Three Square Meals Ch. 133

The clunk of the door unlocking roused Tom from his troubled thoughts. He clenched his fists, getting ready to demand access to a lawyer when the ISD Colonel re-entered his cell, but it wasn't Compton that had come to visit him. His father strode into the room, Admiral Laurence Walker wearing full-dress uniform... and a furious scowl.

"Dad!" Tom exclaimed, never more pleased to see his father. "Thank God you're here!"

Laurence awkwardly patted Tom on the back when his son rushed forward to hug him. "It's good to see you, son."

This was the first time Tom had seen his father in person for several months and although they weren't exactly close, it was a huge relief to set eyes on the taciturn admiral. Tom briefly wondered if being in a coma for a week would provoke an outpouring of fatherly concern from the man, so he couldn't help feeling disappointed when it wasn't forthcoming. He guessed from his father's rigid posture that the man was uncomfortable, so he pulled away from the awkward embrace.

"Yeah, you too, dad," Tom said, realising he should have known better than to expect an emotional reunion.

"They're not giving me any proper answers!" Laurence Walker complained, eager to get back to tackling the problem at hand. "What the hell's going on? That jumped-up Colonel told me they're holding you because you're being charged with Federal crimes!"

Tom took a deep breath, then replied, "They think I'm involved with the Callopean Shoals massacre."

Laurence snorted indignantly. "Preposterous! There's no way you'd betray the Federation."

"I know! That's what I've been trying to tell them!" Tom exclaimed, feeling a huge surge of relief that his father didn't believe the accusations. "I'm being charged with treason and murder... but I had nothing to do with it!"

"Of course not," Admiral Walker replied, waving his hand in a dismissive gesture. His eyes flashed with cold fury. "This must be some kind of political power-play from one of my rivals within the Admiralty. Some bastard is trying to take me down and framing you in a transparent attempt to discredit our family! Heads will roll when I find out who's responsible... don't you worry about that!"

"Dad, can you get me out of here?" Tom pleaded desperately.

"Hold tight, son. I'll get to the bottom of this and get the charges dismissed," his father replied, giving him a reassuring smile. His smile faded an instant later and he shook his head in frustration. "I just wish you'd listened to me about transferring to Mars. This whole mess could've been avoided if you'd accepted a post in the Core Worlds like I told you to, instead of wasting your time with the fleet."

Tom bit back a retort, not wanting to antagonise his father. "Yeah... you were right."

Laurence Walker smiled with satisfaction as he nodded his agreement. "Yes, well... never mind about that now. When we've got everything cleared up, we'll discuss how we can exploit this mess and use it to further your career."

Stifling his irritation, Tom decided to change the subject. "Have you seen Anna? She must be devastated after what happened to Mason."

His father nodded distractedly. "She visited the hospital while you were in a coma."

"I need to see her urgently. Mason had some kind of breakdown after he heard what happened to Uncle Vincent. He said some things to Anna and I have to make sure she knows the truth."

"Yes, yes... I'll make sure she's allowed to visit you," Laurence Walker agreed, adjusting his peaked hat and tapping on the door. "You'll be back together with her soon anyway. It shouldn't take long for me to get this farce dismissed."

Tom reached out to catch his father's arm. "Thanks, dad."

"Don't mention it," Laurence said gruffly. A grim smile of anticipation appeared on his face. "I almost feel sorry for whoever it is that's plotting against me. When I get through with them... they'll wish they'd never been born!"

Tom gave him a strained smile, then watched as the door opened and his father strode out of the holding cell.

***

John wobbled unsteadily as he merged with his body again and when he opened his eyes, he was surrounded by concerned faces.

"Are you alright, Master?" Jade asked, darting over to steady him.

Calara was holding her Tachyon rifle at the ready in case of danger. "Jade told us you had to escape from the fortress!"

"Stand down, honey." John placed his hand on the barrel and lowered it. "We're alright... but the Kyth'faren archive has been destroyed."

Dana shared a shocked glance with Rachel, then blurted out, "What the fuck happened?!"

"It was all my fault," Tashana replied, her face a picture of misery. "Rahn'hagon appeared and I attacked him... I don't know what came over me. Then the mist monsters were drawn to the fortress by my psychic powers."

"Holy shit!" the redhead exclaimed, her eyes wide. "You tried to kill John's dad?!"

