Three Square Meals Ch. 042

"How about weapons or armour?" the blonde asked him as they walked over to join the others at the grav-tube.

John looked thoughtful for a moment and then said, "The Maliri won't tolerate any fighting on their territory, so we shouldn't need any. I've never actually tried carrying a weapon there before, so I'm not sure if it's even allowed."

Alyssa nodded agreeably, and replied, "I'll defer to your experience then. It was just a precaution."

John glanced at the figure hugging garments the girls were wearing and said wryly, "I don't think those outfits leave many options for concealing a weapon anyway."

Dana linked her arm around Jade's and bumped shoulders with her. "Jade's our concealed weapon!" she said enthusiastically, and the Nymph laughed while nodding.

They descended in the red glow of the grav-tube, and then strolled down the corridor to the airlock. Calara was in the lead, so she placed her hand on the DNA reader by the airlock door. The light swiped past the scanner and then flashed green as it matched her DNA with the list of authorised users, and the outer airlock door spiralled open. A refreshing breeze wafted through the portal, and everyone took in a deep breath, filling their lungs with wonderfully clean, crisp air.

Dana's eyes lit up with excitement. "I've got to take a look at their oxygen filtration systems! The air in this place reminds me of Jericho," she said, remembering the similar high quality air on Calara's home planet.

John winked at her, and said, "I'll see what I can arrange. I have to admit, breathing air this fine would be a fantastic upgrade to the ship."

They all filed out through the airlock, which Alyssa closed behind her, as she was the last person to exit the ship. The interior of the Docking Bay wasn't quite as ostentatious as the exterior, but the walls were still a bright metallic silver, with heavy gold ornamentation on the support buttresses and around the doorframes. Two guards stood at the entrance to the actual facility itself, and they nodded at John and waved him and his retinue through as they approached.

As they walked past, Dana darted a quick glance at the sleek laser rifles that the guards held, and sighed wistfully, as she wondered if the Maliri might let her have a quick peek. Guessing the likely answer, and not wanting to cause any trouble, she walked briskly to catch up with the others as they strolled through the doorway.

The corridor leading out from the Docking Bay had a high ceiling, with a transparent crystalline window that ran the entire length, providing an excellent view of the stars overhead. This section of the spaceport was quiet and empty, but as they reached the end of the corridor, they could hear the bustle of activity coming from the room beyond. After striding through the large doorway, they found themselves on a long, curving gallery, that overlooked a thriving merchant district.

The girls darted forward eagerly, then leant against the balcony, looking out at the hundreds of aliens gathered below. They stared and pointed at the really unusually shaped ones, while trying to be discreet and not too raucous about it. Numerous Maliri were dotted through the crowd, either merchants themselves, or guards on patrol, reminding everyone of their presence in the trade district.

*This reminds me of our first trip to Port Heracles,* Alyssa thought to him happily, as she leaned over the balcony to drink in the amazing sights before them.

John walked up behind her, and watched over her shoulder, looking to see what had drawn her attention. *At least you can stare to your heart's content from up here,* he teased her playfully, remembering his warning to her about being too obvious about it.

Rachel and Dana walked up to them and flanked him, looking up at his face eagerly. "Can you tell us what all these species are, please?" they asked him sweetly.

He laughed and nodded, and they clapped excitedly, before leaning out over the balcony once again. Dana spotted a couple of diminutive Ashanath walking through the crowds, standing out with their shiny silver jumpsuits and large bulbous heads, and she pointed them out to Rachel.

Alyssa looked startled for a moment, and then turned to grin at John. "The Ashanath just said, 'Warm greetings to you JohnBlake, and to your most curvaceous companions'," she informed him with some amusement.

He laughed, and shook his head. "It seems our fame precedes us. Please pass on my best wishes to them as well," he requested with a smile.

Rachel looked puzzled, and asked, "How could they know you were up here? I didn't see them look up at all."

"The Ashanath are powerful psychics," Alyssa explained. "Perhaps they sensed we were up here?"

They then returned their attention to the aliens below, and John began to identify them for the inquisitive girls.

"That's a Slarmian," he said, nodding towards a bizarre looking creature that looked somewhat like a mottled green eel, but had two pairs of arms. It was raised up, standing about seven feet tall, and looked like the letter 'S' as it slithered across the plaza below.

A trio of black carapaced insectoid creatures scuttled over to the Slarmian on eight sturdy legs, and began to have a heated discussion, clicking their forelimbs in the air in annoyance. "What are they?" Rachel asked him in amazement.

John tilted his head to the side as he studied the creatures. "Bract merchants from way out past Trankaran Space I think. I'm not quite so good at recognising insectoid species," he admitted.

The girls pointed out a wide variety of alien creatures, and John dutifully identified each species, as the unknowing aliens went about their business. From a squat looking mollusc, with five eyes at the end of long stalks, to a thin, feathered avian species, which had a blunt beak and numerous dextrous looking talons at the end of its several short arms and wings; he named every unique species that the girls could spot.

