Jack's Righteous Gig

He pulled her into his arms, and she seemed to melt to fit perfectly against his body.

"Mmmm! You're so warm this morning!" she sighed with happiness.

"Oh! Well, I've been out running for hours," he suggested.

She pulled back to look him in the eye. "Running. That's all you've been doing?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

He smiled self-consciously. "OK, I stopped to talk to a group of male groundskeepers. I wanted to see how they were integrating with the workforce. Oh, before I forget. A sweet Chuuruthian Gate Terminal worker named Miccali sends her regards, and an Altarian Gate Terminal operator named Thesson also sends his regards." Elissa's eyes twinkled with delight. Jack continued. "Thesson said he was part of a group called STAMPEDE. Hilarious name, but I've never heard of them. How have I never heard of them?"

Elissa frowned slightly. "Because we banished you from the planet."

He sighed with fake anguish. "Ah, yes. There is that."

At her quiet gasp, he pulled her closer as she made gentle sounds of protest. He chuckled. "I'm teasing! I know you had no choice, and I don't hold grudges. I love you!"

She pouted as she looked him in the eye once more. "Your children must love you too as they are causing quite a noise over this."

"You know how much I love them!" Jack said, fondly. She nodded with a smile.

Elissa sighed and pulled back from Jack. "I'm going to have to call an emergency session for the government ministers because of the threat of a general strike. The Empire is a complex machine that needs all of its parts moving in unison to keep it from grinding to a halt. A general strike would be extremely costly." She looked at Jack, but he was just smiling.

"It could happen this time," he said with a strange glow in his eyes.

She nodded and bit her lip, struggling to contain her excitement.

He rescued that lip by kissing her passionately. She moaned into the kiss and grabbed his ass with both hands. He almost snorted in amusement but moved Elissa to her couch instead.

He had a Queen to take to Heaven and back.

In their passion, he completely forgot to ask her what she originally wanted to speak to him about.

Chapter 8

Tonka came out of his meditation, feeling a gentle tap on his shoulder- shell! He frowned to himself then sighed as he had no face to frown with. Then he- it realized it was thinking of itself as a male. That was a little concerning!

The new experience file with all of Jack Danner's experiences and sensations was still giving it issues. Maybe even more so, now that it'd had time to integrate the file entirely. The perceptions were too intense and threatened to overwrite its Tik reality. It'd have to speak with the Tik elders after this mission.

It turned its optic to Eellooee and saw the Tik gesture down towards the planet.

"They're back?" Tonka said as it checked its internal clock. Another day had passed. Huh. "Shall we go see if they are ready to speak?"

"Are you operating at full capacity?" its partner asked.

Tonka stopped to examine Eellooee. "Have I done something to give you the impression that this is not the case?"

Eellooee hesitated. "During the file integration, you transmitted... sounds. Sounds I've never heard a Tik make."

Tonka tried to recall what that might have been. During integrations, short term internal memory was disabled to prevent the confusion of recording the memory of recording a memory. It was an unpleasant feedback effect. "What did it sound like?"

"I know it's not possible, but it sounded like a biological creature experiencing sexual intercourse," Eellooee said incredulously.

Tonka flashed to a memory.

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.

Tonka snapped back to the present, and time seemed to have frozen at that moment. "I'm fully functional," it stated with a carefully modulated voice. It saw Eellooee begin to relax. "Let's see what they're up to." They started their descent.

Internally, Tonka was deeply shaken. It knew what romantic love felt like between biological lifeforms. He- it felt the rich emotions himself for Diana. Tonka was surprised by the intense need he felt when he thought of her. Love, desire, and LUST! Woo! That last one was spicy! Better to concentrate on love.

Jack was a man who loved strongly and widely. There were many he loved.

They were getting closer, so Tonka pushed his memories into the background and put on his game face. He sighed. He needed to speak with the elders. No! It needed... it, not he!

The chrome guards were there again, circling the same section of the courtyard. Just inside this circle, two white garbed being stood waiting for them.

Tonka and Eellooee slowed their descent and hovered at head height to face the new officials. Assessor Herrall Lekk, Fifth Level, was not one of the two similarly dressed beings.

