Three Square Meals Ch. 126

John panted from the exertion as he stood over his slain foe, the outpouring of savage emotions leaving him reeling. When the blinding rage faded away, he realised he was staring at a piece of sundered metal, not the Progenitor he'd burned to death aboard the black dreadnought. Now that reason and clarity had returned, he tossed his sword aside, then squatted down with his head in his hands. As deeply satisfying as it had been to disembowel Larn'kelnar for what he'd done, it still didn't change the fundamental fact that Faye was gone.

The girls stared at him in stunned silence, all except Jade, who padded across the clearing to her master. She knelt at his side and gently caressed him, her fingers cool and soothing on his fevered brow.

"Remember this feeling, Master," she whispered in his ear, "... and learn from it."

He looked at the Nymph, his expression haggard. "How?"

"If you want to give Faye's death meaning... don't let this happen again."

She gave him an enigmatic look and rose to her feet. Her nubile body shimmered with a green light, obscuring her form as she shifted and grew in size. When the verdant haze dissipated, she stood before him as a massive jade tiger, her emerald eyes sparkling as they caught the light.

*Come with me, John,* she insisted, her usual deference replaced with firm authority. *It's time to be the cat, not the mouse.*

John breathed deeply as he stood, then fell into step beside Jade as she padded into the jungle.

***

The House Baelora flotilla dropped out of hyper-warp, appearing on the outer edge of the Epsilon Aquarii system. Taking pride of place at the forefront of the huge fleet was their flagship, the Ruven Lephyra, a huge mass of sleek golden plating and crystal domes. The engines at the rear of the mighty battleship ramped up in power and pushed her onwards, leading every vessel that House Baelora possessed to the heart of Valaden territory.

Sarinia Baelora stood with her younger siblings on the Bridge of that capital ship, the five Maliri noblewoman watching in tense silence as they approached Genthalas Shipyard. It was the first time any of the quintet had seen this ancient relic from a bygone era, bequeathed as it had been to House Valaden down through the millennia, and they were all suitably impressed.

Genthalas was formed in the shape of a gigantic ring, but the sheer scale of the orbital starbase was staggering, the circumference scores of kilometres in length. The upper decks were festooned with gleaming golden spires and sparkling crystal domes, but countless weapon batteries lurked amidst the splendour, reminding the House Baeloran sisters that the shipyard was as deadly as it was beautiful. The outer edge was an unbroken wall of hangars and docking bays that was alive with manoeuvring spacecraft, with at least three-quarters of the starbase now in active use.

"We never stood a chance against House Valaden," Lieralia whispered, both shocked and afraid.

"With a facility like that at Edraele's disposal, no one did," Rosanae murmured, finding herself in wholesale agreement with her twin.

Sarinia stared at the drydocks that were teeming with Maliri warships. "This is all new. I've seen mother's espionage reports on Genthalas from only a year ago; House Valaden barely had the personnel to keep a quarter of this station operational."

Tehlariene watched a trio of cruisers race away from the drydocks, the three vessels moving with startling speed. She gestured towards them, pointing at the twin moons insignia that declared their allegiance. "Look! Those ships belong to House Loraleth... and that pair of battleships over there are from House Perfaren and House Aeberos!"

Myrdina bit back the urge to torment her youngest sister, turning instead to the eldest. "What does it all mean, Sarinia?" she asked fearfully. "Those houses all hate each other, but they despise Edraele Valaden even more! For that matter, why is House Valaden even refitting their rivals' ships?! Has Gaenna ever explained any of this to you?"

"You honestly believe that mother would explain her actions to me?" Sarinia replied, turning to give the younger noblewoman a look of incredulity. "Have you learned nothing of Matriarch Gaenna Baelora in the last century?"

Despite flushing at the terse reply, Myrdina refused to be dissuaded. "Gaenna started all her strange behaviour two months ago. Don't you remember her getting that message from Tsarra Perfaren and how bizarre mother acted afterwards? She departed with the fleet and she hasn't returned to the homeworld since! It must all be connected... but I don't understand how!"

"That's what we're here to find out," Sarinia said, brow furrowing with concern. "We shall be meeting mother within the hour, so perhaps she'll be in a forthcoming mood..."

Her siblings went quiet, the prospect of being reunited with the tyrannical matriarch of House Baelora stifling any further conversation.

