Jack's Moonlighting Pt. 02

"Are we in danger from this poison?" Mara asked.

"In the short term, no. Any fallout from the explosion was carried west on the other side of the mountains. The clean-up should occur before the radiation is allowed to seep too far into the soil and water. This is why I've called for them to do it now," Jack responded.

He glanced back at the bundles. "I hope it isn't too bold of us to ask this, but as Peacekeeper will be heading off to Krreegah for a few days, would it be permissible for us to set up our tents somewhere nearby until they return?"

Mara smiled delightedly. "You may set up your tent in the space next to mine!" She saw multiple packs. "And any open areas nearby."

"That is most gracious of you. Thank you," Jack said with a bow.

They collected the bags and followed Mara back toward her tent's location. There was a large open space beside it where the Ishilon got busy setting up the first tent. The second and third were just a short distance away.

Mara and her people watched with fascination as the warriors positioned the bag and pulled some straps. The duffle unrolled itself and inflated! She looked over in delight at Jack, and he was equally impressed, so this must have been the first time he'd seen one of these dwellings too.

Once it was fully inflated and the Ishilon confirmed it was complete, they tacked it down to prevent heavy winds from moving it. Suddenly, lights came on inside the tent, and Jack's smile widened.

"All the comforts of home!" he said with a grin. He moved forward and pulled back the flap covering the entrance, which clung to the opening with a static charge. The door was tall enough that she only had to bend slightly to step inside. Jack followed her with Laannaa, Warrez, and her team close behind. The Tik were last.

They found themselves in a large seating area just inside the entrance with many comfortable-looking cushions strewn about. These must have inflated with the tent.

Jack poked his head into a doorway off to the left and made a noise of surprise. Mara moved up to his back and leaned against him lightly to look over his shoulder. It was a playful gesture and perhaps a little too intimate for strangers, but she felt surprisingly comfortable around him. It also allowed her to feel the strength in his shoulders and back. She was delighted with what she detected under his robe!

Then she realized she was looking at a large bed. A large, comfortable, inviting-looking bed with soft sheets already in place! "Oh!" she said softly in surprise.

"Yes, looks inviting," Jack said, then froze as he glanced at her over his shoulder.

She caught his unintentional flirting, then became aware of his pleasant masculine scent and the heat coming from his body. He seemed unusually warm. She eased back. "It does," she said with an equally inviting smile.

Jack held her eyes briefly as if trying to determine her intent, then turned to see Dennesh smiling at him in the seating area. "As this structure is inflated, I'll have to do my best not to puncture it." He gestured to his horns. "The horn guards will stay on at all times."

Dennesh nodded. "The fabric is very strong and mostly tear-proof, but your horns would be problematic."

Mara caught Jack's eye again and pointed to her own horns. "Are my horns a risk to this shelter?"

Jack looked closer at the tips. "No, the points are rounded, so not a puncture hazard."

She looked more closely at the caps on his. "Now I'm curious."

Jack smiled self-consciously, then removed one of the tip guards.

Her eyes widened as she saw his horns end with a wickedly sharp point. She automatically reached for it, but Jack caught her hand in his.

"Sorry. I know it's tempting, but it would cut your fingers. That's why I wear these," he said, handing her the cap.

She took it from his finger and realized what it was made of.

"This is bone!" she exclaimed, seeing the intricate carving on its surface. "It's beautifully carved as well!"

Jack smiled fondly. "The mother of the King of Chrystan made them for me from the face plate bones of the Dynast Class Skrahak I killed. It's possible it was the same creature that killed her grandfather. The images she carved on it tell his story. Chrystan is an ice planet, and the Skrahak are mindless predators which live in the mountains. They are bad-tempered meat-eating furry creatures with bony armor plates over their faces. When they grow really big in their advanced years, they're called Dynast Class. The one I killed was..." Jack looked around himself, "a little bigger than this tent."

Mara looked at Jack in surprise. "I would love to hear that story!"

Jack nodded. "Perhaps over dinner?" he said, then frowned. "Before I invite you to dinner, let me confirm what we brought." He turned to Dennesh. "You did bring food supplies for our visit, right?"

Dennesh lifted a bag of ration bars.

"That's not food. That's for survival." He looked back at Mara with an apologetic expression. "I'm so sorry. I normally try to be far better prepared."

