“Fuck Me!” John cursed, setting James’ letter back on the table. Somehow, the man knew exactly what buttons to press to make John question his own choices and prod him into action.
I was done with this world, content to let whatever was going to happen play out and return to DEN. I have other places to be and people to save, but now he wants me to somehow escape to warn the Inner Sphere and save these people, too! How? How do I find a damn pirate jumpship in this system? There are a dozen other planets, each with its own pirate point. They would all be somewhat closer to the sun, but I have no idea how to calculate something like that. It’s not like there is a big sign pointing to it, saying, ‘Here is Blackstone’s Gravity Neutral point, the pirates are here!’
While he had never used the limited slipspace drive on the Pelican (Courtesy of DEN), he knew it was only good for inter-solar system travel. Similar to the lightdrive on the Phoenix Hawk, it was only about three times faster than the speed of light. It would take years to travel to the next star. He and anyone he brought with him would starve before they got anywhere close, and would fail to warn the Inner Sphere of the coming invasion. Likewise, its slipspace communication array was significantly different from the HPG communications this world used, so he couldn’t just transmit the data to some of these contacts and hope for the best.
His thoughts continued to spiral, his tired mind unable to focus on anything but the problem laid before him, and he couldn’t entertain any possible solutions.
“My Danna, what is wrong?” Lucy said, stepping out onto the balcony. She was carrying a tray with a plate of rice and some meat he didn’t recognise. His stomach growled at the smell, reminding him he had not eaten since that morning.
“Just another problem, my Tsuma. One that I’m in no position to deal with right now.” He said, gratefully accepting the tray from her with a kiss. “Oh, this smells delicious. Thank you.”
“Of course. I know you are exhausted and didn’t get a chance to eat. The townsfolk were quite demanding of your time. So, please eat and come get some rest. Tomorrow will be a busy day.” She said, picking Rei up from his lap, then bowed her head towards him before taking her back inside.
John mechanically started to shovel the food into his mouth, barely tasting the lovely stir-fry Lucy had made for him. He continued to stare at the letter sitting on the table, hoping it would disappear, that its contents would magically vanish, and he would be content to let things be as they were. It failed to do so, and he failed to forget.
Once he had finished eating, he placed the tray on the table and hobbled into the apartment, his whole body stiffened up from the day’s exertions. He barely had enough energy to get changed into his pyjamas before he collapsed onto the bed on the opposite side of Rei. The only stray thought he had was that he would need to get a much larger apartment now. Preferably one with locks on the master bedroom door.
I bet that sex den Gatcha house would work… it just needs to be cleared out first. Wait… I don’t even have it right…
He fell asleep.
Lucy came out of the bathroom after getting cleaned up for the night to see that John was already asleep on their bed. A quick glance at the kitchen told her he had left the dishes outside, not that she expected him to even consider bringing them in after the day he had had. She was surprised he hadn’t fallen asleep the moment he returned, but the expression of joy on his face when Rei jumped into his arms seemed to energise him.
That changed over the next couple of hours as he dealt with the locals, and she could see he was at the point of collapse. She pushed him to come back upstairs then, and expected him to fall asleep. Instead, he played with Rei for another thirty minutes, acting like he hadn’t been in a major battle today. She whipped him up a quick meal from their lunch leftovers, encouraging him yet again to eat and rest, which he finally did.
She went outside to grab his tray, which is when she discovered the letter beneath it. Curious, she read it through several times, then stared out over the balcony, deep in thought. She could see what John meant by problems; however, she didn’t think they could wait until the morning. There was a lot of work to do, and little time to do it in.
She got dressed, then pocketed the letter, and, after a moment’s thought, went through John’s jacket, pulled out his pill tin, and took several of the energy balls out. She was going to help her Danna and would need a few others, who would need to be awake to do so.
She spared her Danna and daughter a quick glance, then left the apartment, leaving the pair of them sleeping soundly on the bed, neither aware that she was about to change their lives yet again.
R-18 Below
The Next Morning
John stirred awake to the feeling of someone playing with his testicles, their soft hand cupping them gently. He felt another hand grasping his cock, stroking near the tip, stimulating his glans. He cracked his eye open to see a sea of red hair lying on his chest, illuminated by the morning sun streaming in through the windows. Mia was fondling him, and he had no idea why.
