Three Square Meals Ch. 082

Charles suddenly barked out his laughter, shaking his head in amazement. He put the holo-reader down and picked up his glass, raising it towards John. "A toast to you, John. For everything you've done for the Terran Federation!"

John shook his head as he lifted his glass. "I'd rather drink to old friends."

"To old friends," Charles agreed with a smile, and they both drank, feeling the smooth burn of the alcohol in their throats.

Sitting back in his chair, John relaxed as he savoured the whiskey, nodding his appreciation. They sat together in silence for a moment before John asked, "How much do you know, Charles? About me and what's really been happening recently?"

Charles seemed guarded at first, but John's relaxed demeanour put him at ease and he settled back in his chair, the tension disappearing from his shoulders. "I've heard snippets, wild rumours... Everyone knows you saved Terra and rescued Buckingham's fleet at the Battle of Regulus. I also heard you've rescued prisoners from the Kintark, came up with miraculous cures to completely heal burns, and there's even talk you confronted the Fleet Admiral, forcing him and the other Admirals to apologise to you..."

Blinking in surprise, John chuckled as he said, "All of that's true, but I've no idea how you heard about that last one..."

"Vincent and his Admirals might be tight-lipped about the dressing-down you gave them, but secure comm channels aren't operated by the Admiralty," Charles replied, giving John a sly wink.

John smiled before taking another sip of whiskey. He swirled his drink around the glass, watching the dark liquid move in a small, tightly controlled wave. He looked up to make eye contact with Charles and added, "What about Progenitors, have you heard anything about them?"

Charles looked at him in confusion and shook his head. "Never heard of them. What's a Progenitor?"

Looking at him over the rim of his glass, John replied, "I am for one. I'm surprised Devereux didn't tell you about it, I explained some of this to her."

"Lynette's forever playing games," Charles replied while rolling his eyes. He smiled as he added, "I haven't really had a chance to thank you for my promotion yet. I thought Devereux was going to spit feathers when I told her you'd only trade with me, but that I'd be happy to give her all the credit for the tech trade in exchange for a promotion." Chuckling in amusement he raised his glass in salute. "It worked though... exactly as you predicted it would."

"I'm pleased for you, Charles," John replied, raising his glass before taking a sip. "Part of High Command at long last."

Charles nodded, then gave him an apologetic smile. "We got a bit sidetracked. You were telling me that you're a Progenitor -- I've never heard of that species before. Is it one of the minor empires out near Trankaran Space? There's so many of them, I'm afraid I lose track."

"No, the Progenitors aren't one of the minor species," John replied with a wry smile. He turned to glance out the window and added quietly, "You're a naval officer, so I don't need to tell you how vast our galaxy is, or how little of it humanity has actually explored..."

"One hundred billion stars in the Milky Way and we've visited less than ten thousand, perhaps double that if you include deep-space probes," Charles replied, following John's gaze at the velvety blackness of space and the millions of twinkling stars they could see from the impressive view out of his window.

John turned back to look at his old friend and studying his face, he said, "So it stands to reason, that with space being so vast, there must be thousands of alien species that humanity has yet to discover. Some of which predate our own civilisation and might even have more advanced technology than we do."

"Yes, that's all logical enough I suppose, but I don't-" his voice trailed away as he did a double-take at John, seemingly noticing his pointed ears for the first time. Charles' eyes widened as he continued, "So you... I mean Progenitors, are an older civilisation and have more advanced tech?"

"I grew up in the Terran Federation, so I don't know everything yet - I'm only piecing scraps of information together at the moment. From what I do know, Progenitors are ancient, with tech so radically advanced, it makes a mockery of anything the Terran Federation has to offer," John replied, his tone grim.

Crinkling his brow in confusion, Charles' moustache twitched as he said, "Why the dark expression? You're one of these Progenitors and you've done nothing but help the Terran Federation so far. The rest might be benevolent, just like you."

Slowly shaking his head, John replied, "They aren't, or at least the three I know of weren't. Two of them slaughtered billions... performing genocide on a terrifying scale. One of those seems to have eventually had a Damascene conversion, but he was also the one who built that planet destroying superweapon into the moon and left Nexus in charge of it."

