Three Square Meals Ch. 121

The twins felt a gentle tug to the right and darted a glance in that direction as they backed away from the barracks door. A tiny black sphere hovered on the far side of the room, only visible because of the golden halo of light flashing around the periphery. The guns closest to the orb rattled in their weapon racks then flipped through the air towards it, buckling and crumpling inwards as they got closer.

Tashana's elemental maelstrom keened out a terrifying howl as it vaporised everything in the barracks. The fire funnelled through the open door into the next section, forming a temporary figure-of-eight pattern as it surged inside to immolate the inhabitants. Thralls were burned to a crisp where they stood, their bodies disintegrating to ash with the ferocious heat of the vortex. As soon as the twins left the armoury, Calara sealed the door behind them, desperate to silence those dreadful screams.

The Latina shuddered and Irillith placed a hand on her shoulder. "That was for Faye and the Nymphs..."

Calara's expression turned grim, all sign of sympathy for the thralls evaporating.

Jade and Alyssa shared a glance, both knowing that the Nymphs were still alive.

"I'm sorry... with everything going on we haven't had a chance to tell you yet. Jade can still sense the Nymphs' emotions," Alyssa said, looking around at the girls. "We think her sisters survived the crash."

Dana's mouth fell open in shock. "There's no way... not from orbit! The Invictus should be smashed into a million pieces!"

The blonde shrugged helplessly. "They can't use telepathy with Jade yet, so we don't know how they survived. I do know that John's been focusing on making the Nymphs tougher when he's been feeding them recently; maybe they were able to shapeshift spontaneously like Jade did and grew wings or something? Whatever happened, all four of them are still alive."

That prompted a quick round of celebratory hugs, with the girls making sure to embrace Jade, all of them knowing how relieved she must be feeling. Their good mood evaporated when they thought of Faye tumbling to her doom in the rear of the Invictus.

"Is there any chance for Faye?" Irillith asked Dana, a flicker of hope in her violet eyes.

Dana shook her head and turned away, her heart breaking to see that sense of hope guttering out.

Alyssa let out a heavy sigh, her expression turning bleak. "Let's go free John... Then we'll show Larn'kelnar what happens when you fuck with us..."

***

Ailanthia luxuriated in bed, feeling gloriously decadent as she revelled in carrying her master's seed. After 4000 years of wishing she could bear her lord a child, she finally had her wish... and so much more. She caressed her gravid curves and decided to take a walk on the Bridge. Seeing the looks of envy from her thralls was like the icing on a delicious cake, each and every one of her minions desperately wishing that they were Larn'kelnar's favoured servant.

Her blissful reverie was shattered an instant later, when her connections to hundreds of thralls exploded with a riot of emotions. She felt a rapid succession of shock, hate, and fear... which rapidly transformed into terror, an instant before those thralls were extinguished from Larn'kelnar's psychic network. A few hundred was only a drop in the ocean, but the death toll quickly escalated to thousands... and they were all thralls aboard his ship!

Ailanthia sat bolt upright, stunned at the thought they could be under attack.

***

"You will tell me everything I need to know, Blake... it's just a matter of time until I break you." Larn'kelnar said coldly, before turning and walking away.

"Wait a second," John called after him, making his Progenitor opponent pause. "I know you captured Rahn'hagon last week... but why didn't you just kill him?"

"Execute the senile old fool?" Larn'kelnar replied with a wistful smile. "Believe me, nothing would give me greater pleasure... but not yet."

"What do you need him for?" John asked curiously.

Larn'kelnar's smile broadened. "Well I'm hardly going to waste the time and resources on constructing my own Warp Gate." Raising an eyebrow, he added with obvious scepticism, "I'd have just commandeered yours, but apparently you have no idea how to even build a Soul Forge..."

*My Lord!* Ailanthia cried out, her voice tremulous with emotion. *We're under attack!*

Larn'kelnar grimaced and shook his head in resignation. *They must have sensed my extended absence... a response was inevitable. Still... the Empire should be strong enough to defend the borders for years to come.*

*No, not our Empire! Thousands of thralls are dead... all aboard the ship!* she exclaimed, teetering on the verge of panic. *They were slain in a matter of seconds!*

*How?!* he snapped, eyes narrowing as he glared at John. *There's nothing that could threaten us for thousands of light years in any direction!*

*I don't know, my Lord,* his matriarch replied in consternation. *But more thralls are still being killed...*

Larn'kelnar rushed up to John and grabbed him by the throat. "What have you done?!"

