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“Commander, we’re receiving a request to undock from the Dragon’s Hoard,” said a nearby Comms Officer.

“Understood. Have they given us their flight path?” Commander Zesta asked?

“It’s coming in now,” the Officer replied.

Zesta got up from her Command Chair and walked over to the Tactical Display Table. Typing in her access code, she accessed the flight plan provided by the Kobold Traders. Scanning through it, the only thing she found worthy of reporting to the Matriarchs was that they were heading for Empire territory. However, considering Border Station Five’s location, it was already a known fact that Kobold Traders used her station as a refuel point.

“Contact the Dragon’s Hoard and grant them permission to undock,” Zesta called out, “make sure they understand to keep clear of the fleet,” she ordered.

“Understood, Commander,” the Comms Officer replied.

Zesta accessed the feed from Hangar Bay Two and watched the Kobold vessel lift off. She was always surprised at how large their vessels were, considering their short stature. Zesta wondered if it was a request from the Draco Confederation or simply because they needed all the extra space for cargo.

“Contact the Minerva,” Zesta ordered, “send the flight plan over to them,” she said.

“Understood, Commander,” replied the Comms Officer.

*****

“Admiral, we’re receiving a hail from the Pride of the Matriarch,” the Minerva’s Comms Officer called out.

She was standing next to the TDT, and the green light from the holo projections reflected off her primary yellow scales. Looking over at the Comms Officer from her command chair, the Admiral noted that the light made both her primary scales and white secondary, green and glowing.

“Open the channel,” Admiral Sshuizshallius ordered.

Shortly afterwards, Lieutenant Ena’s face was projected just in front of the far wall of the bridge. The brightness of the projection lit up those nearby, Ena’s cream-coloured scales warming up the low light level of the Minerva’s bridge.

“Admiral, thank you for accepting my hail,” Ena said with a slight bow of her head.

“Think nothing of it,” Sshuizshallius replied, “to be honest, there’s very little to do when you’re orbiting a military base with a fleet our size. Even if we are at the edges of Matriarchy space,” Sshuizshallius glanced at a pad a junior Officer had handed her as she finished. “What was your reason for hailing me?” Shuizshallius asked, continuing to look at the pad.

“I would like to request permission to send some of my ships out on patrol,” Ena said, “we’ve been running wargames since our arrival, and some of the scenarios have my Officers and I worried,” as she spoke those last few words, Ena noticed a twitch on the Admiral’s usual neutral expression.

“What scenarios?” Sshuizshallius asked as she looked up.

“We’ve identified a blind spot in the monitor satellite network,” Ena replied, “I would like to send a few ships out on patrol. If we position them like this,” she said while doing something off-screen, “then while the combined fleets are in orbit, we’ll be able to detect any incoming ships,” as Ena finished speaking, a new window appeared above the TDT.

Sshuizshallius got up from her command chair and walked over. After accepting the TDT link, the new window split into several new windows. What the Admiral saw in front of her was the planned patrol route, a data readout for the scenarios, and information regarding the newly discovered blind spot.

“Tactical,” Sshuizshallius called out, “run these scenarios through the Minerva’s computer,” she ordered, “coordinate with Lieutenant Ena’s crew and see how we can adjust the fleet’s composition,” Sshuizshallius then looked up at Ena, “thank you, Lieutenant, permission granted,” she said.

“Thank you, Admiral,” Ena said with a curt nod.

Returning to her command chair, Sshuizshallius pressed one of the buttons near her right arm. A few moments later, Matriarch Ossih’s voice came out of a nearby speaker.

“Yes, Admiral?” she said.

“I have something I think you need to see,” Sshuizshallius replied.

“On my way,” Ossih said and then the channel closed.

*****

“Captain Thazha?” a voice called out.

Thazha stirred inside her nest. A pair of emerald eyes opened, and she looked over to where the owner of the voice was. Looking up, the Captain saw her second in command standing at the open doorway. The light from the corridor outside reflected off the Lieutenant's pink scales.

“What is it, Tektla?” Thazha asked.

She had spent the last few hours in a deep sleep. Thazha found orbiting stations for hours and days on end boring. While the Captain would always follow the orders of her superiors, she burned for battle. Her early years as a junior officer in the Navy had been a constant source of excitement. Since Thazha had been promoted to the rank of Captain, however, she had found herself either on long-distance patrols where nothing happened, or just another ship under the command of a more senior officer.

“We’ve received orders from the Pride of the Matriarchy,” Tektla replied, “we’re to patrol a blindspot her command staff recently discovered. Our Destroyer, along with the two Frigates and Corvettes from the Pride’s fleet, is to secure the blindspot,” the door to Thazha’s quarters closed as Tektla stepped in, “you’re to command the fleet,” she said with a big smile on her face.

Thazha rolled out of her nest and crawled over to her basking lamp. Sitting down cross-legged, Thazha used her tail to activate the lamp. A bright patch of light lit up her quarters, and she hissed while shielding her eyes.

