Three Square Meals Ch. 121

John reached over his shoulder and drew his runesword. *I just feel sorry for anyone who gets in our way...*

Rahn'hagon's eyes crinkled with delight as he grinned at his son.

***

Alyssa jogged after Jessica as they ran through the gloomy corridors, making their way across the ship as they headed for the Medical Bay. She darted around ghastly psychic echoes of green-skinned women crying out in agony, their life force drained from them by Larn'kelnar.

Jessica noticed the blonde weaving from side to side in her peripheral vision and looked at her in confusion. "Why are you dodging around like that?"

Alyssa grimaced as a beautiful young Larathyran woman clutched at her chest, her flawless features ravaged before the blonde's eyes. "Whenever a Progenitor takes too much psychic energy from a thrall, he drains the life out of her and turns her into a withered husk. When thralls die, they leave a psychic imprint of their last moments behind on the ship."

"Like ghosts?!" Jessica asked, looking fearfully back down the corridor at the space the blonde had studiously avoided.

Shaking her head, Alyssa replied, "No... more like an echo. They're triggered by extreme emotions, like an agonising death... but I can see moments of joy too. I saw hundreds of imprints of you in the kitchen inside the crashed ship on Arcadia."

The brunette blinked in surprise, then gave her a self-conscious smile. "I do love to cook."

Alyssa nodded, returning the smile. "That's something you and John both have in common."

"My parents taught me," Jessica replied reflexively, then she got a wistful look in her eyes, tinged with sadness. "They must have taught John too..."

"They were hoping he'd take over their restaurant when they retired," Alyssa said, glancing at the brunette. "John never wanted that future though. He chose to go into the military instead and still feels guilty for letting them down."

Jessica bit her lip, a flurry of emotions flashing across her face.

"Are you alright?" Alyssa asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I... I had to make the same decision," she blurted out, her expression shadowing with guilt. "They were so hurt when I signed up. They'd been grooming me to work with them at the restaurant... but I wanted a life of excitement and adventure, out among the stars."

Alyssa gave her a sympathetic smile. "You and John are more alike than you think."

Jessica considered that for a moment, then returned her smile.

They turned down another intersection and Alyssa skidded to a halt, then carefully sidestepped a group of thralls writhing in their death throes. "Sorry... I just can't run through the echoes, it feels disrespectful to those poor women." She let out a despondent sigh. "These Progenitor ships are horrible; walking through them is a nightmare."

Jessica's expression turned pensive and she asked in a hushed voice, "Alyssa... did you see those echoes on Rahn's ship?"

Alyssa hesitated, unable to meet the brunette's troubled gaze. She looked away and slowly nodded. "Yes... I did."

They continued in awkward silence, Jessica lost in her thoughts and Alyssa feeling bad for upsetting her companion. After making another couple of turns, Alyssa saw Rachel ahead of them, the brunette sitting in the corridor beside a closed door. Tears rolled freely down her cheeks and she trembled as she wept.

Rushing over to her friend, Alyssa knelt beside her and wrapped her in a comforting hug. "I'm so sorry, Rach."

"How could he do that?!" the tawny-haired girl whispered, a look of horror in her soft grey eyes.

Alyssa shook her head, and glanced at the door to the Medical Bay.

"Don't go in there!" Rachel said firmly, grabbing Alyssa's wrist. "Promise me! You'd see the echoes..."

Shuddering with revulsion, the blonde nodded, having no intention of setting foot in the cursed Medical Bay.

Jessica knelt beside them and looked at the upset young woman with concern. She turned her questioning gaze towards the door, morbid curiosity making her wonder what had so traumatised the brunette.

Alyssa frowned when Jessica looked to her for an explanation. "Trust me... you don't want to know."

They sat together quietly, stroking Rachel until she calmed.

*Alyssa, we just scanned the ship for life signs,* Irillith informed the blonde. *It's just us... there are no other survivors.*

Slipping an arm around Rachel's waist, Alyssa passed on the message telepathically to the tawny-haired girl.

Rachel's expression reflected a mixture of relief and sorrow. *I was worried we might find a crèche full of unattended babies... but all the pregnant crewwomen must have stayed behind in the Larathyran Empire when Larn'kelnar decided to invade here. After what he just did to all his thralls, I hope there's someone to take care of all those orphaned children.*

Alyssa's face fell as she realised the brutal consequences of their battle of attrition with Larn'kelnar.

