Chapter 45 - Can they survive a confrontation with the Fulmanax?

Rachel grinned happily as she glanced around at John, Alyssa and Jade who sat with her on the sofas in the Officers’ Lounge, feeling relaxed and at ease in their company. They were chatting with Jade about her initial experimentation with shape-shifting, and Rachel listened with fascination as the Nymph talked about researching different creatures, so she could try her hand at copying their exotic forms. Alyssa suddenly turned to look at the door to the lounge, a sparkling smile lighting up her beautiful face.

A few seconds later, Rachel could hear Calara and Dana’s voices coming from the corridor, as they chattered excitedly about the successful upgrade of the Tactical Station. Her own face lit up with a broad grin, and her heart skipped a beat when the double doors opened, and the gorgeous redhead skipped into the room.

“Your designs are perfect!” Dana exclaimed to the Latina, as they glided over to join them. “You have nothing to worry about,” she added encouragingly.

“I’ll feel much happier after a field test though,” Calara said with a frown, then leaned over the back of the sofa to give John a kiss. The brunette then sat down next to Alyssa, and the two of them smiled at each other lovingly.

Dana copied Calara, leaning over to give John an enthusiastic kiss, before standing and flashing a flirtatious smile Rachel’s way. The redhead prowled over to join her, putting into practice all the advice Rachel had previously given, and she could feel herself flush with excitement at the look she shared with the auburn haired girl.

Dana sat next to her on the sofa, their legs brushing together tantalisingly as she sat and said teasingly, “Did you miss me?”

Rachel grinned as she nodded, and it was true; she did feel much better now that all of them were gathered together in a group. Being honest with herself though, she knew it was Dana she had missed most of all, and she sighed happily as she gazed at the bubbly girl’s gloriously beautiful face. She looked up at the others self-consciously, and saw that they were smiling at the two of them affectionately.

She marvelled at their open acceptance of the budding relationship growing between her and Dana, and felt a surge of gratitude to these wonderful people once more, for welcoming her so warmly into their remarkable company. She had never dreamed she would ever find a person who would encourage her so enthusiastically to just be herself, and now here she was, living with five of them who seemed to love her all the more for it.

Dana nudged her gently with an elbow, disturbing her thoughts, and asked, “How’s it going with the Psi-detector? Are you ready to conduct that test you mentioned?”

Rachel nodded eagerly and replied, “Definitely! As long as you guys don’t mind helping out?”

They all nodded their willingness to assist, and spread out around the huge lounge, while taking pity on John, letting him relax on the sofa. Rachel proceeded to carefully study the ethereal white lines of light joining each girl with Alyssa, which she could clearly see through the holographic display on the Psi-detector. There was a recording function built into the futuristic looking ray-gun, and she pressed the corresponding buttons, which began recording everything she was seeing in the holo-display. When she had finished taking a recording from each of them, Dana hooked up the device to the large viewscreen near the sofas, so that they could view the results.

They noticed that equally intense lines of light seemed to be coming from Calara, Dana and Jade, although Jade’s aura burned far brighter than those from the Terran girls. The luminescent line connecting Rachel and Alyssa was much dimmer, and seemed weaker somehow, fragile and tenuous. By contrast, the wide ethereal cable that connected John and Alyssa together was broad, strong and very bright indeed, although it still paled in comparison to the blindingly white aura coming from the blonde girl.

“You look like the girl from my dreams,” John observed, stifling a yawn as he studied the radiant figure on the screen.

Alyssa grinned at him and teased him playfully, “I’m the girl of your dreams? How sweet!”

He chuckled as he said, “I’m too weary to banter with you, but yeah ... you are.”

She smiled happily at that, then walked over to sit on the sofa beside him, planting a tender kiss on his cheek.

Rachel meandered over to join them too, looking up at the screen in frustration. “I can’t tell if the lines are just some kind of psychic tether, or if they represent some sort of energy flow,” she muttered, as she stared intently at the ethereal lines on the screen.