The Maliri nodded and hung her head in shame. "I just saw red... nothing else mattered except immolating him where he stood."

Slipping his arm around the distraught Maliri, John said sternly, "I told you back at the fortress that you weren't to blame for this. You took one look at Rahn and snapped; there was nothing normal about the way you were behaving. I'd bet a million credits you were reacting instinctively to seeing another Progenitor."

Alyssa nodded and looked at Tashana with sympathy. "It was like the way you and Irillith reacted to seeing Larn'kelnar's thralls... but on steroids. You went from being alarmed by that presence in the citadel to enraged at Rahn in an instant."

John gestured towards the express grav-tube. "Let's put our gear away. I need to give Tashana a proper hug."

Sakura led the way to the concealed door hidden in the wall, then the girls filed into the grav-tube and were rushed up to the Armoury. John entered last with Tashana and they followed the others to the equipping frames to remove their Paragon suits. He paused to put away his runeblade on the weapons rack and stared at it for a moment, wondering how he'd managed to forge the sword without understanding the required runes.

Feeling eyes watching him, John turned to see Tashana giving him a look filled with remorse.

He gave her a warm smile. "Hurry up! Off with that armour!"

She looked relieved at his jovial tone and the Maliri hurried into the equipping frame where she was quickly divested of armour plates. John entered his own equipping frame and activated the thumb control in his gauntlets, triggering the robotic arms to descend smoothly and remove his Lion suit. He stepped out of his armoured boots, then pulled Tashana into his arms... and felt her hugging him back just as fiercely.

"I'm not mad at you, honey," he whispered in her ear. "My father's a real dick... I totally understand why you'd want to roast him alive."

Tashana snorted with laughter, then pulled back to gaze into his eyes, her expression turning sombre. "Really?"

"Yeah... he's incredibly annoying," John replied with a playful grin.

She smiled, then shook her head. "No, I mean are you sure you're not upset with me?"

"I promise," John said, giving her a reassuring squeeze. "The way you responded must be an instinctive reaction towards a rival Progenitor."

Rachel was listening to their conversation and she interjected, "It certainly sounds as if thrall species are genetically pre-programmed to try to kill other Progenitors on sight. I saw Rahn'hagon aboard the dreadnought and while I was furious at him for the way he'd attacked John, I wasn't completely consumed by rage."

Tashana suddenly frowned. "But I watched hours of footage of Mael'nerak and I've never reacted badly to seeing him."

"The overpowering urge to kill another Progenitor might only kick-in when you're in close proximity," Rachel suggested, considering the causal factors. "If that's the case, then watching video clips wouldn't trigger any reaction."

*Mael'nerak also claimed the Maliri before you,* Edraele reminded John, sounding lost in thought. *That might factor into it too.*

The Maliri matriarch had shared her comment with the group and Rachel nodded thoughtfully. "A residual sense of recognition? That might be a possibility."

"I wonder why Larn'kelnar's thralls didn't try to kill you after they shot out the Raptor's cockpit?" Tashana pondered aloud. "If we're right, they would've been affected the same way."

John considered that a moment, then replied, "Because Larn'kelnar wanted me alive and he ordered them not to? They wouldn't have been capable of disobeying his orders."

"We were very lucky to find this out now, instead of during an actual battle against a Progenitor," Sakura noted, looking relieved. "Now we know how the twins will react, we can plan accordingly."

"That's a very good point," John said, nodding his agreement. "Alright, let's relax somewhere more comfortable. We've got a few more things to discuss."

"The Observatory?" Alyssa suggested. "Irillith and Helene are with Jehanna, but they'll want to hear this too."

"Sounds good to me," John agreed.

They headed towards the second set of express grav-tubes, then rose up to Deck Three and exited into the Lagoon.

Jade fell into step beside John as they crossed over the lake, where several of the Nymphs were playing in the water. They all stopped their game to wave at John as he passed.

"My sisters are keeping Ailita company and taking it in turns up on the Bridge," Jade explained, her emerald eyes watching his face. "Unless you specifically want them to join us, I can keep them informed."

"That's fine, honey," he replied, returning the friendly wave as they passed the frolicking catgirls. "I really appreciate them taking over watching the Bridge for us; it's been a big help after losing Faye."

