Three Square Meals Ch. 042

He gently pulled out of her and then lay on her side, so that he could stroke her swollen belly. Jade looked down, watching the soothing motion of his hand as his fingers traced circles over her rounded tummy, and when she gazed up at his face, he nodded as he smiled at her.

"I can't wait to do this for real," he told her honestly. "I love you, Jade."

"I love you so much, I didn't think it was even possible..." she murmured, awestruck as she stared up at him.

John lay back against the pillow, and Jade snuggled up against him. He eventually rolled her so she was on her side, and he spooned up behind her, wrapping her protectively in his arms. With an expression of wondrous disbelief on her face, the Nymph eventually drifted off to sleep, feeling protected and loved by the man she had resolved to devote the rest of her existence to.

***

After such an energetic orgy, the entire crew slept soundly, only waking at about nine the next morning. John was the first to wake up, as was usually the case, and he stretched lazily, with a broad grin on his face as the memories of the previous night came flooding back to him. He glanced down at the girls, and while Jade was cuddled up against his left side, Alyssa was now tucked in against his right. She awoke next, and looked up at him with twinkling eyes.

*Well the lion certainly proved his prowess last night,* she said, smiling up at him happily. *I hope you guys had a good time after you rendered me insensate...* she added with a wry grin.

*It was awesome, and I managed a full house. Well except with Jade, but that was special in its own right,* he explained contentedly.

Alyssa looked up at him quizzically. *You know I'm the only one allowed to be cryptic around here. What happened?* she asked him eagerly.

*I told her I planned to repopulate the Nymph species, by knocking her up repeatedly for decades. She quite liked the idea,* he thought to her with a mischievous smile.

Alyssa stifled a giggle as she stared up at him with wide eyes. *Oh, I'm so sorry I missed that. That must have driven her wild!* she said, getting excited just imagining it.

John shook his head slightly as he glanced down at the Nymph who was snuggled in tightly on his left hand side. *It was very loving actually, gentle and passionate,* he explained with a smile.

The blonde frowned as she looked up at him, and said, *She's already hopelessly devoted to you, I don't think you can make her love you much more than that.*

She closed her eyes and examined the mosaic of Jade in her mind, and was astonished to see that it had changed dramatically. Jade was gazing at the depiction of John with an awestruck expression on her face, and she now stood next to him, rather than kneeling at his feet. The tiny stones that made up the mosaic, depicted John placing a protective hand on the Nymph's belly, his caring face full of love as he looked down on her.

Alyssa shook her head in amazement and smiled up at him. *Yeah, I was wrong, you seem to have taken her to an entirely new level,* she told him, both her surprise and her happiness coming through clearly on the telepathic link.

Jade, Calara, Dana, and Rachel woke up shortly afterwards, cutting any further conversation short. The girls all smiled at John shyly, feeling a little embarrassed at the completely uninhibited way they had been with him the previous night, and he grinned at them each in turn.

Alyssa pouted as she read all their thoughts and emotions. "Hey! Leave me until last next time! I seem to have snoozed through an epic night," she grumbled indignantly.

The girls giggled at her outburst and then began to sit up and stretch, giving John a lovely view.

"You were all magnificent last night, ladies," he told them graciously.

Dana grinned at him, and tipped an imaginary hat his way. "Fair play to you, Sir," she said to him cheekily. "You proved you're more than capable of fucking me absolutely senseless."

John laughed, "Glad I didn't disappoint," he said in amusement.

Calara and Rachel grinned at each other and nodded enthusiastically, "You certainly didn't!" the Latina said gleefully.

This started another round of giggling and John smiled at them all as he sat up. He waited until they calmed down and glanced at Alyssa while he was waiting.

*Crew morale seems to be in a good place,* she smirked.

John smiled back at her. *I like to do my bit to perk everyone up,* he agreed, and the blonde stifled her laughter.

The girls had quietened down now, each of the beautiful young women looking attentive, as they waited for him to speak.

"We're nearly in Maliri Space now, so I think we should get up and dressed, have some breakfast, and then head up to the Bridge," he suggested amiably.