He let her continue as he allowed his mind to awaken, a quick glance telling him that they were the only two in the room right now. It was feeling really nice, but he didn’t know what prompted her to do this all of a sudden.
“This feels really nice, Mia, but what are you doing?” He asked.
She didn’t even pause, continuing to pleasure him. “I noticed that it was hard, so I wanted to make you feel good. Lucy Kurita asked me to stay with you while she was out and to take care of all your needs this morning. Do you not want me to help you as you helped me, John Wayne?”
He was a bit flabbergasted at that, not expecting Mia to take the initiative in anything sexually related due to her past trauma. He activated his scouter skill and asked. “I don’t mind at all, but are you okay with it?”
That caused her to pause. “I am fine. I was beaten when I tried to pleasure myself before, but was forced to… I am fine because it is with you, John Wayne.”
{Stavag! Please stop asking me questions. It took thirty minutes to work up the courage to do this. I will not get over my problems without pushing through. If I am to have his children and not some Wolf pups, I need to face these fears now, not when it is too late!}
John shut off his skill, regretting even having activated it. Apparently, there was something deeper going on inside her mind beyond the trauma of the pirates, and he had no idea what to do with it.
The thought of someone else putting a child inside of her did stir something in his mind then, and he could feel the rage being flamed from his sword that was sitting over by the door. She was his woman, not someone else’s, and he would die before allowing that to happen. He shook his head, trying to clear that thought.
Holy Shit! It is too damn early in the morning for these feelings. When the hell did I get this possessive? Is this DEN’s doing?
“Please, continue.” He said after wrestling with his mind for a few moments. He was coming to care for Mia, though not as much as say Lucy, Nanaella, Shizuka, Tanya, Niki, Xiaolin and… He stopped that line of thought as well. Yes, these were different worlds, but he was feeling like some man whore right then.
Mia deserved just as much love and affection as he would give any of the other women in his life. It was just that her somewhat alien way of thinking, which was compounded by past trauma, sometimes made her difficult to understand. If this is what she thought she needed to feel better, then he wouldn’t stop her.
She began to stroke him faster, running her hand up and down his shaft. His ejaculation control skill activated fairly quickly, leaving the pleasure of her milking but ensuring he didn’t need to fight hard from releasing prematurely. He ran his fingers through her long, silky red hair, then placed his hand on her firm ass. Her skin was smooth and soft, the cheek fitting nicely into his hand. He gave it a firm squeeze, then moved his hand between her legs. She tensed up but didn’t say anything, letting him slide his fingers along her slit.
“Mmm… hah… this was supposed to be for you, not for me.” She said, despite spreading her legs a little to allow him easier access.
“What? Can I not give my woman pleasure too?” He said, plunging a finger into her hole. The digit stopped about half an inch inside, where it encountered something he did not expect. A soft membrane covered her entrance, showing that she was indeed still a virgin. He carefully retracted the finger and started to stimulate her clit, his thoughts racing as she moaned lightly.
How did she not break that even by accident already? She has led an obviously active lifestyle. Hell, I don’t know enough about a woman’s body to know if that would be normal or not for someone in their mid twenties.
The feeling of a wet tongue licking his tip drew him from his thoughts and sent a shiver down his spine. She had decided to up the game and started to suck the tip of his cock, her juicy lips enveloping his member as her tongue started to lick his glans. She was using short, rapid strokes, trying to milk the cum right out of him.
Not to be outdone, he reached over and shifted her body so she was over him in the vaunted sixty-nine position. He grasped her ass cheeks and dived into her vulva, tongue first.
“HrrmmphhHH!” She moaned, writhing around with his cock still in her mouth from the unexpected assault.
They continued their mutual battle, the unspoken challenge of seeing who could make the other cum first. Mia, with her rapid wrist action and lips sealed tightly around the head of Little John, her tongue lapping his precum up greedily as she stimulated his glans. John kept tracing his tongue around her special place, flicking her clit for a few moments, then diving inside her to touch her hymen yet again, then back out for another assault on the little bead.
Sadly for Mia, this was a battle she was ill-equipped to win, and after a couple of short minutes, she succumbed to John’s much more experienced tongue play. She clamped her thighs around his head tightly, gushing a little bit of liquid over his face as she came. He didn’t stop licking.
