Three Square Meals Ch. 038

The older man managed to pull himself back together again, and he sighed with regret. "You have no idea how lucky you are John. Retiring when you did was an inspired move, and I wish I'd done the same, now."

"My XO can be pretty inspiring," John said with a laugh. "Oh, that reminds me. We appropriated a dropship from the Kintark during the battle at Iota-Leonis. It's unscathed, and has fully functional plasma weaponry on it, which must be of significant value for R&D."

"How much do you want for it?" Charles asked him cagily.

"20 mil?" John asked ambitiously.

"Sure, I'll take it off your hands for that price," Charles replied with a nod. "We've never had much success with replicating their plasma weapons, so the more functional examples we can get for research, the better."

"Glad I could help out," John said, gaining a new appreciation for just how astonishingly capable Dana was.

"Just leave the dropship parked in the docking bay. I'll have the funds transferred immediately," Charles said, looking to his right and tapping away at a console to begin the transaction.

"Will do," John said with a grin.

"Enjoy your vacation, John," Charles nodded. "You earned it."

"Oh, one last thing Charles. What's going on with my retired and/or still on-the-books status?" he asked curiously. "Since my rather public promotion, I don't know what the official line is any more."

"Yes, that did rather throw the cat among the pigeons," Charles replied, his brow furrowed with irritation. "I've been trying to clarify your status myself..."

John raised an eyebrow as he looked at the older man impatiently, then asked him, "So what's the verdict?"

Charles gave him an exasperated shrug. "Business as usual until it gets clarified. You're still a free man and are outside the Chain of Command, but now you have a higher rank if you need to get things done."

"I can live with that," John grinned.

Charles let out a dry chuckle. "Yes, I'm sure you can," he said to John with a wry smile, and ended the call.

"Alyssa," John called to the blonde in a stern voice.

She appeared a few moments later, but now dressed in a form fitting green jumpsuit. "Yes, darling?" she asked far too innocently.

"What was the bikini fashion show about? I thought Charles was going to have a heart attack!" he asked her looking puzzled.

"I could hear you getting ready to sell him the dropship, so I thought I'd put him off his stride a little before you boys starting negotiating. Besides, it helps reinforce your retired playboy image with him, to divert any suspicions," she explained quite reasonably.

"And what else?" he asked her with a raised eyebrow.

"Well... I still don't think he has anything to do with it. I like Charles, and I wanted to give him something to remember, in gratitude for him selling you this lovely spaceship, then making all the fun alterations to our room," she replied, her eyes twinkling with mischief.

John laughed and got up from his seat. "You're a very naughty girl," he told her with a smile.

"I certainly am, but you didn't answer my question before," she said with a pout, as she joined him in walking out of the room.

"The red," he said with a wide grin.

***

It took them several hours to get all the new heatsinks fitted. Dana had them replace the components in the dozens of Gatling lasers first, before moving on to the twenty four laser cannons, and finally the six beam lasers. Although it was difficult to reach some of the Gatling lasers and laser cannons that were located in the underbelly of the Invictus, the beam lasers took by far the longest to upgrade.

There were over twenty heatsinks to replace per beam laser, set up in rings around the barrel, and spaced at regular intervals along their length. That wasn't the main problem however; the beam lasers were forward facing weapons, with the thirty metre long barrels set deep into the hull. The other weapons were all mounted in turrets, which made their heatsinks easy to access and replace, but for the beam lasers, maintenance panels had to be removed to expose the necessary parts.

When they were finally done, Calara collapsed on the glistening black hull, and wiped a grease smeared hand across her head to wipe the sweat from her brow. "I forgot just how big these beam lasers really are. They're only a few inches across on the weapon loadout display," she said with a grin.

"If you think this was painful, try inspecting the Mass Drivers," Dana said, before taking a big drink of ice cold water from her refrigerated canteen. "Two hundred metres of maintenance tunnels to crawl down," she added with a shudder.

"Can't you make some bots to help you out with this kind of stuff?" Alyssa asked, frowning at her nails. One of them had cracked when she'd jimmied off a particularly stubborn maintenance hatch.

"If the Commodore says it's fine, I'll look into it," Dana said archly.

"I'm too tired to tickle you right now," John groaned. "Don't worry, I'll save it for later."

