Three Square Meals

John slept for a few hours, until a slight movement next to his body woke him up. He quickly shook off his initial drowsiness, and looked down to see that Rachel was stirring from her long sleep. Alyssa had woken up as well, and she climbed out of bed, then glided silently over to the water dispenser that was built into the wall.

"Hey, sleeping beauty, how are you feeling?" John asked the tousled haired brunette who was lying in his arms.

"Thirsty..." Rachel replied groggily as she began to awaken.

Alyssa appeared a moment later with a big glass of chilled water, and the brunette sat up, gratefully accepting the glass, and drinking it down as though parched. After handing back the glass to Alyssa, who took it with a smile, Rachel lay down again to stare up at John.

"We've taken care of thirsty, so how do you feel now?" he asked her playfully.

Rachel smiled up at his caring face, and she put on an exaggerated expression of being thoughtful. "Well, in all honesty, I feel like I've just woken up after a one night stand. A little disorientated to be in an unusual bedroom, self conscious at you seeing me naked when I don't know you all that well, excited to be experiencing something new, and yet deliciously relaxed after such a wonderful orgasm last night," she replied, glancing affectionately at the redhead on her right hand side.

Dana had now woken up too, and she smiled back at the brunette warmly. "I hope you plan on staying for much longer than one night!" the redhead said cheerfully.

Rachel laughed and noticed that Alyssa was sitting up behind Dana, watching them chatting together. She couldn't help her eyes drifting down to admire the pert breasts that sat proudly on the blonde girl's chest.

"I hope you slept well," Alyssa said gently, noting Rachel's appreciative glance, and arching her back slightly to improve her view. "We kept an eye on you while you were resting, and you seemed very peaceful."

"Who's 'we'?" Rachel asked perceptively.

"Mostly Jade and Dana," John explained. "The rest of us needed to make some repairs to our equipment after the battles with the Kintark."

"Hey, nice to see you awake," Jade grinned at her exuberantly.

"Hey to you too," Rachel said, starting to feel more self-conscious at being nude in front of so many people, and feeling a rising urge to hide under the covers.

"It's alright, just relax," John said soothingly. "Everyone just wants to see you settle in okay."

"You have a very comforting voice. You would have made a good doctor," Rachel said, looking impressed as she watched his face. She noticed that Calara was awake now too, and watching them chatting with interest.

"I guess you're all curious to see the new girl," Rachel announced pre-emptively, as she sat up boldly, untangling herself from her covers.

The other girls got out of the covers too, and they fanned out into a semi-circle sitting around John, with Rachel at his side. The tawny haired girl looked to her right at Dana, and then took her time admiring each of the nude girls sitting around the bed. Impressed by her confidence, the girls posed for her with welcoming smiles on their faces as she checked them out.

"You're all so beautiful," Rachel sighed wistfully as she worked her way around to Calara, who grinned at her happily.

"So are you," John told her honestly, and the girls chorused their agreement.

"Actually, you're in far better shape than most of us were when we joined the team," Alyssa said self-deprecatingly. "I'm guessing the transformation to look like we do will probably be much faster for you, than it was for us. Well, Jade being the obvious exception of course."

"I cheated," Jade laughed, shimmering briefly as she changed into a copy of Alyssa, and then again as she reverted to her Nymph shape.

"You've developed in many other wonderful ways since then, though," John told her proudly. "And I'm not just talking about the Tiger!"

The Nymph gazed at him adoringly, and when he smiled at her and winked, her face lit up with a beaming smile.

"Tiger?" Rachel asked curiously.

"It's one of Jade's more exotic talents. She'll show you when we have a little more time," he explained carefully.

"Are we in a rush?" Rachel asked him, sounding puzzled.

"Well not exactly, but we'll be arriving at the Olympus shipyard in..." he glanced over at the ship's chronometer, and saw that it was eleven fifteen in the evening. "... About forty five minutes, and I've got an important meeting to attend. I'll need Alyssa and Calara with me too."

The blonde and the brunette nodded immediately, while Jade and Dana looked at him expectantly.

"Shall we stay with the ship?" Dana asked him curiously.

"Yes. Partly to look after Rachel, but also because I'm worried about everyone's safety at the shipyard," he confirmed.

