Three Square Meals Ch. 047

He stifled a chuckle and said, *You girls are more than I can handle as it is. I think we're fine for now.*

She shook her head gently, which brushed her long blonde hair along Dana's bronzed shoulder. *Nonsense. You're a font of vitality. Besides, just think how hot it would be to have that dusky hued reporter on her knees, sucking your cock and staring into your eyes, as you got her ready to take a good pounding.*

John's mind went to very interesting places, and she smirked knowingly as she followed his train of thought.

*You just focus on enjoying yourself with us,* she told him confidently. *Let me worry about more girls. XO is in charge of recruitment remember...*

Considering the epic session he had just had with their latest crewmember, he realised that arguing would be fairly ridiculous. *I'll trust your judgement then, XO,* he thought to her with a tired smile, and settled down to sleep.

*Good boy,* she said to him softly, as he drifted off. *Sleep well, handsome.*

***

They woke up to the gentle chimes of an alarm that Dana had set, and the soft lilting melody drifted around the room, rousing them from their dreams. John stretched as he normally did, while the girls sat up then stretched too, putting on an amazing display of firm, pert young breasts. They smiled at him with satisfaction when they saw they had his attention, and he laughed as he suddenly realised something.

"These impressive displays are purely for my benefit, aren't they?" he smirked.

Alyssa quirked an eyebrow at him and asked, "Do you mind?"

When he shook his head emphatically, the other girls giggled playfully.

"Well, we've got an hour before we reach Irillith's homeworld. Let's get showered and dressed, then go and have some breakfast," John said enthusiastically.

Dana clambered over Rachel, and placed a restraining hand on his chest. "Uh-uh mister," she said sternly. "You requested blowjobs to start the day, and it's my turn this morning. If I'm not going with you, then the least you can do is leave me with a tummy full of your cum."

"Who am I to argue with that?" John said with a grin, and he folded his hands behind his head and settled back in bed.

Dana knelt between his legs and engulfed his not yet erect cock in her mouth, determined to put some steel in him, in short order. The other girls gave him a quick kiss goodbye and then left the room to get ready.

Alyssa was the last to go, and she strolled into their bathroom. "We'll get some breakfast ready for you. Just head to the Officers' Lounge when you've finished giving Dana hers," she told him matter-of-factly, her voice drifting out of the room to join them.

Dana grinned at him as best she could, with her lips spread wide around his shaft. She then proceeded to give him a wonderful start to his day.

***

They all gathered up on the Bridge after they had eaten, automatically spreading out to sit at their assigned places. Alyssa brought up the local sector map that showed the last leg of the journey, and they watched with bated breath as the image of the Invictus raced towards the final system on their route. The star was tagged on the holographic map as Epsilon-Aquarii, and when they jumped into the system, they were brought out of hyper-warp, before they flew too close to any gravity wells.

The sun itself was named Albali, and was a class A star, bluish-white in appearance. The ship's sensor pulsed out, and a riot of information was almost instantly displayed over the system map.

"The speed the new sensors gather data at is amazing," John marvelled as he looked up at the fully populated map that hovered above them. "It's still taking a bit of getting used to!"

Dana turned in her chair, moving carefully as she adjusted her heavy midriff. She grinned at him, as she said playfully, "I could build in some redundancy loops to slow them down, if that would make it easier to adjust?"

He laughed and said, "I'll learn to cope."

The Epsilon-Aquarii system had four habitable planets in it, along with two large gas giants. Each of the worlds looked lush and verdant, and their flight path was taking them to the second planet, which was named Valaden.

Calara had been carefully studying the map, and said, "I wonder if Irillith's House is named after the planet, or vice-versa."

Rachel then said, "I'm more curious to know if these four worlds have been terraformed or if they all started out habitable. The sensors show them all to have lovely, well-balanced climates, with a wide balance of natural ecosystems. It seems very unlikely that the Maliri were that lucky."

John narrowed his eyes and asked, "You think the Progenitors got involved with the terraforming?"

The brunette looked thoughtful for a moment, and said, "Either the Progenitors enhanced the planets, or the Maliri have developed some very sophisticated terraforming techniques. Hopefully you can find someone friendly on Valaden, who might have some answers," Rachel added optimistically. "I'd love to know more about their background."

Further speculation was interrupted by a startled gasp from Calara.

