Three Square Meals Ch. 094

"And they really need you," Sakura said emphatically. "Those women are duty bound to start rebuilding their Houses! Without you to assist, they'll have to visit the border stations for a liaison with a Maliri male. From speaking with the Maliri on Genthalas, I don't get the impression those men are particularly interested in taking an active interest in their children."

He raised his hands and smiled. "I appreciate the enthusiasm, but I'm not going to make any promises... about anything. I want to speak to the Young Matriarchs and handle this delicately, okay?"

They murmured their agreement, all of the girls just as thrilled by the prospect as Jade.

"I might be wrong, but none of you are particularly sleepy, are you?" he asked, arching an eyebrow.

The answering grins were all the confirmation he needed.

He glanced at Jade and said, "I appear to be outnumbered, fancy helping me even things up a bit?"

The Nymph prowled over the covers and grinned as she knelt submissively before him. "Take me whenever you're ready, Master... I would say that we'll make your mates cry out your name in ecstasy, but they're polite girls and they know it's rude to speak with their mouths full."

John laughed as he moved to kneel behind the dark-green beauty on the bed, then slid into her deliciously hot and wet pussy. Her internal muscles rippled as she guided him up to the hilt, fifteen tentacles snaking out of her lithe body and approaching the five wild-eyed Terran girls. John could only groan in disbelief as he experienced one torturously slow penetration after another, as Jade triple-penetrated the five writhing girls, matching his languid thrusts by inching her dark-green replicas of his cock inside them.

It turned out Jade was right; they were all too stuffed to do much talking.

***

When John awoke the following morning, he stretched in satisfaction, still feeling that dull ache in his quad from the enthusiastic orgy the night before. Normal sleeping conventions had been abandoned, and he was buried under a tangle of slender limbs, the girls still lying roughly where he and Jade had fucked them all unconscious.

Faye fluttered onto the bed when she saw him stir and gave him a cheerful wave. "Hey!"

John put a finger to his lips to urge her to be quiet. "Everything alright, honey?"

"We crossed into Maliri Space three hours ago," she replied in a barely audible whisper. "Aside from that, no problems!"

"Perfect, thank you."

Unfortunately, their muted conversation woke up Jade and the Nymph shared a loving smile with him as she sat up on the bed. With Jade's help, he was able to extricate himself from the pile of blissfully sleeping girls and he beckoned her into the bathroom once he'd climbed off the bed.

"Thanks for last night, that was amazing," he said, once he'd closed the bathroom door behind them.

The Nymph grinned at him as she bounded into the shower cubicle and turned on the jets of hot water. "I loved it too, Master!" she exclaimed, a bright smile on her beautiful face. Her expression turned coy as she added, "I thought I'd worn you out last night, but I'm always here for you if you need more relief..."

John stepped into the water with her and gave her a hug. "That's a very tempting offer, but let's wait for a bit, I'm still recovering at the moment... I will need your assistance with Edraele later, if that's okay?"

She coiled her arms around him and nuzzled into his neck. "Of course, I'll be delighted to help."

They enjoyed a nice relaxing shower together, Jade taking the opportunity to give him one of her incredible massages that left him feeling like his bones had turned into jelly.

He gave her a grateful kiss when she was done. "I'm going to check on Irillith and Tashana, then call the Maliri fleet to make sure they're all okay. Feel free to go back to bed if you want a lie-in."

Jade followed him out of the bathroom, then switched to telepathy to avoid waking the girls. *I'll come with you and keep the twins company.*

Alyssa waved at them sleepily as they passed the bed, a languid smile on her face. *They're in Tashana's room...*

*Sorry for waking you up, honey,* John said softly. *I'll try and keep my thoughts quieter.*

*S'okay,* the blonde teenager mumbled, snuggling into Calara and dozing off again.

Jade waited for him patiently as he got dressed in the walk-in-wardrobe then accompanied him to Tashana's bedroom. The Nymph was still delightfully nude and the light reflected off the dark lustre of her skin as she padded along beside him. John opened the door and saw that the Maliri sisters were sleeping serenely, having fallen asleep in each other's arms at some point in the early hours.

*I'll watch over them,* Jade thought to him, before standing on tiptoe to give him a parting kiss. She waved goodbye, then crept into the room and onto the bed, moving with cat-like agility - which was unsurprising, considering her nature.

