Three Square Meals Ch. 097

They both smiled, with Tashana returning to her sight-seeing, while Irillith rose from her chair and sat beside him. "I've seen pictures of Brimorian cities before; I've had enough of admiring Sequathis for now."

"When did you learn to speak Brimorian?" John asked, enjoying the warmth of her toned thigh as she sat beside him.

She turned slightly and brushed her fingers through his hair as she gazed into his eyes. "Nine years ago. Mother was growing concerned that Shaedra Loraleth might be attempting to cultivate an alliance with the Brimorians, so she ordered me to learn their culture and language."

John nodded thoughtfully and asked Edraele, *Were you trying to broker your own alliance?*

*No, merely looking to exploit any weaknesses Irillith could find,* Edraele replied, sounding somewhat chagrined. *If House Loraleth started making any headway with the Brimorians, I planned to have Luna poison their diplomat and use Irillith to plant electronic evidence that would frame House Baelora. Those houses had been at each other's throats in the past, so Shaedra would have had no reason to doubt Gaenna's involvement. If hostilities had broken out between them, I would have attacked House Loraleth at an opportune moment; they were always my greatest adversary as the second ranked House.*

Irillith smiled knowingly at John. "Mother was right; she shocks you to the core whenever she tells you about her past, doesn't she?"

John hesitated then nodded. "I just have a hard time reconciling the ruthless cold-hearted Matriarch Edraele used to be, with the lovely woman she is now."

"And for that I'll always be eternally grateful," she murmured, leaning in to plant a tender kiss on his cheek.

He smiled and put his arm around her shoulders. "That actually wasn't what I wanted to speak to you about. I was more concerned about what happened to you in the nightmare..."

Irillith's smile faded and her brow furrowed. "You really don't have very pleasant dreams, do you?"

John chuckled humourlessly. "No, I really don't." Looking at her with concern, he added, "I know Rachel healed you, but you were very badly hurt. Are you sure you're okay?"

Her confident mask slipped just a little, revealing a glimpse of the scared girl inside the beautiful, self-assured woman sitting before him. His look of sincere sympathy pulled that mask free and Irillith fell into his arms, hugging him fiercely.

"I know Alyssa said we'd follow you anywhere and I promise I will, but please don't go back there again!" she pleaded, shaking with fear. "That place is absolutely terrifying..."

"And you've been hurt both times I've dragged you in there," John said, rubbing her back and holding her close. "I'm really sorry I put you through that, beautiful. I hope you can forgive me."

Irillith shuddered against his chest and nodded, tucking her head under his chin. Tashana walked over to join them, wrapping her arms around her twin and sandwiching her in a loving embrace.

John met Tashana's anxious violet gaze. "I'd like to say sorry to you too. I saw how scared you were when Irillith got hurt."

"I've only just got her back," she said, kissing her sister's blue shoulder. "The thought of losing her is too terrible to even think about."

Extending his hug to include them both, John held both girls for a while until Irillith calmed and pulled back slightly, giving him a self-conscious smile. "Thanks for checking up on me. I didn't realise how much I needed that hug."

"Anytime," he replied, giving her a tender kiss. Tashana smiled at him over her twin's shoulder, looking equally relieved.

Sakura placed a hand on his shoulder and murmured, "Sorry to interrupt, but we're about to dock..."

John separated from the twins and nodded to the Asian girl in gratitude. Behind her, he could see the blues and purples of Sequathis, the streets inside the submerged buildings lit up by fluorescent yellow, pink, and green lanterns. The colours were more vivid and brighter now that they were in amongst the colourful buildings and not gazing down through the sea.

The submersible cruised along a channel marked by neon yellow lights, before turning and entering a broad docking portal, the tunnel yawning wide like some massive aquatic predator's mouth. They bobbed up to the surface of a large oval pool and their navigator manoeuvred their ship up to a vacant berth at the dock. With a quiet hiss the hatchway depressurised and swung upwards, admitting them to the Brimorian city.

As the girls began to exit the craft, John turned and pressed a credit chip into the universal slot by the intercom. The pilot had charged them nine hundred credits for the trip down, an outrageous fee which he was sure was far more than triple the ticket price for a fully loaded sub. John pressed his thumb to the console and willingly paid it, partly because it was a trivial amount to him now, but also because seeing the girls look so happy had been worth every credit.

