Three Square Meals Ch. 088

Luna shook her armoured head. "The Matriarchs have been very supportive; far more so than I would have expected actually. It's just the sheer number of decisions I have to make!"

"If you're struggling, ask Tsarra for advice. She's got some experience and I trust her," John suggested, giving her a reassuring smile.

"Thank you, I might just do that," Luna replied, sounding appreciative.

John looked at the opaque helmet and wished he could see her face. "How's Edraele doing?"

"She went into Cryostasis without any problems. Prior to that, there'd been no change in her condition," Luna replied, sagging back slightly in her chair.

"That's a good thing!" John said, trying to sound pleased. "A spontaneous recovery was never likely, but as long as she hasn't deteriorated, we'll be able to bring her round as soon as we meet." He hesitated for a moment, frowning with worry. "That's something I wanted to warn you about actually. It seems like there might be some trouble in Trankaran Space. I'm hoping we won't be delayed for long, but realistically you should expect us to arrive at least a day later than we intended."

The assassin didn't reply immediately and he could see her tense for a moment. She forced herself to relax a second later and said, "The Fleet Commander's been very accommodating so far. I'm sure Lilyana won't object if we have to wait for a little while."

"We'll try to be there as soon as we can. Call and let me know if there's anything we can do to help you, okay?" he said, giving her a supportive smile. "You've been doing a great job so far. I'm very proud of you, Luna."

She sat up straighter and her voice sounded more confident as she said, "We'll be here waiting for you. Good luck with the Trankarans, I hope you don't run into any significant problems."

"It's probably nothing to be worried about. We'll see you soon," he said, waving her goodbye.

The call ended and he felt a pang of regret, wishing that he hadn't been forced to burden Luna with so much responsibility, when she was clearly finding it challenging.

*She's made of stern stuff, she'll be alright,* Alyssa said, sounding quite sure of herself. *I only have an empathic bond with her at the moment, but she's not freaking out just yet.*

*That's good to hear,* John said, feeling slightly mollified.

He swiped his hand over the last person on his list of callers, smiling when the dusky-hued beauty filled the holo-screen only a few seconds later.

"John! It's great to see you!" Jehanna exclaimed, looking overjoyed.

"You're looking even more beautiful than I remember," John replied, just as pleased to see her too.

She gave him a glorious smile in return. "Don't worry, I'm still very much in favour of the... proposition... we discussed."

"That's very good to hear," John replied, enjoying seeing the sparkle of excitement in her eyes, very much reminding him of far more intimate moments together. "I wasn't calling about that though; I still want to give you plenty of time alone to consider my offer and weigh up the pros and cons. I wouldn't have called if it wasn't important."

A slight flicker of confusion played across her features. "In that case, to what do I owe the honour of this call?"

"There were a couple of reasons, actually. Firstly, we're dealing with a couple of emergencies, so I've had to cancel the skiing holiday."

"Emergencies! Is everyone okay?" Jehanna exclaimed, looking alarmed.

He nodded, his expression calm. "We're all fine, don't worry, but this is something we have to deal with. We're not on Jericho now, we're heading towards the Trankaran Republic. I'd like to be able to promise that I'll still be able to make the rendezvous with you in a week's time, but I'm not sure how long we'll be delayed," John said, giving her an apologetic frown.

Her dark-brown eyes suddenly blazed with excitement. "You must be passing Terra! Take me with you! I could cover whatever you're going up against!"

John was startled by her enthusiasm, her fierce zeal making Jehanna look full of life and even more attractive than usual. He seriously considered it for a moment, then reluctantly shook his head. "I admit I'm sorely tempted, but it's not fair to you. What we're heading towards is almost certainly dangerous, but more importantly than that, you need some time away from us. I was serious about giving you breathing room to think that decision over, I'm not letting you rush into it."

"But I could just cover the story! I could stay tucked away out of sight, you wouldn't even know I was there!" she pleaded.

John met her wide-eyed gaze with a gentle smile. "You know that would never work."

Jehanna blushed and slowly nodded, letting out a sigh of frustration. "I can't believe I'm missing out on the story though. I bet it'll be dynamite!"

