Three Square Meals Ch. 054

John look sombre as he thought about it, until he finally said, "Rachel said that I gave you these powers when I modified your DNA, giving you that third helix. Maybe I subconsciously gave you some kind of built-in instruction manual at the same time?"

Giggling at the thought, Alyssa shrugged and said, "Well, whatever it was, it saved my ass."

"It's a magnificent posterior, and well worth saving," he agreed, reaching down to have a quick feel.

She smiled at him, then turned more serious and said, "In all honesty, the fight felt a bit one-sided. Progenitor-John seemed shocked to the core when I laid into him with some kind of crazy psychic blast that sent him flying. He had cut through our connection just before I got here, so he must have been low on power, and wouldn't have been able to get any more from the girls. Maybe that was the reason why I was able to beat him?"

John grinned as he said, "Actually, we already stopped him from tapping you girls for power, which is probably why he cut off his connection to you. Don't you remember reinforcing their mental shields?"

Looking puzzled, Alyssa said, "What do you mean? I didn't do anything..."

John stared at her in confusion, and they both looked equally bewildered for a moment.

"Oh! Talking about mental shields reminds me, I need to check on something!" Alyssa said urgently. "Sit up for a moment!"

When he did as she asked, she focused herself inwards, and then carefully peeled her spirit-form from her body. She could see John directly in front of her, and she was greatly relieved to see that his gleaming crown was back in place once more. It looked different now than before, sturdier somehow, and as she stared at it, she saw an intricate latticework covering every square inch of its surface. Scampering over the bed, she crawled around behind him to look at his shield from all angles, and the huge rent at the back was now completely fixed. Letting out a sigh of relief, she guided herself back into her body, and grinned at him with satisfaction.

"All safe and sound," she said with a satisfied smile.

"What were you checking?" John asked her, intrigued.

Alyssa let out a sigh, and replied, "Edraele was trying to break through your mind-shield the first time we met her. I stopped her, but she damaged it somehow. I think the mental barrier was stopping Progenitor-John from taking control, but when she cracked it, it kind of let him... leak out."

John's eyes went wide as he exclaimed, "That must have been how he was able to start taking over for longer periods of time!"

She nodded animatedly, and said, "Edraele must have finished the job when you went to meet with her. When she broke her way in, it unleashed Progenitor-John."

"And I would have been permanently banished, if you hadn't saved me," John said grimly.

Alyssa looked hopeful as she asked, "Does that mean Progenitor-John is gone forever?"

John sighed as he replied, "I don't think he's been destroyed. It felt like he swapped places with me, leaving him doomed to fall forever in a bottomless abyss."

"Let's hope that fucker stays there!" Alyssa said with a flash of anger, before she leaned in to give him a reassuring hug.

They eventually parted, and John said, "We probably should get up, and go check on Edraele. She'll be waking up soon."

Alyssa nodded distractedly as Calara, Dana, Jade and Rachel all started chattering away to her excitedly. She suddenly sat up straight and said, "We need to get back to the ship soon. The girls have been busy while we've been sleeping."

"What do you mean?" John asked her looking intrigued.

She grinned at him as she vaulted out of bed, and said, "I'll let them explain. Let's go check in on Edraele!"

They dressed quickly, and left the bedroom, walking back to where they left Edraele sleeping. They found Irillith in her mother's bedroom, watching the Maliri Matriarch slumbering away peacefully. She looked up at them as they entered, and when she smiled at them warmly, her beautiful azure face lit up like a glorious summer sky.

"You two have been asleep for hours!" Irillith remarked. "I was starting to get a bit worried."

John smiled at her apologetically, and said, "Sorry about that. We were both wiped out from the fight. How are you doing though? Are you OK?"

Irillith smiled at him, and said wryly, "If you're referring to where you spanked my bottom, the mouthfuls of cum Alyssa shared with me healed me up hours ago." She glanced at the blonde, giving her a grateful smile, and Alyssa winked at her playfully.

He chuckled, and said, "That's good to hear." He was about to continue, when his stomach grumbled loudly.

"I'll go and get you both some food," Irillith said with a laugh. Pointing over to an unusual looking device on the wall, she said, "I'll bring you some wine, but you can get water from there if you're thirsty."

John pulled her in for a kiss, and she sighed contentedly as their lips came together. When they finally parted, she glided out of the bedroom with a dreamy smile on her face.

