Three Square Meals Ch. 140

"I don't think the matriarchs would mind if we just forgot the party and had a huge orgy?" John suggested hopefully.

Alyssa jerked back in alarm and shook her head. "No way! We're not skipping the party!"

Glancing around, he could see that the rest of the girls were clearly tempted by his suggestion, but they all shook their heads too.

"Turning down an orgy? This is unheard of!" he joked with a grin. "Alright, I'll follow your lead. You've obviously got everything planned out for tonight."

Alyssa's cerulean eyes softened and she gave him a tender kiss. "Do you need some relief? Seeing all of us like this must be making your quad work overtime."

"That's a very tempting offer," John said quietly, trailing his fingers up Rachel's tanned arm before caressing Calara's olive-hued shoulder. He brushed the fingers from his other hand through Dana's auburn hair, then Sakura's silky raven locks. "The problem is that I want every single one of you and not just for some quick relief."

"You missed all your variety, Master?" Leylira asked with an indulgent smile, before glancing down at her tiger striped markings. "I did wonder why I was black and orange..."

John laughed at her joke, then pulled the Maliri twins into his arms. "I just can't get enough of all the girls I'm hopelessly in love with. The new matriarchs were charming women, but there's a huge difference between instinctive genetic infatuation, and what we've built together."

*Just give me time, my Lord,* Edraele promised, a sultry edge to her voice. *I promise you won't be disappointed.*

"I've got an idea..." Alyssa suggested playfully. "Why don't we fill you in on everything we've been up to? After that, we'll take care of you in a way that I know you'd enjoy."

"Sounds good to me," he agreed with a grin. "Okay, who wants to go first?"

"Well, I've just been swimming and sunbathing," Rachel declared, posing to show off her tan.

"You look gorgeous," John said, admiring her bronzed skin. "And well rested too; I can see how much more relaxed you are."

"It's what happens when I'm waited on hand and foot," the brunette said with a light-hearted laugh. "I almost felt guilty about being pampered like a princess."

"This place is amazing," Sakura agreed. "The food, the hospitality, the palace itself... it's better than any five-star hotel I've ever stayed in. I used to go on holidays with my parents for two weeks and I didn't feel as chilled out as I do after just a couple of days here."

"You were right, I did need some time off from research," Dana conceded, sidling up to him and giving John a grateful kiss. "It was hard to just switch off from everything to start, but it's made a huge difference. I was getting frustrated trying to crack the black metal before, but now I'm raring to go!"

"Thanks for listening," he said, hugging her in return. "I saw the Ashanath ship designs; you did a really nice job on them. I hope they didn't take up too much of your vacation time?"

"Not much at all," she said earnestly. "I'd done a bunch of work on them already and I finished them off while I was sunbathing. Callie made some great practical improvements to the weapon layouts... and Alyssa gave the ships a makeover."

Calara tipped an imaginary hat in his direction and grinned.

John caught Dana's reproachful tone regarding Alyssa's contribution and raised an eyebrow. "You didn't like the way they looked? I thought they were awesome! You should've seen the reception your new ship designs got from the Ashanath councillors. Ularean was so overwhelmed, he couldn't even hold on to the telepathic connection. When he pulled himself together enough to rejoin Edraele, he was literally crying with joy."

Calara burst into laughter and clapped her girlfriend on the back. "You know the Greys alright!"

Alyssa winked at the redhead. "See, Sparks... I knew someone would appreciate my work."

Dana looked at John askance. "You really didn't mind how they looked?"

"I thought Alyssa did an incredible job," he replied honestly. "Those ships were beautiful... but you could tell they were deadly without them looking like some spiky-hulled monstrosity that the Drakkar would fly."

Giving him another funny look, Dana held up one finger. "Just wait right here a second, I'm going to grab the holo-viewer."

As she marched back into the palace, Jehanna strode away with her. "I'm going to get changed out of this bikini!" she called over her shoulder. "I want to give you a shooting demonstration without looking like something out of 'Girls n' Guns'!"

"I don't mind!" John yelled after her.

Jehanna grinned and blew him a kiss, but kept going.

"She wants you to take her seriously," Alyssa said with a fond smile. "Jehanna's been working incredibly hard. I think she's clocked in at least forty hours on the range over the past three days."

