Three Square Meals Ch. 020

The freighter touched down and the crew left the cockpit to gather their belongings. John held Alyssa back a moment before they left the cockpit for the last time and pulled her into his arms. She looked up at him with her piercing cerulean eyes, a contented expression on her face and just as John was about to speak, she stood on tiptoes and kissed him tenderly.

"I know" she whispered. "I feel the same way." the beautiful young blonde smiled at him happily and then they walked out to join the others.

Sparks had brought over a grav-sled and the girls piled it high with their loot from Gravitus. They were now free to turn their attention to the Raptor gunship, that waited for them like some kind of brooding bird of prey.

John walked around it, followed by the girls, taking in its fearsome design; all sharp lines and jutting weapons. The gunship was big for a ship of its class, measuring 40 metres in length and almost the same size as the aging freighter they had just left behind. Where the two ships differed, was the Fool's Gold had more height and was squat and blocky, whereas the Raptor was lean, angular and sleek. It was only due to the lower profile of the Raptor that they would be able to fit the gunship into the hangar bay of the Invictus, but it would still be a close fit.

The cockpit was at the front of the craft, with a turret set just under the chin, the many rotary barrels identified the twin mounted weaponry as Gatling lasers. Two more single Gatling laser turrets were set underneath the backswept wings, with another two turrets on the central spine of the topdeck, one positioned at the front, the other set higher, at the back.

"Very nice!" Calara said appreciatively as she studied the configuration. "With the positioning of these turrets, you could use all six to provide forward facing fire support."

They completed their circuit around the gunship, noticing a large loading ramp at the back, a small ramp at the front and airlocks set into either side of the craft. Oversized engines at the back of the gunship suggested the vessel was capable of impressive top speeds and the numerous vectored retro-thrusters hinted at significant manoeuvrability. Sparks pointed to two pairs of large barrelled weapons set into the shoulders of the ship.

"Calara, what are those guns?" the redhead asked curiously.

"Forward mounted Laser cannons. They're the same as the turreted mounted versions we have on the Invictus." the Latina replied, narrowing her eyes as she studied them.

"You can see the heatsink venting on the sides and top over there." she said, pointing to the heat dissipation devices spaced evenly along the 20 metre long cannons.

"I like this a whole lot more than that Kirrix dropship!" Alyssa said, grinning appreciatively.

"Alyssa and Calara, could you check over the systems on the Raptor and then load it into the hangar bay please." John requested. "I'd like to take a look at the workshop with Sparks."

The blonde and the brunette grinned at each other, eager to take a look inside the gunship. As they started to walk towards the craft, Alyssa stopped and turned back to the rest of the group.

"Jade, do you want to come with us?" Alyssa asked the Nymph, beckoning her over invitingly.

The green haired girl glanced at John, then smiled and nodded back at Alyssa. She rushed over to catch them up with a spring in her step.

John and Sparks walked with the grav-sled over to the Invictus and John operated the remote that would open up the huge doors in the side of the hull. The massive reinforced doors to the cargo bay and the hangar bay began to swing smoothly upwards, allowing access to the belly of the assault cruiser. They walked up the loading ramp and Sparks brought the grav-sled into the ship, positioning it near the heavy set of double doors that led to the elevator, so they would be able to easily unload their new purchases and take them up to their quarters.

The Tyrenium was now gone from the cargo bay, the vast room looking strange without their familiar presence. In their place were a number of carefully placed containers, emblazoned with the logos of McCarran Arms and the Steinbeck Armoury. John walked up to a nearby weapons crate and lifted the lid, the dark grey form of the XR75 rifle lurking within.

"New guns?" Sparks asked curiously, looking over his shoulder.

"I figured with the growing crew and the amount of scrapes we run into, it might be time to expand our arsenal a bit." John said with a smile.

Sparks reached into the crate and pulled out one of the rifles, feeling the weight of the sleek, high-tech rifle. She held either end and rotated the rifle in her hands, studying it with the appraising eye of a master gunsmith.

"Very nice." She said approvingly. "The frame is strong and should be easy to enhance. Give me a little time with these and I think you'll like the results." she said, glancing at John with a grin.

