Chapter 19

I stayed up on the bridge for the next twelve hours, monitoring the system transit and making sure the behemoth hadn't been fucking with us and popping up out of nowhere and blowing us atoms. With the existence of the four most important people in my life in possible jeopardy, I did everything I could to keep them safe.

The only breaks I took were to the shower closet. The first trip I threw my guts up. I did so until everything was gone and had dry heaves for another minute before I could stop. I knelt in the small room over the toilet and caught my breath. When I could stand I washed up, rinsed my mouth, and left to return to the bridge, only to find Mari outside the door. She wrapped me in a tight hug and kissed the top of my head. She released me after a moment, turned and grabbed a two liter bottle of water and handed it to me. I took a swig and nodded to her. I hurried back to the bridge and resumed my seat. After that, the breaks were to empty my bladder.

The ladies stayed with me for the most part, only leaving for their own relief or to bring me food and drink from the galley. We tried to keep our conversations light, discussing the incident but basically coming up with the same question: Who the hell were they?

We finally hit the transit point and entered jump to Calypso. I finished up my post-jump checks and said I needed a break. Katherine grabbed me, and brought me to Sam who gave me a tight hug. I hugged her back, her solid air body warm and comforting. She brought her hands around to my face and kissed me. "I love you, Max."

"I love you, too, Sam."

She placed her hands on my shoulder, turned me, and pushed me to Katherine. She grabbed me and hauled me to the cabin where Mari and Anna were waiting. They pulled off my clothes while Katherine waited for me naked on the bed. She looked me in the eyes and said "Fuck. Me. Now."

I don't know what came over me but I was on her and in her in seconds. She must have used something, some lubricant, because I pushed into her in one thrust. She hissed in my ear "Yes! Do it!" I pounded into her. I couldn't stop. She wrapped her legs around me and pulled me in, adding to my thrusts. After five minutes, her pussy clamped down on my cock and I shot off. She screamed over my head and I groaned into her shoulder. It wasn't the most intense orgasm of my life but at that moment it was what I needed.

I collapsed on top of her, her legs wrapped and arms wrapped around me and holding me still. Suddenly I started to cry and I couldn't stop. I realized I was crying in relief, having survived the scariest thing I have ever endured. Hands rubbed my back, soothing me. I rolled over, pulling Katherine on top, then holding my arms out. Anna and Mari joined Katherine and I, kissing and telling each other we loved them.

I recovered and looked around, each had tears and I didn't feel too bad crying in front of them. I looked at Katherine. "I'm sorry if I hurt you. I couldn't stop what I was doing."

She looked down on me and smiled. "You were wound so tight you looked like you were about to break. We needed to get you to relax. I volunteered." She winced a little and she straightened her legs some. "I do think I'll be walking a little funny for a day, but it was worth it."

"Are you guys OK?" I asked.

"Yeah," Mari said. "It scared the shit out of us but we knew it was harder on you."

Anna brushed a hand across my cheek. "You and Sam were great. The two of held it together and got us through it."

Sam appeared floating over us. "Thank you."

Anna turned her head and smiled at her. "You deserve it, Sam."

I looked at my cartoon friend. "Not to seem like a shit or anything but ... Sam, I need you to encrypt everything regarding that ship. No one sees the data outside a zero-room. Anna, Katherine, Mari, do not utter a word of this to anyone unless we are in a secure room. No one can say anything."

"Why?" Anna asked.

"First, do you realize the possible panic this would cause? The Empire has around 750 systems and we have found no evidence of any advanced civilization, or any civilization. We now have the evidence. That evidence also leads me to believe it is a shitload more advanced than us." All of them agreed with that. "Second, privateers have been told that if they do encounter something or see something, it is immediately classified highest level, encrypted, and stored until we can give it to the next senior most privateer we encounter and do that only in a zero-room. And lastly, we were also told if we do say something, the Empire will come down on us like a hammer and I have no intention of losing any you."

Everyone nodded.

We entered Calypso system four days later and it took us another day and a half to reach Calypso Station. On the way I sent a coded message to the Privateers requesting a covert escort to HQ. I told the women that the escort may be acting a part and to go with it. When we docked, there were several people waiting for us like they were ready for a party. The senior privateer greeted me with a smile outside the ship with a hug whispering "We're good friends, I'm Kimiko. Dan. Rachel."