Jessica glanced at the Medical Bay door again, then rose to her feet, a look of grim determination in her eyes. "I'm tired of being kept in the dark about Progenitors. I need to see what they're capable of..."

She reached for the runes by the door, but a shimmering telekinetic barrier appeared in front of the control panel, blocking her hand.

"You don't want to go in there, Jessica," Alyssa said, her voice quiet but firm. "It was a thrall maternity ward... Larn'kelnar drained the life out of dozens of thralls, all pregnant with his children."

Eyes widening in horror, Jessica shrank back from the door. "No... I can't believe it! They can't be capable of doing something so... evil!"

"John would never do that!" Alyssa said vehemently. "He's nothing like other Progenitors. John expressly forbid me and his other matriarchs from draining thralls... not that we'd ever do it anyway. He would willingly sacrifice himself rather than harm any of the women connected to him, let alone those carrying his babies."

Jessica sat down heavily beside Alyssa and Rachel, darting a look of horrified revulsion at the Medical Bay door.

Suddenly, she blinked as she realised what the blonde had just revealed. "Wait... are some of you pregnant?!"

"None of the girls on the ship... at least not yet," Alyssa replied with a rueful smile. She clasped Jessica's hand and made eye contact with her. "You've seen how dangerous fighting at John's side can be and we wouldn't want to put a baby at risk. We're all waiting until he retires in Maliri Space before we start a family... but there are several Maliri noblewomen who are expecting already."

Rachel's expression softened and she said gently, "In eight months' time, you're going to become a grandmother, Jessica. Congratulations."

Jessica gaped at the two girls, looking stunned. "But I'm only just getting used to the idea of being John's mother! I can't believe I'm going to be a grandmother already!"

Alyssa put her arm around the brunette and smiled. "You better get used to it pretty fast. You've got four grandchildren on the way... and there's going to be a lot more after that!"

***

John sailed across the Astral Plane at his father's side, covering incalculable distances over a featureless expanse that seemed to stretch away to infinity. As they travelled into the deep Astral, the sky began to darken, an oppressive gloom settling all around them. Large ominous shapes seemed to flash past, the conscious mind aware of them for the terrifying instant that they appeared in John's peripheral vision. He saw a rolling bank of fog on the horizon ahead, lumbering horrors just visible amongst the swirling mists.

*Rahn?* he prompted his father, pointing towards the malevolent creatures directly in their path.

Rahn'hagon's expression turned bleak and he altered course, giving the monstrous creatures a wide berth. *Despite your brave words, we can ill afford a confrontation with... them.*

*Are those creatures the ones who controlled you and Larn'kelnar? Back before you were protected by the Shroud?* John asked in a hushed voice.

*No, my son...* Rahn'hagon replied, looking at the hulking misshapen monsters with pity. *Those mindless beasts are fallen Progenitors... victims of the Ancient ones even in death.*

John's eyes opened wide in shock. *What?!*

Rahn'hagon nodded, sorrow in his eyes. *When a Progenitor is slain, his soul is dragged into the Astral... but not to be feasted upon... Instead they serve their dark masters for the rest of eternity.*

*So when I die, I'll end up... here?* John asked, staring fearfully at the roiling clouds concealing the hideous beasts within.

Patting him reassuringly on the shoulder, Rahn'hagon shook his head. *No... you're quite safe from such a terrible fate. A Progenitor willingly gives up part of his soul to serve the Ancients... in exchange for phenomenal power. It is that bond that dooms them to an afterlife of wretched slavery... one that you shall never have to face.*

*But you were forced to serve them...* John said, looking at his father in horror.

