Three Square Meals Ch. 112

"What about outside the village?" John asked, noting she'd made the distinction.

Her voice turned sombre as she replied, "Out in the kelp beds you had to be careful. Sometimes groups of Brimorians would pass by and they were usually looking for trouble. The women would flee to the village and the men would continue to work the kelp beds... and sometimes, not all of them would return home."

"It must have been awful having that threat hanging over you." He glanced at her as he began to beat the eggs. "What about the history of your people? Do you know much about the Abandoned's distant past?"

She fidgeted and he could feel her anxiety over the connection. "The Elders told us to never talk about that inside the village... but they would come out to visit us in the kelp beds. There they would teach us the old tongue and tell us their stories."

"What did you learn?" he asked quietly.

Helene hesitated for a long moment, obviously torn about how to answer. Finally, she replied, "Long ago, the Brimorians used to often come to the villages, to take away unmated women... who would never return. We were warned that the Brimorians would know if we spoke in the village about forbidden things, that they would make an example of those who broke their laws."

"The Brimorians probably have surveillance equipment monitoring your village, so they can see and hear what's happening," John said, his eyes narrowing. He put down the mixing bowl and glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "It felt like you were going to say something else. Why did you hesitate?"

Helene looked at him with a conflicted expression on her face. "I was going to tell you some of the old stories, about the ancient heroes in their sky-chariots. I used to think those stories were make-believe, but I see them very differently now. They're based in reality, aren't they?"

John nodded, adding the pancetta and the garlic to a pan. "That's right."

"And that first day on the Invictus, when I met the girls for dinner... all of you got upset when you were talking about the Abandoned, but you weren't angry at me. Then you told me that the Brimorians did something very bad to my ancestors..." She placed her hand on his arm. "What happened to them, John?"

He turned to her and clasped her hands. "This might be difficult for you to hear. Are you sure you want to know?"

Helene bit her bottom lip and looked worried. "I'll be brave... I promise."

After turning down the heat on the pans, he picked Helene up and sat her on one of the worktops. Stepping closer, he wrapped his arms around her, feeling the curve of her tummy nestled against him.

"In the Brimorian Enclave, near the border with the Terran Federation, are dozens of star systems known as the Callopean Shoals. Have you ever heard of it?" he asked, curious how much she might already know.

"The old legends talk of Calypsha, the fabled promised land..." she replied in a hushed voice. "That must be the same place!"

He nodded, recognising the phonetic similarities. "Roughly a hundred years ago, before first contact was made with the Brimorians, Terran explorers stumbled across the Callopean Shoals and discovered many beautiful atoll planets. That triggered a huge rush of Terran colonists, with hundreds-of-thousands of people eager to make planetfall and settle on those unclaimed worlds."

Helene was spellbound, hanging on his every word. "But the Brimorians had already claimed them!"

"That's right. Their cities were deep underwater and weren't detected by the planetary surveys. When the colonists landed, the Brimorians attacked, capturing all the Terran civilians," John confirmed, his voice turning sombre. "The Terran Federation declared war in retaliation, but their fleets were too evenly matched with the Brimorians and the war ended in a stalemate."

"What happened to the colonists?" she asked, her eyes going wide.

He gave her a look filled with sympathy. "The Terran Federation abandoned them..."

Helene froze and he could feel the shock radiating off her. "My ancestors..."

"Were those Terran colonists," he confirmed, watching her intently.

She shook her head in denial, lifting a teal-skinned forearm to show her delicate fins. "That's not possible! I'm not a Terran!"

His expression became very bleak. "This is where your peoples' past takes a very dark turn. The Brimorians traded the male colonists as slaves to the Kintark, in exchange for genetic modification technology which they then used on the female colonists. I don't know how many of those women died in the experiments, but the survivors were changed... so that they could breed with the Brimorians. They were then raped repeatedly for years, forced to give birth to thousands and thousands of hybrids... which became the first generation of the Abandoned."

Helene looked at him in horror. "No! That can't be true!"

