Three Square Meals Ch. 113

"All of us are here to support you, John," Alyssa said softly. "We're with you 100%"

There was a quiet chorus of agreement from the girls, all of them looking at him with sympathy.

He gave them a grateful smile. "Thanks, ladies, I really appreciate it. I'm confident that we can head deep into Kirrix territory without putting ourselves at too much risk. Hopefully, the non-aggression pact should let us avoid any combat on the trip to Arcadia, but even if the Kirrix do try to stop us, I'm not overly concerned. After the way we've been demolishing their fleets in the last few battles, I doubt they'll be a serious threat."

"They won't be a problem," Calara agreed, sounding totally self-assured. "We've got a massive advantage in firepower, speed, manoeuvrability, shielding, and armour. If we're trying to avoid a battle, there's very little the Kirrix could do to force an engagement."

"The Kirrix would be crazy to even think about fucking with us," Dana said with a grin. "We've ripped them a new one every time we've got in a fight! As soon as they see us, they'll start shitting themselves and run for cover!"

"We do need to avoid going anywhere near Kirr-Inax," Alyssa warned them. "If the Kirrix think we're going to take out their homeworld, they'll throw everything they've got at us, just to try and slow us down."

John nodded, mulling that over. "When we're finished rescuing colonists, can you plot a flight path to Arcadia? I'd like to know exactly how much time we'll need to spend in Kirrix Space and how close we are to their homeworld."

"I haven't memorised the star systems in Kirrix Space, otherwise I'd give you an estimate right now," she said, sounding thoughtful. "Going by the flight logs from your mother's ship, the Cora, it took them nearly six months to return to Olympus from Arcadia. Our Progenitor Tachyon Drive is vastly better than the FTL drives Terran survey craft had forty years ago, but we've still got a bit of a journey ahead."

"There's no rush, just let me know when you get a chance," he said, giving her shoulder a squeeze. Facing the girls, he continued, "That's it unless anyone has something else to discuss?"

They shook their heads, everyone in a quiet, reflective mood after John's announcement.

Tashana slid off the bed and offered a hand to her sister. "We'll start gathering ingredients; join us whenever you're ready."

"I'll just be a couple of minutes," John said, patting Calara's knee. He glanced at Sakura and added, "Would you like to help me make dinner tonight?"

"I'd love to," she replied, her face brightening at the offer.

"Fantastic, thanks," he said gratefully, before looking Dana in the eye. "Sparks, I know what you're like... I don't want you doing any more work today. Go have some fun with Rachel, you two don't get enough time together."

The redhead grinned at her lover. "Hear that, babes? I've got to fuck your brains out... Progenitor's orders!"

Rachel blew John a kiss. "Thank you!"

The girls laughed and joked as they left the bedroom together, with Jade waking the Nymphs and herding them out to her quarters. That left John, Calara, and Alyssa sitting on the bed, with the blonde glaring at each of them in turn. As soon as Faye had skipped out of the bedroom, Alyssa flicked her fingers at the door, making it slide shut behind the departing sprite.

The moment they were alone, Alyssa snapped at John, "I've told you before, it's far too dangerous!" Turning to scowl at Calara, she added, "And you're just encouraging him!"

"There's no harm in doing a bit of research," the Latina said defiantly, refusing to back down. She interlaced her fingers with John and continued, "We just want to be fully prepared before we reach Karron."

Alyssa fixed John with a steely cerulean-eyed stare and tapped her finger against her temple. "Don't try and fob me off! I know what you're planning..."

"Nothing's set in stone," he countered, his tone soothing. "As Calara said, we just want to make sure we're ready, in case we can figure out a way to do this safely."

She let out a frustrated sigh, then reached out to hold both of their hands. "Look, please don't think that I'm not grateful. I think it's lovely that you want to try and bring my parents back, I really do, but last time we tried this, you nearly got killed and Edraele ended up in a coma!"

John pulled Alyssa into a hug, with Calara joining him in wrapping her arms around the pensive teenager. "You know me," he said quietly, kissing her forehead. "I'm not going to risk putting any of you in unnecessary danger. There's no way I'd try doing the same thing as last time... I'm not going to let either you or Edraele come to harm."

The blonde nodded, but didn't seem convinced.

