Three Square Meals Ch. 121

John smiled at her fondly. "It sounds like overprotectiveness is something we've both got in common." His smile faded and his expression turned sad as he continued, "I fought in some bloody wars when I served as a marine, so I always knew what we might be facing. It would have been horrific seeing those kinds of losses with the Maliri though, especially with me being personally responsible for their safety."

"You don't have to worry about that anymore," Alyssa said brightly. "Now Larn'kelnar's worm food, we just need to sort out the Brimorians and rescue the Abandoned... then we're done!"

The elevator door opened, but John was reluctant to release her and made no move to leave. "You're right, this is nearly over... which means retirement on Valaden," he said quietly, gazing into Alyssa's eyes.

Her gaze softened and she bit her lower lip. "We finished early... you beat my deadline."

John had a reverent look in his eyes as he brushed the back of a gauntleted hand against her armour-plated abdomen. "Are you ready for the next step, beautiful?"

Alyssa melted in his arms. "Our family's going to be everything you always wanted," she whispered, her eyes full of love. "I'm going to do whatever it takes to be the best mom ever..."

He was touched by her sincerity and held her close. "I know. You're going to be amazing."

They stood quietly together, enjoying the embrace and imagining what it would be like becoming parents. John's thoughts drifted to his own mother... and the bitter disappointment that Jessica Blake had turned out to be.

"John... it wasn't her fault," Alyssa gently reminded him, listening to his inner voice take a dark turn.

"No, it was my father's," he said with a grimace, his good mood shattered. Pulling away from the blonde and taking her hand, he led her into the corridor. "Come on, let's get this over with..."

She studied his pensive expression with a frown. "John... maybe he won't be as bad as you think."

"Yeah... I'm sure he isn't the mass-murdering psychopath I'm expecting him to be," he muttered, unable to keep the bitterness from his tone.

"I'm on your side, okay?" she said with sympathy. "I just want you to be happy..."

Looking chagrined, John paused and glanced back at the blonde. "I didn't mean to take it out on you... I'm sorry."

"Don't be... I understand," she replied, giving him a supportive smile. "I was a nervous wreck before meeting my parents on Karron, so I know what you're going through."

He let out his breath in a heavy sigh. "I haven't even had a chance to deal with all the feelings meeting my mother dredged up. I'm not sure I'm in the right frame of mind to handle total disinterest from my father as well..."

She looked into his eyes and said, "Just remember that you have a new family now that loves you very much." Stepping closer, Alyssa gave him a gentle kiss, her lips soft and warm as they embraced. When John finally relaxed, Alyssa pulled back and caressed his cheek. "How do you feel now?"

"Much better... thank you," he said gratefully. "I could still use a really long vacation, but we'll be back on Valaden soon and then we can all unwind."

Alyssa grinned at him. "It won't be long until you're retired and trying to find things to do to stop yourself from getting bored."

"I have a feeling I'm going to have my hands full," he replied, darting an affectionate glance at the blonde. They continued walking along the corridor and he added, "Where are my parents anyway?"

"Rahn'hagon was being held in the next interrogation chamber. I was planning to wait until you got back before freeing him, but your mom rushed off to release him when I told everyone that Larn'kelnar was dead."

"Leaving my father locked up probably wouldn't have given him a very good first impression of his future daughter-in-law," he said with a wry smile. "But until we know exactly what we're dealing with, we need to get as many of the girls recuperating as possible. Rahn'hagon might not be hostile, but I don't want to take any chances. With everyone tapped out, we're very exposed at the moment."

Alyssa nodded her agreement. "I've got a bunch of the girls resting. Currently, Jade, her sisters, Sakura, Helene, and Tashana, are all fast asleep."

"As well as Edraele and her Maliri," John added, stopping outside the interrogation chamber he'd been held in. He frowned as he continued, "Wait a second... what about Calara? And where are Dana, Irillith, and Rachel? They must all be exhausted after being healed."

"Dana wanted to find the wormhole generator and the big gun that cut the Invictus in half. She said she'd never be able to sleep without unlocking their blueprints first. Irillith's gone with Calara to the Bridge; they're investigating the ship's computer for information on Larn'kelnar's empire and Irillith's there to translate. As for Rachel, she's gone looking for survivors..."

