Three Square Meals Ch. 099

He winked at her and proceeded to finish off the rest of the bacon roll. He finished just before the Brimorian leader appeared in the holo-screen.

"Ah, John Blake, it is excellent to see you again," Athgiloi said, sounding oddly conflicted.

"Likewise, Deep Lord," John said with a respectful nod. "Faye told me that she spoke to you last night, so you know that we completed our end of the bargain?"

"So I believe," the Brimorian said, an acquisitive gleam in his eyes. "You have done a great service to the Brimorian Enclave. I had heard of your impressive ability to accomplish the impossible, but in truth I had my doubts. For once I'm glad to be proven wrong."

John smiled at the Deep Lord. "We're actually in a bit of a hurry, which is why Faye asked you to have the shield generators ready. As a show of good faith, I'm going to transmit the schematics for the eternity crystal manufacturing device to you right now. In exchange, I'd like to be able to install the new shield generators as soon as we arrive on Brimor."

"That sounds perfectly agreeable," Athgiloi replied, his broad grin revealing dozens of needle-like teeth. "You may descend to the planet and begin your upgrades without delay."

"A pleasure doing business with you, Deep Lord," John said with a warm smile.

"And with you, John Blake," Athgiloi replied. He bowed courteously then ended the call.

Alyssa smiled and said, "He looked like the cat that got the cream. I wonder how long it'll take his researchers to figure out the problem with those schematics."

John shrugged and spread his hands. "We made an agreement and held up our end. Maybe they can pay a psychic race to help them out?" He paused as a sudden thought came to him. "We need to get those schematics to the Ashanath, they'll be able to manufacture thousands of Eternity Crystals!"

She pouted as she replied, "I've been trying to think of a way to share schematics over a spirit walk, but I haven't had any ideas yet. Dana already has them all memorised, but she's not able to enter the Astral plane herself."

"The Ashanath might have some ideas themselves," John suggested. "The entire race is psychic, so they've probably learned a few tricks; there's no need to reinvent the wheel."

Alyssa nodded, looking thoughtful, "Talari said they could show her the schematics for their new vessels, I just need to figure out how to get her there to see them."

Irillith looked up and said, "If there is a way of uploading and downloading that data, then perhaps we could set something up for mother at Genthalas? She can spirit-walk too, so we could supply her with any new technology you want to outfit on the Maliri fleets, then start incorporating the upgrades immediately."

"That's a great idea!" John enthused, looking delighted. "We could send on new schematics for work we're doing on the Invictus too. If we have a lot of the components pre-built for us, I'm sure that'd greatly reduce refit times at Genthalas."

*I'm afraid I have to disagree, John,* Edraele said, sounding very disapproving. *Reducing the time you spend with me sounds like a dreadful idea.*

Realising that she was just being playful, John replied, *Less time working on the refit just means I get more time to have fun with you!*

*Oh alright, that does sound much more appealing,* the Maliri matriarch conceded, her airy, carefree laughter bringing a broad smile to his face.

Jade turned in the Pilot's chair and said, "I'll head down to the stealth shuttle in a moment and get ready to depart. Is there anything you want me to ask Helene when I see her again?"

John thought it over, then replied, "We need to find out a lot more about 'The Abandoned', so anything you can discover about their history would be extremely useful. If you can keep me in the loop for your conversation, then I'll let you know if there's anything specific I'd like to ask."

"Will do!" the Nymph replied cheerfully as she rose from her seat. She had an extra bounce in her step as she strutted across the Bridge towards the grav-tube.

"One second, gorgeous," Alyssa said, waving her to a stop. "Rachel asked if you can bring back a DNA sample; she'll be here in a moment with a hypo-injector."

Dana and Rachel appeared on the Bridge less than a minute later, the brunette carrying the medical device. She quickly showed Jade how to use it and assured her it would work underwater. With a final wave goodbye, the Nymph headed down to the Primary Hangar to board the stealth shuttle and await the orbital descent to Brimor. John and the rest of the girls waited on the Bridge, watching as the Invictus jumped into the Theta Columbae system. The Brimorians were as good as their word, with Brimor Flight Control granting them permission to land on Sequathis and informing them that the Shield Generators were ready and waiting.

