Three Square Meals Ch. 100

"I feel her too!" he exclaimed in surprise. "I think you might be right, she'll be a strong one."

Ailanthia felt a sharp pang of envy, her previous jubilant mood shattered in an instant. "We have moved into position, My Lord," she informed him, unable to keep the sullen tone from her voice.

He turned to look at her, his smile shifting subtly, a wicked glimmer in his eyes. "Ah, Ailanthia, so good to see you." Glancing back at the thrall, he continued, "Lymidia is positively blooming in motherhood. I'll have to breed her again as soon as she's ready... don't you agree?"

His words felt like sharp daggers in Ailanthia's heart and she fought down a desperate surge of longing as she nodded. "Yes, My lord. Any woman would look radiant if she were blessed to have your progeny growing in her womb."

"Ah Ailanthia, what would I do without you... such a devoted servant," he said condescendingly, brushing his fingers across her cheek. Without a backward glance at Lymidia, he strode out into the corridor. "Don't dawdle, my loyal little Matriarch, we have a fun-filled day ahead of us today!"

"Yes, My Lord!" she replied reflexively, her mind reeling with the flood of disturbing new emotions she'd been feeling of late.

Ailanthia took a moment to glower at Lymidia in impotent fury, the thrall's dopey grin wiped away in an instant as she shrank back on the bed and averted her eyes from her Matriarch's rage. Whirling around, Ailanthia stormed out of the Medical facility, rushing to catch up with her Master.

***

Sergeant David Gibbons patched into the squad channel for Sentinel Alpha, nodding to the rest of his squadmates as he walked up the steps to the reinforced battlements. The power-armoured troopers were being held in reserve as a last line of defence around the Citadel, stationed along a sturdy ferrocrete wall, where they could be rapidly deployed to plug any gaps in the defensive line. There were bunkers and gun emplacements placed periodically along that wall, with power armoured troopers manning the battlements in-between. He and seven other soldiers were part of Commander Wessex's personal retinue, officially there to help protect her during the battle as she issued orders to the Armoured Infantry companies, but they all knew she'd be throwing herself into the thick of combat.

The creaking sound of heavy tracks made him turn around to look back behind the lines, where he couldn't fail to miss Brigadier Garcia's super-heavy command tank. The warmachine was a Titan Mk IV, massive enough to fully deserve the name as it towered over the regular heavy tanks rolling up into formation around it. The Titan tank had two enormous turrets, each possessing huge heavy-calibre weapon mounts, the muzzles of those big guns ready to roar their thunderous defiance at the enemy.

Staff Sergeant Clint Brannigan's grinning face loomed out of the comms interface. "Can't wait to see the Kintark brick themselves when the Titan opens up! Poor bastards will be begging in for mercy!"

"I hope that monster's got thick armour; looks like a bullet magnet to me," Gibbons replied, studying the enormous vehicle's imposing profile.

"Can the chatter, boys," Commander Wessex said sternly. She turned and pointed out into the valley. "If the Kintark try to storm the Citadel, this is the most logical approach, so I've positioned the Armoured Companies here to avoid a mid-battle redeployment. That plateau is ideal for unloading ground troops; it's the closest point incoming transports can reach while remaining outside the firing arcs of the Orbital Lasers. The deployment area is also relatively flat and there's only a gradual incline on this approach, so if the Kintark do attempt to storm the Citadel, I'd be willing to bet a hundred credits they do so from that direction."

"Like taking candy from a baby..." Brannigan snorted. "I'll take that bet, Commander."

Several of the other soldiers also eagerly accepted the bet, then justified their decision to each other by pointing out the merits of various other potential landing sites. Wessex just laughed at their good-natured attempts to make her doubt her prediction.

"You're awfully quiet, Sergeant," Commander Wessex, said patting Gibbons on the shoulder with a metallic clank of her armoured gauntlet. "Think you can prove me wrong?"

He looked out over the field of fortifications at the area she'd suggested, then shook his head. "No, Ma'am, I agree with your assessment. This is good ground for a killing field."

Now Wessex had pointed out the strengths of that deployment area, he could visualise the horde of bloodthirsty Kintark soldiers rolling over the defensive emplacements. He was suddenly reminded of desperate gunfights aboard Port Medea, the once pristine station burning with plasma fires, and echoing with the anguished screams of the dying.

