Three Square Meals Ch. 099

"It was the closest we've ever come to losing you," Irillith said softly, a pained look in her eyes. "We don't want to risk that happening again."

Tashana studied him for a moment, trying to think how best to voice her thoughts. "Everything that happened with your guide was long before I joined the crew, so unsurprisingly my perspective is a little different. The Terran Admiralty have made some terrible decisions recently and their mistakes might have horrific consequences for our fight against the other Progenitor." She slipped an arm around John and gave him a gentle hug. "Getting angry about this situation isn't a sign that you're losing your mind to your Progenitor alter-ego... it's a natural reaction anyone might have. High Command have really fucked up this time and now we have to bail them out of trouble."

"Again..." muttered Irillith with disgust.

John held them both close and gave Irillith a reassuring smile. "Please don't worry; your sister's right." He couldn't help sighing before he continued, "While we're bending over backwards to help protect everyone from this other Progenitor, it feels like all these different empires are actively trying to make it as hard as possible. The Ashanath concealed the Legacy from us, the Trankaran Republic let themselves become paralysed with indecision, and now the Terran Federation has made one terrible decision after another..."

Tashana blushed and added quietly, "Don't forget some idiot trying to start a Maliri civil war..."

John caressed her cheek and gazed into her eyes. "You did that with the best intentions for your people so please don't feel guilty about it. Besides, as I've said before, you actually did me a huge favour gathering all the Matriarchs together like that."

Irillith rubbed her sister's back and chuckled. "At least you had a good reason for trying to kill him. Mother and I didn't have that excuse."

"You Valaden women are quite the handful," John agreed, laughing along with her.

Tashana grinned and raised an eyebrow. "Do you think that's why the sex is so mind-blowing? You're into bad girls?"

Irillith flashed John a sultry smile before he could reply. "That can't be the reason... we're all good girls now, aren't we, loving sister?"

"That's very true," Tashana purred, her hands roaming playfully over John's muscles. She paused for a moment then sounded sympathetic as she continued, "Do you really feel like you betrayed us by fathering children with the Young Matriarchs?"

John had a hand on the rounded curve of each sisters' hip, and he gently caressed each slender waist as he thought how best to answer. "I grew up with my grandparents who had fairly traditional Terran views about relationships. I always thought I'd meet a girl, fall in love, get married, then start a family with her."

He shook his head in disbelief. "What happened instead is that I met a girl, fell in love with her, then met lots more girls and fell in love with all of them too. I finally propose to all these wonderful women, then days later I end up getting the Young Matriarchs pregnant. I'm very fond of them and we've grown very close, but not as much as I love my lionesses... yet four of them are having my baby. I guess I'm suffering a bit of culture shock, but worse than that I also know there's no way I'd stand for the situation being reversed, watching any of you get pregnant with another man... so now I feel like a hypocrite."

The twins listened attentively, waiting for him to finish. Irillith was the first to respond. "Alyssa's told you that none of the girls feel any resentment towards you or the Young Matriarchs, but I promise you really have nothing to worry about regarding Tashana and me. With there being so many more Maliri females to males, we're used to these kind of pluralistic relationships, although they're typically fleeting, loveless, and empty. As to feeling like a hypocrite... I'd never expect you to even consider sharing us with another man, and being brutally honest, I would lose respect for you if you did."

Tashana smiled at him affectionately. "The Young Matriarchs absolutely adore you and it was wonderful to see them so happy. We all saw you starting to fall for them and I know you'll eventually grow as close to those girls as you are to us. Don't forget that my sister and I both fully understand the pressures of being a Maliri noblewoman and the obligations to their House, so we're proud of you for giving those girls just what they need."

Admiration shone in Irillith's violet eyes as she continued, "It was also a very astute political move... now six of the seven highest ranked houses have an unbreakable bond with House Blake!"

Tashana darted a glance at her twin, then gave John a knowing smile. "I'm sure that Maliri House politics were the last thing on your mind; that sounds more like Edraele's handiwork. I bet all you were concerned about was making sure those girls had a wonderful time, weren't you?

"Guilty as charged," John replied, with a self-effacing grin. "That's why I would've made an atrocious King... I've got no head for politics."

