Three Square Meals Ch. 074

Rachel laughed, and held her hand over her chest as she gasped, "Stop doing that! It's mean, taking advantage of me when I get distracted!"

"Sorry, I couldn't help myself," Sakura replied, opening her arms to give her a conciliatory hug.

"Alright, you're forgiven, but only if you join Dana and me again tonight," Rachel said, smiling flirtatiously at the exquisite Asian girl.

Sakura nodded eagerly, then hesitated before she replied, "Are you sure I'm not getting in the way? Don't you two want some time alone together?"

The brunette laughed, and said, "No, we both love your company, and Dana says she's got a real taste for eating 'Chinese food'."

The raven-haired girl frowned and started to object, "But I'm-"

"Japanese, yes, I know. I can only apologise for my philistine of a lover. I have tried reminding her, but in her defence, she's very distracted by the refit at the moment," Rachel said, with an apologetic smile.

Sakura laughed good-naturedly, and shrugged as she said, "At least I don't have to deal with jokes about eating Sushi instead!"

Rachel chuckled, and said, "Yes, that's very true." She looked at her friend curiously, and added, "So apart from scaring me out of my wits, what brings you to see me? Is your part of the refit proceeding according to plan?"

Sakura nodded towards the stern of the Invictus, then pointed at the two massive new engines they'd added to the assault cruiser's old complement of four. She grinned as she informed Rachel, "We've finished the final checks, and the new pair of Trankaran engines have passed with flying colours. You can cross them off the list now; and we're just installing the last of the additional retro-thrusters."

"You're making good time," the brunette said, looking pleasantly surprised. "You're actually a little ahead of schedule!"

"Getting the first group of blonde engineers from John made a big difference," Sakura said, looking thoughtful. "Those girls have been a real calming influence, and keep the rest of the work crews focused. Inter-House disputes are practically unheard of now, and John's only influenced about a third of the workforce!"

Rachel gazed off into the distance, distracted by some train of thought as she replied, "Yes, it's fascinating to see the impact he has on the Maliri. The genetic modification to their DNA is absolutely remarkable!"

Sakura gave a wistful sigh, then nodded as she replied, "They can't get enough of him."

Stroking her shoulder sympathetically, Rachel said, "It sound like they aren't the only ones. I knew there was some other reason you came to see me. What's wrong?"

The Asian girl met the brunette's probing gaze, and after hesitating for a moment, she replied, "We spent practically every minute together for two weeks while he was training me, and I guess it just feels a bit unsettling now that he's so distracted with the Maliri. I'm just missing him, I suppose."

Rachel pulled the other girl in for a hug, and said, "I know exactly what you mean. I spent my two weeks with him on Oceanus on holiday, so it was a real shock to the system, when we returned to what passes for normality on the Invictus."

"How did you deal with it?" Sakura asked, resting her chin on her friend's shoulder, and enjoying the physical contact.

"By making the most of the time we do have together, and getting distracted by my work. There's always something new to research, which helps keep my mind occupied," Rachel replied, stroking Sakura's back supportively.

"While Dana keeps your body occupied?" Sakura asked, her tone teasing.

Rachel laughed and replied, "Oh yes, definitely! But, there's no shortage of stunning girls to distract yourself with on the Invictus."

She pulled back so that she was staring into Sakura's almond-shaped brown eyes, then leaned in for a tender kiss. Her fingers reached down to squeeze her taut bottom, making the Asian girl let out a lusty moan into her mouth.

When their lips parted, Sakura murmured, "I'll look forward to seeing you two tonight..."

"We'll keep you very distracted," Rachel promised, before leaning in to rub noses with the other girl. She smiled as she added, "We'll get John back to ourselves soon. The refit will be over before you know it, and then we'll be off on our travels once again."

*Don't worry girls, I'll make sure he gives you plenty of attention while we're here,* Alyssa said to them both, her telepathic voice caressing both their minds lovingly.

She outlined her plan, and the two girls grinned at each other with delight.

***

After one last glance at the four sleeping Maliri, John quietly closed the door as he left the room, although such caution was unnecessary, as they would all be unresponsive for the next several hours. The fractious girls had calmed down dramatically as soon as he'd introduced himself, and after witnessing their fiery tempers and caustic personalities, he wasn't that sure he wanted to get to know them any better.

