Three Square Meals Ch. 115

*Come through to the rear loading area,* she replied softly.

Leaving his bag in the corridor, John opened the door leading to the cargo compartment at the rear. Alyssa, Calara, Rachel, Sakura, and Helene were all waiting for him there and when he entered, he was quickly enfolded in a tearful group hug.

"Hey, don't get upset, I won't be gone long," he said, doing his best to embrace all the girls at once. "This won't be very different from when I spent time with the Young Matriarchs on Genthalas."

"But you were never far away," Calara protested, squeezing him tight. "If I really started missing you, I always knew the Maliri would welcome me with open arms."

"I don't like being away from any of you either, but it'll be another 13 hours until all the Valia Gate colonists have been treated. If we scout Menganus IV now, it might make all the difference in tracking down the Kirrix if they've run for the border."

She sighed and nodded. "I know it makes sense, but it's still going to be hard."

"I'm going to miss you too, gorgeous," John said, pulling her in for a kiss, the rest of the girls quickly demanding their own. He looked around at them and smiled. "You've been doing an amazing job with the colonists so far. I'm very proud of all of you."

That earned him more hugs until they eventually separated, the girls leaving via the loading ramp so that it was just John and Alyssa left. She looked into his eyes for a long moment, then her lips were brushing against his, her tongue deepening the sensual kiss.

"I'll take care of everything here," she said with a reassuring smile when they parted. "I want you to have fun with Jade and the twins... you need a break from all this."

He frowned and protested, "That's not the reason I'm-"

Alyssa silenced him with another quick kiss. "I know."

He tapped his temple and said, "Stay in touch..."

She gave him a wicked grin. "Oh, you don't have to worry about that; I'll be making sure you don't forget about me..." Turning, she flounced out of the Raptor, pausing only to give him a cheeky wave goodbye.

John laughed and closed the ramp after her, waving to the girls one final time before heading up to the cockpit. Jade was in the pilot's chair, her hands easing back on the flight stick as she pushed the throttle forward. By the time he reached her side, the Raptor had roared out of the Invictus, leaving the settlement known as 47 behind as the gunship raced for the stars.

"Welcome aboard, Master," the Nymph said, smiling at him over her shoulder.

He placed his hand on her dark-green shoulders, massaging her affectionately. "Hey, honey. I see the clothing optional rule has kicked in already..."

Her cat-like eyes twinkled with delight as she arched her back to display her magnificent naked breasts. "Now you can ravish me whenever you feel the urge."

John let his hand drift lower to cup one of those impressive orbs and give it a gentle squeeze. "I'll bear that in mind..."

She purred in approval, then reluctantly tore her adoring gaze away from his face to focus on the flight controls. The Raptor punched through a series of thick cloudbanks and they quickly left Valia Gate's atmosphere behind.

"Have you got the course plotted for Menganus IV?" he asked, studying the Sector Map.

"Faye uploaded Alyssa's flight path for us. It'll take just under four hours, so we should arrive at 2:08 pm," Jade replied, touching a button on the console and projecting their course onto the Sector Map.

John leaned in to get a closer look. "I think we have to assume that the Kirrix left Menganus IV at least a couple of days ago... probably when Alyssa confronted the Hive Mind, but perhaps even earlier."

*I discussed it with Calara to work out the possibilities,* his teenage matriarch informed him an instant later. *There were only 14,000 colonists when the Kirrix attacked and the planet's a dustbowl... there's not much in the way of settlements.*

*Which means the Kirrix would have been able to round everyone up quickly and departed days ago,* John said, nodding as she echoed his thoughts. *So we'll probably encounter the Kirrix fleet returning to the planet to drop off the colonists, or they'll have already reached the border to Kirrix Space if they've decided to keep them.*

*Yep. I figured you'd want to visit Menganus IV first, just to be on the safe side, so I've plotted a route from there directly into Kirrix territory to give you the best chance of catching them. If the not-so-bad Kirrix won, then you'll bump into them returning with the colonists roughly 2 to 6 hours after you leave the planet.*

*And our worst case scenario?* he asked, gazing at the red line marking the border.

