Three Square Meals Ch. 052

Eventually John's four balls were done, their sweet load transferred into the Latina's belly. He eased back and then collapsed on the bed with a broad smile of satisfaction on his face. Alyssa helped Calara off Jade, and the Nymph grinned up at them both, her beautiful green face lighting up with a sparkling smile. Calara sat back down, and cradled her heavily rounded abdomen with both hands, still feeling that same sense of wonder.

Alyssa sat in front of her and joined her in caressing her sperm bloated belly. "Imagine when we're like this for months at a time," Calara said in awe, then looked into Alyssa's eyes and smiled at her lovingly. "Thank you for everything you said, you were wonderful."

Jade was sitting to their side, watching them both with an affectionate smile. Alyssa glanced at her, then said to Calara impishly, "I think our lovely green kitty-kat would like some cream. Do you want to enjoy feeling your womb being stretched, or shall we help our little Nymph grow big and strong?"

Calara smiled alluringly at Jade, then rolled smoothly onto her back to lie next to John, having become an expert at moving gracefully while carrying one of his heavy loads. Jade looked delighted, and she swiftly moved between the Latina's muscular thighs to begin her feast.

Alyssa smiled at them both, then snuggled up on John's other flank, so she could watch the Nymph eat out Calara. *How was that, handsome?* she asked John sending her thoughts to him, so they wouldn't distract the girls beside them.

John was a bit distracted, his mind turning towards thoughts of the upcoming meeting with the Trankaran Chancellor. He glanced down at Alyssa, and smiled at her as he replied, *Calara was magnificent. I don't know what you were saying to her, but she gripped me like a fist when she started cumming.*

Alyssa grinned at him and replied, *I know her so well, it's easy to get her hot and bothered for you.*

He grinned at her appreciatively, and they shared a passionate kiss. Afterwards, they both turned to watch the Latina, as she gasped and moaned on the end of Jade's seeking tongue. John's thoughts quickly began to drift back to the upcoming meeting with the Trankarans, and Alyssa frowned when she was abruptly blocked from his mind.

***

They stayed in bed together for a while, enjoying the Nymph's light show as curving ethereal viridian lines pulsed out from Jade's stomach. Alyssa moved to one side to let Jade curl up next to John, and the beautiful green-skinned girl purred with contentment, when the blonde girl started stroking her swollen belly with soothing motions of her hand.

They dozed for half an hour, then left Jade to sleep off her lunch, while they got up to make some for themselves. Alyssa called Rachel and Dana to join them, once they had prepared some sandwiches made from thick-cut bread, and the two girls strolled into the Officers' Lounge a few minutes later. They had both enjoyed chatting with Faye, and the purple digital sprite had been in a jubilant mood, delighted to have been given a name.

"It's been fascinating to see her personality develop," Rachel said enthusiastically.

Dana was about to take a big bite of her sandwich, but she paused to look at John and say, "Faye is only a couple of days old. Irillith created her just before you spanked her evil blue ass, but we confiscated her vambrace and that device it's hooked up to, before she was able to kill the AI off."

John nodded, but looked wary as he asked, "Any sign of it going homicidal?"

Rachel shook her head, and replied, "Faye's personality is a bit like that of a toddler. Full of wonder at the world, keen and enthusiastic about everything, but I imagine she's got a sharp temper too."

Alyssa nodded and said in agreement, "The one we saw Irillith kill in that fight against the mercs was like that too. It seemed friendly and helpful until Irillith snapped at it, and it turned nasty very quickly."

Dana swallowed the mouthful of sandwich, and said, "Yeah, we're treating her with kid gloves. Faye's kind of adorable though, and it's fun having her around."

Rachel laughed, and said, "You're just happy because she's helping you with your materials research."

Blushing slightly, Dana said defensively, "Hey! She did say she had nothing to do! Besides, Faye's been really helpful. She's been great at gathering lots of data, and has been helping me with my bonding experiments."

John smiled at her, and asked, "What happened to your latest toy down in the Hangar? Got bored of that already?"

The redhead grinned at him, and shook her head as she replied, "That's a long term project. I'll finish examining it, then you can dump it out into space. I'll make my own from the ground up, using all the tech we've acquired. It'll be tons better!"

