Three Square Meals Ch. 064

Calara was about to agree, but she suddenly shook her head, and replied, "If I speak to him now, I'm going to get too upset about Mateo. I'm only just keeping it together as it is. Besides, he'll be furious at you if you tell him we're heading deeper into Kintark Space."

John remembered how protective Jack was over his daughter, and as they walked towards the grav-tube, he said, "Excellent advice, Commander, let's speak to him later."

She smiled at him, and replied, "Wise move, Rear Admiral."

Checking his watch, John suddenly realised how late it was, so he said, "Time for bed, girls. I'll join you shortly."

Calara and Jade stepped out of the grav-tube on Deck Two, then waved him goodbye before they disappeared out of sight, as he rose up to the Command Deck. Irillith, Dana, Rachel, and Faye were up on the Bridge, and they looked up from their work and smiled at him when they saw him arrive.

"Time for bed girls," he said to them firmly. "I want everyone well rested before we hit Xen-Nuchek."

They rose obediently from their stations, with Irillith looking back regretfully at her unfinished work before heading to the grav-tube.

"Don't worry! I'll continue trying to break the encryption," Faye said with a happy smile on her face. "It'll give me something to do while I'm on watch."

Irillith smiled at her fondly, and said, "I appreciate it, little pixie, thank you."

The Maliri girl waited until John had given Rachel a goodnight kiss, then stepped in for one of her own, before following the brunette and redhead into the grav-tube. That left only John and Faye on the Bridge, and he looked at her curiously, and was about to ask her a question, when Faye suddenly grinned at him.

"You were going to ask 'Where's Alyssa?', weren't you?" she asked him with a cute grin.

John smiled at her, and replied, "Been working on your telepathy, Faye?"

She shook her head energetically, sending her dark purple hair swirling about, and replied, "That one was all too predictable. You had an eighty-nine percent chance of asking me for her location."

He laughed and said, "It sounds like you're getting to know me all too well. What was the other eleven percent chance?"

The tiny purple sprite zipped around in the air, and replied, "You had an six percent chance of asking how I was doing, and I predicted a four percent chance of asking about Sakura. The other options were too unlikely to amount to a single percentage point."

He felt bad now, and he said, "Six percent chance makes it sound like I'm neglecting you. I'm sorry you feel like that. Are you alright, Faye?"

"Oh I don't, not at all!" she replied with a huge grin on her face. "I estimated I had an eighty-four percent chance of you asking after me, once you'd found out Alyssa's location, and well... here we are!"

He laughed, and said, "Maybe I should start getting you to predict the lottery numbers. I wouldn't need to bother trading any more!"

She giggled, and said, "I'd look into it, but I'm busy at the moment I'm afraid. I'll be keeping one eye on the ship's long range scans, and the other on decrypting Lynton's message to Norwood."

"Keep up the good work, short stuff," he said to her affectionately.

She pouted, and asked, "I thought you liked me being little and cute?"

He nodded, and replied, "I do, you're quite adorable."

Faye laughed with delight, and said, "It's brilliant having you back aboard again. I can't banter like this with any of the others."

"I was only gone a few hours," he protested with a smile.

"It felt like ages!" she groaned, then waved him goodbye as she turned her attention back to her console.

He paused, then said, "Err Faye, where was Alyssa again?"

She giggled, covering her mouth with her tiny hand, and replied, "Oops, sorry! She's waiting for you in the Ready Room."

He shook his head in amusement as he waved the jovial little pixie goodbye, then strolled over to the door to his Ready Room. When he hit the button to open the door, he was surprised to find it was dark in the room, making the view from the big window along one wall even more dramatic. They were in hyper-warp now, and the Invictus was surging past system after system as they plunged deeper into Kintark Space. Light from the stars, and a broad spectrum of different coloured nebulae flashed by, briefly illuminating the room as they did so in greens, blues and reds.

John suddenly spotted Alyssa sitting in the big chair behind his desk, and he was surprised to find her staring distractedly out the window. "Are you okay, honey?" he called out to her with concern.

She turned away from the window to give him a sad smile, and replied, "Sorry, I was miles away. Speaking to Sakura just dredged up some painful memories."

He strode over to her, and asked, "What were you thinking about?" He opened his arms for a hug, and she immediately rose from the chair, and accepted his embrace.