"I'm afraid there's no doubt. Rachel looked at your DNA and found a mix of Terran and Brimorian genes; she's quite certain what I told you is the truth," he replied grimly. "The Brimorians wanted to create a slave race and that's exactly what they've been doing for the last century. They encouraged the Abandoned to have as many children as possible to breed a vast workforce; we believe there might be billions of your people enslaved throughout the Enclave."

Tears rolled down her cheeks as she sagged against him. "How could they do that to those poor people?!"

"I don't know, honey," John said, slowly rubbing her back. "But I believe you were right about the Brimorians. They must be very cruel to do something so horrible."

She sobbed quietly for a few minutes, overwhelmed by the enormity of everything he'd revealed. John just held Helene as she wept, whispering loving words in her ear to comfort her.

With a final shuddering sigh, Helene pulled back and stared at him with a troubled look in her eyes. "You said the Brimorians had been bad and you were going to punish them... What are you going to do?"

He brushed the tears from her cheek, caressing her flawless teal skin with his thumb. "I haven't decided yet. What I do know is that I'm going to liberate the Abandoned... I won't leave them as slaves to the Brimorians, they've suffered for far too long already."

Her intense gaze softened and she leaned in to give him a tender kiss. "Thank you for caring about my people."

"When we return to Maliri Space to refit the Invictus, we'll decide exactly how we're going to handle this situation," John said, giving her a supportive smile. His expression darkened as he added, "I've got a score to settle with the Brimorians too... they betrayed us to the Kintark in the Battle of Terra. If it wasn't for Dana finding the hidden cut-off in the shield generators, you could have been killed, along with Calara, Irillith, and Faye."

"I slept through the whole thing... I had no idea," she said with a shiver.

"It was a vicious fight, probably one of the closest we've fought so far. If the Kintark had been able to deactivate the Invictus' shields at the start of the battle, we would have had to withdraw far sooner and Terra would have certainly been lost." He encircled her in his arms, so that she would feel safe in his protective embrace. "I'm actually glad you were asleep though. All the girls were heavily involved in the fighting, so you would've been left worrying on your own. As it turned out, you were busy doing something far more important."

Helene snuggled into him. "Connecting myself to you for eternity..."

"Exactly," he agreed, enjoying holding the contented young woman in his arms. They hugged for a couple of minutes, with John experiencing waves of tender emotions pouring off Helene until he reluctantly pulled back. "This feels lovely, but I need to finish making dinner. Are you feeling alright now?"

She gave him a reassuring smile. "I'll be fine, go ahead. It was upsetting to find out what really happened to my people... but I'm very glad you told me."

John scooped out the pasta into a huge serving tray, then added most of the cheese and the eggs to the water left behind. He began mixing it in, then glanced at Helene out of the corner of his eye. "I'm amazed how well you're coping with knowing the truth; most people would have fallen apart after a shock like that." His glance turned into a look of admiration. "You're even stronger than I expected... Edraele and Alyssa were right."

*We usually are,* Alyssa said with a teasing lilt to her voice.

*Dinner's nearly ready, can you gather the girls please,* he requested, finding no reason to disagree with her.

She blew him a telepathic kiss. *We're on our way!*

Helene blushed at his praise. "I can't wait to meet Edraele. From everything I've heard about her, she sounds like an incredible woman."

"She really is," he said, adding the final touches to the meal. "And I know she's looking forward to meeting you too."

*We all are,* Edraele said with amusement. *The Young Matriarchs are just as eager as I am to get acquainted with the latest girl who's caught your fancy.*

When John told Helene that, she gave him a playful grin. "I plan to have a long chat with the Maliri. I need to find out how they persuaded you to get them pregnant!"

John was busy serving up, but he stopped to look her in the eye. "I know how much you want a baby, Helene. If you're willing to stay on Genthalas with Edraele and her girls, you won't have to wait until we've finished the fight with the Progenitor. I just don't want to put you and our future child at risk by bringing you into battles with me."

Her expression mirrored the conflicted thoughts racing through her mind. "I want that so much... but to be apart from you for months... I don't know if I could stand it."

"Have a think about it but there's no rush. You won't need to make any decisions until we're about to leave Maliri Space." John smiled indulgently as he continued, "At the very least, you should wait to meet Edraele and her entourage first. You might decide you can't stand them and that living on Valaden for months would drive you crazy."

