Three Square Meals Ch. 072

"Put them through," she snarled at Darana, as she took her seat in the specially modified Fleet Commander's throne, which overlooked the entire Bridge.

"At once, Fleet Commander," Darana replied, snapping her fingers at Eletha, the relatively recent addition to the Bridge crew, who sat at the Comms Station.

The young woman drew the House Ghilwen Fleet Commander's attention, and she stared at Eletha's armour, which was little more than an unadorned golden shell, reflecting her low rank and status. Nymaleth smirked to herself, remembering a time when her own personalised suit was equally plain, just after graduating from military academy over ninety years ago. It was a far cry from the magnificent scrollwork and lattices of gems which now adorned her armour, added over the many decades for exemplary service.

Eletha suddenly jerked in her seat, just as a series of shocked gasps echoed around the Bridge. Nymaleth frowned in irritation at the lack of decorum shown by her Bridge Officers; to react like that -in front of a Terran, no less- was simply appalling. She would have stern words with Darana about enforcing stricter discipline amongst her personnel.

"My name's John Blake. Thank you for meeting with us, I really appreciate it," a man's friendly baritone voice said, echoing around the Bridge.

Nymaleth closed her eyes to steel herself for this indignity, although she had to admit, this John Blake had a strangely pleasing voice. She turned to look at the holographic viewscreen, and when she opened her blue eyes, her jaw dropped at the glorious vision of masculinity before her. He had the pointed ears of a Maliri, and the colouration of a Terran, but that somehow managed to make him even more handsome. She gaped at the man, rendered utterly speechless.

His eyes fell on her, and when he smiled, her heart began to pound in her chest as he said, "I believe you must be Fleet Commander Nymaleth?"

"Y-y-yes, that's me..." she managed to stammer, suddenly feeling tongue-tied.

She blushed furiously, hoping with all her heart that he didn't take her for some kind of half-witted fool, as she so desperately wanted to make a good impression on him. For the first time in her life, she felt overwhelmingly grateful that she was wearing her armour, so that he couldn't see her blushing like some kind of impressionable schoolgirl.

"I believe your Matriarch asked if you could help escort some friends of mine to Genkiri station?" he asked, his deep voice washing over her, and stirring her soul.

She nodded mutely, not trusting herself to speak, and all her irritation at having the Terrans aboard her ship evaporated in an instant. John seemed to be distracted for a moment, as though listening to some conversation that she couldn't hear. Nymaleth seized that opportunity to stare at him in awe, taking in every detail of his wondrous face, and desperately committing it to memory.

He looked directly at her once again, scattering her thoughts, and asked politely, "I was wondering if we could dock, so we can transfer them aboard your vessel? I'd like to speak to you in person too, if that's okay?"

Barely able to believe her pointed ears, she nodded emphatically, and gushed, "Of course! I'll meet you right there in the Docking Bay. I'll be waiting for you as soon as you step foot on my ship!"

She winced, hoping she didn't sound too eager, but she just couldn't help herself. To meet him in person... her heart felt light in her chest, and it seemed like she was struggling to breathe. If Leena Ghilwen had been there, Nymaleth would have kissed the girl for arranging this, then sworn her undying devotion to her line.

"Thank you, Fleet Commander, I'll look forward to meeting you," he said, looking pleased, and to see him smile like that made her feel like she could float on air.

She bit her lip in excitement, then blurted out, "You can call me Nymaleth!"

He nodded, and said, "I'll look forward to seeing you soon, Nymaleth."

With that, he closed the comm channel, and she felt the crushing weight of despair at being denied the chance to stare at him any longer. There was a deathly silence on the Bridge, with all the crew shocked into immobility. They turned her way, every woman there staring at her silently.

Nymaleth felt a tremor in her chest, and while she swooned at the thought of meeting John Blake in person, she was mortified when she realised that all the Maliri there had seen her practically throw herself at him. Darana walked briskly up to her Command Throne, and there was a soft hiss as the battleship captain unclipped her helmet and removed it from her head. Bracing herself for a look of sneering contempt from her second-in-command, Nymaleth was startled when she saw... nervous trepidation, and... envy?

"Nymaleth, I've served you well for over twenty years," Darana whispered, her eyes imploring. "If those years of dedicated service mean anything, I'm begging you, please let me come with you to meet him!"

