Three Square Meals Ch. 133

"They must have been hoping to hide as we passed, then ambush us from behind," Shoal-Commander Libtegh stated, his fins rippling warily. "It's fortunate that we spotted them."

"Cease the advance," Kaelotegh announced, sending out his orders via the fleet command interface. He selected the two closest battle groups of warships. "Fleets Naiorrid and Enghebil, attack from my vectors. Fan out and enter the asteroid belt from opposing flanks... and scan for magnetic mines."

Shoal-Commander Libtegh nodded his approval at his leader's caution, glad that he had an opportunity to watch the Shoal Master in action. He stared intently at the holographic map, following the Enclave forces as they moved to engage the enemy. The two Brimorian fleets spread out and began their assault on the Kintark position, carefully picking their way through the sprawling mass of hulking rocks.

"Shoal Master, Fleets Naiorrid and Enghebil report no sign of mines," the Wave-squire announced with a grin as their net drew tighter around the Kintark force. "Transponder codes identify six Imperial battleships leading a primarily carrier based attack group."

"Their commander is a worthy adversary," Kaelotegh declared, recognising the actions of a cunning opponent. "If they had been able to strike to our rear, they could have inflicted severe damage, then melted away before we could turn to engage them."

Libtegh chuckled, revealing rows of sharp teeth. "Not worthy enough, Shoal Master."

The holographic map suddenly flickered as a circular swathe of asteroids began to tremble, the images losing their sharp integrity.

Kaelotegh gripped his console with his scaly fists. "What's happening?! Is the display defective?"

The Wave-squire manning the comms station looked confused, the smirk wiped from his face. "I'm receiving reports of strange vibrations within the outer ring of asteroids, Shoal Master."

"Retreat, full engines!" Kaelotegh roared into the comms interface. "It's a trap! Get out of there!"

The shaking increased as the sensors tried to make sense of the disrupted readings, the holographic display a twitching blur where the Brimorian ships were making rapid turns. Suddenly, the huge asteroids broke apart, sending hundreds of rocky fragments as big as a corvette tumbling across the belt. The chunks smashed into the Enclave warships, battering engines, crushing armour plating, and causing widespread chaos throughout both fleets.

Shoal-Commander Libtegh gaped at the destruction in astonishment. "What just happened?!"

"They rigged the asteroids with seismic charges..." Kaelotegh snarled through gritted teeth. "Did we lose any ships?"

One of the Wave-squires manning the comms stations looked tense as he surveyed the incoming reports. "No vessels destroyed, Shoal Master."

"How many damaged?"

The Wave-Squire's gulp could be heard across the Bridge. "Fleet Naiorrid reports 72% of ships sustained significant damage. Fleet Enghebil reports 84%."

Libtegh stared at his leader in horror. Two of their Seven fleets had been almost entirely neutralised without so much as a shot fired. With the damage they'd sustained to their hulls, there was no way all those warships would be able to maintain a cohesive FTL bubble, which meant they would have to hold position and commence emergency field repairs.

As the Enclave forces retreated in disarray, the Kintark fleet made a break for a significant gap in the Brimorian formations. When they cleared the asteroid belt and ramped up their engines to full power, the Brimorian sensors displayed detailed representations of the Imperial forces.

"Mining ships?!" Libtegh blurted out incredulously, staring at what was supposed to be six battleships leading a squadron of carriers.

"Worthy enough for you now, Shoal Commander?" Kaelotegh muttered, darting a scathing glare at his underling.

***

"That was awesome!" John said with genuine satisfaction.

"Dare I ask what was in mystery stew?" Calara asked, finishing off the last of her bowl.

Alyssa smiled at her girlfriend. "Mushrooms, potatoes, some seasoning... and the meat was lamb cooked in bacon grease."

"We did our best with limited supplies, but it wasn't very authentic," Dana said, with a rueful frown. "We had to use vegetables instead of cardboard and we were all out of rat..."

"Rat?" Jehanna asked, suddenly looking queasy.

"Yeah, for the full Karron experience," the redhead explained. "There's another slightly less popular variant... but cannibalism is generally frowned upon in polite society."

"You did your best with the ingredients at hand; that's the mark of a good chef," John said, playing along.

"I particularly liked the presentation," Rachel noted. "The smiley face made out of runner beans was a nice touch."

