Three Square Meals Ch 98

The dimly-lit chamber where the Deep Pool gathered was damp and chill, and would have been considered a gloomy and deeply unpleasant place to any Terran. However Deep Lord Athgiloi was a Brimorian and his scaly hide barely felt the cold, capable as he was of swimming down to the freezing depths of Brimor's deepest oceans. The darkness held no secrets from his black eyes, which were sensitive and highly-developed, able to pick out all the exquisite details of this sacred room in the low light. He admired the seven ornate oval stone discs spaced evenly around the floor, studying the intricate coral carvings inlaid around the base, then let his gaze roam over the majestic sculpted columns that held up the bejewelled ceiling.

Athgiloi was filled with a sense of pride and awe whenever he entered this revered place; he had felt the same way for every gathering during his twelve-year rule as leader of the Brimorian Enclave. Walking purposefully towards his dais, he noticed movement around the shadowy outskirts of the chamber and he clicked his teeth in greeting to the other members of the Deep Pool as they appeared. The Brimorian lords moved to stand on their respective platforms, while their mates remained in the shadows, kneeling respectfully as tradition dictated.

"We commence this gathering, paying homage to the wild seas," Athgiloi intoned, the six other members of the Deep Pool bowing respectfully as he did so. With the formalities out of the way, he stood tall and wasted no time in getting to the point of this meeting. "John Blake has arrived at Sequathis, just as I informed you he would."

Lord Rilosash's lip curled in distaste. "I still doubt the wisdom in permitting his entry into the Enclave."

Lord Semord glanced towards the Deep Lord, his tail lashing in agitation. "I must agree with Rilosash. Blake is a champion of the Terrans; it seems reckless in the extreme to allow him freedom of movement within our territory. What if he were to discover our arrangements with the Kintark?"

"Blake suspects nothing and is not here on some espionage mission," Athgiloi said, his voice ringing with confidence. "He might be a force to be reckoned with, but the Lion of the Federation is like a rampaging Buletark in a coral garden... there is no subtlety to the man. No, he is here merely to purchase shield technology for his vessel and I propose we provide it to him."

There were shocked gasps around the chamber. Lord Sibhaloi shook his head violently and snarled, "Deep Lord I must protest! That would be like handing over our heart served up on a platter to the Terran Federation!"

Athgiloi waved away his concerns, his calm response quietening the loud protests. "Even if Blake were to immediately gift our shield technology to the Terrans, what would it matter? In a matter of weeks, the Federation will cease to exist; there's no time for them to upgrade any fleets. Their continued blight on the galaxy is about to be dealt with once and for all."

"So you propose to fully commit to our agreement with the Emperor?" Lord Paotegh asked, his sunken eyes studying Athgiloi intently.

The Deep Lord allowed himself a wicked smile, his lips peeling back to reveal rows of teeth. "I fully intend to honour the letter of our agreement."

"But not its spirit?" Paotegh asked, joining his leader in a sly smile.

"If a pair of bull Megacaradons are battling to the death for supremacy, why intervene and shorten the conflict? Would it not be wiser to let them exhaust themselves, leaving a third challenger to establish complete dominance unopposed?" Athgiloi replied, a cunning gleam in his eyes. "I have no intention of risking significant damage to our forces unless absolutely necessary. Once all preparations have been made, then we make our move, but not until that time."

"But still..." Sibhaloi muttered, still not convinced. "Why take a such a risk with our most prized technology?"

The Deep Lord's grin broadened. "Because we need a sufficiently tempting lure, if we are to convince Blake to venture into the Desolation of Vulkat..."

Sibhaloi made a clicking noise at the back of his throat and performed a low bow. "You continue to prove the wisdom of your selection with every passing year, Deep Lord."

Rilosash nodded, lost in thought. "Yes... Keep the Federation's champion far from Terran territory in their time of direst need, without revealing any outward signs of our collusion with the Kintark. Inspired Deep Lord, truly inspired..."

"My sources inform me that Blake achieved a miracle for the Ashanath and exterminated the Drakkar," Deep Lord Athgiloi stated, drawing shocked murmurs from the rest of the Deep Pool. "Blake's prowess in combat is truly formidable... perhaps he might succeed where all others have failed?"

Sibhaloi gaped at him in disbelief. "So this isn't merely a trap designed to slay him? You truly believe he might succeed?!"

