Three Square Meals Ch. 105

Alyssa slid off the bed and held out her hand for him. "Come on, we'll fill you in."

John followed her into the bathroom with Jade beside him, then stood with his arms around them both as the hot water cascaded down. His muscles were tired after having sex with five girls without a break, so Jade and Alyssa began to wash him, massaging away his aches and pains.

Jade spoke up first, her eyes focusing on his shoulders as her dark-green hands caressed the contours of his body. "After we fed them, I saw my sisters in my mind, each one appearing as a beautiful portrait. Their images were like mosaics made up of tiny stones, the Nymphs kneeling beside you and looking at you in wonder."

"I saw the exact same thing when we recruited Jade," Alyssa said softly, smiling at her friend. "It looks like you've joined the exclusive club of John's matriarchs, congratulations!"

*It's already been a delight listening to your thoughts, Jade,* Edraele greeted the Nymph, her tone warm and welcoming. *I'm glad John decided to make it official.*

*Thank you both so much!* Jade turned back to face John and slowly shook her head, an almost incredulous look in her eyes. "Me, a matriarch, I never would have believed it... I still can't believe it's true."

John smiled at her, pleased that they'd discussed this possibility beforehand. "As I said before, I think you'll be perfect for this. You're kind and caring, and you've already experienced everything the Nymphs have in store for them." He cupped her head in his left hand and rubbed his thumb across her temple. "You knew that Marika was happy... I take it you can feel their emotions?"

She nodded, her smile widening. "After having sex with their new master for the first time, then finding out that you can get them pregnant, it's probably not surprising that they're all ecstatic."

"They've suffered enough in the past," he said, his tone filled with sympathy. "Let's try and keep them feeling that happy."

"I'll do my best," Jade said earnestly, receiving a kiss from John as a reward.

He glanced at Alyssa next. "You mentioned something about a rush when the Nymphs joined... was that like the power surge that Edraele experienced after I was with the Young Matriarchs?"

"Yeah, exactly," she replied, putting an arm around Jade and hugging her. "They're powerful psychics, John. The extra bandwidth from them joining us will make a huge difference, especially if they grow as strong as Jade."

"Wait a second," John said, looking at her in confusion. "Why did you feel that and not Jade?"

Alyssa frowned as she thought about it, her eyes glazing over. "I can still see Jade in my mind, so I'm still connected to her. Maybe I'm in charge of energy management for the Nymphs, but I just draw it all through Jade?"

He closed his eyes then focused on the images of all the girls connected to him in his mind. There were now three portraits directly connected to him: Edraele with all her Maliri, Alyssa with all the girls on the Invictus, and Jade who was linked to her four sisters. The connecting lines from Jade were dazzling in their intensity, but that energy was all diverted via Alyssa rather than coming straight to him.

"Looks that way," he confirmed a few seconds later.

"I guess it doesn't really matter," Alyssa said with a shrug. "I've been handling energy management for most of the girls for months, I can easily handle loads more." Her playful wink made it quite clear what she was hoping for.

He chuckled and did his best to stop himself from rolling his eyes at her, but the blonde's smirk let him know she'd heard his every thought.

John's expression turned serious again, and he cupped Alyssa's head in his right hand, looking into her eyes before turning to do the same with Jade. "Alright, so we've discussed the interesting but harmless stuff. What's really bothering you two... three, I should say, because I know Edraele knows about it too."

*I do,* she confirmed a moment later. Alyssa and Jade were both tense, looking at him with big eyes and clearly reluctant to reveal more. Edraele realised it was up to her, so she continued in a soft voice, *All three of us felt it... when you entered the Nymphs for the first time.*

*You could feel me having sex with them?* he asked in confusion.

*No, John. We felt them make contact with your mind... and you letting them in. They were looking for guidance,* she explained carefully. *It was extremely subtle; I can see why Alyssa missed it with Jade that first time around, but we're all much stronger now.*

*Guidance...* John repeated, at a loss as to why the girls were being so cagey with him. *But I already showed them the form I wanted them to take, so that they could be my 'perfect woman'.*

*Their physical appearance, yes,* Edraele said, her voice sympathetic. *But they wanted to know what personality you'd chosen for them too.*

His mouth fell open in shock, then he blurted out loud, "So I just picked a bunch of different personalities for them and that's it... that's who they are now?!"