"You don't need one, not with mother as your Queen," Irillith said, looking at him intently. "It's an inspired partnership... Edraele can help focus on governing the Protectorate, freeing you to do what you do best..."

"And what's that exactly?" John replied, arching an eyebrow

Tashana bit her flushed lower lip, then said softly, "You were born to be Baen'thelas; you see someone in trouble and rush to help no matter the personal cost. If you fully embrace your role as Protector, all the Maliri will throw themselves behind you... you inspire tremendous loyalty with your actions."

John looked at her in confusion. "I thought I'd already agreed to be the Maliri Protector?"

The twins darted a furtive glance at one another, then Irillith rubbed her firm breasts against his chest, her nipples erect with arousal. "Enough of politics for now. There's something else we wanted to share with you..."

"Sounds intriguing," he replied with a smile. "I'm all ears..."

"And they're very distinguished too," Tashana said, tracing a finger up to the pointed tip. "But my sister was referring to how we felt about watching you with the Young Matriarchs..."

Irillith was breathing heavier, her breasts squashed against him. "It was thrilling for us to watch you breed those lovely girls, because it was so easy for us to imagine it was our own blue tummies swelling with your cum..."

"As you made us both pregnant..." Tashana whispered, her eyes carrying an unspoken promise of pleasure.

"Perhaps we should continue this conversation in the bedroom, I suddenly feel the urge to practice for the big event," John said with a grin, hugging them tight.

Irillith paused for a second to admire his impressive erection prodding her thigh, then shook her head, her voice growing husky, "Is that what you really want to do with us, or is that just what you think we want?"

John looked at her incredulously. "You know how much you both turn me on... Why in all of creation wouldn't I want to take you both to bed?"

"That's not what Irillith's asking," Tashana whispered between soft kisses. "What would you really like to do with your redeemed femme fatales?"

Finally catching her meaning, John slid his fingers down from their hips to cup a perfectly formed asscheek in each hand. He gently squeezed, making his preference quite clear.

"We must be soulmates," Irillith crooned, grinding against him. "There's nothing I'd like more than to feel you stretching me back there..."

"It must have been so hard for you being with the Young Matriarchs," Tashana said sympathetically, gazing into his eyes as she planted kisses along his jawline. "All those beautifully sculpted blue bottoms, and you weren't able to plunder any of them..."

"But it's taboo for the Maliri," John replied quietly, sliding his hands around further to explore the tight cleft between their cheeks. "They were all such sweet innocent girls, I didn't want to scare them... only really naughty girls would want to do anything like that..."

He eased his index fingers down those snug valleys and found his identical targets, then began to rub in teasing circles, drawing a low groan from both twins.

Irillith was panting with lust, her eyes smouldering. "Are you going to make me be naughty tonight?"

John sought out Irillith's lips and the trembling girl moaned into his mouth, her wordless groan filled with need. Tashana waited patiently for her turn, then met his passion with her own, almost frantic with hunger for his kisses.

When they parted, Tashana grinned at him, her eyes sparkling with excitement, "Wait for us in the bedroom! We'll get ourselves ready for you..."

***

Admiral Alexander Morgan sipped from his steaming mug of black coffee as he flicked through the reports from his senior staff. All seemed to be well in order, but each and every officer had requested more information regarding the diversion from their original mission. His fleet had been heading towards the Outer Rim to reinforce Commodore Campbell's forces, the Kirrix encroachments across the border having intensified over the last several weeks. However, he'd received an executive order to turn around and divert to the Brimorian border instead, leaving his battle-ready forces cooling their heels on one of the dullest garrison duty postings imaginable.

The Brimorians and Terrans had last come to blows during an intense skirmish a century earlier, but there had been a chilly peace between the two empires since the ceasefire. Morgan suspected he knew the reason for his fleet's last-minute redeployment, and he was forced to question the wisdom of his decision to accept a posting of the Fleet Admiral's son amongst his forces. The young man was a capable officer and was using his mother's maiden name to conceal his true identity, but Morgan couldn't help suspecting that his fleet was being deliberately kept out of harm's way.

He glanced out of the floor-to-ceiling window in his office aboard the battleship Momus and studied the impressive fleet in attendance. The vessels under his command included five more battleships, twenty cruisers, over a dozen carriers, and a host of destroyers and corvettes. It seemed like such a tragic waste to leave all those warships effectively mothballed, just to keep one man out of danger.