Mara smiled. "You are welcome to eat with us." She looked at Juju. "Can Jack and the Ishilon eat Dannt food safely? We don't want another occurrence of what happened to the Krreegah."

The Tik dipped forward. "We can scan the meal to determine what is safe for them to consume. If there are missing nutrients, they can augment the meal with one of their ration bars."

Mara smiled at Jack and Dennesh. "Then you'll dine with us tonight." She locked eyes with Jack. "I want to hear the story of the Skrahak."

Jack bowed to her, and she felt a warm little tingle rush through her body. She glanced over and saw Warrez, Gruun, Lena, and Bayly grinning at her. The lack of privacy for intimacy was something new. She wondered what the range was for this ability and how far she'd have to sneak out of the village for some... private time.

Thinking of the village reminded her of the vaccine. "Jack, would it be possible to ask the Ishilon doctor for more vaccine doses?"

Jack smiled and looked to Dennesh, who collected a large crate and placed it on the floor next to Jack.

"In case you were interested, Doctor Chena included this with our supplies," Jack said as he opened the lid. Inside she saw a row of injectors on a tray. He lifted that out and underneath were multiple trays with hundreds of doses on each.

"Tomorrow, we can set up a clinic to vaccinate your people," Jack suggested. He looked over at Juju. "Could we ask the Tik to track the population's vaccination status if it means being able to open the Gates for them at some point?"

"We will gladly assist in this endeavor," Juju said with a bow which Jack returned.

Mara grinned as Jack's thoughts mirrored her own. She looked forward to sharing more ideas with him at dinner.

-=-

Lorrem gazed at the collection of space craft Peacekeeper had just towed into orbit above Krreegah. The Fang and Claw was surrounded by its battleships, some of which would likely need to be decommissioned due to extensive damage.

Two Tik joined him on the bridge. They bore distinct marks from some kind of scorching on their chassis.

"Commander Tessen, I am CamCam, and this is Ulooru. We witnessed Peacekeeper's efforts in space, followed the Krreegah ship to the surface, and monitored their activities there. We place ourselves at your service in communicating with the Krreegah governing body."

Lorrem considered them. "Thank you. If required, can you share the video of the events you just described with the Krreegah?"

"Yes," CanCan replied.

"We've achieved geosynchronous orbit above Graakkaa, their capital city," a bridge officer called out.

"Hail the surface," Lorrem said.

Moments later, the comm officer nodded. "We have contact with the Krreegah Congress."

"On screen," the commander said and was soon facing Hillassh and Trresst, the two Congress officials Jack met with. They looked more rested this time. They smiled in relief, seeing the Ishilon.

"Greetings. I'm Commander Lorrem Tessen on Peacekeeper. The invasion of Danat was stopped before it could begin. Only three Krreegah managed to land a small craft on the planet's surface. Commander Freskkay Nuugaat and two warriors located the damaged Krreegah invasion ship, which crash-landed long ago. During their attempt to activate and retrieve one of the ancient spacecraft's missiles, they were attacked by the feral Krreegah living inside the ship. They ignited spilled fuel crystals from the ship, causing it to explode. This triggered the warhead they'd activated, which exploded as well. It was a nuclear device and caused enormous damage and radioactive fallout."

Hillassh and Trresst, who'd been smiling when Lorrem first indicated the invasion was prevented, no longer looked so happy.

"W-were any of the local populace killed or injured?" Hillassh asked nervously.

Lorrem shook his head. "Thankfully, no Dannt have been harmed... so far. Ambassador Danner has remained with the Dannt to continue diplomatic efforts with them. There is still the matter of the clean-up from the nuclear explosion. Ambassador Danner asked me to deliver a request for the Krreegah to remove the contamination before it has time to poison any Dannt citizens. While they were technologically advanced before their civilization fell, they don't currently have the means to deal with the aftermath of a nuclear weapon used on their world."

Trresst nodded. "Yes, of course. We no longer use those weapons, but we have the technology required for decontamination and would welcome the opportunity to assist our Gate Network neighbors in their time of need."

Lorrem held the eyes of the politician until Trresst began to fidget. Finally, he caught on, and more words spilled out. "Uh, at their convenience and completely at no cost to the Dannt. We weren't sufficiently vigilant in our efforts to prevent this terrible event from transpiring and take full responsibility."

