Three Square Meals Ch. 132

Giving him a reassuring pat on the arm, Fitzroy-Ferguson replied, "Stay calm and get some rest. Someone will be along shortly to discuss the answers to those questions with you."

Sensing he was not going to get any more information from the doctor, Tom sighed with frustration and sagged back on the hospital bed. The nurse handed him the glass of ice chips, then they retreated from the room, leaving him alone with his troubled thoughts.

***

John stared at the projection from the holo-viewer in fascination, thoroughly captivated by the detailed plans Calara had spent all night labouring over. He sat back in his dining room chair and mentally reviewed everything he'd spent the last half-hour studying, but couldn't pick a fault with her plans. He didn't envy the Brimorian leader in charge of the invasion force having to pick his way through that minefield... even if it was only a metaphorical one.

Glancing down, he frowned at the plate of eggs-on-toast which were now stone-cold, his breakfast forgotten about while he studied the defensive plans. With a grimace of distaste, he quickly finished off the food, not wanting to keep Sakura waiting any longer than necessary. He cleared the table, then left the Officers' Lounge, taking the grav-tube down to Deck Three.

Walking into the Dojo's armoury, John saw that all the training suits were still in their equipping frames and that the matched pair of ninjato were still on the weapon racks. He briefly wondered if Sakura was still in bed, but dismissed that thought just as quickly, knowing how diligent she was about her training. John entered the Dojo itself, then stopped in the doorway to watch the solitary figure inside.

Dawn was breaking over the snow-capped mountains surrounding the pagoda, bright shafts of light shining up from the horizon to push back the night's gloom. Illuminated by the morning's rays, Sakura moved with incredible grace, fluidly shifting from one Tai Chi stance to another. The smooth precision was breathtaking, each step and slide highlighting the strength and flexibility of her sculpted muscles.

John walked across the mats to join her, then began mirroring Sakura's Tai Chi chuan, flowing into the elegant steps and sweeping hand gestures. It felt like her body was an extension of his own and he instinctively knew what pose Sakura was adopting before she shifted her body to make those movements. She acknowledged him with a smile, her eyes locking onto his as they moved in perfect synchronisation together, sharing a special moment between them.

It felt soothing to lose himself in the familiar, putting aside his recent inner turmoil and falling into that calming meditative trance. He realised that he'd sorely missed this aspect of his life, needing the focus and clarity that martial arts provided more than ever. The routine was over far too soon, ending with Sakura facing him, one fist touching an open palm. She relaxed, then glided over to close the gap between them, a host of emotions in her almond-shaped eyes.

"Two souls in perfect harmony," she whispered, standing close and placing her hand on his chest.

He nodded and mirrored her action. "I felt it too."

They stood like that for a long moment, their breathing slow and measured as they felt the beats of each other's hearts.

"Being at your side on Mazaya..." she began, gazing into his eyes. "I sensed the closeness you talked about. I knew then that everything you said to me was true... that it was only circumstance that had kept us apart and it was never personal."

John could see the overwhelming relief on Sakura's face and was touched that his words had meant so much to her. "I love you, Sakura. I don't want you to ever doubt yourself like that again," he said, drawing her into an embrace.

They kissed and she melted into his arms, the outer facade of a disciplined warrior peeling away to reveal the vulnerable girl beneath.

When they separated, Sakura gave him a shy smile. "Never again."

"Good girl," John said, grinning at her as she beamed back at him. "Now, we better get geared up and start training. I'm afraid you're stuck with my company all morning."

Sakura took his hand and followed him into the armoury, the radiant smile on her face letting John know that she didn't mind a bit.

***

Staring up at the ceiling, Tom tried to figure out what could possibly have happened to him that would have led to a medical transfer to Terra. His memory felt hazy and indistinct, like a jigsaw puzzle with lots of missing pieces. He could clearly remember being stationed in the Callopean Shoals on the Brimorian border, serving on the carrier Janus as a Tactical Officer under Captain Preston Bexley, but it felt like that wasn't the whole picture.

Tom's last vivid memory was consoling his distraught fiancée, Anna's father having been horrifically crushed by Emperor Baledranax. The death of Fleet Admiral Vincent Buckingham had also hit his son hard, leaving Mason Newmont reeling from the news. Both siblings had grown distant from their father after their parents went through a bitter divorce, but despite how stoic Mason tried to be, Tom knew his best friend was grieving.