"We wouldn't be your idea of a perfect woman if you didn't actually like us," Jade said with a sad smile.

His gaze snapped to the Nymph, his expression of disbelief turning to horror. "Oh, Jade... not you too..."

"Confident, fun, warm, friendly, caring, bisexual, submissive, not jealous, honest, open, compliant, appreciative, and eager to please. Do you remember? You told us what you liked months ago... and that's me," she whispered, a conflicted look in her eyes.

"I shaped your entire personality..." he whispered, unable to believe what he was hearing, but instinctively knowing it was true.

"Is anything really me, John?" she murmured, resting her head against his chest. "I was so proud that I'd grown beyond my limitations... but was any of that true?"

He rubbed his hand over his face, trying to gather his shattered thoughts. "Yes!" he suddenly gasped, desperate to find something to give her hope. "The shapeshifting... the way you protected Calara on Gravitus and the way you've protected all the girls since then! I had no idea you could do any of that; I didn't even want you anywhere near combat, but you stepped up every time we needed you!"

Jade brightened, a cautious smile on her face. "That's true... I'll never let anyone hurt your mates if I can help prevent it. Growing those claws on Gravitus, then shapeshifting into a tiger to fight the Drakkar... I did all that purely by instinct."

"And you're obsessed with me getting every girl we meet pregnant!" he exclaimed, on a roll now. "That's not coming from me. I've been trying to cut down on the numbers, so I can be a good father to all my children."

She grinned, a sparkle in her emerald eyes. "I can't help it... the thought of hundreds of Maliri with swelling tummies gets me so excited!"

"Me too," Alyssa said, with a lascivious smile.

*Four down, a billion more to go,* Edraele agreed, a note of satisfaction in her voice.

"You're all as bad as each other," John said with amusement, feeling a surge of relief as the mood lightened. He paused for a moment, lost in his thoughts, then gave Jade a gentle squeeze. "I know you expected me to freak out when you told me this and it has come as a shock... but I'm not sorry it happened."

Jade studied him with a questioning look in her eyes but stayed silent.

"You're perfect, honey," he said, stroking her back. "The Jade I know is a lovely, sweet girl, and I fell head over heels in love with her. I won't ever apologise for that, I can't imagine life without you."

Alyssa turned to smile at the Nymph and kissed her on the cheek. "He's right, you're an absolute sweetheart. We all love you."

Jade hugged them both and let out a happy sigh. "I love you both too." She blushed and traced a finger along John's jawline, "Thank you for the choices you made when we met; I like being me..."

"It really was my pleasure," he replied, catching her hand and kissing her fingers. He hesitated for a moment, a thought springing unbidden into his mind. "So how come your four sisters all have such different natures? If I created their personalities for them, shouldn't they all just be the same as you?"

"Perhaps you've diversified a bit; you're not the same guy you were six months ago," Alyssa suggested, looking thoughtful. "From what we've seen of the Nymphs so far, they seem like lovely girls. It'll be fun getting to know them better."

John blew out his breath and smiled. "So was that everything? No more shocks you ladies want to spring on me?"

"That's all for now," Alyssa replied with a playful smile. Her expression turned serious as she continued, "We actually timed that perfectly. Getting all that extra psychic energy from the Nymphs couldn't have worked out any better."

"Do you feel ready?" he asked, studying her with concern.

She nodded, a look of confidence and determination in her cerulean eyes. "Athena and I have worked out a plan. I'm going to go for it as soon as we're done in the shower... it's time to create my own pocket plane."

***

Calara let out a groan of despair and placed her head in her hands. "This is impossible! How can anyone be expected to make decisions this complicated?!"

Maria stroked her daughter's back and gave her a fond smile. "Callie... you just saved Terra from a Kintark armada, I'm sure you're quite capable of choosing bridesmaid dresses." She turned to look at the holo-catalogue floating in front of the sofa, hundreds of exquisite outfits on display in a bewildering array of pastel colours. "These might be expensive but they're all beautiful..."

The distressed bride shook her head, a wild look in her eyes. "You've seen how many different coloured skin complexions my bridesmaids have! This would be hard enough with all the Terran girls, but green is out because of Jade, they can't wear blue because of the Maliri, Teal would wash out Helene and any shade of purple would look terrible on Faye!" She shuddered and added, "Don't even get me started on colours clashing with their hair!"

