Three Square Meals Ch. 037

"She's very pretty," Calara said softly, as she glided around the desk to take a closer look.

"You're exceptionally gifted at puzzling out these kind of mysteries," John told her appreciatively. "I was hoping you might take a look at these files, and see if you can find anything I might have missed."

"Oh, John, I'd be honoured to help," she told him earnestly, before turning away from the image of Jessica Blake to look at him. "Thank you for showing me this," she added gratefully.

"You're welcome," he told her with a smile, and he reached out to rub his hand on her thigh affectionately.

"Shall I start right now?" she asked him tentatively.

"It's okay, just whenever you get some spare time. She's been missing for forty years, so a few days or weeks here or there isn't going to make any difference. It's just for my own piece of mind, really," he admitted honestly.

"This all started with her, didn't it?" Calara said, turning to look at the smiling brunette once more. "I guess if she hadn't had you, then there wouldn't have been anyone to save me from the pirates."

John rubbed his jaw, looking thoughtful as he nodded. "That's one way of looking at it," he agreed.

"I'll do my best to find out what happened to her," she promised him wholeheartedly.

"I know you will," he said, smiling at her fondly.

"We've got a few hours to kill, so I'd like to take a quick look now, actually," she said cautiously, awaiting his reaction.

"Be my guest," he said, waving a hand towards the console.

Calara smiled coyly at him, and then sat in his lap, wriggling a little to get comfortable. He stroked the toned muscles in her back through the blouse she was wearing, and she sighed happily, before leaning forward to start digging through the files.

"You've found a lot of data," she said sounding impressed, as she swiped through the interview logs, the Incident Advisory Board findings, and the mission logs for the Cora.

"Yeah, it took a few decades to amass all that, but with the crew all dead, I ran out of leads," he said regretfully. "Oh, that reminds me. With my new rank, we might be able to access more secure information. The same applies with the order logs in the Dragon March."

"The Captain of the Cora must have been crazy," Calara marvelled.

"What makes you say that?" he asked her curiously.

She was looking at the recorded flightpath of Jessica Blake's ship, and the route that it had taken on its fateful last mission. "They went deep into Kirrix space!" she exclaimed, "That area is crawling with bugs."

"This was forty years ago remember, in 2739," John reminded her gently. "The Kirrix massively expanded out a few years after that, until they were beaten back from Terran systems in the purge of 2743."

"Is that why you never followed the route yourself?" she asked him curiously, turning in his lap to look at him.

"Yeah, it was much too dangerous," he nodded in agreement.

"Too dangerous for a mighty Progenitor and his devoted crew, in a heavily upgraded Assault Cruiser?" she asked him with a raised eyebrow.

John started for a moment, and then grinned at her. "Damn, I'm lucky to have you!"

She grinned back at him, delighted to have made him so happy. "When should we head out that way?" she asked him eagerly.

"Not right now," John said firmly. "We'll finish off the ship upgrades, and then we can evaluate how dangerous it's going to be. We'd be heading deep into Kirrix space, which is very risky. That will give you plenty of time to search through the data and see what else you can find."

"Whatever you say, Commodore," she said with a smile.

"Thanks for your assistance, Lieutenant," he replied with a wide smile.

She turned to straddle him, and then leaned down to kiss him tenderly. He lost track of time, staring into her deep brown eyes that gazed back at him lovingly, as her soft lips brushed gently against his own.

*Sorry to interrupt,* Alyssa said quietly, her lovely voice echoing through his mind. *It's seven-thirty, so you two need to get ready for tonight. We'll meet you in the Officers' Lounge when you're ready.*

"We're being summoned," Calara said, as she smiled down at him.

"Yes, I got the same message," John chuckled.

Calara moved to rise up, but he put his hands on her waist, holding her in place for a moment. She looked at him curiously, and he smiled up at her.

"Thanks for looking at the files today, it was... therapeutic, sharing them with someone," he told her sincerely.

"I'm just pleased I can help," she replied emphatically. "You've done so much for me, I can't ever begin to repay you."

"You do that, just by being here," he told her affectionately.

"You're very sweet," Calara replied, and he could see she was moved by his words. "You should show the picture of your mother to the other girls. I'm sure they'd all love to see her, too," she added kindly.

