Three Square Meals Ch. 144

"I ain't sayin' that," she replied, shaking her head. "Just... we need to be very careful. If the Admirals get wind of what we're up to out here, heads will roll."

"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen," Stefan Vaughn said, his amplified voice echoing around the conference room and getting everyone's attention. "Before we start proceedings, I just want to thank all of you for attending. I'm well aware of what's at stake and the risks you're all taking in being here... but I promise you that it will be well worth your time."

He glanced around the room and continued, "Now, you all know who I am, but you might not know each other. I think we should be up front about who we are and what worlds we represent. Just to start us off, I'm Stefan Vaughn, Governor of Brecken's World these past twelve years."

He passed the microphone to a stout man that Luce didn't recognise, who was sitting on his right-hand side.

"Andros Petrides, Nerus IV," the man said proudly. His perceptive gaze swept the room, gauging the other attendees' reaction before he handed over the microphone to the next governor.

"That's Stefan's 600-pound tuna right there," Bryce whispered to Lucyna, somehow managing to not move his lips.

She covered her mouth with her hand and muttered back, "Port Heracles?"

"Got it in one," the Governor for Tasmaris Prime replied. "If Nerus IV secedes from the Terran Federation, it'll be a huge blow to the Admiralty. As well as losing their primary trade hub for the Outer Rim, Port Heracles boasts the second biggest drydock and shipyard facilities outside Olympus."

"There ain't no way in hell High Command will give that up," Lucyna scoffed.

"If they're determined to leave, the Admiralty won't have much choice," Bryce countered. "I have it on very good authority that the Lion will intervene to protect us if necessary."

Lucyna studied the Nerus IV governor, trying to get a measure of the man. "Why would he want to join us anyway? If Port Heracles is that important to the Admiralty, they must already be dumpin' shitloads of credits into the system to keep everyone happy. The last thing they'd want is any trouble kickin' off there."

"It's not always about the money, Luce," Bryce said, joining her in watching the man. "Andros Petrides is currently a mid-tier governor aspiring to play with the big boys in the Core Worlds. If Nerus IV joins us, Port Heracles will become our primary shipyard and the source of all our defensive fleets. Petrides would instantly be promoted to one of the most powerful and influential men in Stefan's new empire."

She whistled quietly at that revelation, then turned to listen to the rest of the governors introduce themselves. Around the conference table sat thirty-two Outer-Rim governors, which included all the colonies that had been invaded by the Kirrix. There were more people standing in the room who were listening intently as the meeting unfolded, but Lucyna ignored them as she introduced herself, figuring that they were Stefan's administrative staff taking notes.

To see so many colonies represented there was remarkable, and she looked at the Governor of Brecken's World with newfound respect. She knew that Stefan was passionate about his aspirations to escape from Terra's control, but to have convinced 32 governors to attend this conference, despite the huge personal stakes if they were caught, was a testimony to his eloquence. After everyone seated had introduced themselves, Lucyna was surprised when their host handed the microphone to the closest of the standing attendees.

The man cleared his throat and said, "I'm Munir Hussain. I've been the governor of Cicarus II for the previous two years. Thank you for inviting me."

He gave the microphone to the tall man standing beside him, who also promptly identified himself as a planetary governor. Lucyna's surprise shifted to astonishment when she realised everyone standing was a governor too, bringing the total to 57 rebellious star systems represented in that conference room.

***

"Hey, sleepyhead, it's time to wake up," Rachel said quietly, as she rubbed her girlfriend's shoulder.

Dana's eyelashes fluttered open and her brow furrowed with irritation. "I feel like shit," she grumbled, before pouting and pulling the covers over her head. "Go away! Let me sleep!"

"I'm sorry to disturb you," the brunette said with genuine regret. "I would have let you wake up naturally, but it's important; John needs to talk to all of us."

"Why? What about?" the redhead asked, peeling back the duvet.

"It's about the Nymphs. He didn't want to repeat himself, so he's going to tell all of us at once." She brushed aside a stray lock of Dana's auburn hair and continued, "How are you feeling? Are you in a lot of pain?"

She shook her head, then winced. "Nah... it's more like a nasty hangover."

"You really pushed yourself to the limit," Rachel said, while reaching out to cover her friend with a healing aura. "We were all worried about you."

