Three Square Meals Ch. 078

The first waves of bombers launched their torpedoes at the black-hulled battleship and despite its frantic manoeuvres, it was too slow and ponderous to be able to avoid the silvery death sentences streaking towards it. Without any proper defensive screen to protect it, the Ashanath had been able to take their time in lining up their torpedoes perfectly. One titanic explosion after another tore into the turning ship, debris flung outwards by the successive chain of blast waves as it was hit eight times, tearing it apart from bow to stern. By the time the last had struck, there was nothing recognisable left of the battleship - so complete was its demolition.

The Nymph watched the Ashanath strike craft peel away, moving towards the centre of the battle to assist with the final stages of the vicious fight for survival. Shifting her focus back to Dana's mech, Jade grimaced as she watched it flailing helplessly, trapped in the scythe-like docking claws of the Drakkar dropship.

"You'll be hitting the upper atmosphere in two minutes!" Jade warned the redhead, who was leaning at an unnatural angle in her chair.

Dana nodded, frowning in anger as she replied, "I know, but this fucking asshole has me trapped!"

Jade zoomed in the Tactical Map, expanding the view of the grappling machines to study them in more detail. "Can you twist the Valkyrie, maybe shoot your way clear?"

Shaking her head, Dana snarled in frustration, "I can't move a synthetic muscle! It's got me locked up tight. The Photon Lasers are pointing the wrong fucking way and the Gatling got knocked out of my Mech's hand! I knew I should have built some goddamn laser swords into its arms!"

Just as Dana had described, Jade could see the ten-metre-long Punisher Gatling pressed flat against the hull of the dropship. It was still attached to the mech by the ammo-feed and power coupling, but lay tantalisingly out of reach of the Valkyrie's huge metallic fist. The Nymph realised that the redhead was helpless and it was down to herself to save her friend.

Jade looked at the Raptor's curved flightpath, which arced around the planet to reach the falling mech and her cat-like eyes widened in alarm. "I can't get to you in time before you hit the atmosphere! Did that claw pierce the cockpit?"

"Yeah, it punched right through," Dana replied, glancing to her right with a grimace. "The emergency force-fields kicked in to repressurise the cockpit, but they won't withstand the heat from a re-entry. I'll get cooked to a crisp!"

***

The Invictus rushed through the Ashanath and Drakkar forces, dodging wrecks and avoiding incoming shots. Being in this brutal combat for so long had worn down their shields and they'd blown a couple of capacitors on the starboard side of the bow. The beams that had done the damage hadn't penetrated the hull, but they had left a quartet of melted scars across several armour plates.

Calara and Faye were assisting the silver disc-shaped ships where they could, using energy weapons to strip Drakkar shields and ordnance weapons to pound any black-hulled vessels in range. Irillith continued to bring her own unique brand of chaos to the mix, hacking Drakkar battleships and making them fire upon their former allies, or just simply ramming into them headlong. Several times she intervened just in time to save severely damaged Ashanath vessels, stealing control of their tormentors and preventing the Drakkar from delivering the coup-de-grace.

John was pointedly ignoring the battle though. Instead, he leaned forward in his chair, listening intently to every word of Jade and Dana's conversation. Alyssa didn't need to tell him that the Invictus had no chance of reaching Dana in time, or that the much faster and closer Raptor was still her best hope of rescue. He desperately wracked his brain to think of a way to help the falling girl, but they were fast running out of time and he was filled with a rising sense of dread.

A startled gasp from Alyssa drew his attention and he blinked in surprise when she rose from her chair, then turned towards Faye and said abruptly, "Take over for me."

Faye stared at her in shock, then gave her an obedient nod, assigning her secondary avatar to take over temporary control as the Invictus' Pilot.

If Athena's brusque tone hadn't given her identity away, the radiant white glow blazing from her eyes clearly announced her presence. She walked across the Combat Bridge, fixing him with her piercing supernatural gaze as she stated, *You can save her. Dana's a blank slate, but you can change that.*

Immediately picking up on her meaning, he stared into Athena's eyes and asked, *What do I have to do?*

She smiled at him enigmatically as she replied, *I'll channel power to Dana, but it's up to you to shape her and provide a framework for that energy. Trust your instincts, they haven't let you down yet.*

Gritting his teeth at Athena's annoyingly vague guidance, John closed his eyes and focused on Dana, concentrating intently on the image of her in his mind. As much as he'd love to give the redhead what she'd asked for, he didn't think that shooting fireballs from her eyes would help her much in this situation. Instead, he focused on her innate natural talents, drawing them out and enhancing them where he could, etching his Progenitor mark onto her very DNA. Dana's third helix came alive as he applied his will, her body throbbing with energy as he nurtured her potential.

