Three Square Meals Ch. 047

The docking bays at the spaceport seemed to be fairly quiet, with only a couple of armoured guards standing at their posts. Unlike the ones at Geniya Space Station, who had ignored John and the girls completely, the ones here on the Maliri planet watched them intently. When John followed Irillith out into the main terminal complex, they saw several unarmoured Maliri women, who stopped what they were doing, and stared at John and Alyssa in open-mouthed amazement.

*The locals definitely aren't used to seeing strangers,* John noted.

Alyssa nodded slightly and replied, *That's what it looks like. Maybe we really are the first non-Maliri to visit here.*

They left the terminal, and Irillith led them towards some kind of market square. An open air market was in full swing, with traders selling stands full of exotic looking fruits, vegetables, meats and fish. There were many more Maliri women here, who all stopped to gape at them, as John and Alyssa hurried after their uncommunicative guide.

John darted a few glances at the Maliri women as they passed them by, and they all seemed to be of a broadly similar physical appearance; fairly tall compared to a Terran woman, with slim and graceful figures. They all wore their dark hair cut short, and long figure-hugging dresses seemed to be the current trend for Maliri fashion in the city. There were a few young children accompanying their mothers around the market, and the group of little girls and a couple of small boys stopped the games they were playing, to watch the strange Terran tourists excitedly.

Irillith seemed to be in no mood to stop and chat, or point out the sights, and she strolled briskly straight across the market area, making a beeline for a flowing golden tower. She rushed them into a lobby area, startling a few Maliri women as she breezed past them. Irillith showed some kind of metallic disc to a beautiful blue-skinned woman behind a desk, and she ushered them through.

"Thank you," John said to the woman politely. He flashed her a warm smile, and she looked surprised, then smiled back at him warily.

*They are hot, I'll give them that,* Alyssa noted dryly. *What do you think? Want one for the collection?*

John glanced at her with a smile on his lips, and trying not to laugh, he replied, *I think you might have a job convincing one of them to sign up with the Mael'nerak.*

They followed Irillith into a small bright room, and a clear crystal door rotated down from the ceiling. The floor flashed for a moment, and then began to descend, and John smiled as he realised it was an elevator. The room stopped a moment later, and the moment the door spun upwards, Irillith darted out. John realised they were in some kind of underground parking facility, which had the capacity for a huge number of vehicles, but was only about a quarter full. Their ill-tempered Maliri guide pressed the disc in her hand, and a glowing line lit up on the ceiling, which led directly to her vehicle. Irillith strode over to the bright red sporty looking hover-car purposefully, and the bubble canopy opened smoothly and quietly.

"Get in," she told them brusquely, and she climbed into the vehicle, sitting in the front behind a semicircular steering wheel.

They climbed into the seats at the back of the vehicle, and Irillith lowered the crystal canopy once they were safely inside. Seconds later, they glided swiftly and silently away, racing up a ramp towards the exit. Irillith seemed to like driving at speed, and they shot out of the parking facility, and onto one of the broad roads. She seemed to know exactly where she was going, and took a number of rapid turns, taking them away from the Spaceport.

John and Alyssa watched silently out the windows, looking at the Maliri as they went about their business. Now that the blue-skinned women weren't aware of their exotic visitors, it gave the two of them an opportunity to see what the Maliri were normally up to.

*I haven't seen a fat, skinny, or ugly Maliri yet,* Alyssa marvelled. *The genetic modifications that Rachel mentioned must have been pretty comprehensive.*

John nodded, having noticed no end of very attractive blue-skinned alien women himself, but something was nagging at him. *Have you noticed the way they walk?* he asked Alyssa pointedly.

She turned and frowned at him, then replied *The way they walk? What do you mean?*

He noticed a group of three Maliri women walking past them on the sidewalk and said, *See those three over there? They move like they're hunting someone. Constantly wary, looking out for danger.*

Alyssa nodded, seeing what he meant and replied, *Yes, or like they're being hunted...*

They drove along silently for a while longer, admiring the light and airy architecture of the city. Suddenly the piercing sound of an agonised scream reached them, even inside the moving vehicle. John and Alyssa exchanged startled glances, but when they heard the blood-curdling shriek a second time, they scanned to the left of the hover-car where the horrible noise had originated from. A third heart wrenching cry filled the air, and they both spotted the source at the same instant.

