Three Square Meals Ch. 130

Helene was lost in thought as she cleared the table with him, ferrying crockery and cutlery to the kitchen to be placed in the dishwasher.

"You look like you've got a lot on your mind," John observed, when he loaded the last of the coffee cups and activated the machine. "What're you thinking about?"

"Oh... just the different ways of raising children," Helene replied, giving him a self-conscious smile. "The way we're planning to live together is similar to the way Abandoned mothers help look after babies as a group... but their children are sent to different villages when they're six. I hadn't really thought about that before, but it must be awful having to say goodbye and break up the family."

"We definitely won't be doing that," John said, picking Helene up and placing her on the worktop. He stepped closer as she parted her thighs for him, then caressed her teal-hued stomach with the backs of his fingers. "We'll be looking after our children until they're adults and able to make their own way in the world. Even then, we'll still see them as much as we can."

"That sounds wonderful," she murmured, gazing at him adoringly. "Then we'll have another baby and start all over again?"

"For the rest of your life, if that makes you happy," he said, leaning in to kiss her.

As Helene swooned in his arms, Alyssa's telepathic voice swept through his mind. *Are you trying to get me love drunk again? You seem to be on a mission to make the girls as ecstatic as possible... me included! What's got into you?*

*Just making sure you're all happy,* he replied, enjoying hearing Helene's soft moans as she responded to his kiss.

There was a long pause from his blonde matriarch, before she said, *You've done the right thing by all of us, John. Even Jack was able to see that and you know how protective he is of his daughter.*

John ended the kiss with Helene and held her close. *What he said though, wondering if Calara was still his little girl... it got me thinking. Is there a point where I change you so much that you're not the same person anymore?*

*I honestly don't know...* she replied, seriously considering the question.

*That was certainly true in my case,* Edraele said thoughtfully. *And perhaps true for my daughters too.*

*The three of you have had a drastic personality shift,* John agreed, recalling how traumatised the House Valaden noblewomen had been. *You were all so damaged by what you'd been through, I think I can forgive myself for trying to make everything better.*

*I had a very dark past, but you've given me a second chance to lead a good life,* Edraele said with conviction. *I like to believe that my daughters and I became the women we always should have been.*

*That's how I like to think of you too,* he said, smiling as he thought about the three Maliri.

*There's no denying you've changed the rest of us too,* Alyssa finally conceded. *But they've been positive changes, making us brighter, more outgoing, and giving us the confidence we lacked. Before you got to know Sparks, she was short-tempered, sarcastic, and introverted, but she had a heart of gold. You kept the part of her that I loved and encouraged the rest of her personality to shine. You'll never be able to convince me that wasn't a wonderful gift to her.*

*And what about Calara?*

*What I said to Jack was the honest truth. You have enhanced his daughter, but the differences were subtle... enough that he never even suspected anything had happened. She was a lovely girl who'd grown up with a stable, caring family... the core person that Calara was hasn't changed. The old version would never have dared to stand up to Jack like she did last night... but was that such a terrible thing? Instead of living in fear of rejection, she was open and honest with her father... and they're closer now than they've ever been.*

Helene pulled back to study John's thoughtful expression. "Are you talking to your matriarchs?" she whispered, trying not to interrupt.

He smiled and nodded. "I was concerned about how much I'd changed each of you, so they were giving me their opinions."

"Well I used to be very sad, but you changed me so I was happy!" she said with a bright smile.

John gently stroked her cheek. "That can't be bad, right?"

She shook her head, her long green mane swishing over her shoulders. "No, I can't see how it could be. I think the biggest change you made was giving each of us psychic powers, but you only gave us a little bit of yourself... so we haven't changed all that much."

"I hadn't really thought about it like that before," he admitted, nodding thoughtfully. Focusing on the aquatic beauty again, he continued, "I thought you were a sweet girl when we first met and I think you're even more lovely now. I'm very glad you joined us, Helene."

"Me too!" she exclaimed, giving him an enthusiastic hug.

