Three Square Meals Ch. 064

"Who will?" Sakura asked in confusion.

"Jade. I asked her to go and make us a couple of drinks. She'll be along shortly," Alyssa explained patiently.

Now Sakura looked really confused as she asked, "But you didn't say anything to her?"

Tapping her forehead, Alyssa replied, "As well as having telekinesis, I'm a telepath as well." Sakura looked shocked, but the blonde girl shrugged as she kicked off her heels, then tucked her legs up on the sofa. Her voice was calm and soothing as she continued, "We're all gifted in our own way. If you're interested in joining us, there's no point hiding any of our abilities."

Suddenly remembering what they were supposed to be talking about, Sakura blurted out, "I do want to join you! I want to help you defeat Mikaboshi!"

Alyssa smiled at her, and said, "I know, and I think you'll be a good fit for our group."

"But what about, John?" Sakura asked with a frustrated frown. "He seemed to hate the idea."

With an affectionate smile on her face, Alyssa replied, "He hates the thought of forcing you into something against your will, or the idea that you might regret a decision to join us. He's a good man, and he likes to help people, not harm them." She paused a moment, then clarified, "Apart from bad guys, we've killed thousands of those."

"What do you mean by 'bad guys'?" Sakura asked curiously.

With a bright smile, Alyssa replied with enthusiasm, "My definition is anyone who threatens our family, but John's a little more traditional. We've fought Pirates, Kirrix, Drakkar Raiders, kidnappers, murderers, rapists, the list seems endless... unfortunately the galaxy has plenty of evil shits who desperately need killing."

Sakura smiled wryly, and said, "My university professors would argue very passionately with you there. They placed their faith in the legal system, and I know they didn't approve of vigilantism."

Alyssa nodded, and said, "A wise girl once said: 'Fuck the law'. I think she was right. Seeing justice done is far more important."

The Asian girl blushed at that, but she glanced at Alyssa with a curious look in her eyes, and said, "This feels like you're giving me a sales pitch. I thought I was the one trying to convince you to let me help you?"

With a sigh, Alyssa replied, "He'll be really tiresome about this if I don't explain everything to you clearly." After a brief pause while she studied the other girl, she added, "I'd like to show you a few images to clarify a few things. Some are a bit shocking though, is that okay?"

Bracing herself bravely, Sakura nodded, so Alyssa gestured to the viewscreen remote with a casual flick of her wrist. It floated off the coffee table, then levitated over to her, and landed smoothly in her outstretched palm. Sakura watched in fascination, her mind still struggling with the idea of telekinesis, but before she could comment, the door opened and Jade strolled into the room. The Nymph was carrying two glasses of iced tea, and she gave Sakura a kind smile as she placed the drinks down on the table, briefly making eye contact as she did so. The girl smiled back at her, but as she looked into those emerald cat-like eyes, there was a sudden flicker of recognition and she quailed before the Nymph.

Jade glanced at Alyssa in alarm, and the blonde girl replied reassuringly, *It's alright, I'll sort this out.* She smiled at the green-skinned girl, and added, "Thanks for the drinks, sexy. You might want to change into your uniform, so you can match John and Calara."

With a final worried glance at Sakura, Jade nodded, then walked out of the Ready Room, leaving the other two girls alone.

"She... I..., I mean Shinatobe..." Sakura sputtered as soon as the Nymph left the room.

Alyssa picked up her drink, and took a sip of the tea, before saying calmly, "Yes, she's the Jade Tiger that Shinatobe fought and killed."

Sakura blanched, and stammered, "K-k-killed?! But she's..."

"Alive and well?" Alyssa asked, finishing the shocked girl's sentence for her. With a firm nod, she continued, "John brought her back to life."

At this Sakura gaped in utter shock, and sounding awed, she asked, "Just how powerful is he?"

"Very," Alyssa replied simply. She paused, and added, "We're kind of skipping to the end of the story though. Let me guide you through it, and I promise it'll make more sense."

When she received a tentative nod, Alyssa pressed a few buttons on the remote, and the projectors in the room generated the image of two girls. Both were blondes with piercing Cerulean eyes, but beyond that, there were very few similarities between the five-foot-nine statuesque beauty, and the emaciated five-foot-two waif.

"Who's the smaller girl?" Sakura asked, staring at the images with a sympathetic expression on her face.