Still, he'd persevered enough to find out their names, and a little bit about their background, but asking too many questions had broken the spell from the genetic modification - at least enough for them to start fighting again. Not enjoying the normal "getting to know you" banter one bit, he'd decided to stop asking questions, and just get the encounter over with. Despite their malevolent personalities, they were all physically very attractive, and he'd thoroughly enjoyed their attention until he filled their tummies.

However, to say that he had some pointed questions for Edraele, was a dramatic understatement!

*I'm in my study, John,* she said to him, her tone contrite.

He walked through the now-deserted lounge, and wasn't surprised to see that Edraele's fastidious staff had already made the room presentable once more. Not bothering to knock, he strolled through the door on the far side of the room, and saw Edraele rising from the chair behind her desk.

Taking a seat on one of the chaise-lounge chairs, he shook his head, and said with some amusement, "I know I told you I didn't mind surprises, but I was hoping the next one would be a bit more pleasant! Did you round up the most obnoxious girls you could find, to teach me a lesson? If so, it worked! After dealing with those little devils, I can't wait to see the next group of friendly and placid engineers!"

"I'm so sorry, John," Edraele replied, as she glided over to sit beside him. She let out a forlorn sigh as she continued, "You've only really had any interactions with support or military personnel, aside from Irillith and myself. Maliri noblewomen are 'temperamental', to put it mildly."

John couldn't help but recall how abrasive Irillith had been before she'd properly joined his crew, and he nodded solemnly, as he said, "It's tragic how much Maliri society warps them."

"It's all the backstabbing and infighting for position and prestige. The engineers are commoners and have no chance of ever raising their status, so they're largely unaffected by Maliri politics," Edraele said, nodding her agreement. A flash of guilt crossed her face as she added, "As long as they avoided the ire of their tyrannical Matriarch, that is."

"Why did you ask me to meet with those four in particular, anyway?" John asked, reaching out to stroke her azure cheek. He smiled as he added, "I'm not upset with you, I understand you probably had a good reason, I just can't figure out what it could be. From talking with them, it didn't sound like those girls held major positions of influence."

She smiled at him, then tentatively requested, "Would you consider it a personal favour? If that's not too presumptuous?"

He shrugged, and replied, "Sure, I don't mind. You've done so much for me, I'd have to be a right dick to turn you down. Would you like me to try and heal some of the emotional trauma that has turned them into-" His voice trailed off at the end, unwilling to finish the sentence.

"Horrible little bitches?" she filled in for him. Edraele gave him a grateful smile as she continued, "Yes, please, that would be wonderful! Will you need additional sessions with them? I know that it took you considerable effort to restore Irillith to the lovely girl she is today."

"No, that shouldn't be necessary," John replied, confident in his abilities. He smiled at her as he continued, "I've had considerable practice at healing damaged young women, now. I should be able to do enough in one session to make a dramatic difference to their personalities."

Edraele gave him a beatific smile, and said, "I really do appreciate this, John, thank you so much. It's important to me that we help those girls."

He nodded agreeably, then focused his will, and started undoing the worst of the mental trauma the Maliri noblewomen had suffered. He'd already checked them for physical injuries, and had begun regenerating the neural whip scars that marked all of their backs. The results of his psychic ministrations would be readily apparent in a little over four hours' time, going by past experiences.

Studying the Maliri Matriarch's exquisitely beautiful features, he could see the tension in her eyes, even if he couldn't feel her worried state over their empathic bond. Knowing the reason behind her distress, he turned to face her, and asked, "Have you heard anything more about Tashana? It's been several days now, but she couldn't have just vanished!"

Letting her carefully-maintained mask slip, Edraele sagged, her expression tortured as she shook her head, and replied, "Nothing, John. She appears to have slipped the net entirely! I just wish I'd done things differently, and maybe I could have persuaded her that you aren't the terrible threat she thinks you are!"

Pulling her into his arms, he hugged her tight, and his voice was consoling as he said, "Tashana was only here a day before she fled. Other than restraining her and forcing her to listen to reason, there wasn't anything you could've done." He sighed, as he added, "After everything she's been through, I couldn't do that to her, even if it might have helped. There's no way I'd ever force the Change on her against her will, and pushing too heavily to make her see sense might have permanently burned any possible bridges in the future."

