Jack's True Calling

"I love you, Diana."

She smiled at him, love shining in her eyes. "I love you too, Jack," she said as she faded away.

Jack's heart leapt in his chest until he recalled he was just reliving memories and her fading meant nothing other than that.

With that came a sick realization that he wasn't alone with his thoughts.

As he hadn't been on Allsa Komanae.

"BassDrop, you... experienced that too, didn't you," he said stiffly.

"My sincerest apologies at the invasion of your privacy. I- I didn't know how to interrupt you once you began. Then I- I couldn't. It was a completely novel experience. The intensity of the intimacy. No Tik has ever 'made love'. That's what it was, wasn't it?"

Jack's frustration was threatening to choke him. He knew the Tik truly meant no harm. It was fighting to keep him alive but it still felt like a horrifying invasion.

As it had been when he was enslaved.

His mind began filling with a pressure he had to release.

Jack was suddenly standing at the end of a long concrete pier facing a violent and angry sea. Waves slammed into the pier unrelentingly. Cold, salty spray splashed down on him from the spent waves.

Forks of lightning flashed from dark clouds and a chill rain pelted his body as wild winds tried to rip him from the pier.

Facing all of this, he unleashed his screams of raw rage and frustration.

Eventually, slowly, his rage drained away and gradually the sea calmed, the rain stopped, and the winds became gentle breezes while he steadied his breathing. He inhaled slowly through his nose and exhaled through his mouth in controlled breaths. He felt... better. Not perfect, but better.

"Jack? Are you... well?" BassDrop asked nervously.

Jack sighed. "Yes... sorry. I had- I just had to let go of the anger and frustration." He was beginning to get tired of speaking to the air so he imagined BassDrop hovering before him. That was better.

"Oh! What an odd sensation of displacement! I'm looking at myself from your perspective!"

"Lots of new experiences for you today," Jack sighed. Then he thought of something. "These experiences. You're going to share them with the other Tik, aren't you."

"Yes. We share all of our knowledge and experiences. These will be especially valuable."

Jack frowned. "I don't suppose I could convince you to forget or erase them-" At the Tik's gasp he knew he was asking the impossible. "Ah, I see, but the thing is, those experiences were not only intensely intimate, they were extremely personal. They weren't meant to be shared beyond Diana and myself. They should never have been shared at all."

BassDrop was quiet for a time as Jack made himself comfortable in the meadow again.

"I'm sorry Jack. Tik cannot delete memories and we must share our experiences for the improvement of all Tik. I've flagged all memories I'm retaining from my link with you as sensitive which means the Tik will not refer to them outside of our collective. Nor will they be shared with Tik which haven't developed a sufficient level of experience."

Jack contemplated that and sighed as he recognized this was the best answer he was going to get in this situation. "Fine."

Suddenly everything went black for a time then Jack felt a hard surface under his back and his chest hurt. He couldn't see any light or hear any sound.

"Jack! Are you... well?" BassDrop's voice, inside his head again.

"Ow."

"Does that mean you are well?" the Tik asked.

"I'm alive." He felt his face and there was something wrapped over his eyes. A metallic tentacle gently moved his hands from it.

"We are still in jump space. It would not be good for you to try to perceive the sights and sounds of this place."

"What happened?" Jack asked.

"I had to remove you from the pod. The software began to have cascade failures. This would have led to your permanent death so I pulled you out. You needed to be shocked back to a normal heart rhythm. I'm sorry about the bruising to your chest."

"So... how long until we arrive?" he asked.

"We are still in the dilation of jump space. I understand we will depart jump space with only three days having passed externally. Inside the bubble, it takes... far longer, hence the cryogenics. I had assumed I could get your chamber working while it was operating but that effort failed, badly. Now that you aren't in the chamber I can factory reset the device and begin recalibration from scratch. This will take two to three days. If I'm successful, you may enter the chamber and sleep out the remaining time."

"If you can't?" Jack asked.

"Then I will keep you company for the three months the journey inside the bubble will take."

"Will I have to remain awake?" Jack asked nervously.

"Oh! No, that was just while you were in the chamber. You may sleep as you like now. You may wish to sleep as much as possible to make the time pass more quickly."

Jack felt a little better but not much. He'd keep his fingers crossed that the Tik would be successful. Three months was a long time to spend blind and deaf with only a voice in your head to talk to.

