Three Square Meals Ch. 38

When they left the ship, they were surprised that they couldn't see the nights sky above them, the entrance to the docking bay having closed while they got ready. They saw a brightly lit guiding line on the floor, and it provided an easy-to-follow trail out of the huge room. They followed the light, out into the nearby corridor, and it ran along for a few dozen metres before ending at a set of double doors. The exuberant chatter from the girls died down as they looked at John with eager anticipation.

"Home sweet home for the next two weeks," John said, now just as excited as the girls, and he pushed the button.

"Oh, wow!" Jade exclaimed, as the girls gasped collectively.

Ahead of them was a huge room, which looked like a hollowed out cove. There was a path that led around the side, with a long curving sandy beach that was being lapped gently by the night-time sea. There were seating areas that overlooked the beach, complete with immaculate white summer furniture, that looked pristine, like it had never been used before. They walked along the path around the edge of the cove, their way illuminated by the soft glow of lanterns set at regular intervals along the route, until it ended at a couple of glass double doors. They opened automatically, leading them into a large lounge area, with massive fifty foot high glass windows that looked out onto the cloudless night sky.

There were a couple of doors that led off from the lounge, and a glass elevator at the other end of the room that led up to some kind of open balcony area. They followed the glowing path, flashing excited glances at one another, and it led them to the elevator. It was big, with plenty of room for all of them and their luggage, and once they were inside, the elevator rose up to the mezzanine area. There was a comfortable seating area up here, warmly lit by an ornate lamp, and the soft glow illuminated more sets of doors leading off to the side. The room then led out, seemingly through the huge glass windows and up a couple of steps, before opening out to a spectacular bedroom.

There was a huge, luxurious looking bed in the centre of the room, and on every side were tall windows that spanned its entire length. Up above them the ceiling was glass too, and they had an uninterrupted view of the night sky through the yawning portal.

"Sleeping here will be like camping outside!" Calara exclaimed in wonder, looking around the opulent luxury of the suite.

Dana had wandered over to a small table that held a series of remotes. She picked up one and began to press buttons experimentally, and the ceiling and walls suddenly went opaque. She played with the controls for a while, grinning as she learnt how to operate everything.

"There's some huge walk-in-wardrobes over here!" Alyssa exclaimed, as she reappeared from one of the double doors.

The girls descended en-masse to put away their clothes, and John left the chaotic sounds of playful laughter to explore a bit more. He found a couple of bathrooms, with enormous baths inside and a couple of roomy showers. With a grin, he realised it wasn't too far removed from their home aboard the Invictus. He went back down in the elevator, and explored a bit further, finding a well stocked kitchen, and the training room that was now stocked up with the equipment he had ordered.

He grinned when he saw the practice swords, and picked up a Katana and Wakizashi, which he swung around with an experimental flourish. When he spotted the Odachi, he replaced the other blades, and picked this one up so that he could get a feel for it. It was single edged rather than double, but of a comparable size to his Invictium blade. He swung it around and tried out a few slashes before he replaced that blade with its compatriots.

With a smile, he left the training room and re-entered the lounge, then jumped, startled as a stealthy figure rolled in from the darkness outside.

"Good evening, Sir," a tracked black garbed robot said, as it rolled up silently. "My apologies for startling you. My name is Rupert, and I'll be your robot butler during your stay on Oceanus. Would you or your guests care for refreshments?"

"We'll be going to bed soon Rupert, but if you could prepare breakfast for us tomorrow at nine, that would be great!" John said with a grin.

"Of course, Sir. Full English or continental?" the automated assistant asked politely.

"Prepare a broad selection, then the girls can choose whatever they prefer in the morning, and we can keep this as a surprise," John said to the butler secretively.

"Very good, Sir," the butler replied, and tilted at the waist in a reasonable approximation of a bow.

"Thanks Rupert, goodnight," John said, and then strolled back to the elevator to head up to the mezzanine.

The girls were waiting for him in bed by the time he arrived, and there was just a dim light illuminating the room now, enough for him to comfortably find his way in the darkness. He stripped off himself, and got into bed with them, and he could see their happy faces as they cuddled up with him.

"Thanks for an amazing holiday," Jade whispered to him breathlessly.

"We've only just arrived!" John said with a light laugh.

"It's already the best one ever!" she replied enthusiastically, and they laughed as they settled down in the covers.

Dana had made the ceiling transparent once more, and they looked up in fascination at the spectacular overhead view. Thousands of stars twinkled away, like diamonds strewn over a vast black velvet cloth. The vista was breathtaking, and they were all rendered speechless by such a panoramic sight of the heavens.

*Thanks so much for arranging this,* Alyssa told him quietly in his mind. *This is the first proper holiday for both me and Sparks, and it feels magical already.*

*I really hope you both have the best time here,* he told her earnestly. *Since you girls joined me, you've been thrust into one crazy adventure after another. Now I want to show you that life with me doesn't always have to always be so dangerous.*

*You know we all love every minute with you, whatever we're doing, right?* she said to him lovingly. *Thank you for going to all this effort though, it means a lot,* she added in an emotional voice.

*You're always worth it,* John replied, then smiled as the blonde moved gracefully over the other girls so that she could cuddle up next to him.

She sighed happily as she snuggled under his arm, and he wrapped Rachel in the other, pulling her in towards him too.

"Good night girls, here's to a great couple of weeks," he told them in a quiet voice.

The girls murmured good night to him, too, and within a few minutes they were all fast asleep.