*Mmm, that's perfect,* Athena purred, nodding with satisfaction. She smiled as she channelled a brilliant surge of raw psychic energy into the unsuspecting redhead.

***

"Holy fuck!" Dana screeched, her back arching as she felt a thrilling surge rush through her body.

It was like her every nerve was tingling as the connection between her and Alyssa blazed like a supernova. Instead of Alyssa drawing energy from her, the surge of Eldritch power flooded back the opposite way this time. Dana's mouth opened wide as she cried out, the golden coronas around her pupils flaring with their own inner radiance and bathing the cockpit with a warm yellow glow.

Once that overwhelming blitz of her senses had subsided, she stared around herself in the cockpit, gaping in awe at everything she could see. Merely focusing on the clear crystal Alyssium visor filled her mind with a surge of information, highlighting the elements used to form the metal and the incredibly intricate chemical bonds that linked them all together.

*You can experiment with your powers later!* Athena snapped, the urgent undercurrent to her voice penetrating Dana's thoughts.

Roused from her distracted state, Dana suddenly remembered just how close to disaster she was. "What the fuck's going on?!" she yelped in confusion.

*Turn the mech's head and look at its right hand - you're going to need line-of-sight,* Athena replied curtly, in her no-nonsense tone.

Rather than argue, Dana did exactly as she was asked, pressing her thumb on the hat-control atop her right flightstick. Pushing it to the right then forward, the Valkyrie's head juddered to the right then began to slowly tip forward. A horrible shriek of metal grinding against metal filled the cockpit, with the docking claw tearing an even wider hole in the mech's head. After a fearful glance at the razor sharp point of the claw digging into her Pilot's chair, Dana stared through the cockpit visor.

She could see her mech's right hand opened wide, the lower two fingers sheared off when the Gatling Cannon had been torn from its grip. The weapon itself was hanging just out of reach, only connected to the mech by the ammo and power feeds. As she stared at the open fist, her mind was filled with a riot of images. She could see a detailed breakdown of the metal, complete with stress fractures highlighted across the palm and around the radial joint.

*Yes, that's right,* Athena said encouragingly. *Focus on the mech's palm and concentrate on the innate magnetic field that surrounds the metal. You can enhance it.*

*I can what?!* Dana balked, eyes widening in shock.

*Stop fucking around!* Athena reprimanded her sternly, sounding very much like an angry Alyssa. *You've got thirty seconds before that cockpit will get hotter than a smelting furnace!*

Doing as she asked, Dana felt a shiver run down her spine as she pushed out with her mind towards the Valkyrie's torn hand. The magnetic field appeared as a faint bronze aura, so she squinted at it and concentrated on trying to make it flare as brightly as possible.

Athena's voice rushed through her mind again as she blurted out, *Not too much! You'll end up sticking the hand to the dropship's hull!*

*Shit! Sorry,* Dana apologised, backing off and leaving the much stronger field as it was. She smiled to herself now, knowing what Athena had in mind and shifting her focus to the Punisher Gatling.

*Yes, that's right!* Athena said with relief, listening intently to the redhead's train of thoughts.

A wild grin formed on Dana's face as the multi-barrelled weapon began to move of its own accord, inching towards the Valkyrie's open palm. The mech's hand slid through the arm mount as it was drawn to the greatly enhanced magnetic field on the weapon's handle, the two finally meeting with a satisfying "thunk".

"Yes!" Dana cheered as she twisted the right joystick around, pointing the long barrel of the Gatling at the base of the claw pinning the Valkyrie in place.

She pulled the trigger and the mech lurched violently as the railgun slugs blew the articulated joint to pieces, yanking the docking claw out of the cockpit with the tremendous force of that shot. The Valkyrie tumbled free, then was battered out of the way by the dropship as it plummeted towards the planet. Dana could see retro-thrusters flaring as it tried to slow its speed, the Drakkar pilot intent on ramming into her again. Feeling particularly vengeful, Dana tracked it with her Photon Lasers and gave it all four barrels as it tried to turn, the pulsed beams vaporising the dropship in an instant.