"Good to know, thanks," Dana said as she giggled. "That doesn't really answer my question though."

"As long as they don't try and murder us in our beds, I'm fine with it," John replied, as he leaned up on his elbows and looked around. "Have any of you seen my canteen?"

Jade got up and glided over to him, before kneeling gracefully at his side, and producing her own canteen. She held it out of reach when he lifted his hand to take it, and instead pressed her hand firmly against his chest, so that he would lie back down against the hull. She stared down at him while her lips formed a playful smile, and then tilted back her head to take a big drink of water from her canteen.

John stared up at her, watching her with fascination, while wondering what she was going to do next. Jade leaned forward and kissed him, carefully passed him the big mouthful of chilled water, so that he could drink thirstily. He looked surprised but managed not to spill any, and swallowed the mouthful of water, before he chuckled in amusement.

"Did that slake your thirst?" Jade asked him coyly.

"Well, for water at least," he grinned, grabbing her, and pulling her down for another kiss.

The Nymph giggled in delight, her demure composure abandoned as she straddled him, and began to kiss him passionately. The other girls laughed at the insatiable green skinned girl, and watched her making out with John before they eventually rose wearily to their feet.

"Let's get inside and on our way," Alyssa suggested apologetically. "As much fun as it would be to see you screw our bewitching green beauty on the hull of the Invictus, we've got an audience," she reminded them, looking around the huge hangar bay pointedly.

John let out an exaggerated sigh of disappointment as he released Jade, and the other girls offered them a hand to stand up, before they began to make their way off the hull.

"We need to move the Kintark dropship out of the cargo bay too. It would be rude to take it with us after Charles paid such a nice price for it," he said as he walked along beside the blonde.

"No problem, I'll do that right now," Alyssa agreed amiably. "We should probably give them their hover-flatbed back as well."

Chatting and joking happily together, they all strode off to the nearest maintenance gantry so they could get back into the ship, and leave the unwanted vehicles behind.

Unnoticed behind them, the hull of the Invictus was shrouded in a faint nimbus of light, the radiance centred where the amorous couple had been kissing. It slowly faded out of sight as the group walked away, leaving the jet black hull glistening with a dark sinister lustre.

***

Rachel had completed her latest set of tests, and she felt a rising sense of anticipation as she walked over to one of the consoles in the Medical Bay, eager to take a look at the data she had gathered so far. She pressed a number of buttons on the sterile white console, and a series of holograms appeared side-by-side, the images showing her body at regular intervals since she had begun this change process. She walked over to take a closer look at the first few holograms, reaching for her glasses instinctively, and sliding them into place on the bridge of her nose.

Her vision went blurry, so she lifted her glasses up and rubbed at her eyes, thinking that she must be more tired than she had originally thought. She lowered the glasses into place once more, but her vision blurred immediately, so she removed the glasses and looked at them quizzically, before glancing at the hologram without them. She was surprised to see that the holographic image was crystal clear, the detailed scan of her body appearing in fine detail before her unassisted eyes.

She immediately recalled her conversation with Dana about her eyesight being fixed, and she eagerly set aside the glasses on the console, so that she could give herself an eye-test. She brought up the sample eye test chart on the computer, and hit a button to project the holographic image in place, just a couple of metres away from her. She was astonished to be able to easily read the bottom row of the chart, having suffered from short-sightedness since she was only a little girl.

Rachel grinned with delight, and was about to dismiss the eye-chart when she hesitated, with her hand wavering over the button. Instead of deactivating the chart, she moved it back another couple of metres, and then hit a different button that would generate a random replacement. Glancing up at the chart, she gasped in amazement when she could still read the tiny letters with no difficulty whatsoever. She sat down abruptly in the chair by the console, and stared down in wonder at her still rounded tummy, then smiled at the thought of what was currently filling her stomach. She let out a big sigh, feeling overwhelmed with gratitude towards the people that had welcomed her so completely into their happy little group.

***

John and the girls groaned with delight as they stood in the shower, the grease and dirt sluicing off them immediately, due to the powerful cleaning agents in the shower gel. While they were occupied in the shower, a procession of cleaning bots trooped into the bathroom, following the trail of dirt and grease the grubby crew had left behind. The robots gathered up the soiled clothing, and departed with piles of grimy apparel in their metallic arms, setting off on their high priority laundry mission.