"We should be totally safe at Olympus, shouldn't we?" Rachel asked him with a bemused expression on her face.

"Calara, now would be a good time to explain your findings," he said to the Latina.

The gorgeous brunette calmly went over the results of her analysis. She explained that she couldn't confirm it for them yet, at least until she had access to more data, but her initial conclusion was that there were one or more traitors high up within Terran Federation's Chain of Command. The girls were deathly silent at this announcement.

"I'm still struggling to believe it," Rachel said quietly, interrupting the silence. "Why would someone want to betray their own species like that?"

"We've seen it before," John replied sombrely, "Terran pirates selling slaves to the Kirrix."

"That's appalling!" Rachel gasped, with a look of revulsion on her pretty face. "Didn't they know what the Kirrix do to people?"

"Oh, they knew alright, but they just didn't care as long as they got paid," John said grimly, shaking his head.

"They started to care when we stepped in and wiped them out," Calara said fiercely.

"Good!" Rachel agreed vehemently. "People that sick don't deserve any mercy."

"I'm liking her even more now," Calara said with a feral grin.

"We're getting a bit sidetracked," John intervened with a fond smile at the Latina. "But basically, until I know for sure who I can and can't trust, I want to minimise everyone's exposure to danger. I need Alyssa for her psychic abilities, and I want Calara there for the debrief because of her perceptiveness, otherwise I'd go alone."

This was met by a storm of heated protest from the girls, until he raised his hands to restore order. "Okay, I'd want to go alone, but you girls wouldn't let me," he corrected himself with a grin.

Rachel watched with wide eyes, as the girls all nodded their agreement, mollified by his admission.

John turned to the smaller brunette at his side, and she looked up into his eyes. He could see there was something she desperately wanted to talk to him about, but he had a hunch it was something that she didn't want the girls to overhear.

"As we'll be arriving at Olympus Shipyard in about thirty minutes, this would be a perfect opportunity for you to depart our company if you're having second thoughts," John said to Rachel gently. "I'd love for you to stay, and I'm guessing the girls would too..."

"Oh you must stay, I've been loving getting to know you!" Dana interjected.

"We've had a few close calls recently, and we could really use your services as a doctor. Just as importantly, I think you'd fit in with the team perfectly," Calara said, with a friendly smile.

"I think you're lovely," Jade said openly. "And I'm looking forward to showing you what I can do."

"I wouldn't have asked you to join us if I didn't think you were an ideal candidate," Alyssa said honestly.

"Okay, it's unanimous then. We all like you and want you to stay, but it is your decision. There'll be no hard feelings if you turn us down, I'd only ask that you keep what we've revealed to you a secret," he requested reasonably.

Rachel looked around at each of them in turn. "I think you're all amazing people, and it's obvious you've already achieved great things in such a short space of time. Although I can't quite believe you've picked me, I'm still very eager to join you," she said, and the girls all grinned at her happily.

"If you've decided you're definitely staying, then you're going to need another full tummy to continue the change," Alyssa said to Rachel gently.

Rachel looked up at John coyly, then a confused look crossed her face. "I remember most of what happened last night, but it all turned into a bit of a blur after I started going down on you," she said with a frown as she tried to remember.

"That happened to all of us. Don't worry, it's totally expected," Alyssa said reassuringly.

"I cum a lot, and the results can be a little shocking the first time," John explained carefully. "The memory loss is probably to stop girls from realising I'm so different on a one night stand, but that's just a guess. I don't know why for sure."

"How often does this memory loss happen?" Rachel asked them curiously. "I'm assuming it wears off eventually?"

"By the third time. That's basically the point of no return," Alyssa said in an ominous voice, before flashing the other girl a disarming grin.

"Well I better do another round of tests before we start, to make sure we track everything as it happens!" Rachel said excitedly.

"Would you like me to keep you company?" John asked her, checking to see if his hunch was correct.

"That would be lovely, thank you," Rachel said gratefully.

"Okay ladies, if you can get us ready for the arrival at the shipyard, I'll look after Rachel then join you afterwards," John requested decisively.

The girls moved immediately to follow his orders, and Rachel watched them get dressed quickly and efficiently, before waving her goodbye as they headed out of the quarters.