"They're both me. One image was taken several months ago, before I joined John, and the other was after he'd given me the Gift," Alyssa explained carefully.

After all the incredible things she'd already witnessed, Sakura barely reacted to this astonishing transformation, and she immediately asked, "The Gift? What's that?"

"It's varied a little for each of us, but there are a few things that have been constant," Alyssa explained. Staring into the smaller girl's eyes, Alyssa began ticking off her fingers, as she clarified, "A strong, agile, healthy body like mine, enhanced intelligence, and immortality..."

Sakura's eyes threatened to roll out of her head at this revelation, and she started to gasp, "Immor-."

Alyssa cut her off, and said, "Yes, as long as we regularly swallow John's cum, we're immune to disease, we'll never age, and we're effectively immortal, although we can still be killed in combat." When she saw Sakura about to object, she clarified, "Although Jade is a special case."

The Asian girl was quiet for a long moment, until she asked, "So John's sleeping with all of you?"

With a gentle smile on her face, Alyssa reached over and smoothed her hand over Sakura's gently rounded belly, reminding her what was filling her stomach. "It's how his powers work," she said with a shrug. After a brief pause, she added, "Actually, that makes it sound like we're only with him for that reason, but we all love him very much. He's a kind, caring, loving man, and we're all very lucky to be with him."

"So I'd have to as well?" Sakura asked hesitantly, although she certainly didn't look too upset at the idea.

"Yes, and you'll likely end up having fun with us girls too," Alyssa replied with a sultry smile.

This did shock the smaller girl, and she gazed at Alyssa again, but this time in an entirely different way. Alyssa gave her a knowing look, recognising the hint of curiosity in those dark brown eyes, which made Sakura blush furiously this time.

"It's okay, you can just take things at your own pace," Alyssa said gently. Nodding towards the holo-images again, she added, "Now let me show you the rest of us, and it'll make it clearer why I think you'll fit in."

Pressing the button on the remote, the image changed, showing the before and after images of Calara, then Dana, Rachel, and finally Irillith. Sakura was enthralled by the images bearing witness to the miraculous healing and transformation the girls had undergone. Alyssa ignored the images, and focused her attention on Sakura instead. She smiled when she saw the light of understanding in those lovely brown eyes.

"You were all like me," she whispered, stunned by the images.

"Wounded little birds, just like you," Alyssa agreed sombrely. "Believe me when I say we've all experienced our fair share of pain and loss. John's helped heal all of us though, and I'm not just talking about the physical scars."

"Did he wipe the painful parts of your memory?" Sakura asked in a small voice.

Alyssa shook her head, and replied, "No, but I do know what you're going through. My mother died in childbirth, and my dad died in a mining accident when I was six. Dana never knew her parents, and we both grew up in orphanages."

Sakura's expression was filled with sympathy as she said in a quiet voice, "Talking to me about this must be really hard for you. At least I had eighteen years with my parents until they were taken away from me. I can't even imagine what that must have been like for you. I'm so sorry."

Opening her arms for a hug, Alyssa wrapped up the smaller girl in a warm embrace, and smiled as she said, "Thank you. It can be hard sometimes, but what me and Dana missed the most growing up, was not having a family. We've got a new family now, and I can't tell you how wonderful it feels every day, just knowing that."

The black-haired girl looked up from their hug, and said tentatively, "You haven't told me any downsides to this Gift yet. There's got to be more to it than that."

Alyssa smiled at her, and said, "John likes smart girls. I think he'll be impressed by you." The two girls parted a little as they broke away from the hug, but Sakura didn't make any effort to move away, sitting close beside Alyssa instead. The blonde's hands moved automatically, going to the other girl's rounded stomach and caressing it lightly.

"That feels nice, thank you," Sakura replied, closing her eyes a moment as she relished Alyssa's skilful touch.

"There are a few things I should mention, although I don't really consider them downsides," Alyssa explained, as she stroked the other girl. "We don't know much about his species, other than that they were a bunch of evil tyrants. They normally enslave and mind-control girls they're with, but John isn't like the other Progenitors we know about, and he's found a way to break that. It's one of the reasons he's so reluctant to have you join us, as he still feels guilty about how we had to obey him to start with."

"Not any more?" Sakura asked curiously.

