Three Square Meals Ch. 066

"Woohoo!" Dana crowed. "That was fucking awesome!"

He had to admit that it had been an astonishing display of raw firepower, and caught up with her enthusiasm, he gave Dana a broad grin. Where there had once been an impenetrable jungle, there was now a broad clearing of tree stumps, glowing orange where their trunks had been incinerated. The Beam Lasers had burnt everything to a crisp, leaving an open area large enough to land the Invictus.

Jade lifted the ship away from the depression in the ground, pulling out of the strip mine, and then drifted quietly over the clearing. With a light touch of the retrothrusters, she brought the Invictus down to a gentle landing a short distance from the closest pyramid.

John glanced at the prisoners, and was pleased to see that they weren't distressed in the slightest by the blazing inferno behind them. They were still staring in the direction he had pointed, seemingly oblivious to Calara's shooting.

"Follow me, everyone," he called out to the drowsy captives, and he led the way towards the sparkling white hull of the Invictus.

They followed the path out of the camp that once led into the jungle, but now headed towards the parked ship. As they drew closer, the broad Cargo Bay door in the flank of the ship began to rise up into the hull, and a few moments later the airlock spiralled open too. He could see three girls waiting for them there, and they waved excitedly at him as he approached.

Calara's eyes darted over the crowd of prisoners that were following him towards his ship, and he could see the relief etched on her face when she spotted Mateo walking next to Alyssa. She ran towards John now, with a brilliant smile on her face, and a look of overwhelming gratitude in her eyes. He caught her in his arms when she reached him, and returned her hug.

"Thank you so much!" she gasped, gazing up at him.

He smiled at her, and replied, "You don't need to thank me, gorgeous. I'd do anything for you."

She squeezed him tightly, and he chuckled, glad he was wearing triple layers of Crystal Alyssium plating to protect his ribs from her fierce embrace. "I love you," she told him simply, and that was all the reward he needed.

"I love you too," he replied, then added in a gentle voice, "but we need to get these people aboard the ship."

Calara looked over his shoulder, and saw over six hundred people gathered around, watching John and waiting to follow wherever he would lead them. She smiled at him sheepishly and said, "I should probably let you continue with the evac."

He nodded, and said, "Probably so, but I appreciated the hug."

She laughed at that, then broke away from him and walked over to check on her brother. John walked up the loading ramp into the Cargo Bay, and was relieved to see that the horde of freed captives was following him obediently. The girls helped herd the stragglers into the ship, and they loaded over six hundred people quickly and efficiently into the enormous Cargo Bay.

Alyssa stood beside him as they checked to make sure everyone was safely aboard, and remarked, "I thought Charles had gone overboard with this huge Cargo Bay, but it's been incredibly useful."

John smiled at the mention of his old friend, and removing his armoured helmet he said, "I don't think he really had this in mind when he designed it." He looked thoughtful then as he added, "We're probably looking at about a seventeen hour journey back to the Dragon March, right? We'll need to provide these people with food, drink, and medical care."

"Sixteen hours, thirty-six minutes after we jump to hyper-warp," Alyssa corrected him with a wink.

Calara strolled over to join them, and smiled as she said, "I'm happy to take the lead here and organise everything. I'm sure the other girls will help where needed."

Irillith, Rachel, Dana, and Sakura had overheard the conversation, and they all immediately volunteered to assist.

Rachel spoke up first, saying to John, "I'll triage the prisoners. There's several who must have picked up injuries fighting against the mutineers, and I need to find the ones who've been on Xen-Nuchek the longest. I believe I can regenerate the damaged tissue in their lungs, by treating them with a stem-cell inhalant I've designed, with your permission, of course?"

He nodded, and replied, "You don't need to ask my permission, honey. I trust you implicitly."

Dana looked intrigued, and asked Rachel, "I don't remember you mentioning that before, babes. When did you come up with that idea?"

"In the mine. I needed something to keep my mind occupied so I wouldn't be so scared!" Rachel replied with a smile. She gave Dana a hopeful look, and asked, "If I draw up the schematics, would you be able to help build the respirators I need?"

"I'd love to!" Dana replied with an eager grin.

Rachel looked excited now, and she said, "I'll head up to Medical, create the schematics for you, then send them to Engineering, alright?" When Dana nodded her enthusiastic agreement, the doctor turned to Calara and said, "I'll create a list of the most severely injured prisoners for you. Could you have them brought up to Medical so that I can start treating them?"

