Three Square Meals Ch. 130

"Coño!" Jack cursed, his eyes widening in horror. "Why the hell would they do that?!"

"They drain their women of psychic energy, using something called a Soul Forge," she replied in a haunted voice. "The Progenitors use that energy to make the black metal, then build all their ships and equipment from it. That armour plating is incredibly tough; our guns aren't strong enough to punch through it."

He turned his shocked gaze towards the black shuttle and shuddered with revulsion. His eyes swept over the sinister onyx surface of the ship, then paused as he spotted the gaping hole in the armour plating.

"Your guns might not be able to penetrate the hull... but it can definitely be breached!" he exclaimed, pointing out the hull damage to his daughter. "Look up there, Callie!"

She smiled at him fondly, touched that he was trying to buoy her spirits. "Alyssa did that, dad."

"What do you mean?" he asked, looking at her in confusion.

Calara sighed, her troubled brown eyes lifting to look at the hole cored through the shuttle's superstructure. "Alyssa was on board that monstrosity when she figured out exactly why it gave her the creeps. She freaked out... and when Alyssa couldn't escape quickly enough, she made her own exit. When she gets really mad, Alyssa can project psychic blasts like a nova lance... and she melted her way out of the hull."

Jack's mouth dropped open and he gaped at her in disbelief.

Oblivious to her father's state of shock, Calara continued staring at the shuttle, "Alyssa used up most of our psychic energy reserves to power that blast, so it's not practical in a firefight because it would leave us too vulnerable afterwards. Our best hope for penetrating that armour, is if Dana can somehow reverse engineer the Progenitor's Quantum Flux Cannons. If she can find a way to build them so they don't need the black metal, then we can upgrade the Invictus' Heavy Cannon battery... and we'll finally have a way of taking out those bastards."

"Alyssa blasted her way out?" Jack asked in a hushed voice, staring incredulously at the hole in the hull. "Just using her mind?!"

She looked at him with sympathy. "I'm sorry, dad... I forgot this is all so new to you. I've been dealing with this kind of thing every day for the last six months; it must be overwhelming trying to wrap your head around everything in one go."

"As your girlfriend put it so aptly: it's a total mindfuck," he said with a wry smile. Jack's smile faded and he looked at his daughter with concern. "Just dealing with all these psychic powers would be daunting enough, but knowing what you're facing, it's just the tip of the iceberg. How do you cope with all the stress?"

Calara thought about that for a long moment before answering. "We each have our roles to play and I just focus on preparing our forces for the upcoming war, as well as planning our tactical and strategic operations. I've got John and the girls to support me every step of the way, just as I try to support them however I can."

"You really have grown up," he said, his voice tinged with a poignant mix of pride and sadness. "You don't need my guidance anymore..."

She hugged him tight. "I'll always need you, dad."

He squeezed her back just as hard, then they shared a smile.

"We better catch up to Mateo, he'll be feeling left out," Calara said, clasping her father's hand and leading him across the vast hangar.

They found her brother in the Mech Bay, Mateo gazing up in wonder at the Valkyrie that towered over him.

"It looked so tiny in the combat footage," Jack noted as they walked over to join his son.

"Sakura was sprinting across Kintark battleship hulls and they're enormous in comparison," Calara explained, before stopping next to her awestruck sibling. "Sorry to keep you waiting, Mateo."

"How does Sakura get that mech to move the way she does?" Mateo marvelled. "She makes it leap around like a ninja!"

Calara raised an eyebrow at his choice of phrase, immediately making her brother blush.

"Not just because she's Asian!" he hastily corrected himself. "You know what I mean... the Valkyrie's incredibly quick, and able to do all sorts of jumps and dives. I've never seen a machine able to move with that kind of agility."

She gave her brother a reassuring smile. "It's alright, Sakura has eagerly embraced all the clichés." Patting the mech's huge armoured foot, Calara continued, "The Strike Valkyrie Ultra was Dana's pet project and she developed all sorts of new tech to make it as powerful as she possibly could. Sakura controls the Valkyrie by standing in an anti-gravity harness and the mech mirrors her movements. The limb joints are frictionless, so the mech can move just as fast as Sakura can."

Her father's eyes focused on the four Tachyon Lance barrels. "It's astonishing to think that a combat machine this size has more firepower than the Damocles... or the Orion for that matter. How many Kintark battleships did Sakura take out on her own? A dozen?"