Edraele let out a ragged sigh, and murmured, "It just seems so cruelly unfair. Tashana can finally have everything she ever wanted, but she's too terrified to see it."

"I haven't given up on her yet," John said, easing back on his grip, and letting Edraele sit back and gaze at him. "I promised Irillith I'd help her find her sister, and I'm promising you the same thing with your daughter. I won't leave Maliri Space until we've resolved this, and helped Tashana. I promise."

Her smile was loving as she said, "The sentiments behind the gesture are lovely, but I can't hold you to that. There could be an emergency in the Terran Federation, and it might be something you can't ignore."

"You're family, Edraele, and your needs come first," he said emphatically. A sardonic smile played across his lips as he added, "Besides, we've saved the Terran Federation a few times already. They're building up quite a tab!"

Although Edraele would never dream of making him choose to uphold that promise if a situation like that ever arose, seeing such loyalty and dedication from him made her heart race in her chest. She shared her feelings of overwhelming love and gratitude to him over their bond, and hugged him fiercely as she was swept up in that rising tide of surging emotions.

***

John leaned back against the headboard, carefully guiding Sakura with him, so that she could rest against his chest. Their fingers were intertwined atop her hugely-rounded tummy, and she sighed with contentment as she felt the warm, heavy weight in her womb.

"Does that feel better?" he asked, kindly.

She turned and tilted her head so she could look him in the eye, and replied, "This morning was just what I needed, thank you."

"Yeah, I really missed being with you, too," he agreed, before glancing around at the rest of his girls who were all smiling at him affectionately. "I'm sorry you were all feeling neglected. Alyssa's solution is inspired!"

The blonde tipped an imaginary hat to him, before she grinned and said, "I'm not being completely selfless, I call dibs on the next vigorous ploughing!"

"Ah, crap!" Dana swore. "Are we doing a roster?!"

"I'm next!" Calara blurted out.

"Wait!" Dana protested

"Then me!" Rachel insisted, giggling at the indignant look on her lover's face.

Faye had to bite her lip to stop herself from requesting her own place in the roster, and instead, she smiled at the light-hearted banter from her friends.

Irillith laughed at the redhead's expression, and said, "It's alright, you can go before me, if you like."

Jade nodded, and with a happy smile on her face, she said indulgently, "I've had him to myself for days now, I don't mind waiting either."

Rachel's eyes were a stormy grey as she leaned in and kissed the flustered Chief Engineer on the cheek, before darting a flirtatious glance at John, and said, "It's alright, he can take us together."

Sakura felt John's stiffening interest against her back, and she laughed as she said, "I think he likes that idea!"

"You'll get no argument from me!" John agreed, smiling at the pair of nubile teenagers. He patted Sakura's swollen belly, and added, "Jade, do you want to load up while we just go through the progress on the refit?"

The Nymph's emerald eyes glinted at the prospect, and she crawled across the bed to give Sakura a kiss, before moving between her golden-brown thighs. The sound of eager lapping and sucking filled the room while Jade went to work, accompanied by breathy sighs from Sakura as she writhed on her prehensile tongue.

Turning to the purple AI first, John gave her a warm smile, and said, "How about you start, Faye?"

"Sure!" she agreed, pleased that he'd chosen her to begin. Her cupid-bow lips turned up into a happy grin as she replied, "We're making amazing progress! My boys have also fully upgraded the first Power Core Chamber, so it's prepared for Dana whenever she's ready! The Maliri have also been working really hard to replace all the severed power cables, and now that more of the superstructure is in place, we should be able to start leading cables across to the fore section of the Invictus by tomorrow afternoon!"

He nodded as he replied, "Sounds like you're doing a fantastic job. Have you had any problems with anyone regarding your... unique nature?"

"You mean have any of them freaked out at taking orders from an unchained AI?" she replied, her luminous eyes meeting his. Shaking her head before he could respond, she added thoughtfully, "No, but the Maliri crawling along the maintenance tubes did look a bit unsettled when I started gloating about how wonderful it was to see organics on their knees."

He blinked at her in shock before he realised she was joking, and the purple girl giggled at his startled reaction. Laughing then, he said, "Your jokes are getting better, Faye."

