Three Square Meals Ch. 129

The admiral slowly sat back in his chair, lost in thought. "Perhaps I was too quick to judge you. You've given this a lot more thought than I gave you credit for."

Alyssa got up, crossed the cabin and sat next to him. "I wish the Terran Federation was the way you see it, Nathan, but it's not. The further away from Terra you get, the less justice there is... that's an undeniable fact. The Admiralty has let down the people on the Outer Rim for centuries and abandoning them to a Kirrix invasion is just the latest travesty in a long history of neglect. There's a huge difference between how much the Terran Federation means to the Core Worlds and how it's viewed out here."

He nodded soberly, then gave her a quizzical glance. "How did we get onto the history of the Outer Rim when we were discussing taking the law into your own hands?"

She shrugged nonchalantly. "I thought you might find it interesting to hear my perspective, as someone who had a horrific childhood living out here on Karron. You asked earlier if your rank meant anything to me. It does. I associate the Admiralty with incompetence, corruption, dereliction of duty, and self-serving narcissism."

Looking appalled, Zelig protested, "But I'm not like that!"

"It was the impression I had before I left Karron and people like Lynton, Norwood, Buckingham, and Weber have only confirmed all the terrible rumours. I'm not saying you're like them... but that's the impression colonists out here have of High Command. Do you think being abandoned to the Kirrix has done anything to convince them otherwise?"

He tilted his head back to rest against the wall. "The state of unrest on the Outer Rim is far bleaker than I ever imagined, isn't it? How close are these worlds to breaking point?"

Alyssa rose from her chair and gave him a grim look. "John will not stand by and allow another Galon Prime massacre. Fleet Admiral Devereux would never order an orbital bombardment of civilians, but if you do ever find yourself put in that position, please remember that we'll consider you and your fleet to be bad guys."

"I understand... but I'd never give that order either," Zelig replied, hurt that she even felt the need to warn him.

"I know. I just thought it might be wise to let you know where we stand," she said cryptically.

Zelig gazed up at her, a troubled look in his eyes. "I just realised something; you only agreed to speak with me because you wanted to discuss unrest on the Outer Rim. My opinion about everything else means absolutely nothing to you... doesn't it?"

She gave him an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Nathan, there was never any chance you'd change my mind. I know I'm right, because I'm able to see the darkness people try to hide from everyone else. If I kill some bad guy... he had it coming."

There was a flicker of apprehension on the admiral's face as if he was seeing her for the first time. Zelig seemed like he was about to say something, then abruptly decided to stay silent.

"What is it?" Alyssa asked curiously.

There was a long, awkward pause before he replied, "I know how powerful John is... but he doesn't scare me like you do. I just hope I never do something that really offends you."

"Be a good boy and you've got nothing to worry about," she joked with a playful smile.

Her answer didn't make him feel much better.

Alyssa stepped over to the cockpit door. "Well, it was good to see you again, but the girls are here and I'm afraid we're in a rush."

He rose stiffly from the chair, recognising her dismissal for what it was. Alyssa accompanied him from the cockpit into the grav-tube, then out to the forward loading area.

As the ramp started to descend, Zelig faced the statuesque blonde. "Please be careful, Alyssa."

"You too, Nathan."

He nodded and turned to stride down the ramp, where Helene, Rachel, and the five Nymphs were waiting patiently. They waved at him, then walked up to join the blonde, with Betrixa rushing past Alyssa to be the first one up to the cockpit.

"I want to fly the Raptor!" she gushed, her sapphire eyes sparkling with excitement. "Can you show me how, Jade?"

Jade bounded after her and smiled at Alyssa. "Is that alright with you?"

"Sure, that's fine," the blonde replied.

The rest of the Nymphs were just as eager to watch and hurried to join them, leaving Helene and Rachel with Alyssa.

"The admiral looked upset," Helene noted, glanced back across the landing pad at his retreating form. "Is he okay?"

"Nathan's a good man... he's just got a lot on his mind at the moment," Alyssa explained, hugging the Abandoned girl. "Now, how do you feel? Are you tired after using your abilities on so many people?"

Helene shook her head, a bright smile on her face. "It's getting easier every time!" She stifled a yawn, then blushed. "Maybe I am a bit tired..."

"I'm not surprised," Rachel said, embracing Helene from behind. "You comforted thousands today."

Alyssa gently stroked Helene's temple. "I was proud of you today. You pushed yourself hard and I can feel you getting stronger."

