Raptor Squadron

Book II of the Talosian Chronicles.

Author’s note: If you haven’t read Star Dancer, (Book I in this series,) some story lines and ideas may not make sense to you. I recommend you read Star Dancer before reading Raptor Squadron.

This Book is dedicated to the person who got me interested in writing in the first place:

Net Wolf

Version 1.0

Edited By LVWolfman.

Raptor Squadron

Chapter 1

Caleb-et Shalo was thoroughly disgusted with his new assignment. He was an adept of the 8^th circle, a member of the same race as the Emperor, yet he was being sent to a newly captured sector of the Alliance. He was to oversee the subjugation of the inhabitants and to once again attempt to get them to give up the secrets that the Emperor so badly wanted. Shalo was of the same opinion as others of the 8^th circle; this was really a war of conquest waged solely for the purpose of expanding the Empire. This war had gone on far too long for it to be anything else.

The reason for his disgust was not the destination; even though that was bad enough. The reason was that he’d used the services of two females at a pleasure house. How was he to know that they were the daughters of Onar-el Halon, head of the 8^th circle? Now he was being sent as far away from his planet of Onilo as one could get. Looking back he was sure the two had only been trying to anger their father. He had to admit they had done a pretty good job. Once he had found out who they were it was too late by far, he had expected to be publicly put to death. This was a far worse fate; he would still be put to death, but the order would come from the Emperor himself, not for breeding a couple of spoiled brats, but for failure of his duty.

He was even being sent on a troop transport instead of a liner. Granted, there were females on board, even attractive ones who would be happy to breed with him. The fact that they were almost twice his size and not of his race, revolted him. He retired to his quarters after overseeing their departure; resigned to a long, dull trip and to his fate.

---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----

“How’s Talena’s pregnancy going? The last time I talked to you guys, she was having a rough time of it.” Cindy asked her mother and wife, Beth.

“She’s having a rough time; she’s still pretty tired, but once we got her blood sugar stabilized, she seems to be doing better. I don’t think she’ll be so anxious to get pregnant again though.” Beth chuckled.

“Damn, I miss you guys. Coronal Anders should be letting us out of here in another month.”

“Really? I would think he’s already tortured you guys enough. What do you have left to do?”

“Well, we’ve all trained to an expert level on all the different weapons. We’ve practically lived in the body armor; I am now convinced there is nothing you can’t do in that get-up. Sasha and I are both so familiar with the Raptor we could probably tear it down, put it back together and then fly it to earth and back without waking up. Ty says now we need to become used to working as a team. We need to work together to get used to each other. We’ve been living together for the last two months, so we are used to each others personalities. It’s the skills we need to get comfortable with.”

“I assume then that you and Sasha are getting along better then? Did you take my advice about her?” Beth asked.

“Yes and you were right!” Cindy conceded. “I got permission from the Coronal, got her drunk, then fucked her silly. She’s been a sweetheart ever since. She’s even quit ragging on the boys. You were right; all she needed was a good fuck.” She finished, chuckling.

“I’m glad to hear things are better. I do need to let you go though, Jenny will be home soon and I really should get dinner planned. Ian is still over at Pleiades Three, so it’s just the seven of us for dinner tonight. We miss you too.” Beth said.

“Thanks Mom, I love you. Please give my love to the rest of our family?” Cindy asked.

“I will. Take care of yourself love, don’t take any chances.” Beth had been the only hold out when Cindy had asked for permission to join the new squadron. If something happened to Cindy, she would not only be losing her daughter, but her wife as well.

“I’ll be careful. Bye.”

“Bye”

Cindy sat quietly for a minute to let her homesick heart get back under control. She missed them all very much, especially the children. She steeled herself, she would be back with them soon, she just needed to finish her training.

At the beginning, she had a hard time coming to grips with the fact that she had volunteered to become a highly trained killing machine. When she was younger, she had dreamed of becoming a pilot in the Air Force, but only as a precursor to becoming an astronaut. The fact that she might actually have to kill had never occurred to her back then. She had killed without thought when the Caldarians had attacked. She realized after they had landed, that the ships she had destroyed had pilots at the controls and that she had killed them. Worse, she had killed them without thought. It took her some time to come to the conclusion that no other choice could have been possible. She had been thankful then that she had been spared from actually seeing her victims.

The possibility that she would be seeing her victims now, however, was very real. That was what she was the most worried about. She knew that she could perform the jobs she had trained for, but she was unsure about being able to kill. What scared her the most was the fact that there was only one way for her to resolve this issue. Her only hope was that no one in her six-person team would get hurt. They had all gotten to know each other pretty well. She tried not to let any emotional ties form between her and her team mates. Because she was in command, she would never forgive herself if she had to give them an order that led to their deaths. Yet she did care deeply about her team mates, not the soul deep love that she held for Ian, Beth or the rest of her family, but a connection that was growing stronger each day.

The exception to this feeling was the newest member of her team; Clarissa or simply ‘Lissa’ as she had asked to be called. The 17 year old computer and engineering specialist had always struck Cindy as a bit… odd. She was a sweet enough girl but her mannerisms and personality had baffled Cindy from the beginning. She had flatly refused weapons training of any kind, but quickly proved she would be an asset to the team by her almost instinctive ability to track down and repair the most obscure malfunction. She also claimed to have the ability to hack almost any computer system ever built. She did get along well with the team and was accepted, so Cindy kept her feelings to herself. Besides, Cindy was beginning to like her too.

Cindy got up and returned to their quarters. They were supposed to have the evening off, but Coronal Anders liked to surprise them with alerts and inspections.

She made it back to quarters to find the three men occupied in a card game. “Where are the girls?” She asked.

“Sasha asked Lissa ‘bout some problem she thought she was having with the Raptors weapons systems. They went to check it out.” Sam Inns, the demolitions expert answered her.

Jerry Miles snorted and said, “Just an excuse to get Lissa alone!”

Since he was teasing, Cindy replied, “You’re just upset ‘cause you didn’t think of it yourself!” They all laughed at that.

Cindy continued back to her bunk to do some reading when the alert claxon sounded.

The team headed for the launching area; she headed for the briefing room. As before; she only expected Ty to be waiting for her. She was surprised to see Ian sitting beside the Coronal. Since this was official, she remained standing at attention.

