Chapter 33 - What dangers await them in the Dragon March?

The room was peaceful and still when John woke up, and a quick glance at the ship’s chronometer told him it was nearly two in the morning. During the night he’d rolled on to his back, Calara and Jade rolling with him, and they now lay asleep in his arms. He glanced down at them with an affectionate smile on his face, and looked to both sides to check that Alyssa and Dana were asleep too. The blonde was sleeping contentedly behind Calara, but his mischievous redhead was currently missing, the rest of the bed looking cold and empty.

He listened carefully to see if he could hear Dana in the bathroom, but he just heard the rhythmic sound of the other girls breathing. The last time Dana hadn’t come to bed was during their time on Ashana, when she’d got caught up in the ship’s refit. It seemed unlikely that she would have stayed up tonight though, as she wasn’t really preoccupied with any major projects at the moment.

Carefully extricating himself from Calara and Jade’s loving embrace, he moved stealthily off the bed, being careful not to wake anybody. He padded down the corridor to check on Dana’s room, to see if she’d gone in there to sleep for some unknown reason. Finding her unused room to be as empty, just as he’d expected, he walked further along to the grav-tube, thinking he should head down to deck seven, and see if she was in her workshop.

He smiled to himself for a moment, thinking it would be much easier if he had simply woken up Alyssa, and asked her where the redhead was hiding, but where would the fun be in that?

All thoughts of fun and games disappeared instantly when he heard the faint sound of crying coming from the officers’ lounge. He strode over to the double doors and pushed the button, the portal opening with a quiet swish. The lounge was cast in shadows, starlight from the passing systems providing the only illumination in the room. Now that the door was opened, the heartbreaking sound of a girl weeping reached his ears, and he followed the desolate lament over to the sofas. Dana was sitting on one of the seats with her feet up on the cushion, her head tilted forward, as she cried into her arms that were resting on her knees.

John strode over to her purposefully and sat beside her, wrapping her up in his arms.

“Dana, what’s wrong?” he asked her, his voice echoing his concern.

“It’s nothing,” she mumbled between sobs.

“Come on now, you know you can tell me anything,” he said soothingly.

She paused, her breathing ragged from the crying, and then leaned into his chest, her tear streaked face brushing against him. “You’ll think I’m a terrible person,” she whispered hopelessly.

“You know I’d never think anything of the kind,” he laughed, attempting to buoy her spirits. “Tell me what’s troubling you, and maybe I can help make you feel better.”

Dana took a deep shuddering breath, and then chuckled helplessly. “Okay, whatever you want,” she said wryly. “I’m feeling so jealous ... of Calara,” she whispered haltingly, looking chagrined.

“I’m sorry Dana, I spent so much time trying to impress her family, I pretty much ignored you while we were on Jericho.” he apologised, feeling awful for making her so upset.

The redhead sniffled and laughed. “No, it’s not that, I was proud of the way you won them over,” she said fondly.

“Then what is it?” he asked her, feeling confused.

“She had such a perfect life growing up with a wonderful family, and I was abandoned; discarded like a piece of rubbish,” she said, her face crumpling again at the overwhelming feelings of loss the visit had dredged up.

“What makes it worse, is her family were so caring; only wanting to keep her safe and happy, and it was like a hundred times better than I’d thought a loving family would be like. All those times I sat scared and alone, just wishing for someone to love me...” she sobbed, and broke into a fresh round of tears.

“Shush now, everything’s going to be okay, we all love you,” he said comfortingly as he held her in his arms, and rocked her gently. She hugged him tightly, as though clinging to him for reassurance.

“I know it’s not her fault, and it’s stupid for me to feel this way, but I can’t help it ... I guess I’m just a horrible person,” she whimpered, looking up at him dejectedly.

“It’s only natural to want to belong to a loving family,” he told her reassuringly. “You and Alyssa had a terrible start, but everything’s going to be so much better now, I promise!”

“He’s right,” Alyssa said to them, as she walked gracefully across the darkened room to join them.

“About what?” Dana sniffled, looking at her friend who came to sit beside her, and stroke her back gently.

“That we all love you, and that it’s only natural to want to be a part of a family,” she murmured comfortingly.