Shit.

-=-

Gee struggled to open her eyes. Sounds faded in and out and her muscles felt like mush.

"Drink this."

A bottle was pressed against her palm and someone wrapped her fingers around it. Her hand finally recalled what to do and gripped on its own. She slowly lifted the bottle and the opening touched her cheek. She slid it over until it reached her lips and slowly tilted it back. It was a shock when the liquid hit her tongue as that organ didn't seem to know what to make of the flavors swirling around on it. Instinctively, she swallowed and felt the liquid strike her stomach which wasn't happy about the new arrival.

"Keep it down, Gee. Swallow it all."

Something familiar about that voice.

She continued to swallow and each one was a struggle. Her body said no each time but she managed it. She actually began to feel energy returning to her muscles in short order and her head started to clear.

Gee's eyes finally managed to focus on the face standing before her and something... something wasn't right!

Jack smiled at her look of confusion. "What? You don't like my new look?"

She cleared her throat before she tried to speak, her eyes going up to his horns, locked onto his eyes in surprise, then back down to his jaw.

She frowned. "What have you done?"

Jack snorted at her mild accusation as he reached up to run his fingers through his new hair. Only reaching mid-neck, it was nowhere near as long as it had been when the chamber fucked him up.

When BassDrop determined it needed a proper medical scanner to get accurate readings for Jack's unique physiology to calibrate the cryogenics unit, Jack found he'd had time on his hands. He'd remained awake while the others slept the journey away. He was able to sleep from time to time but jump space did nasty things to his subconscious and the nightmares had been... epic.

He'd spent the three months blindfolded, ear muffled, and linked to BassDrop through his collar to protect his mind against the visual and auditory distortions of jump space. This meant he hadn't been able to see his new look. He recalled the relief when he felt the fuzz of new growth on his scalp and face. He'd been spared from spending the rest of his life completely hairless.

The new hair grew in quickly and far thicker than it had previously been. It was also jet black. Most likely a present of the monochromatism aspect of his Altarian genes. It was a drastic departure from his original blonde locks. His eyebrows had grown back, again, thicker and black. He was on the fence about his new, thicker and longer eyelashes however.

His facial hair wasn't spared the change either. He'd had time to grow a healthy, thick black beard.

He reminded himself that it could have been far worse. His body hair may have returned as black but at least its density hadn't increased to the point where he was covered in fur!

More disturbing to him had been the change of his eye color. Wide black limbal rings now covered most of his irises with only a hint of the original blue near the edge of his pupils. His eyes were much more like Gee and Bal's though theirs were completely black. Another present from the Altarian genes and virus.

Gee reached out her hands to touch his beard and her eyes widened. "Soft!" she sighed.

Jack pulled away gently and nodded to her as he moved to wake Bal.

Gee watched him gently assist her with her nutrient drink and ease her out of the chamber.

"JACK!" Bal gasped when her eyes opened and she grabbed his beard in both hands.

"Hey! Ow! Let go! It's attached!" he gasped and winced.

Bal's eyes traveled up to his head and she gasped when she saw how short his hair was.

"You CUT your HAIR!?!" Bal barked in outrage.

"No, it fell out and regrew," Jack said gently opening Bal's fingers to release his beard.

Bal looked over at Gee in confusion and shock.

BassDrop was waking Cha'Risa and the others, ensuring they drank their nutrient drinks.

Cha'Risa sat on the edge of her chamber gaping at his change.

Nann gagged on the electrolyte drink and BassDrop wiped her mouth. It lifted her hand to indicate she should drink more. Her eyes finally opened and nodded to the Tik then her eyes locked on Jack in shock. BassDrop moved on to Maxim then Leo.

Once they were all awake and relatively alert, the group gathered at the seating area near the front of the cargo bay the cryogenic units were arranged in. Jack addressed the group.

"Good morning." He grinned at them. "As you can see I've had another little adjustment. My Altarian genes aren't finished it seems. Thankfully, mostly cosmetic this time."

Gee and Bal were looking at him with small and subtle smiles as they liked his new coloration. And his beard.

"What happened?" Cha'Risa asked softly. "What happened to your eyes?!?"