Wessex switched to a private channel, her face filled with concern. "David, are you alright?"

Her tone caught him off-guard and shook him from his reverie. "Some ghosts from the past, Commander. I'm okay, there's nothing to worry about."

She nodded and patted him on the shoulder again, before turning to review the positioning of her troops.

***

Admiral Edwin Caldwell swiped his hand across the controls for the battle group interface, expanding his view of the Sol System and studying the astonishing numbers of vessels arrayed for battle. In his long career in the military, he'd never seen this many ships before. The closest had been the Terran Federation invasion fleet that had engaged the Kintark at Regulus, but he knew there were nearly five times that number of vessels ready to defend Terra.

The Terran Federation forces were clustered into fifteen battle groups, each under the direct supervision of the Admiral assigned to that Quadrant fleet. Caldwell himself had operational command and was directing the battle from the Terran flagship, the Retribution of Zeus. His battle group, along with those commanded by Weber and Mishra, were set back from the advanced positions, ready to respond to any surprises the Kintark threw at them.

Caldwell had prepared a few surprises of his own for the Kintark over the last several days, with squadrons of minelayers laying dense minefields across the most probable attack vectors. The magnetic mines were inert at the moment, but those deadly orbs lurked out there in the black, waiting for the Terran forces to flip the switch and unleash hell on the invaders.

"Coffee, Sir?" his adjutant, Lieutenant Scott, asked politely, offering him the mug of piping-hot drink

"Perfect, thank you," Caldwell replied, gratefully accepting. He'd got up early to review the battle plans and some caffeine would help chase the cobwebs away. He glanced at Lieutenant Commander Castelo. "Adriana, launch all our fighter wings, but hold back the bombers."

"Giving the launch order, Admiral," she replied, snapping a hasty salute.

Commander Garfield spun his chair around and called out in alarm, "We're picking up a second Kintark armada, Admiral! They're breaking away from the first!"

Caldwell expanded the System Map to view the holographic Sector Map, his eyes immediately drawn to the dense mass of sensor contacts. The sensor net surrounding the Homeworld had been tracking them for hours, monitoring the Kintark as they made their steady approach towards the Sol System. While they couldn't pick up precise numbers yet, it was obvious from the size of the sensor signals that there were a vast horde of Kintark ships in that Armada. The silver lining to that ominous cloud was that the alien forces were making a beeline for Terra, but a smaller group had changed course and were now heading for Alpha Centauri.

He felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He'd warned the Fleet Admiral that such a move was highly likely and stationing at least three battle groups to protect Olympus would be prudent. That suggestion had been met with a furious rebuttal from Buckingham, who had demanded that every available fleet should be moved to Terra to protect the Homeworld.

Glancing at his tactical officer, he said, "I want a breakdown of the numbers and classes of vessels in that breakaway fleet. When you've got a full listing, send the data to Olympus, they need to know what's heading their way."

The comms interface flashed, expanding outwards to show Buckingham's worried face. The Fleet Admiral was ensconced in his Fortified Command Bunker deep within the Citadel, but despite his secure location, the highest-ranked officer in the Terran Federation was still pacing nervously back and forth. "They've split their forces!" Buckingham exclaimed, before anxiously nibbling on a thumbnail.

Doing his best to refrain from yelling, "I told you so!" at his commanding officer, Caldwell merely grimaced and nodded. "I'll dispatch Weber and Mishra to Alpha Centauri. Olympus should be able to withstand an attack long enough for reinforcements to arrive."

Buckingham shook his head, eyebrows furrowing in anger. "No! We can't put Terra at risk..." His eyes suddenly lit up with excitement. "Actually, this is perfect! Those fools have split their forces! We can bring our full might to bear on that larger group, then once we've annihilated them, we can clean up the secondary group!"

"But what about Olympus?" Caldwell demanded, trying to stay calm. "We might have gained an advantage here, but the Shipyard is going to be horribly exposed. Considering the number of ships we're facing, there's going to be a protracted battle around Terra... by the time we're victorious, it'll be too late to save Olympus! We've got to send help!"

The Fleet Admiral froze and a cunning smile spread across his face. "This unforced error essentially guarantees our victory over the Kintark! Once we've wiped out their armada, we'll be able to just roll in and capture Kinta at our leisure..." He gazed into the distance, his expression one of delight. "Just imagine it, Edwin. We'll be able to annex the entire goddamn Kintark Empire!" His eyes snapped back to Caldwell as he added, "Olympus is a small price to pay for that. We'll be able to rebuild it thrice-over with all the resources we'll seize from the Kintark!"

