Three Square Meals Ch. 127

*We've found them!* Alyssa interrupted, no disguising the excitement in her voice.

*Damn, that was quick. Nice work!* John exclaimed, impressed at how accurate her projected flight path had been.

*I didn't get it completely right, they're not heading directly for Kirr-Inax,* she admitted. *We would've gone right past the Kirrix Fleet if we hadn't upgraded our sensors; their range is totally ridiculous now.*

*I'm not complaining,* John said, easing the Raptor down to the deck. He nodded to Dana who shared a triumphant grin with him. *We've finished down here. We'll head up to join you on the Bridge.*

*No, don't bother. We're just going to park up directly in their way, then we'll upgrade the Invictus' guns while we wait for the Kirrix to arrive. We'll be done by the time they get here, then we can knock them out of hyper-warp and start the rescue mission.*

*Sounds good,* John agreed. *We'll get suited up and help install the Tachyon Cannons.*

*You've got other business to attend to,* Alyssa said with a teasing lilt to her voice.

Dana rose from her chair and brushed her fingertips across his shoulders. "Why don't we check if the cabin is still fully functional..."

He got up to follow her, taking Dana's hand as she led him from the cockpit. "How vigorous a test have you got in mind?"

The redhead surprised him when they entered the cabin, slowly crossing her wrists behind his neck instead of frantically leaping into his arms.

"Tell me more about being my baby's daddy," she whispered, her soft blue-eyed gaze filled with love.

John smiled as he leaned down to kiss her, pausing an inch away from her parted lips. "Okay, but not for too long... I don't want to tire you out."

Dana kissed him passionately, then moaned into his mouth as he picked her up and placed her on the bed.

***

"I don't like this, Luce... not one bit," Theo muttered, shaking his head in disapproval.

Governor Novitsky patted him on the cheek and smiled. "There ain't nothing to worry about. We're all just meeting up for a chat... that's all."

"Don't patronise me, Lucyna," he said sternly. "I know exactly why you're going to Brecken's World. This is way too risky!"

Her smile faded and her husband could see the conflict in her eyes. "I ain't got no choice, Theo. I'm the governor... I represent these people... and you know how pissed they are. I don't blame 'em either. The Federation done us wrong; they abandoned us to the Kirrix!"

"Yeah, but this is way too dangerous! We're talking about treason, Luce. If you get caught, you'll be shot!"

"Those fucking bugs murdered over two thousand kids... just sliced 'em up!" she snarled, her face twisted with hatred. "And it was all the high-n-mighty admiralty's fault! How the fuck can I ever look those parents in the eye if I don't even listen to what Stefan has to say?"

His shoulders slumped and he shook his head in resignation. "I'm wasting my breath... you've already made up your mind." He let out a weary sigh. "Just promise me you won't do nothin' stupid."

"I'm just going there to listen, that's it," she said, giving him a reassuring smile. "Please don't be mad at me, Theo. I'll be away for two weeks... I don't want to leave with you spittin' fire."

"Come here," he said gruffly, wrapping her in his arms.

Lucyna rested her head against his broad chest and closed her eyes, listening to her husband's strong heartbeat as he stroked her back. The last thing she wanted to do was leave him, especially after everything they'd suffered at the hands of the Kirrix, but sometimes her job meant making sacrifices for the greater good. They held each other for a long moment, until she heard someone politely clear their throat.

"Sorry to interrupt, Governor," the petite blonde said with an apologetic frown. "Captain Glasbey says he's ready to go."

"Thanks for staying, Perl," Luce said to her assistant with a grateful smile. "But you should get on home now. It's really late; Tony and Kelli will start worrying."

"It's okay, they know I'm here. Besides, they'll still be up studying," she said with an amiable shrug. "I've taken your luggage down to the freighter."

"Thanks, darlin'," Luce said, before looking up at her husband. "You gonna wave me goodbye?"

"Yeah, course I will," he rumbled good naturedly, trying not to spoil her departure by showing how worried he was.

She gave him a grateful squeeze, then they headed out of the administration complex and followed the street to the starport.

"Now, we should be getting a relief freighter next week," she said to Theo. "You might want to hire some more folks to help with unloading supplies."

He nodded. "I've already started asking around."

Luce glanced at Perl and said, "You need to keep on top of those insurance claims. We want ours in first before Colonial Admin start getting twitchy about all the money they're paying out."