Calara gave her a tender kiss. "It's not like you to back down from a fight. What else is bothering you, my love?"

Alyssa was quiet for a long moment as she gazed into the distance, a haunted expression on her face. "I lost my dad when I was six and my mom died when I was born... What if they were watching over me all this time? They'd know what I did..."

John and Calara exchanged a shocked look, their hearts going out to the troubled young woman.

"No one would ever blame you for doing what you had to do to survive," John said gently, stroking her back.

"I-I don't know if I can face them..." Alyssa whispered, suddenly seeming small and scared as she trembled in his arms. "I wanted this so much, but now it might finally happen... God, I feel so ashamed..."

"But you're amazing!" Calara gushed, hugging her girlfriend tight. "You're so smart, and talented, and beautiful. You care about all of us so much... your heart is just full of love."

John nodded, holding the blonde close. "You have nothing to feel ashamed about, honey. If your parents have seen everything... they'll understand... and be in awe of the incredible woman you've become. You had a horrific childhood, but that was never your fault."

"I don't know what I'd do without you two," Alyssa whispered, clinging to them both. "I love you both so much."

"No doing without for you," Calara said, snuggling into her. "You're stuck with us, I'm afraid."

Alyssa managed a laugh as she brushed at her eyes, then sagged against John's chest. "Please don't try anything dangerous when we get to Karron. I know how much you want to do this... but it's not worth anyone getting hurt over."

John ran his fingers through her silky golden hair, gently massaging her head as she leaned into him for support. "I'm not going to promise I won't do it... not if I can find a way that's safe. I will promise you that I won't put you and Edraele in danger like that again."

"I guess that'll have to do," she said with a sigh of resignation.

"Do you want me to stay with you?" John asked, looking into her troubled blue eyes. "I can learn to make Maliri food another time."

She shook her head. "No, you go ahead, I know you want to speak to Sakura. I'll just stay here and have a cuddle with my Callie."

"That's the first time you've called me that," Calara said with a soft smile.

"Is that okay?" Alyssa asked, turning to look at her lover. "I always liked it when I heard your family call you that."

"Of course it is," the Latina said, giving her a loving kiss.

John hugged them a little bit tighter. "Both of you try and get some more rest before dinner. I know you're still tired after staying up all night looking after the colonists... I'm sorry I've been working you so hard."

"There's no need to apologise, it was rewarding helping them," Calara said, pulling back to look into his eyes. "I've orchestrated so much death and destruction over the last several months, it felt unbelievably good to simply help people for a change, even if it was just by saying a few kind words."

He frowned with regret. "I never meant to-"

She gave him a quick kiss to cut him off. "Don't feel bad, that's not why I mentioned the combat. I don't regret my part in any of the fighting we've been involved in, we've saved a lot of lives by intervening over and over again. I was just making the point that being up close with the people you're trying to help is very different to sitting at Tactical and aiming the Invictus' weapons batteries at bad guys. We saved billions of people taking out Nexus before he could destroy Terra, but helping the Brecken's World colonists felt more personal."

Alyssa caressed his jawline with her fingertips. "The girls all feel pretty much the same way. I know that's what you want to talk about in the XO meeting, but you don't have anything to worry about. It was awful to see people suffering like that, but at the same time, we all appreciated the chance to do something positive to help them."

"They're all okay?" he asked with concern.

She nodded, giving him a gentle kiss. "Perfectly happy."

John felt like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. "That's such a relief. I know everyone's feeling a bit fragile at the moment... I was dreading one of the girls cracking under the strain."

"There's no chance of that," Alyssa said firmly. "I'd never let things escalate to that state."

"We've had a few hiccups in the past," John reminded her. "I just didn't want to take any chances."

"Nothing serious though," she said, with a reassuring smile. "The worst was probably Rachel gunning down the pirates, but that was before I was bonded with her and couldn't hear her thoughts."

"And they were pirates, so they don't count," Calara said, her brown eyes hardening for a moment.

John patted her on the shoulder. "True enough." His pat turned into a caress to get the Latina's attention. "Can I leave my woman in your capable hands?"

"I'll make sure she's well taken care of, Admiral," Calara replied with a seductive smile.

"Mmm, I'm getting spoiled today," Alyssa purred. "Sultry Latina for a starter and a double-helping of debauched Maliri for my main course..."

