Three Square Meals Ch. 121

*Where's he heading?*

*The shuttle bay... it's the only destination that makes sense. Around the corner, then fifty metres... it'll be straight ahead.*

John rushed around the corner and saw Larn'kelnar collapse against the doorframe, his hand hammering the rune to open the massive doors. His quarry darted a frightened glance back down the corridor and froze when he locked eyes with John. Neither of them turned away as they stared at each other, both knowing that this was the end.

John ran towards him, with Larn'kelnar stumbling backwards through the opening door. The Progenitor turned and broke into a jog, running towards a sleek black ship that dominated the substantial shuttle bay. As John burst through the door, he saw one of the Larathyran thralls standing beside an open airlock, waving joyfully at her master. He was startled to see she had long white hair and suddenly Larn'kelnar's interest in changing hair colours started to make sense...

"Larn! Behind you!" Ailanthia screamed in fright when she saw John sprinting after her love.

Larn'kelnar turned to look fearfully over his shoulder and stumbled again when he saw just how close John was. John reached for the sword hilt on his back, then changed his mind and put his head down, running faster.

*For fuck's sake!* his Guide snapped in irritation.

John ignored him and leapt towards the fleeing Progenitor, bringing him down in a flying tackle. They crashed to the ground and Larn'kelnar twisted around, trying to break free.

"Get off me!" he screamed in fury, the shrill edge betraying his fear.

Rearing back John lashed out and smashed him in the face, his Crystal Alyssium gauntlet breaking Larn'kelnar's front teeth. "That was for the Ashanath!" he roared.

Larn'kelnar swung back at him, but his fists were unarmoured, making his blows far less effective.

John grabbed him by the throat and slugged him again, breaking his nose in a splash of blood. "That was for the Trankarans!"

The Progenitor's blows were getting frantic now, his fingers curling into claws as he tried to scratch John's eyes out.

Ducking back, John grabbed Larn'kelnar's right wrist and yanked it to one side, savagely snapping the bone. As his enemy screamed in pain, John landed another massive punch to his face shattering his cheekbone. "That was for the Kintark!"

Larn'kelnar's punches were weakening now as he coughed up blood.

John drove his left fist into his nemesis' battered features, breaking an eye socket with a sickening crunch. "And that was for the Terrans!"

"Please! You're killing him!" Ailanthia screamed, her expression one of absolute terror.

John sat back, his chest heaving. "Show this piece of shit mercy? Why the fuck should I? His games have killed millions..."

"I love him!" she pleaded, tears rolling down her cheeks.

Looking down at that ruined face, John studied the man responsible for causing so much misery over the last year. "She's all you've got left, isn't she?"

Larn'kelnar nodded, blood bubbling at his lips as he muttered, "Ailanthia... don't hurt her... please."

"Only your matriarch left... You sucked the life out of every last thrall, just like the disgusting parasite you are." John lurched to his feet and looked the green-skinned woman in the eye. "You think this animal loves you?"

She looked down at Larn'kelnar's wheezing form and nodded through her tears.

"Let's see..." John said, grabbing Larn'kelnar and hauling him to his feet. "I'm giving you a choice, Larn. I'm curious to see if you're even capable of love... and now you get a chance to prove it. I swear I'll let Ailanthia leave unharmed if you lay down your life for her..."

Larn'kelnar looked at him through horror-stricken eyes, his gaze flicking over to his matriarch who looked equally aghast.

Ailanthia shook her head in desperation. "No, don't do it, Larn! I couldn't live without you!"

He didn't reply and the seconds stretched on, the silence growing painful.

"What about me? You'll just let me leave instead?" the Progenitor finally muttered, giving John a sideways glance.

"Larn!" Ailanthia cried out, her eyes widening in shock.

John looked at him with contempt. "If that's your choice... I promise I won't lay another finger on you. You'll be free to go..."

"You loved me..." Ailanthia wept, shaking her head in denial. "After all those years... I know it was real..."

Larn'kelnar let out a broken sob, then looked away from the green-skinned beauty in shame.

"Is that your final decision?" John asked, looking at the Progenitor in disgust.

Ailanthia suddenly screamed in agony and dropped to her knees, her face contorting in a mask of excruciating pain as Larn'kelnar sucked the life from her. With a wheezing whimper, she collapsed on the floor, her body nothing more than a dried-out husk.

