Three Square Meals Ch. 052

Dana darted around the others, jogging briefly to catch up with their Trankaran guide so that she could walk at his side. Looking up at Bhaken she said, "I'm really curious about the metal you've used on your ship, I don't recognise this sandy-coloured one or the grey stuff with the orange lights running through it. Are they some kind of alloy?"

He looked down at her with a benevolent smile as they walked along the passageway, and said in his deep voice, "My people have a gift with metals, and there are many abundant resources locked away in the asteroid belts that blanket our territory. I am no expert in metallurgy I'm afraid, but if you have a genuine interest, and are not just asking out of a desire to make small talk, perhaps a meeting with one of our forgemasters could be arranged?"

The redhead beamed a big grin at him, and nodded with excitement as she said, "I'd love that!" Glancing over at John, she asked, "Would it be alright if I go and meet one of these forgemasters, and catch up with you later?" When John shrugged and nodded, Dana skipped along with an extra bounce in her step.

Associate Bhaken led them along a series of long corridors, passing sturdy reinforced doors, which were engraved in some kind of runic script. The elaborate runes glowed with a deep inner fire, and they drew the eye towards them with their eerie red glow. Several of the doors had guards posted outside, and unlike the Trankarans they had met so far, these hulking creatures weren't robed. Instead, they wore huge sets of dark grey armour, which was interlaced with the same glowing lines as the walls. It made their already imposing eight-foot-tall frames seem absolutely enormous, bulking them up even further.

They were holding big, blunt, ugly looking rifles, which had a broad barrel, segmented into eight sections. The barrel was striped by angry red glowing lines, and it seemed to throb as though alive. Dana stared at these weapons in fascination, and she desperately wanted to ask one of the Trankaran guards about them. One look at their impassive faces made her think twice, but when she grinned impishly at a particularly imposing guard, he did smile back.

Alyssa glanced up at Bhaken and noted, "There's quite a lot of guards around. Why do you need so much security when it's only Trankarans aboard this ship?"

Associate Bhaken face turned downcast, and his reverberating voice sounded sombre as he replied, "Kerhom's Anvil is hosting the Senate, which makes us a prime target for the rebels. One of the most dreadful things about fighting a civil war, is someone who you considered to be your rock-brother could turn out to be a traitor."

She smiled at him sympathetically, and reached out to gently pat his arm, as she said, "I'm sorry Bhaken, that must be awful."

He was touched by her kind words, and he bowed his head to her in gratitude, saying, "I appreciate your sympathy. I hope that these dark days will be behind us soon."

Finally coming to a halt before an imposing set of enormous fifteen-foot-high doors, he turned to look at his guests and said, "This is the audience chamber for the senate. If you would care to proceed inside, Chancellor Niskera and her advisors will meet with you now."

John nodded, and strode inside the room, with Irillith following close behind him. Dana smiled as she looked up at Associate Bhaken, and said enthusiastically, "I'm ready to go and meet one of these forgemasters!"

Rachel glanced at Alyssa and said, "I'll keep her company, you go and keep an eye on John."

Alyssa turned and hurried to catch up with John and the Maliri woman, and she was relieved when she thought to Rachel, *Thanks! You're an angel!*

The double doors opened into an anteroom, which had tall arches that criss-crossed at the ceiling. There were several more guards in here, who watched the new arrivals with interest, and their heads turned to follow Alyssa as she ran across the room to rejoin John. The brightly glowing runes on the inner doors seemed to flare with an inner fire for a moment, before they swung open before them at a measured pace.

Inside was a huge circular room, surrounded in tiered seats, somewhat like an ancient Terran amphitheatre. There were no obvious light sources in the room, but the glow from the lines threading their way through the ceiling and walls prevented the senate chamber from feeling too dark and imposing. Dozens of Senators lined the seats at various levels around them, and they all watched John, Alyssa, and Irillith as they walked into the room.

On the floor in the centre was a robust ten-sided table, and sitting directly opposite them, flanked by two advisors, was the first female Trankaran they had seen. Unlike the eight-foot-tall males, she was just over six-feet in height, and proportioned more like a heavily muscular Terran woman. Just like the other Trankarans they had met, she had a face that looked like it had been chiselled from a block of granite, with broad, flat features, and a bald head.

She rose, and her smile seemed genuine, lighting up her face. "Welcome, honoured guests," she began in a voice much lighter in pitch than the males. "I am Chancellor Niskera, and I believe you are Commodore John Blake? Also known as the Lion of the Federation, and champion of the Ashanath?"

John nodded with a confident smile on his face, and said courteously, "Thank you for granting us some of your valuable time. It's a pleasure to meet you, Chancellor Niskera." Turning to glance to his right he said, "This is Irillith, of the Maliri. Our business with her people brought us to your doorstep." He glanced to his left and added, "And this is Alyssa, my second-in-command."

Chancellor Niskera looked shocked, and said, "The mystery of the Maliri, and what lay concealed behind their armour, was one I thought we would never uncover. I am astonished that so beautiful a species would ever conceal their appearance."

