Three Square Meals Ch. 129

Jack waited until she paused for breath and said, "It's good to see you again, Dana. Don't worry, you didn't miss anything; we were just getting drinks."

"Phew!" Dana exclaimed with an exaggerated sigh. "It's great to see you guys too."

"Try this, Sparks," Calara suggested, offering her glass. "I think you'll like it."

After taking a tentative sip, her blue eyes sparkled as she quickly handed it back. "I want one!"

John laughed and poured another cocktail for her, handing the excited teenager the tall-stemmed glass. It was at that moment the twins entered the Officers Lounge, looking gorgeous in their long, elegant dresses. They glided gracefully across the room to join the gathering of friends and family, bright smiles on their exquisite blue faces. Mateo did a double-take when he saw them and even Jack was unable to hide his astonishment at the arrival of these breathtakingly beautiful women. Emily just stared at them, her mouth falling open in awe.

Clearing his throat to get their guests attention, John said, "I'd like to introduce all of you to Irillith and Tashana. As you can see, they're identical twins, but Irillith has her hair up so that you can tell them apart. Ladies, this is Mateo, his girlfriend Emily, and Jack."

"Mateo's my eldest brother," Calara explained, giving him a sideways hug. She then smiled at Jack. "And as I'm sure you already know, this is my father."

"We've heard so much about both of you," Irillith said with a formal bow. "It's an honour to finally meet you in person."

Tashana gave the Fernandez men a warm smile. "Callie really is a credit to your family... and to the entire Terran species for that matter. We're very fond of her."

"Stop, you're making me blush..." Calara protested, waving their compliments away with a laugh.

Mateo tried not to stare at the two exotic beauties, despite being fascinated by their blue skin and snowy-white hair. "I don't think I've seen or heard of your species before. May I ask what planet you're from?"

The twins glanced at John, unsure if they should reveal the truth.

"Jack, Mateo, Emily..." he said, getting their attention. "I'm going to need your solemn promise that you'll keep what we tell you a secret."

While Mateo and Emily readily promised to never say a word, Jack's eyes flashed opened wide as he realised he already knew what was about to be revealed. Calara had told him of John's close alliance with the Maliri and he'd seen the evidence for himself, watching the footage of Lilyana's golden-hulled warships racing to rescue Terra. He'd also never forget the award ceremony when his daughter had received the Stellar Cluster... and he could clearly remember that two of the Lionesses were hidden in full body armour.

"They're Maliri..." he breathed, turning to stare in wonder at the two azure women.

Mateo chuckled and rolled his eyes at Emily. "I never knew my father was a comedian."

John smiled at the sisters and said, "May I present Irillith and Tashana Valaden, daughters of Queen Edraele Valaden... the newly crowned leader of the Maliri Protectorate."

Calara's elder brother gaped at him incredulously and Emily let out a startled squeak, dropping her glass in her shock. It shattered on the floor, spraying sticky red cocktail over her legs, the bar, and her boyfriend.

"Oh god!" she gasped, looking mortified. "I'm so sorry!"

"Ah, don't worry about it," Dana said with a grin. "The cleaning bots will have that mess sorted out in a jiffy."

Sakura gave Emily a sympathetic smile and held out her hand. "Come on, I'll take you back to your quarters so you can change clothes."

Mateo frowned at his spattered trousers. "I think I better join you..."

John gestured to the sofas. "Why don't the rest of you take a seat. Shan, Rill, can I get you a drink?"

They shared a smile then replied together. "A White Russian please."

He quickly made up the vodka, coffee liquor, and cream cocktail, before walking over to join Calara, Dana, Jack, and the twins. The Maliri sisters smiled at him gratefully as he handed over their drinks, then John was faced with the tricky decision of where to sit. The four sofas were arranged in a square, with Calara sitting primly to the right of her father, Dana lounging on the left, and the twins seated opposite Jack. He briefly considered sitting between the twins, which would make face-to-face conversation with his guest easier, but to avoid any awkward questions, he decided to play it safe and sit next to Calara.

Jack was watching him the entire time and noticed the flicker of hesitation as John chose his seat. He already knew about the nature of their relationship and the fact that John hadn't immediately moved to sit next to his fiancée spoke volumes. Jack frowned at that thought, then glanced at the hands of the three other women and bristled when he saw engagement rings adorning their fingers too.