They shared a sad smile, then followed the girls into the Observatory. Irillith had risen from the bed and was wrapped up in a tight hug with her sister. Helene and Jehanna were still seated, both watching the twins embrace, so John went over to join them.

"Don't worry about Tashana... she's fine," he said with a reassuring smile as he sat between the two girls.

"How about you?" Helene asked, stroking his back.

Jehanna gave him a worried frown. "Alyssa said you had another run in with your father?"

Touched by their genuine concern, he hugged them both. "I did... but I'm alright. Rahn'hagon never fails to disappoint... I guess I'm getting used to it now."

"That's so sad, John," Helene said looking at him with sympathy.

"It is what it is," he said, drawing them closer. "Fortunately, I'm blessed with lots of wonderful women in my life, which more than makes up for my parents."

They both cuddled him, sensing that he didn't want to discuss his father any more. John was grateful that they let the subject drop and he watched the rest of the girls settle down on the oval bed. They sat in a semi-circle in front of him, expectant looks on their faces.

Seeing he had their full attention, John said, "Alright, let's start. You all know what happened when Tashana saw my father and I think we've figured out the reason why she reacted that way. Does anyone else want to add anything?" When everyone shook their heads, he continued, "Unfortunately, the Kyth'faren fortress that Rahn'hagon showed me has been destroyed. He mentioned that there were others... but that's the only one I knew about."

The room was quiet as the girls nodded their understanding.

"Even though we were only there for a short time, Tashana did an incredible job searching the archive... she actually managed to discover the schematic for forging my runeblade. The sword is called Kyth'vindathys and the plans used several powerful runes that I've never seen before."

Dana's brow furrowed in confusion. "Hold on a second. I thought your runesword was some kind of super-secret weapon to kill Progenitors? Didn't it take your dad thousands of years to discover all this stuff? How the hell did you find the schematics so fast?"

John hesitated. "That's a good point. I actually thought the same thing back in the fortress."

Alyssa nodded her agreement, then turned to Tashana. "Tell him what else you found."

"I discovered more entries also titled Kyth'vindathys," the Maliri quietly replied. "I didn't have a chance to read through them in any detail, but there were more runes, most of which I didn't recognise. The introduction started talking about personal enhancement... and unlocking unlimited power."

"Damn... I wish I'd been able to take a look at that," John said with regret. He glanced around the room at the girls to check their reactions and was surprised to see his Nymph matriarch had a worried frown on her face. "What's the matter, Jade?"

"When you left the repository chamber to confront Rahn'hagon, something contacted Alyssa. It talked to her in ancient Maliri... the Kyth'faren tongue... and she asked me to translate."

"Yeah, you said something spoke to you," John said, turning to face the blonde. "Do you know what it was?"

Alyssa didn't reply for a long moment as she shared a pensive look with Jade. "I think it might have been the spirit of the original Kyth'faren citizen who sacrificed himself to maintain the fortress," she finally replied. "The voice sounded like it was wracked with pain, tortured for millions of years by hatred and grief... it was horrible to hear."

"That's what you were sensing inside the repository chamber as well, wasn't it?" John asked, feeling a shiver run down his spine. When Alyssa nodded in confirmation, he continued, "So what did it say exactly?"

She took a deep breath, then recited the Kyhth'faren phrases spoken to her by the ghastly spectre, perfectly matching the terrifying delivery. Tashana and Irillith both gasped, their faces turning pale.

"Flee this place... your life is in jeopardy," Jade translated for her. "Abandon your befouled companions before it is too late! I beg of you, for your own sake... leave at once!"

"What the fuck..." Dana whispered, her eyes like saucers.

"It was talking about us... me and Tashana," John said, feeling overwhelmed with dread.

A glance around the room confirmed that he wasn't the only one feeling that way.

"Why would it say something so awful?" Helene asked, looking upset. "You're not foul! The two of you are lovely people!"

"If we're right about the voice belonging to a Kyth'faren, then he had good reason to hate what we are," Tashana replied, shooting a pensive glance at John. "I'm from a Thrall species and you're a Progenitor... we both represent Xar'aziuth's agents on the Material Plane."

Dana jerked a thumb towards Alyssa. "Yeah, but she's a matriarch! Wouldn't that ghost guy hate her just as much as you two?"

