Three Square Meals Ch. 106

John looked at her in surprise as he turned on the jets of water. "No, I had nothing to do with it. I actually wondered if you'd end up with Helene..."

"Helene?" she asked, frowning in confusion.

He got some shampoo and began to gently lather her hair. "Well, you two did join us at about the same time. She's very innocent, whereas you're experienced and sophisticated; I just thought you'd make an interesting couple... opposites attract, that kind of thing."

"Apparently I'm not all that worldly-wise..." she said with a rueful frown. "Weber's men did manage to kidnap me with that ruse about the missing Nymphs."

"Yes, but you didn't go into that situation with your eyes closed. You still managed to take out one of them, despite being outnumbered five-to-one by special forces soldiers; I think you handled yourself exceptionally well." He smiled as he rinsed off her long raven mane. "I was right about one thing though... you are into exotic alien girls."

Her brown cheeks darkened as she blushed furiously. "I can't believe I'm thinking about having a relationship with a couple of alien princesses... I've already got a hugely-hung boyfriend that cums like a firehose! It's like I've tossed all my inhibitions out the window!"

John laughed and pulled her into his arms. "Just do whatever feels right. No one's going to judge you."

"I know... it's crazy," she murmured into his chest.

"Crazy good, or crazy bad?" he asked, tilting his head to one side so he could look into her brown eyes.

"Definitely the good kind," she replied with a shy smile. "I love how liberated I can be with you."

He gave her a supportive squeeze, then said quietly, "If you do decide to take things further with Irillith and Tashana, please look after them. They might seem very confident, but they've both been through terrible ordeals."

She looked up at him and caressed his cheek. "You love them so much... I can hear it in your voice."

"Their lives were horrendous before I met them... the things they've had to endure were truly appalling." He shook his head in sorrow. "I've tried to do everything I can to help them recover; I want to make sure they lead wonderfully happy lives from now on."

"They're like the Maliri..." she said softly, looking thoughtful.

"What do you mean?" he asked, frowning in confusion. "They're both Maliri girls..."

"No, I mean the Maliri as a species and the way you view them," she said, her voice stronger now, ringing with certainty. "The Maliri suffered at the hands of Mael'nerak and declined as a civilisation after his death. Since you got involved with them, you've been doing whatever you can to improve their lives."

He nodded as he listened. "That's true, I've tried to help fix the major problems in their society. Fate's been cruel to the Maliri; they deserve to have a bright future."

"The Maliri were right to call you their 'Protector'," she said with a gentle smile. "They're your people, John. I can tell how much you care about them and want to keep them safe."

"Maybe there's more to me 'claiming' the Maliri than I thought," he murmured. "I've felt that way for a while..."

"When did it start?" she asked curiously.

He frowned as he tried to remember the exact moment his feelings changed. "Probably around the time Edraele joined me. That was when I started getting to know the Maliri engineers she assigned to refit the Invictus; they were really lovely girls... it was awful finding out how twisted Maliri society had become."

*I'd also just become your Maliri Matriarch,* Edraele said softly. *And all those engineers were the first set of Wards you connected to me...*

*Wards?* John asked, unfamiliar with the term.

*I thought it sounded more fitting for my girls than Thralls, considering the way you and I feel about them,* she explained, sending him a loving telepathic smile. *I know you dislike the Progenitor terminology.*

He considered it for a moment, then smiled. *Wards... Yes, that's a much better way of describing them.*

"You look happy," Jehanna noted, tracing the curve of his lips with her finger.

"Did Alyssa keep you in the loop for my conversation with Edraele?" When she nodded, he continued, "I've always hated calling the girls 'Thralls'... it sounded so derogatory. Take you for example; I love you and want to keep you safe and happy... calling you my 'Thrall' sounds totally wrong."

Her eyes softened and she gave him a tender kiss. "I like being your Ward."

"I like it too," he said, embracing Jehanna and returning her kiss.

Faye appeared in a purple flash and cleared her throat. "Sorry to interrupt. The Raptor's on final approach to Olympus. They'll be docking in two minutes!"

"Perfect timing, thanks Faye," he said, releasing Jehanna.

They quickly finished showering, then dressed in a fresh set of clothes. Holding Jehanna's hand, he walked back to the grav-tubes, then descended to Deck Nine. As they entered the Secondary Hangar, the Raptor glided through the huge hangar doors, returning home with his missing Lionesses. He spotted Calara and Sakura in the cockpit, the two girls grinning with delight when they saw he was waiting for them.

