Chapter 100

***This article contains spoilers.***

## Highlights

* Helene, an Abandoned, joins the team.
* Calara scares Weber into fleeing by telling him they know what he did to Jehanna and the Nymphs. Jade follows Weber with a stealth shuttle to Ganymede.
* The Kintark invade Terra with every ship they have. Their ships have upgraded Brimorian shield tech.
* John defeats Baledranax, the Kintark Emperor.

## Notes

### Miscellaneous

* Helene returns with Jade. Alyssa pulls her XO rank with John, since she feels Helene is somehow important.
* Helene had a miscarriage trying to give birth to her soulmate Firon's baby at a young age, and is unable to give birth again. The Brimorians executed him as a lesson to other Abandoned. They encourage having children every year they're fertile, because they're breeding a slave race. Everyone pitied her, and the pregnant women viewed her as bad luck. The Brimorians ordered that the Abandoned must only speak their language, but they've kept the Old Tongue alive in secret.
* Athgiloi is in a good mood. His indignant outrage had been an act.
* Either the Kintark created the Abandoned, or the Brimorians traded Kintark technology so that they could do it. The fingerprints left behind by the gene-splicing revealed Kintark involvement. Terrans were used as the base template. They were genetically modified and cross-bred with Brimorians to create a new species adaptable to life in the ocean. Helene’s DNA shows only mild mutation, so she is fifth generation from the original Terran test subjects. Helene’s subspecies was created approximately a century ago, coinciding with the first contact with the Brimorians. The official story from the admirality was that the colonists on the Callopean Shoals were killed when they refused to evacuate, but they were actually abandoned.
* Bill Armstrong on TFNN reports the Terran Federation has abandoned the Outer Rim as Federation troops storm the building. The Kirrix have invaded:
	+ Menganus IV
	+ Tasmaris Prime
	+ Karron
	+ Valia Gate
	+ Carolus III
	+ Brecken’s World
* Irillith hacks into the Terran Federation network to look into Buckingham. He's been careful, but she finds dirt on a lot more.
	+ Galon Prime: The sector governor was a despot and caused systems to revolt. The rebel siege was caused widespread food shortages and starvation. Thousands of innocent civilians on Galon Prime were dying, so they lifted the siege. High Command underestimated the size of the rebel forces.
	+ It was John's idea to rush the Command Ship and take them in a boarding action. The rebels refused to surrender so they were forced to wipe them out. John's forces didn’t do much better: Out of a complement of 300 marines, 274 were killed between that boarding action and repelling attacks on the Invictus.
	+ Afterwards, they smashed the fleet and annihilated the rebels, which set the tone for the reprisals. They killed over 200,000 rebel civilians in the orbital bombardment of Ostigrad City, and that was just the start.
	+ Irillith found out that High Command always intended to make an example of the rebel capital; Fleet Admiral Sutton had everything planned out in meticulous detail two weeks before John even lifted the siege. The brutality of the reprisals had nothing to do with the battle he was involved in. Sutton was under enormous pressure at the time. Buckingham was campaigning heavily to replace him as Fleet Admiral and he wanted to make a bold move to suppress the rebellion, to show how decisive his leadership was. However, Buckingham outmanoeuvred him and started stirring up public outrage at the rampant civilian death toll. Six months after John retired, Sutton was charged with crimes against humanity and Buckingham was promoted to Fleet Admiral.
* A century ago, all the Gaia-class planets in the Terran Federation had already been discovered and colonised. When the Callopean Shoals were discovered, they found a dozen systems all containing beautiful atoll-covered planets that were perfect for Terran habitation. There was a huge rush of colonists all eager to stake their claim on virgin worlds. There were 23 state-sponsored Eve-class colony ships, each containing 10,000 colonists. High Command estimates place the number of colonists captured at over 264,000 including all the independent colonists and transport crews. Since then there's been five generations of Abandoned. **Assuming the Abandoned women are having about 20 children each generation, that's somewhere between one billion and ten billion Abandoned.**
* The other Progenitor has been acting more affectionate for his matriarch Ailanthia, as well as unremarkable thralls.
* A Kintark fleet diverted from the main one headed to Olympus. Lilyana is now headed straight for Terra while the Invictus heads to Olympus.
* Using Calara's strategy, the Olympus fleets manage to hold off the elite Kintark attackers until the Invictus arrives and destroys all remaining but two battleships, which surrender.
* The other Progenitor is watching the battle with his matriarch, Ailanthia. He's surprised when his thralls, the Maliri, arrive but not in **thrall vessels**. Apparently he hasn't constructed his **Honour Guard fleet**, or **Dominator-class battleship**. Blake took control of the Maliri last month; he should have constructed a **Soul Forge** weeks ago. He should have the hull laid down for his flagship, and scores of thrall vessels should be up and running by now. Ailanthia points out that maybe he doesn't know what he's doing. Apparently she's not the imbecile he thought she was.
* Melkadian remotely disables the Invictus' shield generators, confirming that the Brimorians gave the deactivation code to the Kintark. Dana re-enables them.
* Irillith hacked the T-Fed Secure Tactical Network and Calara assumed Tactical Command of this battle. Weber wasn't pleased, but Caldwell allowed it.
* Calara scares Weber into fleeing by telling him they know what he did. Captain Lewis (Gator) was in on Calara's plan. Jade follows Weber with a stealth shuttle to Ganymede.
* Sakura fights Praetorian battleships in Unity City in her Valkyrie. They're in need of her judgment.
* Buckingham gets squashed by Baledranax.
* Alyssa, Tashana, and Rachel help out by the Citadel.
* Baledranax uses a psychic dampener he got from the other Progenitor which essentially makes John and crew mortal.
* The other Progenitor, Larn'kelnar, roots for John in the climactic battle with Baledranax. He has a remote switch for the psychic dampener but ended up not needing to disable it.
* Ailanthia has been Larn'kelnar's matriarch for four thousand years.

