Three Square Meals Ch. 103

"Do a great job as Fleet Admiral and I'll consider us even," he replied with a grin.

Lynette laughed and nodded. "I promise, I'll do my best." She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, her chest rising as she filled her lungs to capacity. Her eyes flew open again and she beamed a broad smile at him. "My God, what did you do to me? I haven't felt this good in years!"

He folded his arms across his chest and leaned against one of the hospital beds. "After I healed you, I started enhancing your body. I won't be able to give you superhuman levels of strength, agility, and endurance in the short time we have available, but you'll probably be in the best shape of your life by the time I'm finished."

She nodded her understanding, then looked down at her hands, her eyes widening in surprise. She closely examined her palms, before gently stroking them with her fingertips, her expression reflecting her astonishment. "My skin's so clear and feels so soft... It's been so long since my hands looked or felt like this!" Lifting her gaze to him, she hesitated for a second, before asking, "I know I'm being vain, but could I have a mirror please?"

John smiled and shook his head. "I'd prefer it if you waited until you can see the end result."

Lynette looked like she was going to argue for a moment, then returned his smile and nodded. "Alright, I suppose I can wait a few days." She stopped to study him for a long moment, the sharp intelligence quite clear behind those perceptive eyes.

"Penny for your thoughts?" he asked, intrigued by the mix of emotions he could see flashing across her face.

She met his curious gaze, but hesitated before she replied, appearing a little startled. "I just realised how deep the changes go... I'm finally starting to understand how Gabrielle could fall so deeply under the other Progenitor's sway."

John frowned and shook his head. "No, we're not the same, I promise! You still have your free will and you're not my Thrall. If you've changed your mind about continuing with this, then you can just walk away, I won't do anything to stop you."

Shaking her head, Lynette stepped closer and said softly, "The fear I felt towards you... it's all gone. I feel comfortable around you now and I know I can trust you with my life; that you'd never do anything to hurt me."

He placed his hands on her hips, halting her as she approached. Their eyes met as he touched her and he saw her pupils flare with arousal. "I take it your... apprehension... about me feeding you personally has changed too?"

Lynette blushed, but didn't look away, a flirtatious twinkle appearing in her eyes that he hadn't seen before. "I seem to have had a sudden change of heart..."

John went quiet, troubled by her frank admission. "I'm not sure that's the best way to proceed, Lynette."

She abruptly turned away from him, hugging herself self-consciously. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable. I know I look nothing like your Lionesses..."

He sighed and slowly turned her back so that she was facing him again. "That's not it, Lynette, honestly."

"What then?" she asked, the older woman trying to hide her vulnerability.

John held her hands and stroked them gently. "Fourteen hours ago, you told me that you were scared of me. You accepted my offer to heal and change you but asked me to use Jade as a proxy." He brushed his thumbs over the back of her hands. "I respect you, Lynette. You're a courageous woman, who's made a lot of personal sacrifices to get where you are today. I don't want to feel like I'm abusing that trust you placed in me, by making things more intimate between us, when it wasn't what you originally wanted."

Her gaze softened as she realised his reasoning had nothing to do with her physical appearance. "But I'm definitely not scared of you now," she said, giving him a shy smile. "As long as you're willing, I don't think we need Jade to act as an intermediary..."

"But that's because I've started changing your personality," John persisted, frowning at the thought. "I've had this kind of ethical discussion with the girls before and I know your original intent was to keep things platonic between us. I swear to you that I didn't consciously tamper with your mind; all I've focused on is rejuvenating your body."

Lynette looked at him with sympathy, reaching up to cup his face in her hand. "This really troubles you, doesn't it? I can see how much you hate the idea of abusing my trust."

"My kind are cruel monsters, Lynette," John said, his face a mask of self-loathing. "We turn women into mindlessly obedient soldiers, sex slaves, and breeding stock. I've done everything I can to try to undo all that, so that the women I'm with can get all the benefits without any of the drawbacks." He looked at her with regret. "It looks like I've still only been partially successful."

She laughed, taking him by surprise. "Let's not blow things out of proportion," she said, that playful twinkle in her eyes back again. "If you'll excuse the pun."

