Jack's Moonlighting Pt. 01

"This time of year, it's sunny and pleasantly warm," she said. He nodded to her, then rushed off.

Bayly faced Diana, SennLann, and Eve and felt her throat tightening. "I'm terribly sorry to steal Jack away from his home to rescue my people, especially when it was my fault."

Tito touched her arm. "Bayly, it wasn't your fault. It was a situation created by the Krreegah and their unreasoning belligerence which led to the current state of crisis."

The Tik saw curious gazes were aimed its way, so it gave them a quick description of the Krreegah's presence on Danat as feral beasts and the encounter at the Gate terminal. It explained how the Ishilon would help stop the Krreegah and send them on their way as the Tik would be watching, and their Gate access was at risk.

The ladies seemed more at ease about the mission as Jack's role was purely as Ambassador for his negotiating skills.

"Tito, would you mind if I had a private word with them?" Bayly asked, and the Tik moved back with the three Ishilon warriors.

Bayly stepped closer and looked into their eyes. "The original purpose of my leaving Danat was to speak to Jack about an entirely different crisis. The Dannt have a trait that bonds mating pairs. Once a male and female choose each other and mate for the first time, the female undergoes a physical change, making her infertile for any other male. Our Queen Mara put off selecting a mate as she concentrated on the needs of her people. She finally chose a mate but lost him just a month later. She has no heirs. By our laws, she must step down after her month of mourning. She is a beloved Queen as she pulled us from the dark ages and reconnected us with the people on our three worlds. The only challenger will drive us back into the dark ages."

"You think Jack might be able to give her a child?" Eve asked.

"He gave the Ishilon Sultessa children, had a child with Diana and Lorrem, and SennLann is carrying twins from him. I know the Dannt mate pairing situation might be different and may be unsolvable, but he is our last hope," Bayly said.

The three ladies shared a look then Diana nodded to Eve and SennLann.

Eve leaned closer. "Word of advice, don't phrase it that way, or you'll put too much pressure on him."

Diana nodded and then offered her own advice. "Better yet, don't tell him at all. Tell your Queen what Jack may be able to do for her and introduce them together. If there's chemistry between them, it will happen."

Bayly looked at Diana. "Chemistry?"

Diana grinned. "A mutual attraction, both mental and physical."

Eve nodded. "Yes, I agree with Diana's idea."

SennLann grinned at her. "As well as us, Jack also had a daughter with Tanz, a Shreen, triplets with Juul, a Harruushan, and multiple children with multiple Altarians." She shushed everyone as Jack returned with a small pack over his shoulder. He eyed their innocent expressions suspiciously.

"Everything okay, here?" he asked cautiously.

Diana gave him a sweet smile. "Bayly was very brave to come all this way to ask for help. We're very proud of you for coming to her aid."

"How long will you be away this time?" SennLann asked.

Jack looked at Dennesh. "Have you got any idea how much time it will take to reach the outer edge of the galaxy in the ship?"

"Sorry, I have no idea," the warrior returned.

Jack looked at Tito. "How long does it take by regular Gates?"

Tito tipped forward slightly. "Nine to eleven days, based on the route."

Jack turned back to the ladies. "I'm going to say a minimum of two weeks. Much will depend on what we find when we arrive."

"You will be safe and stay out of the fight!" Diana insisted.

"Yes! You are an Ambassador, not a warrior!" Eve said firmly.

SennLann hugged Jack, clinging to him. "Come back to us, Jack!" she purred.

Jack kissed them and Adam, then they walked back to the taxi. Another taxi landed quickly behind the first, and Gee and Bal rushed out to block his path.

"Where are you going?" Gee asked as she stood before him with a hand on his chest.

"Uh, I'm going on a peacekeeping mission to the planet Danat with the Ishilon on their ship," Jack said.

"Where is Danat?" Bal asked, equally insistent.

Jack was beginning to get annoyed. "It's on the galactic edge. Way out there!" He flung his arm to gesture to the sky above. He actually had no idea which direction they'd be going.

Gee looked at Eve. "Do not let him leave without us!"

The two Altarian special agents raced away toward the house.

Jack frowned in annoyance. "I'm going to be on a ship filled with Ishilon warriors. I'm not going to be in any danger. I don't need Altarian bodyguards too!" He went to step toward the taxi, but a hand snagged his arm. "Eve—" Jack began as he turned back.

Bayly was holding his arm.

"We can wait a little longer to ease the minds of the ones you love," she said.

