John reached for the button to open the Ready Room door leading to the Command Deck.
*Hold on a second,* Alyssa warned him. *Jehanna's interviewing Irillith on the Bridge. You can go in, but just stay quiet.*
*Thanks for the head's up,* he said, glancing at Lynette to warn her too.
The brunette looked startled, clearly not yet used to hearing her Matriarch's telepathic voice spring unbidden in her mind. "Don't worry, she told me too," she said in a rush, slipping her arm through his.
He hit the button and the door slid open, Jehanna's dulcet voice drifting across the room, the reporter speaking with the smooth professional tone she used for interviews. "...and if my sources are correct, you were solely responsible for the capture of the dreadnought, the Vengeance of Hera?"
John stepped through the door with Lynette at his side and glanced across the Bridge to the Int-Ops station. Irillith was wearing a suit of Paragon armour and the clear-crystal mask had been turned opaque to obscure her features.
"It was a team effort," the Maliri hacker replied modestly. "But as the Intelligence-Operations Officer aboard the Invictus, it's my responsibility to find weakness in enemy data networks and... exploit them. I was fortunate that the Kintark left the Hera exposed, allowing me to reclaim it for the Federation."
"Well I know there's many thousands of brave Terran personnel sleeping safely in their beds tonight because of your incredible skills," Jehanna gushed, her voice full of gratitude. "I've reviewed the after-action reports following the battle and you racked up an astonishing number of ship-kills when you turned the Hera's guns on the Kintark forces. By my reckoning you completely destroyed 11 battleships and 89 cruisers..."
"A testimony to Terran Federation ship-building expertise," Irillith said magnanimously. "The Hera is quite a ship... I was relieved that we were able to safely return the dreadnought to its rightful owners."
John grinned and gave her a thumbs-up before stepping into the grav-tube, with Lynette following close behind.
"She's an incredible woman," the Fleet Admiral murmured as they descended to Deck Two. "You're extremely lucky to have someone with her skillset on your crew."
"You'll get no argument from me there," John agreed, stepping out of the red anti-gravity field into the corridor. "I almost take for granted that Irillith will be able to hijack enemy ships and turn them against their own side. She makes a huge difference balancing up the odds when we're outnumbered."
Lynette nodded, looking thoughtful. "I must admit, I found it more than a little unsettling to discover that supposedly secure Terran Federation networks were anything but. I know Irillith's a close ally, but I can't help feeling that there's something fundamentally wrong with a non-Terran able to waltz through our highest security data without breaking a sweat."
"From what Irillith tells me, most Maliri hackers are extremely skilled. She takes their aptitude to impressive new levels, but the Terran network has been highly vulnerable to Maliri infiltration for centuries," John said, before smiling and glancing her way. "It's fortunate that they're allies now, isn't it?"
She looked up to meet met his friendly gaze, hesitating for a moment before admitting, "I believe you when you tell me I can trust them, but after centuries of suspicion, it's... difficult... for me to put that much faith in an alien civilisation."
John paused in the corridor, bringing her to a halt. "I think I've got a good way of explaining my relationship to the Maliri, so you can understand why I place so much faith in them." Looking into her hazel eyes, he continued, "Do you trust me?"
Lynette nodded, replying without pause. "Yes, with my life."
"Good girl," he said, nodding his approval. "I'm glad you feel that way, because that's true." Tilting his head to one side, he continued quietly, "Now, think about how willing you are to co-operate with me, knowing that I've got your best interests at heart..."
"Okay, that's easy to picture," she replied with a smile.
"Now multiply that tenfold," John said quietly. "Every female Maliri feels that way just by looking at me... their whole species has been genetically modified to respond positively to the mere presence of a Progenitor."
Her eyes widened in understanding. "The House Matriarchs are all female... and they rule the Maliri..."
"Yes, exactly," John replied, confirming her conclusion. "Now do you see why you can trust them? Or at least trust them to be unflinchingly loyal to me?"
"What would happen if..." she winced. "...something terrible happened to you?"
"The Young Matriarchs lead five of the top seven houses and they're all fiercely loyal to Edraele, who runs the most powerful House. Their support alone would let her lead the Maliri unchallenged." He grimaced as he continued, "I have no doubt that she'd be able to keep the other Matriarchs in line, but relations would certainly become strained. Edraele is an extremely capable leader, but there are centuries of mistrust and betrayals between the noble houses. I wouldn't envy her trying to maintain the alliance we've created."
