Paula was able to sense Agatha's location. Good thing she went with Samira as Agatha was fully enveloped in her nanoweave camo and would have been impossible to find visually. Samira gently picked her up and they went back to the Deirdre.
Walking into the cargo bay, Samira spoke to the family,
*We need to get the motor home into the cargo bay and get into orbit ASAP. The group who attacked us knows we are here. If there were some monitoring by their group we are exposed.*
Howard and Mercedes were in the midst of their girls and Astrid was apologizing profusely about the destruction of their family home when they had to move as Max began to drive the 40 foot long by 12 foot wide by 9.5 foot tall motor home into the cargo bay.
It was a tight fit, the bay being 65 feet long but the bay door was only 15 foot wide and ten foot tall. Max positioned the motor home with its left side against the port side of the bay and 5 foot from the door to the storage room, leaving a 12 foot by 45 foot corridor down the starboard side of the motor home leading to an empty space of 25 x 20 foot in front of the bay door.
Samira and Paula ran into the open space and carefully laid Agatha down on the floor. Howard and Mercedes were confused, not being able to see anything, until Samira began to take off Agatha's nanoweave.
Both parents were wide eyed. Howard said, "I have heard of that stuff but never have I seen it. That is absolutely amazing!"
Max had run up to the Bridge and as soon as Paula and Sam were in she closed the cargo bay doors from the Bridge station and started a climb, setting the paint to sky on the bottom and sides, until they were in atmosphere. She then changed all the paint to camouflage the Deirdre and they exited the system under stealth to find an asteroid they could hide behind and broadcast a signal to Boggs.
"Mom and Dad, we can debrief later. Right now I need to get Agatha in bed so she can rest," Joon said as she began coordinated the collecting of the hands of Agatha. Howard grabbed both of the Agathas in the motor home, putting one over each broad shoulder, while Samira cradled the hand on the deck. They walked up the ramps to the CQ and laid them on the bed.
"Dad, Samira, help me get the other hands from the Bridge as well as the coms room and let's get all the hands of Agatha resting. We can then meet on the Bridge as we sort all this out."
Agatha had just enough time to close up her metal shop before she passed out behind the door on Depot 03.
On Freeport, Agatha was glowing for a moment and Soumii was astonished. When she quit glowing, she asked, "Agatha, are you okay?"
Agatha nodded and said, "sleep," just before she passed out in the chair she was occupying. Soumii got on her wrist comms and called for Mosira, "Mossira! Agatha has feinted! I need your help to get her to her bed!"
Within moments the large Drakkar burst into the room, "Is she okay? What happened?"
"Sshe glowed white then said 'sleep' just before she passed out. Beyond that I do not know."
Mosira gently lifted Agatha and walked with Soumii to Agatha's quarters. Mosira then assigned two Drakkar to guard the entrance, "No one enters without My or Mayor Soumii's direct command."
The two security personnel saluted and took up station as Soumii and Mosira began a bedside vigil.
Agatha was in her small office when she glowed white and just made it to her bed when she passed out. She did not have time to let her caretaker know what was happening, but she knew she was safe and went to sleep.
The First Secretary of the Slarmian Embassy was in the middle of teaching Lakita some of the finer points of diplomacy when she began to glow. "Agatha, are you alright?"
Agatha diminished and said, "Sorry, must sleep. The family was attacked, they are all fine, but I am exhausted."
Lakita caught Agatha as she slumped over and gently lifted her up, taking her to her bed and making her comfortable. Lakita did not leave her side.
The family had gathered on the Bridge and Max let everyone know she had to report in before the debrief could start. Everyone found a place to sit, Joon having brought in some extra padded folding chairs, and remained quiet as Max made the connection.
Ms_Muffit has entered dark corners.BG_Gruff has entered dark corners.
"Anders! Sitrep!"
"We were visiting our parents and Ingrid Komatsu showed up with 50 mercs, at least one of which was from Ghost Protocol. We dispatched them. You will not find bodies as they were burned, bones and all. We also downed four fighters."
"There was a true Witch with her as well and in the process of defeating her, a massive power column of light was released which breached the atmosphere. Everyone is okay, but my family home is totally destroyed. Parents will stay with us for the time being before relocation for their own safety."
"Satellites picked you up leaving the area in a mobile home...and a large portion of your people were seen to just disappear. We have confiscated all the video and warned anyone who saw it, but what the hell is going on Anders?"
"My family has developed...Fantasy Class magical powers."
"What the fuck does that even mean?"
"We can give a full debrief in person when we meet. We will rendezvous back where this all started."
"Meet me there in 24."
BG_Gruff has left dark corners.
Ms_Muffit has left dark corners.
Max sat up and nodded to her parents, "Well, that went over like a tonne of lead bricks. Satellite Recon picked up our departure after the energy blast Agatha released. It is all confiscated, but Boggs knows about our magical abilities. We have to go meet with him and 'Nanna' at our secret base. Give me a moment to set the coordinates and we can debrief."
After Max had set up the navigation, the Deirdre swept clear of all the gravity wells and entered hyperwarp.
Howard was first to speak up, "If Satellites picked you up in the motor home then they saw the ship as well and we are being tracked."
Max shook her head, "Dad, this ship has a full sensor baffling suite which includes energy output and visual tracking. Nothing can track us with it activated...and it is active. We have disappeared from all sensors."
Howard nodded, "So you are still with Ghost protocol?"
Joon responded, "No, dad. We have a new assignment. We are now spies for TFN and we gather intelligence on the Minor Empires. We were given Max's old ship, with some significant upgrades, to enable us to fulfill that role."
"But that isn't all, is it? You had to do something pretty serious to become a knight of the Slarmian Dynasty."
Joon again answered her father, "Yes, we were invited to a political party at the Palace and a powerful faction of dissidents attacked in a makeshift aerial vehicle. Max stormed the thing and disabled it, losing part of her arm and a leg in the process. Agatha used one of her bodies, we call them hands, to heal her but she added some mass and height in the process."
