Three Square Meals Ch. 087

***

The forest was deathly quiet, the birds and animals spooked by something. Jade sniffed the air, picking up the faint scent of the three missing tribeswomen.

"They made it this far," she said to her three companions, who crouched beside her, furry ears twitching warily in the unnatural silence. "Fan out and look for signs of predators."

The three women nodded and peeled away, stalking into the foliage without a sound, their lashing tails revealing that they found the woods as unsettling as she did. Jade crouched lower to check the closely spaced tracks, noting the even weight distribution on the three-lobed heel pads, confirming that the women had been walking normally at that point. She loped forward, carefully following the trail, until it came to a sudden halt in the centre of a clearing.

There was no obvious sign of a struggle in the soft forest soil, but those familiar feline pawprints ended in a slight scuffing on the last steps. It was as if her three friends had stopped, then something else had obscured their final standing place. Jade's eyes widened as she saw a new set of tracks continue from that point, but they were ones she'd never seen before in her many long centuries on this world. They were made up of a long curved heel pad and five toe pads, not four.

Her sensitive nose picked up a new scent that made her fur bristle and she crept slowly after those peculiar new tracks, wary for danger. When she reached the treeline, she saw several new sets of prints, but these were even more bizarre. Whatever creature had left them must have had scores of tiny ridges on the base of its paws - or perhaps hooves would be a better description - considering the sharp-edged depression each imprint had left in the soil.

She made a soft clicking noise with her mouth, immediately answered by her three fellow huntresses, letting Jade know that they flanked her. Continuing onward, she saw that whatever manner of strange-pawed animal had taken her tribeswomen, seemed to have stopped next to those hooved creatures. There was still no sign of feline tracks in the soil, but the tracks here were obscured as the two groups had obviously spent some time together, even going so far as to lie down on the forest floor. There was even the sharp scent of male spend in the air, which left Jade feeling even more confused and worried about her missing friends.

Making another click, she proceeded deeper into the woods, following the six peculiar-shaped tracks through the ferns. A faint noise caught her ear, but it was no animal sound, it was definitely distant conversation that she'd heard. Relaxing now, she knew her tribeswomen must be fine, as only the Lenarrans themselves had mastered the art of speech amongst the many creatures on her planet.

Straightening, she glided along the trail, eager to see what strange manner of animals her missing friends had discovered. She heard a crack of a branch being stepped on and she whirled around to her left.

"There's another one, Commander!" a deep voice called out.

"I've got my hands full with this one, Lieutenant," another equally eager voice replied. "Go get her!"

Jade's sharp eyes picked out a strange pink-skinned humanoid approaching from the distance, its furless forepaws spread wide.

"Hey, there," the figure said softly. "I'm not going to hurt you..."

Jade tried to reply, but her mind was suddenly flooded with a flash of images. All she could think about was a long-limbed, furless, pink-skinned humanoid form, very much like the one approaching her. The one in her mind differed significantly though, having large breasts and a long mane of flowing chestnut coloured hair. Her body tingled and she let out a gasp as she felt herself... shift into that shape.

"Are you this one's new master?" she found herself asking, bewildered by the strange turn of phrase.

"Wow! You're gorgeous!" the humanoid gasped, open-mouthed in wonder. He grinned as he added, "Yeah, I can be your new Master!"

"Bring her back to the Darius," his companion shouted. "The Captain wants to see them for himself!"

***

"I'm sorry, Jade," Calara said, gently squeezing her hand. "The crew of this ship, the Darius... I assume they captured the missing Nymphs?"

Jade nodded, letting out a forlorn sigh. "I wouldn't say captured exactly. My sisters had gone with them quite willingly, just as I did with Lieutenant Lawrence Raymond. We all shapeshifted into our new master's idea of a perfect mate and as you can imagine, those men were delighted to get to know us far more intimately."

Calara stroked her arm comfortingly. "What can you tell me about the Darius?"

"It was a survey ship, one of the first sent to Lenarra after the Terrans acquired the planet," Jade explained. "It was relatively small, with a crew of twenty-three, fifteen of them male. The Captain was very egalitarian and let all the crew acquire a new 'travelling companion' from my tribe. The female crewmembers were fine with that plan until they realised Nymphs wouldn't shapeshift for them, at which point they strongly objected, quoting strict quarantine rules. The Captain decided to pull rank on them and they were overruled; he was quite fond of his unquestioningly obedient new Nymph pet by that point."

