Three Square Meals Ch. 144

"There it is! I found it!" she gasped, springing up from her seat behind the Comms station and pointing frankly at a holographic screen. "Check out external camera 46!"

"Hold position, Leylira," Calara ordered the Nymph pilot, then tapped several icons on her console.

The camera footage reappeared on the main screen, giving them a clear view of the gun emplacement. It hung motionless in space, several hundred metres off their starboard bow, the gleaming white making it stand out against the muted purple background. The base was six-sided, like a hexagonal dinner plate that was thickest in the centre, with weapons bristling over the numerous hardpoints.

The turret's primary guns were ensconced in a pair of massive weapon turrets, one on the top and the other mounted on the bottom. Each gun barrel was nearly twice the length of the Raptor, and the lights glowing along the side revealed that the weapons still had power, although they were not currently tracking in their direction. Around the periphery of the hexagonal baseplate, smaller turrets could be seen at each angular edge, the barrels all pointing towards Kythshara.

"What type of weapons do you think they are?" Sakura asked quietly.

Calara studied the ancient guns with a hungry gleam in her eyes. "I don't know... but I intend to find out. Mael'nerak must have designed that weapon emplacement to be a threat to an invading Progenitor, no matter what class of ship he approached in. If I was defending Kythshara from assault, those smaller, fast-tracking turrets would need to be powerful enough to stop a cloaked shuttle... and those big guns must hit hard enough to damage a dreadnought!"

*You can play with your new toys later,* Alyssa playfully chastised the brunette. *It sounds like shutting down the AI deactivated the defence grid too, so you should be able to safely approach Kythshara. I'm going to ask Leylira to fly directly above the city and bring the Invictus down to 20,000 feet; she should be able to handle that with no problems. I'll meet you there and land the Invictus myself.*

*We're on our way!* Calara replied, her heart fluttering with joy at the prospect of being reunited with John and Alyssa.

***

The midday sun shone through the leafy canopy that surrounded the administration complex on Brecken's World, casting green spears of light down into the courtyard below. The sunlight gently warmed Lucyna's face as she stood on a balcony overlooking proceedings, and she watched with amusement as Governor Stefan Vaughn yelled orders at his men. They were busy heaving a thick roll of red carpet onto the back of a logging truck, but for the second time that afternoon, it rolled off the other side and landed in the mud.

A handsome man strolled out of the administration building to join Lucyna, his perfectly tailored suit making him look more like a male model than the Governor of Tasmaris Prime.

"Oh my, what a glorious day," he noted, leaning against the railing and tilting his head back to enjoy the bright sunlight. Turning a disarming smile in her direction, he continued, "You don't have any objections to me basking in your glorious presence do you, Governor Novitsky? If you'd prefer to be alone, just say the word and I'll depart... my heart forever broken by a fair maiden's cold rejection."

She snorted and rolled her eyes. "Does that flowery shit ever work?"

"What lovely lady hasn't dreamt of being whisked away from her humdrum existence and wooed by a handsome prince?"

"Ain't you gettin' a little old for the man-whore routine, Bryce?" she said with a disapproving scowl.

He placed his hand over his heart and gave her a look of mock indignation. "Too old?! Ouch! You wound me, Luce."

"Yeah, right. Your hide's thicker than a bull elephant's."

"That's not the first time I've been favourable compared with an elephant," he said, waggling his eyebrows suggestively. "Some might think that having a six-foot penis would be somewhat of a hindrance... but I've never had any complaints."

She burst into guffaws and shook her head. "It's good to see you again, Bryce. When did you arrive?"

"Just this morning," he replied, pleased to see she was still capable of laughter, despite everything she'd recently endured. Nodding with his chin towards the courtyard, he continued, "I see they're rolling out the red carpet for someone. I don't recall receiving such a lavish welcome from Stefan, did you?"

"Nah, but I'd have been pissed if he did," she muttered, shaking her head. "I thought this was supposed to be a clandestine meeting... all cloak and dagger?"

"Perhaps his latest guest warrants special attention?" Bryce suggested, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. He turned to face Lucyna again and gave her a broad smile. "Now tell me... do you have any plans for today?"

"Nah, I'm just kickin' my heels until the rest of Vaughn's guests pitch up. Why? Whaddya have in mind?"

