Chapter 128: Rising to the occasion...

Sakura watched the long lines of infested Trankarans, the stoic republic citizens waiting patiently in the docking collar that connected the Kirrix dreadnought to the Invictus. There were so many freed prisoners in need of treatment that the queue seemed to stretch for miles, snaking through the innards of the alien ship until they reached the point where she now stood.

“Are any of you wounded?” she called out as she crossed into the dreadnought, looking for anyone in need of emergency care.

One of the huge eight-foot males turned to look at her, his slab-like features twisted into concern. “My bond-mate, Bakhastra. She was shot when we were captured.”

Hurrying over to him, Sakura glanced around his bulky frame, noticing he bore the unmistakeable signs of egg infestation.

The shorter female Trankaran was still over six-feet-tall, standing straight-backed and resilient despite everything she’d endured. “I do not wish to receive special treatment, Galdrumlin,” she said, shaking her head. “I will wait my turn with my rock-brethren.”

Her mate put brawny his arm around Bakhastra to give her a reassuring hug, but she winced at his touch and looked unsteady on her feet.

Sakura gently took her hand. “Bakhastra ... when the Maliri and Trankaran fleets arrive, we’ll be handing over the rescue operation to them. We’re able to quickly heal people who’ve been wounded, but anyone we don’t have time to see will have to be tended by conventional medics, who could be treating egg infestations instead. The best thing you could do for your people is to let us heal you now.”

The Trankaran woman looked alarmed. “Please forgive me, I did not know.”

“That’s okay. Let’s get those wounds healed,” Sakura said with an encouraging smile.

She helped Bakhastra step out of the queue and shook her head in disbelief when she saw the ugly pair of neutron blaster wounds on the woman’s back. A Terran would never have survived injuries that severe and she was amazed the Trankaran was still standing, let alone able to walk unaided.

Galdrumlin watched her leave with obvious relief. “I shall join you as soon as I am able, jewel of my heart.” He relaxed, shifting his weight to his right leg.

Sakura noticed his discomfort and raised an eyebrow. “You’re hurt too, aren’t you?”

“It’s nothing, just a minor flesh wound,” he replied, waving his huge paw dismissively.

She rolled her eyes and beckoned him to join her. “Come on. You need healing and Bakhastra needs your support.”

The two Trankarans limped after her as she led them along the corridor to the Invictus. Irillith and Tashana were standing guard at the broad hangar doors and they nodded to Sakura as she guided the wounded through to the treatment centre. Rachel was there, overseeing the maintenance bots, who were using Sonic Cannons to liquefy the nearly-hatched eggs inside their hosts. Although each of those Trankarans was only carrying a single egg, they were the grubs for higher-tier creatures, like hive lords and juggernauts, and therefore substantially larger.

Sakura handed over Bakhastra and Galdrumlin to Rachel, who immediately began healing their wounds, the Trankarans unable to stop themselves from gasping as their bodies regenerated. After waving them goodbye, Sakura returned to the docking collar to look for more stubborn Trankarans in need of aid.

Stopping beside the twins, she said quietly, “It looks like the sensor scans were right. I’ve done a bit of scouting and everywhere I’ve looked, the Kirrix on board the dreadnought are dead. I know Alyssa didn’t want to take any chances, but I don’t think we need you two on guard duty anymore.”

The Maliri had turned their Paragon helmets opaque to protect their identity, so Sakura wasn’t able to see their expressions.

“I’ve contacted the hive ships,” Irillith informed her fellow Lioness. “They confirmed that all the Kirrix crews are dead there too.”

“Did they all die at the exact same time?” Sakura asked, already suspecting the answer. “I’ve spoke to a lot of Trankarans and they said their eggs stopped moving an hour ago ... right when all the guards keeled over.”

The Maliri hacker nodded. “Ample proof that John wiped them all out.”

There was no mistaking the wonder in Tashana’s voice as she murmured, “I knew Baen’thelas was powerful, but I never dreamed he was capable of doing anything like that.”

Sakura had a look of awestruck admiration in her eyes. “He saved thousands of Trankarans. Those eggs were already starting to hatch and we never would have been able to treat them all in time.”

The three women stood quietly together for a moment, all sharing that same sense of amazement. Those feelings were also accompanied by concern for the man they loved, who hadn’t stirred since they had brought him back to the Invictus.