"For saving the lives of quite a few diplomats and political figures, Max was awarded Knighthood and is the only Terran who is allowed to bear arms in the presence of the Grand Potentate."
Mercedes then teared up and demanded to check Max over with her hands. "You seem completely hea...what is that!?"
"Yeah, Mom, Agatha gave me a penis at the request of our wives. It was initially just for fun, but Agatha has been augmenting all the family through me, since I have some of her inside me now."
Mercedes looked deeply into Max's eyes, "Are you still all you?"
Max didn't flinch as she returned her mother's gaze, "Yes, I am still and only all me."
Howard made the connection, "And that is how everyone was given their magical abilities."
Astrid replied, "Yes. Max is of the Warrior class, she can slow down time. She can also hit a target at extreme ranges with pinpoint accuracy and her reaction times are super human. Astrid is a Sorceress-Mage and has created all of our magical weapons. Vika is a Rogue-Shaman who has the gift of Portent which allows her to navigate the future. She also can disappear as well as jump her body to anywhere she can see as well as spiritually leave her body and wander around unseen."
Astrid continued, "I am a Sorceress-Mage and am able to make Oricalcum metal which is a magical metal much stronger than the strongest Titanium alloy and absorbs 99.9% of laser energy. I have also made magic gloves that allow Max, Nikki, Emma, and Vika to pull their weapons from thin air. Additionally, I can create a shield that absorbs kinetic energy from strikes or force waves and feeds it back to me as energy I can use."
"Paula is a Witch and can push or pull fortune to or from people at will. She can also place a hex upon them which knocks them out. She has a magic mirror which allows her to see any scene in real time through its pane. She can also put a trace on anyone and always knows where they are. You experienced her Hearth spell that can transport her and others to a designated place."
"Samira is a Paladin. She can create hard light shields and has lasers in her arms as well as hidden pistols in her thighs. Nikki is a Jinn and can inhabit any form, travel a whole world in an instant, and is basically a fire demon. Her twin, both of whom are blood related to Max, is a Ghost who can do lots of things including fly, move through walls, as well as discern motives and intents."
"Joon is a Bard-Priest and her Deity is called Angharradh, the Goddess of Elvin women who endowed her with gifts of health, music, and diplomacy. She can create a bubble of sanctuary where only those she allows may enter and no harm may come to them; and she can bless others with a healing aura."
Joon added, "Oh, and we are all bulletproof up to and including a 50 caliber rifle and we can all speak to each other using telepathy."
Howard and Mercedes were shocked to their cores. Mercedes asked, "How is this all possible? Mixie! You have biological sisters?"
Max responded, "It is all because I rescued Agatha. She is something called a Star Child by the members of the Minor Empires. She has all our abilities as well as can create new species, ecosystems, planets, even solar systems. She loves us and has given us our abilities as a way for us to protect ourselves."
Howard sighed, "This is a lot to take in. But this doesn't explain why we were attacked."
Astrid spoke up again, "I am very sorry dad, but that was because of me. The woman in the Gucci-flage is my stepmother. My father was a....very....wealthy man and I, along with his sister, got all the inheritance. Ingrid is a gold digger and wants to control me and/or get control of my money and she has been creating a big mess looking for me."
"She hired a group of mercenaries from a crime syndicate called 24K to kidnap me. That Witch we killed was likely going to put me under a spell to allow Ingrid to control me. As a Paladin, Astrid was able to bring the Witch back to life and control her instead. We sent her after all the ruling members of this 24K to kill them and seize their assets for our use."
Howard looked at Astrid, "I am glad you did that. I would have mounted an effort to kill them myself if you hadn't. I see now that would have been a mistake on my part. Just one of you here has me totally outclassed."
Simone was now compelled to kill all the movers and shakers in her crime syndicate. She was a senior partner in charge of enforcement within 24K, but she had to do as she was commanded as her life was no longer her own. Fit payment for underestimating her adversaries, she mused. Still, she was alive and she was set free to do the thing she most enjoyed, killing.
What her Mistress didn't know was 24K was having their tri-annual gathering on this very planet. It was, therefore, easy for her to gather a small force to capture and enslave both Ingrid and her stepdaughter. LOL, the poor fool didn't realize 24K had decided to take all their wealth from them after the kidnapping.
Simone easily recreated a Pentacle to help manifest her powers. It was not nearly as powerful as the Pentacle of Hecate she had acquired, but it would do.
Without preamble, Simone walked into the amphitheater where the gathering was being held and she immediately cast a spell making everyone in the place her unquestioning slave. She smirked at how easily the entire leadership of the most powerful crime syndicate in all of Terran history was so easily subdued.
Simone then commanded through the speakers, "All of you! Get online now and drain all your assets, putting them into account number Lga-98567-0000458sqb-fulmetter001. Do it now! When you are done with that, sell all your assets, set up accounts for your spouses and children if you have any and give them a million credits each to live out their lives in comfort. You will then take the rest of those credits and put them into the numbered account I just gave you."
"When you are finished, come to me and give me all the money you have on your person."
After an hour, the 250 thousand strong leadership of 24K began to line up to give Simone their money they had on hand. After each donation she cast a slow working spell on them with a negligent flip of her fingers letting them return to their seats and die.
Within 12 hours she had killed 250,000 of 24K's leadership class, had deposited around 40 trillion credits into her Mistress's bank account, and gathered over 3 billion credits for her personal use in hunting down the rest scattered throughout this part of the Galaxy.
In less than half a day, 24K was broke and broken with only outlying remnants remaining: and that was only temporary.
Astrid asked, "Where are we headed?"
Joon answered for her Captain-Wife: "We are headed to a deserted but fully stocked clandestine base called Oxbow. It is located in the asteroid belt of the red dwarf known as Proxima Centauri. Very few know of its existence who are still alive. Meeting Boggs is always a sketchy situation so everyone be on your guard."
