Three Square Meals Ch. 065

By the startled look on Sakura's face, he guessed that she'd heard Alyssa's voice too, and he said to her, "It must seem strange, suddenly having Alyssa chatting away to you like that."

Sakura had her head tilted to one side as she listened to the psychic blonde, and said, "Alyssa's been very kind, actually. I've found it quite reassuring, listening to her talk." She slid off his lap, and stood at his side, wobbling uncertainly for a moment as she gained her balance.

John helped steady her, and as soon as she was stable, he rose to his feet and said sympathetically, "The girls have said that carrying that extra weight takes a little getting used to."

She gave him a wry smile as she replied, "While I was at university, I was always a good girl, and avoided drunken frat parties. I never thought I'd end up in this state, no matter how debauched an orgy they turned into!"

He laughed at that, then looked at her quizzically, and asked, "Are you sure you're okay with everything? It must be weird having to adjust to something so... unnatural."

Sakura cradled her tummy with both hands, and when she met his gaze her smile was gentle as she replied, "I've dealt with brutal changes to my life before, but this? No, I don't mind at all."

He leaned down and kissed her, then took her hand and led her out of the Briefing Room and onto the Bridge. All the crew were gathered there, gazing intently at the local system map for Zeta-Draconis, which Alyssa had activated as a big hologram in the centre of the room. They climbed up the steps to the Command Podium, and Sakura let go of his hand before he moved to sit in the Command Chair.

The Zeta-Draconis system had a bright blue star at its centre, and there were several planets in orbit around the huge sun. Three of the four were lush green worlds, with most of their surface filled with vast jungles. The final planet was a big gas giant, with a large refuelling station sitting in low orbit, surrounded by numerous ships that had arrived at the base to refill their tanks with liquid hydrogen.

"Which one is Xen-Nuchek?" John asked, as he gazed at the map.

Alyssa glanced his way, and replied, "The second one. We're running on minimal power to keep a low profile, and Jade's taking us in."

"Well done, honey," he said to her appreciatively as he studied the planets before him.

Dana turned her chair to face him, and said, "I suspect all three of these systems have been terraformed relatively recently, and if I had to guess, I'd say within the last hundred years or so. The troposphere of each of them shows an unusually high concentration of Carbon Dioxide, which you wouldn't expect with that much vegetation on the planet. They were probably all volcanic worlds before they were changed."

"Is the atmosphere hazardous for humans?" he asked her warily.

Shaking her head, Dana replied, "We'll be fine, our Paragon armour is fully sealed. Breathing would be a little harder if we were out of the suits."

Rachel then interjected, "Actually long term exposure would be fatal, causing respiratory acidosis which has a number of nasty side-effects."

"Would that environment have any effect on the Kintark?" he asked the grey-eyed brunette.

Rachel's mind flashed through the autopsy she'd performed on the Kintark pilot, and immediately replied, "The Kintark respiratory system is quite different to a Terran's, and they're well adapted to high Carbon-Dioxide environments. They wouldn't suffer any adverse effects from being there." She looked thoughtful for a moment before adding, "We'll find the temperature down there quite muggy, but it would be ideal for them, being cold-blooded creatures. I'd theorise that these kind of jungle worlds must be the Kintark's favoured ecosystem."

John nodded his agreement as he said, "I visited a few Kintark planets in my early days as a trader, back when they were still at peace with the Terran Federation. I've been to their homeworld, Kinta, and a couple of the long-established colonies, deep in Kintark Space. They were all jungle worlds too, but they were heavily developed, and fascinating places to visit."

Alyssa gave him a rueful smile, and said, "I would've loved to see them."

"The war won't last forever," he said to her optimistically. Turning to look at Calara, he asked, "Speaking of which, any signs of defensive Kintark fleets?"

The Latina spun around in her Tactical Chair so that she could look up at the Command Podium, and she replied, "It's mostly civilian traffic heading to that refuelling station, but not much in the way of military vessels. We're deep within Kintark territory now; a couple of days from the border using Terran or Kintark FTL drives, so system security is minimal."

"How about the traitor fleet and their escorts?" he asked Alyssa. "How long until they arrive?"

"An hour and ten," she replied nonchalantly. "We were travelling at triple their hyper-warp speed, so we got here with plenty of time to spare."