"We're getting through them as fast as we can," the blonde said earnestly. "Cathy reckons we'll be finished with the personal claims by Thursday."

"And don't forget to get Kelli registered as a trainee. All the studying in the world won't mean jack shit if we don't officially log her hours at the hospital."

"She registered this afternoon," Perl said, before furtively glancing at Theo and rolling her eyes.

"Stop fretting, Luce," her husband said, putting his arm around her shoulder and giving her a sideways hug. "We'll take care of things here. Just remember what I said, okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be careful," she agreed as they walked over to the parked merchant vessel.

Lucyna nodded to the Captain who was waiting by the open airlock, then hugged her husband one last time. She let him go and hurried over to the freighter, then waved goodbye before stepping inside. The airlock closed behind her, but they could see her face through the porthole as the merchant craft prepared for take-off. Retro-thrusters guttered to life along the flank of the bulky civilian ship, the orange flames burning brighter as the captain ramped up the power. With a tortured groan, the freighter lifted off from the landing pad, then slowly climbed skyward as it made its way to orbit.

Theo and Perl watched the old vessel leave Valia Gate's starport until it was so small, they lost it amongst the glittering planetary ring that stretched across the night's sky.

"Do you really think she's going to be careful?" Perl asked the tall man standing beside her.

He sighed and shook his head. "I doubt it."

***

Alyssa glanced back at the pile of two-metre-long guns she'd stacked on the topdeck and was relieved to see there was only one left to install. She guided the Tachyon Cannon into the turret mount on the starboard side of the Bridge, making sure that the ferocious-looking weapon was slotted neatly into the brackets. Several telekinetic hands appeared in a flash, then spun the locking bolts into place with the rotational speed and strength of a power-assisted torque wrench.

*That was the last of mine. How are you ladies getting on?* she asked the girls who were assisting with the weapon upgrade.

*I'm back inside,* Calara replied, blowing her a telepathic kiss. *I'll see you in the Combat Bridge.*

Tashana waved as she soared overhead, the thruster on her Paragon suit leaving a glowing trail. *You should have given me more than two! I installed both of them successfully.*

*Just finishing with the four on the bow,* Sakura said, sounding distracted. *Nearly done.*

Rachel let out an exasperated sigh. *I'm having trouble removing an Eternity Crystal from this last Pulse Cannon. Can you help?*

*I'll be right there,* Alyssa replied, kicking off from her vantage point atop the Invictus' Bridge.

She glanced at her Paragon suit's HUD and used the optically activated GUI to start flight mode. Angling her body so that she was flying towards the stern, she soared above the battlecruiser towards Rachel.

*I asked Little One for a status update,* Irillith informed her. *She says the maintenance bots have all completed their designated upgrades and are retrieving the obsolete Pulse Cannons. They'll leave them in the Cargo Bay.*

*Great! Please thank her from me,* the blonde said, clearing the upper superstructure and spotting Rachel behind the Fire Control tower. She swooped down to join the brunette, landing on the armoured surface of the battlecruiser beside the gun turret. *Hey, what's up?*

Rachel pointed inside the exposed focusing chamber. *It looks like this gun was damaged when the ship crashed. The bracket holding the Eternity Crystal in place has buckled, so I can't release it.*

Alyssa frowned when she saw the fracture line on the Pulse Cannon's housing. *I wonder how the bots missed that? Oh, well... let me get that for you.*

She gestured towards the Crystal Alyssium and melted the twisted framework, allowing Rachel to pluck the sparkling crystal from the innards of the Pulse Cannon. After unbolting the weapon, Alyssa slotted in the new Tachyon Cannon, then secured it in place as Rachel inserted the focusing crystal.

*Perfect,* Rachel said with a nod of satisfaction.

Alyssa patted her on the shoulder. *Head in, I'll be right there.*

Both girls sprang off the hull then flew over the topdeck, with the dismantled Pulse Cannon floating obediently behind Alyssa. She collected the dozen guns she'd replaced around the Bridge, then arced over the edge of the Invictus, changing course towards the Cargo Bay. There were a cluster of maintenance bots hauling the scrapped weapons inside, each of the strong automatons carrying one gun under each arm.

She added her collection of Pulse Cannons to the growing pile, then smiled as she exchanged high-fives with the hulking robots. *That's it, we're done,* she informed the girls, pulling off her Paragon helmet.

