Three Square Meals Ch. 096

"Hey Leprechaun!" the engineer called out to him, a broad smile on his face. "You were right, you canny Irish bastard! Your Claymore's Gauss Cannon was two degrees out of alignment!"

"Yeah, I know," Murphy muttered, turning and walking towards the gantry.

The engineer's face fell and he frowned. "I thought you'd be pleased..."

Murphy froze and glared at the man. "Pleased Garv? That I've been forced to compensate for your fuck-up for the last several days? Yeah, I'm ecstatic..."

"Hey, wait a minute!" Garvy protested. "That's not fair!"

"No, it isn't," Murphy snapped. "Why am I the only one who seems to give a shit if my Claymore is spaceworthy or not?!"

The engineer looked shocked and he turned away. "I'm sorry, Sir. I'll get it fixed before tomorrow."

Murphy didn't bother to reply and stalked across the platform to the maintenance gantry. The metal made a satisfying clang as he stomped up the steps, his mind racing as he tried to think of ways to make his wingmen appreciate just how lethal space combat could be. He was so wrapped up in his thoughts, he nearly walked right into the man in a flight suit waiting for him at the top of the gantry.

"Could I have a word, Leprechaun," Binary said, holding out a hand to stop him.

Murphy heaved a sigh. "I'm tired, Binary. Can't it wait?"

"No, I don't think it can," his old wingman replied, turning and looking at the four exhausted rookies who were staggering back to the barracks. "You're riding them too hard, Murphy."

Murphy narrowed his eyes in anger. "No I'm not! We didn't train hard enough last time... Romeo, Snakebite, Angel... they'd all still be alive if we had!"

Binary shook his head. "You don't know that, Murphy. It was a desperate situation and we were heavily outnumbered. We only survived because the Lionesses showed up."

"So the next time we get in a fight, we pray the Lionesses come along and save the fucking day?!" Murphy snorted, pushing his way past the other officer. "I haven't got time for this, I'm going to bed. I've got a long day of training tomorrow."

"You're going to burn out, Ryan," Binary warned him. "I can see how much stress you're putting yourself under."

Murphy stormed off and snapped over his shoulder, "I'm not going to let my wing down again!"

Binary turned and watched him leave, then called out, "It wasn't your fault! You can't blame yourself!"

Waving him away, Murphy kept on walking.

"You didn't let us down..." Binary murmured sadly, filled with grief for his fallen comrades.

***

Kali let out a disbelieving laugh as she flopped back on the bed in John's arms, her lithe young body glistening with perspiration. "I'm starting to wonder what I was worried about!" she gasped, panting for breath as she recovered from her powerful orgasm.

"There's no rush, beautiful," John said, brushing a strand of hair away from her face. "As soon as you're ready, just let me know. Although, it does mean I'll need to spend another whole day ravishing you first, just to make sure you don't have any doubts..."

She giggled and gave him a passionate kiss. "I'm going to miss you so much..."

"Likewise," he agreed, flexing his cock and drawing a delicious moan from her.

Kali twisted around to one side and grinned at their audience gathered at the foot of the bed. "I think you've kept Tsarra waiting long enough, don't you?"

John gave her a final kiss, then slowly pulled out of her snug passage with considerable reluctance. He turned and glanced down the bed, then smiled at the sight waiting for him. All the girls were there, naked and clearly very aroused, having watched him pleasuring Kali for the last half-hour. They sank to their knees, giving him an incredible view of the fourteen women arrayed before him, four of them now pregnant and the rest ready to join them in a matter of months. Tsarra was at their forefront, sitting directly in front of him, with Edraele and Alyssa kneeling beside her.

He smiled at Tsarra as she shuffled closer. "Are you ready?"

She nodded, then reached out with a warm hand to grasp his shaft. "You're close, aren't you? You must be aching for relief..."

Without waiting for a response, she tilted forward, welcoming his throbbing length into her mouth then down her constricting throat.

Kali clambered over the bed and hugged him from behind, resting her chin on his shoulder. "This view is amazing!" she gasped, staring out at John's inner circle of loving girls. "Should I join them too?"

He turned his head to give her a peck on the cheek. "You stay right where you are, honey."

Kali rubbed her pliant breasts against his back then kissed his shoulder. "Okay!"

