Astra Pt. 08

I must protect humanity. When dealing with a lot of unknowns. Like which race from 250+ years from now is going to jump on the time-travel bandwagon and if they will be hostile or think we are just easy to conquer? Your mind can go to dark placed and create incredibly destructive weapons. I am doing a measured response in releasing technology.

I brought Tau Ceti and Terra up to the same level playing field. I should say I am working on it with Terra as all I am getting constant pushback from Congress. The other problem becomes ensuring the people operating and maintaining it know what they are messing with."

She asked, "What if you die. All that research would be lost?"

He shrugged, "Depends on how I die."

She asked, "Will you tell me the basic principle behind it?"

He looked at her, "Beyond the fact that you drop it and the world goes BOOM along with whatever spirit or soul you might have left. This is a problem with reporters. In General, but I will give a specific example.

I made a broadcast to the citizen of Tau Ceti letting them know exactly what I knew of the threats. Your reporter recorded it, transmitted it to you and you all ran with it because it was news. Meanwhile, I am getting called before Congress on their exploring charges of sedition against me for a broadcast I never sent here. I told them to take that up with Terra News.

My wife Holly worked for you as did Sprits. That act has burned up a lot of goodwill between your station and me. I have lost 1-10 years of good faith and hard-fought progress by your releasing that story that way. You made my job harder. If Congress does not sign that treaty, as it is written, they will have slapped the Drakor across the face.

That treaty includes a death clause for me or any member of the top 6 really. The Drakor most of all watch Grace and I. We cross that line and do something completely unforgivable to hurt mankind, Justice Incarnate will kill me himself. Even if I will not leave my ship, he would destroy the entire ship. Everyone asked, 'Who is keeping you in check?' I answered it and now the Drakor has put it in writing."

She decided to switch subjects, "Tell us about Colossus?"

He sighed, "It is 40 meters taller, 102metters longer. It will have 16 pylons instead of 8 and 8x 500 terawatts power cores per pylon just for the Wormhole engines. You saw the images of the power cores I have on my flagship and it will be 4 or 5 times as many.

It will have the firepower of two of the dreadnaught bases when they are empty of everything but fighters. It will be able to widen out and haul 30+ colony ships, convoys ships, and with enough telepathic power to be jumped to an existing known colony. It could hold a fully packed dreadnaught.

Make repairs to it, upgrades and the like as it is jumped to another location. All colonies we lead will have our founding rules and signed into the Home Guard world of protected systems. Therefore, we need more telepaths. We may not be able to keep people in Terra or Tau Ceti. The next 6-12 events will be here. Why I want to get the 3rd Dreadnought retrofitted as soon as possible.

To jump them here. I stopped their 2-year FTL journey for a few months in dry dock in order to take a quicker route here. How about a caller?"

She nodded, "Right we have Debbi from Toronto."

He heard, "Glad you made it back. Have a couple of quick questions Do all Travus men satisfy in bed and is your son single?"

Jack laughed, "I never gauged any of my sons' performances in bed and last I heard he was still delaying on that. Send a message to Astra for Zander's consideration and she will let you know if it was passed over or stopped there because of some future event you and or your offspring end up doing."

He looked over, "Next caller?"

She listened in her earpiece, "We just lost 800 callers who were wanting to ask those same questions apparently."

Zander just shook his head, "Thanks, father."

Jack nodded, "Anytime son."

Randy laughed, "Next caller is Bob Stein."

He called out, "I think you are lying to us."

Jack asked, "Put Bob up on the display. He showed up and Jack looked at him and sent him everything from the sword decapitation to new-terra being destroyed and the testing he underwent in the Drakor ship after the Drakor meeting. He looked at Bob, "Now that I have given you all the information, I gave those at the capital to which point am I lying?"

Bob ended the call visibly shaken. He looked over, "I think that is enough calls."

She asked, "What did you do to Bob?"

He asked her, "You're a reporter. Are you seeking the truth?"

She nodded, "Of course." Jack sent her the information and she put her hands to her eyes. She looked up and tried not to cry, "You sent the information you sent me to every man, woman, and child at the Congress complex?"

