Three Square Meals Ch. 080

John met Ularean's black-eyed stare and said, "I think that covers pretty much everything I wanted to discuss about the past. Thank you for being so forthcoming."

"You are welcome, JohnBlake," Ularean replied, giving him a respectful bow.

"Which brings us to the present," John said with a smile. "There's several items we definitely need to discuss."

"I had a few questions about the Legacy if you don't mind me butting in?" Dana asked, sitting upright in her chair.

Shaking his head in amusement, John waved for her to proceed. "It's fine by me, ask whatever you want."

She smiled at him gratefully, then looked at the High Council. "Do you guys have the plans for the Legacy handy? I'd like to talk them through with you, if that's okay?"

Ularean turned to look at a Councillor to his right and replied, "Councillor Rathus was responsible for overseeing the final stages of the Legacy's construction."

Rathus nodded and said in a quiet but authoritative voice, "The Legacy was carefully studied and researched, before gradually being rebuilt over the centuries, but there was a considerable degree of reluctance to complete the project. Our ancestors worried that the use of such a powerful Progenitor artefact would draw undesired attention to the Ashanath, so it was kept secret and hidden in an underground facility. When JohnBlake appeared on our homeworld, amidst sightings of another active Progenitor, it was deemed prudent to take steps to finish construction of the vessel."

The map of the Zeta-Pegasus system vanished before being replaced by detailed schematics of the huge silver and black ship. They could see the small area towards the rear of the ship that was originally part of Mael'nerak's vessel.

Dana grimaced at the mostly silver ship, the design looking irritatingly discordant to her. "How did you come up with the design?" she asked, doing her best to keep her disapproval from her face.

"There were depictions of the Progenitor's ship in the material that was retrieved from New Eden," Rathus explained, gesturing to the angular and threatening shape of the design. "It was hoped that by mimicking the appearance of a Progenitor vessel, opponents would be intimidated into avoiding a confrontation with us."

"And if that failed, you'd just blast them with the Quantum Flux Cannon you strapped to the front?" Dana asked with a grin.

Rathus nodded and replied, "That is correct."

She hesitated then rose to her feet, walking over to the schematic floating in the centre of the room. Seeing the Legacy like this emphasised how wrong it all looked to her and she pointed to the massive cannon while saying quietly, "This is only an auxiliary weapon. It should be back here, on the upper aft hardpoint."

Rathus blinked rapidly at her in shock, his eyelids fluttering as he struggled to focus. "You are correct, it was originally positioned as you describe. This was the only weapon that was salvaged with the derelict and was vastly more powerful than any weapon we possessed, so it was moved to form the Legacy's primary gun."

"Did you make schematics for the Quantum Flux Cannon?" Dana asked hopefully. She frowned as she added, "I'd love a look at the original weapon, but it looked like the Drakkar blew the crap out of it with that torpedo strike."

Rathus slowly shook his head as he replied, "We were never able to understand how the technology worked and were wary of dismantling it for fear of being unable to reassemble such a potent weapon."

"Fuck..." Dana swore, shoulders slumping in frustration.

"So the Quantum Flux Cannon is irretrievable then?" Calara asked, sounding profoundly disappointed. "We've got no way of rebuilding it?"

"I'm afraid that is correct," Rathus said, nodding in confirmation. "All we have are scans of the weapon taken during our research, but they lack sufficient detail to allow anyone to reconstruct such a complex piece of technology."

John gestured towards the holographic image of the Legacy and said, "Can you show us the scans anyway? It might still be interesting to see them."

The image of the silver spacecraft disappeared a moment later and a bewilderingly complex set of images appeared in its place. The scans formed a confusing three-dimensional shape, with the exterior of the Quantum Flux Cannon sharp and distinct, while the interior was hazy and poorly defined. John threw a brief glance at the weapon and found it predictably mystifying, before his eyes quickly returned to Dana. She let out a groan of frustration, then swayed slightly as she rubbed at her temples.

He'd been hoping for just that kind of reaction and he leapt from his chair, then darted over to support her in his arms. "Are you alright?" he asked with concern.

Dana grinned at him and said in a low voice, "Oh, yeah..."

He returned her grin, knowing exactly what had just happened.

