Jack's Moonlighting Pt. 01

"Jack mentioned he had to give you difficult news about your implants as well," the Queen said gently.

Sahhahr nodded with a conflicted expression. "This was even more difficult for the people to accept. We've prided ourselves on our mental augmentation for generations. Jack had a painful task making us aware that the tool we used in our war against the Mahrell Drun was warping us to emulate our enemy's worst traits. The significant lack of empathy being the worst. If I hadn't experienced the profound emotional revelation of greeting our children for the first time without the implant active, I wouldn't have been able to express to the population the significance and importance of shutting them off when not in use for specific activities."

Her smile returned as she leaned a little closer to the Queen. "Another benefit of disabling the implant during this address was the increased emotional intensity which made Jack's message of love much more profound. He held our babies in his arms as he spoke of the importance of family and sharing our lives with one another. Since that day, there's been a surge of new pair bonds and the birth of more children. We no longer separate the children from their parents. It's been a learning process for everyone, and Jack has arranged for Chena to speak with Shreen experts from Chrystan about population control. We must follow their example of sustainable population growth to ensure we don't outstrip the available resources. We tend to have large families."

Elissa smiled as she imagined Jack surrounded by his Ishilon children. "I look forward to being able to meet your family. Will they be coming to Jack's party?"

"Yes! The children are very excited!" Sahhahr said with a twinkle in her eyes. "I would love to see Jack with the rest of his children!"

Elissa laughed happily as she pictured that as well. "Unfortunately, Tanz and Tima won't be able to join us on Chuuruthia."

Sahhahr smiled at Elissa in delight. "Tanz has had their child?"

Elissa nodded. "A beautiful daughter named Tima. Her coloring is lovely and unique for the Shreen as well. The fur on her front is snow white with pinkish rosettes and stripes. On her other side, the longer fur is deep red! It's her mother's coloring but with brighter colors. She's absolutely adorable! Tyg and Lyn had their child three days after Tanz had Tima. A son they named Jakk."

Sahhahr gazed at Elissa with wide eyes. "That is a great honor!" Elissa nodded with a bright smile.

"Juul, the Harruushan who lives with Jack, gave birth to three lovely children, two females, named Lily and Iris, and one male they named Ross. They are all healthy, and Juul brings them to Altaria daily to visit her family and help the children bond with them." She smiled at the thought.

"Please pass along my congratulations to your commander, Lorrem. I just got to visit his, Jack's, and Diana's new son, Adam, and he's gorgeous! Jack told me the child is still undergoing tests at the Chuuruthian hospital to ensure he's healthy due to his unique hybrid nature, but all signs are positive. His scales are so lovely!"

Elissa held her hands against her own stomach as tingles rushed through her. "I must admit, all this talk of Jack's babies is making me think of having more with him," she said with a mischievous grin.

"Me, too!" Sahhahr laughed and nodded as she touched her own stomach.

The door opened, and Jack stepped into the building smiling, Rikki floating between his horns.

The two leaders turned to look, and their hungry smiles were immediately replaced with looks of concern.

"JACK! What happened to your face?" Elissa yelped as she rushed to his side, Sahhahr right beside her. They gently turned his face to properly see his swollen cheek and puffy eye. Elissa faced Rikki.

"Jack wouldn't allow me to join him in the courtroom," Rikki said in its defense.

"I agreed with you that not taking Gee and Bal to Orellia was understandable, but you had Rikki with you for security!" the Queen said crossly.

"I would have lost my case if I'd entered the court with a bodyguard of any kind," Jack insisted. "It's how Orellian minds work. You have to tough it out on your own. No lawyers and no support. Everyone has to stand on their own two feet." He gave them a lopsided smile. "And I won!"

"The fight or the case?" Sahhahr asked skeptically.

"Both," Jack pouted.

Elissa sighed. "There's no time to do anything about this now. You'll just have to stand before all those cameras looking like a punching bag."

Jack dipped forward and gave her a kiss. Then he pulled back to grin at her. "A punching bag who won!"

"Incorrigible!" Elissa sighed as Jack gave Sahhahr a tender kiss as well.

"This is only the second time in Altarian history that we've created a charter to grant ownership of a planet in Altarian space to another race. It's an important ceremony!" Elissa insisted.

