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"Oh, thank you, Edraele!" Kali gushed, giving her a hug. "I really like Sarinia and her mother's been horrible to her!"
Edraele kissed the worried young noblewoman on the forehead and said soothingly, "Don't worry about a thing, darling girl. You can leave this with me now."
Kali sat up, a smile of relief lighting up her face. "I knew I could count on you. Just let me know if you want me to help with anything!"
"I will, Kali... and thank you for answering this mystery for me."
The House Loraleth Matriarch rose to her feet, then glided out of the room, pausing only to wave goodbye to Edraele and Luna.
Edraele got up from the chair and stretched, a look of anticipation on her face. "Would you be so kind as to summon Matriarch Gaenna Baelora to my quarters, Luna? I think it's time I had a little word..."
Luna laughed and nodded. "As you command, my Queen."
***
*Okay get ready, this is the last piece,* John said, gesturing towards the three-metre section of the new sensor array.
The ship component floated over to the chevron-marked hole on the far side of the Workshop and he started easing it through the gap. The lift that was usually occupying that spot had been lowered to the deck in the Cargo Bay, giving him plenty of room to manoeuvre.
*I've got it. You can let go now, handsome,* Alyssa replied, waiting in the cavernous room below.
John relinquished his telekinetic grip on the bulky device, dropping it through the hole into the blonde's psychic embrace. When he walked over to the gap in the floor, he glanced down and saw that Alyssa had already moved the component out of the way. He activated flight mode on his Paragon suit, then dropped down into the elevator shaft, descending into the Cargo Bay supported by golden-flamed thrusters.
Alyssa moved the final piece of the new sensor system into position, forming a thirty-metre long metallic arc. Dana had her multi-tool in hand and she began locking the last section of the new Quantum Omni-Phase Scan Array together, making sure it was ready for installation.
John had spent the last several hours shaping thousands of pentadeca Crystal Alyssium plates for the Invictus and the constant psychic activity had started to take its toll. Shaping the psychically responsive metal fifteen times was well within his capabilities, but shaping it to that degree for the entire afternoon, a dozen armour plates at a time, was a far trickier prospect. He stifled a yawn and landed beside Alyssa to check how she was holding up.
"I'm tired, but I'll be okay," she said, answering his unspoken question.
"Are you feeling strong enough to reinforce the prow?" he asked, knowing the hardest task was still ahead of them.
"I hope so. This will have all been a gigantic waste of time if I flake out," she replied with a grin.
He chuckled and pulled on his Paragon helmet. *You can't be that tired if you're making jokes.*
She donned her own protective headwear and accompanied him towards the Cargo Bay door. *Jade dropped us out of hyper-warp. We can make a start whenever you're ready.*
*I'll begin with the armour plating; join me when you're finished installing the sensors.*
*Will do,* she agreed, watching as the colossal door began to open.
John waved goodbye, then ducked under the door and kicked away from the ship, launching himself out into space. He activated flight mode and swept along the Invictus' flank, heading towards the bow. The massive door to the Primary Hangar had opened as well and the first of the maintenance bots began to float outside, their white armour glimmering as they reflected the starlight.
Amongst the two-dozen hovering robots, several of the girls launched themselves out of the hull, ready to assist with bolting the hardened armour plates into position. John could identify them by the colours of the holographic lionesses projected from their shoulderpads and he spotted a new light-green amongst the dark-brown, white, and tawny coloured felines. Helene turned to wave at him, the brightness of her smile visible even over a hundred metres away.
There was a crackle over the HUD, then Helene's teal-hued face appeared, her eyes darting around as if not sure where to look. "Hello? John, can you hear me? Is this thing on?"
He smiled and said, "Just look straight ahead for the camera, honey. You'll see me appear in the top right."
Helene looked his way, then spotted him in the GUI and relaxed. "Hi! I wanted to help too... is that okay?"
"Sure, do you know what you're doing?"
She nodded eagerly. "I've got this 'multi-tool' to push bolts into holes so the armour doesn't fall off."
*Don't worry, Dana showed her what to do,* Alyssa informed him.
"Sounds like you've got this. Thanks for helping out," he said gratefully to the aquatic girl.
Movement near the bow caught his attention and John spotted the Valkyrie jetting out of the Mech Launch Bay. Sakura twisted the huge robot and it looked like it was kicking off a wall as the agile machine shifted directions and raced below him.
