Jack's Moonlighting Pt. 02

"Your team looks formidable," Mara said, getting a smile and a nod from Jack.

Gee and Bal walked through the Gate with their skimmers humming along behind them. They bowed to the Queen.

"Ah! Your friends have healed and have returned! I'm so pleased!" Mara said.

Then Diana stepped through with Adam in her arms.

"Queen Mara, this is my mate Diana and our child, Adam. Adam is also Commander Lorrem's son. There's a story behind this we can discuss later if you're interested—"

Mara grinned. "Yes, I'm interested and look forward to the conversation. Welcome to Danat, Diana and Adam!"

The baby chose that moment to shriek happily at the tall and strong being before him, and Mara grinned happily.

"I understand you'll soon be hearing the happy sounds of your own children," Diana said with a timid smile, her gravelly voice a little wobbly from her nervousness.

Mara's eyes widened. "Yes, and what a wonderful voice you have!"

Diana smiled self-consciously, glanced at Jack, then tugged her collar down to show the Queen the scars on her neck. "A gift from the time I defended my home from invaders."

Mara's nodded to her. "Another story I greatly wish to hear!"

Eve was next, and Mara saw her extensive scars and the self-assurance in her eyes. Jack could see they immediately clicked. "Queen Mara, this is my mate, Eve. We met while I was held captive by the Allsa Komanae. She grew up in their captivity but helped me survive."

They bowed to each other. "I look forward to speaking with you, as well," Mara said.

SennLann stepped through the Gate carrying the babes in her arms.

"Queen Mara, this is my mate SennLann and our twins, Callista and Nefertiti. SennLann led a revolution on her world, tearing down the old patriarchal warrior regime, saving many lives."

SennLann gaped at Jack as she hadn't expected that intro.

"I'm delighted to meet you!" Mara said to her, then looked at Jack. "You've surrounded yourself with powerful allies!"

"Well, someone has to keep me out of trouble," Jack said with a straight face, then the group before him burst into incredulous noises. He nodded to them like they acknowledged the truth, and Mara laughed.

"I'm getting the impression you find much trouble on your own and keep them very busy," the Queen said and got agreement from everyone.

Diana locked eyes with Jack. "His latest opponent was the Yis, an ancient and powerful race of telepaths who'd been secretly manipulating the Assembly since it was formed. Two of their members tried to kill him with their minds," she said, a hint of nervousness still visible.

"Oh!" Mara said in surprise and clutched Jack's arm in alarm as she looked for his response.

Jack sighed. "I wasn't the one who identified them as the secret enemy. I had a lot of help! And because we forced them to take direct action, the rest of the Assembly got to see their true nature, allowing the Tik to revoke their Gate access and send them all back to their worlds. They're no longer part of the Assembly, making it a safer place to meet good neighbors."

"What about the two who tried to kill you?" Mara insisted.

Jack smiled. "Rikki helped me defend my mind, so they didn't survive the attempt," he said to downplay the event. He pushed that aside and looked toward Tito. "I believe a few more people are waiting to come down." He patted Mara's hand on his arm, and she settled a little.

He nodded to Tito, and Jinnae stepped through, looking around with interest.

"My brilliant Altarian physician, Jinnae, who's been taking care of me since I grew my first set of horns and has assisted with the birth of many of my children. She would be honored if she could assist you as well." Mara glanced at Jack, then nodded to the doctor. Jinnae bowed to her deeply with a grateful smile.

"The next visitor is Sooka, the Krreegah xenopsychologist student you gave permission to visit. Have you met with the Krreegah, who are cleaning the contaminated materials from the mountainside?"

"No, they were asked to keep to that side of the mountain, and we've only spoken with them through the Tik," Mara admitted.

"Hopefully, Sooka can help you get past the instinctive fear response. She isn't a Rakka; you should learn to speak with your closest neighbor. They aren't bad people. They have some troublemakers, but they've been put on notice to never let them get out of control again or risk losing access to the other worlds of the Gate network," Jack said.

Mara nodded, then faced her people. "We have a representative of the Krreegah visiting us. We will treat her as a guest. She is not a feral beast but a civilized being here to help us. Everyone will be on their best behavior!"

She received wide-eyed nods, so she nodded to Jack.

