Three Square Meals Ch. 081

John nodded, his expression turning grim. "There's a strip of territory along the border of the Terran Federation and the Brimorian Enclave called the Callopean Shoals. It's made up of nearly a dozen systems, all of which contain oceanic planets covered in small atolls. They'd make perfect worlds for Terran settlers, so when the Terran Federation first discovered them, there was a sudden rush to colonise these new planets. This was before initial contact had been made with the Brimorians and they didn't take kindly to another empire trying to settle on worlds that they'd already colonised."

"Let me guess? It ended in war?" Rachel asked, a pained expression on her face.

"More of a protracted skirmish," John replied. "When the Terran colonists refused to evacuate those planets, hundreds of them were killed by the Brimorians. The Terran Federation was eager for revenge, but this was nearly a hundred years ago, during a Kirrix resurgence. The military was already fully engaged in a major war with the bugs and it would've been extremely reckless to start a second war against another empire. In the end, the Terrans backed down and let the Brimorians keep all the systems."

"So the 'Annex' refers to a failed annexation of Brimorian systems?" Irillith asked, looking thoughtful.

John shook his head and replied, "No, I'm afraid not. Just because the Terran Federation was busy at the time, doesn't mean they forgot about what had happened. Thirty years ago, the Terran military launched an assault on the Callopean Shoals and conquered a couple of systems. The Brimorians fought back, but both sides were fairly evenly matched and it ended in a stalemate. There's been an uneasy truce for the last three decades."

"Have you been to any of those colonies?" Alyssa asked him curiously.

"The Terrans kicked out the Brimorians on those planets, but the Callopean Shoals are still considered too dangerous to colonise properly. Those worlds are deserted now and will probably stay that way until one side decisively beats the other back," he explained, giving her a sad smile.

Sakura had been listening carefully and she said, "Will it still be safe for us to visit Brimor? Now that you're the 'Lion of the Federation', I can't imagine the Brimorians being overjoyed to have Terrans wandering around their territory."

"That's a good point," John said, nodding thoughtfully. "If we keep a low profile and try to avoid stirring up trouble, we should be okay. There's still a bit of merchant traffic between the two empires, although most of the trade is between the Brimorians and the Trankarans."

Dana tilted her head to one side as she mused, "Yeah, I guess that makes sense. There won't be that much in the way of metal deposits on an ocean planet, or at least extracting it is much easier on a volcanic world."

Alyssa laughed as she looked up at the ceiling while raising her hands to gesture towards the ship. "I'm not sure we can get away with claiming the Invictus is a trading ship any more. Not with all the firepower we're toting now!"

John grinned at her and replied, "I can't imagine what you're referring to. The weapons aren't visible when they're hidden behind the armour and now we have a massive new cargo bay - all ready for the hundreds of tons of trade goods I'm clearly intending to purchase from Brimor."

"What's the plan for getting hold of new shield tech?" Dana asked, leaning forward with interest.

Pointing out the window towards the silver walls of the Docking Bay, John replied, "The Brimorians have a similar setup to the Ashanath. You can buy schematics for their shield technology, but it's very expensive. The shield generators on offer are only a small upgrade on the ones used by the Terran military, but the Brimorians have much more powerful variants installed in their warships."

"I've read some of the battle reports from the Brimorian Annex," Calara said quietly, lost in thought. "Their battleships were notoriously hard to take down, with shield banks capable of withstanding massive damage before failing."

Dana grinned, her eyes gleaming acquisitively. "I can't wait to get my hands on them!"

John nodded, sharing a grin with her as he replied, "With the kind of battles we're in now, we really need access to the best tech they've got. I'm hoping I can grease some palms to get us in contact with the Brimorian government, then see if they're willing to make some kind of deal for the tech we need."

"And what do you propose to do if we aren't successful?" Irillith asked, her violet eyes meeting his. She gave him a cunning smile as she continued, "Just say the word and I'll start infiltrating their systems in search of classified technology."

Dana gave the Maliri girl a wicked grin before glancing at John. "Why not just sail in there, then cut Irillith loose from the start? We can save ourselves a ton of cash and all the dicking around trying to win the Brimorians over."

John grimaced as he shook his head, replying, "If something should go wrong, we might end up sparking a major diplomatic incident. I'd rather not risk triggering a war between the Brimorians and the Terran Federation, not with everything else going on at the moment."