This made Lorrem nod with a slight smile. "Our Shadeem said the Krreegah were honorable people, and your actions are proving it."

"Shadeem?" Hillassh asked.

"Ambassador Danner is also the Shadeem of the Ishilon, our spiritual guide," Lorrem explained, and smiles appeared on the faces of the two Pax, so Lorrem continued with his message.

"We've returned your vessels to Krreegah space and are ready to deliver them and your citizens to you. Many were unwilling to surrender and had to be taken by force. We restricted ourselves to non-lethal methods. When they saw they'd lost, some turned on each other. They fired on their own ships, and Krreegah citizens were lost. Three Ishilon were killed in our peacekeeping effort, but no Krreegah were killed by us."

"We're sorry for your loss," Pax Hilassh said immediately and solemnly.

"Thank you. I need to return your sash of office and arrange to transfer equipment and personnel. May I come down to the surface to meet with you?" Lorrem asked.

Hillassh smiled and nodded. "Of course. When should we expect you?"

Lorrem saw Amiga, the Tik Jack asked to be an anchor point for his last visit, waving to the camera once more from behind the Senators. He smiled. "Momentarily."

He nodded to his comm officer, who disconnected the link. Then he turned to CamCam and Ulooru. "Will you two accompany me to the surface?"

"Yes," CamCam replied.

"I think they need to see what happened over Danat and on the surface. Then we will transfer their citizens. Could we also enlist the assistance of the Tik to help the Krreegah get their people onto their ships for them to dock them in their station? We will provide the Gates if the Tik could anchor them to locations inside the ships," Lorrem asked.

"I will pass the word," Ulooru said.

Lorrem nodded to his bridge crew, then turned back to the Tik. "I'm eager to complete this task as I don't wish to leave the Shadeem on the primitive world for too long. I'm certain he's safe with his security detail, but I'm learning that Jack attracts trouble."

CamCam and Ulooru shared looks and then nodded to the Ishilon commander. They understood the Ambassador used unorthodox methods and heard what happened in the Krreegah's Hall of Congress. They wondered what troubles he could find on the Dannt's low-tech world.

Chapter 17

Jack had an odd feeling that he'd somehow set himself up for trouble.

But it didn't feel like the life-threatening kind so far.

The meal they shared with Queen Mara and her friends had been mostly delicious, with only a few items the Tik warned Jack and the Ishilon away from. They finished the meal pleasantly full and didn't have to resort to the ration bars. Everyone was feeling quite relaxed.

He told them the story of his hunting the Skrahak on Chrystan and ensured he didn't paint himself as some mighty hunter but as one lucky son-of-a-bitch. His audience was greatly entertained, and their eyes twinkled with delight as he finished.

Jack reflected he might have felt a little too relaxed. The night was very warm, and his gown was too stuffy, so after dinner, he ducked into his tent to quickly swap the ceremonial wear for his comfortable running tights, a tank t-shirt, and his runners. This felt so much better!

When he rejoined the group, Mara and the others stared at him in surprise. Jack became overly self-conscious about how tight his clothing was and asked if he should put the gown back on. Mara was quite vocal that he remain as he was. Bayly's gaze was a little too direct, and even Laannaa gave him odd looks.

Trying to think of something the Dannt could focus their attention on besides himself, he suggested they watch a projection of the events which had occurred in space above their planet. The Tik who witnessed the battle could beam the recording of their memories against the large flat surface of the largest tent. Everyone could take seats on the ground to watch the show.

Mara and Bayly were very enthusiastic about the idea.

The younger Dannt faced her friends and the High Priestess. "When Peacekeeper arrived in orbit above Danat, I could see the world from horizon to horizon. It was... humbling. From that far above the surface, you see so much of the natural world, but there's no sign of us, the people of Danat. Even the cities, which seem to fill so much area from the perspective of the ground, are almost invisible from space. It changed my perspective of my place with the planet."

Laannaa stared at Bayly in surprise.

Jack smiled at the two as Bayly's confession was probably a smart message to share with the Head of their religious order.

He looked to Dennesh. "We have enough backup power to keep the Tik fully charged while they project the images?"

The warrior smiled and nodded. She gestured for two of the team to collect one of their battery packs.

"Juju, could I ask you to do the honors of projecting what you saw above the world?" he asked.

