Three Square Meals Ch. 067

Sakura wasn't used to these telepathic intrusions yet, but Alyssa's thoughts were always welcome, kind-hearted and well-intentioned as they were. It was just one more thing to adjust to in this bewildering new life, but like everything else, she found it a pleasant adjustment to make.

She glanced over at John, and found him watching her with a strange smile on his lips that she couldn't quite place. It seemed full of longing somehow, while protective, and possessive at the same time. Whatever the intent behind his expression, it made her flush with excitement, her skin prickling with goosebumps as she made eye contact with him.

John walked over to her, and placed his strong hand over her rounded belly, stroking her suggestively through the soft cotton, and reminding her just what she was carrying in her stomach. He leaned in to give her a kiss, before saying, "You look gorgeous. I like you wearing my shirts."

She swooned in his arms, until Alyssa cuddled up behind her, and said, "Come on you two, enough flirting! I'm starving, which means you must be famished, John."

He nodded grudgingly, and they left the bedroom and headed down the corridor to the grav-tube. John was about to stroll up to the double doors at the end, which led into the now-demolished Officers' Lounge, but he remembered just in time, and came to an abrupt halt. He turned towards the two girls, and said, "Sorry, force of habit."

"I should be the one apologising," Sakura mumbled with a guilty glance towards the Lounge that Shinatobe had blown to bits with her bombs.

Alyssa hooked an arm through hers, and she said with a bright smile, "Don't worry about it! The decor in that place was hideous before! It's given me a great excuse to give the Lounge a makeover."

John smiled at the blonde, and as they stepped into the grav-tube, he replied, "It's true, I would've struggled with letting her turn the Officers' Lounge upside down, but I've got no excuses now."

They stepped out on Deck Four, and strolled down the corridor, past dozens of doors leading to the quarters on that deck. The Galley was at the end of the corridor, and they walked past the long tables and benches before entering the large functional kitchen beyond. John tapped a finger on his chin while looking thoughtful, then disappeared through the swishing automatic double doors into the hermetically sealed pantry.

As soon as he was gone, Alyssa pulled Sakura into a hug, and asked, "How are you coping with everything, are you doing okay?"

Sakura nodded, enjoying feeling the reassurance of the other girl's arms around her. She brushed Alyssa's golden blonde hair away from her delicate ear, and whispered, "I feel like I've woken from a horrible nightmare into some blissful dream. Nothing feels real at the moment."

"We've all been through that, believe me," Alyssa replied in a hushed voice, and hugging her tighter. Sakura could hear the happiness in her voice as she continued, "It only gets better from here on out, but you'll get used to everything soon enough, don't worry about that."

John strolled back into the kitchen, arms piled high with a wide variety of ingredients. Sakura pulled away from Alyssa, then relaxed when she saw the happy expression on his face. "What's for dinner?" she asked him curiously.

"Homemade ravioli with three types of mushrooms and garlic. Should be very tasty," he said with an enthusiastic grin.

Alyssa smiled at him, and asked, "What do you want me to do? Shall I chop vegetables?"

"Nope, you'll be making the pasta!" John replied encouragingly. "I'll be giving Sakura some lessons on preparing the vegetables."

The blonde laughed, and said, "I'm not sure that's a good idea, but I'm sure I spotted a bag of chips in the pantry if I balls this up!"

"You helped defeat a dragon, I think you can handle some pasta," he said with a chuckle. Throwing her a glance, he added, *Don't worry, I'll guide you through it.*

Sakura was watching his face, and noticed one of the silent exchanges between John and Alyssa. It was fascinating to think that they could hold entire conversations by thought alone, and she found herself wishing she could hear what John was thinking. He turned back to face her, and gestured towards the worktop area where a knife block and chopping board were located.

He washed the vegetables and stacked them up beside the chopping board, then took a long sharp knife from the block. "This is a chef's knife," he said to her, holding the six-inch blade with practiced familiarity. "It's got a slight curve to the edge for rocking back and forth to cut meat or vegetables."

Taking the knife, he held it as if shaking hands, placing his hand on top of the single-edged blade. Choosing an onion from the pile of vegetables, he neatly divested it of its outer skins, and sliced it up into smaller sections. He placed it on the chopping board, and with a quick, rolling motion of the blade, chopped it up into tiny pieces.