A conflicted expression appeared on Rahn'hagon's face. *My choice was servitude or death... I chose to live and became their puppet. Should my life be extinguished on the Material Plane, my soul will be doomed to return to this foul place... and I'm likely to face unspeakable torments for my part in their downfall.*

Shaking his head, John looked at him with sympathy. *I don't know how you can live with that hanging over your head. Isn't there some way to free yourself from the deal you made with them?*

Rahn'hagon sighed and looked to the horizon. *I've spent thousands of years searching in vain for that absolution... but I hold out hope that I might still uncover some secret lore that will allow me to break that dark bargain.*

*Searching where?* John asked in confusion, casting a wary eye out at the darkened plane. *There's nothing here but a lot of open space and a bunch of hideous monsters...*

His father gave him a wry smile. *I thought so too, long ago... but fortunately I was mistaken. The Astral is not as empty as it might at first appear...*

John glanced at Rahn'hagon in confusion, then caught a glimpse of something massive approaching out of the corner of his eye. He braced for a fight, turning to face whatever unspeakable beast had tracked them down, then stared open-mouthed in astonishment at the gleaming citadel rushing towards them. Travel on the Astral Plane was a matter of perception, and rather than the castle approaching them, they were actually racing towards this hidden bastion in the deep Astral. They landed on the battlements of the gleaming outer wall, the pale stone blocks an exact replica of those used in the immense fortress Alyssa had constructed in her pocket plane.

*Impressive, isn't it?* Rahn'hagon murmured, staring up at the lofty keep. *A shining legacy for future generations... created in a final act of desperation.*

*Created by who?* John asked, marvelling at the castle.

*It was constructed by citizens of the first galactic civilisation. A people that mastered travel amongst the stars, who then turned their mighty gaze inward... and unlocked the secrets of the Astral Plane,* his father said in a reverent voice. *They were known as the Kyth'faren... the true name of our Progenitor ancestors.*

***

Dana strode purposefully along the long corridor, heading towards the bow of the black ship. She could envisage the layout of the huge sinister vessel in her mind, with only a few areas still left to be explored. Approaching a black door on her left, she held her breath and pressed the rune on the wall, wondering if this room would contain the prize she sought.

There was a quiet whir as the jagged portal split apart, letting her peer into the gloomy chamber. Banks of holo-screens displayed an intricate analysis of the system and showed the target of the black ship's last active scan. The Invictus gleamed like a shining beacon in space, making Dana's heart ache to see her home as it was only hours ago. On an adjoining projection, energy readouts and power signatures gave a terrifyingly accurate overlay of the white battlecruiser's ship components and capabilities.

"They knew exactly where to hit us..." the redhead muttered sorrowfully, stepping over several withered thrall corpses as she approached the floating hologram.

Dana traced her finger along the line of incision in front of the Invictus' Bridge, where the new Crystal Alyssium gun decks had been incorporated into the warship. She replayed the ambush in her mind, imagining the energy beam carving through the hull, severing power lines and cutting the rear away from the foredecks. With the shield generators powered by the central Power Core, Larn'kelnar had crippled the battlecruiser in a single stroke, leaving the stern exposed to bombardment from Quantum Flux Cannons.

Her fingers trembled as they hovered over the rear of the Invictus. She stared at a point below the Fire Control tower, where the surgical strike had punched through the hull and driven deep into the ship. They could have just aimed for the rear Power Core and blown the ship to pieces, but Larn'kelnar had wanted John captured alive. The salvo of shots had been fired at either side of the device, taking out the Power Couplings and killing all power, leaving them helpless. She could picture every heartbreaking moment and her eyes filled with tears until she had to look away.

As she turned, the redhead's sky-blue gaze flicked over the huge piece of equipment that dominated the rest of the room. It appeared to be a black rectangular machine of some kind... fairly unremarkable to the untrained eye... but to someone imbued with a host of secret schematics, the device was revealed for what it truly was. Dana groaned and rubbed at her head as the blueprints for the Quantum Omni-phase Scan Array appeared in her mind.

The Progenitor device might have exceeded the Invictus' scanning range tenfold, as well as offering previously unheard-of levels of detail to an active scan... but Dana was in no mood to celebrate. She left the room in silence, without so much as a backward glance.

***

With a weary sigh, Alyssa rose to her feet and offered Rachel a hand to help her up. "Come on, we better head back to Jade and you can get some rest."

Rachel took her hand, then they set off down the corridor, each absorbed in their own thoughts. Jessica was still reeling from the revelation that she would soon be a grandmother, so she followed after them without comment. Alyssa listened to John's discussion with Rahn'hagon and she shook her head in disbelief as she overheard the truth about the monsters in the mists.

They walked along in silence, until Jessica darted an inquisitive glance at the tawny-haired girl beside her. "We met earlier, but I didn't catch your name..."

"I'm sorry... I should have introduced you," Alyssa apologised, turning to look at her friend. "This is Dr. Rachel Voss, our Senior Medical Officer."