Alyssa hugged him again, leaning into him for support, and after a long pause she replied, "I can still remember when they told me my father had died in that mining accident. It happened twelve years ago now, but it feels like it happened yesterday."

John stroked her back, and said in a quiet voice, "You've never really spoken about him before. Do you remember much about him?"

She lifted her head so she could look into his eyes, and said, "I can remember everything that happened when the foreman came to tell me he'd died, but I'm finding it harder to actually remember my dad. How fucked up is that?"

"You were only young, don't be so hard on yourself," he replied, stroking her back in long comforting circles.

She let out a forlorn sigh, then hugged him tightly. When she spoke again, her voice was full of emotion as she whispered, "I think after my mother died, my dad's spark guttered out too. He worked as hard as he could, but he had medical debts to pay off from the delivery, and we were always broke. I just remember him always being weary and sad. I wanted to cheer him up, but nothing I tried seemed to work."

"I'm sorry you lost your parents," he said gently as he held her in his arms. "I know they'd be very proud of the incredible woman you've grown into."

Her shoulders began to tremble as she started to cry, and she mumbled, "Would they? Everything I am now, you've done for me. I can't claim credit for any of that. Before I met you, I was hardly a success story!"

He shook his head, and replied, "Just think how much Calara's achieved since she joined us. Even if you ignore how she's carried us through one lopsided space battle after another, she found that pirate base, the Drakkar for the Ashanath, then sniffed out the Dragon March traitors. I might have made her a bit smarter, but she did all that on her own."

"Yeah, but that's different," Alyssa murmured. "She's amazing."

John was firm as he continued, "Dana with all the tech, Rachel unlocking all these secrets in our DNA, Jade developing all her abilities, Irillith with her hacking... You helped me recruit all these girls, then you nurtured them and helped them grow strong. Our wonderful family is all a testimony to your hard work." He laughed as he added, "I'm just here to keep everyone topped up!"

She laughed then hiccupped as she drew in her breath. Squeezing him tighter, she said, "Thank you for saying that, I do feel better."

He waited until her hiccups had receded, then reached down so he could lift her chin. She didn't resist as he tilted up her beautiful face so she was staring into his eyes, and said, "I really mean it, I'm not just giving you meaningless platitudes. Your parents would be bursting with pride at what you've achieved." He paused as he gazed into her sparkling cerulean eyes, and said, "You help me lead our little group, and we've saved billions of lives. You're truly remarkable, and your mother and father would be in awe of their daughter."

Fresh tears trickled down her cheeks, and she clung to him, burying her face in his shoulder. John wasn't worried now, he knew these were happy tears. He just held her as she wept for her lost parents, her only regret now that she wasn't able to share her joy and sense of pride with them. Eventually her tears dried up, and she pulled back from him, with a wistful smile on her face.

"You're a silver-tongued devil, you know that, right?" she said with a loving smile on her face.

He smiled at her, and replied, "It's easy when you're just telling the truth."

She chuckled, then suddenly frowned as she noticed the wet tear marks on his once pristine white jacket, and said with irritation, "We'll have to get the cleaning bots to tidy that up. I didn't spend all that time on your new uniform to go and mess it up by blubbing all over it!"

"You did a lovely job," he said appreciatively as he stroked her back. "You should have seen the crowds cheering for us, they loved the outfits."

Alyssa smiled as she traced her fingers over the image of the Lion across his chest, and said, "Symbols are important. They give people hope."

He looked at her curiously, and asked, "What symbol gives you hope?"

She gazed up at him as her fingers brushed down his chest, until they slid under his jacket, and ran over his resting cock. "Your big dick," she smirked. "When I see it get nice and hard, I hope I'm going to see you stuffing it into a sexy girl."

He laughed uproariously at that, and said, "That wasn't quite what I meant, but good answer nonetheless."

She grinned at him until her expression softened, and she said quietly, "Thank you for saying those things. I can't tell you how good it felt to hear that."

He smiled back at her, and said, "I love you, and I meant every word."

Alyssa gave him a tender kiss before she relaxed, and said, "Talking of sexy girls, Sakura's down in her room."

John narrowed his eyes as he looked at her, and asked, "Just what were you chatting to her about this evening, anyway?"