"Want to have a go?" he asked her with a smile.

Sakura nodded, carefully taking the knife he handed to her, and holding it gingerly. John stepped behind her, and her breath caught as he wrapped his arms around hers, gently taking hold of her hands. He repositioned her fingers slightly on both the knife and the quartered onion, then guided her through the rocking movement of the blade. Sakura forced herself to concentrate intently on the task at hand, and tried to ignore his distracting presence. She surprised herself by chopping up the vegetable with dexterous motions of her hands, the blade feeling natural in her fingers.

"Nicely done!" he praised her, placing his hands on her hips, then leaning in to give her a peck on the cheek. "Can I leave you to prepare the rest? I'll go and tackle the mushrooms!"

She laughed and nodded, her heart lifting with the simple domestic pleasure of preparing food. "You can count on me," she replied with confidence.

"Good girl," he said, then moved along the counter to begin preparing the mushrooms.

Sakura smiled to herself, as she started working through the vegetables, slicing them into small, manageable pieces as he'd instructed. It felt bizarre to be involved in such an enjoyable if mundane activity, when only a few hours earlier, she'd witnessed a dramatic space battle involving kilometre-long ships duelling each other, with thousands of lives hanging in the balance. She tried to forget about that for the moment though, and put aside her knife, before picking up a peeler to skin the carrots. She dragged the peeler down the orange vegetable, neatly divesting it of its skin in a long, satisfyingly unbroken strip of peel.

Now that the carrots were ready to be sliced, she picked up the chef's knife to continue her preparations. By reflex she picked up the long knife in an entirely different grip, one that felt much more familiar, and was intended for an altogether more sinister purpose. Her mind drifted, and she was suddenly reliving a sharply distinct memory from her past.

***

The wind whistled past her cheeks as she clung to the top of the hover train. Thick smoke was billowing from the first class carriage ahead of her, a gaping hole blown in the roof by the explosives she'd just set and triggered. Her artificial lung would provide her with fifteen minutes of clean air before those acrid fumes became a problem, but she wouldn't need anywhere near that amount of time. The sparkling lights of San Moriyah flashed beneath her, the patrons of the bustling pleasure city blissfully unaware of the dramatic events unfolding in the sky-lane above their heads.

A hover car beeped its horn and flashed its lights, the young man behind the controls having spotted her as she made her way across the roof of the train. If looks could kill, the one she flashed him with her cold, dead eyes would have eviscerated him in an instant. As non-lethal as that glance was, It still scared the man enough for him to turn tail with his hover-car, and race off on a side lane like a scared rabbit.

She crouched as she clambered along the rooftop, with one hand clutching her sword, the other steadying her with her razor-sharp ceramic nails digging into the steel skin of the train. When she reached the savage rent in the roof of the first carriage, she activated her adrenal booster, which flooded her system with adrenaline, massively boosting her speed and reflexes.

Diving through the serrated hole, she rolled to her feet as she landed, and drew the second of her mono-edged black swords. Her bionic eyes analysed the darkened shapes inside the carriage, then locked onto her petrified target and his three bodyguards. She could taste the fear in the air as she advanced, her senses heightened as she got ready to spring to the attack.

"Sakura? What's wrong, honey?" someone asked her, the voice sounding faint and distant, but distracting enough to snap her from the disturbing memory.

***

"Sakura, are you okay?" John asked her, his tone wary.

"Sure, I'm fine," she replied, shaking her head to clear her mind of the disturbing memories.

Aware of her surroundings again, she was shocked to see that she held not one but two blades now, having pulled a second from the chopping block. She brandished one in each hand, in a relaxed, easy grip, and she stood in a balanced stance, her posture poised in readiness to attack. Looking at John in alarm, she let go of the blades, and they dropped from her hands with a loud clatter as they landed on the floor.

"What happened?" John asked her, holding his arms open for the frightened young woman.

Sakura rushed over, clinging to him as she gasped, "It was just like I was there! I was reliving one of Shinatobe's memories, but it wasn't like I normally remember. It was -me- hunting her target, I wasn't just some helpless spectator!"

John's arms felt warm and safe as he held her, and his voice was soothing as he said, "It's alright, you're back with us now."

