Three Square Meals Ch. 128
Sakura watched the long lines of infested Trankarans, the stoic republic citizens waiting patiently in the docking collar that connected the Kirrix dreadnought to the Invictus. There were so many freed prisoners in need of treatment that the queue seemed to stretch for miles, snaking through the innards of the alien ship until they reached the point where she now stood.
"Are any of you wounded?" she called out as she crossed into the dreadnought, looking for anyone in need of emergency care.
One of the huge eight-foot males turned to look at her, his slab-like features twisted into concern. "My bond-mate, Bakhastra. She was shot when we were captured."
Hurrying over to him, Sakura glanced around his bulky frame, noticing he bore the unmistakeable signs of egg infestation.
The shorter female Trankaran was still over six-feet-tall, standing straight-backed and resilient despite everything she'd endured. "I do not wish to receive special treatment, Galdrumlin," she said, shaking her head. "I will wait my turn with my rock-brethren."
Her mate put brawny his arm around Bakhastra to give her a reassuring hug, but she winced at his touch and looked unsteady on her feet.
Sakura gently took her hand. "Bakhastra... when the Maliri and Trankaran fleets arrive, we'll be handing over the rescue operation to them. We're able to quickly heal people who've been wounded, but anyone we don't have time to see will have to be tended by conventional medics, who could be treating egg infestations instead. The best thing you could do for your people is to let us heal you now."
The Trankaran woman looked alarmed. "Please forgive me, I did not know."
"That's okay. Let's get those wounds healed," Sakura said with an encouraging smile.
She helped Bakhastra step out of the queue and shook her head in disbelief when she saw the ugly pair of neutron blaster wounds on the woman's back. A Terran would never have survived injuries that severe and she was amazed the Trankaran was still standing, let alone able to walk unaided.
Galdrumlin watched her leave with obvious relief. "I shall join you as soon as I am able, jewel of my heart." He relaxed, shifting his weight to his right leg.
Sakura noticed his discomfort and raised an eyebrow. "You're hurt too, aren't you?"
"It's nothing, just a minor flesh wound," he replied, waving his huge paw dismissively.
She rolled her eyes and beckoned him to join her. "Come on. You need healing and Bakhastra needs your support."
The two Trankarans limped after her as she led them along the corridor to the Invictus. Irillith and Tashana were standing guard at the broad hangar doors and they nodded to Sakura as she guided the wounded through to the treatment centre. Rachel was there, overseeing the maintenance bots, who were using Sonic Cannons to liquefy the nearly-hatched eggs inside their hosts. Although each of those Trankarans was only carrying a single egg, they were the grubs for higher-tier creatures, like hive lords and juggernauts, and therefore substantially larger.
Sakura handed over Bakhastra and Galdrumlin to Rachel, who immediately began healing their wounds, the Trankarans unable to stop themselves from gasping as their bodies regenerated. After waving them goodbye, Sakura returned to the docking collar to look for more stubborn Trankarans in need of aid.
Stopping beside the twins, she said quietly, "It looks like the sensor scans were right. I've done a bit of scouting and everywhere I've looked, the Kirrix on board the dreadnought are dead. I know Alyssa didn't want to take any chances, but I don't think we need you two on guard duty anymore."
The Maliri had turned their Paragon helmets opaque to protect their identity, so Sakura wasn't able to see their expressions.
"I've contacted the hive ships," Irillith informed her fellow Lioness. "They confirmed that all the Kirrix crews are dead there too."
"Did they all die at the exact same time?" Sakura asked, already suspecting the answer. "I've spoke to a lot of Trankarans and they said their eggs stopped moving an hour ago... right when all the guards keeled over."
The Maliri hacker nodded. "Ample proof that John wiped them all out."
There was no mistaking the wonder in Tashana's voice as she murmured, "I knew Baen'thelas was powerful, but I never dreamed he was capable of doing anything like that."
Sakura had a look of awestruck admiration in her eyes. "He saved thousands of Trankarans. Those eggs were already starting to hatch and we never would have been able to treat them all in time."
The three women stood quietly together for a moment, all sharing that same sense of amazement. Those feelings were also accompanied by concern for the man they loved, who hadn't stirred since they had brought him back to the Invictus.
*He'll be okay, girls,* Alyssa said, her voice calm and reassuring. *Rachel checked him over, remember? John's just exhausted after channelling that much psychic energy in one go.*
*Will you tell me when he wakes up?* Sakura asked anxiously.
*Of course. I'll let all of you know the moment anything changes,* their matriarch replied. *Now, Jade and Dana are about to dock with the first batches of injured from the hive ships. Tashana, Irillith, I'd like you to head to the forward airlocks and help unload the Trankarans from the Raptor and the Progenitor shuttle.*
*On our way,* the twins said simultaneously.
"I'll see you two later," Sakura said, smiling at the Maliri.
They both reached out to touch her arms in a simple gesture of affection, then left to meet the docking spacecraft at the front of the Invictus. She watched them depart, before turning and heading back into the dreadnought to search for more injured prisoners.
***
Fleet Commander Lilyana paced nervously on the Bridge of the Galaena Serine, darting occasional glances at the holographic starmap. The Maliri war fleet was racing across the sector, with Warden Brokurlun's Trankaran forces trailing along in their wake. She could see the glowing yellow lines that marked the outer edge of her battleship's sensor range, the arcs stretching out into space and pushing back the darkness... but so far, they had detected nothing.
"Are we definitely travelling at top speed?" she asked her Chief Engineer impatiently.
The Maliri officer nodded. "Affirmative, Fleet Commander. This is our maximum hyper-warp velocity."
Lilyana grimaced, then turned to her Senior Navigator. "Check our course heading... I'm sure we should have seen them by now."
"I verified it two minutes ago..." the crewwoman protested with a frown.
"Check it again!" Lilyana said indignantly.
The navigator ducked her head down and went to work. "Yes, Fleet Commander..."
Lilyana heard a peal of laughter echoing from the corridor approaching the Bridge and she bristled, whirling around and getting ready to chastise the jovial crewwomen. Her sharp retort died on her lips when she saw who it was, Almari and Ilyana flouncing onto the Command Deck with dazzling smiles on the two assassins' faces.
"Hey!" Almari greeted her cheerfully, cobalt-blue eyes sparkling with excitement.
Ilyana skipped along at her side, her normally reserved composure nowhere to be seen. "Any sign of the Invictus yet?!"