“HAAAAA! STRAVAG! John Wayne! This… Hah… was for… Hah… you. Not MEEEEE!!!! HAAAH!!!” She shouted, releasing his cock, and collapsing on his thighs as her orgasm shook her.
John just smiled, happy to see her muscles turn into jelly from that orgasm. He noticed that his tongue felt longer now and was more agile than before. He was finally willing to admit these Eroge upgrades were fun when he could use them.
“Grrr… John Wayne…” she growled as he kept teasing her clit a little, then released his head from her vice-like grip. He closed his eye and took a deep breath, a shit-eating grin plastered across his face. He was satisfied with his work.
“I enjoyed making you squirm almost as much as I was enjoying the blowjob.” He said with an ever-widening grin on his face.
She shifted off him, stroking his cock again. He felt something wet touch his tip again, so he opened his eye to watch her give him a blowjob. Instead, he got to see the moment where she sat down on his cock, piercing her hymen as she took his entire length inside of her.
“ARGH!” She screamed, pain etched plainly on her face.
“Mia! Are you okay?” He said. She was tight. Incredibly tight. Nanaella, Niki and Tanya had nothing on her for tightness. Her exercise routine had strengthened her pelvic floor muscles to the point of nearly being rigid. He could see a slight outline of his cock on her waist, pushing deep inside of her, pressing directly on her cervix. It was tight to the point it was almost painful for him; he could feel her clamping down on his member as she fought through the shocking pain.
“…”
“…”
“…ouch…” She whispered through gritted teeth.
“Heal!” He chanted, hoping to take away all of her pain. He had forgotten what had happened the last time he did that (Tanya), and she suddenly orgasmed again, clamping down even harder on his cock. She collapsed on his chest, panting hard.
“HAAAA!… John Wayne, you need to, hah, stop doing this to me. I need to serve your, hah, needs, but you keep servicing mine!”
“Well, I was awakened from a deep sleep to a beautiful woman who was playing with my cock, but she didn’t even give me a good morning kiss first. This is just your punishment for being a naughty bondsmen. Heal!” He said, causing her to vibrate again in pleasure. At least her insides were loosening up a bit from the repeated orgasms, though he had no idea why his healing magic was causing her to cum.
“That is not fair. I did not know that was a rule.” She said, then leaned forward and kissed him. Her hips started to gyrate slowly as their tongues intertwined; the pair of them now connected at two points. He plunged his tongue into her mouth, the two of them grunting and moaning in pleasure as she gyrated faster on his cock.
She was still tight enough that he didn’t even need to release his ejaculation control ability; he was rapidly approaching his orgasm. “I am going to cum soon, Mia. Where-“
“Inside, John Wa-, John. The child we will make will become a powerful warrior, more than any Trueborn could hope to be. I am certain of this.” She said, gyrating her hips even faster. She locked her lips to his before he had a chance to respond, milking his cock for all that he was worth.
He didn’t have time to think of the consequences of his actions; her calling him by just his name had thrown him off, and the thought of this beautiful woman carrying his child just did something for him. He felt his pelvic girdle flex and his balls tighten, shooting off ropes of cum inside of the redhaired woman, packing the tight space with his seed.
“Mmmmmm,” They moaned together as they kissed, his cum being packed deeper and deeper inside of her. He was nearly positive her womb was now full of it, as none of it had escaped out of her vagina and run down his thick cock.
She brushed her hair back out of her face and rested her sweaty forehead on his, her green eye staring directly into his steel blue. There was an intensity in her gaze, a need, a desire. She didn’t say anything, just continued to breathe heavily as his cock throbbed inside of her still.
“Why is it not going down?” She finally asked, “Did I not do it right?”
“You were fine. It was rather unexpected, but you did a great job. I just have… strong sexual desires. It’s fine if you want to get off of me.” He said, thrusting himself back up inside of her slightly.
“NO! I will service your needs. Besides, when you used your magic on me, all the pain went away. I am ready for our rematch, John Wayne. This time, you do not have a mech to defeat me with.” She said, a smile growing on her face, her intensity turning from serious to playful.
“You think I need a mech to defeat you? You are going to need more than a mech to win this fight.” He said, flipping her to the side and pinning her beneath him. He was usually pretty good at keeping his lust in check, but she had awakened it this morning, and her was going to pound her into the bed until she begged him for mercy.