He shrugged and nodded his agreement, then turned to look at Calara. She was taking small bites from her sandwich with a happy smile on her face, still revelling in the afterglow of their bedroom encounter. "Feel up for a sparring session after lunch?" he asked her with a challenging grin.

Calara's face lit up in delight, and she nodded with enthusiasm. "Definitely!" she agreed straight away. She smiled self-consciously a moment later and added, "Although I'm a bit distracted at the moment, I doubt I'll be much competition."

John nodded and said firmly, "That's why it's a perfect time to fight. Blocking out distractions and keeping focused will be good practice for you."

He turned to look at Alyssa, and asked, "What are your plans this afternoon?"

She read his thoughts, and nodded as she replied, "I was going to wake up Jade, then give her some Navigation training. We'll stay up on the Bridge in case there's any trouble."

They finished their lunch, and once the dining table was cleared, they headed off to keep themselves occupied for the rest of the day, agreeing to meet up again at six for dinner.

***

The brief journey through Trankaran Space to the meeting point was uneventful, and the Invictus dropped out of hyper-warp in the Beta Cephei system just after eight that evening. All the crew were up on the Bridge, eagerly awaiting their first look at the Trankaran's main fleet, and they stared up at the holographic map above them in anticipation. The passive sensors pulsed out, and an instant later, a riot of information was displayed across the Tactical map.

There was a collective gasp from the girls, and even John leaned in for a closer look, his eyes widening at the vast array of ships in this system. There were nine huge vessels here, each well over a kilometre long, but it wasn't just their length that made them so imposing. The Trankaran ships were broad and deep vessels, with oddly featureless hulls that were covered in smooth, rusty-red armour plating. There were dozens of smaller vessels here as well, ranging from corvette through to cruiser size, all designed in the same bulky, shapeless way.

Jade turned the Invictus towards the Trankaran Fleet, and moments later, a couple of the larger vessels peeled away from the Fleet on a course to intercept. These cruiser sized ships measured in at four-hundred-and-fifty metres, but they were at least twice as wide as the Invictus, with a significantly deeper hull. Despite the huge burgeoning bulk of these incoming ships, they turned with astonishing ease, and began to close at impressive speed.

Calara turned to look up at John and noted, "Trankaran engine tech in action."

He nodded, just as Dana chipped in, "Their retro-thrusters and main engines must hugely outclass ours! Those cruisers are probably twice our bulk, but they're still more manoeuvrable than we are!"

"We're being hailed," Rachel said calmly. "Putting them through."

John looked up at the viewscreen, and it crackled for a moment, before an armoured Trankaran appeared as a holographic image floating above them. "Unidentified vessel, please identify or be destroyed," the Trankaran commander rumbled, in a voice that sound like two boulders crashing together.

"Commodore John Blake on the Invictus. We're here by invitation from Ambassador Gamrik on Port Megara, and have an audience arranged with Chancellor Niskera," he replied politely.

The Trankaran cruiser commander looked startled, and surprise flashed across his broad slab-like features. "Please forgive my confrontational greeting! I was warned of your impending visit, but we hadn't anticipated your arrival for quite some time," he said in apology. "My name is Warden Dalomherlig. Welcome to Trankaran Space."

John smiled at him, and said, "That's quite alright, Warden. Can you tell us which ship we'll be docking with for our meeting?"

Warden Dalomherlig nodded, and glanced to his side at one of his crew and rumbled a brief order in his own language. A few moments later, Rachel received the targeting information, which she uploaded to the tactical map. Near the back of the huge fleet of ships was a massive battleship of some kind that while not any longer than the huge vessels that surrounded it, was at least twice as wide. The name tagged against it appeared in Trankaran, but it flickered and updated into Terran a second later, and read "Kerhom's Anvil."

Dalomherlig smiled at them in a friendly manner and said, "Please proceed to the Anvil, Commodore Blake."

"Thank you, Warden Dalomherlig," John replied, and a moment later the Warden closed the comm channel.

Alyssa nodded towards Jade, and the Nymph powered up their engines, bringing them in closer towards the Trankaran Fleet. They passed between the broad Trankaran cruisers that had moved to engage them, and the two ships turned then moved into formation to escort them in. At this close range, they could see that rather than completely featureless, there were actually dozens of indentations in their hulls.