Leaning into him, the redhead pressed her lips to his ear and added, "If we're going to tease these schematics out of my mind, you're going to have to keep me stuffed full of cum. It couldn't have worked out any better!"

He winked at her and said, "I'm looking forward to helping you with your research."

She giggled and nodded eagerly, before turning back to look at Councillor Rathus. He had a look of confusion on his normally impassive face, startled by her blissfully happy reaction to what had been such terrible news.

"Rathus, can you show me the rest of the Legacy? But just the Progenitor bits this time, without all the silver shi-..." Dana caught herself just in time, then finished with a bright smile, "Just an image of the original pieces you recovered would be awesome!"

"We have detailed deck plans of the Progenitor section that was recovered," Rathus confirmed, turning to look at the holographic image as it changed.

Without the Ashanath's reconstruction efforts getting in the way, John found it fascinating to see what had actually survived the cataclysmic event that had destroyed the rest of Mael'nerak's ship. The rear of the vessel had been torn away, as had the front half, leaving an elongated wedge-shaped section approximately three-hundred-metres long. The port side showed heavier damage than the starboard with almost none of the external armour still intact on the left of the ship. The starboard side still retained a decent strip of black armour plating, which the Ashanath had moulded into the external hull of the Legacy.

"The hull must have shielded the Quantum Flux Cannon from the blast," Dana murmured, her delicate finger tracing a section towards the upper-rear of the ship. "That's where the cannon was originally mounted."

She closed her eyes for a moment and pictured the schematics for the Progenitor's black ship in her mind. One of the Power Core Chambers had survived as had the Tachyon Drive Room, which was how the Ashanath had been able to reverse-engineer both pieces of Progenitor technology - or at least, they'd been able to create pale imitations of the original tech. However, Dana already had schematics for those locked away in her mind, so they were of no further interest. She opened her eyes again, studying the areas of the ship they needed to look at in more detail.

Turning to look at John, she said, confidently, "There might be some other gems hidden away there. I know where we should start looking when we have a stroll around the Legacy."

He glanced at Ularean and said, "We'll go up and take a look after this meeting, as long as that's still alright?"

The Senior Councillor nodded as he said, "You may explore the vessel at your leisure, JohnBlake. We will attempt repairs at some point in the future, but with the amount of damage the Legacy has sustained, such efforts will have to wait. It is in no condition to attempt an atmospheric re-entry at this time."

"That reminds me, thanks for gathering the Drakkar gear for us," John said with a grateful smile. Throwing a pointed glance at the Maliri twins, he added, "We acquired some samples of it from the marines that attempted to board the ship, but it wasn't in good shape. The Drakkar were met with a robust defence."

Irillith grinned at him, but Tashana's smile was only half-hearted, the girl distracted by some troubling thoughts. He reminded himself to speak to her at the earliest opportunity and find out exactly what was bothering her.

"We were happy to gather the equipment for you, JohnBlake," Ularean replied. "We should be the ones thanking you for letting us keep the rest for our own research purposes."

"You're welcome," John said magnanimously.

"As for the other favour you requested of us, we will begin salvaging all the Onyxium from the wrecks as soon as the recovery operation is complete," Ularean stated, glancing at Rathus who nodded his agreement.

"We should be able to acquire a considerable volume of Onyxium from the ruins of the Drakkar wrecks," Rathus said in his hushed, eerie voice. "It might take a few weeks before we can complete the smelting process, separating it from the steel alloy the Drakkar use, but we should amass a sizeable amount for you to collect. Initial estimates are very promising, despite the level of damage you inflicted on the majority of their vessels."

John shook his head and replied, "We're already carrying more than enough Onyxium for what we need, right Dana?"

"Yeah, we've got tons of the stuff. We only need a relatively small amount to form the lattice in crystal Alyssium," the redhead confirmed.

"Then why did you ask us to salvage it for you?" Rathus asked in confusion.

John looked around the council and said quietly, "Correct me if I'm wrong, but it looks to me like you've lost almost all your fleet assets? I doubt you've got enough ships to adequately patrol your borders, much less repel any further Drakkar aggression should they launch another attack."

Ularean visibly slumped as he replied, "You are not incorrect in your assessment, JohnBlake. Our fleets have been devastated by the Drakkar."

