Jack's Moonlighting Pt. 02

Jack watched the door cautiously for a second, then a hand poked out with a device held in it.

"Stay down!" Jack insisted internally as Rikki twitched.

Nothing happened with the device then it pulled back.

Two Yis stepped out into the hall to face Jack with cold stares. Their eyes flicked to the downed orbs, and one checked his device again.

"They emit no energy readings," that one said.

"You bastards better not have killed my friends. That won't end well for you." Jack snarled.

"Tik are simulacra. A mockery of life. They cannot be friends any more than this device in my hand could. They are simply things and nothing more," the Yis with the power sensor said condescendingly.

The other Yis spoke with a weary but superior tone. "Jack Danner. You are not as amusing as you are annoying and inconvenient. With your latest stunt, you've left us no alternative but to deal with you directly."

Jack could see no visible differences between the two Yis. He shook his head in apparent confusion. "I was told the Yis never did their own dirty work and always used several levels of separation to protect their anonymity." He paused, then shrugged. "That was true until Ambassador Ayn Norest got sloppy and blew his cover."

The two Yis stopped moving and looked uncertainly at Jack. "Yis don't get sloppy," the Tik-hater said cautiously. Jack continued.

"He used Rakins for assassinations. I get having them do the actual wetwork. To the Yis, they're expendable. But Ayn was an idiot and dealt directly with one as the middleman. Of course, this Rakin hired members of his own team to do the hits. They're greedy! The Rakin squad leader kept the middleman fee and the hit fee. Unfortunately for Ayn, he also kept surprisingly good records of his business with your ambassador, such as the murder of Saah Olless Tee, a Fullchowe Ambassador, and Larrs Homahoma, the Maghadahn investigator and Wallejoon citizen looking into Saah's death."

"A Rakin naming a Yis in their records is proof of nothing," one of the Yis said. The two began to move closer again.

"True, but a recording of Ayn ordering the hit on the Fullchowe Ambassador? That sounded and looked like evidence to me."

The Yis duo paused again.

"When I deliver that proof, Saah's investigation of the financial irregularities with a trade dispute will open up. I'm sure that will be the first thread leading to many more irregularities. Of course, the Maghadahn investigators I've identified as not being corrupt will be busy shining a light on the Yis' involvement in all the suspicious deaths paid for by transactions in the Yis-operated Bank of Schvexxt," Jack said, dropping yet another bombshell on them.

Internally, he sent a message to Rikki for Ray. "Let Ray know I'm only taking credit for this to get them to talk."

Rikki's response was tense. "Jack, recall what I said about playing with fire."

"If they feel cocky about their chances of containment, maybe they'll say something incriminating," Jack insisted.

"That won't be helpful if you're dead!" Rikki pushed back.

"Please, Rikki! Just be ready," Jack pleaded and felt Rikki's grudging acceptance.

"Humans truly are an arrogant race," the other Yis said coldly.

"That's rich coming from a race that believes they have the right to make decisions for the entire Assembly," Jack snorted in derision.

"The Assembly is filled with races who hadn't evolved beyond single-celled lifeforms when the Yis were reaching pinnacles these others could never hope to achieve," the Yis holding the device asserted.

"If you guys stopped manipulating the Assembly votes, perhaps some of those hopes might be achieved," Jack insisted.

"Arrogant and naïve," the second replied. "These infantile races must be controlled and guided to limit their disruptions. Your interference would have caused an unacceptable disruption—"

"Would have caused? The idea is already out there, and you saw the Assembly's response. It was overwhelming! They want the freedom the extended Gate range will give them. They want a say in their destinies. Who are the Yis to deny them?" Jack taunted.

The Yis holding the sensor shook it at him in annoyance. "The Yis were a founding member of the Assembly when the number could be counted on the fingers of one hand. The Yis defined the true rules for how the Assembly would be managed. This will not change because of your interference. Your estimation of your influence is grossly exaggerated."

The other Yis made a slashing gesture to silence his partner, then glanced at the still silent device that one was still pointing at the still Tik.

"You're pet Tik cannot help you. Your slave race of tech savants cannot use their unauthorized Gates to get to you in this shielded corridor. You have caused some minor aggravation which our vast resources will be directed to deal with. You and your claims will be discredited, and like every other hindrance, you will fade away."

