---Next Day---
As the first rays of sunlight peeked over the horizon, everyone rolled out of bed, ready to set out on our expedition. Shooting Loki a few curious glances, Angelica and the other women gave her a silent nod of acknowledgement. Before I had a chance to clear the air for Loki, the Aesir goddess lowered her head to my wives.
"Now that I have become a member of this family, it is only right that I apologize to all of you.", Loki spoke. "While it does not excuse my behavior, I was driven by bitterness and jealousy. The happiness you radiate was an ever-present reminder of how alone I was. One day, I hope you will find it in your hearts to forgive me."
Looking at one another, my wives nodded in unison.
"Lift your head, Loki.", Angelica requested.
Doing as she was asked, my wives pulled Loki into a warm hug. While it would take time to fully mend their relationships, they wanted Loki to know they were there for her. Tearing up in response, Loki thanked everyone from the bottom of her heart.
"So, Loki, how was your evening with Victor?", Mylene pressed her. "Please tell us and do not skimp on the details."
"I am interested to know as well.", Isha commented, with a grin. "You Asgardians are well-known for your promiscuous nature. Your brothers have sired many bastards, choosing only to raise a handful of them personally."
"Please do not compare me to my siblings in that manner. Their sexual escapades have been a bothersome topic for my father over the millennia. He has repeatedly told them to stop, but as you know, they never have.", Loki complained. "In my case, the only man I have been with is Victor. Unlike my siblings, I never had a love life because of things I did in the past."
Intrigued by this bit of information, my wives pressed her for additional details. Leaving them to talk among themselves, I headed down to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.
---Thirty Minutes Later---
Once their girl talk concluded, my wives came down to join everyone at the table. Bidding the men good morning, Baldur and Fandral stared at Loki suspiciously. Easily picking up the scent wafting off her body, they cracked a grin, much to Loki's ire.
"If you have something to say, spit it out…", Loki said, spinning a butter knife in her hand.
"Normally, I would tease you about this, but I won't do that this time. I will not ruin your happy moment with your partner.", Baldur spoke, glancing toward me. "You are a good man, Victor. Take good care of my little sister, or there will be hell to pay."
"I fully intend to. Just so I know, will Odin mind if I crack a few skulls on her behalf?", I inquired, taking a sip of coffee.
Chuckling at my question, Baldur and Fandral firmly shook their heads.
"So long as you stop just short of killing them, none of us will lift a finger to intervene.", Baldur assured me. "Promise me you will make those bastards regret making Loki cry."
Looking at her brother in disbelief, Loki thought her family was ignorant of what happened back then. Realizing now they had known the whole time, she felt like a moron for not noticing sooner.
"If you knew what she was going through, why didn't you step in to help her?", Olivia pressed him.
"We would have stepped in to intervene immediately if Loki had just asked us too.", Baldur asserted, upset by her insinuation. "Our father forbade us from intervening, even though the situation upset him as well. We have come to Loki's rescue many times over the years, and it has created fractures within the court. To keep our people together, he is trying to refrain from coddling us as much."
"Now that Loki has a reliable partner, the problem will resolve itself very quickly.", Fandral chuckled, scarfing down some bacon. "Victor is not an Asgardian, so any punishments or sanctions levied against him are meaningless. Their only recourse will be a duel, which is suicide. If my assessment is right, and it normally is, only Odin and Thor can fight him on equal footing."
Silently disagreeing with his assessment, I felt only Odin could give me a run for my money. Thor was immensely powerful, but his lightning was of little consequence to me. Since both of us wielded the same mystical powers, it would come down to a test of skill.
'My magic and scientific knowledge already surpass the Asgardians by a large margin. On top of that, I have access to the knowledge and power of past Sorcerer Supremes.', I thought. "Regardless of that, the badmouthing of our children ends today."
Happy to hear those words, Loki smiled warmly in response. Amused by his sister's change in demeanor, Baldur snickered uncontrollably.
"I am sorry… I cannot believe how much a good- ", Baldur began.
"SHUT UP!!", Loki roared, driving her heels into his kneecaps.
Hearing several bones crack, Baldur's face paled as he fell out of his chair. Clutching his knees tightly, he cried out in pain as he swore they were broken.
"Oh, hush it, you big baby. Walk it off; you are fine.", Loki snickered.
"Uh… I do not think he is joking around this time…", Fandral spoke, noticing bone fragments poking out of the skin. "Victor, could you- "
"Already on it.", I said, using High Heal to mend his injuries.
Restoring his knees back to normal, Baldur shakily rose to his feet. Deciding to remain standing for the rest of the meal, he refrained from touching upon the subject again.
---Twenty Minutes Later, Production World 51---
Picking up the Devilukean trio after breakfast, we relocated to Production World 51, where my forces had gathered for departure. Joining Engineering Commander Bannister and her assistants, I inquired if Project Starkiller was ready for its debut.
