Three Square Meals Ch. 134

Damopha perked up and bared her teeth. "Can we come too?" She growled and leapt forward in a pounce. "We'll show them!"

Tamolith shook her head. "You would scare them all away and leave none for me. Listen to Zulkayr and do what he says. He will keep you safe until I return."

The dragon whelps reluctantly agreed, then trotted after Zulkayr as he led them onwards down the tunnel. Tamolith watched them leave for a long moment, before she turned and stalked back along the corridor, retracing her steps to one of the abrupt twists in the broad and winding tunnel. Lurking in the darkness, her hulking form was tensed and ready for action as she waited for the alien invaders to appear.

The sound of hundreds of armoured boots grew deafeningly loud, but as the first group of Brimorian marines rounded the bend, the noise was drowned out by Tamolith's booming roar. She charged forward, using her massive bulk to smash the terrified troopers against the wall, popping their armour with a satisfying crunch. Kicking off against the blood-soaked ground, she barrelled into the next group, her claws and fangs gleaming wickedly in their spotlights.

Tamolith fell on the Brimorians, ripping away armoured limbs or crushing their bodies in her powerful jaws. Their flesh was delicious, but the salt water in their suits added a bitter, briny aftertaste. Agonised screams filled the tunnel along with frightened cries, as the enraged dragon slashed and maimed her way through the front ranks. Amidst the carnage, those marines broke and fled for their lives, but the troops advancing behind stood fast. They raised their particle rifles and opened fire, yellow energy bolts striking Tamolith's scarlet hide. She was hit dozens of times, the stinging impacts leaving blackened scars across Tamolith's bloody foreclaws, sinuous neck and powerful shoulders.

She snarled as she shrugged off the pain and charged into the next squad, tearing them apart for their insolence.

***

The Breklan'tohok's Bridge was deathly quiet, the crew of the Kintark flagship stunned into silence by the terrifying scale of the destruction heaped on the Brimorians. High Prelate Zorlin watched in disbelief as the Invictus cruised towards the Enclave formations, annihilating everything in its path. The alien armada had seemed unstoppable only minutes earlier, but now their fleets were being torn to pieces as they faced that relentless onslaught.

A forest of sapphire beams lanced out again and again, instantly overwhelming shields and blowing cruisers to pieces. The Brimorians had launched a huge swarm of fighters before Zorlin ambushed their heavy carriers and hundreds of strike craft now moved to engage the Terran battlecruiser. Unfortunately for those squadrons, the Invictus' defence grid was just as lethal as its main guns and the Brimorian fighters were cut to pieces before they even got in range.

Zorlin should have been elated at having achieved strike craft supremacy, but was too numb with shock and could only watch the carnage in appalled fascination. He expected the biggest ships in the Brimorian force to offer some sterner resistance, but the first battleship to get within the Invictus' staggering range was engulfed in a dazzling blast that hurt his eyes with its ferocious intensity. Zorlin had witnessed that weapon being used once before at the Battle of Regulus and it was just as terrifying as he'd remembered.

He rubbed his eyes, the after-image of that incandescent blast seared onto his retinas. When his eyesight had recovered, Zorlin searched in vain for the battleship that had been hit by the Nova Lance, until he realised it had been completely atomised. He shuddered with fear at the thought of facing an enemy with such staggering firepower and could only imagine what must be going through the Brimorian Commander's head at that moment.

Unsurprisingly, the Brimorians chose to run for their lives, rather than hold position and be systematically annihilated. The Enclave formations broke apart as every ship captain sought to save themselves, the Brimorians scattering in every direction as they routed. The Invictus was preoccupied with escorting a single gunship to Kinta... or eager to slaughter the bombarding battleships, Zorlin wasn't sure which. The momentary respite gave the surviving Brimorians a chance to flee from the slaughter, which they gladly took.

Zorlin froze as he remembered Captain Fernandez's request for him to withdraw and hold position until the Brimorians tried to escape. The battle had played out exactly as she'd predicted, with the two Kintark fleets now ideally placed to intercept the fleeing aliens. It was almost as if the young Terran female had orchestrated these exact circumstances to allow the Kintark forces a chance to avenge the bombarding of their homeworld.

