Three Square Meals Ch. 113

"That's the last one," Rachel said, hefting the elegant weapon in her arms, nodding at the comfortable feel of the ergonomic design. "That's seven in total, including the two you made with John. Is that enough?"

Dana handed over the magazine, then started reeling off their new owners as she counted on her fingers. "John, Alyssa, Calara, me, you, Irillith, Sakura... yep, that's everyone."

"What about Tashana?" Rachel asked, as she checked the safety was on and slotted the magazine into place.

"I still need to design a Tachyon Pistol," the redhead replied, tapping a finger on her chin. "Until then, she'll have to make do with her Reaper Pistols. I loaded some of her mags with Runic penetrators, so if we do run into anything really nasty, she can still kick some ass."

Rachel placed the new weapon on the grav-cart, next to the other four rifles she'd helped Dana assemble that evening.

*We're all meeting on the Combat Bridge,* Alyssa informed them both. *We'll be arriving at the Omicron Ceti system in fifteen minutes, so you better get up to the bedroom... Jade's waiting for you there.*

The two girls grinned at each other, then quickly pushed the grav-cart over to the lift on the far side of the workshop. With everything ready for an engagement with the Kirrix, they jogged to the door, eager to be connected to their man once more.

***

John stepped out of the armour-equipping frame and walked over to the weapon rack to retrieve his sword. Once it was magnetically locked to his back, he loaded a Tachyon Rifle and slung it over his shoulder, then stowed some extra magazines in the pouches on his belt. Fully geared up for battle, he strode down the ramp into the Combat Bridge, where Faye was waiting beside his chair and Alyssa was staring intently at the holographic System Map that hovered above their heads.

"Hey, you two," John said, walking over to stand by his Command Chair.

Alyssa acknowledged him with a warm smile, before returning her attention to the map.

Faye gave him a quick hug before saying, "I've tried hailing the colony, but there's been no reply so far."

"What are you picking up on the long-range scans?" he asked, studying the bright crimson star in the centre of the Omicron Ceti system. "Are the Kirrix still occupying Karron?"

A dense sprawl of asteroids orbited the star, with one behemoth dwarfing the others in the belt. Half of the huge chunk of rock was bathed in a blood-red glow, the other half obscured by shadow and as black as night. John had visited this mining colony twice before and had surprisingly mixed feelings about the place. While it was true that Karron was extremely bleak and inhospitable, each time he'd been here, he'd stumbled across a precious jewel hidden amongst the dirt, rocks, and human misery.

"No sensor contacts," Alyssa said quietly, brushing her armoured fingers over her console and activating a Tactical Overlay. "The Kirrix forces must have freed the colonists and run for the border."

John smiled with relief. "Well that makes our life a lot easier." He nodded to Calara, Sakura, and the twins as they walked down the ramp to join them.

"There are only about 10,000 residents in Karron aren't there?" Sakura asked, taking her place at the Security Station.

"Nobody seems to know the exact figure," Calara replied, sitting at Tactical. "I searched through reams of colony administration files and saw they tried to run a census a couple of times. They were forced to give up when their officials kept getting shot at."

"People hate the Terran Federation out here," Alyssa murmured, frowning as she stared at the detailed information now being displayed on the Tactical Overlay. "There's a lot of really nasty people around who would never register with GALSEC."

"The Kirrix have definitely been here," Calara said sombrely as she stared at the zoomed-in view of Karron. "Do you see the Neutron Beam damage on the upper surface of the asteroid? They must have blasted the Communication Array to keep the colony from calling for help..."

"That explains why they aren't responding to our hails and why we haven't received any distress calls yet!" Faye exclaimed, her expression brightening.

The sound of armour-equipping frames busy in the armoury echoed around the room and a few moments later, Dana and Rachel walked down the ramp to join them. John exchanged smiles with the two girls before they fanned out to take their places on the Bridge.

Dana grimaced as she stared up at the digital representation of the crimson-hued, monolithic rock. "Damn, that shitdump looks almost as bad on the outside as it does on the inside."

"It's amazing to think that so many people live inside there," Rachel murmured, marvelling at the rotating image.

"Amazing? More like appalling..." Dana muttered, her expression darkening. "I'd never even seen the sun until you guys busted me out of that festering hole."