“But I feel so jealous of Calara, it’s awful!” Dana moaned, looking forlorn.

“I know how to make all that go away, and to give you what you’ve always craved,” Alyssa said softly. “You’re part of a wonderful new family now.”

“Sisters?” Dana said with a hopeful smile.

“That’s right. Sisters, who all love the same amazing man,” Alyssa said with a smile, as she glanced at John.

Dana looked up at John lovingly, and nodded enthusiastically, but then her face shadowed in confusion. “I already know all that, but I still feel this sense of loss,” she sighed dejectedly.

“That’s because you know it, but you haven’t been able to truly feel it,” Alyssa said soothingly. She opened her arms invitingly. “Let me make everything feel so much better, Sparks.”

Dana nodded willingly, and John released her from his embrace as she turned to face her oldest friend. Dana sat in Alyssa’s lap, with her legs wrapped around her friend as they hugged each other tightly, while John stroked her back soothingly. Alyssa pulled back slightly so that they were staring into each other’s eyes, only inches apart.

“Let me feel how much you want to be a part of our family, little sister,” the blonde girl said, staring into the redhead’s sky blue eyes.

“Oh, I want that so much,” Dana sighed wistfully.

So do I, Alyssa’s thoughts carried through to her friend.

I can feel it! Dana gasped, the golden coronas around her pupils flaring with excitement.

We all feel this way about you, Dana, the blonde girl replied, as her thoughts and feelings swelled up, surrounding and embracing the redhead lovingly.

My family... Dana murmured, as she stared into Alyssa’s piercing cerulean eyes in awe.

John watched as the girls seemed to fall into some kind of trance, staring unblinkingly into each other’s eyes as their breathing deepened, and their chests rose and fell in an identical rhythm. He had seen this happen when Alyssa had bonded with Calara, and if Alyssa followed the same pattern with Dana, the girls would be unresponsive for a while. He walked quietly back to the bedroom, and returned with a couple of blankets, one of which he draped around the nude girls, the other he pulled over himself as he laid out on an adjacent sofa, settling down to keep an eye on them.

He half dozed, drifting in and out of sleep, but watching them both warily for any signs of change. After an hour or so, he noticed some movement from the young women, their blanket shifting, as they began to rouse from their hypnotic state. He threw off his own blanket, and darted over to their side, looking at both their faces with concern.

“It’s okay, we’re fine,” Alyssa said to him lovingly, as she raised a slender hand and cupped his face tenderly.

“I feel wonderful, the emptiness is just gone...” Dana signed happily, gazing across at the blonde girl with deep gratitude in her eyes.

“Let’s get you two back to bed, and we can talk about this later,” John said soothingly, and gently helped them up. They rose and then embraced him, and he led them both back to his room, a tired girl leaning against him on either side.

John awoke later that morning, to find Jade watching him with a happy smile on her face. He looked around at the other young women, but they were all slumbering serenely.

“Let’s go make them breakfast for when they wake up,” he whispered conspiratorially, and the nymph nodded eagerly, and grinned at him.

John extricated himself from the tangle of lithe female limbs, and then got dressed silently with Jade. He held out his hand for hers when they were ready, and she slipped her cool hand through his, intertwining her slender fingers with his own. She looked up at him adoringly, and he gave her a quiet peck on the lips that made her sigh contentedly.

They stole away quietly, being very careful not to wake the other girls, who were recovering, having just undergone a seismic shift in their relationships. They walked along the corridor into the officers’ lounge, and remained quiet until they entered the kitchen.

“How are you this morning?” John asked her curiously, as he reached over to collect some eggs from the fridge. “Dana was quite upset last night after visiting Calara’s parents. It made her realise just how much she’d missed out on, while she was growing up.”

“Ah, that’s what was bothering her,” Jade said with a frown, as she leaned back against one of the counters. “I wish she’d spoken to me. I could tell she was upset, but she wouldn’t talk to me about it.”

“It’s okay, Alyssa did that mind sharing thing with Dana last night. I have a feeling she’ll be fine now, but you haven’t answered my question,” he said with a smile, as he cracked an egg into a pan. “Did spending time with a close family like that upset you?”