“Buff my scales while I warm up,” she ordered. Tektla bowed her head and walked across the padded floor, kneeling behind Thazha as she picked up the nearby buffer.

“If only we were on a bigger ship,” Thazha said as she leaned against her Lieutenant. She sighed as Tektla started to buff her tail.

Sitting under her basking lamp, Thazha felt the sluggishness of the morning evaporate. The heat from the light made her body glow as the buffer enhanced Thazha’s scales, causing them to shine. With each passing minute, the dull green glow of her bioluminescence slowly became brighter.

“You’ve said that before,” Tektla replied, “I imagine these new orders are a test,” she said.

“What do you mean? A test,” Thazha asked.

“The Matriarchs want to see if you’re capable of commanding a fleet,” Tektla replied, “Just imagine,” she said, “you’ll get to Captain a larger ship, and I can finally share your nest,” Tektla ran the buffer under Thazha’s tail as she finished. Thazha shuddered as its soft edges stimulated her.

“I would love that,” she replied, “however, I need to be on the bridge,” Thazha said and then placed her left hand on Tektla’s right arm, “we’ll have to find some time later. Once I’m buffed, go get some paste from the Canteen,” Thazha ordered.

“Yes, Captain,” Tektla replied, “I’ll get some of the glowing green paste you enjoy,” she said and then made Thazha shudder again.

*****

“John, this way,” Squadron Leader Shalsui said as she walked down a corridor.

Following close behind, John tried his best not to stare too much at Shalsui’s ample rear. Even though she was wearing her Nano Flight suit, which has a thicker ‘fabric’ than regular uniforms, the sheer size of the Squadron Leader’s backside meant that it jiggled enticingly with each step. John had also found himself frequently distracted by the way a female Viper’s hips swayed and tail swished.

“John,” Shalsui called out as she continued to lead him down another identical corridor.

“Yes?” he replied. Hearing his name pulled his attention away from Shalsui’s backside.

“While I do enjoy being stared at by a male,” she said, “I suggest you try to keep it to a minimum. You have gained quite a reputation amongst the fleet,” Shalsui stopped and turned around.

“Sorry,” John replied as his face went red. He hated how easily he got embarrassed.

“Damn, you are a cutey,” Shalsui admitted as she stepped forward and ran her left hand through John’s hair, “I suggest you try your best not to stare too much,” she said, “if you are caught staring at a Matriarch, you might find yourself volunteered as her steward,” Shalsui warned.

“I take it there are worse outcomes?” John asked.

“There are, look,” Shalsui knelt so that her head was level with his, “I know you have been told how freely we like to have sex but the rules around Matriarchs are quite complicated,” she said, “try your best not to stare, even if a Matriarch is trying her best to entice you. Understood?” she asked.

“Understood and sorry,” John replied.

“Just be careful,” Shalsui said with a warm smile.

“So, are we nearly there?” John asked.

“Yeah, just down this corridor and we will arrive at the training room,” she replied, “everyone is waiting for us. Flight Lieutenant Nuki will instruct you on the use of a training pod. Any questions, just ask her,” Shalsui turned around as she finished and carried on down the long corridor they were in.

Watching her walk down the corridor, John laughed when Shalsui made a point to sway her hips more. Shaking his head with a loud sigh, he hurried after Shalsui.

*****

“Ah, Captain Ema, you’re here,” Matriarch Szaki said as Ema stepped into the room, “choose a loincloth for your steward and then get yourself into the water,” Szaki ordered.

The room that Ema had just entered was one of several private facilities specifically created for Matriarchs visiting or stationed at Border Station Five. A private bath was behind a simple, nondescript door, guarded by two security officers. The door was situated in the middle of a large rectangular room, forty-eight feet long by twenty-four feet wide, and each wall was twelve feet high. Looking up, Ema noticed that the private bath had a domed ceiling and the light source for the room was a delicate chandelier, hovering about a foot from the top of the dome and positioned above the centre of the bath. What surprised Ema was the amount of heat coming from it. Not only did it light up the room, but it was also a basking lamp.

“Hurry up, Ema,” Theka called out.

Walking down the steps in front of her, Ema headed over to a nearby table that had several loincloths laid out. Without thinking, Ema selected the one made from a purple cloth and handed it to Hisi. Her steward bowed his head as he accepted it and took a few steps back while deactivating his collar. As the Nanos retreated across his body and towards the reservoir, Hisi tied the loincloth around his waist.

Deactivating her collar, Ema sighed as the heat from the chandelier warmed her body. Her purple bioluminescence glowed vibrantly as she turned around and faced the bath. She could see that it was a large rectangle and took up two-thirds of the room. While most of it was recessed into the floor, it had a tiled wall going around the outside that was two feet in height. The floor of the private bath itself was made from marble tiles that went around the walls to around six feet. The ceiling and the rest of the walls were the same off-white colour that could be seen throughout the station and Matriarch ships.

“We were just talking about you, Ema,” Theka said as she stepped into the bath.