"It's lovely to finally meet you, Jessica," Rachel said, giving the brunette a warm smile. "John showed all of us your picture, but it didn't do you justice. You're very beautiful."

Jessica looked greatly relieved at the friendly greeting and returned the smile. "Oh please, you're one of the most gorgeous women I've ever met."

"Believe it or not, we actually recruited her for her brains," Alyssa said, giving her companion an affectionate squeeze. "Rachel's a genius. She's by far the smartest woman on the crew... and that's saying a lot considering how bright they all are."

"Stop, you're embarrassing me," Rachel said, blushing at the lavish praise.

"I'm just being honest," Alyssa said with a smile. "I'm sure Jessica wants to know as much as possible about all the women in her son's life..."

Jessica noticed the sparkling grey diamond ring on the doctor's finger and her eyes widened in surprise. "You're engaged too!" she exclaimed, before darting a shocked look at Alyssa. "But I thought you said you were John's fiancée!"

"I did say he'd given a ring to each of us," Alyssa gently reminded her. "Having nine fiancées isn't exactly conventional, but then again... John is an extraordinary man."

"Nine fiancées!" Jessica blurted out, gaping at them both.

"I know..." Alyssa replied with a coy smile. "Unfortunately, John hasn't had a chance to propose to all the Maliri he's in a relationship with, but he plans to rectify that before they start having his children..."

"Just how many women is John involved with?" his mother asked, shocked and fascinated in equal measure.

"Thirteen on the Invictus, nine Maliri in the Regency, and one very sexy Terran reporter..." the blonde replied, cerulean eyes sparkling. "When we retire, he plans to start a family with all of us."

"Twenty-three..." Jessica murmured, looking stunned. She thought about that for a long moment, then her expression turned wistful. "I'd never really thought about Rahn having a relationship with more women, but that actually sounds... kind of wonderful."

"It really is," Alyssa agreed, her smile broadening as the conversation shifted to one of her favourite subjects. "Seeing John with a new girl is such a thrill... he was so kind and caring with Rachel, it was beautiful watching the two of them fall in love."

Jessica darted an embarrassed look at the tawny-haired girl. "I'm so sorry for the way I reacted to your engagement ring. Finding out that my son is engaged to so many beautiful women just came as a shock." She held out a hand to stop Rachel, then gave her a celebratory hug. "Congratulations on your engagement!"

Rachel hugged her back, touched by her sincerity. "Thank you."

When they separated, Jessica couldn't help smiling happily. "It sounds like I have lots of new daughters-in-law to befriend. I can't wait to see my grandchildren when they start to arrive."

"You'll always be welcome," Rachel said, her tone kind and earnest. "Alyssa was absolutely correct earlier; all of us would love to have you involved in John's life."

Jessica darted a shocked look at Alyssa. "How did she know that? We only discussed that ten minutes ago and you haven't said a word about it to Rachel... I've been with you the entire time!"

The blonde gave her a reassuring smile. "I'm in constant telepathic communication with all the girls, just like you are with Rahn."

"That sounds incredible..." Jessica marvelled.

"It really is," Alyssa said with a sigh of contentment.

Jessica frowned and said hesitantly, "I'm not always speaking telepathically with Rahn... only some of the time. Do you really talk constantly with the girls?"

Alyssa nodded as she met the brunette's inquisitive gaze. "We talk together about everything... there's no secrets between us. So I hope you believed me when I said that we're all hoping you'll be able to reconcile with John. Each and every one of the girls wants John to be happy... and we all know how much he's always wanted a close relationship with his parents."

Jessica couldn't help appearing sceptical. "I'm not sure if that's true anymore... maybe I've ruined any chance of that now."

Rachel clasped Jessica's hand. "At a logical level, John understands the nature of your relationship with Rahn'hagon and how you were... influenced... to leave him with your parents. All you need to do is apologise and take an interest in your son; I guarantee he'll forgive you."

"It can't be that easy?" Jessica asked, with tentative flicker of hope in her eyes. "Can it?"

Alyssa put her arm around Rachel's shoulders. "One of the things you have to get used to about Rachel is she's almost never wrong. It's one of the advantages of her being super smart and having an in-depth understanding of John's psyche... it means she's able to predict what's likely to happen with unerring precision. Fortunately, she's not a dick about it."