"I can't wait to see what you come up with." John said with a smile.

Sparks replaced the assault rifle back in the container and then walked with him over to the larger rectangular boxes that sported the anvil logo of the Steinbeck Armoury. John pressed a button on the side of the container and with a click and a hydraulic hiss, the front panel slid open, revealing the suits of Phalanx Alpha armour suits stored on racks within.

"Now these look badass!" Sparks said, nodding appreciatively at the futuristic styling.

She walked up to the fully sealed armoured bodysuit that was hanging in place and started muttering to herself.

"Mirrored composite, sloped armour..." she said, studying the design. "decent energy absorption and kinetic penetrator deflection..."

She casually removed the helmet, placed it on the floor and then stood on top of it, balancing gracefully as she used the extra height to peer down into the suit of body armour. The redhead dropped down and then darted to the side, looking at the clasps and interlocking panels with a frown on her face.

"These look like a bitch to put on though!" she said disapprovingly.

"It took at least twice as long to equip compared to my old set of armour." John said, impressed that Sparks had been able to identify with a glance, the same problems he had noticed only after equipping the suit personally.

"Don't you worry, I'll fix these too." Sparks said confidently, coming over to give him a kiss.

John kissed her back enthusiastically, finding her self-assurance very attractive.

"You like me working on your equipment, hmm?" Sparks smirked, enjoying the passionate embrace.

John chuckled at the feisty redhead and her happy laughter joined his and echoed around the huge cargo bay. They walked over to the newly fitted loading lift that had been put into place by the Olympus refitting crews. There was a DNA reader on the wall and John placed his hand on it, the green light flickering across and then beeping quietly as it recognise him.

Yellow chevrons glowed in a large rectangle on the floor of the cargo bay, highlighting the area and rotating lights set into the wall began to spin up, warning of potential danger. Overhead a large section of the ceiling slowly slid apart and a loading lift descended, supported by four big anti-grav cyclics. John glanced at Sparks to make sure she was well clear and the excited teen looked up at him with sparkling eyes, her building anticipation to see her new workshop filling her with nervous energy. He waited patiently and Sparks less so, for the loading lift to descend and they both stepped on to it gingerly. John walked over to a raised panel he had spotted at the back of the lift.

"The lift can support up to 50 tons." he said with a laugh at their trepidation, as he read the instructions on the panel.

He pushed the fairly obviously purposed up arrow and the lift began to smoothly ascend upwards to the gaping hole in the ceiling.

"Excited?" he asked Sparks with a smile.

The redhead took his hand and placed it on her chest above her left breast. Under her smooth warm skin, he could feel her heart pounding with all the adrenalin coursing through her system. Her eyes flashed brightly as she gazed up at him and he loved seeing how passionate and full of life she looked. They stood like that, staring at each other and almost failed to notice when the lift locked into place with a clunk, that had a comforting sound of finality to it.

John glanced around and was astonished at the transformation this room had undergone, since he had last come in here with the luscious redhead at his side. The long empty racks that had previously stored the weapons and armour for three hundred marines had all been removed, clearing the huge room of clutter. In their place the room now contained an enormous variety of intricate and expensive looking mechanical equipment, that spread outwards from the open area in which they now stood. To the side of the chevron marked loading lift, was a big clear space for the Chief Engineer to work on her latest projects. In the centre of the room was a multi consoled podium, with a short flight of illuminated steps leading up to the currently dormant computer systems.

Sparks walked slowly over to the podium, powerless to resist its siren call. John accompanied her with a wry smile of amusement and thought that If he found this place impressive, his young companions must have been in seventh heaven. Sparks climbed the three steps to the raised platform and then pressed a number of buttons on each of the consoles, powering them up. Panels on the consoles lit up one after the other, some accompanied by holographic projections displaying power levels and fluctuating energy efficiency graphs.

The redhead pressed more buttons and machinery began to light up around the huge workshop, brightly illuminating the room and making the room feel like it was coming to life. Sparks turned to him and grinned, shaking her head in wonder.