“I think they’re flows of energy,” Dana guessed as she sat down next to the brunette. She carefully pried the Psi-detector out of Rachel’s hands, who was staring transfixed at the images above her. “I’ll need to make a few tweaks to be certain, and to enable us to see the direction the energy is travelling in.”

After the redhead had made her modifications, they spread out again to check with the Psi-detector once more, so that Rachel could observe what was happening. She zoomed in closely to the pulsating streams of light, hitting record as she did so, and stared in fascination at the ebbing and flowing psychic energy.

“It seems to be going in both directions,” she said cautiously, as she stared intently at the display. “Like a gentle stream that’s flowing upstream and downstream at the same time.”

Alyssa pondered this for a moment and then suggested, “Perhaps those represent our thoughts, travelling telepathically over the bond?”

Rachel glanced at her and nodded, as she replied, “It’s a good theory. Whatever the real reason, there’s definitely some kind of shared energy transfer occurring.”

They gathered around to watch the recording once more, and agreed with Rachel’s hypothesis. As the images changed from focusing on Dana, to Jade, to Alyssa, the brighter aura around the Nymph was immediately apparent, with the effect even more pronounced when Rachel had moved on to the blonde girl.

Dana pointed at the white aura surrounding her friend and said, “Those brighter auras must represent the psychic strength of the individual. It can’t be a coincidence that Alyssa is the only one with really major powers, and hers is the brightest by miles.”

Alyssa pondered this for a moment, and then suddenly blurted out, “The Bolon could see my aura!”

Dana looked at her with a bemused expression, and said, “Sorry, I don’t follow.”

“That alien that looked like a green gelatinous blob, at the Merchant District,” the blonde explained with a smile. “They are Psychic, or can use telepathy at the very least. I had a telepathic chat with the one on Geniya station and he was lovely and friendly, just like the one I met at Port Heracles. Anyway, the first one called me ‘Young one’, and this second one called me ‘Bright one’, so I wonder if they can naturally see the aura of someone with psychic powers?...”

Rachel looked thoughtful and said, “So he called you that because your psychic aura is so bright?”

Alyssa nodded, “That’s what I’m thinking. I’ve obviously grown a lot more powerful since my first encounter with a Bolon, months ago.”

Dana then looked at John in confusion, and asked him, “But what about you? Alyssa said that the Ashanath were convinced you’re psychic as well, but you’ve got no aura at all! Even me, Rachel, and Calara have a faint glow. You’re as dark as the sofa!”

John shrugged helplessly. “Perhaps the Ashanath were wrong? Alyssa and I experimented a little with telepathy the other night, but I had no luck at all,” he said with a frown.

They glanced around at each other, but everyone wore a similarly bemused expression, not having any real answers.

Alyssa frowned and said, “I feel like we’re fumbling in the dark. We need someone to really train us, and me in particular, about how all this stuff works. I’m sure it would be a lot more useful if I knew what I was doing!”

“The Ashanath?” Dana suggested enthusiastically, enjoying the idea of visiting the diminutive grey-skinned aliens again.

“Maybe, but I hadn’t planned on going back to Ashana for a while,” John said hesitantly, before he smirked, as he looked at the blonde at his side. “Perhaps Irillith’s mother could give you a few pointers?”

She giggled and rolled her eyes. “If her mother is anything like her daughter, I think I’ll pass. Thanks though,” she said sarcastically.

He was about to reply, but let out a big yawn instead, much to everyone’s amusement.

Alyssa smiled at him kindly and said, “Come on, let’s get some dinner inside you, and then you can get to bed.”

He nodded wearily, and they got up and moved over to the dining area, so that they could eat dinner together. The conversation was quiet but pleasant, and John enjoyed listening to the girls talking amiably amongst themselves.

John finally collapsed into bed just after eight that evening. Between passionate sessions with the girls in the bedroom, upgrading the Invictus, sparring with Yamamoto, and energetic races in the pool with Jade, he felt completely shattered. Alyssa tucked him up under the covers, and he smiled wearily at her in gratitude as his eyes grew heavy and he fell fast asleep. The girls then gathered around Rachel, who was studying the Psi-detector, checking to make sure the latest tweaks that Dana had made were working correctly.