Dana's blue eyes darted around the bedroom, but she only saw Tashana kneeling beside Irillith.

Seeing the momentary flicker of disappointment in her expression, Rachel answered the teenager's unspoken question. "Yes, John was fretting about you more than anyone. He would've been here for you when you woke up, but he needed to examine the rest of the Nymphs before the meeting."

The redhead shuddered with relief as a soothing wave of healing energy swept through her mind, easing her discomfort. "He's forgiven. The most important thing is fixing Jade."

Tashana leaned down to kiss her sister on the cheek. "Irillith... can you hear me?" she whispered in her pointed ear. "John wants to speak with us."

It took several seconds for Irillith to respond, then she stretched like a cat, a look of contentment on her face. She glanced up at her sister, then her expression froze in shock, as a procession of much darker emotions played across her features.

With her heart sinking in her chest, Tashana reached out to telepathically beg forgiveness from her twin, but was stunned to discover that Irillith had blocked her out. Both sisters broke eye contact, equally distraught but for very different reasons.

***

John stood beside the tall windows that ran the length of the Briefing Room and stared out at the gleaming cityscape spread out before him. From this height aboard the Invictus, he had an impressive view of the ancient city and he couldn't help wondering where the Imperial palace was located. Somewhere inside that imposing structure, was a lab where Mael'nerak had shaped the destinies of billions of people. It was the place where he'd created entirely new species, raised up new empires, and conspired to destroy others.

*John, the twins are both very upset,* Alyssa informed him, her worried voice derailing his train of thought.

*What happened?* he asked with surprise. *I thought Tashana was fine now?*

*She was, but then her sister woke up. Irillith blocked us both out of her mind... and she's obviously hiding something. Tashana instantly assumed that it was because Irillith blamed her for getting hurt by the robots, but I don't think that's it. Irillith was scared shitless when we found her, so I doubt she remembers much at all about what happened. There's something else bothering her.*

*Thanks for letting me know,* John said gratefully. *Send Irillith to my Ready Room, then gather everyone else in here. I'll find out what's wrong with Irillith, then we'll join you.*

Alyssa hesitated for a second. *You don't want to tell everyone about the Nymphs first?*

*The twins won't be able to concentrate until we sort this out and I want them focused. Besides, I want to resolve whatever's upsetting Irillith as quickly as possible.*

*She's on her way,* the blonde replied.

John left the Briefing Room and strode across the Bridge with a quick glance at the grav-tubes to check if the Maliri had arrived yet. With the coast still clear, he entered the Ready Room, then glanced at his desk as he pondered where to wait for her. Making his decision, he drummed his fingers on his leg as he wondered how best to encourage Irillith to open to him.

The door chimed not long after, so he turned and called out, "Enter."

When Irillith walked in with faltering steps, it only took John one glance to see exactly what was upsetting the Maliri hacker. She looked distraught and he instantly recognised the look of shame and guilt on her face.

"John!" she blurted out in surprise, startled to find him standing right beside the door.

Trying exactly the same tactic that had worked so well on her sister, John stepped forward and gathered Irillith in his arms, dipping her for a heated kiss. She squeaked in shock, then just as quickly as Tashana had, relaxed in his embrace and returned the passionate clinch... with plenty of tongue. John scooped her up and placed her on one of the closest sofas, then knelt beside her as they continued the fervent kiss. When he finally pulled back to take a breath, he saw that Irillith was looking dazed, but their thrilling reunion had banished her frown and replaced it with a dopey smile.

"Are you okay?" he asked, brushing his fingers through her snowy white hair. "We've all been really worried about you."

Irillith's expression darkened immediately, and she turned away, unable to meet his concerned gaze.

"Uh, uh... no keeping secrets," he gently chastised her, as he tilted her chin back to face him. "Tell me what's wrong, or I'll have to tickle it out of you."

She let out a disbelieving laugh, but it sounded sardonic rather than amused.

"Let me guess... You're feeling guilty about running from combat?" he asked intuitively, watching her enchanting violet eyes for a reaction.

There was a dark flicker there, then she slowly nodded.