He’ll be okay, girls, Alyssa said, her voice calm and reassuring. Rachel checked him over, remember? John’s just exhausted after channelling that much psychic energy in one go.

Will you tell me when he wakes up? Sakura asked anxiously.

Of course. I’ll let all of you know the moment anything changes, their matriarch replied. Now, Jade and Dana are about to dock with the first batches of injured from the hive ships. Tashana, Irillith, I’d like you to head to the forward airlocks and help unload the Trankarans from the Raptor and the Progenitor shuttle.

On our way, the twins said simultaneously.

“I’ll see you two later,” Sakura said, smiling at the Maliri.

They both reached out to touch her arms in a simple gesture of affection, then left to meet the docking spacecraft at the front of the Invictus. She watched them depart, before turning and heading back into the dreadnought to search for more injured prisoners.

Fleet Commander Lilyana paced nervously on the Bridge of the Galaena Serine, darting occasional glances at the holographic starmap. The Maliri war fleet was racing across the sector, with Warden Brokurlun’s Trankaran forces trailing along in their wake. She could see the glowing yellow lines that marked the outer edge of her battleship’s sensor range, the arcs stretching out into space and pushing back the darkness ... but so far, they had detected nothing.

“Are we definitely travelling at top speed?” she asked her Chief Engineer impatiently.

The Maliri officer nodded. “Affirmative, Fleet Commander. This is our maximum hyper-warp velocity.”

Lilyana grimaced, then turned to her Senior Navigator. “Check our course heading ... I’m sure we should have seen them by now.”

“I verified it two minutes ago...” the crewwoman protested with a frown.

“Check it again!” Lilyana said indignantly.

The navigator ducked her head down and went to work. “Yes, Fleet Commander...”

Lilyana heard a peal of laughter echoing from the corridor approaching the Bridge and she bristled, whirling around and getting ready to chastise the jovial crewwomen. Her sharp retort died on her lips when she saw who it was, Almari and Ilyana flouncing onto the Command Deck with dazzling smiles on the two assassins’ faces.

“Hey!” Almari greeted her cheerfully, cobalt-blue eyes sparkling with excitement.

Ilyana skipped along at her side, her normally reserved composure nowhere to be seen. “Any sign of the Invictus yet?!”

The Fleet Commander sagged against her command chair. “No.”

Almari put her arm around the older woman and gave her a comforting hug. “It won’t be long now ... don’t worry!”

There’s no need to fret, my dear, Edraele said softly. I’m very proud of the way you’ve served the Protectorate ... and soon you’ll receive the reward you so richly deserve.

Biting her lower lip in anticipation, Lilyana let out a wistful sigh.

“Fleet Commander!” the Chief Engineer blurted out excitedly. “Look, sensor contacts!”

Lilyana’s head snapped around and she pushed herself off the Command Chair. “Enhance the view! I want to see more detail!”

The holographic projection shifted focus, centring on the sensor contacts and zooming in closer. The dozen red glyphs were soon joined by scores more, the number of contacts increasing until there were thousands sprawled across a vast area of space. As they drew closer, the glowing icons shifted into three-dimensional depictions of the shattered debris and forlorn wrecks that formed the immense starship graveyard.

“The Invictus did all that?” she breathed, gaping incredulously at the scale of the destruction.

Sure enough, a green glyph was replaced by the white battlecruiser, appearing in the middle of all the destruction. It was quite apparent that the Invictus hadn’t sustained so much as a dent in the ferocious combat, and the flawless hull sparkled brightly as it reflected the starlight.

“They’ve had some upgrades since the Battle of Terra,” Almari murmured, just as astounded by the carnage.

There was a chime from the Comms Station, which sounded deafeningly loud as it shattered the stunned silence on the Bridge, making every single crewwoman jump.

“We’re being hailed by the Invictus!” the comms officer called out, turning to look wide-eyed at her Fleet Commander.

“Put them through!” Lilyana said with a gleeful grin.

“John ... are you alright?” a female voice asked, penetrating his subconscious like a jackhammer.

He groaned at the stabbing pain in his eyes and fumbled for the duvet, pulling it over his aching head. “Too bright ... too loud!”

A hand tentatively stroked his shoulder. “There ... is that better?” the girl murmured.

John tentatively peeled back the covers, blinking slowly in the gloom. He could see a figure staring at him with concern, her jagged features slowly softening into Alyssa’s beautiful face.

