Astra Pt. 09

He heard back, "Destination?'

John smiled, "The dark side of the Moon."

He heard the man chuckling. "Cleared departure, "095, 15,000+ meters. Good luck on the dark side of the moon."

John took off and looked back, "Anyone wants to bet me 100,000 TCs that we are attacked after we break orbit or before?"

Lacy looked forward, "You are going after some very powerful people."

John sighed, "It is an illusion. If you know how to see through it."

Lacy nodded unconvinced, "Right."

They cleared the atmosphere and were immediately fired upon by a stealth battleship. He contacted the nearest Station. "Tera-3, This is TSM-158475, we are being fired upon by a stealth battleship."

Tera-3 called back, "We do not see any battleship firing on you."

John turned the Survivor and gave them one barrage of just lasers and dropped their shields, stealth, and half of their weapons while avoiding the railguns, "Tera-3, Do you see the battleship now?"

He replied, "Negative contact on any battleships in the area."

John circled and blew out all of the retro thrusters. And then the engines. He used his tractor beam and pushed it toward Tera-3. "He called out, "Tera-3 the Battleship you refused to recognize is disabled and on a collision course with your station. I hope you see it soon."

He heard back, "You cannot do that!"

John called back, "Do what? I was being attacked by nothing. Now that nothing is your problem. I have a TMS designation, not a TBS designation. I am not a battleship. You might want to get some tractor beams on them. This holovid file is being sent to the GBI and the Capitol. Along with the recording of your refusal to address the problem. Arrests are expected."

Astra sighed, "Information is being sent. Pushing your luck sending it at a station."

John nodded, "They have Tractor beams already in this timeline for a reason. If it is so invisible it will pass right through them. They are in no danger, but they are not following us."

Astra shook her head. He went to the dark side of the moon with a pair of fighters attempting to pursue. He opened the wormhole and took them out to Jupiter Station leaving them all behind. He looked at Astra, "Finished briefing them?"

They got pads and earpieces to go through the rest of it, Astra spoke, "I will take Divine Grace around to the other side and get the power and environmental controls online. You dock on this side and we will work to get the shuttles into the lower hangers when we get them emptied of supplies."

John nodded, "Nothing over half power. More fabricators, maintenance bots, and then weapons for the station after you print this out. Replace all of the fucked power cores as soon as possible."

John handed Astra a pad and she shook her head, "A cloaking device?"

John nodded, "For the station until we get it moved and get our operation going."

Astra sighed, "Alright. You have never messed with them before."

John nodded, "This station is vulnerable. If we are to remain in this system, it needs to be protected."

Astra reluctantly agreed. He shut down all transponders. They spent the next several hours getting everything offloaded and the shuttles docked. Lacy and Camille lent a hand as they thought about what they had seen. He assembled the 4 power core parts and passed them off to Astra to install.

He undid the storage section along the roof inside the scout and started unloading the parts for the bed and bio-bed that they built years before. He found the 'Captains' quarters and got his bed set up just as Lacy walked in, "Big bed."

John nodded, "I had 8 women sharing my bed at one point."

Lacy nodded, "Astra showed us some of that. You know I am not her?"

John nodded, "I came very close to not contacting you at all. It was a very difficult decision on my part as well."

Lacy nodded, "I can understand that I guess. You were serious about wanting to have children with us?"

Camille walked in and John looked at her and nodded, "Yes to both of you."

Camille asked, "Why me?"

John smiled, "You're young, beautiful, and you have to have a good and caring heart with the right amount of perverse to love this woman. If she is anything like Grace at all. She enjoyed a lot of things, especially anal sex."

Camille smirked, "I guess we know where you got that from."

Lacy rolled her eyes, "Alright, I like anal sex when it is done right. But why me?"

John looked at her, "I know enough to know you are not her. You are not even a poor imitation of her. You are you. You are your own person. You have a good heart; you have the right combination of bravery and foolishness to want to be out here with me."

Lacy looked around and laughed, "Alright I will concede that last point."

John looked at Lacy, "You, by your looks alone, are one of my types, as are you Camille. I had a couple of ladies who were short in stature and firecrackers in bed."