She felt her heart hammering in her chest, but it gradually slowed as she relaxed in that comforting embrace. It didn't take long for her to feel normal again, and she looked up at him and gave him a grateful smile. Alyssa picked up the two knives from the floor, then washed them in the sink before drying them off. The quiet sound of the drier made Sakura glance behind her, where the blonde girl was watching her with a curious expression on her face as she returned the knives to the block.

"Maybe you should stick to stirring the saucepan for the moment?" Alyssa suggested with a smile, producing a wooden spoon with a flourish.

***

When dinner was ready, the rest of the crew assembled in the Galley at Alyssa's telepathic behest, with one diminutive exception. Faye was up on the Bridge in her role of Watch Commander, keeping an eye out for marauding Kintark forces, as they raced back towards the Dragon March. Jade had plotted a circuitous but clever flight path through Kintark Space, designed to minimise the likelihood of running into hostile forces, but they still didn't want to take any chances.

John frowned as he brought out the big serving platter full of steaming hot ravioli, and said, "I hate how Faye has to miss out on everything. She's a valuable part of our crew, and it feels unfair that she can't be here as well."

Dana beamed at him, and said, "I'll be expecting a big grateful kiss, then! I've finished the project I've been working on for her!"

John grinned at her, and said, "That's great news! Have you activated it yet?"

Shaking her head, she picked up a plate and began to serve herself as she replied, "No, I thought you might like to be around for that."

"Definitely," he agreed as he strolled back into the kitchen. Calling back over his shoulder, he asked, "How are our guests settling in?"

Calara and Rachel shared a look, before Calara gestured for the tawny-haired girl to answer. Rachel smiled at the Latina, then replied, "I've spent the last four hours treating anyone suffering from sulphur-dioxide poisoning with my stem cell inhalant. Initial results are very positive, and I'm really pleased with how my patients have been responding to treatment."

Dana laughed, and said, "Babes, there's no need to undersell yourself." When John walked back into the Galley with a big dish of vegetables, the redhead continued, "There's no known treatment for the level of lung damage some of those poor bastards have, but she fucking aced it! I've seen the results myself, the damaged bits in their lungs have started growing back!"

"Is that true?" John asked Rachel curiously, as he placed the dish on the table beside her.

She smiled at him, and said, "Rates of cellular regeneration -have- been remarkable. I'm delighted with the - mmmph!"

The last was cut off as he leaned her backwards on the bench, and gave her a passionate kiss. Rachel melted into his arms with a happy sigh, kissing him back as he held her. "I bet it feels good, saving all those people?" he asked her, a proud smile on his face.

She gazed into his eyes, and nodded as she replied, "We prevented the deaths of billions on Terra, but this felt different, more personal somehow." She shrugged, and added, "I suppose saving lives one way or the other is all the same, really."

"None of the rest of us could have helped them though, that's the difference," he said as he leaned in and gave her an affectionate peck on the lips. "This was all down to you, and you did a great job."

John helped her sit upright, then walked around to the head of the table, which consisted of a spare chair butted up against the end of the long Galley table. The girls were all taking their seats on the benches now, but they abandoned the normal seating arrangements, letting Sakura sit on John's left.

Rachel was looking dazed, having been thoroughly kissed to distraction, so Calara spoke up, saying, "With Faye's help reprogramming the maintenance bots, we distributed water and food to all the personnel down in the Cargo Bay. A lot of them were suffering from heat exhaustion, so most of them are sleeping now."

"How's Mateo?" John asked, looking at her with concern.

Calara looked immensely relieved as she replied, "He'll be fine. He wasn't on Xen-Nucheck long enough to suffer any long-term effects. My brother's still drowsy from the draconic pheromones, but Rachel seems convinced they'll wear off in a day or so."

Hearing her name, Rachel nodded as she said, "I could develop a cure, but it seems that Tamolith was telling the truth about her pheromones. The serotonin levels in the freed prisoners are gradually declining, and if this rate of reduction continues, they'll be back to normal by midday tomorrow."

"That's great news," John said, pleased to hear that Tamolith's mind control would be wearing off soon. He smiled at the girls, and said, "Tuck in ladies, I hope you enjoy it."