"I'll install the Hyper-Pulse generator then help with the plating," the Asian girl said, rolling so that he could see her through the cockpit as she flew underneath him. "See you soon!"
John returned the mech's wave, watching Sakura bring the mech to a halt by the Cargo Bay. The Valkyrie reached inside and picked up the newly-built comms system, all ready to replace the one they'd given to the colonists of Valia Gate. He felt a push to his right and his view shifted wildly as he spun in place.
*Hey, you're keeping everyone waiting!* Alyssa teased him, letting John know who was responsible for the playful shove.
He regained control of the spin and looked over at the Cargo Bay, where two Lionesses stood beside the new piece of reverse-engineered Progenitor technology. He didn't need to see the red and gold lionesses on their shoulders to know who they were, with Dana accompanying Alyssa as the psychic blonde levitated the sensor array out into space.
*I was just checking everyone was okay,* he replied, flushing as he realised the rest of the girls and two-dozen robots were waiting on him before they could start work.
Behind his waiting helpers, glistening white plating was stacked from floor to ceiling inside the Primary Hangar, the armour pieces numbering in the thousands. He sucked in his breath as he realised the scale of the task ahead, then gestured towards the closest pile, beckoning it out of the Invictus. Peeling off the armour plates like a croupier dealing out a pack of cards, he used telekinesis to push them into position against the warship's hull.
He started above the entrance to the hangar, placing the armour against the superstructure for the robots to bolt into place. Although he started slowly, he was able to pick up speed, carefully lining up half-a dozen plates at a time. John soon outpaced his helpers, who needed to bolt all four corners to the Invictus, and he fell into a steady rhythm as he worked. Stack after stack floated out of the hangar, with John attaching the plates to the flank, before returning for the next pile. It felt relaxing to be working in this methodical way and he activated psychic speed, ramping up the pace he was armouring the hull.
Ten minutes later, Alyssa's voice disturbed his zen-like focus. *You're taking ages! You haven't even finished the starboard side yet!*
He spotted Alyssa flying towards him from the topdeck. *You think you could do it faster?*
She held up her hands, using flight mode to arrest her speed and coasted to a stop beside him. *Is that a challenge, Mr. Blake?*
*Consider yourself challenged, Miss Marant,* he replied, a grin spreading across his face.
John was quite proud of the progress he'd made so far and although Alyssa was exceptionally good with telekinesis, he was sure she couldn't match his psychically accelerated pace.
*What do I get if I win?* she asked, looking intrigued.
*I don't know... what do you want?*
*You can owe me a favour,* she replied without hesitation. *With no take backs!*
*Hmm... and what do I get if I win?* he asked, raising an eyebrow.
*I'll be your devoted love slave?* she suggested hopefully.
He held onto her waist and pulled her close. *I thought you already were?*
Alyssa faked a pout. *Okay, what do you want in return?*
*No teasing of any kind... for a week!*
*Are you out of your mind?!* she blurted out incredulously. *No way!*
*Ah, not so confident after all...* he taunted her. *Alright, how about this: I'll owe you a favour... and I'll go along with whatever you ask, without any arguments.*
*Done!* she exclaimed, a triumphant gleam in her eyes.
John suddenly felt a dark sense of foreboding and realised she'd played him into raising the stakes.
Alyssa winked and turned to face the Invictus. "Dana, can you set up some magnetic fields for me please?" she asked, using the comms interface, so he could overhear their discussion.
"Sure thing!" the redhead replied, failing to stifle a giggle.
"Hey!" he protested. "That's cheating!"
"No it isn't," Alyssa said calmly, turning to grin at him over her shoulder. "You just challenged me to armour the ship faster... it's not my fault you didn't take advantage of the girls' abilities."
John watched Dana touch the Invictus' hull and golden lines rippled into place, appearing like a glowing topographic map a dozen metres above the hull.
"Okay, all set!" Dana exclaimed, giving her friend a thumbs up.
Alyssa beckoned several stacks of armour plating from the hull, then peeled off the top layer and pointed at the Invictus. Like rounds from the Singularity Driver, the plates rocketed towards the hull, before dramatically slowing when they reached the glowing magnetic field. Each had just enough momentum to push through Dana's magnetised barrier, where a second magnetic field slotted them into place on the hull.