"I thought we might go on a fun little excursion to while away the time. Have you ever gone fishing before?"

"Fishin'?" she asked incredulously. "You... wanna go fishin'?!"

"We have the perfect weather for it," he said, glancing up at the cheery sunshine.

"Ugh... go on then. I guess it beats bein' stuck indoors all day," she grumbled.

"Marvellous!" he gushed, clapping his hands together with genuine enthusiasm. "I'm going to change into more appropriate attire. Shall we reconvene outside the starport in thirty minutes?"

"Yeah, okay. I packed my gumboots in case Vaughn wanted us to go on a hike through the woods. I remember how muddy it gets out there."

"Ah, very wise, Lucyna," Bruce said, pushing himself away from the railings. "Well, I'll see you shortly then."

"Right-oh," she replied cheerfully, actually looking forward to the trip.

***

Alyssa carefully levitated Jade onto a floating gurney as her sisters looked on with anxious eyes.

"Please could you take Jade to the Medical Bay," Rachel requested. "I'll join you as soon as I've removed my armour."

"Of course," Neysa said, nodding towards Marika who began guiding the gurney towards the Invictus' airlock. "Thank you, Doctor Voss."

"There's no need for that... I love her too," the tawny-haired girl said, watching Jade disappear inside.

"I'll put these two to bed," Alyssa said, as she walked past with Dana and Irillith cradled in her telekinetic embrace. "See you soon."

Daphne waited politely until they had all travelled through the airlock, then she walked outside to join John.

"I'm very relieved to see you are unharmed, father," she said, before her perceptive eyes flicked to his bare forearm. "What happened to your vambrace? Your armour looks severely damaged, but your limb is intact."

He flexed his fingers and grimaced. "It was a close call, Daphne. My arm wasn't looking too good twenty minutes ago."

She stepped closer and gently touched his hand. "I'm very sorry that you and your friends were hurt. Is there anything that the Collective can do to assist?"

"Thanks for the offer, but I don't think so." John glanced back at the wrecked gunship. "We need to recover the Raptor, but I can't deal with that now. I'll come back and move it into the hangar later."

"You can leave the recovery operation to us," Daphne volunteered. "I have full access to the Invictus' tractor beams, so recovering the wreckage will be quite a straightforward procedure."

"That'd be a big help. Thanks a lot, honey."

She stood on tiptoe and placed a soft kiss on his cheek. "You look weary, father. You should rest."

"Yeah, I feel it," he agreed, the psychic regeneration of his arm taking its toll.

Returning her wave goodbye, John entered the Invictus through the airlock and strode across the Secondary Hangar to the express grav-tubes. He'd lost all power to his Paragon suit, so it felt clunky and unresponsive, the servos all fried by the electrical surge. When he stepped out of the anti-gravity field into the Armoury on Deck Four, he was surprised to find Calara, Sakura, and Jehanna waiting for him with multi-tools at the ready.

"We thought you might need help with your armour," Sakura explained. "Alyssa said you might have some trouble taking it off."

"Thanks, girls," John said gratefully.

"Plus, the sooner we can get you out of that tin can, the quicker we can have a proper hug," Calara added, giving him a warm smile.

"I could really do with one of those too," he said with a tired chuckle.

Following their instructions, he held up his arms to give them better access to his armour. Their multi-tools whirred and clicked as they unfastened bolts and clasps, deftly removing battered armour plating from his body.

"I think this locking mechanism is jammed on the right side," Jehanna said, glaring at the dented breastplate with a frown.

"I wouldn't be surprised. I had a 50 ton robot jumping up and down on me," John said, nodding his thanks to Sakura as she removed his left pauldron. "Let me give it a try."

He gripped the armour at the joint above his waist and heaved as hard as he could. The broken mechanism made a grinding screech as the metal bent under the strain, then the two halves broke apart, to fall to the deck with a clang. As soon as he was freed from the last piece of armour, John was immediately surrounded in a four-way embrace with him at the centre.

"We all heard what happened," Jehanna said, hugging him tight. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Calara stroked his arm, which was still covered in dried blood at the elbow where the limb had been brutally severed. "I remember what it was like. You must have been in agony..."

"I don't think either of us want to go through that again," he said, pulling her closer for a kiss.