Sooka stepped through, looked at the gathered Dannt, and bowed to Mara.

"Thank you for the opportunity to visit your world and help your people heal from the damage our ancestors and their feral descendants caused. While we can't bring the ones you lost back, please know the people of Krreegah are deeply remorseful for what the warring faction of our planet did. We will make every effort to prove we can be a good neighbor for the Dannt."

Sooka had been in touch with the leaders of Krreegah, who were delighted to learn that one of their people had successfully gained permission to act as a peace envoy. All previous attempts had been politely turned down. They were grateful for Jack's assistance in getting Sooka a chance.

"We appreciate your efforts and ask for your patience as we deal with our trauma-driven instinctive reactions," Mara returned.

Sooka bowed once more. "I fully understand and will follow your guidance to help in any way I can."

From the gleam in her eyes, Jack could tell the student was already gathering data for her paper. He didn't doubt she would be good for the Dannt to desensitize them from their fears.

Rikki came through the Gate and shut it down as it connected to Jack's collar. They agreed that while they were on Danat, it wouldn't fly between Jack's horns. The Dannt hadn't seen Jack doing that the last time he was here.

"Good morning, Rikki," Jack said internally.

"Good morning, Jack! Sleep well?" it responded happily.

"I did indeed. Is Ray not joining us?" Jack asked.

"Ray is speaking with some of the crew about something," Rikki said.

Jack snorted as he knew the Ambassador had a squad of intelligence officers eager to learn tricks from the master.

"Looks like it's gonna be another lovely day!" Jack sighed, then directed his attention outwards.

The group walked a short distance to a seating area where local foods were arranged on long tables for breakfast with the other villagers. Bayly and Tito explained the offerings to Sooka, and she assured them she'd brought her supplements to ensure she wouldn't suffer the fate of the Krreegah invaders.

She was also introduced to her chaperones, who would protect her and ensure the people felt assured around her.

Once they'd selected their breakfast, Mara immediately asked Diana for details on the home invasion. This led to SennLann's explanation of her kidnapping and subsequent involvement in the revolution on her home world. Gee and Bal offered details about how Adina and Zaina, SennLann's daughters, at six years of age, infiltrated the planet in search of their mother and assisted in crippling the military might of the enemy.

The Queen was amazed and looked at the two sleeping in SennLann's arms.

"They will be equally skilled as their sisters?" she asked.

Jack smiled. "Probably more. They have Gee and Bal as mentors and their sisters who are intimately aware of the experience of sharing their perceptions."

SennLann smiled at Jack. "Let's not diminish the importance of the lessons you taught their sisters on separating their perceptions to function as individuals. Without that, they wouldn't have been able to do half the remarkable things they get up to now."

Jack gave her a kiss as thanks for her kind words.

Mara smiled, then turned her focus on Eve. "You met Jack when he was captured by slavers?"

Eve shared a smile with Jack and launched into her story of how stubborn Jack was to submit to his new owners. When she reached the point where he struck back at them, she glanced at Jack for permission to speak of the diaper incident. He gave her a slight nod, and Eve continued as Mara listened with fascination. She gasped as she heard Eve describe the Mahrell Drun's torturing Jack to use his hybrid nature to make more of her species. Mara turned to Jack when she heard how Queen Elissa led the rescue with Cha'Risa's team's assistance.

"You are blessed with such wondrous companions! I would love to meet Queen Elissa!" Mara said, then looked to the Ishilon warriors. "And the Sultessa as well!"

Jack smiled. "I'm working on it!"

He leaned back and listened as the conversation turned to Mara's mission to bring the Dannt back from the brink of extinction and how life was improving on the three worlds. Tito and Rikki provided answers about the cargo on the Ambassador, and Mara indicated where it needed to be delivered. Rikki disconnected from Jack before it and Tito headed back up to the ship.

Once breakfast concluded and the villagers left to begin their days, Bayly found Jack and took him aside for a private word.

"Is this a good time to speak to you about our mutual friend?" she asked, and Jack nodded. "Have you made any progress with your research into where Grenville may be?" she asked quietly.

He'd filled her in on the Tik's inability to help with this, so they did their best not to speak when Rikki was connected to him.

"I asked Ray to look into it for me discreetly. I let him connect to the collar and shared my memories of the world and the being I saw on the screen. Ray has access to Maghadahn's records. There must be something there," Jack said with a sigh.

