Jack's True Calling

Picking up the story where she left off Ghret looked to SennLann. "Strell leapt on his head and scratched his eyes but he gripped her leg and was moving too fast to stop when he hit the low outer wall. He went over and took Strell with him. We looked over the edge and saw them hit. Strell landed on top of his body but we could see she was hurt. She pulled the pins on his grenades just before the last two members of the patrol still on the ground arrived. The blast killed them all. The warriors behind the locked stairwell door tried to blow it with one of their grenades but it was too strong and collapsed the top flight of stairs so they couldn't get to us. We used a power line to cross to a neighboring building then went down the stairs and out a back door to escape. The young female, we left with her friend who lived in that building."

SennLann fought back her own tears as she recalled the night she'd met Strell. How she was one of the first to join and how caring she had been. "It is painful to lose a friend, a loved one. What else was learned?"

Ghret's eyes flashed to hers, filled with pain and shock but... acceptance. She saw SennLann's pain as well. "Instead of waiting on the roof, we should have immediately moved to the other roof and slipped away in the ni-"

"If you had, that young female would have been raped by the three warriors. Undoubtedly, she would have been killed afterwards," SennLann interrupted.

Ghret twitched in surprise. She hadn't expected that from their leader. She struggled to find a solution to the events but her mind went around and around. She couldn't see a winning scenario. The options were just too limited.

SennLann sighed with a nod as she saw Ghret reach her conclusion. "Sometimes... there is no way to save everybody. It is difficult to accept that. Painful too but we can only do our best." She looked into the eyes of Ghret and Tess. "I am deeply sorry for the loss of your friend."

Ghret and Tess moved to SennLann and she hugged them as tears were shed. She let this continue for a short time then gently pushed them back. "We must prepare for the night as our enemy will want blood for their fallen warriors and our job is to ensure the only blood spilled is their own."

SennLann was long past the point where she could recall the quotes from the war movies she and Jack watched but she knew one thing. She was never going to watch another one of those movies again. Diana mentioned something about 'Rom Com' and she thought she might like to try those next. She gave herself a shake to bring herself back to the moment.

"We've grown too large to continue to stay in one hideout. As of tonight, I'm splitting the group. FrenHall will lead Team 2. Fifteen of you will be assigned to her team. We may shift you between groups as we go to balance the teams. If more people join we may need to create a third team. We have contact points for sharing intel and we will orchestrate our attacks to cause the most disruption we can while remaining invisible. That is our mandate. Strike from the shadows and live for tomorrow."

She nodded to FrenHall who began calling out names to build her team. They'd created the list together earlier that day.

"SennLann!"

Everyone turned to see Macelyn rush into the room out of breath.

"Strangers... dressed in black... a male and two females... making their way... towards the... center of... the city!" she gasped out.

"Dressed in black?" SennLann asked in surprise. The female nodded to her. SennLann gestured to Ghret and Tess to join her and they all followed Macelyn as she rushed back outside, always keeping to the shadows. SennLann was very pleased with how careful her people were. They'd learned well.

It took them a few minutes to catch up to the newcomers. She kept her people back and gestured for Ghret and Tess to go up on the roof of the single story garage under construction to scope out the street ahead.

The moment they disappeared up the side of the building there was a roar ahead and the sound of fighting. Macelyn and SennLann slipped up to the corner of the building and peered around it.

The young male was protecting the two females by spinning and jabbing a black staff at two warriors. He was slowly forcing them back towards the garage but had to dodge the powerful swipes from his two opponents. By their somewhat sluggish reactions it was highly likely the warriors were drunk but that didn't make them less deadly. One had half of his head in bandages but he managed to score a blow against the smaller male's shoulder and blood splashed. The two females screamed as their protector was driven to one knee.

The non-bandaged warrior prepared a killing blow.

Ghret and Tess dropped from above with heavy construction bricks held in their outstretched arms. Concrete blocks met the skulls of the warriors and bone gave way in a spray of gore catching everyone in the area.

SennLann rushed around the corner as the male turned to face the two new attackers but dropped his staff. Macelyn was at SennLann's elbow as they looked closely at the three. The two young females went to the male to immediately begin wrapping strips of cloth over the wound as they glanced at the new arrivals.

"We can't stay here. We have to move. Now!" SennLann said tersely. She looked at the bodies. She wished they could hide them as she wanted the fact that they were this far outside the core of the city to remain a secret.