Calara saw her father's rigid posture and his frown of disapproval, and she let out a frustrated sigh. "Why are you acting like this, dad? This can't be a surprise... I already told you we're all sleeping together."

Dana choked on her drink, narrowly avoiding spraying it all over the coffee table. The twins both blushed, their angular eyes opening wide at this unexpected turn in the conversation.

Jack's frown deepened at his daughter's reproachful tone. "Yes, but you declined to mention that they're also engaged to John. You're making a mockery of the sanctity of marriage!"

"Oh, don't you dare lecture me about that!" Calara challenged him indignantly. "I've watched your wedding video; I heard you and mom saying your vows and promising to be faithful to each other. I don't remember any clauses about the two of you having threesomes with Aunt Viv!"

"Callie!" he exclaimed, darting a shamefaced glance at John and the girls.

Calara rolled her eyes. "Dana and the twins don't care, and John found out months ago. You know what Mom's like... she thought it very amusing that I was dating a blonde, pointing out that I was just like my father."

"I need to have a word with your mother..." Jack grumbled, flushing with embarrassment.

Slipping off the sofa, Calara knelt on the floor beside her father and clasped his hand in both of hers. "We all love each other, dad... very much. I tried to explain to you just how intense it is, but we're all connected to John far more intimately than any normal relationship. I already showed you how that changed me, so that now I can see the future." She glanced over her shoulder at the girls. "Please can you give my father a demonstration of what you can do?"

Tashana raised her hand and an alluring flame sprite sprang into existence, cavorting merrily around her palm. Sparking electricity arced over Irillith's fingertips, the sizzling bolts leaping across her slender blue digits. Dana held both hands out in front of her, then a golden-limned singularity rippled into existence between them, creating an insistent gravitational pull until she shut it down.

Jack had been prepared to see something remarkable, but the casual display of psychic mastery still left him reeling. "I-I don't know what to say..."

Calara gently squeezed his hand. "You wanted openness and honesty between us... well here it is: We're all lovers and we're all engaged to John. When the Progenitor War is finally over, we plan to retire in Maliri Space together and start a big family."

Amongst all the shocks Jack had experienced that evening, finding out that his daughter was planning to permanently move hundreds of light years away was the worst of all.

"But we'll never see you!" he protested, his face falling in anguish. "Your mother will be heartbroken if she can't see her grandchildren!"

"Ah, don't worry about that," Dana said, giving him a reassuring smile. "I'll have cracked the Wormhole Generator long before then. Calara will be popping back to visit you all the time."

"Wormhole Generator?" he asked, looking bewildered.

"Yeah, I swiped the schematics off Larn'kelnar's dreadnought after we killed that asshole," she blithely explained, before wincing at swearing in front of Calara's father. "Err... I mean, after we killed the Progenitor who was stirring up all the sh-... all the trouble."

"The Progenitor is dead?!" Jack exclaimed, gaping at his daughter, then at John, before going back to Calara again. "I thought you were anticipating a protracted war against him?"

"I was," she quietly replied. "Larn'kelnar underestimated us and ambushed the Invictus to capture John... it was a fatal mistake."

"But you just mentioned a Progenitor War; isn't that over with now if the Progenitor is dead?"

"There's dozens more of them," John replied, looking at his stunned father-in-law with sympathy. "I was planning to update you on recent events... but not like this."

"Sorry, dad," Calara said, giving him an apologetic smile. "I just get defensive when it comes to John and the girls. I didn't mean to club you over the head with everything."

Jack slumped back in his chair and let out his breath. "Well you've started now, so you might as well give me a proper briefing."

"Let's wait until Mateo and Emily have gone to bed... then we'll tell you everything you want to know," John promised, making eye contact with Calara's father. "It makes sense to hold on until Alyssa and the rest of the girls are back anyway."

Nodding his agreement, Jack glanced down at his hand, which was still being held by Calara. It reminded him of holding her when she was a young girl, his daughter gazing up at him and looking for reassurance. Studying Calara now, she still had that same familiar need in her expressive brown eyes.

Swallowing around the lump in his throat, he gently caressed her cheek. "I'm sorry I upset you, Callie. I love you... and I just want to protect my precious little girl."

She gave him a beautiful smile in return. "I love you too, dad."

