Max Intel: Melinoe - Chapter 6

Max opened her eyes and the first glorious thoughts in her mind were of the women in her life now lying next to her. She held the two lovely visions in her arms and Max listened contentedly to their breathing as they slept.

Max felt so good about the fact they were now both with her; she also felt a strong desire to protect them and keep them safe.

In that regard, Max felt she could do better: she really needed data on Int Ops. Specifically, her status needed clarification so she could figure out what she needed to do to keep both of her ladies safe.

Her ladies... her family.

Max felt her wife stirring, so she looked her way, and watched her yawn widely. Grass-green eyes tried to focus, then looked at Max.

She smiled. That smile melted Max's heart every time.

Joon kissed the breast she had snuggled up even closer.

Max craned her neck and kissed Joon on the forehead. "Good morning, my love," Max whispered, "how do you feel?"

Joon winced a little, and whispered, "Kind of sore, I may have gone a little overboard last night."

Max made a comforting face and hugged her gently. Max whispered, "You looked amazing."

Joon smiled as she moved up to kiss Max, "So did you, I really enjoyed seeing you ride Ag's face like that."

They both heard purring and looked over at the steel-grey gilded with silver cat-eyes of their girlfriend.

Agatha smiled as she projected waves of affection over her bonds, "Good morning." Joon beamed and moved up further, dragging her large breasts across Max's nipples as she deeply kissed Agatha.

Max carefully cupped her wife's small round ass and was delighted she caused Joon to moan into Agatha's mouth.

When the kiss was finished, Agatha moved up to kiss Max and their tongues swirled briefly.

Joon slipped off the bed and padded to the bathroom and was followed by Max and Agatha a moment later.

During the morning toilet and wash rotation Max began to outline what she wanted to accomplish today and then asked what everyone else wanted to do.

Joon wanted to dig into medical, but offered to help in any way she could.

Agatha was interested in actually shooting firearms, and Max thought it might be possible if they moved deeper into the woods.

"All the guns?" Joon glanced at Max.

"I was going to just use the XR75's," Max responded.

Joon purses her lips, "I did see some pretty big weapons down there." Joon muses.

Max glanced at her tiny wife, "Are you saying you want to shoot big guns?"

"Oh no, but I would like to watch you do it." Joon smirked, glancing at Agatha.

Agatha smiled at Max.

"We'll see." Max smooched Joon and Agatha.

They headed down to the cargo bay for the morning kata. Max thumbed the DNA lock on the bay door, revealing the dark but brightening forest. The morning chill rolled in as Max, Joon and the four Agatha limbered up.

Max stood tall, and bowed.

The others bowed in response. The kata began.

As the kata progressed, Max watched the marked difference with Agatha's form. Joon's expression showed she noticed it too.

Agatha had surpassed Max in form and technique. Max realized she shouldn't be surprised, Agatha had one brief lesson with Howard and was able to absorb his kata.

After the third rotation had concluded and everyone bowed. Max and Joon came together smiling.

"She totally got that from daddy," Joon nodded.

Max agreed, "Yup, her kata is flawless now."

All four Agatha came together and stood before their girlfriends.

"Was that acceptable?" One Agatha asked, with a shade of worry on her face.

Max glanced at her wife.

Joon replied to Agatha, "It was perfect, now we just go over actual fighting stances and you'll be set.

Max nodded, "I'll work out something with Howard, It will pay dividends to have him instruct her with combat.

Joon thumbed the cargo door closed, stopping the relentless morning chill: her erect nipples were still sore.

All of them went to hot showers. Max, Joon and one Agatha in one and three Agatha in the other.

Joon commented, "I think we're in trouble if Ags decides to learn everything and take over the Federation.

Agatha gasped and her eyes got huge. "I wouldn't do that. Joon, I swear it!."

Max holds up her hands in a calming gesture and a big smile on her face, "It's okay Ags, Joon was just fucking with you."

Agatha blinked, "Oh! okay..."

Joon hugged her girlfriend saying, "Just try not to upstage me on guitar. I probably would not take that well." with a giggle.

Joon and Agatha giggled together at her comment as they rinsed themselves off, dried themselves, and dressed. Max wore her soft BDU's and Agatha her black pleated skirt and loose blouse. Joon wore a pretty dark green dress and some suede platform heels.

Everyone enjoyed a hearty breakfast. Joon insisted on making Max's favorite, her father's recipe for pain perdu. Agatha delighted in it.

They all cleaned up together after breakfast; chatting about clothes and accessories. Joon got an excited look on her face and went to the command cabin followed by an Agatha. Joon dug out the bag of stuff from PharMart and showed Agatha four high quality hair brushes. Agatha beamed as her other bodies came into the command cabin.

Max went to the bridge, eased into the command chair, and started looking around the holonet. There were many scores of operations still underway in the Sol system and so many discussion rooms addressing the Admiralty's failures that Max had to just ignore them in her search to find any mention of the real facts about the TFN status.