Jack glanced at BassDrop who move forward to answer. "Jack's cryogenic sleep pod could not cope with his mixed biology. His Altarians genetics conflicted with the Human chemistry the chamber was attempting to use to freeze his state. Then the reverse happened. Perhaps his body attempted to... compensate and his Altarian genes asserted themselves, again. When I was unable to calibrate the chamber and his body began to fail I removed him from it," the Tik said.

The group looked at BassDrop in shock. "How long?" Nann asked.

"Three months."

Jack stood as a sudden need to act after such a long wait surged through him. He knew only three days passed in 'reality' but he'd had three months of anxiety over not being there to protect SennLann.

"Our hosts will be joining us shortly, I understand," Jack said.

"What is jump space like?" Leo asked curiously.

Jack glanced at the Tik. "For me it was dark and silent, except for BassDrop's voice." They'd agreed not to go into detail on how the Tik could access his collar. That would remain a secret. To alleviate the boredom, they'd spent a fair amount of time in Jack's imagination and memories. BassDrop had a seemingly endless list of experiences it wanted to record which Jack willingly supplied as it was a good distraction. He wasn't able to fulfill all of the requests and made it clear there wouldn't be any more sexy stuff.

"Because of the eye and ear protection I can't tell you." He paused. "I can say it was boring."

He glanced over at Gee and Bal who were still admiring his beard. "Don't get used to the facial hair! It's going when we get home!"

Gee made a little sound of protest and the commandos burst into chuckles.

The hatch between the cargo bay and the Wuu section of the ship opened and Wuu Leader entered with a few of his crew.

"Ambassador Danner! You- you look like a P'Ti-Kak!" it exclaimed.

Jack blinked at the revulsion in the Wuu's voice as it held very still.

"I'm not sure how to respond to that as I have no idea what a P'Ti-Kak is," he muttered.

Cautiously rolling forward, the Leader stopped a short distance away. "It is you, yes?"

Jack was surprised at how such a small cosmetic change would affect the Wuu's perception of him. "Yes! My hair just changed color because my sleep pod failed. BassDrop saved my life but my body... changed, a little."

The Wuu made a strange noise. "We will address this failure with the manufacturer. They will pay with their lives!" it screeched.

Jack held up his hands. "Whoa! There's no need to kill them! The machine just couldn't work with my hybrid genetics." He eyed the nervous Wuu, concerned about its overreaction. "Seriously, what's a P'Ti-Kak?"

The Wu turned and its crew mates moved a little closer. The Leader turned back to Jack and its trembling just stopped. "An extinct predator on Wuu. Long dead. Your resemblance is... merely surprising."

Jack smiled. He understood now. The Wuu Leader couldn't show fear in front of its people. Even instinctive fear. "Ah, good," he said with a smile.

The Leader continued. "Yes. We are close to Phem Kalos space. We're in orbit above a planet we maintain ownership of and often use for hunting. I've sent some of the crew to collect a few kills. Our cover story is a navigation and control core failure which will take us into Phem Kalos space. When we arrive we will broadcast that we need to make an emergency landing." The Leader gestured to its crew. "The ship is ready to begin its approach to Phem Kalos and once we do there's no turning back. This is the last opportunity to change your minds. One more consideration, we will make it to the surface but it will be a one way trip for this ship. If we leave at all, it will have to be through a Gate."

Jack looked to the others and saw no hesitation, just resolute nods. Emotions swelling in his chest, Jack nodded to the Wuu.

Wuu Leader turned back to its crew. "Set course for Phem Kalos once the hunters are back onboard." The crew rushed away to prepare.

Turning back to Jack, Leader gave himself a little shake to settle its fur. "We'll make planet fall in sixteen hours."

Nann shifted uneasily. "I'm not comfortable with the term, planet fall."

The Wuu purred in amusement.

Chapter 18

SennLann looked up from the map she and Ghret had been drawing battle plans on when she heard a commotion at the entrance to their hideout.

"I have to speak to SennLann! I have an urgent message from FrenHall!" a young voice insisted.

They'd just been finishing before they set out, the sun having set not too long ago. This meant this messenger had traveled in daylight. She looked at Ghret. "Get everyone out now. Tell them this hideout is compromised. We'll use the paint factory tomorrow morning. Let everyone know." Ghret nodded and rushed away.

SennLann was fuming as she approached the young one who was watching her with a look of awe in her eyes.