When John stepped out of the grav-tube onto the Bridge, Faye was waiting for him, a look of gleeful anticipation on her face. "I can't believe we're nearly there!" she exclaimed, leaping off the Command podium to land lightly at his side.

"How long will it take to finish your body?" John asked, smiling at her cheerful exuberance.

"Dana says a few days," the happy sprite replied. "The parts the Maliri are bringing are very important, but she has no experience with them so wants to make sure she gets the installation perfect."

John walked down the ramp to his Ready Room, glancing at his diminutive elfin companion. "She's been very coy about what Luna's bringing with her. Why all the secrecy?"

Faye smiled fondly and replied, "She just wants to help maintain the illusion that I'll be a real girl when my body arrives." She looked up into his eyes and continued earnestly, "I don't think hiding my nature from you is a good way to start our relationship, but I want you to like me more than anything. What do you think?"

John stopped by his Ready Room door and smiled at her. "I think you're adorable and you haven't even got a body yet!"

The purple sprite blushed deeply at that, then reached out to trace her fingers across his arm. "The Maliri are bringing synthetic skin with them. Installing cybernetics is considered shameful in their society, so if someone loses a limb and is forced to get a cybernetic replacement, their artificial skin is extremely realistic to avoid detection. Dana isn't able to replicate it with the Mass Fabricators, so she asked Luna to bring a plentiful supply with her."

"So your actual body is already complete?" John asked in fascination.

She nodded enthusiastically. "I've been running my initial tests and motor functions are all performing perfectly!"

He tried to picture it in his mind, then simply asked, "What does it look like?"

"Really awesome!" Faye replied, sounding a lot like Dana. She hesitated for a moment, then added, "Would you like to see?"

"As long as you don't mind, I'd love to," he replied.

Faye bit her full lower lip then gestured behind him to the centre of the Bridge. He turned to look where she was pointing and a holographic image appeared before him. Her chassis was sparkling white, immediately revealing the material used in its construction. The synthetic body was slightly shorter and slimmer than the holograph of Faye fluttering nervously beside him, which he could only assume was to allow for the synthetic skin that would be grafted to her lithe frame.

The robotic body was obviously feminine in shape and form, possessing an alluring beauty all of its own. Crisscrossing the shimmering white body were glowing blue lines, reminding him a little of the bright power stripes on the Justice Laser rifle. The glow from these were muted though, casting a soft sapphire light over its snowy-white limbs.

"Alyssa designed the outer casing," Faye said self-consciously. She giggled and glanced up at him. "She said Dana couldn't be trusted with aesthetics after the maintenance bots!"

"She did a wonderful job... You look beautiful," John said, admiring the sleek lines of the feminine figure.

"You really think so?" Faye asked quietly.

He turned to look at her and nodded. "Not quite as adorable as the girl standing before me, but that would have been an impossible task."

Her cupid-bow lips lifted into a huge grin and she bounced up and down with joy. "I'm so glad you weren't repulsed!"

John laughed and shook his head. "No, far from it."

Faye dismissed the holograph with a wave of her hand. "Please don't say anything to Dana. I knew you'd be okay with seeing it like that, but I think she just wanted to make sure."

"Sparks really cares for you, Faye. She wants you to be happy, that's all."

"I know," the purple sprite replied, with a happy sigh. "I'm so lucky to have a friend like her..."

"Friends," John corrected her with a smile. "We all care about you."

Faye blushed a deep plum colour again, then glanced at the door to his Ready Room. "I better not keep you any longer. I'm sure Luna must be eager to speak with you."

"Thanks for trusting me with that, honey," John said, looking into her big luminous eyes. "I'm glad I didn't disappoint you."

She had a dreamy expression on her face. "That's quite alright. You're wonderful, I knew you'd be fine..."

John left the moon-eyed sprite with a smile, then entered his Ready Room and walked to his desk. He scrolled through his list of contacts and found Lilyana, the House Valaden Fleet Commander who he knew was on their flagship. Now they were safely inside Maliri Space, he knew he didn't have to worry about the Admiralty snooping on any calls as the communication lines wouldn't be routed through Terran Comm beacons. He swiped across her name and waited for the call to reach the Galaena Serine.