She mulled over another reconnoiter of dark corners.

She decided yes, it should be safe because it was sterilized last time she was there.

Max just hoped she wasn't being stupid as she logged in as Ms_Muffit.

Ms_Muffit entered Dark Corners.

Joon was comfortable with people, she even liked most of them. Her music allowed her the opportunity to use her insights into people in general, it also gave her an excuse to observe them more closely without being obvious about it.

Agatha listened to Joon's observations while she was brushing out long glossy beautiful hair.

"Max said there were all kinds of people, good and bad." Agatha stated.

"That's very true, most people fall in between those two labels though, and it can be flexible depending on what they have gone through or are going through."

Joon paused her lecture a moment, "Max did not have a good start in her life. Someone who doesn't know her might only look at her start and her job and say she was a bad person."

Agathas' eyes grew wide, "Max is not a bad person, Joon."

"From our perspective, no of course not," Joon responded. " However, Max did do a lot of bad things for our government."

"It would be difficult for a person to look objectively at what she did in her job, and not think of her as a villain."

"Max was not doing those bad things because she liked it or wanted to, she was doing something called duty." Joon's mouth was thin-lipped and serious.

"Her reasons for being a villain, for duty, was to find justice for Deirdre."

Joon smiled, her serious demeanor melted away, "So sometimes good people do bad things, and bad people do good things, you should judge a person by what they have done, but try adding the reasons for why they do them also."

Agatha nodded gaining new insight into humans in general, as well as Max and Joon.

The four Agatha all braided their hair, in a display of coordination they started and finished in unison.

Joon beamed, "I love it when you do stuff like that, it's like a dance.

Agatha happily accepted the compliment.

"I'm going to go on patrol, do some research and go hang out with Max." Agatha announced.

"Great!, I'm going to get in trouble in medical," Joon giggled and asked, "Want to help me?"

Agatha went to the bridge, two went to the armory and one Agatha nodded and followed Joon.

Small, but well equipped for a ship this size, the corvette's medical was designed to make use of all available space.

Joon eyed every piece of medical equipment recognizing everything, She immediately went to one in particular. She turned it on and tapped the self-diagnostic sequence and nodded, then went to the comdesk and slid in.

She tapped furiously on it's interface making a bored face.

Agatha tilted her head while watching Joon.

"I'm getting my file from Pinehurst, the medical facility where I work, and I'm going to use it for calibration."

Joon crossed her eyes, "And of course I have to jump through bureaucratic hoops."

After several minutes Joon smiled. "Got it." She moved back over to the machine, pulled a small packaged item with two solid ends and a long tether out of a bin and opened the hygienic package; plugging it into the machine.

Joon pulled up her sleeve and touched the item to her skin, then placed it into the device.

Agatha smiled as Joon winked at her.

She tapped out a few sequences and waited.

"This machine looks at the sample I just took, and will compare it to my file, and since my file is current, it should match." Joon smiled at Agatha as she explained her actions.

The medical machine showed the scan results and Joon reviewed it.

Agatha looked over her shoulder, so Joon explained some of what the information meant.

"Would you like to start a file on me?" Agatha asked.

Joon smiled, "I was hoping you'd let me."

"I would like you to, I am very curious also." The alien girl's eyes danced.

Joon changed out the tip of the sampling device with a new one from the hygienic packaging.

Tapping a few things out on the machine's interface, Joon smiled at Agatha, "Okay sweetheart, this won't hurt a bit."

The sampling device just lightly grazed Agatha's skin. Agatha watched and felt nothing at all.

Joon plugged it into the machine port, she tapped a couple more times and waited.

Agatha rested her chin on Joons shoulder and Joon reached up to cradle her girlfriend's face with a gentle palm.

The display came alive with information.

"Whooooa!," Joon whispered, her eyes wide in surprise as she went over the results.

Dark Corners didn't appear to be any different from her last visit.

Max initially navigated Ms_Muffit around at random but eventually Max decided to actually do some exploring: she had no idea how big it actually was.

Ms_Muffit went through a chat room, but it was shaped weird. Like a biscuit with a bite taken out of it. She moved along the edges, and slipped through the wall.

Max froze, she tried to back out, and couldn't "Shit." Max knew she could log out, but the account would just log back in here.

She was in some kind of,.. tunnel, it was round, not square. The texture was different too, like stone.

Agatha appeared next to the command station, watching what Max was doing. "Are you okay Max?" Agatha asked, glancing at Max, "You felt anxious."

"I'm not sure, I'm wandering around in dark corners and I'm trapped in a tunnel." Max sighed.

"Can I sit in your lap and watch?" Agatha smiled looking hopeful.

Max grinned, "Oh, sure."

Agatha crawled up into Max's lap and immediately began to nuzzle her neck before settling in to watch.

