Three Square Meals Ch. 097

"I'm sorry, John," Tashana said, holding him close.

"This is for the best," Irillith murmured, wrapping her arms around John from behind. "Our mother needs to know the truth..."

Tashana nodded her agreement. "It was incredibly painful for Irillith to find out, but our relationship has grown even stronger now, because she knows I've forgiven her."

"Yeah, but I wanted to be there for Edraele in person!" John exclaimed, frowning at himself in anger for letting it slip. "You don't know how much she keeps torturing herself over everything that the old Edraele did..."

Tashana gave him a tender kiss to draw his attention again. "Why didn't you tell her during the rendezvous?" she asked, studying him intently.

John let out a heavy sigh. "She was just so happy... with me, with both of you, and everything that was happening with the Young Matriarchs. I'd never seen her so elated before and I loved seeing her that way; I didn't want to ruin that for her and leave her wracked with guilt."

Irillith hugged him close and leaned over to kiss his cheek. "Don't worry. You'll know what to say to make it all better... you always do."

"I hope so..." he said, not relishing the upcoming conversation one bit.

The Brimorian engine merchant cleared his throat in irritation. "Are you interested in seeing our latest models?" he asked insistently, hoping to move the Terran and his strange blue-skinned females away from his booth.

"No. We're leaving," John snapped, moving away from the vendor with his arms around the twins.

He'd only just turned around and stepped off the tiled floor of the booth when he found himself face-to-face with Faye and the three Terran girls. They were all watching him with concern, all well aware of what had just happened.

"I'm sorry, John," Calara said, stepping forward to caress his cheek. "I'm afraid I've got more bad news."

"What's the problem?" he asked, giving her a smile. Unfortunately, it looked more weary than encouraging as he'd hoped.

"We left you to talk to Tashana and had a scout around for the ship shield vendor. There isn't one... We asked around and the alien traders confirmed that the Brimorian government has banned the sale of all shield technology to non-Brimorians," she explained, giving him a rueful frown. "The ban went into effect three months ago and it put all the shield generator merchants out of business."

"Well I guess that's the end of that then," John said, feeling a surge of disappointment. He paused for a moment, seeing the worried expressions on the girls' faces. Taking a deep breath, he continued, "I don't know about you ladies, but I've had enough of the market. Let's go find somewhere we can get a drink and decide what to do next."

His companions nodded, their moods lifting when they saw John start to relax. He led them out of the Trade Bazaar and along a couple of tiled streets until he found the place he was looking for, his smile broadening when he saw it was still in business. In a small side-dome was a cafe that he'd visited on his last trip, consisting of a dozen tables surrounded by illuminated rock pools, exotic fish swimming lazily amongst the colourful coral. They passed the information kiosk at the gated entrance and walked over to a vacant table, borrowing a couple of chairs so that all seven of them could sit together.

A Brimorian waiter walked over to join them, his scales shimmering as he drew near. "Hello, honoured guests. Would you care for something to drink? Perhaps something to eat?"

They ordered some of the fruit cocktails that the waiter assured them was made from fruit freshly imported just that morning. When the rainbow-hued drinks arrived, everyone found them pleasant enough and the girls relaxed to watch the sights and listen to the sounds of Sequathis. John was lost in thought, desperately trying to think of the best way to tell Edraele that she'd exiled her own daughter to the Unclaimed Wastes, subjecting Tashana to a decade of horrific rape and torture. He pondered whether he should also throw in the fact that she'd had Tashana chipped, just in case she needed a test subject for any really dangerous potential treatments for the brain tumour Edraele had been so frantic to cure...

Calara reached across the table to clasp his hand. "John, I have a suggestion..."

He gave her an apologetic smile. "Sorry, honey, I was miles away. What's on your mind?"

"Why not reach out to the Brimorian government?" Calara proposed, leaning forward intently. "We could suggest some kind of tech trade for their shield technology."

"Are you sure that's wise?" Sakura interjected, glancing around to make sure they weren't being overheard. "The Brimorians don't seem to like us very much. I don't think we want to be giving them any of our technology."

John mulled it over for a moment, then nodded to the Latina. "I think it's a sensible plan. Even if the Brimorians aren't too happy with the Terrans at the moment, perhaps a limited tech-trade might soothe tensions a bit." He grimaced then added, "Unfortunately shield tech is basically military tech and they're going to want their pound of flesh in return."