“Feels like I was hit by a truck...” he mumbled, rubbing at his head. “What the hell happened?”

Alyssa shot a worried glance to her right and another face loomed over him, this time a lovely tawny-haired girl.

He didn’t immediately recognise the brunette and he squinted as he tried to place her. “Rachel... ?”

“You’re obviously suffering from light sensitivity,” she whispered, her well-spoken voice soft and comforting. “Aside from a severe headache, are you experiencing any other symptoms?”

“Took a moment to know who you were ... it’s like the worst hangover ever...” he muttered, rubbing at his temples. “Gimme a sec ... I’ll fix it.”

“Wait!” Rachel called out sharply, making him wince with the loud noise.

“What?” he asked with a groan.

Alyssa leaned closer and pressing her lips up against his ear, she whispered, “You asked for as much power as we could give you. I think we gave you too much ... you nearly died.”

Rachel lay down beside him opposite Alyssa and murmured, “I want you to rest. Don’t use any psychic abilities until we’re sure that you’re fully recovered.”

“Why’d you wake me?” he groaned. “You could’ve just let me sleep it off...”

“You’ve been unconscious for five hours already,” Alyssa whispered, her breath tickling his ear. “The Trankarans and Maliri fleets arrived an hour ago.”

“We can’t hang around!” he protested, trying to sit up and clutching at his pounding head. “Fuck!”

Both girls held him down, their beautiful faces darkening to angry scowls.

“Stop!” Alyssa barked, making him wince again. “You’ll hurt yourself even more!”

John gave up trying to fight them and sagged back on the bed with a groan. “Okay...”

Rachel cuddled up against him again. “I can try to ease your symptoms, but I want to do it very carefully,” she whispered in a hushed voice. “You were incapacitated by excessive psychic power usage and I don’t want to risk doing any more damage. Tell me immediately if you experience any discomfort.”

He decided against nodding and just stroked her hair instead, enjoying the silky feel of her tawny mane flowing across his fingers. Taking the gesture as acceptance, Rachel reached out with her misty aura, extending it to swathe his body. John had been healed by her before, but this time wasn’t like the tickling sensation that made him want to burst into laughter. He wasn’t sure anything was happening at first, then there was the slightest shift ... like the crushing pressure on his head was been eased away.

“Feels good...” he murmured appreciatively.

Rachel relaxed, the tension in her back and shoulders easing. “There you go,” she crooned, brushing her lips against his cheek. “Let me take all the pain away...”

He reached for Alyssa and pulled her closer too. “Love you both ... so much.”

With his eyes closed, John wasn’t aware of the joyful smile the two teenagers darted at each other. He held onto them, taking solace in the embrace as Rachel did her best to soothe his overloaded synapses. The blistering headache bled away, gradually freeing his tortured subconscious from the blanket of pain that had assailed him since he’d awoken.

Sighing with relief, John looked down at Rachel. “That was amazing ... I can’t tell you how much better I feel. Thank you, honey.”

Touched by the sincerity of his gratitude, she gave him a shy smile. “I’m so glad you’re alright.”

Alyssa watched him with concern, her slender fingers stroking his hair. “John ... do you remember exactly what happened when you confronted the Hive Queen?”

He smiled as he looked up at her, then suddenly froze, his pupils going wide in horror. “Oh God, no!”

Dana squeezed past the line of Trankarans that were filing out of the Raptor, then bounded through the airlock into the Invictus.

She spotted Jade leaving the Progenitor shuttle and waved at the Nymph matriarch. “Hey! Alyssa’s being all secretive about why we’re meeting up; do you know what’s happening?”

The normally exuberant shapeshifter looked anxious as she replied, “You know that she woke John?”

Falling into step beside her as they walked into the Primary Hangar, Dana bobbed her head in confirmation. “Yeah, she said Rachel fixed him up and he’s fine now.”

Jade had a distant look in her troubled eyes. “Physically, yes ... he’s fully recovered.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Dana hissed, feeling a surge of alarm. “What about mentally?!”

The Nymph steered the unsettled redhead away from the Trankarans that were walking towards the treatment centre. She nodded to Marika as they passed the closest catgirl, the four Nymphs in their nurse’s outfits as they aided the lines of patients.

“John’s upset, Dana,” Jade whispered to her companion. “With good reason to be.”

“About what?!” she demanded, walking quickly to keep up with the hurrying green-skinned girl.