Sarinia turned to the Maliri officer seated in the command throne, who was staring at all the fleet activity with more than a little trepidation. "How soon until we dock?"

"Ten minutes, Lady Sarinia," the Fleet Commander replied, turning to look at her guests with a mixture of sympathy and amusement. "I notified Matriarch Gaenna of your imminent arrival. I believe she is waiting to greet you personally when you disembark at Genthalas."

While her sisters flinched, Sarinia gave the naval officer a warm smile. "Your loyalty to your matriarch is to be commended, Uricae."

Sarinia had politely requested that their presence aboard the fleet be kept secret, so her praise was actually a damning reminder that Uricae had betrayed her trust. The Fleet Commander realised that instantly, wiping the smirk from her face, the veiled acknowledgement of that betrayal made all the more sinister by Sarinia's pleasant delivery. The Fleet Commander watched the noblewomen leave the Bridge without further comment, suddenly finding herself hugely relieved that they were departing.

It didn't take long for the House Baelora siblings to gather at the primary airlock, their servants bringing their luggage to them before the battleship docked. The Ruven Lephyra glided into one of Genthalas' huge hangars, then descended to hover a few feet above the deck. A soft chime alerted the anxious Maliri passengers that they had arrived and Sarinia's four sisters all glanced at her expectantly, waiting for her to open the door.

She looked at them and raised an eyebrow. "What happened to all the indignant women who demanded to accompany me to Genthalas? Now we've finally arrived, you're behaving like meek little flowers."

Myrdina, Lieralia, and Rosanae all blushed a dark indigo, unwilling to admit that they were frightened. Tehlariene had been strong armed into coming by her sisters, so she felt no shame at being terrified by the prospect of facing their mother's wrath.

Sarinia sighed with resignation and reached across to touch the rune beside the airlock. The crystal door rotated up into the ceiling, granting them access to the orbital facility. Taking the lead, she stepped through the portal and down the ramp which dropped to the deck, her suitcase floating obediently beside her. Sarinia heard her sisters following her out of the battleship, but she paid them no more attention, her focus now squarely on the woman standing a dozen metres away.

Matriarch Gaenna Baelora stood stiff-backed and aloof, her eyes glinting dangerously as she studied her disembarking offspring. "My dutiful daughters... how wonderful it is to see all of you," she declared, her airy tone as unfamiliar as it was unsettling.

Struggling to keep her voice from trembling, Sarinia walked across to greet her matriarch. "You look radiant, mother. Your new hair colour is most becoming."

Gaenna's composure wavered for a second, her hand rising subconsciously to touch her snowy-white hair. After a moment's pause, a smug smile appeared across her face, her expression taking on a sly cast. "I decided a change in appearance would be fitting... to match the change in fortunes of our House."

The other four sisters remained mute during this exchange, fidgeting nervously as they stood a few paces behind Sarinia.

Their mother cast her unfriendly gaze across all five noblewomen. "Thank you for answering my summons to Genthalas so promptly. I do hope you had a pleasant journey?"

Sarinia blinked in surprise at the mention of a non-existent summons, then realised Gaenna was keeping up a facade in case they were under surveillance.

"The trip was uneventful, but filled with anticipation," she replied, thinking quickly. "We were all grateful for the opportunity to see you again, mother... it has been two months since you left Baelora."

Gaenna smiled, but it wasn't reflected in the calculating look in her eyes. "Yes... events at Genthalas have kept me extremely busy." She turned towards the exit, her long ceremonial robes making it look like she was gliding across the floor. "Come, let me take you to my suite and offer you some refreshments. We can relax together before you retire to the quarters I've had allocated to you for the duration of your stay."

The House Baelora matriarch led them from the hangar, a pair of bodyguards moving to flank her as they walked the corridors of Genthalas. Despite the superficial pleasantries exchanged in the docking bay, Sarinia could see her mother bristling with anger, and she was filled with a familiar sense of dread. Gaenna made no more effort to initiate conversation, so the family walked in silence as they returned to her quarters.

After entering her luxurious suite, Gaenna watched her daughters troop inside, followed by the bodyguards who stood post at the entrance. When the doors had slid shut behind them, she faced Sarinia and her hand whistled out in a stinging slap that made her daughter gasp in shock.

