Three Square Meals Ch. 129

***

Edraele nodded to the House Loraleth guards, who bowed respectfully as she entered Kali's personal quarters, with Luna following close behind. Walking through the lounge without pause, the Maliri Queen swept along the corridor towards the bedroom. When the door opened before her, she found Leena and Kali lying naked on the bed, the House Loraleth matriarch gently stroking her friend's toned stomach.

"Hello, ladies," Edraele greeted them with a warm smile. "You two look very cosy... I hope I'm not interrupting?"

Leena stretched languidly and let out a contented sigh. "Kali's been making such a fuss over me. It's been quite delightful."

"Would you object to more company?" Edraele asked, sitting down beside them.

Kali smiled and beckoned her over. "Of course not!" She glanced at the assassin, "You're welcome to join us too, Luna!"

The yellow-eyed bodyguard demurred with a polite smile. "There's not enough room around Leena's tummy for three. I'm happy to watch... and imagine myself in her condition."

Kali giggled and smiled affectionately at Leena. "What do you think I've been doing for the last couple of hours?"

Slipping off her dress, Edraele joined her friends on the bed, her purple eyes drawn to Leena's trim abdomen. She leaned down to lay her head on the young woman's belly, then placed a reverent kiss on the enticing plane of flawless azure skin.

"You're so fortunate, Leena," Edraele crooned, nimble fingers tracing a circle around her navel. "It must be wonderful, knowing that you have John's baby growing inside you..."

Kali joined her queen in kissing Leena's exposed midriff. "Just imagine John's face when your tummy start to swell... He's going to be thrilled!"

The House Ghilwen matriarch moaned as she ran her hands through their hair, relishing their gentle kisses and caresses.

Edraele gazed into Kali's indigo eyes from a few inches away. "You must be so excited, knowing that soon you'll be pregnant with your first child."

"I can hardly wait!" Kali gushed, a look of almost rapturous joy on her face.

Stroking her cheek, Edraele murmured, "I wish you'd share your thoughts with me... I'd love to know what you're thinking."

Blinking in surprise, Kali blurted out, "Oh no! I forgot that I shut you out. I'm so sorry, Edraele!"

"Shh... that's quite alright," she said, her voice calm and soothing. "I didn't want to pry, but I am curious why you blocked me?"

Kali blushed with embarrassment. "I went to meet with Sarinia again," she confessed, struggling to meet Edraele's concerned gaze. "After the last time we met, I thought we'd really started to become friends... but she didn't show up. I just didn't want to burden you with all my worrying."

The young Maliri girl looked pensive as she continued, "I waited for hours... but there was no sign of Sarinia. I've started making enquiries to find out if she's alright, but no one has seen her today. I do know that she definitely hasn't left Genthalas, but I'm worried that her mother might have done something horrible, like torture Sarinia again with a neural whip!"

"Calm yourself, Kali," Edraele said, gently stroking her arm. "I wish you'd asked for my help, rather than fretting about Sarinia all evening. I know for a fact that your friend is safe and well, unharmed by Gaenna Baelora."

"Oh that's wonderful news! I was so worried about her!" Kali gushed, looking hugely relieved. "Where is she at the moment? I'd really like to speak to Sarinia again before her mother tries to send her back to their homeworld."

"Sarinia is confined to her quarters at present... and will remain there until John returns to Genthalas," Edraele quietly replied. "She will not be returning to Baelora for the foreseeable future."

"Thank you for telling me, Edraele." Kali sat bolt upright, a look of determination in her eyes. "I'm not afraid of Gaenna Baelora! I'll go and speak to Sarinia this evening to check she's alright."

Edraele raised herself up from her nubile pillow, then slowly shook her head. "Kali... I'm going to have to ask you to stay away from Sarinia for the next few days."

"All I want to do is talk to her... there's no harm in that," Kali said plaintively. "I certainly won't be in any danger with my bodyguards nearby."

"I'll explain everything when John comes home. Until then, I want you to promise me that you won't attempt to see or even speak with Sarinia Baelora."

"But why?" Kali protested, confusion written across her beautiful face.

Edraele let out a heavy sigh. "Kali... you're a very bright and resourceful woman. You have the connections and the ingenuity to find out the answer for yourself, but I'm asking you as your friend and someone who loves you, to keep your distance from Sarinia for just a few days. Will you do that for me... please?"

Shaken by her mentor's sombre tone, Kali nodded. "I promise... I won't try to contact Sarinia."