Calara frowned as she said, "Obtaining Brimorian Shields will make a huge difference to our staying power in prolonged engagements. We really need them, John."

Tashana nodded her agreement with the Latina. "Considering the stakes involved and the consequences should the other Progenitor defeat us, we might have to take a few risks to acquire this shield technology."

"If we get nowhere with the diplomatic approach, we can discuss other options then," John said reasonably, looking around at the gathering of girls.

"Sounds like a good plan," Alyssa said, speaking for all of them. "We can always fall back on the 'requisitioning option' if all else fails."

He smiled at her, before turning to look at the group and saying, "I've got one last matter that we really need to discuss - any possible ways we can save Athena from being destroyed."

"I haven't come up with anything sensible yet," Dana said, giving him a worried frown. "A few wild ideas, but nothing that's not batshit crazy."

"That's okay, I just wanted to remind everyone about it tonight. I'd like all of you to try to come up with any possible solutions you can, no matter how outlandish, then we'll discuss them tomorrow. I'd like to have a few options to raise with Athena tomorrow and see if she thinks any of them might be viable," John explained, his tone earnest.

Alyssa brushed his arm with her fingers and said quietly, "Athena could be right - there might not be anything we can do for her. You designed her as a guide to help me use my abilities, so she's part of my mind - I don't see how we can separate her from me."

John sighed as he leaned back in his chair. "I know, but she was so scared... You're getting stronger by the day and it won't be long before you're powerful enough to not need her any longer. Considering how much she's done for us, we've got to try to do something!"

"I have a few suggestions," Rachel said hesitantly. She gave him a rueful frown as she added, "Some of them are morally questionable though, so I'm not sure you'll be too happy to hear them."

He gave her a reassuring smile and replied, "That's okay, tell me about them tomorrow. Who knows? They might spark off some other ideas we can use instead."

By this time they'd finished off the last of their meal, leaving all the plates completely clear. Alyssa smiled at the Maliri twins and said, "Thanks very much for all the effort you put into dinner, it was absolutely delicious."

"You're welcome! I'm really glad you enjoyed it," Tashana replied, smiling as everyone nodded their agreement with the blonde girl.

"It was no trouble at all," Irillith agreed, glancing at her sister affectionately. "We had fun cooking together."

Alyssa squeezed John's hand and said, "Why don't you go and relax on the sofas for a little while and leave us to tidy up?" She turned to look at Tashana and Irillith as she added, "Do you girls fancy keeping him company? You were the chefs, so you shouldn't have to clean up too."

They smiled at John and nodded eagerly, rising to their feet as he did. The rest of the group stood too, with Dana, Jade, and Rachel waving everyone goodbye as they left to make a start on their research and construction work. Faye gave them a cheery wave, then disappeared in a purple burst of light, leaving Alyssa, Calara, and Sakura to clear the table.

As Tashana and Irillith walked around the table to join him, John slipped a hand around their waists and said, "Go ahead, I'll catch up with you in a moment."

"Another drink?" Irillith offered, gesturing to his empty wine glass.

He shook his head and replied, "I'm fine thanks. I better not have any more, I'm already drunk on the intoxicating company..."

She caressed his shoulder and leaned in to plant a light kiss on his cheek, before walking hand-in-hand with her sister towards the sofas. John watched them leave, enjoying the matching sway of their hips as they glided away gracefully. Turning back to the girls around the table, he gave them a smile before stepping over to intercept Sakura as she reached out to start collecting plates.

"One second, honey," he said, pulling her into his arms. She looked at him quizzically, then smiled as he stroked her cheek. John held her close as he continued, "I'm sorry you got upset earlier. I appreciate how difficult this must be for you."

"Don't be sorry. I really appreciated you thinking about me with the trip to New Eden," she replied, giving him a tender kiss. Her soft brown eyes shadowed with grief and there was a catch in her voice as she added, "I need to go back to say goodbye..."

"We're all here for you," John said, wrapping her in a supportive hug. "If you want that trip to be private, that's perfectly okay, or you can bring as many of us along to support you as you need. Just tell us what you want when it's time, alright?"