Helene let out a contented sigh. "I don't know about that... I just feel happy. Group hugs like this are wonderful."

The blonde and brunette were more than willing to maintain the affectionate embrace and they shared a smile over Helene's teal-hued shoulder.

*So how hard a time did you give Admiral Zelig?* Rachel asked, looking amused.

*I told him off for hassling John, but I wasn't too mean about it,* Alyssa replied, trying to look innocent. She hesitated and looked her friend in the eyes. *He said that I scared him. Do I ever scare you, Rachel?*

Rachel's gaze softened and she pressed herself against Helene, leaning forward to give Alyssa a tender kiss. *You're scarily good with that lovely tongue. Does that count?*

Alyssa deepened the kiss, moaning into the brunette's mouth. *I think that's okay...*

Helene twisted in their embrace to watch the kissing teenagers, a warm smile lighting up her face. "That looks like fun."

*It's your turn next, sexy girl,* Alyssa declared, rubbing her chest against Helene's deliciously pert bosom. *We need to keep you wide-awake so you can say hello to our guests...*

***

"You just swatted those capital ships like flies..." Emily murmured, her eyes like saucers.

Mateo reluctantly tore his gaze from the holo-screen to gape at his sister. "That Kirrix fleet was huge but you wiped them out single-handed!"

"It's a team effort... I just fire the guns," Calara said with a self-conscious smile, before leaning over to press a button that ended the combat footage from their last battle. "I think we've seen quite enough of that for one night."

Jack had stayed quiet for the past hour, watching his daughter in each battle with rapt fascination. "I watched the public footage from the Battle of Terra dozens of times, but it really didn't do you justice. That was the most incredible thing I've ever seen."

"Thanks, dad," Calara said with a proud smile.

*We're just docking, handsome,* Alyssa informed John, her melodious voice echoing through his mind.

*See you soon, beautiful,* he replied, before glancing at the ship's chronometer which read 23:06. "Alyssa should be back shortly. I'll introduce you to the rest of the girls, then it might be sensible to call it a night. We can continue catching up tomorrow."

"When will we arrive at Jericho?" Jack asked, his smile fading into a pensive frown.

*I'll stay on the Bridge tomorrow afternoon and help us make up some lost time,* Alyssa interjected. *We'll still get there for 9 pm.*

"We should arrive around 21:00," John replied, putting his arm around Calara.

"I can't wait to see mom..." she said, leaning into the hug.

"Tomorrow?" Jack asked, looking stunned.

Mateo looked at John incredulously. "You can't be serious! 22 hours to get from the Outer Rim to the Core Worlds?! That journey took us two weeks in the Damocles!"

"Yeah, but we've upgraded the shit out of the Invictus!" Dana said with a broad grin, which faltered when she realised she'd sworn in front of Calara's father again.

He caught her worried glance and laughed. "I've served in the navy for over thirty years; it's been a long time since I've been shocked by bad language." His laughter died and he shook his head in amazement. "But I can't even imagine a ship going that fast."

Mateo looked bewildered. "How can you react to hazards in your flight path? You'd barely have time to change course."

"Dana has massively upgraded our Sensor Array," Calara explained. "I can you show you tomorrow if you're really interested."

"I'd love to see that," her brother said appreciatively.

Just then the doors slid open and the missing crewwomen entered the Officers' Lounge.

Calara had already risen from her chair and she beamed at the girls across the room. "Come and meet everyone," she said, beckoning over the new arrivals.

Everyone got up from the sofas and Calara walked over to greet Alyssa with a hug. She turned and couldn't help smiling at the looks of astonishment on their guests' faces when they saw Helene and the four catgirls. Her happy grin wavered when she saw her father's obvious disapproval of the quartet of alluring feline Nymphs.

John stepped forward to do the introductions. "Jack, Mateo, you've already met Jade before on Jericho. Jade, this is Emily, Mateo's girlfriend. Emily... Jade is a Lenarran, or a Nymph as they're more commonly known."

Walking over to their guests, Jade had no qualms about giving each of them a friendly hug. "Hello!"

Turning to the catgirls, who were looking at John expectantly, he said, "This is Leylira, Betrixa, Neysa, and Marika. They're also Nymphs and are Jade's sisters."

Mateo was staring at the sexy catgirls with his mouth open, until he blushed and snapped it shut with a click. "It's very nice to meet all of you."