Rachel rose from her chair and walked over to stand by her girlfriend, placing a supportive hand on her shoulder.

Dana glanced up at her and frowned. "Coming back here is worse than I thought... it's stirring up a lot of bad memories."

John looked at her with concern. "You can sit this one out, honey. I don't want you putting yourself through this unnecessarily."

She let out a heavy sigh and shook her head. "Nah, I'll stick around. It's time to put these demons to rest permanently..."

"Dropping out of hyper-warp in thirty seconds," Faye warned them, as the Invictus raced towards the Omicron Ceti system.

Jade and Helene were the last to make an appearance, walking down the ramp to join the rest. The Nymph glided over to the Pilot's Station and sat gracefully in her chair, while Helene walked over to greet John.

"Nice timing, we're just about to arrive at Karron," he said, giving her a one-armed sideways hug. "We haven't got a spare station for you at the moment, so why don't you sit in my chair for now?"

"Thank you," she replied, kissing her fingertips and pressing them against his faceplate before taking a seat.

Returning his attention to the hologram, John watched as the white battlecruiser entered the edge of the System Map in a swirl of blue Tachyon particles.

"Take us in and run an active scan," John ordered, his eyes riveted to the hulking asteroid.

Jade nodded, grasping the flight controls and bringing the Invictus' bow around to face the broad asteroid belt. Ramping up thrust, the six Trankaran engines blazed to life and propelled the warship forward, quickly gaining speed. There was silence on the Combat Bridge as they rushed towards Karron, the sense of dread escalating amongst the crew.

"Running active scan," Dana informed them, beginning the sensor sweep.

Alyssa had been intently studying the sensor data that was returning from Karron, with more detail being supplied the closer they approached. "Primary power is down!" she gasped, her voice catching. "John... something's terribly wrong there... I can feel it."

Dana's eyes widened as she stared at her console. "Oh shit... There's no life signs... the Kirrix took everyone!"

John whipped his head around to look at Alyssa, who sat frozen in the XO chair. "What the hell?!"

Her face was contorted with rage, eyes blazing with fury. "Those treacherous motherfuckers!"

"Maybe they're on their way back?" Rachel suggested, trying to stay optimistic. "They might have already left and were on their way to the border when you confronted the Hive Mind. It could just be taking them some time to fly back to Karron."

Calara slowly shook her head. "The timing doesn't add up... Alyssa made that agreement with the Kirrix two days ago. The hive ships would have had plenty of time to return here by now, even if they started running when she first spoke to the Hive Mind on Carolus III."

"They grabbed the colonists and ran for the border!" the blonde snarled furiously. "I warned them what would happen if they fucked with me!"

Jade brought the Invictus coasting to a halt beside the barren, lifeless asteroid. "What shall we do now, John?" she asked, turning in her seat. "Would you like me to set a course for the border to try and chase down the Kirrix?"

John pulled off his helmet and rubbed his forehead with his hand. "It's going to take us days to catch them, especially if they've scattered. I'd say yes in a heartbeat, but the colonists on Menganus IV and Valia Gate are running out of time..."

"If they're even there," Calara reminded him, her face ashen. "The Kirrix ships at Karron have reneged on the agreement, so why would those that attacked Menganus IV and Valia Gate be any different?"

Staring at the map and feeling truly torn, John turned to look at the Nymph pilot. "She's right... if the Kirrix have broken the deal, they'll have fled for the border with all their ships. Set a course towards Kirrix Space. We'll have to hope we stumble across the hive ships that attacked the colonies and try to rescue as many people as we can before it's too late."

"Wait!" Dana called out, her excited cry drawing all their attention. "I'm picking up life signs! They're very faint... but there must be a few survivors down there!"

"Dock with the colony," John ordered, making eye-contact with Jade. "Primary power is down, so the air recyclers won't be working... we can't leave them to suffocate to death."

"Taking us in," Jade said, banking the Invictus around and aiming towards one of the broad tunnels that led into the asteroid's docking bays.

"Maybe they can tell us what happened?" Calara asked, watching the Nymph effortlessly manoeuvre the huge battleship into the rocky passage.

"We could do with some answers," John agreed, before glancing at Faye. "Can I leave you in charge of the Invictus?" He turned to look at the aquatic girl sitting in the Command Chair. "I'll take most of the girls with me, but I'd like Helene and Jade's sisters to stay here."

