Three Square Meals Ch. 032

Calara's father stood at the side of the mats, equidistant between the two combatants. He raised his arm while glancing at each of them in turn, and called out, "Ready?" in warning. When he was certain that they were, he dropped his arm sharply. "Fight!" he exclaimed in a loud voice.

Mateo approached Calara confidently, while she faltered and looked unsure of herself. He was unwilling to strike out at her, so Mateo moved in to grapple his little sister, quite sure he was about to win a quick victory. Calara's faked uncertainty disappeared in an instant, and she stepped to the side, easily dodging Mateo's clumsy lunge. She then stepped in, grabbed him by the collar and rolled backwards, causing him to topple over her completely unbalanced. She rolled with him, landed on his chest, and performed a sharp strike to his throat, which she stopped at the last instant.

"Victory... Calara!" her father intoned in his deep voice.

John and the girls went wild, whooping and cheering their friend, while Eduardo and Dylan stared at their siblings in open mouthed amazement. Calara rose gracefully and offered her eldest brother her hand, who gladly accepted and stood on unsteady legs. "Hey, I'm a lover, not a fighter," he said with a shrug, flashing a wink at Alyssa.

*It looks like you made quite the impression,* John thought with amusement to the blonde girl who was sitting on the other side of Calara's mother.

*Almost as much as you made on Maria,* Alyssa retorted slyly. *Hoping for a little mother-daughter action?* she asked him playfully.

John stifled his choked laughter with a cough, and Maria turned his way with a concerned look on her face. "Are you ok, John?" she asked him, placing her hand on his shoulder.

"I'm fine thanks Maria," he said, easing her concerns with a smile, and then he glanced over at Alyssa, who waved at him playfully.

His attention was drawn back to the sparring ring, as Eduardo stepped out onto the mats to square off against Calara, and they began to banter with each other.

"Looking forward to taking a little nap?" Calara taunted him playfully.

"The big talk from you isn't as impressive as it is from John," Eduardo said dismissively.

"Ready?" Jack called out to them both, his arm raised in the air.

"You aren't going to look impressive for Dana, when I make you cry like a little girl... Second Lieutenant," Calara goaded him, knowing exactly what buttons to push.

"Fight!" Jack shouted clearly, dropping his arm sharply.

"Oh yeah, well, I'm gonn-" Eduardo began, but he never got to finish the sentence. As soon as her father started the match, Calara's eyes narrowed with concentration, all distracting banter ignored. She watched Eduardo puff out his chest to return her taunt, and as soon as she saw him lose focus, she darted forward to strike him in the chest, knocking him off balance, before following up with a leg sweep that sent him sprawling on his ass. She darted in for the killing blow, pulling the strike at the last second.

"Victory... Calara!" her father intoned, his voice ending the match with resounding finality, while the watching crowd cheered and clapped their appreciation.

Eduardo looked up at Calara in stunned surprise. "Hey, she cheated!" he gasped indignantly.

"Are you saying I don't know how to judge a match?" Jack asked him with a raised eyebrow.

Eduardo sighed and shook his head, accepting Calara's hand and rising to his feet. "Well done squirt," he said, nodding at her approvingly. Calara grinned at him, before giving him a fierce hug.

"What have you been doing to my daughter?" Maria said to John in a hushed whisper. "It's like she's a completely changed woman!" she marvelled, shaking her head with wonder.

*Uh oh,* John thought to Alyssa, sounding alarmed.

"Do you like the woman your little girl is growing into?" Alyssa asked Maria quietly.

Maria turned to look at Alyssa, studying her with her sharp eyes. "Very much so," she replied with conviction.

"Good, so do I," Alyssa said with a warm smile.

The last of the three brothers was stepping into the ring, and they all turned to watch this match. Dylan had removed his glasses and appeared quite different without them, looking very much like his father. He watched Calara intently, while she narrowed her own eyes, focusing herself for the fight ahead.

"Ready?" Jack called out to his children.

Both combatants stood motionless, all their attention on their opponent.

"Fight!" Jack shouted, dropping his arm.

Dylan sprang into action, sending a flurry of punches Calara's way, but she adeptly dodged or parried them. She countered with her own lightning fast strikes, which soon put her older brother on the defensive. The fight lasted for twenty minutes, in a blur of kicks and punches, but neither of them were able to land a decisive attack that might end the fight.