"Hey, that's a Bolon isn't it?" Alyssa asked him, nodding her head towards the familiar dark green gelatinous blob that she saw squelching from merchant to merchant, examining their catalogues of goods. It was followed by a couple of robotic porters that carried numerous boxes in their arms.

John followed her look and nodded when he spotted the creature. "Well remembered," he said with a smile, recalling her first encounter with one months before.

*Hello!* Alyssa thought to the viscous, jelly-like creature. *How are you today?*

The Bolon paused, turned slightly, and then seemed to jump a little. Without a face of any kind, it was quite hard for Alyssa to tell which way the creature was looking, or what kind of emotions it was feeling.

*My apologies, bright one, I was absorbed in my browsing. Pleasant greetings to you as well. May I be of assistance to you on this splendid morning?* The Bolon thought to her in its kind, melodic voice.

*No, I'm fine thanks! I met a Bolon on Port Heracles, and he was very nice. I just wanted to say, 'Hi',* she said to the alien in a friendly tone.

The Bolon seemed to think a smile to her and said, *You seem very nice as well, bright one. If you'll forgive me, I must return to my business, but I hope you have a lovely day!*

Alyssa sent him a mental wave goodbye, copying the technique that the Bolon had used with her, before focusing her attention on her friends once more.

Rachel had been tapping her index finger on her chin, as she pondered something, and John smiled when he noticed her copying one of Dana's mannerisms. "There actually aren't that many mammalian humanoid species, are there?" the tawny haired girl observed thoughtfully.

John glanced about below, then thought about the vast array of species he had studied, in the hunt for information about his father. "Yes, you're right. There are a few more which I haven't spotted below us at the moment, but life in the galaxy seems to be pretty diverse," he replied, nodding in agreement.

"How fascinating," she replied, looking distracted as she was lost in thought.

The novelty of seeing so many exotic aliens seemed to be wearing off a little, and the girls had started to talk amongst themselves, rather than staring in awe at each new species. John sensed it was time to move, and stepped away from the balcony.

"Unless any of you have any pressing business you'd like to attend to first, let's head over to Ceraden's offices," he suggested, eager to get things rolling.

The girls waited patiently, with none of them requesting any urgent diversions, so John turned to his left, and started to walk around the long gallery. Alyssa joined him at his side, slipping her hand through his, and then beamed a sparkling smile at him when he turned to look at her.

"You seem happy," he observed, returning her smile.

She looked up at him and nodded. "I was just thinking that I would never have been able to see amazing things like this if we'd never met," she said appreciatively, as she walked beside him.

"You were a smart and resourceful girl," John replied sincerely. "I think you'd still have had some fun adventures if you hadn't met me."

Alyssa smiled at him indulgently, but she knew full well the brutal realities of life a girl on her own could face, with no friends and no money. She squeezed his hand again, marvelling at just how lucky she had been.

It took them about ten minutes to walk completely around the gallery until they reached the end of the long merchant district. John led them down a broad set of steps, and then they weaved through the throng of alien merchants as they walked over to the entrance to the Maliri Trading Commission. The area behind them had been set aside for all alien races to set up stalls to barter their wares, but the area they were walking into now was reserved for the various Maliri merchants themselves.

The main foyer area was huge, and relatively peaceful after the chaotic gathering behind them. Trees and flower gardens were spaced evenly around the massive room, and fully armoured Maliri civilians went about their business, while armed Maliri guards stood to attention around the walls. There were lots of elaborate glass frontage areas along each wall, with long cloth banners in various bright colours hanging down from the ceiling.

John looked around for a moment, and spotted a crimson banner with an elaborate sigil on it, over on the far side of the room. "Ceraden's offices are over there," he told them, pointing it out clearly to his companions.

They followed after him as he walked purposefully in that direction, but he stopped abruptly when he heard Dana call out, "Rachel, are you okay?"

He looked back and saw that the brunette was staring in fascination at a large group of Maliri, who were gathered together chatting amiably on the other side of a small park. John walked over to join her, and she watched transfixed as the group of Maliri walked away. She then turned and began carefully studying another group of Maliri that were walking across the reception area.

John reached out and gently placed his hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump in surprise, then look up at him and flush with embarrassment. "What's the matter, Rachel?" he asked her curiously. "We lost you there for a minute," he added with a friendly smile.

She glanced back at the Maliri again, then leaned in towards him conspiratorially. "The Maliri... they're all male!" she whispered to him furtively.

The other girls had gathered around them, and had overheard her quiet observation.

"How can you tell that?" Jade asked curiously. "Is it because the armour doesn't have..." and she mimed comically large breasts.