“Please be seated Major.” Ian said to her. She sat, and he continued. “I’m afraid your training will have to be shortened. I’ve received word that a terrorist group has gotten their hands on a nuclear weapon and is planning to use it. Sources tell us that the target is Duluth, Minnesota. Normal Earth resources are working on the problem, but so far they have come up empty. They suspect that the bomb will be brought in via a ship bound for the port there. We have no idea why they selected that target except that it’s a place that no one would think they could strike and it would contaminate about 10% of the planet’s fresh water supply. Every ship has been boarded and inspected, but so far they have found nothing. Ships are required to sit in the harbor for a period of time for quarantine purposes, but that will hardly matter since it is estimated that the bomb is in the range of 50 kilotons. If this bomb detonates, it will kill roughly 250,000 people not to mention the ecological damage. You will find it, recover it if possible, and destroy it if necessary. The crew of the ship is to be considered extremely hostile and be treated as such. Your security is critical. No evidence of your involvement can be allowed. You will take whatever measures are necessary to ensure that. Do you have any questions?”

“Yes sir. What’s the time frame for this mission? How long do we have?”

“Good question. We’ve been told sometime within the next four days, six at the most. The bomb will most likely already be armed and if the terrorists get the chance, will detonate it as soon as they see you. Alan Carlton and his team will be available if you need backup. Report to me directly during this operation. This is a hell of a graduation present Cindy. I’m sorry for that.” Ian said.

Cindy nodded her understanding as Ty picked up the briefing. “Once you have secured the objective, you will return to Star Dancer. Good luck Major. You are clear for weapons hot after leaving the station. Since time is short, brief your team in flight. That is all.”

At his words Cindy stood and saluted, Ian and Ty also stood and returned her salute. She turned and walked quickly from the briefing. Ian and Ty walked to the hanger to watch them depart.

Ian watched as the team loaded the raptor with hurried efficiency. As they lifted, he spoke; “Have I just sent my wife out to die?”

Ty, who was standing next to him said, “Sir, there is no way to know. You have given them the chance to live the life that they’ve chosen. They might not even realize what kind of life that is yet, and some may not want to continue. They can do this. These people are better than a lot of the SEAL teams I know. I know that they will do their best. If there’s a way that they can come out of this alive, they will.”

Ian nodded as he stood watching the hanger doors close. He had to get back to the Pleiades station; another heavy cruiser was due in tonight. He hoped that Cindy would come back to him.

---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----

“Sasha, plot a jump to Earth. Okay team, congratulations we’ve graduated.” She repeated the mission that Ian had outlined to her team. “We need to find the damn thing first. I want confirmation of weapons status before we jump. Lissa: brush up on the care and feeding of a nuclear bomb. You should be able to get the specifics from our mission computer. I’m told that the crew of the ship is expendable, but let’s not plan on wiping them out until we see just what the hell we’re dealing with. Any questions?” The mood in the main cabin had sobered quickly as the team absorbed the facts of the mission. When no questions were asked, she continued, “Okay, let get to work. Sasha and Sam have first watch.” A short time later the Raptor made the jump into hyperspace that would take them to Earth.

---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----

The Captain watched as the last of the ‘inspectors’ climbed over the side of his ship. Allah had smiled on them by proving once again how stupid the Americans really are. He knew what they had been looking for; he also knew there was no way they could find it. Allah’s wrath was hidden in plain sight in the hold of the ship.

He had armed the bomb when he received word that he was to be inspected before passing through the locks. If they had found it, he would have detonated it immediately. The locks had been his secondary target. His crew of 21 didn’t know of the bomb, but were devoted to the orders of their captain and to Allah. He knew that if they had known, they would have still agreed to make the voyage. They hadn’t been told simply for security reasons.

He turned his attention back to the task at hand, getting back underway. The First Officer had already issued the appropriate orders, and as soon as the big taconite freighter cleared the locks, they could get back on course. He pulled his small PDA out of his pocket and disarmed the bomb; it wouldn’t do for it to go off too soon. In three days Allah would again punish the evil that was America with his divine fire.

---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----

The Desert Sun was still 8 hours from port when a drone from the Raptor scanned it. The drone made a second pass over the ship before returning. Raptor Damocles had arrived a few hours before. They had quickly scanned the Duluth area and found no nuclear signatures that were unknown to the government. Then they proceeded to move up the lake; scanning every craft they found. They were about to move on to the locks at Sault Ste Marie when the drone reported its findings.

Cindy had immediately ordered them to shadow the vessel; they were cloaked so they took position 1000 feet astern.

“The warhead is Libyan, but scans show the arming device and detonator to have been modified at some point.” Lissa explained. “It is remote controlled, via a short range transmitter. The catch is; once activated, the detonator must receive a constant signal from the remote device or it will trigger detonation. I have no way of finding that remote until the bomb is armed.” She paused, “I can duplicate the signals, but if it detects a second signal it will trigger the device.”

“Okay,” Cindy said. “Any idea’s about how to slay this dragon without waking it up?” She looked around.

“Perhaps.” Sasha said. “Perhaps we could jam the radio signals around the bomb. Isolate it, that way if they do try to activate it, it won’t work.”

“That could work.” Lissa stated. “But with all the metal around it, we would need a drone within ten feet of it. Otherwise, we would have to kill all of the signals on the ship and tip our hand.”

“Hmm, let’s slip a cloaked drone into the bridge, short out the controls for the hatch covering the holds so they open. Then the other drone, also cloaked, will go into the hold and jam the control signals for the bomb. The five of us can drop in and disarm the thing. If someone sees us, shoot them. Zero residual presence. Earth standard firearms only, silenced of course. Sasha, I want you to stay here, we might need you to bail our asses out if things get nasty. Now, if there are no objections, let’s get set. It’ll be dark shortly and I don’t want that bomb getting any closer to civilization.” Cindy ordered, looking around for objections to the plan.

Cindy reported finding the bomb as well as their plan of action to Ian.

“I hate to be the one to point this out, but how are you going to hide five people who drop out of thin air into the cargo hold right in front of the bridge?” he frowned. “I’m sorry to have to order you to do this, but eliminate the crew as soon as you have the bomb isolated. Once you finish disarming it, drop anchor and report in. I’ll relay back to the appropriate people that the ship has been stopped and where it can be found. That will solve the problem of getting the damn thing back to the people who want it.”