"You're excused," he said, giving her a tentative smile in return.

It was her turn to hold his hands, stroking them soothingly. "I'm open to being more intimate, but I wasn't suggesting we declare our undying love for one another. In the spirit of honesty, I've always thought you were a handsome man, and I'm very grateful for everything you've done for me... that you're continuing to do." She gave him a reassuring smile. "The last thing I want to do is make you feel uncomfortable. I'm still eager to continue the change, especially after seeing what you've accomplished so far."

John brushed his fingers through her long brown tresses, noticing that there were now only a handful of grey hairs streaking through. "Please don't feel like this is a rejection. I'm just trying to do the right thing by you."

Lynette leaned into his hand and gave him a warm smile. "I understand now and I appreciate your concern. I think it's admirable that you put so much thought into the ethical implications of your actions; it gives me a greater insight into the kind of man you really are."

"So we keep things as they are?" John asked cautiously, concerned about upsetting her.

She nodded, accepting the decision. "What happens now?"

"Well, despite everything we've just discussed, I need you full of my cum to fuel the change." They made eye contact again and shared a smile. "I'll keep topping you up over the next couple of days, which will maintain my psychic connection with you, letting me rejuvenate and enhance your body."

"I certainly don't have a problem with that," she replied, a hand slipping inside her robe to lightly caress her stomach in an unconscious gesture.

He pushed off from the hospital bed, standing straight again. "I'll send Faye back in to keep you company while I meet with Jade. She'll be along after... well, you know."

"I do, I've seen you two in action, remember?" Lynette said with a grin.

John nodded, then paused before leaving. "Any regrets? It's the third time that's the significant one, so you can still change your mind."

She stroked his arm and gave him a grateful smile. "So far, you've done everything you promised. Even though I'm still struggling to believe it's possible, I can see you were telling the truth about what you can do to my body, healing me and making me young again. You've also been very kind and considerate every step of the way, so no, I don't have any regrets."

"I'm very glad to hear it," he said, returning her smile.

The door opened and Faye walked in, greeting them both with a wave. John took that as his cue to leave and headed back up to Deck Two, where he found Jade waiting patiently by the door to her quarters. She grinned at him, then opened the door and slipped inside, her invitation quite obvious. He hadn't requested Jade's assistance, but he knew he didn't have to, as the Nymph had been listening to his thoughts and heard every word of his conversation with Lynette. John followed her into the Spartan quarters, only for Jade to ambush him inside, moulding her spectacular nude body against his.

"I haven't properly thanked you yet," she purred, the vertical slits of her cat-like eyes widening into dark saucers with her arousal.

John hit the button to close the door behind him, then picked her up, her strong thighs gripping him around the waist as he held her in his arms. "And what are you thanking me for, my wonderful little Nymph?"

Her eyes softened and she started kissing him along his jawline, using only the lightest of feathery touches. "Rescuing me, breaking my limitations, helping me grow into the woman I am today, and all the events you set in motion that ended up with me reuniting with my sisters. I owe you more than one person can ever hope to repay another..."

"That's true," he agreed, walking over to the bed and carefully placing her on it. "And I intend to collect on all of it today..."

"You do?" she asked softly, helping him remove his clothes with deft movements of her nimble fingers.

When he was naked he joined her on the bed, lifting her and repositioning her in the centre. "You're going to make love to me and put your heart and soul into it," he told her firmly. "I want to feel the love from every fibre of your being."

Jade was already more than ready for him and she let out a long moan of bliss as he slid his cock all the way into her glistening depths. "Who am I to deny my Master?" she cooed, wrapping her arms and legs around him in a loving embrace.

They began to kiss and John could immediately feel the difference. Jade put her crystal heart and liberated soul into it, just as he'd asked, showing her commitment to him with every kiss and undulation of her perfect body.

*Such a good girl,* he praised her, kissing her passionately as he felt her tremble with delight at his earnest praise.

***

John awoke several hours later to the sound of bright clear singing, the sweet melody bringing a smile to his face. Faye's wake-up call reminded him of a lark, the sprite matching all the joy those songbirds put into the dawn chorus. This morning serenade wasn't just for him, as the whole crew had plenty of tasks to complete that would keep them busy for the rest of the day.