Athgiloi paused for a moment then nodded, an acquisitive gleam in his eyes. "It is a distinct possibility..."

The rest of the Deep Pool were stunned into silence, too awed by that thought to respond.

Sensing that there would be no more opposition to his plans, Athgiloi bowed to his fellow Brimorians. "As always, my Lords, it was a pleasure to be in your august company. I will keep you informed of any developments."

The Deep Lord turned and headed towards the high-arched doorway behind him, making eye contact with Celphna as he did so. His concubine had remained kneeling in wait for him, as was fitting for one of her station. She rose gracefully to her feet and Athgiloi marvelled at her unsurpassed beauty, still finding it hard to believe that such a beautiful jewel of the sea could be his.

Her scales shone as they caught the light, revealing the enchanting iridescent sheen to their surface, while her webbed fins were the longest and most exquisitely frilled he had ever seen. That Celphna was unquestionably loyal and absolutely obedient made her the most alluring female he had ever known in his one-hundred-and-twenty years.

"I need only attend to one more order of business today, Celphna," The Deep Lord said as she fell into step beside him. "Then you will have my full attention..."

"This one longs for that moment, Master," Celphna replied, her blunt snout twitching with anticipation in the most adorable way.

Athgiloi suppressed a grin and lengthened his stride as he hurried to his office. By the gods she made him feel like a stripling again! He could still scarcely believe that Celphna had been a gift...

***

Jade slowed her descent towards the seabed, watching more of the teal-skinned creatures as they laboured to harvest the kelp fronds from the ocean farm. With her sharp eyes, she was able to get a good look at the strange humanoids and what she saw surprised her. While these workers had a similar kind of greenish-blue colouration as a Brimorian, it was quite apparent that they were not the same species.

Brimorians were stockier and possessed a finned tail to help propel them through the water, while their bodies were covered in a glimmering coat of fine scales. However, these creatures had smooth, slightly-lighter coloured skin, and while they possessed fins at their wrists and calves, they had no tail. The biggest difference though was their faces. Brimorians appeared distinctly fish-like with a snout rather than a nose and webbed fins around their mouths, but these creatures had distinctly Terran features.

As Jade stared at the farm workers in fascination, one of the taller males spotted her floating motionless in the water. He called out to his friends in a series of high-frequency clicks and the dozen humanoids rushed into action, chopping furiously at kelp stalks. That reaction told Jade everything she needed to know about the relationship these creatures had with the Brimorians, piquing her curiosity even further.

Turning in the water, she lashed her tail, quickly swimming away from the farm workers and seeking cover amongst the waving kelp fronds. Her form grew hazy for a moment and she shifted to her aquatic Nymph shape, complete with a set of delicate aquamarine-coloured fins. Satisfied with her choice of appearance, she swam carefully through the undulating vegetation, heading back towards the farm.

Concealed amongst the kelp, Jade studied the workers from a safe distance, watching as they relaxed now that the Brimorian who had unsettled them had swum away. There were actually many more workers there than the dozen she had first spotted. At least forty larger, stronger males were working on stripping the leaves from the kelp trees, while a dozen smaller females gathered the leaves and bundled into nets, before swimming towards a cluster of buildings. The route the females took led them through fields of long seagrass and Jade shot off like a torpedo, rushing ahead through the kelp to intercept the last female to leave.

The females were lithe and slender, their toned figures a testimony to the long hours they clearly spent working on the farm. They were wearing quite revealing aquamarine coloured clothes, the garments little more than short dresses that kept their arms and legs unencumbered. Jade was surprised to see that most of them were clearly expecting, sporting rounded bumps in various stages of pregnancy.

The one that Jade had singled out to speak to was by far the prettiest of the group. She had beautiful feminine features, alluring baby-blue eyes, and a mane of light-green hair that billowed out behind her as she swam closer. The woman's tummy was slim with no visible bump, but Jade was hopeful that if she managed to make friends with this exotic woman, John might be able to help her out with that in the future. There was also something about her bearing that the Nymph knew made her special, but she couldn't quite determine what it was.

Jade waited behind an outcropping of coral until the rest of the mysterious woman's companions had swum past, then swam out from her hiding place, her movements slow and unthreatening. Remembering the high-frequency clicks that the males had used, Jade greeted her in the same way, saying the equivalent of "Hello" as if she were a dolphin.