"I checked the ammo reserves at lunchtime. She's gone through 45,000 rounds of 10mm caseless," Sakura noted, shaking her head in admiration.

"Didn't Jehanna spend any time with you?" John asked with a frown of concern.

"Whenever she wasn't on the range she kept us company," Tashana quickly interjected.

"She doesn't like sunbathing, so we were forced to find other ways to keep her entertained," Irillith added with a lascivious smile.

"We might as well head inside instead of just standing here in the doorway," Alyssa said, beckoning him through the entrance. "Just wait until you get a load of this place!"

John reached for Helene's hand and gave her a warm smile as they walked through the beautiful building. "Keep me company? We need to talk in a minute."

She clasped his hand and returned his smile. "Of course."

The girls led John into the grand hall and he couldn't help but be impressed by the opulent luxury on display.

"Not bad, eh?" Alyssa noted, her eyes shining as she linked arms with him. "What do you think? Could you see this place as our home for the future?"

"It really is amazing," he agreed, glancing into adjoining rooms and along broad corridors, then up at the magnificent crystal chandeliers overhead. "The palace actually feels welcoming rather than like a stuffy old museum."

"Yeah, I got the same feeling too," she happily agreed.

"No bad vibes at all?" John asked, raising an eyebrow. "Tashana said that Valada ruled the Maliri from here, but that was after she had her heart broken by Mael'nerak."

The blonde shook her head. "Nope, nothing like that at all."

"I take it you haven't had any luck in finding anything Valada might have left behind?" he asked the Maliri archaeologist.

Tashana sighed with frustration. "I've spent hours scouring the palace for clues, but it's been a fruitless search so far."

"I can scan the building using my X-Ray vision later," he offered, glancing around at the huge rooms.

"Oh that would be brilliant!" the Maliri enthused, immediately brightening. "Why wait though? Can't you check now?"

"I don't want to steal Jehanna's thunder. If I did find something, that's all anyone would be interested in," John explained. "And I think Alyssa would kill me if I turned her party venue into an archaeological dig site. Besides, we could do with a floor-plan of the palace first; it would make it much easier to spot any hidden rooms."

"That won't take me long," Irillith said confidently. "I can have one ready for you in the morning."

"That would be perfect, thanks."

Alyssa led them through to the back of Saelihn Immanthe and into a spacious, crystal-canopied Sitting Room, furnished with plenty of comfortable-looking sofas.

"This would be a great spot for star gazing," he said appreciatively, glancing up at the golden afternoon sun.

"We were in here last night," Calara said, giving him a wistful smile. "There was no light pollution and the view of the stars was amazing."

"It was very romantic, but that just made all of us really miss you," Alyssa agreed as she pulled him towards the back doors. "Now... what do you think of the pool?"

John stared in astonishment at the picturesque water gardens that were laid out at the rear of the palace grounds. Amidst all the ornate fountains and carefully tended tropical flowers, gleaming golden bridges arced over a host of curving waterways. It reminded him of the Lagoon, but on a far grander scale.

"It's so much fun swimming around here!" Leylira enthused, bounding over to his side. "There's lots of little channels you can chase each other around!"

"And plenty of hidden nooks that would be ideal for intimate liaisons, Master..." Betrixa purred, her sapphire eyes sparkling with a seductive glimmer.

"There are channels that let you swim right out into the lake," Neysa informed him, drawing his attention to the shimmering body of water beyond the palace grounds. "The coral reefs are breathtakingly beautiful."

"And there's so many exotic fish to talk to!" Marika added, bouncing up and down with excitement. "We've been out there for hours getting to know our new neighbours!"

"This is incredible. I can't wait to join you for a swim," John said, gazing longingly at the crystal-clear water.

"All of these water features are new," Irillith explained, encompassing the aquatic landscaping with a sweeping gesture. "There were just lawns and terraced gardens here before."

"Mother's sparing no expense to make us feel at home," Tashana added, slipping an arm around her sister.

"Wait until you see the pool at night, Master! There are lots of pretty lights under the water," Betrixa exclaimed, beckoning him over so that she could point them out. "When they're all turned on, it looks magical!"

John walked over to join her and was able to make out the spotlights that edged the pool. "Oh, yeah... I see."