Clasping her hand, Edraele smiled. "You're such a good girl. Thank you."

*What's the reason for this, Edraele?* Leena asked, sitting up and looking at her matriarch with concern. *I've never seen you act this way before.*

*There's been an... incident... involving the older matriarchs,* Edraele announced to Leena, Valani, Nyrelle, and Tsarra. *I'd like the four of you to focus on running your own Houses for the time being and make no attempt to initiate contact with the other matriarchs. As I just said to Kali, I promise that I'll explain everything when John returns. None of you are in any danger and there is no threat to any of your fleets... I'm simply taking precautions to protect Kali from finding out some unfortunate news.*

*I'll do as you ask,* Leena replied, her expression alight with curiosity. *Even though I'm dying to know what this big secret is.*

The other three Young Matriarchs echoed her promise, agreeing to Edraele's request.

*Thank you, my darlings,* Edraele said gratefully to her youthful wards. Including all of her inner circle in the telepathic conversation, she continued, *Now, as we have no other pressing business to attend to, might I suggest we all turn in for the night? All this talk of John's imminent return has me in the mood to celebrate. I think we should savour our last few evenings together, before our attention is focused... elsewhere.*

Leena, Kali, and Luna all blushed an alluring indigo, knowing exactly who they'd be obsessing over in just three days time.

Edraele caressed Leena's flushed cheek, a wistful smile teasing her lips. *Rachel was right, my Lord... 'knocked-up Maliri blue' really is quite the enchanting colour.*

***

John was listening with interest as Mateo talked about his transfer to the Terra Defence Fleet, so Edraele's interruption caught him by surprise. *What was that, Edraele?*

*Oh, just Leena blushing at the thought of you returning to us; she's positively glowing with her pregnancy,* the Maliri Queen explained, an unmistakeable undercurrent of arousal to her sultry voice. *I can't wait to see all the Young Matriarchs proudly showing off their baby-bumps... I know Kali is eager to join their ranks.*

*Ah... this isn't really the best time for that kind of discussion,* he said, darting a guilty look at Jack. Fortunately, his future father-in-law was focused on the conversation between his children.

*Understood, my Lord,* she replied, before there was a lengthy pause. *John, I'm with Kali at the moment. She's started asking questions about Sarinia's disappearance.*

*Damn... that was quick,* he muttered with a worried frown.

*They'd previously arranged a meeting for today, so Kali became concerned when there was no sign of Sarinia. I reassured Kali that her friend is fine and requested that she avoid all further contact until you return home. She was curious why, but reluctantly agreed to do as I ask.*

*We'll get back to you as quickly as possible,* John said, grimacing at the latest delay. *Are you able to keep her distracted until then?*

*I shall do my best. I've just organised an orgy with your harem of beautiful Maliri maidens; if we give Kali enough orgasms, hopefully she'll be too exhausted to let her curiosity stir up any trouble. I'll try not to moan too loudly, my Lord...*

John bit his lip to stop himself groaning at that thrilling image of debauchery. *You're a naughty girl, Edraele.*

He shifted uncomfortably, but managed to discreetly adjust his trousers without being noticed, much to the playful matriarch's amusement.

"Do you know which ship you're being transferred to?" Calara asked her brother, before taking a sip of her drink.

"It's the Odin's Thunderbolt!" Mateo enthused, barely able to contain his pride. "I never imagined I'd be the Senior Navigator on a dreadnought."

"I thought all the dreadnoughts got shot to bits in the Battle of Terra?" Dana asked, darting a quizzical glance at Calara.

The Latina shook her head, her expression turning grim. "The Odin was Weber's command ship and he spent most of his time skulking near the rear of the battle lines. The Shiva was destroyed, and the Thor took significant damage, but the Odin escaped largely unscathed."

"It's undergoing a refit for the next couple of weeks," Mateo explained animatedly. "New engines, power cores, FTL drives... it'll be one of the most powerful ships in the Federation Navy when they're finished!"

"Who's your new C.O.?" John asked, finishing his drink.

"I'll be reporting to Commodore Torres, but the Odin's been designated as Admiral Aerie Malone's new Command Ship."

"She's a good officer," Calara said with a nod of approval. "Malone's battle group took a real pounding against the Kintark, but she managed to hold the line long enough for me to send the Maliri to assist them."

"I still can't believe my little sister was ordering admirals around," Mateo said, shaking his head.

