Three Square Meals Ch. 100

"You've taken everything from me!" Norwood sobbed through the pain, his nerves feeling like they were on fire. "Just finish it... I'm begging you!"

"No, Leonard Norwood," Melkadian replied, holstering the pistol. "You will get to watch the death throesss of the Terran Federation and witnesss the terrible dawn you have unleassshed upon your people. Only then, when you realissse the true depthsss of your betrayal, will I execute you."

A tear trickled down Norwood's cheek as he watched Unity City burn.

***

Admiral Aeri Malone jabbed a finger at her battle group interface, her brow furrowed with stress. "Captain Ford, pull back now! You're too close!"

She clenched her fists in helpless frustration as his carrier, the Pietas, was hit by a fusillade of Plasma Cannon fire from a quartet of Kintark cruisers. The carrier's shields buckled under that withering storm and a burst of bright green blasts strafed the Pietas' hull, the Kintark savaging the vulnerable vessel. There was a gigantic explosion from inside the carrier's flight deck and she could see fires raging out of control, a stray plasma bolt having struck one of the bombers waiting inside and detonated its torpedo payload.

"God dammit!" she swore, but her anger was directed at Buckingham for getting them into this mess, rather than the ill-fated Captain Ford.

Her battle group was right in the thick of combat, with enemy forces threatening to overwhelm her from several directions. Despite all her best efforts, the Kintark's new shields were making it impossible for her fleet to stand toe-to-toe with them, with even their cruisers proving incredibly resilient to Beam Laser fire. She wasn't sure how much more punishment her forces could take, with at least half of her vessels now shieldless and taking significant damage. Her battleship, the Minerva, had always felt almost indestructible, laying waste to anyone she targeted with its incredible firepower, but today she felt like someone had sapped all the strength from her capital ship.

She glanced to the left on the Tactical Map and was relieved to see that her husband, Connor, was faring better than she was. He had been assigned the Thor's Hammer after that traitor Lynton's death and was putting the dreadnought to good use supporting his fleet. Speaking of support, that was what she needed now more than ever.

Aeri activated the battle group interface, eyes locking onto Admiral Caldwell. "Edwin, I need urgent assistance! I'm not sure how much longer my battle group can hold on!"

He actually smiled at her as he said, "Help is on its way, Malone. Stand your ground for just a minute more..."

She was going to reply that after another minute it might be too late, when her peripheral vision was drawn to a spearhead formation of golden ships rushing towards her location. Whipping her head around to stare at the Tactical Map, she was amazed to see what could only be a Maliri warfleet. With their elegant golden hulls and delicate crystal domes, the design was remarkably similar to Geniya Trading Station's architecture, which she'd seen once many years earlier.

There were three battleships at the forefront of their formation, closely followed by thirty cruisers and at least as many destroyer class vessels. At the rear of the warfleet were six enormous capital ships that could only be carriers of some kind, with rows of sealed launch bays running along their length. While the Maliri craft were all beautiful in their intricate design, they also possessed an underlying predatory nature, clearly evidenced by the bristling gun decks on their gracefully curved hulls.

Aeri was astonished to see just how fast those capital ships were able to move; at least twice the top speed of the Minerva if the sensor data was to be believed. The Maliri vessels were still quite some distance from Beam Laser range, but at the rate they were travelling, they would soon close to firing range. That thought was uppermost in Aeri's mind, when the map suddenly blazed with three scintillating beams of white energy, each hundred-metre wide column lancing through her Kintark attackers.

When she was able to see clearly again, without Nova Lance beams seared across her retinas, her jaw dropped at the sheer destructive might of that opening salvo. Those unstoppable white lances of energy had blasted huge holes through anything they touched, laying waste to swathes of Kintark that had been harassing her forces. She realised she'd caught a shocking glimpse of the raw power the Maliri fleets possessed and "The Warning" in front of Geniya took on a whole new deadly meaning.

She gave her chair's armrest a reassuring pat, feeling a pang of guilt for her less than complimentary thoughts about the Minerva. Aeri had gone from feeling proud of her powerful battleship, to thinking it was slightly underpowered against the Kintark, but now it seemed positively feeble in comparison to the Maliri. Despite feeling like she was betraying a dear friend, she couldn't help wondering what it would be like to have that kind of incredible firepower at her disposal.

***

"Dacres' fleet jumped out of Alpha Centauri after us," Faye informed everyone, as she monitored the sensors. "They're following our flight path."