John looked at her in surprise, then his expression turned bleak. "There won't be any survivors... the ship's basically a huge mausoleum now. Larn'kelnar drained every thrall he had; the bastard even turned his matriarch into a husk." He shook his head sorrowfully. "I still can't believe he did that. Ailanthia adored him and he just sucked the life out of her."

"I know," she said quietly, looking at him with sympathy. "I've seen visions of it happening to hundreds of thralls... but seeing it happen right in front of you must have been awful."

"I don't think I'll ever forget her final expression," John said, his face sombre. "Larn'kelnar's betrayal left her utterly heartbroken... I think she was more tormented by him choosing to abandon her than the agony of having her life force drained."

"That's totally fucked up," Alyssa agreed, giving him a hug. "He never deserved her love."

John nodded his agreement as he hugged her back, then glanced down the corridor where he knew his father was waiting to meet him. Tapping the rune on the wall behind the blonde, he said, "It won't hurt Rahn'hagon to wait another few minutes; it's not like he's been in any rush to see me for the last forty years."

The door split apart, revealing the aftermath of the fight with Larn'kelnar. The floor and walls all showed signs of combat, the worst of which was the mangled trench that Dana had melted across the deck. However, John wasn't interested in the battle damage the room had sustained, he was looking for the girls.

He couldn't help smiling when he saw them. Jade had shapeshifted into a tiger and her huge feline body was curled protectively around the three women using her as a soft warm pillow. The girls had all removed their battered armour, with Sakura and Helene flanking Tashana as they slept. None of the trio stirred as he approached, but Jade cracked an eye open, waking as he walked towards them.

"I didn't mean to disturb you, honey," John said kneeling beside her. He stroked her furry ears and smiled when she started purring, the sound a deep rumbling in her massive chest. "I just wanted to check you were all okay."

*I'm feeling a bit tired, Master,* Jade replied, nuzzling into his hand. *But otherwise, I'm fine. I didn't want Dana, Rachel, and Irillith to leave until they'd rested... unfortunately, they're all very naughty little kittens.*

He laughed and nodded. "They certainly are." Looking into her emerald eyes, he continued, "I'm going to meet with my father, then we'll find out what happened to the Invictus and your sisters."

*I'm so relieved they all survived,* Jade said quietly. *Watching the front half of the Invictus falling towards Arcadia was probably the worst moment of my life...*

John gave her a fierce hug, feeling a huge surge of guilt. "Jade... I'm so sorry I had to ask you to choose..."

She gently brushed her head against his, in a very feline gesture of affection. *If you'd sent me after my sisters and any of your mates had died as a result, I would have felt far worse. I know how much you care for the girls and I feel the same way about them too. I'm just so glad that the Nymphs all survived; now you can grow to love them as much as the rest of us.*

"I've grown very fond of all four of them already... seeing them in trouble like that was awful," John said with a pained frown. "I had to make a snap decision, but I knew there was a chance I could still save the Nymphs, even if the worst happened and the Invictus smashed into Arcadia. I swear I would have brought them all back, Jade... just like I did with you."

*I know... they're all connected to you now,* she murmured, gazing at him in adoration.

He nodded, then gave her a sympathetic smile. "I better let you get back to sleep, you must be exhausted after the fight. We'll catch up properly later."

*I hope Rahn'hagon is everything you were hoping for in a father...* she said quietly, watching John's face as his expression turned pensive.

Resisting the urge to make a bitter remark about his absentee parents, John stroked the Nymph's head and chose to take her earnest comment in the kind way it was intended. "Thank you, Jade."

She rubbed against him again, then rested her head on her big paws as she settled down to maintain her vigil over their sleeping companions. *Don't hesitate to wake me if there's trouble, Master.*

"I will," he promised, waving her goodbye and heading for the door.

Alyssa gave him a supportive smile and fell into step beside him as they left the interrogation chamber.

***

Calara glanced at her blue-skinned companion with concern. "Maybe this was a bad idea... you look worn out."

"No, I'm fine," Irillith replied, shaking her head. She suddenly stifled a big yawn, then shot the brunette a self-conscious smile. "That was your fault. I was doing alright until you reminded me."

The Latina paused and held out a hand to stop the Maliri. "You can barely keep your eyes open... this can wait until you've had some sleep."

Irillith clasped her friend's hand and carried on walking, tugging Calara behind her. "We're already close to the Bridge, we might as well have a look around now..."

