Three Square Meals Ch. 100

With that sheer volume of incoming fire, it was inevitable that some of the shots would strike the mech, but the few plasma bolts that did barely dipped the Valkyrie's shield strength. Sakura whispered her thanks to Dana for installing the Brimorian Shields and Eternity Crystals, which combined with the Maliri modulator provided an unprecedented level of protection to the mech. Undeterred she continued her reckless charge towards the Kintark capital ships.

Sakura darted a glance at the Valkyrie's HUD and quickly brought up the active scan results for a Kintark battleship. She knew she was taking a big gamble here, assuming that these Praetorian capital ships had the same configuration as the ones that their Chief Engineer had scanned after the Battle of Regulus, but she didn't have the time to take a new active scan. Her gaze darted across the detailed schematics and she narrowed her almond eyes when she found what she was looking for. Activating the targeting overlay, a superimposed image displayed the locations of those critical components on each of the battleships in the fleet.

She felt a slight flicker of guilt as she prepared herself for combat. Sakura had told John that she was going to try and distract the Praetorian battleships, and while that was true, she had no intention of just dodging around trying to draw their attention. They were going to be distracted by fighting for their lives... and Justice demanded they pay a heavy price for the atrocities the Kintark fleet had committed against Terran civilians.

Raising her right arm, she put the Valkyrie into a looping arc, the glistening white mech appearing to be on a collision course with the lead Kintark battleship. The plasma crossfire from the point-defence guns intensified, but she was so close now that she was outside the firing arcs from most of those frantically aimed shots. The shimmering green hull of the battleship Kirman'tok loomed frighteningly large in front of her cockpit and Sakura suddenly arched her back, the mech pulling up at a sharp angle with retro-thrusters flaring all along all four limbs to arrest its descent.

She made a downwards stabbing motion with her left hand just as the Valkyrie made contact with the hull, plunging the mech's fifteen-metre-long blade into the battleship's armour. The mech trembled as she skidded across the hull, but her grip on the sword never wavered as she gouged a huge trench in that green plating. When she came to a halt, she twisted sharply to the right, her eyes glowing as she activated her psychic speed. The mech performed a graceful turn, sword blade still embedded in the hull, and Sakura took off again, sprinting across the capital ship's top deck.

The Kintark defence grids had ceased fire, with most of the guns on the Kirman'tok no longer able to aim at the mech as it sprinted across its hull. There were several other battleships that had a clear shot at the Valkyrie, but ironically Sakura was now protected by the Kirman'tok's shields and the other Kintark vessels were powerless to assist. While they might have ceased fire, Sakura was just getting started...

Summoning the glacial chill that ebbed deep inside her, she was startled at how much easier it was to bring forth her Cryokinesis. Dropping the temperature of the barrels seemed almost effortless and she channelled that heart-freezing chill into her Photon Lasers, coating the weapons in a thick layer of ice. Locking onto the closest battleship, the Garran'tok, she aimed at a point near the rear, about 200 metres from the engines mid-way along its spine. Making a squeezing motion with her trigger fingers, Sakura opened up with her shoulder-mounted quad guns, sending a continuous stream of pulsed beams slamming into the Garran'tok's shields. Those shields reacted violently to the raw power behind those Photon beams, big waves rippling around the dome as the protective field tried to maintain its cohesion.

Incapable of withstanding that kind of phenomenal power, the battleship's shields gave up the fight just as Sakura made another sharp turn, the Valkyrie now charging back towards its initial point of incision. With the shields down, those brilliant blue lances of energy blasted into the Garran'tok's hull, melting glowing holes through the armour plating and penetrating deep into the guts of the Kintark battleship.

According to the targeting overlay the Power Core was located in that section of the vessel, and while Sakura lacked Calara's expert marksmanship, she didn't need to be that accurate with four continuously firing Photon Lasers. Carving the beams back and forth across the hull, she grinned when spears of orange light blasted out of the rents in the Garran'tok's shell, signalling that she'd ruptured her target. The battleship appeared to go supernova a few seconds later, torn apart by the devastating internal blast.