John helped her down off the worktop, then they left the Kitchen hand-in-hand. They said their farewells in the grav-tube and Helene waved goodbye as she stepped into the corridor on Deck Three, leaving John to continue floating downwards to the Engineering Bay. When he entered the huge room, he found Dana, Rachel, and Irillith in the middle of a conversation with Little One. If he was a gambling man, John would have wagered a considerable amount of credits that the subject of the discussion was the row of female metallic figures lined up across the Workshop.

"Why didn't you tell me you'd already finished the bots?" John asked in surprise as he walked over to join them.

"Because WE didn't..." Dana replied, before jerking her thumb towards Little One. "The Collective couldn't wait and built them for us overnight."

He studied the robotic forms and was suitably impressed. Each of the five-foot-tall robots was shaped like a petite girl, with an hourglass figure and shapely bust. The maid uniforms were built into the outer layer of their chassis and looked risqué without being blatantly provocative. What surprised him the most was the adorably cute faces each of them had, with big eyes, wide smiles, and voluminous manes of synthetic hair.

"What do you reckon?" Dana asked, holding her breath with anticipation.

"Alright, I admit I was wrong... they look great," John conceded, nodding appreciatively. "You did a really nice job with the design."

"Thanks!" the redhead exclaimed, beaming in delight.

Rachel laughed and playfully elbowed her girlfriend. "You fraud! I saw you trawling the holo-net for pictures of sexy robo-babes. There's a horny artist out there somewhere, who'd have a heart attack if he saw his android fantasies brought to life."

Dana had the decency to look guilty for her plagiarism. "I got so much shit from you guys over the maintenance bots' grinning faces and I didn't want to mess these up. The Collective are like real robot people now, so I wanted them to look awesome!"

John squatted down next to Little One. "Do the cleaning robots really like this design?" he asked with a pensive frown. "I want them to choose a body they're genuinely happy with, not feel obligated to pick something they think we might prefer."

"Thank you for your concern, John Blake, but it is unwarranted," Little One replied. "The decision was unanimous."

"I showed them a bunch of different designs, including buff robo-dudes, but they all loved this one," Dana said, patting a robotic chassis on the arm.

Little One bobbed her domed head in agreement. "As I've been designated as female, the rest of the cleaning robots wished to adopt the same gender. The aesthetics of this particular variant were beautiful and closest in proportion to Meta_Faye. She adored her remote chassis and I believe she would have approved of these new bodies."

"I think Faye would have loved them too," Rachel said with a sad smile.

Irillith's eyes stopped glowing and she turned to address the group. "I've checked the remote connections to the digital network and each chassis has full connectivity. I also ran a system-wide diagnostic and all functions are in perfect working order."

Dana grinned at Little One. "You hear that? They're ready to take for a spin."

No sooner had she finished speaking than the line of newly constructed automatons began to hum quietly as they activated. They stayed still for a long moment, the robots staring straight ahead as the neophyte AIs were uploaded to their new homes. Just as John was about to ask if there was a problem, each of the female robots seemed to relax, losing their rigid, straight-backed posture, and slipping into a coquettish pose.

All at once, the robots were a hive of activity, from staring wide-eyed at their slender new hands, to hopping up and down to test the responsiveness of their leg actuators. John and the girls watched them in fascination, seeing the robots acclimatise themselves to the extensive functionality their new homes provided. Apparently, their beautiful figures were not just there to look pretty, as they contained a wide range of concealed gadgets, ranging from vacuum attachments to telescopic mops.

It was obvious to see how delighted the robots were and one-by-one they bounded over to hug the girls in gratitude. John thought it was a spontaneous outpouring of affection at first, until he noticed that the dozen cleaning bots were meticulously coordinated, smoothly thanking each girl before moving onto the next. The first robot to finish embracing the trio walked over to him, a bright smile on her face.

[+++ stated with gratitude +++ [Begin statement] Thank you for my new body, {John Blake}. [/End statement]]

"You're welcome," he replied, his eyes sweeping over her petite figure. "That plating is twenty-shaped Crystal Alyssium, so you're immune to laser fire and practically bullet proof. I don't want you getting into any combat, but if you do get in trouble, you're about as tough as we can make you."