"Of course!" the purple sprite replied, exuberantly bobbing of her head. "If you can bring the power back up, I'll interface with colony administration and retrieve any cam footage they might have."

"I know where that power plant is. It's on the upper levels near the administration buildings," Alyssa said quietly, her burst of anger forgotten as she listened anxiously to John's racing thoughts.

He watched the Invictus gliding through the tunnel towards the docking bay, the battlecruiser's exterior lights casting ominous shadows over the pitch-black room. "Alright everyone, let's move."

Alyssa quickly rose from her chair and placed her hand on his arm. *John... please don't take any chances. Now that Karron is deserted, I know you're tempted to... try to bring my parents back.*

He held her hand and gave her a reassuring smile. *I'm not planning on doing anything risky. I don't even know if there'll be enough psychic echoes to go ahead with it.*

Alyssa nodded, a flurry of emotions crossing her face and an ambivalent look in her eyes. *Okay.*

John studied her for a moment, unable to tell if she was disappointed or relieved. *It'll all be alright, beautiful. Remember, I'm supposed to be the worrier?*

She gave him a brave smile. *It's just hard coming back here... I can't help feeling like a scared little girl again.*

*Do you want to stay aboard the ship?* he asked, looking at her with sympathy.

*Definitely not!* she exclaimed in a rush. *I'm coming with you.*

Taking her hand, he led her towards the ramp, following after the girls as they entered the express grav-tube. By the time he reached the Secondary Hangar, Dana had already opened both sets of double doors leading into the Cargo Bay.

"Come and grab your new guns, ladies!" she called out, grinning at the women following her into the huge room.

Rachel frowned as she walked over to the grav-cart hovering on the lift. "Do we really need all this firepower if we're just rescuing a handful of survivors?"

John tried to ignore Alyssa's piercing gaze as he nodded. "Better to be safe than sorry."

The brunette turned to give him a knowing look as she picked up a Tachyon Rifle. "Ah, I see..."

Alyssa gestured towards the controls on the wall and the massive Cargo Bay door started to rise up into the ceiling, accompanied by the soft whine of perfectly-maintained hydraulics. The docking bay beyond was illuminated by the Invictus' hull lighting, but the long shadows stretched away into total darkness through the tunnel leading from the broad loading area.

John watched the girls stow their spare magazines and once they were geared up, he headed for the docking bay. Alyssa fell into step beside him and he turned to look her way. "Can you track down the survivors? It'll be much faster than trying to pinpoint them with active scans."

"Sure, just give me a moment." Her eyes began to glow with a fierce white light and she handed him her rifle as glowing trails of ethereal energy began to swirl around her shoulders.

The Invictus' lights began to flicker as she gathered her will, drawing more psychic power to herself which whipped around her arms to coalesce around her splayed fingers. Clenching her hands into fists, she crouched down and pressed her gauntlets to the deck, triggering pulsing waves of incandescent white light to race off into the darkness. Alyssa had her eyes closed as she concentrated on searching for any survivors in their immediate vicinity, feeling the psychic energy waves sweeping through the tunnels of her old home.

***

Kelli rocked herself on the floor, crying in fear and desperation, worn down by hours spent worrying in a darkened room after the power had gone out. One of the portable torches had already died, running out of battery power and temporarily leaving the panicked brunette unable to even see her hands in front of her face. After fumbling around to find her backpack, she had managed to locate another torch and turn it on, giving her a slim beam of light to fight back the forbidding darkness.

There'd been no change in Tony's or Perl's condition and the diminishing supply of flashlights was a sharp reminder of just how precarious her current situation was. It all seemed so horribly unfair... they had managed to survive the Kirrix invasion, only to be left to die helpless and alone in the dark. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she crawled over to Tony and gave him a hug.

"Thank you for trying to save us," she whimpered, wishing she could say goodbye to him properly. "You actually believed in me... no one's ever done that before."

All cried out, she held the big man in her arms, desperate for any source of comfort to stave off the feeling of hopelessness she was facing. Suddenly, a bright wave of light erupted from the wall, making her shriek in surprise as it washed over them. Kelli watched it sweep across the room, then just like that it was gone again, but in its wake, she saw a bright white glow surrounding Perl.

"What the hell?" she muttered in astonishment, clambering to her feet and limping over to the blonde.

