Jack's Moonlighting Pt. 01

Jack stared at the Tik, unsure if he'd heard right. It couldn't be. A large man with scars named Grenville? If it was the same Grenville who once lived on Chuuruthia, he'd have to be hundreds of years old!

"If that's settled, could we please return to what happened on Allsa Komanae? Why did you cut your audit short and summon us?" Ghunka growled.

Jack blinked in confusion, so the Qui Qui Qui Team lead stepped forward. "We summoned the Committee Overseers/Thought Jack was lost on Allsa Komanae/Promised him to expose the truth."

Jack nodded as he looked at the three Qui Qui Qui. "Good to see you again/You suffered too long/Grateful for your assistance."

They sent him the Friendship and Peace symbols again.

Jack looked to the Shriis. "Rikki and I began our investigation on Allsa One and collected the data from the Deen-Diin team—"

"You collected a copy of the data?" Haah interrupted excitedly then his voice became far more subdued. "Ah, it would be with the Tik who did not return from Allsa Komanae. We contacted Allsa One to secure the data the moment we heard the Qui Qui Qui Team Leader's initial statement but were notified the servers were purged at the order of the Deen-Diin Ambassador."

"Don't give up hope, Haah. Rikki was exceptionally resourceful. A copy of the data exists." Jack said. He wasn't about to tell anyone he was carrying it in his collar.

Jack looked at the three officials. "If you've spoken with the Qui Qui Qui Team Leader, you'll have heard how he was tricked into joining the cabal of the other Team Leaders. Rikki found proof to support this." The Qui Qui Qui looked at him gratefully.

Jack took a deep breath as what he was about to say would upset people. Aside from the Qui Qui Qui's testimony and the data he had in his collar, which would take a Tik to decipher as Rikki had, he had nothing he could use to prove it.

Fuck it.

"Seven years ago, a Borrelian investigator found something and brought it to her Team Lead's attention. Upon receiving the report, I believe Keshwan killed the investigator to maintain its secrecy. Her death is recorded on the night of her find. That night a travel ban was imposed to prevent anyone else from finding it.

Keshwan brought in the other Team Leads as he needed their assistance. They joined to share in the discovery, implemented a new Operational Guideline, and then blackmailed the Qui Qui Qui into silence. Seven years ago, the Slave Recovery project was subverted into a treasure hunt.

To prevent the possibility of a data leak, they limited the teams on the two worlds, isolated them from the other groups with the new Operational Guidelines, and selected untrained personnel like botanists, bakers, and general laborers. None of them wanted to be there, but they weren't truly expected to find anything, just make a show of going through the motions.

What the Borrelian Investigator found was a single-room structure in the north pole of Allsa One. It only contained two mutilated and ancient Tik acting as a Gate. Not the standard mirror Gate but the weird dark one we saw today hidden in the wall of the committee room. The destination of the north pole Gate is another windowless room with two more butchered Tik and a huge vault door. To my knowledge, none of the Team Leads discovered the actual location of this room." Jack looked to the Qui Qui Qui. "Was that the case?"

They nodded. "All attempts to determine location failed/Keshwan stopped attempts as time wasted/Opening was the priority."

Jack nodded grimly. "Other Team Lead opinions?/Knowledge of what they expected to find behind the vault door?/Overheard conversations?"

"Creetak expected Allsa Komanae's most valuable treasure/Huullowah and Lirsha remained silent/Overheard Keshwan and Ullenta speaking of great power over other Races."

Jack nodded again and looked at the committee members. "That tells me the Borrelians and the Vikk-Tahh may have been aware of the truth."

"What truth?" Ghunka asked impatiently.

"I'm getting to that. The Team Leads directed most of their energy toward investigating a means to open the door while managing the information flow to you to keep the project alive. Without the Audit process I suggested, you had no means to prove the project was straying from its initial purpose." Jack was giving them an out. "Without the proper people in place to recover the remains, there is a serious question of validity for all recoveries done in the past seven years," Jack said, and the committee overseers looked very uncomfortable as they could be taken to task for this.

"Rikki tracked the records of the skimmer mileage and determined that the Team Leaders were still traveling to these coordinates in the north pole regardless of the restrictive guideline, so we went to see it for ourselves. When we found the vault door, we recognized the symbol for a Mahrell Drun Prime at its center." Jack stopped as he couldn't explain how Rikki emulated the Prime's voice without disclosing too much, so he used a convenient lie that couldn't be confirmed. "My slave collar was also designed by the Prime, so it acted as a key, and the door opened."

