Three Square Meals Ch. 072

Jade turned in her Pilot's Chair and beamed a bright smile at her, thankful for the praise.

Rising from his chair, John said, "Alright time to get out of this gear, then I'm going to head down to Medical to check on Rachel and our guests. We'll all get together in the Briefing Room for a group hug and an After-Action Review." Looking around at the girls on the Bridge, he continued, "You should all be proud of yourselves today, you did an incredible job."

"Are you sure we can't have a group hug now and then another later with Rachel too?" Dana asked him with a grin.

John smiled at her, and said, "Sure, but it'll mean we have to make an extra fuss over her to make up for it. Let's get out of our gear first though, you're far more huggable when you're not covered head-to-foot in body armour!"

Most of the girls laughed at that, and they trooped into the Briefing Room to get out of their armour. The one exception was the subdued Maliri girl, who slowly stood up from her chair. Alyssa looked at Irillith with concern, and the blonde matriarch glanced at John with a worried expression.

*Irillith's taking what happened to Tashana to heart,* she warned him. *She blames herself for everything that poor girl's been through.*

John nodded, and replied, *Yeah, she said as much earlier. The new Edraele can't let go of everything the old version of herself did either. She blames herself for all of it, and is trying to make amends.*

Alyssa frowned as she replied, *It really wasn't her fault, though. The old Irillith was a total bitch until you undid all the shit that Maliri society put her through. I don't really think of them as being the same person.*

*Yeah, I agree completely,* John replied, as he watched Irillith plod dejectedly down the ramp on leaden feet, and walk through the door into the Briefing Room.

*Can't you just wipe that bit of her memory? It's horrible watching her suffer like this,* Alyssa thought to him.

He considered it for a moment, then replied, *I can't see her agreeing to it. She'll probably see it as her cross to bear for what happened to Tashana.*

Alyssa nodded, and looked sad as she said, *She was doing so well. It's awful seeing her punishing herself for things that she'd never even consider doing now.*

They stood together on the Bridge, lost in thought, until Faye fluttered over to John's side, and said softly, "Sorry to disturb you, but the girls are all waiting in the Briefing Room."

He shook himself from his reverie, and said, "Sorry Faye, tell them we'll be right there." He paused for a moment, looking into her huge luminous eyes, and added, "We really need to give you some kind of physical presence, then you can join in on these group hugs. I hate seeing you get left out when you're just as much a part of the crew as the rest of us."

Faye stared at him in wonder, her eyelids fluttering as her computational cycles were overwhelmed by routines from her custom programs. When she finally managed to control herself, she squeaked, "You could do that?!"

He smiled at her and admitted, "Well, in all likelihood, it'll be Dana working on the project, but sure, why not? As long as you like the idea?"

She nodded exuberantly, clasping her hands to her chest, and barely about to control her excitement as she replied, "I'd love that so much, thank you!"

"You're very welcome," he replied, reaching out to brush his finger against her cheek affectionately. He followed the holographic contours of her lovely purple face as he added, "It'll be amazing, being able to do this for real someday."

The digital girl's eyes were wide as saucers as she nodded slowly, translucent wings beating in a blur. John turned and followed Alyssa down the ramp to the Briefing Room, with Faye watching him with big dreamy eyes. Alyssa turned to look at her over her shoulder, and grinned when she saw the AI's wistful expression.

Once John and Alyssa had stowed away their weapons and stepped out of the equipping frames, the girls gathered around them and leaned in for a big group hug. After all the carnage in the Underworld, it was quite a relief that they'd all come through it unscathed, and John couldn't help but pray that all their future battles would be so easy. The realist in him knew that wasn't likely to be the case, what with the Progenitor stirring up trouble everywhere, but it was a pleasant thought, nonetheless.

He made eye contact with Faye, who stood apart, watching the group with a look of longing, mingled with a bright-eyed hopeful expression. She smiled at him, and he marvelled at the sophistication of her software when the radiant smile seemed to light up her face.

Glancing at the eager Nymph and the troubled Maliri girl in turn, he said, "Jade, Irillith, I'll need you with me. We'll go and check on those women we rescued."

Jade nodded with a knowing smile, and when the group hug broke up, she slipped her hand into his, and said, "More little kittens to look after."

