It took a few minutes, but under his supervision, Niki guided Tanya's ship into one of the hangar bays. He made his way down to the hangar floor and approached her ship. It was simir in design to the A-Frame ones the INP used, but instead of two arms loaded with missile pods, its wings had an 'X' shape with rge guns on the tip of each wing and six torpedoes strapped to the bottom of the hull. The cockpit hatch was just opening up, and Tanya popped out, still grinning at him.

  "Sup Hoss? Did you get our stuff?" She said while climbing down off the ship.

  "Yeah, I did. What was that about? Scratch that, what are you doing here?" He asked.

  "What? My new Captain is heading out on a mission, so I thought it would be a good idea to tag along." She said, then jumped up on him, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. "Why? Did you not want me to come?"

  "You are such a dork. Of course I did." He said, then kissed her. After a minute or so, they broke apart, both of them smiling happily. "Still, when you left st night, I didn't think you or Chris would be coming back anytime soon. What changed?"

  "Nothing really. We were making a list of things we wanted to send back home before the Javarians attack, then I realized I don't want to go back home. I want to stay out here with you. So, I started to transfer my stuff to your ship in the middle of the night, then left."

  "I am happy you did." He said, then gave her another kiss. Then he changed his tone to be a little more serious. "What about Chris? What did she say about this?"

  "Well... She called me crazy, then said that if I went with you, not to bother coming back. Then she hugged me and said she was sorry, and she didn’t mean it. She is probably going to be booking passage off the station soon and return home." She said, ughing a bit, then a sly smile began to form on her face. "She was really all over the pce, but it is okay. She was meant for bigger things than messing around as a mechanic on the frontier. I will see her again in a couple of years, when I return home with my boyfriend. I suspect it will be at the same time when he asks our father for my hand in marriage."

  "Oh, really? Who is this boyfriend? Should I be worried?" He replied, then kissed her again.

  "Naw, he is a pushover. He might be a bit crazy, though, something about gods and traveling between worlds, but I think he is mostly harmless." She said, then hugged him. "Seriously, John, I have fallen for you, so please don't let me go." She whispered in his ear.

  "Wasn't pnning on it. I would happily call you my girlfriend." He whispered back. He held her for a few more minutes, then put her down on the floor.

  They made their way up to the cockpit, where Niki was on the radio with one of the INP fighter pilots. They were already in space and ready to embark whenever John was ready.

  John sat down in his command chair and initiated the ship's startup sequence. He wasn't sure what to expect after everyone left the ship st night, but he was feeling a whole lot better now that Tanya had joined them. If Chris and Ash didn't want to join him, then so be it; he couldn't force them to. He would find other crewmembers as time went on, expanding his power and influence in this world.

  Tanya and Niki were talking quietly in the back of the cockpit, the dwarf woman guiding Niki on the proper radio procedures to contact the Harbour Master when the ship departed. The mentoring made John smile, gd the two women seemed to be getting along.

  He didn't think about what was going to happen tonight, their sleeping arrangements the furthest thing from his mind right now. That oversight would prove interesting in so many ways. Particurly to a being watching from a different world, swirling his drink of Westria around, ughing quietly about his favorite contestant's predicament.

  That Afternoon

  Mercenary Guild - Meeting Room #5"We are heading out in two hours. Can you have your ship onboard the Tabbernac before then, Lass?" The gruff old dwarf asked.

  "Yeah, that is no problem. It's good to be working for you again." Ash said, signing the contract offered by the commander of the mining team heading out of Parrax to a nearby system. "Though I do have a question. Why is the pay so much higher this time?"

  "Just due to the location and the guarantee of some action. Karrax is full of beasties, and our merc teams are always busy. Instead of providing combat bonuses, we just pay ya an increased rate since there will be fighting. Not to mention it is near the border with those bugs, so it's doubly dangerous." The commander said.

  "That makes sense. No issues here with that." Ash said, putting the contract away.

  "I didn't think there would be with ya. See ya soon, Lass." He said, then departed the room.

  Ash stayed there for a few minutes, wondering if she was making the right decision. John had warned them that there was going to be an attack in four days, but here she was, making a contract to head out to a nearby system for a week. The pay was crazy, though, and she trusted the issuer.

  "I should check in with Chris and Tanya before I leave, make sure they are okay. Heck, if they end up returning home, it might be the st time I see them for a long time." She said to herself.

  She got up and made her way over to Chris's shop, trying hard not to think about John's warning. He forced an imprint on her, and she was angry about it. The memory of his big hands came unbidden to her mind, spanking her, then rubbing her butt and her...

  "Argh!" She growled, startling people around her.

  "Ash? Are you okay?" Morgan asked her. The big titty goth girl seemed concerned with her outburst.

  "Just fine. Excuse me, I need to head to a job." She said, extracting herself from having a conversation with her. She didn't see the walking pink testicle with her, so she assumed they broke up again, but she didn't want to talk to her right now.

  "Okay. Be careful out there." Morgan called after her. Ash just waved and stalked out of the guild.

  That EveningParrax Sor System, 30 Light Minutes From The Star

  "All ships, this is the Dawn Chorus. Prepare to enter Hyperspace." Katrina's voice said across the comms. They were heading to the next star system over to continue their patrol. It would take about nine hours of transit time once they engaged the hyperdrive. John wasn't sure exactly how it worked, but from Tanya's expnation, they would be traveling partially in something called subspace and riding a gravitational wave to the next system. Whatever it was, it didn't bear any resembnce to physics as he knew it.