"Why?" he asked in genuine confusion. "You were under constant psychic attack and when Helene couldn't protect you anymore, you broke under the onslaught. There's no shame in that. We were directly underneath the generator powering the Mists and the psychic field in there was intense... any normal woman would have been driven insane almost instantly. We were incredibly lucky that Tashana managed to hold on; that robot nearly killed me and Dana, but your sister saved our lives."

Rather than be rallied by his supportive words, she looked even more despondent.

Bewildered by her reaction, he sat back on his haunches and racked his brain to try to figure out what might be upsetting her. "Okay, I'm totally stumped," he finally admitted, conceding defeat. "Just tell me what's wrong and we'll fix it."

A tear rolled down her cheek and she looked to be on the verge of bursting into tears. "I let you down," she confessed, sounding utterly dejected. "I failed everyone."

"No you didn't!" he exclaimed, shocked by her reaction. "I've just explained why you fled and it certainly wasn't your fault!"

Irillith shook her head mournfully. "It was all my fault. The only reason I ran was because I was weak... so much weaker than the other girls."

John blinked in surprise. "Oh..."

"And not just there," she said, her shoulders slumping. "I failed you on Valaden in Mael'nerak's bunker when I blundered into his trap and triggered all the defences. Then I failed you on Kythshara when I was so shaken by the thought of facing more sentinels, I didn't even try to hack the pyramid's digital network. You were almost killed by that robot... and it was entirely my fault."

John was quiet for a moment, realising that empty platitudes would only make her feel worse.

She saw his pensive frown and turned away in shame. "I'm so sorry..." she sobbed, the floodgate finally opening.

"Come here," John said, pulling her into a hug as she wept against his chest. "You're right... you are weaker psychically than Dana and Tashana."

Her crying intensified, soaking his shirt.

"That's nothing to be ashamed of, honey," he said quietly, rubbing her back.

"I was useless..." she whimpered. "I put everyone in danger."

"Forget what happened on Valaden and Kythshara. We all survived, so it doesn't matter now," John said, his voice firm and insistent. "Do you want to know the reason why you broke first?"

She sniffed and nodded. "Because I was weaker than the others?"

"Well yes, but there's a very good reason for that," he replied calmly. "Your sister spent a decade honing her psychic abilities to protect herself in the Unclaimed Wastes. Her brain tumour was giving her splitting migraines because she kept constantly pushing her limits. You hadn't even had a mild headache, because you didn't start using your abilities until we met a few months ago. You heard Helene when she described how she perceived each of you. Tashana is incredibly powerful... in fact she's nearly on the same kind of level as Jade and Alyssa... which I must admit caught me by surprise."

Irillith thought about that for a moment, then asked, "What about Dana?"

John chuckled and gave her an indulgent smile. "You mean the girl who's constantly begging me for more cum? I think if you added up all our time together, I must've spend a few weeks buried down her throat. I've had to load her up constantly because we needed every Progenitor schematic we could get... and you've seen the consequences. She can create black holes at will, for god's sake! How can you possibly compare yourself to that?"

She let out an embarrassed laugh. "I suppose you're right. I was just so disappointed in myself... even our Doctor and Empath are stronger than I am."

"That's easy to explain too," John said, stroking Irillith's hair to comfort her. "Rachel's called the Angel of Terra for very good reason. After every recent conflict she's been using huge amounts of psychic energy to mass heal wounds and even regenerate severed limbs. She's been constantly using her abilities and pushed herself to the brink of exhaustion on multiple occasions."

"And Helene?"

"Don't underestimate her, honey," John gently chided the Maliri. "Helene might be one of our newest recruits, but she's helped hundreds-of-thousands of people recover from massive psychological trauma. Then she nearly killed herself trying to protect all of you when I confronted my guide. It's true that her runic affinity helped Helene resist the effects of the Mists, but that girl never even flinched and nobody was shielding her mind."

"And the way she cracked the black metal was like hitting an ice cube with a sledgehammer," Irillith agreed, wiping away her tears.

"Exactly. Alyssa managed to blast a hole in the shuttle, but she tapped out half the network doing that. You know what Helene was doing when she accidentally broke the bed..."

Irillith blushed a fetching shade of dark blue and this time her laughter was genuine.

John gave her a kiss, then sat back lost in thought. "It'd be interesting to know how you compared with the rest of the girls."