"Well, it's a good place to start," Calara said, picking up the holo-reader. "I should be able to track the Darius through the ship registration archives. Did they return to Terra after their survey was complete?"

Jade shook her head, a mournful expression on her face. "Word had got out about Lenarra by the time the Darius eventually left and the planet was flooded by Terrans looking for a Nymph of their own. I can only assume there were plenty of military vessels seeking to take 'shore leave' there as well, because it was a few days after leaving the planet that we were interdicted by pirates. The Darius was only lightly armed and they didn't stand a chance. Lawrence was tortured to death and I acquired a new, far more unpleasant Master."

Calara put aside the holo-reader and opened her arms for the Nymph. Jade gave her a grateful smile then leaned into her embrace, resting her chin on the Latina's shoulder as Calara stroked her back.

"I never saw the rest of my sisters again," Jade said softly, sitting back so she could see her friend's face. "I overheard the pirates planning to sell them to slavers, along with the handful of female captives from the Darius. I spent the next few weeks chained up in my new Master's quarters, so I'm afraid I can't tell you any more about the Nymphs I was captured with. I was spared any more of his delightful company when he was shot by one of his men."

"Jesus," Calara muttered, looking appalled.

"I was the property of one sadistic pirate captain after another for what must have been the better part of two-hundred years, until I was eventually purchased by 'the Collector'," Jade said, then gave the shocked teenager a gentle smile. "I'll spare you the gory details of those centuries in captivity, they really aren't very pleasant."

A tear rolled down Calara's cheek as she asked in a choked voice, "How can you just brush everything off like that? What happened to you was horrible..."

"I wasn't the same back then, my only objective in life was to serve my master," Jade replied, a thoughtful expression on her face. "Being with John has changed me in many ways and I wouldn't be able to just blindly suffer through those kinds of torments now."

"I'd never let anything like that happen to you again!" Calara exclaimed fiercely.

Jade gave her an affectionate smile, tracing Calara's jawline with her finger. "I know you wouldn't, little kitten." She laughed as she added, "John's enhanced me so much now, I wouldn't have to. I don't think there's many pirates who'd try to rape a nine-hundred-pound electrified Tiger, let alone a Tyrannosaurus Rex!"

Calara returned her smile, then replied half-jokingly, "I'm not so sure, the ones I met were pretty unhinged."

The Nymph frowned and admitted, "Actually, you're probably right. I suppose I'd just have to kill them all to make sure."

"Now that sounds like a good plan to me," the Latina agreed, stroking Jade's arm. She glanced down at the holo-reader. "Although the Darius is a dead end, it was still useful to know the specifics of what happened. I'll widen my search to include the capture of any pirate vessels in the months after first planetfall on Lenarra. If there were any freed prisoners, they might well include some of your missing sisters."

"I'm glad it was helpful," Jade replied, looking pleased. She relaxed then, leaning back against the sofa. "It felt therapeutic to talk about what happened. That was the first time I've discussed the specifics with anyone, so thank you for being so supportive."

"Any time, Jade," Calara said. "If you ever want to talk again, I'm always here for you."

"You are," the Nymph replied, giving her a beautiful smile.

***

Henry sat and listened in stunned silence as his daughter spelled it all out for him, with Rachel only pausing in her relentless delivery when Jennings arrived with the drinks. As soon as he'd left to arrange lunch, she continued explaining what they had discovered about the genocidal war that occurred ten-thousand years ago, which had ultimately ended Mael'nerak's reign over this part of the galaxy. Then she moved on to the present day and talked about the various attacks orchestrated by this new Progenitor on the Terran Federation, the Ashanath Collective, the Trankaran Republic, and his involvement with the Kintark Empire.

"And only a few members of the Admiralty know about this... Progenitor?" Henry Voss asked, staring intently at John and the girls who sat around the table with him.

"Yes, that's right, at least with regard to the Terran Federation," John said, omitting mention of Jehanna as he met the older man's probing gaze. "The Ashanath High Council and the Maliri Matriarchs are our allies and they're fully aware of the deadly threat the Progenitor poses to everyone. If we can't stop him, he'll obliterate or enslave every empire in this part of space."