Calara laughed and let the Maliri lead the way, but her laughter died as they reached the site of a grisly massacre. She swallowed and averted her eyes from the carnage, a quick glimpse of the decapitated and dismembered bodies immediately identifying who was responsible for the slaughter.

"They would have done the same to us without a second thought," Irillith said, noticing her companion's reaction. She studied the corpses, taking note of the lethal efficiency of the kills. "Sakura actually did them a favour. Larn'kelnar would've drained the life out of them... and from what Alyssa's said, I wouldn't wish that fate on my worst enemy."

Walking carefully amongst the bodies littering the corridor, Calara tried not to look too closely at the bloodbath. "I know..."

Irillith deftly navigated a path through the cadavers then waited for the brunette to follow her. "But you still feel sorry for them?"

"It's not that... I'm just not used to seeing all the gory details," the Latina admitted sheepishly. "For the majority of our battles, I'm on the Invictus' Bridge, watching holographic images of ships being destroyed. There's a certain sense of detachment in those fights, rather than experiencing the gruesome reality; like hearing the thralls being incinerated in the barracks... that was horrendous."

"They were Larn'kelnar's minions, they all had it coming," the Maliri said, expressing her feelings on the matter with a nonchalant shrug.

Calara looked at her curiously as they continued along the corridor. "You really hate them, don't you?"

Irillith glanced back at the lifeless thralls. "Not now they're dead."

"Is it because they're dead, or Larn'kelnar is?" the Latina wondered aloud.

The Maliri covered her mouth as she yawned again, then gave her companion a plaintive look. "I'm happy to help you with translations, but hypothesising about a Progenitor's relationships with his thralls is a bit beyond me at the moment."

Calara squeezed her shoulder and gave her an apologetic smile. "You're right, I'm sorry. Let's get to the Bridge; the sooner this is done, the sooner you can get some sleep."

Leaving the site of the massacre behind them, they walked in silence, the sight of so many bodies making light-hearted conversation seem disrespectful to the dead. The reinforced doors protecting the Bridge eventually came into view and the two women exchanged a glance when they saw the gaping hole smashed through the middle.

Irillith touched the shattered black metal, then quickly pulled her fingers back. "Careful, it's still freezing cold..."

"Sakura's getting incredibly powerful," Calara murmured, examining the frost riming the surface. "Just imagine how cold she must have made the door to be able to shatter Progenitor metal..."

"Very chilly," Irillith agreed blithely, arching an eyebrow at the Latina.

"Okay, no more delays," the brunette said with a smile and slipped through the jagged hole. Calara paused when she entered the Bridge, then quickly turned away, looking sickened. "My God..."

Irillith followed her inside and winced when she saw the dozens of bloody corpses strewn haphazardly around the Command Deck. These thralls were all fully armoured, but it hadn't saved them from Sakura's fury. The bodies near the shattered door had been torn to pieces, their black armour plating perforated with hundreds of puncture wounds.

The Maliri squatted beside a lacerated Larathyran thrall and picked up one of the razor-sharp flechettes scattered on the floor. "It looks like it's not just Sakura's Cryokinesis that's been getting stronger..."

Calara tried not to focus on the bodies as she edged around the slaughter and walked towards the Bridge stations. Some had been damaged by gunfire, but the console by the Command Chair was unscathed. "Could you hack this one please?" she requested, placing her hand on the angled surface.

"Unless it's been locked, I shouldn't need to," Irillith replied, striding over and taking a seat. She studied the glyphs and text on the interface, then her nimble blue fingers danced over the console. "Ah, Larn'kelnar was such a trusting soul. I'm in!"

"I don't think he ever anticipated anyone snooping through his files," the brunette said wryly.

Irillith started familiarising herself with the data archived on the computer system. "So... what are we looking for exactly?"

"Star charts for the Larathyran Empire are a priority. I'd like to know exactly where Larn'kelnar came from," Calara replied, turning to look out through the broad windows surrounding the Bridge and gazing at the spectacular view of space. "Then anything else you can find of interest, especially information on the precise location and composition of his thrall fleets..."

"But they're not a threat anymore," Irillith said with a frown, rubbing her eyes sleepily. "He drained the life out of all his thrall crews."

"Yes, exactly." Calara clasped her hands behind her back and stared at the sparkling stars. "Somewhere out there are hundreds of highly-advanced thrall ships, just waiting for someone to commandeer them..."