"But it'll take decades to rebuild!" Caldwell protested. "We'll lose over half our Capital ship manufacturing capacity in a stroke!"

"You need to think of the bigger picture... the long-term gain for humanity," Buckingham replied, unswayed by Caldwell's plea. "Hundreds of new worlds ripe for the taking, a cowed and broken people ripe for exploitation as a new workforce... the potential gains are incalculable!"

Before Caldwell could reply, Commander Garfield's anxious voice called out across the Bridge. "Admiral, we've just detected another fleet of ships!"

"More Kintark?!" Caldwell snapped, sitting forward on his seat and frantically studying the huge crimson blob representing the lizardmen forces. He frowned when he wasn't able to spot a third group breaking away from the Kintark Armada

Garfield hesitated then pointed at the far side of the map. "The new fleet isn't coming from the Dragon March..."

***

Lilyana stared at the Sector Map, watching as the holographic representations of her warfleet raced across space. They were travelling far faster than any hyper-warp speed her battleship, the Galaena Serine, had ever been before, and that wasn't just because of the recently upgraded Tachyon Drive. Her Navigation officers had been astonished by the new flight path that Alyssa had sent them, chattering amongst themselves and marvelling at some new technique she called "warp tunnelling".

She found their surprise quite amusing, especially after witnessing the various miracles that the Protector and his women had managed to accomplish since he'd blazed into Maliri Space. All her Bridge crew had been there when John had managed to defuse the Maliri civil war without a single shot fired in anger, in a situation that Lilyana was sure would end in total disaster. In a moment of clarity, she realised that perhaps it was simply the discovery of the unknown that those Navigators found so intriguing.

Almari stepped closer and placed a hand on her shoulder, "Alyssa has new orders for us. If you have any questions, simply ask and I'll relay them to her via Edraele."

The House Valaden Fleet Commander turned to look at the assassin and nodded her understanding.

*Hey, Lilyana!* the youthful telepathic voice began, as it swept through her mind. *We've had a change of plans. We want you to head directly to the Sol System; I've asked Faye to transmit an updated flightpath.*

A quiet chime echoed around the battleship's Bridge and the Navigation Officer turned in her chair as she said, "New course plotted, making course corrections to compensate."

Lilyana frowned and swept her hands across the glowing map, changing the focus so that it was centred on their destination. "I thought defending Olympus Shipyard was our primary strategic goal?" she asked, noting that they were scheduled to arrive in the Sol System at 7:06 local time.

*The Federation forces defending Terra are going to get slaughtered unless we send them more help. Leave Olympus to us, we'll arrive at Alpha Centauri some time before you would anyway. Calara wants you to focus on supporting the Terran forces in the defence of Terra; she says that timing is critical and doesn't want to delay your fleet with a detour to Olympus. When you engage the Kintark, stay at maximum Beam Laser range as their plasma bolts will lose a lot of damage potential at extreme range. Your job is to strip shields from Kintark ships so the Terran forces can bring their heavy ordnance to bear; don't worry about finishing off enemy vessels.*

"Wouldn't it be more sensible to close to medium range?" the Fleet Commander asked, frowning in confusion. "Then we'd be able to utilise our Pulse Cannon batteries as well..."

Alyssa was stern as she replied, *John wants to keep your fleet out of as much danger as possible, so you can continue onwards to support the Trankarans directly after the battle. You can get close enough to protect Terran forces from strike craft with your Pulse Cannons, but don't get drawn into a slugging match with Kintark capital ships.*

Lilyana was surprised by the strength of authority in the young woman's voice and marvelled that the Terran girl was less than a sixth of her age. "We will do as you command, Matriarch Alyssa."

*Fantastic, thanks!* the blonde replied, sounding genuinely appreciative. *There's one other thing you need to be aware of... the Terran forces might open fire on you.*

The Fleet Commander stiffened, then darted a shocked glance at Almari, "We're trying to save those cretins! They'd actually have the audacity to..." she lowered her voice to a whisper, so as not to be overheard by the Bridge crew. "... start shooting at us?!"