A moment later the doors opened and Sakura led her two guests back into the Officers' Lounge, Mateo and Emily wearing fresh sets of clothing. They stepped aside to make way for the cleaning robots, who had already cleaned up the spilt cocktail, their efforts having gone unnoticed in the heated exchanges.

"Disaster averted," Mateo said jovially, as he returned to the bar to get a fresh drink for himself and Emily. "So... did we miss anything?"

***

Alyssa smiled as she heard her girlfriend's laughter over their telepathic bond, a very welcome relief after the rather tense confrontation between father and daughter.

*That could have been awkward,* Jade noted, making eye contact with her fellow matriarch across the meeting hall. *It was lucky Maria was so open with us about her marriage. Apparently Jack looked stunned when Calara revealed that she knew all about his penchant for blondes.*

*Luck had nothing to do with it,* Alyssa said, a look of admiration on her face. *Maria's normally very discreet, so I always wondered why she revealed something so personal about her marriage. After she realised that Calara was in a relationship with me and John, she wanted to pre-emptively prevent any serious arguments about it. If Jack reacted badly to finding out the truth about us, Calara could just point out that she wasn't doing anything different to her parents.*

*Maria's very clever,* the Nymph agreed, as she continued to direct a queue of wounded personnel to the healing area. *It's no wonder that John likes her so much.*

*He does like the smart ones...* Alyssa said with a wry smile, glancing across the meeting hall towards the bustling throng of people and seeking out Rachel. *How's the healing going, gorgeous?*

The Angel of Terra was swathed in a misty shroud, the ephemeral aura blanketing scores of wounded as she glided through their midst. Alyssa could hear the shocked gasps all the way across the room, as the brunette healed a multitude of severe injuries simultaneously.

*I'm making good progress,* Rachel replied, pausing by a wounded marine to rejuvenate an ugly neutron blast that had badly disfigured his features. *I should be finished within the hour.*

*It looks like you have an audience,* Alyssa noted, studying the group of senior officers who were watching the process in astonishment. She recognised Admiral Zelig in the group and smiled at the look of awe on his face. *You seem to be making quite the impression.*

*The Admiral spoke to me a few minutes ago; he was looking for you,* the brunette replied, nodding with satisfaction as she finished regenerating the soldier's ravaged features. *I didn't mention it earlier, because I assumed you overheard our conversation.*

*I did... I'm just making him wait a bit because he gave John a hard time,* Alyssa explained, darting a mischievous grin at her friend.

Rachel tried not to laugh and managed to keep a straight face. *I think he regrets it. You should probably talk to him.*

*Yeah, well watching you and Helene work will be a helpful reminder that we aren't just bloodthirsty vigilantes,* Alyssa said, turning to watch the aquatic girl.

Helene was surrounded by a seated crowd of crying colonists, the bereaved couples embracing each other as they listened to the mermaid's heartbreaking tale of loss. While she spoke, waves of soothing psychic energy swept over the crowd, gently easing their anguish with her empathic ability. One of the single women had been gazing at the Abandoned girl through tear-filled eyes and she got up to give the aquatic beauty a hug, the outpouring of shared grief becoming too much for her to bear alone.

Pausing her address to the crowd, Helene wrapped her teal-hued arms around the weeping brunette in a sincere gesture of sympathy. Unmindful of their audience, the teal Lioness whispered comforting words in the young woman's ear, while fortifying the bereaved parent to help her cope with her loss. In less than thirty seconds, the grieving colonist's wretched sobs had stilled, and she pulled back to look at Helene in wonder.

"I must confess... when I first heard that the Lionesses were gracing us with their presence, I was sceptical that you could help us," a genteel man murmured beside Alyssa. "But she's so eloquent; I've never been so moved by listening to someone speak before."

"Helene's got a big heart and she really cares about people," Alyssa replied, turning to face the stranger. She studied the handsome middle-aged man, taking note of his well-tailored suit. "Sorry, I didn't catch your name, Governor...?"

"Hansen... Bryce Hansen," he replied, holding out his hand.

Alyssa shook it and was surprised at how soft his skin was. "It's nice to meet you, Bryce."

He lifted her hand to his lips with a flourish. "The pleasure's mine, Lioness. It's not often we're blessed to have such an exceptionally beautiful young lady visit us here at Tasmaris Prime. Might I be so bold as to ask your name?"