Ms_Muffit traveled down the long tunnel. Ms_Muffit comes out of the tunnel into what appears to be a massive open vertical shaft. Moving to the edge Max can peer up and down and notices the slow incline ramp around the edge of the shaft. Like a massive spiral staircase going up and down.

Max pursed her lips in thought.

"What would you do Ags?" Max asks without looking away from the holographic projection.

"I would go down the ramp." Agatha says with certainty

Max nodded and navigated Ms_Muffit down the ramp.

"So dark corners is like an open source MMO?" Agatha asked.

"Yea... one that can get you executed." Max replied.

"Oh... right." Agatha bit her lip.

Ms_Muffit walked down and down. Then after ten minutes of descent, the ramp leveled out.

The shaft was surprisingly bright here, the center of the shaft bottom looked like it was in full sunlight.

"Now what?"Max looked vexed.

"I think it's a puzzle," Agatha postulated, "it's called dark corners, so look for a dark corner."

Max smirked, "I'm not so sure it's that simple."

Under the ramp was the darkest part of the shaft bottom, and as Ms_Muffit got closer to that point an archway began to take shape.

"Whoooa." Max stared at the outline, "Maybe you should be doing this."

Agatha giggled, "Nah, I like watching you." and she kissed Max's neck, getting a smile out of her girlfriend.

Ms_Muffit walked towards the archway and slipped into darkness

"FEE," "FI," "FO," "FUM," "I smell the blood of an Englishman," "Be he alive, or be he dead," "I'll grind his bones to make my bread."

"What. The. Fuck?" Max said

Agatha calmly said, "Not by the hair on my chinny, chin, chin."

"What?" Max looked down at her.

Agatha looked all sweet and innocent, "I might have looked in the small notebook..."

"You're getting very good at using that look, has Joon been giving you lessons?" Max inquired with humor.

"Are you going to answer it?" Agatha raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, okay, one moment." Max put in the response.

Ms_Muffit appeared in a rectangular room, there was a table in the center with four chairs, no visible exits.

"It's just a chat room." Max commented. Agatha looked at it, "Sit in a chair."

Ms_Muffit sat in the closest chair, and the room changed around her.

Max looked around, there was someone standing in the corner facing a white post board, the username was BG_Gruff.

"Oh shit there's someone here!" Max was immediately stressed again.

"It's ok Max, we can't be back-traced, we'll be okay." Agatha spoke calmly and softly.

Max breathed in slowly... then exhaled.

Before Max could do anything...

BG_Gruff: Dammit Yance, where the fuck have you been?

Max just stared at the construct on the holographic projection.

BG_Gruff: The least you could have done was let us know you were alive.

Max had no Idea what to say.

BG_Gruff: Yance?

Ms_Muffit: Not exactly.

BG_Gruff: Who is this?

Ms_Muffit: Anders...

Seconds slowly ticked by.

BG_Gruff: Mission status?

Ms_Muffit: Who is this?

BG_Gruff: Boggs

Ms_Muffit: Mission-Fail, Asset Loss-13, Witnesses-None

BG_Gruff: WTF, Anders...

BG_Gruff: NVM... Everything is different now.

Ms_Muffit: Different how?

BG_Gruff: Int Ops is scrubbed... I was picked up by TFNI last night... reassigned.

Ms_Muffit: Shit... So I'm out in the cold?

BG_Gruff: No... Not yet... I might get you a home if you want it.

Ms_Muffit: Why would you do that?

BG_Gruff: I did the homework on you, Anders... Before you were brought inside.

Ms_Muffit: What does that mean?

BG_Gruff: Don't be dense... Denby Square... Gilmore... Smith... I made your file.

Ms_Muffit: So what does that tell you... I'm a criminal?

BG_Gruff: No, Anders... You were learning how to hunt.

Max's mind raced, if Goat was serious about bringing her in from the cold, she wouldn't face charges.

A home meant a new job, but what kind of job, Max needed to find out.

Ms_Muffit: What's the offer?

Seconds slowly ticked by.

BG_Gruff: I don't know yet... Give me 24.

BG_Gruff has logged out.

Max sat there for a while rolling scenario's around in her head. Max logged Ms_Muffit out of dark corners.

Agatha had watched the whole exchange, "Who is Boggs?"

"He was Int Ops NCOIC, basically my manager." Max reflected.

Agatha listened, and then asked. "Is he a good person, or a bad person."

Max had to think about that, "I think he is an honest person, which is more than I expected to find."

"Joon found out something important about me," Agatha mentioned casually.

Max walked with Agatha into medical.

Joon and Agatha were standing at a medical device staring at a holo readout.

"What did you find out, sweetheart?" Max asked with a curious look in her eyes.

Joon looked right into Max's eyes, "Agatha is fucking amazing." She said it in a wistful tone.

"I knew that... anything specific?" Max smirked.

Joon walked over to Max and grabbed her hand, dragging her over to the device and showed her the readout, pointing out details in data and explaining them... or trying to.