John gaped at her in horror, then his head snapped around to the Progenitor standing silently beside him. "Why?" he blurted out, stunned that Larn'kelnar would do something so horrific to a woman he obviously felt something for. "I wasn't going to hurt her..."

"If I couldn't have her, I wasn't leaving her for you..."

Tears rolled down Larn'kelnar's cheek as he stared at Ailanthia's emaciated corpse... her eyes damning him with their hollow stare.

"Can I leave?" he finally muttered.

Nodding numbly, John stepped back with his hands in the air, watching as Larn'kelnar turned away and limped towards the shuttle.

Larn'kelnar's shoulders shook as he wept, his heart threatening to break as images of his matriarch flashed before his eyes. The looks of devotion and love which had once warmed his soul now haunted him, filling him with nothing but a feeling of absolute desolation.

He approached the airlock and pressed the runes to open the door... then pain exploded through his torso as John ran him through with his runesword.

"You promised!" Larn'kelnar gasped, twisting to look at John in shock.

"He promised... but I was never going to let you leave," the Guide whispered in his ear, his voice echoing with eerie finality.

The runesword burst into flames, azure fire engulfing Larn'kelnar and making him scream in agony.

John pulled the blade free and watched the Progenitor writhing on the floor, his cries growing more shrill as the eldritch fire consumed his flesh. "That was for Ailanthia..." he whispered, his eyes filled with sorrow.

***

Alyssa walked along the dark corridor and ran her fingers through her long blonde mane. She paused by the Shuttle Bay doors and tapped the glowing rune on the wall, being careful not to touch the black walls. When the door split apart, serrated edges peeling into the frame, she strode inside the huge hangar. John was exactly where she knew he'd be, staring at the immolated corpse of the man who'd blighted their lives for the last 6 months.

"Hey handsome," she murmured as she stood beside him.

"I'm nothing like him... I never was," John said quietly.

"No... you never were," she agreed, slipping her hand into his.

Looking up at his troubled face, she was struck by just how much she loved the kind-hearted man who'd been burdened with such terrible responsibility. She stepped in front of him and looked up into his eyes, then gave him a tender kiss, full of as much love as she could show him.

John put his arms around her as he kissed her back and when they separated, he smiled. "What was that for?"

"You would have given up your life for me," she replied, her cerulean eyes filled with certainty.

He gently caressed her cheek and nodded.

Alyssa let out a soft sigh as she leaned into his loving caress. They stood quietly for a long moment, until she looked up at him and said, "We freed your father. Rahn'hagon is asking to speak with you."

John's good mood evaporated and he glanced down at the charred remains of the last Progenitor he'd met, his expression turning bleak. "I suppose I better not keep him waiting..."

"I don't think you'll have to torch your father," she said with a wry smile. "Rahn'hagon isn't... quite how I expected."

"Okay, now you've got me curious," he replied, turning away from the shuttle.

"And you'll be able to satisfy that curiosity in just a few minutes..." Alyssa teased him, a playful gleam in her eyes.

John smiled and rolled his eyes at her teasing. Despite the jovial tone he'd taken with Alyssa, he now felt ambivalent about finally getting a chance to meet his father; an opportunity he had been craving for his entire life. The reunion with his mother had been deeply disappointing, shadowed by the troubling realisation that she was utterly enthralled by Rahn'hagon. If Jessica's story was true, her seduction by the mysterious progenitor on Arcadia had been aided by psychic powers, raising distressing questions about her consent. He let out a heavy sigh and tried to hold onto the faint hope that this meeting with his father wouldn't end in bloodshed.

Alyssa gave him a pained smile. "Wow. At least I don't have to worry about you setting your expectations too high..."

"After Larn'kelnar managed to plumb new depths of depravity, I'm struggling to put much faith in another Progenitor... even if he is my father," John said, his expression grim.

He tried to avoid looking at Ailanthia's withered body as they walked towards the huge set of doors, still shocked by the appalling way Larn'kelnar had betrayed her. It wasn't just his matriarch who had been cruelly abused, Larn'kelnar had slaughtered untold thousands of thralls, draining their life force to fuel his powers. The sheer scale of the massacre made John sick to his stomach, especially knowing how much the Maliri looked up to him. He couldn't even imagine asking any of his matriarchs to do that to the women they cared about.

Glancing at Alyssa, he asked with concern, "How are the girls doing? All fully recovered?"