  After they had embarked the eight INP fighters, John had joined the fleet, and they had been flying all over the Parrax system. The Phoenix Hawk was at the rear of their formation, directly below and to the rear of Katrina's battleship. It was a rge vessel, as long as the Phoenix Hawk but much bulkier. It didn't have a MAG, but was armed with rge-bore psma weaponry that he wouldn’t want to test his shielding against.

  It was a pretty quiet journey, with little in the way of pirate activity. That was to be expected since they had taken out the main base in the region a week ago. Honestly, he had little to do, so he sat in his chair and practiced his magic while they were travelling around to different locations. He really wanted that barrier spell mastered before he left this world. He wanted the fireball spell as well, but didn't want to practice the spell while in the cockpit. After reading the spell's description, it seemed like a bad idea in an enclosed area.

  Katrina had sent him a message, but it was just an itinerary for the mission. It would be a total of three days, traveling to several different systems, heading towards the empire instead of towards the Javarians. They would loop around and come back to Parrax from a different direction. Most of the Hyper jumps, or whatever they were called, took between eight and twelve hours, more than enough time for him to get some sleep before he needed to be back in the pilot's seat.

  Supposedly, nothing could affect the ship while in Hyperspace.

  He had sved the Phoenix Hawk to the Dawn Chorus so the command ship could jump them all at the same time. That way, they would all come out of the jump at the same time, preventing the fleet from being separated upon entry into the next system. It did limit the speed to the slowest vessel, but that was fine when a fleet was transiting together.

  "In five, four, three, two, one. Hyperdrive engaged!" She called out, and the ship rocked forward. The view in front of the Phoenix Hawk warped and turned into a kaleidoscope of colours, giving him an immediate headache.

  Is this what an acid trip looks like?

  Once they got going, John got up out of the chair, an arm set on his Link for thirty minutes before they were scheduled to drop out of hyperspace. Niki stood up as well, stretching and letting out a loud yawn. She had been diligent the whole day, only taking a break to get them some food earlier. This showed John that he needed a second pilot for normal operations, as he was unable to leave the cockpit for anything more than a quick bathroom break.

  "I am heading down to the galley to talk with Evelin (The pilot in charge of the INP crew) and Marlene (Sgt Baker, in charge of the maintainers) to make sure they are all settled in. I'll see you in a bit." He told her, then kissed the top of her head.

  "Sure. I am just going to take a shower. I feel icky." She replied, giving him a quick hug. He returned it and scratched her ears, the fuzzy things reminding him of Nanael's, just smaller.

  Tanya had left earlier, saying she needed to move her stuff from storage to her room, and hadn't returned yet. He was sure he would catch up with her before bed, but work had to come first.

  I wonder if she took her own room or joined Niki in hers? I should have asked.

  The meeting with Lieutenant Evelin and Sgt Baker didn't take long. The INP forces had settled in without issue and were availing themselves of the amenities onboard the Phoenix Hawk. Currently, most of the crew was in the lounge attached to the galley, watching a movie on the big television screen that was there. John had actually forgotten it existed, spending most of his time onboard in his cabin or the gym. He made a mental note to have a movie night once things calmed down again, with just Tanya, Niki, and him. He was curious about what passed for entertainment in this world, though he hoped it wasn't like those death races.

  Actually, what would Sci-Fi look like in this Sci-Fi world? That would be interesting to see.

  He excused himself once their meeting was over and returned to his cabin. He stripped down and walked into the bathroom, intent on soaking in the bath before bed. He stopped when someone squawked when he stepped into the bathroom.

  "Eeeekkk!" Niki said, standing in the shower.

  "OH! I thought you would be using the other shower. Sorry, I'll leave." He said, turning around.

  "Why are you leaving, John? I've been waiting for you. Come join me in the tub." Tanya said.

  He gnced over, and there she was, sitting in his bathtub, her hair tied up in a bun and bubbles covering her breasts.

  "I don't want to make Niki uncomfortable. I will step out." He said again, but was stopped when a hand grabbed his. He turned, and Niki was holding his hand.

  "Please, Master. Come and join us in the bath. I was just rinsing off before joining her, and you startled me." Niki said, looking up at him with her pale blue eyes. He lost himself in that gaze for a moment before coming to his senses.

  "I don't want you to be uncomfortable, Niki. And Tanya, please don't tell me this was your idea. Didn't Ash tell you what I did to her for doing this before?"

  "Hey, it wasn't my idea, I just got here," Tanya said, smirking at him.

  "Really? Niki, was this your idea? Is this what you want? Tell me the truth." He said, activating his scouter skill.

  "Yes, Sir. I want us to have a bath together... and do other things." She said, leaning on his back.

  John took a deep breath, then another. She wasn't lying; Tanya didn't put her up to this.

  "Okay. Let's have a bath, then go to bed." He said, turning around. "By the way, Tanya, which room did you take?"

  "Which room? I thought I was joining you and Niki here. That bed is more than rge enough for us three." She said unashamedly.

  "Of course you did." He said, shaking his head. His life just got a whole lot more interesting.