“I understand, sir. We’ll take care of it.” Cindy replied.

“I know that order is distasteful to you Cindy, but it is necessary. Good Luck.” Ian signed off.

Cindy returned to the main cabin, “Change in plan guys; Lissa and I will be taking care of the bomb; you three are on a search and destroy. Command wants the crew eliminated. Once you clear the ship, get to the bridge, shut the engines down and drop anchor. Everyone know their job?” She received nods, and one very meek ‘yes sir’ from Lissa, “Good let’s get ready, we drop in 15 minutes.”

The Captain climbed the stairs up to the bridge. It was his routine to check in after dinner and evening prayers to make sure all was well. As he opened the door, a sudden gust blew his cap to the deck in front of him. Chuckling at the fickleness of the weather, he bent over in the open door to pick it up. Retrieving his cap he stood, closing the door behind him. He walked up to the Second Officer, “Is everything in order?”

“Yes Captain. Praise Allah the weather is mild. We should have a smooth night and an easy anchorage. Do you still wish to be notified an hour before arrival?”

Before the Captain could answer, a control panel near the front windows shorted out. Flames and smoke burst from the controls and the cabinet below. An alert crewman grabbed the fire extinguisher and began blasting the smoking panel. A rumbling could be felt through the deck as all the large cargo hatches began to open.

“Get the engineer up here and get that panel fixed!” The Captain ordered the Second Officer who nodded as he grabbed the handset. The Captain walked over to the crewmen who were trying to see what had happened to the control panel. “Well? What happened?” He asked impatiently.

“Sir, the hatch controls seem to have shorted out. A wire had been rubbing on a screw and finally wore through the insulation. Now half the wiring is melted, and possibly the circuit boards as well. We may need to replace the whole unit.” The crewman looked at his Captain expecting the outburst that should be forthcoming, but was surprised to see the man staring out the window. The Captain was fumbling to get something out of his pocket when the door to the bridge burst open. A man dressed in what looked like very shiny medieval armor rushed into the room. That was the last thought the crewman had as a bullet penetrated his skull.

“Bridge secure.” Sam said into the mike in his helmet. He had checked the four dead people and found the Captain’s PDA. “The Captain had a personal data assistant in his hand when I came in. It could be the arming device we’re looking for.”

“Good. Think you can shut the engines down and drop anchor?” Cindy’s voice came back to him.

“Well, it’s all in Arabic, but I think I can figure it out.” He chuckled. “Did anyone bother to think that we are in fairly deep water here? The anchor isn’t gonna reach the bottom.”

“Woops! Well, drop the anchor anyway, we’ll let her drift. Sooner or later the anchor will catch on something. Once we leave this ship, it’s no longer our problem.”

“Scanners report all clear Major.” Jerry reported

“Good, any problems?” Cindy asked

“No sir, nothing serious.”

“Okay, return topside and stand by for pick up.”

After receiving the reports from the other team members, Cindy turned to Lissa. She was very carefully removing something from inside what looked like a large valve. She had just pulled back about a foot when the device she was holding made a loud click. Cindy could see Lissa’s calm but excited eyes through her faceplate as she looked up at her. “Boom.” she said quietly.

---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----

“Star Dancer control, this is Raptor Damocles, requesting approach vector and landing instructions.” Cindy asked. It was her turn to stand watch as pilot.

“Affirmative Damocles, Approach Alpha bay on vector one-zero-niner by two-seven, speed one-five-zero. Call the ball.”

The term ‘call the ball’ was a hold over from the way naval pilots would land on an aircraft carrier on Earth. It was meant to inform the flight controller that the pilot of the inbound plane could see the deck, and was in proper position to land. A similar system had been used by the Talosians to land craft in space. ‘Calling the ball’ meant that the pilot could not only see the landing bay, but that the navigation computer had locked into the landing system of the big ship.

“Roger control, Damocles has the ball.” Cindy answered after making sure the Raptor was on final approach.

“Affirmative. Major Williams, the Captain requests you report to her at your earliest after landing.”

“Acknowledged control.” Cindy replied.

“Welcome home Damocles.” Control replied as they passed through the magnetic curtain of the bay.

“Good to be home. Damocles is shutting down, say goodnight Gracy.” Cindy said, as she went through the shutdown sequence.

She all but jumped out of her seat as her whole team replied through the open cabin door. “Goodnight Gracy!”

“Major Williams reporting.” Cindy said as she saluted Jenny. Jenny stood punching the button on the door to close and lock it.

She returned the salute. “At ease Major.” She almost ran around her desk and grabbed Cindy, kissing her passionately. “Gods! I missed you love.” She said after they parted.

Jenny’s kiss had brought an immediate and welcome feeling to Cindy. The love she felt from Jenny made her knees weak and she almost cried. “I missed you too. Very, very much.” As she pressed her lips against her lover’s again, she reached between them and slowly pulled the zipper on Jenny’s uniform down to her pubic bone. She broke the kiss and began pushing the coverall of Jenny’s shoulders. “…and I really want to show you how much I missed you.”

Jenny let her clothing be stripped from her as the wonder of Cindy’s talented lips began to create a warm tingling sensation on her neck and shoulders. Once her arms were free of the suddenly restrictive garment, her hands caressed the back of Cindy’s head. She let out a soft moan of pleasure as those magical lips closed around her left nipple. Cindy’s left hand was softly kneading the right breast and occasionally flicking the distended nipple. She switched breasts, and her right hand rose to fill the void left by her mouth. Cindy kissed softly all around the right nipple, as she had done with the left and as she licked then sucked the nipple into her mouth, she drew the left nipple across the palm of her hand.

The sensations became a tsunami that crashed into Jenny’s whole body, and she cried out the arrival of the massive orgasm. Cindy was the only lover she had that could do that to her. She clutched Cindy to her, holding on tightly until the world once again became something solid beneath her feet.

Cindy, had expected the reaction, and had held Jenny upright through the orgasm. She kissed her softly on the neck, while her right hand continued to caress the beautiful C cup breast.

