Three Square Meals Ch. 070

***

When John opened the door to the firing range, he was greeted by the angry chatter of an XR75 rifle blazing away. Stepping quietly into the room, he watched as Sakura snapped off several bursts in succession at her target. Staring down the range, he could see that her accuracy seemed to be improving, and he smiled to himself as he nodded his approval.

She had emptied the magazine, so she tilted the bullpup rifle to one side, and ejected the spent mag, catching it deftly with her left hand. Seeing that he'd caught her at an opportune time, he strolled up to the range and said, "Nice shooting! You seem to be handling the rifle with a lot more confidence."

Sakura paused with a fresh magazine full of ten-millimetre caseless rounds in her hand, and her intense expression of concentration lightened when she heard his voice. Turning to face him, she beamed a happy smile and said, "It's been getting so much easier as I've been getting stronger! The rifle doesn't seem to kick quite so hard any more."

He reached out to her bare arms, and gently squeezed her slender bicep, nodding slowly as he said, "Very impressive."

She laughed at that, and said, "Are you saying you'd prefer me to have burly man-arms, bulging with muscles?"

"Ah, no," John quickly clarified with a grin. "I'm extremely happy with your current dimensions. Athletic but very feminine, with lots of hidden strength, works just fine for me."

Sakura nodded with a wistful expression on her face as she said, "The girls all look like underwear models. I can't believe Calara's powerful enough to fight you in hand-to-hand combat."

"Appearances can be deceptive. It's an important lesson to remember," he said sagely.

She smiled at him, and said, "As the Asian one, aren't I supposed to be doling out wise sayings?"

He laughed, and replied, "When you start kicking my ass in a duel, you can. Until then, I get to be the annoyingly cryptic Zen-master." Looking at her rifle, he added, "Talking of which, I'm finished on the Bridge, and all yours for the afternoon. Do you want to do some more shooting practice, or are you ready to start training with swords?"

Sakura immediately darted over to the weapon rack, and carefully placed the XR75 back on the vacant hooks. The moment she returned the rifle, robotic arms popped out from the weapon rack, and began to efficiently strip and clean the rifle. She slotted her spent magazines back into the compartments designed to store them, then turned around and grinned at him.

"I'm ready!" she exclaimed, a fierce excitement in her rich brown eyes.

He offered her his hand, and said, "Alright, let's go."

They walked from the Firing Range, and then headed up in the cool blue glow of the grav-tube field. Sakura was getting used to the quirks of anti-gravity fields now, and she stepped lightly out into the corridor on Deck Three at John's side.

*Sparks said to remind you it's the second door on the left,* Alyssa informed him, as he walked along the corridor.

*I can't wait to see it,* he replied, as he led Sakura past his simulator training room.

They had a short walk to get to the next room, which he vaguely remembered as being another huge conference room. The Marines had received video briefings from General Buchanan in there, while John had originally been serving on the Invictus. It therefore came as a surprise when the door swished opened into a small anteroom, which contained two armour-equipping frames, complete with sets of armour. The sleek Paragon suits shone in the light, their glossy white surfaces looking immaculate in the spotlights of the equipping room. Directly ahead of them, and between the suits of armour, was a weapon rack which held the new swords he'd forged.

"Let's get geared up," he said to Sakura with a grin. "Do you know how to get into the armour?"

She nodded at him, sharing his excitement, and replied, "Dana went over it with me yesterday."

It was obvious who each suit was intended for, with John's Paragon suit nearly six inches taller than the smaller, sleeker female variant. They stepped into the armoured boots, then activated the robotic arms which swung the plated armour into position. John secured his with the thumb control, and when he heard the rippling series of clicks, he stepped free of the equipping frame, turning to check on Sakura. She walked clear a moment later, then held her arms out as she twisted her torso, experimenting with the feel of the suit.

"Everything alright with the armour?" he asked, as he watched her trying out the fit.

She rotated her shoulders, and squatted on her haunches several times before she replied, "It's not too bad, but it feels a little roomy." Blushing then, she added, "Dana made certain of the measurements. She was confident I'd grow into it."

"I'm sure it'll be fun getting you there," John said with a smile. He approached the weapon rack and grasped his Odachi, before moving out of the way for her.

