Three Square Meals Ch. 086

"We'll be arriving at New Eden soon," Alyssa warned her, her tone gentle and supportive. "Do you feel ready for that?"

There was a sad cast to Sakura's brown eyes, but not the raw pain that had been there before. "It's time. I need to say goodbye to my parents," she said sombrely, letting out a mournful sigh. "How long until we arrive?"

"Twenty-three minutes," Alyssa replied, mentally tracking their progress against the flight path she'd entered into the Nav computer. A hesitant smile teased at her lips. "John and the girls have nearly finished the Valkyrie. Want to go and take a look at your new toy while we wait?"

Sitting upright, Sakura nodded, a look of relief crossing her face. "That's a great idea! Any distractions would be welcome at the moment."

They walked out of the bedroom, following the corridors and dropping down in the grav-tube until they reached the lower deck. Calara and Alyssa shared a smile as they kept an eye on Sakura, both sensing her nervous excitement as she looked forward to seeing the fully-upgraded Valkyrie. When they arrived in the Launch Bay, they were surprised to see the entire crew there, including Faye with a couple of the maintenance bots.

"Hello!" the purple sprite greeted them, giving the three girls a beaming grin. "That was amazing timing, we're nearly finished!"

"John tipped me off," Alyssa confessed, winking at the cheerful AI as they walked into the mech bay.

Dana was up on the maintenance gantry and she beckoned towards the colossal mech torso with her right hand. "Okay, that's enough! Let it bear the weight now."

John eased off with his telekinetic wall of force and relaxed his grip on the chest, letting the vast mech settle down onto its sturdy legs. Synthetic muscles compressed to take the strain, the limbs staying stable and upright as it stood unaided. It towered over the spectators, thirty-metres-tall from the tip of the manoeuvring vanes on its head to the soles of its huge feet.

"The new hip joints look solid!" he called back.

The redhead grinned as she gave him a thumbs-up. "Alright, that's everything." She turned and waved to the three girls on the deck, her voice amplified by her armour as she shouted, "Come on up! You can check out the new control system, it's fucking awesome!"

John dropped down to land beside Alyssa, holding out his hands to steady himself with the anti-gravity generators built into his vambraces. "Hey, girls," he said with a smile. Noticing that Sakura's attention was drawn to the huge fifteen-metre-long sword leaning against the maintenance gantry, he added, "Twin Ninjato wouldn't have been effective for the mech. Having a longer blade will make it much easier to cut through a ship's armour plating."

She bowed to him respectfully. "It looks like you'll have to teach me to fight with a katana, Sensei."

"Definitely, we can start training whenever you're ready," he agreed, bowing to her in return before glancing around at the group. "Anyone want a lift up to the cockpit? It'll save you having to run up all those stairs..."

Alyssa grinned then began to glow with a soft white radiance as she lifted smoothly off the ground. A sudden gust of wind began to stir in what had once been a becalmed room and Sakura soared up into the air beside the blonde, carried aloft by swirling winds.

Calara smiled at him and replied, "Unless my mysterious psychic ability is teleportation, I'll take you up on that offer."

"How did you guess?" John replied, pretending to look surprised. He smiled at her then, shaking his head. "No, that's not it I'm afraid."

She hopped up into his arms, and the retro-thruster on his back kicked in, sending them aloft on an orange flare of light. They arced upwards to land on the maintenance gantry where the others were waiting.

Rachel climbed out of the cockpit and said to Dana, "That's the last of the electronics connected for the controls. You can activate the new control interface whenever you're ready."

Irillith poked her head out a moment later, following the brunette as she stepped out elegantly onto the maintenance gantry. "I've finished integrating the computer systems, so the controls are hack-proof and the Pulse Cannons have been added to the weapon loadout."

"That's amazing, thank you both!" Dana said giving them each an affectionate hug. She turned to wave at the new arrivals. "Come and take a look!"

She dived through the open door in the side of the mech's head, then beckoned the others to follow. John stood by the maintenance gantry and helped Alyssa, Calara, and Sakura into the cockpit, following them in once they'd moved deeper inside.

The pilot's seat had been torn out, leaving a wide empty space in the centre of the cockpit. Tashana was standing in the middle, wearing a full suit of Paragon armour and an excited grin. "Controlling the mech is really fun!" she exclaimed, looking at Sakura. "If you ever get bored of piloting it, let me know! I'd love to take over!"