Jack nodded to her. "I fully understand. My apologies for giving you the impression that I don't appreciate the event's significance. It wasn't my intention to get into a fight with the Orellians, though, with them, there's always a chance. I went prepared but was ambushed by an Orellian who broke the rules of engagement."

The Queen gave him a frustrated look, flicked a mischievous smile at Sahhahr, then looked into Jack's eyes. "You can make it up to us later. We'll think of suitable compensation."

Jack looked at the two ladies who'd returned to sharing wicked smiles. He began to worry, but a knock on the door distracted him. One of the organizers dipped her head into the room. "We're ready for you—EEEP! What happened to the Ambassador's face?" she yelped.

Jack sighed.

Before he could say anything, the female disappeared and returned seconds later, dragging another Altarian tech carrying a large carrying case. This one looked at his face and gasped. She immediately opened her kit, and Jack saw it was full of make-up. He wondered who used make-up as Altarians were furred and Ishilon had scales—oh, shit.

It was for him.

-=-

The ceremony proceeded without a hitch, and a new era was ushered in with class and dignity.

Thankfully, Jack's role was simply to stand behind the two rulers and nod sagely like some wise and benevolent sentinel. He'd been painted to hide the bruising and swelling, then stuffed into a black, Altarian gown. With his height, dark hair and eye coloring, and Rikki's black orb hovering above him between his horns, he felt like an evil sorcerer... or a tower of doom.

Once more, he missed his blonde, blue-eyed looks. He'd appeared far less threatening then.

The make-up felt odd on his face, as the tech had been generous with it. It was also hot, and his skin couldn't breathe under it. He hadn't gotten a good look at himself before he'd been rushed out onto the stage with the two leaders.

The Ishilon, now officially, had a new home. Callosephia remained part of the Altarian empire, but by charter, it now belonged to the Ishilon, as Chrystan belonged to the Shreen.

There was a huge bank of cameras from every Altarian and Chuuruthian news station positioned before the stage and a number he didn't recognize. Damn! Some of Earth's media giants were present as well.

Tens of thousands of Ishilon citizens were present to witness this momentous occasion. Their cheering was almost deafening and filled Jack's heart with joy. They had a new home, a new start, and most were learning a whole new way of life.

The official ceremony was finally over, and Jack was desperate to wash the caked-on gunk from his face. At his first opportunity, he slipped back into the building they'd used for preparing and headed directly to a bathroom sink.

He froze as he finally caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. The paste on his face lightened his skin, making him look pale, and his mouth... was that lipstick? Deep ruby red? With all the black in his clothes and hair, combined with the pale skin and red mouth, he looked like a freaking vampire!

Dammit!

He quickly ran the cold water into the sink and splashed it over his face. The goo came off in globs, and he continued gently scrubbing until he felt clean once more. The cold water also did wonders for the swelling, as the injured side of his face didn't feel so tight anymore.

Grabbing a towel, he scrubbed the lipstick from his mouth.

When he was done, he looked at himself carefully but relaxed as he was almost back to his normal appearance.

Granted, the left side of his face was badly bruised, but at least it was real.

He heard Elissa calling for him.

"I'm in the bathroom," he called out.

"They're waiting for us!" she said.

He frowned. Who was?

He left the bathroom and saw Elissa and Sahhahr standing by the building's back door.

The Queen frowned at him in annoyance. "You washed off the make-up. Why?"

He gaped at her. "Because it made me look like a freaking vampire!" he exclaimed.

She sighed as Sahhahr gave him a puzzled look. The reference was lost on her as she hadn't attended one of his monster movie nights.

"It's too late to do anything about it now. We have the press conference. Let's go," Elissa asserted and walked through the door, followed by the Sultessa.

"Press conference?" Jack asked to the empty room.

"I reminded you about it this morning," Rikki said.

"Oh, right. Sorry," Jack sighed.

He stepped outside, and the press got one look at his battered face and exploded with questions. He scowled at them and raised his hands to get them to shut up.

"Today is not about me. It's about the kindness and generosity of the Altarian people. It's about the hopes and dreams of the Ishilon people being answered by receiving a new home. It's about their continuing to build upon their relationship." He looked at the press and saw they wouldn't let it go. He sighed. "I will only make a statement about your unrelated questions after the formal questions about today's ceremony are addressed by Queen Elissa and Sultessa Sahhahr."