John put his arm around Irillith's waist and said, "Come on, let's go fix up your nose."

She nodded distractedly, and let him guide her from the room, while the rest of the girls waved them goodbye. They entered the grav-tube in silence, with Jade giving Irillith a worried glance. She squeezed John's hand, and when he looked at her as they floated down in the red glow, he could see the concern in her vertically-slitted emerald eyes.

They arrived at Deck Seven, then stepped out into the corridor, and after a short walk, John hit the button next to the Medical Bay door. He ushered in the girls, and then followed after them, looking around for the ship's doctor. The tawny-haired girl was standing by the full-body scanner, with Tashana lying still on the scanning table. A blue light swept over the Maliri girl's body, as the scanning device did its work, cataloguing a detailed list of Tashana's various injuries and displaying them above her as a multi-layered holograph.

Rachel turned away from the holo-display when she heard them enter, then walked over to join them, studying Irillith as she passed by. The Maliri girl hurried to her sister's side, looking down at her with her expression twisted by remorse. Rachel saw John's look of alarm at seeing Irillith within punching range of her twin, so she leaned in and said in a hushed voice, "It's okay, Tashana's mildly sedated to help her get some rest."

John nodded his understanding, then looked into the brunette's unsettled grey eyes, and asked, "Have you had a chance to examine her yet?"

Rachel's face clearly showed how shaken she was, and she drew him further away from Irillith, and composed herself before murmuring, "That poor girl's suffered so much. It's quite apparent that she's been the victim of scores of brutal rapes, and her body's taken some horrific abuse. Damage to her vocal chords, womb, and rectum are all indicative of forced penetration by non-Terran like lifeforms or objects. Her intestines and stomach are badly scarred as well, probably from being made to ingest something toxic." Glancing back at the masked woman, she whispered, "She's also covered in badly treated combat injuries, from deep skin lacerations, all the way through to dozens of broken bones. Then there's her face..."

John stroked her arm, and said, "Can you draw up a full list of her injuries for me, please? I want to talk to Tashana about it first, but assuming she'll let me heal her, I'll need to know about all her wounds."

"Of course," Rachel replied with a sad sigh, then leaned into him for a reassuring hug. As he wrapped his arms around her, and Jade stroked her back, the brunette continued in a hushed voice, "Whoever did all that to her was inhuman. The amount of crippling agony she's been through is beyond belief."

"What about the tumour that Irillith had? Does she have one too?" John asked, as he held Rachel in his arms.

She nodded, then glance over her shoulder to look at Irillith and her sister, and replied, "Tashana's is in a considerably more advanced state. The obvious conclusion would be that she's somehow learned to harness her psychic abilities, although how they've manifested, I've no idea." She hesitated for a moment, then continued, "Actually, that's not strictly true. We found a charred torso near the prison cells where we found the pirates' sex slaves, so it might be possible that she's developed some form of pyrokinesis."

John raised an eyebrow as he looked at the unconscious girl in her black clothes and red leather jacket. He could remember Edraele discussing her mother's affinity to psychic flames.

*My mother was a cruel and sadistic monster,* Edraele confirmed for him in a quiet telepathic murmur. *She used to delight in burning her enemies to death, and I was forced to watch on more than one occasion. All that psychic power usage caught up with her in the end, and she ended up killing herself to escape from the agonising migraines.*

*I'll talk to Tashana, and all being well, she'll agree to let me heal her,* John replied, doing his best to comfort the Maliri girl's anguished mother.

He could feel Edraele's gratitude over their bond as she said earnestly, *I'll never be able to thank you enough for saving her. Thank you, John, so much!*

*I'll bring her back to you, don't worry,* he replied. *We'll be back at Valaden very soon.*

*It's felt like you've been away forever,* Edraele replied, her voice throbbing with emotion.

He sent her a warm telepathic smile, and said, *Just three days, I'll be there before you know it.*

Jade had turned to gaze at the six Terran women that they'd freed from the pirates, and she asked sympathetically, "How are the other women doing?"

Rachel turned in John's arms and looked over at the other side of the Medical Bay, where the six women they'd rescued were lying in hospital beds. Their bruised and battered faces were all turned his way, and he could see that they were watching him warily.