“Damn, you’re amazing. You are also wearing far too many clothes.” Jenny told her, and began to remove Cindy’s uniform. Unlike Jenny, who never wore anything under her uniform, Cindy wore a sports bra and panties. The bra she wore to contain the D cup breasts motherhood had gifted her. Even though the babies were no longer breast feeding, her breasts had refused to return to the small C she had been. The panties she wore because her sex drive had also refused to normal. She was always horny and she needed to either wear a pad, or change clothes every couple of hours.

As Jenny removed her boots socks and coveralls, Cindy pulled the bra off, leaving her standing in the middle of the Captains ready room in nothing but a pair of lace ‘boy shorts’.

“My god do you look hot!” Jenny exclaimed as she sat back to look at her lover.

Cindy actually blushed, “Come on, Jen! It’s still me.”

“Honestly babe, have you looked at yourself in a mirror lately? You have got to be the most beautiful woman I have ever seen!” Jenny explained.

“Well yeah, I look at myself every morning. You know that.”

“No Cindy, I meant full length. Have you seen yourself in a full length mirror?”

“No, we didn’t have any. Is there really a difference?” Cindy asked.

Jenny smiled, “Star? Please create a 3D holographic image of Cindy and display it, life-sized, maximum resolution please.” In answer to her request Cindy watched the image of a Goddess form beside her. “My God! Is that really me?” The image was muscular without the hard edges of the professional body builder, what fat she had left from having the babies had melted away, and the curves that proclaimed her to be female became slightly more pronounced. She had cut her hair fairly short, but any boyish look was utterly destroyed by the firm breasts standing out proudly from her chest. At the moment Star had captured, Cindy had a slightly scared and very vulnerable look on her face. Her head was tilted a little to one side and slightly down as she had been looking at Jenny at the time. She had one elegant leg bent just a little at the knee.

“I… I’m pretty.” She said softly.

“Star, please save this image to my personal file.” Jenny said as she stood up, and took the younger girl tenderly in her arms. “Yes, my love, you are.” She whispered softly in her ear, and she just held her.

Cindy tired of that quickly though and taking Jenny’s hand walked over to the large sofa. Before she could set Jenny down though, Jenny pushed her down.

“Uh-uh. You don’t get to make me scream again so fast little girl. Now it’s your turn!” And she lowered herself between Cindy’s legs. She began by kissing the insides of her thighs, lightly nipping the skin closer to Cindy’s soaked pussy. Jenny could taste the slightly tangy nectar inside her thighs, Cindy had obviously been gushing for awhile now. Still, Jenny couldn’t pass up the opportunity to tease just a little.

She slowly circled Cindy’s outer labia without actually touching them. Cindy was desperately trying to get her clit into contact with Jenny’s tongue. Cindy was moaning in desperation and need.

Finally, after an eternity of thirty seconds, Jenny relented and slid her tongue deep into Cindy’s steaming center. She exhaled a long shuddering sign and shook with a small orgasm.

Jenny had pulled back out and was sucking on Cindy’s outer lips, running her tongue around tracing the creases and folds. Then she started to lick up and down her slit, not touching the clit but dragging her tongue all the way down to Cindy’s asshole. Cindy let out a moan and bucked slightly as she felt her wife circle her pucker and then move back up to her slit to repeat the whole sequence. Jenny was moving at an almost casual pace that was driving Cindy wild. She continued the slow licks of her lovers slit but brought a finger up to tease the younger girl’s ass. Cindy was so wet that her finger quickly became well lubricated for what she planned next. As Jenny began to circle the rock hard clit with her tongue, she pressed her finger to Cindy’s tightest hole.

She gently pushed her finger into Cindy’s ass as she sucked her clit into her mouth. Cindy moaned loudly; fucking at Jenny’s face and forcing the firm digit deeper into her ass. Cindy’s hands slid underneath and spread her ass-cheeks. Jenny began a rhythm of fucking and sucking that quickly had Cindy howling; her body trembling with the beginning of a orgasm that threatened to keep building.

Finally Jenny began flicking her tongue rapidly over the hard little nub. She quickened the pace her finger was moving in and out of her ass. Cindy screamed out in orgasm, arching her back so the only thing touching the couch was her shoulders and the hands she had grabbed the edge with.

Jenny removed her finger as Cindy started to come back to reality, causing the younger girl to shudder and squirm.

When she could breathe again, Cindy exclaimed “Damn! That was good. I don’t know how you do that, but you seem to know exactly what to do to me.”

Jenny had sat beside her on the couch and was holding her. She chuckled, “I think I should give your team a day or two off. I know at least one member that is going to have a hard time walking for awhile; once her mates have finished with her.”

Cindy smiled up at her, “Speaking of finishing, it’s your turn.”

“Though I would like nothing better, I actually have to get back to work. We’ll have to wait until tonight to finish.”

Cindy gave a pouting moan, holding Jenny tighter to her. Jenny laid her cheek against the top of Cindy’s head and softly said; “I love you. Welcome home.”

---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----

To: CMDR Sol Sector research

From: CMDR Fleet Cmd; Talosian Galactic Defense Force

EYES ONLY - MSG follows:

Ian,

Concerning the actions of Raptor Damocles: Your after action report to us sounds very promising. Though the High Counsel was displeased at the use of Talosian personnel on a restricted planet, we argued that your actions were in the best interests of the counsel. The simple fact that so many lives were saved while maintaining our security convinced them to allow you future sanction to act as you see fit in order to prevent such catastrophes. Terrorism on that scale simply cannot be allowed.

Concerning your request for information about the nuclear arsenals of the planet Earth: we have received confirmation that the control systems of the various nations have been modified in such a way as to prevent launch against a populated area. Any attempt to remove said modification will result in completely disabling the missiles. To our knowledge, no other modifications of this type have been done. However it is our understanding that there exists chemical as well as biological weapons. The Alliance High Counsel has asked that these weapons never be allowed to be used, Further, any caches of these types of weapons are to be destroyed upon discovery: security is secondary to that consideration.

Your request on behalf of Terran Admiral Hawkins is approved pending his acceptance of the rank of Commodore. Though we realize his wish is to retire, we would ask that he function in an advisory capacity concerning Terran political affairs.