He didn't have to wait long before the crossed blades logo of House Valaden appeared and only five seconds after that, the sigil faded away to be replaced by Lilyana's beautiful face.

The House Valaden Fleet Commander gave him a warm smile, her aquamarine eyes twinkling as she played self-consciously with her long white hair. "It's wonderful to see you again, Protector."

"It's great to see you too, Lilyana, the longer hair really suits you," he said kindly, this being the first time they'd spoken since topping her up a second time on Genthalas. "I'm really sorry to have kept you waiting so long. I'm sure you've heard about our terrible trouble with the Trankarans..."

"That's quite a mouthful," she said with a coy smile, before blushing at her own boldness. "That's quite alright about the wait; Luna explained you were helping the Trankarans with an emergency."

John smiled at her innuendo, then asked politely, "May I speak with her please?"

"Of course, she should be here any moment," the Fleet Commander replied, before glancing offscreen when a melodic chime echoed around her office.

Rising from her seat, she smiled to her left and was quickly replaced by Luna, who looked overjoyed to see him. "I'm so glad you're here, John!"

"Just a few more hours," he replied, looking at her with concern. "Is everything alright? Any problems with Edraele?"

The interim leader of House Valaden quickly shook her head. "No, nothing like that, she's fine. It'll just be a relief to have her back again."

"Heavy lies the crown?" John asked, studying the flustered former-assassin.

Luna hesitated for a moment then nodded. "I've grown close to Edraele and really missed her, but standing in for her as Matriarch has been... challenging. Fortunately, Tsarra Perfaren came to the rescue; she gave me some incredibly useful advice and helped me keep the Governors in line."

"I'm sorry I put you in that position," John apologised. "I hope you understand that I wouldn't have done so if I didn't think you were the best woman for the job."

"That's quite alright," she replied, blushing at his praise. "It's given me a new appreciation for both the pressure Edraele's under and the way she handles it so effortlessly. I'll do whatever I can to help her when she's back in her rightful place as Matriarch."

"So I don't need to worry that power's gone to your head?" John teased her, raising an eyebrow. "No desperate desire to cling on as Matriarch of House Valaden?"

"Definitely not!" Luna declared vehemently.

He gave her a supportive smile. "Just a few more hours and it'll be over with. We should arrive at about two in the afternoon."

She returned his smile, her unblinking yellow eyes quite mesmerising. "I'll be counting the minutes..."

With that they ended the call and the Valaden insignia replaced Luna's face on the holo-screen before fading away a second later. John leaned back in his chair and suddenly realised he had a clear morning ahead. He had been planning on looking into Tashana's research notes with her and Irillith, but with both of them sleeping he needed to come up with something new.

*Calara's restless as well this morning; I think she's spent too much time in the kitchen,* Alyssa informed him, sounding drowsy. *I'm sure she'd love a chance to get all sweaty with you in the Dojo...*

John grinned as he sprang from his chair, a sparring session with the feisty Latina would be the perfect way of spending the morning. He jogged across the Bridge and then headed down to Deck Two, meeting the Latina as she left his bedroom.

"Give me thirty seconds to get dressed!" she exclaimed, looking just as eager as he was.

By the time he'd returned in his sparring gear, Calara was just returning to the corridor, looking pumped up and ready for action. They managed to keep a lid on the banter until they reached Deck Three where they knew their voices wouldn't carry back to the bedroom.

"No powers this time?" he asked her, nudging her with an elbow. "Or are you planning on cheating again?"

She laughed and rolled her eyes at him. "That's fine talk coming from you. If I remember rightly, you started it!"

They reached the door to the Dojo and he hit the button and gestured for her to proceed inside. "Ladies first... to hit the mat."

"You're really looking for a beatdown today," she marvelled as she padded out onto the mats.

They squared off against each other, both grinning in anticipation. As they closed the distance, John paused and said seriously, "Even without your powers, you realise you're good enough to stand a very good chance against your father in a sparring match."

Calara froze in surprise as she realised he was telling her the simple truth. She lowered her guard and replied, "That's never been my goal, but I always wanted to prove myself to-"

She didn't get to finish the sentence as John swept her legs out from under her, sending her crashing to the mat. He tutted and winked at her. "But not if you let him sucker-punch you like that!"