John smiled and prompted her, "Why don't you explain how it works?"

Tashana nodded, then pointed down at the sensors attached to points on her armoured limbs. "You just clip those onto your armour, then activate the anti-grav field." She tapped a red button on the larger sensor that was stuck on her chest and immediately afterwards, she rose into the air, floating roughly thirty centimetres off the ground.

"We haven't connected the mech to the controls yet," Dana said, pointing towards a holographic display depicting a representation of the Valkyrie. "I hooked up the control systems to a holo-simulation to let Tashana test what controlling it would be like."

The Maliri girl began to stroll forward, but obviously went nowhere, suspended in the air as she was. However, the holographic mech followed her movements exactly, moving with the slightly feminine shift of its hips as it mirrored Tashana's natural stride.

"Put a bit of sass into it," Alyssa suggested with a smirk.

Tashana nodded and began a sultry walk, the holographic image copying her teasing strut. Sakura laughed and shook her head, imaging what the real mech would look like sashaying into battle like that.

"Does the mech know any dance moves?" Calara suggested, managing to keep a straight face.

Tashana giggled and put her hands above her head, undulating as if to raunchy music in the same way the Latina had done in Enigma. The holograph of the combat behemoth copied her perfectly, shaking it's ten-tonne money maker.

Amidst the peals of laughter, John coughed and cleared his throat. "Does anyone know if the Valkyrie is single?"

That triggered more giggles and he grinned at the throng of girls, enjoying seeing them smiling and joking.

When the laughter had died down, Sakura studied Tashana in fascination, a slight frown on her face. "The mobility is very impressive, but how do you fire the weapons without a flightstick?"

"With these sensors on the fingers," the Maliri girl replied, lifting her hand.

Dana nodded and patiently explained how the system worked, "You can toggle the weapon controls on and off for the weapons linked to each hand. With the weapon triggers off, the sensors match the movements of your fingers to those of the mech. When you turn the weapon triggers on, the mech's digits lock in whatever position you left them."

"It sounds complicated, but it's very intuitive," Tashana replied, confidently raising her hands. "When the trigger-mode is activated, the right trigger finger controls the right pair of Photon Lasers, with the thumb firing the Gatling. The left trigger finger controls the left pair of Photon Lasers, with the left thumb for the Pulse Cannons."

"I'd just leave the Pulse Cannons on automatic fire," Dana said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "The automated targeting system is state-of-the-art and prioritised to target missiles, fighters, and bombers, in that order."

Jade had been listening outside and she leaned in to say, "The Valkyrie uses the same optical targeting system as the Raptor. You just focus on a target for a moment and the targeting computer locks on; it's very easy to use."

"I can't wait to get practicing," Sakura replied, an eager gleam in her eyes.

"You'll get plenty of time over the next week," John said, patting her on the shoulder. "Don't pull the same stunt Dana did on Oceanus though; I actually want to spend some time with you during this vacation!"

Dana pouted and gave him an obstinate look. "That wasn't my fault! You gave me so many projects that needed my urgent attention!"

He laughed and rolled his eyes at her. "Yeah, pull the other one! I know you far too well to fall for that. We practically had to drag you out of your workshop to come and eat with us!"

"Alright, you got me," the redhead conceded with a grin.

John turned to look at Sakura. "Anything else you want to ask about before we leave the cockpit? If not, then I just want to watch Dana reinforce the Photon Lasers and we're done."

That wiped the smirk off Dana's face and she nibbled at her lower lip anxiously when the Asian girl shook her head. John stepped out of the cockpit, then raised an eyebrow and beckoned the redhead after him. She climbed out looking nervous, quickly followed by the other girls who'd been inside the cockpit. Taking off his helmet, he handed it to Jade, who held onto Dana's too when she followed his lead, pulling hers from her head and shaking out her long auburn mane.

"Are you ready?" John asked, giving her an encouraging smile.

"They're ten metres long..." Dana faltered, gazing at the Photon Lasers apprehensively. "And they've each got three barrels! That's too much!"

Pulling her into his arms, he gave her a tender kiss, watching the tension in her sky-blue eyes disappear as she relaxed in his soothing embrace. "What are you worrying for?" he asked her gently. "You won't get hurt if it's too difficult for you, we'll just know to try with something smaller next time."