"Actually, if there is any action, we might be able to record cam footage for you. I'll speak to Dana and see what we can do. You and I can arrange another interview when we return and we can go over it then," he suggested, trying not to add any innuendo to his reference for a meeting. "We can discuss your decision then as well."

The dark-skinned girl knew exactly what he wasn't saying though and her eyes smouldered at the thought. She licked her lips in a subconscious gesture and John couldn't help letting his imagination run wild as he gazed into her lovely brown eyes.

She shook her head to rouse herself from her lustful thoughts and put on an air of prim professionalism. "I'd really appreciate that, Vice Admiral," Jehanna said, giving him a grateful smile. "Best of luck on your mission and I'll be eagerly awaiting your return for that... interview."

"I'll look forward to it as well," John replied, a flirtatious smile playing across his lips. He was about to end the call, when he suddenly sat bolt upright. "Wait! Don't go yet! There was something else I need your help with!"

Jehanna giggled at his flustered reaction. "I'm all ears, Lion. What can I do for you?"

He chuckled with embarrassment. "You got me so distracted, I nearly forgot." His smile slowly faded and he continued in a much more serious tone, "I want to talk to you about Nymphs..."

Jehanna sat forward, a look of intrigue on her face. "I've heard all the legends," she said, deliberately avoiding any reference to Jade. "How can I help?"

***

Tashana gave Calara a grateful kiss, sharing an intimate smile with her as the Latina ran her hand over the Maliri's curved blue abdomen. "Thank you," they said simultaneously, then burst into laughter.

Calara rose from the bed, lithe and slender once more. "Any time," she said with a warm smile, as she began pulling on her discarded summer dress and slipped on her shoes.

"You're very like her, your mother I mean..." Tashana said, climbing out of bed with more care, the heavy weight of John's cum feeling comfortingly warm in her stomach. She glanced back at the Latina as she slid her long dress up over her curves. "Kind, caring, loving, you can tell you're Maria's daughter even if you hadn't inherited her beauty."

"That's very sweet of you to say," Calara replied, zipping up her dress and walking over to help Tashana fasten up the back of her own dress. She retrieved the Maliri girl's shoes to save her bending over to pick them up, then offered her a hand stepping into them.

Tashana gave her a look of open admiration. "I know you're going to be such a lovely mother to John's children. Would you mind if I look to you for inspiration?"

Calara blushed slightly and hugged the Maliri girl. "You've got nothing to worry about, I promise."

They left the cabin, and descended to the lower level of the gunship. Tashana was quiet as they walked, lost in thought as they glided down the loading ramp. They were crossing the Hangar, heading towards the Invictus' aft grav-tube, when she admitted quietly, "I can't help worrying. My mother was about the worst role model possible..." She glanced at the Latina, giving her a wistful look.

"I've seen that look before," Calara said with a frown, stopping and pulling Tashana into a hug. "I love my mother, but I wish she'd dial it down a bit when you girls come to visit. I end up feeling like I'm showing off my family and I hate how sad everyone gets afterwards!"

"She loves you, it's nothing to be embarrassed about," Tashana said softly, pulling back and giving her a tender kiss. "I know you'd never do anything to upset the rest of us. As I said before, I was inspired by such open maternal affection, it was wonderful to see."

Calara relaxed and they started walking again. Deciding to change the subject, she glanced at Tashana and asked, "What are you planning on doing this afternoon?" She hesitated, then decided to clarify her question. "I mean, I know you're doing psychic training, I just wondered what specifically?"

Tashana gave her a playful smile and held out the palm of her hand. Two flaming zephyrs sprang into existence, the female forms dancing together above her sky-blue skin. "I'll be working on making these two ladies a little larger. Dana was another source of inspiration, with her talk of elemental minions."

"Controlling fire with your mind..." Calara murmured, watching the cavorting flame sprites in awe. "It must be amazing being able to do something like that."

Slowly closing her hand, Tashana extinguished the fiery elementals with a quiet whump. When the Latina looked at her in surprise, she saw a knowing look in the Maliri girl's angular violet eyes.

"You were one of the first to join him," Tashana said softly, reaching up to caress Calara's cheek. "John knows how wonderful you are and cares about you a great deal. He was probably saving the best psychic ability until last."