Jade glanced around furtively and was about to reply, when she spotted Helene nearby, talking to a huge Trankaran warrior wearing imposing battle armour.

“You should be very proud of your people, Warden Brokurlun,” the aquatic girl said, looking up at him with respect. “They’ve been through so much ... but they’re all incredibly brave.”

He stood a bit taller, towering over the teal-hued beauty. “I am very proud of my rock-brethren, Lioness Helene. Many citizens of Dun Hergrun have approached me with stories of your benevolence and the kindness you have shown them; I see that they have not exaggerated their claims.”

“I just tried to help ease their suffering. They refuse to show that they’ve been hurt, but I could still feel their pain,” she said softly. Reaching up to place a hand on his rune-embossed chest plate she added, “Just like yours...”

The Warden’s mouth fell open as he gaped at her in shock, then his slab-like features crumpled with overwhelming grief.

“I’m so sorry, Brokurlun,” Helene whispered, her compassionate blue-eyed gaze glowing with a soft light. “I know you loved your children very much...”

“I lost everyone ... they have all been taken from me,” he rumbled, his expression one of insurmountable pain.

“Don’t give up hope,” she said, meeting his look of anguish. “We managed to save over a million Trankarans ... there’s still a chance that your wife survived ... and your parents.”

He dropped to one knee with a clang and gently embraced her. “I will do as you ask. I will continue to pray to the Great Protector for their salvation.”

Helene hugged him back. “I hope your prayers are answered, Brokurlun.”

The big Trankaran gave her a grateful look, then rose to his feet and bowed respectfully. He turned and walked away, a newfound purpose in his stride.

Jade had held back as the two spoke, but she hurried to join the aquatic girl when Brokurlun departed. “Helene, are you alright?” she asked, reaching out to stroke her shoulder.

“The Kirrix were so awful to these poor people,” Helene murmured, watching the big warrior leave. “Is it really true that John killed them all?”

The Nymph nodded. “He had to save the Trankarans from being torn apart by hatching eggs.”

“I suppose I should be horrified that so many Kirrix have died today, but I don’t feel that way at all,” Helene replied wearily, running a hand through her light-green hair. “How can the Kirrix be so cruel? The Trankarans are nice people ... they never deserved any of this.”

“There are some truly evil creatures in the galaxy,” Jade replied, a sad edge to her voice as she studied the innocent girl.

Dana gave Helene a supportive hug. “John’s awake and wants to talk to us. Are you coming up to the meeting too?”

“I’d love to join you,” the aquatic girl said, smiling at her gratefully as they started walking towards the double doors at the end of the room.

Helene’s coming with us, Alyssa, Jade warned her fellow matriarch, looking at the young woman with concern.

John stood beside the broad windows that flanked the Briefing Room, staring at the enormous Trankaran battleship that was docked with the Invictus. The Forge of Ukonlir was a dull rust-red, the armour plating a dozen-feet thick to protect the massive command vessel’s robust hull. The door opened behind him and he turned to see the girls filing into the room. There was a succession of hugs and kisses from each of them as they all expressed their relief that he was alright.

Dana was the last and she looked him in the eye when she pulled back from the hug. “You’re not alright, are you?”

He reluctantly shook his head. “Alyssa told you what I did? That I went into the Hive Queen’s head and overloaded her psychic network?”

“I’ve seen hundreds of Kirrix corpses,” Sakura said quietly. “They were bleeding from their eyes ... from their mouths ... You lobotomised them all.”

Alyssa reached over to squeeze his hand. “You nearly took yourself out too.”

There were shocked gasps from the girls at that announcement and John looked around at them apologetically. “That definitely wasn’t intentional. I tapped so much power from Alyssa, Jade, and Edraele that I was high as a kite. If Alyssa hadn’t snapped me out of it ... I dread to think what might’ve happened.”

“You’ve drawn huge amounts of psychic energy from your matriarchs before,” Calara said, looking puzzled. “Why did you react so badly this time?”

John’s eyes flicked to Jade.

The Nymph nodded glumly, her expression chagrined. “With all the attention my sisters have received from John recently, they’ve grown strong ... far stronger than I realised. When he asked me for as much power as possible, I obeyed without question.”

“It wasn’t your fault, you just caught me by surprise,” John said, putting an arm around his green matriarch and giving her a supportive hug.

“I love blowing your mind, Master ... but not like that!” Jade exclaimed, hugging him back.