The Latina nodded, and replied, "Just contact me over the comm, and I'll assemble the first group of patients you've picked out. One of us can guide them to the Medical-Bay."

Dana and Rachel waved goodbye to the others, and the redhead walked over to the elevator that led to the Engineering Bay, while the brunette headed for the grav-tubes.

Calara smiled at Irillith and Sakura, then said, "I guess that makes you two my helpers then. These people are dehydrated, so we'll need to bring them water first, then food."

"I'll help too," Alyssa offered. "I'll just go take this armour off first."

John shook his head, and replied firmly, "Nope, you need to rest after your concussion. Faye will be back in a couple of minutes, and she can assist with the maintenance robots."

The blonde pouted for a moment, then a sly smile teased her full lips, and she said, "I don't know what I was thinking. I'll definitely need your tender loving care, if I'm ever going to recover." She flashed a lusty look at Sakura, and added, "I'm too weak to handle such a rampant man on my own, though. Do you think you'd be able to help me get my medicine?"

Sakura blushed, but she looked eager as she replied, "I'll be happy to play nurse."

"That's the spirit," Alyssa said with an excited grin, looping her arm through Sakura's.

John smiled at her antics, and said, "Go on up to bed, you little vixen. I'll be up to see you soon." He walked over to the Cargo Bay doors, and after double-checking to make sure that everyone was aboard, he hit the button to close them.

*I've given Jade the all-clear for takeoff,* Alyssa informed him, as she strolled out through the double doors, heading towards the grav-tube.

*Thanks, beautiful,* he replied, as he walked over to join Calara and Irillith.

Calara took a big lungful of air, and said, "I'd forgotten just how amazing Dana's air filtration system is, but it only took a minute on Xen-Nuchek to remind me. It's funny how you take fresh air for granted."

Irillith nodded her agreement, and said, "She's a marvel, alright. Even by Maliri standards, the air quality on the ship is outstanding." The Maliri girl looked thoughtful for a moment, before she added, "You might want to consider selling or trading this tech. High quality air is such a necessity that I'd imagine most governments would pay a fortune for it."

John looked startled at that, and said, "Actually, that's a great idea! The other big advantage, is that we don't have to worry about the technology getting into the wrong hands."

*More money for the orphan fund!* Alyssa thought to him, sounding overjoyed.

*Seems only fair they should benefit from the work of their brightest alumna,* he agreed.

Turning to look at Calara and Irillith again, he placed a hand on both their shoulders, and said, "You girls were outstanding today. Alyssa told me all about how you neutralised the Kintark and traitor fleets. I'm very proud of the pair of you."

Both girls gave him sparkling smiles, and he pulled them both in for a hug. Irillith gave him a light kiss on his cheek, then whispered, "Let me know if Alyssa needs another nurse."

He laughed at that, and said, "I better go and change out of this armour, but I'll come back down to help you two as soon as I've spoken to Jade."

Calara shook her head, and told him, "You need some rest too. Alyssa mentioned you'd broken some ribs?"

He nodded reluctantly, but replied, "Yeah, but it's not bad, they don't re-."

Irillith cut him off, and said, "Calara's right, go and rest. Dana and Rachel will be back soon, and Faye will be here with her 'boys' in a couple of minutes. You've done enough rescuing for one day."

Truth be told, his ribs -were- hurting, and he was feeling tired after all the exertion in the mine. Giving them both a smile, he said, "Just let me know if you need me for anything, okay?"

Calara glanced at the prisoners, and her eyes twinkled as she said, "Maybe just tell our guests to wait here? Otherwise, I think the bedroom will get very crowded."

John grinned at her, then turned to face the placid captives, and said loudly, "Can all of you wait here, please? Listen to Calara and follow her instructions as if they came from me. She'll help look after you."

"Perfect, thank you," the brunette said to him with a grateful smile.

He waved them both goodbye, then strolled through the reinforced double doors that led out of the Cargo Bay. He walked down the corridor, and was about to step into the grav-tube, when he paused and returned to the double doors that led into the Hangar Bay. Putting his Paragon helmet back on, he opened the doors, and looked to his right, where the broad door in the hull was already open.

