Three Square Meals Ch. 077

Inside the vessel, Grand Overlord Vekrok sat atop his obsidian throne, staring out at the Ashanath territory map spread out before him. His fingers drummed on the skull lashed to his armrest, a huge black spike driven through its temple where it adorned the throne. The skull's owner, Itigrut, always was a smart one and Vekrok felt more intelligent when his burly fingers tapped out an insistent rhythm on his favourite trophy. Unfortunately for the previous Grand Overlord, Itigrut's allies betrayed him, leaving him alone to face Vekrok's eager challenge. The skull was a potent reminder of the power of a terrifying reputation in helping you take what you wanted.

Servos and actuators whined as he stood, his hulking bestial frame towering over his seven foot tall minions, who wisely backed out of his way as he approached the command table. Vekrok's black bulging eyes swivelled independently to examine every corner of their route towards Ashana, and he rumbled, "No sign of the snacks in their little discs yet?"

Shaking his lime-green head, his second-in-command Grukig swiftly replied, "They have all fled in terror, Mighty One." His broad jaw snapped in excitement, revealing rows of long, jagged fangs as he added eagerly, "With a fleet of this size and strength we could crush the Terrans before us as well!"

"We'll gorge ourselves on Grey flesh for weeks when we conquer their homeworld," Vekrok muttered, his voice a deep bass echoing in his massive chest. He gave Grukig a fearsome toothy grin as he continued, "Then we'll take our time with the Terran Federation. We'll feast on their males, and use their females to spawn our pods!"

Saliva dripped from Grukig's maw at the thought, green drool pattering over his onyx power armour and partially obscuring the strip of red lights that ringed his armoured neck. He glanced up at the Grand Overlord in admiration, and grunted, "I still can't believe you managed to unite the clans. Such a thing has not happened since the days of glory."

"Such a time is upon us again," Vekrok growled, his four fists clenching at the thrilling thought.

It had been months ago that the Dark One had made his presence known and they had sealed their bargain. The Dark One had announced that he'd eliminated Overlord Okug as a potential challenger, removing one of the most dangerous thorns in Vekrok's side. Okug had been popular, well connected, and a strong warrior, which meant a challenge from him was risky on multiple levels.

Since then, the Dark One's guidance had led Vekrok to a string of glorious victories, followed by rampant feasting for his growing band of minions. Uniting the clans had required the usual bribes and threats but the early triumphs and the promise to subjugate the Ashanath's homeworld had been decisive. The Dark one had supplied them with this wondrous new metal to plate their ships, even gifting Vekrok and his personal retinue with battle armour and weapons.

Vekrok's fanged maw spread into a vicious grin as he glanced down at the blackened plating protecting his hide. Truly he felt invincible now that he was armoured in such a fashion. Safe in the knowledge that there was no mightier being in the galaxy - except for the Dark One of course - he tipped his head back and roared in triumph.

***

John walked along the corridor on Deck Seven, a troubled frown on his face.

Edraele's voice was sympathetic as she advised him, *I've been trying to think of alternatives, but I'm certain Calara's suggestion offers the Ashanath the greatest chance of survival.*

His answering reply was heavy with guilt as he said, *It's a grim reality of command, but asking good men to die was always the thing I struggled with the most.* He sighed as he added, *I just hope I never get used to it.*

*I know you would never allow yourself to,* Edraele told him with absolute certainty in her voice.

He walked into the Engineering Bay and did his best to put his doubts behind him, knowing they still had vitally important work ahead of them.

*Hey handsome!* Alyssa thought to him, already looking his way as he entered the room. She waved when they made eye contact, smiling sympathetically after having heard his conversation with Edraele. She was on the far side of the Workshop with a swirling white globe of crystal Alyssium floated in the air in front of her, streams of liquid metal pouring into the six long weapon barrels that slowly began to take shape.

He returned her wave, then glanced around the room in search of his Chief Engineer. He paused to look at Rachel and Irillith, who were standing on the Engineering Podium poring over what appeared to be autopsy results of a Drakkar. The holographic image of the four-armed alien neatly illustrated their unique physiology, with double sets of vital organs highlighted in its blocky torso.

*She's over here,* Alyssa called out to him, pointing behind one of the Mass Fabricators.

