Three Square Meals Ch. 055

"What is it, Mother?" She asked respectfully, unable to make eye contact, and thoroughly cowed.

Edraele glided over to her, approaching closer until she was only a pace away. She stopped, and there was a deathly quiet in the air for a long moment, with John and Alyssa watching the encounter with wide eyes.

"I've treated you so badly," Edraele said softly, her voice throbbing with sincerity.

Irillith's head shot up, and she looked stunned as she stared at her mother in open-mouthed amazement.

Edraele let out a remorseful sigh, and she said regretfully, "I'll never be able to make it up to you for all the terrible things I've said and done to you in the past, but I hope you'll let me try. I'm sorry I've failed you so badly as a mother, you deserved so much more."

Irillith looked like she couldn't believe her ears, and when Edraele opened her arms to her daughter, she moved into them instinctively. Edraele hugged her tightly, and said, "I love you Irillith, my wonderful little girl."

With her eyes filling with tears, Irillith clung to her mother fiercely, and her shoulders started to shake as she began to sob into her arms. Edraele embraced and comforted her, stroking Irillith's back while murmuring loving words in her ear.

Alyssa was wide-eyed with astonishment as she glanced up at John, and said to him via telepathy, *Wow! I didn't see that coming.* She narrowed her eyes when she saw the satisfied look on his face, and said, *Hey, wait a minute! Is this more of your handiwork?*

He looked down at her and gave her a surreptitious wink, while continuing to watch the touching scene between mother and daughter. *The way Edraele treated Irillith wasn't the new personality's fault, but she still felt guilty about it. She was in a perfect position to do something to make amends, so I nudged her in the right direction. After this reconciliation, hopefully they'll both feel better, and maybe they can start building a new, positive relationship.*

Alyssa nodded, looking impressed, then replied, *That was a lovely thing to do. Really kind and thoughtful.*

John smiled at her, then said with some trepidation, *I just hope Irillith feels the same way. It felt like my teeth rattled the last time she slapped me!*

The blonde girl at his side gave him an affectionate smile, and they watched silently as Edraele comforted Irillith, who was quite overcome with raw emotions. Realising that the two Maliri women needed some privacy, they left through the door at the back of the lounge, departing quietly so as not to disturb them, and retiring to the bedroom to get some rest.

***

John settled down with Alyssa, and she cuddled up beside him, relaxing together in the Maliri Matriarch's comfortable bed. Although they'd had a hectic day, the evening's activities had refreshed them both, so neither was feeling as desperately tired as they had been. They were happy to just rest together, enjoying being in each other's arms, and savouring the peaceful moment.

Edraele eventually joined them half an hour later, quickly disrobing, then climbing into bed on John's other side. She knelt beside him, then leaned down to give him a loving kiss, her tearful eyes filled with gratitude.

"That was wonderful, thank you so much," she told him, her voice thick with emotion. "I might not be the original Edraele, but I promise you, the overwhelming feelings of relief and happiness when Irillith forgave me were very real."

John reached up, and gently traced his thumb over her sky blue cheek, catching one of her tears, and brushing it away. "I'm very proud of you for the way you handled it," he told her quietly. "Irillith's developing into a lovely girl, but I think she needed to hear that from you more than she'd ever care to admit."

Edraele nodded, and said with conviction, "I can't undo the past, but I want to be there for her in the future."

Alyssa gave her a tender smile, and said earnestly, "It's obvious you care about her a great deal. I think she'll be very lucky to have you in her life."

The Maliri woman looked touched by Alyssa's words, and she reached out to gently stroke the Terran girl's arm by way of thanks.

"Come and join us," John said to Edraele with a warm smile, moving his left arm off his chest in a clear invitation.

She lay down beside him, and let out a happy sigh of contentment as she rested her head on his shoulder. John stroked her back soothingly, and soon Edraele's eyelids grew heavy as she drifted off to sleep.

*We better get to sleep too,* John thought to Alyssa as he glanced in her direction.

Alyssa gazed into his eyes, and said, *I know I've teased you about it before, but those two were very wounded little birds, and you did a good thing helping them. I'm very proud of you.*

He smiled at her, hugged her tightly to him, and gave her a loving kiss as he stared into her cerulean eyes. They lay like that for a while before he dropped off to sleep, and Alyssa soon followed.