"They've all suffered through some brutal gang rapes," Rachel told her friends softly. "They all have some kidney damage from being forced to take high doses of Noxidose. It's an illegal stimulant, which acts as an aphrodisiac. The gang members slapped and punched them, and two of them have been whipped, but they haven't got any broken limbs."

John's temper flared, but he realised getting angry wouldn't help these women now, and he unclenched his fists. Forcing himself to stay calm, he released Rachel from his arms, and replied, "I better introduce myself, and let them know they're safe."

Rachel nodded, and said, "They already know the basics."

After a final glance at Irillith, who was standing at her sister's bedside, John walked over towards the women in the hospital beds. He gave them a gentle, sympathetic smile as he tried to appear as unthreatening as possible. Five of the women tensed as he drew closer, but one of them smiled, a look of wonder on her face.

"Good evening, ladies," John said in a calm, steady voice. "I believe Rachel told you a little bit about me? My name's Rear Admiral John Blake, with the Terran Federation, and you're safe now, aboard the Invictus. We're taking you home."

"I've heard of you! I saw the TFNN report before I got captured!" the young blonde replied, her green eyes sparkling. "You're the Lion of the Federation!"

He chuckled as he nodded, relieved that his fame was proving useful in this case. He smiled at the girl, trying to suppress his anger at seeing the horrible black eyes she'd received from the pirates. "That's right. So I guess you know I'm one of the good guys? That you're all safe here with us?" he asked, more for the other young women's benefit.

"You go around saving people," she agreed sagely, nodding her head.

"What's your name?" he asked her, walking over to the side of her bed then sitting down in the chair beside it. A quick glance at the other women showed that they looked considerably less tense now, relaxing a little in their hospital beds.

"Tanya Morgan. I live with my parents on Mothallah-Two in the Alpha Trianguli system," she replied, giving him a grateful smile. Her smile faded then as she added, "At least I did, until the raiders came and grabbed me. I was out on a date with a boy from college. They shot down his hover-car, then..." Her voice trailed away, and he could see a dark shadow cross her pretty face.

He reached out a hand to gently squeeze hers in a comforting gesture, and was glad when she didn't pull her hand away. "I'm sorry for what you've been through. If it's any consolation, we wiped out all the Bloodnovas," John replied, meeting her eyes.

She let out a little sigh, and replied, "It's good to know they won't hurt anyone else." She didn't turn away, and he could see tears in her eyes as she gazed at him, and added, "It doesn't undo what they did to me, though. I don't know if I can just put all of that behind me."

John stroked her hand, giving her a look of sympathy before glancing at the other young women. He was about to speak, but he hesitated, unsure how to bring the subject up.

"What is it?" Tanya asked him, and he realised she'd been staring at him all the while.

Meeting her gaze, he said, "I was going to say that there is a way I can help you. To put this behind you, I mean."

She sat up a bit more in the bed, studying his face intently as she replied, "How? You can't just undo the past."

"That's true, but I can heal all your injuries, and take away the emotional pain of everything that happened. If you want, I can just blot out the memories completely," he said carefully, watching her face.

Tanya looked incredulous, and a glance at the other five girls showed similar looks of disbelief.

Rachel had been standing quietly at his side, and she took this moment to speak up, saying, "He's telling the truth. John isn't Terran, and his species has all sorts of gifts for healing."

He smiled at Tanya then turned his head, and touched one of his pointed ears with a fingertip as he replied, "See? Not Terran."

"You can really just heal everything? The memories too?" Tanya asked him in awe, much more willing to believe him after seeing the glowing TFNN news reports two months ago.

He nodded, then shot a glance at the intrigued women who were all watching him with avid interest now. "I can," he replied honestly, then paused before he replied. "Although the way it works is a bit unusual. I can give you a demonstration though, to prove I'm telling the truth."

Tanya leaned forward, and said, "How does it work?"

"Hi, I'm Jade, and I'd love to show you," the Nymph standing beside him said, while smiling disarmingly at the blonde. She reached out to lightly brush the young woman's arm, and added, "There's nothing to be afraid of, John's the kindest, most wonderful man in the galaxy."

John flushed at her effusive praise, and gave Tanya and the other women a self-conscious smile as Jade led him over to the nearby chair. There were shocked gasps from the women when the Nymph shrugged her dress off her shoulders, then sank to her knees in a fluid, graceful motion, and started unbuckling his belt.