Jack grinned ferally at them. "Sorry, I'm not the fading type, and you two aren't the most physically intimidating specimens."

"Typical response from such a primitive species. We would not sully our hands with a physical confrontation," the first Yis sneered as they stepped within arm's length.

Jack cocked his head at them. "If you intend to stop me from helping the Assembly throw off your shackles of control, you'll need more than an air of pompous superiority." Jack prepared to move to defend himself.

Jack spoke internally. "Hold, Rikki, Ray—uck!"

He felt his entire body suddenly lock up. He couldn't move and felt like ice was forming a shell around him.

There was a splitting sensation like a spike of pain behind his eyes, then two voices speaking in unison filled his mind. "Too late, you understand how truly weak and pathetic you are. You don't matter."

The Yis were inside his head... just like the Allsa Komanae had been. But unlike the extinct cybernetically enhanced race, the Yis had actual psychic abilities. Another fact the Yis kept secret from everyone.

This is why they'd moved so close, to invade his most private sanctum. Jack's revulsion exploded as he felt their prickly, sticky minds sliding into his. It felt like rape all over again.

"Jack? What's happening? What's wrong with your body?" Rikki asked internally.

He realized Rikki was picking up physical sensations but couldn't feel the horror of his mind being peeled open by these fucking monsters. The ice was beginning to sink into his chest, threatening to still his heart.

This was how they intended to kill him.

"Rikki... dream time, now!"

His buddy warned him he was playing with fire. There'd be a price for not heeding that warning. He clenched his teeth in a rictus grin, as he wouldn't be the only one paying.

He cast his mind back to a moment when he stood in the grey and grim slave barracks on Allsa Komanae. Standing with him was the brooding reptilian Kekk and the lovely Altarian, Stella. A short distance before Jack was First. The Allsa Komanae leader's sanity was beginning to slip, and menace radiated from the shadows filling his hood.

Jack remembered, and it came back in exquisitely realistic detail, enhanced by Rikki.

The harmonized voices of the Yis suddenly intruded. "What? What is this? Where are we?"

Jack smiled as they were inside his dream world with him.

Now it was time to truly play with fire.

First turned his back on Jack. "This is for your insolence."

Jack felt the slow-burning sensation begin at his extremities like his limbs were being consumed by fire. The Yis' icy grip was suddenly swept aside by this excruciating agony. It moved to his torso and slowly made its way to his head. This time Jack managed to contain his screams as he savagely grinned at the tortured harmony of the Yis' wail as they shared this unbearable pain. They'd sunk too deep into his mind and were trapped. Command over his muscles returned as he felt the mind rapist's control shatter.

"Please..." they begged pitifully.

Another tremor of revulsion spiked his nerves as he felt their minds squirming against his.

Jack had no mercy for rapists.

First turned his back on Jack. "This is for your insolence."

Jack felt an intense burst of terror as the Yis realized they were caught in a loop. The fire began to consume them once again.

When the Yis minds spontaneously shattered into shards, the psychic backlash stunned Jack, and he collapsed to the floor.

His nerves felt raw from the ice and flame, and a slow wave of exhaustion swept over him. As his vision faded into darkness, he saw Rikki and Ray lift from the floor.

He could relax now.

-=-

Adina and Zaina frantically scanned the exit, and there was no sign of Jack's group. They swooped down and landed on the deck before the large opening where Ray told them to meet. None of the team was responding to calls.

Suddenly, a hidden door opened next to the larger one, and three assassins poked their heads out. Zaina sniped all three with headshots as she flew forward, then dove through the opening with Adina in hot pursuit.

Yes, Zaina knew projectile weapons were illegal on Maghadahn, but how many assassins were they expected to deal with only using blades?

They reached a control room and saw a screen showing bulkhead doors had been lowered into place. There were no cameras, as it appeared the surveillance system was down.

"I'm going to open all the doors and lock this control panel," Adina said as her fingers flew over the buttons.

"Why would they build in an ambush point like this?" Zaina asked.

"Who knows how many others were taken out in this trap," Adina said.

They heard a crackle in the earpieces as the opening bulkheads broke the shielding.

"Thing-One to Fox, we're opening the corridor. Status update," Adina called.

"Kudu is unconscious and unresponsive. We have two catatonic Yis and roughly twenty-five dead Yis clones. A few minor lacerations and contusions for the squad. Tito is down. It may be dead. Rikki is investigating."