“No, I’ve never felt happier!” Jade replied, accentuating her statement with a beaming grin.

“Well that’s always good to hear,” he said with some relief.

Jade laughed merrily, and then glided over to his side, and ran her fingers through his hair affectionately as she looked up at him. “You guys just see me as a green skinned Terran most of the time, which is sweet, and I love that you accept me so wholeheartedly. But like you, I’m different. I might well have had a family many centuries ago, but I just can’t remember back that far. When you’ve lived that long, you gain a different ... perspective on things.” she said softly, suddenly looking far older and wiser than he’d ever seen her before.

“What do you mean?” he asked her curiously.

“I don’t really feel that same need that drives Terrans: to have roots, a history, and a sense of belonging to some kind of shared heritage. I just need...” she paused and smiled wryly.

“Tell me, what do you need?” he asked her, quite fascinated.

“A strong master...” she sighed ecstatically. “I know you don’t like the idea of me being so dependent on you, but you’re just so powerful, and kind, and loving. After all the sad little pathetic ‘masters’ I’ve experienced over the last three hundred years, you’re the only one who genuinely deserves the title.”

“When we were role-playing the other day, and the other girls pretended to be hopelessly devoted to me, you weren’t pretending, were you?” he asked her perceptively.

Jade’s sparkling emerald eyes looked up at him adoringly, and she shook her head, confirming his suspicions. He turned towards her, pulling her into his arms and she sighed contentedly.

“I’m honoured, and I can’t deny it doesn’t turn me on more than a little,” he said looking down at her beautiful dark green features. “But I thought you’d changed when you stopped calling me ‘master’ all the time. I was happy for you, that you seemed to have grown beyond that.”

The nymph leaned back from him a little so that she could study his face more easily. “Oh, I have changed, very much so. You’ve given me a sense of self, and purpose, and ... awakened me, in a way I hadn’t thought possible,” she answered him earnestly, her tone and expression uncharacteristically serious.

“But you still have an instinctive need to bind yourself to someone powerful, a ‘master’?” he asked her, beginning to understand more of her psyche.

“I love that you’ve welcomed me into your family, with you and the girls on this ship ... But the simple thought that I belong to you, and that you’re happy with me, is more fulfilling and rewarding than I can hope to describe,” she confirmed as she stared back at him.

John studied her lovely face as she gazed up at him with hope in her eyes, sensing her longing need to hear those very things. He cradled her head in his hand, and leaned her back slightly, so that her top rode up and exposed her slim midriff. He stroked her toned stomach possessively as he stared into her eyes.

“You do belong to me,” he told her fiercely. “I’m delighted with you, my gorgeous little nymph, and I fully intend to breed your perfect body many times.”

Jade’s cat-like eyes stared up at him wide as saucers, and she let out a little gasp as she shuddered in his arms, her entire body vibrating with desire. “Oh, you understand me so well,” she sighed reverently.

She flung her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately, her normally cool skin feeling warm to the touch as she burned with lust. John returned her kisses fervently, his lips firm and insistent against her full, lush mouth.

Suddenly an alarm went off in the kitchen, a heat alarm having been triggered, and they stopped their passionate embrace looking up at it in surprise. John stared at the smouldering, lusty girl in his arms in wonder, before the smell of burning eggs reached his fevered brain.

“Oh shit!” he exclaimed, and quickly moved the blackened charred ruin in the pan, that had once been a fried egg, off the heat of the oven.

“You thought I’d triggered the alarm for a moment there, didn’t you?” Jade laughed delightedly.

“Hey, you are smoking hot!” John said in his own defence, as he laughed along with her.

They exchanged an affectionate glance, wide grins on both their faces, as he disposed of the incinerated egg.

“I think we better concentrate on breakfast properly this time,” Jade said as she sidled up to him, and brushed up against him. “I promise I won’t distract you ... too much.”

“I don’t think that’s possible,” he laughed, “But thanks for being honest with me,” he said, turning and holding both her hands. “It’s important I get to know everything about the women I love.”

“Careful, you might set the fire alarm off again!” Jade grinned, and then leaned in to kiss him gently.