The redhead looked eager and said to Rachel enthusiastically, “OK! Let’s fire it up, and see what’s happening!”

“But do it quietly,” Alyssa whispered with a frown, glancing at John, who slumbered away undisturbed.

Dana nodded guiltily, but then said encouragingly to Rachel in a quiet voice, “Go ahead!”

Rachel nodded, and she pointed the Psi-detector at John, “It’s changed!” she gasped in a hushed voice.

The other girls crowded around her to look at the image on the Psi-detector, which showed the thick pulsing beam of light that connected John to Alyssa. The stream of energy now seemed to be lazily flowing in one direction, towards John’s sleeping form. Rachel urged the rest of them to spread out, and she carefully checked the glowing streams of light from herself, Calara, Jade, and Dana.

“We’re all feeding energy to you,” she said quietly to Alyssa, “and you seem to be channelling it to John!”

They all gathered together again, so that they could talk in hushed whispers.

“Do you remember when John got stuck through the chest with that sword?” Calara asked, looking thoughtful. “We were absolutely exhausted the next morning. I wonder if we all got so tired because we were giving John energy to heal.”

Dana frowned, shaking her head as she replied, “But I felt absolutely fine the next morning!”

Jade tilted her head to one side and looked thoughtful as she said, “Yes, but I fed you the night before. You had a big tummy full of cum to help you heal that broken arm.”

Rachel glanced at the snoozing Progenitor in their midst and said, “Perhaps he borrowed energy from each of you to help him heal, but left Dana undisturbed because she was badly hurt, and needed to heal herself?”

Alyssa nodded, but looked puzzled, “That makes sense, but I’m not consciously doing anything. Whatever is happening, I have no control over it.”

Rachel smiled at them and said, “Well whatever happened, it seems like it was you girls that healed him that time. I can tell you, as a doctor, that you definitely saved John’s life.”

The girls smiled at each other with delight, finding the thought that they had helped heal him wonderfully rewarding.

Calara gazed at John fondly and said, “After the way he healed all my injuries when I joined the crew, it feels so nice to know that I finally returned the favour.”

Alyssa smiled at the others and said, “I don’t know about you girls, but I really want to give him a cuddle. Let’s all go to bed.”

There were quiet murmurs of agreement, and they stripped off quickly before joining John under the covers, being careful not to disturb his rest.

John woke the next morning, feeling fully refreshed after a long night’s sleep. He stretched tentatively, being careful not to disturb the girls lying next to him, and he was relieved that he had no aches or pains as he stretched his muscles.

The glance down at the sleeping girls revealed one dark brown head of hair, and another with thick dark auburn tresses, letting him know it was Calara and Dana cuddled up with him. He looked across at the other girls, and a set of bright blue eyes looked at him from over the redhead on his right hand side.

Good morning, handsome, Alyssa thought to him cheerily.

Same to you, beautiful, he replied happily, but glanced down at Dana curiously. Why the change in sleeping arrangements? You girls normally seem to have favourite spots when it comes to who lies where, and it’s normally you lying here.

She grinned at him, and her eyes sparkled with amusement, Would you like to know the rules?

He stifled a laugh, and sounded intrigued as he replied, Sure! I bet it’s very complicated.

Alyssa shook her head as she smiled, her golden blonde locks moving like waves around her stunningly attractive face. It’s actually pretty simple. We sleep next to you in order of seniority, with me on your right, and Calara on your left, with the newer girls alternating outwards from right to left. If you fuck one of us before you fall asleep, then she gets to sleep in your arms, because you stroking our swollen bellies when we’re carrying your cum feels wonderful, she told him with a wistful sigh.

John chuckled quietly, and glanced down at Dana again, I was pretty exhausted last night, and I don’t remember getting up to anything with our adorable redhead.

Alyssa smiled as she wrapped her arms around Dana, hugging her gently, as she thought to him, We tested the Psi-detector last night, and it seems that we feed you energy when your body needs healing. The girls send psychic energy to me, and then I transfer it to you somehow. All the talk of healing reminded Calara and Dana how you healed all their scars, and they wanted to fall asleep cuddling you, so we shuffled the deck a little.