"Everything," Alyssa replied with a shrug. "I think she should join our group, so I told her all about us."

He frowned, and said, "I don't think that's a good idea, honey."

She met his gaze again, and said firmly, "I do. She's a good fit for our little group. We can help her deal with everything that's been done to her, and she can help us too."

John looked puzzled and replied, "Just what kind of role are you imagining for Sakura? I'm hardly going to start sending her off on assassinations!"

Alyssa ran her finger over the bare skin on his neck, her fingers soft and playful, as they traced shapes known only to her over his flesh. "I think she could fill two important gaps in our crew," she replied, her voice serious now.

"Like what?" he asked her curiously.

She stared into his eyes as she replied, "Well, we haven't got a girl with black hair yet, and she's a sexy Asian girl, which could be fun too!"

He shook his head with amusement, then said, "Come on, this is serious. We're talking about Sakura's future here."

Alyssa shrugged, and said, "As I mentioned before, we're ideally placed to help her deal with everything she's been through. Sakura's lost her parents, so she's an orphan now, just like both of us. She's got no friends or support network, and she's seventy-five years out of her time. What kind of a life has she got to go back to now? Yes, you could have partially wiped her memories to help her forget and start over, but is it really fair to tamper with her mind again?"

John nodded thoughtfully, then he asked, "What role though? I'm not sure we need a ship's lawyer, and after her outburst earlier, I can't exactly see her sitting the bar exam. With all her implants gone, she's just back to being a normal, regular girl now."

She shrugged, and suggested, "Security Chief? Even though she doesn't have the implants any longer, she still has all those memories. That's a lot of experience to draw from to help us lock down the Invictus, and prevent anyone else from sneaking aboard."

"That's actually a good point," John conceded. "We can't afford to let that happen again, and she could really be a big help."

Alyssa smiled, then said knowingly, "More importantly, don't even bother pretending you don't find her attractive. We both know she's beautiful."

"I'm sleeping with six stunningly attractive women already," John said with a smile. "I'm not exactly in any desperate hurry to extend our group."

She gave him a sparkling smile, and said, "Speaking of which, I'll go and join the girls you ordered to bed. I hope you'll be joining us soon?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" he asked her in confusion.

"Well Sakura's waiting for your downstairs. She's in the Officers' Quarters next to Rachel's room, so go and have a chat with her before you come to bed," she said with an alluring smile.

He nodded, and said, "Sounds like a reasonable request to me."

Offering her his arm, they walked out of his Ready Room side-by-side, then headed down to Deck Two. Sakura's new room was next to Rachel's quarters, and was the first occupied room on the left side of the corridor. When John drew level with the door, he stopped outside, and pulled Alyssa towards him for a quick kiss. When he let her go, she flounced down the corridor, giving him a flirtatious glance over her shoulder before she disappeared into their bedroom. He chuckled quietly to himself, then turned to Sakura's door, and knocked lightly to avoid waking her up if she'd already fallen asleep.

"Come in!" she called out to him, answering the question of whether she was still awake.

John pressed the button by the door, and it swished open, revealing the dimly lit room. Sakura was in bed, tucked up under the covers, and the only illumination in the room came from the soft glow from a lamp, attached to the cabinet by the side of the bed.

"Oh, I'm sorry," he apologised. "I don't want to disturb you."

She shook her head, and sat up, revealing that she was wearing one of Calara's old t-shirts as pyjamas. "It's fine, honestly. I wasn't asleep yet, anyway," she replied, beckoning him into the room.

He walked inside, suddenly feeling self-conscious at being inside the girl's bedroom, and feeling like he was invading her space. "I just wanted to check on you, and make sure you had everything you needed," he explained, smiling at her in what he hoped was an unthreatening manner.

She watched his apparent discomfort in surprise, then feeling more confident, she smiled shyly at him and patted the side of the bed. Following her invitation, he walked over to her, and sat where she had indicated. He was suddenly aware that he was still wearing his full dress uniform, and he deftly removed his peaked cap, putting it down on the end of the bed.

"Alyssa's been wonderful," Sakura replied, a little smile teasing her lips. "She's given me everything I'll need."