"Okay, first of all, this part is human, like really human." Joon started with enthusiasm.

"But then you have the other side, which is totally not, but they are laid over each other, like some kind of nano-lattice."

"She has carbon AND silicon structured matrices, every part of her is half of each, in the same space!" Now Joon was starting to talk faster.

"Agatha's DNA is like nothing I've ever heard of, it has three helixes," Joon started bouncing on her toes, "I really want to show mum all of this, she will lose her shit!"

"Calm down sweetheart, I promise we'll talk with her." Max smiled, "I have some news too."

Joon stopped bouncing and waited for Max to continue.

"I talked to Goat." Max raised her eyebrows with emphasis.

"Your crotchety old Sar-Major?" Joon peered at Max curiously.

"Yes, and I think he might be able to help me." Max smiled hopefully.

Joon started bouncing again, her breasts playing havoc with her green dress. "Yay! my wife won't be executed!" Joon cheered.

Max raised her hands in a calming gesture. "I hope not sweetheart, it would really put a crimp in my social calendar."

They all giggled.

"I will speak with him again tomorrow, hopefully he will have something for me." Max concluded.

Joon leapt into Max's arms and they kissed deeply and Max's stomach growled.

Joon leaned over and started talking to her wife's tummy, "Oh poor widdle tum tum is hun-gwee."

Max looked down at her, "I am so relieved my possible stay of execution has put you in such a happy mood."

Joon unbuttoned Max's BDU and lifted her undershirt kissing her muscled abdominals.

"Mmmm, thats nice," Max closed her eyes.

Joon suddenly jumped up... "Oh Max, let's see if we can have lunch with mum and daddy!"

Max pouted at Joon for stopping her kisses, "Sure, I'll call Howard." Max leaned down and smooched her adorable wife.

Max returned to the bridge, slipped into the command couch and pulled up a holocom to Howard.

Howard was sweeping his dojo, while it was still cool out.

He was in a peculiar place in his mind, Howard knew things would always change and yet stay the same.

Thinking about his amazing, growing family, he was so proud to have them, thinking briefly of the errand he ran at dawn.

His watch beeped

Howard glanced at his service comwatch: Holocom-unknown. Howard blinked; but he accepted the call.

Max appeared in the holo, on a small TFN bridge, at the command station. Max smiled, "Morning Howard."

Howard smiled back, "Good morning Max, how are you today?"

"I am very well, thanks." Max looked into Howards face.

"I'd like to ask you a couple questions." Max asked with curious eyes.

Howard nodded for her to continue.

"Would you be willing to instruct Agatha in combat stances and tactics?"

Howard narrowed his eyes, "Only with your assistance."

Max smiled, "Done."

"Your other question?" Howard returned the curious eyes.

Max raised an eyebrow, "Would you mind four more for lunch?"

"ETA?" Howard asked.

Max responded, "Thirty?"

"Done." Howard nodded, waving a farewell.

Max waved goodbye, as Howard closed the call.

Howard smiled, he had a little prep to do, before he made lunch.

Max returned to medical expecting Joon and Agatha to still be there; but it was devoid of beautiful women. She looked in the command cabin... still, no one. So Max skipped down to the FCQ and found three Agatha and a Joon, win!

"Hey ladies," Max got their attention, "lunch with the folks, is on."

Agatha nodded, turned around at the comdesk, smiling, while studying a datapad of her own medical scans, "Great, I'll make lunch for two here."

Licking her lips, Joon looked up from between an Agatha's thighs who was laying on her back with legs spread eagled and her butt teetering on the edge of her bunk, panting.

Max immediately wagged her finger at Joon, "Don't fill up on Agatha, you'll ruin your lunch."

Joon went crimson but giggled, as did all the Agathas.

Max addressed the Agatha, visually paying attention to her, "Are you still okay with two?"

She smiled and nodded, "Oh yes, just fine."

"Let me know if it ever becomes otherwise, okay?" Max looked for confirmation.

"Absolutely Captain." Agatha gave a decent salute for being twisted around in a chair.

Max nodded with a crooked smile and turned to head back to the bridge, the Agatha with the datapad joined her on the short trek.

Max peered at her.

Agatha looked up, "I'm sorry, honey, I'm not ignoring you, I am just learning about... me."

"Anything I should know?" Max put an arm across her shoulders in a friendly manner.

Agatha smiled again, "I'm not really sure, I would love to get Dr. Smith's opinion."

Max assumed Mercedes would be at lunch, unless something came up at Pinehurst that warranted her personal attention.

"Soon, sweetheart, very soon." Max kissed Agatha and she smiled.

Max changed back into her civvies, denim, t-shirt and flannel and wore her usual tac boots. Max, Joon, and two Agathas mounted up in the mid-sized, late-model, dark-green, utility hover car.

Agatha was piloting and in the front passenger's seat while Max and Joon were in the back seat cuddling and talking.

"How are you, my love?" Max whispered the question in Joon's ear.