He heard the click of heels behind him and Alyssa strode into the hangar, a garment bag folded over her arm.

"Hey, handsome," she purred, as she slipped her free arm around his waist. She leaned around him to smile at Jehanna. "And hello to you, sexy girl. You really got him going earlier... nice job!"

Jehanna grinned at the blonde, then bowed her head respectfully. "I live to serve, Matriarch."

Alyssa laughed and shook her head. "Nice try, but it doesn't sound right coming from you. You need pointy ears and blue skin to carry that off."

Jehanna glanced up at John and wrinkled her nose. "Didn't work?"

He shook his head and smiled. "You just stick to being a feisty truth-seeking journalist. I don't need anyone else pretending to be a mindlessly devoted Thrall... considering how wilfully disobedient the girls are, it just feels like they're making fun of me."

"Would we ever do that?" Alyssa asked, her face a picture of innocence.

John raised an eyebrow at her and chose not to comment, then turned his attention back to the gunship as the loading ramp began to lower. Calara and Sakura were waiting inside with beaming smiles, their beautiful faces appearing as the ramp dropped towards the deck. Sakura couldn't wait and she ran along the ramp then vaulted off the lip, moving in a blur as she did a flip through the air.

She rushed into his open arms, hugging him tight. "Thank you for sending me with Calara!" she exclaimed, her voice throbbing with gratitude. "I had such a wonderful time!"

"You look so much happier," he replied, running his fingers through her silky-black hair as he gazed into her almond eyes. "I'm really glad you enjoyed yourself."

Sakura gave him a loving kiss. "I plan to show you my appreciation later..." She darted a glance at Alyssa, that brief look carrying a weight of emotion. "... to both of you."

Alyssa's smile got bigger as she beckoned the Asian girl over for a hug. "Come here, beautiful."

Her timing was perfect, as Calara marched up to John and snapped to attention, throwing him a sharp salute. "Permission to come aboard, Admiral John Blake."

"Welcome back, Commander," John replied, returning her respectful salute. He relaxed, breaking into a broad smile. "You heard then..."

Calara flew into his arms and hugged him fiercely. "I'm so proud of you, John! There isn't a finer man in the Admiralty!"

He nuzzled into her soft brown hair and returned her hug. "Thanks, gorgeous, but after everything you've accomplished it should really be you with a seat in High Command."

She pulled back to look in his eyes and shook her head. "You earned this. You've called the shots all along, I've just been there to support you and carry out your orders."

They shared a loving smile, then John turned and put his arm around Sakura as well. "I really missed you two! I'm so glad you're back home again, it's been... hectic... here."

Calara gave him a wry look. "Yes, so we've been told. My mother says hello by the way, but I don't think she was too impressed at having the two of us pass out for ten hours due to psychic exhaustion..."

Sakura frowned at him and wagged a finger. "I can't believe you went into the Astral Plane alone! That was a terrible idea!"

Calara nodded, looking equally disapproving. "We've got to plan those Astral battles better... We're getting caught flat-footed every time!"

Alyssa looked contrite as she admitted, "Actually, this one was all my fault. I should have just backed off when I realised how much more power I needed to create my sub-plane."

The Latina wrapped her arms around her girlfriend. "I wasn't blaming you, my love. I was just saying we need to prepare better for the next one."

Returning her warm embrace, Alyssa gave Calara a smouldering kiss. "We should have done that straight away... I really missed you."

"No more time apart," Calara agreed, gazing adoringly into her lover's eyes.

"Hey, welcome back!" Dana called out from the doorway, striding into the hangar with Rachel at her side.

After another round of friendly hugs, Sakura laughed and said, "We'll never leave the hangar at this rate. Are Jade and the twins coming down too?"

Dana glanced at Alyssa and said, "Actually, blondie asked us to come down here... for some kind of surprise?"

Sakura bounced up and down, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Did the delivery arrive?!"

"In the Cargo Bay," Alyssa replied with an indulgent smile.

They followed Sakura as she rushed out of the hangar, with Jehanna falling into step beside Calara. "Would you be able to spare a few minutes for an interview before I leave?"

"Of course," the Latina replied with a warm smile. "I'm curious to see what has Sakura so excited, but we'll find somewhere quiet afterwards and have a talk."