Dana gave her a beaming grin. "Thanks, babes!"

They laughed together and started clearing the table.

John deposited the bowls in the kitchen, then said to Sakura, "Ready for another training session?"

She nodded eagerly. "Definitely... but with one condition; you should practice with your sword this time."

He considered it then nodded. "Alright, I'm up for that." When Rachel entered the Kitchen with a plate full of dirty cutlery, John smiled at the brunette. "Fancy helping us with some training?"

"Yes, of course," she agreed, slotting the knives, forks, and spoons into the dishwasher. "What do you need me to do?"

Before she could reply, Irillith burst into the kitchen, a wicked grin on her face. "I got Petran!"

"What?" John asked, looking at her in surprise.

She beckoned him to follow, then led the group over to the sofas, where she activated the holo-display. "I received a notification that he'd triggered a message I'd left for him through the banking terminal network. I traced back the location and discovered he was hiding on Port Heracles... and then I found this!"

Irillith displayed an incident logged by the Terran Federation garrison on the trading station. According to the medic present at the scene, a man named Jason Holloway had leaped to his death from a bridge over the main trading concourse.

"Jason Holloway?" Jehanna asked, not recognising the name.

"That's one of Oliver Petran's aliases," the Maliri replied, her fingers dancing over the interface.

A picture appeared, showing the bloody remains of the retired admiral.

"Nasty way to go," Dana noted, wrinkling her nose in distaste. "Why the hell did he top himself like that?"

"He wasn't very happy to discover that he'd made a sizeable donation to the Lion Foundation," Irillith said with a smirk, activating another file.

A video began to play, showing the ex-admiral's face contorted in horror as he gaped at the banking interface.

"How much did he donate?" Alyssa asked, looking pleased.

"It turns out Oliver Petran was quite the philanthropist," the Maliri hacker replied. "He donated every single credit he owned... to the tune of 80 million credits."

Dana whistled appreciatively. "Generous guy. Is that all going to the orphan projects?"

Alyssa shook her head. "I'll divert some of the funds to support bereaved families of the marines Petran murdered on Olympus."

John nodded his approval, then gave Irillith's shoulder a gentle squeeze. "Nice work, honey. Let me know when you track down Almada."

"I will," she agreed, her violet eyes glinting with malevolent glee. "I've got some surprises in store for him too."

***

Minutes dragged interminably into hours inside Tom Walker's cell, as he awaited an update from his father. He wondered if his mother had also been added to the visitors list, but the fact that she hadn't yet made an appearance told him it was unlikely. Admiral Walker's rank allowed him a whole host of privileges that regular citizens could only dream of.

The sound of the door unlocking again was like music to his ears; even a visit from Colonel Compton would be welcome rather than being left alone with his troubled thoughts. Tom couldn't believe his eyes when he saw who had come to visit, the blue-eyed blonde still stunningly beautiful despite the lines around her eyes from lack of sleep.

"Anna!" he exclaimed, his face lighting up with joy.

She took one look at him, then burst into tears and rushed into his open arms. "Tommy!"

They stood together for a long moment, Tom doing his best to comfort his distraught fiancée who sobbed into his chest. She tried to speak, but was totally incoherent as she wept, so he just rubbed her back and held her close. Although it felt wonderful to hold her in his arms again, Tom still remembered everything that Kyle McDaniel had discovered while the engaged couple had been apart. There was an awkwardness between the two of them now that had never been there before, the uneasiness making Tom feel sick with nerves.

Anna finally managed to get herself under control and she sagged against him, drained to the point of exhaustion. "I can't believe you're really here," she whispered. "I was terrified that you'd never wake up from your coma... it's all been such a nightmare."

"Yeah... an absolute nightmare," he agreed, desperately needing answers to his questions, but dreading them at the same time.

Tom wanted to tell her how sorry he was to hear about Mason... but her brother had caused so many problems between them before his death. He remembered the crazed look in Mason's eyes as he told Tom what he'd said to his sister, convincing Anna that her fiancé had been having an affair with Beth. Tom could still see Mason's face twisted with hatred as he gloated that Anna had already started screwing Archie in revenge.

Anna stared back at him, hesitation and anxiety reflected in her blue eyes, as if she was struggling with her own inner demons. It was gut-wrenching to see that look there now, where she'd only ever gazed at him with love and adoration before.