Reaching out to check Perl was unharmed by the strange pulse, she got a fright when she realised that her own hand was also swathed in the pure white radiance. She stared at her fingers in wonder, relieved to see that the lights appeared to be harmless. The cheery aura lit up the room, banishing the darkness and making her feel a surge of relief despite the strange nature of the light. She turned back to see if Tony was affected too, then blinked in surprise to see the blood-red shroud that covered his body.

***

"Well I'll be damned..." Alyssa muttered, a tight smile of anticipation on her face.

"You found them?" John asked, feeling a surge of relief.

"There's three... not far away. Two good girls... one bad guy," Alyssa replied, her eyes snapping open.

"Nice work," he said with a nod of admiration, as he handed back her Tachyon Rifle.

The blonde slung the weapon over her shoulder. "Thanks, but I won't need this. I've got lots more creative ways to deal with him..."

"Lead the way," John said, gesturing with his hand.

They followed the tunnel out of the docking bay, then activated the external lights on their Paragon suits as they plunged into the darkness. The bright beams revealed signs of an intense battle in the starport, with bullet holes stitched across the walls and blast craters making the ground uneven.

"Looks like there was a hell of a fight," Calara said quietly, her eyes wide as she surveyed the carnage.

"They used mining charges," Sakura said with professional detachment as she crouched by one of the deep craters. She focused her lights on broad splashes of sticky green blood daubed across the deck. "Looks like they managed to give the Kirrix some trouble."

Walking out into the main concourse, Alyssa suddenly groaned, wobbling unsteadily on her feet.

John grasped hold of her to help keep her upright. "What happened? Are you okay?"

"All the colonists came through here... So many people... each and every one of them terrified out of their mind," she replied in a hushed voice, staring in horror at something only she could see. Her voice caught as she continued, "Crying children being dragged away from wailing mothers... how could they do that?!"

Knowing it was already too late to save those children, John pulled the blonde into a hug, making her turn away from the horrifying psychic echoes. "Don't look, honey. We can't do anything for them now..."

Alyssa pulled away, her eyes blazing. "Yeah, we can! We can make those evil bastards pay for what they've done!"

He nodded, meeting her vengeful gaze. "We will. When we head into Kirrix Space, we'll avenge all the innocent people murdered by those vermin... but for now, we need to find the survivors."

Gritting her teeth, Alyssa nodded and stalked towards the broad exit. "I know where they are. Let's get this done and leave this hellhole."

John followed after her, noticing that she deliberately turned her head, looking away from the most disturbing scenes. Venturing out into the street outside the starport, he saw more signs of fighting, including burned out security vehicles and buildings that had been razed to the ground. The ominous darkness beyond the reach of their torchlight left them all feeling unsettled, and accompanied by the oppressive silence, it felt like they were intruding on a haunted tomb.

"I never thought I'd see Karron like this," Dana whispered, following Alyssa into a broad tunnel, darkened shop-fronts lining the walls. "It's like a ghost town..."

Rachel glanced up at the ceiling, knowing there were just a few layers of rock between her and the deadly vacuum of space. Turning around to study the gloomy, depressing buildings, there was nothing of beauty to be seen anywhere... no grassy parks, no leafy trees, no bright flowers, nothing to alleviate the unrelenting grimness of the asteroid colony.

"How could you stand living here?" she asked in disbelief. "It's just so horrible... I never imagined it could be this bleak."

"Babes... this is the nice part of town," Dana said, forcing a smile and trying to make light of the situation. "No matter how awful it got, we had to put up with it... we didn't have any other choice."

The brunette winced and gave the redhead a sympathetic look. "I must sound like such an over-privileged idiot. I didn't mean to be so insensitive... I'm just shocked at how grim a place Karron actually is."

Calara nodded, equally disturbed by the underground colony. "It's my first look around as well... I know exactly how you feel."

Tunnels branched off, letting them get a glimpse of dilapidated shanty towns in the distance, the settlements springing up like weeds in the hollowed-out caverns that threaded through the asteroid. No one commented on the squalor, but John could see that even the Maliri twins were unsettled by the abject poverty the colonists had been living in. The claustrophobic tunnels were a jarring contrast to the leafy boulevards that crossed Melfalas, the capital city on Valaden where they'd spent their childhood.