Shaking her head, Alyssa replied, "We aren't compelled to obey him now, but he's a great leader and we all respect him, so we tend to anyway." She grinned, and said, "Especially in bed, but being a good girl there is always lots of fun."

With a look of confusion on her face, Sakura said, "That still doesn't sound like a downside to me."

"Sorry, I hadn't got to them yet," Alyssa apologised. She smiled at the Asian girl, and said, "With a harem of six girls, you can imagine what a nightmare all the jealousy and competitiveness would be like. Well that's all gone now. We can't be jealous of one another, and I actually find it exciting to see John with the other girls."

"That actually sounds like a blessing," Sakura noted drily, having experienced rampant cattiness and jealousy at the private school she'd gone to.

"Yeah, that's how I feel too," Alyssa said with a grin. She hesitated though, and added, "John hates the idea of modifying our personalities though. It happened without him consciously doing anything to make the changes, but he still feels guilty about it. That and making us all bisexual."

Sakura was surprised and asked, "Some of you weren't beforehand?"

Alyssa nodded as she replied, "Dana used to be straight, but she's really embraced it." Giving the girl a knowing look, she smiled as she added, "I don't think you'll have too much difficulty adjusting."

The Asian girl blushed furiously, but she made no attempt to deny it. She sat there quietly, thinking about everything she'd just heard, while Alyssa stayed silent and just watched her. With a look of firm resolve in her dark-brown eyes, Sakura eventually said, "I still want to join you. Properly I mean, and not just to get revenge on Mikaboshi."

Alyssa smiled at her and said, "I'd love to have you join us. I've been inside your mind and seen the real you, so I already know you're a lovely girl." She looked thoughtful for a moment before she continued, "I'd like you to do something for me though, if you're really sincere about joining us."

Sakura leaned forward and asked eagerly, "What's that?"

***

Fleet Admiral Buckingham's enormous flagship loomed overhead, blocking out the light from the bright Delta-Draconis sun, as Jade brought the Raptor closer to the huge fleet carrier. 'The Retribution of Zeus' had numerous hangar bays built into the lower superstructure of its vast hull, and as their gunship approached, one of the hangar doors began to open. Having received docking clearance from the carrier's flight controller, Jade followed the green guidepath towards the yawning portal.

John was sitting next to Calara in a chair at the back of the cockpit, both of them lost in thought. The brunette had a holo-reader clutched in her hands, and had been scanning through the data she'd gathered about each of the Admirals in the Dragon March. After he'd raised his suspicions about Admiral Lynton, Calara found a picture for him, revealing Admiral Lynton to be a slightly portly brown-haired woman in her mid-fifties.

"So that's Gabrielle Lynton then?" he asked her, as he studied the picture.

She nodded, and replied, "I got this picture from her service record. They get updated after the yearly medical, and this one was taken about ten months ago."

"I wonder if she still looks the same way now?" John remarked, giving the brunette a meaningful glance.

With a gasp of surprise, the Nymph called out, "John, you better take a look at this!"

Her passengers both looked her way when Jade spoke up, and they could see the huge reinforced doors sweeping overhead as she guided them inside the hangar. John rose to his feet and walked over to her side, placing a reassuring hand on her white uniformed shoulder as he peered through the cockpit canopy into the hangar bay. It seemed that word of their imminent arrival had soon got around the Terran Federation's flagship, and the space around the glowing landing area was crowded with marines and navy personnel.

"Looks like we've got a welcoming committee," he said, glancing back at Calara.

She quickly stood, then joined him in looking out at the gathered crowds, a smile creeping onto her face as she said, "Alyssa would have loved this."

With the judicious use of retrothrusters, Jade carefully eased them over the glowing circle marked on the deck of the hangar, until the gunship was perfectly aligned in the centre. They landed with barely a tremor, a testimony to her impressive piloting skills.

"You better stay with the Raptor," John said to Jade, as he pulled away from the cockpit windows.

She was busy with the post-flight shutdown, flicking off switches as she powered down the gunship's engines, and glancing his way she replied, "Sure, I'll be right here until you get back."

As soon as she was done, she got up off her chair, and followed John and Calara as they stepped into the grav-tube. They walked into the front loading area, and Jade smiled at John when she pressed the button to lower the landing ramp. It was like a wall of noise hit them as the ramp began to drop, with the sound of resounding cheers filling the small room. Calara had witnessed this before at Port Megara, but Jade was shocked by the deafening din.