She winked at him playfully, and beamed a sparkling smile at his praise.

Turning to Dana next, he asked, "How about the new Power Cores? Everything going alright there?"

"The first one's built, and I'll install it later today," Dana said, bouncing up and down with nervous excitement. "I can't wait to see how much power that fucker can pump out!"

Calara turned to look at the redhead, and said, "Actually, I was thinking about how we manage power allocation yesterday. It might be sensible to disperse the power load, so we won't be left crippled in the event of losing a core. For instance, we could split the energy weapons and ordnance-based batteries, to make sure we don't lose everything in one go."

"Way ahead of you, gorgeous," Alyssa said, with a grin. "I heard you thinking about it, so I spoke to Dana about it yesterday, and she's had some ideas."

"Wait a second," John interjected. He frowned as he added, "Won't we be blasted to smithereens if we get a core breach, anyway?"

Dana shook her head, then replied, "I've built in multiple redundancies to mitigate a core breach, but it shouldn't be anything we need to worry about. If we do take a bad hit, we've now got a quad-shaped Crystal Alyssium shell around the Power Core Chamber, and Alyssa re-shaped the Core-casing a bunch of times to make it super strong."

"I shaped that bastard eight times," Alyssa said, frowning as she remembered the terrible strain. "It's as tough as I can make it."

"I appreciate it, beautiful," John said gratefully, putting his arm around her, and pulling her in for a brief kiss.

"What ideas did you have regarding the power load?" Calara persisted, her olive-toned face looking anxious. "We don't want to risk losing all our energy weapons against a shielded opponent!"

Dana grinned at her enthusiastically, and replied, "It's alright, I was thinking along similar lines. I'm planning on linking the front core to the Pulse Cannons, the Nova Lances, and all our new guns amidships. The middle one will power the Beam Lasers, Singularity Drivers, and the shields - I figured if we're so fucked that we lose a core, it doesn't matter where the shields get their power. The last one has all the rest, so that's the engines, Tachyon Drive, sensors, life support, basically all the stuff our existing Power Core keeps running, but without all the guns. I figured that would give us plenty of future-proofing capacity, for when we get more Progenitor schematics!"

John frowned in confusion before he asked, "Can't we just link more than one core to each system?"

The redhead winced, and said gently, "Nah, you don't want to do that. If we did lose a reactor, the power surge could trigger a reactor cascade in the other Power Cores. This way, we can keep things nice and safe and separate."

He shrugged, and said defensively, "Hey, it was just a suggestion."

Alyssa nudged him with an elbow, and smiled as she teased him, "Probably best stick to fighting, fucking, and coming up with inspired military manoeuvres. It sounds like engineering isn't your strong suit."

John laughed as he warned her, "You're playing a dangerous game there, honey. I've got legions of Maliri at my command now... They could tickle you for days without a break!"

"Alright, I'll be good," she replied, before giving him an angelic smile and leaning in for a kiss.

When they parted, he looked at the Latina on his left, and asked, "Anything interesting to report, Calara?"

"All the rewiring with Maliri crystal-fibre in the bow of the ship's been progressing well," she replied thoughtfully. "We'll be ready to move on to the mid-section as soon as the floor decking is in place."

Rachel spoke up, drawing all eyes to her as she said, "The plan is to start on the lower decks first, then work upwards. We're going to make use of the turret wells amidships to drop in the Singularity Generator, the Tachyon Drive, and all the belt feeds and anti-grav generators for the new munitions rooms."

"What about the forward grav-tube?" John asked, looking at her speculatively. "Wouldn't it be sensible to put that in early, too?"

"We'll be working on that today, handsome," Alyssa said, before kissing his cheek. "I hope you're ready for lots of psychic shaping."

He frowned as he asked, "Why are we building that out of Crystal Alyssium?"

"We need a second Inertia Negation Device to extend the field, now that we've chopped up and lengthened the Invictus," Dana explained patiently.

Rachel smiled at him, and said, "Once that's in place, I've got another big task for our two resident psychic-shapers."

Alyssa rolled her eyes at him, and said, "I can't believe you wanted that reinforced as well. Haven't we got enough reshaping on our plates already?"