"Captain Bexley liked my presentation," Tom blurted out, desperate to say anything to fill the silence.

She looked at him incredulously for a moment, then her eyes filled with tears and she hugged him hard. "I'm glad he liked it, Tommy... I know how hard you worked to impress him."

They held each other for another minute until Anna settled down again, then Tom pulled away so he could look her in the eye. "Why didn't you answer my calls, Anna? I must've left you a hundred messages, but you just ignored me."

She jerked back and looked at him in shock. "I ignored you?! I called you at least a hundred times, but you never called me back!"

"Don't try and blame that on me!" he protested indignantly. "You were so busy running around with Archie that you ghosted me for weeks!"

"I wasn't running around with Archie!" Anna gasped, looking at him in astonishment. "My brother died and you're having a stupid jealous fit about Archie?! What's the matter with you, Tom?"

"So I'm stupid am I?" he exclaimed, clenching his fist in anger. "Yeah, maybe I am. While I was out there fighting the Brimorians, you were nice and safe on Terra, staying the night at Archie's apartment!"

Anna gaped at him in shock, completely lost for words.

"I knew Archie was trouble!" Tom snarled, deeply wounded that she didn't deny his allegations. "I told you a million times that he was trying to get in your pants... well I guess he finally succeeded."

His fiancée reeled back, then slapped him... hard.

"How dare you!" she exclaimed, her eyes blazing with anger. "I never slept with Archie!"

Tom put his hand to his stinging cheek, but didn't back down. "Don't lie to me, Anna! When you stopped calling me, I asked Kyle to track you down. I saw the video of you coming out of Archie's apartment... after you slept the night there!"

She shook her head in disbelief. "You have no idea what my life's been like... none. The Press have been a nightmare! They've been hounding me wherever I go, frantically trying to get a picture of Fleet Admiral Buckingham's grieving daughter. Everyone wants to know if she's a vile traitor, just like her despicable father! You and Mason were away from all the fallout, but I've had to deal with it every single day!"

He frowned, looking sceptical. "But what about-"

"The video your sneaky friend took?" she interrupted, her eyes blazing with anger. "Archie was there for me; he helped keep me safe from the paparazzi! Yes, I stayed the night at his apartment... in his guestroom... because someone tried to break into my house while I was sleeping! I was terrified, Tom! What else was I supposed to do to stay safe? I couldn't stay with my mother as it was even worse for her! She fled to the beach house to escape, but they still tracked her down!"

"Alright... explain the cabin in the woods?" he asked, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

She snorted and rolled her eyes. "I never went near the place! As we were leaving Archie's, he spotted someone following us, so he jumped the lights and let me out a couple of blocks from his apartment. Archie led your friend on a merry dance just to fuck with him... because we thought he was one of the stalkers that had made my life a living hell!"

Tom had known Anna for over twenty years and he could tell she was being completely honest with him. He deflated, all his righteous anger evaporating as he realised that she'd never been unfaithful to him, no matter what Kyle's video might have suggested.

"I'm sorry, Anna... I was just going out of my mind while we were apart. I couldn't get hold of you and we've never gone a day without speaking. I guess I just lost my head for a while, I was so worried about you." He gave her a rueful smile and held his arms open for a hug. "I really am sorry... please forgive me for doubting you."

"Hold on a second," she said sternly, holding up her hand. "If you're done interrogating me, then it's my turn!"

"Alright," Tom agreed, folding his arms across his chest. "I haven't got anything to hide. Ask me whatever you like."

"Mason called me... he told me you'd been cheating on me for months!" Anna blurted out, the anguish in her eyes plain to see. "He swore on our mother's life that Beth was in love with you and that's why she turned him down when he proposed! You're quick to accuse me of being unfaithful... maybe that's because you were cheating on me all along!"

"That's bullshit!" Tom objected strenuously. He hesitated, then quickly clarified, "Okay, it is true that Beth was in love with me."

Anna gasped and looked at him in horror.

"I didn't encourage her!" he protested. "I only found out that she had any feelings for me on the day before the battle. Beth said that's why she turned down Mason, but I had no idea she felt that way! I swear to you that I wasn't having an affair with Beth!"

She stared at him with big eyes, a look of profound relief washing over her. It was clear to Tom that his fiancée had been wrestling with the exact same doubts and insecurities as him.