Holding fire with her Photon Lasers to give them some time to cool, Sakura skidded to a halt on the Kirman'tok's hull, then made a savage jerking motion with her left hand. The Valkyrie used its huge sword like a chisel, levering up the broad triangle of armour plating she'd just gouged out of the hull, and sent it spinning off into space. Levelling her right arm at the gaping hole, she aimed her Heavy Quantum gun into the breach and extended her will to the weapon, making sure it was fully coated in ice. Making a flicking motion with her thumb, she disengaged the safeties and opened up, firing the advanced weapon on full auto.

Hyper accelerated slugs smashed into the exposed superstructure, the Quantum field surrounding each round massively increasing the impact of those projectiles. The Kirman'tok trembled as Sakura pumped round after round into that jagged hole, internal explosions rocking the critically vulnerable battleship. She depressurised deck after deck, hurling debris and choking crewmen out into space as she excavated deeper into the vessel.

Unfortunately for the terrified High Prelate and the command crew of the Kirman'tok, the Bridge was still located in the middle of the vessel, supposedly the safest place for it. One of Sakura's Quantum rounds struck the Bridge above the Tactical Station and the ceiling was smashed inwards with an almighty explosion, seconds before High Prelate Shalira and her staff were blasted out into space.

The Kirman'tok lurched violently under the Valkyrie's feet, then veered to the left, retro-thrusters firing at random now that nobody was at the helm. Realising that she'd struck her target, Sakura gave a brief nod in satisfaction, having punished two of the twelve battleships guilty of war crimes. Looking around for her next quarry, she chose the Chirak'tok, then crouched and kicked off from the hull of the decapitated battleship. The Trankaran engines on her back blazed into life and she rocketed towards the next vessel requiring her judgement.

With a grim smile she noted that the Kintark must have realised the terrible danger they were in, because they had stopped firing at the civilians. If they thought that would placate her cold fury, they were very much mistaken...

***

John dropped like a stone, diving between billowing cumulus clouds as he fell towards Terra's surface. While he knew the air was howling around his Paragon suit, he'd deactivated the external audio amplifiers, so this skydive was a serene experience. The actual battlefield was obscured by a thick blanket of ominous grey rainclouds, showering the combatants. From this altitude he could see nothing of the frantic battle below, adding to the deceptive sense of peace.

He glanced over both shoulders to check on the girls and saw they were still on his tail, hurtling planetward behind him. *Are you three okay?* he asked Alyssa, briefly making eye contact with her.

Her smiling eyes answered that question for him. *Yeah, just enjoying the view. You have a great ass!* She hesitated a second, then added, *By the way, Sakura and Jade are being a bit naughty...*

*What are they up to now?* he asked, dreading the answer.

*Sakura's decided that the Praetorian battleships bombing Terra all need to be punished for bombing civilians...*

*I thought she was supposed to be following orders?!* he balked, tensing in alarm. *Going up against twelve battleships with just the Valkyrie is insane!*

Alyssa sounded proud as she noted, *Actually only ten now, she's killed two already and starting on the third. She also hasn't disobeyed any instructions, not literally anyway.*

He frowned in irritation. *What's that supposed to mean?*

*She's very bright and she was training to be a lawyer,* she said with open admiration. *I think you'll need to be a bit more careful with your orders if you don't want her to find loopholes...*

John glanced at the looming clouds. *Alright... quickly then, what happened with Jade?*

*She left the Invictus in the stealth shuttle and is hunting down Weber. Faye's taken over piloting the Invictus and she's also manning all the guns!*

His eyes widened in shock before he said sharply, *Jade! What the hell are you playing at?*

*I'm not playing any games, Master,* the Nymph said soberly. *My sisters are more important than the Federation forces... There are billions of Terrans and only four surviving Nymphs that we know of. I can't let Admiral Weber harm them!* She sounded forlorn as she added, *I'm sorry that I abandoned Calara on the Invictus. I will gladly submit to any punishment you feel appropriate...*

John saw the clouds rushing towards him and let out a heavy sigh. He could feel that she was contrite, but there had been steely conviction in her tone.*It's okay, I understand and sympathise... but we need to talk about this later, alright?*

*Of course, John,* Jade agreed quietly.