He took his seat at the table and clammed up.

Jack listened while the two leaders fielded questions, but he could tell the members of the press were distracted. He turned his face to the Queen and saw she was aware of it too. She glanced at Sahhahr, and they nodded to each other.

"Thank you for your attention," Queen Elissa said as she stood and led the Sultessa back into the house.

Now the press wanted their questions answered. The volume was intense, so Jack stood quickly, knocking his chair back, and the noise suddenly dimmed.

"Don't bother yelling out questions. I said I would give a statement, and here it is. This morning I was on Orellia for a case being tried in their Supreme Court. When it became apparent that I was winning the case, my opponent chose to attack me physically. His brother-in-law attacked me from behind, forcing me to subdue them both. In the scuffle, I was struck once on the side of my face. I won the fight, and I won my case, so all-in-all, it was a successful trip to Orellia. When I got back, my face was bruised and swollen. Some overzealous make-up application to hide the bruising left me looking like the undead. I regret allowing that to happen. This is all I have to say on the matter. Good day."

Jack turned and walked into the building without looking back or listening to any yelled questions. He was grateful to hear it was only the Earth-based reporters who were doing the yelling.

Once he was inside the building, he discovered he was alone. The Queen and Sultessa were exceptionally busy these days, so that was no surprise. Jack removed the Altarian gown and left it on a hanger.

"What's next on my schedule today?" he asked.

Rikki responded immediately. "We are going to Chrystan to pick up the food order for the party. You'll visit Tanz and Tima, and tonight there's a dinner with King Tyg and Queen Lyn.

Two Altarian security operatives entered the room in their distinctive black gowns and eyed Jack.

"Hi!" he said with a smile.

They nodded, collected the gown, and left without saying a word.

"Jack?"

"Yes, Rikki?"

"Why are all the Altarian security personnel so similar yet so different from Gee and Bal?" he asked.

Jack sighed. "They tell me I'm a bad influence."

"Ah."

Jack frowned and raised a brow. "What is that supposed to mean? Ah."

"We should get going if you want to spend time with Tima," Rikki responded as it left its spot between Jack's horns to move to the door.

Jack followed, but he aimed an annoyed eye at the Tik.

Chapter 3

Laannaa-Klovalis, High Priestess of the Dannt, sat outside the dwelling of their Queen, listening to her quiet song of sorrow.

The Queen's mate, Jordem, was dead. He'd been attacked by a Rakka while his team was inspecting one of the outer crop fields. The other workers killed the vicious beast, but it was too late for Jordem.

Compounding this tragedy, Queen Mara's first mating with Jordem had been last month. While they weren't blessed with a child at that time, Mara was now infertile for all other males, her body having tuned itself to her chosen mate's seed.

Dannt biology was cruel with its restrictions. For females, choosing a mate was crucial. There had to be a perfect match for compatibility, and Mara had delayed her selection for years to ensure her people were safe (by ending the constant tribal warfare), healthy (by implementing new farming techniques and food storage and distribution methods), and happy (by ensuring all people were heard and informed). There had never been a better leader for the Dannt.

When the Queen finally followed Laannaa's advice to find a mate, it took another year before she met Jordem. Their first mating triggered Mara's body to undergo the change to bond her to this male. No other could give her children. Then he was gone.

Fate was cruel.

The Queen's quiet song continued, and Laannaa was shamefully grateful for the Goddess' second punishment after the plague. In the chaos after the Culling, the survivors lost their ability to sense the emotions of others nearby. The church leaders at the time named it the Great Silence.

After the loss of so many, the sudden isolation sent more than a few survivors into a downward spiral they never recovered from. The church dedicated itself to saving the remaining population. Their solution was strict rules of behavior and denial. The ability was gone and would not be spoken of. Generations later, the only one with knowledge of what they'd lost was the leader of the church, the High Priestess.

Hearing the Queen's sorrow was painful enough, but to feel it would have been torture.

Laannaa pulled her mind back to their current crisis.

