John and his crew of beautiful young women were up on the bridge of the Invictus. They had watched quietly as Alyssa had taken off from the docking bay, and then skilfully guided the huge spacecraft through the canyons underneath the vast shipyard, until finally she had them soaring away into the upper atmosphere of Ashana.
"I got kind of used to having Ashana as our base of our operations," Dana said wistfully as the arid reddish-orange planet's surface grew small behind them on the holographic display in the bridge. As they left orbit, the planetary map was replaced by the system map, casting a soothing yellow glow over the bridge from the representation of the Ashana star.
"You seemed to be very popular amongst the Ashanath engineers," Jade observed, glancing at the redhead and offering her a friendly wink.
"I think Dana just got used to being followed around by adoring minions," Calara joked good naturedly.
"What's that like John?" Alyssa asked innocently.
The girls erupted into laughter as they looked up at him, sitting in his command chair overlooking the bridge. "I enjoy it immensely," he noted archly, before his face lit up with a grin.
"I'm sure you do," Alyssa smiled at him affectionately.
"So XO, how long until we reach Epsilon-Eridani?" John asked, adeptly changing the subject. "I'm curious to meet the potential in-laws," he added looking at Calara and smiling.
"Potential?!" the Latina exclaimed. "So I've given you my virtue and you don't have immediate plans for us to wed?" she gasped in mock horror.
"You loved every minute of it!" Alyssa laughed gaily, the wonderful sound echoing around the bridge.
"Ok, that much is true," the brunette confessed, with a lovely smile on her face.
"To answer your question, John, we should be there in just over two days time. We'll reach Jericho at around three in the afternoon in the timezone where Calara's family live," Alyssa clarified, looking up at the holographic quadrant map that displayed their flight path out of Grey Space, and back to Terran Federation territory.
"How do you know that?" Calara asked curiously.
"I reviewed your service records before I recruited you to the team. Your parents were listed as your next of kin, complete with contact details," the blonde explained, before activating the Tachyon drive and sending the Invictus leaping into hyper warp.
"Ah I see, well remembered," the brunette replied, surprised at the extent of Alyssa's excellent memory.
"Well, we have a few hours to kill before dinner," John began, "Do you want a rematch?" he asked Calara eagerly.
"Still smarting from losing the last round?" Jade teased him gently.
"Oh yes, I need to re-establish who's the top dog once again." he grinned with anticipation.
Calara shivered with excitement and nodded at him enthusiastically.
"Any plans, Jade?" he asked, turning to the Nymph.
"I'd like to borrow you, if that's ok Jade?" Alyssa interrupted, before the green skinned girl could reply. "I've got a little experiment I'd like to try." she added, her eyes twinkling.
"Sounds intriguing," the Nymph grinned, "I'm all yours,"
"Let's go then!" John said exuberantly.
"Hey, aren't you going to ask about my plans?" Dana asked him indignantly.
"No, because I have something in mind for you already," John replied cryptically.
"Well as long as it doesn't involve the pool, I'm up for anything," she purred seductively.
"Wonderful!" he answered back, not elaborating further.
Laughing, they all left the bridge, and then returned to their quarters to get changed out of the formal outfits they had been wearing for the statue unveiling ceremony. John got dressed in his sparring gear and left the walk-in-wardrobe to meet up with Calara, who was waiting for him in the corridor outside his room. He paused before he left, as Alyssa and Jade waved him goodbye from where they lay in the bed. They had stripped off, and were cuddled up together naked under the covers.
"What kind of experiment involves you being nude in bed together?" John asked curiously.
"Important training, that's what," Alyssa said airily.
"Ok, have fun..." John laughed as he left.
"We intend to!" she called out to him, as he went out of the door.
John strolled down the corridor, meeting up with the Latina who was standing waiting for him impatiently. She bounced lightly from one foot to the other, her eyes flashing with excitement as she watched him approach.
"You look like you're going to be a handful today!" John exclaimed, seeing her practically buzzing with energy.
"If you want your prize, you're going to have to earn it!" she challenged him, with fire in her eyes.
John paused and took his time, openly admiring her luscious athletic body, her limber muscles flexing as she shifted her weight from one toned leg to another. "I want my prize alright, and I have every intention of claiming it," he said confidently.
"We'll see," she said in a low, throaty voice.
John gestured for her to proceed down the corridor and Dana strolled out of her room to join them as they departed. The redhead watched John and Calara darting smouldering looks at one another as they walked, and she quivered as a thrill went down her spine. "You could cut the sexual tension in the air with a knife!" she exclaimed, biting her lower lip with lust.
"Calara thinks she has what it takes to challenge me; I'm planning to remind her of her place," he promised in a deep voice.
"Well, damn..." Dana grinned, rubbing her hands with glee. "I'm glad you insisted I come along to watch this."
"I have plans for you too, remember," he said dangerously.
The auburn haired girl nearly tripped over her feet, and just looked up at him with wide eyes as they entered the grav-tube.
***
Alyssa shivered excitedly as she listened in to John's conversation with Dana and Calara. This new authoritative side to him was proving to be quite exhilarating! She turned back to face Jade who was lying in bed beside her, the Nymph's bewitching emerald eyes seemingly watching the blonde's every move.
"Do you think it's wise to encourage John's dominant side?" Jade asked her curiously. "After everything we just found out about the Progenitors, we could be heading down a path that might not be much fun for any of us."
Alyssa paused for a long moment before she spoke. "He needs this," she said with certainty. "He's denied his true nature for so long, I think if we let him indulge himself a little, it will stop him from suddenly snapping and going off the deep end."
"I believe you're doing the right thing, I just wanted to understand your reasoning," Jade said calmly. "Like you, I've seen what he's like during his rages... there's a raw power there that was frightening to witness."
"I know what you mean, but I trust him unreservedly," Alyssa replied earnestly. "Both of those times he was just trying to protect me, and I know what he's like, how he thinks... I just can't see him even thinking about hurting any of us."