Three Square Meals Ch. 109

"She's already on her way," Alyssa immediately replied. "She'll work with Faye in the Raptor to take care of any Kirrix troops that attempt to leave the hive ships. They'll destroy them afterwards when all the prisoners are free."

"Perfect," he said with an appreciative nod, watching as the dreadnought finally hit the ground. It ploughed a huge furrow through the fields and sent a shower of dirt fifty-metres into the air. "That looked like a relatively gentle landing; hopefully the prisoners will be okay."

"A bumpy landing is probably the least of their worries right now," Alyssa said with a bleak frown.

John paused and looked into her eyes. "Are we making a mistake taking Dana in there with us?"

"I think it's sensible to keep her out of hive ships and we can keep an eye on her if she comes with us," she replied, her head tilted to one side as she listened to her friend's thoughts. "Rachel said that Dana seems to be coping well with the fighting... she thinks this is actually helping her."

"Okay, let's take a look inside that dreadnought," John said, pulling his sword from the ground and sheathing it in the magnetic harness across his back.

Alyssa tugged on her Paragon helmet and followed after him as he launched into the air, increasing her thrust so that she could fly at his side. They shared a smile as they soared over the cityscape below, enjoying the simple pleasure of flying in that momentary lull in the fighting.

*You take me on the most romantic dates!* Alyssa trilled, pretending to swoon.

John groaned and rolled his eyes at her. *I made a terrible mistake planning such an elaborate date for Faye, didn't I?*

*You did set the bar pretty high,* she replied, her full lips twitching into a smile. *Maybe I should have played a bit harder to get? Then you would've had to spend some time wooing me...*

He laughed and reached out for her hand. *There aren't many romantic venues in deep space on the Outer Rim, my options were a bit limited.*

*Excuses, excuses,* she teased him. *I seem to remember a very horny Mr. Blake desperate to pack my tiny tummy full of a ridiculous amount of cum...*

John gave her a look filled with regret. *I know you're only joking, but I am sorry about the way we started together. I wasn't exactly a good Samaritan making that deal with you.*

She fixed him with her piercing cerulean eyes. *If circumstances were different and you'd been a gentleman on that flight back from Karron, would we have ever got together? Think about it and be honest with yourself, John.*

He paused and gave it some real thought. At the time, he'd been keeping his raging libido under control with a combination of meditation and abstinence, desperate to avoid any... complications... that would arise from his unique alien heritage. If he and Alyssa had never made the bargain they did on that fateful journey from Karron to Olympus, he had no doubt that they would have parted company. It was only after feeding her his cum that they'd developed an intimate psychic connection, gifting her with the telepathy that had allowed her to break through his self-imposed desire for solitude... and unlocking his Progenitor destiny.

*You're right,* he admitted quietly. *If I hadn't accidentally made you my Matriarch, I probably would have left you at Port Heracles, or maybe Olympus if you'd asked to stay a bit longer. We definitely wouldn't have stayed together if we hadn't connected the way we did.*

*Exactly. I don't regret the way we met for a second... especially as the last six months have been the happiest of my entire life,* she said, her voice carrying a profound sense of contentment.

He nodded, forcing himself to re-evaluate the guilt he felt about their initial meeting. *I've been happy too... for the first time that I can really remember.*

Alyssa's gauntleted fingers intertwined with his as they glided towards the wrecked dreadnought. *And if that's not enough, just think about how many people we've saved by getting together. Billions of lives... all because we made a deal where I gave you some head.* She grinned impishly at him. *They were humanitarian blowjobs, John. You were serving the greater good and being a selfless philanthropist loading me up like that...*

John laughed and shook his head. *Alright, that's laying it on a bit thick... but I do get your point.*

*No more regrets?* she asked, raising an eyebrow.

*You're right... no more regrets,* he agreed, really meaning it.

Nearing the crashed Kirrix vessel, John could see the huge trench it had gouged through the dirt when it careened into the ground. The hull had cracked in several places and greasy black smoke was pouring from the wounds inflicted by the Valkyrie, but the dreadnought's superstructure seemed to be largely intact. They landed on the hull above a broad hangar door that had badly buckled in the crash, the couple looking curiously at the immense ship as they deactivated flight mode.