*They might have left four days ago, giving them a huge head start,* she explained, sounding troubled. *Fortunately, the Raptor's Tachyon Drive is six times faster, so the absolute latest you'd catch them is in 19 hours, plus 4 more for the flight time from Valia Gate to Menganus IV.*

*Assuming they didn't split up and avoid the most direct return route to Kirrix Space,* John said, his expression turning grim. *If they did...*

*We have zero chance of catching any of them,* Alyssa confirmed for him a moment later.

He looked at the vast territorial border separating the Outer Rim and Kirrix Space. *What about the sensor grid along the border? Any chance we could tap into that and find out that way?*

*Calara did think of that, but the relays are down, so the signal's not getting through to T-Fed command. We could investigate the specific sensors where the Kirrix were most likely to have crossed, access their logs and get confirmation that way,* she suggested after a brief consultation with the Latina.

John's eyes fell on the sensor suite built into an asteroid belt near the most direct crossing point. *Okay, we'll bear that in mind if we can't find any trace of them.*

Turning to kneel on the Pilot's chair, Jade kissed him on the cheek, her lips refreshingly cool against his skin. "If anyone can rescue those colonists, it's us."

He smiled at her and traced a finger along her jawline. "Well, I have absolute faith in our ace pilot to get us there."

John heard the click of heels in the corridor behind him, followed by an exasperated sigh.

"Oh, that's just wonderful," Irillith sneered sarcastically. "We have to put up with this ape pawing us the entire flight..."

Keeping a grin from his face was one of the hardest things John had ever had to do, as he turned to face the belligerent Maliri hacker. The twins stood tall and elegant in the entrance to the cockpit, their snow-white tresses styled up in elaborate hairstyles, and the exquisite beauty of their faces was subtly accentuated by cosmetics. Both wore long, figure-hugging dresses that highlighted their stunning athletic bodies, the slashes in the material at tasteful locations revealing hints of their flawless azure skin. The sight he found most intriguing, was the matching metallic collars that adorned their slender necks.

The twins were absolutely identical, which made telling them apart problematic at times. Fortunately, the sister on the right had a disdainful sneer of contempt twisting her lovely features, letting John hazard a guess as to which one was Irillith. By contrast, Tashana gave him a sparkling smile that lit up her face, accentuating just how radiantly beautiful she was.

Walking over to join them, John circled the sisters, making no attempt to conceal the way he was ogling their figures. "I think I'll be doing far more than pawing..."

Irillith snorted in disgust, while Tashana tried not to laugh, rolling her eyes at her twin's theatrics.

John reached out to lightly brush the backs of his fingers against their gorgeously toned stomachs. "In fact, I see those lovely blue tummies of yours nicely rounded with cum in the very near future."

Tashana made no attempt to hide her delight at the prospect, her smile broadening. Irillith tried to scowl, but the flicker of naked lust in her violet eyes gave her away.

***

Dana studied the three broad holo-screens floating in front of the engineering podium, her sky-blue eyes flicking to each in turn. They displayed outlines of the various tech projects that were currently outstanding, along with all the research notes she had currently compiled. Focusing on the first, she studied it longingly then let out a sigh of frustration.

As much as she desperately wanted to understand how the black Progenitor armour was manufactured, the metallurgical composition was mystifyingly complex. It didn't help that her initial analysis had proved so inconclusive, with her state-of-the-art instrumentation incapable of even identifying all the elements that formed the sinister-looking material. The black metal was proving to be quite the enigma, but that sparked her intellectual curiosity all the more and she longed to crack that code.

She moved onto the next major project, which was as exciting as it was daunting; designing her own variant of the Quantum Flux Cannon so that it could be built using Crystal Alyssium. Dana knew that to be able to use a less resilient material, she'd need to contain the colossal forces within the flux chamber, which would require an unparalleled understanding of the technology. Dana always found working on new weapons to be the most exciting part of her job, but she was concerned that such a project might actually be a waste of her time. If she were ever able to fabricate black metal of her own, then this project would be pointless.

Moving onto the third potential area of research, she glanced through her preliminary notes on creating a psychic communication device. Dana was convinced that the answer lay in an evolution of the Ashanath Psi-shaper, perhaps combined with the range-boosting psychic transmission system they'd discovered in the Kirrix dreadnought. The trick would be to convert a tech schematic into some kind of... psychic wave... which could then be broadcast to another such device. Tapping a finger on her chin she mulled over a few more ideas, including how to actually test it once she'd developed a prototype.