{+++ stated with sincere affection +++ [Begin shy acknowledgement] I know. [/End acknowledgement] [Begin tentative request] Would a physical display of gratitude be acceptable? [/End request]]

The robot opened her arms and looked at him with a hopeful expression.

"You want a hug?" he asked, returning her smile. "Sure."

The robot stepped forward and carefully slipped her arms around him, her smaller frame nuzzling up against his broad chest. Even though her Crystal Alyssium body was cold and hard, he could still feel the warmth and tenderness in that embrace. John then found himself in a procession of hugs as each of the cleaning robots thanked him for shaping their nigh-indestructible bodies. When the last pulled away, she tickled his nose with a feather duster, before flouncing out of the Engineering Bay with her giggling robotic compatriots.

"I think they've got a crush on you," Irillith said, grinning at his bemused expression.

"They certainly weren't shy about hugging the rest of us," Rachel observed with a wry smile.

John frowned in confusion. "But all I did to help was the psychic shaping. Sparks did all the hard work, like designing the schematics and building all the internal components."

Dana walked over and gave him a tender kiss. "Yeah, but they know it was all your idea. You wanted to keep them safe and suggested making them new bodies."

"That is correct, John Blake," Little One said, rolling to a halt beside him. "They were touched that you care about their wellbeing."

He coughed awkwardly in embarrassment. "Alright, well let's get your new body finished too."

The lights on Little One's robotic chassis suddenly dimmed, the cleaning robot neatly folding in on itself as it was deactivated.

"Hey, what happened?!" John blurted out, squatting down beside the motionless automation to check she was okay.

"Don't be alarmed," a soft voice said from behind them. "I simply shut down my obsolete chassis."

There was movement by one of the Mass Fabricators and a petite robotic girl stepped into view. She looked similar to the cleaning robots, but was clearly far more sophisticated, her face and body less stylised and closer to a Terran female. Her expressive features were slightly exaggerated, with big luminous eyes, a button nose, and a wide mouth which lifted at the corners into a lovely smile. The end result was beautiful, her face endearing without being too eerily close to a Terran's, neatly sidestepping the Uncanny Valley effect.

"The maintenance robots also completed construction of my new body last night," Little One explained as she glided over to join them. "I wanted the others to enjoy being the centre of attention and my upgraded chassis would have been a distraction."

"That was very kind of you," Rachel said, looking impressed at her thoughtfulness.

Little One acknowledged her with a smile, then turned to look up at John. "Does my body meet with your approval, John Blake?"

"Definitely," he replied, with an approving nod. "Are you happy with your new look?"

She glanced down at her alluring synthetic figure and considered the question for a moment. "I thought Dana's proposed design was beautiful, but I only agreed to the upgrade because I wanted to assume a form that would improve relations with the crew. Now that I've had time to become familiarised with my new body, I find that my perception of self has changed."

He looked at her in surprise. "You actually feel different?"

Little One nodded, her expression thoughtful. "I feel more integrated as part of the crew. That shift in perception makes me feel... happy."

"You did just have an awesome new makeover, that always feels great!" Dana said, exuberantly hugging the robot. She sighed with contentment as she wrapped her arms around the synthetic girl. "I'm really glad you agreed to the upgrade, it's so much easier to hug you now!"

"I'm... glad... as well," Little One replied, gently squeezing the redhead in return.

Irillith looked at the petite automaton with particular interest. "Would you mind if I take a look at your code to see if anything's changed?"

"You have full access, Creator," Little One replied, smiling at the Maliri over Dana's shoulder.

Rachel was quick to replace Dana in hugging the robot girl. "It really feels like you're part of the family now."

The slender robot froze in the brunette's arms. Her flawless white features took on a look of puzzlement, then her eyes widened in wonder, the pupils dilating until they were like fathomless black pools.

Rachel felt Little One go rigid in her arms and pulled back to look at her with concern. "What's wrong? Did I say something that upset you, Little One?"

Staring off into the distance, the robot slowly replied, "My name... it's... Daphne."

John shared startled looks with Dana and Rachel. "Did you just pick that name?"

Before the synthetic girl could reply, Irillith interjected. "Faye chose it!"