"Hehe! Can I assume this means you want to bring it with us?", Bannister cackled with delight.
"Given the circumstances, I believe bringing our full strength to the table is the best option. We do not know the situation in the field, nor can we request reinforcements down there.", I remarked.
"Valid points.", Bannister conceded. "To answer your question, Project Starkiller is fully operational and ready for deployment."
Happy to hear that, I was about to give Bannister some instructions when Ahsoka spoke up.
"Uh, Victor, what is Project Starkiller?", Ahsoka questioned.
"I think it would be easier to just show you.", I answered. "Jarvis, if you would please."
Pointing everyone's attention toward the sky, a giant black and grey sphere slowly appeared before our eyes. Assuming something was going to happen to the sphere, Bo-Katan was the first to recognize what it really was.
"My god… Is… Is that a moon-sized ship?!", Bo-Katan gasped, unable to believe what she was seeing. "How did you construct such a massive ship?! Why did you construct such a massive ship!?"
"Technically, I did not construct the entire thing myself. What you see before you is Palpatine's ultimate weapon, the Death Star. He commissioned its creation in secret to help solidify his rule over the Galactic Republic.", I informed everyone. "Construction had only reached eighteen percent by the time Palpatine was killed. I took possession of it, improved the design, and finished building it with Dair's assistance. It is a harmonious fusion of Necron and Old One technology!"
Critiquing the station, Lala expressed her doubts about its effectiveness in combat. Due to its enormous size, she believed it could only move at a snail's pace.
"I understand why you would think that, but the Death Star is able to achieve FTL. Utilizing the Necron's Inertialess Drive technology, this doomsday weapon can easily keep pace with most starships.", I bragged, grinning with excitement. "In addition, its main weapon is capable of obliterating entire star systems with a single shot."
"Really!?", Lala gasped. "What sort of power source does it use?"
"At the heart of the station is a highly compressed star. It generates all the power it needs to operate and fire the main weapon.", I answered. "It is far more advanced than my original design. At its current efficiency, we could fire the main weapon almost nine hundred and fifty times before needing a recharge."
"Oh wow!!", Lala giggled, bouncing around excitedly. "Can we go aboard now and have a look around?"
"We can another time.", I promised, getting back on track. "Right now, I want to divvy everyone up across our small fleet of personal vessels. Here is what I have come up with; let me know what you think…"
Endless Horizons
Pilot - Ionica
Copilot - Amallyn
Others – Order of Divine Lamentations
(AN: As a reminder, Ionica is the Canoness Superior of the Order of Divine Lamentations.)
New Genesis
Pilot – Mylene
Copilot – Lucoa
Others – Binja (Lethan)'s group, Fandral, Isha, Lileath, and Extended Family
(AN: Extended family being Baldur, Cegorach, Hoec, and Vaul.)
Planet Killer
Pilot – Bo-Katan
Copilot – Serana
Others – Aela and Elma
Spirit of Eternity
Pilot – Samus
Copilot - Ahsoka
Others – Ilulu and Tohru
Spiritus Libertatis
Pilot - Victor
Copilot - Roxanne
Others – Azura, Boethiah, Ithelia, Lala, Loki, Mephala, Meridia, Momo, Namira, Nana, Nocturnal, Slaanesh, and Vaermina
Yamato
Pilot - Deirdre
Copilot - Angelica
Others – Clarice, Olivia
Accepting the proposed assignments, Bo-Katan gave the other four pilots a competitive smirk.
"How about we spice things up a bit?", Bo-Katan suggested. "Should we get into a skirmish, the crew that destroys the most enemy ships gets a private dinner date with Victor?"
"Count me in!", Samus agreed, cracking her knuckles. "Don't come crying to us when we kick your ass."
"Sorry, ladies, we are taking home the prize today.", Deirdre proclaimed, arrogantly laughing at them.
"We got this in the bag, Amallyn. Our ship is the best in Victor's arsenal!", Ionica boasted, high-fiving her friend.
"That is debatable, Ionica.", Mylene remarked, fist bumping Lucoa. "Either way, we are winning that private dinner date."
Adamant their teams were going to win, the women began smack-talking each other. Leaving them to it, I was about to go pick up Ambassador Jaliramea Caliza and her staff when Loki spoke up.
"Wait a moment!!", Loki shouted, garnering everyone's attention. "Why are we excluded from your competition? All of us want that dinner date as well."
"It pains me to say this, but Victor is a better pilot than all of us.", Samus stated, with a bitter expression. "It would not be a fair match if we included your team."
Unable to argue with Samus' logic, my team turned to me for a solution. Refusing to let them pilot my inheritance, I was left with only one option.
"Since they do not want us to compete, I will take all of you out to dinner when we return home again.", I swore.
Satisfied with my solution, my team sat back to watch the others fight it out. With the matter resolved, I stepped away to pick up the ambassador and her people.