"It's you! Princess SennLann!" one of the females gasped. The young male looked at SennLann in shock as well.

As if reading her mind, the male stood and moved to the sewer cover and opened it. He dragged the bodies one handed over to the opening and dropped them in. The cover went back on and the male slumped. All that was left was a blood stain and smear leading to the sewer grate. They kicked sand over that. Best they could do. She nodded her thanks to the male.

SennLann looked at the blood and brains on her two fighters. "Get them moving. We have to get you all cleaned up and get a real bandage on that shoulder. But we need to move NOW!" she hissed and they moved.

The new arrivals weren't as skilled at keeping to the deepest shadows but they managed to keep up. SennLann led them to a building a short way from the hideout as it had water and a small medic bay they'd set up. She turned to Macelyn.

"Go tell FrenHall that we've had an incursion of warriors this far out so we need to rotate 90 and find new accommodations," she said holding the other's eyes. Macelyn nodded and rushed away. Their plans for the night had just changed. No attacks. Just new hideouts.

It was odd that there was just the two warriors. They always patrolled in teams of five. Being drunk this far out from the core of the city was also odd. There were no taverns out here so they must have been drinking closer to the center of the city then made their way out here, but again why?

Tess directed the group into the makeshift shower room they'd set up and showed the newcomers how to quickly rinse the blood and gore away. Luckily the evening was warm so being wet wasn't so unpleasant.

Ghret began applying a bandage to the cuts on the male's shoulder. He was a nice looking specimen and traded shy looks with Ghret.

"Who are you and why are you dressed like that?" SennLann insisted.

The taller of the two females stepped forward. "I'm Neema Fenn Trett. This is my sister Lorna Fenn Trett and our older brother, Ghray Fenn Trett. We're from Emmor, a small village a two day walk from here. There are no warriors in our village so we have an easier time moving around and getting information. We've been listening to reports of your progress in the city. We've come to help!"

SennLann stared at them in shock. "How is information about us being shared?"

"Independent radio. King FennLann introduced radio a few years ago. An ancient technology from a planet called Earth! Audio only. The Eastern continent didn't want it so they aren't even aware of the reports going out from the capital nor are they checking these wavelengths. There are three separate independent stations in the city alone. Stations farther out pick up the stories and broadcast them again. We've all been listening with great interest to your battle!" Neema said excitedly.

"It's not a battle. It's a revolution." SennLann said.

Eyes went wide.

"The day of the warrior caste is over. The people of Phem Kalos deserve to control their own destinies and have a say in the governance of their world," SennLann stated. She looked at the three young people. A plan was forming in her mind. "You want to help?" Three eager nods. "Spread the word. Make sure the people know what we're really fighting for. Their future! They need to know. Can you do this?"

More excited nods.

"You'll come with us tonight as we move to locate a new hideout. I'll give you the details and tomorrow you head back to begin spreading the word. How does that sound?"

"It sounds incredible!" Lorna gushed.

Macelyn rushed back into the room. "SennLann! We just got word that a ship carrying reinforcements from the Eastern Continent sank as it entered the harbor today! Only a third of the Warriors, maybe forty to fifty managed to get off the ship before it sank taking the rest into the deep water!"

SennLann looked at Macelyn in confusion. "Why did he send his warriors by ship? They could have gotten here much faster by flying transport!"

Macelyn just shrugged.

"Why did it sink?" SennLann asked.

"The report said there was an explosion shortly after it entered the harbor. No idea what caused it," Macelyn said.

"It was a good thing for us though!" SennLann sighed. So fifty more warriors to deal with. That was less than welcome news but better than one hundred and fifty.

"Also, FrenHall wants to speak to you about rescuing the concubines from the palace," Macelyn said quietly with a concerned look and SennLann moaned.

"I'll go talk with her, again," SennLann said. She turned to the two young females who were watching her breathlessly. "Macelyn will get you proper stealth gowns and will guide you to the new location." She looked at Ghret and Ghray who were speaking quietly to each other with small smiles on their faces. They didn't need any help, obviously.

Tess joined her as she made her way back to the hideout. Almost everyone had left, moving off to locate two new places to hide in the morning.

FrenHall was waiting for her with two other black garbed females. They looked terrified so they were the new recruits. FrenHall would take good care of them.