As her clawed right foot entered the warm water, Ema felt the padded seat against the sole of her foot. Placing her left foot in, she used her tail to steady herself as Ema stepped off the padded seat and deeper into the bath. Once her body was fully submerged, Ema pulled herself up and turned around so that she was now sitting on one of the many padded seats, immersed in the bath. Ema relaxed into the tub, allowing it to cover the top of her shoulders. Shortly afterwards, she shuddered as her body started to fully relax.

“I see the Captain is enjoying the bath,” Eztuh said while sipping from a fluted glass.

“It’s a shame our ships don’t have the water reserves for a bath,” Ema said with a sigh. “I could get used to this,” she then tilted her head back so that just her blunt nose was sticking out of the water. When she re-emerged, Hisi was standing nearby with a tray of drinks and some food.

“Feel free to indulge yourself,” Theka said, “while you’re here with us, you’ll be able to enjoy some real food for once,” she then took a yellow fruit from a nearby tray.

“So, what were you discussing?” Ema asked.

“Your most recent mission, where you rescued the Terran Male,” Szaki replied, “his effect on the fleet and station crew, and the message you received from your Mother,” she said. Ema frowned at the mention of her Mother. She lowered herself into the water until only her nostrils were visible.

“Now don’t be like that,” Theka said as she watched Ema, “you know full well this day was coming, and might I remind you that it was all part of your original agreement,” Theka pointed at Ema as she spoke. Gesturing to Uszu, her steward walked around the bath and waited for Ema. After a few minutes, her curiosity got the better of her, and she resumed sitting on the nearby padded seat. Uszu handed a pad to her and then returned to his previous position.

“What’s this?” Ema asked as she placed her right thumb on the pad’s scanner.

“The agreement you signed with your Mother,” Eztuh replied, “as you can see, it clearly states that your position as Matriarch will be set aside during your military career, however,” Eztuh took a bite from the purple fruit offered to her by her steward, “the agreement clearly states that once a suitable male has been found, you are to return home and continue the family line,” she said in between mouthfuls of the sweet-tasting fruit.

“I know,” Ema said as she continued to read, “I just thought I would have more time,” she then held it above her head. Hisi stepped forward and took it from her.

“You’ll be free to return to your military career,” Theka said.

“Oh, I know, but I’m sure Mother will try and convince me to take up my duties as a Matriarch,” Ema replied.

“So,” Szaki said with a cough to clear her throat, “have you fucked your steward yet?” she asked.

“Szaki! You promised you wouldn’t say it like that,” Theka complained, and her counterpart shrugged.

“It’s okay, Theka,” Ema chimed in as she looked at her, “no, I haven’t, yet,” she said and looked over to where Szaki was sitting, “I thought it best to wait until John has finished his training and the meeting you’ll be having with him,” Ema rested her back against the side of the bath as she finished speaking.

“Just make sure that you do,” Szaki warned, “I’d prefer it if I didn’t get a message from your Mother,” she said.

“I am glad that I’m not the only one who doesn’t like them,” Ema said while trying not to laugh.

The two security officers standing guard outside the private bath looked at each other as raucous laughter could be heard through the locked door.

*****

“You must be John,” said a female voice as he walked through a pair of armoured doors.

Standing just to John’s right was a tall and slender Viper. She had a similar build to Security Officer Thissa, however, unlike Thissa, the Viper in front of John was nine feet tall. Her primary scales, which covered most of her visible body, were obsidian black, and her secondary scales were porcelain white. They covered her entire lower jaw and went down the front of her neck. John looked up and made eye contact with her, noticing that she had glowing red eyes. She looked down at him and smiled.

“This is Flight Lieutenant Nuki,” Shalsui said as she stepped into the room.

“Hello,” John said as he offered the Lieutenant his right hand.

“Oh yes, I’ve heard Terrans greet new people like this,” Nuki said and took hold of John’s right hand. He noticed that the armoured claws of her Nano Flight suit were glowing red. Once she had shaken his hand, Nuki let go and took a step back.

“I will go get into my pod,” Shalsui chimed in and walked over to one of the large egg-shaped pods.

Watching her as she pressed her right hand against a palm reader, activating the training pod, John looked around the room. There were a total of twenty egg-shaped pods inside a well-lit square room. The training pods were arranged in four rows of five, each featuring a desk, chair, and computer terminal set against the wall that had the only door. Each pod appeared to be roughly twelve feet by six and had a series of thick cables attached to the top and sides. Looking up, John saw how the cables connected and ended in the middle of the ceiling. A round device was recessed into the wall, emitting a low hum, while a series of lights and readings were displayed on its surface.

“Your pod is over here, John,” Nuki said as she gestured to her right.

She led him over to a training pod that had a few extra devices and wires attached to it. John felt a chill run up his spine, and despite the thermal protection of his Nano Flight suit, goosebumps appeared on his arms. Nuki placed her right hand against the pod’s palm scanner, and after a few seconds, it beeped.