Sakura was sitting on the other side of Maria and leaned forward to look at her friend. "I thought the tradition was to make the bridesmaids look as terrible as possible so they don't outshine the bride? You can stick me in anything you like... it's your big day."

Calara smiled at her and shook her head. "I could never do that to you."

Maria put her arm around Sakura and said with a hint of wry amusement, "Actually, I don't think that tradition applies when the groom is already sleeping with all the bridesmaids. I'm sure John will want you all to look stunning."

The Asian girl blushed then gave her a shy smile. "I can't believe how understanding you are about all of us and John."

"If I was single and twenty years younger, I'd be doing whatever it took to convince Alyssa to let me join the Lionesses..." Maria said with a wistful smile.

*How intriguing,* Alyssa purred to her girlfriend. *Perhaps you could ask Maria exactly what she has in mind? Then I could let her know how successful she'd be... *

Calara groaned. "Mom! She heard that!"

Maria's eyes twinkled with mischief. "I know she did, dear. It's not just you and Jack that like blue-eyed blondes..."

Calara shook her head and laughed as she got up. "I'll go and make us another drink while Alyssa has fun tormenting me. Would you like a tea or coffee?"

"Tea please," her mother requested, with a grateful smile.

Sakura shook her head. "No, I'm fine thanks."

When Calara had left the lounge, Maria turned her full attention to her guest. "Sakura, may I ask you a personal question?"

"Of course."

"I've seen you with John and I know how much you love him... all of you do. So why is everyone taking a back-seat at this wedding for Calara?" she asked with concern. "I adore my daughter, but this wedding seems incredibly unfair..."

"Please don't think this was Calara's idea," Sakura quickly replied, her eyes darting towards the door, then back to Maria. "She adamantly rejected the plan at first, until we convinced her that her being his official wife was for the best."

"But why?" Maria asked, brushing her fingers through the young woman's silky black hair. "You're such a lovely girl, Sakura. You deserve to be the centre of attention on your own big day."

Sakura looked away, unable to meet the older woman's sympathetic gaze. "Weddings are all about family. I would have loved a big wedding once... but that time is long gone." She swallowed around the lump in her throat. "It's like that for all of us except Calara, so we just want to be there for her and make her feel special. Please don't say anything to her about it, she feels guilty enough as it is."

Maria wrapped Sakura up in a loving embrace. "I hope my daughter knows just how lucky she is to have friends like you," she said in a voice husky with emotion. "Your parents would have been so proud of you."

The Asian girl began to cry into her shoulder, nodding as she said, "They were... John brought them back to say goodbye."

The older Latina looked down at her in astonishment, but stayed quiet, stroking Sakura's back to comfort her instead. They stayed that way until Calara returned, placing two steaming mugs on the coffee table in front of the sofa.

"Alyssa's going to be starting soon," she said quietly, sitting beside her mother and cuddling into her.

Sakura nodded her understanding and pulled away from the older Latina, giving her a grateful smile. "Thank you, I needed that."

Maria gave her a warm smile. "Any time, angel. Now, why don't you lie down here and have a rest." She patted her thigh to make her invitation quite clear that Sakura should use it as a pillow. "From what you were telling me, you're both going to be worn out after Alyssa has finished."

The Asian girl lay down on the sofa and rested her head on Maria's lap, recalling cherished evenings lying like this with her own mother as they watched holo-movies as a family. She suddenly froze, staring up at the older Latina in shock. "I thought it was just a coincidence you calling me angel! Alyssa must have told you that was my mother's pet name for me!"

Maria nodded and gave her a look filled with sympathy. "She called while you were on your way to Jericho and told me all about your mother. Emiko sounds like she was a lovely woman, I wish I could have met her," she said with a wistful sigh, then met Sakura's shocked stare with concern. "I hope I haven't behaved inappropriately. I meant no disrespect to Emiko, I just wanted to help you relive some loving memories."

Sakura's gaze softened and she shook her head. "I wasn't offended, just surprised. It was a lovely thought."

Maria ran her fingers through Sakura's raven tresses then began to gently stroke her head, watching the young woman close her eyes and relax.

Letting herself be transported back 75 years to happy times on New Eden, Sakura whispered, "Thanks, Mom, that feels nice."