Rachel stayed by the bed, and she said to Tanya and the others, "Don't worry, you won't have to do this. You'll see how it works in a few minutes."

The other young women had climbed out of their beds now, revealing that they were wearing blue-striped hospital pyjamas provided to them by Rachel. They gathered around somewhat warily, sitting on the nearest beds, and watching in silence with big eyes. The silence was shattered when Jade tugged down John's trousers, and pulled out his huge cock.

"Holy fuck!" a dusky-skinned woman swore under her breath. Her sentiments were echoed by the other women, who wore strangely conflicted expressions of fear, tempered by intrigue.

John sat down in the chair, and Jade planted a loving kiss on his swollen crown, as if greeting an old friend. She parted her lips and smoothly engulfed him, taking his entire length down her throat before she started massaging him with her rippling internal muscles.

"Jesus! How does that even fit?!" An attractive Latina murmured, boggling as she stared at Jade's expert fellatio. "What kind of creature is she, anyway?!"

Rachel smiled at the olive-skinned woman, and replied, "She's a Nymph, and she can help John repair your injuries, but all of John's girls can take him like that."

A raven-haired girl with nasty bruises all over her face whispered, "Are you one of his girls?"

Turning to smile at her, Rachel nodded, then asked playfully, "Would you like to see?"

The Latina shook her head, and was quite adamant as she interjected, "No way can you deepthroat something that massive! Not without choking." She looked grim, obviously speaking from some limited experience.

Rachel glided over to John and Jade, then brushed her fingers through the Nymph's dark-green hair, and said, "Would you mind sharing for a minute, gorgeous?"

Jade immediately sat back on her haunches, letting John withdraw from her throat with practiced ease. She glanced up at the doctor, while holding John's throbbing shaft, and replied, "Be my guest, but don't get too into it, remember who his cum is for."

The brunette sank to her knees, with John spreading his legs to make more room for her. She didn't waste any time, and opened her mouth into an inviting oval so she could take him, then sank his length down her throat. When she heard the gasps of astonishment and shocked exclamations behind her, she slowly eased back, then handed him off to Jade, who took over with gusto.

Walking back to the wide-eyed young women with a smile of satisfaction on her face, she replied, "Do you believe me now?"

They all nodded, staring at her in awe. "How does this healing work exactly?" the dusky girl asked, her eyes drawn back to the lewd scene.

"We'll show you. Don't worry, it's quite painless," Rachel replied, her tone soothing.

With the fascinated audience in attendance, combined with Jade's magical technique, John didn't last long. He came hard as Jade milked his quad dry, her breasts growing by the second as she sucked down everything he could give her. When he was drained of every last drop, she let his wet cock slide from her lips, then sat back and examined her hugely inflated breasts.

After heaving a happy sigh, John tugged on his trousers again, and glanced over at Irillith, who was still staring at her sister and gently stroking her arm. He knew Alyssa would rouse the grieving Maliri girl without him having to try and call her over, and a second later Irillith looked up, and then started walking in his direction.

Jade walked over to the apprehensive young women, who were staring at her titanic breasts in stupefied amazement. She smiled at them, and then sat cross-legged on one of the nearby beds.

"Wait, are they swollen with cum?" the dusky girl blurted out, her eyes somehow managing to get even bigger.

The Nymph nodded, and replied, "It's how John does all his healing."

John walked over to Irillith as she joined them, and said, "Sorry to interrupt, honey. I just wanted to help heal your nose."

"How did you get that?" The Latina asked Irillith, glancing at John with a hint of suspicion.

Irillith let out a forlorn sigh, and replied, "My sister punched me in the face."

"Oh! I'm sorry," The Latina said, giving John an apologetic smile for her unspoken accusation.

"Don't be, I deserved it," Irillith replied, her voice quiet, and full of guilt and sorrow.

John stroked her arm soothingly, then said, "Do you want me to numb some of the pain?"

She shook her head fiercely, her white-blonde hair swishing around her shoulders, and replied, "No! Definitely not. I deserve to feel this way after everything that happened to Tashana."

He looked at her with regret, and said, "Alright, I'll just fix your nose, then."