John strode over to join her, stepping around the stacks of components required to build the Sonic Cannons. Jade was kneeling next to a strange looking weapon casing with a multi-tool in her hands, a frown of concentration on her face as she slotted a peculiar eight-sided device into the casing.

"That looks complicated," he said with a smile, stroking her head as he watched her nimble green hands expertly attach the device. "What is it?"

The Nymph turned to look up at him and nuzzled against his hand before replying, "Honestly, I have no idea. I'm just following Dana's schematics, see?" She pulled out the holo-reader beside her which showed a clear blueprint of the Sonic Cannon, with this particular phase of its construction highlighted in green.

"It's the sonic resonance chamber!" Dana announced, before poking her head out above the Mass Fabricator. "It generates the sound waves that fuck up a target."

John leaned down to give Jade a kiss goodbye, sharing a smile with her before leaving her to continue working on the Sonic Cannon. He walked around the blocky fabricator and said to the redhead, "Are you working on something important right now?"

She shook her head and pressed a green button on the machine, stepping away from it as it rumbled to life. "Nope, I just finished setting up the last run of components. Now I've just got to help Jade build a shitload of Sonic Cannons. Why do you ask?"

"We're going to need more guns," he said, gazing into her eyes.

She shrugged and nodded as she replied, "We're making good time; we can build you some more Sonic Cannons, that's not a problem."

Shaking his head, he said, "No, I mean bigger guns than that - a lot bigger. We need to get your secret project finished."

Dana looked overjoyed and she gasped, "Really? You're not fucking with me?!"

"All our resources are at your full disposal. Tell me what you need to get it done and we'll make it happen," he announced firmly. "We've got just over eleven hours to get it ready for combat."

Her beaming smile faded as the reality of what he was asking set in and she faltered, "I don't know... there's still so much to do. It's still in bits in the Launch Bay!"

Pulling her into his arms, he stroked her back as he said, "Shh, just stay calm and think it through. Alyssa and I can do the heavy lifting to assemble it, and we'll armour plate it too. Is there anyone else you need?"

"Definitely Rachel to finish the electronics in the cockpit and ideally Jade to assist with hooking up the weapons, power core and gyroscope. That would free me up to work on the calibration and fine tuning," she replied, her mind whirring. She looked worried as she added, "It's going to be very tight but I could probably manage without Jade's help. She could continue working on the Sonic Cannons, but she's not going to be able to get all of them finished in time on her own."

Turning around, John looked around for a camera and called out, "Faye? Are you there?"

She popped into existence beside him in a purple flash. "Hey, John! How can I help?"

He smiled at her and replied, "We won't be able to get all the Sonic Cannons built in time. Can you speak to Sakura and ask her to come up with a prioritised list of defensive locations? Then just follow that list as you install each of the weapons."

Faye nodded eagerly, then hesitated before offering with a bright smile, "If you prefer, I could build the Sonic Cannons for you? I've already upgraded my boys with greatly enhanced fine-motor control and they should be able to handle the assembly tasks without any difficulty. I'll just program them to follow the instructions Dana provided for Jade and assign an avatar to each of them to check their work."

"Does that work for you?" John asked Dana with a grin.

"Fuck yeah!" she crowed, giving Faye a bright grin. "You're awesome, Faye! Thank you!"

The purple sprite looked overjoyed to be able to help. "It's my pleasure!" she gasped jubilantly.

Rachel walked over to join them and said, "Alyssa tells me you need my help?"

"We're all going to help Sparks get her new toy up and running. We're going to need as much firepower as we can muster," John explained. Glancing towards the Engineering Podium where Irillith's hands were a blur over her console, he added, "Do you need more time with Irillith for whatever you were working on?"

Shaking her head, Rachel replied, "I already outlined what I had in mind and Irillith assures me she can get it finished on her own." Smiling at her auburn-haired lover, she continued, "She doesn't need any more help from me, so I'm all yours!"

The Maliri girl overheard their conversation with her sharp hearing and without taking her eyes from the console, she turned to give them a thumbs-up before returning to work.

Alyssa smiled at the happy group, and said, "I'll finish off the last of these weapon barrels, then join you down in the Launch Bay."

***

Tashana stepped into the armoured Paragon boots, then slipped her hands into the armoured gauntlets. "Like this?" she asked warily, glancing up at the helmet lined up over her head.

