Chapter 115 - Healing wounded souls...

John stretched as he awoke, feeling the familiar and comforting presence of two luscious female forms draped over him. Glancing down he was surprised to see that his bedmates had switched while he was resting, with Helene and Calara replaced by Rachel and Dana. The brunette was fast asleep with a serene expression on her face, but the redhead greeted him with a warm smile.

“Good morning sleepyhead,” Dana whispered, leaning in for a kiss.

He enjoyed the gentle tenderness as her wonderfully responsive lips explored his own. She looked very contented when she pulled back, the softness in her eyes reflecting her mellow mood.

Brushing his fingers through her luxuriant auburn hair he returned her smile. “I could get used to waking up like that.”

“You earned it after the way you took care of me earlier,” she replied lovingly, before smirking and darting a glance at her girlfriend. “I expect Rach will be singing your praises too ... when she finally wakes up.”

John followed her gaze to the tawny-haired brunette, then looked up into those sky-blue eyes with concern. “At the end there, when I asked you to join in ... I was trying to make it better for Rachel, I wasn’t trying to rub your nose in me dominating her.”

“Are you telling me this because I was pouting about you power fucking her?” Dana asked, her brows furrowing.

He nodded, searching her face to try to gauge how the redhead was feeling.

She kissed him again, her soft lips lingering on his before they lifted into a grin. “Don’t be silly, I was only playing ... besides, I can’t get jealous, remember? Watching you make my soulmate cum so hard she passed out was one of the hottest things I’ve ever seen.”

He smiled in relief, then raised an eyebrow. “Your soulmate?”

Dana suddenly looked guilty and stammered, “I-I was talking to Rach the other day ... we ... I mean, I just...”

“Hey, don’t get all worried,” he said soothingly, gently stroking her cheek with his thumb. “I love how close you two have become; I just didn’t realise how close...”

She took a deep breath then turned to kiss his hand. “Thank you. Yeah, I love the hell out of her, she’s totally awesome...” Her blue eyes looked at him intently as she added, “But that doesn’t change the way I feel about you ... okay?”

He beckoned her closer with a crooked finger and she leaned down, so he could whisper in her ear, “As long as I still own your incredible mind and you’re going to let me breed your gorgeous body, everything’s perfect...”

“Oh, don’t...” she protested with a breathy moan. “We’re supposed to be getting up in a minute, but now I just want you to pound the fuck out of me...”

“Mmm, an experience not to be missed,” Rachel purred, stretching like a cat and turning to beam a dazzling smile at them both. “That was just what the doctor ordered.”

Dana shook her head in awe as she stared at her girlfriend. “Damn ... he really rang your bell! You look gorgeous when you’re blissed-out like this.”

The brunette let out a happy sigh, tilting her head up to look adoringly at John. “It’s still ringing ... you were absolutely magnificent.”

“So were you, sexy girl,” he said brushing his fingers through her hair. “Your soulmate and I were just discussing that very same thing.”

Rachel blushed, then her eyes flicked to Dana and back to John with concern. “She told you?”

“He’s totally cool with it, babes,” the redhead interjected, giving her a joyful hug.

John nodded and looked at the girls in turn. “Why don’t you two give me a little demonstration of how much you love each other?”

They smiled coyly and sat up to face one another. There was no mistaking the tenderness as they gazed into each other’s eyes and John watched in fascination as they drew closer, their full pouty lips making light contact. The kiss deepened, with the two lovers losing themselves in that intimate moment.

“Beautiful...” he murmured appreciatively, stroking their backs in encouragement.

After bringing the sensual kiss to a lingering close, the girls turned to look lovingly at him, a sense of shy vulnerability to them both.

He groaned in frustration. “Please don’t look at me like that. It’s hard enough resisting the urge to get you both pregnant and now you’re making it ten times worse!”

They giggled and hugged him tightly, no mistaking just how happy they were.

John savoured the embrace, then glanced at the ship’s chronometer and let out a rueful sigh. “We better get a shower, we’ll be arriving at Valia Gate soon.”

Reluctantly getting out of bed, they strolled into the bathroom and washed each other in the shower. John had an active connection with both nubile girls and it made them feel even closer to him as they hugged under the streams of hot water.