John glanced at the psychic inhibitor device, his mouth curling up into a mocking smile. "You're strong... and I'm weak. What could I have possibly done?"

The Progenitor glared at him with hate-filled eyes and John could see his fate being decided in that furious stare. With a snarl of frustration, Larn'kelnar released him and sprinted for the door, his psychic speed making him move in a blur.

***

Sakura charged along the corridor towards the group of twenty thralls running for the armoury. She was moving so fast that they didn't even realise the assassin was a threat until she had plunged into their ranks. She stabbed the first in the chest and disembowelled the second, tearing her blades free in sprays of blue blood as she began her slaughter. Her twin ninjato flashed back and forth, decapitating the Larathyrans or running them through, the slashes and stabs so fast that half of the thralls were dead before the rest realised they were being attacked.

The survivors stared wide-eyed at their dismembered companions and backed away in fear as the shadowy blur surged after them. Their screams echoed down the corridor as Sakura set upon the rest, cutting them down as they attempted to flee. The corridor was soon soaked with blood and gore, the unarmed thralls no match for the lethal assassin.

Feeling disconnected from her emotions, Sakura tore through the enemy without pause or hesitation. While individually none of the Larathyran women were any kind of threat, collectively they empowered Larn'kelnar, who was the most dangerous foe they'd ever faced. As she butchered the thralls, she didn't feel the slightest sense of remorse at hacking them to pieces... after all, she was showing them the same mercy that the thralls had shown the Invictus and her crew.

She pictured Faye's cheerfully smiling face, then remembered the sprite's look of horror when the Invictus was cut in half. A tear ran down her cheek as she skewered the last remaining thrall through the heart and she watched dispassionately as she tugged her blade free, letting the woman's body collapse to the ground. A sudden thought came to Sakura as she set off again. The thralls directly responsible for the attack on the Invictus were all located on the Bridge...

Sakura broke into a run with a specific destination in mind this time, a tight smile on her beautiful face. The smile wasn't reflected in her eyes; they were cold and hard, filled with a fierce hunger for justice... and not just for Faye, but the billions like her who had fallen victim to this legion of murderers.

***

Alyssa strode down the corridor, her Reaper Cannons floating alongside her, poised and ready to fire at a moment's notice. An alarm was blaring, the shrill sound echoing down the corridors and every so often she could hear panicked footsteps coming from one of the intersections. Fortunately, none of them had crossed paths with her group yet, but it was only a matter of time before they ran into someone. Pressing onwards, she did her best to ignore the terrible visions of thralls being drained into husks and glanced back at her companions to check they were okay.

The twins were also at the forefront of their formation, pistols and cannon trained on the gloomy passage ahead. Helene and Jessica were safe in the middle, with Calara and Jade flanking them for their protection. Finally, Rachel and Dana were at the rear of the group, watching for any sign of attack from behind.

"Are we nearly there yet, mummy?" Rachel whispered to her girlfriend.

Dana shook her head, the hint of a strained smile on her face at her lover's joke. "We need to go up six decks and cross to the port side."

The tawny-haired brunette took her eyes off the corridor behind them to study her lover with concern. "Are you alright?" When Dana shot her a look, Rachel rolled her eyes. "I know... but Helene lessened the grief... and you're still really subdued."

"She was my friend..." Dana said, choking back a sob, her eyes filling with tears.

Rachel swallowed around the lump in her throat. "I know..."

Alyssa paused, then turned to touch Helene on the shoulder. "They need you again, Helene... please."

There was a catch in Irillith's voice as she said softly, "I'm struggling too..."

Helene made eye contact with the blonde. *Do you want me to permanently lessen their grief?*

Alyssa shook her head. *No... We all loved Faye and need time to mourn for her... but not now.*

The aquatic girl turned to look at Dana, Rachel, and Irillith in turn, her eyes filled with sympathy. "Faye loved the three of you so much. I'm really sorry..."

"The sentiment was lovely, but it's not helping..." Rachel murmured, tears rolling down her cheeks.

