Three Square Meals Ch. 126

"Is there anything we can do?" Tashana asked, gently stroking his hand.

He shook his head, a haunted look in his eyes. "I think I need some help from Helene. Seeing the bots react like that... it just brought it all back. Not being able to do anything to save Faye... that feeling of helplessness..."

Both sisters embraced him, holding John close and trying to comfort him as best they could.

John stroked their backs then gave them a rueful smile. "Thanks, girls. I better go mine this ore, then we can get back home."

They nodded and watched him leave, knowing exactly how John was feeling.

***

"How sssoon will the Breklan'tohok be operational?" High Prelate Zorlin asked, clenching his grip on the maintenance gantry's guardrail as he gazed apprehensively across the hangar at the massive battlecarrier.

The lead technician glanced up at the green-hulled capital ship, the iridescent armour gleaming as it reflected the overhead lights. "Two more hoursss, High Prelate. I asssigned my bessst team to work on your flagssship,"

"Excellent work, Unchok," Zorlin said, suitably impressed.

"The Terran thievesss ssstole the heatsssinksss from every weapon," Unchok noted, rasping his teeth in anger. "Fortunately, we have an ample ssstock of replacementsss... more than enough for your entire fleet."

"I cannot begrudge them the ssspoilsss of war; we were lucky that wasss all they took. If we had been the victorsss at Terra, I cannot imagine that the Emperor would have been nearly ssso magnanimousss," Zorlin noted with a wry smile. He suddenly paused and looked at the Kintark technician with concern. "And what of the new ssshield generatorsss? Have they been inssstalled already?"

"The Brimoriansss only provided usss enough devicesss for the invasssion armada," the other lizardman admitted, nervously twisting his clawed hands together and refusing to meet Zorlin's worried stare. "Our production linesss at Mar'Trinark Ssshipyard have been reconfigured to conssstruct the new ssshield generatorsss, but we have limited ssstocksss available... essspecially for vessselsss of thisss sssize."

"How many?" Zorlin asked, his voice going quiet.

There was a long pause before an answer was forthcoming. "Four..."

The High Prelate's claws scraped across the metal handrail, the grating screech making the technician flinch.

"We have five battlecarriersss and nineteen battlessshipsss all in dire need of upgradesss!" Zorlin snarled in frustration. "Four is unacceptable!"

Before Unhok could reply, they both heard a terrified scream from behind them. The anguished cry tailed away, as if the unfortunate victim was falling from a great height.

"P-pleassse accept my apologiesss, High Prelate," Unchok stammered, edging towards the walkway that would take him across to the docked starship. "I jussst remembered that I need to check energy output levelsss from the Breklan'tohok'sss Power Core..."

Zorlin could sympathise with the frightened technician, wishing he could hide inside the heavily armoured battlecarrier too. "Inssstall the Brimorian Ssshield Generatorsss in the battlessshipsss... sssave the battlecarriersss until lassst."

Unchok bowed then turned and fled, his rapid departure prompted by the ominous thump of something... big... approaching.

Swallowing nervously, the High Prelate turned to look up the flight of steps that led to the access gallery that ran the length of the drydock. Long shadows flickered across the ceiling as the approaching creature's bulk blocked out the light. It was almost as if he could feel the anger radiating off the Kintark Empress and his every instinct cried out to him to flee in terror. When Tamolith finally appeared, her enormous draconic form was silhouetted at the top of the flight of stairs, the sheer size of her making his heart skip a beat. He desperately resisted the urge to run, knowing that should he succumb to his fear, what was left of his life would not be worth living.

Tamolith stalked down the broad steps, her reptilian eyes locked on her most experienced naval commander. "Ah, Zorlin, my courtiers said you were overseeing repairs at the drydock... it seems they are not entirely useless after all."

He bowed respectfully to the leader of the Kintark Empire. "There wasss no need for you to ssseek me out persssonally, Empresss. I would have dropped everything to anssswer a sssummons to the throne room."

She loomed over him and her serpentine neck coiled around, searching for anyone who might be close enought to eavesdrop on their conversation. "The walls in the Imperial Palace have ears, Zorlin." When Tamolith was certain they had some measure of privacy, she lowered her huge head so that she was at eye level to the trembling Kintark officer. "And I wished to speak with you privately..."

"I-I am honoured, Imperial Majesssty," he stammered with another nervous bow.

