Astra Pt. 09

He heard, "Is your anger over this unfortunate circumstance keeping you from fully connecting to your wives?"

John thought back, "I had a psycho-bot strip me from time, not once but twice. They attempted to kill me twice and succeed once. I progressed in the other timeline, the Drakor wanted to graduate just me and separate me from my wives and children. Then as I just got that treaty signed, I was sucked back through time by the Drakor. To start over yet again but left in Tau Ceti. Having to abandon my wives. To start over YET AGAIN, but with the threat of if I cannot do it here then it would be lost in both timelines.

Once these colonies are through, I wonder if you were going to show up and try to graduate me yet again. Take me away from all of them. I am waiting for the next crazy thing to happen. I find it hard to get as emotionally attached because of all the losses I have had. All of this fucking yanking me back and forth like a puppet on a string. I wonder if it is even possible to get it done right without being a Drakor. How many species have you graduated versus eliminated? When are you going to come and take me away yet again from all of them? No point getting attached if you are simply going to yank my strings again."

Justice was quiet for several seconds, "Some of your questions I am not permitted to answer, those dealing with numbers. I can tell you many have succeeded in the trials. Not all members of their society, just a significant majority are required. You are going to ask if it is all worth it. To some yes. To others, it was simply a feeling of relief. We had a few who asked, 'What? this is it?' It is likely your mindset right now would be the latter or relief. You turned down graduating on your own in the other timeline.

We understood how you could see it as a trick or another test. We have contemplated that. Some could see this being a point of confusion. This is also us hoping you will succeed personally and as a species. This requires trust in us. I know you accomplished much for them. Then you had one who wanted to kill you here. He learned some hard lessons but to us, he is still very young. Your trust in us is almost as shattered as your trust in your species. Then there is the trust in your wives which has been held back by all of this.

I know Meltora was a great guide for you. He did not need to come back because he ceased to exist; Once he split. What has been done to you has not been fair, repeatedly so. We were made aware by an unknown from our species you were in the system. To meet at the human meeting point. You were a surprise to us. Your selection process had us baffled at first. Some who stayed and some who went with you. You were setting a core for each system. Then some hybrid members move while others protect the systems.

You cannot be everywhere and you want people you can rely on. You need to rely on your wives. They feel you pulling away from them. You need to know we will see you again many times but we are not going to offer to graduate you again; at least not alone. You were given that choice once and you turned it down. It was no trick. We cannot predict when another time-hopping entity might try to grab you again."

He thought back, still angry. "Of course, I must watch over billions of fucking people and ensure they do not do something stupid. One does, poof, we are all fucking dead! One tries to use your technology and we are dead. We make an insult, and poof we are dead. If one gets to this moon first we are dead. You do not give us your rulebook on things. You expect us to magically figure it all out.

I know you are not everywhere all the time. The Praylon using your technology as a weapon is a good example. Do you tell us when a violation that will draw your wrath has occurred or do you expect us to find it across countless systems and Billions of people in the future?"

He heard back "You are overwhelmed at the enormity of the task ahead of you. How do you trust those you have made hybrids and how do you trust they will find the problems? The answer is, that we would normally judge hybrids but you have so many justices being formed we have left judging them to you. We would let you know if one crosses the line. As to your people, you are right, we cannot watch over all of them. When we or you find they have done something with Drakor technology then the hybrids must act to resolve the problem. If they fail then humanity fails."

John thought back calmer, "That is when we hybrids will fail regardless. We will attack our own for attempting to better ourselves through alien technology or you will destroy us all. We do not do what is 'best for humanity in that case. We do what is required to keep them from being exterminated. We hold back that ingenuity and creative spark I have been talking about for our people's needs. They do that by studying from all sources. Give us something to detect the presence of your technology within our systems at least."

John heard, "You have all been given that gift. You are the only one right now who can unlock it. It is not a device. It is within you. The ability to reach out and find those things. Even our ships in the system. You asked the right question. Hybrids ensuring humanity is not destroyed is best for humanity.

You used it unknowingly to find your Carol's blade. You, yourself, said humanity was not ready for this level of technology. You were and are still right. Not until humanity, the majority of humanity, graduates would they be ready for that level of technology. Your ladies and others are worried about you."

John woke up as we had been shaken from all sides. The ladies finally looked at him and Sindy spoke, "You stubborn ass. You have been out 20 hours since bringing this ship here."

John shook his head, "No. Justice Incarnate contacted me. He was chastising me about my relationship with you. About being more fully committed to each of you. None of you know what it is like to lose 28 wives and thousands of children. One day you will. Then you will understand why it is hard to recommit yourself fully to another relationship. Especially when you are jerked around in time by humanity and the Drakor. It turned into a long argument. One-sided. He stayed calm as always."

John looked at them. "With all the people and all of the planets, how do we even know where to find Drakor technology if it is in human hands?"

Lacy asked, "What did he say?"

John looked at them, "That is not a question I can answer. You are asking the wrong person."

John knew they had not had to go about this process before. He got up and out of the cum soaked bed. They tried every method to wake him. He went into the shower and got cleaned up and got into his charcoal grey uniform which became HG standard colors before and again.