Admiral Morgan was no hot-headed youth and had seen scores of battles in his time, so he was hardly champing at the bit to throw his forces into combat. However, he knew Commodore Campbell's forces were hard-pressed by the Kirrix, and he deeply regretted having to redirect his fleet, when they could have been used so much more effectively elsewhere.

A chime from the comm interface drew his attention away from his troubled thoughts and Morgan swiped a finger across the holo-display to accept the call. A square-jawed man with a goatee appeared before him, a Commodore's insignia on his battle-dress uniform. While Admiral Morgan was in command of the fleet, Commodore Redding was commanding officer on the Momus, and the two men had worked well together for years.

"Sorry to disturb you, Admiral, we've got trouble. We just spotted something... alarming... on our long-range scans," Commodore Redding informed him from the Momus' Bridge.

"What is it, Commodore?" Morgan asked, surprised by the normally unflappable man's shocked expression.

Redding shook his head. "You need to see this for yourself, Admiral. We need you on the Bridge."

Morgan was half-way out of his seat, his coffee forgotten as he replied, "On my way."

Striding briskly out of his office and out onto the Command Deck, Morgan immediately noted the tense atmosphere on the Bridge. It seemed all eyes were locked on the Sector Map, more specifically on a flurry of sensor contacts racing across the map. Morgan nodded to Commodore Redding, then took his seat up on the extended Command Podium.

"What've we got, Commodore?" Morgan asked brusquely.

"We're tracking an inbound fleet heading directly for the border. There's a lot of ships, but we can't tell what kind... they don't have active transponders," Redding growled in frustration. "This is ridiculous! The Brimorians can see exactly what forces we've got, but they get to keep their fleet disposition secret!"

Morgan nodded his agreement, but kept his eyes locked on the approaching forces. "Have the fleet put on alert and move into defensive formation Alpha-nine."

"Yes, Admiral," Redding replied, nodding to his comms officers who quickly swung into action to obey those orders. "Launch fighter screen."

The fleet of mysterious alien ships raced across the map, but something else was wrong... they were travelling impossibly fast. Morgan frowned in irritation and asked, "What's the matter with the sensor tracking? Are we seeing a predicted flight path or something?"

Turning in his seat, the Chief Engineer looked pale. "This isn't a simulation, Sir. Those ships are being mapped in real time... they're travelling at triple our top hyper-warp speed."

"The Brimorians haven't got anything that fast," Morgan said quietly, sharing a worried glance with the Commodore to his right.

"That we know of..." Redding muttered, his expression equally grim.

Morgan watched the alien fleet barrelling towards the border, seemingly intent on heading directly into Terran Federation space. If they stuck to their present course, the tracking computer predicted that they'd sail directly past his fleet, almost as if his forces were discounted as a threat. He felt a shiver of fear run down his spine; how powerful must that fleet be to just ignore the massed might of Terran warships deployed along the border...

The aliens swept into medium range, and at their present speed, it would only take a couple of minutes flight time for them to reach the border line. Morgan glanced repeatedly at the targeting overlay, desperate for more information on those ships, but to get that those vessels would have to get even closer... the last thing he wanted. There was a sudden flash of colour on the glowing map and one by one the icons representing the sensor contacts were updated on the hologram, each replaced with predatory gold warships, delicate crystal domes dotting their sleek hulls.

"Fuck me..." Redding faltered, his eyes wide. "They're Maliri!"

"Incoming hail, Admiral!" the Communications Officer declared, his voice taut with stress.

Morgan shifted nervously in his seat to stare at the big holo-screen. "Put them through."

An insignia showing twin crossed blades appeared on the screen, which was quickly replaced by an armoured figure sitting on a throne, bejewelled golden armour gleaming in the light. The Maliri leader's faceplate was opaque, completely concealing the alien's appearance.

"A pleasant evening to you," the seated Maliri said, her sultry voice revealing her to be of the fairer sex. "My name is Lilyana, Fleet Commander of House Valaden."

"A pleasure to meet you, Fleet Commander. I'm Admiral Morgan," he replied, his tone polite and respectful. "Forgive my directness, but why is your fleet heading directly towards Terran Space?"