Turning his attention to the fleet command interface, the High Prelate grimaced as he began to reorganise his forces for the upcoming battle. A third of the remaining Kintark forces had sustained damage in the aborted charge against the Brimorians and they had still not fully recharged their shields. He moved his damaged vessels into a reserve force, keeping them away from the main battle line, but still allowing them to add supporting fire.

With his forces at the ready, he picked the obvious target... a greatly diminished fleet of Brimorian warships led by their flagship. The enemy battlegroup was heading directly towards the Kintark position and Zorlin realised that this was a last-ditch effort by the Brimorians to inflict some serious damage on the Imperial forces. Supporting the enemy flagship was a core group of ten Brimorian battleships, packing enough firepower to pose a massive threat. It was going to be a dangerous fight, but Zorlin knew that every Kintark crewman in his fleets needed the catharsis of revenge.

"High Prelate, we're being hailed," the comms officer announced in a hushed voice.

Normally, he would've been drowned out by the background noises on the Bridge, but in the eerie silence, everyone heard him loud and clear.

"By who? The Invictusss?" Zorlin asked, walking across the command platform to look down on the communications officer.

"No, High Prelate. Their desssignation is Ssstrike Valkyrie Ultra."

Glancing up at the holo-screen, he ordered, "Put them through."

Another Terran female appeared, but this young woman had jet-black hair and almond-shaped eyes.

"This is Lioness Sakura Honami," she declared, inclining her head politely. "With your permission, I would like to assist in engaging the incoming Brimorian force."

Zorlin hesitated and looked at her in confusion, wondering why she was asking permission. He suddenly realised that Sakura was treating him as a respected ally... one that wasn't in dire need of help. By asking if she could join the battle, rather than rushing to the rescue, Sakura was allowing the Kintark to keep their pride intact. Touched by her thoughtful deference, which flew in the face of everything he'd believed the Terrans capable of, Zorlin gave her a grateful nod.

"I am not too proud to asssk for asssistance, not when Kintark livesss are in jeopardy," he replied with great relief, bowing to her respectfully. "You may engage them at will, Lionesss."

She gave him a tight-lipped smile. "Thank you, Zorlin. Feel free to designate any targets you wish to claim for yourself."

"Their flagssship..." he replied, understanding her intent.

Sakura nodded then closed the comms channel.

Zorlin turned back to the Tactical Map and began searching for the Valkyrie, wondering what manner of warship Sakura was commanding. His attention had been wholly focused on the Invictus after its dramatic entrance, so he wasn't surprised that he'd missed the arrival of another Terran vessel. With so many ships scattered around the system, it proved impossible to spot Sakura amongst the sea of red sensor contacts.

He activated the search function to help him locate the Valkyrie's transponder, which quickly identified her craft and made it flash on the three-dimensional map. Zorlin blinked in surprise and couldn't help feeling foolish, as it transpired that the Valkyrie was nothing more than an unusually shaped strike craft. He sighed with resignation as he designated Sakura's sensor contact as a friendly fighter, then turned his attention back to his battered fleets. The impending fight against the core of the Brimorian fleets was going to be a far more dangerous prospect than the slaughter he'd been expecting.

***

John bounded down the stone steps, forcing himself to slow down as he took the turns in the stairwell so that he wouldn't crash into the walls. He spotted another squad of Brimorians as he reached the level below, but didn't stop to fight them. Instead he whipped his sword around in passing, the lightning-fast backhanded swipe sending a telekinetic arc through their midst. The sound of agonised cries reached his sharp ears as he rushed onwards, telling him that the hastily aimed psychic projection had hit its mark.

*I've reached the second level,* he said to Alyssa a few seconds later as he bounded out into the empty corridor. *Which way now?*

*Keep going the same direction as before, but a bit to the left. Heading 340... about 150 metres.*

*Got it,* he replied, turning to his right and continuing along the broad hallway.

Keeping an eye on the compass displayed on the HUD of his Paragon helmet, John sprinted along the high-arched passageway, which snaked through several turns. Forcing himself to slow down a little, he activated his psychically enhanced sight, the X-ray vision allowing him to see straight through the walls. There were numerous entryways on the left side of the corridor and John realised that the third one along would take him directly to his target.

