Chapter 72

***This article contains spoilers.***

## Highlights

* Tashana has an advanced tumor causing debilitating headaches and mental instability. She doesn't trust anyone, and hides out in the Medical Bay.
* John sends the freed slaves back to Terran Space with protection.
* Enshunu Vizier Sag'kalyak uses the control rod to awaken the the Underworld
* John leaves House Ghilwen Fleet Commander Nymaleth and Captain Darana with full bellies on the Encaren Valar.

## Summary

Irillith agreed with Tashana [71]. It was all her fault. Sakura puts Hades out of his misery with a bullet to the head. The girls freed six abused girls from their cells. John hired a Trankaran named Yordalum for a million credits to take some freed slaves to Terran Space. John carries Tashana back to the Invictus.

House Ghilwen Fleet Commander Nymaleth, on the Encaren Valar, paced backed and forth, venting to her Captain Darana. She didn't know *what the Hell* her Matriarch was thinking by stripping their fleets from the Houses Loraleth and Valaden's borders. She's practically inviting an attack. Darana suggests declaring Matriarch Leena Ghilwen, who's still in Valaden, a traitor and making Nymaleth the matriarch

Just then, Leena calls and imperiously orders her to leave all their forces on the border with House Holaris, and take their ship to their border with the Unclaimed Wastes, to meet with an ally of their House, and then escort some guests to Genkiri station. She must've lost her mind. That means flying alone through House Loraleth Space. Nymaleth dreaded to think what kind of instruction she was receiving from Edraele Valaden.

John and the girls return to the Invictus with the six freed slaves. Faye returns with the Raptor back to the Underworld and hovers ominously above the merchant ships as the grateful slaves strip the dead merchants, pirates, and mercs of anything they need. The 200 men and 90 women they had saved picked out four well-maintained merchant vessels to use for the journey back to Terran Space. After hacking the ships' security, Irillith hands over control to them.

Yordalum and his Trankaran miner friend, who he'd hired to help protect the merchant vessels, were impressed that John was friends with the Maliri and Chancellor Niskera. Alyssa plotted their flight path through Maliri Space to save them several days. After sending them in their way, the team headed to Valaden. Alyssa was only able to shave off 30 minutes from Jade's flight path.

Rachel catalogues Tashana's injuries.

* She's been the victim of scores of brutal rapes.
* Her body’s taken some horrific abuse.
* Damage to her vocal chords, womb, and rectum are all indicative of forced penetration by non-Terran like lifeforms or objects.
* Her intestines and stomach are badly scarred as well, probably from being made to ingest something toxic.
* She's covered in badly treated combat injuries, from deep skin lacerations, all the way through to dozens of broken bones.
* Then there’s her face.
* She has a tumor that is in a considerably more advanced state, likely meaning she learned how to harness her psychic powers. The charred torso near the prison cells might indicate she's developed pyrokinesis. Potential life risks are fatal strokes or seizures. Preliminary symptoms are identified as debilitating headaches and mental instability.

The other women have kidney damage from being forced to take high doses of Noxidose, an illegal aphrodisiac. They've been slapped, punched, and whipped, but there are no broken limbs.

Edraele's mother was a cruel and sadistic monster who used to delight in burning her enemies to death, occasionally forcing Edrael to watch. Her psychic power usage caught up with her in the end, and she ended up killing herself to escape from the agonising migraines.

John talks to the freed slaves. Tanya Morgan recognizes him as the Lion. She lived with my parents on Mothallah-Two in the Alpha Trianguli system, until the raiders grabbed her. John offers to heal her and wipe her memories, and then pulls out his huge cock.

John notices he's undergone a significant growth in mental capacity since he’d last checked, now having 12 empty mind compartments.

Edraele has her daily meeting with the young matriarchs. Nyrelle Aeberos is worried that Kalmaera second guesses her, and Leena Ghilwen hates having to be horrible to get Nymaleth to follow orders. Edraele tells them John will be there in a few days.

Enshunu Vizier Sag'kalyak comes to the Underworld and finds Yil'magur's charred body, shaking his head in admiration. He finds the control rod and plugs it into its slot. The Underworld awakens.

John goes into the cyber realm with Irillith and Alyssa. He's able to kiss Faye, but he can't stay for long because he has *stamina issues*. Alyssa stays to have a **lesbian thirteen-some** with Faye's avatars.

Tashana wakes up as she remembers her dad telling him stories of the evil Mael'nerak. She saw Irillith, a white-haired thrall version of herself. "*You fucking bitch! You took everything from me!*"

Irillith said John healed her, and that she loved Tashana. But Tashana just wanted to *incinerate this malevolent bitch*. When she saw John, the rage that was eager to be unleashed were snuffed out. She wailed for him to get away from her, and then cowered behind a scanning device.

After a while, Faye talks to Tashana, but after mentioning Irillith she just snarled at Faye to get out.

Nymaleth decides it's a good time to usurp House Ghilwen from Leena's grasp. Until she's hailed by John Blake. He leaves her and Darana sleeping with full bellies. Alyssa wants to watch next time.

Faye tells Tashana about rescuing her, and following her tracking implant. Tashana assumes Irillith is the one who stuck it in her and then handed over the device once she was his thrall. And that Faye's endearing smile on her face is *clearly designed to lull the foolish and unwary into believing her lies.* She pulls up her scan results and sees her brain tumor, with the preliminary symptoms listed as debilitating headaches and mental instability. She finds out where her tracking implant is.

Nymaleth and Darana wake up. Edraele telepathically tells them that if they're good girls, she'd ask John if he could visit them again,.

On the way to Valaden, Dana gets the loads that Tashana would've gotten, and on the last day she unlocked more Progenitor secrets.