"It's just such a huge jump up from the disc you shaped! That was the biggest thing I've tried it with so far," Dana protested, looking nervous again.

He placed a gauntlet against her armour-plated abdomen and gave her a knowing look. "You're still full of my cum. I can feel the active connection between us, just like at the award ceremony when I showed off my property to billions of people. The whole of the Terran Federation knows I own you..."

Dana let out a low moan as she glanced down at her stomach, her pupils dilating with arousal. The golden coronas flared, glowing with an inner light that grew brighter by the second. She nodded and said softly, "I can feel it... Your mind's linked with mine, protecting me..."

"That's right, I'll be right there with you, helping every step of the way..." John murmured, gazing into her eyes and trying not to squint against the gleaming brightness. "You're so gifted, I know you're going to shock yourself with how trivial this is. I know you love showing off for me, so why don't you amaze me with how quickly you've embraced your new abilities?"

The shining golden light beaming from her eyes was almost painful to look at now, but there was a fierce eagerness in her expression that was startling to behold. "I won't let you down!" she exclaimed, her voice throbbing with conviction.

Dana turned towards the mech, golden swirls of energy rolling down her arms and gathering around her clenched, armoured fists. She stared unblinking at the Valkyrie for a long moment as a bass throbbing began to echo around the Bay, the golden light pulsing in time with that deep rhythmic cadence. John had expected the glowing girl to reach up to the Photon Lasers above their heads, but she crouched down beside its huge armoured pauldron instead, placed her hands palm-down on the mech's shoulder.

Ripples began expanding outwards from that point of contact, the sparkling white crystal Alyssium undulating as she pumped psychic energy through the metal. John could only gape in astonishment as the waves swept outwards, racing across the surface of the Valkyrie and rippling through everything it touched. He even spotted six rolling waves surge down the length of all twelve Photon Laser barrels at once, the metal gleaming brighter in their wake. Just as Dana had done with the disc in the firing range, the sparkling metal covering every square inch of the mech now sported faint Progenitor runes, written in a clear and delicate script.

The waves died out and the throbbing faded away, while the incandescent golden glow dissipated from her eyes and fists. Dana stood up straight and turned to look at him, a look of hopeful anticipation on her face as she gazed into her eyes.

"You did the whole mech in one go!" John blurted out, absolutely astounded.

"Did I do well?" she asked, looking shy and self-conscious as she waited for his reply.

Gathering her in his arms, he grinned at her in wonder. "Honey, that was breathtaking! I couldn't be prouder of you!"

She leaned against him, a contented smile on her face. "With you helping, I knew it'd be easy," she murmured, nuzzling into his shoulder and letting out a tired yawn.

"You're amazing," he marvelled, placing a tender kiss on her forehead that made her quiver with delight. He felt lots of pairs of eyes on him and he glanced around, noting that all the girls were staring at them in stunned disbelief.

*How do you do that?!* Alyssa exclaimed, staring at him in astonishment.

John sent her a telepathic shrug and admitted, *I didn't do anything, that was all Dana.*

*I know!* the blonde replied, not sounding surprised by his reply in the least.

***

The dropship descended towards one of the free landing pads amongst the dozens that were occupied by troop transports and freighters of varying sizes and descriptions. Retro-thrusters blazed along the length of the fifty-metre-long vessel, until it touched down slightly off-centre on the landing pad. Almost as soon as it had landed, the loading ramp began to lower, moving with the whine of heavy hydraulics. It dropped to the ground with a weighty thud and the troops began to disembark, marching down the ramp in neat, orderly lines.

"Welcome to Sentinel Fortress, ladies and gentlemen!" a Staff Sergeant thundered, his booming voice carrying across the landing pad, somehow managing to make himself heard even over the din of cargo being unloaded. "Present your orders to my staff and we'll settle you in!"

Beside the man and spaced evenly in a line, were a dozen junior officers, waiting patiently with holo-readers in hand. They beckoned the disembarking troops over, nodding respectfully to their fellow soldiers as they approached.

David Gibbons strode down the ramp, glad to be out of the ship. He'd been stationed on Port Medea in the Dragon March for the last six months, so it felt wonderful to be planetside again. He looked out over the base that would be his new home for the foreseeable future and couldn't help grinning as he inhaled a big lungful of air. Terraformed worlds were a marvel, but no matter how hard the techs tried to recreate this planet throughout the galaxy, there was always something special about Terra.