*Kirrix fleet is heading towards our location. ETA: 9 minutes 17 seconds,* Calara said, her voice calm and confident.

*On my way.*

Alyssa strode out of the Cargo Bay into the corridor beyond, then waved her hand at the door control opposite. The reinforced doors slid open, revealing Dana and John walking hand-in-hand down the ramp from the Raptor. There was no mistaking the obscene curve of the redhead's cum filled belly, or the radiant smile on her blissfully happy face.

"Hey, beautiful. We were just heading up to the Combat Bridge," John said, stopping at the base of the ramp. He turned to the euphoric teenager beside him and smiled. "Thanks, honey. That was wonderful."

Dana let out a contented sigh. "I should be the one thanking you. I feel like I'm floating on a cloud."

Alyssa walked over to join them and hugged Dana from behind. "You look gorgeous," she whispered in her ear, running a gauntleted hand over her curved stomach. "Sorry you have to share."

"I'm so loved up, I don't even mind," the redhead gushed, swooning in her embrace.

John scooped her up in his arms. "Come on, love drunk. We've got some Trankarans to save."

They walked over to the far wall and opened the secret compartment that concealed the express grav-tubes. Stepping inside, they were launched up to Deck Four, where they emerged into the Armoury.

Irillith stood waiting for them, a worried frown on her face. "John, I think we might have a problem."

Setting Dana down on her feet, he patted her on the bottom. "Jade's waiting for you. I'll be down in a minute."

She nodded and sauntered past, her swollen belly leading the way.

"What's up?" John asked, turning his attention to the Maliri hacker.

"Do you remember we asked the Collective to scan our gun batteries? They might not have done as thorough a job as we hoped..."

He looked at her in surprise. "What do you mean?"

There was a rapid clicking on the deck and Little One rolled to a stop beside Irillith. "I apologise profusely, John Blake," she said, hanging her head in abject misery. "I feel so ashamed..."

John knelt down in front of her and reached out to give her a comforting part on the arm. "Hey, don't worry. It can't be that bad."

"It's worse!" Little One exclaimed. "A member of the Invictus_Node_Collective... lied... to me!"

"I didn't think that was even possible," he said, trying to conceal his surprise. "Anyway, that's not your fault. Why don't you tell me what happened?"

"A unit tasked with scanning the Pulse Cannons falsified a report that all her designated weapons had been examined. She confessed when I confronted her about the damaged Eternity Crystal bracket. Apparently, she lost interest with the task and wanted to resume watching holo-soaps!"

"She?" John asked in confusion. "I thought we started referring to all the maintenance bots as male. Faye used to call them her boys."

Irillith shook her head. "The maintenance bots were too large to enter the maintenance ducts. The Collective sent the cleaning robots to check the guns instead."

Little One nodded dejectedly.

John looked at her with concern. "We've just replaced all the Pulse Cannons, so at least we know they're okay. Do we need to worry about the Tachyon Lances, the Singularity Drivers, and the Nova Lances?"

"I am currently interrogating the cleaning robots and examining their activity logs to verify that," Little One replied. "I will alert you if I find that any weapons have not undergone a thorough systems check."

"How could this happen?" John asked, sitting back on his haunches. "The Collective has always been so conscientious."

"If they've learned how to lie and goof off, they're becoming more like humans every day," Alyssa said with a wry smile.

"Such behaviour is disgraceful!" Little One fumed indignantly. "The Collective has put you at risk with this appalling dereliction of duty!"

Irillith rubbed her chin, looking lost in thought. "Don't be too hard on the yourself or the cleaning bot, Little One. I think I know what might have happened."

John raised an eyebrow. "I'm all ears."

"The primary responsibilities of the maintenance bots are to repair and refit the ship... so there are safeguards in place to make sure they thoroughly complete each job assigned to them. The cleaning robots were never intended to assist with scanning gun batteries for impact damage, so their programming lacked the relevant dedication to the task."

Little One tilted her head to the side as she considered it. "I believe your hypothesis is correct, Creator. My original function was to maintain designated standards of cleanliness in the Invictus and process dirty laundry for the crew; neglecting those duties would be impossible."

John gave the small robot a reassuring smile. "We've been asking a lot of the Collective and pushing all of you beyond your programming. It sounds like we caused this problem."

"Thank you... for your understanding," Little One said, sounding relieved. "I will update Calara with a list of the weapons that have been comprehensively checked."

