Jack's True Calling

Jack gave her a sad smile. "That's nice to hear but I'm not going to add any additional stress to Elissa's life. She did her best to balance the demands of Altaria's laws and its code of ethics." He shrugged. "I broke the law. Yes, Altaria benefited but that doesn't change the facts of what I did. I'd do it all over again. Maybe this time I'd kill the bastard myself as I'm paying for it regardless."

Karrel snorted in amusement. Then she turned to look at the home. "I can't tell how far along they are."

"It's going to be a few weeks. They move really fast but the interior is huge! I got a walk through. It's impressive. For now, we're in the hotel by the Gate Terminal." He changed the subject. "How is Leffera doing? How is Benjamin?" Their son had been born within days of Rebecca but Leffera hadn't recovered as quickly as Karrel.

"Both are fine. She's going to come visit you for a while. She's taking time off work to concentrate on her health and her new son. She needs to take it easy for a bit," Karrel explained.

"She's ok?" Jack asked with a worried tone.

"Yes, but... the doctor said no more babies for her. I'm stopping at two as well. It's enough," Karrel said with a smile as she took Rebecca back.

"You'll stay for dinner?" Jack asked.

Karrel smiled and nodded. She reached out and ran her fingers through the soft hair of his beard with delight. He'd decided to leave it on until he went back to work and that delighted everyone aside from Diana. She missed his blonde hair and beardless face. She'd get one of the two soon enough.

"Did you receive any news about Gee and Bal?" Jack asked.

Karrel frowned. "No. The chill between Mother and Hellna is slowly thawing but the Minister of Security does not answer questions regarding her personnel for anyone."

Jack frowned as well. He was really starting to worry as he hadn't heard anything from them or about them since he was separated from them at the Gate Terminal.

"I don't think you need to worry about them anymore, Jack," SennLann said with a grin.

He looked to her but she was pointing down the hill. The two agents in question were slowly climbing the hill, each carrying two large black duffle bags and they looked heavy.

Jack leapt to his feet and ran down the hill to meet them. They stopped as he approached and gently set their bags down before he reached them. They knew what was coming. He wrapped his arms around them both and lifted them up against his chest to kiss their faces. They endured this for a short time.

"Jack, put us down," Gee sighed but a small smile was on her lips.

He gently set them back on their hooves and grinned stupidly at them. "You're wearing your agent gowns! Does this mean all is forgiven and you've been reinstated?"

"No. We were forced to retire," Bal said with a scowl.

"What?!? But..." Jack blurted in surprise as he gestured to their uniforms.

"These belong to us. Everything in these bags belong to us. It's everything we own," Gee explained.

Jack puzzled that one out. "You're here with everything you own in four bags? What about your home?"

"We lived in the barracks. All our lives," Gee said.

Jack was stunned. They were homeless! "You're both living with me then!"

"Are you sure?" Bal asked nervously.

Jack blinked at the insecurity in her voice. "Of course I'm sure!" he exclaimed.

"We can work as you're personal security. We almost were your personal security," Gee remarked.

"Regardless of what you choose to do, you're living with me. I insist," he said firmly, looking them in the eye.

They nodded with slight smiles on their faces.

Jack grabbed the handles on the bags and snorted when he realized how heavy they were. He did manage to lift them but it wasn't going to be a pleasant climb back to the top. "Geezus! What did you pack in here? Those super powered personal skimmers?"

"No, but be careful with them. Do not drop the bags. That would... not be good." Gee and Bal exchanged serious looks and Jack was suddenly nervous about the potential munitions he might be carrying.

Gee watched Jack struggling with the bags as they climbed. "It's your fault for living at the top of a mountain." Jack just sent a glare at her back as the two Altarians moved ahead to greet Diana, SennLann, and Karrel.

Jack finally caught up and gingerly set the bags down. His limbs were trembling from the workout.

He plopped down on the grass to catch his breath. Moments later Adina and Zaina were stretched out on top of his chest.

"Papa's ready to play?" they said in unison.

"Yes, Papa is ready to play."

With excited squeals the twins pushed themselves up and were bouncing on their toes as Jack climbed back to his feet. He looked over to the ladies relaxing in the shade and smiled at them as they grinned at him.