Lilyana tilted her head to one side. "I would have thought that obvious, Admiral. We intend to cross into Federation territory."

Morgan clenched his jaw for a moment, whether it be from anger or fear he wasn't too sure which. "And why exactly should I permit that?"

The Maliri Fleet Commander relaxed back in her gilded throne. "Permit? That implies that there might be some way you could prevent us from doing as we please..."

Morgan bristled at her condescending reply, a sharp retort on the tip of his tongue.

Lilyana laughed and waved a hand playfully before he could say anything. "I jest, Admiral, please forgive my teasing. We have been invited of course, by someone well-respected by both your people and mine."

Two armoured female figures stepped into view and stood behind the throne, the distinctive glistening-white plating making their identity known to everyone on the Momus' Bridge. Morgan heard the hushed murmurs, echoing his own thoughts... "Lionesses!"

"I wouldn't expect you to take my word for it," Lilyana continued, and Morgan could hear the smile in her voice. "We're transmitting you a message from a friend."

There was a soft beep from the Comms Station and the Communications Officer glanced at the Admiral, awaiting confirmation to play the message. At Morgan's nod, a projected image appeared in the middle of the Bridge. It showed John Blake in his full-dress uniform, the style identifying him as a Terran Federation officer, but the brilliant white material and gold-weave Lion embroidered across his chest made a dramatic contrast to the usual military greys.

"This is Vice Admiral John Blake," the Lion said, with a warm smile. "I apologise for not being able to speak with you directly; I asked Lilyana to play this message if I was out of comms range."

He leaned forward, the light reflecting off the two Stellar Cluster medals attached to his chest. "I'll keep this short and to the point. I've been cultivating a close alliance with the Maliri and I trust Lilyana implicitly. If you're hearing this message, then it means that it is imperative that the Maliri fleet be allowed to cross into Terran Federation space. I will accept full responsibility for their actions within Terran territory and ask that you place your trust in my judgement."

John paused for a moment, staring intently at the camera. "I asked Lilyana to avoid entering Terran Space except in the case of two specific scenarios. Either her fleet is under threat of attack by the Brimorians, or the Terran Federation needs the Maliri's urgent assistance. Going by past experiences, a lot of lives hang in the balance of this decision, so I hope you'll make the right choice." With a final salute, John said, "Thank you for your time."

The image faded away and there was silence on the Bridge as Admiral Morgan stared at Lilyana and her two lioness bodyguards. "Which scenario is it?" he asked quietly.

Lilyana had clearly anticipated the question as she replied immediately, all playfulness gone from her voice. "The latter."

Morgan gnawed his lip anxiously and darted a glance at the Commodore beside him; the worry on Redding's face was readily apparent. Turning back to the holo-screen, Admiral Morgan hesitated for a moment then asked, "Can you tell me what this is about?"

Lilyana was motionless for a few seconds until she replied. "We have been asked to assist against a threat from the Kintark Empire. John Blake will be crossing the border tomorrow and will be able to discuss this with you at length if you so desire."

Morgan gripped the armrests of his chair, torn with indecision. Just like everyone else aboard the Momus, they all knew what incredible feats the Lion had achieved, the victory in the Battle of Regulus and saving Terra both prime examples. But to allow an alien warfleet into Terran territory... such a thing was completely unheard of.

Knowing that his career in the military hinged on making the correct decision, Morgan straightened and reluctantly said, "You have my permission to enter Terran Federation territory, Fleet Commander."

"You are wise to trust John Blake's word," Lilyana said, giving him a polite, respectful bow. "I promise we will not betray your faith in him. I wish you good fortune, Admiral Morgan."

"And to you, Fleet Commander," he replied, saluting her in return.

She ended the call and her armoured image was replaced with the House Valaden insignia before fading away a few seconds later. Morgan turned his attention back to the Sector Map and watched in silence as the Maliri fleet rushed across the border. His Tactical Officer added a tactical overlay to the holographic map and the Maliri ships appeared in bright terrifying detail as they rushed by. He could see the rows of weapon batteries across those golden hulls, the biggest ships amongst them a truly intimidating sight, each and every one clearly identifiable as a lethal hunter.