"I'm not sure how I feel about being a lab rat for your experiments," Alyssa said playfully, as she stepped off the loading lift and walked across the workshop, her hands folded behind her back.

Dana turned her way and grinned. "I could make it worth your while... what if I throw in a tasty chunk of cheese?"

"How could I resist an offer like that?" the blonde replied, joining her on the podium. "I just wanted to remind you about speaking to the Karron survivors; Faye said they're up now."

The redhead nodded and deactivated the first two holo-screens, leaving up her notes on the Psi-shaper. "Sure thing. I could use a bit of thinking time before I really get stuck into this anyway."

Alyssa brought her hands around in front of her, revealing a chrome submachine gun. "Recognise this? I took it from Kelli earlier... but I have a feeling it doesn't belong to her."

Dana held the weapon and stared at it for a long moment, slowly turning it in her hands. "I based this on a Katelli R-57 SMG... I added a Baenhauser XF laser targeting scope, an underslung flashlight, and extended the mag," she murmured, lost in her memories. "I remember being so proud when I finished it. But now? It looks so crude and primitive."

"So much has changed since then," Alyssa agreed, stroking the redhead's arm. "But one thing stayed the same. I used to be in awe of my friend Sparks... and I still feel exactly the same way now."

Slipping her arms around the blonde, Dana hugged her tight. "If you hadn't come back for me, I'd be dead right now, raped and murdered by the Kirrix. You always had my back... always."

"I love you, Sparks... always have, always will," Alyssa whispered in her ear, her eyes welling up. "You saved my life a bunch of times back then... I'm glad I was able to return the favour."

"No keeping score, remember?" the redhead said with a choked laugh, her voice thick with emotion.

Pulling back, Alyssa nodded, smiling at her friend. "No keeping score. I think we'd all end up owing John otherwise..."

Dana gave her an impish grin. "That doesn't sound so bad..."

Alyssa didn't react, deeply lost in thought as she gazed away into the distance

Poking a perky breast with her finger, Dana said, "Hey, you were miles away!"

The blonde faked a pout and rubbed her chest. "I was thinking about important Matriarch business."

"Yeah, yeah, I know... you were just daydreaming about John," Dana smirked, ejecting the magazine from the SMG and leaving it on the console. Raising the weapon, she gave it a gunsmith's appraisal, examining the barrel and working parts for wear. "I'll give this back to Tony, unless you have any objections?"

Alyssa shook her head. "I just wondered if you wanted to keep it as a memento, but if you're not bothered, he can have it back."

With a nonchalant shrug, Dana replied, "Nah, I want to put my past behind me. There was only one thing from Karron I want to hang onto." The teenagers shared a warm smile, then Dana skipped down the steps and headed for the door. "I'll see you at dinner. Maybe me, you, Rach, and Callie can hook up tonight?"

"That sounds like a lovely idea, I'll ask them," the blonde agreed, sounding distracted once again. "I need to have a chat with them both anyway..."

***

Governor Lucyna Novitsky watched from across the hangar, as dozens of her fellow Valia Gate colonists listened enraptured to the exotic teal-skinned beauty. She recognised those people, mostly couples in fact, who had all lost children in the Kirrix invasion. While they were moved to tears, it wasn't the anguished sobbing that she'd grown so accustomed to over the last few days, their quiet sorrow had a forlorn air of acceptance to it.

The green-haired girl stopped speaking and the colonists gathered around her, waiting their turn to hug her in gratitude. Lucyna was too far away to hear what they were saying, having maintained a respectful distance to give them their privacy, but there was no mistaking the burden lifted from her people's shoulders.

"What did she say to them?" she whispered to Rachel, who stood quietly beside her.

"Helene lost her own baby several years ago," the tawny-haired brunette replied, her dulcet voice tinged with sadness. "She understands how deep their sense of loss is and can empathise with that grief, having experienced it herself. Listening to her talk is quite moving."

Lucyna darted an anxious glance at the supply trucks where her husband was helping to hand out supplies. She could see he was trying to put on a brave face for the other colonists, but she knew Theo well enough to see how much effort it took for him to force a smile.

Her heart broke to see him trying so hard and she turned back to the young woman who was watching her with concern. "Doctor Voss... can she really help my Theo? He's just so... lost..."