Jack held her eyes, and she saw he had no argument. He huffed and adjusted his pack while he waited.

Bayly looked back at the ladies, who were all smiling at her. She bowed her head to them, and they returned it.

A few minutes later, Gee and Bal came hustling back with backpacks twice the size of Jacks and hovering one-person skimmers following them.

Bayly caught their expressions of relief as they smiled at Eve. She, in turn, pointed to Bayly, which made the two Altarians look at her in surprise. As they rushed by to push their bags into Jack's taxi, they thanked her quietly.

"We'll follow you to the terminal on the skimmers," Gee said.

Jack glanced at Bayly, then aimed a frown at Gee. "Why are you bringing them? I may not even need to leave the ship!"

"You will! I mean, we will. You'll need to meet with Queen Mara," Bayly insisted.

"Oh, right. Of course." Jack said, looking at Bayly, then glanced back at Gee. "Still," he mumbled.

"Better to have them and not need them," Bal said but aimed a small smile at Bayly.

"Fine," Jack said in surrender. With a wave to the ladies, Jack got into the taxi, and the others also crowded in. The two large backpacks took a lot of space, so Tito volunteered to fly with the Altarians, and Bayly squeezed in next to Jack.

As they flew back to the terminal, Bayly smiled at Jack. "You have a lovely family."

Jack's expression softened. "Yes, I do." He nodded to himself. "When this is done, I'm going to take a few weeks off to stay home and get on their nerves until they send me back to work."

Bayly laughed happily, and Jack smiled for her.

They enjoyed the sights on the return trip to the terminal, which was unfortunately brief.

When the taxi touched down next to the entrance, Bayly noticed a group of people waiting there. Several more black-garbed Altarians were standing around a regal-looking female Altarian in a white gown. She glanced at Jack's face and saw shock there. He left the taxi first and walked toward her until he pulled her into his arms and held her close.

Tito leaned close to Bayly. "That's Queen Elissa. She rules the Altarian people."

Bayly realized her impression of the female had been more accurate than she thought. "She loves Jack too."

Tito nodded to her as they exited the taxi. "They have two children together."

Bayly couldn't help but picture Jack in the embrace of Queen Mara, making her smile. She prayed to the Goddess that he would be able to help her.

Jack was wiping his eyes as he turned to smile at Bayly. "Queen Elissa, this is Bayly of Danat. Her people, the Dannt, are at risk from a Krreegah invasion. We're taking the Ishilon ship, now named Peacekeeper, to Danat to prevent or stop this from happening."

The lovely Altarian bowed to Bayly. "You've done a very brave thing, crossing the galaxy in search of help. You've made your people proud and found the right person to come to your aid. I pray for the safety and health of the Dannt."

Bayly bowed deeply to the Queen. "Thank you!"

"I won't delay you. I just came to see how Jack was before he went off adventuring again," Elissa said with a sweet smile.

"Thank you," Jack said, squeezing her hand gently before she stepped back.

"Come see me when you return," the Queen said to Jack, and he nodded.

The Queen and her escort went back into the terminal, and Jack looked for his Altarian bodyguards, who approached with the skimmers following close behind, the backpacks strapped down to their decks.

"You brought Queen Elissa?" Jack asked them incredulously.

"No, she brought us," Gee said.

Dennesh urged them to enter the terminal, and they gave their destination to the Gate agent and walked through their assigned Gate to Callosephia.

When they stepped out of the terminal, Lorrem was waiting for them. Several dozen Ishilon were standing in the street waving at Jack.

"Your people are very excited about our peacekeeping mission. We had more volunteers than we needed. Are you ready, Shadeem?" he asked, and Jack just nodded as he smiled and waved to the crowd. A cheer went up.

Three Gates appeared beside the Ishilon.

"How many are we bringing?" Jack asked.

Lorrem nodded. "Just one hundred."

Jack grinned. "One hundred?"

"Thousand," Lorrem corrected.

Jack and Bayly froze.

"Most will stay in suspension sleep until they are needed. Shall we?" Lorrem asked and gestured to the mirror surface. Jack, Bayly, and Tito entered Lorrem's Gate and found themselves standing in a corridor. Lorrem followed them and shut down the Gate.

Gee and Bal had come through Dennesh's Gate.

"Thank you, Dennesh, Jerren, Hallel. Get some food and rest."

The three Ishilon warriors bowed to their commander and smiled at Jack. "Shadeem," they said in unison.

"Thank you," Jack returned.