Mara's chief opponent, Kressa, leader of the northern tribes, was said to be cruel, too. Her ambition had driven her to challenge Mara for the title of Queen long ago, but Mara defeated her in combat. The female had been sniffing around for signs of weakness ever since.

With the death of the Queen's mate, Kressa now had a legitimate claim for taking their society's highest position. Kressa had three children, while Mara remained barren. By Dannt law, the Queen must produce an heir or step down.

Mara would be allowed a grieving period of one lunar cycle, after which Laannaa could do nothing to keep her Queen in power.

"Humblest greetings, High Priestess Laannaa-Klovalis."

She sighed, hearing the voice of someone she had no time for today. She turned to face Senior Researcher Warrez, Leader of the Dannt-Tik Interface Team.

"Warrez, why are you here?" she asked with her calmest tone.

The female looked at her cautiously as she read the Priestess' body language. "The team received the news of Jordem's death, and I've come to see if there was anything we could do to ease the Queen's pain."

Laannaa's eyes widened with righteous anger. "What could your team possibly do for her? Do the Tik and the Gate Network have access to time machines to take us back in time to save Jordem? Do they have magic technology to bring Jordem back to life? Sincerely, how do you imagine your team could possibly help when the Goddess herself allowed Jordem to be killed? I told the Queen years ago to take a mate. The Goddess willed it, but Mara put her people's needs before her own and defied the orders of her Priestess. Now here we are, and you're offering us what?"

Warrez looked like she wanted to be somewhere else, and Laannaa wished for that too. The Researcher suddenly frowned and stood straighter as she held the Priestess' eye.

"We have only scratched the surface of the wonders available in the Gate Network. My team will do what we do best and find something to ease the Queen's pain."

Laannaa was surprised by the strength in the other female's eye. Then the Senior Researcher turned with stiff dignity and walked away.

The Priestess shook her head and sighed. She heard intense grief in the tent behind her and watched Warrez's madness walking away before her. She would pray to the Goddess that she would be spared from further nonsense from the Interface Team.

-=-

Senior Researcher Warrez stomped into the Gate Building and made her way into the offices the Tik kindly built for her team to interact with the Tik assigned to the Gate. For the last ten years, they'd been communicating with Juju and TkaTken, two Tik who'd traveled extensively amongst the worlds of the Network. Their chrome chassis were worn and scarred with their experiences over the centuries they'd been alive. Warrez was in awe just being in their presence.

A much newer Tik arrived to begin training with them only two days ago. She'd learned its name was Tito Bandito and that it brought the two elders experience files from the Tik homeworld, which was unimaginably far away.

Warrez was always humbled by how far their world, Danat, was from the central planets of the Gate Network. The Tik assured her every Gate was important and received the same level of service from the Tik as all the rest.

Today, the senior Tik were absent as they continued to absorb the files they'd accepted two days ago. It was taking longer than previous times, and she couldn't help but be curious about what the Tik were learning from them.

Warrez pushed those thoughts aside, eager to start her mission to help the Queen. She immediately called a meeting with her people.

She had three junior researchers under her. Gruun, a male eight years younger than her, Lena, a female nine years younger, and Bayly, the youngest at eleven years her junior. She was barely into her adult years, but Warrez found Bayly's mind to be the most flexible, and her intuitive questions greatly assisted the team. While the youngest, she'd grown quicker than most and was blessed with a strong, tall body. One day she might even reach Queen Mara's stature.

They gathered around their team leader with curious expressions.

"Did you get to see the Queen?" Bayly asked.

Warrez frowned and shook her head. "No. The High Priestess prevented me." She paused before continuing. "She was critical of our ability to help."

The three made angry sounds until she raised her hands. "We won't change her mind unless we can offer something tangible to ease the Queen's pain. Let's begin by defining the parameters of the queries we'll provide the Tik." Her team nodded with determined expressions on their faces. They wanted to prove their value to the Priestess but mostly to the Queen.

Everyone loved Mara.

-=-

Juju surfaced from its experience file integration with a gasp. It was stunned momentarily and had to concentrate on the here and now to center itself. A short distance away rested TkaTken, who should be coming out of its integratio—

"Ahh!" TkaTken yelped as it surfaced too. It immediately lifted into the air and spun, searching for Juju, who rose more gracefully to face its partner.