Our long-range scans have picked up a Kirrix force leaving the system, Alyssa informed him. You three need to hurry...

Have you plotted an intercept course? John asked, turning off the shower and letting the girls leave the cubicle.

It’s already set, she replied with grim determination. We’re looping around the system and going to drop out of hyper-warp directly in their path.

John let the auto-driers evaporate the water in soothing blasts of hot air. Perfect. We’ll be right there.

They dressed quickly and took the express grav-tubes down to the Combat Bridge. The rest of the girls except Jade’s sisters were already at the various stations, their attention drawn to the holographic map that floated above them.

“Any sign of a battle?” John asked Calara as he walked down the ramp.

She shook her head and pointed towards the fifth planet orbiting the blue dwarf star in the Zeta Phoenicis system. “There’s no sign of major debris fields around Valia Gate so it doesn’t look like this fleet fought each other. When we arrive in-system, the sensors will be able to pick up a lot more information.”

“Looks like a small fleet,” he said, studying the sensor contacts on the Tactical Overlay. “Three drone carriers and three hive ships?”

Calara nodded. “The Kirrix knew what they were doing. They only sent comparatively minor fleets to these outlying systems and sent the bulk of their forces towards more populated Federation worlds.”

Helene started to get up from his Command Chair, but John smiled and shook his head, patting her on the shoulder. “It’s okay, you can stay there.” He turned to Alyssa and asked, “ETA?”

“51 seconds,” she informed him, tapping her console and displaying their projected flight path. “I executed a sling shot around the gravity well and we’ll be dropping out of hyper-warp right in their path.”

He watched the Kirrix fleet crawling towards the edge of the system. “Do we need the Raptor like last time?”

Calara shook her head as she flexed her fingers and grasped the weapon controls. “If we scan the hive ships and locate Terran colonists, I can alpha strike the drone carriers with a Nova Lance blast and a Tachyon Lance salvo from the topdeck. Then if Jade can keep us within range of the hive ships, I’ll strip their shields and immobilise them using the Tachyon Lances on the Invictus’ underbelly.”

Jade smiled at the Latina and gave her a thumbs up. “No problem.”

“We can have the whole fleet neutralised in ten seconds,” Calara concluded, glancing back at John with a confident gleam in her eyes.

“I’d like to see how they react when they see us instead of sneaking up on them,” John said, studying the map. “I’m curious if our theory about a Kirrix civil war is correct.”

Irillith nodded, looking intrigued. “If they’re trying to keep the colonists, they’ll attack us and try to run, but if they’re trying not to antagonise Alyssa, their reaction should be quite different.”

“10 seconds,” the blonde warned them, her eyes locked on the map.

The Invictus appeared on the edge of the Zeta Phoenicis system, the outer hull encased in a quickly dissipating field of Tachyon particles. Dana activated their shields which flickered into existence a moment later, the powerful protective field shimmering with a faint azure tint. Jade pushed forward with the throttle control and the Invictus’ six massive engines roared to life, sending the white battlecruiser charging towards the ochre fleet.

It took several seconds for the Kirrix to realise that they had company and their reaction took John by surprise. He’d been expecting the carriers to launch a defensive screen of drone fighters in a desperate attempt to protect the hive ships as they fled from the local gravity well. Instead all six vessels cut all power to their main engines, retro-thrusters across the bow of those vessels blazing brightly to bring them all to a rapid halt. Then they just hung there in space, not even attempting to raise their shields.

“There was a battle,” Calara said quietly, enlarging an image of the lead drone carrier.

The Invictus’ sensors were receiving far more detailed information at this range and they stared at the ravaged hide of that behemoth, which was criss-crossed with livid scars.

“Those were caused by neutron beams,” she murmured, her eyes flicking to the trenches gouged in the hulls of the other two drone carriers. “Judging by the damage they sustained, there were probably five drone carriers in the original fleet ... two must have been destroyed.”

“Scan the hive ships, let’s just confirm that there are no Terrans aboard,” John said as the Invictus cruised past the stationary vessels.

Dana shivered as she stared at the enormous insectoid capital ships. “Those things creep me out even when they aren’t trying to kill us.” Drawing closer to the first of the three hive ships, she tapped on her console to begin an active scan. “Just give me a minute, I’ll let you know if they’re trying to sneak off with any colonists.”