"The bridge is this way," Lorrem said, then looked back at Gee and Bal. "Please leave the skimmers and backpacks here. No explosives are allowed on the bridge."

Jack stared at them in surprise. "Explosives?"

"Better to have and not need—" Bal began.

"Peacekeeping! What part of peacekeeping is confusing you?" Jack interrupted.

"Says the Bare-Knuckled Ambassador," Gee returned and got a smirk from Bal.

With a final annoyed look at the ebony Altarians, Jack followed Lorrem with the rest close behind.

"Have the Tik from Chuuruthia boarded?" Jack asked.

Lorrem smiled back at him. "Yes, all eighty of them. The Tik leaders insisted this number may be required if the Krreegah fleet needs to be... how did Socrates phrase it? Ah yes. Mothballed."

Jack laughed and nodded. Seeing the commander was waiting for an explanation. "He means to put into storage. Mothball is an old Earth term for a small ball soaked in a pungent chemical. These were added to clothing and blanket storage containers as a repellant for flying insects called moths." Jack shrugged. "That phrase was definitely directed at me. I believe the Tik wanted to emphasize that if we need to take control of their fleet, we aren't to damage them."

Lorrem nodded.

On the main display, Callosephia was spread out before them.

Bayly gasped. "Is that the planet we were just on?"

Tito tipped forward slightly. "Callosephia is quite lovely from up here."

Lorrem grinned at the Tik. "It is especially lovely from the ground, but I will grant you that seeing it from this high up is stunning."

Bayly's mind was struggling to grasp her current reality. "We're in a ship. In space. Above the planet?"

Jack smiled at her and nodded. "Space travel is a rare treat as the Gate Network makes it largely obsolete... except for situations like this." His smile slipped away as he turned back to Lorrem. "What's our fastest route to Danat?"

Lorrem nodded to the navigator, who changed the display to plot the jump points between Callosephia and Danat.

Tito made a sound of surprise, and Bayly looked at it curiously.

"These distances are four times what we would do with our regular terminals. They exceed what our strongest Gates can achieve by a third!" it exclaimed.

"Our power source is highly efficient, stable, and far more powerful," Lorrem said with a smile. "Or so our Gate Technologist tells me. We will share this technology with the Tik once Peacekeeper returns from this test flight."

"Test flight?" Jack yelped.

Lorrem smiled. "I should have said the final test flight. We've already tested it extensively. The design works. We have learned from our past mistakes and overconfidence in our implant-supported intellect."

The navigator zoomed in on the map.

"We have selected this path for our route, but I would welcome a Tik's perspective on the chosen planets. The races at each location, their space flight capabilities, and the chance of their being able to detect our passage through their space. The goal is to reach Danat as quickly as possible without upsetting too many races along the way," the commander said.

Tito moved closer and gestured to a few points and suggested alternatives. When it was done, it paused. "I believe this would be the best route to take, but as we missed the Krreegah's spaceflight capabilities, I cannot guarantee complete accuracy," Tito said.

"I'll need a listing of the Races whose space we'll be passing through in case I need to address their concerns with the Grand Assembly Committee, Jack said.

Lorrem nodded.

Jack paused. "One planet we should stop at before reaching Danat is Krreegah. If the fleet hasn't left, we can stop them from making a mistake before they start. If they've left, we can notify the Krreegah that their attack threatens their access to the Gate Network."

Tito and Lorrem looked back at their route and made the required adjustment. Lorrem turned to Jack. "Krreegah will be the final stop before we arrive at Danat."

"Perfect. Thanks!" Jack responded. His mind was quickly leaping forward with a sensational idea.

"Returning to the idea of sharing this technology with the Tik, Gate Terminals equipped with this would be able to reach more destinations. This would be a tremendous benefit for all races of the Gate Network. To ensure the Ishilon and the Tik get the credit they deserve for this, I'd like the Tik to review the technology to see how they might implement it and provide me with their assessment. If this can be successfully performed, it would go a long way toward improving relations with the Gate Network members. Perhaps enough to make them more accepting of the Tik and less resistant to the idea of Peacekeeper flying through their space. I know some races will welcome the ship's presence as it reminds their more aggressive neighbors to be better behaved."

Bayly saw his expression show his increasing excitement as he continued. "The Peacekeeper and the Blade of Reason might be the best options for delivering the technology to the more far-flung worlds in the Gate Network, starting at opposite sides and working inwards from there. This is such fantastic news!" Jack grinned excitedly, then locked eyes with Lorrem. "But we must ensure the distribution and control of Gate Technology remains in the tentacles of the Tik. The Ishilon have their own, but they must not allow it to get into other hands."

