Three Square Meals Ch. 130

John felt wrung out by the time he finished and he slumped back in his chair with a heavy sigh. "I'm sorry, Maria... I didn't mean to talk your ear off."

"It's okay, John... really," she said quietly.

He gazed out across the Lagoon, unmoved by the enchanting torchlit view. "We've been through so much over the last eight months... but after these last few weeks... God, I'm so tired of it all."

Maria clasped his hand with hers and gently caressed him. "It's only natural you'd feel that way. You're grieving, John."

"I know..." he said despondently. Gritting his teeth with grim resolve, he added, "But we'll rebuild Faye and get her back again."

"No, you're not grieving for Faye... you haven't given up hope of being reunited with her."

John frowned and looked at her askance. "We didn't lose anyone else. You're safe... and Rachel can heal Faith and Abigail."

"You've given up on your parents," she said softly, her deep brown eyes brimming with sympathy. "As a little boy, your fondest wish was to meet a loving mother and a proud father... and you kept that hope alive for forty years. Jessica and Rahn'hagon destroyed that... they betrayed all your years of dedication to finding them."

John's throat constricted, his eyes welling up as he felt the aching sense of loss in his heart.

"Block out the girls, John... keep this private," Maria urged him, reaching up to stroke his cheek.

He followed her instructions without thinking, too emotionally raw to question how she knew about such things.

"You have to be strong for them, but not for me," she whispered, the soft note of maternal compassion in her voice breaking down his last defences.

John hunched over as he relived the terrible pain of his parents' rejection, and the heartbreaking way they'd smashed all his hopes of a loving family reunion. Consumed by his anguish, he was only dimly aware of Maria wrapping her arms around him, but it was enough to break through his grief. She was so kind and loving... everything he'd ever hoped that his mother would be... and nothing like Jessica, who had ignored him with such casual indifference.

Maria drew him down so he was resting his head in her lap. "You poor boy... you never deserved to be treated so badly," she murmured, brushing her fingers through his hair. "I think you're wonderful, John... and I'm so proud of the good man you've become."

He lost himself in her gentle voice, clinging to it like a lifeline. The pain of his parents' rejection made him feel vulnerable and exposed, striking at his deepest insecurities... but he knew Maria would never betray him like they had. He'd craved this kind of comfort for forty years and her kind words gradually filled a dark void that he'd carried with him his entire life.

***

The huge red dragon reclined upon a massive stone plinth, but instead of looking out across a hoard of gleaming treasure, Empress Tamolith was scowling at her fawning courtiers. She was reliant on the Kintark bureaucrats to run her sprawling empire, but their endless grovelling was wearing on her nerves. Tamolith appreciated some well-earned adulation as much as the next self-respecting dragon, but these courtiers seemed to have gained favour in Emperor Baledranax's court by being as obsequious as possible.

"Oh great and wissse Empresss, I have troubling newsss from the sssystemsss recently annexed by the Terran Federation," Consul Grakirlin announced with a sweeping bow.

She held up a scaly foreclaw. "If you're about to inform me that the planetary governors are whining about the order to evacuate, I have far better uses for my time."

He hesitated, darting an anxious glance at the gathering of bureaucrats. "I would not dare to bother your magnificence with sssuch a triviality. The governorsss have informed the populace that they mussst prepare for evacuation, but the announcement hasss been met with widessspread outrage and even rioting in sssome casssesss. Citizensss are refusssing to leave their home planetsss!"

Tamolith dug her claws into the floor and gouged out a flagstone, cracking the masonry in half with a menacing crunch. "Witless fools! Do they think I gave that order for my own amusement?! It won't be long before the Federation fleets are knocking on our door demanding unrestricted access to their new worlds!"

"But revered Empresss... how are we to transssport the populationsss from thossse planetsss?" Consul Barackas asked tentatively. "All our troop transportsss were lossst in the invasssion!"

"Must I tell you everything?!" she snarled. "Commandeer every civilian ship in the Empire if you have to, but get those stubborn short-tails off those worlds! I might be forced to hand over half my territory, but I'll be damned if I'm giving the Federation billions of free slaves!"

Tamolith grimaced with tightly suppressed fury. It would be hideously ironic if her people ended up as indentured servants in the Terran Federation, just after Queen Edraele had forced her to ban slavery within the Kintark Empire.

Consul Barackas wrung his hands in desperation. "But revered Empresss..."