He had returned to the main bedroom after being with Jade in the early hours of the morning. What had started as just a playful excuse to make love to her, developed into so much more, and John had never felt closer to Jade than during that beautifully sensuous coupling. She was in his arms once again, having returned to his side after feeding Lynette, and was now sharing him with Helene who was draped over his other flank.

Both girls began to stir as they heard Faye's glorious song, and he greeted them with a smile. "Good morning, ladies."

"Good morning, John," all the girls on the bed echoed back, making him laugh. He heard Jade's four sisters respond with, "Good morning, Master," instead, and he sat up and blew them a kiss, making them swoon.

"Hey, handsome," Alyssa said, hugging him from behind and leaning over his shoulder to give him a kiss on the cheek. "I'll come with you to visit Lynette; I'm planning to stick with her like a limpet for the next few days. With a bit of luck, I might be able to bond with her before we leave Olympus."

He looked at her in surprise. "I thought to bond with a girl you normally..."

"Fuck her brains out?" the blonde finished for him, flashing him a mischievous grin. "Bedding the Fleet Admiral could be kinda hot... I wonder if Lynette's a screamer?"

He shook his head with amusement. "I can't even tell if you're joking."

Alyssa laughed and winked at him, obviously not planning to elaborate.

Dana clambered over the bed to join him, a beaming smile on her face. "I checked out that destroyer last night! Want to hear what I found out, or wait until later?"

He glanced at the ship's chronometer and saw that it had just turned 8:00 am, which meant they still had half-an-hour until Lynette woke from her second feeding. "I don't think I can wait," he said, returning her eager smile.

The girls settled into a rather cramped semi-circle, with everyone getting cosy to make sure they had room to all sit on the bed. John relaxed against the headboard as Dana glanced at Faye and asked her to display a profile view of the Tormentor-class destroyer.

The redhead waved a hand at the holographic projection. "Alright, I might as well cut to the chase. It wasn't thralls that built that destroyer, it was Nexus... or at least the original Nexus from the Ganymede incident." She pouted, looking disappointed as she continued, "I took a tour of the ship and didn't see anything that triggered any memories of cool new Progenitor tech."

"That's a shame," John commiserated, sharing her disappointment. "After you recognised the ship class as a Thrall vessel, I was sure you'd find something interesting."

"All the interior is wrong," Dana said with an exasperated sigh. "I reckon the AI must have recorded images of Mael'nerak's fleet in orbit around the moon and copied the external ship design. Nexus didn't have access to Progenitor schematics to make a proper reproduction, so just used shitty Terran tech instead to fill in the gaps. The interior was also recently gutted and rebuilt, adding corridors and a Bridge, all that kind of stuff. If the original ship was an AI controlled vessel, it probably wasn't designed to carry a crew, so Buckingham's lot must have modified it."

"What about the Gauss Cannons?" Calara asked, remembering the weapons Alyssa had ripped off the hull.

"They were a new addition, but there wasn't anything special about them," Dana replied, wrinkling her nose in distaste. "Although, the destroyer does have a lot of hard points, far more than normal. A regular Terran destroyer usually only has enough for two Beam Lasers and six Laser Cannons."

"How many hard points are there on the Thrall ship?" John asked, turning back to the redhead.

Dana winced. "It's got twelve decent-sized turret mounts and twenty smaller ones for a defence grid. Federation Power Cores aren't strong enough to fill all those hard points with energy weapons, the power drain would've been much too high. That's probably why the ship was configured with Gauss Cannons instead."

Calara had been listening attentively, her expression growing steadily grimmer. "Based on the damage sustained by those wrecks we saw in Vulkat territory, whatever energy weapons the Thralls are using are at least as strong as our Photon Lasers."

"So a Thrall destroyer would pose a real threat to the Invictus..." John speculated, his concern obvious to all.

The Latina paused to consider it, then gave him a tentative nod. "That's a reasonable assumption. If we're correct, I dread to think what a Thrall cruiser would be like, let alone a battleship."

Dana now looked as stony-faced as the Latina. "We'll be in deep shit going up against fleets of ships packing that much firepower."

