Three Square Meals Ch. 145

"Erm... John?" Dana interrupted. "The Raptor's trashed, so how are you planning to get back?"

"I'll have to take Larn'kelnar's shuttle," he replied, quickly turning to Alyssa when he felt her shiver on his lap. "Don't worry, I'm not going to ask you to step inside that ship again. I'd like you to stay on the Invictus and oversee operations on Kythshara. I'll take the Nymphs with me and leave the rest of the girls here."

Alyssa looked torn between her desire to accompany him and her revulsion at the thought of going anywhere near the Progenitor shuttle.

"Alright, but only if you promise not to get in any more trouble," she finally conceded, snuggling into him and squeezing him tight.

"I promise," he said kissing the top of her head.

Rachel looked at him in confusion. "Won't you need me to heal Vestele?"

"I'll load up the Nymphs and they can top her up," John explained. "I'll be able to heal Vestele easily enough, but I need to feed her a second time anyway, to reinforce her connection to the network."

The brunette blinked in surprise.

"What?" he asked, bemused by her startled response.

"It's nothing really. I was just expecting to heal her for you, then when she woke up, you'd discuss it with Vestele and confirm that this was what she really wanted."

John leaned back in his chair and shook his head. "No, that'd be a waste of time."

She raised an eyebrow at his blasé response.

"Vestele already gave her consent to become part of our psychic network and this is just strengthening her connection to Edraele," John patiently explained. "Besides that, she's a Maliri... and if I've learned anything about the matriarchs it's that they embrace the genetic conditioning like it's etched in stone. I could give her the direst warnings I can think of, but nothing will dissuade Vestele from doing everything she possibly can to restore her youth and rebuild her family line with me."

Tashana gave him a fond smile. "That's very true... you are quite the catch."

"I don't particularly like the overpowering effect I have on the Maliri, but I can't really do anything to stop it," he said with a helpless shrug. "Being with me makes the matriarchs blissfully happy, so trying to prevent that would be counterproductive. The simple fact is that I need their full support to rally their Houses for the Progenitor War."

"You can be very persuasive, John," Jehanna said, looking at him speculatively. "There's nothing stopping you from appealing to the Maliri people directly."

"That might work, but why take the chance when the matriarchs can already guarantee the full co-operation of their Houses. In the long-term I want to make sweeping changes to Maliri society, and having the existing administration and bureaucracy working with me, is the most efficient way of going about it. The absolute last thing I need is having to personally oversee the activities of hundreds of planetary governors."

Irillith quirked an eyebrow and her mouth twisted into a wry smile. "Goodness me, I never thought I'd see the day that mighty Baen'thelas embraced realpolitik."

"There are too many lives at stake for me to do anything else," he said grimly. "Ultimately, I always need to act in the Maliri's best interests, even if it sometimes makes me feel uncomfortable."

"Heavy is the brow that wears the crown..." Calara said softly. "I'm starting to see how true that is."

Alyssa gave him a sympathetic kiss. "It must be simply awful being doted on by a harem of beautiful Maliri noblewomen."

"Don't get me wrong, all the new matriarchs are lovely girls and it's been a real pleasure to get to know them," he said, smiling at the pleasant memories. His expression shifted into a bleak frown as he continued, "But would you honestly be happy about feeling obligated to sleep with someone like Fleet Admiral Buckingham?"

That wiped the teasing grin from her face and Alyssa shuddered with revulsion as she shook her head.

"To put it in perspective, I have it on good authority that Emandra Holaris and Vestele Waephyra are actually far worse than Buckingham ever was. They were both sadistic monsters who have personally tortured and murdered hundreds of their own people... and don't forget that they did the same thing to their daughters. In all honesty, the thought of getting intimate with either of them makes my skin crawl."

"I'm sorry, John," she apologised sincerely. "I know how much you enjoy spending time with the Young Matriarchs and it's easy to forget about Emandra and Vestele because you try not to think about them."

"Apology accepted," he said, giving the blonde a reassuring hug.

"If Vestele's as bad as you say, why even bother trying to save her life?" Dana asked him with a puzzled frown. "Can't you just let the mean old hag die and pick someone nice to replace her?"