“Do not let the cold alarm you,” Nuki said as she turned to face John, “when they are in use, the training pods generate a lot of heat,” she then stepped to the left so that he could get a good look at the interior of the training pod.

Looking inside, John saw that the interior had been modified to allow him to use it properly. The materials used reminded John of plastic, metal, and leather, but with the customary off-white and grey colours, he had become accustomed to. Near where his feet would be were adjustable foot pedals, and he guessed they worked similarly to those found in planes back on Earth. The ‘chair’ that John would be sitting in had lumbar support and a headrest that also appeared to prevent his head from moving too far to the left or right.

For his left hand, there was a horizontal control that moved forward and backwards. The way that it looked reminded John of an old computer game controller, and it even had a red button for his thumb. For his right hand, there was a flight stick, similar in design to old joystick controllers. Near the left and right-hand controls were several keypads, each one had a different colour lighting it up.

“I suggest you get in and get comfy, John,” Nuki said, interrupting his inspection, “you are going to be in there for several hours. Oh, and do not forget to connect your waste pipes to their ports on the pod,” she then walked over to the nearby screens.

Looking down at his Nano Flight suit, John found the two ends of his suit’s waste pipes and then tried to locate where they connected to the training pod. A few minutes later, he found them directly behind his chair and realised that he would need to be sitting for them to reach.

“When you are ready, press that blinking green triangle on the keypad near your right hip,” Nuki said from her seated position.

Climbing into the pod and sitting down, John leaned forward with his right hand and connected the waste pipes. Sitting back, he pressed down on the blinking green triangle and the interior lit up. The low hum from before increased, and then the pod closed with John sitting inside.

“I take it that was meant to happen?” John asked without realising the pod was now effectively airtight.

“Yes,” Nuki replied. Her voice was so clear it was as though she was standing next to him. “The green triangle activates the training pod,” she said, “it will do a quick systems check, and then you will be ready to go through the tutorial. Make sure you activate your helmet, otherwise you will run out of air,” Nuki said, and then John’s pad started to beep.

Removing it from his right thigh, John looked at it and noticed that it had detected a drop in oxygen. Accessing the controls for his Nano Flight suit, John pressed his right index finger against the ‘activate helmet’ button. As soon as he touched it, the interior of the training pod was illuminated by the familiar bright neon blue light emitted from his collar. The remaining Nanos stored inside rushed out of the reservoir and formed a helmet around John’s head.

“Can you hear me?” Nuki asked, “my voice should be coming through the speakers inside your helmet,” she said.

“I can hear you,” John replied, “very well too. Just like the speakers inside the pod, it’s as though you are standing next to me,” he said.

“You can thank the Matriarchy’s best Scientists for that,” Nuki said, “as long as you remain within Comms range of a ship or station, you will always have clear communications. Can you see a progress bar on your HUD for the pod?” she asked.

“Yes,” John replied, “it says eighty-five per cent,” he said.

“Good. Once it gets to one hundred, I want you to lean forward and push the round blue button on the side of the pod,” Nuki ordered.

“Understood,” he replied.

Sitting there inside his training pod, John watched the progress bar as it slowly made its way towards one hundred per cent. When it did, he leaned forward and did as he was instructed. Shortly after pressing the button, the lights inside the pod and his helmet’s HUD disappeared. John thought that there was a power cut, but then everything came back on and he found himself flying through space.

“Wow,” was all John managed to say.

*****

Flying through space, inside the cockpit of a Mamba fighter, John was surprised by how real everything was. He had expected the training pods to be similar to the simulators back home on Earth, just more advanced. However, John’s mind and body reacted to everything as though it were real. It had taken him a few minutes to get accustomed to how easily the fighter responded to his control inputs. What he had not expected were the g-forces. Shortly after the power came back on, he pulled back the joystick and let out a loud grunt. Remembering his training, John started to clench and adjust his breathing.

“John, you have forgotten to activate all the features of your Nano Flight suit,” Nuki pointed out, “I am activating them now. You should find it easier to control the Mamba, and you will not need to adjust your breathing or clench,” she said. John thought he heard her suppress a laugh.

“Thanks, I guess it’s my fault for not reading the manual,” he replied.

“Do not worry, we all make mistakes,” Nuki said, “you have got thirty minutes to get used to the pod and your suit. After that, I will start sending enemies, and they will not be easy,” she warned.

“Understood,” John replied.

*****

“Captain,” Oatshul called out, “we’ve received ready signals from the rest of the fleet,” she said.

“Thank you, Oatshul,” Thazha replied as she pressed a button on her command chair, “this is Matriarch’s Blessing to all ships, form up in single file formation, we’ll be heading out shortly,” Thazha ordered.

“Confirmations received, Captain,” Oatshul called out a few minutes later.

“Helm, increase speed to one-half and follow the route we received from the Pride,” Thazha ordered.

“Aye, Captain,” came the reply.