Nodding sombrely, John leaned forward and said, "What I propose is this: I'll speak to the Maliri Matriarchs and request that they send a sizeable fleet to protect the Ashanath Collective. They'll be able to keep you safe while you rebuild your forces."

Ularean blinked at him in surprise and said, "They would do this for us?"

*That's not a problem is it, Edraele?* John asked, reaching out to his Maliri Matriarch.

*Of course not, John. I will gather and dispatch a fleet as soon as the refit process is complete. They should arrive at the Ashanath Collective in sixteen days,* she replied, sounding very relaxed in a well-sated kind of way.

Focusing on Ularean again, John nodded and said, "They'll send a fleet as soon as they're able to. You can expect them in just over two weeks."

"We're profoundly grateful," Ularean murmured, sounding stunned at this unsolicited offer of protection. The blinking from the rest of the Council emphasised their equal astonishment at John's tremendous offer of help. That John was also clearly in direct telepathic contact with the Maliri Matriarchs didn't escape their attention either.

He smiled at the Ashanath, then turned to look at Dana and asked, "If you take a look at the Ashanath Psi-shapers, do you reckon you could upgrade them?"

She grinned at him and replied, "Yeah, that won't be a problem at all. I studied the tech when I built the Psi-scanner and I've already come up with a few ways to improve it."

"Great!" John exclaimed enthusiastically. He glanced at the High Council and added, "I need the Psi-shaper to be powerful enough to give Ashanath Engineers the boost they need to shape crystal Alyssium. I'm not expecting quad-shaping or anything like that, but just the basic plating should still be a huge upgrade."

Dana's blue eyes widened at the thought, before she quickly nodded. "Yep, that'll be easy. I can whip up the schematics for an upgraded Psi-shaper in twenty minutes."

Meeting Ularean's startled gaze, John said, "I'd like you to start upgrading all the Psi-shapers in your dockyard as soon as Dana gives you the schematics for them. You'll be able to use them to make much stronger Etherium for when you start repairs to your fleet. Then after the Maliri arrive in a couple of weeks, I'd like you to assist them with replating all their ships in crystal Alyssium armour. I'll ask the Maliri to bring all the rest of the materials you'll need, so you'll be able to start work immediately."

"We would be glad to assist you and the Maliri," Ularean said with a nod. "To know that such powerful allies will be protecting us is a tremendous relief."

John smiled at them and said, "Ultimately, I want you to be able to defend yourselves, but rebuilding your forces will take quite some time." He frowned as he added, "I think you should consider a new doctrine in ship design - your current ships are far too reliant on energy weapons. We can provide you new technology for ordnance based weaponry, as well as give you blueprints for improved engines, heatsinks, and enhanced scanners. I'd strongly recommend you incorporate all that into the next generation of vessels you start constructing."

Ularean's small mouth opened in shock, the rest of the High Council sharing a similar reaction. When he was able to speak again, he exclaimed, "Your generosity is overwhelming, JohnBlake!"

"We're allies, Ularean, we need to support each other," John said quietly. "I want to see your people strong and well protected, and you'll need to be if you're going to stand with me and the Maliri against the coming storm. I'm more convinced than ever that the Progenitor who's been stirring up trouble is intent on invasion. The Drakkar were his puppets before and it seems obvious he was behind their assault on Ashana. If he's tried to wipe out the Ashanath once, there's no reason he won't do so again, but leading a fleet of Thralls next time."

There was a deathly quiet in the room, before the High Council all bowed towards him as one.

"The Ashanath Collective will fight at your side, JohnBlake," Ularean declared. "You can count on us to support you when the time comes."

***

When the meeting ended, the group split up, with Sakura accompanying Rachel to the medical facility to help treat the Ashanath wounded. John gave them both a kiss goodbye and a warning to Rachel not to overdo it, before falling into step with the Maliri girls as they made their way back to the ship. They were both quiet, having had a lot to think about after the meeting with the Ashanath.

"Are you girls okay?" he asked, slipping his arm around them both as they stepped into the grav-tube.

They both turned around to smile at him, with John pulling them in for a warm hug as they floated in the long tunnel.

"I'm glad we found out what happened to Mael'nerak," Irillith said, as they descended in the gravity field. She then added wistfully, "I was just thinking how sad it was that Valada never found out what really happened to him; the way he sacrificed himself to protect her and the rest of the Maliri."