Sakura nodded, giving him a coy smile as she took hold of her twin blades, then lifted them from the rack. Her attention was drawn back to the swords, and she turned them so they caught the light.

"This metal's beautiful," she murmured, entranced by the glossy white metal. "What is it exactly?"

"One of Dana's creations," John explained, casting a critical eye along the length of his sword. "She called it Invictium, and most of our gear was made from it before she developed an even tougher metal."

"Crystal Alyssium? I've heard you guys mention that before," she said, looking at him through her clear faceplate.

He nodded and replied, "Yeah, that's it. That stuff is even tougher, and the swords Alyssa makes with it can cut through titanium like butter."

"The girls are amazing," she said quietly, shaking her head in wonder.

"Every girl on this ship is quite exceptional," he agreed, smiling at her when she looked into his eyes.

*Alright, that's enough flirting, you two,* Alyssa thought to them both.

John and Sakura shared a glance and a smile, and then he looked at the two as-yet unexplored doors leading from the room. "Alright, which way now?" he asked aloud.

*Take the one on the right if you were entering the room,* Alyssa explained patiently.

Taking the lead, John strolled towards that door, which swished open in front of him without him having to hit any buttons to activate it. What he saw in the room beyond left him astounded, and he came to a sudden halt as he gaped at it in awe. Sakura stepped around him when he froze in her path, then stood there beside him, equally stunned by the view before her.

They were standing in a huge symmetrical training Dojo, fashioned from some kind of lustrous teak wood, with the ceiling stretching away loftily above them. The glorious midday sun shone brightly through the rice paper-covered windows, sending diagonal shards of light across the room. It resonated with an aura of quiet reflection and tranquillity, spotlessly clean, neat, ordered, and precise in its design.

There were no walls surrounding the Dojo, only tall sculpted columns that stretched up to the layered ceiling. The building was surrounded by a series of stone steps, and beyond them, the ground suddenly fell away out of sight, perched as they were atop a mountain. There were other mountains in this range, their peaks rearing up from the misty shroud that swathed them, making them seem like islands set adrift in a sea of clouds.

"This place is breathtaking..." Sakura whispered reverently. "I've never seen anything so beautiful before."

*We thought it was time you had a proper place to train,* Alyssa said to him, her voice drifting through his mind like a lover's caress.

John watched Sakura as she walked out across the matted floor, and strode up to the flight of stone steps surrounding the Dojo. She hesitated for a moment, then reached out with the tip of one of her swords, until the blade brushed against some invisible surface. The tentative nudge triggered strange ripples, which began to spread out from the point of contact, distorting the epic vista with concentric waves.

*The area bound by the training mats is the physical room itself. Sadly, we couldn't set you up on a real mountain range,* Alyssa told him wryly.

*Who made all this?* John asked, walking into the room and raising his sword experimentally to check the height of the ceiling. Fully stretched on tiptoe, the tip of his long blade suddenly came up short as he brushed the real surface of the ceiling, causing the same kind of rippling effect.

*It was a team effort. Dana installed all the holo-emitters and Faye used her maintenance bots to build the interior walls for the equipping room. Rachel came up with the idea for the mountains, and Calara designed the Dojo for Irillith, who developed the holo-suite program,* Alyssa explained to them both. Sounding well-satisfied, she added, *Jade and I added the finishing touches.*

*Finishing touches?* John asked, looking around the Dojo to see what she was referring to. *What do you mean?*

*You'll just have to wait and see!* she teased him, sounding giddy at the prospect.

John smiled as he felt Alyssa's excitement over their empathic bond, and he walked out across the Dojo, getting a feel for the size of the place. "Are you ready to start?" he called out to Sakura across the room.

She turned away from admiring the dramatic scenery, and walked out into the centre of the centre of the mats to join him. "Absolutely!" she agreed eagerly, brandishing her twin ninjato, and swirling them around in lazy circles.

He chuckled and said, "I'm not sure how I should feel about you being so enthusiastic to attack me."

"Definitely flattered," she replied. "I watched you fighting Yamamoto, and your mastery with a sword was very impressive. I can't wait to learn from you."