### Minor Characters

* David Gibbons: Sergeant. Got drunk and told Brannigan he fell in love with Wessex.
* Clint Brannigan: Staff Sergeant. Drinking buddies with Gibbons.
* Madison Wessex: Commander. The real reason she wants to speak with Gibbons is to find out more about the Lion. With her mission to excel at everything she did, she wanted to become a lioness, one of the Lion’s hand-picked squad of super soldiers.
* Melkadian: Grand Prelate.
* Baledranax: Kintark Emperor.
* Bill Armstrong: TFNN Lead Anchor
* Alexander Morgan: Admiral.
* Doug Redding: Commodore.
* Ryan Murphy: Lieutenant Commander. Nicknamed Leprechaun. ~~His idolized Jade~~ Dana shows up and saves him and his wing. When Admiral Weber told him to fire on her, Murphy gave Weber the finger and ended the call. Dana can't stay to help.
* Lewis: Captain. Nicknamed Gator. Tells Murphy that Binary raised concerns he's being obsessive with training the new recruits.
* Larn'kelnar: The other Progenitor.
* Ailanthia: The other Progenitor's matriarch.

### Ailanthia 1

Ailanthia glided down the corridor with a dazzling smile on her beautiful face, her happiness bizarrely out of keeping with the forbidding surroundings. The click of her high heels echoed down the lustreless onyx passageway, but she walked with an extra spring in her step, heedless of the oppressive shadows cast by the gloomy crimson lighting.

She paused by a sealed doorway, then waved her hand over a blood-red runic control on the wall. The door split apart, jagged teeth separating as the segments of the portal retreated back into the robust black doorframe. Ailanthia entered the Medical facility, her heart pounding with anticipation at the thought of being in her Master’s glorious presence once again.

Then she spotted him and froze.