Rachel gave her a reassuring pat on her arm. "We'll let Helene finish speaking with those parents then I'll introduce your husband to her." She glanced to her left and continued, "Please excuse me for a few minutes, there's another group of colonists in need of healing."

Turning to watch the elegant brunette stride away, Lucyna saw one of those purple fairies guiding limping colonists over to the triage area. Faye hovered in the air, her wings moving like a blur as she directed the injured to a series of cots, where they were able to slump down and rest their wounded limbs. Those people had already been treated for egg infestation, their various gunshot injuries making them a higher priority.

After placing her Paragon helmet on the ground, the young woman greeted the assembled colonists with a disarming smile. "Hello everyone. My name is Doctor Voss and as you might have guessed, I'm here to treat the various wounds you've sustained. Now, this won't hurt in the slightest, but I've been told it does tickle a bit, so please don't feel embarrassed if you react accordingly."

Her audience viewed her with a mixture of trepidation and scepticism, which was quickly replaced by shock as Rachel's eyes started to glow with a soft inner light. The misty grey aura spread out to envelop the seated colonists, who looked at it in alarm, a few of them struggling to stand. That ended as they felt a gentle tickling sensation and a number of people couldn't help giggling or bursting out into laughter.

Lucyna watched in fascination as ugly neutron gun wounds closed before her very eyes, the seared skin regaining a healthy tint as all signs of those injuries seemed to melt away. Barely a minute had passed before the healing aura dissipated, by which time every injured person there was staring at the tawny-haired doctor in open-mouthed wonder. Rachel was soon surrounded by grateful people who wanted to express their earnest thanks with hugs or pats on the back.

Waving goodbye to the last of the grateful colonists as Faye ushered them out, Rachel returned to Lucyna and smiled. "It looks like Helene is free now. Let's take your husband to meet her."

The Valia Gate governor nodded, turning to walk towards Theo, who was still handing out nutri-bars and bottles of water. Glancing at the doctor out of the corner of her eye, she quietly marvelled, "I wouldn't have the first clue how to cope with the stress of having a gift like that..."

Rachel looked at her with interest. "What do you mean?"

Lucyna paused, struggling to find the right words. "I dunno... isn't there a huge amount of pressure on you to tour the Federation patching everybody up? I'm surprised someone from the Admiralty hasn't ordered you to go running from world to world, healing everyone you can."

The brunette considered the question for a long moment before answering. "Well first of all, I work for John rather than High Command, so they aren't in a position to order me to do anything. Secondly, as much as I'd love to be able to do something like that, there are strict limits to how many people I can heal before I get exhausted. On planets with populations in the billions, I'd have to be very selective in choosing the people I helped."

"Like all the kids dying from cancer?" the older woman asked, genuinely curious.

"If it came to that, yes, I'd probably have to restrict myself to healing children suffering from terminal diseases." Rachel let out a sad sigh and continued, "However, I also have certain... responsibilities... here on the Invictus, which preclude me from helping people that way. The Lion needs me to heal the Lionesses in battle and if we were to fail a critical mission, many billions of people could die."

Lucyna shook her head. "Jeezus... That sounds even worse! I can't even imagine what having that much responsibility piled on you must be like."

Rachel met her sympathetic gaze and said, "As a planetary governor, surely you must feel similar pressures?"

"Looking after nineteen-thousand isn't like taking care of billions," Lucyna replied dryly. Her face fell as she added, "And I still managed to completely fuck that up."

"There was nothing you could have done to prevent the invasion or protect those children," the brunette said, her voice calm but firm. "Not against such an overwhelming force of alien attackers."

Lucyna's eyes narrowed and she nodded. "No, you're right... the Terran Federation was supposed to have our backs and the Navy just ran away and left us to die!"

Rachel stopped and clasped the older woman's hand. "They were ordered to leave the border by Fleet Admiral Buckingham. If they'd disobeyed, they would have been guilty of treason and could have been shot. I know for a fact that they didn't all follow those orders willingly."

The blonde's shoulders slumped and she nodded dejectedly. "Yeah, I guess you're right; I know the T-Feds are a bunch of tight asses about their rules. I just feel so guilty about what happened... it felt good to be able to blame someone else."