Calara had been studying them intently, and she zoomed in the view of one of the cruisers and said, "They look like they might be gunports to me. What do you think, John?"

He'd been thinking the same thing, and he nodded in agreement. "Maybe their weapons are concealed beneath their armour like the Invictus?" he suggested.

Dana sighed and said, "I wish we could do an active scan. I'd love to see what's on the inside of that armour."

They drew closer to the vast bulk of Kerhom's Anvil, and as they approached, the side of the ship yawned open. Enormous doors drew up into the hull, revealing some kind of Hangar Bay. Now they knew what to look for, they could see dozens of similar portals cleverly concealed in the hull.

"That must be some kind of huge carrier," Calara suggested speculatively.

John stood as they drew alongside the colossal vessel, and said, "We'll have to take the Raptor. I want Calara to stay on the Invictus, the rest of you can come with me."

Alyssa glanced at him, and asked, "What about Irillith?"

His eyes narrowed and he replied, "I don't want her causing trouble, but we better bring her along. The Trankaran Ambassador who made the deal with the Maliri is dead, so we might need her to provide more details. We'll meet in the Hangar, I'll go and get her." With that, he walked down the steps to the grav-tube and disappeared out of sight.

Alyssa watched him stride away, his thoughts blocked from her once more. She was starting to be blocked from his mind more times than he let her in, and she yearned for the times only a few weeks ago, when she could spend the entire day listening to his inner voice uninterrupted. Letting out a sad sigh, she rose to her feet, and glided down the steps to join the others. Something was definitely up with John, but she didn't know how to broach it with him, and didn't want to unduly worry the girls about it. She resolved herself to discussing it with him once all this business with the Trankarans was finished.

***

Irillith was waiting in her quarters, when the door swished open. John didn't bother to knock, and after striding in, he said without preamble, "We're in Trankaran Space. I've set up a meeting with their government, to negotiate us assisting them with some kind of trouble they're having with a rebel faction. The Ambassador your mother dealt with is dead, so we might need you to provide more details on the deal, if we decide to just trade for the engine tech and leave."

She could feel her heart lifting to see him, and she started to angrily fight that feeling, before she suddenly remembered her plans. Rising gracefully to her feet, she strolled towards him with a warm smile on her face, and said, "I'd be delighted to assist you, John."

A smile flashed across his face too, but it was one of gloating satisfaction that had no warmth to it. Turning towards the door, he said over his shoulder, "Good. We'll be departing immediately."

Clearing her throat she reminded him in a quiet voice, "You'll need to remove the collar before I can leave this deck."

He faced her once again, then stepped closer. Irillith tilted her head back, exposing her neck to him trustingly, while staring into his eyes. She could feel her heart begin to beat faster when his strong hands reached towards her throat, and she drew in her breath when his fingertips brushed against her skin. He unclipped the collar with a soft metallic click, then paused, and brazenly brushed the back of his fingers against her throat. Her skin felt electrified at his gentle touch, and she had to fight hard to resist dropping to her knees.

"Soon," he promised her arrogantly, as he casually tossed the collar onto the bed, then turned and walked out of the room.

As soon as he had walked out, Irillith took a shuddering breath. Her hands were trembling, and she knew that it wouldn't be long before her obedient and friendly facade turned into her reality. She just hoped she could last long enough to seize an opportunity to save herself from this nightmare. Taking a deep breath, she steeled her nerves and reminded herself just how sharp and observant his women were. This would have to be the performance of a lifetime if she were going to convince them too.

She walked out of her quarters, and then over to the grav-tube, before stepping into the red glow. She sank down in the gravity field, dropping swiftly through the levels. The field slowed her descent when she reached Deck Nine, and she stepped out into the corridor on the lowest level. John was waiting for her by the double doors, and she could see the impatience on his face, so she hurried over to join him. He turned and strolled over to the glossy white gunship with long brisk strides, and she had to almost jog to keep up as she followed in his wake.

They walked up the loading ramp, which began to close with a quiet hum as soon as she stepped foot inside the Raptor. After taking the grav-tube up to the top deck, they walked into the cockpit, and Irillith saw Jade in the pilot's seat, with Alyssa, Dana, and Rachel sitting in the chairs at the back of the roomy cockpit.