Jack nodded, "Yes, so those Congresspeople not only heard it from me but from their families asking what are they doing to protect us from this coming threat? I am the one trying to help them get to where we need to be as a society to be accepted into a greater and larger interstellar society, with those we can ally ourselves with. All I did was shout the information to all out there.

You witnessed, 'my trial or evaluation if you would.' That is the way they evaluate a hybrid. Not a nonhybrid if you will. From them, they are just looking for us to become accepted as equals. Gifted, yes. Also, great burdens. I am forced to be the final judge. Most judgments would end in execution if it gets to me. We have been very careful about who we let in.

With being forced into mass recruitment, if you will, someone will fall through that again. Someone will slip up and it is human nature. But if they crossed a line they will be executed for the crime. To be carried out by the one who created them or me. Most of this first group would be done by me. We had million who inquired about being a hybrid from Terra.

I have had evaluations being run in my absence to get recruits to a stage 2 interview. We will continue to do this for a while and explain how the Home Guard's workforce. We have our own colony. It is the third Colony in Tau Ceti. The outer of the two moons around Geos; named Mixtios. It will have a Home Guard Base and they will provide, as they have already, support to the other colonies.

It will have to be terraformed and they have been ordered. But that established us to have our own laws to handle hybrids and the treaty leaves the 'dealing with a hybrid gone wrong' situation to our laws; including execution if we find they did something irredeemable."

She looked at me, "You would execute someone?"

He sighed, "I have in accordance with the law structures we set up for Geos and Meos. They go through a process with a 'lower level' Hybrid judge before they get sent to Grace and I. I have killed 3 in Tau Ceti in 20 years for doing an act against humanity, acting against their nature in an unredeemable way, or who simply tried to quit.

To quit is to ask to die. Being a hybrid is a lifetime job. In Terra that is a job, with little to no thanks. If they are found to have done the crime in question, in a heartbeat. Even a wife or child. The other hybrids know this fact.

They know if I don't then I have failed them all and Justice Incarnate will kill me. With that loss, you lose my research, skill, knowledge, advice, and the ability to jump the colossus for a very long time.

Potentially centuries. I have done in 20 years what they would expect to be done over several centuries. We are not asking for an overnight change. Just an agreement, a treaty like the one finalized in Tau Ceti for the other two colonies. The only hold up is in Congress. I explained why we cannot change the wording at all. It was read out loud in the video released.

Astra ensures all major news networks get it along the Tau Ceti Treaty for the other two colonies. Astra is signed into Home Guard officially as the first non-human sentient life form. It gave an organization the responsibility to regulate her actions and punish as appropriate."

She sighed still visibly shaken by what she had looked at in her mind. Then what Jack just told her of the darker side, or role, of being a hybrid involved. She looked up, "I hope for the sake of humanity that they do support you. The alternative is death to humanity in the end."

He nodded, "It might take 3 or 4 congresses to sign that treaty. In the meantime, we will operate as though it is signed and approved by the government. Else we are forced to pull our assets from here. That would be disastrous for Terra."

She looked up, "Thank you."

She signed off the interview but stayed on the line, "Fuck I knew there was more to you and I was digging around the wrong place and all I had to do was ask you to show me the truth."

He nodded, "Not sure I could have done that then but I would have if I could. To get you the answers to your questions. I never did lie to you; ever."

She nodded, "The call to run the piece from Terra came from upstairs. I feared what it would do here. Some still want to discredit you. What will you do?"

He smiled, "Get powerful enough to send it to everybody or build a device to record those memories for posterity and to be played on every major news network."

She nodded, "Then what?"

He started getting a lot of data in his cranial implant from Astra from his patent lawyers.

He smiled, "Patent the device only a telepath can use."

She laughed, "You have somewhere else to be."

He nodded, "I lost trust in your reporter. She hurt my efforts back here by doing that. I gave her a bomb and she used it. She proved the point concerning my weapons work."

She sighed, "I will talk with her sooner rather than later. She was a mess as was her camerawoman."

Jack smiled, "They are married to each other correct? Matching rings?"

She looked up, "I had not seen a ring on her left hand."