"You will keep up with me!" she snapped, irritated by the hero worship. SennLann was tired. She slipped out the entrance and shot away from the building, hugging the wall, staying in the darkest shadows. She spared a tiny bit of attention to ensure the messenger was still following.

Finally, six blocks from the hideout SennLann stepped into a doorway and grabbed the young female as she almost rushed by. The youth squeaked in fright.

"It's me! Tell me your message!" SennLann hissed quietly.

"Oh! Uh, FrenHall needs to speak with you immediately. She will be by the old post office."

Huffing in frustration, SennLann knew what this was likely about. Every day it was the same demand. Rescue the concubines! Every day that mission became more of a trap. While they were whittling Jaas' numbers down, the warriors still held the palace, and its inhabitants, in their iron grip. She knew the secret passages but getting that many people out in stealth would be impossible. The concubines were safer where they were.

With a final frustrated look into worshipping eyes, SennLann slipped back out into the alley and moved quickly to get to the post office.

She circled the block twice and saw no sign of a trap. She was surprised and impressed to see the young female had managed to keep up and remain hidden. She was emulating SennLann and copying her every move.

With a quiet snort, she slipped across the block to join FrenHall and Tess who both jumped at her sudden appearance and once more when SennLann's shadow appeared.

"Lana, please join Marress at the fish market," FrenHall said tersely.

"But..."

"Go!" FrenHall snapped.

"Easy!" SennLann admonished her, feeling bad about her own behavior towards the youth. She turned to her and took her hand. "Thank you, Lana. Be safe! You're our future."

With a joyful smile, Lana slipped away.

SennLann turned back to FrenHall whose face held a stricken look.

"Killia is dead. He killed her," FrenHall gasped quietly.

SennLann knew exactly who 'he' was by how bitterly FrenHall said it. She didn't recognize the name Killia, however. "Who-"

"My cousin!" FrenHall managed before she burst into tears. One of the concubines. One of the females SennLann had refused to rescue. Tess pulled FrenHall into a hug as she looked at SennLann in dread. "Jaas broadcast her execution. He said he would kill another one every 12 hours until you surrender yourself. He accused you of setting off the explosions in the armory, the truck depot, and the port. He said he wouldn't tolerate any further inconveniences."

SennLann stared at them in shock. "We're not responsible for the explosions. My team didn't do them."

"Neither did ours," Tess replied as FrenHall got control over her tears.

Sniffing, she aimed her sad eyes at their ebony furred leader. "We cannot wait any longer."

SennLann sighed but knew it was true. She nodded. It was a trap and they'd have to walk right into its mouth.

She realized she'd run out of time.

"Tess, I'm going with FrenHall. Join up with Ghret and tell my team to make as much noise as possible but stay hidden, if they can. Use the grenades. We need to draw as many of the troops out of the palace as possible. Find some volunteers to take control of the broadcast center. Arm them as well as you can to hold it or destroy it if they are going to be overrun. Jaas doesn't get to make another public execution. Go quickly and be safe!"

Tess must have felt something was off as she pulled SennLann into a tight hug. "You be safe, too!" With a quick kiss on the cheek, she rushed away. When they were alone, SennLann looked at FrenHall who was looking at her hopefully if nervously. "You understand, it's a trap. We might not be able to free any of them. We may just die in there. If it comes to that, if I get a chance to take Jaas with me, I will."

FrenHall held her eyes and nodded with conviction. She knew the risks were high and if that's where fate took her, she could settle with taking Jaas to the grave with her.

-=-

It was looking like it was going to be another quiet night with just a token effort made by SennLann and her followers. Fuck, Jaas wanted to feel her neck snap in his hands!

He would have to settle with killing another of his concubines. He hated the waste but he needed something to draw out the leaders of the... he hated to use the term rebellion, as it leant the females some credibility. He'd kill one of the young ones tonight. That would push SennLann and FrenHall to the breaking point.

He noticed the tech suddenly peer closely at his screen then look over his shoulder at him.

"Sir! The... females are launching an offensive on the truck depot on the eastern edge of the city! Several troop carriers are on fire! Ten warriors are confirmed dead. The rest are pinned down."

Jaas wondered at their choice of target. Could they use the trucks as weapons... yes, they could! The energy cells!