"I suspect you already know who I am," Alyssa replied with a wry smile, having heard the Governor ask Betrixa who was in charge only five minutes earlier.

"Ah, guilty as charged... Alyssa," he said, flashing her a charming grin. "I just didn't want to be presumptuous and start bandying your name about without a proper introduction."

Raising an eyebrow, Alyssa said, "Forgive me for saying this, Bryce, but you're not really what I expected for an Outer Rim Governor."

"You were expecting someone a little more rough around the edges?"

"Let's just say that you don't really strike me as a rugged frontiersman," she replied, giving him an astute look. "I think it's fair to say that you weren't born here?"

"That would be a fair assumption to make," he agreed, his blue eyes glinting with amusement. "I actually emigrated to Tasmaris Prime decades ago. I had a very lucrative career as a professional paramour on Terra, until an unfortunate misunderstanding precipitated my rapid departure."

"Ah... a jealous husband caught you en flagrante with his wife?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Sadly, the lady in question lied about her marital status before she engaged my services. I'd established lucrative arrangements with a score of wealthy widows and divorcees to avoid exactly that kind of problem," the governor said with regret. He looked away as he remembered the distant past. "I bought a one-way ticket for the far-reaches of the Outer Rim and ended up on Tasmaris Prime... where I joined the colony administration as a clerk and discovered I had a talent for cutting through Federation bureaucracy. When the old governor was killed in the reactor explosion, I threw my hat into the ring."

"Gigolo to Governor... quite the impressive journey," Alyssa said without judgement.

"I don't normally share the details of my murky history with strangers, but I seem to be in a particularly forthcoming mood this evening," Bryce said, looking surprised at himself.

Alyssa glanced at her teal-hued companion who was accepting hugs from more of the grateful crowd. "Listening to Helene can have that effect on people."

The governor studied the statuesque blonde in fascination. "You don't seem remotely shocked by my story, Alyssa."

She turned her piercing cerulean gaze towards him. "Governor... Lioness... heady heights from where we both started out, Bryce."

Unlike Alyssa's unfazed response, Bryce looked stunned... and horrified. "But you're so young!" he protested in a hushed whisper.

"I'm eighteen," Alyssa murmured, breaking eye contact and looking away. "It's been four years."

He swallowed thickly, his eyes filled with compassion. "I feel compelled to give you a platonic hug. Would that be objectionable?"

She reached out to touch his arm in gratitude. "Not objectionable... but I am engaged, so I'll politely decline. Thank you for the offer though, it means a lot."

Bryce nodded his understanding, then they stood quietly together, watching Helene warmly greeting the next group of grieving parents.

Alyssa glanced at the governor out of the corner of her eye. "I assume you came looking for me for a reason. Is there something I can help you with?"

He darted a furtive glance towards the group of Terran Federation officers, making sure that they weren't close enough to overhear the conversation. "I've heard plenty of rumours about the Lion and his Lionesses liberating the rest of the colonies from the Kirrix... and that you've inflicted horrific losses on their fleets. Is that true? Are the Kirrix no longer a threat?"

"As long as there's any of them left alive, they'll still be a threat," Alyssa replied, her expression turning bleak. "But we have broken the back of their forces... and what's left are tearing each other apart in a civil war. It'll be decades before the Kirrix can rebuild all the ships they lost and even think about mounting another invasion."

"If we were attacked... would the Lion intervene to protect us?" Bryce asked, awaiting her response with a strange intensity.

Alyssa studied him for a long moment, carefully considering her answer.

"That's a strange thing to ask, considering you have a huge T-Fed border fleet in orbit," she noted quietly, before darting a pointed glance at the Terran Federation officers. "Are you really worried about an attack from the Kirrix... or someone else?"

He pulled back, a sudden flicker of fear sweeping over his face. "The Kirrix... obviously."

She raised an eyebrow, knowing the real reason he was asking. "Obviously... because why would a loyal colony like Tasmaris Prime be worried about a reprisal from High Command?"

Bryce leaned forward again, a pleading note to his voice as he begged, "Listen, just forget I said anyth-"

"Yes, we would protect you," Alyssa interrupted him.

He looked at her in surprise, then sighed with relief as the tension eased from his body. It only took a moment for a new light of inspiration to flicker to life in his eyes. "Thank you."