"Thank you, and I'm looking forward to training you too," he replied with a nod of acknowledgement for her compliment.

Sakura smiled at him, and asked, "How do you want to begin?"

He watched the confident way she was holding her weapons, and replied, "We'll take it nice and slow to start with, and let you get familiar with fighting in Paragon armour, and using your new swords." After a moment's hesitation, he added, "When I fought Shinatobe, she was very skilled in Kenjutsu, which is the fighting style Yamamoto taught me. Can you remember the kata for that?"

The Asian girl frowned as she concentrated, then slowly shook her head, and replied, "No, I can't remember any of it, sorry."

He gave her a sympathetic smile, then said, "Alright, let's hold off on fighting for the moment, and just run through the kata. You fight with two weapons, so we'll have to make some adaptations for that."

"Sounds like a great plan to me," she agreed, quite happy to start with the basics.

Sakura proved to be a quick study, and she seemed to have no problem copying the offensive and defensive stances he demonstrated to her. Her dual-wielding proved to be a slight complication, as John wasn't sure how to advise her on positioning her second gleaming blade. However, as she repeated each attacking or blocking move, her hands and body seemed to reflexively know how to respond. She flowed through the kata looking graceful and elegant, as though such movements were as natural to her as breathing.

He quickly realised there was no need to make allowances for her fighting style, as her twin swords appeared to be fluid extensions of her own arms. They spent the next four hours going through all the Kenjutsu kata that he knew, his eager student listening attentively to his every word. Her progress was remarkable, and they shared a grin when he decided to call it a day.

"That was excellent, Sakura!" he said to her as they walked from the training room. "I can't believe how much you learned in such a short space of time."

"You're a good teacher," she replied magnanimously, glowing with his praise. "You're calm and very patient. I really enjoyed training with you."

He smiled as he replied, "That's good, because we have a lot more ahead of us!"

They walked through to the equipping room, and took turns placing their swords in the weapon racks, before moving into the frames to remove their Paragon suits. When John stepped out of the boots, he glanced at Sakura and asked, "How did you find the armour? Was it a good fit?"

Free of her armour too, she winced as she stretched, replying, "It chafed a little. I think it's because I haven't grown into it yet."

John strolled over to her, and she watched him with a shy smile as he lifted the hem of her top to examine her lower torso. Gently running his hands over her lean flanks, he could feel where the armour had rubbed her skin, and he gave her a sympathetic frown as he said, "You should have told me you weren't comfortable. We could have stopped hours ago."

Her hands moved to catch his, and she moved his probing fingers across her body until they were resting over her tummy. "I knew you'd be able to fix everything," she told him, her voice quiet as she gazed into his eyes.

Caressing her svelte stomach, he murmured, "That's right. It's my job to take care of you."

*Why don't you see about those finishing touches I mentioned earlier?* Alyssa said to him suggestively. *Go through the last door.*

John saw the same look of curiosity in Sakura's eyes that he was feeling himself, and he realised Alyssa must have said something to her too. He took hold of her left hand in his, then led the raven-haired beauty over to the third door, the only one they had yet to use. It opened automatically when they approached, and he couldn't help but smile when he looked inside.

*I thought some shower facilities would be useful after you finish training,* Alyssa said to him, her voice playful.

There was a nice-sized shower in one corner of the room, a large chair in the opposite one, but the main feature of this suite was the neatly-folded king-sized bed. John chuckled when he saw it, while Sakura darted him a lusty look.

*I appreciate your attention to detail, XO,* he thought to Alyssa with amusement. *Please thank all the girls, this training facility is wonderful.*

She sounded delighted that he was pleased with their work, and she said, *It was the least we could do. Besides, you do insist in buggering my girlfriend senseless after your sparring sessions. I figured she'd appreciate being nice and comfortable on the bed while you plunder her tight little ass.*

He was already hard after flirting with Sakura, but he positively throbbed at the thought of Calara's compact little bottom, and the wonderful delights it always promised and delivered. A flash of clothes at his side drew his attention, and he grinned when he saw his student stripping off her trousers. John copied her, taking off his clothes too, and when he was as naked as she was, she reached out with a gentle hand to grasp his cock.