He could feel her shaking in his arms as she nodded, not able to reply. They stood quietly together, with John stroking her back as she leaned into him for comfort. She eventually looked up at him with a brave smile on her face as she said, "Thank you for being so understanding. I don't know how I would've coped with everything without you and the girls here to look after me."

Alyssa walked over to join them, wrapping her arms around the Asian girl from behind. She rested her chin on Sakura's golden-brown shoulder and said, "You're part of our family now. We all love you, don't we, John?"

He leaned down to place a gentle kiss on Sakura's lips. "That's right, we do."

She took a sharp intake of breath, her almond eyes gazing up at him as she kissed him back.

When they eventually pulled apart, John smiled at the giddy young woman and said, "We have some very important things to discuss, but it's been a busy day for you and you must be tired. Get some rest and we'll catch up tomorrow, okay?"

Gazing at him wide-eyed, she slowly nodded, then blushed when she remembered what he'd been referring to about her being tired. She glanced at Alyssa, her blush deepening when the blonde winked at her and gave her an affectionate kiss on the cheek.

"Why don't you leave Sakura with me and Calara?" Alyssa suggested to John, as her eyes flicked to him. She hugged the Asian girl tighter as she said to her, "We'll finish clearing the table, then tuck you in with a bedtime story."

Sakura couldn't help laughing at the irrepressible blonde, then nodded as she replied, "As long as it's a nice story where the good guys win in the end."

"Absolutely," Alyssa agreed with a playful smile. "I promise there won't be any mention of tentacle monsters either. We wouldn't want to get you too excited before bedtime."

The Asian girl blushed again to Alyssa's delight, then grinned at John as she let the blonde lead her away to rejoin Calara. Sakura gave him a shy wave goodbye, before turning to chat with the Latina who welcomed them both with a smile.

Turning back to face the Maliri sisters, he saw that Irillith and Tashana were watching him with identical sets of bewitching angular eyes. He walked over to join them and saw a riot of emotions behind their matching violet gaze.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," John apologised, sitting between them when they parted to make room for him.

"That's quite alright," Irillith murmured as she snuggled into him. "We had lots to talk about."

"You were very kind to her," Tashana said quietly, her eyes flicking over to follow Sakura. "Everything you said... it was lovely. I just wish you'd been there for us when we lost our father."

Irillith smiled at John as he put his arms around both of their shoulders. "John hadn't been born then, Shan."

Tashana shook her head in wonder as she looked up at him. "It's so easy to forget. The way you act, the things you say... you should be one-hundred-and-forty, not just forty."

"Both of you are fifty-two aren't you?" John asked, his tone playful as he smiled at her. "You don't mind me being your toy boy?"

She nodded in answer to his first question, then looked puzzled and glancing at Irillith for the second. "I haven't heard that expression before."

Irillith's tinkling laughter seemed to light up the room. "It's used to refer to a male lover, one who is much younger than his partner." Her eyes sparkled as she added, "Although strictly speaking we should only really start using that after tonight!"

"Rill!" Tashana gasped, shocked by her sister's lack of tact.

Irillith stroked her blushing twin's cheek and said, "We all know what's happening later, there's not really any point in being coy about it." She smiled at John as she added wistfully, "I just wish you'd been my first."

"I still was, in a manner of speaking," John replied, his arm sliding lower to suggestively squeeze her gloriously firm rump.

Now it was Irillith's turn to blush a dark blue, and she darted a nervous glance at her twin, who looked at her in confusion.

John raised an eyebrow as he smiled at the anxious Maliri girl, then taking pity on her he said, "You've never spoken about your first time before. What was it like?"

He could feel the tension draining from Irillith and she looked tremendously grateful to change the subject. "I first went to the border stations about five years ago on an errand for my mother." She gazed into the distance as she continued, "I had no intention of getting pregnant, but I was very curious about the mating experience. I used a proxy to trade for a prophylactic then arranged to meet with one of the prized breeding males."

"What was it like?" Tashana asked, her eyes wide as she listened with bated breath.

Rolling her eyes, Irillith snorted derisively. "Rubbish! The male I'd chosen had supposedly sired hundreds, but he was utterly inept in the bedroom. He rutted away for less than a minute, came, then just pulled out and asked me to leave!"

Wriggling closer, Tashana was eager as she asked, "What about the other first time you talked about? Between you and John?"