While both were grey-furred, one gave the distinct impression of age. Tonka made the intuitive leap. "I am Tonka, and this is Eellooee. We are Tik, an independent and sentient race of mechanical beings. We seek life to ensure it is preserved and protected. Am I addressing Assessor Dren Milo, First Level?" it asked, facing the elder.

The being bowed and gestured to its younger companion. "I am. This is Assessor Makrus Relius, Ninth Level."

The Tik dipped forward to emulate the bows they received.

"I must begin by notifying you that I demoted Assessor Herrall Lekk to Sixth Level. How he reacted to your presence reflected poorly upon the Nareshk," Dren Milo stated with a grim look on his face.

Tonka bowed once more. It was picking up cues that the two Assessors were male. It gestured with a tentacle toward the chrome guards. "Are these beings Assessors as well?"

Dren smiled indulgently. "No, these are members of the Balance. They are charged with ensuring the citizenry follows the Code of the Righteous, always striving to advance themselves through the ninety-nine base levels to become one of the Balance. Before they can become an Assessor, they must work their way up through the nine levels of the Balance to become a ninth level Assessor. Makrus just became an Assessor a few days ago. He's risen through the ranks quickly with no demerit points at all! We've never seen such a perfect example of a model citizen! Remarkable!"

Makrus was modestly smiling though Tonka thought there might be a little smugness as well. He seemed especially proud of his perfect score.

Tonka was picking up an odd vibe from Dren, as well. While the senior Assessor said he was impressed with the other's perfect score, there seemed to be some tension in the older being that the younger one was oblivious to.

"When I interviewed Lekk, he mentioned you found our planet based on coordinates written in a space-faring ship's log?" Dren asked.

"Yes, the Allsa Komanae had raider ships they would use to hunt through space. They would steal resources from planets, moons, and sometimes they would steal citizens of those worlds. Perhaps they took some from here?" Tonka suggested.

Dren then made a strange noise. It was a cross between a cough and a honk. Tonka watched the senior in surprise as a memory pushed itself to the front of its mind. He went still.

"That's quite impossible," Makrus said quietly as his superior continued to laugh. Dren gestured for Makrus to continue explaining. With a nod, he did.

"Every citizen is registered at birth. They are vigilantly tracked throughout their lives, tallying their merits and demerits to assess where they are in the rankings of the Code of the Righteous. Under normal circumstances, every citizen undergoes an annual assessment to determine if they've advanced to the next level. As there is a reward for advancing, citizens are encouraged to track their merits and apply for an assessment early. If they pass the interview, they may advance. If they don't pass and it's determined that they are abusing the Code of the Righteous, penalties are levied. There are no Nareshk citizens we aren't aware of, and none can simply go missing."

Eellooee looked at his frozen partner and asked the next obvious question. "Please pardon my ignorance, but what about accidental deaths or those caused by criminal activities?" it asked, and both Assessors smiled.

"Accidental deaths are extremely rare, and in those cases, the bodies are always found. Rarer still is crime. Citizens found to be chronic demerit collectors are terminated to prevent that infection from spreading. This is one of the duties of the Balance," Dren explained. "None of our citizens has gone unaccounted for. These Allsa Komanae couldn't have stolen one of our people-"

"There was one!" Tonka blurted as it came out of its daze. The senior Assessor's laugh had triggered a cascade of memories from Jack Danner's experiences. When Tonka visually examined the beings before him and linked in the honking exclamation, he had to conclude they were as close a match as the Tik had ever found for Eve, Jack Danner's partner from the Allsa Komanae homeworld.

Dren frowned at Tonka. "We just explained the impossibility-"

"My apologies. I don't have a perfect image of the being in question, but we know she was abducted at a very early age. She spent the entirety of her life as a slave on the Allsa Komanae homeworld, but we couldn't match her to any known race. She bears a very strong resemblance to your race, including how you sound. Let me project the image I do have.

Tonka pulled up the memory and captured two stills. One was of her entire body, and the other was just her face. Unsure if there were sexual taboos involved, it blurred out the breast and groin areas on the full-body image.