Sakura was already fully armoured and she nodded while giving her a reassuring smile. "Just feel for the thumb button in the right gauntlet, you should find it easily enough."

Feeling around with her thumb, Tashana felt the bevelled surface of the button and pressed it lightly. She let out a startled gasp as robotic arms moved down to encase her body in glossy-white armour plating, before lowering the helmet down onto her head.

"Just breathe," Sakura urged her, reaching out to place a comforting hand on Tashana's shoulder. "You're perfectly safe, there's nothing to worry about."

Looking at her through the Paragon helmet's clear-crystal faceplate, Tashana did as she asked, taking steadying breaths as the tension easing from her shoulders. "Sorry I panicked," she apologised, giving Sakura a shaky smile.

"That's okay, they do take a little getting used to. They're designed to be a snug fit which makes them feel like a second skin in combat," she said, gazing into Tashana's eyes to see how she was coping. "If you feel happier now, press your left thumb to the palm of your hand and the armour will seal itself."

Nodding, Tashana did as she was asked, then jumped as she heard the rippling series of clicks as the tiny sets of teeth locked the armour into position. She walked forward and tried moving around experimentally, twisting her arms and torso before squatting and standing a couple of times. Turning to grin at the Asian girl, she exclaimed, "You're right! It actually feels really comfortable!"

"There you go," Sakura said with a smile, before walking over to one of the armour equipping frames to remove her Paragon suit.

"Hang on!" Tashana called out, catching up to Sakura and peering at the emblem on her armoured pauldron. "What's that black sigil on your shoulder?"

Sakura grinned at her and replied, "The Terrans call John the 'Lion of the Federation'. A Lion is a large and noble Terran animal, and a fierce predator. This symbol shows I'm one of his lionesses and it's black to match my hair colour."

Raising her arm to take a look, Tashana smiled as she said, "Hey, I've got a white one!"

"The DNA reader has already been programmed for Irillith. It's probably getting you two mixed up," Sakura replied after thinking about it for a second. She smiled at the Maliri girl, and added, "I don't blame it though, I can't tell you apart either! Well, physically at least, the two of you have very different personalities." Nudging her with an elbow, she finished, "You're both equally lovely though."

"That's very kind of you to say," Tashana said, smiling at the raven-haired girl before walking back to her own armour equipping frame to take off her suit.

Sakura pulled her back and said, "Stay in the armour for a moment, I'll explain how the GUI works." She returned the Maliri girl's smile, then asked curiously, "What's it like having a twin sister by the way? Doesn't it feel weird knowing you have an exact double wandering around?"

Tashana laughed at that and shook her head as she replied, "We've always been each other's twin, so I don't know what it would be like without Irillith. We had lots of fun tricking people by dressing the same and swapping places when we were little." She faltered for a moment, then continued, "Although, it was horrible when we grew apart. I'll never be able to thank John enough for bringing us back together."

Sakura nodded soberly and said, "You've probably seen the video of me as Shinatobe and what I was like before John healed me. There's nothing I wouldn't do for that man; he literally gave me my life back."

"Let's take the armour off for the moment, it's time for a hug," Tashana said with a smile.

Sakura laughed and they both removed their armour to the sound of a duplicate series of rippling clicks. After stepping out of the armour frame the two women embraced, both enjoying the close physical contact. When they pulled apart, Sakura looked at Tashana curiously for a moment and was about to ask her a question before stopping at the last second.

"What is it?" Tashana asked, seeing the indecision on the Asian girl's face.

*Go ahead, you can ask her. Just be careful though, okay?* Alyssa murmured, her voice brushing through Sakura's mind.

Sakura raised her hand to gently stroke the side of Tashana's face and said, "I know what happened to you in the Unclaimed Wastes and I know you asked John to wipe away those memories. I just wondered, what's it like?"

Tashana's eyes widened in surprise, then she paused to think about the question before answering truthfully, "It just feels like I've been asleep for those thirteen years. I've got memories of what happened back on Valaden, then memories of being here with all of you on the Invictus, but in-between the two is... nothing." She frowned for a moment then added, "Although I sometimes get these weird feelings, like I'm afraid of things without knowing why."

"Thank you, that's good to know," Sakura said gratefully, a haunted expression flickering across her face as she looked away.