Barely ten seconds later, the ferocious profile of the Raptor gunship appeared outside the Invictus, and Faye eased the glossy white ship into the huge hangar. Her landing was slow, careful, and methodical, the gunship moving in a precise fashion as the AI brought it in to land in the centre of the landing area.

Activating the comm channel in his helmet, he called Faye, who answered straight away. "Excellent landing, Faye. Well done!" he commended her.

"Thanks! It was my first one," she replied, a relieved look on her cute purple face.

He smiled at her, and said apologetically, "Sorry to ask this the moment you land, but would you be able to reprogram the maintenance bots to help distribute food and drink to the people we freed? Calara's overseeing the operation in the Cargo Bay, so if you have any questions, just ask."

"Sure! I'd love to help!" Faye replied without a moment's hesitation. "I'll get started on reprogramming the boys right away. Do you want me to check the new programs with Dana or Irillith?"

"That won't be necessary. You've done more than enough to earn my trust," he replied sincerely.

The tiny sprite swooned a little before giving him a big grin, and said, "That's wonderful to hear, thank you."

He nodded to her and closed the channel, then headed back into the corridor, the double doors swishing shut behind him. After stepping into the blue glow of the grav-tube, he removed his helmet again, and ran his fingers through his hair as he rose up to the Command Deck. He walked out onto the Bridge and spotted Jade sitting in the Pilot's Chair, focusing intently on the System Map.

Walking down the ramp towards the Briefing Room, he called out to her, "Hey, Jade. I'll just get out of this armour, and be right back, okay?"

The Nymph spun in her chair, and looked very happy to see him. She waved, and replied, "I'll be waiting!"

John walked over to the weapon rack to replace his weapons. He suddenly remembered his Punisher rifle had been crushed and was now incinerated in molten lava, and he'd taken his sword from the wardrobe downstairs. Pulling the weapon from the magnetic field that held it securely on his back, he saw that the sparkling white blade was caked in dried yellow blood. He was about to clean the sword, but he changed his mind at the last minute, remembering Rachel's fascination with all things genetic. Figuring that she might find Kintark dragon blood interesting, he left the sword propped against the weapon rack, then stepped into his armour equipping frame and removed the Paragon suit.

Strolling out onto the Bridge again, he asked, "How's it going up here, honey?"

Jade gave him a warm smile and replied, "I'm just clearing the system's gravity wells. We'll be ready to make the jump to hyper warp in about twenty seconds."

Nodding his understanding, he stepped up behind her, and placed his hands on the back of her chair as he watched her busy at the controls. The Nymph guided the Invictus to the edge of the Zeta-Draconis system, flying with practiced ease. As soon as the green light flashed on her console, letting her know that they were well clear of astro-navigation hazards, she leaned forward and pressed a button to power up the Tachyon Drive. The assault cruiser was swathed in blue particles, and a moment later, the ship leapt eagerly into hyper-warp.

John glanced up at the course plotted on the Sector Map, while moving his hands to the Nymph's shoulders and giving them a gentle squeeze. Studying her projected route between the stars, he noted, "Sixteen-and-a-half hours, then we're home and dry."

Now that they were safely on their way, Jade visibly relaxed, and she spun the chair to face him, then launched herself into his arms. He hugged her back, only flinching a little as his ribs protested.

"Alyssa told us everything as it was happening! I can't believe you fought a hundred-foot dragon! I was so worried..." she told him, her face full of emotion.

"It's okay, we're all safe now," he replied, stroking her back soothingly. Jade rested her head against his chest, so he tilted his head to look into her cat-like emerald eyes, and added, "I heard you did an amazing job, piloting the Invictus in the battle. Thank you for keeping the girls safe."

She smiled at him, and said, "I love my sisters, I'm always going to do my best to protect them." Her eyes sparkled as she quipped, "Even the ones that managed to kill me off!"

He realised she'd just meant it as a joke, but he wanted to be sure she wasn't harbouring any resentment towards the latest addition to their crew. He watched her carefully as he said, "It must be very strange for you, suddenly having Sakura be part of our group, and walking around amongst us. Have you been finding it difficult to adjust to her being here?"

Jade shook her head, and replied, "No, not at all, I was only joking, honestly. She seems like a sweet girl; a bit shy at the moment, and intimidated by us girls, but I'm sure she'll grow out of that soon." She stared away into the distance for a moment, and continued, "Sakura and I share a similar background, with years of slavery behind us. I'm hoping she'll learn to trust me and speak to me soon, I feel certain I'll be able to help her reconcile her past and move on."