Looking up in shock, the teal-skinned female gaped at Jade in fright, then prepared to bolt back towards the men working on the kelp.

"Please don't be afraid, I don't mean you any harm!" Jade called out in a rush, holding her hands up in a calming gesture.

The woman froze mid-turn, her head whipping back so she could stare at the Nymph, eyes widening in shock. "You speak the old tongue!"

"My name's Jade," the Nymph said, giving her jittery new acquaintance a gentle reassuring smile. "What are you called?"

The woman seemed torn between her curiosity over this mysterious dark-green stranger and her desire to rush to safety. In the end, curiosity won out. "I'm Helene," she replied, returning the smile tentatively. She darted a worried glance over her shoulder, then continued in a furtive whisper, "How did you come to speak the old tongue? It is forbidden!"

"We're speaking Terran standard," Jade replied, her tone warm and friendly. "I learnt it many years ago."

Her net of kelp leaves forgotten, Helene swam closer, unable to take her eyes off Jade's luscious naked body. "I've never seen anyone like you before... what manner of creature are you?"

"I'm a Nymph," Jade replied, slowly spinning in the water so that the other woman could see the rest of her more clearly. "I've never seen anyone like you before either..."

"I'm of the Abandoned," Helene murmured, thoroughly entranced by this exotic, mysterious, beautiful woman.

*Jade, we're heading back to the ship,* John said, his voice tense. *Do you want to catch a ride on the lifts with us, or do you want to meet us at the landing pad?*

The Nymph mulled it over for a moment, realising she had a long swim ahead of her to return to the city and didn't want to leave her friends waiting. *I'll make my own way back and meet you at the Raptor.*

*I'll look forward to seeing you soon, honey.* John tried to sound upbeat, but she could tell that he was anxious about speaking to Edraele.

Jade turned her attention back to the teal-coloured girl who was studying her in fascination. Giving her an apologetic smile, she said, "It was lovely to meet you, Helene. I wish I could stay longer, but I'm afraid I have to go."

"You have to go? But we only just met!" the aquatic beauty protested, looking very disappointed.

Swimming closer, Jade gave her a friendly kiss on the cheek, much to Helene's astonishment. "I'll try and come back to see you again!" the Nymph exclaimed, before turning and swimming away rapidly, Helene's calls to come back fading away behind her.

***

John was lost in thought as he rose up on the huge platform, the spectacular view of Sequathis little more than a blur of lights to his unfocused gaze. He couldn't believe how badly he'd handled the situation with Edraele. Yes, he'd been really worried about Tashana at the time, but to just let her past slip like that after all those weeks of careful planning... It was no excuse, but the only reason he could think of for his mistake had been the time when Edraele was in cryostasis must have made him complacent about guarding his thoughts.

*You've been trying to juggle private conversations with each of them for a couple of months,* Alyssa said softly. *You can't blame yourself, it was a minefield trying to keep everything under wraps.*

*Yeah, but it's Edraele that stepped on the mine,* John replied glumly, thinking about that kind, lovely woman tormented with guilt for actions she never even committed.

*Everything will turn out alright, just wait and speak to her,* Alyssa said, filling his mind with soothing thoughts.

John tried to resist her at first, guilt making him want to suffer for his mistake, but she blanketed his subconscious in feelings of love and serenity. He closed his eyes and leaned forward, resting his head against the lift's clear wall. He'd been so proud of the way he had helped the Valaden women turn their lives around, working tirelessly with them to try to undo all the horrors they'd suffered. He loved the three of them so much and all he wanted was to reward them with the loving mother-daughter relationship that they'd never had.

Lost in his thoughts, he was surprised when two sets of arms wrapped themselves around him. He didn't need to open his eyes to realise it was Irillith and Tashana, instinctively knowing it was the twins by the way they caressed him. When they felt him tense, they hugged him tighter until he finally relaxed.

"I'm sorry girls, I think I really fucked things up," he admitted, putting an arm around them both.

"We know you'll be able to fix it," Irillith said softly, leaning in to kiss his cheek. "Mother loves you as much as we do."

Tashana nodded, kissing him too. "After all the time the three of us spent together on the Invictus, Edraele will know that I don't blame her for anything. I never felt or expressed any anger towards her, not once! She'll remember that and realise she needs to move on too."

"I really hope so," John said, letting out his breath in a heavy sigh.