Sakura nuzzled into him from behind as she watched their tender embrace. "Alyssa thought you might want to freshen up while Rachel's scanning Jade. Do you want some company in the shower?"

John nodded without breaking the kiss, his arm reaching back to stroke Sakura's supple thigh when she pressed herself against him. Reluctantly the quartet broke apart, then they took the express grav-tube up to the Commander's quarters, where John was quickly stripped of his torn jumpsuit. The three girls removed their own clothing on the way into the shower and John was soon moaning with pleasure as they soaped down his aching muscles.

"That feels amazing," he said with a contented sigh.

"I'm so glad you're okay," Jehanna murmured as she stroked his chest. "When Alyssa lost contact with you and the girls, I was terrified that something awful had happened. Actually, the whole time we were apart was nerve-racking... the mission sounded like it was one disaster after the other."

"We were very lucky not to lose anyone," John admitted, opening his eyes to see three worried faces gazing back at him. "I just hope Jade's going to be okay."

"Do you have any idea what happened to her?" Calara asked, anxiously nibbling at her lower lip.

He shook his head with a rueful frown. "Nobody does... and that's what's worrying me. Rachel said that the Achonin runes on Jade's crystal heart have been 'activated'. I think we should take a look at them and try to figure out where we go from here."

The girls were quiet as they finished showering together, their thoughts preoccupied with Jade. They all dressed quickly, then hurried along the corridor to the grav-tubes, where they descended to Deck Seven. When John opened the door into the Medical Bay, he saw that the rest of the girls were already there, watching Rachel as she operated the medi-scanner.

Alyssa held out her hand towards him and they intertwined their fingers as he stood beside her. "We just moved Jade into the scanner. It won't take long for us to see a visual of her heart."

Jehanna gasped when she saw the Nymph matriarch's terrified expression. "Oh my god! What on Terra could've made her react like that?!"

"I've no idea," John said quietly, slipping an arm around her shoulders and giving her a supportive sideways hug.

Removing Jade's clenched hand from the flight stick had been a very laborious process. John was the only one strong enough to loosen her supernaturally enhanced grip, but he had to be extremely careful not to use too much force for fear of breaking her fingers. After painstakingly removing her hands from the Raptor's controls, they were still curled into claws, and now it looked like Jade was frantically trying to defend herself from some horrific foe. It hurt just to look at her in this dreadful state.

"There it is," Rachel murmured, stepping aside so they could all see the holographic display. "Jade's crystal heart."

The Nymph's vital organ was shaped as a hexagonal prism and the image rotated slowly in the air so it could be seen from all angles. Every facet was covered in strange and unfamiliar glyphs, the ancient icons now glowing with a sinister amber light.

"These runes have shifted position," the brunette explained, tapping buttons on the control interface. "This is what they looked like before they activated."

She brought up another set of images, which had been taken during the autopsy she'd performed on Jade shortly after her death. John could see the difference at once. The runes had rotated and changed alignment, with the haphazard symbols now forming a rigidly ordered sequence. Even looking at the Achonin glyphs set his teeth on edge and he shuddered with a disquieting sense of revulsion.

"The rest of the Nymphs have been unaffected by their proximity to Kythshara, but I performed another diagnostic check on them, just to be thorough," the meticulous doctor said, glancing at Jade's sisters. "There was no trace of these glyphs on their hearts previously and that's still the case now. I think it's safe to say that Jade is the only one that has been modified by the Achonin."

"Alright. How do we get rid of them?" he asked, his gaze flicking from the glyphs to Rachel.

The doctor was nibbling at her nail as she gazed at the images with intense concentration. "The only thing I know with absolute certainty, is that examining these runes makes me feel deeply unsettled."

"Me too," Alyssa said, suppressing an involuntary shudder.

The rest of the girls all quickly agreed, echoing her sentiments.

Racking his brain for any possible solution, John blurted out, "Dana had a look at the Achonin runes in the Underworld... Is there any chance that she might be able to tell us more?"

Rachel hesitated, then shook her head. "We can ask her, but I doubt it. There were only a few simple icons displayed on those computers the pirates were using, so expecting Dana to translate an intricate sequence like this is out of the question."

Tashana grimaced as she stared at the alien runes. "The Underworld is just an Achonin fuel refinery. I'm sure that the only reason it's still left standing is because Mael'nerak dismissed it as being inconsequential. I only mention this to put the facility into proper perspective; us hoping to find an answer there, is like expecting to find detailed instructions on genetic cloning in an Outer Rim gas station."