"This might be stating the obvious," John said quietly. "But we desperately need Progenitor defensive tech, be it armour, shields, or whatever else they're using on those black ships. Parts of the Legacy managed to survive an explosion that devastated an entire solar system; something that resilient would be able to weather the storm against Thrall weapons."

Giving him a helpless shrug, Dana said, "I'm trying, but no luck so far. I've programmed the Mass Fabricators to churn out all the bits we need to repair the Invictus, so if Faye can put them together with the maintenance bots, that'll free me up to work on research instead."

"Sure, I can do that!" the sprite enthusiastically replied. "My boys spent the night replacing armour plating and they've started constructing the first replacement engine this morning."

"Fantastic, thanks!" Dana said, darting a grateful look at her eager friend. "In that case, I'll start looking into the composition of that black metal on the Legacy. Unless you guys need me to start working on that psychic communication device first?"

John and Calara shared a look, trying to gauge which was the highest priority.

"The comms device?" the Latina suggested.

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking too," John replied, nodding his agreement. "We need secure communications between our allies, especially for transmitting things like new schematics."

"No problem," Dana replied, appearing lost in thought. "I've been tossing around a few ideas for that one... I'll finish the holo-projectors for Lynette this morning, then get started on research immediately afterwards."

"Any progress on translating the Vulkat archives?" John asked, raising an eyebrow as he turned to face Irillith.

"I've only spent a few hours investigating it so far," the Maliri hacker replied, sounding cautious. "The Vulkat language is unlike anything I've seen before, so to give you fair warning, converting it will be time consuming."

"I'll help," Tashana volunteered. "I've had a lot of exposure to obscure dialects in the Unclaimed Wastes. Some of that experience might come in useful."

Irillith gave her a rueful smile. "Unfortunately, I need to find a way of decoding the programming language they used for their archives first. Once that's done, then I could really use your help on translating the actual text."

Tashana nodded, her angular violet eyes flicking to the tawny-haired brunette sitting opposite. "In that case, I'll continue acting as Rachel's bodyguard. I assume you'll be heading out into Olympus again, Angel of Terra?"

Rachel laughed self-consciously. "I hope that nickname doesn't stick." She glanced at John and continued, "I would like to continue healing the wounded though, unless you have any objections?"

John hesitated for a moment, sharing a glance with Alyssa, before focusing on Rachel again. "Go ahead, but don't wear yourself out. I've got plans for tonight and I need everyone on top form... all of you will probably have to sleep beforehand to make sure you're fully rested."

"We're preparing for the trip into the Astral plane?" Sakura asked, voicing the question on everyone's mind.

John nodded, his eyes sweeping over Jehanna, Helene, and the four Nymphs. "I'm planning to add all the new girls today, so we need to prepare for a battle tonight. I won't be able to rest beforehand, so I'll try to avoid using any powers during the day... I want as much energy available as possible."

"Sounds like a convenient excuse to get out of armour shaping to me," Alyssa said, nudging him with an elbow.

"Damn, you saw through my elaborate plan," he said with a smile, but it quickly faded as he glanced around the group. "If any of you have any ideas for how we proceed tonight, I'm open to suggestions. We fought back hard last time, but we still barely made it out of there alive."

An ominous silence fell in the bedroom, the girls darting hopeful glances at one another, until it was finally broken by Alyssa. "I actually have thought of something, but I've no idea if it'll work," she said cautiously. "I'm still working out the details with Athena."

"Are you going to give us any hints, or do you want to keep us in suspense until later?" John asked with a wry smile, guessing he already knew the answer to that one.

Alyssa smirked as she listened to his thoughts. "No, I'll share. I'm planning to create my own Astral Sub-plane."

John's jaw fell open in shock. "You're going to do what?!"

"Mael'nerak did it, there's no reason I can't too," she replied, a steely look of determination in her cerulean eyes. "I'm sick and tired of being jerked around by that motherfucker. If we're going to keep getting pulled into the Astral plane, I want us fighting on a home-ground advantage... where I create the rules."

"I wouldn't even know where to start," John admitted, marvelling at her ambition. "You really think you can do this?"