Chapter 57 - New powers unlocked, and upgraded armour unveiled.

John pried the lid off the storage container, then stopped and stared distractedly at the glossy white block of Alyssium. His eyes picked up the sparkling silvery flecks in the otherwise unblemished surface, and he was entranced by the sparkling lustre, while his mind was pre-occupied with worrying thoughts. He heard footsteps behind him, and turned to see Alyssa and Jade walking over to his side.

“She’ll be alright,” Alyssa said with a comforting smile.

Jade nodded, and said buoyantly, “Rachel’s with her, and she’s very smart. If anyone can figure out what’s happening to Irillith, she can!”

He nodded, and leaned into the container to lift out the cube of Crystal Alyssium, surprised at how light the block of alloy was. Edraele had been terribly worried about her daughter, and had immediately ordered the transfer of the Maliri Medical database archives to the Invictus. Their brilliant young doctor was currently up in their bedroom going through the data, while keeping a close eye on the unconscious Maliri girl who was tucked up in their bed. The block of Crystal Alyssium suddenly floated up and out of his hands, before levitating over to land with a barely audible clink on the deck of the Cargo Bay. He looked up at Alyssa, and she gave him a playful wink.

“Worrying isn’t going to help anyone,” she said firmly. “Rachel’s already checked Irillith, and she’s confirmed our blue-skinned beauty is in perfect physical health. She’ll let us know the moment anything changes, so keep thinking nice thoughts about Irillith, but for the time being, there’s nothing else you can do.”

John nodded, and said, “You’re right, but I just feel bad for the girl. She’s made such great progress recently, it seems particularly unfair for her to be going through this as a reward.”

Jade slipped an arm around him, then squeezed gently, and said, “I know you won’t let anything bad happen to her. We’ll keep her tummy nice and full, then you can make sure she’ll be okay.”

“I’ll do my best,” he replied, then leaned down to give the Nymph a tender kiss. When he straightened, he saw Alyssa watching him affectionately, and he gave her a nod before saying, “Alright let’s do this.”

Alyssa turned to the snowy white cube, and raising her right hand, levitated it effortlessly off the ground. The solid geometric shape suddenly trembled, them melted like a block of ice before the glare of the midday sun. The ball of sparkling white liquid quickly reshaped itself into a perfect representation of Irillith’s beautiful face, depicting her as she lay fast asleep upstairs. The image froze into place, then after a couple of seconds, Alyssa sent her will into the Crystal Alyssium, carefully manipulating the alloy with her mind.

The delicate features of the Maliri girl shifted, and she appeared to yawn, as the face rotated upright, looking peaceful and sleepy. The image froze in place again, as Alyssa let the Etherite lattice harden and strengthen once more. She concentrated on the alloy again, and the glossy white face rippled as the expression changed, her full mouth lifting up into a sparkling smile.

“That was beautiful,” Jade remarked, her voice full of admiration. “Would you do one of me sometime too? You’re very creative, and I’d love to see how I look in your eyes.”

Alyssa smiled at her, and replied, “Of course! You’d be a perfect muse.” She turned back to the representation of Irillith’s face, and carefully melted the Crystal Alyssium into a large number four. The strange material started to move more sluggishly now, and she frowned before she said, “OK, that’s quad shaped.”

She melted the sparkling white number into a roiling sphere, which turned lazily in the air, held in place by her will alone. Making a slight gesture with her hand, the orb shuddered, then flowed languidly into a number five.

John glanced at her with a frown, and said cautiously, “How was that? Don’t overdo it now, you’re up to quint-shaped and this Crystal Alyssium is meant to be tougher to manipulate isn’t it?”

“Yeah, it’s getting a lot harder,” she replied with a curt nod, focusing on the five and melting it into a slowly rotating sphere of sparkling white metal.

He stepped closer, then gave her a loving kiss on the cheek, and sounding concerned he said, “That’s enough now. You’ve already proved how impressive you are, I don’t want you overexerting yourself.”

Alyssa smiled, enjoying his protectiveness, but she nodded obediently, realising she was pushing her limits as it was. After taking a long, steadying breath, she focused her concentration on the orb, forcing it to flow into the form she held in her mind. The Crystal Alyssium was torpid now, moving at a glacial pace as if deliberately resisting her efforts to reshape it for a sixth time. Ever so indolently, it flattened out, then elongated into the five foot length that would form the new sword.