Helene closed her eyes and reached out to all three girls, doing her best to ease their grief. She didn't want to touch their memories of Faye, so she left them alone and just did her best to temporarily reduce their emotional pain.

Rachel gave Helene a grateful smile. "Thank you."

Dana took a deep breath, then let out a shuddering sigh. "Alright... let's keep going."

***

Larn'kelnar sprinted along the corridor, then slowed when he reached the site of a massacre. Eviscerated corpses were sprawled across a junction, the thralls chopped to pieces with the consummate skill of an expert swordsman. He bristled at the effrontery... the thought of someone roaming freely through his ship and slaying his minions at will infuriated him.

Suddenly he felt a pang of fear and blurted out, *Ailanthia, where are you?*

*Still in your quarters, my Lord,* she replied. *I'm about to go to the Bridge and-*

*No, stay where you are. I don't want you roaming the ship,* he said firmly. *Until I've hunted down this intruder, I want you to lock yourself inside my quarters.*

*Yes, my Lord,* she said obediently, thrilled at his concern for her despite the dangerous situation.

Larn'kelnar threaded his way through the bloodbath at the crossroads and smiled to himself when he sensed her emotions. Ailanthia had always been a competent matriarch and served him faithfully for thousands of years, but he'd been astonished at how much his feelings had changed for her in the last few months. The sooner this intruder was dealt with, he could finish interrogating Blake and Rahn'hagon... then start looking towards the future.

He passed dozens more bodies on his way to the armoury, the thralls dismembered by a sharp weapon of some kind, probably some form of blade. Thoughts of melee weapons brought Blake's runesword to mind and he flexed the fingers of his right hand as he remembered the searing pain from touching that ancient weapon. There was a sense of... purpose... behind that blade and when it seared his flesh he felt it hungering for him.

A shiver ran down his spine, but he shook it off stubbornly. Blake had obviously just imbued the sword with a simple set of runes to deter enemies from using the weapon against him. The idea that it was some kind of special artefact was ludicrous and he dismissed that thought as his mind playing tricks on him. Even now, nearly a year after being freed from bondage, he still felt that clouding haze tugging at the edge of his subconscious. The beasts in the mists must still be furious at him and perhaps it was their rage at his breaking free that he'd been sensing.

More corpses lay where they'd fallen outside the barracks, a single cut efficiently dispatching each thrall. Larn'kelnar knew that was the lethal mark of an expert swordsman, but the idea that one person had been responsible for the deaths of thousands of his thralls was too farcical to be believed. Striding up to the barracks entrance, he tapped the glyph to open the door, then waited for it to split open.

The first thing that he was aware of was the sweet aroma of roasted flesh, the smell becoming more overpowering as the door opened fully. He was about to enter, when the horrifying state of the barracks finally registered. Some dreadful conflagration had incinerated the room, melting down everything within. Even the walls and ceiling were warped and distorted, the surface pockmarked and bubbled by the infernal temperatures.

He stepped inside, his finger drifting over the surface and finding the metal still warm to the touch. Larn'kelnar had only seen a blaze this hot once before, but the thought that another Progenitor was roaming freely around his ship was too far-fetched to even be considered. Blake was still restrained and when he'd checked on Rahn'hagon, the old fool was also securely bound, which discounted either of them as the culprits.

The five sections of the barracks had all been gutted by fire and he glanced through them before ending his inspection in the armoury. The flames had done their work in here too, melting and distorting the weapons on the racks, the armour equipping frames faring no better. Larn'kelnar shook his head in disbelief as he surveyed the devastation and his sense of disquiet steadily increased. Pausing at the doors into the barracks, he glanced through and saw that the door opposite was still sealed.

Relieved that the second armoury had escaped the immolating touch of the inferno, he crossed the barracks to rally the surviving thralls who must be getting geared up in there. Opening the door to the touch of a rune, he waited impatiently for it to withdraw into the frame. Stepping over the serrated edges and ducking his head, Larn'kelnar hurried inside, and was startled to find the armoury deserted.

He expected to find the room packed with thralls preparing for battle, but instead it was twisted and contorted like the nightmarish dream of a madman. Everything in the armoury seemed to have wanted to drag itself towards the rear of the room, where a compacted sphere of black metal now lay on the deck. Crouching down beside the orb, he made out hideously mangled thrall weapons just visible in its surface. He could barely imagine what might have done such a thing, but the fabric of the room seemed to tremble in the aftermath of potent eldritch powers.