*How are you doing up there?* John asked his blonde matriarch, as he climbed out of the sub.

*I've been trying to keep busy, helping Dana build the new gun for the mech... Funnily enough, this is the first time either of us weren't wishing we were by your side,* Alyssa joked, trying to make light of it, but John could hear the tension in her voice. *Can you go and kiss Jade to distract her please, she can't stop thinking about going for a swim in the ocean...*

*You were okay on Oceanus when she turned into a Dolphin,* John replied, surprised that Alyssa was finding the trip to Brimor so stressful. *What's different this time?*

*You, Calara, and the rest of the girls weren't deep under the ocean last time,* she replied quietly.

*I'm sorry, honey. It won't be for too much longer.* John walked across the quay to the Nymph and gave her a big kiss. "Alyssa says to stop thinking like a fish, you're freaking her out."

She frowned and apologised telepathically to the blonde, then said, "Perhaps I better just block Alyssa out of my mind for a few hours? I'm not sure I'll be able to stop thinking fishy thoughts."

"Okay, but keep your connection active with me," John said firmly.

"Of course," Jade said, giving him a solemn nod.

They walked up the steps and out onto the broad pleasant avenues of Sequathis, which were busy with plenty of Brimorians going about their business. Above their heads there were clear tubes like raised aqueducts and the scaly forms of more Brimorain civilians could be seen swimming rapidly through the water. The city itself was formed from a series of massive, oval-shaped crystal-like domes, interconnected by broad tunnels.

Jade's face brightened as she was unable to contain her excitement. "Can I go exploring now?"

"Alright, but please be careful, I don't want you getting into any trouble with the Brimorians. Try not to get caught trespassing in a sacred undersea grove or anything like that..." John replied, looking at her with concern.

Jade stepped close beside him and raised her left arm. It rippled in a dark-green haze, a shiny coat of teal scales covering the limb a moment later. "Don't worry, I'll keep a low profile," she replied with a grin. She gave John a parting kiss on the cheek, then melted into the crowd with an eager spring to her step.

"So where to first?" Calara asked, glancing around at the tall, brightly-coloured buildings.

"Let's get business out the way first, then we can do some sightseeing. We'll visit the trade bazaar to make some enquiries about purchasing shields," John replied, pointing to a street heading deeper into the heart of the city. "It's that way."

Setting off, they wove through the crowds and tried to ignore the less-than-friendly looks they were receiving from the Brimorians. While John, Faye, and the twins might not have actually been Terrans, to the fish-like aliens they looked close enough. Despite there not being any active conflict between the Terran Federation and Brimorian Enclave for many decades, this reception was much less welcoming than John's first visit to Brimor only eight years earlier.

Calara slipped her hand into John's and whispered, "This is a beautiful city, but all this open hostility is really unsettling..."

"It should be better when we reach the market," John replied, gently squeezing her hand. "There'll be lots more aliens there, so we won't stand out so much."

They entered a second dome and immediately spotted the Trade Bazaar at its centre. The open-plan building was split over three levels, linked together by interconnecting gantries and ramps. There were hundreds of traders at various colourful stalls and larger shops, with thousands of customers milling around inside the market. As John and the girls left the linking tunnel, they could hear the deafening hubbub from all the merchants hawking their wares and buyers haggling over prices.

"Ship components are on the second level over on the opposite side," John said, waving his group onwards.

It was slow-going having to weave through the crowd, with merchants so caught up in their transactions that they made no attempt to move aside for passersby. A couple of fungus-like Yelneg were trying to outbid a rival merchant for Brimorian kelp crops, their shrill high-pitched voices far more eager than the watery bids from an Elmoq, whose glistening skin rippled in irritation. After carefully circling the group, John nearly bumped into a Skerawk who shifted from one clawed foot to another. He saw a familiar gleam in the trader's sharp eyes, the avian merchant scenting a big profit to be made as he discussed the purchase of thousands of pearls from a Brimorian dealer.

*Tashana...* Alyssa murmured quietly, her telepathic voice tinged with concern.