"I think you'll find I'm the main course," Calara murmured breathily, her lips brushing along Alyssa's pointed ears.

Alyssa let out a quiet moan, her eyelashes fluttering at the touch.

"Are you sure you'll still be up for dessert?" John asked with a smile.

She looked up at him, bright blue eyes hooded with lust. "If Callie leaves me fully-satiated, I can always watch you savouring some mouth-watering delicacies... I never get enough of that."

"Am I a delicacy too?" Calara asked with a smouldering gleam in her eyes.

"An absolutely delicious one," Alyssa crooned, pulling the Latina in for a kiss.

John guided the girls down to the bed, then moved out the way to give them more room. He paused to watch for a moment, admiring just how beautiful they looked intertwined like that, their kisses and caresses almost a sensual artform. He was struck by the fact that he could have one or both of them right there and then, and not only wouldn't they mind, they'd be overjoyed to have him join them. As if to emphasise the point, they both turned to glance his way and blew him a languid kiss that was heavy with promise.

He groaned and reached over to give them each a playful swat on the rump. "You two could make a eunuch hard as steel. I better go before I'm tempted to linger... if I stay we won't leave the bed for hours."

They moaned provocatively, the passion of their kisses intensifying. John reluctantly backed away, leaving them together on the bed, then laughed as he saw Alyssa give him a fingertip wave without breaking her lip-lock with the Latina.

*Thanks for the talk,* his blonde matriarch said as he left the room, her telepathic voice filled with warmth as it swirled through his thoughts. *And I'm sorry I was sharp with you earlier... I'm just a little on edge about returning to Karron.*

*It's quite alright, I understand,* he replied, as he walked along the corridor to the Officers' Lounge. *I'm glad we chatted too. Everything's going to be okay, beautiful, don't worry.*

He felt Alyssa relax, then throw her full attention into escalating the passionate coupling in the bedroom. If that wasn't enough for his libido to deal with, he heard soft cries of passion coming from Rachel's room as he strolled down the corridor. By the time John reached the kitchen, he was half-tempted to turn back and either join in or take a cold shower.

When he pushed the door open and walked inside, he saw the twins placing armloads full of exotic-looking ingredients on the worktops, with Sakura watching in fascination. All three turned to greet him when they heard him enter and Sakura glided over to give him a kiss.

"Are you okay?" she asked, pulling back to study his flustered expression.

"You know what Alyssa and Calara are like when they get frisky," he explained, still feeling hot under the collar. "Rachel and Dana were getting particularly vocal too..."

Sakura's rich brown eyes twinkled as she said suggestively, "You do look... uncomfortable. Would you like me to take care of that for you?"

"Don't you start," he replied with a grin, pulling her into a hug.

Once the twins had deposited all the ingredients, they walked over to give him a chaste kiss on the cheek. Although the gesture was demure, the gleam in those angular violet eyes belied their real intentions... making the innocent display of affection seem wildly erotic.

He rolled his eyes and gave them a hug too, then faced the flirtatious trio when they separated. "You know I find the three of you incredibly sexy and I fully intend to bed you all tonight, so you don't need to prove anything by tormenting me to distraction for the next couple of hours. I really do want to learn how to prepare Maliri cuisine... so can we just dial down the flirting for a while and concentrate on cooking?"

Startled by his candour, the three girls looked at him in surprise, then smiled as they nodded their agreement.

"Great! So... what's on the menu tonight, chefs?" he asked, peeking over a pair of blue shoulders at the counter piled high with ingredients.

The twins glanced at each other, then Tashana replied, "Well, we're catering for fourteen, fifteen if Faye wants to join us..."

The purple sprite appeared a moment later and shook her head. "I really appreciate the offer, but you're cooking for loads of people already. I wouldn't miss this for the world, but I'll just be there to enjoy the company!"

"Fair enough, fourteen it is," the Maliri girl said with a grateful smile. "So, we thought we'd make fourteen different dishes, with enough so that everyone can sample a little of each. Does that sound reasonable?"

"It sounds ambitious, but I appreciate a challenge," John replied, rolling up his sleeves and washing his hands. "Where do we start?"