"We've seen ancient recordings of the first war," Rachel said, sounding subdued. "The last Progenitor that attacked did so by systematically annihilating one planet after another, murdering billions. Have you ever wondered why there are no Gaia-classification worlds in the Trankaran Republic? There used to be. Mael'nerak made them all, terraforming over a dozen in what is now Trankaran territory, but they were all obliterated in the war. That's why there are so many dense asteroid belts in that area of space."

Henry's eyes widened as he suddenly thought of something. "What about New Eden? You said this Mael'Nerak made all the Gaia worlds?"

Rachel met her father's anxious gaze. "Yes, this used to be one of Mael'nerak's planets. The Ashanath removed any trace of Mael'nerak and his people before they handed New Eden over to the Terran Federation."

John looked grim as he said, "When this new Progenitor starts the war in earnest, if he follows the same kind of strategy as the last one, New Eden will probably be a prime target."

"My God..." Henry murmured, reaching out with a shaking hand to pick up his glass of iced tea. He looked at it and grimaced. "I need something a lot stronger!"

"I'm sorry to just spring all this on you," John said, a look of genuine sympathy on his face. "But you need to understand exactly what Rachel's involved in. We're all fighting for nothing less than humanity's survival."

"But why here and now?" Henry asked apprehensively. "If everything you said was true, the last great war was a fight between two Progenitors! Where's the other one? Is he an ally as well, or another enemy?"

"He's definitely an ally," Rachel said, a warm smile on her face as she turned to look at John.

Henry gaped at him in astonishment as the final piece of the puzzle fell into place. "You! You're the other Progenitor?!"

John nodded, his expression bleak. "We don't know if he's here for me, or if it's simply a coincidence that he's attacking just as I started to become aware of my heritage. Although in my experience, coincidences usually turn out to be anything but..."

Henry frowned as he turned to look at his daughter. "What about your glowing eyes and that grey aura? The way you fixed my heart condition... How's that connected to any of this?!"

"My healing abilities are a gift from John," Rachel replied, gazing at John reverently. "All the crew are gifted in different ways. He needs all of us if we're going to stand any chance of defeating the other Progenitor."

Henry's head snapped around as he glared at John in anger. "Why did you involve my daughter in this?! You should have left her out of it!"

Before John could explain, Rachel jumped in defensively, "He didn't know anything about Mael'nerak or the other Progenitor back then! They were just recruiting a doctor for their ship."

"That's true," Alyssa said, her voice quiet but sincere. "I met Rachel working in a clothing shop on Gravitus about five months ago and we became friends. A few of us got injured in combat with the Drakkar, so I started searching for a doctor who could double as a geneticist to join the crew. I'm sure you're well aware that your daughter is a genius. She is by far the most intelligent person I've ever met and was the perfect candidate for the role."

"She's only eighteen for God's sake!" Henry protested, his voice full of fatherly protectiveness. "You're exposing her to so much danger!"

Rachel looked touched to hear his concern and she reached out to squeeze his hand. "These girls are the same age as me. Besides, if they hadn't come to the Iota Leonis system to interview me for the position as Chief Medical Officer, I would have been killed by the Kintark."

Henry Voss looked aghast, and clutching her hand in alarm, he stammered, "I-I thought that was just a military PR piece!"

John slowly shook his head. "The official reports actually downplay how close to disaster that battle was. When we arrived in the system, the Kintark fleet had launched a large-scale assault with strike craft, intending to cripple Terran Federation logistics in the Dragon March. Port Medea was overrun by Kintark marines, so Alyssa and I landed on the station to protect Rachel," he explained, glancing at the blonde sitting beside him.

Alyssa smiled at him proudly. "John personally killed the Kintark Royal Guard that was trying to smash its way into the bunker where Rachel was hiding." Facing Henry Voss once more, she continued, "The only reason your daughter is still alive, is because of him."

Henry slumped back in his chair, looking at his daughter in shock. He squeezed her hand in return then gave her a hesitant but caring smile. Turning back to John he said earnestly, "Thank you for saving her. It might not be obvious from the way I've behaved, but I've always had Rachel's best interests at heart."