John turned back to check that the girls were still following safely behind and couldn't help smiling at the wide-eyed looks of fascination on the Terran girls' faces. Faye was turning this way and that, as though trying to watch the entire market at once, an expression of pure delight on her face. Caught up in their infectious excitement, even Irillith was watching the interactions between the alien traders with interest. The one exception was Tashana, who was studying him intently, and paying little attention to the Trade Bazaar.

When their eyes met, Tashana darted past the skipping purple sprite, quickening her pace to walk beside him. "You miss your old life as a trader, don't you?" she asked, a knowing smile on her face.

He nodded, encircling her waist with his arm and escorting her around a stocky Trankaran, who was making polite enquiries about mining contracts with a cagey Brimorian ore-merchant. "It was like a game... competing with another merchant, each of you trying to get the best deal. Making a big profit was always thrilling."

"Are you planning on buying anything today?" she asked, her attention solely on him as she made a point of ignoring the crowds.

"Probably not," he replied, rubbing his chin as he considered it. "I was specialised in shifting small cargoes of very expensive luxury items and I'm not that familiar with the profit ratios on trade goods that sell in larger volumes. It'd probably only take me a day or two to get up-to-speed, but I don't really want to waste the time. We need to get the shield tech as soon as possible, so we can roll-out the upgrades on the Maliri fleets."

They stepped aside to let a procession of Bract merchants skitter past, the black-carapaced insectoids leading tracked carts loaded with sealed storage containers. Taking advantage of the temporary path cleared in their wake, John crossed a lantern-lit intersection and led Tashana over to a ramp that led up to the second level.

John glanced at the Maliri girl as they walked up the slope and noted, "You don't seem very impressed by the market."

A shadow crossed Tashana's face and she looked away from him for a moment. "Aliens and markets don't hold quite the same fascination for me as the other girls."

He suddenly realised how similar the chaos of the marketplace was to the raucous dealings in the Underworld and the host of terrible memories that must have stirred up. Movement along the narrow passage ahead of them caught his eye, as a group of stocky Ornalith approached, stomping along on their three sturdy legs. John quickly guided Tashana out of their way and into a nearby vacant booth.

The vendor was selling propulsion systems, holographic projections of ship engines adorning the walls, which faded away to be replaced by videos of swooping spacecraft. The Brimorian manning the stall possessed none of the unfriendliness shown by the earlier crowds, grinning instead at the prospect of a potential customer. He walked towards them eagerly, getting ready to deliver his well-practiced sales pitch, knowing that a Terran's credits were just as spendable as anyone else's

"We're just browsing, thanks," John said abruptly, cutting the Brimorian off before he could open his mouth.

The merchant did his best not to scowl, his tail flicking in irritation. "Let me know if I can provide you with any data," he muttered before slinking back to his desk.

John turned to look at the girl in his arms, his worry for her quite clear on his face. "I'm really sorry, honey. I should have been more considerate, I didn't even think about the kind of memories a place like this might stir up for you..."

Tashana glanced up at him, pain evident in her eyes. "Please don't look at me like that."

"Like what?" John asked with concern, wishing he could take her pain away.

"Like I'm a wounded little bird needing to be fixed," she said sadly, looking away again. "You look as though you're terrified I'm about to have a nervous breakdown..."

He blinked in surprise, then gathered her in his arms. "I'm so sorry, Tashana. I just get over-protective about the girls I love. I think you're an incredible woman, strong and resilient in ways I can't even imagine; I really am very proud of you."

She nestled into his chest, hugging him back as she let out a quiet sigh. They stood there for a couple of minutes, creating their own tiny pocket of serenity amidst the tumultuous din of the market. Tashana eventually pulled back a little so she could see John's face, but not enough to break his comforting embrace.

"I was scared," she admitted, her voice barely more than a whisper. "Scared I might spot a Bolon in the crowd and try to burn the place down trying to kill it... Everything else that happened to me just feels like a bad dream, the memories playing out like an awful holo-movie. But what that monster did... part of me wants to incinerate every last one of the fuckers, just to make sure I get the right one."