The House Ghilwen Fleet Commander nodded slowly, too shocked to turn down that impassioned plea. She glanced at the System Map, and was astonished at how quickly the Invictus was closing on their position. She rose to her feet and replied, "We should hurry, he'll be here soon, and we don't want to make him wait!"

Darana nodded firmly, her dark-blue eyes determined, and she quickly replaced her helmet. As they scurried away to the elevators, footsteps behind them made Nymaleth turn around, and she saw every Maliri crewwoman had abandoned their stations as they followed after them.

When Darana realised Nymaleth had paused, she halted too, then snapped at the crew, "All of you! Back to your posts!"

The sound of deep sighs of crushing disappointment echoed around the Bridge, as the Maliri Bridge crew returned to their stations. Darana and Nymaleth hadn't bothered to check though, they were too busy running for the lifts.

***

*Are you sure about this, Edraele?* John asked for the third time. *Nymaleth is a Fleet Commander, isn't this risky?*

*I promise you, John, there are no drawbacks to this plan,* Edraele replied, her voice calm and soothing. *The House Ghilwen Matriarch is a close friend of mine, and Nymaleth has been causing her lots of problems.*

*I thought House Ghilwen was a rival of yours? Didn't they send a fleet to try and kill Irillith?* he asked, his brow furrowing in confusion.

*That's all in the past. Leena Ghilwen is a delightful girl, and I'm looking forward to introducing you to her when you arrive here in Valaden. She can't wait to meet you!* Edraele replied, enthusiastically.

He sighed, and thought back to her, *Alright, I suppose you know the lay of the land here in Maliri Space. We'll play it your way.*

*Thank you so much!* she said, sounding delighted. *I'll explain everything to you when you arrive. You're going to love my surprise!*

*I'm just looking forward to seeing you, Edraele,* he said affectionately. *You've been an incredible source of support to me over these last few months. It'll be amazing being able to hold you in my arms again.*

*I feel exactly the same way, John,* she replied, her telepathic voice earnest and throbbing with emotion.

John turned to look at Alyssa, who was piloting the Raptor towards the huge gleaming Maliri battleship. The Encaren Valar was a massive vessel, the largest Maliri warship that John had seen to-date, and he studied it carefully as they drew closer. It was sleek and beautiful, in a deadly and elegant kind of way, its hull armoured in glimmering crystal plating. Unlike Terran warships, which hid their weapons behind armour plating when not in battle, the Maliri vessel had its Beam Laser and Pulse Cannon arrays out in an overtly threatening display. At the front of the enormous ship, he could make out the telltale shape of Nova Lances, and he couldn't help but wonder if it would have just been more sensible to drop the six Terran women off at Genkiri Station themselves.

Alyssa used the Raptor's retrothrusters to skilfully manoeuvre them into the Docking Bay at the rear of the Maliri battleship, and the gunship glided down to land on the brightly-lit landing pad in the centre of the huge dock. Once they had safely touched down, she twisted in her seat and grinned at him as she said, "Have fun, but don't do anything I wouldn't do!"

"Which is what, exactly?" he asked, with an arched eyebrow.

She beamed a sparkling smile at him as she said, *Let me get back to you on that one. As I said the other day, it's a good job you're the one with the cock!*

He tried not to laugh as he turned around to smile at the six Terran women and said, "Are you ready, ladies? Let's go and meet your escort home."

They nodded and smiled at him, then followed him down in the grav-tube as he made his way to the front loading area. Alyssa had already started to lower the ramp, and he waited for all the young women to descend in the grav-tube and gather around him. After he had checked they were all there, and reassured them with a confident smile, he strode down the landing ramp to meet the armoured Maliri waiting below.

"Thank you so much for meeting us here, Nymaleth," John said, feeling relieved that the Maliri Fleet Commander had done as she promised, and not ambushed him with a squad of angry soldiers.

"It's my pleasure, John," she replied, then sounded flustered as she added, "I hope it's alright to call you that! I didn't mean any offence!"

"Don't worry, John is fine," he said, with a warm smile. Turning to look at the second armoured figure standing by her side, he asked, "I don't think we've been introduced. Who might you be?"

"I'm Darana, Captain of this ship!" she blurted out, and he was sure he heard her sigh afterwards.