Then, with a dramatic roar he chased after his squealing daughters down the hillside towards the others who were all grinning excitedly at his approach.

Life was very good indeed.

Epilogue

Jack and Diana sat side by side in the dark on two lounge chairs, looking out over the darkened valley below. They held hands and sat quietly enjoying the solitude and the stars above.

The party had long ended and their guests had either gone home or were crashing in their hillside home which they'd finally moved into.

It had taken a few weeks longer than expected for the workers to complete the construction of the hilltop... mansion. The word stuck in Jack's head because of its size and finishes. Natural stone and gleaming woods were everywhere! The lighting was artistically placed for maximum impact yet provided excellent illumination.

One of the features he'd requested at the last minute, and had added some delay, was a cushioned conversation pit. It comfortably fit up to 15 adults and was the focal point for the main living room. A custom made crystal dome was installed into the ceiling above the pit so they could stargaze at night just like in Tanz' apartment on Chrystan.

They'd also added two additional rooms for Gee and Bal. It turned out they put bunk beds in one room and used the other one to store their... personal effects. That room got a very secure lock installed. One even the twins couldn't pick.

The kids loved their new home and enjoyed going to school together. The Chuuruthian kids were delighted to have such interesting new friends.

Gee and Bal took it upon themselves to continue Adina and Zaina's training which delighted the twins but gave Jack pause. With just the little training they'd received they managed to outwit the Gate technicians including the Tik to infiltrate another planet. Then they ran a covert op on that planet. And they were only six- seven now! Jack was worried about what they'd be able to achieve once they were fully trained. Gee and Bal dismissed his concerns as they were very proud of their charges.

The party they'd thrown tonight for all their family and friends was hosted on the new outdoor space before their home. The patio was lit with slowly twinkling lights. The meals they'd served were well received, and they'd danced from sunset until the wee hours of the morning.

Elissa had gone back to Altaria after many smooches from Jack and getting a promise from him of a visit the following weekend.

Leferra had called it an early night and Jack worried about her diminished energy levels. She and Jinnae had both assured him she would bounce back. Having the Chief Physician at the party had eased his mind about his first Altarian friend.

Cha'Risa and her old team all showed up including their Tik friend Ray Sharif. During the visit Ray had approached him while he was unoccupied. Jack's mind returned him to that moment and the awkward conversation he'd had with the man in the Tik body.

"Mr. Danner? Jack. Uh, could I speak to you, privately?" Ray asked nervously.

Jack looked at him curiously, nodded and led him over to the far side of the patio. "What's on your mind?" he asked.

"I think you might be aware I've been offline for a period of time. I was having some... issues with depression. My transition from Human to Tik had a bit of a setback."

Jack nodded to him so he continued.

"A while back Nann got sick and that started a downward spiral for me. The longevity of a Tik's life... it's not something a Human should have. We don't share their perception of life. While I was in that emotional pit, I examined my reactions and started reviewing my instantiation, as the Tik like to call it. What I found... I- I couldn't deal with."

Ray paused, seeming to struggle with what he wanted to say. "My... creation came from a series of copies my organic self mapped from his mind. I have all the memories of him but I've never had a human body. The copies that were made didn't contain the... sensations."

Jack suddenly got an inkling of where this conversation may be going and he began to feel uncomfortable.

"Hanging out with Nann and the guys, it was good. But in my depression, when I reviewed those memories I began realizing, I couldn't recall the sensations of drinking, enjoying a burger, the scent of perfume. My memories record the actions but nothing else. This is where I hit my lowest point. They stopped feeling real. I... stopped feeling real. I'd lost that connection to my humanity but I'm not a Tik. I even tried to be a Tik but that failed. The Tik think very, very differently than Humans do. So I disconnected from my friends. I sank further into my depression as it was just easier to be offline. You don't feel anything in that state."

Jack watched the hybrid being sadly as he knew what it felt like to feel alienated and lost. While his personality had always pulled him back from the brink, he was familiar with the symptoms that led to depression.

"I- I had a visitor recently. BassDrop." Jack twitched at the name. "It knew I was having problems. It offered me a solution but said I had to get your permission to share the sensory data." Ray could see the unease in Jack's body language. "BassDrop said it linked to your collar and shared your perceptions for three months?" he asked a little desperately.

