Three Square Meals Ch. 137

"That sounds good to me!" Calara agreed enthusiastically, leaning in to kiss him on the cheek.

Her sentiments were echoed by all the girls there, who were equally delighted by his new outlook.

Rachel studied him inquisitively for a moment. "John, would you mind answering my question next?"

"You wanted to know what I altered in our connection?" he asked, turning to face her.

The brunette nodded. "It seemed like you received a huge boost in power. Was that just because your mind was reunified or did the alteration make any difference too?"

"I actually made two changes," he admitted, aware that all eyes were on him now. "The first was something I've been wanting to fix for a long time. Are you all aware of the way you react whenever we discuss the possibility of me dying?"

"Nobody likes discussing the death of loved ones," Sakura said softly, a shadow crossing her face as she thought about her parents.

Calara kissed his shoulder. "If something ever happened to you... I'd just fall to pieces."

"We all would, handsome," Alyssa said, snuggling into him. "You know how much we love you."

The rest of the girls all murmured their quiet agreement.

John watched and listened to their reactions in fascination. "It worked..."

"What did?" Rachel pressed him, her curiosity piqued.

Smiling with satisfaction, he replied, "Well... previously, if I so much as mentioned anything happening to me, you'd all be distraught. Your reactions just now were normal."

"Why would the connection influence that?" Tashana asked, looking bewildered. "I can't see how a Progenitor would become more powerful by making his thralls hysterical at the thought of him dying."

"Me neither," he readily agreed. "But there was this insidious black thread running through the psychic construct that did exactly that. I'm not sure precisely what it was for, but the runic phrases included Astral, Dominion, and Leech runes, so it can't have been good. It didn't appear to share any dependencies with anything else, so I stripped it out."

"Dependencies?" Jehanna asked, frowning in confusion.

"Some parts of the connection are dependent on another aspect of it," John patiently explained. "I wanted to keep the ability to draw psychic power from each of you, but remove the possibility of tapping so much energy you could be turned into a husk. Unfortunately, both aspects are dependent on the way a connection is 'anchored' to a thrall, so if I removed the anchor point to get rid of husking, I'd break the entire connection."

Dana shrugged, not seeing why it was particularly important. "Well... thanks for changing it so we don't freak out anymore."

"I think it did a lot more than that," John replied, sensing her confusion. "You were all devastated when I severed my connection to the psychic network... Alyssa in particular. This is just a hunch... but judging by the way you all reacted, I have a strong feeling that the two are related. If I were to cut off my connection again-"

That prompted a dozen frantic pleas to not end the connection.

"I'm not going to, I promise," he said, his voice calm and soothing. "But IF I did... I suspect it wouldn't be anywhere near as painful."

"Please don't cut us off ever again," Alyssa begged him, hugging him tight. "It was so much worse than the last time."

"I won't," he agreed, leaning down to kiss the top of her head. "It was awful seeing you suffering like that. I dread to think what it would've been like if Helene wasn't around to help."

The blonde shivered in his arms. "I'd rather not even think about it."

"Alright, beautiful... we'll talk about something else."

"So what was the second alteration you made?" Rachel enquired, eager to find out more about their connection.

He flushed self-consciously. "Well... I didn't like how the connection was so one-sided, so I just made a simple change to show my appreciation."

"What did you do?" Calara asked, her full lips curling up into a fond smile.

"Close your eyes... all of you," he requested, glancing around to check they'd all obeyed his instructions. "Now keep your breathing slow and steady... and focus on your heart."

"Ohh..." Sakura whispered breathily, her eyebrows climbing. "Oh, John... that feels wonderful!"

"I wanted you to know how grateful I am that we're connected... and how much I really care about each of you. If you're ever feeling down for any reason, you can concentrate on that sensation and know how much you mean to me."

There were gentle sighs of contentment from the girls and when they opened their eyes again, he could see the warm affection in their gaze.

Tashana exchanged a furtive glance with Irillith, then the Maliri gunslinger asked, "John, did you just do that for us, or every girl in the network?"

"Everyone connected to me. Why do you ask?"

Irillith smirked and shook her head in amusement.

Alyssa blinked in surprise. "Oh!"

"What?" he asked, curious about their reactions.

"Um... Niskera is very happy to be connected to you right now."