"Enough!" Tamolith thundered, making the assembled dignitaries quake before her anger. "It's almost supper time; I'll assume that any of you still here in the next minute are joining me for dinner..."

"That'sss a mossst graciousss invitation, Empresss," Barackas stammered, hurriedly backing away. "I'm afraid I'll have to decline."

Some of the other bureaucrats had far less composure, simply turning-tail and running for the huge entrance to the throne room. Tamolith watched their rapid departure with amusement, her maw curling into a derisive smirk, but even that moment of levity didn't lighten her mood. She turned and stalked across the huge room towards the Empress' private chambers, her mind troubled with countless worries.

The Kintark Empire found itself beset with woes, with a Brimorian armada methodically sweeping towards Kinta and gobbling up all the worlds in its path. However, Tamolith also had the Terran Federation breathing down her neck, eager to claim their spoils of victory after crushing the Kintark forces in Baledranax's catastrophic invasion. The last thing she needed to be dealing with now, was insubordination and insurrection from the Kintark people... who were clearly too stupid to possess an instinct for self-preservation.

She headbutted the gateway to her suite, her horned skull crashing into the reinforced doors with a satisfying boom. They swung wide open and she heard her precious darlings playing together, their excited chatter bringing a smile to her draconic features. As Tamolith entered the Imperial suite, her plodding footsteps were answered by the scrabble of smaller claws and her brood stampeded into sight.

There were six red-scaled dragon whelps in the pack running towards her, each of them calling out to gain their mother's attention. The largest by far was her eldest son, and Tamolith smiled with maternal pride as he slowed his gallop to a regal strut, trying to impress his mother with his noble bearing. Zulkayr's siblings showed no such restraint, the red dragonlings tumbling over her foreclaws as they cavorted around their mother.

"Can you play chase with us now, mother?" Damopha asked, bouncing up and down with eager anticipation. "Please!"

Her younger brother pounced on her and the pair went down in a tumble of flailing claws. "Caught you!"

"That didn't count, Tondax!" the furious dragonling hissed, snapping at him with her sharp teeth.

"Mother... Ruvith and Ondyrth won't play with us," Etheiss, her eldest daughter, complained.

Chysenteil nodded in confirmation, looking up at her mother with big eyes. "They just stare out the window and cry all the time."

"That's because they're missing their own mother," Tamolith explained, stepping carefully around her offspring as she walked into the chambers. "Their grief for Vilandrith will pass in time. Until then, be kind to them... they're an important part of our family's future."

"I offered to help Ruvith with her flying," Zulkayr said, snapping out his wings and giving them a couple of experimental beats to demonstrate his technique. "That seemed to lift her spirits a little."

"Only because she thinks you're so handsome and wants to kiss you," Tondax sneered, hacking in revulsion. "I heard her talking to Ondyrth about it. Ugh... females are disgusting!"

Tamolith smiled indulgently at her youngest son. "Am I disgusting too, precious one?"

That brought the whelp up short and he shook his head. "No, mother... but you don't count. You're not annoying like my sisters!"

Her rumbling laughter echoed around the Imperial suite. "Run along and play now, my darlings. I'll join you soon, but first I wish to speak to Zulkayr alone."

The five youngest red dragons padded away, their obedient withdrawal quickly devolving into raucous arguments and another frantic game of chase.

"Is all well, mother?" Zulkayr asked, looking up at her curiously.

Tamolith towered over him, standing thirty-feet-tall compared to his fourteen. "You did well today, my handsome son," she praised him. "Continue to be supportive with Ruvith and Ondyrth. In time, you will come to greatly appreciate them both."

"Are they to be my consorts?" he asked, deepening his voice to a gruff rumble in an attempt to sound more mature.

She smiled at him with amusement. "And what do you know of such things?" When he lowered his eyes in embarrassment, Tamolith nuzzled him with her huge draconic maw. "Hold your head up high, Zulkayr. You will make a fine Emperor one day and the Imperial princesses will help you establish a legacy that will last for millennia."

Zulkayr did as she asked, puffing out his chest too. His posturing display wilted a moment later and he looked up at his mother with concern. "Will the Kintark Empire endure that long, Empress? I overheard some of the servants talking... they said that we are at war with the Brimorian Enclave! That their forces are invading and seizing worlds unopposed... and soon they might be invading Kinta itself!"