"Cease!" Jack called out, "Draw!" he exclaimed. The spectators were unsure what to do, so they clapped and cheered regardless.

Dylan smiled at Calara and performed a low bow, showing his respect. She bowed in return, and then he wrapped her in a big hug, a wide smile on his face. "You were amazing Calara!" he said appreciatively, and she grinned back at him, grateful for his warm praise.

John rose and strode down to the mats. Calara turned and ran into his arms, where he picked her up easily, and swirled her in the air. "You were incredible honey, I'm so proud of you!" he told her as she laughed delightedly, and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. John put her back down on the ground, and she beamed up at him, her beautiful face radiantly happy.

"What now?" Eduardo asked, unsure how to proceed after the draw.

"Now John and I fight," Jack said calmly, stepping onto the mats.

"You're in trouble now John, no-one beats our dad!" Eduardo said teasingly with a grin.

The two men squared off against one another, and bowed respectfully. With a slight nod from Jack the match had begun, and they moved cautiously towards one another. John had been practicing martial arts for over twenty years now, and he immediately recognised another master simply by the way Jack moved to engage. There was a quiet confidence in the man, a sureness of foot and perfection of balance that spoke of his many years of experience.

Despite Jack's slight age disadvantage, he had seemingly lost none of his quickness or strength, and John had to muster all of his own speed to deflect and counter the relentless series of attacks. The spectators watched in hushed silence as the two men advanced and then defended, seemingly locked in a stalemate. Despite seeing a number of opportunities where he would have been able to simply overwhelm Jack using his super strength, John refused to do so, and instead relied purely on his relatively normal speed and technique. Jack finally managed to outmanoeuvre John, and with a lightning fast sweep, brought John to his knees.

John raised his hand conceding the fight, and the spectators went wild, clapping and cheering the amazing display of martial skill.

"Don't feel bad," Eduardo said with a grin, offering him a hand to stand up. "You lasted way longer than any of us ever had!"

Mateo came over to clap him on the shoulder in a friendly fashion, "I'm glad we never fought," he said with a self deprecating laugh, "That would have been embarrassing!"

Finally Dylan came over to him and shook his hand, looking at him with respect. "That was very impressive," he said, nodding in approval.

Through all this, Jack watched silently, and when Maria suggested they all go and celebrate with a drink, he stepped forward and placed his hand gently on John's shoulder, causing him to turn to look at the older man questioningly. The rest of the group disappeared out of the room and into the house, with only Calara staying behind, watching them both with a worried look on her face.

"I'll be along in a few minutes, honey, everything's ok," John said to her reassuringly, and she turned and walked after the others, glancing back at the two men a few times before she left.

"Is everything ok, Jack?" John asked him hesitantly.

Jack let go of his shoulder and stepped back, moving to square off with him once more. "Fight me again, but don't hold back this time," he requested firmly.

John stared at the man appraisingly, and then nodded, centring himself and preparing for the fight.

Jack stepped forward to attack, and John simply ignored the blows to his chest, using his vastly superior strength to shrug off the otherwise unbalancing attacks. Jack stared at him in shock, as John grasped him firmly by his shirt, and then effortlessly overpowered him to bring him down to the mat, the entire fight over in less than ten seconds. John stood smoothly and locked eyes with Jack, offering the defeated man his hand to help him off the floor. Jack accepted his hand warily, and then rose, staring at John for a long moment in deathly silence. He finally broke into laughter, and shook his head in amazement.

"That was incredible," Jack said, looking at him in awe. "I don't remember ever feeling so hopelessly outmatched before."

John smiled at him and then shrugged. "You can probably tell from my ears I'm not completely human. It seemed grossly unfair to use my enhanced strength to defeat you."

Jack studied him silently for a moment before answering. "That's not it though, is it? You were fighting a larger campaign today," he said perceptively.

"Lose the battle and win the war," John replied, nodding his acknowledgement of the man's analysis.

"And what war would that be?" Jack asked him quietly.

"Making a good impression on your family," John replied self consciously. "Calara means a great deal to me, and I hoped to win over your sons with that match."