"I thought she already was?" he asked with a frown. "Didn't you tell me that she'd been acting like I'm some kind of newly ascended deity?"

"Yes... a deity that just reached out to give her his personal blessing," Alyssa explained with a meaningful look. "She's absolutely ecstatic now."

"I suspect she's not the only one," Irillith noted, her violet eyes twinkling. "If you ever change your mind about having a legion of children, there won't be any shortage of volunteers, not after sending that little psychic love note to all your Maliri Thralls."

*You did make quite the impression, my Lord...* Edraele crooned, a sultry edge to her voice.

The rest of the girls shared knowing smiles as they heard the Maliri Queen's telepathic reply.

Rather than reacting with alarm, John nodded with satisfaction. "Good."

Amusement turned to shock as the girls gaped at him in astonishment.

Alyssa asked in a hushed voice, "Are you serious? You want to start getting them all pregnant?!"

"No, of course not," John replied, rolling his eyes. "You know I want to be actively involved in raising my children. I'm pushing the limit with the number of women I've already made that commitment to."

Irillith frowned in confusion. "But you just said-"

"I'm glad I made a big impression on all the women connected to Edraele," John clarified. "I care a great deal about the Maliri and I want them to know how much I appreciate what they're doing for me. I think it's appalling the way other Progenitors treat their thralls with such contempt and I don't want our psychic network to be anything like that. This was just an imbalance that needed correcting."

"You old softie," Alyssa said, snuggling into him.

"You're still righting wrongs..." Tashana gushed, looking at him starry-eyed.

He shrugged and gave her a wry smile, then changed the subject, "Do any of you have more questions about what happened when we reconnected?"

The group shook their heads or murmured in the negative.

Turning to Alyssa, John said, "I know you're worn out after this morning... but are you alert enough to plot a course to Genthalas?"

She sat up straight and nodded. "Yes... I can do that."

"Thank you," he said gratefully. "After we're on our way, I want you to go straight to bed."

Alyssa frowned in protest. "But I want to stick around for the celebratory orgy!"

John cupped her face and gave her a tender kiss. "I can see how exhausted you are, beautiful. Get some rest, then you can help me feed the girls later... okay?"

She blushed and gave him a coy smile. "Okay..."

"Good girl," he replied, gently patting her bottom. Glancing at the quintet of Nymphs, he continued, "Would you ladies mind going with her? I need one of you to watch over the Bridge, someone to help Jade look after Helene... and the rest of you to make sure Alyssa goes to sleep."

"Hey!" she protested, as the pack of catgirls giggled with delight.

"Shall we wear her out first, John?" Betrixa asked with a playful grin.

"I'll leave that to your discretion," he replied, returning their waves goodbye as they scampered after the pouting blonde.

"Let's get the orgy started!" Dana exclaimed, bounding across the bed to pounce on John. "I wanna go first!"

***

Lynette Devereux lay sprawled on her bed in her quarters on Olympus, panting with relief as the connection to John was restored. The previous several hours had been excruciating, the aching pain deep in her chest far worse than when she'd been shot by Buckingham's troops. Alyssa had warned her that John was going to confront his guide and that severing their connection would be unpleasant... but the blonde hadn't prepared her for the yawning depth of that discomfort.

After joining John and the girls as a secret Lioness, Lynette had enjoyed the wonderful feeling of belonging to their family, which she'd always attributed to Alyssa being so welcoming. There was never any tangible sense of John in that connection, other than an underlying admiration and attraction. But when he severed their connection, it felt like she'd fallen off a cliff, swallowed up by a dreadful pit of hollow emptiness. The one thing she'd been thankful for was that Charles hadn't been present to witness her torment, having requested some time alone for 'Lioness business'.

The brunette flushed as she remembered the exhilarating sense of elation she'd felt at John's return and was relieved that her fiancé hadn't been around to witness that either. She slid out of bed and peeled off her sweat-soaked camisole top and shorts, then staggered into the bathroom, grimacing as she glanced at the mirror and saw the state of her hair. It was plastered to her forehead, neck and shoulders, damp and sticky after hours spent tossing and turning in bed. She stepped into the shower then sighed with relief as the hot water cascaded down over her nubile body.