"Have fun!" Dana winked at her cheekily as she departed.

Rachel laughed, and then looked up at John curiously. "How did you know I wanted to talk to you alone?" she asked him, obviously impressed.

"I'm living with four young women. I guess I've just got better at reading female body language," John shrugged with a laugh. "Come on, let's get dressed, and we can get started on those tests."

Rachel nodded and had a quick hunt around for her clothes. John found her bra discarded on the floor, and handed it over.

"Thanks," she said wryly, taking it from his outstretched hand.

John watched brazenly as she covered her lovely breasts with the material, and fastened it behind her back. "You're very welcome," he said with a smile.

"Well, living with four girls has certainly made you confident," Rachel said with a chuckle.

"Five girls," John said, looking at her pointedly with a flirtatious smile on his face.

Rachel giggled and blushed, before getting a hold of herself. "This is ridiculous! I'm behaving like a pre-teen with an adolescent crush," she exclaimed, shaking her head as she continued to get dressed.

"It probably isn't just down to you, I've seen Dana react a similar way," John said, remembering the redhead in her early days aboard the ship. "Although she described herself as a 'giddy schoolgirl'." he added as his lips twitched into a wicked grin.

"Let me guess, you had fun with that a bit later, didn't you?" Rachel laughed wickedly.

"Seeing her squeezed into her naughty schoolgirl outfit was an incredible sight, I'll freely admit," John grinned in reply, before studying the brunette appraisingly. "Of course, that outfit will fit you very soon, too."

Rachel flushed excitedly, before averting her eyes and looking down shyly. Eventually she looked up to study his face once more. "Whether this is natural or not, you have a brazen masculinity about you that's quite intoxicating," she observed, watching him closely.

"Thanks for the compliment... I think," John said with a laugh, as he finished getting changed. He held out his hand for her, and when she had eased on her last errant shoe, she slipped her hand through his.

They walked along quietly, with Rachel stealing glances at him from time to time as they progressed down the corridor, and stepped into the grav-tube.

"These grav-tubes are amazing," she grinned as she floated down in the soft red glow. "I never realised just how annoying it was, having to wait for a lift to arrive!"

"Another of Dana's upgrades to the ship," John explained with an affectionate smile on his face.

"She really is quite brilliant," Rachel remarked. "What she's accomplished at such a young age is astounding."

"People will be saying the same about you, too," John said seriously, as he glanced at the young woman. "I can already see you have a sharp and agile mind. I can't wait to see what you'll be like in a few weeks' time."

"Thanks, you're very kind," Rachel said quietly. She looked up at him with a myriad of questions in her smoky grey eyes, as they stepped out of the grav-tube on Deck Seven.

"Let's talk in the Medical Bay. It's nice and private in there, so you can be as open and honest with me as you'd like," he said putting her at ease.

Rachel nodded, and they walked down the corridor to Medical, where he hit the button to open the door. It swished open quietly, and he politely gestured for her to enter ahead of him. He watched her stride inside, and then followed after her, before closing the door behind him.

"So, what's on your mind, Doctor?" he asked her playfully.

"The girls are totally devoted to you, aren't they?" she asked him bluntly. "You really weren't kidding when you said there were mental changes too. They practically worship you!"

"Yes, that's correct," John admitted honestly. "I feel exactly the same way about them too."

Rachel shook her head in amazement. "Your setup here goes against everything I was taught was healthy in a relationship, but it seems to work for all of you. Flawlessly in fact. You play the role of Alpha male to perfection, and the girls act as a team, centred around you."

"We weren't aware of the subtle personality changes the girls underwent until fairly recently," John explained. "Now that we are though, I'm absolutely determined to make sure that you won't feel like we're tricking you into joining us in any way."

"Thanks, I appreciate it," Rachel said gratefully as she looked up at him, before she hesitated, trying to pick her next words with care. "Do you think any of the girls might have regretted joining you, if they weren't... conditioned... to be so dedicated to you?"