"And the third?" Charles replied, his eyebrows climbing.

"Is behind pretty much everything bad that's befallen the Terran Federation in the last six months. He enslaved Lynton and used her to instigate Nexus' attack on Terra. Lynton also recruited Norwood and between them, they caused all the problems in the Dragon March, initiating a war with the Kintark," John explained, a bleak expression on his face.

Admiral Harris looked stunned, his eyes widening in apprehension.

John continued remorselessly, "It's not just us. He sparked off a rebellion in the Trankaran Republic, nearly triggering a civil war - I barely managed to stop that one in time. The Ashanath have had to deal with his meddling twice. The first time was a few months ago, when I helped them wipe out a band of Drakkar raiders -- that's why the Greys gave me their Power Core and Tachyon Drive tech. I've only just got back from the Ashanath Collective, having barely stopped a second and much larger attack." He leaned forward and met Charles' shocked gaze. "He rallied all the Drakkar against them... over four-hundred cruisers and battleships, Charles. They were going to exterminate the Ashanath."

"Four-hundred!" Charles balked, an undercurrent of fear in his voice. "How in the hell did the Ashanath defend against an invasion of that size?! They haven't got anywhere near the fleet strength or firepower to fend off anything on that scale!"

"No, not on their own," John replied quietly. "We arrived just in time to tip the balance."

"One ship can't make that much difference, that's absurd!" Charles scoffed.

"Is it?" John asked him, a hint of a smile on his face. "I seem to remember you telling me something similar about my chances of stopping Nexus and his fleet. Believe me when I tell you that the Invictus is carrying significantly more firepower now."

The older officer froze for a moment, then whispered in awe, "You lengthened the Invictus! There's only one reason you'd make it that long!"

John took another sip of his whiskey. "Very astute Charles, well done. Yes, we've installed a pair of Singularity Drivers."

"How in the hell?! The schematics... there's no way..." Charles stuttered, shocked to the core.

"After saving the Terran fleet at Regulus it seemed an appropriate reward," John replied with a smile. "Buckingham would hardly have handed the schematics over, but fortunately for me, they fell into my lap, so to speak."

"I'd heard rumours about an unshackled AI at the Battle of Regulus! You used it to hack and commandeer Lynton's dreadnought!" Charles exclaimed, shocked at the thought. He glanced down at the holo-reader, his eyes growing even wider. "You didn't need to trade for those heatsinks, you could have just taken them!"

John nodded as he confirmed the Admiral's suspicions, "I could have, which is why I described this meeting as a tech giveaway rather than a tech trade."

Charles downed his drink nervously, then put the glass on the table. "Why would you do that? I don't understand."

With a heavy sigh, John replied, "Despite what some of the Admiralty might believe, I'm not a threat to the Terran Federation. I'm trying to stop this other Progenitor from dominating our corner of the galaxy and I've been dashing around trying to avert one disaster after another." He gazed away into the distance as he added, "The Ashanath were a hair's breadth from extinction. I've already saved Terra from destruction once; I don't want to see the same thing happen twice."

"So you're hoping that by giving us this tech, you can help prepare us against an attack by this Progenitor?" Charles asked, giving the holo-reader a worried frown. "If he's as advanced as you say, while this tech is amazing, I doubt it'll be enough."

"You're right, but after what happened with Lynton and Norwood, I don't trust the Terran Federation enough to give you everything I've got," John admitted, his eyes flicking to the holo-reader too. "The tech I've given you there won't be enough to stop the Progenitor if he does attack with his forces, but I am taking steps to handle that eventuality. By giving the Terran Federation these upgrades, I'm hoping I can at least help protect you against attacks by proxies -- like Nexus or the Drakkar."

"They've both been neutralised, so who are you thinking of? The Kintark?" Charles asked in confusion. "With the number of ships they lost at Regulus, I've heard they're desperately suing for peace."

"I know for a fact that the Kintark have been in contact with the Progenitor and are probably working for him, but I haven't seen any evidence of his technology on their ships yet. They aren't the only threat though, there are plenty of other empires with grudges against humanity. There's the Brimorians and the Kirrix -- he could give either of them a few choice bits of advanced tech then send them your way. That was his modus operandi with the Drakkar against the Ashanath," John clarified, starting to feel a little daunted himself at the different threats that could be arrayed against them.