Emily's eyes were flicking from their furry ears to their sinuous tails, her eyes alight with fascination. She clearly wanted to ask a whole barrage of questions, but settled for saying hello and giving them a shy wave.

John smiled at the four Nymphs as he said, "They used to look very similar to Jade when we first rescued them, but it was hard to tell five green girls apart from each other."

"This shape is much more fun!" Betrixa exclaimed, her face lighting up with a dazzling smile. "Isn't it, Master?"

He winced at her slip and glanced at their three guests... who were now all staring at him, with looks ranging from curiosity to indignation.

*Ah crap,* Alyssa muttered, seeing Jack's stony-faced reaction.

*I'm so sorry, John,* Jade apologised. *I forgot to warn them about that.*

*Well the catgirl's out of the bag now,* John said with a sigh of frustration. *Let me handle this...*

Before John could say anything to break the awkward silence, Emily gasped, "It's the Angel of Terra!"

Rachel affected a look of piety for a moment, before breaking out into a warm smile. "I normally go by Rachel. It's nice to meet you, Emily."

"Doctor Voss... you're amazing!" Emily gushed, reaching out to reverently touch her hand before catching herself at the last moment. "I saw the video of you healing terrible wounds just by being near the injured! How do you do that?!"

"I can heal wounds by using psychic energy to stimulate regeneration in damaged tissue," the brunette explained. "I used to be a conventional medic until I became a Lioness... the psychic healing was a gift from John."

"Oh, I wish I could do that," Emily said, with a wistful sigh. "The amount of people I could help..."

"It can come in handy," Rachel said, in a mastery of understatement. She turned her smile towards Calara's family members. "It's lovely to see you again, Mateo, and I'm so glad I'm finally able to meet you, Jack."

John waited for them to return her greeting, then stood beside the final girl in need of introduction. "Last but by no means least is Helene. She's from a species of people called the Abandoned and joined us only three weeks ago."

Helene walked over to the guests and gave each of them a warm hug. "I'm so glad to meet you. Calara is such a lovely person; she's been so kind to me since I escaped from Brimor."

Mateo looked at her in confusion. "From Brimor?! But... you're not a Brimorian!"

"The Brimorians keep the Abandoned as slaves," John said, his expression grim. "Only Fleet Admiral Devereux knows Helene's full background, so this is another secret I'd ask you not to share."

"I won't tell anyone," Emily said earnestly. "It's nice to meet you, Helene."

"I'm really glad you escaped," Mateo said returning her smile. "Your secret is safe with me."

"I'd never betray your confidence," Jack said gruffly, his expression conflicted.

Mateo caught his father's odd tone and looked at him quizzically. Jack noticed his son staring at him, but gritted his teeth and refused to elaborate on what had upset him.

Alyssa walked over to Mateo and Emily. "It's getting quite late and you two must be tired; would you like me to show you to your rooms? I need to head up to the Bridge and lay in a course for the Invictus, so it won't be any bother."

The couple shared a glance, both sensing something was amiss.

"Sounds good. I can't wait to go to bed, right, Em?" Mateo said, faking a yawn.

Emily blushed, knowing how that statement could be taken. "Umm... yes."

Calara's elder brother winced with embarrassment. "Just to sleep!" he hastily corrected himself, then groaned when he realised how guilty he sounded.

"Alright, let's go," Alyssa said, trying not to laugh as she led them towards the exit. She glanced back over her shoulder as she departed. *Show Jack what we were before. He needs to see.*

The room was quiet as the trio left, with a sense of anticipation building for what would happen next when the door closed behind them. As soon as the double-doors slid shut, Jack opened his mouth to vent his anger and disapproval, but Calara held a hand up to forestall his protests.

"Wait just a moment, dad," she interrupted, cutting him off. "I want to show you something first, then you can berate me and John for caring about all these wonderful girls."

He scowled in irritation. "Calara, you know that isn't-"

"That's enough!" she said sharply. "You've already embarrassed me enough by being so judgemental towards the people I love. Aren't you even going to allow me a chance to explain our situation?"

Jack looked at her in astonishment, having never been spoken to by his daughter that way before.

Calara whirled around and marched over to the holo-interface built into the coffee table. She stabbed her finger down on a series of icons, which queued up the images for a very familiar presentation.

"Why don't you take a seat, Jack," John said quietly, gesturing to the sofa with the best view of the holo-screen. "This will take a few minutes..."