John stopped and paused for a moment, thinking long and hard about each of the girls before he answered seriously, "Honestly, no, I don't think so. I worried about it a lot when we first found out, and as you said, if they've been 'modified' to love being with me, then their opinion is compromised. However, they've all sworn blind that they would make the same decision again in a heartbeat, and they've been extremely convincing in their arguments."

"How much of a personality change do you think I'm going to go through?" Rachel asked him curiously, as she took a blood sample from her left arm, before continuing with her next test.

"Honestly, I don't know you well enough to be able to say for sure; but from what I've seen, I don't think much at all. You're already sexually and socially confident, slightly submissive and openly bisexual," he said with a smile. "I already find myself very strongly attracted to you."

"Thank you," she smiled back at him coyly. "As we're being completely open here, I feel the same," she added flirtatiously.

"That's good to know," John said with a grin.

"Is there anything else you can think of, that you haven't mentioned before?" the brunette asked him as she walked over to the full-body scanner.

John offered her his hand, and she hopped up lightly to sit on the table, before lying down and carefully positioning her head between the sensors at the end of the scanner.

"I think we've covered everything," he said, pausing to think. "Oh! There's one other thing," he added suddenly.

"What's that?" Rachel asked him, as she watched his face, intrigued to find out what other surprises were in store.

"How do you feel about having children?" he asked her gently.

"I'd like some eventually," Rachel said without hesitation. "Why do you ask?"

"All the girls have been eager to start a family, which I can only guess is being artificially triggered in them somehow. Talking about me knocking them up is a sure-fire way to get them turned on," he said with a wry smile.

"Do you think I'll feel the same way in a few days?" Rachel asked him in a quiet voice.

"I'm not sure, but I suspect you might. How do you feel about that?" he asked her delicately.

"I don't think that would be so bad," she said softly with a tentative smile.

John reached over and stroked her slim stomach, and she stared up at him with big doe-eyes. Rachel gave him a warm smile, and placed her hand over his, holding it in place over her belly. She shivered with excitement, as she thrilled to his touch.

"I think my ovaries just jumped for joy," Rachel joked as she gazed up at him, before the look on her face suddenly turned incredulous. "This is crazy! I've only been with you less than a day, and now we're talking about having kids together."

"Exactly. These are the kind of changes I've been talking about, and I can fully understand if you want to back out. It must be a scary thing to think of your personality being changed," he said sympathetically.

"You say the other girls are like this too?" Rachel asked him quietly, feeling the reassuring weight of his hand where it still rested on her slim tummy.

"They've all been pushing to start a family as soon as possible, but I've been holding back," he admitted, as he looked down, studying her face.

"Why? If you don't mind me asking? You've been with them for a while now. They're all beautiful, lovely girls, and I think you'd make a good father," Rachel told him with a smile, as she gently squeezed his hand.

"I'm not sure, but it feels like I have unfinished business that I need to attend to first," he replied, his brow furrowing as he frowned.

He removed his hand as the scan began, and Rachel was bathed in a soft blue glow as the machine took a detailed scan of her whole body. A holographic image appeared above the console to the left of the machine, showing her body in detail. With a quiet beep, the full body scan let them know that it had completed its task, and the blue glow faded away.

Now that the scan was completed, she sat up, and looked down at him from her perch on the table. "This really is a life changing decision isn't it?" she asked softly as she stared into his eyes.

"Yes, and I don't want you to go further with it unless you're absolutely certain. Can I be completely blunt with you?" he asked her seriously.

"Please do, I really appreciate your honesty. It's a good sign of the kind of person you are," she replied.

John smiled and stepped close to the table, so that Rachel was forced to part her legs to allow him to stand by the edge. The symbolism of her spreading her legs for him wasn't lost on her, and she flushed with excitement as she stared into his eyes. John placed his hands on her thighs, causing her to let out a little gasp.

"What I'm offering you seems like a wonderful gift. You'll go through some dramatic physical changes, becoming stronger, faster, and more agile, and even experience some minor healing. Any scars or blemishes you have will be completely gone by the time the transformation is complete. You'll be greatly enhanced mentally, and for a clever girl like you, 'genius' will seem like a bland term to describe your intellect. You'll be able to help the girls and I achieve some great things together, probably saving many more people from harm than you would otherwise, even as a doctor in a busy hospital," he said in a steady, even tone.