He was standing beside one of several occupied examination tables, his hand resting on the swollen belly of a pregnant thrall. Ailanthia instantly recognised Lymidia, which was unsurprising, as the young woman was linked to her psychic power network. What was surprising, was seeing her Master pay attention to an unremarkable thrall, one that he’d bred on a whim shortly after jumping into this segment of the galaxy.

“I felt her kicking just this morning, My Lord,” Lymidia said breathlessly, gazing up at him in awe. “She’ll make a strong warrior for your legions!”

Ailanthia saw his mouth twitch into a smile, the expression on his face one she’d never seen before. He caressed the young woman’s curved abdomen, fingers tracing over her light-green skin with a gentleness that Ailanthia had come to adore over these last few weeks. Lymidia hesitated for a moment, then placed her hand atop his, holding him in place. Ailanthia braced herself for an explosion of rage from her master, shocked that a thrall would dare to be so bold.

“I feel her too!” he exclaimed in surprise. “I think you might be right, she’ll be a strong one.”

Ailanthia felt a sharp pang of envy, her previous jubilant mood shattered in an instant. “We have moved into position, My Lord,” she informed him, unable to keep the sullen tone from her voice.

He turned to look at her, his smile shifting subtly, a wicked glimmer in his eyes. “Ah, Ailanthia, so good to see you.” Glancing back at the thrall, he continued, “Lymidia is positively blooming in motherhood. I’ll have to breed her again as soon as she’s ready ... don’t you agree?”

His words felt like sharp daggers in Ailanthia’s heart and she fought down a desperate surge of longing as she nodded. “Yes, My lord. Any woman would look radiant if she were blessed to have your progeny growing in her womb.”

“Ah Ailanthia, what would I do without you ... such a devoted servant,” he said condescendingly, brushing his fingers across her cheek. Without a backward glance at Lymidia, he strode out into the corridor. “Don’t dawdle, my loyal little Matriarch, we have a fun-filled day ahead of us today!”

“Yes, My Lord!” she replied reflexively, her mind reeling with the flood of disturbing new emotions she’d been feeling of late.

Ailanthia took a moment to glower at Lymidia in impotent fury, the thrall’s dopey grin wiped away in an instant as she shrank back on the bed and averted her eyes from her Matriarch’s rage. Whirling around, Ailanthia stormed out of the Medical facility, rushing to catch up with her Master.

### Ailanthia 2

Ailanthia pointed at the edge of the holographic map. “My Lord, the Maliri have just jumped into the system.”

“So he finally brings his thralls out to play, but turns up late to the party,” her master tsked, turning away from the delightful scenes of destruction as the Kintark savaged the Terran fleets. He gestured at the map and the view expanded, showing the Maliri warfleet in their golden-hued glory. Brow furrowing in confusion he muttered, “Those aren’t thrall vessels! Why hasn’t he started constructing his Honour Guard Fleet?!”

Stepping closer to the map, Ailanthia highlighted one of the battleships and expanded it still further. “That’s not a Dominator-class battleship!” She studied the flimsy-looking Maliri vessel, feeling just as bewildered as her master. “Blake took control of the Maliri last month; he should have constructed a Soul Forge weeks ago...”

Her master began to pace back and forth. “He’s still flying around the galaxy in that hideous abomination of his ... He should have the hull laid down for his flagship, and scores of thrall vessels should be up and running by now. What is he playing at?”

There was a terse silence between them for a minute as they both stared incredulously at the Maliri ships.

Ailanthia could see how troubled her master was, so she walked over to him and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Maybe Blake just doesn’t know what he’s supposed to be doing?” she suggested quietly.

Her Master gaped at her in surprise, then doubled over with laughter. “Oh Ailanthia, you’re a genius!” He chuckled away, shaking his head in disbelief. “Here I was thinking he was some kind of witless imbecile, but I think you’re right...”

She beamed at him as she basked in his praise, her sparkling smile widening as her master put his arm around her shoulder.