"Insubordinate little bitch!" Gaenna snarled, her eyes blazing with fury. "How dare you travel here without my express permission!"

Sarinia staggered back a step from the blow, then straightened and tried to ignore her smarting cheek. "We were concerned about your wellbeing, mother! I wanted to-"

"I don't give a damn what you want!" the enraged matriarch screeched. "I ordered you to stay on Baelora! Do you have any idea how embarrassing it was to be informed of your imminent arrival by a Fleet Commander?! You made me look like I can't even control my own daughters!"

"I was worried that you might be held under duress by Edraele Valaden!" Sarinia blurted out, before she could be ordered to stay silent.

Gaenna sneered at her with contempt. "Witless fool... you understand nothing!" Her cold unforgiving gaze swept over the quartet of women that cowered behind Sarinia. "And what are the rest of you imbeciles doing here? Isn't there a single one among you with an iota of sense?! You've all abandoned our homeworld!"

The four sisters quailed before her wrath, none of them daring to speak in case they became the focus of their mother's ire.

"Use of the neural whip might have been forbidden, but I still have many useful tools at my disposal! Would you like another session with a dermal-retractor, Myrdina?"

Myrdina paled, her hands twisting her belt in terror. "N-no mother! Please... I'm so sorry I disappointed you... I'll do whatever you want!"

Gaenna glared at the frightened siblings, the menacing silence stretching onwards as she pondered their fate. Finally, she curled her lip in disgust and dismissed them with an imperious sweep of her hand. "Leave me... I need to decide how to punish all of you for this wilful act of defiance."

"As you command, Matriarch," they said together, trying not to sigh with relief as they left her malevolent presence.

Departing in silence from Gaenna's suite, they accompanied one of the House Baelora bodyguards, who led them away along the corridors of Genthalas.

"I should never have let you threaten me into coming here..." Tehlariene whispered to her sisters, on the verge of tears as she followed meekly after their escort. "Why did you make me?"

"When mother starts punishing you, she'll be distracted from the rest of us," Rosanae hissed spitefully, glad of an opportunity to take out her fear and anxiety on someone else. "It's not as if we enjoy your company, you snivelling little wretch."

Lieralia nodded, a vindictive sneer on her face. "Maybe Gaenna will tire herself out torturing you, Tehlariene. At least we'll have finally found something you're good for..."

Myrdina glared at her elder sister and hissed under her breath, "This better be worth it, Sarinia! I've never seen mother so furious..."

"Oh, I'm sure it will be..." Sarinia murmured distractedly, her mind fully absorbed with her plans.

She needed to track down her undercover agent and start making enquiries, which meant quietly slipping away from her sisters when they were led to their individual quarters. None of the others had noticed, but Gaenna hadn't slapped her that hard in decades... and Sarinia suspected that wasn't due to the strength of her mother's anger.

***

John vaulted over a fallen log, then ducked under a low-hanging branch as he jogged along at Jade's side, keeping pace with the massive green tiger. Despite her huge size, the Nymph managed to barely make a sound as she navigated her way through the jungle, leading him further away from the Invictus. He'd been surprised when she'd asked him to run with her, but now that they were, he found the experience exhilarating.

At first glance, Arcadia's rainforests seemed very similar to those seeded on hundreds of Terraformed worlds throughout the Federation. The floor was blanketed in fan-like ferns and the trees ranged from vast, thick-trunked Kapoks to low hanging Xate palms. However, there were differences to be found within this Progenitor grown ecosystem, and he spotted a host of unusual fruit trees interspersed amongst the thick vegetation. Exotic six-winged insects flittered around the pungent plants, the drone of their wings joining the chorus of clicks and chirrups that filled the background noise of the jungle.

John watched a pair of four-armed monkey-like creatures squabbling over the jungle's rich bounty, the small simians bolting for cover when they saw Jade bounding past. "Arcadia's beautiful, but what are we doing out here?" he asked, darting a glance at the massive green feline. "I don't think shapeshifting is in a Progenitor's repertoire, so I might struggle to 'be the cat'..."