John groaned and slapped Alyssa on her armoured rump. *Alright you win... I owe you one.*
She turned around and crossed her wrists behind his neck. *That's right Mr. Blake. Just once, you'll go along with whatever I want... with no complaints or arguments.*
*Oh god...* he protested with a groan. *What have I done?*
*Made me very happy!* she replied brightly, with a beaming smile. *Now, let's plate up the ship and get moving. I want to test my theory on hypervelocity bow waves.*
John nodded then glanced at her rapidly-diminished stack of armour plates. *Wait a second... I just thought of a way to speed things up even faster.*
*Nice!* she agreed, listening to his thoughts.
Alyssa moved further down the hull away from the hangar, leaving John floating in place outside the gaping entrance to the ship. When she was in position, he started beckoning out stacks and fired a stream of plates towards Alyssa, making sure they were aimed just in front of her. She caught them in a telekinetic scoop that arced them around towards the Invictus, where Dana's magnetic fields ensured they were fitted in perfect alignment against the hull.
She moved up above the topdeck and replated the top of the Invictus, then they switched sides to armour the port flank and finally the underbelly. John kept beckoning out piles of armour plating until he was shocked to realise that they'd raced through all the stacks. He glanced at his HUD and could hardly believe that it had only taken them twenty minutes to fully re-plate the Invictus.
By this time, Sakura had repaired the comms system and docked the Valkyrie. She was now working with the rest of the crew, using her psychic speed to bolt all the plates against the hull at an incredible rate. John and Alyssa left the girls and the bots to continue securing the armour, and the pair soared along the length of the Invictus towards the bow. This front section of the ship needed to be substantially reinforced, which meant reshaping the plates from deca-shaped to icosa-shaped.
*I can't believe we're considering twenty-shaping this much plating...* John said with more than a little trepidation.
*Tell me about it,* Alyssa muttered. *I'm going to be having nightmares about this for weeks.*
*I'll take the topdeck and the starboard side,* John volunteered, gesturing towards the metal plating.
She nodded, too preoccupied for any more light-hearted banter. *Alright, I'll do the rest. Call on Edraele for more energy... I'll tap into Jade.*
*Alright, let's do this,* he agreed, stripping the armour from the hull.
He worked in silence, melting the existing armour plating into a huge sphere, before forcing it into different shaped multiple times. When the metal had been reshaped a total of eighteen times, John realised he was grimacing against the strain as he psychically forged the incredibly tough armour for a nineteenth time. Alyssa hadn't said a word either, and when he glanced in her direction, he saw she was labouring her way through her own orb of Crystal Alyssium. Her shoulders were stooped and she looked like she was carrying a leaden weight on her back.
*I'm fine,* she said, not sounding very convincing.
*I'm going to need some help, Edraele,* John said, as sweat pricked his brow.
*Of course, my Lord,* she said softly, her gentle words accompanied by a soothing wave of psychic energy.
He closed his eyes to savour the sensation for a moment, then continued on feeling refreshed and renewed. As he was about to dart another worried glance in Alyssa's direction, he heard his third matriarch's voice unbidden in his mind.
*Don't worry, Master,* Jade said, her voice calm and reassuring. *I'm supplying power to Alyssa.*
John could see the effect it had on his blonde XO and together they manufactured a swathe of armour plates with renewed vigour.
***
Sarinia sat at the desk in her quarters, reviewing the notes she'd spent the afternoon compiling. Rereading its contents for the third time, she finally nodded with satisfaction, pleased that she had covered everything she'd learned on her trip to Genthalas. She opened the data archive that her operative aboard Genthalas had sent her, then searched for four specific images.
The first showed the five Young Matriarchs conversing together as they left Edraele's quarters, the long-haired women spectacular in their beauty. The second showed the thirteen matriarchs of the other Noble Houses, the older Maliri women also possessing white hair, although theirs was still kept respectably short. The third showed Queen Edraele Valaden, the majestic nineteenth member of the Council of Matriarchs, and the woman Sarinia now knew ruled at Baen'thelas' behest.
After reviewing the first three images, her hand trembled as she hovered over the fourth. She glanced at the chronometer on the holographic interface and grimaced as she fought against temptation. She couldn't afford to lose another thirty minutes staring enthralled at his picture, but despite knowing that, her finger still wavered unsteadily. One more look wouldn't hurt...