Jack cleared his throat. "The fact that he was able to connect at all was supposed to be a secret."

"It remains a secret. I'm not able to share that information with anyone but you and BassDrop. The Tik can do crazy things with information," Ray blurted nervously.

He took a deep breath as Ray waited.

"What exactly did it say we shared?" Jack asked.

"Day to day activities, right down to breathing, blinking, swallowing, eating, yawning, scratching an itch, hiccups-"

Jack held up his hands to stop the excited recital of all of the mundane activities he'd experienced during that time. He was pretty sure he'd farted more than once as well. He hadn't heard anything about the dreams he'd had about Diana. Maybe BassDrop had shown a little discretion after all.

He looked at the young man trapped in the tin can. His compassion flared and with it a deep sigh.

"What do you need from me?" Jack asked quietly.

"Oh my god! I was so worried you'd say no!" Ray sobbed.

Jack just shook his head. "They're just my sensations of living as... me. I'm not sure how it's going to help you," he said, curious despite his unease.

"We did the same actions but I don't recall the sensations that came along with doing those actions. BassDrop gave me the files he made from the recordings but they're locked. Once they unlock, my memories will map to the sensations from your experiences and I'll have complete memories. The memories will be real!" Ray exclaimed.

Jack was impressed in spite of his misgivings. "If I give you my permission how can I be sure you won't tell anyone about the link to my collar and... stuff."

"The lock BassDrop added still prevents me from sharing anything about it with anyone... aside from you," Ray assured him.

Jack examined the trembling being. "How do I give you my permission?"

Ray paused. "I think- I think you just have to say it."

Taking another deep breath and hoping it didn't bite him on his ass, Jack said the words. "I hereby give Ray Sharif permission to access the data from me."

The sound a Tik makes when it drops from an eye level hover onto crushed gravel is surprisingly loud.

Everyone turned to look. Cha'Risa, Nann, Leo and Maxim all came running.

"What happened?!?" the Major barked and the others crowded around.

All the lights on Ray's sides were off. It looked like a complete power down. Nann got down on her hands and knees and put her ear against Ray's side. "I hear something. A whirring and gentle beeping."

There was a soft ping and Nann climbed back to her feet dusting off her knees, as lights began turning on once more.

"What were you two talking about?" Cha'Risa asked.

Jack looked to her. "It's personal."

She glanced at the other guests who were watching curiously and nodded to him assuming it had something to do with Ray's recent depression.

"Ray? You ok buddy?" Leo asked.

"Lllllllllllleeeeeeeeeeooooooooo?" Ray said in a long drawn out note.

They shared worried looks.

"Ray, shake it off!" Nann growled.

He returned to his hovering state as an odd chirping came out of the speaker on his chassis. Then it sped up and they recognized it as laughter. Ray's voice finally smoothed out and returned to normal but he was still laughing. Joyfully. They couldn't keep the smiles from their own faces as Ray reached out tentacles and hugged his friends and finally Jack.

Nann grinned at her friend. "Wha-"

"I'M BACK, BABY!"

They erupted in laughter at Ray's boisterous exclamation.

"You feeling better Ray?" Maxim asked.

"So much better!" Ray said with a chuckle. "Can I have a private word with Jack for a moment?"

"We must reboot the Major from time to time," Leo said with a grin as they turned away. Cha'Risa swatted his shoulder and he laughed. They went back to the tables and people returned to the dancefloor.

"I take it the files loaded successfully?" Jack asked quietly.

"Yes! Oh my god, I feel so much more complete. I feel like... me! Thank you so much!" Ray gushed.

Jack nodded. "As long as it remains between us."

"jack"

He turned to face the quiet growl and saw Diana coming to see them.

"Oh! Oh my," Ray suddenly blurted as he turned to face Diana.

"everything... ok?" Diana asked with a smile.

"Hi Diana!" Ray gushed.

She gave him a large smile and Ray made an odd sighing sound.

Jack looked at him suspiciously and when the tentacle came out reaching for Diana's boob, she took hold of it and shook it. Again, Ray made the odd sigh.

"You ok, Ray?" Jack asked with just a little edge in his tone.

