Jade brought the Raptor in to land inside the Invictus, while John and Alyssa sat with Rachel. The young woman was still overcome with grief, the traumatic events of her past raked up once again due to their unfortunate recent encounter.
*I've let Calara and Dana know what happened,* Alyssa thought to him as she stroked Rachel's light brown hair comfortingly.
John nodded approvingly. *We could use their help getting the passengers settled. What's the situation with the pirates?* he asked her firmly.
*Now the civilians are clear, Calara is just waiting for you to give the word,* she replied, looking at him for his decision. *The frigate tried to escape, but she disabled them. They aren't going anywhere.*
*They knew the consequences when they turned to that kind of life,* John replied grimly, an air of finality in his tone.
Alyssa nodded her understanding, and stared into his eyes for a long moment, studying his face intently. *It's done,* she eventually said, marking the passing of the ill-fated Captain Farley.
"We're landed and are secure," Jade called to them having shut down the Raptor's engines, and she rose from her chair, then walked over to join them.
John smiled at her gratefully. "Thanks, Jade. You did an amazing job today. Could I ask you to look after Rachel for a moment, while I get the civilians up to the spare quarters on Deck Four? When we're clear, bring Rachel up to our room and get her settled."
The Nymph smiled at him warmly and nodded, as she said, "Of course, I'd be happy to."
He turned to look at Alyssa, and she rose immediately. "Sure, I'll plot us a course. Port Cadmus is the nearest Terran Federation outpost to our current location, if I remember rightly," she said, knowing full well it was, by 64.37 parsecs.
"Thanks, beautiful," he said to her gratefully.
*Do we want to let her grieve for a while, or bring her out of it?* Alyssa asked him, glancing at Rachel before she left.
John looked up at the blonde, and asked, *Bring her out of it?*
*A full tummy makes everything better. If we ask Jade to give her a feed, Rachel will be back to her normal happy self in no time,* Alyssa explained sympathetically.
John looked down at Rachel, where she lay against him. *As much as it pains me to see her this upset, she probably needs the release. I'm no psychologist, but she's probably been suppressing these memories for years,* he said, his voice ringing with concern.
The blonde girl smiled at him and nodded, then walked out of the bridge to carry out his orders.
"Let's get her out of the armour," John said to Jade.
They moved Rachel's left thumb so that it was touching her palm, and there was a cascading ripple of clicks as the armour plates unlocked. They carefully removed the front layer of the Phalanx body armour, and then John picked up the girl in his arms and carried her through to the cabin at the back of the Raptor. He placed her gently on the bed, and Jade climbed on as well and snuggled in with her.
"I've got her now," the Nymph told him confidently, and then began to murmur loving words in Rachel's ear.
John nodded, and left the brunette in Jade's capable hands, then walked back to the grav-tube to descend in a red glow to the floor below. He heaved a big sigh, and then pasted a welcoming smile on his face, before striding into the cargo compartment at the back of the gunship. The large room was packed full of the civilians that they had rescued from the clutches of the pirates, and a hushed silence fell over the room when he entered.
"We've landed on my ship, the Invictus. I'll take you up to the guest quarters, and get you settled in, until we can return you to the safety of the nearest Terran Federation outpost," he told them in a clear voice.
*Three hours,* Alyssa informed him, pre-empting the question he was about to ask her.
"It will take us approximately three hours to reach Port Cadmus, but for now, you can have a hot meal, and there's plenty of beds if some of you want to rest," he told them considerately.
One of the older men stepped forward and nodded to John, his face filled with gratitude as he said, "Thank you Commodore Blake, for everything you've done for us."
As sincere statements of gratitude echoed around the room, John looked at the man in surprise, not having introduced himself to any of the rescued passengers yet.
"I recognised the Lion of the Terran Federation from the TFNN report, and the emblem on your shoulder confirmed it," the man said with a wry smile. "When I saw your interview, I dismissed the stories of heroism as some fabrication for propaganda purposes. Somewhat ironic, considering you'd be rescuing me only a week later."
John returned the man's smile, and nodded in acknowledgement, before addressing the crowd once again, "If you'd care to follow me, I'll lead you to the hot meals and beds I promised."
He walked back through the Raptor until he reached the front loading area, the ramp already lowered when Alyssa had walked through. She had obviously mentioned he would be on his way, because the civilians here looked at him expectantly, and rose to follow him when he walked through into the room. He smiled at them, and repeated his invitation to use the guest rooms, and then strode purposefully down the ramp and into the Hangar Bay. Calara and Dana jogged into the room, and they ran over to join him.