He was so fixated on peering through the walls to keep his bearings, John nearly tripped over an armoured corpse lying in the middle of the corridor. Glancing down, he was shocked to see hundreds of bodies covering the floor, many of them still burning with fel green plasma fire. The fallen soldier he'd nearly stumbled into was a dead Brimorian marine, the aquatic alien's face contorted in agony as he'd been incinerated by plasma bolts. There were many more Brimorians there... fifty at least... but the rest were Kintark soldiers, easily identifiable by their iridescent green body armour.

*I found the Kintark garrison,* John informed Alyssa as he hurried through the piles of dead warriors. *The Brimorians wiped them out.*

*We wondered where all the soldiers were,* she replied, sharing his sombre mood.

*It looks like they made a last stand defending Tamolith's escape route,* he replied, frowning in disapproval. *But this was a terrible place to fight. They could've used the emplacements around the palace to murder the Brimorians as they landed, cutting them to pieces with enfilading fire. Even badly outnumbered, they could have slaughtered hundreds of marines trying to disperse from their dropships.*

*Not if their Empress ordered them to protect her retreat,* Alyssa said quietly. *You know what Tamolith's like. She only cares about her children and doesn't give a shit about Kintark troops.*

John frowned with disapproval, having seen more than enough of soldiers being sacrificed unnecessarily during his time in the Terran Federation military. He worked his way along the corridor, following a well-trodden path that avoided most of the corpses.

*How many Brimorians did you see in the tunnels?* he asked, finally getting past the bloodiest part of the battlefield.

*A lot... hundreds.*

He sped up again, returning to a full sprint after turning into the adjoining corridor. Following a few turns, he rushed through a set of double doors that had been flung open, revealing a huge library. Bookshelves stacked with books ran for at least 50 metres in either direction, containing a vast wealth of knowledge.

After seeing the destruction throughout the palace, John was actually surprised that the Brimorians hadn't started a book-burning bonfire. The only sign of vandalism was the hundreds of bloody boot prints that crossed the room, ruining the plush carpets with the vile mess. Hurrying after the Brimorian invaders, he followed the disgusting path to a bookcase in the corner that had been torn down, revealing a tunnel into the gloom beyond.

*I found the tunnel. I'm heading in,* he told his matriarchs, running full tilt into the secret passageway. John activated low-light vision in his HUD, enhancing his view. *Keep me updated if there's any problems.*

*Will do,* Alyssa replied.

*Master... there's something you need to know,* Jade snarled, her voice bristling with barely-suppressed fury.

***

Tashana skidded to a halt, her mouth falling open in shock as she neared the Brimorian forces on the outskirts of the drop zone. Hundreds of Enclave marines were positioned there, the blue and purple armoured troopers firing down the hill in a pitched battle. Except that there were only yellow particle beams being fired and no answering plasma bolts from Kintark soldiers... because the Brimorians were shooting civilians fleeing from the burning city.

The road below was piled high with bodies, thousands of innocent Kintark civilians gunned down in cold blood.

*Are you seeing this, Jade?* Tashana balked, the telepathic conversation relayed via Alyssa.

*They're shooting children!* the Nymph cried out in anguish, her sharp eyes spotting the tiny bodies amongst the dead.

*Distract them for me...* Tashana growled, her eyes blazing with rage. She dropped her pistols and her hands burst into flame, burning white-hot with her fury.

Jade dipped the Raptor's nose and roared over the Brimorian forces, low enough for the gunship's retro-thrusters to buffet the troops. She whirled the agile ship around, spraying streams of tachyon bolts along the Enclave lines to get their attention. After her excellent accuracy against the previous squads, it would've been astonishing that Jade didn't manage to hit a single Brimorians with her opening volley... except that was never her intent.

The Brimorians stumbled backwards from this latest threat, hundreds of particle rifles turning their fire towards the gunship looming in front of them. The Raptor was almost obliterated from sight by yellow particle bolts, their massed firepower spraying wildly over its protective shields. Jade weaved the gunship from side to side, responding to the barrage with more pulses of tachyon bolts that blasted chunks out of the ground at the Brimorians' feet.

Before the aquatic troops could question the miraculous fact that none of them had been shot, an unusual whistling sound caught their attention over the thrumming dirge of gunfire. One of the Brimorians turned around to glance behind him, then fell backwards, his eyes wide in horror. The whistling became a deep-throated roar as the firestorm gave vent to its fury, a scorching wall of flame running the entire length of the Brimorian lines that sucked in the very air around it.

