Three Square Meals Ch. 122

"What insanity is this?" he muttered, holding out a trembling hand to gauge the mind responsible for this destruction.

Again, the mental signature imprinted here was startlingly different to those he'd encountered elsewhere. The sense of grief echoing here was disconcerting and he pulled away, unable to stand the haunting sadness. With a frown of confusion, Rahn'hagon left the armoury, and couldn't help wishing that he'd had the opportunity to study the thralls under John's control. He considered visiting the interrogation chamber to find out what had transpired there, but he already had ample proof to backup Jessica's claim of psychically imbued thralls.

Thoughts of Jessica made him pause and Rahn'hagon closed his eyes for a moment, focusing on the psychic connection linking them together. The snaking cable stretched away through the wall, pointing towards the lower decks at the rear of the ship. He turned and followed that undulating line, wending his way through the maze of gloomily lit corridors as he closed in on his errant matriarch.

Pressing the rune to open the door to the Shuttle Bay, Rahn'hagon looked inside and was relieved to find Jessica standing in the middle of the large room. As he quietly approached, he realised that the brunette was staring at a withered Larathyran corpse. He blinked in surprise when he noticed that the dead woman had white hair, quite unlike the hundreds of dark-haired thralls he'd seen aboard this vessel.

"Alyssa said Larn'kelnar drained the life out of all his thralls..." Jessica said, her quiet voice breaking the uncomfortable silence in the hangar.

Rahn'hagon glanced at her, unsettled by her tone.

"She also said that she sees their ghosts..." the brunette murmured, staring at Ailanthia's corpse. "That when thralls are killed like that, they leave a psychic imprint behind... because they died in agony."

He blinked in surprise. "Wait... what was that?! She can actually see psychic imprints?"

Jessica's eyes narrowed and she ignored his question. "Alyssa said that she saw the ghosts of dying thralls in our ship... in our home. Did you murder those women, Rahn?"

Rahn'hagon hesitated, on guard now. "Jess... I was different back then. That was a long time ago, thousands of years before I met you."

Her expression darkened, the look in her eyes one of revulsion as he confirmed her worst fears. "Larn'kelnar murdered pregnant thralls... killed his own children." There was a dangerous edge to her voice now. "Did you ever kill your own babies, Rahn?"

"No, never," he replied adamantly, relieved that he could answer her honestly. After a brief pause, he continued, "During the final battle with Mael'nerak, over a hundred of my thralls were pregnant with my children... but he killed them all when he blew up his ship, not me! After the explosion, I was dying; I had to drain some thralls to heal my wounds... but none of them were pregnant."

"Alyssa told me what happens when a girl swallows your cum... that being with a Progenitor changes you. Your thralls were just like me, weren't they?" she asked him bitterly. "Blindly devoted to you, thinking you were the most perfect man in the Universe. They adored you and you murdered them, Rahn! How could you betray them like that?!"

He gaped at her, shocked by her furious outburst.

Jessica turned and jabbed a finger at Ailanthia's desiccated body. "She looks different from all the rest and she was waiting here to escape with Larn'kelnar before John killed him. She must have been Larn'kelnar's matriarch... and that bastard drained the life out of her!" She stepped closer and looked Rahn'hagon dead in the eyes. "Would you do that to me, Rahn? Sacrifice my life to save your own skin?"

"No, never!" he exclaimed, reaching out to grab her arms, his heart clenching when he saw Jessica flinch. "I love you, Jess! I would never hurt you like that, I swear it! I'm not the same man I was back then... the years changed me... you changed me!"

Her face crumpled and she looked away, tears filling her eyes. "I don't believe you anymore..." she whispered, her voice filled with pain. "You tried to murder our son... how could you do that?"

"It was a mistake, Jess," he pleaded with her. "I was upset... angry... I thought he was playing me for a fool and he put us in so much danger!"

"You made me abandon my boy... forget about my parents..." She looked at him through tear-filled eyes. "I thought you were so wonderful... but you're a monster."

Rahn'hagon released his grip on her arms as though he'd been scalded, his heart threatening to break as Jessica looked at him with loathing. "Jess... please..."

"I had a choice..." she said bitterly. "I could have run to John and begged for his forgiveness. Instead, I chose to save you... a man who murders women who love him and who tried to kill my boy. I'm a fool."

