Three Square Meals Ch. 096

From this vantage point he was able to see that a section of the hull plating had been removed from the spine of the battleship, creating a large hole. A massive crane was slowly lowering a large spherical object into that space, with numerous technicians on grav-sleds monitoring the installation and passing on instructions. He was suddenly aware of someone standing beside him and he noted Dacres had joined him at the railing.

"Magnificent, isn't it?" Dacres said, gesturing towards the sphere.

"Good to see you, Richard. One of the new power cores?"

"You should see how much power those things can pump out," Dacres replied with a nod. "I couldn't believe my own eyes when I saw the energy efficiency ratios..."

Charles frowned as he watched the new core disappearing inside the Nereus' hull. "We've been after this kind of tech from the Ashanath for years, but I always thought it was too hard to crack the manufacturing process."

"I actually asked one of Energetica-Corp consultants about that. Apparently, these new power core blueprints have been redesigned, removing their reliance on 'deformable alloys', whatever that means. There's also been a significant number of other complex changes, which he explained at length and I struggled to follow. The bottom line is that we're able to mass produce them now." Dacres smiled as he added, "Mighty nice of the Ashanath to make those tweaks for us!"

Charles let out a dry chuckle, thinking of a certain perky young redhead. "It wasn't the Ashanath..."

Dacres looked startled and said, "I'd heard rumours that this tech came from the Lion. Surely you don't mean..."

"Yes, one of his lionesses made the changes," Charles said without any doubt.

"Well I'll be damned... they don't look much older than my daughter!"

"John seems to have quite a knack at finding talented young ladies," Charles said with a wry smile. He turned away from the Nereus to face the Rear Admiral. "Anyway, how goes the rest of the refit? Are we still on track to finish by the end of the month?"

Dacres laughed, giving him a broad grin. "More like end of the week! Putting all the Olympus engineers on ship repairs turned out to be a godsend. The fleet is almost fully repaired and while we wrap that up, Voss' people are installing all the new power cores, FTL drives, engines, retro-thrusters, and sensor arrays. We stripped huge numbers of heatsinks from the Kintark forces we captured at Regulus, so we didn't have to wait to manufacture those. Our engineers already installed most of them, but we've got a few more to go."

"Outstanding," Charles said, his own beaming smile matching the other officer's.

"I can't wait to see how the Nereus performs after this," Dacres said, a fond look in his eyes as he glanced at his battleship. "The old girl's going to have a real spring in her step!"

"The first in a new wave of ultra-advanced warships," Charles agreed. "We're already preparing to lay the keels for another six more battleships and twenty cruisers. As soon as this fleet is operational, we'll switch all our resources to constructing the next one."

Dacres hesitated, his brow furrowed in concern. "At the pace we're rolling out new ships, it won't be long until the bulk of our forces are stronger and faster than any of the neighbouring empires..." He stepped closer and whispered, "How long do you think it'll be before High Command picks a target and pulls the trigger?"

Charles was quiet for a long moment. "The last thing we need right now is another war with our neighbours. I'll do whatever I can to prevent that from happening."

"We could do with some peace after all the Kintark trouble," Dacres agreed, but he didn't sound very optimistic. "Something tells me High Command won't waste this opportunity. I think there's trouble on the horizon, Charles."

The two men stood together in silence, staring at the Nereus, until Dacres was called away by another group of engineers. He nodded to Charles, then left to talk to the refit crews.

Charles watched him leave and muttered under his breath, "You've got good instincts, Richard..."

***

Wave-Squire Talpo stared intently at the round Tactical Map in the centre of the battleship's bridge, hardly daring to blink as he tracked the large formation of golden spacecraft. Like the rest of the junior officers gathered around the map, he was watching the incredibly rapid progress of the alien warfleet as it raced through the Brimorian Enclave. Talpo was aboard the Swirl of Shallows, flagship of the Brimorian border fleet tasked with protecting this stretch of space from incursions by the treacherous Terran Federation.

Curling his webbed fingers into a fist, he slammed it down on the edge of the rounded tactical table. "I can't abide this outrage! They must be laughing at us as they sail unopposed through our territory!"

Talpo glanced around the table and saw the rest of the wave-squires nodding their heads in agreement. Their crested orange fins flared to show their anger at the Maliri incursion into sacred Brimorian territory.