Max stated, "We will be there in 20 hours. Mom? Dad? Why don't we get you situated in the guest room. I am sure you need some time to get yourselves oriented to all the shocks and changes."
Mercedes smiled, "That would be wonderful, dear. Your father and I have some celebrating to do."
Howard turned beet red and cleared his throat, "T.M.I. honey."
Joon laughed, "Seems that acorn didn't fall far from the tree as I had the same idea." The whole Bridge erupted in guffaws and snickers.
Howard rolled his eyes, secretly enjoying his wife and daughters enjoying themselves.
Just as they were about to leave the Bridge, Agatha walked in.
"Agatha!" Joon exclaimed, "Are you alright? What happened?"
Agatha nodded with a big smile, "I am fine, all hands are back up and healthy. When Paula opened a portal to divine power using her new talisman, she didn't realize she needed to shut it back down. As a result, the power buildup was going to kill her. I was able to absorb that energy but it took all my hands to do so safely. Thank goodness she still had enough sense to shut down the portal or we all would have died."
Paula was aghast, "I had no idea how powerful this thing was. I am so sorry!"
Vika nodded, "Paula, you have access to the power of gods. You must learn to use it safely and wisely. While the term 'absolute power corrupts absolutely' is a bit narrow minded, it's warning is very appropriate."
Paula nodded. "I understand and agree, thank you for your advice." Paula then asked Vika, "Can I try something? For you?"
Vika nodded, knowing the time had come.
Paula walked over to Vika and laid hands on her head, "By my will and the power of the gods, I restore your Portent in its fullest."
There was a white flash that surrounded Vika for a moment and Vika inhaled sharply, the fog on her mind she had been dealing with ever since she took on her rogue-shaman persona lifted and she was whole again. Vika hugged Paula and whispered in her ear, "Thank you."
Tears and hugs all around as the family celebrated their breakthroughs. Agatha was awash in the tender, loving emotions of the family and waited a moment before saying, "I have the Deirdre, all of you go celebrate being alive."
Mercedes lay in bed, next to her adoring husband. They had both taken off their clothing and lay naked under the sheets as they faced each other, looking deeply into each other's eyes. Both had wondering hands, though. Through the years of marriage they had each learned what touches the other enjoyed most and they both attended to each other.
This was not about sex, though that would come. This was about intimacy. Howard ran his fingers very softly over her breasts, leaving titillating lines of goose bumps in their wake. Merci, that was his pet name for her, did the same but used her fingernails over Howie's nipples.
They kissed deeply, but in a slow rhythm, not wanting to rush to the finish as they enjoyed each other. Merci whispered, "We both know that our lives have been thrown into chaos. We have no home, I cannot go back to my job with both of us now being targets. Do you have any ideas about where we go from here?"
Howard pulled lightly on her nipples, "We still have each other and a growing family. I was wondering if you would like to find a niche in their lives where we can support them. I was feeling more and more dissatisfied with the empty house, missing the kids."
Merci lifted one of her nipples to Howie's lips; and as he suckled and nibbled on it she agreed, "Yes, my work at the hospital was starting to become a grinding routine. I was satisfied with it until I looked at Agatha's DNA and then I realized how much I still don't know on a topic where I am one of the foremost experts."
Merci moaned as her lover worked her nipples and breasts. She knew Howie loved playing with them and she encouraged him to continue. She felt Howie's cock begin to stiffen and she lowered her hand to softly caress his manhood, coaxing it to its full erect length. Howie loved her feathery touches around the ridge and underneath at the Y of his sex. She also loved the sense of power she felt as she slowly coaxed him.
Merci was feeling vulnerable and she needed him inside her. She needed to feel his controlled strength as he made love to her. She rolled over him, straddling his waist, as she placed the head of his thick manhood at the entrance to her now sopping wet pussy...and she pushed against it.
Howard usually entered her in stages so as not to hurt her. But this time Merci was having none of that. She kept pressing with her dripping pussy until she had engulfed all of him in one, slow, long push. She kept him there, fully hilted inside of her as she sat up, knowing Howie would immediately go to work on her breasts with his strong hands.
Merci placed her hands on his shoulders to help her remain steady as Howard began to play more roughly with her breasts. She reveled in it. She began using her kegel muscles to slowly massage him as he remained still inside her. Over the years she had developed them so that now she could grab his cock like a vise and slide her inner walls up and down his shaft.
Howard grunted his pleasure as he lost himself in his wife's sex. He could sense she needed him to be strong and powerful with her while being under control so as not to hurt her so every once in a while he slapped one of her breasts with the flat of his hand. Each time, she gasped and began to move more quickly, her sensual temperature rising with the heat of his slaps.
After 15 minutes of this they were both very close to riding the wave and Merci looked deeply into her husband's eyes and raggedly whispered, "I love you." as they opened up their souls for each other just before their mutual climax. They were swallowed up into each other's gaze as their bodies convulsed, all the tenderness returning in their faces and hands as they roamed over each other.
They lay there, kissing and petting in post coital bliss when Merci smiled, "You remember Agatha can taste emotions?"
Howard's eyes got big and he turned beat red, "Oh."
Merci kissed him deeply, "I have zero reservations about her doing so when we make love, baby. It is a very special thing I do not mind sharing."
Howard thought for a moment and took a deep breath, "Yeah, with their abilities, there will be changes for sure. I say we jump in with both feet and see where it leads. Not like we are not secure enough or not mature enough to handle it. Heck, it could be fun."
They both knew where this was going, both of them also knew it was going to be an exciting ride, and both of them were ready to embrace the possible. Soon they dozed off, Howard still inside of his loving wife.
"Hello mom, may I join your dream? It is so full of love and warmth I just had to ask if you minded sharing."
"Agatha?"
"Yes, it is me. Yes, it is real. Yes we are sharing a dream."
"Wow." Was all Mercedes could say.