Admiral Pan and a representative of the Talosian High Counsel will be arriving in two weeks for the commissioning ceremony of the new battleship. As per your request, notification of the new captain is being withheld pending the arrival of Admiral Pan. Good Luck Ian, Keep up the good work. – Admiral Goya

END MSG

---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----

‘What a waste heap.’ Shalo thought to himself as he disembarked at the space port. His first view of his new home was exactly what he had expected; dull and drab. On top of that, it was cold! Shalo had never been so cold in his life.

“Welcome to Terranoir, Highness. I am Glump. I will be your assistant while you are here.” The large female Tal-Glare was kneeling and held her hand out palm up.

The Tal-Glare were the race that the Empire used the most for its armies; they were large, strong, and very obedient. The one most important factor was that once touched by Shalo, she would be completely under his command. The Tal-Glare formed a chemical bond to Shalos’ race upon contact. She would not be able to betray him, or truth be told, deny him anything he wanted.

Without touching her, he asked; “Who are these?” Indicating the arrayed Tal-Glare standing at attention behind her.

“They are the command staff for this sector, Highness. They are also bound to me.”

“Bound to you? You are a half-breed?” Shalo asked. He had heard rumors of course, but thought them specious. The Tal-Glare were a repulsive race. They were far too large for comfortable breeding and they stank. Though this Glump had a very pretty face.

“Yes, my lord. My mother was high born. Though I am also talSherrife of our clan.”

That meant they would have been bound to her anyway, as head of their family.

He was disgusted and revolted at this insult. He opened his pants and laid his member in Glump’s open hand. She darkened with humiliation, but began breathing heavier with arousal.

“Open your mouth.” Shalo commanded.

She looked at him in confusion as she complied, but quickly closed her eyes as he emptied his bladder into her mouth.

“Get cleaned up and meet me in my office.” He ordered.

She hung her head, but nodded. She was very humiliated; not only had she swallowed, she had learned forward to clean him off after he had finished. All right in front of the leading members of her family.

Unknown to Shalo, with what he had done, she could no longer be with anyone but him. In her culture, she was forever marked as his mate.

---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----

The atmosphere was abysmally hot. It was bearable, but it was still hot. How it could maintain that temperature with the miles thick cloud cover was well beyond the Preator’s understanding of planetary mechanics. One blessing was the discovery of a hydrocarbon bearing shale simply lying all over the place. It had to be treated of course, but even the hydrocarbons from the human planet had to be treated before consumption. At least they wouldn’t starve to death.

Its crew had built shelters using the remains of the command module, and the only surviving reactor was providing power, but nowhere near the amount needed to contact aid. Its second in command was still devoutly following its orders; displaying complete faith in its commander that they would be rescued.

As time passed and no ships appeared to retrieve the lost Preator, and thereby them, the surviving members of the crew began to get suspicious of their leader. Every setback was being laid at the Preator’s broad feet. When members of the small party began to die; the remaining command staff cornered their leader, demanding answers. He had none.

One engineer had survived the impact of the command module. None of its equipment had been so lucky. It had no way to know the reactor had been damaged in the crash. The small reactor was leaking hard radiation. After a month’s exposure, no one in the camp would have been able to survive without immediate medical treatment. After three months, even medical treatment would not save them and they were all dead within six months of the destruction of the Super Nova.

As the Preator lay dying, its mind, driven insane by pain, told it of its rescue. It was being honored by the High Counsel for providing a new planet to feed its growing population. It was granted a battle fleet to return and enslave the human world, the population to be used to mine the hydrocarbons on this planet. In its mind’s eye it saw the great mushroom clouds of the planetary bombardment. It saw the human cities burning. It saw the Talosian cruiser being vaporized in a huge explosion just like the one that had claimed its own vessel. A smile blossomed across its face as its life fled. No one had seen that smile; the crew having already died. No one ever would.

---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----

“Has your team gotten back from training yet Serena?” Cindy asked. She put another forkful of her steak in her mouth.

“No, they will be back in about three weeks I am told.” Serina answered. She had been spending every spare moment with Ian and his family. In fact Cindy was a bit surprised she hadn’t asked to join them.

Cindy nodded, glancing at Ian, “I sometimes think we got out of training early because of political pull.” She said teasingly.

Ian held up his hands as if to surrender, “Hey! Don’t look at me; I needed a job done and Ty said that you were ready.”

“Likely story.” She smiled fondly at Ian. Then she looked at Jenny, “Any decisions on the other team from Star Dancer?”

Jenny was caught with a mouthful of steak. She just finished chewing and smiled at Cindy. It was an old game between them to try to get the other to talk while eating.

“Yes, Corvis and Wolfman are the pilots. Remember Tommy from Talos?” when Cindy nodded she continued. “He and two of his wives. Lissa’s sister, Laura will be the systems specialist. There’s a lot of talent in that family.”

Cindy was a bit surprised, “I didn’t even know she had a sister. Her personnel file didn’t have any family history in it at all. I thought that was pretty strange, but didn’t get time to question it.”

“I know.” Ian stated. “Family history was left out of the files for security reasons, and at the request of the family. They felt that the kids would be treated differently if it was known what family they were from. The same info is actually left out of your own file, but that hardly helps. Everyone knows who you are.” Ian chuckled. “That being said, you are not to disclose that you know that they are related.”

Beth chimed in then, “Okay you guys. No more shop talk.” Everyone chuckled and the subject was changed to more domestic issues until supper was over.

As Jenny and Ian cleaned up the table, Talena came over and sat on Cindy’s lap. “I love you. Welcome home.” And proceeded to give her a soul searching, toe curling kiss. After some minutes, they parted. “I’ll be watching the kids tonight so the others can welcome you home. We can spend time together tomorrow.” With that, she kissed Cindy again quickly, got off her lap, and began rounding up her charges.

Cindy watched her with concern on her face.

“She has all but lost her desire for sex since the troubles started. She still loves us, but just doesn’t feel like ‘playing’. She’ll be okay; we just need to be sure to give her the love we feel.” Beth explained.

“I hope she’ll be alright.” Cindy said.

“Didn’t I just tell you she would be?” Beth said; a small smile on her face.

“Yeah, you did. I guess I just didn’t realize until now how much I’ve missed by not being here.”

“Well, you’re back now and she is looking forward to spending time with you tomorrow. Tonight, however, you are in serious trouble!” Beth teased.