Mason and Anna were the two people in his life that Tom could always rely on, brother and sister having his back since childhood. To Tom's shock, he felt flickers of sadness, pain, and distrust when he thought about them both, emotions that made no sense at all. The trio were the Three Musketeers... lifelong friends that had stayed incredibly close even after twenty years. Tom was shocked by the unsettling doubts in his mind and desperately wracked his befuddled mind for any clue as to why he might feel that way.

The door to the hospital room swished open, providing a welcome distraction from his troubling thoughts. A middle-aged man in a trenchcoat entered, his face remarkable for its nondescript nature. He was clean shaven, with dark eyes, short brown hair, and no distinguishing features of any kind.

Walking over to the bed, the man produced a holo-ID, showing his plain face slowly rotating from side-to-side. "My name's Colonel Compton, Internal Security Division," he declared, repeating the name and title stated on the badge. "I'm here to ask you some questions relating to recent events in the Callopean Shoals. Would you please state your name and rank for the record."

Tom glanced up at the ISD officer's small shoulder camera and realised the conversation was being recorded.

"My name is Lieutenant Commander Tom Walker," he replied, then was surprised to feel a flicker of uncertainty when he made that statement.

Colonel Compton raised an eyebrow, studying him intently as if something he'd said wasn't quite right.

Tom looked at the ISD officer with concern. "Wait a second... am I being charged with something? Do I need a lawyer?"

"Not at this time," Compton replied, his expression remaining neutral. "Please can you describe the events that led up to your rescue?"

"I've no idea, I can't remember a thing!" Tom replied, feeling a surge of frustration. "I don't even know what the date is! What the hell happened to me?!"

"Calm yourself, Walker," the Colonel said, unruffled by his outburst. "Are you stating that you have no memory of the Brimorian attack on the Callopean Shoals?"

Tom's face blanched and he stared at the ISD officer in shock. "W-what Brimorian attack?"

He was suddenly assailed by flashes of memory... bright yellow particle beams... grey-hulled federation ships ablaze... explosions... screams of fear and pain.

"Walker?"

"Walker?!"

The Colonel clicked his fingers in front of Tom's face, snapping him out of the flashbacks. "Walker, are you still with me?"

Tom looked up at the ISD officer in shock. "What?!"

"Commander Walker... Are you stating, for the record, that you have no recollection of the Callopean Shoals massacre? That you have no explanation to account for why you are the sole survivor of the fleet under Admiral Morgan?"

Tom gaped at him, too stunned and horrified to reply.

***

Razor-sharp shards of ice slammed into John's psychic shield and he focused his will on repairing the criss-crossed patterns of cracked hexagons. At the same time an ice javelin screeched across the pagoda towards his head, forcing him to duck and roll to the side. Sakura lashed out at him with her ninjato, stabbing and slashing in a wild flurry of blows that abandoned style and technique for sheer number of hits.

He could feel the structure of his hex shield wavering, the glowing blue sphere losing its cohesion under the relentless onslaught. Holding up a hand towards his determined opponent, he pummelled her with a rippling wave of telekinetic force, the repeated impacts driving her backwards and giving him some respite. Unfortunately, it didn't last long.

Sakura launched herself skywards, nimbly dodging the succession of eldritch walls that had knocked her backwards. Winds from her ice tornado seemed to suck her inside the maelstrom, whirling her around until she dived towards John in a fresh attack from a completely different angle. He staggered backwards and tried to repulse her again, but she dashed around him, matching the speed of his shield's rotation as her twin blades hacked at his shield.

Distracted by too many different things at once, John didn't realise what she was doing until it was too late. A cluster of hexagons shattered, allowing her to lunge inside with her weapon extended, the tip of the blade slamming into the armour joint covering his kidneys. John could feel the force of her blow through the plating and he held up both hands to concede defeat.

"You're so fast!" he panted, trying to regain his breath. "Trying to defend against everything hitting me at the same time is a nightmare!"

She grinned at him, her own chest heaving. "That's the trick... coordinated attacks! Larn'kelnar only lasted as long as he did because we didn't all hit him at the same time!"