"As a kid I dreamed of just being able to touch some of this hardware," she said spreading her arms wide to take in the whole room. "and now I'm in charge of one of the best equipped engineering bays in the Terran Federation." she said in amazement.

"I can't wait to see what you can come up with." John said with a smile.

"I promise, you won't be disappointed." the sultry redhead said, coming over to him and circling her arms around his neck.

"Then or this evening." she said suggestively as she stared into his eyes.

John took a deep breath and sighed happily. He was sorely tempted to just bend the horny teen over one of the nearby consoles and fuck her senseless, but she obviously had something fun in mind and the girls never failed to disappoint him. Deciding to leave before he put the instant gratification plan into effect, he gave her a kiss and told her to have fun. Sparks grinned at him with excitement and when he turned to leave, she darted up the steps to begin playing with her new toys.

John left the armoury, or more accurately the engineering bay he reminded himself and walked to the elevator, sidestepping a couple of the dutiful cleaning robots who were going about their business. He took the elevator down to the lowest level and went to see how the rest of the girls were getting on. The double doors leading into the hangar bay were now open and the Raptor gunship was now safely secured in the middle of the large room. Seeing the hangar bay housing a Terran dropship again reminded him of the many times he had rallied at this exact same spot before boarding a troop transport with the rest of his cohort of marines. His memories of the past were interrupted by the sound of a female voice calling to him.

"Hey John!" Calara said, as she bounded over, please to see him.

Her long dark locks billowed out behind her as she jogged over to him and she looked exhilarated as she ran up to his side and gave him a hug.

"The Raptor is amazing!" she enthused, her eyes flashing with excitement as she looked up at him.

"It has all the latest targeting arrays and HUD subsystems. The optical recognition interface means a single gunner can independently lock on all six Gatling lasers, just by glancing at each target!" She grinned.

"Bored of being tactical officer on the Invictus already?" John said, teasing her playfully.

"Oh no, I wouldn't give that up for the world!" she said quickly. "Besides, I think Alyssa has someone else in mind to ferry you two around." she hinted mysteriously.

"What's that little minx up to now?" John asked the brunette, rolling his eyes.

"Oh she'll tease you a bit," Calara said, knowing the blonde's antics all too well. "but she's actually a very good judge of people's abilities."

"She certainly is." John said with a smile, hugging the brunette tightly.

Calara sighed happily and gave him an affectionate peck on the cheek, before he let her continue with her mission to start packing away her new clothes. He turned back to the gunship and walked up the front loading ramp and into the newly acquired vessel for the first time. He could smell the aroma of well oiled hydraulics and he paused for a moment, recognising the distinctive new ship smell that he remembered from his days in the military.

At the top of the ramp were two heavily reinforced buttresses that flanked each side of the entrance. John realised they could be used for cover when landing at a hostile drop site and nodded approvingly. He'd seen too many of his colleagues hit by stray rounds before even having a chance to disembark a troop transport and was very grateful he wouldn't have to witness that now.

He went to the back of the room and opened the robust looking, heavily reinforced door leading further into the ship. The door led into a corridor with doors on either side and at the end. The door on the left opened into an armoury, which was currently empty, weapon and armour racks looking desolate without any of the tools of war stored there. He shut the door and seeing that the door opposite was an elevator, he walked down the corridor to see what else the gunship had on the ground level.

The heavily reinforced double doors at the other end of the corridor led into a big empty space at the back of the gunship and the far wall of the room was actually the big loading ramp at the back, currently locked into place. Having this kind of storage space could prove very useful, he thought to himself, especially with the large scale rescues they'd been performing recently. Closing the solid double doors behind him with a satisfying clunk, he took the elevator up to the top deck.

The elevator opened out into another corridor, that led to a small but functional crew living space at the rear of the ship and the cockpit at the front. John walked into the roomy cockpit and found Jade sitting in the pilot's seat and Alyssa standing behind the green skinned girl, looking over her shoulder. John moved stealthily up behind the blonde and then wrapped his arms around her and gave her a kiss.

"Hello John!" Alyssa said, greeting him warmly as she snuggled into his arms.