“You call that trouble? Hah! Bring it on.” She glanced quickly to make sure Serina, Jenny and Ian were out of hearing and then quietly asked, “Is Serina going to bond with us? It’s obvious she has fallen in love. I know how I feel about her, I can see the love the rest of you feel for her and her children. Do you think she’ll ever ask?”

Beth frowned slightly as she thought about it. “I don’t know. Jenny said she will, but couldn’t tell us when she will. It’s kind of a moot point anyway; the only thing missing is the ring. Her kids already call us ‘Mamma’ and Ian ‘Papa’. She has to return to the Prometheus tomorrow for the rest of the week. After she leaves, we should have a meeting and talk about asking her.”

“Good, now, let’s get this ‘trouble’ taken care of.” Cindy said. Taking Beth’s hand as she rose, she led her back toward the bedroom. “You guys coming?” She called over her shoulder to Ian and the women.

“Gods, I hope so!” Serina said, as the group moved to follow.

“Hey! When have we ever let you down?” Jenny asked teasingly.

Getting into the mood of the banter, Serina replied; “Well… never, but there is always a first time.”

“Not very damn likely around here!” Ian said as he scooped a giggling Serina up in his arms to finish the journey.

---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----

Later that night, Cindy crawled out of the big bed to relieve herself. Instead of returning however, she looked into the spare bedroom at Talena’s peacefully sleeping form. She looked almost angelic in slumber. Cindy gently lifted the covers and crawled in, snuggling up to her. As she slid one arm under Talena’s head, the other across her tummy, Talena sleepily moaned and wiggled to get closer. Cindy softly kissed her on the temple and went to back sleep.

She awoke to soft kisses all over her face. She opened her eyes and looked right into Talena’s

“Love, I really enjoyed you holding me like this all night, but if you don’t let me up; I’m going to have a very wet accident all over the bed.” Talena told her softly.

Smiling, Cindy released her so she could get up and relieve herself. After stretching, she decided to follow her.

She glanced into the master bedroom and noted everyone else was gone. As she entered the bathroom she asked; “Where is everyone? What time is it?” She had left her wrist unit beside the bed.

“About 0900 I think; everyone else left about an hour ago.” Talena said as she finished up.

“Well then, wanna join me in the shower?” Cindy asked with a seductive grin on her face.

“Sure, but… well, I don’t really wanna ‘play’ if you don’t mind. I just don’t feel like it.”

Cindy took one look at the expression on Talena’s face and gently took the younger girl in her arms. “It’s okay, I understand. It’ll get better sweetheart, after you have the baby, you’ll be back to your old self.”

“I hope you’re right Cin, I really do. I really want to make love to you, but…“ Words failed her as she silently sobbed into Cindy’s shoulder.

“Hush, no need to cry love. There are many ways to make love. Come on, let me show you one of them.” And led the softly crying girl to the shower.

She started the water and adjusted the temperature. Without getting a washcloth, she began to lather up Talena’s body with gentle caresses. They washed each other, spending a great deal of time simply touching, and being together.

They had just finished breakfast and were about to go for a walk when Talena ran to the bathroom. The obvious sounds of retching caused Cindy to worry. She called Beth. “Mom, Talena is in the bathroom throwing up. I know it’s probably just morning sickness, but with the other problems she’s been having, I’m worried.”

“You’re right, she shouldn’t be getting sick right now. Do you think you can get her down here, or should I send someone to get her?”

“She’s still in the bathroom getting sick. I don’t think she’ll feel much like walking once she’s done.”

“Okay, I’ll send a carrier for her. We should probably run some more tests. If we can’t stabilize her this time, she might lose the baby.” Beth said sadly.

“I just hate to see her like this. Please make her better?” Cindy sounded like a kid and she knew it, but her concern for Talena was making her feel desperate.

“We’ll do what we can honey. I love her too. I’ll send the team now.” She said and signed off.

Cindy walked back to the bathroom to lend whatever support she could.

“Oh gods! What’s wrong now?” Talena croaked. Her voice was raspy from the heaves.

“I don’t know love, but I called Beth, and she is sending a team to bring you to medbay.” Cindy told her as she knelt and gently rubbed Talena’s back.

Talena was a bit too occupied for conversation. Cindy stayed with her until the Paramedics arrived.

---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----

Beth was given the results of the tests from Talena. She consulted three other doctors, and they had all agreed on the only remaining course of action. Wiping tears from her eyes she sent messages to Ian and Jenny to come to medbay. She located Serina who was aboard a shuttle getting ready to launch, and asked her to come as well.

“I asked all of you here because Talena has gotten sick again. We ran tests and confirmed my suspicions. When Talena originally started having problems, we found an Rh imbalance. We began the course of treatments to correct the problem, but they are not working. Talena’s body has started to reject the fetus. She is having a miscarriage. The baby is dying. Our only remaining course of action is to remove the fetus or we might loose both of them.” Beth explained.

Dr. Shannon, the Ob/Gyn, was beside Beth. With a look of sadness on her face, she nodded in confirmation.

Talena burst into tears. Ian knelt down and took her in his arms. She clung to him tightly. Serina and Jenny, who were also crying, held each other.

“There’s nothing else to do?” Cindy asked, tears running down her cheeks as she came to her mother.

“No honey, there isn’t. If she had made it to the second trimester; maybe, but not this early. The only thing we can do now is save Talena’s life.”

“Will she ever be able have a baby?” Cindy asked.

Dr. Shannon answered for Beth. “Yes, she will. This won’t happen every time, and we’ll begin testing her very early on to make sure everything is going right. She’ll need some time to heal, but if she wants to, she could try again in a few months.”

“Thanks Jill.” Beth said to her.

She smiled a sad smile at Beth. “I’m truly sorry Beth. I’ll get the procedure room ready. Just call if you need anything else.” Then she turned and left the room.

Everyone gathered around Talena’s bed, trying to comfort the heavily crying girl.

“I’m… I’m s… Sorry I let you all down.” Talena sniffed between sobs.

“Shhh. You haven’t let us down kitten. We can try again later if you want. Don’t blame yourself for this. It couldn’t be helped.” Ian glanced at Beth to support his words.