Studying the pensive young woman before her, Tashana pulled her in for another hug and said gently, "You look like you've got something on your mind. What's the matter?"

"Something IN my mind, rather than on it," Sakura replied, leaning into their embrace. She let out a ragged sigh before she continued, "I keep reliving memories from when I was a cyborg. Shinatobe did horrible things to hundreds of people and I can remember every last gory detail."

"Ah, I see," Tashana murmured, rubbing the other girl's back soothingly. "So you're wondering if you should ask John to do the same for you?"

"Not yet!" Sakura blurted out, pulling away from the Maliri girl. Her expression grew cold as she added in a chilling voice, "I need to make Mikaboshi pay for all those lives he took. For destroying my parents' lives and mine too!"

Tashana reached out to stroke Sakura's cheek and smiled as she said, "You only told me a few moments ago that John gave you your life back. Perhaps it might be time to let go of everything that happened in the past?"

Sakura took a deep breath then replied quietly, "I appreciate what you're trying to do, but I can't forgive Mikaboshi for what he did to my family. When I've had my revenge and Mikaboshi lies dead, then I can let these memories go, but not until then. The souls of all the people he made me kill need their vengeance to rest in peace."

"I understand," Tashana replied, her tone serious as she gazed into the other girl's brown eyes. She gave her an apologetic smile, and added, "I'm very sorry I upset you. I shouldn't have pried, but you just seemed so sad."

"It's alright, I know you meant well. Like I said before, you're a lovely girl," Sakura said with a fond smile. She stepped away and changing the subject, she added, "Let's get back to your training. We need to get you combat ready."

Tashana nodded, stepping into the armour equipping frame once again. She gazed into Sakura's eyes and smiled at her as the robotic arms lowered pieces of armour plating into place, not even flinching this time as she was encased in her suit of Paragon armour.

***

John and Alyssa had spent hours connecting the pieces of the four massive limbs together, making sure that all the pieces were securely attached before Dana had given each one the final seal of approval. He hefted the massive fifteen-metre leg, holding it steady as Alyssa guided it carefully into place. The crystal beam slid smoothly into position at the hip joint as cuffs rotated with the hum of hydraulics, locking the huge leg into the torso.

"Okay! We're good!" Dana called out to them, turning away from the console on the maintenance gantry that overlooked the assembly area. She grinned at John and added, "You can put it down now!"

He nodded and gently lowered the limb, the enormous metal titan currently lying face down on the ground with both legs attached to its body. "I'll grab the left arm. Same drill as before?" he asked Alyssa, jogging over to pick up the next multi-ton appendage. Corded crystal fibres formed the familiar shape of an arm, but on a vastly larger scale.

"Sure, that works for me," she agreed, closing her eyes and swathing herself in a soft white nimbus of light. Alyssa gently lifted off the ground before levitating over to the mech's huge chest and landing gracefully atop it. She turned and squatted down above the gaping shoulder joint, smiling at John as she beckoned him forward.

She helped line up the crystal beam with the socket by applying gentle telekinetic pressure to make sure it was perfectly aligned. As soon as it was in position, John slid it home with a heavy sounding "thunk" then held still as Dana locked the limb into the shoulder joint. They repeated the same process with the right arm and slowly but surely the mechanical colossus took shape. The next stage was to connect the orbital insertion pack on the rear of the gigantic torso, the broad engines designed to slow its descent from an orbital drop.

"How's this thing going to handle in space?" John asked dubiously, glancing up at Dana on the maintenance gantry. He heard the whir of servos and the whine of hydraulics as the long crystal bolts on the huge rocket pack were locked into place.

"It'll be much slower than the Raptor; more like the speed of a bomber," Dana replied distractedly, her attention on the glowing energy bars floating above her console.

John frowned as he asked, "Won't that make it a sitting duck out there?"

Smiling in satisfaction as the energy fluctuation readings matched her predictions, she turned to focus on him and replied, "It's got retro-thrusters built into all of its limbs and its quite a bit smaller and lighter than the Raptor. It might not be as fast, but it'll be a lot more manoeuvrable - a bit like a huge version of the Paragon suits in flight mode." She grinned at him as she added, "It might seem enormous to us, but it's not much bigger than a heavy fighter. Bad guys are going to struggle to hit it unless they're using point-defence weapons."