They were both nude in the dream but neither one was insecure about it. They both hugged and Mercedes thought, "This is so special. Do you do this with our other daughters as well?"
"Yes mom. Usually we have sex, talk, socialize with others. It is very fun and relaxed."
"Can you pull in Howard?"
"Sure! Let me ask him, first."
"Hello Dad, would it be okay for mom and I share your dream?"
Howard was stunned, but strangely not surprised. "Sure sweetheart. But I apologize if I do and apologize if I don't."
"No expectations and no recriminations, dad. This is a dream sharing and pretty much anything goes."
Agatha hugged him and their naked bodies entwined. Howard could already tell he was going to have a wet dream, though.
"Agatha?"
"Yes, dad?"
"You do realize base urges surface in dreams, yes?"
"Merci whispered in his ear from behind, "That is kind of the point, my love," as she began playing with Agatha's breasts and nipples. "I know you realize you have no recovery time in a dream, baby. Let's have some fun with Agatha and you can show us how virile you are filling us both up with your baby cream."
Howard couldn't help it. He was rock hard in a half second. He knew himself and he knew it was pointless to have guilty thoughts in a dream where the subconscious could dictate and go where the conscious mind would not. Without a second thought he took Agatha into his arms and began a loving ménage à trois with her and his wife.
What he didn't quite expect was Agatha looking up from between his thighs asking, "Daddy, to you really want your loving daughter to suck your cock for you?"
Before he could react, Merci had her pussy in his face as he was lying on his back and began to grind as she responded to Agatha's teasing, "Yes he does darling daughter, give him your best as I watch."
Howard just groaned and decided to deal with it all later.
The rest of the family was in the CQ and everyone undressed as if they were on a mission. Emma looked at Nikki and asked, "You want to try something really off the wall?" She sent Nikki a visual image and Nikki giggled, "Oh! Absolutely!"
Emma and Nikki then merged into one person. When they spoke it was as if one voice was overlaid over the other, "Dear Max, as you are also a sister, would you please have sex with us?"
Max was a bit unsure and she responded, "That is a bit outside my wheelhouse, are you sure?"
Emma/Nikki replied in a calming voice, "Sister, the two of us have been having sex together as a necessity for years. Now we can have so much more fun! And we don't have to take turns!"
Joon added, "Damn that is hot! I am about to cum just thinking about it!" Joon immediately laid Emma/Nikki (EN) onto the bed and dove between her thighs, licking and sucking her sex. For the already oversexed twins, the effect was doubled as each twin felt and reacted to the stimulation as if they were one person but both felt the sensations together. In no time EN was riding one fifty foot wave after another.
Max had to agree, it was very erotic. She tapped Joon on the shoulder and took her place with her erect member and slowly pressed the head of her dripping cock to the entrance of her sister's very wet pussy. She quickly met the resistance of her hymens and held there for a moment.
"You are giving up your virginity to me, are you both sure?"
In answer the twins humped their sex which forced Max's rock hard but very well lubed cock through their hymens and deep into their pussies. There was a quick gasp and then a low guttural moan as the girls felt Max's cock fill them. It was taboo but exciting all at the same time. The twins were more than enthusiastic and leached onto Max as they began to rock their pelvis up and down, moving the head front to back deep inside them.
"Oh Max, that feels sooo good!" the twins echoed as the three enjoyed the slick, hot, throbbing cock enveloped in two willing and very reactive pussies at once. Soon Max was having difficulty holding back, her sisters having multiple climaxes one after the other like they were.
Both sisters felt it in stereo and moaned between their multiple orgasms, "Please cum inside us, please? We want to feel it together."
Max held the twins close and whispered, "Love you both!" as she came inside both twins at once.
The twins let out a long wail of ecstasy before passing out.
Max looked around the bed and it seemed all her wives were either in the process of climaxing or were worn out and finished from the exertion. Astrid was able to still engage and shook her head, "That was the hottest thing I have ever seen in my entire life!"
After a moment, the twins came to and separated. Emma shook her head, "We are ruined! Nothing can top that!" To which all the wives laughed.
Lakita watched over Agatha, holding her in her arms and slowly rocking the First Secretary while she rested. Her strong hand gently caressing Agatha's silver and black hair as she held Agatha's head against the soft mound of her breast.
Eventually Lakita began a soft Largathian lullaby. In the middle of the song, she felt Agatha stir and looked down into her now open eyes as she continued to sing. Agatha smiled and snuggled in, enjoying the intimacy until Lakita finished singing.
"Dear Agatha, are you well?"
"Yes Lakita. The family was attacked and I had to absorb a lot of energy. Containing it exhausted me for a moment. Everyone is fine now."
Looking into Lakita's eyes, she slid one of her dress straps off her muscular shoulder, exposing the nipple of her breast. Agatha latched on, suckling Lakita's large nipple as the Largath began to take deep, shuddering breaths.
After a few minutes, Agatha dove between Lakita's thighs which rippled with muscular strength tightly held in check and she began licking her huge clit. It was moist, hard, and easily 5 inches long. Agatha pressed her lips to the tip, slowly pushed back the sheath and began giving Lakita a blow job on her extremely sensitive clit, sucking it in and out between her lips as she lathed it with her tongue.
Lakita began a deep, guttural, loud groan. Those nearby could hear her but didn't dare interrupt, realizing Lakita was having a personal moment.
"Soon," Lakita panted as Agatha slipped her hand and forearm into Lakita and began running her fingertips across her G-spot.
Lakita stiffened, let out a deep roar, and had a whole body climax as her sex squirted what seemed like a small creek of vaginal fluid. Her contractions were so strong she held Agatha's forearm like a vise inside her vagina. After it was finished, Agatha gave Lakita's clit a small, delicate kiss, which caused it to spasm again, before she pulled out her arm accompanied by a soft moan and shiver by Lakita. After a moment Agatha went to the toilet to grab some towels.