"So you really never slept with Beth?" she asked, hope burning bright in her loving gaze.

Tom winced, his shoulders slumping.

The look of horror was back on Anna's face, along with a large slice of pain at his betrayal. She whirled around and hammered on the door, her voice breaking as she cried, "Let me out!"

"We did sleep together, but I didn't have sex with her!" he blurted out, then cringed when he realised how awful that still sounded. He knew fatigue and stress were taking their toll on both of them. "Beth asked to stay in my room because she was terrified of Mason... he went totally crazy! She wanted to sleep with me, but we never did anything!"

"Mason loved you like a brother!" Anna exclaimed, tears running down her cheeks. "How can you say something so horrible about him?!"

Tom tried to reply, but then she was already gone, fleeing through the prison door and leaving him alone once more.

***

The Enclave invasion force proceeded deeper into Kintark territory, their scouts keeping a wary eye out for defenders. After the disaster in the asteroid belt, Shoal Master Kaelotegh had ordered a rapid assessment of the damage sustained by fleets Naiorrid and Enghebil. As he had feared, most of the warships had taken significant hull damage, forcing them to stop and make emergency repairs.

Loathe to leave those vessels undefended in hostile territory, he ordered the unscathed ships in those fleets to guard their comrades while the worst of the damage was patched. While that was a prudent decision to protect valuable fleet assets, it did mean that the size of his invasion force had been significantly depleted. The Brimorian armada had been substantially reduced, down to five of the original seven battle groups.

"Shoal Master... we have detected more enemy vessels!" the Wave-squire called out in warning, his previous glee now tempered into serious professionalism.

"Where?" Kaelotegh demanded, turning to stare intently at the Sector Map.

As he watched, the display shifted focus to the next threat... a huge nebula that sprawled across space in the direct path of their invasion route. In the middle of the bright expanse of stellar gases, sensor signals flickered intermittently, giving away the location of the Kintark forces. The question that troubled every Brimorian officer aboard the flagship's Bridge, was whether or not this was actually a war fleet, or the bait for another vicious trap.

Kaelotegh drummed his claws on his console, making a rapid series of dull clicks as the fleets drew closer to the nebula.

"Shoal Master?" Shoal-Commander Libtegh asked tentatively. "Are we going to engage that fleet or ignore it?"

Narrowing his eyes with suspicion, Kaelotegh muttered, "What are you planning next, my cunning Kintark adversary? Do you think me a fool, who falls for the same trick twice? Or was the previous ruse designed to make me suspicious of a trap, when none exists and a fleet lurks in wait instead?"

The minutes ticked by in silence, the Enclave forces inching closer to the nebula.

"How much time will we lose if we navigate around the nebula, staying well outside interdiction range?" Kaelotegh asked his navigator.

The Brimorian Current Seeker bent his head to study the stellar charts, carefully plotting out an alternate route that would avoid the nebula. "Such a path would add an additional four hours to our arrival time at Kinta, Shoal Master."

Kaelotegh smiled confidently. "I shall avoid the quandary of the nebula entirely, my reptilian foe." Turning to his flagship's helmsman, he continued, "Use the new flight path and navigate around the nebula."

Activating the fleet command interface, the leader of the invasion force sent out fresh sets of instructions to his Shoal-Commanders, ordering them to follow his battle group on their diversion. The Wave-squire manning the helm altered their course and the Retribution from the Depths made a ponderous turn to skirt the interstellar hazard. They made slow but steady progress for thirty minutes, while all eyes watched the Kintark sensor contacts to see how they would react.

"Shoal Master!" a Brimorian engineer blurted out, his fins trembling in panic. "We're detecting a minefield, directly in our path!"

"All ships hold position!" Kaelotegh shouted in the command interface, bringing the Enclave force to a grinding halt as they dropped out of hyper-warp. "Show me the minefield!"

The holographic map updated to show glinting metallic spheres ahead of them. The minefield wasn't densely packed, but instead sprawled outwards to cover as large an area as possible.

Shoal-Commander Libtegh's eyes widened in alarm. "The Kintark fleet is engaging our flank!"

When Kaelotegh whipped his head around to stare at the nebula, he saw the flickering sensor readings advancing towards their position. With his forces pivoting around the nebula, the solitary Kintark fleet would now only be facing a single Brimorian fleet.