Jade had plotted the location of the kelp farm, so Alyssa brought the Invictus in low over that point, sweeping through the clouds as they headed towards the Brimorian capitol city. The hangar door slid open and the black stealth shuttle slid clear within the concealment of the cloudbank, stealth mode already activated as it peeled away. The shuttle was the first to arrive at its destination and Faye kept it hovering a few feet above the sea, while Jade opened the airlock then dived out, disappearing under the waves.

Alyssa brought the Invictus in towards the platform, following the glowing guide path down to a maintenance dock chosen by the Brimorians. They came down to land, retro-thrusters flaring along the hull to slow their descent, until the battlecruiser touched down with not much more than a tremble. From the external hull cameras, John could see that there were three strangely-ribbed alien devices positioned at the edge of the docking bay, one over twenty-metres-across, the other two much smaller. Dozens of Brimorian soldiers were stationed around what were obviously the three shield generators and there seemed to be a great deal of frantic activity centred on them. A crane had been lined up to lift the largest of the three, and a large flat-bed hover-truck was the obvious destination.

"Looks like someone's changed their mind," John said, watching the Brimorian troops rushing to connect grav-harnesses to the largest shield generator. "Faye, can you call Athgiloi please."

"You got it!" she cheerfully replied, swinging her legs underneath her where she sat on the console. While Faye didn't appear to move a synthetic muscle, the holo-screen crackled a few seconds later.

The Deep Lord reappeared on the screen and he didn't seem to be in a good mood. "You have the audacity to contact me after you attempted to defraud the Brimorian Enclave?!" Athgiloi raged, spittle flying from his toothy maw.

John raised an eyebrow at the furious Brimorian. "Defraud? I did no such thing. You requested the secret for how to construct Eternity Crystals and I provided you exactly that."

"But the machine is useless!" Athgiloi snarled, clenching his brawny fists in anger. "My researchers have studied the schematics... they tell me it can only be operated by mental commands! It even states on the blueprints the psychic strength needed!"

John glanced at Dana and she shrugged. "I like to do a thorough job."

Turning back to the incensed Deep Lord, John spread his hands helplessly. "Before we made the agreement I had no idea how the Eternity Crystals were made. We made a deal and I fulfilled my end, it's not my problem that you don't have the personnel to grow the crystals."

Athgiloi snorted in contempt. "You can't expect me to hand over something as priceless as our best shield technology for schematics that are effectively worthless!"

John leaned forward in his chair and his eyes narrowed as he stared at the screen. "I have a recording of the verbal agreement we made, before you sent me off to the Desolation of Vulkat. You seem to have forgotten the terms... let me refresh your memory."

He glanced at Faye and she began the playback, the recording of John's voice echoing around the Bridge...

"If we can find out the secret for the construction of these Eternity Crystals, then I'd be willing to trade that for schematics of your most advanced shield generator as well as a number of pre-built devices. I'd need one for the Invictus and a couple of smaller variants sized for gunship-sized vessels; we can provide you the specific dimensions. Does that sound reasonable?"

Athgiloi recorded voice agreed. "Indeed it does."

"We're not disputing a trade deal gone bad with a market ombudsman!" the Brimorian leader snapped, his eyes blazing. "I don't care what I said, the deal's off! You need to leave Brimorian territory immediately!"

John's voice got very cold and hard. "Think very carefully before you make any rash decisions, Deep Lord Athgiloi. If you renege on the deal, I might be forced to conclude you're not my friend."

"You dare to threaten me?!" the Deep Lord balked indignantly.

"No threats, just a promise," John said, his tone quiet and ominous. "I'll be leaving Brimor with the new set of shield generators you owe me. Either we install the ones you left out by the docking bay, or I'll obliterate that fleet in orbit and rip the equipment out of what's left of the wrecks. You know what this ship can do... I assure you I'm not bluffing."

Athgiloi simmered with rage, his face contorting as he tried to get his anger under control. After a painfully long pause, he snapped, "Fine, take your shield generators, but don't return to Brimorian Territory, John Blake."

Before John could reply, the Brimorian leader abruptly ended the call.

"He wasn't a very happy fishman," Dana said, with a smirk.