Alyssa and Edraele moved closer, putting their arms around the prostrate Maliri. Tsarra moved with a steady rhythm, remembering everything Alyssa had taught her, throat bobbing so that her muscles gripped his shaft as she did her best to bring him off

"You'll go into a daze with the first swallow," Alyssa reminded her. "Just shake it off..."

Edraele hugged her closer. "Bonding with you will be wonderful, Tsarra. I can hardly wait!"

John met Tsarra's gaze as she bobbed in his lap. "Nearly there, beautiful..."

"Can I feel you feeding her?!" Kali gasped, eyes locked on his cock, his girth stretching Tsarra's soft mouth wide open.

John just about managed to nod as he came, "Now!"

As Tsarra pulled back so that just his head was in her mouth, Kali snaked her arm around John, circling half his shaft with her dainty hand. His first blast of cum shot straight down Tsarra's throat as he pulled back and her eyes glazed over as she swallowed. She had just started to go into the suckling trance when her eyes blinked rapidly and she roused herself from the effects of his cum. Glancing up at John, her mouth twitched into a smile as she watched his face twisted with pleasure.

"Such a good girl," Alyssa murmured, joining Edraele in sliding a hand down between Tsarra's parted thighs. The blonde gently rubbed her clit while Edraele eased a couple of fingers into her pussy. "Cum with him..."

Tsarra shook as she did exactly that, her mouth sliding down his length and bumping into Kali's fingers.

"I can feel you pulsing as you feed her," Kali whispered to John in awe. "It's so strong and there's so much..."

John was vaguely aware of her words, but his attention was squarely on Tsarra as he pumped his cum into the mother of his first child, making her strong and healthy. After a long blissful climax, he sagged back in Kali's arms, who hugged him while murmuring loving words in his ear. It took a little while for everyone to recover and by the time John had roused himself from his post-orgasmic high, his Matriarchs were helping Tsarra to her feet. He kissed her hugely rounded tummy and shared an intimate smile with her, before she reluctantly pulled on her dress, the long garment stretching over her impressive curves.

"Do you really have to go?" Kali asked softly, squeezing him tighter as though never planning on letting him leave.

"I'd stay here with you girls forever if I could," John replied reaching back to stroke her head. "But we need to get the shield tech off the Brimorians. The sooner we can get hold of that, the sooner Dana can start improving it and..."

"You can roll it out to all the Maliri ships," Kali finished for him. She sighed and nuzzled into him. "I remember, but I still don't want you to leave..."

Valani and Nyrelle joined them on the bed, while Leena hugged Tsarra from behind, running her hands over the Perfaren Matriarch's swollen belly.

"He'll be back in just a few weeks," Valani said supportively, putting her arm around Kali. "The time will pass before you know it!"

Nyrelle nodded, leaning in and kissing John on the cheek. "He's got lots of very good reasons for coming back as soon as he can." She lowered her voice to a breathy whisper. "Or should I say lots of very naughty reasons..."

John put his arm around her and fondled her firm rump, squeezing each cheek and drawing a quiet moan from the lusty girl. "Valani's right, it won't be long. Until then, I want you ladies to take really good care of each other and Edraele. I'm relying on you to keep the Protectorate running smoothly."

"We promise," Tsarra said earnestly, accompanied by nods from Edraele and the rest of the Young Matriarchs.

He smiled at them affectionately and beckoned them in for a group hug. As he was surrounded by emotional Maliri, John looked at the rest of the girls watching them and grinned. "Yeah, all of you too..."

There was no way he could hug that many women at once, so they reached out to make contact with him instead. He felt a shiver run down his spine at that contact, suddenly feeling part of something much bigger, as they all touched simultaneously for the first time.

Seeing the startled looks on the beautiful faces surrounding him, he asked, "So it wasn't just me who felt that?"

The girls shook their heads, glancing around at each other in surprise.

"We're all your mates," Jade said softly, a tender look in her emerald eyes. "You're connected to each of us in many ways..."

"I am," John agreed, clasping her hand when her cool fingers sought out his. He looked around at the group and continued, "I want to thank all of you for these last couple of days. It felt like being on vacation, but I know it wasn't a fleeting thing. This was like a glimpse into our future, and it was one I loved very much..."

"Watching you fuck these girls senseless was awesome, but it was torture not being stuffed full of your cock afterwards!" Dana exclaimed with a mock pout. "Next time we need lots more orgies!"