Alyssa walked over to John, slipping her hand into his, and asked, "You were actually asking her how she felt about Edraele, weren't you?"

He nodded, and replied, "Yes, but if she doesn't want to talk about it, that's fine."

They both looked over at the Maliri woman asleep in bed, and spotted that her hair had changed colour, turning white just like Irillith's had done. Alyssa walked over to the Maliri water dispenser, and looked at it curiously for a moment as she tried to figure out how it worked. She closed her eyes for a few seconds, then grinned with satisfaction, and pressed an invisible indentation on the wall which released a large cup. It filled with water, and she picked it up to take a sip, then offered it to John.

"Good guess!" he remarked, as he took the cup, and drank heavily to quench his thirst.

When he handed the cup back to Alyssa, she smiled at him, and admitted, "I cheated. I jus-."

Edraele yawned behind them, and Alyssa stopped speaking immediately. She quickly turned her attention back to the dispenser to fill her cup with water, while John walked briskly over to the side of the bed, and looked down at the Maliri Matriarch to check she was alright. Edraele's eyes had opened, revealing orbs that were a slightly darker purple hue than her daughters. She stared directly at the ceiling, staying completely silent, her only movement the occasional blink of her eyelids. John darted a puzzled glance at Alyssa, who shrugged at him, equally bemused by Edraele's lack of reaction to their presence.

"Edraele, are you alright?" John asked her cautiously.

She turned her head towards him, rotating it in a smooth, precise motion, which was eerily disconcerting. "I am dehydrated, my Lord," she intoned to John in a flat, monotonous voice, utterly devoid of any form of emotion.

"Uh-oh," Alyssa said ominously, as she handed over the cup.

He nodded, looking concerned, and turned his attention back to Edraele as he said, "Here, sit up and drink some water."

"Yes, my Lord," Edraele replied in her neutral voice, complying with his request immediately.

They watched her drain the entire cup, then sit there blankly, staring off into the distance.

"What's up with her?" Alyssa asked, quite bemused, as she leaned over to wave her hand in front of Edraele's face. The blue skinned woman stared straight ahead, not reacting in the slightest.

John looked grim as he said, "Progenitor-John must have done this to her." He frowned in confusion as he added, "But why he'd want to turn her into some kind of blank robot is beyond me."

Alyssa felt a strange tugging sensation in her chest, and after recovering from the momentary surprise, she focused herself inwards, drawing out her spirit-form. Edraele was sitting straight backed on the bed in front of her, staring into the distance, and Alyssa climbed on the bed to take a closer look, curious to find out what she was supposed to see. As she concentrated on Edraele, she started to become aware of the Maliri woman's mind before her.

Unlike with John, there was no mental barrier of any kind protecting Edraele, and Alyssa was able to peer directly into her mind. It was fascinating to get her first glimpse into another person's subconscious, and Alyssa looked around eagerly. The Maliri Matriarch's mind held thousands upon thousands of pieces of information, all stored away neatly in a complex structure of memories, but the framework seemed empty somehow. With a shiver of dread, she realised that the emotional context for all these memories had been stripped away, leaving Edraele's mind laid bare. Alyssa shivered as she began to understand what had happened, and she backed away from the deeply unnatural state the poor woman had been left in.

Returning to her own body, Alyssa looked up at John in shock, and gasped, "He's wiped out her mind! Edraele's entire personality has been totally destroyed!"

There was a clatter from behind them, and they turned to see that Irillith had entered the room, and unceremoniously dropped the tray of food on a dresser. She walked over towards them looking pale, and finally stopped as she reached the bed, a series of emotions flickering over her face.

Staring intently at Edraele, Irillith let out a shuddering sigh, and her voice was full of sorrow as she said softly, "I still loved you, mother, despite everything you've done. Why couldn't you ever love me back?"

Edraele said nothing as she stared ahead mindlessly, completely oblivious to her daughter's heartfelt plea. Recognising the truth of Alyssa's words in front of her very eyes, Irillith turned, and slowly walked away. John rushed over to comfort her, but she turned to look at him, and smiling bravely, she said, "I'd like to be alone for a little while, if you don't mind?"

He nodded, and leaned in to give her a tender kiss on the cheek. "Just call if you want us," he said, his voice full of sympathy.