Jack paused and saw every eye was focused on him. "There was no treasure. The vault door was the entrance to the control room for the Allsa Komanae's Star Killer. Their weapon for destabilizing stars. The same weapon they used on the Shreen and Harruushan stars. It was the Allsa Komanae's middle moon."

More sounds of dismay, especially from the gathered Tik.

"Our entry activated the AI running the weapon, and it discovered we weren't the Prime and that the Allsa Komanae were extinct. It informed me that it had initiated a doomsday seek-and-destroy mission which would randomly target the home system suns of every Assembly race, starting with Maghadahn's sun."

Another much louder surge of exclamations erupted, but Jack held up his hands.

"Rikki tried to hack in and stop it but needed me to destroy the control room servers in a specific sequence. I managed to do this, but the weapon was locked into its charging cycle and was going to overload. Rikki and I fled from the control room and reopened the vault door, where Ullenta and Creetak stopped us at gunpoint. The Gate back to Allsa One was offline as the moon had moved out of alignment. I tried to reason with them, but Ullenta, Lirsha, and Creetak entered the vault door that sealed behind them.

We were running out of time, so Rikki linked the ancient Tik Gates to Allsa Komanae. After we reached the terminal, a large portion of the moon exploded, but its engines activated and pushed the rest out of orbit toward the planet. The Qui Qui Qui Team Lead, Rikki, and I got everyone off the world, but Rikki couldn't leave. It pushed me through the Gate, but I don't know where I landed. It felt like an automated world as it was completely silent, and I saw no one except a face on a monitor. I was given medical attention," Jack gestured to his hand and hair, "but I was told I'd be imprisoned for just being there. I barely managed to escape."

Jack watched the three Committee leaders who remained silent. Only the Shriis had a face with expressions he could understand, and he wasn't happy.

"We need that copy of the data," Haah said with a subdued voice.

Jack nodded to him. "I'll get it to you, but due to what Rikki called grossly exaggerated data normalization, you'll need the Tik to analyze it for you. The Deen-Diin's data structure was very useful in obscuring the patterns needed to investigate the circumstances."

"How did you find it?" Haah asked.

"I just suggested to Rikki that it should concentrate on the movements of the Team Leaders. That might have led to nothing, but Rikki discovered the skimmer mileage anomaly, which led to us finding the structure at the north pole," Jack said. "Truly, it was just a lucky guess."

The hospital room door opened again, and four more Tik entered. It was the two in the middle who surprised Jack the most. He'd been told the seniors didn't travel anymore. Socrates and Plato were as old as Tik got.

The other Tik in the room moved back respectfully, letting the seniors move up to the bed.

"Greetings, Socrates and Plato," Jack said, dipping his head forward.

"Greetings, Ambassador Danner. Are you finished debriefing with the Committee Overseers?" Socrates asked.

Jack looked to Ghunka, who nodded stiffly. "We may have additional questions. We still need a formalized statement from you regarding the audit. This will need to be presented before the Grand Assembly Committee." Jack nodded to him, so the three bowed and left the room. The Qui Qui Qui followed them out with a wave to Jack.

Turning his face to the Kwua, Jack bowed as deeply as he could in the bed. "Ambassador Kwua, once more, you have risen above my already elevated impression of your kindness and selflessness. Assisting Bayly and Tito in their efforts to meet with me was truly inspiring."

The Kwua was very pleased and returned the bow. "It was fortuitous for me to attend that meeting as I discovered the insidious use of art in the murals to poison the minds of new Gate Network members against the Tik! Once I inspect the remaining conference halls on the second level, I will endeavor to track down the facts regarding who commissioned this propaganda."

His expression darkened. "I will also see to it that a full survey is done to all chambers in Maghadahn's facilities for other butchered Tik used for rogue Gates."

The Tik seniors bowed deeply to the Kwua as well. "We are very grateful for your efforts on our behalf."

"It is my honor and pleasure to support such a just cause." Looking back to Jack, he nodded. "Until we meet again."

Jack bowed his head, and the large furry being left the room.

"Rikki?" Socrates asked gently.