Calara gave her a shy smile, then turned to kiss the palm of Tashana's hand. She placed her own hand on the Maliri girl's swollen belly, stroking her gently as she said, "Like I said earlier, you've got nothing to worry about."

Both feeling much better, they shared a look filled with affection as they stepped into the blue anti-gravity field.

***

Alyssa stood beside the suit of stripped-down Paragon Armour, the first in the row of armour equipping frames in the Combat Bridge. She had melted down the armour plating and turned it into the shimmering ball of crystal Alyssium hovered in the air beside her. Once that stage was complete, she started methodically upgrading the armour, making it tougher and more reflective with each psychic shaping. The armour had started at quad-shaped, but she was determined to match John's deca-shaping, even though eight times was enough to make the armour immune to laser fire.

She was at her seventh shaping now and smiled as she listened to John talking and flirting with Jehanna. When he blew his calm facade, she laughed and rolled her eyes affectionately, thinking what a terrible poker player he must be. The old expression 'lucky at cards, unlucky in love' sprang to mind, and she smiled as she figured the opposite must be true.

The sphere of metal started to become more stubbornly resistant on her ninth shaping and she narrowed her eyes, concentrating on the roiling orb and making it bend to her will. Once it had solidified, she melted it down into its liquid form, then gestured towards the bare suit of armour. Dousing the naked armour in a flowing wave of crystal Alyssium, she trimmed off all the pieces to the required shapes, furrowing her brow as she armoured the entire suit simultaneously.

Blowing out her breath when she was done, Alyssa ran her slender fingers over the gleaming white chestplate, admiring its sparkling lustre. Deca-shaping so many pieces at the same time had been taxing, but she actually relished the challenge. Her abilities only grew more powerful when she pushed her limits, so it was satisfying to find some new way of developing her psychic strength.

She glanced down the line of armour-equipping frames, her blue-eyed gaze falling on John's suit. Reshaping that a tenth time whilst working on the intricate sculpture of a Lion on the chest and shoulder-pads would definitely stretch her... just like its handsome owner did on a regular basis. Alyssa grinned to herself, feeling a flutter of excitement when she remembered what he had planned for a certain lucky lady. John had promised her a ringside seat and she couldn't wait for that particular bout in the bedroom...

She reached the suit Dana had worn when the redhead had experimented with her powers, hardening the armour plating on the Valkyrie. It was quite distinctive, the Progenitor etched runes clearly visible to Alyssa's sharp-eyed scrutiny.

"You've come a long way, Sparks," she murmured, her fingertips tracing those unfamiliar eldritch symbols.

As she gathered her will to reshape the metal she grinned to herself. "But then haven't we all..."

Gesturing towards the armour plating, she beckoned the metal towards her, planning to repeat the same process as she had with the first set of Paragon armour. Strip all the armour off the power-armoured chassis in one go, then re-shape it until...

Alyssa looked at the armour in surprise. Nothing had happened when she had beckoned the crystal Alyssium armour plating towards herself!

Frowning in irritation, she flicked her hand towards it and made an imperious gesture, concentrating harder on melting down the glossy white metal. When nothing happened a second time, her temper flared and she snarled in anger, extending two clawed hands towards the stubborn suit and focusing her vast mental might at the armour. The runes flared with a brilliant light, defiantly preventing her from manipulating the metal, no matter how much she railed against them.

Panting with the exertion, Alyssa staggered backwards, leaning against the wall to steady herself. She stared at the Paragon suit in amazement, her anger ebbing away just as the fierce glow from the runes faded from sight.

*Sparks, you better get your ass to the Combat Bridge. I think we might have a problem...* she said to the redhead, sounding perturbed.

*What's up?* Dana replied, picking up on the anxious tone in her friend's telepathic voice.

Alyssa frowned as she studied the perplexing suit of armour. *I hope your new rune-writing abilities came with an eraser...*

***

The smartly dressed man on the holo-screen frowned in annoyance. "Mrs. Benzinger, I'm still waiting for last month's rent! You promised me last time we spoke..."

"I know, I'm sorry!" Emma Benzinger replied, cringing with embarrassment. "It's just been a hard few months! The car's falling apart and needed a new anti-grav catalyser, and my sons were outgrowing their uniforms. I didn't have-"

"Save me the sob stories," the tenement owner replied, looking down his nose at her with a disdainful sniff. "I expect the rent by the end of the week."