Long queues began to form in front of the Sentinel troops as the newly landed soldiers waited to find out their squad allocations. David glanced across the landing pad at the Staff Sergeant, easily identifiable as a member of the Sentinel Battalion by the distinctive red shoulders on his uniform. The man frowned at anyone attempting to speak to him, pointing to the queues instead.

Feeling particularly bold this morning, David marched up to the Staff Sergeant and ignored his stern gesture towards the queues. "Sergeant Gibbons reporting for assignment to Sentinel Fortress," he declared, inclining his head towards his fellow non-com respectfully.

A flicker of a smile crossed the Staff Sergeant's face. "Good to have you with us, Sergeant Gibbons, I'm Staff Sergeant Brannigan. I suspect you're eager to report in to your new Commanding Officer?"

"That I am, Staff Sergeant Brannigan," David replied, giving him an eager nod. He reached into his pocket and held out a data-chip. "These are my transfer orders."

Brannigan took the data-chip and scanned it with the holo-reader he held in his hands. The Staff Sergeant's eyes darted down the orders displayed on the screen, widening as they reached the end of the document. "Well I'll be damned!" he muttered in surprise.

"Excuse me, Staff Sergeant?" David asked in confusion.

Brannigan handed back the data-chip and said politely, "If you'd like to follow me, Sergeant Gibbons, I'll escort you to the Commander. Oh, and feel free to call me Clint, I like to keep things informal with my fellow Sergeants."

"Good to meet you, Clint. Name's Dave," David replied, shaking hands with the man.

The Staff Sergeant turned and began striding across the mustering point, heading towards a reinforced Command building in the centre of the base. They had to pause as a trio of heavy tanks glided in front of them, huge anti-grav cyclics throbbing with power to keep the massive vehicles in the air. While they waited for them to pass, David glanced off to his left, at the enormous citadel that housed Terran Federation High Command. The building was a marvel of Terran engineering skill, a fortified bastion capable of withstanding the heaviest of orbital bombardments - not that it needed to with the planetary shields in operation.

"Impressive sight, isn't it?" Clint said, gazing over at the enormous headquarters. "You soon get used to it when you're guarding the fortifications on an eight-hour shift."

David turned back to look at the other sergeant. "You mentioned the Commander, Clint? I thought I was being assigned to a squad."

Clint smiled at him and replied, "You are, but Commander Wessex asked me to look out for you."

Suddenly understanding the man's startled reaction to his orders, David nodded thoughtfully. "Is Commander Wessex the Base Commander?"

The tanks had thrummed past, so Staff Sergeant Brannigan set off once again. "No, the Base C.O. is Brigadier Garcia. Commander Wessex is in charge of the Armoured Infantry Companies and requested you personally." Glancing to his right, Brannigan added, "How much time have you logged in Powered Armour?"

David followed the other man's gaze towards the distinctive shape of a Terran Federation Armoury. A squad of five troopers in bulky powered armour strode out of the entrance, hefting a mixture of heavy weapons in their arms.

"None!" he admitted, gaping at the high-tech gear in shock.

"It's a hell of a rush, Dave," Clint confided in him with a grin. "If there's a God of War, he's got himself a suit of Sentinel Armour!"

Feeling more than a little intimidated by the thought of learning to use the hulking body armour, David nodded and just kept pace with his fellow sergeant. They crossed the rest of the base to its centre, weaving their way around trucks loaded with munitions and the occasional open-topped hover jeep. Striding up the steps to the Command Building, Clint paused by the grand entrance and gestured for David to proceed inside.

They walked down several corridors, before stopping outside a door with a nameplate embossed with the title: "Commander Wessex". Clint knocked on it with his knuckles and a muffled voice called out, "Come in!"

The door opened up into a small office with several seats backed up against the wall. There was a second door on the opposite side of the room, adjacent to a desk with a fresh-faced lieutenant sitting behind it. The man smiled at them in greeting and said, "Good to see you, Clint. The Commander's waiting for you, so go straight through."

Brannigan gave the lieutenant a courteous nod as he strode across the door with David in tow, then opened the door and ushered him through. The office beyond was much larger, but David's eyes were drawn to the striking brunette sitting behind it. She was mid-thirties if he had to guess, with her hair up in a bun and sporting a lean, athletic physique - readily apparent with the dress shirt she was wearing, her officers' jacket hanging on a hook on the right wall.