So I could royally mess with the sleeping arrangements by being with say ... Rachel and Jade every night? he teased her playfully.

You could, but you won’t, she replied confidently.

He raised an eyebrow at her bold reply, and said with a smile, You sound very sure of yourself.

She nodded and smiled at him fondly. Whether you’re consciously aware of it or not, you tend to alternate who you’re with, to try and keep it fair. I think you care a great deal about all of us, and don’t want anyone to feel left out.

He smiled at her, and nodded, and she continued staring into his eyes as she held her friend in her arms. Have you decided who you want this morning? she asked him curiously.

All this talk of tummies full of cum has got me turned on, he acknowledged with a grin.

She smiled at him as she said, I know. I’d recommend Dana and Calara. They were very grateful to you last night, so I think you’ll have fun with them showing you their appreciation.

He laughed aloud at that, shaking his head as he said to her gratefully, It sounds like I should be the one thanking you girls instead.

That works too, she replied with a grin.

He returned her eager smile and carefully extricated himself from the tangle of lithe limbs draped over him, being careful not to wake up the redhead or the Latina to either side of him. Ducking under the covers, he repositioned himself by Alyssa’s athletic legs, finding her amongst the wide selection of toned young women that were lying asleep in the bed. He leaned down and gently kissed her calves, alternating from one smooth leg to the other, and kneading her young flesh with his hands as he travelled up her body.

Have you been taking massage lessons from Jade? she asked him, her delighted voice echoing in his mind. Because that feels incredible!

No, but I’ve been on the receiving end of her talented hands more times than I can count, he replied with amusement. And I know you girls like a firm touch.

Alyssa stifled a groan as his trail of kisses proceeded up her bronzed thighs, his strong hands parting them to give him better access to her. He decided to tease her a little and began to nip playfully at the soft skin on the insides of her thighs, not enough to hurt, but a different enough sensation for the blonde to shiver with anticipation. Taking a firm purchase with his hands, he pushed her legs up and back, exposing her for him completely, and eliciting a surprised gasp from the blonde.

This is so different from the girls! she observed excitedly, her lovely voice drifting through his mind.

Is that good or bad? he asked her playfully, as he inched further up her legs, his tongue flickering out to taste the velvety soft skin.

She grabbed a pillow, and moaned into it to avoid waking the others, as his teasing lips got closer to her pussy. Really good! she replied enthusiastically.

By this time he’d reached the silky smooth folds around her sex, and he began to lap at her gently, while not moving anywhere near her most sensitive spot. How so? he asked her curiously.

The girls make love to me with their mouths, eager to make me cum on their tongues. You’re so overpowering, it feels like you’re just getting me ready for the main event, she panted as he began to lick her with longer fluid motions of his tongue.

He smiled as he moved a little higher and spread her legs further, parting her pussy lips and exposing her throbbing clit. Getting you nice and wet so I can fuck you? he prompted, as he took an experimental taste of her pulsating bundle of nerves.

The feel of his mouth made her gasp, and she let out a long sigh as he began to lap away at her clit, slowly dragging his wet tongue over her again and again. Are you going to fuck me? she asked him pleadingly, as she let out a whimper.

John shook his head, and the horizontal movement of his tongue made her writhe under him as he held her in place. No, he replied firmly. I’m going to make you cum, and wake up the other girls with your cries of pleasure. Then, when I’m done with you, I plan to give each of them the same treatment.

Are you going to feed your cum to all of us? Share it out, so we all have your spunk in our stomachs? she asked him eagerly, their lurid telepathic conversation turning her on almost as much as his darting tongue.

He grinned as he let go of her right thigh, moving his finger to her slick pussy instead, while maintaining his relentless attention on her clit. He slipped one finger inside her, causing her to gasp, and then wormed in a thick second finger beside it. Alyssa began to her hunch her hips up at him, her body desperate for the penetration, so he let go of her left thigh, and he placed a firm hand across her slim stomach. He could feel her strong abdominal muscles underneath her deliciously soft skin, and he revelled in the sensation as he pinned her to the bed. The two fingers of his right hand were being rhythmically squeezed by her snug grasp, so he crooked them and made a beckoning motion, stroking the ribbed skin with an accomplished touch.