He nodded, "Some wear it on the right. Right, Grace."

She looked at Grace's hand and called her reporter while they ended the call. He looked at his son. "Gather them up. Time to return you home. You got a taste of the political side I told you about avoiding that. He got up from the chair, "You take the center seat. Worst case you damage my ship. My Master Chief loves to make repairs and I'd have to spend the night with the kids. Which is likely to happen anyway as I do not have it in me to push this ship after what I did today."

He nodded, "Throwing the fledgling from the nest."

He laughed, "I showed you how to do it. Was more than I got and I busted two pylons the first time. I kicked up the power to make the hole bigger. Second and third tests were much easier. We jumped just out of the system where Danyelle died. We spoke with Paul and he was so frustrated about having to keep that secret for one day. He was the first in the system to know."

Zander smiled and sat in the chair, "I like this design."

Jack nodded, "You are sitting on and your hands are on the crystals tied to the Wormhole drive. Grace any word on the patents for the Colossus?"

She nodded, "I sent them when you requested. Had the patent lawyers send it in 30 minutes later. Two people tried to patent the design or similar designs themselves a few hours later. They were rejected. They copied the framing of the dreadnaught. Those killed the designs our lawyers are all over them for their attempted subversion of your work. I saw the other messages Astra sent you before I walked in here.

He nodded, "Get me the shipbuilder names."

She looked over, "Traxton Air Frames and Vanguard Air Frames." They build battleships and cruisers, The other builds the destroyer, scout, and shuttles. Essentially the 7 builders they had before went to 3, counting Martina Enterprises who do the fighters and airbreather fighters. He nodded as he stood by his son, "Screens, together. Side-by-side."

He looked at one man mid 30'd from the looks of him. Looking a little haggard, He called out, "I am James Watson of Traxton Air Frames." The woman looked 10 years younger. He looked at her, "Where did you get your Drakor DNA?"

She looked at him and held up a picture of a man who could be his son. He asked, "He work with you?"

She nodded, "Name is Penny Nash."

He looked at them, "Someone or ones fed you both my Air Frame Designs." He looked at the man in his 30's, "Did you take the cure?"

He shook his head, "No, I have been against hybrids from the start. I freely admit that."

Jack nodded, "You joining the colony ships to Pena?" Greggory Watson shook his head, "No profit in that. What do you want?"

Jack looked at him, "The name of the person who tipped you off and sent you those images of my ship to make your renderings. Need to confirm if anyone violated an NDA. Right now, we are looking into litigation for corporate espionage. Either of you wishes to cooperate?"

They both stayed silent. He killed the link to the man, "Get your husband. We need to talk."

She walked back in and she was arguing with him. He looked over, "The sperm donor. Come to give me some advice?"

He nodded, "You are aware of the corporate espionage charges being level against the company for attempting to steal one of my ship designs."

He nodded, "We have seen the paperwork flying in."

He nodded, "You going to tell me who the source of that information was?"

He thought, * Astra I want details on these 3 and who contacted them. *

He looked over, "Sprits run all comm log checks and from which terminals. Complete with camera coverage."

She nodded, "I got 2 names. One is the camerawoman for the news agency and the other is Riku. Who sits on their board of directors,"

Jack nodded, "I got the names I needed and the charges are coming."

He ended the call, He went to find Riku while Grace got on the phone with Terra News.

He found him in the Dojo with Aiko. He thought to her, * Search his shuttle and his room, all personal belongings including his girl. *

She asked, * What did he do? *

He thought back, * NDA violations. Theft. *

She came across and smacked him in the head. He went to the ground. Jack called out, "I'll take over. Check on your security duties."

He grabbed a training sword, "You ready to continue." He nodded and spared with him for all of 10 minutes. Then he jumped into 5x speed and sent both of his sword flying as he smashed both hands.

Jack flipped him around on the mat and held that sword to his throat, "I could have walked into that compound and been within my rights to kill you for the assassination attempts against the First family, my family, and all the guards that worked there, Along with a murder charge for the one guard. Let us not forget the bomb that kept on coming at me.

Then you send my ship designs off to one of your board members. They were all rejected with charges of corporate espionage in route. You are getting off to a bad start at being a Justice."