A Maliri woman was lashed to a golden metallic device that looked like some kind of stocks. Behind her, another blue-skinned woman raised back her arm, unravelling a long, flickering coil of a whip. She brought it down on the restrained woman's exposed back, and the prisoner contorted in agony, screaming out with the pain. A small crowd of Maliri women watched disinterestedly, but no one seemed to particularly care, let alone raise a finger to stop it.

"Irillith!" John exclaimed sharply. "That woman's being tortured! What could she have possibly done to deserve that?" he asked disapprovingly.

His firm tone snapped her out of her distracted reverie, and she glanced to the left, looking up at a digital banner that sported several Maliri sigils. She chuckled with amusement, and said, "She got caught stealing data from a government official, so she's serving fifty lashes with a neural whip."

John looked disquieted and said, "You have public floggings for theft?"

Irillith snorted with laughter and shook her head, "No, of course not! The fool's being whipped by her instructor, for being clumsy enough to get caught."

This proclamation was met with shocked surprise by John and Alyssa. After a long moment, he asked her perceptively, "Have you ever received a similar punishment?"

The blue-skinned woman nodded, shrugging offhandedly as she replied, "Yes a couple of times, but I never made the same mistake again."

He glanced over at Alyssa, who looked back at him grimly as her sombre thoughts formed in his mind, *I'm starting to see how Irillith grew into the charming woman she is today.*

They drove onwards, with the woman's intermittent screams receding behind them. Further sightseeing seemed to have lost its appeal, so Alyssa reached out her hand, to slip it into John's and squeezed his fingers gently. He glanced her way, and smiled at her reassuringly, and she returned the look.

It took another five minutes of driving in the fast and responsive hover-car to reach the palace. It was an imposing structure, set upon a small hill, that meant it overlooked the rest of the entirely flat city. The palace itself was tall and majestic, the design full of imposing arches, and flowing, graceful lines. It was surrounded by a defensive wall, the perimeter manned by dozens of guards in the small section around the main gate. The long weapon barrels of defensive laser emplacements were evenly placed around the wall, with clear crystal cupolas for the guards manning the gun turrets.

Irillith drove up to the main entrance, that led under an arched gatehouse. She slowed the sporty hover-car to a halt, and one of the Maliri guards walked over to meet her. The guard seemed to recognise her instantly, and with a quick nod, waved them through. Irillith drove them around the back of the huge palace, and then turned abruptly and raced down a ramp leading to an underground parking facility. She found a parking spot near the elevators, and swung the vehicle into position and came to an abrupt halt, with the practiced ease of someone who had performed that same manoeuvre hundreds of times.

Without a word she opened the canopy and climbed out, and then strode away to the gilded entrances to the elevators. The golden armoured guards there nodded to her respectfully when she stopped by the open crystal door, but Irillith ignored them, and bridled with impatience as she waited for John and Alyssa to catch up.

*The sooner we can ditch our lovely guide the better,* Alyssa said, narrowing her eyes as she glanced at the Maliri woman.

John deliberately slowed his pace, as he walked with Alyssa over to the elevator, and said, *Hopefully, we only have to put up with her for a few minutes longer, but I'm getting tired of being rushed around.*

Irillith ground her teeth with anger, and stormed into the elevator, tapping her foot while they took their time about walking in after her, nodding to the guards courteously. The crystal door spun down and the elevator started to rise, ascending silently through several levels. When the door opened upwards again, they followed closely behind Irillith as she walked out without pause, and they found themselves in a broad hallway that led to a large foyer area.

Unlike the rest of the city, which seemed fairly sparsely populated, the palace complex seemed to be bustling. There were dozens of Maliri women here, going about their business in the high vaulted hallway, and the sounds of numerous animated conversations filled the air. In-between the fluted columns that lined the hallway, long banners hung from the ceiling, showing a heart insignia covered by two crossed blades.

