Three Square Meals Ch. 082

Alyssa let out a gentle sigh, feeling blissfully happy and content. John leaned back to look at her with concern, mistaking the nature of that sigh for unhappiness. She gave him a gentle kiss to distract him, suppressing a smile as she did so...

***

Sakura padded across the mats in the Dojo, feeling calm and at peace. She had started one of her favourite programs in the training simulator and the sun's rays were just creeping up over Mount Daisen, lighting up the mists with an ethereal glow.

Filled with a sense of inner peace, she stood in the centre of the dojo and closed her eyes, arms held apart, palms upraised. Justice - that was what she sought most of all... cold and dispassionate, she would be the avenging angel for all those poor souls slain by Mikaboshi and his ilk.

She felt a tingling sensation in her fingertips, and the temperature in the room began to drop, the hint of a breeze wafting over the back of her hands. Although she was wearing a sleeveless training top, Sakura didn't feel discomforted by the cold, it felt invigorating instead. When she slowly reopened her eyes, tiny motes of ice gusted around her fingers, swirling like the first dusting of winter snow.

*You're doing very well,* Alyssa said, her tone encouraging as she reached out to her via telepathy. *Now, try to push the cold outwards from your fingertips. Just focus and extend your will outwards.*

Raising her hands, Sakura took an even breath then did as Alyssa suggested. An intricate lattice of ice began to form before her eyes, creeping outwards in a frost-covered arc. She noticed a distinctive pattern forming over and over again, the icy tendrils forming six-sided shapes as the sheet extended out away from her. Sakura stared at the beautifully wrought ice formation as it caught the light, acting as a prism as it sparkled in the air, sending vivid colours lancing in all directions.

*That was excellent,* the psychic blonde said, sounding impressed. She sent her a smile of apology as she continued, *I'd come and join you and train you in person, but I want to finish replating the Valkyrie first. Don't worry though; we'll have lots of time to practice together in the future.*

Sakura nodded, then asked curiously.*Why did the ice form into hexagons? I wasn't telling it to do that.*

*Our abilities all come from John. His species seem to be obsessed with that shape, but I've no idea why -- perhaps it's something to do with the way their minds work?* Alyssa replied, sounding thoughtful. With a playful air to her voice, she added, *Your icy spiderwebs are very pretty, but I'm not sure how handy they'll be in a fight. Do you want to try to work on something more useful?*

The Asian girl blushed and waved her hands, making the bridge of icy hexagons fade away. *I'm ready. What do you suggest?*

*Let's start with you making a nice sturdy shield for me. Do you remember all the advice I gave John when I was trying to get him to form one?* Alyssa asked with a wry smile. *Let's hope you're not as stubborn about it as he was!*

Sakura laughed at the memory and she sent Alyssa a telepathic grin. *I'd rather not get beaten up again if it's alright by you.*

*You better get to work then!* the blonde girl said in a mock-stern voice. *I certainly wouldn't say no to a good spanking when John found out what we'd been up to!*

Trying not to get distracted by Alyssa's captivating voice, Sakura took a deep breath then held up her right hand. She tried to imagine a broad shield made of frosty hexagons in her mind, then pushed outwards with the cold aura orbiting her hand. There was a cracking sound and a white ice-rimed shape appeared before her, with more rapidly materialising in the air after the first. It took her thirty seconds to form the shield out of more than fifty fist-sized hexagons and she finally nodded in satisfaction, admiring her handiwork. Sakura could feel the strength in that shimmering barrier and despite its brittle appearance, she knew it was far sturdier than it looked.

*It's a Cryokinetic Barrier,* Sakura murmured, her voice awed. *I'm not sure how I know that, but that's what it's called.*

*Oh, I'm sure you can probably figure it out,* Alyssa replied with a melodic laugh. *I'll give you a clue. It's got something to do with you on your knees and a certain handsome acquaintance of ours telling you you're a good girl.*

Sakura blushed and smiled as she rolled her eyes. *Alright, I know John gave me these powers, It's just surprising to have in-built knowledge about these psychic abilities.*

*All joking aside, that was a really impressive first effort,* Alyssa said, sounding pleased. *Now you need to keep practicing, until you can create that whole barrier instantly.*

The Asian girl gulped at the thought, then squared her shoulders and waved away her carefully crafted shield of hexagons. Determined to make the most of her gift, she narrowed her eyes and started again.