The green planet, Xen-Nuchek, loomed larger in the system map as Jade guided them in closer to the jungle planet. The surface was covered in a riot of vegetation, and unlike the heavily developed Kintark core worlds, John couldn't see any sign of settlements.

"Any idea where the prison is yet?" he asked, staring at the unbroken expanse of verdant jungle.

Calara and Dana shared a glance, then Dana reluctantly shook her head as she replied, "The Kintark must have seeded the world with fauna, because the place is teeming with lifeforms. It's making scanning for life signs like searching for a needle in a haystack. We've also tried looking for buildings, but as the planet was originally volcanic, there's a lot of metal close to the surface, which is interfering with the scan results."

He rose from his chair, and said, "We'll get geared up, then launch in the Raptor. We'll just have to wait for the traitors to arrive, and when they drop off their prisoners, we'll find the mines that way."

"I'll keep scanning while you get ready," Calara informed him. "I'll let you know if I find anything that looks promising."

"Alright, let's get moving ladies," he said decisively, and Alyssa, Dana, and Rachel rose from their chairs and started walking to the Briefing Room to get suited up in their armour. He turned to Sakura, and added, "Do you want to see our gear, or wait on the Bridge?"

"I'll come with you, if that's alright?" she asked him with shy smile.

"Of course," he replied, then offered her a hand, as he walked down the steps from the Command Podium.

When they reached the Briefing Room, the blonde, brunette, and redhead were already stepping into the Paragon boots at the armour equipping stations. Sakura watched in wide-eyed amazement as the robotic arms moved the armour plated sections into position, enclosing each girl in body armour. Once the helmets had been lowered into position, there was a rippling series of clicks as they activated the hooks that would lock the plating together. It only took a matter of seconds before the three girls stepped away from the frames, now fully geared in incredibly resilient armour.

Dana stopped before them, and grinned at Sakura as she asked, "Pretty cool, right?"

The Asian girl nodded, and replied, "I've never seen anything like it!"

The redhead smiled as she said, "When you're big enough to wear the armour, I'll explain how the equipping frames work. Once your DNA has settled down, I'll add your genetic profile to the system as well." She twisted her shoulder, so that the holographic red lioness emblem was clearly visible, and continued, "Then you'll get one of these to appear in the right colour when you put the armour on."

After glancing at the tawny-brown and golden lionesses adorning Rachel and Alyssa's shoulders, Sakura asked, "A black lioness for me, right?"

Dana gave her a wink, and said, "It was lucky we hadn't already recruited a hot black-haired girl yet."

Alyssa grinned at them as she walked over to the weapons rack, and said, "Why did you think I wanted her to join us so bad? We needed Sakura to complete the set!"

Sakura laughed at that, finding their gentle humour relaxing and inclusive. Something Dana mentioned had piqued her curiosity though, so she asked the redhead, "What did you mean about my DNA 'settling down'?"

Dana grinned at her through the clear Paragon helmet's faceplate, then reached out to gently pat the girl's rounded tummy as she said, "All that spunk you're carrying really does a number on you."

Rachel rolled her eyes, and she smiled at Sakura as she explained, "While John's enhancing your physique, your DNA is being comprehensively rewritten to accommodate the changes. I can run through the specifics later if you're interested?"

"Don't get her started! I love her to bits, but her lectures are really tedious," Dana said in a conspiratorial whisper.

"Hey!" Rachel protested indignantly. "I thought you found them interesting?"

John patted the brunette on the shoulder, as he walked past her on the way towards his own set of armour, and said, "Don't pay any attention to Sparks. I've seen her during your presentations, she loves hearing you talk."

Dana blew an apologetic kiss to her lover, then turned to Sakura and grinned as she said, "The quick summary is: you'll get a smoking hot body with a big rack."

Rachel laughed, and said, "There's quite a bit more to it than that."

Cupping her impressive bust through the form-fitting Paragon armour, Dana let out a happy sigh as she added, "I always wanted big tits, and I went from being flat as a pancake to having these beauties!"

Alyssa walked back to join them, a ferocious looking Punisher rifle cradled in her arms. She smiled at Dana, and said, "Enough showing off, Sparks. Go and get geared up." Turning to look at John, she asked, "I thought Punisher rifles?"

