Three Square Meals Ch. 076

***

"Would you like a drink, John?" Leena asked, giving him a warm smile as she brought the tray of refreshments into Edraele's study. Her eyes flicked to the mauve-coloured drinks and she added, "Nyrelle mentioned that you enjoyed Natalla berry juice."

He smiled at her in response. "You're a mindreader! Thanks, Leena."

She smiled at him graciously and brought the tray over to the chaise-lounge, where he sat with Nyrelle and Kali cuddled up next to him. They took a glass when offered, smiling gratefully at the House Ghilwen Matriarch.

"How about you, Jade? Are you feeling thirsty?" she inquired politely, turning to offer the Nymph a glass.

Whatever Jade said was drowned out by a loud chime of alarm from the console built into Edraele's large desk. Edraele rose to her feet and managed to glide swiftly over to her desk, while still maintaining her elegant posture. "An emergency communication," she explained, glancing at the comms interface. Her angular eyes widened in surprise as she added, "It's from the Ashanath ambassador at Genkiri station!"

She pressed a button on her desk and a holographic image appeared in the middle of her study, easily viewable by all in the room. The image of a grey-skinned, bulbous-headed humanoid filled that holographic projection, its huge black eyes staring straight ahead. Edraele activated the message and the Ashanath ambassador sprang to life, or at least as much as any Grey did with their inexpressive demeanour.

"My name is Ambassador Contarean. This emergency transmission is intended for JohnBlake," the creature announced in an eerie whisper. Blinking rapidly, it continued in its unemotional voice, "I am contacting you on behalf of the High Council, JohnBlake. I must inform you that the Ashanath Collective is in need of your assistance once again. Drakkar Warbands have been attacking with greater frequency and severity for weeks and our losses have been... significant. If you receive this message, I would request that you travel to Ashana with all haste, as we urgently require your help."

With that, the emergency broadcast cut off abruptly, the Ashanath ambassador's message kept brief and unembellished.

"I've never seen Contarean react that way before," Edraele murmured. She glanced at John and added, "He appeared to be terrified."

John nodded, having noticed the Ambassador's blinking himself, quite uncharacteristic in such a normally impassive species. He finished his drink then rose to his feet and said ruefully, "It looks like duty calls, ladies."

He was quite sure that his expression matched that on the faces of the nubile young women seated with him, their beautiful faces shadowed with disappointment.

"Do you really have to go?" Kali asked him, her pretty face downcast as she gazed up at him.

"I made an alliance with them months ago," John explained, opening his arms for the upset young woman. As he hugged her, he whispered in her ear, "Believe me, I was looking forward to tonight as much as you were!"

She blushed a deep blue but he could see the look of yearning in her indigo eyes. The other three Young Matriarchs joined him for a hug then and he embraced each in turn, reiterating similar sentiments.

*We're wrapping up the last of the refit,* Alyssa said, as she contacted him telepathically. *We've had to cut a few corners but we'll be done in two hours.*

*Thanks beautiful, I'll be right there,* John replied to his blonde Matriarch, before glancing at Edraele's sad face over Valani's shoulder.

*I wish you didn't have to leave,* Edraele said to him, stepping closer and hugging Valani from behind.

He gave her a reassuring smile as he said, *Don't worry, you've done a marvellous job of convincing me I should make my home here with you. I'll be back as soon as I can.*

She leaned over Valani to give him a kiss and as their lips met, her purple eyes gleaming as she replied, *I sincerely hope so. As well as your first time with the Young Matriarchs, you haven't finished 'breaking me in' yet, as Alyssa would say.*

John's eyes widened when he realised what she was referring to and he replied with a grin, *I'll head straight back as soon as we're done!*

Edraele smiled at him when she saw the arousal in his eyes and she kissed him passionately as she said, *While you're away, I promise I won't get upset if you sometimes think of me while you're fucking my daughters.*

His lusty groan even managed to startle Jade.

***

"Well, that's everything," Irillith said, checking again to make sure the file transfer had copied across every file. Turning her chair towards her sister, who was leaning against the IntOps Console up on the Bridge, she continued, "I've downloaded the entire contents of your research archive to the Invictus. You'll be able to browse it all to your heart's content."

"That's fantastic, thank you!" Tashana replied, grinning at her twin. Her violet eyes sparkled with excitement as she added, "I can't wait to show you everything I discovered!"