*I'm so sorry, Lynette,* Alyssa said earnestly, the youthful matriarch's voice drifting through her mind. *I had no idea it was going to be that awful. Are you okay?*

Lynette leaned against the slick tiles with her eyes closed, luxuriating in the steamy warmth. *I am now.*

*John's never going to do that again,* the blonde declared, a slight tremor to her voice. *I made him promise. Now he's defeated his guide, there's no reason to ever cut himself off from us in the future.*

Alyssa's fervent response made the Fleet Admiral pause. *Are you and the girls alright?*

*We are now...* she murmured, echoing Lynette's earlier answer.

The brief hesitation before the teenager replied spoke volumes and Lynette could only imagine how much harder this had affected the other Lionesses. She was very fond of John, but the girls on the Invictus were absolutely besotted with him and she realised that being cut off like that must have been agonising for all of them.

*Yeah. It was... not good,* the blonde said quietly, confirming her suspicions. *I really am sorry I wasn't able to give you any support. I swear I would've helped you if I could... but it was way worse than we expected.*

*That's okay, I understand,* Lynette replied, shampooing then rinsing off her hair. *It had to be done, but at least it's over with now. How's John doing?*

*He's wonderful,* Alyssa murmured with a dreamy sigh. *It was all so worth it...*

*Being reconnected was... very nice,* Lynette agreed, blushing at the memory as she turned off the shower.

*It really was!* Alyssa gushed. There was a brief pause, then she continued, *Hold up. I'm just plotting a course to Genthalas and I don't want to make any mistakes. I'll chat to you again in a couple of minutes, Lynette.*

The brunette stood under the hot air of the auto-drier. *Sure. Speak to you later.*

She dressed in her Fleet Admiral uniform and entered the Lounge, activating the comms interface as she sat on the sofa. A practiced swipe of her fingers opened the call to her fiancé and she deftly activated her holo-disguise while she waited for the connection.

"Lynette!" Admiral Charles Harris exclaimed, his moustache twitching as he smiled with relief. "I've been worried about you. Is everything alright?"

"I'm fine, Charles," she replied, wary about being too open over the Olympus comms network. "Could you come to my quarters please? I'd really like to see you."

His eyes twinkled as he gave her a sharp salute. "On my way, Fleet Admiral."

She smiled at him affectionately and closed the comms channel, leaving her staring at the Terran Federation insignia. Lynette's stomach fluttered with butterflies as she anticipated his arrival, desperately needing a hug from her handsome fiancé.

While she waited, Lynette scrolled though the messages that had arrived while she'd been incapacitated. There were status updates from several admirals, all detailing the progress they'd made in critical projects. Sofia Esposito made a request to expedite the trial of the Callopean Shoals traitor, suggesting that the public would appreciate such a heinous criminal being swiftly brought to justice. Lynette glanced through the damning evidence presented against him and found it so compelling that she gave her approval.

Lina Van Den Broeck was making excellent progress with preparations to expand the civilian facilities in the Orbital Shipyard. Lynette cracked a smile at the admiral's ingenuity, as she read that Lina had launched a sweeping advertising campaign that touted Olympus Shipyard as the greatest Wonder of the Galaxy. Construction contractors were now begging to be included in the expansion of such an iconic symbol of humanity's might, even offering significant discounts to their usual fees to be part of that legacy. It was a clever way of exploiting their own avarice, as a testimonial for such work would see their companies set for life with construction projects throughout the Federation.

Next was a progress report from Admiral Xiu Wu, who had been tasked with a drastic reduction of the R&D division. After Hugo Chapman's dramatic arrest and forced resignation, the scaling back of the massive Terran Federation military research budget had begun in earnest. The stern example made of their former commanding officer had quelled any further insubordination and Admiral Wu noted that she was pleased with the level of cooperation received in restructuring the division.

Admiral Hamilton Garbert-Smythe had submitted an enthusiastic report, detailing his progress in the brutal axing of the entire Maliri espionage division. He was currently focused on culling most of the old boys' club that had coasted by with minimal results for decades. The newer agents that hadn't yet become jaded and lazy were being reallocated to monitoring the many Minor Empires, with the intention of increasing background intelligence for future trade possibilities.