They smiled at each other fondly, and then set about making breakfast.

Alyssa stretched and yawned, finally awakening from her deep slumber. She glanced to her left reflexively, her first instinct upon becoming conscious to look for John. Instead of his rugged male physique, she found the coffee skinned Latina curled up against her. When she looked to the other side, a mass of dark auburn hair filled her view. Both teenagers awoke a few moments later and after stretching themselves, gazed up at her contentedly.

Good morning ladies! Alyssa thought to all the girls.

Good morning, Alyssa! they all chorused back happily, including Jade who was currently keeping John company.

Each of the girls began to chatter away to her, her mind filling with their excited, happy thoughts. Sighing contentedly, Alyssa snuggled back into the covers, and struck up three simultaneous conversations. Calara was walking on air after the successful visit to her family, overjoyed that they had approved of John. Dana’s worries and sadness had completely evaporated, and she was revelling in the warm loving emotions that Alyssa was sending to her. Jade was also deliriously happy, having opened up to John, and was feeling more connected to him than ever before.

Alyssa allowed herself a contented smile as she chatted with her friends, all the while listening in to John’s ever present voice in her mind. She examined their ethereal presences that she had tucked away into little compartments of her consciousness, and was surprised to see that the nebulous swirls of emotions that had represented Calara and Dana had changed. They had coalesced into perfect crystal images of her friends faces, their expressions frozen in delight as thoughts and feelings poured from each of them. Her metaphysical introspection was interrupted however, when John and Jade returned to the bedroom, balancing a tray full of tasty smelling breakfast as they strolled over to the bed.

“Morning girls,” John said to them happily as he placed the tray down in front of him. They all gathered around and began to serve themselves cooked bacon, sausages, and eggs.

“This looks amazing,” Alyssa said as she speared a sausage on her fork, and took a big bite. “And it tastes even better, thanks guys!” she added appreciatively, once she’d swallowed the tasty morsel.

“How are you feeling this morning?” John asked her with concern. “You had a busy night.”

“I feel amazing!” she replied happily.

“No headaches, tiredness, anything like that?” he asked her with a worried frown.

“None!” she confirmed with a grin. “I feel perfectly fine, well so much better than fine, honestly.”

“What do you mean?” he asked her curiously.

“I can hear all of you,” Alyssa sighed rapturously as she looked around at them. “I wish I could explain how wonderful it is to share this bond with everyone.”

“We can hear your thoughts and emotions too, so I can imagine what it must feel like.” John said with a smile, leaning over to give her a kiss on the cheek. The other girls all reached out too, and touched her folded legs affectionately as they smiled at her.

Not having the heart to explain how exponentially more powerful the sensations and depth of connections had become for her, Alyssa returned their affectionate smiles, and continued to eat her breakfast.

“We should arrive at Port Medea in about six hours.” John said, glancing at the ship’s chronometer. “If the Dragon March is as dangerous as Jack seems to think it is, we should stick close to the bridge,” he said thoughtfully.

“I can continue working on my latest project from up at the engineering station anyway, so that’s no problem,” Dana said cheerfully.

“What are you looking into next?” John asked her curiously.

“An automated series of responses for the ship’s computer, so that it will automatically react to things like interdictions until we can get there to take over.” The redhead said excitedly.

“You’re not messing around with AI, are you Dana?” he asked her sternly. “I’m no computer expert, but even I know about the first law of robotics.”

“No, nothing as sophisticated as an Artificial Intelligence. Don’t worry, I know about the Ganymede incident,” she replied, rolling her eyes.

“What do you mean?” Jade asked curiously, having never heard of either before.

“The first law of robotics states that an AI will always turn homicidal.” John said emphatically. “Every time it’s been tried, it turns into a horrific bloodbath...”

“Ganymede is one of Jupiter’s moons.” Calara explained. “There was a military research base there, which was looking into building AI flight computers for the Terran Federation Navy. The AIs formed a collective super-intelligence across the network, killed all the researchers, and then started building a robotic fleet to try and wipe out humanity. The Navy lost a lot of ships and men, before they were finally able to obliterate the moon with mass drivers.”