The Matriarch’s Blessing, an Atheris-class Destroyer, started to tilt up as the forward thrusters underneath the front of the ship ignited. Once the ship had reached an angle of forty-five degrees to the galactic plane, the five engines at the rear flared. The Destroyer lurched forward as the ship’s speed increased, and a short distance behind it, the remaining vessels fell in behind the Blessing.

“Once the fleet has joined us on this angle, increase speed to full,” Thazha ordered.

“Aye, Captain,” replied the helm.

Thazha stood up from her command chair and walked over to the TDT. Both her Comms Officer and Tactical Officer joined her. Each Viper was lit by the emerald glow from the TDT’s holographic projection. Currently, it displayed a close-up view of Border Station Five and the large fleet of Matriarchy ships. With a single press on a nearby keypad, Thazha adjusted the display, and it was now showing a real-time view of the small fleet. Tactical Officer Altsiah used a keypad that was projected just in front of her to bring up detailed information on each ship.

“If we take the route given to us by the Pride,” Altsiah started to say as her crimson scales reflected the green glow of the TDT, “then it should take us a few hours to get into the blind spot,” she said. After a few more buttons were pressed, the TDT was adjusted to show an overlay of the nearby system.

“I concur,” Oatshul said, “we’ll need to drop a relay beacon here and here,” she pointed to two points along the plotted course.

“Once we reach this point here,” Thazha said as she pointed at the display in front of her, “we’ll have the rear Corvette deploy a relay beacon,” the green glow from the TDT complemented Thazha’s emerald bioluminescence.

“Does the Pride or the Minerva think we’ll encounter something?” Oatshul asked, and Thazha shook her head, her hood flapping back and forth.

“If they do, then they aren’t telling us,” she replied.

“How come we’ve only spotted this blind spot now?” Altsiah inquired.

“Unknown,” Thazha replied, “each system is meant to receive extensive wargames before each comms relay and monitor satellite is positioned,” she said.

“It looks like the Survey Core failed,” Oatshul said.

“Not necessarily,” Thazha interrupted, “I’ve seen some reports where blind spots don’t get detected for decades,” she pointed out.

“Huh. Well, it’s good that the Pride of the Matriarchy were running wargames,” Altsiah said.

“Agreed,” replied Thazha.

*****

Five Hours Later

“John, you have got three enemy fighters closing on your position,” Nuki said, “change course to three hundred and forty-five by seventy-six,” she ordered, “your sensors should be picking them up shortly,” Nuki pointed out.

“Understood,” John replied, “changing course to three hundred and forty-five by seventy-six,” he said.

John slowly rotated his right wrist to the left and pushed down on the left foot pedal as he watched the coordinates displayed inside his helmet change. He felt his fighter rotate to the left and then turn. As the g-forces increased, his Nano Flight suit made rapid adjustments to its shape, which in turn lessened the effects on John’s body. It had taken him a few hours to get used to the feeling, but he was glad to be wearing it. On several occasions, John had forgotten he was inside a training pod. The technology behind its creation was so advanced that he had to keep reminding himself that he was not piloting a real Mamba fighter, flying through real space, and fighting real enemies. A few seconds after he had finished the course corrections, three red dots appeared on his HUD.

“That is it, John,” Nuki said, “activating your multi-lock missiles now. Do not forget to do a hard turn after you fire them” shortly after she finished talking, the icon for John’s multi-lock missiles came online.

Winking his right eye, he scrolled through the available weapons until his HUD moved onto the newly activated missiles. A single blink from his left eye told the onboard computer to select them, and then an ammo count appeared. With the multi-lock missiles now active, John locked onto the three enemy fighters. Using his right index finger, three missiles were launched and headed straight for their respective targets. When his HUD informed him that the launch had been successful, John made a one-eighty-degree turn and brought the engines to one hundred per cent.

With an audible grunt, John was forced against the back of his modified cockpit. He felt each of the adjustments that his Nano Flight suit made as it tried to compensate for the sudden increase in g-forces. Glancing at the velocity readout for his Mamba fighter, John watched as his speed decreased rapidly, and then a few seconds later, it increased.

As his craft flew away from the incoming enemy fighters, several of the other pilots formed up on John’s fighter. With their objectives within the current training exercise complete, they began congratulating John on his rapid progress.

*****

Nuki watched John from her seated position. In front of her, displayed on multiple monitors, were the live feeds from each of the training pods. At a glance, Nuki could tell who had the most battle damage, who was going to run out of ammo first, which pilot had scored the most kills, and each pilot’s current health status.

An explosion to her right drew Nuki’s attention away from John’s feed. One of the Viper pilots had managed to destroy a trio of enemy Torpedo Frigates. After a few button presses, Nuki replayed the last thirty seconds, and she watched the footage on the larger central screen in front of her. Just as the last of the three Frigates exploded, the nearby double doors opened. Stepping into the room was Wing Commander Zsosu, the light from above reflecting off of her bright blue scales.

“How goes the training?” Zsosu asked as she walked over to where Nuki was sitting. The doors behind her closed with a gentle hiss.