"Good morning everyone," Irillith said with a pleasant smile.

She noted their shocked expressions, but kept her face carefully impassive. The girls returned her smile tentatively and wished her a good morning, and she took one of the free seats, sitting next to Rachel.

The Raptor lifted off the deck of the hangar, and once the huge hangar doors in the hull had opened fully, Jade used the retro-thrusters to clear the Invictus. She put the gunship into a gentle spin, and carefully arrested the rotation when they were facing the massive Trankaran carrier. Easing forward with the engines, she brought them through the open maw in the side of the huge vessel, and touched down in the centre of a large glowing orange circle that pulsed rhythmically.

Dana had stood up as they approached the Trankaran flagship, and as they coasted through the hangar bay doors, she gasped as she glimpsed the cross section of the carrier's hull. "Their armour plating is at least ten feet thick!" she blurted out in amazement, seeing layer after layer of sturdy ferrous armour.

She turned back to face them, and her eyes were sparkling with excitement as she said, "If these Trankaran ships are loaded with this much armour, their mass must be insane! But they're still able to move with the kind of agility we saw on those cruisers!" She looked wistful as she said, "Just imagine what the Invictus will handle like if I can get my hands on their tech..."

Rachel smiled at her, and asked, "It can't make that much difference can it? The Invictus is a pretty big ship."

Dana grinned at her, and said with enthusiasm, "We'll just have to see, won't we!"

Jade got up from her seat, and smiled at her passengers as she said, "We've landed, and it looks like there's a welcoming committee." She then glanced at John and asked, "Do you want me to stay with the Raptor?"

He nodded and said, "I doubt the Trankarans will try anything, but we better not tempt fate. Hopefully we shouldn't be long."

Getting up, he turned and walked out of the cockpit, and Jade watched him leave abruptly with surprise. She flashed a concerned look at Alyssa and thought to her, *Something's not right with him. He's been acting a little off for a while now. He normally tells me to be careful, or stay safe, and gives me a hug or kiss goodbye.*

Alyssa stood, and looked into Jade's cat-like emerald eyes, and nodded imperceptibly as she replied, *I'm so glad you noticed too. He keeps blocking me from his thoughts, and I'm starting to get worried.*

Jade pulled Alyssa in for a quick hug and whispered in her ear, "Don't worry, we'll find out what's happening and straighten everything out."

The blonde girl felt herself getting upset, and she carefully tamped down her emotions, so that she wouldn't upset the other girls. She gave Jade a quick kiss and thought to her, *Thank you. We'll talk later.*

Alyssa turned and left the cockpit, following after Dana, Rachel and Irillith who were already stepping into the grav-tube. Heaving a big sigh, she settled her nerves, then stepped into the tube after them and dropped down to the level below. She could hear the front loading ramp being lowered, and they caught up to John as he strolled down the metal slope to the deck of the Trankaran Hangar.

Trankaran ship interiors were significantly different to those Alyssa had grown used to on Terran ships. The floor was a light brown, with rippling patterns crossing the surface, which reminded her of sandstone. The walls and ceiling were made from a very dark grey material that was threaded with reddish-orange lines, and glowed with a warm radiance. This provided a bright illumination to their surroundings, which lit up the solid looking buttresses that supported the high vaulted ceilings above their heads.

"I feel like I'm inside a volcano," Rachel said in a hushed voice.

Dana shook her head slightly as she glanced at the floors and ceilings, and murmured, "This is some kind of metal, it's not rock."

Their attention was drawn to a hulking, eight-foot-tall robed figure, who walked towards them and then bowed. When he raised himself upright, he smiled at them in a friendly manner, and said in a gravelly voice, "Greetings honoured guests! My name is Associate Bhaken. If you would care to follow me, I will lead you to Chancellor Niskera and her senators. They are all anxious to meet you."

John nodded, and said, "Lead on then Associate Bhaken. I'm eager to meet with the Chancellor myself."

Associate Bhaken's smile grew wider encompassing his plain features. He said, "If you'd care to follow me, I'll take you to her immediately."

The Trankaran associate turned, and walked with long ponderous strides towards the doors that led out of the hangar. His footfalls rang with heavy thumps as his booted feet clomped across the deck, but he set a measured pace, so that his guests could keep up.