Joon gazed into Max's soft-brown eyes, "I am so happy to have you home, I love our new little family.

Joon was still wearing her dark-green dress, her 'purse' matched quite well with it, she also had a datapad with her.

"I love our little family too." Max snuggled with Joon, as Agatha looked over the seat from the front and blew them both kisses.

The flight ended as Agatha brought the late-model hover car to the spot it was in the previous day at the Smith residence.

Closing the gate behind them, Joon thumbed open the kitchen door DNA lock and their little family went inside.

Howard had found some extra chairs, and the breakfast nook table was pulled out from the wall.

Mercedes greeted all her lovely daughters with hugs and kisses, as Howard was finishing with preparing lunch.

Everyone sat as Howard gave them a healthy portion of an amazing Hobbes salad. The Hobbes salad was a main-dish Jericho garden salad made with chopped iceberg lettuce, watercress, endives and romaine lettuce, tomato, crisp bacon, roasted chicken breast, hard-boiled eggs, avocado, chives, Roquefort cheese, and red-wine vinaigrette.

Everyone ate slowly, and savored the delicious food.

"So I was delving into dark corners this morning." Max mentioned to the table. Howard raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment.

"What did you find, darling?" Mercedes asked the question Howard was thinking.

"I ran into my NCOIC." Max started refilling her fork.

Mercedes took a sip of fruit juice, "Can you tell us who that is?"

"Sergeant Major Boggs." Max replied.

Howard's eyes narrowed, "Ira Boggs?"

"If Ira is short for Irasmus, yea..." Max looked uncomfortable.

Howard nodded.

"Small universe," Joon muttered.

"So you know him?" Max looked intrigued.

Howard looked thoughtful, "Once upon a time... back during the Sutton years."

Mercedes cleared her throat.

Howard glanced at her and nodded.

Max looked between the two, "What am I missing here?"

Howard kept eating.

Max looked at Mercedes.

Mercedes took another sip of fruit juice, then looked at Max, "Ira Boggs was married to my late aunt Penelope."

Max's jaw dropped.

Joon said quietly, "Damn... really fucking small universe."

Everyone finished eating and Howard and both Agatha's cleared the table.

Max was still contemplating about Boggs being part of the extended family... sort of.

"When did your aunt pass away 'Des?" Max asked, hoping it wasn't a painful question.

"Oh Penny died about a year after Howard and I were married, She and Ira were at the wedding." Mercedes nodded her head.

Max found it hard to imagine Goat at a wedding.

"I have so many questions... " Max confessed.

Mercedes tilted her head looking at Max. "I know he really changed after she passed."

Howard looked pained and stared off for a few seconds, then nodded at Mercedes as she laid a hand on his arm.

"Ira Boggs, made some unfortunate choices." Howard said softly. "He became involved with admirals who were more interested in power than service."

Mercedes pursed her lips, then said. "It's rumored he helped Buckingham, to eventually supplant Sutton."

Howard nodded, "After Buckingham became Fleet Admiral, we never spoke with Ira again."

Max lifted a knuckle to her chin in thought. "Well, he was just reassigned to TFNI and our division was scrubbed."

Mercedes looked to Howard, "Scrubbed?"

Howard replied, "Disbanded, perhaps more."

Howard looked at Max with worry, "Ira is not an evil man, but he did become colder when Penelope died, be wary my daughter."

Max nodded, definitely grabbing that advice with both hands.

Joon looked like she was going to say something, but didn't. Everyone sitting at the table just looked at her, waiting patiently. Joon relented to the gaze of her family, "Does this mean I shouldn't call him 'Uncle Ira?'"

Max snorted, Howard groaned and Mercedes just laughed out loud. Max gazed at her adorable wife, "It might be for the best, my love."

Howard stood again, and Max followed suit, along with both Agatha they made their way slowly out from around the breakfast nook.

Mercedes grinned at the slow procession, knowing exactly where it would end up.

"Hey mum," Joon started, "How often do you perform the kata?"

Mercedes responded, "Just once a day, to keep flexible."

"Yea, me too." Joon nodded, "were you ever interested in getting ranked?"

Mercedes shook her head, "No, darling, my drab little brown belt is good enough for me."

"I, um, ran a few tests this morning," Joon tried to look disinterested, Mercedes saw through the ruse immediately.

"I assume my darling new daughters are just as exceptional as I believe them to be?" Mercedes lips turned into her patented wry smile.

"Oh... I think you could say that." Joon placed the datapad in front of her mother then sat back to watch the show.

Dr. Mercedes Smith, chief of genetic medicine and genomic science at Pinehurst medical and teaching facility, tapped on the device, and her eyes grew huge.

Howard entered his own dojo, lifted his hand to the west wall, there were four gi on four pegs.

Max blinked, "Oh wow, sensei."

Howard shrugged, "if you need more, I will have them made, I happened to have four in her size."