Charles ran his hand over his face, his anxiety quite apparent. "Why are you telling me all this? You said you've already explained some of this to Devereux, so why include me?"

"I wish I could say I fully trust Devereux, but I'm not sure that would be wise," John replied, meeting the older man's gaze. "I do trust you, though. We served together for years and I know what kind of man you are. You're also in command of Olympus, so you'll be ideally placed to oversee the rapid refit and upgrade of Terran Federation fleet assets."

"I have no say in where the upgraded ships are allocated though," Charles said, shrugging with his hands held apart in a gesture of helplessness.

Shaking his head, John replied, "That doesn't matter for now. The most important thing is to get your ships upgraded as quickly as possible and now you know the stakes involved, I trust you'll treat this with the urgency it deserves. New ship designs could get bogged down for months in arguments about funding and resource allocation. I hope you'll be able to bull your way through all that nonsense."

"And I thought things were going to quieten down now," Charles said, slumping dejectedly in his seat.

"It's possible I'm going overboard with these precautions, but in all honesty, I'm more worried we've left it too late," John admitted, his brow furrowing with worry. He saw the pensive expression clouding his friend's face, then gave him an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry to just spring all of this on you. I was looking forward to having a quiet drink and a chat about old times; perhaps I should have waited and told you about all this when we were calling it a night."

Shaking his head, Charles sat up straighter. "You did the right thing telling me everything straight away. I promise I'll treat the fleet upgrades with the utmost urgency."

"Actually, that wasn't quite everything, but the rest you probably don't want to know. I think I've given you enough to deal with at the moment," John replied, giving his friend a sympathetic smile. "I do have some good news though, so we can end this on a positive note."

Charles looked greatly relieved and he poured them both another glass of whiskey. "Okay, let's hear it," he said, as he lifted the tumbler to take a sip.

"We're not alone in trying to stop the Progenitor, I've made some alliances along the way," John explained, taking a quick drink from his own glass. "As you can guess, the Ashanath are staunch allies now, but that's not all. I've made a lot of friends within the Maliri Regency and they'll be there when it counts."

"The Maliri!" Charles whistled appreciatively. "When I saw the footage of the Invictus blasting Nexus out of the sky, I did wonder... You mentioned months ago that you were trying to trade for their weapons."

"That was a shot from a Nova Lance," John confirmed, his tone sombre. "I'm not sure how detailed the reports about my intervention at the Battle of Regulus were, but we used the same weapon to obliterate that traitor battleship, the Kratos."

Shaking his head in wonder, Charles replied, "I've seen the footage taken from several of the nearby ships. That shot certainly stirred up a storm around here." He raised his eyebrows optimistically and added, "I don't suppose there's any chance you'd let me have the schematics for this 'Nova Lance' would you?"

"Afraid not," John replied, giving his friend a lop-sided smile. "I'd really upset the Maliri if I did that."

"Wait!" Charles gasped, looking shocked as he suddenly realised the full implications of this revelation. "So that means they have..."

John gave him a curt nod. "Yes, on every battleship." His eyes narrowed as he added, "If a war-crazed admiral even hints at starting any hostilities with the Maliri, you might want to sit him down and keep showing him footage of the Kratos being annihilated until he gets the idea. It'll save tens-of-thousands of Terran lives from being pointlessly thrown away."

Charles nodded grimly taking a heavy swig from his glass. "Don't worry, I'll do my best to head off that kind of insanity."

"Well, that's pretty much covers everything," John said, relaxing again now. "If you could let me know the plan for the Award Ceremony tomorrow, I'd appreciate it."

After carefully retrieving the holo-reader from the coffee table, Charles walked over to his desk and picked up an identical tablet. He handed this new one over to John and smiled as he said, "Wouldn't want to leave you without."

John accepted the device then took a glance through the programme of events, his eyebrows climbing as he did so. "Wow! Devereux's going all-out with this one, isn't she?"

"She's planning to ride the Lion's growing legend all the way to becoming the new Fleet Admiral," Charles replied, in grudging admiration for the woman's naked ambition.

"Is she in with a shot?" John asked, looking thoughtful.