The lift crested the ocean's surface and came to a halt in a loading dock on the upper platform, safety doors opening and letting the sea air waft in to greet them. Opening his eyes, John turned as the twins released him and walked over to the rest of the girls who were watching him with concern.

"Sorry if I spoiled the end of the trip," he apologised to Faye and the three Terran girls. "I've just got a lot on my mind at the moment."

Calara shook her head. "We all understand, you don't have to apologise. Besides, you didn't spoil anything, the views from the lift were even more impressive than those from the sub!"

"I'm really glad you enjoyed it," he replied, following the Latina out onto the open platform.

They began to wind their way back to the Raptor, following the maze of gantries around the various-sized landing pads. As was always the way, the return journey seemed to be quicker than the outbound one, and it didn't take long to spot their sparkling white gunship waiting for them just where they'd left it. A holographic version of Faye waved to them from the cockpit and began to lower the forward loading ramp.

*We're nearly back at the Raptor,* John warned his missing Nymph. *Will you be back soon?*

*Not long at all!* she replied, sounding very excited.

There was a quiet splash off to his left and when John glanced that way, he saw Jade darting up the steps from the ocean, her naked body dripping wet. She turned and grinned at him, an excited gleam in her emerald eyes.

"Did you have fun?" he asked as she bounded over to join him.

The Nymph took him by surprise by leaping into his arms with a giggle. "I had the best time! You're not going to believe what I found!"

He looked at her curiously. "What was that?"

Jade studied him for a moment, then traced her finger along his jawline and kissed him on the lips. "I'll tell you all about it later. Make everything right with Edraele first."

He could taste the salt on his lips after her briny kiss. "I'm not sure it's going to be that easy," John replied, frowning with worry despite his efforts to put on a brave face.

***

Luna watched with concern as Edraele paced back and forth in her suite, the House Valaden Matriarch deeply troubled.

"I'm involved, Luna, I just know it," Edraele muttered, and when she glanced at the assassin, fear and guilt were etched plainly across her face.

"You don't know that, not for sure," Luna tried to reassure her lover.

"Why would John keep this from me otherwise? He's clearly trying to spare my feelings..." Edraele's face twisted in anguish. "My daughter was raped and I'm responsible in some way!"

Luna rose to her feet and walked over to the fearful woman. "Stop torturing yourself, Edraele. You know John's busy on Brimor at the moment, but he'll explain everything as soon as he gets a chance. I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding and all will be fine."

Edraele froze, her head tilted to one side as if she were listening. "One moment, Luna," she murmured, holding up a hand in stopping motion. "Alyssa wishes to speak with me."

*I'm not sure everything will be fine,* Alyssa said to Luna, her concerned telepathic voice startling the assassin. *This is going to destroy Edraele unless we can fix it somehow. I know you love her and want to support her, but to do that I'll need to tell you everything that happened. I know you can't reply to me telepathically, so if you want to help, just ask Edraele if she wants a drink.*

Without a moment's hesitation, Luna placed her hand on Edraele's arm. "My love, would you care for something to drink?"

"Yes, that would be nice, thank you," Edraele murmured, thoroughly distracted by whatever Alyssa was telling her.

Luna turned and walked towards the decanter on the table as Alyssa began to tell her Tashana's horrific tale. The former assassin was stunned as she heard all the dreadful details. She knew that Tashana had disappeared for thirteen years, so Luna always wondered what had happened to her, but she never once suspected the awful truth. Alyssa told her everything, recounting the full terrible story of Tashana's years spent being raped and tortured in the Unclaimed Wastes... and her mother's part in her banishment. Luna already knew many of her Matriarch's dirty secrets, but even she was appalled that Edraele would willingly throw her own daughter to the wolves like that.

Alyssa concluded her grim tale, explaining the extraordinary lengths John had gone to in trying to restore and preserve Tashana's sanity, allowing her a chance to recover from her horrific ordeal. Part of that work had included wiping Irillith's and Edraele's memory of the events, to avoid accidentally triggering problems for Tashana. The Terran girl informed her how worried John was that all his painstaking work was now going to come back and bite Edraele, who continued to blame herself for everything that her old personality had done in the past. Luna knew how much Edraele treasured her budding relationship with her daughters, having spoken to her at length about it, and she also realised that finding out what had happened to Tashana would crush Edraele with guilt.