he said, fighting the urge to fall to his knees in her presence. “Ssseeing you in perssson isss daunting to sssay the leassst ... you are asss intimidating asss you are majessstic.”

She let out a deep breath that whistled through her long fangs, then made a visible effort to calm herself. As Tamolith’s anger dissipated, Zorlin’s urge to run for his life lessened considerably.

“Is that better?” she asked, amber eyes focusing on him again.

“Much, Empresss ... thank you,” he replied gratefully. Straightening with newfound courage he continued, “I’ve been reviewing the combat readinesss of the fleet ... I asssume that isss why you wissshed to ssspeak with me?”

She nodded, her scaly brow furrowing. “What state are those vessels in? Are they combat ready?”

“The Terransss ssstripped the heatsssinksss from our plasssma batteriesss, but that isss a mere inconvenience ... our maintenance crewsss are quickly replacing them,” he explained, his expression pensive. “Mossst of the 300 ssshipsss returned to usss were from my battle group at Regulusss. The Federation forcesss concentrated their firepower on obliterating High Prelate Grikira’sss battle group, so only light repairsss are required for our ssshipsss to be fully operational.”

“That’s far better news than I dared hope!” Tamolith exclaimed, her imposing draconic face lighting up with relief. The dragon’s curious gaze lingered on the High Prelate and she added, “But you don’t seem particularly heartened, Zorlin.”

He shook his head sorrowfully. “We are facing ssseveral insssurmountable problemsss. The majority of our fleet is usssing obsssolete ssshield technology and we cannot manufacture enough replacementsss in time to refit all our ssshipsss. If Emperor Baledranax gave the Brimoriansss our heat sssink ssschematicsss –even the lessser variety– we will be fighting at a sssignificant tech disssadvantage.”

“He did...” Tamolith interjected, grimacing at the thought.

Zorlin looked despondent, but continued with his status report. “The next major isssue isss one of numbersss. We only have enough vessselsss to form three war fleetsss ... it won’t be enough.”

“What about the extra 100 ships the Terrans promised?” Tamolith pressed urgently. “The vessels that survived the Battle of Terra should be released shortly...”

“Thossse craft will require sssubssstantial repairsss, new ssshield generatorsss, and are a week away. Even if they were here and combat ready, we ssstill wouldn’t have the numbersss we need. Preliminary reportsss from the Brimorian border are vague, but the Enclave appear to have invaded with at leassst six warfleets.”

“We stand no chance of holding our own against the Brimorians?” the Empress asked grimly, her voice an ominous rumble.

Zorlin’s shoulders slumped. “None whatsssoever, Imperial Majesssty.”

The huge crimson dragon stood frozen for a long moment, then her lips peeled back into a feral snarl. She lifted her head and let out a terrifying roar of frustration and rage that left the High Prelate quaking in his boots.

“A thousand curses on your charred bones, Baledranax!” she screamed, whipping her tail around and smashing the nearest gantry.

The maintenance platform toppled off the Breklan’tohok, the twisted metal squealing in protest, before it crashed to the deck with a deafening clang.

Tamolith clamped her jaws down on the reinforced guardrail and ripped it clear, then spat it into the hangar with disgust. “Opportunistic Brimorian scum ... I will not give up now, not after the indignities I’ve endured!”

Zorlin cowered on the floor in the face of her draconic fury. “We could bessseech the Terransss for aid, Empresss!”