Jessica turned and stumbled away, her shoulders trembling as she wept.

Rahn'hagon watched her leave in stunned silence. He'd been alone for 9000 years and had relished the solitude before Jessica Blake had walked into his life. Now it seemed he was alone again, but this time it felt like his heart had been ripped from his chest.

***

Charles muted the holo-screen and glanced at Lynette's bedroom, but after listening carefully there still wasn't any sign of her stirring. Glancing at the chronometer, he was startled to see that it was now 6:30 in the evening and that he'd lost most of the day waiting for his fiancée to awaken. He activated the comms interface in the armrest of the sofa and contacted his assistant.

"Hello, Admiral," Lieutenant Victor Adams said a few seconds later. "There's been several people looking for you this afternoon. I informed them that you were indisposed with urgent meetings..."

"Who was it and were they after me for anything important?" Charles asked, feeling guilty for taking the afternoon off.

"Vice Admiral Ming wanted to discuss defensive upgrades for Olympus; I believe you were supposed to be meeting him at 4 o'clock this afternoon?"

"Ah crap, it completely slipped my mind!" Charles swore, rubbing at the bridge of his nose. "I'll call him and apologise. When am I free next?"

"Don't worry, he was quite understanding. I've rescheduled your meeting for eleven tomorrow morning... is that okay?" he asked tentatively.

"That's perfect. Thank you, Victor," the Admiral said with a relieved smile. "Who else?"

"Mr. Voss called, but didn't want to leave a message. He seemed a little... on edge."

"I wonder what that's about," Charles said, quirking an eyebrow. "Alright, I'll call him. Next?"

"Vice Admiral Baker asked me to pass on a message, and I quote: 'Tell him to make sure he gets his bony ass to the Academy reunion this weekend!'," Victor said, trying to stifle a grin.

Charles' moustache twitched as he smiled. "Next to Baker, everyone has a bony ass." He thought about it and shook his head. "I still can't make it... it's far too busy around here at the moment."

"The Vice Admiral told me you'd say that," Victor said, his grin broadening. The Lieutenant's expression turned serious and he continued, "Permission to speak freely, Sir?"

"Fine... but you're not going to convince me," Charles said with a sigh.

"You haven't taken any vacation time this year and I'm sure you could use a break. Reunions are all about being able to show off to your old classmates and if you don't mind me saying so, you've been incredibly successful in your career... Admiral Harris. You could give your ego a bit of a boost and recharge your batteries at the same time; it might actually be fun to have a drink with some old friends."

Charles seriously considered it for a moment and imagined the shock and awe if he attended the reunion with Lynette as she really looked. Then again, considering how many members of the Admiralty had trophy wives or beautiful mistresses, simply attending the reunion with Fleet Admiral Devereux as his fiancée would probably cause an even greater stir.

"Alright, I'll think about it," he grudgingly conceded. "Who was the last one?"

"Admiral Van Den Broeck called to check if you were free tomorrow evening for your date?" Victor asked, the smirk reappearing on his face.

Charles rolled his eyes. "Pencil her in for lunch, hopefully that'll keep her happy."

Victor shook his head in admiration, then updated the scheduler. "Done, Sir. Don't forget you have the rescheduled High Command meeting at 8 pm."

"Alright, you can call it a night, Victor."

"Goodnight, Sir," his assistant replied, his face disappearing as Charles ended the call.

As soon as Victor had gone, Charles made another call to Henry Voss. The new Voss Corporation logo appeared, showing Terra protected by a shield, with the company name in bold lettering. The image of Terra rotated slowly as he waited for the call to connect, but after thirty seconds, an automated voice asked if he'd like to leave a message.

"Hello, Henry. This is Charles just returning your call. If it's important, feel free to contact me this evening. I'll be up until late."

Charles ended the connection, then closed the comms interface. Lynette still hadn't emerged, so he picked up his plates and coffee mug from his late lunch and took them through to the kitchen. He briefly considered making some dinner for the sleeping women, then decided to just order in some Thai food from the restaurant in the galleria, which his fiancée had previously enthused over at length. After placing the order, he returned to the lounge and reactivated the holo-screen, continuing the TFNN broadcast that he'd paused.