Irillith smiled at her indulgently, and said, "We're all very eager to see what you found out, as I'm sure you can imagine."

Tashana laughed, shaking her head in wonder. "I can't believe I've actually met a real-life Progenitor! I've had to pinch myself a few times to make sure I'm not dreaming!"

"You've done more than just meet him," Irillith said with a sly grin, her eyes flicking down to her sibling's now-flat stomach.

Blushing furiously, Tashana gave her a guilty look and said, "Are you sure you don't mind? It feels like I'm trying to steal your boyfriend."

Irillith rose from her chair and laughed as she said, "We're all borrowing him from Alyssa, so no, I don't mind at all, I swear!" Offering her sister her hand, she said, "Come on, let's go take a look at the hacking deck."

"The projection device," Tashana corrected her, taking her twin's hand and following her to the grav-tube. She frowned as she added, "I still don't understand how you missed Valada's message. I explained quite clearly how to initiate the playback and I left instructions too!"

Irillith paused before stepping into the grav-tube and her eyes were full of guilt as she confessed, "I'm so sorry, Tashana. I was very different back then... I hadn't listened to a word you said when you told me how it worked and I just threw away your note without even looking at it. I found out how to create new AI just by randomly hitting buttons on the interface and after some experimentation, I assumed it was some form of hacking deck."

Rolling her eyes, Tashana laughed and said, "At least you can finally see it now - my proof that I wasn't crazy."

"You were never crazy," Irillith said, her tone sombre and full of regret. "I'm so sorry I made you feel that way."

Tashana put her arms around her sister and gave her a comforting hug as she murmured, "That's all in the past now. Please don't get upset."

Hugging her back, Irillith replied earnestly, "I don't deserve you as a twin, Tashana, I never have. I promise that from today, I'll be the best sister you could ever hope for."

"We're both getting a fresh start since we met John," Tashana replied, leaning back to look at her sibling's face. She smiled as she continued, "We'll just have to make sure we make the most of it!"

Irillith looked thoughtful then nodded her agreement and they separated before turning and stepping into the red anti-gravity field. "Speaking of making the most of it, you looked like you enjoyed yourself this morning," she teased her sibling, squeezing her hand to let her know she was only being playful.

"I've never tasted anything like it," Tashana sighed, giving her sister a furtive glance. She bit her lip, then added, "It felt like..."

"...you were alive for the very first time?" Irillith finished for her, giving her twin a knowing look.

"Yes, exactly!" Tashana agreed, her angular eyes widening at the memory.

Irillith winked at her as they stepped out of the grav-tube on Deck Seven and whispered, "I've been swallowing his cum for months and I still can't get enough of it!"

Tashana grinned at her but her smile faded as she asked, "What are we going to do about... You know... With both of us..." Her voice faltered and she blushed, too embarrassed to finish the sentence.

"Fucking the same man?" Irillith asked archly, grinning at her sister as she made Tashana blush even more.

Tashana giggled self-consciously then nodded, Irillith having succinctly summed up her cause for concern.

Irillith stopped walking for a moment then turned to face her twin as she continued, "There's no judgement or jealousy on this ship, not when it comes to John and our relationships with him." She smiled at Tashana and was encouraging as she added, "So just relax, and go with the flow! We all sleep in the same bed with him and usually end up showering together, too. We're just going to have to get used to seeing each other nude, because it'll be too awkward and inconvenient to do otherwise."

Considering her sister's words carefully, Tashana finally nodded as she realised it was the only practical way forward. "I'll do my best," she agreed, her eyes meeting Irillith's for a moment before they both blushed.

They were quiet as they walked along the rest of the corridor to the Engineering Bay and they shared an intimate smile before entering Dana's workshop.

"Whoa! I'll have to lay off boozing at lunchtime!" Dana exclaimed, frowning at the Maliri sisters. "I must be really wasted - I'm seeing double!"

The twins couldn't help laughing at that and the redhead smiled at them as they walked across the large, well-lit room to join her at the Engineer's Podium.

"Dana, this is my twin sister, Tashana," Irillith introduced her, with a proud smile. Turning to her sibling, she continued, "And this is Dana, our Chief Engineer."