She giggled and gave him a hearty shove, sending him toppling over. "Time for a dip!"

Except John knew what the mischievous Nymph was up to and levitated smoothly above the water without breaking the surface. "Fool me once..." he said with a grin, before gesturing at the cheetah-spotted catgirl.

Telekinetic hands neatly scooped her up and the startled feline squealed in surprise as she was launched into the pool with a huge splash. The girls broke into laughter, then waved at Betrixa when she re-emerged and spouted water into the air.

"Hey, that's cheating!" she protested with a pout. "Come in with me!"

The rest of the Nymphs kicked off their high heels and dived in after their sister. Bikinis were quickly discarded by the giggling catgirls and they joined Betrixa in beckoning him to join them.

"Let me watch Jehanna's shooting demonstration first, then I promise I'll spend the rest of the afternoon with you," he said, landing gracefully on the flagstone patio.

Mollified by his compromise, the Nymphs turned their attention to splashing each other, laughing and joking together as they cavorted around the pool.

"Jehanna's going to meet us at the Firing Range," Alyssa informed him, before glancing meaningfully at Helene. "Take as much time as you need."

"Let's go inside where it's a bit quieter," he suggested to the Abandoned girl, who wasted no time in clasping his hand again.

John walked into the relatively tranquil conservatory and took a seat, confirming that the sofas were as comfortable as they looked. He pulled Helene down so that she was sitting sideways across his lap, then wrapped his arms around her and gave her a big hug.

"I'm so glad you're alright," he said as she nuzzled into him. "I was really worried about you when you collapsed."

"I'm sorry, John... I never meant for that to happen," Helene said earnestly. "I was just concentrating so hard on trying to ease the girls' suffering that I lost myself in their emotions. I wasn't even aware that I'd grown so weak... and then everything went dark."

"You have to be really careful pushing yourself so hard like that," John said, looking into her baby-blue eyes. "Stretching your limits can make you stronger, but it's also very dangerous."

"I understand," she said quietly, her returning gaze unsettled. "When I woke up, I found out that I'd slept for most of the day, but I still felt exhausted... it was like being weary down to my bones."

John was listening attentively and nodded as she confirmed his suspicions. "I think when you push yourself that hard, you start tapping into your own life force. It gives you a surge of extra psychic power, but you're literally killing yourself to fuel it. That's what the Progenitors do to their thralls when they drain them to death for energy."

Helene shuddered with revulsion, her skin prickling with goosebumps. "That's so horrible. I don't know how they could do that to another living creature."

"Yeah, me neither... but we are going to stop them." Glancing down at the teal-hued girl, he continued, "I'm guessing Alyssa already read you the riot act about putting yourself in danger?"

She bit her lip and blushed. "She did... and I'm so sorry I made everyone worry about me."

"We all love you, Helene, and we don't want you to get hurt... or worse. I'm not going to tell you off for pushing yourself that hard, because I know why you did it. Alyssa and the girls were in agony when I cut them off from the connection and I'm incredibly grateful to you for easing their pain."

Helene looked greatly relieved and gave him a warm smile. "Thank you, John. I promise that I'll be more careful in the future."

"You know your limits now and what the consequences might be if you over-exert yourself. If you do need to push yourself that hard again, lean heavily on Alyssa for help... she's there to support and protect you."

"I will..." she agreed, before looking at John curiously. "I was worried that you'd be upset with me for putting myself in danger, but you're not, are you?"

"I know you weren't being deliberately reckless and just trying to help the girls; I would've done exactly the same thing if I'd been in your position. You also learned an important lesson about pushing yourself to the absolute limit and I'm sure you will have grown stronger in the process." He gazed out through the sweeping crystal windows at the girls laughing together around the pool. "We're going to be facing more deadly threats than we ever have before and I'm going to need all of you to be as strong as possible. The more powerful you become, the better chance you'll have of being able to protect yourselves and each other against the Progenitors."

"Alyssa was right... you have changed," Helene murmured, studying his face.

He gave her a self-conscious smile. "I suppose this is the first time we've had a proper chance to talk since I absorbed my guide. I hope I haven't changed for the worse?"