"Not our problem," John said as he rose from his chair. "Let's get cracking, ladies, we need to get the Invictus ready for war." He glanced at the worried sprite sitting on his console. "Better keep an eye on the sensors and have the guns warmed up in case there's trouble..."

Faye nodded giving him an anxious smile. "My thoughts exactly, John."

***

Jade adopted her Brimorian disguise as soon as she plunged into the ocean, just in case she should run into any Brimorian patrols on her descent to the seabed. Fortunately, it was a well-adapted form and she made quick progress as she dove ever deeper. It didn't take her long to find the farm again, the cluster of buildings like a small island amongst a waving green sea of kelp. Not wanting to risk frightening Helene or her people, Jade shimmered once again, shifting into her aquatic nymph form.

With her body undulating like a sea-otter she swam directly for the same teal-skinned workers, while keeping her sharp eyes peeled for Brimorians. The men had finished stripping the leaves from the huge plants they were working on before and had moved along several hundred metres to another leafy kelp bed. It didn't take long for Jade to spot the female workers, who were returning from the farm with empty cargo nets. She searched through them looking for the girl she had met before, but spotted one pregnant tummy after another.

The Nymph had almost given up hope of finding Helene again, when she heard a high-pitched burst of sound and a series of clicks. The call was echoed amongst the workers and she realised she'd been spotted by one of the males. They quickly swam towards the females, who bolted for safety in a burst of bubbles, hiding behind the males for protection.

Jade frowned in frustration, realising that her plan to locate Helene quickly had backfired spectacularly. She'd hoped to have just found the pretty young woman by swimming in plain sight, then swim down to speak with her, and hope that their previous rapport would overcome any panic at the Nymph's sudden appearance. Now she was being faced by scores of anxious faces, their expressions ranging from brave defiance to abject terror.

Realising that she needed to defuse the situation before it turned violent, Jade called out, "Hey everyone! Can any of you tell me where I can find Helene?"

The looks on their stunned faces would have been amusing if she hadn't been in such a rush.

One of the larger males glanced nervously at his comrades, then glided closer and asked quietly, "You are able to speak the old tongue?"

Before the Nymph could reply, one of the younger females blurted out, "She is Jade, of the Terran standard!"

Jade suppressed a smile and gently replied, "I am called Jade, but I'm from the Invictus. Terran standard is the name of the language we're speaking."

Her non-threatening body language and familiarity with their forbidden language overcame the workers' fear, and they slowly approached while staring at her in fascination.

"What manner of creature are you?" the big male asked, gaping at her in wonder, his eyes drawn to her statuesque figure.

Jade did a quick twirl, letting the workers see her from different angles. "I'm a Nymph!" she slowed her spin with a ripple of her aquamarine fins. "I met Helene recently, but I don't see her around here now. Is she alright?"

The young woman who had spoken before nodded exuberantly. "She's with the babies in the nursery! Helene hasn't stopped talking about you since yesterday!" She blushed and admitted, "I thought her story to be some kind of childish prank, but you are just as she described!"

Jade glanced at her watch and winced when she saw ten minutes had passed already. "I don't have much time... would any of you be able to take me to meet with her?"

The workers backed off and grouped up in a huddle, whispering furtively together. It seemed they weren't able to reach a consensus, with most of the males refusing, while the women wanted to agree. Jade studied the tense standoff with apprehension, realising that there were at least twice as many males as there were females, so if the decision came down to a vote she would be out of luck.

A cluster of the women peeled away and began to whisper together, then one of them returned to the deadlock and said something that ended all conversation. The males looked shocked, while the younger female looked smug and nodded. Whatever had been said ended the stalemate in seconds, and the males swam back to the kelp, leaving Jade with the women.

"What happened?" she asked, desperate to know what was said.

The younger one giggled and ran her hand over a very pregnant tummy. "They like their mated partners to be willing and enthusiastic. We strongly suggested we might not be if they refused to let us help you meet with Helene again."

Jade laughed along with the rest of the women. "Thank you so much for helping me like that. Would one of you be willing to lead me to her now?"

The chatty pregnant girl nodded, and swam away from the group, heading towards the distant farmhouse. "Follow me, I'll lead you there!"

After waving goodbye to the rest of the workers, Jade cut through the water to catch up to the departing girl. "What's your name?"