Irillith inclined her head and smiled warmly at the compliment, but inside her heart skipped a beat, as she felt icy fingers of dread crawling up her spine. She couldn't believe she had been so foolish as to come onto this ship without her armour. What had she been thinking?! Then for John to cheerfully announce her species, like that! She was sure he was aware of the punishment that awaited her if this got back to her people.

John had a cold smile on his face as he said, "Such secrets aren't necessary any more. I have a feeling the Maliri will soon be well known around the galaxy." He then glanced at the Chancellor's companions, and asked, "May I ask who your advisors are?"

Chancellor Niskera smiled, and said, "My apologies, our unexpected and lovely guest has me so distracted, I have been impolite." Turning to her left, she nodded respectfully to the armoured Trankaran, and said, "This is our Naval Commander, Fleet Warden Thandrun." She then turned to her right to look at the robed Trankaran who flanked her. He smiled at her pleasantly as she introduced him, "And this is Vamred, Senator of Internal Affairs."

John nodded to them both politely, and when the Chancellor gestured from them to sit, he took the seat opposite her, with the girls following his lead. The chairs had been designed for someone of Terran stature and were comfortable, if not particularly pleasing to the eye. Once they had taken their seats, Chancellor Niskera sat down too.

John had waited patiently for her to make her introductions, and when they were over, he said, "Ambassador Gamrik told us that you had some trouble with rebels. He seemed to think we might be able to help?"

Chancellor Niskera's pleasant smile turned to an expression of deep sadness, and she said, "You have chosen to visit the Trankaran Republic at a time of terrible conflict amongst my people. I lead the true government of the Trankaran, but a rebel faction has united under the rule of someone known only as 'The Glowing Queen'. We have tried on numerous occasions to open dialogue with this group, but any diplomats we have sent have been slain."

John nodded, and asked, "Do you know anything else about this rebel faction and their leader?"

Vamred, the Senator of Internal Affairs, spoke up in a deep rumbling voice, "Rumour has it she was originally a miner, but we haven't been able to ascertain her true name or verify her background. She seems to command absolute loyalty from those Trankaran who have pledged themselves to her cause, and this rebel faction has rapidly expanded amongst our core worlds. I'm appalled to admit this, but we have lost control of our homeworld, Trankara, to this band."

Fleet Warden Thandrun nodded, then started speaking in a voice that sounded like an avalanche, "I still command the bulk of our forces, but this rebel group has seized control of our shipyards. If we cannot reason with them soon, we might be forced to take military action while we still have the larger fleet."

John frowned and asked, "Why don't you just crush this rebellion, and execute the ringleaders? If you have a superior fleet, now is the time to strike."

Chancellor Niskera looked pained and replied, "We do not wish to extinguish the spark of any Trankarans, no matter how misguided, not while a peaceful option still remains."

"It doesn't," John said firmly. "This 'Glowing Queen' won't stop, until you, and all these Senators are dead, and this fleet is either destroyed or under her command."

Chancellor Niskera looked shocked and asked, "How can you be so certain?"

He gave her a knowing smile and said, "You'll just have to trust me on that one." He then paused for a moment while studying her, and eventually said, "Despite what I've told you, you still don't want to launch a fleet action against whatever forces this Glowing Queen has under her command, do you?"

Chancellor Niskera looked deeply troubled, and she shook her head. Fleet Warden Thandrun then interjected in his deep bass voice, "The death toll on both sides would be significant. They don't have any battleship class vessels yet, but they still possess a significant number of cruisers and smaller ships. Eliminating their fleet would result in the deaths of tens of thousands of Trankarans."

John shrugged nonchalantly and said, "Fine. I'll solve this problem for you."

Chancellor Niskera's face lit up with hope and she asked eagerly, "You believe you'll be able to convince the Glowing Queen to surrender, or negotiate with us?"

He shook his head, smiling grimly and said, "I'm afraid not Chancellor. As I mentioned before, this will only be resolved in blood. I intend to assassinate the Glowing Queen. This rebellion will end shortly afterwards."

Chancellor Niskera looked appalled and she stammered, "There m-must be a peaceful option we haven't explored!"

John leaned forward, and in a deathly serious voice that carried throughout the room he stated, "There isn't. You end her, or she'll end you."

The Senators around the room began talking amongst themselves in panicked, upset voices, and the cascading rumble of deep Trankaran voices soon began to get unpleasantly loud. Chancellor Niskera was talking to her advisors in hushed and worried conversation, but when she noticed John flinching at the cacophony, she raised her hands high in the air. Silence descended on the chamber as the Senators responded to her command, and dozens of pupil-less Trankaran eyes were riveted once again, on the group in the centre of the room.

John looked Chancellor Niskera in the eye, and said, "We've talked about what you need, and how I can go about resolving your problem. Now I think it's time to talk about what I want."

Chancellor Niskera took a deep breath, and then smiled at him, and said, "Of course, please let us know what you require."