Irillith's full lips curled up into a wicked smile. "We've still got all the Invictus' battle recordings. You can listen to Calara give the Admiralty a stern dressing-down if you like?"

"Oh, I've got to watch that!" Mateo exclaimed, grinning at his sister.

"Irillith..." Calara complained, looking mortified.

Jack reached over to give his daughter a reassuring pat on the knee. "I'd be interested in seeing you in action too."

Calara blushed, then reluctantly nodded her agreement. "Oh alright, but I don't think I can listen to it... I'll be too embarrassed."

John rose to his feet and offered her a hand. "In that case, you can help me make a fresh round of drinks."

She smiled at him gratefully as she intertwined her fingers with his. "I'm definitely going to need another one..."

They walked over to the bar and Calara groaned when she heard Irillith announce that she'd found the footage taken from the Combat Bridge during the Battle of Terra. Soon Calara's authoritative voice rang out across the Officers' Lounge, their guests spellbound by the captivating video being played on a holo-screen.

"You're on blending duty," John said, handing her a pack of frozen strawberries.

"At least the blender will drown that out," she said, giving him a self-conscious smile.

He leaned closer and whispered in her ear, "They're proud of you, honey... nearly as much as I am."

That earned him a loving kiss, before Calara took great delight in starting up the noisy blender. She grinned at the flurry of protests it triggered from the group at the sofas, but relented after a few seconds and switched it off.

*How's everything going, beautiful?* John asked Alyssa. *Are the girls nearly done?*

*We shouldn't be too much longer,* she quickly replied. *I know we're in a hurry, but I'm glad we came down here... it's been an interesting trip.*

*I take it you've been making a good impression on the Tasmaris Prime colonists?* he asked, knowing that was a foregone conclusion.

*They all think that Rachel and Helene are amazing... but that's not what I was referring to,* she replied cryptically. *I'll tell you all about it later.*

*Okay... hurry back.*

***

Alyssa watched Helene counselling the final group of bereaved colonists and knew she'd be ready to depart in a matter of minutes. Rachel had already healed the bulk of the wounded and was expending the last of her energy reserves on regenerating missing limbs, elevating the looks of awe she was receiving to ones of stunned adulation. Deciding that she'd made Admiral Zelig wait long enough, Alyssa turned on her heel and strode through the milling crowds to reach the cluster of Terran Federation officers.

"I believe you're looking for me, Nathan?" she asked the older admiral.

He tore his fascinated gaze away from Rachel, then gave the blonde a grateful smile. "If you can spare a few moments, I would like to speak with you. I wasn't sure if I'd still get the chance before you returned to the Invictus."

"Sorry about the wait... I thought you should see Helene and Rachel in action before we had a chat," Alyssa replied, giving him a coy smile.

Zelig looked at her in surprise, then chuckled as he shook his head. "I must admit, I'm not used to being kept waiting... but my rank doesn't mean much to you does it?"

"Not so much, no," Alyssa blithely admitted, before nodding towards the exit. "Let's go to the Raptor... we'll have some privacy there and we can talk freely."

*Jade, can you watch Helene and Rachel please,* she asked the Nymph.

*I'll keep Helene company. My sisters will make sure no harm comes to Rachel,* the green skinned girl replied, waving at Alyssa as she passed by.

Zelig fell into step beside the statuesque blonde, darting the occasional curious glance at Alyssa as they left the meeting hall. The building was located in the primary starport, chosen specifically to make it easy for the fleet to bring grieving colonists and wounded personnel for treatment by the Lionesses. There was only a short walk to the Raptor, which they'd left parked on a landing pad close to the entrance. Alyssa used the remote in her jacket to lower the gunship's forward loading ramp, then guided the admiral inside, closing the hydraulic doorway behind them.

He followed her into the grav-tube, then wobbled unsteadily as they floated up in the blue anti-gravity field. "How remarkable!"

"Beats waiting for a lift," Alyssa said, leading him into the cockpit and gesturing to the chairs. "Take a seat, Nathan."

Sitting opposite her, Admiral Zelig studied the beautiful teenager. "You're not very happy with me at the moment, are you?"

"No, not really," she replied, frowning as she crossed her arms over her chest. "After our little chat a fortnight ago, I thought you might start to see things differently."

He deflated and gave her a rueful look. "I do appreciate how kind and understanding you were about everything that happened in my past. I must admit, you alleviated a lot of my guilt over what I did to my wife's ex-husband... but I can't just abandon my principles because it makes me feel better about myself."

