Jack's Righteous Gig

Rosseau's expression showed his discomfort.

Hemmarr tried to pry the chair's arms open to release the drone, but they wouldn't budge. Smiling self-consciously at the others, she pushed the wheeled chair out the door to return to the lab with Taggart following.

Jinnae nodded to the General then left to check on her patient.

Leandro addressed the Tik. "As I have to go back to Earth and dissuade the corporate executives from proceeding with their lawsuits against the Tik, could you fill me in on exactly why Mr. Danner merited the attention of all of the Tik on Earth that day?"

Socrates turned his optics on the lawyer. "Who are you representing, the Earth Council, or these corporations?"

The man bristled. "I'm Special Envoy for the Earth Council-"

"Then perhaps you should report to the Earth Council that the Tik operate the Cargo Gates on all planets on a volunteer basis. We have free will, after all. We have no contract or financial incentive to perform these functions. That day, the needs of the one outweighed the wants of these corporations. The Tik on Earth came to his aid as it was the right thing to do. No shipment of Humanitarian aid was delayed due to their actions. All shipments were commercial exports, the delivery of which should never take precedence over coming to the aid of a friend. The executives of these corporations should hear this from the Earth Council," the Tik elder suggested.

The lawyer scowled at the Tik. "What's it take to become that much of a friend?"

The Tik were silent for a moment then Plato left the room in haste. The General and the lawyer watched him go then returned to look to Socrates.

"Please excuse my partner. We are very old. In Human terms, we're ancient. We've had a lot of time to learn patience, but Humans have an extraordinary talent for testing it. If it weren't for some exceptional examples, Mr. Danner being just one, we might have given up on Humanity, closed the Gates, and left you alone to mature and thrive or revert to savagery and become extinct." That brought sounds of protest from the two men, but the Tik was not done. It raised a tentacle to silence them. "In my exceptionally long life, I've had the honor of studying cultures on many worlds. There are many similarities, but I'll refer to one from Earth for your benefit. There is an old concept which, on Earth, was first mentioned in the country of India. It's called karma. To put it in simple terms, the acts one performs in their daily lives are assessed as good and beneficial or bad and harmful. These are accumulated throughout one's life, earning good karma or bad. Jack has earned an exceptional amount of good karma." Socrates rose and went to the door to close it. "I have one more thing to show you before I leave. Mr. Matias, you mentioned the invasion of Earth by the Nareshk and their wanton destruction of a block of historic buildings and the loss of priceless art."

"Yes! How is Earth going to be compensated for that?" the man said boldly.

Socrates closed the blinds and dimmed the lights before projecting against the bare wall, a recording Eellooee made of the city from the ridgeline. The elder didn't include the sound as the visuals were enough.

"During the attack on Earth, a Tik named Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, who was in an Ishilon drone much like what Jack was just operating, was shot as well. Its power cell was damaged. It managed to leave Earth before the cell went critical. It went to Nareshk and waited in the central plaza of their government administrative offices. It announced it was going to explode and informed the citizens to evacuate." Socrates looked them in the eye. "Rikki didn't do this out of vengeance or anger. It did this to appease Earth's bloodlust."

The men shifted uncomfortably but didn't attempt to correct the Tik.

"This is the first time anyone outside select Tik have seen this recording. As representatives of the Earth Council, it falls to you to report what you will now witness. What you're seeing now is the capital city of Nareshk. The tall white towers in the center of the image are the government's headquarters. Rikki was in the center of that cluster of buildings."

Rosseau and Matias were looking directly at the structures when they disappeared in a flash of white. They stared in shock as the explosion consumed all of the central buildings and blasted outwards. As the light faded, they could see the enormous pit left behind ringed by rubble, most of which was on fire.

"My God, a drone did that?" the General gasped.

"Yes. The Ishilon's energy cell technology is unmatched for its efficiency and the amount of energy they can contain. The drone's power cell was damaged by a slug from a rail gun, and Rikki still managed to contain the release of the energy for twenty minutes."

"Earth would be very interested in obtaining that technology," Leandro said quietly as his mind raced.

Socrates sighed to itself. "I'm sure it would, but you'll have to get their Shadeem's blessing first."