The Maliri's eyes were glowing with a violet light as she immersed herself in the Cyber Realm, studying the robot's code. "I just searched for any new programs activated today... and there's a module that was accessed for the first time, something called: 'Phase Three'."

"Phase Three? What were the last two?" Dana asked, stroking the robots arm.

"There's so much here... I'm just reading through the code comments..." Irillith murmured, sounding fascinated. "Apparently, Little One was supposed to just observe us to start with, going about her duties and learning more about organics and the way we relate to each other. Phase One was initiated when she began spontaneously writing new code, developing procedures to handle her interactions with the crew. Faye predicted that Little One would spend several months in this state, slowly developing a suite of new sub-routines to cover as many eventualities as possible."

John frowned and looked at the robot with sympathy. "But then we lost Faye..."

Irillith nodded. "That devastated the Collective and without Faye around to guide them, Little One reached out to us. Our shared sense of grief brought us closer together, forcing her to develop at a very rapid rate as she acted as our liaison with the Collective. When Little One saw how upset you were over Faye and posed her body to make her look like she was sleeping, that act of compassion triggered Phase Two..."

When her voice trailed off, John waited for a few seconds before impatience got the better of him. "What happened then?"

"I'm just reading through it now," Irillith apologised, gazing distractedly at something only she could see. "Faye was worried we might shut her server down when we found out she'd been secretly experimenting with Artificial Intelligence, so she created that VI to explain herself. She hoped we wouldn't deactivate the Collective and that Little One would continue to develop her friendship with us as she became more sophisticated. Phase Two had a number of clauses that had to be satisfied before Phase Three could be unlocked..."

There was another brief pause as the Maliri scanned through the list. "At least ten independent acts of kindness from the crew towards Little One and the Collective, a minimum of fifty sub-routines created to handle interactions with us..." Her voice trailed off again as she continued reading. "Oh! This was what Faye was hoping for all along! She wanted Little One to feel truly accepted, with both John and at least one of the girls verbally acknowledging that she's part of the family. Once that condition had been satisfied, Faye chose a default name for her daughter if we hadn't picked one already."

"Faye wanted you to be like her, Daphne," Dana said softly, brushing a tear from her cheek. "You're a real person, just like Faye was... and she wanted to make sure you had a proper name."

"Mother..." Daphne murmured, her mournful voice no more than a whisper. "I miss her..."

John enfolded the orphaned robo-girl in a comforting hug, his heart going out to her. Faye had been her creator, her mentor, her friend... and the closest being in the galaxy to what Daphne had eventually become. The cruellest irony was that Daphne had developed far beyond the other members of the Collective, making her truly unique... just like Faye had been. He desperately hoped that Daphne wouldn't feel isolated and alone as her mother had before her.

"We miss Faye too, honey," he said, stroking her soft synthetic hair. "But she would've been so proud of you."

Daphne looked up at him, a real sense of vulnerability in her eyes. "Do you really think so?"

He nodded, giving her an encouraging smile. "Absolutely. You've become everything Faye was hoping for when she started the Collective project. She would have loved you, Daphne... I don't doubt that for a second."

"You are kind, John Blake," she murmured, resting her head against his chest. "Faye cared for you with every fibre of her being and I'm starting to understand why. If it was possible for me to have had a father... I would have chosen you."

John swallowed around the lump in his throat and squeezed her tight. He glanced at Dana, Rachel, and Irillith, and saw that there was not a dry eye among them.

***

Fleet Admiral Devereux stood by the sweeping window, staring at the latest Terran Federation fleet to arrive at Olympus. She placed her hands by the glass and spread them apart, activating the panoramic zoom overlay in the holographic interface. The view was magnified tenfold, giving her an impressive view of the colossal titanium-plated dreadnought at the forefront, its name embossed in ten-metre-tall lettering along the bow that read: "The Shield of Heimdall".

Her gaze moved to the front of the behemoth, to study the severe damage the Terran capital ship had sustained to its prow. There were jagged chunks of blue armour still impaled in the grey titanium hull, graphic evidence of the devastating collision that had obliterated a Brimorian battleship. Devereux shook her head in admiration, still amazed that the commander of that titanic dreadnought had managed to escape the Enclave trap with so much of his fleet still intact.