"This looks like as good an entry point as any," John mused as he studied the battered doorway. "Wherever we board, we'll need to clear the Kirrix defenders before we can evacuate the civilians anyway."

"Want me to pulse the ship?" Alyssa asked, quirking an eyebrow. "Or are you going to show off your fancy new X-Ray ability?"

"Why not both?" he countered with a smile. "You'll be able to give us a precise idea of where all the Terran prisoners are located. Then I can have a look for any serious threats."

Before the blonde could reply, Dana and Rachel touched down beside them, the two girls looking equally excited, albeit for very different reasons.

"Alyssa said you were playing baseball with a hive ship!" Dana blurted out, her sky-blue eyes filled with wonder.

John darted an affectionate glance at the blonde. "She was teasing me and I got a bit competitive... I took out my frustrations on the Kirrix."

The redhead laughed and shoved Alyssa's shoulder. "Holy shit! I know you can wind him up, but that's got to be a personal best!"

Alyssa tipped an imaginary hat in her direction. "Teasing John is my speciality..."

The Karron teenagers giggled together, and John couldn't help smiling at seeing them so relaxed and happy.

Rachel tried not to sound too impatient as she asked, "Perhaps we should wait to discuss John's newfound psychic prowess in the post-mission debriefing?"

Dana frowned and nudged her girlfriend with an elbow. "Hey! What's got your panties in a wad?"

The brunette gave John a contrite look. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to undermine your impressive accomplishments. I am really proud of you for making such a significant breakthrough like that."

"But?" he asked with a knowing smile.

Rachel glanced at the ochre hull beneath their feet, her grey eyes lighting up with excitement. "If your prediction is correct and there's some form of higher caste subspecies inside this dreadnought, we might finally get some definitive answers about the Kirrix!"

He patted her on the shoulder and nodded. "You're right. Let's take care of business first; we can discuss new psychic powers after the battle." Turning to look at Alyssa, he continued, "Whenever you're ready, honey."

She nodded and closed her eyes, falling into a meditative trance as she gathered her will. Her arms were soon wrapped in swirling ethereal vapours that hurtled around her limbs as they gathered in strength. When she crouched down, her gauntlets were swathed in a blazing nimbus of light, the throbbing energy only waiting for her to set it loose. Alyssa pressed her clenched fists to the ochre armour plating and pulses streamed out in concentric circles, sweeping away over the dreadnought's hull. It was easy to identify the Terran minds she made fleeting contact with... as well as the profoundly alien subconscious of the Kirrix invaders.

"The colonists are all clustered in the same location... over there," she announced, pointing towards the middle of the huge capital ship. "Hundreds of them, if not thousands... many of them severely traumatised..."

Dana gave John an anxious frown. "It sounds like there's a bunch of hive lords in there... they must have infested a load of civilians."

"It sounds like it," he agreed, his expression turning grim. "Sparks... maybe it would be best if Faye comes and picks you up? It's going to be horrible seeing all those people like that... I don't want you getting upset."

Dana slowly shook her head. "I'm alright, honestly. Fighting the Kintark was hard because I knew they weren't all bad, but they basically forced me to wipe out millions of them. This is really different... the Kirrix are total assholes and those poor people are fucked without our help."

John wasn't entirely convinced and his eyes flicked to Rachel for guidance.

The brunette put her arm around the redhead's waist and gave her a hug. "I wouldn't risk exposing Dana to any stressful situation if I had concerns about her mental health. The two of us discussed it earlier and she's right; the circumstances here are very different. I think it'll be cathartic for her to come with us to rescue the colonists."

"See, Doctor Voss isn't worried that I'm about to turn into a nutcase," Dana joked, returning her girlfriend's hug.

"Alright, you're in," John reluctantly agreed, looking her in the eye. "But if it starts getting too much, you tell me, okay? I'll be glad of your help, but we can clear the ship on our own if we have to... giving you PTSD is the absolute last thing I want."

She walked over to him, touched by his concern. "Look, I know you're worried about me... but you don't have to be." Dana reached up to touch her gauntlet to his clear faceplate. "I'm not going to fall apart on you."

"You better not," he replied, playfully swatting her on the rump.

"Hey!" Dana grinned at him, then reached for her floating Reaper Cannon, gripping it tight with both hands. "Shall we go fuck up some bugs?"

"One second, just let me check out what we're dealing with," John replied, holding up his hand.