"It's nice to meet you Darana," he said politely, holding her gaze for a few seconds. Glancing at the six Terran women behind him, he said, "Nymaleth, these women are my friends, who I'd like you to transport to Genkiri station. You're doing me a huge favour in transporting them, and it's one I'm very grateful for."

Nymaleth stepped forward, and said, "They'll be treated as honoured guests, you have my word!" Turning to the apprehensive Terran women, she added, "Please don't be nervous, you'll be quite safe here, with us. We'll transport you to Genkiri station as soon as possible."

With a gesture from Darana, a group of unarmed, but armoured Maliri women approached, and the battleship Captain said, "Please follow my crew. They'll see you safely to your quarters."

The freed prisoners each gave John a tearful hug goodbye, and after a few stern words in Maliri from Darana, the entranced guides managed to tear their fixated gaze away from John. He watched the women leave as they followed their guides out of the Docking Bay, and Tanya paused to give him a final wave, before disappearing from sight.

John turned to smile at the Maliri officers, and said, "Now, you ladies have my undivided attention. Is there somewhere we can go to have a nice chat?"

"My quarters?" Nymaleth asked him, hope filling her voice.

"That sounds perfect," he agreed, nodding his approval. There was an awkward moment's pause as the Maliri women stood there, as though paralyzed, and John prompted them, "Shall we?"

Nymaleth turned to look at Darana, and said, "Maybe you should go back to the Bridge, Captain."

Darana's shoulders slumped in despair, until John said, "It's okay, she's welcome to come along too, as long as that's alright with you, Nymaleth?"

"Of course!" she readily agreed, not wishing to offend this beautiful man in any way.

***

John smiled at the two sleeping Maliri women who lay intertwined with one another, their slightly curved tummies each carrying a stomach full of his cum. After he'd suggested they remove their armour so that they could talk properly, they'd practically thrown themselves at him, and smothered him in yearning kisses. He'd eventually calmed them down enough to actually talk to them, and they'd eagerly answered any questions he might have, as he tried to find out a bit about them. Neither woman had children, and had effectively sacrificed a family life for a career in House Ghilwen's military, working their way up to the upper echelons of command.

They'd grown more and more affectionate, until he finally asked them to kneel submissively before him, where they'd worked well as a team on his throbbing length. After taking it in turns to swallow down his load, they'd gone into that familiar dazed state, and he'd carried them into bed to sleep it off. He pulled up the covers, tucking them into bed together, then finished getting dressed and left the Fleet Commander's bedroom.

John strode back to the Docking Bay, leaving a trail of stunned Maliri women in the corridors whenever he greeted them with a friendly smile. They were all wearing armour, under their Commander's orders, but he was learning to recognise the rigid shock of a Maliri, and the way their heads turned to follow his every move.

The Raptor was waiting for him exactly where he left it, and he gave Alyssa a jaunty wave as he strolled towards the gunship, before he disappeared from view under the chin turret.

*John Blake, what have you been up to?* she teased him, unmercifully. *You have the happy swagger of a man who just unloaded his balls!*

*Just fulfilling a very reasonable request from your co-Matriarch,* he replied, as he ascended the loading ramp into the Raptor. He slapped the button to close the door, and added, *We're good to go.*

Edraele sounded delighted, and more than a little relieved when she thought to him, *That was perfect, thank you, John. I can sense Nymaleth and Darana now.*

He walked through to the grav-tube, then floated up to the top level and entered the cockpit. Alyssa had lifted off at that point, and smoothly rotated the Raptor so they were facing out into space once more. They cleared the atmospheric shielding that protected the entrance to the Docking Bay, and she banked the gunship so they were heading towards home.

John sat down in one of the chairs at the rear of the cockpit and closed his eyes. He could see the new additions in his mental map of his Matriarchs and their wards, and the compartments for the two House Ghilwen officers sat under Edraele. The full-body portraits were perfect replicas of the beautiful, blue-eyed Maliri women, and they glowed brightly now that he had an active connection with them both. He had asked if they were suffering from any injuries, but they were in fine health, as he'd come to expect from the genetically-engineered race of warrior women.