“That happened nearly two hundred years ago, and every few decades some idiot tries it again with similar results.” John said forebodingly.

“Hey! I’m not that reckless, honestly!” Dana said indignantly. “This will just be a series of automated responses. So if we get interdicted for example, it will raise the shields, power up the weapons, and set us on an escape vector, whilst attempting to dodge incoming attacks. It will give us some valuable time to react, and get up to the bridge, so we can take over.”

“That sounds reasonable enough, but be careful, ok?” he asked her cautiously.

“It’ll be fine, trust me!” she replied with a grin.

They laughed at her buoyant optimism, finished their breakfast and then showered and dressed for the day, before heading up to the bridge to keep themselves occupied until they arrived.

It hadn’t been long before they immediately saw that John’s caution had been well advised. Calara was helping Dana with the automated interdiction responses, while he was hanging out in the Commander’s ready room with Alyssa and Jade. They were making some well researched and convincing arguments, about some interesting ways to keep themselves occupied for the rest of the trip, when the intercom buzzed on his desk. The two girls stopped kissing for a moment, looking down at John from where they sat on his desk, as he answered the call.

“We’ve got a high priority call coming in from Terran Federation Military.” Calara said urgently.

“We’ll be right there,” John said and rose quickly from his chair. “Sorry ladies, I’ll have to hear closing arguments a bit later,” he added with a wink.

They giggled happily, and then followed him out onto the bridge, as he strode up the steps to the Commander’s chair.

“Thanks Calara, put me through please,” he told the brunette, and she accepted the incoming transmission. The view-screen crackled to life on the bridge, and the face of a stern man in a Terran Federation Navy uniform filled the image.

“This is Captain Maddox on the Medusa,” he said in a firm voice. “You will soon be approaching the Dragon March. Please state your purpose and destination.”

“This is Commander Blake on the Invictus,” John replied. “We’re visiting Port Medea, to conduct a crew transfer.”

Captain Maddox’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Our sensors show your vessel is heavily modified from the standard assault cruiser specifications. You may continue on your present course while we verify your story, but prepare to be boarded and searched if it doesn’t check out.” he said ominously before closing the comm channel.

“Things must be a lot worse than I thought if they’ve set up picket ships to keep everyone out,” John said, looking concerned. He turned towards Alyssa who was seated beside him in the Executive Officer’s chair. “Put me through to Charles Harris please, honey.”

The blonde girl nodded eagerly, and set up the call using her console, then waited while the powerful comm relay attempted to make a connection over the long distance to the Olympus Shipyard.

“We’re picking up the Medusa on our long range sensors,” Calara informed him eagerly. “It’s a Heavy Carrier!”

“Any support ships?” he asked her immediately.

“Three heavy cruisers, several light carriers and dozens of destroyers,” she gasped, as the sensor data picked up the Terran Federation transponders.

“That’s one hell of a reserve force,” John muttered grimly. “Something big must be happening.”

“John, I’ve got through to Charles,” Alyssa told him urgently. “Putting him on-screen.”

The image of Vice Admiral Charles Harris filled the viewscreen, and the older man’s face was lined with worry since they last spoke to him.

“It’s great to hear from you John, but It’s not a good time. What do you need?” he asked bluntly.

“I’m looking to recruit a medical officer. She’s fresh out of medical school, so not a huge loss to the Navy. I was hoping you could green-light a transfer under my command?” he asked succinctly.

An amused grin formed on Charles’ face and then he laughed good naturedly. “Going by the rest of your crew, I can only imagine what she looks like. You’re going to wreck fleet morale if you keep headhunting all the pretty girls from the Navy. What’s her name? I’ll authorise it immediately.”

“Her name’s Rachel Voss, based on Port Medea,” Alyssa interjected helpfully. “And hi, Charles!” she added happily.

“Hello Alyssa,” Charles replied to the beautiful girl, with a bemused smile on his face. “I’ll put the transfer through right now.”

“Wait a minute!” he gasped suddenly, looking at them in alarm. “Port Medea! John, you’re not heading into the Dragon March are you?”

“Is that a problem?” John asked archly.