"Not yet, but they're all out of danger," she replied, giving him a reassuring smile. "Rachel regained consciousness just after you left; she stabilised her own chest wound, then used up the last of our energy reserves to do some emergency healing on the girls. Dana was hit by a dozen kinetic darts and lost a lot of blood, Irillith had a big chunk blasted out of her flank, Sakura lost a foot, and part of Tashana's spine was vaporised."

"Her spine?" John muttered, horrified by the severity of her injuries.

"Yeah, I know. She was shot in the back; the lower half was just... gone. If Rachel hadn't acted so fast with her shield, Tashana would have been cut in half," Alyssa said quietly, squeezing his hand. "I can't believe how close we were to losing her... all of them really."

"We were teetering on a knife-edge that whole fight," John said, his expression bleak. "I never should have gone along with the plan to wear Larn'kelnar down; it put the girls in far too much danger. When we went on the offensive, we really hurt the bastard... we should have just gone all-out from the start."

Alyssa slipped her arm around his waist and gave him a sideways hug. "Don't be so hard on yourself. Larn'kelnar's dead and burning in hell... it's finally over."

John inhaled deeply then let out his breath. "You're right... We survived, that's all that matters." He hugged her back, then concentrated on his Maliri Matriarch, *Are you and your girls alright, Edraele? You've been very quiet...*

*I'm fine, John... we all are,* she replied, sounding utterly exhausted. *The battle just took a lot out of us... Luna and the Young Matriarchs are all sleeping to recover.*

He frowned, his expression remorseful. *I'm so sorry about the twins... if there was any way I could have prevented them getting hurt I would have done it.*

*You don't have to apologise, it wasn't your fault,* she said with understanding. *I know how much you love my daughters and that you'd do anything to protect them. Alyssa told me that they're safe and well... but I've never wanted to hug them both so badly.*

*Get some rest, we'll have a long talk later,* he said kindly. *You were amazing today, honey. Thank you.*

She laughed, but it sounded strained. *I'm just so relieved you're all alright. Ever since the Invictus was attacked, everyone here has been terrified...*

*It's all over now, honey,* John said, sending her a sympathetic smile. *Go to sleep, Edraele. It sounds like you're about to pass out any second... I can hear it in your voice.*

*I will...* she replied, sounding relieved and tired in equal measure. *I love you, John.*

*I love you, too,* he said, wishing he was at Genthalas so he could wrap her up in his arms.

John walked hand-in-hand with Alyssa up to the Shuttle Bay doors, stopping by the rune that controlled the opening mechanism. Alyssa was closest, so she tapped the glyph, being very careful not to touch the glistening black walls.

He noticed her precautions and glanced at the pensive blonde as they waited for the door to open. "You're still getting bad vibes from the ship?"

She nodded, leaning closer to him. "This whole place just creeps the hell out of me... and it's not just the visions of thralls having the life force sucked out of them. It's the black metal... there's something very wrong with it."

John glanced up at the oppressive onyx walls, underlit by crimson lighting. "I... don't feel it myself, but I trust your instincts." The door yawned open, so he led her through into the corridor beyond. "Just bear with it for a little while longer... We need to find out what happened to the Invictus and see if it can be repaired. If not, we'll just use this ship to get us back to Genthalas... but I promise I won't make you stay on here for any longer than I have to."

*Oh, give me strength!* his guide blurted out incredulously. *You've just been gifted a Progenitor dreadnought! You're not seriously considering abandoning this ship?!*

John bristled at the interruption. *If I wanted your input, I would have asked for it!*

*This is why I had to take control!* the guide fumed. *This dreadnought makes the Invictus look like a child's toy. That miserable tugboat probably didn't even survive the crash... and yet you're willing to just walk away from one of the most powerful ships in the galaxy?! You've never had what it takes to fully harness your birthright!*

*That's the only goddamn thing you've ever been right about! It's MY birthright, not yours!* John snarled, releasing Alyssa's hand and clenching his fists in anger. *You've been like a fucking anvil round my neck for decades! You're like a... fucked up imaginary friend... a miserable little nothing... you shouldn't even exist!*

*I was just trying to get you to toughen up! Then you imprisoned me, you ungrateful wretch! Locked me away like an afterthought in the corner of your mind!* his guide snarled indignantly. *Even after you betrayed me, I still stepped in to save you and this impudent bitch! If it wasn't for me-*

