Three Square Meals Ch. 120

***

Faye knelt beside the cleaning robot and nodded as she viewed the compilation of pictures. "Yes, very good. Those are all excellent examples of organics showing different types of love and affection towards each other."

The small robot paused then supplied another image, showing Faye looking down at the cleaning bot with a gentle maternal smile. It was followed by a succession of images recorded by the security cameras, with the purple sprite watching the maintenance and cleaning robots with a look of pride on her face.

"Yes, I love all of you," she said fondly, stroking the robot's head.

"I love you too," it replied, rubbing against her hand.

The cleaning bot hesitated, then showed Faye another image. This one was of Tashana smiling down at the diminutive synthetic.

"She is... kind," it murmured, sounding surprised.

Faye nodded, her own smile broadening. "Yes, she is." Looking at the small creature with interest, she continued, "Please could you upload all your data on Tashana to my server?"

It bobbed its head and she waved goodbye as it trundled away.

Climbing the illuminated steps up to the Command Podium, the purple sprite sat down in John's chair, tucking her feet underneath her. It had just turned 11:00 pm, so she decided to check on the crew, flicking through the internal security cameras and watching as the girls settled down in bed with the dozing Nymphs. John was still with Marika in Jade's bedroom, the latest catgirl sleeping in his arms. Faye desperately wanted to talk to John about something she'd seen on the security cameras, but he'd been busy all evening and she hadn't had an opportunity.

A warning chime rang out around the Bridge, alerting Faye to contacts on the long-range sensors. She sat up straight and studied the Sector Map, spotting a dozen contacts clustered on the outskirts of an unchartered system the Invictus was fast approaching. Alyssa had plotted their flight path to bring them close to many systems along their route, performing slingshot manoeuvres around gravity wells to increase the battlecruiser's hyper-warp speed.

She studied them for a few seconds, trying to decide whether it was worth disturbing the crew. More sensor contacts appeared, the numbers increasing all the time as they were picked up by the extreme edge of their long-range sensors. Her eyes widened and she leapt into action.

***

"John? Are you awake?!"

He nodded and stretched, being careful not to disturb Marika. "Hey, Faye. Everything alright?"

"I've spotted hundreds of contacts on the long-range sensors!" she said in a furtive whisper. "We're still fifteen minutes away, but I wanted to give you plenty of warning."

"Okay, I'll be right there."

John slipped his arm out from under Marika's head and slid in a pillow as a replacement. He kissed her on the cheek and pulled up the covers, then gathered up his clothes and padded outside.

Alyssa jogged down the corridor towards him and skidded to a halt beside John as he threw on his clothes. "Faye warned me too," she explained, watching him get dressed.

"Can you tell us anything else, honey?" John asked the purple sprite as they set off again towards the grav-tube.

"At this range we're just picking up sensor contacts, we're too far away to make out any details," Faye replied, her wings fluttering anxiously. "I've counted 492 separate contacts so far!"

"Maybe it's some kind of major Kirrix naval base?" John suggested, diving into the blue anti-gravity field.

"Want me to get the girls up?" Alyssa asked, shooting a nervous glance at John.

"You better had. If the Kirrix have got an interdiction net set up near the system, we might be forced into a battle," he replied with a grimace. "I don't want to have to fight our way through, but we might not have any other choice."

"No problem, they're on their way."

They raced out onto the Bridge and up the steps leading to the Command Podium.

Faye stepped aside, letting John take his place in the Command Chair. "We're up to 584 now!"

She highlighted the system they were approaching on the Sector Map, then zoomed in to show the mass of sensor contacts. The holographic display smoothly transitioned to the System Map, revealing a large golden sun in the heart of the system and ten planets in orbit. Amongst the gas giants and handful of barren planets was a beautiful blue and green continental world, where the bulk of the sensor contacts were located.

"Maybe the Kirrix have an orbital shipyard there..." John wondered aloud, staring at the imposing sweep of red icons. "They have to build all those ships somewhere."

The girls started appearing on the Command Deck, running from the grav-tube to their stations.

"What do you think, Calara?" John asked, watching the Latina take her seat at Tactical. "Have we stumbled across the Kirrix equivalent of Olympus Shipyard?"

She was staring intently at the tactical overlay on the System Map, her eyes flicking from one set of contacts to the other. "Let's get a little closer so we start getting more data on those ships..."