They nodded eagerly, remembering his talk of "The Warning" from the previous night, and they climbed out of bed and all headed into the shower, chattering amongst themselves as they guessed what it might be.

After a brief shower, they split up to get dressed, with business attire being the order of the day. John got dressed in a light grey suit, with a white shirt and royal blue tie. As he tied the full Windsor knot, he watched Alyssa as she sashayed past him wearing matching white underwear, and cream coloured heels, trailing a finger lightly along her formal outfits as if deciding which one to wear.

She eventually stepped into a cream pencil skirt, which she pulled up over her pert bottom, and put on a white blouse, before sliding her slender arms through the sleeves of her jacket. She glided over to stand before him, and reached out with her hand to gently feel the heat of his hard cock through his trousers. She nodded with satisfaction that her outfit had achieved the desired result, then smiled at him coyly before sauntering out into the bedroom.

John followed after the mischievous girl, laughing heartily and shaking his head. The rest of his crew were waiting for them in the corridor outside their quarters, and he stopped to admire them too.

Dana was wearing a two-piece outfit, which consisted of a light grey, figure hugging skirt that stopped just above the knee, and a matching crop top with three-quarter length sleeves, that left her shoulders bare. Calara was wearing a similar outfit , but this one was a black sleeveless high neckline crop top that revealed an inch of her toned stomach. Jade was wearing a long form-fitting one-piece aquamarine dress that ended mid-thigh, and showed off her shapely legs, while Rachel was wearing a black fishtail skirt that ended above the knee, along with a white short-sleeved, closely fitting blouse.

Wearing heels, all five girls were nearly at his height, and they smiled with satisfaction at his obvious approval, as John whistled appreciatively when they posed for him. They had all taken the time to artfully apply make-up, and the cosmetics skilfully enhanced their natural beauty, giving them smoky eyes and making their eyelashes seem even longer as they gave him come-hither looks.

"They were going for 'demure secretary, who'd look great on her knees' as a look," Alyssa informed him helpfully. "Do you think they managed to carry it off?"

John strolled over to the girls, then gently caressed each of their slender waists in turn, looking into their eyes as he brushed his fingers over their toned stomachs.

He looked thoughtful as he turned to Alyssa, and said, "You all look the part for any business meeting, and I can honestly say I don't think I've seen you girls look any sexier. All I'm wondering right now, is how stretchable the material around the waistline needs to be, so I'd say a resounding success!"

The girls grinned with delight, and he gestured politely for them to proceed to the Officers' Lounge for breakfast, while he followed behind, walking beside Alyssa.

*That's a hell of a view,* she thought to him, as they both watched the girls' hips swaying seductively as they glided along in their heels.

John glanced at her, and grinned, as he said, *Aren't I supposed to be the one saying that?*

*Hey, they're all gorgeous, and I love fucking them as much as you do,* she told him saucily, much to his amusement.

Breakfast was over and done with quickly, with John resisting all attempts to pry any clues out of him about what to expect on their way to Maliri Space. All five girls looked scrumptious, but he just about managed to resist the desire to give one of them a full tummy, as it would be impractical when they docked at the trading post. It was doubly hard to resist, knowing full well that he could ask any of them for a blowjob, and they'd be on their knees within seconds of him requesting it. Alyssa sent him a smouldering look as he thought this over, licking her glossy lips, while staring into his eyes.

*You're such a naughty girl,* he thought to her as she grinned at him.

*You literally made me this way,* she teased him playfully, and gave him a wink.

They headed up to the Command Deck as a group once breakfast was done, with each of them striding over to their respective stations. Dana had brought the holo-reader with her, and she handed it over to Rachel, as she paused at the Comms Station on her way to Engineering. The brunette thanked her profusely, and then began to study the various functions of the Comms Station, eagerly learning as much about her new Bridge position as she could.

Alyssa strolled down to the lower section of the Bridge to speak to Jade, and started to give her some guidance on piloting the Invictus. Jade had learned to pilot the Raptor under Alyssa's careful tutelage, and the two of them immediately dropped into their familiar pupil/teacher roles as they discussed the finer points of manoeuvring the five hundred metre long assault cruiser.