Tamolith studied him for a moment, clicking her forked tongue in disapproval. "You weren't nearly so obsequious when we spoke before, High Prelate. I must say I'm disappointed; if I wanted to be fawned over, I would have stayed in the palace and listened to the honeyed words of grovelling courtiers."

"Forgive me, Empresss," he said, fighting the urge to fall to his knees in her presence. "Ssseeing you in perssson isss daunting to sssay the leassst... you are asss intimidating asss you are majessstic."

She let out a deep breath that whistled through her long fangs, then made a visible effort to calm herself. As Tamolith's anger dissipated, Zorlin's urge to run for his life lessened considerably.

"Is that better?" she asked, amber eyes focusing on him again.

"Much, Empresss... thank you," he replied gratefully. Straightening with newfound courage he continued, "I've been reviewing the combat readinesss of the fleet... I asssume that isss why you wissshed to ssspeak with me?"

She nodded, her scaly brow furrowing. "What state are those vessels in? Are they combat ready?"

"The Terransss ssstripped the heatsssinksss from our plasssma batteriesss, but that isss a mere inconvenience... our maintenance crewsss are quickly replacing them," he explained, his expression pensive. "Mossst of the 300 ssshipsss returned to usss were from my battle group at Regulusss. The Federation forcesss concentrated their firepower on obliterating High Prelate Grikira'sss battle group, so only light repairsss are required for our ssshipsss to be fully operational."

"That's far better news than I dared hope!" Tamolith exclaimed, her imposing draconic face lighting up with relief. The dragon's curious gaze lingered on the High Prelate and she added, "But you don't seem particularly heartened, Zorlin."

He shook his head sorrowfully. "We are facing ssseveral insssurmountable problemsss. The majority of our fleet is usssing obsssolete ssshield technology and we cannot manufacture enough replacementsss in time to refit all our ssshipsss. If Emperor Baledranax gave the Brimoriansss our heat sssink ssschematicsss --even the lessser variety-- we will be fighting at a sssignificant tech disssadvantage."

"He did..." Tamolith interjected, grimacing at the thought.

Zorlin looked despondent, but continued with his status report. "The next major isssue isss one of numbersss. We only have enough vessselsss to form three war fleetsss... it won't be enough."

"What about the extra 100 ships the Terrans promised?" Tamolith pressed urgently. "The vessels that survived the Battle of Terra should be released shortly..."

"Thossse craft will require sssubssstantial repairsss, new ssshield generatorsss, and are a week away. Even if they were here and combat ready, we ssstill wouldn't have the numbersss we need. Preliminary reportsss from the Brimorian border are vague, but the Enclave appear to have invaded with at leassst six warfleets."

"We stand no chance of holding our own against the Brimorians?" the Empress asked grimly, her voice an ominous rumble.

Zorlin's shoulders slumped. "None whatsssoever, Imperial Majesssty."

The huge crimson dragon stood frozen for a long moment, then her lips peeled back into a feral snarl. She lifted her head and let out a terrifying roar of frustration and rage that left the High Prelate quaking in his boots.

"A thousand curses on your charred bones, Baledranax!" she screamed, whipping her tail around and smashing the nearest gantry.

The maintenance platform toppled off the Breklan'tohok, the twisted metal squealing in protest, before it crashed to the deck with a deafening clang.

Tamolith clamped her jaws down on the reinforced guardrail and ripped it clear, then spat it into the hangar with disgust. "Opportunistic Brimorian scum... I will not give up now, not after the indignities I've endured!"

Zorlin cowered on the floor in the face of her draconic fury. "We could bessseech the Terransss for aid, Empresss!"

"Crawl back to Devereux and beg for help?! Never!" Tamolith snarled, raking her claws across the deck and hurling the mangled floor plates aside. "That insufferably smug bitch already stole half my empire! What would she demand for assistance against the Brimorians? My firstborn son?!"

"What about the Trankaransss?" he implored the fuming dragon, ducking to avoid another lethal ball of crumpled metal. "There mussst be sssomeone!"

Tamolith paused, her outburst of rage abruptly quelled. Tilting her scaly head to one side, she considered the High Prelate's desperate plea. "Yes... your idea has merit, Zorlin."