Soumii and Mosira stood vigil over Agatha until she came too. Mosira held Agatha down when she tried to sit up and asked, "Agata, goot?"
Agatha nodded her head as the big Kintark warrior did her best to show concern. She reached up and patted Mosira on her jawline, "Yes, Agatha is good. Family attacked, all safe."
The Kintark warrior's eyes flashed, "Goot warriorsss yern fanary iss." and she let Agatha sit up with some assistance.
Soumii asked, "Agatha good to help Ssoumii dock Freeport at the sshipyard?"
Agatha nodded and got up, ready to help.
Agatha nudged everyone who was asleep on the Deirdre awake, "We are 4 hours out from Oxbow. Perhaps it is time to begin preparations? Breakfast will be ready in 10 minutes."
With that there was a flurry of activity for toilets, showers, and clothing. Howard and Mercedes got up from bed, "Dang, Howie! Good thing that was just a dream! You would have killed us both with all that sex!"
Howard was red in embarrassment again and didn't look his wife in the eye, "Well, hon...as you said, our lives are different now. I hope you have no regrets and that you enjoyed yourself."
Mercedes lifted her very strong man's chin with one finger, looked him dead in the eye and said, "Not one regret. We have to adjust if we want to stay in our children's lives. They have surpassed us and we need to catch up. And, yes, I enjoyed the heck out of it."
Howard let out a deep breath he didn't know he was holding, kissed his wife, and carried her to the showers as she giggled...Howard enjoyed how her breasts moved when she laughed.
Agatha wanted to make everyone a special meal. Breakfast was a large flour tortilla with a square of fried bulk Chorizo placed in the middle. Over the flat square of chorizo was placed a thick slice of pepper jack cheese, a hard fried egg, and a rectangle of crispy-fried hash brown.
The flour tortilla was then folded over the stack, sealing it completely, and fried golden brown in butter until it was crispy on both flat sides. It was served with a mild Tomatillo and Jalapeno salsa in dipping bowls to the side. Vegetable juice and milk were served along with some hot tea and coffee.
Agatha looked to Mercedes and Howard, "I wish to warn you that the milk has some of my essence in it. I made it for both of you because I want to be able to strengthen your bodies and help keep you from injury. It is your decision to partake or not. It is just, well, you are the only parents I have ever known and I would like you to be around for a while so I can enjoy you."
Howard looked at Mercedes who nodded assent and then poured them both a glass of milk and everyone dug in without another word.
Mercedes was beside herself and ate until she was almost sick. "Agatha, you can cook for me anytime! That was a wonderful breakfast and so very thoughtful! I must say I have never had that brand of tea before but it was delicious! And the coffee, made with a pinch of cinnamon?"
Agatha was all smiles, "Thank you, mom. I wanted to make everyone a special breakfast since we all missed dinner. The tea is Wunai Moon Tea from the planet of Dau and the coffee is freshly ground dark roast Arabaca with freshly ground cinnamon, yes."
"And where did you get the Salsa?" Howard asked, "It is some of the best I have ever tasted."
"I made it from scratch with fresh Tomatillos and Jalapenos as you slept."
"Well, next time you cook and need a sous chef just let me know!"
Everyone helped with the cleanup except Paula, Astrid, Mercedes, and Howard. They were pulled into Astrid's office. "We need to get you a proper set of armor that will protect you with all the fighting we seem to be involved with lately. Paula then levitated some heavy cloth that was thick but light and highly wicking. She then cut it into patterns to make mom and dad custom under garments for the oricalcum armor Paula was smelting.
Astrid paused a moment and exclaimed, "Paula! No furnace?"
Paula smiled, "I am strong enough I don't need it now." The pulses of magical energy from the making of the metal were easily absorbed by her bubble and soon she had enough oricalcum for both parents to have a complete set of protective armor. To each chest piece, Paula had embedded her own Pentacle, each segment made up of either ether, water, air, earth, fire, or various metals to give the wearer protective power over all the elements.
After Paula had enchanted the pentacles and armor she had Mercedes and Howard approach them. "You have to bond with your armor. It is magical and must have a master or mistress to command it. After it accepts you, all you need do is call, "Armor, come to me" and it will automatically fly to you and encase you without any effort on your part."
"You need to be aware, though, if there is no clear path to you when you call it, it will make one."
Both of them approached their respective armors and Mercedes caressed hers asking, "Will you bond with me please and be my armor?" Howard just grudgingly showed his respect, grabbing the articulating hand of the armor and shaking it."
Both pentacles flashed and Paula clapped. "Yay! Now call them to yourselves."
Both of the parents voiced, "Armor! come to me!" Immediately both sets of armor rose up and enveloped each of them. Howard was a bit unsure at first, but after going though his Kata he realized the armor seemed to have no weight or momentum and the mobility was akin to him wearing his Gi. "Okay, I am suitably impressed. Now how do I get it off?"
Just say, "Armor, rest." Paula responded.
Both parents said the words and their armor unclasped and lay down at their feet.
"You say they are magical, what are their properties?"
"99.99% laser resistant, you can withstand extended Gatling laser fire. Also, bullets will be deflected. A tank round will cause some concern, but below that, no worries. Also, your strength, reflexes, and speed will be greatly enhanced while wearing them. And spells cast against you will not land, except in the case of a VERY strong Witch like we met yesterday." Paula replied.
Mercedes quirked a smile, "Okay, that is pretty cool."
Howard then asked, "You said these suits would make a path to us if one is not available. As in go through titanium hulls?"
"Yes," Paula answered.
"What if I am wearing it?"
"Then you can punch your way through a titanium plate wall."
"Yeah, that is amazing." Howard agreed with his wife.
"One last thing," Paula began her enchantment and on the breastplates and backplates emblems of Solomoriah appeared and looked as if they were alive, the eyes following the parents as they moved.
"Those are enchanted cats and you have two each. They can manifest and do your bidding. Just think what you want them to do and your pentacle will relay the command."