"And just what would you do differently, Talpo?" a deep voice rumbled behind him, sounding like the crash of a huge wave across a stony beach.

The young wave-squire froze and turned around to give his commanding officer a guilty look. "I-I meant no disrespect, Shoal-Commander Siolagon!"

Siolagon's imposing frame loomed out of the shadows, silhouetted in the flickering light cast by the fluorescent lanterns surrounding the bridge. He strode towards the Tactical Map and gestured towards it with a scaled finger. "You may speak freely without fear of punishment. I ask again... how do you propose we should deal with the Maliri?"

Talpo snarled, baring rows of needle-like teeth. "I would bar their passage with gravity-well emitters! Demand that they leave our territory immediately or face the might of the Brimorian Enclave!"

The Shoal-Commander studied him for a moment, then spoke in measured tones, "When a gigantic Ixaradon glides past your reef-home, do you poke it with a harpoon then demand it swims away?"

"Of course not, Shoal-Commander," Talpo replied, his scales shimmering with embarrassment. "Even the slowest-witted of striplings knows that to do so would mean instant death..."

Siolagon turned and stared at the golden Maliri ships as they raced across space at phenomenal speed. "There is no shame in recognising apex predators and giving them a wide berth. Once they are on their way, then you are free to hunt for weaker and much more succulent prey..."

Talpo gave him a respectful bow. "You are as wise as you are mighty Shoal-Commander, forgive me for my lack of foresight."

"Have patience, Talpo. You will eventually come to realise that the Deep-Pool puts great thought into its every action," Siolagon replied, patting the smaller Brimorian on the shoulder with a weighty hand. He turned and walked away, saying casually over his shoulder, "It is good to learn from one's mistakes, but do not let me overhear you question my orders again. You will have no opportunity for learning if I remove your head..."

The Wave-Squire shivered with fear and bowed deeply, not daring to look up again until he heard the Shoal-Commander's footsteps leave the Bridge. When he did, he avoided making eye-contact with the rest of his colleagues, still bristling from the reprimand. He watched the golden Maliri fleet in silence as it raced past the Brimorian border fleet and continued unchallenged through Enclave territory.

***

John lay awake in bed with his arms around Leena and Valani. Their full breasts pressed into him, feeling soft and warm, as they slept with their heads on his shoulders. After all the post-coital catnaps he'd had that day with the two lovely Maliri girls, he wasn't feeling very tired now, so he'd been drifting in and out of sleep. Every time he woke up, he could scarcely believe that his luscious blue bedmates were now pregnant with his children, as was Tsarra who was snuggled up behind Leena. She had an arm wrapped around the House Ghilwen Matriarch, her hand resting lightly atop his.

As Maliri noblewomen, the Young Matriarchs had a very unique outlook on courtships and procreation, namely that the first was unnecessary and the next a duty for their Houses. After speaking at length to the three girls, he was thoroughly convinced that they were each ready for parenthood, elated at the prospect in fact.

However, John had been raised as a Terran and the culture clash from recent events had left his mind in a whirl. If he was being honest with himself, he couldn't deny that breeding one stunning girl after the other had been a thrilling experience, and he was looking forward to enjoying Nyrelle's and Kali's charms next. He just couldn't help feeling a little daunted, knowing he was about to become a father, five times over.

He'd woken Alyssa and Edraele earlier with his busy thoughts, and they'd shushed his apologies, offering to talk with him to settle his active mind. John had urged them to go back to sleep, fairly sure that he simply needed some time to adjust to this new perspective on life. Blocking them from his thoughts had prevented his racing mind from waking his matriarchs again, so now he was free to think about the Maliri girls and his future with them.

The sound of soft whispers in the corridor outside the bedroom reached his sharp ears and he realised Luna must be saying goodnight to Sakura. Diligent as those girls were, they'd been up all evening training, with the Maliri assassin teaching his Security Chief as much as she could about her skill with a sword. John glanced at the ship's chronometer and was shocked to realise just how late it was, with the display showing it was nearly four in the morning.

John had become an expert at disentangling himself from a pair of sleeping girls, so he employed his skills to get out of bed without waking Leena or Valani. Luna was just padding into the bedroom when she saw him, freezing instinctively as she spotted movement in the darkness, before relaxing a moment later.