Dana walked over to join Calara, and they chatted together about the Latina's plans for the modification of the weapon controls for the Tactical Station. They had both been thinking of new ways to improve on the original plans, and they spoke animatedly together, growing increasingly more excited as they envisaged the upgrades they could make.

John sat back in his Command Chair, and surveyed the bustling Bridge. He smiled contentedly to himself, seeing the place becoming such a hive of activity, and he watched the girls working studiously, with an affectionate grin on his face.

Alyssa glanced up at him, and smiled his way. "Proud of your crew?" she asked him seriously for once.

"You're all outstanding young women. It's incredible to see how dedicated you all are to your lives here on this ship," he replied, his voice ringing with glowing appreciation.

The girls turned to look up at him, grateful for his praise. "You do a pretty fine job yourself, Commodore," Alyssa told him earnestly, with none of the usual mocking undertones. "You're very good at telling us how fantastic a job we do, but you lead us, and it's your command decisions that keep us safe."

John looked down at her, surprised by the honest sincerity of her words.

"Just think how many close fought battles we've been through over the last few months; the Pirates, the Kirrix slavers, the Drakkar raiders, and protecting the Terrans against the Kintark. We've achieved some remarkable victories, and they're largely due to your leadership. Thank you John, you're proving to be an excellent leader," she said to him with frank honesty.

The other girls looked up at him, and as he glanced around at each of them, they nodded to him, respect shining in their faces.

"Thanks, all of you, that means a lot," he said, touched by their genuine appreciation of his efforts.

Alyssa smiled at him warmly, and then looked up at the Sector Map when a soft chime echoed around the Bridge. "Saved by the bell," she quipped, as she strolled around the Bridge and then gracefully ascended the illuminated steps up to the Command Podium. She reached out and gently squeezed his shoulder, before sitting down in the Executive Officer's chair.

She zoomed in the Sector Map, and they could all see that the Invictus had now crossed into Maliri Space, as the holographic representation of their ship followed the green path to the Trading Post.

Dana glanced at her console, before turning in her chair and calling out a warning. "We're picking up something big on the long range sensors," she said, as her hands moved in a blur across the console, as she attempted to gather more data.

Alyssa brought up the system map, which showed the large yellow star of the Theta-Aquarii system, and the Invictus dropped out of hyper-warp as they approached the gravity-well of the star. At the far side of the map, deeper into Maliri territory, was the trading outpost. Alyssa brought up the tactical map too, and the passive sensors began to provide more information on the vessels in the area.

The trading outpost was actually a huge starport, that seemed to be bustling with activity, and the transponders from dozens of merchant vessels from all sorts of alien species now began to appear on the map. Each ship was displayed as the sensors gathered more data, and Dana watched the tactical map eagerly, excited to see so many strange and unusually shaped alien spacecraft.

Much closer to them however, and directly between them and the trading post, was a colossal freighter that seemed to be stationary, as though waiting for docking clearance. Alyssa altered their course so that they would fly around it, and as they drew closer, the freighter appeared in detail on the tactical map, causing the girls to gasp in shock.

"The Warning," John confirmed for them in a sombre voice, as they glanced back at him in awe.

Dana brought up a detailed zoomed-in view of the massive freighter, and the hologram hovered above them in the centre of the bridge. The archaic vessel was huge, nearly two kilometres long, and they could all immediately tell some horrible fate had befallen it. The enormous merchant ship had been hit by hundreds of laser blasts, and every facing showed catastrophic weapon damage to the armour plating. Titanium armour had been blasted away in innumerable impact areas, with huge gouges carved through the thick plating before slicing into the hull beneath. As they drew alongside, they could see that vast holes had been melted directly through the gigantic ship, punching through the superstructure and coring out the stricken freighter. The diameter of these tunnels was so wide, they were almost big enough for the Invictus to fly through.

"What kind of laser weapons are powerful enough to do that?" Dana asked in wonder, interrupting the deathly silence that had descended on the bridge.

Calara shook her head in disbelief. "Nothing the Terran Federation has access to, that's for sure," she replied staring at the devastated vessel in shock.

They all looked up at John, awaiting an explanation, while the Invictus eventually passed the ruined hulk, leaving the forlorn wreck behind.