Max sent out an all call, "Everyone to the Bridge, please. I have an announcement."
Astrid and Paula seemed confused so Mercedes asked, "What's the matter?"
"Max just called everyone to the Bridge for an announcement."
"I take it that is unusual?"
"First time."
"Then we should not waste time, should we?"
When everyone had gathered, Max pulled up a hologram with the account they had just made and given to the Witch to deposit 24K accounts into. The balance on the account was 40,345,673,935,751 credits.
Howard got a bit uncomfortable, "That amount of money is going to make a lot of people very nervous."
Joon asked, "Agatha, check the news stories for any mass deaths or murders on our home planet, please?"
It wasn't long before a news feed started up about 250,000 people in a civic center, some of whom were prominent politicians, high ranking military officers, planetary law enforcement officers, lawyers, judges, planetary governors, and interstellar business owners, who had all died immediately, of seeming natural causes, after liquidating all their assets and putting most of them into the same bank account number. The Terran Federation was investigating.
Max looked at the account a bit more closely and saw there was a freeze on the account and while deposits could be made, withdrawals could not.
"Okay," Joon whispered, "We can definitely rebuild mom and dad's house once the money is unfrozen."
While that quip would be humorous later, right now it fell flat.
Max looked to Vika, "What do you suggest we do?"
Vika smiled, "Have Uncle Boggs get hold of that Smythe Admiral and let him know all of them were members of an interstellar crime syndicate called 24K and the family, under authorization from the Terran Federation High Command, took out the leadership of that organization as they were responsible for subverting governments and were involved in interstellar criminal enterprises which included kidnapping, extortion, piracy, theft, and human trafficking just to name a few."
Those proceeds are earmarked for High Command to ameliorate any economic impacts minus a ten percent finder's fee to the group that organized the summary justice allowed under Terran Federation Piracy laws."
Howard laughed his ass off. Everyone looked in his direction and he said, "There is no way in hell the Admiralty isn't going to jump all over this and claim credit when they can get their hands on over 36 trillion credits!"
Joon and Mercedes agreed, and Max let out a deep breath, realizing he was right.
"Yeah, and our names are on that account, so it isn't like T-Fed isn't already looking for us. Which means we need to be very careful when we approach our meet with Boggs."
Astrid then dropped the bomb, "That leaves us with over 4 trillion credits. There is no way we could ever spend it all."
Agatha spoke up, "We are about to enter the gravitational zone of Oxbow. What are your orders, Captain?"
"Approach from an oblique angle and slowly traverse the area around Oxbow. See if you can pick up anyone's emotions."
After a few tense moments Agatha made a sharp turn. "There seems to be a large ship just ahead of us. We are in full stealth mode so it is highly unlikely they know we are here. Also I am not picking up any emotions from the bridge to indicate we have been seen."
"And Oxbow itself?"
"Your Uncle is very nervous, along with a woman beside him. There is another man inside their shuttle and at least 60 people with neutral intent scattered around the bay in little alcoves trying to hide. There are an additional 4 people around the shuttle."
"Your overall assessment, Ags?"
"Ready for hostilities but not committed. We should be safe to land. It is my opinion what happens after depends on our conversation with Uncle Boggs."
Howard swore, "That Son of a Bitch!"
Max calmed him down, saying:"Dad, he has been Naval Intelligence since before Sutton was ousted. He was their man on the inside. While he is a bit cold hearted, it is his necessary nature for survival. He is not evil."
"Fine, I will withhold judgment. But if he becomes a threat, I am not going to play around with him."
"Agatha, I want one hand with us. All of the family will exit together after we land. Paula, put everyone on that battleship asleep so hex them all. And be ready to hex all the combatants except the ones around the shuttle on my command. Mom and Dad, suit up with your helmets in hand. I want GOAT to know who you are."
Paula concentrated a moment and then smiled, "Battleship is fully hexed and out of commission."
"Agatha, take us in."
Mercedes and Howard smiled at each other. "She's good."
"Very good."
Joon and Max just winked as their ship entered the docking bay.
Boggs hated this, so much could go wrong so quickly. From the satellite film he saw of the confrontation at the house he knew these troops were massively outclassed, but the Admiral insisted. Boggs tried to tell him it was sending the wrong message to no avail. When he heard the retrothrusters from out of nowhere his ass puckered.
Within minutes the rear cargo door opened revealing the entire crew plus, "Fuck!...Hello Mercedes. Howard." Boggs announced.
Mercedes answered, "A pleasure as always. It has been a while. You doing well?"
Howard just looked around with disdain at the troops surrounding them, "They do realize they have put themselves in line to kill each other if they open fire, right?"
"Not my problem, Howie."
"Nor mine." Max said.
*Hex just the soldiers around us, not the four at the shuttle or Boggs or Nanna.*
"Dad, Mom, release your cats to cover the four in nanoweave at the shuttle. No attacking unless released, please."
At that moment the four felines erupted from Mercedes' and Howard's armor and quickly approached the four guarding the Admiral, walking up and sitting directly in front of them and emitting a low growl as they made it obvious they could be seen just as every other soldier hit the deck, knocked out to a person.
"Not a very warm reception, Boggs."
Boggs shrugged, "Not my call, Anders."
At that moment, Nikki and Emma took on their human forms, having gone invisible themselves, and called to "Nanna!" as they rushed her."
For the first time in her life, Naja Yolanie Xander shed a tear in happiness.
"Oh my dears! You are growing up so fast! And you each have your own body now! How is that even possible?"
"It was Agatha's doing Nanna! She is a very special being that can do that sort of thing." The twins pulled their Nanna to the family and introduced them all, leaving Max for last. "Nanna, this is our sister Melinoe. We just call her Max. Her last name is Anders."
Looking directly at Max, Naja quietly said, "I thought you were dead. No one knew where you were. I searched for years."
Boggs coughed, "Perhaps now is not the time, Naja."