John nodded towards Irillith and said, "The Maliri had made a deal with Ambassador Khemmerlun, to purchase schematics for your engine technology. I believe a down payment of half-a-billion credits was paid. We had intended to come here to complete that deal."

Chancellor Niskera's face brightened, and she exclaimed, "I authorised this deal! We would be happy to give you those schematics in payment for your services in resolving this situation for us."

John's smile was cunning, and he shook his head apologetically as he said, "Obviously I am truly sympathetic to the plight of the Trankarans. However, with the situation in Trankaran Space being what it is, I have a few options open to me. I can wait for the next rebel attack, and then destroy some of their ships myself. We can then reverse-engineer the engine tech, and be on our way with a minimum of effort. I assume the schematics you were going to give the Maliri were for generic Trankaran engine tech, the kind you fit on your civilian ships and the like?"

Chancellor Niskera nodded hesitantly, and admitted, "Yes, that is correct. But even the civilian version of our engine tech is greatly superi-."

John shook his head slowly, and she faltered when she saw his refusal. He then said with a smile, "I'll hand over the generic schematics to the Maliri, but I want access to the best tech you have for myself. State-of-the-art military-grade engines to upgrade my ship, the Invictus."

Fleet Warden Thandrun sounded alarmed, and he rumbled, "Your Terran ship is much lighter than our vessels, and your physique would not be able to stand the strain! Unless you were to develop incredibly advanced inertial dampeners, using full power would kill you and your crew in an instant!"

Chancellor Niskera nodded and said in agreement, "Your terms are not unreasonable, but I urge you to reconsider for your own safety! We do not have the accompanying inertial dampening technology to protect you."

John smiled confidently and said, "We'll take care of that, but we'll need you to provide thrust ratios for the engines, so we can prepare accordingly." He paused and then added, "So, I take it we have a deal? I end this rebellion, then you provide us with the tech schematics for the engine technology, and refit my ship with the most powerful engines and retro-thrusters you can construct?"

Chancellor Niskera nodded with some reluctance, and said with regret, "I agree to your terms. Although, I beg you to please try and limit the number of casualties involved."

"It will be a nice clean surgical strike," John said emphatically.

Vamred, the Senator of Internal Affairs, then said, "I will arrange for all the information we have on the Glowing Queen to be sent to you, along with her location on Trankara. She has set up residence in the old Senate building in our capital city, renaming it 'The Radiant Palace'."

John looked pleased and he replied, "Excellent. Please send me architectural plans for the Senate building, as well as any defensive structures in the locale that might prevent a dropship insertion. If Trankara has any kind of orbital defence grid, I'll need details on that too."

Vamred looked thoughtful, and said, "I should be able to assemble everything you require."

John then looked at Fleet Warden Thandrun, and asked, "With your permission, I'd like to perform an active scan of one of your cruisers, to help us with targeting vulnerable locations. That's the biggest vessel they have, correct?"

Fleet Warden Thandrun looked hesitant for a moment, before he conceded, "You may perform your scan."

John grinned, then stood, and bowed deeply towards the Chancellor and her advisors. "I believe we have a deal then, Chancellor," he said with satisfaction.

Chancellor Niskera studied him carefully, before bowing in return, and saying, "We agree to all of your terms. Our hopes rest with you, that you may bring peace and stability to our people once more."

John nodded, and said with an ambivalent smile, "Yes, peace and stability. We all want that."

***

The brooding figure strode through the chambers of his fortress, the dim tunnels with their cold, grim, stonework matched his dark mood. This target had proven impossible to track, flitting from one end of Terran Space to another in the blink of an eye. There seemed to be no pattern or logic to the man's movements, and he seemed to be able to travel at incredible speed. On the one brief occasion when he nearly had him, John Blake's response had been so baffling, it had allowed him to slip through his fingers.

He had activated the last of his agents on this desperate hunt, and he refused to think about how much this operation had cost him so far. Still, at this point, money had ceased to have any meaning. This was about his reputation, and while John Blake still lived, his reputation was threatened.

Storming into his Command Room, he sat down tensely in his gothic throne. The index finger on his left hand began to tap the armrest of his throne in a nervous tic that he hadn't seen in decades. He glowered at the errant hand, and his finger rose then paused as he stared at it. With an iron will he forced the finger back to rest, and then he stared out across the room, feeling the simmering anger burning within him.

He hadn't personally taken a target in longer than he cared to remember, having retired to 'manage' his stable of assassins. He felt that strong urge to come out of retirement one last time, and face this Lion of the Federation himself. Maybe John Blake might actually be able to provide an interesting challenge for his unmatched skills.

A blinking light on his console brought him out of his bleak reverie, and he pressed the button. It was from one of his network of spies stationed at Port Megara, and the message contained a video file. He activated the file with a curious frown on his face, that quickly lifted into a broad grin. Judging by the timestamp, the video was taken only yesterday, and the Lion of the Federation could be seen walking through cheering, jubilant crowds of simpering morons.

"You're mine now," he gloated, his face lighting up with an evil grin.