"We'll reach the Sol System in ten seconds!" Alyssa called out, frowning as she studied the System Map. "I'll bring us in as close to Terra as I can, but I'll have to be more careful this time, I don't know the precise locations of the Kintark and Terran fleets."

John nodded to her in acknowledgement, then glanced at the holographic image of Sakura floating above his console. "Calara will assign targets as soon as she's assessed the current state of the battle. Launch in the Valkyrie as soon as we drop out of hyper-warp."

"Will do," the Asian girl replied, giving him a confident smile.

He turned his attention back to the holographic Sector Map, watching as the three-dimensional image of his white battlecruiser raced towards the Sol System. The Invictus entered the gravitational pull of the golden yellow star and the ship began to vibrate as the view changed to the System Map. Alyssa pulled them out of hyper-warp closer to the edge of the system this time, unwilling to take the chance of accidentally ramming one of the thousands of spacecraft fighting for supremacy around Terra.

It was very fortunate she did.

The Tactical overlay updated as the sensors pulsed out, a sprawling mass of ships flooding the image with so many icons that John was dizzy just looking at them. It took him a couple of seconds to make sense of what he was seeing and he finally realised that the Kintark and Terran forces had squared off against each other in a knock-down brawl. They were fighting at close range, with the grey hulled Federation ships significantly outnumbered by their green-armoured opponents.

The map was a riot of colour, with bright green plasma bolts raining down on the Terran ships, while orange beams slashed back in defiance. Exploding missiles from both sides added their own lurid hues and amidst the ferocious firefights, hundreds of wrecks littered the battlefield, many of them still burning with flickering verdant flames. He was appalled by the sheer scale of the destruction; the carnage making the Battle of Regulus look like a childish squabble between toddlers.

"My God..." Calara murmured under her breath, sounding distraught.

Strobing blue lines caught John's attention and he followed the Beam Lasers back to their source; the golden-hulled Maliri fleet led by Lilyana. There was a searing flash and the Galaena Serine lit up the map as its Nova Lances blasted a Kintark battleship, the throbbing white energy beam slashing a 100m-wide gulf diagonally across the flanks. The glowing chunks of the green capital ship slowly spun apart, the lights guttering out in the fore section, while the rear was rocked by a series of devastating explosions. No escape pods would leave that shattered tomb.

John was relieved to see that the Terran forces in that section of the battlefield had seized the opportunity to pummel the Kintark and now seemed to be holding their own. The Maliri cruisers and battleships were stripping the shields off the opposing Kintark forces, allowing the Terran ships to batter them with Heavy Cannons and Gauss Cannons. The Kintark ships there were taking a pounding, with many trying to pull back from the Maliri to escape the ferocity of their lethal beam weaponry. However, that was just one small section of a much wider battle, and the rest was very much going the Kintark's way.

"Jade, take us in!" he said to the Nymph pilot.

She nodded and shoved the throttle forward, the Invictus leaping ahead as if anxious to get to grips with the Kintark forces.

John glanced at Calara and saw she was concentrating intently, her eyes darting back and forth as she analysed the ebb and flow of the combat. He could tell she was making predictions and calculating the best odds of victory scenarios, but the increasingly grim look on her face revealed what her forecasts were telling her.

Before he could ask the Latina to elaborate, Faye reached out and grabbed his arm, her luminous eyes wide with shock. "John! I'm picking up broadcasts from Terra! The Kintark are televising the battle and have hijacked the local system's media satellites! They're transmitting the invasion on all channels!"

"Let me see!" he urged her, sitting forward in his chair.

The holo-screen flickered to life and the crew watched in growing horror as they realised what they were seeing.

Unity City was a beautiful testimony to humanity's ability to unite as a species, constructed by all nations when they had finally gathered together and reached for the stars. Its skyline was dominated by elegant skyscrapers, the intricately sculpted buildings a glorious example of humanity's finest architectural design.

At least that's how it used to be, mere hours earlier, but not any longer... Unity City was ablaze...

A fleet of Praetorian battleships were in low orbit above Terra's capital, their Plasma Cannons raining down terrible destruction on the planet's surface. Those graceful skyscrapers had all been completely demolished, their shattered structures smashed beyond repair. All around those broken ruins, the rest of the city burned, green flames clawing at the sky as the conflagration consumed everything it touched.