When he found her G-spot, Alyssa arched her back, her strong athletic body pressing hard against his restraining hand. She cried out at the intense pleasure as he sucked and licked her clit, moving in sync with the strong motion of his fingers, and John could feel the other girls waking as he worked the blonde closer to a thunderous climax.

I heard what you said earlier, he thought to her, finally answering her question. I realise I’ve been going about this all wrong, sharing out my cum between each of you. You all relish the feelings of submission when your bellies are stretched with a full load, and when I stroke your cum-packed stomach, it reminds you who you belong to, he added knowingly.

Fuck! Alyssa replied, her thoughts becoming more rambling and incoherent as he built her up to a crescendo with his tongue, fingers and words. Her thighs began to tremble, as her body reacted to his touch, and she quivered helplessly as he fucked her with his fingers.

John smiled confidently as he continued, So when I’ve finished showing my appreciation to each of you, you’re going to kneel in front of me, and stare into my eyes as you suck my cock. I’ve decided I want to start every morning with one of you blowing me, and you’re going to be a good girl, and show them how it’s done.

Alyssa shrieked and bucked under him, her hypersensitive clit sending her body into pleasure overload. John was merciless and kept her pinned down with his left hand on her stomach, while stroking her with his right fingers, and sucking lovingly on her clit. She wailed through her long, drawn-out climax, until he finally relaxed his strong grip and slid his fingers from her overheated pussy. The blonde curled into a ball, and let out a bewildered moan as she reeled from such a strong climax. John threw back the covers and sat up, beaming a broad smile of satisfaction at the titanic orgasm he had brought forth from his blonde lover.

Four more beautiful young faces stared at him with excitement, and he asked them playfully, “So, who wants to go next?”

John spent a very enjoyable couple of hours showing just how grateful he was to Alyssa, Calara and Jade for saving his life, to Rachel for making the discovery about the psychic healing, and to Dana, because he always loved showing her his appreciation. He was as good as his word, and he resisted the urge to fuck any of the gorgeous girls, no matter how much they begged and pleaded as they writhed on his tongue. He finally finished with all of them kneeling on the floor at the foot of the bed, staring up at him with flushed, aroused faces, while Alyssa worshipped his cock.

This isn’t a game now, Alyssa told him lovingly as she sank his cock down her throat. No one’s pretending this time, we’re all completely devoted to you.

He stared into their eyes as they gazed up at him adoringly, and as he went from shining emerald, to sky blue, deep dark brown, stormy grey, and back to Alyssa’s piercing cerulean, he could see that she was telling the truth. For the first time, he truly accepted the complex symbiotic relationship he had built with each of these amazing women, and his own place as their leader.

As our Lion, Alyssa corrected him, her voice ringing with satisfaction and triumph. We’re your pride of beautiful lionesses.

He stared into her eyes for as long as he could manage, but eventually the blinding intensity of that look was too much for him to take. He let out a roar as his quad blasted a huge load down her rippling throat, and she moaned with delight as she sucked him hungrily.

They showered together afterwards, with the girls all wearing blissful smiles as they lathered up, and got each other clean. Alyssa’s belly was enormously rounded with the heavy weight of his cum resting in her stomach, and she let out happy little sighs as they lovingly stroked her swollen tummy. It was ten in the morning by the time they finished showering, got dressed, eaten breakfast, and were ready to start the day. They sat around the dining table, drinking coffee as they discussed their plans.

“We’re meeting Irillith at noon,” John reminded them. “So we’ve got a couple of hours to kill before we rendezvous with her. Plans everyone?”

“Field test!” Dana and Calara exclaimed exuberantly at the same time.

The others laughed at their eagerness to test the new upgrades to the Invictus, but they could all feel the same sense of excitement.

Alyssa looked at John, and said enthusiastically, “We’re right near the border to Terran Space. Quick detour to go and murder some asteroids? There’s a belt of them nearby, so it’ll only take twenty minutes to get there.”