"Well, you've seen what Rachel and Helene have been doing for the last couple of weeks. Do you still think we're all a bunch of bloodthirsty vigilantes?" Alyssa asked, a challenging edge to her voice.

Zelig gave her a pained look. "I never meant to make any of you feel like I was denigrating your accomplishments. The Lion and his Lionesses have saved millions of lives; there's no questioning your heroism or compassion."

Alyssa raised an eyebrow. "But you still gave John a hard time about vigilante justice. He's got much more important stuff to deal with than guilt-trips about assholes like Weber."

"But what you did to that man was beyond the pale!" Zelig objected, grimacing as he remembered those tortured screams of anguish.

"I gave Weber the karmic justice he deserved," she replied, her eyes narrowing dangerously. "And I'm going to do a lot worse to the fuckers that tried to kill my girlfriend's mom..."

He shook his head, worry in his eyes. "It's a slippery slope, Alyssa. Eventually, you'll become like the tyrants you've been fighting against."

"I disagree," she replied, meeting his gaze with a level one of her own. "It's not like we're going around slaughtering innocent people. Everyone I've killed has deserved it: vicious rapists, brutal murderers, vile sadistic bastards that get off on torturing people... the galaxy is a much better place without them in it."

"Once you've crossed that line, it'll get easier to do so again and again... with ever weaker justifications," Zelig warned her, his expression troubled. "The kind of power you have must be intoxicating and the temptation to eliminate anyone who proves to be an obstacle will only get stronger."

"Oh, I've been very good at resisting temptation so far," Alyssa replied, giving him a wry smile. "Admiral Caldwell can be a colossal pain in the ass, but he's still breathing."

Zelig leaned forward and asked earnestly, "Yes, but for how much longer?"

She sighed and shook her head. "Caldwell's concerned that John is a threat to humanity and attempting to take control of the Terran Federation. The man's misguided... not evil. Unless Edwin turns into a bad guy, I won't touch him."

"This is what concerns me though. You seem to see the universe in black and white terms... but life is more nuanced than that. There are mitigating circumstances that need to be carefully considered by an impartial court before justice can be dispensed."

Alyssa looked at him strangely for a moment, then burst into laughter.

"We're talking about life and death here, Alyssa... this isn't a laughing matter," he said, giving her a disapproving frown.

"Sorry, I couldn't help it," she replied, trying not to giggle. "You don't seriously believe the justice system is impartial?!"

"Well... in an ideal world, it should be."

"But I'm talking about the cold hard reality of justice in the Terran Federation. Law enforcement can be bought, threatened, or blackmailed... and that happens ALL the time on the Outer Rim. Even in the Core Worlds, if you've got enough money to buy the best lawyers, they'll end up having a huge influence on a jury. The kind of impartial justice you're talking about is an impossible pipe dream."

"So because you don't trust the system and you're powerful enough to take the law into your own hands, that gives you the right to be judge, jury, and executioner?" he asked, his question laden with sarcasm.

"Yes, exactly," she replied without any hesitation. "Might makes right. It's the fundamental principle that the Terran Federation was founded on."

"What? No it isn't!" he protested.

Now it was Alyssa's turn to lean forward, her expression earnest. "The Terran Federation penal code was drawn up hundreds of years ago... and who do you think influenced how it was written, Nathan? Was it CEOs and Admirals, or beggars and whores that decided which punishments should fit the crimes?"

He faltered, a hint of doubt in his eyes.

"Before I met John, I lived on Karron alongside the absolute dregs of society. I had to survive with no power and no money... and life was hell. I was robbed, beaten, abused... and none of the bastards responsible were ever brought to justice for what they did." She allowed herself a cold smile. "Well... not by Terran courts anyway. I guess I can take some comfort in knowing those fuckers were brutally raped by Kirrix hivelords before they died."

She held up a hand to forestall his words of sympathy.

"For years, I saw real evil on a daily basis," Alyssa said quietly, her even tone all the more unsettling. "Some people are good, some people are bad... and then there's a few that are very, very bad. Once you accept that, like I have, then you can fuck up the real world-class shits without a flicker of remorse. I'm a telepath and I could see into Carl Weber's mind... I knew every vile thing he'd ordered done to thousands of innocent creatures that were tortured and killed. You'll never be able to convince me that alien-hating psychopath didn't deserve every second of agony he suffered."