“I’ve tried hailing Valia Gate, but no answer yet,” Rachel informed them, a finger resting on her earpiece.

“The Kirrix might have destroyed the capital’s comms array when they attacked the colony,” Sakura suggested, studying the Federation overview of the green and grey planet. “According to T-Fed records, there’s only one major settlement.”

“Forty-seven,” John said, nodding distractedly.

She frowned and looked at him in surprise. “I know this is the Outer Rim, but Federation records can’t be that inaccurate can they?”

He turned her way and smiled. “No, the city is called ‘47’ ... you’ll understand why when we reach the planet.”

“Looks like it’s just bugs onboard,” Dana said with relief as she studied the scan results.

“Not-quite-so-bad Kirrix?” Alyssa asked, raising an eyebrow speculatively.

John nodded, staring at the ochre-hued fleet. “It certainly looks that way. Okay, head to Valia Gate, but let’s keep an eye on the Kirrix just in case.”

“I’ll watch them for you,” Faye immediately offered. “We should be able to track them on the long-range sensors for at least an hour after they jump out of the system.”

“Thanks, Faye,” John replied, before feeling a light touch to his arm as the aquatic girl beside him sought to get his attention. “Everything alright, Helene?”

“Do you think any of the children managed to escape?” she asked in a hushed voice.

He brushed his fingers through her light-green hair. “I’m sorry, honey. I don’t think so,” he replied, seeing the heartfelt sympathy in her baby-blue eyes. “Valia Gate was the second colony to be hit by the Kirrix, so they had plenty of time to round up everyone. It’s not like Brecken’s World either, where the colonists could run away and hide in the forests.”

Sakura’s eyes narrowed in anger. “I almost started to feel grateful to those evil bastards for returning the colonists. I can’t believe we’re letting child-killers escape from justice.”

John beckoned her over then put his arms around the furious young woman and looked her in the eyes. “I know, it’s galling ... but we can’t afford to think of it that way. As long as we’re seen to be keeping up our end of the agreement, the Kirrix will keep fighting their civil war. We’re saving the lives of many thousands of Trankaran children and preventing hundreds-of-thousands of adults from being infested with eggs.”

“Don’t worry, the Kirrix will get what’s coming to them eventually,” Alyssa said, her tone bleak and uncompromising. “I’ll never forget what they’ve done to all those people.”

John turned to study her, but chose not to comment.

She looked back at him and raised an eyebrow. What? Sakura’s absolutely right; the Kirrix ARE evil and they need to pay for the millions of people they raped and butchered. I understand your concerns about xenocide and what that might mean with your Progenitor heritage, but I certainly don’t feel that way. If Sparks ever figures out how to make a Quantum Annihilator, you can just take the day off or something, and I’ll be happy to take care of business. I’d have no qualms about pulling the trigger on Kirr-Inax.

I don’t necessarily disagree about the Kirrix, but we can discuss you vaporising planets as and when that time comes, he said, keeping his voice deliberately neutral.

She gave him a wry smile. It should be an interesting chat.

Turning his attention back to Helene, John said, “You did a wonderful job comforting the Brecken’s World colonists, do you think you can do the same for these people? I think they’re really going to need your help.”

Her eyes widened and she whispered, “No one’s ever really needed me for anything before...”

“Some of those colonists don’t have much time left until those eggs hatch, they’ll be terrified,” he said quietly. “Many of them will have given up hope already...”

“I’ll do whatever I can to help them,” she said, her voice filled with compassion.

“Good girl,” he praised her, leaning down to give the teal-skinned beauty a grateful kiss. “Just remember to speak to Alyssa when you start getting tired, she’ll be able to give you lots of assistance.”

She nodded, her expression reflecting the mix of nervousness and anticipation she was feeling.

You want me to let Helene tap out her own reserves first? his blonde matriarch asked curiously.

Yes please. She needs to learn her limitations, so she doesn’t accidentally hurt herself, he replied, giving Helene an encouraging smile. If we keep doing it this way, she’ll also be able to see how much stronger she’s getting.

Building up her confidence too? Aren’t you a sweetheart, Alyssa said affectionately.

