Three Square Meals

John awoke the next morning to the soft sound of a girl singing. He recognised Faye's exquisite voice, but the song was filled with a heart-breaking sense of melancholy that almost brought a tear to his eye. Trying not to disturb Tashana and Irillith, he untangled himself from the sisters and sat upright so he could look at Faye. She was sitting in the chair, gazing away into the distance with a mournful expression on her face.

"What's wrong, Faye?" John asked her quietly, climbing off the bed and kneeling down beside her.

She glanced at him in surprise and abruptly stopping singing, her expression brightening immediately. "Oh, nothing! I was just trying to get into character for the song!"

"You have the voice of an angel, honey. That lament was one of the saddest things I've ever heard." He smiled at her and added, "Maybe sing something a little more upbeat tomorrow? Unless you want to see me start every day in floods of tears!"

Faye's facial scanning and voice mapping algorithms kicked into gear, sending an emergency call to the humour-detection specialist subroutine. John's smile was tracked against thousands of similar such examples in the repository she was building and she was overjoyed to find a positive match. Predicting a sixty-seven-percent chance of success, she ascertained that he was probably serious in his request to change the tune, but that he wouldn't begin every morning with uncontrolled weeping if she continued to sing that song. To err on the side of caution, she decided to heed his request.

"Alright, I won't sing that tomorrow!" Faye promised, gazing at him with her huge luminous eyes.

Knowing that once she'd executed her plans, she would never be able to sing to him again triggered a cascading failure in her happiness protocols. She had to initiate a placeholder smile while she tried to deal with the fatal errors.

John traced her purple jawline with his finger, while being careful not to break the surface of her holographic skin. "You're such a good girl. I'm sorry you've had to wait for your new body. We've been really busy, but I promise it'll be one of our highest priorities now."

"That's okay, I understand," Faye replied with an affectionate smile.

"I'm going to take a shower, I'll see you later," he said quietly, waving her goodbye and walking towards the bathroom.

Faye Primary quickly blinked out of sight so he wouldn't see or hear her weeping.

***

"Good morning, ladies!" John declared, waking the slumbering girls with his deep baritone voice. "I've made a big breakfast for everyone."

Eight sleepy faces peeked at him from over the covers, the girls stretching as they started to sit up.

"That's an interesting way of asking for a morning blowjob," Dana joked, before giving him an impish grin.

John laughed as he placed two trays piled high with bacon, eggs, sausages, and fried bread on the bed, then started handing out plates and cutlery. When he handed one to Tashana, she looked at him with a quizzical expression on her face.

"Aren't we going to...?" she asked, with the hint of a blush to her cheeks.

Alyssa suddenly giggled in delight and exclaimed, "Oh, that's just so deliciously naughty!"

"What is?" Dana asked, grinning at the blonde.

John smiled at the redhead and explained, "I thought I'd save a nice big load up for this evening, then feed all of you just before the Award Ceremony."

Sakura frowned in confusion. "Are you expecting trouble? Is that why you're preloading us? I've reviewed the security arrangements for tonight and they're very robust. Aside from a betrayal by the Admiralty themselves, we should be fine."

Alyssa flashed John a grin of delight, her eyes glinting with her admiration. "No, that's not the reason. Why don't you tell them, John?"

He smiled at her and, reading his thoughts, she scampered over the bed beside him, then sat up ramrod-straight and sharply saluted the bemused girls. John knelt behind her, glancing over her shoulder at their enraptured audience.

"This Award Ceremony will be broadcast throughout the Terran Federation, to an audience of hundreds of billions..." he explained, as he slid his hand around Alyssa's waist and gently caressed her soft, smooth skin. "You'll be the focus of all humanity, and every picture, every piece of video footage, will be of you, carrying a stomach full of my cum."

He saw pupils flare and cheeks flushing, while the bedroom echoed with sharp intakes of breath.

Calara's gaze was smouldering as she murmured, "I should be mortified, but that turns me on so much I can't even think straight!"

"There's no way I can wait until this evening!" Dana moaned, writhing in anticipation. "This is going to be torture!"

Rachel slipped her arm around her lover and purred, "No one else will know, but you will. He'll have marked you as his own property in front of billions..."

"Fuck! Now you're making it ten times worse!" the redhead protested.