Lynette leaned back on the sofa and mulled that over. If trade links could be increased, the influx of new goods and revenue could be channelled through the Outer Rim, which would lead to plenty of new infrastructure improvements to meet commercial demand. It would be another way of showing the Admiralty's renewed commitment to the previously neglected colonies. She opened up a holographic map of the Terran Federation and studied the Kirrix invasion corridor, which included the systems most likely to rebel against High Command.

*All done!* Alyssa declared with satisfaction.

*Hello again,* Lynette said, pleased to hear from the blonde. *That was good timing; I'd like to discuss the Outer Rim colonies if you can spare a few minutes.*

*Sure! But before we get into that, there's one thing I'd like you to do for me...*

Following her matriarch's instructions, Lynette closed her eyes and made a conscious effort to relax. She let her thoughts turn inwards towards... then gasped as she felt a gentle warmth pulse outwards from her heart and fill her body. It was like nothing she'd ever experienced before, but the sensation gave her a profound sense of contentment. She could feel John's gratitude that she was part of their psychic network and Lynette knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that he genuinely cared for her continued good health and happiness.

"Oh my..." she breathed, as she wiped a tear from her eye. *Alyssa, what was that?*

*Just John's way of showing his appreciation,* the young woman replied. *We all care about you, Lynette, you're part of our family.*

The Fleet Admiral swallowed around the lump in her throat, overcome with emotion. She gazed unfocused at the holographic map spread open before her, until Lynette's hazel eyes drifted back to the systems in the Outer Rim. Blinking away her daze, she focused on Brecken's World and was suddenly struck with a burst of inspiration.

*That's actually not a bad idea...* Alyssa murmured, listening to her train of thought.

Lynette sprang out of her seat. *I need to assemble High Command... then I better start packing!*

***

The girls paired off as they waited for a turn with John, their lithe bodies entwined as they kissed and gently caressed each other. As he held Dana in his arms, sensual sighs and gasps of pleasure surrounded him on the oval bed, filling the Observatory with a breathtaking erotic symphony.

The redhead showered him in hungry kisses and as John reciprocated, he contacted his Nymph Matriarch. *Jade, I'm sorry you and your sisters can't be part of the celebrations.*

*That's quite alright, Master. I'm happy to be watching over Helene and my sisters are all delighted to be assisting you with useful tasks. Earlier today, Marika expressed her concern that we've been monopolising your time recently, so just focus on enjoying your mates... we'll savour the pleasure you receive from being with them.*

*I'd like to spend some time with just you and your sisters, when we get the chance,* he requested as he rolled Dana over onto her back without breaking their kiss.

*Are you sure, Master?* Jade asked with faux concern. *There's only so much pleasure a mortal man can withstand...*

He broke the kiss with Dana and laughed. *Well... it's a good job I'm immortal then.*

"What's so funny?" the horny teenager asked, gazing up at him with a big grin.

"Sorry... Jade was just teasing me," he explained, reaching for Rachel and pulling her closer. "You two have my undivided attention now."

"Planning to straighten out your lusty lesbians?" the brunette asked, kneeling down beside them and kissing his shoulder.

"Of course," he replied, repositioning himself as Dana eagerly parted her thighs. "Will you guide me in, honey?"

Rachel reached for his throbbing cock and lined him up with her girlfriend's soaked pussy. Dana let out a deep groan as John pushed inside those velvety folds, not stopping until he was buried up to his quad.

As the redhead wrapped her toned legs around his waist, John propped himself up on his arms to gaze down at the stunningly beautiful girl. "You're amazing, Sparks... I'm so lucky to have you."

"Admiring your handiwork?" she asked, her blue eyes sparkling with glee. She cupped her perky breasts, squeezing the luscious flesh. "I don't blame you... I love my smoking hot bod!"

"No, I'm not talking about that," he replied earnestly, shaking his head. "There's a billion thralls in the galaxy with identical bodies to you; it's what's inside that makes you so special. Alyssa showed me what happened between you two on Karron... I saw everything."

"Oh... you liked those naked pillow fights?" Dana joked, to hide her embarrassment.

Sensing that he was making a serious point, Rachel asked quietly, "What happened, John?"

"She saved Alyssa," John marvelled, shifting his weight to his elbows and gently brushing his fingers through Dana's lustrous auburn hair. "You were wonderful back then, Sparks. You knew she wasn't going to make it on her own and you did everything you could to help her. If you hadn't been so kind and generous, Alyssa never would've survived."