Three Square Meals Ch. 132

As John drew Sakura in for a kiss, he felt that lovely sensation of familiarity again. Sakura sighed with delight as she kissed him back, obviously sharing the same feeling. John was quite certain that any lingering doubts Sakura might have had about the strength of their relationship were thoroughly banished now.

They parted ways with a wave and she padded away towards Jade's quarters, humming softly to herself. John watched her with a fond smile until she disappeared into the bedroom, then turned towards the Officers' Lounge, on a mission to make lunch for everyone. He considered several different recipes, then began preparing a tasty dish that he knew Dana and Alyssa hadn't tried yet.

With the recently expanded crew, it took him a moment to work out exactly how many servings were needed. Not including Ailita, who was about to receive a substantial meal, he put the fresh headcount for lunch at fifteen place settings.

*Leylira won't be joining us for lunch. She'll be keeping watch on the Bridge,* Jade explained.

*Okay, thanks for letting me know. I'll make up a plate for her to have later,* he said, gathering the ingredients for garlic butter.

With the realisation of just how much prep time he had ahead of him, John activated psychic speed, allowing him to finish in a fraction of the time.

"Isn't that cheating?" Alyssa asked, as she glided over to greet him with a kiss.

"Only Irillith seems to mind and she's not here right now," he replied, giving the blonde a conspiratorial wink.

She smiled at him affectionately. "Don't worry, your secret's safe with me."

Alyssa leaned back against the counter and watched John place the trays of breaded chicken in the oven, then activate the large rice cooker. He nodded with satisfaction, then started top-and-tailing a huge pile of green beans.

John glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "You look like you've got something on your mind."

"I have," she admitted, twisting the toe of her boot on the floor. "But it's lovely seeing you in a good mood and I don't want to spoil it."

"That sounds ominous," he noted, focusing on deftly slicing up the vegetables.

"Yep," Alyssa agreed, her mouth twisting into a rueful frown. "We forgot to talk to Lynette about the resentment in the Outer Rim colonies."

"Dammit!" John hissed as he nicked himself with the sharp knife. He ran his hand under a cold tap, then watched as the wound quickly sealed together.

"Sorry, that was my fault. Let me kiss it better," Alyssa offered, taking his hand. She raised it to her lips, then added, "John... I talked to her about it myself."

John looked into her cerulean eyes as Alyssa enveloped his finger in her mouth. She sucked gently as she gazed back at him, the sensations oddly arousing despite her innocent expression.

"I suppose you also told Lynette that we're willing to defend rebellious colonies against any T-Fed attempt to suppress them?" he asked, using his other hand to brush his fingers through her golden hair.

Alyssa blinked slowly, but didn't reply, her lips preoccupied with his finger.

"Those colonies would actually be better off staying with the Federation," he said, stroking her head. "Why is this so important to you?"

She made no move to answer, just maintained that perceptive stare and the gentle suction.

John thought about his blonde matriarch for a moment and what was important to her. "This is about your childhood on Karron isn't it? You're getting your revenge against the Terran Federation for what happened to you on that asteroid."

Alyssa released his finger and kissed the tip. "If there'd been half-decent medical facilities on Karron, my mother never would've died during childbirth. If she'd survived, my father wouldn't have drunk himself half to death, and we could've left that shithole for a new life together. If my parents had lived, then a scared little girl wouldn't have been forced to... do whatever she had to... just to survive."

He looked at her with sympathy. "But if Lynette funnels money to the colonies, they'll be able to afford the kind of facilities that would have saved your mother. The infrastructure improvements will prevent just that kind of thing from happening to other vulnerable families."

"Yes, but how long is this new interest in the Outer Rim going to last?" Alyssa replied, her eyes narrowing. "Until Lynette retires? Twenty years will go by in the blink of an eye... and then what? The Federation will just go back to pouring resources into the Core Worlds and exploiting the far-flung colonies." She shook her head. "No... my parents deserve a better legacy than that."

She gave him a quick kiss to silence any objections and continued, "The Terran Federation has got too big, too fast, and the bureaucracy can't cope with so many planets. Don't forget that they also just annexed half the Kintark Empire and acquired hundreds more worlds, which means the strain on colonial administration is going to get much worse. The Terran Federation has always been focused on Terra and the Core Worlds... the systems on the periphery are going to keep being neglected as a result."