“I’m picking up life signs in Forty-seven!” Dana called out, turning to grin at John. “There’s thousands of people down there ... they’re Terrans!”

“Take us in to the starport please, Jade,” John said, feeling a flood of relief. Turning to look at the girls he continued, “Let’s get geared up and ready to disembark. We need to contact the local Governor and request his assistance in bringing all the infested colonists to the Invictus. I’d like to treat them as quickly as possible so that we can move on to Menganus IV.”

“I’ll work with Faye to setup a holo-projection above the city just like we did above Mulbharum,” Irillith volunteered, with the purple sprite nodding her eager agreement. “That should save some time trying to round everyone up.”

“Great idea, thank you,” he said with an appreciative nod.

Jade was focused on the flight controls as she brought the Invictus into the planet’s upper atmosphere. “I’ve asked my sisters to help. They’re getting changed now,” she informed him over her shoulder.

John smiled as he thought about the Nymphs in their revealing nurses’ uniforms. “I’m sure the citizens of Valia Gate will be very grateful for their assistance.”

“Oh, I get it now!” Dana exclaimed, drawing all their attention. Realising everyone was looking at her, the redhead swiped her fingers across the console, bringing up a planetary map of Valia Gate. “I just realised why the city is called Forty-Seven...”

The light-grey and green planet had several vertical rings, which wasn’t that unusual amongst planetary bodies. Dana zoomed in on some of the rocky terrain to the north of the city, focusing on a sluggish stream curling through the grey expanse.

“That’s liquid silver!” she marvelled, showing them a spectacular view of bubbling liquid metal pouring down a cliff face like a shiny waterfall.

Jade looked at her blankly. “Is the city surrounded by 47 rivers?”

Dana shook her head and grinned. “No, the atomic number of silver is ... Forty-Seven!” Her excited reveal was met with polite smiles from the rest of the girls, so she sighed in resignation and looked at John. “Well, I thought it was clever.”

He beckoned her over. “Come on, you can tell that to the Governor, I’m sure he’ll appreciate it.”

“She,” Sakura corrected him as she walked up the ramp at John’s side. “According to Federation records, the current Governor is a woman.”

Lucyna Novitsky fought down the urge to be sick as she felt something quivering in her gut. Leaning back in her chair, she took a deep breath to calm herself in an effort to stop the rising tide of panic. Placing her hand on her distended stomach, she felt a fresh tide of revulsion, and tried not to think about the disgusting spawn that were wriggling in their eggs inside her. Even worse, was the knowledge that in a terrifyingly few days’ time, the Kirrix grubs would start hatching...

“You alright, Luce?” her husband asked her quietly.

It pained her to hear him sound so despondent. Theo had always been a larger than life character, but the Kirrix had crushed his spirit when they’d abused him, and the spark in his eyes seemed to be growing dimmer by the day. Just like every other colonist on Valia Gate, he was now carrying a clutch of insectoid eggs in his guts, the unnatural swelling in his belly a visual reminder of the horrific rape they’d all been forced to endure.

She reached out to squeeze his hand. “I’ll be fine, Theo. You just stay strong for me, okay?”

He sighed and nodded, then his expression turned queasy and he hurriedly looked away, his eyes filling with shame. Theo had refused to hug her for the last several days, the slightest brush against his distended stomach proving too traumatic for him to be persuaded to try again. She’d felt hurt and rejected at the time, but those feelings had been overshadowed by fear as her husband had continued to withdraw into himself.

“Help’s coming,” she said, forcing herself to fake a smile. “I know the Federation won’t just abandon us...”

Theo didn’t reply, but Lucyna knew he didn’t believe her hollow words any more than she did. The Terran Federation had left them exposed in the first place, so why would they bother coming to their rescue now? Still, she had to be brave for the colony’s sake ... there were so many people relying on her. She watched her husband in silence as he stared blankly out the dirt-stained window, a humiliated man spiralling ever deeper into depression.

Running her fingers through her grey-streaked blonde hair, Lucyna turned to the radio transmitter and picked up the microphone. “Niklas, you there? Come in?”

After a long pause, her Chief Engineer muttered, “I’m here, Gov ... Whaddya want?”