They watched in silence as the minutes ticked by and John noticed that Calara's frown of concentration was deepening. "What is it?" he asked. "What do you see?"

"They're not moving," she murmured. "And they're not in any kind of holding formation. It seems odd to be scattered around like..." Her voice trailed off and she turned to made eye contact with him. "They're wrecks. We're looking at the aftermath of a major engagement."

John knew better than to question her judgement and sure enough, a few minutes later, Calara was able to point out debris patterns as the sensors returned more data.

"Shall we take a look or keep on going?" Alyssa asked, turning her XO chair to face him.

He rubbed his chin as he stared at the map. "We'll take a quick detour. I want to see what happened."

The Invictus approached the system and instead of curving around the outer edge, Alyssa brought them closer so that they dropped out of hyper-warp. Jade ramped up power to the six Trankaran engines and the white battlecruiser surged forward, heading towards the planet centred amongst the battlefield. More information was being returned by the sensors as they closed the distance, so Calara highlighted the closest group of vessels and zoomed in.

The ships had pale green hulls, with what appeared to be a broad bow, which narrowed towards what must have been the rear of the vessels. Surrounding the trio of engines on the stern was a forest of snaking tendrils, looking vaguely like slender octopus arms. At roughly 200 metres in length, the alien ships were roughly the size of a Terran Federation destroyer, but the design was bizarre and John had never seen anything like them.

"Any idea what species built them?" he asked the Latina, sitting forward on his seat to get a closer look.

"I've never seen anything like that before..." she whispered, staring at the holo-image in fascination.

Dana turned to glance at Jade. "Bring us alongside and I'll do an active scan."

The Nymph nodded, turning the Invictus towards the four alien vessels.

"Those trenches are consistent with neutron beam damage," Calara said, pointing to the blackened wounds scorched across their armour plating.

Sakura's expression was grim as she muttered, "Looks like we've stumbled across another species that fell victim to the Kirrix."

John nodded his agreement. "Jade, as soon as Dana finishes the active scan, bring us to high orbit around the planet. I want to search for settlements and scan for life signs."

"You think it's another tomb world?" the Asian girl asked, her brow furrowing.

"A sentient species with a homeworld this deep into Kirrix Space?" he asked rhetorically, slumping back in his chair. "I think the Kirrix wiped these poor bastards out eons ago."

"I've been looking at the other wrecks," Calara informed them, highlighting several of the devastated vessels and magnifying them. "The biggest ship class they had was cruiser size, but less than 10% of their fleet is that large. The bulk of their vessels were roughly 100m in length, which I'd classify as corvette-class. If this species massed their forces to defend their homeworld, they must have been relatively new to space flight if these were the most impressive ships they could muster."

"The scan's finished," Dana said, staring in disbelief at the results. "Judging by the extensive damage from stellar particles to the armour plating, those wrecks are ancient. They must be twenty, maybe even thirty thousand-years-old..."

"How many fledgling civilisations have the Kirrix consumed?" Rachel asked in a hushed voice, shivering as the scale of the slaughter began to sink in.

"They can remember back to Mael'nerak's time... it must be dozens at least," John replied, recalling his recent encounter with the Kirrix. "Kirzuxa personally oversaw three genocides... and that's just one hive queen."

Jade piloted the Invictus towards the planet, weaving her way through the starship graveyard. With the holes ripped through the bows of those alien ships, it looked like they were screaming in horror... or wailing in grief for the dead. There was silence on the Bridge as Dana scanned the largest city they could find. She turned to look at John and slowly shook her head, her forlorn expression speaking volumes.

"Take us out of here, Jade," John said quietly, feeling like they were unwanted trespassers in a long-forgotten mausoleum.

The Nymph steered them through the extensive fields of battle debris and set a course towards the outskirts of the system.

Faye turned to look at John, sadness in her luminous eyes. "I'm sorry I disturbed you for this. If you want to head back to bed, I'll take us into hyper-warp."

He rose from his seat and embraced her. "There's no need to apologise, you did the right thing bringing this to our attention. It's just one more horrific crime the Kirrix need to pay for."

She hugged him back, feeling upset that she'd ruined John's evening and put him in a melancholy mood. Faye briefly considered talking to him about what she'd seen on the internal cameras, but glancing up at his face, she saw the weariness there and decided to let him sleep; it could always wait until tomorrow.