"By losing to me, they see you as a peer, instead of a threat. United in a common inability to defeat me in combat..." Jack said, nodding his understanding.

"I've seen the way they all look up to you, Calara included. Me winning our fight might have tarnished their perception of your... invincibility. I've got no desire to upset that dynamic," John explained.

Jack chuckled, amazed at the amount of forethought John had put into a seemingly simple fight. He offered his hand in friendship, which John shook warmly, and then Jack grinned at him. "I appreciate it, thank you. Keeping three boys on the straight and narrow can be a challenge at times, and having their respect means a great deal to me."

"Well they're great boys, you should be very proud of them," John replied.

"Let's go and grab a beer, I think you and I should have a chat," Jack said, smiling at him warmly.

John followed Jack back into the house and into the kitchen, where Calara and Maria were standing together chatting. The women turned to face them, burning curiosity on both their lovely faces as to what had kept the two men behind.

"Everything ok, dear?" Maria asked Jack with a raised eyebrow.

"Man-stuff sweetheart, nothing to worry about," he replied with a grin. "We're just going to go have a chat in the garden."

Maria smiled, and wordlessly handed him two bottles of chilled beer from the fridge, watching the two of them with her perceptive gaze. Calara looked like she was dying to go with them, but she managed to resist the urge with an act of iron will power. Jack led the way outside, and John turned back briefly to wave affectionately at Calara, who grinned at him and held her crossed fingers up in the air.

It was now dark outside, Epsilon-Eridani's sun having set hours earlier. They strolled out over the lawn towards the Pagoda, walking along a series of stone slabs that were illuminated by the soft glow of ground lights that flanked the path. Jack sat down on the closest of the padded benches, and John sat opposite him facing the house.

"Cheers," Jack grinned, leaning over so that they could clink bottles, before they sat back and took a swig of the beer.

"That's pretty damn fine beer," John sighed contentedly.

"Isn't it just?" Jack laughed. "It's brewed locally, and the advertising blurb says it's all down to the special minerals in the mountain water on Jericho. I'm sure that's all a bunch of crap, but there's no arguing with the taste!"

They sat in companionable silence for a little while, taking sips from the bottles and looking up at the huge sprawl of twinkling stars in the nights sky. Learning lessons from ancient Terra, night lighting on Jericho was cleverly and rigorously designed to minimise any light pollution. As a result, the view of the sky on a clear night like this was breathtaking.

"This seems like a wonderful place to raise a family," John said, his nod towards the house managing to encompass the entirety of Jericho as well.

"Maria and I visited lots of worlds when we served together on the Damocles. We both fell in love with Jericho, and always said we'd settle down here, when the time was right." Jack agreed.

"I didn't know you both served together on your current ship," John replied. "Calara mentioned you both were in the military, but didn't go into detail."

Jack laughed as he thought back to the early days of his relationship with Maria. "I still remember the talking to I got when we started going out together. I was commander rank at the time, second-in-command on board the Damocles. My captain at the time was very old school, and heartily disapproved of 'fraternisation amongst the bridge crew' ," he finished in a gruff voice.

"I must admit, it's a great feeling to be in charge of your own ship, and not having to tip-toe around an ornery Captain," John grinned.

Jack nodded and returned his grin. "You'll get no argument from me there!" he said, before pausing and looking at John thoughtfully as though he was going to ask something.

"Go ahead and ask, what's on your mind?" he asked the older man.

"When Maria mentioned that you and Calara were seeing each other, I must admit I took a look at your service record," Jack confessed. "It was a very impressive read, but officially you're listed as retired. So I was wondering how come you're still flying a Terran Federation assault cruiser?"

"I did retire, eleven years ago now, and after I made my money trading, I bought the Invictus as a civilian," he explained. "I still help out now and then, so there was no objection to me keeping the ship fully armed."

"That's one hell of a trading vessel," Jack laughed.

"Isn't it just," John grinned, and raised his bottle of beer before taking another drink.

"So what are your plans now, are you still working as a trader?" Jack asked him curiously.

"In all honesty, I made so much on the last trade there's no real need any more, but it's something interesting to do in my retirement," John replied. "I'm currently in the process of upgrading the ship with alien tech, so that's why we headed out to Grey Space."