He braced himself as he plunged into the grey clouds, half-expecting them to be as solid as they looked, his brain struggling to believe they were completely insubstantial. Visibility was reduced to basically nothing now that he was inside their murky interior, but it only took a few seconds to drop through to the other side.

"Fuck me..." he muttered, finally getting an idea of the scale of the bloody battle that was being fought to the death below.

He could see vast formations of Kintark soldiers rushing towards the Terran fortifications, and from this altitude, they looked like an army of green ants marching to war. Interspersed between them were the imposing forms of green-plated Kintark grav-tanks and, at the back of the lines, were the empty hulls of the Kintark troop transports. As imposing a sight as all of that was, John was faced with a more pressing concern. Namely what to do about the colossal Kintark flagship and trio of battlecarriers that cast their ominous shadow over the battlefield...

***

Staring intently at the Tactical Map, Lilyana watched as the Terran forces began their orderly retreat, keeping cohesive formations while backing away from the Kintark armada. The Kintark were following of course and easily able to keep pace, but just as Calara had expected, those green ships were funnelling together in their pursuit. A trio of Kintark cruisers pushed ahead of the rest of their fleet, caught up in the thrill of the pursuit and their eagerness to hunt down the fleeing Terrans. They also painted a big target over themselves...

Before the Kintark ships could get close enough to start seriously harassing Admiral Malone's retreating forces, they were skewered by a multitude of Beam Lasers from the entire Maliri fleet. The energy beams blasted scores of glowing holes through each vessel, stopping them in their tracks with brutal finality. It was a massive display of overkill, but it dramatically reinforced the point that any Kintark captains that got too close would pay a very steep price for their zeal.

She shook her head in admiration for her youthful but extraordinarily perceptive commander, as the Kintark responded exactly as she had predicted they would. They began to maintain a far more cautious pursuit, giving Admiral Malone's battle group some much needed breathing space.

As if summoned by thoughts of her lover, Alyssa reached out telepathically to the House Valaden Fleet Commander. *Hey! Calara wanted to say thanks for the covering fire you're providing and to tell you that you're doing a great job. She also requested that you launch all your fighter squadrons... the Terran strike craft are getting murdered out there! She'll transmit attack coordinates once your fighters are deployed.*

Lilyana glanced across the Bridge at her Fighter Command officer. "Launch all fighters! You will receive your designated targets shortly." Turning around to catch the eye of one of her bodyguards, she continued quietly, "Please advise Alyssa that our strike craft are being deployed."

"Of course," Almari replied, inclining her head politely.

Pausing to study the assassin and her Paragon-suited compatriot, Lilyana could see that the pair were agitated and restless. "Alright, what's the matter with you two?"

Almari and Ilyana shared a look, then their angular eyes flickered over towards the System Map, focusing on Terra.

The Fleet Commander followed their worried gaze back to the planet, then nodded her understanding. "You're worried about John..."

"And the girls accompanying him," Ilyana said quietly. "I feel useless up here... I just wish I could do more."

Lilyana studied the pair then said, "As long as Alyssa doesn't object, you have my permission to join them on the planet..."

The assassins looked delighted, but Almari suddenly frowned and asked, "Won't you need one of us to pass on your responses to Calara's orders?"

"I plan to follow every one of her commands to the letter," Lilyana replied with a shrug. "If Calara has any problem with the way I'm executing her orders, Alyssa can inform me of any corrections."

Almari tilted her head to one side, lost in thought as she communicated the response to Edraele. The Maliri Matriarch then passed that message on in turn to Alyssa.

When Alyssa spoke to the Fleet Commander again, Lilyana heard the hesitation and concern in the blonde's voice. *Yeah, I guess they can join us; the more guns the merrier after all... but they better not get themselves killed, John would never forgive me.*

She glanced back at the two assassins and their steely gaze softened as they heard Alyssa's response. "Go ahead you two, I'll get the fighter wings to clear you a safe path to the planet."

Almari and Ilyana gave her a respectful bow, then sprinted out of the Bridge with an added spring in their step, as if they were rushing off to go on a date. Lilyana smiled and found herself wishing she could join them.

***

Ailanthia swiped her slender green fingers across the holographic interface. "John Blake is descending towards Terra, My Lord. The sensor probe is tracking his progress."