The Cargo Bay was a hive of activity. A huge ball of Crystal Alyssium rotated in the air beside an enormous pile of glistening white Invictus plating, with liquid metal streaming off to make half-a-dozen more protective panels. One of the maintenance bots floated beside the closest stack, then picked up an armour plate and began to carry it outside. It had nearly reached the door when a second robot floated through on its way to retrieve more plating, the two pausing to avoid colliding into one another.

Unnoticed by the organic occupants of the Cargo Bay, the two robots floated to the left, then floated to the right, accidentally mirroring each other's actions and maintaining the impasse. The two robots stopped, their heads bobbing slightly in an odd shifting motion, almost as if they were laughing. Their red eyes glowed and each pivoted to their right, neatly avoiding each other. The oddest part of the whole interaction was the way the bot that had just entered the cargo bay patted his robotic comrade on the shoulder as they passed.

There was no sign of Sakura, but there was a huge shipping crate near the cargo bay door and squeals of joy could be heard inside.

John took one look at the monstrous pile of armour plating, then turned to Alyssa in surprise. "You've been shaping plates all this time?"

"Yep," she replied, giving him a triumphant grin. "I reckon I could probably keep shaping in my sleep now." The blonde suddenly shivered and looked a bit ill. "Actually, fuck that... I'll start having nightmares about Invictus armour!"

"Don't worry, you've done an amazing job shaping that lot," John said sympathetically, astonished by how much she'd accomplished. "You can have a rest now, I'll finish this off."

Faye blinked into existence beside him. "Actually, we've got enough plates to finish the job already! I've got all my boys working on installing them and we're making great progress. We'll be finished just after midnight!"

"That's great news, Faye, thank you," he said, acknowledging her with an appreciative smile.

Further conversation was interrupted by a throaty rumble from the shipping crate and Sakura emerged astride a ruby-red hoverbike. It was a big, powerful looking machine, the sleek aerodynamic styling making it appear like some kind of ferocious predatory beast.

"Oh wow!" Rachel gasped, her eyes widening in awe. "That's a Matsubara Z-900!"

Sakura cruised up to them, a dazzling smile on her face. "Fastest hoverbike ever made!"

Dana grinned as her eyes roamed over the hoverbike. "That monster looks fucking badass!"

Rachel bit her lower lip and sauntered over, her fingers brushing along Sakura's arm. "Got room for one more?"

"Hop on," the Asian girl said, winking at the brunette.

Throwing her leg over the back of the bike, Rachel groaned as she sat down, feeling the powerful vibrations from the engine. "Holy shit... I'd forgotten how good that feels..."

Dana laughed and rolled her eyes at her girlfriend. "You're such a biker's slut! It took Sakura five seconds to get you to spread your legs..."

Rachel wiggled provocatively on the seat and grinned at the redhead. Snuggling in closer to Sakura, she whispered in her ear. "Gonna take me for a ride?"

Sakura patted her on the thigh. "You bet!" She glanced at Dana and continued, "What do you think of the bike? Can you make any improvements?"

Dana's mind whirred as she stared intently at the highly-refined electric engine. The possibilities for improvement seemed endless and she started to catalogue them all. Rip out the old power core, add in a Progenitor variant, strip out the old anti-grav cyclics and upgrade to Maliri ones, the heat extractors could be replaced by a modification of the enhanced Kintark heatsinks... the list went on and on. She began drafting schematics in her mind for those incredibly advanced components, until finally the finishing touch... an inertia dampener built through the chassis to let the rider handle the incredible increase in power.

"Yeah, I should be able to improve it a little," she said with a nonchalant shrug. When Sakura's face dropped in disappointment at the redhead's low-key response, Dana broke into a grin. "By 'a little', I actually mean a metric fuckton! How about 1600% more power?"

Sakura cheered in delight. "I knew it! You're the best!" She glanced behind her at Rachel, then locked eyes with Dana. "Mind if I take your woman for a spin? She can ride with you next..."

"With me?" Dana asked with an eager smile, reaching out to brush her fingers over the bike's alluring contours.

The Asian girl playfully smacked her hand. "No, this is mine! Yours is still in the crate..."

Dana's eyes widened and her head whipped around to the cargo container. "Oh, fuck yeah!"

"Hold on a second!" Alyssa called out in a commanding voice, freezing Dana in her tracks before she could bolt off. "I've got something for you three."

With a flick of her fingers she levitated the garment bag then unsealed the magnetic clasp that held it closed. Reaching inside, she pulled out a white leather jacket and handed it over to Sakura. "This is for you..."