John cut him off abruptly. *Ungrateful?! If I hadn't been stuck with you dragging me down, we could've crushed Larn'kelnar like a bug! All the Progenitor tech... all that knowledge... I should have had everything at my disposal right from the start! Instead, I've been running around like a headless chicken, desperately trying to scavenge whatever scraps Mael'nerak left behind. We've wasted decades, when I could've spent that time preparing... and it's all your fault! Don't bother trying to deny it, you know it's true!*

*You're weak and pathetic, ruled by your feelings for your thralls,* the guide said obstinately. *You never could have defeated that Progenitor without me...*

*If it wasn't for the girls, we wouldn't have stood a chance against Larn'kelnar!* John exclaimed, barely able to keep his anger in check. *In fact, the only silver lining in the black cloud of your existence, is that without you, Alyssa wouldn't have been my matriarch! She hadn't even been born back then, when you were actually supposed to be helping me. You should have told me everything I needed to know, then just faded away like a bad dream. You had one job to do and you totally fucked it up! So unless you're about to give me all the Progenitor tech and powers you've been keeping from me, I don't want to hear another goddamn word!*

His guide went silent, but John could feel him seething in the back of his mind, one too many home truths leaving him too shocked and angry for a pithy comeback.

Alyssa had been staring at John wide-eyed as she listened to their furious exchange, then she bit her lip and smiled when he talked about her. "You're so getting laid tonight, cradle snatcher," she said with a grin.

John let out an embarrassed laugh, feeling self-conscious about his outburst. Leaning down he gave her an affectionate kiss, then clasped her hand as they set off again down the corridor. He couldn't help thinking that his guide would still be present in his mind while he was intimate with the girls, a thought that he found deeply unsettling.

He coughed to clear his throat and decided to change the subject. *Jade, how are you and your sisters doing?*

"Jade's resting to recover from the battle. She went to sleep after you defeated Larn'kelnar," Alyssa explained, stopping by the elevator and pressing the glyph to open the door. "She got hit by that last salvo of disintegration beams... thank God they missed her crystal heart."

John followed her into the elevator. "She's incredible... I don't know how she can just shrug off that kind of damage. When I left to chase after Larn'kelnar, Jade seemed totally fine."

The blonde watched him for a moment, then said quietly, "John... I think she's starting to remember more... back from before Mael'nerak mind-wiped the Nymphs. There's been a few things she's mentioned that she couldn't have known otherwise."

"Like the fact that he used a staff?" John said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Yeah, I've been meaning to talk to her about that."

Alyssa nodded, leaning into him as he put his arms around her. "Her sisters are fine by the way... tapped out and exhausted, but fine. I've no idea how they did it, but all of them survived the crash unscathed."

"I had been making them more resilient, but I don't think even Jade could have survived a crash from orbit," he replied, shaking his head in bewilderment. "Maybe there's still hope for the Invictus... and for Faye..."

Alyssa laid her head on his chest and said quietly, "I really hope so..."

John reached across to tap a glyph on the wall and the elevator started to rise through the decks. The couple stood close, drawing strength from each other in their comforting embrace. After all the fear, grief, and pain they'd suffered during the tumultuous events since the Invictus had been ambushed, they both desperately needed a few precious moments of peace.

"I can't believe the fight with Larn'kelnar ended like this," John murmured, gently stroking Alyssa's golden hair. "After all that time he spent lurking around in the shadows, I never thought he'd ambush us and try to take me prisoner. Then he left himself vulnerable to a boarding action..."

"Underestimating us was the worst mistake he ever made," she said with a grin. "Did you see how shocked he looked when we kept hitting him with all those psychic powers? I thought he was going to have a stroke when Dana tried to rip him in half!"

He chuckled and nodded, then his expression turned sombre. "We were incredibly lucky he got bored of making us dance around like puppets. If he'd just waited and invaded with his thrall fleets, I don't think we could've upgraded the Maliri quickly enough to match them. I was so worried about a massive thrall battle and the horrific casualties that would've meant for our side... but we managed to avoid all that."

Alyssa gave him a guilty look as she admitted, "I've been trying to distract you from thinking too much about the grim reality of a Progenitor war. I knew how devastated you'd be at seeing the Maliri suffering and I didn't want you dwelling on it... you would've just got depressed. That was why I got so mad at Edraele the other day, because she wanted to prepare you for the war and all those casualties, not just hope it never happened. It turned out I was right, but I still owe her an apology when we go back to Genthalas for the way I treated her."