"What is it?" John asked her curiously.

The Latina cycled through the facilities on her tactical map, and then selected the one she was looking at. With the click of a button, she displayed it above them.

"Look at the size of that thing!" she marvelled.

It was a vast orbital shipyard, that was in a wide orbit of the planet Valaden. It shared a similar architectural design as Geniya Space Station, and was golden coloured, and full of towering spires and crystal domes. It appeared to be in the shape of an enormous wheel, with huge maintenance gantries, booms and stanchions located around the axis of the gently rotating shipyard. The telltale sealed doors of hundreds of docking bays dotted the hull of the colossal facility, evenly spaced and grouped in clusters, divided into segments around the circumference of the ring.

Jade frowned and pointed up at it as she said, "Most of the shipyard seems to be dormant."

John stared up at the image, and Calara zoomed in still further, magnifying the holographic representation of the titanic shipyard. At this level of magnification, John could now see what Jade meant. Only a fifth of the shipyard appeared to be in use, with Maliri vessels travelling to and from that small section of the facility. The docking bays in this small section were all brightly illuminated, but further around the rim, the bays, crystal domes, and thousands of windows were dark and foreboding.

"Even that active bit must be as big as Olympus Shipyard," Calara said in amazement.

Alyssa shared a glance with John, and said, "But why build something so huge if they aren't going to use most of it?"

He looked as bemused as she was, and they returned their attention to the map. Irillith's cruiser was heading towards the planet Valaden, which took them past the orbiting shipyard. They watched the Maliri ships flying past, all of which followed the same kind of elegant design aesthetics.

"Any idea what types of vessels they are, Calara?" John asked the Latina.

She studied the sensor data, and cycled through the dozens of ships in the system, before answering him thoughtfully, "We aren't performing active-scans, and unfortunately we don't have an almanac of Maliri vessels. Only around half of their ships have visible weaponry, so either those ones are the only military vessels and the rest civilian, or some of the others conceal their weapons behind their armour plating like the Invictus does. Whatever their designations, I haven't seen anything bigger than a cruiser yet."

Dana looked puzzled and said, "I was just about to say, that maybe they just prefer building small ships, but that doesn't explain that colossal shipyard."

John shrugged helplessly and said, "We'll have to keep our eyes out for any big ships. They might have them all stationed at the border of their territory though."

"We're getting a hail from Irillith," Rachel said, turning to look up at John.

He nodded at the tawny haired girl and she accepted the call. The viewscreen filled with the holographic image of the blue-skinned Maliri woman, who was no longer hidden behind her armour. Instead she appeared to be wearing some kind of flowing dress with cutaway sections that revealed the blue skin of her shoulders.

She looked somewhat subdued, and refused to meet John's gaze as she looked around the Bridge. Her eyes settled on Alyssa, and suddenly went wide with surprise. Recovering her composure quickly, she said, "Follow me down to the planet, and you will be allocated a landing bay. Don't move from there, until you are given further instructions."

He opened his mouth to reply, and she closed the channel abruptly, cutting him off.

Alyssa smirked and said, "Her run in with Progenitor-John doesn't seem to have brightened her mood."

"We better follow her instructions, though. Follow her down, Jade," he said, leaning forward in his chair.

The Nymph nodded, and manoeuvred the Invictus to follow after the Maliri vessel. As they approached the planet the system map was replaced by the planetary map, and Valaden loomed large above them. It was a beautiful green world, with plenty of oceans and lakes spread over its surface, and numerous large cities were immediately apparent as they got closer.

They followed Irillith's cruiser down to what appeared to be the largest city on the planet, and a glowing flightpath appeared, showing them the route to take to the docking bay. Jade eased their ship along, sticking meticulously to the path they had been provided. It led them to a golden-spired metropolis, that seemed to be seamlessly integrated with the encroaching forest. As they flew over the city, they could see broad streets below them, being used by intermittent traffic, mainly consisting of hover-vehicles of various shapes and sizes. There were also spacious, well cared for parks and water features between each of the buildings, providing a patchwork mosaic of greens and blues amongst the gleaming gold of the buildings.

Alyssa had been watching the beautiful, well planned city below them as it flashed by, and said wistfully, "A far cry from Karron, eh Sparks?"

The redhead nodded soberly taking in the amazing architecture and designs. "We really got some shitty luck growing up in that craphole," she said sadly.