Irillith tensed up again, blushing a dark blue as she looked at John. He gave her a playful smile and replied, "Your sister is a very naughty girl, Tashana." Watching Irillith's angular eyes widen with worry, he winked at her before turning to look at her twin. "We'd been teasing each other for weeks, so when we finally went to bed together, it was very passionate. She'd tried to kill me a couple of times already and I was half expecting her to try for lucky number three."

Tashana giggled with delight, her eyes sparkling as she gave her sister a look of admiration.

Lovingly stroking John's neck in gratitude, Irillith relaxed and smiled at Tashana as she said, "He was magnificent. I slapped him to provoke a reaction and he spanked me in return, knowing exactly what I wanted. After that, the sex was spectacular - I knew I'd never be satisfied with another man after experiencing so much pleasure."

"You spanked her!" Tashana gasped, looking startled and a little apprehensive now.

John gave her a reassuring smile as he replied, "You might be identical twins, but you've got very different personalities and needs. Don't worry, I'll be very gentle with you, unless you ask me otherwise."

Irillith's eyes gleamed with lust, and she ran her fingers over John's muscular chest. "He's like this powerful beast in the bedroom, but you feel totally safe with him at the same time." She grinned at John as she added, "That nickname for you is very appropriate - 'The Lion'. You remind me of an apex predator, but the big difference is that you're tameable by a pretty girl."

John laughed and said, "With so many beautiful women here, I must be thoroughly domesticated by now."

Tashana relaxed and looked thoughtful for a moment. "I know what you mean, Rill. I've seen how the two of you are together."

Irillith twisted on the seat to look at them both. "Don't wait any longer, little sister! I want you to experience everything that your new life here has to offer. I promise you, you'll be overjoyed you decided to join us!"

Tashana held her breath as she made her mind up, then leaned forward to kiss John. "She's right. I don't want to wait," she whispered, before darting a loving glance at her twin. "Would you like to be there too?"

Torn with indecision, Irillith finally gave a slight shake of her head as she replied, "I'd love to, but I want you to experience that intimacy together."

Pulling them both to him, John said, "I agree with Irillith. We'll have plenty of time for sharing in the future."

Both girls gave him a tender kiss on the cheek, before rising to their feet and smiling as he stood and joined them. Irillith hugged her sister, whispering in her ear as they embraced before they kissed and parted. John led Tashana from the room and she glanced over her shoulder at her twin, giving her a grateful smile before the double-doors closed behind them.

John held Tashana's hand as they walked towards their bedroom at the end of the corridor, the door to the Commander's Quarters currently closed. He glanced at her as she glided along at his side and she smiled back, watching his face carefully.

"Feeling nervous?" he asked, giving her a kind smile. "There's no need to be."

She shook her head, long white locks sweeping over her shoulders as she did so. "You have a very calming presence. It's easy to trust you," she replied, squeezing his hand.

When they arrived at the door, they shared a smile of anticipation, both curious to see what Alyssa had done with the bedroom. John hit the button to open the door and their mouths fell open in surprise when they saw what she'd managed to accomplish in under an hour.

The lights had been dimmed, lowered to a soft ethereal glow focused purely on the huge four-poster bed in the centre of the room. Pristine white drapes hung down from the frame, moving with the slight breeze that wafted through the bedroom. The material was airy and diaphanous, billowing gently above the covers.

Tashana walked over to the bed, smoothing her delicate blue fingers over the soft sheets. "It reminds me of an ephemeral cloud on a summer night's sky," she murmured, turning to gaze at John. Her violet eyes shone in the light, making her look radiantly exotic and devastatingly beautiful.

John walked to her side then slowly encircled her in his arms, leaning in to give her a tender kiss. "I definitely won't make any clichéd comments about feeling like I'm walking on air."

She laughed and hugged him back. "I feel so happy," she murmured, letting out a contented sigh. "This all feels so right."

He nodded as he caressed her, brushing his fingers through her silky hair, and stroking her head. She leaned into the palm of his hand, closing her eyes as he held her. They stood like that for a long moment, before she opened her eyes and stepped back, reaching up for the shoulder straps of her dress. She didn't say a word as she let her long dress slide down her body and pool at her feet, leaving her wearing nothing but a lovely smile.