Her devilishly handsome companion leaned forward over the command table, his face alight with anticipation. "Let's see what he gets up to this time!"

She nodded and projected the camera footage onto the holo-screen in front of them. Crystal-clear images of John in his white Paragon suit came into sharp focus, the golden lions embossed on his pauldrons gleaming brightly even under the overcast sky. He was plunging towards the planet, followed by a trio of similarly armoured females, although their suits were nowhere near as ostentatious.

"Magnify on Blake, I have no interest in his thralls," her master said sternly, never taking his gaze from the image.

"Of course, My Lord," Ailanthia replied, her hands moving as if to grasp and stretch the image, keeping the focus on the man in white armour.

The probe's footage zoomed in closer, showing John's face frozen in concentration, his eyes blazing with a fierce blue light...

***

John centred himself as he dropped towards the massive Kintark flagship, keeping his breathing calm and controlled as he tightened his focus. *Edraele, give me as much power as you can spare.*

*Of course, John,* she immediately replied, throwing her connection to him wide open.

He gasped at the massive flood of psychic energy, his entire body tingling as that power surged through him. It was astonishing how much Edraele's reserves had grown, and prior to this moment, he'd only ever experienced this much power when both his Matriarchs had funnelled it to him at the same time. Whirling vortexes of eldritch energy swirled around his arms and he held them aloft as he fell, unleashing it into the roiling cloudbanks above them. The sky darkened ominously, intra-cloud lightning lancing across that billowing grey mass, as the electrostatic energy magnified within.

The trio of Kintark battlecarriers and the flagship were fully occupied with bombarding the Citadel, as they tried to wear down its orbital shield. The batteries along their underbellies sent a torrent of plasma bolts at the fortress, ripples undulating over that shimmering dome as it tried to resist the cascade of Plasma Cannon fire.

Alyssa, Rachel, and Tashana peeled away from John, banking to starboard as they headed for the central battlecarrier in the group of three. Glancing back at John, the blonde informed him, *Dana says to aim amidships for their Bridge, right on the spine. She reckons they'll have followed the same construction design as their battleships and it'll be in the centre of the ship somewhere.*

*Got it, thanks,* John replied, choosing an appropriate landing site on the flagship's hull.

This close to the massive vessel, he could make out all the defining features that dotted its iridescent green top deck. The point he'd chosen to aim for was between two fire control towers, on a raised section of superstructure in front of a cluster of power regulators. Further forward of that position were row after row of Heavy Plasma Cannons batteries, the very same weapons that had caused such terrible damage to the Shiva and had slain Admiral Mishra.

Arching his back, John used the anti-grav generators in his armour's vambraces and greaves to help slow and rotate him, then activated the thruster on his back to arrest his descent. He landed lightly on the Kintark vessel's hull, drawing his gleaming white sword as he did so. Glancing up at the forbidding grey shroud that blotted out the sun, he could see the untapped lightning seething inside those blackened clouds, as the electrical forces rapidly built to a crescendo. This was no natural storm brewing though and Thor himself would have been proud of the titanic power gathering in those troubled skies.

John channelled more energy into his sword, flooding it with positive charge, the air around him crackling with anticipation. He held it upraised with both hands and the thunderclouds convulsed in response, as a vast pillar of lightning arced down towards his blade. It hit the flagship's shields first, overloading them in a massive burst of energy, before the lightning bolt surged on to slam into John's raised sword. The peal of thunder around him was deafening, echoing around the heavens with its fury.

The barely controlled electricity writhed in fury, as if struggling to break free of its confinement now that it was trapped along the length of the blade. John raised the weapon above his head, then slammed it down into the Kintark ship, plunging the sword into the armour plating all the way up to its hilt. That was when he unleashed the lightning bolt, blasting the interior of the ship with the full power of the raging storm.

Explosions rippled along the top deck as power nodes were overloaded, large sections of the ship going dark as the internal grid was shorted out. John wasn't sure if the lightning stroke had actually hit the Bridge, but hundreds of subsystems had definitely been destroyed. The flagship seemed to let out a tortured groan and John felt his stomach lurch as the vessel started to fall.