“He’s right honey, this isn’t your fault. It was just bad luck. Don’t worry about it.” She told the girl. The opening door caught her attention, she nodded to the nurse who stood had entered, noting the injector that she carried.

“We’ll all be waiting for you when you wake up sweetheart. The nurse is here to get you ready. I love you.” Jenny said, also noticing the nurse.

They took turns hugging and kissing Talena. Serina sat beside her on the bed and took the girl in her arms. She held her for a moment before saying very softly. “Be safe my love. Please don’t leave me.”

Talena kissed her. And very softly said, “Ask them Serina. Talk to them.”

Serina looked down into the teary eyes of the young girl who had captured her heart. Seeing the love there, she nodded, moving away to let the nurse begin her work. Beth remained by Talena’s side as the nurse went about her duties. The rest of the family was standing away from the bed.

The sedative was a fast acting one. Talena looked up into the eyes of the woman who had become her lover. Her eyes had become glazed and it was obvious she was getting very sleepy. In Talosian she said to the woman holding her hand, “I love you, Momma.” And succumbed to the effects of the drug.

Fresh tears welled up in Beth’s eyes. “I love you too, Baby girl.”

---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----

Watching the orderlies push Talena away, Ian turned to his wives. “Beth, how long will Talena be under?”

“If all goes well; only a couple of hours. This is a simple procedure.”

“Okay, Can I borrow your office for a few minutes? I need to speak to Serina, Jenny and Cindy.” Ian asked.

Beth knew he would only ask that if it were official. “Sure, I’ve got patients I should check on anyway. They’ll bring her back here after she’s finished.”

“Thanks. We’ll meet you back here.” he said and led the ladies off to Beth’s office.

Once the door was closed and locked, Ian turned to Serina. “Captain, given the present situation you can delay your departure for a few hours. I’ll notify planetary defense that you will be delayed.”

She nodded, “Thank you, Sir. I would appreciate it.”

Ian then turned to Jenny. “Is Star Dancer ready to undergo her refit?”

“Yes Sir. We are scheduled to dock at Pleiades Two tomorrow morning at 0700hrs.” She answered.

“Good. I’ll need to temporarily assign you command of the battleship as well until the transport from New Talos arrives. I know you want to stay aboard here to oversee the refit, but this can’t be helped. I need a command presence at Pleiades One. She’s ready to be powered up. I’ll be there for the actual initiation sequence, but I’ve got too many other little fires to be riding herd over it. Serina has to be at Earth for the next week so that leaves you. The transport will arrive in four days.”

Jenny frowned at those orders, but nodded her head in acceptance.

“Lastly,” Ian sighed. “I have received orders for Raptor Damocles.” He paused and frowned. “During the upcoming scheduled refit of Star Dancer, you are ordered to report to Admiral Tomiakin aboard the Cruiser Adonis. You are being detached for temporary duty. You will receive further orders upon arrival. You are expected to depart tomorrow after Star Dancer goes into dry-dock.”

“Damn!” Cindy swore. “How long will we be gone, Sir?”

“I don’t know Major. The orders are open ended. One thing I can tell you. You will be seeing combat. This won’t be the milk run we sent you on. These guys will have weapons that can kill you. You really could loose people. Please go carefully Major.”

Cindy nodded her understanding.

“There is one other thing I need to tell you though. Captains? Could you please leave us?” Ian asked.

They nodded, and left.

Again, Ian didn’t speak until the door locked behind them.

“This is classified; need to know. You are to discuss this with no one. Even me. Do you understand?” Ian asked.

Cindy wondered what she needed to know that would require such security, but nodded her understanding.

“Clarissa is one of Star’s Children. Her CPU is embedded into your Raptor’s hull. A lot of what I’ve been doing is convincing High Command and the Talosian Counsel that Star is now a sentient being as are her ‘offspring’ Clarissa and her siblings are basically experiments. A command has been coded into your private file that can effectively ‘shut her off’. You are to memorize that command and erase it from your file. She is unaware of this command, but Star approved the installation. It’s only a method of appeasing the hard liners that she can be stopped if she goes rogue. They wanted such a command integrated into Star as well, but I flatly refused. That’s still an on-going argument, but one I won’t back down from.”

Cindy was shocked. “But… How? I mean she’s real! Hell, I’ve even slept with her!”

Ian chuckled softly at Cindy’s surprise. “The Lissa that you know is really her avatar. An android body created as an effective way of interacting with humans. Currently Phoenix Base is the only place that can construct the avatars. As you know, your Raptor was built there.”

“I guess that explains why she didn’t want to take weapons training. It’s been programmed into her. I had a problem with a team member that wouldn’t fight.”

“Actually, you’re right and you’re wrong. All the information has been programmed into her, but so has an inhibition against using force against another living creature. No she won’t fight, unless she is forced to defend herself, or one of you.”

“Great, but at least she’s capable of that. Uh, one other problem. Sir, Sasha is falling in love with her. It seems to me, it’s wrong to keep this from her.” Cindy said, concerned.

“Clarissa is not under orders to keep her mouth shut about her origins. It’s up to her to tell Sasha. She can tell whoever she wants, but has been advised against it. Now, I want to get back to our wives. Do you understand your orders Major?”

“Yes Sir. I will immediately inform the rest of my team to be ready to leave tomorrow morning. Is 0900hrs acceptable sir?’

“Yes it is. Remember to keep it quiet. None of your orders are ever to be public knowledge.”

She saluted as protocol required her after receiving orders. Ian returned the salute and opened the door.

She issued a message to her team to meet her at the Damocles and headed for the landing bay.

She climbed aboard to find the team waiting for her in the commons. “Sasha, are we alone in here?” She asked.

“Da, er… yes. No one else is aboard.” She replied.

“Good. Pack your bags kids we’re moving. We’ve been temporarily re-assigned to the cruiser Adonis. We’ll be launching tomorrow at 0900hrs. That means I want everyone aboard and ready to lift no later than 0830. I don’t know how long we’ll be gone, so pack for an extended stay. Sasha, get the coordinates of the Adonis from Star Dancer and get us ready to go with flight control. Lissa, I want you to make sure Damocles is ready to go. The rest of you; full combat load. I don’t know what will be asked of us, but I want to be ready for it.