"I'm glad she's been looking after you. She's a good girl," John agreed. He hesitated for a moment before he added, "Actually, she suggested I come and speak to you before I go to bed. Was there something you wanted to talk to me about?"

She nodded, and looked nervous for a moment before she replied, her tone quiet and earnest, "I wanted to say thank you for everything you've done for me already. You were under no obligation to help, especially after everything Shinatobe did to you. Despite that, you've removed all those horrible implants, then fully healed me, and I know it took considerable effort from you."

He smiled at her more easily now, and said, "You're very welcome. When Alyssa told me what had happened to you, I just saw an opportunity to right a terrible wrong."

Sakura gazed up at him, then peeled back the duvet, revealing her lithe, golden-brown legs. As he watched in surprise, she knelt at his side, and her dark-brown eyes stared into his as she said, "No matter what happens in the future, I'll always be eternally grateful to you."

They were only sitting a few inches apart now, and as she knelt beside him, looking small and vulnerable, John instinctively opened his arms to her. She smiled at him in gratitude, then leaned in, pressing her small breasts against the ornate stitching of the golden lion on his chest, while wrapping her slender arms around him. He embraced her too, gently stroking her back, and enjoying the feeling of protectiveness he felt towards her.

It felt strange but very enjoyable, holding her in his arms like that. Sakura was a slim girl, especially compared to the spectacular athletic physiques that all the other girls shared, and he felt like he had to handle her with care. She obviously felt safe in his arms, as she made no attempt to pull away, instead tucking her head under his chin and snuggling in against him.

He lost track of time holding her like that, so it was only when he felt her body relax, and heard her breathing grow deeper that he realised she'd fallen asleep. He was touched that she trusted him enough to go to sleep in his arms, and he gently lay her back on the bed, before tucking her up under the covers. She rolled over onto her side facing him, and in doing so, some of her jet-black hair fell over her face. He brushed it back carefully, and the light touch made her stir in her sleep.

"Need to talk, 'bout something..." she murmured drowsily.

John got off the bed, then squatted down beside it so that he was at eye level with her, and whispered in reply, "You've had a busy and stressful day Sakura. Get some sleep, and I promise we'll talk in the morning."

"'kay," she mumbled, dropping into a deeper sleep.

Retrieving his white hat from the bed, he stood up straight, then crept out of the room, being careful not to make any noise and risk disturbing her any further. The door to her room closed behind him, and he walked down the corridor with a satisfied smile on his face. It was rewarding to know he was helping her, and he hoped they'd be able to set her on the path for a bright future that she'd be happy with.

When he strolled into the bedroom, he was brought out of his quiet contemplation by the electric atmosphere in the room. The girls were all in bed, but they were watching him attentively, and he couldn't help feeling like he was missing something. Alyssa was on the far edge of the bed, and she slipped out of the covers, then glided over to meet him. She was totally nude of course, but as he had come to expect, she lacked any trace of self-consciousness at being completely naked.

"You were lovely with Sakura," she said, smiling at him affectionately. She leaned in and gave him a kiss, then continued, "Let's get you out of that uniform and into the shower."

He threw a curious glance at the other girls, but they were all warm smiles and inviting looks. Somewhat wary, he followed Alyssa into the walk-in wardrobe, where she helped him quickly remove his white uniform. "I feel like I'm missing something," he said with a degree of caution.

She ignored him for the moment, turning her attention to one of the cleaning robots. It was already there waiting, and Alyssa handed over the pile of clothes as she said, "Now be careful with that. No deviating from my instructions, I don't want it getting damaged!"

The cleaning robot let out a cheerful beep as it accepted the clothes; though John had heard the bots emit that sound before, he could have sworn it sounded a bit indignant this time. It spun on the spot, then glided out of the wardrobe, his new uniform carried securely in the clothes hamper on its back.

Alyssa watched it leave, then smiled at him as she held out her hand, and said, "Let's go and have a nice warm shower. If you ask nicely, I'll even give you a massage while we get you cleaned up."

He took her hand, and let her lead him into the bathroom, but he eyed her suspiciously as he asked, "What're you up to now, you little vixen?"

She laughed as they entered the shower cubicle, and activated the water jets with a quick press of a button. "Don't I always show you a good time?" she asked him, with a playful quirk of her eyebrow.