"How can we get in touch with them?" Sakura asked curiously.

"There's a diplomatic ministry building four-hundred-metres to the south-west," Irillith informed them a moment later, her voice sounding strangely distant. "We should be able to make contact with an ambassador there."

John turned to thank her for the detailed response, assuming that the Maliri girl had noticed the embassy as they walked through the adjacent dome. It came as a shock when he saw her angular eyes glowing with a soft violet radiance. "Irillith... what are you up to?"

"Just having a little look around," she replied, her full lips quirking into a smile. "Whoever wrote the security protocols for that information kiosk did a very sloppy job..."

He glanced around the cafe and then out through the tunnel into the next dome, but everything seemed peaceful and no alarms had been raised. "Are you sure you're safe snooping around like that?"

Irillith blinked a couple of times then gave him her full focus. "Absolutely. Compared to the Progenitor-tech cyber-realm security that Faye and I set up, the Brimorian security was constructed by rank amateurs. Even a regular Maliri hacker would be running amok in less than five minutes, if she managed to get her hands on an open terminal like that. I broke their firewall in a couple of seconds."

"Well let's not push our luck while we're unarmed and unarmoured," he said with a smile, before glancing around the table at everyone's empty glasses. "If you ladies are done, shall we go speak to someone at the ministry and make enquiries?"

No one objected, so they rose from the chairs and left the cafe, John paying their bill and leaving a decent tip with the waiter before they left. It wasn't far to get to the ministry and they reached the impressively ornate-looking building after five minutes of navigating their way through the Brimorian pedestrians. Unfortunately, the unfriendly looks John and the girls received from the civilians, was nothing compared to the dark glower sent their way by the armoured Brimorian officer leading the guards by the imposing entrance.

"Looks like someone isn't too keen on Terrans," Sakura murmured, standing close to John. "How do you want to play this?"

"Hang back here and keep an eye on the girls, I'll just go and say hello, then ask to speak to an ambassador," he replied with a shrug. "The worst they can do is tell me 'no'."

"That's not the worst they could do..." the Asian girl replied, looking anxiously at the well-armed squad.

He paused and studied the guards. "I suppose not, but I doubt they'd try anything too brazen. Terran merchants are still admitted into the Brimorian Enclave, it'd be a bold move to openly attack me."

John could feel a sudden rush of cold wash over him and he saw that motes of frost were drifting down from Sakura's clenched fists.

"Be careful," she whispered. "Just glance my way if you need me."

John crossed the street and started walking up the sweeping staircase that led to the entrance of the diplomatic ministry. He smiled at the guards as he neared and said, "Good morning. I'd like to speak to a diplomat of some kind if possible please, perhaps an ambassador?"

The Brimorian officer scowled at him now, making no effort to conceal his distaste. "Your kind aren't welcome here, Terran," he snapped, baring rows of sharp teeth in a sneer of contempt. "You defile our homeworld with your mere presence!"

Pausing a half-dozen steps away from the Brimorian officer and the six guards that flanked him, John appraised them for a moment, trying to figure out the best way to handle the situation. "I certainly didn't mean to cause any offence. I know the Enclave has had trouble with the Terran Federation in the past, but I'm not actually a Terran." Turning he pointed to his ears. "You see? I'm from a different species."

The officer curled his lip in disgust. "You still look like a Terran to me. Just because your whore of a mother spread her legs for some rutting beast and spawned a mongrel bastard, doesn't mean we're letting half-breeds in either."

The guards beside the officer chuckled at his crude jibe, but John wasn't aware of that, his ears rushing with the surge of rage that threatened to overpower him. His eyes went cold as he gathered his will, getting ready to start the killing. He'd take out the guards quickly with a razor-edged wave of force, then take his time with the officer...

*JOHN! SNAP OUT OF IT!* Alyssa yelled, her voice cutting through his fury. *You and the girls have got no gear and you're in the centre of an unfriendly city!*

John blinked in surprise, shocked that he'd let his temper flare up so dramatically. When he focused on the Brimorians again, he saw they were cringing away from him in fear, the cowering officer's eyes filled with dread. He didn't need telepathy to know that they were all now acutely aware of their own mortality.

"Tell your leaders that John Blake came calling. I'll be in orbit for another three hours if they want to talk, then I'm leaving."