"I've thought about doing exactly that," John admitted. "But switching matriarchs to someone who isn't even from the Waephyra line would cause a considerable amount of upheaval in her House. Not only that, but Vestele has over a century of experience ruling as matriarch... and nobody I pick as a replacement would be able to run that House as effectively as her."

"Which means it's quicker and easier for you to influence her personality instead," Rachel concluded. "No matter how personally distasteful you find it."

"Yeah, basically."

The girls all went quiet as they put themselves in John's position and tried to rationalise whether they could go through with it themselves.

"I think we've got a bit sidetracked and we're running short of time," John said, eager to change the subject.

"Can you tell us more about the pyramid you found?" Sakura requested, taking the hint. "Was it definitely a trap for Progenitors laid by Mael'nerak?"

"I think he rigged the whole system as a trap," John replied, glancing out the window at the beautiful green planet they were orbiting. "The Mists of Loralar would drive any thralls insane, so a Progenitor invading in his dreadnought would be forced to retreat or lose his entire crew. It was designed to lure a Progenitor into going down there alone."

"I thought Progenitors didn't care about the welfare of their thralls?" Jehanna asked as she listened avidly.

"That's very true, but I doubt a Progenitor would be happy about having to pilot his flagship himself, especially while the crew goes berserk with terror. If he carried on regardless, the dreadnought would fly headlong into the planetary defence grid, and I can guarantee you those big guns were designed to make that a really bad idea."

"So the dreadnought retreats, but a Progenitor's ego would never allow him to back down and run away," Calara pondered aloud. "So he tries to sneak in using a cloaked shuttle."

"And now we know that the gun emplacements can track cloaked ships, so he'd get the same reception we did," Dana said, grimacing as she hugged her girlfriend.

"Correct," John agreed. "But even if the defence grid wrecked his shuttle, the Progenitor could probably make it safely to the planet's surface using psychic abilities. The pyramid was pouring off psychic energy like a beacon, which would draw him in like a moth to a flame. He'd realise immediately that he needed to shut down the power generator to deactivate the Mists, which would be the only way he could be rescued by the thralls in the dreadnought."

"And everything about the pyramid was designed to feel reassuring to a Progenitor," Tashana interjected. "From the murals on the walls to the colour scheme inside... it would all put him at ease."

"I definitely felt that way," John admitted. "After we easily destroyed that first wave of robots, I was starting to feel overconfident... which I'm sure was the intention."

"So then the Progenitor thinks he's in no danger and strolls headlong into that ambush... and loses all his psychic abilities, just like we did," Dana said, her eyes widening. "Then that crazy fucking robot tears him to pieces!"

John gave her a curt nod. "If I'd been on my own, there's no way I could've survived. The only reason I'm still alive is because you girls were there as well."

"But the Mists would ensure that any normal Progenitor would be on his own," Alyssa concluded. "You have to hand it to Mael'nerak... it was an absolutely lethal trap."

"It's tragic that you were forced to destroy the pyramid," Sakura said with a heavy sigh. "We could've lured in Progenitors in exactly the same way, then you, Alyssa, and Jade could've finished them off while they were stripped of their abilities."

Calara drummed her fingers on the desk, then shook her head. "We might've been able to kill one or two, but the cost would've been far too high. This trap was designed to eliminate a solitary Progenitor that had roamed into Maliri territory... and it would be extremely effective for that purpose. However, we're facing a large scale invasion by Xar'aziuth's forces, which could potentially include simultaneous attacks by multiple Progenitors from several directions. The amount of devastation their thrall fleets would cause to outlying Maliri systems before they reached Kythshara doesn't bear thinking about."

"Yeah, that's a good point," Dana eagerly agreed. "I don't feel quite so bad about wrecking it now!"

The Latina smiled at her, then gestured out of the window towards the planet. "I think we should still take advantage of Kythshara as a last-ditch defensive strongpoint, but it's far too deep in our territory to be relied on as a first line of defence."

"Very true. We're going to have to find ways to neutralise Progenitor invasions right at the borders," John said thoughtfully. "The last thing we want is for them to ever be in a position to bombard any of the Maliri planets. We also need to make reintegrating the males at the border station back to the homeworlds an urgent priority. Did Alyssa already tell you about that?"