John kissed the sprite on top of her head, then said goodnight and headed towards the grav-tube with Alyssa at his side. The rest of the girls followed, all equally tired after a busy day working and training. Descending to Deck Two, they walked along the corridor, with John stopping at Jade's quarters to check on Marika. The silver-striped catgirl was still fast asleep, so he gently scooped her up in his arms and carried her through to his bedroom.

The girls were climbing into bed again, but they made room for John to lay Marika down beside her sisters. He paused to study the four slumbering women and smiled as he remembered the wonderful day he'd had with them. It had been fascinating to see the changes they'd gone through, not just physically, but mentally as well, as their personalities developed further. After devoting some time to the Nymphs individually, he felt like he was really starting to get to know them. Neysa was demure, dignified and intelligent, Leylira was seductive and self-assured, Betrixa possessed a wicked naughty streak, and Marika was very trusting, maternal, and affectionate.

John suddenly froze, then turned to stare at Jade in astonishment. "They're all you!"

She gave him a loving smile and kissed him tenderly on the cheek.

He blinked at her in surprise, then blurted out, "You knew all along!"

"You exaggerated my defining personality traits and used them to shape each of my sisters," she said, gazing adoringly into his eyes. "It was incredibly flattering, Master."

Alyssa knelt behind John and wrapped her arms around him. She kissed his shoulder as she looked at her fellow matriarch. "Jade really is your perfect mate."

Jade met her gaze and smiled back. "As are you, Alyssa."

John flicked a worried glance at the sleeping Nymphs, then back to Jade. "Should I have tried to make them more unique? This is who they'll be forever..."

Jade shook her head, an indulgent smile on her beautiful face. "They represent qualities you find most attractive in a woman. You were honest with them about your desires... and that's all they ever wanted."

"They're all really lovely girls," Alyssa said, giving him a reassuring squeeze. "It'll be lots of fun getting to know them better."

He looked down at the Nymphs again and couldn't help smiling fondly. Lying down in bed, he beckoned Jade and Alyssa to join him. "Thanks for keeping me distracted today... I've barely had a chance to think about Arcadia. I know I would've been dwelling on it if I hadn't been-"

"Knee deep in pussy... cats?" Alyssa interjected, looking up at him and grinning.

John laughed and nodded. "Yes, exactly."

Jade propped herself up on her elbow and looked into his eyes. "I know you're anxious about tomorrow, but we'll be there to support you, Master."

"We made a promise that we'd help you get the answers you were looking for," Alyssa said softly, a loving smile on her beautiful face. "I'm so glad we're finally able to make good on it."

He swallowed thickly around the lump in his throat and hugged them close. "Thank you both... for everything."

His matriarchs each kissed him deeply, reinforcing the powerful bonds that wove them together. When they snuggled in against him, John felt reassured and supported down to his bones. He smiled as he relaxed, knowing that whatever happened on Arcadia, as long as he had his girls beside him, everything was going to be okay. With that thought in mind, he drifted off to sleep, the nagging questions about his parents that had plagued him for 40 years kept at bay.

***

John woke from a deep and restful sleep to the sound of Faye's beautiful voice, her singing loud and clear. This was the first time she'd been so bold, normally whispering loving melodies to rouse him from his slumbers, and he heard his bedmates stir as they awoke too. Jade and Alyssa each greeted him with a sensual kiss, then they sat up, listening with the rest of the girls as Faye finished her aria. When her lovely voice trailed off, there was a moment's silence, then everyone applauded, the girls cheering for the blushing purple sprite.

"Holy shit! You've got a set of pipes!" Dana gushed, bounding off the bed to wrap Faye up in a big hug.

Tashana wiped a tear from her eye. "That was really beautiful, Faye..."

"Some of the words sounded familiar... was that Maliri?" Rachel asked, putting her arm around the emotional twin.

Irillith nodded, embracing the petite purple girl. "She was singing about how much she loved her friends..." She leaned down to kiss Faye on the cheek. "We love you too."

Faye beamed at them, overjoyed by their reaction to her song.

John smiled at her affectionately. "I've been waking up to Faye's lovely singing for weeks."

Dana pouted and nudged the sprite with her elbow. "How come John gets to listen to a secret serenade every morning, while I have to wake up to Alyssa yelling at me to haul my lazy ass out of bed?!"