"Certainly!" the Tik responded, moving a distance back from the tent to face it. TkaTken sat on the ground, and Juju settled down on top to be a little higher to project over the heads of the seated audience.

Dennesh moved an energy pack beside them so they could plug in and charge while playing the video.

Bayly and her team sat beside each other and spoke quietly.

Jack, Mara, and Laannaa sat on cushions behind them. He looked at Juju. "Did you witness the arrival of the Krreegah, Juju?"

"I did," it replied.

"Could you show us this?" Jack asked.

The tent side lit up with a scene of The Fang and Claw approaching the planet with the armada close behind.

"The largest ship was the one where Commander Freskkay Nuugaat led the fleet. It had the most weapons," Jack said for everyone to hear. "There were also twelve battleships which were heavily armed. The smaller ships were troop carriers that contained the Krreegah warriors who would land on the surface to attack the Dannt after the flagship and battleships destroyed your ability to fight back by dropping missiles on you from space."

Juju spoke up. "They ran many scans of the planet, so I believe they were trying to locate targets to destroy."

Jack nodded as this matched his thoughts as well. "Can you show the scene of their shooting at the Gate Terminal, Juju?"

The scene changed to a close-up of the opening of one of The Fang and Claw's weapons bays. There was a flash as a long object was flung from a launcher to shoot downwards toward the planet. The view followed the kinetic missile until its impact and the explosion afterward.

"What was fired at the Terminal?" Mara asked.

"The kinetic missile was a solid metal rod capable of withstanding the incredible heat of entering the atmosphere at high velocity," Juju explained.

"How could we defend ourselves against them?" Mara asked.

Jack answered that. "You couldn't. It's similar to a stray meteor wandering in from outer space and crashing into the planet's surface. Peacekeeper is capable of capturing such threats." He looked at Juju. "Can you show us the arrival of Peacekeeper?"

The angle changed as Juju faced away from the armada and focused on the planet.

The gathered Dannt gasped as they got their first view of their home from above.

"That's Danat?" Mara said in awe.

"Yes. It's a beautiful world," Jack said, and she nodded, unable to look away.

Juju froze the image. "I'd like to warn you before I play the next part as I found it visually disturbing when I witnessed it happening. Please understand it is just an illusion, and nothing bad is happening."

Jack grinned as he knew what was coming. Mara looked at him curiously.

"It's just the nature of Peacekeeper's non-reflective surface. Juju is right. Nothing bad is happening."

Having warned them, Juju continued the projection, and gasps of dismay erupted from the audience as the planet appeared to be consumed by a black hole.

"Peacekeeper looks like a shadow. It's completely black," Jack said calmly with a smile.

Once everyone settled down, Jack let them know what was happening as the Krreegah reacted to their ultimatums.

The angle changed as Juju must have changed locations. His last segment showed him turning toward the planet's surface. Then Juju began descending.

"Should I continue?" it asked.

Jack saw the eager expressions on the Dannt's faces. "Yes, take us right down to the surface, please."

Instead of watching the images, Jack watched the expressions of the Dannt as they suddenly grasped the reality of returning from space. The final moments showed Juju joining TkaTken and Tito in front of the Queen's tent then she came outside and smiled at them.

"That's me!" Mara said in delight. Laannaa was also shown on the screen coming out of the tent. Warrez and her team were there. Moments later, a mirrored Gate appeared, and Bayly stepped through.

"Me!" she squeaked, then glanced at Mara and Jack.

"I think we've seen enough," the Queen said. "Thank you very much, Juju, for sharing your memories with us. It was an enlightening experience for us ground dwellers." She turned to Jack with a smile. "Seeing what happened in space above us brings new comprehension of the dangers we faced and the realization of the debt we owe for your intervention."

Jack shook his head. "There is no debt. Their attack was cowardly and unjust. Stopping it was the right thing to do. The peaceful leaders of Krreegah should have taken better steps to prevent their space fleet from being used this way. They expressed remorse to me when we spoke with them on the way to Danat. They begged us to stop the attack and to protect you. Please understand the attack on a neighboring world is sufficient grounds for the Tik to withdraw their access to the Gate Network. As well as being fearful for your safety, they worried they would be cut off from the Network. Their society could be crippled if they had a lot of off-world dependencies."