“The pilots are performing well,” Nuki replied. She reset the central monitor in front of her and pushed back on her chair, allowing the Wing Commander to lean in and look at the monitors.

“What about John?” Zsosu inquired as she stood up and took a step back.

“It took him a while to get used to the training pod,” Nuki replied “however, I’m impressed with how well he has managed to adapt,” she said.

“Bring up his feed onto the central monitor,” Zsosu ordered. A few seconds later, both Nuki and Zsosu’s faces were lit up by the live feed from inside John’s training pod.

The two Vipers watched as he piloted his fighter around the hull of an enemy battleship, deftly manoeuvring around the ship’s point defence batteries, scoring direct hits on key subsystems. Shortly afterwards, a series of internal explosions spread across the hull of the battleship before it exploded spectacularly. A chorus of cheers came from the live feeds of the other pilots as the training exercise came to an end.

“Have the computer compile a report on John and send it to the Matriarch and the Admiral,” Zsosu ordered.

“At once,” replied Nuki with a curt nod.

Nuki watched as Zsosu headed back out of the room. The armoured double doors slowly swung open after accepting her palm print. Nuki turned around when she heard the first of the training pods open up.

*****

John’s body ached as he pulled himself out of the training pod. Deactivating his helmet, he wiped his brow with his right hand, and he saw how much he had been sweating. An unknown Viper nearby offered John a drink of water, and he gladly gulped it down.

“You are not bad for a male,” the unknown Viper said.

“Thanks…I think,” John replied.

“Not bad?” came a voice from behind, “Did you see how he took down those defence turrets?” the voice asked.

John turned around and found another Viper pilot behind him. She had stopped directly behind, and so when he turned his face hit both of her large breasts, they wobbled despite the Nano Flight suit she was wearing. The Viper looked down at John and smiled.

“If only Nuki had not been picked,” she said with a wink. Unlike the first pilot, this one had deactivated her helmet. She had vibrant blue scales with a random pattern of white, dotted around her face and hood. The pilot’s eyes glowed blue.

“Settle down back there,” a familiar voice was heard from behind.

Turning around, John saw that Nuki was standing just in front of the desk and chair, and the various screens that had previously been showing data were now black, presumably switched off.

“I am sure you are all tired from your training,” Nuki said, “but we still need to debrief. Follow me,” she ordered.

John watched as she headed for the now-open double doors, and the Viper pilots slowly started to fall in step behind her. A hand appeared on his right shoulder as a tall Viper walked past John.

“Come on, Terran,” she said, “this is where you get to regale us with your heroic last stand against that Lupine battleship,” the Viper Pilot then slapped John on the back. She laughed as John stumbled forward.

“Hey, careful!” another pilot called out as she caught him, “Males are not as strong as females,” she pointed out.

“Especially Terran males,” said another Viper.

“It’s okay, everyone,” John said as he looked at the three pilots. He noticed that several of the others in the room had stopped to watch.

“I thought I told you girls to follow?” Nuki called out from the corridor, “Stop fussing over the male and get moving,” she ordered.

As a group, the Viper Pilots all hurried out of the room. John was rather unceremoniously carried out by the second pilot, who had protested the slap to his back. Looking up, John watched as her helmet deactivated, and he made eye contact with a white Viper. She smiled at him as they headed through the armoured double doors and down the corridor.

*****

Eight Hours Earlier

“Are you sure this will work?” Captain Eki asked as she sat in a pile of pillows. They had searched the Life pod for anything of use and were surprised that one compartment was stuffed with twenty pillows.

“No, not really,” Engineer Zozta replied, “the Nanos contained within each of the life pod’s maintenance bays were designed specifically for basic ship maintenance, not construction work,” she said.

“Then why suggest it?” Eki inquired.

“Because I think it’s the best chance we have of warning the station,” Zozta replied with a hint of annoyance in her voice. She looked up at Eki when she realised and quietly said, 'Sorry.'

It had been an hour since the Ericius ambush, and while all of the life pods had escaped the destruction of their Patrol ship, Matriarch’s Light, all attempts to warn Border Station Five had failed. There just wasn’t enough power in any of the pods to produce a strong enough signal. Currently, the crew were discussing all possible ways to send a warning, and Zozta’s had so far been the best one.

“Let’s give it a try,” said one of the Vipers in a different life pod than the one Eki and Zozta were in.

“I agree,” came another voice. Several more voices were heard, and each one gave their approval to Zozta’s plan.

“I believe the crew have spoken, Captain,” said Tactical Officer Ustu with a smile.

Eki looked over to where she was sitting and noticed that Ustu was holding onto Comms Officer Hunull. Eki had seen the pair spending a great deal of time together over the last few days. Since the ambush and their successful evacuation of the Matriarch’s Light, the two Vipers had somehow managed to claim the small corner they were currently sitting in. She was impressed, considering how cramped life pods were.

“Very well,” Eki said, “let’s start the modifications,” she ordered.