Charles laughed and his eyes twinkled as he replied, "It depends on how many death-defying acts of heroism you keep pulling out of the bag. At the rate you're going, she'll be Fleet Admiral by next week!"

*It seems your fates are intertwined, John,* Edraele said quietly. *I suspect Devereux will remain a steadfast ally, at least until she's achieved her promotion to Fleet Admiral. At that point, you'd be well advised to stay vigilant for betrayal.*

*That's excellent advice, thank you,* John replied, mulling that over.

Charles had walked over to the huge window flanking his office and he stared out over the drydock with his hands clasped behind his back. John walked over to join him and noticed the Admiral's hawk-like gaze was focused on the dozen battleships lined up in various states of repair amongst the maintenance gantries.

"Having those damaged ships here might actually be a godsend," Charles murmured, his mind whirring. "There'll be no waiting for a fleet to rotate back to Olympus for a refit, or Captains politicking for the prestige of commanding a state-of-the-art warship. We can begin upgrading them immediately."

John patted his old comrade-in-arms on the shoulder. "The sooner you can start rolling out fully-upgraded battleships the better. It sounds like a great place to start."

Turning away from the window to look John in the eye, Charles said to him quietly. "Thank you for trusting me with this. I won't let you down."

He held out his hand and the two men shook a firm handshake, nodding to each other with respect.

***

Edraele walked quietly along the gilded corridors of Genthalas station, exchanging smiles with a dark-haired Maliri technician who she passed on her way towards the training facility. After John's concerted recruitment drive during the refit, the huge numbers of white-haired Maliri engineers had started spreading word of Edraele's recent change of heart. It felt wonderful to see one of her people look genuinely pleased to see her, rather than desperately trying to scamper away in fear.

She listened to the thoughts of the Young Matriarchs as she walked, the initial four having all bonded with her now. They had gathered together in her own quarters, chatting together about the day's events, with glowing words of praise for their real Matriarch. Their loving words made Edraele blush, but the girls sensed her embarrassment and she was swathed in reassuring words from four gentle voices. A shiver of excitement ran up her spine and her dexterous blue fingers felt like they were tingling as she spoke to the four girls simultaneously.

A fifth voice pierced her thoughts, the alluring sound bringing a smile to Edraele's lips.

*Only you and me in the Universe, Edraele,* Alyssa whispered to her. *No one else knows what this feels like.*

Edraele shook her head in amazement. *I never imagined that serving as his Matriarch would feel so...*

*Thrilling?* Alyssa finished for her. *I know exactly what you mean.* After a brief pause, she added, *I'd wish you good luck, but you don't need it; everything will be just fine.*

Sending her a telepathic smile in gratitude, Edraele approached the doors to the training facility, watching as they opened for her invitingly. There was no one in the changing room, but that was to be expected, not at this late hour. She'd been happy to match her waking hours to John's, but it had meant she was slightly out of sync with the rest of her people, except her loyal bodyguards who maintained their tireless vigil around the clock.

Pushing open the door into the training room itself, she found the object of her late-night excursion. Luna was balanced on one leg, the other bent at the knee, her foot placed flat against her standing leg. She held twin swords crossed over her chest, her eyes closed as she meditated, a picture of serenity.

Abruptly Luna sprang into action. Cartwheeling across the room, her two blades flickered in an alluring but deadly dance, until she pirouetted around and lunged forward with both swords extended. Her yellow eyes flickered to Edraele as she suddenly realised she had an audience and she stood upright in a smooth motion.

"It's lovely to see you, Edraele," Luna said with a warm smile. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

With a wave of her hand, Edraele replied, "Please forgive the interruption, the way you moved was beautiful to behold." She returned the assassin's smile and continued, "I wondered if you might spare a moment to talk?"

"Of course," Luna replied, glancing down at her training gear. "Should I get changed, come and meet you in your quarters?"

Edraele glided across the padded floor to stand with the lean well-muscled woman. Shaking her head, she reached out to brush her fingers over Luna's cheek. "You look wonderful just as you are," she replied kindly.

Luna gave her a knowing smile and placed her hands on her Matriarchs slender waist. "I've been waiting for you to come to bond with me. I had heard about the Young Matriarchs..."