*I'm returning to my quarters,* Larn'kelnar said quietly to his matriarch. *Have my war gear made ready.*

*Yes, my Lord,* Ailanthia murmured, shaken by the flicker of fear she felt in her master.

***

Sakura tapped the rune with the point of her blade, then flexed her fingers around the hilts of her ninjato, adjusting her grip as she waited for the reinforced door to open. The rune flashed, shifting colour from blue to red, but the door stubbornly refused to open. Glaring at the door in irritation, Sakura reached into the icy core within herself, then funnelled that into her twin swords. Frost skittered up the blades, the crack of ice echoing in the corridor as the air around the weapons plunged to subzero temperatures.

Taking a deep breath, Sakura lunged forward, driving both blades into the black door to the torturous shriek of metal grinding against metal. She jarred her arms and cursed as the points of her swords only dug a few inches into the surface. If she'd struck a titanium door with that amount of force, she would have cut through it like butter. However, that indentation was enough and she began channelling the glacial cold from her blades into the metal. The runes on her ninjato flared and ice began forming rapidly, seeping into the foot-thick door and spreading out over the surface.

Astounded by the new lows to which she could drop the arctic temperatures, Sakura poured in more psychic energy, the Progenitor magnification runes amplifying the effect on the door. There was an ugly creaking noise, then the door seemed to groan in protest as the ice shattered, black shards imploding into the Bridge. Sakura smiled as she strode through the gap, getting ready to dispense justice to the thralls who'd executed the attack on the Invictus.

A blistering salvo of purple bolts struck her suit's shield, making the surface ripple violently. Sakura moved by instinct, sprinting forward and activating her psychic speed as she rushed to get clear of the kill zone. The thralls she could see on the Bridge were all wearing black armour and carrying carbines or pistols, most of which were pointed her way. Instead of trying to double back to attack the squad firing across the open area at the back of the Bridge, she vaulted over the closest station and plunged both blades into the thrall behind the console.

Thrall armour was tough, but the material it was constructed from wasn't in the same league as the black Progenitor metal that had made the door so resilient. Duo-deca shaped Crystal Alyssium proved equal to the task of penetrating the thrall's suit and there was a grating screech as Sakura's ninjato impaled the Larathyran. With a strangled cry of pain and fear, the thrall pitched over backwards, her assailant riding her down to the deck. The ice encasing those blades flash-froze the thrall, her face reflecting her horror as she was chilled to the bone.

Gusts began to pick up over by the sundered doorway, unnoticed by the thralls who were fanning out to get a clear shot at their attacker. The defenders snapped off a handful of shots at the assassin as she yanked her blades free and flipped over the next console to decapitate the Larathyran helmswoman. Sakura ducked instinctively as tachyon bolts peppered the station, shattering instruments and blasting chunks out of the console. The winds began to swirl, picking up speed as they spun in a tight circle, but all eyes were on the assassin as she dived and darted through the Command Deck, eviscerating the thralls manning the various stations.

It was hard to hear the wind at first over the frantic gunshots, but as the gusts whipped themselves into a frenzy, an unearthly howl drew all their attention. The thralls started to back away, eyes widening in fear as they stared at the maelstrom of metal particles hurtling around the twister. Then, as if possessed of a diabolical will of its own, the tornado leapt towards them, its tail skittering across the deck as it plunged into their ranks.

Sakura stood and watched as the lethal hurricane of razor-sharp flechettes tore the squad of thralls to pieces. Some of them tried to run, but the winds dragged them back, scores of tiny metal fragments striking their armour at the speed of sound. Thrall body suits were no match for the incredible hardness of the black metal, with shards ripping gruesome holes through limbs and torsos. Shrieks of agony joined the whistling scream of the twister, mounting to a blood-curdling crescendo until the cries finally died out.

Dismissing her deadly tornado, Sakura turned away from the faltering winds, and thousands of fragments clattered across the deck. The Bridge was deathly quiet now, every member of the crew slaughtered by the vengeful assassin. Sakura gazed through the windows at Arcadia, the green and blue planet below looking beautiful against the backdrop of glittering stars. Her face reflected her sadness as she raised a ninjato, offering a silent salute to Faye's memory.