He rose to join her, and they walked out across the bridge hand in hand, to go and get ready for the award ceremony.

***

John picked up the grey peaked hat, and turned it slowly in his hands until he was looking at the front, with its bright gold Terran Federation insignia on the peak. The insignia was of an upraised sword flanked by wings, with the tip of the sword pointing towards a star. He hadn't put on his Terran Federation full-dress uniform in over eleven years, and it felt very strange to be wearing it once again, although he was relieved that it still fit. He placed the hat squarely on his head, and looked at himself in the mirror.

The uniform was a mid-grey, consisting of a long jacket that came down to just above the knee, accompanied by matching grey trousers. The jacket was belted at the waist with a thick black leather belt, that matched his brightly polished black boots. There were golden bands on his epaulets and around the cuffs, as well as the golden eagle insignia that he wore on his chest, that all signified his rank as Commander. His jacket buttoned down the right side of his chest with gold coloured buttons, leaving plenty of space to fit his campaign ribbons and medals, and he turned to retrieve his medal case so he could put them on.

He picked up the three metallic representations of a supernova, with their single pointed flare, and he thought back on each of the battles he'd earned them in, as he pinned each Novaburst medal to his chest. The last medal was also made of gold, and depicted a sword superimposed over a group of three stars. He had won the Stellar Cluster near the end of his years in service, and it had been awarded to him for the bloody battle where he had saved Charles Harris' life. He pinned it on his chest above his campaign ribbons, then straightened his hat once more, before striding out of the walk-in wardrobe to go and find the girls.

Calara was waiting for him in the corridor, and she gazed at him appreciatively when he walked out of his room. "You look very handsome in that uniform," she said with an approving nod.

"You look particularly fine in uniform yourself," he said with a smile.

She was wearing the female version of his own Terran Federation Officer uniform, all in grey, with a peaked cap, and black boots. She wore her Novaburst medal proudly, underneath the golden hawk insignia that signified her rank as First Lieutenant.

"I'd 'outgrown' the last one, so when we went to Gravitus, I had to get a considerably... larger uniform, as a replacement," she said with a smirk, looking down at her chest. "I got some funny looks from the Quartermaster, I can tell you!"

"It gives you more room for your medals," he said with a grin, and she laughed merrily.

She glanced at his own chest and when she saw the sword-on-stars medal, she stared at it in awe. "I didn't know you'd won a Stellar Cluster!" she said in amazement.

"I got it after the final time I fought alongside Charles. The Terran Federation applauded me for what happened when we lifted the siege at Galon Prime, but in all honesty, that battle swayed my decision to leave the military," he said sombrely.

"You'll have to tell me about it sometime," she said curiously.

"It was a bleak affair, and something that grim should stay in the past," he told her gently, before glancing at his watch. "We'd better hurry up though, or we're going to make everyone late."

Calara smiled at him, and took his gloved hand in her own, and they walked down the corridor to the Officers' Lounge. John pressed the button, and the double doors swished open to reveal the rest of the crew who were waiting for them patiently. Calara gasped when she saw them, and John had to do a double-take as well.

Alyssa, Dana, and Jade were all wearing immaculate white uniforms. They were similar in style to the Terran Federation uniforms, but whoever had designed these had a particular appreciation of the female form. The close fitting jackets hugged their curves closely, coming down to just below the cheek of their ass. They wore skintight trousers underneath, that disappeared into black, high heeled boots, that came up to just below the knee. Finally, the jackets and trousers were edged in gold, with a gold belt cinching in the uniform at the waist. There was no hat to their uniform, so their long thick hair hung free, framing their beautiful faces.

The girls sashayed over to join them, and twirled gracefully for him on the way, so that he could get a good look at them from all angles.

"Wow!" John exclaimed with wide eyes, "You girls look amazing! How did you find uniforms like that?"

"We got them custom tailored for us," Dana said excitedly. "There's another one for Calara as well, if she wants it, and for Rachel when she grows into it."

"We got some extras too, just in case," Jade said with a sly grin.

"Well whoever you got to design them really knew their stuff, you look fantastic!" John said with a broad grin.

"Thanks, handsome," Alyssa said with a grateful smile.

"You designed these?" John asked her incredulously.

"All my own work," the talented blonde replied. "I've designed one for you too, but I didn't think you'd want to wear it this evening."