“Jade and her sisters are now packing as much psychic energy as Edraele and her entire network of Maliri wards,” Alyssa explained, smiling at the green-skinned girl in admiration. “And we’re not close to being finished with those sexy catgirls yet.”

“Isn’t upgrading them even further going to be dangerous?” Calara asked with concern.

John shook his head. “No, I don’t think so. The Nymphs are like very powerful psychic batteries; we’ll just have to be careful how much energy Jade gives me at any one time, especially if I’m drawing power from Alyssa and Edraele too.”

“Okay, it’s good we found that out, but why would you be upset about that?” Dana asked with a puzzled frown.

“You’re right, that’s not the problem,” John replied, his expression turning bleak. “When I obliterated the Hive Queen’s mind, I got snapshots of her memories.” His eyes flicked to Helene as he quietly continued, “Before they invaded the Trankaran Republic, this Kirrix fleet was stationed on the Brimorian border. They were there ... to trade for slaves.”

It took a moment for the girls to realise what he was saying and they looked at him in horror.

“Rach warned us the Brimorians were going to start culling the Abandoned,” Dana whispered, her face twisted with revulsion. “But I never thought they’d actually do it!”

Rachel didn’t say a word, she just looked at John, then put her arms around Helene to console the shocked girl.

John shook his head, his eyes filled with tightly-suppressed fury. “No, you don’t understand. The Brimorians didn’t just start this recently ... they’ve been trading the Abandoned to the Kirrix for decades. All the sick, wounded, or elderly ... the Brimorians murdered millions of them!”

Calara leaned unsteadily against the briefing table, her face betraying the depths of her horror. “I always wondered how the Kirrix had so many drones ... my God.”

“I think I’m going to be sick,” Helene murmured, holding a trembling hand to her mouth.

Alyssa opened the door with a flick of her fingers and Rachel helped the devastated Abandoned girl out of the room. Helene didn’t make it to the bathroom in time and they could hear her being violently sick on the Bridge until the door slid shut behind her.

“We can’t let this stand, John,” Sakura muttered, her jaw clenched. “The Brimorians have to be punished. They don’t deserve to live.”

He slumped in his chair at the head of the table, his expression conflicted between anger and trepidation. “I’m finding it very hard not to agree with you.”

Tashana looked troubled as she said quietly, “We’ve talked about how evil the Kirrix are for preying on other species ... but they’re doing it just to survive. What’s the Brimorian’s excuse?”

“Greed...” John muttered, his eyes flashing dangerously. “Metals, minerals, precious gems ... the Kirrix trade the Brimorians anything they want in exchange for a steady supply of Abandoned slaves.”

“Fuck it!” Dana snarled, slamming her fist down on the table. “I say we kill them all and hand the Brimorian Enclave over to the Abandoned!”

Irillith nodded, her face grim. “I agree.”

“So do I,” Jade said, the vehemence in her voice surprising them all.

Alyssa stood beside John and stroked his shoulder, “What do you want to do, John?”

He glanced across the table at Calara, who had tears in her eyes as she shook her head.

“We can’t do anything...” the Latina said, her shoulders slumping. “Not now ... not when there’s so much at stake. We have to get back to Genthalas as quickly as possible, rally the Maliri, then seize all of Larn’kelnar’s fleet. As much as I hate the Brimorians right now for what they’ve done, we can’t deal with them yet.”

“But they’re killing millions of people!” Dana exclaimed in shock. “We can’t just do nothing!”

“If we don’t get our hands on thrall ships for the Maliri, billions will die in a Progenitor invasion,” Calara said, her voice haunted. “We haven’t got any choice.”

Irillith sat down, her eyes blazing with a violet light.

“What are you doing?” John asked the Maliri hacker.

“Getting some answers from the dreadnought,” Irillith muttered, her angular eyes flicking from side to side as her spirit form swept over the Cyber Realm.

The rest of the crew watched in silence, waiting for whatever it was she was looking for.

It didn’t take long before Irillith relaxed, blinking as she adjusted to being back in the room. “We’ve got some time ... but not long.”

“What do you mean?” John asked, leaning forward with interest.

“You were right ... Irnaxxa’s fleet was stationed on the Brimorian border. They invaded Trankaran space a month ago, then were returning to a planet called Kirr-arlak to unload all the newly-hatched grubs. After that, the dreadnought was supposed to load on cargo and return to the Brimorians to collect the next shipment. The Kirrix captured so many Trankarans on Dun Hergrun, they were running late for the next border meeting.”