The door chime echoed through her quarters, the sudden noise making Sarinia jump. With her previous thoughts scattered, she quickly closed down the holographic interface.
"Enter!" she called out to the door, while rising from her chair.
Myrdina blustered inside, her fraught expression marring her otherwise pretty face. "Why aren't you ready yet?!"
"Good evening to you too, dear sister," Sarinia replied, gliding across her quarters to the small but functional kitchen. "I was simply preoccupied and didn't realise the time."
"We better not be late," Myrdina grumbled sourly. "How long will it take you to-"
Sarinia reached into the refrigeration unit and withdrew several containers. "Calm yourself, Myrdina. I prepared my dinner earlier."
The second eldest daughter relaxed briefly, then tension crossed her features again. "So what else did you find out?"
"I'll tell you everything later," Sarinia replied, walking towards the door. "We really don't have time at the moment."
"I don't want to wait, tell me now!" Myrdina snapped impatiently.
Sarinia shook her head. "I'll speak to you and our sisters together; I'd rather not repeat myself."
The door chimed again and Myrdina gave her eldest sibling a sly smile as she opened it. Lieralia, Rosanae, and Tehlariene were all waiting there, each carrying their pre-prepared meals.
"Quick, come in!" Myrdina said, pulling her youngest sister inside.
The other two sisters followed with a bemused frown, the door sliding shut behind them.
"We're all here now," Myrdina declared with a smug smirk. "So what did you find out from Kali Loraleth?"
Sarinia sighed and rolled her eyes. "Alright, you win. I discovered a whole host of fascinating things, but we really don't have time to discuss everything in detail." She raised her hands placatingly when Myrdina started to protest. "Do you want to be late for the meal with our mother?"
Myrdina scowled and shook her head. "Of course not," she replied sullenly.
"You have to tell us something!" Lieralia pleaded, her curiosity piqued.
"I will, but don't blame me if you have trouble accepting when I tell you..." Their eldest sister looked around at her siblings, making eye contact with each in turn. "Mael'nerak really did exist; he ruled the Maliri for many thousands of years."
Rosanae wrinkled her nose and scoffed with derision. "The Mael'nerak?! Have you taken leave of your senses, Sarinia? You expect us to believe a childhood fairy story is real?!"
"I don't expect you to believe anything," Sarinia replied with a nonchalant shrug. "But Kali Loraleth believes it to be true... just as she believes that Baen'thelas is one of his kind."
The four sisters all reacted to the mention of that name, goosebumps prickling their skin.
"Be a good girl or the Mael'nerak will get you..." Tehlareine whispered, her eyes going wide with fright.
The sneers had been wiped off the faces of the other Baeloran noblewomen and they now looked unsettled as they stared at Sarinia. They had definitely not been good girls.
Myrdina tossed her head, as if trying to shake away the eerie sense of unease. "This is ludicrous! Sarinia starts spouting nonsense and we all believe everything she says!"
"You're welcome to discuss it with mother at dinner tonight," Sarinia suggested, raising an eyebrow. "I'm sure Gaenna will be quite happy to confirm what I've told you... after all, she has met Baen'thelas on several occasions."
Lieralia and Rosanae shared a worried glance, and the bluster had been knocked out of Myrdina. Tehlareine didn't say another word and just looked terrified.
Sarinia softened her voice and said sympathetically, "I know what you're all thinking; it was a shock for me to hear it too. Unfortunately, we don't have the time to discuss it now, but we can talk about everything after dinner tonight. We must depart immediately or we really will run late... and I have no desire to anger mother this evening if I can help it."
The sisters nodded and accompanied Sarinia in leaving her quarters, the quintet heading for Gaenna Baelora's suite. They didn't say a word as they walked, the sisters not quite sure if they should believe their eldest sibling or not. As much as they wanted to think she was lying, there was something very strange about the eerie effect Baen'thelas' name had on each of them.
***
Edraele studied the neural lash that hummed in her hand, the microscopic barbs making the cruel edge to the sadistic device shimmer in the light.
"For decades, I considered myself something of an artist with the neural lash," she murmured, an unsettling note to her voice. "Most novices flail away, spraying blood all over the place... but that's the worst possible thing you can do. You see, the blood loss eventually makes the subject lose consciousness. A gentle flick of the wrist is the key. If you're careful, you can make their nerves sing out in agony and keep them in that state for hours."