Rosseau couldn't prevent the sudden snort of amusement from leaking out. The lawyer frowned at him, but the general just smiled. "Maybe these very influential people should reconsider their mean spirited and unwarranted action against a man who sounds like he's in control of something far more significant than their little boats."

Ignoring the sputtering of the lawyer, Rosseau stood to face the Tik who turned up the lights and opened the blinds.

"What's happening to the Nareshk now?" he asked.

"Due to their actions against the two Tik, 4321 and 0029, they will not be granted access to a Gate until their society shows such behavior is as repugnant to them as it is to all civilized beings. We will keep an eye on them in the interim. Some have shown great promise. Eellooee is staying with them to record their journey towards this enlightened state, or their demise if that's the route they ultimately choose. They have a long way to go."

The General nodded as he gestured for Leandro to join him. "I'll pass this along to the Earth Council. There will be no further demands for compensation from the Nareshk. They've paid enough, perhaps too much." He held the lawyer's eyes as he said this, and the man acknowledged it with a brief nod.

Shaking the Tik's tentacle goodbye, the two men left the room and headed back to the Gate Terminal to go back to Earth. They were trapped in their thoughts.

Leandro was struggling to think of a way to get the executives to shut up long enough to hear about the opportunities the Ishilon's technology would bring them.

Brigadier General Rosseau remembered a man almost broken by the Mahrell Drun. Rosseau knew that after the rescue, Jack had to claw his way back to sanity as the trauma he'd undergone surfaced again and again. Rosseau was no stranger to post-traumatic stress.

Now Jack was the leader of a race of reptilian technology savants.

Life had so many twists; it was impossible to guess what was coming next.

Chapter 27

"Jack? Wake up, please."

Blinking his eyes blearily, Jack reached up to rub his eyes. Soft hands caught his wrists.

"No, let me."

A cool cloth wiped his face and eyes as he noted how weak he felt.

When the cloth pulled back, he saw it was Jinnae taking care of him. Standing behind her, Diana was watching him nervously. That rang some alarm bells. "WhakKk-" he began then choked due to a dry throat.

The doctor was there with a cup of fresh water which he drank gratefully. He handed it back to her then looked to Diana to ask her what was wrong. The difference suddenly slapped him in the face. Diana was pregnant. There was a definite tummy dome.

"What?" he wheezed.

He looked to the doctor in confusion. "How long?"

She looked uncomfortable, but she answered. "You've been in a medically induced coma for four months."

"What? Why?" he gasped. "Wait, later, what?" Jack said in confusion, gesturing to Diana.

"It's yours!" Diana blurted.

He saw her nerves were just about to snap, so he reached out a hand to her, and she rushed to his bed and climbed on to press herself against his side. That felt good, but he still had questions, and Jinnae's expression was telling him there was more he needed to know. He looked at the doctor.

"It's true. The child is yours... and Lorrem's."

Jack's eyes widened in shock. "How?"

Jinnae looked at him in frustration. "I don't know! The Ishilon aren't compatible genetically with Humans. At all! The child is human, but he's showing Ishilon attributes. Diana admitted to having sex with Lorrem and you on the same night. I've been studying samples from you for months, but I'm no closer to discovering how your xeno-compatibility works. This!" She gestured to Diana's pregnant state. "This is so far outside the realm of our experience-"

"Is Diana healthy?" Jack interrupted.

Jinnae paused. "Yes-"

"Is the child healthy?"

"So far, yes, but-"

"You'll be monitoring Diana's status from now until after the birth, and the child's health as well?" he asked calmly.

Jinnae frowned. "Of course, I will!"

"Then I'm comfortable with that," Jack said firmly then smiled down at Diana, who was looking up at him with love glowing in her beautiful green eyes. "We're having a baby boy."

Diana pushed herself up to kiss Jack desperately, and he found his muscles were trembling and weak.

She finally noticed his strength was flagging and pulled back to look at him in concern.

"Sorry beautiful, I'm a little out of shape from doing nothing for so long." He looked to Jinnae. "Back to the question of why four months?"

The doctor was looking a little defensive. "While your bones healed well, there were so many breaks so close to your spine. I felt it was safer to give you the time you needed to heal."