He looked up, "Where is the justice of you having all this stuff and not patenting it. Like that medical bed?"

Jack nodded, "I have. It and most things on this ship that are from future technology have a silent patent. The lawyer holds a series of files with dated and notarized with official seals. They are more expensive to have. As you must hire someone to search all incoming patents for the device. Waiting until someone tries to file a patent on it. Find those who break your NDA's.

You should know this from business school. In 20 years of paying for that service, I am having to use it now. They now have 12 silent patents so far that have been activated. The patents are in dispute but we have the video surveillance from the ship showing you and your lady friend taking pictures and notes around the ship at odd hours. By this time next week, I will own half of your assets.

Filing each one separately as you had them all come in from different companies you own or are invested in. That will take your 250 Trillion TC on record, down to under 250 Million TCs. My NDA has teeth and is rock solid. Along with the evidence. I know your lady friend is your sister and I know you fuck her six ways to Sunday. Wonder how many children she is having?"

He got off the man, "This is corporate law. Now I will seek the maximum justice from this that I can. You being a hybrid will be known to the world. Every eye is going to be on your activities. You do know this. Astra, have Aiko come to medical with his plaything. He got up and walked him down to medical.

He pointed, "Get her on the table and check for pregnancy."

She looked over, "My tubes are tied."

He shook his head, "Not to a hybrid. You have three babies grown that are a few weeks along. Two boys and a girl. No abnormalities from you being brother and sister."

She looked over, "I wanted to be a ninja! Like my elder sister you cut in half!"

He nodded, "One of the assassins. Was the explosive device in her head her idea? I pulled it out otherwise you would have had a hard time identifying bodies with those in them."

She looked at her brother, "Just a communication device. You told me he butchered the bodies."

He looked up and Jack told him, "The truth."

The Doctor on duty set his hand. She looked and pressed down hard on his hand to get one of the bones back into place, "It is harder on the human hand remaining as it literally is healing while you walk. You must re-break in some cases to align them. I got this set in time."

The doctor walked out. "Astra show them the video footage."

It popped up with him balls deep in her ass against the door banging away.

He sighed, "The 'ninja' footage."

It showed both getting dressed in their 'stealth' ninja gear after putting in the contacts. It then showed a rapid red-blue pattern to make them out. He showed them going around the ship taking measurements and notes to go with what they found. They could not get into his lab or the 2nd floor.

They did get into storage and walked away with a few small items. He looked, "Aiko, "You find them all?"

She nodded and Astra responded, "Access to his shuttle has been monitored since he got here. Inside video cameras." Astra showed him banging her pussy over the seat wearing a flight attendant uniform. He had a pilot's cap on. He called out "Aiko, the property?"

Astra laughed, "The hidden internal compartments. All of the stolen parts were removed. All notes on the parts have been destroyed along with video imagery they took, even your 7 backup servers which had some steamy three-way with your sister her and her other brother. Then there are the images of your brother with your brother's wife in a 3-way with your sister while you were missing your balls. Her fist in your cunt spanking her ass about fucking around with her husband. He came and left the two women in rage sex."

Astra stopped. He looked at Jack, "I can end you for violating my privacy and stealing from my servers!"

Jack shook his head, "NDA allowed us to access any computer you used. We found them. Are you going to start acting like a Justice?"

He looked over, "Fuck your hybrid rules and you. I don't need this shit. I quit your hybrid club."

Jack had gotten his sword and swung through taking his head clean off. He hit a speed, he had not reached before. Riku's sister screamed. He took his two swords which he turned back to bricks on the spot. He then cut off his 2 feet and 1 hand and put them in stasis.

He looked at the woman, "We will still have our lawyers all over you for violation of the NDA you signed when you came aboard. ALL video evidence including your brother's execution for violation of the code as called out for in the treaty on an HG flagged vessel."

---

Word spread quickly across the ship that Jack had killed another hybrid, an execution for failure to adhere to the code. The woman, her brothers remains, and personal belongings-- minus both sets of ninjas gear and scanners--were put into the shuttle. She looked, "I do not know how to fly a shuttle."