"If it hugs my ass like yours do, that was probably a good call," John laughed.

The girls giggled, and Alyssa flashed him an enigmatic smile, before she said, "I think it sets the right tone."

John looked around for Rachel, not seeing her standing with the uniformed girls, and when Alyssa saw him looking for the brunette, she called out to her. "You can make your entrance now, Rachel," she said in a loud, clear voice.

The tawny haired young woman had been sitting out of sight, around on the other side of the bar, waiting for her cue. When Alyssa called her name, she glided gracefully into view. She was wearing a gloriously elegant light-grey dress that pooled at her feet, and as she walked, it revealed a split that flashed tantalising glimpses of her long legs. She did a careful twirl on the way, and he could see that the dress was backless, revealing acres of her smooth young skin.

"You look breathtaking!" he said, eyeing her appreciatively as she joined them.

"I'm glad you approve, Alyssa said you'd like it," she said with a self-conscious smile.

"You designed this too?" he asked the blonde in surprise.

"I know how much you like a girl in formal wear," Alyssa said indulgently. "The material has a high degree of elasticity, so it will stretch comfortably if you decide to have Rachel wear it when you give her a late supper."

Rachel looked at him coyly as she stepped close on her high heels, and he ran his hand over her slim stomach, feeling the silky smooth material under his touch. "She's full of good ideas, isn't she?" the brunette purred.

John nodded silently, rendered speechless, and the girls laughed at his mute appreciation of Alyssa's handiwork. They finally urged him out of the lounge, and they travelled down in the grav-tube, to exit the ship via the airlock.

Astonishingly, they were still five minutes early, and Charles' assistant had not yet arrived at the docking bay. The airlock door closed behind them, and Dana looked up at John with a cheeky grin.

"Are you ready to see the project I've been working on now?" she asked him eagerly.

"Sorry, honey, I've been a bit distracted," John apologised profusely. "Sure, I'd love to see."

"Okay! I'll need your help, Rachel, if you wouldn't mind assisting?" the redhead asked hopefully.

"I'd be glad to," the brunette replied immediately.

"Great! Alright, could you place your hand on the DNA reader, please," Dana requested politely.

"I haven't entered her DNA yet," Alyssa warned the redhead. "I didn't think there was much point until the change was complete."

"Yeah, that's what I was hoping for," Dana replied with a theatrical wink, before gesturing for Rachel to proceed.

Rachel glided over to the DNA reader, and placed her hand on the device. A green light flashed across the panel as it scanned her DNA, before the panel flashed red.

"Access Denied," A low sultry female voice replied.

"What was that?" John asked in surprise.

"Try again please," Dana said, ignoring him for a moment.

Rachel dutifully placed her hand on the panel again, and it flashed red once more.

"Access Denied," the female voice said again.

John was about to repeat his question, when Dana cupped a hand to her ear, and looked up, as though waiting to hear something else.

"Any attempt to force your way inside me..." the voice said in a throaty purr. "Will be met with... Lethal force," it added, with what sounded like a shiver of delight.

Several panels on the ship's hull slid back revealing Gatling Lasers, that immediately began to spin up, whirring ominously.

John shot an alarmed glance at the redhead, while blurting out, "Dana! What have you done?"

Dana chortled with glee at his expression, before she finally managed to get herself under control. "You guys have no faith in me at all," she smirked.

"What do you mean?" Alyssa asked her with a frown.

"It's not an AI," Dana replied, rolling her eyes at their panicked reaction. "I just created a simulated voice using an amalgam of our speech, and lowered the timbre a bit. We all sound a bit too perky to be all that intimidating."

"What about the Gatling Lasers?" John asked, looking up at the powerful anti-personnel weapons, as they slid back into the hull and out of sight once more.

"That's mostly just for show, but if someone does try and break in, the auto targeting will activate and... stop them," Dana said with a nonchalant shrug.

Before John could respond further, Lieutenant Adams strode quickly into the Docking Bay, and then jogged over to greet them. When he saw the assembled crew of the Invictus, his eyes grew so wide, they were in distinct danger of falling out of his head.

"Good to see you again, Lieutenant Adams," John said with amusement.

"You too, Commander! Err I mean Commodore, Sir," the flustered Lieutenant replied.