Stepping away from the armour equipping frame, John was now wearing his lion embossed Paragon suit, and he nodded as he said, "The Kintark weren't shielded, but it might be worth one of us taking a Justice rifle just in case. We can fire the Punisher rifles on low-powered mode to start with, and make use of the silenced shots. We might be able to stay undetected a while longer if we can eliminate any guards without making a big ruckus."

"I'll take a Justice rifle!" Dana volunteered immediately. "We haven't given one a field test yet."

She hurried over to the weapon frames, and lifted one of the big laser rifles off the wall. A green light flashed on the grip when she picked it up, and the built-in DNA reader confirmed her identity. She powered up the Justice rifle, and twin streams of blue light circled the power-core disc at the back of the long weapon. The two trails of light merged together into a single bright line, which then raced up the barrel, illuminating the full length of the rifle.

"I've never seen equipment like this before," Sakura marvelled as she gaped at the guns and armour they were wielding. "Where did you get it all from?"

John patted Dana on the shoulder, and said, "You can thank our talented gunsmith and armourer here. Dana designed and built all this gear for us."

The redhead stepped away from the weapon rack now that she had her Justice rifle, and she smiled at Sakura as she said, "I was always good with tech, but after I joined John... well, let's just say it wasn't just my tits that got a huge boost!"

Rachel had finished loading up her webbing with spare magazines, clips, and grenades, and she smiled at John as she listened to the conversation behind her. She walked over to join the girls, and said to Sakura, "John loves smart, talented girls, and he's nurtured all of us to develop our intellects as well as our physical attributes. You'll eventually have the body of an incredible athlete, as well as a highly developed mind."

Sakura stared at her rounded stomach with an awestruck expression on her face, and she murmured, "This is really happening..."

Alyssa ducked down in front of the astonished young woman so she could make eye contact with her, and asked gently, "Are you okay? I guess I didn't do a very good job of explaining this before."

"No, it's not that. You were very clear..." the raven-haired girl replied. She glanced at Dana and Rachel, then blushing slightly with embarrassment, she added, "It's just that hearing these girls talk about it all so matter-of-factly has made it suddenly seem much more real."

John put his arm around her, and asked sympathetically, "Are you having second thoughts? I was worried we were taking things too fast, and not giving you enough time to think it through."

Sakura shook her head, and replied in a firm voice, "No, I'm certain I made the right choice, I don't have any doubts." She looked around at the concerned faces, and grinned as she added, "I can't wait, actually!"

Alyssa stood up, and looked relieved as she said with a smile, "You had me worried there for a moment!"

"Sorry," Sakura apologised with a smile of her own, and Alyssa gave her a quick hug to show her there were no hard feelings.

Now that they were fully geared, they left the Briefing Room to return to the Bridge. Calara turned to face them as they strode out, and said, "I think I might have found something."

John walked over to the Tactical Station, and asked, "What is it?"

"I found what looks like a large strip-mine bored into the surface of a now-dormant volcano," The Latina explained, pressing buttons on her station to highlight the relevant section on the planetary map.

Xen-Nuchek appeared in the centre of the Bridge as a bright green sphere, and the map then zoomed in on the highlighted area. Just as Calara had described, the highly raised topography indicated that it used to be a volcanic range, although that whole section of the planet's surface was now covered in dense jungle. There was a large circular area which had been sunk into the side of the mountain, and the open pit was a light yellow that contrasted vividly with the dark green of the surrounding vegetation.

"That certainly looks like a sulphur mine. Any nearby buildings?" John asked, nodding towards the map.

She clicked a few buttons displaying Mag-view on the map, and replied, "There's a lot of metal in the area, but I found what looked to be pyramids under the jungle canopy surrounding the mine."

"I think you've hit jackpot," he said with a smile. "From what I've seen, Kintark architecture favours pyramids. They use a strange brown building material, which I had thought was some kind of ceramic."

"There must be metal in it too if the Mag-view is picking it up," Dana said, as she stared at the pyramid structures.

Rachel had been looking at the map too, and she asked, "Are those buildings where they keep the prisoners?"

"Probably," John agreed, nodding as he glanced her way. "They'll be a good place to start looking at any rate."