John leaned against the counter beside her and mulled it over. "I can't see how half-a-dozen worlds breaking away on their own are going to be economically viable, but then again, what the hell do I know about planetary administration. My main concern is security for the Outer Rim. Those worlds will still be bordering the Kirrix, which means they're going to have to be strong enough to fend off scouting patrols when the bugs rebuild their fleets."

"We can deal with the Kirrix when the time comes," Alyssa replied, smiling now that she sensed he was willing to go along with it. "As for the breakaway colonies... they'll be like one of the minor Empires in the Trankaran Republic."

"Alright, I guess we'll play it your way," he reluctantly agreed, reaching for the knife to continue his prep work.

"Thanks, handsome!" she gushed, giving him a big kiss. "I know this is the right thing to do for those colonies!"

"Go and set the table," he replied, giving her a playful swat on her perfectly rounded rump.

She pouted at him. "What was that for?"

"Not reminding me to talk to Lynette about it when we saw her. What kind of an XO are you?" he asked with a mock frown.

"One with an eye for the ladies?" she asked, grinning at him.

He rolled his eyes and shooed her out, smiling despite his misgivings about the Outer Rim.

***

"Come on, Dana! Lunch is nearly ready and we don't want to keep everybody waiting," Rachel said, tapping her foot with exaggerated impatience.

"Alright, alright, just give me a second, babes... I'm in the middle of something," the redhead muttered, her sky-blue eyes flicking from one schematic to another.

The golden coronas around her pupils flared with a golden light as she inscribed Progenitor script on the blueprints, detailing the newest systems built into the form-fitting body armour.

The brunette leaned over her girlfriend's shoulder to take a closer look. "What's got you so excited anyway?"

"Do you remember a few weeks ago, we took a look at the Hive Queen's armour plating?" Dana replied, the golden glow fading from her eyes.

"You mean when you coerced me into performing the autopsy, because you thought the Hive Queen cadaver was too 'icky'?" Rachel asked, raising an eyebrow. She adopted a disapproving frown. "The cleaning robots still haven't been able to wash that coagulant compound from the sleeves of my favourite lab coat."

"Yep, that's the one." Dana smirked at her. "Anyway, I decided to incorporate the idea behind the Hive Queen's bio-plating into my upgraded Paragon suit. If we get shot, then the inner gel seals the wounds and maintains the suit's atmospheric integrity."

She gestured to the holo-images and separated the armour shell into an inner and outer layer. The inner layer was much thinner, with hexagonal cavities dividing it from the sturdier outer plating.

"I can't read the runes," Rachel said, studying the Progenitor script. "What do they say?"

"Remind Rachel to synthesise a formula for the medi-gel," Dana read, keeping a straight face.

The brunette laughed. "Seriously?"

Dana broke into a grin and shook her head. "No, but if you could work on it, that'd be awesome." She pointed to the armour plating and continued, "When I originally designed Paragon armour, John and Alyssa could only manage quad-shaped Crystal Alyssium. Now they're shaping it up to 25 times, so we can get the same durability and tensile strength from much thinner plating. I figured I could incorporate two layers, the outer one a bit tougher to shrug off conventional weapons and the inner layer inscribed with protection runes."

"To ward us against psychic attacks," Rachel said, nodding her understanding. "But why not just inscribe your protection runes directly onto the outer layer?"

"Because John and Alyssa can't make field repairs until I drop the runes," Dana explained. "This way they can patch up regular battle damage without me having to get involved."

"Very convenient," the brunette said with a smile of approval. She studied the sleek shape of the conspicuously female body armour, her eyes following the pronounced curve of the bust. "Is there a reason why Paragon suits have to be quite so... flattering?"

Dana turned away from the rotating holographic images. "The original design was based on thrall armour and I guess I was just following John's schematics."

Rachel accompanied her down the steps from the Engineering Podium. "The suits look very sexy and the Lionesses have got a certain image to maintain, but maybe you could bulk them up a bit?"

"Like John's Lion armour?" Dana mused, as they left the Workshop. "That's actually not a bad idea. Then I could make both internal and external shells tougher with thicker armour plating."

"I'm sure John would approve of anything that would give us greater protection," Rachel noted, sharing a smile with her girlfriend.