Calara followed his gaze up to the shoulder-mounted guns. "The Valkyrie was equipped with quad Photon Lasers during the Battle of Terra, but it's been upgraded to Tachyon Lances now. In Sakura's hands, this mech is probably more powerful than a Terran dreadnought. All she'd have to do is land on the hull and she could rip the ship apart... the gun crews wouldn't be able to do a thing to stop her."

Jack and Mateo could only marvel at the raw power the Valkyrie possessed, staring at the mech in amazement. Calara stood beside them in silence, but her thoughts had taken a very different turn. She pictured the Valkyrie landed on a Progenitor dreadnought, Sakura trying to blast its way through the incredibly tough armour plating... and not making a dent.

***

John glanced at the holo-reader again and studied Dana's schematics, then made the finishing touches to the last set of components she needed.

"There, all done," he said, levitating the sparkling Crystal Alyssium tube over to the neatly stacked piles of parts.

"Awesome, thanks," the redhead replied from up on the Engineering podium, her focus on a rotating set of holographic schematics. "I'll ask Daphne to get the bots to move everything down to the Cargo Bay."

Walking up the illuminated steps to join the distracted teenager, John asked, "What're you working on there?"

"Improvements to the Vulkat psi-communicator," Dana replied, showing him an expanded view of the elongated psychic vanes. "I reckon I should be done in a couple of hours."

"How long will it take to fit them on the Invictus?" he asked, wrapping his arms around her and studying the intricate webbing.

She leaned back against him and sighed. "It's not time that's the problem. They're pretty big... and we're almost out of Crystal Alyssium. We've built a shitload of new stuff in the last few weeks and we had to use a load more when the armour got trashed in the Battle of Terra."

"Then we had to repair the Invictus after it got cut in half," John interjected, resting his chin on her shoulder.

"Yeah, exactly," Dana said, turning to give him a regretful look. "I don't think we'll be able to build the psi-communicator before we get to Genthalas and resupply."

"That's okay. Just finish the schematics when you can and we'll transmit them to the Ashanath. They can start building receivers while we're heading home, then the whole system will be up and running as soon as we upgrade the Invictus."

"Sure thing!" she agreed, perking up again. "What tech are you thinking of giving them next?"

John considered her question for a moment. "That's something we'll all need to get together and discuss. I want to give the Ashanath as much as possible, without giving anything away that would put us at risk if it fell into the wrong hands."

Dana nodded thoughtfully. "I'll try to come up with a list."

"You could send them their new ship designs too," John suggested. "According to Edraele's Fleet Commander on Ashana, the Greys have nearly completed repairs to their fleets. They'll be ready to start building new warships soon."

"Ah, shit!" the redhead cursed vehemently. "I totally forgot about those! I'll start working on them as soon as I'm done with these schematics."

"Don't beat yourself up," John said, giving her a comforting squeeze. "You've had a hell of a lot to deal with over the last few weeks. Besides, the Ashanath shipyards were too busy upgrading the Maliri fleet to start constructing anything new."

She gave him a grateful kiss. "Still, I'll get right on it. I really like the Ashanath and I want them to have some kickass ships!"

"It'll be good practice for when you design that destroyer we talked about," he said with an indulgent smile.

Dana gave him a rueful frown. "Actually, it might be wise to hold off on that for a while. I want to master Progenitor tech, then build something that improves on it in every way."

"A dreadnought killer?" he asked, turning the redhead to face him.

She nodded, a grim look in her eyes. "Exactly."

"We're going to need every advantage we can get," John said, gently brushing a lock of auburn hair away from her face. "I'm so lucky I found you, Sparks. We'd have no chance without you on the team."

Smiling self-consciously, Dana said, "Nah, you'd have been okay. You could've got yourself any woman engineer and made her just like me."

"I could've given her your powers and enhanced her with the Change, but the ingenuity and resourcefulness? That's all you, honey," he said with conviction.

Dana crossed her wrists behind his neck, then gave him a tender kiss, conveying all her love and adoration for him in that simple display of affection. John returned it and kissed her back passionately, leaning the gorgeous redhead back against the Engineering Station. Machinery activated throughout the Workshop as her bottom rubbed against the console, the Mass Fabricators humming as they powered up. She moaned into his mouth and writhed against him, wrapping her legs around his waist. John reached down and ripped away the crotch to her trousers, accompanied by Dana's squeal of joy.