Camille looked at him, "You would plan on doing anal with me?"

John nodded, "At least once. To see if I can rock your fucking world."

Camille sighed, "I want to see how it goes with her first."

Lacy looked over, "I have not agreed yet."

John walked over and kissed her long and hard until she melted into him.

Lacy groaned, "I don't know if that is for her or me."

John nodded, "You will always question that and so will I to a small degree. Again, I was tempted to just turn away and not go there. I also know from many aspects you are my type and that is hard to fight. I am not just looking for mothers. I am looking for those who would join me in being a hybrid. This is a lifetime commitment so marriage is kind of a given if you agree to this because you would become part of the eternal council in this timeline."

Camille sighed, "I would want you to meet my mother's grandparents first. They would be interested in meeting you. They are aboriginal. Some of the last."

John nodded, "Well then, you two can share the bed and I will go work through the night."

Lacy looked at him, "You don't sleep?"

John sighed, "I slept for the first time in 4 years the other night."

Lacy looked at him in shock, "How?"

John kissed her again, "Because I do not require sleep and it took me 4 years to build the pylons, upgraded power cores, the Wormhole engine, and extend the structure on the Scout by 10 meters myself, with aid from Astra. It did not arrive looking like it does now. I had to build it into that ship and make it larger."

Lacy nodded, "Wow."

He walked out to see Astra working. "Our long-range is picking up 4 stealth ships approaching here." He nodded and went into the Scout and sealed it up. Then he turned on his ID with the Mixtios ID also active. He went out at 4x speed straight at the largest of the 4 ships. They altered course and he matched them. Soon they realized he could see them and they all opened fire on the scout. He knocked it up to 5x and dove under most of the shots.

Rotated around and blew out the power core on two battleships with the rail guns before unloading the lasers on the third ship, a destroyer and it lived up to its name and was destroyed. He jammed up communications over that last ship for anything long-range. They became visible as he shot out the communications array. He got a fuzzy message, "We surrender."

John asked, "Who are we?"

He heard back, "We are mercenaries."

John laughed, "GS employees."

The man shook his head, "They figure out what you got and they will hunt you down for that technology!"

John sighed, "You are telling me you are still a threat."

The man got backhanded by another, "Look, I am in a position to negotiate. You let us go and we will ensure they don't come to kill you."

John sighed, "How are you going to ensure that?"

The man sighed and nearly cried, "The president of GS is my grandfather."

John asked, "Did GS put you up to this or did you just go joyriding on your own?"

He sighed out, "I work for GS and we were told to eliminate you."

John thought to Astra, "Answer me, is he telling you the truth?"

Astra sighed, "Yes, he is."

John paused, "Put me through to him and get the President in on the side."

She laughed, "She is asleep."

John groaned out. "Fine, put me through to the man." He was connected directly to a board meeting.

John heard, "This creature will be a menace to us all."

The man looked over, "You! How did this creature get connected?"

John shrugged, "Access codes from your grandson who is begging for his life right now. He is adrift in a scout heading toward Jupiter. I am debating if I should assist him now after the 2 battleships and 1 destroyer that attacked me were destroyed. The scout is floating helplessly at the moment. All from stealth, including this scout he is in."

He looked over, "I do not know..." John threw him an image of the boy. The man growled, "He dies and you die!"

John shrugged, "You were already trying to kill me. The 'creature is a menace?' I have that recorded by the way and that is slander. I am human in the World Court. That is disparaging remarks against me."

He yelled out, "I will kill you myself."

John nodded, "Astra forward that threat straight to the GBI along with all of these recordings. As to your grandson. Which of these fires the tractor beam, and which one fires the weapons? I guess I will just have to choose at random."

John ended the call. He called into the scout, "How many aboard are still alive?"

He heard, "Three all still alive."

John sighed, "EVA suits. No weapons. Exit your craft. You have 1 minute before I destroy it."

He contacted Astra, "Give me that one power core we pulled from the last shuttle we bought and an adapter for their EVA suits. Make it two of them. They are going to Meos for now."

Astra laughed into the comms, "Will have it ready."

He put on his EVA suit. Those 3 exited and he scanned them, "Two of you have pistols. Return and leave them." They turned around and went back inside.