They stepped into the grav-tube with Dana lost in thought. "I was a bit wary about increasing the size too much because Paragon suits give us amazing manoeuvrability, but I suppose I could upgrade the armour with frictionless joints like the Valkyrie. We won't suddenly be able to go sprinting around like Sakura, but it should offset the slight increase in mass and volume from a bulkier suit. Plus, if I make them a bit bigger, I'll have even more room for new features!"

"Sounds like a plan with no drawbacks," Rachel said, giving the redhead an encouraging smile.

Dana's eyes were alight with inspiration. "I can't wait to show John the new version!"

Stepping out onto Deck Two, Rachel asked, "Will you be able to finish the design before we reach Kinta?"

"The design... yes. Building a prototype? I doubt it," Dana said with a rueful frown.

"At least we're only going up against Brimorians, so I suppose it can wait," Rachel said with a shrug. "It's not like we're about to fight a Progenitor."

Dana looked at her in alarm. "Are you crazy? You can't say shit like that! Are you trying to jinx us?!"

Rachel tapped the button to open the door to the Officers' Lounge. "We'll be fine, just don't walk under any ladders. Oh, and watch out for black cats crossing our path," she said, rolling her eyes at her superstitious girlfriend.

"Hello Dana, hello Rachel!" Marika said, the black and silver-striped catgirl walking over to greet them.

The two Terran teenagers froze and shared a worried glance.

"Alyssa requested that you help her set the table," the Nymph informed them with a friendly smile.

Marika left the shocked pair to join her sisters, who were gathered around Ailita, cooing over the pink light pulsing from her rounded stomach.

Alyssa emerged from the kitchen with steaming food served up on plates and smirked at the approaching teenagers. "Uh oh... have you two just doomed the ship?"

"That wasn't funny!" Dana protested as Alyssa started laughing. It proved infectious and the redhead dissolved into a fit of giggles. "Alright, you got me good."

Rachel laughed too, then smiled self-consciously at the blonde as she admitted, "You actually had me worried for a moment too."

"I'm sorry, I couldn't resist," Alyssa said, giving them each a quick kiss to seal her apology.

John appeared from the kitchen carrying several more plates which he started placing on the table. "Hey everyone. Take a seat, lunch is ready."

Dana sat down in her usual spot and eyed the breaded chicken on a bed of pilau rice. "Is this Chicken Katsu again?" she asked inquisitively. "Where's the sauce?"

"You'll see," John replied with a grin. "And this is a different dish called Chicken Kiev."

"Oh fantastic, I love this!" Calara gushed, eagerly taking a seat.

John returned from the kitchen with more plates. "I'll have to teach you the recipe sometime." He placed one of them in front of Jehanna, then looked at her curved stomach in surprise.

"It looks delicious, but I'm already full up..." she said, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

He shot a questioning glance at Sakura who shrugged helplessly. "They wanted to share and I didn't have the heart to say no."

John sighed and squatted down beside Jehanna. He ran his hand over her rounded belly and watched her long eyelashes flutter as she quivered with pleasure at his gentle touch.

"If I keep feeding you like this, you're going to keep growing," he said quietly, looking up into her eyes. "It'll only take a few more days and you'll start looking like the rest of the girls. When you complete the Change, you're never going to want to leave."

"I've made up my mind... that's what I want," she declared, interlacing her fingers with his. "I'm tired of missing you and feeling lonely. I love being here with the girls and I want to be one of your Lionesses, John."

"If we keep going, your body is going to go through some big changes. You've got a lovely slim figure at the moment, but if we continue, you're going to become as tall, athletic, and busty as the rest of the girls."

"I know... I can't wait!" she interrupted, sharing a flirtatious smile with the twins.

"And I'm sure if we asked the girls, they'd all love to have you join us," John said, glancing around the table to see everyone nodding enthusiastically. Focusing on Jehanna again, he continued, "But what about your career? Jehanna Elani, TFNN's Lead Anchor, is famous throughout the Terran Federation... If I change your appearance, it'll raise all sorts of awkward questions."

"I'm sure if I asked nicely, I could convince Dana to make me a holo-disguise like the one she built for Lynette," she replied, darting a quick glance at his Chief Engineer.

"Yeah! I can make that for you, no problem!" the redhead agreed, giving Jehanna a broad grin.