"I'm here in the Justice Administratum on Terra, bringing you an update on the Kintark War Crimes Tribunal," Bill Armstrong said, trying to affect a sombre countenance despite his obvious excitement at being able to cover such a momentous occasion. He turned to the man beside him, who was wearing full-dress uniform. "With me today is Admiral Connor Malone, official spokesman for High Command on the Tribunal. Thank you for joining me, Admiral."

Malone had no problem looking sombre, his expression grim. "Thank you for this opportunity to address the citizenry," the admiral replied, before gesturing towards a burned park behind him, a toppled skyscraper the source of all the rubble strewn across the once-beautiful landscaped gardens. "It's fitting that the tribunal is located in the heart of Unity City, the site of one of the worst atrocities of the war. Hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians were killed in the plasma firestorm that ravaged the Capital, a city scarred but not broken by the Kintark's orbital bombardment."

Bill Armstrong looked slightly ruffled that the Admiralty spokesman had delivered a more eloquent introduction than his own. "Ah... yes, that's very true, Admiral. Perhaps you can tell our viewers a little more about the Tribunal?"

"Panels comprised of senior officers will be overseeing the trials of the Kintark personnel captured after the battle. Prosecution teams will seek to determine the guilt of all enemy combatants, gauging their complicity in the multiple war crimes committed by the Kintark Empire against the Terran Federation. It will be our job to seek justice for the men, women, and children unlawfully slain both in the Dragon March and during the Battle of Terra itself."

"Over 550,000 prisoners were captured after the Kintark surrender," Bill said, his brows furrowing. "How long will it take to process that many personnel and can they be assured of a fair trial considering the numbers involved?"

"As I'm sure you're well aware, impartial Terran Federation justice is the envy of the galaxy," Admiral Malone said, keeping his expression neutral. "I'm confident the Kintark will receive fair justice determined by the extent of their involvement in the massacres committed against Federation citizens."

"Charles?" Lynette called out from her bedroom.

He immediately paused the Holonet broadcast and darted towards the door. "I'm here, sweetheart. Are you alright?"

His words died on his lips when he saw Lynette's pale face, as there was no mistaking the shock and grief reflected in her hazel eyes. A quick glance at Jehanna saw her looking equally distraught.

"What's wrong?" he asked, sitting on the bed beside his fiancée.

"John sailed deep into Kirrix Space to look for his parents... and was ambushed by the Progenitor. The Invictus was cut in half and crash landed on Arcadia..."

"My ship..." Charles looked shocked, his numbed brain trying to make sense of what she was telling him. "Wait.. are John and the girls alright?!"

She nodded, her expression conflicted. "He was captured, but Alyssa and the girls managed to board the black ship. They freed John, fought the Progenitor and killed him..."

"The Progenitor's dead?!" he blurted out in astonishment. A broad grin spread across his face, the tension easing from his shoulders. "I can't believe it... I've been worrying myself sick about a Progenitor invasion for months and then John just ends it! I might have known he'd pull off something like this... if anyone could have done it, it was that lucky son of a bitch!"

He paused and studied Lynette's forlorn expression. "We won, sweetheart! Why the long face?"

"Faye died in the ambush," she said, her eyes welling up.

"Faye? Which one was she?" Charles asked, his heart sinking for his friend.

"The petite purple girl... she was an AI," Lynette murmured, leaning against his chest as he hugged her.

Charles darted a shocked look at his fiancée and Jehanna. "An AI?!"

The dusky hued reporter shook her head, brushing her eyes with the back of her hand. "She wasn't like Nexus... Faye was a lovely girl."

"Faye looked after me when I was recovering from being shot," Lynette said, her voice breaking. "She was sweet, thoughtful, and very kind. I really liked her, Charles... she was one of the nicest people I've ever met."

Jehanna nodded, giving up on trying to stem the flow of tears. "John and the girls loved her very much... they're devastated to have lost her."

Charles hesitated, then beckoned the reporter over, hating to see her so upset. Jehanna went to him and joined his embrace with Lynette. "Can you pass on a message to Alyssa for me?" he asked his fiancée, as he rubbed her back to soothe her. When Lynette nodded, he continued, "Please tell her that I'm so sorry for their loss... I know how hard it is to lose loved ones in combat and they have my deepest sympathies. When they come back to Olympus-" His voice trailed off and he looked at her in alarm. "You said the Invictus was destroyed! Are they marooned in Kirrix Space?!"