"It sacrificed itself... again," Jack said as he tapped his collar, and they tipped forward, acknowledging his unspoken message. Better not to reveal anything where they might be overheard or recorded.

Jack passed his gaze over the large gathering of Tik, then looked to the two seniors. "I recognize the Tik Allsa One Petition Team," he waved to the four, "but I'm not sure why so many Tik have come to see me."

"It's your celebrity!" Plato insisted.

Jack stared at senior Tik. "My what?"

Socrates made an annoyed sound at its partner. "It's not celebrity. Tik are simply drawn to people and events of historical significance. Your campaign to draw attention to how Tik are treated in the Assembly makes us very happy. You've already made excellent progress and involved some significant members of the Assembly, many of whom have thrown their considerable support behind the initiative. Whatever happens, we are eternally grateful."

Jack looked at the Tik and gave them a little wave. They all waved back, which made him grin.

He looked to their leaders. "And what brings you two to Maghadahn?"

"We understood you would present to the Grand Assembly Committee on your return from Allsa Komanae. We were concerned you might have found the visit overwhelming, so we came to support you."

"And we have a favor to ask," Plato added.

Socrates turned to Plato. "Seriously, I wonder when you lost the ability to be tactful."

"And I wonder when you lost the ability to speak plainly," Plato returned.

Jack raised his hands. "It's cool. Thank you for looking in on me, and you know I'll do what I can for you. Before we discuss your favor, though, I promised to speak with Tito and Bayly as they came from the galaxy's edge to speak to me."

The Tik in question moved closer, and Jack smiled. "First off, I have to say you have a great name!"

Tito bowed to Jack. "Thank you."

"We should check on Bayly's condition." Jack looked under the bedsheet and saw he was naked. "I need some clothes."

The Tik got busy digging through drawers and looking in closets. Livingstone found two white gowns that looked like they'd fit if he tied them tightly. He'd put one on with the ties at the back and the second one with the strings at the front to guarantee coverage.

Moo-San rushed over with some stretchy white hospital slippers.

"If I could get a little privacy, I'll get changed and meet you in the hall? Tito, if you could find out where Bayly is?" Jack asked, and the Tik quickly filed out.

It didn't take long for Jack to dress, and he felt a little ridiculous in the brilliant white garb, but not that long ago, he felt the same way about the black ceremonial gown he wore. He pulled his long sandy blond hair forward and smiled. "Hello, old friend," he said quietly with a silly grin, then stepped out into the hall.

Tito met him and pointed to the next recovery room. Jack felt a little residual tingling in his left arm and leg, but it was tolerable. It felt like they were just waking up.

As he entered, Jack saw the female propped up in bed, watching the door. Her eye widened as she took in his white gown, his long blond hair, and the tall black horns rising through it from his temples.

Jack walked over to her and smiled at her. "Hello, I'm Jack Danner. You're Bayly?"

Beautiful, soft brown eyes stared at Jack as she tried to speak but couldn't get the words out.

"I'm sorry you got hurt because of me. Tito tells me you have something to ask me."

"Yes! I'm sorry for being so scattered. My people desperately need your help, but I've made such a terrible mess. It took so long to get to you, and now it will take so long to get back in time to stop the Krreegah from killing everyone!"

Jack blinked at her in surprise. He glanced at Tito. "Krreegah?"

The Tik bowed slightly. "Bayly, perhaps I should begin by explaining the crisis your world faces before you present your petition?"

She just nodded as she wrung her hands together nervously. Jack automatically reached over and placed his hand over hers to calm her.

Tito explained the fateful encounter with the Krreegah and its threats to send a fleet of ships to destroy the Dannt.

Socrates spoke up. "We have no record of the Krreegah having space travel when they joined the Gate Network."

Tito tipped forward slightly to agree. "Yet there are devolved Krreegah on Danat who arrived during the time of the Dannt plague. We weren't permitted to do planet-wide scans of Danat, so we didn't find the Krreegah ship.

"What level of technological advancement is the Dannt at now?" Jack asked.

"While they once had space flight between their three worlds, after what they call the Goddess' Culling, they've returned to a form of semi-nomadic agrarian society," Tito said.

"If the Krreegah attack, it'll be a bloodbath. Perhaps even genocide!" Jack said grimly.

"We must address the Grand Assembly Committee to make them aware of this terrible situation," Socrates insisted.