*The Fleet Admiral has his head up his ass at the moment,* Alyssa explained with a sigh of frustration. *We'll do our best to rectify the problem, but I don't want you going into this battle with your eyes closed.*

Lilyana stepped closer to Almari and whispered furiously in her ear, "Firing on allies isn't just a 'problem'! How are you going to fix that?"

*If the Fleet Admiral doesn't have a head, he won't be a problem,* the blonde replied, her voice dripping with menace.

"That does sound like an efficient solution," Lilyana conceded with a brief chuckle. "Alright, we'll keep a vigilant eye open for any attempts at treachery."

*I knew we could count on you, Lilyana. Thank you,* Alyssa said gratefully.

The Fleet Commander frowned and after a momentary pause, she said, "I wish I had the same kind of bond with you that Edraele has with Almari. Being able to communicate both ways with telepathy in a battle would be incredibly convenient."

*Are you sure? To bond with me, you'd have to tell me all your naughtiest little secrets,* the blonde purred, her voice dropping lower and sending a delicious shiver down Lilyana's spine. *You're a strong, confident woman in a position of authority; I'd be fascinated to see how you'd respond if I took a firm hand with you in the bedroom...*

Almari heard Alyssa's seductive reply and tried not to laugh at the shocked look on Lilyana's face.

***

"Yeah! We're gonna kick some fucking lizard ass!"

Lieutenant Commander Murphy watched the rookie pilots run past, shaking his head at how eager the trio of young Lieutenants were to get into their Rapier fighters and charge into the fray. He'd been like them not that long ago, but the Battle of Regulus had given him a brutal lesson in the grim realities of war. He glanced over his shoulder at his four wingmen who were striding along behind him, their expressions serious and alert. The contrast between their sober professionalism and that of their wild colleagues was striking, and he felt a surge of pride towards these earnest young pilots.

They entered the Zeus' flightdeck and found it frantic with activity. All around them flight crews were running to their ships, while munitions teams were moving grav-sleds with empty ammunitions canisters out of the way. Murphy stopped by his Claymore, took a deep breath, then turned to face his wingmen. They all stood at attention, eyes watching his every move.

"Just remember your training," he said, his voice quiet but firm. "You've all reviewed the battle footage from Regulus, so you know what you're up against with the Kintark. They'll probably be using more of those Batakos-class heavy fighters, which are equipped with four Heavy Plasma Guns. They're nasty weapons, so avoid going head-to-head. Last time we fought them our Rapiers had a speed and manoeuvrability advantage, but we were heavily outgunned. Now we're in Claymores, it's going to be a whole different ballgame."

He looked at each of them in turn. "Any questions?" When there were none raised, he continued, "Watch each other's backs and we'll get through this in one piece. Good luck, everyone."

They gave him a sharp salute, then turned and walked briskly towards their ships. Murphy climbed onto the wing of his Claymore and paused by the stylised picture of the beautiful green girl, her radiant smile just like the one she'd given them at Regulus. He'd heard the edict from Fleet Admiral Buckingham that John Blake and his Lionesses had supposedly gone rogue, but he couldn't believe that for one second.

Pressing his fingers to his lips, he touched Jade's cheek. "I have faith in ya darlin'..." he said in his affected brogue.

He suddenly had the distinct impression he was being watched, so he turned around and saw Binary staring at him, an unreadable expression on his face. Murphy nodded to his old wingmate, then abruptly turned away, the sadness he saw in the other man's eyes making him uncomfortable. He entered the Claymore's airlock without a second glance, pulling on his flight helmet and preparing himself to face the Kintark once again.

***

Admiral Charles Harris strode into Olympus Shipyard's Command Centre with Lieutenant Adams at his side. The huge room was manned by nearly two-hundred personnel, the glow from so many different holographic panels casting a bright splash of colour across the otherwise drab grey decor. Normally it was the dozen Flight Control stations that were the centre of activity, as they directed civilian and military traffic in and out of the Shipyard. However, today it was a score of Tactical stations that were abuzz with staff. There were three operatives per station, each one controlling a subset of the formidable arsenal of weapon batteries that made Olympus the powerful battle-station that it was.

Victor cleared his throat and announced loudly. "Officer on Deck!"

All eyes turned to look at Charles, with everyone not in the middle of an urgent task stopping what they were doing, then rising to salute him. Charles acknowledged his staff with a nod and walked briskly to the Command Podium.