***

It was a couple of hours later when the crew all met up again, although this time it was in the Officers' Lounge for lunch. John ran his fingers through Tashana's hair as she bobbed in his lap, enjoying seeing the eager look on her face as she did her best to coax him into giving her a nice big meal. He felt soft fingers brushing his shoulder and a moment later, someone leaned over the back of the sofa to kiss him on the cheek.

"Is that what I look like?" Irillith asked him in fascination, watching her sister worshiping his cock.

"You've got very different personalities, but physically you're identical. You're both stunningly beautiful women with an insatiable hunger for my cum," John confirmed for Irillith, while stroking Tashana's silky white mane. He met the kneeling girl's intense violet gaze and added, "I'm getting close, honey."

Tashana nodded in gratitude, then eased back, so he was no longer buried down her throat. She swirled her tongue over his head while sucking insistently, her eyes sparkling with excitement as she saw he was on the brink.

"Watch closely," John grunted to Irillith, who was staring down at her twin over his shoulder.

He surrendered to his climax, filling the whimpering Maliri girl's mouth with a thick blast of cum. Tashana's cheeks puffed out until she swallowed that first heavy spurt, her violet eyes already rolling back in euphoria as he overwhelmed her senses. "Good girl," he muttered as she swallowed, her hot little mouth sucking hard to encourage his quad to unload every last drop.

Irillith moaned and squeezed her thighs together, her own eyelids fluttering as she shared her twin's bliss over their empathic bond. She watched completely spellbound until he finished, shaking her head in amazement as her sister sat back, her stomach hugely swollen with sperm. "I can see why you love seeing us react that way," she whispered to him breathlessly. "Do I really behave like that when I go down on you?"

"You react exactly the same way," John replied, smiling at Tashana and offering her a hand.

She gratefully accepted then sat on his lap, sighing happily as he began to stroke her rounded tummy. "Thank you for lunch," Tashana said gratefully. "It was absolutely delicious."

"I should be the one thanking you. That was amazing, honey," John said with a smile. Turning to glance at Irillith he continued curiously, "Why were you asking if you behave the same way? If you're finding it embarrassing, I might be able to try and suppress the way you both react..."

"No, don't!" Irillith said sharply.

"Definitely not!" Tashana blurted out, shaking her head.

John guided Irillith around the sofa to sit beside him and slipped an arm around her. Kissing each girl in turn, he smiled as he replied, "Good, I think you're both perfect exactly as you are."

They leaned into him, hugging him back as they showered him in loving kisses. The twins held hands as they did so, instinctively seeking to maintain physical contact with each other.

Eventually Tashana pulled away and said with some hesitation. "After that meeting about Athena, I wasn't exactly sure what you wanted me to do for the rest of the morning. In the end, I asked Irillith to help me improve my marksmanship with a rifle, but just let me know if you want me to look into Mael'nerak's cloning lab instead."

Irillith smiled at her sister as she agreed, "I'd love to spend some time with you and go through all your research. I might be able to create some search algorithms which would help speed up our investigation."

John slowly shook his head as he pulled both girls in closer. "I appreciate the enthusiasm, but we just don't have any time left. Athena thinks she's only got a day or two and we'd never make it back to Maliri Space in time." He glanced at Tashana and added, "I heard what you said before, but if that facility does exist, I'm sure it'll be somewhere near the Maliri homeworlds..."

Tashana nodded, her expression glum. "I think so too, but I didn't want to make any assumptions."

Another pair of hands ran over John's shoulders and a pair of soft lips kissed the tip of his right ear. Alyssa murmured a moment later, "Sorry to interrupt, but I just wanted to let you know that lunch is ready."

John turned to give her a smile, but it was one tinged with sadness. "Thanks, beautiful, we'll join you in a moment."

"It's not over for Athena yet," Alyssa said, her tone bright and optimistic. "Who knows? We might still come up with some last-ditch plan. Besides, she wouldn't want to see you grieving for her, not while there's still a chance."

John studied her face curiously. "What're you up to?"

"I'm about to serve drinks," the effervescent blonde replied playfully, sashaying away towards the wine cabinet.