Charles was about to say something, and then clenched his jaw tightly shut. He turned and entered a few quick commands on his desk console before turning back to them. “I’ve authorised a permanent transfer awaiting your confirmation, but you need to promise me you’ll get in and out as fast as you can. Don’t hang around, John...” he warned his old friend soberly.

“Thanks Charles, I appreciate it, and the warning,” John replied, and nodded to the older man respectfully.

“Be careful,” Charles said, his worried face disappearing from the screen as he hit the button to end the call.

“Well, that didn’t sound good,” Alyssa said somberly.

“No, not good at all,” John agreed, as the girls all looked up at him in concern.

“If they’ve pulled that large a force in as a reserve, they must be anticipating a breakout deeper into Terran Federation territory,” Calara said speculatively.

“The Kintark must really be causing some damage,” John said, nodding in agreement with her assessment.

“Didn’t you say the two sides were pretty balanced?” Alyssa asked him curiously. “Why would it suddenly be going so badly for our side?”

“It could be a whole host of reasons; an incompetent commander in a key position on our side, a strategic genius commanding their force, some kind of tech advantage, or the Kintark Empire throwing everything they’ve got at us. Without knowing more details, it could be anything,” he replied with a helpless shrug.

“We’ve got Maddox on the Medusa hailing us again,” Calara spoke up.

“Put him through,” John ordered grimly, and the stern faced captain of the heavy carrier filled the viewscreen once more.

“You may proceed, Commander Blake,” Captain Maddox said grudgingly. “But we’ll be keeping an eye on you.”

John didn’t bother to respond to the impolite Captain and just ended the call, the other man’s surprised face disappearing from the screen.

Alyssa pressed a button displaying the sector map, which showed their current path in a green line. “We’ve got five hours left until we get to Port Medea,” she said, as the Invictus raced across the map at incredible speed using its Tachyon drive.

“I’m not seeing much on the long range scans,” Dana offered. “There’s no civilian traffic to be seen anywhere!”

“Any merchant shipping must have been warned off by the picket ships,” Calara suggested while studying the map.

They stayed up on the bridge, and just chatted pensively while they kept a careful eye on the long range scanners. After a few hours, Dana announced that she’d finished the interdiction automated response, and when John gave her the go ahead, she activated the new computer subsystems. She laughed when she saw the rest of the crew glancing around the bridge warily.

“It’s not much more complicated than the automation in the cleaning robots!” she exclaimed, as she giggled at their paranoia. “You aren’t worried about them taking over the ship too, are you?” she added teasingly.

They laughed along with her nervously, and she rolled her eyes at their wariness. She was about to make another joke when Calara suddenly spoke up.

“We’re picking up a large flotilla of ships on the long range scans,” the brunette said in alarm.

“Ours or theirs?” John asked curtly.

“Just a few seconds longer,” Calara said, waiting for the transponder information to be populated on the sector map. “They’re friendlies!” she eventually sighed with relief, as information began to appear detailing their Terran Federation affiliation and configurations.

“It looks like they’re leaving the Dragon March,” Dana observed, noticing how quickly they were approaching the substantial convoy of vessels, which were clearly travelling to some location behind the Invictus. “But if there’s lots of fighting going on, why would that many ships be leaving?”

“Alter our course slightly please Alyssa, bring us in for a close flyby,” John requested, intending to confirm his suspicions.

Alyssa dutifully made the course corrections, and the glistening black assault cruiser made a subtle directional shift, which would take them within a few dozen kilometres of the flotilla. They waited and watched the system map as they raced past the departing Terran Federation vessels, and detailed sensor information began to be displayed against each ship.

“Holy shit!” Dana swore vehemently, saying what they were all feeling.

“I can see why they’d be retreating,” Jade said quietly, as she gazed up at the battered ships.

The flotilla was made up of dozens of battle damaged Terran vessels, ranging in size from corvettes, all the way up to a lone battleship that had been brutally savaged by plasma fire. Each of the ships told a similar tale of woe, with damage ranging from moderate through to critical, and all showing the trademark scarring from plasma attacks, the weapon of choice for the Kintark Empire.

“They’re getting hammered!” Calara gasped in shock. “That’s nearly a quadrant fleet right there.”