"Yeah, fuck me!" she panted, a wild gleam in her sky blue eyes.

John tugged down his pants then thrust himself home, burying himself up to the quad in her slick pussy. Dana's scream of elation echoed around the Workshop, quickly turning to loud cries of pleasure as he hammered into her. She came explosively, fully-impaled on his cock, then whimpered in delight as he pounded her through a chain of back-to-back climaxes. John couldn't hold back any longer and he pinned her to the console as he hilted himself, his cock throbbing as he spurted long ropes of cum into her womb. Groaning in ecstasy, she cradled her belly as he filled her up, pumping his spunk into her until she had taken his entire load.

"Holy fuck..." Dana murmured, looking up at him with a disbelieving grin. "Where did that come from?!"

He chuckled and leaned against her, panting for breath after the frenetic romp. "You were just too sexy to resist. Sorry I didn't last longer."

"Are you kidding? That was awesome!" she gushed, hugging him tight. Glancing around him at the door, she giggled at their compromised position. "We were lucky Calara didn't bring the tour this way!"

*Don't worry, you're safe. Calara's in the Mech Bay at the moment,* Alyssa advised them both. *Although she was avoiding the Workshop because you two were supposed to be working on Maria's gift... not fucking each other senseless!*

John shared a smile with his young lover, then glanced down at her hugely swollen belly. "Oops."

Dana grinned in anticipation. "I better go find some hungry kitties..."

*Jade, is Emily still with you?* John asked his Nymph Matriarch.

*Yes, she's here in the Lagoon.*

John caressed Dana's rounded stomach. "It might be wiser for you to stay here and Jade can send her sisters to you," he said, before reluctantly easing out of her depths. Pulling up his trousers, John tugged playfully at what was left of her ruined pants. "I should probably get them to bring you some new clothes too."

Dana ran her hands over her new curves, then gave him a beautiful smile. "I really loved that, John. You were so wild and passionate... it was amazing!"

"So were you, honey," he said affectionately, cupping her face and kissing her.

They parted company with a wave and John could still hear Dana chuckling to herself as he left the Workshop, the redhead stripping off what was left of her ravaged clothing.

*Alyssa, where's Sakura at the moment?* he asked the blonde, as he strode down the corridor and into the grav-tube.

*She's with Rachel, making lunch for everyone. Sakura thought our guests might enjoy a picnic on the beach.*

*That's a great idea,* John said appreciatively. *Do they need a hand?*

*It's okay. Just head to the Lagoon and she'll meet you there.*

*Are you coming down too?* he asked, not wanting her to miss out.

*I better stay up here. We passed Port Heracles an hour ago and there's a lot more traffic around now that we're getting closer to the Core Worlds. The twins are keeping me company and we'll have our own picnic on the Bridge. Rachel's going to eat with Dana and the Nymphs, so it'll just be you, Helene, Sakura, and Calara.*

John stepped out of the grav-tube on Deck Three. *Alright, but let's all eat together for dinner tonight.*

*It's a date,* Alyssa said, sending him a lovely telepathic smile.

He opened the door to the Lagoon and immediately heard laughter and splashing. A tiger-striped dolphin flipped over the bridge ahead of him, followed in rapid succession by Leylira's sisters. They plunged into the crystal-clear water and as he walked out into the room, he could see the Nymphs were chasing each other around the huge lake. When he glanced at the beach, he found the source of the laughter; Emily was giggling at Jade, who had been drenched from head to toe.

"Hey," John called out, as he strode down the steps that curved around to the beach. "Are your sisters misbehaving, Jade?"

"They are, but I'll get them back, Master!" she exclaimed, stripping off her dress and sprinting across the beach before diving into the Lagoon, fins rippling into place along her arms and legs.

John kicked off his shoes and strolled across the beach to the two lounge chairs, enjoying the feel of the soft sand between his toes. "Hi, Emily," he said, greeting her with a warm smile. "Have the Nymphs been taking good care of you?"

Emily was wearing a bikini covered modestly with a wrap and she sat up to beam at him in delight. "They're amazing, John! You won't believe the different creatures they can transform into!"

He tilted the sodden beach lounger to dump the water on the sand, then sat down next to the blonde. "Oh, I think I have a pretty good idea..."

She blushed and nodded. "Silly me, of course you do."