"It's great to see you again, Kimiko." I greeted the others by name and with handshakes and hugs. I talked to them about nothing as I led her to my ship. As soon as we passed the lock and it had closed I dropped the act.

"Thanks Kimiko."

"No problem. What do you need?"

"A zero-room and you."

She nodded. "Grab your stuff."

We did. I went to the weapons locker on the bridge and opened it up. I knew they were armed, I felt the guns in a shoulder rig when we'd hugged, and I intended to be also. I armed myself, made sure Mari was also, then grabbed up Sam who was already in her carrier.

As I walked back, Anna and the others were looking at me. I also noticed Kimiko looking intently at Anna. When she looked back at me, she reached up as if to scratch her temple and gave it a tap with a glance at Anna. That was a surprise, but I didn't let it show. I gave her a quick nod and she raised her eyebrow at me.

"OK, our HQ is close," Kimiko told us. "I bullied this dock for us. It's in a slightly more crowded area but the elevator is close. We're friends with Max we're going to have a few drinks at HQ. OK? Questions? Good, let's go."

We made it to HQ with no problems, not that I expected any, but this was too important to risk. Once in, Kimiko immediately led us to the center of the building to a zero emissions room. It had a table, chairs, and holo-projection system. I immediately connected Sam and she popped into view.

When Kimiko closed the door, and confirmed that the room was sealed, she turned to me.

"Is this about her and her gift or something else?"

Anna's eyes got wide. Before she could panic I said "Something else. Tell her how you know about her, please."

Kimiko looked at Anna and smiled. "I'm gifted. I can sense others like us."

"At some point I think you should talk to her, but you need to remember that her father is Councilor Estebahn."

She nodded at that. She knew I wasn't threatening, I was just reminding her of the facts. She'd keep her mouth shut.

"No, I need you to see this." With that I had Sam project an image of the behemoth space craft. She looked at it and at the specs that were showing on a tablet before telling Sam to shut it off. She stood and left the room. She came back five minutes later with bottles of water, sealed the door, and told us "Now we wait."

Ten minutes later, a beeping was heard and Kimiko asked everyone to not speak. The door opened and a man walked in, shut and sealed the door, and walked over to the table we sat at. He looked at Kimiko and nodded, who in turn nodded at me.

I told Sam to start and the sensor data from the moment we entered UA0262 started to play. I gave my report, listening to the bridge audio and giving details. It took around half an hour, with us fast forwarding through parts that had little detail to add. The man then asked some questions.

"You didn't go to active sensors. Why?"

"Our passive sensors detected no active sensors or shields. I extended that courtesy. I didn't want to do anything that might seem provocative."

"To your best guess, what do you think happened?"

I'd thought about this for a while. "I think it was waiting for someone."

"Someone?"

"As in anyone, the first ship that came through."

"Why do you think that?"

"If it didn't want to be seen, they could've been cloaked, stealthed, whatever. I think the ship was in some kind of holding pattern and we just happened to be the lucky ship that got to meet them."

He asked a few more questions to clarify some points but wrapped up asking questions pretty quickly. He asked for a copy of the data and pulled out a secure tablet. Once Sam had transferred the data, he looked at Sam.

"I need you to completely erase everything from the ship's systems. As far as the ship's systems are concerned, you jumped from Lakengren to Calypso. Understand?" Sam nodded. "As for you, everything encrypted and sealed, you know about it but don't talk about it." Sam nodded again.

He then ran his hands over his face then looked at the rest of us. "You are not to talk about this to anyone, period, unless they are authorized and you are in a secure facility. If anyone contacts you about this that falls outside of these restrictions, you are to call Empire Intelligence immediately. Use your best judgment. You will acknowledge this by signing, thumb printing, and verbally agreeing to this order. Failure to do so will mean immediate confinement to a security facility. Failure to follow this order will most likely mean life in a security facility or in a lifer-penal colony. Do you understand?"

We all did. He passed around a personal tablet with the order on it and we acknowledged it. He then got up and left, leaving the door open.

I looked over at Kimiko. "How about that drink?"

Kimiko nodded and led the way to the kitchen/galley area and pointed to the wall cooler. I pulled it open and smiled. I let the ladies grab whatever they wanted and grabbed two Ganymede Porters. Kimiko then led us to her office where we sat down. I drained the first porter, cracked open the second, and started nursing it.