Over the next few hours, Zozta instructed the crew on how to make changes to the Nanos stored within each life pod’s maintenance bay. Once complete, they would be able to construct airlocks onto the hull of each life pod and then have them connect to form a pentagon, with the Captain’s pod acting as command and control. While the primary goal of the modifications was to contact the station, linking the pods together combined their power, enabling them to travel faster and also boost the overall transmission strength of a planned emergency signal. An improvement in overall crew morale would also help their current situation.

“Modifications are complete, Captain,” Zozta called out from her seated position.

“This is the Captain,” Eki said as she stood in the middle of the life pod, “all pods, activate the Nanos,” she ordered.

Along the hulls of each Life Pod, bright blue light could be seen as billions of tiny Nanos left their reservoirs and started to construct airlocks. When the work was done, the Nanos that were left retreated into their reservoirs.

“All life pods report one hundred per cent hull integrity, and they are ready to connect,” reported Hunull.

“Thank you,” Eki replied, “Zozta, start the link-up process,” she ordered.

With a single press of a button, the six life pods started to move toward each other. Small thrusters along each of their hexagonal hulls fired. Five of the pods slowly moved closer while the sixth, the life pod containing the Captain, moved to the underside of the pod that would form the top of the pentagon. When each life pod was within range, they stabilised their position and then long umbilicals extended. Ten minutes later, all six of the life pods were securely connected. Using her pad to check over all of the seals, Zozta activated the final link-up process and smiled.

“It worked, Captain,” she said excitedly, “all life pods are now connected and their computers are linking up. Once I have done some final tests, I will deploy each ship’s solar sail and then start work balancing the power levels for a transmission test,” Zozta said.

“Well done, Zozta,” Eki replied, “I’ll make sure to recommend you for a commendation,” she said and then laughed at the expression on Zozta’s face.

Once all of the readouts from each pod were green, Zozta opened up the airlocks, and Eki heard a cheer from her crew echo throughout the combined life pods. Screens inside the central pod showed Vipers passing through each airlock, embracing friends, and laughing with each other. Eki guessed that within a matter of hours, each pod would be given a specific designation, and the crew would start to sleep in groups.

*****

Nine Hours Later

“Here’s to John,” a voice called out.

The noise level inside the canteen, one of several set aside for the pilots who serve on board the Ruination of Minerva, rose as the group of twenty Viper pilots all cheered. It had been an hour since they had all left their training pods and had sat through a lengthy debriefing. Everyone was currently enjoying a well-earned break and some food.

“I still can not believe you were able to take out that dreadnought,” said a brightly coloured Viper who was sitting opposite John and to his right.

“Did you see the way he piloted his Mamba?” said another Viper, whose scales were black with white spots. She was sitting at a nearby table and looking over to where John was.

“Do not forget it was just a simulation,” another pilot pointed out, her eyes glowing a vibrant pink against her dark red scales, “while it is true that he adapted quickly to the training pod, we do not yet know how he will react when it is real,” she pointed out. John watched as she used her long tongue to scoop out the contents of a large bowl of glowing pink paste.

“You are just mad you were not picked,” a Viper sitting behind John pointed out, “you were singing his praises before we found out who he was assigned to,” she said with a snigger. A few more of the nearby pilots giggled along with her.

“Do not make me come over there,” warned the pilot with the dark red scales.

“That is enough!” said a new voice in a commanding tone. Everyone in the canteen looked over to where it had come from. Nuki was standing just inside and looking in the direction of John and the twenty Viper pilots.

The noise level dropped as she walked over to where the glowing paste was. One of the Vipers behind the counter handed her several bowls and a glass of water. Nuki then headed straight for the table where John was sitting. Several of the pilots moved out of the way as Nuki sat down opposite him.

“Here’s to John!” Nuki shouted as she raised her glass of water.

There was a moment of stunned silence, and then everyone erupted into cheers. Several of the nearby Vipers patted him on the back, rubbed his shoulders or even tried to feed him some glowing paste. What drew John’s attention, however, was the tip of a Viper’s tail that had wormed its way around his left leg and was now rubbing against his groin. He looked up and made eye contact with Nuki. She had a mischievous grin on her face, and she winked as John’s face went red.

*****

“Sending transmission now,” Zozta called out.

At the front of Eki’s life pod, a small communications array unfolded, and the tip started to glow. Inside, Zozta looked over the various screens in front of her, each of which had been reprogrammed to display vital information. The one she was currently looking at informed her that the warning signal would drain forty per cent of their overall power.

“Captain,” she called out, “I suggest we evacuate the bottom two pods. If we allow the transmission to pull power from them, it should be strong enough to reach the station before the Ericius can strike,” Zozta said.

“Agreed,” replied Eki. She leaned over to her right and touched the pod’s intercom, “This is the Captain, evacuate the bottom two pods. We’ll be draining their power to aid the transmission,” she ordered.