"Hi honey." he said, hugging her tightly. "What are you up to here?" he asked, already guessing the answer.

"Calara spoilt my surprise." Alyssa said with a frown, having heard his entire conversation with the brunette through her link to John's mind.

"Greetings master!" Jade said happily. "Alyssa is teaching this one how to fly the Raptor!" she said, beaming up at him with a dazzling smile.

"Is she now..." John said, raising an eyebrow at Alyssa.

"Oh she's perfect for it." Alyssa told him smugly, with the hint of a challenge to her voice.

"Ok honey, I trust you." John told her blithely. "I'm sure Jade will make an awesome pilot!"

The ravishingly attractive Nymph, looking deliriously happy. "Jade will be the best pilot master could ever wish for!" she promised him emphatically.

Alyssa's beautiful face adopted a cute looking frown and her bottom lip pouted.

"You're taking all the fun out of this!" she complained. "You were supposed to object and then I'd go ahead and do it anyway and then you'd be all surprised when Jade turned out to be great!"

"Maybe I can still surprise you after all!" John said, his eyes twinkling mischievously.

"Hmpf! If Calara hadn't warned you, it would have worked out to plan!" Alyssa grumbled.

"That girl's getting far too feisty." Alyssa said, her eyes narrowing. "Perhaps she needs a good spanking..." she pondered with a smile.

John pictured Calara bent over Alyssa's knee, the blonde soundly spanking the gorgeous Latina's pert little ass cheeks. He found himself getting very aroused, very quickly.

"Would you like to see me taking a firmer hand with the crew?" Alyssa asked him coyly, her eyebrow arched playfully. "The ship's XO is in charge of discipline after all..."

"This one will do her best to make sure she does not need to be reprimanded." Jade said sincerely.

"We're only playing honey." John said to Jade reassuringly.

"Oh! This one understands now. Being submissive can be very exciting!" Jade said eagerly. "Would master like to take a firmer hand with Jade too?" she said, her emerald eyes sparkling.

The exotic Nymph rose gracefully and then moved forward to brush up against Alyssa, squashing her breasts against the blonde's. "Perhaps master would like Jade's assistance with asserting his dominance over his executive officer?" she purred in a sultry voice.

Alyssa gasped with excitement, not having experienced Jade's playful side herself.

"That sounds intriguing Jade." John said finding the whole conversation very arousing. "I already have plans with Sparks in a few hours though, so we'll have to keep my XO in line another time."

"Master knows best, of course." Jade said with a smile, before leaning across Alyssa to kiss John passionately.

Alyssa turned to watch them kiss and let out a little moan of excitement. The thought of being double teamed by John and Jade again left her breathless with anticipation.

"Sorry to interrupt your lessons." John said with a smile, as he and Jade pulled back from the kiss.

"It's no problem master!" Jade reassured him. "This has been a very interesting conversation!" She said with a grin.

"It certainly has." John agreed. "I think we should get underway though, I'm eager to go and meet with the Ashanath. Are you up for plotting us a course XO?" he asked the blonde who was currently sandwiched between them.

"Lead on Commander!" she said with a grin.

They headed out of the gunship and left the hangar bay, ensuring that the massive hull doors were securely closed behind them. Calara was in the corridor, carrying a couple of bags with her from the cargo bay. As they approached, they could see that she had moved all their shopping into the elevator and was getting ready to take it up to deck 2, to be put away in the officer's quarters.

"I'll grab Sparks as well, then we can get everything cleared in one go." John said logically.

"We'll make a start without you, come and join us when you have her." Alyssa said with a smile.

They stopped at the next deck up and John jogged down the corridor, the elevator heading upwards behind him as he approached the engineering bay. He opened the door and strode in, looking around the huge workshop for the adorable redhead. He found her in the open workspace in the centre of the big room, leaning over an intricate set of hovering workbenches. To her side, John saw one of the weapon containers had been opened and an XR75 rifle was now broken down into component parts and methodically placed on the tilted workbench. The various hovering platforms of the levitating workbench meant that Sparks was able to see an exploded out view of the weapon, with various disassembled components placed directly above the core frame of the assault rifle.