He thrusted into her then and began to make her squeal.
Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep
Chapters
- Chapter 216 – ♥♥♥ Turning The Tables On A Crazy Rabbit
- Chapter 215 – Insanity Is The Spice Of Life
- Chapter 214 – Elders And Kids Say The Darndest Things
- Chapter 213 – Breakfast And A Show
- Chapter 212 – The Power Of Hunger
- Chapter 211 – The Hunger Grows And The Doctor Strikes
- Chapter 210 – Deviants And Dragons
- Chapter 209 – Dancing His Way Into Women’s Hearts
- Chapter 208 – Growing Respect
- Chapter 207 – Sibling Rivalry
- Chapter 206 – It’s The Results That Count
- Chapter 205 – ♥♥♥ Tenderized Glazed Rabbit
- Chapter 204 – An Unexpected Dinner And A Show
- Chapter 203 – Forethought, Foresight, And Family
- Chapter 202 – The Hero Behind A Mask
- Chapter 201 – Twilight Tears
- Chapter 200 – A Connoisseur Of The Arts
- Chapter 199 – Rising Infernos
- Chapter 198 – Life As A Side Character
- Chapter 197 – Feelings And Egg-cellence
- Chapter 196 – Spicy Dinner Conversations With A Side Of Self-Reflection
- Chapter 195 – Personal Space Is Overrated
- Chapter 194 – Ruminations Of A Rabbit
- Chapter 193 – Carrots And Confessions
- Chapter 192 – Eye Spy With My Little Eye Something That Begins With T
- Chapter 191 – Offers From A Rambling Grandma
- Chapter 190 – Keep An Eye Open When Probing For Mines
- Chapter 189 – She Is A Little eXtra
- Chapter 188 – Not All Walls Can Be “Dig” Through
- Chapter 187 – The Paladin Without A Plan
- Chapter 186 – The Other Side Of The Mountain
- Chapter 185 – Crazy Comes In All Shapes And Sizes
- Chapter 184 – The Difficulties Of Staying On Topic
- Chapter 183 – Sometimers Strikes Again
- Chapter 182 – The Good And The Bad
- Chapter 181 – A Carrot A Day
- Chapter 180 – One Of A Kind
- Chapter 179 – The Night That Luna Fell
- Chapter 178 – A Time For Tea
- Chapter 177 – Sagely Advice
- Chapter 176 – The Rules Of The Game
- Chapter 175 – Escape From U.S.J.
- Chapter 174 – Twilight’s Herald
- Chapter 173 – A Mountain Of Trouble
- Chapter 172 – ♥♥ Clams, Catfolk, And Catnip
- Chapter 171 – For Science!
- Chapter 170 – The Problems With Pelicans
- Chapter 169 – Gunship Diplomacy
- Chapter 168 – Don’t Look A Gift Horse In The Mouth
- Chapter 167 – The Steel Within
- Chapter 166 – ♥♥ Unexpected Consequences
- Chapter 165 – Ignorance Was Bliss
- Chapter 164 – But Wait! There’s More!
- Chapter 163 – Be All That You Don’t Want To Be!
- Chapter 162 – It is Elemental, My Dear John
- Chapter 161 – Dancing With Wolves
- Chapter 160 – Giving Those Naughty Puppies A Whipping
- Chapter 159 – When The Cheap Sunglasses Finally Broke
- Chapter 158 – Honour Is A Heavy Burden To Bear
- Chapter 157 – ♥♥ A Broken Angel In His Arms
- Chapter 156 – Planning, Trauma, And The Mysteries Of A Red Cup
- Chapter 155 – With Eyes Wide Open
- Chapter 154 – ♥ Growing Problems With Communication
- Chapter 153 – One Oath Is As Good As Another, Right?