Zozta watched the screen to her left, which displayed footage from inside each life pod, and waited for the last Viper to leave. Once they were empty, she tapped away at her pad and sent the additional power to the communications array. Glancing at several screens, Zozta was able to ascertain that her suggestion was correct.

“Transmission sent,” she called out, “with the additional power, it should arrive at least an hour before the Ericius fleet attacks,” Zozta said.

“I pray that it does,” Eki replied.

*****

John looked at the map displayed on his pad as he walked down one of the corridors inside the Minerva. A few of the pilots were with him, and most of them were chatting amongst themselves. Despite having lived aboard Matriarchy ships for several days, he still had difficulty navigating the identical corridors. John was determined that during his stay on board the Minerva, he would finally be able to move about independently, without requiring assistance from anyone else.

“What are you looking at?” asked one of the pilots.

John looked up and made eye contact with her. The Viper’s primary scale colour was dark green, and her secondary scale colour was cream. They formed a diamond pattern that started just above her eyes and went across the top of her head and down the back of her hood. Inside each diamond was a smaller diamond of glowing yellow bioluminescence. The pilot’s eyes and mouth also glowed a vibrant yellow.

“The route to where we’ll be sleeping tonight,” John replied, “I thought it best to know where we’re going,” he said.

“Can not you smell it?” the pilot asked.

“Smell what?” John replied.

“The pheromone trail,” she said, “that is how we know where we are going. We use the map first and then follow our pheromones. Are you sure you can not smell anything?” the pilot asked.

John breathed in and then shook his head, “all I can smell is that I need a shower,” he replied.

“That is true,” the Viper said after breathing in, “there is a communal shower attached to the pilot’s quarters, I am sure Nuki will be happy to help you,” she said with a wink.

Before John could reply, they arrived at a T-junction and were greeted by several more of the Viper pilots. Nuki was with them, and when she spotted John, he somehow found himself in front of her. After the two groups greeted each other, everyone was off again, down another identical corridor, only this time the volume level from the various conversations was much louder.

“I was very impressed with your performance today,” Nuki said. She had placed a clawed hand on his right shoulder and was guiding him along.

“Thank you,” John replied.

As the larger group of Viper pilots walked down the corridor, John swore he noticed a few of them looking in his direction. Some smiled, while others seemed annoyed. Turning a corner, they came upon another group, and as they were greeting each other, John counted them all. Twenty Viper pilots in total.

“I hope you do not snore,” Nuki said.

“Pardon?” John replied.

“Snore. I said I hope you do not snore,” Nuki repeated.

“Oh, erm...I don’t think so, no one has said anything,” John replied.

“That is good. I can not wait to get you into my nest,” Nuki then lowered her head so that it was level with his left ear, “I expect you to be as vigorous with me as you have with the other Vipers you have fucked,” she whispered and then laughed as John’s face went bright red.

Before he could reply, a cheer erupted at the front, and looking ahead, John saw a pair of large doors open. The group of twenty pilots started filtering into the room, and when he and Nuki reached the doors, John was pushed inside by Nuki. Looking around, he could see that it was a very large, circular room with a domed ceiling. The design was similar to Milsi’s quarters but on a larger scale. There were a total of fifteen nests, each of which was recessed into the floor and had an abundance of pillows. Couches, chairs, and desks were positioned at set intervals around the edges of the room, and as John looked to his left, he watched as a few Vipers walked through a large door.

“That is the bathroom,” Nuki said as she walked past John.

“Good to know,” he replied, “I’ll use the shower when they’re done,” John said.

“Follow me,” Nuki said and then walked over to a nearby nest. “This one is mine,” she said as Nuki deactivated her collar.

John's face was lit up by the Nanos retreating across her body. Shortly afterwards, Nuki folded her hood against her neck and pulled the collar off. Looking at her naked body, John saw how her porcelain white secondary scales continued down from her neck. They went across her chest, down her abdomen and along the underside of her tail. John’s eyes were drawn to a pair of large pink nipples and the huge breasts which jiggled as Nuki turned to face him.

“Before you start drooling,” her voice pulled John’s attention away, “the bathroom is free,” she said.

Looking to his left, he watched as three naked Vipers appeared and headed over to a nearby nest. With a quiet cough, John headed for the bathroom. As he walked, several pairs of eyes watched him. Realising that he would need to just get used to the added attention, John deactivated his collar and threw it towards the nest that Nuki was now stepping into. The last thing he saw before entering the bathroom was the agile tip of Nuki’s tail threading itself through his collar.

*****

Nearing the halfway point on their journey towards Border Station Five, the Ericius fleet risked detection by having the smaller, more agile ships ignite their engines. The plan was for the faster vessels to sow confusion amongst the Matriarchy forces stationed at Border Station Five while giving the much larger and slower ships more time to arrive. The Ericius flagship and the trio of battleships that escorted it launched torpedoes. Once they had passed the smaller ships, their crude onboard computers shut down so that the torpedoes could remain undetected. Each one was programmed to activate its engines when the onboard passive sensors detected the station.