"We need to get them out!" FrenHall launched into her argument the moment SennLann arrived.

"We will but it can't be just yet. There is much too much heat on us and the palace is too well guarded. Once we've established two bases we can launch simultaneous attacks in multiple locations. That will create a diversion, maybe one large enough to clear sufficient personnel from the palace. We will get them but we will do it my way!" SennLann said with a reasonable tone but with barely disguised frustration.

FrenHall looked her straight in the eye and fidgeted. She knew she couldn't get into the palace unseen without SennLann's assistance. "Soon," was all she said as she turned to leave, gesturing for the two newbies to follow her.

SennLann sagged. She shared a look with Tess. "Come on. Let's find us a new place to rest our heads."

She only hoped FrenHall's impatience didn't cause them all to lose their heads.

Chapter 17

"Ambassador Danner? Ambassador Danner? Jack? Please wake up."

Jack's mind struggled to comprehend these outrageous demands as his consciousness moved through a heavy fog.

"Jack, you must wake up. Your body is malfunctioning."

Recognition finally flared to life. That was BassDrop. The Tik.

"Mmmmmwwwzzzzzz-"

"No, don't try to talk aloud. Your body is still asleep. I just woke your mind. Just think the words to me."

That request was odd enough to make Jack's eyes open. Then he realized he couldn't.

"Mmm-" No, think words.

"BassDrop. What. Happened?"

"Good! I was worried your brain might have been damaged when the changes began."

"Changes?"

"The cryogenic sleep pod the Wuu procured for you appears to be unable to cope with your unique physiology. Once we were underway and slipped into jump space, it began to make alarming noises so I investigated. Your hair has detached from your body-"

"MMMMzzzz!"

"Think the words, Mr. Danner."

"I lost my hair?" he finally managed.

"No, it's still in the chamber with you. It's just not attached to you any longer. It's fascinating! All hairs have detached!"

Jack was silent for a moment just so he could let that sink in. He'd complained about his long hair for years. Now it was gone. How was he supposed to feel about that?

"Jack? Your heart rate is a little high."

"Trying to cope with more changes, BassDrop. Give me a moment. Wait... did you say ALL hairs?"

"Yes. Eyebrows, eyelashes, and even body hair!"

Jack wanted to scream. He was so tired of having to adjust to every change his crazy genetics threw at him. Now he was going to look like a naked mole rat... with horns! DAMMIT!

"Please remain calm Ambassador Danner! I'm having difficulty recalibrating the sleep pod to keep you alive. Remaining calm would help me significantly."

Coming back to himself, Jack pictured a calm and serene mountainside meadow and put himself in it. He was surprised and delighted at how real it all felt. The sun was warm on his skin, the grass was soft under his ass and crossed legs, and he could smell the wild flowers the gentle breeze brought to him. He took slow, deep breaths of the fresh air and felt a serenity settling over his mind.

"Oh my! I hadn't expected that!" BassDrop gasped.

Jack kept a firm grip on the mountain-view and spared a bit of his attention for the Tik. "Expected what?"

"That I would feel... what you feel!" was the awed reply.

Jack considered this and his grasp on his peaceful scene began to slip. "How are we communicating?"

He felt the Tik's hesitance and its surprise that this came through the link as well. Jack understood now and the meadow disappeared. "It's the collar. Isn't it."

"I'm very sorry for the intrusion but I needed to know if your cognition had been affected," the Tik said contritely.

Jack sighed. The sharing was very intimate but he could see the necessity.

"I thought the receiver was broken," Jack said.

"It remains so. I bypassed it with a direct connection. It took me some time to decipher the signal but I finally managed it. The technology in this collar is... breathtaking! AH! That wasn't a term I understood until now!"

Jack sighed. He couldn't get angry about this. The Tik was keeping him alive. "Can you fix the sleep pod?"

"Yes, I believe I can but it will take time. I need you to remain conscious until it is ready."

Jack didn't think that sounded too bad. "How long will that take?"

"No more than six hours I estimate."

Jack felt a wave of relief, he could do six hours.

BassDrop eventually broke the silence. "Where was that mountain meadow located?" it asked curiously.

"Hmmm? Oh, that was just an amalgam of images I've seen and memories of real meadows."

Now it was the Tik's turn to be silent for a time. "That wasn't a real place?" BassDrop asked incredulously, drawing a surprised chuckle from Jack.