Naja ignored him, knowing the possible consequences, she had to come clean, "I thought your adopted mother had something to do with your death. I could not touch her so I employed a group of assassins to kill her. I am so sorry."
Max froze. All the hurt and anger and lust for revenge rushed at her in an overwhelming wave. Agatha began to sooth her,
*Max, it was a mistake. If you kill her now, you will only perpetuate the evil and you will lose your sisters. Don't destroy our family, please.*
The red mist cleared and Max saw she had a knocked arrow inches from Naja's face. Naja looked into Max's eyes, accepting her fate. Her eyes full of sadness. "I am so sorry," was all she said.
Nikki and Emma pleaded vocally and mentally, "
*Please do not kill our Nanna! Please! She is the reason we are still alive!*
"
Max slowly lowered and dismissed her bow, "I became the huntress and killer I am today for the sole reason of finding you and killing you. Now I find that was a dead end. I will not become that which I hate."
Naja let out a deep breath, "You are wiser than I. You are my granddaughter, I would never knowingly hurt you. I am so sorry."
"Give me time. I need to work through all this. Perhaps one day I will be able to forgive you."
At that moment, all four cats growled.
Joon looked at the shuttle, saw Admiral Smythe, and cried out, "You four can take off your nanoweave, we all know you are there and can track you without issue so it is pointless."
"Ahh, Ambassador Smith, Captain Anders, it is a pleasure to meet with you again, although I wish it were under better circumstances."
Joon had swiped GLAMOR over her face and body a few times prior to leaving the ship and she walked over to Admiral Smythe. "Let's cut to the chase, shall we? Admiral, all of them were members of an interstellar crime syndicate called 24K and the family, under authorization from the Terran Federation High Command, took out the leadership of that organization as they were responsible for subverting governments and were involved in interstellar criminal enterprises which included kidnapping, extortion, piracy, theft, and human trafficking just to name a few."
"Those proceeds are earmarked for High Command to ameliorate any economic impacts minus a ten percent finder's fee to the group that organized the summary justice allowed under Terran Federation Piracy laws...which would be us. I am sure you can verify everything with a little snooping."
"Lift the freeze on the account and we will immediately transfer 90% of the current proceeds into High Command's coffers, you can take all the credit, and we can be on our way."
"Before we do anything, you need to lift the communications blocker so I can call the battleship stationed outside. They have orders to attack this asteroid should I not report in."
"We don't have a comms blackout running, Admiral. The reason they are not answering is because they are all asleep. We didn't want any complications and were a bit unsure how things were going to go down, sorry."
"Asleep? How the hell did you put an entire Terran Battleship to sleep!?"
"Same way we did with your soldiers here, Admiral."
"Humph. Well, are you still one of ours, Mrs. Smith?"
"Admiral, we put family first, the Terran Federation second, and the power structure within the Terran Federation third. As long as you don't threaten the family, that answer is unequivocally yes. I hope you will note we have taken the trouble to not kill anyone here. It would have been just as easy to do so."
Admiral Smythe nodded. "Okay, you wake everyone up, I will stand them down, along with my personal guard with you calling off your cats, and let's do this. I will want a non-disclosure agreement with everyone here. One last question, will there be any more mass killings?"
"It is our understanding this will be the only one. However, we have an operative who will be visiting every planet where 24K had operatives and will be eliminating them if they are still in business."
"Just 24K operatives, no families or children?"
"Just like with the civic center, families and children will be well cared for."
"Then we have a deal."
"Make sure the monies are transferred directly to the Terran Federation's High Command account, Admiral. It would be a shame to find some of it was diverted."
"Are you threatening me Mrs. Smith?"
"I just wanted to be clear, Admiral. After what you have seen, a threat would seem to be unnecessary. Wouldn't you agree?"
"Yes, I see your point."
*Paula, wake everyone up here and on the battleship, please.*
*Done!*
*Max, how are you doing?*
*I'm good. I need to work through this some, but I am not wanting to kill her on sight anymore."
*How are the twins?*
*Having a grand time showing off to Boggs and Naja.*
The soldiers in the alcove began coming around and Admiral Smythe's comms device lit up with an urgent situation report. "Yes, I am fine Captain. You can secure from General Quarters, everything is well in hand here. There are no threats to me or anyone else at this time."
Mom and dad called back their cats which leapt back to their places and the four person security detail took off their nanoweave. One asked, "Ambassador, would those magical cats have been able to hurt us?"
Joon nodded, "Not just hurt you, you have nothing on you that could harm them. They are impervious to laser and solid munitions and their talons can rip through your battle armor with ease."
"No shit?"
"No shit. Want a demonstration?"
"Nah, I think I'm good. Thanks anyway."
"Let me know if you change your mind, soldier."
"Roger that, Ambassador."
Admiral Smythe had unlocked the bank account and set up the transfer of 90% of the balance to the High Command's accounts receivable, waiting for Joon's DNA scan to finalize the transfer. Joon verified the transfer and smiled.
"I must say, your methods are pretty heavy handed, Ambassador."
"Heavy handed? I am not the one who put an innocent family under gunpoint with over 50 soldiers and 4 special operators. Not to mention a whole Battleship. All for following the law of the Terran Federation in dealing with Pirates. Don't you think our approach was very measured and assured no one who was innocent got hurt?"
"What would have happened if we had given that information over to you? How many soldiers would have died? How many legal battles would have been fought? How hard would the reputation of the Terran Federation High Command have been hit?"
"This way, you get all the glory for dealing with this in a way that cost High Command nothing, brought into the coffers over 36 trillion credits at a time funds are understandably tight, and High Command looks like they are actually doing something right for a change."
"Yes, well, in hind sight I guess you are right."
Joon smiled, "You are most welcome, Admiral. Now, gather everyone around in a semicircle, I am going to get my guitar and a chair and sing for everyone." Astrid, with a bit of help, made a quick production out of it, putting up a green screen behind Joon so they could insert what backgrounds they wished.