Before he could say another word, the draconic leader of the Kintark Empire turned around and prowled away, her claws gouging huge furrows in the floor. While Zorlin was greatly relieved to no longer be faced with Tamolith's fury, he couldn't help worrying that his frantic suggestion might only grant him temporary reprieve. From all the rumours he'd heard, the Trankaran Republic was besieged by the Kirrix. He wasn't sure they'd even have enough surviving forces to repel the Brimorian invasion, even if they could be convinced to help.

***

Alyssa stood outside the Invictus beside Rachel, Helene, and Jade, the quartet looking skyward as the Progenitor shuttle glided towards them over the jungle foliage. The sleek black vessel lifted its nose as it pivoted over the clearing, retro-thrusters flaring in a succession of bright bursts to gently ease the corvette-sized craft to the ground.

"I can feel him," Helene murmured, wringing her hands together anxiously. "He's so sad... and so angry."

"I know... but don't do anything yet," Alyssa said, before glancing at the brunette to her right. "Are you sure about this?"

Rachel nodded, her gaze fixed on the airlock as it split apart, the jagged interlocking teeth sliding back into the doorframe. "The confrontation with Larn'kelnar didn't give John the closure that he needs to move on. If he'd only known about Faye beforehand..."

Her voice trailed off as John stepped out of the airlock. His expression was tightly controlled, but there was no disguising the raw emotions raging in his eyes. He stepped aside to make way for the trio of grieving maintenance robots to emerge from the shuttle, their hulking frames only just fitting through the airlock door. As the first moved aside, Rachel got a clear view of the third, who turned to face John.

He reached out and gently ran his hand over the high-backed leather chair the automaton was carrying. "Could you put it back in her spot please."

The robot nodded and rejoined its synthetic companions, the trio reminding Rachel of a procession of pall bearers as they crossed the clearing. She watched them float by in silence, noting their slumped shoulders and subdued posture. It was a stark reminder that the maintenance bots were no longer the simple mechanical constructs that her girlfriend had built only a few short months ago.

They glided up the ramp to the Cargo Bay, where Little One and the entire membership of the Invictus_Node_Collective awaited their return. The small cleaning robot that had become the de facto leader of the budding AI network rolled over to greet them, her tracks making quiet clicking sounds on the metal decking. She reached up to touch their six-fingered hands as they crossed the threshold and returned home, handing each of the robots a metallic disc-shaped object.

There was a whirring and clacking as each of the robots removed the bolts securing their faceplates, then carefully replaced them with their mourning masks. Little One watched them change then paused by the leather chair, touching it with the same reverence that John had only moments earlier. Their recognition of the rescued furniture as something that was special to Faye brought a lump to Rachel's throat and she had to look away, feeling like she was intruding on their grief.

John watched the robots head inside, the Collective parting to let them through. With a heavy sigh, he turned to the Maliri twins who were waiting at his side. "Would you mind postponing our threesome? I'm really not in the right frame of mind for it now."

Tashana gave him a sympathetic smile. "Of course, John. We understand completely."

"I miss her too," Irillith said quietly, embracing him.

He hugged her back, then they walked across the grass to join the waiting girls.

"Welcome home," Alyssa said, reaching up to stroke his cheek. "I'm sorry I wasn't there to support you."

John shook his head, a melancholy expression on his face. "We thought we'd be retrieving deactivated bots... I never expected I'd have to break the news to each of them about Faye." He turned to give Helene a strained smile. "I could really use your help, honey."

"Of course!" the aquatic girl exclaimed, forgetting the prior discussion with Alyssa as she rushed to give him a comforting hug.

"Hold on a second," Alyssa said firmly, placing a restraining hand on Helene's shoulder. She met John's quizzical look. "While you were dealing with the bots, we've been discussing what happened to Faye. Rachel, would you care to explain?"

The brunette was studying John's face, her clever grey eyes boring into his. "Actually, it would be simpler just to show you. Please come with me."

John looked at her in puzzlement, then shrugged and followed after the brunette as she strode down the ramp into the clearing.

"Wait!" Alyssa called out, beckoning behind her. "You'll need this..."

She had left his runesword propped up against the Cargo Bay wall and it floated through the air towards him, guided by her telekinetic urging.

John grasped the hilt of the proffered blade, his frown deepening. "I'm really not in the mood for training..."

"Just trust us..." Alyssa said, giving him a tender kiss.

"Okay," he agreed with a resigned sigh.

Alyssa shared a look with Irillith, who then fell into step beside the blonde as the group walked past the shuttle towards the edge of the clearing.

