Three Square Meals Ch. 064

They all laughed at that, and Alyssa quipped, "I must admit, I think Terran girls quite like it too."

There were quiet murmurs of agreement from all the others, and they eventually began to settle down as they got more drowsy. Calara and Rachel climbed out of bed, then walked around the room, blowing out all the candles before snuggling under the covers once again. Soon the only light came from Jade as her body eagerly absorbed her midnight feast, and they started to fall asleep as they watched the soothing green light arc across the ceiling.

John looked up at the security camera, and said quietly, "Goodnight Watch Commander, you have the ship." He closed his eyes, pulling Jade and Irillith closer, then drifted off to sleep too.

Up on the Bridge, Faye sighed with happiness, delighted at the level of trust John was placing in her. She raised a tiny purple hand, and brushed her fingers over his image on the screen as she replied in a whisper, "Goodnight John, sleep well."

***

"But Matriarch, you can't be serious!" the House Aeberos Fleet Commander protested in utter disbelief.

Nyrelle Aeberos ignored her, and declared imperiously, "You will recall our forces from the Valaden border, and immediately reroute them to the House Perfaren border."

Nyrelle was sitting at Edraele's desk, glaring at Kalmaera, the highest ranking naval officer in the House Aeberos fleet. The older military woman's image filled the big viewscreen in the centre of the wall, and Nyrelle could clearly see her deeply troubled frown. The Maliri Fleet Commander was shocked and dismayed by her new Matriarch's orders, knowing full well that to follow them would leave their territory horribly exposed to House Valaden treachery.

"Wouldn't it be wise to-," Kalmaera began tentatively, but she was abruptly cut off.

"Don't make me repeat myself a third time, Kalmaera," Nyrelle snapped, her eyes narrowing in anger. Her voice was chilling as she added, "There are plenty of ambitious officers who'd love to serve me as Fleet Commander."

Kalmaera bowed her head, and replied, "My humblest apologies Matriarch, please forgive me."

Nodding with satisfaction, Nyrelle smiled, and said, "I understand your concerns, Kalmaera, but please don't make the mistake of underestimating me. I'm not some witless young fool. I've taken steps to ensure that our alliance with House Valaden is rock-solid, and we have nothing to fear from our new allies."

The House Aeberos Fleet Commander studied her for a long moment, and while she still looked a little wary, she did seem more reassured. "I'll follow your orders to the letter, my Matriarch," she said, bowing respectfully.

"Excellent, we'll speak again when the fleet has been repositioned," Nyrelle said with a confident smile.

Kalmaera was about to end the call, but she paused, and asked tentatively, "Are you going to be returning to House Aeberos territory soon, Matriarch? Your people are starting to worry. There's talk that you've been kidnapped..."

Nyrelle let out an incredulous laugh, and she shook her head as she replied, "Kidnapped?! I'm an honoured guest! I have two of our best assassins here as bodyguards, and I'm perfectly safe. I'm making plans with our new allies, and I'll be returning to Aeberos in a couple of weeks' time."

The Fleet Commander nodded, her concerns mollified, and she said more confidently, "We'll begin moving the fleet immediately, Matriarch."

"Very good, Kalmaera. I'll be delighted to retain your services as Fleet Commander," Nyrelle said with an encouraging smile.

She leaned over the console, then clicked a button ending the call.

"Wow! You were amazing, Nyrelle!" Kali Loraleth said enthusiastically. Leena Ghilwen gave her a wide grin, and Valani Naestina clapped her hands excitedly in agreement.

"Really? Did I do okay?" Nyrelle asked, as she sank back in her chair, letting out a big sigh of relief.

Edraele was standing with the three young Maliri girls at the side of the room, and she joined Valani in her applause as she said with open admiration, "You were marvellous, Nyrelle. When you threatened to remove Kalmaera from her job as Fleet Commander, I felt chills run down my spine!"

Nyrelle blushed, and said, "I was so nervous! I just tried to imagine what you would say, or the old Edraele would say, that is."

The House Valaden Matriarch smiled at her, and replied, "You were superb, Nyrelle." Looking around at the four young women, she continued, "In fact, you all were. You've all had to adapt to some harrowing changes in a very short space of time, but you've been incredibly stoic, and proven yourselves to be extremely capable women. I'm very proud of you all."

Kali Loraleth bit her lower lip, and her eyes began to fill with tears, her face crumpling with emotion.

Valani saw her new friend start to tear up, and she pulled the other girl in for a hug as she asked, "Kali, what's wrong?!"

Kali brushed away her tears, and said, "I'm sorry, I'm just being silly."

Edraele stroked her back soothingly, and asked, "What is it Kali? We're all your friends here, you can confide in us."

The young Maliri girl looked up at Edraele, and after a moment's hesitation, she replied in a quiet voice, "My mother never said anything that nice to me in over thirty years."

Leena nodded, and said bleakly, "My mother was too wrapped up in her grudges to spare a kind word for her second daughter."

"You poor girls. I'm so sorry," Edraele said sympathetically. She held out her arms, and they both went to her, hugging her fiercely. She smiled down at them as she said, "You have me to look after you now, and I know what special, wonderful girls you are. I promise I'll take great care of you."

The last two girls smiled at each other then walked over to join the hug. When they finally separated, the four girls smiled at each other shyly, but they all felt reassured after the close physical contact.

Edraele gave them a kind smile, then said, "It can be very lonely ruling a House as a Matriarch; trust me, I'm speaking from many long years of experience. I'm hoping that you'll all learn to trust and support each other though, and with me to help you too, things can change for all of us."

The four young women nodded, smiling at her and each other more confidently now.

Eventually Nyrelle turned towards Edraele, and said, "We've all moved our fleets away from Valaden borders, and are threatening Houses Perfaren and Holaris. Are you planning on attacking those Houses now? With our combined fleets we massively outnumber them."

Edraele shook her head, and replied, "I want to avoid any bloodshed where possible. I'm hoping that we can intimidate the other Houses into joining us by showing a united front and with a massive show of military force."

Leena Ghilwen nodded, and said, "It's a good plan, Edraele. Tsarra Perfaren would be a fool to oppose us, our fleets dwarf her own." She hesitated for a second before she added, "But what happens if a House refuses to join us?"

The House Valaden Matriarch smiled confidently, and replied, "Some of those Matriarchs are stubborn, but they aren't fools. We aren't in any rush, so I'll give them some time to let their spies start spreading rumours of our new alliance. Your recent fleet movements will provide ample proof of the veracity of those rumours. After a few weeks, the remaining Houses will be begging us to let them join the alliance."

Valani Naestina had been pouring a rich red liquid into five crystal flutes, and she carried the tray of drinks over to four of the most powerful women in Maliri Space. They smiled at her in gratitude, each taking a glass, and when Valani raised hers for a toast, they all followed.

"To our alliance!" she said to the group.

"The alliance!" the four women echoed, before taking small sips from their drinks.

Edraele smiled at them all, feeling tremendously pleased with her work so far, and she raised her glass again and toasted, "To House Blake!"

The four girls had all heard Edraele's tales of the mysterious John Blake, and they flashed bright smiles at each other as they exclaimed, "To House Blake!"