Bounding down the steps to join them, Dana beamed at Tashana before pulling the surprised Maliri girl in for a friendly hug. She released her just as quickly, then winced as she said apologetically, "Crap! I'm sorry, that must have been weird! You just look so like Irillith, it feels like I know you already!"

Tashana smiled at her and her tone was kind as she said, "There's nothing to apologise for. It's lovely to meet one of my sister's friends."

Dana glanced at Irillith and gave her an affectionate grin as she replied, "I really wanted to kill her when we first met; she was a real fucking pain in the arse!" Leaning closer to Tashana, she added in a theatrical whisper, "She's actually pretty awesome now though, but don't tell her I said that, okay?" Tashana giggled then replied, "Okay, your secret's safe with me." She paused for a moment as she studied the exuberant teenager, then added in awe, "Your hair is absolutely gorgeous! I saw Terran girls with red hair on the holo-vids but yours is so vibrant and beautiful... I've never seen anything like it before."

Raising an eyebrow at Irillith, Dana asked playfully, "I know you two look the same but is it wrong that I've picked a favourite?"

Rolling her eyes, Irillith smiled as she said, "Those are mighty brave words from the girl who wants me to make her secret project hack-proof."

Coughing, the redhead replied, "Don't worry, I picked you, obviously!"

"Yeah, obviously," Irillith said with a smile.

"Secret project?" Tashana asked, her face alight with curiosity. "What are you working on?"

Dana's eyes lit up with excitement and she said, "John doesn't approve, but it's going to be a fucking beast when I'm finished with it! Do you want to see the new guns I've been working on?"

Not wanting to dampen the engineer's infectious enthusiasm, Tashana replied, "Of course! I'd love to see them."

Bounding up the steps to the Engineering Podium, Dana's hands flew over the console, tapping buttons until a holographic projection of her design appeared before them. Although Tashana was no expert on weapons of that calibre, she had to admit she was impressed.

Irillith's eyes widened and she exclaimed, "The power requirements are ridiculous! There's no way that'll be viable!"

Winking at her, Dana tapped another button and the long multi-barrelled weapon was replaced by a compact, familiar-looking sphere. "Miniaturised Progenitor reactor," she explained offhandedly. Her mouth lifted in a crooked grin as she added, "With one of them installed, I'm planning on fitting four of those bad boys!"

Irillith shook her head in amazement. "I can't wait to see it in action."

"Yeah, me too!" Dana agreed, before stopping and studying the two girls. She arched an eyebrow and continued, "Don't get me wrong, it's great to finally meet you, Tashana, but what brings you here? Is it just a social call?"

"The hacking deck," Irillith explained, looking around the Engineering Bay for it. "Have you got it at hand? Tashana said that there's an important message stored on it."

Dana groaned and gave her guests a look of profound regret, as she said, "Shit! I'm really sorry, but It's been wiped." Jerking her thumb towards the Nexus server that now powered the gateway to the Invictus' cyber-realm, she continued, "When we moved Faye to her own server the old hacking deck was fucked. She'd screwed up the AI boot sequence when she expanded her system memory and basically bricked the thing. I'm just using it as a backup for her Core Systems now."

Tashana looked crestfallen to hear the projection device had been cleansed of data, but her expression picked up as she spotted the hexagonal server when Dana pointed it out. Her eyes widened as she exclaimed, "I've seen one of those before! It looked exactly the same!"

"Where was that?!" Irillith asked, sharing a startled look with Dana.

"On Epsilon Aquarii IV, where I found the projection device!" Tashana replied, an excited grin on her face. Her smile died as she admitted, "Unfortunately, the one I found was broken. The seismic activity that wrecked the base caused some of the roof to collapse, crushing part of the machine."

Irillith looked glum as she said with a frown, "That's a real shame. We might have been able to find out something really useful."

Tashana brightened considerably and added, "I couldn't get it to work, but I salvaged everything that wasn't smashed to bits. All the components are in my secured vault in the palace."

*You better move if you want to grab that before we go!* Alyssa warned them all. *John's on his way back and we're planning to leave as soon as we can.*

"We'll take the Raptor!" Dana said, grinning at them as she ran for the door.

***

John walked out onto the Command Deck with Jade at his side before she sashayed down the ramps to her Pilot Station, flashing him a happy grin as she did so. Alyssa had spun her XO's chair around to watch his arrival and she rose from her seat to greet him when he jogged up the steps to the Command Podium. She let out a startled gasp as he took her in his arms and dipped her backwards for a soul-searing kiss, leaving the blonde positively breathless.