He stepped out and had arms surround him from Lacy, Camille, Kiru, Sindy, and Aurora who worked her way behind him to hug him. Kiru spoke first, "We had all been wondering why you had been getting more distant. He told us they are not coming for you like they did the last time as you made that choice once already."

John sighed, "That was part of it. Also, the enormity of the task without the tools to do it bothered me."

Lacy smiled, "I just had that conversation with Grace. They added the power cores to the Dreadnought and got through a lot easier. It will take a few days to do the Colossus. The President in her timeline is the same one here. She was happy to hear she had gained contact with you and you provided guidance on Colossus and the Dreadnoughts.

I told her you were arguing with Justice Incarnate at this time about how do you keep Drakor technology out of the hands of billions of humans. She asked what did you find out? I told her, she was asking the wrong person that question. She laughed and said she would talk to Justice Incarnate later. She told me there were a lot of questions like that early on that we missed. Justice told us you are the only one who can find it across a planet or system. We could find it if we were close and focused on it."

John hugged them all one at a time and tried to open his heart more to each one of his very pregnant wives. The news from Grace was uplifting and gave him some hope he got it right for them. When he was done, they all stood in awe of him, Kiru spoke, "We could all feel you opening your heart more to us. To let us inside. We felt it within us. Like you were releasing some of your willpower into us but leaving it with us."

John nodded, "Then you can imagine what it feels like to lose that 28 times over. That is just wives..."

They all nodded at him. John looked, "Shower up, then meet me on the bridge."

Kiru sighed, "Astra can you see that he has food and drink in his office before he passes out."

Astra laughed, "I will."

He went to his office and tried to reach out for any Drakor technology in the system and was surprised to find one stationary object. Small, but on the far moon. He thought to Justice "This a test to see if I could find the object on the far moon?"

He heard, "No. You find something, safeguard it. We will determine the best time and place to retrieve it."

He called out, "XO set course, farthest planet farthest moon. 6x then put us in orbit."

He finished eating when his necklace with the president went active. He turned it on. He learned from the last time and set an answerability on his crystals. John heard from Trudy, "You alright? We heard they were having a hard time waking you."

John thought back, "I was in a long and somewhat heated discussion with Justice Incarnate. I was the one getting heated. He was calm as always. He answered some of my questions and when I get back, I may very well be stepping all over local and Global military R&D efforts.

I know how to find every piece of Drakor technology in the system and it is in me. Not a device. I am on my way to find something small on the farthest moon here at this very moment. It was not a test. I will be knocking down a lot of doors. Remember what they told us about trying to reverse engineer their technology."

Trudy Winthrop sighed, "Get me locations and I will try and smooth the way, and if they get stubborn, force the issue with you and your team going forward. Glad to hear you are all right. When will we see you?"

He thought, "In a few hours, I got a moon to visit here."

He finished eating and went to the fighter bay and got into his flight suit, he got into his fighter, "Merlin ready to launch."

They cleared the deck and opened the doors. He veered off from their flight path as he focused on the location he wanted.

John changed course as it slowly spun toward him from the other side. He pulled up half a km away from the site and walked out onto the moon and found a Drakor sword buried in the dust he read it, "'Extreme Vengeance' psi sword."

Justice Incarnate sighed and then chuckled, "The one you fought. He must have lost it when you struck him. He did not wish to be embarrassed about it and replaced it when he got back. He begrudgingly thanks you for recovering it."

John thought, "Least I could do after kicking his ass."

John heard Justice laughing which was a strange and eerie sensation. He got back into his fighter and rejoined his ship. The ladies looked at him as he tossed them the sword. Kiru caught it and asked, "One of their swords?"

John nodded, "The one who wanted to fight me. I sent him flying at least 25 meters. His sword must have kept flying. Until I just found it."

Lacy smiled, "You know how it works."

He nodded, "Now I got to get us back and then have President Winthrop play politics. Before I go kicking people's asses."

He took the sword and put it in The Survivor with the other one. He went to the bridge. He looked at everyone, "Collapse it down."

He waited for it to be buttoned up. "Launch one drone. He had a drone come up. He called out, "As this thing opens up fly the drone through it or into it. Launch a second but keep it in the shields. Testing a couple of theories." The XO relayed the order, "Master Chief, Give us half power." She took it to half power.

The first drone flew into it and it shattered into millions of pieces across the surface of the wormhole. "Another quarter." He started nudging forward. "Full power." He felt the energy come to him and he kept it even and he gave the final push off to send them through. The comms went wild as shuttles swerved to miss the large ass Colossus." The second drone survived.

He looked out, "Has to be within our shields. Store the drone and examine it. Let me know if there is any abnormality with it."

He heard the banter from the ships to the towers and ignored it. He sent out the wave and had over 40 hits, most of them on the moon and Tera but one in Jupiter and another in Saturn. He thought, "Astra give me a system map in my head and I will flood it with coordinates."

She sighed, "Alright."

He sent all of the information as he scanned again. She called out, "It worked!"

He heard from Justice Incarnate, "Impressive use of that technology interface with your AI. Well done."

John thought back, "Better when I get them all."