- Chapter 152 – Predatory Pirate Vs A Wrathful Wizard
- Chapter 151 – The Wizard Of Blackstone
- Chapter 150 – A John A Day Keeps The Doctor Away
- Chapter 149 – Out Of The Frying Pan
- Chapter 148 – A Dangling Thread Of Intrigue
- Chapter 147 – An Anger Fueled By Nuclear Fires
- Chapter 146 – Rock’em, Sock’em, 3049
- Chapter 145 – With Bated Breath
- Chapter 144 – Kinder Surprise Toys Just Ain’t What They Used To Be
- Chapter 143 – ♥♥♥ The Maiden Who Came To The Villain Of DEN
- Chapter 142 – Kids Say The Darndest Things
- Chapter 141 – What Goes Bump In The Middle Of The Afternoon
- Chapter 140 – The Angry Little Landmine That Could
- Chapter 139 – Slow Dance With A Cannon Opener
- Chapter 138 – A HEAP Of Trouble
- Chapter 137 – Snakes Have No Protection From Privacy Breeches
- Chapter 136 – Bargains Over A Cup Of Coffee
- Chapter 135 – Memories Of The Past, Pains Of The Future
- Chapter 134 – More Than One Way To Win A Woman’s Heart
- Chapter 133 – Rougher Side Of The Periphery Life
- Chapter 132 – Troubles And Opportunities
- Chapter 131 – The Unsinkable Suzy Q
- Chapter 130 – Cookin’ With Lasers
- Chapter 129 – The Disposables
- Chapter 128 – Questions? Just Ask Alec! Results May Vary
- Chapter 127 – You Lose Some, You Win Some, Have A Drink And You Will Feel Better
- Chapter 126 – By The Will Of The Light, By The Hand Of John
- Chapter 125 – ♥♥♥ Cloaking His Dagger
- Chapter 124 – A Cup Of Tea
- Chapter 123 – Problems Of People, Politics, And Pelicans
- Chapter 122 – ♥♥ Paradise By The Cockpit Lights
- Chapter 121 – The Duality Of John
- Chapter 120 – ♥ Bittersweet Victories
- Chapter 119 – An Ocean Of Nightmares, An Armful Of Dreams
- Chapter 118 – The Fortunate Son
- Chapter 117 – Eh-ighties Action Star
- Chapter 116 – Wet Towels And Cheap Whiskey
- Chapter 115 – Always Be Discrete In Your Indiscretions
- Chapter 114 – Implied Threats
- Chapter 113 – The Dangers Of Using An Unlicensed Barber
- Chapter 112 – Laughter, Isn’t Always The Best Medicine
- Chapter 111 – To Be A Leader
- Chapter 110 – Prince John, The Man, The Myth, The Legend, The Florida Man
- Chapter 109 – ♥ The Sweet Nothings Of A Strawberry
- Chapter 108 – Blame It On The Wine
- Chapter 107 – The Rage Within
- Chapter 106 – A Harsh Reminder
- Chapter 105 – Walk Softly And Carry A Big Hammer
- Chapter 104 – A, B, C, D, Why Is Alec Messing With Me?
- Chapter 103 – One Hand Giveth, The Other Taketh Away
- Chapter 102 – ♥♥ A Taste Of The Divine
- Chapter 101 – Dancing Amongst The Stars
- Chapter 100 – The Angler VS The Archerfish
- Chapter 99 – Driven Into Darkness
- Chapter 98 – Twin Calamities
- Chapter 97 – John Wayne, The Best Supporting Actor
- Chapter 96 – Delaying The Inevitable
- Chapter 95 – The Black Knight
- Chapter 94 – Tears Of Despair
- Chapter 93 – Nowhere To Go But Up
- Chapter 92 – Lurking Problems
- Chapter 91 – Unraveling World
- Chapter 90 – ♥♥♥ Three’s Company
- Chapter 89 – Arrivals And Departures
- Chapter 88 – Acting On Trust
- Chapter 87 – Meeting Of The Minds
- Chapter 86 – The Burden Of Truth
- Chapter 85 – The Price Of A Friend
- Chapter 84 – An Inconvenient Truth
- Chapter 83 – ♥♥ Naughty Elves Don’t Get To Make Demands
- Chapter 82 – Testing Boundaries
- Chapter 81 – A Test Of Bonds
- Chapter 80 – What About Breakfast At Niki’s
- Chapter 79 – A Master’s Responsibility?
- Chapter 78 – Bread And Circuses
- Chapter 77 – Infinite Frontiers – The Phantom Pain
- Chapter 76 – F-R-I-E-N-D-S
- Chapter 75 – ♥♥ Ruining A Princess
- Chapter 74 – Sibling Sideshow
- Chapter 73 – Burgers, Beings, Bombers, And Broken Noses
- Chapter 72 – Are Elves Bullies Too?