Tamolith's grated her huge fangs together in anger and vowed to slowly dismember the cretins who'd exposed her beloved children to palace gossip... even if it was true.

"Do not fret, my handsome son, it is unbecoming," she gently admonished him. "All is under control and I have made plans to deal with the Brimorian slugs. We will smash their forces and bring the Enclave to its knees."

"I knew it was all a pack of lies!" Zulkayr exclaimed, grinning with relief. "May I be excused, mother? I'm going to ask Ruvith to accompany me for that flying lesson... and perhaps I can coax Ondyrth into joining us too."

"Of course, my darling," Tamolith agreed, watching him leave with all the exuberance of youth.

Her smile faded now that she was on her own and Tamolith dearly wished that she could be so easily convinced of their impending victory.

***

"John... Calara's here," Maria whispered, her fingers brushing through his hair like a gentle breeze.

He lurched upright, suddenly feeling mortified that he'd let himself fall apart in front of Maria like that.

"It's okay, don't be embarrassed," she said, stroking his arm. "I'm incredibly flattered that you were so open with me."

John darted a pensive glance in her direction, doubt and insecurity in his eyes.

"If you're worried that I find you any less attractive... don't be," she cooed, squeezing his bicep and giving him a sultry smile that would have made a eunuch hard as steel. "I still intend to flirt mercilessly with my handsome son-in-law."

He chuckled, the tension leaving his body. "You're an amazing woman, Maria. Jack's a very lucky man." His gaze darted to the steps where Calara was sauntering down to join them. "And so am I."

The young Latina strolled over, carrying a couple of tall drinks. "Sorry I took a while... we were out of glasses."

"So you had to blow your own?" John joked, smiling at her white lie as he accepted the drink.

Calara shook her head. "I'll save the blowing for later."

He snorted as he drank and coughed into his hand. "That's not what I meant!"

"Oh? I meant every word..." she purred, leaning in to give him a tender kiss. Calara paused and studied him with her perceptive gaze. "Are you alright? You look... different."

John composed himself and nodded. "I had a good chat with your mother and brought her up to speed. It was... helpful... to talk about everything."

Calara hugged him tight and smiled at Maria over his shoulder. "Thanks, mom."

"It was my pleasure," she replied, clasping her daughter's hand.

As John and Calara separated, she informed him, "Lieutenant Commander Marshall and Commander Sharp are waiting to meet us in the Officers' Lounge."

He looked at her quizzically, but before he could ask who they were, Maria blurted out, "Oh! Faith and Joel! Are they alright?"

"Come and see for yourself," Calara replied, playfully tugging her mother's hand.

John downed his fruit juice and was surprised to see Maria doing the same. She actually finished before him and grinned as she put down the empty glass. "What? I went to the Academy too... I know how to chug like the best of them."

He couldn't help raising an eyebrow as he looked at her speculatively. This time it was Maria's turn to blush, knowing exactly what he was picturing her chugging. John saw her reaction and realised Maria knew exactly what he was thinking. Calara laughed at the rosy bloom in both their cheeks as they followed her up the steps and out of the Lagoon.

They made their way into the grav-tube, then ascended to Deck Two, where they entered the Officers' Lounge. Maria's two bodyguards were both present in their military uniforms, no longer attempting to maintain their undercover disguise. Alyssa and Rachel were there too, as were Jack and Viv.

"Faith!" Maria gasped, rushing over to hug the young brunette. "You had me so worried!"

"You had good reason to be," Rachel said, looking at the ISD agent with sympathy. "This young lady was very fortunate not to die from blood loss, considering the severity of the damage those bullets did to her."

"I'm just glad you survived, Maria," Faith said with an embarrassed smile, unused to being the centre of attention in such august company. "That was the one good outcome in this whole sorry mess."

"Thank you so much for saving her," Maria said to Rachel. Her eyes flicked to Commander Sharp, who appeared to be more than a little shell-shocked at his rapid recovery. "And for healing Joel too."

"Doctor Voss grew me a new leg..." Joel remarked, looking a little wild-eyed.

"A heavy machine gun round severed it mid-femur," Rachel noted with professional detachment. "It was a very nasty wound."

John stepped forward and saluted both bodyguards. "We owe you both a huge debt for protecting Maria. Thank you for keeping her safe."

"We were just doing our job, Admiral," Joel replied, returning the salute.