Jehanna flashed her a grateful smile in return, then turned back to John. "Avery would be ecstatic to have an embedded reporter on the Invictus giving him TFNN exclusives. Calara was right... the Progenitor War is going to be the big story now, not what's happening with High Command."

"Alright, that's true enough," John conceded, before squeezing her hand. "But more importantly, what are you planning to do about your parents? You can't use holo-illusions to trick them if they want to give you a hug. How are you going to explain your body being enhanced? Surely that's going to make it even harder for you to mend bridges with them?"

She deflated and nodded reluctantly. "You're right... but I don't want to be stuck in limbo because I had a fight with my parents. I feel drawn to you and the girls... I know I'm making the right decision to be with you now."

He leaned over to kiss her tummy. "Just make sure you've really thought about what you might be risking if we continue. The last thing I want is for you to get hurt."

"You've spent a lot of time trying to discourage me from becoming a Lioness; do you actually want me to join you, John?" Jehanna asked, looking down at him with worry in her big dark eyes.

"I do... but this isn't about what I want," he replied with a frown.

"Your opinion counts too," she disagreed.

John hesitated. "I don't want to influence you more than I already have, Jehanna."

"I need to know, John. Tell me what you want," she insisted, locking eyes with him.

He glanced around the dining table and saw that all the girls were waiting with bated breath. Flushing with embarrassment at being the centre of so much attention, he raised himself up to her head height and started whispering in her ear. Jehanna's eyes darted to the twins and flared with arousal, then her gaze softened and she caressed her swollen belly, before leaning into John and giving him a tender kiss.

"What did he say?!" Dana demanded, desperate to know.

Jehanna gave John a doe-eyed look as she gazed into his eyes. "He was very sweet... and he wants me too."

That declaration was met with a collective sigh of approval from the girls.

John kissed her again, then gave their audience a self-conscious smile. "Alright, enough mushy stuff. Let's eat before your lunch gets cold."

Everyone was eager to sample more of John's cooking, except for Ailita and Jehanna who were already stuffed. The Nymph was happy to pour drinks for everyone, making sure glasses were topped up with fruit juice.

Dana cut into her chicken, then blinked in surprise as garlic butter seeped out across her rice. "Oh cool!" she exclaimed, slicing it open to take a better look. "This is just like how the new Paragon suits are going to work!"

"New Paragon suits?" John asked, looking at her in surprise.

That prompted a round of updates from everyone, describing what they'd been up to that morning as they enjoyed their lunch.

He listened and nodded, suitably impressed. "Nice work everyone, especially those that stayed up late last night to get everything prepared for the Kintark."

"What were you doing this morning, John?" Helene asked politely.

Worried about upsetting the girls with the truth, John hesitated, unsure how to reply. He had no intention of telling them that he was training Sakura to kill him if he should lose to his guide.

"He was doing me, Helene," Sakura blithely replied, before grinning at her friends.

The girls erupted with catcalls and good-natured jokes, making John blush. He made fleeting eye-contact with the Asian girl and gave her a slight nod in gratitude.

Turning to Helene, John said, "I actually spent the morning training with Sakura in the Dojo. You've seen how quick she is and she makes an excellent sparring partner to train against."

"Are you doing me this afternoon, John?" Tashana interjected, her violet eyes sparkling as she flirted with him.

"Yep, it's your turn next," he replied with a wink, smiling at the ensuing laughter from the girls.

They finished their lunch and everyone thanked John for the delicious meal. Dana and Alyssa were particularly appreciative, always relishing a chance to try something new that John prepared for them.

"Would you like some more drink, Master?" Ailita asked, posing coquettishly with the jug of fruit juice.

"No, but I would like a hug." He smiled and patted his thigh in clear invitation.

Ailita wasted no time in discarding the jug and sitting on his lap, the glowing catgirl giving him a dazzling smile as he put his arms around her. The Nymph was a creature of simple needs, fanatically obsessed with pleasing her master, so it was easy to keep her happy with any gestures of affection.

"Good girl," he said, stroking her cum-filled tummy.

She trembled in ecstasy and nuzzled into his neck, planting soft kisses on his throat.

"John, there's something important we need to discuss..." Jade began, drawing all attention to her. "What are we going to do about rescuing the rest of my sisters?"