“What’s the news on the Comms Array?” she asked, trying to ignore his surly tone.

He laughed sardonically. “It’s still just as fucked as it was an hour ago...”

She gritted her teeth in frustration. “We must call for help, Niklas. How soon do you think you can get it up and running?”

“The bugs blasted the shit out of it!” he snarled. “I can’t work miracles, Lucyna!”

As much as she wanted to lash out at him in return, she knew he was just as scared as everyone else and his anger wasn’t really directed at her. “Look ... we’re running out of time. You’re the only one who can-”

“Don’t you think I fuckin’ know that?!” he yelled, finally snapping. “Fuck! Why me? What the fuck?!” He suddenly broke down, his racking sobs sounding tinny over the radio.

Fighting back the urge to burst into tears herself, Lucyna wiped at her eyes and took a shuddering breath.

“They’re here...” Theo whispered, his croaking voice had a hysterical edge to it.

Looking at him in alarm, Lucyna quailed at the thought of the Kirrix returning, “What, Theo? What do you mean?”

“Look!” he blurted out, pointing towards the window with a trembling finger.

Lurching from her chair, she had to steady herself against the desk, not used to the heavy weight in her bloated stomach. Staggering over to the window, she stared up at the sky, searching for any sight of those hideously ugly Kirrix ships. What she actually saw couldn’t have left her any more shocked.

The door to her office slammed open and the colony’s senior metallurgist looked at her with wild eyes. “Luce, listen to this!” he threw the door wider, jamming it with his boot.

Lucyna gazed at the 100-foot-wide projection of the Lion in awe and heard his strong confident voice booming across the colony.

“-or anyone you know that is infested with Kirrix eggs. Come to the starport where we will use the medical facilities aboard my ship to treat anyone in need of assistance. I say again, citizens of Valia Gate, you are now safe. We are here to protect you and will provide free medical treatment to anyone who needs it.”

She turned to look at her husband who was looking at her with tears rolling down his cheeks. “You knew they would come for us,” he whispered, shaking his head in disbelief. “You never gave up hope...”

John stood in the Secondary Hangar, lost in thought as he stared up at the Raptor gunship.

“I found her!” Sakura called out to him, jogging across the huge room, her Paragon boots making no sound as she moved with the precise step of a lethal assassin.

He turned to face the Asian girl as she reached his side. “Well done, honey. Could you take me to her please?”

She nodded and fell into step beside him as they walked towards the double-doors leading into the Primary Hangar. There were long lines of colonists forming near the treatment area that snaked far back into the vast room, thousands of desperate people all waiting to have the death sentence lifted from their heads ... or more precisely, removed from their stomachs. Along that line the Lionesses stood out in their brilliant white armour, as did the Nymphs in their pristine nurses’ uniforms. There was a tense atmosphere of strained anticipation hanging over that crowd and John could only imagine what state they’d be in if he’d arrived just a couple of days later.

“This way,” Sakura said, touching his arm and leading him into the treatment area itself.

He felt Helene’s calming presence brushing against his mind before he saw her, the aquatic girl holding one of the colonist’s hands and speaking to him quietly. She sensed John’s presence and immediately turned to look his way, a warm smile on her face despite the look of sympathy in her eyes. John glanced at the dejected-looking man on the treatment bed, an unspoken question passing between Helene and himself. She nodded imperceptibly, confirming that he was a parent who had lost a child. Not wanting to interrupt her conversation, he stroked her back as he walked past in a simple gesture of affection.

Sakura led John to the far side of the treatment area, where Rachel was guiding a protesting middle-aged woman over to a bed. The Asian girl stepped closer to him and whispered, “I’ll assist the colonists. Let me know if you need anything.”

He shared a smile with her, then turned his attention back to Rachel and her patient.

“It’s not right that I skip the queue!” the greying-blonde objected, struggling against the brunette’s grip as the doctor attempted to bring her to a treatment table. Her eyes darted back to a man near the back of the lines. “Some of these people were raped before me!”

Rachel’s smile was sympathetic but determined. “This isn’t about giving you special treatment because you’re the governor, this is about serving the greater good. As the leader of Valia Gate, you’re in a unique position to be able to organise additional aid for those people and it’ll be a lot easier for you to do that when you aren’t infested with eggs. We have several days to treat every colonist before the eggs begin to hatch and as long as the rest of my patients don’t waste my time with arguments, everyone will be fine.”