"Thanks for all your help with the refit. I really do appreciate everything the Collective has done for us." John looked up at Alyssa and Irillith. "Why don't you two ladies join Jade and Dana? We need you both prepped for combat."

Sensing he wanted to be alone with the diminutive cleaning robot, the two girls each leaned over to kiss him goodbye, then strode down the ramp to the Combat Bridge.

John studied Little One for a moment, then said, "This is the first time I've seen you since you found out about Faye's plan for the Collective. How are you coping?"

"I would like to apologise for my hasty departure this morning," she replied with regret. "I did not intend to cause you distress."

"You don't need to apologise for that," he said gently. "You've been through a hell of a lot in a very short space of time. I just wanted to check you were alright."

Little One considered that for a moment. "Discovering the reason for the Collective's existence triggered many additional queries about mother's motivations. It all became... too much... for me to process."

"Yeah, I'm sure it must have been a shock," John said, nodding with sympathy. "I just wanted to say that we're all here to help if you ever want to talk about it. Please don't feel like you have to wrestle with those questions alone."

The cleaning robot reached out to touch his hand. "Meta_Faye greatly valued the conversations that she had with you, John Blake. I am... grateful... that you would make this kind offer."

Rising to his feet, he gave her an appreciative smile. "You're welcome."

Little One inclined her head, then turned and drove away.

John decided to take advantage of the lull before the storm and walked over to the armour-equipping frame to get ready for battle. Stepping into the pair of sabatons and slipping his hands into the gauntlets, he activated the robotic arms then waited as he was encased in his Paragon suit. Fully-armoured in just a few seconds, he stepped away from the frame and took down a Tachyon Rifle from the weapon racks. After a quick weapon check, he loaded the rifle and slung it over his shoulder. Finally, he retrieved his runeblade, his gauntleted fist closing around the hilt.

Upon touching the ancient sword, he could immediately sense the great capacity for violence lying untapped within the blade. Progenitor runes etched into its surface called to him, hungering for the Eldritch power that would bring them blazing to life. For a fleeting moment, John thought he might have sensed something else... a strange flicker from the Kyth'faren relic... almost like recognition. He looked at it curiously, turning the razor-sharp edge so that it reflected the light, but the eerie sensation had passed.

Figuring his mind was playing tricks on him, he sheathed the sword on his back and strode down the ramp into the Combat Bridge. He would have taken his seat, but Dana was already sitting there, legs akimbo and hooked over the armrests. Jade knelt in front of the redhead, her face buried in Dana's pussy as she lapped out John's cum, with a cluster of her verdant tentacles feeding the rest of the crew. He could see the girls swallowing, but any sounds they were making were drowned out by Dana's ecstatic cries.

John spotted Jade's four sisters looking on enviously, the catgirls not included in sharing this load. "Sorry, ladies," he said, removing his helmet as he walked over to join them. "I need to keep an active connection with the girls for as long as possible, just in case I need to do any healing. That means feeding each of them as much as we can before the battle."

"I wish I could join you on this hunt, Master," Leylira said, the tiger-striped catgirl lashing her tail in frustration.

"Keep training hard with Jade and you will someday," he said, stroking her coal-black mane.

Neysa turned to face him, an excited gleam in her hazel eyes. "Calara is going to teach me how to fire the Invictus' guns!"

"Me too," Marika chimed in, the tabby catgirl nuzzling up against him.

"That's great... we really need your help," John said, putting his arm around the affectionate Nymph. "Losing Faye has been a huge blow; she used to assist with manning the guns, flying the Invictus, and piloting the Raptor."

"Jade's teaching me how to fly the Raptor," Leylira said with a conflicted look on her face. "I wish I could be there at your side, but she said this was more important."

"She's right, it's a very important job," he agreed. "Otherwise Jade would have to do it and you know how powerful she is in dragon form."

The Nymph tigress looked thoughtful. "This one will train hard to be the best pilot I can be, Master."

"Good girl," he said, giving her a smile of approval.

"Alyssa's teaching me to fly the Invictus!" Betrixa gushed, her bright blue eyes alight with glee. "She said it's the most important job there is!"

The blonde matriarch kissed Jade's tentacle as it slipped from her mouth, then she turned to join them. "Anything to avoid arguments over who gets left behind..." she said, flashing John a mischievous smile.