We will be going into combat. This time our enemy will have the ability to kill us. Remember your training, trust in yourself and your team and we will all come home. Brush up on your Talosian since no one there speaks English. Any questions?”

When no one said anything, she continued; “Okay, I’ll see you all tomorrow morning bright and early. Dismissed.” She winked at Sasha and Lissa, and returned to medbay.

Talena had been returned to her room, but was still asleep when Cindy got there. She saw Beth sitting in a chair by her bed, and went over to her. “How’d it go?”

“It went well, there is only minimal damage to her uterus and some swelling in her cervical area. She should be fully recovered in a few days. However, she’ll most likely be an emotional wreck. Loosing a baby is a very painful thing for an expectant mother to go through. She’s going to need all of us more than ever now.” Beth told her.

Cindy winced at those words, knowing that she wouldn’t be there for her love.

“No, you’re leaving? When?” Beth asked.

“Tomorrow morning. That’s all I can tell you.” Cindy said sadly.

“Damn, you’re special to her too. I don’t suppose… “

Cindy interrupted her shaking her head. “No. I have to go. You know that. Personal considerations are secondary to our missions. I agreed to those conditions when I joined.”

“I know, but it’s going to be hard on her. She really loves you. I don’t suppose you can tell me how long you’ll be gone?”

“I can’t discuss it any more than I already have. So no, I can’t tell you, but don’t expect me home for dinner.”

“Okay, I won’t pester you about it anymore; I’ll corner Ian later.” She said.

---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----

A week later Cindy was awoke from sleep by Lissa. “Sorry to wake you, but we’re receiving a distress call.”

Cindy quickly got out of her bunk and followed Lissa to the cockpit.

“Benesian Liner T’lar to any Alliance ship! We are under attack! Please respond!” She heard upon entering the cabin.

She noted that Lissa had their position on the display. The Benesian was being pursued by what the battle computer had tagged an Emperial light cruiser.

The Benesian liner was an un-armed civilian transport. Raptor Damocles would be in an intercept position in 24 minutes.

“Lissa go wake up the rest of the team. The weapons firing would wake them anyway. I’m going to call the Admiral.” Cindy ordered.

Lissa nodded and headed for the sleeping area.

“Raptor Damocles in transit to Admiral Tomiakin, priority two.” Cindy said after finding the correct codes.

“Tomiakin here, what’s wrong Major?”

“Sir, we are receiving a distress call from a civilian Benesian liner named T’lar. I request permission to render what assistance we can.”

Cindy had appended a data stream to the communication, so the Admiral could see what was going on.

“I see. Stand by Damocles. Let me get confirmation on the T’lar. The Empire has taken to issuing false distress calls as a means to ambush Alliance ships, though that is the Benesian emergency channel.

Hmmm, a light cruiser is a pretty tough ship, try to distract it away from the liner. I’m sending four Centurions to assist, but it’ll be a day or two before they can get there. T’lar is confirmed to be in that sector. Do your best Damocles, and welcome to the Rataac Sector.”

“Thank you Sir. See you in a couple of days.”

“Tomiakin out.” The Admiral signed off.

She changed to the Benesian emergency channel.

“T’lar, this is Talosian Raptor Damocles. What is your situation?”

“Blessed Goddess, Thank you! We are being pursued by an Emperial warship. We’ve been ordered to halt and be boarded. We’ve taken missile hits to the engines and are losing power. Please hurry!” A panicked voice replied.

“Hold it together T’lar, we’ll be there shortly. We have notified Alliance command of your position and situation. Help is on the way.” Cindy said.

“Thank you Damocles. We’ll hold.” Cindy thought that she could hear a note of relief in the voice.

Cindy got up and headed back to the commons to face her sleepy team. She noticed that they had gotten into their armor but hadn’t put the helmets on. She smiled in approval. “Okay campers we have a Benesian civilian liner under attack by an Emperial light cruiser. Thankfully the damn thing is only about a third the size of Star Dancer or we’d be in a world of shit. We still could be. This is where we test the new cannons on a live target. We’ve been told that if we can’t destroy it to distract it long enough for the liner to get away.

Emperial shielding isn’t like ours. They have a weak EM field and a very thick hull. I want to drop out of hyperspace right in front of them, let’s open both cannons to hammer the fuck out of them. If we can open another portal behind them but turn away so they think we jumped back in, that would be good.” As she explained a holographic depiction of what she was describing appeared over the table. It was a little slower than her description as the computer was trying to display what she was saying.

“If they have as much trouble seeing us as the Caldarians did, how are we supposed to distract them? We can’t present a viable target for them to see.” Jerry asked.

“Good question. If we need to, we can unshield our engine emissions. That should get their attention. If that doesn’t work, well I guess we’ll have to slap them in the face with a dead fish.” Cindy replied.

They all chuckled over that. “Okay, so what do you want the rest of us to do?” Sam asked.

Shrugging, Cindy said, “Hold on. Watch the fight from your bunk via the monitors and make suggestions for the rest of us. Other than that, praying might help. Now we have about ten minutes before dropping out of hyperspace, let’s get set.” She said making for her locker to get her armor on.

She walked through the ship, quickly checking that everything was secure. She got ‘thumbs up’ signals from the three men, now safely strapped into their bunks with their helmets on. She quickly returned to the cockpit, Lissa was sitting at the navigators/co-pilot station. Cindy put her own helmet on and sat down to strap herself in.

“Real-space interface in 3 minutes.” Lissa’s voice sounded in her ears.

“Okay, Sasha are you ready?” Cindy asked.

“Yes, Targeting and holographic interface are online. Weapons are deployed.”

“Good, master safety off. Arm all weapons systems. Stand-by for interface.” She ordered and began running through her own systems checks.

Finally after what seemed to Cindy to be about three seconds, Lissa called out; “Interface in 30 seconds.”

Cindy placed her hand on the control sticks for the Raptor, and raised her eyes to the forward windows. Her heart was beating fast and she was breathing heavily. Adrenalin surged through her veins.

As Lissa’s voice counted down the seconds to interface into real-space, one line from a movie she had seen long ago came to her unbidden; “You have been recruited by the star league to defend the frontier against…”

“Two… One.” Lissa’s voice called out as a nova of light appeared in front of the Raptor.

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