He put that all in a pad and went and hit his comms interface for President Winthrop, "Astra secure it."

It came up and she was in a cabinet meeting. He nodded to her, "Back in the system with the Colossus, Madam President. I ran that scan. 29 items on earth, 13 on the moon, and 2 others. 1 in Jupiter and 1 in Saturn. Let us start with the 13 in the secret installation on the dark side of the moon."

The Secretary of Defense looked up, "There is no installation on the dark side of the moon."

John smiled, "Great when I take my scout down and just shoot into the moon, I won't hit anything or one of value."

He looked, "You cannot just do that."

John called out, "Launch four scouts to these coordinates and have them aim at them. Do not fire yet."

John looked at the Secretary of Defense who slumped back into his chair. "There is a Military R&D site there."

John nodded, "Madam President. Executive order for me to clean the house of Drakor artifacts from it."

She looked at the Secretary of Defense and then nodded, "Coming. You said 29 here?"

He nodded, "Area 13, Area 51, a facility outside of Moscow, Two in China, and one in the outback of Australia.

Then there is a large ass one in Reno Nevada at a company called Advanced Solutions, INC. Privately held company. No financials on it. Astra is working on tracing all of the shell companies."

Astra replied, "It comes back to a company that was once owned by Howard Hughes but is now believed to be operated by the American CIA." John pushed the President the information on the map.

Trudy Winthrop nodded, "I will get you the executive order and warrant for that place easily enough. They were warned to shut down all sites of that nature. I will work with the local governments on these others."

Trudy Winthrop ended the call. John looked at the ladies, "The Survivor. We will look at the civilian place first and then the moon. Astra why did we not pick these things up?"

She sighed, "Because we still do not know what it is that they are made from. From the sword to the ships. We cannot detect them. Unless they are powered up, and not in stealth."

They got on the ship and launched, "Tera-2 tower this is TSM-158475 en route to Reno Nevada."

John heard back, "That sounds like Merlin. Hell of an entrance you made today. Getting something that big to jump."

John called out, "Colossus, expand, and lockdown. Tower when it finished that is what I jumped going out. With Goliath inside."

John heard back, "Port speed, glide path set, and mother of god that thing just got way bigger."

John nodded, "Ready to start taking colonists to Tau Ceti next week."

He heard a chuckle, "That will be a Quick ride."

John looked over, "Both colony leaders have signed off?"

Lacy nodded, "They have the elected councils from both colonies. They are glad to see we got the jumps back on track timewise. First, 30 could be ready in 4 days."

He heard, "This is Reno tower to TSM-158475, What is your destination?"

He sent the executive order over, "Tower we know where we are going. This is a scout and will not fit in your glide path. Our sensors are better than yours, monitor if you like. I am under Planetary Presidential directions."

Lacy responded, "We got the search warrant for the facility to isolate and remove all Drakor technology."

He brought them down inside the high-security fences and cameras. He landed in the parking lot which was mostly empty. They were met by armed security personnel who started shooting right away. John yanked all the guns away from them and then turned them on the men. He looked, "I am getting tired of people just firing weapons without talking first."

He dismantled and melted all the metal and then brought it together into a 3-meter-tall sword.

Had all the gunpowder from the bullets embedded into the surface and he drove it a meter into the ground. He sent one bullet flying at it and they were looking at a very large burning sword. He asked, "Which asshole over there is in charge?"

They all stared at one woman. He held up his pad, "Search warrant from the Planetary President and World Court."

She slumped her shoulders. He pulled her ID from her, "Astra, run her name."

Astra responded, "CIA operative."

John looked at her, "The CIA cannot operate domestically on American soil. I am here for what you have in that building."

She sighed, "I have people to call."

John walked toward the building, "Get to calling."

John went inside and was shocked to find the partially crushed remains of what looked like a Drakor destroyer. It had no engines. He walked around and they had it open, "Ladies spread out and locate anything they took from here. I will scan after having a look inside."

He went inside and it was partially gutted of electronics. He stuck his hand on it, "Justice?"

He heard back, "Millennia old ship. Lost before my time. Do not know the story behind it."

John went over and opened the hanger doors on one end. He did another pulse out and found 8 items and went searching. 3 more swords. 3 shield belts, and 2 system consoles. He moved those consoles mentally out of the room and carried the rest. He handed it off to the ladies and put it all back inside the ship.

He thought, "Astra complete computer search, find any references to this, find out if any patents were applied for, and yank them if they exist. If they got put into production I want to know where."

She thought back, "Systems were cleared only two patents were pending and they suddenly got denied and withdrawn from the system. The name on the patent files is the woman who you were talking with."

He found her and she called out, "You cannot just take that."

John looked at her, "Your 2 patents have been denied and wiped from the system. Any other locations we should be searching? Starting with her home computer Astra?"

Astra called out, "She was in talks with a small weapon manufactured for the 2 components, I have gone out and wiped all trace of it from their records. As well as her home computer. I left her operating system and collection of animal porn. Even I do not want to touch that."

She looked at John, "You have no authority to access my home computer!"

John nodded, "Check all CIA records for this site and any information backed up to them. Destroy it in regards to this ship, including every backup."