He looked around, making sure he had their attention, and then began his tale in a grim voice, "I've heard their expedition was a joint venture, by a number of merchant guilds a few centuries ago, and shortly after first contact with the Maliri Regency. No-one had really pushed the Maliri at that point, with them still being a relatively new and unknown alien species for the Terran Federation. The merchants assumed that the Maliri would never actually fire on a civilian vessel, but as you can see, they were wrong.

The merchants ignored the warnings to go no further into Maliri Space than the outpost, and delved deeper into Maliri Territory. The Maliri ambushed the flotilla, and ripped the ship apart, obliterating their escort vessels too. A few months later, 'The Warning' appeared on the approach to the most popular trading outpost, and you can understand why no-one has ever tried anything like that again."

Dana stared at him in amazement. "So you're hoping to upgrade our ship's guns to be able to do... that?" she asked him, with a quick glance at the devastated freighter.

John returned her gaze, and gave her a wicked grin as he said, "I certainly wouldn't say no. We'll have to see how the encounter with Ceraden plays out first, before we get too excited."

Calara and Dana glanced at each other, obviously deciding that it was the perfect time to start getting excited, as they shared similar grins of anticipation. Alyssa brought the Invictus in closer, and a flashing light on John's console told them that they were being hailed. He nodded at Rachel and she pressed a couple of buttons, opening the comm channel with the Maliri Space station. The view screen crackled for a second, and an image of a humanoid in ornate armour filled the display.

Rachel looked on eagerly for her first glimpse at the Maliri. The alien's armour was gold and worked with intricate silver filigree in elaborate, swirling designs, and included a helmet that completely covered the Maliri's face. It was by far the most ostentatious set of armour she had ever seen, even managing to make their own glossy white Phalanx suits look positively bland in comparison.

"Greetings, and welcome to the Geniya Trading post!" The Maliri starport traffic controller said in a pleasant tone. "Please could you identify yourselves, and let me know what business you have with us today?"

"My name is John Blake, in command of the Invictus, and I'm hoping to be able to meet with the merchant Ceraden, to discuss some trade deals," John replied in a polite and courteous tone.

The Maliri bowed his head respectfully, then said, "You are welcome at Geniya again, Mr Blake. Please proceed to docking bay twenty four, and I'll provide your navigation computer with the guide path. Would you like me to contact Ceraden to let him know of your arrival?"

"That would be much appreciated, thank you," John replied with a respectful nod of his head.

"I hope you have a pleasant visit with us, Mr Blake," the Maliri said amiably, and then ended the call.

The green guide path appeared, showing them the route to take, that would lead them to the correct docking bay from the dozens dotting the starboard side of the starport. Alyssa turned the Invictus, and gently powered up their engines, bringing them in closer to the starport at a sedate pace.

"They seem very friendly," Rachel observed, as she looked up at John.

He smiled at her and nodded as he replied, "As I said before, the Maliri are a friendly and civilised species, and trading with them is quite enjoyable."

They turned back to watch the Geniya spaceport as it loomed larger above them, and the Maliri architectural design turned out to be just as striking as their armour. The whole station was coloured a rich gold, that seemed to reflect the light of the sun, making the whole outpost gleam brightly as it hung there in the blackness of space. Where the Terran Federation tended to build their starports vertically, the Maliri station spread out in a wide arc, the surface dotted with towers and spires that reached gracefully for the heavens.

As Alyssa brought their assault cruiser around on final approach to the docking bay, the green guide path brought them higher, and gave them an even better view of the station. From here they could see that there were numerous curving crystal domes built into the surface, and from the green foliage within, it was obvious they were hydroponic zones.

"This place is beautiful!" Rachel remarked in wonder, voicing the thoughts that the other girls were sharing too.

Dana looked up at John and grinned as she remarked, "I think the Terran Federation could learn a thing or two about design aesthetics from the Maliri!"

There was a chorus of agreement as they looked out over the resplendent starport before them, until they were eventually swallowed up by the docking bay. Alyssa brought them in to land, and the Invictus touched down gently in the centre of the huge room. John stood and smiled at the others as they rose to join him, and once Alyssa had powered down the engines, she glided down the steps of the Command Podium by his side.