John knew he was witnessing the deaths of millions...

***

Fleet Admiral Buckingham paced back and forth, his hands clasped behind him to stop them from shaking. Maybe he could call for an armistice with Grand Prelate Melkadian, arrange a temporary ceasefire like they'd done after Regulus... Surely it wasn't too late to let bygones be bygones?

As much as Buckingham rankled at the thought, he suddenly realised John Blake might still be able to save them from this disaster. The Kintark must have heard of Blake's exploits by now... so perhaps he could reveal to the Kintark the man's true nature and lie about him being a close ally. Yes... maybe the threat of unleashing a bloodthirsty Progenitor might get them to halt their assault, giving himself a chance to rebuild and rally his forces. Then, he could deal with the Kintark once and for all... He'd be able to re-establish his leadership and finally turn his entire attention to finishing that accursed traitor, Blake!

He looked up with a flare of hope in his eyes, eager to share his ingenious new plan with the other Admirals in the Command Bunker. It came as quite a shock to realise that Maybridge and all the other Admirals had abandoned him, as well as all the operations staff. He glanced about in astonishment, seeing that even the guards had deserted their posts, leaving him entirely alone.

"You'll all pay for your cowardice!" he raged, whipping his head back and forth as he searched for anyone still left in the Bunker. "Caldwell too! I'm surrounded by traitors and craven fools!"

The irony that he wasn't actually surrounded by anyone at that precise moment suddenly dawned on him, but before he could do or say anything else, Buckingham heard a terrible tearing sound. The ground beneath his feet trembled and small chunks of masonry and trickles of dust fell from the ceiling. There was another dreadful ripping noise, louder this time, and he glanced up fearfully wondering if the Citadel was on the receiving end of an orbital bombardment.

A deafening crash made him flinch backwards and cower underneath the command table, his eyes wide in terror as a huge section of the ceiling was torn away. There was a shower of debris and the lights went out, plunging the interior of the bunker into darkness. Buckingham coughed with the thick dust in the air, blinking to see in the oppressive gloom and trying to figure out what in Terra was happening. He saw that the reinforced doors to the bunker had been broken open, so he leapt from his hiding place and bolted for safety.

With the floor littered in debris and almost zero visibility in the underground room, he'd only gone five steps when he tripped over a chunk of masonry and sprawled across the ground. Wincing at the sharp pain from his twisted ankle, he slowly picked himself up, then froze when he heard a rumbling chuckle.

The hairs on the back of his neck stood up and every fibre of his being urged him to flee, but try as he might, his legs refused to obey his desperate need to run. Eyes wide with terror, he slowly turned to look at the cavernous hole in the bunker's ceiling and the colossal draconic face that was staring at him like a cat might look upon a mouse. He was paralysed with fear, transfixed by those huge reptilian eyes that seemed to glow in the darkness.

"SO, WE MEET AT LAST, FLEET ADMIRAL BUCKINGHAM..."

***

"We've got to stop those bastards bombarding the planet!" John snarled, clenching his fist as he glared at the Praetorian battleships.

Calara turned around, her face twisted with anguish. "We can't... not if we're going to save what's left of the Terran fleet. If we go after those battleships first, the Kintark armada will overwhelm the rest of the Federation forces!"

"John, something else is happening on Terra!" Faye cried out, pointing to the holo-screen.

He stared at the images, recognising the partially demolished fortress as the Citadel, High Command's seat of power within the Terran Federation. Emerging from the huge hole that had been burrowed into the side of those fortifications was a creature John had encountered before... Kindralax, the ancient dragon that ruled the Xen-Nuchek mine! He stared at the image in shock. The last time he'd seen that beast, he'd rammed his crystal Alyssium sword into its skull and incinerated its brain with eldritch fire.

"That's not Kindralax," Alyssa said in a hushed whisper. "He's dead, but he did have a brother..."

John could see the differences now. The dragon was wearing a full set of Onyx body armour, but this terrifying draconic behemoth was even bigger. It hauled itself clear of the Citadel and he could tell that its bearing was different, more regal and self-assured - considering that he was comparing it to the monumentally arrogant Kindralax, that was saying something. There was also something about those baleful eyes as they stared at the camera, burning with an inner fire that Kindralax had never possessed.

The audio suddenly amplified and a man's terrified screams filled the airwaves.

"Holy shit! That's Buckingham!" Calara exclaimed, recognising the flailing man clutched in the dragon's vast claws.