It projected the images on the white stone of the courtyard. The two Assessors leaned forward to peer at them. They shared a troubled look then Dren turned its attention back to the Tik.

"This being bears a strong resemblance to our race, but a face to face meeting would be required to confirm it. We would have to match its DNA to ours, and if it was one of our race, we could identify its parentage," Dren suggested skeptically.

Tonka suddenly realized it wasn't sure if Eve even wanted this. It had gotten caught up in the excitement of a mystery the Tik had been tasked to resolve. "I will convey this to her to see if she is willing."

The two Assessors looked at the Tik in confusion. Tonka decided to move forward with the standard first contact protocol process. "Aside from the Allsa Komanae, which you've indicated you were not aware of, have you encountered any other races?"

Dren made a sharp cutting gesture. "Your arrival in our skies was our first encounter with life from beyond our world." The senior looked upwards. "Is your vessel in space above us with others of your kind?"

"No, the Tik don't require spacecraft to travel from planet to planet," Tonka explained.

"Then, you're able to navigate through space with your mechanical bodies? That's quite the feat," Makrus exclaimed.

"We don't travel through space. We're able to open Gates that allow us to move directly from the surface of one planet to another instantly. The Tik are the only ones with the ability to do this. Before you can make use of this technology, you must apply for access to the Gate Network. As part of the application, you'll be asked to follow a set of conventions for peaceful coexistence with the other races of the Gate Network. If you agree to follow these conventions and your application is accepted, your planet will be granted one or more Gate Terminals. The Tik manage the Gate Network and operate the Cargo Gates in the Terminals. You will be expected to provide personnel to operate the Personal Gates. You will set your planet's policy on acceptable visitors, and this policy will be sent to every other Gate Terminal so they will be aware of the policy. The Tik ensure the Gates are not used for military purposes. They are for trade and personal use only," Tonka explained.

"We could restrict the Gates not to allow anyone on our planet?" Dren asked.

Eellooee was a little surprised by that. "Yes, you could, but if you do, you will find no other planet will accept visitors from yours."

"So how many planets do these Gates connect to?" Makrus asked.

"Thousands," Tonka said. "You don't have to decide now. We're just here to make the offer now that we're aware of your existence. You can set a time interval for us to leave and return to learn your answer then. You can also refuse now and set a time interval for us to return to see if you've reconsidered. No one is forced to join the Gate Network. If you don't feel it offers you value, then you don't need to join. The Tik believe in distributed populations to ensure survival, but we won't attempt to force it upon anyone."

Dren looked to the younger Assessor. "There is still the matter of the potentially stolen citizen. It is a matter of honor and righteousness to ensure every member of our race is protected by the Code."

Makrus nodded with a flare of conviction on his face. "It must be done."

Dren smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "I can think of no one else I'd trust to do this." Makrus puffed up with pride.

Tonka felt uneasy about his attitude but acknowledged it was its fault in mentioning Eve. "I will immediately bring the matter to her attention and present her with your offer to confirm her identity."

Dren seemed dissatisfied with this but nodded. Makrus looked a little upset he wasn't going to meet her right now.

"How much time would you like before we return?" Tonka asked.

"Four days," Dren said with no hesitation.

"Until then," Tonka said and tight beamed instructions to Eellooee. A small Gate snapped into being behind them, and the younger Tik went through immediately, followed by Tonka, who collapsed the Gate behind itself.

Eellooee looked around and saw they were on Chuuruthia. It relaxed. "I believe we should first go to speak to the elders. Your behavior on this mission has been erratic, and I'm concerned. Something in the data file you integrated has resulted in odd behavior."

Tonka found himself- itself hesitant to return to the Tik headquarters. It was highly likely the mission would be assigned to another Tik. He- it was the one who divulged the existence of Eve to the Nareshk. He had to speak to Eve himself. To apologize and set things straight. He looked to Eellooee. "Agreed. Our participation in this mission is over. It will be handed off to other Tik to complete. Please report to the Tik Enclave to submit your mission report. I will join you there." He immediately left and flew in the direction of the Trade Commission office. He heard a brief exclamation from Eellooee then the other Tik flew off towards the Enclave. Tonka wasn't sure how much time he would have to speak with Eve before Eellooee's report triggered a response from the Elders to seek him out. He knew where Eve was, so he altered his course and accelerated to give himself time to speak.