When the ramp had lowered further, allowing them to see the jubilant crowds, a sparkling smile lit up her beautiful face, and she grinned at John in delight. "They love you!" she exclaimed, barely audible over the cacophony.

He smiled back at her, enjoying seeing her look so happy, then turned to face the huge throng as the ramp hit the deck. The cheers intensified as John stepped forward, flanking by both girls, and he gave the crowd a grin and sharp salute. Calara and Jade beamed at the marines and sailors, giving their unexpected audience a friendly wave. John glanced at Calara, and when she nodded, they strolled down the ramp, leaving Jade waving at the crowd.

Some big marines were doing their best to hold back the crowds, and they grinned at John and Calara as they strolled through the narrow path between the hundreds of people in the hangar. It proved to be an impossible job, and they were soon surrounded by awestruck personnel who patted them on the shoulder or shook their hand.

"The Lion fucking rules!" a big soldier cheered off to their left.

A grinning young navy man on Calara's side called out to her, "I love you, Lioness! Marry me!"

"You saved Terra!" one young marine on John's right blurted out, her face full of wonder.

John was keeping a watchful eye over Calara, and she turned to look at him when she heard that. They didn't need to speak to communicate what they were both thinking; it seemed that Admiral Devereux hadn't been able to suppress the news about the Nexus battle for long.

*It's not surprising it got out so fast,* Edraele advised him. *I don't think even I, at my draconian best, could have suppressed that kind of news. You saved the Terran homeworld from annihilation, and it was witnessed by billions.*

With the help of the burly marines, John and Calara managed to manoeuvre their way through the tightly packed crowd. They guided them over to an open set of double doors, where a bearded older man in Officers' dress uniform was waiting for them with a wide smile on his face. John immediately recognised the man's rank as an Admiral by the insignia on chest, and the gold banding on his epaulets and cuffs.

Shouting to be heard over the jubilant cheers, he said, "Welcome aboard the Zeus, Rear Admiral Blake!"

It sounded like he introduced himself afterwards, but even with his sharper hearing, John struggled to hear what he said. He pointed to his ear, winced, and shook his head. Nodding his understanding, the naval officer led them out through the doors, then into the corridor beyond, with the raucous cheers echoing around them. The noise died down as they strolled away, and it gradually petered out as the crowd realised he'd left the hangar.

"You were all over the Holonet barely an hour ago, so when your ship jumped in-system, the news spread like wildfire through the fleet," the admiral said with a broad grin, as they walked along the corridors. "Is it true what they said on TFNN? Did you really save Terra from some kind of AI uprising?"

John was startled at just how accurate the news report seemed to be, but he tried not to let that show on his face as he replied, "Yes, that's true, Admiral...?"

"Sorry about that," the man replied, looking embarrassed. "I'm Admiral Edwin Caldwell, I command the Zeus."

"Good to meet you, Admiral," John replied giving him a salute. He glanced at the older man, and said, "You already seem to know who I am, but this is Commander-."

"-Calara Fernandez," Admiral Caldwell interrupted, finishing the introduction for him. He smiled at the surprised girl, and added, "You were mentioned on the news as well, young lady."

She saluted him respectfully, and said, "It's an honour to meet you, Admiral. Your career was required reading in the Academy."

Caldwell smiled at her, and replied, "It pales in comparison to what you two have achieved. Outstanding work, the pair of you. It's not often I'm in the company of genuine heroes."

Calara flushed with pride, giving John a grin as she glowed under the Admiral's praise. They arrived at an elevator door, and the Admiral hit the button calling for the lift.

While they waited, John gave the older man a curious look, then asked, "Isn't the 'Zeus', the Fleet Admiral's flagship?"

"So, why did I say I was in command?" Caldwell replied with a smile, vocalising John's unspoken question. "The Fleet Admiral is overseeing this operation, but I have command of the Zeus itself."

"Can you tell us anything about Admiral Norw-," Calara started to say.

"Not here," Admiral Caldwell said sharply under his breath. He glanced around the corridor to check there was no one nearby before he continued, "We don't want that getting out."

The door to the elevator chimed, and the three of them stepped inside. Caldwell hit the button to take them up to Deck Three, and the lift began to rise up through the levels.