The Invictus loomed above them in all its glossy white glory, and Alyssa began her final approach to the Hangar. She swung the Raptor into the confines of the Invictus' underbelly with consummate grace, and he barely felt a tremor as the gunship touched down on the deck of the Hangar Bay. His blonde pilot's hands worked in a blur as she flew through the shutdown routine, and the gunship's engines powered down with a slowly decreasing rumble. She leapt from her seat and rushed to join him, vaulting across his lap, and staring into his eyes.

"So, what was it like?!" she asked him, burning with arousal, her hunger for answers explaining the indecent haste with which she'd shut down the Raptor. "Was it exciting, having those Maliri swallow your load?"

He chuckled, and replied, "A gentleman shouldn't talk about his conquests."

"Pfft, fuck that!" she snorted derisively. "Come on, you owe me all the juicy details!"

He looked at her quizzically, and asked, "You heard all my thoughts didn't you? Besides, we've had new Maliri join Edraele before, what's the big deal?"

She shook her head adamantly, and said, "Nah, this isn't the same as Jade siphoning out your loads to a score of engineers. Apart from Edraele and her assassins, this is the first time you've had some Maliri girls slurping on your cock!" She paused, then corrected herself as she added, "Apart from Irillith, but you know what I mean."

Realising he wasn't going to get away with a light recap of events, he placed his hands on the graceful curve of her hips, and described in meticulous detail everything that had happened with Nymaleth and Darana. As he spoke to her, he realised it wasn't the same as the time with the big groups of engineers, and felt much more intimate. He flushed as he admitted that it was exciting to see such powerful women of high status eagerly submitting to him like that, and that he'd enjoyed himself immensely.

"I want to be there for the next ones!" she'd finally panted, writhing in his lap as he'd finished his tale. "I love the look on your face when a new girl eagerly sucks down your spunk. I was stupid not to tag along with you."

"I'll make sure you have a ringside seat," he agreed, giving her an indulgent smile.

She gave him a resplendent smile in gratitude, then climbed off him with the limber grace of a dancer, and said, "I think we should head up to the bedroom, so you can help me work off some of this sexual energy."

"I think we might be able to arrange something there," he replied as he rose to his feet, and took her hand as she led him from the cockpit. As they rode down in the grav-tube, he found himself wondering how Tashana was doing, and of course, Alyssa knew precisely what he was thinking.

"No real change," she told him, before he could voice the question. They walked down the loading ramp and into the Hangar as she continued, "Now the Terran women have left Deck Four, I thought it might be a good idea to move her up to some private quarters, but she refused point blank when Faye suggested it. Irillith's tried to talk to her a couple of times, but one look at her drives Tashana mad with rage. I asked Irillith to stop and give Tashana some space in the end. Rachel thinks the shock of seeing her again has stirred up all those initial feelings of betrayal. Until Tashana calms down, we aren't going to get anywhere."

She waved her hand at the button for the reinforced double doors, and they swished open by the time the two of them arrived, allowing them to walk into the corridor beyond without pausing.

"Maybe there's something I could do or say?" John suggested, thinking about the dramatic effect he'd just had on the House Ghilwen women.

Alyssa shook her head, and replied, "I talked that over with Rachel too. She's certain that Tashana's latent psychic abilities will protect her from that kind of raw genetic attraction, just like Irillith's and Edraele's did. Tashana knows all about Progenitors, and as you scare the shit out of her, even approaching her is going to make things ten times worse."

He grimaced as he entered the grav-tube by her side, and said, "I really was hoping this was going to end up much better for her and Irillith." He let out a loud sigh of frustration before he continued, "I can't help feeling like we really fucked up somewhere. I hate not being able to help Tashana after everything she's been through."

"She's one wounded little bird you might not be able to fix," Alyssa said solemnly, nodding her agreement. She shot him a guilty look then, and added, "I think I jinxed us by getting Dana to build that second Bridge station."

John smiled at her, looking at her beautiful face shrouded in the blue anti-gravity field, and said, "Ah, not to worry, that wasn't a complete waste of time. We had one hell of an XO catch-up meeting with Irillith because of it."

"Oh yeah!" Alyssa exclaimed, as she leapt out of the lift onto Deck Two, practically dragging him with her. "I missed out there! Why don't you give me a nice massage while you refill your quad, then you can give me a deep, rough catch-up meeting too?"

"Can you ask Jade to join us? I'd like to learn from the expert masseuse," he said, with a smile.