The girls fanned out to sit on the flanking sofas. Eleven sets of female eyes watched Calara's father with sympathy... and one looked at him with anger and disappointment.

Calara displayed the first set of pictures, which had both been taken aboard the Fool's Gold. The first showed her bruised and battered face, and the second was of the vicious whip marks on her back, the deep lacerations a bloody mess.

"That was me, just after John and Alyssa rescued me from the Corvette Griffon," she said, waving her hand at the images. "If they'd arrived five minutes later, I'd have been raped to death by a Largath."

Jack stared in horror at the pictures of his beloved daughter, having only previously read the clinical reports of her injuries. "Oh my God!" he gasped in a choked voice.

Her brown eyes softened and she walked over to sit beside him. "I was forced to watch my shipmates being tortured to death... I had nightmares about it for weeks afterwards," she said quietly. "I was broken physically and mentally after everything those pirates did to me. If not for John and Alyssa, I would've had a nervous breakdown from PTSD."

"Callie... I didn't know," Jack said, looking distraught.

She gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek. "Just watch the rest, dad... please."

The next images showed a petite waif with a short crop of spiky ginger hair, her ghostly pale face hideously disfigured by an angry red burn scar.

Dana rose from her seat and gave Jack a self-conscious smile. "Yeah... that's me, little orphan Sparks from Karron. I got that scar from an exploding generator when I was a kid, then spent the last several years forced to work as a gunsmith for a street gang."

Jack stared in disbelief at the slip of a girl in the picture compared to the statuesque beauty that stood before him now. "That's... just not possible!" he balked, his mind refusing to correlate the two girls. "There's no way you could change that much!"

"It took John two weeks to Change her," Calara explained quietly. "Two wonderful weeks of intimacy, for him to heal Dana's body and mind, turning that tragic little girl into the beautiful, perfect woman she is today."

"I would've died if your daughter hadn't helped John and Alyssa rescue me," Dana said, walking around to give Calara a gentle kiss on the cheek. "Everyone on Karron was slaughtered by the Kirrix. I'd have been raped by a hivelord, then ripped apart by hatching grubs if it wasn't for Calara. I love her... she's totally awesome."

Jack stared at the gorgeous redhead, knowing in his heart that everything she was telling him was the absolute truth.

Before he could say anything, it was Jade's turn, the Nymph rising from her chair to tell him about her past. He listened in mute horror as she detailed the catalogue of abuse she'd suffered during three centuries as a sex slave to pirate warlords. Jade mirrored Dana in walking around to give Calara a gentle kiss on the cheek, and explaining how the Latina had saved her from being destroyed.

Jade then told him about her sisters and their capture by Admiral Weber. How the crew had rushed to rescue the Nymphs from being subjected to cruel experiments... and put an end to their sexual slavery.

"All Nymphs have to refer to their owners as 'Master'," Jade explained, looking into Jack's eyes. "We have no choice... it's built into our very DNA. Except John managed to break the bonds that forced me to be a slave and he's been trying to do the same for my sisters. I stay with him now because I love him, not because I'm forced to stay... it's a choice he wants all of us to be able to make."

"To call him Master feels so natural," Neysa said, her tone serious. "I have to concentrate before I can say... John... but it is becoming easier."

"Nymphs don't go through the Change like the rest of the girls did," Jade explained, affectionately stroking Calara's arm. "When we've been with John long enough, we can do things like this..."

She stepped away from the sofas and unceremoniously let her dress fall to the floor. Jack blinked in surprise at her casual display of nudity, before Jade shimmered in a green haze and reappeared as a 900lb tiger.

"Holy fuck!" Jack balked, lurching backwards instinctively in fear.

"It's just Jade, dad," Calara said, walking over to stroke the massive tiger's head. "She'd never hurt you."

Jade nuzzled into her hand and a throaty purr reverberated around the Officers' Lounge.

Glancing across the sofas, Calara said, "Irillith can you find a few videos of Jade in action?"

"Of course," the Maliri said, quickly searching through the archives to find the relevant footage.

As Jack cautiously retook his seat, he watched the new holo-screen that appeared, his curiosity most definitely piqued.

"A T-Rex!" he blurted out in shock a second later, as he saw the Jurassic monster savaging a squad of cyborg ninjas. "You can turn into a Tyrannosaurus Rex?!"