When they emerged from the elevator without warning, a Maliri woman took a detour to avoid walking into them. She suddenly let out a shocked gasp when she saw the aliens in their midst, and she dropped the holographic scheduling device she had been holding in her hand. It clattered to the floor loudly, drawing glances from the dozens of other Maliri walking through the hallway, and the sound of startled intakes of breath flowed across the room like a gust of wind.

There was deathly silence through the room, and Irillith turned to the other two and said impatiently, "Hurry up, we're nearly there."

They sauntered across the hallway after her, watched by dozens of sets of eyes, and Alyssa thought to John, *This is creeping me out! They're all staring at us like we're three headed-monsters or something.*

John thought back to her, *If the men run the border stations, then most of these women have probably never seen anyone from a different species before. Having us just pitch up on their homeworld must be a hell of a shock.*

*I think the sooner we're done with the Maliri, the better,* Alyssa replied adamantly.

He glanced her way and nodded imperceptibly. *Don't worry, we'll be on our way as soon as we can,* he said firmly.

They approached a reception desk at the end of the long hall, that guarded the entrance to a series of elevators in a courtyard beyond. The staff at the reception desk glanced at Irillith's stormy expression, and waved them through without pause, while watching the Terrans with fascination. Irillith led them into another elevator, which rose up through a dozen more levels, before the door opened to reveal a small, well furnished waiting area. Lilting music played through the room, and a slim and beautiful Maliri woman sat behind a desk and watched them warily.

John immediately noticed that there were several turreted weapons in the room, all pointing towards the door of the elevator. Irillith didn't seem concerned in the slightest, and she breezed past the woman at the desk, and strode through some big double doors on the other side of the room.

He followed after her, eyeing the long-barrelled elegant looking weapons, and thought to his blonde companion, *Dana would have a field day with those.*

Alyssa seemed relieved as she replied, *I don't think our secret agent would be too effective here. Her special powers of persuasion only seem to work on the Maliri men. I'm just glad she's safely back on the ship.*

On the other side was a small plaza area, with a clear crystal dome overhead letting in the bright light from the bluish-white sun. Irillith led them across the small park in the centre, complete with manicured lawns and delicate fountains, and towards their destination. All around this plaza were ornate entrances, to what must have been important locations, because the large doorways were all flanked by vigilant armoured guards.

The imposing looking entrance directly opposite the way they came in, was much grander than the rest, with the insignia of House Valaden embossed on the twenty-foot high doors. "These are my mother's private quarters," Irillith told them brusquely, and she walked inside ignoring the guards.

John and Alyssa shared a glance, feeling a strange mixture of curiosity and wariness, as they followed Irillith into the suite beyond. After a short entrance hallway, was a large square room, covered by a clear crystal dome. A broad path led around the edge of the room, and in the centre, down a couple of steps, were a number of chaise lounge style chairs clustered together around a low table.

Standing beside one of the chairs was a beautiful, elegant woman, who bore more than a striking resemblance to Irillith. She was wearing a long purple gown, that clung alluringly to her shapely figure, and she wore a delicate diadem atop her head of short, dark hair. She looked up as they walked down the steps to approach her, and she smiled at them warmly in welcome.

Irillith turned to John and said, "May I introduce my mother, Matriarch Edraele Valaden."

"You must be Commodore John Blake," the woman said pleasantly. "My daughter has told me so much about you. It's wonderful to meet you at last."

This beautiful, friendly woman was nothing like the kind of person that John had anticipated meeting, not after Ceraden's dire warnings. If he had to guess Edraele's age on appearance alone, he would have said she looked to be early thirties if she were a Terran woman, but knowing how long-lived the Maliri were, he realised she must have been much older. She shared the same delicate features and angular eyes of all the Maliri he had met, and her purple eyes were a touch darker in colour than Irillith's.

He smiled back at her, and said, "Thank you for agreeing to meet with us. I greatly appreciate your invitation to your homeworld, and the opportunity to trade with your people." He turned to look at Alyssa and said, "This is Alyssa Marant, my second-in-command."

"Welcome to my home, both of you," Edraele said, flashing them a brilliant smile that lit up her face. She then turned towards Irillith and requested politely, "Irillith, please would you bring us some refreshments?"