“It does seem to have become a tradition,” John agreed with a grin. “Let’s go and gallantly vanquish some hunks of rock!”

They all stood and strolled briskly out of the Officers’ Lounge, then stepped into the grav-tube, so they could float up to the Command Deck. Everyone fanned out immediately to take their places on the Bridge, and John couldn’t help but grin at what a well-oiled machine his crew had become.

“Take us out of here, XO,” he said to Alyssa.

She smiled at him, with a mischievous glint in her eyes, and then looked over her console at the Pilot’s Station directly in front and below them. “You heard the Commodore. Prep for takeoff, Jade,” she said to the Nymph.

The green-skinned alien girl grinned at the two of them on the Command Podium, before turning back to the console in front of her.

Rachel glanced up at them from the Comms Station, and informed them promptly, “Clearance granted to leave the Docking Bay.”

John nodded to the brunette approvingly, and sat back in the Command Chair, watching Jade at work. She had an air of confidence about her as she used retro-thrusters to lift the Invictus off the deck, easing them smoothly and cleanly out of the Geniya Space Station. Once the five hundred metre long assault cruiser was completely clear of Docking Bay Twenty Four, pivoting gracefully under her skilful hand, she powered up the ship’s massive engines, and gently brought them up to port speed.

They cruised away at a steady pace, on a course that led them past ‘The Warning’, on the way to the Nav Beacon. John couldn’t help but glance at the catastrophic damage that had devastated the ancient freighter, and it made him feel ambivalent about their upcoming expedition. Being able to get their hands on such incredible firepower would be a game-changer, but did he really want to expose his ship and crew to potentially hostile ships that could wreak such destruction? He looked down at the normally exuberant Nymph, who was staring intently at the console in front of her, her hands moving precisely over the controls as she piloted their ship with great care.

“Textbook departure Jade, well done,” he praised her, and she beamed a delighted smile at him as she transferred control of the Invictus to Alyssa.

His beautiful blonde Executive Officer had brought up the local sector map, and had already plotted a course for them to travel to the asteroid belt she had mentioned. The ship was swathed in a blue aura for a moment, before the Tachyon drive surged into life, and launched them into hyper-warp.

Dana rubbed her hands together with glee and said, “Alrighty then! Time to see if you guys managed to install the sensor array correctly!”

John laughed apprehensively and admitted, “I’m actually feeling nervous! I hope I didn’t let you down, Chief Engineer.”

She smiled at him affectionately, and her mouth widened into a massive grin when the sensors began to perform the long range scans, displaying the results on the sector map. Information was appearing much further out than John was used to seeing, and he frowned at the map, checking the scale to see if he could figure out just how much they had improved.

“Fuck yeah! You guys aced it!” Dana exclaimed, clapping with delight.

She turned to face one of her consoles, and tapped away on a few buttons, until a moment later a wide ring appeared around the Invictus on the sector map. The size of the ring looked familiar, and John realised that was the distance he usually expected to see contacts on the long range scans.

Dana confirmed it a moment later when she said, “That circle shows you the long range sensor radius we had on our shitty old Terran Federation sensors.” She tapped a couple more buttons and a new circle appeared, but this one now encompassed a vast amount of space. “This is our new sensor radius. Nearly four times bigger!” she added, looking overjoyed.

Calara stared up at the screen in awe, and said, “The tactical advantage this gives us is immense! Unless the enemy has some form of cloaking device, we’ll be able to get the jump on practically anyone.”

Dana sat up and told them all proudly, “You guys did a great job installing that sensor array. It must have been a real chore to finish, but it’s performing perfectly. Thanks for mucking in everyone.”

They smiled at her gratefully, and she turned back to her console, looking very excited once again. “Okay, so that’s one badass upgrade out the way! Let’s fire up the shields!” she said eagerly.

With the press of a button, the shields on the Invictus were activated, enveloping the assault cruiser in their protective embrace. John and the other girls waited with eager anticipation, but the damage control hologram looked exactly the same as before, with the Invictus swathed in shields, depicted in green.