"Grenville is such a good person. I wish I could have met his AnnaZelle," Bayly said sweetly.

Jack stared at her in surprise. "AnnaZelle?"

Bayly nodded. "He said they had a wonderful lifetime together. I could tell he still loved her."

Jack was speechless as he heard proof that the Chuuruthian hero still lived. Or had been alive when he rescued them on Maghadahn.

All the more reason to find him now.

"Are you okay, Jack?" Bayly asked as she watched his expression.

He put a smile back on his face. "Yes," he said as he pulled her into a hug. "I'm better than okay."

He had babies on the way, love all around him, and he was on a world perfectly suited for long-distance running.

The Gate Network would be getting a big upgrade, and people were excited and hopeful. Not everyone was keen on the changes but screw them. Jack was participating in the biggest social change in the Network since Humanity forced its way in to get a seat at the table.

He took Bayly's arm and walked back toward the smiling faces of his loved ones.

Didn't he deserve a little stress-free family time?

Epilog

Ripples of panic and rage.

The impulses rushed outward from the five Yis planets, which once hosted the Gate terminals.

The gambit failed.

Ripples of panic, rage, and suspicion.

The ambitious but careless Yis leaders were put to death. New leaders were immediately chosen.

Ripples of caution, suspicion, and urgency.

The Yis withdrew from the five worlds. They were only used for goods shipments and tainted by their interaction with the unclean worlds of the Gate Network. The Yis wouldn't live there. The space elevators lifted the people from the gravity wells into the peace of space. Habitats waited for them.

There would be no more shipments. Goods would come the old and slow way from their nearest neighbor, the Hej Rloo, but this meant delays, shortages, and rationing. Death was possible!

Ripples of panic, rage, and desperation.

These crippling impulses flowed outward through the minds of the Yis and painfully scattered their thoughts as they faced a threatened future.

The secretive Yis maintained a hive mind that operated below conscious thought. This gave them individuality, but their minds were bound at the subconscious level. Base instinctive actions and reactions came from the hive mind, and it provided an emotional conduit for their entire race.

It was unthinkable that a race as old and established as the Yis could find its survival at risk from mere mechanical simulacra.

The Yis' efforts to diminish the Tik's authority and control in the Assembly had been progressing perfectly, without issue.

Then came the agitator.

Ripples of outrage, hate, and... fear.

The Yis who'd been sent to eliminate the interfering Human Hybrid were two of their strongest fixers. They were known for their highly disciplined and powerful minds. They'd dealt with so many problems on Maghadahn and never had a failure.

Then they faced the agitator.

Instead of crushing him, their minds were shattered in a cycle of pain, and now they were dead.

All Yis felt the echoes of that defeat.

Ripples of righteous fury, determination, and... caution.

The Yis would survive this setback. They would plan, plot, and seize control from the weaker races and put the mechanicals back in their place as servants to their masters.

But the question of how Danner defeated their fixers flared their paranoia with an intensity they'd only ever felt once before.

Ripples of dread, fear, and rage pulsed through the Yis.

There was only one answer.

They needed to capture Jack Danner.

They needed to take him apart to learn the secrets that made him a threat to the Yis.

Then he must die.

-=-

In an exquisitely furnished conference room of the uppermost executive level of a steel and glass corporate tower in Singapore, Leandro Matais sipped the indecently expensive liquor from his tumbler. Its warmth didn't dispel the chill he was feeling from the calm but crisp voice of his most powerful client sitting at the head of the table.

Eight other chairs were occupied remotely, holograms projected in the seats showing the other members. These were Leandro's other clients.

"Leandro, who activated our Turkish asset? Our very... expensive asset."

He turned from his view at the window of the sun setting over the tops of the clouds.

The lawyer was grateful he'd wet his throat before answering, as he knew what was to come. "The order originated from the Baltic Sea Headquarters—"

"LIE!" a heavily accented voice yelled from the projected image of the chair's occupant. Leandro eyed the hologram of the white-haired, broad-shouldered man who now seemed quite agitated.

When the only other person physically in the room fixed his cold gaze on Leandro with a raised eyebrow, the lawyer nodded his head slightly to confirm he had proof the shouting man was the guilty party.