She gave him a toothy grin, baring her huge fangs. *It's a mindset, Master. Ever since I've known you, you've been chasing your tail, rushing to deal with one emergency after another. Now that Larn'kelnar is dead, it's time for you to stop being the prey... and become the hunter.*

"You're right... and that's exactly what I'm planning to do," he agreed, nodding thoughtfully. "Now we can finally seize the initiative and be the ones making tactical strikes against the other Progenitors. As soon as we've upgraded the Invictus and requisitioned Larn'kelnar's fleet, we can launch our own offensive against those bastards."

Jade padded to a halt, then turned to face him, her emerald eyes watching John like a hawk. *No, Master. You're still thinking like a military tactician... I'm sure Calara would approve, but that's not why I asked you to join me. You need to become the cat... which means hunting your prey without pity or remorse.*

"What do you mean?" he asked, looking at her in fascination.

*Progenitors have spent eons fighting each other in protracted wars that can last for centuries...* she replied, her voice taking on an eerie cadence, as if she were repeating words spoke long ago.

He felt a shiver run down his spine. "Did Mael'nerak say that?"

She slowly nodded her huge head. *We cannot fight a conventional war of attrition with them, not when we're so heavily outnumbered and they're using soulforges to replenish their forces.*

"Jade, how do you know all this? I thought you couldn't recall anything from before Mael'nerak mind-wiped the Nymphs?"

Her emerald eyes turned unfocused as she gazed away into the distance. *Something changed recently. I've been remembering things... snippets and fragments... like someone has cracked open a doorway in my mind and memories are starting to slip through.*

"Like Mael'nerak using a staff? Or him living on Kythshara?" John asked, remembering the other unexpected announcements she'd made. "And the thrall species being seeded through the galaxy for neophyte Progenitors to claim?"

*Yes, exactly,* she replied, sounding distracted. She turned her feline gaze on him. *As soon as I remember anything new, I'll tell you straight away. I'm not concealing anything from you, Master, I promise.*

"I never thought you were, honey," he said, stroking her furry ear. He frowned as he continued, "I just hate knowing that part of your mind is locked away from you. I wish there was something I could do to help."

She shimmered in a verdant haze, reverting to her familiar Nymph form. "I know exactly how you feel, John," she said softly, stepping closer and brushing her cool green fingers against his temple.

He flushed self-consciously, then leaned back against a thick tree trunk. "You're right... I do need to deal with my guide. He's long outstayed his welcome."

"Why don't you then?" Jade asked with a casual shrug, looking at him curiously.

"It's not as simple as that," he said, his brow furrowing. "This won't be anything like Alyssa and Athena. For one thing, Alyssa didn't actually absorb her guide, she let Athena keep control of a segment of her mind and they cooperate together in harmony. In my case, I'm going to have fight my guide for permanent control of my body... and it's not going to be easy."

"But you defeated your guide before," the Nymph persisted. "Why didn't you just absorb him then?"

"My own reserves of energy were tapped out... I only had what you gave me," John explained with a rueful frown. "All I could do was seal him up to deal with later. Besides, my father was trying to kill me at the time... I didn't have a lot of options."

Jade stepped closer and hugged him. "You're going to have to face your guide before you confront another Progenitor, Master... you can't put this off for much longer."

"I know," he said, holding her close and burying his face in her luxurious onyx mane. "I just need a bit of time to deal with everything first. After what happened with my parents and then losing Faye... I'm not in any shape to fight him at the moment."

"Let me know if there's any way I can assist you," she said, running her fingers through his hair as she embraced him.

"Thanks, honey. You're always there for me when I need you," he said, giving her an affectionate kiss on the cheek to show his appreciation. "But for the moment, let's just focus on helping your sisters. It's been incredibly rewarding to see them develop a sense of self-awareness and I really want to help give them their freedom."

Jade knew that the rejection by his parents had severely undermined John's confidence and that doing a good deed for her fellow Nymphs would give him a much-needed boost.

"Of course, Master," she said with an understanding smile. "Actually, it's funny you should mention my sisters..."

"Why funny?" he asked, stroking her back.

"Leylira volunteered to help me with your cat training," Jade replied, idly tracing a pattern on his chest with her finger.

The pattern was suspiciously heart-shaped, drawn directly over his own... which left him wondering exactly what Jade's plans were for the predatory tigress. "How is Leylira involved exactly?"

"Close your eyes, Master," Jade whispered, tracing her fingertip lovingly along his jawline.