He turned to look in the direction Alyssa had pointed, while steadying his breathing and centring his mind. Now that he knew what he was doing, it was easy to enhance his sight, letting him peer through the dreadnought's outer hull and study the interior of the vast ship. It was teeming with Kirrix inside the vessel, with legions of slender drones and substantial numbers of massive juggernauts waiting to defend against intruders.

"Lots of Kirrix troops inside... the place is crawling with them," he murmured for his audience's benefit.

John tried to look past them, searching for the Terran colonists that he knew were being held in that direction. It didn't take long to find them, the civilians slumped in despair, looking like their spirits were completely broken. As his enhanced sight penetrated the depths of the dreadnought, he got a brief flash of something huge, his eyes widening as he saw a glimpse of its hulking form. It whipped around to snarl at him in fury before abruptly vanishing from view.

"What the hell?!" he blurted out, blinking in surprise.

"What's wrong?" Rachel asked in alarm.

"There IS something inside... something big!" he exclaimed, looking at the girls in turn. "It realised I was watching... and I think it blocked me somehow!"

The brunette nodded thoughtfully. "It's just as I postulated... a higher-tier creature with more potent psychic abilities!"

Dana brandished her Reaper Cannon. "So we cut down everything that gets in our way, but take the big bastard prisoner?"

Alyssa cracked her knuckles and grinned at the redhead. "Just don't kill it... then I'll see what I can find out."

Drawing his sword, John nodded to the girls. "Alright, let's do this."

He strode across the hull, activating flight mode as he stepped off the lip above the hangar. Grabbing the edge of the battered door, he braced his boots on the frame and yanked it backwards, ripping it clear from the mechanism with a tortured shriek of metal. The huge reinforced door toppled over, bouncing off the hull as it crashed down to the ground.

Inside the dimly lit dreadnought, squads of Kirrix troops were pouring into the hangar, rushing to repel boarders with neutron rifles at the ready. John leapt inside, whipping his sword around in a looping curve, his psychic acceleration making him move in a blur. The arc of force blasted across the room, mowing down everything unfortunate enough to stand in its way. Dozens of Kirrix troops exploded in a shower of chitinous limbs, the blast wave continuing onwards to smash into the hexagonal plated wall opposite, shattering the softly glowing tiles in a cascade of sparks.

Before the Kirrix could react, a trio of Reaper Cannons opened up, the fan of blue laser bolts melting huge holes in the insectoid forces. The suppressing fire was relentless, gunning down everything in sight and quickly slaughtering the defenders. Even though nothing was left standing in the hangar, John could still hear the quiet but unmistakable sound of thousands of insectoid feet scuttling through the ship towards them.

Alyssa raised her psychically charged hands and started summoning telekinetic weapons, the axes and swords racing off towards the doors on the left and right of the hangar. "They'll clear the flanks," she explained, striding over to stand beside John.

"I'll take point," John said, gesturing towards the massive set of doors opposite with the tip of his sword. Glancing over his shoulder at Dana and Rachel, he added, "Ladies, watch our rear. As we get deeper inside, it'll be easier for them to circle around us."

Alyssa flexed her fingers, her smile turning wicked. "And I'll keep the three of you out of trouble."

The runes on John's sword flickered as if possessing an otherworldly intelligence of their own, growing brighter as he fed more power into the blade. Walking up to the huge doorway, he didn't pause to check the gloom for defenders, knowing they were lurking there in the dark. With a languid two-handed sweep, he set loose another blast wave down the corridor, shrill screams dying out just as quickly as they pierced the oppressive silence.

Activating his enhanced sight, he glanced to his flanks, seeing Alyssa's blades shining brightly in his psychically sensitive vision. They fell on the Kirrix attempting to attack from each side, carving the troops into bloody chunks as they tried to parry with their rifles. Focusing forward, he stalked down the corridor, stepping over twitching dismembered limbs as he scanned the passageway ahead for threats. It was disorientating trying to walk with X-Ray vision enabled, so John dismissed it, having seen what he needed to. The Kirrix were massing in their squads, getting ready to rush them at the various intersections that led to the central ramps, which connected this level with the bowels of the ship.