"No... not at all," she said quietly, looking at him in fascination. "You seem calmer and more confident than before. It's like you're swimming on a new course and the currents are with you."

"The guide had been there all my life, so I didn't realise what a huge drag he was until I finally got rid of him," John replied, as he carefully considered her words. "I think my mind being fractured like that made it so much harder for me to deal with all the traumatic experiences in my past. Being abandoned by my mother, the guilt I felt over joining the military instead of running the restaurant with my grandparents, then losing all my friends at Galen Prime and blaming myself for the orbital bombardment... it all got to be too much and I just couldn't handle any more. I'd still be living as a recluse if I hadn't met Alyssa."

"She's a very special girl," Helene said softly. "I've never met anyone who cares so deeply about their friends and family. Being loved by her is one of the most precious gifts you've given me."

"Yeah, she is pretty wonderful," John agreed, smiling as he sensed his matriarch's embarrassment at their effusive praise. He kissed Helene on the cheek and continued, "You were correct before, about Alyssa acting differently with me. She was just trying to be supportive and give me what she thought I needed."

"Was she right?" Helene asked, listening avidly.

He went quiet and looked out the window again, his gaze focusing on the statuesque blonde. Alyssa was listening to her friends as they chattered away to her, but she turned to face him, her real attention riveted on John.

"Yeah... she was," he admitted to himself as much as to her. "I was already dealing with so much when we first met, I wasn't emotionally equipped to be able to handle any more. Alyssa shouldered a lot of moral burdens for me until I'd grown strong enough to cope with them myself."

They shared a smile together, then he turned to look at Helene. "Thank you for helping me understand the sacrifices Alyssa was making to support me. You were the only one of us that realised what she was doing and I think that's because you care as deeply about people too. I feel very fortunate that you chose to join us, Helene."

She beamed at John, her face lighting up with joy. "Up until now, I never felt like I truly deserved to be part of your family. For the first time, it feels like I've earned my place with you and the girls."

"You always deserved to be here, but I understand what you mean. You were there for us when we needed you most," he agreed, giving her a big hug.

They held each other in that embrace for a long moment, until John noticed Jehanna had entered the conservatory and was discreetly trying to slip past without disturbing them.

He rubbed Helene's back and slowly released her. "I'm really glad we got a chance to talk."

She pulled away from him and nodded. "Me too. I missed you so much while you were away." Helene gave him a tender kiss, then glanced over at her fellow Lioness. "He's all yours now, Jehanna."

The former reporter froze and gave her an apologetic frown. "Sorry! I didn't mean to interrupt."

"That's okay, we'd finished talking," the aquatic girl explained, waving away the apology.

John helped Helene up, then rose from the sofa. "You're not joining us, honey?"

Helene shook her head as she accompanied him outside. "I'm going to stay with the Nymphs and wait for you in the pool. Jehanna wants to show you and the other Lionesses what she can do... but to me it would just be a lot of bright lights and loud noise."

John was pleased to see calm acceptance in her eyes now, rather than Helene wistfully imagining what it would be like to fight alongside her new family. It was obvious to him that Helene no longer felt like she needed to prove she was worthy of being with them.

Turning to her friend, Helene smiled. "Good luck!"

She bounded across the patio and dove into the water, where she was enthusiastically greeted by the Nymphs.

Alyssa and the rest of the girls walked over to join John, with everyone looking expectantly at Jehanna.

"Lead on, honey," John said, clasping her hand.

Jehanna guided them back to the Invictus via the underground passageway, fending off any questions about her shooting demonstration with deliberately vague answers. When they entered the battlecruiser's airlock, she surprised John by opening the door into the Secondary Hangar rather than heading over to the grav-tubes.

"Can I ask all of you to get geared up," she requested, striding towards the concealed entrance for the express grav-tubes. "You won't need any weapons, just Paragon suits."

"Sure," he agreed, darting a curious glance at Alyssa as they crossed the hangar.

"Don't ask me, I've no idea what she's up to," the blonde admitted with a helpless shrug. She darted a flirtatious smile at their newest recruit. "If I knew she was going to be sneaky and keep secrets, I would've spent the last three days bonding her brains out. Don't worry, I'll make that my highest priority now."

Jehanna blushed and cleared her throat. "Please join me in the Primary Hangar when you're ready."