John gave her a playful wink. "I thought you might like that idea, Sparks." He glanced around at the rest of the jubilant girls. "Does anyone have any objections to this plan?"

They all shook their heads vehemently, apart from Jade who looked slightly hesitant. "I love the idea, but won't there be a slight problem when I start glowing?"

Smiling at her, John replied, "I expect you'll react the way you normally do when I'm helping you grow stronger, but we'll be the only ones who understand what your light show signifies."

Alyssa relaxed her rigid posture and lowered her salute, placing her hand on top of John's over her tummy. She smiled at the Nymph and said, "It might be sensible to cover you up to avoid you stealing John's thunder. If you wear a pair of gloves you should be alright, the light doesn't ripple across your face."

"That would be prudent," Jade hastily agreed. "I wouldn't want to distract attention away from you, John."

"I'll leave the choice up to you," John said, giving her an affectionate smile. He glanced around the group and frowned at the lack of attention their breakfast was receiving. "Hey! Eat up, I don't want your food to get cold. Besides, you've got a busy day ahead of you and you need your energy."

The girls began to tuck into their breakfast, sharing excited glances and furtive grins between mouthfuls.

After swallowing a tasty piece of bacon, Alyssa looked at John curiously. "How did you avoid waking me this morning? Normally your mind's buzzing with thoughts."

"I decided to be thoughtless, to let you have a lie-in," he replied, with particular emphasis on the word. "While I was making breakfast, I hummed lullabies to myself."

Alyssa blushed and flashed him an appreciative smile before taking another bite and savouring the tasty mouthful of food.

The girls quickly finished off their breakfast and everybody entered the shower, eager to start the day. As Sakura and Calara were washing John, the Asian girl looked at John inquisitively. "You said we had a busy day ahead of us. Aside from the Award Ceremony this evening, what else are we up to?"

"I'm taking you all shopping," Alyssa replied for him, giving the girls a dazzling grin. "We'll be visiting the most exclusive boutiques on Terra to make sure you all have extensive wardrobes."

John pulled Calara into his arms and said, "All except you, honey. You're welcome to go with Alyssa if you'd prefer, but I was hoping you might keep me company."

"Really?" the Latina asked with excitement. "Where are we going?"

"I thought I'd take you on a date to the Sahara Gardens, if that's alright with you?" he replied, running his hand over her slick olive-hued skin and massaging her toned flesh.

She let out a soft sigh. "I've heard it's beautiful there. Thank you."

"You're welcome," he replied, leaning in to give her a tender kiss before they parted.

Everyone showered quickly then dispersed to their own rooms to get changed. John followed Alyssa into their walk-in-wardrobe and changed into a pair of khaki-coloured linen trousers and put on a loose-fitting white cotton shirt.

"You look very handsome," Alyssa said, nodding her approval as she slid a black and white dress over her luscious curves.

John watched her as she stepped into some heels and smiled. "And you're a picture of elegance."

She smiled at him in gratitude then reached for a matching wide-brimmed hat, sweeping her golden-blonde hair into position before putting it on. "She has no idea about tonight. Are you going to warn her beforehand?"

"No, I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise," John said with a smile. He walked over to join her and ducked down to avoid knocking off her hat as he leaned in to give her a kiss. "I wish you could join us, but I understand duty calls."

"They're stunningly gorgeous girls," Alyssa nodded, her expression serious. "Finding clothes to properly emphasise that level of natural beauty is going to be tricky, but I'm determined to give it my all."

He laughed and patted her on the bottom. "You'll be loving every minute of it!"

She grinned at him, then they walked out of the wardrobe back into the bedroom. All the girls except Dana were there waiting for them, dressed in a variety of beautifully flattering sundresses. Tashana and Irillith were looking at each other apprehensively though, glancing at the flawless blue skin that clearly identified them as non-Terrans and more specifically as Maliri.

"Here, these will sort you two out," Dana said as she strolled into the bedroom, waving two wide-brimmed hats at the twins. The sisters tentatively accepted the hats, their confused expressions making the redhead laugh. "Stick 'em on, you'll see what I mean."

Tashana was the first to do so, and there was a pink flicker across her skin as she settled it on her head. A few second later there was the tell-tale coalescing of a holographic image and her blue flesh was replaced by alluring bronzed skin.