The woman stared at the youthful doctor in surprise, then gave her an embarrassed look. “I’m sorry, Doctor Voss ... I didn’t realise what you were doing.”

“I should be the one apologising, the onus was on me to clearly explain the situation,” Rachel said with a warm smile, before gesturing to the treatment table. She turned to greet John as he approached, “Admiral Blake, I’d like to introduce you to...”

“A cantankerous old battle-axe who should know better...” the woman interrupted with a self-conscious grin. “My name’s Lucyna Novitsky, but most everybody around here calls me Luce.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Luce,” he replied, removing his Paragon helmet and shaking her proffered hand. “Please call me John.”

“Everyone knows who you are, Lion,” she replied with a chuckle, staring up at him and suddenly freezing, starstruck at meeting the man she’d seen so often on the holo-net.

He patted the table. “You better hop on here before Doctor Voss gets angry at me for distracting her patients.” John raised an eyebrow and added, “And forgive me for saying this but you’re certainly not old.”

“I’m practically a fossil compared to this stunning girl,” Lucyna grumbled good-naturedly, jerking a thumb towards Rachel. She squinted at her and added, “Are you sure you’re a doctor? Shouldn’t you still be in school?”

Giggling brainlessly and leaning closer, Rachel replied in an airheaded whisper, “Actually, I don’t even know what half this stuff does! John just hired me to look pretty in a doctor’s coat!”

The Governor recoiled, suddenly looking very worried.

“Rachel ... don’t tease her,” John admonished the brunette.

Rachel straightened and studied the older woman with an appraising eye. “Patient is a Terran Female, aged... 49 years old. She broke her right ankle approximately six years ago and the incorrectly set bones resulted in a faint but noticeable limp. Judging by her mild retinal scarring, she underwent corrective laser surgery on her eyes aged... 34. Burns on her right arm and wrist are consistent with a smelting injury sustained in her mid-twenties. Currently suffering from mild Anemia ... which could easily be remedied with an iron-rich diet.”

Lucyna gaped at her in shock, stunned as the Lioness recited her medical history.

“Mrs. Novitsky is otherwise in good health, with the exception of a Kirrix egg infestation of course. I intend to neutralise the parasites with harmonic wave vibration ... should she actually follow my instructions,” the brunette concluded with a playful smile.

“H-how did you know all that?” the Governor stammered, staring at the young woman in astonishment.

John helped the unresisting blonde onto the treatment table and eased her down onto her back. “Dr. Voss is exceptionally gifted. I’m not exaggerating when I say that she’s the finest physician in the Terran Federation.”

“I’m sorry for teasing you,” Rachel said, reaching out to pat her shoulder.

“You got me good,” Lucyna admitted with a wry smile. Her troubled eyes darted to the queue and she continued anxiously, “And you can definitely treat everyone in time? My husband, he’s not doing well ... not since ... you know.”

Rachel nodded, her gaze softening. “Based on our initial headcount, I believe there’s approximately 17,000 colonists? We should be finished treating everyone by around eleven this evening.”

“Thank you,” the governor said gratefully, squeezing her hand. Her voice caught as she added, “There used to be over 19,000 citizens ... the children...”

John’s expression turned bleak. “Did you ... lose someone ... from your family?”

She shook her head. “Never got around to having kids ... left it too late.” Her eyes glistened with unshed tears. “But I knew a bunch of the little tykes around town ... I can’t believe they’re gone.”

“I’m so sorry,” he said, gritting his teeth to tamp down a surge of impotent fury.

Lucyna looked up at John as if seeing him for the first time. “You’re not at all like how I imagined. You really care, don’t you?”

He nodded, trying not to let the anger show on his face as he made eye-contact with her. “Like I said, I’m very sorry for everything you’ve suffered through.”

Rachel placed a hand on his shoulder and said softly, “John, I think Dana and Alyssa want to speak with you.”

He gave her a curt nod, then smiled at the governor who was watching him intently. “We’ll do everything we can to help. You and your people are in safe hands, I promise.”

“Thank you,” she said quietly, giving him a brave smile.