Alyssa frowned as she looked at the local geography, and said, "I can't see any clearings to set us down. That jungle coverage is pretty dense." With a smile she continued, "Except in the middle of the base of course, but landing smack in the middle of a Kintark prison camp might make keeping a low profile tricky!"

"If Faye can hover above the trees, we can use flight mode to touch down," John said decisively. He looked grim as he added, "But it looks like sneaking out the prisoners isn't going to be a possibility. We might have to clean-house before we attempt an evac."

The blonde had a bleak frown on her face as she said, "They've been treating Terran prisoners as slave labour and working them to death. I think a nasty end for the Kintark guards is long overdue."

"Alright, let's get moving," John said, not disagreeing with her sentiments. Turning to look at Calara, he continued, "I'm leaving you in charge, Commander. Try not to take any unnecessary risks, but you have my full confidence in your command decisions."

She rose to her feet, then saluted him as she replied, "I won't let you down, Admiral."

"I know you won't," he replied with a smile.

She gave him a quick hug, followed by Jade, Irillith, and Sakura, then John and his combat team strolled up the ramp towards the grav-tube. They waved the Bridge crew goodbye, then stepped into the red anti-gravity field and descended out of sight. Faye watched them depart with a sad smile, lamenting the fact that she couldn't hug her friends goodbye.

Calara turned to look at Sakura, and she smiled at her as she asked in a friendly fashion, "Do you want to stay up here with us, or go and sleep off breakfast?"

Sakura glanced down at her tummy, then blushed a little before replying, "I'll stay up here, if that's okay? I want to settle in as fast as possible, so I'd like to watch you girls, and find out what you do here."

The Latina nodded, and replied kindly, "That's no problem at all." She pointed towards the Command Podium, then suggested, "Why don't you sit in one of those chairs? You'll get a good view of everything that happens on the Bridge. We're going to try and avoid a fight if we can, so hopefully it should be quiet."

Irillith laughed as she walked back to her IntOps station, and asked, "You don't honestly believe that do you? John seems to have a knack for stirring up all sorts of trouble."

Jade turned her Pilot's chair, and smiled at the departing Maliri girl as she said, "Irillith has a point. I think John's expecting the worst or he wouldn't have asked her to stay with us."

Calara smiled at Sakura, and said with extra emphasis, "We'll -try- to stay out of trouble. In any case, make yourself at home, and just ask if you have any questions."

Sakura gave her a grateful smile in return, then walked up the ramp back to the Command Podium. She climbed up the illuminated steps then paused for a moment between the two chairs, before moving to sit in Alyssa's. The seat was comfortable, and from up here on the podium, she had a good view of the three girls at their stations.

*I don't like sitting in John's chair either,* Alyssa admitted, her voice flitting through Sakura's mind. She sounded caring as she continued, *I'll be in constant telepathic communication with the other girls, so just speak to them if you have any questions for me and John while we're away."

It was still a little unsettling to have Alyssa suddenly able to speak directly to her mind, and Sakura glanced at the girls, unsure if she should say anything to them. Jade was watching her, and she smiled as she said, "Don't worry, she told us to look out for you. Just ask if you're worried about anything."

"Thank you," Sakura replied with a smile, relaxing back into the chair, and feeling more at ease.

***

Dana was waiting inside the Raptor at the top of the loading ramp as John jogged into the Hangar Bay. His crystal Alyssium sword was now sheathed across his back, and he'd had to take a minor diversion to his quarters to go and pick it up, as he usually left it in the walk-in wardrobe. He ran up the ramp, and she hit the button to close it after him, then fell into step beside him as they walked into the ship.

"Sakura seems like a nice girl," she observed as they stepped into the grav-tube.

John nodded, and said, "She's been through a lot though, so I don't want to push her into anything until I'm sure she's ready. We don't want a repeat of..." His voice trailed off as they reached the upper level, and he glanced into the cockpit.

Dana saw his eyes land on Rachel, and remembered her dramatic reaction to the pirates on her first mission away from the ship. She nodded slowly, as she agreed, "Yeah, best to take it nice and easy."

Changing subjects as they walked into the cockpit, John smiled as he asked her, "Was that true about always wanting big breasts?"

The redhead grinned as she replied, "Are you fucking kidding me? It's been like a dream come true!"