"I usually wake John up first," Faye replied, flashing her a grin. "I thought you liked having a lie in?"

"Ah, good point," the redhead conceded. "You're forgiven."

Faye turned to face John. "We'll be arriving at Arcadia's star system in sixty minutes. I thought you might want to top the girls up first?"

He nodded and gave her an appreciative smile. "Definitely. Thank you." John put his arm around Jade and raised an eyebrow. "I'm sure you're not interested, but just in case... would you like to help me feed the girls?"

Jade giggled and pushed him back onto the bed. "Oh, I think I could be persuaded..." she purred, sliding his thick shaft into her pussy.

As the girls eagerly gathered around, reaching for Jade's sinuous phallic tentacles, Faye rose from her chair. "I'll head up to the Bridge and meet you there."

John leaned to the side so he could see her around Jade's statuesque body. "Why are you leaving? You're one of my girls too, Faye!" he protested with a playful frown.

She grinned at him in delight, then leapt onto the bed where she knelt between Rachel and Dana. They both put an arm around her as she reached for her own tentacock and Faye let out a blissful sigh of contentment before she slid her lips over the throbbing green head. As John groaned in ecstasy, Faye glanced across the semi-circle and made eye-contact with Alyssa, who was watching her intently.

The purple sprite wished she could share her thoughts with the blonde matriarch, but she settled for trying to convey her feelings with a look. Alyssa might not have been able to hear her, but she definitely got the message. Her answering gaze was filled with warmth and acceptance, welcoming Faye into her network of wards, in spirit, if not psychically.

It didn't take long for John to climax, not with Jade riding him and thirteen girls sensuously sucking the Nymph's green replicas of his cock. He collapsed insensate on the bed when he finished and it took him a couple of minutes to recover afterwards, the orgasm so strong that he was left reeling afterwards.

Jade helped him sit up and smiled at his dazed state. "I think that was the most powerful one yet, Master!" she said with considerable glee.

John leaned into her supportive arm and smiled blissfully at the watching girls. His sweeping gaze lingered on the Nymphs before settling on Faye. "There were more Maliri at Genthalas, but it makes a huge difference when it's girls I really love."

That earned him tender hugs and kisses from everyone, especially from the Nymphs, then they went to the bathroom to freshen up. Jade and her sisters provided the entertainment in the shower, the multi-coloured pulses of light sweeping over the walls and ceiling. After everyone was squeaky clean, the catgirls returned to bed, while the rest of the girls returned to their rooms to get dressed.

"You're coming along nicely," Alyssa said to Helene, smiling at the aquatic girl as she handed her a jumpsuit. "Just a few more days and you'll look just like us."

John fastened his own jumpsuit and cast an appraising eye over the teal-skinned beauty. "She's right. Just another inch to go and you'll be there."

Helene examined her athletic body, twisting so that she could get a better look. "I don't look very different..."

Alyssa pulled her in front of the mirrors. "That's because you already had a fantastic body before you joined us." She stood beside the Abandoned girl and leaned around her to cup her breasts. "These have gone up a cup size and you're at least three inches taller."

Walking over to join them, John stood beside the two girls as Helene studied her reflection. "You were always beautiful, honey. The biggest changes were here..." He placed a hand over her heart, then raised it to caress her temple. "And in here..."

She turned to look at him, her blue eyes filled with adoration. "It's wonderful being a part of your family..." Her gaze flicked to Alyssa then back to John. "You've done so much to make me feel welcome... and loved."

He kissed her, then smiled. "We've both noticed you growing in confidence... it's been lovely to see."

Helene hugged them both, whispering her heartfelt thanks as they held her. Wiping away a happy tear, she let Alyssa help her into the jumpsuit then they left the walk-in-wardrobe and headed up to the Bridge. The rest of the girls were already there, sitting at their stations with their eyes fixed on the System Map that floated above them.

John smiled at Faye as he jogged up the steps to the Command Podium then he froze when he looked at the holographic map. The system they'd just entered was dominated by a golden yellow sun, which was orbited by three huge gas giants and one life-sustaining planet... and what a planet it was. He instantly recognised it as a gaia-class world, the rich greens of the verdant continents contrasting with the beautiful turquoise of the shallow seas.