"Wait! I don't get paid until-" Emma tried to protest, but the man cut her off.

"Next week, or you'll be out in the gutter!" he snarled, closing the comm channel. His face was frozen in a contemptuous sneer as his image faded away, leaving her staring at the tired wallpaper in the dilapidated apartment.

Slumping back in her chair, Emma felt a dark surge of depression threatening to overwhelm her. "I'm not going to cry," she told herself defiantly, but the words rang hollow even to her own ears.

She glanced out the window at the white sun blazing down on the distant skyscrapers and elegant buildings of the planet's capital, Stroburgh. That majestic cityscape seemed so far away, a lifetime away in fact, even though it had only been six years. Six years... her eyes fell on the picture of her husband on the mantelpiece. Rafe had promised her that his new job as the youngest Chief Prosecutor in Stroburgh's history would lead their family to wealth and success, but he'd only been working there a year before his sudden death.

The nervous detective leading the investigation had declared that the suicide note was authentic, despite her frantic pleas to the contrary. The night before Rafe's supposed suicide, he'd admitted to receiving and ignoring warnings to back off from the crime syndicate he was intent on prosecuting. When the police quickly closed Rafe's death as a suicide, Emma had threatened to go to the media and blow the whistle on what was obviously a police cover-up of an assassination. Her dog had gone missing the following night, reappearing butchered at the front door the next morning, along with pictures of her boys that were spattered in poor Rex's blood.

Rafe had only just started his career when he'd been killed, so they'd barely paid off anything; the family home they'd chosen and filled with their dreams proved to be just as insubstantial. The savings dried up in months, forcing her to eventually sell the house for a pittance, her husband's car, everything, just to make ends meet.

Feeling a lump in her throat, Emma swallowed awkwardly. "I'm not going to cry," she murmured, sounding even less convincing.

A discordant chime sounded from the comm interface on the worn console. Emma flinched at the sound, as it was usually a harbinger of some increasingly unpleasant demand for payment. She heaved a sigh and opened up her list of emails, scanning past the urgent messages from the full spectrum of utility companies. At the top of the stack of recent emails was one from a name she didn't recognise. She was tempted to just delete it in case it contained some kind of malware, but then again, trashing this console with some malevolent computer virus would be fitting payback on her landlord for having her evicted.

In a surge of anger, she swiped the message marked as urgent from someone called "Azure_Superuser". The message contained an embedded holographic recording that started the moment she opened it.

"Hello Mrs. Benzinger," the handsome man began. "Please allow me to introduce myself..."

Emma gaped at the image in shock. This man needed no introduction, his image had been splashed across the news every day for months. "The Lion..." she breathed, staring at him in wide-eyed astonishment.

"...my name is Vice Admiral John Blake." John's expression turned grim as he continued, "You might have seen on the news that we recently brought a den of assassins to justice. Your husband, Rafe Benzinger, was a victim of this group of murderous criminals. Rest assured that they all paid a heavy price for their crimes and your husband has been avenged."

"My Rafe..." Emma whispered, fighting back the tears.

John gave her a look filled with sympathy. "I'm deeply sorry for bringing up what must be painful memories of such a terrible loss. I only do so because we seized this organisation's assets and have been paying reparations to the families of their victims. As such, we've paid three-million credits into your personal account. Please accept my most heartfelt condolences for your husband and my best wishes to you and your boys for the future."

He bowed to her respectfully and his image slowly faded away.

Emma didn't see that though, her eyes were too full of tears. They rolled down her cheeks as she crumpled to the floor, sobbing her heart out. Piercing through her grief for her dead husband, a bright ray of hope blazed into her life, banishing the dark cloud of depression that had loomed over her for so long. Hope for her sons, that she could finally give them the kind of future that she and her husband had always wanted for them.

***

Irillith scanned through the names displayed on her console, nodding with satisfaction as she received a steady stream of notifications that her messages were being opened. She'd designed and built a custom VI to assist her with this task, the Virtual intelligence compiling the long list of reparation messages she had sent. The sophisticated program had created a composite reproduction of John, which delivered a personalised message to the surviving relatives of Mikaboshi's victims.