"Hey beautiful," he whispered, walking across the room to greet her.

She smiled at him in return, although her eyelids were heavy and she was obviously exhausted. "Hello, John. I hope I didn't wake you?"

He shook his head and reached for her hand. "Busy thoughts keeping me awake. I'd like a quick word if you're not too tired?"

Luna gave the bed a longing glance before her eyes snapped to his face. "Of course not, I always have time for you."

"I'm sorry, I know you want to sleep. I promise I won't keep you up long," he whispered, giving her a brief kiss, before leading her out of the bedroom.

The Maliri assassin walked with him towards the grav-tube, stifling a yawn as John pulled her into the blue field. They floated up to the Command Deck and he exchanged a friendly wave with Faye, then led Luna into the Ready Room. Luna couldn't help staring at his naked body, her fascination warring with her fatigue.

John could see the interest in her eyes as he led her to the sofas and as they sat, he said, "There's a couple of things I wanted to speak to you about, but firstly, I wanted to offer to do the same for you as I did for Almari and Ilyana. I can hone your body to its physical limits, making you stronger, faster, and tougher. I don't want you to feel that I'm putting any pressure on you to make this decision, the choice is entirely yours..."

Luna had an excited gleam in her eyes despite her weariness. "I agree without any reservations!" she declared, dropping lithely to her knees before him.

She wasted no time in reaching for his thickening shaft, stroking him gently as she leaned forward to envelop his cock with her soft pouty lips.

"That's right," he said, as Luna sank down his shaft, brushing his fingers through her silky white hair and massaging her head. "Once you've got a full tummy, you'll feel so much better. I'll be able to help you shake off that exhaustion, then we can talk without you falling asleep."

Her eyes crinkled as she attempted to smile with her lips stretched wide, her reply muffled by the thick girth of the cock impaling her throat.

"Tell me later," he said with a smile, gently guiding her pretty face up and down his length. "This is the first time I've fed you on your own, isn't it?"

Luna nodded, gazing up at him with nothing but absolute trust and devotion in her eyes. John relaxed and stroked her long hair, enjoying the warm wet tightness of her sucking mouth and throat. She placed her soft hands on his thighs and began to quicken the pace, raising a questioning eyebrow as she did so.

John nodded his approval. "Yes, that feels really good..."

Her angular eyes crinkled again as she smiled, bobbing intently in his lap as she deep-throated him over and over again. It was the most intimate they'd been together so far and John enjoyed being able to give her his undivided attention. The powerful and highly-skilled assassin was compliant and submissive, focused solely on giving him pleasure. That thought was almost as arousing as the tight grip of her clutching throat.

"Such a good girl," he said, feeling his orgasm approaching. "Ready for a big load of cum?"

Luna whimpered with need, the humming in her throat sending delicious vibrations around his shaft. John cried out as he climaxed, feeling her swallowing to coax out his spunk, even though he was shooting directly into her stomach. The Maliri girl moaned with delight at the feel of thick ropes of cum splashing into her tummy, her eyes brightening as she was rejuvenated by his psychic embrace. She quivered with ecstasy as she sucked him rhythmically, her belly expanding to carry the heavy load he was feeding her.

When he was done, John sagged back on the sofa and gasped, "That was amazing, thank you."

Luna sat back with a look of profound satisfaction on her face. Her hands moved to cradle her hugely rounded abdomen and she murmured in awe, "I had no idea how good this would be... I feel all broody and maternal..."

John offered her a hand, then helped her sit sideways across his lap. He wrapped an arm around her, then followed her slender hands with his own, caressing her curved blue belly. "And I feel protective and just want to keep you safe. Our instincts are powerful things."

She let out a happy sigh then relaxed in his embrace. "I spoke to Almari and Ilyana before they left. Do you really want the three of us to retire and just raise a family?"

He gave her a tender kiss and nodded. "If I have my way, you won't have much time for anything else. You'll be busy running around after our children... as long as that's what you want too?"

Luna bit her lip and guided his hand to her lower belly. "You went to all that trouble of re-growing my ovaries; I think I'd seem very ungrateful if we didn't make frequent use of your precious gift..."

"Three?" John asked with a smile.

She shook her head firmly, making her long white hair swish over her shoulders. "At least four!"