"So shall it be, Shadeem," Lorrem stated solemnly, and the bridge crew bowed their heads toward him.

Bayly noted that Jack still seemed awkward when treated with such reverence. "So, how long will it take us to reach Danat with this route?" he asked.

"Four days."

Bayly couldn't contain her surprised joy and squeaked happily.

Jack grinned at her and then looked to Lorrem. "On your command."

The commander nodded with a smile and nodded to his crew. "You heard the Shadeem. Set our course to follow the designated route and engage."

A deep but low hum began, and the main display switched back to the view of Callosephia. It began to slide to the left as the ship repositioned itself for the Gate.

"Gate Projectors online and charging," one of the bridge crew said.

"Vector confirmed. First Gate ready to be instantiated."

Bayly was watching the display, and almost unnoticeably, a patch of the stars ahead changed position with a huge circular hole at the center. If it was a mirror, she assumed they were seeing their reflection.

"Entering the Gate."

The view didn't change significantly, so the first Gate transition was anticlimactic.

After an extended period of no discernable change, a voice called out. "Peacekeeper is clear. Gate closing."

"Any local chatter indicating anyone is aware of us?" Lorrem asked the comms officer.

"None, commander," came back.

"Nothing detected on the ship's sensors to indicate energy sweeps in our direction," another crew said.

Lorrem smiled. "Next Gate."

"Gate Projectors online and charging," a bridge crew member said.

Jack grinned at the commander. "Here's hoping they are all as smooth as that one."

"Indeed. I've received word that Taggart and Hemmarr are waiting for you in Engineering," Lorrem said, and Jack's expression showed a sudden tension. He looked at Bayly.

"Yes! I'll head there now. You and Tito should get settled into your quarters, and I'll see you later, okay?"

Bayly reached out and took Jack's hands. "Thank you for this. The Dannt are eternally grateful for your efforts on our behalf regardless of the outcome."

Jack smile. "Keep a positive attitude." He nodded to the others and rushed off the bridge with his Altarian shadows, where he met a guide to take him to Engineering.

Bayly looked to Tito. "Was this what you expected to happen when we reached Maghadahn?"

Tito turned back from facing the exit to look at Bayly. "No. This is so far above and beyond the result I imagined. It feels like a dream!"

Lorrem overheard and smiled. "I will have someone show you to your quarters."

Bayly nodded and left the bridge with Tito. She looked to the Tik. "What happened after I was shot by that machine?"

"Grenville was disguised as one of the Maghadahn security team. He rushed forward, checked on you, then picked the machine up and carried it back through the dark Gate, which collapsed after they got through," the Tik responded.

Bayly stared at Tito in shock. "Grenville? I thought he left."

"It seems he wanted to ensure you got the assistance you needed. Jack told us Grenville asked him to help you," the Tik replied.

"Is someone going to help Grenville?" she asked.

Tito paused. "The Tik will investigate the lobotomized Tik used as the Gate, but it will be difficult without knowing where Jack was when he came through, and he said he doesn't know."

Bayly followed their guide as she thought about the unfairness of that.

She hoped they found him as she wanted to thank him too.

Chapter 15

"It could be Rikki. Or it could be the data Rikki copied from the Deen-Diin servers," Taggart said as it examined the massive data block in one of Jack's storage links on his collar.

"Or it could be both?" Hemmarr asked.

Taggart tipped forward. "Possibly. I'm sorry, Jack. Without a drone ready to migrate Rikki into, all we can do is guess. The storage in the collar isn't like anything I've seen. I can't look deeper."

"What about using the last drone Rikki inhabited?" Jack suggested.

"It's not available, and... Rikki isn't backward compatible. It evolves with each consecutive drone," Taggart admitted.

Jack frowned. "What does that mean? Rikki is evolving?"

Taggart sighed, and Jack restrained himself from smiling as the sound matched his own weary sigh. Someone had run the Danner experience file.

"We've discovered that Rikki's identity template expands to match the boundaries of each drone we prepare for it. We've ensured each iteration matches the previous one with improvements and expansions. There can be no reductions in the next design, or Rikki won't transfer into it," Taggart explained.

"I've worked vigilantly to increase the bandwidth for Rikki's sensory feeds in the next drone. This took an entirely new processor to manage the throughput. Faster storage and more of it as well. It is only ten percent physically larger than the last drone. I just need more time to complete it and resolve a final issue," Hemmarr admitted.