Sakura took it reverently, marvelling at the luxurious feel of the supple leather. Her eyes widened when she turned the jacket over and saw the stylised black lioness emblazoned on the back. "This is absolutely beautiful..." she murmured, tracing a finger over the roaring feline.

"Thank you. I'm glad you like it," Alyssa said with a modest smile, handing out a second jacket to Dana and the third to Rachel.

Dana immediately pulled her jacket on and posed for Rachel. "Am I getting you moist, babes?"

The brunette looked to be struggling to keep her composure and could only nod in reply.

"You made this yourself?" John asked Alyssa, running his hand over the scarlet lioness on Dana's back. "Sakura's right, it looks incredible."

"I'm planning to make one for everyone," the blonde said, delighted by their awed reaction. "I ran out of white leather, but I've got a delivery on the way that should arrive before we leave."

"That means I'll have to make more bikes as well then," Dana said, grinning at Rachel. "Just think, you can be a slut for a whole biker gang, babes. You're not going to be able to walk right for weeks!"

"Oh God..." Rachel moaned, eyelashes fluttering.

Sakura revved the engine and yelled, "Hold on tight!"

With a ferocious snarl the hoverbike rocketed out of the Cargo Bay, Rachel's ecstatic scream echoing in their wake. Dana rushed off to the shipping crate, while John and the rest of the girls walked over to the open doorway to watch the red bike soaring around the enormous docking bay. It was obvious that Sakura was an expert biker, as she handled the bright-red Matsubara with consummate skill, pulling it around in daring loops. She rocketed past the Invictus and waved at the spectators, the hoverbike making a thunderous roar as they raced away into the distance. John couldn't help smiling when he saw the gleeful grins on Sakura's and Rachel's faces.

"Thanks for the jackets, Alyssa. You did an amazing job on them," Dana said sincerely, idling up beside them on her own brilliant blue hoverbike. She leaned over to give her friend a kiss on the cheek. "Rachel's absolutely loving this and the Lioness biker gear was just the cherry on the cake."

"You're welcome, Sparks," the blonde replied with a fond smile, wrapping her up in a hug. "It's lovely to see you three having a great time."

John glanced at Dana's hoverbike in surprise, astounded to hear only a quiet hum. "Why is your bike so much quieter than Sakura's?" he asked in confusion, reaching out to touch the electric-blue faring. He could feel none of the tremors that had poured through the red bike. "And it's not shaking either!"

Dana laughed and pointed at the glinting chrome drive system between her thighs. "It's running on electric, not a combustion engine, so it barely makes any noise. Bikers are a macho bunch and the actual power plant sounds like a purring kitten." She pushed a button on the bike's dashboard and the engine seemed to come alive with a menacing rumble, the blue chassis quivering under John's fingertips. "So they added fake sound effects and the engine shakes to make it seem more badass." The redhead squirmed on the seat, a smirk on her face. "Now I see why bikes get Rachel so horny... it's like riding on a giant vibrator!"

John reached over to press the same button on the dash and the deep thrumming roars silenced to a quiet purr. He laughed and nodded as he said, "Yeah, I see what you mean. It does sound a bit feeble like that."

Dana pouted at him for turning it off. "Hey, I was enjoying that!"

Jehanna was looking a bit envious and she asked, "Are you really going to make hoverbikes for everyone?"

The redhead raised an eyebrow as she looked askance at the dusky girl. "Why? Were you planning on making Rachel your bitch as well?"

"No! I didn't mean it like that!" Jehanna hurriedly protested, shaking her head.

Alyssa nudged her with an elbow. "Relax, she's just messing around. Don't you remember? We can't get jealous anymore..."

Dana winked at her, her full lips lifting into a mischievous grin.

Looking relieved, Jehanna playfully pushed Dana's shoulder and returned her smile. "That wasn't nice, yanking my chain like that." She ran her fingers over the resplendent blue paintwork and continued wistfully, "It's a beautiful machine... I must admit, I've always been fascinated by hoverbikes, but never felt brave enough to ride one myself."

Dana nodded and patted the powerful vehicle. "Yeah, dangerous beasts these things. I'll add in lots of safety features so it'll be as safe as riding a kids' trike when I'm done. As for building you one..." She met Jehanna's curious gaze, then ruefully shook her head. "Afraid not... they're a perk for Lionesses who are retiring to Maliri Space with us."