The psychic blonde was rapidly tiring now, her breathing growing more laboured with the physical and mental effort involved. John could see her getting visibly more tired, and he ordered her sternly, “Tap the girls for power! You’re just using your own energy!”

Immediately doing as John asked, Alyssa reached out to Dana, Calara, and Rachel, gently drawing psychic energy from them as she struggled to bend the alloy to her will. She felt fortified by the refreshing waves of power as they washed over her, and narrowing her eyes with steely determination, she renewed her efforts on the sword. Her original plan was to make some embellishments to the original design, but shaping it had proven far harder than she anticipated. In the end, she settled for copying the previous design, and it was with a great sigh of relief that she finally finished her psychic forging, gently laying the sword to rest on the deck of the cargo bay.

Pulling her into his arms, John held her close, and said, “You need to be careful, honey. That looked like it took a lot out of you!”

Alyssa nodded looking abashed, and admitted, “Yeah, it got exponentially harder. That last one was a real strain.”

Jade leaned in to give her a hug too, and said tentatively, “I didn’t feel you draw any energy from me. Why didn’t you let me help you as well?”

Giving her an affectionate smile, Alyssa replied, “I know you wanted to help John practice his powers. I didn’t want to tire you out.”

Jade gave her a tender kiss, and hugged her tighter as she said, “That was very thoughtful, but please don’t strain yourself like that again if I can help you.”

John and Jade held Alyssa for a while, until she protested that she felt fine, and was clearly impatient to see the results of her mental manipulations of the Crystal Alyssium. John gave her a quick kiss, then released her, and walked over to the blade that lay on the deck. Reaching down, he picked it up, smiling appreciatively at the lighter weight. He held it effortlessly in one hand, turning it slightly and then back again, admiring the way the tiny silver flecks in the glossy white sword caught the light.

Jade stared at it entranced, and said in a hushed voice, “It looks so beautiful.”

John took up a guard stance, then began a flurry of fast strikes and chops, while moving fluidly to keep his balance. The shimmering blade moved in a blur, seemingly dancing through the air as he engaged a fearsome imaginary foe, parrying and deflecting before moving to riposte.

“The balance on this blade is incredible,” John marvelled, as he came to a rest, and stared at his new sword in wonder.

Alyssa grinned with delight, and asked, “I’m still your go-to-gal for making shiny swords?”

John laughed, and nodded, walking over to her to give her a very grateful kiss. “Your psychic-weaponsmithing is legendary,” he replied playfully. Raising an eyebrow he added, “What price am I going to pay for your wonderful craftsmanship?”

“I’m sure we can come to an arrangement,” she replied, her lips twitching into a suggestive smile.

He smiled at her in return, but his happy expression slowly faded as he started to look more pensive. “I suppose it’s my turn to wow you with psychic powers,” he said apprehensively.

Alyssa beamed a brilliant smile at him, and said, “Don’t look so worried! You got the hang of enhancing your strength easily enough, and we know you can use pyrokinesis on the sword, Irillith saw Progenitor John do it.”

Jade said encouragingly, “You’re extremely powerful, John. You’ll be able to do this easily.”

Smiling at them both in gratitude, John asked, “Alright, so where do I start?”

The blonde and the Nymph glanced at each other for a moment, establishing who should go first, and with a wave of her hand, Alyssa let Jade start. Holding out her right hand, Jade looked at it quizzically, then closed her eyes as she concentrated. Her slender dark-green forearm shimmered in a verdant haze for a couple of seconds, then solidified into a fur covered forepaw. Turning it over, she tensed her tendons, which slowly unsheathed a vicious set of claws. As the Nymph focused on her limb, her claws began to give off an eerie ethereal green glow, before lightning burst into life along them with a sudden crackle.

“So how did you do that?” he asked, quite fascinated.

Jade blinked and the eldritch lightning flickered and died, leaving her tiger’s paw looking relatively normal again, aside from being a lush dark-green. She took a breath, then repeated the action, but this time the electricity crept out, slowly swathing each claw in crawling coils of energy.

Glancing at him over her curled paw, Jade replied carefully, “I can feel a tingling in my arm, like there’s a surge of electricity waiting to be unleashed. I focus on it, then ... bring it forth...” She hesitated then gave him an apologetic smile as she said, “Sorry if that’s not very helpful. It’s hard to describe.”