He frowned and asked, "Are you sure? It'll mean we'll need to have lots and lots of sex..."

Luna giggled as she nodded, then blushed a dark shade of blue. "When you told me I was a good girl earlier, I remembered that I'm over twice your age... but I don't feel like that when I'm with you."

"Are you happy?" he asked her, brushing his hand against her cheek and cupping her face.

"Very," she agreed without any hesitation. "I feel like a carefree young girl, it's wonderful..."

"That's all that matters. You've had a hard life until now, Luna. I want to give you everything you've ever dreamed about for your future."

She gave him a tender kiss then nestled against him, a look of contentment on her face. They sat like that for a while, with John gently stroking her while she traced patterns on his bare chest with a nimble blue finger.

John glanced down at her and said, "Watching you fight earlier was breath-taking. I wish I could spend a few weeks training with you; I'd love to learn everything I can from someone with such incredible skill with a blade."

"Sakura's a very capable and attentive student. I'll teach her everything I can before you leave, then perhaps you and I can have some training sessions together when you return to Genthalas," she offered, gazing up at him with her luminous yellow eyes.

"I definitely want lots of one-on-one time with you," John said with a flirtatious grin. "Consider that a date."

She blushed again then laughed as she fanned herself. "See, you've turned me into a giddy twenty-year-old!"

He smiled and hugged her closer. "I'm sorry I haven't been able to give you much attention this trip, but I promise I'll make it up to you next time. We'll definitely make sure you're fully equipped like Almari and Ilyana before you go."

Luna gave him an affectionate smile. "You don't have to apologise. The Young Matriarchs are sweet girls and they deserve your full focus, especially with you giving them the heirs they so desperately want. In my line of work, you soon learn to be patient, so I'll simply look forward to your return to Genthalas."

John nodded then wondered how he was going to raise his next question tactfully. In the end, he decided to just be forthright. "I noticed that you and Edraele have been getting a lot closer..."

She studied his face apprehensively. "Do you mind? I know how devoted she is to you and I promise I've done nothing to-"

He silenced her concerns with a gentle kiss, which became more intimate when Luna relaxed. She welcomed his tongue into her mouth and melted in his arms as he kissed her more forcefully. Luna was panting when he pulled away, a burning spark of excitement in her eyes.

"I care a great deal about both of you," John said, squeezing her shoulder. "If you enjoy each other's company and grow closer as lovers, you have my unreserved blessing."

"Thank you," she replied, looking touched by his sincerity. "I've known Edraele for decades, and she used to be a cold and viciously cruel woman; just what I expected for a House Valaden Matriarch. I did many terrible things at her behest, so I'm sure you can understand what a huge impact the changes to Edraele have made to my life. I want to do everything I can to support the lovely woman she is now, in her new role as benevolent Queen."

"She's very fond of you too, and I really appreciate you being there for her," John said, stroking the Maliri assassin's back.

Luna's eyes twinkled as she said, "Perhaps on your return to Genthalas, we can show you how we comfort one another when we're missing you..."

John pretended to frown with concern and placed a hand on her cum-packed stomach. "If you do that, you'll definitely end up in this condition again. I think it'll make teaching me about swordfighting a bit tricky."

"I'm sure between the three of us, we can come up with a solution to that problem," the assassin replied, giving him a coy smile.

It was John's turn to laugh now. "If you're trying to lure me back to Genthalas, you're doing a damn fine job of it." He stretched and glanced at the chronometer on the wall. "I better let you get a bit of sleep; Sakura will be eager to start training again first thing tomorrow morning." He patted her swollen belly. "By the time you wake up, you'll notice a big difference."

Luna sat up and was about to stand, when she paused and gazed into his eyes. "Thank you for being with me tonight, I really appreciate it." She had a wistful expression on her beautiful face as she continued, "For the first time I feel like I can actually see our future together... it's one I want very much."

"At least four," John said, caressing her azure curves. "I want that too..."

They shared a soft smile then returned to bed hand-in-hand.

***

A feathery soft touch woke John the following morning, as delicate feminine fingers traced the muscles in his biceps. Those fingers drifted higher, brushing across his shoulder, then began to explore his pectoral muscles. For once he wasn't flanked by lithe young women and when he opened his eyes he saw a pair of lusty dark-blue orbs staring enraptured at his body.