With that he turned and stalked away, allowing himself a grim smile of satisfaction as he heard one of the Brimorians running full-tilt into the building. He crossed the road to the girls, who were all watching him with wide eyes. They hurried to fall into step with him as they started walking back towards the docks.

"John, your eyes are glowing!" Faye exclaimed, staring at him with a shocked expression on her face.

"That bastard really pissed me off..." John said, before taking a deep breath and forcing himself to centre himself and relax. Letting go of his gathered will, he started to calm down. "Sorry about that."

"You're really worried about Edraele, aren't you?" Rachel said softly, slipping her hand into his. "I've not seen you on edge like this before."

He nodded, glad to be holding her hand. "I love her, and I hate how she always ends up suffering for someone else's mistakes... usually mine."

"It'll be okay," Rachel said, her voice kind and sympathetic. "She really loves you too. You'll be able to make her understand that she shouldn't blame herself for what happened to Tashana."

"I hope so," John replied, with a heavy sigh.

Irillith caught up with him, moving to his left and walking close by. "When we return to the Invictus, there's another way we can acquire their military-grade shield tech," she informed him, speaking in nothing more than a faint whisper that he had to strain to hear even with his sharp ears.

"Can you cover your tracks?" he murmured back, glancing her way.

The confidence shone through in her sparkling smile. "Absolutely. I'll be like a ghost."

The Brimorian's barbs about his mother still ringing in his ears, John met her excited gaze. "Fuck them... grab whatever you can."

Irillith grinned at him as she nodded, a gleam of anticipation in her angular violet eyes.

***

It had been incredibly easy for Jade to slip out of the city in disguise. She'd wandered away from the main streets until she found a narrow, darkened alley, located between what appeared to be two currently unoccupied buildings. Jade entered in her Nymph form and left a minute later as a scaly Brimorian female, her tail swinging from side to side with every claw-footed step. The admiring glances from all the males she passed had been amusing and the amphibians seemed particularly taken with her long, elegant aquamarine fins.

Following the overhead tube system had led her to a junction point, with entrances to the building just off the boulevard. She had managed to slide into one of the tubes without any objections, then surged along in the flow of water as it took her to the outer edge of the dome. Once she was outside, she just glided along with the current, admiring the beautiful view of the fluorescent city and drifting towards the outskirts of Sequathis.

The spectacular domes that housed the commercial and administrative parts of the city were certainly very impressive, but Jade found herself intrigued by the residential districts. They circled the central part of the city for miles and while they weren't quite so imposing, they still possessed a unique beauty of their own. The Brimorians had built their homes into the reefs, with pale coral growing around each of the residences, while well-maintained gardens of colourful anemones waved back and forth in the gentle currents.

Jade revelled in the water rushing past her shimmering scaled body, glorying in the open freedom of the ocean. With a flick of her tail, she pushed faster through the water, finding the Brimorian form to be quick, strong, and agile. The creatures swimming around her were fascinating, from bizarre vertical squids that gathered in writhing shoals, to titanic predators that dwarfed anything she had seen on Oceanus. She watched one of those colossal beasts cruising past, studying its vast form with a critical eye, while wondering how difficult it would be to change shape into something so enormous.

Following in that behemoth's wake for a while, she was sorely tempted to make the attempt, but reluctantly decided against it. Something of that size could hardly be considered inconspicuous and she was supposed to be keeping a low profile. Thoughts of being on her best behaviour for John made her smile, but that was wiped away a moment later when she heard his mental anguish at having inadvertently revealed Tashana's troubled past to Edraele.

Worried about her master, she stopped following the huge aquatic creature, kicking lazily against the current to hold position as she got her bearings. Jade realised she had drifted far from the city, with tall forests of pale-yellow kelp undulating from side to side on the seabed. The rows of kelp were far too orderly to have grown naturally like that, and she knew she must be floating above some kind of farm. She spotted movement amongst the waving fronds, her sharp eyes picking out teal-coloured forms between the rows of vegetation.

Dismissing them as Brimorian agricultural workers, she was just about to swim back to Sequathis when one of the workers glided into view. Jade froze and watched the worker in fascination for a couple of minutes. With a strong lash of her tail Jade launched herself through the water, but instead of swimming back towards the city, she dived down towards the seabed. She swam closer towards the teal-skinned humanoid sorting through the kelp leaves, with only one question on her mind: Why didn't that Brimorian have any scales?