Sighing with relief, she activated the orbital insertion pack to slow her own descent. One of the big engines had been crushed when she'd been rammed, but the left thruster was still working, giving her just enough power to halt her plunge.

She gave the holo-cam a jubilant grin and asked, "Can one of you guys give me a tow? The Valkyrie's a bit fucked..."

Jade had a sparkling smile on her face as she replied, "I'll be with you in thirty seconds!"

Laughing with relief, John slumped in his chair as the girls on the Bridge cheered in celebration. Rachel was the one exception, quietly removing her helmet to wipe away the happy tears that were rolling down her cheeks. She gave him a look of profound gratitude when their eyes met, her intense gaze speaking volumes. He nodded to her graciously, before focusing on the blonde standing in front of him.

Athena gave John a parting smile and the brilliant white light faded from Alyssa's eyes as the blonde returned to herself once more. Blinking at him in surprise, Alyssa raised an eyebrow. "Let me guess. Athena stepped in?"

He nodded and replied, "We would have lost Dana if she hadn't intervened."

"Sorry to interrupt," Rachel said in a rush, turning in her chair. "We're being hailed by Ularean again!"

"That's okay, put him through," John replied, looking up at the holographic screen.

The Senior Councillor's grey face appeared a moment later, his huge black eyes staring intently at John, blinking rapidly as he stared at them. "We have been boarded, JohnBlake," Ularean stated, his whispering voice reverberating eerily with a strange warble, terror evident in his tone. "Hundreds of Drakkar... they are killing everybody!"

"We're on our way, Ularean," John replied, trying to soothe the terrified alien. "Can you pull your people back to a safe location? Drop all your emergency blast doors to slow the Drakkar down?"

"I wish that I could agree to your request, JohnBlake. The invaders have forced their way into the Legacy via multiple entry points and all our personnel are dispersed throughout this vessel," Ularean quailed, his whispery voice echoing with sorrow. The Ashanath Senior Councillor was visibly shaking as he continued, "If we were to seal the blast doors, we would abandon thousands of our crew, trapping them with the Drakkar. They would have no way to escape!"

Seeing that Ularean was not about to be swayed by triage arguments, John changed tack, saying firmly, "Alright, but I want you and the rest of the High Council to barricade yourselves in somewhere safe. Transmit me the deck plans for the 'Legacy' and I want you to highlight your location, the external airlocks, and the current position of the Drakkar - if you're able to track them inside your ship." He paused for a moment, fixing the Senior Councillor with his stern gaze as he added, "You can't afford to give in to panic, Ularean. You need to stay strong for your people, they're counting on you."

"I will do as you command, JohnBlake," Ularean replied, the warbling note gone from his eerie voice as he ceased his rapid blinking.

With a final nod, John said, "We'll be with you soon."

Ularean ended the call, his big black eyes fading away as the holographic image dispersed.

John looked around at the women on the Combat Bridge and said, "Looks like we've got a boarding action to deal with girls. I want Alyssa, Sakura, and Rachel with me, we'll pull alongside the Legacy then use our armour's flight mode to board them. The rest of you pick up Jade and Dana, then stay with the Invictus." Turning to look at Calara, he continued, "What's the current state of the battle, Commander?"

The Latina's expression was bleak as she replied, "The Ashanath forces are down to roughly forty-percent strength, Admiral. They have eighty-two destroyers, sixty-three cruisers, and fifteen battleships left, the rest have been destroyed or disabled."

Nodding his understanding, he looked equally grim as he asked, "What about the Drakkar?"

"Sixty-one cruisers and fourteen battleships are still fully operational," she answered, looking very worried. "If we don't intervene again, the Ashanath will lose. They're still heavily outgunned."

John knew that she was waiting for his permission to engage, but he remained silent as he took a worried glance at the shield status display. The Invictus' shields had started regenerating, but they were still only at seven-percent strength.

*We better move, we'll be arriving at the Legacy in just under a minute,* Alyssa prompted him. She gave him a confident smile as she added, *I know you're worried about their safety, but they're smart, capable girls - they can handle themselves.*

He met her probing cerulean gaze, then turned to Calara, saying, "You're in charge, Commander. You have my permission to assist the Ashanath, but I'm going to be furious if you get yourselves killed. Am I understood?"