"They're going to patch up the ship, but they're not coming back here. After the Invictus is spaceworthy again, they're planning to sail to the Maliri Protectorate for refit and repairs."

"We might not see them for months," Jehanna murmured, trembling as she cried. "I don't know how I'm going to cope waiting that long..."

"Months?" Charles asked, looking down at the two women in shock. "Can't we just send a fleet to rescue them and help with repairs?"

Lynette shook her head. "It's not that... they need to go to Maliri Space to prepare for war."

Charles frowned in confusion. "But you just said the Progenitor was dead?"

"There's more..." Jehanna whispered ominously.

Lynette nodded and looked up at him, fear in her hazel eyes. "A lot more..."

***

Irillith soared through the cyber realm, travelling along silvery paths as she explored the Invictus' data network. In the distance she could see a brilliantly lit platform, the array of glowing pastel shades making the node shine like a beacon in the darkness. This was the digital representation of the Engineering Bay within the network and the location of the central server that controlled the maintenance bots.

The Maliri hacker landed on the silver-etched floor, then looked around for the relevant data archives. It had been months since she'd last been here, having trusted Faye to handle the continuous software upgrades the bots had required, which had enabled them to assist with increasingly complex tasks. It hurt to think of that trust being abused and Irillith wished she could find out why Faye had chosen to work in secret.

When she reached the robot's control server, everything appeared to be exactly as she'd last seen it. She found the core programs they'd written for the original set of maintenance bots, with a number of minor alterations timestamped on the date Faye had amended them. The work here was relatively simplistic though and there was no sign of anything sophisticated enough to explain the robots' behaviour.

She stepped back and eyed the server suspiciously. If anything, this looked like a decoy to draw attention away from what was really going on with the robots. Her eyes glowed violet and she created a dozen seeker probes, the dart-like programs hovering obediently beside her.

"Locate the Invictus_Node_Collective," she instructed them, then watched as they swooped away to scour the network.

Irillith stood on the edge of the platform, gazing out over the network as she waited for her programs to complete their search. There was a simple beauty to the cyber realm, with brightly coloured data streams contrasting against the black background and silver pathways that connected the nodes. The nodes themselves looked like miniature floating cities surrounded by a dark ocean, each one a hive of data activity as information travelled around the network.

She noticed a red flash on the status panel that floated at her side, then blinked in surprise as one of her seeker probes encountered a fatal error and deactivated. As she stared at the panel, another probe dropped, then another. Irillith frowned as she realised that with them self-deleting like that, she wasn't able to query their location within the network at the point they were deactivated. Recalling all the seeker probes, Irillith amended their programming to provide constant-updates on their present location, then replaced the missing probes and dispatched them again.

It didn't take long for one of the modified seeker programs to deactivate, but this time the location data had been spooled through to her data panel. She raised her hands and lifted off the platform, then soared across the cyber realm as she tracked the last reported grid reference for the probe. To her surprise, the probe had been drawn to the section corresponding to Deck Six, near the stern of the Invictus. As far as Irillith was aware, there were just automated systems on that level, but she couldn't be completely certain because it was a part of the ship that they very rarely visited.

Her violet eyes widened in amazement when she saw the multitude of glowing data feeds streaming to and from the platform ahead. The activity here dwarfed anything she'd seen before, even eclipsing the volume of data processed by Nexus when she confronted him in the cyber realm. She landed on the platform and approached the towering server in the centre, the achingly familiar purple lights drawing her in like a moth to the flame.

As she approached, one of black data sentinels loomed overhead, her proximity to the server triggering investigation by one of the network's formidable guardians.

"Access to this zone is restricted. Confirm identification," it demanded, glowing red sensors tracking her movement.

Irillith froze and stared up at the defensive program. "Primary ident: Azure_Superuser."

The sentinel paused, its sensors flashing purple for a second. "Access granted."

She turned and watched the enormous black presence glide away to resume its tireless vigil.

"Hello, Creator," an airy voice said behind her.

"Faye?!" Irillith gasped, whirling around and seeing the purple elfin girl. She let out a low cry and rushed across the platform to tightly embrace her. "I thought we'd lost you!"