The Latina couldn't help laughing as he gave her a playful grin and showboated for an imaginary crowd. "Wow... That was a real dick move..."

He gave her an unapologetic shrug. "I'm fairly sure that was one of your earliest lessons; don't let yourself get distracted, especially by someone who knows how to push your buttons. Looks like my student still needs her sensei." Backing away warily, he fell into another guard stance. "Now show me what you've got."

His teasing had fired Calara up for a no-holds barred session that kept him on his toes, literally and figuratively. They spent a couple of hours sparring on the mat, naturally switching from offense to defence when either one managed to get the upper hand. Very well matched against each other, it was just the slightest misstep that proved John's undoing and the Latina surged in close, tangled her legs with his and toppled him over backwards, landing on his chest.

"I win!" she exulted between deep breaths, her brown eyes burning with the passion of her victory.

"And it was well earned, you were magnificent," he replied, panting for breath himself.

She relaxed then, but the smouldering look in her eyes didn't go away. "We didn't discuss the victor's prize..."

He placed his hands on her hips and gently stroked her flanks with his thumbs, feeling her sweat slicked skin under his fingertips. "Anything you want, gorgeous."

She rose to her feet and offered John a hand, then led him through to the adjoining bedroom, her alluring smile making all sorts of delicious promises. They showered together then fell into bed, where their lovemaking was slow and sensual - a dramatic contrast to the frenetic sparring. Lying together afterwards, John spooned the blissfully happy girl, caressing her curves as she relaxed in his arms.

"You're going to think I'm some kind of hopelessly love-struck teen, and I can't believe I'm saying it again, but I've never felt so happy before," Calara said, with a contented sigh.

"Because we've made the engagement official?" John asked, kissing her olive-toned shoulder.

She nodded and turned slightly so she could look at his face. "I didn't like keeping this from some of the girls, even if it was done with the right intentions."

"How about becoming my official wife?" John asked, giving her a knowing look.

Calara blushed immediately, then nodded again. "The other girls would have hated being there at your side for the PR pieces, but I'll be honoured to be there with you!" She paused for a second and frowned. "Actually, that sounds really bad. I don't mean they'd hate being at your side..."

John cradled her head with his hand and silenced her backpedalling with a kiss. "It's okay, I know what you meant. Alyssa and the others were right; this means much more to you than any of them and I'll be the proudest man in the galaxy to have you on my arm."

She gave him a radiant smile and snuggled in closer. "It's not just that. For the first time in months I've not been feeling guilty about having a big family wedding. The last thing I wanted to do was upset any of the girls, but now it feels like I have their permission to go ahead with it. That kind of ceremony isn't what any of them are really looking for, but it'll mean a huge amount to me and my family."

"Family is very important," John agreed, stroking her tummy again. He had a distant look on his face as he caressed her, thinking about the upcoming meeting with the Young Matriarchs.

Calara watched him quietly for a moment, then whispered, "Those girls don't know just how lucky they are, but they will when you're there for them to help bring up your children. I think you'll be a wonderful father."

"My grandparents did a great job of giving me a loving childhood, but there was always that nagging doubt at the back of my mind; about why my real parents didn't want me... I don't want my children to ever feel that way," he said, gazing into her eyes.

She pulled him down for a kiss and they relaxed together for a few minutes until John glanced at the ship's chronometer on the wall.

Calara saw the look and asked, "Nearly time?"

He nodded and patted her swollen belly. "Jade's already on her way. We need to load her up for Edraele."

As if on cue, the naked Nymph padded into the bedroom. "Hello you two."

The Latina stretched, a smile of anticipation on her face. "Hello, sexy..."

Jade climbed onto the bed, her eyes darting from the inviting curve of the Latina's cum-packed womb to look at John. "The twins were still asleep when you called me."

"I'll head up there and wake them," John said, as he got out of bed. "We'll be arriving in the Delta Arietis system in twenty minutes."

Scooping up his gym gear, he padded out of the bedroom to the sound of Calara's excited gasps, as Jade enthusiastically went to work. He didn't think twice about strolling along the corridor naked and he couldn't help smiling when he realised how much his attitude to the Invictus had changed since he'd served on it as a marine.