“But we just wiped out the fleet,” Calara said, looking at her quizzically. “So does that mean the Hive Mind will send out another?”

Irillith nodded. “Yes, but Hive Queens will only travel on dreadnoughts and the Kirrix only had three, two of which we’ve destroyed. The third is stationed at Kirr-Inax and it’ll take two weeks to travel to the border.”

“Won’t they just send the closest fleet of hive ships instead?” Calara asked, looking unconvinced.

John shook his head. “The Kirrix need the upper-tier creatures as well as just drones. There’s always been a Hive Queen present for the trade with the Brimorians.”

“The Kirrix are in the middle of a civil war now,” the Latina reminded them. “Will they still send out their last dreadnought if the two sides are fighting each other to the death? Surely whichever side controls the dreadnought will use it to help defeat the other first?”

“Maintaining a fresh supply of hosts is more important to the Kirrix than anything,” Alyssa said thoughtfully. “When I told the Kirrix to stop raiding neighbouring empires for hosts, one faction agreed while the other refused; that’s the sole reason for the civil war. Secretly trading with the Brimorians for Abandoned slaves is something else entirely ... both Kirrix factions will still be in complete agreement on that.”

“Okay, so at least we’ve got two weeks then?” Dana asked, her face brightening. “We do all the shit we need to, then we can go wipe out the Brimorians and save the Abandoned!”

“We could always reposition Lilyana’s fleet to the Brimorian border,” Irillith suggested with a wicked grin. “Instead of the Kirrix turning up to collect slaves, Lilyana could meet the Brimorians instead.”

Calara looked torn, her fingers drumming on the table as she considered it. “We really need to recall her fleet to Genthalas. We must reallocate those crews to thrall ships as soon as possible.”

John shook his head. “We can always send a fleet of thrall ships with skeleton crews to meet her. If we can’t attack the Brimorians in time for any reason, Lilyana can be our backup plan to stop the slave trade. Dana’s right; we can’t just stand by and do nothing. I’ll do whatever I can to protect the Abandoned.”

“Thank you, John,” Helene said softly, hearing the end of the conversation as she re-entered the Briefing Room.

He rose from his chair and walked over to meet the distraught girl. “Are you alright?”

She looked pale and very sad, but nodded. “I just keep thinking about all the elders that disappeared from my village. They were good people ... and it’s just so awful to think about what happened to them.”

“I’m so sorry, honey” he said, gathering her in his arms. “I promise you, we’re going to stop the Enclave and make sure the Abandoned are never mistreated again.”

“Are you going to kill all the Brimorians?” she asked very quietly, doubt and concern in her eyes.

John stroked Helene’s back soothingly as she lay her head against his chest. “I honestly don’t know...” he replied, his expression as conflicted as hers.

Neysa padded across the docking collar that linked the Invictus to the Forge of Ukonlir, smiling at the hundreds of Trankaran civilians in the huge hangar that bowed to her respectfully. She approached a group of officers wearing battle armour, who were speaking to each other quietly, or as quietly as was possible with their deep rumbling voices.

“Warden Brokurlun?” she asked, her tone polite and respectful.

The leader turned to look at her, his sad expression lifting slightly. “Yes, Lioness? Can I be of assistance?”

She smiled at him and shook her head. “This one is just called Neysa. I believe you asked to speak with John? He asked me to inform you that he will meet with you shortly.”

He bowed to her. “Thank you for telling me, Neysa.”

“You’re welcome,” she replied, her smile softening. “I also wish to inform you that someone else wishes to see you.”

“Oh, of course. Who is it?”

“Brokurlun!” a Trankaran female called out, her voice ringing across the vast room.

He looked up in shock, then leapt forward, catching the rockwoman as she ran into his arms. “Helgruda!” he exclaimed, his craggy features lit up with joy.

As the Warden clung to his sobbing bond-mate, he felt a mixture of elation mixed with sorrow. While he was overjoyed to be reunited with Helgruda, he knew only too well what happened to the children captured by the Kirrix, and her heartbroken sobs echoed his own grief. Doing his best to console her, he glanced over her shoulder and his jaw dropped in shock. Neysa turned to watch as Irillith led two elderly Trankarans across the hangar to join their son.