He smiled and nodded. "Very true."

"We were just thinking of your health, John," Edraele said, with a twinkle in her eyes. "Do you think you could have survived all of us at once?"

"It's something I aim to find out," he replied, then laughed as the Young Matriarchs hugged him tighter.

The group hug separated then, as everyone starting saying their goodbyes to one another. Pairing off the Young Matriarchs with the Terran girls had brought the two groups much closer together and John nodded his appreciation to Alyssa as she gave Tsarra a farewell hug. After saying goodbye to Luna and the Young Matriarchs, John finally reached Edraele, who was embracing both her daughters. He waited patiently for them to finish, not wanting to intrude on their moment together.

Edraele glanced his way, an alluring smile on her face. "Come and join us, John."

Irillith and Tashana beckoned him over and he joined the twins and their mother in a four-way hug. As two sets of violet eyes and one set of purple gazed at him, he couldn't help marvelling at the likeness between Edraele and her two daughters, all three of them exquisitely beautiful women.

"The last couple of days have been fascinating," Irillith said, a teasing note in her voice. "You seem to really enjoy making Maliri girls pregnant, John."

"We've spoken about it at length," Tashana said, her eyes sparkling as they darted to her mother and sister before returning to him. "We're very curious to know if our children will all look alike..."

"I can't wait to find out," John said honestly, looking into each of their eyes in turn.

Edraele stepped closer, her arms around her daughters as she said softly, "I can still remember how wonderful it felt carrying the two of you. I long to experience that sensation again and I know you're going to adore feeling it too."

The three Valaden women leaned into him, the twins at his flanks, while Edraele crossed her wrists behind his neck. He could feel Irillith and Tashana stroking his back as he enjoyed a long loving kiss with their mother.

"You know how much I'm going to miss you," John said to his Maliri Matriarch.

She caressed his temple and smiled. "I'll be in your thoughts."

John felt a hand on his shoulder and Alyssa hugged him from behind. "We'll be back in a couple of weeks, the time will fly by," she said, kissing him on the cheek. "Tsarra's got something for you, come and see..."

The Valaden women obviously knew what she was referring to and they grinned as they pulled away from the hug. John turned around and saw that the rest of the girls had fanned out into a semi-circle around them, with the House Perfaren Matriarch at the centre.

"I wanted to give you a gift," Tsarra said, a self-conscious smile on her lovely face as she held out a small device in her hand.

John accepted the tiny black object and looked at it in fascination. "What is it?"

"A holo-projector; just press that button," she replied, pointing to a tiny raised nodule on the side of the device.

He did so and an image sprung to life in front of his eyes, taking his breath away. It was a picture of a grassy plain, with an outcropping of rock jutting up into a small plateau. Standing tall on that raised platform was a stylised painting of a lion, his bearing regal and proud as he gazed out over his pride of lionesses. The female lions were the same colour as the gems in the girls' engagement rings, making each distinctive and easily identifiable. He looked at each lioness in turn, astonished at the detail and intricacy of her work. Somehow Tsarra had managed to capture the spirit of each girl in her feline counterpart.

"Do you like it?" Tsarra asked, holding her breath.

"It's incredible!" he replied, shaking his head in amazement. "I can't believe you did all this in just a couple of days!"

"Thank you," she replied, blushing at his praise. "Before I became the matriarch of House Perfaren, I used to be an artist. This is the first piece I've done since I took up that role."

"You're very talented... would you show me the rest of your work sometime?" he asked, studying the pride of lions again.

"I'd love to!" she replied with a happy sigh.

John hesitated for a second, then frowned as he gestured towards the lionesses, "I hate to point it out, but I can't see Edraele in this picture..."

Tsarra flashed a smile at the House Valaden Matriarch. "Actually, that wasn't a mistake, it was quite deliberate." She handed him a second holo-projector. "Edraele and I thought she would be better represented here..."

There was a hushed quiet as he deactivated the first picture, then accepted the second holo-projector. Holding it in the palm of his hand, he activated the device and another dazzling painting blazed into life before him. This one showed a noble stallion galloping with his herd of nine beautiful mares, each sky-blue horse tossing their white manes in joy as they galloped beside him. He could see they each had different coloured eyes, identifying them as Edraele, her three bodyguards, and the five Young Matriarchs.