Rachel waited for him patiently, standing a few dozen metres away from a chunk of twisted Crystal Alyssium plating that had been torn off the Invictus' hull in the crash. "This should do nicely."

"I'm not focused at all right now," John protested, looking down at his sword, the runes dull and lifeless. "Can't this wait?"

"This isn't about training you to break through shields," Rachel said, her tone gentle and caring. "You need to vent all these emotions you've got bottled up inside you... about what happened to Faye."

Alyssa raised her hand and pressed her first two fingers against Irillith's temple. The Maliri's angular eyes began to glow with an inner light, then a violet-hued projection beamed out to envelop the mangled chunk of metal. John looked at her in surprise, then followed the purple glow to its target... and froze stock still. Larn'kelnar stood at the tree line, his handsome Progenitor features twisted into a mocking smirk.

"Larn'kelnar destroyed Faye," Rachel said softly. "But you killed him before we found out what he'd done... so there was no catharsis in his death."

John's eyes narrowed with hatred as he glared at the Progenitor who had slain his friend. His grip tightened on the hilt of his sword and the runes began to glow with an ominous light.

"Alright, let's do this..." he muttered through clenched teeth.

Rachel nodded and gestured towards the psychic projection, a globe of hexagons appearing around Larn'kelnar. The sphere began to rotate, but John could still make out the Progenitor's contemptuous sneer through the whirring shield. He remembered Larn'kelnar's callous disregard for the millions of lives he'd conspired to destroy, just to get some misplaced revenge against Xar'aziuth for the thousands of years he'd spent as his helpless puppet. To a monster like him, Faye's death would have meant less than nothing.

John whipped his sword around in a broad arc, unleashing a telekinetic blast wave that thundered across the clearing and slammed into the shield. Hexagons cracked but didn't break, the force projection scything into the jungle behind and carving a path of devastation through the trees. As severed trunks exploded and were hurled into the air, John slashed back and forth, following the first telekinetic blast with several more.

Each force arc slammed into the shield, but with no greater success than the first, Larn'kelnar's sneer widening as he effortlessly blocked the attacks. John could feel his rage building, emotions that he'd fought to suppress since finding out what the Progenitor had done, finally finding an outlet for his fury. He growled in anger and lashed out at the spinning barrier with more psychic strikes, wanting nothing more than to wipe the mocking smile from Larn'kelnar's face.

"We didn't even get a chance to say goodbye to her..." Irillith whispered, a tear rolling down her cheek as she shared in his grief.

With a feral snarl, John charged across the clearing and brought his sword down in a devastating two-handed chop. His blade flared with light as it smashed into the globe, cracking hexes but still not breaking through. John began to accelerate, his sword rising and falling in a blur as he pounded on the psychic barrier, each impact sending booming crashes rolling across the jungle.

Rachel raised a second hand towards the rotating shield, her jaw set firmly in concentration as she repaired the hexes as fast as John could smash through them.

John's mind was flooded with memories of Faye, remembering how the cheerful sprite always did her best to bring happiness to him and the crew. She'd been a constant reassuring presence aboard the Invictus, and since her death, his home had felt hollow and empty without her. His heart ached with the loss and he would have done anything to bring her back... but there was nothing he could do. He remembered her final moment, Faye reaching for him and calling his name, a look of horror on her beautiful face.

She was so sweet and kind... Faye never deserved to die in such a meaningless way. Her death brought about by the man standing before him now, Larn'kelnar smirking at taking Faye from him.

"You motherfucker!" John raged, eyes ablaze with vengeful fury as he rained blows on the barrier. He was consumed with a frightening hunger, the need to hack his way through the shield and gut his Progenitor nemesis overwhelming all sense of reason.

Rachel gasped as John's runeblade blazed to life, each mighty blow now echoing with a menacing bass note.

"He's draining me!" she cried out in warning, darting a shocked glance at Alyssa.

The hexagonal barrier flickered under his onslaught and with Rachel's concentration broken, John shattered the globe, the psychic barrier exploding outwards in a blizzard of hexagons. He roared in triumph and hacked through Larn'kelnar's body, chopping him in half and vaporising Irillith's projection. A hefty chunk of Crystal Alyssium sailed through the air with the force of the blow, cartwheeling hundreds of feet across the jungle before crashing into the dense foliage.