"You're in a good mood, especially considering you're being horribly cock-blocked by the Ashanath," she remarked, her bright blue eyes twinkling as she gazed at him. Her smile was genuinely sympathetic as she added, "I know how much you were looking forward to taking Edraele's ass; and missing out on knocking up the Young Matriarchs, that's really harsh."

He laughed as he released her from his embrace, then sat down in the Command Chair and replied, "True, I need to have stern words with the Ashanath High Council; their timing is atrocious!"

"So why the high spirits then?" Alyssa asked him with a curious smile. She winked as she added, "Not that I'm ever going to complain about getting kissed like that."

"It feels good to be on our way again," he replied, shrugging unapologetically. "I haven't stayed anywhere for this long, in well over a decade. I was starting to get itchy feet!"

"Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to follow you anywhere, we all are. However, you'll probably have to keep your wanderlust in check if we're planning on settling down here," she replied, studying his face carefully. "Especially if you're going to go ahead with your long-term plans for the Maliri."

"Nothing's changed. I've made a commitment to the Maliri and I plan to honour it," he replied, his mind made up. He smiled at her as he continued, "I'm just enjoying being in the Invictus again, that's all. Until everything is finalised, this ship's still our home and I've been happy here."

Alyssa's answering smile was glorious to behold. "I know exactly what you mean."

Calara, Rachel, and Sakura stepped onto the Bridge then, fanning out to take their respective stations. John shared a smile with each of them as they settled into their chairs and asked, "How did you get on with the last of the refit? Is everything finished now?"

Calara and Sakura glanced at Rachel, letting her speak for them and the tawny-haired girl looked greatly relieved as she replied, "It was a rush, but we got it all finished!" She laughed as she added, "We had so many engineers helping out, they were practically tripping over each other, but they all worked really hard to get everything done. I was proud of them."

"All of you did a brilliant job with the refit," he agreed with a nod. Frowning then, he added, "I wanted to give a speech to thank the Maliri for all their hard work. It's a real shame we don't have time for that now."

*Don't worry, you still can,* Edraele said to him, sounding pleased. *You can dictate whatever you want to say to me and I'll inform them all telepathically. It won't be quite the same, but I know they'll appreciate the gesture.*

*That's a great idea, thanks honey,* he replied, smiling at the thought. *Give me a little while to come up with something suitable and we'll definitely do that.*

He could feel how happy she was to be able to assist and she said, *Just let me know whenever you're ready.*

A naked Faye popped into existence on the Bridge then and hopped up onto his console, crossing her legs demurely as she got comfortable. "We're all set, the last of the engineers has disembarked!" she announced cheerfully, giving him a wide smile.

"What about Dana and the twins?" John asked, darting a curious glance at Alyssa.

"They're still rifling through Tashana's vault under the palace. We'll bring the Invictus into low orbit around Valaden and dock with the Raptor there," she explained, listening to Dana and Irillith's excited thoughts and feeling Tashana's joyful emotions over their empathic bond.

"My secondary Avatar is piloting the Raptor at the moment!" Faye chirped, her sparkling grin showing him her pristine white teeth.

He nodded then said to their Nymph pilot, "Alright, Jade, take us out."

There was a flicker of light around the walls of the Bridge and the grey Titanium was replaced by a clear view out of the ship, giving him a spectacular view of the Invictus' glossy hull from their perch up on the Command Deck. John looked around in surprise, then said, "This is new! Did you just install this now?"

Rachel smiled at him and replied, "We had the external camera feeds in place after completing the Combat Bridge. Dana hooked it up to the holo-projectors before she left."

"It's a hell of a view," John said, giving her an appreciative grin as he watched the ship lift off the drydock deck under Jade's expert control.

The Invictus slowly accelerated backwards, the battlecruiser's retro-thrusters flaring brightly. As soon as they were clear of Genthalas' superstructure, Jade dropped the nose of the ship then powered up the engines as she pointed them towards the verdant green planet below. Valaden grew larger as they drew closer, with its lush continents and aquamarine seas filling most of their front view, before they entered the upper atmosphere. It didn't take Jade long to assume a holding position above Melfalas, the planet's capital city, and they hung there motionless while they waited for their missing crew.