She laughed and shook her head. "If those Maliri are anything like the girls on the Invictus, they'll all be wonderfully kind and I'll end up loving them like sisters."

He looked wistful as he nodded. "They're all really lovely young women. I miss them a lot."

Helene gave John a sympathetic hug, then helped him to carry the plates and cutlery into the dining room. By the time they'd finished setting the table and brought out the steaming bowls of pasta, the girls had started to arrive. Despite greeting him with warm smiles, it was obvious how weary they all were, having fought two intense battles in one day, then spent several harrowing hours taking care of distraught colonists. Even the four Nymphs seemed a little more subdued than normal, but whether that was due to them sensing the quieter mood, or because they were reflecting on the plight of the people in the hangar, he wasn't completely sure.

John felt Helene slip her hand into his and squeeze it to get his attention. When he turned to look at her, he saw the concern on her face... and a question in those soft blue eyes. It only took him a moment to realise that she was asking for permission. He gave her a subtle nod as the exhausted women approached the dining table.

Taking a deep breath, Helene closed her eyes and imagined a chain of beautiful tropical islands surrounded by a tranquil aquamarine sea. She pushed gentle waves towards those pristine beaches, the water lapping over golden sands. Jade and Alyssa were the first to react, looking at Helene in fascination as they felt the fluttering contact against their minds. Knowing what John had been planning, they let her into their subconscious, feeling a lovely welcoming sensation envelop them. The rest of the girls were oblivious, but the effect on them was immediate and dramatic. As they took their places around the table, they began to relax, with smiles appearing on their faces.

"Oh, this is just what I needed!" Calara exclaimed, her brown eyes lighting up when she saw what they were having for dinner. "I love your carbonara, it's the best I've ever tasted!"

"All his cooking is awesome," Dana agreed between mouthfuls, having wasted no time tucking in. "I prefer getting a big load, but this is a close second!"

The girls laughed as they started eating, with John circling the table to pour glasses of red wine. "Helene chose what we're having for the next couple of days. We wanted to spoil all of you after the amazing job you've been doing."

Calara blew a kiss to the aquatic girl. "This was a wonderful choice, thank you!"

"I'd like to try preparing a Maliri meal tomorrow evening," John said, looking at the twins. "Would either of you be willing to share your secrets?"

"I think we can be persuaded," Tashana readily agreed.

Irillith nodded, giving him a coy look under her long lashes. "I'm sure you know what our fee will be."

"The sacrifices I make to expand my culinary repertoire," he replied with a broad smile, letting Helene's congenial ambience affect him too.

Soon the dining room was filled with light-hearted chatter, the girls savouring their dinner, the wine, and the exceedingly pleasant company.

Alyssa caught Helene's eye and gave her a look of gratitude. "This is just what we all needed. Thank you for looking after everyone."

Helene face lit up with a bright smile. "It was the least I could do."

Darting a glance at John, the blonde continued, *How long will this last for?*

*Only temporary, I'm afraid,* he replied. *Do you remember how eerie and unsettling it was being on the Vulkat ship? As soon as you spoke to Nkkrrit and she stopped channelling her abilities, it wore off immediately.*

Alyssa nodded, looking thoughtful. *Either way, a brief break like this was perfect.*

They finished dinner, with plenty of compliments given to the chef for the excellent meal. After clearing the table, they retired to the sofas with drinks in hand, pairing off and chatting together.

John had Helene sit sideways across his lap, with one hand around her shoulders, the other resting on the slowly diminishing curve of her stomach. He stroked her soothingly as she snuggled into him, savouring the feeling of intimacy with the lovely girl. "You did brilliantly," he said, giving her an encouraging smile. "Was it difficult reaching out to touch that many minds at once?"

She shook her head. "I just imagined everyone as islands, with me as the sea. I was worried about accidentally hurting anyone, so I tried to make the waves as gentle as possible."

"The effect was nice and subtle," Alyssa said, leaning against John and resting her cheek on his shoulder. "I feel all happy and contented now. I needed that after all the shit we've been through today."