His audience immediately nodded in confirmation.

"Good. For now, let's focus on tracking down the Hyper-Warp Gate and locating Larn'kelnar's thrall fleets. As soon as we've got the Maliri retrieving those ships, we need to have a plan in place to convince the males to evacuate the trade stations."

"I've had a few ideas already!" Jehanna volunteered, her eyes shining with excitement. "I'll give it some more thought and we can discuss the plans when you get back from Genthalas."

"That's brilliant news," John said, delighted by her confidence and enthusiasm. "I'll look forward to hearing what you've got in mind."

"Hey Shan, check out the new girl making a good impression on the boss," Irillith said playfully.

Tashana laughed and gave the blushing reporter an affectionate hug. "She's just kidding... teacher's pet."

John waited for the good-natured laughter to die down, then turned his attention to Calara and Sakura. "So... what was that about finding where the Soulforge is supposed to be... but it's missing?"

The Asian girl deferred to Calara who reached for the remote that controlled the holo-projector.

"While you were sleeping, we brought the Invictus up into orbit and started scanning Kythshara," she began, tapping icons on the remote. "As Sakura already explained, we were able to extrapolate the Palace's location by referring to landmarks we noted in the Nexus videos. When we confirmed that it was definitely here in this city, it was very easy to find."

A three-dimensional hologram appeared, showing Mael'nerak's palace within the city limits. It was an impressive building that was surrounded by carefully maintained parks and gardens.

"Yeah, you can't miss it," John agreed, staring at the majestic edifice in fascination. "So how did you track down the Soulforge?"

"That was a little trickier," Sakura interjected. "We couldn't find any pictures of it in the Nexus files or in any of the portraits that Valada had commissioned of Kythshara."

"That made me think that it might not actually be located on this planet, but I wanted to be sure," Calara said, as she tapped icons on the remote again. "I've seen Dana's schematics for a Soulforge, so I know roughly what it should look like from an aerial reconnaissance. It's a massive structure so there'd be no way of missing it... but we scoured the surface and found nothing."

"So then we tried a different approach," Sakura said, reaching into her pocket and placing a small lump of black metal on the table. "We know that Onyxium is a crucial element in the alloy Progenitors use to forge their warships, so we just scanned Kythshara for any traces of it."

The hologram flickered as it shifted images and the leafy parks and regal architecture of the palace was replaced by an ugly scar on the planet's surface. Calara zoomed in the image and it revealed the deep indentation was a massive quarry that was now partially overgrown with vegetation. There were a number of weather-beaten industrial facilities nearby, all surrounding what looked like the footprint of an enormous building that had been removed, exposing the foundations.

"They were strip mining Onyxium here," Calara explained, gesturing to the deep quarry. "The scans lit up like a Christmas tree when we knew what to look for."

"So that's where Mael'nerak built his fleets," John murmured, studying the ancient mine.

"And where countless Maliri had the life drained out of them," Alyssa said in a hushed voice, staring with trepidation at a site she knew would be seeped in horrific psychic echoes.

Dana frowned as she looked at the map. "What do you think those buildings were used for? With all the chimneys they look a bit like... oh."

Calara nodded grimly. "We saw no sign of mass graves. I think it's a safe assumption that they're furnaces used to dispose of all the bodies."

Irillith shared a troubled look with her sister. "It's hard to reconcile the Mael'nerak who was capable of these atrocities with the man we saw sacrifice himself to protect Valada and the Maliri."

"Maybe he struggled with what he'd done?" Tashana suggested, turning away from the disturbing holographic images. "That might be why he dismantled and destroyed the Soulforge, so it could never be used again."

Dana hesitated for a moment, then shook her head. "Nah, he didn't destroy it. Mael'nerak might have softened a bit, but he was still a ruthless bastard right up to the end. He created the Drakkar as disposable shock troops just to throw them at Rahn'hagon and he must've sacrificed all his thrall fleets when he blew himself to pieces. I reckon he took the Soulforge apart, then salvaged it to make something new... something better. He must've used that to forge the white metal we found in the bunker under Saelihn Immanthe."

"Any idea where we can find it?" John asked the redhead.

She gave him a helpless shrug. "Sorry, I haven't got a clue... it could be anywhere."