She gave him a sad smile of gratitude, then walked away, her shoulders bowed with grief. John and Alyssa watched her leave, and then shared a sombre look.

*I wish I hadn't said that out loud,* Alyssa thought to him, her voice full of remorse.

*Irillith would have found out either way,* John replied soothingly. He turned back to look at Edraele, and asked, *So what do we do with her now? We can't just leave her like this.*

Alyssa stared into his eyes and let out a sigh. *I think we have two choices. We either put her out of her misery, or blank state, or whatever you want to call that,* she said, gesturing towards the shell of Edraele. Looking thoughtful, she then added, *Alternatively, you could fill in the blanks yourself. Progenitor-John must have mind-wiped her with the intention of giving her a new personality. We must have stopped him before he could do much more than get her to refer to you as 'My Lord'.*

John grimaced, and said, "I wouldn't have the first clue how to do that."

"Are you sure?" she replied with a smile. "I thought we'd established that you've had a fair bit of practice with tweaking personalities over the last few months."

He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, then after looking down at Edraele, he nodded decisively. Squatting down by the foot of the bed, directly ahead from where the Maliri Matriarch was staring blankly, he stared into her eyes.

"Edraele?" he asked her. "How would you like to help me do some good around here?"

She blinked once, before locking eyes with him as she replied, "I will do whatever you wish, my Lord."

***

They left Irillith to her grief for a few hours, then John decided to go and check on her, to make sure she was alright. He walked up to her bedroom door, and tapped on it lightly.

"Come in," Irillith called to him through the door.

Opening it, he walked inside, and found her sitting on the bed looking drawn. She gave him a wistful smile, and opened her arms for a cuddle, so he walked over to join her and lay on the bed. Irillith snuggled into his arms, and rested her head on his chest as he encircled her in a comforting embrace. They lay like that for a little while, and he stroked her long lustrous white hair as he held her.

Eventually Irillith looked up at him, and asked softly, "Progenitor-John wanted to do that to me, didn't he?"

John gazed down at her, seeing the sadness in her angular violet eyes, and replied, "Yes. He planned to turn you into a puppet, then kill your mother, and use you to control House Valaden. Alyssa checked your mother's memories, and he laid out his plans with Edraele before he erased her personality."

She hugged him tightly and said, "Thank you for saving me from him."

"You're welcome," John said, stroking her back soothingly.

With a sigh, Irillith sat up and looked down at him. She hesitated for a moment, then asked, "What are you going to do with my mother now?"

John studied her for a while, unsure how she would react, then finally said, "Although Edraele's mind has been wiped, she's still the Matriarch of House Valaden. She's in a position to make some significant changes to your society."

Irillith laughed dryly, shaking her head as she said, "The paragon of virtue, through and through. I used to think it was some elaborate act, but you really do want to help people, don't you? Instead of exploiting this situation, and ripping off the Maliri for everything you can get your hands on, you're planning to do what? Stop the public floggings? Prevent all the murders?"

He smiled at her and replied, "Yes, amongst other things. I'm starting to really like the person you're turning into, and I'll do whatever I can to prevent any other Maliri girls from suffering the kind of abuse you endured." He then looked a bit guilty and said, "Although, I had hoped to use that shipyard we passed on the way here, and give the Invictus a full refit. We did come through on our end of the deal, so getting Edraele to help with that seemed reasonable. Maybe I'm not that virtuous."

She smiled at him affectionately, and leaned down to give him a tender kiss. She gazed into his eyes as she said, "Edraele never planned on letting you leave with any weapons. Don't worry though, I'm with you now, and I'll make sure you get everything you need."

He returned her grin, and they both got up off the bed, and headed back to her mother's room to rejoin Alyssa. Edraele was already awake by the time they walked in, and she was sitting upright, smiling contentedly as she stroked her rounded stomach. Irillith quirked an eyebrow at John, and he had the good grace to look guilty.

"Sorry if it feels weird. It's the only way I can start building her a new personality," he apologised, watching her reaction with a wary eye.

Irillith smiled at him, and said, "It's okay, I understand." With a glance over at Edraele she added, "It does feel strange being in the same room as her, and not having to worry about setting off her temper. I can't even remember the last time I was this relaxed around my mother."

Alyssa walked over to the Maliri girl and gave her a quick hug, and Irillith smiled at her appreciatively.