John pulled off his helmet and flopped down on the training mats, heedless of the jagged ice fragments scattered across the floor. Four hours of non-stop training had left him exhausted, his mind and body aching after sparring with psychic powers for so long. Sakura dropped her ninjato and removed her own Paragon helmet as she collapsed beside him, equally tired after all the exertion. They sat quietly together for a minute as they recovered, each studying the other in silence. John could see that something was troubling Sakura, but he waited patiently until she was ready to tell him.

"John..." she began, a pensive frown on her face. "I've been thinking about... fighting your guide. There's something important we've missed in these training sessions."

He glanced down at his armour. "Well, he definitely won't be wearing a Paragon suit. He also favours shadow powers, but he's locked me out from those runes, so I can't recreate them for you to train against."

"That's all true, but not what I was thinking about." She took a deep breath, then said in a rush, "You need to cut me off from your network."

John cupped her face and gave her a look of sympathy. "Are you really sure that's necessary? I appreciate how hard it is for you, thinking about why you'd be fighting my guide... but cutting you off is going to hurt you, honey."

"He'll kill me if you don't," she said solemnly, looking into his eyes. "He can override Alyssa and just drain me to a husk before the fight even starts. We haven't got any choice."

"Shit!" John cursed, grimacing in frustration. "I didn't even think about that!"

"That's because it's something you could never do," she said, nuzzling into his hand. "It's probably better this way. At least we won't have to worry about any nasty surprises hidden in our connection that might stop me from keeping my promise."

John stared at her for a moment, marvelling at how brave she was being. "You're amazing, Sakura. I don't know what I would've done without you here to protect the girls. Is there anything I can do to support you and make this easier?"

"Actually, there is." Sakura rose to her feet and held out her hand, a coy smile appearing on her beautiful face. "I can think of something very important you can do for me."

He laughed and took her hand, letting Sakura haul him to his feet. They retrieved their discarded gear and headed towards the equipping room... and the bedroom beyond.

***

Roused from her sleep by a surge of sexual euphoria, Alyssa stretched like a cat and relished the delicious sensations. She could have checked her empathic connections to find out which lucky girl was being ravaged by John... but where was the fun in that?

*Afternoon, ladies!* she said cheerfully, greeting all the girls in her psychic network.

It only took a moment for them all to respond, then Alyssa was deluged with a cacophony of telepathic replies and outpourings of emotion.

Calara shifted beside her and snuggled in closer. "Shh, it's still naptime..." she grumbled, resting her head against Alyssa's shoulder and promptly falling back to sleep.

*Yo, boss lady!* Dana replied, as bubbly and enthusiastic as always. *I just had an awesome idea! I reckon it's time for Paragon suits 2.0! I've been thinking about some new features...*

*Hello, Alyssa,* Jade purred, sounding particularly happy. *John filled up Ailita and Jehanna when he woke up this morning. Unless you have anyone else in mind, I'd like to request that we keep feeding Ailita at every opportunity. John's already made such a tremendous difference to my sisters...*

Leylira, Betrixa, Neysa, Marika, and Ailita weren't able to respond telepathically, but they all reacted to Alyssa's friendly greeting with bursts of joy.

*I'm glad you're awake,* Rachel replied, sounding deep in thought. *Calara had an interesting conversation with John earlier this morning. She made several very good points regarding Jehanna joining us as a fully-fledged Lioness...*

Niskera's emotions fluctuated between respect and happiness, the Glowing Queen always glad to hear from the Great Protector's handmaiden.

*Greetings, Revered Matriarch,* Irillith said respectfully, despite the mocking reference to the title her great-grandmother had hated. *I've been preparing some particularly nasty surprises for former Admirals Almada and Petran. Let me know where you'd like me to start diverting their funds...*

Jehanna was surprised but happy to hear from Alyssa, her emotions then fluctuating to inquisitiveness, which usually meant she had a question on her mind.

*Hello, Alyssa!* Tashana replied brightly, although it was clear she was distracted. *I asked Rill for advice on Spirit Walking and I've spent the morning practicing. I haven't ventured into the Astral Plane yet, but I have been experimenting with shifting to my spirit form and I believe I'm on the cusp of a breakthrough...*

*A pleasant afternoon to you too, fellow Matriarch,* Edraele said, her voice warm and affectionate. The Maliri Queen hesitated, then continued with concern, *I've been attempting to make contact with Matriarch Vestele Waephyra but to no avail. I have yet to receive word from any noblewoman in her House, so I'm forced to conclude that the battle still rages between mother and daughters...*

Sakura couldn't articulate a reply, her telepathic response a wordless cry of ecstasy.