- Chapter 71 – The Six Billion GSC Man
- Chapter 70 – The Black Leather White Knight
- Chapter 69 – Debts
- Chapter 68 – Temptations
- Chapter 67 – A Brief History Of Infinite Frontiers
- Chapter 66 – Lost And Found
- Chapter 65 – Elves Are Cuter When They Are Bullied
- Chapter 64 – No Replacement For Displacement
- Chapter 63 – You Know What They Say About Assumptions?
- Chapter 62 – When In Doubt, Blame The Intern
- Chapter 61 – A 12-Gauge Send Off
- Chapter 60 – ♥♥♥ Playful Punishments With Fantasy Physics
- Chapter 59 – She Is A Good Girl, One Way Or Another
- Chapter 58 – Mother Knows Best
- Chapter 57 – She Is A Real Passenger Princess
- Chapter 56 – Yes, Embrace Your Anger
- Chapter 55 – Daddy Issues? Better Call John
- Chapter 54 – A Wild Pink-Haired Menace Has Appeared
- Chapter 53 – The Wonderful Wizard Of HOTD
- Chapter 52 – A Midnight Dance
- Chapter 51 – ♥♥♥ The Queen Of Awkward Timing
- Chapter 50 – ♥ The More Things Change, The More They Stay The Same
- Chapter 49 – Call Of The Canon
- Chapter 48 – Saved By The GRRRRAAAHHH!!!
- Chapter 47 – How The Turn Tables
- Chapter 46 – The Reality Of Dreams
- Chapter 45 – She Knows My Name
- Chapter 44 – Talk To Me Goose
- Chapter 43 – The Man Who Chose The Bear(folk)
- Chapter 42 – Mostly Harmless
- Chapter 41 – A Relaxing Ride
- Chapter 40 – Duck, Duck, Goose, Owl?
- Chapter 39 – Stirring The Pot
- Chapter 38 – Ones True Nature
- Chapter 37 – What Smells Worse Than Wet Dog?
- Chapter 36 – ♥♥♥ Bunnies Are Still The Best
- Chapter 35 – Five Gals Chatting, Four Contracts Binding, Three Faces Blushing, Two Damsels Dodging, And An Annoyed Paladin In A Pear Tree
- Chapter 34 – Nicknames And Pillow Friends
- Chapter 33 – Medieval Casting Couch
- Chapter 32 – Well, That’s No Ordinary Rabbit!
- Chapter 31 – Revelations
- Chapter 30 – The Start Of A Legend
- Chapter 29 – ♥ Love, War, And Terrible Back Pains
- Chapter 28 – Pains Of The Past, Present, And Future
- Chapter 27 – Promises And Pitfalls
- Chapter 26 – Cruel And Unusual Co-workers
- Chapter 25 – ♥♥ One-Sided Family Planning
- Chapter 24 – The Principle VS The Fallen
- Chapter 23 – The Devil’s Due
- Chapter 22 – The Principal Strikes Back!
- Chapter 21 – Power Of Destruction And Power Naps
- Chapter 20 – Student Council VS Principle Wayne
- Chapter 19 – That Pent Up Aggression Needs An Outlet
- Chapter 18 – Space Aged Tractor Simulator 2000 W/Cat Herding DLC
- Chapter 17 – Not The Cologne I Was Looking For
- Chapter 16 – It’s A Trap!
- Chapter 15 – The Clothes Make The Man
- Chapter 14 – You Can Never Avoid The Bureaucracy
- Chapter 13 – Set For Ludicrous Speed
- Chapter 12 – Consequences Of Drinking The Nectar Of The Gods
- Chapter 11 – Cuddles and Conundrums
- Chapter 10 – ♥♥♥ Bunnies Are Just The Best
- Chapter 9 – The Dangers Of Health Drinks
- Chapter 8 – Deals, Contracts, And Unwise Spending Habits
- Chapter 7 – Day Drinking, The Proper Way To Train Magic
- Chapter 6 – Why Are There Freaking Dinosaurs!
- Chapter 5 – This Show Needs An Epilepsy Warning
- Chapter 4 – No Good Deed Goes Unpunished
- Chapter 3 – Karma vs Canon
- Chapter 2 – Noise Violation Consequences
- Chapter 1 – High School of the Nope
- Prologue – Truck-Kun’s Collateral Damage