***

John felt the welcome oblivion of sleep suddenly begin to fade away, and with a feeling of foreboding in his chest, he realised he was being pulled into the cloying world of nightmares. Sure enough, the featureless darkness that swathed him began to lighten, and he could make out ethereal mists before his panicked eyes. The sinister fog began to glow, feeling too close and oppressive, whilst simultaneously stretching away endlessly. His mind felt it would break in two as he experienced claustrophobia and agoraphobia at the same time, before the nebulous swirls vanished in an instant, unceremoniously dumping him onto an unending plain.

The plain was stark and empty, and he felt like he'd been abandoned in the centre of some huge bleak desert. Thick mist began to seep up out of the ground, swirling in viscous eddies around his calves, and insubstantial shapes began to rise menacingly under cover of the obscuring mists. He suddenly felt another presence above the unsettling vista before him, and he whirled this way and that, as he tried to make it out. He felt himself being inspected by a vast and alien intellect, which was too colossal and otherworldly for his mind to comprehend. As he spun about trying to find the source of this relentless scrutiny, he spotted the stars in the sky that he'd seen before slowly coalesce into dozens of disconcerting, baleful eyes, all transfixed on his every move.

There was a sense of gloating satisfaction from that Eldritch presence at his arrival, and an almost discernible feeling of being greeted, inasmuch as one might appreciate the unexpected appearance of an amusing pet.

"Who are you?" he yelled at the night's sky. "What do you want?!"

The demeanour of that shuddering immensity changed abruptly, transforming from indulgent curiosity, to suspicion and anger. A feeling of dread surged in his chest, and palpable waves of fear threatened to drown him, crashing down upon his consciousness like a malevolent and terrifying tsunami. As his mind froze with shock at the horrifying displeasure of the Stygian monstrosity, there was a bright flash of light beside him.

He instantly recognised the radiant figure who had saved him so many times before. Unmistakably feminine, and shrouded in a brilliant white radiance that instantly fortified his courage, it warded him from the mind-numbing terror. The Eldritch behemoth lurking in that endless darkness convulsed violently, sending sickening ripples of powerful anger around the pitch-black abyssal void above them. He could feel its utter revulsion at Alyssa's sudden appearance, and it shrank away in disgust, whilst gathering its will for a dreadful retributive strike of titanic proportions.

John suddenly knew deep in his heart that this was something different entirely. The wickedly barbed tentacles that had surged for him in his previous nightmares were merely to punish and chastise, but things had changed, and the terrifying abomination had seen enough. He reached for the radiant figure, knowing he had but the blink of an eye to save them both, and the instant his fingers touched her glowing radiance, he was ripped out of the dreamworld.

John's eyes snapped open and he found Alyssa in his arms, clinging to him fiercely in desperation. Her eyes were wide with fright, but she was too terrified to scream, and could only whimper with fear. His own heart was hammering away in his chest, while his throat was dry and tight, constricting his voice, and preventing him from crying out in terror. They trembled together like that for what seemed like an eternity before his heartbeat began to return to normal, and he felt like he could dare to take a breath once more.

"Are you okay?" he gasped to Alyssa, hugging her tightly as she trembled against him.

She shook her head, as she moaned, "We were going to die! I could feel it with every fibre of my being, but I couldn't do anything to stop it!"

John took a shuddering breath, and said, "You're safe now, I've got you."

Alyssa lurched upright, tearing herself out of his arms, and her eyes were wild as she exclaimed, "We aren't safe! Whatever that thing was, it was going to fucking annihilate us!" She stared at him, and her voice dropped an octave as she asked in a tremulous voice, "What the hell was it?!"

Edraele had been roused from her sleep by Alyssa's raised voice, and she rolled over to look at them, rubbing her eyes sleepily. One look at the blonde girl's frightened face had her quickly moving over the bed to hold her, as she gasped, "Alyssa, you look terrified! What's wrong?"

John sat up as well, and they both embraced the scared young woman, while Edraele's violet eyes locked onto his. As she stroked Alyssa's hair, trying to calm her down, she asked, "What just happened?"