Jade pulled back on the flightstick, lifting the Raptor's nose to drift backwards as she felt the insistent pull of the nightmarish inferno. For the much smaller and lighter alien soldiers, there would be no escape from the firestorm's hungry maw. A soldier was sucked off his feet and immolated by the conflagration, his flame-shrouded armour catapulted out the other side. He writhed in agony, howling himself hoarse as he was broiled to death.

Brimorians fell to the ground, clawing desperately for purchase as they were dragged kicking and screaming into the fiery maelstrom. There was no escape for any of the terrified marines, each and every one of them slowly incinerated as they were consumed by the hungry flames. Its infernal appetite appeased, the firestorm wavered and diminished, the temperatures rapidly cooling until it flickered out with a guttering whump.

Tashana collapsed to her knees as she panted for breath, having pushed herself to the limit. The flames enveloping her gauntleted fists had abated and she reached for her pistols again, now that her fiery retribution was complete. Looking up, she saw the Raptor hovering a dozen metres away, the nose tilted down so that she could see directly into the cockpit. Tashana made eye-contact with Jade and they shared a nod, satisfied that the Kintark dead had been suitably avenged.

***

Jehanna carefully snapped off bursts of laser fire with her pistol, the bolts hitting the Brimorians ducked behind cover with impressive accuracy. The laser bolts struck them in the helmet or upper torso, the only places visible above the low granite walls surrounding the raised flowerbeds in the arboretum. Taking out their shields with the first couple of energy pulses, the next blasted fist-sized holes through their body armour, slaying the Brimorians instantly.

"Nice shooting," Alyssa muttered, her own twin Tachyon rifles carefully picking off more of the squad.

"Thank you," the reporter replied, appreciating the praise but surprised at the blonde's surly tone.

It would've been far easier to simply blast their way through the cover and mow down every Brimorian in this section of the palace. However, they were doing their best to preserve the Kintark edifice rather than demolish it. The high-powered energy bolts from Jehanna's laser pistol were strong enough to punch through walls, so the Tachyon rifles would've caused untold destruction.

The Brimorians were showing no such restraint as they returned fire, but it was fortunate that their particle rifles were a lot less powerful. Yellow bolts blasted scorched holes in the granite walls behind the two girls, every missed shot causing more damage to the palace. Alyssa and Jehanna had not escaped the gunfight unscathed, the shield status in their HUD's dipping from bright green to show a hint of yellow.

Alyssa suddenly raised both her hands and a pair of huge telekinetic fists appeared amongst the ducking Brimorians. She curled her hands into claws and the psychic projections grabbed the two closest marines, lifting them off the ground in her implacable grip. The alien soldiers struggled to free themselves, crying out in panic as they floated higher.

"Fucking animals..." Alyssa snarled, her eyes shining with a harsh white light.

She used her improvised cudgels to batter the other Brimorians in the squad, their terrified screams turning to strangled gurgles as she bludgeoned them to death. When the two alien marines were too mangled to further serve as a mallet, she contemptuously tossed them aside, then grabbed another pair. Alyssa smashed the rest of the marines, their terrified wails echoing around the arboretum as she butchered the last members of their squad.

Rising from cover, Alyssa stalked across the blood-splattered lawns without giving the dead Brimorians a second glance. The blonde frowned when she realised she was alone, then glanced back to see Jehanna still standing by the wall, watching her with wide eyes.

"Come on, there's still plenty more bad guys to waste," she said, beckoning her dusky-hued companion to follow.

Jehanna walked over to join Alyssa, but her expression was filled with concern. "Did I do something to upset you?"

Alyssa looked at her in surprise and shook her head. "No, of course not. Why do you ask?"

Gesticulating towards the mutilated corpses and limbs strewn haphazardly across the room, Jehanna didn't bother to reply.

Glancing around her, Alyssa's gaze softened as she turned back to face Jehanna. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you worry. This has nothing to do with how you've been performing.... which is great by the way."

"What then?" Jehanna pressed.

"The Brimorian genocide plan is looking better by the minute," Alyssa muttered, scowling angrily. "These fuckers have been slaughtering children."