She smiled at him, her brown eyes affectionate as she gave him a sharp salute. "I won't let you down, Admiral."

Rising to his feet, John retrieved his weapons while watching Sakura as she did the same. The Asian girl calmly drew both her gleaming white ninjato from the slots on the back of her chair, before sheathing them across her back. He started to follow Rachel up the ramp, but paused as Tashana ran over to his side and placed her hand on his arm.

"Can I come with you?" she asked, violet eyes searching his face. "I've done nothing to contribute to the battle and if you could use another pair of guns, I'd like to help."

John hesitated for a moment, then shook his head, replying, "We had to rush you through training to get you ready. I don't want to expose you to combat yet unless it's an absolute emergency."

Tashana shoulder's sagged and her hopeful face fell, but she nodded, replying, "Okay, I understand."

He lifted her chin and smiled at the forlorn Maliri. "I'm proud of you for offering to help. Stay safe with your sister for now; there'll be plenty of opportunities for you to assist in the future."

She returned his smile and said earnestly, "Alright, but please be careful too."

John winked at her, then ran for the ramp to follow after Alyssa, Sakura, and Rachel as they headed for the grav-tubes. He dropped like a stone in the rapid field of the emergency access tube, his speed slowed in the last couple of seconds to avoid any chance of injury. Shrugging off the slightly unnerving sensation, he sprinted across the empty Hangar to the slowly opening bay doors, where the blonde, brunette, and the Asian girl were waiting for him.

Alyssa and Sakura were both carrying Punisher rifles, but Rachel held a Justice Laser rifle in her arms. She saw his quizzical look and smiled at him flirtatiously. "I've developed a fondness for large weapons."

The view as the huge door lifted out of the way was breathtaking, with the vast silver surface of the Legacy providing the foreground and the reddish-orange planet Ashana providing the backdrop. Seeing the Legacy with his own eyes was a dramatically different experience to watching it as a tiny holographic model on the Tactical Map. John was able to fully appreciate the sinister beauty of the Progenitor vessel's design, aside from the obliterated front section which had been left a tattered ruin by torpedo strikes.

Movement caught his eye as he stepped up to the edge of the Hangar and he spotted the white-hulled Raptor heading their way, towing the mangled Valkyrie behind it in a tractor field. Both vessels looked much the worse for wear and he reminded himself to give Jade and Dana a stern talking-to when the battle was all over with.

Irillith's beautiful blue face appeared in his Paragon armour's Heads-Up-Display, announcing, "The Ashanath data has arrived and I've hooked it up to your helmet HUD. The airlocks are all marked on their ship's hull."

"Nice work, honey," he replied appreciatively, activating the tactical overlay.

The location of the airlocks were highlighted in green and he could see schematics of the deck levels superimposed over the angular shape of the vessel. Red marks were slowly spreading out from multiple points on that map and when he glanced at the silver outer-hull of the ship, he could see that the nexus for each of those scarlet waves was one of the Drakkar dropships. Part of the black-hulled section of the Legacy was circled in grey, which a helpful key identified as the location of the Ashanath High Council.

He turned to glance at his boarding team and saw they were all quietly studying the schematics too. "I suggest we enter via that airlock near the back. We can hit the biggest cluster of Drakkar that way and they're also the closest threat to the High Council. Once we've safely secured the Council, we can double back and clear out the rest of the ship."

Sakura was the first to look his way, her brow furrowing with concern as she said, "The Drakkar are too spread out! There's also more of them combined at the other seven entry points. By the time we get around to finishing all of them off, the Ashanath crew will be wiped out!"

John nodded, agreeing with her assessment and said ruefully, "That's true, but it can't be helped. Wherever we board, we won't be able to save everybody. At least with my plan, we can kill the largest number of Drakkar as quickly as possible, while still having a chance to save the High Council."

Shaking her head, Sakura replied tentatively, "There is something else we could try." She took a deep breath, then continued, "We could split up, hit them from multiple entry points!"

"Nope, no way," John replied adamantly. "We stick together so I can keep an eye on you."

Alyssa placed a reassuring hand on his arm, knowing exactly what the Asian girl intended. "They'll be in slow motion for Sakura. She'll go through them like a buzzsaw," she said with a confident smile. "I agree with our Security Chief. You start on the big group at the rear, let Sakura take the fifty or so to the front, and I'll keep Rachel with me in the centre."