***

John stood outside the door to the next interrogation chamber and took a deep breath. He glanced at Alyssa, who gave him a supportive smile, then he tapped the rune to open the door. It slid back into the frame, giving John his first look at his parents as a couple. Rahn'hagon was talking quietly with Jessica, the brunette embracing him with an expression of pure joy on her pretty face.

Rahn'hagon looked young, mid-twenties if he was a Terran, although the man standing before John was at least ten-thousand years old. He was tall, with a muscular build, almost identical to John's physique. His flowing hair was styled into a mid-length cut and a neat goatee framed a broad smile for the woman in his arms. His father had that distinctive aquiline nose, a feature shared with both Larn'kelnar and Mael'nerak, but it was his eyes that really drew John's attention. Unlike Larn'kelnar, who had a fierce intensity to his stare, Rahn'hagon's eyes held a timeless wisdom, which could only have been gained from thousands of years of quiet introspection.

John's parents looked towards the door when they heard it open, their faces lighting up with happiness.

"My son! I've awaited your triumphant return for years!" Rahn'hagon exclaimed, releasing Jessica and striding over to greet him.

John stood speechless as his father gave him a bear hug, shooting a shocked glance at Alyssa, who grinned and winked back at him.

When Rahn'hagon stepped away, John managed a startled smile. "I've waited a long time to meet you too..." He hesitated for a second, before continuing awkwardly, "I... don't know what to call you. Father sounds a bit... awkward. Jessica said your name was Rahn'hagon?"

"I've got used to just being called Rahn," the Progenitor said with a chuckle, putting his arm around Jessica's shoulders. "I've been reliably informed that Rahn'hagon was too much of a mouthful."

Jessica gave him an affectionate sideways hug, then smiled at her son. "Thank you so much for rescuing him!"

"You're welcome..." John murmured, too stunned for anything more eloquent.

Rahn'hagon turned to study the fourth occupant of the room. "I believe we met earlier, didn't we?"

"Yes, but we haven't been properly introduced; you were a bit distracted by Jessica's kisses," Alyssa said with an amused smile. "My name's Alyssa. I'm John's matriarch... well, one of them anyway."

Rahn's eyes widened and he looked at John with astonishment. "You have more than one matriarch?!"

"I currently have three," John replied, shaking off his sense of bewilderment. "Alyssa was the first, then Edraele, who rules the Maliri... and Jade became my third last week."

"Three matriarchs!" Rahn marvelled, his eyes sparkling with delight. "I knew I'd be in for some surprises, but I never expected that!"

"Yeah, me neither..." John said with a wry smile.

Rahn'hagon faced Jessica and politely asked, "Could you give us some privacy, my dear? John and I have some very important matters to discuss..."

"Of course!" the brunette cheerfully agreed, before giving him a loving kiss. "Just give me a call whenever you're ready."

Rahn'hagon nodded, then glanced at Alyssa.

Before he could say anything, Alyssa clasped Jessica's hand. "We'll wait with the rest of the girls. You two have a nice chat."

"Thank you, Alyssa," Rahn said gratefully, watching as the two matriarchs headed for the door.

John frowned in disapproval, but Alyssa glanced back at him over her shoulder. *If he wants to talk with you alone, that's fine. Speaking to your dad is what's important... besides, I'll still be able to hear everything anyway!*

He smiled back. *Thanks, honey.*

Rahn'hagon waited until the door had closed behind the two women, then he turned to beam at John. "Son, I'm so proud of you! I gave you a monolithic task, but you managed to achieve victory against all the odds!"

John hesitated, feeling like he was missing something critically important. He was fairly sure his father wasn't just referring to the battle with Larn'kelnar, who had only arrived in their sector recently.

"It was a hard fight..." he replied cautiously. Speaking directly to his guide, John asked, *What monolithic task is he referring to?*

His question was met with an uncomfortable silence.

"A hard fight?!" Rahn'hagon exclaimed, then burst into laughter. "John, you've managed the impossible!"

John cleared his throat. "Rahn... maybe we should start at the beginning? I have so many questions."

"I'm sure you do," his father replied, nodding in sympathy. "I'm sorry for not revealing everything to you from the start, but I had to keep some things secret... both for your protection and my own." Rahn'hagon's expression brightened and he added, "But that's all behind us now! You've more than earned the right to ask me anything you wish."