"Emil. What led you to believe taking this bold action would be helpful?" the cool voice asked.

There was a moment of silence, a quiet but sharp intake of breath, and Emil's voice returned. "Danner's disrespect—"

"Danner's disrespect? You circumvent our command process to activate an exceptionally valuable asset, and I should be concerned about his disrespect?" His voice was still calm and controlled. Leandro resisted the urge to toss back the rest of his drink.

The executive continued. "What if she'd been successful? What positive outcome were you expecting?"

"The-the tech savants could be approached by Leandro directly," the older man insisted with just the slightest uptick in aggression.

Leandro knew the older man was a product of more mercenary times and wasn't fond of political maneuvering or long-term strategies. He'd taken a chance, hoping for a quick return on a boldly assertive play. That gamble failed, and now he looked weak in front of the others.

The cool voice was directed back to the lawyer. "Leandro, what do these tech savants call Mr. Danner?"

"Their Shadeem."

"And what is a Shadeem?" the cool voice asked.

Leandro looked toward the risk-taker with a hint of sadness. "Mr. Danner is the spiritual leader of the Ishilon. Not their ruler, not the commander of their forces, and as they have no religious institutions, he isn't the leader of any church."

"What does he do for them?" the older man asked in frustration.

"It's my understanding he got them a planet to live on and, if our spies are correct, potentially a second one for its resources. He's showing them how to rebuild their civilization. He's made them friends with rich and powerful races, and now he's making every Race in the Assembly beholden to them for increasing the reach of their Gates. They will be one of the most powerful and influential races in the Assembly before the year is out. That... is what he does for them."

The room was quiet as the attendees absorbed that.

"Emil, how do you think the Ishilon might react to someone assassinating such a spiritual leader?" the executive finally asked.

The older man was quiet.

"I asked you a question, Emil. I'm sure we'd all like to know."

Emil cleared his throat before speaking. The man's expression showed he was just about at his limit for being treated like an idiot.

"Not well."

The executive nodded.

The older man's head suddenly snapped back as a bullet struck him in the forehead. His chair was suddenly empty, and the hologram winked out.

The man at the top of the table looked at the hologram across from the empty chair. "Rasmus, you can absorb Emil's territory into your own, yes?"

That Finnish man smiled and nodded to the head of the table.

"Excellent. Now, I'll hear any productive ideas anyone might have for convincing Mr. Danner to change his mind about licensing the Ishilon tech to us."

A woman in the chair next to the head smiled. "If I might make an observation?"

"Certainly, Monique."

The mature French woman's smile widened. "Jack Danner's obvious soft spot is the women in his life. There are many, so many of them."

"None of whom live on Earth!" the tall slim man sitting on her other side said with a scowl.

"His daughter does," Monique said. "I just had the privilege of hearing her in concert. She's quite good."

"Are you suggesting we take her hostage?" the slim man asked in surprise.

Monique gave him a weary expression. "No, Raahi. That would be counterproductive. There are other ways to ensure she works for our interests. There's no need to resort to violence."

"Danner also has a son who lives on Earth," a striking Icelandic blonde across from Monique asserted with a growing smile. "His glass art is in high demand off-world, but he doesn't have representation to help him expand his reach."

Monique shared a smile with her business partner. They were thinking along the same lines.

"Excellent. The rest of you need to start thinking creatively about how we can get our hands on the Ishilon energy tech without drawing their ire. We need plans before we meet again next month," the executive said. Heads nodded in his direction, and the holograms winked out.

The room was silent, and Leandro suppressed another shiver.

"How much exposure do we have from Emil's rogue actions?"

Leandro knew this question was coming, so he'd done his research. "They cannot connect Earth to the tech in the assassin's body. They might discover who she was, but being from Earth isn't enough of a link back to us, as she disappeared from Earth shortly after her recorded death. They have no idea of what facilities we have on Mars or who works there. We have containment... this time." Leandro added the last part as a reminder that at least two other clients held the same sentiments as Emil.

Tay Qiang sighed and rubbed his eyes as he leaned back in his leather chair. "We could afford to lose Emil as he was too reckless and impulsive, but any additional losses will require a global restructuring I'd rather not spend the time on." He fixed his eyes on the lawyer. "Speak to the troublesome ones and bring them back in line."