"Yasmin," the teal-skinned girl replied, darting a shy smile her way. "Helene is my older sister."

Jade returned the smile and glanced at the young woman's gravid form. "You must be excited about the pregnancy. Is it your first?"

"Fourth!" Yasmin exclaimed, her eyes lighting up. "I only have another month to go... I can't wait to hold another baby in my arms!"

"How many children does Helene have, Yasmin?" Jade asked, easily matching the aquatic girl's pace.

Yasmin's face fell and she slowly shook her head. "Poor Helene, life can be so cruel... After what happened, she-" her voice trailed off and she looked deeply sad.

It came as quite a surprise to see the effervescent young woman deflate so rapidly, so Jade decided not to say anything else for fear of upsetting her further. They swam in silence until they approached the farm, which was made up of over a dozen interconnected domes. Yasmin headed straight for one of the larger domes in the centre of the farmstead, swimming around until she came across a shielded barrier that was keeping the water at bay. Her sadness had proven only temporary and Yasmin beamed at Jade as she beckoned the Nymph to follow.

Jade entered the shimmering disc, noting that it was identical tech to that used in the external portals on Sequathis. There was a second internal door inside that led into the centre of the nursery, the raucous sound of playing children and crying babies hitting the Nymph like a wall of force. Jade winced at the din, but Yasmin just giggled and darted into a section penned off as a nursery, where she was met by a trio of squealing teal-coloured children who ran towards her to give her a hug.

The area was split into sections, with a medical ward for heavily pregnant women, while the rest was packed with scores of other women looking after hundreds of children of varying ages. Jade nodded to herself as that was one mystery solved as to where most of the females were, and she glanced about looking for Helene, after Yasmin seemed so adamant she'd be there.

It didn't take Jade long to spot the beautiful girl that she'd previously encountered. Helene was over on the far side of the ward, watching Yasmin playing with the trio of children, a wistful look of longing on her lovely face.

*Jade, everything going okay? I haven't heard any question yet...* John prompted her. *We're about half-way through the refit, so you'll need to head back very soon.*

*Sorry, Master,* Jade quickly apologised. *I've only just found Helene, but I'll go and speak with her now!*

*Okay, but keep an eye out for Brimorians. We really pissed off their leader a few minutes ago, so we'll need to depart as soon as possible.*

*I understand. I'll find out as much as I can!* the Nymph replied, walking briskly towards the forlorn girl.

***

John held up one end of the massive battlecruiser sized shield generator, while Sakura squatted in the Valkyrie, the mech supporting the other end.

"Alright, you're all lined up..." Dana called out to them over to their right, watching the procedure like a hawk. "I've made the adjustments, you should be able to lower it in now!"

He lowered it down, grimacing at the strain of manoeuvring the multi-ton ship component into the gaping hole in the Invictus' hull. It wasn't so much the weight that was the problem, more the practicalities of moving the sheer ponderous bulk into position, while being slow and careful with such a delicate device. Feeling the edges slide into the installation runners, John sighed with relief and started sliding the shield generator down until it was snug in its new home.

Stepping back from the hole in his ship, he watched Dana make several last minute checks before the redhead gave the thumbs up to Alyssa. She held a huge orb of crystal Alyssium in place, the massive sphere rotating slowly as she began to bleed off streams of white metal. The liquid metal formed into row after row of immaculate white plating, as she patched up the gaping wound in his ship's tough hide. With that generator in place, they just needed to wait for the rest of the girls and the maintenance bots to finish upgrading the Shield Projectors, Photon Lasers, and Pulse Cannons with Eternity Crystals.

They'd picked up quite the crowd of spectators, who gaped in disbelief at the blonde's display of psychic potency. It probably didn't help that she was floating in the air and surrounded by a soft nimbus of white light as well, but John knew how much fun it was showboating for the crowd, so he could hardly begrudge her a chance to show off. He only hoped that this decision wasn't going to end up biting them too severely in the ass.

Dana bounded over, a look of glee on her face. "Hey, stop daydreaming! We just need to install the Eternity Crystals in the Nova Lances then we'll be all done!"

"Are you sure it's safe installing the shield generator?" he asked quietly, glancing back at the massive ribbed device.