"That's amazing!" Irillith gasped, staring at her sister in shock. She put her own hat on and the same holographic technology masked her skin tone.

"There's micro-projectors built into the hat that are now orbiting around your body," Dana explained. She grinned as she added, "As long as you don't try anything energetic like fighting or fucking, you won't break the illusion."

John nodded his approval. "Really nice job, Sparks. Well done!"

"You look hot as a Terran, Rill," Tashana said, admiring her sister with a grin.

"Right back at you, Shan," Irillith replied with a wink.

Tashana turned to look at John next. "Are we going to be using this technology to conceal that we're Maliri for the Award Ceremony tonight?"

John hesitated and after a quick glance at Dana, he replied, "You could, but we thought you'd make a more impressive entrance if you two turn up in Paragon Armour. We can make the clear faceplates opaque and hide your skin colour that way."

"It's up to you," Dana said with a shrug. "Whichever you prefer."

The twins shared a glance then said at the same time, "The armour." They grinned at each other, before Irillith turned to look at John and added, "We'll carry Punisher rifles, they look impressive. And if Terran High Command is dumb enough to try anything, having us geared up will be a sensible precaution."

"I'll give Charles a call to confirm you'll both be attending as well, but in full battle regalia. I'm sure whoever's in charge of event security will have a fit, but if I can't use my fame to flaunt the rules, it's not much use, is it?" John replied with a smile.

The girls laughed as they left the bedroom with him and there was plenty of excited chatter as they walked down the corridor to the grav-tube.

John glanced up at one of the cameras. "Faye, would you mind keeping an eye on the Invictus, please? We'll be back by about six tonight. That'll give us plenty of time to prepare for the ceremony at eight."

"Sure, that's no problem!" Faye declared as she popped into view beside them.

Alyssa smiled at her and asked politely, "Is there any chance you could be our chauffeur in the Raptor, please? I'll need all the girls with me for this shopping trip."

"Of course!" Faye replied. "I'll warm up the Raptor right now."

She disappeared again in a purple flash and they found her in the gunship's cockpit a few minutes later as they took their seats. The small room was alive with conversation as the girls chattered about the various places they were about to visit.

John walked over to the Pilot's Chair and watched as the Raptor slid out of the Invictus, Terra appearing as a vast blue orb before them. "Where to first, beautiful?" he asked Alyssa over his shoulder.

"We'll make a start in Milan, then move on to Barcelona," the blonde replied, momentarily turning her attention away from her discussion about fabrics with Rachel. "We'll drop you off first though, I know most of us want to see the gardens."

Faye brought the Raptor into Terra's atmosphere, following a textbook approach vector as she raced towards the lush continent. Extremely strict zoning and construction control tightly regulated this area of the planet and what had once been a vast, inhospitable desert was now a paradise of manicured lawns, groves of fruit trees, and small, pristine settlements. The whole area was crisscrossed with streams that irrigated the land, making it a verdant tribute to the miraculous life-giving nature of cutting-edge hydroponics.

When John glanced over his shoulder, he saw that the girls were on their feet now, all eager to take a look at the spectacular views through the canopy. He moved aside to let them look, while saying to Faye, "Take us in to Neo-Babylon please, I've made reservations."

Obeying his instructions, Faye altered their course, turning the Raptor towards the spectacular city at the centre of the Saharan Gardens. A flashing light on the console alerted them that they were being hailed, and Faye accepted the call.

The image of a middle-aged woman appeared on the viewscreen and she gave them a warm smile before saying, "This is Neo-Babylon flight control. Please identify yourself, and the nature of your business at the city."

John returned her smile and replied, "My name's John Blake. We're visiting the Hanging Gardens."

The woman's smile broadened into a wide grin, lighting up her face. "I never thought I'd have a chance to speak to the Lion! Please proceed to the central ziggurat; I hope you have a wonderful time there!" Giving him a grateful salute, she closed the comm channel.

The glossy white Raptor swept closer to their destination, soaring just under the cloud banks until Faye slowed the gunship to land. John and Calara waved the girls goodbye as they left the cockpit, holding hands as they stepped into the grav-tube. By the time they had made it to the front-loading area, the boarding ramp had already started to lower with the hum of hydraulics. Faye had touched down in the centre of a glowing landing pad, set partially underground, with white fluted columns lining the docking bay.