The Dragon's deep rumbling laughter drowned out the Fleet Admiral's fearful cries. "NOW BEAR WITNESS, PEOPLE OF THE TERRAN FEDERATION," the majestic creature boomed, his thunderous voice carrying over the battlefield. "I AM BALEDRANAX, EMPEROR OF THE KINTARK EMPIRE! I HOLD YOUR VAUNTED LEADER IN MY FIST, JUST LIKE THE KINTARK EMPIRE HOLDS YOUR HOMEWORLD AT OUR MERCY!"

The Emperor held Buckingham aloft then slowly squeezed his hand shut, the Fleet Admiral's cries of fear turning into agonised screams. Blood seeped between Baledranax's armoured fingers and Buckingham thrashed one final time before flopping lifelessly in the dragon's clenched fist. Baledranax's huge maw twisted into a sneer of contempt and the Emperor hurled the Fleet Admiral's broken body across the battlefield.

"HOW PATHETIC... A PUNY LEADER OF A WEAK AND CORRUPT SPECIES," the dragon bellowed, his look of disdain obvious to all. "THE TERRAN FEDERATION IS BROKEN. THE KINTARK EMPIRE CLAIMS YOUR WORLDS AND YOU WILL NOW SERVE YOUR IMMORTAL EMPEROR!"

There was silence in the Combat Bridge as all the girls turned to look at John.

"Calara and Sakura, destroy that armada, then protect Terra," John ordered, his expression bleak as he rose from his chair. "We've got no choice... we have to save as much of the Terran fleet as we can. Millions might be dying in Unity City, but billions more will die if we let the fleet get wiped out. "

"John, wait!" Sakura called out, making him pause. "Calara was just talking about the Invictus engaging the armada, she didn't say anything about the Valkyrie! Let me engage the battleships bombarding the planet!"

He looked at her incredulously. "One mech against a dozen battleships?!"

Sakura's brown eyes were filled with icy fury. "I've got to do something! Maybe I can distract them... stop the bombardment somehow."

John darted a worried glance at Calara, who slowly nodded her agreement. "She's right... we've got most of our firepower on the Invictus. As long as I can bring those guns to bear on the Kintark armada, we've got a chance of saving some of the Terran fleet."

"Okay, go!" John said, nodding his approval to the Asian girl. He looked at the rest of the girls, before he stopped at Alyssa.

Her cerulean eyes narrowed dangerously as she listened to his thoughts. *No way, you're not leaving me behind for this one! I might have a psychic link with Calara, but Jade's a better pilot than me... I'll be a lot more useful on the ground with you.*

He could see that she wouldn't be dissuaded. "Alyssa, Rachel, Tashana, you're with me."

"Are we going to go and thank the nice dragon for sorting out the Buckingham problem for us?" Rachel asked, a twinkle in her grey eyes.

"Something like that," John replied grimly, turning to jog up the ramp with the trio of girls running to catch up.

Dana had been staring intently at the map, a thoughtful look on her face. She suddenly sprang into action, grabbing her Reaper Cannon then sprinted after John and the girls. "Wait for me, I'm coming with you!"

John waved the girls past him into the express grav-tube, then turned to face the redhead. "We need you here, Sparks. The Invictus is bound to take hits... you're more useful on damage control than as another gun on the ground mission."

She grinned at him and shook her head. "I'm not coming to Terra, I've got something else in mind!"

"What?" John asked warily.

"Trust me... you're gonna love it!" she giggled, grabbing his hand and pulling him into the red anti-gravity field. "I'll explain in the Raptor!"

***

Grand Prelate Melkadian studied the frightened Terran faces around the dreadnought's Bridge, the traitor's dispirited crew too spineless to make a move. He wasn't sure if it was because they feared receiving an agonising wound from his Enshunu pistol, if they were lost without Norwood to lead them, or because he had a score of heavily armed and armoured Kintark marines watching their every move. Whatever the reason, they were still placidly following his orders... and trying to ignore Norwood's pathetic whimpering.

"Not much longer, Arch Traitor," he said with a sneer to the wounded admiral.

Glancing back at the Tactical Map, saw that the Terran Federation fighters had been almost completely swept from the battlefield. What few remained were outnumbered fifty-to-one. He turned to look at the massive cluster of battlecarriers and carriers that were at the rear of the armada, the huge vessels launching successive waves of fighters into the battle.