John gazed at the picture in wonder, then chuckled as he realised why she'd chosen that particular animal to represent the Maliri. He wrapped Tsarra up in a hug and exclaimed, "I love it! My sexy, talented broodmare!"

She laughed and hugged him back. "There's plenty of room in both pictures; I'll be more than happy to include new additions to the herd or pride..."

"That's good to know," Alyssa purred, slipping her arms around them both.

John glanced at the blonde and she nodded, letting him know that it was time. They all headed down to the airlock, the golden corridor of the Andresil Enkana visible beyond the open portal. After one final hug, the Maliri crossed over to their battleship, then turned and waved goodbye. John smiled when he saw Luna slip her hand into Edraele's, the former assassin's firm nod letting him know that she'd do everything in her power to protect her Queen.

The Invictus' airlock door spiralled shut at the same time as the crystal airlock door of the Andresil Enkana swung down into place. Then the ships separated and pulled away, the docking tube retracting into the battleship as it made its way towards the edge of the system. The two ships were now travelling in opposite directions, with the Maliri beginning their six-day journey back to Genthalas, while the Invictus headed towards the border with the Brimorian Enclave.

"I've plotted a course to Brimor," Alyssa said, slipping her arm around his waist. "Faye's taking us to the jump point, we should arrive at eight-thirteen tomorrow morning."

John turned and looked at his crew, feeling a surge of gratitude towards them all. "Thank you for making such an effort with the Maliri, I really appreciated it and I know they did too."

Calara walked over to him and gave him a tender kiss on the cheek. "Leena was such a sweet girl and so smitten with you; it was an absolute pleasure to get to know her better."

Jade hadn't stopped smiling after watching him with Nyrelle earlier that morning. "Seeing you breed the Maliri was thrilling! I can only imagine how exciting it'll be to watch you with these girls, knowing how much you love them."

John nodded and glanced around at his crew, making eye contact with each in turn. "I intend to show each of you just how much I'm looking forward to it."

There was a sudden frisson in the air, the atmosphere in the corridor electrifying.

He slowly exhaled to diffuse the sexual tension. "But first things first... It's ten o'clock, so we'll have a quick catch up on what you've each been doing over the past couple of days. After that, I want to go over our plans again for tonight."

Tashana shared a meaningful glance with Alyssa. "We've been discussing it and I had a few more ideas."

"That's great! I want to hear all about them," John said, looking pleased. He glanced around at the girls and continued, "Has anyone changed their mind? Are we still agreed this is the most sensible option?"

Sakura's expression was grim. "I'm not sure I'd describe it as sensible, but I think it's the only option we really have."

"So do I," John said decisively. "If those bastards want a fight, then we'll give them one."

"When they pull us into the Astral Sub-Plane again, we're going to be the shittiest houseguests ever!" Alyssa said with a wicked grin. "It's time we got some payback..."

***

The cloaked shuttle had left Terra several hours earlier, making slow but undetectable progress across space. It approached the biggest planet in the Sol system - a gas giant notable for its raging storms and great red spot - then made a number of course corrections to take it towards what had once been Jupiter's largest moon.

The largest that is, until the Ganymede incident...

Centuries earlier, Mael'nerak's Nexus server had been discovered on Terra's moon. Federation scientists had laboured for decades, attempting to reverse engineer that radically advanced AI, but their skills were pitifully inadequate to the task. They created a psychotic rogue AI that was determined to extinguish all Terran life.

After slaughtering all organic life on Ganymede with its pitiless metallic minions, the Nexus variant had begun manufacturing a vast robotic fleet, causing mayhem and wide-scale destruction before it was finally obliterated. In a desperate gambit, the Terran Federation threw every available ship at the AI, crippling its defensive fleet then bombarding Ganymede itself. After the deaths of billions, High Command was in no mood to take any chances and after days of relentless orbital barrages, the moon was rent asunder, fracturing into millions of huge asteroids.

Ganymede's broken husk had been quarantined after that, a stricture rigidly enforced by the Terran Military. No one with the slightest modicum of sense was willing to risk any part of that AI being retrieved, so approaching ships were interdicted and forcibly removed from the location. Thus Ganymede's remains had lain undisturbed for many centuries, a mausoleum for the millions butchered on the shattered moon...

... And the ideal location for sinister shadow-operations, the kind that were never intended to be brought under the harsh glare of the public spotlight.