Everyone started on dinner, making appreciative sounds as they tasted the ravioli. The girls chattered together as they savoured their freshly cooked dinner, laughing at each other's good-natured jokes. Sakura couldn't help but be reminded of meal times with her own family, and smiled at the happy memory. She exchanged a look of satisfaction with John when she saw everyone enjoying the food she'd helped prepare, and he knew she'd be eager to help in the kitchen again.

"This is very tasty," Jade said, smiling at Sakura before spearing some of the vegetables on her fork. "Was the Ravioli your idea?"

The Asian girl smiled at the Nymph, realising that Jade was trying to include her in the conversation, and replied, "Actually it was John's idea, and Alyssa made the pasta. I didn't do much really, but I'd like to learn more."

Alyssa winked at her, and said, "Oh, I wouldn't say that. You did a good job of assassinating the carrots."

Sakura blushed, and the girls smiled at the newest addition to their group, having already heard what had happened in the kitchen. She explained in a rush, "I'm not sure what happened exactly, but I promise I'm not a danger to any of you!"

Calara waved a hand dismissively, and said, "None of us are worried, Alyssa's just teasing you. You get used to it eventually."

John reached over to squeeze Sakura's shoulder, and said, "If she gets really annoying, let me know, and we'll team up to give her a good tickling."

Everyone laughed, except Alyssa, who faked a petulant pout for comedic effect. She could sense from the new bundle of emotions in her mind, that Sakura was still feeling a little overawed by her new crewmates, and Alyssa was determined to help her overcome it. Laughing with the others had helped, but the Asian girl was still taking shy, covert glances at each of them in wonder.

Looking at Sakura out of the corner of her eye, Alyssa thought to her, *There's no need to be intimidated by them. They're good girls, and just want you to feel like a part of the group.*

Sakura was startled for a moment as the thoughts drifted through her mind, then she met her Matriarch's bright blue gaze and nodded her understanding.

John was oblivious to Alyssa's telepathic nurturing of the new girl, so he looked around the group, and said, "Things were pretty hectic after we left Xen-Nuchek, but we need to have a quick debrief on the battle." He smiled at Dana, and added, "I'd consider that a superb field test of the Justice Laser rifle."

The redhead grinned at him, and exclaimed, "It was awesome not having to bother with ammo!"

Rachel smiled as she said, "Instantly cauterising wounds was very useful against those Royal Guard. It seemed to prevent their rapid regeneration."

John nodded thoughtfully, and replied, "We should definitely bring more Justice rifles if we face the Kintark again, especially with Kindralax being shielded. Watching my railgun rounds being harmlessly deflected was a nasty surprise."

"I had no way of hurting it for most of the fight, until you took his shield out," Rachel agreed.

Recalling the brutal damage the girls had eventually done to the dragon with railgun slugs, John noted, "The Punisher rifles were absolutely devastating when you could bring them to bear, they really swung that fight." He glanced at Dana and added, "Is there any way you could upgrade the Justice rifles with the Progenitor Power Core tech? If they hit even harder, we wouldn't need the Punisher rifles any more."

Dana frowned, and replied, "Unfortunately it's heat dissipation that's the real problem there. I've been thinking about upgrades already, and miniaturising the Progenitor tech to power the rifles would be relatively easy, now I have the schematics. Unless we can get our hands on even better heat sinks though, the barrels will overheat too much."

Alyssa smiled at the redhead and offered, "I could have a go at shaping the barrels a few more times, to make them even more resilient."

"That would help, but we'll need both upgrades to really make use of all that power," Dana said with a longing look in her eyes.

Alyssa grinned as she said, "Portable Beam Lasers here we come!"

When the laughter had died down, Dana let out a rueful sigh and said, "Unfortunately the Phalanx Armour got totally fucked up by plasma. Until I can come up with a solution for that, we don't want to get into a heavy firefight with Kintark troops using plasma weapons."

John frowned as he said, "Actually, that reminds me about something important." Looking around the table, making eye contact with each of the girls, he continued, "I want you all to be very careful about target fixation. If Alyssa hadn't intervened, we would have lost Sparks to Plasma Cannon fire. Your safety is always the number one priority, so try to never lose awareness of your surroundings in a firefight, OK?"

They all promised that they'd be careful, and Dana gave him an apologetic smile as she replied, "Sorry John, I got a bit caught up in the moment."