***

After lunch, John worked on shaping more Photon Laser barrels, until Faye appeared beside him in a purple flash. "I'm sorry to bother you, John. We've just received an incoming call from Senior Councillor Ularean!"

"Okay, can you put him through to my watch, please?" John asked, as he formed the orb of liquid metal into large square. He'd found it easiest to follow the same pattern every time, starting with a square for the first shaping, then cycling though a sphere, a tetrahedron, a cube, a spheroid and finishing with the hollowed-out tube that would form the weapon barrel.

Ularean's bulbous head appeared as a three-dimensional holographic image hovering above his watch, and John brought his forearm up to the correct level so that the built-in camera would be able to see his own face. He smiled at the grey-skinned alien. "It's good to see you Ularean. Everything going well?"

The Ashanath leader's huge black eyes focused on John as he replied, "Repairs to our fleet are proceeding at an unprecedented rate, JohnBlake. I would like you to pass on my most earnest thanks to Dana for her marvellous gift of the upgraded Psi-shapers. Even the weakest of our Engineers is now able to shape Etherium with more finesse than our strongest could with the old devices. To say that this will be groundbreaking for my people is not an over-exaggeration."

"I'll be sure to pass on the message," John replied, genuinely pleased for the Ashanath.

"I know that this next request will be met with a kind but firm rejection," Ularean stated in his whispering voice. "However, Councillor Rathus has begged me to ask Dana to reconsider a tenure at our Engineering Academy. Likewise, I have received a similar request from Facilitator Makiri with regard to Rachel. Makiri has offered to vacate her own position as Chief Administrator of our primary Medical Facility and act as assistant to Rachel, should she be interested in staying."

*They both appreciate the offer, but politely decline,* Alyssa thought to him a moment later. *Actually Dana's response was considerably ruder than that, mostly to do with her reluctance to be away from you and your legendary prowess in the bedroom.*

"Sorry Ularean, Alyssa informs me that they'd rather stay aboard the Invictus," John said with a grin and a helpless shrug. "They did say thanks for the offer though."

Ularean nodded briefly, his eerie voice echoing with a sad undercurrent as he replied, "I feared as much."

"How's the recovery effort going for your damaged ships above Ashana?" John asked, curious to see how quickly they were bouncing back.

"Salvage efforts are proceeding at a much faster pace than originally predicted. This is mostly because we have been able to execute repairs at a far quicker rate than our most optimistic projections, making more ships fully functional and able to offer their assistance. Additionally, we have seen a large boost to morale due to Rachel's miraculous healing of the mortally wounded and her gift of the burn recovery enzyme has also proven tremendously popular," Ularean replied, his voice modulator almost managing to convey his sense of joy.

John gave him a warm smile. "I'm really pleased to hear everything's going better than expected." He raised a quizzical eyebrow as he added, "Once the bulk of your repairs to your Fleet are complete, are you going to start work on patching up the Legacy?"

"That is correct, JohnBlake," Ularean replied in a ghostly murmur. "The vessel is too severely damaged to attempt re-entry into Ashana's atmosphere and return to its previous Hangar. We have decided to adapt Calara's suggestion to utilise hollowed out asteroids for defensive starbases and will now also construct an orbital shipyard that will allow us to repair the Legacy."

"That sound very sensible," John said approvingly, melting the crystal Alyssium tetrahedron he had created, reshaping it into a cube. "You'll need a substantial shipyard if you're going to be able to quickly construct a fleet powerful enough to keep you safe from future attacks."

Ularean blinked slowly and said, "Actually, JohnBlake, that is my primary reason for contacting you. I wished to ask for your advice on the best way to handle a conundrum that has the High Council quite perplexed."

"Sounds serious," John said, his ears pricking up. "What's the problem?"

"The remnants of the Drakkar forces in the minefield," Ularean stated, sounding anxious. "There were a number of vessels that were devastated by the mines and left in a crippled state. They do not pose a threat at the moment - they were too badly damaged - but we estimate there to be tens of thousands of Drakkar soldiers trapped in the hulks."

Understanding what was troubling the Ashanath now, John nodded sympathetically. "And you're not sure what to do with them?"