They came out again without weapons, other than laser swords inside of their suits. He pulled close and decompressed. To open the doorway. Once they were inside, he sat back zoomed in on the ship ID, and then blew the ship into pieces. He took off for the Station. The grandson asked, "You are not going to put the atmosphere back on?"

John laughed, "Not now. Just so you can try and pull laser swords on me and force me to kill you." He got near the airlock. "Launch it out to them." She laughed and decompressed it. "Better grab your lifeline."

They pulled in the cores and one of the others asked, "What are you going to do, Leave us on a moon?"

John shook his head, "Planet with edible vegetation."

He closed the door, moved away, and started up the Wormhole Engine. He took them to Meos. To an island away from his basecamp, short of walking over the glacial icepack as it was further north and the opposite side of his starting camp. The grandson looked shocked as he took them to the surface. He landed and pressurized the cabin as he got up from his seat with his sword at the ready.

"This is being recorded. Step outside and take the power cores. I gave you 2 because they are GS products that tend to explode. That and then there is the matter of fueling them given how long you will be here. I would make sure they are separated for when they decide to explode."

They walked out and he pointed to 6 different plants in the area, "All edible plants. In that direction, it gets cooler. You will find lots of snow and water, very cold. This power core with an adapter will allow you to stay warm in your EVA suits until you 3 build some shelter. The air is breathable. Welcome to Meos. Sign the Charter or I return you to your ship wreckage in Jupiter's orbit."

The grandson sighed, "My grandfather will come for me."

John nodded, "8-12-year sentence; how long it will take him to send something out here and get back. Depending on if he uses a ship with an FTL drive that is 3x or 4x that does not manage to blow up because of its crap drive and power cores. Then getting through the killer asteroid field around this system. I should have just left you with just one GS power core, but then they might have arrived at a crater. Advice, do not take it above half-power if you wish to live."

He shook his head, "Not if he captures your ship."

John laughed, "The ship can only be powered by a Wormhole Engine and a telepath to pull the ship through the astral plane. A powerful telepath. At this moment, I am the only human one."

The guy rolled his eyes, "We get water and vegetables for 8-12 years?"

John nodded, "Unless you catch some of the local wildlife. There is one with five tusks on the front. Those are venomous and the meat is tainted. They are rather territorial but they stay further north. Most 'small game' is edible or will give you diarrhea."

He got back into his ship. "The recording is off. One of those 6 plants, while edible, will also give you diarrhea. Enjoy figuring out which one."

He closed the door, took it back up, and returned to Jupiter. Very weary from the trip. He called out to Astra, "Connect me to the asshole and the reporter, without his knowledge."

Astra laughed and he had both again.

He looked over, "How do you keep breaking into my comms?"

John shrugged, "I just dialed you. Here is the first video." He showed the ship being destroyed.

The man yelled, "I will end you; you fuck!"

John shook his head, "Here is the second." He showed the 3 men on the planet as they signed the charter. He looked at them, "Depending on how bad you want them, they are on the planet Meos in Tau Ceti.

12 light-years away. The pylons on my ship are used for a Wormhole Engine that can only be used by a telepath. I took them there. That is an 8-12-year prison sentence if you send someone to get them today, and the ship does not explode from your poor-quality products. Else it is life. Considering you sent 4 ships in stealth to kill me. It is only fitting."

The angry older man looked over, "I will send a hundred to kill you!"

John thought, "Hook in the reporter."

She smiled as she could finally speak, "Sir, is that the official GS position as I just got an exclusive that is going to hit the air as soon as you finish answering that question."

The man screamed and ended the call. Kiru looked at John, "Anything else to add?"

John smiled, "My lawyer will be submitting the patent to the Wormhole Engine in the morning so there will be no eminent domain claim made against my ship."

Kiru smiled, "Thank you Mr. Travus."

John nodded, "Thank you for taking this call."

He ended it and then docked. He undid the airlock and watched the holovid as the story aired. He got a call from the Capitol and even though he was tired he answered it. "Madam President, what can I do for you?"