Turning to watch the antics in the pool, Emily smiled as Jade cut through the water like a knife, quickly reaching Betrixa and hurling the mischievous Nymph high into the air. Betrixa's dolphin form turned hazy, obscured by a blue blur, then she shapeshifted into a falcon that swooped and cartwheeled high above them.

"They're lovely girls. They have a sweet kind of innocence to them that's really endearing," Emily said, her gaze tracking the sleek bird of prey. "It's amazing that they can be so friendly and charming considering what they've been through." She glanced at John and added quietly, "Jade was telling me all about the Lenarrans... and how you rescued them."

"It's a tragedy what happened to the Nymphs," John agreed, watching as Marika was next to be launched out of the water. "I can't undo the past, but I can try to make sure they have a bright future."

He got to see what a dolphin looked like when it was surprised, then saw a look of shock on an eagle's face, when Betrixa swooped down to intercept Marika after she shifted. The squawking birds tumbled back into the lagoon, plunging headlong under the water.

"They're really happy here with you. They were constantly singing your praises when I chatted with them earlier," Emily said, darting an admiring glance his way. She looked at him curiously and was about to ask a question, then seemed to change her mind.

John raised an eyebrow. "Go ahead and ask... I won't be offended."

Emily leaned over towards him and whispered, "I've heard lots of rumours about Nymphs, and yesterday, Betrixa called you 'Master'. Are the rumours true?"

"It depends on the rumours. Nymphs do need to have a master; it's something that's built into their DNA. I'm trying to help them break the rules that have turned them into helpless sex slaves and make sure they'll never be abused again. Jade is already free and her sisters are getting there."

"What does Calara think about you being the master to five Nymphs?" Emily asked in a hushed voice.

"She'll be joining us soon. Why don't you ask her?" he replied, smiling at the blonde.

Emily looked mortified. "I couldn't ask her that!"

"I don't think she'd mind. If you want a really honest answer, I'd ask her when Jack and Mateo aren't around."

Before Emily could ask him anything else, the Nymphs shimmered into their familiar forms and splashed out of the lake. They shook themselves off, drying almost instantly, before bounding across the sand to join him. There was an enthusiastic chorus of "Hey, John!" from the four nude catgirls, each greeting him with friendly kisses before they waved and smiled at Emily.

"I really like her, Master!" Betrixa gushed, her sapphire eyes twinkling impishly. "Is Emily going to be joining us as your latest mate?"

He coughed and avoided making eye-contact with Emily, who blushed furiously. "No, honey. Emily is Mateo's girlfriend."

Betrixa pouted. "That's a shame, she'd look gorgeous with a ba-" Before she could continue, Leylira and Neysa grabbed their grinning sister. "Hey, let go of me!"

Ignoring her protests, they flung her back into the lake, the startled catgirl making a huge splash.

Marika gently stroked their guest's long blonde hair. "Betrixa's just teasing you. Don't pay her any attention."

"She only does it to people she really likes," Neysa explained, rolling her eyes. "It's her bizarre version of a compliment."

"It's okay, I don't mind," Emily said, smiling at them shyly.

Jade padded across the sand to the group and slipped on her dress. *I'm sorry about that, John. We were quite open with Emily earlier, so she knows it's easier for us to call you Master, than use your real name.*

*No harm done,* he said amiably, greeting his third matriarch with a kiss.

Helene was the last to emerge from the water, her beautiful teal skin glistening with moisture. The sparkling sheen made her gorgeous bikini-clad body look incredibly exotic.

"Hello, John!" she called out to him, skipping across the sand to give him a very damp hug.

He gave her an affectionate squeeze. "Hey, honey. Enjoy your swim?"

"It was lovely!" Pulling back to give him a radiant smile, she saw the dark patches soaking his shirt and her face fell in consternation. "Oh no, I forgot I was so wet! Look at the mess I made!"

Betrixa smirked and shook her head, only to be elbowed by Leylira.

"What? I didn't say anything!" the cheetah catgirl protested.

"I was going to change anyway," John said, giving Helene a reassuring kiss on the cheek.

"We'll leave you to enjoy the picnic," Jade said with a wry smile, before glancing at her sisters. "Come on, naughty kittens. Dana's got a tasty lunch waiting for you."

The four catgirls could barely contain their excitement as they rushed to get dressed in the clothes that they'd left carefully folded on the beach furniture.

"Wait!" Emily called out, as Jade waved goodbye and padded after them. "I haven't seen you do any shape-shifting yet, Jade! You promised you'd ask John!"