"All of us feel exactly the same way," John replied, his voice sincere. He studied Rachel and her father for a moment before making a decision. "There were a few things I wanted to discuss with you both, but today isn't the right time. I think the rest of us should leave you two to talk in private. Your relationship has been badly broken for years and it's going to take you time and effort to rebuild it."

Rachel's astonishing mind analysed the situation, drawing up a list of potential conversation topics that John might have been reluctant to discuss. Her eyes widened slightly as she correctly predicted one of the things he wanted to speak to her father about. Putting that thought aside for a moment, she looked at her father and gave him a cautious but optimistic smile. "I'm willing to try if you are? I promise I'll be on my best behaviour this time."

He gave her a look full of gratitude, but one that was also tinged with regret. "Thank you, Rachel. Your anger towards me was perfectly understandable, I'm just sorry I let things get so bad between us."

"We'll give you some privacy," John said, rising from his chair.

Dana followed his lead, but her face was tinged with sadness. "I'd love to have the chance to speak to my father. Alyssa and I are orphans, but you two still have each other. Don't waste this opportunity."

Henry looked at her in surprise and humbled by her graciousness, he gave her a wan smile laden with guilt. "I hope you can accept my heartfelt apology for the way I treated you earlier. I was angry and lashed out, but it was totally unwarranted, especially for someone... close to my daughter."

"If you want to make it up to me, be really nice to Rachel," Dana said, giving her girlfriend a loving smile. "She's awesome and totally deserves it."

"I will," Henry said, his tone earnest.

Jennings arrived at that moment, wheeling a trolley full of perfectly cut sandwiches and a tiered display stand full of elaborate little cakes. He looked startled to see John, Alyssa, and Dana all walking towards the door.

"You're leaving already?" he asked in surprise.

Alyssa smiled at him and replied, "If we can take a plate of sandwiches, we'll have a picnic down by the lake. We're giving Rachel and her dad some space to talk things through."

"Of course, Miss," Jennings replied, smoothly retrieving one of the large trays full of food and handing it over to the blonde. He smiled at Dana as she picked out three of the cakes and placed them on top of the stack of sandwiches.

John glanced back at Rachel and her father. "Take as much time as you need."

Rachel waved goodbye, a look of profound gratitude in her eyes, while Henry gave him a respectful nod. The trio left the Voss family in the Orangery to reconcile their differences, walking back along the hallway to the sweeping staircase.

Jennings caught up to them by the time they were half way out of the mansion, a blanket folded over his arm and a bottle of wine and some glasses in his hands. "I thought you might like these!" he gasped, panting for breath after running after them. He smiled as he passed over the items and added, "Thank you for bringing them back together. Mr. Voss has never discussed how much he misses Rachel, but I've seen him staring at pictures of her. I know he bitterly regrets driving her away."

"Hopefully they can start making up for lost time," John said, putting the blanket over his shoulder and glancing at the bottle of wine. His eyebrows climbed as he added, "This looks expensive, Jennings!"

"Ten-thousand credits a bottle," the butler replied with a wink. "I hope you enjoy it!"

***

John, Alyssa, and Dana spent the next few hours down by the lake, admiring the picturesque scene as they ate their picnic. Dana had been astonished that a drink could cost such a ludicrous amount of money and when she took her first sip, she confessed that she couldn't tell the difference between it and the ordinary bottles of wine they'd had on the Invictus. Alyssa laughed, nodding her agreement, equally as shocked by the outrageous price of the wine. While John could appreciate it for the interesting vintage that it was, it still paled in comparison to the House Holaris wines he'd sampled and he couldn't help wondering just how profitable trade with the Maliri might be. It was still very pleasant enjoying the food and drink in the warm New Eden sunshine and they relaxed together and enjoyed the beautiful grounds.

The long trailing branches of a Weeping Willow tree dipped into the edge of the lake and a mallard duck accompanied by her six ducklings weaved through those fronds, searching for food. John and the girls watched the ducklings playing together, laughing as the baby ducks splashed and cheeped excitedly in the water. In the end, Dana tore up the last few sandwiches, throwing them to the family of ducks which gobbled the pieces up as soon as they hit the water.