"So what's the plan now?" Alyssa asked them both.

Irillith looked thoughtful, and eventually said, "If you want to give the Invictus a major refit, the Genthalas Shipyard is by far the best place to do it. My distant cousin, Makaela, is in command of the shipyard, and has been running the place for over a decade. With Edraele's assistance, we can demand full cooperation from the Maliri there."

John glanced at Edraele, and asked, "Shall we all head back to the Invictus, then travel up to the shipyard in my ship?"

Shaking her head, Irillith said, "No, Edraele would never normally agree to travel on a non-Maliri vessel. We should take her private shuttle up to the shipyard, then rendezvous with the rest of the girls and the Invictus there." Eyeing Edraele's curved tummy, she added, "If we get my mother to wear one of her more formal gowns, the multiple layers will hide that."

He nodded, then turned to Edraele, and said in a kind voice, "Edraele, we're going to go and visit Genthalas Shipyard. When Alyssa picks out an outfit for you, would you put it on please."

Edraele rose slightly unsteadily off the bed, wavering a little with the unexpected weight around her waist until Alyssa darted over to help her. She smiled at him, and when she replied obediently there was a little more life in her voice, "I will do so at once, my Lord."

Irillith stared askance at her mother for a moment, before turning to face John and saying, "Seeing her act like that is going to take me a very long time to get used to." She looked past him to the corridor, and said, "We better go and tell Luna, Almari, and Ilyana, that we're leaving. They'll insist on coming along too."

She strode past him, out into the corridor beyond, and he followed after her as she walked back towards the main entranceway. Luna was waiting on the inside of the door, and she turned to stare at them as they approached.

"My mother has commanded that we visit Genthalas Shipyard," Irillith said imperiously. "We'll be leaving as soon as Edraele is ready."

Luna bowed to her politely, and said, "As you wish Irillith. We will be ready to depart as soon as you say the word."

John watched the lithe Maliri woman curiously. She had a calm, confident poise to her, and while she appeared to be relaxed, he could see she was taking in everything. She eventually turned to look at him, aware of his scrutiny, and gazed his way with her angular yellow eyes. He was quite startled when her lips twitched into a small, hesitant smile.

Edraele swept out of her room a few minutes later, now dressed in a long flowing purple robe consisting of several layers. Unless you were really looking for it, you would never suspect her tummy was packed full of John's cum, concealed as it was beneath the robes. When he heard the mortified gasp from the Maliri girl standing beside him, and took one look at Luna's face, he realised instantly that all their precautions had been pointless.

They could have dressed Edraele in a bikini, and Luna still wouldn't have spotted her rounded belly, she was fixated on something far more galling. When the House Valaden Matriarch glided towards them, with her long flowing white hair brushing her shoulders, Luna gaped at her in stunned disbelief. Irillith cleared her throat pointedly, and the assassin stared at her with wide eyes.

"You know my mother's temper," Irillith warned Luna sternly. "I'd be very careful not to let her see you react that way."

Luna gulped, and gave Irillith a grateful nod. She turned towards the doors, and said quietly, "Almari, Ilyana, we will be leaving for the Matriarch's private shuttle." Her voice dropped to a whisper as she walked towards her deadly colleagues, and if not for John's enhanced hearing, he never would have heard her say, "Irillith's hairstyle seems to be catching on, but don't react to Edraele's appearance. The last woman she caught giving her a look she didn't like, she flayed alive."

Almari, and Ilyana, darted quick glances behind them, and John heard their startled gasps before they got themselves under control. As they turned to face front again, Almari spotted him, and stared curiously before blinking rapidly, and snapping her head around to attention once more. She recovered just in time, as Edraele and Alyssa glided up to join them, and when they breezed past, the assassins fell into step behind them.

It was only a brief walk from the Matriarch's quarters to the Hangar holding her shuttle, but it felt like it took an eternity to John. All the Maliri women they encountered on the route reacted in the same way; utter dumbfounded astonishment at Edraele's flagrant disregard for all sense of propriety with her radical new hairstyle. They very quickly snapped themselves out of their stupor, and hurried about as they suddenly realised they had pressing business elsewhere, desperate not to be caught staring at the volatile Matriarch. As the Maliri scrambled frantically to get out of their way, the full extent to which Edraele Valaden had terrorised her own people, suddenly became obvious to John.