Trudy Winthrop sighed, "You could return the President of GS systems, Elliot Fordor's grandson, Jacob."

John sighed, "Madam President, this ship has a dual registry with Mixtios and Tera. Under Mixtios law, when they boarded my ship, after attempting to kill me I sentenced them to a fate far worse than death. I did not vaporize them. The actions occurred aboard my ship. As such, legally I am within my right to leave them there. If he wants to negotiate for his grandson's return, I can work with that. He sends more men, those that surrender will be joining the others on Meos. Those that refuse will probably not be alive.

They assumed I could not get the Starbase armed fast enough to repeal borders. Also, the fact that my sensors can pick up stealth ships. If you wish to set up negotiations between the ruling body of the Colony which includes Astra and me with yourself as the mediator, and the instigator in charge of GS, the annoying Elliot. I would be amenable to that mediation solution."

Trudy Winthrop laughed, "You got those charters approved and your ship has two transponders?"

John smiled, "One that is programmable to support multiple colony registrations. Another patent I should forward in at some point."

Trudy Winthrop laughed, "Alright I will let him know he could try the World Court or mediation."

John smiled, "Either will be displayed live on a holovid. Stipulation. No strong-arming attempts from either side."

Trudy Winthrop smiled, "I will contact you back."

He nodded and ended the call. He went into the station and Astra shook her head at him, "The bots have the first set of weapons deployed and the cloaking device is ready. I am turning it on now as all power cores have been replaced on the station."

He nodded and went and found a seat. She sighed, "Eat and drink..." John tore through a couple of packages of dry rations and 6 bottles of mead when the call came in.

President Trudy looked at him, "He will try mediation at this point. I explained the precarious situation. The fact you never boarded their ship yet they boarded yours and with its dual registry based on colony law, you were within the legal right to sentence them to a living fate vs being dead. Can you be here in an hour?"

John shook his head, "It will take almost 3 to get all of the alcohol out of my system I drank after getting back. Then there is the flight time from here to earth which is 24 hours at 3x speeds at the given distance."

She chuckled, "You could be here in seconds with that drive."

John nodded, "That takes energy out of the one using it and I will need that if I reach an agreement and go after his grandson. I also have to be concerned about protecting this Starbase while I am gone because he is likely to try and destroy it again."

Trudy sighed, "Alright, This time tomorrow. My office."

John shook his head, "No this should be done in a meeting room with the press present. My conditions, remember."

She groaned, "He does not wish for the press to be present."

John shrugged, "Then I will await a subpoena from the World Court."

Trudy held up a finger, She contacted him and they heard him yell and Trudy yelled right back. She looked over, "One member of the press."

John nodded, "Kiru, the woman who broke the story then."

She rolled her eyes. "He said anyone but her."

John shrugged, "I am not yelling at you. How do you wish to handle it?"

She sighed and went back to him and Trudy finally came back, "He has decided to try his luck in the World Court."

John nodded, "Good. All of the press will be there for that."

John ended the call and went and woke Lacy up. "Sorry to bother you. I need a patent sent out and legal representation for the World Court."

She got up and sent the patents off for the Wormhole Engine. He got another call from the Capitol. He answered it. "Hello again, Madam President."

Trudy Winthrop shook her head. "The World Court has refused to hear the case. He is back to talk mediation."

John sighed, "Put him on. We can loop in the reporter and do this remotely."

She chuckled and he saw the reporter. John nodded, to her, "Hold questions if you can. This is a mediation you are getting an exclusive look into."

Kiru smiled, "Thank you."

John nodded. The President was back and it looked like 50 lawyers behind the GS President. John nodded to him, "Your request to start with."

He looked over, "I want him to return my grandson and the 2 men with him."

John nodded, "In exchange for what?"

He sighed, "How much ransom are you demanding?"

John shook his head, "No ransom, no money. What are you offering?"

He looked confused, "What are you asking for?"

John asked, "Were the men in custody acting under GS's direction? Did you send a hit squad after me at this location? You stated, 'This creature will be a menace to us all. How did this creature get connected?' I have that recorded if needed. My defamation suit will be coming for that one. It should be a part of this mediation. By the way, this is my lawyer, Lacy Landers."