"I thought that was supposed to be an unofficial promotion?" John asked him curiously.

The young officer grew red-faced with embarrassment. "It is, Sir. I remember reading the order for your promotion, I just forgot you're still officially a civilian," he explained shamefacedly.

"Don't worry about it, I'm sure that kind of thing happens all the time," John said in a blasé fashion. "I won't tell anyone if you don't," he added with a conspiratorial wink.

Adams laughed, and then smiled with relief. "You're very kind, Sir. Now if you'd like to follow me, I'll lead you to the hall for the award ceremony."

"Lead away, Sir," John said playfully, and the girls smiled encouragingly at the Lieutenant, who flushed, and turned away to lead them out of the hangar, stumbling a step as he went.

*Are you trying to get more information out of him?* Alyssa asked John curiously.

*No, but we might as well make an effort to be friendly. If we need to quiz him in the future, it won't hurt if he likes us,* John explained.

*Do you want me to try... reading his thoughts,* Alyssa asked tentatively. *I didn't think you'd want me to try on Charles, what with him being an old friend, so I didn't mention it. Though, I do quite like Lieutenant Adams, it's fun making him get all flustered,* she added with a telepathic giggle.

*Let's leave the experimenting for bad guys,* John said firmly. *I wouldn't want you to risk melting his brain or anything.*

*You think I could do that?* Alyssa asked him excitedly.

*Let's not find out,* John said with a smile.

They walked along behind the young Lieutenant, with the girls uncharacteristically quiet. Only Rachel had much familiarity with these kind of formal events, and she wasn't going to be the focus of attention. The Olympus Shipyard was bustling with activity, and they passed dozens of military personnel as they went about their business. The girls left a wake of devastation at their passing, as young marines, naval crews, and base personnel stopped and gawped in open mouthed amazement.

*Maybe you should have reined in your uniform designs a little,* John said teasingly. *They're the right side of decent, but combined with how hot the girls are, they'll end up causing a riot.*

*No, they're perfect,* Alyssa said smugly. *Besides, it does the girls good to get this kind of attention. I can feel all of them growing more confident.*

John glanced behind him, and he could see Dana, Calara, Jade and Rachel walking taller, with sparkling smiles on their beautiful faces. Of course, this compounded the effect it was having on the shipyard personnel. He was somewhat relieved when they arrived at a big set of double doors, and Lieutenant Adams led them into a reception area.

Charles Harris was waiting there, along with the dark skinned reporter that John had spoken to twice before, but never met personally. She smiled at him happily when he strode into the room, but when she saw his entourage, she waved her cameraman over frantically, pulling the man away from the canapés.

"John, It's good to see you," Charles said, as he walked over to greet them. He glanced over the assembled girls, recognising them all, until he stopped at Rachel with a raised eyebrow.

"Likewise, Charles. This is Doctor Rachel Voss, the newest addition to my team," John said by way of introduction. "Rachel, this is Vice Admiral Charles Harris. He's an old comrade-in-arms, and also sold me the Invictus."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Vice Admiral," the young woman said confidently.

"The pleasure's all mine, Doctor Voss," Charles said with a smile and a polite bow, before turning back to face John. "What did I warn you about Fleet morale?" he added playfully.

"Okay, okay, I'll start looking further afield if we do any more recruiting," John laughed good naturedly.

The young reporter walked up to greet them, and she thrust out her hand to John when she arrived. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, John!" she said eagerly. "Jehanna Elani, TFNN."

*Oh my, she's very exotic isn't she?* Alyssa purred in his mind. *What do you think about adding an 'embedded reporter' to the crew?* she added lasciviously.

John did his best to keep a straight face as he shook the young woman's hand. "I recognise you from our earlier conversations, Jehanna. It's lovely to meet you in person." he said pleasantly.

The reporter turned to look at the girls arrayed around him, and she practically bounced with excitement. "Your crew are so photogenic, John! I know it's a huge thing to ask, but would you mind if we took a few shots of you all together?"

*The girls are fine with it,* Alyssa told him a moment later, the communication via telepathy allowing the blonde to hold conversations with Calara, Dana and Jade almost instantaneously.

*Thanks, honey,* John said as he glanced over at Rachel, who shook her head slightly.