Max handed Joon her iridescent green double necked guitar as Boggs found a comfortable seat for her to sit in.
Soon everyone was seated in layered rows around Joon as she swiped her GLAMOR one more time. She began with an old, archaic song by Steppenwolf called 'Born to be Wild' followed by another ancient song 'Rider on the Storm' by the Doors along with others from that era including 'Indian Reservation (The Lament of the Cherokee Reservation Indian)' by Paul Revere and the Raiders, 'Bad Moon Rising', 'All Right Now', 'The Sound of Silence', 'Way Down', 'Ghost Riders in the Sky', 'Far Over the Misty Mountains Cold', 'Man of Constant Sorrow', 'Long Cool Woman', and 'Sultans of Swing'.
Some how Joon was able to vocalize 5 different voices at once as she sang, all of them full of depth and resonance, and, by the end of the short impromptu show, everyone was mesmerized. Every soldier from Private to Admiral clamored for more and begged for autographs. They got lots of good shots of the soldiers having the time of their lives as well. The reverberations from the hard walls of the landing alcove in the asteroid made for some unforgettably fantastic background sounds for the video.
Astrid worked overtime getting the production to a final stage with in-period film shots as well as the audience and pictures of Joon worked into the background. She titled it, 'An Impromptu show with members of the Terran Federation Military.' When she was finished she shot a copy to the Battleship with full rights to distribute among the TFN. It took her all of 20 minutes with her now advanced wet ware.
Within 5 minutes of watching, Captain Catherine Carstairs had it broadcast to Olympus with a request to have it sent to every port, ship, fort, shipyard, and training facility in the Terran Federation. Within two hours the video had been seen by over 30 million people and the numbers were rising astronomically.
Finally, it was time to go. Naja said goodbye to her grandchildren, taking the time to thank Max and the girls for taking good care of them and making them into strong young women. She admitted this whole situation, including the killing of so many in 24K, had given her a lot of peace and she expressed her appreciation.
The crew of the Deirdre held back. Joon looked at Max,
*Time to requisition supplies?*
Max nodded and Howard and Mercedes were given the grand tour of a ghost protocol base. Both parents were silent, being totally blown away by their daughter's performance.
Mercedes hugged their daughter as they walked through the lonely hallways, "You know dear, when you decide to retire from your Ambassadorship, you can easily make a living of singing concerts. You are the most talented singer I have ever heard. And that is not just your mother talking."
Joon looked to her father who looked back with adoring eyes, a single tear flowing from his eyes. He was barely able to croak, "You never cease to make me proud."
Joon was beaming.
All three Agathas not on the Deirdre received copies of the newest music video and they shared them with their associates. Both Major-Domos asked for permission to release the video to their populations and Soumii broadcast it on a loop for some time on Freeport. In all instances it was a smashing success.
Mary had asked Agatha to come to tea. Knowing the topic of conversation as well as wanting to give Mary an update on what was happening with 24K, she immediately closed up shop and walked towards Mary's private residence. As she was becoming quite the regular associate of the Chair, no one thought twice about her being there and she shared several polite greetings with the Bract she met along the way.
When she arrived, Mary's door was ajar. "Mary?"
"Oh yes, Agatha! Please, do come in!"
Agatha entered, closing the door behind her and seating herself at the tea table. "Have you any news from the Board, Mary?"
Mary entered with her teapot and poured for them both. "Indeed I do, Agatha. I am pleased the Board has accepted your invitation to do business and has also agreed to take action against the members of 24K on our depots. It seems the Terran Federation has decided to use Bract shipping exclusively with all trade concerning the Minor Empires and with Freeport. We have reached a tentative agreement as to pricing and await Terran High Command's approval."
"One wonders how such a notion got into the Terran Federation."
Agatha smiled but only winked. "I do have news on the 24K front you need to pass on, your Depots may want to move up their timeline a bit. It seems over 250,000 24K movers and shakers were in a convention all together and they suddenly transferred all their cash to the family and subsequently passed away from natural causes. With the cash flow gone from the organization, you may wish to go ahead and deal with the members on your Depots to prevent them from going freelance."
"Indeed! Interesting how so many died of natural causes right after giving their assets to the family. You had nothing to do with that, I am sure."
"Well, to be honest, one of their Witch enforcers decided to attack the family and was killed. The Witch was resurrected by one member of the family and, as a result, became her slave. The Witch was then sent on a mission to destroy 24K. Making sure to spare families and children and give them enough credits to live comfortably, of course."
"I can see there being push back on that." Mary astutely commented.
"Indeed, the family collected over 40 trillion credits in their account which was immediately frozen due to the investigation into the deaths of so many public officials. However, the family just kept a 10% finder's fee and gave the rest to the Terran Federation who will take credit for the cleansing of the public ranks."
Mary let out a soft chuckle, "How diplomatic of the Federation to work that out."
Agatha nodded in agreement with a sly wink.
"Thank you for this intelligence, Agatha. I will speak with the Board immediately upon the conclusion of our tea and I am certain they will agree to move against 24K before the evening is over. Also, if you could get me a list of all entities involved or are fronts for 24K we will be sure to not do any more business with them in the future."
"Actually, Mary, I cross referenced all the depositors with their business interests and have made just such a list." Agatha handed Mary a digital drive with the information on it. "I did not want to broadcast this before giving it to you so as not to hinder any investigations you had running."
Agatha had already given the list to Minsu to hand over to the Sharik-Sah so they might also begin moving against any bands of 24K operating in their space.
The Ornalith space station in the Xi Pisscium system was a huge station. However, Freeport was way too large to dock with it. Instead, Freeport set up stationary position about 50,000 meters from the station. This allowed the station to compensate for the gravitational pull such a massive craft had and within moments of 'parking' Freeport, a large group of Ornalith docked with the mining station and were greeted by Agatha, Soumii, and Mossira to begin the inspection, planning, logistics, and costs of the refit.