"Me too, but I think it's time to let the girls in on the experiment." John looked around at his companions and realised that they'd stopped talking to focus on him, Alyssa alerting them telepathically that he wanted to speak with them. "Ladies, I'm really glad you enjoyed the meal, but I'd like to make a confession. The good mood you're experiencing right now isn't because of my cooking... we've been testing Helene's new psychic powers."

Rachel's grey eyes widened as they darted to Helene, her suspicions confirmed. "I thought something felt a little off! I went from feeling drained after healing wounded colonists for hours, to happy and contented in just a few seconds!"

"It was awful seeing all of you upset," Helene blurted out, looking anxious. "I just wanted to try to help you feel a bit better. Please forgive me for not asking you first."

"You sneaky little minx," Dana said with a grin. "I never felt a thing!"

Calara laughed and nodded. "I normally feel this way when we get together; I never noticed you influencing me either."

"Helene spent an hour practicing on me, but I wanted to see how she'd cope with a group of people who were unaware," John explained, looking around at the girls. "It really should be me apologising for not asking your permission first."

Tashana waved away his apology. "You know we all want to help each other get stronger. Practicing our abilities is the only real way to do that." She smiled at Helene. "So you're an empath now... that should open up some interesting possibilities."

"I asked John for a way to help the colonists," the aquatic girl explained, giving him a look of gratitude. "Now perhaps I can take away some of their pain, even if it's just for a little while."

Sakura's eyes darted towards John, an unreadable expression on her face. "Have you thought about the kind of combat applications Helene's new abilities might have?"

He met her gaze and nodded. "I'd still like to keep Helene out of the fighting where possible."

"I wasn't even aware she was doing anything," the Asian girl said quietly, sounding perturbed. She looked around the group. "Did anyone other than Rachel notice?"

The rest of the girls shook their heads, with two exceptions.

"I could feel her caressing my mind," Jade replied, with an affectionate smile for Helene. "You have a lovely gentle touch."

"I felt her reaching out too," Alyssa replied, brushing her fingers through the aquatic girl's light-green hair. "But we both heard John's thoughts beforehand, so we knew what to expect."

"You're both strong telepaths," Tashana said thoughtfully. "Maybe that gave you some form of innate resistance to mental manipulation?"

"We had no way of resisting the crippling fear we experienced in the Astral nightmares either," Irillith said with a shudder. "Being dragged in there was absolutely terrifying."

John shared a glance with Alyssa. "That feeling of terror was overpowering, but we both managed to shake it off..."

Tashana studied the newest member of the psychic club with a speculative gleam in her eyes. "Maybe Helene can help the rest of us train to build up our resistance?"

Helene looked thrilled. "If there's any way I can help all of you, I'll gladly do it!"

"Easy there, Mistress Wizard," John said, smiling at her affectionately. "Just focus on helping the colonists for now, we can get into training with the girls later."

She swooned in his arms, a look of disbelief on her face. "Y-you're right! I can do magic now!"

He nodded, fascinated by the change in her expression at that realisation. For a girl who had been so lacking in self-esteem, it was wonderful to see a new sparkle of confidence in her beguiling eyes. John held Helene close while she mentally readjusted to her new talents, then turned to look at the girls who were all watching her with indulgent smiles on their faces.

"We better head back down to the hangar again in a few minutes. While you're interacting with the colonists, I'd like you all to keep wearing Paragon suits, just in case. I know some of those people have been getting agitated and it's easier for me to spot you in the crowds when you're wearing armour." He glanced down at Helene and added, "That goes for you too, honey. I'll stay with you, but if there's any trouble I want you to be protected."

"Okay," she murmured, still shocked at the thought of having magic of her own.

He glanced at the ship's chronometer, noting that it was eight in the evening. "I think we should work shifts, with half of us getting some rest, while the others keep an eye on the colonists overnight."

"My sisters and I don't need as much sleep," Jade said, putting her arms around the Nymphs snuggled up with her. "We'll be happy to keep the colonists company until they leave."

"Is that okay with you four?" John asked the luscious green-skinned nurses.

Leylira gave John a smouldering look. "I could feel all those men staring lustfully at me, Master. It made this one want you so much..."