John was listening to her attentively, but he frowned when she mentioned the tingling. “I haven’t felt anything like that before,” he admitted, looking frustrated.

Alyssa was carefully watching his expression and listening to his thoughts, so she quickly interjected, “I think Jade is acting on pure instinct, so it might work a little differently for her, than for us. When I’m using telekinesis, the principal is the same. I focus on what I want to happen, then push my will towards it, and ... hey presto!”

“Hey presto?” John asked her with a grin.

After sticking her tongue out at him, Alyssa replied, “You know what I mean, crazy psychic stuff starts happening.” She swished her hand about, as though waving a sword in the air, and said, “Just give it a try, and see what happens. If it doesn’t work, we can try talking about it some more, and maybe give you a few pointers.”

John nodded, and holding the sword in front of him, he grasped it with both hands. He stared intently at the blade, trying to concentrate on tingling, and surging electricity, but after a tense couple of minutes nothing seemed to happen. Letting out his breath in a frustrated snort, he turned to look at the girls who gave him a sympathetic smile. Jade gave Alyssa a sidelong look, and Alyssa looked surprised for a moment, then nodded enthusiastically.

“What are you two up to?” John asked them suspiciously, as they prowled towards him with sly smiles on their beautiful faces.

Alyssa held out her hand for him, and when he took it, she led him over to one of the storage crates, then sat him down on it. “Jade just had a very interesting thought,” Alyssa purred, as she walked around behind him, and began to massage his shoulders. “Just relax, and let us take care of you.”

Jade had followed them over to the crate, and when John sat down, she eased his thighs apart, then gracefully dropped to her knees. After unbuckling his belt and unzipping his fly, she pulled out his cock with a hungry gleam in her eye. She gazed up at him with a look of pure devotion, then slowly enveloped the head of his cock between her lips, taking her time, and savouring every moment.

“There, that’s better now, isn’t it,” Alyssa crooned in his ear, as she massaged his shoulders with her knowledgeable hands. “Everything feels much better with one of your adoring women worshipping you on her knees.”

John nodded distractedly, letting out a low groan as the Nymph began to inch his cock down her throat. He could feel that glorious, rippling sensation as she encouraged him in deeper, while keeping him entranced with her unblinking, cat-like eyes. He was still holding his new blade in his right hand, and it wavered slightly in the air as he struggled to maintain his concentration.

Alyssa leaned in, pressing her breasts against his back and began to kiss his ear, her tongue flickering out to dart along the pointed tip. “Now just keep focusing on that beautiful, exotic girl, who wants nothing more than for you to empty your balls down her throat.”

John nodded absent-mindedly, and murmured, “She’s so gorgeous, it’s impossible to think of anything else.”

Jade’s emerald eyes sparkled in response, and she smoothly took the last of him down her throat, completely sheathing his cock inside her luscious body. Not breaking that eye-contact for a moment, she began to ease back a little before starting to rock back and forth, sensually massaging his length.

Alyssa whispered softly, “Very good. Now keep focusing on Jade, but I want you to make electricity sweep up from your hand, until it covers your sword. Don’t overthink it, just make it happen.”

Closing his eyes, and losing himself to the pleasurable sensations, John tried to imagine blue lightning entwined around the glossy white sword he held in his grasp. He felt a strange tingling in his right hand, and he pushed his will towards it, just as Alyssa and Jade had described. Alyssa’s gasp and the crackling to his right made his eyes fly open, and he stared in disbelief at the dancing arc of electricity that swirled up around the blade. With a start, the weaving coils flickered out and died, leaving the sword to sparkle harmlessly as it reflected the light.

“I did it!” he exclaimed in shock, staring at the sword with incredulous eyes.

Alyssa leaned in and gave him a kiss, then locked eyes with Jade as she said conversationally, “You were spot on. Great work, clever girl.”

Jade eased his burgeoning cock out of her throat, and gave Alyssa an elated smile as she started tucking his throbbing length back into his trousers with some reluctance. John frowned, and asked, “What’s happening now? And what were you right about?”