"Meet us on the platform," Adina said, and the two rushed back to the rear deck.

The sky was filled with Tik.

Adina and Zaina stopped and stared as one of the Tik came down to meet them. Its surface was dull and pitted like it had been sandblasted. It looked toward the three dead beings with obvious projectile wounds on their foreheads.

It extended a tentacle toward the twins. "Please give me your illegal weapons."

Adina traded a look with her sister then they handed their guns to the Tik. It immediately lifted into the sky and disappeared.

Three Tik separated from the cloud of Tik above and settled down to hover before the twins. One was covered in river stones, one had painted stripes in different colors, and the third had a pattern of rippled dents on its chassis.

"I am Livingstone. This is Tetris and Moo-san. You just met the fourth member of the Allsa One Petition Team, Dusty. We received an emergency distress call from Rikki-Tikki-Tavi stating that two Yis attacked Jack. We've come to protect Ambassador Danner."

Cha'Risa and her team exited the hallway onto the platform. They looked up in surprise.

Adina and Zaina immediately moved to Jack's side. They touched his face, but he didn't wake.

Rikki and Ray were supporting Jack's body with a gravity field. They gently set him down, and the others surrounded his prone body.

Adina kissed his cheek. "Papa?"

"I believe he's resting," Rikki said to her.

She nodded to Rikki and held Jack's hand as her sister took the other one.

They shared a look at each other over his chest. They hadn't protected him enough.

-=-

Rikki and Ray moved to the side with the three decorated Tik. Rikki spoke for them.

"Livingstone, Jack was attacked by two Yis who believed Ray and I were incapacitated by their EMP explosive device. They couldn't detect our energy readings in these shielded chassis. Jack asked us to play dead. We recorded the encounter and will provide you with them. Ray also has extensive evidence of their involvement in multiple murders on Maghadahn. We need you and the others to get this evidence before the Grand Assembly Committee. Jack alluded to a shadowy cabal in his presentation. During his confrontation with the Yis, they confirmed they've been manipulating the Assembly for their own needs since its inception. Regardless, I believe the Yis need to have their Gates revoked."

Livingstone looked at Jack. "How did the Yis assault the Ambassador? Yis have never exhibited any evidence of being capable of physical violence while Jack has a... reputation for being capable of defending himself... vigorously."

Rikki paused. "Based on how Jack defended himself this time with nothing more than a memory of the extreme pain inflicted upon him by the Allsa Komanae, I believe the Yis were linked to his mind and had the intent and capacity to kill him. I could sense his body locking up but couldn't feel their minds."

The Tik went silent and still. After a moment, Moo-san spoke quietly. "The Yis have psychic abilities? That... complicates things."

"There were two of them, and they didn't attack until they were in close physical proximity to Jack if that means anything. I was linked to Jack's mind but had to reduce my bandwidth to not feel the horrible agony Jack put himself through. The Yis screamed as if they were experiencing the pain as well. I couldn't detect them, but they succumbed to the mental torture Jack subjected himself to. They now appear catatonic, and I believe Jack has exhausted himself," Rikki admitted, then paused.

"One more thing. Tito was... mortally damaged by a closing bulkhead," Rikki said in a subdued tone.

Livingstone looked at the others. "We need to bring this to the attention of the Tik seniors."

Rikki reached its tentacles out and connected to each of the three Tik to share its memories of the confrontation. Ray followed up by sharing the evidence he'd collected with them as well.

"We're taking Jack back to Chuuruthia," Rikki said.

"Dusty is back at the Gate terminal. I will ask it to set a Gate to Chuuruthia. Anchor a Gate to Dusty to get there, then use the Gate it will hold for you," Livingstone said and sent Rikki the connection details.

"Thank you," Rikki said as it requested the link from Dusty.

Ray moved back to his team. "We're taking a Gate to the Terminal, then stepping through to Chuuruthia." They nodded as Ray and Rikki lifted Jack again and turned to a Gate Rikki had created.

They watched four Tik pass them with Tito's crushed chassis in their tentacles. Bayly was crying against Maxim's shoulder. She'd been devastated when she realized the push she'd received had been Tito giving his life for her.

Cha'Risa was the first one through, then everyone else followed, including the three Tik now carrying a vital message for the Tik Seniors.