“Let’s enjoy the show and watch these cretins slaughter each other for a while, then I think it might be time for a celebration!” he exclaimed, looking happier than she’d seen him in weeks.

“That would be wonderful, My Lord,” Ailanthia gushed, hugging him tight.

He brushed his fingers through his Matriarch’s hair, smiling as she cooed in delight. Turning his focus back to the map, he murmured, “Ah, John, you really are an enigma ... What am I going to do with you?”

### Ailanthia 3

Ailanthia swiped her slender green fingers across the holographic interface. “John Blake is descending towards Terra, My Lord. The sensor probe is tracking his progress.”

Her devilishly handsome companion leaned forward over the command table, his face alight with anticipation. “Let’s see what he gets up to this time!”

She nodded and projected the camera footage onto the holo-screen in front of them. Crystal-clear images of John in his white Paragon suit came into sharp focus, the golden lions embossed on his pauldrons gleaming brightly even under the overcast sky. He was plunging towards the planet, followed by a trio of similarly armoured females, although their suits were nowhere near as ostentatious.

“Magnify on Blake, I have no interest in his thralls,” her master said sternly, never taking his gaze from the image.

“Of course, My Lord,” Ailanthia replied, her hands moving as if to grasp and stretch the image, keeping the focus on the man in white armour.

The probe’s footage zoomed in closer, showing John’s face frozen in concentration, his eyes blazing with a fierce blue light...

### Ailanthia 4

“But he hasn’t enslaved the Maliri yet!” Ailanthia gasped, staring in astonishment at the psychic destruction Blake had unleashed on the battlefield. “My Lord, how is that even possible?!”

Shaking his head in bewilderment, her master watched enraptured as a twisting firestorm ploughed through the ranks of Kintark soldiers, leaving a terrible trail of incinerated corpses in its wake. Gigantic lightning bolts were arcing down from the tempestuous storm overhead, blasting the staging ground and sending twitching bodies flying with each stroke. Scores of soldiers narrowly avoided being killed by the actual impact of each blast, but were still electrocuted where they stood by the charged field surrounding the grounding site.

The Kintark flagship crashed into the ground with a deafening roar of tortured metal, the hull twisting and buckling as it was racked by internal explosions. A score of heavy troop transports were instantly flattened by that catastrophic impact, with thousands of soldiers crushed beneath the flagship’s gigantic hull. At the same time, two of the battlecarriers tumbled into the one in the centre, smashing the Sharan’tohok between them in a thunderous crash that rivalled the deafening peals of thunder from the storm. Locked together, the three Kintark capital ships started to pitch over, dragging inexorably towards the ground by Terra’s remorseless gravitational pull.

“Electrokinesis, Pyrokinesis, and Telekinesis,” the Progenitor muttered under his breath, eyes widening as he stared at John in fascination. Glancing at his Matriarch he grinned as he added, “The whelp might have some bite after all!”

### Ailanthia 5

Ailanthia watched in fascination as the black-armoured red dragon prowled across the battlefield, bearing down on John Blake who lay crumpled on the ground. “It looks like Blake is done, My Lord.”

Her Master gripped the edge of the table, and to his Matriarch’s astonishment, concern marred his handsome features. “Get up, you fool! Fight back before it’s too late!”

Running her hand over his shoulder, Ailanthia purred, “Why not just let Baledranax finish him? It’s nearly over now anyway ... why prolong the inevitable?”

A riot of emotions passed over her master’s face, many of which Ailanthia had never seen before. His expression was horribly conflicted as he glanced at the console beside him, before his gaze flickered back to the enormous dragon looming over John Blake. Torn with indecision, his hand wavered over a button that would dramatically shift the balance of power in this fight.

### Ailanthia 6

Ailanthia grinned in delight as her master laughed uproariously; she adored the sound of his laughter as it echoed around the sombre room.