She let out a heavy sigh. "Let's be honest... I'm the least powerful Lioness, aren't I?"

With a sudden flash of insight, John shook his head. "No... actually you're not, even when all we're doing is comparing psychic abilities."

"I'd like to hope I'm stronger than Jehanna," Irillith said with a strained smile.

"Yes, obviously," he said with a shrug. "I've only just given her a runic affinity."

"There's no way I'm more powerful than Sakura..."

"No, but she's a special case. I've been enhancing her to fight at my side against Progenitors and she's stacked with more abilities than any of the rest of you. Plus she's extremely dedicated and has been training relentlessly to hone her skills."

"I'm stronger than Calara?!" Irillith asked, looking shocked.

John nodded in confirmation. "It shouldn't be that surprising. Calara has a very specialised set of eldritch abilities, which she's only been able to use in a handful of fleet battles. She's invaluable on the crew for all her tactical and strategic expertise, but I've neglected developing her psychic abilities because we've had so much else to deal with... so thanks for the reminder."

Irillith looked thoughtful now rather than upset. "I suppose I am a bit like her."

"That's true, you're both used to fighting ship battles rather than ground missions. Your hacking abilities have been incredibly useful on countless occasions, especially against the Kirrix, with all the civilian rescues that we never could've achieved without you."

"But it was my hacking that let us down on Valaden," Irillith said sadly.

"Yes, but I think you rely far more on your formidable hacking skills than using your psychic abilities to assist. That's worked magnificently against anyone you can easily hack, but you were going up against Mael'nerak's digital constructs... and he's the most gifted programmer we've ever heard of. I think you're going to have to work on improving your raw psychic potential to really even the odds."

She grimaced and nodded.

John paused and looked at her curiously. "Why did you react that way?"

"What do you mean?"

"You flinched... as though I just asked you to do something unpleasant."

Irillith faltered, suddenly looking unsure of herself. "I don't really know." After several moments of self-reflection, she concluded, "I suppose it's because... I just don't feel that comfortable using them."

*John... I think Rachel has figured out why,* Alyssa interjected quietly. *This all stems back to Irillith's childhood with Edraele...*

*Oh no...* the Maliri Matriarch gasped, sounding horrified. *I tortured her so many times... and I used telekinesis to do it! Over and over again... It's no wonder she's so reluctant to use her abilities... oh, my poor little girl!*

*We've been over this before, Edraele,* John said sternly. *You two are completely different people now!*

*I-I know...* she stammered. *I just remember all of it...*

*Not for much longer,* he stated with conviction. *I never should've agreed to let either of you keep those horrible memories. They don't help and all they do is torture the pair of you. You should probably skip dinner, because I'll deal with you tonight. I'll resolve this nonsense with Irillith when I get back to the Invictus.*

*I'm sorry, my Lord,* Edraele whispered, her tone contrite but with an undercurrent of a very different emotion.

*Edraele? Are you turned on?* Alyssa asked with amusement.

*I can't help it,* she admitted, sounding flustered. *John's never this domineering with me... I love it.*

He rolled his eyes, then focused on Irillith again. She appeared lost in thought, but no longer upset, her expression one of quiet contemplation.

"You okay there, Irillith?" he asked, cupping her face and stroking her cheek. "You zoned out for a minute."

"I think I know why I've been so reluctant to truly embrace my psychic abilities!" she replied, perking up considerably. "When I was a child, I heard all sorts of horror stories about what my grandmother used to do to people... and the ultimate consequences of her pyromania. Then after what my mother did to my father..." her voice trailed off and she looked forlorn rather than guilt-stricken.

"You're a very clever girl," John complimented her, admiring how quickly she analysed her own emotions. "I think you've figured out the problem."

"How can I get past it though?" she asked, looking at him plaintively.

"Well if I'm learning any new skill, I like to train with an expert. Take your pick out of Alyssa, Sakura, or Tashana, any of them would be able to give you very useful advice."

"Not you?" she asked hopefully.

"I'm not a natural with my psychic abilities," he freely admitted. "I've been relying on blind luck and instinct to get me through a lot of battles."

"Don't forget the handy crutch of righteous over-protective fury," Irillith said with a wry grin.