Rikki was worried about how much danger the psychic Yis would cause as they were forced back to their home world.

Jack had done his part. It was up to the Tik now.

Chapter 30

One week after Jack's address to the Grand Assembly Committee and the assault against him, the Tik addressed the Grand Assembly Committee to present the evidence of the Yis' crimes against so many of the other Assembly Races. Ray and the intelligence agencies from Altaria and Callosephia had uncovered extensive proof of the Yis' criminal activities. More was surfacing as their investigations continued.

The response from the Assembly was... incendiary.

Races that'd been targeted by the Yis were out for blood, but voices came to their defense as well, claiming the evidence was manufactured to destroy the credibility of a venerable race. The Tik paid close attention to who these defenders were. As the investigation was ongoing, they'd be looking for co-conspirators, complicit in the crimes. It was also possible these vocal dissenters were just innocent dupes.

Socrates and Plato were the Tik presenting the evidence, making a rare public appearance. As the chamber slowly returned to a state of uneasy quiet, they shared a look as the last piece of evidence they were about to present had the biggest potential for disruption. But the Assembly members deserved to know.

The vast chamber went silent as Jack's face and torso appeared on the enormous screen. He had bruising around his eyes, as his sleep patterns were once more disturbed by nightmares.

In the screen's top right corner was a box displaying the events Rikki recorded in the corridor. The play-by-play view.

He glanced at the camera, which was Socrates' primary optic sensor. "You're going to show them Rikki's and Ray's memories of the attack?" he asked the Tik quietly.

"Yes, Jack, we will," Socrates returned gently, and Jack settled himself in his chair.

The Tik began. "Ambassador Danner, please describe in your own words what transpired after you left the Grand Assembly Committee Hall," Socrates' voice said.

Jack's left eye twitched, and he looked off-screen for a moment, then nodded. He looked back at Socrates.

"The two Yis separated me from my security detail in the corridor by dropping bulkhead walls from the ceiling. Rikki, Rey, and Tito were with me, but Tito was struck by a falling bulkhead and... horribly damaged. The Yis used an EMP grenade, and Rikki and Rey pretended to be incapacitated at my request so I could attempt to draw a confession from the Yis." Jack shifted in his chair uncomfortably as something went through his mind. He clenched his teeth and looked at Socrates once more.

"I spoke with them, and they eventually confessed they've been manipulating the Assembly to maintain control of it for as long as they've been members. They were moving closer, but I didn't feel threatened as they weren't physically intimidating, and I've been trained to defend myself. Once they were within arm's length, they stopped and... I-I felt them reach into my mind."

The vast chamber hummed as the sound dampeners on all the booths fought to control the outbursts from the shocked members.

Jack continued, and he frowned in discomfort at what he was being forced to disclose.

"The slave collar the Mahrell Drun designed and the Allsa Komanae attached to me let them connect to my senses. It let them feel what I felt, and they could also use it to torture me." Jack licked his lips as his mouth went dry. "With... with a direct connection to my nerves, they could inflict the most unbearable pain".

He took another deep breath. Jack's control returned. "The Yis spoke directly in my mind. Their voices were synchronized and said, Too late you understand how truly weak and pathetic you are. You don't matter." He shook his head to clear it and locked eyes on the Tik before him. "I could feel their control reaching for my heart, to freeze that muscle as well. To kill me." He twitched again and Queen Elissa's hand appeared on the screen as she touched his face. Jack's tension seemed to ease, and she pulled her hand back when he nodded. He continued.

"The Yis were psychically linked to my mind, something the Allsa Komanae did with their tech. Thei felt like glass, but the Yis minds felt sick, sticky, and horrific. In terms of pain, the Yis were rank amateurs compared to the cybernetic monsters."

Jack suddenly bared his teeth and aimed a silent snarl of rage at Socrates as he relived the rape. "They were deep inside my mind, so I called upon a time the Allsa Komanae forced me through absolute agony as punishment for disobedience. The Yis were trapped in the memory like it was real. We experienced it together. After I took them through it, I cycled the memory, starting the torture again. The Yis minds couldn't endure it and fragmented into shards. Their collapse knocked me out."

Jack glared into the lens. "The Yis have psychic abilities and use them to kill their enemies without leaving a trace."