"If it was located anywhere else within the Maliri Regency, Valada or any of her descendents would have found it," Tashana murmured, lost in thought. "Only the Mists of Loralar prevented them from scouring Kythshara for resources and technology."

"Perhaps we'll find some clues down in Mael'nerak's palace?" Rachel suggested. "We know he built his lab there and we also saw images of his throne room as well as a command centre they were overseeing the war from."

John drummed his fingers on the dining table, his brow furrowing with concern. "I'm not sure it's a good idea you investigating the planet without me there. Mael'nerak might have left more nasty surprises behind and the palace would be an obvious place to set up traps."

Rachel considered that for a moment, then said, "I agree that we need to be cautious, but I'd be surprised if Mael'nerak left traps anywhere else. It sounds like the ambush in the pyramid was designed to be absolutely lethal to an unsuspecting Progenitor, but if he'd already triggered traps elsewhere in the city, you can guarantee that he'd be on full alert. It would actually be counterproductive for Mael'nerak to undermine his best chance of killing a Progenitor like that."

He paused and conceded the point with a nod. "Alright, that does make sense. I still think it'd be wise to treat Kythshara as a potential deathtrap... so I want everyone to take sensible precautions. Be fully geared at all times, never be on your own, be extremely cautious about activating anything, you know the drill."

Alyssa sat up and said solemnly, "We won't take any chances, I promise. We'll sweep the palace together to make sure it's safe, then I'll split us up into two groups. The first will stay on Kythshara and investigate anything interesting we find, as well as look for clues to help us locate the Soulforge and the Hyper-Warp Gate. The second group will salvage the defence grid for anything we can use on the Invictus. How does that sound for a plan?"

"That's how I'd handle it," he said, rubbing her back to show his approval. Turning to look at the rest of the crew, he continued, "Alright, we better wrap this up as I need to get going. Does anyone want to add anything before we finish?"

Dana raised her hand and said, "We need to repair the shuttle to make it spaceworthy, but I'm not sure giving it a Crystal Alyssium patch job would be a smart move."

"She's right," Rachel quickly agreed. "If we're correct about the white and black metals being infused with positive and negative psychic energy, we have no idea how they'll react given long-term exposure to one another."

"That's a good point," John said, wincing at the thought of an explosive decompression in hyper-warp. "We'll have to use another type of metal to make the repairs."

The intercom chimed and Daphne's voice floated across the room, "The Collective had similar concerns, Father. We have completed the repairs using a titanium alloy to restore the hull's integrity."

"Damn, that was quick, Daph!" Dana exclaimed, giving the camera a look of astonishment. "We only just decided to take the shuttle a few minutes ago! You must've really been cracking the whip on your boys!"

"Actually, the maintenance bots completed the repairs two hours and thirty-seven minutes ago," the synthetic girl replied. "John expressed his desire to return to Genthalas, while also implying that the Invictus would be staying within the nebula. When we saw the condition of the Raptor, the only logical alternative was utilising the Progenitor shuttle for the journey."

"You're right, but I don't remember discussing that with you, Daphne," John said, trying to remember the details of their earlier conversation.

"You didn't inform me directly, but you did advise Irillith that you would be giving her mother 'a good workout' this evening... so the inference was obvious."

John blushed furiously as the girls burst into laughter, with the twins smirking in amusement at his Terran sensitivities.

He cleared his throat awkwardly and slid Alyssa off his lap. "On that note... I better get packed for the trip."

"We already packed a diverse selection of clothing for you, Father," Daphne blithely informed him. "We also took the liberty of installing an armour-equipping frame in the shuttle and stocking it with your spare Paragon suit. You need only bring your weapons and you will be ready to depart."

"You saved us a lot of time and effort, Daphne... thanks," he said, impressed by her thoughtfulness.

"I was aware that time was of the essence. The Collective was glad to be of assistance."

John rose from his chair and said to the Nymphs, "Dinner was amazing, thank you. We'll leave in a couple of minutes, so go grab whatever clothes you want to take for the journey."

Betrixa gave him a wicked grin. "I'm ready!"

Jade laughed and tugged the cheetah catgirl's hand. "Come on, you'll need to wear something when we get to Genthalas. Remember that clothing also includes... outfits."