"Jackpot!" Alyssa thought to herself with a grin, tuning into both John and Sakura to savour both sides of their sensual coupling.

*Hi, Alyssa,* Lynette murmured, sounding forlorn.

Jolted out of her voyeuristic pleasure, Alyssa frowned with concern. She continued her separate conversations with the rest of the girls, but paid special attention to the dejected Fleet Admiral.

*What's the matter, Lynette?* she asked with sympathy, suspecting that she already knew the answer. *Still no word from Charles?*

*No, not yet,* the brunette replied. *I know I'm supposed to give him some time to think about things, but what if he can't deal with the way John changed me? Maybe, instead of waiting, I should go and see Charles instead? Then I can show him how much I care about him!*

*Relax, Lynette,* Alyssa said, her voice calm and soothing. *If you rush in and smother him, you'll be dealing with fallout from this for months. He needs time alone to put everything in perspective and realise just how much you mean to him. You won't be able to fix this with blowjobs... at least not until you're sure Charles doesn't have any hang-ups about the Change.*

There was a lengthy pause, then Lynette sighed with frustration. *Alright, I can see that makes sense.*

*Trust me... it's the best way,* Alyssa said firmly. *Besides, it won't take him long to see sense... you're a hell of a catch, gorgeous!*

Lynette laughed, sounding more at ease. *Thanks for the pep-talk, Alyssa. I suppose I'll just throw myself into work while I wait for Charles to think about us. Between going through all the updates from High Command and reviewing the latest border reports, I have plenty to keep me occupied.*

*Ah, shit!* Alyssa cursed, her beautiful face twisting into a scowl.

*What's the matter?* the Fleet Admiral asked, startled by the blonde's outburst of profanity.

*I'm really sorry, Lynette,* her matriarch said with regret. *I wanted to talk to you about this face-to-face, but we had the Lina situation to discuss, then I got distracted by the Voss wedding...*

*Believe me, I understand what you mean about distractions,* Lynette said, having had trouble staying focused herself. *Not to worry though, you can tell me now. What was so important that you thought we should discuss it in person?*

*The Outer Rim colonies are furious at High Command,* Alyssa said, her tone turning deadly serious. *They were already angry after decades of neglect under Sutton and then Buckingham, but stripping the fleets from the border and abandoning those planets to the Kirrix has made everything a million times worse.*

*I know they resent the lack of support they've received, but I have dispatched emergency aid that should reach them next week,* Lynette said with a frown of concern. *We've also allocated billions of credits to upgrading colony infrastructure, although it'll take some time before they start to see the benefits.*

*Lynette, listen to me,* Alyssa said firmly. *Those poor bastards had to watch their friends and family raped and impregnated by the Kirrix! Their kids were chopped up and fed to the bugs! Emergency aid isn't going to cut it this time. I've spoken to the Governors.... they're done with the Terran Federation.*

The Fleet Admiral blanched as the blonde's words sank in. *What are you saying? They can't seriously be thinking about rebellion?!*

The Admiralty had always come down hard on uprisings for very good reason. Rebellions were contagious and with humanity beset by alien threats on all sides, the Federation could not afford to risk becoming fractured with internecine conflicts.

*It's going to happen sooner or later and you need to prepare for how you're going to deal with it,* Alyssa said, her tone firm and uncompromising. *And one more thing... don't let anyone in High Command push you into using the fleets to squash this. John's agreed to protect those colonies if they come under attack.*

Lynette slumped back in her chair, horrified at the thought of those worlds seceding from the Terran Federation.

***

John offered Sakura a hand as she stepped out of the grav-tube beside him. "That was another excellent training session. Thanks, honey."

"It was... and being with you afterwards was wonderful," she agreed with a dreamy smile, running her hand over her cum-packed belly. "You were so in tune with me... you seemed to know exactly what I needed."

He smiled and caressed her cheek. "You said it best... two souls in perfect harmony."