John cupped her face in his hand and studied her carefully. "The Bolon are psychic, so maybe that's why this memory is more vivid and painful than all the rest." He gazed away into the distance for a moment, then continued, "The Bolon Ambassador told me that if they catch any Bolons doing this kind of psychic rape, they'd investigate to see if they'd been to the Unclaimed Wastes in the last decade. He wasn't optimistic that they'd have much luck finding the one that attacked you, but maybe we can insist on a more intensive search..."

"What do you mean?" she asked, eyes narrowing with interest.

"The minor empires all want our protection, but aren't contributing much in compensation. I think I might just insist that the Bolons investigate every single one of their citizens to find out which, if any, have been to the Unclaimed Wastes. We can extend that investigation to every other civilisation in the alliance, which basically means that unless that thing is hiding in Kintark or Brimorian Space, we'll catch it eventually," John replied, his expression grim.

"You'd really do that for me?" Tashana asked, sounding astonished. Before he could reply she smiled at him lovingly and added, "Of course you would, my Baen'thelas..."

"I want you to be able to put that horrible past behind you," he said, stroking her cheek. "If you need closure on this, I'll stop at nothing to help you get it."

"What happens if we catch it?" the Maliri girl asked, her expression guarded.

"Alyssa goes into its mind and checks it's the right one," John replied, his tone deliberately neutral. "If it is, then we hand it over to you..."

The corner of her mouth turned up into a predatory smile, until Tashana glanced at him again, obviously worried that he'd seen a glimpse of her hunger for revenge. "Are you sure?"

"It's a slightly more reasonable alternative to immolating an entire species," he said gently, stroking her back. "If we catch the right one, I'll leave the punishment entirely in your hands."

She hugged him tight. "Thank you... for being so understanding."

"You're welcome," John replied, feeling relieved to see Tashana looking much happier.

*John!* Alyssa thought to him, urgently. *Edraele...*

He felt like the bottom had dropped out of his stomach. He'd been so intent on trying to make the troubled Maliri girl feel better that he'd completely forgotten about his telepathic connection with her mother.

*John...?* Edraele murmured, her voice wrought with anguish. *What happened to Tashana?*

***

Hundreds of light years away, a trio of ochre-coloured, vessels sailed through space, travelling faster than the speed of light through hyper-warp. One section of space looks much like any other, black and dotted with a luxurious dusting of stars - barring the occasional splash of colour from a nebula of course. However, this particular section of space was significant and not because of any natural phenomena.

Concealed in an asteroid, a powerful probe sent out a sensor pulse, just as it had hundreds-of-thousands of times in the past. It picked up the three cruiser-class vessels via long-range scans, detecting them just as they crossed over the border into Federation territory. The probe matched their sensor profile against known Terran and alien spacecraft, identifying the 900m long vessels as a trio of Kirrix hive ships. Then, following its programming, it sent out a warning alert to the defensive fleet that guarded the border against Kirrix incursions. This was no different to the scores of similar Kirrix incursions across the border in the last several weeks, as the insectoid race had been repeatedly testing the vigilance of the border defenders.

Except this time no one was there to acknowledge and heed that warning.

The nearest Terran Federation fleet was no longer within range, having been recalled back to the Core Worlds. With no one moving to intercept and repel those Kirrix scouts, telepathic messages were sent and horrifying insectoid forces began to mobilise...

***

John held Tashana close, his heart racing as he realised what he'd inadvertently let slip to her mother. *Edraele... Can I speak to you about this later? Tashana is safe and well now, so you've got nothing to worry about. I promise I'll explain everything when I get back to the Invictus, okay?*

*Okay...* she replied, sounding deeply unsettled.

*Block her out while you get your head straight,* Alyssa told him. *I'll keep her calm and distracted, then you can speak to her later, alright?*

*Edraele...* John said quietly. *Alyssa wants to talk to you for a bit and I'm going to block you from my mind, but it won't be for long, I promise.*

There was a momentary hesitation from the Maliri Matriarch, before she said, *Please don't be too long...*

*I won't,* he replied, trying to sound as reassuring as possible. When she didn't reply again, he blocked her from his mind.

"Fuck!" he swore under his breath, before rubbing a hand across his face.

"What is it?" Tashana asked, looking at him in alarm to see him so distressed.

"I didn't think to block Edraele from my mind... she heard about what happened to you. The rape by the Bolon at least, maybe more," he replied, his face drawn with worry.