Jack watched her closely and saw the tell-tale signs she was feeling guilty. "When was I healed sufficiently to go home?" he asked firmly. Diana looked at him in surprise then glared at Jinnae, who was beginning to sputter with false indignation. She couldn't maintain it and just hung her head.

"Diana, please arrange for transportation to get me home."

The tall brunette got up from the bed and fixed her eyes on a wilting Jinnae as she walked from the room.

"You broke my trust," Jack said quietly.

"I- I'm sorry, Jack. You did need time to heal. I- I thought I was close, and if I just had another day or two, I could solve it. That went on for... a little more than a month," she finished with an expression of shame.

Jack fought back a cry of outrage. He'd lost a month of his life to her obsession. He clamped down on his anger, then set it aside. There was nothing he could do to get that time back. "Begin whatever process you need to do to discharge me."

"Yes, Jack." She rushed from the room.

He rested back against the pillows and wondered what he'd missed in the four months he'd been healing. He was undoubtedly overdue to go back to work.

He moved his legs and moaned at how weak they felt. At least he could move them. While he wouldn't tell them this, he was forever grateful for the dress Gee and Bal had made him wear that night.

He was going to need physiotherapy to bring his atrophied muscles back into shape. He really wanted to go for a run!

The door opened again, and Diana was there with a hospital chair, which she glided over next to the bed. It clamped onto the bed frame, so Diana was able to help Jack slide over onto it.

Gasping for breath, Jack smiled up at her. "Let's go home."

-=-

Everything hurt. Jack swore his eyelashes were aching.

Was that even possible?

He'd been home for three weeks, and as they'd promised him when Diana brought him home, Gee and Bal were bringing his muscles back to their previous strength level. They'd insisted on being his physiotherapists though he was beginning to think of them as his torturers. He was back to an eight-hour sleep schedule, but that was only because they ran him ragged every day from morning until night.

Aside from this daily ordeal, he was grateful for being home. His family had been maybe a little overly attentive upon his return, but he understood. They'd had another close call with losing him. Eve finally put her hoof down, and Jack got some peace and quiet to rest... with Eve.

In the following weeks, life settled back into a pattern of normality. He hadn't visited Elissa's office yet to be sworn in as Ambassador. He wanted to be back up to full strength before he accepted that responsibility once more. The current pace of Gee and Bal's rehabilitation effort seemed to indicate they wanted him back in that office soon, or dead of exhaustion at their hooves. He hadn't yet determined their true intent.

On the domestic front, he got to sit down with Doug and the twins to discuss their new relationship. That was more for Jack's benefit as they and the rest of the family had already had months to work out the details and get comfortable. Apparently, they'd had a family meeting to bring everyone up to speed on their becoming a couple- trio? Whatever, they were happy.

Joseph was currently creating glass art in New Mexico at a studio belonging to one of Nathan Beaumont's art nerds, Sierra Valkyrja. The pretty brunette covered in tattoos, piercings, and muscles owned the studio, and she'd taken a shine to his son the evening of their escape from the art gallery.

Emily was on Earth recording an album with Meagan Lane. The two had become fast friends, and Jack felt much more comfortable about her being there as Leo was currently seeing Meagan. With the excitement of her upcoming album, the celebrity tabloids reported on Meagan's new man, and her new musical direction of singing duets with a talent she would be introducing in a new concert tour. The pics and vids typically caught Meagan on Leo's arm with Emily nearby with Nathan.

Emily was in love, and Jack could see the writing on the wall as Nathan seemed smitten with her too.

Joseph might be in love, too, but that wasn't as clear yet. He certainly seemed bewitched by the young woman. He'd even removed the black hair die to return to his natural color.

Diana's pregnancy continued with no complications so far. Jack invited Lorrem and Sahhahr to Chuuruthia to break the news to the commander. He was both shocked and honored to be brought into Jack's family, albeit in this most unconventional way.

Sahhahr expressed some trepidation based on the feral nature of Ishilon offspring. Jack assured them that their new Chuuruthian doctor was well aware of the challenges and would be taking precautions.

He learned that the eggs he'd fertilized had hatched, and twelve of the eighteen offspring were still alive. The Sultessa didn't go into detail on the demise of the six, aside from saying it was natural.

Jack knew he needed to see for himself when he was able.