Irillith continued his instruction in Maliri culinary skills. "Most of these dishes require a lot of initial preparation, then the cooking itself is fairly straightforward. We'll show you how to make each dish, then work together to make enough for everyone, before moving on to the next."

"We'll begin with Kaenelis escalopes with a Hemenor sauce," Tashana said, collecting the fine cuts of lean meat and laying them out on a cutting board. Her nimble blue fingers worked her knife with practiced ease, deftly slicing the meat into strips. "We need to cut the Kaenelis into thin pieces, then we'll interweave them into a lattice. It looks pleasing to the eye and also reduces the cooking time required to evenly sear the meat."

John began to copy her, matching the neat cuts of her blade, moving almost in synchronisation with Sakura's knife that mimicked Tashana's expert technique. Irillith watched her students, pointing out mistakes or nodding her approval, until they'd successfully completed the first serving. The Asian girl closed her eyes for a second as she focused her will, then burst into a flurry of psychically speeded activity, her hands a blur as she prepared a second at a lightning-fast pace. John chuckled and copied her, the sound of their knives on the cutting board like a demented woodpecker as they blitzed their way through the rest of the escalopes.

The twins watched them both in open-mouthed astonishment, their expressions an odd mixture of amusement and indignation.

"That felt fundamentally wrong," Irillith said with a disapproving frown. "You're supposed to spend hours working on the preparation..."

"I wasn't trying to rush through just to get it done," Sakura carefully explained. "We'll learn each dish better with lots of practice."

Tashana looked over their work with a critical eye, then couldn't help cracking a grin. "Oh, don't be an old stick-in-the-mud, Rill. Each one was perfect!"

"It's not meant to be fast food," Irillith grumbled. Her voice softened as she added, "Preparing these dishes is supposed to be a labour of love..."

John paused and looked at her in surprise. "It feels like I'm missing something. Is there some special significance to this dinner I'm not aware of?"

"The menu was actually Rill's suggestion," Tashana explained, nudging her sister affectionately. "When we were little, we heard about Terran weddings and decided to design a Maliri wedding banquet ourselves. She reminded me about it and I thought it was a lovely idea."

"I'm sorry, honey," John said, stroking Irillith's arm, his fingers brushing over her soft blue skin. "Neither of us meant to be disrespectful."

She blushed, her cheeks turning a dark indigo. "It doesn't matter, I was just being over-sensitive."

"No, we'll take our time," John insisted, leaning over to give her a kiss. "I'd love to hear about the history of these dishes and why you chose them."

They continued to work through the dishes that the twins had selected, taking their time to perfect the intricate steps needed for each elaborate course. The Maliri girls were delighted with their students' attention to detail and the four of them made rapid progress through the preparation, even without psychic assistance.

At one point, John paused when he heard one of the girls singing softly to herself, the melodic verses in ancient Maliri. He glanced to his side and tried not to gape at Irillith when he realised she was the owner of that lovely voice. The Maliri girl was lost in her own little world as she concentrated on her work, a faraway look in her eyes.

"I think I'll pick out the wine to go with the meal... Tashana, could you come and give me some advice please?" he asked, turning to the twin.

"Of course," she readily agreed, putting down her knife and washing her hands.

He waited until he had her attention, then looked pointedly at her sister. Tashana followed his gaze, then she smiled fondly and followed him out of the kitchen.

As soon as the door closed behind them, he gave Tashana an inquisitive look as he gathered her in his arms. "Alright, what's going on? I could've sworn that was your sister choosing to make a romantic wedding banquet and singing Maliri love songs to herself. Where's Irillith gone and who is this charming new girl who looks just like her? Are you actually triplets?"

Tashana laughed and shook her head. "I hold you entirely responsible for the changes in my sister. This is how Irillith used to be when we were a lot younger; she had a gentle romantic soul back then... until it was slowly crushed out of her. I thought that girl was lost forever... but you've managed to nurture her to life again."

"Was this triggered by your recent... epiphany?" John asked, tracing a finger around her slender neck where her collar would fit.

Her eyelashes fluttered at the intimate contact. "I think so... she's much less guarded now."

"There's so many hidden layers to the two of you," John mused, continuing to caress Tashana's throat when he saw how much she was enjoying his touch.

Tashana stepped closer, looking up at him with her beguiling violet eyes. "Thank you for bringing Irillith back to me."