"There's no time for them to argue endlessly before they choose to take action. We must act now!" Jack responded. His mind was leaping forward, working out the logistics of a plan.

"We cannot use the Blade of Reason—"

"I wouldn't ask you to. Favor for a favor. I would greatly appreciate the assistance of..." Jack did a quick mental calculation, "forty Tik to assist on a diplomatic peacekeeping mission."

The two senior Tik paused while trying to keep up with Jack's thought process. "You need forty Tik to assist you with what?" Socrates asked.

"They will move the Ishilon's ship from Callosephia to Danat as quickly as possible. Once we arrive, their role is to witness Krreegah's actions and our response. We will not engage with the Krreegah ships but will show them they will not be allowed to slaughter the people of Danat. It's also a demonstration that the Tik are aware of their actions and have the means to enforce their policy of non-violence between Gate Network members, even on the farthest edge of the galaxy."

"I'm not comfortable with the idea of Tik enforcing through military might," Socrates said.

Jack shook his head. "I didn't explain that correctly. Your enforcement is simply being present to witness the threatening of a neighbor with violence and pulling their Gate access as you've defined in the rules for Gate Network membership. The peacekeeper role is ours, and we will use non-lethal force to convince the Krreegah that their military efforts will not be allowed."

"Non-lethal?" Plato asked.

"Yes," Jack insisted. "We will serve both races; protecting the Dannt, determining how the Krreegah visited Danat in a ship, then assisting the Krreegah with collecting their devolved people from the world, which makes Danat a safer place to live for the Dannt. The benefit of stopping the Krreegah from this foolish battle is that it also protects them from losing their access to the Gate Network."

"How will you get permission to move the Ishilon ship through all those territories?" Plato asked.

"It's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission. We won't ask, as our time spent in each place will be minimal since we're just passing through. The Tik jump to the coordinates of a planet on the route but in high orbit, then move out into space as far as they are comfortable. They open a large gate for the ship but perpendicular to the planet's surface to minimize its profile. The ship comes through, the Tik drop the Gate and board the ship to recharge as the next fully charged group of Tik exit the ship and create a Gate for themselves to move to the next planet and repeat the pattern. The ship will only be in the vicinity of the planet for as long as it takes the Tik to set up the next Gate. The ship uses stealth technology, so it's not visible from the planets unless someone focuses on the location and detects the starlight it obscures. We will try for longer jumps to reduce the number of regions we potentially disturb. Once the mission is complete and we've returned to Callosephia, I will personally address the Grand Assembly Committee on the actions taken."

Socrates and Plato faced Jack and were silent for some time as they considered the plan. Jack waited patiently.

Finally, Socrates spoke. "To maximize the jump distance and minimize the number of systems visited, you will need eighty Tik. We can make them available. I hope this doesn't cause us more grief than our involvement in the Allsa Komanae.

Jack bowed to the Tik leaders.

"I assume they should be sent to Callosephia?" Socrates asked.

"Yes, please. We will endeavor to achieve peace with no loss of life," Jack said to assure them.

"If you arrive before the Krreegah do," Plato added.

"If they have already engaged in attacking the Dannt, we will stop them and return them to Krreegah without their ships to prevent further hostile activity. I assume you would revoke their Gate Access as you did for the Borrelians?" Jack said.

"Yes, we would," Socrates answered.

Jack turned back to Tito and Bayly, who stared at him in shock. "Okay, we have a plan for dealing with the Krreegah. Now, what's this about a petition?"

Bayly tossed her sheets aside and slipped off the bed to hug Jack firmly. She was almost as tall as he was and generously cushioned in some delightful places, so it was wonderful to be in her arms. She was also very strong!

"Thank you!" she gushed in his ear as she pressed her body against his.

"That's quite all—MMMmm!" Jack's eyes flew wide as Bayly's full, soft lips pressed against his, and her tongue slipped into his mouth to caress his.

"BAYLY!" Tito squeaked in shock.

This seemed to pull the female from the emotional surge she was riding. Her eyes opened wide, and she pushed back abruptly. "Oh! Oh! I'm sorry!"

Tito pulled the sheet from the bed and draped it around her. "Maybe we should step outside so you can get dressed. Did the doctor say you were okay?"

Bayly was focused on Jack's mouth but turned to nod to the Tik as she held the sheet to her body.