"I must admit, I've often wondered what it would be like to just be able to explore the Galaxy in my own ship, without having to follow orders and obey the chain of command," Jack said wistfully.

"Calara told me about your plans for the 'Fernandez family ship' ," John grinned.

"I might have to man Tactical myself... I have a feeling Calara won't be interested in a transfer," Jack joked. "So where are you taking the Invictus too next?" he asked, intrigued.

"I'm planning to visit the Maliri," John explained. "I know their reputation, but I've traded with them before and they were friendly enough with me. I'm hoping I might be able to convince them to upgrade my laser weaponry," he finished with a predatory grin.

"Well I hope it works out for you," Jack said dubiously. "T-Fed R&D would love to get their hands on some of the Maliri tech, but they've been completely uncooperative so far. About five years ago, the Damocles provided an escort for a military research vessel that went to trade with them. The Maliri stubbornly refused even the most ridiculously one-sided deals, and we left there empty handed. That R&D Admiral was fuming all the way back home," he chuckled at the memory.

"Well I'm officially a civilian now, so maybe I'll have more luck," John winked, before taking another long drink of beer. "Before that, we're looking to recruit a medic, and we know someone who's interested. We'll take a quick trip to the Dragon March to see if she's a good fit for the ship, before we head off to Maliri Space."

At that, Jack sat up straight. "You're going to the Dragon March?" he said in alarm.

"That was the plan, is that a problem?" John replied, suddenly alert.

Jack paused, and looked down as he was mulling something over, before he finally raised his eyes to stare at John. "I can't go into detail, it's all at Ultra level clearance, but the Dragon March is a very dangerous place to go right now. I honestly like you, but the only reason I'm telling you this, is because you have my daughter on your ship," Jack said, his voice ringing with concern.

"Thanks for the warning," John said, "We'll be very careful."

Jack looked like he was going to say more, when Maria stepped outside onto the patio and called them back to the house.

"Thanks for the beer," John said as he stood.

"You're welcome," Jack replied, but he seemed a little distracted.

They walked back to the house, where Maria hooked her arm around Jack's and gave him a peck on the cheek. "We're going to play some cards, want to join in?" she asked him with a big beaming smile on her face. Jack laughed at her exuberance and nodded, and he followed her through to the dining room where their three sons were sorting decks of cards.

Alyssa saw John standing at the door, and she glanced at him with a questioning look on her face.

*That sounded ominous about the Dragon March,* she said in his mind. *I wonder what's happening out there exactly?*

*We'll find out soon enough,* John replied, his confident voice ringing through her thoughts. *How are you girls getting on?*

*We're a big hit with Calara's brothers,* Alyssa replied with amusement. *Harmless flirting aside, Dana and Jade have been having a great time.*

*And how about you?* John asked her perceptively.

*I've missed being able to act normal, and be tactile around you,* Alyssa replied, looking wistful.

*We'll be back on the ship soon, and everything will be back to normal,* he said soothingly.

Alyssa threw him a quick loving glance, before she returned her focus to the card game that was just about to start. Calara bowed out, and rose gracefully to walk over to join him.

"Let's go for a walk," she suggested quietly.

Nodding, John held her hand and they strolled out into the garden again, walking across the lush lawn towards the two-seater swing at the back of the garden. It was made of wood with a high back, and the seat was covered in comfortable cushions. They sat together and looked back at the house, the sound of laughter drifting out through the wide open glass doors. Calara tucked her legs up on the chair, cuddling into him, and he encircled her shoulders with his arm. They sat like that for a while just staring up at the stars.

"Would you like to live in a place like this?" he asked her curiously.

"Not right now, no," she replied, with a contented smile. "I'm having too much fun racing around in the Invictus, saving the galaxy!"

He laughed and nodded, squeezing her shoulders as he pulled her a little closer to him.

"Later though, when we think about having a family, I'd love it," she said, looking up at him hopefully. "Just imagine; me, the girls and your children running over to greet you when you got home."

"Got home? I'd never want to leave," John said, smiling down at her.

She looked up at him adoringly, and after a quick glance at the house, she kissed him passionately. Her lips were soft and eager against his, and her tongue flickered out, encouraging him to follow it back into her mouth with his own. Before things got too steamy, they broke apart and grinned at each other lustily.