He felt braver, now he was back in the real world, and as he comforted Alyssa, he replied, "It happens every time we add another girl to our group. After the third time I've fed her, the next time I fall asleep I get pulled into some kind of dreamworld. There's a dark and terrifying presence there, and the last few times Alyssa's been dragged along with me."

"Was it because of Irillith?" Alyssa asked him as she trembled in his arms. "The last time we were dragged into one of those nightmares was after Rachel joined us. So it must be because Irillith joined!"

John shook his head and said, "Her third feed was weeks ago, when she snuck into our room."

"You fed me for the third time yesterday," Edraele said hesitantly. "I'm so sorry if it was me who inflicted this on you."

Alyssa let out a troubled sigh, then said, "It's not your fault. It seems to happen with every girl."

"Except Irillith!" John said with a start, drawing both women's eyes to him. "I never experienced one of those dreams after that third time."

"You weren't in control later that night!" Alyssa blurted out in sudden realisation. "Progenitor-John had taken over by the evening."

John looked at Edraele, and asked urgently, "Do you have any idea what these dreams mean?"

Edraele shook her head mournfully, and said, "I'm so sorry, I wish I could tell you something useful. I've got no idea why this is happening to you."

John nodded, and looking down at Alyssa he gave her a reassuring smile as he said, "It's over for now. I've never been pulled into a second dream the same night."

Alyssa looked up at them both, and said in a small, scared voice, "Can you both hold me until I fall asleep, please?"

John and Edraele murmured their agreement, and they lay down on the bed again. Alyssa settled in the middle, lying against John, while Edraele draped herself over the frightened girl from behind. Sandwiched between them, Alyssa's trembling soon stopped, and despite her anxiety, their comforting and rhythmic breathing lulled her to sleep.

"Thank you," John said to Edraele gratefully.

Edraele stroked Alyssa's golden blonde hair with maternal concern, and when she met his eyes, she asked, "What do you think is happening with these nightmares?"

He shook his head, unable to answer her question, and he eventually replied, "I'm not sure, but whatever is lurking there was determined to kill us both that last time. We barely escaped with our lives."

She reached over to him, and stroked his face, then said, "I'll watch over you. You should get some sleep too."

He gave her a grateful smile, and closed his eyes. He thought sleep would elude him after the sudden and shocking encounter, but with Edraele gently stroking his hair he was soon lulled into a dreamless slumber.

***

John awoke early the next morning, feeling fully rested, and eager to start his day. The dreadful nightmare he'd experienced last night just felt like some vague and hazy memory now, and he took a bold, confident breath, filling his lungs with the clean refreshing air.

The pronounced movement of his chest disturbed Alyssa, and her eyelids fluttered open, letting him know she was awake too. She gave him a bright smile, and he felt relieved that she seemed to have shrugged off the after-effects of the previous night's nightmare. Edraele woke up as Alyssa began to move, and she sat up looking at them both with a worried frown.

"Were you troubled by a second nightmare?" Edraele asked them, sounding worried.

Alyssa smiled at her, and said, "No, he was right, we didn't get attacked again. I slept like a baby."

Edraele looked relieved and said, "I suspect you'll want to make an early start? I've asked Almari to bring us breakfast, so you can get a quick shower beforehand if you'd like."

John nodded, then looked at her curiously, and asked, "Are Maliri showers like Terran ones?"

She shook her head, and said, "Not identical, no, but close enough to not be too disconcerting for you." She climbed out of bed, and beckoned them over to follow her.

As she walked towards a section of wall in the corner of the room, a previously invisible door opened up in the wall, swinging wide to allow her to enter. John and Alyssa followed after her shapely azure figure, and walked into a wide cubicle, which sealed close behind them.

Edraele handed them each a small clip-like device, and said, "Put this over your nose, like this." She slotted the device securely into position covering the nostrils in her delicate blue nose. "The cubicle fills with water, then the cleaning agents thoroughly clean your body."

Alyssa smiled at her, and shook her head, handing back the nose clips with a trembling hand. "Sorry, but I'm not up for that. Being scared shitless once today was bad enough!"

She gave them a quick wave goodbye as she backed out of the room, and said, "I'll go and check in with everyone, then get a shower back on the Invictus."

"Alright, I'll be out soon," John called after her.