They watched the final approach quietly, and Jade gently coaxed them in to land gently in one of dozens of docking bays in a shiny spaceport facility. For such a large spaceport, traffic from the surface to orbit was surprisingly light, and only a handful of ships raced up to the stars as they came in to land.

"Well, here we are." John said. "I guess we wait for further instructions."

***

Irillith walked briskly through the vaulted, high ceilinged corridors of her mother's palace. As terrified as she had been of the Mael'nerak, that almost seemed like a strange dream now, compared to the very real and tangible fear that she always felt when meeting with her mother. She ignored the guards as she brushed past them into her mother's private quarters, knowing none of them would be reckless or foolish enough to challenge her.

Walking cautiously from room to room, she systematically explored Edraele's quarters until she approached her mother's study. Instinctively she knew she would have been here all along, but maintaining the pretence of thoroughly checking the other rooms first, let her put off the meeting for longer.

The ten-foot-tall doors were embossed with the heart and crossed blades insignia of House Valaden, and Irillith only hesitated for a moment longer, before knocking on it tentatively.

Her mother's cold voice came through the doorway, and said, "If you've finished wandering around my quarters, I'd like to see you. Immediately."

Irillith swallowed, and nervously opened the door. "Mother, it's wonderful to see you," she said cautiously as she walked into the study.

Edraele Valaden was seated behind a long, elegant looking desk, that seemed to flow out of the nearby wall. Tall holographic screens adorned every square inch of the wall, displaying a wide variety of information for the Valaden House Matriarch. She turned away from the report she had been studying, and her impassive purple eyes settled on her daughter.

"Well?" she demanded abruptly.

Irillith bowed to her mother and said, "I did as you asked, mother. We exterminated the Fulmanax, and Quanthos can be colonised at our leisure."

Edraele's eyes narrowed as she asked, "And what of this Mael'nerak? Did you verify that he was one of their kind?"

Irillith nodded and said hesitantly, "Yes, I have no doubt that he is one of them, but..."

"How are you certain?" Edraele demanded, cutting Irillith off. "What powers did he possess?"

Irillith faltered, paling as she remembered the terrifying encounter in the subterranean lair of the Fulmanax. "He... he..." she stammered in fear.

"Out with it you imbecile!" Edraele snarled impatiently. "Do you think I have time to listen to you fumbling to speak?!"

Irillith looked at her mother with frightened eyes, and blurted out, "He possesses fearsome strength; able to hurl around boulders as though they were pebbles. I witnessed him use pyrokinesis to dispatch the Fulmanax Hive-mind's sentinel, and he healed himself, and one of his women."

Edraele leaned forward, a fearsome hunger in her eyes. "Describe the nature of this healing," she demanded eagerly.

Irillith looked to one side and paused before she replied, "The sentinel must have toppled a calcite pillar on them. It would have crushed any ordinary person to death, but the Mael'nerak emerged unscathed. His woman was critically injured, and I overheard their physician describing grievous wounds. I just saw her again, two days after she was wounded, and she was completely healed, with no sign of injury."

Edraele sat back in her chair, a cunning smile twisting her lips as she steepled her fingers and tapped the first two together. Irillith recognised one of her mother's mannerisms that signified she was deep in thought, and wisely remained silent, although she desperately wanted to speak up.

Finally Edraele focused her cold, purple eyes on her daughter once more, and said, "Bring the Mael'nerak to me. It is high time we met."

Irillith shook her head, and said urgently, "That is what I wished to warn you abou-"

"YOU are going to warn ME?" Edraele snorted in disbelief, interrupting her daughter.

Undeterred, Irillith tried again, throwing caution to one side as she said frantically, "You've made a terrible mistake bringing him here. You must get him to leave Maliri Space immediately!"

Edraele rose to her feet, her eyes glowing with a terrible purple hue. "You dare speak to me like that?!" she snarled in disbelief at her daughter's impudence.

Irillith dropped to her knees and pleaded, "Mother, please, you don't understa-"

Edraele's eyes flared, and the sharp sound of a whistling slap echoed around the room, as Irillith was backhanded across the floor. She struggled to stand again, before a second ringing slap sent her sprawling backwards to crash into the wall.

"You WILL bring him to me, or I'll leave you in a pain harness for a month!" Edraele screamed, incandescent with fury.