Agatha's eyes began to tear up, feeling Howard's and Max's emotions in addition to her own.

Agatha bowed to Howard in unison.

The gi hanging on the wall were embroidered with a rampant black winged panther, the icon Howard had chosen when he became 9th dan.

Max knew there were only three gi with that iconography in the T-Fed., Howard's, Joon's and Max's.

Max raised an eyebrow glancing at Howard, "Happened to have four in her size, huh?"

Howard might have blushed just a little, Max was probably mistaken.

Max turned and bowed to her sensei.

Howard bowed in return.

Everyone removed clothing that would be restrictive or do damage, loose blouses, flannel shirts, boots and shoes.

Howard directed Agatha to sit one on either side of the tatami.

He then began to explain and show, with Max's assistance, the balance, power and techniques of defensive and reactive strikes. Some of the strikes were so close Max could feel the air off Howards hands and feet.

She had absolute trust in his ability, but it was still quite unnerving: Not unlike being narrowly missed by a speeding lorry a few dozen times. Tactical awareness was one of the tenets of this art and Howard was completely convinced Agatha would dominate in this aspect.

Max had to agree, so Agatha was finally called to the mat. Howard had Agatha face Agatha to go over the offensive and defensive rotation simultaneously.

Then Howard and Max just stood back and watched her for ten solid minutes while Howard called the timing of offense and defense.

By the end it was impossible to tell them apart, they were a blur of concentration.

Howard called an end and bowed to them.

Agatha bowed to Howard, then beamed pure joy as they leapt into Max's waiting arms, giggling.

"So Howard..." Max began, "How would you rate Agatha now?"

Howard grimaced, "I would really hate to have to face two of her... four would be completely humiliating."

Agatha then hugged their sensei father, Max joined them.

So after redressing with a stack of new gi, the four of them returned to the house.

Mercedes could do nothing but lose herself in the information, she really wanted to ask her daughter some questions, but it was quite impossible to pull her focus away from the data.

The implications of such complex layering of radically different systems were nothing short of staggering.

A human child born with its own growth adapting, hostile environment encounter suit with full biometric enhancements would be an accurate attempt of analogy and still fall far short of what the data suggested.

Mercedes' very capable mind was having difficulty fully aligning the various parameters, seeing them in the data on an individual basis was easier to interpret. What the data was unable to explain, though, was how it all coalesced into the being known as Agatha.

After fifteen minutes she finally looked up from the datapad. Joon set a cup of tea in her hands.

"I don't understand half of it, but I was able to digest enough to know I was way out of my depth," Joon murmured.

Joon sat down and looked into Mercedes' vacant stare, seeing the massive gears of her mother's intellect at work.

Mercedes sipped her tea.

She blinked once and smiled at her daughter.

"You didn't mess about when you two got a girlfriend, did you?" Mercedes smiled at Joon.

Joon giggled softly and nodded in agreement, "No half measures for us."

Joon looked seriously at her mother, "Please, mum, give me a professional analysis?"

Mercedes shrugged and made an attempt, "To start: Agatha is a Polyextremaphile Multi-sapient with a highly flexible and adaptive morphology."

Mercedes continued, "The presence of a third helix suggests an additional volume of information."

"Examples of them are exceptionally rare and the very few examples we do have were classified as "evolutionary dead ends" to the short sighted, coasting, bureaucratic establishment."

"Honestly I cannot quite grasp the full ramifications of a third helix or to even how to quantify it without extensive research."

"I used her own definition multi-sapient, because I'm not sure I can describe her with any more accuracy." Mercedes smiled weakly.

Joon nodded then stated with a sad smile, "I hope, I didn't just ruin her for you."

Mercedes blinked, "Oh no, darling, not at all! I taught her some cosmetics yesterday, I think we're bonding quite nicely."

Both women smiled at each other.

Mercedes eyed her daughter, "I envy you... Max was a delightful development, but Agatha is quite beyond the pale for a companion."

Joon smiled softly, "Yea, I think I did pretty well, too."

"Do you remember my advice to you, when you married Max?" Mercedes asked, her grass-green eyes sparkling.

Joon peered at Mercedes, "Enjoy her?"

Mercedes nodded, "Yes, in my experience, it is the simple secret to so much of life." "Don't analyze, don't manipulate, don't predetermine. Love, trust, and enjoy."

Howard opened the door to the kitchen and walked inside, he was followed by two Agatha carrying neatly folded gi and Max.

Mercedes eyed the gi, "So that's why you borrowed my hovercar first thing."

Howard cleared his throat and checked the tea pot, set the kettle on, and started making more.

Joon peered at Mercedes incredulously, "Dad drove your hover car?"

"I was surprised as well, he said it was necessary." Mercedes nodded.

Howard didn't respond except to clear his throat again.

Joon giggled. Agatha settled down into two chairs at the nook table.

Max sat down beside her diminutive wife kissing her cheek. "Were you two able to come to any new conclusions?"