“Oh, that was marvellous!” he exclaimed, a broad grin on his face. “I haven’t had this much fun in ... well ... forever!”

“He’s surprisingly resourceful, My Lord,” Ailanthia noted, watching as John Blake’s eyes glowed with a bright blue light, psychic energy coursing through him once more. “If he actually harnessed his powers properly, I imagine he’d become quite the adversary.”

Her master nodded his agreement, then smiled as he pressed the button on the adjacent console. There was a bright flash on the Emperor’s back as the broken remains of the psychic dampening device exploded. “Looks like you’re on your own now, Baledranax...”

### Ailanthia 7

Ailanthia watched as her master leaned back, a smile of satisfaction on his face as he gazed at Baledranax’s smouldering corpse.

She darted a glance at the Galactic Map, and feeling bold, she asked tentatively, “May I, my Lord?”

He looked her way and saw what had drawn her attention. “Be my guest,” he replied with a smirk, gesturing towards the brightly coloured map.

Her eyes sparkled as she reached over, slender fingers tipping over the holographic representation of a red dragon. “That’s the Kintark Empire eliminated...” Ailanthia’s hand wandered across the map until she reached the model of a uniformed Terran officer, then with a contemptuous backhand, knocked him over too. “And the Terran Federation too crippled to be of consequence...”

Eyes roving over the map, her master said, “Which leaves only the Brimorians and the Maliri...”

“Not for long,” Ailanthia reminded him with a broad smile.

He laughed and nodded. “Yes, very true...” Leaning back in his chair, he appeared lost in thought for a while.

“Is there something on your mind, My Lord?” Ailanthia asked politely, studying his handsome face and trying to commit it to memory, as if she hadn’t already memorised every exquisite detail.

Rousing himself from his thoughts, he nodded slowly. “I was thinking that it’s nearly time for a little family reunion...”

Ailanthia remained silent, hoping that he might elaborate, but he chose to let the matter drop.

A calculating smile spread across his face when he saw her watching him. “Speaking of families, after today’s entertainment, I feel like a special celebration might be in order...”

She felt her heart lift with joy ... Surely he couldn’t mean what she thought he was saying?! Ailanthia had wished for this moment for more years than she could count!

“Matriarch, select the most beautiful of my thralls, I wish to sire another child tonight,” he said dismissively.

Ailanthia’s joy disintegrated like a planet blasted by a Quantum Annihilator. In its place she experienced a wild surge of jealous rage, emotions she’d never felt before threatened to consume her in their wild intensity. “No!” she snapped, eyes blazing with fury. “I will not!”

“No, Ailanthia?” her master asked, a dangerous edge to his voice. “I could snuff out your life in an instant ... What makes you think you can object to anything I desire?”

“Because I’ve served you faithfully for over four thousand years!” she screamed, shaking with anger. “I won’t stand aside while you impregnate another one of those doe-eyed imbeciles! It should be my turn!”

He laughed at her, finding her indignant rage quite amusing. “My, what a temper you have, my jealous little matriarch!”

“Fuck you!” she shrieked, hand whipping around and slapping him across the face.

They both froze, staring at one another in equal astonishment.

Then before she could say another word, her master held her in his arms and gazed deeply into her eyes. “By the stars you’re beautiful when you’re angry!” he exclaimed with a grin, looking at her in wonder. He pulled her in for a fierce kiss which she returned with equal abandon, moaning wantonly into his mouth as she writhed against him.

“Oh, My Lord...” she sighed when they parted, eyes sparkling with arousal.

He brought his hand around and gently caressed her toned lower belly, matching her lustful stare. “Let us retire to my quarters, my beautiful Ailanthia. It is long past time I showed you just how much you mean to me.”

Ailanthia swooned, her gaze softening as she gave him a tender kiss. “I love you, Larn’kelnar.”

He swept her off her feet and into his arms, then carried her away to their quarters, the lovers gazing into each other’s eyes.