Faith hesitated then shook her head and smiled at the older woman. "This wasn't just a job. Maria's my friend; I would have done anything to protect her."

They hugged again, sharing the same sense of relief that they both survived the vicious ambush.

"What are you two going to do now that ISD is in lockdown?" John asked the undercover operatives.

Joel and Faith shared a glance, then shrugged.

"We'll continue our mission until ordered otherwise," Commander Sharp replied, earning him a beaming grin from his partner.

"My husband's been offered a job as an instructor at the Academy," Maria said with pride. "I suspect we'll be moving to Tau Ceti in the very near future."

He nodded, giving his wife a sideways hug. "That's the plan. I'm afraid you'll be forced to have dinner with me every night."

She grinned at him, overjoyed at the prospect.

"We're thinking about moving to Tau Ceti too," Joel said, putting his arm around his undercover partner. "The neighbourhoods in Jericho just don't seem all that safe."

"We better start house hunting, dear," Faith gushed, her eyes sparkling as she gazed up at him.

"That's a coincidence," Viv remarked with a wry smile. "The Epiphron is also being stationed at Tau Ceti for the foreseeable future."

Their laughter was interrupted by Maria, who suddenly blurted out, "Oh, where are my manners! Faith, Joel, I'd like you to meet my husband, Commodore Jack Fernandez."

"It's alright, sweetheart," Jack said, giving her a gentle squeeze. "We got the introductions out the way earlier."

Alyssa caught John's eye and tapped her temple, distracting him from the small talk.

*Oh, sorry about that,* he hastily apologised, as he allowed her to re-enter his mind. *I completely forgot that I shut you out.*

*How are you feeling after talking to Maria?* she asked, slipping her hand into his.

He paused for a moment as several things suddenly clicked into place. *You briefed her to talk to me, didn't you?*

She gave him an innocent look. *What makes you think I had anything to do with it?*

John stroked her hand and smiled at her. *Because you're always behind everything. I did wonder why Maria wasn't more upset to hear about Faye's death... and she was the one that suggested I block you out of my mind. I know Maria's a very perceptive woman, but it wasn't her that made the connection about me grieving for the relationship with my parents, was it?*

*Rachel might have made a few contributions there...* Alyssa admitted, her cerulean eyes searching his face.

John glanced at the tawny-haired doctor and saw that she was watching them discreetly. *Yes, we're talking about you. Thanks for everything, honey. Pass that on to her, would you?* he asked Alyssa.

Rachel smiled back when she received the telepathic message, her grey eyes sparkling with delight.

*You seem much happier for having talked about your parents,* Alyssa noted, having not taken her gaze from him. *Did it really help?*

*It really did,* he replied gratefully. *Thank you... I appreciate it.*

*You never have to shoulder your burdens alone, John,* she said quietly, her finger tracing patterns on the palm of his hand. *I know it's difficult to talk about things that bother you sometimes, because you worry how it'll affect us, but we're always here to help you... always.*

*Keep reminding me... maybe it'll sink in one day,* he joked, giving her a lopsided smile.

Calara stood on tiptoe and gave him a tender kiss.

*That was from me... but I couldn't wait until we were alone,* Alyssa explained, grinning back.

Their guests were a little startled by Calara's spontaneous display of affection, but before anyone could make any light-hearted comments, the door to the Officers' Lounge swung open.

Sakura strode inside, an extra spring in her step. "Hello everyone! I just wanted to invite Maria to join us down in the Cargo Bay. We have a gift for her!"

"Oh, I love presents," Maria said, her face lighting up with a lovely smile. "But you shouldn't have, Sakura. All of you have done so much for us already."

The Asian girl hugged her. "Nonsense. It's a daughter's prerogative to give her mother presents."

As they separated, Maria gave Calara a pointed look. "I hope you're taking notes, Callie."

Calara groaned and shot Sakura a mock-frown. "I think we need to have a chat... sister. You're showing me up."

They left the Officers' Lounge and dropped down through the floors until they reached Deck Nine. Sakura bounded ahead and waited impatiently by the reinforced doors that led into the Cargo Bay until the entire group had joined her. She held her breath, then tapped the button to open the doors, which slid apart with a hiss of hydraulics.

The entire crew were there, standing in a semi-circle around a beautiful white luxury hover-sedan. The overhead lights made the sleek surface sparkle with a brilliant shine, the gorgeous piece of automotive engineering looking like it had just glided out of the showroom.