Calara let the tears roll down her cheeks as she watched Sakura's breathing deepen, her friend lulled into sleep by her mother's loving caress. She finally brushed her tears away and kissed Maria on the cheek. "I love you so much, Mom. I'm so lucky to have you."

Maria wiped away her own tears and nodded, hugging her daughter close. "I feel the same way, Callie." She glanced down at Sakura slumbering peacefully on her lap. "These poor girls... the things they've been through..."

Calara was about to reply, but she let out a sharp gasp instead, echoed an instant later by Sakura. Alyssa had thrown their connection wide open, tapping them both for huge amounts of psychic power.

***

John watched Alyssa with concern, his blonde Matriarch sitting cross-legged in the middle of the Observatory. She had her eyes closed and was surrounded by a brilliant nimbus of dazzling white energy, the radiance so bright that it was difficult to look directly at her. The rest of the Invictus crew were gathered around her in a circle, Dana, Rachel, Jade, and the twins immersed in some kind of trance.

"Are they all okay?" Faye asked, bouncing nervously on her toes.

"I hope so, Faye," he replied, forcing himself to relax his clenched grip on the hilt of his sword. Glancing at Helene, Jehanna, and Lynette he frowned and shook his head. "I still think it's a bad idea you three being here. If something goes wrong, I don't want any of you getting hurt."

Lynette didn't back down from his stern gaze, looking back at him defiantly through the clear-crystal of her Paragon helmet. "If you have to start fighting, you'll need us here to pull the girls to safety. We've been over this already."

Jehanna nodded, her expression grim. "We saw the Raptor footage of the portal monster that attacked you on New Eden. You can't fight something like that and protect everyone at the same time."

"We care about the girls, we don't want them to get hurt," Helene said with conviction, placing her armoured gauntlet on his shoulder.

"Okay, point taken," he said, forcing himself to smile, before looking at Alyssa again. *Edraele, have you heard anything yet? Has Alyssa said anything to you?*

*No, John, nothing so far. You know that she would speak to you first anyway,* she replied quietly. *I just wish I was able to transfer my energy to her... I feel so helpless not being to assist in any way.*

*I know, this is torture,* he grumbled, knowing exactly how she was feeling. *I need to keep myself distracted or I'll tie myself up in knots... Can you tell me how the fleet refits at Genthalas are going?*

*As you already know, the second House Valaden fleet departed several days ago on its way to the Ashanath Collective. They will rendezvous tomorrow with the cruisers we diverted from the first fleet, then they should arrive at Ashana in five days' time,* Edraele replied, with a note of satisfaction. *The first House Loraleth fleet has also been completed, but I'm holding it at Genthalas until we've installed the new Brimorian shield generators.*

*How soon until you can build the upgraded versions?* John asked, keeping a close eye on Alyssa.

*We've been busy modifying our existing shield generator manufacturing facilities so that they can produce the new upgraded variants. The first batch off the production line will be for cruiser-class vessels and will be completed later tonight. Production should ramp up quickly, so the first House Loraleth fleet will be fully upgraded in two days' time. Modifying our heat sink fabrication from the first set of Kintark blueprints to their more advanced one was actually a relatively simple process, so we've already started installing those.*

*It sounds like you're making great progress,* John said, pleased to hear how well the refit was proceeding. *Dana actually modified those heat sinks with Crystal Alyssium; perhaps your researchers could try something similar with Maliri crystals?*

*Yes, she's quite the marvel,* Edraele said, the admiration quite clear in her voice. *After I suggested following her approach, my materials scientists were able to make a quick substitution with existing Maliri tech. Our expertise with crystals meant that we were able to see substantial improvements over the Kintark original.*

*Excellent work, well done,* John said, suitably impressed.

*Thank you, My Lord,* she said playfully. *Makaela has also been bringing more of the station online, including 26 new drydock bays. The second House Loraleth fleet should complete its refit in four days, with the first of House Aeberos' and House Naestina's fleets completed three days after that. Our current forecasts predict that we should complete the full upgrade of all House vessels within 23 days.*

*That's incredible! I can't believe how quickly you've been able to turn those fleets around!* John exclaimed, feeling a huge sense of relief. *Charles would never believe me if I told him that every warship in the Maliri Protectorate has been fully upgraded in just over a month!*