Mercedes smiled affectionately at Agatha, "I think one could say I was profoundly moved by the epiphany."

Agatha beamed happily.

Mercedes focused her mind and began a long detailed explanation of the data that Joon had collected; then she gave Agatha many possible theorized applications and possible outcomes.

She gave her honest assessment of Agatha and her future with humanity, staying with Max and Joon was easily the highest percentage of freedom as teachers, guides, and guardians.

Mercedes and Howard would do their best to sponsor and council Agatha with her best choices with humanity, otherwise departing might be the only way she would remain alive and un-tortured.

"Darling, Agatha, I would only ask you to stay as far away from any government research facility as you possibly can, including my own."

Mercedes nodded sagely, handing the datapad to Joon.

Agatha spoke in a clear soft voice, "Thank you very much, Dr. Smith. I greatly value you for your wise advice and your brilliant explanations, you have given me a great deal to think about but also a much brighter horizon."

Mercedes eased her seat back, stood up, and walked between the Agathas, having them stand and pulling them both into a hug.

"I want you to call me mum from now on." Mercedes softly spoke as both Agathas lay their heads on her shoulders.

Dry eyes were a rare commodity for a few minutes.

After that heartfelt display of affection, Mercedes returned to her seat just as Howard had finished pouring her fresh cup.

Joon looked at Agatha, "Did you have any fun in the dojo?"

"Oh yes, it was exhilarating, and I believe I am much better equipped to defend my family if needs be," Agatha responded.

Joon beamed, "Brilliant, you can be my new bodyguard!"

Max pouted, "I thought I was your bodyguard?"

Joon laid her hand over her wife's, "This frees you up to be my manager."

"Oh, nice... wait is that a promotion or a demotion?" Max inquired with a raised eyebrow.

Joon smirked mischievously, "Oh, I guess you could think of it as a promotion, sweetheart."

Everyone sitting at the nook laughed.

Max, Joon and Agatha hugged and kissed Howard and Mercedes farewell for now.

Max was piloting on the return trip in the afternoon sky. Agatha and Joon were snogging quietly in the back seat. Agatha in the front passenger seat looked at Max with need.

Max glanced at her, "Whats up sweetheart?"

"Max, I owe you an apology," Agatha began, "I now believe, in fact I am quite sure I was in no danger of dying after I had assumed my initial imprint from you."

Max's eyebrows both raised, "Why do you feel you need to apologize for that?"

"I panicked, I was unaware my imprinted state was voluntary, I believe now I could have just absorbed the container," Agatha looked very concerned.

"Thank you for sharing your feelings with me Ags, for what it's worth I am glad events unfolded as they did," Max smiled softly at her girlfriend.

Max leaned over and whispered in her ear, "If you're able to do half of what 'Des thinks you're capable of, you could have easily taken me out, I am very glad we became friends and more instead."

Agatha wrapped her arms around Max, "You're so kind and generous, Max, I love you."

Max responded with a smooch, "I love you, Agatha."

The late-model, unremarkable, dark-green, mid-sized, utility hover car made a slow lazy bank and descended between the trunks of the old forest growth. Eventually landing, it slowly moved adjacent to the charcoal grey, unmarked, TFN corvette.

Joon stepped out of her hover car and stretched with a smile on her face. Her family joined her as she thumbed the DNA lock.

Joon glanced at Max with a smirk, "you wanna make some noise?"

Max beamed a smile, "Oh wait,.. you mean shooting some firearms."

"Oh sorry love, yea I meant firearms," Joon giggled.

Max and Joon went to the command cabin to change some clothing Changing into her BDU's Max knew Joon would put on her hiking boots.

Joon recommended Agatha wear her chunky boots for stomping around in the woods.

Agatha commented that she had been wearing them on patrol and they seemed very practical.

Max agreed, getting Agatha some more practical clothing and a number of the thick, black, body sleeves worn by her unit in a size that actually fit her.

Two Agathas went with Max to the armory, "Max would you like to take your personal weapon, I am still utilizing it on patrol."

"No, actually, you keep using it ," Max nodded to Agatha, "I consider patrol more important than training at this point."

"Yes, Captain." Agatha saluted.

Max blushed, "I have like, no actual command experience, Ags."

"More than I do," Agatha replied.

Max nodded, thinking of a response. "Then, for you, I'll have to learn how to do it well."

Agatha nodded and smiled.

Into the cargo area of the hovercar they loaded three XR75's, a YM10, the DL5-LMG, and a few each of the heavy and light pistols. As a treat for Joon, the wicked, dual barreled auto shotgun that was last used by a Quinton security guard was also loaded.

Agatha found it's spec's on the holonet and identified it as a Mamba "Street Sweeper" riot gun that was manufactured by a Vitalis corp. subsidiary.

Max was piloting and Joon and two Agathas soon found themselves just above the tree-line again.