*No stopping to play with Edraele this morning,* she warned him as she walked out of sight. *Jade's gathered the armour team, and they're all ready for breakfast.*

John chuckled, and slipped the nose plugs into place, glancing around the shower cubicle and looking for water jets.

Edraele looked at him quizzically, and asked, "Are you ready? Just keep your mouth closed, but you can breathe normally through your nose."

He nodded, doing as she instructed, and then looked down in surprise as the cubicle began to rapidly fill with water. It surged around his legs, then over his waist, and up around his chest. As confident as he was around water, he had to admit it felt unsettling to be rapidly submerged under water like this. As the water level rose above his mouth, his breathing quickened a little in panic.

*It's alright,* Edraele thought to him, while radiating calm. *You're perfectly safe, I won't let anything harm you.*

He nodded to her gratefully, and replied, *Thanks, it just came as a bit of a surprise.* The water level rose above his head, and suddenly the entire cubicle was completely filled from floor to ceiling, the water making his skin tingle pleasantly.

Edraele smiled at him as she explained, *The agents in the water will have you completely cleaned in approximately thirty seconds.*

*You look like a goldfish,* Alyssa said, her voice thoroughly disquieted.

John turned around, and saw her looking at them both through the clear crystal of the cubicle wall. *You were right, you would have hated this,* he said to her as he gave her a wave.

She smiled at him, then leaned in and planted a big kiss on the crystal, her full lips leaving a perfect imprint on the surface as she giggled and sauntered away. John turned to Edraele, and had fun running his hands over her luscious body while he waited for the cleaning fluid to do its work. He was a little disappointed when the liquid began to drain away, rapidly emptying out of the cubicle.

He removed the nose plugs, and said, "Well that was a novel experience. I think I still prefer Terran showers though."

Edraele smiled at him, and looked enthusiastic as she said, "I've never tried a Terran shower before. Perhaps you'll show me when you return?"

"I'd be delighted to," he agreed with a grin, then gave her a kiss before they stepped out of the cubicle, and dried off in jets of warm air that gusted over them from vents in the floor and ceiling. He was dry in a few seconds, and he noted wryly, "Maliri shower facilities make the Terran equivalent feel positively indulgent."

With a melodious laugh, Edraele said, "You're making me even more eager to give them a try."

***

Jade was waiting patiently in the Hangar Bay, when John came jogging into the huge room with some kind of flatbread in his hand. He took a hurried final bite, and gave the assembled Maliri engineering crew a cheery wave.

"Good morning!" Jade greeted him exuberantly, as she began to strip. "I hope you've got a nice big load for me to share with these lovely girls."

Taking her lead, the Maliri began to undress in a flurry of clothes, as they stared at him with longing. As soon as they were naked, they beckoned him over, and began to help him out of his clothes. It took a little while as they kept pausing to give him lingering kisses.

John sighed happily, and said, "I don't think that's going to be a problem."

***

"Keep it coming," Dana said to the Maliri engineer by her side.

They were standing at the front of the Invictus' topdeck, and the two huge Nova Lances were being carefully moved into position. With all three Beam Lasers in each of the forward arc arrays removed, the weapon hardpoints were just large enough to take the massive Maliri starship weapons. The main issue wasn't so much the weapon's size though, it was the ridiculous amount of power feeds needed to supply these exotic alien weapons with all the energy they required.

Dana had got up early, and crawled into the weapon housing to double check that all the power couplings were ready. They had needed twenty per Nova Lance, but each one was performing to specifications as she checked the Maliri engineer's handiwork with her portable scanner. The Maliri might look like swimsuit models, but they were very capable workers, and she reminded herself not to be so quick to judge them. She had giggled after that, remembering an incredulous Terran engineer they'd rescued months ago saying something not too dissimilar to her.

"The starboard Nova Lance is ready to be secured in position," Thessalia stated confidently, shaking Dana from her reverie. The Maliri engineer looked at Dana respectfully, and asked, "Do you want to oversee our work?"

Dana shook her head, freeing her ponytail and sending her long auburn hair in a billowing flurry around her face, as she replied, "No, I trust you Thessalia. You and your girls really know your shit." She gave the Maliri woman a knowing smile as she added, "I'm sure John is going to be really impressed with all your hard work."

Thessalia gave her a gracious bow, and grinned at her happily before she walked over to join her colleagues.