Irillith had been watching her mother in shock at her totally uncharacteristic behaviour, but she quickly got herself under control. "Yes mother, at once," she replied obediently, before turning and leaving through a side door.

Edraele gestured to one of the chaise lounges and said, "Please sit, both of you."

John and Alyssa sat down on the curved backed double-seat, and John said politely, "This planet is very beautiful. You must be proud of the cities your people have built, the way they merge seamlessly with the parks, and the spacious nature of all the architecture."

Edraele inclined her head as she acknowledged his compliment, and said, "I have never ventured beyond my house's systems, so I freely admit I am not well-versed in Terran architecture and design. I thank you for your kind words however."

"The other three habitable worlds in this system look like wonderful places to live too!" Alyssa gushed chirpily. "Were they recently terraformed? They look pristine!"

Edraele glanced over at Alyssa appraisingly, and replied with a smile, "No, they have always been that way. House Valaden has been very fortunate to have four such planets within our home system, and we endeavour to take great care of the worlds in our possession."

John nodded his understanding, then asked cautiously, "Did Irillith explain why I wanted to meet with you?"

Edraele nodded, and smiled benevolently as she replied, "She said that you had expressed an interest in purchasing Maliri weaponry. I'm sure you've been made aware that trading such powerful ship armaments to non-Maliri is a capital crime amongst my people?"

He nodded and said, "Yes, we have been told this. However, we've also been told that the Matriarchs form the ruling body of the Maliri, and that you're the most powerful of them all. It's been suggested that you have sufficient authority to make an exception in this case."

Edraele smiled, and her lovely musical laughter echoed around the room. "The way you say it, is as though I would be making an exception for some poor starving child caught stealing a loaf of bread for his meal," she said with amusement.

"Is that what I am? A poor starving child stealing the Maliri's bread?" John said with a wry smile.

She frowned and shook her head as she said apologetically, "I'm sorry if I caused any offence, that was never my intent. I merely wished to provide a metaphor, but it seems my choice of wording was ill-judged."

John shrugged and said, "Don't worry about it, I wasn't offended. So making an exception, and letting us acquire samples of your ship weaponry is a big deal. I can understand that. Under what circumstances would you be able to make an exception?"

Edraele smiled at him, and studied him carefully for a moment. She was about to reply, when Irillith walked back into the room with a tray floating behind her. It held several glasses, and an ornate decanter, filled with a rich purple-coloured liquid. She walked down the steps to join them, and then brought the tray down to float silently between them.

"Thank you, Irillith," Edraele said, smiling at her warmly, and she reached out to pour some of the purple liquid into the glasses, then carefully placed the decanter on the table beside her.

She saw John and Alyssa watching her somewhat warily, and she smiled as she picked up one of the glasses and took a small sip. She closed her eyes and sighed contentedly, before opening them and saying, "This is a rare vintage of Tialanth wine that is made here on Valaden. It should be quite safe for you to drink, if you're feeling thirsty."

John took one of the glasses and inhaled the fragrance experimentally. It had the aroma of some luscious summer fruit, and he was tempted to take a drink, but Ceraden's warnings echoed in his mind, and he moved to place the glass back on the tray.

Edraele watched his trepidation with amusement and said, "I have no desire to see you harmed. On the contrary, I wish to see you in the best of health. You asked what the circumstances might be in which I would make an exception. I would be willing to do so, if you were to perform a task for me."

John frowned, and looked annoyed as he said, "I think I've had my fill of tasks for the moment. I didn't appreciate being tricked into helping wipe out the Fulmanax."

Edraele looked at him with a shocked expression, genuine confusion in her eyes, as she asked, "I hadn't heard about this. What happened?"

John considered himself a reasonable judge of character, and in his estimation, the Maliri Matriarch was either telling the truth, or she was the most accomplished liar he had ever met. He paused for a moment before he replied, "Irillith told us that to meet you, we needed to complete a task for her. We were supposed to be helping her place a sonic device in the Fulmanax nest, which would scare them away, and allow us to retrieve data from a research facility. There was no facility, and the sonic device was a bomb that incinerated them all."