John ran his fingers through the Nymph's hair, and said, "I'm very lucky to have found you, Jade. It's amazing that you can be so forgiving. You're an incredible girl." She beamed a delighted smile at him, but he added with a hint of caution in his voice, "Don't get your hopes up too much, about Sakura letting go of the past. She's holding on to a lot of rage, and until this business with Mikaboshi is permanently resolved, I doubt she'll be having any breakthroughs."

The Nymph gave him her undivided attention as she listened to him, then replied, "I think you might be right, but I'll try and be there for her if she needs to talk." She smiled as she continued, "We've got an eternity together, and I'm a patient girl."

"A lovely one too," he observed, holding her tight.

They shared a tender kiss, and when their lips finally parted, she said, "You better head down to the bedroom and look after those girls, they'll be wondering where you are. I'll keep an eye on the Bridge until Faye's ready to take over again."

"Thanks gorgeous, I appreciate it," he said, giving her one last peck on the lips before pulling away.

She waved him goodbye as he walked up the ramp towards the grav-tube, and he watched her retake her seat as he dropped down in the warm red glow. Stepping out into the Deck Two corridor, he strolled towards his bedroom with a lightness to his step, knowing what was waiting for him there.

Sure enough, Alyssa and Sakura were waiting for him on the bed, cuddled up together and both ravishingly nude. When he breezed through the door, they turned to look at him with smoky, lust-filled eyes. Their lips looked flushed, and their hair tousled, and it was obvious they'd been enjoying some very sensual kisses.

"I couldn't keep my hands off her, sorry," Alyssa admitted, her wicked smile belying any hint of remorse.

John laughed and walked over to join them. He sat on the edge of the bed, and gave Sakura a playful smile as he asked, "And what's your excuse, young lady?"

Sakura blushed furiously, then glanced at Alyssa and confessed, "Alyssa looks like one of the cheerleaders from my university's zero-g football team. I always thought that girl was stunningly beautiful."

He grinned at her, and said, "Relax, I'm only teasing. I wasn't expecting you to justify anything."

"Forget that!" Alyssa interrupted, raising herself up on an elbow. "Tell me more about this cheerleader! Did you get her into bed?"

The Asian girl blushed even more, and she slowly shook her head, as she replied, "I was never bold enough to try."

Alyssa frowned, and said sympathetically, "That's a shame, I bet you could've seduced her. You're a very beautiful girl." Her lips lifted into a luscious smile, as she added, "Still, I'm here now, and we can play 'seduce the cheerleader' whenever you like!"

John was amused to see more than a hint of curiosity in the embarrassed young woman, but to save her from further torment at Alyssa's hands, he asked, "I'm going to get a shower first, do either of you want to join me?"

Sakura nodded agreeably, and said, "Sure, I'll keep you company."

Alyssa gave John a hooded glance, and said in a sultry purr, "Actually, I've always wondered what one of those uptight Law students were like in bed. I bet they're hot little minxes given enough encouragement. Unfortunately with all the cheerleading practice, and the sorority parties, I've never had a chance to put my theory to the test." She turned her devastating gaze on Sakura, and murmured, "How about it, sexy? Feel like skipping lectures and joining me in my dorm room?"

The Asian girl gaped at the blonde in shock, flushing again, but not with embarrassment this time. She threw John an apologetic glance, and he chuckled as he said, "Have fun, I'll be back in a few minutes."

He left them to it, and walked into the bathroom, quickly stripping off his clothes. He was going to step into the shower, but he stopped in front of the mirror and checked his chest for bruises. Sure enough, he could see dark purple marks appearing on his chest where the dragon had smashed him out of the way, and the area was tender to the touch when he probed it gently with his fingers.

*You were very lucky not to get seriously hurt in that fight,* Edraele thought to him sombrely. He could hear the worry in her telepathic voice as she added, *I never thought I'd be saying this, but please don't charge any more dragons! I'm not sure my heart can take it...*

John walked into the shower cubicle and activated the water as he replied, *I'm sorry I scared you. It was reckless, but we didn't have much in the way of options at the time. When Alyssa got hurt, I had to take steps to put Kindralax down.*