John and his companions were soon freshly scrubbed and spotlessly clean, and dried themselves off before reconvening in the bedroom. They relaxed on the bed for a moment after all the hard work that morning, enjoying a little rest before thinking about their plans for the rest of the day. Rachel strolled into the room a few minutes later, giddy with excitement as she came over to join them, bursting to tell them her news.

John smiled at her, pleased to see her buoyant mood. "You look like you have something exciting to share with us," he said in a friendly tone.

"You fixed my eyes!" she blurted out, overjoyed. "I've worn glasses for almost all my life, and now I've got perfect vision."

"That's great news! Those lovely grey eyes were far too pretty to be hidden behind those glasses," he replied, happy that the change had already yielded positive results for the young woman.

"Sorry, that's not what I mean. Of course, that is wonderful, and thank you so much, but check this out!" she said excitedly, before turning to Dana. "Would you be my beautiful assistant for a demonstration?"

"Of course!" Dana beamed as she rose from the bed.

"OK, wait right there!" Rachel said, and then darted back to the doorway and produced a bottle of medication from her white coat pocket. "Can you read the label on this drug?" she asked excitedly.

"Termanzo-byrate: Adult dose not to exceed 15ml over a 24 hour period. In case of accidental overdose, consult your medica-," Dana said as she read the label on the small bottle, until Rachel bounded over to join them on the bed.

"It's not just me then, it looks like all of you have enhanced sight!" she gasped, her grey eyes sparkling with excitement. "I tested myself, and I've now got 20/5 vision, which is at the extreme upper limit for Terran eyesight. After that little demonstration, it seems Dana has been similarly enhanced."

"I hadn't really noticed before," Dana said with surprise. "My eyesight was pretty good beforehand anyway, but now you mention it, I've been finding it a little easier to see when background illumination is poor, like in the maintenance tunnels."

"Jade has much sharper eyes than us though," Calara said, looking thoughtful.

"I'd love to test exactly how good they are sometime, if that's ok with you?" Rachel asked the Nymph enthusiastically.

Jade nodded, whilst smiling at the brunette. "Of course, just let me know when, and you perform whatever tests you like. I'm curious to find out more about myself and my species as well."

"It looks like we have another thing to be thankful to John for," Alyssa purred seductively, and the mood in the room changed like a switch had been flipped.

"Thank you, John," Dana murmured gratefully, kneeling beside him and kissing him tenderly.

"Mmm, thank you," Calara hummed softly in his ear as she planted gentle kisses on his lobe.

Jade manoeuvred herself behind him, and then pulled him back so that his head was pillowed against her firm breasts. She began to massage his shoulders, while gently purring, "Thank you, Master."

Rachel stripped off, and then crawled towards him, with a hungry look in her eye. "Thank you," she said emphatically, before leaning down to engulf his cock right down to the base.

Alyssa sat back and surveyed the scene with satisfaction, while John groaned in ecstasy at the attention from all the girls.

*Thank you for letting us show you just how appreciative we are,* she said to him telepathically, and she shivered with delight at the overwhelming pleasure she could feel from him.

Alyssa crawled around the bed until she was kneeling beside Rachel, and then leaned in to kiss her gently on the cheek. Unable to communicate via telepathy with the girl yet, she brushed back the light brown hair from Rachel's ear, and began to whisper secrets to her. Alyssa told her all the things that she had learned while on her knees for the last few months, her little tips and tricks to really blow John's mind.

Rachel was a quick study, and followed her mentor's advice avidly. When John held her face to his groin and began to unload his quad into her hungry stomach, she began repeatedly swallowing and smiled around his cock as his orgasmic cries got louder. He eventually collapsed back on the bed, totally shattered after such an epic release. The combination of Rachel's improved technique, along with the sincere, loving gratitude from all the other girls had left him reeling.

"That was perfect, you did so well," Alyssa said proudly to Rachel as she sat up.

"Thanks for all the advice, it felt so rewarding to have him cum that hard!" Rachel gushed excitedly, then leaned forward to kiss Alyssa gratefully.