"I'm sorry, mother!" Irillith begged. "I'll do as you command!"

Edraele sat down in her chair, fully composed once more. "Get out, and bring him to me immediately." she said in a frosty voice, then turned her attention to the holo-display.

Irillith staggered to her feet, her face still smarting from where she had been slapped, and she hurried from the room without a backwards glance.

***

John and Alyssa sat in his Ready Room, quietly discussing the likelihood of being able to bring firearms with them, when his watch chimed, letting him know Rachel was trying to contact him.

"Irillith just hailed us. She's waiting outside for you," Rachel informed him.

He smiled at her and said, "Great, thanks. We'll be right out."

Alyssa stood a moment later, and looked at him quizzically as he rose to his feet. "What do you think? Guns or not?" she asked cautiously.

John looked pensive for a moment, then shook his head. "If they wanted to try and kill us, they've had lots of opportunities already. Dragging us all this way for a week, only to finally ambush us seems unlikely."

Alyssa nodded, and they walked out of the Ready Room, onto the Bridge. The girls were waiting for them by the grav-tube, and they all had worried expressions on their beautiful faces.

John smiled at them cheerfully, and said, "Don't look so worried, we'll be fine!"

They nodded bravely, so he opened his arms wide so they could gather for a hug.

"Any final orders, Commodore?" Calara asked him, looking up at him attentively.

John shook his head, and looked to each of them as he said, " Calara's in charge, but you're all extremely capable. I trust all of you to look after each other, and the ship. If we get into any trouble, Alyssa will let you know, and we'll react accordingly."

They nodded obediently, still looking apprehensive, so John said jovially, "I'll be back before you know it, and making you all look like Dana." He then reached out to caress the redhead's stomach, still rounded from the cum she'd swallowed an hour earlier.

The girls laughed at that, and nodded, looking more optimistic. John and Alyssa waved goodbye to them as they stepped into the grav-tube, and then descended smoothly in the red glow. They walked out into the corridor on Deck Nine, and then strolled over to the airlock, opening it up and walking outside.

The atmosphere on the planet Valaden was clean and crisp, with a wonderful scent of pine in the air. John smiled at Alyssa, nodding appreciatively, before their attention was drawn by Irillith who hurried over. Her cheeks looked flushed, like she had been running to meet them, but oddly she didn't seem out of breath.

Not making eye contact, she nodded briefly and then said sharply, "Follow me, I'll take you to meet Matriarch Valaden." Not bothering to wait for an acknowledgement, she turned and strode away.

"Wait, Irillith." John said, his voice strong and firm.

She froze in her tracks, but didn't turn around. He walked around in front of her, and she looked away, but didn't make any move to leave.

"We have unfinished business," John said ominously. "You deliberately led us into a dangerous situation, and you must have known full well we wouldn't have agreed to help you wipe out the Fulmanax, because everything you told us about the mission was a lie. Not only that, but it was you that provoked the nest, and stirred up that whole shitstorm. One of my crew ended up getting seriously wounded because of it. What have you got to say for yourself?"

Irillith glanced up at him fearfully, but something she saw in his expression made her stare at him more closely. Emboldened, she straightened her posture and said haughtily, "I said if you did that task for me, I'd bring you to meet my mother, and here we are." She then glanced Alyssa's way and smirked as she said, "Besides, she looks fine to me, so what's the problem? Everyone got what they wanted."

Alyssa stepped up to John's side, and asked, "What about the Fulmanax? What did they do to deserve being wiped out?"

"They were an obstacle in my way," Irillith said coldly. "Now, if we're done wasting time, I'll take you to meet my mother. She doesn't take kindly to being kept waiting."

*Committing genocide doesn't bother her in the slightest,* John thought to Alyssa angrily.

*She really doesn't give a fuck,* Alyssa agreed sombrely.

Not waiting for an answer, Irillith sidestepped them and strode away at a brisk pace. John and Alyssa shared a glance, and then followed after the beautiful blue-skinned alien woman, walking quickly to catch up with her. She led them out of the docking bay at a fast walk, her posture proud and erect as she glided ahead of them. Her long dress was a light cream colour, and hugged her shapely figure, as well as revealed tantalising glimpses of light blue flesh. John couldn't help admiring her lovely body as they kept pace with her, and when he glanced Alyssa's way, she grinned at him in amusement.