The Nymph gazed up at him lovingly before she said, “I’m happy to milk your balls for you now if you want, but I thought we could have some fun in bed together later. As for the other thing, I guessed that you were either concentrating too hard, or your mind was unwilling to accept what it was capable of.”

“My money’s on the latter,” Alyssa added as she gave him another kiss. “You’re a practical, logical man, and you were only able to start using your psychic strength after watching video proof of it in action against the Drakkar. We didn’t have proof this time, so Jade suggested distracting you from second-guessing yourself.”

John chuckled and asked, “So deepthroating me was the best way to achieve that?”

“It made sense to use the beautiful tools you supplied us with,” Alyssa said, as she stepped to his side, and offered Jade a hand, helping her stand up. She looked at him archly, and added, “Besides, it worked didn’t it?”

John looked up at them, then reached out to gently stroke the Nymph’s slender stomach, feeling the toned muscles in her abdomen. Her skin was cool to the touch, but as he stroked her, she soon began to heat up. He rose to his feet, and said firmly, “We’ll definitely be continuing this later.”

Jade grinned at him in delight, then she and Alyssa stepped back a bit to give him a bit of room. John hefted his sword again, and just concentrated on bringing out that tingling sensation in his hands again. Now he knew what to expect, and what he could do, it only took a moment to focus on summoning up the Eldritch lightning again. Sure enough, a couple of creeping tendrils of electricity began to make their languid way up the blade.

“That’s excellent!” Alyssa said encouragingly. “Just concentrate on maintaining it for the moment, then you can try and increase the intensity.”

Jade glanced at Alyssa, and said, “Maybe try thinking about that compartment trick? I just want things to happen, like changing shape, or the lightning claws, and it just works, but your mind might work differently.”

“Yeah, definitely!” Alyssa agreed, nodding enthusiastically. “I find that really helpful to imagine my mind as loads of little compartments. It makes keeping track of everything tons easier!”

John darted a look their way, and the lightning wavered as his concentration slipped for a moment. He hurriedly focused on it again, then tried to imagine making compartments in his mind. He grunted in amusement as he pictured ... three ... metaphysical boxes, his subconscious refusing to let him imagine any more. So much for loads of compartments! Still he had to start somewhere, so he froze an image of his sword shrouded with lightning, then filled one of the mental boxes with it. Blinking with surprise, he realised that thinking about powers this way was quite helpful, and tiny arcs of electricity flickered playfully along the length of the sword.

“You’re right, it’s much easier to think about it that way,” he told the girls as he grew in confidence. He held the sword loosely in his hand, then strolled around the cargo bay for a moment, thinking about other things, and deliberately ignoring the lightning crawling along his blade.

Alyssa smirked at him, and said, “Why don’t you try cranking it up a bit? The little flickering lights look very pretty, but I doubt they’d do much more than make a bad guy’s hair stand on end.”

John laughed and shook his head at her condescending tone, knowing full well she was trying to goad him into action. He concentrated on his arm, and tried to imagine powerful columns of lightning completely swathing the Alyssium blade. Nothing happened for a moment, but ever so slowly the electricity began to increase in potency, the lightning forking and writhing as he pushed more power into it.

His head started to throb with the exertion, and although he hadn’t exactly brought forth a surging lightning storm, the spitting arcs of eldritch power had started to look a lot more impressive. The azure coloured energy streams flickered, then died out, and he leaned the sword against the storage crate so he could massage his temples.

Alyssa walked over to join him, and said proudly, “That was a really good effort, well done!”

Jade smiled as she hugged him from behind, and said, “I’ve had to practice a lot to develop my abilities. Keep at it, you’ll get even stronger.”

John grinned and said, “Thanks for the words of encouragement. I’ll call it a night for now, but I’ll definitely practice tomorrow.” He suddenly broke into a chuckle as he added, “I didn’t even know I could make lightning like that. I thought it was fire that Irillith saw Progenitor-John using?”

“Yep!” Alyssa said with a broad smile. “So you should find that even easier.”

He picked up his spectacular new sword, admiring it once again, and said, “I’ll go and drop this off in our room, then we can check on Irillith.”

Jade and Alyssa fell into step beside him, and they walked out of the Cargo Bay, then down the corridor into the grav-tube. They ascended in comfortable silence, then walked quietly down the corridor into the bedroom where Irillith was still lying asleep in bed, with Rachel sitting beside her. The brunette looked up at them as they walked into the room, giving them a warm smile.