Ularean nodded, his eerie voice warbling with his distress. "For the first time in many decades, the High Council is unable to come to a consensus on this matter. Several of our number lost relatives during the battle and they wish to execute the remaining Drakkar forces in retribution. The more moderate amongst us have suggested capturing any Drakkar that wish to surrender, although the boarding actions to facilitate this will hold significant risk. Finally, there are three Councillors who have suggested repairing the largest of the Drakkar warships, stripping it of weapons, then allowing the soldiers to return to their own territory."

"They attempted to exterminate your species, Ularean," John said carefully. "You'd be entirely justified in your decision to slaughter them if you wanted to... Would you be open to a suggestion though?"

"I would be eager to hear of any way you can think of to resolve this impasse," the Senior Councillor replied.

John studied the Ashanath for a moment. "I think it's fair to say that the Ashanath don't really excel at ship-to-ship boarding actions. By contrast, the Drakkar make excellent marines..."

"Are you suggesting we propose an alliance with the marooned Drakkar?" Ularean replied, sounding astonished.

"If you keep them well fed, you should be able to control them easily enough. A girl on my crew had a Drakkar aboard her ship and giving him as much food as he wanted kept him loyal. They're carnivores though, so I'm afraid Fungus and lichen won't cut it," John said with a slight smile. "They seem to admire strength, so if you tell them the other option is being gunned down where they stand, they'll respect that. If they still refuse, you could ship them back to their own territory, or just kill them -- I'll leave that decision up to you."

"It is an intriguing proposition," Ularean murmured, nodding thoughtfully.

John smiled at the grey-skinned alien. "Who knows, it might lead to a long-term alliance between the remnants of their warbands and the Ashanath. I'd appreciate it if you could keep me informed and let me know what the High Council decides."

"Of course, I will let you know our decision and the outcome," Ularean replied. He bowed then and added, "It has been most instructive to speak to you again, JohnBlake. Many thanks for your assistance."

"No problem, Ularean. Good luck!" John said, smiling at the Senior Councillor as he ended the call.

John paused, lost in thought for a moment, before glancing up at an overhead camera. "Faye, could you put a call through to Charles Harris, please?"

She materialised beside him an instant later. "I'm calling him for you right now!"

John gave her a grateful smile, then glanced at the newly formed Photon Laser barrel that floated a few feet above the floor. Figuring that waving around ten-metre-long weapons via telekinesis might be a little disconcerting for his friend, he left it on the Workshop's deck as his watch communicator beeped, alerting him that the call had been connected.

Charles' face appeared a moment later and he smiled in greeting. "Hello, John. We're still meeting later today I trust?"

John nodded, giving his old commander a friendly salute. "Just calling to let you know we'll be approaching the Core Worlds soon. Do you want to meet somewhere on Terra, or are you still at Olympus?"

"I'm still at Olympus, I'm afraid," Charles replied with a grin. "I must confess, I enjoy the independence of being the Shipyard Commander, so I wanted to get a few more hours of freedom before heading down to Terra."

"Big fish in a small pond?" John replied with a knowing smile.

Charles nodded and said pointedly. "There's plenty of dangerous sharks swimming in those Terran seas. This fish knows where it's nice and safe."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," John said in earnest agreement.

Charles just smiled at his old friend, shaking his head in amusement.

After a quick glance at the time, John said, "I make it three o'clock. We'll be at Olympus in about five hours."

"That's one hell of a fast ship you've got there," Charles said, his hawk-like eyes gleaming acquisitively.

John grinned at him in return. "Isn't it just. I'll see you in a few hours, Charles."

"I'll have the whiskey at the ready," Charles said, before giving him a sharp salute and closing the comm channel.

Alyssa had already finished repairing the Valkyrie, so she headed up to the Bridge and altered their course for Alpha Centauri. With nothing pressing to do, she decided to keep John company as she usually liked to do whenever she had an opportunity. They spent the rest of the afternoon shaping laser barrels, with Alyssa refusing to be drawn out on her earlier comments, until Calara informed them it was time for dinner.

Their evening meal was a pleasant affair, with the Latina preparing beef fajitas for everyone. Tashana had never tried them before, so when she heard what was going to be on the menu, she offered to share her starter with her sister. John was treated to the sight of the Maliri twins kneeling together, working as a dedicated team to share his load between them. It didn't take long, not with a spectacular view like that. When they'd finished, they stood before him so he could place a loving kiss on each of their curved, cum-swollen bellies.