Moving her soft fingers in exquisite little motions, she guided him into the shower, and he held her in his arms as the water cascaded over them both. Spending hours watching every movement of her body made him feel closer to her, a familiar shared intimacy growing between them, of a sort that he relished with Calara during their sparring sessions. When Sakura tilted her head back to look at him, he could see that she felt it too, her almond-shaped eyes gazing at him softly. When they stepped out of the shower, the auto-driers did their work, adjusting to their size and shape to quickly remove all the water.

Sakura held out her hand to him, leading him over to the bed, and said in a hushed voice, "Make love to me."

Scooping her up in his arms, he placed her on the bed, then joined her there with a kiss. He began to explore her body with his lips, following her collarbone down to her breasts, and delighting in the feel of her soft golden-brown skin. He could hear her breathing quicken as she responded to his touch, letting out little gasps as he caressed her. When he moved down over her belly and between her thighs, she arched her back, and ran her fingers through his hair, letting out a long, low moan of pleasure.

She'd done well today, taking her first real steps on the path he had planned for her, and he wanted to reward her for efforts. He set about doing exactly that as she writhed in ecstasy.

***

Dinner was a relaxed affair, with the girls going ahead with their steak and thick-cut chips without waiting for John and Sakura. Dana and Jade cheerfully announced that the new Bridge Stations were coming along nicely, while Irillith and Faye were making great progress on the upgrades to their digital network. Calara and Rachel were both a little subdued although they managed to hide it well, but to their mind-reading Matriarch, such facades were futile. Alyssa watched them both carefully, and while she knew what was troubling both girls, she found it frustrating not really being able to help them.

Rachel needed to speak to John to find catharsis, and Alyssa had no intention of intervening in anything that could bring him closer to the beautiful brunette. Calara's case was slightly different, and she sent the rest of the girls up to his Ready Room to relax after dinner, while she asked her Latina lover to stay behind, ostensibly to prepare a dinner for John when he rejoined them.

When the others had left, Alyssa shared a look with Calara, the single glance speaking volumes. The Latina walked quickly across the room into her arms, hugging her lover tightly for reassurance.

"Keep going, he needs this." Alyssa whispered in her ear.

"Are you sure?" Calara asked urgently. "I know what he's like, I can't see this helping him."

"It's been hanging over his head his whole life, we owe it to him to give him the answers he's looking for," Alyssa replied, her voice full of the conviction she didn't quite feel.

Pulling back slightly, the brunette gazed into Alyssa's cerulean eyes, and said, "I don't need telepathy to know you're not sure about this either."

"He deserves the truth, whatever it is," Alyssa said, no longer attempting to hide her own worries from her face.

The two girls hugged each other, finding comfort in that simple act, but they couldn't help wondering if they were doing the right thing.

***

The girls were all well-settled in his Ready Room by the time the duellists finally arrived, and their arrival was greeted with wide grins when they turned up an hour late. Sakura walked into the room hand-in-hand with John, her head held high, her cheeks slightly flushed, and a lightness to her step despite the heavy weight rounding out her waist.

"Hi ladies," John said, greeting them all with a smile.

Alyssa rose from her spot on the sofa next to Calara, and said, "So, it looks like you two enjoyed the new training facility." She glided over to join them both, giving each of them a brief kiss, while running her fingers over the Asian girl's taut abdomen.

"You did a phenomenal job on the place, thank you," John said sincerely, looking at each of the girls in turn.

"I can't wait to spar with you in there instead of that old gym," Calara said enthusiastically, in a conscious effort to divert herself from her worries.

"You're the second girl today who wants to hand me my ass. Maybe I need to work on being a better boyfriend," he joked, while carefully avoiding referring to himself as her fiancé.

They shared a glance, and he could tell she knew, and the reason behind it. The twinkle in her brown eyes told him that she didn't mind.

"I see you two enjoyed the after-training facilities," Jade said, beckoning Sakura over to her, and making room between herself and Irillith on the rightmost sofa.

Nodding eagerly, the raven-haired girl walked over to join them, sitting down next to the friendly Nymph. She sighed with contentment as Jade and Irillith curled up on the sofa to face her, gently running their hands over her cum-stuffed belly.