He reached the park and slowed as he flew over the pond and followed the slope up to the Eastern peak. Jack's home was here. When he reached the front door, he hesitated as he was experiencing a strange sensation of déjà vu. He reached out a tentacle and pressed the announce button. Moments later, a voice called out.

"Hello? Who is it?"

Tonka gasped as Diana's voice strummed across his heart.

"Hello?"

"A-apologies. My name is Tonka. I'm a Tik, and I have information on a possible location of Eve's home planet."

"What?!?"

Tonka sighed as that was Eve's voice!

The intercom went quiet, and moments later, the door pushed open to show the two females standing in the doorway. If Tonka had a jaw it would have dropped as he stared in wonder at the two beauties. He could see it now. They were practically glowing with loveliness.

"Please come in," Eve offered and stood aside.

Tonka moved into the home, and Diana smiled at him. He swooned slightly, dipping as his senses wobbled.

"Are you ok?" Diana asked gently.

"Yes, my apologies. It was... a busy day." Tonka felt silly using that excuse, but the taller woman seemed to accept the answer immediately.

Eve led them into the living room and set up three chairs by the window facing the valley. The late afternoon sun was beginning to poke inside the window, so the glass was tuned to cut out the heat and some of the brightness. They settled in.

Tonka allowed himself a moment to gaze upon the two females. Then he got to business.

"Yes, right. My partner and I were tasked with investigating coordinates found in an Allsa Komanae raider ship's log. We found a planet in the neutral zone between the Jool and Qui Qui Qui territories. It's a single habitable planet orbiting around a yellow sun with moderate radiation. The inhabitants showed no signs of space travel but had launched communication satellites. We went down to the surface to make first contact and found a race of beings who look like this."

Tonka projected the much clearer images he'd taken of Dren and Makrus.

Eve gasped, and her eyes went wide. These two looked like her. It was the first time she'd ever seen anyone whose appearance matched hers.

"They have offered to test your DNA to confirm if you are a member of their race and to confirm your parentage. They keep extensive records on all of their citizens," Tonka offered but something in how he said it must have caught Diana's ear.

"How extensive? Invasive?" she asked.

Tonka was momentarily lost in her green eyes then returned to the moment. "I don't know if I'm qualified to classify it as invasive. Their society appears to be based on a point system with tiered ranks. Ninety-nine base levels all citizens from birth must traverse to rise in social standing, nine levels where you maintain the safety and security of their society and enforce something called the Code of the Righteous, then a final nine levels where your task is to assess the rest of society to ensure they are following the Code."

"Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy," Diana remarked with a grim expression.

"It certainly raised some red flags for me," Eve agreed. She looked at the Tik, which seemed to be swaying ever so slightly. "Are you certain you're ok, Tonka?"

"Huh? Yes! Yes, I'm well. Thank you!" the Tik answered quickly. "I am, or was, to go back in four days to get their answer on whether or not they will be applying for entry into the Gate Network. I indicated to them I would ask you if you were interested in confirming your genetic match."

"Why wouldn't you be going back, Tonka?" Diana asked quietly.

"Um, reasons."

Diana reached out a finger and ran it down the side of the Tik's chassis as Eve watched in surprise.

Tonka made a noise like a quick intake of breath then sighed as her finger traced its way down its side. Diana leaned closer to the Tik. "You've been given Jack's memories, haven't you," she purred breathily, her lips almost touching its chassis.

"I- I can- I can neither confirm nor deny this happened." The non-disclosure rule, which prevented Tonka from discussing the file with anyone but Jack, was firmly in place.

Wide-eyed, Eve reached out a hand and placed it on Tonka's other side.

"Oh! Oh my!" Tonka gasped as pleasure rushed through its mind.

Eve looked at Diana. "What's going on?"

"Jack shared his memories with the Tik somehow. We're in there. I thought it was only with Ray, but it seems those memories are making the rounds." Diana dropped back into her chair with an angry thump as Eve leaned back into hers more slowly.