Tashana nodded and continued, "It's tragic that she spent the rest of her life never knowing that he actually cut off their connection because he loved her, not because he was rejecting her."

"Ultimately, he saved both of you as well," John said with a smile. "For that, I'll always be grateful to him."

They both snuggled in closer at that, resting their heads on his shoulders. John kept his arms around the two girls as they floated down in the lift, just enjoying the physical intimacy of the three-way hug.

Tashana glanced up at him and said quietly, "You said before that you're planning on speaking to each of us after the battle. There were a couple of things I wanted to discuss with you too, if that's alright?"

John nodded and said, "Of course, but I'm afraid you'll have to wait a little while before I get back to the ship. I'm planning on flying to the Legacy with Dana to see if she can find anything interesting. We can speak as soon as I return."

"That would be wonderful, thank you," she replied, giving him a grateful smile. Tashana glanced at her sister and they shared a look before she continued, "Irillith wasn't sure if you were going to see us individually or as a pair."

He turned to look at the other Maliri girl and found her watching him with an eyebrow raised, the slight hint of a smile on her lips. He couldn't help flushing at the knowing look she gave him and quickly coughed to cover his embarrassment.

Hugging them closer, John said honestly, "I'm not going to lie, I love the fact that you're twins, but I don't want to start treating you differently to the rest of the girls. It's important that I give each of you the full attention you deserve. It wouldn't be fair to do otherwise."

They smiled at him happily, then darted a quick glance at each other and leaned in to plant a tender kiss on each of his cheeks. "It would be selfish not to share sometimes," Tashana whispered, her lips against his right ear, her voice full of promise. Her sister's breath tickled his left as Irillith added, "We both know what you really want to see... and be a part of."

Unfortunately, this intriguing conversation was prematurely ended as they reached the bottom of the grav-tube and reoriented themselves. John stared at them both in awe as they peeled away from him and glided across the docking bay hand-in-hand, turning to give him a coy look over their shoulders.

Alyssa slipped her arm around his waist as she stepped out onto the deck and stopped to admire the view. *Please let me watch your first proper threesome with them,* she asked him breathlessly. *I won't join in, but to see you ride one sister after another... Oh. My. God...*

He grinned at her and said, *That sounds like a perfectly reasonable request to me, XO.*

Dana bounced past him, a spring in her step despite the high heels she was wearing so effortlessly. "I'll go draw up the schematics for the improved Psi-shaper!" she called out to him over her shoulder. "I'll be done in about twenty minutes, then we can head off!"

"Alright, I'll meet you in the Raptor," he called back. "We better get geared up so you can take a look at the outer hull."

The redhead gave him a thumbs-up while walking swiftly back towards the Invictus. The rest of the girls drifted by at a more leisurely pace and John held out a hand to catch Jade's arm.

The Nymph smiled at him and pre-empted his request by saying, "I'll just get changed out of this suit, then I'll meet you in the Hangar."

"Thanks, honey," he said with an appreciative smile.

"I'm happy to ferry you over there," Alyssa offered, glancing up at him with her big blue eyes.

He shook his head and replied, "I don't think that's wise, beautiful. We'll be wandering around in all the old Progenitor sections of the ship, so I don't want to expose you to those psychic echoes again, not after what happened last time."

Alyssa shivered at the thought, then nodded her agreement. "I could always just stay with the Raptor while you're aboard the Legacy," she suggested hopefully.

He laughed, turning to put his arms around her and asked, "Why so eager to come along? I know you'd get bored sitting around in the gunship waiting for us, you've got too active a mind."

"Can't a girl just want to be with the man she loves?" she asked, batting her long eyelashes at him.

John grinned at her and nodded. "Sure, but I know you far too well to fall for that one."

Alyssa grimaced and turned around to gesture in annoyance at the Invictus with its battle damaged armour plating. "That needs fixing. If I stick around here, I'm going to end up having to do it," she admitted grudgingly.

He ran his fingers through her long golden hair and said, "There's no desperate rush to get it repaired and you've done more than your fair share of psychic shaping in the past. I don't want you to do anything you really hate - I love you far too much for that - so just relax with Calara this afternoon and I'll work on it when I get back. Besides, I need the practice. Eventually I want to get good enough at psychic shaping that you'll never have to look at another armour plate again."