"Get ready for an ambush," John warned the girls as they approached a cross-junction. He stepped forward and lashed out with a force arc to the right, slicing a stunned juggernaut in half and decapitating the Kirrix troops gathered around it.

Following his telepathic orders, Alyssa strode to the left, facing the second force of Kirrix lying in wait. The shadowy tunnel was suddenly blindingly bright, a sizzling beam melting its way through the juggernaut leading the group. Its severed head bounced off the smoking remains of its abdomen and landed upside down on the floor, mandibles locked open in a silent scream of agony.

"We've got movement from behind!" Dana called out, the high-pitched pulses from her Reaper Cannon filled the corridor.

"I see them!" Rachel responded, her weapon entering the deadly chorus. She joined the redhead in deterring their Kirrix pursuers by shooting glowing holes straight through their thoraxes.

"This is a terrible defensive position," John said as he turned and hurled a blastwave down the central corridor, shattering another approaching squad in an explosion of broken limbs. "Let's hold here for a few minutes; it'll encourage the Kirrix to keep attacking and we can thin their numbers."

Alyssa smirked and shook her head in amusement. "Remember back in the early days? All that creeping around pirate ships, trying not to draw too much attention... The old you would've had a fit at what we're doing now."

"To be fair, the old me couldn't wipe out squads of Kirrix with a backhanded swipe of my sword," John replied, turning to give her a crooked smile.

She laughed and nodded her agreement, her blue eyes sparkling with the thrill of battle.

The intelligence guiding the Kirrix forces seemed to pay no mind to the sickening slaughter in the tunnels, sending squad after squad into that slaughterhouse. Soon pools of green blood were spreading towards John and the girls, the sheer numbers of Kirrix dead adding their life essence to that disgusting tide.

"Are they trying to wear us out?" Rachel asked in confusion, pivoting as she swept the corridor behind them with bursts of blue laser bolts. "I've only taken a couple of hits and my shields are already regenerated up to full again."

"And we've got infinite ammo," Dana agreed, her Reaper Cannon cutting down scores of troopers. "We can keep this up all day..."

"Yeah, but they don't know that," John reminded them, sword held at the ready for the first sign of another Kirrix charge.

Alyssa suddenly turned and grabbed John by the arm. "Calara's offering close fire support. Want her to assist?"

He looked at the blonde in confusion. "But we're inside the dreadnought... I appreciate the thought, but I don't see how she can help?"

She paused, listening intently to the Latina's telepathic explanation. Shaking her head, Alyssa replied, "They scanned the dreadnought and know where we are. She's wants to saw the ship in half!"

John stared at her in shock. "You've got to be kidding me..."

Alyssa gave him a helpless shrug. "She reckons it's perfectly safe."

He gave her a hard look, mulling the idea over in his head. It came down to a question of trust and he trusted Calara implicitly. "Alright, call it in."

The blonde nodded. "Okay, brace yourselves..."

John hesitated, then beckoned them away from the open junction. "Come here, girls!"

They hurried over, crouching on the ground around him. John sank the tip of his sword into the deck, then placed both hands on the hilt, closing his eyes in concentration. A shimmering sphere of blue hexagons burst forth, encompassing the four of them in its protective embrace. John squatted down beside the trio of girls, then nodded to Alyssa that he was ready.

She raised an eyebrow and glanced up at the dome. "You think that's going to stop a Tachyon Lance beam?"

He laughed at her gallows humour. "Okay, I suppose that was a bit optimistic."

Alyssa smiled and brushed her fingers across his faceplate. "It's the first time I've seen you extend a shield like that. You're full of surprises today."

As John opened his mouth to reply, a deafening roar swept through the corridor, followed by a blistering wave of heat. The ship shook violently, enough that they had to grab hold of each other to avoid being knocked over. For several seconds the floor vibrated like a drill, setting their teeth on edge... then just as suddenly as it started, everything stopped. Silence reigned as the corridor went still, the passage behind them at the junction now noticeably brighter.

"She's done," Alyssa informed them, looking as relieved as John felt.

He rose to his feet, dismissing the hex barrier as he pulled his blade from the floor. There was no sign of another Kirrix assault yet, so John headed back to the cross-junction to investigate the source of the new light. He looked to his left, then stood in open-mouthed astonishment as he gazed down the corridor.

"Holy fuck..." Dana murmured at his side, her voice no more than a shocked whisper.