An attractive blonde glided across the landing pad to greet them with a perfectly sculpted smile as they walked down the ramp. "Mister Blake, welcome to Neo-Babylon! My name is Penelope and I'll be your assistant during your visit."

"Nice to meet you, Penelope. Call me John, please," he replied with a smile. With a glance at the Latina on his arm, he added, "And my gorgeous companion's name is Calara."

Penelope gave her a radiant smile. "It's lovely to meet you Calara. He's absolutely right; you're exceptionally beautiful!"

Calara blushed, unused to such open flattery from strangers. "Thank you. You're very pretty too."

The blonde gave her a warm smile, then gestured with her perfectly manicured hand towards a broad gap between the columns. "If you'd care to follow me, I'll take you to your terrace."

"Lead on, Penelope," John said, returning her smile.

She spun on her heels and began to walk towards the exit at a measured pace that was easy to match. John and Calara followed, briefly turning back to wave at the girls, who blew kisses at them through the cockpit canopy before the Raptor lifted off.

"Would you like to know more about Neo-Babylon?" Penelope asked politely. She smiled as she added, "Just let me know if you'd prefer some peace and quiet, I won't be offended."

"It's okay. I'm curious," Calara asked, looking up at the pristine white columns.

Penelope's clear, well-spoken voice echoed through the gallery of pillars as they walked up a slight incline. "Neo-Babylon was inspired by the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, said to be one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. We are several hundred miles to the west of the rumoured location of that Mesopotamian marvel, but I'm sure when you see what we've built here, you'll understand why it was named that way."

They reached the end of the colonnade and Calara gasped as she looked out at the view beyond. It was obvious now that they hadn't actually arrived in a subterranean hangar, the landing pad had actually been set into the side of the huge, stepped pyramid. They now looked out over gleaming white terraces teeming with vines, flowering shrubs, and trees, while a meandering river wound its way around the base of the ziggurat.

"It's breathtaking..." Calara murmured, running to the balcony and leaning over to get a better look at the view below.

"This whole area used to be a vast, lifeless desert," Penelope explained, a hint of pride in her voice. Sweeping her hand around to encompass the lush green ecosystem that stretched as far as the eye could see, she added, "Now this paradise helps supply food to the more inhospitable colonies in the Terran Federation."

John walked over to join Calara and slipped a hand around her waist. "All of this is only still here today because of you. I wanted you to see what you've been helping to protect; to truly understand how much of a difference you've made."

She looked at him in awe and he could see the emotion in her rich brown eyes as she realised the sheer magnitude of what she'd accomplished in stopping Nexus.

"I was here on Terra at the time," Penelope said in a hushed voice, while standing patiently to one side. "Thank you for saving my life, Calara."

The Latina turned to smile at the blonde woman, nodding to her graciously. Looking back at John, she said, "Thank you for bringing me here. You're right, with everything we've been doing recently, Terra just seemed like another blue planet on the System Map."

"Well it's a blue planet that's very grateful to you," John replied, smiling at her as he stroked her back. "I'm sure Penelope's going to take good care of us, right Penelope?"

She nodded exuberantly, giving them another shining smile, and they followed her to their private roof terrace.

***

Alyssa smiled and nodded as she inspected Sakura in a lime-green figure-hugging dress that revealed tantalising glimpses of her lovely golden-brown skin. Turning her attention to Jade as she walked out of the fitting room, Alyssa shook her head and said, "Dark blue isn't really your colour, sexy; it clashes with your complexion. Maybe find something in aquamarine or yellow?"

"Okay!" Jade said agreeably, pivoting to go and look through the long rails of clothes.

Holding up her hand Alyssa asked, "Wait a second! Would you mind..."

Jade grinned at her and glancing over at the shopgirls to make sure they were preoccupied, she shimmered in a dark-green haze. Her skin and hair changed lightened, just as her face changed shape, and only a couple of seconds later, Alyssa was staring at a mirror image of herself. The Nymph did a slow spin so that the blonde could see what she'd look like in the dress.

"Actually, we'll take two of them," Alyssa said with a sly wink.

Blowing her a loving kiss, Jade shifted back into her Nymph shape and continued hunting for another outfit for herself.