Calara cleared her throat, but then stayed silent, and when John glanced her way he saw a horribly conflicted expression on her face.

"What's wrong?" he asked with concern.

"Just go ahead and tell him," Alyssa said, her voice pained. "It needs saying, even if we don't want to hear it."

The Latina took a deep breath, then reluctantly said, "If there's no guarantee we'll find any answers in the Underworld, then that means scouring the Unclaimed Wastes for other Achonin facilities that might have survived. It would take us two days to fly there, several more looking for other sites, then two days to return to Kythshara. That's all time that we can't afford to waste, not when we should be focused on retrieving Larn'kelnar's thrall fleets."

Her announcement was met with shocked silence.

"But... it's Jade!" Betrixa blurted out, looking at the Latina incredulously. "We have to help her!"

"I know..." Calara said, her shoulders sagging. "If I was following my heart, I'd say to drop everything and do whatever it takes to get Jade the help she needs. I just... needed to remind all of you what's at stake."

"It's alright, honey," John said, walking over to embrace the distraught girl. "Jade would never want us to risk everything to help her."

"We can't leave her like that, Master!" Betrixa protested. "She's terrified... and nothing scares us!"

"Actually, that's not true, Betrixa," Neysa interjected, her tone grim and foreboding. "How would you react if you were forced to betray our Master... or even worse, made to harm him?"

The blonde shapeshifter gaped at her sister in horror, her look of consternation mirrored by the rest of the Nymphs.

"Oh, Jade..." Helene murmured with sympathy, reaching out to stroke her hair.

"All of you are right," John said, moving over to stand beside the medical bed and gaze down at his devoted Nymph. "We can't leave Jade like this and we can't afford to waste days roaming around the Unclaimed Wastes searching for answers that might no longer exist. That means we need to do something to help her now."

"Shall I wake Dana and ask her to take a look at the runes?" Alyssa asked with a worried frown. "I don't think we should disturb Irillith though, she's been through too much and needs to rest."

"No, let them both sleep. Dana only glanced at a few icons on the Underworld computers and Irillith wasn't able to interact with the Achonin systems. They won't be able to tell us anything useful from that." His attention shifted to Helene as he continued, "What can you tell me about Jade's mind? Can you get a reading of her emotions?"

The Abandoned girl closed her eyes and reached out towards her stricken friend, attempting to make contact with Jade's mind. She was able to touch the periphery of the Nymph's subconscious, but it was like being in contact with the cold hard rock she'd visualised when they were besieged by the Mists.

"Nothing... nothing at all," Helene finally said, her voice forlorn. "It's like her mind has been completely sealed away."

"By the Achonin runes, or Jade herself?" Rachel asked, listening attentively.

"I'm sorry... I don't know."

"That's okay, it's important to rule out all possibilities," John said, before turning to face Alyssa. "Are you able to make telepathic contact with her?"

"I've tried several times already and ran into exactly the same problem as Helene," the blonde admitted with a frustrated sigh. "Jade's mind is locked up tight... I wasn't able to make any connection at all."

He nodded, as if expecting her reply. "I guess that leaves us only one last option. I'll try to make telepathic contact with her myself."

Calara frowned in confusion. "I thought Alyssa was a much stronger telepath than you?"

"I am... except when one of you is loaded up," the blonde said, looking at John with admiration. "You're thinking about what happened with Lilyana?"

"Yes, exactly."

Jehanna glanced at each of them in turn. "Why? What happened?"

"I tried to shield a Maliri Fleet Commander's mind when she swallowed down a full load of John's cum. He doesn't like seeing new girls getting overwhelmed when he feeds them for the first few times, so I thought he'd enjoy it more if I could stop her from going into the trance. It didn't work... he just swatted me aside like a bug. When he gives any of you a full tummy, I've got no chance in hell of coming between the two of you."

The Indian girl rubbed her slim stomach instinctively and shot John a hungry look.

*Can I suggest Tashana?* Alyssa advised him. *She needs some time alone with you.*

*Of course.* John caught the heated glance from Jehanna and gave her an apologetic smile. "Not this time, gorgeous. I need to debrief Tashana on the mission."