John walked over to her, and leaned down to give her a quick kiss. “How’s your patient doing, Doctor?” he asked her, glancing over at the slumbering Maliri.

Rachel frowned, and replied, “Physically she’s in perfect health. I’ve spent the last few hours going through the Maliri medical data that Edraele sent, but I’ve found no mention of diseases unique to the Maliri that might be affecting her eyes. As a species, they’re remarkably healthy anyway, so there isn’t much information on congenital defects.”

Alyssa sat down on the bed, and gently stroked Irillith’s snowy-white hair as she asked, “Could this be caused by her psychic powers evolving? When I first began to develop telepathy, I started picking up random fragments of John’s inner voice. Maybe this is the same, but just affecting her eyes instead?”

Their lovely medic nodded, and replied, “That’s the conclusion I’ve come to as well. Irillith’s mother is psychic, and she shares the same triple helix DNA as Edraele. I strongly suspect that whatever’s happening is linked to a psychic ability starting to manifest itself.”

“Any idea what ability that might be?” John asked Rachel.

The tawny haired girl smiled at him, and replied, “You’re probably best placed to answer that one. This is almost certainly your handiwork after all.”

John shrugged helplessly, having no idea what could be afflicting the Maliri girl. “Sorry, can’t help you there,” he said, feeling guilty as he realised Rachel was almost certainly correct, and it was his fault Irillith was suffering.

“Relax, she’s just experiencing flickering lights,” Alyssa said soothingly, as she heard his worried thoughts. “She’s been a bit uncomfortable, but I’m sure this will pass soon enough. The voices I heard when I started developing telepathy were a bit disconcerting, but I would have suffered through far worse in exchange for the psychic gifts you’ve given me.”

“Me too,” Jade said without hesitation. She paused, and admitted, “Not that I had to endure anything when you enhanced my shapeshifting. I would have willingly subjected myself to months of agony for these powers though.”

Rachel looked up at her in surprise, and asked, “Really, why’s that?”

John gathered Jade into his arms, and said confidently, “I know why.” He looked into her glinting emerald eyes and continued, “It’s because my lovely little Nymph was able to use her abilities to save me and the girls from the Drakkar. I’m right, aren’t I beautiful?”

She smiled at him shyly, and nodded, while gazing up into his eyes. John leaned down to give her a tender kiss, and she began a throaty purr as she responded.

Alyssa smiled at the pair of them, and said, “I think it’s Jade’s turn to feed Irillith next anyway. Why don’t you two go and have some fun, then we can pack more cum into her blue tummy. She’s absorbed the last load already, and the faster we can get her over this the better.”

John smiled playfully at the Nymph, and scooped her up in his arms, causing her to gasp in excitement. He walked out the door, and glancing over his shoulder, he said, “We’ll be back in a while. Let me know if there’s any change.”

He heard the blonde and brunette laughing together as he strode down the corridor, but his attention was focused on Jade. She gave him a brilliant smile, as he gave her his undivided attention, and when they reached her quarters, she hit the button eagerly. He stepped through the door, smiling at the thought of carrying her over the threshold.

She spotted his thoughtful smile, and looked at him quizzically as she said, “I do envy Alyssa sometimes, having telepathy must be wonderful. What’s making you happy?”

John carefully set her down on her feet, and hesitated, unsure how to broach the subject. Seeing his indecision, Jade stepped out of her shoes, and peeled her dress off her shoulders, letting it fall to her feet. “Let’s go and get a shower before you work up a sweat with me,” she said impishly, and sashayed away into the ensuite bathroom.

He watched her depart, entranced by her astounding figure, then hurriedly pulled off his clothes when he heard her start up the shower. When he strode in after her, she gave him a welcoming smile, and beckoned him into the cubicle. The Nymph looked stunning under the flowing water, the lights from the bathroom making her slick skin glisten with a shiny lustre. Jade’s skin was a dark green, but there were tiny flecks that caught the light, as well as the lighter coloured viridian lines that accentuated all her sensational curves.

She turned around, glancing at him coyly over her shoulder, and he took the opportunity to admire her toned, athletic form. Walking over to join her, he ran his hands over her cool skin, feeling the pliant but strong muscles under his fingertips. His cock had risen to the occasion, thickening as he admired her beautiful exotic body, and he rested it between the taut groove of her cheeks as he encircled her in his arms.