Alyssa could taste sweetness on her lips, and instantly recognising what it was, returned the kiss passionately, slipping her tongue into the brunette's mouth. Rachel realised what the blonde was after, and she flickered her own tongue against the blonde's, urging it in deeper. They shared a deep, sensual kiss for a long moment before they eventually parted, and Alyssa licked her lips.

"Thanks for the taster," she grinned. "Now go and cuddle with him and have a little nap, you've earned it."

Rachel returned her happy grin, and then carefully crawled over to John's sprawled form. She lay on her side and snuggled up against him, and he rolled to encircle her with his arms. Jade and Dana curled up with them too, but Calara looked up at Alyssa, and with a nod started to get dressed as well.

With a final glance, Alyssa saw that her friends were all fast asleep now, so she walked out of the room by Calara's side, turning off the light as they left.

*Thanks for keeping me company,* Alyssa thought to the brunette, to avoid disturbing the others.

*You know I love being with you,* Calara grinned at her affectionately, and they held hands as they walked to the grav-tube, and then floated up to the bridge.

They walked up the steps to the Command Podium, and Alyssa automatically went to sit in the XO's chair, so that she could start them on their journey to Oceanus. Calara halted her before she sat down, tugging her back gently with her clasped hand, instead of releasing her.

"With John fast asleep, you're in charge now, Captain Alyssa," Calara teased her playfully. "Why don't you try out his chair for size?"

Alyssa paused, half-turned as she was, and glanced at the Commander's chair. Calara released her hand, and watched curiously as the beautiful blond visibly struggled with the idea of assuming his position on the bridge. With a bashful smile, Alyssa sat down in the XO's chair, and began to plot the course to Oceanus.

"You can't do it, can you?" Calara gasped excitedly. "You make fun of him all the time, but you respect his rank and position as our leader just as much as I do!"

Alyssa grinned back at the Latina, and shook her head in appreciation of the other girl's perceptiveness. "Please don't let him in on that little secret. He enjoys the banter too much," she requested gently.

Calara laughed happily and squeezed Alyssa's shoulder affectionately. "Don't worry, your secret's safe with me," she said in a conspiratorial whisper.

Alyssa received clearance to leave the docking bay, and after a few final checks, the Invictus lifted off the ground with the aid of its retro-thrusters. The engines powered up with a throaty rumble, and the glistening black assault cruiser left the confines of the Olympus Shipyard, and began to make its way to the Nav Beacon. She stuck to port speed, and the Invictus slotted in behind a massive battlecruiser as it made its ponderous way out of the dockyard section of Olympus.

They were only a few minutes from the jump point, when the comm interface flashed, alerting them that they had an incoming call.

"It's from a Peter Koeman," Alyssa said as she looked at the caller details, then glanced at Calara.

Calara shrugged helplessly. "Never heard of him, sorry."

Alyssa hesitated a moment, then pushed the button to accept the incoming call, and a jolly looking man in his late forties filled the viewscreen.

"This is Alyssa Marant of the Invictus, how can I help you Mr Koeman?" she asked in a friendly voice.

"It's a pleasure to speak to you Miss Marant. I was wondering if I could speak to John Blake, if he's available?" the man asked, looking hopeful.

*He only just went to sleep,* Calara advised. *I wonder what this guy wants?*

*Let's find out,* Alyssa replied, darting a quick glance and a smile at the brunette.

"John is indisposed at the moment, could I ask what it's about please?" she asked politely.

"He rescued my sister from the Kirrix, so I wanted to pass on my heartfelt thanks, and give him a gift," Peter replied with a broad smile.

"Would we have to meet in person for the gift?" Alyssa asked him thoughtfully.

"Yes, that would be for the best. It's rather valuable, so I'd rather not entrust it to a courier," the man explained in a friendly tone.

"Where are you at the moment?" Alyssa asked him, whilst bringing up the sector map.

"I'm based at the trade hub in Theta-Serpentis at the moment. Not too far away from you I hope?" Peter replied optimistically.

Alyssa didn't need to find the system on the map to know that it was a significant enough detour, that it would make them late to arrive at Oceanus. She knew how much John was looking forward to showing the girls the resort, so she smiled apologetically at the man on the viewscreen.