Spotting a shallow ravine Max dropped down to take a look, It looked like a creek bed that was dry.

Max saw the five meter clay ravine wall that ran along a length of the bed and felt this spot would do nicely.

After setting down, Max picked up a sharp stone and started carving humanoid outlines in the clay wall. It was rough; but having targets would help visualize aiming.

Setting up was simply on the opposite side of the creek bed from the four figures Max had carved out.

Joon was less interested in shooting as she was in watching while Agatha was eager to learn.

Max showed Agatha how to quickly switch out magazines or clips, her well oiled skills were instantly absorbed by Agatha.

In twenty minutes Agatha was shooting on her own with a ridiculous level of coordination and accuracy.

Joon did try the Mamba... even well braced it's recoil managed to move her body substantially. She gladly proclaimed that she "Really liked it."

They returned to the corvette after only a couple hours; then spent the next hour or so in the armory cleaning and doing maintenance on the weapons.

Agatha peered at Max for a moment, Max glanced at her, "What's on your mind sweetheart?"

"What am I?" Agatha asked, the simple question had a difficult answer.

"I thought that's what 'Des had answered." Max looked a little concerned.

"What would you call me?" Agatha clarified.

Max blinked, "Ags, I'm not going to name your species, that's all you, babe."

Agatha's mouth opened, then closed, then she said, "Oneira."

Max nodded, "Pretty, I like it."

Joon looked up from her cleaning of her new favorite weapon. "What I miss?" she asked.

"Agatha is an 'Oneiran,'" Max announced.

Joon blinked, "Oh... like in Oneirology!"

"What's that again?" Max looked curious.

"The study of dreams, I think it's perfect!" Joon sauntered up to Agatha and waggled her eyebrows, "you can study my dreams any night."

The armory was filled with giggles.

Agatha looked up and stared off into nothing, "TFN bulletin: Lynette Devereux was elected Fleet Admiral."

Joon and Max stared at each other, both thinking of the ramifications of Devereux as Fleet Admiral.

"She gave the Lion his title, his rescue of Earth must have made her election unopposed." Joon's mind was whirling at excessive speed.

Max was contemplating her own situation, "I hope she looks favorably on reformed assassins."

Joon blinked, "Oh sweetheart," Joon hugged her towering wife.

Max, Joon and Agatha put up all the cleaned weapons, afterwards they stripped down and took a long hot shower together.

Stepping out of the steamy bathroom, Max and Joon smelled something delicious.

Max, Joon and all four Agatha sat down at a glorious galley table.

Agatha made: Herb-Crusted Cauliflower Steaks with Beans and Tomatoes, Olive Oilâ€"Confit Chicken with Cipollini Onions and Mushroom-Thyme Pot Pies.

Sounds of slow savoring dotted with affectionate looks and compliments.

Eventually the amazing dinner was concluded, and discussion began as everyone helped with clearing and washing up.

"Hey, hon?" Agatha looked at Max.

"Mmm?" Max looked into those beautiful eyes.

"I want you to know, you will always have my support and I completely trust your leadership." All four Agatha leaned into Max and laid four heads on her.

The four Agatha gently lead Max to the command cabin followed by her wife Joon who wore a huge smile on her face, her eyes dancing at the provocative situation.

Agatha gently undressed Max, not permitting her to help.

Joon sat up on the comdesk and watched wide eyed with excitement.

Agatha eased Max to sit on the comfortable, long bed.

One at a time and very slowly, Agatha strip teased off her identical clothes from her identical bodies.

Max watched through lidded eyes that dilated with arousal and could do little else other than stare at her exotic girlfriend.

Agatha arrayed her-selves around Max and began kissing her, she started with light soft kisses, then a lick here then there.

Very soon Agatha's mouths were tasting every part of Max's exposed skin.

Max found herself on the edge of the bed with her thighs in a spread eagle as Agatha was simultaneously engaged in deeply kissing her mouth, suckling her nipples, and licking deep inside her from between her legs with her tongue.

Joon was masturbating while watching her wife being serviced completely and on display in front of her.

Her long, beautiful, athletic wife moaned and cried aloud as Agatha, in her four bodies, was doing everything she could to maintain and extend a slow steady increase to Max's mounting pleasure.

Agatha could feel every pulse of lust in her girlfriends: Max was riding the edge of an orgasm and Joon was rapidly approaching one as well.

She skillfully brought them both to the edge, then gently flooded both of them with a lust filled release.

An Agatha quickly leapt up to catch an overwhelmed Joon as she almost toppled off the desk, easily cradling her in supportive arms. The remaining Agathas carefully shifted Max fully onto the bed and lovingly placed her wife in her arms.

Before Agatha departed she cleaned the thoroughly soaked surface of the comdesk, then joined her girlfriends who were now both sleeping peacefully, pulling the duvet up over all of them.

Agatha cuddled up three of her selves on a bunk in the FCQ: having now known the feeling of physical closeness: she needed it.