“Mmm, that feels amazing,” she murmured, leaning back into him, and flexing her muscular buttocks around his shaft.

John didn’t reply, instead he gathered some soap in his hands, and started to massage her breasts, letting his hands glide over her lovely soft skin under the pretence of getting her clean. She purred in delight at his touch, loving the feel of his hands over her skin, and when she turned around to look at him, he could see her eyes were hooded with lust. His cock throbbed at that look, immediately recognising that fiery intensity in her eyes.

They soaped each other down, with Jade’s skin warming up as she grew more turned on. Certain parts of his anatomy were feeling pretty overheated too, aided by the Nymph’s gentle but confident grasp with one of her slender hands. She led him out of the shower, guiding him by his pulsating length, and they dried off quickly before heading into her bedroom.

Jade walked over to the bed, and gracefully climbed onto it, giving him a come-hither look. “How do you want me?” she asked him breathily.

“Hot and wet,” John replied, as he stalked after her.

Her eyes flashed with arousal, and she lay back on the bed, parting her legs, and bringing them right back to give him full access to her glistening pussy. John climbed up on to the bed too, and nuzzled his cock against her, feeling how wet and ready she was for him. Pushing forward, he groaned as her scalding depths seemed to wrap around him, pulling him in deeper. Knowing full well she was designed to take his cock, he drove forward powerfully, spearing her with his entire length in one long fluid motion.

“Oh God, Master!” she cried out ecstatically as he plunged into her, arching her back as she took all of him in one pussy-stuffing thrust.

John smiled at her, and said, “My beautiful little Nymph. It feels so good being inside you again.”

He ran his fingers through Jade’s verdant hair, then cradled her head protectively in his hands, as he just relished being with her again. She’d given him mind-shattering blowjobs with the Maliri, but this was different, and he relished the feeling of intimacy. Jade had closed her eyes when he penetrated her, but her eyelids opened languidly when she realised he had paused, and was just studying her face.

“Aren’t you going to use your eager Nymph?” she asked him in a seductive whisper.

John nodded confidently, and replied, “Oh yes, definitely. But we should talk first, and it’s much more fun to chat like this, don’t you think?”

Jade laughed, and nodded as she brought her arms and legs up to wrap him in a tender embrace. “What did you want to talk to me about?” she asked him curiously, while gently massaging his cock with her magnificent body.

John had a few things on his mind, but he decided to go with the less complicated one first. “I heard what you said earlier. Do you really feel like you aren’t contributing?” he asked her with a frown.

She saw his troubled expression, and wanting to allay his concern, she grinned at him as she replied, “Maybe I was just fucking with you?”

He smiled, then shook his head, and replied, “Perhaps, but I don’t think so.” He flexed his cock inside her playfully, and added, “This is your Master you’re talking with now. Come on, tell me the truth.”

Jade let out a forlorn sigh, and said, “Rachel and Dana are so smart. I hate not being able to contribute like they can, and I wish I could do more.”

John leaned down to give her a loving kiss, and said soothingly, “You do so much already! You’re a phenomenal pilot, you’ve nursed the girls back to health on more occasions than I can count, let alone saving us against the Drakkar. You’ve got your new job as Dana’s Engineering Assistant too, so that’ll keep you busy while we’re flying around the galaxy.”

The Nymph brightened a bit, and said earnestly, “I just want you to be happy with me.”

He laughed, and said, “Honey, I couldn’t be any happier with you! You’re a wonderful girl, and none of us could do without you. Aside from the fact that I love you, I consider you an invaluable part of our crew.” He watched her face light up with a beautiful smile, and he added, “That leads me on to something else I wanted to talk about. I just wanted to thank you for what you did for the Maliri. With your help, we’re going to transform the lives of all those girls, and let them have the babies they wanted so much.”

Jade’s smile grew even wider, and her eyes sparkled as she said, “I loved seeing them all staring at you in awe. It felt so wonderful to help the Maliri like that, and I just wish we’d had a few more days there, so you could have used me to impregnate them all yourself.” She sighed wistfully, then continued, “They were lovely, beautiful girls, and leaving all eighty of them with your babies growing in their bellies would have been amazing.”