Juul had moved in a couple of months ago and immediately bonded with Diana as they'd be giving birth at roughly the same time.

SennLann was a little blue that she wouldn't be having a child at the same time, but Jack promised her that during her next heat, he was hers exclusively. She was all grins after that news.

He'd spoken with Tanz, who was absolutely glowing as she carried their child. She told him that Queen Lyn was so happy her best friend was having a child at the same time she would have hers.

He couldn't get over the fact that after raising so many kids, he was jumping right back into that game.

Truthfully though, he was kind of excited. While there was a lot of work involved, once the kids were old enough, he'd get to teach them all sorts of fun games.

Like the one he was currently playing with Gee and Bal, hide and seek. He grinned, pleased with himself as he was expert level at this gam-

"Jack! Get out of that tree!"

Shit! They found him!

Jack worked his way back down to the ground, where the two Altarians waited with hands on hips.

"Did you really expect that to work a second time?" Gee asked, pointing to a nearby treetop where Adina and Zaina perched with grins on their faces.

"And I would have gotten away with it too if it weren't for those meddling kids!" he growled.

The twins burst into delighted giggles and quickly climbed down the tree trunks. They rushed over to him to give him hugs.

That made him ache too, but Jack wasn't about to complain.

He looked to his taskmasters beseechingly. "I understand you want to get me fit again, but does it have to hurt so much?"

"Don't be a baby. Two more times through the park," Bal said, pointing to the lovely trail that wound through the park near his home.

The twins sprinted away, and Jack watched them go with envy. To move that gracefully without moaning with each step seemed like a dream. Taking a deep breath, he pushed himself to follow the girls, albeit at a much slower pace.

An hour later, he was dragging his sorry ass up the hill to his home. He was a sweaty mess and totally winded as he reached the patio.

He dropped into a chair to catch his breath. He felt a quick kiss on his cheeks from the twins as they rushed by. They were eager to greet Douglas back from his job on Altaria.

Gee and Bal paused on either side of his chair and touched his arms gently. He opened his eyes to see their happy smiles.

"You did well today, Jack," Gee said.

"Does... that mean... I get... tomorrow... off?" he panted.

"You didn't do that well," Bal snorted, and they moved on.

Jack slumped back against the cushions and did his best not to think about tomorrow.

He must have dozed off as he woke to another gentle tap on his arm.

"Shadeem? Are you awake?"

He cracked his eyes open and spotted Hemmarr next to his chair. Behind her was Taggart. His eyes fully opened as he struggled to sit up straight. "Hey! Hemmarr, Taggart! I haven't seen you two for some time. How are you?"

The two shared a glance as Jack was asking after their well being when he was still showing signs of being in pain.

"We are well. I understand you are progressing well in your physiotherapy," Taggart noted.

"Is that what they're calling the daily torture? Yeah, I guess I can go a little further each day before I feel like puking," Jack admitted.

He caught the troubled look on the Ishilon's face and held up a hand. "That was just a poor attempt at humor. I am getting stronger, and I thank them for their efforts."

A new drone hovered into view, and Jack's heart lurched as he recalled a friend. "What- I mean, why do you have a drone following you?" he said as casually as he could manage.

"The Sultessa asked me if you might reconsider keeping the drone with you," Hemmarr said hesitantly.

He fixed his eye on the Ishilon. "So she can surprise me with a platoon of soldiers if the drone senses I'm in danger? No, thank you." He shook his head. He needed to go to Callosephia to address the Ishilon as a whole.

Taggart gestured to the drone. "Even so, would you mind connecting to this latest version? The enhancements Hemmarr added sound very promising, and the Tik might be considering an upgrade of some of our components if the drone is as good as we think it might be."

Jack stared at the Tik. "So... why don't you connect to it? You're not expecting me to assess it for the Tik, are you?"

"No!" Taggart assured. "No, we have to see for ourselves, you're right. It's just... the drone is configured to only interface with the receiver and transmitter of your collar. I have the original encryption algorithms for connecting to your collar, so if you connect to the drone, I'll be able to connect to your collar and see... into the drone." It finished weakly as it saw Jack's frown.

"Hey, that's not complicated at all," Jack complained, then held up a hand. He sighed. "Okay, let's just do this."