The girls giggled, Rachel included, before she shook her head. "Female humanoid mammals typically have a larger hip-to-waist ratio than men, to aid with childbirth. This changes the gait, so that a man walks differently to a woman. Unless the Maliri are in fact a secret army of robots, I'm sure that every Maliri we've seen has been male. Even the posture of these stationary soldiers. All male," she stated with conviction.

"Perhaps the Maliri like to keep their women at home, barefoot and pregnant?" Alyssa joked, grinning at the brunette.

Rachel pondered this a moment, and nodded. "You might be right, it could be cultural. It was just something interesting I noticed, sorry to hold you guys up," she said apologetically.

John offered her his hand, and she smiled at him gratefully as she accepted, and they walked hand-in-hand across the reception area. It took a couple of minutes to reach the other side of the huge room, and the girls looked impressed when they arrived at Ceraden's "offices".

John led them through the wide crystalline entranceway, and the lobby interior had a number of elaborate fountains spaced around, the water tinkling musically. The floors were made of some kind of polished stone that looked to have been pristinely fitted, with the striations in the stone flowing smoothly across the large room, and the joins between slabs were completely invisible. A Maliri in intricate gold and red armour was studying a holographic interface, and he turned to greet them when they walked towards him.

"John! It's wonderful to see you! I received a call from Traffic letting me know you were on your way, and I've been on tenterhooks ever since. How long has it been?" the Maliri asked, sounding overjoyed as he held out his hand to clasp John's in a firm handshake.

John grinned at the armoured man, and exclaimed, "It's great to see you too Ceraden! At least six months since I saw you last I think. Did you manage to shift those Cagfish?"

Ceraden doubled over with laughter. "That was such a sweet deal! Even if those damnable creatures stank up my warehouse! I had a buyer all lined up, but he... backed out... at the last minute. I managed to hunt around, and then found someone desperate for a shipment for an ambassador's reception. I doubled my profit in a stroke!" the Maliri said with glee.

"Very nice, you must have made a fortune," John said, nodding appreciatively, and smiling at his friend's success.

Ceraden glanced at the girls and tilted his head to the side as he turned to look at John again. "You seem to have expanded your crew somewhat since we last spoke. And there's me thinking you were a lone wolf!" he said, teasing him gently.

John grinned self-consciously, then turned to the girls and said, "Ceraden, please let me introduce Alyssa, Calara, Dana, Jade, and Rachel. Lady Luck's been smiling on me recently too, and the girls help me crew my new ship."

"Ah yes, Commodore John Blake and the assault cruiser Invictus," Ceraden said with some amusement. "Not bad, for someone who was supposed to have retired from the military a decade ago."

"How did you...?" John blurted, looking startled.

Ceraden wagged a finger in his direction, "Come, come, John. You should know better than to ask me something like that," he said, and it was easy to visualise the Maliri's smirk, even behind the armoured helmet.

Rachel took advantage of the opportunity to stand that close to a Maliri, and studied the alien curiously. The gold and red armour he wore was elegant and form fitting, studded with a myriad of extremely valuable glimmering gemstones, making the suit worth a small fortune. Ceraden himself stood at about five foot ten inches in his armoured boots, so with Rachel wearing high heels, she actually looked down on him slightly. The Maliri was obviously of a slim build, but other than that, he could well have been a Terran with an Ectomorph body type.

Ceraden waved them over to some double doors that seemed to suddenly appear out of the wall, and had begun to open smoothly. "It's a pleasure to meet you all, ladies," he said to the girls graciously. "Why don't we go and relax somewhere a little more comfortable?"

The girls nodded, and followed after John and Ceraden as they strolled down a long corridor with a clear crystal ceiling. They passed a few doors to their left and right, before a set of double doors began to open up in front of them, further down the corridor to the left. John walked through the doors after Ceraden, and the large room contained a number of comfortable looking sofas, and an ornate desk against the far wall.

There was another armoured Maliri sitting behind the desk, fully absorbed in whatever it was looking at. The Maliri ignored them completely as they all trooped into the room, and Ceraden held out his hand invitingly, gesturing for John and the girls to sit down. He then strode over to the desk, and he seemed to bristle with anger as he looked down at the seated Maliri.

"Irillith, I have guests. Could you use another room, please," he requested in a civil tone, but it was obviously a struggle.

The seated Maliri snorted with contempt, and then rose gracefully, picking up a sinister looking black device from the desk as it stood. When the Maliri, Irillith, walked around the desk and finally looked up at them, she suddenly stumbled, gasping in shock. The black device she held in her hand tumbled from her fingertips and crashed to the floor, shattering into dozens of pieces. Irillith staggered backwards clutching at the desk for support, before she got a hold of herself, and sprinted from the room, abandoning the wrecked device that lay smashed on the floor.

Rachel nodded with satisfaction. "That was definitely a female," she whispered to Dana, who was sitting next to her.

Ceraden heaved a sigh, and then slumped in the recently vacated chair. "Sorry about that," he said wearily. "She can be a real bitch."