"Alyssa's not exactly a normal matriarch," Calara said, reaching up to sweep aside her girlfriend's golden hair to reveal the tip of a pointed ear. "Maybe the presence thought she was a Kyth'faren woman?"

"I don't know," Alyssa said, shrugging helplessly. "I suppose it's possible. We won't be able to test that theory unless we can locate another one of those fortresses."

"They're hidden in the Deep Astral, so we can't exactly go roaming around to look for them," John said with a rueful frown. "After what just happened to the last one, Rahn's never going to tell me the location of any others... not that we're even on speaking terms right now. He was furious when he fled the citadel."

"It was horrific watching the walls being torn down by those monsters," Tashana said quietly. "I know you said you don't blame me for what happened to the castle, but I am sorry for my part in its destruction. It stood for countless millennia and the fallen Progenitors just tore it apart in minutes."

"Rahn said the same thing... except he blamed me," John said, staring off into the distance. Suddenly feeling self-conscious, he glanced around the room and saw that all the girls were watching him with sympathy. "Alright... let's forget about that; dwelling on the loss of the fortress won't bring it back. Is there anything else anyone wants to discuss?"

The girls considered it for a moment, then shook their heads.

"There is one last thing I want to talk about," John stated, focusing his attention on Alyssa. "Rahn tried to blame me for blocking him from Jessica's mind... but it was you, wasn't it?"

Alyssa didn't back down from his stern gaze. "Yes, it was me."

Her frank admission was met with shocked gasps around the room, everyone stunned to hear what she'd done except for Calara, Dana, and Rachel. John glanced at the trio, his eyebrow raised, and they had the good grace to look guilty and embarrassed.

"But why would you tamper with Jessica's mind?" Sakura blurted out incredulously. "She's John's mother!"

"I'm well aware of that," Alyssa noted, a wry smile on her face.

"This isn't funny, Alyssa," John said, shaking his head in disbelief. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"About how much she hurt you," the blonde replied earnestly, giving him a level look. "When Jessica showed no interest in you due to her obsession over Rahn'hagon, I've never seen you so upset. I wanted to stick it to your father for abandoning you in the first place... and the best way to do that was to alter your mother's mind. I changed Jessica while we were on Arcadia, just after your chat aboard the Raptor. When you walked away in disgust, I stayed with her and made some tweaks to her personality."

"How could you do that?!" John balked looking at Alyssa in horror. "You know how I feel about making personality modifications! I can't believe you changed Jessica without her consent... that's what Progenitors do!"

"A Progenitor already had changed Jessica, I just reversed what your father had done to her," Alyssa calmly replied. "I removed as much of Rahn's influence as I could, until I broke your father's hold over her mind. Jessica doesn't have to blindly obey his orders anymore and she's stopped being so obsessed with him, which means your mother is capable of feeling regret over what happened to you and her parents. The last thing I did was to shield her mind, which prevented Rahn from enthralling her again."

"You said you changed Jessica to stick it to my father, but my mother still rushed to beg for his life back on the dreadnought," John said grimacing at the painful memory. "She didn't seem any different to me."

Alyssa shook her head. "She still loves your father, but now Jessica feels guilty about the way they treated you and your grandparents. She'll constantly nag Rahn until she forces him to do the right thing by you."

"She's been doing more than nag him," John said, his expression turning troubled. "My father said that Jessica's been crying her eyes out all week and blames him for everything."

This statement didn't get the reaction from the girls that he expected, with everyone looking sympathetic rather than surprised.

John glanced around at the girls in astonishment. "Wait... You all knew about this?"

"I spoke to Jessica when we were sneaking around on the dreadnought," Helene explained, looking up at him with big blue eyes. "She started asking me questions about you."

"We all talked to her," Calara admitted. "Your mother wanted to know all about you, so I told her about your career. Jessica was astonished when I told her that you'd been promoted to Admiral and earned two Stellar Clusters... she was incredibly proud of you, John."

Dana nodded enthusiastically. "We basically brought her up to speed on everything you've been doing recently. You should've seen her face when I told her that billions of people owe you their lives... she was totally blown away! Your mom also wanted to know how we met you... so we told her all about how you rescued us and saved our lives."

Rachel reached over to hold his hand. "I emphasised how much effort you'd gone to in making sure we fully understood all the ramifications before we joined you. I knew you would've wanted Jessica to understand that you're a good man... and nothing like a regular Progenitor."