"No, but it certainly felt real, didn't it!"

"How is this possible?"

Jack was confused by the question. "How was what possible?"

BassDrop paused as it collected its thoughts. "Tik perceive reality in wavelengths most organic life cannot perceive. It's incredibly beautiful and profoundly humbling. It serves as one of the primary factors for our appreciation of all life. What I just experienced through you wasn't real but it was layered with your perception of reality. I was not expecting to be able to... access that."

Jack twitched when he flashed back to the sensation of glass shards in his brain, a memory of the Allsa Komanae's presence in the link.

The Tik twitched as well and made an odd sound. "Pain, I'm familiar with but nothing like that. I'm sorry if my link to you makes you re-experience this."

Jack brought himself back to the meadow in his mind and felt the soothing peace return. Once he was calm he addressed the silent Tik. "That's what the collar was designed for. It captures all of my sensations and shares them, whether I want to or not. Unlike the Allsa Komanae, I can't actually sense you at all in the link. If you didn't speak to me I wouldn't know you were there."

"Can you... imagine other places? With other sensations?" BassDrop asked hopefully.

Jack smiled to himself as he relaxed in the meadow. "What kind of sensation?"

"Every kind!" the Tik said excitedly.

Jack recalled Club Spade and thought of the dancing he'd done there. He was suddenly in the club, out in the dance floor jumping and dancing to the driving beat of BassDrop's music. The heat of the bodies all around him, bumping into others by accident or intention, some bodies soft and others not, the joy of just moving. His lungs expanding and contracting powerfully, sucking in air to power his muscles which burned and tingled. There was a tang in the air, sweat, musk, cologne and perfume.

"Please return to the meadow! Reduce your heart rate."

And they were back amongst the flowers. Jack felt himself calming immediately.

"That was... intense!" the Tik said in awe. "I see why the young enjoy the club so much now. This experience will greatly improve my music I believe. Now that I know what you feel when you dance to my music, I can tune the experience-"

"Hang on there, you're only experiencing my perception. Not everyone feels the same things," Jack insisted. "I think your link is strengthening and stabilizing the memories. I can't normally hold a memory for that long nor do I typically feel the sensations so sharply."

"I am holding the memories as I'm recording the experience. It's what Tik do." The Tik's attention left for a second. "I'm sorry, I must focus more of my resources on your cryogenic unit which is proving to be more difficult to recalibrate than I first anticipated. You can remain here or in some other comforting memory."

Jack rested back with his hands behind his head and closed his eyes. He felt the warmth of the sun on his face and the cool breeze brought him the sweet scents surrounding him. The grasses below him were soft and gently tickled his sides.

He wondered if he'd be able to fall asleep as he felt so at peace. The only thing that would make this better would be having his family with him.

This made him think about Diana. A pang of guilt coursed through him as he still felt responsible for what happened to her. He should have been there-

He felt gentle fingers touch his lips and his eyes opened. There was Diana, reclining next to him, pushed up on one elbow gazing down into his eyes, with love in hers. She flipped her ebony hair back over her shoulder as a smile slipped onto her lovely lips. She leaned over him and kissed him tenderly. Then she snuggled down next to him. Jack blinked at how real it all felt. How- he suddenly recalled this was a memory from his time with Diana on Harruusha. As memories went, it was pretty damn good. She was tight against his side. That felt so good and his heart swelled with love for the beauty... His hands slid into her silky hair and he kissed her sweetly as they stood at the end of his bed in his apartment. She sighed and the kiss deepened as she began to make little needful sighs... Jack's need for her flared as he moved his lips to her throat, her body stretched out across his on the mattress. Diana gasped and wrapped her fingers around his stiff cock... The intensity made Jack moan then he moved to Diana's large tits as he pressed her body back against the wall of his shower. Hot water sprayed over them as he sucked and teased her stiff nipples making her gasp and thrash... Jack rolled them over on the bed and moved down to taste her. Diana only managed to take this for a short time before she pulled him up her body, hands gripping his horns. He wasted no time as he drove himself deep into her heat. Diana cried out in bliss. Her heels hooked around his legs and she pulled him deeper as his strokes sped up. Soon he was pounding her with his hips against the mattress as she clung to his horns. Diana called out his name and the sound was so sweet to his ears. Her release was quick and explosive and he was right there with her. They clung to each other as they caught their breath.