Ray pulled his tentacle back as he looked to Jack. "I'm sorry. I- I think I may be a little in love with Diana."

Jack's eyebrows went up in surprise and Diana made a low rumbling noise which he knew was laughter. She flashed a smile at Ray. "Thank you."

She looked to Jack questioningly and tilted her head back towards the house.

"I'll be right there," he said and she walked off with a final glance at Ray.

"I'm sorry Jack. I didn't realize the recording had... is this a dream?"

Jack scowled. So BassDrop hadn't edited the data. "Yes. Please... that wasn't supposed to have been shared."

"Ah, sorry. I don't have a way to forget or delete-"

"Yeah, BassDrop filled me in on the sacred nature of data," Jack grumbled.

"Thank you for what you've done for me. I feel more like... myself than I have since I woke up in this body."

Jack nodded then shook the offered tentacle. "I'm glad you're feeling better. If you ever need to talk about being a hybrid or if you're just feeling blue, please give me a call. You'll find an empathetic ear here."

Jack headed into the house and found Diana tidying up with Eve. He slipped his arms around both and kissed their foreheads.

They gave him happy smiles then Eve turned to face him. "There's a call from the Gate Terminal. You have two visitors not on your list who would like to come visit. Dann and Juul?"

"Ah! The Harruushans! I forgot to invite them!" Jack exclaimed and looked to Diana with a wide grin. She looked back at him with a happy, expectant smile.

She didn't remember.

"Diana, do you recall Dann and Juul? They're brother and sister. Harruushans. They look like tall... rabbits?" he asked carefully but her face remained empty of signs of recognition. When he mentioned they looked like rabbits however, her eyes took on a familiar glint. He looked to Eve. "Could I ask you to let them know the Harruushans are welcome to come up to the house?" Eve nodded and he dipped down to kiss her. She pushed him away gently to end the kiss and went to make the call with a smile on her face.

"Have I met them?" Diana asked.

Jack nodded. "You and Dann were intimate... a few times."

Her eyes widened in surprise and she gave him a worried look. "It's ok, I was there with you the first few times. Dann is a little... obsessed with you."

She smiled cheekily. "Like Ray."

He grinned and nodded. "I can't blame them."

"Did I tell you about the first time?" Diana asked.

"The Saturday morning cartoons, yes."

She smiled timidly and he pulled her into his arms. She felt so good.

"Penny for your thoughts," Diana asked, drawing Jack back to the present. He hadn't heard that ancient phrase since his mother used it when he was young. It brought a warmth to his heart to hear Diana using it.

He looked across to the other lounge chair and gave her hand a little squeeze. "I was actually just thinking of you. About Dann and Juul's visit tonight."

He felt her fingers tighten on his as she recalled the moment as well. The Harruushans had been shocked and visibly moved when Jack told them of Diana's ordeal and how she'd lost her memory of her visit to Harruusha. Dann had looked a little desperate until he saw how Diana was looking at him like a delicious dessert. Much like the look Juul was giving Jack. He had to suggest they get reacquainted the following night due to the party they were currently hosting. That had cooled the runaway lust and the siblings had joined the other guests on the dance floor.

That also gave Jack some time to come up with what he was going to say to the two obviously infatuated Harruushans. He wasn't sending them packing but he wanted them to at least be aware of their behavior.

The party ended very late as people made their way home after hugs and kisses from the hosts.

Inside the house behind them the children were all snuggled in their beds. SennLann, Aaros, Eve, and Leffera were asleep in theirs. The Harruushans were sleeping in the living room conversation pit with Cha'Risa, Nann, Leo, and Maxim while Ray recharged from a nearby power outlet. The commando team would be heading back to Earth, Phem Kalos for Nann, after breakfast.

Jack was still too wired from the activity tonight to sleep so he and Diana went out to the chairs to enjoy the stars.

"It's an amazing life, Jack. Thank you!" Diana said.

He looked at her in surprise but her eyes held only happiness and love. He was moved beyond measure that she could feel this way after everything she'd endured. Perhaps her incredibly positive perspective was gained from her literally coming back from death.

He pressed his lips to the back of her hand and sighed as a sense of peace settled over him.

Diana was right. It was an amazing life. He could hardly wait to see where it would take him next.