*Thank you for the vote of confidence,* Edraele said with a hint of amusement, which John could tell was forced. *Please try to avoid getting yourself killed, I think you underestimate what an unmitigated disaster that would be.*
*We need to address that when I return to Genthalas,* John mused quietly. *Hope for the best but plan for the worst...*
*It would be the prudent course of action,* Edraele agreed, but he could hear the distress in her voice at the thought of anything happening to him. *We've already discussed you getting better acquainted with Emandra Holaris in exchange for trade distribution rights on Holaris wines. I'll arrange that meeting for shortly after you return.*
Before he could reply, Lynette looked at him with a puzzled expression on her face. "John, you mentioned before that the Maliri are designed to be a Thrall race for a Progenitor to use in their armies... But if they react to the presence of a Progenitor in the way you described, wouldn't they be useless in a battle with another Progenitor? They'd just stand around staring at him starry-eyed..."
John froze and his eyes widened in shock as something clicked in his mind. "No... because I've claimed the Maliri," he replied in a hushed voice.
*Where did that come from?!* Alyssa blurted out in surprise, feeling the powerful resonance behind his words.
Edraele let out a soft gasp. *That's right! I can feel it in my bones...*
"Are you okay?" Lynette asked, placing a hand on his arm and looking at him with concern.
He shook his head as if to clear it, then nodded. "Yeah... but that was new, it must have been something I squeezed out of my Guide." Gazing off into the distance, he intoned, "A Progenitor lays claim to a seed race to use as his Thralls... no other may dispute that ownership."
*If the Maliri were 'unclaimed', does that mean Mael'nerak is definitely dead?* Alyssa asked quietly, relaying her telepathic query to everyone else too.
John considered that for a moment. "I suppose he'd have to be... unless there's a way of giving up ownership of a Thrall race." Anticipating Alyssa's next question, he added, "Before you ask, I don't know if that's possible."
"So you 'own' the Maliri," Lynette marvelled, looking at him in awe. "I just assumed you were their leader, but that statement implies something far deeper."
He nodded, his expression troubled. "It does..."
*Truth be told, I've always felt that way,* Edraele admitted, her voice thoughtful and introspective. There was a brief pause and she continued, *My girls agree... this didn't come as a surprise to them either.*
"Have you claimed Terrans too?" Lynette asked, a flurry of emotions crossing her face.
John hesitated, then shook his head. "No, I don't think so. From what we learnt from Nexus, Mael'nerak created humanity as an experiment, using the 'base template' for a thrall species. That's why Terrans look so similar to Maliri but have so many different skin tones and don't have pointed ears. Terrans haven't been genetically programmed to respond to Progenitors in the way a Thrall species has."
She laughed and said, "I actually can't tell if I'm happy or sad that isn't the case..." Her eyes suddenly got huge. "Wait... a Progenitor created humanity?!"
He clasped her hand and gave her a look of sympathy. "Let's sit down in my room and I'll tell you everything else we've discovered so far. If you have any strong religious convictions... they might be in for a battering."
***
Sakura did a last check of her weapons and bags to make sure she'd got everything, then turned to smile at Maria. "Thank you for making me feel so welcome. I can't tell you how much the last two days have meant to me."
The Latina opened her arms to the Asian girl. "Come here... you don't think I'm letting you leave without a hug, do you?"
Sakura eagerly stepped into that embrace and let out a contented sigh. She turned slightly to whisper in Maria's ear, "You were incredibly kind to do that for me... it was just like being with my mom again."
Maria hesitated then said softly, "I would have loved to have had another daughter. I mean no disrespect to Emiko's memory, but I'd be honoured if you'd think of me as an adoptive mother."
"Stop, you'll make me cry again," Sakura mumbled, squeezing her in return. "I'd love that, thank you."
Giving her a tender kiss on her cheek, Maria whispered, "Stay safe, Angel."
Sakura nodded, not trusting herself to speak. She stepped away from the hug, then cleared her throat and darted a self-conscious smile at Calara. "Sorry, I'm monopolising your mother."
Calara patted her on the back. "Sharing my Mom is the least I could do. After all your help with the wedding preparations, I'll be forever in your debt."
Maria laughed and pulled her daughter into a hug. "We'll make a girly-girl out of you yet, Stellar Cluster recipient, Commander Fernandez." Despite her jovial tone, there was no mistaking the undercurrent of pride in her voice.
Calara smiled and returned the embrace. "It was lovely to see you again, Mom."
"Next time, give me a bit of warning if you're going to be comatose for ten hours... I'll make sure I get plenty of sleep before I have to pull an all-nighter."
"I'm so sorry we worried you," Calara said with a wince. "We were only supposed to sleep for four hours, but Alyssa ran into a few problems."
"Just as long as you're all safe, that's all that matters," her mother said, caressing her cheek. "Please pass on my best wishes to John and the girls."
"Do you have any special messages for Dad?" Calara asked, her eyebrow arching playfully. "We should be seeing him in a couple of days."
